Hurricanes Host No. 16 Kentucky Saturday

Jan. 28, 2000

LEXINGTON, Kty. – Kentucky enters today’s game with a record of 14-5, 5-1 in the SEC,following a 75-69 victory at Georgia on Wednesday evening.

Kentucky, which has won four straight games, has been led thisseason by 6-10 senior center Jamaal Magloire. Magloire currenlty leads theWildcats in scoring (13.8 ppg), rebounding (8.4 rpg), blocks (35) and fieldgoal percentage (.500).

#16/#18 UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY (14-5, 5-1 SEC)
atUNIVERSITY OF MIAMI (12-7, 5-2 BIG EAST)
Saturday, January 29, 2000 — 1:00 p.m. (EST)
Miami Arena (15,388)
CBS, WQAM (560 AM), WVUM (90.5 FM)

Probable Hurricane Starters

Probable Wildcat Starters

ON THE COACHES:
Leonard Hamilton, in his 10th season at Miami and 14th as acollegiate head coach, has brought the University of Miami men’s basketballprogram in to the national spotlight. The 1998-99 BIG EAST Conference Coachof the Year, Hamilton has guided the Hurricanes to four postseasonappearances in the last five seasons including back-to-back NCAA Tournamentappearances in 1998 and 1999.

Last season Hamilton led Miami to a 23-7 record and a No. 10national ranking by the Associated Press. The 20-win season marked the firstfor Miami since the 1964-65 season while the AP ranking was the first sincethe 1959-60 season. Prior to his arrival at UM, Hamilton spent four seasonsat Oklahoma State where he led the Cowboys to their first back-to-backpostseason berths in 36 years. Hamilton’s record at UM is 133-143 (.482)while his career mark stands at 189-206 (.478).

Kentucky head coach Tubby Smith is in his third season with theWildcats and ninth season overall. Smith’s record at Kentucky is 77-18(.811) while his overall record stands at 201-80 (.715).

TV/RADIO COVERAGE:
Today’s game is being broadcast live on CBS. Verne Lundquist isproviding play-by-play with Billy Packer adding analysis.

Today’s game can be heard on the Hurricane Radio Network (WQAM-560AM). Marc Vandermeer (play-by-play) and Joe Zagacki (analysis) will call theaction. The game can also be heard locally on the University of Miamistudent radio network (WVUM-90.5 FM).

THE SERIES:
Miami and Kentucky meet for just the third time with the Wildcatsleading the all-time series 2-0. Kentucky and Miami faced one another lastseason with the Wildcats defeating the Hurricanes, 74-65, at Rupp Arena.Today’s game marks the first meeting between Miami and Kentucky in SouthFlorida.

PLAYING SPOILER:
Miami’s win over No. 10 St. John’s last season marked the fifthconsecutive season that the Hurricanes have defeated a ranked opponent inthe Miami Arena.

Wins Over Ranked Teams at Miami Arena since 1994-95:

UP NEXT:
Following today’s game the Hurricanes return to action againstPittsburgh on February 1 at 7:30 p.m. at Miami Arena. Miami will then hitthe road for a BIG EAST road game versus Rutgers on February 5 followed byback-to-back home games against Georgetown (Feb. 7, 7:00 p.m.) andProvidence (Feb. 16, 7:30 p.m.).

A WIN TODAY WOULD:

• Improve Miami’s record to 13-7, 5-2 in the BIG EAST.
• Be Miami’s fourth straight win.
• Be Miami’s eighth win in its last 10 games.
• Be Miami’s first win over Kentucky.
• Mark the sixth straight season Miami has defeated a ranked opponent atMiami Arena.

LAST SEASON AGAINST KENTUCKY

NO. 8 KENTUCKY 74, MIAMI 65
December 5, 1998
Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY

Sophomore center Michael Bradley scored 12 of his team-high 19points in the second half to lead eighth-ranked Kentucky to a 74-65 win overthe University of Miami at Rupp Arena. Tim James scored a game-high 22points and pulled down 10 rebounds to lead the Hurricanes.

