Calm Before The Red Storm

March 10, 2000

ST. JOHN’S UNIVERSITY (22-7)
vs.
MIAMI HURRICANES (21-9)

AT&T BIG EAST Championship Semifinals
March 10, 2000 – 9:00 p.m.
Madison Square Garden (19,763) – New York, NY
ESPN, WQAM (560 AM)

TV/RADIO COVERAGE

Tonight’s will be televised live on ESPN. Mike Tirico will provide the play-by-play with Len Elmore adding analysis. The game can also be heard on the Hurricane radio network WQAM (560 AM). The game will start off on WSRF (1580 AM) and will move to WQAM following the Florida-Tampa Bay hockey game. Mark Vandermeer (play-by-play) and Joe Zagacki (analysis) will call all the action. Those with internet access can listen to all the action online at www.hurricanesports.com.

MIAMI vs. ST. JOHN’S

Miami and St. John’s meet for the second time this season and for the 21st time overall. The all-time series is tied 10-10 although the Hurricanes have won three of the last four matchups, including a 74-70 victory in this season’s regular season finale at Miami Arena.

Tonight’s game marks the second straight season that Miami and St. John’s have met in the semifinals of the BIG EAST Tournament. Last season St. John’s defeated Miami 62-59 to advance to the championship game.

Miami is 1-1 against the Red Storm in BIG EAST Tournament play. The Hurricanes defeated St. John’s 76-68 in overtime in the opening round of the 1997 championship.

The Hurricanes are 2-1 all-time against St. John’s at Madison Square Garden.

THE SERIES

A WIN TONIGHT WOULD

Improve Miami’s record to 22-9.Advance the Hurricanes to their first BIG EAST Tournament final.Mark the Hurricanes’ fourth win in its last five meetings with St. John’s.Be Miami’s seventh straight win.

Probable Hurricane Starters

UM IN THE BIG EAST TOURNAMENT

With its win over Notre Dame, the University of Miami advanced to the AT&T BIG EAST Championshipsemifinals for the second consecutive season. Miami is 5-8 all-time in BIG EAST Tournament competition.

ON COACH HAMILTON

Leonard Hamilton, in his 10th season at Miami and 14th as a collegiate head coach, has brought the University of Miami men’s basketball program in to the national spotlight. The 1998-99 BIG EAST Conference Coach of the Year, Hamilton has guided the Hurricanes to four postseason appearances in the last five seasons including back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 1998 and 1999.

This season Hamilton guided the Hurricanes to its second consecutive 20-win season and a share of the BIG EAST regular season title. The title is the first BIG EAST championship for Miami while its back-to-back 20-win seasons are the first since the 1964-65 campaign.

Last season Hamilton led Miami to a 23-7 record and a No. 10 national ranking by the Associated Press. The 20-win season marked the first for Miami since the 1964-65 season while the AP ranking was the first since the 1959-60 season.

Prior to his arrival at UM, Hamilton spent four seasons at Oklahoma State where he led the Cowboys to their first back-to-back postseason berths in 36 years. Hamilton’s record at UM is 142-145 (.495) while his career mark stands at 198-208 (.488).

LAST TIME VERSUS ST. JOHN’S
Miami 74, St. John’s 70
March 5, 2000
Miami Arena, Miami, FL

Elton Tyler scored a game-high 20 points and Mario Bland added 19 points as Miami recorded a dramatic, 74-70, overtime victory over 18th-ranked St. John’sto claim a share of the BIG EAST regular-season championship.

The Miami win snapped the Red Storm’s eight game winning streak. Lavor Postell led St. John’s with 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Bootsy Thornton and Reggie Jessie added 11 points each.

The title, which Miami shares with Syracuse, is Miami’s first since joining the BIG EAST in 1991 and the school’s first of any kind since 1965, when Miami finished 10-0 in winning its eighth consecutive Florida Intercollegiate Conference.

Trailing 62-60 with 10 seconds remaining in regulation, Bland hit a jumper from the top of the key to send the game into overtime.

Tyler would scored five points in the overtime but it was his block of an Erick Barkley jumper with 20 seconds remaining that helped preserve the win. Miami’s Vernon Jennings grabbed the rebound and was fouled. The senior, playing in his final home game, hit both free throws to put the Hurricanes ahead 74-70 with nine seconds left.

