The Miami RedHawks are ranked in the college basketball AP Top 25 for the first time in 27 years. Travis Steele’s 19-0 RedHawks landed at No. 25 in the latest Week 12 rankings released Monday, marking the program’s first appearance in the poll since the 1998-99 season.
It is also the first time a MAC team has been ranked since Buffalo during the 2018-19 season. That Buffalo team was led by current Alabama head coach Nate Oats and first appeared in the Top 25 in Week 2 and remained ranked for the remainder of the season, peaking at No. 14.
Miami’s most recent win came in dramatic fashion this past weekend against Buffalo. The RedHawks trailed for most of the game and needed a buzzer-beating three-pointer at the end of regulation by Eian Elmer to force overtime. Then in OT, Miami’s perfect season stayed alive when Peter Suder knocked down another big three with one second remaining to seal the win and secure Miami's spot in the Top 25.
The big question now is what Miami must do to be in play for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. While an automatic bid is guaranteed if the RedHawks win the MAC Tournament, things could get very interesting if they were to lose in the conference tournament and finish the season with just one or two losses.
The last time the MAC sent two teams to the NCAA Tournament with one automatic qualifier and one at-large, was in 1999, coincidentally with Miami earning the at-large bid. That RedHawks team lost in the MAC Tournament championship game but still received a No. 10 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
While a 19-0 record is certainly impressive, Miami is lacking in the resume department. The RedHawks have not faced the strongest competition, which Travis Steele claims is largely due to other programs being unwilling to schedule them. Of Miami’s 19 wins, 16 have come against Division I opponents, but only five of those teams currently have winning records. In addition, 10 of their wins are against teams ranked 240th or worse in KenPom. Miami currently sits at 94th in KenPom, with the 350th-ranked (out of 365) strength of schedule. Though 19 wins and zero losses in a sport as crazy as college basketball is no small feat.
Looking ahead, the RedHawks’ toughest remaining test comes this week on the road against 14-4 Kent State. After that, the schedule lightens following what was a more challenging first half of conference play. FanDuel Sportsbook currently has odds for Miami to finish the regular season undefeated at +640. While an undefeated regular season and rising in the Top-25 would be nice, Miami’s top priority should be winning a conference championship and securing the MAC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, eliminating any doubt or chance of landing on the bubble.