MIAMI BASKETBALL

MU scheduling issue had systemic roots

By MIKE SMITH
When Miami RedHawk basketball fans couldn't find a 2025-26 men's basketball schedule well into fall, some wondered why. Other MAC schools had previously finished -- and posted -- their own schedules.What was the holdup?

Turns out there was . . . 

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. . . a big reason for the delay -- and the RedHawks have been forced to live with that unfortunate situation throughout their historic campaign. The bottom line?

Finding upper level teams willing to schedule MU turned out to be a huge problem this year.
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Head coach Travis Steele mentioned the issue early, pointing out teams were lined up to play Miami during his first couple years with the program. Those Steele-led teams were getting better but weren't considered scheduling adverse ... yet!!

Steele's comments likely sounded like typical coach-speak as the RedHawks rumbled through non-conference play. There were some close calls, but also blowouts. More than a few skeptics and detractors likely felt the schedule was intentionally padded. Consequently, they have little sympathy for Miami as an NCAA tournament at-large selection.

With selection Sunday just a week away, perhaps the issue  should be set straight. Apparently, Yahoo senior writer Jeff Eisenberg thought so when he recently wrote a piece detailing how MU ended up with the 2025-26 schedule. 

His article contains extensive quotes from Miami associate head coach Jonathan Holmes, who spent many hours trying to build a challenging schedule. Unfortunately, the word was out about Steele's latest team. After recording 25 wins the previous season, MU was bringing back most of a talented group looking for more. 

Eisenberg does a good job of explaining the current NCAA basketball evaluation system, which made Miami a high-risk, low/no-reward for many teams. Holmes told Yahoo Sports "probably betwen 75 and 90 teams," including power conferences, A-10 and Mountain West programs turned him down. Finally, by October, Miami had to settle for a non-league schedule including three NAIA opponents among a number of Division I lesser-knowns. 

As Eisenberg puts it, "the Redhawks did not play the 364th-ranked non-conference schedule by choice. Their Charmin-soft schedule is a byproduct of a system rigged against small-conference teams trying to punch above their weight class."

Miami athletic director David Saylor also weighed in -- “It's very challenging if you're not Quad 1 or Quad 4,” Sayler said. “Nobody wants to play you if you’re Quad 2 or Quad 3, because you can do nothing but damage to them if you beat them or if the game is closer than people think it should have been."

In addition to addressing the Miami's scheduling issue, Eisenberg's article also provides some insight on the hiring of Steele, as well as the foundation for this year's team. 

While I have somewhat limited time for "combing" the internet -- even for Miami -- I have to say that Eisenberg deserves big time kudos for his work on this story. It is well worth the read and can be found HERE.