I got this off some site...
GAME NOTES: It is a season of firsts for Perry Clark and his Miami Hurricanes. After getting off to the best start in school history (14-0 ties the 1947 team), Miami must now deal with defeat, as the team tries to bounce back from its first loss of the season, against St. John's in Big East action on Tuesday. The 21st-ranked Hurricanes, like much of the top-25 this past weekend, suffered a loss, falling to Connecticut (76-75). Mike Jarvis' Red Storm have hit their stride of late. Winning six of the last seven games, St. John's is coming off a 72-53 rout of West Virginia. The victory evened the Red Storm's record in league play at 1-1. St. John's holds a three-game lead in the series with Miami, thanks to wins in each of the last three meetings. Both meetings last season needed overtime to decide the winner. St. John's won at Madison Square Garden on January 22 (67-63 in OT) and followed that with a win at Miami Arena on February 10 (85-79 in 2OT).
Miami had four of its five starters in double figures against UConn, but the effort was in vain, as the team dropped its first game of the season. Spoiled were solid efforts by sophomore forward Darius Rice and senior guard John Salmons, who netted 22 and 17 points, respectively. Junior forward James Jones added 16 points, while senior center Elton Tyler just missed a double-double with 11 points and eight rebounds, but that could not help the 'Canes overcome a shabby shooting performance (.424), as well as a huge disparity on the boards, as the team was outmuscled inside, 41-28. On the season, the aforementioned four have been joined by sophomore guard Marcus Barnes, to form a starting five that all average double figures. Rice and James lead the way with 13.6 ppg, but Salmons is right on their trail (13.4 ppg). Barnes (11.7 ppg) and Tyler (10.2 ppg) can also fill the basket from their respective positions.
Freshman forward Eric King (7.3 ppg, 4.6 rpg) recorded his first career double-double (18 points and 10 rebounds) and junior guard Marcus Hatten poured in 17 points, as St. John's got back in the win column with a strong showing against West Virginia. Despite shooting a mere .379 from the floor and a pitiful .167 from three-point range (2-of-12), the Red Storm posted the 19- point win, with impressive ball control (just eight turnovers) and increased defensive pressure (forced 18 turnovers). On the season, it has been the play of Hatten in the backcourt (17.8 ppg, 4.4 apg, 3.5 spg) and senior Anthony Glover in the frontcourt (12.3 ppg, team-high 6.3 rpg) which has led the team to its 10-3 start. The Red Storm have struggled to find their shot for much of the season, hitting on just 41.1 percent thus far from the floor. The woes certainly continue the farther from the basket, at 27.5 percent from three- point range. Defense is where this team excels, forcing over 20 turnovers per game (20.4) and 12.0 steals.
Miami's trio up front can really get aggressive in the paint, as the frontcourt collects almost 18 1/2 boards per outing. The Hurricanes are eager to prove that they will be in the hunt for a Big East title all season long and winning games like this are a must. The Red Storm get this one at Alumni Hall, but Miami has proven it can win anywhere.
GAME NOTES: It is a season of firsts for Perry Clark and his Miami Hurricanes. After getting off to the best start in school history (14-0 ties the 1947 team), Miami must now deal with defeat, as the team tries to bounce back from its first loss of the season, against St. John's in Big East action on Tuesday. The 21st-ranked Hurricanes, like much of the top-25 this past weekend, suffered a loss, falling to Connecticut (76-75). Mike Jarvis' Red Storm have hit their stride of late. Winning six of the last seven games, St. John's is coming off a 72-53 rout of West Virginia. The victory evened the Red Storm's record in league play at 1-1. St. John's holds a three-game lead in the series with Miami, thanks to wins in each of the last three meetings. Both meetings last season needed overtime to decide the winner. St. John's won at Madison Square Garden on January 22 (67-63 in OT) and followed that with a win at Miami Arena on February 10 (85-79 in 2OT).
Miami had four of its five starters in double figures against UConn, but the effort was in vain, as the team dropped its first game of the season. Spoiled were solid efforts by sophomore forward Darius Rice and senior guard John Salmons, who netted 22 and 17 points, respectively. Junior forward James Jones added 16 points, while senior center Elton Tyler just missed a double-double with 11 points and eight rebounds, but that could not help the 'Canes overcome a shabby shooting performance (.424), as well as a huge disparity on the boards, as the team was outmuscled inside, 41-28. On the season, the aforementioned four have been joined by sophomore guard Marcus Barnes, to form a starting five that all average double figures. Rice and James lead the way with 13.6 ppg, but Salmons is right on their trail (13.4 ppg). Barnes (11.7 ppg) and Tyler (10.2 ppg) can also fill the basket from their respective positions.
Freshman forward Eric King (7.3 ppg, 4.6 rpg) recorded his first career double-double (18 points and 10 rebounds) and junior guard Marcus Hatten poured in 17 points, as St. John's got back in the win column with a strong showing against West Virginia. Despite shooting a mere .379 from the floor and a pitiful .167 from three-point range (2-of-12), the Red Storm posted the 19- point win, with impressive ball control (just eight turnovers) and increased defensive pressure (forced 18 turnovers). On the season, it has been the play of Hatten in the backcourt (17.8 ppg, 4.4 apg, 3.5 spg) and senior Anthony Glover in the frontcourt (12.3 ppg, team-high 6.3 rpg) which has led the team to its 10-3 start. The Red Storm have struggled to find their shot for much of the season, hitting on just 41.1 percent thus far from the floor. The woes certainly continue the farther from the basket, at 27.5 percent from three- point range. Defense is where this team excels, forcing over 20 turnovers per game (20.4) and 12.0 steals.
Miami's trio up front can really get aggressive in the paint, as the frontcourt collects almost 18 1/2 boards per outing. The Hurricanes are eager to prove that they will be in the hunt for a Big East title all season long and winning games like this are a must. The Red Storm get this one at Alumni Hall, but Miami has proven it can win anywhere.