The game, which was televised by CBS, marked the return of Miamihead coach Leonard Hamilton to Lexington for the first time since he left tobecome the head coach at Oklahoma State in 1986. Hamilton served as anassistant coach at Kentucky from 1974 to 1980 before being elevated toasssociate head coach in 1980.

Kentucky, which shot just 35.3 percent shooting in the opening halfcompared to Miami’s 57.5 percent, managed to keep the game 31-31 at thebreak by converting 13 Hurricane turnovers in 16 points. For the gameKentucky scored 23 points off 18 Miami turnovers. Kentucky also outscoredthe Hurricanes 12-2 on second chance opportunities.

With the score tied 49-49 with 10:28 to play, the Wildcats assumedcontrol of the game as Bradley scored eight points in a 12-3 Kentucky run.

Miami battled back and cut the lead to 67-63 following a three-pointbasket from Mike Byars-Dawson with 45.5 seconds to play. Out of time outs,Byars-Dawson quickly fouled freshman Tayshaun Prince to send him to the linefor a one-and-one. Prince missed the front end but Heshimu Evans reboundedthe miss and layed the ball in while being fouled. Evans converted on thefree throw to put the game out of reach.

MIAMI HURRICANES

KENTUCKY

Officials: John Clougherty, Andre Patillo, David Day
Technical Fouls: None
Attendance: 23,565

SAY CHEESE:
Today’s game marks the marks the first of two regular seasonappearances for Miami on CBS this season. The Hurricanes’ regular seasonfinale against St. John’s on March 5 will also be carried by CBS. Miami is2-5 all-time on CBS including a 2-2 record last season. The Hurricanes are18-31 all-time on national television including a 6-4 mark last season.

MIAMI DOMINATES IN THE ARENA:
This year marks the 11th season that Miami has called the MiamiArena home. The ‘Canes have compiled a 112-60 (.651) overall record at theArena, including a 6-2 mark this season. UM has posted a 63-18 (.778) homerecord since 1994. UM is 34-13 (.723) in its last 47 BIG EAST home gamesdating back to the 1994-95 season.

Miami Home Record Last Four Plus Seasons:

Top 5 BIG EAST Home Winning Percentages (1994-Pres.):
(Games through January 26)

Overall:

Conference Games Only:

MIAMI vs. NON-CONFERENCE OPPONENTS:
Since becoming the 10th member of The BIG EAST Conference beginningwith the 1991-92 season, the Hurricanes have compiled a 54-29 (.651) recordagainst non-conference opponents, including a 40-12 mark (.769) at the MiamiArena.

ROAD WARRIORS:
Last season Miami registered a 10-3 road record. The 10 road winswere the most since 1959-60. Miami is 4-2 on the road this season includinga 3-1 road record in BIG EAST play. Miami was 8-1 in BIG EAST road gameslast season.

MAKING ROAD HISTORY:
With its 73-71 win over Connecticut last season at Gampel Pavilion,Miami became the first school in BIG EAST history to defeat Connecticut,Syracuse, St. John’s and Georgetown on the road in the same season.

WINNING WAYS:
Miami’s 23-7 record last season marked its fifth consecutive winningseason. The last time Miami recorded at least five straight winning seasonswas the 1968-69 campaign when the ‘Canes registered their 10th straightwinning season.

VERSUS RANKED OPPONENTS:
Miami was 4-3 against ranked teams last season including a 3-1 markagainst ranked teams on the road. The Hurricanes have 11 wins over rankedopponents over the last five seasons. In their last eight contests againstranked teams at the Miami Arena the Hurricanes have posted a 5-3 record.

Miami Victories Over Ranked Teams:

HEMSLEY A NAISMITH CANDIDATE:
Johnny Hemsley has been selected as one of 30 preseason candidatesfor the 1999-2000 Naismith College Basketball Player of the Year Award. Thecandidates were selected by a vote of the Board of Selectors comprised ofleading basketball coaches, journalists and basketball analysts.

