March 18, 2002
Maryland vs. Kentucky Game Notes in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Maryland (No. 4 AP, No. 4 USA Today/ESPN) continues play in its ninth consecutive NCAA Tournament under head coach Gary Williams when the top-seeded Terrapins battle #4 seed Kentucky (No. 16 AP, No. 15 USA Today/ESPN) in an NCAA East Region semifinal game on Friday, March 22. All games are televised by CBS Sports.
* Schedule of games at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, N.Y. -
Friday, March 22: #2 Connecticut vs. #11 Southern Illinois, 7:38 p.m., #1 Maryland vs. #4 Kentucky, 25 minutes following.
Sunday, March 24: East Region Championship, TBA.
* Maryland is 28-4 and has won 15 of its last 16 games, including NCAA first and second round victories over Siena (85-70) and Wisconsin (87-57). Maryland has advanced to the Sweet Sixteen for the fourth time in the last five years, and the sixth time in the last nine seasons. Seeking a return to the Final Four for the second year-in-a-row, the East Region's top seed was the regular season champion in the Atlantic Coast Conference with a 15-1 league mark - just the fourth team in ACC history to win 15 league games. Maryland's ACC record and its 25-3 regular season record both were the best in school history. The Terps' 28 victories entering the East Regional match the school record for wins in a season (28-6 in 1999).
* Kentucky is 22-9 with NCAA first and second round wins over Valparaiso (83-68) and Tulsa (87-82). The Wildcats bowed to South Carolina (70-57) in the quarterfinals of the Southeastern Conference Tournament. They have won five of their last seven games, and 7-of-10 entering the Sweet Sixteeen.
TERP NOTES & STORYLINES
* Maryland returns to the Sweet Sixteen for the fourth time in the last five seasons (1998, 1999, 2001, 2002), and the sixth time in the last nine years (1994, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002).
* With a win over Kentucky, Maryland can advance to the Elite Eight for the second straight season and the fourth time in school history (1973, 1975, 2001, 2002). A victory over the Wildcats also would break the Maryland record for wins in a season, 29.
* Maryland is a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history.
* Maryland and Oklahoma are the only teams in the field of 65 to claim wins this season over teams which were ranked both No. 1 and No. 2.
* The Terrapins are the only team in the tournament that has NOT lost a game to a team that is currently unranked.
* Maryland has won 15 of its last 16 games and 20 of its last 22. Prior to the ACC Tournament loss to NC State, Maryland's string of 26 wins in 28 games was the best stretch in school history. Maryland's 13-game win streak, ended in the ACC Tournament, was the third-longest in school history.
* All-America guard Juan Dixon became the Terps' all-time scoring champ during Maryland's second-round win. Dixon scored 29 points in each NCAA Tournament game last week, shooting 10-of-17 against Siena and 10-of-19 against Wisconsin. In two games, he has made 9-of-15 3-point attempts while contributing seven assists and three steals.
* The last time that Maryland remained in the East Region was in 1980. Its only other East Region appearances were in 1958 and 1973, both prior to the expansion of the bracket to 64/65 teams. Maryland has gone 22 years and 14 NCAA Tournaments since it last played in the East Region.
* The ACC Coach of the Year, Gary Williams is Maryland's winningest coach in NCAA Tournament history, boasting a 15-8 record in eight previous appearances. He is 19-11 in the NCAA Tournament overall, including stops at Boston College and Ohio State.
* Maryland's No. 4 ranking in both major polls matches the highest that Maryland has ever been ranked to enter the NCAA Tournament. In 1975, the Terrapins were also No. 4 and advanced to the Elite Eight.
* Maryland's senior class is presently 106-31 over the last four seasons, marking the most wins by any class in school history. Juan Dixon has played in all 106 victories, and Lonny Baxter in 103. Maryland has set new standards for most wins in a four-year period (106) and a five-year stretch (127).
* Maryland's experience is exhibited by three senior co-captains (Lonny Baxter, Juan Dixon, Byron Mouton), a pair of returning All-West Region performers from 2001 (MVP-Baxter, Dixon), and a junior point guard who already has started three straight seasons and is poised to stamp his name deep in the NCAA record book (Steve Blake).
* Juan Dixon became the Terps' career scoring leader (2,172 points) by passing Len Bias (2,149) during last Sunday's win over Wisconsin. He leads all active career scoring leaders in this season's NCAA Tournament. He has scored in double figures in 50 consecutive games, also the longest among NCAA Tournament participants.
* Point guard Steve Blake boasts 726 career assists as just a junior - the most of any player in this season's NCAA Tournament. Already Maryland's career leader, he is on pace to become just the fourth player in NCAA history with 1,000 in his career. He averages 7.05 per game for his career, and he recently took over the national lead in assists with 8.2 per game this season.
* Blake broke his own school record for single-season assists during last week's game vs. Siena. Blake now holds the top two marks in Maryland history (261 in 2002, 248 in 2001).
* Maryland ventures to the Carrier Dome for just the second time in its history. Maryland won the Carrier Classic in 1980-81 by defeating Wagner (96-73) and Syracuse (83-73) on Dec. 5 & 6. The 31,805-seat facility was completed in September of 1980, just three months earlier.
ON DECK
* The winner of Maryland's East Region semifinal game will advance to meet the winner of #2 Connecticut vs. #11 Southern Illinois, in the NCAA East Region Championship on Sunday, March 24 at Syracuse, N.Y. The East Region champion will advance to the Final Four in Atlanta. Maryland is bidding for its second trip to the Final Four in as many seasons.
CONSISTENCY & EXCELLENCE
* Maryland is the only school in the nation that has achieved each 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).
