Mark Titus

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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].

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 not good enough to even make the NIT this year

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, 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".

18-year-old LeBron James could have led Akron to a Final Four

If there's one player, it's him... I think they definitely would've been good enough to make a Final Four. He's that good... the goat 18 year old was definitely LeBron.

Jayson Tatum is a fraud and Jimmy Butler is the best player in the world

For right now, Jayson Tatum's a fraud. [Jimmy Butler] might be the best player in the world. Jason Tatum needed more help and Jimmy Butler might be the best player in the world.

Coach K isn't really retired; he will stay around the Duke program forever

I don't think the party's over Dan. I think he's going to be around the program. I do. I haven't been told he hasn't given up his office. He never will. He has kept his office, John Scheyer, they had to figure something else out. K is going to be around maybe until K dies.

Chet Holmgren will be the #1 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft

I think it's going to be Chet [Holmgren]. I think I was thinking Jabari [Smith] was going to go number one before the lottery happened, but then I think Orlando is going to love Chet. High school together [with Jalen Suggs], I think that's going to win out in the end.

Duke might not be a 'Blue Blood' program without Coach K

Is Duke a blue blood? Are they a program that had one good coach? I'm talking about Vic Bubas who... went to the Final Four. Take away the Coach K era, what has Duke done?

I would bet my life that Duke will not win a national championship in the next 10 years

If Duke wins one title in the next 10 years, you've got to kill yourself... I'll take that bet. I would take the under... I'll bet you our lives. You get 10 years because... John Scheyer, we don't know. He's not proven.

Houston is a 'fraud' that schedules weak opponents

I hate Houston... I've been calling Houston a fraud for two years. They went to the Final Four last year playing nothing but double digit seeds... They scheduled like a D3 team... Houston loads up on wins on shitty schools.

Gonzaga will become the 'new Duke' if they win the title

Gonzaga becomes the new Duke if they win. They really do... Mark Few is not as likable as I think Zag fans think he is... I think in Gonzaga not winning the title is actually great for college basketball.

Kentucky will win the 2022 National Championship

I have Kentucky... winning the whole thing... They are a team to me that can win in a million different ways. And I think what really opened my eyes with Kentucky was the Kansas game when it turned into a track meet.

Three-point specialists are dying because every player is now a shooter

Three point specialists are dying. That's what I'm saying. I'm worried about the three point specialists. When you have guys like Jabari Smith and Paolo [Banchero] and Chet Holmgren... all the guys that are that big, that are now [shooting]. It's stupid.

The Brooklyn Nets are the 'new' L.A. Clippers

I think the Nets are the new Clippers in that regard. They're obviously very good. They're super talented. They're the favorites to win it. But can it work? Do they have production after the first three guys? ... Is Kyrie nuts? And is James Harden a little too? Can those three personalities mesh? That's what the new Clippers are to me.

Coach K will do a farewell tour next season

Tate [Frazier] put it in my ear that Coach K is going to do a farewell tour this year... He definitely has sources. He has people that said there's a plan in place. ... All he really wanted to do was outlast Roy [Williams]. Roy retired.

Urban Meyer and LeBron James are the same person

Urban Meyer and LeBron were the same person. I was like, I'm going to use this to get what I need out of it. I'm going to use the state of Ohio. And then once I get what I need, I'm gone, and that's that. And I saw through it.

If Justin Fields fails in Chicago, it is the Bears' fault, not Ohio State's

If Justin Fields in Chicago does not work out, it is the Bears' fault. Do not blame this on Ohio State quarterbacks. Put that one in the Bears. Don't blame Justin Fields. That's all I'm asking.

Houston is the number one fraud team among the tournament's top five seeds

Houston is my number one fraud. They're 24 and three. One of their losses was to Wichita State, they lost to East Carolina. These are very bad losses. Houston to me is what people think Gonzaga is. That's what Houston is now.

Villanova is a fraud team in the tournament without Collin Gillespie

Villanova's gotta be up there [as a fraud] just because they don't have Collin Gillespie anymore. I don't trust Villanova without a point guard.

