Gary Hahn's Scouting Report: Miami

No. 21 MIAMI (14-2, 1-1) at NC STATE (11-5, 0-2)

DATE: Saturday, January 19, 2008 @ RBC Center, Raleigh, NC (19,722)

TIME: Tip-off: 8:00 p.m. EST

RADIO: Wolfpack Sports Network. 

AIRTIME: 7:30 p.m. EST

TELEVISION:  Raycom/ Lincoln Financial Sports (ACC Network)

OPPONENTMiami went to Boston College on Tuesday night hoping to tie the best start in school history. It didn’t take long for that goal to disappear.

The Eagles opened the game with a 20-4 run and blew the Hurricanes out of the Conte Forum. Miami shot 26.5 percent (9-34) in the first half, including 3-of-13 from 3-point range and trailed 36-22 at the break.

The Canes regrouped in the second half, but the deficit was too big to overcome. The result was a 76-66 loss Miami’s 13^th in-a-row in the series. BC (12-4, 3-0) recorded its first win over a ranked opponent since last February.

Miami’s first two offensive possessions set the tone for the game. The Hurricanes tried to get the ball inside, but Tyrelle Blair altered both shots. The Eagles 6-11 center was a force inside all night. He blocked 5 shots and changed several others, forcing Miami to settle for perimeter shots and the Hurricanes couldn’t hit them.

Jack McClinton led Miami with 20 points but was only 6-for-26 from the field. James Dews added 15 points for the Hurricanes who shot 31 percent (24-76) and were 8-of-26 from 3-point range.

In addition to his blocks, Blair added 11 points and 12 rebounds for the Eagles while freshman wingman Rakim Sanders led four BC players in double figures with 20 points. Boston College shot 47 percent from the field (26-55) and blocked 9 shots.

Miami has made a dramatic turnaround from last season when its injury-plagued squad finished 12-20. The Canes are one of just two ranked teams that finished 2006-07 with a losing record and one of only five that failed to advance to postseason last year.

Possibly the biggest improvement in addition to the health of the team is the Hurricanes defense. Miami is among the ACC leaders in scoring defense (61.8) and opponents are shooting only .383 from the field. Last season Miami surrendered 73 points a game (78 vs. ACC teams).

Miami is among the ACC’s top-five teams in scoring (76.8) and has more balance than a year ago. However, much of the offensive punch still comes from the perimeter. McClinton is the league’s top 3-point shooter at nearly 47 percent, but he’s only 4-14 from beyond the arc in ACC games.

Overall, the Hurricanes shoot a blistering .401 from three-point range. In addition to McClinton, James Dews and Brian Asbury, also shoot 40 percent or better from the bonusphere.

When the bombs aren’t on target, the going is tougher for the Canes. Overall, Miami is near the bottom of the league in field goal percentage (.441). McClinton shoots 40 percent inside the 3-point arc and Dews 41 percent.  McClinton normally will get his points. It’s just a matter of how many shots he takes.

Freshman Eddie Rios and junior college transfer Lance Hurdle have not stepped up enough at point guard to crack the starting lineup, so McClinton has added those duties to his scoring load. Of the two reserve point guards, Hurdle has seen the most action (19 mpg.), but he’s struggled shooting the ball.

Dews is Miami’s most improved player. The 6-3 sophomore has upped his scoring average 9 points from last season (3.1). He leads the team in 3-point field goals and attempts (40-92) and he’s scored 20 points in back-to-back games. Over his last seven appearances, Dews is averaging 14 points.

Inside, Asbury can be a tough match-up. At 6-7, he can play inside, but he’s also a 3-point threat. Dwayne Collins is an excellent offensive rebounder who can score inside while Anthony King is one of the ACC’s better rebounders and shot blockers.

King played in 8 games before a wrist injury ended his  2006-07 season, but a change in the NCAA hardship rules allowed the 6-9, 250 pound native of Durham, NC., to return for a fifth year of eligibility.

Miami takes care of the ball pretty well (13.5 turnovers a game) and is good at the foul line (.717). Sometimes the Canes best offense is a missed shot because they crash the offensive boards so well. UM gets back an impressive 41 percent of its missed shots.

Depth is not a problem for Miami this season. Redshirt sophomore Adrian Thomas is the Canes only injury statistic. The 6-7 forward suffered a knee injury in the fourth game and will miss the rest of the season. Miami uses a nine player rotation and is very deep up front.

