COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Maryland returns home to face a ranked opponent for the second time this season as 14th-ranked North Carolina State visits Comcast Center Wednesday at 7 p.m. The Terps, who are coming off back-to-back losses for the first time this season, last faced a ranked team in the season opener against then-No. 3 Kentucky. Maryland and NC State will be meeting for the 150th time, with the Terps holding a slim 76-73 edge in the series, which dates back to 1925.

Storyline

• In its losses to Florida State and Miami, Maryland struggled shooting the ball but remained within striking distance in both games. Despite shooting 36.7 percent against Florida State, the Terps had what would have been a go-ahead 3-pointer blocked in the waning seconds. At Miami, Maryland trailed for much of the game but cut the lead to three in the second half before the Hurricanes pulled away. Dez Wells and Alex Len carried the load by combining for 34 points on 13-of-24 shooting.

• Though the Terps shot under 40 percent in each of the last two games, they’ve shot it well on the season as a whole. Maryland ranks 20th nationally in field goal percentage (.483) and shot better than 45 percent in 11 of the 12 games prior to Florida State.

• Maryland ranks first in the ACC and third nationally in field goal percentage defense, having held its opponents to 35.3 percent shooting from the field in 16 games. The Terps have held all three ACC opponents under 38 percent, and on the year have held 12 of 16 opponents under 40 percent.

• In each game this season, Maryland has also built an advantage on the boards. Miami became the first opponent this season to grab 40-plus rebounds, though the Terps still finished with a 48-44 advantage on the glass. Maryland’s plus-11.6 rebounding margin ranks second nationally behind only Colorado State (plus-14.1).

Maryland-NC State Series History

• Maryland leads the all-time series, which dates back to 1925, 76-73. The Terps have a 38-21 advantage in home games, including 5-1 at Comcast Center.

• Last season NC State won 79-74 in Raleigh to snap a nine-game Maryland winning streak. The Terps have won the last four meetings in College Park, with the last loss coming on Jan. 23, 2005.

Gary Williams to be Honored

• The National Collegiate Athletic Association and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) are celebrating 75 years of March Madness by commissioning one-of-a-kind paintings celebrating each of the national championship coaches who led their teams into history. A painting honoring University of Maryland, Coach Gary Williams of the 2002 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship-winning Terrapins will be unveiled at halftime of Wednesday’s game against NC State.

• The original art piece, designed and painted by world-renowned artist Opie Otterstad, is part of a collection of 75 individual paintings, one for each of the 75 national championships from 1939 through 2013. The original piece of art will then be auctioned off online starting January 17th at ncaa.com/art. Limited edition reproductions will also be made available for purchase via the same website on the same date. A portion of the proceeds from the auction will benefit the NABC Foundation, which supports TTRR (Ticket to Reading Rewards), the College Basketball Experience (CBE), and the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.

Quick Hitters

• The 13-game winning streak Maryland went on this season is tied for the second longest in school history, trailing just the 14-game streak the Terps went on in 1931-32. Maryland also went on a 13-game win streak in 2001-02, the year they went on to win the national title.

• It was also the 11th time in school history Maryland has put together a 10-game winning streak. In the past 30 years, Maryland has gone on a 10-game winning streak on six occasions, and in each of the previous instances it has gone on to play in the NCAA Tournament.

• Logan Aronhalt is averaging one 3-point field goal made for every 6.9 minutes on the floor. By comparison, the ACC leader in 3PT FGs made, Scott Wood of NC State, makes one every 12.3 minutes on the floor.

• Charles Mitchell earned ACC Rookie of the Week honors on Dec. 31 for his play against Delaware State on Dec. 29. Mitchell came off the bench to score 19 points and grab 14 rebounds, both career highs. Mitchell is the second Terp to earn weekly ACC honors; Alex Len was Player of the Week on Nov. 12.

• Seven of the 10 players in Maryland’s regular rotation are underclassmen and 80 percent of Maryland’s scoring (59.9 of 74.8 points per game) is coming from underclassmen. In the win over Virginia Tech, 81 of Maryland’s 94 points came from freshmen or sophomores. Additionally, Maryland’s top four scorers are underclassmen.

• When Seth Allen, Jake Layman and Shaquille Cleare drew starts against UMES, it marked the first time Maryland started three true freshmen since Dec. 28, 1993, when Keith Booth, Matt Kovarik and Joe Smith did vs. Hofstra.

• Maryland has assisted on 63.5 percent (275 of 433) field goals this season. The Terps had recorded double-digit assists in each game this season until recording a season-low four at Miami.

• The Terps have made more free throws than the opponent has attempted this season (240 to 229). Maryland is 10-1 when making more free throws than the opponent.

• At least eight players have scored in 14 of Maryland’s 16 games this year. The exceptions are vs. George Mason and at Miami, when just seven players scored.

Rare Performance

• When freshmen Seth Allen and Jake Layman both reached the 20-point plateau against Virginia Tech, it marked a rare performance. Prior to Allen and Layman’s performances, a freshman had scored 20 or more points in a game just 10 times since 1994-95 – with none of those occurring in the same game. In fact, the last time two different freshmen scored 20 or more points in a game in the same season was 1992-93 when Exree Hipp and Johnny Rhodes did it.

Field-goal Percentage Defense

• Maryland leads the ACC and ranks third nationally in field goal percentage defense at .353. The Terps have held 10 of the last 12 opponents under 40 percent shooting, with Stony Brook and IUPUI being the exceptions.

• Since 2000, five Terrapin teams have held the opponent under 40 percent shooting. Of those five, four went on to at least the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Hot Shooting

• Maryland ranks second in the ACC behind NC State and 20th nationally in field goal percentage with a .483 mark. Despite poor shooting nights against Florida State and Miami, Maryland has shot above 40 percent in 12 of 16 games this year and above 50 percent in nine games.

• The last time a Maryland team shot better than 48 percent on the season was 2001-02, when the Terps connected at a .482 mark. Since the 1990-91 season, just four teams have done it: (also 1994-95, .498; 1998-99, .495; and 2001-01, .484).

Super Subs

• Maryland’s bench has been an asset all season, as the Terps’ non-starters have outscored the opponents non-starters in 14 of 16 games (exceptions are Kentucky & George Mason).

• On the year, Maryland’s bench has a 440-185 (27.5 to 11.6 per game) advantage over the opponent. The biggest advantage Maryland has had this season was against UMES on Dec. 5 (55-7).

• Though he has started two games, Seth Allen has been the biggest contributor by averaging 8.5 points per game when he doesn’t start. He has reached double figures in each of the past four games when coming off the bench (had 4 points in a start at Miami).

• Logan Aronhalt has also been a consistent contributor as a long-range specialist. He is four 3-point field goals made shy of qualifying for the ACC lead, but his .519 mark from beyond the arc would lead the league. He has made at least one 3-pointer in 14 of 16 games this season.

QUOTES – MARYLAND COACH RANDY EDSALL

NC State 20, Maryland 18

Opening Statement:

“That was a very disappointing and heartbreaking loss we had out there, but the guys competed and played very hard. They gave everything they had. We put ourselves in a position to win the game there at the end but we just came up short. We will look at the film to make corrections and move forward.

I thought that [quarterback] Devin Burns came in and played well as a backup. Caleb [Rowe] also came in and executed the two-minute drill with perfection. That is something that we have been working on and planned on bring in Devin if something happened to Perry [Hills] and use Caleb in the two-minute offense. We got the ball down there, but unfortunately Brad [Craddock] didn’t make it and we came up two points short.

We had over a 100 yards rushing, 121 yards with Wes [Brown]. Defensively, we played really well. We gave up that one long pass that was disappointing. I’m very proud of the way the guys played and came back out there. We were in a position to win so I’m disappointed that we weren’t able to finish it out.”

On Perry Hills’ Injury:

“Perry has a knee injury. We will wait to see what the MRI tells about it, but it doesn’t look good. We will take a look at the film and look at how we will move forward. I think we have two guys who will help us move forward and it’s a credit to how they have prepared and to our offensive coaches for having those kids ready.”

On the offense going forward:

“You always do what guys can do offensively. You try to match the plan to their skill level and we know what Devin’s skill level is and what Caleb’s skill level is. We have a base of what we know we want to do, but we will fit it to meet our personnel.”

On the defense’s performance:

“The defense has played well all season and they played well again today, except for that one touchdown pass. That play was a killer for us. Then we needed to make one more stop there at the end to prevent them from kicking the field goal. We had them, but one of our guys lost his man and they completed the pass. There was also the close play there on the sideline and the pass interference call. They are playing well and they are playing together to execute.”

