Will Miami of Ohio Men's Basketball Prove to be the Real Deal?
With only four games left in the season, the Miami Redhawks are currently 27-0, making them the only team in the top 25 to be undefeated. Although being the last remaining team with a perfect record, they are only ranked 22nd in the top 25. Any team that is D1 and has zero losses would be expected to be in at least within the top 15, but it appears that the main criticism against the Redhawks is their lack of competition in their schedule. With the season coming to an end, concerns are starting to rise about whether Miami of Ohio will be able to compete in the March Madness tournament.
When it comes to their schedule, the Redhawks have not played a single ranked opponent. And out of their 27 wins, 15 of them are against teams with losing records. Although this is undoubtedly an unimpressive feat, the stats are still notable. As a team, they are averaging 92.3 points, which is the second-highest PPG average in the NCAA. While they are second in points per game, they are first in field goal percentage, shooting an outstanding 52%. When it comes to opponent averages, opposing teams are averaging 74.5 points with a scoring margin of 17.8 points. They also rank fourth in three-point percentage, shooting a skillful 40%. However, given the ease of their schedule, these stats could be looked at as inflated. Brant Byers and Peter Suder are the players leading the charge for Miami. They are both averaging 14 points and six rebounds. Byers is shooting an outstanding 41% from three and also shooting 50% from the field. Suder is also shooting a stunning 42% from three and an even better 56% from the field.
With only four games left in the Redhawks season, they will likely finish the season 31-0. Their remaining four games are against the 10-17 Eastern Michigan, 9-17 Western Michigan, 13-13 Toledo, and 15-13 Ohio. The NCAA Tournament has been going on for 86 years, and only 20 teams have entered the tournament with no losses during the regular season. If the Redhawks join this club, they will be looking to join the other seven teams that have gone on to win the championship after accomplishing a no-loss season. Data from recent history can be pulled from the 2024-2025 season, where the Redhawks finished 25-9, and they played a top-ranked opponent in Michigan on November 18th, 2024. In this game, Miami lost by a massive 27 points, 94-67. Given how this is how they lost to their last-ranked opponent, many indicators and predictions will point to the Redhawks facing the same outcome, but this time on a much bigger stage.
