Terps' Win Over Duke Draws CBS' Largest Regular Season Rating Since 1994
2/21/2002 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 21, 2002
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Last Sunday's Maryland-Duke battle left Maryland as the country's No. 2 ranked team while ratings from the much-anticipated game were the best for CBS' coverage of regular season college basketball since 1994.
CBS Sports' college basketball regional coverage of Duke-Maryland/Indiana-Michigan on Sunday, Feb. 17 (1:00-3:15 PM, ET) earned an overnight metered market rating/share of 3.7/8, up +131% from last year's 1.6/4 overnight rating for Duke-St. John's on Sunday, Feb. 18 (12:00 Noon-2:15 PM, ET).
This year's 3.7/8 for Sunday's games is the highest regular season rating for NCAA men's basketball on CBS since Michigan-Ohio State on Feb. 13, 1994 (12 Noon-2:00 PM, ET), which earned a 5.2/13 overnight rating/share.
The Terrapins, 22-3 overall and 12-1 in the ACC, can continue their momentum and win their 10th straight game with a win over Wake Forest on Sunday at Cole Field House. A win would be their 17th straight at Cole Field House and keep intact an undefeated (would be 14-0) season at Cole.
Maryland moved to No. 2 in both major polls following the 87-73 win over the Blue Devils last weekend. A win over the Demon Deacons on Sunday would also establish the best record in Maryland history after 26 games. No Maryland team has ever gone 23-3.
Meanwhile, a couple of Terps have established major milestones.
Junior point guard Steve Blake posted 13 assists against Duke and nine against Clemson to run his career total to 658, and surpass Keith Gatlin as the school's all-time assist leader. Senior All-American and National Player of the Year Candidate Juan Dixon scored 21 points at Clemson to push him over the 2,000-point barrier and become college basketball's first player EVER to reach each of the following milestones: 2,000 points, 300 steals and 200 3-point field goals.
Dixon and senior teammate Lonny Baxter represent a senior class that won its 100th game in Maryland uniforms on Wednesday night, breaking another school record. Dixon has appeared in every game and owns a 100-30 career record for the Terrapins. Baxter is 97-30.
Baxter, too, has raised his production as the Terps race toward what can be their first ACC regular season title since 1980. The senior All-America candidate has registered four consecutive double-double efforts recently, becoming the first Maryland player to do so in three seasons. A Maryland player has not had five straight double-doubles since Joe Smith had six in 1995.
Baxter can pursue his fifth double-double, and Dixon can cut into the 137 points that separate him from the school's all-time scoring mark, when Maryland hosts Wake Forest at Cole Field House at 2 p.m. (ch. 20 and 54 locally, ESPN nationally). Each of them will have their jerseys honored in pregame ceremonies, becoming the 13th and 14th players in Maryland history to have their numbers raised to the Cole rafters.