On the second-half rushing:

“We came in at half-time and knew that Perry was down. We made the adjustments we needed to make to give us an opportunity to move the ball and score.”

Freshman Quarterback Caleb Rowe:

On anticipation of getting playing time:

“I was not surprised, coach always preaches to be prepared for whenever your number is called. I work hard in practice and today I was ready to play. They were telling me through my headset to get ready to play.”

On the quickness of NC State’s defense:

“In practice we go against our defense and they are very good, so it wasn’t really a surprise. I wasn’t surprised by their quickness because our defense is fast as well. I am used to playing at that pace during practice.”

On Hills injury:

“I definitely feel for Perry because he is a very good quarterback.  I personally see how hard he works behind the scenes. He really works hard during the week. I don’t really know much about his injury situation yet, but I feel for him.”

Place Kicker Brad Craddock:

On last kick:

“I really didn’t see it after I kicked it, I just reacted to everyone else. I just tried to look at my spot and kick the ball. I was just thinking to myself take your time because it’s just like any other kick. I actually thought I hit it pretty well. Afterwards, I didn’t really know what to think.”

On the support from his teammates:

“My teammates were really supportive because there were so many other opportunities during the game to earn those points. They kept telling me that it wasn’t my fault, they are always supportive. It is never good when you miss one, but that comes with being a kicker. You just have to play through it.”

Freshman Wide Receiver Stefon Diggs

On the mood in the locker room:

“It’s a typical mood. It’s a tough game. We competed, we didn’t give up. Things happen, can’t do much more than cheer on your teammates and keep your head up.”

On Perry Hills being knocked out of the game:

“In the game of football, things like that are going to happen. We were well-prepared. When one guy goes down, the other guy has to step up. That’s part of battling adversity. Things like that are going to happen.”

On Wes Brown’s development:

“He’s coming into his own. We continue to push each other. You are going to see more of Wes Brown.”

Sophomore Quarterback Devin Burns
On being ready to play:

“Like Coach Edsall said, always be prepared. That’s what I practice all week. I just wanted to take advantage of the opportunity I was given.”

On his poise:

“I think that is part of my personality because I’m I laid back guy. I don’t say too much. I’m pretty much cool, calm and collected.”

Senior Defensive Lineman AJ Francis

On what NC State was taking advantage of on their last drive:

“They were spreading us out. All game their quarterback was doing a good job. We were in his face and he was just able to dump it off.”

On the defense giving up game-winning field goal:

“We need to play all 60 minutes and we didn’t. We were not sure we would even get back on the field, but when we did we did not come up how we should have and we lost the game because of it.”

On how the offense played on the final possession:

“It was a great drive and Nigel [King] put us in great position to make that field goal and Caleb did a great job running the two minutes like he does in practice all of the time. It hurts to lose like that, but it’s football.”

Freshman Running Back Wes Brown

On the keys to the success of the running game:

“We worked hard and paid attention in practice and we executed on the field.”

On the emotional highs and lows of the loss:

“I had a lot on my shoulders, being out and then coming back to practice and then coming back to play, but I need to still execute better on the field”.

On the play of Devin Burns in the second half:

“He was not scared to tuck the ball and run, and he was very shifty and fast. He knew what the down and distance was and instead of taking a risk, he took [the first down run]. I was happy about him being up to step up, create a play, and play a big role.”

NC STATE COACH TOM O’BRIEN

Opening statement:

“Sometimes when you play a school like Maryland — everything goes bad when we play them. Sometimes something crazy happens like it did at the end. You have to give our kids credit, they hung in there. We made a play. Our defense is so good in the last two minutes, and we let the guy out twice there. Sometimes over the course of a season you have to win a game where you scratch your head a little bit. Great effort and we won the football game.”

On Mike Glennon:

“He’s a big league quarterback, no question about it. He wasn’t real crisp in the first half, but when it came time to make plays, he made plays. Go down the field with no timeouts… It was a great victory.”

On Devin Burns:

“Probably the worst thing that happened to us was that we knocked the quarterback out of the game. You get ready for a little bit of option, but you don’t get ready for a lot. It’s so different than everything else they do, but we finally solved it. We stopped it, got guys on the ground, and lived to fight another day.”

On Niklas Sade’s field goal range:

“We thought anything 50 yards and in. I would have kicked it from 55. I’ve got a lot of faith in him.”

On stopping Stefon Diggs:

“We’ve done a good job for the last three weeks of against really good return guys. He’s got great moves and great vision… I thought our coverage teams did a great job.”

On getting close to bowl eligibility:

“We’re not going to worry about that. We’re just going to worry about trying to get better, and taking it one game at a time. At the end of the year, add them up and we should be in good shape.”

Redshirt Senior Quarterback Mike Glennon

On his thoughts during Maryland’s last field goal attempt:

“I hoped he was going to miss it, but you never really know what’s going to happen. It was a great win. You kind of hate to see it end that way, but it was still just a great win for us.”

On his thoughts during Maryland’s last field goal attempt:

“That was the first time that has ever happened to me. I watched it. It looked left to me and then when it hit off the upright, I didn’t know which way it was going at first. For us, good thing it was wide left.”

On their two straight wins:

“We knew this was going to be a tough game because of their really good defense. We would have liked to have played a little bit better, but at the same time we got the win and it’s a big win going forward.”

On the game in general:

“They have really good defense and are very well-coached. In the first quarter we kind of had a hard time, but then the second quarter we just got in a rhythm and at the same time I felt like we weren’t on the field all that much. I know I looked up and they had almost twice the field time on offense as us. Coming out with the win is just really cool.”

Senior Defensive End Brian Slay

On their pressure on the quarterback:

“We wanted to come into the game and pressure the freshman quarterback, so we wanted to keep him rattled. He ended up going down and the backup quarterback came in and he was a running-type, so weren’t prepared for it. That’s why he was eating up yards during the third quarter. Finally, we were able to get things settled and got some stops.”

On Maryland switching quarterbacks:

“It was definitely harder. We knew coming in that the backup quarterback was a runner, but we didn’t know what to expect. He hadn’t thrown a ball all year, so we knew he was going to come in and run, but we didn’t know what he was going to do. It was hard to have him thrown in and us not be prepared for him at all. We did a really good job and the coaches did a really good job of adjusting. We were able to settle down and get some stops.”

Redshirt Sophomore Wide Receiver Bryan Underwood

On Maryland’s last field goal attempt:

“I was just not looking, but praying and hoping for the best. We heard the bang and it was just a great feeling.”

On the upcoming game against North Carolina:

“It means a lot. Every game from here on out is going to mean a lot. We’re going to just prepare for them all week.”

Postgame Notes

Kicking Off: Maryland fell to 4-3 overall and 2-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, while NC State improved to 5-2 overall and 2-1 in the league … the loss snapped a three-game winning streak Maryland had over NC State in College Park … the Wolfpack now lead the all-time series, 33-32-4.

Close Calls: The Maryland-NC State series has had a number of close calls in recent history. In the last 13 contests, 11 have been decided by 10 points or fewer. Aside from a 37-0 Maryland win in 2007, the 11 games since 2000 have been decided by an average of 6.0 points. The Terps have also played in close games all of the 2012 season; their average margin of victory is 5.5, and their average margin of defeat is 5.0.

Total Offense: Maryland turned in its most productive game of the season in terms of total offense, totaling 462 yards. The Terps’ previous high was 351 at West Virginia. That’s the most for Maryland since it had 468 vs. Oct. 15, 2011. It was a balanced attack, with Maryland gaining 206 yards on the ground and 256 through the air.

Rush Defense: The Terps held their opponent to under 100 yards rushing for the fourth time this season as NC State had 40 yards on 26 carries. Maryland, which entered the game ninth nationally by allowing 95.5 rushing yards per game, held the Wolfpack to just 1.5 yards per carry.

Burns Steps In: Devin Burns got his first significant collegiate action at quarterback after Perry Hills had to leave the game with a knee injury. Burns helped lead the Terrapins on three scoring drives and finished with 50 rushing yards, 47 passing yards and a rushing TD.

Brown Goes for 100: Wes Brown became the first Maryland player to rush for 100 yards this season by running the ball 25 times for 121 yards. The freshman also had a touchdown. The last time a Terrapin rushed for 100 yards in a game was Nov. 19, 2011, when C.J. Brown had 110 at Wake Forest.

