Overview
- UMass beat Miami 87-83 in the MAC quarterfinals as Daniel Hankins‑Sanford hit a late go‑ahead layup, Leonardo Bettiol scored 25, and the Minutemen dominated the glass 41-24 for 23 second‑chance points.
- Miami falls to 31-1 and awaits Selection Sunday with most bracket projections keeping the RedHawks in the field, several placing them in a First Four slot that could send them to Dayton.
- The RedHawks own no Quad 1 games and carry one of Division I’s weakest schedules (SOS ranked about 344 of 365), while predictive rankings place them roughly 85–90 nationally.
- Resume tools and Wins Above Bubble rate Miami more favorably, and NCAA basketball vice president Dan Gavitt has indicated WAB is influential in selecting teams.
- Results elsewhere improved Miami’s position, with losses by fellow bubble teams such as Auburn, Indiana, and Missouri, and the MAC now has a realistic path to two bids for the first time since 1999.