Miami Tries to Snap Five-Game Road Losing Skid Wednesday at Eastern Michigan
1/30/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
GAME DATA:
Arena (Seating Capacity): Convocation Center (8,824)
Tipoff: 7 p.m. EST
Site: Ypsilanti, Mich.
Television: None
Cybercast: None
Series Record: 35-19, Miami Leads
PROBABLE STARTERS
No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr. Hometown PPG RPG MIN 1 Matt Jameson G 6-1 194 So. Newport Beach, CA 2.4 1.3 19.9 3 Jason Grunkemeyer G 6-5 193 Sr. Mason, OH 11.7 3.4 34.3 53 Mike Ensminger C 6-7 253 Sr. Cincinnati, OH 5.6 5.6 28.6 5 Juby Johnson F 6-5 202 Fr. Warr. Hts., OH 6.5 2.9 23.9 45 Alex Shorts F 6-8 239 Jr. New Orleans, LA 14.4 4.5 25.1 Off the Bench 2 Larry Drake F 6-5 187 So. Groveport, OH 3.1 1.3 10.1 10 Doug Williams G/F 6-4 221 So. Piketon, OH 0.0 0.4 1.9 20 Ben Helmers G 6-1 189 Jr. Hamilton, OH 1.3 0.4 3.3 21 Eugene Seals F 6-6 196 Fr. Saginaw, MI 3.8 2.4 14.1 30 Doug Davis (inj.) G 6-3 188 Jr. Columbus, OH 10.0 1.7 30.3 31 Bryan Reed F 6-6 213 So. Terre Haute, IN 1.6 1.9 7.3 33 Brian Edwards F 6-7 251 Jr. Detroit, MI 1.0 0.8 4.7 52 Rich Allendorf C 6-10 267 Sr. Cincinnati, OH 4.2 4.0 16.6
THE GAME
At the midway point of its Mid-American Conference season, Miami University starts the second half of league play with an away game at Eastern Michigan University this Wednesday, Jan. 31.
Game time is 7 p.m. at EMU's three-year-old Convocation Center. Miami will play six of its final nine MAC games on the road. The RedHawks, who have yet to win a MAC away game, carry a five-game road losing skid overall into Wednesday's contest with the Eagles.
Miami capped off its longest homestand of the year -- four consecutive games -- with a 57-56 come-from-behind victory over MAC rival Ball State. The RedHawks' Alex Shorts (New Orleans, La./San Jacinto College) drained a 15-foot jumper with four seconds left to give Miami the win. That gave the Red and White three victories on their homestand and kept them in fifth place in the MAC East at 5-4.
Shorts continues to lead the RedHawks in overall scoring (14.4 ppg) and MAC scoring (16.1 ppg). Senior shooting guard Jason Grunkemeyer (Mason, Ohio/Moeller) is second with averages of 11.7 overall and 13.6 in MAC play.
Under the direction of first-year coach Jim Boone, Eastern Michigan is 2-15 this season. The Eagles are still looking to give Boone his first MAC victory. EMU is coming off a 63-56 road loss at Akron on Saturday. Boone's season got tougher when he lost freshman point guard and leading scorer Ricky Cottrill to grades at the semester break. Cottrill was averaging 12.3 ppg and 18.5 ppg in league play. Sophomore guard Melvin Hicks is the Eagles' current leading scorer with a 11.1 average, while C.J. Grantham and Ryan Prillman average 9.2 ppg apiece. Senior forward Tyson Radney averages 10.1 rebounds per game, which ranks second in the MAC.
RADIO (MIAMI SPORTS NETWORK)
All Miami games can be heard on the Miami Sports Network, which is anchored by flagship station WMOH-AM 1450 in Hamilton. Jim Freeman (play-by-play) and Joe Barry (color analyst) call the action for the RedHawks. Miami's basketball games can be heard through www.broadcast.com (via internet) and TEAMLINE (via telephone, 1-800-846-4700, access code 5768). Each broadcast begins one-half hour prior to tipoff. The primary MSN affiliates include WMOH-AM (1450), WCKY-AM (1360), WFMG-FM (101.3) and WDAO-AM (1210, day games only).
