umterps Notebook: Beltway Battle Primer
11/11/2015 12:00:00 PM | Terrapin Athletics, umterps Spotlight
COLLEGE PARK, Md. – We're less than a week away from one of the most anticipated regular season non-conference Maryland men's basketball games in history. This week's umterps.com Notebook delves a little deeper into the Maryland-Georgetown rivalry, as well as much more.
A Beltway Battle Retrospective
For the first time in 12 years Maryland and Georgetown will meet on the hardwood in the DMV area during the regular season. The two schools are separated by just 10 miles (according to Google Maps' walking option), but have played just twice since that meeting in 1993.
Overall, the Terps and Hoyas have played 61 times with Maryland holding a 36-27 series lead.
The two schools agree on the all-time record, but not when they played each other.
Maryland's record book shows the 1910-11 season being the first meeting, while Georgetown lists 1907-08 as the first. But there's a problem with that. The Old Liners, as the Maryland Agricultural College was known by then, didn't field a varsity men's basketball team from 1905-06 through 1909-10.
The Hoyas also credit games won in the 1911-12 and 1912-13 seasons when Maryland also did not field a varsity men's basketball team.
Maryland has a meeting on Jan. 28, 1914 in its all-time results vs. Georgetown, but the Hoyas don't have that one mentioned in their record book (although the 1914 Georgetown yearbook does have it listed).
The Terps and Hoyas met every season from 1934-35 to 1942-43. Maryland was able to continue to field a team through World War II, but Georgetown suspended all athletic programs until the conclusion of the war. At that point, the Hoyas led the series 9-3 (despite the game differences the record is still the same for both schools).
The series resumed on Feb. 4, 1947 in College Park and Maryland came away with a 55-49 victory. Georgetown won six of the next 10 meetings, but that changed in a big way with the second meeting of the 1953-54 season.
After dropping the first half of a home-and-home series on the road in early January of 1954, Maryland, led by All-American Gene Shue, topped Georgetown in College Park, 53-50. That game started a 12-game winning streak for the Terrapins, which is the longest winning streak for either side in the series.
The series was pretty even for the next 16 games with Maryland holding a 9-7 advantage.
Then came a six-game winning streak for the Terps during one of the most successful eras in Maryland basketball history. From the 1971-72 season to the 1977-78 season, the Terps dominated the Hoyas as All-Americans Tom McMillen, Len Elmore and John Lucas wore the Red and White.
Among those six games is the Dec. 11, 1973 game that is the highest scoring game in the series. The Terrapins ousted the Hoyas, 115-83. The trio of McMillen, Elmore and Lucas combined for 73 points. Lucas led the way with 28 points, while McMillen and Elmore each had double-doubles. Elmore scored 22 points and led the team with 19 rebounds, while McMillen had 23 points to go along with 14 rebounds.
That was the last home-and-home series meeting between the two school on campus.
The next four meetings were neutral site games. The first three were held at the Capital Center in Landover, Md., and the fourth was the 1980 East Regional semifinal of the NCAA tournament in Philadelphia.
The teams did not play again until 1993 when the Terps ventured into the renamed USAir Arena (still the same Capital Center building though), which was now Georgetown's home court after leaving McDonough Gymnasium at the start of the 1981-82 season, for the season opener.
Maryland was coming off of consecutive losing seasons and Georgetown was coming off of a 20-win season.
The 15th-ranked Hoyas featured JUCO transfer point guard George Butler and sophomore sensation Othella Harrington. Those two didn't disappoint for Georgetown, as Butler scored 21 points and Harrington had 16 points and 15 rebounds, but it was Maryland's freshman Joe Smith who stole the show. Smith made his Terrapin debut a memorable one with a game-high 26 points.
While the stars had their moments, it was Kurtis Schultz and Duane Simpkins that made the biggest plays of the night.
The Hoyas were leading by one, 83-82, with 22 seconds left in overtime and went to a four-corner offense to try to kill the clock. Schultz stepped in front of a pass by Georgetown's Kevin Millen to give Maryland the ball and a chance to take the lead. (That was one of just nine steals Millen had in his entire career!)
