Miami (Ohio) continued to keep their men’s basketball dreams alive after beating SMU in the First Four game on Wednesday night to officially seal an 11th seed in the NCAA tournament.
As a popular underdog, there will be plenty of people across the country rooting for the RedHawks as a potential Cinderella story. One of those fans rooting for Miami is 98 Degrees singer and co-host of the Netflix dating reality show Love Is Blind, Nick Lachey. The former boyband star attended Miami before joining 98 Degrees.
However, Lachey is more than just an alum of the university—he specifically worked as a student trainer for the men’s basketball team during the 1994–95 season. The RedHawks made the NCAA tournament that season too, losing in the second round. This year is just the fourth time Miami has made the tournament since that season.
After his RedHawks won on Wednesday night, Lachey posted a tweet reminiscing on his days working with the team.
“In the summer of ‘95, I left college to join a boy band. That last semester, I was a student trainer for @MiamiOH_BBall and I couldn’t be happier for what’s happening right now in Oxford, OH!!! Let’s go fellas! #redhawks #marchmadness”
In the summer of ‘95, I left college to join a boy band. That last semester, I was a student trainer for @MiamiOH_BBall and I couldn’t be happier for what’s happening right now in Oxford, OH!!! Let’s go fellas! #redhawks #marchmadness
— Nick Lachey (@NickLachey) March 19, 2026
Lachey definitely made his love for his home state known during the recent Love Is Blind season, which followed couples from Ohio. He repeatedly led the “O-H-I-O” chant with cast members throughout the season.
Lachey likes to tweet about various Ohio sports teams, most often the Bengals. It’s clear he’s a passionate sports fans, so it’s cool he has a personal connection to the RedHawks during March Madness.
Miami will face No. 6 Tennessee on Friday at 4:25 p.m. ET.
Miami (Ohio)’s historic season
Miami became the 25th men’s college basketball team to go undefeated in the regular season with a record of 31–0. The RedHawks were ranked No. 20 in the AP Poll in Week 19, after the regular season ended.
However, Miami’s electric season endured a major roadblock during the Mid-American Conference tournament. The RedHawks were obviously seen as the favorite to win the conference title after their perfect season, but they lost in their first appearance at the tournament to UMass in the quarterfinals. The attempt at a completely perfect season came to an abrupt, and unexpected, end.
Miami beat SMU 89–79 on Wednesday night in the First Four, giving them the spark they needed back after the unfortunate MAC loss. We’ll see how they fare against Tennessee on Friday as an underdog to the SEC team.
More March Madness from Sports Illustrated
- March Madness Day 1 Winners and Losers: Cinderella Keeps Dancing in Men’s NCAA Tournament
- Eight Standout Performances From the First Round of the NCAA Tournament
- Tar Heels’ March Madness Meltdown Caps a Colossal Year of Failure for Carolina Way
- The Biggest Comeback in Every Round of the NCAA Men's Tournament
- Siena Player Seen Cursing Out Duke to UNC Staffer in Funny Postgame Moment
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Nick Lachey Reminisces on His Time Working for Miami (Ohio) Basketball Team.
