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Bruce Pearl tells Travis Steele that viral comments about Miami-OH's tournament resume are 'just business'

IMG_6598by: Nick Kosko03/07/26nickkosko59

Former Auburn coach Bruce Pearl went viral for his Miami-Ohio comments and then spoke to head coach Travis Steele on Saturday. Steele fired back recently and the two came face to face. Virtually, at least.

Pearl argued that Miami-Ohio was, essentially, not as impressive as the undefeated record suggested. So basically, the Redhawks had to do some work to get into the NCAA Tournament if they don’t win their conference tournament.

“Hey, Travis, you know, you and me, it’s just business,” Pearl said on TNT’s pregame show. “This is the business we’ve chosen. It’s not personal. I’m happy for you.”

Earlier in the conversation, Pearl was making jokes. He even threw a classic Disney reference in there!

“Hey, Travis, I kind of feel like you’re Cinderella and I’m the ugly stepmother, right,” Pearl said. “I have also said, you know, teams are gonna win their way in, or they’re gonna lose their way out, and you guys have worn your way in, and all you gotta do is just go, ‘Hey, BP scoreboard,’ right? Hey, man, you know, I’ve been rooting for you. I’m proud of you. You won these last three games by two points each. Like, how did you do with all the pressure and still keep it fun for your kids?”

Steele didn’t trade jabs or pleasantries with Pearl for the most part. He gave his standard, specific answers about basketball and nothing else during the conversation.

“Yeah, I think just enjoying each other, Coach, you know, it’s just, you know, like, we’re having fun,” Steele said. “Like, if you can see practice or the bus rides or the hotels, our guys have a blast together. The connectivity that we have is absolutely elite, so I think that’s helped keep us loose. And things haven’t gone perfect. Listen, everywhere we’ve gone, and I don’t know if you know, I could never relate to this before, but until you’re in this situation, we’re getting everybody’s best shot. It’s a Super Bowl everywhere we’re going.”