Fans of Miami University men’s basketball watched the RedHawks have their best season of the 21st century last year. Despite losing in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) championship, Miami took a massive step forward, producing its best record since 1998-99.
Tonight, after six months since the title game, the RedHawks will take the court in the 2025-26 season opener against the Old Dominion University Monarchs at Millett Hall.
Miami has its highest expectations under fourth-year head coach Travis Steele. The RedHawks rank No. 10 in the College Insider mid-major preseason poll and second in the MAC preseason poll.
“After the year we had last year, there’s a target on our back,” senior guard Peter Suder said. “Now, we’re not No. 6 or No. 7 in the preseason rankings; we’re No. 2, and we got a lot of key pieces back this year. We got to treat every game like it’s everybody’s Super Bowl, like it’s the MAC championship every single game.”
The RedHawks lost three players to the transfer portal, notably redshirt junior guard Kam Craft to Georgia Tech University. However, Miami returned 10 players from last season, including leading-scorer Suder and two starters, junior wing Eian Elmer and senior forward Antwone Woolfolk. Junior guard Evan Ipsaro and redshirt sophomore forward Brant Byers also return after having standout seasons in 2024-25, averaging 6.9 and 8.4 points, respectively.
“We fell short last year, but we brought back players,” Elmer said. “People are giving us that respect. We’re going to be good, but we still got to work and earn that. That’s been a conversation [for us]: How are we going to go out there and demand respect? We knew we’re going to get everybody’s best shot, we’re going to be everybody’s Super Bowl, but we have to earn those wins still.”
Beyond the 10 returners, Miami brought in six freshmen and one transfer. Similar to previous years, Steele said having a deep bench is a top priority for the coaching staff going into 2025-26.
The RedHawks ranked second in the conference averaging 80.6 points per game, but they were towards the bottom of the MAC in rebounds. Miami averaged 34.1 total rebounds, good for eighth. Steele said catching rebounds, especially offensively, was an area for improvement in the preseason.
“The rebounding war and the turnover disparity are the two most indicative things of winning,” Steele said. “Our guys probably get tired of hearing about it, but it’s block out, block out, block out. Then on the other end, we got to crash the glass like crazy to give ourselves second opportunities.”
On the other side of the court, Old Dominion arrives in Oxford after a 15-20 record last season. The Monarchs finished ninth in the Sun Belt Conference and advanced to the quarterfinals of the conference tournament.
Sean Durugordon, the team’s leading scorer last season, graduated and currently plays for the Texas Legends in the NBA G League. However, junior guard Robert Davis Jr., Old Dominion’s second-leading scorer at 15.6 points per game, will play as a Monarch once more.
In the Monarchs’ exhibition game against Hampton University on Oct. 26, transfer senior guard LJ Thomas led the roster with 22 points. Thomas previously played for Austin Peay State University, and he averaged a team-high 14.2 points last season.
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Tonight’s game will be the third meeting between Miami and Old Dominion. The two haven’t faced in 25 years, when the RedHawks won the second meeting 64-57 in 2000. Miami holds a 2-0 record against the Sun Belt Conference opponent.
Tipoff for Miami’s first game of the 2025-26 season is at 7 p.m. at Millett.
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