College basketball analyst Bruce Pearl offended the then-undefeated Redhawks of Miami, Ohio, by suggesting they would have to win their conference tournament to earn an NCAA bid.
CBS and TNT commentators said Miami, Ohio State would struggle in a major conference.
“They are not built for the hook of the Big Ten or even the Big East. They would have finished near the bottom of the Big East Conference this year,” former head coach Pearl told Barstool Sports on March 2.
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In response to this, David Saylor, athletic director at Miami of Ohio, severely reprimanded the player, saying he did not recognize “disrespect.”
So how did Bruce Pearl react when the RedHawks finally suffered their first loss Thursday afternoon? They lost 87-83 to the UMass Minutemen in the Mid-American Conference Tournament.
Believe it or not, Pearl posted on his X account that Miami, Ohio “should be in” the NCAA Tournament.
Pearl’s post was interesting. Especially considering his previous comments about the RedHawks and the fact that his son Steven Pearl is coaching another NCAA bubble team in the Auburn Tigers.
Prior to joining CBS/TNT, Bruce Pearl had a 21-year career as a head coach at Milwaukee and Auburn, Tennessee. His last team at Auburn advanced to the Final Four, as did the 2018-19 team. He retired just before practice began for the 2025-26 season.
Miami RedHawks guard Peter Suder (5) and guard Luke Skaljac (3) leave the floor as UMass Minutemen forward Leonardo Bettiol (3) celebrates a victory after the final buzzer in the Mid-American Conference Tournament on Thursday.
Miami, Ohio, improved to 31-1 after losing to an eighth-ranked UMass team (17-15) in the MAC Tournament on Thursday. During the regular season, the RedHawks survived several close calls to keep their record unblemished. This included a 110-108 overtime win over the Ohio Bobcats in the regular season finale.
The Minutemen’s Leonardo Bettiol led all scorers Thursday with 25 points and shared the team lead with eight rebounds. The Redhawks, who led 39-37 at halftime, had all five starting pitchers in double figures. UMass beat Miami, Ohio 37-19.
The RedHawks will have to wait until Sunday to find out their fate. The NCAA Men’s College Basketball Selection Show airs on CBS and Paramount+ at 6 PM ET.
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