A loss in the MAC tournament didn’t slow down the Miami Redhawks. Their first loss of the season, taken to UMass last week, left all of us wondering if they would even make the NCAA Tournament. The Redhawks were one of the last teams to make the NCAA Tournament and they didn’t disappoint in the first four.
Miami left no doubt against SMU on Wednesday night, beating the Mustangs 89-79. Miami shot 41 three-pointers, connecting on 16 of them. Eian Elmer hit six of his nine attempts, going for 23 points.
The Redhawks move to 32-1, set to face No. 6 seed Tennessee in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Tennessee has opened as a 10.5 point favorite, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. The total has been set at 148.5.
The Volunteers will be coming off a loss to Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament. Tennessee opted to play Nate Ament in the conference tournament, despite the high ankle sprain. He’ll come back on Friday against Miami-OH, hopefully close to full strength. Ament scored 27 points against Auburn last Thursday in the SEC Tournament, powering Tennessee’s comeback win. He was held to just 12 points on 1-13 shooting on Friday against Vanderbilt.
Should Tennessee advance, No. 3 seed Virginia is the likely opponent in the round of 32. The Cavaliers are 29-5 overall, just narrowly missing out on the ACC Tournament title.
Tennessee and Miami-OH are set for a Friday evening tip-off. TBS will have the coverage at 4:25 p.m. ET.
