Hurricanes Ride Three-Game Road Win Streak into Florida State
Feb. 25, 2011
Complete Release in PDF Format 
TALLAHASSEE, FLA… The University of Miami men’s basketball team takes on Florida State on Sat., Feb. 26, at 2 p.m. in the back end of a two-game road swing and in the third contest for the Hurricanes this week. The ACC Network is carrying the game on affiliates across the region, including on WBFS-My 33 in South Florida.
Game 29: Miami (17-11, 5-8) vs. Florida State (19-8, 9-4)Date: Sat., Feb. 26, 2011 | Time: 2 p.m. | Site: Donald L. Tucker CenterTV: ACC Network (WBFS-My 33 in South Florida) | Radio: 560 WQAM (WQAM.com)Web Video: TheACC.com Websites: Miami (www.HurricaneSports.com) | Florida State (www.seminoles.com)
Projected Miami StartersNo. Name (Pos/Ht/Wt/Cl) Pts Reb Ast01 Durand Scott (G, 6-3, 200, So.) 13.4 4.5 3.303 Malcolm Grant (G, 6-1, 180, Jr.) 15.0 1.7 3.325 Garrius Adams (G, 6-6, 196, So.) 7.8 3.6 1.930 Adrian Thomas (F, 6-7, 226, Gr.) 9.2 3.9 0.842 Reggie Johnson (C, 6-10, 303, So.) 12.1 9.3 1.3^
Projected Florida State StartersNo. Name (Pos/Ht/Wt/Cl) Pts Reb Ast22 Derwin Kitchen (G, 6-4, 204, Sr.) 9.8 5.5 3.721 Michael Snaer (C, 6-5, 205, So.) 8.4 2.7 2.005 Bernard James (F, 6-10, 240, Jr.) 8.0 5.6 2.2^04 Deividas Dulkys (G, 6-5, 195, Jr.) 7.8 3.2 1.110 Okaro White (F, 6-8, 195, Fr.) 6.3 2.9 0.7*
^ blocks per game | * steals per game
Miami has won three-straight road games — including back-to-back ACC road games (Feb. 9 at Wake Forest and Feb. 23 at Boston College) for the first time since the 2007-08 season, when UM picked up consecutive road wins over Virginia Tech (2/9/08) and Georgia Tech (2/17/08).
Winners of five of their last seven games, the Hurricanes are playing their third game over seven days on Saturday after splitting the first two. Miami fell at home to Clemson on Sunday, 63-59, and then bounced back with the 73-64 win at Boston College on Wed., Feb. 23. Miami will return home for Senior Day versus Maryland on Wed., March 2.
THE SERIES
Long time opponents, Florida State leads the all-time series over Miami, 37-28, including edging the Hurricanes, 55-53, in their first meeting of the season in the BankUnited Center on Jan. 19, which kick started a four-game skid for the `Canes by a combined 11 points.
In that defensive battle between the in-state foes, Florida State missed its first 10 shots but rallied from a 10-point second-half deficit, scoring 11 consecutive points down the stretch to beat Miami. UM shot 1 for 8 over the final 6 1/2 minutes and lost for the first time in nine home games this season. Malcolm Grant scored a game-high 20 points and was just one of two players on either team to finish in double figures. The game was nearly 10 minutes old before the Seminoles sank a basket, but then trailed only 11-7. Deividas Dulkys’ four-point play with 6:38 to go started the 11-0 run and cut the margin to 48-47. Derwin Kitchen’s driving layup gave the Seminoles their first lead, 49-48, and they led the rest of the way. Florida State missed its final five free throws over the last 1:53 but survived a frantic finish. Grant sank a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 55-52 with 42 seconds left, and when Chris Singleton missed the front end of a one-and-one, the Hurricanes got the ball back. Durand Scott missed an off-balance layup with 10 seconds left, but Bernard James missed two free throws for Florida State. Scott grabbed the rebound and drove the length of the floor, then missed a reverse layup. Miami’s Julian Gamble grabbed the rebound and passed to Grant, but the buzzer sounded before he could launch a shot.
