Dec. 31, 1999

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- No. 14 Maryland (10-2, 0-0 ACC), which has won a season-high four consecutive games, plays host to Coastal Carolina in its final non-conference game before opening ACC play at NC State on Jan. 6 in Raleigh, N.C. The Terps have one remaining non-conference game this season as they travel to play at Temple on Feb. 13 in Philadelphia. Following Sunday's game against Coastal Carolina, Maryland plays 10 consecutive conference games and plays only the non-conference Owls during a string of 17 games prior to the ACC Tournament.

Look For Maryland To...

...Extend its non-conference winning streak in Cole Field House to a nation's-best 72 games,

...Win its 15th consecutive game in Cole Field House,

...Win the game immediately preceding the beginning of its ACC schedule for the sixth consecutive season,

...Extend its current winning streak to five games,

...Extend its month of January, home court, non-conference winning streak to six games.

Terps Continue Non-Conference Cole Streak

Maryland has won a nation's-best 71 consecutive non-conference home games in Cole Field House. The Terps' current streak began on Dec. 30, 1989 with a victory over Alcorn State. The last time the Terps were not successful vs. a non-conference team in Cole Field House was Dec. 12, 1989 against Coppin State. Maryland did not lose a non-conference game in Cole Field House during the decade of the 1990s.

Rank No.  School       Date Streak Began
1.   71   Maryland     Dec. 30, 1989
2.   44   Penn State   Dec. 5, 1992

Terps in the 1900s

Maryland posted an overall record of 1,115-792 (.585 winning percentage) during the century of the 1900s. The Terps closed the century with six consecutive winning seasons, a school-record six consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament and 38 wins in their final 46 games (.826). The Terps defeated UMBC, 82-52, on Dec. 30 in Cole Field House to close the century with a victory.

Terps First To Hit 10

Maryland's victory over UMBC on Thursday allowed the Terps to become the first team in the ACC to reach double-figures in wins this season. It marked the fourth time during the Gary Williams era that Maryland had won 10 games before Jan. 1.

Morris Closes In

Junior All-American Terence Morris (Frederick, Md.) scored 17 points against UMBC and needs only 32 points to become the 35th player in school history to 1,000 career points.

Maryland's Current Cole Streak

Maryland has won 14 consecutive games in Cole Field House entering Sunday's game against Coastal Carolina. It marks the longest home winning streak since Gary Williams led the Terps to 21 consecutive victories in Cole from March 2, 1993 through Dec. 28, 1995. The Terps were undefeated at home, 16-0, during the 1994-95 season. Maryland's winning streak is currently tied for the fifth longest home winning streak in school history.

Longest Cole Field House Winning Streaks

Rank   Wins  Dates
1.      26   Feb. 10, 1978-Jan. 10. 1981
2.      23   March 6, 1970-Jan. 9, 1973
3.      20   March 2, 1993-Dec. 28, 1995
4.      16   Feb. 13, 1983-Jan. 30, 1985
5.      14   Jan. 10, 1999-Current
        14   Feb. 1927-Dec. 20, 1929

Getting to the Line

Maryland made a season-high 24 free throws in a season-high 34 attempts against UMBC. The Terps made 24 free throws while the Retrievers attempted only 16 during the 82-52 Maryland victory. It marked the eighth time this season that the Terps had made more free throws than their opponents had attempted in a game. For the season, Maryland is scoring more then 20 percent (186 of 903) of its points from the free throw line.

Terps From The Line

Opponent      Md. Made   Opp. Att.   Result
San Francisco   16          15       W,71-61
Tulane          13          10       W, 78-70
F. Dickinson    16          15       W, 104-45
Kentucky         5          27       L, 58-61
Notre Dame      11          11       W, 72-67
Iowa            17          13       W, 83-65
Illinois        18          16       W, 69-67
G. Washington   16          30       L, 69-74
Winthrop        20          18       W, 76-65
Kentucky        12          31       W, 72-66
G. Mason        18          11       W, 69-66
UMBC            24          16       W, 82-52

Terps Tough On Scoring Defense

Maryland held UMBC to 52 points on Thursday night. It marked the fourth consecutive and ninth time in the last 10 games that the Terps held their opponent under 70 points. The Terps are ranked third in the ACC in scoring defense (63.3 ppg) and fourth in field goal percentage defense (.384).

Keeping A Lid On the Basket

Maryland is limiting its opponents to a .384 field goal shooting percentage. Only one team (Tulane, .441) has shot above 44 percent and seven teams have been held below 40 percent. The Terps held UMBC to a .290 shooting percentage from the field in allowing the Retrievers to score only 20 field goals. Maryland ranked No. 1 in the ACC in field goal percentage defense during the 1998-99 season.

