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Miami University’s NCAA Tournament selection scenarios: Can Redhawks get in with one loss?

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It’s important to draw a distinction between resume metrics and predictive metrics when talking about a team like Miami (Ohio) and the NCAA Tournament bubble. Selection decisions are closely tied to your resume and what you’ve accomplished, which is a good thing for Miami. 

The cries are already coming: “but Miami hasn’t even played a Quad 1 game.”

Despite the fact that it has played zero Quad 1 games and is just 1-0 in Quad 2, there is a metric on official NCAA team sheets that acknowledges the brilliance of an unbeaten start for Miami, which improved to 26-0 with an 86-77 win at UMass on Tuesday night.

It’s called Wins Against Bubble (WAB), and it calculates how the average bubble team would perform against your schedule. With a WAB score of approximately 2.15 after Tuesday’s win, the No. 22 RedHawks are recognized for having over two more victories than the average bubble team would against their slate.


Up next for Miami

The remaining schedule for Miami which is trying to become the first team since Indiana accomplished the feat in the 1975-76 season.

Feb. 20 vs. Bowling Green 8:30 p.m. CBS Sports Network
Feb. 24 at Eastern Michigan 6:30 pm ESPN+
Feb. 27 at Western Michigan 6 p.m. CBS Sports Network
March 3 vs. Toledo 7 p.m. ESPN+
March 6 at Ohio 7 p.m. CBS Sports Network
March 12-14 MAC Tournament (Cleveland) TBD

If Miami doesn’t win the MAC Tournament and needs an at-large ticket to the Big Dance, WAB will be one of its best friends. The RedHawks were ranked No. 34 in WAB entering the clash with UMass, which appeared to be the most challenging regular season game left on their slate. That’s within at-large territory. Where it gets tricky is that any loss against MAC opposition carries a significant WAB penalty.

How more marquee matchups in college basketball will impact NCAA Tournament bracketing process, seeding

David Cobb

How more marquee matchups in college basketball will impact NCAA Tournament bracketing process, seeding

Here are all the Selection Sunday scenarios for Miami as it heads down this the stretch with its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2007 in sight.

NCAA Tournament selection scenarios for Miami 

The simple scenario (win MAC Tournament) 

Record: Between 29-5 and 34-0 
Confidence level: It’s a party
Likely WAB range: Doesn’t matter

Bust out the balloons and hire a caterer for the watch party. Miami can go 5-0 to close the regular season, 0-5 or something in between. It doesn’t matter, so long as the RedHawks are cutting down the nets inside Cleveland’s Rocket Arena at the end of the MAC Tournament on March 14. 

Winning the MAC Tournament is the only 100% guaranteed path to the Big Dance, and it won’t be easy. The MAC isn’t one of the handful of conferences now offering automatic byes to the semifinals for its top two seeds. The RedHawks will have to win three games in three days against a field consisting exclusively of the league’s top eight teams.

Many of the players on this Miami team were part of a gutting 76-74 loss to Akron in last year’s MAC Tournament title game in which the Zips rallied late to stun the RedHawks. That should only provide more motivation as Miami seeks its first conference tournament title since 2007.

The MAC Madness scenario

Selection Sunday record: 31-1, 32-1 or 33-1
Confidence level:
 Feeling optimistic
Likely WAB range: 35-43

Miami could still feel reasonably hopeful about making the Big Dance if it entered the MAC Tournament 31-0 and then dropped a game. While on some level it could matter who the loss came against, the RedHawks would still enter Selection Sunday with a WAB ranking in the at-large realm, regardless of who was responsible for handing them their first defeat.

A loss on a neutral floor in the MAC Tournament would likely come with a WAB cost of around 0.80. If Miami lost 0.80 in WAB today, it would drop the RedHawks from No. 34 in the metric to No. 42.

The team with the best WAB ranking left out of last year’s field was West Virginia, which arrived at Selection Sunday at No. 43 in the WAB. The 2025 selection process was the first to utilize WAB, so there isn’t a trove of past precedents to rely upon. But WVU’s exclusion last year sets a benchmark for Miami to aim for: don’t fall to No. 43.

Finishing the regular season undefeated and then losing in the MAC Tournament would likely be good enough to keep the RedHawks in the upper 30s or lower 40s of WAB, which would be enough for them to enter Selection Sunday with some cautious optimism.

Double-defeat scenario

Selection Sunday record: 30-2, 31-2 or 32-2
Confidence level: Feeling nervous
Likely WAB range: 43-52

The double-defeat scenario involves Miami losing one regular-season game, in addition to a MAC Tournament game. 

