Hurricanes Host Big East Bout With Syracuse Sunday

Jan. 23, 2003

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SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY (12-2, 3-1) vs. UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI (8-7, 1-3)
Sunday, January 26, 2003 – 1:00 p.m. (ET)
Convocation Center (7,000) – Coral Gables, FL
TV: CBS; Radio: WQAM (560 AM)
Website: hurricanesports.com

ON SYRACUSE:
The Syracuse Orangemen defeated Seton Hall, 83-65, onWednesday night to improve to 12-2 on the season, 3-1 in theBIG EAST. Sophomore forward Hakim Warrick lef the waywith 22 points and 10 rebounds. Freshman point guard GerryMcNamara added 21 points and six assists for the Orangemen.

The Orangemen have been led this season by freshmanphenom Carmelo Anthony. The former McDonald’s All-Americanhas been named BIG EAST Rookie of the Week fivetimes this season and is averaging 21.9 points and 9.1 reboundsper game.

Syracuse ranks second in the league in scoring at 83.7points per game and boasts four players averaging in double-figuresincluding Warrick (16.7 ppg), McNamara (15.8 ppg) andsenior guard Kueth Duany (12.4 ppg).

THE SERIES:
Miami and Syracuse meet for the 18th time. TheOrangemen lead the all-time series 5-12. Miami has won twoof the last three against Syracuse including a 68-57 win at theCarrier Dome on February 13, 2001. The visiting team haswon the last four games of the series.

LAST GAME:
MIAMI 73, #11/#8 CONNECTICUT 72
January 20, 2003
Convocation Center, Coral Gables, FL
Darius Rice scored a career-high 43 points, and came upwith a steal and a last-second three-pointer to lead the Hurricanesto a dramatic 77-76 victory over Connecticut at theConvocation Center in Coral Gables, FL.

James Jones, who was playing with a sore shoulder, added11 points and Armondo Surratt scored three critical layupsdown the stretch to finished with nine points for the Hurricanes.Ben Gordon scored a career-high 32 points to pace theHuskies. Taliek Brown finished with 13 points, while EmekaOkafor was in foul trouble all game and finished with just eightpoints in the loss.

Down by four, 72-68, with eight seconds left, Surrattdrove the length of the floor and scored quickly on a layupwith three seconds to play. With no timeouts left, Connecticuttried to quickly get the ball in play, but Rice stepped in front ofShamon Tooles’ inbounds pass. Rice’s momentum carried himout to the three-point line in the right corner, and he turnedand shot quickly to nail the game-winner with less than asecond remaining. A desperation heave by the Huskies at thebuzzer was not close.

Rice finished the game 16-of-27 from the field, including7-of-12 from three- point range.

LAST TIME AGAINST SYRACUSE:
MIAMI 68, No. 10 SYRACUSE 57
February 13, 2001
Carrier Dome, Syracuse, NY
James Jones and Darius Rice scored 14 points each andthe Hurricanes hit 10 consecutive free-throws down the stretchto knock off 10th-ranked Syracuse, 68-57, at the Carrier Domein Syracuse, NY.

Dwayne Wimbley recorded 13 points and nine reboundsfor Miami and Joe Gordon added 10 points off the bench forthe Hurricanes.

Damone Brown posted a double-double with 18 pointsand 12 rebounds to lead Syracuse.

Miami, which defeated a ranked team for the thirdconsecutive time this season, opened a 35-30 halftime advantagebehind hot three-point shooting going 5-9 from long rangein the first half.

Miami’s defense took over in the second half holding theOrangemen to 8-28 (.286) shooting from the field. For thegame Syracuse shot a season-low 18-60 (.300) from the field.Syracuse closed the gap to two (56-54) with 4:02 to playfollowing a jumper from DeShaun Williams.

After a Hurricane timeout, Rice connected on a 14-footjumper to push the lead back to four. The Hurricanes then hit10-10 from the line over the final 2:12 to keep the game out ofreach.

UP NEXT:
Following the Connecticut game the Hurricanes take onProvidence on January 29 at 7 p.m at the Convocation Center.The game will be televised by Fox Sports Net Florida.

TV/RADIO COVERAGE:
Miami’s game versus Syracuse is being televised by CBS.Ian Eagle and Bill Raftery will call the action. The game willalso be broadcast on the Hurricane Radio Network (WQAM -560AM). Joe Zagacki “The Voice of the Hurricanes” willhandle the play-by-play with Josh Darrow adding analysis.Brian London will serve as studio host. Fans can also catch thegame on the web at hurricanesports.com.

A WIN AGAINST SYRACUSE WOULD:

Improve Miami’s record to 9-7, 2-3 in the BIG EAST.Mark Miami’s second straight win.Improve Miami’s home record to 8-0…3-0 at the ConvocationCenter.Mark Miami’s first home win over Syracuse since December 7, 1996.

