Perfection comes with pressure. And for No. 21-ranked Miami (OH) head coach Travis Steele, that pressure nearly spilled over on Friday night.

The RedHawks entered Kalamazoo sitting at 28–0 and as the only unbeaten team left in Division I men’s basketball. And while they went on to improve to 29–0 and 16–0 in the MAC, in the middle of their latest escape act, it wasn’t a buzzer-beater that grabbed the headlines. It was their head coach. NCAA Fans were quick to criticize the outburst of the coach.

With Miami trailing Western Michigan at halftime (30-26), the fear of their first loss of the 2025-26 NCAA season got very real. That’s when coach Steele erupted at officials on his way to the locker room.

After he was assessed a technical foul, Steele shoved over the DJ’s speaker near the tunnel in visible frustration. While it’s still unclear what got the coach so fired up, the Broncos were awarded free throws to open the second half as the moment quickly spread across social media.

“Listen, I don’t even know how I got that technical,” Travis Steele told CBS Sports while addressing the technical in a post-game interview. “I’m still trying to figure that one out, but that really upset me. And I can’t do that. Can’t get technical fouls. The margin for error is so small, and I got to be better.”

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Steele may have owned the mistake postgame. But as the clips of his outburst went viral, fans didn’t hold back.

Fans Call Out Travis Steele’s Meltdown

The RedHawks now sit alone as the last unbeaten team in the nation, as they continue to chase their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2007. But online, not everyone was focused on the comeback.

“I am no longer rooting for Miami, Ohio. I hope their Cinderella run ends tonight and they get left out of the tournament. Coach is a loser,” one fan wrote. While another added, “Embarrassing and classless move by the coach. DJ should send him a bill.”

But whatever fire spilled over at halftime stayed in the tunnel. After the break, Steele steadied himself, and Miami followed suit, rallying from a halftime deficit and later clawing back from nine down in the final minutes to defeat the Broncos.

However, with Miami’s Cinderella run now drawing national attention, several fans argued that Steele’s conduct didn’t match the moment.

“This reeks of a guy who could not handle the pressure of coaching in a good conference,” a fan said. Whereas another wrote, “Clown 🤡 show – u win for the first time ever, and then u act like that.”

Another fan further added, “Grown ass man acting like a toddler.”

With Peter Suder fouled out of the game, Luke Skaljac and Evan Ipsaro sidelined, the Redhawks were already short-handed. So with just seconds remaining in the game, the score was tied at 67-67. That’s when freshman guard Trey Perry muscled in a left-handed layup with 0.4 seconds remaining to secure a 69–67 win, preserving the RedHawks’ unbeaten streak.

“Playing to win. He’s fiery. He’s a competitor, he’s built for those moments, man,” Travis Steele said about Perry.

With this win under their belt, the RedHawks only have two more games before they wrap up the regular season. The viral image of Coach Steele’s outburst leaves a lingering question: can the team and its coach handle the mounting pressure that comes with chasing history?