Miami Back In The Dance, Again

March 14, 2000

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Miami’s selection to the 2000 NCAA Championship marks theHurricanes third consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament. Prior to itscurrent string of NCAA appearances, Miami’s only other bid to the “BigDance” was in 1960. Last season the Hurricanes’ defeated Lafayette 75-54marking Miami’s first NCAA Tournament victory in school history. Miami hasnow advanced to post-season play in five of the last six seasons.

MIAMI SEEDED SIXTH:
Miami enters the 2000 NCAA Championship as the sixth seed in theSouth Region. The Hurricanes will face No. 11 seed Arkansas in thetournament’s opening round at the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville,TN. Last season the Hurricanes were seeded No. 2 in the East Region markingthe highest NCAA seed in school history. In 1998 Miami entered thetournament as the No. 11 seed in the South.

THE BUILDING BLOCKS:
Miami seniors Mario Bland, Johnny Hemsley and Vernon Jennings havebeen an integral part of the Hurricanes’ ascent into the national spotlight.

Now in their fourth season the three have led Miami to a 78-40(.661) record, four consecutive winning season, a share of the 1999-2000 BIGEAST regular season title and four straight postseason appearancesincluding three consecutive NCAA Tournament bids. Miami’s NCAA Tournamentbid in 1998 marked the school’s first since 1960 while its BIG EAST regularseason title was the first in school history.

Additionally, Miami’s 78 wins are the most in a four year periodsince UM won 80 games from 1962-66 while its .661 winning percentage is thehighest since Miami posted a 72-33 (.686) record from 1963-67.

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

With the NCAA Tournament bid this season, the trio became the firstHurricanes 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 ofMiami earned a share of the 1999-2000 BIG EAST regular season title. The BIGEAST title is the first for Miami and the Hurricanes first conference titleof any kind since the 1964-65 season. That season the Hurricanes went 10-0to win their eighth straight Florida Intercollegiate Conferencechampionship. The league, which consisted of Miami, Florida Southern,Jacksonville, Rollins, Stetson and Tampa, was disbanded the following year.

1999-2000 BIG EAST Regular Season Co-Champions
21-10, 13-3 BIG EAST – Sixth Seed
NCAA Championship – South Regional – First & Second Rounds
Friday, March 17, 2000 & Sunday March 19, 2000
Gaylord Entertainment Center (17,297) – Nashville, TN
CBS, Hurricane Radio Network

Probable Hurricane Starters:

25 Elton Tyler F 6-9 215 Jr. 10.1 5.4 1.1 14.5 7.5 0.051 Mario Bland C 6-6 265 Sr. 12.6 6.8 1.1 11.0 4.5 0.530 Vernon Jennings G 6-4 203 Sr. 7.9 4.1 6.8 6.0 3.0 9.531 Johnny Hemsley G 6-5 195 Sr. 18.0 3.6 1.8 15.0 7.0 2.0

POSTSEASON RESULTS:

MC – Memorial Coliseum, Lexington, KY
MSG – Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
RH – Rec Hall, University Park, PA
CA – Crisler Arena, Ann Arbor, MI
GD – Georgia Dome, Atlanta, GA
FC – FleetCenter, Boston, MA

AN OPENING ROUND WIN WOULD:
***Improve Miami’s record to 22-10.
***Be Miami’s second NCAA Tournament victory.
***Mark the second straight season the Hurricanes have won their openinground game.

SOUTH REGION GAME TIMES:

First Round
Friday, March 17

At Gaylord Entertainment Center, Nashville, TN
#2 Cincinnati vs. #15 UNC Wilmington, 11:30 a.m. CT
#7 Tulsa vs. #10 UNLV, 30 min. after Cincinnati-UNCW
#3 Ohio St. vs. #14 Appalachian St., 6:50 p.m. CT
#6 Miami vs. #11 Arkansas, 25 min. after OSU-Appalachian St.

At Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center, Birmingham, AL
#4 Tennessee vs. #13 UL-Lafayette, 11:30 a.m. CT
#5 Connecticut vs. #12 Utah St., 30 min. after UT/UL-Lafayette
#8 North Carolina vs. #9 Missouri, 6:55 p.m. CT
#1 Stanford vs. #16 South Carolina St., 25 min. after UNC-Missouri

Second Round
Sunday, March 19

At Gaylord Entertainment Center, Nashville, TN
Tulsa/UNLV winner vs. Cincinnati/UNC Wilmington winner, 1:15 p.m. CT
Miami/Arkansas winner vs. Ohio St./Appalachian St. winner, 30 min. after game 1.

At Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center, Birmingham, AL
Stanford/South Carolina St. winner vs. North Carolina/Missouri winner, 1:20 p.m. CTConnecticut/Utah St. winner vs. Tennessee/La.-Lafayette winner, 30 min. after game 1

AGAINST THE TOURNAMENT FIELD:
Miami’s 21-10 record includes an 8-7 mark against team competing inpost-season play this season. The Hurricanes posted a 3-5 mark against teamscompeting in the 2000 NCAA Championship and a 5-2 mark versus teams playingin the National Invitational Tournament.

Against NCAA Tournament teams Miami was 1-0 vs. Connecticut, 1-0vs. Seton Hall, 1-1 vs. St. John’s, 0-1 vs. North Carolina, 0-1 vs.Louisiana-Lafayette, 0-1 vs. Kentucky, and 0-1 vs. Syracuse.

Against NIT participants Miami was 3-0 against Notre Dame, 1-0against Villanova, 1-1 vs. Georgetown and 0-1 against North CarolinaCharlotte.

FIRST ROUND MATCHUP:
Arkansas and Miami meet for the first time. The Razorbacks receivedan automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament on the strength of their SECTournament championship. Arkansas (19-14) won four games in four daysincluding upsets over No. 16 Kentucky, No. 10 LSU and Auburn en route to theconference tournament title. Arkansas was 7-9 in conference play thisseason.

Miami (21-10) enters the NCAA Tournament as an at-large selection.Miami has won six of its last seven games including victories overConnecticut and St. John’s. The Hurricanes posted a 13-3 conference markthis season to earn a share of the BIG EAST regular season title. TheHurricanes advanced to the semifinals of the BIG EAST Tournament beforefalling to eventual champion St. John’s.

ON COACH HAMILTON:
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 five postseasonappearances in the last six seasons including three consecutive NCAATournament appearances in 1998, 1999 and 2000.

This season Hamilton guided the Hurricanes to its second consecutive20-win season and a share of the BIG EAST regular season title. The title isthe first BIG EAST championship for Miami while its back-to-back 20-winseasons are the first since the 1964-65 campaign.

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 seasons at OklahomaState where he led the Cowboys to their first back-to-back postseason berthsin 36 years. Hamilton’s record at UM is 142-146 (.493) while his career markstands at 198-209 (.486).

SEEING 20-20:
Miami win over St. John’s in its regular season finale improved theHurricanes’ record to 20-9 marking UM’s second consecutive 20-win season.The back-to-back 20-win seasons are the first for Miami since the 1964-65season. That season the Hurricanes finished 22-4 for their third consecutive20-win season.

HEMSLEY, BLAND HONORED:
University of Miami senior guard Johnny Hemsley was namedsecond-team All-BIG EAST and senior center Mario Bland was selectedthird-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

ROAD WARRIORS:
Over the last two seasons Miami is 15-2 in BIG EAST road games. The15-2 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 inconference road games this season. Miami has won 16 of its last 18 BIG EASTroad games dating back to the 1997-98 season.

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

PLAYING SPOILER:
Miami’s win over No. 18 St. John’s in this season’s regular seasonfinale marked the sixth consecutive season that the Hurricanes have defeateda ranked opponent in the Miami Arena.

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

VERSUS RANKED OPPONENTS:
Miami was 4-3 against ranked teams last season including a 3-1 markagainst ranked teams on the road. The Hurricanes are 11-13 versus rankedopponents since 1996-97 and have defeated at least one ranked team in eachof the last six seasons. Miami is 2-4 versus ranked teams this season.

