St. Thomas, VI (Best E Casino) - In the biggest game thus far for both opponents, the 17th-ranked Miami-Florida Hurricanes take on the second-ranked Connecticut Huskies in the semifinal round of the Paradise Jam this evening. The winner of this game will face against either San Diego or Wisconsin in the finals on Monday.
The Hurricanes kicked off this eight-team tournament on Friday, scoring a 70-60 victory over Southern Mississippi. It was only the second game of the year for Miami, which cruised past Florida Southern (96-60) in its season opener. The Hurricanes, who have their best ranking since 2002, have had success in this tournament before, capturing the title in 2001.
As for UConn, it opened this event with a hard fought 89-81 victory over a pesky La Salle club on Friday. It was clearly the most challenging game of the season for the Huskies, who opened their campaign with home wins over Western Carolina (81-55) and Hartford (99-56).
UConn and Miami are former Big East foes, so there is history between these two programs. In 23 prior encounters on the hardwood, the Huskies have won 15 decisions over the Hurricanes, including a 76-63 triumph in most recent meeting in 2004.
The Hurricanes drilled 44.7 percent of their field goal tries, as they defeated Southern Miss in the opening round on Friday. Miami also found success at the charity stripe, where it went 22-of-30 in the win. It was a similar performance to the opener, when the team shot 46.7 percent from the floor and made 18-of-23 free throws in a lopsided victory over Florida Southern. After notching a double-double with 18 points and 16 rebounds in the opener, Dwayne Collins once again led Miami with 14 points and nine rebounds in Friday's victory. Jack McClinton and Lance Hurdle also got involved against Southern Miss, posting 13 points apiece. Hurdle missed the team's opener with an ankle sprain, but McClinton participated in that game and tied Collins for the team-lead with 18 points.
The Huskies shot a scorching 54.7 percent from the floor, as they outlasted La Salle in opening round play on Friday. UConn also outdid La Salle at the foul line, holding a 29-9 advantage in free-throw points. Freshman Kemba Walker came off the bench and poured in 23 points to lead the Huskies in the victory. Jeff Adrien notched his second straight double-double with 22 points and 14 rebounds, while Jerome Dyson had 17 points. A.J. Price even made an impact in his return after missing the last game with an injury, scoring 12 points and recording three steals. After three games, Dyson leads UConn in scoring with 19.3 ppg and he is also handing out 3.7 apg. Walker is a close second with 17.3 ppg and Adrien follows with his double-double average of 16.0 ppg and 12.0 rpg. Hasheem Thabeet is another player who is contributing a double- double, as the 7-3 center is turning in 13.7 ppg and 10.7 rpg on the year. Overall, UConn is producing a healthy 89.7 ppg on the season.
