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March 18, 2008

Complete Release in PDF Format

MIAMI MAKES 24th POSTSEASON APPEARANCE: Miami University men's basketball team makes its 24th postseason appearance after accepting an invitation to play in the inaugural College Basketball Invitational. Miami has played in 17 NCAA Tournaments, including a berth in the 2007 tournament, and participated in six National Invitation Tournaments.

REDHAWKS EARN FOURTH STRAIGHT POSTSEASON BERTH: Earning a spot in the 2008 College Basketball Invitational, Miami is playing in its fourth straight postseason tournament. The RedHawks participated in the NIT in 2005 and 2006 and earned an automatic bid to the 2007 NCAA Tournament. Although the RedHawks are 0-3 in their last three postseason tournament games, Miami has lost those games by a combined five points with a 58-60 loss to TCU in the 2005 NIT, a 52-53 loss at Butler in the 2006 NIT--both coming on last-second shots--and a 56-58 loss to Oregon in the 2007 NCAA Tournament.

ABOUT TULSA: The Golden Hurricane enters Wednesday's game with a 20-13 overall record after advancing the the Conference USA tournament championship game. Jerome Jordan, a 7-foot center, set the Tulsa and C-USA single-season record for blocked shots and has 121 on the season. He ranks seventh nationally in blocked shots, averaging 3.7 per game. He and Ben Uzoh were named to the C-USA All-Tournament Team. Uzoh is Tulsa's leading scorer, averaging 15.3 ppg on the season. Jordan follows, averaging 10.1 ppg and a team-leading 7.3 rpg. Calvin Walls teams up with Jordan to pack a one-two punch on the boards, averaging 7.1 rpg and adding 8.5 ppg. Glenn Andrews comes off the bench to average 8.9 ppg for the Hurricane. Tulsa has eight players who have seen action in all 33 games with seven of those players averaging more than 6.0 ppg.

THE SERIES WITH THE GOLDEN HURRICANE: Wednesday marks the first meeting in series history between Tulsa and Miami. It is the fifth time this season Miami has faced a team for the first time with previous first-time meetings with South Alabama, Chicago State, Kansas and Valparaiso. The RedHawks are 2-2 against their first-time opponenets.

UP NEXT: Should Miami win its first-round game, the RedHawks would advance to face the winner of UTEP at Utah in the CBI Quarterfinals on Monday, March 24.

Postseason Tidbits:
• The RedHawks have faced 12 teams which advanced to postseason play this season, including nine on its non-conference slate. The RedHawks faced NCAA Tournament participants Xavier, South Alabama, Southern California, Mississippi State, Louisville and Kansas and Kent State. Miami faced Dayton and Akron out of the NIT field and Cincinnati, Valparaiso and Ohio out of the CBI field. Miami is combined 5-12 versus the tournament teams. The RedHawks recorded wins against Xavier, South Alabama, Mississippi State and won two of three meetings against Ohio

• Miami, making its fourth straight postseason appearance, seeks its first postseason win since 1999.

• The last time Miami won a postseason game, Miami interim head coach Jermaine Henderson was a first-year assistant with the RedHawks and assistant coach Jason Grunkemeyer was a sophomore at Miami.

• Last season, Tim Pollitz was named the Chevrolet Player of the Game for his performance in Miami's NCAA Tournament first-round game against Oregon. Pollitz finished with 21 points off of an 8-of-11 effort from the floor and going 5-for-7 from the free-throw line.