SUCCESS IN THE SUNSHINE STATE:
Entering the 1999-2000 season the Hurricanes are the only team inthe state of Florida to register a winning record in each of the last fiveseasons. The Hurricanes’ 87-57 (.604) mark since the 1994-95 season is thetop winning percentage and most victories among the state’s 11 Division Iprograms.

GETTING IT DONE AT BOTH ENDS:
Miami ranked 21st in the nation in field goal percentage and 13th inthe nation in field goal percentage defense. Miami joins Duke, Maryland,College of Charleston, Kentucky, Utah, and North Carolina as the onlyschools to rank nationally in both categories. Additionally, the Hurricanesled the BIG EAST in both categories.

THE BUILDING BLOCKS:
Seniors Mario Bland, Johnny Hemsley and Vernon Jennings have been anintegral part of the Hurricanes’ accent into the national spotlight. Duringtheir first three seasons at Miami the three have led the Hurricanes to a57-30 (.655) record, three consecutive winning season, and three straightpostseason appearances including NCAA Tournament bids in 1998 and 1999.Miami’s NCAA Tournament bid in 1998 marked the school’s first since 1960.

Additionally, Miami’s 57 wins are the most in a three year periodsince UM won 57 games from 1963-66 while its .655 winning percentage is thehighest since Miami posted a 52-26 (.667) record from 1964-67.

Should Miami earn a post season bid in 1999-2000, the trio wouldbecome the first Hurricanes to reach the post season in four consecutiveseasons.

MIAMI BACK IN THE DANCE, AGAIN:
Miami’s selection to the 1999 NCAA Championship marked theHurricanes second consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament. Prior to Miami’sNCAA tournament berth in 1998 the Hurricanes had received only one bid tothe “Big Dance” and that was in 1960. Last season the Hurricanes were seededNo. 2 in the East Region marking the highest NCAA seed in school history.The Hurricanes’ 75-54 win over Lafayette in the opening round marked Miami’sfirst NCAA Tournament victory in school history. Miami has advanced topost-season play in four of the last five seasons.

DOUBLE-DOUBLES:
Against Villanova, John Salmons recorded his first double-double ofthe season with 19 points and 10 rebounds. The double-double was the fifthof the season for Miami. Mario Bland leads the Hurricanes with threedouble-doubles this season.

1999-00 Hurricane Double-Doubles:

WORKING OVERTIME:
Miami’s game last season against Connecticut on Jan. 20 marked theHurricanes first overtime contest since a 76-68 victory over St. John’s inthe opening round of the 1997 BIG EAST Tournament. UM has amassed a 5-2record (including tournament games) in BIG EAST overtime contests (3-2 athome). Miami’s game against St. John’s on Feb. 20, 1996 is its onlydouble-overtime game in a BIG EAST contest since joining the league in the1991-92 season. The ‘Canes, who have never had more than three overtimegames in any season (3-0 in 1986-87 and 0-3 in 1990-91), own a 21-19 overallrecord in overtime contests during their history (4-3 in double-overtimegames and a 17-16 mark in single-overtime contests). UM has never played atriple-overtime game. Miami is 5-5 in overtime games under head coachLeonard Hamilton. Below is a list of UM’s overtime games under Hamilton:

ONLINE ALL THE TIME:
Check out the Hurricanes’ website at www.hurricanesports.com for allthe latest information on University of Miami athletics.

UM TICKETS ON SALE:
Single-game tickets for all University of Miami men’s basketballhome games at the Miami Arena are on sale at the Hecht Athletic CenterTicket Office on the UM campus, the Miami Arena, and through TicketMaster.

Sidecourt reserved seats are $13 and endcourt reserved seats are $10for each of Miami’s six non-conference games, not including Kentucky. Alltickets for the Kentucky game on Jan. 29 are $20 and include admission tothe Miami women’s contest against Connecticut immediately following themen’s game. Single game tickets for UM’s eight BIG EAST contests are $18 forsidecourt reserved and $15 for endcourt reserved. For the fourth straightseason a youth (17 and under) endcourt reserved ticket can be purchased for$7.

The Hurricane Ticket Office is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondaythrough Friday and 9 a.m. to noon on Saturdays. For more information callthe UM Ticket Office at (305) 284-CANES in Dade or 1-800-GO-CANES.

