OXFORD - Miami coach Charlie Coles handicaps the Redskins first-round NCAA Tournament matchup with Clemson this way:
''I know we would have beaten them Saturday,'' Coles said.
Those are big words coming from a 13th seed about to play a fourth seed, but you have to like Miami's chances Friday in Kansas City, Mo.
Coles mentioned Saturday because the Redskins played as well as they have all year in the 96-76 victory over Eastern Michigan in the Mid-American Conference tournament championship.
The victory extended MU's win streak to eight.
Clemson, meanwhile, is coming off a 76-61 loss to Maryland in the first round of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament. It was the Tigers' fourth loss in five games.
''We go into every game thinking we can win,'' said Miami forward Wally Szczerbiak. ''But they're a team we match up well with. They don't have great size inside. If we play hard and play well, we've got a chance.''
Said Coles: ''Our guys are confident. We feel good about our chances. Three weeks ago, no one gave us a chance to be here and we're here. This time of year when you're still playing - you're not out of it - you've got to be happy.''
Coles and the players weren't overjoyed with the seed.
''Our conference doesn't get the respect it deserves,'' he said. ''We know we're not Conference USA, the Big Ten or the ACC. We'll give them that. But Mid-Continent?
''As long as human beings are in the process you're going to have that. But that's not to bellyache.''
Guard Jermaine Henderson agreed: ''When we saw some of teams seeded higher than us, it didn't seem right.''
But Sunday was one happy day in Oxford. The players watched the draw at local restaurant. All was quiet as the teams were announced.
Silence turned to cheers as soon as Miami was announced.
''It feels good,'' Henderson said. ''Now we get back to work.''
It will be a tough job. Clemson is 21-9 with one very big victory.
''I watched the whole game when they beat Kentucky the first game of the year,'' Coles he said. ''They're good enough to have been ranked third or fourth in the country.''
Actually Clemson was 16-1 and No. 2 in late January. The Tigers are 5-8 since.
Miami's tournament history says Clemson had better be ready. In 1995, the 12th-seed Redskins beat fifth-seed Arizona. In 1992, the 13th-seed Redskins very nearly upset fourth-seeded North Carolina.
''On Sunday, as a coach, I'm always pessimistic,'' Coles said. ''But after we get back out there, I like our chances better. By Tuesday or Wednesday, I'll believe we can win.''
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