Men's Basketball Heads to Florida State for Wednesday Showdown
Feb. 17, 2009
CORAL GABLES, FLA… – The University of Miami men’s basketball team returns to the hardwood on Wednesday at Florida State in the second game of the season series. The Hurricanes were victorious in the last meeting between the programs, claiming the 75-69 ACC win in Coral Gables on Jan. 21 behind 28 points from senior Jack McClinton.
Game 25: Miami (15-9, 4-7 ACC) vs. Florida State (19-6, 6-4 ACC)
Date: Wed., Feb. 18, 2009 | Time: 7 p.m. (EST) | Site: Donald L. Tucker Center
TV: ESPNU | Radio: 560 WQAM
Websites: Miami (www.hurricanesports.com) | Florida State (www.seminoles.com)
Projected Miami Starters
No. Name (Pos/Ht/Wt/Cl) Pts Reb Ast
01 Lance Hurdle (G, 6-2, 183, Sr.) 7.0 1.6 2.7
33 Jack McClinton (G, 6-1, 185, Sr.) 20.3 3.4 3.0
32 Brian Asbury (G/F, 6-7, 221, Sr.) 7.3 4.8 1.3
20 Cyrus McGowan (F, 6-9, 236, R-Jr.) 5.5 5.2 0.7^
00 Jimmy Graham (F, 6-8, 256, Sr.) 3.6 6.5 1.3^
Projected Florida State Starters
No. Name (Pos/Ht/Wt/Cl) Pts Reb Ast
23 Toney Douglas (G, 6-2, 200, Sr.) 20.3 4.2 2.8
41 Uche Echefu (F, 6-9, 225, Sr.) 8.4 4.9 0.7
31 Chris Singleton (F, 6-9, 220, Fr.) 8.1 5.4 1.2^
32 Solomon Alabi (C, 7-1, 241, Fr.) 8.0 5.7 2.1^
03 Luke Loucks (G, 6-5, 205, Fr.) 3.9 1.5 2.5
^ blocks per game
BRING IT ON
Miami’s strength of schedule is ranked 11th in the country and third in the ACC. The Hurricanes have played 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 — UConn, North Carolina, Wake Forest and Duke. Pitt is the only team that has reached the top spot this season that Miami is not scheduled to face.
Jack McClinton has scored 30-plus points in three-straight games and is averaging 33.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steals per game over that span versus three teams that have been ranked No. 1 during this season (Wake Forest, Duke and North Carolina), converting .581 (36-62) from the field, .643 (18-28) from beyond the arc and .846 from the line (11-13). He is the first Hurricane to accomplish that feat in 20 years and is the only ACC player to score 30-or-more points in three-straight games in 2008-09.
In five games versus teams that have been ranked No. 1 this season, McClinton is averaging 29.8 points — including 5.2 three-pointers per game, 3.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.2 steals per game — converting .524 from the field and .565 from beyond the arc. In seven games versus ranked opponents, he adds 25.9 points — including 4.1 three-pointers per game, 3.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game — shooting .511 from the field and .527 from beyond the arc.
McClinton’s season-high 35 points versus No. 3/3 North Carolina is the most the Tar Heels have given up to an ACC opponent and marks the second-most points scored by an ACC player this season. McClinton’s 34 points at Duke marks the highest scoring output of the season for an ACC player in a road game. He owns three of the top-eight scoring performances by an ACC player this season.
He averages an ACC-best 24.1 points per game versus conference opponents, while he is third in the league in scoring versus all opponents.
HURRICANE D
Miami held No. 3/3 North Carolina to a season-low 69 points on Sunday — 23.7 points below their season average, including a season-low 29 in the first half. In addition, UM kept reigning National Player of the Year Tyler Hansbrough out of double-digits for just the second time in the last two seasons.
MOVING UP THE CHARTS
With a career-high tying seven three-pointers versus No. 3/3 North Carolina, McClinton moved into second place in program history with 264 career three-pointers in three seasons as a Hurricane. He is just one trey shy of tying the school record set in 1996 by Steven Edwards and two shy of breaking the record. In addition, his 264 career three-pointers is tops among active ACC players and ranks 11th among the ACC’s all-time career three-point field goals leaders.
THE SERIES
Florida State leads the all-time series versus Miami, 33-28, however the Hurricanes won the last meeting between the teams, 75-69, almost one month ago in Coral Gables.
SUNSHINE STATE SERIES
Miami is 6-0 versus Sunshine State opponents in 2008-09 — with wins over Florida State, Florida Southern, Stetson, FIU, North Florida and Florida Atlantic. The Hurricanes are 318-151 (.678) all-time versus in-state opponents, including a 20-6 (.769) mark under head coach Frank Haith. Miami has won 51 of its last 61 games versus Florida schools, dating back to the 1992-93 season.
McClinton has scored in double-figures a team-high 14 times versus in-state opponents — including a 31-point effort versus Florida State in 2006-07 and a season-high 28-point outing this season. Dwayne Collins has nine double-figure scoring games versus Sunshine State opponents, followed by Brian Asbury with eight and James Dews with six.
LAST TIME OUT
The Hurricanes were within one point of No. 3/3 North Carolina with just 11 seconds remaining in the game, but a three-pointer by Ty Lawson extended the UNC lead to four points and the visiting Tar Heels would go on to edge the Hurricanes, 69-65.
McClinton, who finished with a season-high 35 points for his eighth 30-point performance at UM and his third in a row, extended his three-point streak to an ACC-long 27 straight games. He has hit three-or-more treys in a game 52 times throughout his career, including in nine straight.
UM attempted just two free throws on the evening — the fewest free throws attempts for Miami at home since the program was brought back in 1985-86. The last time the Hurricanes made just two free throws was at Arizona on Dec. 19, 1989.
Adrian Thomas extended his three-point streak to 11-straight contests — the third-longest active streak in the ACC.
Jimmy Graham collected his fourth double-digit rebounding effort of the season with a career and game-high 15 rebounds. He also tied a career-high with five blocked shots (a UM season high) to tie Dwayne Wimbley (1997-2001) for eighth place with 96 career blocked shots.
Brian Asbury finished with 12 points for his eighth double-figure performance this season and his fourth in the last six games.
DID U KNOW…
The Hurricanes are 4-0 this season in games played on Wednesday — defeating Wake Forest, Florida State, Maryland and North Florida on hump day.
Five of Miami’s seven ACC losses have been decided by five points or less — including three in overtime. UM’s last two losses — versus Duke and North Carolina — came by a combined seven points.
