Hurricanes Learn Their Opponent for ACC Quarterfinals
March 3, 2011
No. 2 seed Miami (26-3) vs. No. 10 seed NC State (14-16)
Date & Tip Time: Friday, March 4, at 6 p.m.
Location: Greensboro, N.C. | Greensboro Coliseum
TV: ACC Network
Radio: WVUM 90.5 – wvum.org
Video Stream: www.theACC.com
GameTracker: www.HurricaneSports.com
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The second-seeded University of Miami women’s basketball team found out Thursday night it will be facing 10th-seeded NC State in the quarterfinal round of the 2011 Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament on Friday.
READY TO GO
For the second straight day, the Hurricanes (26-3, 12-2 ACC) practiced at UNC Greensboro’s Fleming Gym, working out one final time before their much-anticipated tourney opener tomorrow at the Greensboro Coliseum.
After a morning spent mostly in study hall, the ‘Canes arrived at Fleming Gym at 1 p.m. and held a quick, fast-paced two hour practice session. It marked yet another practice the ‘Canes had to work through without knowing their opponent.
“We are trying to keep them fresh and keep them sharp but we are still awaiting our opponent,” head coach Katie Meier said after practice and before the Boston College-NC State game. “This is a very competitive team and they practice harder when they know who we got. We were just trying to keep our offenses in check and keep it pretty general. We are ready to play.”
Meier pointed to some of her role players as those who stood out in Thursday’s session.
“I thought we had some good performances by some of our bench players today,” Meier said. “Selina Archer and Maria Brown really understand this is a moment for them to contribute. I was really happy with the way those two practiced.”
NC STATE IT IS
Following practice, the team returned to the hotel and re-grouped before heading to the arena to watch the NC State-Boston College game. The Eagles led most of the way, but blew a 13-point second half lead to the Wolfpack (14-16), who picked up the 71-70 upset win to advance to play UM.
Miami won the only meeting between the ‘Canes and the Pack this season, claiming an 84-77 victory on Jan. 27 in Coral Gables. Riquna Williams led all scorers with 27 points in the contest, while Morgan Stroman and Shenise Johnson added 18 and 17 respectively.
Friday’s game between the ‘Canes and the Wolfpack can be seen live on the ACC Network or online at www.theACC.com.
BIGGEST NEWS OF THE DAY
While practice and the BC-NC State game were important events for the ‘Canes on Thursday, they took a back seat to something else that happened.
Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner John Swofford announced on Thursday that Miami’s Katie Meier and Shenise Johnson have officially been named the ACC’s Coach and Player of the Year for the 2010-11 season.
Johnson ended the regular season as the only player in the ACC to rank in the Top 10 in scoring (2nd, 19.6 ppg), rebounding (8th, 7.8 rpg) and assists (9th, 3.7 apg). The Henrietta, N.Y. native had a league-high three 30-point performances and 11 20-point showings while being named the ACC Player of the Week on three occasions this season. She had already been named to the All-ACC team and ACC All-Defensive team this week.
Meier led her Miami Hurricanes through the ultimate turnaround — from finishing 12th in the league one season ago all the way to sharing the league’s regular season crown this season.
The sixth-year head coach has guided the ‘Canes to 26-3 overall record and a 12-2 ACC mark, tying with Duke as regular season champions. The regular season title is the first for the Miami program and the No. 2 seed in the 2011 ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament is the team’s highest seed in school history since joining the league in 2004-05.
