Episode 102: Big T Explains Why Dalton Knecht is LEGIT + Tennessee’s Path During March Madness

Barstool Sports

Mark Titus | The Mark Titus Show

Transcript

00:00:00 Today's episode of the mark Titus show Jamal Shedd plays the hero for the number one team in the country Houston on the road in

00:00:05 Norman a great game great basketball game shed hits a game winner

00:00:10 That he solidifies all-american status. I think he may have

00:00:13 Houston is rolling

00:00:16 Meanwhile over the weekend Creighton knocks off shorthand and Marquette. No, no Colick. No, you could arrow for for Marquette

00:00:23 I saw Colick's out for a while now, which is a massive bummer raining Big E's player of the year

00:00:29 And the Yukon Huskies have now clenched the outright Big E's title

00:00:34 It is the first outright conference championship for Yukon since 1999. Yes, you heard that correctly

00:00:39 Yukon has won five national championships since they last won an outright conference championship, which is absolutely insane

00:00:48 But yeah, Creighton gets a big win Baylor Sherman was was awesome. I want to talk about him at some point during the show

00:00:55 Because he's he's just incredible. He is he's a cool-ass white boys. What he is. Um, also the Buckeyes are back

00:01:02 I mean we're back and I I I want to I

00:01:05 Cannot believe there's ever a time when I tried to say I was done with this team

00:01:09 I mean, it's it's we are so fucking back. It's disgusting

00:01:12 We beat Michigan like we were in a handshake line and they touched our elbow

00:01:17 I mean, that's how badly we beat the the Wolverines

00:01:19 Jake Deebler is four and one

00:01:22 Everything's everything's coming up Buckeyes right now except for on the women's side

00:01:26 Caitlin Clark

00:01:29 Is a villain she might be a villain in my life. I don't know. I'm really confused cuz

00:01:33 Cody Cody breaks the news to me during the last show that she's going to the WNBA draft and she's going to play for

00:01:39 my fever

00:01:41 So I was excited about that and then I'm watching her play, Ohio State losing my fucking mind over some of these calls

00:01:47 Anyway, congratulations to Caitlin Clark

00:01:49 We might talk about that a little bit but the big win in college basketball this week from my perspective

00:01:53 Was the Tennessee Volunteers going to Tuscaloosa?

00:01:56 Beating Alabama coming back to beat Alabama

00:02:00 In a game where it was for the SEC driver's seat. The winner would be in the driver's seat

00:02:05 Tennessee wins the game

00:02:07 They are now as I said in the driver's seat if they went out they will win the regular season

00:02:12 SEC championship outright and this for those of you that been listening all season

00:02:17 I I find the SEC to be the most entertaining league probably it's it's either SEC or Big East

00:02:22 I go back and forth, but I I think the SEC is

00:02:25 More fun to be completely honest. I think it's the most fun league. It's a very competitive league

00:02:31 I think it's gotten way better that you know, Missouri stinks this year and there are some bad teams, but by and large

00:02:36 From top to almost bottom it is it is a very deep league a very fun league with with great players great coaches

00:02:43 Everything else and Tennessee is in position to win it now. They stuff to beat, South Carolina

00:02:47 They still have to beat Kentucky two very good teams. So let's not crown them too early

00:02:52 But they are in the driver's seat. Like I said and because of that a long overdue

00:02:57 Conversation was had today on the podcast with big T the resident Tennessee fan here at Barstool sports who I have been talking to

00:03:05 Off-air like crazy about Dalton connect like every time I see him

00:03:09 He and I just stop in the hallway and talk about don't connect and I said you got to come on the show

00:03:13 At some point we got to talk about don't connect and these balls. We finally made it happen connect wasn't

00:03:18 otherworldly against Alabama, but he didn't need to be

00:03:21 And that's okay. But this Tennessee team is rolling

00:03:26 I I thought highly of them all season and I continue to think highly of them and I thought

00:03:30 Why not have big T on the show and finally have the conversation that we've been having off-air

00:03:35 And so we did that and for those of you who most of most of the audience is is is well-versed in Barstool

00:03:42 You know characters and lore and all that sort of thing and I understand that but there are a handful of you who are not

00:03:48 and I just want to give a fair warning that big T is out of his fucking mind like big T is as insane about

00:03:54 Tennessee as anybody is about anything and that's why we love him. I was laughing

00:03:59 So hard during multiple times during this interview and he is just stone-faced matter-of-fact like no when I said there was a conspiracy

00:04:08 To keep Tennessee down. I it's very very true. Look it up and I'm I don't know the guy the guy is unbelievable and

00:04:16 That's what made college sports great guys like him guys like it

00:04:19 If every school had a fan had a fans like big T is with Tennessee

00:04:24 You know, it would make the sport even better and a lot of them do and big T is insane about his balls

00:04:30 So anyway without further ado

00:04:32 Enjoy the conversation about don't connect the balls

00:04:35 We'll talk about some other stuff after after the interview with big T but uh, this is the man himself

00:04:41 Big Tennessee. All right, big T is here. This is long overdue

00:04:46 You got your Dalton connect shirt on you got your Tennessee hat on you you dress like this

00:04:50 This is the shirt is a little more than I would do for a normal day

00:04:55 But yeah most days most days so the Vols go to Tuscaloosa

00:04:58 In a matchup of two T you guys were tied for first place technically going into the game, right?

00:05:03 Yeah winners in the driver's seat of the SEC regular season

00:05:06 Tennessee wins the game don't connect

00:05:08 Who I want to talk to you about obviously doesn't have an awesome game

00:05:13 But that like weirdly makes me trust Tennessee more because of the balance scoring. I liked that

00:05:19 Yeah, so I just want before we dive too far into it

00:05:23 Just give me your overarching thoughts on this Tennessee team what it's like to be a Tennessee basketball fan right now

00:05:29 Dalton connect all of it just your opening statement on Tennessee basketball in

00:05:33 March of 2024 Dalton connect is

00:05:36 Maybe you can help me with this. I can't speak to Bernard King or Allen Houston. Mm-hmm aside from those two guys

00:05:44 He's the best Tennessee player I've ever seen. Yeah, who else like Chris Lofton incredible shooter

00:05:49 Yeah, but like connect is better than him Grant Williams

00:05:53 awesome player

00:05:55 He's definitely better than him and and it it's also like he's so he's electric

00:06:00 Like I never was like I have to I get to watch Grant Williams to like I'm so lucky

00:06:05 Yeah, I was texting some of my friends

00:06:08 I was like

00:06:08 I'm going to the Kentucky game this weekend and I was like if we make it to Sunday of the SEC tournament

00:06:13 like I have to come like

00:06:15 We only have what we have four guaranteed games of Dalton connect left ever obvious

00:06:21 It's gonna be more than that. Yeah, we have a guarantee for and I have to see as many as I can

00:06:26 Cuz he's so awesome. Yeah, I don't I don't

00:06:29 Maybe the production

00:06:33 I mean he is the I'm trying to think it through of who else would even be in the mix Chris Lofton was so good

00:06:39 But awesome, but you're right like the vibes of watching Dalton connect. It's not just that he scores

00:06:45 It's like how effortless it looks it he can

00:06:48 He's unguardable and he the way he takes a double team is coming at him

00:06:52 And he you know throws out of the double team and there's there's just like a wrinkle to watching him that

00:06:57 Frankly, and I say this lovingly and respectfully

00:07:00 Is not supposed to exist on a Tennessee basketball team like you're not

00:07:04 That's disrespectful. No that is disrespectful. What does that mean? It means, Tennessee is not we be good

00:07:10 Who would you said to yourself? You're not a you're not a school. That's pumping out like top tier talent

00:07:15 I mean over the last few years. We've had really good players. You haven't had you haven't had electric like turn on the TV

00:07:22 Correct all your friends

00:07:24 This is a foreign thing like the last guy cuz a Schofield and Williams were like a two-man thing

00:07:31 we're admiral admiral was closer to

00:07:34 connect in the sense of like I

00:07:37 Feel privileged to have been able to watch him then grant. Yeah, Grant was really really good

00:07:43 But like boring almost yeah, he was just he was just fundamental like hitting high post shot Admiral was electric

00:07:50 Yeah, Admiral. I was at the Gonzaga game in Phoenix. I came was awesome and Admiral Schofield went bananas

00:07:55 That's probably our best win under Barnes. Yeah, this Bama game was top three or four probably

00:08:02 Walk me through the emotions of the Bama game because Bama was up obviously you guys closed late

00:08:10 But what now that March is here, and we all all college basketball fans just become a mess watching their teams

00:08:15 Did you did you feel more confidence? Did you feel like ah shit here? We go again?

00:08:21 We're gonna we're gonna screw this up and not win the SEC like what?

