← Eye On College Basketball
Eye On College Basketball
EOCBB on CBSSN: Duke's ACC supremacy; Is No. 1 Arizona really the best team in the sport? Nebraska and the Big Ten hierarchy; Does the SEC have a great team?
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- [00:00]
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- [01:59]
Gary Parrish
Hey there, I am Gary Parish. Welcome back to the I Own College Basketball podcast here on CBS Sports Network, where we sometimes discuss Campbell fighting Dodo Birds and leaky black. Cal Boone is here with me and we're going to be with you for the next hour. We're talking hoops and I want to start in the acc, where Duke beat another nationally ranked team last night, this time by 31 points. Final score number four, Duke 83. Number 20, Louisville 52. It happened inside Cameron Indoor Stadium. So John Shire's Blue devils, they're now 191 overall, 8 and oh in the ACC, but kind of barely an a block topic for much of this season despite arguably being the biggest brand in the sport and definitely having the leading candidate for National Player of the Year in Cameron Boozer. So, kb, let's start here first. Good to see you on this Tuesday afternoon, but make sense of this. Why is Duke 19 and one Duke kind of been a secondary story throughout this season.
- [02:57]
Cal Boone
Glad to see this this fine afternoon. You know, that's a great question, and I think it's probably GP in part because there are a few at least weaknesses or weak links from where I see it. Obviously, Cam Boozer has been fantastic. He is, as you mentioned, the front runner to win National Player of the Year. Another fantastic night. Productive on both ends in the win over Louisville last night. I think it's probably what it boils down to. GP is the point guards, and you look at the numbers so far this season, Duke's point guards are mostly replacement level from a statistical standpoint. You know, look at Caleb foster. He is 1.6 points better. Duke is with him on the floor versus offit Kaden Boozer. Actually, Duke is 6.3 points per 100 possessions worse off when he is on the floor. And everyone else, I think is largely pretty good. Cam Boozer erases a lot of deficiencies on both ends. Duke has a ton of length, they have a ton of athleticism as we saw last night. They can defend at a really high level, but I think it boils down to the point guard position. Gp, that's not something that they can solve overnight. And I think if you're going to look ahead at potential matchups in the Final Four versus An Arizona versus Michigan versus a Yukon. That is going to be a huge weak link for Duke, projecting them forward and maybe why we are excluding them from the top of the list of title contenders right now.
- [04:34]
Gary Parrish
So the reason I landed on this spot is because it just sort of occurred to me as somebody who plans a college basketball podcast three times a week. I don't know how many times this season we've opened with Duke. I mean, we always get to Duke, we always get to Cameron Boozer, but we infrequently start there. And so you start trying to figure out why is that. It's not because Duke's not a big brand. Like I said, it's arguably the biggest brand in men's college basketball. It's not because they're not great. Everything about them suggests great. The record, the computer numbers. They have nine quadrant one wins. So it's not like they haven't beaten anybody. They've got nine quadrant one wins. Quite literally. Nobody in the country has more than that. So I think if you're looking for the answer to that question, why is Duke kind of been overlooked in this season where Duke is a big brand, great and in possession of the leading candidate for national player of the year? I think it's probably this. What I'm about to tell you. They haven't beaten a ranked team since December 6th, other than Louisville. So they just haven't been, you know, playing big, high profile games for a while the way that other big brands in other leagues have been doing. As you know, the ACC is not the Big Ten, it's not the Big 12, it's not the SEC. And so there's fewer regular challenges for the Blue Devils as they might get in a different league. And I think that has helped push them off of the national radar to the extent that they're ever off of the national radar. They just haven't been in a block topic too often and I think that's it. Since December 6th, they've only beaten one currently ranked team. It is Louisville. Now they've done it twice, but it's still just Louisville. Right now. Kenpom projects the Blue devils to finish 17 and one in the ACC and win the league by three games. Is there a challenger to them in this conference or does that computer have it about right?
- [06:34]
Cal Boone
That feels about right to me. You know, I think in terms of the acc, Duke is head and shoulders above everyone else. I would say, you know too, I think we Duke is not overlooked necessarily. But when you have Arizona going this deep into the season undefeated, when you have Nebraska this far into the season undefeated, even a one loss Duke team can kind of get lost in the shuffle. You know, in terms of the acc. You know, I think coming into the season it seemed to me that NC State and Louisville on paper were the best contenders to potentially challenge Duke. Right now I think it's Duke and then big gap everyone else. I would put Virginia second among potential contenders. I would put Clemson third. And then you get to GP a list of several teams that you can kind of put in any potential order. North Carolina you could put in the mix. Louisville would be in the mix. NC State if things are in the mix. All of those teams have had varying struggles either defensive lapses, lack of continuity, injuries and so, you know, I think there's you know, the middle of the acc, for better, for worse is, is pretty soft this year. And Duke has clearly risen above the rest of the teams in that league.
