EOCBB on CBSSN: Why history suggests Florida will match the hype; most surprising players in the conf. finals; Will Wade is daring the NCAA to stop him (again)

Summary

Eye On College Basketball – Episode Summary

Title: EOCBB on CBSSN: Why history suggests Florida will match the hype; most surprising players in the conf. finals; Will Wade is daring the NCAA to stop him (again)
Date: May 22, 2026
Hosts: Gary Parrish (GP) & Matt Norlander
Podcast: Eye On College Basketball (CBS Sports)

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Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into three major college basketball storylines:

• Florida’s status as the preseason #1 and the historical context behind their dominance and returning roster.
• The unveiling and implications of the new “Diamond Cup” event in college basketball.
• The audacious roster-building tactics of Will Wade at LSU, challenging the current boundaries of eligibility and recruitment. The hosts also discuss the NBA Conference Finals, spotlighting unexpected former college players making major playoff impacts.

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1. Florida’s Dominance & The NIL Era

[02:09–14:00]

Key Points:

• Reuben Chinula returns: With Chinula withdrawing from the NBA draft, Florida now returns six of their top seven scorers from a squad that won the SEC by three games and was a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
• Preseason #1 Rationale:
  • “Is there even an argument for anybody else to be number one other than the Florida Gators at this point?” – GP [02:44]
  • Norlander explains: While history shows preseason #1 rarely wins it all (UNC in 2008–09 being the last), Florida is “the most practical and rational pick” based on returning talent and recent on-court success.
• On Florida’s SEC Standing:
  • Other major SEC contenders: Texas (#7), Arkansas (#8), Tennessee (#15).
  • Florida is aiming for back-to-back outright SEC titles, last achieved by Florida in 2013–14 under Billy Donovan. [06:32]
• Impact of NIL and Revenue Share:
  • Florida's ability to retain stars (Chinula, Thomas Hauck) is “undeniably” due to lucrative NIL deals:
    • “If not for nil revenue share, there’s basically no chance Reuben Chinulu’s back playing college basketball next season.” – GP [07:14]
    • “Nil rules have empowered Florida… That’s a major factor.” – Norlander [07:33]
• Roster Depth and Shooting Issues:
  • Key returners: Isaiah Brown, TJ Ingram, Denzel Aberdeen (pending waiver), Orban Clav Jar.
  • Weakness: Three-point shooting (315th nationally in 2025–26).
  • Florida brings back 82% of its scoring—historic context suggests big things: Of the five teams since 2003 that returned ≥75% of scoring after being a 1-seed, three made the national title game, two won it all. [10:20]
• Cost of Competing:
  • “The number I heard with Florida basketball was somewhere around 25 [million].” – GP [12:12]
  • Norlander: “Call it between 20 and 25 million for Florida next season… definitely among the 10 biggest and quite possibly among the five biggest [rosters] in the sport.” [12:23]
• Notable Quote:
  • “Never before in the history of the world has there been a better time to be a great college player who is a not so great NBA prospect. Never been more lucrative than it is right now.” – GP [14:00]

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2. The Diamond Cup: A New Powerhouse Event

[15:08–24:52]

Key Points:

• What is the Diamond Cup?
  • Not yet official, but in advanced planning: An eight-team, neutral-site, multi-game college basketball event launching November 2027.
  • Teams involved: Arizona, UConn, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, Indiana. [15:25]
• Format Details:
  • Potential for an innovative format with early exhibitions counting towards the Cup, two or four regular-season games, all at neutral sites.
  • Exhibition games might matter for standings: A new twist intended to incentivize preseason action.
• Philosophical Debate:
  • “How do we feel about the idea, the theoretical idea of exhibition games counting for something?” – GP [19:31]
  • Norlander: “I was puzzled at first… but it might really work because these games already happen, and adding a competitive element makes sense.” [19:41]
• Environment Concerns:
  • GP laments the loss of true home-court environments for marquee matchups, which are “the best thing college basketball offers.” [21:41]
  • Norlander agrees but stresses the only way to get these matchups is neutral sites due to TV and conference deals.
• Notable Quotes:
  • “Every neutral court game we get is a game not on a campus somewhere… and to me, that’s the best thing college basketball offers.” – GP [22:03]
  • “It’s a really bold and ambitious idea… the people involved are very optimistic.” – Norlander [23:27]

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3. NBA Conference Finals: Most Surprising College Alumni

[26:54–36:42]

Key Points:

