Tennessee
What to know about Miami (Ohio) basketball, Tennessee’s first March Madness opponent
Tennessee basketball may be standing in the path of this season’s Cinderella story.
The No. 6 Vols (22-11) will open the Men’s NCAA Tournament against No. 11 Miami of Ohio (32-1) at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia on March 20 (4:25 p.m. ET, TBS).
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The RedHawks defeated No. 11 SMU (20-14) in a First Four game, 89-79, on March 18 to advance. They drained 16 3-pointers − only their third-highest mark of the season − for their first March Madness victory since 1999.
Here’s what you need to know about Miami (Ohio) heading into their first-round matchup against Tennessee.
Where is Miami (Ohio) located?
Miami (Ohio) is located in Oxford, Ohio, and is about 30 miles north of Cincinnati. It has an enrollment of 16,800 undergraduate students.
What conference is Miami (Ohio) in?
Miami (Ohio) plays in the Mid-American Conference.
Who is coach of Miami (Ohio)?
Travis Steele is in his third season as the coach of Miami (Ohio). He was previously the coach at Xavier from 2018-22, but the university effectively fired him after four seasons without an NCAA Tournament appearance.
Miami (Ohio) NCAA Tournament history
The RedHawks have made 18 March Madness appearances. They last made the tournament in 2007 as a No. 14 seed and lost to No. 3 Oregon in the first round, 58-56.
Miami (Ohio) has never made the Elite Eight. It has four Sweet 16 appearances, most recently in 1999. The No. 10 RedHawks, led by future NBA All-Star Wally Szczerbiak, upset No. 7 Washington and No. 2 Utah before losing to No. 3 Kentucky.
Miami (Ohio) 2025-26 season rundown
Miami (Ohio) made a strong case for the NCAA Tournament by going 31-0 in the regular season. Because of its strength of schedule in the MAC, though, it wasn’t considered a lock to make the tournament. The RedHawks did not receive an automatic qualifier after losing to UMass in the MAC quarterfinals, which cleared the path for No. 12 Akron to win the conference.
Miami (Ohio) beat SMU in the First Four with its main trait: overwhelming offense. The RedHawks boast the second-best scoring offense in the NCAA with 90.7 points per game, just behind Alabama’s 91.7. They dumped 16 3-pointers on top of the Mustangs to set up an opportunity against Tennessee.
The RedHawks have also been precise in crunch time. They are 4-0 in overtime games and are 8-0 in one-score games.
Wynton Jackson covers high school sports for Knox News. Email: wynton.jackson@knoxnews.com
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