MIAMI ISP SPORTS NETWORK:In its first year of its partnership with ISP Sports Marketing, the Miami ISP Sports Network continues its coverage of Miami men's basketball with a group of affiliates blanketing most of Southwest Ohio and Southeast Indiana. "The Voice of the RedHawks" Steve Baker delivers the play-by-play coverage, while Joe Barry provides color commentary and Tim Bray gives sideline updates. Tune-in to one of Miami's game-day affiliates: WMOH-AM 1450 (Hamilton, OH), WFTK-FM 96.5 (Cincinnati, OH), WFMG-FM 101.3 (Richmond, IN), WONE-AM 980 (Dayton, OH)

Tim Pollitz JOINS ELITE GROUP: With Miami's berth in the 2008 CBI, senior forward Tim Pollitz joins an elite group of Miami men's basketball players to participate in postseason play all four years. Pollitz is now one of just eight players in program history to play in the postseason all four years. Pollitz (2005 NIT, 2006, NIT, 2007 NCAA, 2008 CBI) joins Derrick Cross and Jamie Mahaffey (1992 NCAA, 1993 NIT, 1994 NIT, 1995 NCAA), Kevin Beard and Landon Hackim (1993 NIT, 1994, NIT, 1995 NCAA, 1996 NIT) and Devin Davis, current interim head coach Jermaine Henderson and Kyle Johnson (1994 NIT, 1995 NCAA, 1996 NIT, 1997 NCAA).

THREE NAMED TO ALL-MAC TEAMS: For the second time in three years, three Miami men's basketball players captured Mid-American Conference postseason honors. Senior forward Tim Pollitz garnered First-Team All-MAC honors, marking the third straight year he has been named to an All-MAC Team, while junior forward Michael Bramos was named to the All-MAC Second Team and junior guard Kenny Hayes earned Honorable Mention All-MAC honors. It also marked the fifth straight year Miami has had at least one first-team selection. Pollitz--who was an Honorable Mention All-MAC selection in 2006 and also earned First-Team All-MAC honors last season--became the first player to be named to an All-MAC team three straight years since Devin Davis was named to the All-MAC First Team in 1995, `96 and `97. Pollitz also became the first player since Wally Szczerbiak in 1998 and `99 to twice garner First-Team All-MAC honors. It was the first postseason league honor for both Bramos and Hayes.

POLLITZ NAMED TO NABC ALL-DISTRICT TEAM: Senior forward Tim Pollitz earned Second-Team All-District 10 honors by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. Selected and voted on by member coaches of the NABC, Pollitz is one of 150 student-athletes from 15 districts that are now eligible for the State Farm Division I All-America teams. Pollitz and Ohio's Leon Williams were the only two players to earn all-district honors from the Mid-American Conference. Notre Dame's Luke Harangody, Indiana's D.J. White and Eric Gordon, Dayton's Brian Roberts and Butler's Mike Green earned District 10 First-Team honors. Ohio State's Jamar Butler, Xavier's Drew Lavender and Butler's A.J. Graves joined Pollitz and Williams on the District 10 Second Team.

DIERKERS DOING DOUBLE DUTY: In Miami's last two games, junior forward Tyler Dierkers came up big for the RedHawks, posting his first two career double-doubles. Dierkers tied a career-high of 13 rebounds and added 11 points in a 74-61 win against Ohio in the MAC Tournament Quarterfinals and came back with an 11-point, 11-rebound double-double in a one-point loss to Kent State in the semifinals. Dierkers nearly had a double-double in the first half with 11 points and nine rebounds. He hauled in eight of his rebounds in the first 10 minutes of the game. For the tournament, Dierkers averaged 9.3 ppg and 10.0 rpg.

THIRTY SOMETHING: For the fifth time this season and for the second straight game, Miami had a player score 30 or more points as junior forward Michael Bramos poured in 31 points in a 73-49 win against Ohio on March 1. It was Bramos' fourth 30-point scoring effort of the season. Bramos also recorded 30 points in back-to-back games against Mississippi State on Nov. 25 and a career-high 36 points against Dayton on Nov. 28, becoming just the sixth player in Miami basketball history to score 30 points in back-to-back games. Junior guard Kenny Hayes scored a career-high 30 points at Valparaiso in Miami's previous game on Feb. 23.

LENDING A HELPING HAND: Miami's post players have been the RedHawks' top assist men this season. Senior forward Tim Pollitz has 98 assists this season and averages 3.06 apg, while junior center Tyler Dierkers has recorded 79 assists and averages 2.54 apg. The duo accounts for 44 percent of the team's assists.

