Miami (Ohio)’s MAC tournament quarterfinals loss re-opens March Madness at-large debate

Miami (Ohio) has re-opened the door for debate regarding its NCAA Tournament merits after a one-and-done performance in the MAC Tournament.

On Thursday, the Associated Press No. 20 Miami (Ohio) RedHawks (31-1, 18-0 in MAC) suffered their first loss of the season in the MAC Championship quarterfinals, falling to the Massachusetts Minutemen (17-15, 7-11 in MAC), 87-83. With an automatic NCAA tourney berth no longer possible, the RedHawks will have to sweat out Selection Sunday with the rest of the at-large contenders to learn their March Madness fate.

Miami (Ohio) forced into the at-large class after stunning MAC quarterfinals loss

Miami (Ohio) got destroyed on the glass against Massachusetts, losing the rebounding battle 41-24. The Minutemen were particularly dominant on the offensive end, securing 17 boards off 32 misses.

Paired with other recent close calls, it wasn’t the kind of performance that bodes well for the RedHawks’ NCAA tourney chances, if they qualify for the field. While it seems absurd to argue the merits of a team that finished the regular season with a perfect record, the team’s troubling advanced metrics gives reason for pause.

Miami ranks No. 93 in KenPom and No. 54 in NET, below others on the bubble. One thing working in its favor, however, is that its at-large competition has experienced similar conference tourney struggles.

The Stanford Cardinal (20-12, 9-9 in ACC), California Golden Bears (21-11, 9-9 in ACC) and SMU Mustangs (20-13, 8-10 in ACC) all lost early in the ACC tournament, while the Texas Longhorns (18-14, 9-9 in SEC), fell to the Ole Miss Rebels (13-19, 4-14 in SEC) in the SEC tournament. In the Big Ten, the Indiana Hoosiers (18-14, 9-11 in Big Ten) lost in the conference tournament’s second round to the Northwestern Wildcats (15-18, 5-15 in Big Ten), while the Cincinnati Bearcats (18-15, 9-9 in Big 12) saw their chances take a hit after losing in overtime to the UCF Knights (21-10, 9-9 in Big 12) in the Big 12 tournament.

It would be a shame if the one blemish on Miami’s record is enough to keep it out of the NCAA Tournament. Despite the shortcomings, the RedHawks are one of the best shooting teams in the country and can go shot-for-shot with anyone in Division I. Excluding them from the dance would also send a horrible message.

“More than 75 teams” rejected offers to play Miami (Ohio) this season, Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Eisenberg wrote last Thursday.

“They each apologetically told [associated head coach Jonathan] Holmes that they couldn’t help him because Miami was exactly the type of opponent they sought to avoid, projected to finish outside the top 100 nationally yet plenty dangerous enough to dish out a damaging loss,” Eisenberg continued.

If power conference and other prominent teams shutting out the top mid-majors when setting regular-season schedules is enough to keep those programs out of the conversation for at-large bids, the ripple effects could be vast. Fewer teams will have opportunities to prove they belong as the bigger fish continue to game the system.

Miami could have saved itself the headache of not knowing whether it will be headed to the NCAA Tournament by winning the MAC Championship. But the RedHawks gave their detractors one last round of ammunition instead. It will be a long wait until Sunday.