Maryland Faces Georgia Tech at Comcast Center
1/23/2007 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 23, 2007
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Maryland returns home after two straight Atlantic Coast Conference games on the road, as the Terrapins host the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on Wednesday (January 24). Tip-off is set for 9:00 p.m. at Comcast Center. The game can be heard on the Terrapin Sports Radio Network and will be televised by the Raycom/Lincoln Financial Network.
• The Terps carry a mark of 15-5 (1-4 ACC) into the contest, while Georgia Tech is 13-5 (2-3 ACC). The Terrapins suffered a 67-64 overtime loss at Virginia Tech on Sunday (Jan. 21). Georgia Tech dropped a 77-61 decision at North Carolina last Saturday (Jan. 20).
• Maryland senior D.J. Strawberry leads the Terps with 15.4 points per game. He is 14th in the Atlantic Coast Conference in scoring. Freshman forward Thaddeus Young leads the Yellow Jackets with 14.5 points per game. He is the 16th leading scorer in the ACC. Javaris Crittenton
averages 13.8 points for Georgia Tech and is second in the ACC with 5.7 assists per contest.
• Sunday's game marks the 66th meeting between the two schools. Georgia Tech leads the all-time series 33-32. The Terrapins have won seven of the last ten meetings between the two schools. The Terps captured all three meetings during the 2005-06 season.
Maryland has displayed a balanced offensive attack this season. The Terps boast the fourth-highest scoring average in the league (80.7 ppg), and have four players averaging double figures.
• Strawberry leads the team with 15.4 points per game. Mike Jones is averaging 13.7 points per game, while James Gist has tallied 11.5 points per game. Ekene Ibekwe is averaging 11.2 points.
• Jones and Strawberry have each led the team in scoring eight times this season. Ibekwe has led the Terps in the scoring column in four games this season.
• Maryland has outscored its opponents by an average of 14.7 points per game this season. That is the third best scoring margin in the ACC behind North Carolina (21.8) and Georgia Tech (14.8).
Trailing by as many as eight points during the second half, the Maryland
Terrapins rallied to force overtime before falling at Virginia Tech, 67-64, on Sunday. The Terps scored the first points of overtime, but were outscored in the extra frame, 8-5.
• Senior D.J. Strawberry led the Terps with 16 points against the Hokies.
The swingman shot 5-of-13 from the field, grabbed three rebounds and
dished out three assists in the loss.
• Freshman Greivis Vasquez scored in double figures for the third
consecutive game. Vasquez tallied 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting. He hauled
in five rebounds, dished out three assists and recorded two steals in 29
minutes against the Hokies.
• Senior Mike Jones scored 12 points against the Hokies. Jones added
four rebounds and a steal at Virginia Tech.
• With five blocked shots against the Hokies, senior Ekene Ibekwe
became just the 21st player in ACC history to record 200 career blocks. The Carson, California, native has 203 career blocked shots as a Terp.
The Terps have made a renewed commitment to defense in 2006-07. Maryland has forced its opponents into an average of 18.2 turnovers per game this season.
• The Terps are yielding just 30.6 points in the first half and limiting the opposition to 36 percent shooting from the field. Maryland's opponents are shooting just 29 percent (115-of-397) from three-point range.
• The Terps are averaging 8.1 steals per game and have recorded 158
blocked shots through 20 games.
• Maryland is tops in the ACC and second in the nation with 7.9 blocked
shots per game.
Seniors Ekene Ibekwe and Mike Jones are on the cusp of joining elite company at the University of Maryland:
• Jones enters Wednesday's game against Georgia Tech with 986 career points and needs just 14 to reach the 1,000-point plateau. A total of 42 Terrapins have reached the prestigious milestone.
• Ibekwe enters Sunday's game with 976 career points. With his 675 career rebounds, Ibekwe is looking to become just the 21st Terrapin to record 1,000 points and 500 rebounds in a career. With 203 blocks to his credit he is on the verge of becoming just the fourth Terp to tally 1,000
points, 500 rebounds and 200 blocked shots, joining Lonny Baxter (1999-02), Terence Morris (1998-01) and Derrick Lewis (1985-88).
• Ibekwe's 203 career blocked shots makes him just the 21st player in ACC history to reach the 200-blocks plateau.
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 seventh in school history with 182 career steals. He was named Honorable Mention All-ACC Defensive Team in 2005-06.
• Ibekwe sits in fifth place on the school's all-time blocked shots list. The Carson, Calif., native has 203 career rejections at Maryland and has averaged 1.8 blocked shots per game.
• With nine rebounds against Virginia Tech, Ibekwe moved into 17th place on the school's all-time rebounding list. The senior forward has 675 career rebounds.
• Ibekwe has attempted 432 career free throws and ranks 14th all-time at Maryland.
• 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 totaled 176 three-point field goals and is tied for fourth place on the school's all-time list. Jones has hoisted 434 shots from beyond the arc, which is the fifth highest total in school history.
• Gist has totaled 132 blocked shots during his three seasons in College Park. He is ninth on the school's all-time list and has averaged 1.5 blocks per game.
Freshmen Greivis Vasquez has tallied 79 assists this season and is well on his way to recording one of the top assist totals among freshman point guards at Maryland. Vasquez needs just nine more helpers to pass Exree Hipp for eighth on the school's all-time assist totals among freshmen.
Teammate Eric Hayes has 77 assists this season.
• Steve Blake (2000-03) owns the school record with 217 assists as a freshman in 2000.
Maryland has been a dominant home team over the years.
• The Terps are 773-275 (.738) all-time at home dating back to 1923-24.
• Maryland went 14-3 (82.3%) at home last season and is 67-13 (.842) all-time at Comcast Center. The Terps have won 29 of their last 33 at home dating back to 2003-04.
• The Terps are 222-48 (.823) at home under Gary Williams (155-35 at Cole Field House).
• Maryland is 133-20 (.872) at home the last ten seasons (since 1997-98).
• Maryland has won 38 of its last 39 non-conference games at Comcast Center under Williams.
• The Terps are 125-2 (.984) in non-conference home games under Williams.
• Maryland was 476-151 in 47 seasons at Cole Field House; 169-90 in 24 seasons at Ritchie Coliseum and 61-21 in eight seasons at The Gymnasium.
Maryland is in its 54th season as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Terps were a charter member of the conference in 1953-54 after 30 years as a member of the Southern Conference.
• The Terps are 381-374 (.507) all-time in ACC games.
• Maryland is 239-140 (.631) in ACC home games.
• Maryland is 142-234 (.381) in ACC away games.
• Under Gary Williams, Maryland is 148-126 (.546) in ACC play.
• Maryland is 91-45 (.672) at home in ACC games under Williams, including a 22-11 (.656) mark at the Comcast Center.
• The Terps have captured three ACC Tournament Championships: 1958,1984 and 2004.
