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00:00Live right here on this Tuesday morning on the early line on
00:03SportsGrid. Conference Tournament Week picks up just a
00:07tad on this Tuesday. Four tickets to the dance will be
00:10punched tonight, but also at the high major level in men's
00:13college hoops. We start a couple of those conference
00:17tourneys on this Tuesday afternoon with some daytime
00:20basketball starting just after noon Eastern Time. Let's begin
00:25in the ACC. It should always be in Greensboro. Sadly, it is
00:29in Charlotte this time around, but Duke is the hefty favorite
00:33to win the ACC tournament title after claiming the outright
00:37regular season conference crown. Minus 340, the price on the
00:42Blue Devils. Frankly, DRS, that should not be shocking. For a
00:45team that went 19-1 in ACC play, 14-6 against the spread,
00:52booked as at least a six-point favorite in all 20 ACC games
00:56with an average margin of victory of nearly 22 points per
01:00game. But the question is not Duke, who probably wants to
01:04perform as well as they can in Charlotte to try to take down
01:07that number one overall seed for the NCAA tournament, but
01:11who provides that best test for the Blue Devils? As you look
01:14at the odds outside of the Dukies, where do you go?
01:19Yeah, I mean only two options, right, would be Clemson and
01:22Louisville, and I just think you answer your own questions
01:24there by saying 18-2 and 18-2, similar type teams. I do
01:28think Clemson is a better team overall than Louisville, but
01:31not by a big margin. The big margin is Duke at minus 340.
01:35Is that even price appropriate? Should it be minus 500?
01:38They're by far and away the best team. Now, the only thing
01:41that goes against the Duke Blue Devils is even though they're
01:43playing in Charlotte, earlier tournament matchups when other
01:46team's fans are still in the building tends to go 25% Duke
01:50fans, 75% everybody else and just cheer against Duke at that
01:53point. Then as they move along, other teams are out of the
01:56building and they start to get that 50-50 inside the building
01:58with their fan base here, but I don't anticipate an upset
02:01because this isn't one where like they're leaking oil coming
02:03in and it's no big deal or they're worried about injuries
02:06and how they're going to play this thing out. If they just
02:08play Duke basketball, they've slaughtered this conference
02:11throughout the regular season and I don't think it's going
02:13to change, like what goes against, you know, you just saw
02:16a game where North Carolina is a talented team. Have things
02:19worked out all that much for the season? Not necessarily,
02:21but in the game, they had to win in a raucous building and
02:25had Duke on the ropes and had their best player, the best
02:27player in the country in foul trouble and still got beat by
02:30double digits. Go find me a team that's going to knock all
02:33through because I can't find it in the ACC.
02:35Donnie, I was so impressed by Duke in that game, North
02:39Carolina inside the Dean Dome, in Chapel Hill, desperate
02:43need of a quant one win, had every answer for Duke in the
02:47opening half and yet you would look up and the Blue Devils
02:49were still up by 7, 9, 10. It wasn't until the final few
02:53minutes of that first half that UNC was even able to cut
02:56the lead to a single possession, 43-42 at the break.
03:00So how does Duke respond as Carolina is riding the momentum
03:03at home? They dominate in the second half and win by 13.
03:07I have bet Louisville to win the ACC tournament.
03:10I believe in ACC coach of the year in Pat Kelsey, who has
03:14had one of the greatest year-to-year improvements based
03:17on win percentage in a high major level history in college
03:22basketball because you are really trying to find that best
03:25challenger. But frankly, Donnie is correct. You could bet
03:29Clemson or Louisville on the bottom half of the bracket with
03:32a big plus money price, basically trying to get to the
03:35tournament title game and maybe finding a hedge out or cash
03:39out opportunity by the time we get to Saturday night in
03:43Charlotte. Donnie, it should be said UNC is the 5 seed. If
03:47North Carolina were to make it to the semifinal, it would be
03:49a rematch against Duke. And again, that would provide yet
03:54another golden quad one opportunity in a neutral site in
03:58a raucous environment on Friday night. Would it be enough for
04:02North Carolina with a victory to get to the big dance? That
04:05remains the question because as of this moment, UNC is minus
04:09800 to miss the NCAA tournament for a second time in the last
04:14three seasons. Yeah, if you're taking a flyer, like again,
04:17people, hey, 5, 10, 15, 25 bucks here, UNC 28 to 1 to win the
04:21ACC because of how much it means to them what they need. But
04:24also, you're still coming up against what you said, like,
04:26hey, it's a neutral site. It could help them out. Number one,
04:28they just lost the Duke at home in their own building, the most
04:31raucous atmosphere you can have. And secondarily, it's like,
04:34hey, Duke really struggles in neutral site. Did you see what
04:36they did in Illinois in the garden? I mean, it's not as if
04:39like, hey, Duke away from home, completely different ballclub.
04:42No, they're not. They're still unbelievably talented. And it
04:45seems like Duke has the perfect recipe. Hey, they're not
04:47shooting the three all that well. They can do so many things
04:50well, where it's tough for another team to even compete.
04:52But if I am just taking a flyer for fun, 28 to 1 UNC, see if
04:57they can rise to the occasion one final time. Plus 470 is the
05:01price for the heels to get into the NCAA tournament. 28 to 1,
05:06if they were to reach the semifinal and have that opportunity
05:09against Duke would probably be close to a plus 470 price on
05:12the money line, something of the sort. And again, Charlotte
05:16is not far for either fan base. There would be a lot of
05:18representation and probably close to a 50-50 split. Clemson
05:22has been great. Clemson was an Elite 8 team. I think Brad
05:25Brownell, the head coach of the Tigers, one of the more
05:27undervalued coaches at the high major level in D1 college
05:31basketball, worth a flyer on them at plus 650 as well. Big
05:3512 tournament in Kansas City. Houston is that top seed, of
05:40course, winning their second outright title in as many years
05:43in the league and a plus 110 favorite to win the conference
05:47tournament. But it feels a little bit more up in the air,
05:50perhaps. Houston has a lot to play for but pretty firm on
05:53that one line. Can Texas Tech make a run? Of course, the
05:57odds-makers optimistic for Iowa State. The Cyclones, Donnie,
06:01the only team that you see there in the top three, shall
06:05we say, that does not earn a double buy. Iowa State only
06:09an opening round buy as the five seed. Yeah, if I'm looking
06:12at saying, okay, Houston probably should win this, but
06:14it's only plus 110. I'm getting two teams for the price of
06:17one, meaning I would take Texas Tech and Iowa State plus
06:20330 plus 550. So I get two chances to knock off Houston
06:23here on a neutral court. You take a look at the net ratings.
