After upsetting the Southern Methodist University (SMU) Mustangs (20-13, 8-10) 89-79 in a First Four game, the Miami University RedHawks men's basketball team (32-1, 18-1) will face the University of Tennessee Volunteers (22-11, 12-8) on March 20 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia.
The victory over SMU marked the RedHawks' first NCAA men's basketball tournament win since 1999 and their first appearance in the tournament since 2007.
This will be the Volunteers' eighth consecutive appearance in the tournament, led by senior guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie and freshman forward Nate Ament, who average 18.0 and 17.5 points per game, respectively.
Senior guard Peter Suder and sophomore guard Brant Byers currently lead the RedHawks in points per game (14.4), but strong performances against SMU from junior wing Eian Elmer and sophomore guard Luke Skaljac show the team is not a one-man show.
The RedHawks knocked down 16 3-pointers against SMU and Elmer scored a team-high 22 points, Skaljac with 17. Miami will look to carry this strong offensive effort from beyond the arc, as it averages 10.6 made 3-pointers per game this season to Tennessee's 7.8.
One of the factors that played into Miami's only loss this season, against the University of Massachusetts Minutemen, was the amount of offensive rebounds it let up. The Volunteers will look to do the same damage as they hold the second most rebounds per game (16.03) in NCAA Division I men's basketball.
Ament leads the team in rebounds per game (6.6), standing at 6 feet 10 inches, which will make for an even height matchup to senior forward Antwone Woolfolk. Tennessee will also utilize 6-foot-11-inch senior forward Felix Okpara (6.2) and 6-foot-8-inch junior forward Jaylen Carey (6.2) to create havoc in the paint.
The RedHawks will look to counter Tennessee's mighty interior with their high scoring offense. The team averages the second most points per game (90.7) in NCAA Division I men's basketball. Byers, Elmer, Skaljac and Suder are all candidates to lead the game in scoring.
The Volunteers are an 11.5-point favorite over the RedHawks according to BetMGM Sportsbook, but this has never stopped head coach Travis Steele from believing in the team he has built over the course of four years. After the loss to UMass, speculation arose if the RedHawks should've even earned a spot in the tournament.
"We more than belong," said Steele in a postgame broadcast. "I know we can advance deep in this tournament. Our group's fully confident in that."
The RedHawks could repeat history with a win over Tennessee and another win against either the 3-seeded Virginia University Cavaliers or a familiar foe, the 14-seeded Wright State University Raiders. The RedHawks hope to replicate what Wally Szczerbiak achieved in 1999, with their first stop in Philadelphia.
Tipoff is at 4:25 p.m. EST tomorrow, and the game will air on TBS.
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