Miami Ohio University Athletics
RedHawk Men's Basketball Team Takes Flight for Akron
2/10/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 10, 2004
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GAMEDAY CENTRAL
Coles' Thoughts:
KEYS TO THE GAME VERSUS AKRON: "No. 1, we need to shoot a good field goal percentage against Akron. No. 2, we need to have good transition defense. No. 3, we must make our free throws."
ON THE SECOND TIME AROUND AGAINST AKRON: "The biggest challenge will be playing on Akron's home court. Akron also plays very well the second time they play a team. They've been good at that as long as I've coached against Coach Hipsher. They are great at looking at the previous game and making adjustments. This is a huge challenge for us. Maybe our biggest road challenge to date. Akron will be every bit as good as the best team in our league when we play them on Wednesday."
ON William Hatcher's PRESENCE: "William has been a good player for us this year. He's come in and been a true sixth man, coming into many games and playing very well. You want a guy who can come in and give your team a boost, and William's done that. We would like him to be a little more consistent, and, if he can do that, he will really give this team a boost."
ON MIAMI'S LOW SCORING: "It's not a real concern at this point because it's been working to our advantage right now. It hasn't been to our disadvantage because teams are playing slower against us and not exploiting the good things they can do, and that's worked for us lately. Toledo played slower than they have been on Saturday."
ABOUT AKRON: The Zips are coming off a pair of losses last week (71-77 OT at Ball State; 54-77 at Eastern Michigan), but are 3-3 over their last six games with decisive wins over Marshall (85-69), Central Michigan (75-62) and Ohio (84-76). Akron is led by Derrick Tarver, who leads the MAC in scoring in overall and conference-only games, averaging 21.9 and 20.8 ppg, respectively. Tarver ranks 13th nationally in scoring. Jeremiah Wood ranks second on the team in scoring, averaging 10.7 ppg and a team-best 7.3 rpg. Akron uses eight players consistently, who average at least 17 minutes a game. The Zips are one of the most accurate shooting teams in the MAC, knocking down 48.2 percent of their field goals in league action to rank first.
THE SERIES WITH THE ZIPS: Wednesday marks the 29th meeting between Miami and Akron with the RedHawks holding an 18-10 advantage in the series. Miami is 6-4 when playing in Akron and inched out a 50-48 win in James A. Rhodes Arena last year off a jumper by Juby Johnson with just seconds remaining in the game. Earlier this season, Miami pulled out a 68-60 win at home against the Zips on Jan. 10. The RedHawks have won their last five meetings against the Zips but own just one road victory during that stretch. Akron's last win in the series also was its last win at home, claiming a 58-55 win on Feb. 17, 2001.
GENERAL NEWS, NOTES AND UPDATES
SECOND TIME AROUND: Miami begins facing MAC opponents a second time on Wednesday, Feb. 11 at Akron. Of its final seven MAC games, Miami faces only one opponent for the first time (Northern Illinois on Feb. 25).
HATCHER'S THREE-POINT MISSILES DOWN ROCKETS: Sophomore guard William Hatcher's (Flint, Mich./Carman-Ainsworth) 3-point shooting ability has been lifting Miami at critical times, and Feb. 7 was a prime example of his clutch shooting. Hatcher drilled two crucial 3-pointers over the final 4:15 of the game against the Rockets, including the go-ahead trey with 1:14 left in the game as time expired on the 35 second clock. Going 6-of-8 from the field, including 3-of-5 from 3-point range, Hatcher knocked down a career-high 15 points in the winning effort.
THE MASON FACTOR: One glaring statistic when comparing Miami's wins and losses are the averages of junior guard Chet Mason (Cleveland, Ohio/East). In Miami's 12 wins, Mason is averaging 12.3 ppg, shooting 45.3 percent from the field and grabbing 8.3 rpg. On the other hand, Mason has averaged 7.6 ppg, shot 33.9 percent from the field and posted 6.7 rpg in the RedHawks' seven losses. In Miami's eight MAC wins, Mason has nearly averaged a double-double, scoring 11.8 ppg, shooting 43.2 percent from the field and posting a whopping 9.3 rpg. Over its three MAC losses, Mason averaged 6.3 ppg and 4.7 rpg, while shoooing 35.0 percent from the field.
