Game Day: #15/14 Miami at Boston College

THE GAME
No. 15/14 Miami hits the road for the third and final of three-straight ACC games over nine days, facing Boston College on Jan. 20 at 9 p.m. in Chestnut Hill, Mass.

The Broadcasts
Catch the game on RSN with Cory Alexander and Tim Brando on the call. Affiliates include: FOX Sports South, FOX Sports Carolinas, FOX Sports Florida – South Florida, FOX Sports Sun – Central and North Florida, FOX Sports Midwest Plus, FOX Sports Indiana Plus, Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic Plus, MSG Plus, NESN, ROOT Sports Pittsburgh, SportsTime Ohio, FOX Sports Detroit Plus, FOX Sports North Plus, FOX Sports Wisconsin, FOX Sports Southwest Plus, FOX Sports San Diego – Same Day Delay – 4am ET/1am PT, ROOT Sports Rocky Mtn. – Same Day Delay – 12am ET/10pm MT, ROOT Sports Northwest – Same Day Delay – 11pm ET/8pm PT.
Also check out the game on 560 WQAM radio with Joe Zagacki, the Voice of the Hurricanes.

The Coach
Head coach Jim Larrañaga has a 574-386 overall record in his 32nd season as a head coach. He is 104-52 in his fifth season at the University of Miami, with a 43-31 mark in ACC play.

The Polls (as of Jan. 18)
AP: Miami -15, Boston College – NR
USA TODAY: Miami – 14, Boston College – NR
KenPom.com: Miami – 15, Boston College – 238
NCAA RPI: Miami -17, Boston College – 207

The Weather
Game day temperatures: Coral Gables – 73/59; Chestnut Hill, Mass. – 32/20.

The Series
Miami is 21-24 in the all-time series against Boston College, which dates back to the 1962-63 season. Miami has won 10-straight matchups against BC, and 13 of the last 15. The Canes are 11-11 at home against the Eagles, 9-11 on the road and 1-2 at neutral sites. Miami is 8-0 against BC under Coach L. Miami won the last matchup with Boston College, defeating the Eagles in double overtime, 89-86, on Feb. 16, 2015 at the Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill, Mass., following a snow storm that pushed the game from Feb. 15 to Feb. 16.

Miami on the Road in ACC Games
Miami is 43-31 in ACC games since the arrival of Jim Larrañaga in 2011-12. The Canes are 19-18 on the road and 24-13 at home. Miami’s 19 league road wins are the fourth-most in the ACC behind 26 by Duke, North Carolina (25) and Virginia (21), as of Jan. 18.

McClellan in the Second half
Sheldon McClellan averages 6.8 points per game on 45.7 percent shooting from the field and 27.3 percent from long range in the first half of games, then improves to 9.2 points in the second stanza, hitting 62.9 percent from the field and 55.6 percent from distance.
After just 5.8 ppg on 33.0 percent shooting in the first half of ACC games, McClellan averages 11.8 ppg in the second, hitting 66.7 percent of his shots.

Canes Have Stingy 3-Point Defense
In eight of the last nine games, Miami has held its opponents to less than 32.0 percent shooting from long range, holding them to a combined 23.0 percent mark in that timeframe, with Clemson’s 43.8 percent the exception. In the first seven games, Miami averaged 41.4 percent 3-point defense. Opponents shot better than 32 percent from three in six of the first seven games. The Canes held in-state opponents Florida and Florida State to 8.3 percent and 10.5 percent from long range, respectively.

McClellan One of Top Shooting Guards in the Nation, Top in ACC
Senior guard Sheldon McClellan has posted the eighth-best shooting percentage (53.6%) in the country among guards, and has the top shooting percentage among guards in the ACC, according to stats on NCAA.org on Jan. 18. McClellan is currently on three national player of the year early-season watch lists: Naismith Trophy Men’s College Player of the Year, Oscar Robertson Trophy for Men’s National Player of the Year and Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award.

Dewan Huell Named 2016 McDonald’s All-American
Miami signee Dewan Huell has been named a 2016 McDonald’s All-American, as announced on ESPNU Jan. 17. Huell will become the fourth McDonald’s All-American to play at Miami, joining Darius Rice (2000 McDonald’s All-American), Steve Edwards (1992) and Tito Horford (1985). Since the inception of the McDonald’s All American Game in 1977, only 38 players have hailed from the state of Florida, 11 of which were from ‘The State of Miami’ – Broward, Dade and Palm Beach counties. Just six of those players have been from Dade County, the most recent before Huell being Corey Louis in 1994.

Miami Winning By Double Digits
In 12 of Miami’s 13 victories, the Canes have outscored their opponents by double digits. Nebraska is the only exception, as Miami won by only five points in overtime against the ‘Huskers. UM is outscoring all opponents by 14.6 points per outing, and averaging 80.1 points per contest.

Taking Care of Business at the Line
Miami is outscoring its opponents by 14.5 points per game this season, and averaging 18.1 made free throws per game. Through 16 games, the Canes are connecting on 75.9 percent of shots at the line, and have hit at least 18 free throws in each game but five with 12 vs. Florida State, 11 vs. Princeton, 10 at Virginia, 10 at Clemson and seven made FTs against Northeastern.
The Canes are No. 89 in the country in free throws made, and No. 16 in fewest fouls.

Miami and ACC Teams in KenPom Rankings
Six ACC teams are in the top 20 of KenPom.com’s offensive efficiency ratings, as of Jan. 18. In adjusted efficiency: 1 Notre Dame, 2 North Carolina, 3 Duke, 6 Pittsburgh, 8 Virginia and 20 Miami. As of Jan. 18, Miami is one of four ACC teams that rank in the KenPom top 15. Seven ACC teams are in the KenPom top 30.
Off. Efficiency – #20 – 115.8 Def. Efficiency – #29 – 94.6 Effective FG% – #17 – 55.5
Sheldon McClellan – True shooting % – #11 – 67.6 Offensive Rating – #13 – 132.2

Coach L Ties to the ACC
Coach Jim Larrañaga was an assistant coach at Virginia from 1979-1986, under the leadership of Terry Holland. In those seven seasons, Larrañaga helped the Cavaliers to five NCAA appearances: Final Four twice, Elite Eight once, Sweet 16 once and Round of 64 once, as well as two NIT appearances, including the Championship and Quarterfinal round.