March 18, 2004
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DENVER -
The last two NCAA Tournament champions collide in the Second Round of the Phoenix Region as Maryland (No. 19 AP/No. 21 USA Today/ESPN), the 2002 national titlewinner, takes on 2003 champ Syracuse (No. 20/24) at Denver's Pepsi Center. Terrapin head coach Gary Williams, who coached in the Big East at Boston College (1982-86), engages in a reunion matchup with Orangemen coach Jim Boeheim on Saturday.
The 2004 ACC Tournament champion Terrapins own a 35-19 record in NCAA action, having reached the Sweet Sixteen or better in each of the last three seasons and seven times since 1994. The Terrapins are currently riding a six-game win streak, with four of those victories coming by three points or less, after taking the final two games of the regular season and winning their first ACC title since 1984 prior to their NCAA Tournament First Round victory - a gritty, 86-83 affair over UTEP. Chris McCray led four Terps in double figures with 19 points, shooting 5-for-8 from the field and making a pair of free throws with 14 seconds left to seal the victory. ACC Tournament MVP John Gilchrist scored 18 with seven rebounds, five assists, two steals and only two turnovers, while center Jamar Smith contributed 18 with eight boards and Nik Caner-Medley netted 12.
Sophomore Gerry McNamara made nine 3-pointers and totaled 43 points to lead the Orangemen in a First Round victory over BYU, 80-75. Sophomore Hakim Warrick chipped in 20 points for the defending national champions.
Terp Streaks & Storylines
Maryland won its NCAA First Round game for the seventh-straight season, and three of the last four have been "nail-biters." In 2001, then-sophomore Steve Blake hit a jumper and forced a key turnover in the final minute of the game as the Terps topped George Mason, 83-80, en route to Maryland's first-ever Final Four appearance. Last year senior Drew Nicholas swished an improbable buzzer-beater as the Terrapins downed UNC Wilmington, 75-73, before reaching the Sweet Sixteen. Then on Thursday, just over three days removed from cutting down the nets in Greensboro, the Terps showed their mettle again, making five of six free throws in the game's final 1:31 to survive and advance to the Second Round.
The Terrapins' young squad extended a current school record on Thursday by earning Maryland's 20th victory of the season. The Terps have won at least 20 games for eight years in a row, giving head coach Gary Williams the 15th 20-win season of his career.
Maryland's matchup with the No. 20/24 Orangemen marks the Terps' 16th ranked opponent of the season (out of 32 games).
Williams returned to his alma mater in 1989 and has guided the Terrapins to 11 straight NCAA Tournaments 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 five schools in the nation riding a streak of 11 straight NCAA Tournament appearances.
The young Terrapins earned the ACC's automatic berth by winning Maryland's first conference tournament title since 1984. Maryland was 14-11 (5-9 ACC) on Feb. 28 following a home loss to Wake Forest before reeling off five-straight victories - in the last two regular-season ACC games vs. Virginia and No. 16/19 NC State and posting the trio of ranked wins in the ACC tourney over the No. 15/14 Demon Deacons, the No. 17/20 Wolfpack and No. 5/4 Duke. In all, Maryland has earned seven victories on the season over the Top 25 - the most since their school-record national championship run in 2002 (9) - and owns an RPI of 18 and played the third-toughest schedule in the nation. The Terps have won seven of their last eight.
Williams owns a career record of 522-292 overall (.641), making him the 16th-winningest active coach in America. He is 315-164 (.658) in 15 seasons as the head coach at Maryland and 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 22-9 at Maryland for a .710 winning percentage after once again leading the Terps to a First Round victory this season.
Maryland's roster features a combined nine freshmen and sophomores, two juniors and lone senior Jamar Smith. The Terp freshmen and sophomores have combined to start 118 games - the most of any team in the ACC.
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 11 straight. The 1993-94 Terps posted an 8-8 ACC record.
Sophomore 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 ACC Tournament champion Terrapins jumped back into the national Top 25 on March 15, earning their highest rankings of the year at No. 19 in the AP and No. 21 in the coaches poll. Maryland had been ranked in 77-consecutive AP polls prior to the start of the 2003-04 season, and made a two-week mid-December appearance before climbing back in on Monday.
On Deck
The Terrapins look to advance to their 14th Sweet Sixteen overall and eighth in the last 11 years with a victory over Syracuse. Maryland would head to the regional semifinal in Phoenix to take on top-seeded Stanford or eighth-seeded Alabama at America West Arena.
