Dec. 8, 1997
Terps Advance to Championship Final of Franklin National Bank Classic
Look to Become First Ever Two-Time Classic Champion
ALL-AMERICA CANDIDATE PROFIT MOVES INTO 10TH PLACE ON TERP ALL-TIME STEALS LIST;
FOUR PLAYERS SCORING IN DOUBLE-FIGURES
NO. 22 MARYLAND TERRAPINS (4-2, 0-1 ACC)
VS.
GEORGE WASHINGTON COLONIALS (6-2, 0-0 A-10)
MONDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1997/8:30 P.M.
MCI CENTER/20,500
WASHINGTON, D.C.
HOME TEAM SPORTS
LEARFIELD/MARYLAND RADIO NETWORK
TERPS FACE G. WASHINGTON IN FNB CLASSIC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
No. 22 Maryland will face George Washington in the championship game of the Franklin National Bank/Children's Charities Classic tonight at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C. It marks the second consecutive year that the Terps and the Colonials will meet in the championship of what has quickly become one of the top early-season tournaments in the nation. Maryland defeated George Washington, 74-68, in last season's championship game which was played at the USAir Arena. The Terps are 2-0 against George Washington in the FNB Classic with wins in the championship game in 1996 and in the third-place game, 98-81, in 1995.
FRANKLIN NATIONAL BANK CLASSIC RESULTS
Maryland continues its defense of its 1996 Franklin National Bank Classic Championship tonight as it faces George Washington in the 1997 Classic championship. Maryland is the winningest all-time team in FNB Classic history with a 4-1 record and enter tonight's game having won four consecutive Classic games.
1995 Massachusetts 50 Maryland 47
Florida 75 G. Washington 66
Maryland 98 George Washington 81
Massachusetts 80 Florida 58
1996 Maryland 84 California 60
G. Washington 57 Mississippi State 36
California 78 Mississippi State 45
Maryland 74 George Washington 68
1997 Maryland 86 Kansas 83
G. Washington 56 Penn 52
UPCOMING MILESTONES
Laron Profit
Career Steals
116 (current)
+ 5 (needs)
121
(to move into 8th place
all-time in school history)
Laron Profit
Career Points
660 (current)
+ 340 (needs)
1,000
(to become the 33rd player in school history to score 1,000 career points)
Terrell Stokes
Career Assists
248 (current)
+ 99 (needs)
347
(to move past Ernie Graham into 10th place all-time in school history)
Terrell Stokes
Career Steals
94 (current)
+23 (needs)
115
(to move into 10th place
all-time in school history)
Sarunas Jasikevicius
Career Three-Pt. Shots Made
83 (current)
+ 17 (needs)
100
(to become the sixth player to hit 100 or more career three-point shots).
TERPS RANKED NO. 22 BY ESPN/USA TODAY
Maryland is ranked 22nd in this week's ESPN/USA Today poll. The Terps were unranked last week and were the only unranked team to move into the poll this week.
ESPN/USA Today
December 8, 1997
1. Duke 746
2. North Carolina 719
3. Kansas 673
4. Arizona 673
5. Kentucky 637
6. Utah 541
7. Purdue 539
8. South Carolina 538
9. Xavier 508
10. Iowa 470
11. Stanford 465
12. New Mexico 382
13. Connecticut 376
14. UCLA 331
15. Florida State 271
16. Arkansas 259
17. Temple 253
18. Clemson 219
19. Mississippi 192
20. Princeton 185
21. Fresno State 169
22. MARYLAND 128
23. Georgia Tech 77
24. Wake Forest 66
25. Georgia 65
Associated Press Top 25
December 1, 1997
1) Duke 5-0
2) Kansas 6-0
3) North Carolina 6-0
4) Arizona 4-1
5) South Carolina 2-0
6) Purdue 5-1
7) Kentucky 4-1
8) New Mexico 5-0
9) Xavier 3-0
10) Iowa 3-0
11) Utah 5-0
12) Stanford 4-0
13) Connecticut 5-1
14) Mississippi 3-0
15) UCLA 2-1
16) Fresno State 3-1
17) Clemson 3-2
18) Arkansas 4-0
19) Florida State 4-1
20) Temple 2-1
21) Georgia 5-1
22) Georgia Tech 4-0
23) MARYLAND 3-1
24) Wake Forest 5-0
25) Princeton 4-0
TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES
Maryland is playing in the championship game of an in-season tournament for the third consecutive year. The Terps played in the championship game of the 1996 Franklin National Bank Tournament (winning the championship as it defeated George Washington) and played in the championship game of the 1996 Rainbow Classic (losing the championship to Georgia in overtime). Maryland has won four tournament championships and are 4-3 in tournament championship games under Gary Williams.
