Miami (Ohio) coach Travis Steele has wild halftime tantrum, but team rallies for perfect season

Steele knocked over a speaker after earning a technical foul, but the Redhawks came back to win and remain undefeated.

Mar. 3, 2026 at 7:39am

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Miami (Ohio) men's basketball coach Travis Steele had a wild outburst at halftime of Friday's game against Western Michigan, knocking over a speaker after earning a technical foul for berating the referees. However, Steele's team was able to rally from a four-point halftime deficit to win 69-67 and improve to 29-0 on the season, the only undefeated Division I team in the country.

Why it matters

Steele's emotional outburst highlighted the intense pressure of trying to complete an undefeated regular season, which is an extremely rare feat in college basketball. The Redhawks' ability to overcome the adversity and win the close game demonstrated their resilience and poise under pressure.

The details

With Miami trailing 30-26 at halftime, Steele walked onto the court and angrily pointed at the referees, earning a technical foul. He then shoved over a speaker as he headed to the locker room. However, the Redhawks were able to rally in the second half, overcoming a nine-point deficit in the final minutes to win on a last-second layup by freshman Trey Perry.

  • The incident occurred at halftime of Miami's game against Western Michigan on Friday, February 28, 2026.
  • Miami improved to 29-0 on the season with the victory.

The players

Travis Steele

The head coach of the Miami (Ohio) men's basketball team, who had a wild outburst at halftime of Friday's game.

Trey Perry

A freshman on the Miami (Ohio) team who hit the game-winning layup with one second remaining to preserve the Redhawks' perfect season.

Dwayne Stephens

The head coach of the Western Michigan men's basketball team, who nearly pulled off the upset of the undefeated Redhawks.

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What they’re saying

“I gotta be better at halftime, if I'm being honest. I can't lose my mind, I got a technical foul walking off the court and I gotta be better.”

— Travis Steele, Head Coach

“What a great fight, got a ton of respect for Western Michigan, coach (Dwayne) Stephens does a great job. We knew we were going to have a war. Our guys' ability to stay present, be unflappable, is elite and that's why he win a lot of tight games.”

— Travis Steele, Head Coach

What’s next

Miami hosts Toledo and visits Ohio next week to close out the regular season. If the Redhawks win those two games, they will complete a perfect 34-0 regular season and conference tournament run.

The takeaway

Steele's emotional outburst highlighted the intense pressure of trying to complete an undefeated season, but his team's ability to rally and win the close game demonstrated their resilience and poise under pressure - qualities that will serve them well as they aim to make a deep NCAA Tournament run.