The state of Ohio is having a bit of a moment when it comes to college hoops. Four of the state’s universities, Ohio State, Wright State, Miami, and Akron, are sending their men’s basketball teams to the NCAA Tournament, and Ohio State and Miami are sending their women’s teams as well.
The Miami RedHawks men’s team, in particular, has been the darling of the college basketball season, finishing the season as the only unbeaten team in the men’s Division I and earning a rare at-large bid as a mid-major program.
However, the RedHawks have not been without their fair share of public detractors. Now, it appears one of those detractors might just be Republican politician and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
“I love universities in Ohio. I want us to have the best universities. But we have too many of them,” Ramaswamy is seen saying in a video that’s going viral on social media.
“They need to be consolidated. And when you consolidate them, they can actually be centers of excellence who are actually the best in their respective domains instead of trying to create replicas and clones of one another throughout the state.”
It’s an interesting sentiment to have at a time when the smaller schools around the state are having so much success on the national stagee. University of Wisconsin–Green Bay head basketball coach Doug Gottlieb took note of the video.
“Vivek not a MACtion guy,” Gottlieb posted to Twitter.
Maybe if one of the smaller teams go on a special run during 2026’s March Madness, Ramaswamy will adjust his stance a little.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.