Leak Sets Mark: Marcus Leak had a career-high 94 receiving yards on four catches, an average of 23.5 yards per catch. Leak had a 47-yard catch which is the longest of his career.

Diggs Does, Too: Stefon Diggs totaled a season-high six catches for 61 yards. The freshman also had 72 kickoff returns yards.

Defensive Notes: Demetrius Hartsfield matched a season high with 13 tackles, seven of which were unassisted. He also had a pass breakup and tackle for loss … Darin Drakeford had 1.5 sacks and now has a team-high six this year … Joe Vellano totaled 10 tackles for his second double-digit stops game of the year (also William & Mary).

Hill Honored: Maryland athletics celebrated the 50th anniversary of Darryl Hill becoming the first African-American to play at the University of Maryland and in the Atlantic Coast Conference on Saturday. Hill was honored on the field after the first quarter, and presented with a new Maryland jersey with his name on it.

Tidbits: Caleb Rowe saw his first collegiate action by coming in on the final drive of the game … he completed his first pass attempt, a 17-yarder to Kevin Dorsey … he also had an 11-yard run and another 33 completion that setup a 33-yard field goal attempt by Brad Craddock that would’ve won the game … Maryland dominated the time of possession, 35:14 to 24:46 … the Terps were 3 of 4 in the red zone … Nigel King and Levern Jacobs both made their first career receptions.

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Led by a defense that ranks as one of the nation’s best, Maryland is 2-0 in the Atlantic Coast Conference for the first time since 2001. The Terps, coming off victories over Wake Forest and Virginia, will look to improve to 3-0 in the league for just the second time since winning three straight ACC Championships from 1983-85, when it takes on NC State in its Homecoming game. Maryland and NC State have met 68 times in history, and the all-time series is even at 32-32-4. The Terps have won three straight over the Wolfpack in College Park and five of the last six.

First-and-10

• With another gutty fourth quarter performance, Maryland held on to beat Virginia, 27-20, last Saturday. The Cavaliers cut Maryland’s lead to 17-13 with 0:29 left in the third quarter, but the Terps scored the game’s next 10 points and held on late. In Maryland’s four wins, the Terps average margin of victory is just 5.5 points, and the opponent has been within a tying score at some point in the fourth quarter in each of those games. The Terps, though, have outscored opponents 51-31 in the final stanza and have received key defensive stops when it’s mattered most.

• The Terps rank ninth nationally in total defense (278.7 ypg), tied for ninth in rushing defense (95.5 ypg) and 18th in passing defense (183.2 ypg). Though Virginia tallied 168 rushing yards, the most by a Maryland opponent this season, the Terps have been tough against the run with an experienced front seven highlighted by senior defensive linemen Joe Vellano and A.J. Francis, and senior linebacker Demetrius Hartsfield. Those three have played a big role in holding opponents to an average of just 2.65 yards per rush, which ranks seventh nationally. The Terps received a major boost to their linebacking corps with the return of Kenneth Tate in the West Virginia game. Tate, a 2010 consensus first team All-ACC choice, had missed the previous 11 games dating back to the 2011 season due to a knee injury. The fifth-year senior has already made an impact in his three games back: he has 15 tackles, two for a loss, a sack, three pass breakups, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

• Vellano and Darin Drakeford have been the biggest contributors for a Maryland defense which has been disruptive in the opponent backfield – Maryland’s 7.8 tackles for loss per game are tied for 11th in the FBS and its 3.0 sacks per game are tied for 14th. Drakeford, who was named the ACC Linebacker of the Week for his performance at Virginia, ranks third in the ACC with 0.75 sacks per game and is second on the team with 6.5 tackles for loss. That trails only Vellano with 11.0, which leads the conference and ranks 13th nationally.

• Offensively and on special teams, wide receiver Stefon Diggs continues to be Maryland’s most dynamic playmaker. Against Virginia, the freshman returned the game’s opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown and went on to catch four passes for 89 yards. Over the last three games he’s averaging 102.3 receiving yards per game, while his 168.8 all-purpose yards per game this season lead the ACC and rank ninth nationally. Additionally, Diggs ranks second in the conference in yards per catch (21.6) and has earned ACC weekly honors in each of Maryland’s last three games (Rookie of the Week – WVU, Wake Forest; Specialst of the Week – Virginia).

• Quarterback Perry Hills, who is just the third true freshman quarterback to start for Maryland in school history (Randall Jones in 1998; Latrez Harrison in 1999), is directing the offense. Hills had his best collegiate game against West Virginia when he finished 20 of 29 for 305 yards and three touchdowns, all season highs. He led Maryland on the game-winning touchdown drive in the fourth quarter of the season opener against William & Mary, and was named ACC Rookie of the Week after going 11 of 21 for 190 yards and two touchdowns in the win at Temple. Hills has been at his best in the fourth quarter, having completed 24 of 35 passes for 390 yards and two touchdowns in the final stanza.

Quick Hitters

• Stefon Diggs has earned ACC Player of the Week honors in three straight games, and a Terp has captured Linebacker of the Week honors in two straight games. Diggs won Rookie of the Week for his play against West Virginia (9/22) and Wake Forest (10/6) and Specialist of the Week against Virginia (10/13). Demetrius Hartsfield earned Linebacker of the Week for his play against Wake Forest, while Darin Drakeford received the award against Virginia.

• For the first time since 1999, Maryland held its opponent under 300 yards of total offense in four of the season’s first five games. Only No. 17 West Virginia exceeded the 300 mark against the Terrapins (363). In the sixth game of the season, Virginia also broke the 300 mark (386).

• Diggs ranks eighth in the conference and first among freshmen with 75.5 receiving yards per game. Diggs, who has 21 catches for 453 yards, is averaging 21.6 yards per catch. That ranks second among ACC receivers and sixth among the top-100 receivers (yards per game) nationally.

• Diggs is the only Maryland freshman to record back-to-back 100-yard receiving games (vs. West Virginia and Wake Forest) since at least 1985, the earliest game-by-game statistics were recorded at the school.

• Maryland allowed Wake Forest to complete just 32.4 percent of its passes (13 of 38). That is the lowest percentage by an opponent with at least 30 passing attempts since Duke went 13 of 42 (30.9%) on Nov. 14, 1998.

• Joe Vellano’s father, Paul Vellano, was inducted into the Maryland Athletics Hall of Fame on Oct. 5. The elder Vellano was a first team All-American in 1973, while Joe was a second team All-American in 2011. The father-son combo represent one of four known father-son All-America combos to attend the same FBS school (also Lee and Travis McGriff at Florida; Kevin and Drew Butler at Georgia; Archie and Eli Manning at Ole Miss).

• Thirteen players have made their first career starts at some point this season. In the season opener against William & Mary, quarterback Perry Hills, running back Albert Reid, safety Sean Davis, defensive back Jeremiah Johnson, linebacker Cole Farrand, nose tackle Darius Kilgo and offensive lineman Nick Klemm debuted. Against Connecticut, wide receiver Stefon Diggs made his first career start; defensive back Isaac Goins and running back Brandon Ross made their starting debuts at West Virginia. Defensive back Anthony Nixon and offensive linemen Mike Madaras and Andrew Zeller made their first starts vs. Wake Forest.

• Fourteen players saw their first career action for Maryland against William & Mary, and 22 players have seen their first career action for Maryland at some point this season (12 true freshmen, seven redshirt freshmen, two juniors, one senior).

• Maryland’s defense allowed just 682 total yards to opponents through its first three games (William & Mary – 229, Temple – 230, Connecticut – 223). That marks its best defensive performance in a three-game span since 2004, when it held The Citadel (137), West Virginia (156) and Eastern Michigan (275) to a total of 568.

• West Virginia came into its game with Maryland averaging 612 yards of total offense and 55.5 points per game. The Terps held the Mountaineers well below those averages, surrendering 363 yards and 31 points, seven of which came on a fumble return for a TD by the WVU defense.

• The Terps surrendered just 45 yards to Wake Forest in the second half, including just four in the fourth quarter. Maryland has been at its best in the second half all year, surrendering just 133.3 yards on average.

• The Terps are holding opponents to 2.65 yards per carry, which ranks seventh nationally. Of the opponents’ 216 rushing attempts this season, 147 (68.1%) have been for three yards or less (28 of 41 vs. William & Mary; 28 of 39 vs. Temple; 25 of 40 vs. Connecticut; 20 of 25 vs. West Virginia; 21 of 29 vs. Wake Forest; 25 of 42 vs. Virginia).

• Demetrius Hartsfield leads the team with 51 tackles and is tied for second with three sacks. He’s also had a hand in three turnovers, also a team high (one interception, two fumble recoveries).