This Gonzaga team is significantly better than the 2017 team that reached the title game

If you think Gonzaga is just like every other Gonzaga team in your mind, you're a moron. This team would beat the 2017 team, that was two minutes away from a national title, by like 10 or 15 probably. They have four guys that were finalists for their position awards in the entire country.

Michigan State will beat UCLA in the play-in game

I like Michigan State [to win the play-in game]. UCLA is free-falling. They were pretty good a couple months ago and that's never something you want to say about a team in March. Lock me in on Michigan State winning.

Gonzaga has the best potential to win the national title because of their multi-player talent

I think it might be [Gonzaga's year]. Gonzaga's going to be really good. I really do... They have like four guys who are the best player, and I love that because – Yeah, you get these situations that you only get with college sports where you pretend like the guy who's not that talented is actually the best player just because he dies on the floor for you.

Iowa will have the best offense and worst defense of the elite college basketball teams

Iowa is going to be the most fun team in the Big Ten... Iowa is going to try to score 100 points every single time they get on the floor. They're going to give up 93 probably every single game... They might have the best offense in the country, but of all the good teams, they might have the worst defense.

Michigan basketball is energized by the failures of the football program

Michigan's football season [will be more disappointing]. Michigan football sucking powers the basketball program. I really think there's something to that. The worse the football program does, the more people shit on Harbaugh by saying Michigan is a basketball school now, which is good because you're saying that to shit on Harbaugh, but what's happening is a real-life narrative is building that Michigan really is a really good basketball school.

Illinois has the highest ceiling and is the most likely Big Ten team to win a national title

Illinois is the team that is the most likely to win a national title, I think. That, now having said that, they could flame out, but like the, the ceiling, if we're talking like ceilings and floors, Illinois has the highest ceiling to me... I think Illinois is the team I'm the highest on in the Big Ten going into the season.

Rick Pitino will eventually become the head coach at Boston College

I'm calling my shot, is going to be Boston College. Because Boston College is about to fire their coach... It's a Catholic school. Iona's a Catholic school. Rick Pitino's a Catholic man. It all lines up. Old Big East ties. Boston College has like some, you know, they had the 1979 point shaving scandal. They have a little checkered past themselves.

UConn is a blue-blood mid-major

UConn is the only blue-blood mid-major we have in college basketball. I think that's what's so unique about them. They are simultaneously a blue blood, but also a mid-major.

Dayton would have beaten Kansas to win the National Championship this year

I think they can beat Kansas... having a rematch with the national player of the year the national Coach of the Year a mid-major. When's the last time I made major won a national championship? It's been a long time.

I was 6'4" and dunking in a basketball game by the 8th grade

I was 6'4 in eighth grade. I dunked in a basketball game in eighth grade. You're Magic Johnson. You're playing all five positions. I was like, dude, this is the greatest thing ever. I'm going to the league.

Happiness must come from within rather than your paycheck

Your happiness has to come from within because if you do start comparing your success and your happiness to paychecks and you're like, I'm making less than my friend. He must be happier than me. That's not accurate. You could be happier making less.

Be fat on your wedding day so you look better for the rest of your life by comparison

Some old man gave me advice on that, too. He said, whenever you get married, make sure you're really fat because then that's the one picture that everyone compares you to the rest of your life. Because that's the one picture you put in your house. It's like you on your wedding day with your wife. And so when you're walking by, they're like, damn.

Never skimp on items between you and the ground

I also subscribe to the theory of not skimping on things... That are in between you and the ground. So like tires and shoes and mattresses. And anything that separates you from the ground, don't be afraid to spend a little more on it.

Coach K and John Calipari are more focused on building their brands than winning basketball games.

Cal and Coach K are not playing the same game as everyone else. They're not trying to win basketball games. They're trying to win their brand. They're trying to build their brands and keep the machine just churning. And they don't want anyone to notice.

