Game Day: Miami at No. 4 Duke - Jan. 13

The Game
On Tuesday, Jan. 13 Miami faces No. 4 Duke in Cameron Indoor Stadium in UM’s first ACC road game of the season.

The Series
Miami is 2-2 against Duke since the arrival of Coach Jim Larrañaga in 2011-12. UM is 4-17 in the all-time series against Duke, which dates back to the 1962-63 season. The Canes are 3-7 at home against the Blue Devils, 1-8 on the road and 0-2 at neutral sites. Duke has won the last two matchups with Miami.

The Broadcasts
Catch the game on ESPN2 with Tom Hart, Len Elmore and Fran Fraschilla (sideline) 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 547-374 overall record in his 31st season as a head coach. He is 77-40 in his third season at the University of Miami, with a 32-22 mark in ACC play.

The Polls (as of Jan. 12) 
AP: Miami -NR; Duke – 4
USA TODAY: Miami – NR; Duke – 4
KenPom.com: Miami – 74; Duke – 4
NCAA RPI: Miami – 78; Duke – 6

The Weather
Projected temperatures on game day: Coral Gables – 81/67; Durham, N.C. – 37/29.

The Series Between Miami and Duke
Since the arrival of Jim Larrañaga at Miami, the Hurricanes have posted a 2-2 mark against Duke, earning two of UM’s four all-time wins against the Blue Devils.
Miami has outscored Duke 290-283 in those four games. The Canes have made 44.7 percent (106-237) of their shots while the Blue Devils have hit only 39.5 percent (98-248). From distance, Miami is 24-73 (32.9%) and Duke is 32-102 (31.4%). The Canes have out-rebounded Duke 165-153 and scored more points in the paint (128-114).
In the two games played at Cameron Indoor Stadium, Miami has outscored Duke 154-153. Unranked Miami defeated the No. 7/5 Blue Devils 78-74 in overtime in 2012, and fell 79-76 to No. 3/3 Duke in 2013, when Miami was ranked No. 6/7. In those two games, there were 22 lead changes and 15 times the score was tied.

Canes Face Three Top 15 Teams in Four Games
Over a 21-day span, Miami will face three teams ranked in the Top 15 and two receiving votes. The Canes started with No. 3 Virginia, a double-overtime loss on Jan. 3. After defeating unranked Boston College, UM hits the road to play at No. 4 Duke (Jan. 13) and at No. 12 Notre Dame (Jan. 17). Miami then faces RV NC State  (Jan. 22) and play at RV Syracuse (Jan. 24). In late February, the Canes will face another tough stretch against ranked teams when Miami plays at No. 6/7 Louisville (Feb. 21), then comes home to face in-state rival Florida State (Feb. 25) and No. 15/16 North Carolina (Feb. 28).

Coach L Approaching Win No. 550
Coach Jim Larrañaga is three wins away from 550 career victories and two wins away from 300 conference victories. He started the 2014-15 season with a 536-370 overall and 297-185 conference record in 30 years as a head coach.

Hurricanes Visit Homestead Air Reserve Base
On January 6, the Hurricanes visited the Homestead Air Reserve Base, where the team learned about military procedures, held an interactive basketball practice with airmen, ate dinner with the troops, and took photos with an F-16.

Rodriguez at His Best Against the Best
In Miami’s two games against Top 10 teams – No. 3 Virginia and No. 8/7 Florida – Angel Rodriguez has put on a show, averaging 24.5 points and 5.0 assists. Against Florida, he scored 22 of his 24 points in the final nine minutes, draining five second-half three-pointers to help Miami earn the win. The junior scored 17 points in the second half against the Cavaliers, knocking down three clutch free throws with 0.9 seconds left in regulation to send the game into overtime. In the two overtimes combined, he scored six points, including 4-4 at the line, and dished out three assists, accounting for 13 of Miami’s 17 overtime points.

Canes on the Road
Despite playing six games away from the BankUnited Center, Miami has played only two true road games so far: at Florida and at Charlotte.

Rodriguez Shines in the Second Half
Senior guard Angel Rodriguez knows how to finish a game. In six games, he has scored double-digit points in the second stanza, including 22 at Florida, 17 against Virginia and 14 vs. Boston College.

Miami in Road ACC Openers
Miami is 3-7 in ACC road openers since joining the league in 2004-05, with a 2-5 mark against ranked teams. Last season in UM’s road ACC opener, the Canes lost to No. 2/2 Syracuse by five points, and lost by one to No. 21/23 Virginia in Coach L’s first year at Miami.

Cruz Uceda To Debut For Canes Against Notre Dame
Junior Ivan Cruz Uceda, a 6-10 forward, will debut for the Hurricanes on Jan. 17 at Notre Dame, after being ruled ineligible for 50 percent of Miami’s games in the 2014-15 season. He is ineligible due to an NCAA rule that requires a student-athlete to enroll in college one year after high school graduation.

Rodriguez on Robertson & Cousy Award Watch Lists
Junior PG Angel Rodriguez is one of 36 players listed on the watch list for the 2015 Bob Cousy Collegiate Point Guard of the Year Award and was one of 24 players named to the early-season watch list for the 2014-15 Oscar Robertson Trophy for national player of the year, the U.S. Basketball Writers Association announced Nov. 24.

What a Difference a Year Makes
Miami’s only two returners – Manu Lecomte and Tonye Jekiri – have drastically improved their stats from a season ago. The chart below shows 2014-15 overall stats and 2013-14 overall stats.