Episode 56: Matt Cox & Ky McKeon From Three Man Weave Deep Dive The 2023-2024 College Basketball Season

Barstool Sports

Mark Titus | The Mark Titus Show

Transcript

00:00:00 On today's episode of the Mark Titus Show,

00:00:02 we have a college basketball sickos pervert show.

00:00:05 It is mid-September.

00:00:08 It is not exactly the height of college basketball content,

00:00:11 but I'm itching for it, man.

00:00:12 I'm a college basketball junkie, as most of you know,

00:00:15 and we've been doing some shows

00:00:17 that aren't college basketball as of late,

00:00:19 and I just got the itch to talk hoop with some guys.

00:00:23 So I got Kai McKeon and Matt Cox,

00:00:25 who are with the three-man weave.

00:00:29 Jim Root, who was on the show

00:00:31 a little over a month ago, I wanna say.

00:00:33 He's the third guy, so he's already been on the show.

00:00:36 That went well, talking with Jim.

00:00:38 I thought, I gotta get the other two guys in here.

00:00:39 In fact, I think I said that to Jim before he left.

00:00:41 I was like, we gotta get Kai and Matt in here.

00:00:43 So we finally did.

00:00:44 Kai and Matt joined me.

00:00:45 We talked about everything,

00:00:46 kind of the usual suspects, to be honest.

00:00:49 It's hard to talk about college basketball these days

00:00:54 without talking about realignment and NIL

00:00:56 and all that sort of stuff,

00:00:57 but these guys have great perspective.

00:01:00 They have a great podcast, very informative.

00:01:02 If you're into college basketball even a little bit,

00:01:05 I highly recommend their stuff

00:01:06 'cause they cover what I don't.

00:01:10 They actually do the job that I don't do,

00:01:12 which is that they talk to coaches

00:01:14 and they crunch the numbers and all that sort of thing,

00:01:17 and they're very, very good and very informative.

00:01:20 And I very much recommend their show.

00:01:22 But yeah, that's what I had on the docket today

00:01:25 is I wanted to talk some college hoops,

00:01:27 scratch that itch for me.

00:01:29 And Kai and Matt were kind enough to join me in studio.

00:01:31 We had a long conversation about all sorts of topics

00:01:35 in the college basketball world.

00:01:36 Please enjoy.

00:01:37 All right, joining me now are Kai McKeon and Matt Cox,

00:01:40 two-thirds of the three-man weave.

00:01:42 Those of you that listen to the show religiously

00:01:44 and watch the show might remember Jim Root,

00:01:48 who came on the show.

00:01:49 We had a great conversation with Jim.

00:01:50 That was a lot of fun.

00:01:51 He is the third member.

00:01:52 We kicked Jim out.

00:01:53 It's a three-man.

00:01:54 I thought about having Jim come back,

00:01:57 but then that would be a four-man weave.

00:01:58 And I basically, I'm angling to just take Jim's job.

00:02:01 I wanna kick Jim out.

00:02:03 And I think like the three of us might have something here.

00:02:06 So that's, we'll see where this goes.

00:02:08 But I wanted to talk some college hoops.

00:02:09 And you guys are Chicago guys.

00:02:12 And thank you for coming in.

00:02:15 - Of course.

00:02:16 Yeah, first time here.

00:02:16 - You do the three-man weave pod.

00:02:17 You're also writing the Almanac right now, correct?

00:02:20 - We are, volume two.

00:02:21 Yeah.

00:02:22 - The all caps Almanac, I'm sure you--

00:02:23 - All caps Almanac, yes.

00:02:24 Very excited.

00:02:25 - We're not sure why we decided to go all caps,

00:02:26 but it just kind of branded as such.

00:02:28 And now I have to say all caps.

00:02:29 - Who came up with the title for the Almanac?

00:02:31 - That might've been a Jeff Goodman.

00:02:32 - I was gonna say that feels like a Jeff Goodman.

00:02:34 - Very journalist.

00:02:35 - We don't need to credit him publicly,

00:02:37 but I think it was Jeff Goodman.

00:02:38 - I wanna see what got left on the cutting room floors.

00:02:40 He was going through all the different names of--

00:02:43 - Encyclopedia, Bible.

00:02:44 - He's like, no, we can't do Bible.

00:02:46 The basketball Bible.

00:02:47 He's like, we can't do that.

00:02:49 All right, so we are in mid-September, obviously.

00:02:52 I've always felt like, covering this sport,

00:02:56 I get a lot of stuff from my friends and family,

00:02:59 like in the middle of the summer,

00:03:01 where they're like, what the hell

00:03:02 could you possibly be talking about

00:03:03 on a college basketball show?

00:03:06 And I always tell them, I was like,

00:03:07 honestly, that part of the year is a little easier.

00:03:10 I get frustrated this part of the year,

00:03:12 because I feel like over the summer,

00:03:15 there's roster movements, there's new--

00:03:18 - It's fun.

00:03:19 - It's fun.

00:03:20 You get to let your hair down a little bit.

00:03:21 Now, all these kids are at school,

00:03:24 and you're just kind of waiting.

00:03:25 So, where's your guys' head at right now

00:03:27 in the college basketball calendar?

00:03:29 How are the juices flowing for college basketball?

00:03:31 - Juices are flowing hard right now for college basketball.

00:03:35 I've talked to 50 coaches this off-season

00:03:37 for the All-Caps Almanac.

00:03:39 Yeah, but every single day offers us something new

00:03:42 in college basketball, with the way the off-season is,

00:03:44 with NIL, transfers.

00:03:46 I don't like realignment whatsoever,

00:03:48 but all the other stuff makes it at least interesting

00:03:50 for me.

00:03:51 It's just, I don't know.

00:03:53 I'm torn on it myself.

00:03:54 - Realignment?

00:03:55 - It just feels, I'm tired of reading

00:03:58 the same optimistic coach stuff,

00:04:00 and when you talk to them for the Almanac stuff,

00:04:02 it's, "Man, I really like this year's squad.

00:04:05 "Last year, we didn't have this,

00:04:06 "but you said the exact same thing last year

00:04:08 "when I talked to you, and you didn't have it."

00:04:09 But, yeah, so.

00:04:11 That gets annoying.

00:04:13 I want to see games.

00:04:14 I want the secret scrimmages.

00:04:15 I want the exhibitions.

00:04:16 I need more of that kind of nonsense news

00:04:18 to kind of fill the void.

00:04:19 - The coaches that are, like,

00:04:20 we got this big transfer who averaged 12 points a game

00:04:23 at a tiny-ass conference,

00:04:24 and now he's stepping up to the ACC,

00:04:26 but we really think he's gonna be special

00:04:28 and make the difference for us,

00:04:29 and you're just like, "What the,

00:04:30 "I don't think that's gonna--"

00:04:31 - Remember his name, write his name down.

00:04:32 Yeah, exactly.

00:04:33 - That's the issue.

00:04:34 It's the coach speak constantly.

00:04:35 You get it firsthand, right?

00:04:36 - Yeah, so as you're writing this thing,

00:04:38 I don't want to give too much away,

00:04:39 but I imagine there might be some introductory paragraphs

00:04:43 or a setting of the stage of college basketball.

00:04:48 Obviously, since 2019,

00:04:50 since 2019, the changes that have happened in the sport

00:04:55 with, as we've said, the NIL and the portal,

00:04:58 but the realignment and COVID wiped out a tournament,

00:05:02 it's just been complete chaos in college sports.

00:05:04 I feel like college football,

00:05:06 we're three weeks in almost now,

00:05:09 I feel like college football is good.

00:05:11 College football, there's buzz to it.

00:05:13 I think people are really excited about it.

00:05:14 I think they've navigated,

00:05:16 the Pac-12 is dead,

00:05:17 but somehow the Pac-12 is the most fun football league.

00:05:20 Where are we at with the state of the union

00:05:23 of college basketball as we enter this season

00:05:25 and having navigated all of these changes?

00:05:27 Where do you think,

00:05:28 as you think about the broad picture of the sport

00:05:31 in the last five years,

00:05:32 as we enter the 2023, 24 season?

00:05:35 - Concerning.

00:05:36 Not so much realignment,

00:05:37 but I'm concerned about all these anonymous coach quotes.

00:05:41 For instance, Norlander had a piece in CBS

00:05:44 that said, "We want to move to a 24 shot clock.

00:05:46 "We want to change rules that make it more like the NBA."

00:05:49 Which concerns me a lot more,

00:05:50 expanding the tournament,

00:05:51 but trying to change our sport,

00:05:53 and it doesn't sit well with me.

00:05:55 - Yeah, you guys are old heads?

00:05:57 - Yeah, the world is two groups.

00:06:00 You like college basketball,

00:06:01 and whatever changes,

00:06:02 we're probably still gonna be watching.

00:06:04 If it goes to a 10 second shot clock,

00:06:05 like me, you, and we're probably all gonna be still watching

00:06:07 March Madness, but the others who are MBA

00:06:11 or casual basketball fans,

00:06:13 if we want them to still be a part of our clan

00:06:15 of college basketball fans,

00:06:16 I think we have to be concerned from that lens, right?

00:06:19 They probably don't like what they're seeing.

00:06:21 - Yeah. - I don't know.

00:06:22 - Yeah, my mind goes to when I used to watch

00:06:25 Shark Tank all the time,

00:06:26 and Kevin O'Leary would always use the parable

00:06:30 of the dog that's got the stick in its mouth,

00:06:32 and it looks into the pond,

00:06:34 and then he sees another stick in the pond,

00:06:36 and then he-- - Right.

00:06:37 - And then he drops the stick

00:06:39 to try to grab the other stick,

00:06:40 but then the one stick that was in his mouth

00:06:42 fell into the pond, and now he has no stick.

00:06:44 That's what I feel like college basketball is,

00:06:45 where it's like you're trying to go after the casual fan,

00:06:48 but in doing that, you're losing the diehard fans.

00:06:51 - Baseball had this issue, right?

00:06:52 Or still does.

00:06:53 I think baseball is, both college basketball and baseball

00:06:56 are regional sports.

00:06:58 - Yeah.

00:06:59 - And you're trying to make it more NFL-y appeal to everyone.

00:07:03 That's not really-- - Yeah.

00:07:05 - No one in the Big Ten really cares about the Pac-12

00:07:07 until they see them in March

00:07:08 or they play one random game in Maui.

00:07:10 That's it, you don't care about that.

00:07:11 So why is it trying to, I don't know,

00:07:13 nationalize the sport?

00:07:14 It feels dumb.

00:07:15 - Yeah.

00:07:16 - It feels dumb.

00:07:17 - I--

00:07:18 - Curious, but what do you,

00:07:19 so you, guys like Evan Turner, Greg,

00:07:21 like guys who play in the NBA,

00:07:23 or that have NBA affinity,

00:07:25 what do they think about college basketball?

00:07:27 Asking me is pointless.

00:07:29 Like, whatever, I'll probably still be watching in 30 years.

00:07:31 Who cares, whatever they do in the sport,

00:07:32 but like, what do they think?

00:07:33 - Well, it's hard 'cause they are skewed

00:07:37 by the lifestyle that they live,

00:07:39 so it's like, I think when you're,

00:07:42 when you step into the NBA and you become rich and famous,

00:07:46 and, or just bounce around from city to,

00:07:48 you know, and you like have the livelihood

00:07:49 you have because of this,

00:07:51 I think you probably look at the NBA

00:07:52 and you're like, that was pretty sick.

00:07:53 Like, thank you, NBA.

00:07:54 - College sucked, yeah.

00:07:55 - Yeah, but they don't hate college.

00:07:57 I mean, I always find it fascinating

00:08:01 that like the guys in the NBA that,

00:08:04 not every single one, but so many of them are,

00:08:07 do always seem to have an affinity for their college,

00:08:10 and like Kevin Durant spent one cup of coffee at Texas,

00:08:13 didn't really do, he was great individually.

00:08:15 That team, you know, loses in the second round

00:08:17 by a thousand to USC,

00:08:19 and he still has this like love for going back to Austin

00:08:22 and being around the program and all that sort of thing.

00:08:24 And I just found that, I find that interesting

00:08:26 'cause like, Kevin Durant's a great example

00:08:28 'cause he doesn't really seem to have an NBA team.

00:08:29 Like he, you know, like when he goes in the Hall of Fame,

00:08:32 like who's his NBA team?

00:08:35 But yeah, it is weird, but I also like hate

00:08:37 that this is where we've been,

00:08:39 as guys who talk about the sport,

00:08:41 I hate that like this is kind of,

00:08:43 like we get excited about it,

00:08:44 but we always have this like undercurrent of like,

00:08:46 yeah, but you know, like, you know, we're concerned,

00:08:49 and it's like all these changes and all this sort of thing.

00:08:52 So like, where's the optimism?

00:08:54 Where do we find the optimism as we enter the season?

00:08:57 - I mean, NIL and Portals, cool, right?

00:08:59 Like I know we probably grew up with the four-year,

00:09:03 you know, like the Lee Melchionis,

00:09:04 the guys you grew up watching.

00:09:06 - The Lee Melchionis,

00:09:07 the first thing you thought of.

00:09:08 - That's a tier four deep dive reference

00:09:10 of a Dookie role player there.

00:09:12 But like, Kai, like think of our friend group.

00:09:16 Like we never talked,

00:09:17 you never talked about Mizzou basketball ever

00:09:19 until the Portal.

00:09:21 It's like, all right, who we getting,

00:09:22 like who we, who flew into campus?

00:09:24 What a visit isn't really a visit, but this guy,

00:09:26 like it just makes it more NBA in the offseason.

00:09:28 Like that's fun.

00:09:29 That's I think the only notable change

00:09:32 that where people probably,

00:09:33 there's probably like the de Corsi's

00:09:35 of the college basketball media head

00:09:37 that probably don't like it.

00:09:38 But like, I think it's a good thing, it is.

00:09:40 - The Portal is fun.

00:09:42 NIL stuff is kind of weird

00:09:43 'cause I don't think it's sustainable.

00:09:44 I think it's gonna come crashing down at some point

00:09:46 and I'm kind of worried it's gonna result

00:09:48 in like a minor league sort of thing for college sports

00:09:51 and it's not gonna be what I know as college basketball,

00:09:53 which I just love.

00:09:54 I'm not looking for it to change.

00:09:56 - Yeah. - That's my concern.

00:09:57 - My biggest concern with all of the changes

00:10:00 is that there feels like there's a sense

00:10:03 that at some point we're gonna be done

00:10:06 and I had a realization the last couple years

00:10:09 where I was like, this is never ending.

00:10:11 Like this is, it's not like,

00:10:12 as conference realignment is happening,

00:10:15 you're like, all right, so all these schools go here,

00:10:17 go here, okay.

00:10:18 All right, so I guess we're done now.

00:10:19 And like you think that there's gonna be a day

00:10:21 where we step back and you're like, all right,

00:10:22 so that's it.

00:10:23 I guess this is now college basketball, but it's not that.

00:10:25 That day will never come and there will never be.

00:10:27 And so like as you think about like the NIL part of it all,

00:10:30 like you said, it becomes a minor league,

00:10:32 like a true, the facade was always there.

00:10:33 The facade has been destroyed now

00:10:36 and it's like pretty clearly that these guys

00:10:37 are semi-pros, you know.

00:10:41 And what stops like the wheels of change

00:10:45 from like leading to down a path

00:10:47 where college basketball does in fact

00:10:49 directly compete with the NBA

00:10:51 because you're straight up paying salaries for guys

00:10:53 and you're straight up like,

00:10:54 there isn't like the school requirements

00:10:57 are thrown out the window and like, yeah.

00:10:59 And I think that that's where it's headed

00:11:01 because this idea that like, okay, so now NIL is a thing.

00:11:04 Now we can just like wipe our hands and be like,

00:11:06 all right, it's done.

00:11:07 So the changes are done.

00:11:08 I think that's insane and the changes are never gonna stop.

00:11:10 And there's probably gonna be a point in all of our lives,

00:11:13 assuming we live full lives here.

00:11:16 - Till we die instead of our members.

00:11:17 - Till we all.

