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Miami wants to end on a strong note

RedHawks hope for season-ending winning streak, No. 3 seed in MAC tournament.

Kenny Hayes (14) of Miami celebrates after scoring the go-ahead bucket against Kent State Jan. 12 in Oxford. Hayes hit the game-winner against Western Michigan on Feb. 4.

Photo by Robert Leifheit/Contributing Photographer Kenny Hayes (14) of Miami celebrates after scoring the go-ahead bucket against Kent State Jan. 12 in Oxford. Hayes hit the game-winner against Western Michigan on Feb. 4.

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By Pete Conrad, Staff Writer Updated 7:53 AM Wednesday, February 24, 2010

OXFORD — As Kenny Hayes and his teammates on Miami University’s basketball team approach their last three regular-season games, starting tonight, Feb. 24, at Ohio, they know what they’re playing for.

The No. 3 seed to next month’s Mid-American Conference tournament looks good to the RedHawks.

“I don’t think we can win the league,” Miami’s senior guard said, “but we can get the third-place seed and hope we play against teams in the West (Division) and stay away from the big East opponents.”

A No. 3 seed would give Miami a first-round bye and almost certainly guarantee that MAC powerhouses Kent State and Akron would be on the opposite side of the MAC tourney bracket. That means the RedHawks would face neither team until the championship game.

That’s the good news. The bad news is that they probably need to win all three of their remaining games against Ohio, Kent State and Buffalo to secure their wish.

“I just think that’s our goal right now, to get better, and we’ve got to fight and have heart in these next three games,” Hayes said. “They’re going to be tough. Ohio’s playing good. We’ve got to bring it on. They took Akron to double-OT and they were beating Kent for most of the game.”

Hayes is bracing himself for tonight’s game.

“It’s a rivalry game, O Zone, you know,” he said, referring to Ohio’s vocal student group known as the ‘O Zone.’ It’s going to be crazy. We’ve just got to be ready to play.”

Hayes said the RedHawks know they can’t get into a high-scoring game with the Bobcats.

“We can’t have a run-and-gun game,” he said. “What we’ve got to do is go down there and defend.

Hayes is especially wary of Ohio guards Armon Bassett, who scored 26 points last weekend against Wright State and 20 at Kent State, and D.J. Cooper, who scored 23 at Kent State and 33 at Akron.

“Them dudes can score,” Hayes said. “It’s going to take a team effort to make them have a rough night.”

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2197 or pconrad@coxohio.com.