Miami (Ohio) Silences Doubters With Statement Win in First Four

Nick Pedone|published: Thu 19th March, 10:35 2026

Mar 18, 2026; Dayton, OH, USA; SMU Mustangs guard Boopie Miller (2) shoots the ball over Miami (OH) RedHawks wing Eian Elmer (0) in the first half during a first four game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at University of Dayton Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Give your flowers to the Miami RedHawks this morning.

Miami Ohio was the story of the NCAA tournament. Their regular season undefeated 32-0 record was spoiled during their first game of the Mid-American Conference against UMass.

Did the RedHawks deserve to be in March Madness alongside the Akron Zips, who wound up winning the MAC? Miami entered the NCAA Tournament without a Quad 1 win. RedHawks head coach Travis Steele insisted that no quality programs agreed to schedule Miami.

On Wednesday, we found out that Miami belonged.

The RedHawks played a defacto home game in the First Four in Dayton on Wednesday night against the SMU Mustangs.

SMU was a -7.5 favorite on most major sportsbooks as the game tipped off. Miami quickly showed the world that spread was wildly inaccurate.

While most of the first half was low scoring and sloppy, Miami kept things close. The RedHawks shoot a lot of three-pointers, which is very important in March. Everybody knew that coming into this matchup. Yet still, Miami made 16 threes against SMU, rolling to a 89-79 victory that not many college basketball experts saw coming.

The RedHawks became the lone team in the history of the NCAA Tournament to score over 30 points, made more than 15 threes, dished out over 20 assists all while having less than five turnovers. Cherry-picked stats? Sure. But it just goes to show that playing sound basketball will always win in March, regardless of what the experts have to say.

Miami isn’t KemPom’s top team. They hardly played anyone all season.

But that’s what makes March Madness great.

The 2024 tournament included a lot of favorites advancing. Many pundits chalked up big schools spending major NIL dollars in order to secure the top players. Last season’s Final Four was Florida, Duke, Houston and Auburn – all No. 1 seeds before March Madness even tipped.

The sanctity of March Madness was called into question as a result. Of course, the tournament was still wildly entertaining. But were Cinderella stories dead due to NIL?

Miami Ohio is living proof that the underdog can still win big in March. Will they get boat raced in the first round against Tennessee? It’s always possible. But they set the tone for an incredible Thursday and Friday slate of games before the tournament really heats up over the weekend.

Everybody in America should be thanking the RedHawks. They were a controversial topic coming into the tournament. But now? They’re living proof that it’s March.