00:11:18 Yeah, I don't know.

00:11:21 Maybe there's a world where there is like a 17 year old kid

00:11:23 who's like a great basketball player.

00:11:25 And it's, I mean, it's already kind of happened

00:11:26 with the G League that they compete against,

00:11:28 but there's a world where like the Lakers wanna sign

00:11:31 like the top high school guy.

00:11:33 And so does Kentucky and they get in a bidding war

00:11:35 and you're, yeah, and that sounds insane,

00:11:36 but also it sounds less insane as the years roll by here.

00:11:39 - You know you're a diehard college hoops fan

00:11:41 when you root for every G League guy to suck.

00:11:44 (laughing)

00:11:45 Which is where I'm at.

00:11:46 And like, even like Mitchell Robinson,

00:11:48 I think he had like a good shit with the Knicks.

00:11:50 And I don't really follow the NBA that closely.

00:11:52 I'm a pretty siloed person, but like,

00:11:55 oh, he actually hadn't been that good.

00:11:56 Oh, he would've been better off had he gone to,

00:11:58 yeah, stuff like that.

00:11:59 - Yeah.

00:12:00 - Yeah, yeah.

00:12:01 - Yeah.

00:12:02 So, Conference Realignment,

00:12:05 the winners and losers in your guys' mind,

00:12:07 as we're, you know, you guys seem to hate it as much as I do,

00:12:09 but it is a reality and it's here.

00:12:11 Like, are there any positives?

00:12:12 Is there anything that you're like,

00:12:14 I hate it, but having said that,

00:12:17 since this is the slop I'm being fed,

00:12:19 I guess I can find a way to, you know.

00:12:21 - Don't we like seeing the Pac-12 kind of,

00:12:23 didn't we always kind of have something against the Pac-12?

00:12:25 - I just hate not being able to watch the Pac-12 ever.

00:12:27 I never had Pac-12 network.

00:12:28 - We've always presented the Pac-12, right?

00:12:30 - Yeah, but I'm more excited about the Big 12.

00:12:32 I am excited about Arizona coming in the Big 12.

00:12:34 Houston, that's gonna be awesome this season.

00:12:37 Colorado made out like a bandit going back to the Big 12,

00:12:40 getting out of the Pac-12,

00:12:41 but that's probably the highlights, I would say.

00:12:44 - It's really the Big 12, right?

00:12:45 It's just like the Big 12.

00:12:47 I don't love the realignment,

00:12:49 but also I know that, yeah, Arizona being in that league

00:12:53 and Houston now in the league and BYU and Utah

00:12:56 are gonna be good.

00:12:57 And you know, Brett Yormark might be a genius by the way,

00:13:02 'cause I thought the Big 12 was dead in the water.

00:13:04 I thought it was toast.

00:13:06 I remember when this guy took over as Big 12 commissioner

00:13:09 and the one bullet point I saw about him

00:13:11 was that he was the Rock Nation CEO.

00:13:13 And I was like, what?

00:13:14 (laughing)

00:13:15 I was like, what?

00:13:16 What?

00:13:17 They hired who?

00:13:18 What's going on?

00:13:19 And then like you read his resume a little more,

00:13:22 it's like he worked with NASCAR.

00:13:23 He like worked at NASCAR doing something,

00:13:26 but then he also worked with Rock Nation.

00:13:27 I'm like, who the hell is this?

00:13:29 What does the Venn diagram look like

00:13:30 of people that are interested in Rock Nation and NASCAR?

00:13:34 I was like, what's the Big 12 doing?

00:13:36 And then as all the realignment stuff's going on,

00:13:39 it did feel like they were just gonna be,

00:13:41 yeah, it was like SEC Big 10 arms race

00:13:43 and all the others were gonna die.

00:13:45 The Big 12 seems to be in a secure spot.

00:13:47 And I think his attitude, I think he spoke about this,

00:13:50 is to build like a basketball,

00:13:53 not that football doesn't matter,

00:13:54 football will always be king,

00:13:55 but like if you do have a basketball conference

00:13:58 that has enough big pieces,

00:14:00 you'll never be left out because you can't,

00:14:02 the Big 10 and the SEC,

00:14:04 if they run their own little shit with the basketball

00:14:07 and then they crown a national champion,

00:14:08 you can't in good conscience

00:14:09 call your champion a national champion

00:14:11 if you're not including Kansas and Arizona.

00:14:14 And I thought that was genius.

00:14:15 I was like, that's a,

00:14:16 'cause there was never a world

00:14:17 where you can just suddenly snap your fingers

00:14:19 and get Michigan and Ohio State interested

00:14:21 in coming to the Big 12.

00:14:22 But if you could build like a basketball,

00:14:25 that's like a way to survive.

00:14:26 And I think they're in a good spot.

00:14:28 Would you guys agree that like the Big 12 is-

00:14:30 - Oh, absolutely.

00:14:30 How fun was the old Big East, right?

00:14:32 With all those college basketball centric schools

00:14:34 and Big 12 is maybe the second coming of that now.

00:14:37 The Big East, that's what I was like,

00:14:38 the winners to me are like,

00:14:40 if you're an SEC fan or a Big 10 fan or a Big East fan,

00:14:45 because it's kind of looking more like the old Big East

00:14:47 in a way where it obviously is a basketball center.

00:14:49 Like those leagues have identities.

00:14:51 Like if you're an Indiana, Ohio State fan,

00:14:53 like you feel like you're reaffirming like,

00:14:56 ah, this is cool that we're in this league.

00:14:57 That's like, we're still kind of a brotherhood.

00:15:00 Like you're laughing at like all the fake camaraderie

00:15:03 of conference pride that like the Big 12 has.

00:15:05 It's like, yeah, you're not really a league.

00:15:06 It's just like, you basically threw a party

00:15:07 and you're gonna basically hold the game.

00:15:09 - Right.

00:15:10 What are you mourning the most?

00:15:13 What's like the saddest part about all this?

00:15:17 - I just really feel for the swim teams out there

00:15:19 at East that have to travel 24 hours

00:15:22 to go to the West Coast, play an away game.

00:15:24 I mean, that's insane, right?

00:15:26 We should have every other sport

00:15:27 except football and basketball.

00:15:29 - I mean, we're all losers, I guess, in the grand scheme,

00:15:32 but like the biggest losers.

00:15:34 Yeah, I don't know.

00:15:36 Let's be honest, as college basketball fans here,

00:15:38 there's a reason, you know,

00:15:40 FBS has what, 120 teams for football?

00:15:42 - Yeah, 130.

00:15:43 - 130, thank you.

00:15:45 Fact check.

00:15:46 Do we need 363?

00:15:48 - Yes, we do.

00:15:50 We need the mid-majors, low-majors.

00:15:52 - I know, that's what--

00:15:52 - Don't go FBS.

00:15:53 - I was testing his correct answer.

00:15:54 I was testing, very good.

00:15:56 - We got a new team this year, West Georgia,

00:15:58 coming in next year.

00:15:59 - What's the team?

00:16:00 - West Georgia.

00:16:01 - West Georgia?

00:16:02 - Next season.

00:16:02 - That's not a real school.

00:16:03 - What's their mascot?

00:16:04 - The Wolves.

00:16:05 - The Wolves.

00:16:06 - What conference, they're in the A-Sun?

00:16:07 - A-Sun, yeah.

00:16:07 - West Georgia.

00:16:08 That sounds-- - That's next season, yeah.

00:16:10 - That sounds like a fake high school,

00:16:12 or a fake college, like a--

00:16:14 - Like a Madden game. - A Netflix, yeah.

00:16:16 Or a Madden, or like a Netflix series.

00:16:19 Like Friday Night Lights, can't use real schools,

00:16:22 so like the star player's getting recruited by West Georgia.

00:16:25 Doesn't sound like a real school.

00:16:27 - UWG.

00:16:28 - But they're a Division I.

00:16:29 How about that? - Yeah, 24-25.

00:16:31 Just won this year, Le Moyne, up east.

00:16:34 - I, how do you guys take the ACC news?

00:16:37 Because my reaction-- - That's weird.

00:16:39 - Yeah. - Was like,

00:16:41 it was just an act of desperation,

00:16:43 and I kind of was sad about it,

00:16:44 even though they're gonna survive the short term.

00:16:46 It's like, oh boy, long term,

00:16:47 this is really bad. - It's going.

00:16:49 - Yeah. - Yeah, tough because

00:16:50 the blue blood Bellwethers have kind of fallen,

00:16:54 not been super strong recently in hoop.

00:16:57 Like, you need Duke and UNC just to carry that.

00:17:00 - Yeah. - All the way.

00:17:01 - Yeah. - All the way.

00:17:02 And maybe Duke's a football school now too,

00:17:03 so maybe you have that kind of--

00:17:04 - I know, well, I mean, that's the thing,

00:17:05 is like the ACC does seem to,

00:17:07 it does seem like a lot of the schools

00:17:08 like kind of realized,

00:17:10 we gotta get our football stuff in order,

00:17:12 and I don't think that's a coincidence.

00:17:13 I don't think like-- - Right, yeah.

00:17:14 - In the snap of, I don't think it's a coincidence

00:17:15 that like NIL happens,

00:17:17 and then suddenly you look up and like Kansas football is--

00:17:21 - Is good. - Is good.

00:17:22 - And like the whole stadium-- - And Duke football is good.

00:17:23 - Yeah, right. - I don't think

00:17:24 that's a coincidence, but it makes me sad

00:17:26 because the ACC is, for me historically,

00:17:30 I know the Big East has been awesome too,

00:17:32 but like when I think of like the great college basketball--

00:17:34 - Like late 90s, '00s, prime time, yeah, ACC.

00:17:37 - That is it, and now I'm like,

00:17:39 man, this is not looking great,

00:17:40 'cause I think it's pretty clear

00:17:42 that like the ones that can are going to jump

00:17:44 as soon as they can. - Right, right.

00:17:46 - Cal and Stanford is-- - So weird.

00:17:49 - So weird. - Keeping the name though, ACC.

00:17:51 - Another loser, the other losers I was thinking of are,

00:17:56 like I'm really sad as all this realignment stuff goes on,

00:17:59 and like Memphis, just like Memphis so badly

00:18:02 wants to be in the Big 12, I think.

00:18:03 - I know, yeah, I know.

00:18:04 - And like they just can't make it happen for some reason.

00:18:07 - They're stuck in the, I call it the clip art conference,

00:18:09 the American, which looks like they took their logo

00:18:11 just right off like some stupid

00:18:12 like Microsoft Word file thing.

00:18:14 Yeah, which, I mean, the American,

00:18:18 kind of a fun league this year, by the way,

00:18:20 not that people care about it that much, but--

00:18:21 - We don't care, but-- - Sell me on it,

00:18:22 sell me on it. - We care about it.

00:18:23 So Memphis, Florida, Atlantic is like the rivalry

00:18:27 that's about to explode, I think it got legs lashing

00:18:30 the tournament when FAU, you know,

00:18:31 one of that buzzer beater, and they get on their huge--

00:18:33 - Controversial too, right?

00:18:34 - Controversial, right, like it wasn't travel.

00:18:35 - Yeah. - Maybe it wasn't, who cares?

00:18:37 I'm an FAU all the way, and so I didn't see it.

00:18:39 But like the Twitter subtweeting between these fan bases

00:18:43 is super visceral, and they couldn't be farther apart

00:18:47 in the like, I don't know, cultural,

00:18:49 just general perception stereotype of what they are.

00:18:52 Oh yeah, they lose Houston, but like, I don't know,

00:18:55 I don't, Houston should be in the Big 12.

00:18:57 I'm tired of watching Houston be two lane by 50.

00:18:59 I wanna see Houston actually play real teams.

00:19:00 So like, the American actually has some fun intrigue

00:19:02 to it now. - Yeah.

00:19:03 - With like a basketball slant to it.

00:19:05 - You're an FAU believer? - FAU, yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:19:08 - Hoot Hoot. - Hoot Hoot, yeah.

00:19:10 - Are you also a guy? - I'm a believer.

00:19:12 I'm not quite on board as he is, but top 15 team.

00:19:15 - Are they the most like polarizing team,

00:19:16 we think, heading into the season?

00:19:17 - Yeah, I think people are probably sick of that.

00:19:20 Like, you can see how people would be annoyed by,

00:19:23 like, I love Dusty, but you can see how people

00:19:25 would not like his exceedingly crew cut, perfect image.

00:19:29 It's like, this is BS, like, I don't know,

00:19:31 you know what I mean?

00:19:32 Like, you can kinda see how people,

00:19:33 I mean, I love him all the way through,

00:19:34 but yeah, I think they're gonna be awesome.

00:19:37 And I unapologetically.

00:19:38 - Tony Bennett dealt with that as he was like

00:19:40 building up Virginia, where he's like the nicest guy

00:19:43 in the world, and just like, you know,

00:19:46 for some reason, like, people, I mean,

00:19:48 that might have had more to do with the style of play, but.

00:19:50 - Or like the Virginia academic prestige.

00:19:52 - Yeah. - Pretentiousness,

00:19:53 I don't know if he had any of that.

00:19:54 - Tony Bennett just like literally just existing

00:19:56 over here in a corner, and everyone's just like,

00:19:58 "Fuck, he's a guy, I hate him."

00:20:00 - Look at him standing there, you know, looking nice.

00:20:02 - Just making it all about himself,

00:20:04 the way he's slapping his players on the ass

00:20:07 when they come out of the game.

00:20:07 Just son of a bitch.

00:20:08 - God, defense.

00:20:10 - Yeah, no, I'm excited about FAU moving up too,

00:20:12 'cause it lines up perfectly that they go

00:20:15 to the Final Four, and I think like that would be

00:20:16 the concern going into this next season,

00:20:18 is that if they were playing in Conference USA again,

00:20:21 they would fight against like the, you know,

00:20:23 the people that are like, are they really that good,

00:20:25 or are they just in a terrible conference?

00:20:26 So now they're gonna have to prove it a little bit more.

00:20:29 I also believe in them.

00:20:30 I think they are very legit, and I think the comparisons

00:20:35 that everyone's going to make, and already did immediately,

00:20:38 to like last year's North Carolina team,

00:20:40 I don't think they have merit, 'cause I think FAU

00:20:44 was legitimately very good all season last year,

00:20:46 whereas North Carolina got hot for a couple weeks.

00:20:49 - Yeah, they sucked for most of the year.

00:20:50 - Yeah.

00:20:50 - And their coach may not be a real coach as well.

00:20:53 Like, I'm pretty confident Dusty may,

00:20:54 so I know you're plugged in with the Indiana contingent,

00:20:57 Mark, ton of my, too many of my friends

00:21:00 I might even say are jockeying for the,

00:21:04 do I want Woodson to do really well in Indiana,

00:21:06 because I would love to see Dusty make it a phone call

00:21:09 next year or two summers from now, and come back,

00:21:11 'cause he's, for those who don't know, from Indiana,

00:21:14 Bloomington, Bob Knight assistant, or manager.

00:21:16 - Manager under Bob Knight, yeah.

00:21:17 - Yeah, the whole nine yards.

00:21:18 - IU fans have gotten so good, this was since Brad Stevens

00:21:22 was the coach at the Celtics.

00:21:24 They've gotten very good at doing calculus

00:21:27 of trying to figure out how much you want a coach to win,

00:21:31 because you need, like, if you're someone

00:21:33 who wants Woodson out, which I don't think,

00:21:35 I think most Indiana fans are like,

00:21:37 he's doing a good job.

00:21:38 - He's doing a good job, yeah.

00:21:38 - He's doing a great job.

00:21:39 - Yes, yes.

00:21:40 - Yeah, 'cause that was, like, the national perception

00:21:41 of Indiana fans is that they demand too much,

00:21:44 and they're irrational and all this,

00:21:46 and every Indiana fan I know is like,

00:21:48 we literally just wanna make the tournament, that's it.

00:21:50 Like, we're just trying to, like, we're not demanding

00:21:53 that we win national championships, we just,

00:21:55 is that too much to ask?

