When the SMU men's basketball team takes the court in Dayton, Ohio, for the First Four of the NCAA Tournament, it will do so against one of the season's most talked-about teams.

Miami (OH) enters the matchup after winning all 31 of its regular-season games before a loss in the MAC Tournament briefly put its March Madness status in doubt. Despite that stumble, the Mustangs are not taking the RedHawks lightly.

"I have all the respect in the world," SMU head coach Andy Enfield said of Miami. "I coached at Florida Gulf Coast, my first head job, and you go 31-0 at that level of college basketball, you deserve to be there. We're certainly not going to take them lightly because they're not in a power conference, but they're an outstanding basketball team."

Miami's offensive numbers back that up. The RedHawks have six players averaging in double figures and rank second in the country with 90.7 points per game. They shoot just over 39% from the 3-point line—eighth best in the country—making more than 10 per game.

That puts them slightly ahead of SMU's 84.2 points per game and 37.5% 3-point shooting. But it means the matchup favors the Mustangs preferred style of play, as opposed to their second-round ACC Tournament game against Louisville.

"That means they share the basketball," Enfield said. "They score 90 points a game, and they score more than we do. ... We like those high scoring games, the 58-62 games we don't like so much."

Senior guard Jaron Pierre Jr. plays a key role in SMU's offensive attack, averaging 17.6 points per game, just behind team leader Boopie Miller at 19.2 points per game. Pierre also leads the team with 79 made 3-pointers, followed by Miller's 64.

It's a challenge SMU is eager to embrace.

"They say everyone on their team can pass, dribble and shoot," Pierre said. "They're good players. It's a mid-major school, but they're good players so we aren't underestimating them. But we're going to go out there and handle business like we're supposed to."

One thing Miami can't match is SMU's size. Samet Yiğitoğlu stands 7-foot-2 and Jaden Toombs and Mitchell Holmes are both 6-10. Miami's tallest regular contributor, Antwone Woolfolk, is 6-9. 

Toombs is coming off his strongest stretch of the season, starting both ACC Tournament games, and averaging 14.5 points and 10 rebounds. His defensive performance, however, stood out most.

"Jaden's defense was the best of his career the last two days, especially against Louisville," Enfield said. "He was moving his feet laterally, he was getting deflections, he blocked shots, he guarded guards. He did a lot of things for us, and he needs to do that against Miami for us to have a chance to win."

Toombs and Yiğitoğlu are expected to share the floor again, something the Mustangs believe can create problems inside.

"It's going to be dominating. I told both of them, once we come out, we shouldn't have any problems down low," Pierre said. "Just because they're undersized doesn't mean we're underestimating them, but take your time the whole time, the whole 40 minutes."

The Mustangs will be bigger, with Miller providing quickness and Pierre adding athleticism.

Still, Miami presents challenges of its own, particularly with its spacing and shooting.

"They spread you out. Their big guys shoot 3s," Enfield said. "… So Miami will give us some issues with spreading us out and our size trying to chase them. We just need to be able to play like we did this past week."

Another challenge the Mustangs will face, the crowd. While it is officially a neutral site game, the University of Dayton Arena is just 44 miles from Miami's own Millett Hall.

"I feel like they're a great team. They're an hour from home, so it's going to be like a home game for them," Miller said. "All we can do is go out there and play our hardest and stick to the game plan and get the win."

Enfield is familiar with the environment, having coached in Dayton during the 2017 NCAA Tournament when his USC team defeated Providence.

"It was a great environment that'll be packed. It's very loud in that arena," Enfield said. "But I think everybody on our team and Miami's team will be excited to be there. They'll probably have a few more fans because it's an hour drive, but that's great. That's what college basketball is all about."

And in March, experience—or lack of it—only matters so much.

Corey Washington, one of only two SMU players with NCAA Tournament experience, knows what it comes down to this time of year.

"No matter the setting and previous records, it's the NCAA Tournament," Washington said. "Players gotta play."

For Miller, making his first tournament appearance, the mindset is simple.

"Winning, just winning," Miller said. "That's the only thing. Just following the game plan, listening to the coaches, giving it our all, playing hard and just winning."