Jan. 6, 2011

Complete Release in PDF Format

REDHAWKS OPEN MAC PLAY AT OHIO: After completing a non-conference slate that is ranked the nation's toughest non-conference schedule by CollegeRPI.com, Miami begins Mid-American Conference play on Sunday at 2 p.m. at long-time rival Ohio. The game will be televised on SportsTime Ohio. The series is the most-played series in Miami basketball history.

MAC OPENERS: Miami opens its 64th season in the Mid-American Conference. The RedHawks are 46-17 in MAC openers and are 20-13 when opening MAC play on the road. This is the second straight year Miami opens the MAC season on the road, having lost 73-55 at Buffalo last season. The RedHawks' last win in a MAC opener was in overtime at home against Akron in 2009, 64-51. Miami's last MAC-opening win on the road was at Central Michigan in 2005-06, 75-62.

ABOUT THE BOBCATS: Ohio, the defending MAC Tournament champions, enters Sunday's game with a 7-7 record and is coming off an overtime loss at Robert Morris last Sunday, 79-76. The Bobcats are playing their 11th home game on Sunday, including their fourth straight. D.J. Cooper leads the team, averaging 18.6 ppg. He ranks fourth nationally in assists (7.4 apg) and eighth nationally in steals (2.9 spg). His 104 assists on the season account for nearly 50 percent of the Bobcats' assists in 2010-11. DeVaughn Washington averages 10.8 ppg, while Tommy Freeman averages 10.5 ppg and Ivo Baltic averages a team-leading 6.0 rpg. As a team, the Bobcats are knocking down 8.2 3-pointers per game, which ranks 28th nationally. Freeman has drained 36 treys. His 43.4 shooting percentage from beyond the arc, ranks 25th nationally, while his 2.8 3-pointers per game ranks 46th.

THE SERIES VERSUS OHIO: The most played series of any in Miami basketball history, Sunday marks the 187th meeting between Miami and Ohio, however, it is just the fourth time the teams have met in a MAC opener. The Bobcats hold a 97-89 lead in the all-time series dating back to the 1907-08 season and are 2-1 against the RedHawks in MAC openers. Miami won the last meeting between the teams in a MAC opener at Ohio during the 1989-90 season, 87-72. Ohio won in Athens in 1984-85, 73-62. The teams also met in the conference opener in Miami's first season in the MAC with Ohio posting a 63-41 win during the 1947-48 campaign. When playing in Athens, Ohio holds a 60-26 advantage. Both teams won on their respective home courts last season, with Miami posting a 79-67 win on Jan. 16 in Oxford and Ohio notching 70-68 win in Athens on Feb. 24. The teams met in the MAC Tournament semifinals on March 12 with Ohio posting a 54-42 win. Miami, who has lost four straight meetings in The Convo, last won in Athens on Jan. 29, 2006, 73-59.

UP NEXT: After a three-game road stretch, Miami returns home on Thursday, Jan. 13, hosting Buffalo at 7 p.m. The RedHawks then travel to Bowling Green for a 2 p.m. game on Sunday, Jan. 16 before returning home again for a mid-week tilt against Akron at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 19. Miami concludes its first round against the MAC East Division at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 23 at Kent State.

MIAMI SPORTS NETWORK FROM IMG COLLEGE: In its fourth year of its partnership with IMG College, the Miami Sports Network from IMG College continues its coverage of Miami men's basketball with a group of affiliates blanketing most of Southwest Ohio and Southeast Indiana. "The Voice of the RedHawks" Steve Baker delivers the play-by-play coverage, while Joe Barry provides color commentary. Tune in to one of Miami's game-day affiliates: WMOH-AM 1450 (Hamilton, OH), WPFB-FM 105.9 (Middletown, OH), WFMG-FM 101.3 (Richmond, IN).

TELEVISION THIS WEEKEND: Miami's game at Ohio on Jan. 9 will be on SportsTime Ohio. Michael Reghi will call the play-by-play, while Steve Mix provides analysis.

KEEPING IT IN STATE: This season, Miami will face all but two of the other 12 Division I teams in the state of Ohio. In addition to matchups with fellow MAC members Akron, Bowling Green, Kent State, Ohio and Toledo, Miami also continued its series with local foes Xavier, Dayton, Cincinnati and Wright State. The RedHawks also faced No. 3 Ohio State for the first time in 18 seasons. The only two Division I teams from Ohio Miami will not face are Cleveland State and Youngstown State.

