← Eye On College Basketball
Eye On College Basketball
An unexpected SEC: Vandy is a title contender, Kentucky is 0-2 in conference + Kyle Boone's NBA Mock Draft, Final Four & 1
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- [00:00]
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- [02:15]
Gary Parrish
Hey there, I am Gary Parish. Welcome back CBS Sports. I own college basketball podcast where we sometimes discuss camel fighting, dodo birds and leaky black. Cal Boone is here with me. Strong jaw. If you're watching on YouTube be Brandon Davies. Smash a little bit. If you haven't already subscribed to the CBS Sports Island College basketball podcast. Please do that anywhere you subscribe to podcasts like Apple and Spotify. Let's get into it. Let me first start by apologizing to any of our live listeners. I know most people get to this whenever they get to this, but we do have a live audience every time we do one of these. And we were supposed to start maybe 10, 15 minutes ago. And the reason we didn't start 10 or 15 minutes ago and is because I spent my Friday morning I spent my Friday morning committing crimes. Strong Joe. I've been committing crimes this morning. I've been ticketed. I've been ticketed.
- [03:05]
KenPom (Ken Pomeroy)
You got a ticket? Was. Were you spreading deers in people's front yard? What's going on?
- [03:10]
Gary Parrish
I did not hit a deer or do anything to a deer really in a while. It's been a minute. Although transparency. My wife did hit a deer roughly two weeks ago. Her car is in a collision center right now.
- [03:26]
KenPom (Ken Pomeroy)
Holy cow. She all right?
- [03:27]
Gary Parrish
She murdered a deer unintentionally. It was the deer's fault, if you want to know the truth. Like, you know, she was in a car on a road, then the deer ran onto the road. The deer's not supposed to be on the road. The car is. You know how it works. So, no, had nothing to do with the deer. I. You might. I don't know how much you pay attention to what goes on down here in. In Memphis, Tennessee, to the extent people know anything about Memphis, it's probably that Elvis used to live here, that John Morant now lives here, and. And then we have, like, some crime issues. If you know, it's my hometown. I love this place. But we. We struggle. Like, the statistics aren't great. All right, if you. If you could Google it, the president sent the National Guard here. Right or wrong, you know, they've been hanging out. You know, they were here. And so I'm part of the problem, is what I'm trying to tell you. I didn't know that I was. I didn't know I was part of the problem, but I was reminded this morning I'm part of the problem. I was just, you know, driving around Memphis this morning committing a crime. You curious at all about what crime I committed?
- [04:26]
KenPom (Ken Pomeroy)
If I were to take one guess, I mean, it would have. It would have definitely been something deer related. So, yeah, I mean, you got to tell us.
- [04:32]
Gary Parrish
I didn't do anything with a deer. I was not speeding. Today is the final day of the Jeff Caulkins show on 92.9 FM ESPN in Memphis. Jeff Cock is my former colleague at the Commercial Appeal, longtime columnist here in Memphis. He's an institution in the city and he and I did radio together for years and today is his last show. And so he said, hey, would you like to be on my. He invited me to be a guest on his last show. And I said, I'd love to do that. In fact, I'm honored that you would even ask. The problem is our shows kind of run at the same time. So how are we going to do this? He said, we can just pre tape it. You could, on your way to FedEx forum, you could, you just, you know, we'll call you and we can just chit chat like we used to. I said, that's fine. And so the pro, you know, Bluetooth is great, man. It's an amazing technology step that we've made. But still, for radio purposes, putting a phone right up to your ear is going to be better than anything you're doing in Bluetooth. So I had a phone up to my ear and in this crime ridden city of Memphis, Tennessee, that's, that's what they were focused on on this Friday morning. I was driving around just like this and they said, you can't do that. They pulled me over. He said, you know, he said, you know why I pulled you over? And I was like, I don't. It could be any number of things. You tell me, you tell me. It's too early for me to be taking a pop quiz, officer. You just tell, you know, go ahead and spoil it. You tell me what I did and I'll plead guilty right now. We can just keep this thing moving. He said, you know, Tennessee's a hands free city state now. And I said I was not aware. And he said, well, yeah, that's the truth. And I said, what do you want me to do about it now? You know, I guess I committed a crime. I got a court date on February 13th.
- [06:12]
KenPom (Ken Pomeroy)
KB Unbelievable. I would have guessed. Speeding was my second guess.
- [06:17]
Gary Parrish
No, man, I had. Here's what's, here's what's hilarious. I'm ticketed right now. I have a court date for holding a phone in my hand. You realize I was driving to work, my car was driving me. I wasn't even doing anything. I don't even have to have my hands on the wheel. It's not illegal for me to not have my hands on the wheel, but it is illegal for my hands to be on the phone. Try to make sense of that. Make sense of it.
- [06:46]
KenPom (Ken Pomeroy)
Sounds like you got a good Argument.
- [06:48]
Gary Parrish
You know what? I should just follow the law, right? You know what? I'm not above the law. I shouldn't be driving around thinking I'm above the law. I'm part of the problem. I think, I think there's a. There's a little too much of people thinking they're above the law going on in this country these days. All right? So maybe, maybe I'm. Maybe I'm. Maybe this is me. Maybe this is me. This is a lesson we all should learn. None of us are above the law. Not even me driving around with a iPhone to my ear. How are you on this Friday morning? You weren't ticketed. Have you committed a crime?
- [07:17]
KenPom (Ken Pomeroy)
Not that I'm aware of. I've moved like maybe 15ft from my bed to my office, so no chances of me, you know, getting any tickets this morning, so.
- [07:26]
Gary Parrish
All right, well, hey, it's still, it's still relatively early, so I wish you luck getting through the rest. Let's see how many of us can get through the rest of the day without being.
- [07:33]
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Without.
- [07:34]
Gary Parrish
Without committing a crime. I feel like, I feel like I've. I feel like I've committed all the crimes I'm going to commit today. I feel like I'm done. I feel like you're crime doubt. I'm crimed out for the day. You know, talk to me, talk to me on Saturday. Maybe I'll be ready to. Maybe I'll be ready to break some more laws, but I feel like I've broken all the laws I'm going to break today. Let's talk sec. That's where Vanderbilt remains undefeated since last time we talked on this podcast. They went out and beat Alabama at home. So now they're 15 and. Oh. I want to start you with a simple question. Vanderbilt got that win over Alabama. I moved them into the top five of the top 25. And one are the Commodores at this point. Are you willing to describe them as legitimate national championship contenders?
