Miami Hurricanes
ACC (25-5, 14-2)
Miami’s high scoring offense has been difficult for even the stoutest defenses to contain. The Hurricanes average nearly 80 points per game and have a bevy of major scoring threats. It starts with all-everything guard Shenise Johnson. The 5-11 senior leads the team with 16.8 points, 7.9 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 3.4 steals per game. When the game is on the line, Johnson will have the ball in her hands and take the shot.
Big Wins: 12/5 Rutgers (92-81), 1/12 Maryland (75-63), 2/12 at Maryland (76-74)
Bad Losses: 12/21 at Georgetown (46-71), 1/2 at North Carolina (63-65), 2/24 at Duke (64-74)
Coach: Katie Meier (7 seasons at Miami)
Why They Can Surprise:
But Miami is not just the Johnson show. Riquna Williams and Stefanie Yderstrom can also score in bunches. Williams is a great all-around scorer. She can shoot the long ball with consistency and use her quickness to get to the basket. Yderstrom is more of a pure shooter than a pure scorer, but when her shot is falling, she can eclipse the 20 point plateau. When those three need a rest, Coach Katie Meier can call on Krystal Saunders, Michelle Woods or Suriya McGuire to fill in for a few minutes here and there. Those three are all underclassmen with Saunders being the most experienced, so there will be a drop off in production compared to Johnson and Williams, but almost any backcourt in the nation would be a drop off compared to Johnson and Williams.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Until late January, Johnson, Williams, Yderstrom, Sylvia Bullock and Morgan Stroman started 52 consecutive games together. That great chemistry went away when Stroman, a 6-1 junior forward, went down with a torn ACL. She is out for the year and that leaves a big hole in the frontcourt. In 19 games during the 2011-2012 campaign, Stroman averaged 12.9 points and 6.5 rebounds. She was the interior scorer on Miami that opened up space for Yderstrom and Williams to shoot and for Johnson to attack the basket. Without her, Miami still has size but they lack that interior scoring punch that Stroman has provided for a couple years. Bullock is a strong rebounder and a good shot blocker and complimented Storman very well, but she is not a scorer. Shawnice Wilson, a 6-6 center, has stepped into a starting role. She is a decent scorer and a very good rebounder, but most of her scoring comes from offensive rebounds. Miami has done alright without Stroman, but this is not as good of a team as it was in early January.
Probable Starters:
Shenise Johnson, Senior, Guard, 16.8 ppg, 4.5 apg, 7.9 rpg, 3.4 spg
Riquna Williams, Senior, Guard, 16.6 ppg, 2.6 apg, 2.4 spg
Stefanie Yderstrom, Junior, Guard, 11.0 ppg, 2.2 apg
Sylvia Bullock, Senior, Forward, 4.0 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1.4 bpg
Shawnice Wilson, Junior, Center, 6.2 ppg, 5.4 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
Maria Brown, Sophomore, Forward, 2.7 ppg, 2.9 rpg
Suriya McGuire, Freshman, Guard, 2.9 ppg, 1.7 rpg
Krystal Saunders, Sophomore, Guard, 3.3 ppg, 1.2 apg
Michelle Woods, Freshman, Guard, 3.0 ppg, 1.0 apg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 77.0 (7th in nation, 2nd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 56.7 (63, 3)
Field-Goal Percentage: 41.8 (58, 5)
Field-Goal Defense: 36.5 (62, 4)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6.4 (46, 1)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 32.4 (80, 3)
Free-Throw Percentage: 70.3 (117, 4)
Rebound Margin: 5.3 (35, 4)
Assists Per Game: 15.6 (28, 4)
Turnovers Per Game: 17.0 (151, 4)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
Miami 2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over Gardner-Webb
Miami 2011 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Oklahoma
Miami 2010 NIT Round of 64 win over Florida Gulf Coast
Miami 2010 NIT Round of 32 win over Florida
Miami 2010 NIT Regional Semifinal win over North Carolina A&T
Miami 2010 NIT Regional Final win over Providence
Miami 2010 NIT National Semifinal win over Michigan
Miami 2010 NIT National Final loss to California
Miami 2006 NIT First Round win over Florida International
Miami 2006 NIT Second Round loss to Virginia
Miami 2004 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Maryland
Miami 2003 NCAA Round of 64 loss to New Mexico
*all team stats through 3/1
See All Women’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
