‘We don’t want to get stagnant’: Miami men’s basketball enters MAC tournament undefeated

The Mid-American Conference (MAC) men’s basketball tournament begins on March 12 at Rocket Mortgage Arena in Cleveland, where the No. 20 Miami University RedHawks (31-0, 18-0 in conference play) look to continue their perfect season. Eight teams will compete across three rounds between March 12-14.

Unlike most other conference tournaments, the top seeds do not get any byes or any advantage to start the tournament. Therefore, the RedHawks are matching up in the first round against the University of Massachusetts Minutemen (16-15, 7-11 in conference play) at 11 a.m. on Thursday.

After finishing perfect in the regular season thanks to an overtime effort against Ohio University, the RedHawks come into the MAC tournament ready. However, the RedHawks do need to be prepared for a challenge they have not faced all season: playing three games in three days.

“We don’t want to get stagnant,” freshman guard Justin Kirby said. “When you win, you think everything comes easy. We just keep doing the same thing, we’re going to be alright. I didn’t think in my mind we were going to be undefeated, it’s obviously crazy.”

The RedHawks need to take the tournament a day at a time and focus on who they play that round, which is something they have succeeded with all season.

“If you start looking too far ahead, that’s when you get tripped up,” associate head coach Jonathan Holmes said. “Our preparation was no different for Trinity than it was for Akron or for Ohio. There’s some comfort in that. They know what the expectation level is, and it probably sounds cliche, but the standard is the standard.”

Since the RedHawks finished with a perfect regular season, they have already beaten every team that will play in Cleveland at least once. If they win against UMass, they will face either the University of Toledo or Bowling Green State University. If the perfect season continues past the semifinals, the RedHawks will face either the University of Akron, the University of Buffalo, Kent State University or Ohio.

The RedHawks played against Akron once this season back on Jan. 3 when they defeated the Zips 76-73 in Millett Hall. Akron went on to finish the rest of MAC play undefeated and enter the tournament at 26-5 overall.

Akron is favorited to win the conference, making the Zips one of the biggest threats to end Miami’s perfect season and potentially make the MAC a two-bid league in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1999.

If Akron loses before the championship game, it would likely be to Kent State, whom the RedHawks also faced once this season. Miami defeated the Golden Flashes 107-101 in overtime on the road. Kent State finished third in the MAC this season with a 23-8 overall record.

Similar to the RedHawks and the Zips, the Golden Flashes have a highly efficient offense and average more than 85 points per game. A MAC championship game against either Akron or Kent State would be highly entertaining for Miami fans.

The RedHawks have had their fair share of tight battles throughout the regular season, with four overtime games and many more decided by one or two possessions. This battle-tested and experienced group will continue to rely on the experience from those close games throughout the MAC tournament and, hopefully, the rest of the season.

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With national coverage and attention turning towards Miami, many outsiders may think that the pressure continues to build, but Holmes believes it’s a privilege, and the players do a great job handling it.

“At this point, we’ve been dealing with it for months now,” Holmes said. “It’s not a burden, it’s exciting. You wake up, and everybody’s talking about Miami basketball. It’s a privilege to have that. Our guys have done a great job compartmentalizing the task at hand and staying focused.”

With the tournament beginning on Thursday, it will hopefully be a great weekend for Miami athletics as the RedHawks look to extend the nation’s best record to 34-0.

hartlapo@miamioh.edu