Miami RedHawks knocked out of NCAA Tournament by Tennessee Volunteers

All good things must come to an end. Miami's magic ran out in Philadelphia, falling to Tennessee in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, 78-56. The RedHawks battled from tip off to the final horn, but an ice-cold shooting performance doomed the RedHawks' upset bid.

Though Tennessee has typically been a slow-paced, defensively oriented unit, it was the Volunteers' offense that put the game out of reach early. Twenty two of Ja'Kobi Gillespie's 29 points came in the first half as the Volunteers held an insurmountable lead by halftime. While the loss will disappoint RedHawks players, coaches, and fans alike, there's no diminishing a historic season for Miami.

Just the fifth team to complete a perfect regular season in the past 35 years, Miami's 32-2 record is the best in school history. Miami became one of the greatest stories in the sport this season and proved they belonged on the biggest stage with an NCAA Tournament win in Dayton. Questions linger about Travis Steele's status at Miami, but those will be answered in due time.

For now, the RedHawks will return to Oxford, Ohio with their heads held high. RedHawks offense goes ice cold After blasting in an NCAA First Four record 16 3-pointers against SMU two days prior, Miami hoped to keep up its barrage of triples against Tennessee. The early returns looked promising: Miami hit three of four deep shots out of the gates, taking a quick lead over the Volunteers.