Eye On College Basketball Podcast Summary

Episode: Candid Coaches: Who’ll be the best team and player in 2025-26? How much 💰is the right amount for basketball programs + coaching turmoil at mid-majors
Hosts: Gary Parrish (A), Matt Norlander (B)
Date: September 25, 2025

Overview

In this episode, Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander break down the latest findings from CBS Sports' annual "Candid Coaches" series. They discuss:

• Which team coaches expect to be the best in the 2025-26 season and why;
• How much of a school's revenue-sharing budget should go to men's basketball programs;
• The player most coaches predict will be the nation's best in 2025-26;
• Recent coaching turmoil and high-profile incidents at mid-major programs;
• NCAA eligibility rule changes and the impact of G League players entering college.

1. Who Will Be the Best Team in College Basketball This Season?

[02:40–13:00]

Key Points

• Purdue emerges as the consensus pick: 32% of coaches polled selected Purdue as the best team for 2025-26, edging out Houston (28%), followed by Duke and St. John’s (8% each), UConn and Florida (5% each), and others like Michigan, BYU, Louisville, Kentucky.
• Why Purdue?
  • "They bring back two all Americans... One in the back court, one in the front court... They enrolled an Israeli guard, Omar Meyer, who has a chance to be a one and done college basketball player." (A, [03:42])
  • Past 4 seasons: Purdue averaged 29 wins and made the national title game recently.
• Recent voting history: Coaches have missed on the pick in most years, often choosing teams based on preseason rankings and buzz.
• St. John’s gets notable mention: Higher presence in this poll likely due to the hosts' own high preseason ranking and direct influence on coach ballots.
• Other teams: Arizona is cited as possibly the most talented team not to get a single vote. UConn and Florida, both recent champions, get less support than expected.

Quotes

• "I would have guessed Houston won it... recent history suggests why Purdue got this amount of votes." (B, [04:54])
• "In terms of talent, I don't know that ... St. John's has the most talented roster in the country, but they've certainly got one of." (A, [08:23])

2. How Much Revenue Should Go to Basketball?

[14:44–27:09]

Key Points

• Power football schools (FBS): Coaches expect men's basketball to receive about 20–30% of their revenue pot ($4–6 million of a ~$20m share).
  • "A lot of coaches that aren't, you know, at or above 6 feel inherently uncomfortable at this moment." (B, [16:16])
• Non-football schools (Big East, A10, etc): Expect 90% or more of the budget. But their revenue pool is much smaller, possibly $3m–$10m.
• Rooting against football?
  • Some basketball coaches admit they have a vested interest in football’s lack of success, as football wins often mean less money for basketball.
  • "Basketball coaches right now are showing up to football games on Saturdays and rooting against their football team... every dollar that goes here is a dollar that can't go here." (A, [20:11])
• Widespread anxiety: Many coaches don’t know what their actual budgets will be for upcoming years, leading to uncertainty in roster planning.
• System is 'goofy' and unsustainable:
  • Both hosts predict the current revenue-sharing model won’t last: "This is a football thing... But it’s kooky that a Big Ten basketball coach could be outbid by an A10 school." (paraphrased; [22:58])

Notable Quote

"The current system... is just goofy. ...We're about to head into a season where the Kentucky basketball coach and the Alabama basketball coach... are not operating with the same [resources]." (A, [21:38])

3. Best Player in College Basketball 2025-26

[27:18–42:04]

