Men's Basketball Squares Off With St. John's Sunday
Jan. 31, 2003
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2002-03 Season Recaps in PDF Format
2002-03 Player Notes in PDF Format
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UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI (9-8, 2-4) vs. ST. JOHN’S UNIVERSITY (10-6, 3-3)
Sunday, February 2, 2003 – 2:00 p.m. (ET)
Madison Square Garden (19,876) – New York, NY
TV: Fox Sports Net; Radio: WQAM (560 AM)
Website: hurricanesports.com
ON ST. JOHN’S:
The St. John’s Red Storm enters its match-up with Miami with a record of 10-6, 3-3 in the BIG EAST, following aa 74-68 loss to Connecticut at Madison Square Garden. The Red Storm have played a total of seven games at Madison Square Garden this season posting a 3-4 record. They are 1-2 in BIG EAST games at the Garden this season. St. John’s is led by senior guard Marcus Hatten who is averaging 22.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.8 steals per game. Hatten, in his second season with the Red Storm, has already recorded 1,006 career points.
THE SERIES:
Miami and St. John’s meet for the 26th time with the Red Storm leading the all-time series 14-11. Miami and St. John’s split the series last season with each team winning on its home floor. Miami is 2-3 versus St. John’s in Madison Square Garden.
LAST GAME:
MIAMI 60, PROVIDENCE 57
January 29, 2003
Convocation Center, Coral Gables, FL
Darius Rice scored 21 of his game-high 26 points in the second half to lead the Hurricanes to a 60-57 win over Providence at the Convocation Center.
James Jones added 11 points for Miami while freshman Gary Hamilton recorded a career-high 12 rebounds.
Romuald Augustin paced the Friars with 15 points on 5- of-9 shooting from three-point range. Ryan Gomes turned in a double-double, scoring 12 points and pulling down a game-high 15 rebounds. Marcus Douthit also had 12 points for Providence.
Providence led 30-28 at the half but Rice hit consecutive 3-pointers to give Miami a 47-46 lead with 9:51 remaining, their first of the game.
Eric Wilkins’ steal and dunk with 1:42 remaining put Miami ahead 57-55, and the Hurricanes kept the lead the rest of the way.
Miami converted 4-of-9 shots from beyond the arc in the second stanza, helping it capture the three-point victory.
The Hurricanes shot just 25 percent from three-point land, but held the Friars to only 39.3 percent shooting from the floor and forced them into 18 turnovers.
LAST TIME AGAINST ST. JOHN’S:
No. 13 MIAMI 79, ST. JOHN’S 56
February 13, 2002
Miami Arena, Miami, FL
Elton Tyler scored 21 points and John Salmons added 16 and a career-high 11 assists to lead No. 13 Miami to a 79-56 win over St. John’s at Miami Arena.
Marcus Barnes had 13 points for Miami, while James Jones finished with 12. Donald Emanuel led St. John’s with 10 points while Marcus Hatten, who entered the game averaging 22.4 points per game in conference play, was held to eight points on 2-for-12 shooting.
Tyler, who scored many of his baskets off assists from Salmons, was 10-of-13 from the field for the Hurricanes who snapped a four-game losing streak to the Red Storm and pulled within one half of a game behind Connecticut for the BIG EAST East Division lead.
Miami led 36-14 at halftime, holding St. John’s to 15 percent shooting from the field. The 14 points matched the lowest allowed by the Hurricanes in a BIG EAST game. On Jan. 14, 1992, Miami trailed St. John’s 14-12 at halftime before coming away with a 45-42 win.
St. John’s closed within 48-37 on a free throw by Marcus Hatten with 10:29 left in the game, but Miami responded with an 11-2 run and went up 59-39 on two free throws by Salmons.
UP NEXT:
Following the St. John’s game the Hurricanes return home to take on Villanova on Saturday, February 8 at 8 p.m. at the Convocation Center. The game will be televised by Fox Sports Net Florida.