- [07:54]
Gary Parrish
The ACC has been down for a few years. Some of this is just obvious stuff like Louisville was down under Kenny Payne, Virginia dipped toward the end of Tony Bennett, and certainly in the interim year. Any conference that has some of its biggest and best brands struggling is going to strug a conference. I think they're getting back on the right track. They've got the right guy at Virginia now in Ryan Odom. I think they've got the right guy at Louisville and Pat Kelsey. So the acc, I believe, will get back to operating more consistently at the tip top of the sport, but it's just not there right now. And I think on some level Duke is. The lack of attention Duke has received this season is a byproduct of that. I mentioned the schedule. It is what it is. Let's go back to Louisville because in the preseason I did think this was the team that would be the biggest challenger to the Blue devils. They were 11th in the preseason AP poll. They got into the transfer portal, recruited shooting, prioritized it. They got Michael Brown Jr. The five star freshman. He obviously has been in and out of the lineup, but he's back now and it didn't matter at all last night against Duke. I've got Louisville down to number 21 in the top 25 and one. They started seven and oh, on the season, they're now just seven and six in their past 13 games. Is Pat Kelsey going to get this thing turned around?
- [09:18]
Cal Boone
I don't know. That's. That's the big question. Especially coming off of a loss last night where they scored 52 points. That's the lowest point total under Pat Kelce since he took over that Louisville program. And you know, it's. It's obviously a disheartening loss, but the way in which they lost GP I think is more concerning. They lost the rebounding battle 47 to 26. There was a moment that ESPN cameras actually showed during the game where Pat Kelce was up in the face of one of his players essentially who got hustled out for a rebound. And you know, I talked on HQ last night and said what is, you know, kind of boiling down? What is some of Louisville's issues? I think Louisville's soft. I think Louisville is not physical enough to match up with teams at the top of this league. And you know, I think they're. Right now, they're not soft. They're not physical enough to really contend for making a real run in the NCAA tournament. And I think if you gave Pat Kelsey some truth serum, he'd probably agree with that. Look at the points in the paint last night. Duke 42 points, Louisville 10. And so yes, they have a ton of shooting. Yes, their offense on any given night can score 80, 90 points and they can win, they can play with finesse. But you know, when you match up with a Cam Boozer with a Duke team that has a ton of length, they play with a ton of physicality. It was no contest last night. And I think that's kind of a harbinger of things to come for Louisville. They're going to have some struggles, they're going to have some successes, but I think in the right matchup or the wrong matchup, as we saw last night, this roster has some pretty obvious shortcomings. And even with continuity issues, Michael Brown missing the last month as probably the better example, I still think Louisville's issues kind of run a little bit deeper than maybe with surface level continuity issues for the Cardinals right now.
- [11:12]
Gary Parrish
One more thing here before we move on from the ACC on the topic of Mikel Brown Jr. He is one of the many five star freshmen projected one and done lottery picks. Does the injury stuff play any role in his evaluation? And if we were picking a draft tonight on where do you think he lands?
- [11:32]
Cal Boone
Well, I, yeah, I Love Michael Brown Jr. I think he's still pretty much in the same mix of where he was when we started the season. Just to be honest. I think he is for me a top seven player in this class. And this class has actually proven to be maybe a little bit better than most people expected. You know, he's missed the last, better part of a month with a back injury. I think teams will want to dig into the medicals and see, okay, is this, is this, is this a Michael Porter Jr situation? Like is his back really messed up? Does he need follow up procedures like what type of injury are we looking at? And is this going to affect him long term, you know, but bigger picture, like Mikel Brown Jr. Great shooter, someone who can orchestrate an offense, checks a ton of like positional size, smart, heady type of player. I think he's going to continue to be a top seven player in this class regardless of whether or not he plays, you know, the final 15 games or misses the final 15 games. I think he is largely where he is at in this class, but GP the top of the 2026 NBA Draft as we've talked about on this podcast all year, very, very strong and we're seeing kind of the freshman of this class continue to rise. That makes Mikel Brown's Jr. Staying power all the more impressive. I think he's a, he's a bona fide candidate to go top seven still, despite, you know, having missed most of the last month.
- [12:59]
Gary Parrish
That's good stuff. When we come back, we'll turn our attention to the Big 12, where Arizona went to BYU last night and remained undefeated. How good are the top ranked Wildcats really? I'm going to ask Cal Boone that question next. It's the Iowa College Basketball Podcast. We're here on CBS Sports Network.