00:21:56 We just wanna make the fucking tournament,

00:21:57 and we haven't under Archie.

00:21:58 - It was a lot to ask under Archie, so yeah.

00:22:00 - Banners on the wall.

00:22:01 - So I don't think,

00:22:02 (laughing)

00:22:03 I don't think people are trying to run off Woodson,

00:22:06 but if you were, in the hypothetical,

00:22:08 you start doing the math of, like, all right,

00:22:10 so we want him to lose enough to where

00:22:12 they push him out the door, but if you lose too much,

00:22:14 it sinks the program, and we want--

00:22:17 - And so how good can you be winning?

00:22:17 - And we want Dusty May to win enough to where we hire him,

00:22:21 but not too much, 'cause if he wins too much,

00:22:22 like, if he wins a national title at FAU,

00:22:24 maybe he sticks around there.

00:22:26 - They got really good at that with Brad Stevens,

00:22:28 they'd watch the Celtics, and they'd be like,

00:22:30 (laughing)

00:22:31 - Have we moved on from, I think we've moved on

00:22:32 from Stevens.

00:22:33 It's funny, though, 'cause I think--

00:22:34 - I'll never move on from Stevens.

00:22:35 - I won't either, I think there's hope

00:22:36 he's gonna come back to IU.

00:22:37 - I've moved on from IU, I think,

00:22:40 but I will never move on from Brad Stevens

00:22:41 coaching basketball. - In college.

00:22:43 - Or just in general.

00:22:43 I've broadened my horizons, it was college,

00:22:46 it was originally Indiana, then I got to, like,

00:22:49 just come back to college, Brad, and now I'm just like,

00:22:51 just literally, I wanna see you on a basketball bench,

00:22:54 just whatever that looks like.

00:22:55 I don't even care, go back to the Celtics,

00:22:56 I don't care what it is, I just wanna see you

00:22:57 coach basketball.

00:22:58 - He's only 46, he's a young guy.

00:22:59 - I know.

00:23:00 - He'll come back.

00:23:02 I bet he comes back, to Indiana.

00:23:03 - So, what I've been led to believe is that

00:23:07 part of the reason he stepped away was 'cause of his son,

00:23:10 who just committed to Shrewsbury, Notre Dame.

00:23:12 - Yeah, of course, yeah.

00:23:13 - So, his son is, I think, a senior this year?

00:23:17 - Sorry, yeah.

00:23:18 - But, yeah, I think that factored into it,

00:23:21 and the lie I'm telling myself is that once

00:23:25 the nest is empty, and Brad looks around,

00:23:28 he's like, "All right, I'm ready to get back."

00:23:29 - He's that new challenge.

00:23:30 - But he was like Papa Stevens for the last few years,

00:23:34 where he wanted to go watch his son play basketball

00:23:36 a little more, so he didn't wanna be quite as hands-on

00:23:38 on the team, and my hope is that he'll get the itch.

00:23:41 - Yeah, it's a good thing.

00:23:42 - Whether it's Indiana or elsewhere, but--

00:23:44 - It's like the Kevin Stallings just took the job

00:23:46 to go watch his kid play baseball.

00:23:48 He didn't actually coach while he was there,

00:23:49 he just was like, "You were a really good coach last place,

00:23:52 "you just kinda gave up when you came here."

00:23:54 - Yeah, yeah.

00:23:55 What an all-time hire that was.

00:23:56 - Yeah, that was.

00:23:57 - Brad Stevens should pick the worst program in the country

00:24:00 and try to coach it up into a national title.

00:24:03 Just for fun.

00:24:03 - Just for fun.

00:24:04 - He's got the money, he doesn't need the money.

00:24:05 Just try it.

00:24:06 - I wanted LeBron to do that when he was--

00:24:08 - Take over Akron?

00:24:10 - Well, not coach, I meant like an NBA.

00:24:13 After he won with the Cavs, I was like,

00:24:14 "This dude should just sign one-year contracts

00:24:16 "and pick out franchises that haven't won titles,

00:24:19 "just be like, 'Sacramento, it's your turn, I'm coming,

00:24:21 "and we're gonna win a title this year.'"

00:24:23 And then when he--

00:24:24 - Not one, no, actually just one.

00:24:25 - Just one.

00:24:26 - Just one, I'll be leaving after this.

00:24:27 - Actually just one.

00:24:28 So speaking about coaches a little bit,

00:24:31 like what coaches do we feel like have the,

00:24:34 one of you, I just brought up Hubert,

00:24:36 I think we talked about--

00:24:38 - Yeah, he's on the list.

00:24:39 He's high on the list.

00:24:40 - What coaches do you feel, not hot seat,

00:24:42 I don't wanna do hot seat.

00:24:43 I wanna do pressure, which is different.

00:24:45 I'm not sure what the difference is.

00:24:48 It's a little less inflammatory

00:24:49 if we were to put out a graphic of our list

00:24:51 of coaches facing pressure versus coaches on the hot seat.

00:24:54 Feels a little different.

00:24:56 No, I don't necessarily think,

00:24:58 it doesn't have to be a coach that's realistically

00:25:01 gonna get fired anytime soon,

00:25:02 but just going into the season,

00:25:03 who are coaches that you're like,

00:25:05 they have a huge target on their back right now?

00:25:07 - So Kenny Payne's like hot seat, guys.

00:25:09 We don't have to bash him too much.

00:25:10 - Yeah, he's a legitimate hot seat.

00:25:11 - So Rick Pitino, pressure?

00:25:13 I mean, he's not feeling the hot seat at all,

00:25:15 but he's being built up.

00:25:17 St. John's top 25 love right now.

00:25:19 Everyone expects them to be back in the tournament.

00:25:21 I don't think it's quite a guarantee,

00:25:22 even though I think he's a fantastic coach.

00:25:24 He's gonna do great.

00:25:25 - I like this.

00:25:26 I didn't think, I feel like there's a little,

00:25:27 there's like unanimous conviction

00:25:30 that they're gonna be like a top 20 team.

00:25:32 Like, I know he's a great coach.

00:25:34 Like, yeah, but I think there's a little pressure

00:25:36 just 'cause the bar's so high.

00:25:37 - Yeah, rosters are different.

00:25:38 - And it's just like, okay, your best player was,

00:25:40 I mean, Denise Jankin, okay,

00:25:42 no one, people don't know who he is.

00:25:44 Yeah, I don't know.

00:25:45 But he knows probably.

00:25:46 I had John Calipari, which is like too obvious.

00:25:47 - I played him as well.

00:25:48 - Yeah, but it's-- - Too obvious.

00:25:50 - But it needs to be said.

00:25:51 I mean, it's Cal, but the problem with a guy like Cal,

00:25:56 a guy like Matt Painter, a guy like,

00:25:58 I would throw Shock on the list.

00:26:00 I would throw like--

00:26:01 - John Shire probably on the list this year for sure.

00:26:03 - Yeah, he's impressive.

00:26:04 - You're too with the guys he has.

00:26:05 - The problem with some of these guys is,

00:26:08 it really, the season almost doesn't matter.

00:26:10 It's just the tournament.

00:26:11 Like, I think, like for Painter, it's like,

00:26:13 like Painter could go undefeated entering the tournament.

00:26:15 And none of that matters, because we're all,

00:26:16 it's like just fast forward to March,

00:26:18 and that's where the pressure's going to be.

00:26:20 - Tommy Lloyd in the same vein.

00:26:22 - Tommy Lloyd's the same sort of thing.

00:26:24 - My former boss, Mark Fugue, got the tournament.

00:26:27 I guess he's still probably getting some tournament flack,

00:26:29 'cause he only won the big one.

00:26:30 But like, objectively, he's had great tournament success

00:26:33 at this point, it's hard to deny that.

00:26:34 But yeah, then Lloyd gets embarrassed by Princeton,

00:26:36 and it's like, okay, second year,

00:26:38 you haven't gotten the sweet 16, you know, maybe.

00:26:39 - Doesn't it suck to have that?

00:26:41 That must be so annoying as a coach,

00:26:43 to have successful regular seasons,

00:26:45 and then small sample size theater in the tournament.

00:26:47 You can't get there.

00:26:48 Matt Painter had an awesome year.

00:26:49 People think he's a horrible coach.

00:26:51 - Terrible. - It's a shame.

00:26:52 - How often do you think, when Matt Painter is like,

00:26:55 awake, lying awake at night, just staring at the ceiling,

00:26:58 is he thinking about Diakite?

00:27:02 Is he thinking about Fairleigh Dickinson?

00:27:05 Is he thinking about, what's he?

00:27:07 - When we talked to him at the--

00:27:09 - What's he thinking about? - The Mack Player Awards,

00:27:10 was him and Zach Eady there.

00:27:12 - Tall man by the way. - And it's me and Kai,

00:27:14 it's like, we should probably go talk to Matt Painter.

00:27:16 I don't wanna talk to Matt Painter,

00:27:17 because I know when I walk up to Matt Painter,

00:27:18 he's immediately gonna think that I wanna ask

00:27:21 about the FDU thing, or he's just annoyed.

00:27:24 And he was actually the coolest guy,

00:27:26 but even when we were talking to him,

00:27:27 and like approaching him, it just felt so like,

00:27:30 I know you know that I'm thinking it,

00:27:32 but I'm not gonna say it.

00:27:33 It was just like this weird, unspoken tension,

00:27:35 even though it was a really chill conversation.

00:27:38 And we all want it to go away.

00:27:39 I want it to go away, even like Indiana fans

00:27:41 probably don't want, it's just annoying at this point.

00:27:43 - People thought Jay Wright couldn't get it done,

00:27:45 then he got it done, and then Tony Bennett lost 16-C,

00:27:48 then he was awesome, right?

00:27:49 - That's how it always works.

00:27:51 - You suck until you're good, basically.

00:27:52 - You suck until you don't anymore.

00:27:55 But then also there are some examples of guys

00:27:57 who just like never really did get over the hump,

00:27:59 and then-- - Fran.

00:28:01 - Yeah.

00:28:02 (laughing)

00:28:02 - Never been in sweet 16-C.

00:28:04 - Yeah, I don't know, I don't know where I land on it,

00:28:08 'cause I really do just flip-flop of like,

00:28:12 yeah, it's all random and shit happens

00:28:13 and you can't really control it,

00:28:15 'cause I'm a Big Ten apologist, obviously,

00:28:17 so every March I become an expert at like,

00:28:19 listen, listen, everybody calm down, the league is good,

00:28:22 it's just, they're using the wrong basketballs, okay?

00:28:26 Now you have to understand,

00:28:27 these tip times for these kids is not, you know,

00:28:29 and I'm just like, I'm so good at finding everything

00:28:32 to explain why the Big Ten gets so many programs

00:28:36 to the National Championship game and then loses,

00:28:38 but at a certain point, when you look at the data

00:28:40 that's spread out over 20 years, you're like,

00:28:42 I don't, I mean, I guess there must be something to this,

00:28:45 I don't know, and that's kind of,

00:28:47 so like, yeah, I sort of wanna defend Painter,

00:28:50 but also it's like, I don't, I'm not gonna do it

00:28:52 with any enthusiasm, I'm just gonna be like,

00:28:54 yeah, he's a good coach. - Quietly in the corner, yeah.

00:28:56 - But there is, there's not a,

00:28:58 where Matt Painter sits today, right this second,

00:29:01 I'm not sure I've ever seen a bigger divide of a coach

00:29:04 who, if you polled fans and asked them

00:29:07 how good of a coach he is,

00:29:09 that response versus if you polled other coaches

00:29:12 and asked them how good of a coach he is.

00:29:15 It's like a mile-wide gap, like fans would be like,

00:29:18 that guy fucking sucks, and every coach,

00:29:20 every coach to a man, I don't think there's a coach

00:29:22 in the country that's like, oh yeah, Matt Painter,

00:29:23 he stinks, he stinks, like every single coach is like,

00:29:25 oh, that guy's awesome, he's just had some bad luck,

00:29:28 and I just, that's really fascinating to me.

00:29:29 - That'd be a really interesting question, actually,

00:29:31 to get a fan opinion versus coach opinion

00:29:34 on who's actually a good coach.

00:29:35 The Almanac last year, Stackhouse was named the best

00:29:38 X's and O's coach in the SEC.

00:29:40 - Oh, wow, really?

00:29:40 - I don't think prior to last season,

00:29:41 anybody would say, fan base-wise,

00:29:43 that he was a good coach at Vanderbilt,

00:29:45 but coaches think he's awesome.

00:29:47 - Yeah.

00:29:48 - It's kind of interesting, a little experiment there.

00:29:49 - Yeah, it is weird.

00:29:50 - Do you guys, so going into the year,

00:29:53 what do we think about Purdue?

00:29:54 - They're awesome.

00:29:56 - Yeah, I know, I think so, too.

00:29:58 Like, how much does recent history factor

00:30:01 into how you're trying to figure out

00:30:02 how this season's gonna play out for Purdue?

00:30:04 - Yeah, it sucks 'cause it's just,

00:30:06 they could be awesome out of the gate

00:30:08 as they were last year,

00:30:09 but no one will care until March, right?

00:30:12 - Yeah.

00:30:13 - That's the ultimate, if you're a painter,

00:30:15 maybe you throw six games in the Big Ten, you know?

00:30:17 Maybe you play a couple of random high upside freshmen,

00:30:21 like, "No, maybe this guy can help us in March

00:30:23 "when we're down six to Fairleigh Dickinson again."

00:30:26 Maybe you just kind of tinker with some,

00:30:28 treat it like a Petri dish thing,

00:30:30 be the under-the-radar team

00:30:32 so the target's not as bright on your back as March.

00:30:35 - This is one of my excuses I do make for Big Ten teams

00:30:38 is that they care too much about the Big Ten title.

00:30:40 - Yeah, yeah.

00:30:41 - They care too much about the--

00:30:42 - People are lobbying for tournament expansion,

00:30:44 Big Ten teams, Mark,

00:30:46 should we even play the tournament, question.

00:30:47 - Yeah, yeah.

00:30:49 - What purpose does March Madness serve?

00:30:51 - Yeah, Big Ten, and then the Big Ten tournament,

00:30:53 they will kill themselves trying to,

00:30:55 that's why Izzo's so good,

00:30:56 is 'cause Izzo's the one coach

00:30:58 that every single year, no matter what roster you give him,

00:31:00 he's like, "Yeah, I would like to win the Big Ten.

00:31:02 "It would be cool to win the Big Ten tournament.

00:31:03 "I don't really, we have one goal

00:31:05 "and it's to go to Final Four

00:31:06 "and win a national championship."

00:31:08 Which is why, I think Purdue's gonna win

00:31:10 the Big Ten this year, especially,

00:31:12 I think Michigan State,

00:31:14 I think the one time they play is at Mackey.

00:31:16 I think they only play once this year,

00:31:17 Michigan State and Purdue.

00:31:19 But Izzo's gotten so good at that

00:31:21 and all the other coaches,

00:31:23 and Painter is just like an old school Indiana,

00:31:26 he's from Indiana, and is an old school Big Ten head

00:31:30 that I think that winning the Big Ten matters too much to him

00:31:32 so I actually, I don't know if you're joking, Matt,

00:31:36 but I think I agree with you

00:31:37 that that would actually be smart of Purdue

00:31:39 to tinker with lineups and throw out some,

00:31:42 just not necessarily lose on purpose,

00:31:44 but let's not feed Zack Eadie every single possession

00:31:49 and play him 38 minutes a game.

00:31:51 - Yeah, we know you can get 40 in 20.

00:31:52 That's established, right.

00:31:54 - Yeah, let's take a game

00:31:56 and try to grow these young guards we have

00:31:59 and put them in spots that make them a little uncomfortable

00:32:01 so that way when the tournament comes around

00:32:03 and Fairleigh Dickinson's pressuring them a little bit,

00:32:05 they're not shitting down their leg.

00:32:07 Yeah, let's get a little bit of that going.

00:32:10 How do you guys feel about Kentucky?

00:32:12 - Sneaky, not good.

00:32:15 - Oh no.

00:32:16 - They got like what, five top 15 players,

00:32:18 but I don't like this.