• The Terps have done a good job controlling the clock. In six games, Maryland has had the ball for an average of 30:50 to 29:10 for the opponent. That’s a major upgrade compared to 2011, when Maryland averaged just 25:16 a game to 34:44 for the opponent.

• Head coach Randy Edsall hands out game balls for each win. Most recently, Darin Drakeford received the defensive game ball and Stefon Diggs got the special teams game ball.

• Against William & Mary, Perry Hills became the first true freshman starter at quarterback for Maryland since Latrez Harrison in 1999. He also became the first freshman to start a season opener since redshirt freshman Calvin McCall on Sept. 2, 1999, in a 6-0 win over Temple.

• Nine bowl teams from last year appear on Maryland’s 2012 schedule: Temple (Gildan New Mexico Bowl), West Virginia (Discover Orange Bowl), Wake Forest (Franklin American Mortgage Music City), Virginia (Chick-fil-A Bowl), NC State (Belk Bowl), Georgia Tech (Hyundai Sun Bowl), Clemson (Discover Orange Bowl), Florida State (Champs Sports Bowl) and UNC (AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl).

Maryland-NC State Series History

• Saturday’s game marks the 69th meeting between Maryland and North Carolina State. The schools first met in 1909 when NC State shut out Maryland 33-0. The teams have met every season since 1956, and the series is split evenly (32-32-4).

• The Wolfpack took eight of nine from the Terps from 1991 to 1999, before the Terps turned things around in the new millennium. Maryland has won eight of 12 in the series since 2000, with the games frequently ending in dramatic fashion. Aside from a 37-0 Maryland win in 2007, the 10 games since 2000 have been decided by an average of 6.5 points. Nick Novak hit game-winning field goals for the Terps in the final seconds in 2002 and 2003, and Maryland scored the decisive touchdown in 2001 with 41 seconds left. Quarterback Shaun Hill rallied the Terps from a 15-point halftime deficit in the 2000 game for a 35-28 double-overtime victory.

• Maryland has won three straight in College Park: 26-20 in 2006, 27-24 in 2008 and 38-31 in 2010. The Terrapins hold a 17-12-2 all-time advantage in the series in College Park and have lost to the Wolfpack just once at home since 2000.

• Last year, NC State overcame a 27-point deficit by scoring 35 points in the fourth quarter for a 56-41 win. It was the second biggest comeback in ACC history.

Hill to be Honored
• The University of Maryland department of athletics will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Darryl Hill becoming the first African-American player to play at the University of Maryland and in the Atlantic Coast Conference, when the Terrapins take on NC State Saturday afternoon. Hill, head coach Randy Edsall and director of athletics Kevin Anderson will also hold a press conference at noon on Tuesday, which can be seen here.

• Hill transferred to Maryland in 1962 and after sitting out one year he broke the color barrier in 1963, playing his first home game against NC State in College Park. Hill was also the first African-American to play at Gonzaga High School and the Naval Academy.

• Hill emerged as Maryland’s top wide receiver in 1963, finishing with 43 receptions, only three short of the school record at the time. Hill’s seven touchdown receptions that year are tied for the fifth most in a single season in school history.

• He played with the New York Jets for a short period before returning to school and earning a master’s degree from Southern Illinois. He has started businesses in China, Russia as well as the Pacific Energy Corporation. He also returned to Maryland for a period to serve as a Maryland’s director of major gifts.

University of Maryland Football Injury Report

vs. NC State

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Quotes from Tuesday’s press conference at the University of Maryland celebrating the 50th anniversary of Darryl Hill becoming the first African-American to play at Maryland and in the ACC; and quotes from head coach Randy Edsall’s weekly press conference.

Kevin Anderson, Director of Athletics

“This is a very special time for me because if it wasn’t for pioneers like Darryl, I wouldn’t be sitting in this chair today. There are many people in this room, outside of this room and that play on this football team that have that deep appreciation for someone like Darryl in terms of what he did in trying times and becoming the man we all know. Darryl’s success isn’t only on the football field but in business and he was a very good student as well.

“Not too many people live a lifetime and display the kind of courage Darryl has demonstrated not only at that time but throughout life and where he is today. We all have a strong appreciation for him.”

Randy Edsall, Head Football Coach

“From a coach’s perspective, one of the things that you always tell your players is to believe in who you are and have a belief in things you want to get done but also be a leader and blaze a trail where no one else has gone. Here’s Darryl who is that person who stood out here for Maryland and the ACC and to know he blazed that trail for other people to have the opportunities to go to school in the ACC and play football and get a great education is something that goes down in history. As the head football coach at Maryland, it’s great to have him as part of the family. That he can teach our guys and talk to our guys about what he did is very significant.”

Darryl Hill

“First let me thank Kevin [Anderson] for letting me do this and creating this event and taking our great athletic program in the right direction. Kevin has done a tremendous job and the future is rosy and bright. I have to commend Coach for a tremendous victory Saturday and we are on top of the ACC and I can’t be more proud of the football team this year. I think this is a team that’s persevered against all odds and have come out on top and the future is bright there too. I would like to thank Zack Bolno – the SID at Maryland – too, for putting this event on. It’s a tremendous effort by him.

“I want to thank my teammates personally. Tom Rae, John Langton, Joe Mona and Bob Everd. They’ve all been supporters and I tell you what back in the day when times were tough without this team I never would have made it.

“Maryland took the lead in the nation in terms of taking the walls of segregation down from sports.  Before Maryland brought me here and if you were black and you lived in the south, you could not play for your home team. When I came along I was the first varsity athlete to receive a scholarship in any sport at any major university in the south. So it was a big deal. Things changed. The good thing is they changed rapidly.”

“My career here was a memorable career and one I’ll never forget.”

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Head coach Randy Edsall

Opening statement:

“We’ve got a tough challenge coming up Saturday against North Carolina State here for Homecoming. You see a team there who has a quarterback Mike Glennon who’s playing very well for them. They have a big offensive line. They are a team that is running the ball well and throwing well with good skill athletes.

“We are going to have our hands full defensively and again a big aggressive pressure defense we seem to face every week and I think we are getting better at that. Our guys will be ready to get back out there today and we’ll see how some of these guys perform who got nicked up last week and hopefully they’ll all be ready to play.

“One thing that is really interesting and what stood out to me is when you look at Perry Hills in the fourth quarter. He’s 24 of 35 for 390 yards and two touchdowns. So when the game is on the line he is performing at his best and again, very pleased about that.

“Also we have very high expectations about what we want to accomplish and I know for us to continue to get better and move forward we have to eliminate a lot of those explosive plays against us. They’ve been playing hard. I just thought last week for a little bit that we weren’t as sharp as we needed to be. It’s something I know that will get cleaned up this week. Our guys have been playing hard and competing. We had two opportunities that I thought we really had to put the game away. Those are things as we continue to move forward and head into the second half of the season we need to get better at. Again, one thing is we are overcoming some of those things because of how hard we are playing and the effort we are giving for 60 minutes.”

On developing a knockout punch:

“I just think it is execution. If we just throw and catch the ball, the plays are there. I think it all comes down to focus and concentration. You might lose focus for a little bit and you miss those explosive plays.”

On where becoming bowl eligible ranks in his goals for the season:

“I haven’t addressed that with our team at all. We have our goals that we have each and every year. The prizes that you have when you play this game are, first, winning your conference, and then if you win enough games, you get to a bowl. And those are things that you hope for each and every year. But to me, you can’t look at the big picture until you address the small things first. You win a game, you put it in the bank, and you gain interest. We have four wins, but four wins aren’t enough to accomplish what we want to accomplish. But all we need to focus on now is NC State and this weekend.”

On the urgency of improving the running game to keep winning:

“We know that have to continue to work on it and improve. We can’t do any more than what we are doing in terms of practice time. When it comes down to running the football, to me it is very basic. It’s coming off the line of scrimmage, it’s the offensive lineman blocking the guy against him until the whistle blows, and the running back getting the ball. Maybe we are going to be a team that has to throw the ball to set up a run. But we do have to run the football and we won’t give up on it.”

On looking at last year’s game vs. NC State:

“We look at it as a coaching staff, but there is not that much you can get from a year ago. This team is a different team, so we focus on what this team can do. You can go back and you can see how things were a year ago, but my focus is what NC State is doing this year. It’s not always good to look in the past. We need to focus on moving forward and hopefully getting a win this weekend.”

