Cinderellas in college basketball are usually reserved for March, but the Miami RedHawks have been the darlings of college basketball the entire second half of the season, finishing the year as the only team in men’s Division I to go undefeated in the regular season.
However, not everyone has been in the RedHawks’ corner this season. Some, including former Auburn Tigers head coach turned television analyst Bruce Pearl, have decried Miami’s strength of schedule and have advocated against the RedHawks receiving an at-large bid to the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
Ultimately, Miami (Ohio) received an at-large bid after falling to the UMass Minutemen in the quarterfinals of the MAC Tournament and went on to defeat the SMU Mustangs 89-79 in the First Four, punching their ticket to face the Tennessee Volunteers in the round of 64 as an 11-seed.
Ohio’s most recognizable university wasn’t quite as successful in its 2026 tournament debut.
The Ohio State Buckeyes erased a double-digit deficit against the TCU Horned Frogs in the round of 64’s first game on Thursday, but fell after TCU’s Xavier Edmonds converted on a rim run with 4.2 seconds remaining in regulation, and Bruce Thornton’s half-court heave as time expired never made contact with the rim.
Just as Pearl may have ulterior motives in advocating against Miami, another college basketball analyst may have had his own reasons for poking fun at the Buckeyes’ 66-64 loss.
Michigan alum Jalen Rose trolled Ohio State during the CBS Sports and TNT Sports’ studio show.
Michigan alum Jalen Rose trolls Ohio State after getting knocked out by TCU.
“It’s only right that they’re the second best basketball program in their own state. Why don’t we just call Miami THE Miami University?” pic.twitter.com/nHQamFJwi3
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 19, 2026
“Wow. That’s number one why you don’t pick Ohio State for basketball,” Rose says of Thornton playing 136 games for the Buckeyes rather than going pro.
“And then, and then number two, it’s only right that they’re the second-best basketball program in their own state. So why don’t we just call Miami: THE Miami University?”
Bomani Jones, who worked with Rose during their days at ESPN, liked Rose’s commitment to his collegiate rivalry.
this my kinda energy here https://t.co/oV5Mst3aiX
— bomani (@bomani_jones) March 19, 2026
All jokes aside, THE Miami RedHawks have advanced, and in March, there’s no telling how far a cinderella will go dancing.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.