06:26Of course, we just saw the ACC where you have a team that's
06:29one game behind, two teams that are one game behind the
06:31Duke Blue Devils, and the net rating is so outrageously tilted
06:35between like, I think it's like one and 19. At least it's a
06:37little bit closer here. It's 3-7-16-24-10. You get the
06:41point at this, but for my money at this point, again, I would
06:44take Texas Tech and Iowa. Give me two shots at Houston. Even
06:46though for me, I think Houston is the best team in this
06:49conference, but give me two quality teams and maybe Houston
06:52stumbles, you get your foot in the door, and maybe you can
06:54even turn into that plus 550 price on Iowa State. We'll
06:58continue to break this down on the other side of the break
07:01as well, because there is another team to pay attention
07:04to. That would be BYU. The Cougars streaking into the
07:09Big-12 tournament as the four-seed could set up a huge
07:12showdown against Iowa State in just a few days. Plenty more
07:17conference tournament week action. Now, Big-12 tournament
07:21prices as it starts at 1230 p.m. Eastern Time in Kansas
07:26City. Cincinnati facing off against Oklahoma State. Let me
07:29just talk about Cincy. You'll see them near the bottom of
07:32this list. Ninth best number at a hundred and fifty to one.
07:37Donnie, there was a time in early December that Wes
07:40Miller's Bearcats were a top-ten Kent bomb team and the
07:44floor was very, very high. The ceiling may be even higher.
07:49Cincinnati more than likely going to miss the NCAA
07:52tournament. Not more than likely they are going to unless
07:54they can win the Big-12 tournament capped off by a
07:58disappointing home regular season finale against Kansas
08:00State only scoring 49 points. So for Cincy, can they start
08:06some momentum here? We shall see. They're a six and a half
08:09point favorite in the Big-12 tourney opener against Oklahoma
08:12State. Again, just a little bit after lunchtime, noon, Eastern.
08:16I mentioned BYU right before we got to the break. Twelve to
08:20one price on the Cougs. They have won eight straight entering
08:23the Big-12 tournament covering in seven of those eight
08:26victories. Three outright on the road against tournament
08:30teams, West Virginia, Arizona, Iowa State. Some might contest
08:34the victory in Tucson with a couple of interesting calls
08:38down the stretch. I would not disagree and they did win the
08:41Holy War against Utah in their finale. They won that game by
08:4511, did not cover as a 12, 12 and a half point favorite, but
08:48Kevin Young and his Cougars playing great, great basketball
08:52have a conference first team performer in Richie Saunders
08:55as well.
08:57Yeah, and you take a look at the price points here too. It's
08:59not as if it falls off a cliff like Houston plus 110, 350 to
09:02550 to 950 to 12 to 14 to 1. 14 to 1 is a realistic price
09:06here for quality basketball team that starts to knock off
09:09some opponents. Then you start to hit that shelf 35 to 1, 100
09:12to 1 and so forth. But this is what we always talk about
09:15these major conferences here. Let's just say the top half
09:18of it, legitimate chances on a neutral court to knock off
09:21other teams. And also, you heard me use this term plenty
09:24of times so far, the slingshot effect. It's tough sometimes
09:27for the teams that are coming off a bye, playing a team
09:29that just played yesterday on that same court and played
09:31well. That's an advantage for that team here where you get
09:34off to a slow start as the higher seed. The other team's
09:36coming up ramped up. You find yourself at the first breakdown
09:3815 to 4. Now it's a dogfight the rest of the way. So I
09:41couldn't fault anybody for saying, hey, give me BYU.
09:44Look at that. They went lights out from three-point range.
09:46There's nothing, not even Houston can do if they're launching
09:4935 three-point shots and making 50% of those shots here.
09:52So it's a fun conference top to bottom. I've zeroed in on
09:55Texas Tech and Iowa State. But if somebody's reaching down
09:58there as far as Kansas at 14 to 1, why not? It's neutral
10:01court. Kansas is going to have a big fan base there.
10:04For sure, and Kansas City, no doubt about it. They will feel
10:07like home games for the Jayhawks. And again, DRS, when you
10:10look at Kansas, it's a whole new season, right? Disappointing
10:14in the regular season, eight conference losses. Once again,
10:174KU, they are going to be a tournament team. But for the
10:20preseason number one, who was disappointing last year,
10:24followed by a disappointing season once more this year.
10:27It's a whole new ballgame. They can kind of pick up where
10:30we expected them to be. Hunter Dickinson, I think a 33-point
10:33performance in the finale against Arizona at home on
10:38Saturday, 83-76. Speaking of the Cats, they were 11-1,
10:43providing a great test to Houston in the Big 12. Could
10:47they rival the Cougs for that regular season? Crown early
10:50in February, Arizona and Tommy Lloyd dropping five of their
10:54last eight in the regular season. Can they find their
10:58footing? Baylor, a lot more offseason expectation than they
11:01perform. Some veteran transfers, Jeremy Rhodes from Duke,
11:05Northshad O'Meara making his way from Miami with a very
11:08talented freshman in VJ Edgecombe. Can Scott Drew get
11:12this team to play? West Virginia should be a tournament
11:15team, avoiding a couple of bid stealers during conference
11:18tournament week, a hundred to one price. K-State also, much
11:22higher expectation, should be a great week in Kansas City.
11:27And just to say, DRS, Kansas, that's 6-C, so their path to
11:31a tournament. They get the winner of Utah and UCF. Those
11:34two teams play tonight. Kansas will play in their opening
11:37game in KCMO tomorrow. If they win that one, they get an
11:41Arizona team, who they just beat in the fog on Saturday
11:45to end out the regular season. Yeah, no, there you go. And
11:49it sets up perfectly for them because you want to try to
11:51avoid the top teams as long as you can, which is hard to
11:53do when you're not one of those top four seeds as you
11:56get in. But I'm looking for some fun in this, and it's a
11:58shame that we look at Houston. It's like, let's look for
12:00ways to beat them. They went 19-1 in conference play.
12:03The next best team again, Texas Tech at 15-5, and they're
12:06only priced at a plus 110. They're four games clear of
12:09the second place team. And then we take a look at teams
12:11like in the ACC, the Duke Blue Devils, who were one game
12:14clear of two teams and almost a minus 400 price. Kind of
12:18crazy. It is. It is insane, Donnie. But Houston was that
12:22good this year. It deserves its respect, as I'm sure a lot
12:25of people are giving them. Now number two in the AP top
12:2925, by the way. Duke number one to end out the regular
12:32season. Auburn dropping its final two games in regular
12:36season competition falls back to number three in the AP
12:39poll. Other conference attorneys voting today. Next, not
12:43just the high majors getting underway today. Four more
12:46conference tournaments outside at the mid-major level starting
12:50on this Tuesday as well. In Conference USA, Liberty the
12:54frontrunner at a plus 130 price. Basketball on the boardwalk
12:59in Atlantic City, where the top team in the conference
13:02tournament. In the MAAC, Quinnipiac at a plus 240 price
13:06is booked as the favorite. In the SWAC Southern, a plus
13:11165 price to win it. In the WAC, Grand Canyon, a plus
13:15155 team. Last year under Bryce Drew, Grand Canyon made
13:20it to the big dance as well. A lot to like DRS. All conference
13:24tournament week long and four tickets in conference tournament
13:29titles to be claimed on this Tuesday evening as well into
13:32the big dance. Yeah, these conferences should have started
13:35last week. I mean, get center stage, get the broadcasting
13:38all week long, have them during the afternoon, Saturday,
13:40Sundays and get after it here. It's kind of a shame that
13:43these will get buried a bit by the high majors that are
13:45going to play, but certainly you're seeing the price points
13:47here. Plus 130, plus 240, plus 165, plus 155. You know what
13:51that tells me? A lot of teams from these conferences are
13:55legitimately in play to punch tickets here. No minus 400s,
13:59minus 500s, minus 300s. I mean, look at that one price, a
14:01plus 240 in the MAAC conference with Quinnipiac at plus
14:05240. That's tremendous. That means five or six teams
14:08legitimately can go on a run in Atlantic City and cut down
14:11the nets and find their way in the March Madness. Donnie,
14:14you mentioned this for a lot of our mid-major tournaments
14:17last week and we have seen that on display here as we've
14:20gone through the bracket. Delaware is a 12 seed, the
14:22lowest ever seed to reach the CAA semifinals and now make
14:26that the championship game tonight. A magical run, four
14:30wins in four days. Not only is it about momentum, but we
14:34saw this on display even in leagues like the Horizon,
14:37where three of the top four seeds reach the semifinals
14:41and a proven team, of course, in Greg Campi's Golden Grist.
