Washington ? Even though there is a new coach and only three players are still around, Wisconsin hopes recent history repeats itself in the NCAA tournament.

The Badgers advanced to the Final Four two years ago as a No. 8 seed, the same slot they were given this season.

In 2000, under coach Dick Bennett, Wisconsin beat top-seeded Arizona in the second round of its improbable run. Today, under first-year coach Bo Ryan, the Badgers (19-12) will play top-seeded Maryland (27-4) in the second round of the East Regional. The site’s other second-round game is second-seeded Connecticut vs. No. 7 North Carolina State.

“It’s two separate teams with two separate identities,” senior forward Charlie Wills, a member of both Wisconsin teams, said Saturday. “The only comparison is that there is no pressure on us now that the first game is over.”

Kirk Penney, who led the Badgers with 19 points in an 80-70 victory over St. John’s on Friday night, had a sly smile on his face as he said: “You could say the table is set for us again.”

The Terps have something on their side that Arizona didn’t in 2000: playing in an arena just 20 minutes from their campus.