A Miami two-step: Both RedHawk basketball teams keep dancing in March

The Miami University Men's Basketball team entered the Athletic Performance Center in high spirits at 6 p.m., Sunday night. With a wall of cameras in front of a projector screen pointed directly at them, the record-breaking team sat down unfazed.

With the future uncertain, a media mob prepared to record the players' reactions if Miami’s name was called. The RedHawks waited for the region announced third — the Midwest Region — to discover their fate.

At the NCAA tournament First Four games the RedHawks will match up against the Southern Methodist University (SMU) Mustangs for the right to the No. 11 seed and a first round game against the No. 6 seeded University of Tennessee. The First Four games will be played at the University of Dayton Arena, with Miami slated for 9:15 p.m. on Wednesday, March 18.

The Mustangs provide a unique challenge for the 31-1 RedHawks. Senior guard Boopie Miller — a familiar foe from his time at Central Michigan University — averages almost 20 points and just over six assists per game. His impact must be limited for the RedHawks to be successful.

At 7 feet 2 inches, sophomore center Samet Yigitoglu will be the tallest opponent Miami has faced all season. Averaging just over 10 points and eight rebounds per game, Yigitoglu could wreak havoc against the much shorter RedHawk team.

“I know we will have a lot of work over the next couple days,” said Miami head coach Travis Steele. “We have to be ready to embrace the physicality of the game. If we do that we will be fine.”

Playing in Dayton will make this game reminiscent of those at Millett Hall, as Steele hopes many Miami fans will make the trip.

“Hopefully we’ll have a lot of RedHawk nation in attendance on Wednesday night supporting us,” Steele said. “I would argue that the environment in Dayton is better than any other environment. Miami fans will have the opportunity to make it a home game.”

The Miami University Women’s Basketball team already knew they would be moving on to March Madness after winning the MAC tournament in Cleveland on Saturday. However, the RedHawks did not know where their NCAA tournament hopes would take them.

Like their counterparts, it would take the RedHawks until the third regional announcement before they could celebrate. They will head to Morgantown, West Virginia as the No. 13 seed as part of the Third Fort Worth Region. They will take on the No. 4 seeded West Virginia University Mountaineers on Saturday, March 21 at 5 p.m.

The Mountaineers play a well-rounded game, with a variety of players impacting the game at different times. They utilize a deep bench which allows many of their players to score. As a much higher seed, the national media believes West Virginia should easily overcome Miami, but head coach Glenn Box views the situation differently.

“I think our defense gives us confidence,” Box said. “It makes things hard for other people, it’s hard to go on big runs against us. It relaxes us offensively because we know we can get big stops and defense travels.”

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After the win in the championship game on Saturday, Box made it clear that the standard for this team was to advance to the second round of the tournament, a rare feat for mid-major teams. Although it is an ambitious goal, Box believes that his players have the ability to perform well in necessary moments.

“I think about Amber Tretter,” coach Box said, “If I’m gonna go down with anyone it was her. She’s earned the moment to win, the right to be here. I am super proud of her.”

This is the second time the RedHawks have made ‘The Big Dance,” a milestone that Miami wants to celebrate. The excitement of the four players returning from last season makes it clear how impactful the success has been for the team.

“We are a team, we stick together, we play for each other,” said returning sophomore forward Ilse de Vries. “We’re so excited to play [in the tournament].”

The women's team will have almost a week to prepare for the Mountaineers, longer than coach Steele who only has two days to strategize a gameplan against SMU. Regardless of the matchup, all of the current plans make travel for RedHawk fans more accessible.

The renaissance of Miami Basketball has elevated the university as a mid-major basketball power. Both teams from Oxford will compete on the national stage in the same season for the first time ever as they look to bring magical moments home.

@themeneghetti

meneghcj@miamioh.edu