After a Maryland timeout, the Terrapins inbounded the ball to Simpkins and he looked for the hot-handed Smith. The Hoyas weren't about to let Smith get the ball and had him well covered. That left a seam in the alley and that's where Simpkins drove for the game-winning layup.
Check out the full story of that game below.
Then came the NCAA tournament West Regional semifinal meeting in 2001.
The two schools, separated by a mere 10 miles, had to travel more than 2,600 miles to play in Anaheim, Calif. The No. 3-seeded Terps were led by Lonny Baxter's 25 points and 15 rebounds and controlled the game for the most part en route to a 76-66 victory.
The Hoyas led by seven, 36-29, with just over two minutes remaining in the first half, but the Terrapins scored the final seven points of the half to make it a 38-36 game going into the final 20:00. Drew Nicholas got the run going with a pair of free throws after being fouled by Anthony Perry. A free throw and a jumper by Mike Mardesich made it a 2-point game. Maryland had the ball as the clock wound down. Calvin McCall missed a jumper and Chris Wilcox's rebound and put-back were off the mark. The ball was loose near the top of the key where Byron Mouton dashed in, grabbed the ball and hit a floater at the buzzer to tie the score.
Maryland never trailed in the second half and Georgetown never got closer than two points after the 12:00 mark.
You can check out that entire game below thanks to the NCAA On Demand YouTube page.
The last meeting between the two schools took place in Orlando, Fla., on Nov. 30, 2008. The 21st-ranked Hoyas controlled the game from start to finish en route to a 75-48 victory over the Terps.
That's the Maryland-Georgetown series in a nutshell. History will be made in XFINITY Center next Tuesday, so I hope you've got your tickets. If you didn't get season tickets this season, don't worry – umterps.com has you covered. There are two ticket packages on the umterps.com auction site right now for the Georgetown game (and every home game this season). The Maryland-Georgetown auctions end tomorrow beginning at 3 p.m., so sign-up and place your bid today!
Big Home Games In November
Sure, the game vs. Georgetown on Tuesday is one of the biggest home games of the season, but it's also one of the biggest men's basketball games ever held in College Park in the month of November – period.
Here's a quick look at some of the notable November home games from seasons past:
Nov. 30, 1968 – Penn St. at Maryland
Normally this one wouldn't make the cut as Penn State was hardly a basketball superpower in the 1960s, but this one is here for history's sake. This is the first-ever November game in school history.
Prior to the 1968-69 season every season opener happened in either December or January. While this was the first November game in Terp history, seasons starting in November didn't become the norm until the 1974-75 season.
The Terrapins won the game, 66-56, behind Will Hetzel's double-double of 27 points and 15 rebounds.
Nov. 27, 1976 - #14 Notre Dame at #8 Maryland
Digger Phelps is know more now for matching his highlighter with his tie, but back in the 1970s he was one of the best basketball coaches in the country and he brought his No. 14 Fighting Irish team into Cole Field House for a showdown with the No. 8 Terrapins.
Regulation wasn't enough to settle this one. Maryland led 79-78 with just 20 seconds left in overtime, but Washington, D.C., native, Duck Williams sank a mid-range jumper to give the Fighting Irish an 80-79 lead. Brad Davis, who led the Terps with 19 points, had a chance at the buzzer to win the game for Maryland, but his jumper was off the mark.
The Irish would go on to post a 22-7 record and make it to the second round of the NCAA tournament. Maryland ended up with a 19-8 mark and did not advance to postseason play.
Nov. 28, 1990 – USC at Maryland
The Trojans and their yet-to-be nicknamed star Harold Miner came to College Park in 1990 for an early season test.
This was a return trip following Maryland's trip to Los Angeles in February of 1990, which resulted in a 64-62 win for the Terps on a 12-foot jumper by Walt Williams with just 12 seconds left.
The rematch in Cole Field House wasn't as dramatic as the Terrapins earned a 72-59 victory over “Baby Jordan” and rest of USC. The Trojans led 42-40 early in the second half, but Walt Williams and Garfield Smith had 20 and 19 points, respectively, to lead Maryland to the victory.
