Feb. 6, 2004
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COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
The Maryland basketball team (12-7, 3-5 ACC) returns home to begin the second half of the ACC season as the Terrapins take on Florida State (16-6, 4-4 ACC) Sunday at Comcast Center. The Terps look to continue an upward climb in the conference standings with the matchup against the Seminoles at 1 p.m. For the second-straight season, each of the Terps' 27 regular-season games are scheduled to be televised live - Maryland meets Florida State 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 and Seminoles are among the most battle-tested squads in the ACC, having each faced seven AP Top 25 opponents on the season. The Terrapins come into the ball game with an RPI of 34 and the 14th-strongest schedule played in the nation to date, while Florida State is ranked No. 38 in the RPI. Maryland boasts two conference road wins (tied for second in the league) after playing five of their first eight ACC games away from home, and hope to make waves in the conference as five of their final eight ACC games will be played within the confines of Comcast Center.
Maryland gritted out its third overall road win of the season, and second ACC victory on the road, by overcoming the Virginia Cavaliers in Charlottesville on Wednesday, 71-67. The Terps slugged it out for 40 minutes in the home of the Wahoos en route to posting a 49-38 rebounding advantage and forcing 20 UVa turnovers, including one in the game's final 11 seconds, for the victory. Sophomore point guard John Gilchrist seemingly willed the Terps to victory in his home state, scoring 21 of his game-high 26 in the first half, and tipping in the Terps' final bucket to seal the win. Second-year forward Travis Garrison, starting his first game in the last eight, grabbed 10 rebounds and scored five points in only 12 minutes, while rookie center Hassan Fofana totaled five points and 10 boards (seven offensive) in 20 minutes. Freshman D.J. Strawberry added nine points and made three steals, including the one on UVa's final possession.
Florida State comes into the game the winner of four of its last five, having downed then-No. 7 North Carolina, then-No. 10 Wake Forest, Savannah State and most recently No. 15 Georgia Tech, 81-65, on Tuesday (all at home). The Seminoles, who are 0-3 on the road this season against conference teams, are led by senior guard Tim Pickett, who averages 16.2 points per game, 2.4 steals and an ACC-leading 3.1 3-point field goals per game. He scored 33 against the Jackets, marking his second 30-point performance in his last five outings. Freshman forward Alexander Johnson is averaging 9.0 ppg and 4.0 rpg since the start of conference play, while junior Michael Joiner averages 7.4 ppg.
Maryland owns a 22-7 advantage over FSU in the series and has won 15 of the last 17. The Terps look to avenge a 79-75 loss from Dec. 28 this season in Tallahasssee. The Terrapins had come back from a 14-point first half deficit but fell to the Noles for the first time since 2001. Gilchrist, Nik Caner-Medley and Chris McCray each scored 15 points.
Terp Streaks & Storylines
After Wednesday night's hard-fought victory over Virginia, the Terrapins are 33-11 (.750) 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 128-100 in ACC regular-season play in his 15 seasons at Maryland.
In 26 seasons, Williams owns a career record of 514-288 overall (.641), making him the 16th-leading active coach in America in terms of victories. He is 307-160 (.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 (6), Georgia Tech (5), Duke (5), Wake (4), Virginia (4) and NC State (4). The Terrapins join the Yellow Jackets and Tar Heels with an ACC third-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.
On Deck
The Terrapins have a full week off before heading to Chapel Hill, N.C., to face the No. 17 Tar Heels. The Terrapins, who downed UNC 90-84 at home on Jan. 14, look to complete the season sweep on Sunday, Feb. 15, at 3:30 p.m on ABC.
