Eye On College Basketball – January 13, 2026

Episode Overview

Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander (CBS Sports) dive into the evolving landscape of college basketball at the midway point of the 2025–26 season. They focus on Arizona's rise to No. 1, assess top Coach of the Year (COY) candidates with a live draft, and debate which of the remaining undefeated teams (Arizona, Iowa State, Vanderbilt, Nebraska, Miami Ohio) will stay spotless the longest. The conversation blends statistical analysis, behind-the-scenes anecdotes, and program-building insights for college hoops fans.

Arizona’s No. 1 Résumé: What Makes the Wildcats the Top Team?

Segment Start: 02:15

Key Points

• Arizona’s Meteoric Rise:

  • Picked 13th in the preseason AP Poll, now 16–0 and voted No. 1 unanimously except for one AP voter.
  • "Arizona was 13th in the preseason AP poll. So they were supposed to be good, but they weren't supposed to be this good." – Gary Parrish (02:20)

• Why Are They So Good?

  • Talent and Balance:
    • Two leading scorers are freshmen (Co Opied, Braden Buries).
    • Best player is veteran Jaden Bradley, an elite two-way five-year college player.
    • Latvius Crevis and Toby Iwaka provide physicality and rebounding prowess.
  • Team Identity:
    • Top 5 offense, Top 10 defense.
    • "They just have tremendous balance as well. I love the team that Tommy Lloyd has built." – Matt Norlander (11:26)
  • Non-Traditional Roster Building:
    • "Every player in Arizona's rotation is either a freshman or in their second year in the program. There is no instant impact transfer portal guy for the Wildcats." – Gary Parrish (06:55)

• Tommy Lloyd’s Leadership:

  • "Tommy Lloyd would be either at the top of that list or near the top of that list [of most interesting coaches to hang out with]." – Gary Parrish (05:25)
  • "He is a guy who can be pretty gregarious, really easy to talk to. Coaches his players just as hard as he loves his players." – Matt Norlander (04:37)

Notable Quotes

• "Arizona...is well rounded on both sides of the ball. You know, top five offense, top 10 defense, tremendous rebounding team, good physicality, reliable from deep, got some good young talent." – Matt Norlander (03:18)
• "You can't win with freshmen anymore...Well, Arizona's two leading scorers are both freshmen...So it's built in an unusual way for the 2025, 26 season." – Gary Parrish (06:05)

Upcoming Challenges

• Brutal league schedule: at Kansas, vs. Texas Tech, BYU, at Houston, at Baylor, Iowa State, at Colorado (09:48)
• Matt’s prediction: Arizona will share the Big 12 title at 14–4, tied with Houston. (11:46)

Drafting the Top 10 National Coach of the Year Candidates

Segment Start: 17:12

The Format

• Alternating picks between Matt Norlander and Gary Parrish.
• Criteria: At this midseason point, who would win COY if voting were held now?

Draft Picks with Discussion & Quotes

1. Fred Hoiberg – Nebraska (Matt, 17:42)

   • "More with less, more than any other coach in the country."
   • Nebraska picked 14th in preseason; now on 20-game win streak, best in program history.

2. Mark Byington – Vanderbilt (Gary, 21:07)

   • 16–0 start, five Q1 wins, picked 11th in SEC; has SEC POY frontrunner Tyler Tanner.

3. Tommy Lloyd – Arizona (Matt, 22:20)

   • Undefeated through an ambitious schedule, on pace for a No. 1 seed.

4. TJ Otzelberger – Iowa State (Gary, 22:20)

   • “23-point win at Purdue is the most impressive win anybody has this season.”

5. Dusty May – Michigan (Matt, 23:07)

   • Despite a recent home loss to Wisconsin, team’s dominant efficiency margin and portal recruiting lauded.

6. Mark Few – Gonzaga (Gary, 27:00)

   • Zags 17–1, sustaining success as a non-power-conference program: “Never take this for granted as the divide between the haves and have-nots continues to grow.”

7. Dan Hurley – UConn (Matt, 30:03)

   • “After what happened last season where UConn was merely solid...look how the Huskies have bounced back.”
   • (If Seton Hall beats UConn, Matt says he’d sub in Shaheen Holloway.)

