March Madness brings fans out in droves for Miami-West Virginia
More than 13,000 packed Hope Coliseum as RedHawks return to NCAA Tournament for first time since 2008
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Miami University's Amber Tretter goes to the basket vs. West Virginia in a first-round NCAA Tournament game. More than 13,000 fans packed Hope Arena to watch the RedHawks and the Mountaineers. (Photo by Ricardo Treviño Jr.)
March Madness brings fans out in droves for Miami-West Virginia
More than 13,000 packed Hope Coliseum as RedHawks return to NCAA Tournament for first time since 2008
•
Published
At least an hour before the doors opened on Saturday, fans were multiple rows deep outside Hope Coliseum, patiently waiting to enter for the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
The vast majority of those fans were wearing the gold and blue colors of the host team, fourth-seeded West Virginia. The Mountaineers and No. 13 Miami University were still four-plus hours to tipoff.
March Madness, indeed.
“Going forward, these are great experiences that we can learn from,” said Miami junior Amber Tretter, calling the 13,504 packed into Hope Coliseum “the biggest crowd I’ve ever played in front of.”
The vast majority of those fans were wearing the gold and blue colors of the host team, fourth-seeded West Virginia. The Mountaineers and No. 13 Miami University were still four-plus hours to tipoff.
March Madness, indeed.
“Going forward, these are great experiences that we can learn from,” said Miami junior Amber Tretter, calling the 13,504 packed into Hope Coliseum “the biggest crowd I’ve ever played in front of.”
Miami's Ilse de Vries eyes the basket vs. West Virginia in the NCAA Tournament. This was the RedHawks' first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2008. (Photo by Ricardo Treviño Jr.)
Amber Scalia scored 14 points to pace Miami, while Tretter added 13 and Ilse de Vries 12 in the RedHawks’ 82-54 loss to West Virginia.
No. 5 Kentucky defeated James Madison 71-56 in the day’s first game.
“We’ve never played for such a big crowd as we had today,” de Vries said. “We came running in and everyone was screaming ‘boo.’”
Even Swoop was not immune. Miami’s RedHawk mascot was also met with a loud crowd reaction when shown on the video screen prior to tipoff.
But, the experience of competing in the NCAA Tournament – even in hostile territory – will be beneficial for the program.
“We are both going to be here next year, so it’s going to be great things we can use for our future as well,” Tretter said of herself and de Vries, the RedHawks’ student-athlete representatives in the postgame post conference.
It’s a future that is encouraging. Miami won a school-record 28 wins this season and captured both the Mid-American Conference regular-season and tournament titles.
One year ago, the RedHawks also saw postseason play with a bid to the WNIT.
“They were able to take that into this season, and we were able to do some great things,” Miami Head Coach Glenn Box said.
Box’s West Virginia counterpart, Mark Kellogg, called Saturday’s crowd “a great environment.”
“It was electric. It was everything I think that you would want,” Kellogg said.
It was the first NCAA Tournament experience for the Miami roster, including the RedHawks’ three seniors – Scalia, Clara Gonzalez Panella, and Ashton Elley.
Those seniors helped jumpstart the program, Box said.
“We have big goals here. This is just a step, and they helped get us here,” Box said. “Just like kids in the past, each year, they’ve helped get us to another level. And next year we intend to blow the roof off.”
Established in 1809, Miami University is located in Oxford, Ohio, with regional campuses in Hamilton and Middletown, a learning center in West Chester, and a European study center in Luxembourg.