Terps' Field Goal Defense In Last two Years

Season      FGM-A       Pct.
1999-2000   277-722    .384
1998-1999   772-1,991  .388
Totals    1,049-2,713  .387

Get That Shot Out Of Here

Maryland blocked eight shots against UMBC on Thursday night and continues to be the top shot- blocking team in the ACC. Led by Terence Morris's ACC-leading 3.0 blocked shots per game, Maryland has blocked 95 shots for a 7.9 blocked shots per game average. By comparison, the Terps have blocked more than twice as many shots as Clemson (46) and Virginia (42). Maryland ranked second in the ACC in blocked shots with a 5.9 per game average last season. The Terps have blocked at least eight shots in eight of their last nine games and are more than two blocks per game ahead of their school-record pace which they established during the 1998-99 season.

Terps Lead ACC In Steals

Maryland has recorded an ACC-leading 136 steals through the first 12 games of the season. The team tied its season high with 17 swipes against UMBC. Maryland's starters totaled more steals (14) than UMBC totaled during the game as a team (nine).

Everybody Gets Into The Act

All 11 of Maryland's players who played in the Terps' 82-52 victory over UMBC entered their names into the scoring column. Senior guard Matt Hahn (Columbia, Md.) and redshirt freshman guard Calvin McCall (Miami, Fla.) entered the scoring column for the first time this season.

During This Four-Game Streak...

...Maryland is 4-0 with a victory over then No. 23 Kentucky,

...Maryland is averaging 74.6 points per game while allowing 62.3 points per game (+12.3),

...Maryland is limiting its opponents to a .364 field goal shooting percentage,

...Maryland has outrebounded three of its four opponents,

...Maryland has been credited with 51 steals for an average of 12.8 per game,

...Maryland has blocked 27 shots for an average of 6.8 per game,

Terps' During Their Current 4-Game Winning Streak

Opponent  FGM-A    Pct.   Reb.Marg  Pts. Allowed
Winthrop   24-57   .421     +13       65
Kentucky   20-52   .385      -9       66
G. Mason   25-66   .379      +2       66
UMBC       20-69   .290      +3       52
Totals     89-244  .364      +9    249/62.3

When Leading At Halftime

Maryland has won 36 consecutive games when leading at halftime. The Terps won their final two games of the 1997-98 season during the NCAA Tournament, were 27-0 during the 1998-99 season and are 7-0 this season. The last time the Terps lost after holding a halftime advantage was March 7, 1997 against North Carolina. The Terps led 30-26 before falling to the Tar Heels, 83-73 in overtime, in the ACC semifinals. Maryland advanced to the "Sweet 16" of the NCAA Tournament that season.

Terps' AP Poll Streak

Maryland is ranked 14th in this week's Associated Press poll and has been ranked in 28 consecutive AP polls.

Morris On Torrid Streak

Junior All-American Terence Morris has scored in double figures in a career-high tying nine consecutive games. During that span he has scored 25 or more points once, 20 or more points five times and 12 or more points in all nine games. He is averaging a team-leading and career-high 17.6 points per game entering Maryland's game against Coastal Carolina. During the streak he is averaging 17.7 points per game.

Morris Climbing Scoring Charts

Junior All-American Terence Morris is currently ranked 38th all-time in scoring at Maryland. He has scored 978 career points and needs only 22 to become the 35th player in school history to score 1,000 career points.

Morris Among Career Scoring Leaders

Rank   Total   Player (Years)            Needs
 1.    2,149   Len Bias (1982-86)       +1,160
36.      987   Pete Johnson (1967-69)      +10
37.      980   Jerrod Mustaf (1989-90)      +3
38.      978   Terence Morris (1998-Pr.)

Baxter On Scoring Binge

Sophomore Lonny Baxter (Silver Spring, Md.) is averaging a career-high 14.6 points per game and has scored in double figures in 11 of Maryland's 12 games this season. Baxter has scored in double figures more times this season (11) than he did as a freshman and has scored 20 or more points twice this season.

The Baxter Scoring Chart

Season        20+  DF
1999-00        2   11
1998-99        1    8
Improvement   +1   +3

Baxter Is Rebounding Leader

Sophomore Lonny Baxter is averaging a career-high and ACC-leading 9.7 rebounds per game. He has recorded a team-high five doubles doubles and has grabbed eight or more rebounds in 11 of Maryland's 12 games so far this season. Baxter has grabbed 116 rebounds and is the only player in the ACC to have grabbed 100 or more rebounds so far this season. He has led Maryland in rebounding nine times this season after leading the Terps in rebounding three times as a freshman.

