Wednesday, November 24, 1999
IUPUI set to trap Miami
RedHawks go from hunter to hunted
BY JOHN FAY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
The Miami University RedHawks go from playing a game that no one expected them to win to playing one than no one expects them to lose.
The RedHawks play Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis at 7 p.m. today in Indy. The game comes only three days after MU's opening loss to No. 6 Temple.
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MIAMI at IUPUI
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• When: 7 p.m. today
• Where: IUPUI Gymnasium (2,000), Indianapolis
• Records: MU 0-1, IUPUI 0-1
• TV: None
• Radio: WMOH-AM (1450), WFMG-FM (101.3)
BY THE NUMBERS
• 2: Number of seasons IUPUI has played Division I
• 4: Numbers of points Miami got from its frontcourt players in the opening loss to Temple
• 41.7: Percentage of 3-point shots IUPUI hit in opening loss to Evansville
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“Emotionally, this is probably tougher than Temple,” Miami coach Charlie Coles said. “(IUPUI) looks at us as a Sweet 16 team coming to their gym. Their guys are going to look at this as a big opportunity.”
IUPUI is only in its second year of playing in Division I. Coles took the game as a favor to IUPUI coach Ron Hunter, a Miami alum.
“He's a good friend,” Coles said. “I'm sure this would be the biggest win of his life. But let's play. Why not?”
IUPUI opened with a 74-61 loss at Evansville. The Jaguars return four starters from last year's 11-16 team.
Coles would have liked to have a little more practice time between the Temple game and today's.
“This time of year you'd like to practice more and not play so many games,” Coles said.
That is especially true in Miami's case. Anthony Taylor, who led Miami with 16 points against Temple, missed two weeks of practice just before the game with a strained calf muscle.
The Temple game was the only the second time Jason Stewart (torn finger tendon), who scored 13 points, had participated with the team at all.
That said, a 13-point loss on the road to the No. 6 team in the country isn't so awful.
“I'd give us a B-plus for the first half,” Coles said, “and a C-plus for the second half.”
Coles was discouraged by the RedHawks' transition defense and turnovers. He was encouraged by the halfcourt play on defense.
“When we got in our set defense, they had an awful hard time scoring,” Coles said.
Miami had a hard time scoring for long stretches, too. The RedHawks only got four points from their inside players, and those points came on slams by Refiloe Lethunya off the fast break late in the game.
“That's a little deceiving,” Coles said. “A lot of teams are going to have trouble scoring inside on Temple. That's where their strength is. That wasn't a true picture of how it's going to be in our league.”
The IUPUI game is one Miami would like to win because isn't get going to get much easier. The RedHawks go to Tennessee after that, followed by a game at Wisconsin-Green Bay, followed by home games with Xavier and Notre Dame.
“It's a killer schedule,” Coles said.
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