- [08:17]
KenPom (Ken Pomeroy)
Yes, I think we should have been describing them as national title contenders before this, but yes, going and beating Alabama at home by six points, improving to 150 on the season. One of only a handful of teams still unbeaten at this juncture in the season. They're absolutely national title contenders. And it's not just that they are 15 0.
- [08:41]
Gary Parrish
Right.
- [08:41]
KenPom (Ken Pomeroy)
Like 12 of their 15 wins have come by double figures. They're extremely effective on offense. They're 27th in three point percentage shooting. 38%, sixth in two point shooting percentage. They are very, very efficient on both ends of the floor. I was watching Mark Byington earlier this week on Rothstein's pod and I thought it was pretty interesting talking about like how we learned to coach offense very, very much. Like comes off as a shucks type guy. And he said, look, I'm just a nerd. Like I pick up things from different coaches. Like he had a, he was trying to get Brian Earle, who's William and Mary's head coach, onto a zoom call to like pick his brain about what he said was like just trying to learn more about basketball. So like, you know, he has the, the all shucks personality, but he's like, Mark Bynt might be that dude, you know what I'm saying? Like it might be a situation where, you know, we're talking about a top 10 coach trying to pick William and Mary's brain, like the William and Mary's coach brain, brain. So like, I think what they've done is very impressive and I also think the underlying metrics are absolutely sustainable. Vanderbilt has been fantastic to start the season. Vanderbilt can win the SEC. Vanderbilt can win the national championship.
- [10:07]
Gary Parrish
They were picked 11th in the preseason SEC poll. As I wrote in the top 25 and one on Thursday morning. I guess that made sense at the time. Like I don't remember hearing about. The SEC preseason poll has been released. Florida's 1, Kentucky's 2, Vanderbilt's 11. And I'm like, oh, that's crazy. I, you know, I don't, I don't know that it registered as crazy with anybody. And then they, they, they, they start through their non league schedule and the efficiency numbers are excellent. You, you, even if they're not on your radar, they jump onto it because you, you can't go to Ken Palm or Bart Torvik or Evan me or anywhere else without seeing them like, oh, okay, you know, I didn't know if they were going to be any good, but this seems to suggest that they might be. And then they just keep winning. And then they just keep winning. And if you were a skeptic, it was always tied to, okay, sure, they're beating people badly and the computer numbers are impressive, but where are the big signature wins? Because before Wednesday night they had not even played a team all season that at the time of the game they had a number next to their name. AP ranking. And so if you wanted to be skeptical, you could. If you want to know why Vandy wasn't lumped into the undefeated 1, 2, 3 conversation with Arizona, Michigan and Iowa State, that was the reason. Iowa State's got a big win. At Purdue. What was Vanderbilt's big win before Wednesday? Fair question, I guess. But then they go out and they play an Alabama team that nobody has any questions about. I think everybody agrees Alabama could win the sec. Everybody agrees Alabama could go to a Final Four. Everybody agrees Alabama could theoretically win a national championship. Nate Oates is, you know, I think widely regarded as a top 10 coach in the sport at this point. Like, nobody has questions about Alabama. So when you go out and beat them to keep a zero in the lost column, get your 15th victory, then the really the last thing, or at least among the last things the skeptics had to hold against you, that's now off the board. I guess if somebody wants to say, well, I'll believe it when I see them go on the road and beat a top 20 team on the road, that's fine. But that's probably coming at some point. Like they look the part and they now have the big signature win. Who will win the sec? That probably won't be decided for a while. It might not be clear for several weeks, if not a month. But can Vanderbilt do it? That's not a question anymore, regardless of where they were picked in the preseason. 11th again, to be clear that that team's not only good enough to. To win that league, it's good enough to win any. Anything we're playing for, it appears. Yeah.
- [12:47]
KenPom (Ken Pomeroy)
And you know what's. It's crazy gp like, this is a Vanderbilt program that historically is just like, let's just be frank, this is not a SEC juggernaut in basketball. Right. Or even, even really in football. And you know, by Byington has, you know, in the interview with Rothstein said like he had to go and disarm some labels is how. How he put it when recruiting to Vanderbilt. Because you think of Vanderbilt synonymous with like excellent education. Right? Like if you go to Vanderbilt, you're going to get a fantastic degree, but it's not necessarily like a. Oh man. Juggernaut basketball program. Vanderbilt. Right. And that has been hard for Vanderbilt to overcome. That's been hard for I think probably a number of like Stanford or Michigan, like some really proud programs who are really good on the education front, but maybe not the best, you know, in terms of athletics, they've had to overcome that. And you know, the way in which they've done that, or at least so far the way in which they've done that and Byington talked about this in the interview was like they have a ton of continuity. They brought back Devin McLaughlin, they brought back Tyler Tanner, they brought back Tyler Nichol. They have continuity, they're trusting in the guys that they brought back and they've brought in some guys who they feel can fit their system and they're, you know, they're playing a selfless style basketball that has obviously worked so far. We'll see how the SEC shakes out. But to get a signature win over a very good Alabama team I think is obviously going to bode well for them and, and moving forward like I think probably projected to win the sec. And I think maybe in a year in which the SEC is absolutely taking a step back from last year, that to me seems like where we are at right now. A team that was picked 11th in the preseason could legitimately win the SEC.
