March 18, 2004

Did You Know?
Through 2003, the ACC has the highest conference winning percentage in NCAA Tournament history. ACC Teams have won 67% of all their games all-time in the NCAA Tournament. The Big Ten has won the next highest percentage of tournament games at a rate of just under 63%.

The Terrapins entered their 11th consecutive NCAA Tournament Thursday morning, and they did so bright and early. While some may have seen a challenge in the Terrapins being scheduled to play the first game of the NCAA Tournament after an emotional ACC Tournament championship just this past Sunday, Coach Williams and company were able to overcome the challenge and defeat the UTEP Miners 86 - 83 in an exciting first round game.

A strong contingent of Maryland fans were on hand to see Chris McCray lead another balanced Terrapins scoring attack. Maryland continued its' current offensive success to the tune of over 49% shooting from the field and its fourth straight game of scoring at least 86 points. Later in the day, The Terrapins watched on as the Syracuse Orangemen defeated the BYU Cougars to advance into the round of 32. Maryland will face Syracuse on Saturday, at 3:40 PM MTN in a battle of the last two National Champions.

The one benefit of the 10:40 AM first round game was that the Terrapins had an opportunity to relax for a portion of the afternoon. Several Maryland players used the time to watch other NCAA Tournament games and take in some of the downtown Denver attractions. Before the day ended, one could sense that the Terrapins had once again regained their focus and turned their attention to dethroning the National Champions on Saturday. The Terps are looking forward to the challenge and are thankful to all of the Maryland supporters who continue to support this most recent run in the NCAA Tournament.