The Miami RedHawks were the lone undefeated team in the Division 1 regular season, finishing 31-0. But in their first postseason game, Miami stunningly lost to the UMass Minutemen, 87-83, in the MAC Tournament. This loss has firmly shaken up the bubble ahead of Selection Sunday.
DOWN GOES MIAMI (OH) 😱
UMass takes down the formerly undefeated RedHawks in the MAC quarterfinals 👀 pic.twitter.com/QW1vI5nvGG
— ESPN (@espn) March 12, 2026
The RedHawks were the number one seed in the MAC Tournament and beat UMass 86-84 and 87-76 during the regular season. The Minutemen were 17-15 and 7-11 in the MAC, but have pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the season.
A newfound rivalry has been formed between Miami and Auburn, a team on the bubble due to poor play in the SEC. Tigers coach Stephen Pearl and his dad, Bruce, have been pushing for the Tigers' inclusion over the RedHawks, due to a tougher schedule. They may have gotten their wish with Thursday's result.
As for the remainder of the MAC Tournament, the door is wide open for the Akron Zips to make a run. The only game they lost in the MAC this year was to the RedHawks. They play the Buffalo Bull at 4 p.m. in Cleveland. UMass heads to the semifinal looking to start a historic Cinderella run. They will face the winner of the Bowling Green vs Toledo matchup on Thursday afternoon.
Miami will now wait until Sunday to find out its fate for the NCAA Tournament. Had they won the MAC Tournament, they would bave earned the automatic bid and not had to worry about the committee. But their fate lies in the committee's hands, who could very well select Auburn over them.
Akron immediately becomes the favorite to win the MAC and earn the automatic bid. But it's anyone's game in Cleveland, as evidenced by the biggest upset of March so far.
Should the RedHawks make the tournament? Or will this loss do them in?
