GAME NOTES: The championship game of the Charleston Classic is on tap for Sunday night at TD Arena, as the Miami-Florida Hurricanes take on the Charlotte 49ers.

Miami has cruised en route to the title match with a pair of easy victories to open this event - downing Drexel in the opening round, 66-46, and beating Akron in the semifinals, 79-51. The Hurricanes are 4-0 on the season and could be in consideration for a national ranking when the next poll is announced, especially considering their 69-67 upset win at No. 8 Florida on Nov. 17.

Charlotte has been challenged in this event but came out on the positive end of two close tilts with Penn State (106-97 in double OT) and South Carolina (65-63) to advance. The 49ers are also undefeated on the campaign at 3-0.

The all-time series between the programs is knotted up at four games a side. Coincidentally, the teams will also play on Tuesday night in Charlotte.

The Hurricanes barely broke a sweat in their semifinal-round matchup with Akron, pulling away in the second half for a 28-point victory after outshooting the Zips from the field on the afternoon, 59.3 percent to 33.3 percent. They also held a convincing advantage in the rebounding battle (40-27) and outscored their opponent in the paint (42-20). Sheldon McClellan poured in a game-high 17 points, while Angel Rodriguez flirted with a triple- double by posting 15 points, nine assists and eight rebounds. Manu Lecomte and Omar Sherman netted 14 and 13 points, respectively, while Tonye Jekiri logged eight points, 16 rebounds and four blocks.

On the season, Miami has been dominant, shooting 49.3 percent from the field for 74.5 ppg while allowing just 53.2 ppg on 35.7 percent shooting. Rodriguez scores 17.5 ppg and hands out more than five assists per outing. McClellan (12.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg), Lecomte (11.5 ppg) and Jekiri (7.5 ppg, 12.0 rpg, 2.5 bpg) are also mainstays in the starting lineup.

The 49ers faced a 14-point deficit late in the first half on Friday put pieced together a 22-6 run that lasted into the second half to get back in the game. In a tight contest down the stretch, the 49ers snapped a 63-63 tie with 1:08 left on a pair of free throws by Mike Throne Jr. and dodged several attempts by South Carolina to tie or take the lead in the remaining time to hold on. Although their field goal percentage wasn't anything special (.434), they held a scoring advantage both from 3-point range (18-9) and the foul line (13-8). Pacing four teammates in double figures was Braxton Ogbueze with 14 points, while Pierria Henry (12 points), Willie Clayton (11) and Thorne (10) were also integral in the win.

Generating offense is usually a strength for Charlotte, which shoots 47.6 percent from the field (including 43.1 percent from beyond the arc) for 81.3 ppg this season, although it has been turnover prone with nearly 18 giveaways per game. Ogbueze is the team's leading scorer with 17.3 ppg and has been nearly automatic at the foul line (19-of-21). Thorne is a nightly double- double threat with 13.7 ppg and 11.0 rpg and Henry stuffs the stat sheet with 10.7 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 4.3 apg and 1.7 spg.

Charlotte has shown a knack for pulling out close games in this event, so if it can hang around with Miami it can certainly find a way down the stretch to earn the win. However, the Hurricanes have proven to be the most well-rounded and imposing team in this tournament and are expected to be crowned the champions.