MIAMI ON THE ROAD
Miami owns a 1-6 road record and a 1-2 neutral court mark this year. The RedHawks, who have lost five straight on the road, are 0-3 in MAC road games, losing at Toledo, Ohio and Marshall. Miami won just its third non-conference road game since 1998-99 when it beat Notre Dame Dec. 9. Two of Miami's three non-conference road wins in the last two-plus years have come against the Irish. The RedHawks' other 2000-01 away victory was the 64-57 neutral court win over Old Dominion at the Puerto Rico Shootout. In 1999-00, the RedHawks posted a 6-9 record on the road and a 2-1 record on neutral courts. Five of the nine losses came by five points or less or in overtime. Under fifth-year head coach Charlie Coles, Miami owns a 25-36 road mark and a 13-8 record on neutral courts.
THE SERIES
This is the 55th meeting between the RedHawks and Eagles, and Miami leads the overall series 35-19. The RedHawks have won four in a row in this series, which includes two victories last year. Miami won 73-64 in a regular-season meeting in Oxford and then the RedHawks played the Eagles in a first-round MAC Tournament game in Ypsilanti. Miami won that contest 64-51, which started the RedHawks' march to their fourth straight MAC Tourney title game appearance. Miami is 2-0 at EMU's new Convocation Center and 14-11 overall in games played in Ypsilanti. In last year's two contests, the RedHawks outrebounded the Eagles in both contests and held a decisive advantage in free throws attempted (37-15 in Oxford and 22-10 in Ypsilanti.)
MIAMI COACH CHARLIE COLES
Head coach Charlie Coles is in his fifth season as Miami's head mentor and his 11th overall as a collegiate head coach.He owns a 178-139 (.562) overall record and an 86-55 (.610) mark at Miami. Coles, the MAC's sixth-winningest coach, directed his first Miami squad to a 21-9 record, a MAC regular-season co-championship, the MAC Tournament title and the NCAA Tournament. He became just the second coach in school history to lead his team to the MAC title, 20 or more wins and the NCAA Tournament in his first season. Coles won his 100th all-time MAC game last Saturday with the Jan. 20 win over Buffalo. Coles is now 102-77 all-time versus MAC teams. Following a 17-12 season in 1997-98, Coles guided the RedHawks to one of their best seasons in school history: a 24-8 record, their 20th MAC regular-season crown and a Sweet Sixteen appearance in the NCAA Tourney. Miami finished last year's campaign at 15-15, but despite a No. 9 league seed, Coles directed the RedHawks to a fourth-straight MAC Tournament title game appearance. He is the first coach in MAC history to lead four consecutive teams to the championship round. Before being named Miami's head coach, he served as an assistant to Herb Sendek for two seasons. From 1985-91, Coles was the head coach at Central Michigan, where he compiled a 92-84 record.
Coles is tied for fourth on Miami's all-time win list with his 86 victories. He is currently tied with Jerry Peirson (1984-90, 86-88).
BALL STATE GAME RECAP
(Jan. 27, 2001, Millett Hall, Oxford, Ohio) -- After suffering four close losses earlier this year, the RedHawks pulled out this back-and-forth affair when Alex Shorts hit a 15-foot jumper with four seconds left for a 57-56 victory over Ball State. This was a rematch of last year's MAC Tournament Conference title game, which Ball State won 61-58. The last four games in this series have been decided by three points or less, with two of the four being decided in overtime. Following Shorts' game-winning jumper, the Cardinals raced down the court and point guard Billy Lynch, who averages just 2.2 ppg, threw up a desperation 23-footer that fell way short. Shorts, who came off the bench after starting 15 straight games for the RedHawks, finished with a game-high 19 points. He hit 9-of-14 field goals. With the RedHawks trailing 54-53 with under a minute to play, Shorts nailed a short jumper with 37 seconds to go to give Miami a short-lived 55-54 lead. He sank the RedHawks' final five field goals of the game. BSU freshman guard Rawle Marshall drained a 15-foot shot with 22 seconds remaining to put the Cardinals back in front, 56-55. That set the stage for Shorts' heroics. Miami's Jason Grunkemeyer added 18 points, 5 assists and 2 steals. He scored 13 of the RedHawks' 25 first-half points. Ball State led 28-25 at the break. Ball State, which led by as many as seven in the second half (49-42), lost its ninth straight game at Millett Hall. BSU's last win in Oxford came Feb. 12, 1992. The RedHawks now lead the overall series 45-31.