On what makes NC State quarterback Mike Glennon special:

“He’s your true, pro-style pocket passer. He’s tall, so he can see over the line of scrimmage. He has a good arm and can make all of the throws. They’re going to stretch you vertically and horizontally. And he has a pretty good release. He’s a very well rounded player with experience. I think that when you look at him from a pro-prospect, he’s probably the best guy that we face all year long, no disrespect to Geno Smith.

On taking away positives from the offensive line’s performance against Virginia:

“I think that there were a couple of guys on Virginia’s front four that played better than we saw on film and made some things happen. But sometimes, people are going to try to take stuff away. You don’t want them to take away as much as they did but that happens in the game of football. You find a way to make plays in other areas to overcome those deficiencies that you have in one particular phase. I thought that the guys up front held in there pretty well in terms of doing things that we needed to do. And we still ended up going down and scoring some points in the second half. It is just a consistency situation. With the offensive line when you have young guys rotating in and out, you don’t get that kind of consistency that you need. I think that the offensive line needs to move forward and get better so we will keep drilling them as coaches and they will keep working on the practice field.”

On what he saw from NC State in its victory over Florida State:

“I saw them come back and beat Florida State. They played very hard and shut Florida State out. They made some plays, and blocked a punt and played very physically. I have known Tom O’Brien for years and Tom is a good football coach. His teams are always teams who are very hard-nosed and physical and they will be very fundamentally sound. You are in for a street fight and a physical game for 60 minutes. That is what you are going to get and that is what Florida State got. They never backed down, they gave themselves a shot to win at the end, and they capitalized.”

On whether NC State’s victory over Florida State got the attention of Maryland players:

“We didn’t start focusing on NC State until Sunday. Our players are just kids, so they do focus on what is going on, so they got a chance to watch those things. I am sure they have our attention. However, if we want to be the kind of team that we want to be, it should not take someone beating somebody else to get us motivated. That is not what I am looking for with this program. I am looking for us to be excited and motivated to play football regardless of who the opponent is. Our goal is play to the best of our abilities, play hard, and execute our game plan.”

On how to attack NC State defensive back David Amerson:

“Hopefully he will get hurt and won’t play. I’m just kidding, but all jokes aside, he is a good football player. He is a very good corner. It comes down to our coaches and receivers to look at all of his tendencies. But we are not trying to beat one guy, we are trying to beat 11 guys. He is a very good football player and we have a lot of respect and admiration for how he plays and he will be one of the best we will face all year, but we do have to worry about everyone, and not just him.”

On if he is happy with the production of the freshmen:

“It is hard to sit here and say that I am happy. We are 4-2 and we want to be 6-0, especially when you look at some of our mistakes. However, I am happy with how we are progressing. They are nowhere near where they can be and where they will be as they go on in their careers here at Maryland. With freshmen you will still have those moments where you scratch your head. But the thing that has been the most impressive to me with all of these young guys is their competitive nature and the leadership. You do not see them get down. They are able to, if something bad goes wrong, they can shake it off. That is tough for young kids, to let things go. But these guys can make a mistake and go out and make up for it. Look at Perry [Hills]. Even with all of his mistakes, when the game is on the line, look what happens. Look at Stefon [Diggs] and look at Anthony Nixon. Anthony Nixon got his second start and got a pick very early in the game to set up a score for us. They are coachable, they listen, and when something goes wrong, they can just move forward.”

On A.J. Francis’s progression on and off the field:

“With A.J. Francis, I see a guy who has really bought into what we want and is taking the lessons he is taught by Coach Gattuso and working on those things. I see a guy who has worked a lot harder and has gotten himself in really good shape. He has a great sense of humor and is very charismatic, but the attitude that he has this year is so different and is so much better. A.J., right now, is playing well and he needs to continue to play well for us to be successful. At first, I think we did not see eye-to-eye on everything, but he understood there was going to be change. There was change and he embraced it and I think he sees the benefits of what we are doing and how it has advanced him and his game. I give him a lot of credit, and its big for us to have a guy like A.J. step up and play the way that he has played and to be the kind of leader he has been. We just need him to keep getting better and I think he can take his game to an even higher level than it is right now.”

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Johnny Rhodes Named An ACC Tournament Legend

Former Maryland guard one of 12 players selected to 2012 class

    GREENSBORO, N.C.— Johnny Rhodes, one of the most versatile players in Atlantic Coast Conference history, who helped lead Maryland back to national prominence in the mid-1990’s, has been selected to the 2012 class of ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament Legends.

    The 12-man class was announced Tuesday by Commissioner John Swofford and includes a member of the ACC’s 50^th Anniversary basketball team, a National Player of the Year, three former All-Americas, six former All-ACC selections, ten former NBA Draft selections – including six first-round selections – and eight players who combined for 38 years of NBA experience.

    Rhodes, a native of Washington, D.C., is the ACC’s career steals leader and helped Maryland make three NCAA Tournament appearances in his four-year career. He is the only player in ACC history to score over 1,700 points (1,743) with over 700 rebounds (704), 400 assists (437) and 300 steals (344).

    Joining Rhodes in the class are former Wake Forest All-America Randolph Childress (Washington, D.C.), who led the Deacons to the 1995 ACC Championship, and former North Carolina All-America Kenny Smith (Queens, N.Y.), who led the Tar Heels to four straight NCAA Tournament appearances and was named the National Player of the Year by Basketball Times in 1987.

    Also in the class are Boston College’s John Bagley (Stratford, Conn.), who was named a third-team (NABC) All-America in 1982; Clemson’s Sharone Wright (Macon, Ga.), a powerful post player for the Tigers who earned All-ACC honors in 1993 and 1994; Duke’s Kenny Dennard (King, N.C.), one of the key cogs of the Blue Devils 1978 Final Four team who helped lead Duke to ACC titles in 1978 and 1980; Florida State’s James Collins (Jacksonville, Fla), a high-scoring wingman who was a three-time All-ACC selection in 1995, 1996 and 1997; Georgia Tech’s Malcolm Mackey (Chattanooga, Tenn.), a powerful post player who helped lead Georgia Tech to ACC Championships in 1990 and 1993.

    Completing this year’s ACC Legends Class are Miami’s Ron Godfrey (Coral Springs, Fla.), an Honorable Mention All-America forward for the Hurricanes in the 1960’s who also served as head coach for four seasons; NC State’s Todd Fuller (Charlotte, N.C.), a prodigious presence in the paint for the Wolfpack who earned All-ACC honors in 1994, 1995, and 1996; Virginia’s Lee Raker (Louisville, Ky.), a versatile forward who helped lead the Cavaliers to the 1981 NCAA Final Four; and Virginia Tech’s Dale Solomon (Annapolis, Md.), a high-scoring forward who helped lead the Hokies to two NCAA Tournament appearances and one NIT berth.

   The Legends will be honored at this year’s ACC’s Men’s Basketball Tournament at Philips Arena in Atlanta, Ga., March 8-11. They will be feted at the annual ACC Legends Brunch, which will be held Saturday, March 10, beginning at 10 a.m. at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis Hotel, and, later that day, will be introduced to the Philips Arena crowd at halftime of the first semifinal game. Ticket information for the ACC Legends Brunch is available on the ACC website at theACC.com.

   Rhodes (1992-96), the ACC’s career leader in steals, started four seasons for coach Gary Williams at Maryland, leading the Terrapins back to national prominence. An extremely versatile guard who played point or wing guard, Rhodes is the only player in ACC history to score over 1,700 points (1,743) with over 700 rebounds (704), 400 assists (437) and 300 steals (344). He helped the Terrapins post a 73-49 overall record during his four seasons in College Park, including three straight (1994, 95, 96) appearances in the NCAA Tournament. He was named to the 1993 ACC All-Freshman team, then earned 3^rd-team All-ACC honors as a junior and 2^nd-team All-ACC accolades as a senior in 1996. He still holds the ACC career record for steals per game (2.82), and his 110 steals and 3.7 steals per game in 1996 are still league standards. He totaled 704 rebounds in his career, the third-best mark by an ACC backcourtman, trailing only Georgia Tech’s Bruce Dalrymple (744) and Florida State’s Bob Sura (714). A native of Washington, D.C., Rhodes owns his own construction firm, Rhodes Construction, in the D.C. area, and is working towards starting the Johnny Rhodes Foundation.