Nov. 27, 2001 - #2 Illinois at #5 Maryland
It's hard to argue that this isn't the biggest November home game in Maryland basketball history.
Coming off of its first Final Four appearance in school history, Maryland hosted the Fighting Illini in the first ACC/Big Ten Challenge game to be played in College Park.
Maryland opened up a 12-point lead at the half and used a 10-2 run at the start of the second half, including seven points from Juan Dixon, to go up by 20. Poor free throw shooting by the Terps opened the door for an Illini comeback, and Illinois cut its deficit to single-digits with under 3:00 to play, but Chris Wilcox scored the next three points to put the Terrapins up by 11 and end the comeback attempt.
Dixon finished with a game-high 25 points, while Wilcox had 19 points and six boards off the bench.
The Terrapins would go on to win its first NCAA championship in April of 2002, while the Illini bowed out in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament.
The Champs Are Here
Congratulations to Missy Meharg and her Maryland field hockey team on winning the 2015 Big Ten tournament with a dominating 5-1 victory over Michigan this past Sunday in Bloomington, Ind.
WATCH! Highlights from today's #B1GFH championship win! #GoTerps #FearTheTurtle #B1GChamps https://t.co/TxZ6SXsveB
— Terps Field Hockey (@TerpFieldHockey) November 8, 2015
Fifth-year senior Welma Luus set a Big Ten Tournament record with seven goals in the three-game stretch. She scored a career-high four goals in Sunday's championship match.
Welma Luus sets the #B1GFH Tournament record with her seventh goal in the #Terps' three-game run. #FearTheWelma https://t.co/Im360UF8zp
— Terps Field Hockey (@TerpFieldHockey) November 8, 2015
The win over the Wolverines is the 17th straight victory for the Terps, who had a 2-3 record following the program's first-ever three-game losing skid on Sept. 11. Since then the Terrapins have defeated six ranked opponents and have outscored their foes 54-16.
Despite the amazing winning streak, Maryland now heads to the NCAA tournament unseeded and will take on Princeton at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 14 in Syracuse. If the Terps win their 18th straight match, they will likely face No. 1-seed Syracuse on Sunday at 2 p.m.
Maryland hasn't had to travel away from College Park too often for early-round NCAA tournament games in recent seasons. The last time the Terps were forced to travel for a first round game was 2012 when they were shipped to Storrs, Conn. Maryland then proceeded to beat Lafayette in the first round and then “upset” host UConn in the quarterfinals to advance to the Final Four.
Overall, this will be Maryland's ninth time playing a first round NCAA game away from home. Included among those is 1987, which also happens to be the season Maryland won its first NCAA championship.
Quick Hitters
• While there's a lot of attention being given to the Maryland men's basketball team at the start of the 2015-16 season, head coach Brenda Frese's women's basketball team shouldn't be overlooked.
Maryland is No. 9 in the preseason AP Poll and No. 6 in the preseason USA Today Coaches Poll.
The Terps wrapped up their exhibition schedule last Wednesday with a 101-56 rout of Indiana (Pa.). Junior Shatori Walker-Kimbrough led six Terrapins in double figures with 22 points with six rebounds and three assists. She went 8-for-9 from the foul line. Freshman Brianna Fraser had 12 points with 10 rebounds. Junior Brionna Jones scored 15 points with seven boards, while freshman Kiah Gillespie and redshirt senior Brene Moseley each scored 12.
Maryland opens its regular season this Saturday at 2 p.m. vs. UMass Lowell at XFINITY Center.
• The Terrapin football team put up a valiant effort vs. Wisconsin last Saturday in a 31-24 defeat. Things don't get any easier for interim head coach Mike Locksley and the Terps as they head to East Lansing, Mich., this weekend to take on No. 14 Michigan State. That game is scheduled for a noon kickoff and will be broadcast on ESPN2.
• The Maryland men's soccer team found another gear in its Big Ten tournament first round game vs. Michigan this past Sunday. The Terps scored four second-half goals en route to a 5-2 rout of the Wolverines at Ludwig Field.
