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University of Maryland Athletics

Terps Take On UMES Tuesday In Final Non-Conference Game

Men's Basketball Maryland Athletics

Terrapins Hit The Road To Wrap Up ACC First Half At Virginia

Feb. 3, 2004

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COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The Maryland basketball team (11-7, 2-5 ACC) hits the road for the third time in four games as the Terrapins wrap up the first half of their ACC schedule against the Virginia Cavaliers (12-6, 2-5 ACC). The Terps look to get back on track against their closest conference geographical rival at 9 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 4, at University Hall in Charlottesville. For the second-straight season, each of the Terps' 27 regular-season games are scheduled to be televised live - Maryland meets Virginia in a regionally-televised contest on the Raycom/Jefferson Pilot Network, UPN-20 (WDCA) in Washington, D.C., and WB-54 (WNUV) in Baltimore.

  • The Terrapins are 32-11 (.744) in their last 43 ACC regular-season games since the 2000-01 season, including a 15-1 regular-season championship in 2001-02. The Terps have captured the league's regular-season championship four times, including outright titles in 2002, 1975 and 1980 and a tie for first in 1995. Head coach Gary Williams is 127-100 in ACC regular-season play in his 15 seasons at Maryland.

  • The Terps head to Charlottesville seeking a second ACC road win after falling at home to NC State on Super Bowl Sunday, 81-69. The Terrapins, who outshot the Wolfpack from the floor, battled back from what was an 11-point first half deficit to eventually take the lead in the second half, but fell victim to an NC State hot streak of 3-point shooting. Senior center Jamar Smith led the Terp charge with his play inside, tallying a team-high 21 points and six rebounds. Second-year swingman Nik Caner-Medley scored 10 for the Terrapins, and guard Chris McCray netted nine points, grabbed six rebounds, dealt four assists and made a steal. Travis Garrison continued his aggressive play inside with seven points and five boards, and point guard John Gilchrist scored eight with five rebounds and three assists. Meanwhile, rookie big man Hassan Fofana continues to improve- the reserve center scored four points in four minutes.

  • The Cavaliers are 12-6 overall (2-5 ACC), with a 10-2 record on the season in the confines of University Hall. Virginia returns home to meet the Terps after a pair of losses on the road, at then-No. 7 North Carolina (96-77 on Jan. 24) and at then-No. 19 Wake Forest (91-78 last Saturday). Junior forward Elton Brown, who paces the Cavaliers with 15.1 ppg and 6.3 rpg, netted a team-high 24 points against the Demon Deacons, while sophomore guard Derrick Byars scored 18 and rookie forward Jason Cain totaled 11. Three Cavaliers average double-figure scoring numbers, including Clark, forward Devin Smith (12.4 ppg) and senior guard Todd Billet (10.7 ppg), and freshman Gary Forbes contributes 9.8 ppg and 5.2 rebounds. Pete Gillen, now in his sixth season in Charlottesville, owns a 98-71 record with the Wahoos.

  • The Terrapins lead in the all-time series by a 95-63 margin and have won three of the last five and six of the last 10. The Terrapins look to avenge a pair of regular season losses at the hands of the Cavaliers a year ago (Feb. 6 and March 9). The Terps' last win in Charlottesville came on Jan. 31, 2002, during Maryland's national championship season.

    Terp Streaks & Storylines

  • In 26 seasons, Terrapin head coach Gary Williams owns a career record of 513-288 overall (.640), making him the 16th-leading active coach in America in terms of victories. He is 306-160 (.657) in 15 seasons as the head coach at Maryland as only six coaches in college basketball history have captured as many victories as the leader of a program in the Atlantic Coast Conference. 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.

  • Maryland has faced seven ranked opponents during the 2003-04 season to date - tied for the most of any team in the ACC - posting three victories against Top 25 foes. In addition to No. 9/11 North Carolina (Jan. 14), The Terps defeated a pair of ranked opponents during non-conference play in No. 15/13 Wisconsin (Dec. 2) and No. 1/1 Florida (Dec. 10). The win over UNC was Maryland's 53rd victory vs. the Top 25 since Williams took over the program in the 1989-90 season.

  • Last week's matchup with No. 19/17 Wake Forest was Maryland's ACC-leading seventh Top 25 opponent of the season. Florida State has now also faced seven, followed by Clemson (6), North Carolina (5), Georgia Tech (5), Wake (4), Duke (4), Virginia (4) and NC State (3). The Terrapins join the Seminoles, Yellow Jackets and Tar Heels with an ACC second-best three Top 25 victories apiece.

  • Maryland's roster features a combined nine freshmen and sophomores, two juniors and lone senior Jamar Smith. The Terps have lost a combined nine starters over the course of the past two seasons to either graduation or professional careers.

  • 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. The 1993-94 Terps posted an 8-8 ACC record.

  • With the victory over No. 1 Florida on Dec. 10, Williams became the winningest active coach in college basketball in terms of wins over top-ranked opponents (6). The Terps have posted victories over five No. 1-ranked foes with Williams as their head coach, and his Ohio State team captured a win over top-ranked Iowa in 1987, giving Williams a grand total of six. The win over the Gators marked the third-straight season in which Maryland has beaten a No. 1 squad.

  • The 2003-04 Terrapins look to continue a school record this season by earning a berth in the 2004 NCAA Tournament. Williams returned to his alma mater in 1989 and has guided the Terrapins to 10 straight NCAA Tournament berths since 1994 - a run that includes seven Sweet Sixteen appearances, Final Four showings in 2001 and 2002, and the 2002 NCAA Championship. Maryland is currently one of only six schools in the nation riding a streak of 10-straight NCAA Tournament appearances.

  • 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.

  • Throughout the season, Maryland has been consistently receiving votes in both the AP and USA Today/ESPN coaches polls. Including finishing the 2002-03 season ranked No. 17, the Terrapins had been ranked in 77 straight AP Polls. Maryland has been "receiving votes" in both polls all season long, and the young squad has been ranked as high as No. 24.

    On Deck

  • The second half of the ACC schedule begins on Sunday, Feb. 8, when the Terps play host to Florida State at Comcast Center. The Terps look to avenge a 79-75 loss in Tallahassee from earlier in the year at 1 p.m. on the Raycom/Jefferson Pilot Network.
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