Preview: Miami basketball takes on Central Michigan on the road

Following a thrilling One Miami Day and Alumni Day victory against the rival Ohio University Bobcats, the Miami University RedHawks men’s basketball team (16-5, 8-1 in conference play) is on the road tonight to face the Central Michigan University Chippewas (10-11, 4-5 in conference play) for a midweek matchup.

The RedHawks come into the Tuesday night contest on a three-game winning streak in Mid-American Conference (MAC) play. The only team that has handed them a loss in 2025 was the MAC-leading University of Akron Zips with a 102-75 defeat.

Central Michigan’s road has been more choppy under fourth-year head coach Tony Barbee. The Chippewas’ MAC and overall records sit one game under .500 in a three-way tie with Ball State University and Eastern Michigan University.

The RedHawks had to rely on scoring from everywhere to defeat the Bobcats, but the usual suspects will be on display against Central Michigan.

Redshirt sophomore wing Kam Craft and junior guard Peter Suder are tied with 302 points. They scored 14 and 15 points, respectively, against Ohio, but the bench came up big, scoring 35 points, including some important ones down the stretch by sophomore guard Evan Ipsaro.

For the Chippewas, their last game was successful as well, defeating the Bowling Green State University Falcons 90-71.

Junior guard Kyler Vanderjagt and junior forward Ugnius Jarusevicius scored a team-leading 25 and 21 points for Central Michigan, followed by senior guard Anthony Pritchard (15) and sophomore guard Cayden Vasko (11).

The Red and White will also have to worry about senior Jakobi Heady, who leads Central Michigan in points per game with 13.4.

Miami is second in the MAC in points per game with 82.3, while Central Michigan is seventh at 74.1. But the Chippewas’ defense is where their success has come from, only allowing 70 points per game.

A RedHawks offense that ranks fourth in the nation in effective field goal percentage and fifth in the nation in 3-point percentage will be tested against a strong team defense.

The difference between Miami’s home and road success is stark, with the RedHawks sitting at the .500 mark as the visitors. When Miami last left Oxford, the Zips handed them a 27-point defeat to break their eight-game winning streak.

The RedHawks are 57-26 against Central Michigan. Last year’s matchup saw Miami break a three-game losing streak against the Chippewas after two halves of domination ended in a 88-70 victory.