Mark Titus

The 2026 NCAA tournament will be chalky for the second consecutive year

Last year I came and I, and I, I made the argument that we're probably gonna get chalk. That's exactly what happened... for the second year in a row, I don't see [Cinderellas] at all... Arizona, Michigan and Duke are, in my estimation, they've been head and shoulders better than everybody else all season. So I I, with that, I feel like it's gonna be kind of chalky.

South Florida will beat Louisville in the first round

I like South Florida to beat Louisville. I think Louisville has been a big disappointment this year. I think injuries have, it's a lot of injuries... I like South Florida. I don't know, maybe it's the Bosco effect, but like, he got me watching a lot of South Florida the last few days and, and they play hard.

Arizona will win the 2026 National Championship

I'll just spoiler, I, I picked Arizona to win the national championship. I think what excites me about Arizona is they could beat you in so many different ways... They have shooters, they have multiple shooters... I can't say enough great things about Arizona.

Michigan is head and shoulders better than the rest of the Midwest region

I still believe in Michigan. I have Michigan winning the Midwest. ... I still think they're head and shoulders better than everybody in the Midwest. Even though there are some exciting teams.

Vanderbilt will upset Florida in the Sweet 16

I have Vanderbilt upsetting Florida in the Sweet 16. Okay. Alright. That would be the, and it's not even just 'cause the SEC tournament... I've seen enough to know that like Vanderbilt one is not scared of Florida. Two, it's like not fluky what happened in the SEC tournament. I think their guards are so good.

North 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.

The 2025 National Champion will be a 1 or 2 seed

I think the national champion is in that group [of 11 teams meeting KenPom criteria]... I have a really good feeling that it was gonna be a one or a two. 'Cause if you watched all season, it just felt like these teams are just way better than everybody else. I feel that way this year for the first time since 2015. I have that same feeling again.

The 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.

UC 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".

Michigan 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.

Dan Hurley is an asshole, but he is important to the college basketball ecosystem

Dan Hurley's an asshole and I think that's fair... Dan Hurley is the heel... I think it's great for the sport if [Duke and Hurley] make it there... I would've been upset if college basketball lost him [to the Lakers].

St. 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.

Duke 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.

Cooper 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.

This Michigan State team doesn't have the best version of itself needed to go on a typical Tom Izzo run

Every other team, I felt like there have been stretches through the season where Michigan State has shown the promise and then they just put it together in March. I don't feel like this year's team has really ever shown that... It's not that Izzo goes to the final four every year. It's that you have situations like last year they had no business beating Marquette. I just think that this year's team, their best version isn't really that good.

Arizona is the king of beating themselves in the tournament

Arizona, it is interesting because they feel like a program under Tommy Lloyd that has racked up a ton of wins... but they have underperformed in the NCAA Tournament the last few years. It does feel like a great draw for Arizona. But they can't get out of their own way. Both this particular team and them under Tommy Lloyd... they are the kings of beating themselves.

Illinois are frauds because they haven't beaten a currently ranked team all season

I didn't realize that Illinois has not beaten a currently ranked team all season. Like Illinois? Are they frauds? Yeah, why not? Frauds. I would feel a lot more comfortable about Illinois if, if part of their path to the Big 10 title was they beat Purdue by like 10, you know? And yeah, that context you need though.

Drake is my tournament Cinderella and I have them in the Elite Eight

I took a shot at, I like the Drake. I like the idea of Drake going on a run too. Yeah. So I put Drake's my, Drake's my Cinderella of this Tournament. I have Drake in my Elite Eight just 'cause I felt like I should pick one crazy team in the elite eight and Drake was my pick.

North Carolina is the most susceptible 1-seed in the tournament

I have North Carolina. North Carolina I think's the most susceptible one seed. Because they are, they are heavily reliant on Armando [Bacot]... and also he's not, he's just not that good... I think they're the most susceptible one.

Purdue fans are humorless goobers and dorks who have the demeanor of nerds without the intelligence

They [Purdue fans] are humorless goobers. They have the demeanor of nerds but not the intelligence. They're goobers. They're dorks. They have an inferiority complex with a superiority complex at the same time. Somehow it makes no sense... they know they're gonna fuck it up in March, but then they also puff their chest.

