By the time Miami’s name appeared on the bracket, the debate that had surrounded the program for the last month finally had its answer.
The No. 20 RedHawks received an at-large bid and will face SMU in the Midwest Region’s 11th seed play-in game on Wednesday in Dayton. The winner will face sixth-seed Tennessee on Friday in Philadelphia.
Miami coach Travis Steele said the moment validated everything his team had accomplished during a remarkable 31-1 season.
“Obviously, very excited to be selected as an at-large team for the NCAA Tournament,” Steele said. “Huge honor. I’m happy for our guys — our guys earned it all season. Obviously it didn’t go the way that we wanted to in Cleveland, but our guys will learn from it. I think we’re built for March with the way we’ve played in a lot of close games.”
Miami’s best season in program history continues after being the last unbeaten team in the nation. The RedHawks fell to UMass in the opening round of the Mid-American Conference tournament.
For the last month, the RedHawks became a national talking point. Analysts debated whether a mid-major team with a near-perfect record could overcome a weak strength of schedule in a postseason system often dominated by power-conference programs.
Inside the Miami locker room, Steele tried not to dwell on the speculation.
“Honestly, I watched Winston, my oldest, play soccer a bunch this weekend,” Steele said. “I was full-time dad — dad duties. My wife says I’m ‘Disney dad.’ I didn’t pay attention to a lot else — all the bubble talk, who’s winning, who’s not winning. I had a pretty good feeling that we were in.”
Historic season in Oxford
Miami’s season quickly grew from a compelling story into something larger.
The RedHawks ran through MAC play, stacking wins and repeatedly surviving tight games that stretched their winning streak to 31 consecutive victories.
The surge reignited the atmosphere around Millett Hall.
“Miami has a really proud tradition — the all-time winningest program in the MAC,” Steele said. “It just hadn’t been done in a while. There was a gap there for probably about 15 or 16 years. To be able to put us in a position to get an at-large bid where the MAC gets two bids — man, it’s pretty cool.”
The RedHawks’ résumé also ignited a broader conversation about college basketball’s scheduling landscape.
Miami’s nonconference strength of schedule ranked near the bottom nationally, a statistic critics pointed to while evaluating the team’s tournament chances.
Program officials say Miami attempted to schedule stronger opponents but struggled to find willing Power-conference teams.
That dynamic — mid-major programs criticized for weak schedules while being denied opportunities to improve them — became central to the discussion surrounding the RedHawks’ bid.
Ultimately, the committee decided the record mattered.
Preparing for March
The days leading up to Selection Sunday were unusual for Miami.
Rather than preparing for another conference tournament game, the RedHawks were recovering from their first loss of the season and waiting to learn where they would play.
Steele leaned on past experience to make sure his team stayed ready.
“We took Friday off — the day after the game — and then Saturday we actually took that day off as well, trying to get healthy,” Steele said. “Then Sunday we practiced because I just didn’t know whether we were going to be playing Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday.
“You learn from experience. One year when I was at Xavier and we were in the First Four, we didn’t practice on Selection Sunday and that hurt us. So we practiced today just in preparation.”
The brief pause also gave Miami players something they rarely had this season — rest.
“It’s a war of attrition,” Steele said. “Having two days off in a row — I don’t think we’ve had that since Christmas break. It was good to give them a couple days off, get fresh mentally and physically.”
Opportunity ahead
Miami will now turn its focus to SMU, a team Steele expects will play an up-tempo style similar to his own.
“I think we’ll still be able to play our game,” Steele said. “Andy Enfield’s teams in the past have always played up-tempo, so I’d anticipate that’s the way the game’s going to be played. That’s the way we want to play — fast.”
For the RedHawks, though, simply reaching the tournament is not the ultimate goal.
Steele made that clear to his team immediately after learning their destination.
“Number one, don’t be satisfied,” Steele said. “I told every one of our guys when we recruited them that our goal was to advance in the NCAA Tournament and get to the second weekend.
“Now we’ve got a seat at the table. Now it’s time to go.”
Next game
Who: Miami vs. SMU
What: NCAA First Four
When: 8 p.m. Wednesday
Where: UD Arena
Streaming: truTV
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