THE BUILDING BLOCKS

Miami seniors Mario Bland, Johnny Hemsley and Vernon Jennings have been an integral part of the Hurricanes’ ascent into the national spotlight.

Now in their fourth season the three have led Miami to a 78-39 (.667) record, four consecutive winning season, a share of the 1999-2000 BIG EAST regular season title 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 while its BIG EAST regulat season title was the first in school history.

Additionally, Miami’s 78 wins are the most in a four year period since UM won 80 games from 1962-66 while its .667 winning percentage is the highest since Miami posted a 72-33 (.686) record from 1963-67.

Over the last four seasons Miami’s three seniors have led the Hurricanes to a 48-22 (.686) record tying Connecticut for the best conference mark over that period.

With a post season bid in this season, the trio will become the first Hurricanes to reach the post season in four consecutive seasons.

HURRICANES EARN SHARE OF BIG EAST TITLE

With its 74-70 win over St. John’s on March 5 the University of Miami earned a share of the 1999-2000 BIG EAST regular season title. The BIG EAST title is the first for Miami and the Hurricanes first conference title of any kind since the 1964-65 season. That season the Hurricanes went 10-0 to win their eighth straight Florida Intercollegiate Conference championship. The league, which consisted of Miami, Florida Southern, Jacksonville, Rollins, Stetson and Tampa, was disbanded the following year.

SEEING 20-20

Miami win over St. John’s in its regular season finale marked the Hurricanes’ recorded their 20th win of the season marking UM’s second consecutive 20-win season. The back-to-back 20-win seasons are the first for Miami since the 1964-65 season. That season the Hurricanes finished 22-4 for their third consecutive 20-win season.

ROAD WARRIORS

Over the last two seasons Miami is 15-2 in BIG EAST road games. The 15-2 mark is the best among BIG EAST schools over the last two seasons. Miami, which was 8-1 in BIG EAST road games last season, was 7-1 in conference road games this season. Miami has won 16 of its last 18 BIG EAST road games dating back to the 1997-98 season.

Top BIG EAST Road Records Over Last Two Seasons
(games through 3/1/00)

WINNING WAYS

With its 63-57 win over Connecticut on February 19, the University of Miami clinched its six consecutive winning season. The last time Miami recorded at least six straight winning seasons was the 1968-69 campaign when the ?Canes registered their 10th straight winning season.

HEMSLEY, BLAND HONORED

University of Miami senior guard Johnny Hemsley was named second-team All-BIG EAST and senior center Mario Bland was selected third-team All-Conference by a vote of the leagues coaches.

1999-00 ALL-BIG EAST

First Team
Khalid El-Amin, Connecticut
Troy Murphy, Notre Dame
Erick Barkley, St. John’s
Etan Thomas, Syracuse
Jason Hart, Syracuse

Second Team
JOHNNY HEMSLEY, MIAMI
Ricardo Greer, Pittsburgh
Lavor Postell, St. John’s
Shaheen Holloway, Seton Hall
Malik Allen, Villanova

Third Team
MARIO BLAND, MIAMI
Bootsy Thornton, St. John’s
Marcus Goree, West Virginia
Ryan Blackwell, Syracuse
Ruben Boumtje Boumtje, Georgetown

MAKING ROAD HISTORY

With its 73-71 win over Connecticut during the 1998-99 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 of this season 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.

DOUBLE-DOUBLES

Against Pittsburgh, Mario Bland recorded his team leading fourth double-double of the season with 20 points and 10 rebounds. The double-double was the seventh of the season for Miami.

1999-00 Hurricane Double-Doubles:

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 11-12 versus ranked opponents since 1996-97 and have defeated at least one ranked team in each of the last six seasons. Miami is 2-3 versus ranked teams this season.

Miami Victories Over Ranked Teams:

LATE SEASON HEAT WAVE

Over the last two seasons Miami has caught fire at the right time registering a 19-3 (.864) record in the months of February and March. Miami has gone 9-1 in the months of February and March this season while going 10-2 last season.

WORKING OVERTIME

Miami’s game this season versus St. John’s marked the Hurricanes’ first overtime contest since last seasons game against Connecticut on Jan. 20. UM has amassed a 6-2 record (including tournament games) in BIG EAST overtime contests (4-2 at home). Miami’s game against St. John’s on Feb. 20, 1996 is UM’s only double-overtime game in a BIG EAST contest. 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 22-19 overall record in overtime contests during their history (4-3 in double-overtime games and a 18-16 mark in single-overtime contests). UM has never played a triple-overtime game. Miami is 6-5 in overtime games under head coach Leonard Hamilton. Below is a list of UM’s overtime games under Hamilton:

JENNINGS REPEATS AS ASSIST CHAMPION

Miami point guard Vernon Jennings handed out 111 assist (6.94 apg) in BIG EAST play this season marking the second straight season Jennings has led conference in assists.

