EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsMiami (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. "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 in the regular season or the MAC tournament could ruin the team's shot to secure its first at-large berth since 2007.On Saturday, Pearl -- who now works for TNT -- said the RedHawks have to win their conference tournament to earn a berth because they're "not one of the best teams in the country."Pearl retired hours before the regular season started and the school announced his son, Steven, as Auburn's new head coach. The Tigers, who were led by All-American Johni Broome on their way to a Final Four appearance last season, started 14-7 overall and 5-3 in the SEC this season. But the Tigers have lost seven of their past eight games, a downturn that could jeopardize the program's NCAA tournament hopes. The Tigers have secured four consecutive berths.Bruce Pearl acknowledged the predicament that Auburn -- currently a part of the last four in, per Joe Lunardi's latest bracketology -- is facing. He told Barstool that any loss could end the Tigers' shot at the NCAA tournament.Sayler accused Pearl of pushing Auburn's NCAA tournament hopes at Miami's expense."This guy belongs nowhere near a TV studio concerning anything to do with March Madness when he says things like this," Sayler posted on X. "The disrespect for what our team is accomplishing is disgusting and I will not stand by and listen to it."
