Terps This Week: ACC/Big Ten Challenge And BB&T Classic
11/28/2000 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 28, 2000
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COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- The Maryland Terrapins continue an early-season, two-week stretch which will conclude a string of six straight opponents who played in 2000 postseason tournaments. On tap for the No. 13 Terrapins are defending Final Four participant Wisconsin, NIT participant Michigan and a second-round BB&T Classic matchup with either George Washington or No. 19 St. John's.
Maryland, 1-2 following last week's fourth-place finish at the Maui Invitational, travels to Milwaukee, Wisc., on Wednesday, Nov. 29 for the second annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The Terps meet the No. 23 Badgers in the first meeting between the schools since Dec. 23, 1932, which even predates the founding of the Atlantic Coast Conference in 1953. Tipoff is 9 p.m. (ET) before a national TV audience on ESPN.
Saturday, the Terps' gauntlet continues with an opening round game at the BB&T Classic against another Big Ten foe, Michigan. Besides a 1994 NCAA Midwest Regional loss to the Wolverines, it is Maryland's first encounter with Michigan since Dec. 17, 1937.
At Maui, Maryland experienced a sluggish beginning to the 2000-01 campaign by falling to No. 8 Illinois, 90-80, and now-No. 24 Dayton, 77-71, following a 95-73 opening-game thumping of Louisville. Despite holding opponents to 39 percent shooting over three games, the Terps were badly outrebounded in its final two games of the tournament.
ACC/Big Ten Challenge In its second year of existence, the ACC/Big Ten Challenge features two consecutive days (Nov. 28 and Nov. 29) of games pitting teams from two of the nation's strongest conferences. In last year's inaugural series, the ACC bested their Big Ten counterparts, 5-4. Maryland, in a game played at Baltimore Arena, downed Iowa, 83-65. Wisconsin fell 67-48 at Wake Forest.
Terps vs. Big Ten The Terrapins have rarely faced Big Ten competition and, in fact, have met Big Ten opposition just 24 times including last week's loss to Illinois. Further, while Maryland had never played more than two Big Ten teams in a season previously, by week's end the Terps will have faced Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan within a span of nine days.
-- Maryland has played against nine of 11 teams currently in the Big Ten. The Terps have never faced either Northwestern or Purdue. And though Maryland has battled Penn State to an 8-8 draw in a series which dates to 1913-14, the Terps have Lions have not met since an NIT game in 1990, prior to their admission to the Big Ten.
-- Last season's victories in consecutive games over Iowa and Illinois marked the first time in Maryland history that the Terps had beaten Big Ten teams in successive contests. It was, in fact, just the third time that Maryland had met Big Ten foes in consecutive games at all. This week's Wisconsin and Michigan matchups present the fourth such occasion.
-- Until last season, Maryland had not faced a Big Ten team in the regular season since meeting Ohio State in home-and-away games in 1985 and 1986. Coincidentally, the Buckeyes would be coached by Gary Williams beginning in the 1986-87 season.
Rankings Maryland is No. 13 and 14, respectively, in the AP and USA Today/ESPN polls of Nov. 26. The Terps are No. 26 in Nov. 26 Sagarin Ratings. Wisconsin is No. 23 in both polls and is No. 84 in the Sagarin Ratings.
St. John's is currently No. 19 by the AP and No. 21 by USA Today/ESPN. The Red Storm are No. 32 by Sagarin. Michigan and George Washington are unranked.
Records Maryland is 1-2 following the Maui Invitational. Maryland defeated Louisville (95-73) before falling to Illinois (90-80) and Dayton (77-71).
Wisconsin is 1-1 after a loss at Tennessee (66-56) and a win over Northern Illinois (68-64).
Michigan is 2-1 with a loss to Oakland (97-90) and wins over Western Michigan (92-78) and Wagner (98-83).
St. John's is 3-1 following a runner-up finish in the Preseason NIT. The Red Storm beat Kentucky (62-61), lost to Kansas (82-74) and defeated Stony Brook (92-62) and Niagara (92-59).
George Washington is 4-0 after winning its own Red Auerbach Classic last weekend. The Colonials have defeated Texas A&M (94-74), Old Dominion (91-89), Howard (119-80) and Boston University (92-76).
Series Histories Maryland trails a brief and distant series with Wisconsin, 2-0. The Badgers won 32-30 on Dec. 30, 1931 and 22-13 on Dec. 23, 1932.
Michigan leads the series with Maryland 3-1, including a 78-71 win in the NCAA Midwest Regional at Dallas in 1994. The schools played three times between 1927 and 1938, but never since.
Maryland leads an 8-6 series over St. John's which includes a 76-62 NCAA Sweet 16 defeat at Knoxville in 1999. The `99 tourney meeting was the schools' first since a 90-69 Maryland win at the Maryland Invitational in 1971-72 behind Len Elmore and Tom McMillen, and only the second meeting since 1938.
Against George Washington, the D.C.-area schools have met on 58 occasions including last season's BB&T Championship in which the Colonials upset the Terps 72-64. The last four times the clubs have met have all been at the BB&T Classic (or other Children's Charities Foundation tournaments). The teams met annually between 1939 and 1979, missing only in the 1944, 1945 and 1975 seasons. Maryland leads the series, 33-25.
Next Games The MCI Center in Washington D.C., is host to the annual BB&T Classic on Dec. 2 and 3, where Maryland co-hosts visiting Michigan and St. John's with cross-town rival George Washington.
Tickets for the BB&T Classic are on sale at all TicketMaster locations.
Maryland's regular season home opener is on Dec. 6 against second-year Div. I affiliate Stony Brook. The Terps are at the Palestra in Philadelphia to face defending Ivy League champion Penn on Dec. 9.
Co-Captains Maryland has named co-captains for the current season -- seniors Mike Mardesich and Terence Morris. Combined, they have 207 games experience during their four-year careers (Mardesich 104, Morris 103).