00:32:20 - I'm just as guilty as Kai here.

00:32:22 I'm just a subscriber to the, they're too young.

00:32:26 - Their saviors are Antonio Reeves, Illinois State guy,

00:32:29 and Trey Mitchell who is just not that good of a player.

00:32:33 - Have you watched this film on the rookie's mark?

00:32:35 I haven't gotten into the tape yet.

00:32:36 - I have watched a little film.

00:32:37 - I haven't seen much of the tape.

00:32:39 - People saying it's down class are correct

00:32:41 if those guys are the top guys.

00:32:43 - Yeah, I watched the McDonald's game

00:32:46 and I was less than impressed with just the whole,

00:32:49 not just the Kentucky guys, like the whole class.

00:32:51 - The whole class was like, "Oh, is it?"

00:32:52 - Yeah, like Collier to me was like,

00:32:55 that guy should be like the 10th best recruit

00:32:57 at a given class.

00:32:58 He should not be the number one guy.

00:33:00 But I am admittedly, I'm a sucker for Kentucky

00:33:05 every single year.

00:33:06 I'm a sucker for Cal. - You're not in again?

00:33:08 - It's scaring the shit out of me

00:33:09 'cause I don't think they're gonna be national title good,

00:33:13 but I think if they can,

00:33:16 I think Oscar leaving is going to be awesome for them.

00:33:20 I think--

00:33:21 - I kind of agree with that, I do.

00:33:22 - I think if DJ Wagner and Robert Dillingham

00:33:26 just don't hate each other, which is a big ask.

00:33:29 - The taller. - It's a tall order.

00:33:30 As the season goes on, I don't know.

00:33:32 I do like Justin Edwards.

00:33:34 They are gonna be very young.

00:33:37 But I think they're in a good spot where Cal,

00:33:40 his stock has never been lower and he can actually,

00:33:45 they don't believe in us stuff

00:33:48 might actually work with Kentucky.

00:33:50 But every single person I talk to about Kentucky

00:33:54 is like, "You made the same faces you two made."

00:33:57 - They're hurt too though, right?

00:33:58 'Cause Bradshaw's hurt, Onyensaw's hurt.

00:34:02 It's not good.

00:34:02 - I think Cal's, what was the year?

00:34:04 Was it the COVID year?

00:34:06 There's been a couple of years where I feel like

00:34:07 they've just been, they've kind of been underrated weirdly.

00:34:09 - It was COVID year for sure.

00:34:11 - They were good that year. - Really good.

00:34:12 - I think they were only 25th in Kenpo.

00:34:14 I was like, "This is a really good team."

00:34:16 The Higgins team with Maxie.

00:34:19 I mean, yeah, Maxie quickly.

00:34:21 Maybe they go to the Final Four that year

00:34:23 and Calipari is in.

00:34:24 - So I think, the delusion I'm selling myself on Kentucky

00:34:28 is you get Oscar out of the paint.

00:34:30 It's like, Oscar is, I like Oscar a lot as a human being.

00:34:34 I think he's a good basketball player.

00:34:37 But he became a liability for Kentucky

00:34:39 and was just like clogging up fucking everything.

00:34:42 And I think if they can just, in a funny way,

00:34:46 I think I've made this point on the show before,

00:34:48 but the knock on Cal forever was that

00:34:53 he would just roll the balls out and let guys play.

00:34:56 And somewhere along the line, it's become the exact opposite.

00:35:00 - He went too far.

00:35:01 - Yeah, the knock on him now is he tinkers too much.

00:35:03 And I feel like we need to get young Cal back in the mix.

00:35:07 Where it's like, "Cal, go back to the old days

00:35:09 "when you would just get the five stars

00:35:11 "and roll the ball out."

00:35:12 And I'm hoping he kind of does that this year

00:35:14 where he doesn't have Oscar clogging up.

00:35:16 And you just let DJ Wagner and Dillingham

00:35:19 and Justin Edwards, just let these dudes cook.

00:35:21 Antonio Reeves can be good every so often.

00:35:23 Every third game he can--

00:35:25 - Role player.

00:35:26 - Yeah.

00:35:27 - Third guy.

00:35:28 - He gets hot one night and then the next game

00:35:30 everyone's keen on him.

00:35:32 Yeah, I don't know.

00:35:33 - The SEC's just really good.

00:35:35 - The SEC is gonna be very good.

00:35:36 - It's awesome.

00:35:37 Coaches are awesome too.

00:35:38 - Like five years ago, you probably thought your coach,

00:35:41 and he'd pick an SEC program.

00:35:43 And now it's like, "Crap, our coach is not even top 10

00:35:46 "in this conference right now."

00:35:48 It's just, Buzz Williams.

00:35:50 I guess Rick Barnes always gets the brunt

00:35:53 of NCAA tournament slander.

00:35:55 But you'd probably like to have Rick Barnes as your coach.

00:35:58 They've been really good every year for a while now.

00:36:02 - Yeah, I think Tennessee fans like Barnes, but also--

00:36:04 - But don't like him once a year.

00:36:06 - That's a weird dynamic for sure.

00:36:10 'Cause yeah, you don't, he's,

00:36:13 I mean Bruce Pearl was there obviously before that,

00:36:15 but Barnes delivers.

00:36:17 I think if I was them, I would,

00:36:20 I think you have to just love Rick Barnes.

00:36:21 I think you have to see the bigger picture,

00:36:23 which is like the journey you go on

00:36:25 throughout the entire season of watching good basketball

00:36:27 every single night in and night out

00:36:30 is worth the heartbreak at the end.

00:36:31 - You're nationally relevant in basketball,

00:36:33 which as an SEC school,

00:36:34 especially like a football-focused SEC school,

00:36:36 if you're asking for more than that,

00:36:39 and you're not Kentucky, what are you doing?

00:36:41 - Yeah, yeah.

00:36:42 As long as every so often Tennessee makes a sweet 16,

00:36:46 I think you gotta be--

00:36:48 - You should be, yeah.

00:36:48 - Yeah, yeah. - Great, thanks.

00:36:49 - Especially if the football program's good.

00:36:50 Now if the football program at Tennessee stinks,

00:36:53 which it doesn't right now--

00:36:54 - Then you gotta toss Rick and get somebody else.

00:36:55 - Yeah, then you're like, I need something to excite me.

00:36:58 And there's more pressure on basketball.

00:36:59 But as long as the football program's fine,

00:37:01 I think they just want a distraction in the winter.

00:37:03 So what conference are we the highest on?

00:37:06 What do you anticipate you'll be watching

00:37:09 the most of this season?

00:37:10 - I'm always kind of a big 12 guy.

00:37:12 I just kind of enjoy it the most.

00:37:13 And it's always the best teams, top to bottom,

00:37:15 I feel, in the conference.

00:37:16 Houston's edition makes it even better for me.

00:37:20 Yeah, I'm a big 12 guy, at heart.

00:37:22 - Big East.

00:37:24 I think that's the right answer this year.

00:37:25 Big East is cool.

00:37:26 I think the big 12 sometimes can get--

00:37:29 Yeah, we love-- - Chicago's big East.

00:37:31 - Yeah, has Demon Fever caught you?

00:37:32 Yeah, you're marking up.

00:37:34 I can see the playing possessed banners

00:37:36 all across the barstool, the swag here.

00:37:38 - Quick question.

00:37:39 Where, does DePaul have like 12 campuses?

00:37:42 Because I feel like-- - Roughly 12.

00:37:43 - Everywhere I'm in the city--

00:37:44 - Only nine have been found by humans,

00:37:47 but three are-- - Where is DePaul?

00:37:48 Where-- - Lincoln Park.

00:37:50 - It's actually an awesome area.

00:37:51 - It is a good area.

00:37:52 - If you're like--

00:37:53 - 'Cause I thought there was another--

00:37:54 Okay, maybe I'm thinking-- - It's like in the Brooklyn

00:37:56 of Chicago, right in the heart.

00:37:57 And they have a really cool on-campus.

00:37:59 They played the CIT there three years ago,

00:38:01 and me and Jim went to two of the--

00:38:03 It's the tournament where they have the best of three,

00:38:05 is the title.

00:38:06 It's actually a cool format.

00:38:06 And me and Jim went to the--

00:38:07 It's like a full tailgating thing.

00:38:09 It was like, this is what DePaul basketball should be.

00:38:12 And until you're as good as Xavier,

00:38:13 or, I don't know, insert top of the totem pole,

00:38:16 just sell out that small gym.

00:38:18 But then they built this whole Winterest thing,

00:38:20 and so people have to go to that,

00:38:21 but people hate getting to it.

00:38:22 And so, yeah, DePaul's just kind of one of those programs

00:38:24 where it consistently does the wrong thing.

00:38:27 - It somehow doesn't make any sense if they're not better,

00:38:29 but it also makes perfect sense.

00:38:30 - It makes perfect sense, right.

00:38:30 - If you actually dig into what's going on,

00:38:32 you're like, oh, never mind,

00:38:33 this actually completely checks out.

00:38:34 - And there's a very big Venn diagram

00:38:36 middle of Bears fans,

00:38:38 and so I think there's just kind of cool tugs at the wrong.

00:38:42 - Yeah.

00:38:43 - I think I'm Big East, too.

00:38:45 I think I might be Big East, too,

00:38:46 'cause I think the Big 12 will,

00:38:48 all the advanced metrics will say the Big 12's the best,

00:38:50 but I think with Patino in the Big East,

00:38:53 and I think with Cooley in Georgetown,

00:38:57 at Cooley at Georgetown,

00:38:58 in the Providence part of it all,

00:39:00 I think that just,

00:39:02 and Marquette's gonna be national title good,

00:39:04 UConn's gonna be national title good,

00:39:07 Creighton's gonna be very good, right?

00:39:09 - Yeah, I think Creighton is maybe the, yeah.

00:39:11 - Don't say best.

00:39:12 - Best, too.

00:39:13 - Of the teams in the Big East?

00:39:15 - Yeah, I think Creighton's the final four team.

00:39:16 - Really?

00:39:17 - Yeah, I do.

00:39:19 - He loves Steven Ashworth.

00:39:20 - Heard he's here for a steak.

00:39:21 - Yeah, Steven Ashworth.

00:39:21 - Whoa, okay, well, let's talk about this,

00:39:23 'cause when Nimhard transferred,

00:39:25 I was like, oh, that's a kick in the dick

00:39:27 for these Creighton fans, 'cause I thought,

00:39:31 I keep pointing to that as the transfer

00:39:33 that kind of broke me with transfers,

00:39:34 'cause I was like, this Creighton team

00:39:36 was good enough last year to win a national championship.

00:39:38 - Why is he not coming back?

00:39:38 - Just run it back, let's go,

00:39:40 let's, you know, unfinished business,

00:39:41 and then he transferred, and I was like, oh, no.

00:39:43 - And Columa to Kansas State.

00:39:44 - Right.

00:39:45 - Stay together.

00:39:46 - Yeah, but Columa's stuck.

00:39:47 - Just everybody stay together.

00:39:48 - No, I, I, 'cause, he's bad.

00:39:50 I mean, Kyle Krenner's awesome.

00:39:51 Ashworth, I've never seen him miss a shot.

00:39:53 I think he's like 95% when I watch him play.

00:39:55 Except for against Mizzou, he was like stone cold.

00:39:57 - Which was great.

00:39:58 - Which was awesome for me.

00:39:58 - Which was great against Mizzou, yeah.

00:39:59 - Yeah, you guys are all Mizzou guys, right?

00:40:00 - He's Indiana, Jim and I are Mizzou.

00:40:02 - I'm the two-headed fraud, the kind of Duke,

00:40:07 the Duke raised because my dad was a fan,

00:40:11 but then went to Indiana, so I kind of root for both,

00:40:13 and it's just really stupid.

00:40:14 - I got you, I got you.

00:40:14 - I piss off everybody.

00:40:15 - He's the worst type of fan.

00:40:16 - But what it does is it cannibalizes both fandoms,

00:40:18 so I actually am not really a fan of either at this point.

00:40:20 It's just like, you're like,

00:40:21 ah, yeah, I guess I like both of those.

00:40:23 No, Creighton's good.

00:40:24 That's all I have to say on that.

00:40:25 - Ashworth, you're high on Ashworth.

00:40:27 That's--

00:40:28 - I got, yeah, Alexander's back, Shireman, head man.

00:40:30 - I love Shireman.

00:40:31 - XXL, undersleeve, or undershirt.

00:40:34 Yeah, he's good.

00:40:35 - Shireman, as a rebounder, gets my juices flowing, man.

00:40:39 I watch this man rebound the basketball,

00:40:41 and I'm like, I don't understand how you,

00:40:44 that's another one of those things

00:40:46 that feels like a coincidence.

00:40:47 If you watch one game, you're like,

00:40:48 damn, the ball just keeps bouncing right to him,

00:40:51 and then you watch him over the course of a season,

00:40:52 and you're like, this dude has,

00:40:54 I don't know, he's like Dennis fucking Rodman,

00:40:56 the way he can read where the ball bounces.

00:40:57 - He has more rebounds than Kalkbrenner.

00:40:58 He averaged two more rebounds a game than Kalk,

00:41:00 who's like seven foot five or whatever.

00:41:01 Yeah, it's insane.

00:41:02 - Is he the closest guy we have to Larry Bird

00:41:04 currently in college basketball?

00:41:05 - Oh, great question.

00:41:07 - From a DNA perspective.

00:41:08 - He passes well, too.

00:41:09 He's really good.

00:41:10 Not that athletic.

00:41:11 He talks a little shit.

00:41:14 - Talks a lot.

00:41:15 - He does talk some shit, yes.

00:41:16 - Yeah, which we, yeah, a little goofy,

00:41:18 but like, yeah, I dig it, yeah.

00:41:21 - Small town guy, South Dakota guy, I think.

00:41:23 - That's right, that's right.

00:41:25 - I mean, Villanova's intriguing.

00:41:28 Like, Kyle Neptune got kind of a tough--

00:41:30 - There you go, pressure.

00:41:31 - He got drug through the month of soft season

00:41:33 with his, like, he didn't speak highly of--

00:41:35 - Cam Whitmore.

00:41:36 - Cam Whitmore, and so now I think people are like,

00:41:38 all the family is like really pissed at Neptune, I think,

00:41:41 but like the roster's awesome,

00:41:43 and he was really good at Fordham,

00:41:44 so maybe they're just gonna be awesome.

00:41:46 That's a weird team.

00:41:47 That's like, they could be national title-girder,

00:41:49 they could just be like,

00:41:50 oh, Villanova sucks without Jay Wright,

00:41:52 and then they'll just be their coach in the area.

00:41:53 - Yeah, I wonder when,

00:41:55 but Neptune is like a right guy, right?

00:41:57 So like, you can't--

00:41:58 - Yeah, you can't go out to right guy.

00:41:59 It's the Duke brotherhood.

00:42:00 Cannot deviate from family, yeah.

00:42:02 'Cause at a certain extent,

00:42:04 and the same thing with Hubert,

00:42:05 who I don't think's on the hot seat at all,

00:42:06 but like, if Carolina stinks this year,

00:42:10 those groans are gonna get louder,

00:42:11 but at the same time, like, Hubert is Roy's guy,

00:42:14 and so it's like--

00:42:15 - Handpicked.

00:42:15 - You can't, I mean, Georgetown dealt with this forever,

00:42:18 with like, ever since Big John left,

00:42:21 where it's like, they're kind of in the family,

00:42:23 so it can't, Patrick Ewing stuck around for how many years,

00:42:25 because he was Patrick Ewing.

00:42:27 So I feel like Neptune has that working for him,

00:42:29 where he's got the Jay Wright stamp of approval,

00:42:31 but how, you're right, it was a weird season,

00:42:36 and then a weird, the Cam Whitmore story was,

00:42:41 I feel like I believed it,

00:42:43 because Kyle Neptune strikes me as a guy

00:42:46 that wouldn't really think through all of this.

00:42:48 Like, I don't know if he really,

00:42:50 he probably was answering honestly.

00:42:50 - He'd be like, too honest?

