Game facts
Miami (Fla.) (14-7, 4-5 ACC) at NC State (14-9, 3-7 ACC)
Game time: Saturday, Feb. 4, 3 p.m. — PNC Arena in Raleigh
Television: ACC Network
Probable starters
NC State
PG — 4 Dennis Smith Jr. (6-3, 195, Fr., 18.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 6.9 apg, 2.2 spg)
SG — 3 Terry Henderson (6-5, 190, 5th-Sr., 14.3 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 1.7 apg)
SF — 24 Maverick Rowan (6-7, 220, Soph., 12.9 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 0.8 apg)
PF — 0 Abdul-Malik Abu (6-8, 240, Jr., 12.1 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 1.1 apg, 1.0 bpg)
C — 14 Omer Yurtseven (7-0, 245, Fr., 6.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.4 apg)
Miami (Fla.)
PG — 0 Ja’Quan Newton (6-2, 187, Jr., 15.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 3.8 apg, 1.1 spg)
SG — 11 Bruce Brown (6-5, 190, Fr., 12.3 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.7 spg)
SF — 5 Davon Reed (6-6, 220, Sr., 15.3 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.2 spg)
PF — 3 Anthony Lawrence (6-7, 210, Soph., 6.4 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.4 spg)
C — 21 Kamari Murphy (6-8, 220, R-Sr., 6.4 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 0.5 apg)
Miami (Fla.)
Location: Coral Gables, Fla.
Nickname: Hurricanes
2015-16 record: 27-8, 13-5 ACC
2016 postseason: Lost 92-69 to Villanova in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament
Coach: Jim Larranaga 602-398 overall (33rd season) and 132-64 at Miami (sixth season)
Notes
Miami (Fla.) overview: The Hurricanes topped NC State 81-63 on Dec. 31 to start the ACC slate, but then went through a tough patch with four losses in five games.
Miami has righted the ship with back-to-back wins against Boston College and North Carolina, but then got blown out 75-57 vs. Florida State on Wednesday.
Junior point guard Ja’Quan Newton had 21 points and senior small forward Davon Reed added 20 in the win over NC State. Freshman shooting guard Bruce Brown battled foul trouble, but finished strong to tally 17 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
The Hurricanes have reshuffled its lineup of late with sophomore forward Anthony Lawrence moving into the starting lineup for three games, replacing freshman center Dewan Huell.
Backcourt: Newton and Brown both love to get to the basket, and the Hurricanes use the high ball screen as extensively as anybody in the ACC.
Brown wasn’t known for his outside shooting in high school, but has surpassed expectations by going 23 of 56 for 41.1 percent from three-point land. Newton is not known for his deep shooting abilities, and is 8 of 30 from beyond the arc, and none over his last seven games.
Newton is known for his toughness and poise, but he has been a little turnover prone (79 assists and 76 turnovers). The Philadelphia native is shooting 48.1 percent from the field, and has scored at least 11 points in every game but three. He had a season-high 23 in the 78-77 win over Boston College, and has scored at least 20 points in five contests.
Brown has been impressive overall this season. He had 30 points and four three-pointers in the 77-62 win over North Carolina on Jan. 28. He also had the rare triple-double with 11 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in an 82-46 win over South Carolina State on Dec. 6. The Boston native has scored in double figures in 14 contests, and can slide over to play point guard when Newton needs a rest.
When Miami needs another shooter on the court, freshman wing Dejan Vasiljevic of Australia can supply it. The 6-foot-3, 198-pounder is averaging 5.8 points in 16.8 minutes per game, and he is shooting 36.1 percent on three-pointers. He is just 5 of 17 on two-pointers.
Vasiljevic has cracked double figures in five games, including a season-high 18 thanks to six three-pointers against Syracuse’s zone defense in a 70-55 road loss Jan. 4.
Reed can play shooting guard if needed, but Miami lost some expected depth when shooting guard Rashad Muhammad was first suspended before the season and then kicked off the team.
Frontcourt: Reed and Newton make Miami go as the first contest against NC State showed. Reed leads the team in scoring and can heat up from deep, though he’s 2 of 9 on three-pointers over his last two games.
Reed has scored in double figures in every game but three, and poured in a season-high 24 in a 96-79 loss at Wake Forest on Jan. 18. He has hit at least three three-pointers in nine games, and drained five of them against both Florida Atlantic on Dec. 16 and Duke on Jan. 21.
The insertion of Lawrence into the lineup gives the Hurricanes another three-point shooter. He’s shooting 35.1 percent on three-pointers, but has also been off of late — 3 of 13 over the last four games.
Lawrence had a season-high 18 points in the 67-53 win over Stanford on Nov. 24, and he added 16 points and four three-pointers in the loss to Wake Forest. He can also play small forward if Reed needs a rest or plays some shooting guard.
Murphy is active and athletic but undersized by center standards. He is shooting 47.4 percent from the field and he has grabbed at least 10 rebounds in seven games. He has two double-doubles, including going for 11 points and 10 boards against NC State, and a season-high 14 points and 10 rebounds in a 74-57 win over Wofford on Dec. 3.
Miami has three centers coming off the bench — Huell, sophomore Ebuka Izundu and freshman Rodney Miller.
Huell, a former McDonald’s All-American from Miami, has started 12 games and is shooting 52.2 percent from the field. The 6-11, 220-pounder is averaging 6.7 points and 3.8 rebounds per game, and started his Hurricanes’ career with double figures in five out of seven games.
Huell had a career-high 15 points plus eight rebounds in a 94-56 win at North Florida on Nov. 16. He hasn’t cracked double figures since scoring 14 in a 73-61 win vs. Rutgers on Nov. 30. Huell had an ACC-best nine points and eight rebounds against Wake Forest.
The 6-10, 231-pound Izundu attended Charlotte Victory Christian and signed with Charlotte, but following a coaching change, got out of his letter of intent and picked Miami.
Izundu is averaging 3.7 points and 3.1 rebounds in 10.7 minutes per game off the bench, and he has 18 blocks. Izundu hasn’t scored in his last four games. He had 14 points and five rebounds in a 92-43 win over Western Carolina in the season opener Nov. 11.
The 7-0, 258-pound Miller has 12 points and seven rebounds in 11 games played this season.
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