← Eye On College Basketball
Eye On College Basketball
Bama’s Bediako case could crater CBB—and maybe it should. Plus: Kentucky-Texas; Alijah Arenas’ USC debut; HOU-TTU, UNC-UVA, ILL-PUR highlight a fun/cold Saturday🥶
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- [00:00]
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- [02:16]
Matt Norlander
What is up? Hello everyone. Matt Norlander here. Friday, January 23rd heading into a big weekend of colle. I am opening the show. GP is not Gary Parish is off to not exactly parts unknown. We'll reveal where he is later in the show in his stead. Joining us on the show is Adam Finkelstein. Does a tremendous job covering hoops at all levels for us over at CBS sports and with 24. 7 sports. Good morning, Fink. How you doing, bud?
- [02:44]
Adam Finkelstein
I'm great. How are you?
- [02:45]
Matt Norlander
I'm good. I'm getting ready to ship off later today, fly out to Utah. I will be in Provo for the weekend and for the big Arizona BYU game on Monday night, I knock on wood. I think I'm going to beat this. Massive storm storms inbound and wife isn't exactly thrilled with the unplanned developments where I'm leaving this area for a good four or five days. And you and I both live in Connecticut, I believe my wife said this morning. We checked, she checked the, she checked the latest forecast, 12 to 15 inches in Connecticut. Are you bracing? Are you, are you ready?
- [03:21]
Adam Finkelstein
I was going to say that's, that's ambitious. And do you, do you have a snow removal plan already in place for the family?
- [03:29]
Matt Norlander
So how about, how about this? I'd mentioned this on a, on the pod in the past like two weeks, I still have not yet purchased, in all of my years living in the Northeast, I have not purchased a snowblower. And so in the past 36 hours, as I was, you know, doing, it's been a very busy week in college basketball. So thanks, thanks to my wife for starting to look up like, okay, you're leaving me an alert share. We got to do something. She starts hopping on, you know, the different Facebook groups in the town and I guess Ring Camera has these also like these forums or whatever where people just share information looking up how much it will cost to get a, like we have a medium sized driveway. I think it's definitely not a super long one. It's not a tiny one, it's not huge, but it's enough where if it's a real snowstorm like it's, it would take me on a real snowstorm like an hour and a half at least to shovel a driveway by myself. I've done it before. So she starts looking like, okay, you're going to be gone. This could be a foot. We're obviously not going to shovel this. How much does it cost to, to, to plow this thing home, Buddy? It's, it's, it's not the size of the driveway, it's the size of the storm. And we're talking, talking what would probably be, I would say 10 minutes max of a plow coming in here. We're talking 250 300, $400 to plow a driveway. I was like, I mean if it's, if it's like 16 inches like we, you might have to do what you got to do. However, shouts to my brother in law Joe. He went out and purchased another snowblower this week. He has a working one he's bringing, they're bringing it over I think tomorrow so I won't be here. Wife is going to try and give this no blower thing a go because I can't in good conscious like I can't be dropping 350 to have my driveway plowed. I don't have.
- [05:21]
Adam Finkelstein
Gary, it's your show so far for me to criticize but just so I understand correctly, in good conscience we can't pay the money but we can make our wife deal with the 12 to 18 inches of correct.
- [05:34]
Matt Norlander
I got, listen, I got co opied versus AJ DeBonso. I've had had this trip planned for weeks. I'm not backing out on that. That's not happening.
- [05:40]
Adam Finkelstein
Priorities man. Gotta do what you gotta do.
- [05:42]
Matt Norlander
Gotta do what I gotta do. And, and heading out tonight and hopefully again knock on wood tonight flight. Hopefully everything goes well there. But yes we are in the north across the country actually we've taken live hello to our live audience on YouTube. Appreciate you always. There's like 25 states at least affected by this and I know in, in parts of Tennessee, Kentucky, it's not just snow, it's the ice, you know the real threat there. We've already got some ice puns in the chat. I appreciate that and yes I hear that the whole way but everyone that's watching, listening, taking the show, please be safe. Hopefully you've prepped. I know literally hundreds of grocery stores have gone, have gone dry and in the past like 72 hours and so as a result we're going to have a bunch of games stacked up on each other on Saturday. We'll get to that later in the show but let's lead on on what I think is still the most prominent topic in college hoops right now and that's in part because Thursday was relatively slow. We'll get to the Wednesday stuff in the B block but Charles Bediaco in the Situation at Alabama continues as expected to be a pretty dominant storyline here. Adam and NATO gave an up. He's going to have media availability I believe later today. So after this show this is just the flow of how it goes sometimes unfortunately we're probably going to get more from Oats later today that I can't give you context on because we got to get this thing going here in the morning. But he did have an update yesterday that revealed that while Betty Ako was, you know, theoretically, they were hoping to play him, the exact quote was Chuck got dinged up at practice today. He's dealing with a little bit of a leg issue. He'll be a game time decision Saturday. And quote a credit to Daniel Giddens on, on Twitter, who just seems to be someone who traffics in a lot of Alabama information. I saw that one first put out there, but I'm, I'm wondering if we're going to have more from, from Oats here. That got passed along to me this morning. So I haven't, I haven't heard from Oats. I reached out to him. He's gone a little bit dark on me here, which I guess is understandable. This has become such a major huge story that you have had, you have had coaches on the record in the ensuing 36, 48. Let's, you know what, Josh, let's just get to that first. Here's Mark Pope Wednesday night after Kentucky beat Texas and what he said when he was essentially just teed up on the general topic of mid season acquisitions and obviously one coming to his very league here with Alabama. Here's what Pope said.
- [08:20]
Mark Pope
Unstop gap that is kind of spreading right now that maybe has some legs. It's kind of a last stand is the NCAA does get to decide who gets to go to the NCAA tournament. Like they get to decide that they have that power. And so at some point when they've been very, very clear about what the rules that they're going to try and force, they might lose in court, but they still get to decide what games count towards the end. So, and I'm not saying that to penalize any team. I'm just saying that because at some point it is important that we take a stand and regain some tiny ounce of sanity. And until someone tells me different, I still believe the NCAA has full power over who gets in the NCAA Tournament and what games they count towards your NCAA Tournament bid. And at the end of the day, that is what drives all of us. So hopefully we'll take a stand there and clean this up for everybody, for everybody. Because right now everybody is chasing their tails. And I think it's a place we can take a stand. I hope we will. This game matters too much. The NCAA tournament is too extraordinary a deal. These high school players and these young players and all these players matter too much. College basketball matters too much. It's just time to bring, just take a stand, bring a little bit of sand into this deal.
- [09:36]
Matt Norlander
Okay? So that's one thing. And then to every Alabama person in favor of the Betty Ako stuff, they're going to be listening to this and they're very aware that another G League player, Dink Pate, is reportedly and allegedly been in contact with Kentucky staff about trying to come to college basketball. So I'm aware of that angle of it as well. I got another video for you also in the sec, Todd golden doing, doing a local radio hit on Thursday. Here's what he had to say more specifically about the situation at Alabama.
- [10:10]
Todd Golden
The finagle, the situation where they got a judge in Alabama that is actually a donor at Alabama to, you know, write a temporary restraining order to allow this guy to play games in Alabama. You know, I think there's a lot of people that aren't necessarily happy about it and don't necessarily agree with it. But you know, with all this intervention from judges, you know, there's only so much the league can do. There's only so much other member schools in the league can do. And we just need some people to stand up and start taking the stand. And you know, this guy had a great opportunity. He was at Alabama for two years. He played there. He was there during the NIL era. He was aware of what he was giving up by declaring to go to the draft. He stayed in past the date. That has always been if you stay in and you sign a contract, you're done. You know, so I think this is a slippery slope.
