Tennessee Volunteers guard Ja'kobi Gillespie (0) drives against Miami (Ohio) RedHawks guard Peter Suder (5) during the first half during a first-round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament. Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

Ja'Kobi Gillespie, No. 6 Tennessee end No. 11 Miami (Ohio)'s Cinderella bid

By Sean Keane | Last updated Mar 20, 2026 9:37 PM ET

The Miami (OH) RedHawks started the season 31-0 but almost missed the NCAA Tournament amid criticism they hadn't played any good teams. They certainly hadn't played anyone like Ja'Kobi Gillespie and the Tennessee Volunteers.

Gillespie made five three-pointers before halftime and scored 22 first-half points in Tennessee's 78-56 win over Miami. The RedHawks never threatened again in a blowout loss that validated some of the knocks against their team during their unbeaten regular season.

Tennessee was on a different level than Miami (OH)

The RedHawks played a weak schedule on their way to a 31-0 regular season, though some of that weakness was due to teams from power conferences unwilling to schedule games against them. As a result, Miami (Ohio) didn't face a single Top 25 team this season, then suffered an upset loss to UMass in the first round of the MAC Tournament.

Their best win may have come in their First Four defeat of SMU, in an 89-79 victory where Miami (Ohio) made 16 three-pointers. Friday, Tennessee chased the RedHawks off the three-point line and held them to 7-of-29 (24 percent) shooting from deep, throttling an offense that went 39.2 percent on threes this season.

Tennessee's defense held the RedHawks at bay, and Gillespie torched them in the first half, delivering 16 points and four rebounds during a 29-11 run where the Volunteers seized control of the game.

Ja'Kobi Gillespie is red hot right now.

He's got 5 threes and 22 points in the first half pic.twitter.com/vLBiwqpltr
— CBS Sports College Basketball (@CBSSportsCBB) March 20, 2026

Tennessee is an underrated team

The story of Friday's game is not necessarily that Miami (Ohio) was overrated. The RedHawks may not have had a challenging schedule, but they won convincingly over SMU and showed they at least belong among the lower at-large teams.

But the game did suggest that Tennessee was under-seeded as a No. 6. The Volunteers had 11 losses this season, including two to Kentucky by a total of five points. But they have an excellent defensive rating and finished the regular season No. 14 in Ken Pomeroy's rankings, suggesting talent akin to a No. 4 season, not a No. 6.

Freshman Nate Ament may be a lottery pick, J.P. Estrella provides rebound and three-point shooting and Gillespie is a tough, veteran scorer. Perhaps Miami (Ohio) wasn't the toughest test, but Tennessee should provide a big challenge to No. 3 Virginia in the second round.

Sean Keane

Sean Keane is a sportswriter and a comedian based in Oakland, California, with experience covering the NBA, MLB, NFL and Ice Cube’s three-on-three basketball league, The Big 3. He’s written for Comedy Central’s “Another Period,” ESPN the Magazine, and Audible. com

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