8. Jon Scheyer – Duke (Gary, 33:58)

   • “He has taken the reins...and really not missed a beat...best four-year start to a coaching career in D1 history.”

9. Matt Painter – Purdue (Matt, 33:58)

   • For identifying/recruiting Braden Smith, “Painter famously does not give a damn about recruiting rankings.”

10. Travis Steele – Miami Ohio (Gary, 35:52)

    • 17–0 season after inheriting a struggling program; “I like stories like this when people get a second chance.”

Honorable Mention:

• Shaheen Holloway (Seton Hall): “Deserves some recognition for what he's doing this season” (31:51)

Will They Be a Top Four Seed? – The “Game Sweeping the Nation”

Segment Start: 38:02

Teams Discussed and Predictions

1. Nebraska (38:44):

   • Both agree: Yes, likely a 3-seed.

2. Illinois (39:04):

   • Matt: Yes, probably a 3-seed; projects five Big Ten teams as top-four seeds.

3. Florida (39:59):

   • Matt: Narrow Yes—“Either the last or the second-to-last four seed.”

4. Louisville (41:32):

   • Matt: No. Ongoing absence of Mikel Brown Jr. a concern.

5. Kansas (43:31):

   • Matt: No, predicts a 5-seed (unless Darren Peterson gets/stays healthy).

Which Undefeated Team Loses Next? Who Stays Undefeated the Longest?

Segment Start: 46:05

Final Five Undefeated Teams:

• Arizona, Iowa State, Vanderbilt, Nebraska, Miami Ohio

Predictions

• Last Undefeated Team:

  • Matt: Arizona – expects first loss at BYU on Jan. 26, going to 20–1 (46:16)
    • "Yeah, the most likely team is going to be my pick. That is Arizona." (46:16)
  • Gary: Iowa State – “If you can get past this one (at Kansas), the next nine are vs. unranked opponents; could be 26–0.”

• Next Undefeated Team to Lose:

  • Matt: Iowa State (at Kansas, tonight)
  • Gary: Miami Ohio (at Kent State, next Tuesday)

Other Notable Segments & Quotes

• Big 12 Depth:

  • “You could finish fourth in the Big 12 and then go win the national championship.” – Gary Parrish (12:57)

• On Changing Roster Building:

  • “[Arizona] is built in an unusual way for the 2025-26 season. I don't think you find many other basketball teams built this way, but it is built well...” – Gary Parrish (06:55)

• On Program Building, NIL, and the Portal:

  • The crew both emphasize how coaches like Hoiberg, Byington, and others are winning even at resource disadvantages or by bucking conventional roster-building trends.

• Funny Moment:

  • Gary joking about his head photoshopped by fans in response to his predictions:
    • “You don’t have people making graphics of you and your bald head correct in your mentions.” (41:09)

Key Timestamps

• Arizona Deep Dive: 02:15–11:45
• Big 12 Race: 09:00–13:03
• COY Draft – Picks 1–5: 17:12–25:37
• COY Draft – Picks 6–10: 27:00–35:52
• Top Four Seed Game: 38:02–44:19
• Undefeated Teams Predictions: 46:05–49:44

Episode Tone & Style

Lively and conversational, blending analysis, statistical context, and plenty of good-natured banter. Parrish and Norlander speak with authority but keep a sense of fun, regularly poking holes in conventional wisdom and each other’s logic.

Summary Takeaways

• Arizona’s No. 1 status comes from elite balance and homegrown talent rather than transfers or reliance on upperclassmen.
• Coach of the Year race is historically wide open—Nebraska’s Hoiberg and Vandy’s Byington are leading the pack with Tommy Lloyd not far behind.
• Big 12 is ferocious—multiple teams could share the league title, with Arizona and Houston pegged as co-favorites.
• Several mid-majors and power conference upstarts (Miami Ohio, Vandy, Nebraska) are bucking history with record starts.
• The field is less predictable than ever—with unprecedented late-season parity and shifting program-building philosophies.

This episode is a must-listen for hoops fans eager to grasp the state of play as March looms ever closer—whether you care about bluebloods, emerging programs, or the coach who’s maximizing his school’s slice of the ever-evolving college basketball world.