Men's Basketball Hosts St. John's

Feb. 8, 2001

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ST. JOHN’S RED STORM (12-9, 6-4 BIG EAST)atMIAMI HURRICANES (12-9, 4-6 BIG EAST)
Saturday, February 10, 2001 — 3:30 p.m. (EST)
Miami Arena (15,388)
ABC (Live), WQAM (560 AM), WVUM (90.5 FM)

St. John’s enters tonight’s game with a record of 12-9, 6-4 in the BIG EAST, following an 83-73 loss at Notre Dame on February 5. The Red Storm were led by freshman point guard Omar Cook who recorded 24 points and 12 assists.

The Red Storm are 1-4 on the road in BIG EAST play and have dropped their last three BIG EAST road games. Overall, St. John’s has lost three of its last four games.

St. John’s has been led this season by the freshmen back court of Cook and Willie Shaw. Cook is averaging a team-high 16.1 points per game while handing out a BIG EAST leading 8.95 assists per contest. Shaw ranks second on the team in scoring (14.4 ppg).

THE SERIES:
Miami and St. John’s meet for the 23rd time, and for the second time this season, with the Red Storm leading the all-time series 12-10. Miami and St. John’s are tied 8-8 in BIG EAST regular season play. St. John’s defeated Miami 67-63 in overtime on Jan. 22. The Hurricanes are 6-2 against the Red Storm at Miami Arena including two straight wins. The rivalry has been a closely contested one with the last six meetings being decided by five points or less.

LAST TIME AGAINST ST. JOHN’S
January 22, 2001
Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
St. John’s freshman point guard Omar Cook scored 17 points and handed out nine assists to lead the Red Storm to a 67-63 overtime victory over the University of Miami at Madison Square Garden.

Darius Rice led Miami with 22 points and seven rebounds. James Jones added 17 points and John Salmons 13 points for the Hurricanes.

Miami, which trailed 31-24 at the half, opened the second with a 23-7 run and took a 47-38 lead following a dunk from Salmons at the 10:59 mark.

The Hurricanes led by eight (54-46) with 5:47 to play when St. John’s went on a 10-0 run to take a two-point lead with 1:47 left. The Hurricanes would tie the score with 9.5 seconds remaining as Salmons sent the game to overtime with a running jumper in the lane.

Miami jumped out to a three-point lead (61-58) in the overtime when Rice hit his fourth three-point basket of the game. St. John’s would score nine of the next 11 points to pull away for the win.

The overtime win marked the first for St. John’s over the Hurricanes who entered the game 0-3 against Miami in overtime contests.

The Hurricanes, who entered the game averaging 25 points per game off the bench, received just four points from it reserves against the Red Storm.

UP NEXT:
Following tonight’s game the Hurricanes hit the road for their next three games against Syracuse (Feb. 13), Villanova (Feb. 17) and Connecticut (Feb. 24).

TV/RADIO COVERAGE:
Tonight’s game is being broadcast on ABC. Mike Tirico is handling the play-by-play with Len Elmore adding analysis. The game can be heard on the Hurricane Radio Network (WQAM – 560 AM). Marc Vandermeer is calling the play-by-play with Joe Zagacki providing analysis. The University of Miami Student Radio Network (WVUM-90.5 FM) is also broadcasting game. The game can be accessed live over the internet at the official website for HurricaneAthletics – www.hurricanesports.com.

A HURRICANE WIN WOULD:

• Improve Miami’s record to 13-9, 5-6 BIG EAST.
• Mark Miami’s third straight win.
• Mark the Hurricanes’ fifth win in its last seven games.
• Improve Miami’s record against St. John’s at Miami Arena to 7-2.

TONIGHT’S GAME PROMOTIONS:

• Basketball trading cards will be distributed to the first 2000 people entering the Arena.
• New head football coach Larry Coker will be introduced during the third timeout of the first half.

ON THE COACHES:
Miami head coach Perry Clark was named the Hurricanes’ head basketball coach on on July 6, 2000. Clark comes to Coral Gables having spent 11 seasons at Tulane University in New Orleans, La. With the Green Wave, Clark compiled a 185-145 (.561) record, had six 20-win seasons, seven postseason appearances (3 NCAA, 4 NIT) and won the Metro Conference championship in 1992. He was the 1992 National Coach of the Year and a two-time Metro Conference Coach of the Year (1991, 1992). Last season Clark finished 20-11 and captured the Conference USA National Division crown.

