Game Day Essentials:
Miami (Ohio) (5-2) vs. Indiana (6-2)
- Tip Time: 7 p.m. Eastern, Friday
- Location: Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (17,222)
- Television: BTN (Connor Onion, Shon Morris)
- Radio: IU Radio Network (Don Fischer, Errek Suhr, John Herrick)
- Stream: Fox Sports
- Point Spread: Indiana is a 18.5-point favorite
- KenPom Projected Score: Indiana 83 Miami (OH) 68
- History: Indiana leads the series, 22-3.
- Last Meeting: IU 86, Miami 56 on Nov. 20, 2022 in Indianapolis
- Tickets (via our StubHub affiliate link)
Miami (Ohio)’s Travis Steele
Travis Steele returns to Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall as a native of Danville, Indiana. Steele was named head coach of Miami (Ohio) on March 31, 2022, and is in his third season as head coach. He currently holds a 32-39 overall record as head coach of the RedHawks.
Steele began coaching as an assistant at Ben Davis HS from 2001-2004 while completing his undergrad at Butler. After graduation, he would serve as a GA at Ohio State in 2004, and as an assistant at Wabash Valley in 2005.
Steele then accepted a position at Indiana as a video coordinator in 2006. When Kelvin Sampson was let go from the program, Steele was upgraded to an assistant coach for the remainder of the 2008 season.
Steele finished his assistant career at Xavier, where he worked under Sean Miller, and was retained by Chris Mack after Miller left to coach at Arizona. In total, Steele helped Xavier appear in eight NCAA Tournaments across the nine seasons he was an assistant. He got upgraded to the head coaching position from 2018-2022 and compiled a 70-50 record at Xavier.
Miami (Ohio)’s results and roster:
| DATE | OPPONENT | LOCATION | RESULT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11/4/2024 | at Appalachian State | Boone, N.C. | W 77-63 |
| 11/9/2024 | Wright State | Oxford, Ohio | L 68-81 |
| 11/12/2024 | Maryland Eastern Shore | Oxford, Ohio | W 88-70 |
| 11/18/2024 | at Michigan (Fort Myers On-Campus Tip-Off) | Ann Arbor, Mich. | L 67-94 |
| 11/25/2024 | vs Siena (Fort Myers Classic) | Fort Myers, Fla. | W 70-58 |
| 11/26/2024 | vs Mercer University (Fort Myers Classic) | Fort Myers, Fla. | W 75-72 |
| 12/2/2024 | Air Force | Oxford, Ohio | W 73-60 |
(via Miami University Athletics)
Suder’s Career-High 42 Points Lift Miami Past Air Force
- Carmel, Ind. native Peter Suder led all players with a career-high 42 points (17-of-21 from the field), the most from a RedHawk since Wally Szczerbiak scored 43 in 1999.
- 42 points scored is the most by a MAC player this season (previously held by Ohio’s AJ Clayton, 34 points at Portland 11/22/24).
- Suder has scored in double figures in each of the past five games and is shooting 66.1% from the floor (39 of-59) over that span.
Miami Secures Fort Myers Tip-Off Championship
- The Miami University men’s basketball team edged past Mercer 75-72 to win the Fort Myers Tip-Off Palms Division Championship.
- All five members of Miami’s starting lineup scored in double figures.
- Suder was named the Fort Myers Tip-Off Palms Division MVP, averaging 17.0 points (60% from the field), five rebounds, 2.5 assists and two steals during the tournament.
- Suder was joined on the All-Tournament team by Eian Elmer, who averaged 15 points (62.5% from the field), four rebounds, 2.5 steals, 0.5 assists and 0.5 blocks.
Miami (Ohio)’s KenPom notable numbers:
(out of 364 teams)
Tempo – No. 132 (Offense No. 150 / Defense No. 220)
Offensive Efficiency – No. 190
- The RedHawks have a 55 effective field goal percentage, good for No. 62 in the country.
- They shoot well on two-point attempts at 57 percent (No. 51).
- Their free-throw rate is one of the lowest in the country (21.8 FTA/FGA, No. 354).
- Shot attempts are also getting blocked at a 12.8 percent rate (No. 329)
Defensive Efficiency – No. 170
- Miami forces turnovers at a 22 percent rate (No. 37)
- Teams shoot well against them with a 55.7 effective field goal percentage (No. 329).
- Threes are where they get burnt the most, with a 36.5 opponent percentage (No. 302). Teams find 36.2 percent of their points from beyond the arc against them (No. 19).
OG’s Pick:
Win/Loss Prediction: 5-1
Perfect Predictions: 0
This matchup serves as a momentum-builder for Indiana before they kick off Big Ten play against Minnesota next week. It should primarily serve as a tune-up game, so I expect Indiana to try and bury the RedHawks early.
Because Indiana’s perimeter defense has been their strong suit this season, I don’t see Miami (Ohio) giving the Hoosiers any issue offensively, although Peter Suder can be dangerous if he gets hot. Outside of their decent rate of forcing turnovers, the RedHawks don’t boast a daunting defense.
I say Indiana gets the lead early and doesn’t lose it for the rest of the game.
PICK: Indiana 91 – Miami (Ohio) 62
For complete coverage of IU basketball, GO HERE.
The Daily Hoosier –“Where Indiana fans assemble when they’re not at Assembly”
- Find us on Facebook: thedailyhoosier
- You can follow us on Twitter: @daily_hoosier
- Seven ways to support completely free IU coverage at no cost to you.
