Bruce Pearl wonders whether Akron is better than undefeated Miami (Ohio)
Former Auburn Tigers men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl said Wednesday he’s still unsure whether the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks are a lock for an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament if they fail to attain an automatic selection.
The RedHawks moved to 30-0 on Tuesday night and clinched a share of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) regular-season title. The No. 19 ranked team is the lone Division I men’s team that’s still undefeated. Seven of their wins were by three points or fewer, and three of their victories came in overtime. Miami has not played against any ranked opponents.
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It’s the RedHawks’ resume that appeared to give Pearl pause despite being a fan of Miami head coach Travis Steele and the job that he’s done with the mid-major program.
"What Miami of Ohio has done has been unbelievable, and the questions start this way, ‘Are we choosing the 37 best at-large teams or are we choosing the 37 most deserving?’ Miami of Ohio is one of the most deserving to get into the NCAA Tournament," Pearl said on OutKick’s "Don’t @ Me with Dan Dakich." "Do I think they’re one of the best 37 teams? I don’t. That’s my opinion and it’s not personal.
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"Look, that’s what makes part of this time of the year so much fun. We’re entitled to our opinions and, of course, they’ll get an opportunity to play it out on the court. I think Travis Steele has done an incredible job. I think to bring it every single night and win all those close games – what a season, what chemistry. But I’m not sure that Akron isn’t the best team in the MAC at the end of the day."
The Zips are 25-5 this season with a 16-1 record in the MAC. The team could very well upset Miami in the conference tournament. Akron played against one top 25 team, No. 2 Purdue, but lost.
"Akron played a tougher schedule," Pearl added. "Akron is a little bit more battle tested. They got a little bit more size. If that gets to be that matchup, that’s going to be an interesting matchup. These are not knocks on Miami of Ohio."
The rest of the season still has to play out. Miami has one more regular-season game on the schedule before the conference tournament begins.
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