PHILADELPHIA \u2014 The postgame scene had all the hallmarks of a Cinderella season cut short.<\/p>\n
Bleary eyes and sniffling noses emerging from the locker room. Towels draped over heads, arms around shoulders. Hugs that linger a few seconds longer. A team still struggling to accept its fate but appreciative of the journey that got it there.<\/p>\n
\u201cGreat season,\u201d athletic director David Sayler said, slumped against a wall in Xfinity Mobile Arena after the game. \u201cJust hate that it has to end.\u201d<\/p>\n
No. 11 seed Miami (Ohio)\u2019s stellar season came to an abrupt end on Friday, losing 78-56 to No. 6 seed Tennessee in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.<\/p>\n
The RedHawks emerged as an unexpected mid-major darling over the course of an undefeated regular season, going 31-0 out of Oxford, Ohio, and the Mid-American Conference to become one of the biggest stories in college basketball. But Tennessee, an SEC brute that held a size and physicality mismatch over Miami, proved too much to handle.<\/p>\n
The Vols outrebounded the RedHawks by 17 and outscored them 40-16 in the paint, shooting 53 percent from the floor and 9-for-20 from 3-point range. Senior guard Ja\u2019Kobi Gillespie led all scorers with 29 points on the offensive end, and Tennessee suffocated its opponent defensively. After a couple of 3-pointers by Miami in the opening minutes, Tennessee contested every shot, drive and cut Miami attempted all afternoon.<\/p>\n
The Vols raced out to a 51-32 halftime lead with what head coach Rick Barnes described as \u201cmaybe our best half of the year.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cReally everything that we did well today stemmed from our defense,\u201d said Barnes, coaching in his 30th NCAA Tournament. \u201cIt got us in a flow. We felt like we could spread them out a little bit and get some of those lobs we were getting early and felt like we could make the right read.\u201d<\/p>\n
Coming off an Elite Eight run in 2025, Tennessee advances to face No. 3 Virginia in the second round on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Less than 48 hours after Miami shot 41 3-pointers and made 16 in its First Four win over SMU<\/a> \u2014 both record marks for the play-in round \u2014 the RedHawks went only 7-for-29 from deep and shot just 35 percent overall.<\/p>\n \u201cThey were very, very physical with us on offense,\u201d Miami coach Travis Steele said. \u201cOn the other end, Gillespie was unbelievable. But that doesn\u2019t take anything away from our team. Our team has had a heck of a journey \u2026 I couldn\u2019t be more proud of our group.\u201d<\/p>\n Miami ends the season 32-2, the 21st Division I team to complete an undefeated regular season. It set the school single-season wins record with ease. It won the MAC crown at 18-0 in league play and tallied the program\u2019s first NCAA Tournament victory since 1999. But the RedHawks also came to represent much more than a spunky mid-major that earned an at-large bid.<\/p>\n The team captured national attention<\/a> during the final weeks of the season, with a number of dramatic wins to keep its unbeaten streak alive. Its NCAA Tournament resume sparked endless debate thanks to a putrid strength of schedule, with zero power conference opponents and Quad 1 games prior to the First Four. And Miami brought attention to the challenges that good mid-major teams face when trying to schedule high-quality nonconference opponents<\/a>.<\/p>\n High-major teams don\u2019t want to schedule them because, as far as the metrics are concerned, a win doesn\u2019t help and a loss can hurt, something High Point head coach Flynn Clayman talked about after his team upset Wisconsin on Thursday.<\/p>\n \u201cWe couldn\u2019t get games. (Miami) couldn\u2019t get games,\u201d Clayman said. \u201cIf we can get games like this on neutral courts and some home games, I think we\u2019d know who\u2019s really the best teams.\u201d<\/p>\n It was the same sentiment in Philadelphia on Friday, even after a dominant 19-point win by the power-conference opponent.<\/p>\n \u201cMiami of Ohio should have been the darlings, the talk of the tournament,\u201d Barnes said. \u201cYou win 32 basketball games, I don\u2019t care what league you play in, I don\u2019t care what anybody says. And they would win some games in our league, make no bones about it.\u201d<\/p>\n Informed of Barnes\u2019 comments, Steele said, \u201cWe didn\u2019t get a chance to play anyone in the SEC. We played an ACC team, we beat them.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a really good team,\u201d Steele added. \u201cUnfortunately we didn\u2019t play that way today, but give Tennessee credit.\u201d<\/p>\n