Before the first round of March Madness can officially begin tomorrow, one more spot on the bracket must be claimed.
The SMU Mustangs and Miami (Ohio) RedHawks, two No. 11 seeds, will battle for the right to keep their March Madness run alive.
Miami (OH) enters as one of the most intriguing teams in the field, boasting a 31-1 record and an at-large bid after a dominant regular season, but its only loss of the entire season came in the MAC Championship quarterfinal round when it fell to UMass.
SMU (20-13), meanwhile, fought its way in out of the ACC and brings a completely different profile, one shaped by nightly battles against high-level competition.
Miami (OH) vs. SMU: what to know
- When: March 18, 9:15 p.m. ET
- Where: UD Arena (Dayton, Ohio)
- Channel: truTV
- Streaming: DIRECTV
Tonight’s winner will advance as the No. 11 seed in the Midwest Region. Their next matchup will be Friday, March 20 against No. 6 Tennessee.
Miami (OH) vs. SMU start time
Today’s (March 18) Miami (OH) vs. SMU March Madness game is scheduled to tip off at 9:15 p.m. ET (or following the conclusion of the earlier game).
How to watch Miami (OH) vs. SMU for free
If you don’t have cable, you’ll need a live TV streaming service to stream the game for free.
DIRECTV is our top pick for watching college basketball live for free — its five-day free trial includes truTV (plus all of the other channels you’ll need for the rest of March Madness). When the trial is over, you’ll pay as low as $59.99 for your first month and gain access to over 90 live channels.
If you aren’t ready to commit to a full-on subscription, you can try a Sling Orange + Entertainment Extra Day Pass. Priced at $5.99, you’ll get 24 hours of access to all Sling TV Orange has to offer, including truTV. Sling also offers weekend and week-long passes for its Orange plan, which offer between three and seven days of access.
The Post has you covered with a printable NCAA bracket featuring the full 68-team March Madness 2026 field.
NCAA Tournament 2026 key dates
- First Round: March 19-20
- Second Round: March 21-22
- Sweet 16: March 26-27
- Elite 8: March 28-29
- Final 4: April 4
- National Championship: April 6
Why Trust Post Wanted by the New York Post
This article was written by Angela Tricarico, Commerce Streaming Reporter for Post Wanted Shopping, Page Six, and Decider.com. Angela keeps readers up to date with cord-cutter-friendly deals, and information on how to watch your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and movies on every streaming service. Not only does Angela test and compare the streaming services she writes about to ensure readers are getting the best prices, but she’s also a superfan specializing in the intersection of shopping, tech, sports, and pop culture. When she’s not writing about (or watching) TV, movies, and sports, she’s also keeping up on the underrated perfume dupes at Bath & Body Works and testing headphones. Prior to joining Decider and The New York Post in 2023, she wrote about streaming and consumer tech at Insider Reviews.