TV/RADIO COVERAGE:
Miami’s game versus St. John’s is being produced by ESPN Regional Television and will be broadcast in Miami on Fox Sports Net Florida. Bob Papa and Bob Wenzel will call the action. The game will also be broadcast on the Hurricane Radio Network (WQAM – 560 AM). Joe Zagacki “The Voice of the Hurricanes” will handle the play-by-play. Brian London will serve as studio host. Fans can also catch the game on the web at hurricanesports.com.
A WIN AGAINST ST. JOHN’S WOULD:
Improve Miami’s record to 10-8, 3-4 in the BIG EAST.Mark Miami’s second straight win over St. John’s.Mark Miami’s first BIG EAST road win.Mark Miami’s first win at St. John’s since Feb. 3, 1999.
ON THE COACHES:
University of Miami head coach Perry Clark is his third season with the Hurricanes and 14th season overall as a collegiate head coach. Clark is 49-29 (.628) at Miami while his career record stands at 234-174 (.574).
St. John’s head coach Mike Jarvis is in his fifth season with the Red Storm and 18th season overall. His record at St. John’s is 97-50 (.660) while his career mark stands at 350-191 (.647).
UM SINGLE-GAME TICKETS NOW ON SALE:
Single-game tickets for the remaining men’s basaketball season, including the Hurricanes match-up with Villanova on Saturday, February 8 at 8 p.m. at the University of Miami Convocation Center are now on sale. Tickets may be purchased by calling 1-800-GO-CANES or by visiting www.ticketmaster.com.
CARRYING THE LOAD:
Darius Rice (18.9 ppg) and James Jones (17.1 ppg) have shouldered the scoring load for the Hurricanes this season. The two are accounting for half (50.9%) of Miami’s points. The two have continued to increase their combined production each month. During the month of January the tandem has accounted for 57.0 percent of the Hurricanes’ scoring.
PLAYING THEIR BEST AGAINST THE BEST:
The UM forward combination of Darius Rice and James Jones have both shined this season in the big games. Miami has three games against ranked teams this season. In those games Rice is averaging 34.3 points and 6.0 rebounds while shooting 35-69 (.507) from the floor and 15-33 (.455) from three-point range. Jones is averaging 21.0 points against those teams while shooting 21-39 (.538) from the field.
MIAMI CHRISTENS CONVOCATION CENTER:
The Hurricanes christened the Convocation Center, the new on-campus home of men’s and women’s basketball, and the University’s first large-capacity venue for other educational, cultural and community events with a 64-61 overtime win over North Carolina on January 4.
The $48 million facility, totally funded through private donations, seats 7,000 for basketball and will provide the University and the Coral Gables community with a facility designed for a wide array of uses.
UM LEAVES MIAMI ARENA IN STYLE:
Miami ended its 14-year run at Miami Arena with a 68-62 victory over Lehigh on December 30. Miami began playing its home games at the Miami Arena in 1988 and registered a 135-66 (.672) record including a 5-0 record this season. Since 1994-95 the Hurricanes had compiled a 98-26 (.790) overall home record at the Arena. Miami won its last 19 non-conference games at Miami Arena. Miami’s first game at Miami Arena was on November 25, 1988 against Maryland-Eastern Shore. The Hurricanes won 108-80.
NO DAY AT THE BEACH:
Miami’s 73-72 win over No. 11 Connecticut this season marked the ninth consecutive season that the Hurricanes defeated a ranked opponent at home.
WORKING OVERTIME:
Miami played its fourth overtime of the season against Connecticut on January 11. Miami is 1-3 in overtime games this season. The four overtime games establishes a school single-season record. Miami was 3-0 last season in overtime games. Miami has played at least one overtime contest in each of the last five seasons. UM has amassed a 9-6 record (including tournament games) in BIG EAST overtime contests (5-3 at home). The ‘Canes own a 25-24 overall record in overtime contests during their history (5-5 in double-overtime games and a 20-19 mark in single-overtime contests).
