Miami (Ohio) defeated SMU in the First Four of the NCAA tournament. The RedHawks, an 11th seed, were 6.5-point underdogs but beat SMU 89-79. The team advanced to face No. 6 seed Tennessee in a first-round Midwest Region matchup.
RedHawks Overcome Doubts
Miami (Ohio)’s coach, Travis Steele, said, “This wasn’t an upset tonight, at all.” Star guard Peter Suder addressed those who doubted the team. Suder stated the team proved the doubters wrong with a double-digit win against a talented team.
Miami made their most 3-pointers (16) and posted their highest scoring total in a tournament contest since 1958. The RedHawks led for most of the game and recorded their largest victory margin in an NCAA tournament game. Steele believed his team was better than SMU.
A Rare At-Large Bid
Miami had to be nearly perfect in the regular season to get an at-large bid, according to Steele. Miami did not face a power conference team in nonleague play. The school stated those schools did not want to schedule the RedHawks.
A MAC team had not earned an at-large berth since 1999, when Miami, led by Wally Szczerbiak, reached the Sweet 16. The RedHawks were one of the last at-large teams in and began their first tournament appearance since 2007.
Home Support in Dayton
The game had a strong atmosphere due to the large number of Miami supporters. Andy Enfield, the SMU coach, likened it to a home game for Miami. He estimated that they had 12,000 fans present.
- Miami recorded their largest victory margin in an NCAA tournament game.
- The team made their most 3-pointers (16) in an NCAA tournament game.
- Miami posted their highest scoring total in a tournament contest since 1958.
Former Miami and NBA star Ron Harper was among the supporters and celebrated in the locker room. Luke Skaljac’s 3-pointer with 7:15 left prompted SMU to call a timeout.
Miami will face Tennessee in Philadelphia.