By Price Brothers
GAME NOTES
https://miamiredhawks.com/documents/2024/12/27/2024-25_MIAMI_Defiance.pdf
MONDAY: Miami welcomes Defiance to Millett Hall on Monday, Dec. 30 at 7 p.m. Heading into this game, the RedHawks rank 20th nationally in turnovers forced per game (16.09) and 29th in threes per game (10.3). This will count as an exhibition game for the Yellow Jackets.
ABOUT DEFIANCE: Defiance is coming off a 1-23 (0-18 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference) season in 2023-24. Head coach Josh Gibson is in his fourth season with the Yellow Jackets. Heading into the 2024-25 season, the WHAC Men’s Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll picked the Yellow Jackets to finish last (13th) in their first year in the conference. This is also the first season that Defiance competes in the NAIA (previously competed at the NCAA Division III level).
Defiance is currently 3-9 (1-6 WHAC), as the team has dropped its past five games (not including exhibition contests). The Yellow Jackets have two players who average double figures in scoring, which include Connor Bush (14.9) and Jalen Brown (13.8). Bush leads the team with 1.2 blocks per game, while Brown has averaged the most assists (3.0) and steals per game (1.6). Carter Sudhoff has recorded the most rebounds per game (5.0).
THE SERIES WITH THE YELLOW JACKETS: Monday will mark the fourth time Miami and Defiance have faced off. It will also be the second time this season that the Yellow Jackets have taken on a MAC school, as they previously dropped to Toledo 111-49 in an exhibition game.
TELEVISION: This game will be available to watch on ESPN+.
RADIO: In its sixth year of its partnership with Van Wagner, the Miami Sports Network continues its coverage of Miami men’s basketball with a group of affiliates blanketing most of Southwest Ohio and Southeast Indiana. Tune in to one of Miami’s gameday affiliates:
WFMG-FM 101.3 (Richmond, Ind.)
WMOH-AM 1450 (Hamilton, Ohio)
WONE-AM 980 (Dayton, Ohio)
UP NEXT: The RedHawks begin conference play by hosting Buffalo Saturday, Jan. 4 at 1 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT: The Miami University men’s basketball team took down Sacred Heart 94-76 on Sunday, Dec. 22. In this contest, Reece Potter led all players with a career-high 19 points, as he went 8-of-8 from the field. Potter also connected on all three of his attempts from behind the three-point line, tying for the most triples in a game in his career.
FAMILIAR FACES: Graduate transfer Dan Luers began his career with Defiance in the 2020-21 season, which was shortened by COVID-19. In his one season with the Yellow Jackets, Luers averaged 16.4 points per game, 4.6 rebounds per game, and 2.3 assists per game.
COURTESY MIAMI ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
