Jan. 20, 1998
Terps Travel to Atlanta to Face Georgia Tech
Maryland Ranked 13th in RPI Power Ratings
MARYLAND TERRAPINS (10-6, 3-3 ACC)
AT
GEORGIA TECH YELLOW JACKETS (12-5, 2-4 ACC)
WEDNESDAY JANUARY 21, 1998; 9:00 P.M.
ALEXANDER MEMORIAL COLISEUM
AT MCDONALD'S CENTER/10,000
ATLANTA, GEORGIA
LEARFIELD/MARYLAND RADIO NETWORK
JEFFERSON PILOT REGIONAL TELEVISION NETWORK
TERPS SCHEDULE RANKED AS NATION'S TOUGHEST; TEAM RATED 13TH
...Maryland's schedule is rated No. 1 in the nation in terms of strength by the NCAA RPI Report;
...Maryland is ranked 13th in the latest NCAA RPI Power Ratings Report.
TERPS TRAVEL TO ATLANTA TO FACE GEORGIA TECH
Maryland travels to Atlanta to face Georgia Tech in the Terps' seventh Atlantic Coast Conference game of the season. The Terps have evenly split their first six games, winning twice at home (then 13th ranked Florida State and then 1st ranked North Carolina) and once on the road (at N.C. State). Maryland is in the midst of a 15-game ACC stretch which began on January 3 and runs through February 24. The only remaining non-conference game on the Terps' schedule is against Atlantic-10 member Temple on February 28. That game will be played at the Baltimore Arena. Maryland brings a 10-5 record into its game versus Georgia Tech; the Terps are 8-1 at home, 1-3 on the road and 1-2 on neutral courts.
MARYLAND'S STARTERS...
...Have more assists (226) than their opponents team total (217);
...Have more blocked shots (51) than their opponents team total (44).
AGAINST NORTH CAROLINA ON JANUARY 14...
...Maryland defeated the nation's No. 1 ranked team for the fifth time in school history;
...Head Coach Gary Williams defeated the nation's No. 1 ranked team for the third time during his career;
...Maryland shot 51.5 percent from the floor. It marked the first time in 37 games that a North Carolina opponent had shot above 50 percent from the field.
Associated Press Top-25
January 19, 1998
1. Duke 16-1
2. North Carolina 18-1
3. Kansas 21-2
4. Utah 15-0
5. Stanford 16-0
6. Arizona 15-3
7. Kentucky 16-2
8. Connecticut 16-2
9. UCLA 13-3
10. Iowa 15-2
11. Princeton 13-1
12. Purdue 15-4
13. Mississippi 12-2
14. South Carolina 11-3
15. Syracuse 15-2
16. Michigan 14-4
17. New Mexico 13-3
18. Arkansas 14-3
19. Xavier 11-4
20. Florida State 13-5
21. Cincinnati 13-2
22. Rhode Island 12-3
23. West Virginia 15-3
24. Hawaii 12-2
25. Clemson 11-6
ARV - Maryland (26th place)
ESPN/USA Today Top-25
January 19, 1998
1. Duke 738
2. North Carolina 711
3. Kansas 674
4. Utah 664
5. Arizona 625
6. Stanford 609
7. Kentucky 584
8. Connecticut 480
9. Purdue 478
10. UCLA 453
11. Princeton 436
12. Iowa 402
13. New Mexico 362
14. Mississippi 345
15. Syracuse 298
16. Michigan 288
17. South Carolina 272
18. Xavier 219
19. Arkansas 189
20. Florida State 183
21. West Virginia 144
22. Rhode Island 126
23. Clemson 101
24. Hawaii 96
25. Cincinnati 50
(ARV - Maryland 26th place)
TERPS PROFIT STEALING HIS WAY INTO HISTORY
Junior Laron Profit enters tonight's game against Georgia Tech with 50 steals in 16 games this season. His 3.1 steals per game is a career-high watermark and places him first in the ACC. In addition, his 50 steals ranks as the 10th best single-season total in school history.
