Did you know that if Indiana beats Miami (FL) and wins the college football national championship, the Hoosiers will be the last program to produce a perfect season in both college football and men’s basketball?
That little factoid got me thinking about dream seasons. There are still five undefeated programs in Division I hoops this season, and there are odds on a perfect regular season being offered on all five.
Arizona (+1100) and Iowa State (+1280) don’t interest me because the Big 12 features four teams in the KenPom top 11. Both the Wildcats and Cyclones play all three elite contenders down the stretch, with two of those matchups coming on the road.
Vanderbilt (+1280), out of the SEC, has a similar issue in that the Dores will face at least nine tournament teams between now and the end of the season.
Nebraska (+3200, Kalshi) doesn’t face the same kind of gauntlet in the Big Ten, but a road trip to No. 2 Michigan, a home tilt with No. 5 Purdue and two games with No. 19 Iowa stand in between the Cornhuskers and a perfect regular season.
That leaves us with Miami (OH) out of the MAC.
Here’s why the RedHawks have what it takes to head into the postseason undefeated.
Recommendation: Miami (OH) Perfect Regular Season (+1000)
Let me catch you up to speed on Travis Steele’s bunch in Oxford, Ohio. The RedHawks are one of the best shooting teams in America. Miami (OH) ranks third in shooting efficiency, and its marksmen are even more accurate away from home.
It’s rare for any team to shoot better than 50% on the road, but the RedHawks are burying shots at a 51.4% clip (third nationally) when they take their show on the road.
Being able to knock down shots, regardless of venue, is one of the most attractive things about Steele’s team. The RedHawks rank 13th out of 365 teams in terms of consistency, per Haslemetric.
Steele believes in a true nine-man rotation, and it's produced six RedHawks with double-digit scoring averages. Four of those go-to scorers shoot better than 40% from 3-point range.
In the RedHawks' last five games, five different players have finished as their leading scorer. It’s a pick-your-poison situation on a nightly basis when you’re facing Miami (OH).
I mentioned the RedHawks' shooting prowess on the road, but that’s not all that travels well. Miami (OH) is the best defensive rebounding team in the MAC, and it's absolutely nails from the foul line (79.8%, third), which is invaluable late in games.
In Miami’s closest call of the season — a 76-73 win over Akron — the RedHawks shot 25-for-30 from the line, including 8-of-10 in the closing minutes.
Speaking of Akron, the highest-rated team in the MAC, per KenPom, the Zips were one-and-done on Miami’s schedule this season.
That’s a huge break, given how weak the rest of the conference is this season. The RedHawks have seven remaining road games, and the average KenPom ranking of those teams is a manageable 187th.
The RedHawks must travel to 12-4 Kent State on January 20 and host Bowling Green a month later. Those two games represent their biggest hurdles.
Kent State likes to use tempo to pull teams out of their comfort zone. However, Miami has no problem playing an up-and-down game and should bury the Golden Flashes with 3-pointers. Kent allows 10.1 3s per game (350th).
As for Bowling Green, I trust Coach Steele to limit Javontae Campbell. The highly skilled point guard scored just 16 points in a 10-point RedHawks victory two weeks ago. If he’s held in check again, Miami will pass one of its few remaining tests.
The last team to run through its regular season undefeated? Gonzaga in 2021. Miami (OH)’s slate is considerably easier than the one the Zags conquered, which is why this is worth a flyer at 10:1.
