Recordpub.com - Miami sneaking up on MAC Flashes face must-win game tonight against RedHawks

By David Carducci

Record-Courier staff writer

The Miami RedHawks fly in to Kent tonight under the radar of most Mid-American Conference men's basketball fans.

As the leaders of their respective divisions, Toledo and Akron have been considered the class of the league in 2006-07, with Kent State joining the mix on the basis of a six-game win streak that ended Sunday at Western Michigan.

"Toledo, Akron and Kent have played themselves toward the top of the heap," Western coach Steve Hawkins said Sunday after his team thumped KSU 79-57. "They deserve (first-round byes in the MAC Tournament). But any team is capable of getting hot at the right time of year and riding the wave all the way through the MAC Tournament."

Miami is one of those teams. With Toledo, Akron and KSU stealing the bulk of the headlines in the conference season, the fans, the media and even some MAC coaches seem to have forgotten about the RedHawks. Quietly, Charlie Coles' team has stepped right back into pace with KSU in the march to one of those four coveted first-round tournament byes.

The RedHawks (12-11, 8-3) arrive at the M.A.C. Center in a second-place tie with the Flashes (15-9, 8-3), just behind Akron in the East standings.

Miami also owns a head-to-head tiebreaker over KSU on the basis of its 65-63 last-second win over the Flashes back on Jan. 7 in Oxford. The buzzer-beater by Tim Pollitz that lifted the RedHawks to victory in the opener of the MAC season was just one of several good breaks they have converted into an 8-3 league mark.

"We've had some bounces go our way," said Coles. "In any season, you are going to lose some close ones, and you are going to win some close ones. We've been fortunate enough to win some close games since Jan. 7."

On its home court at Millett Hall, Miami has escaped with the two-point win over KSU, a six-point win over Bowling Green, a three-point win over Ohio, a three-point win over Northern Illinois and a three-point win over Western Michigan that featured a comeback from 17 points down in the first half.

"The key game for us was probably Kent State," said Coles. "It really helped our confidence because Kent is good. Any time you beat them, I think you have to feel good about yourself. From that game on, our mood has been much better.

"We all know Kent State and their reputation. They have been the best team in the league over the last eight years. They have been consistently good. If they haven't been the best, they have been one of the best. You always know you are in for a tough battle, and we are probably going to need to play our best game of the year (tonight) to be successful."

KSU's biggest advantage in the rematch with Miami could be the M.A.C. Center. The Flashes are 5-0 at home in league games this year. All three of the RedHawks' league losses have taken place on the road.

Having three of their last four conference games at the M.A.C. Center should be a big boost for the Flashes as they try to catch Akron in the standings or at least avoid having to play four games in four nights during the conference tournament.

"In this league, a lot of games are going to be dictated by where you are playing and how the particular teams are playing on that night," said KSU head coach Jim Christian. "It's going to be a fun end of the year and a fun MAC Tournament."

The Flashes will look to rebound from a disastrous performance at Western. The key to those hopes will rely on their willingness to re-dedicate themselves on the defensive end of the floor. Forcing just nine turnovers and scoring only five points off those turnovers, as they did Sunday, won't cut it against Miami.

KSU also hopes to get key players like Mike Scott, Chris Singletary, Rodriquez Sherman, Haminn Quaintance and Armon Gates back on track offensively. Those five players combined to shoot 5-for-23 (21 percent) from the floor Sunday.

Pollitz could be a thorn in the Flashes' side again. The junior forward arrives in Kent as the reigning MAC East Player of the Week after averaging 23.0 points and shooting a blistering 75 percent from the field in wins over Eastern Michigan and Ball State.

Pollitz leads the RedHawks in scoring at 14.9 per game this season. That number has been elevated by his 18.9 scoring average in 11 MAC games. Center Nathan Peavy adds 14.3 points per night and a team-best 6.7 rebounds.