SIGN ON THE DOTTED LINE
In November, the RedHawks signed two frontcourt players for the 2001-02 season. Miami has received national letters-of-intent from 6-foot-11, 300-pound center Nate Vandersluis of Oak Harbor High in Oak Harbor, Ohio, and 6-foot-5, 220-pound forward Danny Horace of Western Hills High in Cincinnati. Vandersluis averaged 16 points, 7 rebounds and 3.6 blocks per game as a junior at Oak Harbor. The Rockets went 14-7 last year before losing in the first round of the playoffs. Several scouting services have Vandersluis ranked among the top centers in the Midwest. Horace, named to Street and Smith's all-metro Cincinnati preseason team, averaged 16 points and 10 rebounds per game last year for Western Hills. He is also considered one of Ohio's top players heading into the 2000-01 season. Prep Spotlight has Horace ranked as the No. 11 prospect in the state and the No. 3 power forward.
TV TIME
A minimum of 10 Miami games will be televised this season on either local, regional or national TV. Additionally, should the RedHawks have success in the Mid-American Conference Tournament, the number of TV games could grow to as many as 13, giving Miami its largest number of telecasts in school history. For the second straight year, the RedHawks feature a local TV package with Cincinnati's CBS affiliate, WKRC-TV. Home games versus Dayton and Bowling Green, as well as a road contest at Notre Dame, are being televised live by WKRC. In addition to several other regional appearances on either FOX or ESPN Plus, Miami will make its first regular-season national TV appearance since Jan. 10, 1997 (at Cincinnati) when it plays at Ball State on Feb. 11. That game will be televised by ESPN2.
HERE'S WHAT THE COMPUTERS SAY
In the latest RPI and Sagarin ratings, Miami is ranked 115th (collegerpi.com) and 114th, respectively. The RedHawk schedule, thus far, is rated 59th most difficult in the RPI ranking and 56th most difficult in the Sagarin ranking. Following the conclusion of non-conference play, the RedHawks' schedule strength index was rated as the country's ninth most difficult.
A MAC EXTREME
Miami opened the conference portion of its season by playing five teams that presently have a combined 29-12 league record (that includes counting Marshall twice). The RedHawks' current five-game stretch (Jan. 20 through Jan. 31) comes against clubs that sport an aggregate 13-29 MAC mark.
THE GOOD ... AND THE BAD
In the latest cnnsi.com Division I basketball statistics, Miami continues to fare extremely well in some categories, but not so well in others. In recent weeks, the RedHawks have improved in some offensive areas. First for the good: Miami ranks fourth nationally (out of 318 teams) in scoring defense, sixth in fewest turnovers and 15th in free throw percentage. Now for the not-so-good: Miami ranks 303rd in assists per game, 307th in scoring offense, 313th in blocks per game, 305th in free throws attempted, 305th in steals per game, 203rd in field goal percentage and 289th in 3-point field goal percentage. Miami's shooting percentage reached a season-best .435 after its Jan. 22 game vs. Western Michigan.
MORE DEFENSIVE FIGURES
Through 20 games, Miami is allowing 58.3 ppg, making it one of the top defensive scoring clubs in school history. The school record is 57.3, set in 1992-93. This year's mark (58.3) is tied for the second lowest on the school's modern-era defensive list. Only three teams have eclipsed the 65-point mark on the RedHawks this season: Xavier (68), Toledo (76) and Marshall (72). On Dec. 2, Miami held UW-Green Bay to 42 points -- the fewest points allowed in a single game in 113 contests. Miami defeated Eastern Kentucky 91-40 on Dec. 10, 1996 for its previous single-game defensive best. The RedHawks equaled that feat on Jan. 20, holding Buffalo to 42 points. Those were the fewest points a MAC team has scored on Miami since an 82-36 win at Akron on Feb. 11, 1995. After nine MAC games, Miami is giving up 58.8 ppg in league action and holding its opponents to 41.3 percent shooting, which ranks third in the MAC (MAC games only).
