The (6-4) Cincinnati Bearcats will host the (4-5) Miami (OH) Redhawks on Wednesday at Fifth Third Arena. The Bearcats are 5-1 at home this season, with their lone home loss coming in their last game to Xavier. The loss also snapped Cincy's three-game winning streak. The Redhawks are 0-1 on the road this season and won their most recent game against Calumet College 85-49.
Cincinnati and Miami met for the first time in a decade last season, a 59-58 Bearcats victory. Wednesday's matchup will be the 149th meeting between these schools, which are roughly 30 miles apart, the most of any Cincinnati opponent. The Bearcats lead the all-time series 96-52 and are on a 14-game win streak dating back to 1991.
The game will tip off at 7:00 p.m. ET. The total is 149.5 points scored, and Cincinnati is favored by 17.0 points.
The Redhawks boast a mix of seven returning players, five freshmen, and three transfer players. They are led by senior guard Mekhi Lairy, who is scoring 15.7 points per game on 39.3 percent shooting. Miami lost four of its first five games but has since responded by winning three of its last four. Two of those early season defeats were to Georgia, who beat Miami by seven, and Indiana, who defeated the Redhawks by 30.
In its most recent outing, Miami shot 33-of-68 from the field (48.5%) and 16-of-27 from three-point range (59.3%), defeating Calumet College by 36 points. The Redhawks recorded 23 assists and outrebounded the Crimson Wave 45-28. Junior guard Morgan Safford paced Miami with 17 points and six rebounds, while senior forward Anderson Mirambeaux and Lairy added 15 points each.
#Team117 showed out yesterday! Watch the highlights fro m our win over Calumet College?? #RiseUpRedHawks pic.twitter.com/IXJiMcGaS1
— Miami Men's Basketball (@MiamiOH_BBall) December 12, 2022
In their previous game, an 88-61 loss to Indiana State, Miami shot just 19-of-56 from the field (33.9%) and 3-of-19 from distance (15.8%) and trailed by as many as 37 points. The Redhawks were outrebounded, turned the ball over 16 times, and recorded just four assists. Freshman guard Ryan Mabrey was Miami's leading scorer with 13 points.
This season, the Redhawks are averaging 75.2 points on 42.8 percent shooting, including 35.1 percent from distance. They boast the second-highest free-throw shooting percentage in the nation (82.7%). Miami's assist-to-turnover ratio is 0.93 (196th nationally), and its offensive efficiency rating, adjusted for schedule, is ranked 190th, per KenPom.com. Miami surrenders 73.6 points per game on 45.1 percent shooting, including 36.6 percent from long range. Its adjusted defensive efficiency rating is ranked 343rd out of 363 teams.