<p>Only seven games into his Miami career, Jack McClinton has already proven to teammates that he can score in big numbers.</p><p>And the Hurricanes probably know by now that McClinton can't carry them alone, either.</p><p>Oddly enough, when McClinton has been at his best in the season's early going, the Hurricanes have been at their worst. So coach Frank Haith is hoping to see both productivity and balance on Sunday, when Miami (4-3) opens the Atlantic Coast Conference schedule at home against No. 21 Georgia Tech (6-1).</p><p>"The three games we've lost have all been games where Jack has been our only leading scorer," Haith said. "And I think we need to understand that can't be the case for us to be the team we want to be. We've got to have balance. Our stat sheets have got to look like what they were in the four games we won."</p><p>Those boxscores clearly prove Haith's point.</p><p>McClinton _ the transfer guard from Siena who was the ACC's leading scorer entering the weekend at more than 20 points per game _ has finished with double-figures in scoring in each of Miami's seven games. His teammates have combined for only 14 double-digit efforts in those contests.</p><p>In Miami's four wins, the Hurricanes have had a player score 10 or more points 17 times. In the three losses, it's happened only four times _ three by McClinton, the other by Anthony Harris.</p><p>Against a Georgia Tech team that's thrived under coach Paul Hewitt's up-tempo philosophy and comes in averaging 86.9 points on 52 percent shooting so far this year, the Hurricanes know offensive execution will be paramount.</p><p>"For us to be successful, we need consistent effort out of all those guys from a production standpoint," said Haith, who will coach Sunday, two days after the funeral for his nephew, Sean Bell, 23.</p><p>Bell was killed last Saturday _ what would have been his wedding day _ by a barrage of 50 police bullets as he left his bachelor party.</p><p>"It has not been an easy week," Haith said.</p><p>McClinton's year has gotten off to a hot start fueled mostly by his 3-point shooting, with 25 makes in 45 attempts so far from behind the arc, a 56 percent success clip.</p><p>He's coming off a 30-point effort _ matching his career-high, set during his year at Siena _ in the Hurricanes' 61-59 loss at Northwestern on Tuesday, and already has five games of 20-plus points this year.</p><p>"The points really don't matter to me," said McClinton, who sat out last season because of NCAA transfer rules. "I'm just trying to do what my team needs me to do. I'd rather have 10 in a win than have 30 in a loss."</p><p>Now, he'll finally get a long-awaited taste of ACC competition _ and teammates say they believe McClinton's ready for the challenge.</p><p>"He's just got to keep doing what he's doing," Harris said. "And other guys like myself have to step up and help him out."</p><p>The Hurricanes are unbeaten at home (3-0) this year and have won both of their conference-season home openers since joining the ACC, but understand that Georgia Tech represents a significant test.</p><p>"This game is probably going to be a sellout and that's great," Haith said. "You can have a game in the fall where you can have a packed house. I think all those things are positives. Playing a team that's probably picked third or fourth in our league and top 20, you ought to be excited about playing that kind of game."</p>