00:08:24 What what is the feeling as you're watching this team and like not it wasn't I don't wanna say it's a blowout

00:08:28 But like Bama felt like they were sort of in control there for a little bit. Yeah, I was never

00:08:32 It would have really sucked if we lost that game and like lost the SEC cuz we're better than that

00:08:39 It was clear the whole game. We were better than them, and they just it's I was telling you this before we started recording

00:08:45 It's so frustrating

00:08:47 Watching you having your team play Alabama because just every shot they make is three points

00:08:52 So you're up 12, and you look up and now it's five

00:08:55 Or four yeah in in a 30 seconds

00:08:59 And you're like what the fuck just happened every bad team in the country should play like that shoot only threes

00:09:04 But you're also never out of it because when Bama's up 15. Oh, they're

00:09:08 Defenses atrocious, and they will shoot that if they're not hitting threes you can get right back into it in a heartbeat

00:09:12 Yeah, I mean we did not play particularly

00:09:15 Well connect wasn't awesome

00:09:18 It looked like it was gonna be a Jordan Ganey legacy game for a little bit, and then he cooled off precipitously

00:09:25 I have some friends who hate Jordan Ganey. Yeah, and I texted him in the first ten minutes

00:09:30 I was like if this if Jordan Ganey beats Bama on the road. I will be talking about this when we are six

00:09:35 He feels like a guy that you let him shoot one or two once he checks in and if he misses just pull him out

00:09:40 I think he's a really good player, and you love him

00:09:44 I I think he's a very good backup point guard, and he gets a lot of hate I think

00:09:49 Well, I think where the hate comes from is like him and connect

00:09:52 We're brought in to like revolutionize the offense and Dalton connect has done that and Ganey is shooting like 28%

00:09:58 But three point line

00:09:59 But when you're starting point guard is the Kai Ziegler who's?

00:10:02 One of the best point guards in the country and your backup is Jordan Ganey Morgan spot. You're right

00:10:06 You're right more than fine. You're right. That's a good spot um yeah connect is

00:10:10 He's my favorite player in the country this year, and he's going to be a first-team All-American

00:10:14 And I I wish there was a way I said this to Jim route one of the he does like three man

00:10:21 We've so he was he was on the last show

00:10:23 I did and I said this to him that uh if this was college football, and we were voting on the Heisman

00:10:28 I think don't connect would have a shot at winning it, but just based off of like vibes and how fun he is and

00:10:36 And that whole like the aura of him whereas whereas Zach Edie is just like a running back

00:10:42 That's averaging like four and a half yards of carry, which is like technically good

00:10:46 We're not saying it's not but it's like what is this highlight reel really you know

00:10:50 I feel like college football is better at like listen that guy might have better production

00:10:54 But like this guy has completely revolutionized this team their offense has been dogshit for the last few years

00:10:59 They bring him in and the snap of a finger the offense is incredible. Uh he is as I said earlier

00:11:05 He's the one guy that like when he's going when he's going off

00:11:07 You have to get to a television if you're not watching the game um

00:11:10 He's the most electric guy in college basketball, and I feel like that should matter, but I unfortunately

00:11:16 I don't think it's going to okay, so I have two things on that number one that does happen in football

00:11:20 That's how Devante Smith won the Heisman is through like October and November people like well if it actually went to the best player

00:11:26 It'd be Devante Smith because it looked like it was gonna be Mack Jones

00:11:28 And maybe somebody else and they wrote well Mack Jones would win it cuz of Devante Smith, and then yeah winning it

00:11:32 Why why why is Zach Edie gonna win national player of the year?

00:11:37 Uh his production is just undeniable and that's really it

00:11:41 It really boils down to like Purdue as a team is one of the is gonna be a one seed and he

00:11:47 He just his average like every game. He's putting up like 20 okay, so tell me what he does better than Dalton connect

00:11:54 I'm don't okay. I don't argue for that. You know what I'll answer about he's a better free-throw shooter. Yeah

00:12:00 For his size. He is an elite free-throw shooter. I will give him that what else does he do better. There's I mean he he he

00:12:07 Camps out in the paint and shoots baby hooks over yeah order defenders better

00:12:11 Yeah, yeah, and Dalton connect is like the best three-level scorer in the country by a significant margin

00:12:17 Yeah, and is electric and has taken a team that like every year people. Oh well

00:12:22 They can't score they can't score and now we score 90 points a game and but like oh, and he's won it before yeah

00:12:29 Which you would think would make people less likely to vote for him, and it doesn't seem like that's

00:12:35 The case I know that's the other thing with football is like football you win a Heisman and you come back the next year

00:12:41 Very hard it's very it's almost impossible you can put up the exact same numbers everyone's like well

00:12:45 Whatever we've already seen this before Zack Eadie locked up national player of the year. I feel like in Maui

00:12:50 Potential is like all right well Zack Eadie's gonna win national player of the year

00:12:54 It's done and dusted by the way. Did you I assume you watched Purdue, Tennessee when we played them the worst

00:13:00 Officiated basketball game maybe in the history of the sport close second was when we played

00:13:05 Arizona and Tucson last year

00:13:08 I

00:13:10 Would kill to play them again. I'm dying to play them, Arizona

00:13:15 Hold the Arizona game though if I remember right that was just revenge for the game in Knoxville. No no no that's

00:13:21 Knoxville was horse. No no that was bullshit. That was fake news. I'll pull the tapes on that that one was fake news

00:13:28 We won that fair and square, and then we played them the next year and it was the game started like 11 p.m.

00:13:33 Eastern and I'm I'm in bed watching just be getting irate and like December 6th

00:13:40 And it was terrible, but the Purdue game it was worse

00:13:44 Yeah, I remember being frustrated during the Purdue game and the Purdue the president of the University tweeted after the game like

00:13:52 So proud of our guys for winning against like a wrestling team or something. Oh, I was livid

00:13:58 It's like last year when we beat Duke and everybody was like

00:14:02 Well, they just they were just punching players in the face and all this shit

00:14:06 well, I

00:14:08 Mean plosives no he was an enforcer

00:14:12 Efficiently took Filipowski completely out of the game

00:14:15 Filipowski was scared as we've seen this year a very emotionally

00:14:20 Individual and euros plosives put him away

00:14:25 He did his job efficiently

00:14:29 He did it really well

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00:15:11 So what's the difference?

00:15:13 As a guy who watches like every game

00:15:16 What is the difference between this Tennessee team?

00:15:19 Besides all and get besides just like the generalities of like we have Dalton Connect

00:15:23 Which you know maybe that is all all the boils down to but what do you say to Dan?

00:15:27 Basically when Dan is like yeah, Tennessee is rolling, but it's still Rick Barnes in March. Oh, well, that's like

00:15:34 That's outing yourself as a non ball mower so like if you want to take it first of all

00:15:40 We're talking about a tournament that is specifically and intentionally designed for the best teams to not win

00:15:45 That's the whole that's the whole marketing of it is like the best teams lose all the time. It's really fun

00:15:50 Go game by game so 2018

00:15:54 Clayton Custer, I'll never forget that fucker's name

00:15:58 Hits a shot that hits touches every single part of the rim falls in and then Jordan Bones 35-footer rims out

00:16:04 They lose to Loyola Chicago who had you guys were I'm not trying to put salt in the wound

00:16:09 I'm just trying to remember you guys that was that you guys were winning when he shot that wasn't like we were I gave up

00:16:14 One I think yeah, yeah, so if he misses

00:16:16 Games over games. Oh yeah, yeah, and they have voodoo magic. They go the final four they were a good team

00:16:22 2019

00:16:26 Storm back from down like 20 against Purdue

00:16:28 Carson Edwards commits an offensive foul that is called a defensive foul

00:16:34 And they go to overtime and win that was horse shit Purdue was and and then they played Virginia who?

00:16:42 Cheated to win like three games in that tournament. We would have smoked Virginia. We would have won that layer

00:16:49 2020 no tournament 21 we lose - that's probably the worst loss that was to 12-seat, Oregon State

00:16:56 Who did who also had voodoo magic and went to the elite eight?

00:16:58 They had a sister Jean yes brought in the old dole dude

00:17:01 That Tennessee team was bad like that was that was just not a good team 22

00:17:07 Draw Michigan as an 11 seed who was preseason number one overall

00:17:11 I think and had hunter Dickinson and all those guys and we shot like

00:17:16 3 of 26 from 3 or something just and lost at the you know we were leading the whole game yeah

00:17:22 And then last year in the sweet 16 lose to another team that went to the final four in a horrible shooting performance all that

00:17:29 to say

00:17:31 First of all most of those teams except for 2019 never had an offensive threat like this one

00:17:37 Yeah, like they were all just eventually they were gonna have a game where they scored 53 points and lost

00:17:43 and also

00:17:46 Those most of the all those were in the sweet 16 second round one of them's in the second round and one first

00:17:52 But like we've been to the sweet 16 a couple times

00:17:54 Like it's hard to win a national championship in basketball. It's very hard. Yes. It is how many coaches have done it currently?

00:18:02 That are better coaching that are coaching right now. That's a great trivia question

00:18:05 Cal is Oh Hurley

00:18:08 Tony Bennett Scott drew

00:18:10 Tony Bennett doesn't count

00:18:14 That's fake those are those the best that's the best run to the national team

00:18:18 I won a national title lost to a 16 and are gonna not make the tournament this year like they now listen trade all that for

00:18:24 One national title that's great, but there's this fake what because of this year because it's every year five years after every year since

00:18:30 What does that?

