Postgame Notes

March 12, 2004

Maryland Notes

Travis Garrison had his first double-double of the season in Maryland's victory with 16 points and 10 rebounds. He had two games earlier this year with 10 rebounds, but failed to reach double figures in scoring in those games.

Maryland had five players in double figures for the fourth time this year, the first since a loss at North Carolina on Feb. 15.

Maryland made 9-14 three-point goals in tonight's win a .643 percentage. That was Maryland's best three-point shooting effort of the year. The Terps entered the game having made 13-52 over the past three games, 25 percent. Maryland's performance included 5-6 shooting from long range in the second half.

Maryland had lost to Wake Forest twice during the regular season, then won in the ACC Tournament. This is the first time Maryland has beaten a team in the tournament that had swept the Terps in the regular season since 1997 when it had lost to Clemson twice in the regular season, then defeated the Tigers in the ACC Tournament. That Clemson team went on to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

Maryland will be the only team in the semifinals not ranked in the AP top 25. Duke is fifth, Georgia Tech 14th, and NC State is 17th.

Maryland was the first upset winner in terms of seeds at this tournament. This is the 36th time in the 51 years of the tournament that at least one upset took place in the quarterfinals.

Maryland and NC State had a reverse split (visiting team won both games) during the regular season.

Maryland and Georgia Tech both gained victory by one point today. You have to go back to the first ACC Tournament to find the last time there were two games decided by one point in the quarterfinals. That year Wake Forest defeated South Carolina 58-57 in overtime and North Carolina State defeated North Carolina 52-51. The semifinals have never had two games decided by one points, but in 1987 both semifinal games went double overtime. Those games were not decided by a point, however.

The average margin of victory for the four games today was 4.75 points, the third lowest scoring differential in the quarterfinals in the 51-year history of the event.

Wake Forest Notes

Wake Forest freshman guard Chris Paul scored 30 points in this evening's game. It was the second highest single game scoring performance by a freshman in the ACC Tournament, the high figure in a quarterfinal game. The record remains 33 points by Mark Price of Georgia Tech against Virginia in 1983, a game that was played in Atlanta. That was a semifinal game that year.

Paul also had nine assists and no turnovers in the game. It was Paul's second highest single game assist performance this year and obviously his most assists in a game in which he did not have a turnover. It was his fourth game without a turnover this year. He committed eight turnovers the last time Wake Forest played Maryland. Paul also was 9-9 from the foul line to go with his nine made field goals and nine assists. It was his highest perfect free throw game of the season. He was 8-8 from the line in his first game at Wake Forest against Memphis.

Wake Forest had beaten Maryland twice during the regular season. It was just the fifth time in history that Wake Forest defeated a team twice in the regular season only to be defeated in the ACC Tournament. It happened to the Demon Deacons last year against NC State, but that is the only other time it has happened since 1993.

Wake Forest had been 13-0 this season when scoring at least 83 points (its season average) prior to tonight's 87-86 defeat to Maryland.

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