South Alabama vs. Miami (Ohio) Game Notes
Anaheim Classic Official Website
South Alabama will spend its Thanksgiving holiday out West when it begins play in the Anaheim Classic on Thursday. The Jaguars face defending Mid-American Conference champion Miami (Ohio) at 6:30 p.m. (PST) Thanksgiving night.
The Jaguars (2-1) used a 19-4 run early in the first half Saturday to ease past Grambling, 76-56. Daon Merritt tallied 21 points and Demetric Bennett added 19 to lead USA.
A 47-31 rebounding advantage and a defensive field goal percentage of .375 proved to be the difference.
Miami (1-0) posted a 57-54 upset of local rival Xavier in its season opener. Tim Pollitz led three RedHawks in double figures with 21 points.
Other storylines for tonight’s game:
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This marks the second straight year that the Jags have ventured to California for a tournament. They went 2-1 to finish third at the Fresno Classic last November.
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This weekend marks the only in-season tournament on the 2007-08 schedule.
The Series
South Alabama and Miami have never met on the basketball court.
Arrow Against the RedHawks
Head Coach Ronnie Arrow has never faced Miami in his 14 years as a head coach.
Against the MAC
South Alabama has had limited competition against Mid-American Conference in the past, posting a 3-3 record. However, one of the meetings came last year when the Jaguars lost 65-64 at Bowling Green.
The school breakdowns are as follows: Akron 2-0, Bowling Green 0-1, Toledo 0-1 and Western Michigna 1-1.
Tournament Time
South Alabama has traditionally not played in a lot of in-season tournaments. Last year’s trip to the Fresno Classic in November was the first appearance was the first since the 2003-04 season.
South Alabama stands 54-32 all-time during in-season holiday tournaments. The Jaguars have won 14 tournaments, including eight played in Mobile (Senior Bowl and Colonial Classic).
The last time USA finished undefeated in a tournament was during the 1991-92 season when it defeated Middle Tennessee State and Auburn at the Blue Angels Classic in Pensacola, Fla.
Familiar Faces
Three members of the Jaguar travel squad have seen action against Miami during their careers.
B.J. Ford faced the RedHawks in 2005-06 when he was a freshman at Eastern Michigan, while Domonic Tilford and DeAndre Coleman spent the same year at Cincinnati.
Assistant coach Andy Helton also knows a bit about Miami’s program. He is a 1993 graduate of the university and served as a manager for former coach Joby Wright.
Double-Double News
Senior Demetric Bennett posted the team’s second double-double of the season Saturday. He tallied 19 points and a career-high 12 rebounds vs. Grambling, marking the fourth time in three years he has topped double figures in both categories.
DeAndre Coleman registered 12 points and 10 rebounds at Ole Miss.
Up and Down "D"
South Alabama’s defensive field-goal percentage stands at 39.7 percent, third best in the Sun Belt Conference. The Jaguars held West Florida (29.5 percent) and Grambling (37.5 percent)to percentages under 40, but allowed Mississippi to shoot an even 50 percent.
In all of last year, USA held 10 opponents under 40 percent, while allowing only six to reach 50 percent.
Three Different Starts
In each of the three previous games this season, South Alabama has used a different starting lineup. That trend should end tonight, when the Jaguars are expected to repeat the opening five from the Grambling game.
Seven different players have at least one start in the first three games, while only Daon Merritt, DeAndre Coleman and Brandon Davis have opened all three.
Hitting the Boards
South Alabama matched a season high on Saturday, gathering 47 rebounds, compared to just 31 for Grambling.
The Jaguars rank fifth in the Sun Belt Conference in rebounding offense (42.0) and second in rebounding margin (+13.3).
The Line, Too
The Jaguars established new season highs for free throws against Grambling, making 24 of their 31 attempts.The previous highs were 16 and 23, respectively, against West Florida.
South Alabama is shooting 70.5 percent at the free throw line this season with the 77.4 percent-effort against the Tigers being the season high.
Everyone Plays
For the first time this season, South Alabama had all 12 active players record at least one minute of action against Grambling. The Jaguars also had 12 players see action vs. West Florida, but not everyone recorded a full minute.
Hayles Sidelined until December
Junior Daniel Hayles has been forced to the sidelines until the end of the fall semester after personal issues forced him to drop two classes. His resulting "part-time" status makes him ineligible to participate in any athletic activity.
Hayles will return to full-time status on Dec. 12, the day after the close of South Alabama’s fall semester.
Bennett, Merritt Earn Honors
Senior guards Demetric Bennett and Daon Merritt were named to the preseason All-Sun Belt Conference team during the league’s annual media day.
The pair of Jaguars repeated the honors they received at the end of last year -- Bennett on the first team and Merritt on the third team.
Preseason Picks
South Alabama, winners of its Sun Belt Conference division two straight years, was tabbed second by the league coaches in the annual preseason poll.
The Jaguars were behind a unanimous selection of Western Kentucky in the East Division.
Louisiana-Monroe was the preferred choice of the coaches to win the West Division.