00:18:33 Lose to a 14 every single slide it doesn't take away the magic

00:18:36 Tournament they'll be a 14. They lost all their best players

00:18:40 Get new ones. Well. That's not that doesn't mean

00:18:43 Like what is LSU football done that doesn't take away from the Joe Burrow team you don't look at that team and say that national

00:18:50 Championship doesn't count cuz you guys know I would say at Orgeron. It's national title doesn't count certainly

00:18:56 at Orgeron

00:18:58 Exactly

00:19:02 Like that was that counts for sure no the team was unreal

00:19:08 Which is why you don't give at Orgeron the credit for that

00:19:11 Also, Virginia should have lost like three different games in that tournament

00:19:15 But if the refs didn't want for them

00:19:17 But I would say the more often the more they got lucky the more it actually made the story like it gets to a point

00:19:23 Where you're no longer saying you're just lucky sons of bitches there. There's magic to it

00:19:27 Was it Purdue or Auburn when they batted the free-throw back to like half court?

00:19:32 And they didn't start the clock for like two full seconds, and the guy made

00:19:36 D a bate or D a key to a key to yeah

00:19:39 Yeah, made the shot the free-throw line at eight seconds after the clock

00:19:42 So fans are very confused as to how to feel about you Purdue fans that listen to my show that don't know anything about big

00:19:47 T you're like I kind of hated the guy when you

00:19:49 But now I'm back on

00:19:52 I fucking hate Purdue for some reason we just run into them in these

00:19:58 bullshit

00:19:59 The music City Bowl two years ago. I don't know if you've seen this are you familiar?

00:20:03 No, go look up right now look up, Tennessee Purdue music City Bowl

00:20:07 goal line Google that

00:20:10 In overtime of the music City Bowl on fourth down

00:20:15 We made it about a yard and a half into the end zone and the refs were like yeah

00:20:20 That's not a touchdown then they review it

00:20:23 It's clear that it's a touchdown and they say well actually we're not allowed to review that we just reviewed it to make it look

00:20:30 Better so that it didn't look like we blew this call so bad and then Purdue wins that game

00:20:36 Then there's the tournament game. We lose to him again. I fucking hate it and I would I gotta I gotta see it

00:20:42 So this was how many years ago?

00:20:44 2021 this is

00:20:46 All right, so this is all fine. I'm looking at third down. That's third. It was a fourth down play

00:20:52 Uh-huh and over time so I'm in overtime. I gotta see this oh

00:20:57 oh

00:21:00 His

00:21:02 Entire body's in the end zone oh

00:21:04 That's that's a touchdown. Yeah. Yeah, no, it's it's maybe the worst call in the history of football. That's a touch

00:21:11 Here's the here's the screenshot. I was referencing where the I mean it's not even close down at all

00:21:18 Nope so yeah, I fucking hate Purdue don't but Virginia did cheat in that game

00:21:24 And we would have won it

00:21:28 Yeah 2019 is the only tournament that I'm like we would have won the national title

00:21:33 Yeah, cuz it did feel like all three. I remember those three teams and I forget who I forget

00:21:39 Virginia played in that in that regional

00:21:42 In the sweet 16, but you guys obviously play Purdue and I remember thinking between you Purdue and Virginia

00:21:47 You had three coaches with three team with teams that could win national championships, but it was also three coaches

00:21:52 That that had a reputation

00:21:54 You know fair or not

00:21:56 But that's just how people felt about him was like these are three guys that are bozos and can't get it done in March and whatever

00:22:01 and I remember thinking this is brutal because one of them will emerge and the other two have to just like live with the stink of

00:22:07 Because that's how a tournament works one team wins and one team

00:22:10 But realistically if you were all peppered around different regionals that could have been three Final Four teams absolutely

00:22:17 if if Tennessee loses in the second round this year to a

00:22:21 nine or

00:22:24 Seven seed whatever we should be a one, but we're not gonna be well

00:22:27 You could be one if you win the SEC tournament you'll be one

00:22:29 Two years ago we won the SEC tournament and Joe Linares said yeah those games don't matter it and we were still a three

00:22:37 Well, what was it two years ago that you didn't have a team this good if Tennessee if we finish these last four games

00:22:42 Auburn at Bama at South Carolina, Kentucky 4-0. We have to be a once. Yeah half absolutely

00:22:48 Well, the SEC is way better this not way better, but it is better this year than it has been

00:22:52 - it's really good. I think it's a I think it's the most fun league in the country and Arizona

00:22:57 Why is Arizona and tell me these things? I need somebody to talk to about this

00:23:01 So Arizona whose best wins are at Duke in like November 12th

00:23:08 And then they have one more good win and that's um, they they beat Bama as well, correct? Yeah

00:23:15 Yeah, okay, so one of the shit out of Wisconsin who like, you know, they beat Michigan State Wisconsin

00:23:21 We were in Bama twice. I believe they played Bama in like Phoenix. So it was like a home game

00:23:25 um, I I don't I I don't I would I would if Tennessee if you guys win these next two

00:23:32 I don't think you have to win the SEC tournament, but just like don't lose to a bad team

00:23:35 You lose to only Bama or Auburn or Kentucky say in the SEC tournament

00:23:39 Yeah, I feel like that's a one seed. I feel like it should be it's not I promise you

00:23:44 Arizona is very good for what it's worth. But I

00:23:48 Think you will I think you'll you'll you'll get the one seed if Tennessee finishes these games for no and is like minus

00:23:55 150 to get the last one seed in Arizona is plus 125 or whatever is on DraftKings hashtag DK partner

00:24:01 I will be responsibly hammering

00:24:03 Arizona to get the fourth one seed because that's absolutely what's gonna happen now

00:24:09 Hold on who has who have you guys lost to does that matter? No, you're North Carolina Purdue

00:24:15 Kansas and then at Mississippi State at Texas A&M and South Carolina, South Carolina is the only bad one

00:24:22 Yeah, there's aren't even we should have

00:24:24 Terribly that game. Yeah losing a home to South Carolina. They're good team. They are good

00:24:29 No, I I think you guys are gonna be one seed. In fact, I'll argue for on your behalf

00:24:34 I'll appreciate if you guys it's the side of common sense. Yeah, that's I I like this Arizona team a lot

00:24:41 But I picked Tennessee when Big Cat was on the show in the preseason. We were throwing out national champion teams

00:24:47 That weren't you know

00:24:49 Can't that weren't bluebloods and I said Tennessee and I've stuck with it and I've been in love with Dalton connects since before even played

00:24:56 One second of actual basketball. Well, well, hang on. That's not true. Cuz I what you and I were talking

00:25:02 September October

00:25:05 About this and I told you that Dalton connect was gonna be now that I came around before he played one side

00:25:10 And you were like, oh, well, they said this about Tyreek key, which is

00:25:13 But they did the most

00:25:16 comparison in the history of comparisons

00:25:19 did you know did you or did you not when Tyreek he came to Knoxville not you but the the the

00:25:25 Fucking Tennessee machine at large. Did you not try to sell to America that like this guy's gonna fix all right

00:25:32 Here was the thing about Tyreek. He we played Gonzaga in a preseason scrimmage in Frisco, Texas

00:25:37 And we put up a hundred points on him and he had like 30 and that's when everybody's like, holy fuck Tyreek

00:25:44 He is unbelievable. And then it just never really he didn't do that the rest of the season

00:25:49 Dalton connect you all you had to do was watch the Michigan State scrimmage that we played and he it was

00:25:57 Like I've I've genuinely never seen a player in college

00:26:01 I'm sure there have been some at other schools

00:26:04 I've never seen what Tennessee that you just look at him and watch the shots

00:26:08 He makes you're like that looks like an NBA game. Yeah, like I I was I was watching

00:26:12 Thunder Suns last night and SGA made a turnaround jump as I connect shoots that'll like that but the kind of shots he makes

00:26:20 Are you don't have to you could like you could black out the the hoop and not even see if the shots go in or not

00:26:25 And you could just tell by the way he moves on a court the way he dribbles the way he

00:26:30 Gets into a shot that he is a different specimen than everyone else like the way he gets to the basket

00:26:35 Yeah crazy so effortless. It's great. It is crazy

00:26:38 It's it's I don't understand how where this came from this man averaged nine points a game from northern Colorado two years ago

00:26:43 By the way, he led the conference in scoring last year and was second team all conference. How's that happen?

00:26:49 They must have sucked. He was the big sky losing score and was the second team all big sky

00:26:54 I think they were like fine. I don't know

00:26:56 I want number three retired though. I want it retired. So the criteria I think you have to get three out of five

00:27:03 It's like win a national championship, which could happen first team all-american gonna happen

00:27:08 Yeah, you have to like lead in a career statistical category. Obviously, you can't do that and there's a couple others

00:27:14 It doesn't matter though. Like he's gonna have the best season in Tennessee history. Who's a who's retired?

