Miami RedHawks AD Rips Bruce Pearl, Ex-Auburn HC 'Embarrassing Himself' with Bracketology Remark

On Saturday, former Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl made the argument that teams like the 15-14 Tigers are more deserving NCAA tournament teams than undefeated Miami (Ohio) because he believes the Auburns and UCLAs of the world would win the head-to-head matchup.

Suffice to say, RedHawks' athletic director David Sayler disagreed with Pearl in the most definitive way possible:

Despite Auburn's lackluster record, it clearly isn't completely out of the tourney conversation. ESPN's Joe Lunardi still has the Tigers as one of the first four teams out, joining San Diego State, VCU and Virginia Tech, which would suggest that a strong showing in the SEC tournament could earn Auburn a bid.

This entire conversation, at least as it pertains to Miami (Ohio), is all a moot point if the RedHawks win the MAC tournament and earn an automatic bid. It's only really a debate if they fail to do so, though it's hard to imagine the selection committee punishing them for a single loss (or even two losses if they drop one of their two remaining games in the regular season).

The RedHawks are ranked 19th in this week's Associated Press poll, a pretty modest ranking given their undefeated record. That's a good indication that they will only be granted so much leeway by the committee when it comes to accruing losses. But for now, they are in a far better position to reach the NCAA tournament than Pearl's former team.