Terrapins Host Princeton To Tip Off BB&T Classic
11/30/2001 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 30, 2001
Maryland vs. Princeton Game Notes in PDF Format
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COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Maryland (No. 5 AP, No. 4 USA Today/ESPN) meets Princeton in the first round of the seventh annual BB&T Classic, benefitting the Children's Charities Foundation. Maryland annually co-hosts the weekend tournament with crosstown foe George Washington. Maryland faces Princeton at 1 p.m. on Sunday at the MCI Center, followed by GW vs. Connecticut at 3:30.
* A three-time champion of the BB&T Classic, Maryland takes the floor in the 2001 tournament as the defending champion. Last year, Maryland beat Michigan in the opening game, 82-51, before topping George Washington 71-63 in the championship.
* Maryland enters the 2001 BB&T Classic as the fourth team to play in the tournament with a top five national ranking. Previous top five teams were Kansas (No. 2 AP) in 1997, Maryland (No. 2 AP in 1999) and Stanford (No. 5 AP in 1999).
* The Terrapins seek their third and fourth straight victories in the BB&T Classic this weekend, and their second straight BB&T title. A championship for Maryland would be the Terps' fourth in seven years.
* Maryland enters the BB&T Classic with four straight victories including a 13-point win at Cole Field House last Tuesday over No. 2-ranked Illionois. The Terps overcame an early 17-10 deficit and outscored the Illini 41-14 over a 16-minute stretch as Maryland commanded a 51-31 lead with 17:01 to play. Illinois mounted a furious rally, but never got closer than eight points the rest of the way. All-America guard Juan Dixon finished with a game-high 25 points while sophomore forward Chris Wilcox completed one of the finest games of his young career with 19 points and six rebounds. Junior Steve Blake engineered the point with 10 points, nine assists and four blocked shots.
TERP STREAKS
* Maryland owns the nation's longest non-conference homecourt win streak which spans 80 games and more than 11 years. The Terps' last non-league home defeat was on Dec. 12, 1989 vs. Coppin State. The streak began on Dec. 30, 1989 against Alcorn State.
* Maryland has played 119 consecutive home games at Cole Field House since suffering consecutive home defeats. The last time Maryland lost back-to-back home dates was during the 1992-93 season.
* Maryland has won four straight overall, defeating No. 16 Temple, American, Delaware State and No. 2 Illinois. * The Terps own a six-game home win streak dating to last season.
* Counting the final month of the 2001 season when the Terps played five NCAA Tournament games and won 10 of their last 12, Maryland has won 14 of its last 17 games.
RECORDS AND RANKINGS
* Maryland is 4-1 after Tuesday's ACC/Big Ten Challenge victory over Illinois. The Terrapins finished their 2001 season with a 25-11 record and their first trip to the Final Four.
* Princeton enters the BB&T Classic with a 1-3 record, beating Rider 69-57 last Wednesday for its first win of the season. Co-host George Washington boasts a three-game win streak and a 4-2 overall record entering the BB&T first round on Sunday. The Colonials swept their Red Auerbach Classic last week with wins over Binghamton (65-52) and Yale (116-102 in overtime), and a 79-76 win over Boston University on Wednesday. Perennial Big East power Connecticut is 2-0 with a season-opening win over Vanderbilt (84-71) and a 110-58 rout of New Hampshire last Monday.
* Maryland is No. 5 by the Associated Press this week and No. 4 in the USA Today/ESPN coaches poll. The Terrapins are the only top 25 team in this weekend's BB&T Classic. Other Maryland opponents in this week's rankings (AP, USA Today/ESPN): Duke (1,1), Illinois (2, 2), Arizona (4, 3), Virginia (9, 8), Wake Forest (25, 23). Connecticut and Oklahoma each are receiving votes in both polls.
ON DECK
* Maryland hosts Detroit and Monmouth on Dec. 9 and 11 in their final home games before the holiday break. The Terps are at Oklahoma on Dec. 21, before hosting William & Mary on Dec. 27 and opening ACC play at NC State on Dec. 30.
CONSISTENCY & EXCELLENCE
* Maryland is the only school in the nation that has achieved each of the following:
- Appeared in each of the last eight NCAA Tournaments (Arizona, Cincinnati, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, Temple and UCLA).
- Advanced to the Sweet Sixteen at least five times during that eight-year span since 1994 (Arizona, Connecticut, Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland).
- Won at least 25 games over each of the past three seasons (Duke, Maryland, Michigan State, Stanford, Cincinnati, Gonzaga).
TERPS' BEST ERA
* Gary Williams and the 2001 Terrapins established the current era as the best in Maryland history.
- The Terps' 78 wins since the 1999 campaign (28-6, 25-10, 25-10) is the best three-year stretch in history.
- Maryland won 99 games from 1998 to 2001 (21-11, 28-6, 25-10, 25-10) to establish the best four-year stretch in history.
- With the West Region championship win over Stanford, the Terps established the best five-year stretch in Maryland history, winning 120 games since 1997 (21-11, 21-11, 28-6, 25-10, 25-10).
