Miami (Ohio) vs. SMU odds, prediction: 2026 NCAA Tournament First Four picks from expert

Despite suffering just one loss on the season, the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks find themselves in a First Four matchup against the SMU Mustangs in the Midwest Region of the NCAA Tournament on Wednesday. After a perfect regular season, Miami dropped an 87-83 decision to UMass in a MAC Tournament quarterfinal matchup on March 12. SMU is coming off an 86-69 loss to Syracuse in the ACC Tournament first round on March 10. The RedHawks (31-1), who are 1-1 on neutral courts this season, won the MAC regular-season title at 18-0. The Mustangs (20-13), who have lost five of six, tied for 11th in the ACC regular-season standings at 8-10.

The game from UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio, tips off at 9:15 p.m. ET. SMU leads the all-time series 2-0. SMU is a 6.5-point favorite in the latest Miami (Ohio) vs. SMU odds from DraftKings Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points scored is 163.5. 

Before making any Miami (Ohio) vs. SMU picks, check out what SportsLine college basketball expert Bob Konarski has to say.

Konarski specializes in college basketball, displaying in-depth knowledge of hundreds of Division I teams. He is a regular presence in the SportsLine Discord, co-hosts a weekly Twitter Spaces with fellow CBB expert Tom Casale and can be seen on the "Early Edge" breaking down his college hoops plays. He enters the NCAA Tournament on a 65-44 run on college basketball picks, returning $1,615 for $100 players. Anyone following could have seen huge returns.

Now Konarski has broken down Miami (Ohio) vs. SMU from every angle and locked in his picks. He's leaning Over on the total, and he's also found a critical X-factor that has him jumping on one side the spread! 

So who covers in Miami (Ohio) vs. SMU, and what critical X-factor do you need to know about? Join SportsLine right now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the expert on a sizzling 65-44 run on CBB pick!