Miami (Ohio) continued its storybook ride on Tuesday night, as the No. 21 RedHawks improved to 28-0 with a 74-64 win at Eastern Michigan. The win brought Miami within three victories of becoming the first Division I men’s college basketball team to finish the regular season undefeated since Gonzaga went 24-0 during the COVID-impacted 2020-21 season. By contrast, Miami’s regular-season slate features 31 games. While the RedHawks’ schedule has been one of the easiest in college basketball, starting 28-0 is nonetheless a remarkable achievement. It’s also a reflection of the program’s steady rise under fourth-year coach Travis Steele. After finishing 12-20 and 6-12 in the MAC in 2022-23 during Steele’s first season, the RedHawks have steadily improved in every season since. A year ago, they finished 25-9 and 14-4 in the MAC, suffering a devastating loss to Akron in the MAC Tournament title game. Steele managed to retain a significant chunk of last season’s roster, which makes Miami a rarity in the mid-major ranks. With continuity and experience in place, the RedHawks have navigated every challenge thus far. However, due to their poor schedule strength — the RedHawks haven’t even played a Quad 1 game — their status in the NCAA Tournament field will be up for debate if they fail to win the MAC Tournament.
Though Miami has played zero Quad 1 games and is just 1-0 in Quad 2, there is a metric on official NCAA team sheets that acknowledges the brilliance of its undefeated start. It’s called Wins Against Bubble (WAB), and it calculates how the average bubble team would perform against your schedule. With a WAB score of 2.16 as of Feb. 22, the RedHawks rank 35th in WAB and are recognized for having over two more victories than the average bubble team would against their slate. Up next for Miami The remaining schedule for Miami which is trying to become the first team since Indiana accomplished the feat in the 1975-76 season.
Fridayat Western Michigan6 p.m. CBS Sports NetworkTuesdayvs. Toledo7 p.m. ESPN+March 6at Ohio7 p.m. CBS Sports NetworkMarch 12-14MAC Tournament (Cleveland)TBDIf Miami doesn’t win the MAC Tournament and needs an at-large ticket to the Big Dance, WAB will be one of its best friends. Its current 35th ranking is within at-large territory. Where it gets tricky is that any loss against MAC opposition carries a significant WAB penalty. Here are all…
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2026-02-25 04:05:48
