Travis Steele didn’t need to uproot his life when he left Xavier for Miami (Ohio). Same house.
Same commute-just a little longer now. But the journey he’s taken as a coach?
That’s been a major shift. And judging by Miami’s 20-0 start to the 2025-26 season, it’s a transformation that’s paying off in a big way.
This isn’t just a hot streak. It’s the best start in Mid-American Conference history, surpassing the 1975-76 Western Michigan squad. And it’s not just about the wins-though those matter plenty-it’s about how this RedHawks team is winning, and how Steele has evolved to lead them there.
“I think you are your experiences,” Steele said. “At the time, I didn’t feel that, but it was so powerful for me because it confirmed some things, and I knew there were some things I was going to have to do differently.”
That reflection comes from a coach who had some success at Xavier-three straight 19-win seasons-but never quite broke through to the NCAA Tournament. That last season, 2021-22, ended with an overtime loss to Butler in the Big East Tournament, a game that likely cost them a spot in March Madness. “We always were just one game away,” Steele said.
Now, at Miami, he’s not just coaching differently-he’s building something different. This team isn’t just talented, it’s built around a culture.
Steele talks about values like competing every moment, carrying your teammate, and striving for more. And his players have bought in.
“We’ve recruited to our core values,” Steele said. “Obviously, we’ve recruited good players, but we’ve recruited people that really fit.”
That fit has turned into a perfect record-20-0 overall, 8-0 in the MAC. And they’ve had to earn it.
Just this past week, Miami pulled off back-to-back overtime wins, first against Buffalo, then on the road at Kent State. In both games, they allowed over 100 points-and still found a way to win.
That hasn’t happened in nearly four decades for the RedHawks.
Now, they’re one of just three undefeated teams left in Division I, joining Arizona and Nebraska. But unlike those Power 5 programs, Miami doesn’t have the luxury of assuming a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
The MAC hasn’t produced an at-large bid since Wally Szczerbiak led Miami there in 1999. So the RedHawks know the road ahead is narrow-they’ll need to stay nearly perfect or win the MAC Tournament to dance in March.
Still, the national recognition is starting to come. Miami cracked the AP Top 25 this week for the first time since the Szczerbiak era. But Steele isn’t letting the rankings-or the record-become a distraction.
“I could really care less about the streak,” he said. “I’m more concerned about trajectory.
I have this quote above my desk: ‘Don’t worry about the results. Be obsessed with trajectory, and the rest will take care of itself.’”
That focus on trajectory is clear in how Miami plays. This year’s team is more balanced than last year’s squad, which leaned heavily on the three-ball.
They’re still dangerous from deep-ranking 15th nationally in 3-point percentage-but they’ve added more ways to score. They’re getting to the free-throw line more, hitting the paint more, and rebounding better.
It’s a more complete offensive attack, and it’s made them harder to guard.
“I think we’re better defensively than we were a year ago, for sure,” Steele said. “We get a ton of paint touches, which results in a lot of free throw attempts, layups and kick-out threes, more so than we did last year. It’s diversified our scoring in a big way.”
The numbers back it up, but so does the eye test. The ball movement is crisp.
The chemistry is obvious. This is a team that plays for each other, not for the stat sheet.
“Our identity is our connectivity,” Steele said. “Our guys have an understanding it’s about Miami getting a great shot, not about them scoring.
That’s hard to find in this landscape. With the portal and NIL, I think a lot of guys are playing for stats.
Our guys just solely play to win.”
And they’re doing exactly that. Redshirt sophomore forward Brant Byers leads the team in scoring, but the emotional heartbeat is senior guard Peter Suder.
He’s averaging 14.1 points and 4.2 assists, and he’s been lights out from deep, shooting 46.3% from beyond the arc. Sophomore guard Luke Skaljac has emerged as a clutch performer, putting up 18 points in each of those recent overtime wins.
This isn’t a team built around one star-it’s a collective. And that’s by design.
Steele didn’t have to wait long after leaving Xavier to get his second chance-just two weeks, in fact. And Miami’s bet on him is looking smarter by the day.
The RedHawks won 25 games last season and reached the MAC title game, falling just short against an Akron team coached by Steele’s brother, John Groce. That Akron team went 17-1 in the league, but Miami handed them their only conference loss this season.
If there’s a rematch in the MAC Tournament, it could be the showdown that determines who gets the league’s automatic bid.
For now, Steele and the RedHawks are staying locked in on the process. They’re not chasing perfection-they’re chasing progress. And that mindset, more than the wins, might be the biggest reason why this Miami team is making history.
Steele didn’t change cities when he changed jobs. But he’s changed just about everything else. And the results speak for themselves.