Season All Games ACC Games Only
1997-98 50/3.1 18/3.0
1996-97 57/1.8 26/1.6
1995-96 40/1.5 20/1.4
STOKES REGAINING TOUCH
|
|
Terrell Stokes.
|
Junior Terrell Stokes has a 2.1:1 assist to turnover ratio in 16 games this season. His strong assist to turnover ratio places him among the leaders in the ACC. Stokes also enjoyed a stellar 2.1:1 assist to turnover ratio during his freshman season.
PROFIT SCORES 25 AGAINST WAKE FOREST
Junior Laron Profit scored a near career-high 25 points against Wake Forest on Saturday night. It marked the career-high fifth time that he had scored 20 points or more this season. Profit scored his career-high of 27 points against Fairleigh Dickinson on November 18, 1997. His 25 points against the Deacons was his ACC career-high which surpassed his 24 points against Virginia on March 2, 1997.
PROFIT IN THE LAST FOUR GAMES
Junior Laron Profit is averaging 19.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.5 steals per game in the last four games.
ELLIOTT ENJOYING CAREER-BEST SEASON
Senior Rodney Elliott is enjoying his finest season as a Terp. He enters tonight's game versus Georgia Tech averaging career-bests in nearly every statistical category.
Season PPG RPG MPG FG% 3PFG% APG SPG
1997-98 15.1 6.9 27.4 50.9 46.7 1.8 1.1
1996-97 8.6 6.2 23.3 48.3 24.0 1.2 0.5
1995-96 4.9 3.1 13.3 50.0 33.3 0.4 0.3
1994-95 1.4 1.5 5.5 50.0 20.0 0.4 0.2
ELLIOTT IS ONE OF TWO
Senior Rodney Elliott is one of two starters who is shooting 50 percent or better from the field. He is shooting a career-high 50.9 percent from the field and is joined by junior Obinna Ekezie who is shooting 54.9 percent from the field.
DISSECTING PROFIT'S 25 POINTS AGAINST WAKE FOREST
Junior Laron Profit made 10 field goals against Wake Forest as he scored 25 points against the Deacons. It marked the third time during his career that he had reached double figures in field goals made in a single game. He made his career-high of 12 field goals against Fairleigh Dickinson on November 18, 1997. Profit's 22 field goals attempted tied his career-high which he previously recorded against FDU.
Opponent FGM FGA PCT DATE
California 10 14 71.4 December 8, 1996
Fairleigh Dickinson 12 22 54.6 November 18, 1997
Wake Forest 10 22 45.5 January 17, 1998
Upcoming Milestones
Laron Profit
Career Steals
147 (current)
+ 24 (needs)
171
(to move into 4th place
all-time in school history)
Laron Profit
Career Points
833 (current)
+ 167 (needs)
1,000
(to become the 33rd player in school history to score 1,000 career points)
Terrell Stokes
Career Assists
288 (current)
+ 59 (needs)
347
(to move past Ernie Graham into 10th place all-time in school history)
Terrell Stokes
Career Steals
103 (current)
+12 (needs)
115
(to move into 10th place
all-time in school history)
Sarunas Jasikevicius
Career Three-Pt. Shots Made
104 (current)
+ 27 (needs)
131
(to move into 4th place all-time in school history)
Terps by the Numbers
3 Head Coach Gary Williams has defeated three No. 1 teams during his coaching career - two (North Carolina, twice) while at Maryland and one (Iowa) while as the head coach at Ohio State.
3 Senior Matt Kovarik, a guard, has blocked a career-high three shots this season.
5 With its victory over No. 1 North Carolina on January 14, Maryland has now defeated five top ranked teams in the history of the program.
8 Freshman Mike Mardesich scored eight points in eight minutes of play against N.C. State on January 10.
|
|
Laron Profit.
|
6 Junior Laron Profit scored six of Maryland's 13 points in the Terps overtime victory over then No. 1 North Carolina on January 14.
10 Maryland is 10-0, undefeated, when it outscores its opponent.
12 Freshman Mike Mardesich scored a career-high 12 points against then No. 1 North Carolina on January 14.
15 Maryland's freshmen (LaRon Cephas, Mike Mardesich and Terence Morris) have scored 15 percent of Maryland's points this season.
16 Freshman Terence Morris has more blocked shots (16) than assists (14) this season.
21 Junior Laron Profit has 21 steals in the last six games - an average of 3.5 per game.
31 Junior Terrell Stokes has three turnovers in his last 93 minutes played - an average of one turnover ever 31 minutes played.