- [11:01]
Mark Pope
You're going to play them a week from Sunday. Is it, is it, is it a distraction?
- [11:07]
Todd Golden
We're going to beat him anyways like that. If he plays, we'll beat him anyways.
- [11:14]
Matt Norlander
Todd golden playing to obviously a local crowd there. I'm all for any kind of quote that gives us that kind of content. Those two coaches aren't the only ones in the sec. We haven't heard from John Caliperi yet. We already know how John Calipari feels about this and I'm just telling you there are others. I do think it is notable and interesting that and maybe the James Najee situation, Fink at Baylor empowered more people to speak out even more immediately and, and forcefully on this. I see our chat asking if that, that nugget that golden said is verified. And yes, the judge in the case specifically that allowed the temporary restraining order, James H. Roberts, is listed as a active six figure donor to Alabama athletics. You know, the champless case in football I know is like the judge there is a former. I mean, it just, it's this country, like, what do you, what do you want for me? What do you expect from me? There's even more. I'll toss it over here real quick. Think. But Dan Hurley tweeted out a video of Rodney Dangerfield from Back to School, which was just objectively funny. Dan Hurley's boss, Dave Benedict told espn, quote, if legally we can't control or impose NCAA rules in terms of who can play and who can't, based on a legal decision, the NCAA still has the right to determine what games count toward the NCAA tournament and what games don't count. The NCAA has deemed Betty Ako ineligible. Fine. He can play on a judge's ruling. It doesn't mean the games need to count toward the NAA tournament. Otherwise, throw away the on fire. There are no rules. Now, as I detailed in my lead item of the court report on Thursday, there is specific language in this temporary restraining order that effectively doesn't allow for the NCAA or its selection committee to deem the games that Betty Ako plays in, if he does indeed play in any games, to be off the books vacated, not counting toward the NCAA tournament and the resume. In fact, from a strictly legal perspective, the NCAA could be, I believe, held in contempt if they go against that order. So that's not going to happen. But the fact that you have a very prominent coach, a fairly prominent ad and others speaking out to this makes for obviously juicy copy and the biggest story in college basketball right now. I've talked plenty. It's now your turn. Your thoughts. Floor is yours on what's happening here and, and the direction the sport has been tilting toward, even going back to the James Najee case, which is, believe it or not, less than a month old.
- [13:51]
Adam Finkelstein
Yeah, I don't, I don't like it. I hope it doesn't hold up. So let me preface what I'm about to say with that. But I also think that it's, you know, the NCAA is in a situation of their own making right here. If I could and Matt, please cut me off if you've, if you've already covered this, but the formal court document itself that Betty O's lawyer submitted. I mean, say you're not a college basketball like die hard fan and you just read this. This is straight from the case ready. In just the last month, the NCAA has reinstated another former G League player had, who had over a million dollars in professional career earnings, almost twice the total amount earned by Mr. Bediaco. Compelling two, an international player who, unlike Mr. Bediaco, was actually drafted in the NBA draft and played multiple professional seasons for one premier professional. For one of the premier professional teams overseas. Again, compelling three, multiple other players with g league experience. So, like, there's all this stuff that has been going on for well over a year now. In fact, I'm actually going to. You know, people are citing James Najee, but to me, that's just like the recency bias. Remember last year when it was zugich on Creighton who got eligible and there was the big uproar there. This is a guy who played 200 professional games and the NCAA said he was eligible. And in my opinion, and I'm not sure he's the root of it, but he's the one that I'm most aware of. And what has happened in the 15 months since has just been the dominoes falling from that. Because it's really hard to say that you can't come if you've played in college. The basis for the NCAA's argument right now is the reason why Betty Yaco is not eligible where others who have professional experience are is because he previously played college basketball and was th under their rules. I tweet when the James Najee thing happened, I tweeted, good luck. Good luck defending that in court. So it wasn't a stretch to see where this would happen. And since I'm playing the role of Gary Parrish today, I think I should at least take on that. Yeah, I mean, like, you've got hair.
- [16:04]
Matt Norlander
I mean, I'm not buying it whatsoever, but keep going.
- [16:07]
Adam Finkelstein
But, like, this was all predictable and I'm not even. And listen, there are some people who think this is a good thing, like the ncaa, college basketball, whatever you want to call it, is now pretty like it's on its way to being unequivocally the second best league in the. In the world behind the NBA. And the top European players are always choosing to come over here because the money's better. So for me, it's. It's less about, like, a value judgment. I stated what I thought of it in the beginning, but I also think this is a problem of the NCAA's own making. And they have pushed the boundaries so many times, whether by their own will or just by an inability to win many court cases, that this was inevitable, that somebody tested this. I just wish it happened in the off season. Like, I think it sucks that it challenges like the. The current season because it's a competitive advantage.
- [16:57]
Matt Norlander
Yeah, I mean we're not going to do this, this case and how it, what it says about current college basketball, how it stands to as the headline on Thursday at Dot com said, you know, crater college sports. And I'll explain on in a second. We could go for an hour plus on this because there's a lot there. So we're going to leave some stuff on, on the court, so to speak, in this because we gotta, we gotta get to games and, and talk some real hoops here. And I do. And by the way, I acknowledge that there's definitely a portion of our audience that they get so fatigued by this stuff. But I'm sorry, this is an important story and this is the case that is trying to eradicate the one last real line here. You go to college basketball, you play, whether it's you play for a month or you play for five years, you play, you suit up, you are a scholarship player. You enter the NBA draft process. You go, you go to the NBA whether you are drafted or not. You then sign that iko, sign three deals, three contracts, okay? Including a two way. The NCAA is going to stand firm on this and is ready to have its face caved in in court if need be because it's not going to waver on this. If you played college and then you go to the NBA and you know everything that you stand to allegedly risk losing by as a result of that, you can't come back. This is different. Alabama fans, some of them are level headed. A lot of them are trying to move the goalposts here. The case is different ever a lot in many ways. A lot of these cases have their own unique appealing part to them and that's why we've seen different players be able to be added onto rosters. There has not been a player that has played college basketball declared for the draft, said I'm going to be a pro, done it for multiple years and then try to return to college basketball in the middle of a season. So the mental gymnastics to try and rationalize this is ludicrous. It's outrageous. It's also something that outside of anyone that has a, an actual biased interest in Alabama basketball isn't looking to have. I have taken before this case even came onto the radar earlier this week, her unprompted phone calls from coaches, from ADs just there's, they're so sick of this element, taking it, taking over in college sports and, and mid season acquisitions which I think shouldn't even be allowable, period. The idea that you can suddenly reverse Course. And by the way, there are more. I'm not going to give up the player because technically they haven't gotten there yet. If it happens, I'll tell you when there is a player who left college in 2024 that has been working four months to do this exact same thing, and we'll see if we get another one here in the next week or two or three. It shouldn't be on the table, period. The problem that, that the NCAA is caught up in, and it did do it to itself. Multiple things can be true and happening at the same time. With this, you can acknowledge that the NCAA was slow to act and change for literally decades. And that is true. And a lot of what's happened here, the sport has brought upon itself and the sport's not immune to a lot of these things. You look at what's happening in college football with the Duke case, with the quarterback, it's different. But you, you can't avoid it. Once you, once you really bring down the guardrails like you're going to invite chaos, it's going to come right into your backyard, right up to your, right up to your doorstep. Right? But at the same time, we can still have rational, pragmatic clarity about what should constitute who should play in American college basketball versus who can't. And the biggest issue here is that specific language in the NCAA's bylaws. Quote, an individual may compete on a professional team provided the individual does not receive more than actual and necessary expenses to participate on the team, end quote. Those words. That sentence has what has allowed so many pros from Europe to come over Virginia. Also featured in this. In this week's court report, Tester Ritter is about to turn 23. He's twice the player as Charles Bediaco. And he, and he's, by the way, he's listed as a freshman despite having only two years of eligibility. If you want to make the case to me that players like Tester Ritter and others that are 20, 21, 22, 23 years old, that were playing pro in Europe for three, four years, shouldn't be eligible to play college basketball, I'm very much willing to hear your case. But my last thing on this is that you might want to root for Betty Oko to get eligible and play for the rest of the season. Maybe this is what we need. If you want to have some sort of order restored, if you want to get college basketball back to a place where there aren't pros being added onto rosters at the semester break, after the semester Break. Okay. And having 22, 23 year olds coming aboard for bald reasons as to make more money, get more playing time, maybe we need to hit this absurd level. Maybe Betty Ako in the scheduled court hearing, Adam on Tuesday needs to be allowed to play for the rest of the season. And maybe that forces a, an event catastrophism that is going to truly jolt the sport, produce action from actual Congress so that we can have a little more rationality about all this. Because to me, the Betty Ako thing is different. The Naji. Naji didn't even have to go to court because of the language I just read. The NCAA cleared him despite the fact that he was a former NBA pick because vitally he never signed a contract. That never happened. Because of that, through vetting of Baylor's compliance and the NCAA over the course of two months, essentially they said that's the precedent. He can play. It's not the case with Benioco College to pros to multiple contracts. Played in the G League a week ago, Fink. And now he's going to be back on the floor. I toss it back to you can.
