Miami Student

Issue date: 11/13/07 Section: Sports

Miami will kick off its challenging non-conference schedule with Xavier University.

Following a brief taste of March Madness last season, the Miami University men's basketball team will look to dance its way back into the postseason this year.

The 'Hawks open up the 2007-08 regular season against Xavier University Tuesday night at Millett Hall. Expectations will be higher for the RedHawks after Doug Penno's miracle shot that punched their first ticket to the NCAA Tournament since 1999.

"Any time you have a season like we did last year, you have more expectations," forward Michael Bramos said. "With more expectations comes more pressure."

While the RedHawks took the basketball world by surprise by winning the MAC Tournament, they will be hard-pressed to fly under the radar this season as reigning MAC Champions.

"We know we have a bull's eye on our back (this season)-no one expected us to win last year," Bramos said. "Teams will come at us harder knowing we won (the MAC Championship)."

Miami returns all-MAC First Team player Tim Pollitz as the squad's only senior. Pollitz emerged as one of the top players in the conference and Miami's go-to guy throughout last season. The 6-foot-6-inch forward averaged more than 20 points per game during Miami's final 16 contests and was one of the nation's leaders in field goal percentage. Pollitz was a nightmare for MAC defenses with his low-post play and his ability to stretch opposing defenses with his mid-range jump shot. Pollitz is already one of the preseason favorites to win MAC Player of the Year, according to the league's head coaches and media, and is poised to build off of his breakout junior campaign.

Bramos will also take on a larger role this season with the departure of all-MAC Honorable Mention Nathan Peavy. Bramos ended his sophomore season averaging 11.2 points per game and will serve as Pollitz's wingman on the floor this year.

Despite entering the new season losing three seniors, Miami has reloaded with a crop of young players looking to contribute from the onset. Peavy will leave the largest hole after finishing second on the team in scoring at 14.1 points per contest and a team-high 6.3 rebounds last season. The RedHawks also lost Mr. Clutch in Penno. Although he started only two games and averaged just 5.2 points per game, he was a key contributor off the bench and had a knack for the big shot all season long. The 'Hawks will also look to replace center Monty St. Clair inside. While he was not much of an offensive threat, his strong defense shored up the RedHawk interior.

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