Following a 67-65 loss at Ohio Feb. 15 in which he watched his club blow a 16-point second half lead, Miami coach Charlie Coles called a team meeting.
Instead of reprimanding them, Coles told his players they had finally gelled. Coles' tactic seems to have worked, as the Redskins closed the regular season with five straight victories, tying Bowling Green for the Mid-American Conference Championship, the 19th in school history.
''I told them I thought they played well and hung together more than any (other) time during the year,'' Coles said.
''We told them that we could win the league championship,'' he said. ''OU was the turning point all the way around. We felt we had finally come together.''
In the five wins, Miami players rededicated themselves to rebounding, defense and foul shooting. The Redskins won the board battle 194-145, limited the opposition to 63 points per game and made 86 of 109 foul attempts (.789)
Miami increased its rebounding margin from 6.5 per game to 9.8. It allowed 1.4 fewer ppg and raised its foul shooting percentage from .690 to .789.
Senior sixth man Jermaine Henderson said everyone realized it was crunch time.
''It was time to finalize our season, basically to shape up and not let it get away from us,'' Henderson said.
''At this time of year, it's important that everything clicks,'' said Henderson, who was also a member of Miami's 1994-95 MAC championship team. ''We hope that the last five games are a sign that we have clicked.''
Miami (18-8, 13-5 in the MAC) will find out tonight at 8 p.m. when they play host to Kent (9-17, 7-11) in a MAC Tournament quarterfinal.
Coles knows he'll need continued solid play from his bench if Miami is to keep winning.
In the past five contests, Henderson and Anthony Taylor have combined for 72 points.
Miami has defeated Kent in seven consecutive games, including 77-49 in the 1995 MAC quarterfinal. Yet the Redskins don't feel the Golden Flashes are due for a win.
''I've never hit the lottery, and I'm not due,'' Coles said. ''We're concerned about them because they've played us very well.''
Kent features four double-figure scorers, including sixth man D.J. Bosse, a Colerain grad who led the MAC with 79 three-pointers made. Coles also figures point guard Ed Norvell will look for 6-foot-11 center Brook Bright early and often, hoping to get Devin Davis or Ira Newble in foul trouble.
''They've got good balance,'' Coles said. ''It's what scares me, but you've got to approach this game like any other game.''
MAC BRACKET
