Tennessee and Miami (OH) play in first round of NCAA Tournament

Published Mar. 19, 2026 4:43 a.m. ET
Associated Press

Miami (OH) RedHawks (32-1, 18-1 MAC) vs. Tennessee Volunteers (22-11, 12-8 SEC)

Philadelphia; Friday, 4:25 p.m. EDT

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Volunteers -11.5; over/under is 149.5

BOTTOM LINE: No. 23 Tennessee takes on Miami (OH) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Volunteers' record in SEC play is 12-8, and their record is 10-3 in non-conference games. Tennessee is second in the SEC with 16.9 assists per game led by Ja'Kobi Gillespie averaging 5.5.

The RedHawks' record in MAC play is 18-1. Miami (OH) has an 8-0 record in one-possession games.

Tennessee scores 79.5 points per game, 4.1 more points than the 75.4 Miami (OH) gives up. Miami (OH) averages 10.6 made 3-pointers per game this season, 2.8 more made shots on average than the 7.8 per game Tennessee gives up.

TOP PERFORMERS: Gillespie is averaging 18 points, 5.5 assists and 2.1 steals for the Volunteers. Nate Ament is averaging 13.8 points over the last 10 games.

Brant Byers is averaging 14.5 points for the RedHawks. Eian Elmer is averaging 2.9 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Volunteers: 6-4, averaging 74.2 points, 38.5 rebounds, 15.6 assists, 7.1 steals and 4.1 blocks per game while shooting 44.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 68.4 points per game.

RedHawks: 9-1, averaging 85.6 points, 30.3 rebounds, 14.0 assists, 5.9 steals and 2.4 blocks per game while shooting 49.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 77.9 points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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