   Bagley (1979-82), one of the top playmaking guards in Boston College history, played three seasons for the Eagles for Coach Dr. Tom Davis and led BC to a 64-27 record and one NIT and two NCAA tournament appearances. The first Eagle to earn Big East Player of the Year honors (1980-81), Bagley was an explosive scorer who averaged nearly 18 points per game and led BC in scoring in each of his three seasons at the Heights. A two-time All-Big East selection, he averaged 20.4 points per game in leading the Eagles to the 1980-81 Big East regular-season championship and the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16. The following year, Bagley upped his production to 21.1 points per game and led BC to the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight. He was named to the NCAA all-tournament teams for both the 1981 Mideast Regional and the 1982 Midwest Regional. Bagley left BC after his junior season and was the 12^th overall pick in the first round by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 1982 NBA Draft. He enjoyed an 11-year career in the NBA for the Cavaliers, the New Jersey Nets, the Boston Celtics and the Atlanta Hawks. Inducted into the Boston College Varsity Club Athletic Hall of Fame in 1995, he currently resides in Stratford, Conn., and is working to reintroduce athletics into the middle school system of his hometown, Bridgeport, Conn.

   Wright (1991-94), a dominating 6-11 presence in the low post for the teams of Coach Cliff Ellis in the early 1990’s, still ranks 5^th on the ACC’s career list for blocked shots per game (3.13). An Honorable Mention All-America (AP) in 1994, he was one of 20 nominees for the Naismith Award that year. He led the ACC in blocked shots in 1992 and 1993 and finished 3^rd in 1994. He ranked 6^th on the Clemson career list for rebounds and 4^th in rebounds per game. He still holds the Clemson single-season record for blocked shots (124) and was the only player in the ACC to average in double figures in points and rebounds in both 1994 and 1995. Named a Freshman All-America by Basketball Weekly in 1992, he was named a 3^rd-team All-ACC selection in 1993 and 2^nd-team honors in 1994. As a member of the U.S. team which participated in the 1993 World Games, he shot 73 percent from the field and averaged 10 points a game in leading the U.S. to the gold medal. He was the first Clemson player to declare early for the NBA Draft and was the 6th overall selection on the first round of the 1994 draft by the Philadelphia 76’ers. He played five seasons in the NBA with Philadelphia and Toronto and was named to the 1994-95 NBA All-Rookie team. His NBA career was cut short by a severe auto accident early in his fifth professional season. Wright currently resides in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., where he is involved in various basketball coaching projects.

   Dennard (1978-81), a versatile 6-8 forward who was effective inside or outside for the Duke teams of Bill Foster and Mike Krzyzewski of the late 1970’s and early ‘80s, helped lead Duke to the 1978 NCAA Final Four and two ACC Championships in 1978 and 1980. Dennard helped the Blue Devils compile a 90-37 record in his four seasons in Durham, including three NCAA Tournament appearances and one NIT berth. He was named to the 1978 ACC All-Tournament second team in his freshman season. Dennard played three seasons for Bill Foster (1978-80) and one for Mike Krzyzewski and was named team captain in his senior season. Drafted in the 4^th round of the 1981 NBA Draft by Kansas City, he played three seasons in the NBA for Kansas City (1982-83) and Denver (1984). He finished his career shooting 51.3 percent from the field and is one of seven Duke players who have totaled over 1,000 points (1,057), 650 rebounds (671) and 200 assists (232) in his career. A native of King, N.C., Dennard is the managing partner at Dennard, Rupp, Gray and Lascar, an investor relations firm based in Houston, Texas. He will be a 30-year cancer survivor this coming September and has served on the Coaches vs. Cancer National Council since 1996. He has been married to his high school sweetheart, Nadine, for 27 years and they have a son, Mason (17).

    Collins (1993-97), a high-scoring wing guard for the Florida State teams of Pat Kennedy, was a three-time All-ACC honoree. Collins was named 3^rd-team All-ACC in 1995 and 1996 and garnered 2^nd-team honors as a senior in 1997. That year he led Florida State to a 20-12 record and to the finals of the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) where they lost to Michigan. He completed his career as the third leading scorer in school history with 1,793 points. He also still ranks in the FSU all-time Top 10 for field goals (645), field goal attempts, three-point field goals made (255) and three-point field goals attempted (686) and made 37.1 percent of his shots from three-point range. Collins was drafted as the 36^th overall pick by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2^nd round of the 1997 NBA Draft. He played one season in the NBA with the Los Angeles Clippers (1998) and spent one year (1999) in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) before playing professionally nine seasons in Europe. A native of Jacksonville, Fla., he currently is the head basketball coach at his high school alma mater, Andrew Jackson High School in Jacksonville.

   Mackey (1990-93), Georgia Tech’s all-time leading rebounder who was a low post force for the Jackets both offensively and defensively, helped lead the Tech to a four-year record of 87-43 which included four NCAA Tournament appearances. Mackey completed his career with 1,205 rebounds, a total which ranks 11^th-best in ACC history. He also had 199 career blocked shots, which ranks 26^th on the ACC career list.  Mackey was named 2^nd-team All-ACC in 1993 and 3rd-team All-ACC  in 1992. An Honorable Mention All-America in 1993 by United Press International, he was also a 2nd-team All-District in 1993 by the NABC. Mackey remains Tech’s career leader in rebounds (1,205), games played (130) and games started (127). He was named to the ACC All-Tournament teams in 1990 (3rd team) and 1992 (2nd team). He is the only Tech player to start for two ACC championship teams (1990,1993). The 27^th overall pick in the first-round of the 1993 NBA Draft by the Phoenix Suns, he played one season in the NBA and 11 seasons professionally in the CBA, Europe, China and Puerto Rico. A native of Chattanooga, Tenn., he currently is the Internet Sales Manager at Hennessey GMC Buick and is also serving as a landlord for several properties in McDonough, Ga.

   Godfrey (1958-61), one of the finest forwards to play at Miami, was an honorable mention All-America as a senior in 1961. He finished his career ranked in the Top Ten in seven career categories in the Miami record book including 7^th in points (1,384), 7^th in field goals made (518), 6^th in free throws made (384) and 7^th in rebounds (767). Godfrey’s totals of 159 free throws made and 207 free throws attempted in 1960 still rank 5^th and 6^th in the Hurricane career lists. His total of 22 made free throws against Oklahoma City in 1960 is still tied with Rick Barry for the most made in a game by a Miami player. For his career, he averaged 17.5 points a game. Playing alongside former Miami All-America Dick Hickox, Godfrey helped lead the Hurricanes to their first-ever NCAA tournament bid in 1960 as the Canes finished with a sparkling 23-4 record. In his senior year, Godfrey led Miami to a 20-7 mark and a berth in the National Invitation Tournament. In his three varsity seasons, Godfrey helped the Hurricanes to a 61-18 record. As a coach, he guided Miami for four seasons, leading the Hurricanes to championships in the 1967 Hurricane Classic and the 1968 Marshall Tournament and was inducted into the Miami Sports Hall of Fame in 1988. A native of Martins Ferry, Ohio, he now resides in Coral Springs, Fla.

   Smith (1983-87), one of the top point guards in North Carolina basketball history, Smith ended his career second in ACC history only to Wake Forest’s Muggsy Bogues in career assists with 768, averaging 6.1 per for each of his 127 career games. His assist total still ranks ninth on the ACC’s career list.  Coached by the legendary Dean Smith, he helped lead North Carolina to a 115-19 record during his four varsity seasons. Smith also helped North Carolina to four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, reaching the Elite Eight in both 1985 and 1987. He was named the National Player of the Year by Basketball Times in 1987 and also earned consensus first-team All-America honors that year. He was a 2^nd-team All-ACC honoree in 1985 and 1986 and earned first-team honors as a senior in 1987. The 6^th pick in the first round of the 1987 NBA Draft by the Sacramento Kings, he played 11 seasons in the NBA for Sacramento, Atlanta, Houston, Detroit, Orlando and Denver. A member of the 1988 NBA All-Rookie team while with Sacramento, he was a part of two NBA Championship squads (1994, 1995) while with the Houston Rockets. He scored 9,397 points (12.9 avg.), grabbed 1,424 rebounds (2.0 avg.) and passed out 4,073 assists (5.5 avg.) during his NBA career. In 1998, he joined Turner Sports and has since served as a basketball TV analyst for Turner Sports, NBA TV and CBS-TV for the NBA and for the NCAA Basketball Tournament. A native of Queens, N.Y. who attended Archbishop Molloy High School, he now resides in Atlanta, Ga.