PROBABLE STARTERS FOR MARYLAND....
F #25 Rodney Elliott (15.1 ppg, 6.9 rpg)
C #54 Obinna Ekezie (13.6 ppg, 6.8 rpg)
G #3 Laron Profit (16.7 ppg, 6.0 rpg)
G #12 Terrell Stokes (5.6 ppg, 3.7 apg)
G #13 Sarunas Jasikevicius (12.6 ppg, 3.8 apg)
....AND TOP SUBS
F #44 Terence Morris (6.4 ppg, 3.3 rpg)
G #11 Matt Kovarik (3.4 ppg, 1.8 rpg)
C #33 Mike Mardesich (5.9 ppg, 5.1 rpg)
F #21 LaRon Cephas (0.5 ppg, 2.2 rpg)
TONIGHT'S OFFICIALS
Tonight's referee is Mike Wood and the umpires are Zelton Steed and Curtis Shaw.
MARYLAND VERSUS GEORGIA TECH - A SERIES HISTORY
The Series: Ga. Tech leads, 28-18
Last Maryland Win: February 19, 1997; 76-68
Last Georgia Tech Win: March 9, 1996; 84-79
Last Maryland Win at Alexander: February 19, 1997; 76-68
Last Georgia Tech Win at Alexander: February 4, 1995; 100-91
Maryland vs. Ga. Tech Current Streak: Maryland has won 2
Gary Williams vs. Georgia Tech: 6-11 (All at Maryland)
TERPS VS. GEORGIA TECH - THE LAST FOUR GAMES
Feb. 19, 1997 Dec. 12, 1996 March 9, 1996 Feb. 3, 1996
Maryland 76 at Maryland 77 Ga. Tech 84 at Maryland 88
at Ga. Tech 68 Ga. Tech 63 Maryland 79 Ga. Tech 74
TERPS VERSUS GEORGIA TECH - THE LAST TIME
Maryland 76; Georgia Tech, 68; February 19, 1997
Alexander Memorial Coliseum at McDonalds Center
Keith Booth scored 15 of his 26 points in the second half as 14th-ranked Maryland pulled away for a 76-68 Atlantic Coast Conference victory over Georgia Tech. Maryland swept the season series and reached the 20-win mark for the second time in three seasons as coach Gary Williams improved to 6-11 versus the Yellow Jackets. Maryland erased a 39-38 halftime deficit with a 9-0 burst in the first 3:11 of the second half. Profit capped the run with a dunk, giving the Terrapins a 47-41 lead.
TERPS LAST TIME OUT - AGAINST WAKE FOREST
Wake Forest 72; Maryland 60; January 17, 1998
Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Winston-Salem, N.C.
Wake Forest defeated Maryland 72-60 in Winston-Salem Saturday night. The Terrapins trailed all the way but did cut the score to 39-38 with 12:58 left before Wake Forest went on a 14-2 run to take command. Robert O'Kelley led Wake Forest with 17 points, while fellow freshmen Niki Arinze added a season-high 16 and Goolsby 12 on four 3-pointers. Laron Profit scored 25 points to lead Maryland.
EKEZIE JOINS TERPS' SHOT BLOCKING ELITE
Junior Obinna Ekezie enters tonight's game against Georgia Tech with 70 career blocks. His 70 blocks places him 12th among the all-time Maryland leaders. Derrick Lewis is the all-time Terp leader with 339 career blocked shots.
Rank Blocks Player, Years Ekezie Needs To Pass
9. 81 Walt Williams, 1988-92 +12
10. 75 Ben Coleman, 1982-84 +6
11. 72 Keith Booth, 1994-97 +3
12. 70 Obinna Ekezie, 1995-Present
Season highs have been established by
|
|
Terence Morris.
