PHILADELPHIA — It was around 2:30 a.m. ET on Thursday morning when a flight carrying the Miami (OH) men’s basketball team took off from Dayton, Ohio.
The No. 11-seeded RedHawks had just pulled off a thrilling upset in the First Four, toppling SMU 89-79 to set up a matchup with No. 6 Tennessee in Philadelphia on Friday afternoon.
The chances of anyone getting some shuteye on the hour-and-a-half flight to PHL were slim. Plus, there was work to do. With the adrenaline still coursing through their veins, coaches and players flipped open their laptops and began crunching film of the Volunteers.
The highly anticipated first-round matchup between Miami and Tennessee is not just an intriguing clash of styles. It is, despite the RedHawks’ remarkable 32-1 overall record, David vs. Goliath — a beloved mid-major underdog against a perennial high-major powerhouse. Miami’s triumph over SMU was its first March Madness victory since 1999, when the program was led by a sharpshooting guard named Wally Szczerbiak. Tennessee, which finished fourth in the SEC with an 11-7 record (22-11 overall), is making its sixth straight NCAA Tournament appearance under coach Rick Barnes and has advanced to the Elite Eight in back-to-back years.
The RedHawks have already silenced all of their doubters. On Friday, they have a chance to shock the world.
“Don’t count us out. I think we do belong here,” said Miami senior Peter Suder, a 6-foot-5 guard. “I think we showed that last night especially. But just don’t count us out.”
“We know how good we are,” added coach Travis Steele. “We know we deserve this opportunity. We knew we were a team that could advance. We’re very confident in that. We’re going to go showcase that. I’m happy that our guys are able to do it on this stage. Our guys love the bright lights.”
That was very apparent on Wednesday at a raucous UD Arena, where Miami knocked down a First-Four record 16 three-pointers in its win over the Mustangs. Six-foot-2 senior guard Luke Skaljac estimated that the crowd was “95 percent” RedHawk fans, including Speedo-wearing members of the swim squad who helped distract SMU free-throw shooters.
Meanwhile, Tennessee was already posted up in Philly, waiting to find out its opponent. The team had dinner at Steak 48, then returned to the hotel to watch the First Four contest together, half scouting and half just enjoying a great basketball game.
“We always make the joke that once you come to Tennessee, you’ll never be able to watch basketball the same again,” 6-foot-9 junior forward Cade Philips told Hoops HQ with a chuckle. “So yes, you do watch the game with a tilted mindset of scouting and watching film. But we were just sitting there as a team, and this is stuff we did as kids — sitting around watching games. And so we just enjoyed being around each other and watching.”
Since Selection Sunday, the Tennessee staff had been simultaneously prepping for both Miami and SMU. Assistant coach Steve McClain was assigned the Miami scout, while associate head coach Justin Gainey took SMU. At 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, less than 12 hours after the buzzer sounded on Miami’s win, Tennessee was in a film session to break down the RedHawks in extensive detail. “We certainly have a great deal of respect for Miami Ohio,” said Coach Barnes. “Any team that wins 30-plus games is extremely well coached, mentally tough, plays great basketball. We know we have a challenge in front of us.”
The two programs are polar opposites stylistically. With a fast-paced, run-and-gun system, the RedHawks rank second in the country in points per game (90.6) and average more than 10 threes. Their top three scorers — Suder, 6-foot-8 sophomore forward Brant Byers and 6-foot-6 junior forward Eian Elmer — all shoot better than 40 percent from behind the arc.
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On the other hand, Tennessee is — once again — a defensive juggernaut. The Vols gave up the second fewest points per game in the SEC and led the conference in steals. They prefer to slow it down and grind out wins using their size, physicality and dominance on the boards (third nationally in rebounds per game). Their loaded frontcourt is headlined by 6-foot-10 freshman forward Nate Ament, a projected lottery pick in the 2026 NBA Draft who averages 17.5 points and 6.6 rebounds. Point guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie, a 6-foot senior who was named to the All-SEC First Team, is their engine offensively.
“I think controlling the pace of the game and getting good shots,” 6-foot-4 sophomore guard Bishop Boswell told Hoops HQ, when asked for the keys to the game. “You keep them out of transition without (taking) bad shots and no turnovers, it helps you. And I think just dominate physically. Be the more physical team.”
Boswell likened Miami to Alabama, which the Vols played twice during the regular season, splitting the series. Like the RedHawks, the Tide want to push the tempo and launch a lot of threes.
For the past 24 hours, things have been moving at a whirlwind pace for Miami off the court as well. The team touched down in Philly at 4 a.m. on Thursday, went to the hotel for a few hours of sleep, then came to Xfinity Mobile Arena for practice and press conferences. Somehow, the energy in the locker room was still high.
The RedHawks know that they will have their hands full trying to contain Tennessee in the paint, but they are focused on continuing to play their game — the style that has made them the most exciting potential Cinderella in the Big Dance.
“Our game is to shoot a lot of threes and just be ourselves,” 6-foot-4 freshman guard Justin Kirby told Hoops HQ. “I feel like if we keep doing that, we can make a big run in the Tournament.”
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