Canes Play Host To BC Eagles
Feb. 9, 2004
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BOSTON COLLEGE (15-7, 4-5 BIG EAST)
VS. UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI (13-10, 3-6 BIG EAST)
Date – Wednesday, February 11, 2004 – 7:30 p.m.
Place – Convocation Center (7,000) – Coral Gables, Fla.
TV – Fox Sports Net Florida
Radio – WQAM (560 AM)
Website – hurricanesports.com
ON BOSTON COLLEGE:
Boston College enters its match-up with Miami with a record of 15-7, 4-5 in the BIG EAST, following an 89-61 win at St. John’s on Sunday. The Eagles are led by sophomore forward Craig Smith who leads the team in scoring (18.2), rebounding (8.5), field goal percentage (.535), blocked shots (23) and steals (42). He is averaging 20.2 points per game in BIG EAST play. Boston College has also received strong play from freshman forward Jared Dudley who ranks second on the team in scoring (11.9) and rebounding (6.8). Dudley ranks second among BIG EAST freshmen in scoring this season trailing only UM freshman guard Guillermo Diaz (12.0 ppg).
THE SERIES:
Miami and Boston College meet for the 24th time with the Eagles leading the all-time series 15-8. Boston College has won six straight in the series including a 72-68 win last season at the Convocation Center.
UP NEXT:
Next up for the Hurricanes are the defending National Champion Syracuse Orangemen on Febuary 14th beginning at 2:00 p.m. at the Convocation Center.
LAST GAME:
GEORGETOWN 80, MIAMI 64
February 7, 2004
MCI Center, Washington D.C.
Gerald Riley scored 29 of his career-high 37 points in the second half, rallying Georgetown to an 80-64 win over Miami at the MCI Center.
Riley, who scored 35 in the season’s first meeting between the two teams, scored six points during a 17-5 run that opened the second half and gave Georgetown its first lead since 2-0.
The senior followed the game-changing run with a personal 11-4 burst, hitting a short jumper and three 3-pointers that put Georgetown ahead 53-44 with 10:26 to play in the game.
Darius Rice scored 14 to lead Miami, which lost its fifth straight and now must worry about even making the conference tournament.
Saturday’s loss to the Hoyas brings next-to-last place Virginia Tech within a half-game of Miami and only the two last place teams fail to qualify for the March trip to New York.
Brandon Bowman scored 19 for the Hoyas, who trailed by 11 in the first half despite forcing the Hurricanes into 15 first-half turnovers.
Miami did a better job of taking care of the basketball in the second half, but never made a serious challenge after Georgetown’s outburst to start the second half.
LAST MEETING VERSUS BOSTON COLLEGE:
BOSTON COLLEGE 72, MIAMI 68
March 1, 2003
Convocation Center, Coral Gables, FL
Troy Bell scored 32 points to lead the Boston College to a 72-68 win over the University of Miami at the Convocation Center. Jermaine Watson added 17 points for the Eagles.
Miami, which played with out leading scorer Darius Rice (19.1 ppg) who sat out due to a severly sprained ligament in his right (shooting) hand, was led by James Jones who finished with a career-high 27 points. Armondo Surratt chipped in a career-high 14 points in the losing effort.
Boston College jumped out to a 20-10 lead midway through the first half and it cruised to a 37-23 advantage at the break.
The Hurricanes shot 63.2 percent from the field in the second half and they outscored Boston College 45-35 in the stanza, but it was not enough as the Eagles took the four-point victory.
Boston College hit 26-of-31 free-throw attempts in the contest. The Hurricanes shot 53.7 percent from the field and nailed 22-of-26 attempts from the charity stripe in the game, but that still was not enough to overcome 21 turnovers.
A WIN AGAINST BOSTON COLLEGE WOULD:
Improve Miami’s record to 14-10, 4-6 in the BIG EAST.Mark Perry Clark’s 250th career win.Equal UM’s BIG EAST win total from last season.Snap the Hurricanes’ five-game losing streak.Snap Miami’s six-game losing streak to Boston College.
TV/RADIO COVERAGE:
Miami’s game versus Boston College is being produced by ESPN Regional Television and will be broadcast in Miami on Fox Sports Net Florida. Gary Williams and Bob Valvano will call the action.
The game will be broadcast on the Hurricane Radio Network WQAM (560 AM). Joe Zagacki “The Voice of the Hurricanes” and Josh Darrow will call all the action. 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 64-48 (.571) at Miami while his career record in 14 seasons stands at 249-193 (.563).
