OUTLOOK
First round: Defeated Arkansas, 75-71
Second round: Defeated Ohio State, 75-62
Sweet 16: Lost to Tulsa, 80-71
Miami is kind of my favorite only because I love to see teams overcome steep challenges. More than any of the upper-echelon teams in the Big East, Miami has had to overcome the loss of Tim James and off-and-on problems with its best player, Johnny Hemsley.
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The Hurricanes don't have any glaring superstar on the team, not even Hemsley. But they are the best team in terms of team defense in the conference, and one of the best in the country. The Hurricanes just stick it to teams and dare them to score.
Offensively, Miami needs secondary scoring if Hemsley happens to be shooting poorly. In those situations, either Mario Bland or Elton Tyler need to step up and providing additional scoring punch. Vernon Jennings is probably one of the most undderrated point guards in the Big East. He doesn't score and his game isn't gaudy, but he contributes around seven assists a night to go with several steals. He triggers their defense.
The weakness is that the Hurricanes have problems scoring at times. As a team, they shoot 38 percent, which puts a lot of pressure on the defense. While defense and rebounding should be a constant, the Hurricanes can't always expect to shut teams down. Deep in the tournament, teams can score, and a team like Miami must be able to answer.
Miami appears to be at least a Sweet 16 team. The Hurricanes are an overachieving squad that must be able to score. That means Hemsley must be superior every night, and get some help. -- Len Elmore, ESPN
ROSTER
| PROBABLE STARTERS |
F -- Elton Tyler (6-9, Jr., 10.1 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.0 apg)
F -- John Salmons (6-7, So., 9.1, 5.4, 1.9)
C -- Mario Bland (6-6, Sr., 12.7, 6.8, 1.1)
G -- Vernon Jennings (6-4, Sr., 7.9, 4.1, 6.8)
G -- Johnny Hemsley (6-5, Sr., 18.0, 3.6, 1.8)
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| TOP RESERVES |
F -- Leroy Hurd (6-7, Fr., 4.4, 2.1, 0.4)
F -- James Jones (6-8, Fr., 3.9, 1.9, 0.3)
F -- Dwayne Wimbley (6-9, Jr., 2.9, 3.9, 0.4)
G -- Jaoa Puelo Cuehlo (6-2, So., 2.1, 1.0, 1.3)
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NOTABLE
Seed, Region and Bid: 6, South, at-large
Total NCAA Tournament Bids: 3
NCAA Tournament Record: 1-3 (.250)
Final Four Appearances: 0
NCAA Tournament Championships: 0
Best NCAA Tournament Finish: Second round (1999)
Final ESPN/USA Today ranking: 25
Final Asscoiated Press ranking: 23
Final Ratings Percentage Index: 37
Final Sagarin Computer Ranking: 49
RECORD VS. RANKED TEAMS (3-4)
Dec. 18 -- Lost to No. 9 North Carolina, 78-68
Jan. 8 -- Lost to No. 8 Syracuse, 67-55
Jan. 11 -- Beat Seton Hall, 71-64
Jan. 29 -- Lost to No. 18 Kentucky, 60-57
Feb. 19 -- Beat No. 18 Connecticut, 63-57
Mar. 5 -- Beat No. 21 St. John's, 74-70
Mar. 10 -- Lost to No. 20 St. John's, 58-57
(Opponents ranking reflects ranking on game day)
TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Overall Record: 1-3 (.250)
1999--Second seed in East Region
Defeated Lafayette in first round, 75-54
Lost to Purdue in second round, 73-63
1998--Eleventh seed in South Region
Lost to UCLA in first round, 65-62
1960--Mideast Region
Lost to Western Kentucky in first round, 107-84
Record by Region:
In East: 1-1 (.500)
In South/Southeast: 0-1 (.000)
In Midwest: 0-0 (.000)
In West: 0-0 (.000)
In Mideast: 0-1 (.000)
Record by Seed:
As a 2nd seed: 1-1 (.500)
As an 11th seed: 0-1 (.000)
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