Takes

NIL has improved the quality of college basketball by keeping talented players in school longer.

I would make the counter argument for basketball specifically the fact that we have NIL and guys get paid. You have some super, super talented guys playing in college basketball now... some guys who are staying a little bit longer 'cause it's, you know, they can make more money playing college basketball.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba will have more receptions than Ohio State made threes vs Michigan

JSN [Jaxon Smith-Njigba] more receptions than Ohio State made threes against Michigan earlier in the day. I looked it up. Ohio state's averaging about seven and a half threes a game... Michigan has a really good three point defense.

The NCAA Tournament is the most fair tournament in sports

My Hot Seat is Joel Klatt. He said that the NCAA tournament is a joke. ... Most unfair tournament in all sports? It's the most fair.

The 'Players Era' tournament is ruining the tradition of Feast Week college basketball

The players era fucking sucks. There's not even a real tournament... They've taken away and no one's in the stands there. Feast Week used to mean something, man.

I will bet on every single college basketball game tomorrow

I'm so excited for college basketball. I'm gonna bet, I'm gonna bet every game. I'm gonna bet every single game. It's gonna be awesome.

The NCAA voting not to expand the tournament is just a way to move the Overton window for next year

They're, they put this out there being like, Hey, we're not gonna do it. Knowing that now it's, it's they moved the Overton window. Where now we're talking about the expansion and next year they're probably gonna let it in.

Todd Golden's technical foul was the most strategic in history

Todd Golden probably deserves credit... his technical was maybe the most strategic technical of all time. Because after his technical foul, which was of I think like three or four minutes into the second half, the fouls went 13 to three on Houston.

The 2025 Final Four will be remembered as the Final Four of Chokes

I think it'll be remembered as the, the final four of chokes. [Cooper Flagg] choked. [Kelvin Sampson]... this would've been 800. Brutal.

The Florida championship win means college basketball is alive and well

It turns out that the only thing that we could say after the tournament was over if Duke had won: NIL ruined college basketball. And since Florida won and they didn't have freshmen, it's college basketball alive and well.

Duke will win the 2025 National Championship

I have been saying for a month and a half now that it is Duke's year. And I do fully think that they are, they feel like even though it is a loaded Final Four, they feel a little step ahead. I will not be rooting for Duke, but I am also resigned to the fact they will probably win.

Buzz Williams moving to Maryland is a smart move to reset his coaching clock.

So this move, I believe was a smart move by Buzz in the fact that the SEC has gotten a lot better. He has kind of maxed out what he's got at Texas A&M... So why not move and reset the clock? Pretty good. Yeah. Also like you're basically resetting the clock with a new fan base who is hungry for someone to say I love you.

College basketball is a Ponzi scheme

I was gonna say it's college basketball. A Ponzi scheme. Mm. Because the tournament starts. Just wait. Did not Great Matchups round of 32. Gonna be great. Round of 32's not great, just wait. Good. So sweet 16. Sweet 16 happens. Oh, that sucked. But just wait. This is the best Elite eight you've ever seen. The Elite eight sucks. But just wait. The final four, we're kicking the can down the road.

Houston is the biggest 'Cinderella' of the Final Four

I have Houston one, then I had Florida two... [Houston] because they've never won a national title. They don't have any legacy in basketball outside of Charles Barkley. And obviously what Bruce Pearl's done, I think they would be the second Cinderella. Florida still has, you know, they, they back to back national titles.

College basketball should implement a salary ladder to discourage transfers

A freshman gets 50 K from the school. A sophomore gets 75, a junior gets a hundred. If you transfer, you go back to freshman salary. So like, there is a, you could still transfer, you can still do whatever you want, but you don't get to climb the ladder of, of what the school can pay you.

John Scheyer will be Mike Krzyzewski 2.0 in terms of tenure

I think he's a stud Big Cat. I don't know if you want to hear this or not, but I think he's gonna be Mike Krzyzewski 2.0 in terms of the length. Yeah, no, he is gonna coach there forever and he's gonna win a lot. So coach there for 30 years.

