NCAA Rematch: Terps Face Hoosiers In ACC/Big Ten Challenge

Dec. 2, 2002

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COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The Maryland basketball team takes on the Indiana Hoosiers on Tuesday in a rematch of the 2002 NCAA title game as a part of this season's ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Ranked No. 11 AP, USA Today/ESPN according to the Nov. 25 polls, the Terrapins (3-0) meet the No. 19/20 Hoosiers (4-0) at 9 p.m. ET in a game that will be aired live nationally on ESPN. New AP and USA Today/ESPN rankings were released Monday afternoon.

The Terrapins head into the game against the Hoosiers having opened the 2002-03 season and their new, $125 million Comcast Center with three non-conference victories. In their most recent win, 89-39 over Duquesne on Nov. 30, the Terps were led by senior guard Drew Nicholas for the third straight game. Nicholas netted 19 points, while senior foward Ryan Randle contributed 16 and freshman Travis Garrison added 11 and seven rebounds. Senior Tahj Holden contributed a career-high six of the Terps' record-tying 24 steals.

The Hoosiers began the young season with a trip to the Maui Invitational, and posted victories over Massachusetts, No. 20/21 Gonzaga and Virginia en route to that tournament's championship. Indiana then returned to Assembly Hall in Bloomington to down North Texas, 84-58, on Sunday.

The Terrapins are looking for their second-ever, and second straight victory over the Hoosiers in the five-game series. Maryland's 64-52 national championship win on April 1, 2002, was the first of the series and marked only the first meeting between the two schools since 1981. The Terps and Hoosiers have not met in consecutive seasons since 1933 and 1934.

Terp Streaks & Storylines

Maryland is currently riding an eight-game win streak first established during last season's NCAA Tournament run. Overall, the Terps have been winners of 22 of their last 23, and their 27 of 29 stretch is the best run ever for a Terrapin basketball team.

With three victories in the Terps' opening week, Maryland has a chance to re-enter the top 10 in the AP and USA Today/ESPN Coaches Polls this week. The Terrapins were No. 11 in both the AP and USA Today/ESPN Polls from Nov. 25. The Terps were ranked in the top 10 every week of the 2001-02 season.

Senior point guard Steve Blake enters Tuesday's game with 777 assists, 223 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 23 assists to become the 23rd player in NCAA history with 800, and only three to move into the NCAA career top 25.

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.

Saturday's game marked the third men's basketball contest played in Maryland's $125 million state-of-the-art Comcast Center. Terrapin basketball is still the hottest ticket in town, the opening game at the new arena attracted a sell out crowd of 17,950 and the first three games averaged 17,694 basketball fans.

Maryland began its 80th consecutive basketball season against Miami (Ohio) on Nov. 24, and the Terps own a 3-0 record in their new 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 Terps own an 21-game home win streak dating to their last loss on Feb. 14, 2001 - 74-71 to Florida State. It matches 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 owns the nation's longest non-conference homecourt win streak which spans 87 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.

On Deck

The Terps play thier fifth and sixth games to wrap up their first two weeks of the season with their annual participation in the BB&T Classic at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C. The eighth annual tournament will be held Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 7 & 8. Co-host George Washington battles Texas on Saturday 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.

Last season the Terps captured their second-straight BB&T Classic title, with then-senior Lonny Baxter receiving MVP honors. For BB&T Classic history, visit www.bbandtclassic.com.

The Terps play in their final game before exams on Dec. 14, when No. 7/7 Florida visits Comcast Center at 2 p.m. The schedule resumes on Dec. 23 with UMBC.

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).

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