Terps Open Play Monday in Maui

Nov. 23, 2009

LAHAINA, Hawaii - No. 25 Maryland opens its vist to the EA Sports Maui Invitational on Monday with a game against host Chaminade. The Silverswords are playing their first official game of the season, and annually serve as the host school for the tournament, which each year draws one of the top fields in the country.

The game will be telecast on ESPNU, with the pregame show on the Terrapin Sports Radio Network beginning at 8:30. Flagship stations on the network are WJZ-AM-1300, WJZ-FM-105.7, WJFK-FM-106.7.

Maryland, which moved into the AP poll last week at No. 25, has won its first three games of the season. The 27-point margin in the Terps' last victory (82-55 last Friday over New Hampshire) is the lowest of the season. The last time Maryland opened a season with this type of lopsided margins was in 1991-92 when the first three wins were at least 25 points or better. Maryland also posted a string of comfortable victories to open a season in the 1975-76 season, when Maryland rolled through its first six opponents by 25 points or more en route to an 11-0 start and a 22-6 overall finish.

The strong start is nothing new to Maryland during the Gary Williams' era. The Terps have started a schedule 3-0 under Williams 11 times in his previous 20 seasons at his alma mater. They have had a 4-0 start in seven previous years under Williams, a 5-0 mark five times and a 6-0 mark three times. Williams' best start to a season at Maryland came in 1996-97, when the Terps opened 11-0.

Maryland has been particularly strong at the defensive end thus far... The Terps allowed their first three opponents just 49.3 points per game and have held opponents to .313 shooting from the floor... Maryland has turned the ball over just 36 times, but has forced 70 turnovers by its opponents (leading 38-16 in steals).

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