RedHawks seek identity in MAC

Miami finished its nonconference schedule 5-8.

Miami showed significant improvement between John Cooper’s first and second seasons as the RedHawks coach – 922 overall and 3-13 in the Mid-American Conference to 13-18 and 8-10.

After going 5-8 in nonconference play this season, it’s difficult to predict whether that trend will continue. Miami will provide the first clue tonight when it opens MAC play against Buffalo at 7 p.m. at Millett Hall.

The RedHawks enter their 68th season of MAC play looking for their first East Division title since 2005. They also are searching for an identity.

“We’ve certainly had some inconsistencies,” Cooper said. “When you have a lot of new faces, inconsistency can be expected. We’re still trying to figure out roles.”

Lately, Cooper has been working with a smaller lineup. He’s started four guards in each of Miami’s past three games, and the RedHawks have won the past two, leaving them in position to win three straight for the first time since last January .

As might be expected, Miami goes into MAC play last in the conference in offensive rebounding with an average of 7.6 per game and rebounding margin with an average of minus3.8 per game. The RedHawks also rank last in scoring with an average of 63.5 points per game.

“We’ve started playing better here as of late,” Cooper said.

“We’ve been playing a bit smaller at times. When you do that, you’re concerned about your rebounding. We’ve played well in spurts, but we have to strive to be better.”

Miami was picked in a preseason poll of MAC media to finish last in the six-team East. The Bulls, in their second season under coach Bobby Hurley, were picked to finish fourth.

That appears to be an underestimation. Buffalo is 9-3 with losses at Kentucky, the unanimous No. 1 team in the country, and No. 4 Wisconsin.

“Being competitive in those games has given our guys confidence,” Hurley said.