Men's Basketball Hosts No. 3/3 North Carolina Sunday
Feb. 13, 2009
CORAL GABLES, FLA… – The University of Miami men’s basketball team returns home to the BankUnited Center on Sunday evening to face off versus No. 3/3 North Carolina — its third-straight opponent that has been ranked No. 1 this season.
Game 24: Miami (15-8, 4-6 ACC) vs. No. 3/3 North Carolina (22-2, 8-2 ACC)
Date: Sun., Feb. 15, 2009 | Time: 7:45 p.m. (EST) | Site: BankUnited Center
TV: FSN (Sun Sports in South Fla.) | Radio: 560 WQAM, Westwood One (National)
Websites: Miami (www.hurricanesports.com) | North Carolina (www.tarheelblue.com)
Projected Miami Starters
No. Name (Pos/Ht/Wt/Cl) Pts Reb Ast
01 Lance Hurdle (G, 6-2, 183, Sr.) 7.1 1.6 2.7
33 Jack McClinton (G, 6-1, 185, Sr.) 19.7 3.4 3.1
32 Brian Asbury (G/F, 6-7, 221, Sr.) 7.1 4.9 1.2
20 Cyrus McGowan (F, 6-9, 236, R-Jr.) 5.8 5.3 0.7^
21 Dwayne Collins (F, 6-8, 238, Jr.) 11.5 7.3 1.0*
Projected North Carolina Starters
No. Name (Pos/Ht/Wt/Cl) Pts Reb Ast
50 Tyler Hansbrough (F, 6-9, 250, Sr.) 21.8 7.8 0.8*
05 Ty Lawson (G, 5-11, 195, Jr.) 15.7 2.8 6.5
22 Wayne Ellington (G, 6-4, 200, Jr.) 15.0 4.6 2.7
14 Danny Green (F/G, 6-6, 210, Sr.) 13.6 4.5 1.5^
21 Deon Thompson (F, 6-8, 245, Jr.) 11.4 6.5 1.1^
^ blocks per game * steals per game
THE JACK ATTACK
Jack McClinton earned ACC Player of the Week honors — and National Player of the Week honors from both Rivals.com and CollegeHoops.net — after averaging 33.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals in a win over Wake Forest and in taking Duke to overtime at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Baltimore, Md. native — who earns the honor for the first time this season and the third time in his career — made 23-of-37 from the floor (.621) in the two games, including 11-of-16 from behind the arc (.688) and nine-of-11 from the free throw line (.818).
Against the Demon Deacons, McClinton tallied 32 points, including a season-high six three-pointers as Miami set school records for the largest margin of victory (27) against both a ranked opponent and an ACC opponent. Three days later, McClinton scored a season-high 34 points in Cameron Indoor Stadium and forced overtime with a 28-foot three-pointer with 20 seconds left to play. The 6-1 senior guard scored Miami’s final 11 points of regulation and all seven overtime points.
In four games versus teams that have been ranked No. 1 this season^, Jack McClinton is averaging 28.5 points — including 4.8 three-pointers per game, 4.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game — converting .525 from the field and .559 from beyond the arc. (^ vs. UConn in the Paradise Jam semifinals, at North Carolina, at home vs. Wake Forest and at Duke)
In six games versus ranked opponents^, McClinton is averaging 24.3 points — including 3.7 three-pointers per game, 3.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.3 steals per game — shooting .509 from the field and .512 from beyond the arc. (^ vs. UConn in the Paradise Jam semifinals, at home vs. Clemson, at Boston College, at North Carolina, at home vs. Wake Forest and at Duke)
McClinton’s 23.0 points per game in ACC play is second-best in the league, while he ranks fourth in scoring versus all 2008-09 opponents.
THE SERIES
North Carolina leads the all-time series versus Miami, 12-2. The Hurricanes’ last win over the Tar Heels was an 81-70 victory on Jan. 14, 2006 at the Dean E. Smith Center. Current Hurricanes Jimmy Graham, Brian Asbury and Adrian Thomas all saw action in that victory.
In their last meeting on Jan. 17 in Chapel Hill, the Hurricanes led by as many as nine points in the first half, but the Tar Heels fought back with seven three-pointers by Wayne Ellington en route to the 82-65 decision. McClinton scored a team-high 21 points for Miami.
True freshman DeQuan Jones‘ electrifying dunk in the first half against the Tar Heels was named the top play of the night on ESPN’s Top 10 Plays.
Graham grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds for his second double-figure rebound performance of the season and the sixth of his career. He also put up a team-high two blocks versus the Tar Heels to move up two spots into a tie with Gary Hamilton (2002-06) for ninth place in program history with 85 career blocks.
HURRICANES BLEED ORANGE & GREEN
The University of Miami Athletic Department has partnered with the Community Blood Centers of South Florida, Inc. to host a blood drive prior to Sunday’s game. The blood drive will run from 5-8 p.m. outside the BankUnited Center on Dauer Circle. All donors will receive a T-shirt, sub sandwich and a special “Thank You” pack.
WE HAVE YOUR NUMBER
Fifth-year head coach Frank Haith has led the Hurricanes to 13 wins over ranked opponents — including eight at home at the BankUnited Center. The Hurricanes have defeated at least one ranked team in 13 of the last 14 seasons and have knocked off two ranked opponents so far this season.
DID U KNOW…
Miami’s strength of schedule is ranked 13th in the country and third in the ACC. The Hurricanes have five games versus teams that have been ranked No.1 this season and have played four of the five teams that have been atop the polls in 2008-09.
The Hurricanes 27-point win over then- No. 6/7 Wake Forest (79-52) marked Miami’s largest margin of victory both over a ranked opponent and in an ACC game. It was also the second win over a ranked opponent for UM this season.
Miami took a 13-point lead into halftime in last Saturday’s effort at Duke, while its defense kept Duke to just 19 first-half points on .194 shooting — the lowest output in a half for the Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium since Jan. 30, 1982. In that game versus Virginia, Duke scored just 13 points in the first half and went on to lose, 77-65.
Earlier this season, the Hurricanes put together a remarkable first half versus Kentucky at Rupp Arena (en route to a 73-67 victory). Miami’s 20-point halftime lead (46-26) was the largest by an opponent at Rupp Arena since Alabama led Kentucky, 41-20, at the break on Jan. 12, 1980. The Crimson Tide went on to win that game, 78-64.
Four of Miami’s six ACC losses have been decided by five points or less — including three in overtime.
MOVING UP THE CHARTS
With a combined 66 points in two games last week, McClinton moved up three spots to rank eighth among Miami’s all-time leading scorers with 1,537 points in three seasons with the Hurricanes.
With a 5-for-6 performance at Duke — including the 28-footer over two opponents that sent the game into overtime, McClinton is just three treys out of second place and eight shy of the school record in career three-pointers. With 25 treys over the last six games (at a .500 clip), McClinton now has 257 in just his third season with the Hurricanes. With an ACC-leading 3.1 three-pointers per game, he is on pace to wrap up the regular season with 275 three-pointers — which would break the school-record 265 set by Steven Edwards (1992-96) — and move him into 11th place among the ACC’s career three-point leaders.
WORKING OVERTIME
The Hurricanes have gone into overtime in three of their last five games — at home versus Virginia Tech, followed by an OT period at NC State two days later and then at Duke in their last outing. In 2006-07, Miami went into overtime three times over its last four games. This is the eighth time UM has had three-or-more OT games in a season — with a high of five times in 2002-03, including a BankUnited Center-opening 64-61 overtime win over North Carolina.
