March 13, 2004
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GREENSBORO, N.C. -
The sixth-seeded Maryland basketball team (17-11, 7-9 ACC) takes on No. 2 seed NC State (20-8, 11-5 ACC) in the semifinal round of the 51st Annual ACC Tournament in Greensboro, N.C. The Terrapins, who have now reached the ACC semifinals in nine of the last 10 years, face the Wolfpack for the second time in 10 days at 4 p.m. All of the weekend's games will be played at the Greensboro Coliseum and the entire semifinal round airs nationally on ESPN, and regionally on the Raycom/Jefferson Pilot Network, WDCA (UPN 20 in Washington, D.C.) and WNUV (WB-54 in the Baltimore area).
Quality conference and non-conference wins have earned the Terps a RPI rating of 28 and a strength of schedule rating of five. The Terrapins own five victories on the year against opponents ranked in the Top 25, 10 wins over teams with a RPI of 81 or better, and have not fallen to a team with a RPI higher than 91. Maryland's matchup with No. 17/20 NC State on Saturday gives the Terrapins a 14th game against a ranked opponent in 2003-04, the most in the ACC. Maryland has won a combined five road and neutral-site games on the year, including at then-No. 1 Florida (Dec. 10) plus three ACC regular-season road victories and the win over No. 15/14 Wake on Friday.
Maryland meets the 'Pack in the semifinal round for the sixth time in the 51 years of the ACC Tournament, and are looking for their first tourney win over NC State since 2000 (Charlotte Coliseum, 64-61, semifinals) and their second quarterfinal round win over the Wolfpack in history. The Terrapins, who earned a sixth-place finish in the conference standings by capturing a pair of victories in the final week of the ACC regular season, went on to post an 87-86 victory over No. 3-seed Wake Forest on Friday in the quarterfinal round. The Terrapins improved their ACC Tournament record as a six-seed to 3-5 with the victory. Maryland is now 26-23 in the quarterfinals, and is 8-18 all-time in the semis.
Five Terrapins scored in double-figures for the first time since Maryland's matchup at North Carolina on Feb. 15 as the Terps outlasted Wake on Friday. Sophomore forward Travis Garrison posted his first-career double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds, and second-year floor general John Gilchrist, who leads the Terps with 14.7 ppg and 4.8 assists, netted 16, dished six assists and grabbed five boards. Swingman Nik Caner-Medley (13 pts, 8 rebs) and shooting guard Chris McCray (13 pts, 7 rebs, 4 asst) contributed solid play on both ends of the floor, and senior Jamar Smith scored seven of his 11 in the second half as the Terps advanced.
The Terrapins trail in the all-time series by a 69-66 margin but have won eight of the last 10 and 16 of the last 20 contests. NC State and the Terps traded victories on each other's home floors this season, with Maryland most recently coming away from RBC Center on March 3 with a 70-69 victory. The Terps look for their second-ever ACC Tournament semifinal win over the Pack, and six ACC tourney win ever vs. NC State.
Terp Streaks & Storylines
Head coach Gary Williams (Maryland '68), who was the Terrapins' point guard in the 1965-67 ACC Tournaments, owns a 12-13 (.480) ACC tourney record as a coach. He is the only current coach in the conference that also participated in the ACC Tournament as a player.
In 26 seasons, Williams owns a career record of 519-292 overall (.640), making him the 16th-leading active coach in America in terms of victories. He is 312-164 (.655) 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.
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.
Maryland has faced 13 ranked opponents during the 2003-04 season to date, posting four victories against Top 25 foes. In addition to No. 15/14 Wake (March 12), No. 16/19 NC State (March 7) and 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 Wake was UM's 55th victory vs. the Top 25 since Williams took over the program (1989-90 season).
Maryland's matchup with No. 17/20 NC State marks Maryland's ACC-leading 13th Top 25 opponent of the season. Florida State has also faced 13, while Clemson and North Carolina have faced 11 foes in the Top 25, followed by Georgia Tech (10), Wake (9), Duke (9), Virginia (8) and NC State (8). Five ACC teams are in this week's Top 25 and the conference boasts the nation's top RPI with each school ranked No. 81 or better.
Maryland's roster features a combined nine freshmen and sophomores, two juniors and lone senior Jamar Smith. The Terp freshman and sophomores have combined to start 101 games - the most of any team in the ACC.
Smith, the Terps' lone senior, is second in the ACC in rebounding (8.9 rpg), and is also second in the league with 10 double-doubles on the year. The Terps' third-leading scorer at 12.1 ppg, he has increased his production from last season by more than six points - good enough for third in the ACC. He ranks among league leaders in blocked shots and field goal percentage, and posted one of his finest outings of the year March 3 at NC State, helping the Terps to a pivotal victory with 16 points and 8 rebounds.
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.
On Deck
The 51st Annual ACC Championship Tournament continues with the championship game on Sunday. All games will be televised on ESPN and the Raycom/Jefferson Pilot Network.