1989 Central Fidelity Classic Champions
1989 Chaminade Christmas Classic Champions
1990 ECAC Holiday Festival Champions
1993 Abdow's Hall of Fame Classic Runner-Up
1994 Maui Invitational Runner-Up
1996 Franklin National Bank Classic Champions
1996 Rainbow Classic Runner-Up
WILLIAMS ENJOYS DEFEATING RANKED TEAMS
With Maryland's victory over No. 2 Kansas in the first round of the Franklin National Bank Classic, Head Coach Gary Williams has now defeated eight ranked teams in the last three seasons. Among top-five teams, the Terps have defeated then- No. 2 Wake Forest on January 19, 1997, and then-No. 1 North Carolina on February 8, 1995.
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Laron Profit.
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PROFIT MOVES INTO 10th PLACE ON TERPS' STEALS LIST
Junior All-America candidate Laron Profit garnered a season-high six steals against Kansas to give him 116 for his career and move him into tenth-place all-time at Maryland. Profit averages 1.8 steals per game for his 65 game career.
PROFIT WITH IMMEDIATE CHANCE TO MOVE UP IN THE STEALS RANKS
Junior All-America candidate Laron Profit enters tonight's game versus George Washington with 116 career steals. He is well within reach of moving up into ninth and eighth place in a hurry. Listed ahead of Profit is former Terp All-American Albert King (119 career steals) and former All-ACC performer Duane Simpkins (120 career steals).
Rank Steals Player Profit Needs to Pass
1. 344 by Johnny Rhodes (2.8 spg, 1993-1996) +229
2. 193 by Keith Booth (1.53 spg; 1994-97) +78
3. 175 by Walt Williams (1.7 spg; 1988-92) +60
4. 170 by Dutch Morley (1.4 spg; 1978-82) +55
5. 137 by Derrick Lewis (1.1 spg; 1984-88) +22
6. 136 by Kevin McLinton (1.5 spg; 1989-93) +21
7. 123 by Ernest Graham (1.0 spg; 1977-81) +8
8. 120 by Duane Simpkins (1.1 spg, 1993-1996) +5
9. 119 by Albert King (1.0 spg; 1977-81) +4
10. 116 by Laron Profit (1.8 spg; 1995-Present) --
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Terrell Stokes.
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STOKES TO THE FREE THROW LINE WITH LITTLE TIME REMAINING
Junior guard Terrell Stokes has made it a habit during his career of hitting big free throws with little time remaining on the clock as he did Sunday against No. 2 Kansas. Stokes hit two free throws with 1.9 seconds remaining to give Maryland its 86-83 lead.
Opponent Shots Time Rem. Date Outcome
Kansas 2 (both made) 1.9 secs Dec. 7, 1997 W, 86-83
N. Carolina 2 (both made) 33 secs. Feb. 6, 1996 W, 84-78
N. Carolina 2 (made first) 11 secs. Feb. 6. 1997 W, 84-78
Terps by the Numbers
1 Senior guard Sarunas Jasikevicius leads the Terps in assists with a 4.3 assists per game average entering tonight's game versus George Washington.
1:44 Freshman Mike Mardesich hit two free throws with 1:44 remaining in Sunday's contest against Kansas to give Maryland an 83-79 lead.
2 Junior All-America candidate Laron Profit is averaging 1.8 steals per game - the second best per game average in school history.
2 Junior center Obinna Ekezie is shooting 55.3 percent from the field. He is looking to lead the Terps in field goal shooting for the second consecutive season.
4 Maryland is 4-0, undefeated, when it outscores its opponent.
5 Senior guard Sarunas Jasikevicius has hit five consecutive free throws dating back to the second half of the Terps' victory over Mt. St. Mary's on November 22.
6 Junior All-America candidate Laron Profit has scored in double figures in all six games this season and in 10 of his last 11 games dating back to last season.
8 Players are averaging in double figure minutes for the Terps.
28.3 Senior guard Matt Kovarik averages one turnover for every 28.3 minutes played this season.
STOKES HOT FROM THE FREE THROW LINE
Junior guard Terrell Stokes has hit eight consecutive free throws entering tonight's game versus George Washington. He has been perfect from the line in each of the last three games - two-for-two against Florida International; two-for-two against Clemson and four-for-four against Kansas.
PROBABLE STARTERS FOR MARYLAND....
F #25 Rodney Elliott (17.0 ppg, 7.2 rpg; 12 pts, 4 rebs vs. Geo Wash, 12-9-96)
C #54 Obinna Ekezie (12.5 ppg, 7.7 rpg; 10 pts, 6 rebs vs. Geo Wash, 12-9-96)
G #3 Laron Profit (18.3 ppg, 6.8 rpg; 10 pts, 6 rebs vs. Geo Wash, 12-1-95)
G #12 Terrell Stokes (7.2 ppg, 3.3 apg; 11 pts, 3 rebs vs. Geo Wash, 12-9-96)
G #13 Sarunas Jasikevicius (11.2 ppg, 3.3 apg; 5 pts, 2 asts vs. G. Wash, 12-1-95)
....AND TOP SUBS
F #44 Terence Morris (5.7 ppg, 5.2 rpg; First career game vs. Geo. Wash.)
