CLEVELAND (AP) — No. 20 Miami (Ohio) dropped its Mid-American Conference Tournament opener to UMass 87-83 on Thursday, spoiling the last perfect record in Division I men’s basketball.
Daniel Hankins-Sanford made a tiebreaking layup with 29 seconds remaining, and the Minutemen escaped with victory in a quarterfinal game that had 12 lead changes and 10 ties.
The RedHawks (31-1) were the fifth men’s Division I program this century to go undefeated during the regular season. Now it’s the second to get tripped up in its conference tournament. St. Joseph’s lost to Xavier in the 2004 Atlantic 10 quarterfinals but was still a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Miami was the first squad since Gonzaga in 2020-21 to not have a loss going into a conference tournament.
The RedHawks had eight one-possession games during the regular season, including their last three coming into the MAC Tournament.
There were some doubts about the RedHawks earning an at-large berth. Those quieted after a win over Ohio last Friday but might perk up again after this.
After Hankins-Sanford's layup, Miami's Luke Skaljac made a bad pass and turned the ball over to Marcus Banks, who made two free throws to make it a two-possession game.
Brant Byers was fouled on a 3-point attempt but made only two of three free throws. Banks iced the game with another pair of free throws with 8 seconds left.
Leonardo Bettiol led UMass (17-15) with 25 points while Banks added 18 and Jayden Ndjigue 16.
Byers led Miami with 17 points, and Eian Elmer added 16.
Miami had a 69-58 lead with 8:11 remaining before UMass rallied back with a 13-2 run. Ndjigue had six points, including a 3-pointer to tie it at 71.
UMass faces fourth-seeded Toledo (18-14) in Friday’s conference tournament semifinals.
Miami (Ohio) awaits its postseason fate.
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Miami guard Peter Suder, center, dives for the ball next to Massachusetts guard Marcus Banks, left, in the second half of a basketball game in the quarterfinals of the Mid-American Conference tournament, Thursday, March 12, 2026, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said he did not think it would be “appropriate” for the Iranian soccer team to attend this year’s World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, and cited safety concerns as a reason on Thursday while the countries remained embroiled in a war.
“The Iran National Soccer Team is welcome to The World Cup,” Trump wrote on his social media site, “but I really don’t believe it is appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety.”
Iranian leaders said earlier this week that it’s “not possible” for the country to participate in the World Cup.
Trump's message appears to depart somewhat from what the Republican president relayed Tuesday at the White House to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who later publicly said that Trump assured him the Iranian players and coaches would be welcome.
A White House official, who insisted on anonymity to discuss private conversations, had confirmed Trump’s message to Infantino about Iran’s participation.
On Thursday, the White House did not immediately clarify what Trump meant by “their own life and safety,” such as whether he anticipated threats against them while in the United States after U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran that began Feb. 28.
Iran, one of 48 teams in the tournament, is scheduled to play in Inglewood, California, against New Zealand on June 15 and Belgium on June 21 before finishing group play in Seattle against Egypt on June 26. The U.S. is hosting the tournament with Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19.
Iran’s soccer federation has planned to take the team in June to a tournament base camp in Arizona, at the Kino Sports Complex in Tucson.
Since June, Iran has been subject to a travel ban into the U.S. as part of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. But athletes and coaches from the target nations are exempt, which means the Iranian team would be allowed to enter the U.S.
But there are also likely fears from Iranian soccer players about playing in a tournament abroad where they could be feted by an anti-regime diaspora while their families face threats back home.
The Iranian women's soccer team, which arrived in Australia to play at its Asian Cup tournament before the U.S. and Israeli bombing attacks on Iran started, did not sing the Iranian national anthem before its first game. That was widely interpreted as a gesture of protest or an act of mourning. Several members of the team stayed in Australia on humanitarian visas afterward.
At the 2022 men’s World Cup, played in Qatar, the Iranian team did not sing the anthem before a game against England and did not celebrate the two goals scored in a 6-2 loss. At that time, Iran was in turmoil several weeks after the death in police custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who had been detained for allegedly violating a strict Islamic dress code.
FIFA’s own evaluation was “low risk” for World Cup safety and security plans proposed by the U.S., Canada and Mexico soccer federations, which are guaranteed by their governments. Trump has often taken credit for “winning” the World Cup hosting rights in 2018, when the three neighbors easily beat Morocco in a vote by FIFA member federations.
“All parties have experience of hosting major sports events on a regular basis and established arrangements are in place for managing security and safety at stadiums and for high-profile individuals,” FIFA’s in-house inspection team wrote eight years ago.
Iranian athletes who previously defied the Islamic regime have left the country to continue their careers.
Iran’s first female athlete to win an Olympic medal, Kimia Alizadeh, a bronze medalist at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games in taekwondo, criticized wearing the mandatory hijab headscarf. She competed for the Olympic refugee team at Tokyo in 2021 and for Bulgaria at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Judoka Saeid Mollaei went into hiding in Germany after a dispute with Iranian team officials at the 2019 world championships. Mollaei, the defending champion, said he was ordered to lose a bout to avoid a potential gold medal match against an Israeli opponent. He got Mongolian citizenship and took silver at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Dunbar reported from Geneva.
President Donald Trump pauses after a person in the crowd needed medical assistance as he speaks at Verst Logistics Wednesday, March 11, 2026, in Hebron, Ky. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
FILE - President Donald Trump stands on stage next to the FIFA World Cup after receiving the FIFA Peace Prize during the draw for the 2026 soccer World Cup at the Kennedy Center in Washington, Dec. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)
FILE - Irans's players pose for a team photo before an Asian group A qualifying soccer match against North Korea for the 2026 World Cup, June 10, 2025, at Azadi Stadium in Tehran, Iran. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, file)
