An 11th-seeded SMU team that snuck into the NCAA tournament in the First Four was one thing for Miami (Ohio).

No. 6 Tennessee on Friday proved another altogether. No. 11 Miami failed to build off the success of its First Four win over SMU in a 78-56 loss to in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

The blowout did little to settle whether Miami belonged in the NCAA tournament field to begin with.

Tennessee takes control, doesn’t let go

The runaway was on at halftime as the Volunteers raced out to a 51-32 lead behind 22 first-half points from senior guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie (29 points, 9 assists, 3 steals for the game). They built the lead and controlled the game despite star freshman Nate Ament failing to crack the scoreboard (0 points, 3 rebounds, 3 turnovers, 0 for 3 from the field).

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There was no miracle rally for the Redhawks, whose worthiness for the NCAA tournament was a hot topic of debate after they failed to win a game in their conference tournament and didn’t secure the MAC’s automatic bid.

Miami scored just one point and didn’t hit its first field goal of the second half until 4:30 ran off the clock. Miami mounted a 7-0 run midway through the first half, but that just cut Tennessee’s lead to 17 points.

The hot 3-point shooting that powered Miami’s First Four win was not present on Friday. (7 of 29, 24%). The Volunteers never led the Redhawks back into the game.

And Miami’s NCAA tournament concludes without a clear answer regarding its worthiness to make the field in the first place.

Tennessee, meanwhile, advances to the second round with confidence for a matchup against No. 3 seed Virginia.

Should Miami have made field as an at-large team?

Before their first-round loss in the MAC tournament, Miami went 31-0 as the last unbeaten team in college basketball. But their schedule was one of the weakest in the country and featured no games against power conference opponents.

This was in large part no fault of their own as power conference schools are hesitant to schedule games against mid-majors. Associate head coach Jonathan Holmes previously told Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Eisenberg that the program “was told no by probably 75 to 90 teams” that it tried to put on its schedule.

But Miami’s schedule was its schedule, and its tournament resume (No. 87 in KenPom, No. 64 NET, No. 37 WAB (wins above bubble), 0 Quad 1 wins) didn’t make the strongest case for at-large consideration. But ultimately, the selection committee leaned on the WAB rankings that favored Miami above other metrics and rewarded the Redhawks with for their 31-1 season with a berth in the First Four.

Duke got a scare against No. 16 Siena on Thursday while playing without injured point guard Caleb Foster and injured center Patrick Ngongba.

There’s a chance that one of them will return to the lineup for Duke’s second-round NCAA tournament game against TCU. Head coach John Scheyer told reporters Friday that Ngongba would practice ahead of Saturday’s game and that he was “hopeful” that he’d be able to play Saturday.

“We’re about to practice,” Scheyer said. “I’m hopeful he’s gonna be available for tomorrow. We’ll see what he can do in practice today. And if all goes well — I know he was itching to play yesterday.

“Now, he hasn’t done what he’s needs to do in order to play. If everything goes well, we’ll see him back in there.”

Ngongba and Foster have both been sidelined with foot injuries. They both had walking boots after their injuries and missed the end of the regular season and ACC tournament.

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Duke won the ACC tournament despite the injuries to both. But it faced an unexpected challenge against Siena, which took a 43-32 lead into halftime against a Duke team that hangs its identity on defense.

Duke rallied for for a 71-65 win to advance and avoid joining Virginia and Purdue as the only No. 1 seeds in tournament history to lose to a 16 seed. The competition, obviously, only gets tougher from here, starting with TCU.

Ngongba is an anchor of Duke’s interior defense and efficient scorer who averages 10.7 points, 6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game while shooting 60.2% from the field. His return would provide a significant boost to a Duke team with national championship aspirations.

Foster, meanwhile, remains without a timeline to return. His injury (foot fracture) is more significant than Ngongba’s, and he’s not expected to return this season unless Duke makes a deep tournament run, if at all.

Cayden Boozer has moved into the starting lineup in Foster’s absence.

No. 6 North Carolina led 70-56 and appeared to be cruising to victory against No. 11 VCU on Thursday.

VCU had other ideas. The Rams reeled off 12 straight points and stormed back in the final 7:11 of regulation to force overtime and stun the Tar Heels, 82-78. The Rams advance to the second round of the NCAA tournament. North Carolina’s season, meanwhile, comes to a disappointing end.

UNC was in control for much of Thursday’s game and led by as many a 19 points a 56-37. But anchored by aggressive defense, a deep bench and improved second-half shooting, the Rams took control of the game down the stretch. Poor execution from the Tar Heels helped the VCU cause.

UNC scored just 5 points in the final 7:11 of regulation and didn’t score in overtime until a Seth Trimble free throw with 2:02 remaining. It didn’t hit a field goal in the extra session. It added up to a dramatic collapse that will leave a bitter taste at the end of North Carolina’s season.

After allowing VCU to tie the game at 75 late in regulation, North Carolina had a chance to set up a game-winning shot attempt with 11 seconds remaining. But junior center Henri Veesaar lost the ball out of bounds before UNC could get a shot up.

Trimble stole the ensuing inbounds pass for a last-second shot at a game winner, but it missed the mark, and game went to overtime, where VCU won a battle of attrition as neither team scored in the first 2:13 of the extra session.

VCU struck first to take a 77-75 lead. And a step-back 3 from the top of the key by Terrence Hill Jr but the Rams up for good, 80-78 with 15.1 seconds remaining.

Hill finished with a game-high 34 points while shooting 7 of 10 from 3-point distance. He scored 23 of his 34 points after halftime.

Veesaar had a chance to tie the game with two free throws on the other end. But he missed the first, ending UNC’s best hope of forcing a second overtime.

The win is the first in the NCAA tournament for VCU since 2016.