What does Auburn's SEC Tournament loss to Tennessee mean for Miami (Ohio)'s March Madness chances?

It didn’t take long for things to get interesting in the NCAA basketball world on Thursday.

Miami (Ohio) entered the day with one main objective: secure a victory over UMass in the Quarterfinal round of the MAC Tournament and avoid damaging their at-large NCAA Tournament hopes. 

The RedHawks failed to do so, suffering an 87-83 loss to the Minutemen and having no choice but to play the wait-and-see game until Selection Sunday as a bubble team. 

Auburn, another team on the bubble, failed to take care of business against Tennessee in the second round of the SEC Tournament (72-62 loss) and better position itself for an at-large March Madness bid. How does Auburn’s loss impact Miami (Ohio) and their odds of reaching the Big Dance? 

Well, considering the Tigers and the RedHawks could find themselves batting for the final NCAA Tournament at-large spot, it‘s ideal for Miami (Ohio) that Auburn no longer has a golden opportunity to bolster its resume. 

The 18-15 Tigers have far stronger metrics than the 31-1 RedHawks, believe it or not. Auburn has a more impressive NET ranking (54-38), more Quadrant 1 victories (4-0), more Quadrant 2 victories (2-0), and a higher KenPom ranking (38-93).

The Tigers do have 16 losses, though, making it challenging to justify giving them the nod over the RedHawks. 

Penalizing a Miami (Ohio) team that has lost only one game all season would be highway robbery, potentially compelling the selection committee to do the right thing by including the MAC regular-season champions in the NCAA Tournament.

More college basketball: Why Miami (Ohio) could miss NCAA Tournament despite near-unblemished 31-1 record