The Miami (OH) RedHawks finished the regular season a perfect 31-0 out of the MAC. However, they were upset by UMass in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament, creating some uncertainty heading into Selection Sunday when the 68-team field for the NCAA Tournament will be revealed.
While most projections still have the RedHawks in the field, where — and even when — they might play remains very much up in the air, with bracket predictions varying widely.
Some projections have Miami (OH) playing in the First Four in Dayton. However, according to a projection from CBS Sports, the RedHawks are currently slated as a No. 11 seed and projected to receive a bye into the Round of 64.
In that scenario, Miami (OH) would face the BYU Cougars, led by top NBA Draft prospect AJ Dybantsa.
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BYU is currently projected as a No. 6 seed, and it would certainly be the toughest test by a wide margin for the RedHawks across the 32 games they’ve played this season.
While Miami (OH) winning 31 straight games is remarkable and historic, the RedHawks don’t have any Quad 1 or Quad 2 victories on their résumé. That’s part of the reason the argument that they’re on the bubble — despite a 31-1 record — has gained traction.
Miami (OH) head coach Travis Steele addressed the team’s bubble status and called out critics for what he sees as contradictory evaluations of the RedHawks.
“In this world, everybody gets caught up in results. That’s all the world wants. That’s all they talk about,” Steele said. “But then when we are at 31-0, then everybody’s talking about, oh, everything else matters. People contradict themselves all the time.”
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