SATURDAY'S GAME: The RedHawks travel to conference opponent Ball State this Saturday, Jan. 14. This is Miami's 17th game of the season, and tip time is set for 2:00 p.m. at Worthen Arena in Muncie, Ind. Fans can tune in on ESPN3 or by listening to one of Miami's game day radio affiliates which consists of WFMG-FM 101.3 (Richmond, Ind.), WMOH-AM 1450 (Hamilton, Ohio), and WONE-AM 980 (Dayton, Ohio).

ABOUT BALL STATE: Michael Lewis enters his 1st season as the head coach of the Cardinals. Coach Lewis was named the head coach on March 25, 2022. Prior to becoming the head coach, he spent three seasons as an assistant coach at UCLA. They currently stand at 11-5 and hold a 2-1 record in conference play. The Cardinals most recently fell to Ohio University 76-71. Center Payton Sparks (13.4), guard Darian Owens-White (11.1), and guard Jarron Coleman (10.6) currently lead them in scoring. 

THE SERIES WITH THE CARDINALS: Miami and Ball State first faced off over 87 years ago, dating back to 1935. This Saturday, will mark the 109th meeting between Miami and Ball State. The RedHawks hold a 38-12 home record, 25-25 away record, and 3-5 neutral record when facing the Cardinals. 

UP NEXT: Miami continues conference play against Northern Illinois this Tuesday, Jan. 17. Tip time is set for 7 p.m. in Oxford, Ohio.

BUFFALO RECAP: Mekhi Lairy and Anderson Mirambeaux each put up a double-double to lead the Miami University men's basketball team to a 91-80 win over Buffalo Tuesday night at Millett Hall. Lairy finished the night with a game-high 20 points and 11 assists, while Mirambeaux put up 18 points with 11 boards. Ryan Mabrey added 15 points for Miami (7-9, 1-2 MAC), and Kamari Williams poured in 14 of his own. Yazid Powell led Buffalo (8-9, 2-1 MAC) with 20 points. 

LOCKED IN AT THE LINE: Miami University currently ranks fourth in the nation in free throw shooting percentage. As a team, the RedHawks are shooting 80.8%. Mekhi Lairy leads the way (91.4%), ranking 11th in the nation and second in the MAC. Anderson Mirambeaux finds himself ranked 121st nationally and 8th in the MAC (82.5%). Morgan Safford is 234th nationally and 15th in the MAC (78.3%).

MEKHI LAIRY: Among the returners is fifth-year senior Mekhi Lairy, who set Miami's single-season free-throw percentage record a year ago and currently holds the career free-throw percentage record. Lairy, who averaged 13.6 ppg in 2021-22, posted his 1,000th career point last season and is on pace to break Miami's career games played record this season. Lairy now has 1,471 career points. He is in 10th place on the program's all-time list after passing Nike Sibande versus Buffalo. Lairy also surpassed John Shoemaker and Derrick Cross on the career assists list to take the seventh spot all-time against Buffalo. This season against Georgia, Lairy set a new career-high in points (34) and produced the first 30-point game for a RedHawk since Mar. 9, 2020 (Nike Sibande, 31). He has also recorded two other 30-point scoring performances against Wright State and Bellarmine this year. 

STAND AND DELIVER: One of the most efficient free throw shooters in the conference, fifth-year senior guard Mekhi Lairy ranked first in the MAC in free-throw percentage in the 2021-22 season. Lairy hit 29 consecutive free throws from Nov. 27 through Jan. 29. He was perfect from the free-throw line in 18 of the 25 games where he attempted a free-throw shot. His .915 (2021-22) free throw percentage ranks first on Miami's single-season list and his .864 career free-throw percentage also ranks first. Mekhi has started the 2022-23 season 74-81 from the free throw line. 

CHART CLIMBER: Senior guard Mekhi Lairy is climbing several Miami career top 10 lists and continues to climb the points scored list. Here is where he stands entering Miami's next game:
• Free Throw Percentage: .864 (1st all-time)
• Games Played: 136 (2nd, 9 away from No. 1)
• 3-Point FG: 182 (9th, 7 away from No. 8)
• Assists: 383 (7th, 1 away from No. 6)
• Scoring: 1,471 (10th, 19 from No. 9)

MABREY MAGIC: After returning to the starting lineup versus Bellarmine, Ryan Mabrey knocked down the biggest shot of his collegiate career. With 18 seconds left in the game, Mabrey scored the game clenching three-point shot to take a 69-65 lead over Bellarmine. This propelled the RedHawks to their first road victory of the season.

SAFFORDS RETURN: In his second game back from injury, he set a new career-high 26-points against Jackson State to lead the RedHawks to a 95-78 win. His 14.9 points per game is currently ranked 11th in MAC. Safford is also ranked 4th in the MAC in field goal percentage (48.8% from the field).

SHOWING OUT: Against Jackson State, six RedHawks put up double-figures in scoring for the first time since Nov. 23, 2021. This included Morgan Safford (26), Ryan Mabrey (15), Billy Smith (14), Julian Lewis (13), Anderson Mirambeaux (12), and Mekhi Lairy (11). Overall, Miami shot 60% (33-55) from the field. The Red and White also shot 50% (14-28) from the three-point line. Each shooting percentage was the most for a RedHawk team since Nov. 13, 2021. Against Calumet College, the RedHawks shot a season-high 59.3% from beyond the arc.

DEFENSIVE STAND: In the second game of the season against Goshen College Miami forced 27 turnovers. This is the most for a RedHawk opponent since Nov. 17, 2015 (Kenyon, 24 turnovers). Miami recorded 18 steals (second highest in program history), led by freshman Billy Smith with six total.

NEW FACES, NEW PLACES: Two RedHawks recorded double-doubles in Miami's first win of the season versus Goshen College. Sophomore transfer Julian Lewis made his season debut, tying his career-high of 17 points and setting a new career-high of 10 rebounds. Freshman Billy Smith recorded 11 points, 12 rebounds, six steals, and four assists. This year the RedHawks boast five freshmen, three sophomores, three juniors, three seniors, and a fifth-year senior.

INCOMING TALENT: Julian Lewis is a guard from William & Mary where he averaged 7.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists. He recorded a career-high of 17 points versus Delaware and a career-high of eight assists against Valparaiso. As a freshman, Lewis was named to the CAA All-Rookie Team. This season Lewis has averaged 9.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists. 

Morgan Safford is a guard from Wofford College. During his tenure he averaged 7.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists. He recorded his previous career-high 21 points versus Coastal Carolina as a redshirt freshman. During his first campaign, Safford was named to the 2020-2021 Southern Conference All-Freshman Team. He was named a captain at the beginning of the season for the RedHawks. This season Safford has averaged 14.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists. 

Anderson Mirambeaux is a forward from Cleveland State University. While attending he averaged 1.5 pts, 1.7 rebounds, and 0.7 assists with the Vikings. Prior to Cleveland State, Mirambeaux attended Trinity Valley Community College. At TVCC he averaged 13.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.1 assists. He was named a captain at the beginning of the season for the RedHawks. In Anderson Mirambeaux's first game with Miami, he set a career-high 27 points. In the game versus Jackson State, he also set a career-high in assists with seven. Up to this point, Mirambeaux is averaging 12.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.4 assists.