Adam Rittenberg
Multiple Authors
DAYTON, Ohio — Miami (Ohio) discovered itself in a novel place Wednesday evening on the First Four.
The RedHawks had been a polarizing 30-win group in the lead-up to NCAA event picks. Was Miami good or only a product of a weak schedule? Were all the foremost convention groups that averted the RedHawks playing around or good?
After a 31-1 begin, Miami made the NCAA subject, however simply barely as an at-large, and would tip off in the First Four, 40 miles from its campus in Oxford, Ohio. The Eleventh-seeded RedHawks had been a 6.5-point underdog towards SMU, despite the fact that neither they nor the 1000’s who got here to assist them felt that means.
“The reason people love March Madness is they love to see quote, unquote, upsets,” coach Travis Steele stated. “This wasn’t an upset tonight, at all.”
Miami left little doubt about its event viability or the historic path it has taken, beating SMU 89-79 at UD Arena. The RedHawks led for many of the sport, recorded their largest victory margin and made their most 3-pointers (16) in an NCAA event sport, and posted their highest scoring whole in a event contest since 1958. They superior to face No. 6 seed Tennessee in a first-round Midwest Region matchup Friday in Philadelphia.
Steele stated he believed his group was higher than SMU coming into Wednesday’s sport, and his gamers proved him proper.
“All the doubters that doubted us, all saying we don’t have Quad 1 wins, two wins, all that stuff, I don’t know what they’re going to say now,” star guard Peter Suder stated. “We proved the doubters wrong. To win by double digits against a really good team, athletically, physically talented players, it’s huge for this program.”
Miami didn’t face an influence convention group in nonleague play — the college repeatedly acknowledged that these faculties didn’t need to schedule the RedHawks — and went 31-0 in the common season earlier than falling to UMass in the Mid-American Conference event quarterfinals. Despite all of Miami’s profitable, a schedule power that hovered close to the underside of Division I created an odd at-large profile for the event choice committee to think about.
“I mean, we had to basically be perfect in the whole regular season to get that at-large,” Steele stated.
A MAC group had not earned an at-large berth since 1999, when Miami rode All-American Wally Szczerbiak to the Sweet 16. The RedHawks had been one of many final at-large groups in and commenced their first event look since 2007 in close by Dayton.
The optimistic was Wednesday’s crowd, purple and raucous, erupting with each 3-pointer and scoring burst from the RedHawks. Former Miami and NBA star Ron Harper was among the many supporters and celebrated in the locker room.
Miami gamers steadily acknowledged their supporters, together with Luke Skaljac, whose 3-pointer with 7:15 left compelled SMU to name timeout.
“That was a great crowd, a home game for Miami,” SMU coach Andy Enfield stated. “They probably had 12,000 fans here. Felt like 40 or 50,000.”
The crowd included Miami’s males’s swimming and diving group, some carrying solely Speedos and caps, who sprinted down the aisle behind SMU’s basket early in the second half to distract free throw shooter Corey Washington, simply as they do at Millett Hall, Miami’s residence court docket.
“What really surprised me was the swim team, when they came out,” Miami ahead Antwone Woolfolk stated. “That was elite.”
Miami’s willingness to take and make 3-pointers propelled its offense, because the group had extra made 3s (10) than 2-point makes an attempt (9) in the primary half. But the undersized RedHawks additionally held up inside, because the rebounding was even at 35. They collected 12 offensive boards, together with Suder’s with 3:08 to play that arrange a 3-pointer by Eian Elmer that elevated the lead to 81-68.
Steele challenged his group after the UMass loss, because the RedHawks had been outrebounded 41-24 and allowed 54 factors in the paint and 23 second-chance factors.
“We crashed the glass,” stated Woolfolk, Miami’s tallest starter at 6-foot-9. “We put pressure on the rim, instead of letting pressure get put on us.”
The rebounding efficiency bolstered Steele’s pregame theme: assault.
“Our guys deserve to be in this position,” he stated. “I felt like we were the better team going into the game. And I think our guys have that real belief. That’s the most powerful thing you can have.”
Miami now will get one other energy convention opponent in Tennessee, and additional success means related opponents will comply with. But the RedHawks had the event stage Wednesday evening.
How many extra individuals find out about Miami (Ohio) now?
“I don’t even know. I can’t even count,” Suder stated, smiling. “But it’s definitely a lot.”