TAKING ON THE BEST: This season Miami has faced five teams currently ranked among the Top 25 in the country, including four teams ranked among the top six. Miami's game at then-No. 3 Ohio State marked the third nationally ranked opponent the RedHawks faced in an 11-day stretch, including two of the top three teams in the nation in the polls at the time. The RedHawks traveled to No. 1 Duke on Tuesday, Nov. 16 and hosted then-No. 18/22 San Diego State as part of the O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic on Monday, Nov. 22. This week, Duke remains No. 1, Ohio State remains No. 2, Kansas remains No. 3 while San Diego State has jumped to No. 6. Cincinnati cracked the Top 25 in both polls, ranking No. 24 in the AP Poll and No. 25 in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll.

HITTING THE CENTURY MARK: Senior forward Nick Winbush played in his 100th career game at Belmont on Dec. 30 and has played in 101 career games, the most by any active RedHawk. If he plays in the remainder of the RedHawks' games, including at least one Mid-American Conference Tournament game, he will crack Miami's all-time games played list, tying for eighth at 119 career appearances. The record is 122 by Jamie Mahaffey (1992-95).

HIGH FIVE: Junior guard Chris McHenry became the fifth RedHawk player to hand out five assists in a game, which is the most by a Miami player this season, doling out five against Belmont on Dec. 30. It also was the second straight game and third time in four games it has happened. Freshman guard Quinten Rollins handed out a career-high five assists against Cincinnati and accounted for 56 percent of the RedHawks' assists against the Bearcats. Junior forward Julian Mavunga handed out five assists in the season opener against Towson. Sophomore guard Allen Roberts collected five assists against Green Bay, while senior forward/guard Antonio Ballard notched five assists against Troy.

DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE: Three times in the last eight games Miami has had at least four players score in double figures in a single game. For the first time since Jan. 20, 2009 against Bowling Green, Miami had five players score in double figures against Troy (Dec. 11). Junior forward Julian Mavunga and sophomore guard Orlando Williams had 16 points apiece, while senior forward Nick Winbush and freshman guard Quinten Rollins tallied 12 points each--it is Rollins' career-high for scoring--and senior forward/guard Antonio Ballard added 10 points. On Dec. 1 against Xavier, Miami had four players score in double figures for the first time since Feb. 20, 2010 against Southwest Missouri State. Mavunga led all players against Xavier with a career-high 24 points, while Winbush (17), Ballard (11) and Williams (11) also scored in double figures. Four players also scored in double figures at Belmont on Dec. 30: Winbush (19), Ballard (18), Mavunga (11), Williams (10).

LONG RANGERS: For the second time this season, Miami was in double figures in made 3-point field goals against Belmont. The RedHawks sunk 10 of their 21 attempts from long range, second only to the 11 they drained against Troy on Dec. 11. Senior forward Nick Winbush tallied a season-high four 3-pointers against the Bruins, second this season only to Orlando Williams' five treys against Troy on Dec. 11. Winbush has hit at least one 3-pointer in every game this season. Junior forward Julian Mavunga has sunk a 3-pointer in all but one game (vs. No. 1 Duke).

ODDS `N ENDS: Sophomore guard Orlando Williams recorded a career-high three steals at Belmont and equalled that at No. 3 Kansas ... After not allowing an opponent to score 80 points on it this season, Miami gave up 83 points apiece to Belmont and Kansas ... both teams rank among the top 10 in the country for scoring offense .... Freshman guard Quinten Rollins has hit 14 consecutive free throws dating back to the Nov. 21 Green Bay game when he missed his second attempt late in the second half.

DOUBLING UP: Nine times since returning to the hardwood 12 games ago, senior forward/guard Antonio Ballard has scored in double figures. He opened the season with a pair of 14-point outings against IUPUI and Green Bay and notched 11 points against Xavier. Ballard scored 17 points at Dayton, going 7-of-8 from the field and 7-of-9 from the free-throw line. Against Saginaw Valley, Ballard amassed 11 points while tallying 10 points against Troy, 13 points at Wright State and 10 points against Cincinnati. He tallied a career-high 18 points at Belmont. Additionally, Ballard has started all 12 games he has played in this season and has made 53 career starts, the most of any active RedHawk.

DOUBLE TIME: For the seventh time in his career, junior forward Julian Mavunga recorded a double-double, tallying 14 points and 11 rebounds against Towson. Twelve of his points came in the second half, including seven points during a critical stretch late in the second half where Miami overcame a four-point deficit to build a five-point lead. Senior forward Nick Winbush recorded the third double-double of his career and his first of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds in 24 minutes of action against Saginaw Valley. One game later, senior forward/guard Antonio Ballard recorded his first double-double of the season and third of his career with 10 points and 11 rebounds against Troy.

