Men's Hoops At WVU Tonight

Feb. 22, 2000

UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI (16-9, 9-3)
at
WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY (13-10, 5-7)
Tuesday, February 22, 2000 — 7:00 p.m. (EST)
Charleston Civic Center (12,630)
SportsChannel Florida, WQAM (560 AM)

TONIGHT’S OPPONENT:

West Virginia enters tonight’s contest with a record of 13-10, 5-7 in theBIG EAST, following an 80-76 loss to Boston College on Saturday. The loss wasthe second straight and fourth in the last five games for the Mountaineers.

West Virginia is 8-5 at home this season including a 3-3 mark inconference play. The Mountaineers have been forced to play their games offcampus due to asbestos problems at WVU Coliseum. West Virginia has splittheir home games between the Charleston Civic Center (Charleston, WV),Wheeling Civic Center (Wheeling, WV), and Feaster Center (Fairmont, WV). TheMountaineers are 6-2 at the Charleston Civic Center this season.

The Mountaineers have been led this season by senior forward MarcusGoree. Goree, a preseason second-team All-BIG EAST selection, leads the teamin scoring (14.3 ppg), rebounding (8.6 rpg), blocks (2.6 bpg) and steals (1.6spg).

ON THE COACHES:

Leonard Hamilton, in his 10th season at Miami and 14th as a collegiatehead coach, has brought the University of Miami men’s basketball program into the national spotlight. The 1998-99 BIG EAST Conference Coach of the Year,Hamilton has guided the Hurricanes to four postseason appearances in the lastfive seasons including back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 1998 and1999.

Last season Hamilton led Miami to a 23-7 record and a No. 10 nationalranking by the Associated Press. The 20-win season marked the first for Miamisince the 1964-65 season while the AP ranking was the first since the 1959-60season. Prior to his arrival at UM, Hamilton spent four seasons at OklahomaState where he led the Cowboys to their first back-to-back postseason berthsin 36 years. Hamilton’s record at UM is 137-145 (.486) while his career markstands at 193-208 (.481).

West Virginia head coach Gale Catlett is in his 22nd season with theMountaineers and 28th season overall as a collegiate head coach.

Catlett’s record at West Virginia is 413-244 (.629), including a 13-10mark this season, while his overall record stands at 539-288 (.652). Catlettis one of 45 coaches in NCAA history to register 500 career wins.

THE SERIES:

Miami and West Virginia meet for the 10th time with the Mountaineersleading the all-time series 5-4. Miami has won three straight against theMountaineers including a 66-58 win at Miami Arena this season. The Hurricanesare 1-3 all-time on the road against West Virginia. Last season Miamidefeated the Mountaineers 64-55 in Morgantown.

TV/RADIO COVERAGE:

Tonight’s game is being produced by ESPN Regional Television and is being broadcast in south Florida on SportsChannel Florida. John Sanders is providing play-by-play with Bob Wenzel adding analysis. The game can also be heard on the Hurricane Radio Network (WQAM-560 AM). Marc Vandermeer (play-by-play) and Joe Zagacki (analysis) will call the action.

UP NEXT:

Following tonight’s game the Hurricanes return home to face Notre Dame at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 26 at Miami Arena. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN.

A WIN TONIGHT WOULD:

Improve Miami’s record to 17-9, 10-3 in the BIG EAST. Be Miami’s eighth win in its last nine conference games. Give Miami 10 or more conference wins for the third straight season. Be Miami’s fourth straight win over West Virginia. Be Miami’s second straight win at West Virginia. Be Miami’s 15th win in its last 17 BIG EAST road games.

LAST TIME AGAINST WEST VIRGINIA:

Miami 66, West Virginia 58
January 5, 2000

Miami Arena, Miami, FL – Johnny Hemsley scored 23 points to lead the University of Miami to a 66-58 victory over the Mountaineers in both teams’ Big East opener.

