Game Day: Miami vs. GWU - Dec. 22

George WashingtonatMiami

Setting the Scene

Series
All-time: Miami trails 0-3
Since rebirth in 1985-86: 0-2
Home: 0-0
Away: 0-1
Neutral: 0-2
Last matchup: Nov. 28, 2013 – Miami lost, 71-63 OT, in the Wooden Legacy.
Under Coach Larrañaga: 0-1
Coach L all-time vs. GWU: 1-4

Polls
Miami – AP: RV / USA Today: RV / KenPom: 24
GWU – AP: NR / USA Today: NR / KenPom: 124

Weather
Coral Gables: High 80 / Low 69
Washington, D.C.: High 51 / Low 31

UM Welcomes Local Women and Children to the Watsco Center
Coach Jim Larrañaga and the men’s basketball team welcome women and children from the Lotus House and South Miami community to UM’s game against George Washington. On game night, Larrañaga and the Canes will supply the 50 guests with transportation and a ticket to the game, as well as a meal at the Watsco Center. The Hurricanes coaches and staff donated items to the women and children and delivered the items just in time for the holiday season. Donations included toys, clothing, sneakers and food. According to LotusHouse.org, Lotus House is an organization dedicated to improving the lives of homeless women, youth and children. We provide sanctuary, support, education, tools and resources that empower them to heal, learn, grow and blossom into who they are truly meant to be.

The Matchup Between Miami and GWU
Miami will be looking for their first-ever win against George Washington.
This meeting will be the first time the Hurricanes will host the Colonials in Coral Gables.
This is the first leg of a home-and-home series which will see the return leg come in 2017 at George Washington.
In Miami’s last meeting with George Washington in 2013, Davon Reed scored six points in what was then a career-high 35 minutes. The Canes dropped a tight one that day, falling 71-63 in overtime.
This matchup will pit two of the best teams in KenPom’s offensive efficiency rankings from last season. Miami finished at No. 10 (117.8) in those rankings, while George Washington (114.0) ended the season at No. 23.

From the Archives: GW vs. Miami, Nov. 28, 2013
Joe McDonald’s driving layup tied the game with 3 seconds left in regulation and his 3-point basket to open the overtime period put George Washington ahead to stay as the Colonials (5-0) remained unbeaten with a 71-63 victory over Miami (3-3) in the opening game of the DirecTV Wooden Legacy in Titan Gym at Cal State Fullerton. Garrius Adams led Miami with 17 points. Rion Brown had 16 points and 9 rebounds and Donnavan Kirk added 11 boards. George Washington squandered a pair of 12-point leads in the second half. The Hurricanes outscored the Colonials, 24-12, over the final 10 minutes of regulation but let a 59-56 lead get away in the final minute.
NOTES: The Canes hit 15-of-17 free throws against GWU … Rion Brown grabbed nine rebounds against GWU … Brown was 7-of-7 at the free throw line … Donnavan Kirk grabbed 11 rebounds against the Colonials. Kirk swatted four shots by GWU … Garrius Adams notched 17 points against GWU. Adams also grabbed eight rebounds and had five assists … James Kelly scored 11 points, pulled down six rebounds and blocked one shot … Tonye Jekiri recorded two points and one rebound, assist, block and steal. This was the first game of the season with a stat in each of those columns.

Milestones for the Canes
600 Victories – Coach Larrañaga is just four wins shy of 600 career victories. With 600 wins, he will be one of five ACC coaches with 600 victories, and the other four men are in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
1,000 Games – Coach Larrañaga opened the 2016-17 season just 21 shy of 1,000 career games coached. Miami’s 21st game of the season is vs. Florida State on Feb. 1. He has coached 53 games at American International, 314 at Bowling Green, 437 at Geoge Mason and now 184 at Miami.
1,000 Program Wins – The University of Miami men’s basketball program has won 998 of its 1,727 games.
100 Blocks – Redshirt senior Kamari Murphy has recorded 99 career blocks, with 61 at Oklahoma State and 38 at Miami.
1,000 Points – Senior Davon Reed has scored 987 points in 108 career games at The U.
100 Games – Seniors Kamari Murphy and Davon Reed each played in their 100th career game at North Florida on Nov. 16, 2016. Murphy, a redshirt senior, played in 66 games at Oklahoma State before coming to Miami as a junior. All of Reed’s games played are at UM.

