Miami (Ohio) suffered its first loss of the season in the opening round of the MAC Tournament on Thursday. The RedHawks, the No. 1 seed in the MAC, lost to No. 8 seed UMass 87-83 in an upset that will have major Bracketology implications throughout the rest of the field. 

The RedHawks finished the regular season 31-0 and went 18-0 in MAC play.

With Miami University unable to secure the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, it appears more likely than not that the MAC will be a two-bid league for the first time since 1999. Despite the loss, Miami (Ohio) is still projected to be in the field as an at-large team. 

With the loss, our CBS Sports’ latest Bracketology projections have the RedHawks moving from seedline No. 40 to 44, which would drop them from the No. 10 line to a No. 11 seed.

Bracketology: Race for NCAA Tournament’s top seeds enters final stretch before Selection Sunday

David Cobb

Because of the shaky bubble already, the RedHawks could still avoid playing in Dayton during the First Four next week, even if it lands on the No. 11 seed line.

With the RedHawks out of the MAC Tournament, UMass will advance to the semifinals, where it will face the winner of No. 5 seed Bowling Green and No. 4 seed Toledo. No. 2 Akron is now considered the favorite to come out of the MAC and secure the league’s automatic berth.