Game Day: Miami vs. Northeastern - Nov. 27

NortheasternatMiami

The Game
No. 15/19 Miami returns to the BankUnited Center to face Northeastern on Friday, Nov. 27 at 4 p.m.  Tickets start at $10.

The Broadcasts
Catch the game on ESPN3 with Ted Sarandis and Sean Harrington making the call. Also check out the game on WHIM 1080 radio with Kevin Rogers.

The Coach
Head coach Jim Larrañaga has a 566-383 overall record in his 32nd season as a head coach. He is 96-49 in his fifth season at the University of Miami, with a 41-29 mark in ACC play.

The Polls (as of Nov. 23)
AP: Miami -15, Northeastern – NR USA TODAY: Miami – 19, Northeastern – NR
KenPom.com: Miami – 10, Northeastern – 113 NCAA RPI: Miami – TBA, Northeastern – TBA

The Weather
Projected temperatures on game day: Coral Gables – 80/70; Boston – 60/43.

The Series
Miami is 2-0 in the all-time series against Northeastern, which dates back to the 1990-91 season. The Canes are 2-0 at home against the Huskies, 0-0 on the road and 0-0 at neutral sites. Miami won the last matchup with Northeastern, defeating the Huskies, 92-86, on Nov. 25, 2000 at the Miami Arena.

Getting Started
Miami looks to start 6-0 for the second-straight season and second time in Coach L’s five years at The U.

Poll Vault – Canes Unranked to No. 15/19
Fresh off its championship run through the Puerto Rico Tip-Off that successfully concluded Sunday, Miami made its season debut in the top 20 of both major college basketball polls on Nov. 23. Miami checked in at No. 15 in the Associated Press top 25, and earned a No. 19 ranking in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll. According to the AP, Miami becomes the sixth program in the last 10 years to be unranked in the AP Top 25 one week and rise to at least No. 15 in the following week’s poll, joining Connecticut, Syracuse, Florida, Villanova and Minnesota. It is also the highest ranking for Miami during the month of November in the history of the AP poll; the Hurricanes reached No. 17 in November in the 2008-09 and 2014-15 seasons.
Just one season ago, Miami went from unranked to No. 17/20 in the Nov. 24 polls, following a win over No. 8/7 Florida and a championship run in the Charleston Classic. The Canes were ranked five weeks last season. The Hurricanes were last ranked the week of Jan. 26, 2015, when the Canes were No. 23 in both polls.
Prior to the arrival of Coach L, Miami had not been ranked in the top 15 in either poll since Feb. 18, 2002 when the Canes were No. 17/13.

Jekiri Named ACC Player of the Week
Senior forward Tonye Jekiri was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Week Nov. 23. Jekiri was named to the Puerto Rico Tip-Off All-Tournament Team, where in three games, he averaged 13.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.3 blocks in 28.0 minutes. He was 15-21 (71.4%) from the field and 10-11 (90.9%) at the line. Against No. 16 Utah and national center of the year nominee Jakob Poeltl, Jekiri posted his career high 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. He was 8-10 from the field and 4-5 from the stripe in 32 minutes. He also had a steal, assist and block.

Canes Sign Top 10 Recruiting Class
The 2016 recruiting class of Dewan Huell, Bruce Brown and Rodney Miller is being named a top-10 recruiting class in the country, with 247Sports ranking the class No. 7, Scout at No. 8, ESPN at No. 9 and Rivals at No. 10.
The 2016 class rankings top Miami’s best mark from 2005, when the Canes signed four four-star recruits – Jimmy Graham, Brian Asbury, Adrian Thomas and Denis Clemente – in a class that was ranked No. 12 in the nation by Scout.
In 2009, Miami’s signing class was nationally ranked No. 19 by Scout and No. 24 by ESPN. That Hurricanes’ heralded 2009 class was comprised of ESPNU 100 picks Durand Scott, Garrius Adams and Donnavan Kirk, in addition to May signee Antoine Allen.
Since 2002, Miami has signed 16 Scout.com top 100 players, including three five-star, top-25 players in DeQuan Jones (22, 2008), Huell (25) and Durand Scott (25, 2009). Since Larrañaga’s arrival, his staff has signed five top-100 players in Huell (25), Brown (44), Ja’Quan Newton (52, 2014), Rodney Miller (90) and James Palmer (98, 2014).
Huell is the most lauded signee for Miami since Scott in 2009, Jones in 2008, No. 32 Guillermo Diaz in 2003 and McDonald’s All-American Darius Rice in 2000.

