RedHawks Face Eagles Thursday in MAC Tourney Quarterfinal

THURSDAY: Miami opens its stint in the 2025 Mid-American Conference Tournament with a quarterfinal contest with No. 7 seed Eastern Michigan on Thursday, March 13. The RedHawks play at approximately 4:30 p.m. in the third game of the day. Miami is looking for its first win in the MAC Tournament since 2020 and its first victory in Cleveland since 2010. Entering this game, the RedHawks rank seventh nationally in three-point percentage (.394), ninth in effective field goal percentage (.571), 14th in threes per game (10.5), 22nd in field goal percentage (.485), 31st in turnovers forced per game (14.61), 33rd in scoring offense (81.1) and 47th in turnover margin (2.4). Miami also leads the MAC in six statistical categories, including steals per game (8.4).

SEASON SUCCESS: Miami has reached 23 wins in a season for the first time since 1998-99 and has also secured the program's most MAC wins since 2005-06. In their final home game, the RedHawks set a program record for most team points scored in a single season. The Red and White also set a new record for the most consecutive home wins (15) in a single season and tied the program record for the most regular-season wins in program history (23).

ABOUT EASTERN MICHIGAN: Eastern Michigan is coming off a 13-18 (6-12 MAC) season in 2023-24. Head coach Stan Heath is in his fourth season with the Eagles. Heading into the 2024-25 season, the MAC Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll picked the Eagles to finish ninth in the conference. Eastern Michigan is currently 16-15 (9-9 MAC), as the Eagles dropped their last game against Kent State 76-70 in Kent.

In the regular season, Eastern Michigan averaged 73.5 points per game on 46.1 percent shooting and held their opponents to 76.4 points per game. The Eagles averaged 32.6 rebounds, 12.7 assists, 6.9 steals and 3.5 blocks in each game they played. The Eagles have four players who average double figures in scoring, which include Jalen Terry (16.5), Da'Sean Nelson (16.0), Christian Henry (14.4) and Jalin Billingsley (10.6). Henry leads the team in assists per game (3.5), and Terry has recorded the most steals per game (1.5). Nelson has recorded the most rebounds each game (5.7) and also leads the Eagles with 1.1 blocks per contest.

THE SERIES WITH THE EAGLES: Thursday will mark the 87th time Miami and Eastern Michigan have faced off. The RedHawks head into this game leading 56-30 in the series. The last time Miami faced off with the Eagles, Eastern Michigan secured a 76-66 win in Ypsilanti on Feb. 18, 2025. Prior to that, the RedHawks claimed an 89-80 home win against Eastern Michigan on Jan. 28, 2025. The Eagles have the advantage in the MAC Tournament, 5-4.

TELEVISION & RADIO: Game three of the MAC Tournament will be broadcast on ESPN+ at approximately 4:30 p.m. In its sixth year of its partnership with Van Wagner, the Miami Sports Network continues its coverage of Miami men's basketball with a group of affiliates blanketing most of Southwest Ohio and Southeast Indiana. Tune in to one of Miami's gameday affiliates: WFMG-FM 101.3 (Richmond, Ind.), WMOH-AM 1450 (Hamilton, Ohio) or WONE-AM 980 (Dayton, Ohio)

UP NEXT: With a win on Thursday, the RedHawks have the chance to advance to the semifinal of the MAC Tournament for the first time since 2010. The Red and White would then compete on Friday, March 14, at approximately 7:30 p.m. in Rocket Arena against either No. 6 Western Michigan or No. 3 Kent State.

RECENT ACTION: The Miami University men's basketball team took down Ball State 79-66 Friday evening at Millett Hall on senior night. Kam Craft led the RedHawks with 19 points, while Dan Luers (18) and Evan Ipsaro (10) also scored in double figures. Ipsaro led the RedHawks with three steals (tied career-high). The Red and White moved into third all-time in team assists (507) and fourth all-time in team steals (260) over the course of a season.

RedHawks Face Eagles Thursday in MAC Tourney Quarterfinal

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Players Mentioned

Kam Craft

Evan Ipsaro

Dan Luers