Hurricanes Announce 2011-12 Men's Basketball Schedule

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – University of Miami head men’s basketball coach Jim Larranaga announced the Hurricanes 2011-12 schedule on Wednesday afternoon and it includes eight games against teams that advanced to the 2011 NCAA Tournament .

Under the first-year coach, the Canes will face an always difficult 16-game Atlantic Coast Conference schedule, but also will take on Rutgers, Ole Miss, Memphis and West Virginia in a tough non-conference slate.

“The ACC provides the nation’s most exciting brand of basketball,” said Larranaga. “This is why I came to Miami and I am looking forward to the challenge that it provides our program. I can’t wait to start the season.”

A program record 20 games will be televised this season, including all 16 of Miami’s ACC contests.

The first four games of the season, and 16 of 29 games overall, will be held inside the BankUnited Center, beginning with Tennessee Tech on Friday, Nov. 11. The Hurricanes’ next contest will be against Rutgers of the BIG EAST on Tuesday, Nov. 15.

After welcoming in-state foes North Florida (Nov. 19) and Florida Gulf Coast (Nov. 22) to Coral Gables, Miami will hit the road for the first time, when it travels to Oxford, Miss. to take on Ole Miss on Nov. 25.

2011-12 Men’s Basketball Schedule

*ACC Game
! Orange Bowl Classic

UM’s first scheduled television appearance will come at Purdue for the 13th Annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge presented by Dick’s Sporting Goods. Tip-off is scheduled for 9 p.m. EST on Nov. 29 and ESPN2 will be the television destination.

ESPN’s family of networks will then carry the Canes’ next three games. Miami will host UMass (Dec. 3 – ESPNU) and Memphis (Dec. 6 – ESPN2) before heading to Morgantown, W.V. to face Bob Huggins and the Mountaineers on ESPN2 on Dec. 10. Last season, Miami took down West Virginia, 79-76, behind Malcolm Grant’s 26 points.

For the 17th time in 18 seasons, the Hurricanes will be playing in the Orange Bowl Classic. Miami will head to Sunrise, Fla. to take on FAU on Dec. 17. The Canes faced the Owls in the first round of the NIT in March, advancing to the second round with an 85-62 victory.

For the first time since 2002, UM will head to Charlotte, N.C. to take on the 49ers on Dec. 22. Upon returning from their holiday break, the Canes will host their final two non-conference opponents with games against Appalachian State (Dec. 30) and UNC-Greensboro (Jan. 2).

Miami’s conference slate begins with road games at Virginia (Jan. 7 – ESPNU) and North Carolina (Jan. 10 – Raycom/ESPN3.com). The Tar Heels were the ACC’s best representative in the 2011 NCAA Tournament, reaching the Elite Eight before falling to Kentucky, 70-69.

After an eight-day break, the Canes return to the BankUnited Center to take on Clemson (Jan. 18 – RSN/ESPN3.com) and NC State (Jan. 22 – Raycom/ESPN3.com).

Miami will then travel to Georgia Tech (Jan. 24 – ESPNU) and Boston College (Jan. 29 – Raycom/ESPN.com) before opening the month of February at home against Maryland and new head coach Mark Turgeon on Feb. 1 (Raycom/ESPN3.com).

Duke, last season’s ACC Tournament Champions, will welcome the Hurricanes to Cameron Indoor Stadium on Super Bowl Sunday at 3 p.m. The game will be the first of two ACC Sunday Night Basketball features for the Canes and will be aired on ESPNU.

Virginia Tech – 2011 NIT participants – will be paying a visit to the BankUnited Center on Feb. 9 (ESPN or ESPN2/ESPN3.com) at 9 p.m. Miami then has its quickest turnaround of the season when it heads to Tallahassee, for a 1 p.m. contest on Feb. 11 (Raycom/ESPN.com).

The Tar Heels make a return trip to face the Canes on Feb. 15 (ESPN or ESPN2/ESPN3.com). UM remains at home for a visit from Wake Forest on Feb. 18 (RSN).

Two of the Hurricanes’ final four games will be on the road, including trips to Maryland (Feb. 21 – Raycom/ESPN3.com) and NC State (March 3 – RSN/ESPN3.com).

Miami will play a ACC Sunday Night Basketball contest when it welcomes Florida State on Feb. 26 (ESPNU), then wraps up the season with a home game against Boston College on March 3 (Raycom/ESPN3.com).

The ACC Tournament is slated for March 8-11 at Philips Arena in Atlanta.

Tickets are now available through the Hurricane Ticket Office at 1-800-GO-CANES or visit us online at hurricanesports.com.