No. 22 Miami Hosts North Carolina A&T Sunday
Dec. 22, 2007
CORAL GABLES, FLA. – The undefeated and 22nd-ranked University of Miami men’s basketball team will take on North Carolina A&T at home at the BankUnited Center on Sun., Dec. 23, at 1 p.m.
Game 12: Miami (11-0) vs. North Carolina A&T (5-6)
Date: Sun., Dec. 23, 2007 | Time: 1 p.m. | Site: BankUnited Center
TV: None | Radio: WKAT 1360 AM, WVUM 90.5 FM | Internet Video: www.hurricanesports.com) | North Carolina A&T (www.ncataggies.com)
Tickets: 1-800-GO-CANES
Probable Miami StartersNo. Name (Pos/Ht/Wt/Cl) Pts Reb Ast00 Jimmy Graham (F, 6-7, 238, Sr.) 5.3 4.6 1.2^33 Jack McClinton (G, 6-1, 185, Jr.) 14.1 2.3 3.123 James Dews (G, 6-3, 203, So.) 11.4 2.5 1.532 Brian Asbury (F, 6-7, 223, Jr.) 10.2 5.8 2.250 Anthony King (C, 6-9, 246, R-Sr.) 9.3 8.5 1.9^
^ blocks per game
Probable N.C. A&T StartersNo. Name (Pos/Ht/Wt/Cl) Pts Reb Ast01 Steven Rush (G, 5-11, 170, Sr.) 16.8 2.0 2.103 Austin Ewing (G, 5-11, 160, Sr.) 9.8 2.4 3.304 Trahern Chaplin (G/F, 6-6, 200, Sr.) 4.4 3.7 0.620 Jason Wills (F, 6-6, 208, Sr.) 11.9 7.7 2.950 James Porter (C, 6-9, 220, Jr.) 3.4 3.2 0.3
The 11-0 Hurricanes continue their best start under fourth-year head coach Frank Haith and are among just 11 teams — out of 328 NCAA Division I men’s basketball programs — that remain undefeated.
With a win on Sunday, the Hurricanes would pick up their 12th win of the season and equal their total wins from the 2006-07 season, when they finished 12-20.
Miami is led by Jack McClinton, who has averaged 18.0 points, 4.3 assists and 3.0 rebounds over the last three games. He leads the ACC with 2.89 three-pointers per game at a league-high .553 clip. Brian Asbury and James Dews also both shoot over 50 percent from beyond the arc for the Hurricanes and average double-figure scoring.
The Hurricanes knocked down 10 three-pointers in Thursday’s win over North Florida — the fourth time this season, and twice in as many games, they have hit double-figure treys. Asbury (3-3), Dews (3-7), Eddie Rios (2-3), Lance Hurdle (1-2) and McClinton (1-3) did the work from downtown for Miami, who shot a season-high 55.6 three-point field goal percentage (10-18) in the win.
With four blocked shots in Thursday’s win, fifth-year senior Anthony King moved into a tie with current Portland Trail Blazer James Jones for third place in program history in career blocked shots with 192. King is among the ACC’s top 10 in both rebounding and blocked shots, while Jimmy Graham is 10th in the conference with 1.22 blocked shots per game.
The Series
Sunday marks the third meeting between Miami and North Carolina A&T. The Hurricanes won the two previous games by an average of 22 points, including an 87-62 win in their last meeting on Nov. 22, 2005, at the BankUnited Center. Five current Hurricanes played in that game – including starts from Graham and King – with the current players contributing 31 points, 26 rebounds, five assists, five blocks and three steals in the win. Five current Aggies played in that game — including four projected starters. North Carolina A&T’s Austin Ewing had 11 points, one rebound and one assist.
A Look at North Carolina A&T
The Aggies bring an experienced squad to Coral Gables, with four seniors and a junior comprising the projected starting five. This season alone, the Aggies have defeated DePaul on the road, 96-93, and have played at nationally-recognized Pittsburgh, Tennessee and Missouri. N.C. A&T rides a two-game skid into the game, including Wednesday’s 88-70 loss at Akron. The Aggies, who rank 16th in the nation with 10.3 steals per game, are led by senior Steven Rush, who has started three straight, with 16.8 points, 2.7 three-pointers and 2.0 rebounds per game. He came off the bench to score 40 points — including going 10-of-17 from long range — at DePaul. Jason Wills adds 11.9 points and team-high 7.7 boards per game, while Ewing averages 9.8 points — including 1.7 treys — an outing.
Watch Live on ACC Select
Sunday’s game will be broadcast exclusively via streaming video on ACC Select at www.accselect.com. Hurricanes fans can purchase a Single Event Pass ($4.99 per event), a Monthly All-Event Pass ($9.99 per month) which allows unlimited access to games or an Annual All-Event Pass ($69.99).
