The Miami (Ohio) RedHawks are just a win away from completing a historic undefeated regular season.
After guiding his team to its 30th consecutive victory to start the 2025-26 campaign, RedHawks head coach Travis Steele took time to address the critical comment made by former Auburn Tigers head coach Bruce Pearl about his team’s March Madness credibility.
It can be recalled that Pearl implied the only way for the RedHawks to dance in the NCAA Tournament is to win the Mid-American Conference tourney. Otherwise, Miami does not belong in the Big Dance even if they finish with a spotless regular-season record.
Understandably, Steele doesn’t agree with Pearl’s sentiment one bit, but he expressed it in a far less incendiary manner than Miami’s athletic director.
“I like Bruce (Pearl). Bruce is a great guy. But I’m not calling Bruce and asking him for his opinion on our team,” Steele said after his RedHawks improved to 30-0 overall on Tuesday by defeating the Toledo Rockets at Millett Hall in Oxford, Ohio, via Mike Petraglia of the Jungle Roar Pod.
“All respect to Bruce, he’s a way better coach than I’ll ever be. He’s a Hall of Famer… But we control our own destiny.”
Steele is right. Miami has control of its March Madness fate. As long as the RedHawks avoid a stunning loss in their regular-season finale on Saturday against the Ohio Bobcats at Convocation Center in Athens, Ohio, and win all their games in the MAC tournament to earn an auto-bid, there is nothing Pearl or the selection committee can do to keep them from having a spot in the field of 68.