Coach K has entered the 'Paterno phase' of his career where he is no longer actually coaching.

First of all, can we just acknowledge that [Coach K] has entered the Paterno phase of his career where he's just trying not to shit his pants as the game's going on. He's not actually coaching. That's the thing. This season was such a disaster from Duke... How do you have a team full of freshmen get worse as the season goes on?

Texas Tech might be the best team in the country right now.

Texas Tech might honestly be the best team in the country right now. They just beat Gonzaga, who I thought was kind of the best team in the country, and they beat them pretty, like, it didn't feel like a fluke. It felt like Gonzaga played really well in that game, and Texas Tech was just better.

Duke is definitely going to win the national championship

Duke's definitely the best team... which is terrible because that means Duke is definitely going to win the national championship.

This is finally Virginia's year to win it all

I actually believe in Virginia this time. Honest to God, hand to God... This is their year. No, I don't know if they're going to win. Their offense is better this year than it has been every year.

No Big Ten team is good enough to win the national championship this year

I don't think the Big Ten has a team good enough to win the national championship if they're here. I really don't.

Rick Pitino will get another job but not at a power conference

I think he is going to get a job eventually though... he'll pop up somewhere he's gonna he's gonna go to some tiny ass school and someone's going to write the article, like probably Dickie V, about how Rick Pitino is, you know, he's changing his image.

The Pac-12 is just soft because the weather is too perfect

The Pac-12 is just soft. Their only hope is to like import kids from the East coast... who wants to go to UCLA and like be in a gym all day, every day and work on your game? No, that's not why you go to UCLA.

People who think Michael Jordan is better than LeBron James have a real basketball mind

people that love Jordan, it makes it obvious that you're just into the memes and that sort of thing. And those are the people that side with LeBron. That's how I know who actually has a basketball mind. Oh, you're going to do that? Like LeBron. Yeah, if you think Jordan's better, that's cool. Listen, you're going to like Jordan. It just tells me where you're at intellectually on a basketball level.

If Kevin Durant and LeBron James switched teams, the Warriors would still sweep the Finals

I think the Warriors win the title and sweep in the finals.

The NBA should abolish the draft and let college players become free agents immediately

Are we sure we need an NBA draft? Why not let the guys just become free agents? Like, they just graduated college, and now they're just free agents out of the gate. And it's like people just try to sign college players. Because it's going to happen anyway.

Luka Doncic is overhyped by 'nerds' and the EuroLeague is a garbage league

The nerds love Doncic, and it almost is offensive to me just how they talk about Doncic. There's like a slant against college basketball in how people talk about Doncic. I'm not going to pretend like I've watched the guy, but my problem is the beef I have is that everyone else is pretending like they've watched the guy... you go look at who's actually won EuroLeague MVPs and what it takes to win a EuroLeague MVP, and you're like, holy shit. That is a garbage league. These are not great players.

Colin Sexton will be a better NBA point guard than Trae Young

It hurts me to say it, but probably Colin Sexton. Just because Colin Sexton, that dude... he has that drive and the intangibles and all that kind of stuff that people go nuts for. Manalytics... Failure is not an option. I really like Trae Young. I hope it works out... but everyone thinks Trae Young is going to be Steph Curry again, and the margin of error is, I don't think you understand how hard it is to be Steph Curry.

Mikal Bridges will be the 'Donovan Mitchell' of the 2018 draft who steps in and doesn't miss a beat

I would say Mikal Bridges is the best that could probably step in and he's not going to be like as good as Jason Tatum or Donovan Mitchell probably. But, uh, I don't know. He can give you something like right away and you can like see, see it right away... that guy could jump on an NBA court right this second and not miss a beat.

If the Blazers had drafted Kevin Durant over Greg Oden, they still wouldn't have won any titles and KD would have left anyway

if they take KD [in Portland]... then they don't win any titles, and then he leaves. How is KD's situation in Portland any different than what it was in OKC? It wasn't. He still wouldn't have won any titles. He would have left. That's my two cents on that.

