Takes

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.

Purdue is the Toronto Raptors of the NCAA tournament

The Purdue Boilermakers are the Toronto Raptors of the tournament. No matter how good they look in the regular season... they feel like the most unthreatening two-seed in the world.

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.

Marshall will pull a first-round upset over Wichita State

I'll call my shot. I'm going to take Marshall over Wichita State.

South Dakota State will upset Ohio State in the first round

I'm going to take South Dakota State over Ohio State.

CBS ruined Selection Sunday by using alphabetical order for the bracket reveal

The Selection Sunday show was fucking terrible. They had alphabetical order, which was so stupid. We basically sat there like, what's going on? And then three or four times said, wait, is that team in or out? Because you just keep missing teams and there's no bracket. Then they make you wait for the bracket. Then there's technical difficulties. Fuck everything. They ruined one of the best things in sports.

Notre Dame was robbed of a tournament spot because they have the potential to make a run

Notre Dame should have been in. I know the selection committee says, well, road wins matter, and conference, how are you doing your conference, and the Q1 wins. The other pieces to it should be, can this team make a run? And Notre Dame was one of those teams.

The NCAA selection committee snubbed Louisville and USC to avoid talking about the FBI investigation

Stay woke. Louisville and USC, both two teams under the FBI watch. They got out. So, interesting. I actually think there is an element where the selection committee said, well, let's maybe keep these two teams out because we don't want everyone talking about the FBI during March Madness.

This is Tom Izzo's final year coaching at Michigan State

One of my who's backs is, this is Coach Izzo's swan song. I'm just going to say it. This is his final year.

Duke is 100% guaranteed to win the 2018 National Championship

We all know that Duke's winning the national championship, so we don't have to worry about that. Play one shining moment right now. Yes, it's over.

The Duke Blue Devils will win the national championship

The Duke Blue Devils are going to win the national championship. All right. And this isn't a reverse jinx. I know you're thinking, Big Cat, you hate Duke... No, no, no. They're definitely going to win the national championship. You heard it here first. It's done. They shouldn't even play it.

Villanova will lose to Duke in the national championship in overtime

I think that Villanova is going to lose in the national championship to Duke in overtime.

Oklahoma is out of the NCAA tournament

Oklahoma, they're out. Out. They're out. I was just thinking that today.

College basketball and the Little League World Series have the most in-game crying in sports

I don't know what it is, but it's college basketball has the most. It's probably it's Little League World Series and then college basketball for most tears in game.

Teams with celebratory benches are the most likely to cry after a loss

I like the teams that are the ones that get celebrated early in the year as having the best bench... Those teams are full of criers. If you show that much emotion after a late first half three-pointer, then you're going to turn the waterworks on when you lose in your conference semifinals.

The Thursday noon game in the NCAA tournament is a fan's death sentence

The Thursday noon game, if your team gets that, it's a death sentence. You get really drunk on Friday, and then you can watch your team on Sunday hungover.

Championship week is better than the NCAA Tournament

Hot take championship week might be better than the tournament. Because you actually know the teams, unlike in the March Madness, when you're like, I don't know how these teams are going to match up.

Tom Izzo is on the hot seat if Michigan State doesn't reach the Sweet 16

Final Four or bust, is Tom Izzo on the hot seat? You've got to say, if he gets bounced before the Sweet 16, he's on that hot seat.

The NCAA basketball scandal is not ruining the sport, but changing it for the better

No, college basketball as we know it's getting changed and changed for the better... you can't have people running around on college campuses giving kids money... but not ruin but change and I think change for the better fellas.

Any college coach who knowingly commits a major violation should be banned for life

Knowingly commit a major violation, you are banned from coaching college basketball. You can go coach NAIA. You can go coach the pros. You can coach high school. But you can't coach college basketball.

Indiana is a sleeper to make a run in the Big Ten tournament

Indiana. Indiana is a sleeper to make a move. They don't have a bad draw as it sits right now... I like the way they guard... I think Indiana has a chance to be a sleeper.

Michigan will likely win the Big Ten tournament

Well, Michigan's playing better than anybody... I'll say they're playing the best... Back to the Big Ten term, don't be surprised if Michigan doesn't win it. Michigan's damn good right now.

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.

Rick Pitino didn't have a chance to defend himself against the NCAA

I'm standing up for Rick in that point. He didn't have a chance to defend himself... I think we are now officially a free Rick Pitino podcast because I was moved. I was moved.

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. It's like poking your eyes out with scissors to watch them play.

Kentucky fans will be fine with John Calipari if he reaches the Sweet 16 this year

Probably Sweet 16. You get to the Sweet 16, considering how bad they were most of the year, I think fans would be completely fine.

Bob Huggins had a legitimate gripe regarding the free throw disparity against Kansas

with that last night, there's no question that he [Bob Huggins] had a legitimate concern because both teams are extremely aggressive... that amount of free throw difference, that was the most, that was the biggest margin of free throws Kansas has ever had in a Big 12 game. I mean, that's amazing stuff. So he had a legitimate gripe.

Virginia is susceptible to in-game lulls because they don't get to the free throw line enough

Virginia because I really like them but they've got that reputation that they don't commit a lot of fouls well they don't get fouled very much either so like they're not shooting very many free throws and on those nights when you're not making your shots you've got to have something else that you can go to.

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.

Gonzaga is currently undervalued and capable of a deep tournament run

My initial reaction to that question [dark horse] would be Gonzaga. I think they are really good. I think they can go to the bench. I think Rui Hachimura is a potential breakout star... I really like their team.

Virginia Tech is a dark horse to make a deep run in March

You know who I like? Because I think they're deep enough. I like Virginia Tech... I like their team because they can beat you different ways. Now, they've got to defend better... I think they can do that. So that would be a team just off the top of my head in that realm that I would look at.

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.

Tom Izzo is overrated

Tom Izzo's overrated. Lost at home to Michigan. Can't do that... Tons of talent, and they are wildly underperforming.

Tom Izzo is overrated if he doesn't make another Final Four in the next two years

We're squatting on a take. Yeah, we're a couple years ahead of the curve. If Tom Izzo doesn't get back to another Final Four in the next two years, then he's overrated.

The 2017-18 college basketball season is Duke's to lose

I think by the end of the year, they [Kentucky] can be good. But this year, it's Duke's to lose.

Kentucky's current freshmen are not good enough to go to the NBA and will all return

I honestly think this year's freshmen aren't good enough for to go to the NBA. That's what's weird about this group. But what that means is they're all going to come back.

Rick Pitino will lose his $38 million lawsuit against Louisville

Rick Pitino, he is suing Louisville for $38 million. Is he going to win? No.

Tom Izzo is an overrated basketball coach

I've gotten some flack for starting the Coach Izzo is overrated take that we have. ... Let me tell you guys something. If you're maybe new to the show or if you're not familiar with the biz, this is what's called squatting on a take. The take might not be true yet, but it's going to be true one day. ... Eventually when Tom Izzo is overrated, then I will be the first one to have said it.

Tom Izzo is an overrated basketball coach

It's also the start of Coach Izzo's overrated season. We were the first ones on that bandwagon like a year and a half ago, so I'm going to restake my claim on that.

The FBI is investigating Duke basketball

I've heard that the FBI is snooping around, sniffing around Duke.

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.