Takes
Moving the college three-point line back will open the floor but might make the game uglier due to poor shooting
So we're going to the FIBA line... a foot and a half [back]. So the theory is that it'll open the floor up more. I'd agree with that. But again, are you going to stretch your defense if guys can't make the shot? So you have coaches that think it's going to be great. You have coaches that think, well, it's just going to be less guys can make it. So it's going to be uglier.
Duke will have the #1 recruiting class and Matthew Hurt will be their next star white player people hate
Number one recruiting class. They got Vernon Carey Jr. And everyone likes to root against the white guy that's a high recruit at Duke. Matthew Hurt is the guy. Have you seen pictures of this kid? ... Duke's back.
Texas Tech is officially a basketball school as long as Chris Beard is the coach.
I now officially consider you [Texas Tech] a basketball school as long as Chris Beard stays there.
Virginia will beat Auburn by a lot
I like Bruce [Pearl]. I think that they're going to get beat by UVA. By a lot, I think. I think that UVA is a very, very, very, very, very good team with a fan base that I really don't want to see win the national championship. But I think they're a much better team, so I think it's going to be UVA.
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.
My 2019 Final Four: Virginia, Duke, Kentucky, and Michigan
So my Final Four is Virginia, Duke, Kentucky... and Michigan.
My 2019 Final Four: Duke, Gonzaga, Virginia, and UNC
I have Duke, Gonzaga, Virginia, and UNC in my final four.
UC Irvine will upset Kansas State and reach the Sweet 16
I'll tell a big upset I like. I like UC Irvine to the Sweet 16. They play Kansas State. Dean Wade's not going to play. I don't like Kansas State at all... And UC Irvine's the only team in the tournament with 30 wins.
Kansas lacks the cohesiveness of Kansas State and Texas Tech heading into the Big 12 tournament
They're starting four freshmen right now... they don't have the cohesiveness, I think, that K-State and Texas Tech have going into this tournament this week.
Florida State is a March Madness dark horse because of their incredible length
One, they've been good all year, but no one ever talks about them... that's Florida State because they got like 15 guys. I mean, and they got like seven guys over seven feet. It's amazing... All they did this year in a great league is go... 25-6.
The college basketball arm hook rule will cause an apocalypse in the tournament
This is going to cause absolute hell during the NCAA tournament. You're going to have stars foul out because of this weird flagrant foul thing. It's going to swing games, too. It's going to be awful. Once people realize how bad this rule is, the NCAA is going to be an apocalypse.
Villanova will beat Michigan 84-72 to win the National Championship
Tomorrow night, I'm an incredible basketball fan. John Beilein. Jay Wright. 84-72. Villanova [wins].
The 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.
2018 is the year a #16 seed finally beats a #1 seed, likely Penn over Kansas
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.
Top football and basketball conferences should break away from the NCAA
I think the biggest thing that could change the NCAA as a whole is if the top 100 basketball and top 100 football conferences or teams – just completely break off from the NCAA and form their own thing. I think that's the best thing they could do because then they can play by their own rules in a sense.
Kansas and Arizona are the two schools most at risk in the FBI scandal
The FBI scandal, the thing that no one talks about is I think Kansas and Arizona are the two schools most at risk, but your boys down at Duke, I'd be nervous if I were them because Jeff Capel kind of buddies with those with these dudes that are implicated in the FBI.
Virginia will not win the championship because their style of basketball is too terrible
I can tell you the team that's not going to win. I guarantee you Virginia won't win because God does not allow that terrible form of basketball to win a championship.
Trae Young and Oklahoma are struggling with fatigue and spacing, not a lack of talent
I don't see him [Trae Young] playing as quick as the last week or so... I think the whole mental fatigue, physical fatigue, everybody's got that in February. Sometimes you just got to get back to playing quicker... if his team can stay committed to the spacing and they've got to start to string some stops together, I think they'll be just fine.
North Carolina will win their Final Four game by 20 and the championship by 10
I think [North Carolina] are going to win this game by 20. And then I don't care who they play in the finals. They're going to win by at least 10.
It is a near certainty that college players will eventually boycott a game
I do think as the players, as we go forward, the players are getting more sort of socially aware and their awareness of their power in the marketplace is becoming greater. I think we'll see at some point somebody will boycott. I don't know when it's going to come, but I think it's a near certainty it's going to happen.
My heart can only be ripped out by Wisconsin if they blow a 20-point lead
I don't think my heart can't be ripped out unless Wisconsin gets like a 20-point lead because it's still the Sweet 16. So I think they'll either have a huge lead and blow it or they will advance and that will be the heart rip out on Sunday.
Tournament games will be lower-scoring (unders) this weekend as teams tighten up
I think it'll tighten up. I think when teams tighten up, when more is on the line, normally the under is prevalent.
Wisconsin will lose in heartbreaking fashion on a buzzer-beater
Wisconsin is going to lose in heartbreaking fashion. That's going to be fun... South Carolina will probably win on a buzzer beater right in my face. I'll have front row seats.
Gonzaga is a team of destiny because they absorbed Northwestern's power
I do believe in teams of destiny absorbing the teams they beat and their destiny... So they took out Northwestern, which was a true team of destiny, and they absorbed all that destiny. They're double the destiny.
Northwestern is the greatest tournament team in college basketball history because they are undefeated
For a limited time, [Northwestern] are undefeated in tournament history. [They are the] best tournament team ever.
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.
Rhode Island is the mid-major most likely to make noise in the tournament
I would say Rhode Island [is a team that can make some noise].
If Brad Stevens became available, Indiana would fire Tom Crean immediately
I don't think it would matter if Indiana was good or not. If Brad Stevens became available... You just fired Tom Crean. Yeah, Tom Crean is gone.
North Carolina is untouchable if they continue to hit three-pointers
UNC, the way to beat them is that they don't make threes, and for some reason they're making threes... if they're shooting like that, yeah, no one's touching them... If they shoot like they are, they're untouchable.
Wisconsin will probably beat Notre Dame and then lose in a tragic, heartbreaking fashion
They'll probably beat Notre Dame and then maybe... be up by 10 against UNC. And I'm like, oh, man, I cannot believe the Badgers are going back to the Final Four. And then there'll be tragedy and heartbreak. And people will be sending me mean tweets.
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.
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.