This would not be advisable, as it would likely lead to Miami’s Selection Sunday WAB ranking landing in the mid-40s, at best. However, in this scenario, the opponent for the conference tournament loss could make a difference. If it’s a high-end Quad 2 loss against Akron in the title game, then it would be less costly.

The team with the worst WAB ranking selected to last year’s field was Xavier, which was among the Last Four In at No. 49 in WAB. However, the Musketeers counterbalanced their lagging resume metrics with a predictive metrics profile hovering around 40th nationally. 

Miami University does not have good predictive metrics to fall back upon. So slipping out of the low-to-mid 40s in WAB would make things dicey. If Miami loses twice, a slip of that magnitude is likely, and it would make Selection Sunday uncomfortable.

Three-loss scenario

Selection Sunday record: 29-3, 30-3, 31-3
Confidence level: Better brace for disappointment
Likely WAB range: 50-60

A 3-2 finish to the regular season, combined with a loss in the MAC Tournament, would decimate Miami’s at-large chances. In this scenario, the best conceivable outcome would be that the RedHawks lose in the MAC Tournament title game against Akron in a heartbreaking way that tugs on the heartstrings of committee members. But it would be a tough case to make. 

With three losses on its ledger, Miami would almost certainly lag behind other bubble teams in resume metrics. Remember, it’s not just about win-loss record. It’s about the totality of your resume. WAB does a good job of quantifying that, and it wouldn’t be on Miami’s side if the RedHawks lost three times.





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U.S. and Iran wrap up second round of nuclear talks

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U.S. and Iran wrap up second round of nuclear talks – CBS News










































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U.S. and Iranian negotiators say there’s been progress in their nuclear talks, even as the U.S. assembles a massive naval force in the region and Iran launches military exercises nearby. Imtiaz Tyab has details.



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34-year-old man faves juvenile sexual assault charges

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34-year-old man faces juvenile sexual assault charges

Ruben Dario Gonzalesis in custody at Metropolitan Detention Center, also charged with kidnapping.

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Updated: 8:23 PM MST Feb 17, 2026

Editorial Standards

Ruben Dario Gonzalez, 34, was arrested Sunday and booked into the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center after an investigation into the kidnapping and sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl, a New Mexico State Police news release said.The girl was reported missing by her family on Saturday night, and early Sunday, Albuquerque Police Department officers responded to a call from a gas station where the girl reported she had been kidnapped. She told officers that she’d been able to escape from the suspect and ask for help after he’d let her use the restroom, the release said.Given information about the suspects’ vehicle when they arrived, the police pursued the suspect and apprehended him.The suspect, identified as Ruben Dario Gonzalez, told agents that he was a DoorDash driver, had seen that the victim appeared to be upset, and offered her a ride home. Agents said he told them he thought she was 21 years old and said the sex was consensual.In fact, the girl told the agents she was near her home when Gonzalez approached her and said he was an Uber driver sent by her father and threatened to kill her if she didn’t get into his vehicle. He drove them to a secluded area, where he told her to smoke marijuana, then allegedly sexually assaulted her in the car’s back seat. After that, she said he drove to another location and allegedly sexually assaulted her again.Gonzalez is charged with kidnapping in the first degree, criminal sexual penetration in the second degree (child 13-18 years old), and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Ruben Dario Gonzalez, 34, was arrested Sunday and booked into the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center after an investigation into the kidnapping and sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl, a New Mexico State Police news release said.

The girl was reported missing by her family on Saturday night, and early Sunday, Albuquerque Police Department officers responded to a call from a gas station where the girl reported she had been kidnapped. She told officers that she’d been able to escape from the suspect and ask for help after he’d let her use the restroom, the release said.

Given information about the suspects’ vehicle when they arrived, the police pursued the suspect and apprehended him.

The suspect, identified as Ruben Dario Gonzalez, told agents that he was a DoorDash driver, had seen that the victim appeared to be upset, and offered her a ride home. Agents said he told them he thought she was 21 years old and said the sex was consensual.

In fact, the girl told the agents she was near her home when Gonzalez approached her and said he was an Uber driver sent by her father and threatened to kill her if she didn’t get into his vehicle. He drove them to a secluded area, where he told her to smoke marijuana, then allegedly sexually assaulted her in the car’s back seat. After that, she said he drove to another location and allegedly sexually assaulted her again.

Gonzalez is charged with kidnapping in the first degree, criminal sexual penetration in the second degree (child 13-18 years old), and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.



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8 Bombshell Revelations From ‘Stripped Down’

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Fans have heard stories from Bunnie Xo‘s life in her podcast and in interviews over the years, but they’ve never before heard her lay it out like this.

