There's been a lot of talk about Miami (OH); they are currently working on one of the rarest things in college basketball, an undefeated season. That's remarkable for sure, but what do you do with them come NCAA Tournament time? They haven't beaten anyone good. They haven't played a single quad-1 game. The Redhawks have one single quad-2 win against a NET 56 Akron. If they have one loss or don't win their conference tournament, do you include Miami (OH) in the NCAA Tournament?
That's currently the big debate. The conversation gets even more layered when you consider that Miami (OH) claims it worked to add quality opponents, but every team dodged a chance to play the Redhawks. According to Matt Brown, one of those teams is the Wisconsin Badgers.
good morning
— Matt Brown (@MattBrownEP) March 5, 2026
I filed a FOIA to see what schools Miami (OH) TRIED to schedule this year.
Like Pitt, BYU, Ohio State, Kansas and more:https://t.co/yTgYYCtu4b
Miami (OH) have zero quality wins and yet haven't lost a game all season
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Most of Matt Brown's article is behind a paywall, but the story's preview section includes an email from Jonathan Holmes, associate head coach at Miami (OH), to Wisconsin's Marc VandeWettering. The article says there's no record of a reply from VandeWettering, but the email clearly is seeking out an opportunity to schedule a buy game with the Badgers.
Wisconsin wasn't the only one; the article says there were "more than 20 emails" sent to schools, including many high-level Power-4 schools." Teams like Pitt, BYU, Kansas, Marquette, and Ohio State.
The interesting note for a Wisconsin fan is that by this point, the Badgers had probably mostly, if not all, filled their schedule. Or could have even had lures already in the water for buy-games. This email was sent on May 28, 2025, and includes a line from Holmes that reads, "I wanted to reach out and see if you guys are still looking to buy any games."
The typical timeline of scheduling is about 1-3 years out for most non-conference games. However, the year before, there are always some moving pieces and some extra games added. These are usually worked on in January-April, and May is crunch time. Often, the verbal commitments between programs are finalized in May and early June. This email was sent at the 11th hour, which almost assuredly means Wisconsin didn't intentionally dodge Miami (OH).
The crazy part of the story is that there are many brackets that have put these two teams facing off in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Jonathan Holmes may end up getting his Wisconsin game afterall.