Miami Victories Over Ranked Teams:

MAKING ROAD HISTORY:
With its 73-71 win over Connecticut during the 1998-99 season atGampel Pavilion, Miami became the first school in BIG EAST history to defeatConnecticut, Syracuse, St. John’s and Georgetown on the road in the sameseason.

MAKING ROAD HISTORY – PART II:
With its 63-57 win over Connecticut on February 19 of this seasonthe University of Miami became the first school to win consecutive gamesagainst the Huskies at Gampel Pavilion. Miami defeated Connecticut 73-71 inits previous trip to Storrs on February 20, 1999.

WINNING WAYS:
With its 63-57 win over Connecticut on February 19, the Universityof Miami clinched its six consecutive winning season. The last time Miamirecorded at least six straight winning seasons was the 1968-69 campaign whenthe ‘Canes registered their 10th straight winning season.

FEBRUARY HEAT WAVE:
Over the last two seasons Miami has been nearly unbeatable in themonth of February registering a 15-1 (.938) record. Miami went 7-1 in themonth of February this season while going 8-0 last season.

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 54-30 (.643) recordagainst non-conference opponents, including a 40-13 mark (.755) at the MiamiArena.

DOUBLE-DOUBLES:
Against Pittsburgh, Mario Bland recorded his team leading fourthdouble-double of the season with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Thedouble-double was the seventh of the season for Miami.

1999-00 Hurricane Double-Doubles:

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 EASTovertime 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 in1986-87 and 0-3 in 1990-91), own a 22-19 overall record in overtime contestsduring their history (4-3 in double-overtime games and a 18-16 mark insingle-overtime contests). UM has never played a triple-overtime game.Miami is 6-5 in overtime games under head coach Leonard Hamilton. Below is alist of UM’s overtime games under Hamilton:

MIAMI DOMINATES IN THE ARENA:
This year marked the 11th season that Miami has called the MiamiArena home. The ‘Canes have compiled a 115-62 (.650) overall record at theArena, including a 10-4 mark this season. UM has posted a 68-21 (.764) homerecord since 1994. UM is 39-14 (.736) in its last 53 BIG EAST home gamesdating back to the 1994-95 season.

Miami Home Record Last Five Plus Seasons:

Top 5 BIG EAST Home Winning Percentages (1994-2000):

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.

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

1999-00 MISCELLANEOUS STATS

HURRICANES END 1998-99 SEASON RANKED:
The University of Miami ended the 1998-99 season ranked 10th in thefinal Associated 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:
For the first time since the preseason, Miami is ranked in both theAssociated Press and USA Today/ESPN College Basketball polls.

JENNINGS RANKS NO. 1:
Vernon Jennings recorded eight assists against St. John’s in thesemifinals of the AT&T BIG EAST Championship to move into first place onUM’s career assists list. Jennings has recorded 499 career assists and movesahead of Kevin Norris who handed out 493 assists from 1994-98.

1.VERNON JENNINGS (1996-present) 4992.Kevin Norris (1994-98)         493

JENNINGS SETS ASSIST RECORD, AGAIN:
Vernon Jennings has handed out 197 assists this season breaking hisown UM single season assist record. Last season Jennings set a UM recordwith 167 assists.

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. Later this season senior center Mario Blandscored a career-high 24 points against Boston College (1-22-00) to becamethe 23rd player in UM history to record 1,000 career points.

Hemsley ranks seventh on UM’s career scoring list while Bland is in16th place.

UM Career Scoring List:

BOMBS AWAY:
Senior Johnny Hemsley has recorded 52 three-point baskets thisseason to improve his career total to 152. Hemsley currently ranks third onMiami’s all-time career list.

DEAD-EYE FROM THE LINE:
Miami is shooting 74.8 percent from free throw line this season.Miami’s five starters have combined to shoot 389-506 (.768) from the linewhile the starting backcourt of Johnny Hemsley and Vernon Jennings areshooting 154-195 (.790) from the charity stripe.

