Miami (Ohio) didn’t make it past the first round of the NCAA tournament. A few of its viral fans reportedly didn’t make it through an entire game of Round of 64 action.
A small contingent of Speedo-clad RedHawks swimmers, who were part of a larger group that became famous during the First Four, were escorted out of their seats by security at Philadelphia’s Xfinity Mobile Arena during Miami’s 78-56 loss to Tennessee on Friday, according to The Athletic.
Only three Miami swimmers were able to make the trip to Philly, per The Athletic’s Justin Williams, who reported that 20 of them were in Dayton for Miami’s momentous First Four victory over SMU.
Advertisement
In fact, that swarm of half-naked swimmers barged into the UD Arena crowd during the second half of what became the RedHawks’ first NCAA tournament win since they reached the Sweet 16 in 1999. They immediately caught the camera’s eye and the attention of college basketball fans everywhere and maybe, just maybe, affected the concentration of SMU’s Corey Washington, who then a missed free throw.
Soon after, a 13-0 Miami run arrived. That surge helped the program secure the No. 11 seed in the Midwest Region and set a date with No. 6 seed Tennessee.
A Miami donor purchased 20 tickets at $105 a piece for the First Four, and the swimmers were able to accept them as an NIL deal as long as each athlete took a picture of themselves at the game, Williams reported.
Advertisement
But with a tight turnaround, a significantly further trek than the one they made from their campus in Oxford to nearby Dayton, Ohio, and perhaps a financial hurdle to clear, the Miami swimmers didn’t have strength in numbers on Friday in Philadelphia.
The swim team, which had a consistent presence at RedHawks men’s basketball home games all season, was mostly absent for an anticlimactic end to the program’s special season.
#Speedoclad #Miami #Ohio #swimmers #viral #reportedly #escorted #firstround #loss #Tennessee