Miami Redhawks guard Trey Perry (1) gestures after hitting a 3-pointer in the second half of an NCAA game at Millett Hall in Oxford, Ohio, on February 20, 2026. After surviving a major scare on the road, undefeated, 19th-ranked Miami (Ohio) returns home to take on Mid-American Conference rival Toledo on Tuesday night in Oxford, Ohio.
Miami (29-0, 16-0 MAC) needed a last-minute layup from backup point guard Trey Perry to defeat 10-win Western Michigan 69-67 on the road Friday night to remain the only undefeated team in Division I men’s basketball. The RedHawks have regular season games remaining against Toledo and Ohio on Friday.
Toledo (16-13, 10-6), which has won three straight, is looking for revenge for an 87-73 home loss to Miami on Jan. 9.
Already without starting point guard Evan Ipsaro due to a torn ACL in late December, the RedHawks played Friday’s game without the services of assists leader Luke Skaljac (4.8 per game) due to a wrist injury.
Perry, a true freshman, earned his first career start Friday with Skaljac out of the lineup. Miami coach Travis Steele said after Friday’s game that Scaljak’s injury was minor and expressed hope that Scaljak will return for Tuesday’s game against Toledo.
Steele will focus on keeping his cool Tuesday after losing by four points at halftime at Western Michigan. He scolded officials and called a technician on his way to the locker room. Steele ran off the court and knocked over a DJ stand in the hallway.
Miami erased a nine-point deficit with less than seven minutes remaining to continue the historic run.
“I felt better at halftime, to be honest, like I couldn’t lose my mind,” Steele said after the game. “I got a technical foul coming off the court. We have to be better, but our group is unwavering. We are calm, cool, and collected. We are very even throughout the game, even in the tough moments.
“We hear our guys’ voices in the huddle. A player-led team is much better than a coach-led team. So just the ability of our guys to execute gives our guys a lot of confidence in those moments.”
Peter Suder, the RedHawks’ leading scorer (14.7 ppg), led the way with 18 points, Almar Atlason added 16 points and Perry had 14 points in the dramatic victory.
Miami, which already has a school-record 29 wins, is the fourth Division I team to enter March undefeated since 2000, following Wichita State (2013-14), Kentucky (2014-15) and Gonzaga (2020-21), according to ESPN.
The Rockets won 79-67 over Ohio on Saturday as Leroy Blyden Jr. scored a game-high 22 points and Sonny Wilson added 21 for their third straight win.
Toledo took a 65-55 lead into the second half, but had to hold off Ohio, which closed to 67-61 with 4:08 left. But Blyden had a tip-in, Austin Parks dunked and Wilson added a pair of free throws for a 73-61 lead with 2:20 left to help Toledo hang on.
“This was a huge win for us and we just keep getting better,” Toledo coach Todd Kowalczyk said. “We played really well in the first half and could have had a bigger lead if we had finished around the basket. Our guards made big plays when we needed them. That’s what we need to win on the road later in the season.”
–Field level media
