March 6, 2009
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -
Maryland closes the regular-season schedule with a short trip to Charlottesville to face the University of Virginia. The Terrapins are within a victory of finishing with a .500 record in the Atlantic Coast Conference, and could clinch the No. 7 seed in the upcoming ACC Tournament with either a victory or a Virginia Tech loss tomorrow at Florida State.
* The Terrapins are 4-3 in their last seven games, with each of those three losses coming against teams ranked in the Top 20 in the country (Clemson, Duke and Wake Forest). During that stretch, Maryland also earned an 88-85 overtime victory over now-2nd-ranked North Carolina on a night when Greivis Vasquez posted the first Terrapin triple-double since 1987. Maryland lost 65-63 last Tuesday at home against 10th-ranked Wake Forest despite a career-high 19 points by Dave Neal, who made the most of his Senior Night opportunity.
* Maryland and Virginia met at Comcast Center on Jan. 20, with the Terrapins taking away an 84-78 triumph. Adrian Bowie and Landon Milbourne each scored 17 points to lead four Terps in double figures. Maryland withstood a second-half rally from the Cavaliers, who rallied from a 45-30 halftime deficit. Maryland junior Eric Hayes posted the first double-double of his career, getting 10 points and a career-high 11 assists.
* A victory over Virginia on Saturday would mark the 13th consecutive season Maryland has earned at least 19 victories under head coach Gary Williams.
Milestones, Streaks, etc.
Maryland has hit at least one 3-pointer in 349 consecutive games.
The Terps are 62-6 in non-conference games since moving into Comcast Center.
Maryland has won at least 19 games in 12 straight seasons... A victory today over Virginia would extend that streak.
The Terps have made 15 consecutive postseason appearances.
Maryland's last losing season came in 1992-93, the last season of devastating NCAA sanctions levied against previous staffs at Maryland... Each school in the ACC has had a losing season since the Terps fell below .500 some 15 seasons ago... In fact, 9 of the 11 ACC opponents have suffered through a losing season since the Terps won the NCAA title in 2002... Duke and UNC are the exceptions.
Between 2004-05 and 2007-08, Maryland won 82 games, an average of 20.5 per season... That matches the number of wins that Gary Williams directed during the first four seasons (1994-97) of Maryland's run of 11 straight NCAA Tournaments.
Looking Ahead
Maryland will finish the regular season with Saturday's game against Virginia... There will be three other ACC games played on Sunday to determine final seedings for the ACC Tournament, which begins on Thursday in Atlanta's Georgia Dome... With a victory over Virginia or a Virginia Tech loss at Florida State on Sunday, the Terrapins would go into the tournament with the No. 7 seed...
That would give the Terps a matchup in the 7 p.m. first-round game with the 10th seed (either Miami or NC State), with a potential quarterfinal matchup with the No. 2 seed on Friday (either Duke or Wake Forest)...
Wednesday's practice times in Atlanta will be determined by seeding... The No. 8 seed will practice from 9 - 10 a.m., with the No. 7 seed taking the floor from 1 -2 p.m.
Maryland Head Coach Gary Williams Quotes - Friday, 3/6
On the perseverance demonstrated by his team this season:
"We've just developed a good attitude as a team in terms of competing. Whether we win or lose a game, I think we're ready to play the next game, and that's what we've been able to do throughout the last month or so. That's important when you get into conference play, especially in a league like ours."
On which former Maryland players possessed versatility similar to that of Greivis Vasquez:
"Walt Williams, without a doubt. He was a lot like Greivis in that he could play multiple positions. He was bigger than Greivis, and he even played the five-spot for us at times his first couple years. He still has a record, I believe, of scoring 30 or more in seven straight ACC games... Walt was very similar to Greivis in terms of how they played the game and how they approached the game."
On the leadership provided by his players this season:
"I think Eric Hayes has quietly assumed a very big role on the team, along with Greivis (Vasquez), in terms of leadership and the way he's handled coming off the bench, and the way he's played coming off the bench. Dave Neal, as a senior, had a tough job this year being the only senior. This is a young basketball team, and Dave has really helped us stay the course over 29 games. All those guys have contributed, and when you look at Landon Milbourne with his quiet contributions, and Adrian Bowie... everyone has contributed."
On his team and its game Saturday at Virginia:
"We've won 18 games. It's a game at the end of the year which, obviously if we win, it puts us in a good position. But what we've done so far doesn't get tossed out because of the Virginia game. I'm proud of this team and what we've done, and hopefully we'll continue to play well."
On senior Dave Neal:
"One thing that's really helped him is he's been able to play a whole season. He hasn't been able to do that before. Dave Neal, athletically and physically, he's probably at the top of his game. He was never able to get there before. When you're injured like that, you lose conditioning and you lose a lot of things. Now he's been able to do that for a year injury-free, and you're starting to see what kind of player he is."
