Hurricanes Visit Tar Heels Wednesday
Jan. 5, 2004
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UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI (10-3) at
#9/#9 UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA (8-2)
Wednesday, January 7, 2004 – 7:00 p.m.
Dean E. Smith Center (21,750) – Chapel Hill, N.C.
TV – ESPN; Radio – WQAM (560 AM)
Website – hurricanesports.com
ON NORTH CAROLINA:
North Carolina enters its match-up with Miami with a record of 8-2 and a No. 9 national ranking in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today college basketball polls. The Tar Heels are coming off a 61-56 loss at Kentucky on January 3. Junior guard Melvin Scott led North Carolina with 16 points against the Wildcats.
On the season the Tar Heels have been led by sophomore forward Rashad McCants who is averaging a team-high 17.5 points per game.
North Carolina is averaging 87.6 points per game this season and boasts all five starters averaging in double-figures in scoring. Junior forward Jawad Williams (16.4 ppg), sophomore center Sean May (15.2 ppg), Scott (12.4 ppg) and sophomore point guard Raymond Felton (11.2 ppg) are all scoring 10 or more points per game. May leads the team in rebounding at 9.9 rebounds per game.
THE SERIES:
Miami and North Carolina meet for the eighth time with North Carolina leading the all-time series 6-1. Miami’s lone win came last season as the Hurricanes knocked off the Tar Heels, 64-61 in overtime at the Convocation Center. The game was Miami’s first in its new on-campus arena. Miami last played North Carolina in Chapel Hill on December 4, 2000 with the Tar Heels coming away with a 67-45 win.
UP NEXT:
Following the North Carolina game the Hurricanes return home to host Pittsburgh in the BIG EAST Conference opener for both schools in the Convocation Center starting at 2 p.m. on January 10.
A WIN AGAINST NORTH CAROLINA WOULD:
***Improve Miami’s record to 11-3.
***Be Miami’s sixth consecutive win.
***Be Miami’s second straight win over North Carolina.
***Mark UM’s first ACC road victory since Dec. 10, 1966.
LAST GAME:
MIAMI 105, SAVANNAH STATE 65
January 3, 2004
Convocation Center, Coral Gables, FL
Darius Rice scored a game-high 25 points to lead the University of Miami to a 105-65 win over Savannah State at the Convocation Center.
Robert Hite had 19 points and a game-high five steals for the Hurricanes, who had their highest-scoring effort since beating Savannah State 107-98 on March 2, 1989.
Karron Clarke (13 points) and Gary Hamilton (12 points), both recorded career-highs. Hamilton also added a game-high nine rebounds.
Miami, which has now won five straight games, had all 12 of its players score and no player log more than 22 minutes. Ajmal Gordon scored a team-high 14 points for Savannah State.
Savannah State led 8-7 early, but Rice and Hite each scored seven points in a 27-7 run that gave Miami control for good. The Hurricanes led 46-20 at the half, then scored the first eight points after halftime and never led by less than 30 the rest of the way.
Ajmal Gordon had a team-high 14 points for Savannah State.
LAST SEASON AGAINST NORTH CAROLINA:
MIAMI 64, NORTH CAROLINA 61
January 4, 2003
Convocation Center, Coral Gables, FL
Darius Rice nailed a three-pointer at the end of regulation and provided the only field goal in overtime as the Miami Hurricanes pulled out a thrilling 64-61 victory over North Carolina at the Convocation Center. Rice finished with 17 points, as Miami picked up its third straight win.
James Jones registered a game-high 21 points and eight rebounds for the Hurricanes, who were playing their first game in their new arena.
North Carolina was led by Rashad McCants, who tallied 14 points and seven rebounds. Raymond Felton added 14 points, while Jackie Manuel chipped in 11. Felton dished out a game-high six assists for the Tar Heels, who lost their second game in three outings.
After Miami gained a 27-19 lead through 11 minutes of action, North Carolina used an 8-2 burst to close to within 29-27. The Tar Heels failed to get over the hump, however, and continued to trail at the half, 35-30.
North Carolina took the lead with 18 consecutive points in the second half, but fell into a 60-60 tie at the end of regulation when the team failed to score a field goal in the final 12:10. The Tar Heels were equally inept in the extra session, missing all nine of their attempts from the floor.
