Hurricanes Host West Virginia In Regular Season Finale
March 4, 2004
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WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY (14-12, 6-9 BIG EAST) vs.
UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI (14-15, 4-11 BIG EAST)
Saturday, March 6, 2004 – 7:00 p.m.
Convocation Center (7,000) – Coral Gables, Fla.
TV – ESPN Full Court (pay-per-view); Radio – WAXY (790 AM)
Website – hurricanesports.com
ON WEST VIRGINIA:
West Virginia enters its regular-season finale with the Hurricanes with a record of 14-12, 6-9 in the BIG EAST, following a 65-52 loss to Syracuse on March 2.
The Mountaineers have been led this season by the post tandem of 6-11 junior center D’or Fischer and 6-10 sophomore forward Kevin Pittsnogle. Fischer leads the team in scoring at 10.5 points per game while Pittsnogle ranks second on the squad at 10.0 points per outing. In addition, Fischer also leads the team in rebounding (6.4 rpg).
West Virginia has received balanced scoring since the start of the BIG EAST season with four players averaging in double-figures in conference games. Pittsnogle is the Mountaineers leading BIG EAST scorer (11.8 ppg), followed by junior forward Tyrone Sally (11.0 ppg), Fischer (10.9 ppg) and sophomore guard Patrick Beilein (10.3 ppg).
THE SERIES:
Miami and West Virginia meet for the 13th time with the all-time series tied at 6-6. Miami has won five of the last six games against the Mountaineers. West Virginia won the lone meeting last season, 68-63, in Morgantown. Miami has won three straight at home against West Virginia and is 4-2 all-time against the Mountaineers at home.
A WIN AGAINST WEST VIRGINIA WOULD:
***Improve Miami’s record to 15-15, 5-11 in the BIG EAST.
***Mark Miami’s second consecutive win.
***Mark the Hurricanes fourth consecutive home win against the Mountaineers.
LAST GAME:
MIAMI 59, VILLANOVA 56
March 2, 2004
The Pavilion, Villanova, Pa.
Darius Rice scored 17 of his team-high 20 points in the second half to lead the University of Miami to a 59-56 win over Villanova at the Pavilion in Villanova, Pa.
The win for Miami snapped its 10-game losing streak.
Gary Hamilton and Armondo Surratt added 10 points for the Hurricanes. Allan Ray scored a game-high 27 points and Mike Nardi had 14 for the Wildcats.
The Hurricanes went ahead for good with 2:23 left, taking a 57-54 lead on Surratt’s 3-pointer. Rice then added a jumper for a 59-54 lead.
Ray sank a couple of free throws, but the Wildcats couldn’t do anything else off a couple of Miami turnovers in the final minute.
The Hurricanes shot 58 percent from the field in the second half. Villanova had 18 turnovers, wiping out a solid 47 percent shooting effort from the floor.
LAST MEETING VERSUS WEST VIRGINIA:
WEST VIRGINIA 68, MIAMI 63
January 7, 2003
WVU Coliseum, Morgantown, WV
Drew Schifino scored a game-high 20 points in leading the West Virginia Mountaineers to a 68-63 victory over the University of Miami in the BIG EAST Conference for both schools at WVU Coliseum.
Kevin Pittsnogle added 19 points for West Virginia on a perfect 7-of-7 shooting effort from the field, including 2-of-2 from beyond the arc. Patrick Beilein chipped in 11 points for the Mountaineers, who picked up their second win in three games.
Miami had a three-game winning streak snapped, despite getting 18 points from James Jones. Darius Rice delivered another 15 points for the Hurricanes, but Miami shot just 38.1 percent from the field.
West Virginia, which led 27-24 at the half, maintained its slim edge throughout the second half, garnering a 43-39 advantage midway through the stanza. The Mountaineers extended their lead to double digits at 62-52, before finally settling on a five-point win.
After making no appearances at the foul line in the opening period, West Virginia earned its victory from the charity stripe in the second half, going 18-of-27 from the line.
TV/RADIO COVERAGE:
Miami’s game versus West Virginia is being produced by ESPN Regional Television and can be seen as part of the ESPN Full Court package (pay-per-view). Gary Williams and Stephen Bardo will call the action. The game will also be broadcast on the Hurricane Radio Network WAXY (790 AM). Joe Zagacki “The Voice of the Hurricanes” will handle 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 65-53 (.551) at Miami while his career record in 14 seasons stands at 250-198 (.558).
