If you tuned into the First Four showdown in Dayton on Wednesday night between Miami (OH) and SMU, you saw plenty of offense.
Miami (OH) has played with this up-tempo style all season, but coming out of the MAC, it hasn’t received nearly this level of national attention. That made its pace — and overall style of play — both surprising and intriguing to many college basketball fans.
The RedHawks run, push the tempo, and fire away from three, and that approach powered them to an 89–79 win over SMU to advance to the Round of 64.
Miami (OH) had five players score in double figures and knocked down 16 three-pointers on a staggering 41 attempts — setting a First Four record.
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Their previous season high was 35 attempts, but this has been their identity all season long and it’s a key reason why they went 31-0 during the regular season and earned an at-large bid.
Eian Elmer led the way with 23 points, while shooting 6-for-9 from beyond the arc. Brant Byers added 19 points, and Luke Skaljac added 17 points of his own.
They also got key contributions from Peter Suder who added seven points, seven rebounds, and assists, as well as Almar Atlason who tallied 12 points, five rebounds, and three assists.
Now, Miami (OH) will have a quick turnaround playing on Friday in the late afternoon against the No. 6 seed Tennessee Volunteers as they’ll look to continue their miraculous season.
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