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- [16:31]
Gary Parrish
Welcome Back to the ION College Basketball Podcast. We're here on CBS Sports Network. Let's turn our attention to the Big 12, where the number one team in the sport resides. Last night they got a big road win. Number one, Arizona 86. Number 13, BYU 83. That was the final score. Eight inside the Marriott Center. Tommy Lloyd's Wildcats remain undefeated. Led by 19. They won it by three. Cal Bone Arizona is obviously the top ranked team in the country. Deservedly so. One of only three undefeateds. And of the undefeateds, they've clearly got the best resume. Is Arizona also the best team in the country right now? How would you answer that?
- [17:10]
Cal Boone
Well, if you watch the first half GP Arizona vs BYU, Arizona was clearly the best team in college basketball. If you watch the second half or the second half of the second half where they nearly completely imploded and gave up a 19 point lead, I think the answer is somewhere in between. I don't think Arizona is the best team in college basketball. I will say that I think if I had to choose. I think Houston's the best team in college basketball. Arizona, certainly the resume is fantastic. What they have accomplished so far, remaining undefeated, especially Perfect in Big 12 play. 8, 0 in Big 12 play so far, very, very impressive. But I do think, you know, they are potentially beatable. And I think if you put Houston and Arizona on a neutral floor right now, what's the line? GP Houston favored by one and a half, something like that? I think Houston is the better team.
- [18:05]
Gary Parrish
I'm not sure what the line would be. I'll let other people speak to that. But I can tell you, for the first time this season, Arizona has moved to number one in some of the computers. Arizona is now number one at Ken Palm. Arizona has moved to number in the net. And so the reason I asked you the question, the way I asked it is because I anticipated getting an answer like the one you gave me because I really do think at different parts of the season, even though Arizona opened with a impressive victory over the reigning national champs, Florida, a preseason top five team. So that's how it started. Like they didn't limp into this thing. They opened the season with a victory over the reigning champs, a preseason top five team, and they've had a zero in the loss column the entire time. But I don't think there's really been any point in this season where I could ask you or Matt Norlander or any of our colleagues, many of our colleagues, who's the best team in the country? I'm not asking you to rank resumes. I'm not asking you to put a bracket together, just best team in the country, who? You would have got some Michigan answers. You would have got, yes, some Houston answers. I think you would have got some Purdue answers. Maybe somebody would spit out a Duke. But I don't know how many times you would have heard Arizona because even though they are now 210 with 9 quadrant 1 wins, you could kind of nitpick the details a little bit. Like, yeah, they beat Florida in the season opener and that seemed great, but how good is Florida? You know, Florida started 5 and 4 on the season and then, yeah, they got wins over Auburn and Alabama. But like, both of those teams have been all over the place this season. Yeah, they went to UConn and one. But like, UConn was missing two starters shorthanded. So what? Impressive, sure. But like, they were missing two starters shorthanded, got a wind over UCLA. That's nice preseason top 10 team. But UCLA has been maybe the most disappointing team in the country among Preseason ranked teams at least. So, yeah, 20 and oh, heading into last night. That's, that's nice. But you know, what have they really, really, really done now? I don't believe all of that. I'm just framing it for you. But you go to the Marriott center last night, beat a BYU team that was 17 and two at tip off, beat a BYU team that is undeniably good and led by a guy who's in the conversation to be the number one pick in the draft. I don't think it's time to nitpick anymore. If people were still doing it. This team is 21 and 09 quadrant one wins. They have won at BYU. They have won at UConn. They are number one in the computers. They have finally moved to number one in the betting markets. Perhaps it's never been true before today, but right now, on January 27, 2026, there is a lot of data to support that Arizona isn't only one of three undefeated teams left in the sport, isn't only the team ranked number one in the country. It is actually the team that is supposed to win the 2026 NCAA tournament.
- [21:00]
Cal Boone
No, I think that's a good case. And GP I think it probably spinks to the strength of the top of college basketball writ large. Right. Like Arizona. You know, from a resume standpoint, from a computer standpoint, you know, I think I would make a case that Houston's maybe the better team, but certainly Arizona is worthy. If I was submitting an AP ballot, Arizona would be number one. But the top of college basketball is so strong. Like there was a stint where Michigan looked like the number one team. There was maybe a two week stint where I was banging the drum for Gonzaga, which still looks like Clearly a top five team to me. UConn, only one loss on the season and that was to Arizona by two points. They look like they belong. And so, you know, there's a lot of teams at the top of college basketball. I think you can make a case 7, 8, maybe 9 teams could reasonably all be ranked somewhere in the 2 through 5 range. That is not always the case. And I do think for as good as Arizona has been, and they've been awesome, I don't know that they've necessarily elevated themselves or looked so much better than the rest of the contenders at the top of college basketball.