JOHNSON ON THE REBOUND: Entering the season averaging 3.1 rpg for his career, senior guard Juby Johnson (Warrensville Heights, Ohio/Warrensville Heights) has made strides in that area this season. On the season, Johnson is averaging 4.6 rpg. He is averaging 5.3 rpg in league contests and ranks 16th in rebounding among league leaders in MAC games. This season, Johnson has been Miami's top rebounder in three contests and pulled down a season-high nine boards in Miami's season-opener at Liberty.
JOHNSON NEARING MIAMI'S TOP 10 SCORING LIST: Earlier this season, senior guard Juby Johnson became the 28th player in school history to amass 1,000 career points. With 1,243 career points to date, Johnson is just 64 points away from tying Craig Tubbs for 10th on Miami's career scoring list at 1,307. Johnson needs to average 17.6 ppg for the remainder of the season to surpass Wayne Embry's No. 9 total of 1,401 points.
MIDWEEK ROAD WARRIORS: On Jan. 21, the RedHawks completed the second of their three furthest Mid-American Conference road trips-Buffalo (7 1/2 hours), Central Michigan (6 hours) and Northern Illinois (6 hours). Ironically, all three are midweek games for MU. Miami faced Buffalo on Wednesday, Jan. 7 in the second half of a doubleheader and arrived in Oxford at 7:30 a.m. the next morning, however, school was not in session. School is in session for the CMU and NIU contests. The RedHawks topped Buffalo and returned home to defeat Akron on Jan. 10. After pulling out an 80-70 win at Central Michigan on Jan. 21, Miami returned to campus at 5 a.m. with all 14 players having their first class at 9:30 a.m. or before. While the RedHawks have been able to play a number of their home MAC games on Saturday, eight of Miami's nine league road contests fall between Monday and Wednesday.
ST. CLAIR HAS BREAKOUT WEEK: Heading into the Jan. 21 Central Michigan game, freshman forward Monty St. Clair (Cincinnati, Ohio/Roger Bacon) was 0-of-7 from 3-point range and 2-of-20 from the field (.100). St. Clair had a coming out party, unleashing 4-of-5 treys at Central Michigan and going 9-of-14 from the field for the week (.643) and 7-of-11 from 3-point range (.636), including Miami's win over Eastern Michigan. At CMU, St. Clair shot a scorching 83.3 percent form the field, including 80.0 percent from beyond the arc. Over the past four games, St. Clair is averaging 9.0 rpg, hitting 54.2 percent from the field and 55.6 percent from 3-point range.
THIEVING DUO: Senior guard Juby Johnson (Warrensville Heights, Ohio/Warrensville Heights) and junior guard Chet Mason (Cleveland, Ohio/South) teamed up to snatch all nine of Miami's steals against Central Michigan. Johnson grabbed a career-high five steals, while Mason added four steals. Mason leads the team with 20 steals, while Johnson is second with 19.
SHARP SHOOTING: The RedHawks boasted their best shooting night from the field to date at Central Michigan, while posting their best free-throw shooting night against Eastern Michigan. Miami went 27-of-51 from the field to shoot 52.9 percent, including a 56.0 percent effort in the second half at CMU. From 3-point range, Miami shot a sizzling 57.1 percent (12-of-21), including 58.3 percent in the first half. Against the Eagles, the RedHawks, who were shooting 69.3 percent from the free-throw line and 67.7 percent in MAC action heading into the game, connected on 24-of-29 charity tosses (.828).
BACK IN THE 80's: With an 80-70 win at Central Michigan on Jan. 21, MU compiled 80 points for the first time since an 80-77 win over Ball State on Jan. 26, 2002.
