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Miami pulls away from Huskies for fifth straight Byers scores 17 points off bench in 18 minutes  By MIKE SMITH
DeKALB, IL -- Northern Illinois held Miami's leading scorer to one basket and saddled Miami (12-4, 4-0 MAC) with early foul trouble, but the RedHawks used their depth to post an 84-69 victory Tuesday at the NIU Convocation Center. It was the sixth straight win for MU, which is tied with Akron and Ohio (all at 4-0) atop the MAC standings. Northern Illinois (4-12, 0-4 MAC) dropped its fourth straight and remains winless in conference play. The Huskies were pummeled by Ohio 108-70 last Saturday in Athens, but they stepped up their game against MU. A big part of . . . Basketball, football, softball notes  By MIKE SMITH
RedHawk fortunes continue to shine on several fronts as we reach mid-January. BASKETBALL https://x.com/LTandSammyD1/status/1879159958299668834 • The Miami men's basketball team is off to its best MAC start (3-0) since 2005. With a very winnable game at Northern Illinois (4-11, 0-3 MAC), MU could carry a six-game win streak into Saturday's showdown at perennial MAC title contender Kent State (11-4, 2-1 MAC). • Miami entered the College Insider Top 25 Poll at No. 25. See the list HERE • This could be Miami's last basketball meeting with NIU ... for a while, anyway. The Huskie football program is moving to Mountain West next year, and other sports are headed elsewhere -- to be determined. • The Mid-American Conference announced Monday that Miami . . . RedHawks blast Broncos for fifth straight win OXFORD, OH -- Hosting Miami connected on 58.3 percent from the field during a blistering first half performance that set up a 91-71 RedHawks victory over Western Michigan Saturday at Millett Hall.
It was the fifth consecutive win for MU, which is now 3-0 in conference play for the first time since 2005. Western Michigan dropped its eighth straight outing. The RedHawks . . . Craft scores 28 as RedHawks move to 2-0 MAC Best conference start since 2010-11  By MIKE SMITH
MUNCIE, IN -- Kam Craft scored 28 points and the RedHawks survived Ball State's free throw-heavy offense as visiting Miami (10-4, 2-0 MAC) held off the Cardinals for an 80-72 victory Tuesday at Worthen Arena. The Cardinals not only lead the MAC in free throws attempted (388), they have 95 more tries than the next team (Toledo, 293). That's an average of 27.7 charity tosses per game. Ball State (7-7, 1-1 MAC) got to the line for 30 against MU, sinking 21. Miami, meanwhile, finished the night . . . Transfer portal turning Red Hawk  By MIKE SMITH
With Miami football graduating a bevy of quality talent and several other RedHawks joining the portal, recent weeks have been a busy time as MU attempts to reload. Some moves came relatively early, but a flurry of recent additions have been been exciting. One even borders stunning. According to On3.com, the RedHawks have landed six transfer portal players. The most recent might also be the most surprising, given that just over a year ago he was leading Toledo's offense against Miami in the MAC Championship game. Dequann Finn was the 2023 Vern Smith Leadership Award winner. That's the . . . MU offense thrives in MAC-opening win over Bulls Craft, Byers lead Six RedHawks reach double figures  Brant Byers connected on all six 3-point tries. (MVSmith/MRO) By MIKE SMITH
OXFORD, OH -- Miami (9-4, 1-0 MAC) connected on 17-of-34 3-point attempts on the way to a 93-79 win over Buffalo (5-8, 0-1 MAC) Saturday at Millett Hall. Brant Byers, a 6-8 redshirt freshman, was a perfect 6-of-6 from long distance as he scored 18 points. He was one of six RedHawks reaching double figures. Kam Craft led the group with 20 points, including a couple of big treys to help stem a second half Bulls comeback. Peter Suder tallied 17 points, while Eian Elmer and Mekhi Cooper contributed 11 apiece. The RedHawks shot 45.1 percent from the field overall and 50 percent on threes. Buffalo, meanwhile, connected on 50.9 percent overall and 50 percent on threes. However, the Bulls totaled four less field goals (32-28) and seven less 3-point goals (17-10). Miami owned . . . TEAM: Miami RedHawks 2023-24 RECORD: 15-17, 9-9 MAC HEAD COACH: Travis Steele PRESEASON MAC COACHES POLL: 6th of 12 teams OVERVIEW by MIKE SMITH:
(all rankings are MAC) >> After posting 12 wins in Travis Steele's first season at the helm, Miami nearly broke the .5oo mark last season with a 15-17 overall mark last year. That included a 9-9 regular season MAC record that was good enough for a No. 7 seed in the MAC tournament. Akron, who went on the win the tourney, knocked MU out early. Although the RedHawks lost several key performers from the 2023-24 team, there is significant optimism surrounding this year's squad. >> MU finished the . . . RedHawks rip Defiance in final non-conference game MU bench contributes 83 of record 141 points  Kam Craft hits a short jumper. (MVSmith/MRO) By MIKE SMITH
OXFORD, OH -- The Miami RedHawks wrapped up non-conference play with a record-setting 141-58 win over Defiance College Monday at Millett Hall. The 141 points were a new scoring record for MU, which led 74-25 at intermission. While the (NAIA-level) Yellow Jackets fell to 0-5 on the year, Miami is 8-4. The RedHawks open Mid-American Conference play Saturday when they host Buffalo (1 p.m.). Defiance led once (3-2) after an early triple by Evan Angstmann. However, Miami took over and led by 27 points midway through the period. The hosts were up 49 at intermission. Miami shot a blistering 76.3 percent from . . . Senior-led RedHawks finish in win column Game MVP Davis ignites second half scoring surge  By MIKE SMITH
TUSCON, AZ -- Senior running back Kevin Davis led a second-half RedHawks breakaway as Miami scored 34 points after intermission to defeat Colorado State 43-17 Saturday in the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl at Arizona Stadium. A crowd of just over 40,000 watched the two offenses sputter over the first two quarters. Neither team scored a touchdown and MU took a 9-6 lead to the locker room thanks to three field goals (34, 26, and 24) by Dom Dzioban. Those followed Jordan Noye's 21-yard field goal to cap CSU's 13-play, 72-yard opening drive. It would be the . . . Bowl-bound 'Hawks need to regain their "MU-jo"  By MIKE SMITH
For the Miami RedHawks, playing a late December bowl game has its plusses and minuses. On the negative side, MU players have had some extra time to stew in the sauce of a disappointing MAC Championship loss to Ohio. Head coach Chuck Martin acknowledged it left a bitter taste in the mouths of everybody. Of course, a plus is that a bowl game is a chance to move on and finish with a win. Especially with a strong senior class that has accomplished so much, such an opportunity should be valued. Miami has lost its last two bowl appearances (2022 and 2023), In both those matchups, the . . . |
Editor-Publisher Mike SmithMike grew up in Mid-American Conference football and basketball territory and returned there after military service. He has been covering MAC football and men's basketball for much of the last several decades. 
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