ON THE COACHES:
University of Miami head coach Perry Clark is his thirdseason with the Hurricanes and 14th season overall as acollegiate head coach. Clark is 48-28 (.631) at Miami while hiscareer record stands at 233-173 (.574).

Syracuse head coach Jim Boehiem is in his 26th season asa collegiate head coach, all at Syracuse. His career mark standsat 634-223 (.740).

UM SINGLE-GAME TICKETS NOW ON SALE:
Single-game tickets for the remaining men’s basaketballseason, including the Hurricanes match-up with Syracuse onSaturday, January 26 at 1 p.m. at the University of MiamiConvocation Center are now on sale. The Syracuse game willbe nationally televised on CBS. Tickets may be purchased bycalling 1-800-GO-CANES or by visitingwww.ticketmaster.com.

SPECIAL SYRACUSE TICKET OFFER:
Anyone who purchases, or has already purchased, a ticketfor this Sunday’s UM men’s game against Syracuse is eligibleto purchase a ticket to the women’s Syracuse game onSaturday, January 25 for just $5 (regularly $7). Call 1-800-GO-CANESfor more info.

CARRYING THE LOAD:
Darius Rice (18.8 ppg) and James Jones (17.9 ppg) have shoulderedthe scoring load for the Hurricanes this season. The two are accountingfor half (50.4%) of Miami’s points. The two have continued to increasetheir combined production each month. During the month of Januarythe tandem has accounted for 60.7 percent of the Hurricanes’ scoring.

PLAYING THEIR BEST AGAINST THE BEST:
The UM forward combination of Darius Rice and James Jones haveboth shined this season in the big games. Miami has played four gamesagainst teams that have been ranked at some point this season. In thosegames Rice is averaging 30.0 points and 6.3 rebounds while shooting 41-85 (.482) from the floor and 18-43 (.419) from three-point range. Jones isaveraging 21.0 points against those teams while shooting 29-54 (.537)from the field.

MIAMI CHRISTENS CONVOCATION CENTER:
The Hurricanes christened the Convocation Center, the new on-campushome of men’s and women’s basketball, and the University’s firstlarge-capacity venue for other educational, cultural and community eventswith 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 CoralGables community with a facility designed for a wide array of uses.

Convocation Center Firsts
Field Goal: James Jones (UM)
3PT Field Goal: James Jones (UM)
Dunk: James Jones (UM)
Free Throw: Byron Sanders (UNC)
Rebound: Raymond Spencer (UNC)
Blocked Shot: Jawad Williams (UNC)

UM LEAVES MIAMI ARENA IN STYLE:
Miami ended its 14-year run at Miami Arena with a 68-62victory over Lehigh on December 30. Miami began playing itshome games at the Miami Arena in 1988 and registered a 135-66 (.672) record including a 5-0 record this season. Since1994-95 the Hurricanes had compiled a 98-26 (.790) overallhome record at the Arena. Miami won its last 19 non-conferencegames at Miami Arena. Miami’s first game atMiami Arena was on November 25, 1988 against Maryland-EasternShore. The Hurricanes won 108-80.

NO DAY AT THE BEACH:
Miami’s 73-72 win over No. 11 Connecticut this seasonmarked the ninth consecutive season that the Hurricanesdefeated a ranked opponent at home.

WORKING OVERTIME:
Miami played its fourth overtime of the season againstConnecticut on January 11. Miami is 1-3 in overtime gamesthis season. The four overtime games establishes a schoolsingle-season record. Miami was 3-0 last season in overtimegames. Miami has played at least one overtime contest in eachof 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 inovertime contests during their history (5-5 in double-overtimegames and a 20-19 mark in single-overtime contests).

VERSUS RANKED OPPONENTS:
Miami is 1-2 against ranked teams this season. TheHurricanes are 19-19 versus ranked opponents since 1996-97and have defeated at least one ranked team in each of the lastnine seasons. Miami is 28-84 (.250) all-time against rankedteams including a 25-70 (.263) record since the rebirth of theprogram in 1985.

MIAMI GRADUATION RATE RANKS THIRD:
According to a report released by The Chronicle of HigherEducation, the University of Miami men’s basketball programranks third in the nation among the 115 Division I-A institutionswith an 82 percent graduation rate for student-athleteswho entered school from 1992-93 to 1995-96.

The national average for men’s basketball players over thatfour-year period was 34 percent. Graduation rates weretabulated and released by the NCAA in its 2002 NCAAGraduation Rates Report.

Miami’s 1993-94 to 1995-96 classes registered a perfect100 percent graduation rate.

THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME:
The University of Miami has been dominant at home thisseason recording a perfect 7-0 record while struggling on theroad posting a 1-6 record. The Hurricanes’ numbers bothoffensely and defensely have been considerably better at homethen on the road this season.

ROAD WARRIORS:
Since the 1998-99 season, Miami is 22-14 (.628) in BIGEAST road games. The 22-14 mark is the best record amongBIG EAST schools over that period.