THAT 70's SHOW: It's no secret that when Miami scores 70 points or more, it wins games. This season, Miami is 6-0 when scoring at least 70 points and has lost just twice over the past three years when reaching that plateau. Under Coles, Miami owns a 71-11 mark when scoring 70-plus points.
BENCH MARKS: Miami's bench has been averaging 15.7 ppg in its wins and 15.6 ppg its losses, but had its best scoring night in an 80-70 win over Central Michigan, knocking down 35 points. Miami's opponents are scoring 14.6 ppg off the bench in RedHawk wins and 18.3 ppg in Miami losses.
DON'T GET CAUGHT WATCHING THE PAINT DRY: In eight of the RedHawks' last 11 games, Miami has outscored its opponents in the paint, including season highs of 38 points in the paint in wins over Akron and Kent State. RedHawk foes' difference of points in the paint in RedHawk wins in losses is slim. Opponents are averaging 22.7 ppg in the paint in Miami wins and 22.6 ppg in its losses. Miami, however, is averaging 26.6 ppg in the paint in wins and 22.9 ppg in losses.
AND ONE ...: An area that had been a struggle for the RedHawks early this season was finishing strong when being fouled on shots under the basket to place themselves in an "and one" situation. Heading into the Jan. 10 Akron game, Miami had just 12 three-point play opportunities over 10 games, converting on the ensuing free throw on 11 occasions. Against the Zips, Miami muscled in six shots and connected on 4-of-6 of the consequent free-throws. Including the Akron game, Miami has forced in 19 "and one" situations and knocked down 13-of-19 free throws.
JOHNSON'S 20/20 VISION: So far this season, senior guard Juby Johnson has produced 20-point scoring efforts in four of Miami's 19 games. Johnson scored 20-plus points in two of the Miami's first three contest and also in two of its last six games, scoring 23 points in a win at Buffalo and 22 versus Kent State.
MASON BACK AMONG NATION'S TOP SMALL REBOUNDERS: Miami junior point guard Chet Mason has annually ranked among the nation's top small rebounders according to Stats, Inc. Standing 6-foot-4, growing one inch from last year, Mason ranks third nationally for rebounders standing 6-foot-4 and under, averaging 7.7 rpg. IUPUI's Odell Bradley (6-foot-4) tops the list averaging 8.00 rpg. Mason has been Miami's top rebounder in 14 of its 19 contests. Additionally, Mason, who ranks among the top six league leaders in all three rebounding categories and the top three in league only games, is the MAC's top rebounder among guards. No other guard ranks higher in any rebounding statistic than Mason, who averages 5.11 defensive rpg, 7.7 rpg and 2.58 offensive rpg.
GENE SEALS-MIAMI'S PIANO MAN: Following the RedHawks' win over Akron, Miami head coach Charlie Coles described senior forward Gene Seals (Saginaw, Mich./Saginaw) as Miami's piano player. Coles explained to the media how the piano player is never really heard unless he is doing a solo ... it is always the singer that is heard with the piano playing in the background. Coles went on to describe Seals as Miami's piano player ... in the background consistently playing his game. After rebounding from an injury that sidelined him throughout the entire preseason, Seals has started nine of the last 10 games for the RedHawks and has become an impact in the Miami lineup. Over a five-game stretch (IPFW-Kent State), Seals averaged 9.8 ppg, 6.6 rpg, had nine assists, seven blocks and six steals with Miami winning four of the five contests.
"HATCHING" OUT OF HIS SHELL: Sophomore guard William Hatcher "hatched" his shell at the Purdue Invitational, establishing then-career highs in nearly every statistical category. Hatcher was Miami's most efficient shooter during the tournament, hitting 58.3 percent of his field goals and 50.0 percent of his 3-pointers, while averaging 8.0 ppg. He also dished out 2.0 apg and collected 2.5 spg over 19.5 minutes per game.