G #11 Matt Kovarik (3.2 ppg, 1.8 rpg; 2 pts. 2 asts vs. Geo Wash, 12-9-96)
C #33 Mike Mardesich (5.7 ppg, 5.2 rpg; First career game vs. Geo Wash.)
F #21 Laron Cephas (0.0 ppg, 0.5 rpg; First career game vs. Geo Wash.)
TERPS VERSUS GEORGE WASHINGTON THE LAST FOUR GAMES
Dec. 9, 1996 Dec. 3, 1995 Jan. 3, 1979 Dec. 10, 1977
Maryland 74 Maryland 98 Maryland 84 Geo Wash. 101
Geo. Wash. 68 Geo. Wash. 81 Geo. Wash. 72 Maryland 90
at USAir Arena at USAir Arena Cole Fd House at Geo. Washington
MARYLAND VERSUS GEORGE WASHINGTON - A SERIES HISTORY
The Series: Maryland leads the series, 33-23
Last Maryland Win: December 9, 1996, 74-68
Last George Washington Win: December 10, 1977, 101-90
Last Maryland Win at MCI Center: NA
Last George Wash Win at MCI Center: NA
Maryland vs. Geo. Wash Current Streak:Maryland has won 3
Gary Williams vs. Geo. Wash, Career: 4-2 (2-2 at Amer, 2-0 at Maryland)
GW VERSUS GW
Terp Head Coach Gary Williams has a 4-2 record against George Washington. He is undefeated against the Colonials, 2-0, during his tenure at Maryland and had a 2-2 record against them while the head coach at American.
TERPS AGAINST THE ATLANTIC 10
Maryland holds a 50-12 all-time record against the current members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. The Terps will play another A-10 institution, Temple, on February 28 at the Baltimore Arena. The Terps have not faced an A-10 opponent since they defeated George Washington in last season's FNB Classic championship game.
KOVARIK PLAYING VALUABLE SIXTH MAN ROLE
Senior guard Matt Kovarik is averaging a career-high 14.2 minutes per game entering tonight's game versus George Washington. He entered the season averaging 9.7 minutes throughout his 97-game career.
Season MPG APG A:TO
1997-98 14.2 1.2 2.3:1
Career 9.7 1.1 1.4:1
Improvement +4.5 +0.1 +0.9
THIS AND THAT...
...Maryland is 2-0 this season when junior All-America candidate Laron Profit has more offensive rebounds than defensive rebounds (Fairleigh Dickinson and Kansas);
...Maryland is 2-0 this season when senior forward Rodney Elliott leads the team in rebounds (Mt. St. Mary's and Kansas);
Quoting Maryland Basketball
1) "Maryland is the best team in America not to be ranked in the Top-20."
Dick Vitale
ABC Sports
December 7, 1997
2) "Maryland came to MCI Center yesterday and produced one of the biggest, most impressive victories in Williams's nine-year tenure as head coach. Facing undefeated and second-ranked Kansas, the Terrapins produced an 86-83 victory in the first round of the Franklin National Bank Classic to prove - to themselves, and to the college basketball world - that they are a threat to the best teams in the country."
Jennifer Fry
Washington Post
December 7, 1997
3) "The bottom line is Maryland outplayed us today. They were more aggressive than we were."
Roy Williams
Head Coach
University of Kansas
December 7, 1997
4) "This is the biggest thing that has ever happened to me. I haven't played in a lot of big games like this. My emotions are running wild."
Mike Mardesich
University of Maryland
December 7, 1997
5) "I'm always going to be a huge Terrell Stokes booster."
Gary Williams
Head Coach
University of Maryland
December 7, 1997
6) "Good players make those (shots). I'm glad I had the chance."
Terrell Stokes
University of Maryland
December 7, 1997
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Obinna Ekezie.
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EKEZIE SIZZLING FROM THE FIELD
Junior center Obinna Ekezie is shooting 63.6 percent (21-33) from the field in the last four games. He enters tonight's game versus George Washington with a team leading 55.3 field goal shooting percentage.
Season MPG PPG FPG
1997-98 27.7 12.5 2.8
Career 21.3 7.l 3.0
+6.4 +5.4 -0.2
SEASON HIGHS WERE ESTABLISHED AGAINST KANSAS BY...