This is the year of the 'cold ass white boy' in college basketball

I've been saying it all year about this season of college basketball. It is the year of the cold ass white boy. And if all over college basketball, there are just white dudes that can light it up. And it's not just that they score a lot... they just got a little sauce to their game.

Houston will win the 2024 National Championship

I have Houston win at all in my bracket. Houston is my national champion... I think they can score and I just don't, I don't think they're gonna lose to inferior teams. And I don't think there are a lot of teams that are, that are better than Houston.

Every team in college basketball currently sucks on the road

I think I wanna kind of say everyone sucks, but that's not a good way to get people into the sport. Everyone sucks on the road. That's the thing... Home court will lie to you.

John Calipari is on the hot seat because the 'meme' has become the reality

At some point the meme becomes the reality. I don't think they're gonna fire him. He has a lifetime contract... but Kentucky fans are absolutely ready for a change though. Absolutely. If he fucks this up, he's completely lost the magic.

This Purdue team is legitimately better and more versatile than last year's squad

I think this Purdue team's better than last year. The guard play has first of all their guards are older. Braden Smith last year was like a game manager more and now he's actually a stud. And then Lance Jones, the kid they got in the transfer portal is fucking awesome. I do think that Purdue is going to make a final four.

Houston is the only team in the Big 12 with a legitimate shot at winning the national title

I would say Houston's really the only team I I think has a shot at winning. Like Iowa State fans won't want to hear that Kansas is supposed to be good, but like, I think even Kansas fans kind of realize that this team's not it.

The 2024 Virginia basketball team is 'disgusting' and can't score to save their lives

This is actually what Virginia basketball was to all the people back in the day. This specific Virginia team is disgusting, just disgusting basketball. They play great defense. They cannot score to save their lives.

The Mountain West has replaced the Atlantic 10 as the 'hipster' basketball league

The Mountain West has kind of become that... It is has become the league that's like if you don't know what game to watch, just throw on a random ass mountain West game. It's what the A-10 used to be.

My 2024 Final Four is Purdue, Houston, Arizona, and Tennessee

I think Purdue is gonna make the final four. I have to trust Houston. Gimme Arizona... and then I gotta ride with Tennessee. Tennessee, I'll take out Houston and put in Butler. No, I'll take Tennessee.

Tennessee is a different and better team this year because of Dalton Knecht

I think this team is different than the Tennessee teams of the past because of Dalton Knecht... [he] might be the most electric scorer in college basketball. He's so fun... I trust [this team] more than any team since the 2019 Tennessee team.

Finding yourself is not about searching for happiness, but about finding fulfillment and purpose in the world.

Finding yourself... is like more finding your place in the world, more finding out like what it is, what is your purpose for being here? ... Leaning less into finding happiness and more into finding fulfillment. ... Trying to figure out less of what puts a smile on your face and more of what makes you feel like a whole person.

If you are obsessed with politics, you should know that your friends who don't care about politics probably hate you.

If you're someone who cares about politics, you should just know that your friends that don't care about politics probably hate you. ... I cannot imagine like two dudes that are like great friends and one of them's like very heavily into this shit and is just living on Twitter, firing off tweets... and the other guy's like, 'Yeah, bro, I don't really care.' I can't imagine how those two people get along.

Actually considering going to the doctor when you feel physically wrong is a definitive sign of getting old.

Number one on my list was actually considering going to the doctor when you feel wrong. ... It actually crosses my mind for like, as I've gotten a little older, I'm like, 'Should I go to the doctor?' And that was something I never, ever thought about.

Standing at the beach and just staring at the horizon is a definitive sign of getting old.

Staring at the horizon at the beach. You're at the beach and you're standing there and you're just looking off in the horizon. Dudes in their twenties are playing spike ball... and then you'll just see like an old dude who's got his hands on his hips and he's just looking off in the horizon.

