March 5, 2004
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COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
The Maryland basketball team (15-11, 6-9 ACC) plays host to the Virginia Cavaliers (16-10, 6-9 ACC) on a day in which the Terps honor senior Jamar Smith and look to take control of their postseason destiny. The Terrapins face their closest geographical rival, looking for a season sweep and the possibility of a sixth-place finish in the ACC standings at 8 p.m. on Sunday. For the second-straight year, each of the Terps' 27 regular-season games are scheduled to be televised live - Maryland takes on the Cavaliers in a nationally televised contest on FOX Sports Net, with Thom Brennaman and Mike Gminski calling the action. The game will air locally on Comcast SportsNet.
Quality conference and non-conference wins have earned the Terps a RPI rating of 32 and a strength of schedule rating of three. The Terps own four victories on the year against opponents ranked in the Top 25, and eight wins over teams with a RPI of 80 or better, while Maryland has not fallen to a team with a RPI higher than 95. The victory over NC State (March 3) gave the Terrapins a 12th game against a ranked opponent in 2003-04, the most in the ACC. Maryland has now won four road games overall, including at then-No. 1 Florida (Dec. 10) plus three ACC road victories.
The Terrapins earned their sixth ACC victory, a fourth win over a ranked opponent, a fifth victory over a team with a top-50 RPI and a fourth road win by downing No. 16 NC State, 70-69, on Wednesday. Maryland came out firing and built a lead that grew to as many as 17 points, thanks in part to a 21-point, three steal performance by the Terps' scoring and assist leader, point guard John Gilchrist (15.0 ppg, 4.9 apg). Senior Jamar Smith reestablished himself as a low-post threat, using his quickness en route to a 16-point, eight-rebound, four-steal effort, while guard Chris McCray contributed nine points, four assists, four rebounds and two steals in 19 minutes. Forward Nik Caner-Medley totaled eight points, while rookie sharpshooter Mike Jones drilled a pair of 3-pointers and finished with eight points as well. D.J. Strawberry and the Terp defense forced the Wolfpack into 19 turnovers, marking the fifth-straight game in which the Terrapins forced their opponents into as many giveaways.
The Cavaliers enter the ballgame on a hot streak, having won four of their last five contests by making big plays in the games' final minute. Long-distance shots by senior Todd Billett (10.2 ppg, 3.2 apg) sank No. 15 Georgia Tech (Feb. 14), Clemson (Feb. 21) and No. 12 North Carolina (Feb. 24), while a three-point play by junior Devin Smith (12.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg) lifted the Cavs in their most recent outing - an 84-82 win over No. 11 Wake Forest on Tuesday. Junior big man Elton Brown leads Pete Gillen's squad in scoring (15.0 ppg) and rebounding (6.3 rpg).
The Terrapins lead in the all-time series by a 96-63 margin and have won four of the last six and 13 of the last 20. The Terrapins won the first meeting of the year, 71-67 in a gritty affair in Charlottesville on Feb. 4, after suffering a pair of regular season losses at the hands of the Cavaliers a year ago (Feb. 6 and March 9). The Terps have won nine of the last ten games against the Cavaliers in College Park.
Terp Streaks & Storylines
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 Terrapins are 36-15 (.706) in their last 51 ACC regular-season games since the 2000-01 season, including a 15-1 regular-season championship in 2001-02. The Terps have captured the league's regular-season championship four times, including outright titles in 2002, 1975 and 1980 and a tie for first in 1995. Head coach Gary Williams is 131-104 in ACC regular-season play in his 15 seasons at Maryland.
In 26 seasons, Williams owns a career record of 517-292 overall (.639), making him the 16th-leading active coach in America in terms of victories. He is 310-164 (.654) 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.
Maryland has faced 12 ranked opponents during the 2003-04 season to date, posting four victories against Top 25 foes. In addition to 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 NC State was Maryland's 54th victory vs. the Top 25 since Williams took over the program in the 1989-90 season.
Wednesday's matchup with No. 16/19 NC State marked Maryland's ACC-leading 12th Top 25 opponent of the season. Florida State has also faced 12, while Clemson has faced 11 foes in the Top 25, followed by North Carolina (10), Georgia Tech (9), 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. 77 or better.
Maryland's roster features a combined nine freshmen and sophomores, two juniors and lone senior Jamar Smith. The Terps have lost a combined nine starters over the course of the past two seasons to either graduation or professional careers.
Smith, the Terps' lone senior, is second in the ACC in rebounding (8.9 rpg), and is also second in the league with nine double-doubles on the year. The Terps' third-leading scorer at 12.3 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 Wednesday at NC State, helping the Terps to 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 will be held from Thursday, March 11 to Sunday, March 14, at the Greensboro (N.C.) Coliseum. All games will be televised on ESPN, ESPN2 or the Raycom/Jefferson Pilot Network.
