SMU beat Syracuse 86-69 in the ACC Tournament first round on Tuesday. SMU advances to play sixth-seeded Louisville in the second round on Wednesday. The winner between Louisville and SMU will play Miami in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals on Thursday.
Miami received a double bye into the ACC Tournament quarterfinals after finishing third in the conference during the regular season. This is the third time in five seasons Miami has earned a double bye in the ACC Tournament. Miami lost in the 2022 and 2023 ACC Tournament semifinals.
Louisville and SMU will be quick rematches for Miami. Miami won 77-69 at SMU last Wednesday and lost 92-89 to Louisville on Saturday. Louisville beat SMU 88-74 in January. Louisville enters the game on Wednesday with two consecutive wins. The SMU win over Syracuse ended a four-game Mustangs losing streak.
Miami overcame a 12-point second-half deficit to Louisville and took the lead late before an Adrian Wooley three-point shot with 18 seconds left put the Cardinals in front to stay. The loss to Louisville did not impact Miami in the ACC Tournament, but the Hurricanes could have improved their NCAA Tournament seed with a win.
Let March officially begin 🏆
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The bracket for the 2026 T. Rowe Price ACC Men's Basketball Tournament is set!
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Scheduling matters
Miami was fortunate to play SMU near the end of the regular season. SMU began the season with 12 wins and two losses after a victory over North Carolina in early January. The Mustangs are 20-12 entering their ACC Tournament second-round game on Wednesday.
Miami never trailed in its win at SMU. The Hurricanes built their biggest lead, 60-44, with 9:20 remaining in the second half in the win over SMU. Miami had great balance against SMU with five players in double figures and center Ernest Udeh adding eight points.
Jaron Pierre Jr. led SMU with 27 points, Boopie Miller scored 21 and Samit Yigitoglu finished with 12. The remaining SMU players combined for nine points against Miami. Louisville will be favored against SMU and will likely be the favorite against Miami with a win over the Mustangs.