The death of college basketball\u2019s Cinderella has been greatly exaggerated.<\/p>\n
She\u2019s alive and well. In Oxford, Ohio.<\/p>\n
There were zero Cinderellas in last year\u2019s NCAA Tournament<\/a>, and with the transfer portal and roster budgets increasingly favoring the bigger schools, there\u2019s a growing fear that the days of scrappy double-digit seeds busting brackets are over.<\/p>\n But even though March Madness hasn\u2019t officially begun, and even though Miami (Ohio) has yet to guarantee itself a spot in the bracket, the undefeated RedHawks have already given us the underdog vibes we\u2019ve been pining for.<\/p>\n For your consideration: Plucky little Miami from the Mid-American Conference is currently 31-0, the No. 20-ranked team in the country and the 21st team to ever complete an unblemished regular season<\/a>. It\u2019s been a dramatic run, with eight games won by one possession or in overtime. The RedHawks got every opponent\u2019s best shot as attention soared in recent weeks, selling out MACtion arenas at home and on the road. In the process, they\u2019ve delivered the hallmarks of any good Cinderella tale.<\/p>\n Head coach Travis Steele, humbled and cast off by his previous high-major job just an hour down the road, has revitalized the RedHawks and his own career. He\u2019s become a household name, whether vowing to wear a Speedo<\/a> if still undefeated on Selection Sunday or angrily pushing over a DJ speaker<\/a>. You\u2019ve probably seen more interviews with Steele over the past month than the other Top 25 head coaches combined. It\u2019s trickled down to the roster, too. Fans know names like Eian Elmer, the trash-talking junior guard and emotional heartbeat of the team. Or senior transfer Peter Suder, with his feathery jumper and even featherier hair. The Miami \u201cof Ohio\u201d moniker has gone from necessary caveat to badge of honor. It brought Wally Szczerbiak back into our lives, pounding the pulpit for his RedHawks as an analyst for CBS Sports<\/a>.<\/p>\n The only box Miami hasn\u2019t checked is, well, upsetting a blue blood. (Unless you consider winning over Bruce Pearl<\/a>.) This is kind of a crucial plot point for any Cinderella storyline, but in its absence, the discourse on Miami has been a nice substitute. There are real, living people out there who claim to be fans of college basketball yet are rooting against 31-0 Miami\u2019s credentials for an at-large tournament bid. There are folks suggesting, straight-faced, that if Miami crashes out of the MAC tourney or falls to Akron in the title game for a second straight year, that a team like Indiana or Virginia Tech or Auburn would be more deserving. More \u2026 fun? There are some invoking Miami\u2019s NET and SOS as insufficient in favor of a power conference bubble team that\u2019s barely over .500 and in the bottom half of its league standings. The audacity.<\/p>\n (I write all of this as a proud alum of the rival Ohio Bobcats, so you know my journalistic objectivity is pure.)<\/p>\n Despite this dangerous strain of team-sheet brain rot, most have rallied behind the RedHawks. Miami\u2019s arc is worth rooting for, one that has broken through the college hoops bubble to more casual sports fans. This Cinderella wears a lucky Skyline Chili T-shirt<\/a> \u2014 and maybe a Speedo! At the very least, it\u2019s more fun than the Darryn Peterson saga or a White House roundtable on college sports.<\/p>\n The extended nature of the run has helped. Upsets are what define Cinderellas in March, but it\u2019s the teams that make it to the second and third weekends that really stick with us. Steph Curry and Davidson reaching the Elite Eight. Sister Jean and Loyola Chicago crashing the Final Four. Florida Gulf Coast and Dunk City. Saint Peters and Doug Edert\u2019s mustache.<\/p>\n These RedHawks have given us weeks of memorable moments and debates. Real ones remember the double buzzer-beater against Buffalo<\/a> in January, with fans climbing aboard the bandwagon ever since. The last week of the regular season alone featured three 2-point victories, including Steele de-cleating Western Michigan\u2019s DJ equipment during a halftime tirade and a bareknuckle overtime brawl against Ohio, which ended with the Miami players and Bobcats student section exchanging pleasantries.<\/p>\n SUDER SAYS GOODNIGHT\ud83d\udd25@petersuder1<\/a> calls ballgame at Millett\u203c\ufe0f@MiamiOH_BBall<\/a> | #MACtion<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/GPHDozrPS1<\/a><\/p>\n