Miami (Ohio) AD blasts Pearl for disrespecting unbeaten RedHawks - ESPN

Miami (Ohio) athletic director David Sayler challenged Bruce Pearl over what he called «disrespect» after the TV commentator and former Auburn coach told Barstool Sports that the undefeated RedHawks don't deserve a spot in the NCAA tournament without an automatic bid and couldn't handle a Power 4 schedule.

"[You] are flat out wrong about Miami (OH) when you say we would finish last in the Big East," Sayler said Monday on X. «The disrespect is awful and [you] should not be near a TV studio covering this sport when [you] show your true colors.»

Miami's schedule is ranked 285th overall, per KenPom. Head coach Travis Steele recently told ESPN that high-major squads have refused to schedule the RedHawks due to the potential for an upset.

<a href=«https://twitter.com/coachbrucepearl?ref_src=» https:>@coachbrucepearl

u are flat out wrong about <a href=«https://twitter.com/MiamiOH_BBall?ref_src=» https:>@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!

«They're not built for the grind of a Big Ten or even a Big East. In the Big East Conference this year, they'd finish in the lower half,» Pearl told Barstool on Monday. «They may not finish last but I tell you what, I'm not so sure. I'm not so sure. Who is the last-place team? It would be DePaul, it would be Marquette. I don't know.»

Miami, which is 29-0, is chasing history with just two games remaining as it attempts to finish the regular season with an unblemished record. It entered the week with a NET ranking in the 50s while its other metrics are not as favorable at the same juncture. One loss