- [14:42]
Gary Parrish
Yeah, I think the roster continuity, we're seeing that through throughout the sport. I mean, you know, the number one team in the country, at least the top 25 and one is, is Michigan and they're led by a first year transfer into the program in Yaksel Lindenberg. But they've also got returning players playing prominent roles on that roster. That's clearly also the case at Arizona. It's also the case at Iowa State. It's also the case at U Yukon. There's a balance to this stuff. But I think what we're seeing for the most part is that it is, it is preferable if you do have some important players that carry over from one year to the next. Can you be good with an entirely new roster? Yes. Can you be good with a first year player in your program being the face of it? Yes. But I think what we're seeing on average is that it's better when your best players are not in their first year in your program. And that's clearly the case at Vanderbilt. And you know, this is sort of, I think also an example that you can hold up in this era of college athletics as just a reminder that history doesn't matter as much as it used to matter. Like Norlander and I got into a conversation on Tuesdays, I own college basketball show that we did on CBS Sports Network about what would be the equivalent in men's basketball to what Kurt Signetti is doing in football at Indiana right now. And you know, we talked about, you know, perhaps it would be just something like some 62 year old mid major coach, former D2 coach, getting the Penn State basketball job and turning it into a 1 seed in the tournament or the Washington, you could name it. And we were sort of talking about it from different angles and he brought up Ole Miss and he was like, well, you know, if you look at the history of Ole Miss, they haven't done much there in the sport of men's basketball. And my counterpoint to using Ole Miss as the, the example of this would be whatever Ole Miss has accomplished in the past in this sport, it is now set up to, to do big things in this sport. They've got a respected basketball coach, they've got a beautiful on campus facility and they've got real resources like money behind it. Like there's no reason or no great reason you can't be great at basketball at Ole Miss right now. There are reasons you can't be great at basketball at other places. But history is almost thrown out the window now. Do you have the right coach? I think it starts there, the right resources to support the coach and give him the ability to roster build and then do you have the facilities and all the bells and all that stuff. But if you do, I don't really care how many NCAA tournaments you didn't go to in the 80s or the 90s or 20 years ago or really what you've done is a whole new game. And we're seeing it in football. Vanderbilt had a Heisman Trophy candidate and was in, you know, the conversation to be in the College Football Playoff and you're seeing it in basketball right now. We are having a conversation on a podcast about Vanderbilt perhaps being the best team in the sec. And by definition, if you're that, you're in the conversation to be the best team in the country. So it looks like Vanderbilt has figured out what everybody at the power conference level should be trying to figure out. How do we get the right coach for our program and then support him in ways that allows him to do what is clearly possible. And in Nashville, Mark Byington is, is obviously that guy and it's, it's one of the better stories in the sport. Let's stay in the SEC before we move on Kentucky. If Vanderbilt is being held up as one of the best stories, Kentucky is undeniably one of the most frustrating. Wildcats are now 9 and 6, midweek loss to Missouri at home. They have a roster that reportedly cost $22 million. KB they're going to be able to turn this around or is this going to go down as, as the most disappointing team in college basketball? 2025, 2026.
- [18:53]
KenPom (Ken Pomeroy)
Oh boy. That is, that is the question. So I wrote a piece on December 10th. This was a month ago after Kentucky was 6 and 4 to start the season. It felt like the sky was falling and at the time my conclusion was, yes, the sky is actually falling. We are a month ahead now. Kentucky is currently 9 and 6 and the sky feels like it's still falling in Lexington. And maybe it's just the way that they're losing. Like, you know, for example, earlier this week they were up eight with under five to play. They end up losing by five to Missouri. They're zero and two in SEC play. I this could end up being an NCAA tournament team. I think I'll put that out there. But, and maybe that's not even a hot take, but the expectations coming into the season and what the reality is currently in Lexington is so jarring that it's almost impossible to square. Like as you mentioned, a roster that was worth well over $20 million. Preseason number nine team they play with frequently, you know, hustle plays that go to the other team. There's personnel issues. They are 10th out of 16 SEC teams and 3 point shooting percentage, their offensive efficiency has plummeted since I wrote that story a month ago. They're, they were 31st. Now they're 47th nationally. That is 12th among SEC teams. They're just okay at shooting the basketball. I think if you're spending 20 plus million dollars, you probably expect better than just okay and worse. You know, they're not really a good defensive team. They don't make up for it with, you know, a playmaking defense to get out and transition, which I think is ironically one of their strengths. They're not elite at generating second chance opportunities on the offensive glass. There are just so many issues for this Kentucky team and maybe it, maybe getting right with Jalen Lowe and Jaden Quaintance and finally gelling together, things could eventually come together. GP But I'm a little bit skeptical and you know, I think what we've seen so far in an is6 start is kind of Kentucky kind of is what it is at this point. Are you, are you buying stock for Kentucky or where are you at on the Wildcats right now?
- [21:19]
Gary Parrish
I'm more skeptical now than I've, I've been at any other point in the season because I, I was at the CBS Sports Classic down in Atlanta, State Farm arena, and that's when they beat St. John's seemed good at the time. Now everybody beat St. John, so like, who even knows what that means? But that was the first time in the second half that Jalen Lowe and Jane Quaintance had and the about they had ever been on the court together at the time. You could reasonably describe them as, as the three most Important Kentucky players, and they had never been on the basketball court together in a game until the second half of the game against St. John's and go look at what happened in the box score. They just took off and they looked awesome. And it was like, okay, if you can get that now, you got something. And you can read that column, you know, several weeks later. And I don't know how well it holds up because, you know, they, they just don't look right. And I don't know whether it's a byproduct of, you just went out and bought a lot of talented basketball players with, with little regard for how well they fit together or how much they care about the place at which they're playing, or if it's just that, you know, they're, they're not good enough, period. But it, it clearly doesn't work at this point. You know, they played 15 games, and I think you, to the extent you've been impressed by them at all, it was like, for a half against St. John's outside of that, they've been confusing. And I, I, I, I guess I wouldn't rule out anything. It's still early January, and it is still a roster filled with talented basketball players, including acquaintance, who I think everybody projects as a lottery pick at this point. But I, I, I know Kentucky fans are fed up. Like, you know, I see the tweets sometimes, and it, it doesn't mean that Mark Pope's job is in jeopardy just because somebody tweets that doesn't make it so. And if somebody suggested it was actually a possibility, I would push back on that. Like, this guy is a talented and gifted skilled basketball coach. I would not pull the trigger on an alum after two years. But the fan base expected better than this. And, and if he doesn't turn it around, those conversations to the extent that they're happening, they will just get, get louder because, you know, I was in studio past couple of nights, Tuesday, Wednesday night, at least with, among others, Avery Johnson, the former NBA coach of the year, and he was like, listen, in Lexington, they just need to calm down. And that's great advice, but, like, that's not, that's not something they do in Lexington. They don't calm down about the men's basketball program. So every, you know, every week that goes by that that team is not looking like what it was supposed to look. Preseason top 10 team, number nine, I think, in the AP poll. Every time it doesn't look the way it's supposed to look. You know, people loudly Ask Sy.