TV/RADIO COVERAGE:
Miami’s game versus North Carolina will be televised live on ESPN. Dan Shulman and Len Elmore will call the action. The game will be broadcast on the Hurricane Radio Network WQAM (560 AM). Joe Zagacki “The Voice of the Hurricanes” will call the play-by-play. Brian London will serve as studio host. Fans can also catch the game on the web at hurricanesports.com.
ON THE COACHES:
University of Miami head coach Perry Clark is in his fourth season with the Hurricanes and 15th season overall as a collegiate head coach. Clark is 61-41 (.598) at Miami while his career record in 14 seasons stands at 246-186 (.569).
North Carolina head coach Roy Williams is in his first season with the Tar Heels and 16th season overall. His is 8-2 this season while his career record is 426-103 (.805).
VERSUS THE ACC:
Miami holds a 34-52 (.395) record against Atlantic Coast Conference teams. Miami is 4-31 all-time on the road against ACC schools. The Hurricanes’ last road win against an ACC team was an 80-78 win versus Virginia on Dec. 10, 1966.
MIAMI vs. NON-CONFERENCE OPPONENTS:
Since joining The BIG EAST Conference beginning with the 1991-92 season, the Hurricanes have compiled an 91-42 (.684) record against non-conference opponents, including a 64-14 (.821) mark at home. Miami is 10-3 against non-conference opponents this season.
HIGH FLYERS:
The University of Miami’s backcourt may be the most athletic in the country. Miami’s guards have an average vertical jump of 38.2 inches. All of UM’s guards have vertical jumps of at least 36 inches. Leading the way is freshman Guillermo Diaz who has a vertical leap of 41 inches.
VERSUS RANKED OPPONENTS:
Miami was 1-2 against ranked teams last 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.
NO DAY AT THE BEACH:
Miami’s 73-72 win over No. 11 Connecticut last season marked the ninth consecutive season that the Hurricanes defeated a ranked opponent at home.
CATCHING FIRE:
Darius Rice has recorded 29 games of 20-or-more points during his UM career including three games this season. Even more impressive is that Rice has gone for 20-or-more points in a single half nine times.
WORKING OVERTIME:
Miami played a school single-season record five overtime games last season. Miami finished 1-4 in those 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).
MR. CLUTCH:
Darius Rice’s three-point basket with 0.5 seconds left to defeat Connecticut on January 20th marked the fourth time last season the forward 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.
CLARK TOPS AMONG UM COACHES:
Fourth-year head Coach Perry Clark recorded 51 wins in his first three seasons with the Hurricanes marking the most wins by any UM basketball coach in his first three seasons. Clark is 9-3 this season giving him 60 wins as UM’s head coach. The most wins by a UM coach in his first four seasons is 65 set by Bill Foster from 1985-89.
PLAYING HIS BEST AGAINST THE BEST:
UM forward Darius Rice shined last season in the big games. Last season against ranked teams Rice averaged 34.3 points and 6.0 rebounds while shooting 35-69 (.507) from the floor and 15-33 (.455) from three-point range.
PLAYING ABOVE THE RIM:
The Hurricanes have recorded 54 dunks already this season. Miami registered only 50 dunks all of last season. At this current pace the Hurricanes would record 119 dunks which would easily be the team’s highest total over the last 10 seasons.
TOP RECRUITING CLASS:
Head coach Perry Clark and his staff put together one of the nation’s top recruiting classes for this upcoming season. Miami’s class of forward Karron Clarke, guard Guillermo Diaz, forward/center Leonard Harden III, guard Anthony Harris and forward/center Anthony King is ranked as high as eighth in the nation by Street & Smith’s.
IT’S ALL ACADEMIC:
According to The Chronicle of Higher Education, the University of Miami men’s basketball program ranks third in the nation among the 117 Division I-A institutions with a 78 percent graduation rate for student-athletes who entered school from 1993-97 and earned their degrees within six years.
Only Stanford (100%) and Southern Methodist (83%) had higher graduation rates among Division I-A institutions. The national average for Division I-A men’s basketball players over that four-year period was 36 percent.
In addition the Hurricanes ranked in a tie for 19th among all 327 Division I institutions.
Graduation rates were tabulated and released by the NCAA in its 2003 NCAA Graduation Rates Report. The Hurricanes’ 78 percent graduation rate is the highest among any institution in the BIG EAST, ACC or SEC.
From 1993-94 to 1995-96 the Hurricanes registered a perfect 100 percent graduation rate.
For the 1995-96 class, both the UM men’s and women’s basketball programs registered 100 percent graduation rates. Miami was one of only six Division I-A institutions, along with BYU, Duke, Rice, North Carolina and Virginia Tech, to record a 100 percent graduation rate for that class in both men’s and women’s basketball.
