Do Swimmers in Suits Impact Basketball Teams’ Free Throw Percentage? Miami Coach Thinks So.

The Miami (Ohio) Men’s Swimming & Diving Team is getting a lot of love this week from their record-setting men’s basketball team after an appearance at the latter’s dominant 100-61 win over Central Michigan at home.

While far from the first swim team to appear clad in their team suits at a home swim team, their timing to coincide with the basketball team’s historic run has garnered them a lot of attention on the internet this week.

That includes a Tweet from sports gambling site DraftKings,

With Iowa State’s loss to Kansas…

😼 Arizona (16-0)
🌽 Nebraska (17-0)
⚓️ Vanderbilt (16-0)
and… Miami (OH) (18-0)

are the only unbeaten teams in men’s hoops.https://t.co/7hd0lp9DlW

— DraftKings (@DraftKings) January 14, 2026

.@ContextFreeCBB @MiamiOHSwimDive pic.twitter.com/7azzD4mW0j

— Kayler Smith – WDTN (@KaylerSmithTV) January 14, 2026

When asked postgame, head coach Travis Steele said he thinks the team was effective in distracting Central Michigan’s freethrow shooters, laughing that “he was distracted.”

Star freshman guard Justin Kirby, who scored 17 points in just 22 minutes, said he had no idea that the swim team was going to be there.

.@MiamiOHSwimDive stole the show at tonight’s men’s basketball game.

Were they effective? Well, Central Michigan shot 57% from the FT line in the second half…😂@MiamiOH_BBall | @WDTN pic.twitter.com/GAXgCsaeTW

— Kayler Smith – WDTN (@KaylerSmithTV) January 14, 2026

Central Michigan was just 8 for 12 from the free throw line (66.7%) in the game, below their season average of 72%, so there may be something to the distraction.

With 2,021 fans at the game, it was the team’s best-attended home game of the season since the opener in early November. Miami is now 18-0 in the MAC this season, the best start in program history (10-0), and are an “also receiving votes” team in both of the major college basketball polls.

Swimmers have a growing reputation of showing up for other sports and doing goofy things to try and give their team’s an advantage. Among the most famous instances is when Michael Phelps showed up to an Arizona State men’s basketball game in 2016, and in 2024 the Oakland University men’s team shaved a swimmer’s head during free throws at a men’s basketball game.

As swimming looks for ways to remain relevant in the modern evolving world of collegiate athletics, these sort of stunts, and support for their fellow student athletes, could become a calling card for programs that generates reciprocal support from student bodies – especially if swim teams figure out a sustainable way to create a more entertaining version of dual meets.

The Miami swimming & diving program next competes in a tri meet against MAC opponents Eastern Michigan (women) and Ball State (men) on January 16th at home. The men are the defending Missouri Valley Conference Champions (MAC doesn’t support a men’s swimming meet) while the women were 3rd at last year’s MAC Championship.

The program is led by second year head coach Samantha Pitter, a former Pitt and Harvard assistant who has seen great success in her first stint as a D1 head coach.