Miami Continues MAC Tournament Run Against NIU

No. 12 Miami RedHawks (13-19; 5-13 MAC) vs. No. 4 Northern Illinois Huskies (18-13, 11-7 MAC)
Game 33: Thursday, March 12 • 2:30 p.m.
Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse (20,562) • Cleveland, Ohio
Series vs. NIU/Streak: Miami leads 33-18/Miami-1
Last Meeting: Miami 65 Northern Illinois 60, February 15, 2020
TV: ESPN+ • Michael Reghi (PxP) Rhett Boyd (Color)
Radio: Miami Sports Network from Van Wagner • Steve Baker (PxP) Terry Bridge (Color)
Miami Sports Network from Van Wagner Affiliates: WMOH 1450 Hamilton; WFMG 101.3 Richmond; WDBZ 1230 AM/101.5 FM Cincinnati; WONE 980 Dayton

CLEVELAND - The Miami University men's basketball team looks to continue its Cinderella run as it heads to Cleveland, Ohio and the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse for the remainder of the MAC Tournament. It begins Thursday as the RedHawks take on fourth-seed Northern Illinois at 2:30 p.m. While the game will be closed to the general public, there are still several ways to follow along. The game will air live on ESPN+. An audio broadcast will be available on the Miami Sports Network from Van Wagner. A link to live stats is also available on this page.

TOURNAMENT UPDATE: Following consultation with Ohio governmental and public health officials, and at the recommendation of Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, the Mid-American Conference Men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments will be played, however a restricted attendance policy will be implemented at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse this week.

The Tournaments will continue as scheduled on Wednesday, March 11th through Saturday, March 14th, however only credentialed institutional personnel, student-athlete family members, credentialed media, television and radio crews, and official team party members will be permitted for attendance for the tournaments. The MAC tournaments will be closed to the general public.

This decision was made in consultation and guidance with local governmental and public health and medical officials to limit large gatherings due to the coronavirus (COVID-19).

SIBANDE'S CAREER GAME: Miami was able to go into Buffalo and win its MAC First Round Tournament game thanks in large part to the efforts of junior guard Nike Sibande. He finished with a career-high 31 points, breaking his previous record of 29, set in the first round of the College Basketball Invitational at Campbell on March 14, 2018. It was the most points scored by a RedHawk player since Michael Weathers had 31 against Northern Kentucky Nov. 20, 2016.

During the game Sibande moved into ninth on the RedHawks' career scoring list, passing Juby Johnson (1,459 points). He now has 1,463 career points.

FACING NORTHERN ILLINOIS IN MAC TOURNAMENT: This is only the second time in school history that Miami and Northern Illinois will meet in the MAC Tournament. The first time was in the very first MAC Tournament when the teams faced off in the quarterfinal round on Feb. 26, 1980 in DeKalb. The Huskies came away with a 58-53 victory in that game. Joe Niekamp led Miami with 14 points.

ABOUT NORTHERN ILLINOIS: The Huskies are 18-13 overall and earned the four seed in the MAC Tournament with an 11-7 conference record. It is the first time they earned a first round bye in the event since 2006. NIU closed the regular season with a 75-54 loss to Ball State in its last game on Saturday. Northern Illinois' success is predicated on its defense. It only allows its opponents an average of 64.5 points per game. Teams are only shooting .402 against the Huskies, and only .305 from behind the arc. The Huskies are among the MAC leaders in both categories. The offense revolves around senior guard Eugene German. He is third in the MAC with an average of 20.5 points per game.

THE SERIES WITH NORTHERN ILLINOIS: Miami leads the all-time series with Northern Illinois, 33-18. The teams split their two meetings this season. The Huskies earned a 70-55 win in DeKalb on Feb. 1. The RedHawks were unable to get in a rhythm offensively, while Northern Illinois was able to heat up from the floor in the second half to pull away. Junior guard Nike Sibande led Miami with 13 points. With Sibande and junior forward Dalonte Brown each missing the Feb. 15 game in Oxford due to injury, the shorthanded RedHawks used a strong defensive performance to take down NIU, 65-60. Redshirt sophomore guard Isaiah Coleman-Lands led four in double figures with 15 points.

UP NEXT: Miami has to win to keep its season alive. With a victory over Northern Illinois the RedHawks will advance to the MAC Semifinals against the winner of top-seed Akron and eighth-seed Ohio on Friday. Tip will be at 7 p.m. and it will air live on nationally on CBS Sports Network. An audio broadcast will be available on the Miami Sports Network from Van Wagner.

Miami Continues MAC Tournament Run Against NIU

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Dalonte Brown

Isaiah Coleman-Lands

Nike Sibande