MAC First Round
No. 9 Miami RedHawks (15-16; 7-11 MAC) at No. 8 Akron Zips (16-15; 8-10 MAC)
Game 32: Monday, March 11 • 8 p.m.
James A. Rhodes Arena (5,500) • Akron, Ohio
Series vs. Akron/Streak: Miami leads 32-30/Akron-1
Last Meeting: Akron 70 Miami 58, February 23, 2019
TV: ESPN+ • Michael Reghi (PxP) Jacki Windon (Color)
Radio:   Miami IMG Sports Network • Steve Baker (PxP) Terry Bridge (color)
Miami Sports Network from Learfield IMG College Affliliates: WMOH 1450 Hamilton; WFMG 101.3 Richmond; WONE 980 Dayton

AKRON, Ohio - The Miami University men's basketball is the ninth seed in the MAC Tournament and has traveled to eighth seed Akron for a first round game on Monday. Tip time is 8 p.m. and it will air live on ESPN+. An audio broadcast of the game will be available on the Miami Sports Network from Learfield IMG College Tunein App.

MAC TOURNAMENT HISTORY: This is the 38th time Miami has qualified for the MAC Tournament, which ran for the first time in 1980. The Red and White are 40-33 all-time at the event and have won it four times in their history (1984, 1992, 1997 and 2007). Last season Miami was the seventh seed and defeated Ohio, 68-55, in the first round in Oxford. The RedHawks then fell to second seed Toledo, 71-69, in the quarterfinals at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.

FACING AKRON IN MAC TOURNAMENT: Miami and Akron have met four times all-time in the Mid-American Conference Tournament with each team having won twice. The last meeting came in the 2011 MAC Quarterfinals in Cleveland when the Zips took an 82-75 victory. The most famous tournament meeting between the two schools came in the 2007 MAC Championship when a Doug Penno three-pointer with less than a second remaining led the RedHawks to the title with a 53-52 win. This will be the first time that Miami and Akron face off in a MAC Tournament game at James A. Rhodes Arena.

ABOUT AKRON: The Zips are 16-15 overall and finished 8-10 in the MAC. They have gone 1-3 since playing Miami a couple of weeks ago. After a dominant 91-67 win over Bowling Green last Tuesday, they closed the regular season with a 68-65 loss at Kent State on Friday. Akron has had the top defense in the MAC this season, holding opponents to only 63.7 points per game. Four players average in double figures, led by junior forward Daniel Utomi. He averages 14.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. Another key player is senior guard Jimond Ivey. He averages 12.0 points and a team-leading 6.3 rebounds per contest.

THE SERIES WITH ZIPS: The RedHawks hold a 32-30 lead in the all-time series with the Zips. The RedHawks split their two games with the Zips this season. On Jan. 19 in Oxford, Miami went on an 11-0 run midway through the second half to overcome a deficit and earn a 68-61 win. Senior guard Darrian Ringo led the way with 16 points and nine assists, while junior forward Bam Bowman had a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. On Feb. 23 in Akron, the Zips hit 11 three-pointers and held the 'Hawks to 32.4 percent shooting as they took a 70-58 victory. Senior guard Abdoulaye Harouna led Miami with 13 points.

UP AHEAD: Miami needs to win to continue playing, but if it does it will advance to Cleveland and Quicken Loans Arena for the remainder of the MAC Tournament. The winner of the Akron/Miami game will take on top seed Buffalo on Thursday at noon. It will air live on ESPN+. An audio broadcast of the game will be available on the Miami Sports Network from Learfield IMG College Tunein App.