Dec. 7, 2003
WASHINGTON, D.C. -
The Maryland basketball team (No. 25 USA Today/ESPN, receiving votes AP) looks to get back on track vs. West Virginia in Sunday's consolation game at the ninth-annual BB&T Classic, to benefit the Children's Charities Foundation. The Terps and Mountaineers meet for the first time since 1992, at 3 p.m. at MCI Center in Washington, D.C. For the second-straight season, each of the Terps' 27 regular-season games are scheduled to be televised live - Maryland will meet West Virginia in a regional telecast on the Raycom/Jefferson Pilot network; UPN-20 (WDCA) in Washington, D.C., and WB-54 (WNUV) in the Baltimore area.
The Terrapins again attempt to capture the 300th victory at Maryland for their head coach, Gary Williams, now in his 15th season at his alma mater. His record at Maryland currently stands at 299-154 (.660). Only five coaches in history have achieved as many victories as the leader of a program in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
The Terrapins forced 24 turnovers, made a season-high tying 14 steals and blocked eight shots on Saturday against Gonzaga, but struggled to make key shots and fell 82-68 in the 2003 BB&T Classic opening round. Sophomore forward Nik Caner-Medley, who scored nine consecutive points during one first-half stretch alone, led four double-figure Terrapin scorers with 16. Senior center Jamar Smith (13 points, 7 rebounds) registered his fifth double-figure scoring game in a row after reaching double-digits only five times in all of last season, and Chris McCray posted a fine all-around effort with 12 points, a career-high eight rebounds, a career-high five assists, and five steals. Point guard John Gilchrist scored 11 and grabbed six boards.
In their BB&T opening-round game, the Mountaineers (2-2) erased a 12-point halftime deficit but could not ultimately overcome George Washington and fell, 70-64. Junior forward Drew Schifino, who paces West Virginia at 20.3 points per game, shared team high-scoring honors with sophomore center Kevin Pittsnogle as each netted 16 points. The team's leading rebounder, D'or Fischer, contributed seven points and nine boards to the Mountaineer effort. Head coach John Beilein is now 16-17 in his second season on the West Virginia bench.
The Terrapins trail 14-22 in the all-time series with West Virginia but have not faced the Mountaineers since 1992. West Virginia has taken four of the last five meetings.
The Terps captured the BB&T championship in 1996, 1998, 2000 and 2001, and have posted a 1-1 record in the BB&T four times - 1995, 1997, 1999 and 2002. Maryland owns a 12-5 record all-time in the tournament. This year's version of the BB&T marks only the third time in the nine-year history of the tournament in which Maryland and George Washington will have not faced each other.
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 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 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, at 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.
