It seems everyone has an opinion on Bruce Pearl’s comments about whether Miami (Ohio) deserves to be in the NCAA Tournament if the RedHawks don’t win their conference tournament, despite being 30-0 so far this season with one more game to go before postseason play.
The former Auburn head basketball coach is arguing that other teams in major conferences deserve a bid over the RedHawks if they fall short, and, of course, is doing his best to argue that his son’s team, Auburn, might be one of those teams.
Miami’s athletic director, David Sayler, spoke out about Pearl’s comments earlier this week on Twitter.
“@coachbrucepearl u are flat out wrong about @MiamiOH_BBall when u say we would finish last in the Big East. The disrespect is awful and u should not be near a TV studio covering this sport when u show your true colors!” . “Even slipped in a ‘we’ when talking about Auburn, nice work!”
Travis Steele has words for Bruce Pearl
Now, the RedHawks’ head coach, Travis Steele, had his chance to respond to Pearl in a press conference on Wednesday.
“I like Bruce (Pearl),” Steele said. “Bruce is a great guy. But I'm not calling Bruce and asking him for his opinion on our team. 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."
You certainly can’t take away from what the RedHawks have accomplished thus far this season, no matter how low their strength of schedule is or that they play in a weak conference. Winning every game during a season takes skill, focus, determination and, yes, a little bit of luck, especially as the winning streak starts to pile up and teams are giving you their best shot.
If the RedHawks are somewhat defeated in the MAC Tournament next week, it would be a shame if their accomplishments fade away without an NCAA Tournament bid.