Point guard Vernon Jennings supplied 14 points, eight assists and seven steals. Mario Bland added 12 points for the Hurricanes.

Miami forced 26 turnovers while committing just 11 to offset West Virginia’s 44-23 rebounding advantage and help snap the Mountaineers’ four-game winning streak.

Lionel Armstead led West Virginia with 14 points and Marcus Goree added 11 points and 10 rebounds. Freshman guard Tim Lyles had seven turnovers and was 3-of-10 shooting in a shaky conference debut.

Armstead hit back-to-back jumpers, including a 3-pointer, to bring West Virginia to within three points at 52-49 with 4:25 left.

Elton Tyler sank two free throws as West Virginia continued to turn the ball over down the stretch. Jennings banked in a 15-footer, and following an offensive foul by the Mountaineers, Hemsley hit a short baseline jumper to give Miami a secure 58-49 lead with 2:37 remaining.

The 26 turnovers forced was a season-best for Miami and 13 steals tied a season high. Jennings, whose seven steals established a career high and were just two off tying the school record.

VERSUS RANKED OPPONENTS:

Miami was 4-3 against ranked teams last season including a 3-1 mark against ranked teams on the road. The Hurricanes are 10-12 versus ranked opponents since 1996-97 and have defeated at least one ranked team in each of the last six seasons. Miami is 1-3 versus ranked teams this season.

Miami Victories Over Ranked Teams:

ROAD WARRIORS:

Last season Miami registered a 10-3 road record. The 10 road wins were the most since 1959-60. Miami is 6-2 on the road this season including a 5-1 road record in BIG EAST play. Miami was 8-1 in BIG EAST road games last season. Miami has won 14 of its last 16 BIG EAST road games dating back to the 1997-98 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.

MAKING ROAD HISTORY – PART II:

With its 63-57 win over Connecticut on February 19, 2000, the University of Miami became the first school to win consecutive games against the Huskies at Gampel Pavilion. Miami defeated Connecticut 73-71 in its previous trip to Storrs on February 20, 1999.

MIAMI DOMINATES IN THE ARENA:

This year marks the 11th season that Miami has called the Miami Arena home. The ‘Canes have compiled a 113-62 (.646) overall record at the Arena, including a 7-4 mark this season. UM has posted a 66-21 (.759) home record since 1994. UM is 37-14 (.725) in its last 50 BIG EAST home games dating back to the 1994-95 season.

Miami Home Record Last Four Plus Seasons:

Top 5 BIG EAST Home Winning Percentages (1994-Pres.):
(Games through February 20)

PLAYING SPOILER:

Miami’s win over No. 10 St. John’s last season marked the fifth consecutive season that the Hurricanes have defeated a ranked opponent in the Miami Arena.

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

WINNING WAYS:

Miami’s 23-7 record last season marked its fifth consecutive winning season. The last time Miami recorded at least five straight winning seasons was the 1968-69 campaign when the ?Canes registered their 10th straight winning season.

GETTING IT DONE AT BOTH ENDS:

Miami ranked 21st in the nation in field goal percentage and 13th in the nation in field goal percentage defense. Miami joins Duke, Maryland, College of Charleston, Kentucky, Utah, and North Carolina as the only schools to rank nationally in both categories. Additionally, the Hurricanes led the BIG EAST in both categories.

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 54-30 (.643) record against non-conference opponents, including a 40-13 mark (.755) at the Miami Arena.

SUCCESS IN THE SUNSHINE STATE:

Entering the 1999-2000 season the Hurricanes are the only team in the state of Florida to register a winning record in each of the last five seasons. The Hurricanes’ 87-57 (.604) mark since the 1994-95 season is the top winning percentage and most victories among the state’s 11 Division I programs.

THE BUILDING BLOCKS:

Seniors Mario Bland, Johnny Hemsley and Vernon Jennings have been an integral part of the Hurricanes’ accent into the national spotlight. During their first three seasons at Miami the three have led the Hurricanes to a 57-30 (.655) record, three consecutive winning season, and three straight postseason 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 period since UM won 57 games from 1963-66 while its .655 winning percentage is the highest since Miami posted a 52-26 (.667) record from 1964-67.

