Mid-American Conference commissioner Jon A. Steinbrecher remains confident his conference will secure two NCAA tournament bids for the first time in 27 years, despite Miami (Ohio)'s 87-83 loss to UMass in the MAC quarterfinals. The RedHawks entered with a perfect 31-0 regular season record, but their tournament exit doesn't deter Steinbrecher from projecting multiple bids.

Steinbrecher spoke with tournament committee members and believes Miami has done enough to earn an at-large berth. The MAC's last multiple-bid season came in 1999 when Kent State won the conference tournament while Miami received an at-large berth after winning the regular-season title. The commissioner points to scheduling challenges faced by mid-major programs as a factor in Miami's low strength of schedule ranking.

Miami became the fifth team this century to finish the regular season unbeaten but only the second to fall in their conference tournament. Their 344th-ranked strength of schedule has drawn criticism, though Steinbrecher argues metrics have overshadowed wins and losses. The last team to go undefeated in the regular season and miss the NCAA tournament was Alcorn State in 1978-79.