6 men’s NCAA tournament snubs as committee gets it right with Miami (OH)

Entering Selection Sunday, Miami (Ohio) found itself at the epicenter of the 2026 NCAA Tournament bubble. Following an undefeated regular season and stunning MAC tournament quarterfinal loss to UMass, the RedHawks put themselves in a heated national debate.

Fans who wanted them in the field pointed to Miami (Ohio) finishing the regular season a perfect 31-0 mark while becoming a consistent presence in the AP’s Top 25. For the detractors, the RedHawks failed to play a quadrant one game all season while playing the No. 363 non-conference schedule in the country. 

In the end, mid-major fans and programs across the country ended up winners as the committee extended Miami (Ohio) an at-large invitation to the dance. The RedHawks were given a No. 11 seed and First Four matchup against SMU in Dayton. Our Mike Rutherford wrote that the committee mostly did a good job this year. There weren’t any real snubs.

Did the committee make the right call with the bubble and Miami (Ohio)?

Extremely soft bubble helps Miami (Ohio) get in

Perceived snubs played only a minimal factor during the 2026 NCAA Tournament selection process. Entering Sunday, seven teams were more-or-less battling for four at-large spots. Four SEC teams — Auburn, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas — received consideration alongside Miami (Ohio), San Diego State and SMU. 

After five bid thieves created bubble chaos only two seasons ago, Miami (Ohio) unwittingly became the 2026 NCAA Tournament’s only bid thief by making the MAC an unexpected two-bid league — leaving another bubble team out with the NCAA’s decision in the process. 

But the RedHawks were ultimately aided by an incredibly bad year for the bubble. By early March, many teams in the bubble conversation offered middling track records coupled with horrible endings to the season.

Early Championship Week gobbled up many early bubble victims. Indiana lost seven straight to end the season, Cincinnati fired head coach Wes Miller for underperforming and Stanford was bounced by Pitt in the first round in the ACC. 

According to the NCAA selection committee, the last four teams left out of the 2026 NCAA Tournament field were Oklahoma, Auburn, San Diego State and Indiana. That quartet immediately shows how desperate the bubble was for credible teams.

Although Oklahoma and Auburn provided decent metrics from power conferences, underwhelming win-loss records — overall and against quad one teams — made both teams undesirable to the committee in the end. 

Since Miami (Ohio) didn’t play a quad one game the entire season, it is difficult to project how deserving the RedHawks are. But the committee is making an intriguing decision to allow a mid-major with a terrible schedule in over mediocre power conference teams with legitimate quad one wins. 

Miami (Ohio) sets precedent for future mid-majors 

The NCAA Tournament allowing Miami (Ohio) into the field sets an interesting precedent for mid-major at-large teams moving forward. Just two years ago, Indiana State saw its bubble burst despite the best NET ranking ever (No. 29) for a team left out of the field. The Sycamores finished No. 39 on KenPom that season — compared to No. 93 Miami (Ohio) entering the 2026 NCAA Tournament. 

Going only 1-4 against quad one opponents and losing in the Missouri Valley Conference title game to Drake, the 2024 Sycamores boasted a stronger schedule and profile than the RedHawks in 2026. 

The Missouri Valley Conference was rated as the No. 10 strongest conference in 2023-24 on KenPom; the MAC is the No. 17 overall conference this season.

The best non-conference win for Miami (Ohio) came against No. 140 Wright State — the only non-conference matchup the RedHawks played with an opponent ranked higher than No. 248 all season. Miami’s only top 130 win came against No. 64 Akron — the MAC’s autobid winner — at home. 

Drake didn’t face an all-star schedule by any means but managed eight wins against top 130 teams on KenPom in 2023-24 — a significant number compared to Miami’s singular victory this season. The Bulldogs also tested themselves with losses against Alabama and Michigan State — something the RedHawks couldn’t do since high-major teams wouldn’t schedule a tough mid-major opponent.

Ultimately, Miami (Ohio) is fortunate for an extremely weak bubble while bid thieves didn’t make an impact to poach potential tournament spots. It’s unlikely the NCAA Tournament will ever allow another at-large team into the field with such a weak strength of schedule as it did Miami (Ohio). But the RedHawks undefeated regular season could be a new blueprint for mid-majors angling for a way to stand out in a crowded sport. 

A vocal subsection of college hoops enthusiasts always clamors for quality mid-major teams to get more access into the NCAA Tournament. The play of Miami (Ohio) in March could continue to ignite the mid-major vs. high-major at-large debate for weeks to come. 

Auburn: The highest-rated team on KenPom not to make the men’s NCAA tournament bracket at No. 38. The Tigers had arguably the best win of the entire season by winning at Florida, but their 17-16 record just wasn’t good enough for an at-large bid.

Oklahoma: Oklahoma was No. 40 on KenPom, making them the second-highest rated team not to make the field. The Sooners had won six straight before falling to Arkansas in the SEC quarterfinals. A win may have gotten them into the bracket. The Sooners will also be kicking themselves for losing to Missouri in Jan. The Tigers made it in, and the Sooners didn’t.

San Diego State: San Diego State finished 22-11, but they never really had a signature win. Beating Utah State, ranked No. 30 on KenPom, was as good as it got this year. Losing to Michigan by 40 early in the season was a bad sign for their year.

Cincinnati: The Bearcats were ranked No. 46 in KenPom. They were playing their best basketball at the end of the year after they got back point guard Jizzle James, but ultimately a bad loss ot Eastern Michigan in the non-con, plus two losses to West Virginia and one to Arizona State, doomed the season. Head coach Wes Miller had already been fired, so even Cincy didn’t think it was making the field of 68.

Indiana: The Hoosiers looked like they would be in the field most of the season. Then they decided to lose six of their last seven games.

Stanford: It’s a shame we don’t get to see star freshman point guard Ebuka Okorie in the field. Losing to Pitt in the opening game of the ACC tournament killed any chance they had left.