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University of Maryland Athletics

Terps Take On Duke, Go For First ACC Tourney Title Since 1984

Men's Basketball Maryland Athletics

Terps Take On Duke, Go For First ACC Tourney Title Since 1984

March 13, 2004

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GREENSBORO, N.C. - Playing in its second title game since 2000, the sixth-seeded Maryland basketball team (18-11, 7-9 ACC) looks to take a shot at top-seeded Duke (27-4, 13-3 ACC) in the 51st ACC Tournament championship game in Greensboro, N.C. The Terrapins take on Duke at 1 p.m., looking for their third ACC title and the first since 1984, and looking to spoil Duke's current run of five-straight. The title game will be played at the Greensboro Coliseum and be televised 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 six victories on the year against opponents ranked in the Top 25, 11 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. 5/4 Duke in the ACC championship gives the Terrapins a 15th game against a ranked opponent in 2003-04, the most in the ACC. Maryland has won a combined six road and neutral-site games on the year, including at then-No. 1 Florida (Dec. 10) and the wins over No. 15/14 Wake and No. 17/20 NC State this weekend.

  • Including Sunday, Maryland has met Duke in the final game in each of their last three title game appearances. In 2002 in Charlotte, the Blue Devils handed Maryland an 81-68 victory, while in 1984 - the last time the Terrapins captured the tournament title - a Len Bias-led Terp team downed a Johnny Dawkins-led Duke team, 74-62, in the Greensboro Coliseum. Including 2004, Maryland has made nine ACC championship game appearances (1958, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1980, 1981, 1984, 2000, 2004) and won the title twice (1958, 1984).

  • The Terrapins are riding a four-game win streak, topping No. 16/19 NC State and Virginia in the last two games of the regular season and taking out No. 15/14 Wake Forest and No. 17/20 NC State in the quarters and semis of the ACC Tournament. The Terrapins improved their ACC Tournament record as a six-seed to 4-5 with the victory. Maryland is now 26-23 in the quarterfinals, is 8-18 all-time in the semis and looks to improve upon a 2-6 record in the final game.

  • Led by a career-high 30-point (11-for-13 FG), seven-assist, four-steal, four-rebound standout performance by sophomore point guard John Gilchrist and a 23-point, seven-carom night by senior center Jamar Smith, Maryland set an ACC tournament record with a 21-point comeback that knocked off second-seeded NC State, 85-82, in the semifinals.

  • The Terrapins trail in the all-time series by a 99-55 margin, and Sunday marks the 14th meeting between the two teams in the last five seasons, including three times now in the ACC Tournament and once in the 2001 Final Four. Duke downed the Terps 68-60 (Jan. 21) and 86-63 (Feb. 22) earlier this season after the teams split the regular-season series from 2000 to 2003.

    Terp Streaks & Storylines

  • Head coach Gary Williams (Maryland '68), who was the Terrapins' point guard in the 1965-67 ACC Tournaments, owns a 13-13 (.500) 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 520-292 overall (.640), making him the 16th-leading active coach in America in terms of victories. He is 313-164 (.656) 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 14 ranked opponents during the 2003-04 season to date, posting five victories against Top 25 foes. In addition to No. 17/20 NC State (March 13), 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 ACC semifinal win over NC State was UM's 56th victory vs. the Top 25 since Williams took over the program (1989-90 season).

  • Maryland's matchup with No. 5/4 Duke marks the Terps' ACC-leading 13th Top 25 opponent of the season. Florida State has faced 13 foes in the Top 25, followed by Georgia Tech (12), Clemson (11), North Carolina (11), Duke (10), Wake (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 109 games - the most of any team in the ACC.

  • Smith, the Terps' lone senior, is second in the ACC in rebounding (8.8 rpg), and is also second in the league with 10 double-doubles on the year. The Terps' third-leading scorer at 12.5 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

  • Selections for the NCAA Tournament will be made on Sunday at 6 p.m. on CBS. The Terrapins will extend their school-record streak to 11-consecutive appearances, as only six schools have appeared in the last 10-straight.
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