Game Day: Miami at Wake Forest - Feb. 11

The Game
Miami hits the road to face Wake Forest on Wednesday, Feb. 11 at 7 p.m.

The Series
Miami is 7-9 in the all-time series against Wake Forest, which dates back to the 1939-40 season. The Canes are 5-2 against the Demon Deacons at home, 1-0 at neutral sites and 1-7 on the road. Miami leads the series 2-1 since the arrival of Coach L. Miami won the last matchup against Wake Forest, 69-56, on March 8, 2014 in Coral Gables.

The Broadcasts
Catch the game on RSN with Wes Durham and Mike Gminski making the call. Affiliates: FOX Sports Carolinas, FOX Sports South, Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic Plus, New England Sports Network, YES Network, FOX Sports Arizona, FOX Sports San Diego, FOX Sports North Plus, FOX Sports Southwest Plus, FOX Sports Prime Ticket, ESPN3 (Subject to Blackout), FOX Sports Detroit Plus, ROOT Sports Pittsburgh, SportsTime Ohio, ROOT Sports Rocky Mtn., ROOT Sports Northwest, FOX Sports Florida (South Florida), Sun Sports (Central & North Florida), FOX Sports MidwestDelay Broadcast, FOX Sports IndianaDelay Broadcast. 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 551-378 overall record in his 31st season as a head coach. He is 81-44 in his fourth season at the University of Miami, with a 36-26 mark in ACC play.

The Polls (as of Feb. 9)
AP: Miami -NR; Wake Forest – NR
USA TODAY: Miami – NR; Wake Forest – NR
KenPom.com: Miami – 62; Wake Forest – 115
NCAA RPI: Miami – 55; Wake Forest – 153

The Weather
Projected temperatures on game day: Coral Gables – 76/56; Winston-Salem, N.C. – 56/33.

The Quote
“Well they were terrific. I thought [Angel] Rodriguez was sensational. He not only scored, but he controlled the game. It’s one of the best performances I’ve seen in Cameron from an opposing player. Their whole team played well, but he really set the tone in how well he played. He was great—not good—he was great. “
– Duke Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski, following Miami’s 90-74 win on Jan. 13

McClellan Lighting Up the Net With 51.1 FG%
Guard Sheldon McClellan is hitting 51.1 percent of his field goals, which is the …
* Top shooting percentage in the nation by a guard in the Big 5 conferences
* 12th-best shooting percentage by a guard in the nation
* 69th-best shooting percentage in the nation (all positions)
* Top shooting percentage by a guard in the ACC
The Canes are 11-0 when McClellan shoots 50 percent or better. He is one of 28 guards in the nation to score 31+ points in a game this season and one of four guards in the ACC to score 31+ points in a game this season. Among guards, he is eighth in the ACC in scoring, and in 13 games he has scored 15+ points. He has posted two double-doubles – 16p, 10r vs. NC State, 31p, 11r at Charlotte – and has scored 1172 career points in three collegiate seasons.

Newcomer and Freshman Contributions
Through 10 ACC games, Miami’s eight newcomers have contributed 64.2 percent of the scoring and 52.8 percent of the team’s rebounds. Miami’s four freshmen have contributed 25.2 percent of the team’s scoring and 18.3 percent of rebounds.

Jekiri’s Junior Season Numbers Continue to Improve
Junior Tonye Jekiri has posted five double-doubles in his last 12 games, including four in ACC play. Jekiri has posted 10+ rebounds 13 times, and in eight of the last 10 games. This season he has 10+ points in eight outings. Jekiri has led the team in scoring in two of the past five games with 13 both at Syracuse and against Georgia Tech.
The native of Nigeria has nearly doubled his output in points and rebounds each season as a Hurricane. The 7-footer is averaging 8.1 points and 10.3 rebounds this season, up from 4.2 ppg and 5.5 rpg his sophomore year and 1.4 points and 1.6 rebounds his rookie campaign. Through 23 games, he has already surpassed his 22 assists from last year, posting 33 in 2014-15, and blocks with 37, up from his sophomore total of 29.

