OXFORD — For Charlie Coles, this afternoon's game with Central Michigan will be a homecoming of sorts. Coles, in his sixth season as Miami's head coach, got his start as a college coach at Central Michigan, compiling a 92-84 record in six seasons.

        In 1987, his second season at Central Michigan, Coles coached the Chippewas to 22 wins, earned Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year honors and led the team to its last NCAA Tournament appearance.

        These days, Coles recognizes fewer faces in Mount Pleasant, and not as many people welcome him back to his former home.

        “It's almost like I never lived here,” Coles said. “It has been a long time, and the memories fade fast.”

        Coles might not remember what it feels like to play a game in Millett Hall, as today's contest marks Miami's seventh straight game away from home. The team, (3-9, 0-1 MAC) has struggled during its road trip, losing five of the six games. The RedHawks have lost seven of their last eight.

        “We have been in about every one of those games,” said Coles, whose team lost its conference opener 69-63 Wednesday night in overtime at Western Michigan. “We have just not executed down the stretch.”

        Miami led by as many as seven points with five minutes remaining in regulation, but two misses on the front end of one-and-one situations helped Western Michigan force overtime.

        Central Michigan (5-6, 0-1) poses another big challenge for Miami. Last season, the eighth-seeded RedHawks beat the top-seeded Chippewas 65-56 in the quarterfinals of the MAC Tournament.

        CMU finished the year 20-8 and Coles believes the Chippewas would have returned to the NCAA Tournament as an at-large team with one more victory.

        “We have read a lot of things in the paper about how they want to get us back because we ended their season last year,” said sophomore Juby Johnson, who scored 21 points in Miami's two victories over the Chippewas last season. “We desperately need a win and would like to make the bus ride home shorter with a win.”

        The Chippewas are led by reigning MAC Player of the Year David Webber. The brother of NBA All-Star Chris Webber, David led the conference in scoring last season with 18.4 ppg.

        Webber has struggled with his shot this season, hitting only 42 percent from the field and 29 percent from 3-point range.

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