GAME NOTES: With their sights set on another upset victory, the Miami Hurricanes invade Purcell Pavilion on Saturday afternoon to take on the 12th-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish in an ACC matchup.

Jim Larranaga's Hurricanes are coming off their biggest win of the season, as they routed fourth-ranked Duke on Wednesday (90-74), ending the nation's longest homecourt winning streak at the time at 41 games. The victory was the third in the last four games for Miami and moved the team to 12-4 overall and 2-1 in league play.

Mike Brey's Irish are coming off a win as well, as they topped Georgia Tech on the road, 62-59. On the surface, the victory doesn't look all that impressive, but the team battled some adversity as a key player for Notre Dame was ruled out for the game, leaving others to fill the void. With the three-point win, Notre Dame moved to 16-2 on the year, with a 3-1 league ledger.

Miami and Notre Dame have split 16 all-time meetings. The Hurricanes evened things up with a 71-64 victory at the BankUnited Center last February.

WHatever Miami did at Cameron Indoor Stadium this week, few teams have replicated in the past. The Hurricanes not only shut down a potent offensive squad, holding Duke to just .439 shooting, but they also shot the lights out in Durham, converting .518 from the floor, and distancing themselves from the Blue Devils in the second half by shooting a scorching .667 after the break. Star guard Angel Rodriguez had a huge game, posting a game-high 24 points. Fellow guard Sheldon McClellan added 14 points to the cause, while center Tonye Jekiri recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

On the season, Miami has been efficient at both ends of the floor, shooting .452 overall, while holding foes to a mere .407 shooting. McClellan and Rodriguez both transferred in from Texas and Kansas State, respectively, and both have paid immediate dividends. McClellen is shooting an impressive .532 from the floor and tops the team with 15.3 ppg. Rodriguez is right behind at 15.2 ppg, and leads the team in both assists (4.3 apg) and steals (2.3 spg). Manu Lecomte adds yet another backcourt scoring threat to the roster with his 10.2 ppg. Jekiri isn't much of a scorer (7.9 ppg) but he does lead the conference in rebounding (9.9 rpg).

Notre Dame came into the Georgia Tech game shorthanded as starting forward Zach Auguste was ruled out due to an academic matter. Still, the Irish were able to fight their way to a victory, securing the team's best start to a season since the 1978-79 campaign. Five Notre Dame players notched double figures in the win over the Yellow Jackets, led by Jerian Grant's 12 points. Steve Vasturia added 11 points, followed by Pat Connaughton, V.J. Beachem and Bonzie Colson, who all chipped in 10.

The Irish are one of the nation's premier offensive squads, coming into this game averaging 82.1 ppg on an impressive .530 shooting. Auguste was a big part of the offensive equation for Notre Dame though and his 14.3 points per game on a scorching .653 shooting will be missed until his off-the-court issues are resolved. The team will still funnel everything through the do-it-all Grant. The veteran guard is tops on the team in scoring (16.3 ppg) and assists (6.3 rpg), ranking among the nation's best in the latter. The scoring pool continues as both Connaughton (14.1 ppg) and Demetrius Jackson (13.8 ppg) have a penchant for filling up the basket as well.

The loss of Auguste is a serious blow for Notre Dame, especially if it continues for a period of time. Still, at home, expect others to step up and fill the void. The big win over Duke could take something out of the 'Canes and there simply isn't any time to rest in the ACC.