OFFENSE SHOWING SIGNS OF LIFE
While the RedHawks' stingy defensive figures are well documented, it is no secret that Miami has struggled at times this season with its offense. Despite the RedHawks' 46 and 57 points in their last two outings, they have been playing much better of late at the offensive end of the floor. Through the first seven MAC games, the RedHawks were averaging 69.3 ppg and shooting 46.0 percent from the field. After the Akron and Ball State games, Miami is now averaging 65.3 ppg and shooting 44.4 percent. Miami shot a season-best .574 against Western Michigan on Jan. 22.
MIAMI BY THE NUMBERS
2000-01 ... Streaks ... Charlie Coles (Miami only) ... Overall: 9-11 Won 1 86-55 MAC: 5-4 Won 1 50-31 Home: 7-3 Won 1 48-11 Road: 1-6 Lost 5 25-36 Neutral: 1-2 Lost 1 13-8
THE BIG PICTURE
Miami is presently sitting seventh in the MAC's overall standings. The overall standing is important as that determines the seedings for this year's MAC Tournament. Like last year, all 13 teams make the tournament, with the top three seeds receiving first-round byes. The other 10 clubs will play a first-round game on the home floor of seeds four through eight. Seeds nine through 13 must travel and play on the road Monday, March 5. The five winners join the top three seeds in Cleveland, with the quarterfinal round starting Thursday, March 8. If the tournament were held today, Miami (#7) would host Northern Illinois (#10) in the first round. Last year, Miami began the tourney as the No. 9 seed and upset three straight foes to reach the championship game.
DAVIS INJURY, PART II
Junior guard Doug Davis, who missed two games (Notre Dame and Wright State) in December with a strained tendon in his left foot, will miss a minimum of two weeks (through Feb. 3) after suffering a dislocated first (big) toe on his right foot against Buffalo on Jan. 20. Davis underwent a surgical procedure to repair the injured toe (a dislocation of the distal phalanx, the bone at the tip of the toe) and had his stitches removed over the weekend. Davis is the RedHawks' third-leading scorer (10.0 ppg) and leads the team in free throw percentage (.850) and ranks second in minutes played (30.3). In his first six MAC games, Davis was averaging 11.8 ppg, shooting 45.1 percent from the field (40.7 3FG%) and leading the team in steals (1.5 per game).
BRAINS 'N BRAWN
Earlier this fall, Miami's Mike Ensminger (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills) received one of the ultimate scholar-athlete honors of the 2000-01 season. Ensminger, who carries a 3.83 cumulative GPA in political science (pre-law), was tabbed Playboy's Anson Mount Scholar Athlete of the Year. Playboy is donating $5,000 to Miami University's general scholarship fund in Ensminger's name. A candidate for Verizon Academic All-America honors, Ensminger is the third straight Mid-American Conference athlete to earn a Playboy scholar-athlete award. Last year, Marshall's Chad Pennington was the 1999 Anson Mount football recipient, while Northern Illinois' T.J. Lux was the 1999-00 basketball honoree. Ensminger leads Miami in rebounding (5.6 per game) and ranks second in assists (1.9 per game). Two of his best career performances came in the wins over Temple (8 rebounds, 7 assists) and Notre Dame (16 points, 10 rebounds). Ensminger, slowed by a chronic back problem recently, has had three strong outings in his last five games: 14 points (7-of-9 FG) and 4 rebounds at Marshall (Jan. 17); 13 points (5-of-6 FG, 3-of-3 FT), 6 rebounds and 5 assists vs. Western Michigan (Jan. 22) and 11 points (5-of-6 FG) and 7 rebounds vs. Akron (Jan. 24).