...Junior center Obinna Ekezie who grabbed nine rebounds;
...Senior forward Rodney Elliott who scored 21 points;
...Senior guard Sarunas Jasikevicius who scored 21 points;
...Junior All-America candidate Laron Profit who had six steals;
...Senior guard Matt Kovarik who had two steals.
WINNING THE WAR
Maryland was out-rebounded by Kansas yesterday, 51-47. It marked the first time since December 12, 1996, against Georgia Tech that the Terps had won while earning more rebounds that their opponent. Maryland has been outrebounded by only two opponents this season - Kansas and South Carolina.
BLOCK PARTY
As a team, Maryland has blocked 41 shots this season, 17 more than its opponents have swatted. The Terps have blocked at least four shots in each game this season.
HOT OFFENSE; HOTTER DEFENSE
Maryland is shooting 48.8 percent from the field and allowing its opponents to shoot only 38.2 percent. The Terps have converted at least 50 percent of the shots from the field in three of the last four games. No opponent this season has converted more that 44 percent of its field goal attempts.
TO GIVE IS BETTER THAN TO RECEIVE
In six games this season, Maryland has dished out 42 more assists than its opponents. The Terps are averaging 19.7 assists per games as compared to its opponents 12.7 per game.
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Matt Kovarik.
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KOVARIK NAMED TO NABC ACADEMIC HONOR ROLL
Senior Matt Kovarik was recently named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches academic honor roll. The honor roll salutes players who are entering their junior or senior seasons and who hold a 3.2 or better grade point average. Kovarik is a business major.
TERPS SELECTED FOURTH BY ACC WRITERS
Maryland was selected to finish fourth in the pre-season poll by the Atlantic Coast Conference Sportswriters Association. The Terps were predicted to finish in the upper echelon of the ACC for the fifth consecutive season.
1997-98 ACSWA PRE-SEASON PREDICATIONS
1. Duke (45) 730
2. North Carolina (43) 727
3. Clemson (2) 628
4. MARYLAND 429
5. N.C. State 391
6. Wake Forest 335
7. Florida State 324
8. Virginia 177
9. Georgia Tech 174
LEARFIELD RADIO - THE MARYLAND RADIO NETWORK
All of Maryland's games this season - home and away - will be heard live on the Learfield/Maryland Radio Network.
The Terps will be heard on the flagship stations, WBAL (1090-AM) and WMAL (630-AM) which combine to give Maryland one of the strongest combination of broadcast signals of any collegiate basketball team in the nation. The Terps can now be heard from Maine to Florida.
Johnny Holliday, now in his 19th season, will once again serve as the voice of the Terps. He is joined once again by former Terps all-star Greg Manning, currently in his 12th season with the broadcast team.
Maryland Radio Network
Flagship Stations
WBAL-AM Balt, Md. 1090
WMAL-AM Wash-D.C. 630
WAMD-AM Aberdeen 970
WI00-AM Carlisle, Pa. 1000
WTBO-AM Cumberland 1450
WSER-AM Elkton 1550 930
WFMD-AM Frederick 930
WARK-AM Hagerstown 1450
WMSG-AM Mtn Lake Pk 1050 1050
WKHW-FM Pocomoke Ct 106.5
WTGM-FM Salisbury 960
WTTR-AM Westminster 1470
GARY WILLIAMS MARYLAND'S RADIO SPORTSLINE
John Wagner, University System Radio-TV Director, provides actualities and interviews for radio for Maryland basketball coach Gary Williams. Stations can access these sound bites by calling the Sportsline at (301) 779-6397. Features will be available at noon on gamedays during the week, and Friday evening for weekend games.
TERPS SIGN TWO PLAYERS ON FIRST DAY OF SIGNING PERIOD
Maryland signed a pair of Blue-Chip high school players, guard Danny Miller and forward Lonnie Baxter, on the first day of the current National Letter of Intent signing period. At 6-6, Miller (Mt. Holly, N.J./Rancocas Valley H.S.) is rated as the 11th best high school prospect in the nation while the 6-8 Baxter (Rockville, Md./Hargrave Military Academy) is rated among the top 50.
TERPS BY THE NUMBERS IN 1997-98
Overall Record: 4-2 When Outrebound Opponent: 3-1
ACC Record: 0-1 When Outrebounded by Opp: 1-1
Home Record: 3-0 When Rebounds are Equal: 0-0
Road Record: 0-1 When Leading at Half-time: 4-0
Neutral Site Record: 1-1 When Trailing at Half-time: 0-1
Day Games: 1-0 When Tied at Half-time: 0-1
Night Games: 3-2 When Shoot Better from Field: 3-2
In Home ACC Games: 0-0 When Shoot Worse from Field: 1-0
In Road ACC Games: 0-1 Versus a Ranked Opponent: 1-2
When Score At Least 80 Points: 4-0
When Score 100+ Points: 2-0
When Score Under 80 Points: 0-1
