North Carolina State University Athletics
Gary Hahn's Scouting Report: Miami
2/8/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
DATE: Saturday, February 10, 2007 @ BankUnited Center, Coral Gables, FL (7,000)
TIME: Tip-off: 4:00 p.m. EST
RADIO: Wolfpack Sports Network.
AIRTIME: 3:30 p.m. EST
TELEVISION: Raycom/ Lincoln Financial Sports (ACC Network)
OPPONENT—Jared Dudley proved again why he’s the best forward in the ACC. On Wednesday night the 6-7 senior refused to let Boston College lose. Dudley took over the game down the stretch and finished with 26 points to lead the Eagles to a 75-68 road victory over Miami. The victory kept BC (17-6, 8-2) in a first-place tie with Virginia in the ACC and sent Miami to its seventh straight loss.
Dudley scored nine consecutive points in a 2:22 span late in the second half to put the Eagles ahead for good 65-60 with 3:37 remaining in the game. Tyrese Rice added 21 points and secured the victory for BC with six free throws and a field goal in the final 2:04.
The roster-depleted Hurricanes dressed only seven scholarship players, but stayed within striking distance throughout the game. Denis Clemente’s 3-point basket with 6:26 remaining tied it 60-60.
Clemente led the Hurricanes with 24 points on 9-for-17 shooting (5 of 8 from the arc) while Jack McClinton added 14. Dwayne Collins also helped the ‘Canes with 11 points and 13 rebounds in 38 minutes.
The game featured several runs by both teams. BC’s John Oates scored seven points in a 12-2 spurt to start the second half that put the Eagles up 44-37 with 14:18 to play. The Hurricanes responded with a 9-2 run over the next 4:31 with Clemente scoring five of those points.
In the opening half, Miami sprinted to an early 13-5 lead, but Dudley scored 7 of his 10 first-half points during a 10-2 spurt that helped the Eagles tie it, 15-15, with 11:44 left. It was an important stretch that kept BC from falling behind by more than 2 at halftime, 33-31.
Miami is a young team loaded with freshmen and sophomores, but the squad that competes now does not resemble the one that started practice in October.
The Hurricanes took another unexpected hit on Tuesday when forward Raymond Hicks was suspended indefinitely for an unspecified violation of team rules. Hicks was averaging 5.6 points and 2.7 rebounds for Miami which is already missing most of its big-man rotation.
Center Anthony King (wrist) and forwards Adrian Thomas (abdominal) and Fabio Nass (knee) have all been lost to season-ending injuries, while forward Jimmy Graham has missed Miami's last 7 games with a broken hand.
The news about Hicks was especially disappointing because the 6-7 junior’s production was improving. Hicks started and played 33 minutes against Virginia on February 3rd and averaged 11.7 points in his last 3 games.
With so many frontcourt players sidelined, the strength of Miami’s team is now on the perimeter where there is definitely talent.
McClinton was the talk of the ACC in November and December when he compiled a streak of six straight games of 20 or more points, including a 30-point outburst against Northwestern. He hit a slump in mid-January, but looks to be back on track.
The 6-1 sophomore transfer from Siena is averaging 16.3 points over his last 4 games. McClinton is one of the best free throw shooters in the ACC (.908) and is also near the top of the league in 3-point field goal percentage (.437) and 3-point field goals per game (2.7).
Veteran guard, Anthony Harris, has probably been the ‘Canes most consistent player since the first of the year. The 6-2 senior is averaging nearly 13 points and 3 assists over his last 10 games. He exploded for 33 points against UMass on January 2nd.
Clemente usually distributes the ball more than he gives it away. He leads the team and is among the league leaders in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.85-to-1). The quick sophomore has also had some impressive games offensively including 24 points against Virginia and 15 at Florida State.
Overall, Miami has struggled offensively. The Hurricanes are at or near the bottom of the ACC in scoring (71.1), field goal percentage (.436) and assists (13.1). However, the ‘Canes take care of the ball (12.6 turnovers a game) and shoot free throws very well (.712). They also crash the offensive boards, getting back an impressive 41 percent of their missed shots.