Virginia is the best team in college basketball but losing DeAndre Hunter is a massive blow

I think [Virginia] were definitely the best team in college basketball... But this injury does matter a lot. DeAndre Hunter was one of the guys that made me optimistic about this Virginia team versus their teams of the past.

Davidson is the perfect team to upset Kentucky

Davidson over Kentucky, even though I really like Kentucky... Davidson's red hot... They feel like the perfect upset kind of team that they have upperclassmen and a lot of different guys who can score.

Xavier is the weakest #1 seed and lucky to be there

Xavier's definitely the weakest one seed. I don't love teams that don't play defense in March... Xavier feels like one of those teams to me that their defense is going to come catch up to them. They're going to look really bad.

North Carolina will win the West Region

I think it's North Carolina's to lose. I think Gonzaga could give them a fun game in the Elite Eight, but I think Carolina's the best team.

Villanova will go to the Final Four if they survive the second round

Villanova got a great draw if they can just get over the second-round hump... If you're asking me, is West Virginia better than Villanova, the answer is clearly no. I think it's Villanova.

Penn could be the first #16 seed to ever beat a #1 seed

I'm going to say this is the year that a 16 over one happens because why not? ... Penn, Kansas seems to be the one... If Kansas played Penn in a seven-game series, they're obviously going to move on, but it's a one-shot deal.

Duke is going to win the national championship

Duke is winning it all... Them and Michigan State are the only two teams in college basketball that are top ten defense and offense in KenPalm. It just feels like a Duke year.

North Carolina is not actually that good and will end up as a 4 or 5 seed

[North Carolina] is like a four or five seed is what they're going to end up being... I didn't think Carolina was that good coming into the year. I feel like they've overachieved at this point. They just have like an obvious lack of talent compared to most really good Carolina teams.

Duke is cheating to land the top recruits in college basketball

I seriously do think Duke is cheating their ass off. It's amazing to me that Coach K has kind of brainwashed the rest of the country that if this happened literally any other school, people would start screaming about how they're cheating... Duke is landing the top three guys, and they're not paying anybody? No.

Oklahoma and Trae Young will not make the Final Four because of their defense

Is Trae Young, like, can Trae Young take Oklahoma to a Final Four? No, I don't think [so]. One, I don't think the defense is good enough... In a single elimination, they just don't play good enough defense.

The Big 12 conference is one-dimensional and will struggle in the NCAA Tournament

The Big 12 is the best conference in college basketball, but every single team has a fatal flaw. It wouldn't surprise me if they get seven teams into the tournament and get one team to even make the Sweet 16.

Villanova is clearly the best team in the country

I think [Villanova] is clearly the best team in the country, and they have like six guys who would start on virtually any team, which is kind of incredible to think about.

Kentucky stinks and might actually miss the NCAA tournament

Kentucky, hot take. Kentucky might miss the tournament. They stink... Kentucky is terrible, and if they continue on this path they're on, they might fall out of the tournament at the last second.

LeBron James moving to the Lakers is just him copying my move to LA

I love Ohio. A lot of people say that. But when LeBron leaves Ohio for L.A., he's going to be copying me. I'm just getting out ahead of it a little bit. I'm the first person to ever move from the Midwest to Los Angeles for career opportunities.

The FBI investigation caught coaches off guard because they thought they were only breaking NCAA rules

I guarantee none of these coaches realized they were breaking actual laws. They thought they were just dealing in the fantasy land of NCAA fake rules. ... They'd lose a scholarship. I guarantee all these guys that are arrested are like, what the fuck? This is a real law?

Duke is dirty but Mike Krzyzewski is too powerful to be caught

Duke, so here's my fear with Duke. Duke is dirty as hell... Krzyzewski is such a godfather and has this figured out so well. Like, I think it's impossible to get to him. And I'm sort of worried it's impossible they'll ever get to Cal, too.