   Fuller (1992-96), a strong low-post presence for the NC State teams of coach Les Robinson in the mid-1990s, led the ACC in scoring as a senior in 1996, averaging 20.9 points per game. The 6-11 center finished 4^th in the ACC in rebounding in 1995 and 5^th in 1996. He earned first-team All-ACC honors in as a senior in 1996 and was a third team choice as a sophomore (1994) and a second-team selection as a junior (1995). Also an excellent student, he graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science degree from NC State in 1996 in Applied Mathematics. He was named to the All-ACC Academic team in each of his four seasons and he was a two-time first-team Academic All-America, earning that honor in 1995 and 1996. He declined to accept the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship in order to play professional basketball. He was the 11^th overall pick in the first round of the 1996 NBA Draft by the Golden State Warriors and went on to play five seasons in the NBA with Golden State, Utah, Charlotte and Miami. He also played professionally six seasons in Spain, Poland, Greece and Australia. He sponsors an annual mathematics competition for Raleigh, N.C., area high school students through NC State, called the “Todd Fuller Math Competition.” He also has a scholarship fund arranged through the NC State Physical and Mathematical Sciences college. In 2007, the Wolfpack honored him by hanging his jersey, number 52, from the roof of the RBC Center.

   Raker (1977-81) combined with high school teammate Jeff Lamp and Virginia All-America Ralph Sampson to lead Virginia to two of the most successful seasons in school history in 1980 and 1981 for coach Terry Holland. An excellent shooter, defender and passer, Raker helped lead the Cavaliers to a 24-10 record which included the championship of the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) in 1980. UVa followed that up with a 29-4 record in 1981, including a 13-1 mark in the ACC and first place during the regular season. UVa advanced to the NCAA Final Four, garnering 3^rd-place national honors with a win over LSU in the consolation game. At one point, Raker helped the Cavaliers win eight consecutive post-season games, still a school record. Virginia finished the 1981 campaign ranked 5^th in the final AP poll and 3^rd in UPI. During his four collegiate seasons,  Raker helped lead Virginia to a 92-32 overall record, averaging in double figures in scoring each year, and shooting 50.3 percent from the field for his collegiate career. He completed his career with 1,423 points, which still ranks 20th on Virginia’s career scoring list. He also led the 1979 squad in field goal percentage and was named a 2^nd-team All-ACC selection that year. An excellent student, Raker was twice named to the All-ACC Academic Basketball squad (1980, 1981) and earned first-team Academic All-America honors in 1981. He was selected in the 4^th round of the 1981 NBA Draft by San Diego. A native of Louisville, Ky., he is now the Head of Investor Relations with Camber Capital Management LLC and lives in the Boston, Mass. area.

   Solomon (1978-82), one of the best basketball players in Virginia Tech history, was a 6-9 center-forward who combined power with a soft shooting touch. He helped the Tech teams of Charlie Moir to a four-year record of 78-41 which included two NCAA Tournament appearances and one NIT berth. Solomon led Tech in scoring in each of his four  seasons and ended his career with 2,136 points which still ranks 4^th on the Hokies’ career scoring list. Solomon’s career scoring average (18.4) is Tech’s 9th best. His career field goal percentage of .567 is the second best in Tech history and his 856 career rebounds rank 7th. He was named to the first-team All-Metro Conference in each of his four seasons. Solomon was named the Metro Conference Tournament MVP and Freshman of the Year in 1979, leading the Hokies to the Metro Conference championship. Solomon was selected in the 3^rd round of the 1982 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers but did not play in the NBA. He did play professionally in Italy for 12 seasons. A native of Annapolis, Md., Solomon is currently living in his hometown.

   Childress (1991-95) turned in one of the spectacular performances in the history of the ACC Tournament in his senior season, as the sharpshooting guard led Wake Forest to the 1995 ACC Championship by averaging 35.7 points and 7 assists per game in the Tournament’s three contests. That year, Childress, playing for coach Dave Odom, saved his best for last, scoring 37 points and passing out 7 assists. In that title game, he connected on the game-winning jump shot with only four seconds remaining in overtime as Wake defeated North Carolina, 82-80. For his efforts, he was named the winner of the Everett Case Award as the 1995 Tournament’s MVP. He also was named the winner of the McKevlin Award as the ACC’s Overall Athlete of the Year for the 1994-95 school year. A second-team All-America selection in 1995, he was named first-team All-ACC in 1994 and 1995 and 2^nd-team All-ACC in 1993. He scored 2,208 points during his career, which still ranks 18^th on the ACC ‘s career scoring list, and he made 329 three-point field goals, the 5^th-highest total in ACC history. He helped lead the Demon Deacons to a four-year record of 85-39 which included four appearances in the NCAA Tournament and two trips to the NCAA Sweet 16. He was twice named to the ACC All-Tournament team in 1994 and 1995. Childress ranked 3^rd in scoring in the ACC in 1993 and 1994 and finished 2^nd in 1994. Selected as the 19^th overall choice of the Detroit Pistons in the first round of the 1995 NBA Draft, he played two seasons in the NBA with Detroit and Portland. He then played 14 professional seasons in Turkey, France, Italy and Australia. In 2002, he was named to the ACC’s 50^th Anniversary Basketball Team as one of its Top 50 basketball players. A native of Washington, D.C., he recently returned to Winston-Salem to serve as an Assistant to the Athletic Director of Wake Forest.

LEGENDS BRUNCH

   The Legends will be honored at this year’s ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament in Atlanta at the annual ACC Basketball Legends Brunch, which will be held on Saturday, March 10 beginning at 10 a.m. at the Marriott Marquis Hotel. Hosted by television personalities Tim Brant and Mike Hogewood, tickets for the ACC Men’s Basketball Legends Brunch are priced at $35 each and tables of ten are available for $350 each. Information on purchasing tickets may be obtained at the official ACC website—www.theACC.com/ACCtournament.

   2012 ACC BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT LEGENDS ROSTER

   Name School Years Position Hometown (Current Hometown)

   John Bagley   Boston College 1979-82 Guard Bridgeport, Conn. (Stratford, Conn.)

   Sharone Wright Clemson 1991-94 Center Macon, Ga.  (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.)

   Kenny Dennard Duke 1977-81 Forward King, N.C. (Houston, Texas)

   James Collins Florida State 1993-97 Guard Jacksonville, Fla.. (same) 

   Malcolm Mackey Georgia Tech 1989-93 Forward/Ctr. Chattanooga, Tenn. (McDonough, Ga.)

   Johnny Rhodes Maryland 1992-96 Guard Washington, D.C. (same )

   Ron Godfrey Miami 1958-61 Guard Martins Ferry, Ohio (Coral Springs, Fla.)

   Kenny Smith North Carolina 1983-87 Guard Queens, N.Y. (Atlanta, Ga.)

   Todd Fuller NC State 1992-96 Center Charlotte, N.C.. (same)

   Lee Raker Virginia 1977-81 Forward Louisville, Ky. (Boston, Mass.)

   Dale Solomon Virginia Tech 1978-82 Forward Annapolis, Md. (same)

   Randolph Childress Wake Forest 1991-95 Guard Washington, D.C. (Winston-Salem, N.C.)

#8/6 Duke (16-3, 4-1) at Maryland (12-6, 2-2)
Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012 | 9 p.m. | Comcast Center
ESPN / ESPN3 | Terrapin Sports Radio Network

Maryland (12-4, 2-1) at Florida State (11-6, 2-1)
Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012 | 9 p.m. | Tucker Center, Tallahassee, Fla.
ESPNU | Terrapin Sports Radio Network

Georgia Tech (8-8, 1-1) at Maryland (11-4, 1-1)
Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012 | 4 p.m. | Comcast Center
ACC Network-WNUV 54 locally in Baltimore
Terrapin Sports Radio Network

Maryland plays host to Georgia Tech in the second of back-to-back home games early in the Atlantic Coast Conference season. The Terrapins and Yellow Jackets are in a pack of league teams in the middle of the standings at 1-1. Each team won their most recent outing with Maryland winning at home 70-64 on Wednesday over Wake Forest and Georgia Tech winning Wednesday at NC State, 82-71.

The Terrapins are finishing a run of home games that had them playing only two games away from Comcast Center over a long period. The Terps played at Verizon Center in downtown Washington, D.C., in a win over Notre Dame on Dec. 4, 2011, and traveled to NC State on Jan. 8, 2012 to open their ACC schedule. Surrounding those two trips, Maryland played 10 home games, and comes into this afternoon’s matchup with the Yellow Jackets with a 9-1 mark at home this season. The schedule evens out over the next 1-1/2 months as eight of Maryland’s next 13 games are away from Comcast Center.

