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Miami Swim Team Strips Down to Their Speedos to Distract SMU Men’s Basketball in Upset Win

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Miami RedHawks swim team attends March Madness
Credit: Dylan Buell/Getty;Ben Solomon/NCAA Photos/Getty

NEED TO KNOW

  • The Miami University Redhawks swim team showed up in Speedos to support their basketball team in against the SMU Mustangs on Wednesday
  • The Speedos appeared to work, with SMU missing a free throw in the second half of the game
  • Miami went on to upset SMU for a spot in the NCAA Tournament

The Miami University Redhawks had a little help from the school's swim team — and their Speedos — in their March Madness win.

Redhawks swimmers stripped down to their Speedos and rushed the stands at the University of Dayton Arena during the second half of the basketball team's NCAA Tournament First Four matchup on Wednesday, March 18.

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The players wore their Speedos, swim caps and goggles as they booed the Redhawks opponents, the Southern Methodist University Mustangs, in an attempt to distract them at the free throw line.

Miami OH Redhawks swimmers attend March Madness in speedos
Credit: Ben Solomon/NCAA Photos/Getty

The gimmick worked for Miami, apparently becoming enough of a distraction to force Mustangs player Corey Washington to miss a free throw in the second half of the game, which the Redhawks went on to win in a 89-79 upset.

"You could potentially blame it on the Speedos," the broadcast announcer said during the game.

After the game, Miami forward Antwone Woolfolk told reporters he was "really surprised" when the swim team came out, adding, "That was elite," according to ESPN.

Redhawks coach Travis Steele said the "whole arena started going bonkers" when the swim team came down the aisle.

"When he missed that free throw, listen — that was so funny," Steele said. "So appreciative of the swim team and what they do to support our team," he continued, adding, "What a cool moment!"

Miami Redhawks swim team on March 18, 2026
Credit: Dylan Buell/Getty

Guard Trey Perry said the arena in Dayton "felt like a home game" because of the crowd's support for Miami University, which is located about an hour away in Oxford, Ohio.

The swim team's scantily-clad support for the Redhawks basketball team isn't a one-time event, however. The Speedos have become a new tradition for Miami ever since the swim team started showing up to basketball games in support in January.

Redhawks swimmer Tegan Barrier explained in a video shared by CBS that the swim team was "pretty bored as a team" in January when they first had the idea to show up to support in their Speedos. His teammate Luke Pugh said he had seen "things on Instagram about people in Speedos going to basketball games."

The swimmers talked to their coach about it "and she thought it was a good idea," said Barrier. Pugh also explained that it's "hard for us to get embarrassed" about wearing the Speedos because of how much time they spend in them during practice.

The Redhawks defeated the Mustangs on Wednesday behind 22 points from Eian Elmer, 19 from Brant Byers and another 17 from Luke Skaljac. They'll now play Illinois in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament on Friday, March 20.

Read the original article on People

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