14:44You know what the spreads were for our semifinal games
14:47last night? Robert Moore's top seed in the tournament,
14:50three and a half point favorite against Oakland. Game was
14:53decided in overtime by three. We had a matchup last night
14:57between Cleveland State and Youngstown State.
15:00Youngstown State get the victory. The Penguins going to
15:03play for a spot in the big dance for the first ever time.
15:06That was a two and a half point spread, actually in favor
15:09of Cleveland State. We saw it in a matchup in the other
15:13CAA semi. Charleston and UNC Dub in the SoCon title game.
15:17Wofford and Furman, one and a half point spread. In the
15:20Sunbelt Championship game, two and a half point number
15:23in favor of Arkansas State, where the underdogs in those
15:26two tournament title games, if you want to call them
15:29underdogs, won outright, getting about two and a half
15:32points or fewer. You said, like versus like competition.
15:37When we see this on a year-to-year basis, game over game
15:40in conference play, by the time you get to this stage,
15:43when it's winner-take-all, the edges are so slim. The margins
15:48are incredibly tight, and thus you can find some value
15:51in those pre-tournament prices, or even at certain stages
15:54as these teams prolong their way throughout the bracket.
15:57No, absolutely. And also understand this, you take a look
15:59at the Metro Atlantic, and again, a lot of these teams
16:01are going to be so close here. You got, what, 15-5, 14-6,
16:0513-7, 12-8, 12-8, 12-8, and 10-10. That's fantastic here.
16:09But also, you know, what's the goal we have here for
16:11the Metro Atlantic? Because they play in Atlantic City,
16:13which is great. It's a resort town. It's also the gaming
16:16capital of New Jersey. And of course, New Jersey in 2017,
16:20flipping the switch there to weekend gamble, legally,
16:23it's fantastic. It's been great. We're partnering up with
16:25the Panblu Sportsbook, everything we love about it.
16:27But you're telling me that the Metro Atlantic Conference
16:30can go to Atlantic City, a huge casino town, to have
16:34their tournament, and yet you can't bet on these tournament
16:37games? It doesn't make any sense whatsoever. And then
16:40I guess the fact would be if they played these just across
16:42the river in Philadelphia, which it actually used to be
16:45at the old Civic Center in Philadelphia, we would be able
16:48to bet on these games just as long as the New Jersey team
16:50wasn't involved. It doesn't make any sense. Like, use,
16:53like, the smaller conference needs as much exposure
16:56as you possibly can. And I can guarantee you, viewership
17:00and also going to the game would be exponentially higher
17:04if you allowed to handicap and bet these games and go
17:07to Atlantic City to watch him here. And sometimes just,
17:09you know, you cut off your nose to spite your face.
17:10Yeah, it doesn't make any sense. Move it, move it out
17:13of Atlantic City, then put it back up because I remember
17:15also the A-10 used to be what? Where Ciano's home court
17:18was in New York. So we'd be able to compete and bet on
17:21that like we used to in the past. It's a shame that you
17:24go to Atlantic City, which is a great town. It's an
17:26unbelievable venue and you can't actually wager on the
17:29games. It's stupid. It really is a little bit insane,
17:33but it's all the regulations that come with collegiate
17:35sports as they try to uphold any amateur values left.
17:39Of course, we know that has been, is, and will ever,
17:43forever be a facade. Let's get to the WAC tournament
17:46quickly because Grand Canyon, a tournament team last
17:49year, is not the top team in the bracket. That would
17:53be Utah Valley. They were 15-1, 15-1 in conference
17:59tournament play, GCU 13-3. The only two teams, DRS
18:03in the WAC, it's only a nine-team conference in total,
18:08but the only two teams in Utah Valley and Grand Canyon
18:11to win double-digit games. Very interesting bracket
18:15format. Starting today, as we get this tournament
18:18underway, it's a matchup of the 8-9 seed in
18:22conference tournament action. That will be Southern
18:24Utah and Utah Tech afternoon game that we have from
18:29Las Vegas. And then tomorrow, the top two teams, that
18:34would be Utah Valley taking on the winner of the
18:368-9 game in Grand Canyon as the two seed will match
18:41up against UT Arlington. So you see the top two teams
18:45on display tomorrow. Then they get a bye until, I
18:48guess that would be Friday, as the 3-6 matchup
18:52and the 4-5 happen on Thursday to get to the
18:56semifinal round on Friday. It's an interesting design
18:59to benefit the top two teams, obviously taking on lesser
19:02competition in the 1-8-9 winner in the 2-7 game,
19:08but an interesting kind of bracket format. And again,
19:12Grand Canyon has the pedigree. GCU, the Lopes, a plus
19:16155 price, but Utah Valley, 15-1 under Todd Phillips
19:23this year in conference play. Their only loss to GCU
19:28that was on the road by 18, did beat Grand Canyon at
19:31home as well. Really good defensive team in Utah
19:36Valley. Might be worth a sprinkle if you think that
19:38is going to be the anticipated tournament title game.
19:41Of course, Utah Valley will probably be booked as an
19:43underdog, but you might be able to get some value.
19:46Yeah, and also you take a look at a very good defensive
19:48team going up against a high-tempo team in Grand
19:50Canyon, some things to watch out for. But anytime
19:52you're in those tournament games where if you live
19:54and die by the three-point shot, chances are you're
19:56probably gonna end up dying by the three-point shot.
19:58You look at Grand Canyon on offense, number one in
20:00conference play, close to 55% inside the arc, and
20:04then you take a look at their defensive imprint,
20:05number one inside the arc of defense at 43.4%.
20:10I like those concepts when I'm looking for. Look,
20:12we don't have to rely on the three-point shot and
20:13we can absolutely make it inside the arc. But then
20:16if you don't make your three-point shots, good luck
20:18coming inside the arc. We'll defend the hell out
20:20of the basketball there.
