Miami (OH) finished the regular season with a spotless 31–0 record, but lost in the MAC Championship quarterfinals to put its playoff hopes in jeopardy.
Fortunately, the RedHawks bounced right back on Wednesday, taking down the SMU Mustangs in the First Four to clinch their first NCAA Tournament game since 1999. Now, they’ll take on the No. 6 seed in the Midwest Region, the Tennessee Volunteers, on Friday at 4:25 p.m. ET.
Tennessee opens as a 10.5-point a favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook, while Miami (OH) sits as a +410 underdog. The game total is set at O/U 148.5 points.
Tennessee finished with a 22–11 regular-season record, good for fourth in the SEC. Like Miami (OH), the Volunteers also lost in their conference tournament quarterfinals to Vanderbilt.
Per Bart Torvik, the Volunteers rank 16th in power rating. Their adjusted offensive efficiency is 32nd, but their 13th-ranked defense has done much of the heavy lifting.
The Selection Committee was not impressed by Miami (OH)’s 31–1 record, opting to focus on its 69th-ranked offense and 150th-ranked defense.
