March 9, 2004
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COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
The Maryland basketball team (16-11, 7-9 ACC) plays as the No. 6 seed in the 51st Annual ACC Tournament in Greensboro, N.C., and takes on the third-seeded Wake Forest Demon Deacons (19-8, 9-7 ACC) at approximately 9:30 p.m. on Friday in the quarterfinal round. All of the weekend's games will be played at the Greensboro Coliseum and the entire quarterfinal round airs nationally on ESPN2, and regionally on the Raycom/Jefferson Pilot Network, WDCA (UPN 20 in Washington, D.C.) and WNUV (WB-54 in the Baltimore area).
The Terrapins earned a sixth-place finish in the conference standings by capturing a pair of victories in the final week of the ACC regular season - a 70-69 victory at No. 16/19 NC State (March 3), and a 70-61 win over Virginia at home (March 7). The Terrapins are the No. 6 seed for the sixth time in the history of the ACC Tournament and look to improve upon a 2-5 record as the sixth seed.
Quality conference and non-conference wins have earned the Terps a RPI rating of 28 and a strength of schedule rating of five. The Terps own four victories on the year against opponents ranked in the Top 25, and nine wins over teams with a RPI of 81 or better, while Maryland has not fallen to a team with a RPI higher than 91. Maryland's matchup with No. 15/14 Wake gives the Terrapins a 13th 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.
Maryland used a 25-6 run and a +11 second-half rebounding margin to overcome an 11-point deficit and down Virginia, 70-61, on Sunday for the series sweep. Sophomore shooting guard Chris McCray, who has come on strong with 15.7 ppg, 3.3 assists and 2.7 steals in the last three games, led the Terps in scoring with a career-high 20 points. Forward Nik Caner-Medley contributed 13 points, and grabbed eight rebounds - six offensive - as the ACC's top rebounding team totaled 24 offensive boards and 52 overall. Senior center Jamar Smith posted his 10th double-double of the season with 10 points and 12 rebounds, while rookie forward Ekene Ibekwe chipped in with nine points and eight boards. Third team All-ACC selection John Gilchrist, who leads the Terps in scoring (14.6 ppg) and assists (4.8 apg), netted six points and hit the boards for eight rebounds, while D.J. Strawberry came off the bench to score six as well.
The Terrapins lead the all-time series, 56-53, and look to avenge a pair of regular-season losses at the hands of the Demon Deacons. Maryland fell victim to a Wake comeback, 93-85 on Jan. 29 in Winston-Salem, despite a season-high 53-point first half and four players in double-figures. The Deacs then staved off a determined Maryland rally in College Park on Feb. 28 to prevail, 91-83, in a game where Gilchrist scored 26 points and Caner-Medley netted 20.
UM is 3-3 all-time vs. Wake in the ACC Tournament, most recently taking a 71-53 decision at the Georgia Dome in 2001.
Terp Streaks & Storylines
Head coach Gary Williams (Maryland '68), who was the Terrapins' point guard in the 1965-67 ACC Tournaments, owns an 11-13 (.458) 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 518-292 overall (.640), making him the 16th-leading active coach in America in terms of victories. He is 311-164 (.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 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.
Maryland's matchup with No. 15/14 Wake 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 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 (9.0 rpg), and is also second in the league with 10 double-doubles on the year. The Terps' third-leading scorer at 12.2 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 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 semifinals on Saturday and championship game on Sunday. All games will be televised on ESPN, ESPN2 or the Raycom/Jefferson Pilot Network.