00:42:52 - Yeah, yeah.

00:42:53 - Yeah, like, he'd be too honest in that situation.

00:42:54 Right, that's what I'm saying.

00:42:55 - Yeah, 'cause he's just like a newer coach,

00:42:56 and he's like, I've never thought about

00:42:59 how there's a bigger game at play here.

00:43:01 Like, I can't, you know.

00:43:02 I thought you wanted an answer,

00:43:04 I was just gonna tell you.

00:43:04 - I was at Fordham, and you know,

00:43:05 they have like, the press conferences at Rose Hill Gym

00:43:07 were with two people, so yeah, I didn't.

00:43:09 - But I also don't think it's that big of a deal.

00:43:11 I don't know, every time something like that happens,

00:43:14 and people say that's gonna destroy recruiting,

00:43:15 I would love to see like the,

00:43:17 no one ever follows up on like,

00:43:19 - Oh yeah.

00:43:19 - What actually, how did recruiting

00:43:21 actually get affected by this?

00:43:22 - A post-mortem of, yeah.

00:43:24 - Did very well this off-season.

00:43:26 - Kai, how much money are we gonna lose

00:43:27 on Butler this year, betting on them?

00:43:29 - No, I love Thad Mata, shout out to Mark over there.

00:43:33 - Thank you, yeah.

00:43:34 - They broke my heart last year,

00:43:35 I hope they're gonna be really good.

00:43:36 - Broke my wallet and my heart.

00:43:37 - Actually losing a couple guys,

00:43:38 I won't name names, from last year's team,

00:43:40 is gonna really help them.

00:43:41 So I think they will be a lot better.

00:43:43 - I certainly hope so.

00:43:44 They beat Kansas State last year.

00:43:45 - Yeah, they did.

00:43:46 - They fooled us.

00:43:47 - They're like, "Kansas State's awesome."

00:43:48 - They dominate, that game was like,

00:43:50 from wire to wire, like,

00:43:51 oh, Butler's better than K-State, sure.

00:43:53 And like, I thought that for two months,

00:43:54 and then after a while I was like,

00:43:55 no, that's not accurate.

00:43:57 - That was the worst game for our wallets both ways,

00:43:59 'cause we didn't think K-State was very good either,

00:44:01 after that game.

00:44:02 - Yeah, it was one of those games you just can't unsee.

00:44:04 And you're just like,

00:44:05 every time Kansas State takes the floor,

00:44:06 you're like, I can't get that, I can't believe it.

00:44:09 Yeah, Kansas State wins the national title,

00:44:11 and you're like, but yeah, they're not that good.

00:44:13 I don't think.

00:44:14 - Again, why we love FAU, FAU ended that,

00:44:16 so we didn't look as stupid.

00:44:19 So thank you, Dusty.

00:44:20 - Who are you lower on than everyone else seems to be?

00:44:26 Is there a team that you, yeah,

00:44:30 let's introduce some negativity into this.

00:44:31 Like, is there a team that you're reading

00:44:33 all the other prognosticators, and you're like, wrong.

00:44:37 That team's not gonna be that good.

00:44:38 - I'm low on USC, even before the Brani thing.

00:44:42 - Yeah, that seems a little insensitive.

00:44:44 - Let's assume that never happened to Brani.

00:44:46 - Some things are bigger than sports, all right?

00:44:48 - Assume he's still playing in this example,

00:44:52 infield on Ken Palm, we're big Ken Palm guys,

00:44:54 we're huge nerds, as you know.

00:44:56 - What's up, Ken?

00:44:57 - He has finished between 45 and 55, six out of eight years.

00:45:01 One year he was six with Evan Mobley,

00:45:04 and one was 82 with high expectations.

00:45:07 So I just think he's not that great of a coach,

00:45:09 in our opinion.

00:45:10 - We call him the West Coast--

00:45:11 - Underachievement is the name of the game there.

00:45:13 - The West Coast Coolie.

00:45:14 - And Collier, too, right?

00:45:15 We discussed Collier's.

00:45:17 - The West Coast Coolie.

00:45:18 - West Coast Coolie.

00:45:18 - Yeah, I mean, Coolie was like just kind of the same,

00:45:20 you know, hit doubles every year, right?

00:45:22 - Yeah, that's a good way to describe, yeah.

00:45:24 I would say it's that you're relevant.

00:45:26 - Relevant, bubble-ish, eight to 10 seed,

00:45:29 bad year, maybe you just missed.

00:45:30 - 20 wins. - 20 wins.

00:45:31 - Six seed, that's just who you are.

00:45:33 - Yeah, and Evan Mobley, I think--

00:45:36 - Yeah, well, that changed.

00:45:38 - When you have a guy like that, it, yeah, changes things.

00:45:41 And then that helps, because then moving forward,

00:45:43 you can just keep pointing back to that.

00:45:45 And being on the West Coast helps, too,

00:45:46 'cause people don't, I mean,

00:45:48 when I was living on the West Coast,

00:45:50 a lot of the schools and programs and fan bases

00:45:53 get frustrated because of the East Coast bias,

00:45:55 but no one ever talks about the pros of East Coast bias,

00:45:58 which is like, you can stink on the West Coast

00:46:01 and no one will notice.

00:46:03 The bad parts, obviously, if you want respect,

00:46:05 it's a little harder to earn it,

00:46:07 but you can really, not that USC stinks,

00:46:10 but you can afford to have down years

00:46:13 and afford to slip up here and there,

00:46:15 and no one notices or cares.

00:46:18 So there's that.

00:46:19 What about you, Matt?

00:46:20 Do you have a team that you're--

00:46:22 - I looked at my, so Wisconsin is a team

00:46:26 that feels foolish to be,

00:46:28 they're always just Wisconsin, right?

00:46:29 It's the most death taxes,

00:46:32 Wisconsin being good at basketball type thing,

00:46:34 but man, they stunk last year,

00:46:36 and I know they added a couple of cool pieces,

00:46:39 but I don't know, I kind of think

00:46:40 Chuckie Hepburn just stinks,

00:46:42 and that team just may not be very good.

00:46:44 I don't know, I just kind of, I don't know, Wisconsin.

00:46:46 - But it'd be awesome.

00:46:47 - So they won't be bad.

00:46:48 They can't be bad.

00:46:49 They're immune to being bad,

00:46:51 but they will not be good.

00:46:53 So there's a middle ground in that gray area.

00:46:55 That's where Wisconsin--

00:46:56 - So they're gonna be Wisconsin.

00:46:57 That's what we--

00:46:58 - But they're getting hype

00:46:58 'cause they're bringing everybody back,

00:46:59 and it's Wisconsin. - Didn't they beat Marquette

00:47:00 last year?

00:47:01 Am I wrong?

00:47:02 I think I was there.

00:47:03 - Yeah, it was a fluke game. - It was at the

00:47:03 Brewer Stadium game. - It's a fluke game.

00:47:04 You're right.

00:47:05 - They got hurt.

00:47:06 They had a lot of injuries last year.

00:47:07 - They did, I know.

00:47:08 I'm conveniently ignoring some key context

00:47:10 in my analysis here.

00:47:11 I do still stubbornly believe Wisconsin will be like,

00:47:15 maybe not even a top 10 Big Ten team,

00:47:16 'cause the Big Ten's really, really good at getting--

00:47:19 - That's shocking to think that there's a reality

00:47:22 where you could not finish in the top 10 of the Big Ten

00:47:25 and just-- - And still be a good team.

00:47:26 - And still be a good team.

00:47:27 - Yeah, right. - Yeah.

00:47:28 - Yeah.

00:47:29 - But that's the,

00:47:30 first of all, how big the conference is,

00:47:31 but then also the imbalanced schedules,

00:47:33 and then also how deep it is and all that.

00:47:36 That's been thrown out the way.

00:47:38 I've had to explain that to so many Big Ten fans

00:47:41 that I know that are just like,

00:47:42 "Why do we fucking suck?"

00:47:44 Most of the Ohio State people that are just like,

00:47:45 "We're 12th in the Big Ten right now."

00:47:48 I'm like, "Honestly, I don't think that really means

00:47:52 "anything, 'cause we're two games back in first place."

00:47:55 (laughs)

00:47:56 - Right.

00:47:56 - The Big Ten's a complete mess.

00:47:58 I think-- - It is a mess.

00:47:59 - I think there's a world where the expansion

00:48:03 actually brings it full circle to where the,

00:48:06 I was talking to my dad about it,

00:48:07 where I was like, "I think,"

00:48:08 my dad's a purist, so he wants--

00:48:11 - Double round robin, right?

00:48:12 - Yeah, when that left, he was like,

00:48:14 "None of this matters anymore."

00:48:15 - Yeah, right. - The Big Ten,

00:48:16 the imbalance schedule, none of,

00:48:17 the Big Ten championship doesn't matter anymore.

00:48:19 But if you get to a point where there's so many teams

00:48:21 that you only play every team once,

00:48:23 and you just switch every year as to who's home

00:48:25 and who's, you know. - Yeah, I like that.

00:48:27 - If it gets to more of a football schedule,

00:48:29 it's like you play every team in the conference once,

00:48:31 'cause there's 20-something teams in the conference.

00:48:33 I think we work ourselves back full circle

00:48:37 to where a regular season conference title

00:48:40 is the most important thing in the world to these people.

00:48:41 - You just gave me nightmares of the

00:48:43 leaders versus legends returning.

00:48:45 - Oh no. - Yeah, right?

00:48:47 - Yeah, I'm pretty out on division segments within,

00:48:50 like, you can't chop a-- - Just do it in a conference.

00:48:53 - You can't, right, exactly, you can't chop it.

00:48:54 - Just do it in a conference. - Yeah, just do it

00:48:55 in a conference.

00:48:57 - I was gonna say expansion, that's a sneaky downside,

00:48:59 is you lose a lot of the round robins.

00:49:01 Like, Big 12 had a perfect schedule.

00:49:03 - Yeah. - And now you're gonna lose that.

00:49:04 You're gonna have a Big Ten situation where you play

00:49:06 some teams twice, some teams once,

00:49:08 and it affects a lot of stuff.

00:49:09 It's unfortunate. - Well, that's the thing,

00:49:12 is I think you look at a Big 12 and you say,

00:49:15 "All right, we're adding all these programs

00:49:16 "that are good, that bad."

00:49:18 Like, even Cincinnati and UCF are good basketball programs.

00:49:20 And you're like, now you take a zoom-out look

00:49:24 at the Big 12 and you're like, "Damn,

00:49:25 "every program in this conference is good at basketball.

00:49:29 "Someone's gonna finish last, and someone's gonna finish

00:49:31 "last two or three years in a row,

00:49:33 "and then maybe four years."

00:49:34 And then, like, at some point, the good basketball program

00:49:37 is gonna be a stinker basketball program.

00:49:39 And, like, this idea that Arizona is,

00:49:44 Arizona fans are used to winning their league,

00:49:45 and Kansas fans are used to winning their league.

00:49:47 And, you know, the same is true of UCLA

00:49:51 coming to the Big Ten.

00:49:52 And I'm gonna find that fascinating in five, 10 years,

00:49:55 whatever, like, the expectations and all of that

00:49:58 that get adjusted, and what that does for how we view

00:50:01 these programs, because the Big 12, the last few years,

00:50:05 has prided itself on, like, every single one of our teams

00:50:08 is NCAA tournament-worthy.

00:50:09 I think, on paper, that could be the case,

00:50:13 but the bigger you get, there's inevitably going to be,

00:50:16 like, four teams that stink.

00:50:18 - Yeah, one or two teams that stink, exactly.

00:50:19 - And so, I think you sell yourself on, like,

00:50:22 the best-case scenario, which is, like,

00:50:24 all these teams are juggernauts.

00:50:25 But even, like, the Big East in its heyday,

00:50:26 when it got bloated, you're like,

00:50:28 all right, there's still some--

00:50:29 - Yeah, some dead weight here.

00:50:31 - Sorry, TJ Ruckers, but--

00:50:33 - They're good now.

00:50:34 - It happens.

00:50:35 - They're good now, yeah.

00:50:35 The past is the past.

00:50:36 - That was something that Jerry Grasso, Brian's coach,

00:50:39 said this offseason.

00:50:41 He said, "Next, like, five years or so,

00:50:43 "you're gonna see some extreme results

00:50:46 "for programs that usually stay within the same range,

00:50:48 "with teams trying to move up conferences,

00:50:51 "teams getting new conferences,

00:50:52 "and not being able to keep up,

00:50:54 "especially with transfer portaling and IELTS,

00:50:56 "stuff like that.

00:50:57 "So, you're gonna see some extreme stuff like that."

00:50:58 And I agree, if, like, Cincinnati starts to finish last

00:51:01 every single year in the Big 12, it sucks,

00:51:03 'cause they were a once-proud program

00:51:05 that would be thought of differently in five or six years.

00:51:07 - That's kind of the risk that comes

00:51:10 with joining a bigger conference.

00:51:12 And I guess that's like, yeah,

00:51:13 I think your Cincinnati, you're like,

00:51:15 "This is awesome, this is gonna be great for us.

00:51:16 "We're in the Big 12 now."

00:51:17 And it's like, yeah, but now you have to play Kansas

00:51:20 and the Nairs, you know, now that's your new life.

00:51:22 And, you know, Cincinnati has historically

00:51:25 been a pretty good program,

00:51:26 so I don't necessarily think they're gonna have

00:51:27 a problem with it, but I won't be surprised if they do.

00:51:30 That's, yeah, I'm very fascinated

00:51:33 to see how all that shakes out.

00:51:36 Can I throw one team at you that I,

00:51:39 so Kentucky, I already said, I'm higher on

00:51:41 than everyone else, and when I say everyone else,

00:51:43 I mean, I have not found another soul

00:51:46 outside of Lexington, Kentucky that's like,

00:51:47 "Oh yeah, I think this Kentucky team

00:51:48 "is better than what people are saying."

00:51:49 (laughing)

00:51:51 It's just me, and it's just me based off of like,

00:51:54 I love a Croatian kid that I've never even seen

00:51:58 play basketball, I just saw it there.

00:52:00 And I'm like, sign me up, yeah, yeah, sign me up.

00:52:04 Kristaps Porzingis in Lexington, Kentucky.

00:52:08 It's happening.

00:52:10 Another island that I'm on,

00:52:12 and this is gonna get me in trouble,

00:52:14 so I wanna fully flesh out my thought.

00:52:17 UConn, I think I'm a little lower on,

00:52:21 and when I say that, I don't think

00:52:22 that UConn's gonna be bad.

00:52:23 I think, I have, my problem with UConn

00:52:28 is that I think I love Jordan Hawkins

00:52:30 and Andre Jackson and Sonogo so much

00:52:34 that it's hard for me to comprehend a world

00:52:36 where you lose those three guys,

00:52:38 and you're gonna start the season ranked like seventh.

00:52:41 I would put them more like 15 to 20 range.

00:52:45 - I kind of agree.

00:52:46 - Because they're a little too much unknown for me.

00:52:48 All right, that makes me feel better.

00:52:49 - And if you ask UConn fans, though,

00:52:51 they're better than last year, which doesn't make,

00:52:53 Hurley himself said Andre Jackson was

00:52:55 the most important player on his team last year,

00:52:57 and he's just so unique, and Sonogo,

00:53:01 Big East Player of the Year.

00:53:02 And I think Clingan's gonna rock, but--

00:53:04 - No, they're all very good, and Tristan Newton,

00:53:06 who I shit on a lot throughout last year,

00:53:09 became very, very good.

00:53:10 - Yeah, he's good.

00:53:11 - He became very good.

00:53:12 But those three dudes were their team.

00:53:17 I mean, that was the heart of the team.

00:53:19 Those were the guys that, yeah,

00:53:20 that the coaches were going nuts over.

00:53:23 And yeah, I think they're gonna be very talented,

00:53:25 and I won't be surprised if they are in the mix for a title.

00:53:28 - And Cam Spencer, I heard, just transferred back to Rutgers,

00:53:30 so he's back at Rutgers.

00:53:31 (laughing)

00:53:33 Yeah, it feels like-- - He's good, he's great.