HIGH PERCENTAGES: Entering their game against Xavier, the RedHawks were hitting 66.7 percent of their free-throws. Against the Musketeers, Miami missed just one of its 18 free-throw attempts. Its 94.4 free-throw shooting percentage against Xavier tied for sixth on Miami's single-game record list.

THAT 70s SHOW: Four times this season Miami has eclipsed the 70-point plateau, defeating Xavier 75-64 on Dec. 1, downing Saginaw Valley 76-57 on Dec. 7, pulling out a dramatic comeback against Troy on Dec. 11, 80-73 and falling at Belmont on Dec. 30, 83-72. The Xavier and Saginaw Valley games are the RedHawks' two largest margins of victory this season. Miami led from start to finish against the Musketeers and had its best shooting percentage of the season against the Cardinals (.549). The RedHawks have held seven of their 13 opponents under 70 points this season, including No. 2 Ohio State.

IN THE 80s: Miami hit the 80-point mark for the first time since Nov. 28, 2009, with an 80-73 come-from-behind win over Troy on Dec. 11. The last time the RedHawks eclipsed 80 points was in an 82-58 win against Evansville, the lone 80-point scoring effort by Miami last season.

GRAND THEFT: Freshman guard Quinten Rollins leads the team in steals with 17 through 14 games. In eight of Miami's last 12 games, Rollins has managed at least one steal. Against Saginaw Valley, Rollins picked the Cardinals' pocket five times, the most by a RedHawk this season.

GETTING OFFENSIVE: At then-No. 3 Ohio State, senior guard Antonio Ballard collected seven of the RedHawks' 13 offensive rebounds. He tallied five of Miami's nine offensive boards against Troy. In his 12 games this season, Ballard has swiped 30 offensive rebounds, eight less than his defensive rebounding total. Ballard is averaging 5.7 rpg this season.

20/20 VISION: Junior forward Julian Mavunga amassed a career-high 24 points against Xavier to lead all scorers. Mavunga was 8-for-16 from the field, draining two 3-pointers, while going 6-for-6 from the free-throw line. It was the most points scored by a RedHawk this season and only the second 20-point performance for a Miami player in 2010-11. Sophomore guard Allen Roberts recorded a career-high 20 points against Towson, leading all scorers. Roberts, who was sidelined for portions of the game due to foul trouble before fouling out late in the game, scored 20 points in 23 minutes. He went 7-of-9 (.778) from the field, including 3-for-3 from 3-point range and was 3-of-4 from the free-throw line.

FIRST TIMERS: All three of Miami's true freshmen--guard Quinten Rollins, forward Jon Harris and guard/forward Josh Sewell--and its redshirt freshman Drew McGhee saw action in Miami's season-opener against Towson. Additionally, junior transfer Chris McHenry also saw action against the Tigers. Rollins has played and started in all 14 games, while McHenry and Sewell have seen action in all but one game. Harris and McGhee have played in 11 games each.

A FRESH START: Freshman guard Quinten Rollins cracked the starting line-up as Miami's point guard against Towson. It was the first time since 2003-04 Miami had a true freshman in the starting lineup in its season opener. Eric VanBuskirk made a start as a true freshman against Liberty in the 2003-04 season opener.

COLES TO BE INDUCTED INTO OHIO BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME: Miami University Head Coach Charlie Coles is one of 19 individuals who will be inducted into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame on May 21, 2011. He is one of five collegiate coaches to be inducted this year.

THEY ARE MIAMI THROUGH AND THROUGH: All four of the RedHawks' coaches hold degrees from Miami University: Head Coach Charlie Coles earned a bachelor's degree in physical education in 1965, associate head coach Jermaine Henderson earned a bachelor's degree in physical education in 1997, assistant coach Jason Grunkemeyer earned a bachelor's degree in physical education in 2001, while assistant coach Jimmy Lallathin earned a bachelor's degree in education in 2003.

A MIAMI WIN WOULD ...
•	Snap a four-game losing skid.
•	Be Miami's first road win of the season.
•	Make Miami 47-17 in MAC openers.


A MIAMI LOSS WOULD ...
•	Make Miami 0-1 to start MAC play for the second straight year.
•	Drop Miami to 20-14 when opening MAC play on the road.
•	Be the RedHawks' third straight loss in the series with Ohio.