Tennessee basketball started the SEC Tournament on the right foot, but things quickly got derailed in the quarterfinals against Vanderbilt, promptly ending any shot at the conference title.
Miami (Ohio) went through the entire regular season undefeated, then lost in the Mid-American Conference Tournament.
Southern Methodist struggled at times in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Those two teams will hope to put their frustration behind them when they meet in the First Four round of the NCAA Tournament. The winner of that game will be the opponent for sixth-seeded Tennessee in the Midwest Region Friday in Philadelphia.
Likewise, the Vols have had their hard times. They came into the SEC Tournament considered a No. 5 seed. However, a quarterfinal loss to Vanderbilt changed that trajectory.
It’s quite an interesting draw for the Vols, and the intrigue is only added by facing a First Four team. Starting with the most interesting case between the two is the Miami Ohio Redhawks, who finished their season with a record of 31-1 while going undefeated in the regular season.
The results didn’t seem to mean much either way. Once the MAC Tournament began, the Redhawks were eliminated by UMass without winning a single game in their tournament and were sent home.
Yet the note that adds the most to this selection for Miami, Ohio, remains its schedule. The team has not played a single Quad One game this season, meaning within the NET rankings, Miami has not faced a single team that fits the Quad One qualifications.
Time will only tell if the Redhawks are built for March. The team is led by senior guard Peter Suder. Suder has played 31 games this season, where he leads the team in points per game with 14.6, while shooting 55.4% and 43% from the three-point line.
Eian Elmer is also a versatile piece for the Redhawks; he leads the team in rebounds per game with six a game, while also shooting an impressive 43.4% mark.
On the other hand, the SMU Mustangs will go down on Miami Ohio’s schedule as the 37th-ranked team in the NET rankings; the previous highest opponent was No. 54 Akron.
The Mustangs started their year with eight straight wins, and even after two tough losses to SEC schools, the team was 12-2 after a big win at home over North Carolina.
They then lost five of their next eight games, all coming against conference opponents in the ACC. It was a year of inconsistencies. After winning their next four out of five, the Mustangs lost five of their final six games.
That final streak included a conference tournament loss to Louisville.
The Mustangs have two scores that finished their regular season with over 17 points per game. Boopie Miller, a senior out of Chicago, led the statsheet with 19.2 points a game on 47% shooting.
He was followed by another senior guard, Jason Pierre Jr., who averaged 17.6 points after transferring in the year prior from Jacksonville State University.
SMU has been battle tested; they have 13 quad-one games on their schedule, and have a chance to put the Redhawks to bed.
Both teams have a chance for a meeting as the No. 11 seed with Rick Barnes and his Vols.
If Tennessee can survive SMU or the Redhawks, the winner of the (3) Virginia-(14) Wright State game would be next.