Additionally, Tulane received a bid to the NIT. Clark’s career record stands at 197-154 (.561) including a 12-9 record this season.

St. John’s head coach Mike Jarvis is in his third season with the Red Storm and 16th season overall. Jarvis’ record at St. John’s is 65-26 (.714) while his all-time record stands at 318-167 (.656).

A NEW HOME COURT:
The University of Miami will play on new floor at the Miami Arena this season. The floor was donated by Dr. Eddie Dauer and Sam Burstyn and is adorned in the Hurricanes’ colors of orange, green and white.

NO DAY AT THE BEACH:
Miami’s 77-74 win over No. 15 Connecticut on January 20 marked the seventh consecutive season that the Hurricanes have defeated a ranked opponent in the Miami Arena. Miami is 2-0 this season against ranked teams at Miami Arena having also defeated No. 22 Seton Hall, 72-66, on Feb. 1.

BARNES STEPPING UP:
Miami freshman Marcus Barnes has stepped up his game in BIG EAST play. Barnes, who averaged 3.6 points per game in 11 non-conference games, ranks third on the team in scoring in conference games (12.0 ppg). In the Hurricanes’ last seven games Barnes has scored in double-figures four times including three 20-point games.

RECORD SETTING NIGHTS FOR RICE:
Freshman forward Darius Rice recorded 35 points in the Hurricanes’ win over Central Florida (12-9-00) setting a Miami freshman single-game scoring record. Rice broke the old mark of 30 set by Tito Horford on February 25, 1987.

On January 10, 2001 vs. Virginia Tech, Rice hit seven three-point field goals establishing a new UM freshman record. Rice totalled 31 points vs. the Hokies becoming the first player in UM history to record two 30-point scoring games as a frosh.

In his debut against Florida Atlantic on November 18, Rice poured in a game-high 26 points marking the most by a freshman in a season-opener.Rice has now recorded three of the top eight freshman scoring totals in UM history.

MIAMI vs. NON-CONFERENCE OPPONENTS:
Since becoming the 10th member of The BIG EAST Conference beginning with the 1991-92 season, the Hurricanes have compiled a 63-34 (.649) record against non-conference opponents, including a 45-13 mark (.776) at the Miami Arena.

UM TIES SCHOOL RECORD FOR WINS IN 1999-00:
Miami won 23 games last season tying the school single season record for victories. Miami’s single season record of 23 victories was set during the 1959-60 season and later tied during 1962-63 and 1998-99 seasons.

VERSUS RANKED OPPONENTS:
UM is 2-2 against ranked teams this season. The Hurricanes are 14-16 versus ranked opponents since 1996-97 and have defeated at least one ranked team in each of the last seven seasons. Miami is 23-81 (.221) all-time against ranked teams including a 20-67 (.230) record since the rebirth of the program in 1985.

WINNING WAYS:
With its 63-57 win over Connecticut on February 19, the University of Miami clinched its six consecutive winning season. The last time Miami recorded at least six straight winning seasons was the 1968-69 campaign when the `Canes registered their 10th straight winning season.

MIAMI DOMINATES IN THE ARENA:
In 11 seasons at the Miami Arena the Hurricanes have compiled a 125-64 (.660) overall record, including a 10-2 mark this season. One of Miami’s home losses this season was at the National Car Rental Center in Sunrise, FL. UM has posted a 78-24 (.762) home record since 1994. UM is 42-16 (.719) in its last 58 BIG EAST home games dating back to the 1994-95 season.

RICE AMONG TOP BIG EAST FRESHMEN
Miami freshman Darius Rice has been extremely important to the Hurricanes’ success and is certainly one of the top freshmen in the BIG EAST this season. The 6-10 forward currently ranks fourth among BIG EAST freshmen in scoring and rebounding.

MIAMI REACHES SWEET 16 FOR FIRST TIME:
With its 75-62 win over Ohio State in the second round of last season’s NCAA tournament, the University of Miami advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Championships for the first time in school history. Miami has advanced to post-season play in five of the last six seasons including three consecutive NCAA tournament appearances.

SUCCESS IN THE SUNSHINE STATE:
Entering the 2000-01 season the Hurricanes are the only team in the state of Florida to register a winning record in each of the last six seasons. The Hurricanes’ 110-68 (.618) mark since the 1994-95 season is the top winning percentage and most victories among the state’s 11 Division I programs.