Story byJeff HauserSun, March 1, 2026 at 2:29 AM UTC·2 min readCalls mount for TNT to fire Bruce Pearl before NCAA Tournament originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here. Bruce Pearl is facing backlash from college basketball fans just weeks after joining TNT and CBS Sports as an NCAA Tournament analyst. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe former Auburn coach was on Saturday broadcast and might want to reverse his logic. While discussing the projected March Madness field, Pearl said unbeaten Miami (OH) is currently a bubble team after improving to 29-0 with a 69-67 win over Western Michigan on Friday night. Despite the perfect record and being two wins away from history, Pearl questioned whether the Redhawks deserved an at-large bid.“If we’re selecting the 68 best teams, then Miami (OH) is going to have to win their tournament to qualify as a champion,” Pearl said.