20:22A very fast tempo for the Lopes. That is what GCU
20:25does. They play at an even faster tempo this year
20:28than they did a season ago when they earned a bid
20:30to the NCAA Tournament as a 12-seed, a trendy
20:3412-seed pick. They beat St. Mary's in the opening
20:37round of the Big Dance in the round of 64 and then
20:40got Alabama in the round of 32. We thought that
20:43would be a high-scoring game, 72-61. But a 30-win
20:48basketball team a year ago for Bryce, Drew and
20:51company out of Phoenix. This year, the overall
20:54record, 23-7. Keep an eye on Grand Canyon.
20:58They are booked as the favorites in the WAC, but
21:01I do like a sprinkle on the Wolverines out of Utah
21:04Valley. Four conference tournaments starting today
21:08along with the two that we have at the high major
21:10level. Quickly, Conference USA. Didn't spend a lot
21:12of time. Liberty should be that team, Donnie. Booked
21:15as the favorites, correctly so, but could be a very
21:18compelling C-USA tournament. No, it is. And again,
21:21you're looking at those top teams, 13-5, 12-6, 12-6,
21:2410-8, 10-8, 9-9. Anytime you get more than a half
21:28of your conference above 500 and put them on the
21:31neutral court, crazy things happen. Which again,
21:33isn't that why it's called March Madness at this
21:36point? Crazy things will happen. It's a lot of fun
21:38to watch you play out and we are right at the
21:40precipice of greatness. Starting last week, into
21:43this week, into Sunday, into next week, the next
21:46week after that, Ben, the next week after that, and
21:48then the final four and the championship. Fantastic
21:51times ahead. Fantastic times ahead. Liberty, the
21:54top team in C-USA, but that was Jacksonville State
21:57until the final week of the regular season. Oddities
22:00there. Mike Blewett going to show up next. The football
22:03insight from Mike Blewett, always appreciated. But
22:06here in the opening few weeks of March, we called
22:08him a man about town, a man about the country, a
22:11man about Conference Tournament Week as Mike
22:13Blewett was traveling all over to take in Conference
22:16Tournament action, most recently at the Summit
22:19League, maybe the Horizon League as well. Blewett,
22:22where have you been? Where in the world has Mike
22:24Blewett been in the last five, six, seven days?
22:27I have been in South Dakota, Sioux Falls, South
22:30Dakota, site of the Summer League Tournament. I'll
22:33throw some pictures up on social media. Packed
22:36house, really there almost every night for women's
22:38games, men's games, and obviously an exciting
22:41tournament. The South Dakota State women haven't
22:43lost in 65 games in the Summit League, very
22:46dominant team that has a chance to make a run in
22:49the women's tournament. And Omaha on the men's side,
22:52their first ever NCAA tournament appearance,
22:56smashing the garbage cans, all that stuff was really
22:59a lot of fun. Their fan base showed up really well,
23:02championship night and Markel Sutton, their player
23:05of the year. Omaha might end up with a 15 seed.
23:08They're probably teetering on the 15, 16 line. I
23:11think they'd be a fun team to watch in a 15 matchup.
23:14Those 16 matchups can get pretty tricky against
23:16some powerhouse teams. But I think Markel Sutton
23:19is somebody that could make a name for himself,
23:21not just this tournament, but you know, let's be
23:24honest, Transfer Portal is going to be calling for
23:26him, a really good player. They're really fun to
23:29watch. Chris Crutchfield, their head coach, a long
23:32time assistant at Power Programs. Good to see him
23:34have success. I'll tell you what's calling right
23:36now, Mike Blewett. That's an NCAA ticket that we're
23:39waiting on to see who is going to cut down the
23:41nets in March Madness. So let me just ask you
23:43this question, Thrill. How do you handle this week
23:46with all the majors, now the high majors, playing
23:48their conference tournaments? Do you bet this week
23:51anticipating what's going to take place on Selection
23:53Sunday or either type of wager like I am? I wait
23:56till Sunday brackets to come out to see who I
23:59actually want to pick based on the matchups I
24:01proceed on the paper. I would say that you can
24:05look for some angles, Donnie, in this week. I
24:10don't, I would certainly look for some edges this
24:14week because here's the reality. We have a lot of
24:17body of work right now. These tournament games,
24:20these college, I personally think tournament week
24:23is equal to March Madness. I think March Madness
24:27started a few days ago. I think it's a fantastic
24:30week to be able to bet and I think it is still
24:34after all these years underrated in comparison to
24:37the larger tournament. So what I would say is that
24:41we have a general profile of the teams that can
24:45win the National Championship and those general
24:48profiles aren't going to change whether they win
24:50their conference tournament or not, even if they
24:53get bounced in the first round. So I'm talking
24:56teams like Duke and Auburn and the teams right
24:58at the top of the list. Their profiles aren't
25:01going to change and a team like Alabama as much
25:04as they are a force offensively for the second
25:07year in a row and I look, I ate my words last
25:11year when they got to the final four. I have
25:13concerns about a team like that having an off
25:16night offensively. They are not as proficient
25:20defensively as some of the other top teams. So
25:23those are probably a team I'm going to shy away
25:25from when we get to filling out our brackets
25:28and everything else. I think you look for those
25:30really strong defensive teams and I don't think
25:32that changes from tournament week to next week
25:34Donnie. So as Mike fluid starts to fill out the
25:38bracket, maybe Sunday night early Monday morning,
25:40maybe waiting to see what happens in the first
25:43four on Tuesday and Wednesday blue as you look
25:46at those top 10 prices to win a National Championship
25:49or maybe even off the board right now. Just a team
25:52that you have noticed. Who do you think you'll
25:54have reaching the elite eight final four, maybe
25:58even cutting down the nets in San Antonio. I
26:01like to make sure that you have their two of the
26:02teams on the board. You look a little bit further
26:04down teams like Iowa State and Texas Tech. How
26:07big of a run can they make St. Johnson, Michigan
26:09State playing very old school basketball hitting
26:12a lot of shoes. Not many threes. Can they survive
26:16playing that way playing tight games defensively
26:18buzzer beaters overtimes through five or six games
26:21of a tournament becomes very tricky but clearly
26:25a team like Florida showing a lot of firepower
26:27along the way depending on the bracket that they
26:29get. I think that's a team that people are
26:32really going to be looking to make noise. It may
26:35not be the household name that in Cooper flag that
26:39Duke has but Florida is certainly a team out of
26:41those that I like a lot. I love the way Houston
26:44plays but they're another team that when it comes
26:46to playing that style in a tournament, it's hard
26:49to win five games in a row. It really is and that's
26:52what this is a tournament known for its chaos,
26:56maybe more specifically. It's madness blue. Correct
26:59me if I'm wrong. You're going to be with us in
27:02bracket Central coverage on Friday for the round
27:04of 64, correct? Yeah, I might make Atlantic City
27:07this week for the Mac. I'll see you next Friday
27:10and Saturday and then I'll be in San Antonio. So
27:13I love it. My favorite time of year. This is
27:16college basketball. Savant blue. We'll see you
27:18next week when the madness truly begins our number
27:21three up next. Let's get you ready for an awesome
27:25Tuesday in college basketball on the men's side.
