Men's Basketball Heads to Virginia
Feb. 25, 2009
Complete Game Notes (PDF) | Raycom TV Affiliate Listing
CORAL GABLES, FLA… – The University of Miami men’s basketball team heads to Charlottesville to face Virginia on Thursday, Feb. 26. The Hurricanes will play two-straight games on the road before returning home to the BankUnited Center for their regular-season finale on March 7.
Game 27: Miami (16-10, 5-8 ACC) vs. Virginia (9-14, 3-9 ACC)
Date: Thurs., Feb. 26, 2009 | Time: 8 p.m. (EST) | Site: John Paul Jones Arena
TV: Raycom (WBFS-My 33 in South Florida) | Radio: 560 WQAM
Websites: Miami (www.hurricanesports.com) | Virginia (www.virginiasports.com)
Projected Miami Starters
No. Name (Pos/Ht/Wt/Cl) Pts Reb Ast
23 James Dews (G, 6-4, 209, Jr.) 8.5 2.7 1.3
33 Jack McClinton (G, 6-1, 185, Sr.) 20.1 3.3 3.0
32 Brian Asbury (G/F, 6-7, 221, Sr.) 7.5 4.7 1.3
00 Jimmy Graham (F, 6-8, 256, Sr.) 3.7 6.1 1.3^
21 Dwayne Collins (F, 6-8, 238, Jr.) 11.0 7.2 1.0*
Projected Virginia Starters
No. Name (Pos/Ht/Wt/Cl) Pts Reb Ast
15 Sylven Landesberg (G, 6-6, 205, Fr.) 18.0 6.0 2.9
04 Calvin Baker (G, 6-2, 186, Jr.) 7.8 2.4 2.6
23 Jeff Jones (G, 6-4, 200, So.) 6.2 2.0 1.0
05 Assane Sene (C, 7-0, 234, Fr.) 2.9 5.1 1.7^
45 Solomon Tat (G/F, 6-5, 223, Jr.) 0.8 1.0 0.3
^ blocks per game * steals per game
THE SERIES
Thursday marks the ninth meeting between Miami and Virginia, with the Hurricanes leading the all-time series, 5-3. Miami has won two straight over Virginia, including a 95-93 victory in their last meeting in Coral Gables on March 1, 2008.
In that meeting, McClinton knocked down seven three-pointers en route to 34 points, while Jimmy Graham scored a career-high 19 points (7-10 FGs, 5-9 FTs) and Lance Hurdle added 10 points — including a key trey with 9.2 seconds remaining.
Virginia — who has one of the league’s top freshmen in Sylven Landesberg (18.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg) — has won two of its last three games, defeating both Clemson (85-81 OT) and Virginia Tech (75-61) at home.
HURRICANE WARNING
Miami’s strength of schedule is ranked NINTH in the country and third in the ACC. The Hurricanes have played five games versus teams that have been ranked No.1 this season and have played four of the five teams that have been atop the polls in 2008-09 — UConn, North Carolina, Wake Forest and Duke. Pitt is the only team that has reached the top spot this season that Miami is not scheduled to face.
The Hurricanes have five wins versus the nation’s top 60 in the RPI — with a 27-point victory over Wake Forest, a series sweep of Boston College and splits with Florida State and Maryland. In addition, the Hurricanes won at Kentucky and at St. John’s. Their only non-conference losses are to Connecticut in the Virgin Islands and to Ohio State in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
HE’S ON THE LIST
Senior guard Jack McClinton was among 30 men’s basketball players named to the mid-season list for the 2009 Naismith Trophy. The ACC leads all conferences with nine players on the list, followed by the Big East with eight.
The top 30 men’s list was voted on by the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s Board of Selectors, comprised of basketball journalists, coaches and administrators from across the country. The Naismith Trophy — which will be presented at the NCAA Final Four — is the most prestigious national basketball award given annually to the men’s basketball player of the year.
McClinton — the ACC’s all-time three-point field goal percentage leader (.446) — also leads the ACC this season in three-point field goal percentage (.477) and three-pointers per game (3.2), while ranking among the league’s top five in both scoring (20.1 ppg) and free throw percentage (.860). He is the only ACC player to rank among the nation’s top 30 in four different statistical categories — including third in the country in three-point field goal percentage, and owns three of the conference’s top-10 scoring performances this season — including back-to-back-to-back 30-point games versus Wake Forest, Duke and North Carolina. No other player appears in the list more than once.
THAT WILL LEAVE A MARK
With four three-pointers in the win over Boston College on Saturday, McClinton set a new school record with 269 career treys in just three seasons as a Hurricane. He broke the record of 265 set by Steven Edwards (1992-96) 13 years ago.
In addition, the senior sharpshooter — who’s 269 career treys rank 11th in ACC history — has has hit a trey in 29-straight games, the longest active streak in the ACC and the third-longest in UM history. He already owns Miami’s second-longest three-point streak of 30 straight (set between 2007 and 2008) and can tie it with a three-pointer at Virginia on Thursday.
PORTSMOUTH BOUND
McClinton has been invited to participate in the 57th annual Portsmouth Invitational Tournament in Portsmouth, Va., from April 8-11. The P.I.T., the nation’s oldest amateur basketball tournament, is a showcase for outstanding basketball players in their senior year of college and is recognized by NBA and European scouts as the premier showcase for future professional players. Additionally, it is the only tournament for college seniors to participate in and be evaluated by the National Basketball Association prior to the NBA’s new Draft Combine (May 27-31 in Chicago).
Participants that have gone on to play and/or coach in the NBA include former Hurricanes John Salmons (currently with the Chicago Bulls) and James Jones (currently with the Miami Heat), as well as Larry Brown, Scottie Pippen, Ben Wallace and Derek Fisher.
ALL THAT AND THEN SOME
McClinton has scored 20-or-more points in four of the last five games and in eight of the last 10 — including three games of 30-plus points. Over the last five games, he is averaging 26.0 points per game, converting .586 from the field and .586 from long range. He has scored in double figures in a team-best 22-straight games — the third-longest active streak in the ACC.
THE HOME STRETCH
Join the Hurricanes in their final home game of the regular season on Sat., March 7 vs. NC State at Noon. Miami’s four seniors – Brian Asbury, Jimmy Graham, Lance Hurdle and Jack McClinton – will all be honored before their final home game as a `Cane.
