March 1, 2004
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COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
The Maryland basketball team (14-11, 5-9 ACC) travels to Raleigh for a pivotal meeting with No. 14/19 NC State (18-7, 10-4 ACC) on Wednesday. The Terrapins invade the Wolfpack's RBC Center at 9 p.m. looking for a victory substantial to the Terps' NCAA Tournament chances - a win over NC State would give the Terps a sixth ACC victory, a fourth win over a ranked opponent, a fifth victory over a team with a top-50 RPI and a fourth road win. For the second-straight year, each of the Terps' games are scheduled to be televised live - Maryland takes on the Pack in a regionally televised contest on the Raycom/Jefferson Pilot Network, airing on UPN-20 (WDCA) in Washington, D.C., and WB-54 (WNUV) in Baltimore. Maryland grad Tim Brant (1973, Journalism) and Billy Packer call the action.
Quality conference and non-conference wins have earned the Terps a RPI rating of 33 and a strength of schedule rating of five. The Terps own three victories on the year against opponents ranked in the Top 25, and seven wins over teams with a RPI of 73 or better, while Maryland has not fallen to a team with a RPI higher than 88. The matchup with NC State gives the Terrapins a 12th game against a ranked opponent in 2003-04, the most in the ACC. Maryland has won three road games overall, including at then-No. 1 Florida (Dec. 10), and a pair of ACC road contests.
The Terrapins come into the game following a 91-83 loss to Wake Forest at home on Saturday. Maryland fell behind by as many as 16 early in the second half, and rallied back to come within two at the 9:59 mark before suffering the defeat. Sophomore floor general John Gilchrist, who leads the Terps in scoring (14.7 ppg) and assists (5.0 apg), netted a game-high 26 points, dealt five assists, grabbed four rebounds and made two steals. Second-year forward Nik Caner-Medley put in a tremendous effort, scoring 20 points on 6-of-12 shooting, collecting four boards and swatting three shots. Guard Chris McCray, who averages 16.0 ppg in his last two outings as a reserve, totaled 18 points, four rebounds and four assists, while fellow local product Travis Garrison netted 10 points, marking his fourth double-figure scoring performance in the last five games.
The Wolfpack, who currently sit second in the ACC standings, fell in their first home game of the season on Sunday to North Carolina, 71-64. Senior Marcus Melvin totaled 18 points and 10 rebounds, registering his sixth double-double of the season in defeat. Junior Julius Hoge, who leads the Pack with 16.9 ppg and 4.0 apg, contributed 13 points, four assists and two blocks, while sophomore Ilian Evtimov and rookie Engin Atsur netted 10 points apiece. NC State head coach Herb Sendek is 145-105 in his eighth season with the Wolfpack.
The Terrapins trail in the all-time series by a 69-65 margin but have won eight of the last 10 and 16 of the last 20 contests. The Terrapins have also been successful in eight of their last 10 trips to Raleigh, including a 68-65 win over NC State on March 2 of last season. Then-senior Drew Nicholas hit a 3-pointer with 1.5 seconds to play to lift the Terps to the win and give Gary Williams his 500th career victory.
Terp Streaks & Storylines
John Gilchrist looks to become the first player to lead the Terps in scoring and assists since Walt Williams in the 1990-91 season, and the first point guard to lead Maryland in both categories since John Lucas in the 1973-74 season.
The Terrapins are 35-15 (.700) in their last 50 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 130-104 in ACC regular-season play in his 15 seasons at Maryland.
In 26 seasons, Williams owns a career record of 516-292 overall (.639), making him the 16th-leading active coach in America in terms of victories. He is 309-164 (.653) 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 11 ranked opponents during the 2003-04 season to date, 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 in January was Maryland's 53rd victory vs. the Top 25 since Williams took over the program in the 1989-90 season.
Wednesday's matchup with No. 14/19 NC State marks Maryland's ACC-leading 12th Top 25 opponent of the season. Florida State and Clemson have faced 11 foes in the Top 25, followed by North Carolina (9), Georgia Tech (9), Wake (8), Duke (8), Virginia (8) and NC State (7). Five ACC teams are in this week's Top 25 and the conference boasts the nation's top RPI with each school ranked No. 73 or better.
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.
On Deck
Maryland hosts Virginia in the final home game of the year on Sunday, March 7 at 8 p.m. Center Jamar Smith and the senior managers will be honored as part of Senior Night festivities. The game will air on FOX Sports Net.