27:28We've got high major conference tournaments
27:30beginning in just about two hours. Big 12 turning
27:33in Kansas City Cincinnati and Oklahoma State some
27:36breakdowns coming but Donnie even more than that
27:39in the opening round games. We will see at the
27:41high major level over the next 48 hours. We've got
27:44four tickets to be claimed to the NCAA tournament
27:48on this Tuesday night. Let's start with the best
27:50one WCC tournament title game out in Las Vegas.
27:54It's Gonzaga and st. Mary's the gales sweeping
27:58the Zags in both games during the regular season
28:01as st. Mary's claimed its second consecutive regular
28:05season crowd in WCC action now looking for its
28:09second consecutive conference tournament title
28:12against Gonzaga Mark few and his Bulldogs have
28:15often reigned Supreme in this conference with a
28:19win tonight. It would be five WCC tournament titles
28:22in the last six seasons Gonzaga three and a half
28:26point favorite to exact some revenge against the
28:28gales Donnie. How do you see it playing out?
28:31It's crazy man. It really is. It doesn't make any
28:33sense when you look at this line neutral court
28:35site a team that beat them both home and away
28:37this year in st. Mary's who plays wonderful defense
28:40as a great offense and yet to the underdogs, but
28:42technically I do agree with that line because you
28:45look at Gonzaga's offense. It's it's absolutely
28:47fantastic like the efficiency rating 124.5
28:50incredible, but st. Mary's does have a great
28:52defense. The one thing Gonzaga doesn't do is turn
28:54the basketball over that is always going to help
28:56but let's get down to the crux of the argument
28:58when you talk about the three-point line. If you
29:00like to shoot the three-point shot st. Mary's
29:01isn't the defense to do it against number three
29:04in conference played only allowing 30% from three
29:06point range and number one in conference play at
29:09chasing you off the three-point line. Well, if
29:11Gonzaga shoots a three-point shot, it's going
29:12to be wide open and they knock down their fair
29:14share at 36% of the time, but look at the overall
29:17numbers here. There's 11 teams in conference
29:18play their 11th at volume for three-point range,
29:21which means if the three is there, they'll take
29:23it but they don't need to force it as a major part
29:25of their offense. Take a look at their point
29:27distribution inside the arc number one in
29:30conference play at 57% of their points coming
29:33from that direction. Look at st. Mary's defense.
29:36It is great, but where they're vulnerable just
29:38a little bit here. They don't give up points
29:39from the three-point line, but they do give them
29:41up in the paint 58% of the total defensive points
29:44come from two-point range, which is number one
29:47in conference play. So if there is one angle to
29:49play Gonzaga's team actually fits into that
29:53sort of parameters of what st. Mary's wants to
29:55try to force you to do or they go. We don't need
29:57the three-point shot. We'll take it if it's there,
29:59but we will score inside the paint and we'll be
30:01deliberate in doing that. So for me, I agree.
30:03I like st. Mary's rooted for them all season
30:05long. But in this particular game, I think
30:08Gonzaga has a slight edge. And as I told you to
30:10start the show a team that already lost twice
30:12to this team on a neutral court. Now, not a home
30:14court for st. Mary's is an actual favorite. I'll
30:17buy into that. I think it's Gonzaga tonight.
30:20It is the old cliche. It is the old added. You
30:22just hard to beat a team three times in the same
30:25season st. Mary's will try to accomplish that
30:28Gonzaga, by the way in both games against the
30:31Gales first one in Moraga second one in Spokane
30:34booked as a slight favorite in both st. Mary's
30:37pulled the outright upset and because st. Mary's
30:40one they dictated tempo both games staying under
30:44Donnie. There is no more correlation in my
30:46estimation with the total of 137 and a half. If
30:49you think Gonzaga wins tonight, the pace is
30:52probably up. The offense is efficient. The Zags
30:55a top 10 offense in the sport a top 10 rated team
31:00in Ken Palm at this moment probably pushing to
31:03the over of that total if st. Mary's is able to
31:06hunker down probably keeps us under that number
31:09of 137 and a half. This is not a game where a
31:12team needs to win to earn the conference tournament
31:15and the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
31:18Both teams will go dancing. It is for bragging
31:21rights and supremacy in the WCC awesome game to
31:26be expected three other conference tournament
31:28games on this Tuesday. Can the 12 seed in CAA
31:33action continue its magical run that is Delaware
31:37taking on UNC Wilmington the Seahawks in eight
31:40and a half point favorite Horizon League final
31:43Robert Morris three and a half point favorite
31:46against Youngstown State. If Youngstown State can
31:48win DRS first NCAA tournament birth as a d1
31:53team that became a d1 team back in 1981 and the
31:57hottest team in college basketball. The Central
32:00Connecticut Blue Devils hoping to make it 15
32:02straight wins including every game in the NEC
32:05tournament to earn the automatic bid to the NCAA
32:09tournament double-digit favorite now against St.
32:11Francis. Yeah, Delaware has been hot. By the way
32:14that game should have some fireworks here. You
32:15take a look at UNC William and Kings offense
32:17number one in efficiency in conference play. They
32:19do a lot of things really well that Delaware's
32:21defense which again based on the regular season
32:24their atrocious on defense, but their offense is
32:26playing so well. It's covering up for the defense.
32:28I don't know if that's going to happen tonight.
32:30It's a pretty good footprint here for UNC
32:32Wilmington to have their way with Delaware's
32:34defense tonight and we'll continue to talk about
32:37those title games. What is at stake in the tickets
32:40up for grabs for the NCAA tournament up? We'll
32:43get back in a conference tournament week, but
32:45it's NFL free agency as well. It's a big breaking
32:48news for the reigning Super Bowl champs. The
32:51Philadelphia Eagles have traded CJ Gardner, Johnson
32:55CJ, GJ an emotional leader for that birds defense
32:59to the Houston Texans. We're not sure what it's
33:02in exchange for just yet heading back to Philadelphia.
33:05But Donny is you're trying to scour the interwebs
33:07to find out what exactly the deal is. What's your
33:10initial reaction for your birds dealing Johnson
33:13to Gardner Johnson? I don't know. Like do we not
33:16know something here? Like CJ GJ was just on Twitter
33:20like man get these bum blankety blank vets out of
33:23here. Let these young guys cook like me and Reed
33:25Blankenship back here handling our business and
33:28those young quarterbacks be able to spin on the
33:29outside only for him to be sent away. The Eagles
33:33are sending standout Gardner Johnson to Texans
33:35for first-round guard Kenyon Green like because
33:39I don't really know too much about former first
33:41round guard. Yeah, this is this is catching me
33:43off guard right now. I'm not too understanding
33:45of what we're actually doing here. I don't know.
33:49Let me just that's my topic right now. This is
33:51kind of weird. Yeah, so Kenyon Green out of Texas
33:54A&M three years ago in 2022 was the first round
33:57pick 15th overall by Houston dealt with injuries
34:02did not play the entirety of 2023 started nine
34:05games last year in 2024 for a Texans offensive
34:09line. That of course was not very good. The Texans
34:12trading away everybody on a bad offensive line,
34:16which is also an interesting move as well.
