March Madness bracket scores: Miami (Ohio) wins first NCAA tournament game since 1999, makes statement against SMU in First Four

Andy Backstrom Thu, March 19, 2026 at 4:10 AM UTC

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Miami (Ohio) was playing in Dayton on Wednesday night in the First Four, but it sounded like Oxford. About an hour drive separates the two Ohio cities, and that kind of distance is no issue for the RedHawks.

Not for their fans, who made the short trip and injected palpable energy into the First Four matchup against SMU, and not for their players, who fired from long range at will.

With 7:18 left, Luke Skaljac hit a transition 3 that gave Miami a 14-point cushion, and a symphony of RedHawks cheers reached a crescendo that nearly took the roof off UD Arena.

From there, Miami, which went 16-of-41 from 3-point land, put the finishing touches on a statement-making, 89-79 win, the program’s first NCAA tournament victory since their run to the Sweet 16 in 1999.

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SMU (20-14) ends its season with six losses in its final seven games. With a No. 11 seed, Miami (32-1) will face No. 6 seed Tennessee in the first round of the Midwest region.

The RedHawks were six days removed from suffering their first loss of the season. UMass bounced Miami in the quarterfinals of the MAC tournament and tainted its perfect record in the process.

That setback cost Travis Steele's team a chance at an automatic bid and placed the RedHawks firmly on the bubble, where they had to sweat out Selection Sunday and hope that their Wins Above Bubble ranking made up for their much lower NET ranking.

Their schedule had been the subject of scrutiny throughout their 2025-26 campaign while they became the first team to post an undefeated regular-season record since 2020-21 Gonzaga. But Miami proved it belonged on the same stage as SMU, another program searching for its first NCAA tournament win this century.

Skaljac, a sophomore guard, and junior wing Eian Elmer combined for 26 of the RedHawks’ first 28 points. Skaljac finished with 17 points, and Elmer had a team-high 23.

Steele’s crew had the greenest of lights from downtown, and they played with the kind of pace that had them ranked 44th nationally in adjusted tempo coming into the dance, according to KenPom.

That speed was especially evident on a heads-up play made by MAC Player of the Year Peter Suder. He tracked down a pass on the break and angled a bounce pass for Elmer, who elevated at the perfect time to meet the ball and then gently redirect it into the basket. Elmer got a friendly roll.

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Mostly everything was falling for Elmer. He had 14 first-half points and made five of his first six field-goal attempts, including 4-of-5 from deep.

Brant Byers caught fire as well. The redshirt sophomore wing engineered a self-made 9-0 run in the final two minutes of the opening frame. He converted an and-1 and then drilled back-to-back 3s, helping Miami take a 43-34 advantage into the break.

Andy Enfield’s SMU, still missing third-leading scorer B.J. Edwards due to the veteran guard’s ankle injury, leaned on guards Boopie Miller and Jaron Pierre Jr., plus center Jaden Toombs.

Before Byers’ surge, Miller pulled the Mustangs within two points of Miami. First he knocked down a pair of 3s, and then, soon after, he dropped in a step-through bucket.

SMU answered again to start the second half, even tying the game 47-47 thanks to Sam Walters. The junior forward followed a 3-pointer with a second-chance bucket to knot things up. Shortly after that, Walters found a cutting Corey Washington, setting up the senior forward for a go-ahead dunk.

That said, it wasn’t long before the momentum swung back Miami’s way. Byers sank another 3, and Bradley transfer forward Almar Atlason strung together five straight points to extend what ultimately became a 13-0 run that gave Miami a 63-50 lead. Suder assisted two of the first three field goals in that sequence and clocked out with six dimes.

Later, Skaljac dribbled into his deafening 3-pointer.

Meanwhile, Miller struggled from the field, as SMU failed to keep pace with the RedHawks’ 3-point barrage. Toombs scored a team-high 20 points for the Mustangs, and Pierre was close behind with 18. But Miller was 6-of-17 from the floor, and SMU connected on just five of its 21 3-point attempts.

It looked like the game was going to end like it started, with Elmer splashing 3s. He poured in two more down the stretch. But a quick Mustangs flurry made it a seven-point game with two minutes to go.

Instead, Elmer used a backdoor cut and one-handed slam to put the exclamation point on the victory, a validating one for a Miami program that’s dealt with outsiders doubting its NCAA tournament résumé all season.

Prairie View A&M wins first NCAA tournament game

History was made earlier in the night when Prairie View A&M — a year removed from finishing with just five victories — logged its first NCAA tournament win. The SWAC tournament champion Panthers defeated Patriot League tournament champion Lehigh , 67-55.

Prairie View A&M pulled away in the second half, and senior guard Dontae Horne led the way with 25 points, 7 rebounds and 4 steals. Once 9-16, the Panthers are now 19-17, having won 10 of their last 11 games.

The Howard Bison and Texas Longhorns each secured their bids to the first round on Tuesday.

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Source: “AOL Sports”