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Miami, UC will resume series

RedHawks, Bearcats will play twice in Cincinnati and once in Oxford.

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By Rick Cassano, Staff Writer Updated 1:04 AM Saturday, July 18, 2009

OXFORD — Miami University will be rekindling its men’s basketball rivalry with Cincinnati in the upcoming season.

The schools did not play last year, but have agreed to a two-for-one deal that will include a pair of games at UC’s Fifth Third Arena and one matchup at Millett Hall in Oxford.

“We don’t ordinarily like to do that, but they haven’t been up here for a while,” MU coach Charlie Coles said. “Any time we can get an area team to play here, it’s a good thing. I think fans will be excited about this on both sides of the fence.”

The RedHawks haven’t beaten the Bearcats since Dec. 1, 1990, a 72-64 decision at Millett. Miami is on the down side of a 92-52 record in the rivalry that began in 1905.

Coles said the new deal — it hasn’t been signed yet, but the MU coach said it is going to happen — will start with a game in Cincinnati in 2009-10. The teams will then meet in Oxford before returning to Fifth Third Arena.

Coles said he hasn’t spoken personally to UC coach Mick Cronin about renewing the series.

“Jason Grunkemeyer, my assistant coach who does scheduling, actually makes the calls,” Coles said. “UC was for it. I think both of us kind of said, ‘Let’s play.’ ”

He believes it would be a good thing if more college basketball teams were open to the possibility of playing on opposing courts.

“We should have more of that in Division I, and we don’t have that,” Coles said. “I wasn’t here, but I can remember when Bob Knight brought his Indiana team here a couple times. Gene Keady has been here with his (Purdue) team.

“I’m not saying we’re going to beat UC because they’ve got our number,” he added. “But no defeat or win is ever going to define who you are anyway.”

The last meeting in the series was a 56-50 UC triumph at U.S. Bank Arena on Dec. 29, 2007.

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2194 or rcassano@coxohio.com.

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