• Premise: Which former college player is most surprisingly thriving at the highest NBA playoff level?
• Norlander's Top 5 Surprises:
  1. A.J. Mitchell (Thunder, formerly UC Santa Barbara):
     • “He’s averaging more points with the Thunder than he did in college… he’s my number one surprise.” – Norlander [27:45]
  2. Alex Caruso (Thunder, formerly Texas A&M):
     • “He is being described pretty regularly as one of the greatest role players of all time… being a huge piece, maybe a reason the Thunder win a championship.” – GP [29:25]
  3. Max Strus (Cavs, formerly DePaul):
     • “Undrafted, not a single college highlight anyone remembers. A key piece now in Cleveland.”
  4. Jalen Williams (Thunder, formerly Santa Clara):
     • “Second-best player on the best team in the NBA… nowhere near this level of stardom expected from college.”
  5. Jalen Brunson (Knicks, formerly Villanova):
     • “His college resume was incredible, but no one saw him as a 28-point scorer who could lead the Knicks to the Finals.”
• Memorable Exchange:
  • “If I had children who had basketball aspirations, I’d tell them these stories. Don’t think you’re LeBron, but maybe you can be Alex Caruso.” – GP [36:42]

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4. Will Wade & The New LSU Roster: Pushing the Limits

[39:14–44:18]

Key Points:

• Roster Under Scrutiny:
  • Will Wade has assembled a roster stacked with international and domestic players aged 20–26, including professionals recently removed from Euroleague and NBA contracts.
  • ESPN’s Matt Norlander: “He is going to stress test more than any coach ever the idea of what should constitute a college basketball roster.” [39:14]
• Eligibility Gray Areas:
  • Many players require legal maneuvers (state court injunctions) to be eligible.
  • “Maybe the house really does need to burn down before we build a new one. Maybe we need this to show the absurdity of what is and isn’t eligible…” – Norlander [41:34]
• Will Wade’s Justification:
  • GP, paraphrasing Wade: “I have no players… I’m getting paid to compete in the toughest league in the country. I’m doing what I have to do…” [42:01]
• Coach-to-Coach Tension:
  • Norlander: “Privately, a lot of coaches are fairly furious with Will Wade over this. What else do you expect?”
• Wade Isn’t Hiding:
  • “He has no issue with being the sport’s villain.” – Norlander [44:13]

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5. NBA Draft Withdrawal Deadline: Who Will Surprise?

[45:39–47:40]

Key Points:

• Draft withdrawal deadline looms:
  • Both hosts pick a player projected to stay in the draft who could surprise everyone by returning to college.
• Norlander’s pick:
  • Malik Thomas (Arkansas): Most expect him to stay in the draft, "but if you're giving me a, like… they could surprise us, like, go back with Billy Richmond to Arkansas and really push Florida." [45:39]
• GP’s pick:
  • Coa Pete (Arizona): “Most people believe he’s going to remain in the draft, but… returning to Arizona makes a lot of sense.” [46:21]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Florida & NIL:
  • “Never before in the history of the world has there been a better time to be a great college player who is a not so great NBA prospect.” – GP [14:00]
• On Neutral Courts:
  • “The environment is a character… Cameron Indoor is a character, Allen Fieldhouse is a character. We lose that with neutral court stuff like this.” – GP [22:03]
• Will Wade Pushing Limits:
  • “He will have RJ Lewis, who is 23 and has been out of college for over a year; Bryce Dessert, who's 23; Marcio Santos, 23; Salu Nyang, 22… Will Wade is going to push this as far as it can possibly be pushed.” – Norlander [39:25]

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• Florida Discussion & Roster Analysis – 02:09–14:00
• Diamond Cup Details & Debate – 15:08–24:52
• NBA Conference Finals: Surprise College Alums – 26:54–36:42
• Will Wade & LSU Roster Maneuvers – 39:14–44:18
• NBA Draft Withdrawals: Who Might Surprise – 45:39–47:40

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Flow & Tone

The episode is energetic, packed with statistical context, insider info, and sharp debate. Parrish and Norlander balance skepticism with enthusiasm, clearly respecting the changing landscape of college basketball while refusing to sugarcoat the turmoil and absurdities NIL and transfer rules have introduced. There’s also plenty of levity—especially in discussing NBA playoff surprises and Will Wade’s willingness to be “the sports villain.”

