Feb. 8, 2008

Complete Release in PDF Format

The University of Maryland (15-8, 5-3 ACC) hosts NC State (15-7, 4-4 ACC) Saturday (February 9) at Comcast Center. Tipoff between the Terps and Wolfpack is set for 8:00 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on the Terrapin Sports Radio Network and will be televised by Raycom Sports. The game is also available on XM Radio channel 191.
• Sophomore Greivis Vasquez leads the Terps with 17.1 points per game. He is the fourth-leading scorer in the Atlantic Coast Conference. J.J. Hickson leads NC State with 15.3 points per game.
• Saturday's game marks the 142nd meeting between Maryland and NC State. The Wolfpack lead the all-time series, 72-69, but the Terps have won 27 of the last 35 meetings.

Head coach Gary Williams is the eighth-winningest active head coach in NCAA Division I men's basketball with an overall record of 600-336 (.640). He ranks second among active ACC coaches with 393 wins at Maryland (3rd overall) and also ranks second among active league coaches with 162 ACC victories. Williams is the Terps' all-time winningest coach.
• Maryland's 70-65 victory over Boston College (February 6) gave Williams his 600th career victory. Only seven other active head coaches in Division I have 600 career wins.

Defense has been a constant for the Terrapins this season. Maryland leads the ACC and is 14th in the nation in field goal percentage defense, as the Terrapins have limited their opponents to just 38 percent shooting from the field.
• Maryland leads the league and is sixth in the country in blocked shots. The Terps average 6.96 blocked shots per game. James Gist is second in the league with 2.32 blocks per game, while fellow senior Bambale Osby is third in the ACC with 2.14 blocks per contest.

Three of Maryland's starters are among the top 11 players in the ACC for minutes played per contest. Sophomore Greivis Vasquez is second in the league, averaging 36.52 minutes per contest.
• Sophomore guard Eric Hayes is seventh in the ACC in minutes per game (34.00), while senior James Gist is 11th (31.68).

Maryland has been one of the top programs in the ACC over the past 10 seasons.
• With 97 wins since 1999, Maryland is second among all ACC schools in regular-season wins.
• Head coach Gary Williams ranks second among active ACC coaches with 162 career wins in league play.
• The Terps captured the 2002 ACC regular-season title & the 2004 ACC Tourney championship.

Maryland is in its 55th 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 394-379 (.507) all-time in ACC games.
• Maryland is 246-143 (.631) in ACC home games.
• Maryland is 149-236 (.381) in ACC away games.
• Under Gary Williams, Maryland is 162-131 (.546) in ACC play.
• Maryland is 98-48 (.672) at home in ACC games under Williams, including a 29-13 (.686) mark at the Comcast Center.
• The Terps have captured three ACC Tournament Championships: 1958,1984 and 2004.

Maryland has been a dominant home team over the years.
• The Terps are 789-280 (.738) all-time at home dating back to 1923-24.
• Maryland is 83-18 (.822) all-time at Comcast Center. The Terps have won 43 of their last 50 at home dating back to 2003-04.
• The Terps are 238-53 (.821) at home under Gary Williams (155-35 at Cole Field House).
• Maryland is 136-23 (.871) at home the last 10 seasons (since 1998-99).
• Maryland has won 47 of its last 50 regular season non-conference games at Comcast Center under Williams.
• The Terps are 134-4 (.970) in regular season 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.

Senior James Gist has joined elite company in the storied history of Maryland Basketball:
• With 18 points against Morgan State (Dec. 6), Gist became the 46th player in school history to reach 1,000 career points.
• His scoring average has increased each season, as he is averaging a career-best 15.8 points per game this year.
• With his 696 career rebounds, Gist is just the 22nd player in school history to tally 1,000 points and 500 rebounds. He is just the fifth player in school history to record 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 200 blocked shots in a career.
• He has scored in double figures in 18 games this year and has five double-doubles (Hampton, Boston College, Delaware, Charlotte and North Carolina).
• Named the ACC Player of the Week on January 21 after averaging 16.0 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.5 blocked shots in wins over Wake Forest and North Carolina.
• The Silver Spring native was named a preseason Wooden Award candidate.
• Gist spent the summer as a member of the USA's Pan Am Games team which earned a fifth-place finish in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Sophomore guard Greivis Vasquez enjoyed a breakout season as a freshman in 2006-07 and has improved in 2007-08:
• Vasquez averages a team-high 17.1 points per game. As a freshman he scored 9.8 points per game.
• He set a new career high with 28 points against American University.
• Vasquez has scored in double figures in 21 of 23 games this season and has led the team in scoring 12 times.
• He leads the team with 146 assists and has dished out at least five assists in 15 games this year. He has recorded 10 or more assists four times (Northeastern, Illinois, Morgan State and North Carolina).
• Vasquez has led the team in assists in 12 games this year.
• Vasquez has improved his rebounding from 3.3 per game as a freshman to 5.2 this season.
• He is averaging a team-high 36.5 minutes per game.
• Vasquez spent the summer as a member of the Venezuelan National team which competed in the FIBA Americas Championships in Las Vegas during August.
• Named to the 2008 Cousy Award Preseason List.

Sophomore guard Eric Hayes has built on an impressive freshman season and has continued his development for the Terrapins:
• Hayes has scored in double figures 11 times this season.
• He is second on the team in assists (113) and steals (27).
• Hayes is second in the ACC in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.69).
• He scored a then-career high 18 points against Illinois before pouring in 19 points against Morgan State. Hayes recorded a career-high nine assists against Duke and Virginia.
• He leads the team in free throw shooting. Hayes has connected on 82 percent (32 of 39) of his attempts from the foul line.

Senior Bambale Osby has made a big impact for the Terps at both ends of the floor this season:
• Osby is averaging 11.6 points per game this year after averaging just 5.8 points as a junior.
• He has scored in double figures 16 times this season after only breaking double figures in eight games last year.
• Osby is second on the team with 45 blocked shots. He tallied just 16 blocks as a junior in 2006-07.
• Osby has increased his production on the glass as he is averaging 6.9 rebounds per contest after pulling down 3.9 board per game last year.

After playing in just 16 of 34 games as a freshman, Landon Milbourne spent the summer in College Park working on his game and the results have followed:
• Milbourne is averaging 8.2 points per game this season after averaging 1.0 as a freshman. His rebounding has jumped from 0.8 to 3.7 per game.
• He has scored in double figures in 10 of the last 16 games and set a new career high with 16 points at Georgia Tech.
• Milbourne has made his mark on defense as well, as he is third on the team with 21 blocked shots and has added 12 steals for the season.