Game Day: Miami vs. FSU - Feb. 25

The Game

Miami returns to the BankUnited Center for back-to-back home games against in-state rival Florida State at 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 25, then No. 15/18 North Carolina on Saturday, Feb. 28 at 2 p.m.

The Series

Miami is 32-42 in the all-time series against Florida State, which dates back to the 1950-51 season. The Canes are 25-12 at home against the Seminoles, 7-28 on the road and 0-2 at neutral sites. 

The Broadcasts

Catch the game on RSN with Wes Durham and Dave Odom making the call. Affiliates: FOX Sports Carolinas, FOX Sports South, Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic Plus, New England Sports Network, FOX Sports Indiana Plus, FOX Sports North Plus, FOX Sports Midwest Plus, ESPN3 (Subject to Blackout), FOX Sports Detroit, ROOT Sports Pittsburgh, SportsTime Ohio, ROOT Sports Rocky Mtn.Delay Broadcast, ROOT Sports NorthwestDelay Broadcast, MSG Plus, FOX Sports Florida (South Florida), Sun Sports (Central & North Florida).

Also check out the game on 560 WQAM Radio with Joe Zagacki, the Voice of the Hurricanes, and 90.5 WVUM, Miami’s student station. 

The Coach

Head coach Jim Larrañaga has a 553-380 overall record in his 31st season as a head coach. He is 83-46 in his fourth season at the University of Miami, with a 38-28 mark in ACC play.

The Polls (As of Feb. 23)

AP: Miami -NR; Florida State – NR
USA TODAY: Miami – NR; Florida State – NR
KenPom.com: Miami – 56; Florida State – 100
NCAA RPI: Miami – 67; Florida State – 106

The Weather

Projected temperatures on game day: Coral Gables – 81/71; Tallahassee, Fla. – 59/43.

The Notes

McClellan on Jerry West Award Watch List
Junior guard Sheldon McClellan is listed on the 16-player watch list for the inaugural 2015 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced Feb. 19. Named after Hall of Famer and 1959 NCAA Final Four Most Valuable Player Jerry West, the annual honor in its inaugural year recognizes the top shooting guards in Division I men’s college basketball. A national committee comprised of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 16 candidates.

Last Week with Sheldon McClellan
In all three games last week, junior guard Sheldon McClellan shot better than 53.3 percent from the field and 50.0 from three in all three outings. He averaged 20.7 PPG, knocked down nine 3-pointers and dished out eight assists with just one turnover, while hitting 9-of-10 from the FT line to lead the Canes. In his last five games, he is averaging 18.4 points, hitting 58.2 percent from the field and 52.0 percent from three.

McClellan Lighting Up the Net
As national stats on Feb. 23, guard Sheldon McClellan was hitting 51.7 percent of his field goals, which was the …
* Top shooting percentage in the nation by a guard in the Big 5 conferences
* 7th-best shooting percentage by a guard in the nation
* 62nd-best shooting percentage in the nation (all positions)
* Top shooting percentage by a guard in the ACC
The Canes are 13-0 when McClellan shoots 50 percent or better in a game.
He is one of 39 guards in the Power 5 conferences to score 31+ points in a game this season and one of seven guards in the ACC to score 31+ points in a game this season.
Among guards, he is eighth in the ACC in scoring.
In 14 games he has scored 15+ points, and 20+ in three outings.
He has posted two double-doubles – 16p, 10r vs. NC State, 31p, 11r at Charlotte.

Jekiri One of the Top Big Men in the Country
As of NCAA.com stats on Feb. 23, junior Tonye Jekiri is in the Top 10 in the country in rebounds among all players and the Top 2 among players in the Big 5 conferences.

Jekiri 15 Rebounds in Each of the Last Three Games
In his last three games, junior 7-footer Tonye Jekiri has averaged 13.3 points and grabbed 15 rebounds each night, while hitting 50.0 percent from the field. He has pulled down at least five offensive rebounds in each of the last three games, and has posted six total blocks in 36.3 mpg.

Cardiac Canes – Year Two
Miami has played 10 games this season that have been decided by five points-or-less. In 2013-14, Miami led the ACC having played 13 games decided by five points-or-less or in overtime.

Breaking Down the Stats
Through 27 games, Miami is 17-10 overall, 9-5 at home, and 8-5 away from the BankUnited Center (5-4 on the road and 3-1 at neutral sites). Despite facing four Top 15 teams on the road – at No. 6/7 Florida, at No. 4 Duke, at No. 12 Notre Dame, at No. 12 Louisville – Miami averages 5.3 ppg, 4.3 FG% and 6.0 3FG% better on the road than at home.

Coaching Staff Longevity
In the ACC, only Miami, Syracuse, Notre Dame and NC State have had their head coach and three main assistants together the last four years. Coach L’s assistant coaches have with been with him for a combined 32 seasons. Chris Caputo has been with Coach L for 13 years, Eric Konkol is at 11 years and Michael Huger in his eighth season as an assistant after playing for Larrañaga four seasons at Bowling Green.

Canes Shine in the Second Half
Junior guards Angel Rodriguez and Sheldon McClellan know how to finish a game. In 11 games, Rodriguez has scored double-digit points in the second stanza, including 22 at Florida, 17 against Virginia, 15 at Duke and Wake Forest and 14 vs. Boston College. Only twice (10 vs. Howard, 11 vs. Providence) he has scored double-digits in the first stanza. In 10 games, McClellan has scored double-digit points in the second half, including 21 at Charlotte and 14 against Virginia Tech. He’s scored 10+ in the first half in just four outings.

Three Canes Shooting Better than 50 Percent
Juniors Sheldon McClellan and Tonye Jekiri and sophomore Davon Reed are all hitting at least 50 percent of their shots this season. In all games, McClellan is hitting shots at a 51.8 percent clip. Jekiri is at 51.4 percent and Reed is hitting a team-best 52.3 percent in his 19 games played. In ACC outings, Jekiri is sizzling with his 61.7 percent from the field, followed by Reed’s 59.4 percent and McClellan’s 52.9 percent.

Reed Clutch from Distance
Sophomore Davon Reed is knocking down 49.0 percent of his shots from long range overall, while notching a 50.0 percent clip from three in ACC games. He is tied with Sheldon McClellan for the team high of 23 3-pointers in league games and despite only playing 18 of 26 games (due to injury), he is fourth on the team with 24 from long range overall. He has hit a 3-pointer in nine of the last 11 games, and for the season has seven games with multiple threes, topping out with five against Louisville (Feb. 3).
In his last five games, Reed has improved his averages drastically from his first 13 games of the season. Since the first game against Louisville, Reed is averaging 11.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg and hitting 54.8 percent from the field. In his first 13 games, he was posting 5.2 ppg, 2.7 rpg and shooting 50.0 percent FG.