Miami Won the Home Opener. Put Another One in the Win Column

I watched this one with a bunch of IU buddies who kept telling me Bellarmine was legit. They had recently watched the Knights outscore Indiana 43–42 in the second half, so that assessment came with some firsthand experience. For context, IU had already built a 24-point halftime lead. I’m accepting their scouting report without awarding Bellarmine a fictional win in Bloomington.

Miami got a competitive home opener, and more importantly, Miami got to 2–0. The comfortable afternoon I requested in the preview apparently wasn’t available. An 80–73 win will do.

Offense: Different Names, Same Useful Depth

Justin Kirby and Kyle Waltz were the strongest answers when Miami needed production. Both scored 15, and Waltz supplied his from the bench. That is an encouraging part of this roster: the scoring doesn’t have to arrive in the same order every game.

Kirby gave Miami efficient perimeter offense. Waltz paired his scoring with work on the glass, making his minutes matter in more than one column. Evan Ipsaro helped organize the offense and get points at the line.

Atlason reached the 15 points I projected, but this wasn’t the shooting reset I hoped to see. The positive is that he still contributed as a passer. The next step is getting the scoring more efficiently.

Miami also gave itself another way to survive an uneven shooting game: free throws. Those points count just as much when the jumper refuses to cooperate.

Defense: Better Outside, Too Much Inside

The perimeter result was a substantial improvement from opening night. Bellarmine finished 3-for-23 from three. The interior result was much harder to like: the Knights scored 50 points in the paint.

Tyler Doyle led that challenge with 20 points, eight rebounds, and five assists. Bellarmine repeatedly found enough offense inside to stay within reach. Miami won the overall rebounding battle, but that doesn’t cancel the need for better resistance around the basket.

I highlighted Tyler Robbins’s rim protection in the preview. He didn’t record a block, but six points and four rebounds in 11 minutes still supplied useful bench production. Elam provided two blocks in his first Miami start. Neither detail changes the broader assignment: make opponents work harder for those interior finishes.

Closing Argument: Take the Win and Keep Building

Late threes from Waltz and Kirby helped Miami maintain its advantage. Antwone Woolfolk then supplied a particularly important finish inside with 1:45 remaining, giving the RedHawks a 77–71 lead.

The finish mattered. Bellarmine kept responding, and Miami kept enough separation to close the game. That is worth appreciating even when the performance leaves a clear practice list.

The home opener belongs in the win column. The shooting and interior defense belong in the film session. My IU buddies can keep their Bellarmine scouting credentials, and I’ll keep the part of the afternoon that matters most: Miami is 2–0.