No. 11 Terps Host The Citadel As Part Of Three-Game Homestand

Nov. 26, 2002

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - University of Maryland (No. 11 AP, No. 11 USA Today/ESPN) plays in the second match-up of a three-game homestand when the Terrapins (1-0) host The Citadel (1-1) on Wednesday at Comcast Center. The Terrapins square off against the Bulldogs of the Southern Conference at 8 p.m. in a game that will be televised in the Baltimore/Washington area on Comcast SportsNet.

Wednesday's game marks the second men's basketball contest to be played in Maryland's $125 million state-of-the-art Comcast Center. Sunday's opening game at the new arena attracted a sell-out crowd of 17,950, setting a new Terrapin record for attendance at a men's basketball game.

Maryland began its 80th consecutive basketball season on Sunday night, playing in its fourth venue. Comcast Center is historically the fourth home of Terrapin basketball, following: The Gymnasium (1923-24 to 1930-31); Ritchie Coliseum (1931-32 to 1954-55); and Cole Field House (1955-56 to 2001-02).

The Terrapins opened their state-of-the-art venue in fine style on Sunday. After a ceremony honoring several of the leaders that helped make Comcast Center a reality, the Terps unfurled a banner celebrating their 2001-02 national championship season. Maryland then went to work, grinding out a 64-49 victory over Miami (Ohio). Senior Drew Nicholas led the Terrapins with 16 points, while Ryan Randle contributed a career-high 15 points and added five rebounds. Freshman forward Travis Garrison led all newcomers with eight points and six rebounds.

The Citadel comes into the game with a 1-1 record after a loss to Navy, 51-57, on Monday. Junior Max Mombollet leads the Bulldogs with 17.0 points per game, while rookie guard Kevin Hammack averages 13.0 points.

The Terps and Bulldogs meet on Wednesday for the first time since 1947 and for only the third time in history. The Terrapins played as a member of the Southern Conference, withThe Citadel, until joining the ACC prior to the 1953-54 season. The Terps won a 1938 meeting, 45-43, in the Southern Conference Tournament and a 52-40 match-up at home at Ritchie Coliseum.

Terp Notes & Storylines

Following the Terps' victory in their home-opener on Sunday, Maryland moved to No. 11 in both the AP and USA Today/ESPN Polls. The Terps were ranked No. 12/15 according to the preseason votes.

Maryland IS currently riding a seven-game win streak first established during last season's NCAA Tournament run. Overall, the Terps have been winners of 20 of their last 21, and 25 of their last 27.

The Terps own an 19-game home win streak dating to their last loss on Feb. 14, 2001 - 74-71 to Florida State. It is the team's longest overall homecourt streak since a 21-game streak between the 1993-94 (1), '94-95 (16) and '95-96 (4) seasons. Maryland's longest home win streak of all-time is 24 games set between the 1979-08 and 1980-81 seasons.

Maryland has played 132 consecutive home games since suffering consecutive home defeats. The last time Maryland lost back-to-back home dates was during the 1992-93 season.

Maryland owns the nation's longest non-conference homecourt win streak which spans 85 games and over 12 years. The streak began on Dec. 30, 1989 against Alcorn State. The Terps' last non-league home defeat was on Dec. 12, 1989 vs. Coppin State. The streak began at Cole Field House and continues at Comcast Center in 2002-03.

Senior point guard Steve Blake enters Wednesday's game with 759 assists, 241 from becoming the fourth Division I player in history to reach 1,000 assists. The only others are all former ACC players - Bobby Hurley (1,076), Chris Corchiani (1,038) and Ed Cota (1,030). Blake is the nation's active leader in career assists, averaging 7.06 per game.

Blake needs 41 assists to become the 23rd player in NCAA history with 800.

Blake led the ACC in assists as a sophomore (6.9) and a junior (7.9), and ranked second in the country last season while guiding Maryland to the NCAA title.

On Deck

Maryland's game on Wednesday is the second of three straight home games to open Comcast Center during the first week of the regular season. Maryland wraps up the homestand with Duquesne on Saturday, Nov. 30 at 8 p.m. on Raycom-Jefferson Pilot before heading to Indianapolis, Ind., for the 2002 ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

The Terps make their first road trip of the season to battle Indiana in a rematch of last spring's national championship game. At Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, the Terps and Hoosiers will grapple in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Tuesday, Dec. 3 (9:00 p.m., ESPN).

The Terps play six games during their first two weeks of the season, including their annual participation in the BB&T Classic at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C. on Dec. 7 & 8. Co-host George Washington battles Texas on Saturday, Dec. 7 at 1 p.m., followed by the Terps and Notre Dame at 3:30. Winners and losers meet during consolation and championship games on Sunday at 1 and 3:30 p.m. All games are televised live on Comcast SportsNet.

Consistency & Excellence

Maryland made a repeat appearance at the NCAA Final Four last season and is the ONLY school in the nation that has advanced to the Elite Eight in each of the past two seasons.

The Terps also are the ONLY school to have achieved ALL of the following: - Appeared in each of the last nine NCAA Tournaments from 1994 to 2002 (Arizona, Cincinnati, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland and UCLA). - Advanced to the Sweet Sixteen at least six times since 1994 (Arizona, Connecticut, Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland). - Won at least 25 games over each of the past four seasons from 1999 to 2002 (Duke, Maryland, Cincinnati, Gonzaga).

No. 11 Terps Host The Citadel As Part Of Three-Game Homestand

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