Feb. 13, 2009

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Maryland returns to Comcast Center for a Valentine's Day matchup with Virginia Tech. The Terrapins are 15-8 overall and 4-5 in the Atlantic Coast Conference after winning two of their last three games. The Terps are in eighth place in the league, one game behind Boston College in the standings. The Hokies come into the matchup with a 16-7 record overall and a 6-3 mark in the league, tied for third place.

* The Terrapins have had six days off since their 57-56 victory at Georgia Tech last Sunday in Atlanta. Greivis Vasquez had a team-high 19 points and led the Terps with three assists and three steals, while Eric Hayes had 15 points and five rebounds in the win. Maryland forced 24 turnovers by the Yellow Jackets and was even in rebounding with the taller Tech players.

* Maryland's next three games are against opponents ranked among the best in the nation. Following today's game with Virginia Tech, the Terrapins travel to No. 11 Clemson on Tuesday night (7:30 p.m. on ESPN2), then come back to Comcast Center to face the top two teams in the league standings - 3rd-ranked North Carolina on Feb. 21 and No. 5 Duke on Feb. 25. The Terrapins' remaining home schedule also includes 7th-ranked Wake Forest on March 3. Three of Maryland's final five games of the season are at Comcast, where the Terps are 12-2 coming into today's game.

* Greivis Vasquez continues to be one of the top players in the Atlantic Coast Conference and has led Maryland in a number of categories all season. Vasquez is the Terrapins' leader in scoring (16.1 points per game), rebounding (5.5 per game, tied with Landon Milbourne), assists (4.7 per game) and steals (1.4 per game). The junior guard has led or tied for the team lead in scoring in 11 different games.

* Virginia Tech has followed a five-game winning steak (Jan. 10-25) with a 2-2 mark in its last four games. The Hokies have won home games against NC State (91-87 in overtime on Feb. 8) and Georgia Tech (76-71 on Wednesday night).

* The Hokies have two of the top scorers in the ACC in their starting lineup, as sophomore guard Malcolm Delaney and senior forward A.D. Vassallo are among the top six scorers in the league. Delaney averages 18.7 points per game and has hit on 155 free throws in 23 games this season. Vassallo averages 18.3 points per game and leads Tech with 53 3-pointers. Sophomore forward Jeff Allen leads Virginia Tech on the boards, averaging 8.8 rebounds per game, and is the third Hokie scoring in double figures with a 14.7 ppg average.

Head Coach Gary Williams Quotes - Friday, Feb. 13

On having six days off since last Sunday's game at Georgia Tech:
"It's been interesting this week to have this much time to prepare for a game. You're not used to doing that. I think it came at a good time. You never know how a change in a routine is going to affect anything, but we had a few minor [injuries], and it gave us a chance to get healthy. We're certainly healthy going into today's practice and looking forward to the game."

On the Virginia Tech Hokies:
"Virginia Tech, being 6-3 in the league, they've put themselves in a pretty good position. They have three players that do most of their scoring in (guard Malcolm) Delaney, (guard A.D.) Vassallo and (forward Jeff) Allen. I think those three guys could be anybody's three best players. They're really good. They account for about 77-78 percent of their offense in league play. They all know how to score. Being able to put the ball in the basket is probably still the most important thing in basketball, and all three of those guys can do it."

On the leadership provided by guard Greivis Vasquez during last Sunday's win at Georgia Tech:
"He was great down the stretch at Georgia Tech, just in terms of leadership. He made a couple of big shots, but in the timeouts and huddles he was terrific. As a junior when you have one senior, you need that, and Greivis certainly gave us that."

On what guard Sean Mosley provides Maryland in addition to scoring:
"He comes up with loose balls, he goes after offensive rebounds, he gives us a physical presence in the backcourt, which is good to have, and he plays defense. His effort is the same on both ends of the court. In his mind, part of his job is to be a good defensive player, which helps us."

On guard/forward Cliff Tucker's recent performances:
"Cliff has been great. He's really done a good job, and it's really helped us. He was ready to go when Adrian Bowie couldn't play on Sunday, and that was really key that we had another guard that could get out there. He did a great job for us, especially in the first half of that game."

On last Sunday's win at Georgia Tech:
"The good thing about the Georgia Tech game was that we did not shoot well on the road and still won the game. That was really a positive coming out of that."

On how Maryland handled the past week not having games:
"This week, given our situation after Georgia Tech, we were able to take Monday completely off, which was great. That's always great mentally, as well as physically, for the players. Tuesday we did all shooting...Then Wednesday we got back to regular practice. To have three days to prepare for a game is good...I think we'll be as ready as we can be on Saturday."