- [22:59]
Adam Finkelstein
Let me just make this point if I could because listen, as you said, we could talk about this for an hour and I truly think we could debate both, both sides. But I think the perspective that isn't really getting considered is what about like the high school kids? And obviously I can, I can speak to that space because recruiting has always been about supply and demand. And the more players are eligible to come over here, that, that changes that equation, right? The supply is, is higher than ever. So to the high school kids out there, like what do we do if international kids can play professionally for years, make money and then come over to capitalize on the nil market of college basketball when they are two, three, sometimes four years older than kids coming out of high school? The Matt, you know, I'm a guy who has a prep school background. Prep schools in the United States are about to become very, very viable because right now they are the only mechanism by which high school kids can get older themselves. Because this is an uneven. If the NCAA wins, this is an uneven playing field. Right now the NCAA is essentially saying if you're in Europe or you're in another part of the world, you can play professionally for a long time and then you can come over here as an older player and capitalize on the nil market and good for those players. But the, the, the American kids, the high school kids do not have that same opportunity. There is no professional option Here where they can make comparable money and then go into College at 21, 22 years old. So that's why I think prep schools are about to surge again in popularity because the high school kids need some pathway to try and get even a little bit closer just from an age perspective to what is the influx of international talent right now.
- [24:47]
Matt Norlander
It's a great point. I think you're 100% on, on that. And you'll notice the phrase like irreparable harm and damage is being done to a given player in a given case because they're being denied the opportunity under, you know, the current environment to, to go and, and, and earn money playing college basketball, given the other precedents in other cases. Right. What about the irreparable harm and damage that's being done to, you know, untold numbers of high school players coming out of high school, going into college and not getting their opportunities? Like, I'm not a lawyer, not going to pretend to be one on the podcast obviously, but I do, I do wonder about that angle of it all and, and if that's going to be a real factor here. You know, if, if you want change, if you, if you're the type that listens to the show, takes in the sport, follows it on a week to week basis and you're and again like to state the obvious, but sometimes it feels like you need to, I'm so, I'm so in favor of player empowerment, but not to these ends. I'm sorry, man. You played college basketball. You knew what the deal was. Also, where's, where's your pride? I guess any people do anything for allegedly for more money. But like, dude, you've been out three years and you want to go back to school, you want to go back to college. You know, as someone talked to a couple of weeks ago, even before the Betty Ako case was on the was out there. They're like, how do a lot of these guys just not feel like losers? Like, like get on with your life. Like do you not have any sense of pride? And I was like, it's actually a viable point. And also I want to shout out Dana o' Neill back in the sports writing. Pete works for CNN Sports these days. She also had just a very direct column on NATO. It's can say no, the coaches don't have to do this. No one is forcing anyone to do this. Scott Drew did not have to bring on Puff Johnson also is another one that's completely been overlooked. Puff Johnson, Yes. Puff Johnson, formerly of North Carolina, cleared by Shocker a judge in Columbus to go play for Ohio State. I know you got a thought on that. I, I'm not even saying that I'm shocked by it's happening. But the coaches can say no.
- [26:53]
Adam Finkelstein
They can, they can say no, but.
- [26:54]
Matt Norlander
They'Re not going to do this.
- [26:55]
Adam Finkelstein
Yeah, they're not, they're not paid to say no. And listen, Tom Izzo, the guy with more job security than anyone in college basketball, is critical of them and I understand that. But let's be clear about something. 99% of the Division 1 college basketball coaches in the country are constantly two years away from being fired. And the sole criteria for which they are being judged, as history has shown, is their win loss record. We can talk about academic standards and integrity of the game and all that stuff off the floor, but the bottom line is they are being, they are being paid, they are being compensated, they are being retained to win games and all the other stuff is just pretend. It's. Listen, I'm not going to get into. I mean there's some very clear lines that we could say, be like, oh, if it was about anything other than winning games, these, you know, we could point to and say whatever, but like it's solely about winning games. So I really don't think, like, I really don't think we can be upset with NATO. I really don't. Like, you can be upset at the system for sure. But like Nate Oats is not compensated for academic standards or integrity of the game. That is not his job. So yeah, in an ideal world, 100%, it would be great if he said no. And I'm sure he's, he's clearly the villain right now. It's a role that I think he's comfortable with. But the bottom line is anybody who's pretending that coaches are compensated for anything less than winning games is just A, delusional or B, just misrepresenting the state of the market.
- [28:26]
Matt Norlander
Just a big story. Again, I don't love the idea that we're live here on a Friday morning and Oats is scheduled to speak with the media later today. So this is going to get, you would think, at least some more advancement before the day's out. We'll respond to it, obviously with whatever develops on our next podcast. By the way, that Bama game is in the final four and one, so we are not done talking tide on the show, but we can keep it moving. Remember, the hearing for Betty Ako to determine if he's going to be eligible for the rest of the season is Tuesday. Just talking to some folks. The expectation is he is going to be made eligible, but we'll see when we get there. Let's take a quick break. After that. I want to go over a few notable results that happened since we last podcasted on Wednesday night. So we'll get to that. But first, a quick word from our partners.
- [29:12]
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- [30:43]
Matt Norlander
So Thursday a bit of a nothing burger in college hoops, but Wednesday we had we had some some interesting results. Let's let's go to Lexington Fink, where Kentucky beat Texas. Kentucky lost its third player to injury this season, which, you know, weirdly enough, Kentucky has won four in a row in SEC play. That didn't happen last season, but the league was obviously better. But the broken foot is the is the diagnosis on Cam Williams. So Jalen Lowe's out for the year. Broken foot I mean I, I guess at this stage they stopped short of saying Cam Williams won't play the rest of the season, but that seems perhaps a bridge too far. And then there's the constant will he, won't he? With Jaden Quaintance there, we've got a note on Texas here in a second as well. But what's your diagnosis on Kentucky? You know, 13 and 6, 4 and 2 in the league. You know the, you know so many characters on this roster. Well, think floor is yours on just where Pope is overall with this group and what the expectations should be over the next six weeks of the regular season.
