@CanesHoops at UNC - Jan. 8

Jan. 8, 2014 | 9:05 p.m.
Chapel Hill, N.C. | Dean Smith Center

TV: ESPN2
Radio: 560 WQAM
Web: WQAM.com | ESPN3

Miami 8-6

Game Notes | Stats | Record Book | Roster | Coaches | Schedule & Results 

The Game
Miami travels to Chapel Hill to face RV North Carolina on Jan. 8 at 9 p.m.

The Series
Miami is 5-18 in the all-time series against North Carolina, which dates back to the 1949-50 season. UM is 3-2 against UNC in two seasons under Coach Larrañaga. The Canes are 2-7 against the Tar Heels at home, 1-2 at neutral sites and 2-9 on the road. Miami has won three-straight matchups against North Carolina, defeating the Tar Heels, 68-59, on Jan. 10, 2013 at the Smith Center, downing North Carolina 87-61 on Feb. 19, 2013 in Coral Gables and beating UNC 87-77 in the 2013 ACC Tournament Championship game.

The Broadcasts
Catch the game on ESPN2 with Bob Wischusen and Bruce Pearl making the call. Also check out the game on 560 WQAM Radio with Joe Zagacki, the Voice of the Hurricanes.

The Coach
Head coach Jim Larrañaga has a 527-360 overall record in his 30th season as a head coach. He is 57-26 in his third season at the University of Miami.

The Weather
Projected temperatures on game day: Coral Gables – 74/69. Chapel Hill, N.C. – 41/24.

Up Next
Miami returns to the BankUnited Center to face in-state rival Florida State on Jan. 15 at 9 p.m.

The Grind of the ACC Schedule
Four of Miami’s first six games of the new year are against teams listed in national polls. After playing at No. 2 Syracuse on Jan. 4, Miami travels to RV North Carolina on Jan. 8. Then a Jan. 15 home game against in-state rival Florida State is followed by a game at unranked Georgia Tech on Jan. 18. The Canes return home to face No. 16/13 Duke (Jan. 22) and No. 2 Syracuse (Jan. 25).

Larrañaga and Williams
Miami coach Jim Larrañaga and North Carolina Coach Roy Williams are two of four ACC coaches with a Final Four appearance to his credit. At George Mason, Larrañaga took the 2006 Patriots to the Final Four. Larrañaga and Williams are two of four active ACC coaches with 500 or more wins. Larrañaga and Williams have both won the following coach of the year awards: Naismith, AP, Henry Iba and ACC.

ACC Road Games
Miami is 10-8 in ACC road games since the arrival of Jim Larrañaga for the 2012 campaign. The Canes opened the 2012 conference slate with two games on the road (at Virginia and UNC) and four of the first six away from home. In 2013, Miami started with two on the road (at GT and UNC), and three of the first four on the road. This year Miami started with a home game in December, but will play three of the next four ACC games on the road (at SU, UNC and GT).

Current Canes Against UNC
Over the past five seasons, Miami has faced off against North Carolina eight times. Of Miami’s current five starters, Rion Brown (7) and Garrius Adams (3) are the only two to face UNC, with Brown playing at the Smith Center twice and Adams only once. In the UM-UNC series, Brown has averaged 6.4 ppg in 22.3 mpg while Adams put up 4.0 ppg in 26.7 mpg. Complete stats for Canes vs. North Carlina are on page 6 of the notes.

Sharing the Lead
Eight Canes have shared team-highs in five statistical categories this season. Five guys have led the team in scoring and four have led or shared top rebounding honors. Four Canes led in assists, six in steals and five in blocks. For a complete chart, see page 4 of the notes.

Miami in National Stats
Miami is ranked No. 12 in the country in scoring defense, holding opponents to just 59.5 points per game.
The Canes are ranked No. 58 in field goal percentage defense, allowing just 40.0 per game.

Jekiri Posts Career Highs
Sophomore Tonye Jekiri put together a pair of career-best games against La Salle and Loyola. Jekiri posted nine points on 4-7 shooting and two steals in 25 minutes against La Salle, all career highs, then recorded 10 points and two blocks against Loyola the next game, both career-bests.
In his rookie campaign, Jekiri totalled 47 points, 55 rebounds and 11 blocks in 34 games. In 14 games so far this season, Jekiri has 58 points, 57 rebounds and 10 blocks.

It’s A Block Party
Donnavan Kirk recorded a block in 12-straight games to start the season. His 32 blocks this year put him at No. 55 in the country in blocks per game. His season-best was during the 2012-13, when he had 50 blocks at DePaul. As a sophomore at DePaul he had 32 swats and he had four in his redshirt freshman year at Miami.

Rion Brown Rebounds
Senior Rion Brown, a 6-6 guard is averaging 6.3 rebounds, up from his 2.2 career average prior to the season. This season Brown has grabbed seven or more rebounds in eight games. In his previous three seasons, he had only three games with 7+ boards. He pulled down seven once last year and had games with eight and seven as a rookie.

Coaching Coordinators for Miami
Miami’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.