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 orbetter from the floor. Last season the Hurricanes shot over 50 percent fromthe floor on 12 occasions. Miami shot 50 percent or better from the flooronly 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 atleast one three-point field goal in 249 consecutive games. Overall, the’Canes have hit at least one trey in 405 of its 407 games since the NCAAadopted the three-point shot in 1986. The only other game in which Miamifailed 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 (58.2ppg), field goal percentage defense (.377) and three-point field goalpercentage defense (.259). Miami has led the conference in field goalpercentage defense for two straight seasons while its 58.2 points per gameallowed established a new BIG EAST record. The Hurricanes broke the old markof 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’sleaders in field goal percentage defense. Miami is holding opponents to 39.3percent shooting from the field this season and made a habit of holdingteams without a field goal for long stretches. This season the Hurricaneshave held teams without a field goal for five minutes or more a total of 28times while holding teams scoreless for five or more minutes seven times.

MIAMI RANKS FOR FOURTH STAIGHT SEASON:
Miami currently ranks 22nd in the nation in field goal percentagedefense marking the fourth straight season the Hurricanes have rankednationally in the category. Last season the Hurricanes ended the seasonranked 13th in the nation in field goal percentage defense (.384). In1997-98 the University of Miami led the nation holding teams to 37.9 percentshooting from the floor. In 1996-97 Miami held opponents to 38 percentshooting from the field to rank sixth nationally. In addition, theHurricanes rank 23rd in the nation in scoring defense.

GETTING DEFENSIVE:
Over the last 13 games the Hurricanes have stepped up theirdefensive play holding opponents to just 278-754 (.369) shooting from thefloor. Miami has held 10 of its last 14 opponents to under 40 percentshooting from the field. In addition, Miami’s perimeter defense has alsobeen strong holding its last 14 opponents to 68-270 (.252) from three-pointrange. Miami has also held its last 21 opponents to 70 points or less and anaverage of just 58.4 points per game.

MAN OF STEAL:
Senior guard Vernon Jennings set a career-high with seven stealsagainst West Virginia (1-5-00). The seven steals ranked as the secondhighest single game total in UM history and were the most since Jerome Scottrecorded nine steals against Florida International on March 4, 1991.Jennings currently has 193 career steals to rank second on UM’s career list.

POSTING GREAT NUMBERS:
This season the Hurricanes have held the opposition’s startingcenters to a combined total of 198 points and 143 rebounds, an average of6.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. Miami has allowed only seven startingcenters this season to score in double-figures and only three to grab 10 ormore rebounds. Of the 30 games the Hurricanes played last season only fiveopponent centers managed to score in double figures while only one grabbed10 or more rebounds.

1999-00

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 hasled conference in assists.

Jennings is just the fourth player in BIG EAST history and the firstsince Sherman Douglas (Syracuse) in 1988-89 to lead the conference inassists in back-to-back seasons. Douglas led the BIG EAST in assists forthree straight seasons from 1986-89. The only others to lead the BIG EAST inassists 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 of6.06 per game in league play. Jennings handed out 109 assists setting a UMBIG 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 bestconference mark over that period.

Conference Records Since 1996-97:

HURRICANES TABBED FOURTH:
The men’s basketball team was selected to finish fourth in theconference behind Connecticut, Syracuse, and St. John’s. Miami did receiveone first place vote.

1999-00 BIG EAST Coaches’ Preseason Poll

BLAND NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Miami center Mario Bland was named BIG EAST Player of the Week forthe week ending March 5, 2000 after averaging 19.5 points and 8.5 reboundsper game as the Hurricanes defeated Pittsburgh and St. John’s. Bland tallied20 points and 10 rebounds as Miami defeated Pittsburgh, 74-66, on the road.He followed that game with a 19 point, seven rebound performance as Miamiknocked off 18th ranked St. John’s at Miami Arena. In that game Bland hitjumper from the top of the key with 10 seconds remaining in regulation whichsent the game into overtime. The award is the first of Blands career, andthe first won by a Hurricane this season.

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.

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 leagueplay last season, went 13-3 this year.

