ATLANTA -- Gary Williams blows a gasket as often as an old Pinto that's never seen an oil change. The man's sideline intensity is one step below straightjacket level. His favorite pastime seems to be calling his players "you bastards" and accusing them of trying to ruin his life by not hustling or concentrating or defending. Or something like that.

Gary Williams can get on the refs just as well as he can get on his players. (AP)

It's the key reason why his Maryland Terrapins will play for a national title Monday.

When Maryland fell behind 13-2 to Kansas early the players were blistered in a timeout tirade by Williams. They went on to build a 20-point second half lead, then when Kansas began to close it with a late surge, Williams individually got in everyone's face and Maryland held on 97-88.

"Coach is an intense coach," said Lonny Baxter.

That would be putting it mildly. Williams' only release (besides sweating), his only satisfaction (besides winning) seems to be that every time one of his Terps commits some unpardonable indiscretion -- say not diving over the scorer's table for a loose ball or letting Drew Gooden actually score -- he can yank him out of the game immediately and go nuts on him.

In his place comes another stud guard, another bruising big man, another difference maker. That is why this is the perfect Gary Williams team and why the Terrapins are one game from winning the school's first NCAA title.

This team operates as a near seamless unit. Lineups hardly matter when you have this much rock-solid talent that understands their roles this well. And lineups fluctuate because Williams is not patient with failure. The result is a battle-hardened crew that got knocked down coming out of the box against KU and simply got up, dusted itself off and whacked them back.

There just isn't much Kansas or anyone else can hit these guys with. They've already heard and seen the worst. It can be found pacing in front of their bench.

"He's just trying to get you to play with emotion," said senior Drew Nichols of Williams' quick hook and quicker tongue. "You just have to focus all the time."

Consider Maryland focused right now, just as it has been all season. This entire campaign has been a steady march toward a title and now there is just a single step left. This is a veteran team, with eight returning players from the 2001 Final Four club. The Terrapins are 31-4; they won the Atlantic Coast Conference with a 15-1 record. When they won big games they never got too high, when they lost tough ones they didn't get too low.

This team is about business and their business is getting a scissor in their hands Monday night while One Shining Moment echoes around the Georgia Dome. No 13-2 deficit, no late surge and the thought of a blown lead (like last season's 22-point blown advantage to Duke in the Final Four) is enough to scare this team.

Fear the Turtle? Only because the Turtle fears no one.

"I've been saying that if we ever got in that position again when we were up 22 points," said Juan Dixon, "we were going to find a way to pull the game out."

Williams can be hard on this team because he can afford to have great players sitting on the bench brooding over mistakes. While Maryland will try Monday to become the first team since the 1978 Kentucky Wildcats to win an NCAA title without a McDonald's All American on the roster, that only says that the McDonald's voting committee missed on a few of these guys.

The Terps are so good so deep into their rotation that nothing can cause panic. Lonny Baxter in foul trouble? How'd you like a little of 18 and nine from Chris Wilcox? Juan Dixon needs a breather, have some of Drew Nicholas. Didn't think Tahj Holden could go for 13? Oh well.

Maryland will enter the national championship game against Indiana as a big favorite and the reason why has nothing to do with the red-hot Hoosiers.

It's because Williams has an arsenal of eight game-breakers on his roster. They are talented, tough and smart. And they know that if they don't play to perfection, they'll be hauled out of the game immediately and get a cussing out by Williams.

It tends to motivate the players.

This is a beautifully constructed team, full of not just great players but great Gary Williams players. Being a Terp just isn't for everyone, but for these guys, there isn't anything better. They know how to shrug off the shouts, take a lesson from the lashings and head out to kick people around.

Then there is Dixon, who is having as clutch an NCAA Tournament as any player in memory. When Maryland needs a basket, or five, there is the senior leader getting it done. When Kansas cut the lead to four, it was Dixon who delivered with a baseline runner. Of course he delivered all night, finishing with 33 points.

"Just your typical average Juan Dixon NCAA Tournament game," said Nicholas.

And just your typical night of work for the Terrapins, who didn't really bring it for 40 minutes, didn't get their best from every player (just four points from Baxter) but still advanced in the Final Four by nine.

Maryland has been about winning it all for 12 solid months. Monday it will get its shot. A deep and talented team will play for all the marbles, driven by the most driven of coaches who won't let them slip up for a single moment.