Williams: Hush up now. Miami proves it belongs in NCAA Tournament

DAYTON, Ohio – The three NAIA opponents. The rest of the cupcake non-conference schedule. The Mid-American Conference patch on their red jerseys.

Even the perfect regular-season record. None of it mattered on Wednesday night, especially to the thousands who made the short drive, wore red and packed University of Dayton Arena for the NCAA Tournament First Four. The Miami RedHawks took it to a so-called big boy opponent from the outset, silencing their critics and perhaps resurrecting America’s faith in the underdog in a tournament that’s gradually been squeezing out the little guy.

Miami 89, SMU 79. Thousands of RedHawks fans, including Miami hoops legend Ron Harper and alum Gov. Mike DeWine, stuck around for several minutes afterward to revel in that convincing victory.

“We know we belong,” Miami coach Travis Steele said. That’s all the RedHawks had to do. Prove they belong.