- [31:45]
Adam Finkelstein
So I think expectations is the key word because those have been recalibrated. Obviously going into the season it was all about how much money they spent on the roster. But right now they've won four in a row and eight out of their last ten. The other interesting thing that for all the shooting struggles this team had and remember Pope was constantly quoted about the, you know how the shooting numbers in practice, I forget the name of the shooting machine. He's like, I've never seen it when those don't ultimately translate well. Guess What? They've shot 40% from the three point line in three of their last four games. The only game in which they didn't was Texas and Texas was even worse from behind the three point line. They were two of 18. So as much as they foul, they also can't shoot. The the thing I would say about Kentucky is that to me the storyline that isn't getting quite enough traction is Otega away, getting back to being Ortega away. This is someone that I was really critical of in December because this was a team that was built to be fairly blue collar. Right. Jayden Quaint's elite defender Mohammed Diabate elite defender Otega owe in theory an elite defender and that's who he was. This is someone that I'd watched since high school like Blair Academy, Joe Montagno, one of the best high school coaches, specifically on the defensive end you're going to find in the country. He played on a team final squad that had like Jalen Duran and Derek Lively and Imani Bates and Otega Away was like the blue collar defender. He got away from that a little bit and I think he was the one forget about being a vocal leader because I'm not sure Kentucky really has that and I think Pope really has kind of come to understand that he has to step in and fill that void himself which happens over the course course of various college basketball teams. But away has gotten back to being away. He's been better offensively, he's been more engaged defensively. So while the shooting has made some incremental strides collectively for the group, I think the group now is starting to embrace kind of that, that blue collar mentality that this team is going to have to have because this team is not going to outshoot you. Without Jalen Lowe, I don't think they have a point guard on the roster. I think that was a mistake in their roster construction approach that will have to be rectified in future seasons. When you get 13 GU and scholarship, I don't think there's any excuse for not having multiple ball handlers, multiple big men. You have to have depth at either end of your lineup. And with regard to the recent injury, the good news is the one place where they have extreme redundancy is in the middle of their lineup. The bad news where they don't have redundancy is with shooting. So you hope that, that, you know, some of the shooting we've seen the last couple of weeks collectively can, can hold up. But those are my basic thoughts on them. You know, have to recalibrate expectations. Without a point guard, their ceiling is only so high. But they, they are growing, evolving, improving. I think Pope is actually doing a good job of figuring this group out and that's something that's not being talked about. And Otega away has, is. Is leading by example like they needed him to do for since the beginning of the season.
- [34:40]
Matt Norlander
Yeah, Pope told me leading into the season he wanted to go genuinely 11 deep. I was skeptical of that. It's a good thing that he did because like even with three injuries, like they still can have an eight man rotation and they're not in a spot where like they're just, they're playing six. But at this point, all things considered, Kentucky fans are a bit joyous that it's 13 6. Even with so much of the turbulence with some of the performances and losses here, we'll see how they stabilize. Texas year one under Sean Miller loses this game. It's dropped four of six. Squeezed in between those were the wins at Vandy and home, excuse me, at Bama and home to Vandy. If not for that, like it'd really be spiraling sideways. Sean Miller had a classic Sean Miller stuff. He had a funny quote after the game. Just, just 20 seconds or so here Josh, play what Miller said after the 8580 loss on Wednesday night.
- [35:33]
Mark Pope
This is a Texas problem has is we have a virus called fouling and it has plagued Us from the opening tip of the first game until tonight. It's not the officials, it's not Kentucky. We will foul the living out of you.
- [35:58]
Matt Norlander
He would go on to say, we'll file you from 3. We'll file you doing this. We'll leave our feet at the end of the shot clock with all of that. He is right to a certain extent when it comes to defensive free throw rate, which is how many free throws your opponents take versus their overall field goal attempts. It's 266 in the country. So it's not like they're not in the three hundreds. It's not. It's not great. So that is the problem. This game had 23 fouls. Like it's more than you want, but they didn't leave the floor with, with 34. And credit to Miller. I do appreciate when coaches actually take the time to point this out. He's like, this isn't the refs. It's not Kentucky, it's us. We can't stop doing it. We've got the virus. I don't know if Texas is going to make the tournament in year one under Miller. I thought it would going into the season. I didn't think it was going to be a top 25 team, but I thought Texas was going to play its way to maybe like a 9 or 10 seed. Still has time to get there. But losing at home to A and M prior to the Kentucky loss, now you got a big game against Georgia. Georgia's coming to your building Saturday. I think it's actually one of the more urgent games of the weekend here. Your quickie thoughts on. On Miller as he, you know, tries to do something different from what he was doing in Xavier and, and the roster he has here.
- [37:17]
Adam Finkelstein
I thought they were turning the corner a week ago. I mean, you beat Alabama and Vandy, it looks like, hey, they got it figured out. And listen, they still are 41 in the country in Ken Palm. They've got a top 20 offense in the country. Defense, which I know is. Is Coach Miller's thing. I mean, that's. That, you know, for his standards is not very good.
- [37:37]
Matt Norlander
They're.
- [37:37]
Adam Finkelstein
They're 106 overall in the country and fouling is clearly a big part of that. They're not a good shooting team either. So listen, I think the bottom line is when you're in a job like Texas, the talent level has to upgrade in year two. But these guys are playing hard and sometimes there's a correlation between like how hard you play, how desperate you are and how silly the fouls are. You committed, you know what I mean? Like sometimes when guys are really working as hard as they can, that's when they make those mental mistakes. There's. There's other things at the root of it, you know, feel and processing and stuff like that. But yeah, I mean I. They're going to have plenty of opportunities and a week ago I would have said they were surging in the right direction. This week obviously hasn't gone as hoped, but they were both two possession games. So I still think they've got plenty of Runway to figure it out.
- [38:28]
Matt Norlander
Go from one team that's dropped four of six to another from 41 down to 51 at Kempom. That's USC. It lost 74.68 on Wednesday night at home to Northwestern team that's just not that good. Sub 500 right now, Northwestern is. The game was notable because it was the debut of Elijah Arenas, who think, correct me if I'm wrong, think we had him 10th in the class of 2025. It was, it was rusty. He went 3 of 15 from the field and finished with just eight points, two boards, two assists, a turnover, two fouls. Not that we should have expected or even come close to demanding like some fresh out of the box, here I am, I'm a lottery pick kind of performance. For those who have never seen Elijah Arenas play, what kind of player is he? And given that USC does not have Rodney Rice for the rest of the season, should Musselman and his staff be expecting Arenas to be good enough to basically be the number two guy by March behind Chad Baker Mazzara?
- [39:40]
Adam Finkelstein
No. Even before the injury, Arenas spot in that national high school class was a reflection of his upside, not his productivity. He has, you know, he's a late bloomer, he's got great size, he's got really good instincts for the game and he continued to get better, but he was never going to be as college ready and this is even prior to the injury as others who were ranked in that class. You know, when you're doing rankings, you're trying to synthesize a bunch of variables into one number, including immediate college impact and long term potential at the highest levels. And that's, you know, that's where Arenas was. I think we were most optimistic was the long term potential. But it came with the caveat of like, hey, this is going to require some patience. And that caveat you just had to double or triple down on after that, that injury. And I think just being grateful that he was on the Court. Now, listen, there were some flashes of brilliance in that game. You know, I mean, the, the, the play with the errant pass that he turned into a behind the back dribble and the 360 layup. I mean, that's kind of gone viral on social media. To me, Arenas is a, is a guy who should get his legs under him this year. He may explore the draft, especially if we live in a world where there's no repercussions for exploring. Of course, yes, but he's also someone that, you know, when you look forward at like a 2027 NBA draft, which has a ton of it has no clear number one at this point. And remember, Arenas reclassified. So initially he was supposed to be in high school, high school senior right now. So I think there's a world in which he gets his legs under him right now. He comes back to play college basketball next season, and then if it starts to click, you're talking about someone who maybe could be at the top of that draft class, has a chance, let me say it this way, has a chance to play his way towards the top of that draft class in 27. But the upside is going to be intriguing enough that people are, are looking into him in 26. But that does not mean that he is here and now ready to step into that role that Rodney Rice played.
