Preview: Miami men’s basketball heads to Air Force

Following last week’s 80-point win, the Miami University RedHawks men’s basketball team (2-0) is on the road this weekend to take on the Air Force Falcons (0-3) on Nov. 15.

Their recent win pushed the RedHawks to No. 7 in the Mid-Major College Insiders’ Poll. Miami nearly broke a program record for points in a single game with 129 against the Trinity Christian College Trolls on Nov. 7 – 12 more points would have tied a 141-point performance last year against Defiance College.

The RedHawks are now looking to go 3-0 to start the season for the first time since 2021-22.

The 129-49 victory over Trinity Christian saw seven players score in the double figures. Freshman forward Kyle Waltz led the way with 23 points, while freshman forward Tyler Robbins scored a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds.

Redshirt sophomore wing Brant Byers’ 14.9 points per game average currently leads the roster. Five other players average more than 10 points per game including junior guard Evan Ipsaro (12.5) and senior guard Peter Suder, last year’s leading scorer (12.0).

Through the first few games of the 2025-26 season, Miami ranks highly in the nation in multiple categories. The RedHawks place second in field goal percentage (59.5%), fourth in 3-point field goal percentage (51.9%) and fourth in average points per game (108).

Compared to their stats through the first two games last season, the RedHawks are playing significantly better, averaging 108 points compared to 72.5. They also have more rebounds (69 last year, 84 this year) and assists (19 last year, 37 this year), and their shooting accuracy has improved to 59.5% from the field compared to 43.9% through the first two games last season.

Defensively, Miami is also holding opponents to fewer points. The RedHawks let Old Dominion University and Trinity Christian score 121 combined points. In 2024-25, they opened the season by allowing Appalachian State University and Wright State University to score 144 together.

On the other side of the court, Air Force has dropped three-straight games and remains winless in the 2025-26 season.

The Falcons’ are without their top two scorers from last season, with Ethan Taylor graduating and junior forward Luke Kearney transferring to Utah State University. Their leading scorer so far this season, freshman guard Kam Sanders, has 44 points and leads the roster with 11 made free throws.

Sanders, sophomore forward Eli Robinson and freshman guard Ethan Greenberg all average more than 10 points a game. Greenberg has the highest 3-point percentage on the team, shooting 8-16 (50%) from behind the arc.

Air Force is coming off a 4-28 campaign last season that saw the team go 1-19 in the Mountain West Conference. The Falcons were winless on the road and 3-13 at home.

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The RedHawks welcomed Air Force to Millett last season in what would be Suder’s best game of the year. He contributed 42 points, more than half of the team’s 73 total, enroute to Miami’s third-straight win at the time.

Despite holding a small lead at half and outshotting Miami on 3-pointers, Air Force allowed the RedHawks to add 44 points to its 30 in the second half. The back-and-forth battle ended in the final minutes, with Miami holding a 66-56 advantage with less than two minutes on the clock.

This year’s matchup will be the second meeting between the two programs. The RedHawks are looking to hold their undefeated status in the regular season against a reworked Air Force squad.

Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Clune Arena at the Air Force Academy. The game will be broadcast on the Mountain West Network.

@kethanbabu_04

babukc2@miamioh.edu