- [22:21]
Gary Parrish
Yeah, I don't disagree with any of that. And just to make it clear, obviously Arizona should be ranked number one in any human ranking right now. That's where they are in my top 25 and 1. But if you. Period, new paragraph, OKGP. But who do you pick to win the national championship? I, like you think I would take Houston. And Houston happens to play in the same league as Arizona, which is a reminder that. But in this particular season, obviously I can't guarantee this will happen, but something like this could happen. You see the Big 12 standings right there. Arizona, Houston, BYU, Iowa State, Texas Tech. Theoretically any of those teams could end up in the final four, win the national championship. So just like last season in the sec, Auburn won the regular season conference championship, then Florida won the NCAA tournament. Like Todd golden as of this moment has a national championship, but zero conference championships on his Wikipedia page. And something like that could happen in the Big 12 this season. What I mean specifically is this. The team that finishes fourth in the Big 12 could win six games in the NCAA tournament and win the national championship. You don't disagree with that, do you? The fourth place team in the Big 12, whoever that is, could ultimately win the whole thing by the time we get to the big bracket.
- [23:35]
Cal Boone
No, I think that's absolutely true. That speaks to the top of college, college basketball and specifically to the top of the Big 12. I mean Houston, Arizona, Kansas, you know, I think if, if healthy and has continuity, could make a run and you know, Kansas could end up finishing fifth or sixth in the Big 12. The Big 12 is very, very top heavy, but the top is very, very strong. It would not surprise me at all to see Houston, which by the way has won back to back Big 12 championships since joining the league, maybe losing the Big 12, but winning the national championship. I think that is very, very much in play this season.
- [24:12]
Gary Parrish
While we're focusing on the Big 12, I want to, I want you to put on your NBA draft analyst hat because the likely type two picks, or at least possibly the top two picks in the 2026 draft, both reside in this league. AJ DeBonsa at BYU, Darren Peterson at Kansas. Let's start with DeBonta. He's been fabulous. Wasn't his most efficient self on Monday night. 24 points on 24 field goal attempts, but broadly speaking, he's incredible. Freshman season would be the second leading candidate for national player of the year in my mind right now behind only Duke freshman Cameron Boozer. How big of a conversation is it, DeBonsa? Peterson at the top of the draft. And what do you make of what you've seen from DeBonsa so far?
- [24:59]
Cal Boone
Yeah, I think, I think it's still pretty clearly Darren Peterson at number one, but certainly the way that AJ debonza has played over the last month, taking not only BYU to near the top of college basketball, but also playing at at his best so far this season. He is absolutely in the mix to be the number one pick. I think there's going to be a real discussion this summer, GP for whoever gets the number one pick of what to do. Because I think not only is Cam Boozer, I think is probably the the number three pick, but Darren Peterson and AJ DeBonsa would be the number one pick in most NBA drafts. They're special talents, both of them. And DeBonsa, at 6 foot 8, he's not only a scoring phenom and certainly he has absolutely been that. He's coming off a game, not against Arizona, but over the weekend where he had 43 points. That was a career high. But he can take over games. And if you were to build an NBA draft prospect in a lab, you'd end up something like looking like AJ DeBonsa. Right? Because the size, because the scoring ability, he can finish at an elite level from the mid range. And oh, by the way, when he's engaged, he's very impactful defensively, just checks a ton of boxes. Does DebonSA not his best performance last night, as you mentioned, 24 points, 24 shots, 1 of 8 from 3 point range. But from what we've seen so far this season from Nabonza, he's a guy who was clearly going to go top three in the draft. And I think there will be a real discussion between Darren Peterson, cam Boozer and DebonSA about who is worthy of going number one. And it may come down to GP, which team ends up getting the number one pick and maybe just taking the best current fit. Because I think from a talent perspective, they're all blue chippers. In my mind, from what I've seen so far this season, when I talk.
- [26:51]
Gary Parrish
To NBA evaluators, they still lean slightly towards Darren Peterson. But let me ask you this last thing here before we move on to the Big Ten. Darren Peterson has played 10 games. Kansas has played 20. He's had various issues, soft tissue issues, ankle issues, all of it minor, but all of it consistent. Does this come into the evaluation process at all? Are NBA people concerned with Darren Peterson's lack of availability so far at ku?
