Despite a 31-0 regular season and a historically weak strength of schedule, Miami (Ohio) has secured an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament as an 11 seed. The RedHawks will face SMU in a play-in game Wednesday in Dayton, Ohio — just a short drive from their Oxford campus.
“Miami (Ohio) was not the last team selected into the field,” said tournament committee chairman Keith Gill. “They came before (other play-in teams) North Carolina State and Texas and SMU.”
The RedHawks’ perfect regular season, which included no Quad 1 games and 15 Quad 4 wins, drew criticism from metrics-focused analysts. But the committee valued the undefeated run over a soft bubble that saw fewer mid-major at-large bids this year.
“As a basketball fan, I want to see Miami over an 11th SEC team,” wrote columnist Ed Graney. “I want to see if the true magic of March still exists.”
Miami’s inclusion punctuates a tournament that features several Cinderella hopefuls and a shifting landscape where Power Four schools and NIL deals increasingly squeeze out mid-majors. The RedHawks now have a chance to prove that a perfect record — even against weak competition — deserves a shot at the big stage.