|
3 Freshman Terence Morris blocked a season-high three shots against South Carolina on November 14.
5 Junior Obinna Ekezie blocked a season-high five shots against South Carolina on November 14.
6 Senior Sarunas Jasikevicius who was credited with six steals against UNC - Asheville on December 22.
6 Junior Laron Profit was credited with a season-high 6 steals against Kansas on December 7.
8 Senior Matt Kovarik dished out a season and career-high eight assists against Missouri.
9 Junior Terrell Stokes dished out a season-high nine assists against Fairleigh Dickinson on November 18.
10 Freshman Mike Mardesich grabbed a season-high 10 rebounds against Florida State on January 7.
11 Junior Obinna Ekezie grabbed a season-high 11 rebounds against Florida State on January 7.
14 Senior Rodney Elliott grabbed a season-high 14 rebounds against UNC - Wilmington on December 27.
20 Freshman Terence Morris scored a season-high 20 points against UNC - Asheville on December 22.
21 Senior Sarunas Jasikevicius scored a season-high 21 points against Kansas on December 7.
22 Senior Rodney Elliott scored a season-high 22 points against UNC - Wilmington on December 27.
TO REACH A CAREER MILESTONE...
...Senior Rodney Elliott needs 6 rebounds for 450;
...Senior Rodney Elliott needs 6 assists for 100;
...Senior Matt Kovarik needs 5 points for 200;
...Junior Terrell Stokes needs 13 minutes played for 2,000;
...Junior Terrell Stokes needs 2 three-point field goals made for 50;
...Junior Terrell Stokes needs 3 field goals attempted for 150;
...Junior Terrell Stokes needs 4 field goals made for 150;
...Junior Laron Profit needs 2 free throws made for 150;
...Junior Laron Profit needs 9 rebounds for 350;
...Junior Obinna Ekezie needs 3 free throws made for 200;
...Senior Sarunas Jasikevicius needs 8 three-pt. field goals attempted for 300;
...Freshman Terence Morris needs 1 free throw made for 25.
JASIKEVICIUS HITTING THE BOARDS
|
|
Sarunas Jasikevicius.
|
Senior Sarunas Jasikevicius is averaging more rebounds in the last three games (12 rebounds - 4.0 rebounds per game) than he is averaging for the entire season (45 rebounds - 2.8 rebounds per game). He also has more offensive rebounds in the last four games (five) than he had in the first 12 games (three).
STOKES HOLDING ONTO THE BASKETBALL
Junior Terrell Stokes has committed only three turnovers in the last 93 minutes played - an average of one turnover every 31 minutes.
STOKES BY THE NUMBERS
Junior Terrell Stokes started the first seven games of the season and has started the last three games of the season. He has improved his assist to turnover ratio is his most recent three games and has many steals (three) as he has turnovers (three) in the last three games.
Games Assists Turnovers A:TO MPG
1-7 (starter) 27 19 1.4:1 27.7
8-13 (reserve) 22 7 3.1:1 19.0
14-16 (starter) 11 3 3.7:1 31.1
EKEZIE LENDING A HELPING HAND
Junior center Obinna Ekezie enters tonight's game with a career-high 25 assists. He has dished out one assists in each of the last five games - a career-long streak. Ekezie dished out a career-high four assists against Fairleigh Dickinson on November 18.
PROFIT GETTING TO THE LINE
Junior Laron Profit has made 31 of his last 41 free throw attempts (73.1 percent) in the last six games. Profit's 41 free throw attempts in the last six games mark 51.3 percent of his 80 shots from the line for the entire season. He made a career-high nine free throws in a career-high nine attempts against Florida State on January 7.
JASIKEVICIUS ENJOYING A STRONG SHOOTING SEASON
Senior Sarunas Jasikevicius enters tonight's game with a career-high 47.0 field goal shooting percentage. He is Maryland's leading three-point shooter with 29 shots made from beyond the arc. Jasikevicius has made 26 three-point shots in the last 12 games - an average of 2.2 per game.
JASIKEVICIUS FROM THE FIELD
Senior Sarunas Jasikevicius is shooting well from inside and outside of the arc. He is shooting nearly 60 percent from inside of the arc.
Category FGM FGA PCT
Field Goal % 70 149 47.0
3-Point Field Goal % 29 80 36.3
2-Point Field Goal % 41 69 59.4
Quoting Maryland Basketball
1) "This new, big kid, 7-foot Mike Mardesich, knows how to move around the basket and has a nice touch. And freshman Terence Morris, who came off the bench to score 10 points and shake off a case of rookie jitters to hit a key free throw down the stretch, is in the same raw talent class with Antawn Jamison and Vince Carter."