- [27:24]
Cal Boone
Yeah, you know, it's, it's been noisy, GP and it's certainly almost impossible to ignore the fact that he's missed a ton of games. But also when he's played, his availability during those games has been somewhat inconsistent. There are moments in, in, in big spots during games where he is, you know, taking himself out of games. And you know, I think it is certainly a distraction, but in terms of projecting him to the NBA level, I, you know, when I talk to people who evaluate the NBA draft, it's not something that is impacting the scout. I know you talk to NBA valuer. What, what are you hearing on that front? Peterson? Because, you know, I think from what I've gathered so far, Peterson is Clearly, the number one prospect in this class. But it will be close between him and debonts. I wonder if this will be kind of the separating point. Like if you have to come down to one thing to separate the two, maybe it's just take the guy who's the most available and maybe that's debons at number one.
- [28:25]
Gary Parrish
The most, the thing I hear most regularly is that it won't come down to just one thing between them. Two, that, that, that in most people's eyes, it's going to be a pretty clear evaluation. Peterson over debonsa. You and I can disagree with it or debate it, but in NBA people's minds, it feels like it's going to be a pretty clear evaluation. Peterson over DeBonsa, Peterson over everybody. And I had one executive say this to me within recent weeks. GP you, you, you wouldn't want to be the NBA franchise that passed on the next Kobe Bryant because he cramped a little bit while he was a freshman or rolled his ankle one time while he was a freshman. Don't overthink this thing. I still think Peterson probably goes number one, but obviously everybody would like to see him play more often than he's played so far this season. When we come back, let's move over to the Big Ten where Nebraska is 20 and oh atop the Big Ten standings. I wonder how often this has happened in the history of this sport. But a double digit underdog tonight, power conference undefeated team on January 27th. A double digit underdog. Very rare thing. We'll dive into that next. It's the Ion College Basketball Podcast. We're here on CBS Sports Network.
- [29:34]
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- [29:58]
Gary Parrish
Hey, Sal.
- [29:59]
Cal Boone
Hank. What's going on? We haven't worked a case in years.
- [30:02]
Gary Parrish
I just bought my car at Carvana and it was so easy.
- [30:05]
Cal Boone
Too easy. Think something's up? You tell me.
- [30:08]
Gary Parrish
They got thousands of options, found a great car at a great price, and it got delivered the next day.
- [30:15]
Cal Boone
It sounds like Carvana just makes it easy to buy your car, Hank.
- [30:19]
Gary Parrish
Yeah, you're right. Case closed.
- [30:22]
Cal Boone
Buy your car today on Carvana. Delivery fees may apply.
- [30:31]
Gary Parrish
Welcome back to the Ion College Basketball Podcast. We're here on CBS Sports Network, and in my opinion, and I think lots of people's opinion at this point, the best story in the sport, it is originating in the Big Ten. It's Nebraska 20 and oh, alone atop the Big Ten standings, ranked fifth in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. Everything I just said is a fact. So is this double digit underdog at Michigan, the undefeated season, it has lasted this long, longer than anybody anticipated if it gets to 21. And oh, and now we, now we onto something special. Kb, what do you make of what we're watching out of Lincoln this season?
- [31:08]
Cal Boone
It's so impressive what Fred Hoiberg has built with the Corn Huskers. I mean, we're talking about a team GP that was nowhere near the radar coming into the season. Pick 13th in the Big Ten coming into the year. I mean, my goodness, what they've done is very impressive. And to go Undefeated through 20 games is a total shocker. If you told Anyone a Big Ten team was going to go 200 to start the season, your guess would have almost certainly been Purdue, right? Purdue's underwhelmed maybe a little bit. But I think the story is obviously in the Big Ten. It's Nebraska, their offense homing at elite level, Price Sanford playing at an elite level. And you know, this offense is just fun to watch. They have a system that seems to perfectly fit their players and their personnel. They've done a nice job of developing players from within. And yes, they're going to be a double digit underdog tonight versus Michigan, which does seem weird. But the story of what they've done and accomplished so far to this point, I think clearly one of the better and more surprising stories in all of college basketball.
