Game Day: Miami vs. VT in ACC Tournament

The Game

Sixth-seeded Miami opens the 2015 New York Life ACC Tournament on Wednesday, March 11 at 9 p.m. against No. 14 Virginia Tech. 

The Series

Miami is 16-12 against Virginia Tech overall, 8-4 at home, 6-6 on the road and 2-2 at the ACC Tournament. Coach L is 6-2 all-time against VT, all while at Miami. After losing to VT in the ACC Tournament in the 2008 quarterfinals and the 2009 first round, Miami has won the last two tournament meetings against the Hokies, in the 2009 quarterfinals and the 2014 first round. Miami has won the past three meetings.

The Broadcasts

Catch the game on ESPN2 with Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas and Seth Greenberg making the call, as well as the ACC Network with Tim Brando and Dan Bonner.

Also tune in to 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 556-381 overall record in his 31st season as a head coach. He is 86-47 in his fourth season at the University of Miami, with a 41-29 mark in ACC play.

The Polls (As of March 9)

AP: Miami -NR
USA TODAY: Miami – NR
KenPom.com: Miami – 54
NCAA RPI: Miami – 62

The Weather

Projected temperatures on game day: Coral Gables – 84/74; Greensboro, N.C. – 70/51. 

The Notes

Miami in the ACC Tournament
Won-Loss Record: 20 games, 11-9
Titles: 1, 2013
First Round Appearances: 9, 7-2
Second Round Appearances: 1, 0-1
Quarterfinal Appearances: 7, 2-5
Semifinal Appearances: 2, 1-1
Final Appearances: 1, 1-0

The Canes are the No. 6 seed for the third time in UM history along with the first season in the ACC 2004-05 in Washington, D.C., and 2011-12 in Atlanta.

Against potential 2015 second round opponents, Miami is 1-0 against Wake Forest (2010) and 2-2 (W: 2010, 2014; L: 2008, 2009) against Virginia Tech. The Hokies defeated the Canes in back-to-back appearances in the quarterfinals of 2008 and first round of 2009.

The Canes are playing in the ACC Tournament for the 11th time.

Miami is 11-9 in ACC Tournament play.

Miami is 8-4 in tournament games played in Greensboro, N.C.

Under head coach Jim Larrañaga, Miami is 5-2 in the ACC Tournament.

UM has advanced past the first round in eight of 10 seasons, including four-straight.

Miami will play in the second round for just the second time. The first time was last season, when the Canes lost to NC State.

UM has won four of its last five games in the ACC tournament after going 3-0 in 2013 and 1-1 in 2014.

Miami won the ACC Tournament in 2013, defeating North Carolina, 87-77, in the championship game, for the Cane’s first ACC title. UM also finished the 2013 regular season atop the standings.

Miami’s three wins in 2013 are the most by the Canes in the ACC Tournament.

Miami’s highest seed was No. 1, in 2013.

Since Miami joined the ACC in 2004-05, four teams have won both the regular season and tournament, once by Miami (2013) and Virginia (2014), twice by Duke (2006, 2009) and North Carolina (2007, 2008).

Since 2012, three teams not from the state of North Carolina have won the ACC Championship: Florida State, Miami and Virginia.

Postseason Awards for Four Hurricanes
Junior forward Tonye Jekiri was named to the 2015 ACSMA All-Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Team. Jekiri also joined Sheldon McClellan and Angel Rodriguez as honorable mentions on the 2015 ACSMA All-ACC Team. * Coaches awards not included in this release.
Sophomore guard Davon Reed was named to the All-ACC Academic Men’s Basketball Team.

Darius Rice Named ACC Legend
Darius Rice has been named Miami’s 2015 ACC Basketball Legend. A three-time All-BIG EAST Conference selection, the 6-foot-10 Rice was named to the BIG EAST All-Rookie Team and earned first team All-District 6 honors three times while at Miami. Rice led the Canes to the 2002 NCAA Tournament and the 2001 NIT. He ended his collegiate career with 1,865 points (16.1 ppg) and 666 rebounds (5.7 rpg).

