Canes Basketball Set To Host Rival Notre Dame
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CORAL GABLES (CBSMiami/SportsDirect) – The Miami Hurricanes are looking for a bounce back performance against one of the school's biggest rivals.
Coming off arguably its poorest performance of the season, No. 15 Miami (Fla.) looks to regain its winning form as it hosts Notre Dame on Wednesday night.
The Hurricanes were dominated 85-69 by North Carolina State, which had won only one conference game, while the Irish are coming off an impressive 85-62 rout of Wake Forest.
Miami had held 11 of its previous 12 opponents under 70 points, but the Wolfpack shot 50.9 percent and dominated foul-plagued Miami 41-23 on the boards.
"Our foul trouble was a clear indication that we weren't sharp today," Miami coach Jim Larranaga told reporters after the game. "We don't foul, we are one of the best in the country in staying out of foul trouble."
The return of junior guard Demetrius Jackson (14 points, eight assists, seven rebounds, six steals) and a surprise start for senior forward Austin Burgett (14 points), who had played 41 minutes all season, sparked the Irish against the Demon Deacons.
"I was thrilled to get Burgett in the starting lineup," Irish coach Mike Brey said after the win. "I'm thinking to myself, we got Demetrius back. I want my four captains on the floor to start the game. I want veteran guys, and I thought it really lifted Zach (Auguste), Demetrius and Steve (Vasturia) to have Burg out there."
TV: 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2
ABOUT NOTRE DAME (15-6, 6-3 ACC): Jackson, who missed Thursday's 81-66 loss at Syracuse with a hamstring injury, leads Notre Dame in scoring (16.5 points) and is second in the conference in assists (5.2) but has been even better lately, averaging 19.3 points and 6.4 assists in his last seven full games.
Auguste, a 6-10 senior, has 12 double-doubles and is averaging 14 points and 10.1 rebounds (third in the ACC).
The Irish have five double-digit scorers with junior guard Vasturia (12.8), sophomore forward Bonzie Colson (12) and junior forward V.J. Beacham (11.7) all capable of big offensive games.
ABOUT MIAMI (16-4, 5-3): Senior guard Sheldon McClellan, Miami's top scorer (16.4 on 51.7 percent shooting), had 18 points against the Wolfpack but was 5-of-14 from the field as Miami hit just 39.7 percent of its shots.
Second-leading scorer Ja'Quan Newton (11.9) is also coming off a poor shooting night (4-of-13) while 7-0 center Tonye Jekiri (8.1 points, 9.8 rebounds) had only five rebounds in the loss and will need to do better against the Notre Dame frontcourt.
Starting senior point guard Angel Rodriguez (11.7 points) has played well in the past two games, averaging 14 points with 17 total assists versus three turnovers.
TIP-INS
- Miami has made more free throws (359) than its opponents have attempted (353).
- Burgett's start against Wake Forest was his first since March 3, 2014.
- Newton is averaging 14.4 points on 55.8 percent shooting in Miami's ACC wins but only eight points on 30.8 percent shooting in its defeats.
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