Atlanta ? Basketball is a team sport. One player doesn’t win or lose a game, and, yet, when NCAA Tournament time rolls around, you have to saddle your stud and ride him.

So if you base Maryland’s 97-88 victory over Kansas in Saturday night’s Final Four semi at the Georgia Dome on those terms, then the Terps’ horse whipped the Jayhawks’ steed. Soundly.

In the battle of All-Americans, Maryland’s Juan Dixon tied his career high by scoring 33 points. But Kansas’ Drew Gooden, who collected double-doubles this season like pennies, settled for 15 points and nine rebounds. And they were deceptive at that.

About the only good thing Gooden did was help spur the Jayhawks’ ultimately futile comeback in the last six minutes by scoring the bulk of his points. For the first 34 minutes, the 6-foot-10 Gooden was almost invisible.

One Eastern writer, remarking on Gooden’s lackluster performance, said: “That was the worst 15-point, 9-rebound performance you’ll ever see. He was the Big 12 player of the year and he got pushed around. He’ll be a lottery pick, but he’ll get bounced around like a pinball in the NBA.”

Gooden is expected to skip his senior season and declare for the NBA Draft. If he does, his outing against the Terps won’t enhance his status with the pro scouts.

Maryland sophomore Chris Wilcox blocked a couple of Gooden’s early shots around the basket, and Gooden seemed to go into a shell. Usually Gooden avoids foul trouble, but he picked up his fourth with 10:37 remaining, sat for three minutes, returned and finally re-discovered his game.

How did Maryland intimidate Gooden? Mostly by dogging him.

“Like coach talked about in the scouting report,” Maryland’s Lonny Baxter said, “Kansas doesn’t like people in their space. We played up on them tight, just stayed physical with them.”

Who would have thought both Gooden and Kirk Hinrich, who fouled out with 11 point and five turnovers, would turn in sub-par performances? Gooden and Hinrich were the Jayhawks’ money men, their All-Big 12 performers, the guys who played the tune their teammates danced to.

From where I sat this week, I thought Nick Collison would be the key. If Collison could stay out of foul trouble and contribute, I figured the Jayhawks would be playing on Monday night. Sure enough, Collison was a trooper. The 6-foot-9 junior led the way with 21 points and 10 boards. At the same time, Jeff Boschee contributed 17 points and freshman point guard Aaron Miles played like a veteran with 12 points and 10 assists.

But Gooden and to a lesser extent Hinrich struggled.

Also, it should be noted that KU’s bench, a strength all season, was outscored by Maryland’s bench, 22-12. That’s a significant difference.

And so, for the 13th straight year, Roy Williams sat up on a podium with all those NCAA logos behind him and spoke with red eyes and a tight throat about how badly he felt for his players.

“You know, a lot of times guys make fun of me at this time of year because they say I’m crying,” Williams said, his voice choked with emotion. “Dadgum right because these kids mean something to me.”

Some in the media have dubbed Williams the best coach in the country who has never won the NCAA championship. The albatross is still flying overhead.

“Yeah, it hurts not playing on Monday night,” Williams said, “but it doesn’t hurt one iota, not one ounce, for Roy Williams in any record or championship.”

It hurts deeply, he stressed, because he won’t have the opportunity to coach this team in the national championship game. Or anywhere else. This magnificent 33-4 season that featured a red-letter 16-0 conference season and KU’s first trip to the Final Four in nine years is over.

“This bunch is a heck of a basketball team, and they took old Roy for a really good ride,” Williams said, managing a smile. “I would have liked to have gone a couple more days, but they took me for a great ride.”

Maybe one of these years that ride will take him to the top of the ferris wheel and Roy Williams won’t have to spend a late March night misty-eyed.

Gosh knows he’s paid his dues, but when you’re in a tournament that has 64 losers and only one winner, your chances might be better if you buy a PowerBall ticket.