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Buffalo's John Boyer awaits the Miami offense. Boyer contributed seven assists against the RedHawks and is a major reason why Buffalo led the MAC in assist-to-turnover ratio. Below, Kenny Hayes blocks a shot by JaWaan Alston. Photos by Mike Smith.

Miami answered the question Thursday in two parts - once in the beginning of the game and once at the end. That added up to a 73-59 quarterfinal win over Buffalo.

"The minute you get the bye, you worry, 'Is a week too long?'" Coles said. "I was worried about our guys coming out at the beginning and matching Buffalo, and it turns out we more than matched them (early)."

After a 3-pointer by UB's John Boyle to open scoring, Miami reeled off 17 unanswered points and led by 18 (29-11) with 5:56 remaining in the half.

But after scoring a season low 21 first-half points enroute to a 32-21 deficit at the break, UB came roaring back in the second stanza. Sean Smiley's trey at 5:58 closed the gap to two at 56-52. 

That's when Miami provided the second another installment on answering Coles question about performing after a layoff. Julian Mavunga's layup at 4:27 started a 12-3 run that put MU back in the driver's seat. The Red and White then converted 11 of 13 free throws  down the stretch to preserve the victory and set up another semifinal matchup against rival Ohio University. The Bobcats, in similar fashion, built a big lead and then withstood a rally to defeat No. 1 seed Kent State.

"This is my last shot at this, and I don't get another chance after this. I want to do whatever I can ...  to help my team, whether that's passing the ball or making shots or getting a stop on the defensive end," MU senior point guard Kenny Hayes said after scoring a game-high 27 points. He was one of four RedHawks in double figures. 

Mavunga, a sophomore forward, tallied 16 points, including several key drives to re-establish the RedHawks offense during a critical stretch of the second half. "I think in the second half, I personally did a good job of asserting myself down low," said Mavunga, who also had two baskets from behind the arc while going 6-for-8 from the field on the evening.

"Julian made a couple big time baskets for us," Hayes said. "That's maturity coming out."

Nick Winbush and Rodney Haddix added 11 points each for the winning RedHawks, who made over 50 percent of their shots from the field in both halves. Miami made 22-of-38 (57.9 percent) from the floor overall.

The Bulls also made 22 field goals. However, they came off of 58 shots for a 37.9 percent total. It was a paltry 30.8 percent in the first half.

"We both executed," Buffalo head coach Reggie Witherspoon said. "We got some really good shots, but you've got to make them."

One Bulls player who was making shots was Sean Smiley. He made 4-of-5 from the field, with all attempts coming from behind the arc, on the way to a team-high 14 points. Standout senior Rodney Pierce added a dozen and Zach Filzen hit a pair of treys during the Bulls second half run.

Filzen was part of a Buffalo bench that outscored Miami's bench 30-13. Although the two teams drew even (30-30 in total rebounds, UB has an 11-3 advantage in offensive rebounds and second chance points. A number of those baskets coming in the final 20 minutes.

Ultimately, Witherspoon said, the Bulls rally came up short for a simple reason. "As you make your run, you've got to keep getting stops," he said.

"I didn't know if we were ging to win the game, but I knew we were going to respond," said Coles, who now turns his attention to a rivalry that stretches all the way back to his playing days at Miami. It will be the seventh time in the last 10 years that Ohio and Miami meet in the MAC basketball tourney.

Miami won the first meeting this season between the two teams in Oxford, but Tommie Freeman said a trey at the buzzer to give OU a dramatic win in the February 24 rematch.

"They're the hardest team in the league to defend," Coles said of the Bobcats, who cranked up their offense in ousting Kent State. "We're going to have to defend like crazy," said Coles, who hopes his team can generate enough points for a win. "I don't think we're going to shut them out," he quipped.

"It don't get no better than this - us against Ohio," Hayes said. "It will be a fun game tomorrow."