1999-00 MISCELLANEOUS STATS

Double Figure Scoring Games

20-Point Scoring Games

Double Figure Rebound Games

Double Figure Assist Games

Double-Doubles

Dunks

HURRICANES END 1998-99 SEASON RANKED:
The University of Miami ended the season ranked 10th in the finalAssociated Press College Basketball Top-25 poll and 12th in the seasonending ESPN/USA Today Coaches Top-25 poll.

Prior to last season’s debut at No. 25 in the Jan. 18 AssociatedPress poll Miami had not been ranked in the Associated Press poll since theend of the 1959-60 season when the Hurricanes were ranked No. 10 in thecountry. Miami reached a season-high of No. 9 in the nation in the March 1Associated Press poll. Miami’s highest ranking came on Mar. 1, 1960 when theHurricanes were ranked No. 8 by the Associated Press.

MIAMI IN THE PRESEASON POLLS:
The University of Miami men’s basketball team debuted at No. 25 inthe preseason Associated Press Top 25 college basketball poll and No. 24 inthe preseason ESPN/USA Today college basketball poll. The preseasonrankings are the first since the 1964-65 season when Miami opened theseason ranked 16th in the nation by United Press International. Prior tothis season Miami had never been ranked in the preseason by the AssociatedPress.

MIAMI IN THE 1999-00 POLLS:

MOVING UP THE SCORING LIST:
With his three-point basket at 18:16 of the first-half againstBethune-Cookman, Johnny Hemsley became the 22nd player in Miami history toscore 1,000 career points. Against Notre Dame, Hemsley scored 18 points toimprove his career total to 1,269. Hemsley ranks 12th on UM’s career scoringlist and needs 25 points to move past Willie Allen (1968-71) into 11th placeon UM’s career list.

UM Career Scoring List:

BLAND REACHES 1,000:
Senior center Mario Bland scored a career-high 24 points in Miami’swin over Boston College (1-22-00) and became the 23rd player in UM historyto record 1,000 career points. Bland currently has 1,018 points for hiscareer. Bland currently ranks 23rd on UM’s career scoring list and needs 12points to move past Rick Jones (1964-67) into 22nd place.

JENNINGS MOVES UP LADDER:
Vernon Jennings recorded 11 assists against Notre Dame to improvehis career assist total to 409. Jennings currently ranks third on UM’scareer assist list and needs three assists to reach Kevin Presto in secondplace.

BOMBS AWAY:
Senior Johnny Hemsley connected on 70 three-point baskets lastseason to improve his career total to 100. Hemsley has recorded 31three-point baskets this season to improve his career total to 131. Hemsleycurrently ranks fifth on Miami’s all-time career list.

JENNINGS SETS ASSIST RECORD:
Vernon Jennings recorded a team-high eight assists against St.John’s (3-5-99) last season and in doing so set a Miami single season assistrecord. Jennings ended the season with 167 assists surpassing the old markof 154 set by Michael Gardner in 1992-93.

DEAD-EYE FROM THE LINE:
Miami currently leads the BIG EAST and ranks 17th in the nation infree throw percentage (.750). Miami’s five starters have combined to shoot256-327 (.783) from the line while the starting backcourt of Johnny Hemsleyand Vernon Jennings are shooting 99-123 (.805) from the charity stripe.

HURRICANES HIT 100:
Miami defeated Bethune-Cookman 102-75 marking the second 100-pointscoring game for Miami in as many seasons. Last season Miami defeatedVillanova 103-82 marking the most points scored by a Hurricane team in a BIGEAST game.

OFFENSIVELY SPEAKING:
Miami shot a season-high 57.1 percent (36-63) against FloridaAtlantic marking the fourth time this season the Hurricanes have shot 50percent or better from the floor. Miami shot 54.1 percent (33-61) from thefloor against Bethune-Cookman (11-30-99), 51.4 percent (37-72) againstHartford (12-11-99) and 51.6 percent (32-62) against Illinois State(12-22-99). Last season the Hurricanes shot over 50 percent from the flooron 12 occasions. Miami shot 50 percent or better from the floor only fivetimes in 1997-98.