Maryland has won eight of its last nine games in a stretch dating back to the 78-71 win over Notre Dame on Dec. 4. During that time, the Terrapins have been playing considerably more of a Mark Turgeon-style by concentrating on defense and rebounding. Maryland has held opponents to just 67.3 points per game and .420 shooting from the floor. The Terps have held a plus-8.3 per game edge in rebounding and have out-boarded eight of their nine opponents in that streak.

Maryland is also taking strong advantage of the addition of sophomore point guard Pe’Shon Howard and redshirt freshman center Alex Len. Howard leads the team with a 4.8 assists-per-game average and has been on the floor an average of 31.8 minutes per game since his return. In his five games, Len has missed only eight shots from the floor (.729, 21-for-29), averaged 11.8 points per game, grabbed 7.4 rebounds per game and blocked 2.4 shots each outing.

Junior forward James Padgett continues to lead the ACC in offensive rebounding and is sixth in the nation in that category. Among his 96 rebounds in 15 games this season, 63 have come off the offensive glass (66 percent). Padgett had 11 points and eight boards (six offensive) in 19 minutes on Wednesday in the win over Wake Forest.

Sophomore guard Terrell Stoglin led the Terrapins in Wednesday’s win over Wake Forest with 20 points. It marked the 11th time in 15 games this season that Stoglin has hit the 20-point plateau. He remains the ACC’s leading scorer with a 21.3 points per game average. Stoglin has 38 3-pointers this season, already tied for sixth with Duane Simpkins (1994) on the sophomore list of 3FG. Greivis Vasquez hit 64 treys in 2008 to hold the school record by a sophomore.

The matchup with the Yellow Jackets is the first of two this season. Maryland returns the home game in a Feb. 25 trip to Atlanta. Maryland, which holds a 38-34 edge in the all-time series with Georgia Tech, has won 10 of the last 11 in the series. Maryland had a nine-game winning streak against the Yellow Jackets snapped in the 2010 ACC Tournament in a 69-64 loss before winning in Atlanta, 74-63, in last season’s only meeting between the teams.

Scouting the Yellow Jackets

Georgia Tech is 8-8 with a 1-1 mark in the ACC after picking up an 82-71 win at NC State on Wednesday… The Yellow Jackets had lost four consecutive prior to the win over NC State, dropping games to Mercer, Fordham, Alabama and Duke… Brian Gregory is in his first season as head coach after spending the previous eight seasons at Dayton.

Glen Rice Jr., a 6-foot-5 junior guard, is averaging a team-best 14.4 ppg and is shooting 51.8 percent from the field, which ranks fifth in the ACC… Rice has come off the bench the last three games and poured in 28 points vs. Duke and 22 against the Wolfpack, making 7 of 10 shots at NC State as Tech shot 51 percent as a team…

Rice was one of five Yellow Jackets to score in double figures in the win over NC State – guards Mfon Udofia (17), Brandon Reed (12) and Jason Morris (10), along with center Daniel Miller (10) helped make up a balanced scoring attack… Udofia leads the team with 40 assists and ranks second with 11.2 ppg, while Miller is averaging a team-best 6.8 rpg and ranks second in the league with 45 blocks…

Georgia Tech is one of the better teams on the boards in the conference, outrebounding its opponents by an average margin of 6.6 rpg, trailing just North Carolina (plus-12) and NC State (plus-6.7)… The Yellow Jackets are also third in blocked shots (5.7 bpg) and fourth in field goal percentage defense (.385).

Upcoming

Maryland hits the road for its next two games, having to face a tight turnaround after the Georgia Tech game on Sunday. The Terrapins will practice Monday, then fly to Tallahassee that night in preparation for a 9 p.m. tipoff Tuesday at Florida State… Maryland faces its last non-conference matchup of the regular season on Saturday, 1/21 against Temple in The Palestra…The Terrapins return home for two games the next week, playing host to Duke on Wednesday, 1/25 on the night when Gary Williams Court is dedicated and Virginia Tech on Saturday, 1/28…
Maryland has only three home games and six road contests in the month of February.

Wake Forest (10-5, 1-0) at Maryland (10-4, 0-1)
Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2012 | 7 p.m. | Comcast Center
RSN/CSN-Plus | Terrapin Sports Radio Network

The Wake Forest game on 1/11 will begin at 7 p.m. due to television commitments, a departure from Maryland’s normal 8 p.m. weeknight starts. Fans are encouraged to arrive on campus early and to pay attention to area traffic reports. Campus Public Safety officials suggest avoiding the Campus Drive entrance off U.S. Route 1.

Maryland returns to Comcast Center for the first of back-to-back home games against Atlantic Coast Conference opponents when it plays host to Wake Forest on Wednesday night. The Terrapins lost their ACC opener at NC State on Sunday, 79-74, while the Demon Deacons won at home, 58-55, over Virginia Tech on Saturday.

Redshirt freshman center Alex Len earned ACC Rookie of the Week honors on Monday after posting his first career double-double against NC State. Len had 12 points and 11 rebounds against the Wolfpack, also adding two blocked shots. In his four games so far, Len has missed only six shots from the floor (20-for-26, .769) and is averaging 13.5 points and 8.8 rebounds per game.

Sophomore guard Terrell Stoglin continues his hot streak for the Terrapins. He had six 3-pointers against the Wolfpack, marking the third time in the last four games he’s had six treys in a game. Stoglin has moved into second place in the league in 3-point percentage (.429) and third in the ACC in 3-pointers per game (2.6). He is 20-for-36 (.556) behind the arc in the last four games.

Stoglin remains atop the ACC in scoring, now with a 21.4 ppg average. He is sixth in the nation in scoring through last Sunday’s games, and has scored at least 20 points in an ACC-best 10 games this season. His +9.8 improvement in scoring average from a year ago is also tops in the league this season.
 

Senior forward Sean Mosley had 12 points Sunday against the Wolfpack, marking his second straight game with double figures in scoring (also a team-high 19 vs. Cornell). He is now 11 rebounds away from becoming the 40th Terrapin in history with 500 career rebounds. Mosley already ranks among the Terrapins’ top 20 in career steals, now with 129.

Maryland’s improved play of late has come both in defense and rebounding – two keys to success for Mark Turgeon-coached teams. In their last six games, Maryland is allowing opponents a .406 shooting percentage, while the Terps have held an advantage or matched their opponents’ rebounds seven times in the last eight games.

Maryland leads the all-time series with Wake Forest, 64-56, including a sweep of the two games last season. The Terrapins are 7-2 against the Deacs in their last nine outings and own a 4-2 edge in Comcast Center.

Scouting the Demon Deacons

Wake Forest is 10-5 overall and 1-0 in the ACC after dispatching Virginia Tech 58-55 on Saturday… The Demon Deacons have won four of the last five, with the only loss over the last three weeks coming at home to Wofford.

Wake possesses two of the top four scorers in the league in C.J. Harris and Travis McKie… Harris, a 6-foot-3 junior guard, ranks second in the conference with 18.3 ppg, while McKie, a 6-foot-7 sophomore forward, ranks fourth with 17.5 ppg… Combined, the duo accounts for a shade over 51 percent of the team’s scoring, and both are efficient shooters – Harris ranks fifth in the league in FG% (.551) and McKie ranks seventh (.503)… Additionally, Harris has made 27 of 49 attempts (.551) from 3-point range this season.

The third scoring option for the Demon Deacons is sophomore guard Tony Chennault, who is averaging 11.1 ppg and leads the team with 40 assists and 19 steals.

The Demon Deacons have size up front with a pair of 7-foot centers in Carson Desrosiers and Ty Walker… Desrosiers ranks third in the conference with 40 blocks and had four in the win over Virginia Tech despite playing just 16 minutes… Walker, a senior, earned his first start of the season against the Hokies and is averaging 4.3 ppg and 4.8 rpg… Despite that, Wake ranks 11th in the conference in rebounding margin (minus-3.6 rpg).

Upcoming

Maryland returns to Comcast Center for back-to-back conference games against Wake Forest (Wednesday, 1/11, 7 p.m.) and Georgia Tech (Sunday, 1/15, 4 p.m.) before heading back out on the road at Florida State (Tuesday, 1/17, 9 p.m.) and at Temple (Saturday, 1/21, 11 a.m.) the next week.

Notable

The 9th annual coat drive, hosted by Shawne Merriman’s “Lights On Foundation,” will take place on Wednesday, Jan. 11 during the men’s basketball game with Wake Forest. Fans are encouraged to donate any new or gently-used coats, hats, scarves and mittens for distribution to those in need through the local area.