Miami University men’s and women’s basketball teams will host a double-header gameday at Millett Hall on Feb. 1 for One Miami Day. The women’s team will open the day at 1 p.m. with a Battle of the Bricks rivalry matchup against the Ohio University Bobcats. The men’s team will then take the court against the Northern Illinois University Huskies at 3:30 p.m.
The doubleheader also serves as an Alumni Day for both teams. Miami men’s basketball legend and five-time NBA champion Ron Harper will be awarded an honorary degree from the university in between the games.
Tickets have been sold out for both games, but Miami students can join a ticket waitlist before the doors open at noon. Both games will be broadcast on ESPN+.
Women’s game vs. Ohio University (1 p.m.)
While the men’s team has earned national recognition for its remarkable season, the women’s team has quietly dominated the Mid-American Conference (MAC) and posted its best start to conference play in 36 years. Miami is 9-0 against MAC opponents for the first time since the 1989-90 season.
The RedHawks (17-4) sit at the top of the conference standings. They downed the Ball State University Cardinals — last year’s MAC champions — 72-52 on Jan. 24 and outscored Northern Illinois 71-43 on Jan. 28. Miami was on the road for both games before returning to Millett this weekend.
Miami holds a perfect record at home this season and is currently on a 10-game winning streak. Junior forward Amber Tretter has been crucial to the team’s success, averaging 14.1 points and scoring in the double digits in 16-straight games. She has recorded five double-doubles this season, bringing her career total to 25, the fourth-highest in program history.
Tretter led the roster with 17 points in Miami’s last game against Northern Illinois. Núria Jurjo followed with 12 points and shot a perfect 5-5 from the field, including two 3-pointers.
Four players average more than 10 points per game: Tretter (14.1), senior guard Amber Scalia (13.3), sophomore forward Ilse de Vries (12.2) and sophomore guard Tamar Singer (10.2). The RedHawks lead the MAC with a 45.6% accuracy from the field and a 34.4% accuracy from 3-point range.
The Bobcats enter Oxford on a two-game losing streak. Ohio sits at 12-7 (6-3), good for a No. 5 ranking in the conference.
With losses to the University of Toledo Rockets and the University of Massachusetts Minutemen, the Bobcats lost their first back-to-back set of games of the season. They started conference play with four-straight wins but have gone 2-3 since then.
Ohio boasts one of the most dominant offenses in the MAC. The team averages 74.3 points per game, good for second in the conference. Junior guard Bailey Tabeling has led the way for the team, bringing in 13.5 points per game. The Bobcats have been lethal from distance, with five players ranking in the top 25 of the conference for 3-point field goal percentage.
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Miami took both Battles of the Bricks last season and hasn’t lost to Ohio since Jan. 27, 2024. With less than two months until the MAC tournament, the RedHawks are looking to keep their momentum going and remain the No. 1 seed in the conference.
Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. Millett will open its doors at noon for the Carnival on the Concourse.
Men’s game vs. Northern Illinois University (3:30 p.m.)
Following the women’s game, the men’s team will take the court at Millett once again after Tuesday’s sold-out performance against UMass.
The No. 24 RedHawks rose to 21-0 (9-0) thanks to a second-half comeback against the Minutemen. With 9,223 in attendance — the 10th-most attended event at Millett — the RedHawks took a 86-84 victory despite trailing by four at halftime.
“That’s the loudest I’ve ever heard Millett,” head coach Travis Steele said. “Where we were three years ago to where we are now, it shows that it can be done here, that our student base loves sports. They just want to get behind something that matters. [We’re] super appreciative of all the students that came out.”
One hour before the game, Steele learned that starting guard Luke Skaljac would miss the game due to illness. The team was already missing starting junior guard Evan Ipsaro from a season-ending injury, but Steele emphasized the team’s resiliency and praised the performance from freshman guard Justin Kirby, who stepped up as a starter with 13 points.
“That’s what makes our group so special: We don’t flinch,” Steele said. “Luke’s obviously a great player, Evan Ipsaro is a phenomenal player; but our group just keeps going. Justin Kirby got his first career start, and he played tremendously. He’s been playing good basketball. Shoot, he was redshirting three weeks ago — tells you how stupid the head coach is.”
The RedHawks won all but one game at Millett in 2024-25 and remain perfect at home this season. Before the UMass game, Miami previously won in Oxford with an overtime victory against the University of Buffalo Bulls, which gave the RedHawks their first AP ranking since 1998-99.
Looking to continue their historic campaign, the RedHawks welcome the Huskies, who sit at 7-13 (3-6) and No. 11 in the MAC.
Northern Illinois is coming off a 85-65 win against Western Michigan University where the Huskies sank 15 3-pointers, tying for best in program history. Freshman guard Dylan Ducommon led the way with 21 points and seven triples — the most of his season — followed by 16 points each from sophomore guard Makhei Valentine and freshman guard Taj Walters.
Tipoff for the game is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. The RedHawks want to put on a spectacle for the sold-out crowd, and Steele said the atmosphere is what’s going to make the difference for both teams.
“We want to make them proud with how we play,” Steele said. “We’re going to utilize that crowd, I can tell you that now. Our women’s team is just kicking tail as well, and hopefully they can have the same crowd as we’re going to have on Saturday. I’d encourage all students to get out there early to support both programs because we’re both doing really, really well.”
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