00:53:35 - It's like Purdue, kind of, where Clingan

00:53:37 could just be so dominant like he was

00:53:39 that he just makes everyone around him,

00:53:41 just like, "Wow, this is so easy.

00:53:43 "I just have to give you the ball

00:53:44 "and kind of work around you."

00:53:45 But no, yeah, I don't think they're gonna be,

00:53:47 like, there was a world where we said

00:53:50 Dan Hurley was kind of a bad coach,

00:53:51 like, that world was-- - Not bad.

00:53:53 - Not bad coaches, but just-- - Three years ago,

00:53:54 just not like here. - Right, so--

00:53:56 - You don't have 40 minutes of Sonogo and Clingan now.

00:53:59 You have 40 minutes of Clingan and, yeah,

00:54:02 Samson Johnson, or someone else like that.

00:54:04 - That's a great point, that part of the strength of,

00:54:07 the part of the reason you love Clingan

00:54:09 is that he was coming off the bench

00:54:10 and playing against-- - That's awesome, yeah.

00:54:12 - Second units a lot, and not to say he's not good.

00:54:14 He is, he's very good.

00:54:15 He's going to be-- - He rocks.

00:54:16 - National Player of the Year good, probably, this year.

00:54:20 But those are kind of the underlying things

00:54:23 that make a team so good that you don't really think about

00:54:25 when you just observe it on paper

00:54:27 and put rosters together and all that.

00:54:28 But it's like, yeah, part of what made that team

00:54:30 so freaking good, how many teams brought

00:54:32 Donovan Clingan off the bench?

00:54:34 Like a guy like that,

00:54:35 that they get to bring off the-- - Just one.

00:54:36 - Yeah, just one, as it turns out.

00:54:37 Hold on, is that true?

00:54:38 Let me, you got Ken Palmstead for that?

00:54:42 Yeah, so I, UConn is gonna be fascinating to me

00:54:46 'cause I, and they're also, I think it's real

00:54:48 to have the pressure of being

00:54:49 the defending national champions.

00:54:51 I think having that target on your back all season

00:54:53 is gonna be-- - We talked to--

00:54:55 - Something, too. - We talked to Sam Vecini,

00:54:56 who obviously is like the, he knows every intricacy

00:55:00 of every playbook out there, and he was waxing poetic

00:55:03 about how incredibly complex UConn's sets were.

00:55:07 So like, now everyone's seen it,

00:55:09 and that's kinda why they weren't as good

00:55:11 in the second part of the conference year.

00:55:13 It's like, everyone's like, oh, okay,

00:55:14 so we can scout against that.

00:55:16 They're not as like, they're still dominant,

00:55:18 but not as invincible.

00:55:19 So you can see that also catching up to--

00:55:21 - Also, the sets are good.

00:55:22 You know what makes the sets look even better?

00:55:25 - Andre Jackson. - Yeah, oh yeah.

00:55:27 When Jordan Hawkins is coming off the pin down

00:55:29 and like rising above a guy

00:55:31 and splashing a three in his mouth.

00:55:33 Cam Spencer's a great basketball player.

00:55:35 He's not Jordan Hawkins.

00:55:37 And what's that gonna look like

00:55:38 when you're running the sets you're running for Hawkins,

00:55:41 and Cam Spencer's like not quite that guy?

00:55:44 No, I don't know.

00:55:46 I don't wanna dig myself too big a hole,

00:55:49 'cause I know UConn fans are listening.

00:55:51 - They're a lot of fan bases. - Plus, they're kinda mean.

00:55:53 - Yeah, they really are. - It's a lot of fan base.

00:55:55 - No, they're fired up,

00:55:56 and I think that's great for college basketball.

00:55:58 - It is, to have the UConn fan base

00:56:01 feeling themselves a little bit, it is great.

00:56:04 They were such a fun team last year.

00:56:06 They were such a worthy national champion.

00:56:07 - Yes, yes.

00:56:09 - That was my big takeaway.

00:56:12 - It was a fun tournament,

00:56:13 but there was UConn doing their own.

00:56:15 Like UConn was in their own,

00:56:16 like them versus themselves,

00:56:17 it was tournament one,

00:56:18 but then tournament two is everyone like,

00:56:19 FAU and San Diego State and Miami

00:56:21 and all these other things happening.

00:56:22 - They did the Villanova, right,

00:56:23 where they covered every game as well as--

00:56:25 - Yeah, back and running points, yeah.

00:56:26 - Every game in the tournament,

00:56:27 which is just like the ultimate domination.

00:56:30 - That was my big takeaway after the title game,

00:56:31 was like for all the bellyaching about the Final Four

00:56:33 and how people were like,

00:56:34 "This Final Four stinks,"

00:56:36 and whatever, I was like,

00:56:37 man, I think at the end of the day,

00:56:38 I think the best team in the country won the,

00:56:40 pretty obviously won the title,

00:56:41 and I think it wasn't,

00:56:43 the basketball gods got it right.

00:56:45 - People will forget they were a four seed,

00:56:47 and that's good, I hope they forget that.

00:56:48 I hope we expunge the seeding

00:56:51 from the Mantler record books.

00:56:53 That team was awesome.

00:56:54 - Yeah, but you know somewhere down the line,

00:56:57 like Big Game Boomer's gonna put out his,

00:57:00 (laughing)

00:57:02 his power rankings of the national champions

00:57:04 of the last 10 years,

00:57:06 and because UConn was a four seed--

00:57:06 - Dude, a four seed, yeah?

00:57:08 - Yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:57:09 Everyone's just gonna look at the four seed.

00:57:12 Yeah, they're the worst champion by far.

00:57:14 Speaking of the tournament,

00:57:15 expansion is something that won't go away,

00:57:19 and in July, I think it was July when they kinda,

00:57:22 I don't wanna say struck it down,

00:57:23 but I remember they met and talked about it,

00:57:26 and said it was not imminent, we're not expanding,

00:57:29 but also, I feel like there's so much smoke,

00:57:32 I feel like if you have to get in front of microphones

00:57:35 and talk to reporters so much to say we're not expanding,

00:57:39 that it's probably happening at some point.

00:57:42 Our thoughts on that.

00:57:44 - Why do you gotta destroy something that's perfect?

00:57:47 I think the realignment is gonna crush it.

00:57:50 'Cause what you said, right?

00:57:51 Some teams gotta finish 14th in the Big 12.

00:57:55 Well, now we need to send team nine, 10, 11, 12, 13

00:57:58 to the tournament, because we're that good.

00:58:01 I think that's gonna cause it to expand, and it sucks.

00:58:03 'Cause it's perfect right now.

00:58:03 68 is, 64 is perfect, but 68's just fine.

00:58:07 - I've accepted it's happening.

00:58:08 I wanna change the narrative to it's happening,

00:58:11 let's get out in front of the next narrative,

00:58:13 which is what should it look like?

00:58:14 - Yeah.

00:58:15 - What's the pressure?

00:58:16 I don't wanna say, where's the pressure coming from?

00:58:18 - All the coaches. - To expand?

00:58:19 - Coaches want it. - Why?

00:58:20 But who cares, right?

00:58:21 - I think the NCAA should be like, we don't care.

00:58:22 - They have all those bonuses in their contracts.

00:58:25 - They're afraid to be broken off by bigger leagues.

00:58:27 - It's the strongest, it's the tightest fraternity

00:58:30 of any fraternity in the world, is the college basketball.

00:58:34 Every coach loves every coach, at least publicly,

00:58:36 and I think generally, privately, too.

00:58:38 And so they just have this strong union bond

00:58:41 where they're just gonna, and then obviously the money's

00:58:44 just too much to ignore for the, I don't know.

00:58:47 - Well, it's a job that is very rare.

00:58:51 There are a handful of, in sports,

00:58:53 there's a lot of jobs that are rare,

00:58:54 but I think for those guys, they're just like,

00:58:57 there are very few of us, the only people

00:59:01 that really understand the pressures

00:59:02 that come with this job are us, are my fellow coaches.

00:59:05 So I think that's part of it.

00:59:07 But yeah, I remember talking to Coach Mott about it sometimes

00:59:11 where he's just like, I don't think people understand

00:59:13 how hard it is to make the NCAA tournament.

00:59:15 And they're like, it's something that's just taken

00:59:18 for granted that you should make the tournament every year.

00:59:20 It is very, very, very hard, but fans don't wanna hear that.

00:59:24 And fans expect that we should be in the tournament

00:59:26 every single year.

00:59:28 So I think that's probably where it's coming from.

00:59:29 And also, there is a little bit of merit

00:59:32 to Division I has added a billion teams since we came.

00:59:37 So there's 300 and however many teams, 60?

00:59:43 - 62 this year, yeah. - Two, yeah?

00:59:45 - I think we've added 100 teams last decade.

00:59:47 I think that's about right.

00:59:49 - So when you think about it that way,

00:59:50 you're like, I guess that sort of checks out.

00:59:52 - It's 20%, right?

00:59:52 So it's already a very high level.

00:59:54 Yeah, it is the top 20.

00:59:55 And really, it's actually less 'cause the 14 through 16

01:00:00 scenes are basically the--

01:00:01 - I've also accepted it.

01:00:04 And I think, I don't like it.

01:00:06 - What should it look like though?

01:00:07 If we had the power as czars, here's what it should be.

01:00:11 I have the answer to this question.

01:00:12 It should be, the number of first round games

01:00:16 stays roughly this.

01:00:17 Let's expand the playing bracket.

01:00:18 That's all I want. - Exactly.

01:00:19 - That's all it is.

01:00:19 - That's where I've landed where I'm like,

01:00:22 I don't like this.

01:00:23 I'm just resistant to change in general.

01:00:25 But ultimately, I guess if it's going to happen,

01:00:28 I could just not watch until the Thursday.

01:00:33 - Right, make Jim Boeheim, make Andy Enfield,

01:00:36 who are like the bubble. - Bobby Hurley.

01:00:37 - Bobby Hurley, make those guys win two or three games

01:00:40 before they ruin our tournament.

01:00:41 Don't let them ruin the tournament from the first day.

01:00:44 That's what I mean.

01:00:44 That's one more barrier.

01:00:46 - I was talking to Brandon Walker about it.

01:00:48 He was like, the tournament is perfect with 64.

01:00:50 64 is perfect.

01:00:52 And I said, Brandon, there's 68 right now.

01:00:54 I was like, that dam is already busted.

01:00:58 And I guess that's where my, I agree.

01:01:00 I think 64 is perfect.

01:01:02 We've already added 68.

01:01:03 So to me, I think if they,

01:01:05 the only way I would really lose my shit about it

01:01:08 is if the expansion causes a shift of the schedule.

01:01:11 If I can't wake up on Thursday morning

01:01:14 and know that I'm at, what is it here?

01:01:17 I guess 11 a.m. Central?

01:01:19 Is that when the first game tips off?

01:01:20 - So March Madness on Pacific time,

01:01:22 not to go on a tangent here.

01:01:23 Awesome.

01:01:24 - Yeah, oh, this was the best.

01:01:25 - I did it last year for the first time.

01:01:26 - It's the best.

01:01:27 - It's like, it's 9 a.m.

01:01:28 We're starting, and we go to Vegas every year.

01:01:31 - You're there every year.

01:01:32 - Oh yeah, we're there every year, sorry.

01:01:33 Vegas, what's up?

01:01:34 Yeah, we have a Bloody Mary at 8.45.

01:01:37 It's like, we got games.

01:01:38 We're ready to go.

01:01:39 - Full day of--

01:01:39 - And then the games end at a reasonable hour

01:01:42 instead of like-- - Yeah, exactly.

01:01:43 - All right, yeah, exactly.

01:01:44 - You get some good sleep that night in Vegas.

01:01:46 - So if they do expansion, and it's just,

01:01:48 you keep two nights of play-ins,

01:01:50 which I think you could do.

01:01:51 I think you could do like,

01:01:53 you're basically going from four play-in games to 16.

01:01:56 What would end up happening is the Tuesday would just be,

01:02:00 so you have two days of eight games,

01:02:02 which sounds like a lot,

01:02:03 but if you start 'em at like,

01:02:05 any other NCAA tournament day is,

01:02:06 where it's just, you have like a noon.

01:02:09 - So you have a full slate Tuesday.

01:02:10 So Monday's off.

01:02:11 - Okay, let's talk this out.

01:02:12 I think there's a, I think you keep Dayton as one site.

01:02:15 I think you need a West Coast, not fully West Coast,

01:02:18 but a more Western site for the play-in games.

01:02:21 - I do love Dayton.

01:02:22 It needs to be kind of a cool, I don't know,

01:02:25 nostalgic venue of sorts.

01:02:26 Dayton really has like, a good--

01:02:28 - Where would the West, where would like the,

01:02:29 but there needs, 'cause like,

01:02:31 one of the legitimate gripes I think of like,

01:02:32 teams that have to do the play-in is--

01:02:34 - Vegas.

01:02:34 - You play in the play-in game in Dayton,

01:02:36 and then you gotta like, fly to fucking San Diego

01:02:38 and play-- - Right, right.

01:02:39 - A turnaround that's like-- - A quick turnaround.

01:02:40 - Yeah, exactly.

01:02:41 - I think there needs to be like a Western,

01:02:44 is it Vegas?

01:02:45 - It's gotta be Vegas. - Just Vegas?

01:02:45 - Yeah. - Yeah.

01:02:46 - Maui.

01:02:47 - Or yeah, Maui.

01:02:48 (laughing)

01:02:49 - But I like this though. - Doesn't solve

01:02:50 the travel problem.

01:02:51 - I like this though, but you're really punished,

01:02:52 like, it's sort of like, all right, coaches,

01:02:54 you wanted the expansion, okay, cool.

01:02:55 You didn't make the top 64,

01:02:57 you're in kind of the outer fringe of--

01:02:59 - You're still bitching about it, right?

01:03:00 - Yeah. - I should've been top 64.

01:03:02 - Okay, so go to Maui or go to Vegas and play,

01:03:04 and then we'll have you play 24 hours later.

01:03:06 Like, really stack the deck against those outer teams.

01:03:09 - Are the power teams' coaches gonna be angry though?

01:03:12 I think you have to include regular season champions

01:03:14 for every single league if you're gonna expand

01:03:16 the tournament.

01:03:17 - Yeah, I think so.

01:03:18 - The MAC team should get--

01:03:20 - Which I'm okay with though.

01:03:20 - A regular season champ and their conference

01:03:21 tournament champ. - I like that.

01:03:22 - I love that. - I love that.

01:03:23 - But I don't know if the powers that be will accept that.

01:03:26 - Oh, wow.

01:03:27 - If they wanna expand it for them, you know.

01:03:28 - Yeah, 'cause then, I love that too, on the surface,

01:03:32 but then I think about it more, and I'm like,

01:03:33 all right, so then the conference tournaments,

01:03:34 what do we do about that?

01:03:35 What does that mean?

01:03:36 - I've always been out on conference tournaments.

01:03:37 - Yeah, what does that mean for the conference tournaments?

01:03:39 - Still auto bid for conference tournament winner,

01:03:41 and then I guess auto bid for regular season,

01:03:43 two auto bids.

01:03:44 - Does college basketball need a mid-season something,

01:03:46 like Adam Silver's trying to get going?

01:03:48 - But no one cares about it, right?

01:03:50 Like, does anyone care about the NBA?

01:03:51 - No one cares about that.

01:03:52 - The middle, the mid-season stuff?

01:03:54 - Well, 'cause there's no good games.

01:03:57 There needs to be something.

01:03:58 - It's hard to buy a game that people care.

01:03:59 - The non-conference is, like, we have,

01:04:02 there's a lot of, sorry, a small handful

01:04:05 of cool marquee matchups, but it's so few and far between,

01:04:10 and 85% of these MTEs are just like,

01:04:14 Toledo against UMKC or something.

01:04:17 And it's just like, what do we,

01:04:18 I remember talking to Todd Kowalczyk this summer,

01:04:20 and he's like, man, I'll be honest with you,

01:04:21 the MTEs, some are good,

01:04:23 majority of the time, they're a complete disaster.