Conference Record Last Two Seasons:

A SWEEPING SUCCESS:
With their win over Pittsburgh on February 29 the Hurricanesrecorded their third season sweep this season. Miami also swept Notre Dameand West Virginia. Miami has registered 13 BIG EAST regular season two-gamesweeps since joining the league in the 1991-92 season. Miami has nowrecorded at least one series sweep in each of the last six seasons. Below isa list of UM’s BIG EAST series sweeps:

THE BIG EAST IN POSTSEASON PLAY:
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP
Thursday, March 16
Cleveland, Ohio
No. 4 SYRACUSE vs. No. 13 Samford – 2:50 p.m.
Tucson, Arizona
No. 2 ST. JOHN’S vs. No. 15 Northern Arizona – 10:15 p.m.

Friday, March 17
Buffalo, New York
No. 10 SETON HALL vs. No. 7 Oregon – 12:25 p.m.
Birmingham, Alabama
No. 5 CONNECTICUT vs. No. 12 Utah State – 3:00 p.m
Nashville, Tennessee
No. 6 MIAMI vs. No. 11 Arkansas – 10:15 p.m.
All times are approximate & Eastern Standard.

NIT CHAMPIONSHIP
Wednesday, March 15
GEORGETOWN at Virginia – 7:00 p.m.
Delaware at VILLANOVA – 7:30 p.m.
Michigan at NOTRE DAME – 9:00 p.m.

Thursday, March 16
RUTGERS at Kent 7:30 p.m.

BIG EAST RECEIVES FIVE NCAA, FOUR NIT BIDS:
BIG EAST teams received five bids to the NCAA Men’s BasketballChampionship. Connecticut, Miami, St. John’s, Seton Hall and Syracuse wereselected. It is the seventh straight year the BIG EAST has received atleast four bids and the third year in a row it has sent five teams to thebig dance. Georgetown, Notre Dame, Rutgers and Villanova were picked for theNIT.

BIG EAST WINNING WAYS:
BIG EAST teams have posted a 155-91 record in NCAA play. The .630winning percentage is second-best in the nation behind the Atlantic CoastConference (.669).

103 POSTSEASON TEAMS IN THE LAST 11 SEASONS:
Since 1990, The BIG EAST has received 55 NCAA bids. Only the BigTen (64) can boast more bids. The BIG EAST has a 73-49 record during thatspan. Only the ACC, Big Ten and SEC have more wins. Forty-eight BIG EASTteams have participated in the NIT. A total of 35 conference squads haveplayed in the postseason over the last four years. That’s 8.75 per season.

SEEDING SETUP:
The BIG EAST has four teams among the top six seeds in their regionsfor the sixth time in league history. St. John’s is a No. 2 seed in theWest, giving the BIG EAST a No. 1 or No. 2 seed in 19 of its 21 seasons.

EIGHT WITH 18 WINS:
The BIG EAST has eight teams with 18 or more victories, the onlyconference in the country that can boast that feat. Five teams have won 20or more games, joining the Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC in that group. Every BIGEAST team this season reached the double-digit win mark.

100 NCAA BIDS IN 21 SEASONS:
One hundred NCAA bids have been earned by BIG EAST teams during the league’s21-year history. That’s an average of 4.76 per 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.

POWER SCHEDULE:
Miami’s schedule included 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 FINAL BIG EAST STANDINGS

Pittsburgh 5 11 .313 13 15 .464Providence 4 12 .250 11 19 .367Boston College 3 13 .188 11 19 .367

2000 AT&T BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIP

First Round – Wednesday, March 8
No. 9 Georgetown 70, No. 8 West Virginia 67
No. 4 Connecticut 70, No. 13 Boston College 55
No. 5 Seton Hall 85, No. 12 Providence 65
No. 7 Notre Dame 74, No. 10 Rutgers 62
No. 6 Villanova 65, No. 11 Pittsburgh 55

Second Round – Thursday, March 9
Georgetown 76, No. 1 Syracuse 72
Connecticut 79, Seton Hall 64
No. 2 Miami 61, Notre Dame 58
No. 3 St. John’s 75, Villanova 70

Semifinals – Friday, March 10
St. John’s 58, Miami 57
Connecticut 70, Georgetown 55

Finals – Saturday, March 11
St. John’s 80, Connecticut 70

1999-00 MIAMI BIG EAST TEAM RANKINGS
(all games)

1999-00 INDIVIDUAL BIG EAST RANKINGS
(all games)