Scarlet Knights Host the Hurricanes on Sunday
Nov 17 | Men's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - After playing the favorites to win the Ivy League (Princeton) and MAAC (Fairfield), Rutgers hosts ACC foe Miami (Fla.) in a 2:00 p.m. tip-off Sunday afternoon at the Louis Brown Athletic Center. It will also mark "Kid's Day" at the RAC. Children 12 and under receive free admission with purchase of at least one adult ticket. A "Kids' Zone" will be open two hours prior to the game with free amusements, games, temporary tattoos and more.
The game will be televised live in the New York market on SNY and in the Philadelphia market on The Comcast Network with Eamon McAnaney calling the action and Rob Kennedy providing the analysis. On the radio, the contest will be broadcast live on the Rutgers Radio Network, WOR 710 AM in New York and WCTC 1450 AM in New Brunswick. Chris Carlin will serve as play-by-play announcer and Dick Lloyd will provide commentary. WRSU 88.7 FM will also broadcast the game.
Sunday's contest signals the thirteenth meeting between the Scarlet Knights and Hurricanes on the collegiate hardwood dating back to 1989. Rutgers has won two of the last three match-ups, both at home, including a 72-70 overtime victory at the RAC on Feb. 4, 2004. Ricky Shields scored 19 points and made the deciding free throws with 15 seconds remaining in the extra stanza to secure the come-from-behind win. Freshman Quincy Douby forced the overtime with a left wing jumper in regulation with 9.5 seconds on the clock. Miami, a former member of the BIG EAST Conference, holds an 8-4 all-time advantage in the series, but the Scarlet Knights are 4-3 at home against UM.
Rutgers (1-1) is coming off a convincing 68-53 home victory over Fairfield on Monday evening that provided first-year head coach Mike Rice his initial victory at the helm. The Mount Vernon senior duo of Jonathan Mitchell (Mount Vernon, N.Y.) and Mike Coburn (Mount Vernon, N.Y.) scored 15 and 14 points, respectively, as the Scarlet Knights led by double digits for the final 19:48 of the contest. Mitchell was six-of-eight, including three-of-four from behind the arc, in 27 minutes of action with five rebounds. Coburn supplemented Mitchell by making five-of-seven field goals while also dishing-out five assists. Sophomore guard Dane Miller (Rochester, N.Y.) scored 12 points to complete the Empire State, double-figure trifecta. Miller also tied a career-high with a game-high five blocks, as RU registered 10 rejections on the evening. Senior James Beatty (Wilmington, N.C.) continued to provide stellar play at the point position. He had six assists and committed just one turnover, while playing a team-high 33 minutes.
Beatty has 10 assists on the season with just one turnover. He is one of five Scarlet Knights with a double-figure scoring average.
Miami, under the leadership of seventh-year head coach Frank Haith, will enter Sunday's contest after hosting North Carolina Central at home on Friday (Nov. 19) evening. The Hurricanes meet the Eagles with a 1-1 record after falling at No. 19 Memphis, 72-68, on Monday. Durand Scott, Malcolm Grant and Reggie Johnson combined for 50 of UM's points in the game at Fed-Ex Forum that kicked-off ESPN's third annual College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon. The Hurricanes received votes in the Associated Press preseason poll. GAME NOTES
