Katie Meier, Shenise Johnson, and the Hurricanes play host to Florida Gulf Coast University in the WNIT on Thursday.

The University of Miami women’s basketball team will host in-state foe Florida Gulf Coast in the opening round of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament on Thursday, March 18 at 7 p.m. at the BankUnited Center.

“We are so excited to not only be in the postseason, but also to be recognized as a team worthy of being a host,” said head coach Katie Meier. “This is a credit to my team, staff, and our administration.”

The Hurricanes (17-13) are making their first postseason appearance since the 2005-06 season. It marks the 11th postseason and fifth WNIT appearance in program history. In Miami’s last postseason appearance, the ’Canes advanced to the second round of the 2006 WNIT after defeating FIU 95-83 at the BankUnited Center.

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Jim Morris has led UM to the College World Series in 11 of his 16 years at UM.

University of Miami head baseball coach Jim Morris and former Hurricanes Pat Burrell, Danny Matienzo, and Alex Cora have been nominated for potential selection to the CWS Legends Team, the NCAA has announced.

With the 2010 Men’s College World Series to be the last played in Omaha’s Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium, the NCAA is asking fans to help select a CWS Legends Team that will represent student-athletes and coaches who had the best CWS performances in the 60 years the event has been held at the stadium.

The team will include two student-athletes per fielding position, four pitchers, two designated hitters, three head coaches, and two “utility players.” The utility players will be determined by fan voting and represent those student-athletes deserving of recognition who may not have been selected by fans, media, and coaches at a particular position.

Morris, who has won two College World Series titles at Miami (1999 and 2001) and led the ’Canes to Omaha in 11 of his 16 seasons at UM, headlines Miami’s group of nominees. Burrell (1996-98) has been nominated as a third baseman, Matienzo (2001) as a designated hitter, and Cora (1994-96) as a shortstop. All three players earned All-CWS honors during their careers—including Cora, who earned the distinction on two occasions, and Burrell, who was named tournament MVP in 2006.

Fans can vote on who they think should be selected as members of the CWS Legends Team on the NCAA’s Web site at www.ncaa.com/cws. Representatives from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and all NCAA Division I head baseball coaches will be encouraged to vote as well. The NCAA will take all voting into consideration prior to making its announcement on the final CWS Legends Team roster.

Voting for the CWS Legends Team began last Thursday and will run until 12 p.m. on Friday, April 16.

The CWS Legends Team members will be invited to attend the final College World Series at Rosenblatt Stadium and will be formally honored during the CWS opening ceremonies at the stadium on Friday, June 18.

Durand Scott and the Hurricanes open the ACC Tournament against Wake Forest.

The University of Miami men’s basketball team will face Wake Forest in the first round of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament today, March 11 at 2 p.m. in the Greensboro (North Carolina) Coliseum.

Wake Forest earned the No. 5 seed courtesy of its 70-65 win over Clemson on Sunday evening.

The winner of the game between the fifth-seeded Demon Deacons (19-9, 9-7 ACC) and 12th-seeded Hurricanes (18-12, 4-12) will square off versus fourth-seeded Virginia Tech (23-7, 10-6) on Friday, March 12 at 2 p.m. in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals.

Miami and Wake Forest split the series this season, with each team winning at home. The Hurricanes knocked off the Demon Deacons 67-66 at the BankUnited Center on January 9, then fell in Winston-Salem 62-53 on February 2.

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Kirby Hocutt

University of Miami Director of Athletics Kirby Hocutt has been selected one of Street & Smith’s SportsBusiness Journal Forty Under 40 Award recipients. Those selected will receive their awards in Los Angeles during a black-tie ceremony at the JW Marriott Los Angeles at L.A. LIVE on Thursday, March 18. Hocutt is the only director of athletics in among this year’s award recipients.

The Forty Under 40 Awards program was initiated in 1999 to identify and honor the most promising young executives in the sports business under the age of 40. A committee of SportsBusiness Journal/Daily editors and writers selects winners.

“Our Forty Under 40 program recognizes the very best young talent from all the different segments of the sports industry, from teams and leagues, to agencies and media, to sponsors and partners,” said Richard Weiss, publisher of SportsBusiness Journal/Daily. “This year’s class is another outstanding group of young men and women who are at the top of their game and who wield enormous influence in sports.”

The winners were chosen from hundreds of nominees and were cited for specific achievement in the sports industry, including demonstrations of innovation, entrepreneurialism, leadership, and influence.

UM’s Antoine Allen has been named to the All-ACC Academic men’s Basketball Team.

University of Miami freshman guard Antoine Allen has been named to the 2010 All-Atlantic Coast Conference Academic Men’s Basketball Team.

Allen was among a group of 12, including five freshmen, to earn the recognition this season. To make the team, a student-athlete must have a 3.00 grade point average for the previous semester and maintain a 3.00 cumulative average during his academic career.

A broadcast journalism major, the Baltimore native is the eighth Hurricane to earn ACC All-Academic Team recognition since 2006. Miami trails only Duke, which has had nine players named to the academic team over that span.

As of press time, Allen had seen action in 16 games this season, averaging 3.1 points per game, while converting 41.7 percent from long range. The freshman scored a season-high nine points versus South Carolina State and hit a pair of three-point shots in four games. In addition, his seven assists versus Nova Southeastern rank among the top-five assists performances by an ACC freshman this season.

Joining Allen on the All-ACC Academic Men’s Basketball Team are Ben Boggs (freshman, Virginia Tech), CJ Harris (freshman, Wake Forest), Luke Loucks (sophomore, Florida State), Ryan Kelly (freshman, Duke), Jerome Meyinsse (senior, Virginia), Glen Rice Jr. (freshman, Georgia Tech), Will Sherrill (junior, Virginia), Tanner Smith (sophomore, Clemson), Andre Young (sophomore, Clemson), Tyler Zeller (sophomore, North Carolina), and Brian Zoubek (senior, Duke). Meyinsse, Zoubek, Smith, and Zeller are repeat selections from last year’s team.