Fire Up The Debate About Miami (OH) And The NCAA Tournament
Miami’s historic run ended in the MAC quarterfinals, and now the selection committee has to decided if an undefeated regular season is enough for an NCAA Tournament bid.
There is no more polarizing team on the 2026 NCAA Tournament bubble than Miami (OH). Now the RedHawks leave their fate entirely in the hands of the selection committee.
Miami lost its first game in the MAC Tournament, 87-83, in the quarterfinals against first-year conference member UMass. The Minutemen, who competed in the A-10 prior to this year, finished the regular season with a 16-15 record, including just 7-11 in MAC play – with two losses coming against Miami (albeit by a combined 11 points). None of that matters now, though, as 8th-seeded UMass advances to the semifinals and top-seeded Miami awaits its fate on Selection Sunday.
Miami capped off an impressive 31-0 regular season with a thrilling overtime win over Ohio on March 6. But some still argued that despite not losing a single game, Miami didn't belong in the NCAA Tournament unless they ran the table in the MAC Tournament and earned an automatic bid.
The advanced analytics say that the RedHawks are not a tournament team, despite a nearly perfect record (31-1). According to KenPom, Miami ranks 93rd in the country, largely due to its very easy schedule (Miami has zero quad 1 wins and only two quad 2 wins). The team sits higher in the NET rankings (54th) but still likely outside the NCAA Tournament field.
Miami (OH) finished 31-0 in the regular season, then lost to UMass in the MAC quarterfinal, leaving its NCAA tournament fate to the selection committee.
(Imagn Images)
But the selection committee has to make a statement on whether regular seasons matter or not. Should Miami find itself on the outside looking in come Selection Sunday, the answer is a resounding "no."
For teams that play in leagues that aren't the power conferences, the regular season essentially doesn't matter (if Miami is left out). All that matters is the conference tournament. And that's a tough message to receive for schools in perennial one-bid conferences.
But it also sends a message to schools to try and schedule more difficult opponents during the non-conference portion of the season. Miami elected to play easier opponents, and it might cost them a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Of course, if they played tougher opponents, they might not be undefeated, so there's a catch-22 there.
Regardless, it's hard to feel bad for Miami. They had their fate in their own hands and just had to win the MAC Tournament (by beating three teams they had already beaten at least once this season), and they didn't even win a single game, which will probably be the deciding factor that keeps them out of the big dance.