Wisconsin being an 8-seed is the worst injustice in college basketball history

This is the worst season of the tournament of my lifetime. This is the worst injustice in college basketball history. Wisconsin swept Minnesota. They finished second in the Big Ten in the regular season, and then they were the runner-ups in the Big Ten tournament. And then Minnesota gets a 5 seed, and Wisconsin got an 8 seed. I don't understand it.

Duke isn't a good team, they just have good players

Duke is back to being back. But we're conveniently ignoring that Duke was down 15 in all these ACC tournament games... Duke is not a good team. They have good players, but they're not actually a good team. And SMU is a good team. So it wouldn't surprise me to see SMU win.

Gonzaga is the best team in the country

I actually like Gonzaga. I think Gonzaga's the best team in the country, and I know that's absolutely insane to say. I don't expect them to win at all, but I do think they're the best team and the most complete team.

Louisville has scored 69 points more than any other program in tournament history

Louisville has scored 69 points in NCAA tournament more than any other program in the country... I swear to God, that's a fact. And then it gets even better... the program that has won the most games in college basketball history that has never scored 69 in the tournament is BYU.

Oklahoma State will beat Michigan

I like how the plane crash... negates like everything else we know about Michigan. This has become the story... Michigan beat some shitty Big Ten teams to win the tournament... and now we're going to pretend like they're actually a good team. I think Oklahoma State's going to win that game.

Grayson Allen's tripping incidents are victimless pranks that don't actually matter

The thing about Grayson Allen that I absolutely love is that all of this is victimless and it doesn't actually matter. The stakes are non-existent in this story. And we pretend like they are because we just love to hate Duke so much. But he's sticking his foot out and tripping guys and they kind of just trip over and they look up like, what the fuck was that? And then they move on. And it's not like he's putting anyone's life in jeopardy.

Coach K's leave of absence was a PR move to shield Grayson Allen from the headlines

My theory is that the Coach K leave of absence is one to take headlines away from Grayson. Because that's all he was talking about. And K said, if I step away—and by the way, both of these things are happening right after they get smoked at Virginia Tech. That's not a coincidence either.

Coach K gave Jeff Capel the Duke team as a tryout to become the future head coach

Um, that K, this whole Capel thing is a tryout for Capel because K wants Capel to get the job after he leaves. So this is, this is not actually like a, his back doesn't hurt. He's just saying, here you go, Capel. I'm going to give you the most talented team, maybe in college basketball history... prove to everyone that you're a great coach. And then that way, when I retire, you can be like, 'Hey, remember that time that I took 12 McDonald's All-Americans to a 4-0 record?'

LeBron James is the perfect laboratory-engineered basketball player, more so than Jordan

In all seriousness, I think LeBron is... If you had to clone a guy and put five of him on the floor, he's clearly the guy that you would want. If you're making a basketball player in a laboratory from the ground up, you build LeBron James.

The NIT should be renamed the 'Nice Invitational Tournament' because the winner is the 69th best team

I'm supposed to pitch to you guys the idea of calling the NIT the Nice Invitational Tournament because the winner is the 69th best team in the country... Ohio State is playing to be number 69.

Indiana winning the Big Ten was a nightmare because it saved Tom Crean's job

This was my nightmare as an Indiana fan... now they're probably going to lose to Kentucky in the second round... And then people that like Crean are going to say, Oh, but they lost to the final four Kentucky team... It's a weird position to be in when you're kind of cheering for them to lose. So that way you just fire Tom Crean.

Villanova is a notorious tournament choker

Villanova's the notorious choker where Jay Wright still has like a three-year deal on his contract with CBS, I think, for the second round to call the games from the studio with those guys. So that's it. Villanova opens up and then Arizona can get by Miami, you know, maybe, maybe Arizona can make a push.

Oregon is the weakest 1-seed but has an easy path thanks to Duke being in their bracket

Oregon's definitely the weakest one seed, but then you've got to look at their bracket. Because they were blessed to have Duke in their bracket, the committee always gives Duke the easy ride. By proxy, Oregon also got the easy ride.