Another Big Opportunity For UMass
The Minutemen host the nation's only remaining undefeated team in Miami-Ohio tonight at the Mullins Center (ESPN+)
UMass gets another crack at one of the nation’s hottest teams on Tuesday night.
The Minutemen welcome #23 Miami Ohio to the Mullins Center at 7 p.m., looking to avenge an 86-84 loss in Oxford on Jan. 27 and snap the RedHawks’ unbeaten run. The game will stream on ESPN+.
The first meeting was a thriller.
Miami survived late behind 30 points from Eian Elmer, while UMass had multiple chances down the stretch.
Leonardo Bettiol posted one of his best outings of the season with 22 points and a career-high 16 rebounds. Marcus Banks Jr. added 18 points, hitting four three-pointers, and Daniel Hankins-Sanford chipped in 16 on 7-for-12 shooting.
The loss at Miami marked UMass’ most recent game against a ranked opponent. It also underscored how narrow the margin can be against a team that does not beat itself.
UMass enters Tuesday at 15-11 overall and 6-7 in the MAC following a 99-92 loss at Akron on Friday. The Minutemen currently own the seventh-place spot in the league, a game behind Bowling, Green, Ohio and Toledo, who are in a three-way tie for fourth, and a half-game ahead of Buffalo.
The Minutemen shot 57.4 percent from the field against Akron and outscored the Zips 32-24 in the paint, but Akron’s 38-for-43 performance at the free throw line proved decisive.
K’Jei Parker continues to provide perimeter punch. He scored 20 points against Akron, going 5-for-10 from beyond the arc. Banks and Bettiol each finished with 18, while Danny Carbuccia added 13 as four Minutemen reached double figures.
Miami presents a different type of challenge.
The RedHawks are 25-0 overall and 12-0 in league play, the only undefeated team in the country. Head coach Travis Steele is in his fourth season in Oxford and has guided the program to a 77-46 overall mark during that stretch.
Brant Byers leads Miami in scoring at 15.0 points per game. Elmer and Antwone Woolfolk pace the RedHawks on the glass at 5.9 and 5.5 rebounds per contest, respectively. In the first meeting, UMass held its own offensively but struggled to get enough stops late as Miami executed in key moments.
For UMass, the opportunity is significant beyond conference positioning.
The Minutemen have not defeated a ranked opponent since Nov. 22, 2013, when they knocked off New Mexico in the Charleston Classic. The last ranked team to fall at the Mullins Center was #7 Connecticut on Dec. 9, 2004, a 61-59 upset that sent 9,037 fans storming the floor.
To do it, UMass will need to replicate the offensive efficiency it showed in Oxford and in Akron while tightening up defensively without sending Miami to the free throw line too often.
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