Dec. 9, 2003
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COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The Maryland basketball team (receiving votes in both the AP and USA Today/ESPN polls) plays in its first true road game of the season with a visit to Gainesville, Fla., to take on the No. 1 Gators. The Terrapins (4-2), who have defeated the nation's top-ranked team eight times in school history, look to move their program into a tie for second place among the giant-slayers of the NCAA record books by toppling Florida (5-0) on Wednesday. For the second-straight season, each of the Terps' 27 regular-season games are scheduled to be televised live - Maryland will meet the Gators in a nationally-televised contest on ESPN.
Maryland head coach Gary Williams, now in the 15th season at his alma mater, aims for his 300th Terrapin career victory on Wednesday. His record at Maryland currently stands at 299-155 (.659). Only six coaches in history have captured as many victories as the leader of a program in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Williams is tied for first place among active ACC coaches with five career victories over No. 1-ranked opponents.
The Terrapins look to get back on track vs. the Gators, having fallen in a pair of weekend games at the BB&T Classic after downing No. 15/13 Wisconsin in overtime last week in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The Terrapins fell to No. 17/24 Gonzaga, 82-68 on Saturday in the opening round, and overcame a 16-point second-half deficit to tie the game against West Virginia on Sunday before falling in overtime, 78-77. Senior center Jamar Smith, who posted his fifth double-double in six games with 23 points and 13 rebounds vs. the Mountaineers, averaged 18 ppg and 10 boards on the weekend and maintains his status as the ACC's leading rebounder. Sophomore guard Chris McCray has scored in double-figures in five out of six games on the year, and averaged 14.0 ppg and 5.5 rpg to go along with 12 assists and nine steals at the BB&T Classic. Point guard John Gilchrist averaged 13.0 ppg on the weekend and dealt 5.0 apg, while swingman Nik Caner-Medley contributed 11.0 ppg and 6.0 rpg to the Terps' BB&T efforts. Caner-Medley averages 13.3 points on the season - second on the squad - and ranks among ACC leaders in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage and blocked shots.
Florida comes into the game after a 74-61 victory over Stetson on Saturday at the O'Connell Center. Sophomore guard Anthony Roberson, who trails only second-year forward Matt Walsh (16.8 ppg) in scoring, netted 18 points for the Gators in the victory. Junior big man David Lee chipped in with 16 points and Walsh grabbed eight rebounds as Florida posted its 40th-consecutive non-conference home victory. Eighth-year head coach Billy Donovan owns a 154-73 record with the Gators, and a 189-93 record overall.
Maryland has met Florida only twice in school history. The Terrapins fell, 39-24, in the 1932 Southern Conference Tournament in Atlanta, before the Gators handed the Terps a 69-64 loss at Comcast Center last season.
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 head coach Gary Williams reached his 500th career victory at NC State on March 2, 2003. His record stands at 506-283, 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 USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll (released Dec. 8), after appearing in 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 34 votes.
Maryland is currently the fourth receiving-vote getter in the AP Poll, released Dec. 8. Including finishing the 2002-03 season ranked No. 17, the Terrapins had been ranked in 77 straight AP Polls.
On Deck
The Terps 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. The Terps take on UNCG at 8 p.m. before the holiday in a game that will be aired by FOX Sports Net South, and in the Baltimore/Washington, D.C. area on Comcast SportsNet.
ACC action is just around the corner, as the Terps' first conference contest comes just after the Christmas holiday vs. Florida State. The Terps meet the Seminoles in Tallahassee on Sunday, Dec. 28, in a nationally-televised tilt on FOX Sports Net.
