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isJjp Satly ®ar Mrel Mfffltti Maryland Men's Basketball 2000-01 £ *■•*&■* • Key Returnees: F Lonny Baxter (15.6 ppg, 8.8 rpg); Q Stev e Blake (7.0 ppg, 6.2 apg); G Juan Dixon (18.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg); F/G Danny Miller (8.5 ppg, 2.9 rpg); F Terence Morris (15.8 ppg, 8.6 rpg) '* m W • Key Newcomers: G/F Byron Mouton, F/C Chris Wilcox ir J|f ' % • Key Losses: None M . 19 9 9 .2000 Record: 25-10,11-5 in the ACC ' Gary Williams I * Flnal Resu,t: Lost NCAA 2nd Round t 0 UCLA Overlooked Terrapins Seek Top Spot in ACC BY Brad Broders Staff Writer Amidst all the talk on Tobacco Road about preseason top-five teams Duke and North Carolina, an often-over ltioked ACC squad is preparing up North. Don’t look now, but Maryland might jttst be the team to beat in the confer ence. “ After guiding his team to a 25-10 Yecord last season (11-5 in the ACC), C)oach Gary Williams returns five Starters and several key members off the bench in arguably his most talented team in 12 years at the helm in College Park. * “I like that we have more experi drice,” Williams said. “Last year, we started a freshman and three sopho irtiores. This year, we have those guys back plus a couple new people I think will help us. We can go 10 deep right now.” Entering the 1999-2000 season, the Terrapin receiving most of the attention was forward Terence Morris, who was coming tiff a super sopho rtibre season. And although Morris ended his jilnior campaign With a solid num bers (15.8 points and 8.6 rebounds a game),opposing “We have every tool, everything we need to win a national championship this year.” Terence Morris Maryland Senior teams constant defensive hounding helped fuel the emergence of anew star ip the making: Juan Dixon. r The junior shooting guard burst out of nowhere during his sophomore sea sop, increasing his scoring output from points a contest in 1998-99 to 18.0 pgints a game last year to lead the (terrapins. The continued development of JJixon will be an important factor in the Jerps’ ACC and NCAA success this sea §ort. Dixon’s backcourt mate, sophomore Steve Blake, will again lead the Maryland offense. Blake, who started 33 games last year, calmly ran the team, dishing out 6.3 assists a game to rank third among all NCAA freshmen. "Another key component returning to Basic Math: i A Simple Equation THE mmrMB&TFg nttc 1 * ■HHHI 3 use commori sense instead of dollars & cents - Domino's accepts UNC One Cards. iUNC East North Campus/ Chapel Hill Chapel Hill / jjCarrboro 967-0006 932-9500 / 929-0246 / / .•Open Late Till 2:ooam / J We accept - aIT " / / competitors* [ / coupons J the Terrapins line up is junior center Lonnie Baxter, who like Dixon, emerged last sea son. The 6-foot-8 big man finished the season second on the Terrapins in scoring with 16.3 points a game. Williams’ bench consists of solid backups. Senior swing man Mike Mardesich returns Senior forward Terence Morris averaged 15.8 points and 8.6 rebounds a game for Maryland last season. to relieve the front-line starters and give the Terrapins key minutes off the bench. Mardesich averaged 2.7 points last sea son. Maryland will also look to 6-10 fresh man Chris Wilcox, a Raleigh resident who chose the Terrapins over the Triangle schools. “Chris has done a good job of learn ing,” Williams said. “He has fit in well, he gives us a lot of depth in the back court positions.” Maryland, despite a 15-1 record at Cole Field House last season, finished 4-5 on the road. An improved record away from home is key for Maryland in its hopes for a high bid in the NCAA tournament. But when it comes to the NCAA tournament, the key for Maryland isn’t getting there. It’s finding a way to stick around. The Terrapins have reached the tour ney for a school-record seven consecu tive years, but they have yet to advance past the Sweet 16 during that span. The three-headed monster of Morris, Dixon, and Baxter will look to buck the trend. “We have every tool, everything we need to win a national championship this year,” Morris said. “We’ve got quick starters, we’ve got chemistry, we’ve got the bench, and we’ve got good coaching, so there’s real ly no reason why we can’t do it this year.” Basketball 2000-01 Talented Duke Ready to Take Next Step The Blue Devils return four starters from a team that went 15-1 in the ACC and 29-5 overall last season. By Adam D. Hill Staff Writer Coming into last season, questions surrounded the Duke basketball pro gram. Numerous defections had left the Blue Devils a seemingly depleted squad without a proven point guard or go-to scorer. Those questions, however, faded quickly. Duke romped through the ACC and nation, going 15-1 in confer ence play and posting a 29-5 mark over all. It is reasonable, then, that the nation has reason to fear the 2000-01 