Reed Ties Career Highs Against FAU
Against FAU, senior guard Davon Reed led the way for the Hurricanes tying career-highs in both 3-pointers made and points scored, knocking down five shots from beyond the arc and scoring 21 points. This marks his sixth game with multiple treys, and second-straight with three or more from downtown. With his 21 points, Reed has scored in double digits in eight games this season, and posted his second career 20-point game.

What’s Trending, as a Team
Miami opened the season hitting better than 45.0 percent from the field in four straight games, and has done so in eight of 10 outings.
Miami is averaging 79.0 points per game in wins and 56.0 ppg in losses. The Canes hit 49.2 percent from the field, 38.0 from three and 74.3 at the line in victories and 36.9 percent FG, 20.0 percent 3FG and 77.4 percent FT in games lost. In eight games won, DJ Vasiljevic averages 8.3 ppg, but in Miami’s two losses, he averaged just 2.5 ppg.
The Canes have at least seven steals in all but two outings (Florida and SC State).
Miami has tallied double-digit turnovers in every game.

What’s Trending, Individually
Freshman guard Bruce Brown has grabbed at least four rebounds in each of the first 10 games, and has eight-or-more in four outings. He has at least two assists in seven contests, and has a steal in eight of the last nine games.
Freshman forward Dewan Huell has scored double-digit points in five of 10 games. He has attempted at least one free throw in every game but one, and is hitting them at an 78.9 percent (15-19) clip.
Sophomore Ebuka Izundu has been perfect from the field in three of six outings in which he has attempted a shot.
Sophomore guard Anthony Lawrence, Jr., has swiped at least one steal each game but two, and had three-or-more in a trio of outings. He has knocked down at least one shot from 3-point range in four straight games.
Redshirt senior forward Kamari Murphy has pulled down seven-plus rebounds in every game but two, and grabbed double-digit boards in four outings.
Junior point guard Ja’Quan Newton has scored 11-plus points in every game but one (FAU). He has three steals in a trio of games and has dished three-or-more assists in seven outings. He has made a free throw in every outing, hitting 100 percent of his attempts five times.
Senior guard Davon Reed has scored in double digits eight times this season, including six straight games. He has grabbed five-plus rebounds in six outings. Reed has hit at least one shot from long range in every game, with multiple threes in six contests, led by five against FAU.
Freshman DJ Vasiljevic has drained three-or-more shots from 3-point range in four outings.

In Wins and Losses
Miami has hit 3.5 more 3-pointers and handed out 6.4 more assists per game in it eight victories than in its two losses.

Starting vs. Coming off the Bench
Freshman guard Bruce Brown has started six games this season, including five straight. He produces 6.5 more points per game, and hits shots at an 18.9 percent better clip when starting, than when coming off the bench.

Murphy Just One Swat from 100
Senior forward Kamari Murphy has recorded 99 career blocks in 107 games played. He has 38 swats in his 41 games at Miami, after recording 61 blocks in 66 games at Oklahoma State from 2012-14.

Approaching The ACC Slate
Next weekend, the Hurricanes open the 2016-17 ACC slate with a home matchup against NC State at 4:30 p.m. in Coral Gables, Fla. According to KenPom.com, 13 ACC teams are ranked in the top 60 in the country, including four in the top 10 and nine in the top 30. As of Dec. 20, Miami is No. 24 and NC State is No. 59. The Canes then travel to No. 29 Syracuse before returning to the Watsco Center for No. 23 Notre Dame. UM ends the season with five teams who are currently in the top 36 – Clemson (26), at Virginia (3), vs. Duke (1), at Virginia Tech (36) and at Florida State (28).
Miami is ranked fourth nationally in defensive effective field goal percentage, sixth in 3-point field goal percentage and 10th in 2-point field goal percentage.

Reed Completing Degree with Marketing Internship
Senior Davon Reed will graduate in May with a degree in sports administration with a minor in marketing and communications. Since June of 2016, Reed has been an intern in the athletics marketing department, assisting the execution of strategic marketing planning for athletics programs with a focus on increasing attendance, game atmosphere and fan experience at Hurricane athletics events.