01:04:25 He said they lost, 'cause they lost to,

01:04:26 I mean, Toledo was really good this year, right?

01:04:27 They beat UAB, like, wow, it's gonna be so fun,

01:04:29 and then they lost to UMKC, and he's like,

01:04:31 we played on 10-foot-4 rims, we got there,

01:04:34 the ref showed up late, we switched sides,

01:04:37 the locker room was like, and he's like,

01:04:39 I'm not making excuses, but it was the most bizarre

01:04:41 thrown-together set-up ever, and he's like,

01:04:42 I can tell you that is why you see

01:04:44 some of the weirdest scores during, like, Feast Week.

01:04:46 It's like, what, who lost to who?

01:04:48 - Yeah.

01:04:49 - So, I mean, maybe the gimmicky part's fun,

01:04:50 but I don't know, I just see good games.

01:04:52 - Well, going to Maui was that way, too.

01:04:54 I mean, Maui's incredible, and the basketball

01:04:57 is top-notch, but it is just a bizarre thing

01:05:01 to just be in paradise, and then you're like,

01:05:02 you step into this gym that's just like

01:05:05 a fucking thunderdome of basketball,

01:05:07 and then you step out, and it's just like--

01:05:08 - Like the ocean's right next to you.

01:05:09 - Yeah, it's paradise, and I'm like,

01:05:11 man, if I was playing in this thing,

01:05:12 I don't know how, what a weird, like, dynamic.

01:05:15 I remember the first year I went,

01:05:17 Michigan State lost their opening game

01:05:19 to Virginia Tech, I believe.

01:05:21 This was 2019, yeah, the Cache's team.

01:05:23 They might have been number one in the country.

01:05:25 - Yeah, that's right.

01:05:26 - They lose their opening game to Virginia Tech,

01:05:29 and they were staying, I was staying

01:05:31 at the same hotel as Michigan State,

01:05:33 and Izzo did not let his guys get in the pool

01:05:36 or in the ocean, so I'm like sitting there

01:05:38 just like smashing Mai Tais, like floating in the pool,

01:05:41 and the whole Michigan, there's like three

01:05:43 or four Michigan State players that are like

01:05:45 sitting cross-legged, like, by the pool,

01:05:47 and it's like, they're just like,

01:05:48 they just wanna put their finger in the pool,

01:05:51 and they're not allowed in.

01:05:53 I don't know, that whole scene cracked me up,

01:05:56 but yeah, I don't want it to expand,

01:05:59 but I think, what I've been trying to tell everybody

01:06:02 is like, listen, if you're someone that just wants

01:06:03 to wake up on Thursday and you just wanted

01:06:05 to care on Thursday, then just ignore the other two.

01:06:08 If they create a situation where it's like,

01:06:10 I can just ignore the Tuesday and Wednesday play-in games,

01:06:14 and there's just 16 play-in games,

01:06:15 and I wake up on Thursday morning,

01:06:17 and there's 64 teams left, and away we go,

01:06:20 I guess at the end of the day,

01:06:22 as a basketball consumer, I'm not gonna care that much,

01:06:25 but it is stupid, and like I said earlier,

01:06:27 it's less about like expanding to 96,

01:06:29 and it's more about like, I know you're not done with it.

01:06:31 You know, I know that there's another coming.

01:06:33 - Same with realignment stuff.

01:06:35 - So I'll let you do this, but damn it,

01:06:36 promise you're done, you gotta promise you're done.

01:06:39 - All right, we promise.

01:06:40 - But they're never done.

01:06:42 A couple other things I wanted to throw at you real quick.

01:06:45 Trillian Donovan, explain to me what this is.

01:06:50 Are you him?

01:06:51 - Three Man Wave super fan.

01:06:52 - Are you Trillian?

01:06:52 - Oh yeah, are you Mark?

01:06:54 - I am, and that's what I wanted to bring you guys here

01:06:55 to talk about.

01:06:56 - Are you Trillian Donovan?

01:06:57 - I'm Trillian Donovan.

01:06:59 What, is this guy good for, do we think it's a guy?

01:07:05 Do we think that this is good for college basketball?

01:07:09 What's going on?

01:07:11 How did this happen, like from your guys' point of view?

01:07:14 - Can we quickly toot our own horn here real quick?

01:07:16 - Toot our own horn?

01:07:17 - Yes, the best part of my year to date

01:07:19 was when Trillian DM'd us.

01:07:21 He had like a tweet, it's like,

01:07:22 "Hey, give me some college basketball

01:07:24 "podcast recommendations."

01:07:25 And he's like, "Hey, just want to let you guys know

01:07:27 "that yours was highly recommended,

01:07:29 "so I'm gonna listen to an episode today."

01:07:31 - That was good praise, high praise.

01:07:32 - I was floored, I mean, 'cause all this guy did

01:07:34 was predict the future for two straight months.

01:07:36 I mean, like the biggest was the--

01:07:38 - He's 100% on a coaching staff.

01:07:40 - Yeah, has to be.

01:07:41 - Of some school, and people obviously know he is.

01:07:44 - The Caleb Love bomb was the coolest, I think.

01:07:47 - Not going to Michigan?

01:07:48 - Yeah, like the, "Ooh, he's not going."

01:07:50 Everyone's like, "What are you talking?"

01:07:51 And Caleb Love like quote tweets him.

01:07:54 And that was his biggest mic drop.

01:07:55 I knew he was real after that.

01:07:56 - His breadth of network though is impressive.

01:07:59 Like he's talking about Pacific teams,

01:08:01 and teams on the East Coast, and Midwest.

01:08:05 There's no limit to him.

01:08:05 - He's very good.

01:08:06 - He's kind of wild, maybe it's not one guy.

01:08:08 - I'm very good at it, he's very good at it.

01:08:09 I mean, he's doing a--

01:08:11 - I want him to be someone that isn't that known.

01:08:15 Like he can't possibly be a nobody,

01:08:16 like you don't have those connections if you're a nobody.

01:08:18 - It's Nolan Smith.

01:08:20 - Nolan Smith would be incredible.

01:08:22 - Nolan Smith, for those who have no idea

01:08:24 what we're talking about,

01:08:26 there is a Twitter account that like popped out of the ether

01:08:29 going by the name Trilly Donovan,

01:08:32 a play obviously on Billy Donovan.

01:08:34 And he just like started tweeting college basketball scoops

01:08:39 and is like batting, he's batting a thousand right now.

01:08:43 - Yeah.

01:08:44 - He's hitting, everything he's saying is happening.

01:08:46 And people are losing their minds about who this guy is.

01:08:50 - I think I've landed on it's not one guy,

01:08:52 it is like multiple guys.

01:08:53 - It's a team.

01:08:54 - It's just like a team.

01:08:55 It's just like seven or eight guys that, you know,

01:08:58 it's like Dane Fife, you know, and like his--

01:09:00 - His team of Dane Fife.

01:09:02 But now he has a website, not to plug other people's work,

01:09:07 but now he has a website and he's interviewing coaches,

01:09:10 like his assistant coaches.

01:09:11 - Oh yeah, he's like the breakdown.

01:09:12 - So he's giving away his identity to some people.

01:09:14 - He's got voice modulation.

01:09:15 - Yeah.

01:09:16 - You see how he just, he's doing podcasts,

01:09:19 he's like Trilly Donovan here.

01:09:21 - The voice has been distorted for this interview, yeah.

01:09:23 - No, when, I forget what story it was,

01:09:26 but there was a stretch in the summer where

01:09:28 I was getting a lot of DMs asking if I was Trilly Donovan.

01:09:33 And I just, I didn't say a word,

01:09:35 'cause I was like, this is cool

01:09:36 that people think that I could be this guy.

01:09:38 Although this is, although I'm the worst scooper

01:09:40 in the history of college basketball scoops.

01:09:42 I'm so fucking bad at it.

01:09:44 The only scoops I ever have

01:09:46 are John Rothstein personal life scoops.

01:09:48 I scoop--

01:09:49 - Which are big scoops.

01:09:50 - Big milestone in John Rothstein's life.

01:09:51 Otherwise, my scoops are terrible.

01:09:55 - Kyle, we had one with Miles Bridges,

01:09:58 some like Michigan State fan.

01:10:00 - Oh yeah, that was cool.

01:10:01 - Was like, hey--

01:10:01 - His buddy was roommates with him.

01:10:03 - Hey, just so you guys know,

01:10:03 I'm a big fan of your podcast,

01:10:05 just so you know, my buddy's roommate with Miles Bridges

01:10:07 and he's coming back.

01:10:08 He's like, you can drop her on the podcast.

01:10:10 I was like, cool, I guess we're scoop guys now.

01:10:12 So we dropped him, we felt really cool.

01:10:13 And we got made fun of a ton and he was true

01:10:15 and we could have just easily just made it up

01:10:17 and guessed right.

01:10:18 You know what I mean?

01:10:19 - Yeah.

01:10:20 - Big Jay Gernos hate Tru Donovan though.

01:10:21 - Hate him.

01:10:22 - They're swiping--

01:10:23 - Oh, yeah, yeah, absolutely.

01:10:24 - They're angry.

01:10:25 - Yeah.

01:10:26 - Poor Goodman.

01:10:28 - That's the game.

01:10:29 Like, yeah, Goodman's like,

01:10:30 there's ethics to this, damn it.

01:10:31 (laughing)

01:10:34 There are rules to this game.

01:10:37 We're like, Jeff, I've seen what you've done for a scoop,

01:10:40 man, like, what are you talking about?

01:10:41 - Oh yeah, oh yeah.

01:10:42 (laughing)

01:10:44 Man, it's a tough, yeah.

01:10:45 Not my, #notmybusiness.

01:10:47 The scoop life, not for me.

01:10:49 - The two scoops that I got,

01:10:51 that one, I got a scoop that Steve Alford

01:10:54 was getting fired by UCLA.

01:10:56 Which I think a lot of people saw coming anyway,

01:10:58 but I got the scoop that it was like,

01:11:00 it was done this morning, you can tweet it out, it's done.

01:11:03 And then, no, it was that night.

01:11:04 It was, the UCLA people had met that night,

01:11:08 they had had the meeting and they were like,

01:11:09 we're gonna announce it in the morning.

01:11:11 And when they got out of the meeting,

01:11:12 someone was like, FYI, they just got out of the meeting,

01:11:14 they're fired Alford.

01:11:15 And I, 'cause I'm not a scoops guy,

01:11:18 I was like, let me confirm this.

01:11:22 And the way I confirm it,

01:11:23 (laughing)

01:11:24 the way I confirm it is by looking on Twitter.

01:11:27 (laughing)

01:11:29 Yeah, I searched, I was like, no one else is saying this.

01:11:33 I was like, this can't be true, 'cause no one else,

01:11:35 and I was like, right, that's, yeah.

01:11:36 - Do all these meetings--

01:11:37 - 'Cause I have the scoop.

01:11:38 (laughing)

01:11:39 I'm like, I'm a fucking idiot.

01:11:40 - Do all these meetings end with,

01:11:42 just so we're all on the same page,

01:11:43 this does not leave this room.

01:11:44 - Yeah, yeah, right, every, yeah.

01:11:45 They have to, right, and then who's always the,

01:11:47 there's always one rat or--

01:11:49 - I stared at my phone, I was in bed, I remember,

01:11:52 I was lying in bed, and I'm just staring at my phone,

01:11:54 like, do I tweet this?

01:11:55 Like, I don't, I was like,

01:11:56 how do I word it in case it's not true?

01:11:58 You know, like, what's my--

01:11:59 - Alarm emoji, breaking, breaking, breaking.

01:12:01 Invention, yeah.

01:12:02 - And then I ultimately didn't,

01:12:04 and then I woke up, and everyone had it,

01:12:06 and everyone was like, Steve Alford's fired.

01:12:07 And I was like, god damn it, I should've done it.

01:12:09 - What does Rossine use?

01:12:10 Well-embedded moles.

01:12:11 - Well-embedded moles, that's a good--

01:12:13 That's a good--

01:12:13 - Yeah, like, how do you guys, in general, handle it,

01:12:16 when someone's just, like, sliding in the DMs

01:12:18 with eyes emojis?

01:12:20 - We don't get 'em that much, do we?

01:12:20 - Use it to our advantage in the betting world.

01:12:22 - Yeah, at this point--

01:12:23 - You just bet, yeah, you just keep it--

01:12:24 - Hush, hush.

01:12:25 - Yeah, we're more invested betting, I would say,

01:12:28 than our own public reputation,

01:12:30 so it's like, oh, I'll just go bet on this, right, yeah.

01:12:32 - What's the point of scoops, dude?

01:12:33 - Brother, you're preaching to the choir here.

01:12:35 You're preaching to the choir, this is--

01:12:37 - I have to be the first one to let everybody know.

01:12:39 - This is, if you want me to play the hits,

01:12:41 I'll play the hits and I'll go on my Woj rant

01:12:44 that I do quarterly on this podcast.

01:12:48 No, I don't get it, I'm very anti-scoops,

01:12:52 but I also say that as a guy that's, like,

01:12:53 ultimately probably just jealous that I don't--

01:12:55 - Sure, yeah, access.

01:12:56 - Get the scoops.

01:12:58 Tate and I scooped the Michigan-Michigan State game,

01:13:02 was postponed 'cause of COVID a couple years ago,

01:13:07 when it was the year, like, everyone was playing,

01:13:09 but you were still, like, testing like crazy,

01:13:11 and then, like, we'll throw four players out there

01:13:13 and pull a guy off the street, you know,

01:13:15 and we'll play it.

01:13:16 And Michigan State had driven to Ann Arbor to play,

01:13:21 and the night before we got the scoop

01:13:25 that they weren't gonna play the game,

01:13:27 and then we broke the, we were just like,

01:13:29 yeah, Michigan, it was like the game of the weekend,

01:13:31 it was, like, gonna be on CBS or something,

01:13:33 and we were like, yeah, the Michigan-Michigan State game's

01:13:35 not happening tomorrow, it's gonna be called off,

01:13:37 and it was just crickets, like, nobody was, like,

01:13:40 we were just like the boy who cried wolf.

01:13:42 - Everybody, yeah. - It was just like,

01:13:43 everyone was like, yeah, these guys don't know

01:13:44 what the fuck to say. - Okay, sure.

01:13:44 - These guys are journalists.

01:13:46 And then Goodman, like, 12 hours later,

01:13:48 is like, breaking, source tells it, you know.

01:13:51 (laughing)

01:13:52 I was like, I'm the source, Jeff, it was me, I'm the source.

01:13:55 - It's like people that wrote, like, first,

01:13:57 on every single YouTube video or commentary thread.

01:14:01 - Yeah. - On Reddit.

01:14:03 - The most annoying scoop move to me

01:14:04 is the guy that doesn't have the scoop, yeah,

01:14:07 like, kind of what I just said with Goodman,

01:14:08 but does the move where you, like,

01:14:10 quote, tweet someone else's scoop,

01:14:11 and you're like, yep, yep, confirmed it.

01:14:13 - Confirmed it. - Yes, confirmed it.

01:14:14 - Yes, this is, indeed, what happened.

01:14:16 - That's right. - Yep.

01:14:17 - You know, like, the Aaron Rodgers thing,

01:14:18 like, it was like, Sal Palantonio has the picture

01:14:21 of him on the cart, and then, like, subtweets, like,

01:14:24 or, like, Diana Rossini had it first or something.

01:14:26 It's like, this, like, this vortex loop

01:14:28 of patting each other on the back

01:14:30 for, like, what we're all-- - It's a big, big circle.

01:14:33 - I think that's good.

01:14:35 I wanna have you guys back.

01:14:36 I wanna have all three of you back.

01:14:37 The studio, when I had Jim in here the first time,

01:14:39 we were in another room, and there aren't enough chairs.

01:14:43 And honestly, like, I-- - It's intimate.

01:14:44 - And somehow, how did Jim become, like,

01:14:47 my point of contact with you three?

01:14:49 How did that happen?

01:14:49 - I was saying I've always been,

01:14:51 I've always anointed Jim the point of contact of the group.

