A historic season continues in Oxford.
The Miami RedHawks (15-0, 3-0 MAC) continued a program-best start to the season with a 76-73 home win over Mid-American Conference rival Akron on Jan. 3.
Slight home underdogs coming into the contest, Miami overcame a ferocious Zips defense for a program-defining win. Coming off of the winningest season in program history,
“I love winning this way for us,” Miami head coach Travis Steele said. “It was an ugly game at times offensively for us, but the teams that have the ability to win the conference tournament have to win a game like this.”
Miami overcomes slow start to take down Akron
The RedHawks came into the game as the nation’s top team in effective field goal shooting, but had trouble replicating that success early. A three-minute scoring drought and just 30% shooting had Miami trailing by as many as eight points in the first half, as a full-court Zips press seemed to have the RedHawks off-kilter.
“The game plan, you could obviously tell, was to put pressure on us, especially being down Evan (Ipsaro),” Steele said. Ipsaro, a Covington Catholic alumnus, was a starting guard for Miami before an anterior cruciate knee ligament tear in the Dec. 22 game against Milligan sidelined him for the rest of the season. He had been averaging 13.9 points before the injury, and the RedHawks had to have players step up to fill shoes.
“It’s next man up,” Steele said. “I thought our guys really responded well.”
The halftime break helped RedHawks turn things around, as Miami shot 40% from deep in the second half to turn a three-point deficit into a three-point win. Steele made sure to emphasize that it was the players who turned things around.
“I told our guys before the game this is a players game, don’t look over at the bench,” Steele said. “Our guys did that in the second half really well.”
The win was a cathartic victory for the RedHawks, avenging their 76-74 loss to Akron in the MAC tournament championship game a season ago. The win also stretched Miami’s home winning streak to 23 games, tying a program record.
Scoring outbursts from Byers, Elmer push Miami to win
Miami has varied up its scoring threats all season, and against Akron it was a two-headed attack from wings Brant Byers and Eian Elmer.
Byers, a redshirt sophomore, led the RedHawks with 24 points, shooting 6-for-10 from the floor and drawing fouls to add 9-for-10 shooting on free throws. Elmer, a junior and Covington native, scored 17 on with four 3-pointers and 7 rebounds.
For Byers, it was just part of playing in the system. “I was just trying to be myself out there,” Byers said. “Just do what I can do best and try not to get outside myself.”
Coach Steele complimented not just Elmer’s performance, but his growth within the program.
“Eian’s figured out his process since he’s been here,” Steele said, “and now he’s getting the results we need and he wants in order to be an elite team.”
Miami remains among nation’s six unbeatens
With the win over Akron, Miami is just one of six NCAA Division I men’s basketball teams without a loss. Miami is the lone mid-major program on the list, joining Arizona, Iowa State, Nebraska, Michigan and Vanderbilt.
The high major teams all found a place in the AP’s Dec. 22 top 25 ranking, while Miami received some votes. After securing undoubtedly their best win of the season against Akron, look for the RedHawks to get closer to cracking the list. If Miami is ranked in the Jan. 5 release, it will be the school’s first time in the AP top 25 since the 1998-1999 season.
For Steele, the increased attention as the team stacks wins is just a chance to highlight the culture they’ve built in Oxford.
“The preparation doesn’t change,” Steele said. “We create our separation with our preparation, and we have great player leadership.”
In a modern era where many teams turn to infusions of transfer talent, Steele seems most proud that his team is built up with returning players who have been developed in-house. “In today’s landscape, it’s hard to build a culture and a consistent winner,” Steele said. “Our culture is elite.”