College basketball runs through Oxford, OH. It does this season anyway, as the Miami RedHawks continue to rise up. The RedHawks entered Friday night’s road contest against the Western Michigan Broncos as the nation’s last remaining undefeated program.
Friday’s game was anything but easy, but the RedHawks know that they’re going to get everyone’s best from here on out.
“We’re going to be everybody’s Super Bowl right now, you know, everywhere we go is sold out,” head coach Steele said earlier this month. “Our group is unflappable.
“Our group never wavers, regardless of the situation. Whether we’re down by four or up by five with two minutes to go, our guys have the ultimate belief that we’re going to win.”
On a night where the RedHawks were without point guard Luke Skaljac, who is replacing starting point guard Evan Ipsaro, who tore his ACL earlier in the campaign, they certainly got the Broncos’ best shot.
Miami seemed intent on making things as tough as possible for itself, and trailed for most of the contest. Steele, fed up with the officiating and how things were going, received a technical and lost his cool heading into the locker room at halftime.
Miami (OH) head coach Travis Steele was *quite* unhappy with the officiating in the first half at Western Michigan.
“Look out! Things are flying now!”🏀😡🦓🎙️pic.twitter.com/UdsBRXSRi4
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 28, 2026
Things weren’t much prettier in the second half for the RedHawks. Peter Suder, who has become known for his late-game heroics, scored 18 points, but fouled out with just under seven minutes to go in regulation.
Still, an and-one three by forward Almar Atlason got the RedHawks within striking distance, and they’d go on to take a narrow lead not too long after. Western Michigan managed to tie things up in its final possession.
The RedHawks were without their closer and in need of one more score. Flappable after all? Forget about it. Freshman point guard Trey Perry, whose role in the RedHawks’ rotation this season has been inconsistent, converted on a driving layup with just one second remaining, and Western’s heave was for naught.
“I knew last spring that we had a real chance,” Steele said. “It’s the best spring I’ve ever been around in all my years in college basketball. The effort was there — the intensity from day one in the spring.”
The chance is very real, and it is here. The RedHawks are just two wins shy of 31-0 and perfection. Miami will next take the hardwood on Tuesday, March 3, in its final home tilt of the season.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.