Michael Wilbon
Washington Post
January 14, 1998
2) "I could see in Terence Morris' and Mike Mardesich's eyes that there was no fear. Mardesich stepped up for us big time. He wanted the ball down the stretch."
Gary Williams
University of Maryland
January 14, 1998
3) You also have to like what you've seen of Morris, a 6-8 forward out of Frederick, Md. He's a great leaper (the Terps lobbed the ball in to him twice against Carolina for dunks), he can step back and shoot the three -- what more could you want."
Dan Daly
Washington Times
Janauary 16, 1998
4) The Terrapins won by outrebounding North Carolina by a 39-32 margin. They won by shooting 51 percent (75 percent in overtime) the first North Carolina opponent to shoot better than 50 perent in 37 games. And they won with the help of a 3-2 zone that slowed the Tar Heels' high flying offense."
Josh Barr
Washington Post
January 15, 1997
SENIOR MATT KOVARIK...
...Has made a career-high 25 field goals this season;
...Has scored a near career-high 54 points this season (64 points in 1996-97);
...Has dished out a near career-high 34 assists this season (41 assts in 93-94);
...Has a career-high 3 blocked shots.
KOVARIK BY THE NUMBERS
Senior Matt Kovarik has performed well as both a starter and a reserve this season. He has achieved a positive assist to turnover ratio as both a reserve and a starter.
Games Assists Turnovers A:TO MPG
1-7 (reserve) 7 3 2.3:1 12.1
8-13 (starter) 22 15 1.5:1 24.7
14-16 (reserve) 5 3 1.7:1 14.7
THE TERP FRESHMEN
True freshman Terence Morris and redshirt freshman Mike Mardesich have contributed significantly throughout the season.
Category Mardesich Morris
Points 12 (N. Car., UMBC) 20 (UNC-A)
Rebounds 10 (Fla. State) 6 (MSM, UMBC)
Assists 3 (MSM, N. Car.) 3 (Duke)
Blocks 3 (FDU) 3 (S. Carolina)
Steals 2 (UNC-W) 3 (FDU, UNC-A)
Minutes 34 (N. Carolina) 22 (S. Carolina)
AGAINST NORTH CAROLINA, MIKE MARDESICH...
...Scored the basket that sent last Wednesday's game into overtime with 46.2 seconds remaining in regulation;
...Played a career-high 34 minutes;
...Scored a career-high tying 12 points;
...Grabbed a career-high 7 defensive rebounds;
...Dished out a career-high tying 3 rebounds;
...Scored a career-high tying five field goals;
...Scored a career-high tying two free throws made.
PROFIT MOVING UP STEALS LIST II
Junior Laron Profit has 147 career steals entering tonight's game versus Georgia Tech. His 147 career steals ranks him fifth all-time at Maryland.
Rank No. Player, SPG, Years Profit/to Pass
1. 344 by Johnny Rhodes (2.8 spg; 1993-1996) +198
2. 193 by Keith Booth (1.53 spg; 1994-97) +47
3. 175 by Walt Williams (1.7 spg; 1988-92) +29
4. 170 by Dutch Morley (1.4 spg; 1978-82) +24
5. 147 by Laron Profit (1.95 spg; 1995-96 - Present)
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.
GARY'S RECORDS
Career 360-235 .605 (20th season)
at Maryland 153-107 .588 (9th season)
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 BY THE NUMBERS IN 1997-98
Overall Record: 10-6 When Outrebound Opponent: 8-2
ACC Record: 3-3 When Outrebounded by Opp: 2-4
Home Record: 8-1 When Rebounds are Equal: 0-0
Road Record: 1-3 When Leading at Half-time: 8-1
Neutral Site Record: 1-2 When Trailing at Half-time: 2-4
Day Games: 3-1 When Tied at Half-time: 0-1
Night Games: 7-5 When Shoot Better from Field: 8-3
In Home ACC Games: 2-1 When Shoot Worse from Field: 2-3
In Road ACC Games: 1-2 Versus a Ranked Opponent: 2-3
When Score At Least 80 Points: 8-0 When Score 100+ Points: 4-0
When Score Under 80 Points: 2-6