Should Miami earn a post season bid in 1999-2000, the trio would become the first Hurricanes to reach the post season in four consecutive seasons.

MIAMI BACK IN THE DANCE, AGAIN:

Miami’s selection to the 1999 NCAA Championship marked the Hurricanes second consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament. Prior to Miami’s NCAA tournament berth in 1998 the Hurricanes had received only one bid to the “Big Dance” and that was in 1960. Last season the Hurricanes were seeded No. 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’s first NCAA Tournament victory in school history. Miami has advanced to post-season play in four of the last five seasons.

DOUBLE-DOUBLES:

Against Providence, John Salmons recorded his second double-double of the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds. The double-double was the sixth of the season for Miami. Mario Bland leads the Hurricanes with three double-doubles this season.

1999-00 Hurricane Double-Doubles:

WORKING OVERTIME:

Miami’s game last season against Connecticut on Jan. 20 marked the Hurricanes first overtime contest since a 76-68 victory over St. John’s in the opening round of the 1997 BIG EAST Tournament. UM has amassed a 5-2 record (including tournament games) in BIG EAST overtime contests (3-2 at home). Miami’s game against St. John’s on Feb. 20, 1996 is its only double-overtime game in a BIG EAST contest since joining the league in the 1991-92 season. The ‘Canes, who have never had more than three overtime games in any season (3-0 in 1986-87 and 0-3 in 1990-91), own a 21-19 overall record in overtime contests during their history (4-3 in double-overtime games and a 17-16 mark in single-overtime contests). UM has never played a triple-overtime game. Miami is 5-5 in overtime games under head coach Leonard Hamilton. Below is a list of UM’s overtime games under Hamilton:

UM TICKETS ON SALE:

Single-game tickets for all University of Miami men’s basketball home games at the Miami Arena are on sale at the Hecht Athletic Center Ticket Office on the UM campus, the Miami Arena, and through TicketMaster.

Sidecourt reserved seats are $13 and endcourt reserved seats are $10 for each of Miami’s six non-conference games, not including Kentucky. All tickets for the Kentucky game on Jan. 29 are $20 and include admission to the Miami women’s contest against Connecticut immediately following the men’s game. Single game tickets for UM’s eight BIG EAST contests are $18 for sidecourt reserved and $15 for endcourt reserved. For the fourth straight season 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. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to noon on Saturdays. For more information call the UM Ticket Office at (305) 284-CANES in Dade or 1-800-GO-CANES.

MOVING UP THE SCORING LIST:

With his three-point basket at 18:16 of the first-half against Bethune-Cookman, Johnny Hemsley became the 22nd player in Miami history to score 1,000 career points. Later this season senior center Mario Bland scored a career-high 24 points against Boston College (1-22-00) to became the 23rd player in UM history to record 1,000 career points.

Hemsley ranks ninth on UM’s career scoring list while Bland is in 19th place.

UM Career Scoring List:

JENNINGS MOVES UP LADDER:

Vernon Jennings recorded eight assists against Connecticut to improve his career assist total to 447. Jennings ranks second on UM’s career assists list and trails only Kevin Norris who handed out 493 assists from 1994-98.

BOMBS AWAY:

Senior Johnny Hemsley has recorded 41 three-point baskets this season to improve his career total to 141. Hemsley currently ranks third 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 assist record. Jennings ended the season with 167 assists surpassing the old mark of 154 set by Michael Gardner in 1992-93.

Jennings has handed out 145 assists (6.3 apg) this season and is on track to break his own single season assist record. Jennings, who needs just 23 more assists this season to surpass last season’s total, is on pace to record 181 assists this season.