Boston College head coach Al Skinner is in his seventh season with the Eagles and 16th season overall. His record at Boston College is 113-92 (.551) while his career record is 251-218 (.535).
CLARK GOES FOR NO. 250:
Miami head coach Perry Clark will be going for career win No. 250 when the Hurricanes’ face Villanova on Sunday, January 25. Clark recorded his 249th win in Miami’s 73-63 victory over Rutgers on January 21. Clark won 185 games in 11 seasons at Tulane (1989-00) and has 64 wins in his fourth season at Miami. With his next win Clark would move into 69th in victories among active coaches.
RICE MOVES UP SCORING LIST:
Miami forward Darius Rice leads all active BIG EAST players in points scored with 979 points in league games. He scored 14 points against Georgetown to move into a tie for 29th with Patick Ewing on the all-time BIG EAST scoring list. Rice needs 21 points to become the 24th player in BIG EAST history to record 1,000 points in BIG EAST games. The only Hurricane to score 1,000 points in BIG EAST play was Tim James who recorded 1,062 points in 72 career BIG EAST games from 1995-99.
RICE SETS CAREER MARK:
With his start against Georgetown on February 7th senior forward Darius Rice established a new school-record for starts in a career with 109. The previous record was held by Kevin Norris who started 108 games at point guard from 1994-98.
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES:
Miami guard Rob Hite may be the most improved player in the BIG EAST this season. The sophomore has been the Hurricanes’ most consistant offensvie threat scoring in double-figures in 22 of 23 games this season. Hite’s numbers are significantly improved in almost every category 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.
PLAYING ABOVE THE RIM:
The Hurricanes have recorded 81 dunks (3.52 per game) already this season. Miami registered only 50 dunks all of last season. At this current pace the Hurricanes would record 106 dunks which would be the most since UM had 111 dunks during the 1988-89 season. Darius Rice leads the Hurricanes in dunks this season with 24 each.
CATCHING FIRE:
Darius Rice has recorded 34 games of 20-or-more points during his UM career including nine games this season. Even more impressive is that Rice has gone for 20-or-more points in a single half 10 times, including 20 points in the second half of UM’s last game versus Rutgers.
VERSUS RANKED OPPONENTS:
Miami is 0-2 against ranked teams this season. Miami was 1-2 against ranked teams last season. The Hurricanes are 19-20 versus ranked opponents since 1996-97 and have defeated at least one ranked team in each of the last nine seasons. Miami is 28-86 (.246) all-time against ranked teams including a 25-72 (.258) 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.
A MODEL OF EFFICIENCY:
Rob Hite ranks 13th in the BIG EAST in scoring at 16.5 ppg but a closer look shows that he is one of the most efficient scorers in the league averaging 1.47 points per shot attempt (379 points/258 field goal attempts). His 1.47 average ties hime with Emeka Okafor (Connecticut) for third among the BIG EAST’s Top-20 scorers (through Feb. 8).
WORKING OVERTIME:
Miami’s game versus Rutgers on February 4 was its third overtime game of the season. Miami played a school single-season record five overtime games last season. Miami has played at least one overtime contest in each of the last six seasons. UM has amassed a 9-9 record (including tournament games) in BIG EAST overtime contests (5-5 at home). The ‘Canes own a 25-27 overall record in overtime contests during their history (5-6 in double-overtime games and a 20-21 mark in single-overtime contests).
MR. CLUTCH:
This season against Georgetown on January 31 Rice hit a trey with 12 second remaining to send the game to overtime marking the fifth time of his career he has either won or sent a game to overtime with a three-pointer at the end of regulation..
Last season Rice turned the trick four times. His three-point basket with 0.5 seconds left against Connecticut last season gave UM a 77-76 win.
Against Florida, Rice connected on a three-pointer from the right corner with 26 seconds remaining to tie the score.
Versus 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.
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 13-7 this season giving him 64 wins as UM’s head coach. Clark needs one more victory to tie BIll Foster for the wins (65) by a UM coach in his first four 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, guard Anthony Harris and forward/center Anthony King is ranked as high as eighth in the nation by Street & Smith’s.
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.
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.
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.”
BIG EAST SINGLE GAME TICKETS ON SALE:
Single-game tickets for all University of Miami men’s basketball BIG EAST conference home games, are on sale. Fans can order single-game tickets by phone by calling 305-284-CANE, or log on to www.hurricanesports.com.