Collins is the Hurricanes best offensive rebounder. The 6-8 freshman is among the ACC’s top-10 on the offensive glass and he’s proven he can play in big games. He totaled 35 points and 26 rebounds in two games against Boston College.
Defensively, Miami is at or near the bottom of the ACC in defending the 3-point shot. League foes are shooting .413 from the bonusphere. Plus, the ‘Canes are surrendering a whopping 80.5 points a game against league opponents.
Injuries have depleted Miami’s bench, but the Hurricanes can still go about eight deep in their rotation. James Dews and Keaton Copeland see the most playing time in reserve roles. Both average close to 13 minutes a game. McClinton has also come off the bench in recent games.
The Wolfpack swept the Hurricanes last season, winning in Raleigh 81-69 and in Coral Gables 86-77. Saturday’s meeting will be the only regular season game between the two teams due to ACC expansion.
PROBABLE MIAMI STARTERS
No. Name Pos. Ht. Class PPG RPG APG
12 Anthony Harris G 6'2 Sr. 9.5 2.2 3.5
15 Denis Clemente G 6'0 So. 9.5 2.2 3.3
33 Jack McClinton G 6’1 So. 16.0 2.5 2.2
32 Brian Asbury F/G 6’7 So. 12.0 5.5 1.3
21 Dwayne Collins F 6'8 Fr. 8.0 5.9 0.7
TOP RESERVES:23 James Dews G 6'3 Fr. 2.9 2.0 --
44 Keaton Copeland F 6'5 Sr. 2.3 1.5 --
20 Lawrence Gilbert F 6’7 Fr. 1.8 1.3 --
* Blocked shots per game
A WIN--Would be the Wolfpack’s third in its last four games and third this season on the road in the ACC (3-2). State would improve to 14-9 overall and 4-6 in the ACC with six regular season games left, including three on the road. The Pack wins for the third straight time against the Hurricanes in the series and for the second year in-a-row in Coral Gables. The Hurricanes drop their eighth straight game to fall to 9-16 overall and 2-9 in the ACC. Miami’s home record dips to 6-6. State’s road record improves to 3-4. Due to ACC expansion this is the only regular season game between the two teams.
A LOSS--Would be the second straight for the Wolfpack following wins over nationally ranked Virginia Tech and North Carolina. State would drop to 13-10 overall and 3-7 in the ACC. The Pack would have to win five of its last regular season games to finish at 8-8 in the league. The Hurricanes snap a seven game losing streak and notch their first victory in a month -- Jan. 10th at Maryland. Miami improves to 10-15 overall and 3-8 in the ACC. The Canes break a two game losing streak to NC State in the series and beat the Pack in Coral Gables for the second time in the last 3 years. Their home record improves to 7-5. State road record drops to 2-5 (2-3 ACC).
A TALE OF TWO HALVES –The first and second halves of State’s 74-65 loss at Georgia Tech were as different as night and day. The Wolfpack shot almost 59 percent in the first half, led by as many as 15 popints and held a 43-35 margin at the intermission. The Yellow Jackets turned up the defense in the second half, substituted liberally and wore State down in the second half. The Wolfpack managed only one field goal in the final 14:16 of the game. Georgia Tech scored 23 points off 18 NC State turnovers, including 16 points off 11 second-half turnovers.
THE DIFFERENCE WAS DEFENSE –In beating No. 16 Virginia Tech and No. 3 UNC back-to-back, the Wolfpack’s improved defense was a huge factor. The two ranked opponents averaged only 69 points (138) and .418 shooting from the field (51-122), including .280 from the 3-point arc (7-25). In the six games prior to that stretch, opponents averaged 79.7 points (478) and shot .422 from the arc (57-135).
