NCAA BASKETBALL

UT first half blitz proves decisive as RedHawks fall

By MIKE SMITH
PHILADELPHIA, PA -- One of the most historic seasons in Miami University athletics came to an end Friday as No. 6 seed Tennesse defeated No. 11 Miami 78-56 in NCAA tournament play at Xfinity Movile Arena. 

Tennessee, which moves on and will face Virginia in Round two action, raised its record to 23-11 (11-7 SEC). Miami fell to 32-2 (18-0 MAC) 

The RedHawks were led by senior guard Peter Suder, who scored 27 points. However, in a dramatic departure from Miami's production throughout 2025-26, Suder was the only RedHawk to reach double figures. Seven Miami players finished the season with scoring averages in double figures. 

Suder went 4 of 7 from . . . 

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. . . beyond the arc. No other RedHawk scored more than one trey. He also went 9 of 10 at the charity stripe, accounting for all but two of MU's 11 made free throws. 

Aside from an opening salvo during which MU hit three treys and held small leads, RedHawk shooters struggled against a quick, tall and tenacious Tennessee defense that took away nearly all of the things that helped Miami beat SMU Wednesday night. 

Not only did the RedHawks get outscored in the paint 40-16, they hit just 7 of 29 (24%) 3-point tries. Overall, MU connected on 19 of 54 (35%) from the field. 

The Volunteers quickly capitalized on their size advantage and an outstanding performance by guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie.  The senior guard, who averages 18.0 ppg, came out firing -- and hitting -- from just about everywhere. He finished with a game-high 29 points, including 22 before intermission.

As a team, UT's offense hit 19 of 35 shots (54%) overall and 8 of 13 (62%) from beyond the arc before intermission. Miami, which totaled four turnovers against SMU, recorded nine turnovers in the first half Friday. Tennessee turned that into 17 points and took a commanding 51-32 halftime lead. 

While UT cooled to 27 second half points, the RedHawks managed just 24 of their own and never got closer then 18 points in the second stanza. 

Despite the loss, Miami head coach Travis Steele noted this year's RedHawks squad has excelled on and off the court. "I couldn't be more proud of our group," he said. "Our team has had a heck of a journey."

NOTES: 
•  Suder's big scoring night gave him 487 points this season and a total of 1596 in his career. "He did today what he's been doing all year," Brant Byers said.
"Captain Millett, man," echoed Trey Perry. "Suder is an amazing player and an amazing teammate – a guy you love having on your team. He showed it tonight; obviously we were losing the majority of the game, but Suder kept fighting. We can rally behind his play, and we did at times; we just fell short."
•  Atlason, Byers, and Elmer played in all 34 games for Miami this year, matching the program record for appearances in a season.
•  The RedHawks ended the year with a program-record 1,049 made field goals and scored a program-record 3,047 points while also setting new records for field goal percentage (51.7%) and most made free throws in a season (592)..
•  Steele said his emphasis has been on building a program that's not only successful, but sustainable. "Your retention allows you to keep your culture so you're not constantly starting a new culture every single year," Steele said.
•  When the time comes for Miami to turn the page to 2026-27, the future of the RedHawks' program seems very bright. "We're building a mid-major powerhouse," Perry said confidently. And Evan Ipsaro, who missed the final 22 games of the season due to injury, mentioned one more silver lining in the hallway as Miami prepared to depart the arena: "I'll be back for the next game!"