’Hawks to open season vs. UK

RedHawks also have games against regional foes UC, UD, Xavier and Wright State

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By Pete Conrad, Staff Writer Updated 9:58 PM Thursday, August 20, 2009

OXFORD — It might not have the look of the buzz-saw schedules of the last two seasons, when the Miami University men’s basketball team faced trips to Kansas, Louisville, UCLA, Pittsburgh and West Virginia. But coach Charlie Coles said the RedHawks’ 2009-10 schedule is deceptively tough.

Miami’s non-league schedule includes a second trip to Kentucky in the last four years and a return to its century-old rivalry with the Cincinnati Bearcats.

In fact, the toughest part of Miami’s season figures to be the games against teams within its own region.

“I’ll tell you what, three of the neighboring schools — Xavier, Cincinnati, who is going to be very much improved, and Dayton, who is returning about everybody — is going to make our schedule a little trying,” Coles said.

“I think Dayton is going to be a Top 25 team, and I think UC and Xavier have the capability to be in the Top 25,” he said. “And I think Kentucky, when all is said and done, will be one of the top five or six teams in the country. They’ve recruited three of the top 10 players in the country.”

Miami will face Kentucky at Rupp Arena in Lexington in its second game of the regular season, on Monday, Nov. 16.

The RedHawks last faced the Wildcats in 2006 in Lexington, where Kentucky won 57-46.

Miami will play Dayton at home on Dec. 2, at Cincinnati (at U.S. Bank Arena) on Dec. 10 and at Xavier on Dec. 27.

Miami will open its season Friday, Nov. 13 at Towson and play its home opener Saturday, Nov. 28 against Evansville.

“It’s an interesting schedule, with Kentucky and our four neighbors (also including Wright State, Dec. 13 in Oxford), and then we’ve got a trip to New Mexico,” Coles said. “I think it will be both challenging and fun for our players to play that kind of non-league schedule.”

Miami will play in the Basketball Travelers Tournament Nov. 20-22 in Albuquerque, N.M. against Nicholls State, Louisiana State and host New Mexico, in that order.

Miami’s other non-league games are at home against Temple (Dec. 8), at Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Dec. 19), at Colorado (Jan. 5) and a yet-to-be determined ESPNU Bracketbuster contest (Feb. 20).

The Miami women’s basketball schedule includes Wake Forest in the RedHawks’ home opener on Nov. 21 and games at Kentucky (Dec. 1) and at home against Dayton (Dec. 12) and Miami, Fla. (Jan. 3).

Coach Maria Fantanarosa’s team opens the regular season in the Iona Tip-Off Tournament in New Rochelle, N.Y. The RedHawks will face Bucknell on Nov. 14 and will play either Arizona or Iona on Nov. 15.

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