Game Day: Miami vs. NCCU March 17 in NIT

The Game

Second-seeded Miami hosts No. 7 seed North Carolina Central in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament on March 17 at 7 p.m. in the BankUnited Center.

The Series

Miami is 3-0 against NCCU, defeating the Eagles three times in Coral Gables from 2008-09 to 2010-11. 

The Broadcasts

Catch the game on ESPN2 with Tom Hart and Stan Heath making the call. 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 557-382 overall record in his 31st season as a head coach. He is 87-48 in his fourth season at the University of Miami, with a 42-29 mark in ACC play.

The Polls (As of March 16)

AP: Miami – NR; NCCU – NR
USA TODAY: Miami – NR; NCCU – NR
KenPom.com: Miami – 52; NCCU – 109
NCAA RPI: Miami – 65; NCCU – 127

The Weather

Projected temperatures on game day: Coral Gables – 85/65; Durham, N.C. – 78/38.

The Notes

Canes Defend Home Court
The Hurricanes have notched double-digit home wins at the BankUnited Center in seven of the last eight seasons and 10 times in 12 full seasons calling the arena home.

Postseason Awards for Four Hurricanes
Junior forward Tonye Jekiri was named to the 2015 Coaches and 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.
Sophomore guard Davon Reed was named to the All-ACC Academic Men’s Basketball Team.

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 regular season. Gonzaga led 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 was 10-5 away from the BankUnited Center, with a 3-1 neutral-site record, in the regular season.

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 as 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.

Miami vs. Ranked Opponents This Season
Miami is 3-6 against ranked teams this season, including 1-1 against Top 5 teams and 2-2 against Top 10 teams. In the six losses, one was a double-overtime defeat against Virginia, and the Canes came up 6.1 ppg short in the other five outings. The Canes are 1-3 at home, 2-2 on the road and 0-1 at neutral sites vs. Top 25 opponents. See a complete list vs. ranked opponents since the arrival of Coach L on page 10.

Eyeing Milestones – Rodriguez Tops 1,000 points – Jekiri Plays 100 games
With five points against Virginia Tech in the ACC Tournament, point guard Angel Rodriguez topped 1,000 career points. The native of Cupey, P.R., scored 640 points in two seasons at Kansas State and has recorded 378 points through 31 games at Miami, for a total of 1018.
Rodriguez has 125 assists this season, just eight 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 No. 7 on the steals list with 58 this season. He now trails No. 6 Vernon Jennings (60), No. 5 Robert Hite (61), No. 4 Jerome Scott (70).
Junior Tonye Jekiri has played in 100 career games for the Hurricanes in three seasons. He also has 336 rebounds, which is tied with Mike McCoy for No. 7 for most rebounds in a season. He trails No. 6 Reggie Johnson (347), and No. 5 Mike McCoy (350).

Stats Breakdowns
In Miami’s 21 wins:
Five players average 8.5 ppg or better.
Miami scores 73.2 ppg, shooting 46.5% FG.
The Canes average 35.3 rpg, 14.3 apg and 5.8 spg.
Angel Rodriguez averages 14.1 points, 39.5 FG%, 36.7 3FG%
Tonye Jekiri averaged 11.0 rebounds, 2.0 blocks
Manu Lecomte averages 10.4 points, 48.6 FG%, 49.4 3FG%
In Miami’s 12 losses:
Two players average 8.5 ppg or better.
Miami scores 60.0 ppg, shooting 38.1% FG.
The Canes average 31.3 rpg, 11.0 apg and 5.8 spg.
Angel Rodriguez averages 9.2 points, 23.6 FG%, 20.3 FG%
Tonye Jekiri averages 8.7 rebounds, 0.5 blocks
Manu Lecomte averages 3.5 points, 29.2 FG%, 34.8 3FG%