DEAD-EYE FROM THE LINE:

Miami is shooting a league best 75.3 percent from free throw line this season. Miami’s five starters have combined to shoot 332-428 (.776) from the line while the starting backcourt of Johnny Hemsley and Vernon Jennings are shooting 138-173 (.798) from the charity stripe.

HURRICANES HIT 100:

Miami defeated Bethune-Cookman 102-75 marking the second 100-point scoring game for Miami in as many seasons. Last season Miami defeated Villanova 103-82 marking the most points scored by a Hurricane team in a BIG EAST game.

OFFENSIVELY SPEAKING:

Miami shot a season-high 57.1 percent (36-63) against Florida Atlantic marking the fourth time this season the Hurricanes have shot 50 percent or better from the floor. Miami shot 54.1 percent (33-61) from the floor against Bethune-Cookman (11-30-99), 51.4 percent (37-72) against Hartford (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 floor on 12 occasions. Miami shot 50 percent or better from the floor only five times 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 each of the past 246 games, extending the school-record. Overall, the ?Canes have hit at least one trey in 400 of its 401 games since the NCAA adopted the three-point shot in 1986. The only game Miami has failed to hit a three-point field goal was against Howard University on Dec. 6, 1991 when the ?Canes were 0-15 behind the three-point arc.

LOCKING UP:

Over the last three seasons Miami has been one of the nation’s leaders in field goal percentage defense. Miami is holding opponents to 39.5 percent shooting from the field this season and made a habit of holding teams without a field goal for long stretches. This season the Hurricanes have held teams without a field goal for five minutes or more a total of 23 times while holding teams scoreless for five or more minutes six times.

MAN OF STEAL:

Senior guard Vernon Jennings set a career-high with seven steals against West Virginia (1-5-00). The seven steals rank as the second highest single game total in UM history and were the most since Jerome Scott recorded nine steals against Florida International on March 4, 1991. Jennings currently has 174 career steals to rank third on UM’s career list.

MIAMI RANKS FOR THIRD STAIGHT SEASON:

Last season the Hurricanes ranked nationally in field goal percentage defense for the third consecutive season. The University of Miami ended 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 to 37.9 percent shooting from the floor. In 1996-97 Miami held opponents to 38 percent shooting from the field to rank sixth nationally.

GETTING DEFENSIVE:

Over the last 10 games the Hurricanes have stepped up their defensive play holding opponents to just 198-of-550 (.360) shooting from the floor. Miami has held six of its last 10 opponents to under 40 percent shooting from the field. In addition, Miami’s perimeter defense has also been strong holding its last 10 opponents to 46-of-173 (.266) from three-point range. Miami has also held its last 15 opponents to under 70 points and an average of just 58.1 points per game.

Defensive Effort Over Last 10 Games:

POSTING GREAT NUMBERS:

This season the Hurricanes have held the opposition’s starting centers to a combined total of 151 points and 112 rebounds, an average of 6.0 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. Miami has allowed only six starting centers this season to score in double-figures and only two to grab 10 or more rebounds.

Of the 30 games the Hurricanes played last season only five opponent centers managed to score in double figures while only one grabbed 10 or more rebounds. Miami limited opponent’s centers to an average of 6.4 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.

1999-00

JENNINGS LOOKS TO REPEAT:

Miami point guard Vernon Jennings won the 1998-99 BIG EAST assist title with an average of 6.06 per game in league play. Jennings handed out 109 assists in 18 games setting a Miami BIG EAST single season record.

Jennings is currently tied for the conference lead in assists this season with an average of 6.50 per game in league contests. Jennings is attempting to become just the fourth player in BIG EAST history and the first since Sherman Douglas (Syracuse) in 1988-89 to lead the conference in assists in back-to-back seasons. Douglas led the BIG EAST in assists for three straight seasons from 1986-89. The only others to lead the BIG EAST in assists for two straight seasons are Dwayne “Pearl” Washington (Syracuse) from 1983-85 and Stewart Granger (Villanova) from 1980-82.