Mark Titus

Steph Curry would be a Hall of Famer but not 'GOAT-level' without the three-point line

If his deep shots counted [as] two... I think he would be like a Hall of Famer, but not like an all-time goat level type writer. ...He's a gimmick.

A 'tough out' in the tournament is a team that plays slow defense, while a 'dangerous' team is underperforming talent

St Mary's to me is the perfect tough out. ...I think a dangerous team is the team that has all the talent in the world but hasn't quite put it fully like an Illinois comes to mind as a dangerous team. ...You don't know what to expect.

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.

Chet Holmgren is the greatest 'take' prospect in NBA Draft history

I'm so excited for the Chet [Holmgren] takes because he is the number one prospect for takes that has ever existed in the NBA draft ever. Everybody has a take. You can just show a picture of Chet and be like, 'what's your take?'

Duke's status as a 'Blue Blood' is fraudulent because their success is entirely dependent on one coach

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? Nothing. They are a program that had one good coach.

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 must win the 2022 National Championship or the program should fold

You have Gonzaga who has to win a national title. I think we all agree if they do not want a national title, they have to fold the program, right?

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.

Texas Tech is a better basketball program without Chris Beard

I really do think they've gotten better almost... The excitement around the program definitely feels higher than it ever was around Chris Beard. Because those fans are so spiteful and like want to just fuck over Chris Beard so badly.

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.

The Big Ten is an inferior basketball league compared to the SEC and ACC

I'm at a loss for words, man. Like, I really just don't know what to say when people are like the big 10 sucks, you guys are never going to win a national title. I've run out of ammo... the sec was like a better basketball league this year than the big 10.

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.

Pretend that common experiences are your 'first time' to get people to pay for you or teach you

I've pretended that experiences are my first time... [like] 'I've never tried sushi. You guys want to get sushi tonight?' And then they're like, 'Oh my god, you have to come on, let's go.' ... Everyone wants to fold the new guy into their thing. ... I'll pay for everything, I'll teach you everything. That's genius.

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 starting 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. He said it out loud, and I listened to him make the case, and I was like, that makes a ton of sense.

Old-school college basketball coaches like Jim Boeheim will retire soon due to the transfer portal

It wouldn't surprise me if all these old guys just do what [Roy Williams] did where they just like wake up one day and they're like I don't I don't want to do this this is this is insane i don't want to like get into i don't know how to log on to the transfer portal i don't want to do this.

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.

Texas is a legitimate threat in the tournament because of their 'crazy' experienced guards

I'm starting to believe in [Texas]. The thing I love about Texas is they have experienced guards who are a little crazy in a good way. Like Matt Coleman and Courtney Ramey... they are out of their minds in the best way that you want a basketball player to be. I love that idea of them in March.

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.

Tennessee is a fraud because their offense is too bad to compete for a title

Tennessee's been a little disappointing. I don't know if they're frauds, but like coming into the season, I felt like they were good enough to maybe make a Final Four run and they've been just kind of mediocre. Their offense is really bad. Their defense is good, but it's not good enough to make up for how bad their offense is.

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.

Purdue is the best sleeper team in the tournament because they never give up

Purdue is a great sleeper pick. They don't give up. They claw back into games. They're so young, they almost don't understand when you're supposed to fold. Trevion Williams is awesome... they have shooters. I like Matt Painter as like the second best coach behind Izzo probably in the Big Ten.

Alabama is good enough to win the national title with their 'threes and layups' formula

Alabama is good enough to win a national title. They have the formula as well. They shoot basically nothing but threes and layups and they play unbelievable defense. You add all that up and that's pretty good too.

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.

Villanova's national championship teams are the blueprint for high-talent parity in college basketball

Gonzaga is more like the Villanova teams that won national [titles]... where it's like, yeah, is Jalen Brunson or Mikael Bridges the best player on the team? Omari Spellman, yeah. Or is it Dante DiVincenzo off the bench? That's like Gonzaga's feel this year.

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.

The Pac-12 will finally be worth watching and exciting this season

In all seriousness, the Pac-12 will be worth watching... This is the first season in a long time, going into the season, I'm actually excited to watch Pac-12 basketball in a very long time.

Will Wade having a juggernaut team at LSU would break college basketball

The idea of Will Wade having a great team at LSU would break the college – like, it would just break college basketball. People would lose their – like, the old heads that cover college basketball would be beside – Pat Forde would just be in rage, writing column after column. Like, this is disgraceful what LSU has done.

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 a mid-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?

The gap between Zion Williamson and the second-best player in college basketball is the largest I have ever seen.

I can't remember a time in my life where the gap between the best player in college basketball and the second best player was so big as it was this year.

Auburn is a nightmare matchup for Virginia because they play fast and shoot a high volume of threes.

Auburn is a nightmare matchup for Virginia in the sense that they play fast and shoot a ton of threes... That's always been Virginia's kryptonite, is teams that just bomb threes on them. So, I don't know. Auburn might be all right.

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 the best team in college basketball, and it feels like they are definitely going to win it all

Duke is better than everybody, it feels like, right now... Duke's definitely the best team they deserve. I mean, for God's sakes, Duke is still the heavy favorite to win it... which is terrible because that means Duke is definitely going to win the national championship.