Twelve games into the 2024-25 season, the Miami University RedHawks men’s basketball team sits above .500 going into conference play for the first time since 2021.
To open up Mid-American Conference (MAC) play for the 2024-25 season, the RedHawks welcome the University of Buffalo Bulls (5-7) to Millett Hall today at 1 p.m.
With a 8-4 record, the RedHawks posted their best non-conference record since 1998 this season. Their early season performance included a three-game winning streak in November and a victory at the Fort Myers Classic.
Miami capped 2024 with a 141-58 win over the Defiance College Yellow Jackets, setting a program record for points scored in a game. Six RedHawks scored more than 10 points, including a season-high 20 from graduate student guard Dan Luers.
Redshirt sophomore wing Kam Craft followed with 19 points. Through two months at Miami, Craft leads the team with 184 points, 120 of which coming from his 40 3-pointers, the most in the MAC.
Junior guard Peter Suder and sophomore wing Eian Elmer follow with 175 and 156 points respectively. Junior forward Antwone Woolfolk sits at 96 points, and with his 7.8 points per game average, he can hit the triple digits after today’s game.
Woolfolk also leads the RedHawks with 67 total rebounds and ties with Elmer for the most blocks with 10.
The RedHawks’ final loss of the year came against the University of Vermont Catamounts on Dec. 18 by a score of 75-67. One month before that, the Catamounts handed the Bulls nearly the same loss, 78-67.
Buffalo started the season strong, jumping to 2-0 before facing its first loss against the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish. From there, the Bulls went 3-6, including a 100-49 defeat against the University of Georgia Bulldogs.
Sophomore guard Ryan Sabol leads the Bulls with 191 points, putting him at fifth in the MAC. Sabol also leads the team with 38 3-pointers, two shy of Craft and good for second in the conference.
Senior guard Tyson Dunn follows with 142 points. He leads the Bulls with 22 steals, and his 56 turnovers ties him for second in Division I men’s basketball.
First-year forward Ben Michaels is eight points away from 100. Like Woolfolk, Michaels’ 8.2 points per game average puts him in position to hit that mark today.
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The Bulls concluded their non-conference slate with a three-game losing streak. However, their 5-7 standing gives them a better record than last season’s 4-27 overall record.
For head coach Travis Steele, the duo of Sabol and Dunn will be an important focus for the RedHawks.
“They’re gonna play really fast,” Steele said. “They’re gonna rely on their guard play. They got two really good guards. [Dunn and Sabol] are as dynamic of a back court as there is gonna be in our league. They’re gonna play faster, shoot a lot of three’s.”
In last year’s matchup, the RedHawks took a 38-36 lead after 20 minutes. However, a 48-29 run in the second half allowed Miami to take a 86-65 victory, the team’s first conference win of the 2023-24 season.
The RedHawks haven’t won their first MAC game since the 2021-22 season, when they also faced the Bulls to begin conference play. However, Steele said that this year’s non-conference schedule set Miami up for its MAC competition.
“I think our non-conference [schedule] prepared us,” Steele said. “We’ve seen all different types [and] styles of play to prepare us for our league. I’ve got a lot of respect for what George has been able to build there. [The Bulls have] made a huge jump from where they were last year. We’re gonna have a great challenge for us [today].”
Tip-off is at 1 p.m. in Millett Hall. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
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