00:27:20 Chris Lofton Bernard King. I

00:27:24 Think Ernie Grunfeld gonna say Bernie and Ernie

00:27:27 Allen Houston, those would be the four that there's one more

00:27:32 There's I'll think of it

00:27:36 But like really good players JP Prince probably

00:27:42 For there should be a vibe winches. It should be Wayne Chisholm JP Prince Jawan Smith

00:27:48 Admiral Schofield. Mm-hmm

00:27:51 Five is already retired for Lofton, but Schofield should have his own in the vibes category

00:27:55 Have you been a Tennessee fan your whole life? No, do you know I was?

00:27:59 Like I was like aware because I lived in the South but I wasn't a Tennessee fan till I went like do you remember?

00:28:05 Cuz Brandon I brought it we were talking about earlier on mostly sports

00:28:09 Last week like the oh seven Ohio the Ohio State, Tennessee game, right? Yeah, I was I was not

00:28:15 You don't you don't carry those scars

00:28:19 No, you guys got revenge on us though in 2010 you beat us

00:28:23 yeah, I was the last game of my career technically, but

00:28:27 Yeah, we have we have some weird history with Tennessee basket and then Aaron Kraft, you know that story. Oh, yeah

00:28:33 Yeah, you're aware of the air and craft

00:28:35 Saga Rick Barnes being the coach at Tennessee is a direct byproduct of Aaron Kraft. Yeah, it is. Yeah, it's true

00:28:43 And it's only like a four domino thing. Yeah, it's not very far

00:28:49 The Mark Titus show is brought to you by visible visible is your escape plan from wireless traps on visible get one line wireless with

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00:29:33 One of the other things about this Tennessee team that's different from Tennessee teams and not everyone but like in this recent run of

00:29:42 you know good you've had good teams and

00:29:45 You haven't made the final four or whatever. I think you're far better suited to play uptempo now

00:29:52 Part of that is not I don't know how much like Rick Barnes wants to actually push tempo and how much of it is playing

00:29:57 In a league with Kentucky and Alabama and you know, like a bunch of other teams that want to run

00:30:03 but either way, I feel like I'm watching more Tennessee basketball where you guys are getting up and down the floor and

00:30:10 You're not like fish out of water. You're like very comfortable with it

00:30:15 Ziegler and obviously connect but best give you like all the guards

00:30:18 Feel very comfortable pushing tempo in a way that I don't feel that's been the case in the past and to me like that is

00:30:26 The mark of a team you can trust is is do you have a plan B?

00:30:29 Do you have because I do trust Tennessee to get into a rock fight still even you know

00:30:33 Don't connect is not exactly great defensively

00:30:36 But like if the game takes on a rock fight, I trust that the rest of the team is gonna be like, we're good

00:30:41 It is really funny that he's the best offensive player I've ever seen and just can't play defense

00:30:46 For to save his life and that's fine

00:30:49 he doesn't need to but if if the game takes on a

00:30:53 and it might like you guys have Kentucky coming up this weekend like if

00:30:57 It's likely that that game is going to be up and down like it was in Rupp Arena

00:31:01 You're very comfortable with that. And I think that's that's the mark of a team. That's like

00:31:05 Oh, no matter what no matter how you try to attack them

00:31:09 They're going to be fine with with the the tone of the game

00:31:13 Which I don't think has been the case in recent years where it's like

00:31:16 You guys have gone into games and said we have to dictate our terms if you if we don't do that

00:31:21 We're fucked whereas this year's team. I don't feel like that's the case

00:31:24 I feel like if you're missing shots, you can find a way if you're you know, the game gets slowed down you can find a way

00:31:29 Yeah, I think there's a lot of different ways Tennessee can win basketball games now and that it that excites me for this team

00:31:35 I think the two games that make me the most optimistic for the NCAA tournament are winning

00:31:41 I think it was 103 92 at Kentucky. Mm-hmm. And then the Bama game where

00:31:46 Connect did not play very well. They were down

00:31:50 Double digits I think and still came back and won like those two games very different set of circumstances

00:31:57 They found a way they can they can score under points or they can still grind it out play great defense and well

00:32:04 Yeah, connect doesn't even have to be a I know he's averaging like 20 a game, but he doesn't have to score 20 every night

00:32:10 I think his function more than anything else is

00:32:12 He's the break glass in case of emergency guy

00:32:16 And and that's that is not to say not to say that's the only time you're going to use him

00:32:20 But like I don't think I don't think him like I think the Bama game is that's what I said earlier

00:32:25 Like that's a that's a great thing that he that you didn't need Dalton connect to score 35 points to beat Alabama on the road

00:32:30 Even Grant Williams. It wasn't like oh

00:32:33 Shit, we're down eight with six minutes left

00:32:35 Let's just give the ball to grant every possession and he's gonna make something happen now

00:32:39 He would he could score but it was it was he wasn't a guard who you could have bring the ball up and say listen

00:32:46 Pal is all you yeah, you go take care of it

00:32:48 Oh and connect has done that like four times and then the other thing by bringing in connect the I the the roles on the

00:32:54 Team everybody gets bumped down a level and it like makes just from an offensive standpoint defensively, Tennessee's been fine for years

00:33:01 Offensively though having like best give ease a leading scorer last year

00:33:05 I think he's like fifth or sixth and average this year

00:33:07 He should never have to pay for a beer in Knoxville ever because he's like he's been I don't was he first team all SEC

00:33:15 But he's been in all SEC player

00:33:17 awesome shooter and like has been completely fine being the fourth fifth option and like

00:33:23 Josiah Jordan James who some people like him some people don't whatever

00:33:30 Very solid player for many years fine being in a similar role to that also like

00:33:34 Everybody has been like no no, no Dalton go go. Yeah, whatever you want. Go for it

00:33:40 Yeah, I love Vesca V

00:33:41 But like best give you last year when you look up and you're like, oh their offense at times is just best give me

00:33:46 Maybe just you know, yeah make him play that's I don't know if I love him that much

00:33:49 But when he's in the role, he's in on this team. It's like oh shit, dude

00:33:53 You have your fifth option is fucking the guy who led the team in scoring last year. That's not down shooter

00:33:59 Yeah, that's crazy. That's a great spot to be in. Um, the SEC as a whole

00:34:03 It are you finding yourself getting more into basketball just because Tennessee is good or is Greg Sankey's master plan working that

00:34:12 eight to ten years ago

00:34:15 the SE the South decided we should give a shit about basketball and

00:34:18 They just snapped your fingers and all of a sudden you look up and like all burns good at basketball

00:34:22 You're like, where did this come from? I mean South Carolina's making Final Four. She like what the hell is going on here

00:34:28 Obviously was very smart by the SEC. I'd watch every Tennessee basketball game if they're oh and 30 like that's just all never

00:34:35 Not watch a Tennessee game. But like yeah, it's all like

00:34:38 Auburn's arenas incredible, Tennessee's incredible

00:34:41 Kentucky's fine a

00:34:44 Lot of olds there. Yeah, it's not as great but like the atmospheres it's uh, it's how I describe

00:34:50 I don't know how into hockey you are but like the Nashville Predators when they're good

00:34:54 The games are unbelievable because it's college football fans at a hockey game

00:34:58 Yeah, and like now you've given that to the basketball at those schools also

00:35:03 Do you feel like that's a tangible thing that in the South because as an outsider?

00:35:08 I the SEC frankly has been irrelevant as a conference now

00:35:12 There are good to Florida and Kentucky and Tennessee's had some teams. There are good teams that pop up but like

00:35:16 I'm never I'm never just thrown. I'm never saying to myself. I wonder what SEC basketball game is on

00:35:21 Let me just throw it on and watch and I'm doing that now

00:35:24 So I'm curious like as a southerner

00:35:28 Do you feel like that's like a tangible thing that like people care more about?

00:35:30 Basketball in a way they never did up until like 10 years ago, or is this just all like

00:35:35 You know just we just so happen to live in a time where there are a lot of good SEC teams

00:35:41 But nobody really cares more or less than they did before. Yeah, I don't know like I think

00:35:44 Like obviously Kentucky

00:35:48 They're gonna watch every basketball game no matter what all the Tennessee fans. I know

00:35:52 Like would watch every basketball game regardless. I think it's great for like the perception of the conference that

00:35:58 You know, there's how many teams are in the top 25 right now six five still Oh out of the SEC. Yeah

00:36:06 And people are like, you know, this is a really good conference and the atmospheres are awesome

00:36:12 But I don't know that I think if you care more or less

00:36:15 I mean you're just describing like bandwagon and really like I'm sure there are some of those which is Auburn

00:36:21 That's I mean, that's Auburn Auburn bad who cared who in Auburn cared about basketball until Bruce Pearl showed

00:36:26 Auburn is probably the one that yeah. Yeah, which is you know

00:36:30 Like how big is there arena like?