- [32:17]
Gary Parrish
Wonderful story, obviously surprising. But I will say I went to Big Ten media day and sat down with Fred Hoiberg there and he certainly wasn't predicting going 21 or going starting 200 or in late January sitting alone atop the Big Ten standings. None of that. But if you remember, you know, he's had an NCAA tournament team there. It was two seasons ago and Reek Mast was on that team, but he wasn't available last season because of an injury. Jamarcus Lawrence was on that team, but he transferred out of the program last season. He's now a boomerang transfer back in the program. So they did enroll in addition to other pieces, some people back into the program that that had been of a part of impactful and played a role in successful stuff a couple of seasons ago and now here we are. I don't know where it goes from here, but obviously this is the one power conference program in the sport that has never won a game in the NCAA tournament. They've been in it most recently two seasons ago, but they've never actually advanced in the NCAA tournament. And so I guess the basic question is is this the year they're going to do it? And the answer is almost certainly yes, because they're going to be seeded in a way that makes it hard to lose a first round game. Now don't run into a Jack Golkey, don't run into a St. Peter's peacocks. But outside of something like that, where Nebraska is going to be seated, or at least where Nebraska would be seated if we put the tournament bracket out today, sets them up to be a significant favorite in the round of 64. And so it does look like Fred Hoiberg is going to make history and be the first person to ever lead the Cornholes men's basketball program to a victory and then display tournament. Don't let me jinx it, but that is probably coming in March, don't you think?
- [34:08]
Cal Boone
Absolutely. Yes, it's absolutely coming in. Nebraska being a good story is only just part of it. It's part of the equation. GP because you know this Nebraska team, obviously it's their best start program history. They've never been this good to start conference play. But Fred Hoiberg is a fantastic story, right? Like he left this, the Iowa State program after the 2014-15 season, took a couple years off, took over the Nebraska program in 2019. First two seasons, seven wins, seven wins, third season, 10 wins, fourth season, 16 wins. And it's like is this guy on the hot seat? Is he going to keep his job? And not only is he has he retained his job last three seasons, 23, 23 wins go to the NCAA tournament, 21 wins last year, they're going to the NCAA tournament this year they're probably going to be seeded a 2 seed, 3 seed depending on how they finish and you know, I think the turnaround for Fred Hoiberg, not only Nebraska as a program, but Hoiberg in general, I think is. Is a fantastic story. Someone who was kind of forgotten about and has taken this team to heights that they have never reached before, it makes for. It makes for just kind of a feel good story all the way around.
- [35:24]
Gary Parrish
I'm glad you took the conversation in that direction because it is notable. This is year seven for Fred Hoiberg at Nebraska. Time flies and all that. And in truth, the first six years have not been great. One NCAA tournament appearance in six seasons, zero NCAA tournament victories. He's 20 and, oh, right now and the leading candidate to be national coach of the year. But, but if he were something like 7 and 13 right now, he would maybe be the leading candidate to lose his job out of a power conference when the season is over. So, like, this was an important season for him. And I wonder, let me ask you, do you think there's a lesson there for other athletic directors, for other fan bases? Fred Hoiberg is obviously a gifted basketball coach. He did incredible things at Iowa State and was so good there that he got an NBA job. Fred Horbuck didn't forget how to coach. Fred Horburg didn't get stupid. But he did struggle for much of his first six years at Nebraska. But they stood by him and said, let's, well, let's give it another shot next season. And now here we are in this climate of coaching where everybody's getting rich, making a lot of money very fast, and if you don't deliver very quickly, you might get got as quickly as after one or two years. Is there a lesson in the way Nebraska has handled the Fred Hoiberg thing because they're having the best season in school history right now, and a different school would have changed coaches before the season ever even happened.
- [36:54]
Cal Boone
That's absolutely true. That's absolutely true. And you know, I think there probably is a lesson to be learned there. I think a lot of athletic directors feel the heat in the same way that coaches feel the heat when they see empty seats, when they see a ton of losses, when they see no NCAA tournament appearances. The pressure is on for decision makers in athletic departments in the same way the pressure is on for coaches. And a lot of times, especially in a situation like what we've seen play out the last seven years at Nebraska, coaches like Hoiberg don't usually get that long of a leash. Even coaches like Hoiberg, who have a long track record of success and so you know, especially in this era of nil gp you can flip things like that. We've seen this year. This is part of a multi year program and a plan for Hoiberg. They've managed to develop from within. They brought guys back, they got guys healthy, you know, but I think you look across the country and you can build a program and build a winning team in one off season. And so, you know, it's, it's really difficult. I think it, there is could be a lesson here where, you know, if you potentially fired Warburg after three seasons and three losing seasons, what are you missing out on? You're missing out on potentially the greatest Nebraska season in program history. There's a lot of probably programs in similar boats across the country that I can think of with decisions for coaches on the hot seat and probably watching the situation playing out thinking I wonder, I wonder what I can take from that.
- [38:32]
Gary Parrish
Sometimes patience isn't the worst thing in the world. Last thing on the Big Ten, then we'll move on. Like I've noted, Nebraska is undefeated alone ATOP the Big Ten standings. But according to KenPom, right now four different Big Ten schools would be favored over the Cornhuskers on a neutral court. Specifically Michigan, Purdue, Illinois and Michigan State. Is Nebraska going to win at least a share of the Big Ten title? What do you think?
