Cinderella wasn’t invited to the NCAA Tournament second round party, thanks to a dominant performance by the Vols.
PublishedMarch 20, 2026 7:02 PM EDT•UpdatedMarch 20, 2026 7:22 PM EDT
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America’s team for the NCAA Tournament finally met its match, as Miami (OH)’s run in the postseason came to a screeching halt thanks to a dominant performance by Tennessee, losing 78-56 to the Vols.
After defeating SMU in the “First Four” on Wednesday night, the RedHawks found themselves staring at a different type of opponent in Philadelphia. The one thing this Miami team could struggle with in the postseason was playing a team that would be way too physical on defense, which the Vols essentially were for the entire outing.
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Sure, nothing will take away from the incredible regular season run that Travis Steele led this team on. Finishing 31-0 before entering the postseason was an accomplishment that won’t soon be forgotten.
But what we witnessed on Friday was a difference in athletically enabled performers. For all the hot 3-point shooting we had grown accustomed to from this Miami (OH) squad, they were frozen from beyond the arc, which is the one reason why this team had tugged at the hearts of college basketball fans this year.
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It wasn’t as if this team was tired from playing two nights before, but more so that Cinderella had finally met her match.
And, it wasn’t projected NBA lottery pick Nate Ament that took over for Tennessee. No, he was used as a decoy for most of the game on Friday, shooting the ball only three times when the clock reached 9:54 in the second half.
In Philly, this game belonged to Ja’Kobi Gillespie, who scored 29 points in the win.
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When we look back on the 2025-2026 season, the RedHawks will be talked about as folk-heroes around the Miami (OH) campus.
What we are going to see in the future with a new arena, additional NIL funding, and further support from a rabid group of fans will only benefit the program moving forward. The amount of advertising this team garnered behind head coach Travis Steele this year will only make them stronger in the long run.
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If you didn’t know about them before this season, I can promise you they will garner the same type of popularity that former quarterback Ben Roethlisberger provided the school during his time playing football.
In terms of public relations, maybe they can also thank Bruce Pearl for his stance towards the RedHawks strength of schedule when he started advocating for Auburn to make the NCAA Tournament over this squad. Sure, Pearl ultimately changed his tune, and boarded the hype-train, though I imagine the school would have preferred him stick with his ‘heel’ role.
Now the conversation turns towards retention of this roster, which Travis Steele noted would come after the season ended after making a pact with his team to hold off on those discussions back in January.
What will Travis Steele do? How much money will some of these players command over the next few weeks before the transfer portal opens?
These are questions Miami (OH) officials will discuss over the next few days once they arrive back home.
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If the Vols are going to advance to the Sweet-16, they are going to need points from their future NBA Draft pick.
Used as a decoy for much of the night, Ament was seen heading to the tunnel in the second half to keep loose, given a lot of his time in Philadelphia was spent on the bench nursing his sprained ankle he suffered earlier this month.
Bishop Boswell of the Tennessee Volunteers. (Photo by Ben Solomon/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
For Tennessee, it will obviously be a different type of showdown against Virginia, who can play the physical game as well.
Though I don’t think you’ll hear head coach Rick Barnes complaining about their performance against Miami (OH), you know this staff is worried about advancing past the first weekend without their star player.
On a Friday evening in Philly, a slipper fell off the foot of Miami (OH), even if they didn’t really have enough time in the NCAA Tournament to see if it actually fit.