- [41:40]
Matt Norlander
Yeah, I'd love to see him. And maybe that is the, the plan here. You know, get another year in and then could grow into one of the bigger stars in the sport next season. Remember, keep in mind, just as a refresher, he was involved in the cyber truck crash, which was harrowing and could have been much worse. He got saved there and then he had the meniscus injury in his knee and he's on his way back. We'll see what the, the next few weeks bring for him. Nebraska and Arizona both won on Wednesday just to improve to 190 games weren't that compelling whatsoever. That does set up this weekend for both of those teams to get to 20 0. We'll mention those in the games in the, in the look ahead in the next segment. But if they do. And oh, by the way, now that Miami University is there, if Nebraska and Arizona both win this weekend, we will have three 20 and oh teams. Text your friends, tell your buddies. There's been only one season in the past 30 years where we got to 3:20 and oh teams. I won't trivia time you if you want a trivia time yourself. Pause this podcast. Think what one was it? And then unpause because here's the answer. Syracuse, Arizona, Wichita State 2013-14 is the only season since at least 9596 where we've had three teams hit the 20 and oh mark. Wichita State went 35. 0 before taking its first loss that season. Syracuse got up to 25. 0 and Arizona got to 21 0. I hope we see it. That'd be really special stuff. Last thing from Wednesday, Fink, I want to just get we haven't talked about this team all that much on the show this season and I think we're going to be doing that more in the weeks ahead if things continue well enough. And that's A M, which, you know, it beat Mississippi State at home. That's not going to flare the radar that much. But it was an 88.68 win. Like they they don't mess around. This team has one loss since December 8, is now sitting at 15 and 4. In the court report this week, I wrote about Virginia and Ryan Odom and of the 14 high major hirings in last year's cycle, to me right now heading into this weekend, the best one has been Odom at Virginia. Bucky McMillan is definitely in that top three. They're 5 and 1 in the league, 154 overall. And I would even argue that they haven't really even started to truly click yet. Like, they don't have an upper echelon offense, they don't have an upper echelon defense just yet. They do like to press what are your thoughts on what they've been able to do down there in College Station and immediately transition and segue from the Buzz Williams era? There have been no hiccups whatsoever. In fact, you can argue they're in a better spot now than they were last year for sure.
- [44:14]
Adam Finkelstein
And it's such a contrasting style too, right? Because you know, the quote unquote buckyball is based on uptempo. I mean, right now they're 13th overall in the country and average possession length offensively, 28th overall in tempo. So they're really trying to push the ball offensively and that that's a style of play that Buzz Williams did not play. I mean they were playing like smash mouth, we're going to beat you on the glass. So I think that aesthetically it's a product that the people in College Station are kind of saying like, hey, this is fun, you know, like. But also that there's a the thing that they've done so far is they they've won every game they were supposed to win and so to your point about not necessarily clicking yet, they have given themselves an opportunity to continue to get better because there are no major hiccups on their schedule like you can look at, you know, by Ken Palm, their worst loss of the season is Oklahoma State and that was the third game of the season. So they've got four losses total, but they've ground grinded out tough ones and Auburn's going to turn into a pretty decent win. But much like we said about Texas, a team that they beat last year, they I think even more so have a position to control their own destiny. And as they continue to get better, as they continue to kind of find the intricacies in that offense, because when you want to play fast, it actually takes like the processing of learning a new system. When you have to make decisions that much quicker, that's a longer process than playing slower in the half court. And it's a misnomer because everybody says they want to play fast and then they recognize like it takes a little more effort, it takes a little more processing to be able to do it. So I think they deserve that Runway to keep learning the system to keep getting better as the season goes on. But they put themselves in a good place because as I said, they've beaten everybody for the most part that they're supposed to be be.
- [45:57]
Matt Norlander
Yeah, they have the weakest strength of schedule in the league, which has been a factor. They do have some tough ones coming up, you know, at Georgia, at Bama, at Vandy, at Arkansas. Those are still to come on the schedule. Gotta host Florida, so the losses are going to come, but they're off to a really nice start. And even I'd say as recently as a month ago, I was still skeptical whether A M would be a tournament team in year one. Still more work to do. Like the predictives. Don't view this as a top five team in the sec, but the Ledger right now has him there. And good on Bucky McMillan. We'll see. We'll see what they can do. Should move to 16 and 4 this weekend. A M hosts South Carolina. Speaking of this weekend, it is the final four and one Parish has been given the game. He did not pick the games this week, so I'm hoping that he sent his picks to Josh in time for the show. We'll find that out after the break. But first one more word from our partners, then we look ahead to a big time Saturday.
- [46:50]
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- [47:15]
Matt Norlander
Cute. But how about New Year, New money? With Experian, you can actually take control of your finances, check your FICO score, find ways to save and get matched with credit card offers, giving you time to power through those New Year's goals. You know you're gonna crush start the year off right. Download the Experian app based on FICO scoring model. Offers an approval not guaranteed. Eligibility requirements and terms apply subject to credit check, which may impact your credit scores. Offers not available in all states. See experian.com for detail. It's the final four and one. And listen, this is cozy, comfortable, fink. I mean, I'm used to GP inducing this one and like it's gassing himself up.
- [47:54]
Adam Finkelstein
Your win loss record is superior to to gps.
- [47:57]
Matt Norlander
It is, but you know what? I'm not. We're not. Josh, hop on board here. I don't care about the records. I don't need the records. I don't want you to say the records. I do want to know, did Parish get back to you in time for this show? Do you have his picks?
- [48:10]
Josh (Producer/Assistant)
I do have his picks.
- [48:12]
Matt Norlander
Okay. And unlike me who literally stopped on the side of a ski trail to record a video in 13 or record an audio in 13 degree weather and send it to you so it could be done for the podcast, I'm guessing GP just merely said, here are my picks. I'm not gonna give you any additional production value for the show. Right.
- [48:33]
Josh (Producer/Assistant)
I did just get a text of picks. I did get it at 3. 3:04am so I. He does get credit for taking the time at 3:04am to send over his picks, but I have no audio to to throw into the pod.
- [48:48]
Adam Finkelstein
If I could interject just very briefly. I mean, to be fair, Matt was making his wife and children shovel the driveway at 3am so he could film said video.
- [48:56]
Matt Norlander
So it wasn't snowing when I was in vt. At least I don't think so. But they. Yes, fair enough. Fair interjection. All right, Final Four and one game. Here's what we're gonna do. We're gonna lay out the game. Adam and I will pick and then at the end, I will have Josh Reveal what? I'm gonna guess what Parrish did and then he'll reveal it. Okay.
- [49:17]
Adam Finkelstein
Are we picking against the spread?
- [49:18]
Matt Norlander
What's the picking against the projected Ken Palm spread? That's what we got it. Okay, again the pick. Do I care about the spread? Absolutely not. It's just a stupid conceit. We've done forever. Just listen to the show to get hyped for the games and feel no need whatsoever to listen to what I'm saying here when it comes to which side we'll cover or not. Game one, we're going down at noon Eastern. This game got bumped up. A variety of games have been bumped up. Saturday is going to be loaded from 11am to like 4 because of the crunch of all the weather. So it is North Carolina at Virginia UNC 15 4. Virginia 162 and 5 and 1 in the league. This is noon Eastern. They were supposed to, by the way, they were supposed to dedicate this, this game, the floor to Tony Bennett because of the weather. They're still going to play the game. They have pushed back. They have pushed back that dedication into February for the home game against Miami. So, so it goes there. This is a noon eastern 10 tip on ESPN2. Ken Palm has the line. Virginia minus nine. I'm going to give the court right now since it can't be Tony Bennett. Mama D Aquita court. That's what we're playing this on. Thoughts on the game? What do you got for a pickup?
