The Miami (Ohio) RedHawks are putting together a historic season, improving to 29–0 after an exciting narrow win over Western Michigan.

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The record is flawless. The résumé? Less intimidating.

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Miami hasn’t exactly stacked wins over elite competition. Their KenPom ranking won’t turn heads. They own just one Quad 2 win — a victory over a middling Wright State team. And yes, the Mid-American Conference does them no favors when it comes to strength-of-schedule metrics.

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The MAC isn’t exactly celebrated for basketball excellence. It’s better known for midweek football and late-night gambling windows. The basketball product, frankly, is wretched.

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Despite the soft schedule, Miami hasn’t slipped once.

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They’ve won 53 of their last 62 games dating back to last season. They’ve taken 11 of 16 conference games by nine points or more. Their non-conference slate wasn’t murderers’ row — but they won every one of those too.

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This is a winning program. Period.

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Bracketology experts and media members have theorized that if Miami drops a game and fails to secure the automatic MAC bid, they could miss the NCAA Tournament altogether.   

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For a committee that claims to celebrate the underdog and champion the Cinderella story, excluding the most compelling regular-season Cinderella in recent memory would be indefensible. They’ve earned the right to find out what they can do on the biggest stage.

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If an undefeated or 1-loss season doesn’t guarantee that opportunity, what exactly does it guarantee?