PMT DB
PMT DB
Mark Titus on Bracket Breakdown and Tournament Fun Facts
The greatest time of the year has finally arrived. The bracket is out, the West Virginia governor is holding press conferences with signs about corruption, and Big Cat is already mourning the eventual loss of his sleep. To get everyone ready for the first round, Big Cat, PFT, Hank, and Max went region-by-region to deliver the dumbest and most specific fun facts for every single team in the field. From the Baylor bus tragedy of 1927 to the fact that over 70% of Purdue students graduate as virgins, this is the essential knowledge you won't get from Joe Lunardi.
The East and South Breakdown
PFT kicked things off in the South, digging into the legend of the Auburn War Eagle—which apparently ended in a kamikaze dive onto the field in 1892. While discussing the Louisville vs. Creighton matchup, the guys realized that the bird-on-bird violence is real. PFT pointed out that even with a cardinal having teeth, the blue jay is simply a different beast.
PFT CommenterA blue jay would easily beat a cardinal in a fight
A blue jay would kick a cardinal's ass in a fight. Even though the Louisville cardinal has teeth, blue jays are, are much bigger. They're super, super aggressive.
Hank had some strong thoughts on the committee’s seeding, specifically how Memphis and Louisville ended up where they did. It’s hard to look at the NET rankings and see any logic in the final placement, leading to a theory that someone in the room simply misclicked.
HankThe NCAA selection committee accidentally swapped Memphis and Louisville
Memphis, I am choosing to believe this because it is crazy... people are saying that the committee, they accidentally swapped him. Louisville has a better net RPI, KenPom, T-Rank and higher in the ESPN BPI rankings in every category. But Memphis is the higher seeded team. I choose to believe that too because it makes no sense other than they just accidentally messed it up.
West and Midwest Madness
In the West, Big Cat took a deep dive into the Georgia Bulldogs’ basketball program. While Kirby Smart has the football team looking like a juggernaut, the basketball side hasn't won a tournament game since the early 2000s. It's a disparity that almost defies logic considering the money flowing through Athens.
Big CatGeorgia's lack of basketball success given their football dominance is the biggest disparity in sports
Of the 10 college football national champions since 2002, seven out of 10 of them have been to a Final Four. All 10 of them have been to an Elite Eight... Georgia has zero wins combined [in that span]. I think that's the biggest disparity between a football and a basketball program.
Max tried to avoid talking about Villanova’s absence by focusing on VCU and the coaching carousel. He’s already calling for heads to roll and predicting where Ryan Odom will be standing next season, regardless of how the Rams perform this weekend.
MaxRyan Odom will not be the head coach at VCU next year
This will be his last time at VCU no matter what... I'm reporting this. He will either be going to Villanova or Virginia after this year. He will, this is his last ride with VCU.
Filling the Bracket with Mark Titus
Mark Titus joined the show to provide some actual basketball analysis, even if he started by torching the committee for letting North Carolina into the field. Titus didn't mince words, calling it the most stunningly bad decision he’s seen in years.
Mark TitusNorth Carolina's inclusion in the tournament is the most egregious committee decision ever
I thought North Carolina, at no point in the season did they look like an NCAA tournament team. They, they, yeah. They, their, their, their highs weren't very high. Their lows were pretty damn low. And I was, I was stunned. I was, in all the years of, you know, that's how the bracket works. It comes out, we, we lose our minds about teams that got in that didn't deserve it. We, we feel bad for the teams that were left out. This is the most egregious example that I've ever seen.
Despite the gripes about the bubble, Titus is leaning heavily into the top seeds this year. He’s not expecting a Cinderella run to the title, believing instead that the gap between the elite and the field is too wide for a mid-major to bridge the gap.
Mark TitusThe 2025 NCAA Tournament will be very 'chalky' with high seeds dominating
I think this is the year of chalk... I have a really good feeling that it was gonna be a one or a two. Because if you watched all season, it just felt like these teams are just way better than everybody else... I'm very, very confident that your national champion will be a one or two.
One team Titus is specifically wary of is UC San Diego. Despite the analytics nerds loving their turnover margin, he’s worried they’ll get physically bullied by a Michigan team that actually has size.
Mark TitusUC San Diego is a potential first-round fraud despite their analytics
Michigan turns it over like crazy. UC San Diego leads the country in turnover margin... [but] they haven't played a power conference team and that's why I'm worried about that. It feels like McNeese last year... they haven't literally not played anybody that has a center that's taller than 6'8".
As for the Final Four, Titus is going back to his roots. He’s riding with Michigan State as his quintessential Tom Izzo tournament team and doubling down on a preseason prediction that Rick Pitino would lead St. John's back to glory.
Mark TitusMichigan State will make the Final Four as a quintessential Tom Izzo team
I settled a, so I have Michigan State going to the final four because I think Auburn's gonna get tripped up somewhere... I do think Michigan State's gonna go to the final four. I think I settled on, they are on a, a typical Michigan State tournament run, but it just started in November.
Mark TitusSt. John's will make the Final Four
I picked St. John's as the final four. I do believe in that... I do believe this St. John's team is special... When the clock hits zero and you think you've beat them, you better make damn sure you've actually beat them.
When it came to the ultimate champion, there was little debate. Titus and Big Cat are both high on the Blue Devils, noting that Cooper Flagg has somehow lived up to the massive expectations while flying slightly under the national radar compared to previous Duke stars.
Mark TitusDuke is the best team in the country and has no weaknesses
I believe Duke is the best team in the country. I believe Duke has no weaknesses... I think that they're a little bit better than every other team in this field. So I, I'm, I I, I have Duke coming out of the east and I have Duke winning the national championship.
Mark TitusCooper Flagg's hype is actually lower than it should be given his dominance
I think Cooper Flagg has had, I, I don't, I, for some reason he, the, the hype is somehow there, but it's also, I feel like it's not as great as it should be for this kid. 'Cause he is unfucking believable. He had an, an insane amount of hype coming in. He's delivered on all of it. He leads Duke in every single category.
Hot Seat and Cool Throne
Hot Seat/Cool Throne featured Aaron Rodgers once again holding the NFL offseason hostage. Big Cat noted that Rodgers is now officially living the Brett Favre experience, right down to the dramatic retirement teases and the potential move to Minnesota.
Big CatAaron Rodgers is repeating the Brett Favre path exactly
Aaron Rodgers... it is Cats in the Cradle with Brett Favre. He's just learning everything from [him] and he hated Brett Favre for it too. It's perfect.
To wrap things up, PFT offered a high-stakes wager for anyone joining the Stella Blue coffee bracket pool. While he’s confident in the field, he’s willing to put his own anatomy on the line for a perfect bracket.
PFT CommenterIf anyone gets a perfect bracket in the Stella Blue pool, I will cut off my penis
If somebody gets a perfect bracket, yes. I will cut off my penis.
Good luck to everyone's brackets, except for whoever gave Big Cat a reason to bet the over on Purdue.