ITS BEEN A WHILE:
Freshmen Robert Hite and Armondo Surratt were both inthe starting lineup for the Hurricanes’ game against Charlotteon December 15 marking the first time since the 1993-94season that two freshmen started for the Hurricanes. Thatseason freshmen Alex Fraser and Torey McCormick startedthe final 14 games of the season. Hite and Surratt have startedthe last three games together.

MIAMI vs. NON-CONFERENCE OPPONENTS:
Since joining The BIG EAST Conference beginning withthe 1991-92 season, the Hurricanes have compiled an 81-39(.672) record against non-conference opponents, including a56-13 mark (.809) at home. Miami finished 7-4 against non-conferenceopponents this season and has won 24 of its last29 games against non-conference teams. Miami has won 20consecutive home games against non-conference opponents.

RICE NAMED TO NAISMITH, WOODEN LISTS:
University of Miami junior forward Darius Rice has beennamed one of 30 preseason candidates for the 2002-03Naismith College Basketball Player of the Year Award, and oneof 50 preseason candidates for the John Wooden Player of theYear Award.

The Naismith Awards program, now in its 35 th year,honors the outstanding college basketball players in the UnitedStates. The awards program was founded by the Atlanta TipoffClub, an organization dedicated to recognizing the achievementsof student-athletes in basketball.

The candidates were selected by a vote of the Board ofSelectors comprised of leading basketball coaches, journalistsand basketball analysts.

Created in 1976, the John R. Wooden Award is the mostprestigious individual honor in college basketball. It isbestowed upon the nation’s best player at an institution ofhigher education who has proven to his university that he ismaking progress toward graduation and maintaining a cumulative2.0 GPA.

HURRICANES SIGN FOUR:
Head men’s basketball coach Perry Clark signed fourrecruits during the early signing period including 6-6 forwardKarron Clarke (Brooklyn, NY/The Winchendon School), 6-9forward/center Leonard Harden III (Detroit, MI/Garden CityCommunity College), 6-11 center Yankuba Camara (Gambia,West Africa/Moberly Area Community College) and 6-3combo guard Guillermo Diaz (Miami Christian Academy).

RICE, JONES JOIN 1000-POINT CLUB:
Miami senior James Jones and junior forward Darius Riceboth joined the 1,000-point club this season. Jones scored 26points against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on December 18 tobecome the 25th player in UM history to surpass 1,000 careerpoints. Junior Darius Rice scored 32 points against Florida onDecember 21 to become the 26th player in UM history toreach the 1,000-point plateau. Rick Barry who holds the Miamicareer scoring record with 2,298 points.

EASY AS 1, 2, 3:
Miami failed to hit a three-point basket against Indianalast season marking just the third time in school-history thatUM failed to connect on at least one three-pointer. Miami hashit at least one trey in 477 of 480 games since the NCAAadopted the three-point shot in 1986.

The only other games in which UM failed to hit a three-pointerwere versus St. John’s on March 5, 2000 (0-13) andagainst Howard University on December 6, 1991 (0-15).Miami is 2-1 all-time when failing to hit a three-pointer.

RICE’S NIGHT:
Darius Rice poured in a career-high 43 points againstConnecticut on Jan. 20 tying him for third on the BIG EASTall-time single-game scoring list. The point total was the mostin a BIG EAST game since Feb. 20, 1996 when UM forwardSteve Rich posted 43 points against St. John’s.

OFFENSIVELY SPEAKING:
Miami shot a 35-70 (.500) from the field in its seasonopener against New Hampshire. Since the 1998-99 season theHurricanes are 24-1 when shooting 50 percent or better fromthe field. Miami has won its last 10 games when shooting 50percent or better.

GETTING DEFENSIVE:
Last season Miami’s defense was been adept at forcing itsopponents into turnovers. The Hurricanes forced 554turnovers (17.3 per game) including 285 steals (8.9 per game).UM averaged 19.1 points per game off turnovers.

This season Miami has forced 302 turnovers (20.1 pergame) while scoring 328 points off those turnovers (21.9points per game). Miami has recorded 30.0 percent (328 of1093) of its total points this season off turnovers.

JONES MOVES UP CAREER LIST:
James Jones has recorded 28 blocks this season toimprove his career total to 168. The 170 blocks ranks third onUM’s all-time career list.

WATCH YOUR WALLETS:
The University of Miami ranks 7th in the nation in steals.UM has recorded 171 steals (11.4 spg) this season including aschool-record 21 against Savannah State on Dec. 30. Miamirecorded 285 steals last season, an average of 8.9 steals pergame. The Hurricanes ended the season two steals shy of tyingthe UM single-season record of 287 set in 1988-89 (31 games).Miami is on pace to record 308 steals this season.

LOCKING UP:
Last season Miami made a habit of holding teams withouta field goal for long stretches. The Hurricanes held teamswithout a field goal for five minutes or more a total of 27times while holding teams scoreless for five or more minutesfive times.

This season the Hurricanes have held team without a fieldgoal for 5 or minutes eight times.