Feb. 23, 2007

Game Notes

Maryland concludes a two-game homestand in the Atlantic Coast Conference as the Terrapins welcome the North Carolina Tar Heels to Comcast Center Sunday (Feb. 25). Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m. The game can be heard on the Terrapin Sports Radio Network and will be televised nationally by Fox SportsNet. The game can be seen locally on Comcast SportsNet.
• The Terps carry a mark of 21-7 (7-6 ACC) into the contest, while North Carolina is 24-4 (10-3 ACC). The Terrapins enter Sunday's game on a four-game winning streak while North Carolina has won its last two games. Maryland's four-game winning streak in the ACC is its first since January of 2003.
• The Terrapins and Tar Heels are the only two schools to win four consecutive games in league play by double digit margins. The Terps have won each of their past four games by at least 10 points, while UNC strung together five wins by double figures from January 17 to January 31.
• Sunday's game marks the 167th meeting between the two schools. North Carolina leads the all-time series, 113-53. The Tar Heels have won each of the past five contest. Maryland is 8-7 against UNC in College Park under head coach Gary Williams.
• This season marks the first time since the 1945-46 campaign that the Terrapins and Tar Heels will not play twice during the regular season, as Sunday's game is the only regular season contest between the two traditional ACC rivals.
• Maryland senior D.J. Strawberry leads the Terps with 14.7 points per game. He is 15th in the Atlantic Coast Conference in scoring. Sophomore Forward Tyler Hansbrough leads the Tar Heels with 18.6 points per game. He is the third leading scorer in the ACC and is fourth in rebounding (7.7 rpg).
• The Terps have recorded their 10th 20-win season under head coach Gary Williams. He has posted 16 20-win seasons for his career. The Terrapins have tallied at least 19 wins in each of the past 11 years and have averaged 22.8 wins the last 12 years.

Maryland used a 12-0 run over the first four minutes of the second half to run past Florida State, 73-55, Wednesday night at Comcast Center. The Terps and Seminoles were tied, 31-31, at halftime before Maryland surged ahead in the early stages of the second half. Four Terrapins scored in double figures, including Bambale Osby, who tallied a season-high 15 points. The Terps limited the Seminoles to 34 percent shooting from the field and held FSU to just 28 percent in the second half.
• Senior D.J. Strawberry scored all 10 of his points in the second half against FSU. Strawberry now has 1,033 points and moved into 41st place on the school's all-time scoring list.
• Ekene Ibekwe tallied five blocked shots against FSU. It was his highest total since swatting five shots at Virginia Tech on January 21. Ibekwe has recorded at least one blocked shot in 23 of 27 games this season.
• Freshman Eric Hayes tied his season high with eight assists Wednesday. Hayes recorded eight assists earlier this season against Vermont (Nov. 8).

Since Gary Williams took over in 1989-90, Maryland has 64 wins over Top 25 teams, including four last year. The Terps knocked off No. 14 Clemson earlier this season at Comcast Center and downed No. 16 Duke on February 11.
• Williams is the nation's winningest active coach vs. top-ranked teams with six career victories over a No. 1 opponent (5 at Maryland; 1 at Ohio State).
• Under Williams, Maryland has defeated 16 top-5 opponents, 28 top-10 opponents and the No. 1 team five times.
• Maryland has 13 wins over top-10 teams the last five years, including a 73-71 victory over then No. 6 Boston College during 2005-06.
• The Terps have defeated at least one top-10 opponent in 13-of-17 seasons under Williams, including 10 straight.
• Williams has led Terps to victories over No. 1, No. 2 or No. 3 ranked-teams in six of the last eight seasons.

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 386-376 (.507) all-time in ACC games.
• Maryland is 242-141 (.631) in ACC home games.
• Maryland is 145-235 (.381) in ACC away games.
• Under Gary Williams, Maryland is 154-128 (.546) in ACC play.
• Maryland is 94-46 (.672) at home in ACC games under Williams, including a 25-11 (.686) mark at the Comcast Center.
• The Terps have captured three ACC Tournament Championships: 1958,1984 and 2004.

Maryland is among the teams receiving votes in the latest ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, released February 19. The Terps are also among the teams receiving votes in the Associated Press Poll, released February 19. The Terps made their season debut in both polls on November 20.
• Maryland has appeared in the AP Top 25 a total of 348 times. The Terrapins have placed in the AP Top 25 at least once in each of the last 14 seasons.
• The Terps have been ranked in the coaches poll 323 times. Maryland has placed in the coaches poll at least once in each of the last 14 seasons.
• The Terrapins were ranked 13th in the February 23 Sagarin Ratings. Maryland has eight wins over teams ranked in the Sagarin Top 50. The Terps are 5-2 against teams ranked in the Sagarin Top 25.
• Maryland is ranked 19th in the latest RPI Report. The Terps have eight wins against teams ranked in the Top 100 of the RPI. Maryland has played the 15th toughest schedule in the country, according to the RPI.
• The Terps were named Team of the Week on November 20 by both Dick Vitale and Andy Katz.

Maryland senior D.J. Strawberry has continued his strong all-around play as a senior. Strawberry is 15th in the ACC with a team-high 14.7 points per game.
• The senior swingman is third in the conference with 2.18 steals per game and ranks ninth in assist to turnover ratio (1.71).
• Strawberry's 18-point performance last week at NC State made him the 45th player in school history to reach the 1,000-point plateau. Strawberry now has 1,033 points for his career. His 412 points this year is his highest single-season total.
• After helping the Terps post wins at NC State and Clemson, Strawberry was named the ACC Player of the Week on February 19. He averaged 20.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game last week and shot 56 percent (16 of 27) from the field. It was the second time this season he earned the weekly award.

Maryland has displayed a balanced offensive attack this season. The Terps boast the second-highest scoring average in the league (79.6 ppg), and have five players averaging double figures.
• D.J. Strawberry leads the team with 14.7 points per game. James Gist is averaging 12.9 points per game, while Mike Jones is averaging 12.5 points per contest. Ekene Ibekwe is averaging 10.3 points. Freshman Greivis Vasquez is averaging 10.0 points per game.
• Strawberry has led the team in scoring ten times this season while Jones has been the high man on nine occasions. Ibekwe and Gist have led the Terps in the scoring column in four games this season.
• Maryland has outscored its opponents by an average of 12.7 points per game this season. That is the second best scoring margin in the ACC behind North Carolina (20.5).

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 is fifth in school history with 194 career steals.
• Ibekwe sits in fifth place on the school's all-time blocked shots list. The Carson, Calif., native has 215 career rejections at Maryland and has averaged 1.8 blocked shots per game.
• With seven rebounds against Florida State, Ibekwe moved into 12th place on the school's all-time rebounding list. The senior forward has 730 career rebounds.
• Ibekwe has attempted 455 career free throws and ranks 13th 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 186 three-point field goals, which is tied for second on the school's all-time list. Jones has hoisted 460 shots from beyond the arc, which is the fourth highest total in school history.
• Gist has totaled 142 blocked shots during his three seasons in College Park. He is eighth on the school's all-time list and has averaged 1.7 blocks per game.

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 386-376 (.507) all-time in ACC games.
• Maryland is 242-141 (.631) in ACC home games.
• Maryland is 145-235 (.381) in ACC away games.
• Under Gary Williams, Maryland is 154-128 (.546) in ACC play.
• Maryland is 94-46 (.672) at home in ACC games under Williams, including a 25-11 (.686) mark at the Comcast Center.
• The Terps have captured three ACC Tournament Championships: 1958,1984 and 2004.