00:36:33 7,000 people some way. Yeah, I mean not everyone can have like the one of the largest on campus

00:36:38 I mean Arkansas is another like Arkansas has a story history and a great basketball program

00:36:42 They won the they won titles and have been to Final Four's and all that but Arkansas had fallen off and must

00:36:46 You know the must run this year. They suck but like

00:36:50 That run that he's been on has rejuvenated that program and they're they're crazy about basketball now

00:36:55 Which it helps because their football teams dogshit, right? They Arkansas. Yeah football is I mean every

00:37:01 This is the way life goes if your team is great. Like obviously the fan support is gonna be like a

00:37:07 better example is

00:37:09 Like I would watch most every Tennessee SEC baseball game - when they were horrible and now we're awesome

00:37:16 There are a lot of probably people who never watched college baseball before

00:37:20 But I think basketball like if you're a fan of the school you're watching. Yeah

00:37:25 alright, so give me the

00:37:28 expectations give me the like

00:37:31 Obviously if you lose any NCAA tournament game

00:37:35 You're gonna say this fucking sucks and I hate that we lost and I think we were good enough to win a national championship

00:37:39 but what does this team have to do for you to look back and like

00:37:42 Five or six years and be like that team was awesome and special and final four

00:37:46 I got it done. I could do the final four. Yeah, I mean

00:37:49 they they finally have the

00:37:51 The

00:37:54 What's the word I'm looking for?

00:37:56 The antidote to the problem that they've had in the past, right?

00:38:01 So if you can't do it now, and I mean we lose almost everybody next year. So

00:38:08 uh

00:38:09 This is the time to do it

00:38:11 I could if they get to the elite eight and lose by one like in ten years, you'll still look back fondly on yeah

00:38:17 Yeah, Dalton connect and all that but like this has to be the one

00:38:20 It kind of does I can't be the one I can't believe you've never been to a final four as a program

00:38:26 That feels shocking yet. Never been a one seed either. You never know once you know

00:38:29 - is as high as I've gotten you were number

00:38:34 What year was that like that one of the Chris Lofton teams wasn't a one-scene 2008?

00:38:39 Yeah, oh wait, you're number one in the country -

00:38:41 damn, and you lost

00:38:44 Who's you lose to an oh wait in the tournament trying to remember yeah, there was a run where I felt like

00:38:51 Was it Louisville did you lose the Louisville in the tournament? Yeah, cuz 2010 was Michigan State. Yeah 2010

00:39:00 You guys beat us in the 316

00:39:03 You want to talk about cheating? I

00:39:05 someone on Tennessee poisoned my food and

00:39:08 Story I was the last game of my career, which again I wasn't playing and I it was irrelevant anyway

00:39:15 But I was a locker room vibes guy big T and you know, I'm sure those guys are very important

00:39:19 Going into the sweet 16 against, Tennessee

00:39:23 I wake up the morning of the game and I'm shit. It's coming out both ends. I'm shitting as I'm puking and I'm grabbing the trashcan

00:39:30 You know puking on the toilet all that all all the works. I missed the game

00:39:36 I have to watch it from a hotel room across the street and

00:39:38 Wayne Chisholm and JP Prince and those fucks

00:39:43 Ended my career as I was vomiting in a trash can and it's one of the great what-ifs in college basketball history

00:39:49 It's like what if I was there during timeouts to motherfuck our guys?

00:39:52 What if I was there to just yell pull your heads out of your asses? I wasn't we lost

00:39:56 It's a great. What if it's a great? What if it's all I'm saying? So it is crazy that last game of your career

00:40:02 Yeah, I was Tennessee. It was Tennessee. Um, all right, we got it. We got to talk about it before you go

00:40:08 the free throw stream I

00:40:11 Know it's been like a month hasn't been a month. How long has it been TJ?

00:40:14 What do we do three or four weeks?

00:40:17 11th was the Super Bowl. I think so. We'll be doing on the 12th. It's been about three weeks. Um

00:40:24 What what what happened well

00:40:28 I was put in the worst situation of anybody because going into it

00:40:32 Everybody's like okay Titus and big T like those are our guys Titus and big T. You're a machine

00:40:37 I'm a good free throw shooter. So and Dave was like first of all, I

00:40:42 Don't know if I want to say that

00:40:45 No, I'll say it Dave in the morning

00:40:48 We were warming up and Dave was watching me shoot and he goes big T doesn't miss

00:40:52 Oh, no, and then and then he was telling me and you like right before sorry

00:40:57 He's like y'all know you can't miss like at all and I was like, yeah, I mean, okay

00:41:01 That's the goal and I probably shot

00:41:04 75 to 80 percent over the course of the 16 hours, but that was it wasn't good horrible to the end

00:41:13 Then at some point I was like, well Kirk was doing really well

00:41:15 You were obviously a machine and then we started to get other people in there

00:41:18 I was like, well, I'm just gonna like and then but but now this narrative has been like, oh well

00:41:23 Big T was so bad that like they took him out. I was like, well it I don't want to I

00:41:28 Was doing not as well as I would have liked I

00:41:32 You were yeah, you were I understand what you're saying

00:41:36 That's hard

00:41:37 that's a hard spot to be in for everybody to just assume that you're that you and I were equals and then I

00:41:42 Was I was not missing I was like locked in

00:41:47 So that that's a tough standard but

00:41:49 We've we've shot a lot of free throws together and you were not as good as you yeah

00:41:55 No, I was this was a you're a little bit off a little bit. You know, I was not as good as I would have liked

00:42:00 Or expected. Yeah

00:42:02 And that's it happens and that happens. It's like Kirk being good kind of fucked you too. Yes

00:42:07 Yeah, he kind of came out of nowhere and was was awesome and he became

00:42:12 The number two option. But yeah, I didn't know if you had you know, you want to speak your piece?

00:42:17 No, I mean, I'm comfortable in my ability you and I have made

00:42:20 53 in a row before like this was our thing before was anyone else's it really was

00:42:25 We're the ones that were the reason this whole thing happened

00:42:28 I think because they were kicking around the idea and they weren't sure if it was possible or if they should even do it

00:42:32 Which is why we were like, well, we'll just we'll be the guinea pigs and then we just did it in like three days

00:42:37 Should we pick that back up? I mean what number would we shoot for?

00:42:43 Because it was 50 we got to 53. You were the one that missed

00:42:46 That's what I'm saying

00:42:49 It was I've seen you at your best. No, I'm comfortable in my ability

00:42:53 I I wish it would have gone a little better on the stream

00:42:56 well, people were saying like you won't you're the free throw champion of the office - I

00:43:00 Ran away. I wish I wish you would have competed in that because I ran away from the challenge

00:43:05 I would have loved for you to be there. You think you could have made 17 in a row?

00:43:11 It's great what if I wonder if

00:43:13 So many I made I don't know but people 14 that I got my mulligan on the football shot and made three more

00:43:19 Mmm, people were saying and I hated this about it because it was really

00:43:23 You know, I'm a big T guy and I was defending as best I could but people were saying it was it was reminiscent of

00:43:28 Tennessee basketball that you were great in the in the free throw stream, right?

00:43:31 But when the real lights were on and it was really time to show up you were just you were still good

00:43:36 But just not quite good enough and I was like, that's that's unfair. That's unfair

00:43:40 It was crazy. It's crazy that people said that can I give my one criticism of Dalton connect?

00:43:46 Please do you've reminded me of?

00:43:48 The next time he makes two free throws will be the first I they say he's 77%

00:43:53 I don't know where that number comes from

00:43:56 He must have shot

00:43:59 95% in non-conference because he has not made two free throws the rest of the season and he's the best shooter in the car

00:44:06 I've never seen anything like I think what happens is he's one probably a little tired and

00:44:11 That's fair. And and when he gets to the free throw line, he just wants to take a break versus like focus on the shot

00:44:17 So he's probably just like mentally not all there number two. He might be bored. He might say to himself

00:44:22 This isn't a fun way to score points. I want to I want to be more exciting. Well grant Williams

00:44:28 free-throwed his way to a victory at Vandy one time going 23 for 23 and I've in

00:44:34 in the the deep recesses of my mind I

00:44:38 have seen

00:44:40 away the season ends and

00:44:42 I don't want it to be on a Dalton connect free throw because that would break me. I need him to lock in at the line

00:44:50 Oh, no, why would you put that out there? I'm just I don't think that's gonna happen. We're winning the national championship

00:44:56 Don't worry about it. Oh Cody. Don't clip that don't clip that and have that ready for if don't connect mrs

00:45:01 I'm telling you don't I don't know if I'm can you hear me? Okay, do not do that. Okay?

00:45:05 That's why I'm trying to get him to lock in right now

00:45:10 Because we've got three four games until it's go time and I need him dialed at the line

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00:46:24 Three things that I promise I will do for you

00:46:27 number one if

00:46:30 As long as you don't fuck up you being Tennessee as long as you guys don't fuck up and lose to a team

00:46:36 I don't know what the SEC tournament draw is looking like right now

00:46:39 But like, you know if you lose like LSU or something, I can't help you

00:46:42 But as long as you don't you don't have to win that C's term is don't fuck up and lose to a bad team

00:46:47 So win on Friday. Yeah went on Friday and only lose to one of these

00:46:53 Lose to the Kentucky or a Bama or an Auburn basically, those would be the three, South Carolina

00:46:57 I feel like might be a little bit of a fuck. I think South Carolina is having a great year, but they're not

00:47:00 That the analytics don't like them. Yeah, they're a solid team

00:47:05 They're a solid team

00:47:05 But like if you want to be a one seed at this point the season you can't lose the South Carolina

00:47:09 But I don't want to lose to Kentucky or Alabama, right?

