SportsLine.com Report
March 24, 2000

Sweet 16: Miami's run at history stopped by Tulsa

AUSTIN, Texas -- Already in uncharted territory by advancing to the Sweet 16, Miami came one victory short of setting a school record for victories by falling to Tulsa, 80-71.

The sixth-seeded Hurricanes displayed perseverance by overcoming a 16-point first-half deficit and took their only lead at 46-43 on Vernon Jennings' 3-pointer with 10:35 left.

Tulsa's Marcus Hill responded to Jennings' 3-pointer with a basket, and Brandon Kurtz, who scored all of his team-high 17 points in the second half, intercepted a Jennings pass for a fast break dunk and a 47-46 Golden Hurricane lead. Miami never recovered, falling behind 61-50 with 5:21 to play despite shooting 8-for-12 from 3-point range at one point.

Miami's trio of seniors -- the only Hurricanes to play in three consecutive NCAA Tournaments -- did their best to keep the game close. Jennings and forward Mario Bland led the team with 17 points, and shooting guard Johnny Hemsley fouled out with 13 points on 4 of 10 shooting.

However, Miami's thin bench provided little depth and the comeback took a toll, especially when junior Elton Tyler picked up his fourth foul early in the second half.

Tyler, Miami's junior center who entered the game the team's second-leading scorer in the tournament, spent most of the game stuck on the bench mired in foul trouble. He was scoreless in 18 minutes, picking up twice as many fouls (four) as rebounds (two). With Tyler a non-factor, Miami's height advantage was essentially eliminated and Tulsa won the rebounding war 37-34 -- including 14 offensive boards.

Hemsley didn't have the hot hand he'd held in the first two games of the tournament. He took only six shots in the second half, and didn't get off a shot in an important nine-minute span. When Tulsa went on a 20-4 run after Jennings put Miami ahead with 10:35 remaining, Hemsley didn't take a shot until 3:38 left in the game and the Hurricanes tailing 65-51 -- far to late to mount another comeback.

Jennings, Miami's all-time assists leader, dished seven more in his final game for the Hurricanes, and Bland pulled down a team-high nine rebounds.

The 23 victories matches the school mark set in 1960, 1963 and 1999.

It also might have been the final game at Miami for coach Leonard Hamilton, whose name has been mentioned for several coaching vacancies, including the one at Georgia Tech. Ironically, Hamilton's Miami tenure might have come to an end at the hands of Tulsa coach Bill Self, who served four years as an assistant for Hamilton at Oklahoma State.

How They Got There

Miami earned its third consecutive NCAA Tournament bid -- and fourth in school history -- by winning 11 of its last 13 regular-season games after overcoming a shaky start. During that stretch, the Hurricanes won at UConn, swept Notre Dame and beat St. John's. The latter gave them a share of their first Big East regular-season title.

Starting Lineup

• PG Vernon Jennings (6-4, 203, Sr.), 7.8 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 6.8 apg
  An old-school point guard that thinks little of scoring, concentrating mostly on keeping things moving offensively and creating havoc on defense. He posted five double-digit assist games, though none came when he scored double digits in points. Has struggled at times (11 points, 14 assists, 13 turnovers) but continues to keep the 'Canes going.
• SG Johnny Hemsley (6-5, 195, Sr.), 18.2 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.8 apg
  Put him in the lineup and pencil the second-team All-Big East selection in for double digits in points. He'll shoot any time there is an opening -- and many times when there's not. He's filling it up in the tournament, especially from long range (9-for-19). Averaging nearly 18 points a game in his five career NCAA games, including 22 and this year's two games.
• C Mario Bland (6-6, 265, Sr.), 12.5 ppg, 6.9 rpg
  The third-team All-Big East pick came up big down the stretch, averaging 16.3 points and 7.5 rebounds in Miami's final four regular season games. Is averaging 12.3 points and eight rebounds in three career NCAA Tournament games.
• SF John Salmons (6-8, 220, So.), 9.4 ppg, 5.4 rpg
  Salmons is a talent, but inconsistent offensively. He could ring off five straight double-figure games, then score two points. He is a good defender and rebounder, though, and is averaging 12.5 points and six rebounds in the tourney.
• PF Elton Tyler (6-9, 215, Jr.), 10.4 ppg, 5.6 rpg
  Had a 20-point outburst against Ohio State which only makes his inconsistency that much more maddening. He scored 22 in a road win over UConn, went three games without scoring in double digits, then put up 20 in the regular-season finale against St. John's. His shot selection is solid, it is just a matter of getting him enough touches and keeping him out of foul trouble. Averaged 3.5 points and 3.5 rebounds in last year's tourney and is at 14.5 points and 8.5 rebounds this year.

Keys to Success

One key is making sure that senior guard Johnny Hemsley keep his head in the game. When he does, he is a brilliant scorer. When he misses shots and gets down on himself, the Hurricanes are in trouble.

Another is for the supporting cast to play well. Hamilton knows what he is getting from his Big Three (Bland, Hemsley and Jennings). What he gets from the likes of sophomore forward John Salmons, junior forward Elton Tyler and freshman forward James Jones will help determine how deep into March this team goes.

Finally, the Hurricanes must continue to play their stifling brand of defense. This is not a prolific offensive team, so they must hold teams below 40-percent shooting.

The Coach

For the job he's done with this program, Leonard Hamilton is certainly one of the country's top coaches. Year after year, he continues to build a tradition at a place that had none outside of four years of Rick Barry.

Two of the school's three NCAA Tournament appearances have come the past two seasons under Hamilton, with the Hurricanes going 1-2. He has now led this program to five of its six all-time postseason appearances, all within the past six years.

The Bench

Freshman forward James Jones (6-8, 211) played well in the final two regular-season games, giving the team a scoring and rebounding boost off the bench.

Freshman guard/forward Leroy Hurd's (6-7, 205) minutes are erratic, as is his game. Sophomore guard Joao Paulo Coelho (6-2, 185) is Jennings' understudy and has been mostly ineffective offensively. Junior forward Dwayne Wimbley (6-9, 245) provides a big body under the boards, but not much offense.

For the most part, Miami's offense is going to come from the starting five. The Hurricanes average 68.9 points, with 58.3 coming from the starters.

Offense

The Hurricanes aren't incredibly imaginative offensively. Watching their halfcourt offense is not that different from watching paint dry. If Hemsley's not shooting, Bland is backing his way in down low. ... Averaged 69.2 points during the regular season, though they only scored more than 70 four times in Big East play. ... Shot 42.8 percent from the field, but just 27.2 percent from 3-point range. ... Hit 74.9 percent of their free throws, among the best in the nation.

Defense

Several Big East coaches said Miami played some of the toughest man-to-man defense in the country, a unit that allows only 62 points and 39.3 percent shooting. ... Jennings has done some terrific defensive work, stripping opponents or darting into passing lanes. ... Tyler is an underrated shot blocker who hits the boards hard.