Check out the highlights from the 5-2 win over Michigan in the B1G tournament. #FearTheTurtle https://t.co/IhZmWuagDa
— Maryland Soccer (@MarylandMSoccer) November 9, 2015
Head coach Sasho Cirovski's troops will now head to Columbus, Ohio, to take on Indiana in the semifinals on Friday at 3:30 p.m. at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. We went into the Maryland-Indiana rivalry in great detail in a previous edition of the umterps Notebook, so check that out to see what makes this a special match.
Maryland and Indiana played to a scoreless draw back on Oct. 16, but one of these two will advance to the Big Ten title game on Sunday, Nov. 15 vs. the winner of the Ohio State-Rutgers match.
You can watch all of the action on the Big Ten Network or online on BTN2Go with a valid cable/satellite subscription package.
• The Terrapin volleyball team posted the biggest win of the Steve Aird-era with a straight-set victory over No. 12 Ohio State this past Friday at the XFINITY Center Pavilion.
Senior outside hitter Adreené Elliott led the Terps with 18 kills and four service aces, while the freshman class helped Maryland pull off the upset as outside hitter Liz Twilley notched 10 kills and opposite hitter Angel Gaskin led the team with five blocks.
ICYMI: Check out a few highlights from last night's win over #12 Ohio State! #TerpsRising https://t.co/mip4MdRtcL
— Maryland Volleyball (@TerpsVolleyball) November 7, 2015
It was Maryland's first win over a ranked opponent since topping No. 22 Florida State, 3-2, on Oct. 17, 2010.
• Many wondered about how Maryland alum Greivis Vasquez would fit in with Milwaukee after the Bucks acquired both he and fellow point guard Michael Carter-Williams in the offseason.
So far, Vasquez's minutes are comparable to what he was getting for Toronto last season. What's not comparable is his shooting. Vasquez is mired in a terrible shooting slump that has his hitting on just 22.4% of his shots from the field in the first seven games of the 2015-16 season.
A career 42% shooter, Vasquez will find his way out of his slump and help the Bucks improve on their 4-3 start.
• Speaking of Vasquez, he and women's basketball alum Marissa Coleman have lent their names to the Greivis Vasquez & Marissa Coleman Scholarship Challenge. Here's how it works and how you can take the challenge.
· Go to http://www.umterps.com/challenge
· Pledge an amount per men's basketball, women's basketball or both teams combined wins for the duration of the 2015-2016 basketball season … including post-season play
· Receive a commemorative Maryland Basketball t-shirt
· Be entered in a raffle for a chance to win a pair of tickets to either the Men's Basketball or Women's Basketball Final Four
· Cheer on the Terps throughout basketball season and take pride in the fact that your support promotes their success!
This is a great way to make a difference and show your support for the Terps throughout the 2015-16 season.
• His numbers weren't startling, but Stefon Diggs continues to be the best receiver on the Minnesota roster. He led the Vikings with three catches for 42 yards in their 21-18 win over St. Louis on Sunday that gave Minnesota sole-possession of first place in the NFC North.
Only time will tell how Diggs will be affected if Minnesota starting QB Teddy Bridgewater is out for long after suffering a concussion in the second half vs. the Rams. Diggs was targeted 12 times on Sunday, but only one of those came with backup QB (and fellow Maryland alum) Shawn Hill in the game.
• Despite being credited with just one tackle in Indianapolis' 27-24 win over Denver on Sunday, D'Qwell Jackson continues to lead the NFL in tackles. His 93 stops are five more than San Francisco's NaVorro Bowman.
• The Maryland cross country team will compete at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional in Princeton, N.J., on Friday, Nov. 13. Good luck to head coach Andrew Valmon and all of the Terps competing.
Tweet of the Week
Thanks to @Redskins legend Darrell Green for speaking to the team about being GREAT on and off the court! #WeWill pic.twitter.com/TvDvhjXVx2
— Maryland Basketball (@TerrapinHoops) November 9, 2015
Wrapping Up
That's it for this edition of the umterps Notebook. Don't forget to follow Maryland athletics on all of the social media platforms: Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
