Less than a week after drawing the ire of the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks, Bruce Pearl found himself interviewing their head coach on Saturday.
Pearl, now working for TNT Sports, got to ask a question of Miami head coach Travis Steele one day after Steele and the RedHawks capped off a 31-0 regular season. It also came roughly a week after Pearl suggested the RedHawks would not deserve an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament if they were to lose in the MAC Tournament.
Pearl had a good sense of humor about the situation, and even made light of how much Miami fans hate him right now. Steele just sort of grinned along.
“I kind of feel like you’re Cinderella and I’m the ugly stepmother,” Pearl said. “I’ve also said teams are going to win their way in or they’re going to lose their way out. You guys have won your way in, and all you’ve got to do is go ‘BP, scoreboard.’ You know I’ve been rooting for you. I’m proud of you.”
"It's a Super Bowl everywhere we're going."@MiamiOH_BBall HC Travis Steele and @coachbrucepearl talked the RedHawks' 31-0 regular season 👏 pic.twitter.com/6Nq8ZTEZ1f
— TNT Sports U.S. (@TNTSportsUS) March 7, 2026
Pearl’s original comments drew the ire of Miami’s athletic director, who accused Pearl of inappropriate bias and questioned why the former Auburn coach is on the air. Steele also addressed Pearl’s comments, though he did so a bit more diplomatically.
Miami moved to 31-0 on Friday after a dramatic overtime win against Ohio, with things spiraling out of control after the game. The RedHawks can eliminate all debate by winning the MAC Tournament, but will likely be the subject of heated debate before Selection Sunday if they are toppled before then.
