Undefeated Miami (Ohio) Visits Ohio in Regular-Season Finale

ATHENS, Ohio (Interstat) — The Miami (Ohio) Redhawks, one of only two remaining undefeated teams in NCAA Division I men’s basketball, put their perfect record on the line Friday afternoon against the Ohio Bobcats in the regular-season finale for both teams.

Miami (Ohio) (30-0, 20-0 Mid-American Conference) enters the Convocation Center having already secured the MAC regular-season title. The Redhawks are chasing history, aiming to become the first team since Kentucky in 2014-15 to enter the NCAA Tournament undefeated.

The Bobcats (14-15, 9-11), however, will look to play spoiler on their home floor and build momentum for the upcoming conference tournament. Ohio has lost three of its last four games.

A key matchup will feature two of the conference’s top guards. Miami (Ohio) is led by Peter Suder, who is averaging 18.4 points over his last five games. He scored 20 points in the Redhawks’ 90-74 win over Ohio on Feb. 13.

Ohio will counter with Jackson Paveletzke, who is coming off a 24-point, 7-assist performance in a loss to Massachusetts. Paveletzke scored 22 against the Redhawks in the February meeting.

The Redhawks have shown a knack for winning close games, edging Toledo 74-72 on Tuesday and Western Michigan 69-67 last week. Ohio has struggled against top conference competition, with a 1-8 record against MAC teams with winning records.

Friday’s game tips off at 7 p.m. EST. A Miami (Ohio) victory would complete the first 30-0 regular season in MAC history.