FIRST-HALF FIRE: In the first 20 minutes of action against IPFW, Miami manufactured one of its best halves of the season. The RedHawks shot a blistering 63.0 percent from the field (17-of-27) and 62.5 percent from 3-point range (5-of-8), while knocking down 75.0 of its charity tosses (3-of-4). Miami was perfect in its first six field-goal attempts and did not miss a shot until the 15:01 mark in the first stanza. Miami also posted 13 first-half assists.
SECOND-HALF SURGE: Miami generated a powerful second-half surge in its 76-61 win over Wright State on Dec. 11. The RedHawks poured in 54 second-half points after opening the game with 22 points in the first half. Miami's 54 second-half points are the most points in a half since scoring 66 points in the first half against Akron in a 99-50 win on Feb. 10, 1996. The RedHawks had scored 53 points in a number of halves since 1996, including a 78-63 win over Dayton last season.
UPS AND DOWNS: Miami has experienced some ups and downs in scoring over its first 19 games. While the RedHawks have suffered some scoring slumps, they also have put together some impressive runs. During Miami's runs (scoring at least 11 points, while giving up no more than six), it is outscoring its opponents 15.1-3.9 over a 6:00 span. On the other hand, the RedHawks' scoring slumps (giving up at least 11 points, while scoring no more than six) are running an average of 7:23 and they are being outscored 15.6-3.1. Ironically, Miami's streaks and slumps are divided between halves with no half consistently seeing a greater scoring surge or drought.
MORE UPS AND DOWNS: At the charity stripe, Miami's fortune has been feast or famine this season. The RedHawks have shot 70 percent or better in nine of their 19 games and have shot better than 80 percent in just two contests. Miami had it best night at the free-throw line against Eastern Michigan, hitting 24-of-29 charity tosses (.828). In its next outing (Jan. 28 at Marshall), Miami had one of its worst nights at the free-throw line, going just 9-of-19 (.474). Twice this season Miami has shot under 50 percent from the free-throw line.
REDHAWKS AMONG MAC LEADERS: Five Miami players placed themselves among MAC statistical leaders, while the RedHawks as a team rank among the top three in two categories overall and three categories in conference only games. The following is a list of rankings (as of 2/9):
Danny Horace Free Throw Percentage (7th-.770); (11th MAC-.759) Offensive Rebounds (15th-2.18) Rebounding (14th-5.4) Josh Hausfeld 3-Point Field Goals (t-12th-1.68) Juby Johnson Scoring (7th-15.2); (10th MAC-15.6) Free Throw Percentage (6th-.775); (9th MAC-.783) Steals (t-14th MAC-1.27) Defensive Rebounding (13th MAC-4.00) Rebounding (t-16th MAC-5.3) Chet Mason Defensive Rebounds (3rd-5.11); (3rd MAC-5.09) Rebounding (4th-7.7); (3rd MAC-8.0) Offensive Rebounds (6th-2.58); (4th MAC-2.91) Assists (12th-3.21) Gene Seals Blocked Shots (15th-0.61); (9th MAC-0.91) Free Throw Percentage (12th MAC-.727) MIAMI Scoring Defense (1st-60.5); (1st MAC-59.3) Rebounding Defense (1st-32.3); (2nd MAC-32.5) 3-point Field Goal % Defense (2nd-.313); (2nd MAC-.322) Assist/Turnover Ratio (3rd-1.04) Field Goal % Defense (2nd MAC-.410)
DANNY ON THE BLOCK: In just two short seasons, junior forward Danny Horace placed his name among Miami's career block leaders. Horace, who owns 50 career blocks, ranks eighth on the list. He needs 20 more to tie for seventh on the list.
MASON TURNING THE TABLES ON TURNOVERS: Over the last two years of his Miami career, junior guard Chet Mason's assist/turnover ratio has been anything but spectacular, averaging nearly 1.4 turnovers to every assist. This season, Mason has turned the tables, so to speak, owning a 1.05 assist/turnover ratio. Mason leads the team with 61 assists, nearly 20 more than any other RedHawk.