- [39:00]
Cal Boone
I don't think so. And I've been kind of predicting Nebraska's fall off for a bit. It feels like of the, the final undefeated teams in the major conference structure, they feel like the team that is most susceptible. That being said, Nebraska continues to kind of overperform and outperform expectations. I think at the top of the Big Ten for me it would still be Michigan. They have been fantastic despite only taking one loss. Their last four wins have come by double digits. They've largely got back to kicking booty in the same way they were kicking booty early in the season. Illinois, the number one offense in college basketball. Michigan State, the number one defense in college basketball. The top of this league is very strong. Nebraska could very well go off on to win at least a share of the Big Ten. And I wouldn't rule it out, but I think right now I think I would pick Michigan to win the Big Ten.
- [39:55]
Gary Parrish
What about you gp Yeah, I, I'm not gonna pick against them like I'm gonna. I understand they don't rate in some computers the way some of these other Big Ten schools do. Certainly from a roster perspective, it's not the most talented roster in the Big Ten. It's not the most expensive roster in the Big Ten, but at some point I'm just going to believe what you're showing me. I mean, they've won at Illinois, at Ohio State, at Indiana, they beat Michigan State at Pinnacle Bank. And for whatever it's worth right now, Ken Palm does have them going 173 in the Big Ten and winning the outright regular season conference championship. So yeah, I'll say Nebraska gets at least of a Big Ten regular season title. Cruz is into the NCAA Tournament and yes, wins its first game in that event in program history. When we come back, we will turn our attention to the conference that is actually the top rated league in the country. According to some computers, that's the SEC top ranked conference, but unranked Texas A and M is alone atop the league standings. Interesting. We'll try to make sense of that next. It's the Iowa College Basketball Podcast. We are here on CBS Sports Network. Welcome back to the Ion College Basketball Podcast. We're here on CBS Sports Network Right now. The top rated conference in America according to Kenpom, is the SEC the league that put a record 14 teams in last season's NCAA tournament. But unranked Texas A and M is the school alone atop the league standings. KB make sense of this. How did we end up with the SEC being the top ranked conference in America and an unranked team sitting atop the league standings?
- [41:35]
Cal Boone
It feels weird. It feels weird, doesn't it? And I would even add like the SEC being the top conference in college basketball also feels strange. Yes, last year was fantastic to an anomaly degree. They don't feel like they've been the best conference in college basketball. I think. GP it probably boils down to Florida underperforming. Florida obviously go and win in the national championship last year. They've been good but inconsistent throughout parts of this season. I think if Florida was continuing to carry the banner, so to speak, this year, we'd be potentially looking at the SEC in a different situation. But Texas A and M alone atop the sec, Bucky ball playing a very distinct style. They've been successful so far. I think the schedule will toughen and I do question if they do have staying power. My guess is probably not. But the top of the SEC obviously very much in play, very much open right now with Kentucky lurking, Florida lurking. Texas A and M having the top spot in Vanny falling off. So the SEC very much feels wide open right now as we sit here on January 27th.
- [42:47]
Gary Parrish
Some of this is schedule induced. Texas A and M has had one of the lighter conference schedules to date. But some of it is, yeah, there's some disappointing, uneven teams in the SEC that we didn't expect to be struggling in the ways that they have struggled. It might rate as the best league in the country according to some algorithm, and that's fine. I'm not going to dispute it. But I would not call it the best league in the country, not this season, because I don't know that they have a national championship contender, whereas the Big 12 might have four or five or six. So I would lean more towards strength at the top of the Big 12. Makes the Big 12 the best league in the country this season. But at Ken Palm, at least the SEC does rate that way. But who's the, who's the great team in the preseason? You might have thought it was going to be Kentucky, but then Jalen Lowe gets hurt, Jaden Quaint's hurt, Cam Williams is hurt. That's been all over the place, oddly. Like Kentucky's winning now. But, but like at some point that probably starts to fall apart a little bit just because the injuries take a toll. You thought it would be Florida maybe in the preseason and maybe it is, but they got up to a rough start, then got good and I thought were maybe the class of the league as recently as this past weekend. But then they took a goofy loss. Vanderbilt was undefeated for a while, but now they look something closer to computer trickers than real national championship contenders. So right now, like this is true, the SEC rates number one at Ken Palm as a conference, but there's zero top 10 Ken Palm teams in the SEC. The highest rated kinpom team in the SEC right now is Florida at number 11. But it is Florida outside of the top 10. So you push back on this if you want, but sec great league, no legitimate national championship contender. Somebody put that in front of you, would you accept it as true?