Miami Lands Huell, Brown and Miller
The University of Miami men’s basketball team has landed a pair of top-30 players in Dewan Huell and Bruce Brown, and top 100 player Rodney Miller.
With the addition of these three players, Miami would have six top 100 players next season: Huell (25), Brown (44), Ja’Quan Newton (52), Miller (90), James Palmer (98).
Huell, at 6-10 and 218 pounds, is a five-star, top-25 power forward from Miami Norland High School. Nationally, he is ranked the No. 21 player by ESPN, No. 23 by Rivals and No. 25 by Scout. ESPN and Scout rank him fifth at his position, and Scout says he’s the top player in the state of Florida, while ESPN and Rivals have him second in the state. A fluid player who finishes around the rim, Huell runs the floor and can beat his man off the dribble. He can hit the open 15-footer, as well as play with his back to the basket, scoring with a jump hook. Huell has the ability to elevate quickly, giving him the ability to block shots and grab offensive rebounds.
Brown, from Wakefield, Mass., is a four-star shooting guard at Vermont Academy in Saxton’s River, Vt. At 6-4 and 205 pounds, Brown is ranked No. 30 by ESPN, No. 44 per Scout and No. 49 by Rivals. A combo guard with a 6-9 wingspan, Brown is one of the best defenders in the country and plays with tremendous energy. He is physical, has the ability to score off the dribble and can play multiple backcourt positions.
Miller is a 6-foot-11-inch, 245-pound center playing prep ball at Oak Hill Academy in Virginia. A native of Laurelton, N.Y., Miller is a consensus four-star recruit, ranked No. 90 overall by Scout.com and No. 114 by Rivals.com. As a center, he is ranked No. 17 by Scout.com and No. 15 by ESPN. Miller, with a 7-foot-1-inch wingspan, has the ability to alter shots defensively, is a blue-collar rebounder and has good offensive touch around the rim.

Miami Wins Puerto Rico Tip-Off
Miami defeated Mississippi State 105-79, then downed No. 16 Utah 90-66 and dropped No. 22/20 Butler 85-75 to win the 2015 Puerto Rico Tip-Off. The Canes outscored their opponents by 20.0 points per game, and out rebounded opponents by 8.7 rebounds per game. Miami also won the event in 2007-08.

Homecoming for Rodriguez, Earns MVP
Senior guard Angel Rodriguez was named the Puerto Rico Tip-Off Most Valuable Player. He averaged 13.7 points and 4.0 assists, including 19 points in the championship game. The native of Cupey, P.R., just 20 minutes from San Juan, was greeted by many friends and family at each game.

Three Canes All-Tourney in Puerto Rico
Sheldon McClellan, Angel Rodriguez and Tonye Jekiri were named to the Puerto Rico Tip-Off All Tournament Team. This is the first time three players from the same team were on the tournament squad.

The BUC is Sold Out
In just his fifth season in Coral Gables, Jim Larrañaga continues to set records with the Miami men’s basketball team. Miami has SOLD OUT the ticket allotment for all home games this season at the BankUnited Center. This is the first time in Miami athletics history a team has sold out their season. Due to the season ticket sales, seats will not be available on a single-game basis.
In Coach Larrañaga’s fifth season at The U, fans have bought 5,500 season tickets, more than doubling the total number of season tickets sold in his first season in Coral Gables. When Coach L began his reign in Miami, fans bought 2,251 season tickets for the 2011-12 campaign. After a record-breaking season on the court in 2012-13, season tickets peaked at 3,674 for the 2013-14 year.

Miami’s Wins vs. Ranked Opponents
In 10 wins over ranked opponents since the arrival of Coach L in 2011-12, Miami has won five games by 10+ points, including 27 points over No. 1 Duke in 2013 and 24 points over No. 16 Utah in 2015. Miami has also scored 90+ points against a ranked team in three outings: 90-63 over No. 1 Duke in 2013, 90-74 over No. 4 Duke in 2015 and 90-66 over No. 16 Utah in 2015.

Miami Men’s And Women’s Basketball Undefeated
As of Nov. 24, Miami is the first school in the country with both the men’s and women’s basketball teams earning a 5-0 record.
Miami was one of three ACC schools picked top six in the league’s preseason poll for both men’s and women’s basketball: Duke men third, women fouth; Notre Dame men fourth, women first; Miami men fifth, women sixth.

McClellan Eyeing 1,500 Career Points
Miami senior Sheldon McClellan has scored 1,480 points in his career, tallying 843 in two years at the University of Texas and 637 in a year and five games at UM.

Larrañaga Closing in on 100 Wins at Miami
In just his fifth year at UM, Jim Larrañaga is closing in one 100 wins at The U. He is currently 96-49. Bruce Hale was the Miami coach who won 100 games the quickest, earning 100 victories in just 159 games. Hart Morris took 163 games, Frank Haith 174 and Leonard Hamilton took 230 games.

Jekiri’s Season-by-Season Progression
Senior Tonye Jekiri nearly doubled his rebounding and scoring outputs each of his first three season with the Hurricanes, and as a senior is putting up career highs.