Miami’s Road Wins Rank Top 11 Nationally
Miami is one of 38 teams in the country, and one of 11 teams from a Top 8 conference, to win 10+ games away from its home arena this season. Gonzaga leads the way with 14 road & neutral site victories.
The Canes have posted 10+ wins away from home in two of Coach L’s four seasons at Miami. In 2012-13, Miami won 15 on the road, including five neutral-site games. This year, Miami is 10-5 away from the BankUnited Center, with a 3-1 neutral-site record.

Mixing up the Starting Lineup
Miami has used 10 starting lineups this season, and every scholarship player has started at least one game. For a complete listing, check page six of the notes.

Larrañaga in ACC Play
Since his arrival in 2011, Jim Larrañaga has recorded the top three win totals in ACC play in Miami history with 15-3 in 2013, 10-8 in 2015, and 9-7 in 2012. In 2014, Miami’s record was 7-11, tied for the fifth-best mark. Miami’s fourth-most wins were eight in 2007-08.

Miami’s Team, One Year Ago
A season ago, only three of Miami’s guys were available to play for the Hurricanes, three were sitting out at redshirts, two were playing at other colleges and three were still seniors in high school.
Tonye Jekiri, Manu Lecomte, Davon Reed – Playing for Miami.
Deandre Burnett, Sheldon McClellan, Angel Rodriguez – Redshirts, practicing with the Canes.
Joe Thomas – at Niagara University; Ivan Cruz Uceda – at Harcum College (Ju-Co).
Ja’Quan Newton, James Palmer, Omar Sherman – Seniors in high school.

Canes Eyeing Milestones
Point guard Angel Rodriguez is closing in on 1,000 career points. The native of Cupey, P.R., scored 640 points in two seasons at Kansas State and has recorded 358 points through 29 games at Miami, for a total of 998.
Rodriguez has 123 assists this season, just 10 shy of No. 10 on the season assists list at Miami. No. 10 Anthony Harris (2004-05) had 133, No. 9 Thomas Hocker (‘87-88) has 136.
Rodriguez is already No. 10 on the steals list with 55 this season. He trails No. 9 Steven Edwards’ (‘92-93) 56 and No. 7 & No. 8 John Salmons’ 57, in both 2000-01 and 2001-02.
Junior Tonye Jekiri has played in 98 career games for the Hurricanes in three seasons. He is also five rebounds shy of No. 10 in the record book for rebounds in a season. No. 10 Edwin Morris (‘55-56) had 322 and No. 9 Wayne Canaday (‘69-70) had 327.

MCClellan on 16-Player Watch List for Jerry West Award
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.

Stats Breakdowns
In Miami’s 20 wins:
Five players average 8.5 ppg or better.
Miami scores 73.9 ppg, shooting 46.7% FG.
The Canes average 35.4 rpg, 14.6 apg and 6.0 spg.
Angel Rodriguez averages 14.6 points, 39.8 FG%, 37.1 3FG%
Tonye Jekiri averaged 11.2 rebounds, 2.1 blocks
Manu Lecomte averages 10.6 points, 50.7 FG%, 50.6 3FG%
In Miami’s 11 losses:
Two players average 8.5 ppg or better.
Miami scores 59.7 ppg, shooting 38.2% FG.
The Canes average 31.2 rpg, 11.5 apg and 5.4 spg.
Angel Rodriguez averages 8.6 points, 21.6 FG%, 17.5 3FG%
Tonye Jekiri averages 8.5 rebounds, 0.5 blocks
Manu Lecomte averages 3.8 points, 30.4 FG%, 36.4 3FG%

Canes Post 20-Win Season
With a victory at Virginia Tech, Miami posted its third 20-win season in four years since the arrival of Jim Larrañaga. Since 2011-12, Coach L has tallied seasons of 20-13, 29-7, 17-16, and 20-11, for an average of 21.5 wins per season. Since joining the ACC in 2004-05, Miami posted three 20-win seasons before the arrival of Larrañaga, 23-11 in 2008, 20-13 in 2010 and 21-15 in 2011.

What’s Trending with the Canes
UM hit 40+ percent from the field in seven of its last eight games.
In three of the last four games, Miami has …
… hit 80+ percent from the line.
… out-rebounded its opponent by at least three boards.
… notched double-digit assists.
… recorded less than 10 turnovers.