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By Tyler Erzberger
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Miami (Ohio) is the feel-good story of the season in college basketball.
At 29-0, they're on the verge of making the NCAA men's basketball tournament as an undefeated champion of the Mid-American Conference.
The RedHawks have danced around and dodged losses throughout the entire campaign. Almost every week, the MAC leaders looked like they might suffer their first defeat before hitting a clutch buzzer-beater or an overtime three-pointer to stay unbeaten.
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But with every good fairytale, there has to be a villain, and in this case, it might be the tournament selection committee.
Although it would seem impossible that the RedHawks could miss March Madness with a 29-0 record that has them ranked No. 19 in the country, it might be more likely than you think.
A debate has begun to rage online and on broadcast about the viability of Miami (Ohio) if they drop one of their final two regular-season games or don't win their conference tournament.
Although the RedHawks are favored to go 31-0 before entering the MAC gauntlet, all it would take is one of those clutch shots or a bad bounce going against them to deny them the auto-bid to the tournament through their conference tournament.
On paper, Miami (Ohio) should be in over the likes of teams on the bubble, like Auburn, the University of Southern California, or Indiana.
But when you look at the actual deep analytics and the competition the RedHawks have played, it shows the holes within the MAC leader's resume.
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Per KenPom, the highly respected statistical archive and college basketball rating system created by Ken Pomeroy, the RedHawks aren't in the top 64 teams in the country.
They're not in the top 70.
They're not even in the top 80.
KenPom currently has them sitting at 87th in the nation, behind the likes of 14-16 Creighton, 13-16 Notre Dame, and 12-17 Ole Miss.
The database doesn't even have the RedHawks as the best team statistically in the MAC, with Akron above them at No. 61.
Although Miami (Ohio) beat the Zips by three earlier in the season and has five fewer losses than them, if they meet again for the MAC championship, the RedHawks could be underdogs.
If they keep winning, they're in. But in a world where they fall before clinching that auto-bid? Miami (Ohio)'s Cinderella run might turn into a pumpkin before March Madness even begins.
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