Miami Redhawks guard Ian Elmer (0) hits a layup during the second half of the MAC Conference finals at the Convocation Center in Athens, Ohio, Friday, March 6, 2026. No. 20 Miami (Ohio), which went undefeated in the regular season for the first time in the 80-year history of the Mid-American Conference, will seek a historic postseason berth against UMass in the quarterfinal round of the MAC Tournament on Thursday in Cleveland, Ohio.
The RedHawks (31-0) enter the tournament as the only remaining undefeated team in the country, coming off St. Louis. They are the fifth team to complete a perfect regular season this century, joining St. Joseph’s (2003-04), Wichita State (2013-14), Kentucky (2014-15) and Gonzaga (2020-21).
Miami narrowly avoided a final test with a 110-108 overtime win over Ohio last Friday. The RedHawks had to watch Jackson Paveletzke’s floater in the lane bounce off the rim multiple times before falling at the end of regulation. The narrow win actually saw Miami go undefeated and fall one spot from 19th to 20th in the polls.
UMass (16-15) also earned a win over Ohio, winning 94-82 on March 3 to qualify for the MAC Tournament as a No. 8 seed.
Miami’s 31-game winning streak is the longest in program and conference history. There has been much speculation as to whether the RedHawks will be in the NCAA Tournament if they fail to capture the automatic bid that comes with winning the MAC Tournament.
“We want to leave the doubt with a win,” Miami coach Travis Steele said. “We’ll look at Cleveland from there going forward. Our goal is not 31 wins. Our goal is to get to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Anything can happen there.”
UMass coach Frank Martin has no such doubts in his mind.
“I don’t care what happens to them this week, those guys belong in the tournament,” Martin said.
“I know this: If we get three wins in three days in Cleveland, we’ll get an automatic bid no matter what happens,” Steele added.
Miami swept the regular season series, but both contests were not decided until the last minute. On January 27 in Oxford, Ohio, Miami narrowly escaped with an 86-84 win at home behind Eian Elmer, who scored a then-career-high 30 points.
On February 17, the RedHawks won 86-77 at Amherst, led by 23 points from Peter Suder.
In the 94-82 win over Ohio, UMass snapped a six-game losing streak after starting the season 15-9.
“We’ve shown in the last 18 games that we can beat anyone in the league,” Martin said.
Miami is averaging 90.9 points per game and leads the nation in offensive efficiency. Seven RedHawks are averaging double figures, led by Suder with 14.8 points per game.
UMass is also strong offensively, averaging 80.5 points per game, led by Leonardo Bettiol with 17.8 points per contest.
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