No. 11 Miami Prepares for Friday Showdown With No. 6 Tennessee

Friday, March 20

Philadelphia, Pa.

4:25 p.m.

Miami University

Tennessee

No. 11 Miami Prepares for Friday Showdown With No. 6 Tennessee

3/19/2026 12:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Miami Notes Tennessee Notes

FRIDAY: Miami takes on Tennessee on Friday, March 20 at 4:25 p.m. in an NCAA Tournament first-round game in Philadelphia. The winner between the 11th-seeded RedHawks (32-1) and the sixth-seeded Volunteers (22-11) will then face either Virginia or Wright State Sunday for a spot in the Sweet 16. Miami is coming off an 89-79 victory over SMU in the First Four to earn its first NCAA Tournament win since the Wally Szczerbiak-led RedHawks won a pair of games in 1999. Wednesday's victory marked Coach Travis Steele's first win as a head coach in the NCAA Tournament. This is Miami's first appearance in March Madness since 2007 and the first at-large bid for a MAC team since 1999. Miami set records this year for the best start to a season in program history, the best start for a program in MAC history, the longest win streak in MAC history, the most consecutive conference wins in MAC history and the most wins in program history, becoming just the fifth NCAA D-I men's program this century to go undefeated in regular-season play.

ABOUT TENNESSEE: Tennessee enters the NCAA Tournament with a 22-11 record (11-7 SEC) after losing to Vanderbilt in the SEC quarterfinals last Friday. UT finished tied for fourth in the conference standings during the regular season (they were picked third in the preseason poll). The Volunteers went 30-8 a year ago (12-6 SEC) and advanced to the 2025 Elite Eight under veteran coach Rick Barnes. Barnes has led the Vols to eight-straight NCAA Tournaments and owns 858 career victories in 39 years as a head coach between George Mason (1987-88), Providence (1988-94), Clemson (1994-98), Texas (1998-2015) and Tennessee (2015-present).

Three Volunteers average in double figures, led by senior guard Ja'kobi Gillespie (18 ppg) and freshman forward Nate Ament (17.5). J.P. Estrella, a redshirt sophomore forward, contributes 10.1 ppg. Ament paces the Vols in rebounds (6.6), while Gillespie leads the team in assists (5.4) and steals (2.1). 6-foot-11 senior Felix Okpara blocks 1.4 shots per game.

THE SERIES WITH THE VOLUNTEERS: This will be the seventh all-time meeting between Miami and Tennessee, with the Vols leading the series 4-2. The series began in 1947 with a Miami win, and the programs also met three times in the space of 25 months from 1997 to 1999, including a RedHawk win over the Vols in Millett Hall (Nov. 19, 1998). The most recent matchup between the programs came on December 1, 1999, a 78-59 Tennessee victory in Knoxville.

RECENT ACTION: Miami knocked down a First-Four record 16 three-pointers and rode the momentum from a pro-RedHawk crowd at UD Arena to defeat SMU 89-79 Wednesday night in Dayton. Eian Elmer led Miami with 23 points and matched his career high with six triples, while Brant Byers added 19 points, Luke Skaljac chipped in 17 and Almar Atlason finished with 12. For a notebook including celebrity faces in the crowd, how Miami's Speedo-wearing swimmers sparked a game-changing run, Elmer's 1,000th career point, and more, check out the game story.