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For Listeners Who Missed It

This episode provides outstanding insight into the upcoming college basketball season, the state of the sport under NIL, the competitive arms race at the top of the SEC, and the often unpredictable trajectory from college to NBA. Don’t miss the hosts’ historical context on roster continuity, their nuanced takes on new events like the Diamond Cup, and a frank exploration of how coaches like Will Wade are testing the limits of eligibility and roster construction.

Transcript

[Gary Parrish]

This is Gary Parrish from CBS Sports

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[Gary Parrish]

Hey there. I am Gary Parish. Welcome back to the Ion College Basketball podcast here on CBS Sports Network where we sometimes discuss camel fighting, dodo birds and leaky black. Matt Norlander is here with me and we'll both be here with you for the next hour, catching you up on how things are unfolding in the sport this off season. Let's start with a big headline from the week. Reuben Chinula is withdrawing from the NBA draft and returning to the University of Florida, which means the Gators are now projected to return six of the top seven scores from a team that won the SEC by three games last season. It was the number one seed in the 2026 NCAA tournament. They are right now number one in my top 25 and one over at CBSSports.com Norlander. Good to see you on a Friday. My first question for you, is there even an argument for anybody else to be number one other than the Florida Gators at this point?

[Matt Norlander]

GP Great to be with you. Happy to be back on CBS Sports Network. A fun little change up and check in here. There's an argument only in the realm of we haven't had a preseason number one team wind up as the actual end of season number one team as the national champion since North Carolina did it in the 2008, 2009 season. I've got more on that Carolina team in just a second. So there's an argument based on that, like the team that people think will be number one has not been the best team for well over a decade, going on close to two decades at this point. So that is your argument in favor of it. But when you look around the sport and you look at the other rosters that are out there and the teams that are populating yours specifically, you know, Your preseason top five, top 10, there's some good competitors. But I think Florida has to be the most practical and rational pick to be number one because this was a team that was a one seed a season ago. It was a team that had the best frontcourt in the in the country and those players were all coming back, was a team that featured the defensive player of the year in Chinilu and now his decision is official. Like Todd Goldenet staff, they were very much expecting this to be the way that it went and happy to see that going into Memorial Day weekend. It's now been made official. So I've got some good nuggets and anecdotes on teams that have a similar or have had a similar look and situation to Florida in years past. And we'll get to that in just a just a minute here. GP but to your question directly, there is a case against it, but Florida has the best case of them all and I do expect from an AP purpose, which is when we Watch the games on TV and you see numbers next to teams. The AP rankings are the thing that have the most widespread impact on the sport. So from that official realm when we get to October, I think Florida will be the overwhelming pick to be preseason number one.

[Gary Parrish]

On paper, it seemed obvious again returning six of the top seven scores from a team that won the SEC by three games and was a 1 seed in the tournament, if you're curious. But top 25 and 1 right now. Number one Florida, followed by number two Duke. Number three Michigan. Number four Illinois. Number five UConn. Stretch it out to include some more SEC schools. In other words, what would be the biggest on paper threats to Florida in the SEC? I've got Texas at number seven, Arkansas at number eight, Tennessee at number 15. So the SEC will once again be strong. But Florida is going to be considered the favorite to win it. And given that they won it last season, they have an opportunity to be outright back to back SEC champions. Trivia time. The last school to win back to back outright SEC championships in the sport of men's basketball. Name that school.

[Matt Norlander]

I'll try and give you the school and the year outright back to back SEC regular season champions. Off the top of my head, I'll go 15, 16. Kentucky 15.

[Gary Parrish]

That is an incorrect answer. The last how about right?

[Matt Norlander]

So is it. Is it 2013? 14, 2014? 15? Kentucky?

[Gary Parrish]

Kentucky is not the correct answer here.

[Matt Norlander]

Oh, I thought you said it was

[Gary Parrish]

the correct Kentucky has won back to back SEC titles in this span, but not outright back to back SEC titles.

[Matt Norlander]

Oh, back to back. Are we going one of those? The answer's right in front of your face. Is it actually Florida under Billy Donovan? The years they won Ding ding ding ding ding.

[Gary Parrish]

It is Florida under Billy Donovan in 2013 and 14. The Gators won the SEC by two games in 2013 and then won it by six games in 2014 with an 18 and oh conference record. Shouts to Scotty Wilbur Can. Shouts to Casey Prather. Shouts to Patrick Young. I know not everybody loves nil and revenue share, but undeniably like it keeps more talent in college basketball. And this is the latest example of that. True or false, Norlander? If not for nil revenue share, there's basically no chance Ruben Chinulu's back playing college basketball next season. But because there's a lot of money on the table for him and it was financially more sensible for him to do this than that. That's correct, right?

