Miami OH vs. SMU: NCAA Tournament Predictions & Preview

The 2026 NCAA Tournament is officially here! The March Madness Bracket is set, and first-round NCAA Tournament matchups are in place. It’s time to make your picks and predictions for the first round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament! We’re here to help as we’ll have picks and predictions for each of the first round 2026 NCAA Tournament games. Here are our NCAA Tournament predictions and preview for Miami OH vs. SMU.

2026 NCAA Tournament Predictions & Preview: Miami OH vs. SMU

Here are the odds for this opening-round matchup of the 2026 NCAA Tournament. Let’s dive into our preview and predictions for this NCAA Tournament matchup.

Miami OH 2026 NCAA Tournament Preview

There has not been a story quite like this one in college basketball this season, and the resume-versus-metrics debate it created will be discussed in selection committee rooms for years. Travis Steele’s RedHawks went 31-0 in the regular season with a top-10 effective field goal percentage. They entered the MAC Tournament ranked 20th nationally in the AP poll, their highest ranking since 1978. Then UMass beat them 87-83 in the MAC quarterfinals, ending the perfect run.

The tension with this team is that KenPom has them 93rd nationally, the schedule ranks 364th by the NCAA’s own metric, and the selection committee is now staring at a 31-1 resume built exclusively against non-Quad 1 competition. Miami does not have a single player averaging above 14.6 points per game, but seven players averaged double-digit points a game, which is the best illustration of the collective identity Steele has built. Peter Suder won MAC Player of the Year. Brant Byers, Eian Elmer, Luke Skaljac, Antwone Woolfolk, and Trey Perry all fill roles within a motion offense that uses depth and fresh legs to wear teams down. Steele was MAC Coach of the Year, unanimously. The team lost starting point guard Evan Ipsaro and kept winning anyway. This is a team that knows every way to grind out a victory.

The RedHawks’ sub-150-ranked defense calls into question whether they can continue their winning ways, and their singular top-100 game came at home in conference against Akron. No matter who they play to open the tournament, it will be far and away their toughest challenge of the season and immediately call into question what this team is capable of. With the lack of offensive boards, any off shooting night can sink them. But those have been rare. This team won't make mistakes, and Steele will be more than prepared for a battle.

SMU 2026 NCAA Tournament Preview

Andy Enfield became the first coach in program history to lead SMU to at least 20 wins in each of his first two seasons, and the 20-13 final record with a 4-9 Quad 1 record positions the Mustangs as a team not to be slept on. The offense is capable of buoying this squad. SMU averaged nearly 85 points per game, second in the ACC, and ranked around 25th nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency at KenPom. The offensive identity runs through Boopie Miller, the senior guard who finished with 19.2 points and 6.5 assists per game, earning second-team All-ACC. Per Basket Under Review's Kemba Factor, Miller has the chance to will his team to wins. Jaron Pierre Jr., the Jacksonville State transfer, was the second hammer at 17.5 points per game with 12 games of 20-plus and a 35-point explosion against Texas A&M. Together they represent one of the more difficult backcourt pairs in the country to guard when both are operating at full capacity. The problem is that “full capacity” has not been available since late February. B.J. Edwards, the team’s most versatile two-way player, suffered an ankle injury against Cal on February 25 and missed the final five games of the year. Edwards led the ACC in steals at 2.3 per game and contributed 12.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 4.9 assists. Since February 25th when he went down, SMU is 1-5, ranking 97th in the nation. Enfield has said he expects Edwards back for the NCAA Tournament, and the committee is being asked to evaluate a resume that was mostly built when he was healthy. Their best wins, a 14-point blowout of UNC when Caleb Wilson was playing and a home win over Louisville with Mikel Brown Jr., are real. A first-round matchup with Edwards available could be a very different SMU than the one that is playing their worst basketball right now.

More NCAA Tournament Predictions & Previews

#1 Duke vs. #16 Siena
#8 Ohio State vs. #9 TCU
#5 St. John’s vs. #12 Northern Iowa
#4 Kansas vs. #13 Cal Baptist
#6 Louisville vs. #11 South Florida
#3 Michigan State vs. #14 North Dakota State
#7 UCLA vs. #10 UCF
#2 UConn vs. #15 Furman

#1 Arizona vs. #16 LIU
#8 Villanova vs. #9 Utah State
#5 Wisconsin vs. #12 High Point
#4 Arkansas vs. #13 Hawai’i
#11 Texas vs. North Carolina State
#3 Gonzaga vs. #14 Kennesaw State
#7 Miami (FL) vs. #10 Missouri
#2 Purdue vs. #15 Queens

#16 UMBC vs. Howard
#8 Georgia vs. #9 Saint Louis
#5 Texas Tech vs. #12 Akron
#4 Alabama vs. #13 Hofstra
#11 Miami OH vs. SMU
#3 Virginia vs. #14 Wright State
#7 Kentucky vs. #10 Santa Clara
#2 Iowa State vs. #15 Tennessee State

#16 Prairie View A&M vs. Lehigh
#8 Clemson vs. #9 Iowa
#5 Vanderbilt vs. #12 McNeese
#4 Nebraska vs. #13 Troy
#6 North Carolina vs. #11 VCU
#3 Illinois vs. #14 Penn
#7 Saint Mary’s vs. #10 Texas A&M
#2 Houston vs. #15 Idaho

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