THEY COME IN TWOS ...USUALLY: Over 19 games, Miami players have posted seven double-doubles with six coming in back-to-back contests. Junior forward Danny Horace opened the season with back-to-back double-doubles, while junior guard Chet Mason notched double-doubles in five of Miami's last 12 games. Against Liberty, Horace pulled down a game-best 10 rebounds and chipped in 16 points, while scoring 11 points and collecting a career-high-tying 14 rebounds against Ohio Dominican. Horace owns six career double-doubles to date. Over a seven-game span, Mason produced four double-doubles. Mason tallied 14 points and 12 rebounds vs. Xavier and a game-high 19 points and 10 rebounds vs. Wright State, 11 points and 12 rebounds at Buffalo and followed up with a 21-point, 12-rebound double-double against Akron. Most recently, Mason tallied 11 points and 11 rebounds against Eastern Michigan.
MASON DOING A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING: Junior guard Chet Mason is doing a little bit of everything for the RedHawks. Mason leads the team in assists, steals, rebounding, defensive rebounds and offensive rebounds and is second on the team in scoring, and minutes played and ranks among MAC leaders in four statistical categories.
MASON REGAINS FORM: Entering the Xavier contest with a season-high of five rebounds, junior guard Chet Mason regained the rebounding form which has become his trademark. Mason pulled down a game-best 12 rebounds and is averaging 8.5 rebounds over Miami's last 15 games.
ROSTER ADDITION: Joining the RedHawk roster in November is 6-foot-2 freshman guard Tyler Ford (Springfield, Ohio/North). Ford is a walk-on and wears #10.
JOHNSON SCORES 1,000TH CAREER POINT EN ROUTE TO CAREER HIGH: Needing just five points to become the 28th player in program history to reach the 1,000-point plateau, senior guard Juby Johnson did much more than that against Dayton on Dec. 3. At the 10:18 mark of the first half, Johnson tossed in a layup to tie the game, 14-14, and score his 1,001st career point. Miami, however, would eventually trail the Flyers by 17 at the half. Going 10-of-20 from the field, including 3-of-6 from three-point range, and nailing all five of his free throws, Johnson helped pull Miami within three points of the Flyers in the closing minutes of the game behind a career-high 28 points. If Johnson, who currently owns 1,243 points, scores at his 2002-03 average of 14.8 ppg, he is on pace to score at least 1,368 points, which would place him 10th on Miami's career scoring list.
JOHNSON AND SEALS HIT CENTURY MARK: Seeing 28 minutes of action against IPFW on Dec. 21, senior guard Juby Johnson hit the century mark for games played. Johnson has played in every game during his Miami career, which now totals 111. Against Akron on Jan. 10, senior forward Gene Seals also hit the century mark for games played and has played in 108 career games. Seals has missed just three games during his Miami career. The two are the league's top active tandem for games played with a combined 219 appearances.
JOHNSON BREAKS ONTO CAREER START AND MINUTES PLAYED TOP 10 LISTS: With a start against Ohio Dominican, senior guard Juby Johnson cracked Miami's career top-10 list for starts. He is currently fifth with 105 and has made 76 consecutive starts. If he starts every game this season, he will tie for third on the all-time list. Johnson also ranks fourth all-time in minutes played with 3,543.
JOHNSON CRACKS CAREER THREE-POINT LISTS: Going 3-for-6 from 3-point range against Liberty, senior guard Juby Johnson broke onto Miami's career 3-point field goal and 3-point attempt lists. With 139 3-point field goals, he is seventh and needs 11 more to tie for sixth. Johnson's 423 3-point attempts rank fifth. He needs 14 more attempts to tie for fourth on the list.