Miami 50 Percent Shooting Performances (since 1998)

EASY AS 1, 2, 3:
The Hurricanes have hit at least one three-point field goal in eachof the past 240 games, extending the school-record. Overall, the ‘Canes havehit at least one trey in 394 of its 395 games since the NCAA adopted thethree-point shot in 1986. The only game Miami has failed to hit athree-point field goal was against Howard University on Dec. 6, 1991 whenthe ‘Canes were 0-15 behind the three-point arc.

LOCKING UP:
In Miami’s win over West Virginia, the Hurricanes held theMountaineers without a point over a 5:28 stretch of the first half markingthe fifth time this season that Hurricanes have held an opponent scorelessfor five or more minutes.

Last season Miami made a habit of holding opponents scoreless forlong stretches. Eight times last season the Hurricanes held an opponentscoreless for over five or more minutes.

1998-99

1999-00

MAN OF STEAL:
Senior guard Vernon Jennings set a career-high with seven stealsagainst West Virginia (1-5-00). The seven steals rank as the second highestsingle game total in UM history and were the most since Jerome Scottrecorded nine steals against Florida International on March 4, 1991.Jennings currently has 156 career steals to rank fourth on UM’s career list.

MIAMI RANKS FOR THIRD STAIGHT SEASON:
Last season the Hurricanes ranked nationally in field goalpercentage defense for the third consecutive season. The University of Miamiended the season ranked 13th in the nation in field goal percentage defense(.384). In 1997-98 the University of Miami led the nation holding teams to37.9 percent shooting from the floor. In 1996-97 Miami held opponents to 38percent shooting from the field to rank sixth nationally.

GETTING DEFENSIVE:
Over the last four games the Hurricanes have stepped up theirdefensive play holding opponents to just 78-of-232 (.336) shooting from thefloor. Miami has held three of its last four opponents to under 33 percentshooting from the field. In addition, Miami’s perimeter defense has alsobeen strong holding its last four opponents to 16-of-71 (.225) fromthree-point range. Miami has also held its last four opponents to an averageof just 58.5 points per game.

Defensive Effort Over Last Four Games:

POSTING GREAT NUMBERS:
This season the Hurricanes have held the opposition’s startingcenters to a combined total of 104 points and 67 rebounds, an average of 5.5points and 3.5 rebounds per game. Miami has allowed only three startingcenters this season to score in double-figures.

Of the 30 games the Hurricanes played last season only five opponentcenters managed to score in double figures while only one grabbed 10 or morerebounds. Miami limited opponent’s centers to an average of 6.4 points and5.1 rebounds per game.

1999-00

HEMSLEY ON PRESEASON FIRST TEAM:
University of Miami senior Johnny Hemsley was named to the preseasonAll-BIG EAST first team by a vote of the league’s coaches at the BIG EASTConference Men’s Basketball Media Day at the Grand Hyatt in New York.

1999-00 PRESEASON AWARDS

All-BIG EAST First Team
Khalid El-Amin, Connecticut
Johnny Hemsley, Miami
Troy Murphy, Notre Dame
Erick Barkley, St. John’s
Etan Thomas, Syracuse

All-BIG EAST Second Team
Kevin Freeman, Connecticut
Isaac Hawkins, Pittsburgh
Bootsy Thornton, St. John’s
Jason Hart, Syracuse
Marcus Goree, West Virginia

Player of the Year: Khalid El-Amin, Connecticut
Rookie of the Year: Ajou Deng, Connecticut

HURRICANES TABBED FOURTH:
The men’s basketball team was selected to finish fourth in theconference behind Connecticut, Syracuse, and St. John’s. Miami, whichreturns four starters from last season’s squad, received one first placevote.

