Miami (Ohio) continues dream season, remains one of two unbeaten men's teams

As of Saturday evening, there are only two unbeaten teams in men's college basketball. The first is a team that you might expect to be a national power, and it is the No. 1-ranked Arizona Wildcats. They improved to 22-0 on Saturday with an 87-74 win over in-state rival Arizona State. 

The other unbeaten team is a bit of a surprise.

Perhaps even a complete stunner.

That team is the No. 24-ranked Miami (Ohio) RedHawks out of the MAC Conference. 

They also improved to 22-0 on Saturday with an emphatic 85-61 win over Northern Illinois.

The jury is still out on Miami (Ohio) despite impressive start

The biggest concern that exists with the RedHawks is the simple fact their schedule has not really matched up with what Arizona has had to play. That was never going to happen in the MAC Conference, and Miami (Ohio) did not exactly play a daunting nonconference schedule to open the season.

Through Saturday, it has not played a single AP-ranked team all season and does not have one remaining on its regular-season schedule. 

That will obviously hurt Miami (Ohio) with the NCAA selection committee when it comes to tournament seeding, or even making the tournament if it struggles down the stretch at all. 

There is still something to be said for Miami (Ohio) winning the way it has. It is one of just two schools in the MAC that has fewer than three conference losses. It has beaten every team it has played. It is also winning games at a rate that the program has almost never experienced.

Prior to this season, the RedHawks had only been ranked in the AP poll in just four different seasons, and not since the 1998-99 season.

It is also a program that has not played in the NCAA Tournament since the 2006-07 season and has only made 17 appearances in program history. 

This is all relatively uncharted territory for the program, and it continues what has been a consistent upward trajectory under head coach Travis Steele in what is now his fourth season on the bench. 

The RedHawks went 12-20 in year one, improved by three games to 15-17 in year two, went to 25-9 in year three and are now 22-0 and one of only two unbeaten teams in the country going into February.