Juan Dixon and Lonny Baxter already have done their share to lift Maryland to elite status, taking the Terrapins to the Final Four not just once, but twice.

The seniors now plan to attach a spectacular ending to their productive college careers.

Dixon and Baxter are the first players in the rich history of the Maryland basketball program to take part in at least 100 wins. Dixon has played a part in 108 victories, Baxter in 105.

They won’t be satisfied until they get two more  Saturday night against Kansas in the NCAA semifinals and in the championship game next Monday night.

“It’s my last time doing this, and I’m going to do whatever it takes to win,” said Dixon, a multifaceted shooting guard and an integral part of the most successful senior class in Maryland history.

Dixon scored 27 points and Baxter had 29 points and nine rebounds Sunday as top-seeded Maryland won the East Regional and advanced to the Final Four for a second straight year with a 90-82 victory over Connecticut.

The Terrapins already had a run of five straight NCAA tournament appearances when Dixon and Baxter began their freshman seasons in 1998. But Maryland never before reached the Final Four until the duo, with aid from Tulane transfer Byron Mouton, lifted the program even higher.

Maryland coach Gary Williams says the best part of their game is resiliency.

Last year, the Terrapins rebounded from a home loss to lowly Florida State to reach the Final Four for the first time. This year, they entered the NCAA tournament coming off a deflating loss to North Carolina State in the semifinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.

“Along those four years we’ve won over 100 games, but we also had some tough losses. Yet we’ve always been able to come back,” Williams said. “We’ve never let anybody take us off of what we were trying to do. I think our seniors  Juan, Lonny and Byron  have had a lot to do with that. Over a four-year period, they have been mentally tough.”

As juniors, the trio guided the Terrapins to where no Maryland team had gone before. Maryland lost to eventual champion Duke in the national semifinals, but virtually everyone associated with the program still considered the season a rousing success.

This time, there will be no moral victories. Only a national championship will do, even though the Terrapins (30-4) have accomplished plenty, capturing their first regular season ACC title since 1980 and winning 30 games for the first time.

“This year’s team is much more mature than last year’s,” Mouton said. “I think that’s why we are the situation we are in.”

After reaching the Final Four last year, the three could have focused on potential NBA careers. Instead, they channeled their energy toward going out with a national championship.

“Our seniors did a tremendous job this year, because going to the Final Four last year only made them work harder,” Williams said. “That isn’t always the case. They’ve done a great job with the other players, trying to get them up to the level we can play at.”

Now, as the only team returning to the Final Four, Maryland hopes its experience will prove invaluable against Kansas, making its first Final Four appearance since 1993.

“I think we have a very good chance to win a national championship,” Maryland guard Drew Nicholas said. “I wouldn’t consider us favorites, but we are content. We have as good a shot as anybody.”