Bobcat Attack - Ohio Basketball - Sore Rhombus Miami and the NIT.....

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Topic: Sore Rhombus Miami and the NIT.....

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OUcats82

3/17/2025 1:47 PM

This has been making its way around social and conventional media in Southwest Ohio today.

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/college/othercoll... /

If you don't frequent the Enquirer site much you should be able to read this without a paywall etc.

As much as I enjoy every second of Miami misery, I do wonder what may have actually happened.

I doubt they would have hosted since maybe they would have 27 people in attendance, but would have been my first guess for a MAC rep in the NIT.

Here is what their AD put out on X:

"@NITMBB Riddle me this… @MiamiOH_BBall submitted bid to host and participate in the NIT," Sayler tweeted. "We finish 25-9 and 14-4 in @MACSports. If you did not want to take a MAC team ok, but then you take one that we beat 3 times and finished 3 games better than in the standings? @MiamiOH_BBall finished in top 30 in several offensive categories and plays an entertaining style of ball. These student-athletes and our coaches worked their tails off…and you choose a team that we beat 3 times. @CoachSteeleMU and team deserve better! … Facts matter 3-0!!! … I am going to defend this team anywhere and anytime….they deserve better than a lazy and tired process taking something away from them that they earned."

This was their first high performance season in nearly 20 years and it appears they will be staying home...

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GoCats105

3/17/2025 2:06 PM

I just had it under my impression that they had elected to not participate, but I guess not!

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Buckeye to Bobcat

3/17/2025 2:42 PM

I don't blame them for being salty at all. How they were avoided is beyond me, unless a bunch of OUr alums were out to get em

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shabamon

3/17/2025 2:59 PM

Kent had a higher NET. I wonder if they also got credit for playing (and losing to) Alabama and Auburn.

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GoCats105

3/17/2025 3:57 PM

Miami not the only school with gripes about the NIT. The NIT extended an offer to South Alabama, then later rescinded it after South Alabama accepted.

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/4...

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OUcat

3/17/2025 7:44 PM

On the face of it Miami arguably deserved a NIT bid. But the 'we beat them 3 times rationale' really misses the point.

Yes, you beat them 3 times. But the metrics still had Kent 10-20 notches higher depending which ones you look at.

You beat them 3 times - a team ranked above you all season - and your strength of schedule is still more than 100 points lower.

You're just a bad matchup for Kent.

In the MAC, that's the difference between second place and third place. That means a lot. But in the big NCAA/NIT picture it means very little.

That said ... the way Akron and Miami played this season, shooting almost 50-percent of their shots as 3-pointers, is a style that may trigger a ton of copycats, much like when the 'motion offense' was the big thing.

We'll see.

Last Edited: 3/17/2025 7:48:45 PM by OUcat

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Ted Thompson

3/17/2025 7:55 PM

@NITMBB riddle me this...@MiamiOH_BBall submitted bid to host and participate in the NIT. We finish 25-9 and 14-4 in @MACSports

If you did not want to take a MAC team ok, but then you take one that we beat 3 times and finished 3 games better than in the standings? @TimDuncanAD
— David Sayler (@MiamiOH_DSayler) March 17, 2025

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Bobcat Tattoo

3/17/2025 8:00 PM

Yeah, this sucks for Miami. The metrics may slightly favor Kent, but if we were in their position we would absolutely be complaining about this.

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Ted Thompson

3/17/2025 8:14 PM

And Chuck

I have the Bad Beat of the Year for @notthefakeSVP

Miami OH BBall 25-9
Kent St 22-11

Vs MAC Opp
Miami 16-5
Kent 12-8

Head to head @MiamiOH_BBall 3-0 vs Kent

Miami lost in MAC Championship by 2 to Akron

Kent lost in semis by 8 to Miami

Kent gets @NITMBB bid over Miami!!!
— Chuck Martin (@Martin_Miami_HC) March 17, 2025