Bruce Pearl stirred up a hornet’s nest last weekend when he said the currently undefeated Miami (Ohio) RedHawks didn’t deserve an at-large spot in the NCAA Tournament if they didn’t end up winning their conference.

“Miami (Ohio), here’s the deal,” Pearl said during a Big East college basketball studio show for TNT Sports. “Are we selecting the 68 most deserving teams? Or are we going to select the 68 best teams? 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. And that’s going to be a difficult choice for the committee to make.”

It wasn’t lost on many people that the Auburn Tigers, Pearl’s former team and currently coached by his son, are on the bubble and could sure use a little help to secure their spot in the tournament. Still, even when challenged on his take, Pearl doubled down, earning the ire of Miami’s AD, amongst others.

Longtime ESPN Bracketologist Joe Lunardi does not agree with Pearl’s assessment of the situation.

In his latest update, Lunardi tries to tackle Pearl’s concerns head-on and comes away convinced that there’s no reasonable way to keep the RedHawks out and put the Tigers in, for now.

“I try to avoid debates without clear right or wrong answers, but Bruce Pearl’s argument against Miami (Ohio) as an at-large team requires context,” wrote Lunardi. “First, high-major status aside, we have no idea whether Auburn is the better basketball team. Second, Miami has won four more true road games than Auburn has played, and road teams in men’s college basketball win less than one-third of the time. Finally, in the modern history of the NCAA tournament, great mid-majors have won almost twice as many games as middling high-majors, despite fewer bids and weaker seeding.

“Now, I suppose it’s possible Miami is the worst undefeated team of all time, and Auburn is the best .500 team we’ve ever seen — but it’s way more likely Pearl would be better off leaving Bracketology to the professionals.”

Lunardi currently has Miami in as an 11-seed, while Auburn (15-14) is among his First Four Out.