The losses and the frustration continue to pile up for the RedHawks, and it appears there's no end in sight.
Miami heads into inter-division play in the Mid-American Conference with a 5-12 overall record and 1-4 in the league. The RedHawks' hopes of contending for the East Division title are all but gone, and their chances of gaining a bye in the first round of the conference tournament are slipping away.
Coach Charlie Coles must keep his team focused and playing hard despite the record. That might not be the easiest thing to accomplish, especially after a 69-65 loss to Ohio on Jan. 21. The RedHawks controlled the game for most of the first 38 minutes, but they were outscored 12-2 down the stretch.
In a season of disappointing losses, that one ranks at the top of the list. The RedHawks outplayed their biggest rival for the majority of the afternoon but faltered with the game on the line.
"You cannot overemphasize the fact that we need to finish games," forward Julian Mavunga said in the Oxford (Ohio) Press. "I don't think there were three games all season we couldn't have won. We're 5-12. We very easily could be 12-5. It's disheartening to play as well as we've played and not have anything to show for it."
The season has also been frustrating off the court. Three potential starters -- Allen Roberts, Bill Edwards and Orlando Williams -- have seen little or no action. Edwards played only seven games before having season-ending wrist surgery. Roberts sustained a knee injury in preseason practice and is out for the season. Williams, who appeared in all 33 games last season, is no longer in school after a burglary arrest before the season began.
Coles realizes his team could look completely different, but he also knows excuses mean nothing.
"Like my wife says, who cares?" Coles said. "You play basketball. They're not going to put down in the records that you lost three guys."
Coles in an eternal optimist and would prefer to think there's a positive side to the RedHawks' problems.
"I've had more fun coaching this year than I have in the last eight or nine years because you know why? I think I'm making a difference," he said. "The record 5-12 doesn't reflect that, but I think we play pretty good basketball sometimes."
NOTES, QUOTES
Offense went absent late in loss at Ohio
--Miami led for most of the Jan. 21 game at Ohio, but the strong effort was wasted in the final three minutes. Adam Thomas' tip-in with 3:08 remaining gave the RedHawks a 63-57 lead, but the offense went cold. Miami didn't score again until Julian Mavunga's layup with three seconds remaining. Ohio scored 10 straight points and finished the game on a 12-2 run. The RedHawks' last six possessions consisted of one basket, five missed shots and a turnover.
--Hot 3-point shooting helped Miami hold the lead throughout the Ohio game. The RedHawks hit 10 of their first 19 shots from behind the arc, but the shooting went south just when it was needed the most. Miami missed its final four 3-pointers in the last 3:11 of the game. The RedHawks hit eight of 11 3-pointers in the first half.
--Sophomore point guard Quinten Rollins scored eight points and had a career-high six assists, but his mistakes down the stretch proved crucial. Miami had possession and a 63-62 lead, but Ohio's Walter Offutt stole the ball from Rollins in the RedHawks' half-court offense and drove in for a layup that gave the Bobcats the lead for good with 1:29 remaining. Rollins missed a layup with 10 seconds left and Miami trailing by three points. He then fouled out while trying to get the ball back.
BY THE NUMBERS: 5 -- Miami took five foul shots five times, making three, in the loss to Ohio. The RedHawks were called for 25 fouls compared to 13 for the Bobcats. Ohio was 18 of 27 from the line. Miami's guards didn't get to the basket or find Julian Mavunga often enough.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "We did most of the stuff we needed to do to win. We just needed to make a couple of more plays." -- Miami coach Charlie Coles, after the Redhawks' 69-65 loss to Ohio.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
THIS WEEK'S GAMES:
--vs. Toledo, Jan. 25
KEY MATCHUPS: One of the most inexperienced teams in the Mid-American Conference visits Millett Hall. The offensively challenged Rockets are 1-4 in the league and are coming off a 41-38 loss to Eastern Michigan. The teams play a similar tempo, and the RedHawks must execute their offense while avoiding turnovers.
--at Western Michigan, Jan. 28
KEY MATCHUPS: Miami's stretch of tough road games will continue. Western Michigan is battling for the West Division lead and features a strong inside game. Julian Mavunga will have his hands full as he battles Flenard Whitfield and Nate Hutcheson on the Broncos' front line.
FUTURES MARKET: Coach Charlie Coles planned to bring freshman G Brian Sullivan along slowly, but that changed thanks to the loss of Allen Roberts and Orlando Williams. Sullivan is averaging 9.6 points a game and 12.8 points in Mid-American Conference play. He scored 16 points against Ohio, hitting six of 14 from the field and four of nine 3-pointers. Sullivan has grown up quickly, and he likely will see more playing time as the season progresses.
PLAYER NOTES
--Sophomore C Drew McGhee scored 10 points and had a career-high six rebounds against Ohio. He was 5-for-8 from the field and blocked a shot. McGhee was averaging 5.6 points for the season through Jan. 22, but 10.2 points in Mid-American Conference games.
--Senior F Julian Mavunga had 10 rebounds against Ohio, but he was held to only six shots from the field. He scored seven points.