34:21That means we got back then it's not coming back
34:22then he's gone. Right? Yeah, I was going to say
34:24yeah, so he's probably going to Garner too much.
34:27You would think at the guard spot for that is not
34:31why we need any. Yeah, it's green and it's not
34:33only 26 5th round pick CJ GJ in a 2026 6th round
34:38selection headed back to Houston. Good for the
34:41Texans adding to that secondary CJ Gardner Johnson
34:44still performing at a high level level, of course,
34:47and is kind of that emotional piece for that
34:49Philadelphia secondary something's not had enough
34:53for you, huh? Yeah, they had a missing Houston
34:55had a missing piece of safety. So they get Gardner
34:57Johnson who you love him more than like his
35:00covered skills is that he is going to be the dog
35:02in the fight. Like if anybody needs backup, that's
35:05your guy right there. And he sort of walks the
35:07walk and talks the talk at the same time, but for
35:10his Twitter account might be fantastic over the
35:13next couple hours. If you want to watch this play
35:14out because he's no stranger to I'm going to
35:16move on from the team. I'm going to like that.
35:18Like you just want to Super Bowl and I'll tell
35:19you how bad the Eagles organization is. They
35:21can't play. Meanwhile telling you the last couple
35:23days like we're good over here. Like we got so
35:25many ballers. So I don't know where this actually
35:27came from, but it's an interesting move that
35:30really caught me off guard. So the Eagles get
35:32their guard to replace Makai back in but give up
35:34the leaders in the secondary and it's not like
35:37hey, it's a first-round draft pick or who's
35:39slated to make a million dollars this year. It's
35:41an odd move man. Sometimes the NFL I shake my
35:44head at you trust Howie Roseman always has his
35:47eyes on the prize at this point, but that's a
35:49really interesting one with again, just a couple
35:50days ago. We're good over here in the secondary
35:53let these other guys get out of here and now
35:55he's out of here at this point because the Eagles
35:58did release Darius Slay who signed somewhere
36:00the Steelers. I believe right Darius Slay made
36:03his way to Pittsburgh and James Bradbury who was
36:07also on that Super Bowl winning team, but not
36:09playing nearly as much you give Howie Roseman
36:13the benefit of the doubt and any maneuver that
36:15he does make the Keeley Ringo do anything with
36:19the Eagles this year, right? They might start
36:22trading on the outside. Yeah, that might be your
36:25outside corner now at this point. So the young
36:27the young kids are going to be cooking at it
36:28for chip for sure at this point. Now my good,
36:31you know, who's not as don't just because there
36:33might be a spot to fill. It's not in the deep
36:35and the depth of the safety, you know, who is
36:37not a safety Cooper to Jean now here is not yet.
36:40Now. Here's the point about that which you got
36:43to look at Howie Roseman. Is he so devious that
36:45he starts playing Cooper to see in a couple snaps
36:47at safety. So when he has to sort of get him a
36:49new contract, you're a safety man deal with it.
36:52Not a corner tamper down the expectation a little
36:56bit for that white boy run. I don't know that
36:58guy is on now. I don't think so. I don't think
37:01you know what we didn't discuss. Also another
37:03trade yesterday a little bit under the radar.
37:05Yeah, one that was kind of fun to monitor the
37:08Eagles traded backup quarterback. Kenny Pickett
37:10who played down the home stretch for the birds
37:13in the absence of the injured Jalen Hurts to
37:16Cleveland in return Dorian Thompson Robinson
37:19and a fifth round pick back to Philadelphia. Yeah,
37:22I don't I mean as of right now, the Browns don't
37:25seem like they're in love with a quarterback at
37:27the top of the market. I think we learned yesterday
37:29how some of the teams draft the in a top 10 view
37:32this quarterback draft class in 2025. Donnie. I
37:35think there's a good chance that Kenny Pickett
37:37is the Browns starting quarterback come week.
37:38Number one. No, it really could be and they needed
37:41a veteran guy in there that can sort of handle
37:43it, but also understand this like the Eagles
37:44gave up a decent draft pick for Kenny Pickett,
37:46but you know what the reason why Kenny Pickett
37:48in Cleveland not because only Kenny Pickett, they
37:50love Tanner McKee the third quarterback on the
37:52roster. He's better than Kenny Pickett is so now
37:54he gets Ascension to that number two spot at this
37:57point and the Eagles just like every other team.
37:59If you have a pretty good backup quarterback that
38:01you feel has a young talented base for himself
38:05and the next year you might be able to flip him
38:06for a third or a second rounder. That's what
38:08they love. But this kid is better than Kenny
38:09Pickett. And that's the reason why Kenny Pickett
38:11ends up in Cleveland Cleveland just a benefactor
38:13got a cheap backup quarterback for a good price.
38:15Why because Eagles really love their third-string
38:17quarterback not their second-string quarterback
38:20again. I'm not so sure Kenny Pickett is just
38:22the backup unless the Browns really make a move
38:24at the top of the NFL draft. He would think still
38:27a team in desperate need of a quarterback. Certainly
38:30after the re-signing and extension for Miles Garrett
38:33that if they told Miles, hey, you can still be in
38:35the hunt for a Lombardi. I can't even really say
38:38that with a straight face. You can still maybe
38:39make the playoffs as a team here in Cleveland.
38:42We're going to go get you a quarterback will get
38:45you a Super Bowl winning quarterback as well.
38:48I guess they did. So in Kenny Pickett, all right
38:51DRS some other news around college basketball
38:54and some other big game just didn't want to
38:56highlight the NEC tournament title game Northeast
39:01Conference championship till tonight between the
39:03hottest team in college basketball, the Blue Devils
39:05of Central Connecticut 14 straight wins. They take
39:09on st. Francis double-digit favorite. The Blue Devils
39:13were tested in the semifinal on Saturday against
39:17Fairleigh Dickinson. They had a 17-point lead
39:20at the break after you came all the way back
39:23in the second half to force OT Central Connecticut
39:26did escape with a four-point win 76-72 should
39:31be a good one tonight. A lot favors Central Connecticut
39:34in this matchup defensively, very strong, very
39:37efficient on the offensive side of the floor, but
39:40I'm not so at the ten and a half point spread
39:42is an interesting number could be competitive
39:44tonight as they all are in tournament title games.
