Deadspin | No. 25 Miami (Ohio) making clutch shots to stay perfect, takes on UMass

[ad_1] Miami (OH) RedHawks guard Luke Skaljac (3) hits a shot from three level vary within the first half of a NCAA males’s basketball sport between the Miami RedHawks and Buffalo Bulls, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, at Millett Corridor in Oxford, Oh. Excessive-powered No. 25 Miami (Ohio) has been pushed to the brink in its final two video games however has answered the bell every time in time beyond regulation.

The RedHawks will meet their newest problem after they host Massachusetts in a Mid-American Convention contest Tuesday night time in Oxford, Ohio. Miami entered the Related Press Prime 25 ballot on Jan. 19 for the primary time since Feb. 15, 1999.

Due to time beyond regulation wins in opposition to Buffalo at house and Kent State on the street, Miami (20-0, 8-0 MAC) stays one among three unbeaten groups in Division I, together with No. 1 Arizona and No. 7 Nebraska. The 20-game win streak is one of the best begin to a season in class historical past and the longest for any MAC program, surpassing the 19-0 begin by Western Michigan within the 1975-76 season.

UMass (13-8, 4-5), coached by Frank Martin, has gained its final two video games.

Maybe essentially the most well-known assembly between groups for Martin and present Miami coach Travis Steele got here in 2010 when the previous was head coach at Kansas State and the latter was an assistant at Xavier. Martin's Kansas State squad gained in double-overtime within the Candy 16 of the NCAA Event in Salt Lake Metropolis.

"I've coached in opposition to Frank Martin (twice) in my profession, misplaced each instances, sadly, as an assistant at Xavier," Steele stated. "Among the finest video games I've ever been part of was within the Candy 16 out in Utah, an elite sport.

"However his groups at all times play actually, actually, actually onerous, and they're bodily. They tackle his persona, powerful, nasty. They're athletic. They attempt to flip you over."

UMass is coming off a dramatic 68-67 win at Buffalo on Friday when guard Marcus Banks Jr. scored a team-high 19 factors and knocked down 4 3-pointers. Guard Leonardo Bettiol adopted with 16 factors, taking pictures 7-for-10 from the sector.

"We obtained a bunch of fellows that care," Minutemen ahead Daniel Hankins-Sanford stated, per MassLive.com. "It won't be fairly, however we purchased in to the fitting sort of stuff. Head down in apply and that is simply the recipe. You bought to maintain listening and trusting Coach and go win the sport, go make the powerful performs on the finish of the sport."

Bettiol leads UMass in scoring at 17.1 factors per sport and Banks is second at 16.2. Senior Hankins-Sanford registered his eighth double-double of the season with 15 factors and a game-high 10 boards in opposition to Buffalo.

For the reason that lack of Miami place to begin guard Evan Ipsaro to a torn ACL on Dec. 20, Luke Skaljac and Peter Suder have helped to select up the slack for the RedHawks. Suder hit the game-winning three in opposition to Buffalo within the final seconds of time beyond regulation on Jan. 17 because the workforce gained its twenty sixth straight at house.

Skaljac pressured time beyond regulation at Kent State with a working financial institution shot with 6 seconds left in regulation final Tuesday to assist Miami stay unbeaten. Suder had 27 factors and 10 boards.

"I believe Luke's actually settled in on the (level) very properly," Steele stated. "We have accomplished a fantastic job caring for the ball. Peter Suder, clearly, has been an enormous a part of these previous two video games. He scores 37 or seven, he is simply enjoying to win, and he is aware of these moments when he wants to essentially, actually elevate, and he is greater than able to doing it."

Miami has scored not less than 100 factors of their final three video games, and 7 instances this season - essentially the most in program historical past. Within the 107-101 time beyond regulation win over Kent State, the RedHawks made 38 of their 70 pictures, the sixteenth time this season they've shot 50% or higher from the sector.