Dec. 27, 2005

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -

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Maryland (No. 14 ESPN/USA Today, No. 16 AP) looks for its eighth win in the last nine games and its fourth straight win when the Terps host the defending MEAC champs - Delaware State - Wednesday night at 8 p.m. at Comcast Center. It's the second of four consecutive non-conference home games for Maryland, which moved up two spots in this week's Coaches' Top-25 Poll. The game will be televised live regionally on the Raycom/Jefferson Pilot Network and will air locally on UPN-20 (WDCA) in Washington, D.C., WB-54 (WNUV) in the Baltimore area and UPN-21 in the Salisbury area. Mike Hogewood and Dan Bonner call the action. You can also listen to all the action live on the Terrapin Sports Radio Network with Hall of Famer Johnny Holliday and Chris Knoche beginning with The Terps Pregame Show at 7 p.m.

Maryland Notables...
Tip-off
Maryland (No. 14 ESPN/USA Today, No. 16 AP) looks for its eighth win in the last nine games and its fourth straight win overall in the second of four consecutive non-conference games...Delaware State is the sixth team Maryland has faced this season which played in the 2005 NCAA Tournament...The Terps moved up another two spots in the Top-25 Coaches Poll and are at their highest ranking since Nov. 29, 2004 (No. 12)...Maryland is 6-0 at home this season and has won nine straight games at Comcast Center dating back to last year...The Terps have won 26 consecutive non-conference home games...Maryland has had four different players lead the team in scoring in the last four games...Gary Williams is going for his 550th career win tonight and is just seven wins shy of becoming Maryland's all-time winningest coach.

Last Time Out
Junior forward Ekene Ibekwe posted his first double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds as the Terps allowed a season-low 55 points in an 81-55 win over American University. Nik Caner-Medley and Chris McCray each added 17 points, while Caner-Medley also had nine of Maryland's season-high 52 rebounds. The Terps also had a season-high 10 blocks and matched a season best with 13 steals. Maryland limited the Eagles to just 17 first-half points and never led by less than 20 in the second half.

Maryland vs. Delaware State
Maryland is 3-0 all-time against Delaware State dating back to the first meeting in 1989. The Terps and the Hornets have not met since 2001, when Maryland defeated DSU, 77-53, in the fourth game of the 2001-02 season at Cole Field House. The Terps beat the Hornets, 118-55, on Jan. 17, 1996, marking the sixth-largest margin of victory in school history. Gary Williams is 3-0 against Delaware State having coached all three games at Maryland in Cole Field House. The Terps' 87-53 win in 1989 was Williams' first regular-season game as Maryland head coach. Former Maryland assistant Art Perry was the DSU head coach at the time.

Head Coach Gary Williams
Head coach Gary Williams is the Atlantic Coast Conference's second-winningest active coach (5th overall) with a 342-180 (.655) record as the Terps' mentor, while also ranking second among active ACC coaches (4th overall) with 140 conference wins. Williams is the 11th-winningest active coach in NCAA Division I men's basketball with an overall record of 549-308 (.640). He is just seven wins shy of becoming Maryland's all-time winningest basketball coach (Charles "Lefty" Driesell, 348-159 from 1969-86).