39:47No, couldn't you take a look also at st. Francis
39:49on offense bending Conference played number one
39:51inside the Arctic close to 56% as a team, which
39:53is very efficient. Now at the same time Central
39:55Connecticut these up at 46% inside the Arc, which
39:59is number one. So it's one verse one. But when
40:01you look at the this point distribution breakdown
40:03three or number three in Conference play at scoring
40:06inside the Arc with 52% of their total distribution
40:08of points is st. Francis started giving it up
40:11in Central Connecticut. Maybe they can stay close
40:13in this game because it's not when I look at
40:15both sides and say this should be a runaway on
40:17each side and you always know in these type of
40:19games, you're going to be fouled at the end. Maybe
40:21just a late three-point shot that goes down with
40:24five seconds to go and they walk off the court
40:25and you get the cover but maybe st. Francis can
40:27hang around in this one against Central Connecticut
40:30in a big one. Of course in the Horizon League,
40:32Robert Morris takes on Youngstown State as we
40:35have shared the penguins trying to get to the big
40:37dance for the first time as a d1 program. They
40:39have been a d1 program for more than four decades
40:42since 1981 Bobby Mo as they are known on this
40:47network the Colonials in the top team in the
40:49Horizon League Donnie trailing by as many as seven
40:52in the final seven and a half minutes last night
40:54of the semi-final in Indy against Oakland fought
40:58their way back great campy in the Golden Grizz. I
41:02think shot themselves in the foot numerous times
41:04down the home stretch Robert Morris wanted in
41:07OT. They are a three and a half point favorite
41:09tonight against Youngstown State. Yeah, here's
41:12the tough part about Youngstown State. It's
41:13usually a team that I would like to line up on
41:15teams that allow you to shoot the three-point
41:17shot. Their number one in conference play almost
41:1850% of the shots come from three-point range and
41:20they can bury you there. But number one at the
41:22defending you off of the three-point line. That's
41:24RMU. Maybe it's just a better matchup here for
41:27Robert Morris than it is for Youngstown State.
41:29Just looking at that one metric here. Yeah, maybe
41:32so and again when you look at the CAA can Delaware
41:35keep the magical run going in all four wins in
41:38the conference tourney. They have shot up these
41:4045% from three UNC double good team, but they will
41:44let you hoist from deep keep an eye on the blue
41:47hands diving into that one BRS. We send you off
41:51here to the Moneyline my friend. Have a great time.
41:53We'll see you tomorrow on a Wednesday here on the
41:56early line. We continue with John Rothstein. What
42:01I start cooking CJ DJ got to get some details.
42:05Live right here on the early line. It is a Tuesday
42:09in the month of March, which can mean only one
42:11thing John Rothstein joins us here on TEL courtesy
42:16of the FanDuel sports book, but of course covering
42:19the sport of college basketball like no other
42:21for CBS sports and John here in the month of
42:24March. The work continues a new podcast with CBS
42:28sports them taking on your show first edition
42:31today live at 4 30 p.m. Eastern Time in the month
42:35of March. It even grows for you. My friend congrats
42:39on that excited to see what the show has in store
42:41this afternoon. Thanks, man. Always great to be
42:45doing more content in March the greatest month
42:48that we have on the calendar year, but that month
42:50has been amplified because I get to talk with you
42:53every week. So let's get out of my mouth and that
42:56warms my heart as well. John. It is a great
42:58portion of conference tournament week on this
43:00Tuesday to the high major leagues in action ACC
43:04and the big 12 for spots into the big dance at
43:08state tonight as well as we look at the four
43:11conference tournament title games in the WCC. It's
43:14st. Mary's and Gonzaga in CAA action, which you
43:19can see tonight with John Ross team providing some
43:21of that insight in studio. Can Delaware continue
43:25the magical run against UNC Wilmington NEC
43:29conference tournament title game the hottest team
43:31in the country Central Connecticut in their
43:33matchup against st. Francis and can Youngstown
43:36State go dancing for the first time in the Horizon
43:39League final against the top team in attorney in
43:42Robert Morris John of those four tickets to the
43:45big dance that will be punched tonight. What's
43:48the storyline everybody needs to know?
43:51Well, I think the storyline is obviously we have
43:54such a unique matchup in the CAA tournament. You
43:56have UNC Wilmington who was the two seed is 126
43:59games against the Delaware team that is three games
44:02under 500 band and was one and 11 in its final
44:0612 games of the regular season Delaware now just
44:0940 minutes away from a chance to play in the
44:12NCAA tournament. And then I think we have to look
44:14at what's going to happen in Las Vegas at Orleans
44:16Arena. Gonzaga has been beaten twice by st. Mary's
44:19this season st. Mary's they'll be Pepperdine last
44:22night 28 and for this year under Randy Bennett
44:26st. Mary's has not been back to the second weekend
44:29of the NCAA tournament since 2010, which was the
44:32only time that it went under Randy Bennett. So
44:35the gales could obviously add momentum to that
44:37quest with a victory tonight over their WCC rivals
44:41both teams will be in the big dance. We're exactly
44:44on the seed line that is at stake in conference
44:46bragging rights. Of course st. Mary's hoping for
44:49the trifecta three wins this year in all three games
44:52against Gonzaga the gales an underdog as they have
44:55been in the previous two, but John the regular
44:58season at the high major level completely done in
45:01college basketball. Let's take an eye at those
45:04national championship prices that we will see in
45:07San Antonio in just a few weeks. John when you
45:12look at the top 10 here or maybe some teams outside
45:15of this list, how many teams right now? Do you
45:18think can actually win the entire thing?
45:22You know, I would probably say six to eight Ben if
45:24we're being honest, but I also think that one of
45:27the things we're looking at right now is we're now
45:29taking the view 30,000 feet out five days away
45:32from Selection Sunday. We don't have a dominant
45:35team in college basketball do clearly has the best
45:38roster of any team in the sport. There's no denying
45:41that Auburn has been the best team and has the
45:43best resume, but there are no teams this year in
45:46the sport close to what UConn was last year or
45:49close to the way UConn was playing two years ago
45:51when it ripped with the NCAA tournament like a
45:53chainsaw through butter. I think we could see.
45:58I would say only one or maybe two one seeds in
46:01the final four. I think we're going to see really
46:03a chaotic NCAA tournament, which is what we can
46:06only hope for in a tournament known for one thing
46:09above all else. That is Madness Duke ends the
46:12regular season as the outright regular season
46:15winner in the ACC and the number one team in the
46:18AP top 25 that National Championship favorite as
46:21we get underway today in Charlotte for the ACC
46:25tournament. Of course, John Duke the hefty favorite
46:27at minus 340 such a strong favorite and well-deserved
46:32but I ask you this question. Who do you think is
46:34the best test for the Blue Devils in the ACC
46:37tourney? Why the best test for the Blue Devils
46:40would be Clemson, but that game wouldn't happen
46:42until the championship game of the ACC tournament.
46:45So there is a chance that Duke may go through the
46:47whole ACC tournament and not play a team that's
46:51projected to be in the NCAA tournament until the
46:54title game now Duke played, Illinois. I know
46:56Illinois was dealing with the flu going through
46:58their team, but Duke played Illinois a couple of
47:01weeks ago at Madison Square Garden and destroyed
47:04the Illini from tip to finish at the world's
47:05most famous arena. But the question mark now is
47:09Duke going to be battle-tested enough for the NCAA
47:12tournament. There is no doubt in my mind that this
47:15is the best roster in the sport and I'll say this
47:17if Tyrese Proctor can be a consistent third scoring
47:22option behind flag and knipple and if Malik Brown
47:26can give Duke that small ball five defensively to
47:29close games much like Duke had in 2015 with Emile
47:33Jefferson Duke to me will be the national champions.