Dixon Leads The ACC

Redshirt sophomore Juan Dixon (Baltimore, Md.) enters Sunday's game against Coastal Carolina as the ACC leader in steals with 37 for a 3.1 per game average. Dixon recorded his career high of six steals against Notre Dame on Nov. 26 and had five against then No. 16 Illinois in the Terps' victory during the first round of the BB&T Classic. Dixon recorded 50 steals as a freshman and averages 1.9 steals per game for his 46-game career.

Dixon Steal Chart

Season       Steals   SPG
1999-00        37     3.1
1998-99        50     1.5
Improvement          +1.6

Miller Time Vs. UMBC

Sophomore Danny Miller (Mt. Holly, N.J.) scored his career high of 16 points in Maryland's victory over UMBC. He made a season-high tying five field goals and was two-of-four from beyond the arc. Miller was also perfect from the free throw line (four-for-four). His four free throws made established a career-high for the first-year starter while his 16 points against UMBC equalled his scoring total from the previous three games. Miller enters Sunday's game against Coastal Carolina averaging a career high 8.5 points per game.

McCall Sees First Action

Redshirt freshman Calvin McCall earned 13 minutes of playing time and scored two points in Maryland's victory over UMBC. McCall was Maryland's starting quarterback and was the runner-up for ACC Rookie of the Year honors this past season. McCall became the first Terp football player to play basketball at Maryland since Lubo Zizakovic in 1993. He also became the first Terp since Mike Anderson in 1989-90 to score points for both the football and basketball teams at Maryland. McCall had a rushing touchdown in Maryland's football home opener against Western Carolina.

Blake Is Freshman Leader

Freshman Steve Blake (Miami Lakes, Fla.), who has started all 12 of Maryland's game at the point guard position, is ranked third in the ACC and is the leader among all ACC freshman is assists. He is averaging 5.7 assists per game and has twice been credited with 11 assists in a single game.

Mardesich Coming Alive

Redshirt junior Mike Mardesich (Boston, Mass.) grabbed a season-high seven rebounds and scored six points in 20 minutes of action against UMBC. He was a perfect two-for-two from the field, blocked one shot and was credited with two steals and two assists. Mardesich is averaging nearly 20 minutes played per game in the last four games and has seen a significant increase in his statistics during that period.

The Mardesich Season

Games         Pts.     Rebs.   Blocks   Steals
9-12         21/5.3   19/4.8   5/1.3    5/1.3
1-8          25/3.1   19/2.4   7/0.9    5/0.6
Improvement    +2.2     +2/4    +0.4     +0.7

Mardesich Stealing

Redshirt Junior Mike Mardesich recorded a career-high three steals in Maryland's 69-66 victory over George Mason on Monday night in Cole Field House.

Nicholas From Deep

Freshman Drew Nicholas (Hempstead, N.Y.) made a pair of 3-point shots against UMBC to bring his season total to 13. He has made five 3-point shots in the last five games. Nicholas was on fire from the field against UMBC as he made five-of-eight field goal attempts in the Terps' victory.

QUOTING MARYLAND BASKETBALL

"Gary Williams has almost single-handedly lifted Maryland to a spot among the nation's basketball elite. Hired in 1989, Williams has gone 202-120 and reached the NCAA tournament in each of the last six seasons. The current team, with a starting lineup of underclassmen, is 10-2, ranked 14th in the country and most likely headed to another postseason."

-David Ginsburg
Associated Press

1999-00 ACC STANDINGS

                ACC            Overall
Teams           W   L   PCT    W   L   PCT
NC State        0   0   .000   9   1   .900
Maryland        0   0   .000  10   2   .833
Duke            0   0   .000   8   2   .800
Wake Forest     0   0   .000   9   2   .750
Virginia        0   0   .000   8   3   .727
North Carolina  0   0   .000   8   4   .667
Georgia Tech    0   0   .000   6   4   .600
Clemson         0   0   .000   6   6   .500
Florida State   0   0   .000   5   5   .500

Terps in the 1999-2000 Polls

           ESPN/USA Today   AP
Preseason     23           RV (26)
Nov. 15       NP           RV (27)
Nov. 22       22           24
Nov. 29       23           24
Dec. 5        19           21
Dec. 12       14           16
Dec. 19       15           17
Dec. 25       16           14

Probable Starters For Maryland

F #15 Danny Miller (8.5 ppg, 3.1 rpg, Career high 16 points vs. UMBC, 12-30-99).
F #44 Terence Morris (17.6 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 10.3 rpg during current four-game winning streak).
C #35 Lonny Baxter (14.6 ppg, 9.7 rpg, 12.3 ppg during current four-game winning streak).
G #3 Juan Dixon (15.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg, Double figure scoring in 10 of 12 games this season).
G #25 Steve Blake (6.6 ppg, 5.7 apg, Career high 16 points vs. No. 23 Kentucky, 12-11-99).

