In the midst of a shiny and perfect season by his men’s basketball team that has caught the attention of college basketball fans across the country, Miami (OH) AD David Sayler has clapped back at former Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl. Pearl has made comments that Miami (OH) is a mid-major team that doesn’t have the best strength of schedule to make the NCAA Tournament without winning the MAC.
Last weekend, Pearl took to the airwaves during his appearance on TNT’s college basketball show to discuss Miami’s lack of big wins against higher-ranked teams that puts them in a spot in which winning the MAC tournament next week is the only viable way the team should make the postseason.
Right now, sitting at 30-0 on the season, the Redhawks have been the talk of the sport, but a point of contention on social media and other platforms has centered around their scheduling.
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If we’re selecting the 68 best teams, then Miami (Ohio) is going to have to win their tournament to qualify as a champion. Because as an at-large, they are not one of the best teams in the country,” Bruce Pearl noted.
In a very awkward coincidence, Pearl’s former squad, who just so happens to be coached by his son Steven, is squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble.
While Bruce made it abundantly clear this week that he is rooting for his son to make the postseason, which isn’t some sort of shocking news, there are some that feel as though his remarks about Miami (OH) were also made in conjunction with Auburn being on the bubble.
In speaking with OutKick on Friday, Miami (OH) athletic director David Sayler had a recommendation about what networks should do when Bruce Pearl is discussing teams who should be in contention for a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
“I have a lot of respect for him as a coach, but when he starts to use the word ‘We’ about Auburn, that certainly rankles me,” Sayler pointed out. “He shouldn’t be on a TV screen giving advice or opinions on the NCAA Tournament when he’s clearly biased. There should be a disclaimer on the bottom of the screen, or something, that’s clearly what he’s doing.”
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The conversation around Miami (OH) has reached a fever-pitch, with a majority of reactions in the favor of the team making the postseason, even if the Redhawks suffer a loss in their regular season finale against Ohio, or in the MAC tournament next week in Cleveland.
Even though the NCAA has tabled the conversation on adding additional teams until after the 2026 season is completed, there is still a looming discussion to be had.
The question of whether expanding the NCAA Tournament will help mid-major teams in the long run has been a hot-button topic, given the current landscape of college athletics.
For Sayler, he views schools like Miami (OH) and others as an ‘afterthought’ in these conversations.
“I don’t want to see the 11th place SEC team or the 12th place Big Ten, and that’s why I’m against expansion of the tournament,” Sayler told OutKick. “Now, you’re going to get the 13th place team in these leagues. It’s not for the mid-majors. There’s no talk of the CFP or expanding the college basketball tournament because of us. We are the afterthought. It’s like, ‘Ok, they’ll just be happy with what they get’.
“That’s why I’ve been quoting Yoda when fighting the evil empire lately, because that’s really what this is, the Death Star marching on, and we’re powerless to do it. So I’m part of the group of rebel AD’s trying to fight the system and leaning on sage advice from Yoda.”
The conversation around Miami (OH) isn’t dying down, especially if the Redhawks were to lose a game during the MAC tournament, or even their regular season finale on Friday night against the Ohio Bobcats.
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But, this has clearly been one of the most intriguing stories in college basketball this season. Maybe the slipper will fit over the next month.
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