Bunnie’s new memoir, Stripped Down: Unfiltered and Unapologetic, presents a full timeline, answers burning questions and delivers a few anecdotes that will shock even the most jaded fan.

Some passages are funny, while others are downright pornographic.

She shared the much-awaited full story of Jelly Roll‘s affair and why she decided to take him back. But there’s still a question about their early relationship that the book doesn’t touch on.

READ MORE: Jelly Roll Swears Bunnie Xo Saved His Life in New Love Song, ‘Thorns’

We’ll get to that in a moment, but first, it’s important not to skip over just how sad parts of this story really are.

Bunnie grew up in poverty, with parents and trusted adults who consistently neglected and abused her, and she never got to have the childhood she deserved.

Dia Dipasupil, Getty Images

Dia Dipasupil, Getty Images

Flash forward some years later, we’ll see her, over and over again, repeating harmful patterns with romantic partners and drugs. It’s pretty hard to read about the relentless physical abuse she experienced at the hands of her partners.

By the time Jelly Roll came into the picture — and became the kindest, most loving boyfriend she’d ever had — both halves of the couple were still fighting off demons. Bunnie even admits to physically hitting Jelly at one point.

But make no mistake: This is a redemption story, and an inspiring one for any reader willing to stick it out through the many gritty parts.

There are moments of comedy, too. Look for the time Bunnie got expelled from a school for tagging a brick wall with “my entire government name….Why did I write my f–king name?!”.

For the fart-humorloving crowd, there’s also a hilariously gross anecdote about the first time she gave a lap dance. We won’t spoil the ending on that one.

Keep reading for a roundup of the most eye-popping revelations from Stripped Down, and the points of the story where Bunnie answers questions fans have been asking for years.

8 Bombshell Revelations We Learned From Bunnie Xo’s Book

Bunnie Xo’s memoir, ‘Stripped Down: Unfiltered and Unapologetic,’ lays out a full timeline of her life and answers burning questions that fans have been asking for years. Below, we’ve rounded up the most shocking anecdotes and revelations from the book. Consider this your spoiler alert!

Gallery Credit: Carena Liptak





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Kalshi Dealt Major Setback in Court Fight to Remain in Nevada

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A federal appeals court rejected the prediction-market platform’s bid, setting the stage for Nevada’s civil-enforcement proceedings.



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2026 Winter Olympics: Follow live updates Wednesday from Milan Cortina

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Mikaela Shiffrin makes her final 2026 Winter Olympics appearance on Wednesday in the slalom.

The most decorated Alpine skier of all time, Shiffrin is the favorite in this race, and she has been dominant in the slalom. In fact, 71 of Shiffrin’s record 108 World Cup wins have come in the slalom — more than any skier in any discipline ever. This season alone, she has won six of seven starts and already clinched her ninth slalom Crystal Globe. However, Shiffrin hasn’t medaled in her past eight Olympic starts, setting the stage for potential redemption.

The U.S. men’s hockey team begins the knockout round with a quarterfinal matchup against Sweden. The Swedes defeated Latvia 5-1 to advance. With a roster full of NHL players, U.S. winger Matthew Tkachuk called Sweden “one of the powerhouses in the world,” setting up a big matchup.

A trio of Americans will compete for a medal in the men’s snowboard slopestyle final: Oliver Martin, Jake Canter and Redmond Gerard. Martin finished the highest of any American during the qualifying round (sixth). Competing with a broken arm, the 17-year-old just missed out on a medal in the big air final with a fourth-place finish.

MORE: Medal tracker | Full schedule of events | Olympics 101

Key events for Wednesday (all times Eastern)

  • Snowboard: Men’s slopestyle final, 5:20 a.m.

  • Alpine skiing: Women’s slalom Run 2, 7:30 a.m.

  • Snowboard: Women’s slopestyle final, 8:30 a.m.

  • Biathlon: Women’s 4x6km relay final, 8:45 a.m.

  • Ice hockey: Men’s playoff quarterfinals — U.S. vs. Sweden

We’ll have all the best moments from Wednesday events below.




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Takaichi will be reappointed as Japan’s prime minister

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TOKYO — Last week Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi won a landslide election that she hopes will allow her to move her nation’s policies hard right. On Wednesday she will be reappointed as prime minister by the parliament and form her second Cabinet.

It’s a formality, but Takaichi will look to use the symbolism of the day to further boost her Liberal Democratic Party as it looks to capitalize on a two-thirds supermajority in the lower house, the more powerful of Japan’s two parliamentary chambers.

Her goals include an increase in military power, more government spending and strengthened conservative social policies.