00:47:12 But if you lost to Kentucky, I would still fight for you as a one seed

00:47:15 So I promise you when the day comes if you're not a one seed, I will be mad on your behalf

00:47:20 Okay, um, I promise you that I will continue to push the idea of don't connect belonging in the national player to your conversation

00:47:26 Which is to say he's not going to win but he belongs in the conversation, which may be the conversation. It's just bullshit

00:47:31 It's it's bullshit that this guy fucking he doesn't play basketball

00:47:36 Yeah, it's horseshit. It's it's very it I

00:47:41 Think Zack Eadie moving on from college basketball is gonna be great for all parties and Purdue fans as well

00:47:46 And I've yelled this at Purdue fans who are like you're jealous that he's that's good

00:47:51 And you just don't understand greatness and all that deep down

00:47:54 They know that they would much rather if they could push a button and win just as many games as they're winning now

00:47:59 Except Carson Edwards is leading them to these wins and not Zack Eadie. They all of them are pushing the button all of it

00:48:05 It's gotta be big guys are so fucking boring big guys are just like like guys like that

00:48:10 I mean a great example would be like Tyler Hansborough at North Carolina who had one of the great all-time college basketball careers

00:48:16 his trophy case and his individual accolades are

00:48:19 Very few players can can stack up to what he did in college basketball. I know of all the Carolina fans

00:48:27 I know none of them would even consider the idea of saying Tyler Hansborough is their favorite Tar Heel that they've ever watched

00:48:32 You know, you're throwing out like he was infinitely more talented way more

00:48:36 but they're always throwing out like like you're you're you're you're guys who were actually

00:48:40 like RJ Davis is way more fun to watch than Tyler Hansborough was and

00:48:46 He's not even as good. He's not as good, but he's just like more fun because big guys aren't as fun to watch. I

00:48:51 Don't know. I have to believe there's there's some Carolina fans that are like, that's not true

00:48:56 I fucking love hands, bro

00:48:57 But I have to believe there's some people out there who are gonna be like we can't give it to this guy again

00:49:02 Yeah

00:49:04 It and and that's even to discount what connect has done and he's been a better player the problem

00:49:10 The problem is college basketball is an analytical sport

00:49:14 Like it is it's like behind other than baseball

00:49:17 it is the number one like we have an algorithm for this sport and I think the fear is that the the

00:49:24 Algorithms say that Zack Eadie is so efficient that if you don't vote for him

00:49:29 You are going to get clowned like crazy and I think there's like a fear

00:49:33 Whereas college football you can and it's not as you know

00:49:38 Like the impact that one player has on college football can be argued more

00:49:42 You can be like listen Marvin Harrison jr

00:49:44 He's you know, his stats weren't as good as this other guy

00:49:47 But he was drawing a double team and you can just kind of fudge that a little more college basketball is harder, too

00:49:51 so I think the fear from voters is like if I don't vote for Edie and I'm on an island and

00:49:57 All the analytics say that he's by far the best player

00:49:59 I'm gonna look like a fucking bozo and I don't want to deal with the wrath of the nerds

00:50:03 You know, I think that's what will factor in you know who got elected that way

00:50:07 That's all

00:50:10 That's happened in history before mark the third thing that I will I will defend for you is your free throw shooting ability

00:50:16 So thank you. Yeah, I will I will I will say that you are the second best shooter in this office perfectly fair and

00:50:24 I

00:50:26 Believe in that I miss it like crazy and I want to I want to shoot more free throws

00:50:29 I need another challenge. I don't know what that is

00:50:31 But I mean we can is 60 then like 60 isn't a sexy number, but it'd be hard as shit

00:50:37 Yeah, I don't know

00:50:39 75 I just want to keep pushing. I just want to keep seeing where the limit is. That's all we did 53

00:50:45 Remarkably quickly, so we did. Yeah, we set out the 50 was the goal and within two days we hit 53

00:50:52 And that's two days of 30 minutes a day. It's not like we were doing it for two days like we did the other one

00:50:57 Yeah, it was literally we were setting aside 30 minutes just to see and then once the 30 minutes is up

00:51:02 We're like, alright, we'll try again tomorrow and we did it on day two and and I miss it

00:51:06 and I cuz I thought that this was gonna go on for a while and it didn't and I

00:51:10 Don't know. I miss it. I want before before we moved off Edie. I have one more I had a stat for you

00:51:15 Yeah, do you know how many shots in his career? He has made?

00:51:19 11 feet or more away from the basket

00:51:22 He's put his fourth or fifth year. I think he's made one three, which

00:51:27 Yeah, and other than that, I'm trying to think of instances where he was shooting jump shots

00:51:33 I I would it's got to be single digits, right? It is nine

00:51:37 He is nine of 36 for his career beyond 11 feet

00:51:42 Every offseason he's been at Purdue

00:51:44 I've seen videos of him like jab stepping on the perimeter and then pulling from three and like, you know working on like all these

00:51:51 skills that he's going to

00:51:53 utilize to show NBA Scouts the next season and then

00:51:57 The season starts and he's just parking his ass under the basket and listen if this is what we want college basketball to be fine

00:52:04 Just tell me that I I guess I want to make basketball a little more fun

00:52:08 You know fun for the kids get get the youth involved in the game have them the NBA really popular right now

00:52:15 Yeah college basketball. I don't know if you know this mark not as popular. It's dead. It's dead

00:52:19 It's what some some say that so I just want the game to be a little more fun

00:52:23 and I guess I guess I apologize for a vote for Zack Edie is

00:52:26 Never mind this season. It's a it's a horrendous precedent and what you're what you're signaling to the rest of the players is play like that

00:52:34 Which me correct that's just a march towards irrelevancy as a sport and we can't let that happen. Yeah

00:52:39 No, if that's what we want it to be that's fine. Uh

00:52:42 Thank you big T. This is fun. As I see goes on a run in the tournament

00:52:47 You'll come back on and we'll love that do this again

00:52:49 And so I am I should hate Tennessee because you ended my career and I thought that in 2010

00:52:55 I thought we were going back to the final four because we were the to seed Kansas lost to Northern Iowa on the

00:53:01 Yeah

00:53:04 so the bracket was we had to beat Tennessee and then we were gonna play the winner of

00:53:07 Northern Iowa and Michigan State and we had just beat the piss out of Michigan State in the Big Ten tournament like a week before

00:53:13 and we we had their number and I remember and the

00:53:17 the

00:53:19 My senior year the final four was an Indy and I'm from Indy and I just started connecting all these stars and I was like

00:53:24 Holy shit. I'm gonna go back home to Indy and playing the final four and oh my god

00:53:29 This is all happening and then Tennessee fucked it up

00:53:32 So I should hate Tennessee, but I I can't deny fun teams and fun players

00:53:36 We're in the right in front of my face and that's what you had a rough go of it with SEC teams in the tournament

00:53:41 Ohio State yeah, or we lost to Kentucky the next year. I wasn't on that team though. Well, Florida

00:53:48 They cheated they cheated can you admit that they'd like I believe it they love winning winning

00:53:53 I love cheating you winning and not as much as Auburn, but they love cheating big team

00:53:58 They they won a national champ. This is at a time when you can't pay players, right?

00:54:01 Wink wink, whatever whatever they win a national championship and they somehow get all five starters to come back

00:54:08 They wanted one more run at it. Yeah, why why would you you did what you had to do?

00:54:13 You did everything go to the NBA be like leave this alone

00:54:16 And they're like now all five of us are gonna come back. That's unfair. It's cheating. It's horseshit. It is pretty crazy. It's crazy

00:54:22 All right, big T. Thank you. Best of luck to the Vols. I will I will fight the good fight for you

00:54:28 I appreciate you. We'll see where the chips fall

00:54:30 All right. Thank you - big T

00:54:33 for for a fun conversation, I guess

00:54:36 Contentious, I don't know. It's hard to tell with him like he's

00:54:40 There were times where he would like ask me a question

00:54:43 and he's like explain to me why by Zack eat he's going to win and I'm like

00:54:46 Explaining it to him. But also it feels like he thinks that I think

00:54:51 The Zack eat he's awesome. And it's yeah, I don't know how he does it. He's very good at that

00:54:57 It was that was uh, I was like dude, I I love don't connect more than anybody outside of Knoxville

00:55:02 I am I fucking love Dalton connect and suddenly now I'm sitting here like

00:55:07 You're yelling at me. The dog connect is better than techie

00:55:11 No, he's insane and and and I love him for it and

00:55:14 Yeah, I want to I want to shoot free throws with him

00:55:17 But thank you for for joining the show big T before we get out of here a few things

00:55:22 I want to talk about number one Gonzaga's back and I I was pounding the drum for most of the season that Gonzaga's gonna miss

00:55:27 The tournament if they don't pull their heads out of their asses

00:55:29 Because their schedule is not great

00:55:32 their non-conference was not great and

00:55:34 They were very much on the bubble and I still think technically they are on the bubble the the they're not through the finish line yet

00:55:41 But they beat the snot out of San Francisco

00:55:43 Who's not a bad basketball team by any stretch the imagination?

