This season, the Miami Redhawks basketball team has taken the country by storm. They have started 16-0 led on the back of their team-based approach. The Redhawks have 5 players averaging over double digits and another right on the cusp. Over the off-season, the Redhawks made a big emphasis on keeping their players from leaving in the transfer portal, returning around two-thirds of their minutes from the team that finished 2nd in the MAC and reached the MAC championship game last season. They made a couple of changes on the margins, bringing in bench big Almar Atlasson out of the transfer portal from Bradley. Then, a couple of bench Freshmen like guard Trey Perry, big Tyler Robbins, and wing Justin Kirby.
Redhawk History
Currently, the Redhawks are a projected 12 seed in the NCAA Tournament out of a 68-team field in Joe Lunardi’s most recent bracketology. This would mark their highest seed in the tournament since 1999, and their first appearance since 2007. The 16-0 undefeated start makes history for the program, breaking the previous record of 10-0 set in the 1917-18 season and also the 1943-44 season. Miami Alumnus Roman Draut says, “Yeah, the last Miami team that I can remember being this good was when Wally Szczerbiak was there. I actually remember going to the game where they beat Tennessee when they (Tennessee) were ranked super high.” In this historic Miami game, the 18th-ranked Vols came to Oxford and were stunned by the Redhawks on the back of Wally Szczberiak’s 34 points and 12 rebounds.
Rest of Season
Although Miami has started the season so hot, the most challenging portion of the season is yet to come. Their out-of-conference schedule featured one team with a winning record, and they are competing in a comparatively much more challenging MAC schedule. The Redhawks are missing their starting Point Guard and best player, Evan Ipsaro, for the rest of the season after he tore his ACL. This loss of Ipsaro could be the difference between this team making a long run in March and even being a barrier to making the tournament. As a small school from the MAC, the Redhawks cannot slip up in the MAC Tournament, or else they are left at the will of the Selection committee, who have not been so lenient in the past years with small mid-major schools.