...And Top Reserves

G #12 Drew Nicholas (7.0 ppg, 2.0 apg, 12 points and 3 assists vs. UMBC, 12-30-99).
F #33 Mike Mardesich (3.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 6.0 ppg, 5.3 rpg during current 4-game winning stk.).
F #45 Tahj Holden (0.8 ppg, 0.9 rpg, True freshman has played in all 12 games).

Maryland vs. Coastal Carolina - A Series History

The Series: First Meeting
Last Maryland Win: First Meeting
Last Coastal Carolina Win: First Meeting
Last Maryland Win at Cole Field House: First Meeting
Last Coastal Carolina Win at Cole Field House: First Meeting
Maryland vs. Coastal Carolina, current streak: First Meeting
Gary Williams vs. Coastal Carolina: First Meeting

Today's Officials

Today's referee is Steve Gordon and the umpires are Reginald Cofer and Timothy Nestor

Terps By The Numbers In 1999-2000

In Cole Field House Under Gary Williams

Maryland is 79-12 (.868 winning percentage) in Cole Field House during the last seven seasons under Gary Williams. The Terps were undefeated, 16-0, at home during the 1994-95 season and only lost one game in the last two years in Cole.

Morris Named As Wooden Award Mid-Season Finalist

Junior All-American Terence Morris has been named to top 30 list for the John R. Wooden All-American Team national Player of the Year award it was announced on Dec. 30. The Wooden Award Mid-Season Top 30 is based on player performances through the first half of the collegiate season, as determined by members of the Wooden Award Committee. On March 6, the 2000 John R. Wooden Award ballots will be submitted to 1,000 voters. The voters will select The Wooden Award All-American Team and determine which player will receive the Wooden Award Trophy as the "outstanding collegiate basketball player in the United States." The John R. Wooden Award Trophy and All-American Team presentation will be celebrated on Friday, April 7, at The Los Angeles Athletic Club and will be seen live nationally on FOX Sports Net at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

The Starting Lineup Story

Maryland's starting lineup (Miller, Morris, Baxter, Dixon and Blake) has started every game, every second half and all five players are averaging more than or close to 30 minutes per game.

On Gary Williams

Gary Williams is the only head coach in school history to guide the Terps to seven postseason tournament appearances within his first 10 seasons. He is also one of only two coaches in school history to have directed his first two teams to winning records and to a regular season conference championship during the first six years at the helm.

Williams Becomes Grandfather

Gary Williams knew it would be close. His daughter Kristin and her husband Geoff were expecting their first baby, and the due date was right around the date of the Terps' season opener. Coach Williams was in Ohio on Nov. 15 for the birth of his grandson, David Geoffrey Scott, before returning to College Park to collect his 400th career win on Nov. 17. Both the mother and child are doing well.

Terps' Turnaround Under Williams

Second 5 Years   Overall         ACC
1994-95          26-8 (.765)   12-4  (.750)
1995-96          17-13 (.567)   8-8  (.500)
1996-97          21-11 (.656)   9-7  (.563)
1997-98          21-11 (.656)  10-6  (.625)
1998-99          28-6 (.824)   13-3  (.813)
                113-49 (.697)  52-28 (.650)

First 5 Years    Overall         ACC
1990-90          19-14 (.576)   6-8  (.429)
1990-91          16-12 (.571)   5-9  (.357)
1991-92          14-15 (.482)   5-11 (.313)
1992-93          12-16 (.429)   2-14 (.125)
1993-94          18-12 (.600)   8-8  (.500)
                 79-69 (.533)  26-50 (.342)

Williams' School Records

                                     Most Wins
University of Maryland (basketball)     28   1998-99
Boston College (basketball)             25   1982-83
American University (basketball)        24   1980-81

Sagarin Power Rankings (Last 5 Years)

Year   Schedule Ranking   Team Ranking
1995          19               8
1996          16              28
1997          15              11
1998           1              11
1999          22               5