Hurricanes Set For Showdown With Pittsburgh
March 7, 2002
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AGAINST PITTSBURGH: Miami and Pittsburgh meet for the 32nd time with Miami leading the all-time series 16-15. The Hurricanes have won eight of the last 12 meetings including a 76-69 double-overtime win earlier this season at Miami Arena.
Miami and Pittsburgh have met twice in the BIG EAST Tournament. Miami defeated the Panthers 83-71 in the first-round of the 1992 Tournament. Pittsburgh beat Miami 78-69 in the opening-round of last seasons BIG EAST Championship.
TV/RADIO COVERAGE: Miami’s semifinal game against Pittsburgh will be carried live on ESPN. Mike Tirico (play-by-play) and Len Elmore (analysis) will call all the action. The Hurricane games will also be broadcast on the Hurricane Radio Network (WAXY-790 AM). Marc Vandermeer, entering his third season as the “Voice of the Hurricanes,” will handle the play-by-play duties while Joe Zagacki will provide in-depth analysis.
A WIN OVER PITTSBURGH WOULD:
Improve Miami’s record to 25-6.Advance the Hurricanes to the BIG EAST Tournament Championship game for the first time in school-history.Mark Miami’s seventh straight win over a ranked opponent.Be Miami’s second straight win over Pittsburgh.
LAST TIME AGAINST PITTSBURGH:January 15, 2002
Miami Arena, Miami, FL
John Salmons recorded 25 points, eight rebounds and six assists to lead the University of Miami to a thrilling 76-69 double-overtime win over Providence at the Miami Arena. Elton Tyler had 15 points for Miami while James Jones added 12 points, three steals and four blocks. Marcus Barnes pitched in with 11 points.
Reserve forward Ontario Lett scored a career-high 18 points to pace the Panthers, who lost consecutive games for the first time this season. Miami, which won its 11th straight home game, looked to be in dire straights after Donatas Zavackas hit three straight 3-pointers in the second half to push the Panthers lead to 11-points (44-33) with 16:49 to play.
The Hurricanes stepped up their defense and used a 20-9 run to tie the score on a James Jones dunk with 1:03 to left.
With the score tied at 65-65, Miami had a chance to win the game at the end of the first overtime but Barnes missed two free throws with one second remaining. Barnes rebounded in the second overtime nailing a three-pointer from the right corner to put UM in control, 70-66, with 3:07 on the clock. Salmons then iced the game hitting four consecutive free throwns in the final minute.
ON HEAD COACH PERRY CLARK: University of Miami head coach Perry Clark is in his second season with the Hurricanes and 13th season overall as a collegiate head coach. Clark is 40-19 (.678) at Miami, including an 24-6 start this season, while his career record in 13 seasons stands at 225-164 (.578).
MIAMI REACHES BIG EAST SEMIFINALS AGAIN: With its quarterfinal win over Georgetown, Miami advances to the semifinals of the BIG EAST Tournament for the third time in the last four seasons. Miami also reached the semifinals of the 1999 and 2000 BIG EAST Championships.
DID YOU KNOW?: The University of Miami has registered a 46-20 (.697) conference mark since the 1998-99 season. UM’s record ranks second among BIG EAST teams over that period.
MIAMI SETS WINS RECORD: With its win over Georgetown in the quarterfinals of the ConAgra Foods BIG EAST Championship, Miami improved to 24-6 on the season. The 24 wins are a UM single-season record. The old record of 23 wins was originally set in 1959-60 and later matched in 1962-63, 1998-99 and 1999-00.
RICE, BARNES NEAR THREE-POINT RECORD: Darius Rice connected on four of seven three-point attempts against Georgetown while Marcus Barnes hit six of 10 from long range. Rice has made 75 of 199 three-pointers this season and is four three-pointers shy of tying the UM single-season record of 79 set by Steven Edwards in 1992-93. Barnes is right on Rice’s heals connecting on 73-210 three-pointers this season.
SALMONS THE ONE AND ONLY: With his 15 points and 10 assists against Charlotte on December 22, John Salmons became the first Hurricane to record 1000 points, 600 rebounds, 300 assists and 150 steals during his career. Salmons currenlty has 1261 points, 678 rebounds, 424 assists and 192 steals. Salmons ranks 13th on UM’s career scoring list, third in assists and third in steals.