- [44:41]
Cal Boone
I push back. I push back. I still believe in Florida. We haven't seen the best of Florida yet. I'm not certain that we won't see them though. They're 14 and 6. They've absolutely underwhelmed relative to preseason expectations. The shot making has been very much inconsistent to this point. But go to Ken Palm. They're number 11 overall. They're top 20 in both offensive and defensive efficiency. You know, I, and I think from a talent perspective they have a chance to really get things in the right direction. I trust that the, the staff, they're very analytics heavy and focused, will start to figure things out. They've only taken two losses since December 13th. And so maybe we're holding Florida to a high, high, higher standard than most. But I do believe, you know, there's potentially at least one title contender. And in the sec, I would still peg the Gators to be that title contender.
- [45:42]
Gary Parrish
I don't reject that. I could see them making a run in the tournament, that that's probably the best team in the league as of this moment. For what it's worth, Kinpom does project the Gators to win the sec. Outri right by a game. When we come back. One more segment to go. We'll look ahead to some interesting matchups later on this week. You're watching the Ion College Basketball Podcast. We're here on CBS Sports Network. Welcome back. I own College Basketball Podcast. We're here on CBS Sports Network. Just a few more minutes to go before I get us out of here. KB I want to look ahead to some interesting matchups that'll unfold later on this week. Obviously, the big one on Tuesday night, that is number five, Nebraska at number three, Michigan. But we've already touched on that one throughout this show. So let's look further ahead. On Friday, Michigan at Michigan State. On Saturday, BYU at Kansas, Kentucky at Arkansas. On Sunday, Alabama at Florida. We're gonna get Illinois at Nebraska as well. KB out of that list of games, what interests you the most?
- [46:45]
Cal Boone
Boy, Friday night, Michigan at Michigan State. I'm there for that, I think. GP that is a swing spot for the Big Ten regular season title. Michigan State quietly lurking among the top contenders in that league. Michigan State has the number one defense in adjusted efficiency at call in at Ken Palm right now. Jeremy Fears Jr. Has been playing out of his mind leading that Spartans team. Izzo feels like he's got a couple more punches left in him. And to be able to take down the Wolverines in East Lansing, that feels like a spot where Michigan State could really show its medals in a big spot, especially depending on what happens tonight. Michigan obviously taking on Nebraska. I'm looking forward to that on Friday night. I think the Big Ten title could end up being decided in East Lansing on Friday night.
- [47:38]
Gary Parrish
There's been a lot of changes in college athletics over the years. Perhaps you've heard of some of them. They end up in courtrooms wherever else. But one of the positive changes to college basketball at least is that that Friday nights used to just be like Ivy League games for the most part. Like we didn't have big power conference basketball on Friday nights. But we get that now more often than not. And Michigan at Michigan State is a tremendous primetime matchup. BYU at Kansas, that is AJ debona at Allen Fieldhouse. I just think anytime you get a generational talent and a building like that and pair them together, that's must see TV. So I can't wait to see DeBonsa inside Allen Field House. And then, of course, Kentucky at Arkansas is John Caliperi against the school at which he won the 2012 national championship. Obviously, Cal coaching against Kentucky at Arkansas, not the same as Cal coaching against Kentucky at Rupp arena, but still, there's got to be some feelings there somewhere when Coach Cal gets against the Wildcats, right?
- [48:41]
Cal Boone
Absolutely. Absolutely. There'll be some feelings in both of these teams trending in a good direction. Kentucky's actually won five consecutive games. Arkansas very much still in the mix to win the SEC. They're 5 and 2 in the SEC. Both of those teams ranked going into this matchup, and both of these teams carrying some momentum. Obviously there's going to be some big feelings. John Calipari facing his former school Arkansas vs. Kentucky on Saturday will be must see television.
- [49:09]
Gary Parrish
And then on Sunday, Illinois at Nebraska. Huge little stretch here for the Cornhuskers, 200 right now, but an underdog at Michigan tonight and then get Illinois. That's how you could reasonably go from 200 to 20 and 2, but we'll see. Shouts to Devin Downey. Shouts to Chester, South Carolina. Terry Teagle's a legend. HuckLear now, thank you guys for watching the Ion College Basketball podcast. We'll be back with you this time next Tuesday. Paramount podcasts Pluto TV has thousands of.
- [49:47]
Cal Boone
Free movies and TV shows like Joe Dirt, Pixel Survivor and SpongeBob SquarePants free.
- [49:56]
Gary Parrish
You're welcome.
- [49:57]
Cal Boone
Pluto TV stream now pay never.