West Virginia head coach John Beilein is in his second season at the helm of the Mountaineers and 26th season overall. His record at West Virginia is 28-25 (.528) while his overall record stands at 475-284 (.626).
SENIOR NIGHT:
The West Virginia game marks the final home game for seniors Darius Rice and Rodrigue Djahue. The two will be honored prior to the game. Miami is 13-5 on Senior Day since the rebirth of the program in 1985. Miami has won five of its last six games on Senior Night. This marks the third time that Miami has played West Virginia on Senior Day. West Virginia defeated Miami, 82-54, on March 1, 1997 while the Hurricanes knocked off the Mountaineers, 70-66, on February 28, 1998.
CLARK WINS NO. 250:
Miami head coach Perry Clark recorded career win No. 250 against Villanova on March 2. Clark won 185 games in 11 seasons at Tulane (1989-00) and has 65 wins in his fourth season at Miami. Clark ranks 69th in victories among active coaches.
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. Rice has now started 112 career games.
RICE MOVES UP BIG EAST SCORING LIST:
Miami forward Darius Rice scored 14 points against Syracuse on February 14 becoming the 24th player in BIG EAST history to score 1,000 points in BIG EAST play. Rice is the second Hurricane to reach the 1,000-point plateau in conference play joining Tim James who recorded 1,062 points in 72 career BIG EAST games from 1995-99. Rice leads all active BIG EAST players in points scored, and ranks 21st all-time. Rice is 18 points shy of tying Tim James for 18th on the all-time BIG EAST list.
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 one of the Hurricanes’ most consistant offensvie threats scoring in double-figures in 25 of 29 games this season. Hite’s numbers are significantly improved in almost every category this season.
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.
VERSUS RANKED OPPONENTS:
Miami is 0-3 against ranked teams this season. The Hurricanes are 19-21 versus ranked opponents since 1996-97 and have defeated at least one ranked team in each of the last nine seasons. Miami is 28-87 (.243) all-time against ranked teams including a 25-73 (.255) record since the rebirth of the program in 1985.
WORKING OVERTIME:
Miami’s game versus Boston College on February 1 was its fourth 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 9-10 record (including tournament games) in BIG EAST overtime contests (5-6 at home). The ‘Canes own a 25-28 overall record in overtime contests during their history (5-6 in double-overtime games and a 20-22 mark in single-overtime contests).
PLAYING ABOVE THE RIM:
The Hurricanes have recorded 89 dunks (3.07 per game) already this season. Miami registered only 50 dunks all of last season. Miami’s 89 dunks are the most since UM had 111 dunks during the 1988-89 season. Rob Hite leads the Hurricanes in dunks this season with 28 this season.
A MODEL OF EFFICIENCY:
Rob Hite ranks 15th in the BIG EAST in scoring at 15.4 ppg but a closer look shows that he is one of the more efficient scorers in the league averaging 1.35 points per shot attempt (447 points/331 field goal attempts). His 1.35 average (through Mar. 3) ranks 10th among the conference’s top 20 scorers.
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.
CATCHING FIRE:
Darius Rice has recorded 35 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.
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:
Head Coach Perry Clark has recorded 65 wins in his first four seasons with the Hurricanes tuing him with Bill Foster for the most wins by any UM basketball 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.
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 FIRST TEAM ALL-DISTRICT:
Miami senior forward Darius Rice was named first-team All-District 6 by the National Association of Basketball Coaches for the third consecutive season. Rice, who was also named to the first-team as a sophomore and junior, currently leads the Hurricanes in scoring (16.7) and rebounding (6.3).
Rice is joined on the first-team by Lawrence Roberts (Mississippi State), Anthony Roberson (Florida), Tim Pickett (Florida State), and Justin Reed (Mississippi).
Rice is the first UM men’s basketball player to be named first-team All-District three times.
NABC All-District 6 First-Team
Darius Rice, Miami
Lawrence Roberts, Mississippi State
Anthony Roberson, Florida
Tim Pickett, Florida State
Justin Reed, Mississippi
NABC All-District 6 Second-Team
Timmy Bowers, Mississippi State
David Lee, Florida
Morris Finley, Alabama-Birmingham
Marco Killingsworth, Auburn
Kennedy Winston, Alabama
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.
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.”
