Miami (OH) went 31-0 in the regular season, but their place in the 2026 NCAA tournament wasn’t exactly a lock. The Redhawks were hoping to clinch an automatic bid to the big dance in the MAC tournament, but their perfect season ended in the opening round with a loss to UMass.
MAC tournament 2026: Miami (OH)‘s undefeated season ends, bracket updated
Miami Ohio’s perfect season is over, and the MAC tournament is just getting started.
Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
The Redhawks finished the regular season at 31-0. Right now, they’re projected as a No. 11 seed in the big dance, but things can change quickly if they don’t earn the auto-bid by winning the MAC tournament. Miami’s metrics aren’t great despite the undefeated record: they’re ranked No. 91 in KenPom right now, which is 30 spots below the conference’s No. 2 seed, Akron. The Zips have also been great all year, and they’re trying to earn the auto-bid with one of the best teams of head coach John Groce’s tenure. Now in his ninth season at the school, Groce has led the school to the NCAA tournament in three of the last four years, but he’s yet to win a game once he gets there. This year’s team could be good enough to do it with senior guard Tavari Johnson and 6’9 big man Amani Lyles leading the way.
Will Kent State or Toledo or Bowling Green play the spoiler? Will Akron make the MAC a rare two-bid league if they beat the Redhawks in the title game? The action is all going down at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio with a champion crowned Saturday. Here’s how you can follow Miami (OH)‘s MAC tournament run with the bracket and full tournament schedule:
MAC men’s basketball tournament schedule, results
All times Eastern
Thursday, March 12 quarterfinals
- Game 1: No. 8 seed UMass 87, No. 1 seed Miami 83
- Game 2: No. 4 Toledo 77, No. 5 Bowling Green 76
- Game 3: No. 2 Akron 73, No. 7 Buffalo 70
- Game 4: No. 3 Kent State 86, No. 6 Ohio 75
Friday, March 13 semifinals
- Semifinal No. 1: No. 4 Toledo 77, No. 8 seed UMass 67
- Semifinal No. 2 Akron 75, No. 3 Kent State 68
Saturday March 14 championship
- No. 2 Akron 79, No. 4 Toledo 76
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