Game Day: Miami at NC State - Feb. 4

MiamiatNC State

Setting the Scene
Date: Saturday, Feb. 4, 2017
Time: 3 p.m.
Location: PNC Arena | Raleigh, N.C.

-/rv Miami Hurricanes (14-7, 4-5 ACC)
Head Coach: Jim Larrañaga
Record at Miami: 132-64, sixth season
ACC Record at Miami: 58-39
Career Record: 602-398, 33rd season

NC State Wolfpack (14-9, 3-7 ACC)
Head Coach: Mark Gottfried
Record at NCST: 122-78, sixth season
Career Record: 400-233, 20th season

Broadcasts
TV: ACC Network – Justin Kutcher, Dan Bonner
Affiliates: http://theacc.co/mbb17accn0204a
In Florida: Fort Myers-Naples – CW, Gainesville – ABC, Jacksonville – IND, Miami-Fort Lauderdale – My Network TV, Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbourne – My Network TV, Panama City – This TV, Tallahassee-Thomasville – FOX, Tampa-St. Petersburg (Sarasota) – CW, West Palm Beach-Ft. Pierce – CW
Radio: 560 WQAM – Joe Zagacki
Internet: ACC Network Extra – http://es.pn/2jehf39

Series
All-time: 9-12
Since rebirth in 1985-86: 9-11
Home: 5-4
Away: 2-7
Neutral: 2-1
Under Coach Larrañaga: 5-5
Coach L all-time vs. NC State: 5-6
Current streak: Miami won 1.
Last matchup: Dec. 31, 2016. Miami won, 81-63.
Last NC State win: Jan. 30, 2016. NC State def. No. 15/13 Miami, 85-69.

Polls
Miami – AP: NR / USA Today: RV (19) / NCAA RPI: 66 / KenPom: 44
NC State – AP: 15 / USA Today: 16 / NCAA RPI: 67 / KenPom: 88

Weather
Coral Gables, Fla.: High 76 / Low 65
Raleigh, N.C.: High 47 / Low 28

Individual Numbers Against Ranked Teams
In Miami’s five games against AP top-25 teams this year, four Hurricanes are putting up stout numbers against the top teams in the nation.
Davon Reed leads all scorers with 15.8 ppg, followed by Ja’Quan Newton’s 15.6 ppg and Bruce Brown’s 14.2 ppg. Kamari Murphy is pulling down 10.6 rpg in ranked matchups.

R33D from Downtown
Senior guard Davon Reed has knocked down 37 shots from long range in the past 13 games. He hit five against Duke and FAU, four at Pitt, three against SC State, George Washington, Columbia, NC State and Wake Forest, and a pair at Syracuse and vs. Notre Dame and Boston College. For the year, he is 50-128 (39.1%) from downtown, hitting multiple 3-pointers in 15 outings, including three-or-more nine times.
Reed has hit at least one three in every game this season (21 games). In 2011-12, Malcolm Grant tied Jack McClinton’s school record (set in 2008-09) of 35 straight games hitting a 3-point shot.

Newton Has Knocked Down 18 Straight Free Throws
Ja’Quan Newton has drained 18 straight free throws, beginning with one made in the second half at Duke, added to a 7-of-7 performance vs. Boston College, 6-of-6 against No. 9/6 North Carolina and 4-of-4 vs. Florida State.

Brown Finding His Touch from Long Range
Freshman Bruce Brown is knocking down 3-pointers at a 56.3 percent clip in the past 11 games, after hitting only 20.8 percent of his threes in the first 10 games. Since the game against GW, Brown has drained 18-of-32 from long range and improved to 14.1 points per game in those 11 outings. Prior to GW, Brown was 5-of-24 from long range, and averaging 10.4 ppg.

Canes in National Stats
Miami is ranked in the top 100 in 15 NCAA statistical categories, through games as of Feb. 1. The Canes are 17th in scoring defense (62.7), 12th in fewest fouls and No. 24 in field goal percentage defense (39.6%). UM is also No. 27 in rebound margin (6.7) and No. 44 in 3-point field goal defense (31.5). A complete list of national stats is on page seven of the notes.