POINTIN' TO GRUNK
With Doug Davis presently injured and out of the RedHawk lineup, Jason Grunkemeyer is getting an opportunity to help out at point guard. Since Davis went down, Grunkemeyer has totaled 10 assists, 9 turnovers and 4 steals. He is coming off his best game since he gained the new responsibilities: 18 points (5-of-10 FG, 3-of-6 3FG, 5-of-5 FT), 5 assists, 2 steals and 1 block in Saturday's win over Ball State. Grunkemeyer's shooting continues to improve. Prior to the start of MAC play on Jan. 3, his season three-point shooting percentage had dropped to 28.6 percent -- the lowest season figure of his collegiate career. He has started league play on a more characteristic note, sinking 17 of his 44 three-point attempts (.386). Besides leading the team in triples made (33), Grunkemeyer tops the team in assists (3.0 per game) and steals (1.1 pg), and is averaging a career-best 3.4 rebounds per game. In the opening round of the Puerto Rico Shootout versus Memphis, Grunkemeyer played 39 minutes and scored a season-high 24 points, two shy of his career-best performance (26 at Buffalo, Feb. 26, 2000). He then scored 20 points in the RedHawks' home-opening win vs. Temple. He ranks second in team scoring (11.7 overall, 13.6 in MAC games).
THE LONG AND SHORT(S) OF IT
Miami's low-post attack is led by junior college transfer Alex Shorts. Shorts had started 15 straight games for the RedHawks until Saturday. Against Ball State, he came off the bench and finished with a game-high 19 points, which included hitting the game-winning shot with four seconds to play. Shorts, in fact, scored Miami's last five field goals. He has scored in double figures six straight games (the team's top current string) and eight of the last nine MAC games. In MAC play, Shorts is averaging 16.1 ppg and shooting 51.8 percent from the field (59-of-114). He scored a career-high 28 points vs. Buffalo on Jan. 20, sinking 13-of-19 field goals. Shorts is also one of the RedHawks' free throw shooting leaders in MAC play -- he is hitting 78.8 percent of his attempts, the second best figure on the squad.
ROOKIE UPDATE
Miami's Julius "Juby" Johnson (Warrensville Heights, Ohio/Warrensville Heights), Larry Drake (Groveport, Ohio/Groveport-Madison) and Eugene Seals (Saginaw, Mich./Saginaw) are all playing their first year of collegiate basketball. Johnson, who has started 16 games, is leading the trio statistically with per-game averages of 6.5 points and 2.9 rebounds. He tallied a career-high 16 points against Central Michigan on Jan. 10. Johnson became the first Miami freshman to start the first game of his collegiate career since Damon Frierson duplicated the feat on Nov. 25, 1995 at Eastern Kentucky. Seals earned his first collegiate start against Old Dominion on Nov. 24. Seals, who has started four games overall, tallied a career-high 12 points in Miami's 56-47 loss at Wright State. He is averaging 3.8 ppg and leads the team in blocked shots with seven. Drake, who had to sit last year for academic reasons, registered his best Miami performance since early in the season against Western Michigan on Jan. 22. He hit all five field goal attempts (three treys) and two free throws for a career-high 15 ponts. In the RedHawks' Nov. 30 win over Temple, he scored 11 points and hit three of five treys. He is averaging 3.1 ppg.
BOARD BANTER
If there is one telling statistic for Miami this year, it pertains to rebounding. When the RedHawks get outrebounded, they are 0-8 this year. Miami shot a season-best 55.3 percent at Marshall on Jan. 17, but was outboarded 30-25 (12-to-6 on the offensive glass) and lost by four points. Miami turned in its most impressive effort on the glass in the Dec. 9 outing versus Notre Dame -- a 44-26 Miami advantage. Following the ND game, Miami owned a season-best +4.9 rebounding margin. That figure now stands at +1.7. In their first nine MAC games, the RedHawks own a +2.9 rebounding margin, fourth best in the league. Miami has outrebounded seven of its first nine MAC opponents.