- [24:22]
KenPom (Ken Pomeroy)
And we're talking obviously about the sec. We started here with Vanderbilt. I think it's interesting the contrast between those two teams specifically because as I alluded to Buyington talked with Rostine earlier this week, that video can be found on our YouTube channel. Byington pointed to like the offensive success as a byproduct of selfless basketball, selfless players, players who don't care. Who gets the credit for contributing on offense. I feel like that is the antithesis to how Kentucky plays right now. It's not that Kentucky has a bunch of selfish players necessarily, but Vanderbilt is very much a move the ball, let's find the best shot. It doesn't matter exactly are we prioritizing. Let's get you know, one player x amount of shots from this spot. It's let's go and find the most efficient play regardless of who it is run for. And Kentucky is just, they're disjointed on offense, they're not together on defense. And it's even more confusing when on paper you know, this was a recruiting class, a transfer class that many believed had a chance to take Kentucky, you know, from a preseason number nine team to legitimately winning a national championship potential. And we are not there yet. I think, you know, going from that point in the preseason to where we are now, which is like are we sure Kentucky's going to make the NCAA tournament? Is is a pretty good indication of like just how sideways things have gone and just how quickly things have gone sideways here 15 games into the season if you're curious.
- [26:03]
Gary Parrish
Kentucky back inside Rupp arena this weekend. Saturday night they are hosting Mississippi State. That'll be on the SEC Network. Vanderbilt also at home this weekend, noon Central, one o' clock eastern. On Saturday they'll host LSU on the SEC Network inside Memorial Gym. Let's move on. Cal Bone. It's nice to have him here because he's like one of my favorite NBA draft analysts in the whole wide world. So while we have him, gonna pop some questions to him about a few of the elite prospects. We're gonna start with Darren Peterson. We'll do that next. First though, give me a word from our partners.
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Gary Parrish
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Gary Parrish
Head over to get started.TikTok.com TikTok ads. You've got your mock draft over at CBSsports.com I believe it was published just before Christmas. Darren Peterson. You have him going number one. Does whatever is going on with his legs bother you? Concern you at all?
- [29:23]
KenPom (Ken Pomeroy)
I see it, I note it, I know it's happening GP but for me it's just noise. And I think probably for NBA teams it's just noise too. Until they're able to actually do their own research, dive into the medicals do interviews and figure out what in the world is happening. Like, Cooper Flag had cramping issues last year at Duke, right? And that was like, actually a pretty prominent storyline for a little while. Paolo Banchero struggled cramping at Duke. Maybe it's a Duke thing. I don't know. You know, Darren Peterson struggling with. With cramping at Kansas, and he has, like, a hamstring injury. There's been top prospects from knees to ankles to soft tissues, like hamstrings. I think it can affect everyone, so it doesn't necessarily factor into my evaluation. I think for me, gp, like, if you follow the story, it just seems like kind of weird how it's been portrayed, which almost I think, and I'm going to sound like Peterson's PR guy, but it does feel a little bit like it's unfair in a way that, like, all right, have you ever had a hamstring injury? Because, like, trying to play through a hamstring injury is really, really hard. And they can be tricky. Like, sometimes you feel 100%, and then sometimes you feel a tweak and you're like, okay, well, I can't go. Well, I feel like it's one of those things where he's clearly not 100%. He's trying to play through it. He's tried to be successful, and he's had, like, stints where he's looked awesome. The truth is that he's probably still not 100 and may not be 100. So I don't know. The whole. The whole situation with Darren Peterson, I think, is just. It's just weird. It's just weird. But I think if you chalk it up to Peterson's not 100, he's still trying to give it a go. It doesn't. It doesn't really factor into my final evaluation other than to note that, like, okay, he had some soft tissue injuries and he tried to play through them. Didn't exactly work out. But still, regardless, he's been, in the minutes that he's played, very, very effective for Kansas.
- [31:26]
Gary Parrish
It's weird because it's unusual at the college level to have a prospect, you know, in and out of games, taking himself out of games, telling you he doesn't feel like he's going to go. Minutes restrictions. But this is all very normal at the NBA level. Like, I wonder how many people even know this. Like, quite literally on the same night that Darren Peterson made three free throws at the end of regulation to get a game to overtime and did not play in the extra period at all. Because he was feeling something in his leg and. Or because he had hit a certain number of minutes. Like, literally on the same night, Victor Wembanyama played against the Memphis Grizzlies. A game went to overtime, and he did not play in the overtime. Like, he didn't close the game because of a minutes restriction, because he was coming off of an injury. Like, and it's not even a story in the NBA. Like, it's just like, well, yeah, that's the way they handled that situation. What? Like he played in regulation, but then he didn't play and. Well, yeah, that's the way they handle that. You know, that he was coming off of an injury, he didn't feel right. We have a plan going into this. And so this, like, it's not even a thing like, that wasn't even a headline anywhere outside of San Antonio, probably because it's a very normal thing at the NBA level. But at the college level, we just haven't really dealt with this too much because, you know, in the NBA, they play so frequently and the game is often played at a faster pace that these, like, soft tissue injuries pop up all the time. And it's like somebody felt something in their calf or their hamstring. He's out for two weeks and we'll reevaluate it. Then it's just like, almost without exception. That's the way it goes at the collegiate level, we're just. We just don't deal with it as often because they don't play as often, they don't play as fast. They don't deal with this particular type of thing. But obviously it's bothered Darren Peterson. I'm with you. I were an evaluator. Like, I'm a general manager of an NBA franchise. I want to know why this is happening, but it doesn't move me off of him. If I, two months ago identified him as if I'm picking first, that's who I'm taking. I'm not concerned about what we've seen keep him off the court in any sort of meaningful way. What I'm most. What I'm most interested in is that when he has been healthy, he has looked awesome. When he has been healthy, he. He has taken over basketball games and looked like a guy who could, you know, run through an NCAA tournament and take a team that otherwise probably shouldn't sniff a Final Four to a Final Four. Like, he's. He's that kind of talent. And if you had him going number one two months ago, whatever's going on with his legs right now, probably should not move you off of it. Let me ask you about Kingston Flemings. You got him going 19th to the Grizzlies. On behalf of the franchise, just let me tell you, I'll take it now. But is that. Is that a. Is that a proper representation on January 9th of where you think he would be picked, or is that just something you did on December 24th? But, oh, buddy, he's moving up draft boards now.