01:14:54 - The most active on social media.

01:14:55 - Yeah, okay. - Best Twitter,

01:14:56 best individual Twitter presence.

01:14:57 - Maui Invitational.

01:14:58 That was your big breakthrough.

01:14:59 - Yeah, I met him at Maui, yeah, yeah.

01:15:02 - You came on our podcast-- - I was supposed to go there.

01:15:04 - Like, seven years ago, six years ago?

01:15:06 - I came on the show?

01:15:07 - Yeah, you were one of our first guests.

01:15:08 - That's cool, man, thanks for that.

01:15:09 - We were really pumped to get you, actually, by the way.

01:15:10 - Thanks for having me back on.

01:15:12 That's cool.

01:15:13 - Oh, yeah, 'cause we-- - We appreciate it, guys.

01:15:14 Appreciate you having me back on all the--

01:15:16 - Well, you followed-- - I must have killed it.

01:15:18 - You followed, it was a slight upgrade from,

01:15:21 I think we had Stephen Howard, the guest before--

01:15:24 - That was the weirdest. - One of the first guests.

01:15:25 Which no one knows, everyone was like, who's Stephen Howard?

01:15:28 It's like a guy who played, like, in--

01:15:29 - The Paul Legend Stephen Howard.

01:15:30 - Yeah, so, Chicago locals will probably know who that is.

01:15:33 - All right, well, thanks for doing this.

01:15:35 Kai, Matt, you guys, I said this to Jim

01:15:38 when he was on the show, you guys, I think,

01:15:39 do have the best college basketball show,

01:15:41 and it is the show that I recommend to people that--

01:15:45 - And Trilley agrees, so that's important, yeah.

01:15:47 - It's the show, I do, people are like Titus,

01:15:50 sometimes I listen to what you have to say

01:15:51 about college basketball, but I always find

01:15:52 that you don't really say much, you just kinda fuckin' like,

01:15:55 jack around, don't really like--

01:15:57 - You don't see the Reddit debates?

01:15:58 Every month, there's a best college basketball podcast,

01:16:01 and it's just like, three and a weave for information,

01:16:04 Titus and Tate for good content and humor,

01:16:06 it's just the same responses repeated,

01:16:08 it's like, maybe they're both good, just listen to both.

01:16:10 - Yeah, if you like it, just listen to the--

01:16:12 But no, I send a lot of people your way,

01:16:16 and hopefully we did a little more today,

01:16:18 but we'll have you back on during the season

01:16:20 when there's actually something to talk about,

01:16:21 I appreciate you guys coming in September,

01:16:23 and the content drought that is college basketball,

01:16:25 but I've been doing too many shows

01:16:27 where I need to get back to the lifeblood,

01:16:29 I needed to just talk to some people,

01:16:31 but you guys, I keep saying I'm gonna be done,

01:16:33 but I wanna make sure I get this in,

01:16:34 you guys said you're nerds, you guys can both hoop.

01:16:38 - Appreciate that.

01:16:39 - Used to be though. - How do you able to hoop?

01:16:41 - Can I breathe there?

01:16:42 - You guys don't do a good enough job of,

01:16:43 all three of you can, you don't do a good enough job of,

01:16:47 you play up the nerd stuff too much,

01:16:48 I think my advice is every so often,

01:16:51 you just gotta sprinkle in a video,

01:16:53 'cause you do do that every so often, I guess,

01:16:55 but you need to do it more, I guess.

01:16:57 You need to just every so often,

01:16:59 just do what Rico Bosco does here at Barstool,

01:17:02 where he has a feud with John Rothstein,

01:17:04 'cause John can't shoot a basketball.

01:17:05 - Is that true?

01:17:07 - And you just start a feud.

01:17:09 - Oh yeah, I think I've seen that.

01:17:10 - Yeah.

01:17:11 - It's shockingly bad.

01:17:12 - I think it might be different for you,

01:17:13 we're prolonging I guess,

01:17:14 but people know you played basketball in college,

01:17:17 but do you get a sense of a little blood rush

01:17:20 when you tweet a picture of you shooting a basketball?

01:17:24 Yeah, just letting you know I can still play.

01:17:25 - Of course.

01:17:27 - It's a good feeling.

01:17:28 - Of course, that's what I'm saying,

01:17:29 you guys play up the nerd stuff too much.

01:17:31 I mean, you should, but also,

01:17:33 you just need to remind people every so often,

01:17:35 you just need to be like,

01:17:36 we're not like those other dorks, all right?

01:17:37 We are dorks, but we're the cool nerds.

01:17:40 - Yeah, cool nerds.

01:17:41 - We're not like those other nerds, we're fun nerds.

01:17:44 All right guys, appreciate it.

01:17:45 Kai and Matt, Three Man Weave,

01:17:46 go check out their stuff, and we'll have them back in.

01:17:49 When we get the new studio open,

01:17:51 we'll have you guys back in.

01:17:51 - Yeah, it'll be awesome.

01:17:53 - All right, thank you to Kai and Matt.

01:17:54 Before we get out of here, I have some quick shout outs.

01:17:57 Number one, I wanna shout out

01:17:58 the Brownsburg High School football, Fightin' Bulldogs.

01:18:02 You're number one ranked in the state of Indiana

01:18:06 football team, TJ.

01:18:08 My alma mater, this is the second year in a row

01:18:10 we've been ranked number one in the polls.

01:18:13 Last year, we got upset in the state tournament,

01:18:15 it was very sad.

01:18:16 I think last year's team was a lot better

01:18:18 than this year's team,

01:18:19 but we just beat the shit out of our rivals, Avon.

01:18:22 53 to 30, we beat 'em on Friday.

01:18:26 Last year, we hung 60 on those sons of bitches.

01:18:29 We hung 53 on 'em this year.

01:18:30 We are the number one team in the state.

01:18:32 And I'm fired up about it, because I now live close enough

01:18:35 to theoretically drive back home

01:18:37 and watch these boys take state.

01:18:39 I think the state championship is the week of Thanksgiving.

01:18:42 I think it's gonna be the Friday.

01:18:45 I think that Thanksgiving week,

01:18:46 I think the Friday is the state championship,

01:18:48 and I think Saturday is Ohio State, Michigan.

01:18:51 So that could be it.

01:18:52 I'm already thinking state championship.

01:18:54 I'm already booking my hotel down in Indianapolis

01:18:56 for the state championship, TJ.

01:18:58 The dogs are number one.

01:18:59 - I'm honestly jealous that you have that sort of environment

01:19:02 to your high school sports,

01:19:03 because my high school was so non-caring about football

01:19:08 that two years after I graduated,

01:19:11 they had to combine school teams

01:19:13 with our rival high school,

01:19:15 because they didn't have enough guys.

01:19:16 - Oh no.

01:19:17 Oh no.

01:19:18 - Yeah.

01:19:19 - Yeah, that would be--

01:19:21 - So West Windsor Plains were our north and south

01:19:23 played together as one West Windsor Plains row team.

01:19:26 - That would be a nightmare.

01:19:27 I wouldn't, yeah.

01:19:29 So all these dudes that were rivals

01:19:30 are now on the same team.

01:19:31 - North, south, they meant nothing.

01:19:33 - I don't like that.

01:19:34 Yeah, I don't think I hide it.

01:19:38 I'm into high school sports.

01:19:39 - Yeah.

01:19:40 - You know?

01:19:41 - It's cool.

01:19:42 I was most spirited in high school,

01:19:43 so I understand the school spirit.

01:19:45 We were just so fucking bad that nothing mattered.

01:19:48 - I fluctuate back and forth on how weird that is

01:19:51 that I still care.

01:19:53 I'm a little self aware about it.

01:19:54 I'm like, this is stupid that I care.

01:19:57 I don't care that much, I should say.

01:19:58 Like I'm not, I don't sleep over it, you know?

01:20:02 I don't, but I do follow it more than I think

01:20:05 most people do, which is to say that there were times

01:20:07 when I was living in LA, I would be on the beach

01:20:10 live streaming a high school football game in Indiana

01:20:13 on my phone if it was a big game,

01:20:14 if I felt like it was a big game, or a basketball game.

01:20:17 But yeah, the Dawgs are number one in the state,

01:20:20 and to be completely honest,

01:20:21 I think we kind of like, I think it was kind of

01:20:23 some bullshit as to how we got it,

01:20:25 'cause I think the team that was number one

01:20:27 was Ben Davis, which is the school that is right next to,

01:20:31 they just won the basketball state championship,

01:20:33 by the way.

01:20:34 Brownsburg basketball was number two all season

01:20:36 behind Ben Davis.

01:20:37 They're right next to each other, Brownsburg and Ben Davis.

01:20:42 But my understanding, Ben Davis was number one,

01:20:46 and they just played IMG Academy in Florida.

01:20:49 - That'll do it.

01:20:50 - So Brownsburg, we were playing like the shithole

01:20:54 down the street, you know?

01:20:55 And they were playing like a professional football team.

01:20:58 - It's like, yeah, when Alabama plays the Citadel,

01:21:01 and Georgia has to play Ohio State.

01:21:04 - Yeah, and so Ben Davis lost to IMG,

01:21:07 and they dropped in the polls,

01:21:08 and Brownsburg just scooped up the fumble,

01:21:10 and we're like, all right, we'll take this.

01:21:11 Number one, baby.

01:21:13 Be that as it may, we're ranked number one,

01:21:14 so shout out to the Dawgs.

01:21:16 Also, I wanna shout out myself.

01:21:19 I'm doing a great job of just giving my guests the bump, TJ.

01:21:23 I don't know what it is about me,

01:21:25 but I have some sort of power that Ryan Konigsberg,

01:21:29 who I'm sure you all remember, the Colorado,

01:21:32 does the CU Buffs podcast, the Buffs podcast for DNVR,

01:21:37 came on the show, talked about Deion,

01:21:39 great conversation with him.

01:21:40 He got engaged to be married, TJ.

01:21:44 - Oh.

01:21:44 - Yeah, he got engaged to be married

01:21:46 like right after he came on the show.

01:21:48 - His girlfriend probably saw the interview.

01:21:51 - Right, that's the story. - I gotta lock this down.

01:21:53 - That's the story I heard.

01:21:54 The story I heard was that she was actually

01:21:56 about to break up with him,

01:21:57 and then she saw him on my show,

01:22:00 and she was like, Ryan, you know what?

01:22:02 I wanna spend the rest of my life with you.

01:22:05 Meanwhile, friend of this program, Rico Bosco,

01:22:08 debuting a brand new show of his own.

01:22:11 That's taking off.

01:22:13 Healthy Debate, shout out to Rico.

01:22:16 Kevin Clark, who came on this show,

01:22:17 just texted me that Miami is apparently

01:22:21 about to land a five star from Pennsylvania.

01:22:23 Jaleel Bathea, I think's the kid's name.

01:22:25 He's fired up about that.

01:22:28 All good things happening to a Titus Show guest, TJ.

01:22:31 So I wanna shout out all those people.

01:22:33 But yeah, Ryan came on the show,

01:22:35 and then I was like, I follow him on Twitter or whatever,

01:22:37 and then like three days later, he's engaged.

01:22:40 I was like, wow, did I do that?

01:22:42 (laughing)

01:22:43 - Probably, yeah.

01:22:45 I probably did that.

01:22:46 - It was probably me.

01:22:48 But no, shout out to him for that.

01:22:50 And we like to keep tabs on the guests

01:22:53 after they leave our purview.

01:22:55 Anything else before we get out of here?

01:22:57 - Just shout out to the Mexican government

01:22:59 for just putting on a clinic today in the alien community.

01:23:01 - Yeah, dude, that was much needed, I think.

01:23:04 We needed the levity, because I think

01:23:08 the alien discourse has gotten very serious,

01:23:11 and maybe rightfully so, maybe not,

01:23:13 but I think the way America's handling it

01:23:16 with like congressional hearings,

01:23:17 and we've talked about it on the show a little bit,

01:23:22 it's gotten very serious.

01:23:23 And I want to believe, I don't know

01:23:26 if I should believe, whatever,

01:23:27 but it's just like, it's gotten really bogged down.

01:23:30 And for the Mexicans to step up and be like,

01:23:32 let us help you out, let us--

01:23:34 - Here's an alien, here you go.

01:23:36 (laughing)

01:23:37 We got one.

01:23:38 - Here's a crusty alien.

01:23:40 Go ahead and take all the pictures you want.

01:23:43 - That was incredible.

01:23:44 What a great thing for them to do.

01:23:47 I very much.

01:23:48 As everyone else keeps pointing out,

01:23:52 I have the same reaction, which is like,

01:23:54 wow, I can't believe pop culture got it right.

01:23:57 All the depictions of aliens.

01:23:59 - They were who we thought they were.

01:24:00 - They were.

01:24:01 (laughing)

01:24:02 They are who we thought they were.

01:24:03 (laughing)

01:24:06 Oh, shout out to Brandon Walker.

01:24:08 Also was on the, he got the tightest bump as well.

01:24:10 - Probably did.

01:24:11 - On his show that he's doing with,

01:24:13 his co-host fucking rules.

01:24:16 - Yeah.

01:24:17 - Mostly sports.

01:24:19 That is, yeah.

01:24:20 That show's really taken off.

01:24:22 No, yeah, mostly sports.

01:24:24 Go like, subscribe, all that sort of thing.

01:24:26 We're having fun with, we're having fun doing it.

01:24:30 - Today was silly.

01:24:31 We did some silliness today.

01:24:32 Or yesterday as you're listening to this.

01:24:34 - Yeah, a lot of silliness.

01:24:36 We gotta hone in.

01:24:38 I think Brandon wants to go sillier.

01:24:40 That's what's crazy.

01:24:41 I don't think this is even his final form.

01:24:43 I think he's like, I got more silly in me.

01:24:44 - Yeah.

01:24:46 - Which I guess, I struggle with TJ

01:24:48 'cause I'm like, I'm the straight man on the show.

01:24:51 - Right.

01:24:51 - But also, that seems to be a pretty consistent criticism

01:24:55 of me in the Barstool universe.

01:24:56 - Yeah, the straight man.

01:24:57 - I'm a little too straight.

01:24:58 He's too straight.

01:24:59 Does this guy have any silly in him?

01:25:03 - Right.

01:25:04 - When are we gonna see the silly?

01:25:05 So I'm like, all right, should I bust out a little silly?

01:25:09 Maybe.

01:25:10 But also, if I bust out the silly,

01:25:11 who's gonna bring it back?

01:25:13 - Yeah, Brandon can't be the straight man.

01:25:15 - Bring it back down to earth.

01:25:17 So we'll see, we'll figure that out.

01:25:18 But we're having a ton of fun doing that show.

01:25:20 Mostly Sports every morning, 10 Eastern, nine Central.

01:25:23 We broadcast it live from the chair I'm sitting in right now

01:25:26 right in the studio.

01:25:28 Yeah, you can watch us on YouTube.

01:25:29 We're also putting it on the podcast feed.

01:25:31 So the same way, however you consume this show

01:25:33 that you're currently consuming,

01:25:34 you can consume Mostly Sports as well.

01:25:37 And I recommend you do because it is a ton of fun

01:25:39 and we're doing it every day.

01:25:40 So that's it.

01:25:42 Thank you to Kai and Matt again for coming in

01:25:44 and talking a little College Hoops.

01:25:45 I think, I don't wanna, I'm gonna tease it.

01:25:50 I'm 85% sure next week we'll have

01:25:56 a very, very fun interview.

01:25:57 We're doing something a little different that I,

01:26:00 I think I've actually talked about doing it

01:26:02 on the show before.

01:26:03 So I won't completely blindside people.

01:26:05 But I think we're gonna set that up for next week.

01:26:09 And I'm pretty fired up about it

01:26:10 'cause it'll be a lot of fun.

01:26:11 And yeah, that's pretty much the only tease I'll give you.

01:26:15 So next week will be fun.

01:26:17 Enjoy the weekend, everybody.

01:26:18 We'll see you on Tuesday.

01:26:19 (whooshing)

Category

Transcript

Recommended