Florida will make the Final Four

Florida killed Maryland and Florida's really, really good. I expect Florida to go to the Final Four.

I am worried about Kevin Willard's tenure at Villanova

I'm worried about [Kevin Willard's] tenure at Villanova. That's a past, we're worried about the future. And Kevin Willard to Villanova... that's what I care about. I'm worried about that.

Sportsmanship should stop at the Little League level

The sportsmanship stops at Little League. That's really what it is. Like when people are like, oh, you gotta win class. You gotta do the—that shit is not for high level college basketball, high level pro sports. I don't care. I want bad losers. I want people who are, who crash out when they lose.

Duke is going to win the NCAA Tournament

I think Duke's gonna win it all though. I'm pretty set in that thought. I mean, winning a second round game by the way they did against Baylor. Just not competitive.

Annual free agency in college sports is detrimental

I'm pro players getting money, I'm anti-free agency every single year. 'Cause that's just stupid. It doesn't exist in any other sport. So I don't know, there's a lot that's going on, but... I think it's just kind of the new reality.

NIL and the transfer portal are ruining March Madness upsets

The biggest culprit that I've seen being blamed is NIL and Transfer Portal. I think that's actually a fair critique... all the Power five schools are basically picking apart all the smaller schools and taking their best players. And then you don't get upsets.

Dusty May is a premier tournament coach

Dusty May is just a hell of a coach. He said it on our show. He's like, we needed a reset... What have they done since then? They won the Big 10 tournament and now they're in the Sweet 16... I'm putting him in like tournament coach.

Texas Tech is officially a basketball school

Here's the Texas Tech, maybe a basketball school stat... They have gone to four Sweet 16s over the last seven tournaments with three different coaches. Pretty impressive. To do it with three different coaches in that short of amount of time. That's culture.

John Calipari is finally back to his underdog roots

Kentucky made him soft. Now he's going Arkansas... now he's kind of the underdog. 40 minutes himself. He's feeling himself again... he was too luxurious in Lexington for him. Now he's gotta get back to his roots and coach basketball.

Shaka Smart is not a good tournament coach

In his last nine NCAA tournament trips, Shaka Smart has been eliminated by a team at least three seed lines worse seven times... Still a good coach but not a good tournament coach right now.

Will Wade being honest about leaving for NC State is better than coaches who lie

I'd rather will Wade be transparent about it. Yeah. It's awkward that he took a new job before his team even played in the tournament... I'd rather have the Will Wade where you're just upfront about it and saying, yeah, I'm talking to NC State. Oh yep. I got a new job.

Kansas was not built for a long tournament run this year

I think most Kansas fans saw this coming in the fact that they just weren't built for a long run... Moreover, they won one tournament NCAA tournament game in this time there. [Hunter Dickinson] is done.

Mississippi State will beat Baylor because Hubbard can shoot over the zone

I'll stick with the SEC. I'm gonna go Mississippi State. [Hubbard] leads, I think he shoots nine over nine. Threes a game and [Baylor] plays zone over 20% of the time and Hubbard will just shoot over it.

Alabama and Tennessee are the two best bets to win the National Championship

I'll give you a they're on the same side. Alabama and Tennessee. I do feel different about Tennessee... they're better offensively. It's not even a question.

The NCAA selection committee accidentally swapped Memphis and Louisville

Memphis, I am choosing to believe this because it is crazy... people are saying that the committee, they accidentally swapped him. Louisville has a better net RPI, KenPom, T-Rank and higher in the ESPN BPI rankings in every category. But Memphis is the higher seeded team. I choose to believe that too because it makes no sense other than they just accidentally messed it up.

The disparity between Georgia's football and basketball success is the biggest in sports

Of the 10 college football national champions since 2002, seven out of 10 of them have been to a final four. All, all 10 of them have been to an elite eight... and Georgia has not won a [tournament] game. Combined 154 tournament wins for all other programs that have won a national title in football. And Georgia has had zero since 2002.