DOUBLE-DIGIT TRIO: Junior guard Kenny Hayes scored a career-high 30 points, while junior forward Michael Bramos amassed 23 points and senior forward Tim Pollitz added 22 points in a double-overtime game at Valparaiso on Feb. 23, marking the first time since Dec. 2, 1997 three Miami players recorded 20 or more points in a game. Damon Frierson had 27 points, Wally Szczerbiak had 26 points and Anthony Taylor recorded 22 points against IUPUI during the 1997-98 season.

ROARING 20s: Eclipsing 20 points for the third straight game against Toledo on Feb. 6, junior guard Kenny Hayes strung together a series of 20-point scoring efforts. Hayes has scored 20 or more points in five of Miami's last 11 games and has the most consecutive 20-point games by a RedHawk this season. Junior forward Michael Bramos notched consecutive 20-plus point scoring efforts twice this season, most recently on March 1, and back-to-back 30-or-more point games against Mississippi State and Dayton earlier this season. Bramos has nine 20-point scoring efforts, senior forward Tim Pollitz has seven, while Hayes has five.

WORKING OVERTIME: Twice over an 11-day stretch Miami had games go to double overtime. The RedHawks lost a tough 78-75 decision at Western Michigan on Feb. 12 and dropped a 99-94 game at Valparaiso on Feb. 23. The 94 points against the Crusaders were Miami's most since amassing 100 at Central Michigan in a double-overtime game on Jan. 5, 2002. Earlier in the season, Miami defeated Illinois 61-58 in overtime.

THE HAYES HAS LIFTED: Junior guard Kenny Hayes started the season off scoring in double figures in his first two games, including 18 points in Miami's season-opening win against Xavier. After a somewhat foggy 11-game stretch where Hayes scored in double figures just three times and averaged 7.3 ppg, it seems that the fog has lifted as he has scored in double figures in 16 of the RedHawks' last 19 games, including three straight 20-point efforts from Feb. 2 - Feb. 9 and a career-high 30 points at Valparaiso on Feb. 23. He is averaging 15.2 ppg over Miami's last 17 games and shooting 50.0 percent from the field, 46.0 percent from 3-point range and 84.4 percent from the free-throw line. In MAC play, Hayes averaged 14.3 ppg.

POLLITZ RECORDS 500th CAREER REBOUND AND 200th CAREER ASSIST: With four assists and six rebounds at Ball State on Feb. 2, senior forward Tim Pollitz recorded his 200th career assist and 500th career rebound. Pollitz, who surpassed 1,000 career points earlier this season, owns 1,403 career points, 586 career rebounds and 231 career assists.

TWO REDHAWKS CLOSING IN ON CAREER TOP-10 CHARTS: Senior forward Tim Pollitz and junior forward Michael Bramos rank on or are closing in on several Miami career top 10-charts. Additionally, Bramos needs 22 points to become the 33rd RedHawk to amass 1,000 career points. Tim Pollitz • His .567 field-goal percentage ranks second all-time at Miami. • Needs 46 more field goals to tie the 3rd place total of 655. • Needs 7 points to tie the 9th-place total of 1,410.

Michael Bramos • Needs 12 blocked shots to tie the 3rd-place total of 109. • Is 2 3-pointers away from tying the 10th-place total of 129. • His .820 career free-throw percentage ties for 2nd all-time at Miami.

BRAMOS OUT: Junior forward Michael Bramos will not be available for the RedHawks's game at Tulsa due to a hand injury suffered during the MAC Tournament.

A MIAMI WIN WOULD ... • Hand Miami its first postseason win since defeating Utah 66-58 in the 1999 NCAA Midwest Region Second Round. • Up Miami to 18-15 overall, equaling its win total from each of the last two seasons. • Snap a three-game losing streak in postseason action. • Make Miami 1-0 against Tulsa.

A MIAMI LOSS WOULD ... • End the RedHawks' season with a 17-16 overall record. • Be Miami's fourth straight postseason loss. • Make Miami 0-1 against Tulsa and drop the RedHawks to 4-11 in road games this season.