SCHENKE AND MASON SHOW IT IS BETTER TO GIVE THAN RECEIVE DURING THE HOLIDAYS: In the true spirit of the Holiday Season, junior guard Chet Mason and junior forward Tim Schenke (Cincinnati, Ohio/Elder) epitomized the notion that it is better to give than receive. Mason handed out a game-best eight assists against Cincinnati, accounting for 61.5 percent of the RedHawks' assists. Schenke dished out a career-high six assists in Miami's win over IPFW, all coming in the first half, while committing no turnovers. Miami posted 13 first-half assists against the Mastodons.
PEAVY PROVIDES SPARK: In just 16 minutes of action against Cincinnati, freshman forward Nathan Peavy (Dayton, Ohio/Chaminade-Julienne) provided quite a spark off the bench for the RedHawks. Peavy swiped a game-high-tying nine boards and chipped in eight points, while igniting the crowd with an ally-oop dunk that is quickly becoming his trademark.
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY (OR TWO) MAKES: On the heels of one of its worst nights for turnovers and scoring (20 turnovers and 36 points vs. Xavier), Miami came back just 48 hours later and looked like a completely different team. The RedHawks scored 76 points, while committing a season-low five turnovers (all in the first half) against Wright State on Dec. 11.
THE SCHEN-KEY TO THE GAME: One of the keys to Miami's win over Wright State on Dec. 11 was junior Tim Schenke. The 6-foot-6 forward drained a career-high four 3-pointers off six attempts to bolster Miami to the 76-61 win. Schenke collected 17 points, one shy of his career high.
LENDING A HELPING HAND: Of the 11 players who have registered assists thus far this season, seven are averaging one assist or more to every turnover. Junior forward Tim Schenke leads the team, averaging 1.93 assists to every turnover. Sophomore guard Josh Hausfeld owns a 1.71 assists/turnover ratios.
TRIPLE THREAT: Some might think it is ironic that sophomore guard Josh Hausfeld (Cincinnati, Ohio/Roger Bacon) wears #3. Hausfeld is one of Miami's most potent 3-point weapons, typically drilling treys at critical points in games. Against Dayton, Hausfeld went 4-for-7 from 3-point range in the second half, draining a three to pull Miami within three of the Flyers. Hausfeld shot 50 percent from 3-point range against the Flyers.
STINGY DEFENSE: One of the hallmarks of Charlie Coles coached Miami basketball teams is a strong emphasis on defense, and it already has gotten off to a good start in 2003-04, holding Liberty to just 55 points and allowing 60.5 ppg through 19 games. Miami finished the 2002-03 season ranked third nationally in scoring defense according to ESPN.com, giving up just 58.7 ppg on the season. Air Force led the nation in scoring defense, allowing only 57.0 ppg.
FRESHMAN ORIENTATION: All five of Miami's freshmen-forwards Monty St. Clair, Nathan Peavy and Eric Van Buskirk (Loveland, Ohio/Loveland) and guards Tyler Jones (Dry Ridge, Ky./Grant County) and Doug Penno (Kettering, Ohio/Alter)-have played in a least three contest this season with three seeing action on a regular basis. Van Buskirk has started three games for the RedHawks, while St. Clair started against Xavier and has started the past five games. Peavy has come off the bench in all 19 games, and St. Clair has played in all 19 games.
VAN BUSKIRK GETS STARTING NOD IN COLLEGIATE DEBUT: Earning starting duties in Miami's season opener at Liberty on Nov. 21, freshman forward Eric Van Buskirk became the first true freshman since senior guard Juby Johnson to start his first collegiate game. Van Buskirk scored four points, collected two rebounds and two assists in 12 minutes of action against the Flames.
BRINGIN' HOME THE BACON: When on the recruiting trail, Miami's basketball staff has been bringin' home the bacon ... Roger Bacon, that is. Two players on the Miami roster-sophomore guard Josh Hausfeld and freshman forward/center Monty St. Clair-prepped at Cincinnati's Roger Bacon. In 2002, the duo paced Roger Bacon to a state title, downing the LeBron James-led Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary's team, while Hausfeld garnered state MVP honors.
