The Miami (OH) are set to create history, in a good and a bad way. They are one game away from an unbeaten season,  and could become only the fifth team to do so in the last 46 years. 1990-91 UNLV, 2013-14 Wichita State, 2014-15 Kentucky, and 2020-21 Gonzaga are the rest of the four squads to accomplish this impressive feat. However, all 4 have earned a No. 1 seed. The Redhawks will most certainly break this trend, to the extent at which their NCAA tournament bid is being questioned. Now, their Athletic Director David Sayler, has fiercely defended his team’s position at the big dance.

The central problem behind Miami (OH) and their March madness position is their strength of schedule. Miami (OH) has the nation’s 196th hardest schedule per Team Rankings. The toughest team they have faced is Akron, which is also the only Quad 2 team they have faced.  Sayler, meanwhile, has called this entire system under scrutiny. 

“Some of these teams at the bottom of the power conferences have every advantage when the season starts,” he said in an interview with Front Office Sports. “They can create their own schedule. They don’t have to play road games.”

The historically top teams have it easy when it comes to scheduling. Basically, almost every team wants the experience of playing with them and improving their metrics like NET, and SOS. But there is no real motivation for high majors to go up against good mid-major teams like Miami (OH). In fact, it’s a lose-lose situation, the way the framework is built.  

If they win this prospective matchup, there is no major uptick on their resume or in their hype. However, if they lose, it causes a major dip in their AP Poll position and causes a dent in their March Madness seeding. “Scheduling for them has unfortunately become more about risk mitigation than about competitive balance. And that’s that’s what’s got the sport in my mind in a pretty precarious place.”

Extra Points’ Matt Brown confirmed that Miami contacted more than 20 top programs during the offseason. Among the schools the RedHawks reached out to were Pittsburgh, Wisconsin, Marquette, Kansas, Ohio State and BYU. But no one agreed to scheduling a game. Their conference play provides no Quad 1 opportunities, meaning they are at the mercy of the system at large.  Sayler also pointed out that they have the freedom to play most of their games at home, while programs like Miami (OH) are forced to travel. 

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“That’s why some of my tweets lately have been quoting Yoda fighting the evil empire because that’s what I feel like we’re doing,” Sayler further said. “This whole system is rigged in their favor and then at the end they use ‘why you didn’t play anybody’ against you when they helped create that system.” 

The power conferences already have existing autonomous legislative powers that separate them from other NCAA member leagues. In 2014-15, the NCAA Division I board of directors voted 16-2 to allow the schools in the top five conferences to write many of their own rules. Which meant they could have more staff and give insurance benefits to their players, among other advantages. 

They also hold 38-40% of Division I votes on shared issues and the recent 2025 overhaul gives them 65% weighted votes on the 13-16 member D1 Board. Naturally, the distance between teams like Miami (OH) and the top teams has only grown. And yet the critics, like Bruce Pearl, continue to hound Miami (OH) to win their tournament or be left out of the NCAA bracket. However, even NBA legends are siding with Miami (OH) on this one. 

Damian Lillard Calls Out Doubts Over Miami (OH)’s NCAA Tournament Bid

Bruce Pearl has been under fire for his comments on Miami (OH). “Miami of Ohio…here’s the deal: Are we going to select the 68 most deserving teams? Or are we going to select the 68 best teams?” Pearl asked first. “If we’re selecting the 68 best teams, then Miami (Ohio) is going to have to win their tournament to qualify as a champion. Because as an at-large, they are not one of the best teams in the country.” Now, 9-time All-Star Dame Lillard has come up with support for the emerging mid-major side. 

“Can somebody explain to me how Miami OH should/would not get an automatic bid? “I’m confused…” asked Lillard. Technically, the automatic bid goes to the conference tournament winner, not the regular-season champion. So, Miami (OH) needs to win three more games in order to get that. 

The team will need to breeze past two other aspiring March Madness contenders in its conference tournament. Akron, at 25-5 overall, has won six straight and Kent State isn’t far behind with its 22-8 mark. Both would love to be the villain in this Cinderella story. However, an at-large bid should be almost confirmed, according to David Sayler. “I think we’re already in,” he told FOS. 

The RedHawks currently hold a 31.1% chance to make the tourney per Team Rankings, which includes the at-large percentage. But the Redhawks would like to confirm their place by winning the conference tourney and not leave it up to the voters.