Men's Basketball Plays Host to USC Upstate Saturday
Nov. 27, 2009
CORAL GABLES, FLA. – The University of Miami men’s basketball team returns to the hardwood on Sat., Nov. 28, at 1 p.m. versus USC Upstate in game two of a three-game homestand. Miami is 6-0 for the second time under head coach Frank Haith — the first occurring in 2007-08 en route to a 12-0 start and an NCAA Tournament berth.
Game 7: Miami (6-0) vs. USC Upstate (0-4)
Date: Sat., Nov. 28, 2009 | Time: 1 p.m. (EST) | Site: BankUnited Center
TV: None | Radio: 90.5 WVUM, 560 WQAM (live updates)
Websites: Miami (www.hurricanesports.com) | USC Upstate (www. upstatespartans.com)
Tickets: 1-800-GO-CANES
Projected Miami Starters
No. Name (Pos/Ht/Wt/Cl) Pts Reb Ast
03 Malcolm Grant (G, 6-1, 191, R-So.) 12.0 2.3 3.3
23 James Dews (G, 6-4, 213, Sr.) 14.2 2.3 1.3
31 DeQuan Jones (G/F, 6-6, 219, So.) 7.7 3.7 0.8*
20 Cyrus McGowan (F, 6-9, 237, Sr.) 6.2 5.5 1.8^
21 Dwayne Collins (F, 6-8, 241, Sr.) 12.8 9.3 1.2
Projected USC Upstate Starters
No. Name (Pos/Ht/Wt/Cl) Pts Reb Ast
14 Nick Schneiders (C, 7-3, 260, Sr.) 12.5 8.3 3.3^
20 Josh Chavis (G, 5-9, 170, Jr.) 6.5 1.5 2.0*
21 Mezie Uzochukwu (F, 6-5, 215, Jr.) 10.0 6.0 1.0*
25 Pat Posey (F, 6-5, 200, Sr.) 6.3 5.8 2.0
33 Carter Cook (G, 6-5, 220, So.) 6.5 2.0 1.8
* steals per game | ^ blocks per game
This is the sixth time Miami has won its first six games of the season. The Hurricanes have won their first seven games of the season just four other times in program history.
THE SERIES
Saturday marks the first meeting between Miami and USC Upstate. The Hurricanes have won all six games this season by an average of 23.5 points an outing, while the Spartans are 0-4, losing by an average of 11 points per game. Saturday marks UM’s second-straight game versus an Atlantic Sun opponent. Under Coach Haith, the Hurricanes are 9-0 all-time against A-Sun opponents.
ARC SUPPORT
Despite losing Jack McClinton — Miami’s all-time leader in three-point field goals and the most accurate three-point shooter in ACC history, the Hurricanes have had strong production from the perimeter this season — averaging 8.8 made three-pointers per game at a 40.8 percent clip.
The Hurricanes attempted a program-high 36 three-pointers in Wednesday’s win over Florida Gulf Coast. James Dews converted a career-high tying 5-of-6 three-pointers and ranks 10th among UM career three-point leaders with 131. He needs just three treys to move into ninth place and five three-pointers to climb into eighth place with assistant coach Jake Morton. Malcolm Grant added a season-high four from beyond the arc for UM.
UM converted 8-of-13 three-pointers — for a season-high 61.5 percent — in the Charleston Classic championship win over South Carolina. It is the highest three-point percentage by the Hurricanes since Jan. 7, 2006, when UM hit 63.2 percent (12-19) from long range in an 84-70 win over Maryland. Versus the Gamecocks, Dews went 3-for-3 from beyond the arc, while Adrian Thomas connected on 3-of-4 attempts.
HOME SWEET HOME
The Hurricanes have now won 13 consecutive non-conference regular season games, including eight straight in the BankUnited Center.
Miami closed the 2008-09 regular-season with a 12-4 mark at home, and has won 11 of its last 13 in Coral Gables. The Hurricanes have have gone 59-23 (.720) at home under sixth-year head coach Frank Haith, including eight wins over ranked opponents. The Hurricanes have notched double-digit home wins at the BankUnited for the past two seasons and five times in six full seasons calling the arena home.
LAST TIME OUT
DeQuan Jones scored a career-high 16 points to lead three Hurricanes in double figures as Miami improved to 6-0 with the 77-58 win over Florida Gulf Coast on Wednesday at home.
Jones, who is shooting 70.4 percent from the field, hit 6-for-8 attempts, posted five rebounds and added an assist, block and steal. It was his first double-digit scoring performance since Jan. 3, 2009 (vs. North Carolina Central), while he hit his first three-point field goal since Jan. 25, 2009 (vs. Virginia Tech).
James Dews hit a career-high tying 5-of-6 three-point attempts en route to 15 points — for his third-straight double-figure scoring effort. Malcolm Grant, who returned to the starting lineup versus the Eagles, finished with 14 points — including a season-high four threes, five rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals in the win. It was his fourth double-figure scoring performance over the last five games.
DID U KNOW…
Dwayne Collins — who converted a school-record 8-of-8 field goals in Thursday’s win over Tulane en route to a season-high 22 points — needs just 25 points to become the 30th Hurricane with 1,000 career points… After hitting eight of his last nine from long range, senior James Dews needs just three treys to move into ninth place among UM career three-point leaders.
