Miami (Ohio) saw its undefeated regular season come to an end on March 12, 2026, with an 87-83 defeat to UMass in the Mid-American Conference men's basketball tournament quarterfinals at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio. The RedHawks entered as the No. 1 seed after finishing 31-0 in the regular season.[1][2]

The game marked the end of the final perfect regular season record among NCAA Division I men's basketball teams. Miami (Ohio) held a 69-58 lead with 8:11 remaining in regulation before UMass responded with a 13-2 run to take control.[1][3]

Miami University head coach Travis Steele addressed the loss via the team's official website, stating, "We always go back to watch the film. We'll break it down just like we always do … [We'll be] off tomorrow and back at it Saturday trying to figure out ways to get better."[4]

Steele added, "There's still a lot of season left. Can we continue to improve? I think that's what the great teams do," and "Our guys have earned the right, in my opinion, to play in the NCAA Tournament."[1][4]

The RedHawks were the first team to complete an undefeated regular season since Gonzaga in 2020-21. Without an automatic bid from the MAC tournament, Miami (Ohio) awaits the NCAA Division I men's basketball selection show on Sunday evening for a potential at-large berth, which would be the first for a MAC team since 1999.[1][2]

The Mid-American Conference tournament features 12 teams, with the top four seeds receiving a bye to the quarterfinals. Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse has hosted the event annually since 2001.[5]

Sources

1. Fox News, "The final undefeated team in NCAA Division I men’s basketball has fallen", March 13, 2026, https://www.foxnews.com/sports/miami-ohio-undefeated-mac-tournament-loss-umass
2. Associated Press, "No. 1 seed Miami (Ohio) falls to UMass in MAC tournament quarterfinals", March 12, 2026, https://apnews.com/article/ncaa-mens-basketball-mac-tournament-miami-umass-2026
3. Mid-American Conference, "Men's Basketball Quarterfinals Recap: UMass 87, Miami 83", March 12, 2026, https://getsomemaction.com/news/2026/3/12/mens-basketball-umass-87-miami-83-mac-quarterfinals.aspx
4. Miami RedHawks Athletics, "Steele, RedHawks react to MAC Tournament quarterfinal loss", March 12, 2026, https://miamiredhawks.com/news/2026/3/12/mens-basketball-postgame-notes-mac-qf-vs-umass.aspx
5. Mid-American Conference, "2026 MAC Men's Basketball Championship Central", accessed March 13, 2026, https://getsomemaction.com/sports/mbball/2025-26/championships