Dec. 4, 2003
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COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
The Maryland basketball team (No. 25 USA Today/ESPN, receiving votes AP) takes on Gonzaga (No. 24 USA Today/ESPN, No. 17 AP) in the first round of the ninth annual BB&T Classic, to benefit the Children's Charities Foundation. The Terps and Bulldogs tangle at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 6, in the second game of the event's opening day at MCI Center in Washington, D.C. The George Washington Colonials open the BB&T Classic with a 1 p.m. game against West Virginia on Saturday. The championship game will be played on Sunday at 5:30 p.m., following the 3 p.m. consolation game. For the second-straight season, each of the Terps' 27 regular-season games are scheduled to be televised live - Maryland will meet Gonzaga in a regional telecast on the Raycom/Jefferson Pilot; UPN-20 (WDCA) in Washington, D.C., and WB-54 (WNUV) in the Baltimore area.
Maryland head coach Gary Williams, now in the 15th season at his alma mater, aims for his 300th Terrapin career victory on Saturday. His record at Maryland currently stands at 299-153 (.662). Only five coaches in history have captured as many victories as the leader of a program in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
A thrilling 73-67 overtime victory against the No. 13/15 Wisconsin Badgers has the Terrapins riding a four-game season-opening win streak into the BB&T Classic. Maryland's lone senior, Jamar Smith, put forth a standout effort (25 points, 12 rebounds) vs. Wisconsin to record his fourth double-double in as many games. Chris McCray scored a career-high 16 points while second-year floor general John Gilchrist chipped in with 12 points and a career-high nine assists. Swingman Nik Caner-Medley totaled seven points, including a free throw that tied the game with 2.0 seconds to play in regulation, and added a career-high four blocked shots, including one in the final minute. Freshman D.J. Strawberry performed brilliantly down the stretch, finishing with three points, five rebounds, four steals and two blocks.
Gonzaga comes into its BB&T Classic matchup with a 4-1 record after posting an 86-62 road victory at Washington on Wednesday. Senior point guard Blake Stepp scored 14 points and dished seven assists, and senior Tony Skinner netted 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Junior Ronny Turiaf, who leads three Bulldog double-figure scorers with a 15.0 ppg average, contributed 12 points and center Richard Fox finished with nine points and 14 rebounds.
Maryland and Gonzaga have met only once in history - an 87-63 Terrapin victory during the Bulldogs' first of their string of NCAA Tournament appearances in 1995. The Terps defeated the Zags in the West Region First Round en route to Williams' second Sweet Sixteen appearance at Maryland.
The Terrapins look to capture their fifth BB&T Classic championship this weekend, and their third in the last four seasons. The Terps won the BB&T in 1996, 1998, 2000 and 2001. Maryland owns a 12-4 record all-time in the tournament.
Terp Streaks & Storylines
The Terrapins bring a new-look squad to the floor for 2003-04, as Maryland's roster features a combined nine freshmen and sophomores, three juniors and lone senior Jamar Smith. Head coach Gary Williams, now in his 15th season at Maryland and his 26th season overall, returned to his alma mater in 1989 and has since guided the Terrapins to 10 straight NCAA Tournament berths - a run that includes seven Sweet Sixteen appearances, Final Four showings in 2001 and 2002, and the 2002 NCAA Championship.
The 2003-04 Maryland squad appears to be the youngest Williams has coached since the 1993-94 season. That year, with a five-man freshman class that included Keith Booth, Joe Smith and current Terp assistant coach Matt Kovarik, the Terps posted an 18-12 record en route to the Terps' first Sweet Sixteen appearance of the Williams era. The 1994 NCAA Tournament appearance was the first of Maryland's current streak of 10 straight.
Maryland is ranked No. 25 in the USA Today/ESPN Preseason Coaches Poll (released Dec. 1), having now appeared in the last 70-consecutive votes of the head coaches. The Terrapins, who finished the 2002-03 season at No. 10, have been ranked in the Coaches Poll's Top 10 in 25 of the last 33 votes.
Maryland head coach Gary Williams reached his 500th career victory at NC State on March 2, 2003. His record stands at 506-281, which makes him the 17th-leading active coach in America in terms of victories. Williams totals 25 NCAA Tournament victories - ranking ninth among active coaches - and is 21-9 at Maryland for a .700 winning percentage after once again leading the Terps to the Sweet Sixteen last season. He is one win away from his 300th victory at Maryland.
Williams was recently named the No. 3 college basketball coach in the nation by CBSSportsline.com's Gregg Doyel. Williams' active string of 10-straight trips to the NCAA Tournament ranks tied for fourth in the nation, and he was listed behind only Kentucky's Tubby Smith and Texas Tech's Bob Knight as the NCAA's top mentors on Sportsline's list.
The 2003-04 Terrapins look to continue a school record this season by earning a berth in the 2004 NCAA Tournament. Maryland is currently one of only six schools in the nation riding a streak of 10-straight NCAA Tournament appearances.
Maryland has won 30-of-36 (.833) ACC regular-season games over the last three seasons, including a second place 11-5 mark in 2002-03 and a 15-1 ACC regular-season championship in 2001-02.
For the second consecutive season and the second time in school history, all of Maryland's 29 preseason and regular-season games are scheduled to be aired on live television. The Terps' 2003-04 broadcast slate includes 14 games that will be broadcast nationally, on ESPN, ESPN2, Fox Sports Net, ABC or CBS. With the exception of the snow-delayed victory over Wake Forest last February 17, every preseason and regular season game of the Terps' 2002-03 season was aired live, and the Terps' Feb. 19 tilt at Duke ranked as ESPN's top-rated college basketball telecast of all of last year.
Maryland is currently the fourth receiving-vote getter in the AP Poll, released Dec. 1. Including finishing the 2002-03 season ranked No. 17, the Terrapins had been ranked in 77 straight AP Polls.
On Deck
After the BB&T Classic, Maryland meets No. 2/2 Florida in its first true road game of the season, 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 10 on ESPN. The Terrapins look to avenge a 69-64 loss from last season at Comcast Center - a game that broke the Terps' 87-game non-conference home court win streak. Maryland will travel to Gainesville for the first time in history to take on the Gators at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.
The Terps then take on their second West Coast Conference opponent in four games when they meet Pepperdine for the first time since 1986 on Sunday, Dec. 14, at Comcast Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. in a nationally televised game on FOX Sports Net.
Maryland then breaks for exams before meeting UNC Greensboro in a pre-Christmas tilt on Dec. 23 in College Park.