TURNOVERS TELL THE STORY, TOO
In nine of its last 16 games, Miami has totaled eight or fewer turnovers per game. The RedHawks had a season-low five miscues Jan. 20 vs. Buffalo. With Doug Davis out of the lineup, Miami notched 13 miscues, its highest total since Jan. 3, against Western Michigan (Jan. 22), 12 against Akron (Jan. 24) and 8 vs. BSU (Jan. 27). The RedHawks are averaging 11.0 turnovers per outing, which ranks sixth nationally. Temple leads the country with 8.2 miscues per game. Miami is 0-6 when it suffers more turnovers than the opposition.
HEATIN' UP
Led by Larry Drake and Doug Davis, Miami is shooting 35.9 percent from three-point range in MAC action. Prior to the league opener at Toledo earlier this month, Miami's three-point mark had dropped to 24.8 percent. Davis has hit 11-of-27 triples (.407), while Davis is shooting 46.2 percent (6-of-13). Overall, the RedHawks are hitting 30.1 percent of their three-point shots. On. Jan. 10 versus Central Michigan, the RedHawks drilled eight treys in the first half, two shy of their school record for a half (10), set vs. Nebraska in '89.
UNDER PRESSURE
Clutch free throw shooting in the final three minutes of close games helped Miami to some early-season success. Led by Alex Shorts' 8-for-8 effort, the RedHawks are shooting 91.4 percent (32-of-35) in tight games. Although the RedHawks have dropped two one-point games (60-59 to Memphis and 55-54 to Dayton), a two-point OT decision (62-60 at Ohio) and a four-point game (72-68 at Marshall), missed free throws down the stretch did not play a major factor in those defeats. Overall, Miami is shooting 74.9 percent at the foul line, which ranks 15th nationally.
ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA CANDIDATES
Miami's three seniors, Mike Ensminger, Jason Grunkemeyer and Rich Allendorf, who all hail from Cincinnati, are being nominated for Verizon Academic All-America honors this week. Ensminger carries a 3.83 cumulative GPA in political science (pre-law), Grunkemeyer owns a 3.35 GPA in physical education and Allendorf holds a 3.54 GPA in finance.
REDHAWKS TWO-FOR-TWO VERSUS THE TOP-25
Miami knocked off its second top-25 club in as many attempts this season after it defeated Notre Dame Dec. 9. Since Charlie Coles became the RedHawks' head coach in 1996-97, Miami has toppled five nationally ranked opponents. Miami's other recent top-25 wins came against No. 6 Utah in the second round of the 1999 NCAA Tournament (66-58), a win over No. 18 Tennessee (68-62) on Nov. 19, 1998, and a victory over No. 7 Xavier (80-72) on Dec. 9, 1997. Under Coles, Miami is 5-6 versus top-25 teams.
ANOTHER RUGGED SLATE
After playing one of the nation's toughest non-league schedules last year, the RedHawks faced another formidable slate in 2000-01. Miami played six of its first 11 games against teams that are ranked or have received votes: Xavier, Memphis, Indiana State, Temple, Dayton and Notre Dame. Currently, nine of Miami's 11 non-MAC opponents have .500 or better records: Xavier (15-3), Memphis (12-8), Indiana State (15-5), Temple (11-10), Dayton (12-7), Notre Dame (13-5), Wright State (13-6), George Mason (12-7) and UNC Wilmington (11-8). The RedHawks other non-league foes are Old Dominion (9-11) and UW-Green Bay (9-11).
REDHAWKS AT THE NEXT LEVEL
Three former Miamians are presently playing in the NBA. Two of the RedHawks' all-America honorees, Ron Harper and Wally Szczerbiak, are respective starters for the Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves. Ira Newble earned a roster spot with the San Antonio Spurs earlier this year.
TIP-INS
- Miami enters this year having recorded nine straight seasons with .500 or better records.
- The RedHawks have drained at least one three-point field goal in 378 consecutive games. The streak dates to Feb. 24, 1988.
- Mike Ensminger is 24 rebounds shy of reaching 500 for his career.
- Jason Grunkemeyer now ranks 10th on Miami's career 3FG list with 112 treys.
