Hours after junior point guard Evan Ipsaro tore his ACL Saturday at Ball State, Miami turned Millett Hall into a reset button Monday afternoon by rolling past Milligan 135-81 behind 32 assists, 20 made 3-pointers and a bench that poured in 74 points.
Ipsaro, who was averaging 13.9 points while running Miami’s offense with pace and efficiency and keeping turnovers in check, is the type of steadying presence teams don’t replace with a single substitution.
RedHawks coach Travis Steele said the reality hit quickly — and lingered — even after the win in Muncie.
“You hate seeing a young man, especially of his character, go through an injury,” Steele said. “He gives his heart and soul. He’s the best teammate. He’s an extremely hard worker. It’s a gut punch. Didn’t feel like we won at Ball State, I’ll be honest. It was kind of a somber feeling in the locker room afterwards.”
Miami (13-0, 1-0 MAC) responded Monday the way Steele challenged his RedHawks to respond. They leaned into its identity, sharing the ball and asking “different guys” to elevate rather than anointing a lone replacement.
“It’s a challenge to our team,” Steele said. “Our team’s gonna have to have different guys step up. It’s not gonna be just one guy. It was good for us to play a game in between these MAC games, you know, without Evan, just to get acclimated.”
The first glimpse of that committee approach looked seamless on the scoreboard.
Trey Perry erupted for 24 points in 22 minutes off the bench, going 10 of 12 from the floor. Tyler Robbins scored 17 on 8-for-8 shooting. Peter Suder and Brant Byers added 17 apiece, and Almar Atlason chipped in 16 as Miami shot 76.1% overall and 66.7% from 3-point range (20 for 30).
Luke Skaljac didn’t take many shots — he scored eight on a perfect 3-for-3 — but he helped quarterback the flow with eight assists.
Miami’s ball movement repeatedly turned possessions into uncontested shots, including a 14-for-22 3-point barrage in the first half.
“I thought our ball moved really well tonight, and we ended up at 32 assists,” Steele said. “That led to a lot of open 3s. Our guys play together, they’re connected, and I think that really shows with how we play.”
Even in a 54-point win, Steele didn’t let the performance blur what he believes will decide Miami’s ceiling once the league schedule tightens.
“Defensively, I feel like we did leave a lot to be desired,” Steele said. “We didn’t really execute our defensive system at the highest level with our details. We’re gonna be able to score, but can we win ugly? Can we win in those ugly slower games — where we’re having an off night offensively?”
Milligan shot 43.1% and got 23 points from Jayme Peay, but Miami’s pace and shot-making quickly overwhelmed the visitors. The RedHawks led 68-35 at halftime, then somehow got hotter after the break — 25-for-30 shooting in the second half.
Steele also noted that while Ipsaro’s absence forces rotation decisions, Miami has multiple options to initiate offense.
“Nobody’s going to replace Evan just by themselves,” Steele said. “But what we do have is we have really good players. Peter handles the ball really well and can make decisions. Trey Perry is a freshman, and by the time January rolls around, you can’t play like a freshman anymore. We got plenty of ball handlers to be able to figure this thing out.
“Evan, even though he’s not playing, still has a big role in this team. He was voted as a captain. We have a lot of leadership that makes me feel really good to what our response is going to be.”
Steele said he addressed the “elephant in the room” in real time at Ball State, challenging his team to compete the way Ipsaro would want.
“‘If Evan was here, how would he want you to play?’” Steele recalled saying. “‘He’d want you to go all in, max effort, speed, connected, be us and go get this win for him.’”
Monday’s result also marked Miami’s return home after four straight road games, and Steele said the timing mattered — for his players and his staff — with the holidays arriving and MAC play accelerating.
“It’s been a while,” Steele said. “I felt like I was living out of my suitcase. … It was good to be back home, especially right here before the holidays. Now our guys get an opportunity to go home for four days and then we’ll get right back into the action — getting ready for Bowling Green.”
As Miami searches for the right backcourt blend without Ipsaro, Steele said the program is leaning on what it has built and the cultural standard he believes has carried the RedHawks to this point.
“We have a clear identity,” Steele said. “Our culture is very, very, very loud, and I think the byproduct is, we are 13-0. But it’s because of our culture and because of the human beings that we have in our locker room.”
And in the middle of a new reality, Steele kept circling back to the same thought — Ipsaro’s season is over, but his presence isn’t.
“I know he’ll bounce back stronger than he ever was before,” Steele said. “And again, it’s a challenge to our team.”
Next game
Who: Miami at Bowling Green
When: 7 p.m. Tuesday
Streaming: ESPN+
Radio: 980-AM, 1450-AM
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