ATLANTA

Mike Davis took the criticism a little too hard. He fretted about the impact on his family. He even thought of quitting.

Good thing the Indiana coach decided to stick it out.

Davis began to escape the imposing shadow of Bob Knight by taking the Hoosiers to their first Final Four since 1992. While the journey was ultimately rewarding, there was plenty of discord along the way.

"I knew it was going to be a tough task," Davis said. "I just wasn't ready for how tough it's been."

Anyone who succeeded Knight -- especially after the General was forced out under nasty circumstances -- was going to face resentment in the Hoosier Nation. Still, Davis let the condemnation become a little too personal.

"Now I understand it's not about me," he said. "It's about being the guy who followed coach Knight."

On Saturday, Indiana meets Oklahoma before more than 50,000 fans at the Georgia Dome. Kansas and Maryland, both No. 1 seeds, are paired in the other semifinal.

The winners will play Monday night for the championship.

Davis was under fire right from the start at Indiana. He guided the Hoosiers to the NCAA tournament in his first year, only to be upset by Kent State in the opening round.

The pressure became even greater this season when Knight returned to coaching at Texas Tech, leading a remarkable turnaround.

But the tide began to turn when Knight's new team was beaten in the first round. His old team, meanwhile, shocked top-seeded Duke in the regional semifinals -- prompting a very un-Knight-like celebration by Davis -- on the way to its first Final Four in a decade.

"I had a lot of low points this year," Davis said. "It even got to the point where I thought if I could just leave the program in good shape ... and just move on to somewhere else, I would be happy."

Davis especially worried about the critics affecting his family. His 16-year-old son would come home crying when he heard what people were saying about his father.

"It wasn't about me, really," Davis said. "You love your family more than you love yourself. When they hurt, it really hurts you. I just felt I put them in a difficult situation and it was really my fault."

A friend persuaded him to ride out the pessimism.

"He told me I should never leave because of the fear of something," Davis said. "That made sense to me. If you move on, move on because you've got something better, not because you fear the criticism from people."

Like Indiana, Maryland is a school with a storied basketball history, but the Terrapins had never been to the Final Four until last season.

They're back again, making it clear that nothing short of a championship will satisfy this time.

"You have to be optimistic," coach Gary Williams said. "There's nothing wrong with feeling you can win the game."

Oklahoma coach Kelvin Sampson is feeling good about his team, back in the Final Four for the first time since 1988. That year, Billy Tubbs' Sooners lost to Kansas in the national title game.

"I got up this morning about 4 o'clock and I couldn't go back to sleep," said the current coach, Kelvin Sampson. "You know why? We're going to the Final Four. I'm so excited."