CLARK COACH OF THE YEAR FINALIST: University of Miami head men’s basketball coach Perry Clark has been selected as one of 25 finalists for the Naismith College Basketball Coach of the Year Award. The winner will be announced on April 5, 2002 at the Cobb Galleria Center in Atlanta. Now in its 34th year, the Naismith Awards program honors the outstanding college basketball coaches in the United States. The awards program was founded by the Atlanta Tipoff Club, an organization dedicated to recognizing the achievements of excellence in basketball. Clark, in his second season at Miami, has guided the 18th-ranked Hurricanes to a 22-6 record, including a school-record 14 consecutive wins to open the season. Miami’s 22 victories marks the most regular-season wins since the Hurricanes joined the BIG EAST in 1991. Miami is one win shy of tying the school single-season record of 23 victories.
RICE, SALMONS ALL-DISTRICT SELECTIONS: Darius Rice was named first-team All-District 6 and John Salmons earned All-District second-team honors by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. Rice, a second-team NABC All-District selection last season, joins Johnny Hemsley (2000), Tim James (1998 and 1999), Tito Horford (1988) and Rick Barry (1965) as the only Hurricanes to earn first-team honors. The selections of Rice and Salmons marks the fifth consecutive season the Hurricanes have had at least one All-District selection.
COMEBACK KIDS: In Miami’s 102-96 overtime win against Providence on January 19, the Hurricanes came back from a 13-point second half deficit tying the UM record for the largest second-half comeback in a BIG EAST game. Miami also came from 13 points down in the second half to defeat Georgetown on January 18, 1997. The game also marked the second straight in which Miami overcame a double-figure second-half deficit to win. Miami was down 11 in the second-half to Pittsburgh before rallying for a 76-69 double-overtime win. Overall the Hurricanes have rallied nine times from second-half deficits to win games.
JONES SELECTED ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT: Junior forward James Jones has been selected to the 2002 Verizon Academic All-District II Men’s Basketball team. Jones is now eligible for the national Verizon Academic All-America Team, which will be announced on March 7.
Joining Jones as All-District selections are Matt Bonner (Florida), Tim Lyle (James Madison), Mike Dunleavy (Duke) and Jobey Thomas (Charlotte). Jones is a three-time BIG EAST Academic All-Star and carries a 3.371 cumulative GPA in finance. He was named a 2001 Arthur Ashe Scholar Athlete and was runner-up for the 2001-02 BIG EAST Basketball Scholar-Athlete Award.
TAKING OVER: This season the Hurricanes have had several players put the team on their shoulders and lead them to victory. In 17 games this season the Hurricane player that has either led or tied for the team lead in scoring has also led or tied for the team lead in rebounding.
WORKING OVERTIME: Miami is 3-0 this season in overtime games. Miami defeated Georgetown in overtime in the quarterfinals of the 2002 BIG EAST Championships. Earlier this season the Hurricanes’ back-to-back overtime wins against Pittsburgh and Providence marked the first time since the 1994-95 season that UM has played consecutive overtime games. Miami has played at least one overtime contest in each of the last four seasons. UM has amassed a 9-5 record (including tournament games) in BIG EAST overtime contests (5-3 at home). The ‘Canes, who have never had more than three overtime games in any season (3-0 in 1986-87, 0-3 in 1990-91 and 3-0 in 2001-02), own a 25-21 overall record in overtime contests during their history (5-4 in double-overtime games and a 20-17 mark in single-overtime contests). Miami is 9-4 in overtime games since 1995. Below is a list of UM’s overtime games since 1990:
UM TIES WIN STREAK RECORD: Miami’s 14-0 start set a school-record for consecutive wins to open a season, and tied the school-record for the most consecutive victories which was originally set in 1947.
FAMILIAR STARTERS: Miami junior James Jones and senior John Salmons have started each of the last 59 games together. Salmons currently has the second longest streak in UM history having started 105 straight games. Kevin Norris (1994-98) holds the UM record for consecutive starts with 108.
WINNING WAYS: With its win over Pittsburgh (1-15-02) the Hurricanes ensured its eighth consecutive winning season. The last time Miami recorded at least eight straight winning seasons was the 1968-69 campaign when the ‘Canes registered their 10th straight winning season.
VERSUS RANKED OPPONENTS: UM has won its last six games against ranked teams including a 3-0 record this season. The Hurricanes are 18-16 versus ranked opponents since 1996-97 and have defeated at least one ranked team in each of the last eight seasons. Miami is 27-81 (.250) all-time against ranked teams including a 24-67 (.264) record since the rebirth of the program in 1985.
