The Miami RedHawks will be making their fourth consecutive post-season appearance when they travel to face the Tulsa Golden Hurricane in the opening round of the inaugural College Basketball Invitational Wednesday night. Tip-off is set for 8:00 pm. It will be a MAC-record 24th postseason appearance for Miami.
CBI FIRST ROUND
MIAMI (17-15, 9-7 MAC) vs. TULSA (20-13, 8-8 C-USA)
Date: Wednesday, March 19
Time: 8:00 PM ET
TV: None
SERIES HISTORY: First Meeting
Overview/Game Notes
The RedHawks will be without starting forward Michael Bramos. Bramos, the team's leading scorer and shot blocker, will be sidelined after suffering a ligament injury to his thumb in Miami's MAC Tournament semifinals loss to Kent State. After undergoing an MRI that confirmed the injury, Bramos is scheduled for surgery that will leave him in a cast for up to eight weeks, followed by up to three months of rehabilitation.
Jermaine Henderson will once again be behind the bench for the RedHawks while head coach Charlie Coles continues to recuperate from heart surgery. Henderson is 4-2 as Miami's interim head coach.
The Golden Hurricane are led by 7-foot center Jerome Jordan who set single-season Tulsa and Conference USA records this past season for blocked shots with 121 on the year. Jordan ranked seventh nationally in blocked shots, averaging 3.7 per game. Ben Uzoh topped Tulsa in scoring this past season, averaging 15.3 points per game. Both Jordan and Uzoh were named to the Conference USA All-Tournament team.
Like Miami, Tulsa will be making its 24th postseason appearance. The Golden Hurricane claimed the NIT Championship in both 1981 and 2001.
Here is a statistical snapshot of tonight's contest:
MIAMI REDHAWKS
OVERALL RECORD: 17-15
CONFERENCE: 9-7 (3rd, MAC East)
PROBABLE STARTERS :
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F Eric Pollitz
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5.4 ppg, 3.2 rpg
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F Tim Pollitz
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15.7 ppg, 7.1 rpg
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C Tyler Dierkers
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6.2 ppg, 6.5 rpg
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G Kenny Hayes
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12.3 ppg, 1.9 apg
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G Alex Moosman
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3.1 ppg, 1.5 apg
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Coach: Jermaine Henderson (4-2, interim)
Miami Postseason History:
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NCAA:
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6-19 (Last Appearance: 2007)
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NIT:
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2-6 (Last appearance: 2006)
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TULSA GOLDEN HURRICANE
OVERALL RECORD: 20-13
CONFERENCE: 8-8 (6th, Conference USA)
PROBABLE STARTERS:
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F Calvin Walls
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8.5 ppg, 7.1 rpg
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F Ray Reese
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7.5 ppg, 3.6 rpg
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C Jerome Jordan
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10.1 ppg, 7.3 rpg
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G Brett McDade
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7.6 ppg, 3.1 apg
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G Ben Uzoh
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15.3 ppg, 2.2 apg
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Coach: Doug Wojcik (51-41, 3rd year)
Tulsa Postseason History:
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NCAA:
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11-13 (Last Appearance: 2004)
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NIT:
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10-3 (Last Appearance: 2001)
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Tale of the Tape:
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Miami
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Tulsa
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Points Per Game
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63.0
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70.5
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Scoring Margin
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+2.4
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+5.3
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Field Goal Pct
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.462
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.447
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3PT FG Pct
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.361
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.356
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3PT FG Per Game
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5.8
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6.7
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Free Throw Pct
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.703
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.734
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Rebounds Per Game
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30.8
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37.8
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Rebound Margin
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-0.2
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+5.5
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Assists Per Game
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11.8
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12.6
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Turnovers Per Game
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12.7
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16.1
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Assist/TO Ratio
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1.0
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0.8
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Steals Per Game
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6.3
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5.7
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Blocks Per Game
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3.4
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5.9
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