version of the Blue Devils. The only substantial preseason prob lem Duke has this season, it seems, is deciding how to handle the immense talent present in Durham. “We want to get after it and play the way we are capable of playing," senior Nate James said. “If we do so, there could be long nights in store for a lot of teams.” Leading the charge for the Blue Devils, who are widely considered to be among the nation’s best teams, is Shane Battier. Battier, whom Wake Forest coach Dave Odom considers one of the five best players in ACC history, was tabbed National Defensive Player of the Year the past two seasons and an All- American last season. The Associated Press named Battier a preseason All- American for this year, and he came one vote shy of unanimous support. “I take pride in making plays,” Battier said. “Early on in my career making plays was about taking charges and blocking shots. Now, I feel I can impact the game offensively.” Not that Duke is in desperate need of offensive firepower. Running the point is sophomore Jason Williams, who averaged 6.5 "Ijpß Duke Men's Basketball 2000-01 • Key Returnees: F Shane Battier (17.4 ppg, 5.6 rpg); C/F Carlos Boozer (13.0 ppg, 6.3 rpg); G Mike Dunleavy (9.1 ppg, 4.3 rpg); F/G Nate James (11.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg); f G Jason Williams (14.5 ppg, 6.5 apg) • Key Newcomers: G Chris Duhon, F Andre Sweet Mt • Key Losses: F Chris Carrawell • 1999-2000 Record: 29-5,15-1 in the ACC Mike Krzy z e wski | * Final ReSult: L ° St NCAA Sweet 16,0 Florida I "Voted CitySearch's Best l Mexican Restaurant 2000" I Mexican Buffet, II im until 10 pm everyday. Late night menu Friday 6 Saturday until midnight ® LATIN DANCING (VERY FRIDAY, 9 PH UNTIL... £ 506 Jones ferry Road, Carrkoro 1/2 mile north of SA bypass. 960-0171 jp bhe prink shop % University Mail ’ 942-7306 PStolS? - ~4n I \ JBk / "‘1 V ■ DTH/MILLER PEARSALL Duke forward Shane Battier (right) averaged 17.4 points a game last year and was named the nation's best defender for the second straight season. assists per game in addition to 14.5 points every time the Blue Devils took the court. “When he is on the court, he is our floor leader, no matter who else is out there," coach Mike Krzyzewski said. Williams stepped up his performance another notch in the ACC Tournament, when he averaged 17.7 points and was tabbed tourney MVR When the Freshman All-American decides to dish, he won’t have to look far for eager scorers. 1 Good Luck W*"* This Season, „° p Tar Heels! Let us help with all your Homecoming festivities. 124 E. Franklin Street 929-1119 Comfort Inn University Chapel Hill Choice Cold Winner 200^^^^^^ Welcomes all Tar Heel Basketball Fans Call 919.490.4949 to make reservations. IlfPfip Located 5 miles from campus. www.comfortinndurham.citysearch.com Friday, November 10, 2000 On the wing will be the versatile Mike Dunleavy Jr., who averaged 9.1 points per game last season. Dunleavy bulked up in the off-season and now sports a more powerful, more efficient body, Krzyzewski said. One of the most anticipated debuts in the nation belongs to Chris Duhon, a Louisiana-bred guard. The national high school player of the year last season, Duhon should play the 2-guard when Williams is playing and handle the point when Williams is resting. “Chris Duhon is very talented,” Battier said. “What is going to make him special is his willingness to leam. He is willing to listen to the advice of others who have been through the bat des and had the experiences.” James, a returning starter, will also contribute to the Blue Devils. He aver aged 11.0 points a game last season. Because of all of their talent and depth, the Blue Devils have the luxury of being able to push the tempo - some thing Duke was unable to do with fre quency last season. “We have so much depth that I think we are going to turn the tempo up a lot," James said. “We are going to force our hands this season; we are going to press teams a lot.” With seemingly all of their bases cov ered, Duke’s largest concerns are those that only time and games will determine - injuries and team chemistry. “You’re one turned ankle or pulled hamstring from radically altering the face of your team," Battier said. “To this point we’ve been injury free; we just hope to keep it that way.” Similarly, the Blue Devils are hoping to keep the chemistry that held them together last season, but the preseason can only serve as so much of a indicator for a difficult regular season. “I don’t think you can find out about the chemistry of a team until you start playing games,” Krzyzewski said. Fortunately for the Blue Devils, they have some room for error. 13
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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Nov. 10, 2000, edition 1
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