ATTA WAY ATSUR—Although he struggled against a physical Georgia Tech team on Tuesday, Engin Atsur has made a huge difference in the Wolfpack since his return from a hamstring injury. In the upset of No. 3 North Carolina, the native of Turkey recorded his first double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 assists in 38 minutes. It has been a long way back for the Pack’s only senior starter and its only point guard. Atsur was off to a great start when he a pulled hamstring muscle against Michigan on November 27th and missed the next 9 games. When he returned on Jan. 6 against Boston College, Atsur dished out a career-high 10 assists. Unfortunately, he injured the muscle again on Jan. 7th and missed three consecutive games before returning again. With Atsur in the lineup, State is 7-3 this season.
BETTER ON THE BOARDS –It’s no coincidence that rebounding had something to do with the Pack’s back-to-back wins over nationally ranked Virginia Tech and UNC. State dominated the Hokies 42-29 and outrebounded the Tar Heels 31-25. Even in the loss to Georgia Tech on Tuesday, State was only outrebounded 26-25. That’s a tremendous improvement from earlier this season when State was struggling to compete on the boards. The Pack has won or tied the rebounding battle with its opponents 10 times and has an 8-2 record. When outrebounded, State is 5-7.
VALUE THE ROCK, BABY –Turnoves have sometimes been an issue for NC State. The Pack has averaged 15.7 turnovers a game in ACC play. Opponents have scored 147 points off 142 State turnovers.
GRANT MARCHES ON –Junior Gavin Grant was forced into a difficult spot when Engin Atsur was injured. The slashing shooting guard was forced to play the point and it was a tough transition, especially against higher-level competition. With Atsur back, Grant has benefited. In the last 3 games, Grant has averaged 16.3 points (49), 6.0 rebounds (18) while shooting 15-of-28 from the field (.536). The junior leads the Pack in scoring in ACC games (16.3) and has shot 51 percent against league opponents.
UNSELFISH --NC State is averaging an assist on an impressive 59 percent of its field goals (340-572) this season. The Pack had 23 assists on 29 field goals in its loss to Alabama on 12/20/06.
A FINE FRESHMAN--Redshirt freshman Brandon Costner is the ACC’s top freshman scorer and rebounder. That’s quite an improvement from last season which was cut short by injury after playing in only five games. The former Parade and McDonalds High School All-American leads the Pack in scoring (16.3), rebounding (8.0) and 3-point field goals (36-104).Costner recorded his sixth double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds against No.3 North Carolina.
HOLDING THE LINE--State is once again a good free throw shooting team. The Pack is shooting .717 from the foul line (330-460). Last season, the Wolfpack shot .751 from the stripe.
BIG BEN --The most improved player on the NC State team is Ben McCauley. How far has he come? Last season, the sophomore center averaged 5.5 minutes in 13 ACC games. This season, he’s the team’s No.2 scorer (16.1), leads the Pack in shooting (.608) while running second in rebounding (6.5) and total assists (78). In his last 3 games, McCauley is averaging 17.7 points (53) while shooting 80 percent (24-of-30) from the field.
PAYING LESS FOR LONG DISTANCE --State no longer relies as much on three-point shooting as in past seasons, but that does not mean the Wolfpack can’t shoot 3-pointers. In its last 7 games, State is shooting 39 percent from 3-point range (48-123). Under Sidney Lowe, the Pack is an inside-out team. Only 32 percent of State’s shots come from the arc compared to 46 percent last season.
FELLS ON FIRE—Sophomore Courtney Fells has been playing his best recently. Against No.3 UNC, Fells scored a career high 21 points and shot 8-of-11 from the field, including 4-of-5 from the 3-point line.
In his last 6 games, Fells is averaging 14.8 points (89), 4.0 rebounds (24) while shooting 34-of-65 (.523) from the field. He’s also stepped up his defense lately and leads the team in steals (28) overall.
HORNER CAN HIT ‘EM –Dennis Horner can shoot and his numbers reflect that. In his last 6 games, Horner has made 11-of-15 field goal attempts, including 6-of-8 from 3-point range. The freshman forward recorded a career-high 14 points vs. Clemson on Jan. 9th. However, he’s been scoreless in his last 4 games.
