Just weeks after questioning their legitimacy, Bruce Pearl is suddenly leading the cheer squad for the undefeated Miami RedHawks. But college basketball fans have long memories and immediately called out the coach’s convenient change of heart.

Miami (Ohio) and its undefeated run are drawing praise from the harshest of critics. The Miami RedHawks’ historic campaign has divided college basketball experts and fans over the team’s candidacy for the NCAA Tournament.

Despite their undefeated record this season, the RedHawks’ viability as a challenger for the NCAA Tournament came under scrutiny, with former Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl not considering them a top challenger.

However, all speculation about their regular season has been put to rest, with Miami (Ohio) improving to 31-0 thanks to the overtime win over rival Ohio. A perfect regular season is a rare occurrence in college basketball.

Bruce Pearl congratulated the team on the historic run and its performance against Ohio, and the former Auburn head coach’s tweet is drawing widespread attention from fans.

The 65-year-old highlighted the great Ohio escape by the Miami RedHawks. But fans are quick to point out the change in his tone after publicly stating that he would rather choose a struggling Auburn side to make the NCAA Tournament over the undefeated Miami RedHawks.

Fans point out the hypocrisy in Bruce Pearl’s latest comments on the Miami RedHawks

Bruce Pearl’s tweet has enraged and humored fans depending on their allegiances. One fan said, “Did Magic Johnson write this tweet for you, Bruce?”

The language and the structure of the tweet scream Magic Johnson. The NBA legend is popular for his wholesome and almost obvious social media posts, and Bruce Pearl seems to have taken a leaf out of his book, according to this fan.

One fan noted the undertone in the tweet. “We all know he is secretly FUMING,” they noticed.

Bruce Pearl’s words carry a tinge of warning, a reminder that the Miami RedHawks have not been nearly as impressive as the record suggests.

Another fan pointed out the sarcasm in the tweet. “Y’all think this is the compliment, but the last line is passive-aggressive, and he does not mean this as a compliment,” they said.

While Bruce Pearl recognizes Miami (OH)’s brush with history, he is quick to highlight that the run includes 10 wins achieved with the last possession of the game, perhaps pointing out the close nature of Miami (OH)’s victories.

Another fan highlighted how the MAC could benefit from this. “And now you have to root for them in the conference tourney, otherwise the MAC will get 2 bids. Oh, how the tables have turned,” they tweeted.

Bruce Pearl has been critical of the lack of quality in conferences such as the MAC, and the Miami RedHawks’ conference victories have come into question. However, in case another team wins the MAC Tournament, we could see two MAC teams head to the NCAA Tournament.

Most fans, though, are commenting on the obvious, with the win over Ohio all but securing the RedHawks’ place in the NCAA Tournament. “No way they don’t get in…regardless of the schedule,” one fan said.

The NCAA Tournament’s purpose is to pit the best college programs against each other to find out who prevails. And if a 31-0 team cannot find a spot in the tournament in March, it truly would be madness.