Terps Aim For 2K Sports College Hoops Classic Title
11/17/2006 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 17, 2006
Maryland takes on Michigan State in the final of the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic on Friday at Madison Square Garden. Tip-off is scheduled for 9:00 p.m.
• Radio: Terrapin Sports Radio Network - Johnny Holiday (Play by Play), Chris Knoche
(Commentary). Flagship - WHFS (105.7)/WJFK (1300 AM)
TV: ESPN2 - Dave Pasch (Play by Play), Len Elmore (Commentary), Heather Cox (Sideline)
• The Terps carry a record of 4-0 into Friday's game after posting a 92-60 victory over St. John's on Thursday (Nov. 16) in the first semifinal.
• Senior Ekene Ibekwe scored a career-high 22 points in the victory over St. John's. Ibekwe added 14 rebounds, giving him his second double-double of the season and eighth of his career.
• Junior James Gist tallied 12 points and 10 rebounds. It was Gist's first double-double of the season and third of his career. Gist tied his career high with five blocked shots against the Red Storm. Gist has recorded 93 career blocked shots and sits in 12th on the school's all-time blocked shots list.
• Michigan State advanced to the final with a 63-61 win over Texas in the second semifinal on Thursday (Nov. 16).
The Terps have turned up their defense in each of their first four games. Maryland has forced its opponents into an average of 21.5 turnovers per game through the first four games of the season.
• The 86 forced turnovers through four games is better than any four-game stretch by the Terps during 2005-06.
• The Terrapins improved their scoring defense in each of their first three games. After yielding 75 points to Hampton, Maryland held Vermont to 63, before limiting Florida A&M to 54. Maryland limited St. John's to 60 points and held the Red Storm to 28 percent shooting from the field.
• The Terps are averaging 9.5 steals per game and have recorded 32 blocked shots through four games.
Maryland has an all-time record of 99-38 (.723) in regular season tournaments. The Terps have appeared in 61 regular season tournaments and have captured 27 championships.
• Maryland is 4-1 in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic after wins over Hampton, Vermont, and St. John's. The Terrapins went 1-1 in their only other appearance during the 2001-02 season. The Terps fell to Arizona (71-67) before defeating Temple (82-74).
The Terrapins will be one of the busiest teams in the month of November, as Maryland will play a school-record eight games in the opening month of the season.
• Maryland's previous high was seven games during November of 1998.
• The Terps are 54-10 (.842) all-time in November under Gary Williams.
Maryland has opened the season 4-0 for the first time since the
2003-04 season.
• Maryland's last 5-0 start was during the 1998-99 season when the Terps started the year 10-0.
• Maryland's best start under Gary Williams is 11-0 (1996-97).
• The Terps are averaging 92.0 points per game this season and allowing just 63.0.
• Maryland has trailed for just 1:23 of 160:00 this season.
• Maryland has limited its opponents to 32 percent shooting from the field. The Terps have held their opponents to just 24 percent (23-of-97) from three-point range.
Four Terrapins are rapidly climbing the school's all-time record book. Seniors D.J. Strawberry, Ekene Ibekwe, and Mike Jones have all made their mark in the Terrapin annals, along with junior James Gist:
• Strawberry ranks 11th in school history with 147 career steals. He was named Honorable Mention All-ACC Defensive Team in 2005-06.
• Ibekwe sits in seventh place on the school's all-time blocked shots list. The Carson, Calif., native has 152 career rejections at Maryland and has averaged 1.6 blocked shots per game.
• Ibekwe needs 14 rebounds to move into the top 30 of the all-time rebounding list at Maryland. He has tallied 568 rebounds through three seasons with the Terps.
• Senior Mike Jones has distinguished himself as one of the best shooters in the ACC and has rapidly moved up the school's all-time three pointers list. Jones has totalled 131 three-point field goals and sits in eighth place on the school's all-time list. Jones has hoisted 336 shots from beyond the arc, which is the eighth highest total in school history.
• Gist has totalled 93 blocked shots during his three seasons in College Park. He is 12th on the school's all-time list and has averaged 1.4 blocks per game.
