Miami RedHawks Picked First in MAC Preseason Poll After 31-0 Run

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Miami RedHawks Picked First in MAC Preseason Poll After 31-0 Run

MAC coaches picked Miami (Ohio) to win the league in 2026-27 after a 31-0 regular season. Evan Ipsaro and Luke Skaljac made the preseason All-MAC first team.

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Thirty-one regular-season games, thirty-one wins. That's what the Miami RedHawks brought into the offseason, and the Mid-American Conference's coaches weren't about to bet against it. Miami was picked first in the 2026-27 MAC men's basketball preseason coaches' poll, released Tuesday in Cleveland.

The RedHawks drew 130 points and nine of the 12 first-place votes, according to Miami's athletics release. Fifth-year coach Travis Steele returns 11 players from last season's team, the most successful in program history by wins.

2026-27 MAC Preseason Poll: Miami, Toledo, Akron, Kent State

Toledo was second with 117 points and two first-place votes. Akron was third at 110, and Kent State was fourth at 108 with the other first-place vote. Ohio (82) and UMass (79) rounded out the top six, followed by Bowling Green, Western Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Buffalo, Ball State and Central Michigan, per the full poll posted by Kent State Athletics.

The coaches were less sure about March. Asked to pick the MAC tournament champion, five chose Miami, four chose Toledo, two chose UMass and one chose Kent State.

Evan Ipsaro and Luke Skaljac Lead the Preseason All-MAC Team

Miami put two guards on the preseason All-MAC first team: senior Evan Ipsaro and junior Luke Skaljac. They're joined by Eastern Michigan forward Mohammad Habhab, Ohio forward Javan Simmons and Kent State guard Chansey Willis Jr.

Per CollegeBasketballData.com, Ipsaro averaged 13.9 points and 3.2 assists in the 12 games he played last season. Skaljac played 32 games and averaged 10.3 points and 4.5 assists, with 41 made threes. Habhab's case is just as loud: Eastern Michigan says he was one of four players in the country to average at least 14 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists last season, finishing at 14.1, 8.3 and 3.1, per EMU Athletics.

The second team is Toledo's Sean Jones and Austin Parks, Akron's Evan Mahaffey and Tahj Staveskie, and Ohio's Jackson Paveletzke.

How Miami Went 32-2 Last Season

The numbers behind the pick are hard to argue with. Per CollegeBasketballData.com, Miami went 32-2 overall in 2025-26, scored 89.6 points per game, shot 51.8 percent from the field and made 38.7 percent of its threes.

The two losses both came in March. UMass beat Miami 87-83 in the MAC tournament, and Akron went on to win the tournament final over Toledo, 79-76. Miami still earned an at-large bid as an 11 seed, beat SMU 89-79 in the First Four in Dayton, then fell to Tennessee 78-56 in the first round.

That's why the tournament-champion vote split. Miami owned the regular season, but Akron owned the bracket.

Miami plans banner ceremonies at its October 26 exhibition, per the school. Regular-season play opens with the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge, where Kent State visits Louisiana Tech and Eastern Michigan visits Coastal Carolina on Monday, November 2. Follow the season on the BallerTube college basketball page.