- [50:36]
Adam Finkelstein
I love North Carolina's front court. I don't love their matchup here because Virginia is going to have shooting at all five positions on the floor and nobody is better at playing with an advantage and exploiting an advantage. Once they get that first domino to fall, then Ryan Odom's club not. Not only can everyone on the floor shoot it, they can also pass it. They drill how to attack that advantage every single day. And when you get Vasar and Caleb Williams in those, Caleb Wilson in those long closeout situations, that has proven to be problematic. You add in the fact that North Carolina is having some adversity here. I could see this going Virginia's way and I could see them separating a little bit in the game's finals moments if frustration starts to get the better in North Carolina. So I'll take Virginia.
- [51:20]
Matt Norlander
Virginia has a top 20 offense and defense. Odom has flipped the script entirely immediately. It's a really good story. They're a beast on the boards. A really good opportunity here for Virginia to assert itself clearly as the number two team in the acc that has been a game of musical chairs. We thought it was North Carolina, we thought it was Louisville. Michael Brown Jr. Has been out. We wait for his return. By the way, Clemson maybe just took a home loss to the NC State earlier this week. This is the spot for Virginia to get to 6 and 1 in the league, get a good win over North Carolina and do it. I think it is going to get it done. The line is big now. Virginia's defense has been an issue and I wonder if it shows up here and can keep the game in the 60s. I don't think it will. I think that Virginia's going to be able to get to get it done. I don't know if it necessarily gets to 80 or not, although I think that's on the. I think it's on the table. I will take Virginia to win but UNC to cover. My guess here nine. Josh, I'm going to say GP took Carolina to cover.
- [52:20]
Josh (Producer/Assistant)
That is correct. You went UNC plus nine.
- [52:23]
Matt Norlander
Okay, so we are on the same page there. Game two undefeated Nebraska at Minnesota. This is a another noon folks. You gotta load up noon eastern again we have a whole. It's gonna be a multi view situation right off from the jump here. This is a noon Eastern Fox Sports one tip on Jordan Murphy court. Ken Palm has the line. Nebraska on the road -8 against 10 and I'm Minnesota which has lost four in a row. What do you guys think?
- [52:57]
Adam Finkelstein
I got Nebraska. I think they are the most connected team in college basketball right now. They are again similar story to Virginia. They are shooting it at an elite level but they are also passing it in an elite level. When you see a team that shares it as well and as frequently as Nebraska does and yet has such a low turnover rate, that's really incredible stuff. And I think that's the thing that we're not talking about with them. So I just think they're connected. I love where they're at right now. I think yeah, it's projected 8 point game but I'm going, I'm calling the Hoiberg family man. And it's not just about Fred because the whole family is playing a huge role there.
- [53:37]
Matt Norlander
Braden Fragor, the freshman, he has an ankle injury. It's only day to day. Would not expect him in this game. He's been, he's been a good piece and a good three point shooter but you figure they'll be down a man for this one. I tell you what, Minnesota has gone from 105 to 109 but in that was a one point loss in OT to USC. Solid team. A three point loss at home to Wisconsin, a game Minnesota absolutely could have won. An understandable 10 point loss at Illinois. And then they almost took out Ohio State on the road earlier this week. Lost that game in overtime as well. This, I think I called it on the show two weeks ago that Nebraska was going to take its first loss in this spot. I want to see like for, just for college basketball. I want to see three 20 and O teams. I think that would be great coming out of the weekend. Miami University doesn't play this weekend. Its next game is next week. So it'll be 200 when the polls refresh on Monday and it's still ranked in the top 25. But I will stick to my word. I will say this is Minnesota straight up and this is not against Nebraska. I this spot here, early tip. It's a, it's a better team than its record. Gophers get it done and they knock off Nebraska and we are at two undefeated teams by the time we get out of the weekend. That is a Minnesota straight up. Nico Medved and I are on, on great terms. That's just a long running bit that Parrish invoked. I don't even know the origin of it, but trust me, take the money line.
- [55:06]
Adam Finkelstein
So there's Norlander money.
- [55:08]
Matt Norlander
Yeah, exactly. At your own peril this one seems. Josh. This feels like Nebraska favorite by 8 on the road. GP's in on the Huskers. I think he's going to think the line's too big. I think he's got the Gophers to cover. Am I right?
- [55:23]
Josh (Producer/Assistant)
You are correct. I'm sure he would have said something about being a building truster and, and gone with the Gophers.
- [55:30]
Matt Norlander
Yeah, it's ridiculous. All right. Game three. Game has been moved up to two Eastern. It's a rematch. It's the game of the weekend in college basketball. It is Houston at Texas Tech. 17 1. Houston playing at Texas Tech, which is a 15 4. This is going to be on Andre Emmett court. Rest in peace to Andre Emmett, one of the best Red Raiders of all time here. An excellent, excellent matchup that you know, when these teams played, what, three weeks ago was an outstanding game. Houston got the, got the edge there. This is an ESPN tip at 2 Eastern. Lay it out for me. What do you think on this one? Do we. Do we. Do we like Houston's chances at winning on the road here in a building that will be 1000% ready to go?
- [56:29]
Adam Finkelstein
Illinois chances, right?
- [56:30]
Matt Norlander
No Houston. Sorry, I. You Know what? That's my bad. Initially it was Illinois Purdue, but I'm trying to do this chronologically. And now the Houston Texas Tech game is going to tip before the Illinois Purdue game. So Houston Texas Tech 2 Eastern First, Texas Tech, Ken Palm Line, Texas Tech minus one.
- [56:50]
Adam Finkelstein
So I, I would call this a pick em, but. Well, since I'm playing the role of Gary Parrish today, I will say I trust buildings. How'd I do there? Is that all right?
- [57:02]
Matt Norlander
Is that okay? It would be more like, you know, I'm a building truster and does a little thing with his fingers. I'm a building truster. Hold on. I can do. I can do it. You know, I can. Here's my gp. You know, I'm a building truster and I trust buildings.
- [57:20]
Adam Finkelstein
I don't have a mess.
- [57:21]
Matt Norlander
I don't like. I don't like people. But you tell me, you tell me I get a 15 to 14 with two potential all Americans and I'm just going to trust the building we got.
- [57:34]
Adam Finkelstein
I'm going to trust the building and I'm going to trust the best pick and roll tandem in college basketball and Christian Anderson, J.T. toppin and. Yeah, but I don't, I don't like it. I don't feel good about it.
- [57:47]
Matt Norlander
Man. I just, you know, this is just one of those games where just strap in, let's go. I gotta figure out, I gotta figure out how I'm watching this game. I'll probably be doing on my phone because I'm scheduled to be on the ground there in Provo when this happens. And it's actually going to be an earlier tip. I've. I'm going to be on. I'm going to go to the, the rivalry game. Utah at byu. BYU obviously heavily favored and expected to win that. This is the game on Saturday to dial in for. Yeah, Christian Anderson is coming off that outrageously efficient performance earlier this week. Is this an Anderson vs. Kingston Flemings matchup special? Can Houston keep topping in check? You know, look for Tugler in this game as well. It's just an, it's just an awesome battle. Like I love these kind of games where it's two very, very good teams. And while the game will have some stakes to it, like if Houston's going to get to the one line and it can sweep Texas Tech and win on the road here, that game is going to matter for its chances to do it. And honestly, if Houston wins on the road in this spot, it's going to have a case that's probably as strong as anyone. Just shy of Arizona of being the best team in the country. And from an efficiency standpoint, it has played as the most efficient team in the country, the best team in the country for more than a month at this point. But I just love a Saturday midseason game. Two awesome teams, studs all over the floor, future pros. This is a really, really good one. It is a toss up. I will. I will say Tech gets it done. I'll say the. I'll say the players just as much as the building matters. And they. They win again. They've won. They've won eight of their past nine. And I think they narrowly win here. Josh, I'm gonna. I'm gonna trust that build. I'm gonna say GP Says, you know, I'm gonna trust that building. Am I right? You're wrong.
