PMT DB
PMT DB
Dan Hurley on UConn's Dominance, DJ Burns Slaying Duke, and the Final Four
The Final Four is officially set, and the world has been blessed with the gift of DJ Burns Jr. as the ultimate slayer of Duke. Big Cat and PFT were in awe of the NC State big man’s touch and charisma, especially as he sent the Blue Devils home while spinning off defenders with ease. While Hank tried to find a way to be upset by betting Duke live in the second half, the rest of the crew was busy thanking the basketball gods for a team that has 14 losses but is currently the most fun story in sports.
Big CatDJ Burns is the man and NC State is America's team for beating Duke
DJ Burns is the fucking man. Yes. I love him. Thank everyone in America should thank DJ Burns for beating Duke. Oh. For just being awesome.
PFT noted that Duke’s defensive strategy was non-existent, suggesting that pulling the chair might have been their only prayer against the human eclipse that is DJ Burns.
PFT CommenterThe only way to defend DJ Burns is to pull the chair out from under him
The, if you're not a giant, the only way that you can defend him is something that Duke tried to do one time tonight that never went back to it. Where you just back away from him. As he's putting that, he pull the chair, you pull the chair out and then he gets outta control. That's the only way that you can stop him because you can't push back against him.
The conversation shifted to the polarizing force that is Zach Edey. While Big Cat acknowledged that watching a 7-foot-4 guy live at the free-throw line isn't exactly peak entertainment, he was quick to defend the actual skill involved. Purdue fans are finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel after last year’s disaster, even if the rest of America is watching through their fingers.
Big CatZach Edey is legitimately good at basketball despite his game being unenjoyable to watch
Purdue fans should just be like, that's okay because we win. You know what I mean? Like, it's at a point where it's like to quote our good friend Jay Bilis, agree to disagree. Zach Edey is really good at basketball. Most of America doesn't enjoy this experience. It's okay. Thinking otherwise is stupid.
Looking ahead to the matchup between the two big men, Big Cat is already bracing for the whistle-heavy reality of guarding the National Player of the Year.
Big CatDJ Burns will get in foul trouble immediately against Zach Edey and Purdue
I unfortunately think that DJ Burns probably already got his first foul in the game on Saturday getting off the bus. He's gonna be outta that game so fast. It's gonna suck.
Alabama also punched their ticket to the Final Four behind a barrage of threes that left Clemson wondering what hit them. Big Cat admitted that while Nate Oats might not be his favorite personality, the Tide’s offensive ceiling is terrifying when they get hot.
Big CatAlabama can beat any team in the country any night if they get hot from three
Alabama, as much as I am not a Nate Oats fan, they're fun to watch when they get going. And they're absolute flame throwers and it's their first Final Four. When they get hot from three they can be the best team in the country. Like that's just a fact.
However, despite the historic basketball run, the crew remains convinced that the hierarchy of sports in Tuscaloosa remains unchanged. PFT and Big Cat debated exactly what a basketball title is worth to a fan base that eats, sleeps, and breathes the gridiron.
Big CatAlabama football fans would trade a basketball national championship for a win over Georgia
I mean there will be some Alabama basketball fans that will say that we're crazy for this. But I think that if you polled the entire Alabama fan base. Yeah. I mean football just is king there. ... win against Georgia. That might be, but yeah, they just have, there's something about having it all.
UConn head coach Dan Hurley joined the show fresh off a dominant Elite Eight performance that included a 30-0 run against Illinois. Hurley talked about his various superstitions, his "mini-me" Cam Spencer, and why he doesn't give his son Andrew more minutes despite being the ultimate human victory cigar. He also addressed the perceived disrespect from the national media regarding UConn's place in history.
Dan HurleyUConn's historic season is undervalued by national media because they aren't a traditional blue blood like Duke or Kentucky
Our season hasn't been covered in my mind and the national media enough. This is a team that's done historic stuff. If we were at Duke or Kentucky or Kansas, they would lead SportsCenter with it and it would be the biggest story in sports. But because we're in Storrs, Connecticut, we're just a little grittier.
Beyond the motivation, Hurley got serious about his coaching philosophy and why he values Donovan Clingan’s long-term development over just getting him to the league as fast as possible.
Dan HurleyDonovan Clingan's priority should be establishing a long NBA career over just being a high draft pick
Moving forward with these guys, if I think they're making a mistake and I think they need more time in college, I'm gonna tell 'em. [Donovan Clingan] knows he's gonna be in the NBA, but I want these guys to be in the NBA for 10, 15 years, not just get drafted and make money.
The episode wrapped up with a truly harrowing discovery: the Philadelphia Phillies hung a banner for an NLCS loss. Max was in shambles, having to answer for his city’s sudden embrace of participation trophies. Big Cat and PFT were relentless, comparing the Phillies to the Indianapolis Colts and predicting a total city-wide collapse of standards.
MaxThe Phillies hanging a banner for losing the NLCS is pathetic loser behavior
They didn't even win the division. They were like, they won nothing. They hung like, I don't know what, like... it's the most pathetic thing I've ever seen. I am. I might go, go to Citizen's Bank Park, scale that poll and take it down myself. All right.
Big Cat even extended the "loser energy" to the rest of the city's sports landscape, much to Max's dismay.
Big CatThe 76ers will not win a playoff series this year
I actually will say it right now. [The 76ers] are not gonna win a playoff series. Big time. This type of loser behavior [hanging flags for losing] is gonna infect the 76ers.
If DJ Burns beats Zach Edey, the vending machine business is going to be booming in Raleigh for the next fifty years.
