Not many expected Miami, Ohio, to become a focal talking point of the 2025-2026 college basketball season, but the Redhawks announced themselves as a March Madness contender early by maintaining a perfect regular-season record. However, their shocking early loss in the MAC Tournament suddenly leaves their Selection Sunday destiny up in the air.
Miami was the only team to go undefeated in the regular season with a perfect 31-0 record entering the postseason. They flirted with danger on multiple occasions, winning nine games by five points or fewer, but no one could take them out in the first 31 games.
Several mid-major programs have gone undefeated before, and the feat typically leads to a conference tournament title.
However, Miami's perfect season ended as soon as the regular season did. The Redhawks went one-and-done in the MAC Tournament, suffering an early exit with an 87-83 loss to Massachusetts.
While nobody expected Miami to go undefeated, the Redhawks were pegged as one of the top mid-major programs to watch after going 25-9 in 2024-2025. They flew under the radar last season, but not enough for multiple power conference programs to turn down early-season matchups against them.
Miami did not play a single power conference team this season, making its weak strength of schedule the main argument against it.
Despite winning a program record 31 games, Miami now anxiously awaits the March Madness Selection Committee's decision.
UMass exploited Miami's biggest weakness in first loss
Miami has been a team that has prided itself on offense much more than on defense all season. Travis Steele coaches his team to out-score opponents more than anything, which has been both its biggest strength and its biggest weakness.
While the Redhawks' explosive offense has led to several blowouts, their nonexistent defense also allowed subpar teams to keep up with them from bell-to-bell. They especially struggle to defend the interior, ranking 278th in opponent points in the paint and 147th in offensive rebounds allowed, per CBB Analytics.
As one of the most physical teams in the MAC, UMass took full advantage of Miami's interior struggles. The Minutemen dominated in the paint, where they out-scored the Redhawks 54-30, and grabbed 17 offensive rebounds. Second-chance opportunities were the story of the second half and allowed the underdogs to pull off the upset.
UMass' physicality was not a new issue; it bothered Miami in the regular season. The Minutemen's brutal style of play pushed the Redhawks to a pair of single-digit games during their undefeated run. It laid out the blueprint on how to beat the unbeaten, even if it did take three attempts.
Miami's struggles will only become more obvious against bigger and better teams in March Madness. The Selection Committee is unlikely to take that into consideration, but it is a key point to monitor in the coming weeks.
Miami, Ohio's 2026 March Madness resume
With Miami out of the MAC Tournament, its resume is all that can potentially get it into the 68-team March Madness field.
If Miami makes it in, 31 will be the only number that matters. The Selection Committee has never omitted a team with more than 28 wins, much less one that went undefeated in the regular season. The Redhawks did not face any quality teams, but going 31-0 is an impressive feat regardless of opposition.
However, the strength-of-schedule argument remains a concern. Miami is the only bubble team that did not face a Quad 1 opponent, according to the NET Rankings. They only had two Quad 2 games, beating Horizon League champions Wright State and Akron in the regular season. The Redhawks ranked 273rd in strength of schedule, according to KenPom.
But as weak a schedule as Miami played, punishing it for that reason would be nonsensical. The Redhawks could only beat the teams given to them and did that for 31 consecutive games before slipping up at the wrong time.
Conference bias could get in Miami's way — the MAC has not had two NCAA Tournament teams since 1999 — but the committee could have a small mutiny on its hands if it snubs the Redhawks. March Madness is made for the little guy, and one with a top-10 offense that went four months without a loss needs to be a part of it.
Miami might not make it past the first weekend, but it would be a travesty if the Selection Committee did not recognize the best regular season team in college basketball.
