For at least a few more days, there’s still one undefeated Division I men’s college basketball team remaining.
In its penultimate regular-season game, Miami (Ohio) got a team-high 19 points, four assists and three steals from Peter Suder to hang on to beat Toledo 74-72 on Tuesday, March 3 to improve its record to 30-0.
With the victory, the RedHawks became just the fifth Division I men’s basketball team to start a season 30-0 since the NCAA tournament expanded to 64 teams during the 1984-85 season.
A win at Ohio on Friday would cap off an undefeated regular season heading into the MAC tournament.
Their 30th win was one of their closest this season. Leading by two with five seconds remaining, Miami forward Brant Byers missed the front end of a one-and-one. Toledo collected the rebound and had a chance to tie or win the game, but a Leroy Blyden Jr. turnover ended the game.
It’s the RedHawks’ seventh victory this season by three points or fewer, five of which have come in their past 12 games.
Miami never trailed and led by as many as 13 points.
Suder made seven of his 10 shots, including four of his seven 3-pointers. Antwone Woolfolk had 14 points while Byers added 13.
The RedHawks’ latest win came after a contentious few days in which their potential NCAA tournament at-large resume was fiercely debated publicly, most notably by former Auburn coach Bruce Pearl, who said Miami is “not one of the best teams in the country” as an at-large. Pearl’s comments came as his son, Steven, is overseeing an Auburn team that’s on the NCAA tournament bubble, with a 15-14 record heading into the week in his first season since taking over for his father.
On Monday, Miami athletic director David Sayler shot back at Pearl on social media.
‘U are flat out wrong about @MiamiOH_BBall when u say we would finish last in the Big East,’ Sayler said in a post on Twitter. ‘The disrespect is awful and u should not be near a TV studio covering this sport when u show your true colors! Even slipped in a ‘we’ when talking about Auburn, nice work!’