CLEVELAND – After 31-straight wins, the Miami University men’s basketball team’s perfect record has finally concluded.
The RedHawks (31-1) entered the 2026 Mid-American Conference (MAC) tournament as the No. 1 seed after capturing the regular season title and going undefeated in conference play. However, Miami fell to the No. 8 seed University of Massachusetts Minutemen (17-15) in the quarterfinals 87-83 at Rocket Mortgage Arena.
“Big events call for big responses,” said Miami head coach Travis Steele in his postgame press conference. “We’ll move on [and] decompress because obviously we’re very emotional in the locker room … But it doesn't take away from the journey we’ve had.”
Miami controlled the game at halftime with a narrow 39-37 advantage. The RedHawks widened their lead to as many as 11 points throughout the second half, but UMass clawed back and eventually tied the game with five minutes to go. From that point, both teams would go back and forth until the Minutemen took a two-point lead with less than 30 seconds left.
A pair of free throws would widen that deficit to two scores, and Miami was unable to even the score before the final buzzer, giving the RedHawks their first loss of the 2025-26 season.
Graduate student forward Leonardo Bettiol led both teams in scoring with 25 points. Another three Minutemen scored in the double figures. Graduate student guard Marcus Banks Jr. had 18 and junior guard Jayden Ndjigue scored 16.
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Five RedHawks scored in the double digits, led by redshirt sophomore wing Brant Byers with 17. Junior wing Eian Elmer added 16 points thanks to three triples, the most by any player during the game.
UMass dominated the glass with 41 rebounds to Miami’s 24. Among those rebounds included 17 offensive grabs, which assisted the Minutemen to score 23 second-chance points. Miami grabbed nine offensive rebounds and scored eight second-chance points.
“I didn’t guide them as well today,” Steele said. “It’s totally on me. But ultimately, I give UMass a lot of credit. They kicked our tails around the rim and on those offensive glasses all night long, especially in that second half.”
Both teams kept the game even at 8-8 going into the first media timeout. Bettiol carried the Minutemen through much of the first half, scoring seven points in the first eight minutes. UMass slowly began to build a lead before Miami freshman guard Justin Kirby sank a 3-pointer bringing the score to 17-16.
The RedHawks capitalized on a series of mistakes from the Minutemen to take the lead after the 10-minute mark. After a layup from Byers, senior guard Peter Suder stole the ball off an inbound pass for another layup to give Miami the lead, which it held going into the seven-minute mark up 24-23.
Over the nextfive minutes, UMass would fight back and eventually take a 33-31 lead going into the final two minutes of the half. Elmer swung the momentum back in Miami’s favor with a 3-pointer from the left wing, and senior forward Antwone Woolfolk added a layup and a free throw to put the RedHawks up 37-35.
Woolfolk dominated the paint, scoring 13 points around the rim and grabbing four rebounds in the first half to lead the roster in both categories. In his final playof the half, he scored a tip-in layup with less than half a second remaining, sending the game to halftime with Miami up 39-37. Woolfolk finished the game with 14 points and five rebounds.
To start the second half, the RedHawks went straight to work. Sophomore guard Luke Skaljac got involved after a quiet first half, nailing a 3-pointer. Miami embarked on a 13-5run, taking a 52-42 lead after five minutes.
The trio of Bettiol, Banks and Ndjigue worked to cut into Miami’s lead, whittling it down to five points at the 11-minute mark. Despite this, a Byers dunk and a 3-pointer from freshman guard Trey Perry within 45 seconds put the RedHawks up by 10 with 10 minutes to go.
Miami reached 71 points, but the Minutemen kept the team from the basket for two-and-a-half minutes, which allowed the offense to tie the game. Junior forward Almar Atlason answered with a 3-pointer, but the cracks were starting to show in Miami’s defense.
UMass tied the game once more, and a Banks 3-pointer gave the Minutemen the lead with less than four minutes on the clock. Skaljac sank one of his own to even the score, but after sophomore forward Luka Damjanac gave the advantage back to UMass, neither team scored for two minutes.
With 30 seconds left, Dani Hankins-Sanford brought UMass up on the scoreboard for what would be the final time. Skaljac turned the ball over to Banks, and after Woolfolk sent him to the free throw line where he sank both of his shots, the Minutemen held a four-point advantage with 18 seconds to go.
Both teams traded free throw shots, and the deficit proved too difficult to recover from with such little time on the clock. The RedHawks took their first loss of the season 87-83, ending their expedition in Cleveland early.
Miami still holds hope thanks to its undefeated regular season status. UMass head coach Frank Martin highlighted how much of a mistake it would be for the NCAA Selection Committee to not offer an at-large bid to the RedHawks in his postgame press conference.
The team will find out if it will play in March Madness on March 15.
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