Having two-thirds control of the 465-seat lower house allows Takaichi’s party to dominate top posts in house committees and push through bills rejected by the upper house, the chamber where the LDP-led ruling coalition lacks a majority.

Takaichi wants to bolster Japan’s military capability and arms sales, tighten immigration policies, push male-only imperial succession rules and preserve a criticized tradition that pressures women into abandoning their surnames.

Her ambition to revise the U.S.-drafted postwar pacifist Constitution might have to wait, for now, as she is facing pressure to deal with rising prices, a declining population and worries about military security.

Her first urgent task is to address rising prices and sluggish wages and pass a budget bill to fund those measures, delayed by the election.

Takaichi proposes a two-year sales tax cut on food products to ease household living costs.

Experts caution that her liberal fiscal policy could drive up prices and delay progress on trimming Japan’s huge national debt.

Takaichi is maneuvering for a crucial summit next month with U.S. President Donald Trump, who will visit Beijing in April.

The U.S. president endorsed Takaichi ahead of the Japanese election, and he likely expects Takaichi to deliver on a $550 billion investment package that Japan pledged in October.

Japan is also under pressure to increase annual defense spending.

”Japan will keep spending more and more for the U.S. … The question is whether the public wants her to speak out against Trump or be obedient to ensure Japanese security,” said Masato Kamikubo, a Ritsumeikan University professor of policy science. “For China, it’s simple. Japanese people want her to be tough.”

Takaichi in November suggested possible Japanese action if China makes a military move against Taiwan, the self-governing island that Beijing claims as its own. That has led to Beijing’s diplomatic and economic reprisals.

Many Japanese, frustrated by China’s growing assertiveness, welcomed her comments on Taiwan.

Emboldened by the big election win, Takaichi could take a more hawkish stance with China, experts say.

Takaichi, soon after the election, said she is working to gain support for a visit to Tokyo’s controversial Yasukuni Shrine. Visits to the shrine are seen by Japan’s neighbors as evidence of a lack of remorse for Japan’s wartime past.

Takaichi has pledged to revise security and defense policies by December to bolster Japan’s military capabilities, lifting a ban on lethal weapons exports and moving further away from postwar pacifist principles. Japan is also considering the development of a nuclear-powered submarine to increase offensive capabilities.

Takaichi wants to improve intelligence-gathering and establish a national agency to work more closely with ally Washington and defense partners like Australia and Britain.

She supports a controversial anti-espionage law that largely targets Chinese spies. Some experts say it could undermine Japanese civil rights.

Takaichi has proposed tougher policies on immigration and foreigners, something that resonates with a growing frustration in Japan.

Her government in January approved tougher rules on permanent residency and naturalization as well as measures to prevent unpaid tax and social insurance.

Takaichi supports the imperial family’s male-only succession and opposes same-sex marriage.

She is also against a revision to the 19th-century civil law that would allow separate surnames for married couples so that women don’t get pressured into abandoning theirs.

In a step that rights activists call an attempt to block a dual-surname system, Takaichi is calling for a law to allow the greater use of maiden names as aliases instead.



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New Mexico state workers and teachers face no pay increase under proposed budget

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SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) – Several unions are urging lawmakers to change their proposed budget to include raises for teachers and state workers. At $11.1 billion, the spending measure is already the largest state budget in New Mexico history. It’s a battle to give a raise to New Mexico teachers, state workers, and higher education positions. “We’re […]



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SCORPIONS Return To Las Vegas For 2026 Residency With BUCKCHERRY

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Hard rock legends Scorpions are returning to PH Live at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino for a brand-new headlining residency, Scorpions – Coming Home To Las Vegas running Thursday, September 17 through Saturday, October 3, 2026. Promoted by Live Nation and Caesars Entertainment, the residency will once again feature special guest Buckcherry.

The upcoming residency follows the band’s three previous sold-out Las Vegas runs: Scorpions – Sin City Nights in 2022, Love At First Sting Las Vegas in 2024, and Scorpions – Coming Home To Las Vegas 60th Anniversary Las Vegas Residency in 2025.

Singer Klaus Meine shared his excitement: “Our residency in Las Vegas last year was pure rock ‘n’ roll joy!! Unforgettable nights with fans from all over the world. That energy stayed with us, so coming back in 2026 just felt right. We can’t wait to return to Planet Hollywood and celebrate the music, the memories, and another round of rockin’ good times. Vegas… we’re gonna sting you again!”

Get your tickets here.

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Evie Magazine, a ‘Conservative Cosmo,’ Takes On the Cultural Moment

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Named for a modern version of the Bible’s original woman, Evie aims to reach a new kind of conservative: the churchgoing, city-dwelling, working young mother.



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