- [34:31]
KenPom (Ken Pomeroy)
Yeah, it's definitely the latter. Our boy Adam Finkelstein's actually moved him up to number seven on the CBS Sports big board. That's probably closer to where he's actually being viewed right now. Actually, Sam Vizini has him at number five on his board. He's looked awesome for Houston, like, legitimately looks like a star. And you know, it's one thing, like, to look really good, to put up big numbers and for your team to be good, but you're playing on a team, right? With Milos Uzan, with Kristenak, with Jojo Tugler, like all three potential first rounders. And Flemings is averaging a team high 16.1 points per game, a team high five, 5.1 assists per game, a team high 2.1 steals per game. He's shooting 43% from three. Good size, excellent score, playmaker on defense. All of those descriptions gp, like, that's a lottery pick. That's just a lottery pick. And you know, the on off splits have bared out that he is absolutely an impact player for Houston. Houston's 9.0 points per 100 possessions. Better with him on the floor versus off. And he's very young. Obviously. His game is like, you just watch him and you're like, okay, I don't exactly know what I'm watching, but this guy has it, you know, and like, the numbers definitely bear that out. He's been very effective as a true freshman for Houston. Still very young. This is a guy who is screaming up boards right now and is in the mix, like, legitimately. You know, a month ago we were talking about him as a, you know, a top 20 prospect. Now he's legitimately played his way into being a potential top five pick in the 2026 NBA draft.
- [36:18]
Gary Parrish
Yeah, that's. That's right. Like, if everybody still has a top three in some order of Darren Peterson, AJ DeBonsa and Cameron Boozer. Kingston Flemings has got to be in any conversation happening outside of those three. Yeah. So you could reasonably. I mean, at this point, I don't want to put any ceilings on him. You could reasonably put him wherever you want. But I wouldn't be surprised to see my graphs have him as high as 4. And when basically any pre Christmas mock graph gets updated, you're gonna probably see him in the top 10. Everything I've heard from people who work in NBA front offices is at this point, if the draft were tonight, Kingston Flemings would it would be a surprise if 10 players were were selected. Oh yeah, for him. Let me ask you about Cameron Boozer. Then we'll move on to the final four and one, he is clearly or at least statistically in a lot of ways college basketball's best player this season. If we were voting wouldn't award today, I think he would be number one on almost everybody's ballot. But he still isn't number one in most people's mock drafts.
- [37:24]
KenPom (Ken Pomeroy)
Why?
- [37:25]
Gary Parrish
What is it about Cameron Boozer that is so crystal clear? He's awesome at this level but people think it's not obvious to them he shouldn't be the first pick of the draft.
- [37:37]
KenPom (Ken Pomeroy)
That's a great question. I think it's in part because Darren Peterson and AJ debonza have been fantastic in their own ways. Like just for the numbers perspective for Peterson. I know we talked about the injuries, but per CBB analytics, he's 100th percentile in scoring, he's 100th percentile in player efficiency rating. And yeah, maybe, you know, Kansas hasn't figured out a way to play with him and he hasn't figured out a way with to play with Kansas yet. But he's still been very efficient as a scorer. Debanza, you know, looks like he's got like a build, a body, physique. He looks like a Greek God. He's an insane athlete. He's been very effective as a scorer. You know, just checks a lot of boxes in terms of the physical frame. So like debance and Peterson in the way in which you like evaluate those type of prospects, Peterson, Agar, the band says, you know, kind of a wing, they've been great. And so Boozer, I think that part has hurt him. Those two guys have been excellent. And also like in general, I think when you're evaluating NBA draft like the general public probably just gravitates more toward wings and guards because it's hard to talk yourself over a scoring wing or an athletic wing like DeBancer or Peterson when you're evaluating Boozer. That being said, like yes, I have him number three on my, on my mock draft, I have a number one on my own board. I think he's the best prospect in this class. He doesn't have the insane physique, right? Like he's not the same electric scorer like Peterson or you know, the, the athletic marvel like Debancer. But he's a four time high school state champion. He's a winner at every level. He's the son of Carlos Boozer. There, there's like a built in pedigree. He's insanely productive at Duke. He leads the team in, in points, rebounds, assists, steals. And Duke is fantastic. Like they're top 10 in offensive and defensive efficiency. This is a team that's probably going to win the ACC. They're 14 and 1. I think at some point GP there, there might come a time when that actually flips. Like I don't, I don't know if I would predict it but it won't surprise me if Boozer continues to put up the numbers he has and, and he continues to be viewed as the clear like number three in the top three pecking order of Peterson, Debance and Boozer specifically because whatever's happening with Peterson is just like turning some people off fairly or unfairly. So yeah, like I think it's an interesting kind of test case and how you evaluate the NBA draft, what you prioritize. But Boozer just like the, the personality, the, the attitude, the swagger he plays with like all the intangible stuff that maybe NBA teams really value. I think he's going to like check the boxes times a million and there could be a time between now and the NBA draft where people are viewing Boozer as the number one prospect in this class and perhaps like sooner rather than later.
- [40:50]
Gary Parrish
You can find KB's latest mock draft. It's over@cbssports.com he's got Cameron Boozer 1. Let me confirm it. Is it Darren Peterson? He's got camera. Boozer third. Is it Darren Peterson? 1 debonsa 2 that's your order?
- [41:04]
KenPom (Ken Pomeroy)
Yes, yes.
- [41:05]
Gary Parrish
I think that that's most people's order at this point. Again, you can find his mock draft. Latest one. It's over@cbssports.com we come back, it's time for the Final Four and one presented by Fanduel Sportsbook. Make every moment more. First though, let's get one more word from our partners.
- [41:20]
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- [41:51]
Gary Parrish
I'm for the final four in one, presented by FanDuel Sportsbook. Make every moment more. Josh, you want to get in my ear in the softest tone you got? Tell me how good I am at.
- [42:01]
Josh (Producer/Assistant)
This softest tone I got.
- [42:05]
Gary Parrish
Take it down, take it down, take it down.
- [42:07]
Josh (Producer/Assistant)
Or do I need a whisper? Is that what you want? I, I, I feel like you've had a hectic morning.
- [42:11]
KenPom (Ken Pomeroy)
I feel like you've had a hectic morning.
- [42:13]
Josh (Producer/Assistant)
You could use this. I feel like you could.