The Wolfpack was beaten by the injury depleted Canes last season in Coral Gables 80-65, but swept Miami during the 2005-06 campaign, winning 81-69 at home and 86-77 at the BankUnited Center. 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

23    James Dews        G     6'3   Fr.   12.1  2.5   1.7

33    Jack McClinton    G     6’1   So.   15.7  2.5   3.0

32    Brian Asbury      F     6’7   So.   9.9   5.0   2.4

21    Dwayne Collins    F     6'8   Fr.   9.3   6.4   1.2*

50    Anthony King      C     6’9   RSr.  8.3   7.8   1.5* 

TOP RESERVES:

01    Lance Hurdle      G     6'2   Jr.   6.7   1.8   2.3  

05    Eddie Rios        G     6'0   Fr.   3.9   1.9   2.6

42    Raymond Hicks     F     6’7   SR.   5.4   3.9   --

00    Jimmy Graham      F     6’8   Jr.   5.6   4.4   1.1* 

* Blocked shots per game

 A WIN--Would break a two-game losing streak and put NC State in the ACC win column for the first time this season. The Wolfpack would improve to 12-5` overall and 1-2 in the ACC, sending the Hurricanes to their second straight loss. Miami would drop to 14-3 and 1-2 in the ACC. State would beat the Hurricanes for the third time in the last four games of the series and for the second straight time at the RBC Center. The Pack would move to 8-1 at home. Due to ACC expansion this is the only regular season game between the two teams.

A LOSS--Would be the third in-a-row for the Wolfpack, its longest losing streak of the season, dropping State to 0-3 in the ACC for the second straight year. Overall, the Wolfpack would stand at 11-6. Miami would rebound from its loss at Boston College on Tuesday and improve to 15-2 overall and 2-1 in the ACC, beating State for the second straight time in the series and for the first time ever in Raleigh under coach Frank Haith. The Canes would win their third road game of the season against only one loss. State would drop to 7-2 at home.

FELLS ON FIRE There have not been many bright spots for the Pack in the last two games, but Courtney Fells has been a standout. Despite a sore ankle, Fells played 34 minutes at No. 1 UNC and led State with 16 points. Fell’s 19 points at No. 24 Clemson Tuesday was also a team high. In the last 2 games, the junior guard has averaged 18.0 points, 3.0 rebounds while shooting 14-26 from the field (.539) and 7-15 from the 3-point arc (.467).

THE POINT OF THE MATTER Due to a season-ending knee injury to Farnold Degand on December 23rd, the Wolfpack has been forced to rotate two inexperienced point guards. Freshman Javier Gonzalez and sophomore transfer Marques Johnson are learning the hard wayon the job. The two point guards combined for 6 of the Pack’s season-high 23 turnovers at Clemson. The other point guard options for State are Gavin Grant and Courtney Fells. However, moving them from their natural positions has not proved to be a successful option.

 

SHUT THE BOMB BAY DOOR In its first two ACC games, opponents have bombed the Pack from 3-point range. UNC and Clemson combined to shoot .444 from the arc (16-36). Miami features the two best three-point shooters in the ACC in Jack McClinton (.468) and James Dews (.435). For the season, State is allowing opponents only 34 percent shooting from the bonusphere.

WHERE’S HE BEEN? Freshman Tracy Smith made the most of his playing time at Clemson Tuesday night. He notched new career highs in minutes (20), points (13) and rebounds (6). Smith has played in four straight games, his longest stretch of the season. As a high school senior at Mount Zion Academy in Durham, NC., Smith was ranked as the No.1 player in the state.

HOW ABOUT SOME STARTER FLUID? In the first half of its last four games, State has averaged only 20.3 points (81) while shooting 29 percent from the field (33-115) and 9 percent from the 3-point arc (3-32). The Pack trailed at halftime in 3 of the 4 games and lost two of them.

 

THAT’S IMPRESSIVE In the last 9 games, State has 7 wins. During that stretch, the Pack has held its opponents to 62.3 points (561) and .328 shooting from the field (218-664). The Pack has won the rebounding battle in 7 of those games and outscored the competition 156-64 at the foul line.

THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE Free throw shooting has been a big weapon for the Wolfpack. State has made more free throws this season than its opponents have attempted (275-to-198). Overall, State is shooting .703 percent from the stripe, but only 13-22 (.590) in its last two games.

 

CAN I HAVE LONG-DISTANCE PLEASE? After shooting a respectable 36 percent from 3-point range last season, State’s numbers have fallen off in the 2007-08 campaign. The Pack is connecting on just 30 percent of its shots from the bonusphere (73-240) and no active Wolfpack player is shooting 34 percent or better.

THERE’S ROOM INSIDE THE ARC Take away State’s three-point shooting this season and the numbers are very impressive. The Wolfpack has connected on 52 percent of its 2-point shots (282-542).

TOP MARKSMAN Freshman center J.J. Hickson leads the ACC in field goal percentage (.649), but is only 6-of-20 in his last two games (.300). The rookie leads the Pack in scoring (15.6), rebounding (7.7) and blocks (1.6).

VETERAN WOES Two of the Pack’s best players are Gavin Grant and Brandon Costner, but both have struggled lately. Over the last 4 games, Grant has averaged nearly 5 assists (19), but only 9.8 points (39) while shooting .361 from the field (13-36). During the same stretch, Costner has averaged 6.8 points (27) and 3.8 rebounds (15). He has also struggled shooting the ball, hitting only 32 percent (8-25) from the floor and 4-of-13 from 3-point range.

 

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North Carolina State University Athletics

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