TURNOVERS: Last season, Miami set a single-season standard for fewest turnovers, with just 327. Each of the past four years rank among the top six in fewest single-season team turnovers: 2. 330 (2000), 4. 362 (2001), 6. 378 (2002).
MASON TABBED MAC EAST PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Following back-to-back double-doubles to spearhead Miami to its first two Mid-American Conference wins, junior guard Chet Mason was tabbed the league's East Division Player of the Week on Jan. 12. Mason posted back-to-back double-doubles for the second time this season, averaging 16.0 ppg and 12.0 rpg, while dishing out 4.5 apg and boasting a 1.80 assist/turnover ratio.
JOHNSON TABBED mac EAST PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Following a 22-point performance at Liberty, senior guard Juby Johnson was named the first MAC East Division Player of the Week for the 2003-04 campaign. This was Johnson's second career player of the week honor.
FAMILY TIES: For the past two seasons, Juby Johnson has clashed with older brother Sonny Johnson, a member of Ohio's men's basketball program. Even though the elder Johnson has graduated, Juby is still experiencing a sibling rivalry. Younger brother, Demitrius, is a freshman on the Kent State men's basketball team. The Johnson's are not the only brother vs. brother spotlight the RedHawks have, however. Freshman Doug Penno has the opportunity to clash with his brother, Jeff, who was a member of Akron's basketball team last year but has since transferred to Dayton. As for Miami ties, freshman Eric Van Buskirk has a brother (Mark) who is a senior at Miami and a sister (Kate) who is a Miami graduate. Junior Tim Schenke also has a brother (Zak Kampal) who graduated from Miami.
REDHAWKS HOT, HOT, HOT IN JANUARY: For just the second time under head coach Charlie Coles, Miami has posted a 6-1 mark in January with the last time coming during the 1998-99 campaign. January is typically the strongest month for Coles and the RedHawks, who have won 64.7 percent of their January games over the past eight seasons. November is the next best month under Coles with a .608 winning percentage. Miami started the season 2-0 with November wins, also just the second time under Coles the RedHawks have gone undefeated in November with the other time coming during the 1998-99 season. Miami has won 60.0 percent of its February contests under Coles.
TV UPDATE: With the addition of the ESPN Bracket Buster game on Feb. 21, four more Miami games are scheduled to be televised. Miami's game at Ball State on Feb. 16 will be televised as part of the MAC-TV package and will be carried on Fox Sports Midwest. Game time against the Cardinals has been moved to 8 p.m. Miami's home game against Ohio on Feb. 18 will be televised by the Ohio Sports Network on ONN. Game time will remain 7 p.m. On Feb. 21, Miami's ESPN Bracket Buster game versus Southwest Missouri State will be televised on ESPN Plus/ESPN Full Court at 5 p.m. The RedHawks' regular-season finale against Marshall on March 6 will be televised by the Thundering Herd Sports Network. Game time has been moved to 4 p.m.
UP NEXT: Wednesday's game at Akron is Miami's lone game of the week. The RedHawks are off this weekend before embarking on another three-game, six day stretch starting at Ball State on Monday, Feb. 16. at 8 p.m. Miami's game at Ball State will be televised as part of the Mid-American Conference TV Package on Fox Sports Midwest and on ESPN Plus. The RedHawks return home to host Ohio on Wednesday, Feb. 18 at 7 p.m., which will be televised on ONN. Miami rounds out the week hosting Southwest Missouri State on Saturday, Feb. 21 at 5 p.m. as part of ESPN's Bracket Buster Saturday. The game will be televised on ESPN Plus.
A MIAMI WIN WOULD ... * Extend Miami's win streak to six in the series with Akron. * Boost Miami's conference record to 9-3.
A MIAMI LOSS WOULD ... * Snap a five-game winning streak in the series with Akron * Drop Miami's MAC record to 8-4.