- [42:15]
Gary Parrish
Josh, for people who don't know, like, you're, you're, you're, you're a memphian yourself. And so you know what Jeff Calkins means to, to, to, to the city. And so I was really looking forward to joining him on his last show. And next thing I know, about 15, 20 minutes into the conversation, like, right as we were getting going, I got blue lights on and I'm like, oh, no, what have I done? I was out here committing crimes in Memphis, Tennessee. You know, you know about our crime problems down here. It's a, it's been a struggle for a little while, and turns out I thought I was part of the solution. I'd like to think of myself as part of the solution. Like, I'm going to be somebody who tries to make this place better in whatever ways I can do that. I'm going to use whatever tools I have to try to make this place better. Turns out I'm part of the problem. I'm just out there committing crimes like everybody else. Look at me. I got a court date, February 13th.
- [43:04]
KenPom (Ken Pomeroy)
God bless.
- [43:05]
Josh (Producer/Assistant)
Were you still on the phone with Jeff when, I mean, I guess you had to have been.
- [43:09]
KenPom (Ken Pomeroy)
Were, were you?
- [43:10]
Josh (Producer/Assistant)
You think it'll make it on the show? That'd be pretty funny.
- [43:12]
Gary Parrish
Oh, he was, oh, it's perfect. It's perfect for the last Jeff Goggin show. It was, it was like, all right, GP Before I get you out of here, I do just want to get you on the record for some things like going into the future. And let's start with Penny Hardaway. Do you think Penny Hardaway is going to be the coach at Memphis this time next year? And I said, well, Jeff, you know, and blue lights. Boo, boo. And I was like, this Is great. Like, I. I think I got to let you go. I think I got to let you go. I mean, I've been watching the news. Ain't no way I'm gonna try to argue with this officer. I mean, I don't know paying attention to the news, but I ain't trying. Like, I don't think this is the time to be disobeying it. Like, I was like, hands up. Tell me what to do. I gotta let you go. Jeff. Cock. Is it off? He pulled up to me and he's. He said. He was like, you know what you've done? I was like, I honestly don't know what I've done. You know, you tell me. You talking on the phone. I was like, I've committed the crime of phone talking this morning. I've committed the crime of phone talking. Like, you can't. You can't be on. You can't have your phone in your hand. Why? Like, I get it, whatever. It's fine. But, like, I literally have a car that I don't have to drive. I could. I could get to work like this. I could just drive like this. It'll be fun. Like, it doesn't matter. It's my car, knows exactly how to get me where I'm going. It's good at it. It's very good at it. So I could go like this. And I think about this for a sec. This is hilarious. If I went like this, drove to work, I'd be fine. I would have had no issues this morning, but. But because I instead drove to work like this, I almost went to jail. I almost went to jail. Like, this is illegal. This is not. This is illegal in Memphis. This is not. I don't know what to do, man.
- [45:10]
KenPom (Ken Pomeroy)
I feel like you could at least. If you're going to get pulled over. Texting seems like the most egregious, right? Like, this is less distracting than this. Like, I know both are, you know, against the law or whatever, but I feel like if you're going to enforce it, at least enforce, like, texting only or, like, no scrolling, you know?
- [45:29]
Gary Parrish
Like, I think if we're ranking. I think if we're ranking dangerous things behind the wheel, texting would rank higher than talking on the phone, holding it to your ear. I think that's true. I think that's widely accepted as true. We're going to believe it to be true. You know, we're gonna.
- [45:45]
KenPom (Ken Pomeroy)
It's not that much different than, like, hand on the wheel, like, you know, just kind of leaned over, relaxed Hand on the head.
- [45:53]
Gary Parrish
I. I didn't feel like I was part of the problem, but I'm also not going to sit here and act like I'm above the law. You know, I think there's a little too much of that going on in the country right now, people thinking they're above the law. I don't want to be a part of that problem. So I'll. I'll. I'll show up in court if I have to. February 13th. Hey, KB, what are you doing on February 13th? You might have to host the I Own College Basketball podcast.
- [46:13]
KenPom (Ken Pomeroy)
I think I'm hosting a podcast. February 13th.
- [46:16]
Gary Parrish
All right. Because I got a court date. I might have to go to court. All right. What a. What a. What a goofy. What a goofy Friday morning. Hey, it's time for the final four. And one, presented by FanDuel Sportsbook. Make every moment more. Josh, get in my ear. Get my ear. And in the softest tone you got, I want you to tell me how good I am at this.
- [46:34]
Josh (Producer/Assistant)
Well, I've just uploaded a present for you into Streamyard, so I'm gonna play this for you just. Just real quick, and then I'll send it to you after the show. Oh, GP you're so good at this. Look at that. Now it's just in Streamyard. We can. We can play it over and over again. Oh, so good at this.
- [46:51]
KenPom (Ken Pomeroy)
That was beautiful.
- [46:53]
Gary Parrish
That was sweet. What's the record? Give me a record, and if it's not good, just change it. Make it. Make it sound good.
- [46:59]
Josh (Producer/Assistant)
GP year 23. 21 and 1 so far. To New Orlanders. 21, 23 and 1. And so that's. That's you winning in case. Yeah.
- [47:14]
Gary Parrish
I'm. I'm killing him. I'm like the Vanderbilt of picking games on the Ion college basketball podcast. I'm. I'm like the Mark Byington of picking games on the ion college basketball.
- [47:23]
Josh (Producer/Assistant)
Is that right?
- [47:25]
Gary Parrish
Like, I think Norlander's like. And I'm. I'm like Vanderbilt. He. He puts all this thought into his picking games. That's the equivalent of spending all that money. And the results are disappointing me. I just, like, I just trust buildings or, you know, pick mascots, whatever, and I'm absolutely blowing him out just like. Just like every single year. Game one Saturday, noon Eastern. It's number 10, Nebraska at Indiana. Inside, Tom Crean hall appreciated Tom Crane a little more when you had him. He was winning outright Big Ten championships. Been a while since you had one of those. You can watch this one on The Big Ten Network. Ken Palm's got an Indiana minus three. The undefeated Huskers underdogs on the road. How you gonna act?
- [48:11]
KenPom (Ken Pomeroy)
I'm gonna act like I respect Ken Palm. Indiana wins this one. Nebraska's undefeated run ends at 15.
- [48:19]
Bob's Furniture Advertiser
0.
- [48:20]
KenPom (Ken Pomeroy)
Corn Huskers. They've won by single possession four times, including two games in a row. Indiana has not lost at home this season. Four straight wins. Lamar Wilkerson playing like a star. Give me the Hoosiers.
- [48:36]
Gary Parrish
This is no time to get off of the Nebraska bandwagon.
- [48:39]
KenPom (Ken Pomeroy)
I'm hopping off.