VS THE STATE OF FLORIDA:
Miami is 296-145 (.671) against teams from the state of Florida. Miami has won 31 of its last 35 games against Florida schools dating back to the 1992-93 season.
RICE NAMED WOODEN AWARD CANDIDATE:
Senior forward Darius Rice has been named one of 50 preseason candidates for the John R. Wooden College Basketball Player of the Year Award. 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. The 2004 Award ceremony, which will include the presentation of the Wooden Award All-American team and the presentation of the Legends of Coaching Award, will be held at The Los Angeles Athletic Club on Saturday, April 10, 2004 and will be broadcast live on CBS.
RICE NAMED NAISMITH CANDIDATE:
Darius Rice has been named one of 30 preseason candidates for the 2003-04 Naismith College Basketball Player of the Year Award. The Naismith Awards program, now in its 36th 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. Members of the board were asked to name top male and female players who are most likely to be in contention for the award.
HURRICANES DISTRIBUTE DINNERS:
Members of the University of Miami men’s basketball team as well as several student-athletes from the Hurricanes’ football, women’s rowing, women’s track, women’s volleyball, men’s tennis and women’s soccer programs handed out Thanksgiving dinners to six Miami-area organizations prior to the start of the women’s basketball exhibition game versus The Tournament of Champions on November 17 at the Convocation Center.
The six Miami-area organizations who picked up dinners were: Children & Families, Ronald McDonald House, Gladstone Center, Florida Baptist Home, Universal Truth Center, and Child Hope.
The full dinners were donated by Sysco Food Services of South Florida. This Thanksgiving marked the eighth consecutive year that University of Miami Athletic Department and its student-athletes have reached out to the community during the holidays.
HURRICANES VISIT CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL:
Head coach Perry Clark and the University of Miami men’s basketball team spread some holiday cheer on Thursday with a visit to the pediatrics ward at Baptist Hospital in Miami.
“It is very important for our kids to give back to the community,” said head coach Perry Clark. “Giving of ones time is the greatest gift you can give, and I think we were able to spread some Christmas cheer today.”
The Hurricanes visited with children in pediatrics ward as well as the critical care unit. The Miami coaches and players signed autographs, took pictures with the children and distributed approximately 300 toys donated by Mattel, Inc.
“I think it means a lot to the children here at the hospital, and it means a lot to us to see the kids smile,” said All-American forward Darius Rice. “Hopefully we were able to brighten up their holiday.”
UM SIGNS CENTER EARLY:
Head coach Perry Clark signed of 6-11, 233 pound center Chester “C.J.” Giles (Seattle, Wash.) to a national letter of intent during the early signing period.
Last season Giles averaged 8.2 points, 13 rebounds and six blocks per game earning third-team All-State honors and helping Rainier Beach High School to a 26-3 record and its second consecutive Class 3A State Championship. Rainier ended the season ranked 16th in the nation by USA Today.
Giles is ranked 39th overall and 7th at his position by Rivals.com. He is the 12th ranked high school center in the nation by Athlon Sports, is ranked among the Top-100 players in the nation by Lindy’s (No. 66) and The Sporting News (No. 87), and is an honorable mention All-America selection by Street & Smith’s.
BIG EAST SINGLE GAME TICKETS ON SALE:
Single-game tickets for all eight University of Miami men’s basketball BIG EAST conference home games, including battles with Pittsburgh, Villanova, Georgetown and defending NCAA Champion Syracuse, will be available online at www.hurricanesports.com starting at noon on Saturday, December 13.
Fans may also purchase single-game tickets at the Convocation Center box office on Sunday, December 14 when Miami faces intra-state rival Florida State, or at the Hurricane Ticket Office beginning Monday, December 15.
Fans can order single-game tickets by phone starting December 15 by calling 305-284-CANE.
MINI PLAN TICKETS ON SALE:
UM is offering a new Saturday “7” mini-plan, which includes tickets for all seven of Miami’s Saturday games, for just $140. The plan includes some of Miami’s biggest games including match-ups with intra-state rivals Florida International and Florida Atlantic, as well as BIG EAST games versus Pittsburgh, Georgetown, defending NCAA Champion Syracuse, and West Virginia.
SINGLE GAME TICKET PRICES:
Premium Seats: $30
Upper Sidecourt & Corners: $25
General Admission: $15
