Travis Steele Accountable for Halftime Tantrum After Miami (Ohio) Comeback Win

An irate Steele had to be held back from officials and overturned a DJ's speaker on his way to the locker room at halftime.

Steele's RedHawks remain the only undefeated team in Division I men's basketball. | Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Miami (Ohio) men's basketball coach Travis Steele took accountability for a halftime outburst following the RedHawks' thrilling, 69-67 win over Western Michigan on Friday night.

Steele, frustrated with the officiating and his undefeated RedHawks' lackluster play against a 10-18 Broncos team, had to be held back by members of his coaching staff as he exchanged words with officials at the conclusion of the first half. In his anger, Steele overturned a DJ's speaker near the tunnel at University Arena as he headed to the locker room.

Coach doesn't look too happy heading into halftime 😬 pic.twitter.com/wppELWNauj

— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) February 27, 2026

Miami (OH) head coach Travis Steele pushed over the DJ's speaker before the half 💢 pic.twitter.com/b4SIAGy8jV

— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) February 28, 2026

Steele was assessed a technical foul.

“I don't even know how I got that technical,” Steele told CBS Sports after the game. “I'm still trying to figure that one out. That really upset me. And I can't do that. Can't get technical fouls. The margin for error is so small.”

Steele went on to add that he's “got to be better” and “can't lose my mind.”

Miami (Ohio) basketball keeps cool, finds way to win late

Still without guard Evan Ipsaro and with fellow backcourt mate Luke Skaljac also sidelined due to a wrist injury, the RedHawks had to dig deeper to find offense. It was tough sledding in the first half, as the normally-potent Miami (Ohio) offense was held to just 26 points. When leading scorer Peter Suder fouled out with 7:03 remaining in the game and the RedHawks down by seven points, the perfect season seemed to be in jeopardy. But riding contributions from reserve Almar Atlason and backup guard Trey Perry, who hit the go-ahead layup with just 0.4 seconds remaining in the game, the RedHawks stormed back to earn a hard-fought win.

It was Miami (Ohio)'s seventh win by six points or fewer this season, a testament to what Steele called the players' “unflappable” mentality.

“Our group is unflappable," Steele said. "It's calm, cool and collected. It's very, very even the entire time, even during tight moments. I've said this before but when you hear our guys' voices in the huddles. Almar Atlason ... the messaging in the huddles was elite by him.

“Player-led teams are way better than coach-led teams. Just our guys' ability to execute. Our guys have a lot of confidence in those moments.”

What did Miami (Ohio)'s win mean for its NCAA tournament résumé?

The RedHawks are the only undefeated team remaining in Division I men's basketball. But Friday's win did more than just preserve a potential perfect regular season. In storming back to defeat Western Michigan, Miami (Ohio) staved off the kind of loss that would have given the selection committee considerable pause when weighing the MAC power's NCAA tournament résumé, which has already taken some flak given the program's easier schedule. Miami (Ohio) ranks 316th out of 365 teams in strength of schedule, according to ESPN's BPI.

So avoiding a loss to a subpar Broncos team was key in continuing to stay far away from the bubble. To that end, Sports Illustrated's Kevin Sweeney had Miami (Ohio) projected for an 11-seed in the tourney earlier this week. Finishing the season undefeated should keep any résumé concerns at bay come Selection Sunday.

The RedHawks finish up the season against Toledo and Ohio.

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