- [48:40]
Gary Parrish
Not with ring Mast. Operating at a high level. Like this is one of the best stories in the sport right there with Vanderbilt. The other undefeated teams, with exception of Miami, Ohio perhaps were kind of like, I don't know that we expected them to have a zero in the lost column on January 9, but they were supposed to be good. Like we, we, we assumed Michigan would be good. Arizona would be a Final Four contender. Iowa State under TJ with this score has been good. Without exception. Nebraska, Vanderbilt are kind of the surprises of the list of undefeateds. And you know, so then people start asking, why? What happened? Well, like if you go back and look at the team two years ago, Reed Mass was an important player on that team. And then he missed all of last season. Like they didn't have a guy they were counting on last season, you know, for a single minute. But now he's back, he's their leading score now and having the best year of his college career. 16.3.6 rebounds. I will take Nebraska plus the three on Saturday at Indiana. Game two, Saturday, 1pm Eastern. It's Wisconsin at number two. Michigan inside the Ray Jackson Center. You can watch that on cbs. It's America's most watched network. Network of stars. Kim Pom's got it. Michigan minus 19.
- [49:58]
KenPom (Ken Pomeroy)
It's a big number. GP. That's a big number.
- [50:03]
Gary Parrish
19.
- [50:03]
KenPom (Ken Pomeroy)
I mean, this is a, this is a Michigan team that leads the country in scoring margin. So it seems about right. Michigan did win by only two on the road over Penn State earlier in the week. I am, I'm officially on record as a, a Michigan skeptic. I realize Michigan has been dominant for most of the last two months and yeah, they've beat their three ranked opponents by an average of 37 points. I think Wisconsin keeps it within 19 points. Michigan wins. Michigan wins. Wisconsin keeps it within the number. That's a big number.
- [50:37]
Gary Parrish
I will lay the 19 points, but it is like, it's a huge number. And just when you frame it this way. It, it, it illustrates or helps illustrate just how overwhelming Michigan has been for the most part this season that, you know, barely got it. Victory over Penn State, Midweek notwithstanding, Wisconsin's 42nd at Kin Bomb and a 19 point underdog to Michigan. Like the, Wisconsin is a top 45 team. Like that's a, you know, that's a, That's a borderline NCAA tournament team. 19 from a power conference, 19 point underdog to Michigan. I'll lay the points just in the spirit of rooting for the top 25 and one every day. You have Michigan number one. He's like 30, 31. Now there's an Arizona fan out there telling you you don't know what you're doing. So I can't imagine how many will be waiting on me if Michigan were to, you know, not blow somebody out. So I'm going to take Michigan minus the 19 and the root for the top 25 and 1. Game 3, Saturday, 2pm Eastern. Number 24, SMU at number 6, Duke inside Greg Paulus Indoor Stadium. You can watch it on ESPN. Kim Pom's got this one. Duke minus 11, minus 11.
- [51:51]
KenPom (Ken Pomeroy)
And this is an SMU team that beat North Carolina by 14 just a week ago. But, and I wrote about it, North Carolina's defense in that game was historically stinky. Boopy Miller went full booby. Miller, I'm gonna, I'm gonna lay the points here. Duke coming off an 11 point road win over Louisville. Their defense is improving. This is a, this is one of only three teams in college basketball top 10 in offensive and defensive efficiency. Play the points here. I'm gonna trust, I'm gonna trust Duke. I'd be a building truster here with the Blue Dogs.
- [52:28]
Gary Parrish
Can't give somebody named Bupy 11 points. That's outrageous. I'm taking SMU plus the points on Saturday at Duke. Game four, Saturday, 6pm Eastern. Number 15, Arkansas at Auburn inside Chris Porter Arena. You can watch it on espn. Kim Pump's got it. Auburn minus one. John Calipari's Razorback, slight underdog on the road.
- [52:51]
KenPom (Ken Pomeroy)
Yeah, I'm going to, I'm going to take Auburn here. Take them to win. Take them to cover. Auburn is 0 and 2 to start SEC play. They desperately need a win. I think they get it. Auburn, of course, coming off that heartbreaking loss in which their, their buzzer beater did not count. Well, it counted and then it didn't count. You know, they've lost. They've got losses. They lost by one to Houston in November. Overtime loss to Georgia last week, last second loss to Texas A and M. Arkansas going to the jungle. I think the jungle is going to be absolutely ferocious after what happened against Texas A and M. Aubrey gets it done here.
- [53:33]
Gary Parrish
Darius AKA we talked about a couple of the elite freshmen earlier. Kingston Flemings, Darren Peterson, Cameron Boozer, Acuff. Is it clear in your mind? Forgive me, I don't know where you have him in your mock draft, but most people have him top 10. Is he a top 10 guy to you?
- [53:49]
KenPom (Ken Pomeroy)
Top 10 guy to me. I think probably was a top 10 guy when I did my mock draft on December 23rd. He's been awesome and the numbers have like played out in a way that Arkansas is not only like a little bit better when he's on the floor, they're like a lot better when he's on the floor and like borderline not an NCAA tournament team when he's playing. So he's been awesome.
- [54:10]
Gary Parrish
Awesome.
- [54:10]
KenPom (Ken Pomeroy)
He is elevating the talent around him at Arkansas. And yeah, like if Arkansas goes and wins this on the road, it will almost certainly be because Acuff has an A plus game on the road.
- [54:23]
Gary Parrish
I'll take them Razorbacks plus a point on the road. I like this Arkansas team. I, I know in year one at Arkansas was a roller coaster for Cal. Terrible start up and down, injuries, all that stuff. You know, then they win some games in the NCAA tournament so it doesn't feel like it was as uneven as it was. But this season there's been none of that. And some of it is like, I think he's got a pretty good recipe here. Like they had roster continuity, they carried guys over, they've got the elite freshman, they've got NBA talent. Like they check a lot of the boxes. I think you need to check to have a team that can compete for a national championship. I'm not going to pick them to win it. But that's a team that if you were thinking any thoughts that year two at Arkansas for John was going to be similar to year one like that that seems like it's over. Like this is a solid, consistent, reliable basketball team led by a five star freshman who has been tremendous. I think they get a win on the road this weekend. I'm going to take Arkansas. Arkansas plus the one they wanted outright at Auburn on Saturday. Norlander picked the N1 as he does, he went with Tennessee at Florida. So Saturday noon, Eastern number 21, Tennessee at Florida. Inside, I don't know. Let's call it the Joe Kim Noah center. Ken Palm's Got it. Florida minus four. You can watch it on espn.