Jennings is 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.

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 setting a UM BIG EAST single-season record.

AMONG THE ELITE

Since the start of the 1996-97 season UM has compiled a 48-22 (.686) record in BIG EAST regular season games tying Connecticut for the best conference mark over that period.

Conference Records Since 1996-97:

SELECT COMPANY

Entering the 1999-2000 season the Hurricanes are one of just three BIG EAST schools to post a winning overall record each of the past five seasons. Joining the Hurricanes are Syracuse and Connecticut.

DID YOU KNOW?

The University of Miami has registered a league best 28-6 (.824) conference mark over the last two seasons. Miami, which was 15-3 in league play last season, went 13-3 this year.

Conference Record Last Two Seasons:

ONLINE ALL THE TIME

Check out the Hurricanes’ website at www.hurricanesports.com for all the latest information on University of Miami athletics.

THREE AWAY

Vernon Jennings recorded 11 assists against Notre Dame in the quarterfinals of the AT&T BIG EAST Championship to improve his career assist total to 491. Jennings is now three assists shy of setting a new Miami career assist mark. Jennings ranks second on UM’s career assists list trailing only Kevin Norris, who handed out 493 assists from 1994-98.

1. Kevin Norris (1994-98)          4932. VERNON JENNINGS (1996-present)  491

JENNINGS SETS ASSIST RECORD, AGAIN

Vernon Jennings has handed out 189 assists this season breaking his own UM single season assist record. Last season Jennings set a UM record with 167 assists.

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 seventh on UM’s career scoring list while Bland is in 17th place.

UM Career Scoring List:

BOMBS AWAY

Senior Johnny Hemsley has recorded 49 three-point baskets this season to improve his career total to 149. Hemsley currently ranks third on Miami’s all-time career list.

1. Steven Edwards (1992-96)       2652. Kevin Presto (1985-89)         1703. JOHNNY HEMSLEY (1996-present)  149

OFFENSIVELY SPEAKING

Miami shot 50.0 percent from the field against Notre Dame (3-9-00) marking the sixth time this season the Hurricanes have shot 50 percent or better from the floor. 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

Prior to the St. John’s game on March 5, the Hurricanes had hit at least one three-point field goal in 249 consecutive games. Overall, the ?Canes have hit at least one trey in 404 of its 406 games since the NCAA adopted the three-point shot in 1986. The only other game in which Miami 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.

DEFENDING THE BIG EAST

This season the Hurricanes led the BIG EAST in scoring defense (58.2 ppg), field goal percentage defense (.377) and three-point field goal percentage defense (.259). Miami has led the conference in field goal percentage defense for two straight seasons while its 58.2 points per game allowed established a new BIG EAST record. The Hurricanes broke the old mark of 59.4 points per game set by Georgetown in 1981-82.

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 39.3 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 28 times while holding teams scoreless for five or more minutes seven times.

MAN OF STEAL

Senior guard Vernon Jennings set a career-high with seven steals against West Virginia (1-5-00). The seven steals ranked 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 192 career steals to rank second on UM’s career list.

1. Kevin Norris (1994-98)          2082. VERNON JENNINGS (1996-present)  192

MIAMI RANKS FOR FOURTH STAIGHT SEASON

Miami currently ranks 26th in the nation in field goal percentage defense marking the fourth straight season the Hurricanes have ranked nationally in the category. Last season the Hurricanes 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 13 games the Hurricanes have stepped up their defensive play holding opponents to just 257-695 (.369) shooting from the floor. Miami has held nine of its last 13 opponents to under 40 percent shooting from the field. In addition, Miami’s perimeter defense has also been strong holding its last 13 opponents to 64-256 (.250) from three-point range. Miami has also held its last 20 opponents to 70 points or less and an average of just 58.4 points per game.

POSTING GREAT NUMBERS

This season the Hurricanes have held the opposition’s starting centers to a combined total of 191 points and 137 rebounds, an average of 6.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. Miami has allowed only seven starting centers this season to score in double-figures and only three 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