It's disrespectful to make UConn an 8-seed after back-to-back titles

I gotta admit, it's disrespectful that UConn is an 8-seed, Mark, because they won, I don't know if you know this, they won the last two national championships... and now you're just relegating them to an 8. You're throwing 'em out like the trash. Gimme a fucking break.

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].

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.

The NCAA selection committee stopped working on Friday night

The committee. It's very clear they stopped working on Friday night. Maybe that's why Leonard's been sleeping because it makes no sense that UNC is in this tournament. It makes no sense that Michigan got a five. It makes no sense that Louisville got an eight.

Louisville will beat Creighton in the first round because Chucky Hepburn will stifle Steven Ashworth

Louisville being an eight seed, but if Louisville wins their first game, which I actually kind of like them to win that game. 'Cause I think Chucky Hepburn's gonna put Steven Ashworth in a torture chamber.

Michigan State will win the South region

I have Michigan State winning this bracket [South Region].

Duke is going to win the National Championship

I've come to the realization that I think Duke's gonna win the whole thing. Doesn't matter [about Cooper Flagg's injury]. They're so good. I they're gonna win it all. I've just come to accept that. I it would, they're just so well-rounded, so deep.

Automatic Qualifiers (AQs) should always play on Thursday/Friday, while at-large teams play in the First Four

I think if you're good enough to get an automatic qualifier to the NCAA tournament, you deserve to partake in the Thursday and Friday of the first week... put the last eight at large teams in the first four, it would reward these programs again at the lower level and give them the NCAA tournament experience.

Tom Izzo and Michigan State will return to the Final Four this year

I've got Auburn against then Michigan State in a regional final Atlanta. And I've got Tom Izzo getting back to the final four.

Florida will play St. John's in the West regional final

I have Florida, UConn, Colorado State, Maryland, Drake, Texas Tech... I've got St. John's against Drake in the Sweet 16. And I've got Florida against Maryland in the region of Prestige. I'm going Florida over St. John's in a regional final.

Duke will play Wisconsin in the East regional final (Elite Eight)

I've got Duke, Oregon, Wisconsin to the Sweet 16 to take on Alabama. And then I am going to take in a rematch of the 2015 national title... Duke over Wisconsin in Newark to go to the final four.

Houston will win the National Championship

I got Houston going on the final four... Houston against Duke on one side. Houston comes outta the region of toughness on the other side... I got Houston finally breaking through under Kelvin Sampson and winning the national championship.

Cooper Flagg will play in the second round of the NCAA Tournament despite his ankle injury

I have a doctor on staff... Dr. Dan... He said that probably out for the ACC tournament. March Madness... probably a Toradol shot, steroid shot. Wrap him up. He could probably go in the second round if needed.

Kansas is a broken team that everyone should bet against in the tournament

Kansas just broken. I they're not gonna be, that's gonna be one of those ones where they're gonna be a five or six and everyone's going to say, oh my God. They're go down goes Kansas. Are we ready to say we, we watched them all year. They weren't good.

Florida is my primary sleeper team to watch in the NCAA Tournament

A team that intrigues me is Florida. They intrigue me because they got size, speed shooters, guys. Golden's a hell of a coach. He did a great job at San Francisco.

Expanding the NCAA tournament too much will water it down and hurt the TV product in the second round

I worry if they expand it too much. You know, we have already, it's tough because we have Cinderella... the more you expand it, the more those kind of things happen. Which you guys all like the first day, right? But TV doesn't like it the second round. No. So it's always fun and exciting for you guys. And meanwhile I'm sitting home ready to, you know, whatever.

Villanova's Kyle Neptune has to be fired

Villanova has been dumped to the next, not even next four out. Just the next, out, out, out, out, out. Kyle Neptune's gonna get fired. Great guy, great guy, but yeah, he's gotta go. He's gotta go.

Drake deserves an at-large NCAA Tournament bid no matter what happens in their conference tournament

Texas does not to be deserved to be in. They're bad if like Drake gets kept out instead of Texas. If Drake doesn't win their conference, I'll be very upset. I'm gonna say it right now. Drake deserves to be in no matter what.