VERSUS RANKED OPPONENTS:
Miami is 1-2 against ranked teams this season. The Hurricanes are 19-19 versus ranked opponents since 1996-97 and have defeated at least one ranked team in each of the last nine seasons. Miami is 28-84 (.250) all-time against ranked teams including a 25-70 (.263) record since the rebirth of the program in 1985.
MIAMI GRADUATION RATE RANKS THIRD:
According to a report released by The Chronicle of Higher Education, the University of Miami men’s basketball program ranks third in the nation among the 115 Division I-A institutions with an 82 percent graduation rate for student-athletes who entered school from 1992-93 to 1995-96.
The national average for men’s basketball players over that four-year period was 34 percent. Graduation rates were tabulated and released by the NCAA in its 2002 NCAA Graduation Rates Report.
Miami’s 1993-94 to 1995-96 classes registered a perfect 100 percent graduation rate.
THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME:
The University of Miami has been nearly unbeatable at home this season recording a perfect 8-1 record while struggling on the road posting a 1-6 record. The Hurricanes’ numbers both offensely and defensely have been considerably better at home then on the road this season.
MR. CLUTCH:
Darius Rice’s three-point basket with 0.5 seconds left to defeat Connecticut on January 20th marked the fourth time this season the junior forward has hit a three-pointer at the end of regulation to either win the game or send the game to overtime.
With the Hurricanes’ down 72-69 to Florida , Rice connected on a three-pointer from the right corner with 26 seconds remaining to tie the score. Florida went on to win the game 94-93 in double-overtime.
On January 4th against North Carolina, Rice hit a three-pointer, again from the right corner, to tie the score at 60-60 with three seconds left. Miami went on to win the game 64-61.
In Miami’s first meeting with Connecticut on January 11, Rice sent the game to overtime with a three-pointer from the tip of the key tying the score at 71-71 with two seconds left. Connecticut won the game 83-80.
ROAD WARRIORS:
Since the 1998-99 season, Miami is 22-14 (.628) in BIG EAST road games. The 22-14 mark ranks No.1 among BIG EAST schools over that period.
ITS BEEN A WHILE:
Freshmen Robert Hite and Armondo Surratt were both in the starting lineup for the Hurricanes’ game against Charlotte on December 15 marking the first time since the 1993-94 season that two freshmen started for the Hurricanes. That season freshmen Alex Fraser and Torey McCormick started the final 14 games of the season. Hite and Surratt have started the last three games together.
MIAMI vs. NON-CONFERENCE OPPONENTS:
Since joining The BIG EAST Conference beginning with the 1991-92 season, the Hurricanes have compiled an 81-39 (.672) record against non-conference opponents, including a 56-13 mark (.809) at home. Miami finished 7-4 against non-conference opponents this season and has won 24 of its last 29 games against non-conference teams. Miami has won 20 consecutive home games against non-conference opponents.
RICE NAMED TO NAISMITH, WOODEN LISTS:
University of Miami junior forward Darius Rice has been named one of 30 preseason candidates for the 2002-03 Naismith College Basketball Player of the Year Award, and one of 50 preseason candidates for the John Wooden Player of the Year Award.
The Naismith Awards program, now in its 35th year, honors the outstanding college basketball players in the United States. The awards program was founded by the Atlanta Tipoff Club, an organization dedicated to recognizing the achievements of student-athletes in basketball.
The candidates were selected by a vote of the Board of Selectors comprised of leading basketball coaches, journalists and basketball analysts.
Created in 1976, the John R. Wooden Award is the most prestigious individual honor in college basketball. It is bestowed upon the nation’s best player at an institution of higher education who has proven to his university that he is making progress toward graduation and maintaining a cumulative 2.0 GPA.
HURRICANES SIGN FOUR:
Head men’s basketball coach Perry Clark signed four recruits during the early signing period including 6-6 forward Karron Clarke (Brooklyn, NY/The Winchendon School), 6-9 forward/center Leonard Harden III (Detroit, MI/Garden City Community College), 6-11 center Yankuba Camara (Gambia, West Africa/Moberly Area Community College) and 6-3 combo guard Guillermo Diaz (Miami Christian Academy).