00:55:47 They they win the big road game and then they turn around and and take care of business

00:55:53 Against st. Mary's as well in a revenge game st. Mary's to beat them on in Spokane and they win in Moraga as well

00:56:00 This this coming on I wouldn't say the heels but like not too long ago

00:56:04 They the Kentucky game we had circled as like this is this might be their last chance to show the the committee and everybody else

00:56:12 something

00:56:13 And they beat Kentucky in Rupp Arena. So yeah, Gonzaga is gonna be in shout out to them for for figuring it out

00:56:19 I mean, like I said, they it's not quite they're not quite done yet, but the WCC tournament

00:56:26 Coming up Gonzaga has the bye to the semifinals

00:56:30 I don't know if you saw this TJ the WCC tournament every year does this the wildest bracket and every time they put it out

00:56:37 People go crazy. I just want to go on record. I am pro what the WCC is doing with this. I think

00:56:42 The idea of Gonzaga or st. Mary's getting upset in the first round is devastating to the conference

00:56:49 you want you want to have a

00:56:51 system where if you're a smaller conference and you have a team that like a Gonzaga or st

00:56:57 Mary's that could actually go far in the NCAA tournament. You want to make sure that they're NCAA tournament

00:57:03 I don't I don't have a problem with this at all. I think this is smart

00:57:05 I think every small conference to do this

00:57:07 Yeah, they they post this tournament bracket every year and every year it goes viral because it just looks like the greater than symbol

00:57:14 Yeah, it's just like a left-facing carrot or whatever

00:57:17 And but yeah, then you could say like Oh Gonzaga made it even if they get upset in their first game

00:57:22 They made it to the what the fourth or fifth round of the WCC tournament again

00:57:27 Like that that's that's just that's good market. It's good marketing. Um, but yeah, this year's a great example like

00:57:33 Gonzaga being on the bubble that conference should want Gonzaga in the tournament

00:57:39 that's that's you know, and if you're like one of the other WCC schools, you probably roll your eyes and

00:57:44 Probably at this point you're beyond rolling your eyes. You're very upset. You have your pitchforks and you're yelling

00:57:49 Why do they get to control the league? Well, the reason is because they are

00:57:52 They run the league. I mean they they win the league all the time and they are the the

00:57:56 National brand in that league. Um, but yeah, I I do think it's funny

00:58:01 I think it's absurd to see a tournament that looks like that

00:58:03 You know, like if the NCAA tournament did something like this would be insane. But ultimately every conference can decide who?

00:58:10 They want to represent their conference who?

00:58:13 every conference and

00:58:15 This is obvious for a lot of fans

00:58:17 But there's probably somebody listening or watching that did not realize this and so apologies if this comes across as condescending

00:58:23 But somebody out there is going to learn this for the first time every conference in college basketball gets one automatic bid

00:58:29 how they decide who gets that automatic bid is up to their discretion and there's a

00:58:35 misconception that conference tournaments are a must and that

00:58:40 You you you know

00:58:42 You have to let every team in the conference tournament and then whoever wins the conference tournament is the automatic

00:58:47 Every conference could do whatever they want. The WCC could go into every the WCC could play the WCC tournament and

00:58:54 If Gonzaga doesn't win they could just be like never mind. We're giving a Gonzaga the automatic bid now

00:58:59 it's probably in their bylaws and their whatever that they wouldn't do that, but

00:59:03 If that's the system they want to create the Ivy League did not have a tournament for a long time

00:59:07 And then when they did get a tournament

00:59:09 They now have a situation where you have to qualify for the tournament. So not every team in the Ivy League even makes their tournament

00:59:14 Yeah, and I I think so. I think like if you did the NCAA tournament the way the WCC does theirs

00:59:22 obviously that's unfair and insane and like not a way to crown a champion, but

00:59:26 ultimately all the WCC is trying to do is

00:59:30 make sure that their representative in the NCAA tournament is the best team is the best team that they can put forward and

00:59:39 I think rewarding the teams that were the best in the regular season makes a lot of sense to me

00:59:44 So I I don't have a problem with it. I I do think that every smaller conference should do that

00:59:48 maybe not like the you know, like the a-10s and the

00:59:52 Mountain West but yeah, if you're in the the Sun Belt

00:59:56 I don't have a problem with or America East Conference like you should you should probably do what the WCC is doing

01:00:01 But you know

01:00:03 People see people see it differently. But yeah, Gonzaga

01:00:07 No matter what the whether you're pro or against the WCC bracket Gonzaga's is absolutely rolling right now

01:00:13 So shout out to them for figuring it out

01:00:15 Quick break to talk about sport clips your hair may grow fast

01:00:19 But after going to sport clips haircuts, you'll wish it grew even faster

01:00:22 That's because sport clips has the best seats in here and that may or may not be because they happen to be right in front

01:00:27 Of the TV's playing sports all day every day

01:00:30 We know that watching sports while getting a haircut sure beats watching your reflection while getting a haircut, which is why it's sport clips

01:00:36 Everyday is Clippers and curveballs high tops and Hail Mary's and even waves and wickets if you're into that kind of thing at sport clips

01:00:43 You can check in with the pros and men's hair and totally check out with pure

01:00:47 Uninterrupted relaxation. So yeah, come watch an endless stream of sports on TV while getting an awesome haircut March Madness is here

01:00:54 This week convert tournaments are going on. There will be TV. There will be

01:00:58 basketball games on your televisions throughout the day

01:01:02 Very very soon and if you're someone who needs to step away and get a haircut

01:01:07 But you don't want to miss the action. I got the perfect place for you. It is sport clips

01:01:10 They will have the game on I promise you that you can get your haircut. You can watch the game

01:01:14 It is a game changer sport clips

01:01:16 Speaking of converts tournaments arch madness starts on Thursday, and I'm not talking about the Jersey Jerry thing

01:01:22 You saw I assume the clip of J. Yeah, I asked if he would partake in arch madness and he was like, oh, yeah

01:01:29 I'd love to go to st. Louis. That's awesome

01:01:32 a

01:01:33 Crazy year for Jerry to ask too because arch madness and st. Louis, I mean, it's always pretty awesome

01:01:38 But this year it's going to be especially awesome

01:01:41 Drake and Indiana State are both on the bubble. I think they both should be in

01:01:46 they're they're both such fun teams and

01:01:49 Tucker DeVries and and Robbie Avila are

01:01:52 Incredible players and I want to see what both of them will do in the NCAA tournament

01:01:56 So I'm hoping I'm hoping they both make it in nonetheless, but Bradley's a good team as well

01:02:01 Yeah, I'm fired up for the Missouri Valley Conference

01:02:04 Tournament it starts on Thursday

01:02:06 And and I had in

01:02:08 Arguing that Indiana State and Drake should both be in it dawned on me this morning that I think I'm in a position to allow

01:02:14 80 teams into the NCAA tournament. I think I maybe even more than that. Like I I I

01:02:20 Don't know. There's so many teams. I was looking at the bubble because the Buckeyes are slowly

01:02:24 Playing their way onto the bubble. Yeah, we're not quite there yet

01:02:28 We need Rutgers to take a dive for us, please

01:02:30 So if you could talk to your people

01:02:32 Work something out

01:02:33 But I was looking at the bubble and I was like I kind of want all these teams in I kind of wants I need

01:02:38 St. John's in the tournament. I want Colorado in the tournament. They're good

01:02:41 The only team I really don't want in is Virginia which breaks my heart because I love Virginia basketball for so many years and I

01:02:49 Just cannot watch them play basketball anymore and that it's devastating

01:02:54 But I kind of want every team in the tournament and then I realized I am dick Vitale now

01:02:58 I'm the I am I am the guy who's going to be arguing that

01:03:02 you know, I'm not necessarily pro expansion, but also I

01:03:06 I think every team should be in the NCAA tournament and every team that misses out

01:03:11 I'm gonna say they got snubbed even though I understand the masses only 68 teams can make it

01:03:15 Uh, what else Baylor Shireman is that dude?

01:03:18 26 points 14 boards versus Marquette. I want to go on record as saying that Baylor Shireman

01:03:24 I've seen enough and I should have declared this earlier, but

01:03:28 Baylor Shireman is the best rebounding guard I have ever seen in my life in terms of college basketball players

01:03:34 He is he is insane. I have no idea how he 14 boards against Marquette and granted

01:03:41 Rebounds, I I've been kicking around the idea that rebounds are overrated for the last few years

01:03:47 Because there's more teams are shooting threes. It's less, you know an indicator of like can you establish position and blah?

01:03:54 you know box your guy out and block him off and and go up and get the ball and it's more of like

01:03:58 Were you in the right spot when the ball?

