“Oh, we more than belong,” were Miami (OH) head coach Travis Steele’s exact words after the RedHawks issued a statement with a First Four win over SMU. It wasn’t an egoistic statement but a sense of confidence and belief he has in his team amid all the doubts and criticism that had crept in following their March Madness selection, prompting veteran analyst Stephen A. Smith to share his two cents.

Speaking at the First Take program, Smith expressed his happiness for the RedHawks and reiterated that Steele didn’t say anything wrong after his team’s win. “They did,” Smith said while questioning whether the RedHawks proved the doubters wrong.

“In my opinion, there shouldn’t have been too many doubters; that wasn’t justified. When talking about doubters, I’m talking about people who think they shouldn’t have been in the tournament. We can’t have a 68-team tournament, and a team that goes undefeated in the entire regular season can’t make the tournament.

“You can’t have 68 teams in a basketball tournament and tell me that an undefeated squad doesn’t deserve a look in the NCAA tournament; that is ridiculous. So, I’m happy that they were in the First Four, and I’m happy that they won last night,” Smith said. “I think that the coach was absolutely right when he said, ‘This wasn’t an upset.’

The criticisms revolved mainly around Miami’s weak strength of schedule. As a matter of fact, the RedHawks didn’t have a single Quad 1 win in their entire season until the First Four victory over the SMU Mustangs. On top of that, Steele’s team also lost the MAC Championships to Massachusetts in the quarterfinals, eradicating their chances of an automatic qualification and further weakening their bid for an at-large bid.

But as reality set in, the RedHawks were called one of the First Four teams in the tournament and given an 11th seed, most likely due to their 31-0 unblemished record before the MAC Championship defeat. This raised immense debates over their selection by the NCAA committee.

Several prominent community figures, like Bruce Pearl, had hit back at this decision, urging that his former team, Auburn, was an even better fit than the RedHawks. But Smith holds the opposite belief. For him, he leaned more towards consistency than storylines or towards criticizing them for their strength of schedule and is just looking to enjoy the storyline of this team and its coach, Travis Steele.

Moreover, this win changes everything around this narrative. The RedHawks’ performance was quite flawless against the Mustangs. Tight ball security, precise shooting beyond the arc, and better playmaking defined the night for Miami. All in all, Steele’s team scored 11 more three-pointers than the Mustangs, which eventually became the game-changer in a tight 89-79 game.

“They outscored SMU by 33 points on threes. So you know that boasts out well for you when you pull something like that. They deserve credit where credit is due,” Smith raved further of Miami’s performance.

The Miami (OH) RedHawks will now face No. 6 Tennessee in the next hurdle of March Madness, while Stephen A. Smith has caught the headlines yet again for another plausible assessment.

Stephen A. Smith snubs the Big Ten regular champions from his top picks for the Final Four

After giving an accurate prediction for the March Madness winner last season (Florida Gators), Stephen A. Smith recently showcased his elite ball knowledge again as he picks his favorites for the Final Four. Smith’s predictions quietly reflect that he’s banking on the performance of No.1 seeds, but is also not hesitating to make some bold calls.

“I got Duke coming out the East Region. I got Houston coming out the South, I got Arizona coming out of the West, and I got Iowa State coming out of the Midwest,” Smith said of his predictions.

There are multiple other teams that could have made a plausible case. For instance, the Florida Gators have been shockingly good in the SEC this season, but Smith has put his faith in Houston to get the better of the Gators in the South Regionals. But the strongest case that any team could have made is the Michigan Wolverines.

The Big Ten regular-season champions, with a staggering 17 Quad 1 wins, are the No. 1 seed in the Midwest regionals. When asked about his decision to snub the Wolverines from his picks, Smith said, “I’m just not a believer in Michigan. I believe Michigan is too erratic.”

The Michigan Wolverines under Dusty May have been the epitome of consistency this season. They have given away just three defeats across the season. Their loss to Purdue in the Big Ten Championships finals might be one of the reasons Smith can’t, for now, quietly express his faith in the Wolverines. But for a team like Iowa State, which has struggled mightily against top-10 teams in the regular season, taking down Michigan will be an uphill task.

It’s just a few weeks until we find out whether Stephen A. Smith’s predictions are accurate in two consecutive seasons. Until then, chip in with your predictions for the Final Four of the 2026 March Madness.