The Celtics will absolutely not beat the Miami Heat in this series

I am so confident that the Celtics will not beat the heat in this series. It is actually kind of freaking me out how confident I am. ... This team is lifeless. This team hates each other... and they win one game and now we have a series. ... I think the pressure's still on the Celtics.

Joel Embiid is a 'loser' who lacks 'that dog in him'

Joel Embiid? ... Kind of a loser. ... To answer your question [Big Cat] Yes. That you, there's definitively guys who do have the dog in them and don't. ... It is pretty wild to think about [how many Kentucky players score 40 in the NBA and Calipari only won one title].

Bronny James should and likely will come off the bench at USC

I don't think he's gonna start. ... They have the number one recruit in the country [Isaiah Collier] gonna start over him. ... If he's trying to win games, Bronny should come off the bench. And that's not because Bronny's bad, it's because I think that's the best role for everyone on the team.

The Denver Nuggets feel exactly like the 2015 Golden State Warriors before they started winning titles

The Nuggets to me feel like... the Warriors in 2015. Where the feeling I have watching them feels very similar to when the Warriors were first, before they ripped off all their titles... People thought they were a great regular season team, but too soft, too jump-shooting. I feel very similar things watching this Nuggets team.

Alabama will win the National Championship

I did it. Dan, I took Alabama. It was that, it was, they play the best defense, I think in the country. They have the best player in the country. Probably. It was just wrong place, wrong time. I guess I, as I was filling out the, I smell the bracket.

Baylor will not win the National Championship because their defense stinks

Baylor, the three seed... they're not gonna win the national championship cuz they, I don't think their defense is good enough... they are so fun to watch. And I just think on down the line... Baylor's not quite as fun as they can be obviously... their defense stinks. It has been really bad.

The Pack Line defense used by Virginia might be dead in the era of high-volume three-point shooting

I am worried that the Pac line might be a thing in the, like it might not have. Yeah. It's heyday might have come and gone. As every team starts to learn that [the three is worth more than two]... I am worried that the Pac line might be a thing... it might not have. Yeah. It's heyday might have come and gone.

Oral Roberts will upset Duke in the first round

Oral Roberts is the best 12 seed. And and that's, that's a horrible matchup to start... Oral Roberts win at least one game. This team is better than that team [that made the Sweet 16].

Marquette will win the East Region and reach the Final Four

Marquette's not the best two seed. I don't think they, they are playing really well. I have Marquette coming outta this region for what it's worth. I, I, I don't think Duke is the best five seed per se... I have Marquette coming outta this region.

Texas will reach the National Championship game

I have Texas going to the national championship and losing to Alabama. Whoa... Texas is depth, Texas plays defense. Texas is battle test in the Big 12.

Kansas will reach the Final Four

I have Kansas going back to the final four. That's my pick... when Bill Self has a one seed, he's gone to seven out of nine elite eights. So I think Kansas is, is a shoe-in to the elite eight.

Ohio State is so bad they won't even make the NIT this season

I honestly don't think Ohio State's good enough to make the NIT. They're gonna lose the rest of the season. And the way they've lost is just like every which way.

North Carolina only made the 2022 title game because of the name on their jerseys

I really think that if North Carolina's team last year was wearing different jerseys, they would not have gone to the national championship games. If they were wearing like a mountain west jersey, they would've lost the first round. Exact same group of guys... it's just the laundry they're wearing is different.

Houston is 'the new Gonzaga' of college basketball

Houston as a program is sort of like the new Gonzaga where they have gotten over the hump... the way you look at a Houston team at this point in the season is the way you would look at a Gonzaga team where you're like, yes, they're beating the shit out of everyone... but I don't know about the schedule.

Houston is destined to win the title because of the Jim Nantz narrative

Jim Nantz, last Final Four this year. The Final Four is in Houston. Jim Nantz is an alum of the University of Houston. So connect those stars for me and tell me that's not like, you know, some destiny to play there.

Purdue checks 'zero boxes' of a traditional national champion

Purdue checks zero of them. I would say there are zero boxes that Purdue checks... you actually can win with two freshman guards and a coach that's never been to a Final Four, even though he's been coaching for 30 years and a big dude that's 7'4".