PMT DB
PMT DB
Brent Musburger and Amanda Kessel on March Madness and Gold Medals
March Madness is officially back, and the energy in the studio is a mix of pure joy and absolute physical agony. Big Cat is already dealing with random sports-viewer cramps and the weight of a billion bets, while PFT is just happy to feel any emotion at all after turning 30. Between the Loyola Chicago buzzer-beater and Arizona getting absolutely dismantled by Buffalo, the tournament is already delivering on its promise to ruin everyone's brackets.
Big CatThe anxiety of betting on March Madness is crippling.
I hate March Madness... because the anxiety of betting is crippling. I love it because it's an excuse to sit and watch basketball for 24 hours in four days span.
The Ramblers are the early darlings of the dance, mostly thanks to Sister Jean, who is currently the MVP of the entire bracket. Big Cat is already looking to buy stock in their run.
Big CatLoyola Chicago is a team of destiny in the NCAA Tournament.
Are we willing to call [Loyola Chicago] our team of destiny yet? Because I'm inching them towards that spot.
Locks with Uncle Brent
We called up our favorite uncle, Brent Musburger, live from Las Vegas to see how Sin City is handling the influx of degenerates. Brent didn't hold back, immediately chirping Big Cat and PFT for not flying out to join him in the desert. He dropped some veteran wisdom for anyone trying to actually finish the weekend with money in their pockets, warning against the temptation to play every single window.
Brent MusburgerDon't bet every game of the NCAA Tournament if you want to win money.
You survive March Madness by not betting every game... You can't bet every game and beat these guys. The lines are too tough.
Uncle Brent gave us the breakdown on Friday's board, including his thoughts on how the wise guys are playing the underdogs. He's particularly high on one Big East squad to handle their business early.
Brent MusburgerBet on Providence to beat Texas A&M.
Jump all over Providence [against Texas A&M].
He also gave us a heads-up on how the totals usually play out in these early rounds, suggesting that the nerves of the tournament tend to favor the defensive side of the ball.
Brent MusburgerThe Under is usually the best bet in the first two days of the NCAA Tournament.
Under is usually the first couple of days. I want you to look at. So I'd be careful [of the Over].
Amanda Kessel: American Hero
Gold medalist Amanda Kessel joined the show to flaunt the hardware and talk about the U.S. Women's Hockey team's historic win over Canada. She confirmed that the medal is actually the heaviest in Olympic history, which explains why Big Cat almost dropped it. Amanda also cleared the air on the Phil Kessel hot dog rumors, though we might have to edit her answer if it doesn't fit the narrative.
Amanda KesselThe 2018 Olympic gold medal is the heaviest medal in Olympic history.
It's the heaviest medal yet... in Olympic history.
Amanda fits right in with the show's spirit, especially when it comes to her thoughts on other sports. After spending her life on the ice, she isn't exactly impressed by the workload required in the NBA or college hoops.
Amanda KesselBasketball isn't really a sport.
Is it [basketball] a sport? You don't even have to watch until the fourth quarter.
NFL Free Agency and The 90-Yard Cannon
Away from the hardwood, NFL Free Agency is moving fast. Kirk Cousins has finally landed in Minnesota, and while the numbers are eye-popping, PFT thinks this is just the beginning of the Cousins wealth-accumulation tour.
PFT CommenterKirk Cousins will eventually be the first $200 million quarterback.
Kirk Cousins is going to get another bite of the apple. He's going to be the first $200 million quarterback. He's going to make $200 million in his career.
Meanwhile, the draft hype for Josh Allen is reaching mythological levels. A Nike director recently claimed Allen could throw a ball 90 yards at his pro day, and Big Cat is ready to put his pink slip on the line to see it happen.
Big CatI'll bet a car that Josh Allen throws the ball 90 yards at his Pro Day.
At his pro day, he'll probably throw the ball 90 yards. No joke. I'm not kidding. He'll throw it 90 yards. Just wait. I promise you. I'll bet a car on it. He will throw the ball 90 yards.
We also touched on the news out of Bristol regarding John Skipper's departure. The cocaine extortion story is certainly one of the more unique exit interviews in sports media history, but Big Cat has a few follow-up questions about the logic of a dealer extorting their best customer.
Big CatJohn Skipper's story about leaving ESPN due to cocaine extortion is missing key details.
I don't believe this is the full story. So my PR 101 would be maybe tell the whole story because now people are going to be like, huh, that seems a little odd. You were infrequent and you were careful. And then all of a sudden some random drug dealer was like [going to extort you].
To wrap things up, we did a quick check-in on the 16-seed versus 1-seed drought. While Penn gave Kansas a scare for ten minutes, Big Cat remains convinced that the only way we ever see the ultimate upset is through a series of catastrophic events.
Big CatA 16-seed will only ever beat a 1-seed if multiple star players on the 1-seed suffer freak injuries or illnesses.
The 16th seed is not going to win where everyone says this is the year the 16th seed wins. The 16th seed is going to win because the best player on the one seed breaks their ankle walking onto the court, and then the second best player has diarrhea, and then the third best player tears his ACL... and then maybe they will win by one.
Good luck to everyone's brackets, unless you're playing against us in the Bud Light Buster. Stay away from the man buns.
