PMT DB
PMT DB
March Madness Chaos with Dan Dakich and Danny Woodhead's Retirement
Big Cat and PFT are barely coherent after staring at televisions from three feet away for four days straight. The 2018 opening weekend was absolute carnage, featuring the first 16-over-1 upset in history and a trail of busted brackets across the country. Between UMBC making history and Sister Jean captivating a nation, the tournament has reached a level of peak insanity.
Big CatThe 2018 first weekend was the craziest in NCAA tournament history
I actually I'm gonna say it: it was the craziest first weekend in tournament history. We had the first ever 16 beat a one... you had two seeds that both could have won the tournament, UNC and Cincy, and then you had two three seeds, Michigan State and Tennessee, who lost.
The UMBC Retrievers didn't just beat Virginia; they dismantled them. PFT noticed that while the players were hitting everything on the court, the UMBC social media team was working just as hard to turn a basketball game into a university recruitment drive.
PFT CommenterThe UMBC upset was a calculated move by the school to develop a national profile and drive admissions
I'm staying a little bit woke on that... this was a very good opportunity for UMBC to develop a national profile with a Twitter account. And then they used it to start like promoting their president. And they tweeted out like links to apply to UMBC.
Dan Dakich on the Madness
Dan Dakich joined the show to provide an actual expert perspective, mostly because Big Cat and PFT admit they are just two idiots on a couch. Dakich was baffled by Virginia’s collapse, noting he’d never seen a Tony Bennett team look so spread out and unprepared. He also had some strong thoughts on Arizona’s early exit, suggesting that the star power might have been looking toward the draft lottery a bit too early.
Dan DakichDeandre Ayton and Allonzo Trier checked out of the Arizona program early for the NBA
I thought in Arizona it was disinterest. I thought they thought, okay, we'll play this game, but then it got to be too much hard work... I think Trier and the big kid [Deandre] Ayton had said they're going to the NBA. I think they just checked out.
As the field thins out, the conversation turned to who actually looks like a champion. While Michigan and Purdue are still alive for the Big Ten, Dakich is looking toward the blue bloods that haven't blinked yet. He also had a very specific, and very Dakich, critique of Michigan State's Miles Bridges and his inability to attack the middle of a zone.
Dan DakichMiles Bridges doesn't have a versatile game and is just a jump shooter
Everybody tells me how good Miles Bridges is, right? He's great. And I've said he doesn't really have a game. He's a jump shooter. He's a really nice kid... but how – if you're supposed to be an NBA lottery pick... you've got to be able to go in the middle of a zone.
Dan DakichVillanova is the best team in the 2018 NCAA tournament
Nova, absolutely. Nova's the best team in the thing so far, I think.
Danny Woodhead Walks Away
Danny Woodhead called in to discuss his retirement, which he announced on a Friday night just as the world was processing the UMBC upset. He revealed that he chose to walk away rather than drag his family through another one-year deal in a new city. The guys, being the supportive friends they are, immediately offered him a retirement gift: a 1993 conversion van in Yonkers with multiple outstanding tickets and no insurance.
Danny WoodheadI chose retirement to avoid moving my family for a one-year deal
It's going to be a one year deal. So it's probably going to only be for six months. And then I'm going to move back to Nebraska... If I was going to play, I felt like it was going to be me being a little bit selfish because it's been about me the last 10 years. So maybe it's time to be about my family a little bit more.
There is also the pressing matter of PFT’s hair. For years, PFT has claimed he wouldn't cut his hair until Danny Woodhead won a Super Bowl. With that dream officially dead, the two discussed potential charity options for a haircut, though Big Cat is still pushing for a "passing of the torch" to the next grittiest player in the league.
The Road to the Final Four
Looking ahead at the brackets, Kentucky seems to be the biggest beneficiary of the chaos. After everyone in their region imploded, the path to the Final Four has opened up in a way that Big Cat thinks might actually be too easy for Calipari's squad.
Big CatKentucky has the easiest path to the Final Four in 2018
Kentucky could not have had a better bracket. Now with everyone imploding in their bracket, they have to get to the Final Four. Because they have no choice now. They have the easiest path to the Final Four.
Big CatKentucky getting to the Final Four against this weak competition in the South would 'cheapen' the accomplishment
I know a Final Four is always special. But does Kentucky really want to get there against this competition in the South? I would say it cheapens it. I mean, what's the point of going to Final Four if you beat a couple shitty teams, right?
Syracuse is also looming as the ultimate tournament spoiler. Their 2-3 zone continues to frustrate teams that have seen traditional basketball all season, leading PFT to make a comparison that every college football fan will understand immediately.
PFT CommenterThe Syracuse zone is the college basketball equivalent of Navy's triple-option offense
I compare the Syracuse zone to Georgia Tech's offense or Navy's offense in football. It's not fun to watch. It's not especially exciting. But it's so much different from everything else that you see all year that a team that plays that zone can beat any team in the country a couple times out of ten.
PR 101 and Dumb Rules
In a classic PR 101 segment, the guys looked at Big Baby Davis, who was arrested with a literal ledger and a bag of cash. PFT thinks the legal system needs to take his nickname into account when filing charges.
PFT CommenterIf your name is 'Big Baby' Davis, you shouldn't be allowed to be charged as an adult in court
Also, we'll have to ask our lawyer about this, but if your name is Big Baby, can you really be charged as an adult?
Finally, the show wrapped with Mike Greenberg’s Dumb Rules. Rory McIlroy recently complained about fans drinking at PGA events, prompting Big Cat to suggest a rule that would turn the PGA Tour into a beer league.
Big CatNew Rule: Ban beer for golf fans, but require PGA golfers to drink one beer every three holes
Yes Rory, we can ban beer from PGA events, but the golfers then have to drink... they have to drink one beer per three holes. I think that's fair.
If you see Dan Dakich on Twitter today, make sure to send him your favorite Chris Farley jiggling GIFs.
