#4/3 Maryland Women, #3/4 North Carolina Showdown for Top Spot in ACC
1/24/2008 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 24, 2008
Game Notes Release in PDF Format 
Game 24
#4/3 Maryland (22-1, 6-0 ACC) at
#3/4 North Carolina (17-2, 4-0 ACC)
When: Sat., Jan. 26 • 1 p.m.
Where: Carmichael Auditorium (8,010) • Chapel Hill, N.C.
TV: Fox Sports Net (Comcast SportsNet in Baltimore/Washington, D.C. area) with Debbie Antonelli & Ron Thulin.
Radio: Maryland Radio Network (Flagship: ESPN 1300AM Baltimore).
Webcast/Audio: None/Maryland All-Access.
Audio link available at www.umterps.com
Next Up
Miami (8-11, 1-3 ACC) at
#4/3 Maryland
When: Thur., Jan. 31 • 7 p.m.
Where: Comcast Center (17,950) • College Park, Md.
TV: None.
Radio: WMUC Sports.
Webcast/Audio: ACC Select/Maryland All-Access.
Audio link available at www.umterps.com
Quick Hits
• Maryland moved up to No. 3 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll this week and remained at No. 4 in the Associated Press ranking.
• The Terps boast the most wins in the nation and were the first team to 20 victories. Playing 14 games in the first 31 days of the season, they have played the most games of any team in the nation (23).
• The Terps are 6-0 in the ACC for the first time in 16 years.
• Maryland has recorded four-straight 20-win seasons for the first time in school history.
• National Player of the Year candidate Crystal Langhorne, who has broken the program's all-time scoring record and the Maryland men's and women's rebounding mark, is 25 points from becoming the first 2,000-point scorer in the history of the Maryland women's program.
• As of Jan. 20, Maryland leads the nation in field goal shooting percentage.
• A Terrapin has earned ACC Player of the Week honors seven times in 11 weeks of the season. Langhorne, the current player of the week, received the honor three times this year.
• Maryland is one of 11 known teams in NCAA history with four 1,000-point scorers on the roster.
• The Terps have had at least one player with a double-double in 19 of their 23 games.
• Three Terps overall were selected preseason candidates for the Wade Trophy and Wooden Award. Four were named to the preseason Naismith Award watch list.
#4/3 Maryland, #3/4 north Carolina Battle for Top Spot in ACC
• No. 4/3 Maryland travels down to No. 3/4 North Carolina for a top-five showdown and for the top spot in the ACC on Saturday, Jan. 26 in Chapel Hill, N.C.The game will be televised nationally on Fox Sports Net (Comcast SportsNet in the Baltimore/Washington, D.C. area) at 1 p.m. It will also be broadcast on the Maryland Radio Network across the state (Flagship: ESPN 1300AM).
• The last time the Terps visited the Tar Heels, they upset UNC, who was ranked No. 1 at the time, in overtime. Maryland's Ashleigh Newman picked up a loose ball near half court and sent a shot sailing with seconds remaining in regulation, forcing an overtime. The Terrapins went on to win, 98-95, the same season they won the 2006 National Championship.
• Maryland is 5-0 in ACC play for the first time since 1992.
• It is the Terps' second trip this season to Chapel Hill, N.C., but first to Carmichael Auditorium. Maryland played at the Dean Smith Center in early November in the State Farm Tip-Off Classic.
Terps Move Up to No. 3
• After a 3-0 week last week, Maryland moved up to No. 3 in the nation in ESPN/USA Today Coaches polls, while remaining at No. 4 in the Associated Press poll. The Terps have been ranked in the top five every week in the AP ranking and has been in the top five in the coaches poll in 10 of the 12 weeks.
• The Terps' 22-1 record to date includes wins over five ranked teams. Their only loss was to Rutgers, who was ranked fifth in the country this week.
• Nine Maryland opponents appear in the top 25 polls this week. This season's schedule featured games against Rutgers (#5/5), Oklahoma (#11/11), LSU (#9/9), Notre Dame (#16/16), Ohio State (#15/15) and #19/21 Pittsburgh. Conference rivals North Carolina (#3/4) and Duke (#10/10) are also ranked in the top 25, while Georgia Tech makes its first appearance in the rankings this season and is ranked No. 23 in both polls.
• The Terps faced ND and LSU in the Preseason WNIT, defeating the Tigers for the tournament crown. The Buckeyes visited Maryland for the inaugural Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Maryland beat the Sooners in the State Farm Tip-Off Classic in Chapel Hill, N.C., and its only loss was on the road in Piscataway, N.J., in the Jimmy V Classic to Rutgers.
• Three more opponents are receiving votes in one or both of the polls: NC State, Virginia and Middle Tennessee State.
About the Tar Heels
• The nation's top scoring team, the No. 4/3 Tar Heels are 17-2 overall after a loss at Connecticut earlier this week. UNC, along with Maryland, is one of two teams remaining in the league who are undefeated in ACC play.
• Scoring just over 89 points per game, North Carolina has been beating its opponents by a 27.9 ppg margin. Its only two losses have been to Tennessee and the Huskies, both ranked No. 1 at the time of the meeting. Playing an up-tempo style, UNC looks to capitalize on opponents' mistakes, leading the country with 14.9 steals per game and also clogging up the paint, making 7.5 blocks per game, which is also tops in the nation.
• North Carolina has five players averaging double figures, led by Rashanda McCants' 16.2 ppg. Shooting 57.6 percent from the floor, LaToya Pringle is averaging 12.6 ppg. Senior Erlana Larkins is the team's rebounding leader with 8.4 rpg. She played in the Connecticut game with a broken hand.
• Head coach Sylvia Hatchell has been at the North Carolina helm for 22 seasons and has over 30 years of coaching experience. She boasts over 700 career wins, including 496 victories at UNC.
• SERIES HISTORY vs. UNC: North Carolina leads the all-time series, 34-29. Maryland dominated the series from 1976-93, but the Heels have gone 23-6 since the 1993-94 campaign. The Terps, however, recorded one of the biggest victories in the series, winning the 2006 NCAA Final Four matchup between the teams, which resulted in the eventual national championship victory for the Terrapins.
Terps are Top Shooting Team in the Nation
• With the latest NCAA rankings released on Jan. 20, the Terrapins are the best shooting team in the nation, making over 50 percent of their field goal attempts.
• Maryland is ranked in the top five in five more categories. They boast the second-best three-point shooting percentage in the nation and ranks third in rebounding margin and scoring, and fifth in scoring margin. Its winning percentage is the second-best in the country.
• In the indvidual rankings, junior Kristi Toliver ranks third in assists per game and 23rd in three-point field goal percentage. She is in the top 75 in the in four other categories.
• Laura Harper is third in the country in field goal percentage and in the top 100 in rebouding, while Marissa Coleman is ranked in the top 100 three statistical categories.
Heading for 2 Grand
• Crystal Langhorne is not done achieving firsts, despite already being first in career scoring and rebounding all-time at Maryland. Langhorne is looking to become the first 2,000-point scorer in program history, needing just 25 points to reach the feat.
• In the ACC all-time, there have only been 15 players to score at least 2,000 points.
• Langhorne is also looking to join an elite group.Only 105 players in NCAA history (since 1982) have scored 2,000 points and grabbed 1,000 boards and Langhorne is looking to join the club.
• Five players in ACC history have achieved the feat and only three have done so in the NCAA era.
Coming Up
• Maryland returns home to host Miami on Thursday, Jan. 31 to close out the month. Fans can also watch the game on ACC Select and listen on Maryland All-Access.
