The "Battle of the Bricks" is hardly a battle anymore.
Much is made of the animosity between the "Battle of the Bricks" rivalry between Miami and Ohio. But as the clock crept slowly to zero Wednesday night and the RedHawks turnover count fought to eclipse their total point output — Miami would end with 36 turnovers and 44 points — a hush took over The Convo.
The Bobcats would win by 28, but the energy within the confines of the gym was akin to an afternoon golf tournament.
Once Ohio achieved a large lead in the second quarter and Miami continued to find new ways to give the ball to the Bobcats, the loudest roars came from the RedHawks' bench reacting to plays, the band's constant jeers at the Miami bench and a football player dunking during the halftime festivities.
Coach Bob Boldon was dismissive of the rivalry after the game, saying that his team just looks forward to winning games and hardly factors in rivalries.
"I think our goal is just to win this game," Boldon said. "We got a very difficult game on Saturday. I think that's probably our focus. I think we'll probably enjoy this one for tonight and some of them have already moved on past this game."
Even though Miami leads the all-time series 53-29, the RedHawks haven't beaten the Bobcats in two years, since Boldon transformed this program into a perennial MAC contender, and Wednesday night proved that the rivalry has rarely been more one-sided.
"It feels good to control your own success," senior guard Kiyanna Black said.
Whether the RedHawks can redeem themselves during the rematch in Millett Hall on March 5 — which doubles as the last game of the season — is yet to be determined. But the grit and anger within this rivalry has dissipated.
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One tradition has remained the same though. In the past few years, each team has been been blown out by the other, while the next game was incredibly close. We'll have to wait until March 5 to see if the tradition continues.
@KellenBecoats