01:04:00 Exploded off the rim because the guy shot it from 30 feet away now

01:04:04 But then you watch Baylor Shireman and it makes you rethink everything he has such a great knack for rebounding. It's incredible like he is I

01:04:13 Don't know how else to describe it. Like he's just got like a sixth sense of where the ball is gonna end up

01:04:19 He's so so good at rebounding it it excites me

01:04:23 I find myself watching him rebound the basketball and as a guard and I get very very excited

01:04:28 But yeah, he had 26 boards

01:04:30 He is averaging by the way or 26 points. I'm sorry with with 14 rebounds

01:04:35 He is averaging for Creighton right now 18 and a half points nine boards and four assists

01:04:39 He's got to be getting some All-American nods. I don't think he's gonna be first team nor do I think he should be

01:04:46 But he's got to be in the mix of All-American and then I was thinking about that and I thought

01:04:50 The Big East player of the year race is going to get very interesting if it hasn't already and I think most UConn fans will say

01:04:57 No, it's not it's over. It's Tristan Newton

01:04:59 maybe so maybe maybe in

01:05:02 You were gonna feel that way regardless because you're UConn fan. So, of course you see it that way but uh

01:05:08 Baylor Shireman's putting up numbers

01:05:10 Devin Carter's great. Cam Spencer might be

01:05:14 You know, I don't think he's better than Newton, but he might have a case to win it over Newton

01:05:20 Tyler Koelig still like he won it last year and he's still just as good this year as he was last year

01:05:26 If not better, I think he's actually better this year

01:05:28 So yeah, the Big East player of the year race is gonna get interesting. The All-American race is gonna get interesting

01:05:33 I think I got it. I got to

01:05:35 Maybe I shouldn't do this

01:05:38 This week, but I kind of want to this week because there's still one game left for everybody over the weekend

01:05:43 But I I kind of want to put my All-American teams together because I got it

01:05:46 I got to get serious about this Edie's on the team

01:05:48 Connects gonna be on the team. I think RJ Davis is a lock

01:05:54 outside of those three it starts to

01:05:57 You could debate a little bit, but I think Jamal Shed's probably on my first team

01:06:02 After that, I don't know

01:06:05 And I'd have to sit down and like really think about it

01:06:08 And I might do that. I might do that on the next show because a guy like Baylor Shireman deserves to be in the conversation

01:06:14 What it what a game against Marquette he had

01:06:17 Lastly

01:06:20 Well, I was gonna Caitlin Clark, whatever whatever I'm gonna talk about Caitlin Clark, but whatever

01:06:25 dude, I

01:06:28 It it's good to feel something again TJ that's all I'll say it's it's the the men's team

01:06:34 Has at Ohio State has sucked for the last couple years now. We're putting it together a little bit

01:06:39 I don't actually think we're gonna make the tournament

01:06:40 I think we have to beat Rutgers and then win like probably three at least in the big ten tournament. I mean

01:06:46 There is a path and we're playing good basketball and you just never know

01:06:51 Line them up and let's see what happens. But whatever. I'm not actually saying we're gonna make the tournament yet

01:06:55 But we're playing a little better and I'm starting to get excited about that

01:07:00 but I was watching that a Iowa Ohio State women's game and I was

01:07:05 For the first time in a long time. I felt something watching a basketball game

01:07:10 Where Ohio State jerseys were out there and I missed it like crazy. I missed it. I I was yelling at the TV

01:07:15 I was laughing

01:07:17 You know at some of the absurd calls if you think if you think men's college basketball refs are bad watch one women's game and

01:07:23 You will just cackle laughing at some of the calls that they make

01:07:28 But yeah, Kaitlyn Clark's great. She did flop when she drew the technical and got the points to break a record in a different sport

01:07:35 But whatever I that's I like Kaitlyn Clark a lot and it's not her fault

01:07:42 So I'm not ripping on her being a hater whatsoever. She's so fun to watch and she's so fucking good

01:07:47 But the it's mostly Fox

01:07:50 It's mostly my guys at Fox and I probably know personally the guys who are making these decisions

01:07:55 But like this this whole thing where they just keep coming up with like a new

01:07:59 Record for her to break just so they can market it as like you got to tune in next game

01:08:04 She's gonna break this record

01:08:06 It's stupid and I hope I hope now that she caught Pete Maravich

01:08:10 We're done with that and we can just like focus on like her pursuit of winning a national championship versus like oh

01:08:16 Wow, like Gus Johnson. I said this almost a sports this morning. I'm gonna say it again. She breaks the record. They show the graphic

01:08:24 And they're like she just passed Pete Maravich and this whole thing and all that and Gus Johnson almost immediately starts like

01:08:30 spouting off like three other college basketball players at various levels and various genders and various

01:08:38 spots in the country that have still scored more than Kaitlyn Clark and

01:08:43 He was doing it because he's like there are also these other benchmarks that like don't worry folks when she gets close to those numbers

01:08:50 We're gonna also bring those people up and be like, oh, there's another record Kaitlyn Clark's about to break. There's another record

01:08:56 I don't know. It reminded me of Aaron judge

01:08:58 trying to break the

01:09:00 Except the opposite it'd be like if Aaron judge like set the MLB record and then they just kind of like invented. Yeah

01:09:06 Japanese yeah, like some Japanese record that he's got to go for it hours

01:09:11 Anyway, nothing about that last thing. I wanted to say the storm chasers are back. Did I see this correctly? Yeah, they're at

01:09:18 NC State Duke as

01:09:20 This was released yesterday

01:09:22 So they'll be at a different spot every day or every other day this week NC State Duke is tonight tonight being Monday night

01:09:29 Being last night. Yeah being last night for the people listening. So

01:09:32 Yeah, what's the they have a staggering

01:09:35 This is the fifth year the storm chasers. They've stormed every year. I believe they've stormed multiple times multiple years a

01:09:45 Staggering success rate. Yeah considering what they're trying to accomplish last year. They stormed I believe at TCU

01:09:50 They would have stormed at Arkansas, but they were kicked off campus

01:09:53 And then they flew to Colorado and then they got Colorado in 2020. They stormed at Rutgers against Maryland right before kovat hit

01:10:01 They got arrested trying to storm at UConn in 2020 as well

01:10:10 They I think they saw a TCU twice

01:10:12 It's Indiana. They stormed at which was like the first year which was a big deal because there's barely ever been storms at, Indiana

01:10:20 Yeah

01:10:23 Yeah, Indiana has like the they storm against Kentucky on the Christian Watford shot

01:10:28 Yeah, everyone laughed at them because they're like you're supposed to be better than that

01:10:31 They've stormed a handful of times since then but yeah, it's not

01:10:36 Because Indiana has the worst combination of like they stink but also their blue blood right like they they don't they're not gonna win the games

01:10:44 I don't know. They still win at assembly hall. It's somebody else still good. But like yeah, they that's that's incredible

01:10:50 They do have an incredible success rate because I yeah and I trust that they're gonna figure it out because I'm looking at the schedule

01:10:55 Right now, do you know where they're going tomorrow? I could tell you I don't think they don't want to release it, right?

01:11:01 Yeah, because I I am trying to forecast

01:11:06 Pun intended I guess

01:11:08 Where they should go and I

01:11:12 Don't see like it's it's it's kind of difficult to try to guess

01:11:17 where is a place that is is

01:11:21 Good, they're good enough to pull off the upset. But also

01:11:24 They're not so good that like they're not gonna storm, you know

01:11:28 like that's that's obviously the the thought process that goes into it and I don't know it'll be an interesting week because I don't know how

01:11:34 many

01:11:35 Obvious, I'm looking at the schedule right now. I don't know how many obvious

01:11:38 Like go to do you go to UCF for the Houston at UCF game on Wednesday? Maybe

01:11:43 UCF's pull off some upsets already this year, but I

01:11:46 Don't know. I don't know keep uh, keep your eye on that folks because I I do love the content

01:11:52 That they put out every year. It is glenny balls. It is Tommy smokes

01:11:56 It is ah and it is for the first time ever

01:11:58 Nikki smokes, correct, correct who's going to get?

01:12:03 arrested

01:12:04 For stuff that has nothing to do with the court storming. Yeah, just he's just going to in general get arrested for being on college

01:12:10 campuses and

01:12:12 Being up to no good. So that'll be fun to watch as well. Uh, all right

01:12:16 Thank you to big T for for spouting his Tennessee propaganda on the show today

01:12:20 Thank you to everybody watching and listening. I think I'm gonna do that for I'm gonna do that for Friday

01:12:27 I'm gonna put together my all-american list and conference player of the years and all that because the big East is pretty interesting

01:12:33 I

01:12:36 Think the yeah, I don't know. There's a lot to think it like Caleb love

01:12:39 I think might be on my first team all-american team. I don't know. I was thinking about that the other day

01:12:43 I should probably wait until the seasons all the way over but

01:12:48 To be completely honest, I don't know how much one games gonna change anyway

01:12:52 And also, I don't really have a vote. I have a vote on the wooden award. I'm gonna vote for Zach Eadie

01:12:56 I hate myself for it. I would love to vote for Dalton Connect. I

01:12:59 Just can't deny Edie's dominance. So I'm probably just gonna vote for Zach Eadie and and leave it at that

01:13:06 Yeah, I don't vote for any of these other conference players. So fuck it. I'm gonna do it early

01:13:11 I think we'll do that on Friday

01:13:13 Enjoy the week everybody. We'll see you on Friday

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