- [59:42]
Josh (Producer/Assistant)
We have. We have a power struggle here between a. A building and the team that GP has told everyone will win the national championship over the last couple weeks. And Houston won that power struggle. He went Houston minus plus one.
- [59:59]
Adam Finkelstein
Okay, so.
- [60:01]
Matt Norlander
All right.
- [60:01]
Adam Finkelstein
Can I also confirm that in my role as Gary Parish today, I picked every game opposite of what Gary Parish has picked? That's. That's also correct, right?
- [60:10]
Josh (Producer/Assistant)
That. That is correct. All right, we are over three.
- [60:13]
Matt Norlander
Three. And let's see what Game four. Game four. It is one of the. What we just talked about is a ranked on ranked matchup. This is also a ranked on rank matchup three Eastern on Fox. Illinois at Purdue on Juwan Johnson Court. Purdue -3, according to Ken Palm. When the line gets released later on Friday, I think it will be larger. I feel like this is not accounting for the fact that Kyle and Boswell is not playing for Illinois. Thoughts?
- [60:47]
Adam Finkelstein
I. So I will offer this caution. I don't think Trey Kaufman Ren is healthy. I don't think Braden Smith is healthy. I think they're both courageously playing through it. And when I say healthy, it means not noticeably, not 100%. Clearly healthy enough to play. But still coming off that loss at UCLA in which they had an uncharacteristic three turnovers last couple minutes of the game, I expect them to rebound. Being back on their home floor, as you pointed out, no Kylan Boswell for Illinois. That puts even more pressure on Keelan Wagler, who's been exceptional all year long, but now is the primary ball handler. You know, with Stojakovic, I just. I'm going to go Purdue home court bounce back. Even though I don't think they're fully healthy.
- [61:32]
Matt Norlander
I agree with that but home floor. Coming off the close loss against UCLA, Purdue has dropped from 1 to 3 in overall offensive efficiency. TKR and his lack of production has been noticeable and it has moved from a Purdue fans watching game by game obviously pick up on it. And now, especially after, you know, the past few games here, he had 10 on the road, seven boards, five assists in the game against Silly. But even still, like I watch him play and it's not, it's not him at his best for sure. So we'll see.
- [62:10]
Adam Finkelstein
Cronin said it in the press conference. Mick said he's like, he's healthy. He's battling through it. He. He's not healthy. He's battling through it. He has my, my respect.
- [62:18]
Matt Norlander
Yeah, no, and if, you know, this is the kind of game where they're. I. You would think that they actually are going to need him because Illinois can play big. It is a talented team. It's from the outside looking in going into this game. I understand if you think like, okay, it's Purdue. It's at home. They've been in that projected one line. They only had one loss all season. It was the. Was the one at home to Iowa State. You may not realize it, everybody. Illinois has not lost since December 13th. I'm going to give a shout to my buddy Will Leach, who wrote like 3,000 words about Illinois and power rankings its roster heading into this game, who is also an avid listener of this podcast. Illinois also has overtaken Purdue for the number one offense in the country heading into this game. 163 overall. And no Boswell will be a factor. His defense matters and I think not having him available is. Is got to be having Braden Smith lick his chops just a little bit here. Three is like the most annoying possible number for this game. I will say Purdue wins covers, but I'm. I'm reluctantly going there. This does feel like it should be in the air for anyone to grab. With 90 seconds to go, I expect a really nice performance out of Illinois. This is another tasty matchup, but I'll take the Boilermakers. This one doesn't seem hard. This is. This is GP who in reality is like 3% boilermaker at best, trying to. Trying to pawn off his fake other self. Josh. This feels like he took Purdue the whole way with no hesitation.
- [64:02]
Josh (Producer/Assistant)
No hesitation. He's got lots of work to do to get back to the percentage of boilermaker he claims to be. And Purdue minus three was probably the lock of the weekend.
- [64:12]
Matt Norlander
Before you send me a text, I very much agree with that game. 5 the and one said Alabama Crimson Tide 8:30 Eastern on ESPN at least as of now, I think. I think Tuscaloosa might be south enough where the weather isn't going to force a game. Time change Tennessee at Bama 8:30 Eastern ESPN on Rod Grizzard Court. If you don't know, look them up kids. Studio early aughts for the Tide. Ken Palm has this line. Bama -5 and that's not taking into account whether or not Charles Betty Ako will or will not play. Thoughts on the game?
- [64:50]
Adam Finkelstein
So I've got a, I've got a prop bet here. I, I think Betty Oko does not play. Hot take and Bama still wins. They rally around the us versus the world thing. Everybody hates them. I also think it's a, it's a really, this is a total conflict of styles, right? Tennessee's playing big defensive oriented club. I mean they're really playing three bigs at a time. Alabama is playing four guards at a time. So it's somewhat a make or miss game for Alabama. They are making shots. They're going to win this game. They're going to space Tennessee out as good as Tennessee always is defensively. But I think in there not to be repetitive, you know the I trust building things but the bottom line is teams tend to shoot better in their home gym on the rims they are accustomed to. And because the make or miss theme will be such an important part of this game, I go with Alabama.
- [65:41]
Matt Norlander
I'm going with Alabama as well. Tennessee has been slumping. I think that this matchup favors the Tide even regardless of venue between Phylon and Holloway. I mean when those two really get going, going in harmony with each other, it can be a really fun thing to watch. Unquestionably. I think Bama is tuned up and ready. 13 and five team Tennessee is 12 and six, two and three in the SEC. Tennessee's not going to win the SEC anyway. But in that locker room, in that coaching room, obviously they still have goals and hopes and visions of being able to put it all together to do it. I think this is where it dies. I don't think they went on the road. I think Bama gets it done and I think it gets done with a little bit of ease here. And coming out of that game, whether or not we actually see Benioco on the floor or we don't, the little bit of a perspective change on what Alabama is capable against against good teams. Remember this team we just mentioned, Illinois? Bama has a win over Illinois, defeated Kentucky it's defeated. Clemson's defeated one at St. John's it's up and down, it's unpredictable. But, but offensively it's, it's really, really talented. Number two in the country behind Illinois and then obviously Purdue is at number three. So I will take Bama to get it done. Okay, Mr. Parish. Josh, I'm going to say, I'm going to say GP took the home team here to cover.
- [67:04]
Josh (Producer/Assistant)
You are correct in lock step last couple games here. Real quick, I will say that the chat has had a, a field day with the GP and court. You know, because he's a criminal.
- [67:16]
Matt Norlander
I'm gonna, we're gonna reveal what that situation is in just a minute that everyone thinks that he is not on the show because he's in court, shackles on the ankles and all that. I will reveal whether or not that is indeed the case in short order.
- [67:30]
Adam Finkelstein
Does he know the judge? Is he a booster?
