Miami (OH) RedHawks Escape Against Western Michigan Broncos To Keep Perfect Season Alive

Twenty-nine games. Zero losses. That’s the reality for No. 21 Miami (Ohio) right now, and after Friday night’s nail-biter in Kalamazoo, it feels like this team simply refuses to lose. Guard Trey Perry drove the lane with 0.4 seconds on the clock and kissed a left-handed layup off the glass to give the RedHawks a 69-67 road win over Western Michigan. Division I’s last undefeated team lives to fight another day.

Miami Trailed by Nine and Still Found a Way

This wasn’t pretty. The RedHawks spotted Western Michigan a nine-point lead and went into halftime trailing 30-26. They shot just 4-of-15 from three. They got outrebounded 39-28. They were without Guard Luke Skaljac. None of it mattered.

Peter Suder dropped 18 points to lead the offense. Almar Atlason came off the bench and quietly carved up Western Michigan for 16. Perry, the hero of the night, finished with 14 points and a team-high 3 assists before delivering the dagger when it mattered most.

Justice Williams had just tied the game at 67 with a jumper 12 seconds earlier. For a brief moment, it looked like Western Michigan might finally be the team to hand Miami its first loss. Instead, Perry answered—left hand, off the glass, game over.

Miami’s Bench and Paint Presence Carried the Night

With three starters struggling from deep, Miami leaned on what it does best—getting to the basket. The RedHawks scored 40 points in the paint compared to Western Michigan’s 32. That’s where games like this get won.

Atlason deserves a special mention. Coming off the bench and delivering 16 points in a road game this tight isn’t easy. It’s the kind of performance that doesn’t always show up in highlights, but it absolutely shows up in the win column.

Coach Travis Steele Had a Moment—And Owned It

Here’s where things got interesting. At halftime, with Miami trailing and the officiating clearly not going their way, Head Coach Travis Steele boiled over. He exchanged words with officials going into the locker room and—this is not ideal—shoved what appeared to be equipment belonging to Western Michigan’s band.

Not his best moment. He knew it. “I can’t do that,” Steele said after the game on CBS Sports Network. “I got to be better.” He didn’t deflect, didn’t blame the refs, didn’t offer excuses. He took ownership. That matters, especially when you’re coaching a team with a perfect record and a target on their backs every single night.

What 29-0 Actually Means

People forget how hard it is to go undefeated at any level of college basketball. Every opponent circles your game on the calendar. Every arena is a hostile road environment. Every night, the other team is playing the game of their lives. Miami has handled all of it.

Western Michigan came in hungry. Jayden Brewer gave them 19 points. Williams and EJ Ryans each added 14. The Broncos fought hard and nearly pulled it off. Nearly.

The RedHawks shot 48% from the field overall despite the cold shooting from deep. They found ways to score in the paint. They survived a double-digit deficit. And when the moment was biggest, Perry made the play.

Miami Is Building Something Special

The wins aren’t the only thing making headlines in Oxford right now. Miami’s Board of Trustees recently approved a brand new $242 million arena to replace the aging Millett Hall. Construction is expected to begin this spring or summer, with the facility targeted to open by fall 2028.

Athletic Director David Saylor made the case that the program needed a modern home to compete in college basketball’s rapidly shifting landscape. “I want people to know that Miami Athletics is going to be strong and vibrant in this new future of whatever the NCAA landscape is going to be,” Saylor said.

The Road Ahead

Miami has proven it can win ugly. It can win pretty. It can win on the road, down nine, with its rotation shorthanded. There’s a resolve to this team that goes beyond statistics. The question now isn’t whether Miami can keep winning—they’ve answered that 29 times over. The question is how far this run goes, and whether Perry will need to save the day again before it’s all said and done.