Game Day: Miami vs. Alabama - March 21 - NIT

The Game

Second-seeded Miami hosts No. 6 seed Alabama in the second round of the National Invitation Tournament on March 21 at 11 a.m. in the BankUnited Center. 

The Series

Miami is 0-2 against Alabama, falling to the Crimson Tide in December of 1968 and in the 2011 NIT.

The Broadcasts

Catch the game on ESPN with Rich Hollenberg 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 558-382 overall record in his 31st season as a head coach. He is 88-48 in his fourth season at the University of Miami, with a 41-29 mark in ACC play.

The Polls

AP: Miami – NR; Alabama – NR
USA TODAY: Miami – NR; Alabama – NR
KenPom.com: Miami – 57; Alabama – 51
NCAA RPI: Miami – 65; Alabama – 85

The Weather

Projected temperatures on game day: Coral Gables – 87/70. Tuscaloosa, Ala. – 72/55.

The Notes

Miami vs. Alabama in the NIT
The last time Miami faced off against Alabama was in the 2011 NIT quarterfinals, when the Crimson Tide defeated the Canes 79-64 in Alabama. In the game, Durand Scott had 19 points, Reggie Johnson had 14 points and seven rebounds and DeQuan Jones added 12 points for Miami. For a complete box score, see page 4 of the notes.

Canes Seeking First NIT Semifinal
Of the 32 teams in the 2015 NIT field, Arizona State and Illinois State have 12 appearances without making an NIT semifinal appearance. Miami is close behind with 11, and UTEP trials with 10. In Larrañaga’s 31 years as a head coach, he has never coached a game in Madison Square Garden. He played in the World’s Most Famous Arena multiple times while at Providence, and was an assistant coach for Virginia when the Cavaliers won the NIT in 1980. Larrañaga’s final collegiate game as a Friar was played against UNC in the NIT in 1971, an 86-79 loss for PC in the Elite 8.

Poise Down the Stretch
Miami hit 23-of-25 free throws against NC Central, including 10-of-11 (90.9%) in the final five minutes to earn the first round win. In the game, Manu Lecomte was 10-11 at the line, matching his career-best mark set at Duke this season. In three postseason games (ACC Tournament and NIT), Miami is 89.3 percent (25-28) at the line in the last five minutes of games, accounting for 25-of-36 points scored.

Bench Points Key For Hurricanes
Miami has scored 25+ points from the bench in 14 games this season, and 30+ in eight times, including four of the last six games. Miami’s high is 34 against South Alabama and vs. Notre Dame in the ACC Tournament.

Canes Hit 50 Percent from the Field
Both Miami and North Carolina Central knocked down more than half of their shots on March 17, with the Canes draining 22-of-44 (50%) and the Eagles going 26-49 (53.1%). Miami is 8-0 when hitting more than 50 percent of its shots this season, and 28-2 in Coach L’s four-year UM career.

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 11 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.

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 382 points through 32 games at Miami, for a total of 1022.
Rodriguez has 126 assists this season, just 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) had 136.
Rodriguez is No. 7 on the steals list with 59 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 101 career games for the Hurricanes in three seasons. He also has 342 rebounds this season, trailing No. 6 Reggie Johnson (347), and No. 5 Mike McCoy (350).