47:36Yep. It seems as though Duke is playing at the
47:39pinnacle of the sport right now. Certainly on a
47:42path to do just that cut down the Nets in San
47:44Antonio in less than four weeks John 19 and one
47:49Duke's record in the ACC this year. Also the big
47:5112 mark for Calvin Sampson and his Cougs in that
47:55conference. They are the one seed in the big 12
47:57tourney that starts today in KC not quite the
48:00minus money favorite at minus 340 that Duke is in
48:04the ACC tournament. How open is the race for the
48:06conference championship in the big 12? Well, it's
48:10always going to be open in the big 12 because
48:12there's so many good teams as remember last year
48:14Iowa State won the big 12 tournament and also,
48:17you know blew out Houston in the process in the
48:19title game. But here's the thing Ben we obviously
48:22keep a close eye on conference tournaments because
48:25teams on the bubble are going to need wins in
48:28these settings to bolster their resumes for the
48:30NCAA tournament, but we have seen mixed results
48:33over the years as to what kind of momentum in a
48:35conference tournament will that lend itself to
48:38momentum in March Madness. So I'm curious to see
48:41sometimes, you know teams who are knocked out
48:43early in these conference tournaments get more
48:45rest get more momentum for the big dance. I'm
48:48curious to see how that correlates, you know
48:49talking to coaches and I've seen several coaches
48:52talk about this on the record John Calipari
48:54recently talked about it with the SEC tournament.
48:57I've heard Mick Cronin say it the NCAA tournament
49:00is what matters now. You want to win every single
49:02game and you're paid to win games. But with that
49:05said, you know, it's really really difficult to
49:08project just how much conference tournament
49:11success is going to correlate to what happens
49:13in the big dance. Momentum is always key in March.
49:16You want to be playing your best at the best time
49:18of year but not utilize all your best action before
49:22the big dance. John Rothstein as always, we thank
49:25you for on the early line up next. Plenty of
49:28conference tournament action in College Hoops
49:31in just a moment. But of course as we shared the
49:34NFL free agency frenzy continues on this Tuesday
49:38morning. The big deal that Philadelphia made that
49:40is leaving everybody at the moment kind of
49:42scratching their head. CJ Gardner Johnson dealt
49:45by the birds to the Houston Texans in return
49:48former first-round pick by Houston Kenyon Green
49:51and a big acquisition at the quarterback spot.
49:55Daniel Jones has signed a one-year deal with
49:58Indianapolis. The actual financials are being
50:01finalized at this moment, but Daniel Jones now
50:04makes his way to Indy of course released by the
50:07New York Giants in 2024 made his way to Minnesota
50:11kind of provided that backup experience to Sam
50:14Donald. The Vikings were hoping to maybe have
50:16him back to be the back up to JJ McCarthy. He
50:20now makes his way to Indy which I find very
50:22compelling and seemed almost like a natural fit
50:25because the Colts told us during combine week
50:27in their home city that Anthony Richardson would
50:30be involved in a quarterback competition a QB
50:32battle this offseason. But with a quarterback
50:35to be named later that guy is now Daniel Jones.
50:39Is he worth 40 million dollars per year? I think
50:42we can definitively say no to that on a discount
50:45though. Could he make some waves and be consistent
50:48enough for a franchise? Sure. And I think we're
50:51getting all indications that Indianapolis is
50:54maybe not all too pleased with Anthony Richardson
50:56or not overly optimistic about his future as the
50:59face of the franchise. It has been a struggle in
51:02terms of consistency and accuracy for AR in his
51:06two years in the NFL dealing with some injuries
51:10as well 14 million dollars is what we're seeing
51:13here one year 14 million dollar deal for Daniel
51:16Jones getting paid to find his way to Indianapolis
51:19not overly expensive, but still a good deal for
51:24both parties. All right, let's talk some of those
51:26high major games that we will see on this Tuesday
51:28again starting in just about an hour and a half
51:31in Kansas City, Missouri. We've got the big 12
51:33tournament opener between Cincinnati and Oklahoma
51:36State since he now a seven and a half point
51:39favorite against the pokes. I won't just say this
51:41Oklahoma State not a great team in a big 12 this
51:44year, but 11 to 9 against the spread in conference
51:47action covering in three of their final four as
51:50an underdog. I do expect that game to be close as
51:54we shared earlier the Bearcats under Wes Miller
51:56top 10 can't pump team back in early December.
52:00Can they find their footing? Maybe make a run in
52:03Casey. We shall see Colorado and TCU a good one
52:07the buffs disappointing this year, but Tad Boyle
52:09telling everybody he will be back in Boulder two
52:13and a half point spread in favor of the Horned Frogs
52:16and a good one tonight, Kansas State, Arizona State
52:18six and a half point spread in favor of the Wildcats
52:22again disappointing year for the Sun Devils very
52:25disappointing year for K State a really talented
52:28transfer portal class led by Coleman Hawkins who
52:31made himself an NIL bag. They started off terribly.
52:35They went on a run in the middle of the new year
52:38kind of faded down the stretch a little bit as
52:41well, but a dangerous team a talented team as a
52:45new season begins in a conference tournament first
52:49game in the ACC tournament on this Tuesday, Notre
52:52Dame and Pitt Pitt three and a half point favorite
52:55against the Irish Jeff Capel will be back for
52:59Notre Dame same with Michael Shrewsbury trying
53:01to turn things around in South Bend, Utah point
53:05and a half favorite against UCF. That's big 12
53:07action as well. Excuse me. You never know with
53:11some of these things, but Utah, of course, not a
53:13head coach in place currently with Craig Smith
53:16who was let go. They do have a dead new head
53:18coach coming Danny Jensen. I believe is the name
53:21former Utah player was working with the Clippers.
53:25It was the Clippers right? Because the guy left
53:26the Sixers is going that's Lenny Loucks. He's
53:30or Luke Loucks. He's making his way to Florida
53:32State replacing Leonard Hamilton final few games
53:35for Leonard Hamilton in his illustrious career
53:38more than two decades in Tallahassee. Don't even
53:40worry about the other team. They're playing.
53:44Just give me a moment here for a second.
53:46The fact that Red Autry is coming back to Syracuse
53:48basketball is an absolute travesty as a proud
53:50Syracuse alum as somebody that loves Syracuse
53:52men's basketball. We are on the brink of irrelevancy
53:56and that sucks Syracuse three and a half point
53:58dog today against FSU. Let's talk the battle
54:02for the number one overall seed in the NCAA
54:05tournament both Auburn and Duke will be on the
54:08one line, but who ends up as the number one overall
54:11seed and thus gets to pick what region they play
54:14in kind of gets to dictate their path through the
54:17big dance. Auburn still a hefty favorite at minus
54:20360, but these numbers just about a week ago
54:23minus 3,500 for the Tigers to be that top overall
54:28seed. Auburn should be it. The resume is just
54:30ridiculous 16 and 4 in quad one games for the
54:35Tigers, but Duke does have the head-to-head
54:37advantage. We shall see. We'll talk more about
54:41about that later in the week. A Wednesday, we
54:44return here on The Early Line 8 a.m. Eastern.