Takes

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.

Tom Izzo is the God of March

Tom Izzo now 16th Sweet 16... His expected wins are 27.6. He has 39 wins... that's an 11.4 difference. The next closest on this chart is Cal with six wins above expected. Tom Izzo very good 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.

Duke will win the national championship

I think it's just gonna be Duke. Duke. I think Duke's gonna win it all.

Hammocks are the most overrated thing in the world

I have a hammock take they suck. Most overrated thing in the world... It's thinking about getting out of a hammock. Getting out of a hammock sucks... They're uncomfortable. You're not taking naps in the hammock.

Nice furniture does not belong outside

Nice furniture should not be outside... the maintenance is not worth the comfort. It's fucking outdoors.

McNeese State dominated Clemson despite the close final score

McNeese State I think leads the, leads the storyboard because what a day for Will Wade... and gives us a classic 12 5 upset where I know it looks like a two point game, but they were dominating Clemson for, for the majority of the game.

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.

Bill Self is on the hot seat after losing in the first round as a preseason number one

Is Bill Self on the hot seat? I don't know if he's on the hot seat... Kansas also, they became the second AP preseason number one to lose in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Obviously Bill self not on the hot seat, but it's fun to have the conversation.

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.

T. Higgins signed a fake one-year contract that is essentially a mega-franchise tag

This is a fake contract. Well he is getting a lot of money this year over what would've been the franchise tag... essentially he got mega tagged. Yeah, he got mega tagged.

TV networks must fix scoreboard spoilers that show scores ahead of the live broadcast

I don't understand how it's still an issue... if you're watching four games at once, half the time you see the scoreboard on one game and it will be ahead of the actual game you're watching... figure it out. Don't let it spoil us.

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.

Take Colorado State to upset Memphis

I still think, you know, as a player, like I said, I, I have Maryland advancing anyway. I would just take the 12 here. So you have your 12 5.

BYU is a legitimate threat to win the National Championship

BYU's a team that everyone's picking against, but they they were on the list. [PFT: BYU can win the national title?] Yes.

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.

Bill Chisholm is a smart business mind and will be a great owner for the Celtics

Clearly a very smart business mind. And I'm excited to, to see what he's got in store. Hopefully he likes the Celtics and isn't doing this as a business.

Helly is going to kill her father in the Severance Season 2 finale

I want death. I want multiple deaths. Oh, I think Helly's gonna kill her dad. No, I mean, she's showed... she tried to kill herself. They think that she's her daughter who's like the whatever of the company, but they don't know Hellie down there.

Ryan Odom will not be the head coach at VCU next year

This will be his last time at VCU no matter what... I'm reporting this. He will either be going to Villanova or Virginia after this year. He will, this is his last ride with VCU.

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.

Aaron Rodgers is repeating the Brett Favre path exactly

Aaron Rodgers... it is Cats in the Cradle with Brett Favre. He's just learning everything from [him] and he hated Brett Favre for it too. It's perfect.

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.

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].

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.

The NCAA Tournament bracket reveal is the best non-sporting sporting event of the year

I actually think that this is the best non-sporting, sporting event of the year. I think that bracket reveal is the best sporting event that does not actually contain sports of the year. Oh, it's, it's incredible.

UNC getting into the tournament over West Virginia and Indiana is a result of committee member Bubba Cunningham being the UNC AD

UNC got into the tournament with one quad, one win. And Bubba Cunningham, who is part of the selection committee is also the ad at UNC. What I would say to that is that doesn't fucking matter at all [that he recused himself] because you spend an entire weekend hanging out with this people... Everyone in that room has to decide on UNC and then have him come back in the room and he's gonna be like, so how we looking?

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 has turned the corner and is a dangerous team after winning the Big 10 tournament

Michigan obviously beat Wisconsin Big 10 title today. Dusty May called it correctly. He was like, our team needs a reset. They got their reset and then they won the big 10 tournament and they looked really good doing it. So maybe they've turned the corner and gotten that reset they needed.

Michigan State will win the South region

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

Florida will crush UConn by a hundred if they meet in the second round

I'm rooting for UConn just so that I can bet Florida against UConn. Everyone's gonna be like, watch out for UConn and Florida's gonna beat 'em by a hundred... Florida will kill him. Very. Florida's would be, that would be my take on that.

St. John's is going to win the National Championship

St. John's win it all. I filled out my entire bracket. It's kind of, it's a weird final four... Michigan State. St. John's. BYU. Kentucky.

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.

Oregon will beat Arizona in the second round and Caleb Love will shoot 3-for-21

I have Oregon, beating Arizona in the second round. Because that will be, I think that's gonna be the Caleb Love masterpiece. Yeah. I think he'll go three for 21 for 14 points.

Don't get cute with brackets this year; the one seeds are historically dominant

This is the year that don't be afraid to just do chalk. Only four teams since 2000 have entered the tournament [with a] plus 35 net rating... this year, four teams have 35 net rating or higher. Wow. So that's insane. Yeah. Like that, that just shows you that the one seeds this year are playing at such a high level and are so dominant... don't be afraid to just go chalk.

Alabama will beat Auburn in the National Championship game

In this bracket... I have Bama beating Wisconsin and then Duke on the way to the Final Four... And they're going to beat Auburn to win it all.

Borgs (Blackout Rage Gallons) are ratchet

My other, who's back of the week is... Borg. Blackout rage gallon. Foul... I've seen... people name 'em and stuff... it's so ratchet.

The sun was switched out 40 years ago for a new, worse sun

I found guys... that think that actually this is a different sun that was, that we switched the sun out like 40 years ago and it's the new sun and it's worse for you... I gotta do some more research on the new sun guys.

Chernobyl was an inside job by Russia to discourage nuclear energy and protect their gas interests

I had one the other day that actually I completely believe that Chernobyl was on purpose. Everyone was doing nuclear power plants and Russia has a shitload of oil and gas and so they're like, Hey, let's blow up a nuclear PowerPoint plant and scare the fuck outta everyone about nuclear energy. And everyone stopped doing nuclear energy or inside job.

UNC getting into the tournament is the biggest miscarriage of justice in 20 years

This is one of the biggest miscarriage of justices that I have seen in all my years covering college basketball... North Carolina was one and 12 against quad one opponents. That is just a fact of life... My heart breaks for West Virginia, it breaks for Indiana that North Carolina got this opportunity instead of them.

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.