- [67:32]
Matt Norlander
That's the question. Is, is the boost is the judge that GP may or may not be faced with right now for his criminal behavior grad Is the fix in? I don't know. Gonna find out in just a second here. Other games to monitor this weekend. Here's your look at it. Among the most notable, we get going with Mississippi at Kentucky at 11:00am Eastern. That is, that is incredible. 11:00am because of the storms they bumped it up. So we get going right, right bright and early there before the the flood of noon games. Another noon game. CBS Maryland at Michigan State, 1230 Eastern on Fox. Nova at UConn. I almost put that one in the Final Four and one Yukon at home. See if NOVA can really put up a real fight there and, and, and, and just show itself well against a Yukon team that's humming. Georgia at Texas, 1 Eastern. SEC Network 2 Eastern or probably closer to 210, 215 on CBS. Arizona tries to remain undefeated at home against West Virginia. 2:15 Eastern on the CW is a sneaky one. That is Virginia Tech at Louisville. Virginia Tech's got the capability to put some things together here and I know it's mostly been off the radar this season, but particularly if it wins this game, it's going to be building up into an NCAA tournament type team. We'll see if we can get it down on the road though. That's a, that's a big one. Again. That's a CW game. 2:15 Eastern on Saturday, 2:30. You've got St. John's at Xavier and I'm going to check this in real time right now because that is the game where Rick Pitino is going for win number 900 for his career. And it just so happens that it is a road game against his son. And is this okay? This is the, this is the tweet. Fair enough. I texted Richard before the show because I hadn't seen any tweets, no snark, no embarrassing photo from the 1980s of, of his dad or anything like that. And he's like, you know, he's probably on, on the short list of funniest coaches on social media. And he said, don't worry, I got something coming. Did you see how we lost Creighton the other night? You know, allow me to, to wallow in my sorrow before I fully turn the page. And the tweet is, can't believe I'm going for my 258th win versus my dad. What are the odds? So that's not bad. That's not bad. Richard, you can do better. But, but regardless, it would be amazing. For content, Patino said he'll leave his team in Cincinnati if they lose this game. He also said his son will do everything possible to win this game. I hope that is literally true. I hope there is something so out of bounds that, that Richard does all in, all in good fun obviously to preclude the win from happening. I'd love to see that. That is a 2:30 eastern tip on TNT. St. John's at Xavier. A couple more games for you. Auburn at Florida for Eastern on espn. Gator's obviously doing well at home. I had stuff on Ruben Chinliu in this week's court report. He has been outstanding as of late for Eastern. Peacock, Iowa State at Oklahoma State might be a. Keep your eye on that one. We'll see see if Oklahoma State can really step up and get a big win at home. 8 Eastern on Fox is Kansas at Kansas State. Bill Self seems to be on track to coach in that game. Darren Peterson's got the ankle so we wait and see if he plays, if he does, how much he plays. K State's at home. Not a good season so far but that's a big time spot in a rivalry game and then you will find Gary Parrish not in the courtroom. Eight Eastern, CBS Sports Network. Our boy is in the Pacific Northwest right now. San Francisco at Gonzaga. He will be doing sideline on CBS Sports Network and I believe all as well. I believe he is on the ground there. He's either in traveling now or he might already actually be there but he will be working sideline. Love to see it get your get your stuff to CBS sports network at 8 Eastern on, on Saturday night for San Franic and Zaga. Looking forward to it. So that's a whole bunch of games. Think anything from that stand out to you picks all yours. What, what pops of the other notable ones this weekend.
- [71:40]
Adam Finkelstein
I, I think you, you said it. But I think Virginia Tech, Louisville is, is a really interesting game. Virginia Tech is, what's the term? Putting themselves in position to be in position or something like that. You know, obviously St. John Xavier, the storylines are thick there. And then Kansas, Kansas State is always a better game than it should be, especially given the uncertainty surrounding Darren Peterson and because it'll be one of the only games at night because everyone else will be covered in snow at that point. It's going to be a good one. But so Those are the three that I would flag. Virginia Tech, Louisville, St. John Xavier and Kansas. Kansas State because I just, I love a rivalry.
- [72:20]
Matt Norlander
Love it. A rivalry as well. We'll see. We had case date on CBS Sports Network earlier this weekend at the end of the game. I don't know why this is a thing Casey fans know, but I don't know. But like they do this little like back and forth, like this is their celebration and Jerome Tang goes into the crowd and does this after the win and so we put it on social media and then everyone was just dragging Jerome Tang for doing this, for being like a 500 team. It's just ramping up for a rivalry game. You love to see it. K State has won against Kansas in that building and down years before. Just keep an eye on that too.
- [72:49]
Adam Finkelstein
You know, you just danced on your podcast, man. That was pretty cool.
- [72:54]
Matt Norlander
Danced, Played guitar. Although it's been a minute. It's. You'd have to be, you'd have to be a long time listener to remember when I played guitar on the show. But it has happened. I'm not saying it can't happen again. It's not happening on this show. I love when the chat hops in on something that I just forgotten about. Craig in the chat said GP Was the Illinois train engineer. He can't stab us in the back. That is a reference to a few seasons ago. That's absolutely correct. That did happen and I appreciate that. Chat's been humming a decent amount here. I appreciate a lot of the comments there, everyone. Josh, before we get out of here, what was the, the poll question was are you in favor of Charles Badiako, you know, playing for Alabama this season? Where do you land on it? What was the what were the what were the results of that?
- [73:38]
Josh (Producer/Assistant)
121 votes, 88% of them not okay with Charles Mediocre playing for Alabama.
- [73:46]
Matt Norlander
I actually would. If you would have had me guess over under 88.5. I would have taken the over. So. So there we go. We'll see what happens there. Programming note, folks, you're getting this pot on a Friday. You're going to get a podcast on Saturday. So Paris is going to be in Spokane. I'm going to be in Provo Sunday. There is nothing happening and due to scheduling and a lot of logistics stuff, it is just way easier for us to do a Saturday night recap. The show the general target is about I think around 11pm Eastern. That's our general target. It might be a little bit before, it might be a little bit after, but we had a really good audience for our, for our brunch podcast last Sunday. Now you'll get a Saturday night full on recap of the entire sport. So again, subscribe to the YouTube channel. Ding, click the bell. When we go live. Get the alert. It'll pop up on your phone. You can watch us in real time. Those nighttime chats, you know, especially on a Saturday, can be pretty lively. So we're looking forward to that. Keep an eye on that. GP and I will be back together in call it 30, what, 35, 36 hours. So looking forward to that. Fink, I really appreciate you hopping on, man, and talking for 70 minutes about a lot of this stuff, particularly your, your vantage point when it came to the Betty Alco stuff. So follow him on social media. You did more. You did more than your best. Come on now. Does great stuff with obviously the draft, but even beyond that stuff, recruiting all levels at Adam Finkelstein on Twitter. We'll have you back on the show before long. It's good to talk to you in season as well as opposed to just, you know, chatting up around the draft and, and out of season. That's a show. I don't do the shouts. That's a GP thing. I'm gonna hop on a plane.
- [75:32]
Adam Finkelstein
How was that?
- [75:33]
Matt Norlander
Okay, There we go.
- [75:35]
Adam Finkelstein
More of us than there. More of you. Shouts to Mrs. Norling. Good luck. Good luck with the shovel.
- [75:40]
Matt Norlander
I just hear there are more of us than there are of you.
- [75:42]
Adam Finkelstein
I don't, I think that's.
- [75:43]
Matt Norlander
I'm going to the. I'm going to the. I'm going to the land of the thems. By the way, I don't know what kind of reception I'm gonna get there I'm looking for. I can't wait to finally get out to. I've been waiting to go to a BYU game for a long, long time.
- [75:56]
Adam Finkelstein
So you're gonna be there for a while, my friend.
- [75:58]
Matt Norlander
I'm. I'm very much looking forward to it. We will talk to you on Saturday night. Until then, enjoy the games.
- [76:13]
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- [76:21]
Matt Norlander
This is the mindset like Joe Dirt, pixels, Survivor and SpongeBob SquarePants free. You're welcome.
- [76:29]
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