Looking at the Upcoming Schedule
Just past the halfway point of Miami’s ACC schedule, the Canes are 5-5 in the league after playing six games against teams ranked higher than UM in the current standings. In its final eight regular-season games, the Canes face nationally ranked North Carolina and Louisville, as well as Pittsburgh, who are all in the top 8 of the ACC standings. UM plays five games against teams in the bottom five of the conference.
1. Virginia – L, 89-80 in double overtime in ACC opener.
2. Notre Dame – L, 75-70 after leading for 29 minutes at Notre Dame.
3. North Carolina – Feb. 28 at home.
4. Duke – W, 90-74 at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
5. Louisville – L, 63-55, oustcored Cards 29-28 in second half. Play again Feb. 21 at UofL.
6. Syracuse – W, 66-62 at Carrier Dome.
7. Clemson – W, 56-45.
8. Pittsburgh – March 4 at Pitt.
9. Miami 5-5 in ACC play
10. NC State – W, 65-60.
11. Florida State – L, 55-54 at FSU. Play again Feb. 25.
12. Wake Forest – Feb. 11 at Wake Forest.
13. Georgia Tech – L, 70-50.
14. Boston College – W, 60-56 at home. Play again Feb. 15.
15. Virginia Tech – Play Feb. 18 at home, March 7 at VT.

Bench Points Key For The Hurricanes
The Canes have recorded 18+ points off the bench in 16 of 23 games this season, led by 34 against South Alabama, 33 at Duke and 32 at Notre Dame. In ACC play, Miami has averaged 21.8 bench points per game.

Miami in Games Against Top 25 Teams
As of Feb. 9, Miami has faced six nationally ranked teams, posting a 3-3 record in those outings. Only Duke (5-1) and North Carolina (4-4) have won more matchups in six-or-more games played against Top 25 teams. Virginia is 4-1 and Notre Dame is 3-2 in their five matchups against Top 25 teams.

Miami Plays to the Crowd
Miami is 8-2 when playing in front of a crowd that is 75 percent of the arena’s capacity, with one loss at sold-out No. 12 Notre Dame and one at home. Miami is 4-5 when the crowd is less than 75 percent capacity. (Numbers based on true home and road games only, not neutral sites)

Three Canes Ranked in Top 100 Nationally
Junior Tonye Jekiri averages 7.2 defensive rebounds per game, which is the ninth-best average in the country. Jekiri is also No. 15 in rebounds per game, No. 15 in total rebounds, No. 86 in double-doubles, No. 59 in offensive rebounds and No. 90 in blocked shots per game and No. 84 in total blocks. Junior Angel Rodriguez is No. 35 in steals per game, No. 39 in total steals, No. 73 in total assists and No. 82 in assists per game. Junior Sheldon McClellan is No. 68 in field goal percentage (50.2%).

This Season Miami has ...
• Defeated Duke and Syracuse on the road in the same season, the second time this has ever happened, and the first time since UNC did during the 1983-84 season
• Defeated three ranked teams: at No. 8/7 Florida, vs. No. 24/25 Illinois and at No. 4 Duke
• Defeated a pair of Top 7 teams in the same season, both on the road: No. 6/7 Florida and No. 4 Duke
• Won two true road games against ranked opponents for the first time since 1998-99: No. 6/7 Florida and No. 4 Duke
• Defeated Coach K (1,000 wins), Coach Boeheim (962), & Coach Donovan (496)
• Ended Duke’s 41-game home winning streak, the longest active streak in Division I
• Snapped Duke’s 19-game ACC home game winning streak
• Snapped Florida’s streak of 33 consecutive home wins, which was the longest streak in school history
• Scored 90 points against Duke, the most points scored by an unranked opponent in a regulation win in Cameron Indoor Stadium since NC State’s 96 points on Feb. 23, 1983.
• Dealt Duke the most lopsided loss (16 points) an unranked visitor has handed to a ranked Blue Devil team in the ACC era
• Defeated Syracuse at the Carrier Dome, in front of the largest collegiate crowd of the season to date: 30,677