Jan. 6, 2006
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
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After four consecutive non-conference home games, the Terps jump back into the thick of ACC play beginning at Miami on Saturday at noon. Maryland (No. 12 ESPN/USA Today, No. 14 AP) is looking for its seventh straight win and its 11th win in the last 12 games. The Terps will play 15 of the next 16 games against ACC opponents. Saturday's 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, UPN-21 in the Salisbury area and WHAG in Hagerstown. Bob Rathbun and Mike Gminski 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 11 a.m.
Maryland Notables
Maryland (No. 12 ESPN/USA Today, No. 14 AP) looks for its seventh straight win and its 11th win in the last 12 games...At 11-2, the Terps are off to their best start since the 2001-02 season (13-2)...Maryland is playing its first true road game of the season. In addition to nine home games, the Terps played three games in Maui and faced George Washington at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C...The 12th-ranked Terps are at their highest ranking since Nov. 29, 2004 (No. 12)...Maryland is 9-0 at home this season and has won 12 straight games at Comcast Center dating back to last year...Maryland is averaging a league-high 85.2 points per game and is the only team in the ACC with five players scoring in double figures...The Terps have allowed an average of 20.0 points in the first half of the last four games, while outscoring their opponents, 183-80...Four of Maryland's five starters are shooting better than 50.0% from the floor...With 345 wins as the Terps' head coach, Gary Williams is just four wins shy of becoming Maryland's all-time winningest coach.
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Nik Caner-Medley is averaging 16.5 points and shooting 63.4% (26-41 FG) from the floor the last four games. He has also moved into 24th place on Maryland's all-time scoring list with 1,250 career points...Chris McCray has scored in double figures in all 12 games he has played this season and 15 straight contests dating back to last year. He leads the ACC and ranks 21st nationally with a 90.6% FT...Ekene Ibekwe has averaged 13.2 points and 8.5 rebounds the last six games and has led the Terps in rebounding in five straight contests...D.J. Strawberry has 104 steals in 58 career games and has recorded at least one steal in 17 straight contests dating back to last season. He leads the team and ranks 5th in the ACC with 4.6 assists per game.
Last time out, Nik Caner-Medley scored a season-high 23 points as Maryland scored 99 points for the second straight game in a 99-73 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The Terps forced a season-high 24 turnovers and recorded a season-high 14 steals. Maryland committed just nine turnovers, including two in the second half, and converted 25-of-30 free throws. The Terps used a 23-5 run to end the first half to take a 48-30 halftime lead. Chris McCray added 16 points, seven rebounds, four assists and four steals, while D.J. Strawberry had 14 points, five boards and three steals. Maryland improved to 8-0 on the season when scoring at least 80 points.
Head coach Gary Williams is the Atlantic Coast Conference's second-winningest active coach (5th overall) with a 345-180 (.657) 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 552-308 (.642). He is just four wins shy of becoming Maryland's all-time winningest basketball coach (Charles "Lefty" Driesell, 348-159 from 1969-86).