Miami has three players averaging double-figure scoring, led by the backcourt of Malcolm Grant and Durand Scott. Scoring in double figures in 21 of his last 24 games, Grant is contributing a team-high 15.0 points and 3.3 assists per game, while converting an ACC-leading 87.2 percent from the line, 42.2 percent from the field and an ACC-best 44.3 percent from long range, with league-high 2.6 three-pointers per game. Scott adds 13.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game, shooting 44.4 percent from the field, 41.8 percent from downtown and 84.3 percent from the line (3rd in the ACC). Big man Reggie Johnson — who knocked 12 of his 15 points in the second half of Wednesday’s win at Boston College — has notched 10 double-doubles this season, and is averaging 12.1 points, 9.3 rebounds (3rd in the ACC) and 1.3 blocks per game.
Florida State — who snapped a three-game win streak with a 78-62 road loss at Maryland on Wednesday — has split a pair of road games since leading scorer and rebounder Chris Singleton (13.8 ppg, 7.1 rpg) fractured his right ankle in a win against Virginia on Feb. 12. The Seminoles are 11-2 at home this season, including handing then-No. 1 Duke its first loss of the season, and have not lost at home since a 58-44 decision to Ohio State on Nov. 30. Florida State has three active players averaging eight-plus points per game, led by Derwin Kitchen with 9.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.7 assists an outing. Michael Snaer adds 8.4 points and 80.4 percent free throw shooting, while Bernard James contributes 8.0 points, 5.6 boards and a team-high 2.2 blocks per game, converting 66.9 percent from the field.
I AM NO. 1
In just his second season as a Hurricane, junior Malcolm Grant leads the ACC in thee different categories — three-point field goal percentage (.443), three-pointers per game (2.6) and free throw percentage (.872). With just one more trey, he will move into a tie for 10th place with assistant coach Jake Morton in UM’s career list. Entering Saturday’s game at Florida State, the Brooklyn native has drained 135 threes in 61 career games for an ACC-best (among active players) 2.2 three-pointers per game over his career.
The Hurricanes have led the ACC in three-point field goal percentage in three of the last four seasons — Adrian Thomas in 2010 (.421) and Jack McClinton in 2009 (.453, with an ACC-high 3.2 threes per game) and 2007 (.440, with an ACC-high 2.9 threes per game). In 2008, McClinton averaged an ACC-high 2.9 threes per game at a .427 clip from long range — second best in the league.
Former Hurricane and current Miami Heat forward James Jones won the NBA three-point contest last Saturday. As a Hurricane, Jones knocked down 124 three-pointers between 1999-2003, 12th most in program history. He converted 47.1 percent (41-87) as a sophomore for the second-best single-season percentage in UM history, while shooting 38.3 percent over his career — seventh best in the UM recordbooks.
DYNAMIC DUO
Averaging 3.3 assists apiece, Miami’s duo of Malcolm Grant (93) and Durand Scott (91) is on track to dish out more than 100 assists each for the second-straight season. They would become the first UM teammates to accomplish this in back-to-back seasons since Thomas Hocker and Kevin Presto achieved the feat in both 1987-88 and 1988-89. In 2009, Grant and Scott became the first UM duo since 1992-93 to collect 100 assists in the same season and the fourth pair of teammates to do so in UM history.
Should Grant and Scott each record 100 assists this season, they would become the first Hurricanes — individually — to register back-to-back 100 assist seasons since John Salmons in 2001-02 (195) and 2000-01 (115).
WATCH THE GAME ONLINE
The ACC Network and theACC.com will be streaming many of the ACC Network telecasts live and for free. By contract, we can only make these live streams available to viewers inside of the “ACC Territory” (NC, SC, GA, FL, VA, MD (DC), MA, RI, ME, VT and NH). For viewers located outside of our local market coverage, you can access our ACC Network Basketball Games via the ESPN Full Court Pay-Per-View service and/or online at ESPN3.com.
HURRICANE GAMEDAY
Hurricane Gameday with Frank Haith airs on CSS (Comcast Sports South) on Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. Hosted by Joe Zagacki, the voice of the Hurricanes, and Josh Darrow, each show will break down the latest with the team and give fans insight into the players both on and off the court.
CHAT WITH FELLOW `CANES
Log onto HurricaneSports.com during Miami athletic events to chat with Miami insiders and other fans about the game and your favorite student-athletes. To join the chat, click on the Cover It Live program found online with each game’s preview, beginning 30 minutes before tip-off.
SECURE YOUR SEATS NOW
Get your tickets for Miami’s final home game of the regular season versus Maryland on Wed., March 2. For additional information, please contact the Hurricane Ticket Office online at www.hurricanesports.com or by phone at 1-800-GO-CANES.
