The Miami (Ohio) University RedHawks are one of the feel-good stories in college basketball this year, finishing with a 31-0 record and becoming just the eighth undefeated regular season team in men’s Division I basketball since 1978-79. Winning has led to an attendance explosion—the team drew more than 10,000 fans for each of its last four home games after averaging 1,860 fans in its first 10.
For Miami’s first home game back from winter break on Jan. 27, 5,920 students—roughly 30% of the student body—scanned tickets to catch the team that was 20-0 at the time. The snow that fell a few days earlier hadn’t melted, so the athletic department had to arrange for dump trucks to haul it out of the parking lot to accommodate a rare sold-out crowd.
Concessions also had to ramp up. In addition to increasing staffing, the school created pop-up stands around the concourse to sell particular items—a water stand, a soda stand, a pretzel stand, etc. With a seating capacity of about 9,400, Millett Hall allowed about 1,000 spectators per game near the end of the season to watch from standing-room-only sections.
The RedHawks built off their success from the 2024-25 season, during which they won 25 games. The team’s top five leaders in minutes this year are all returning players, giving the program unusual continuity during an era when successful mid-major squads often lose their best players through the transfer portal, enticed by more money from power conference schools.
Since New Year’s, the team has won three overtime games and five other one-score games in regulation. And yet, all the buzz on campus for men’s basketball did not directly turn into dollars for the athletic department. In fact, the team will bring in less ticketing revenue this season than Miami’s 18-16-2 men’s ice hockey squad, which plays at a venue with a capacity of less than 3,700.
In contrast to the hockey arena, Millett Hall has no suites, no club level and only three small reserved sections that aren’t first-come, first-served. Students get free entry into men’s basketball games, so their increased attendance hasn’t translated to ticket revenue. General admission is just $18, and the department decided not to increase that price along with demand.
“We just want people to fill the building and enjoy the ride for right now,” athletic director David Sayler said. “This isn’t about trying to capture a single moment and get a little bump here. This is about getting the program exposed, having fun with it … but looking to the future as to how we can better monetize and pour funds back into the program.”
The hockey team has built up season-ticket demand over the years. The basketball team doesn’t have that yet, but Sayler hopes it will develop from the emerging fanbase and interest.
Millett Hall, however, which was built in 1968 and also houses the women’s basketball and women’s volleyball teams, is outdated not only in terms of fan experience and insufficient space for three varsity programs, but also revenue generation.
“The fact that hockey is out-drawing [basketball] from a dollar perspective is a clear indication that we need to do something—either a massive renovation of this arena or build a brand new one,” Sayler said. “That’s the question that the board tackled [last month], and the vote was to build a new arena.”
Indeed, the university’s board of trustees voted on Feb. 27 and approved up to $281 million in funding for the construction of a new sports arena, with the expected costs around $242 million and the facility expected to open in fall 2028. Sayler believes the vote would have passed regardless of the men’s basketball team’s success, given that plans have been progressing for years, but added, “It certainly did not hurt the discussion, that’s for sure.”
Simply renovating Millett Hall would have cost at least $175 million, so it made financial sense to increase the investment and not leave three of the school’s premier sports teams without a home for multiple seasons. The women’s basketball team, notably, is also undefeated at home this season. “The problem with renovating that we discussed was it would kill the momentum of what we’ve accomplished, because we wouldn’t be able to play here during the renovation,” Sayler said.
The new real estate project also includes a hotel, a full-service restaurant next to the arena, an academic conference center and additional parking, so the development will benefit the university in areas outside athletics.
The basketball team’s historic season has also been a boon for the school at large. The university operates and keeps the majority of profits from gameday concessions, which have roughly tripled over recent seasons. Campus bookstores have had their best months in years, with several clothing items selling out over the past few weeks. The school recently reached a deal with sportswear store Rally House to sell Miami apparel throughout the state of Ohio.
“Division I athletics helps drive the brand of the university,” Sayler said. “It helps enrollment growth of the university in terms of more eyeballs, more people applying, more people committing to come to school here.”
Next season, the athletic department hopes to capitalize on the increased interest in men’s basketball by adding more reserved seating sections to Millett Hall, but for now, the team has a more immediate goal: qualify for March Madness. No team that lost fewer than two games has ever missed the tournament, but the RedHawks, ranked No. 91 in Ken Pomeroy’s national rankings as of Tuesday, have played no power conference opponents. They would need to receive an at-large bid from the selection committee if they do not win the MAC Tournament this weekend.
Miami’s offseason efforts to schedule games with more than 20 different schools, including Wisconsin, Ohio State, Pitt and many other power conference programs, were either declined or not responded to. “They want teams that are 250th [or worse] in the NET ranking. They don’t want a team like us … who’s ranked 80th or whatever, coming into the year, because we might beat them,” Sayler said. “What Miami is exposing this year is a microcosm of what’s wrong with college basketball.”
Sayler has been active on X the past few weeks, posting Yoda quotes, shedding light on the team’s scheduling challenges and calling out former Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl’s conflict of interest when commenting on the NCAA Tournament selection process.
“It’s not about raising hell or doing any of those things,” Sayler said. “In my mind, it’s just about advocating for our program. I hope that the committee understands they should be in the NCAA tournament. I believe, with every fiber of my being, they should be.”