1999-00 BIG EAST Coaches’ Preseason Poll

HEMSLEY NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Johnny Hemsley was named the BIG EAST Player of the Week threetimes last season. Hemsley won the award for the first time last season onDec. 21 following his career-high 24 point performance in Miami’s 76-55 winat Georgia State. Hemsley was named the BIG EAST Player of the Week for thesecond time on Jan. 4 following his career-high 35 point performance inMiami’s 64-63 win at Georgetown on Dec. 30. Hemsley’s third honor came onFeb. 22 when he was named BIG EAST Co-Player of the Week after averaging22.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in the Hurricanes to two victories. Hemsleyshared the honor with Providence forward Jamel Thomas.

SELECT COMPANY:
Entering the 1999-2000 season the Hurricanes are one of just threeBIG EAST schools to post a winning overall record each of the past fiveseasons. Joining the Hurricanes are Syracuse and Connecticut.

ON THE RISE:
Since the start of the 1994-95 season UM has compiled a 57-40 (.588)record in BIG EAST regular season games. Only Connecticut, Syracuse andVillanova have a better conference record over that period.

Conference Records Since 1994-95 (games thru 1-25-00):

HURRICANES TAKE HOME HARDWARE:
Last season University of Miami head basketball coach LeonardHamilton was named BIG EAST Coach of the Year, senior forward Tim James(Miami Northwestern) was named BIG EAST Co-Player of the Year and juniorguard Johnny Hemsley (Baltimore, MD) was named the league’s Most ImprovedPlayer last season by a vote of the conference coaches.

1998-99 BIG EAST AWARDS

BIG EAST Co-Players of the Year
Richard Hamilton, Connecticut
Tim James, Miami

BIG EAST Rookie of the Year
Troy Murphy, Notre Dame

BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year
Etan Thomas, Syracuse

BIG EAST Most Improved Player
Johnny Hemsley, Miami

BIG EAST Coach of the Year
Leonard Hamilton, Miami

WINNING WAYS IN THE NCAA:
After a 10-4 mark last season, BIG EAST teams have compiled a 155-91record in the NCAA Tournament play. The .630 winning percentage is thesecond best in the nation amongst conferences. The ACC is first with a .670winning percentage.

JENNINGS WINS BIG EAST ASSIST TITLE:
Miami point guard Vernon Jennings won the 1998-99 BIG EAST assisttitle with an average of 6.06 per game in league play. Jennings handed out109 assists in 18 games setting a Miami BIG EAST single season record.Jennings is the second Hurricane in as many seasons to lead the league in astatistical category. Mario Bland led the league in field goal percentagelast season.

LEAGUE SCHEDULE REDUCED TO 16 GAMES:
For the first since 1990-91, each BIG EAST team will play only 16regular season conference games. The league has played 18 conference gamessince 1991-92. The 16 game schedule offers schools more flexibility inscheduling. BIG EAST teams have a better opportunity to improve their RPI(ratings percentage index) rankings and the league’s representation in theNCAA Tournament. the reduction to a 16-game league schedule has eliminatedDecember play dates.

STARTING AGAIN:
Nearly every BIG EAST team returns a majority of its starters fromlast season. Three squads – Boston College, Georgetown and Syracuse – bringback all five starters from 1998-99.

A SWEEPING SUCCESS:
With their win over Rutgers in last season’s regular season finalethe Hurricanes completed their fourth series sweep of the season. Miami hasregistered 10 BIG EAST regular season two-game sweeps since joining theleague in the 1991-92 season. Miami has now recorded at least one seriessweep in each of the last five seasons. Below is a list of UM’s BIG EASTseries sweeps:

POWER SCHEDULE:
Miami’s schedule includes 11 schools that rank in the top-50all-time in terms of winning percentage in NCAA history. The BIG EASTConference alone has eight teams that rank in the top-50 all-time. Miamiwill play 14 of its 29 regular season games against schools that rank in thetop-50 all-time. Seven of those games will be played at Miami Arena. BIGEAST opponents in CAPS.

1999-00 MIAMI BIG EAST TEAM RANKINGS
(games through Jan. 26)

1999-00 INDIVIDUAL BIG EAST RANKINGS
(games through Jan. 26)

BIG EAST Player of the Week:

BIG EAST Rookie of the Week: