GAME NOTES: ACC foes will collide this afternoon in the Sunshine State as the 25th-ranked Miami-Florida Hurricanes welcome the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets to town. Georgia Tech played rival Georgia in a non-conference rivalry game on Wednesday, and the result was a 79-72 setback. That loss was the second in that last two games for the inconsistent Yellow Jackets, who are 7-7 overall and 0-1 in ACC action. They lost the league opener to Florida State on December 30th by two points in front of a disappointed home crowd. As for Miami, it bounced back from a loss to Winthrop by knocking off Penn in its last outing by an 88-62 final. That game took place on January 2nd, so the Hurricanes have been idle for well over a week. They are 13-1 overall this season, and all eight of their home games have resulted in victory. Georgia Tech owns a 4-3 edge in the all- time series with Miami, but the Hurricanes won last season's meeting by a 90-82 final.

Georgia Tech is led in scoring by Anthony Morrow, as he is netting 14.9 ppg on the strength of 46.5 percent shooting from three-point range. Lewis Clinch is netting 12.9 ppg as the team's only other double-digit scorer. The Yellow Jackets are posting 76.9 ppg while allowing 72.8 ppg to the opposition. They are shooting below 70 percent from the foul line as a team, so that is one aspect of the game that could certainly stand some improvement. Maurice Miller scored 15 points off the bench to lead the way for Georgia Tech in the loss to Georgia earlier this week. Morrow tallied 14 points in that clash, and Clinch finished with 11 points. Tech connected on only 40.4 percent of its field goal attempts and shot 19-of-35 from the foul line, two obvious contributing factors in the setback.

Strong defense has been key to Miami's success thus far, as the team is limiting its opponents to 60.3 ppg on 37.5 percent shooting from the floor. The Hurricanes have certainly benefitted from the fact that foes have shot 59 percent from the foul line against them. At the offensive end, the club is posting 77.4 ppg, and it is pulling down 5.8 rpg more than the opposition. Jack McClinton is averaging a team-high 15.5 ppg for Miami on 50.8 percent shooting from three-point range. James Dews is netting 11.4 ppg, and Brian Asbury checks in with 10.4 ppg. In the win over Penn, Asbury scored 22 points, while Dwayne Collins added 18 points and 12 rebounds. McClinton tallied 12 points for the Hurricanes, who finished with 24 assists against only nine turnovers. A 20-9 edge in points from the foul line certainly helped the cause.

Miami is the pick today as it should be able to get past Georgia Tech at home. Expect this one to be close for a while, but the 'Canes will pull ahead down the stretch.