Six MBB Seniors Honored Before UM-WF Saturday
March 8, 2014 | 2 p.m.
BankUnited Center | Coral Gables, Fla.
TV: RSN (Affiliates)
Watch the game on these affiliates: FOX Sports Carolinas, FOX Sports South, FOX Sports Florida, Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic Plus, New England Sports Network Plus, FOX Sports North Plus, ESPN3 (Subject to Blackout), FOX Sports Detroit Plus, ROOT Sports Pittsburgh, SportsTime Ohio, MSG Plus.
Radio: 560 WQAM | 90.5 WVUM
Webcast: WQAM.com | wvum.org | ESPN3
Miami: 15-15 (6-11 ACC)
Roster | Coaches | Schedule & Results | Stats | Game Notes | Record Book
Attending a Game at the BankUnited Center
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The Game
Miami closes the 2014 regular season with a senior night matchup against Wake Forest on Saturday, March 8 at 2 p.m. in the BankUnited Center. Miami will honor its six seniors – Garrius Adams, Raphael Akpejiori, Rion Brown, Justin Heller, Donnavan Kirk and Erik Swoope, as well as two senior managers – Jordana Levinson and Josh Weisman – prior to the game.
The Series
Miami is 6-9 in the all-time series against Wake Forest, which dates back to the 1939-40 season. The Canes are 4-2 against the Demon Deacons at home, 1-0 at neutral sites and 1-7 on the road. Wake Forest won the last matchup against Miami, defeating the Canes, 80-65, on Feb. 23, 2013 at the Lawrence Joel Coliseum in Winston-Salem.
The Broadcasts
Catch the game on RSN with Wes Durham and Cory Alexander making the call.
Watch the game on these affiliates: FOX Sports Carolinas, FOX Sports South, FOX Sports Florida, Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic Plus, New England Sports Network Plus, FOX Sports North Plus, ESPN3 (Subject to Blackout), FOX Sports Detroit Plus, ROOT Sports Pittsburgh, SportsTime Ohio, MSG Plus.
Also check out the game on 560 WQAM Radio with Joe Zagacki and Josh Darrow, and on 90.5 WVUM, Miami’s student radio station.
The Coach
Head coach Jim Larrañaga has a 534-369 overall record in his 30th season as a head coach. He is 64-35 in his third season at the University of Miami.
The Polls (as of March 6)
KenPom.com: Miami – 68, Wake Forest – 112 NCAA RPI: Miami – 108, Wake Forest – 115. SOS: Miami – 53
The Weather
Projected temperatures on game day: Coral Gables – 76/59. Winston-Salem, N.C.. – 64/40.
Up Next
The ACC Tournament begins on Wednesday, March 12.
Miami vs. Wake Forest (6-9)
Since the rebirth of Miami basketball in 1985: 6-8
Since joining the ACC in 2004-05: 6-7
Since the arrival of Jim Larrañaga in 2011-12: 1-1
On this Date – March 8
Overall: 2-6
Since the rebirth of Miami basketball in 1985: 2-4
Since the arrival of Larrañaga in 2011-12: 1-0
Brown Most Improved
Senior Rion Brown is one of the most improved players in the league this season, transforming from the seventh man for the Canes a season ago, to being a leader on this year’s team and drawing the most defensive attention from each opponent.
Guard Strong
Miami’s offensive output in ACC games comes primarily from the guard position, as four guards have combined for 38.6 points per game while five forwards total 19.9 points per outing.
Guards: Rion Brown (15.9), Garrius Adams (9.6), Manu Lecomte (8.1), Davon Reed (4.9).
Forwards: Donnavan Kirk (6.1), Erik Swoope (5.8), James Kelly (4.6), Tonye Jekiri (3.9) and Raphael Akpejiori (0.8).
Mixing up the Starting Lineup
Miami has had seven starting lineups this season, and every scholarship player has started at least six games. For a complete listing, check page five of the notes.
Adams and Swoope Continue to Improve
Seniors Garrius Adams and Erik Swoope continue to improve their production in their final season for the Canes. Adams steadily raises his averages and Swoope has tripled his points and doubled his rebounds and minutes per game since getting his first start of the season at Florida State on Feb. 10.
Record-Watching Rion Brown
Rion Brown is currently No. 9 on Miami’s all-time list of 3-point shots made in a career. His 169 trail No. 8 Kevin Presto (170) and No. 7 Guillermo Diaz (174). Jack McClinton holds the record with 286 made from distance.
Brown has played 133 career games, which is the most in UM history, surpassing Durand Scott, who played in 132 games.
Former Man-to-Man Team Gets In the Zone
After playing man-to-man defense 95 percent of the time in his first 40 years of coaching, Jim Larrañaga’s team is now playing a mixture of defenses including: 1-2-2, 2-3, 1-3-1, box-and-one, triangle-and-two, and man-to-man.
Seasons of Change
Miami will face back-to-back seasons with roster turnover after losing six players from the 2012-13 ACC Championship season, then six more seniors (5 scholarship) after this 2013-14 campaign.
