Round Two: Miami at Charlotte - Nov. 25

Nov. 25, 2014 | 9 p.m.
Halton Arena | Charlotte, N.C.

TV: Fox Sports Network
Radio: 560 WQAM 

— / RV Miami (5-0) vs. Charlotte (3-1)

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Learn More about Your Hurricanes
Renewed Hoops  |  Homecoming: The Angel Rodriguez Story

The Game
Miami will face Charlotte for the second-straight game when the Canes travel to North Carolina for the 9 p.m. Nov. 25 matchup at Halton Arena. UM defeated the 49ers just 46 hours prior, on Sunday night in the championship game of the Charleston Classic.

The Series
Miami leads the all-time series 5-4 against Charlotte, which dates back to the 1997-98 season. The Canes are 3-1 against the 49ers at home, 1-3 on the road and 1-0 at neutral sites. Under Coach L, UM is 3-0 in the series against Charlotte. Miami won the last matchup against Charlotte, defeating the 49ers, 77-58, on Nov. 23, 2014 at the Charleston Classic. Coach L is 4-0 all-time against Charlotte.

The Broadcasts
Catch the game on FOX Sports Network with Ron Thulin and Mike Jarvis 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 541-370 overall record in his 31st season as a head coach. He is 71-36 in his third season at the University of Miami.

The Polls (as of Nov. 23)
USA TODAY: Miami – RV, Charlotte – NR KenPom.com: Miami – 19, Charlotte – 88

The Weather
Projected temperatures on game day: Coral Gables – 81/74. Charlotte, N.C. – 58/42.

Up Next
On Wednesday, Miami concludes its 11-day road trip of five games in nine days. The Canes host South Alabama on Friday, Nov. 28 at 7 p.m. at the BankUnited Center.

Canes Win Back-To-Back Charleston Classic Championships
Miami won its second Gildan Charleston Classic in as many tries when the Canes defeated Charlotte, 77-58, on Sunday. In 2009, UM defeated Tulane (74-54), UNC Wilmington (67-60) and South Carolina (85-70) to win the event. Against Charlotte, the Canes won Coach Jim Larrañaga’s first bracketed exempt tournament championship since moving to Coral Gables. Miami was 2-1 in the 2013 Wooden Legacy and 1-2 in the 2012 Diamond Head Classic. UM didn’t play in an exempt tournament in 2011-12.

Rodriguez MVP; Jekiri All-Tournament
Angel Rodriguez was named the Gildan Charleston Classic Most Valuable Player and Tonye Jekiri was named to the All-Tournament Team. In three games, Rodriguez averaged 14.3 points, 6.0 assists, 4.3 rebounds, 3.0 steals and 1.7 blocks in 30.0 minutes. Jekiri nearly averaged a double-double with 12.0 rebounds and 9.0 points, along with 2.7 blocks and 1.7 assists per game.

Road Warriors
On Nov. 16, Miami started an 11-day roadtrip that will see the Canes play five games in nine days in three states. After an in-state matchup with Florida, Miami played three games in the Charleston (S.C.) Classic, now is wrapping up the road swing with a Nov. 25 matchup against Charlotte.

Canes Shooting 10 Percent Better in Second Half
Through five games, the Canes have outscored their opponents 208-136 in the second half. Miami has averaged nearly 10 more points per game and is shooting more than 10 percent better from the field, from three and at the free throw line in the second half of the game than the first stanza. Junior Angel Rodriguez’ stats are significantly better in the second half, as well.

UM Shooting Nearly 50 Percent
UM hit 59.3 percent (32-54) of its shots against Akron, including 47.1 percent (8-17) from distance. The previous night, the Canes knocked down 11-21 (52.4%) from three.
Miami is shooting 49.5 percent from the field and 42.6 percent from three while holding opponents to 37.3 percent and 33.0 percent, respectively.
Miami has hit 43 shots from long range, with six players knocking down a three, led by 13 from Angel Rodriguez and 12 from Manu Lecomte.

Canes Receiving Vote in USA Today Poll
Miami is still receiving a vote in the USA TODAY Sports Top 25 men’s basketball coaches’ poll. Miami defeated then-No. 7 Florida on Nov. 17, and will face off against five other teams in the top 25, including five in the top 10: Duke (No. 3), North Carolina (No. 6), Florida (No. 7), Louisville (No. 8) and Virginia (No. 9).
In addition to a ranked Syracuse team (No. 24), Miami has three other opponents receiving votes on its 2014-15 schedule: Pittsburgh, Notre Dame and Illinois.

Sharing the Ball
Through five games, the Hurricanes have averaged 16.0 assists per game on 27.6 made field goals per outing. Miami’s high was 19 assists against Akron. Angel Rodriguez leads the way with 5.2 per outing.

Canes Open 5-0 for First Time Since 2009
Miami improved to 5-0 to open the season for the first time of Coach Larrañaga’s UM career. The Canes opened 4-1 in 2011-12 and 2012-13, and 3-2 in 2013-14. The last time UM opened 5-0 was in 2009-10, when Miami opened 8-0.

Bench Points Key For The Hurricanes
The Hurricanes now have recorded 20+ points off the bench in all five games this season. Against Howard, Florida and Akron, the bench players scored 25 points, 22 against Charleston and vs. Drexel, 21. James Palmer leads the way with 42 bench points, followed by Omar Sherman (33), Ja’Quan Newton (27), Deandre Burnett (11) and Mike Fernandez (2).