MBB to Face UNC on ESPN Thursday
Miami at RV/RV North Carolina
Jan. 10, 2013 | 7 p.m.
Smith Center | Chapel Hill, N.C.
TV: ESPN | Watch ESPN
Radio: WQAM 560
Webcast: WQAM.com Radio
Twitter: @CanesHoops
Facebook: /MiamiBasketball
Series: Miami trails 2-18
Last Meeting: Feb. 15, 2012. Miami lost, 73-64 in Coral Gables.
Miami 10-3 (1-0 ACC)
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The Game
Miami travels to Chapel Hill to face North Carolina on Thursday, Jan. 10 at 7 p.m. The Canes are looking to open ACC play with a 2-0 record for the first time since joining the league for the 2004-05 season.
The SeriesMiami is 2-18 against North Carolina in the all-time series, which dates back to the 1949-50 season. The Canes’ two wins came in a 64-61 overtime victory on Jan. 4, 2003 and an 81-70 victory on Jan. 14, 2006. The Hurricanes last faced off against the Tar Heels on Feb. 15, 2012 in Coral Gables and lost 73-64.
The BroadcastsCatch the game on ESPN and Watch ESPN with Dave O’Brien and Jay Bilas making the call and Jeanine Edwards on the sideline. The game will also be carried live by 560 WQAM Radio with Joe Zagacki (play-by-play) and Josh Darrow (analyst).
The CoachHead coach Jim Larrañaga is in his 29th season as a head coach and second at Miami. He has a 500-350 overall record and is 30-16 in his second season at Miami.
The WeatherProjected temperatures on game day: Coral Gables – 79/69. Chapel Hill – 57/46.
The Rankings – RPI/SOSUM as of Jan. 7, 2013 Warren Nolan: 8 / 3 Sagarin: 20 Realtime: 12 / 4 KenPom: 21North Carolina Warren Nolan: 42 / 51 Sagarin: 56 Realtime: 31 / 54 KenPom: 38
The NotesMiami has outscored its last two opponents 51-22 in the first 12 minutes of the second half. At Georgia Tech, Miami went on a 24-11 run after the half, and the Canes outscored La Salle 27-11 in the first 12 minutes after the break. Coach Jim Larrañaga earned his 500th career victory on Saturday with Miami’s win over Georgia Tech. Miami’s non-conference strength of schedule is No. 3 and RPI is No. 8 (Warren Nolan). According to Collegiate Basketball News RPI, the Canes’ non-conference schedule strength was third-worst (345 of 347) in 2009-10, 142 in 2010-11 and 117 last season.
Second Half ScoringMiami has outscored its last two opponents 51-22 in the first 12 minutes of the second half. At Georgia Tech, Miami went on a 24-11 run after the half, and the Canes outscored La Salle 27-11 in the first 12 minutes after the break. Through 13 games, UM has outscored its opponents 508-405 in the second half.
Miami vs. the ACCIn his first season at UM, Coach Larranaga and the Canes defeated eight of their 11 ACC opponents at least once. Miami beat Boston College in both meetings, and downed five teams in their sole matchup – Clemson, Duke, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech and Wake Forest. UM split games with Maryland and Florida State, but lost to North Carolina (twice), NC State (twice) and Virginia.
Canes Open ACC Play with Two on the RoadFor the third-straight season, Miami opens the ACC schedule with back-to-back games on the road. In 2011, Miami lost at Duke and Clemson, then in 2012 the Canes lost at both Virginia and UNC to start league play. This season Miami is already 1-0 with a win at Georgia Tech on Jan. 5.
Larranaga Familiar with North CarolinaWhile coaching at George Mason in 2007, Coach Larranaga defeated defending national champion North Carolina to advance to the Sweet 16, during the Patriots’ run to the Final Four. GMU beat UNC on a Sunday, after defeating Michigan State two days prior. This season, Miami downed then-No. 13/14 Michigan State on Nov. 28 and looks to defeat UNC for the first time in the Coach L era.
Coaching Coordinators for the CanesMiami’s assistant coaching staff is set up in a coordinator system, with Eric Konkol as the offensive coordinator, Michael Huger manning the defense and Chris Caputo handling the scout for every opponent.
RPI and Strength of ScheduleAccording to WarrenNolan.com as of Jan. 7, Miami’s RPI is 8 and strength of schedule is 3. RealtimeRPI.com has UM with an RPI of 8 and SOS of 3. Since joining the ACC, Miami’s best non-conference SOS was 112 and RPI was 39, both in in 2007-08.
Miami Starts ACC Play With a WinMiami looks to open the 2012-13 ACC schedule with a pair of wins for the first time since joining the league in 2004-05. UM has started league play with a win three seasons, but has started 0-2 the previous two years. Under Coach L, the team started 0-2 last season, but finished 9-7, good enough for a fourth-place tie in the league.
Number of Games Potentially Missed by the CanesBased on a 32-game schedule, this year Miami will be undermanned in potentially 108 games due to injuries and transfers. Durand Scott missed three games due to an NCAA withholding penalty and Reggie Johnson is expected to miss 13 games while Garrius Adams could miss the entire season (32 games) due to injuries. Two transfers, Bishop Daniels and Melvin Johnson, will miss 28 and 32 games, respectively. Last season, Miami players missed 108 games due to injury or NCAA suspensions. The list of players missing time included starting center Reggie Johnson (nine games to injury, one to suspension), forward DeQuan Jones (10 to suspension), starting guard Durand Scott (three to suspension), starting guard Malcolm Grant (two to a death in the family), guard Garrius Adams (14 to injury and knee surgery), and guard Rion Brown (two to illness). Even guard Shane Larkin missed the opener until the NCAA approved his eligibility. Veteran forward Julian Gamble (knee) and freshman guard Bishop Daniels (foot) sat out the entire year.
ACC Leaders Durand Scott and Shane LarkinDurand Scott leads all retuning ACC players with 1,364 career points, ahead of C.J. Harris (WF – 1,326), Erick Green (VT – 1,286), Michael Snaer (FSU – 1,274), Scott Wood (NC State – 1,188) and Travis McKie (WF – 1,111). Scott is the only current ACC player to have averaged in double figures three times in his career. Scott is also third in points per game among active leaders with 12.6 career ppg. Shane Larkin was fifth overall and tops among freshmen in the ACC in steals a year ago, and was fifth among freshmen in scoring with 7.4 ppg, trailing Ryan Anderson (BC), Dennis Clifford (BC), Nick Faust (MD), and Lonnie Jackson (BC). This season Larkin leads the ACC in steals and is ninth in assists.
UM’s Offensive OutputFour players – Durand Scott, Shane Larkin, Reggie Johnson and Kenny Kadji – are averaging double-digit points this season and one – Trey McKinney Jones – is at 9.8 ppg. When three or more Canes score in double digits, Miami is 9-1. In seven games this year, four or more Hurricanes have scored in double digits.
