Miami (Ohio) tops SMU in NCAA Tournament First Four

RedHawks rebound from lone loss, advance to face Tennessee in Midwest Region

Mar. 19, 2026 at 9:25am

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Eian Elmer scored 23 points and Brant Byers added 19 as Miami (Ohio) used a 3-point barrage to beat SMU 89-79 in an NCAA Tournament First Four contest in Dayton, Ohio. Miami (32-1) rebounded from its only loss of the season to post its first NCAA Tournament win since 1999 and advance as an 11 seed to face 6 seed Tennessee in the Midwest Region.

Why it matters

Miami’s victory over SMU in the First Four keeps the RedHawks’ strong season alive as they look to make a deep NCAA Tournament run. The loss ends SMU’s season, which was hampered by the absence of leading scorer and steals leader B.J. Edwards due to an ankle injury.

The details

Miami shot 16-of-41 (39%) from 3-point range, led by 23 points from Eian Elmer and 19 from Brant Byers. SMU was without injured guard B.J. Edwards, who averaged 12.7 points and led the AAC in steals. The RedHawks used a 13-0 run in the second half to break a 50-50 tie and pull away for the win.

  • The game was played on Wednesday, March 19, 2026 in Dayton, Ohio.
  • Miami’s only loss of the season came in the Mid-American Conference quarterfinals.

The players

Eian Elmer

A key player for Miami (Ohio), scoring 23 points in the win over SMU.

Brant Byers

Contributed 19 points to Miami’s 3-point barrage in the victory.

B.J. Edwards

SMU’s leading scorer and steals leader, who missed the game due to an ankle injury.

Jaden Toombs

Recorded a double-double of 20 points and 11 rebounds for SMU in the losing effort.

Boopie Miller

SMU senior who surpassed 2,000 career points in the game, finishing with 15 points.

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What’s next

Miami (Ohio) will face 6 seed Tennessee in the Midwest Region first round on Friday.

The takeaway

Miami’s 3-point shooting and ability to rebound from its lone loss of the season propelled the RedHawks to their first NCAA Tournament win in over 20 years, setting up a matchup with Tennessee in the next round.