Larrañaga Coaches 1,000th Game
Coach Larrañaga opened the 2016-17 season just 21 shy of 1,000 career games coached. Miami’s 21st game of the season was vs. Florida State on Feb. 1. He has coached 53 games at American International, 314 at Bowling Green, 437 at George Mason and now 196 at Miami.
Earlier this season Coach Larrañaga recorded his 600th career win on Jan. 14 at Pitt. With 600 wins, he is one of five ACC coaches with 600 victories, and the other four men are in the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Canes Facing Hungry Teams
Heading into the game against NC State, Miami will play seven ACC games against teams who were hungry for wins after coming off of losses. Miami is 3-3 in games where the opponent came into the game against the Canes coming off of a loss. Miami won at Syracuse, at Pitt and vs. Boston College, but lost at Wake Forest, at Duke and vs. Florida State after previous losses.

Ranked Opponents Ahead for Miami
Six of Miami’s final nine regular season games will be played against teams currently listed in national polls. The Canes, who are receiving votes in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll, host RV Virginia Tech (2/8) and No. 21 Duke (2/25) later this season. UM faces four ranked teams on their respective home courts: No. 6/7 Louisville (2/11), No. 9/11 Virginia (2/20), RV Virginia Tech (2/27) and No. 15/16 Florida State (3/4).
Of Miami’s nine remaining games, seven are against teams ranked above the Canes in the current ACC standings: Virginia (7-2), Florida State (7-3), Louisville (6-3), Duke (5-4), two vs. Virginia Tech (5-5) and Georgia Tech (5-5). The two teams ranked below Miami are Clemson (3-6) and NC State (3-7).

Reed in Miami’s Career Record Books
In his fourth year at The U, senior Davon Reed is making his way into the UM career record books. Reed is currently ninth in 3-point field goals made (172), sixth in consecutive games with a 3-point field goal made (21) and 10th in minutes played (3,239).

Quick Hits – Team
Miami has made six-or-more shots from three in every ACC game but one (FSU), after doing so in only eight of 12 non-conference outings.
For the season, the Canes have shot better than 45 percent in 13 games, and four times in ACC play.
UM’s defense has held opponents to shoot less than 30 percent from downtown in 10 games (three in ACC) and has forced double-digit turnovers in 16 outings.
Miami has outrebounded all but five of its opponents – Stanford (-4), GWU (-1), Syracuse (-4), Wake Forest (-2) and Florida State (-1).
Twelve of Miami’s 14 victories are by a double-digit margin. The only single-digit margin games were +1 vs. Boston College and +8 vs. GW.

What’s Trending, Individually
Freshman guard Bruce Brown has scored in double digits five of the last six outings, including his 30 points against UNC. He has grabbed at least four rebounds in 20 of 21 games, has eight-or-more in seven outings and pulled down double-digit boards in two contests. He has at least two assists in 15 contests, with five-plus in eight outings.
Freshman Dewan Huell has scored in eight straight games and has a rebound in six straight outings.
Sophomore Ebuka Izundu has multiple rebounds in all but two games this season.
Sophomore guard Anthony Lawrence, Jr., has swiped at least one steal in each game but seven, and had three-or-more in five outings. He has five-plus rebounds in eight of the last 14 outings. He has hit a 3-pointer in 12 games.
Redshirt senior forward Kamari Murphy has recorded a pair of double-doubles (vs. Wofford, vs. NC State). He has pulled down double-digit boards in seven outings. He has a block in six of the last eight games.
Junior point guard Ja’Quan Newton has recorded five 20-point games this season. He has scored 11-plus points in every game but three (WFU-9, FAU-8, Syracuse-8). Newton has three steals in a trio of games and has dished out three-or-more assists in 13 outings. He has made at least one free throw in every game but two (GW and Pitt).
Senior guard Davon Reed has scored in double digits 18 times this season, including 16 of the last 17 games. He has scored 20-plus in four outings this season. He has grabbed five-plus rebounds in nine games. Reed has hit at least one shot from long range in every game, with multiple threes in 15 contests, led by five against Duke and FAU. He has multiple threes in 11 of the last 13 games. He has three-plus assists in nine games.
Freshman DJ Vasiljevic has drained three-or-more shots from 3-point range in five games and has hit a three in all but four outings (Florida, Rutgers, FAU, Duke).