Written by MICHAEL KOH
The notion that Miami Ohio could potentially miss the NCAA Tournament with anything less than a MAC title is a farce.
College basketball’s obsession with the NET and other analytics has affected the RedHawks more than any other team this season. Though Miami enters the MAC Tournament at 31-0, their rankings in the NET and on sites like KenPom do not reflect that record. That could have something to do with Miami’s poor strength of schedule, as the RedHawks did not play a single power-conference foe this season. And as the NET takes high value from the mythical Quad 1 games, Miami still languishes at No. 53 in its rankings.
That’s 13 spots below No. 40 Auburn, which enters the SEC Tournament with a 16-15 record. But the Tigers know how to game the system, and their top five strength of schedule is somehow keeping them in NCAA Tournament bubble conversations. Multiple outlets describe this year’s bubble as one of the weakest in recent memory, filled with teams who seem dead set on torpedoing their own tournament chances right at the finish line.
Let’s take a look around. CBS lists Cal as one of the first four teams out of the field. The Bears have 21 wins and appeared poised to make their first tournament appearance in a decade, but a brutal home loss vs. Pitt will be hard to overcome. Oklahoma is also listed, even though the Sooners at one point lost nine consecutive games. Like Auburn, OU’s best attribute is the conference patch on its jerseys.
The mediocrity of these teams is one of the main reasons another struggling power-conference school, NC State, still retains a tenuous grasp on its bid. The Wolfpack have lost four games in a row and six of their last seven, and have gone from a potential 6-seed in the field to still nervous entering the ACC Tournament.
And don’t even get me started on Boise State, which lost a home game to a Division 2 team earlier this season but somehow still finds itself within range of the bubble. As does New Mexico, which hasn’t done anything that egregious… but did lose to Boise State twice.
In stronger bubble years, all of these teams would be disqualified by now. But with college basketball’s rich only getting richer in the NIL era, it’s left exposed a soft “middle class,” one which can skate by with poor on-court results but a solid brand name and OK advanced metrics. Just ask Tar Heel fans how Carolina got in last year.
That brings us back to Miami Ohio. The RedHawks aren’t exactly a college hoops mainstay, but their odyssey of a season has fascinated fans across the nation. Even if they don’t win the MAC Tournament – and bettors are favoring 2-seed Akron – they deserve a shot to test their mettle against the nation’s best teams. Leaving them out would be a betrayal of everything March is supposed to represent.
chapelboroaudio.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/2026/03%20-%20March/11/Sports%20Notebook%20031126%20FINAL.mp3
Featured image via Associated Press/Butch Dill
Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.
Chansky’s Notebook: Pop That Bubble! Chapelboro.com.
Hence then, the article about chansky s notebook pop that bubble was published today ( ) and is available on chapelboro ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Chansky’s Notebook: Pop That Bubble! )
Also on site :
- Telford man to face trial after denying multiple child sex charges
- World Heritage Sites Hit in Airstrikes on Iran
- India eases norms for investment from China – media