March 27, 2005
South Carolina Game Notes in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
Continuing its fifth NIT appearance in school history, the Maryland basketball team (19-12) takes on South Carolina (18-13) of the SEC in the semifinal round of the postseason tournament on Tuesday at approximately 9:30 p.m. in New York City. The Terrapins make their first trip to Madison Square Garden since their national championship season in 2002, and appear in the NIT semis for the first time since their title run in 1972. The Terps go for their record ninth-straight 20-win season and Maryland coach Gary Williams squares off against former Wake mentor Dave Odom in a nationally televised game on ESPN2, with Ron Franklin, Fran Fraschilla and Bill Raftery calling the action, while Holly Rowe reports from the sidelines.
The Terrapins have made four NIT appearances prior to 2005, with the last one coming during the first season that Williams returned to his alma mater (1989-90). The Terrapins have reached the second round or better in each of their five NIT appearances in history, and Maryland makes its second semifinal appearance ever in 2005.
The Terps advanced to the semifinals by rallying back from a seven-point second half deficit and toppling TCU, 85-73, on Saturday in College Park. Nik Caner-Medley tallied 16 of his 20 points in the second half -- and eight during the contest's final 3:10 -- to lead five double-digit Terrapin scorers. Guards Chris McCray and Mike Jones continued their hot streaks with 18 points apiece, while postseason leader Travis Garrison notched his second double-double of NIT play with 15 points and 10 boards. Forward Ekene Ibekwe came off the bench to contribute 10 points and eight rebounds, while Sterling Ledbetter had another fine performance at the point, adding six assists and six boards. In three NIT games, the Terps are scoring at an 82.7 ppg clip, besting opponents by +13.4 ppg, and hitting the boards at an average of 49.7 rpg, topping foes by a +6.3 average. Maryland has limited its NIT opposition to 33 percent shooting from the field, and a 28 percent success rate from beyond the 3-point arc.
USC and fourth-year Gamecock coach Dave Odom defeated Miami (Fla.), 69-67, in the NIT first round on March 15 before downing UNLV (March 22, 77-66) and Georgetown (March 24, 69-66), all at home. Senior forward Carlos Powell leads the Gamecocks with a 16.4 ppg average on the season and an 18 ppg average in NIT games. Since 1924 the Terrapins hold a 31-26 advantage over USC in the all-time series, but the schools have not met since 1997.
Terp Streaks & Storylines
Maryland's Gary Williams is the 12th-active winningest coach in NCAA Division I men's basketball and is the Atlantic Coast Conference's second-active winningest head man with an overall record of 541-305 and a 334-177 record as The Terps' mentor. Williams is in fifth place outright on the ACC's all-time wins list, is ranked fourth all-time in victories over ACC league teams (139) and is one of only two head coaches currently in the league that have captured the NCAA title. He is also the ACC's second-longest tenured active head coach (16 seasons).
Junior forward Travis Garrison has led the Terps in scoring through their first three NIT games, averaging 15.0 points per outing. A second-team all-tournament honoree from Maryland's 2004 ACC Championship run and the teams' most valuable player during its summer tour of Italy, Garrison posted double-doubles vs. Oral Roberts (18 pts, 11 rebs; March 16) and TCU (15 pts, 10 rebs; March 26) and netted 12 points with six boards (four offensive) against Davidson (March 23). Garrison has averaged a team-leading 9.0 rebounds during NIT play, with 13 of his 27 total boards coming on the offensive end. He averaged 12.4 ppg and 6.6 rpg during the 2004 postseason.
JUCO transfer guard Sterling Ledbetter -- the fourth player to come to Maryland from Allegany Community College since Steve Francis in 1998 -- has run the point with proficiency during NIT play. Ledbetter has averaged 7.3 points, 6.3 assists and 6.0 rebounds during his first three career starts in the Terps' three NIT contests. Ledbetter began to come on strong during the season's second half, as he had to overcome injuries sustained during a summer 2004 automobile accident and a torn calf muscle in the fall. His emergence has helped the Terps to offset the postseason absence of 2005 honorable mention All-ACC selection John Gilchrist, who has been out of action with an ankle injury suffered in the ACC Tournament.
Rookie forward James Gist bruised his knee diving for a loose ball in practice and was sidelined for the Terps' ACC Tournament game against Clemson, but did not skip a beat with his return for the NIT, averaging 7.3 ppg and 5.0 rpg, shooting 46 percent from the field and making 10 of his 12 free throws in the postseason tournament. Gist, the Terps' lone true freshman, has become one of the ACC's top rookie shot-blockers (1.0 per game). He scored a career-high 18 points against Virginia Tech (March 5) in his last game played before the injury.
Junior guard Chris McCray has been one of the most consistent Terrapins over the course of 2004-05, always charged with guarding the opponent's best perimeter player while remaining among the ACC's Top 25 scorers all year long. In the last seven games, McCray is averaging 17.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.3 steals. He has fired at a 47.8 percent clip from the field and has made 38.9 percent of his 3-pointers across that stretch. McCray led the ACC in free throw shooting during the regular-season (94.3 percent) and is now in fourth place nationally (90.7 percent, 97-for-107), only behind SW Missouri State's Blake Ahearn, Duke's J.J. Redick and Illinois State's Vince Green.
All-ACC third team member Nik Caner-Medley leads the Terps in scoring (16.1 ppg) and is third in rebounding (6.1 rpg). Caner-Medley is averaging 17.1 ppg across the last 19 contests, shooting .446 from the field while grabbing 6.9 rebounds and dishing 2.2 assists. Including a 20-point effort against TCU (March 26), Caner-Medley has led the Terps in scoring in 13 games on the season, and has registered more than 20 points in 10 games on the year.
Sophomore D.J. Strawberry, who was listed among the ACC's steals leaders through the season's first half, has been sidelined with a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) since Jan. 19, but smooth-shooting sophomore guard Mike Jones has stepped up in his place. Jones scored a team high-tying 18 points in the first round NIT game against Oral Roberts (March 16), added seven points in 11 minutes vs. Davidson (March 23) and scored 18 again against TCU (March 26). Jones is averaging 10.5 ppg in the last six games while shooting 41.1 percent from the field and 41.2 percent from long range.
The interior tandem of 7-1 sophomore center Will Bowers and 6-9 forward Ekene Ibekwe has come on strong in the postseason. Bowers is averaging 6.5 ppg and 4.3 rpg in the postseason, while Ibekwe has scored at a 9.7 ppg clip during NIT play, with an 8.3 rpg average and 12 rejections in three games (4.0 per game).
On Deck
The NIT semifinal winner advances to the title game on Thursday, March 31, at 7 p.m. The Maryland/USC winner will face the winner of the Memphis/St. Joseph's semifinal game on ESPN in the world's most famous arena.