Key Points

• Braden Smith (Purdue) is the overwhelming pick: 51% of votes—highest ever in the poll’s history.
  • "He is the only first team all American who returned... He's on a preseason top five team." (A, [29:51])
  • Stats: 15.8 ppg, 8.7 apg, 4.5 rpg; career 1375 pts, 758 assists, 535 rebounds in three years. Could be first ever with 1500+ pts, 1000+ assists, 500+ boards.
  • "It's so very college basketball... that a guy listed 6ft, 170lbs, gets 51% of the vote." (B, [34:17])
• Other notable vote-getters:
  • JT Toppin (TX Tech, 14%)
  • Three freshmen: Darryn Peterson (9%), AJ Dybantsa (7%), Cam Boozer (4%)
  • Donovan Dent (UCLA, 5%), Yaxel Lendenborg (Michigan, 4%)
  • PJ Haggerty (Kansas State) received some votes despite being a consensus All-American.
• Smith's NBA future: Both hosts predict a real chance at an NBA role—though acknowledge his lack of size and elite athleticism.
  • "If anybody can make it at that size, it's a guy like him... I'm gonna believe he can do it until there's evidence to the contrary." (A, [43:41])

Quotes

• "He is going to be as statistically decorated as almost any point guard essentially since Bobby Hurley." (B, [34:17])

• "I tend to try to believe in people like this. I think he's going to be good." (A, [44:25])

4. Coaching Turmoil at Mid-Majors

[47:20–55:17]

Key Points

• Wofford: Hired Kevin Giltner; ongoing controversy after removing Dwight Perry.
• Cal State Bakersfield: Coach Rod Barnes steps down after a scandal involving an assistant arrested for serious crimes.
• Wagner: Coach Donald Copeland suspended amid allegations of player mistreatment—most egregiously, banning water breaks leading to hospitalization.
  • "You have to be an idiot to think that withholding hydration from your players makes them perform better." (B, [54:37])
  • "Working my entire adult life to be a D1 head coach and then blow it over stupid like this..." (A, [52:25])
• Both hosts sharply condemn abuse, citing a modern environment intolerant of such behavior.

5. NCAA Eligibility Changes: G League to College

[56:50–63:39]

Key Points

• NCAA allows players with G League experience to play in college: Example—Theo Darlins, after two years with G League Ignite, now eligible at Santa Clara.
  • Uncertainty over where the line is: Could someone play in the NBA then come back to college?
  • “If you can play in the G League one season and college basketball the next, why can't you play in the NBA one season and college basketball the next?” (A, [61:03])
  • Both hosts agree: "Bring them all on, within reason."
• Immediate impact: College coaches may now actively recruit from G League rosters.

6. Quick News and Notes

[55:17–64:20]

• Iowa State’s Tamin Lipsey: Out 4–6 weeks with an MCL sprain; critical to ISU’s success this year.
• Sister Jean retires as Loyola Chicago’s team chaplain at age 106. Hosts reflect on her iconic status: “The most famous nun in America (outside of possibly Whoopi Goldberg).” (A, [65:52])
• Additional coaching carousel movement:
  • Auburn news mentioned, Bruce Pearl steps aside.
  • St. Joseph’s coach Billy Lang leaves for NBA job.

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• On sports budgeting: "Rooting against their football team because every dollar that goes here is a dollar that can't go [to basketball]." (A, [20:11])
• On Braden Smith: “A guy who is listed... six foot, 170 pounds... sets a record in coach voting. That’s college basketball.” (B, [34:17])
• On the Wagner scandal: "If true as reported, like [he would] deserve to lose your job and probably never to coach again. It’s 2025..." (A, [52:25])
• On eligibility: "Practically speaking, what's the difference between playing two years in the G League and playing two years in the NBA?" (A, [62:51])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:40] — Best team poll breakdown
• [14:44] — Revenue-sharing and budgeting debate
• [27:18] — Top player poll (Braden Smith, etc.)
• [47:20] — Coaching scandals at mid-majors (Wagner, Bakersfield, Wofford)
• [56:50] — G League eligibility/NCAA changes
• [55:17]/[62:19] — News and notes (Sister Jean, injuries, coaching changes)

Tone

Conversational, candid, and at times irreverent—sticking to the insightful but relaxed style that’s a hallmark of “Eye On College Basketball.”

For more, visit cbssports.com or subscribe to the podcast on your platform of choice.