The fate of Miami (Ohio) is one of college basketball’s most impactful storylines with Selection Sunday upon us.
While the RedHawks won all but one of their games this season, the timing on their loss may prove fatal to their chances of an NCAA Tournament berth. Miami lost to UMass in the MAC Tournament opener, leading to Akron capturing the conference title and the crucial automatic bid to March Madness
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While Miami’s 31 wins are the most in Division I, its weak strength of schedule (256th) and middling NET ranking (54th) are hard to ignore.
What’s also hard to ignore is the historical element here. Miami is only the fifth program in the 21st century to go undefeated in the regular season, and they got there through offensive brilliance. The RedHawks are second nationally in scoring (90.9 points) and first in field goal percentage (52.6%), with seven players averaging double digits in scoring.
So, will the RedHawks make the March Madness field?
According to USA TODAY Sports’ latest Bracketology, just barely. Miami is projected as the final at-large team in the field of 68, meaning it would play Dayton in the First Four.
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It’s good news for Miami fans, but they’ll still be holding their breath until the Selection Show at 6 p.m. ET.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Will Miami (Ohio) make the NCAA Tournament?
