Canes Host Undefeated No. 15 Pittsburgh
Jan. 8, 2004
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#15/#15 UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH (15-0, 1-0 Big East) VS.
UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI (10-4, 0-0 Big East)
Time: Saturday, January 10, 2004 – 2:00 p.m.
Place: Convocation Center (7,000) – Coral Gables, Fla.
TV: Fox Sports Net Florida
Radio: WQAM (560 AM)
Website: www.hurricanesports.com
ON PITTSBURGH:
Pittsburgh enters its match-up with Miami with a record of 15-0, 1-0 in the Big East, following a 78-59 win over Virginia Tech on January 6th. The Panthers are ranked 15th by both the Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN Coaches Polls.
On the season Pittsburgh been led by sophomore point guard Carl Krauser who is averaging a team-high 15.6 points game. Krauser missed the last four games with a groin injury.
Also averaging in double-figures are senior guard Julius Page (13.5 ppg) and senior forward Jaron Brown (11.6 ppg). Freshman center Chris Taft leads the team in rebounding (6.7 rpg) and is fourth in scoring (9.7 ppg). The Panther’s are shooting 50.8 percent from the field this season and are outscoring opponents by an average of 17.3 points per game.
THE SERIES:
Miami and Pittsburgh meet for the 33rd time with the all-time series tied 16-16. The two have met 18 times in BIG EAST regular-season play with Pittsburgh holding a 10-8 advantage. The Hurricanes have won seven of the last 12 meetings. Pittsburgh won the last meeting with UM, a 76-71 decision in the semifinals of the 2002 BIG EAST Tournament. Miami has won six staight over Pittsburgh at home.
LAST GAME:
No. 12 NORTH CAROLINA 89, MIAMI 64
January 7, 2004 – Dean Smith Center, Chapel Hill, NC
Sean May scored 23 points and pulled down a game-high 16 rebounds to lead the 12th-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels to an 89-64 win over the University of Miami at the Dean Smith Center.
The Hurricanes were led by Robert Hite who scored a career-high 27 points. Guillermo Diaz added 17 points as Miami saw its five-game winning streak snapped.
May did most of his dammage in the first half scoring 17 points as the Tar Heels shot 52.9 percent to take a 44-33 lead at the break.
North Carolina used an 11-0 run midway through the second half to push the lead to 23 with 8:49 to play and put the game away. Miami would get no closer than 16 the rest of the way.
LAST MEETING WITH PITTSBURGH:
No. 7 PITTSBURGH 76, No. 20 MIAMI 71
BIG EAST Championship Semifinals
March 8, 2002 – Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Brandin Knight and Julius Page took over down the stretch and led No. 7 Pittsburgh to a 76-71 win over No. 20 Miami 76-71 in the semifinals of the BIG EAST Tournament.
Knight tied the tournament record with 14 assists and scored 20 points for the Panthers. Miami which got a career-high 30 points from Elton Tyler, led 58-54, and Pitt was in trouble with big man Ontario Lett charged with his fourth personal foul with 8:06 to play.
But Knight and Page, who had 16 points, would not let the Panthers fall any farther behind. Page hit a pair of 3-pointers and saved the ball in a scramble, finding Lett for a basket that put Pitt in front at 61-60. Two straight baskets by Jaron Brown opened the lead to 68-62. Then Knight, the conference co-player of the year, scored and hit Page with an alley-oop pass for another basket.
Now Pitt held a nine-point lead at 74-65, but Miami wasn’t done. A basket and free throw by Tyler and a 3-pointer by John Salmons made it 74-71, and the Hurricanes had the ball with 24 seconds to play.
But Salmon’s pass glanced off Tyler’s hands under the basket, and Page added a pair of free throws to seal the victory. Marcus Barnes scored 20 points, and Salmons had 10 for Miami. Lett finished with 13 points, and Brown had 10 for Pittsburgh.
UP NEXT:
Following the Pittsburgh game the Hurricanes hit the road for a two-game road at St. John’s (Jan. 14) and at Virginia Tech (Jan. 17). Miami’s next home game will be January 21 at 7:30 p.m. against Rutgers.
A WIN AGAINST PITTSBURGH WOULD:
Improve Miami’s record to 11-4, 1-0 in the BIG EAST.Improve Miami’s home record to 10-1.Mark Miami’s seventh consecutive home win versus Pittsburgh.Mark the 10th consecutive season in which the Hurricanes have defeated a ranked opponent at home.
TV/RADIO COVERAGE:
Miami’s game versus Pittsburgh is being produced by ESPN Regional Television and will air in Miami on Fox Sports Net Florida. Gary Williams and Matt Doherty 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 with Josh Darrow adding analysis. 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 61-42 (.592) at Miami while his career record in 14 seasons stands at 246-187 (.568).
Pittsburgh head coach Jamie Dixon is in his first season as a collegiate head coach. He is 14-0 (1.000) this season with the Panthers.
MIAMI vs. NON-CONFERENCE OPPONENTS:
Since joining The BIG EAST Conference beginning with the 1991-92 season, the Hurricanes have compiled an 91-43 (.679) record against non-conference opponents, including a 64-14 (.821) mark at home. Miami was 10-4 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 10-4 this season giving him 61 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 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.
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.
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.
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.