- [55:55]
KenPom (Ken Pomeroy)
I'm gonna, I'm gonna be a building truster here. I trust Florida to get this one done at home. Tennessee's been like. I don't really know exactly what to expect from Tennessee. I mean they've had some pretty good highs and some weird lows coming off in a win at home over Texas by 14 points. Pretty, pretty resounding effort there. But yeah, Florida's been pretty good at home. I still believe this Florida team is way better than, than what it has shown so far, which they're 10 and 5. I think most people expected them to be quite a bit better than they've been. They're unranked right now, coming off a national championship. But yeah, I think they, they get a nice win here over Tennessee. Team that is obviously ranked and they need it. Florida needs it. I think they get it.
- [56:41]
Gary Parrish
If you are looking at NBA prospects non freshman additional obviously James wait and sits pretty high on that list. Where's Thomas Hauck for you?
- [56:50]
KenPom (Ken Pomeroy)
Lottery? Probably in the lottery. I think, I think there's some flaws in, in the, in the profile here. He's not maybe a great shooter, but he's, he's got a lot of tools in his package and like he was if not the best, one of the best players in Florida's title run, obviously behind Walter Clayton Jr. And he's absolutely like just continued where he left off from last season. And you know, on a team that like, there's a lot of pieces here. Alex Condon, Boogie Flynn, like, I think Hawk has been like the most impactful player for this Florida team and one of the most consistent. And so like if Florida's back court can step up and Fland and Lee can play to another level, I still believe like this is a Florida team that can win the sec. Sec. But they just have, they just have been way inconsistent to start this season. Getting a win Saturday over Tennessee I think would go a long ways towards just like regenerating that confidence because I think the talent on this team is, is still very, very high.
- [57:52]
Gary Parrish
Yeah, it's interesting because Alex Condon was the preseason All American, but I think some people, I know it was a pretty common opinion in our college basketball slack in the preseason was like Thomas Hawks their best player. I don't care who AP voters voted preseason All American, their best player is going to be that guy who was coming off of the bench last season. And I think, you know, however many games we are into this for them, he has emerged as that, but like Florida has been among the disappointing teams in the country. Like you get into these conversations sometimes and St. John's is up there and Kentucky's up there. The highest ranked team in the preseason AP pole that is no longer ranked, that's Florida. It's not St. John's of Kentucky, it's Florida. So I think I'm more out on St. John's now than I am on Florida. But if you are basing disappointment off of preseason poll, are you ranked now? Florida would be the, the, the, the best example of that. And so the issues have been in the backcourt. Like Condon's been fine, Hauk's been great. The front courts, you know, like was expected to be really good and has been really good. But Boogie Flan's been uneven and Zeon Lee's been disappointing. They both had nice moments but not consistently enough to, to, to put Florida in any sort of serious back to back conversation so far. So we'll see what they do on Saturday. I, like you will take them to cover this number at home. But if Florida is going to, you know, emerge as a, as a legitimate championship contender so that we can have serious conversations about them trying to go back to back as Mark March approaches. They've got to be better than what they've been and that, that probably means those guards have to be, be better than what they've been. I gather you got a clock in front of you so you can see like I got another show starting in five minutes. So I, I think we could call it, I think we could call it right here. Norlander has submitted his picks to Josh.
- [59:59]
Norlander
Good morning from the high hills in the great state of Vermont. Wanted to get this in before Friday got going too much. You're only getting this on the audio version. You're not getting this on, on the YouTube here. So here are my final four and one picks. I gotta make this fast. My hands are already cold. Nebraska to Indiana. I'm taking Indiana Friday night to be Oregon and then I will take the Hoosiers on Saturday straight up to defeat the Cornhuskers and give them their first loss of the season. Game two Wisconsin at Michigan. This line GP sent the note.
- [60:29]
Gary Parrish
It's 19.
- [60:30]
Norlander
I will still, I will take Michigan. I know they just barely won on the road. This one's at home. Give me a mission to cover. Give me Duke to cover as well. Duke minus 11. I'll say Cam Boozer. I'll guess, I'll guess the stat line here. Give me Boozer. 25 points 11 boards, 6 assists, pair of steals. Game 4 Arkansas at Auburn, Auburn at home. This is a huge, I mean, this is a huge spot for Steven Pearl's group. I'm going to say they do get it done. I think they get it done. They went out right? And then Gators hosting Tennessee, remember? And they might have said this on the show, but obviously I haven't heard it. Remember both these teams last year, Tennessee and Florida, they blew out the other one. Both games were blowouts. It was like the only time ever that two ranked teams played twice in a regular season. And each time the winning margin was like 20 plus or more on either side. Just a wild, wild thing. I do think we get a close one. I will take Florida to win at home. I will take the Gators to cover in the N1. Appreciate everyone and I'll see you on the Sunday show. Bear down. Let's go Bears.
- [61:34]
Gary Parrish
If, if history is any indication of how this is going to go, I smoke him again. I'll smoke him again. And then we'll be back here to talk about it on Sunday night. Shouts to Devin Downey. Shouts to Chester, S.C. shouts to Terry Teagle. He's a legend. Huck Barnell. Thank you guys once again for watching the I Own College Basketball Podcast. Listening to the I Own College Basketball Podcast. If you're not subscribed, please go. Subscribe anywhere. Subscribe to podcast like Apple and Spotify. There is more of us than there are of them. That should be reflected in the comments. So do that and we'll be back on Sunday. Cal Boone, thank you for being here. Your sweetheart, I appreciate you. We'll be back Sunday night. Till then, take care. Paramount Podcasts.
- [62:26]
Blue Apron Advertiser
Paramount plus is the new home of ufc.
- [62:30]
KenPom (Ken Pomeroy)
It isn't just combat, it's cinema.
- [62:33]
Gary Parrish
Unbelievable.
- [62:34]
KenPom (Ken Pomeroy)
Every strike is a frame. What a shot.
- [62:37]
Gary Parrish
Every rivalry a story. Oh my goodness. This canvas is more than a stage. Are you?
- [62:48]
KenPom (Ken Pomeroy)
It's where legends are made.
- [62:50]
Gary Parrish
UFC on Paramount/ every fight one subscription streaming this January.