PMT DB
PMT DB
John Fanta on Final Four, Kevin Willard to Nova, and NFL Coaches Picture
The Final Four is finally set, and while the road to San Antonio was paved with more chalk than a elementary school playground, Big Cat and PFT are trying to find the silver lining. All four number one seeds advanced, leading PFT to question the very structure of the tournament's hype cycle.
PFT CommenterCollege basketball is a Ponzi scheme
I was gonna say it's college basketball. A Ponzi scheme. Mm. Because the tournament starts. Just wait. Did not Great Matchups round of 32. Gonna be great. Round of 32's not great, just wait. Good. So sweet 16. Sweet 16 happens. Oh, that sucked. But just wait. This is the best Elite eight you've ever seen. The Elite eight sucks. But just wait. The final four, we're kicking the can down the road.
Despite the lack of buzzer-beaters this past weekend, Big Cat is leaning into the 'Cinderella' narrative by getting creative with the definitions. Since there are no double-digit seeds left to root for, he’s looking at which blue blood or powerhouse actually lacks the hardware to justify their status.
Big CatHouston is the biggest 'Cinderella' of the Final Four
I have Houston one, then I had Florida two... [Houston] because they've never won a national title. They don't have any legacy in basketball outside of Charles Barkley. And obviously what Bruce Pearl's done, I think they would be the second Cinderella. Florida still has, you know, they, they back to back national titles.
Speaking of teams we usually love to hate, there is a serious crisis brewing regarding Duke. Usually, the Blue Devils provide a natural villain for the tournament, but Big Cat is struggling to find the energy to despise John Scheyer’s squad.
Big CatI hate that I don't hate this current Duke team
I'm basically landed on the fact that I think my hate for Duke is now just the fact that I don't hate this Duke team. Like, do something to make me hate you. Get to a fight. I hate that I don't hate them. You know what the issue is? That's what's making me mad.
NFL Coaches and the Tush Push
Over in Orlando, the NFL owners and coaches are gathered for their annual meetings, which gave us the yearly coaches' photo. Dan Quinn looked like a man you wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley, and Dan Campbell appeared to be wearing a polo shirt roughly the size of a tent. The big news on the field, however, is the potential ban of the Tush Push. The guys aren't fans of removing a play just because the Eagles are better at it than everyone else, especially when the league is adding 15-yard penalties for "violent gestures" like nose wipes.
Baseball is Back and Maybe Cheating
The Yankees are off to a hot start, but it wouldn't be a Yankees run without a little controversy. Reports are swirling about potential "torpedo bats" that are boosting home run numbers. While the purists are crying foul, Max is standing firm that the fans actually want to see the ball leave the park more often.
MaxIncreased runs and homers are objectively good for baseball
Why you watch baseball? To watch homers? Yeah. Why do people want less homers? Yeah. Like everything in baseball right now is going towards the pitcher. The one time, the one time something goes towards the hitter and now everyone wants to freak out. That's what baseball's fun. You wanna watch people hit, you wanna, this is good for baseball. More runs is good for baseball
John Fanta Joins the Show
Our good friend John Fanta joined us to bring some much-needed energy to the Final Four breakdown. He’s all in on the heavyweight clash in San Antonio, specifically praising the coaching job John Scheyer has done in the post-Coach K era. Fanta thinks we might be looking at a multi-decade reign in Durham.
John FantaJohn Scheyer will be Mike Krzyzewski 2.0 in terms of tenure
I think he's a stud Big Cat. I don't know if you want to hear this or not, but I think he's gonna be Mike Krzyzewski 2.0 in terms of the length. Yeah, no, he is gonna coach there forever and he's gonna win a lot. So coach there for 30 years.
We also got into the messy divorce between Kevin Willard and Maryland. As a Seton Hall alum who had Willard at his wedding, Fanta had a front-row seat to the drama. He thinks the writing was on the wall for a while, and that Willard might have been playing a long game to get back to the Northeast.
PFT CommenterKevin Willard intentionally criticized Maryland to force his way out to Villanova
Willard was ripping on things to see them get fixed. I tend to look at it as, and I'm not saying I don't think this should have been handled differently, I tend to think of it as he was being critical of all these things to clear a runway for getting out.
Fanta also gave us a preview of "The Crown," the new postseason tournament for teams that missed the Big Dance. While most fans are focused on the national title, Fanta is keeping an eye on the right side of the bracket in Vegas.
John FantaUSC will win the right side of the bracket in 'The Crown'
I think Villanova, USC on the right side of the bracket would be fascinating. Must Bus has his team ready to go. I think. I think USC on the right side, they're gonna come out of this right side of the bracket. I just like the way that they're playing.
Before letting him go, Fanta had to defend his Cleveland Cavaliers against a very unimpressed Hank. Hank remains steadfast that as long as the Celtics have their full rotation, nobody in the East—especially not the Cavs—poses a threat.
HankIf the Celtics are healthy, they are not losing
If we're healthy, we're not losing. That's, it's really, it's just health. I, it's like the calves are a good team, good season. Sure. But... if we're healthy, we're not losing.
Who’s Back and Monday Reading
Who’s Back featured a heated cartoon battle between Big Cat and Hank, and PFT brought some dark news regarding the Impractical Jokers. It turns out the "punishments" on that show might have been the least of their problems.
PFT CommenterThe Impractical Jokers are 'sex creeps'
The impractical Joker suck ass... turns out two of the four creeps. Sex creeps. Allegedly. Allegedly. It was Joe and it was Myrrh. Allegedly. Okay. So Joe alleged, well I also wanna say for Joe, he has now checked himself into inpatient treatment. Smart for being a sex creep... Joe Gato is seeking treatment for, I guess being a sex creep. So he is been hitting up high school girls, hanging out with them, touching their stomachs, doing weird shit. And then Mur was allegedly deeming a bunch of underage girls too.
We wrapped up with a Monday Reading from a Maryland message board that featured a literal graph mapping out the "Crime Forgiveness Scale" for coaching candidates. It turns out, if you win enough games, fans are willing to overlook just about anything short of a felony, and sometimes even those.
Just remember: it's not a crime if you make the Elite Eight.
