SMU didn’t give up - but the RedHawks got red-hot, and whenever the Mustangs started cutting the lead and coming back, they found nothing but the bottom of the net. Whenever SMU went on a run, the Red and White had an answer.
After every made shot, it seemed like the arena couldn’t get any louder, yet somehow it did. Miami buried 16 three-pointers, a First Four game record, and beat SMU 89-79 to advance to the first round of March Madness.
“It's something you dream of, making big shots in March,” said Luke Skaljac, a junior guard who finished with 17 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists. “Obviously, we had a ton of big-time threes today, so that was really cool.”
Familiar environment
The RedHawks took full advantage of competing in their home state. “It was electric,” said head coach Travis Steele. “It was the best NCAA environment I’ve ever been a part of.” The play-in game took place in UD Arena in Dayton, just about an hour from Oxford.
“That was a great crowd, a home game for Miami,” SMU coach Andy Enfield said. “They probably had 12,000 fans here. Felt like 40 or 50,000.”
The supporting crowd even included Miami’s men’s swimming and diving team, which showed up in swimsuits and caps, distracting SMU’s players during free throws. It wasn’t unusual - they do the same during home games. That’s how tight-knit the Miami student body is.
Proving everybody wrong
With their first tournament win since 1999, the RedHawks silenced the critics. When the final buzzer went off, everybody could see the invisible sign surrounding the team: WE BELONG HERE. Without a doubt.
Miami just posted one of the most captivating and magical regular seasons in history. It was perfect – literally – as the RedHawks went 31-0.
This year, they were the only Division I team to go unbeaten, and only the eighth squad to go without a loss in the past 50 years. They played in four overtimes and won them all. By March, this team was defined by grit, resilience, tenacity, and toughness.
Enduring uncertainty
After capturing a flawless regular-season campaign, No. 1 Miami faced No. 8 UMass in the first round of the Mid-American Conference tournament. The opening match-up was supposed to be a formality for the thriving RedHawks, but the Red and White experienced their lowest point of the season at the worst possible time. They struggled against the well-prepared Minutemen and fell 83-87. The heartbreaking defeat ended the streak.
But more importantly, it put Miami’s fate in jeopardy. Despite a perfect season, some analysts and experts questioned Miami’s worthiness. Did they deserve a spot in March Madness? Sure, they didn’t lose a single contest earlier in the year, but their schedule ranked 339th in overall strength and lacked a Quadrant 1 game. The RedHawks’ best chance of going dancing was an automatic bid.
Skepticism surrounded Miami’s case for an at-large bid. The early conference tournament exit was viewed as a damaging loss, leaving their fate uncertain. For three days, the team waited, trying to tune out the noise. On Sunday, they finally heard their name called.
It wasn’t a direct path into the main bracket – Miami got picked to compete in one of the play-in games. The First Four. The RedHawks had to prove themselves one more time. And so, they did. Shut down the nay-sayers.
“All the doubters that doubted us, all saying we don't have Quad 1 wins, two wins, all that stuff, I don't know what they're going to say now,” star guard Peter Suder said. “We proved the doubters wrong. To win by double digits against a really good team, athletically, physically talented players, it's huge for this program.”
Why not them
The statement win over an ACC opponent allows Miami to keep on living its fairytale. And there’s no better stage for an underdog story than March. This is the time and a place for wild shots, historic upsets, and crazy dreams. That’s March Madness.
Not every Cinderella wears a dress – a basketball one wears sneakers and shorts, and every year, one emerges that makes it incredibly far, busts brackets, and excites the country. So, why not Miami this time?
“Our guys deserve to be in this position,” Steele said. “And I think our guys have that real belief. That's the most powerful thing you can have.” The RedHawks will face No. 6 Tennessee on Friday in the round of 64, and the Volunteers better be ready to stop Miami.
