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March 16, 2003
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
The Maryland basketball team (No. 14 AP, No. 15 USA Today/ESPN) received the No. 6 seed in the South Region and will take on Brett Blizzard and UNC Wilmington on Friday, March 21 in Nashville, Tennessee, at the Gaylord Entertainment Center. The game will be played at approximately 8:55 p.m. Central (Local) Time in Nashville (9:55 Eastern), 30 minutes following No. 3 Xavier and No. 14 Troy State's 6:25 p.m. CT matchup.
Maryland will make a school-record 10th straight appearance in the tournament one year after reaching its second-straight Final Four and capturing the first men's basketball national championship in school history. All rounds of the tournament air live on CBS-TV.
Terps In The NCAA Tournament
Maryland will play in its 10th consecutive NCAA Tournament under head coach Gary Williams. The 10th-straight appearance makes Williams one of 14 coaches ever, and one of only 10 active coaches, to guide their teams to as many consecutive NCAA berths.
The Terrapins are 32-18 (.640) all-time in the NCAA Tournament, and are 19-8 (.704) all under Williams during their last nine appearances.
Maryland is the ONLY school to have reached as far as the Elite Eight in each of the past two seasons.
Maryland, Arizona and Kentucky are the only schools in the nation that have achieved each of the following:
- Won a national championship since 1994.
- Receive berths in each of 10 NCAA Tournaments from 1994 to 2003 (Arizona, Cincinnati, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland).
- Make apperances in the Sweet Sixteen at least six times since 1994 (Arizona, Connecticut, Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland).
Maryland has been a top-six seed in each of the past seven years, and in eight of its 10-straight appearances.
Maryland has seven players on its roster who have NCAA Tournament experience (for a total of 53 games of NCAA Tournament play). Steve Blake, Drew Nicholas and Tahj Holden have played in 11 NCAA games over the past two seasons - the most of any players in the nation: Blake (13-13; '00, '01, '02), Nicholas (13-0; '00, '01, '02), Holden (13-0; '00, '01, '02), Ryan Randle (6-0, '02), Calvin McCall (5-0; '00, '02), Andre Collins (2-0; '02) and Mike Grinnon (1-0; '02).
