Miami Opens NIT at Providence on Wednesday
March 15, 2009
CORAL GABLES, FLA… – The fourth-seeded University of Miami men’s basketball team will travel to fifth-seeded Providence for the first round of the National Invitation Tournament on Wed., March 18, at 7 p.m. at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence, R.I. ESPN2 will broadcast the game live.
“We are excited to continue to play and have the opportunity to compete for a championship,” said fifth-year head coach Frank Haith. “We got a tough draw and have to go on the road to play a very talented Big East team. We just have to get ourselves ready to go out there and compete.”
The winner advances to the second round to take on the winner of the contest between top-seeded Florida (23-10) and eighth-seeded Jacksonville (18-13). Those two teams square off in Gainesville on Wednesday at 8 p.m.
The Hurricanes (18-12) are making their fourth postseason appearance in five seasons under Haith. It marks the 15th postseason appearance for the Hurricanes and the ninth NIT appearance in program history. Miami advanced to the third round in the 2005-06 NIT, knocking off Oklahoma State at home and winning on the road at Creighton before falling at Michigan.
Providence (19-13) owns the 15-14 edge in the all-time series between these former Big East rivals, however the Hurricanes have won four of their last six meetings- including a 64-58 win on Nov. 18, 2007, to claim the Puerto Rico Tip-Off Classic championship in San Juan. James Dews led Miami with 17 points – including three three-pointers – in the win over the Friars, while Brian Asbury added 16 points. Providence’s Weyinmi Efejuku, an All-Big East Honorable Mention pick in 2009, led all scorers with 21 points in the game
The Hurricanes, who finished the regular season in a three-way tie for seventh place with a 7-9 mark in the ACC, are led by two-time First Team All-ACC pick Jack McClinton, who averages 19.3 points per game – including an ACC-high 3.0 three-pointers per game at an ACC-best .455 clip. Dwayne Collins adds 10.5 points and a team-high 7.1 rebounds per game.
The Friars finished the regular season in eighth place in the Big East with a 10-8 mark – including wins over Pittsburgh and Syracuse. They knocked off DePaul, 83-74, in the second round of the Big East Tournament, before falling to Louisville, 73-55, in the quarterfinals. Efejuku leads Providence with 15.7 points and 4.0 rebounds per game, while Sharaud Curry adds 11.9 points and 4.2 assists per game.
Tickets, which cost $10-$15, are available online at www.friars.com or fans can call the Providence ticket office beginning Monday morning at 8:30 a.m. at 401-865-GOPC.
For the more information on the 2009 NIT, please visit www.nit.org.