[Matt Norlander]

I think it's false With Thomas Hauck, who we've mentioned the podcast Like Thomas Hauck is going to make at least 8, if not 9 or $10 million next year according to my sources at Florida because of, you know, what's been afforded to him and he would have been a very probable top 15 pick. Shiny Lou I'm not actually sure that's a good question and I don't, I don't have a number on him. He'll make at least three. I mean if you told me he's not national defensive player of the year, I mean he's just a, he's a tremendous player and he really rounds at that front court. But nil rules have empowered Florida and other teams of Florida. They're the, they're the central team that we're talking about here to be the favorite to be preseason number one and probably have the best front court in the country again. So yes, that's a, that's a major factor. I'll dive into the roster just real quick a little more. Denzel Aberdeen needs the waiver in order to be to play next year. He played 12 games his first season of college and that was Golden's first season at Florida. But he did have some injuries, but he did play game one and he played the final game that season. Florida is very confident they're going to get the waiver and get him. If they, if, if they have Aberdeen, then I think their case is even stronger than it is right now. I almost factored their, their ranking and situation, not even assuming that Aberdeen is going to be on the court, but they believe that they'll get there. We'll see if they do. Isaiah Brown, TJ Ingram are not only back they were bit players but they're their floor will raise Orban. Clav Jar, one of the reliable shooters they have on the roster. He's back. GP that's the thing about Florida. 315th in the country in three point shooting last season. Clav Jar was a reliable one. Can fland improve his three point shooting and a loss to Iowa in the tournament. They lost for a variety of reasons, but they were only 6 of 19 from 3 point range. Iowa actually shot worse from beyond the arc in that game. But Florida only made six trades, took 19 of them, didn't shoot well. It was kind of representative of its season. It might be the one thing that holds them back when but if you want a really positive sign for why you should buy Florida as a final four likely team next season, I got some data for you. GP you ready for this? So by virtue of getting Chinnali back, Florida is going to bring back 82% of its scoring next season. Okay. Since the 2002, 2003 season there have only been five teams that returned at least 75% of their scoring after being a one seed. So you were one seed. In the next year you're bringing back at least 3/4 of the of the scoring that was on that roster. Here are the teams that did it and we'll go oldest to most recent.0304 Texas returned 75% that had Brandon Mouton and Royale Ivy lost in the Sweet 16 as a three seed. Ken Palm finished with 17. That's the worst case scenario. 200020072008 Kansas GP won the national title. Returned 83 1/2% of its scoring led by Brandon Russian. Terrell Arthur won the title as a 1 seed. Ken Palm finish 10809 Carolina, which we just mentioned a short while ago, returned 91.5% of its scoring led by national player of the year Tyler Hansbrough. He won it in 08 and Ty Lawson was also on that team among some others. They won the title as a 1 seed. Kemp on finish number one. Two more teams 201314 Louisville. So the Louisville team won the title in 13 that next year. Russ Smith, Montrez, Harold, some others came back. 75% of their scoring returned. Lost in the sweet 16 is a four seed but GP they were four seed finished the year at Ken Palm number one. That was the year Yukon obviously won it. One of the most unlikely title winners we've seen over the past four or five decades. And then 2324 Purdue returned 86.6% of its scoring led by national player of the year Zach Eaty and Braden Smith lost in the title game to one of the three or four best teams we've seen over the past 25 years. Ken Palm finish third. Which means the only other five teams that fit this high end criteria that now Florida fits into their average Ken Palm finish was 4.6. And in that group you have three teams that made the national title game. So hopes need to be very very high for Florida and and yet another set of data why they deserve to be the preseason number one.

[Gary Parrish]

So all of those other schools, I ain't saying they didn't do anything to get those players back in school. You know. Yeah, there have forever been tables and there have always been ways to go underneath tables but you couldn't offer theoretically $5 million, $8 million, $3 million to get these players to come back to school in different eras of the sport, but you can do that now. And, and that is clearly what Florida has done with both Thomas Hauck and Reuben Chinulu. Do we have a sense for what this roster is going to cost when you add it all up? Last season famously Kentucky got labeled as the school with the most expensive roster of all time at 22 million. Steve Sarkees in the Texas football coach was just quoted yesterday as saying he believes every football program in the SEC is spending at least 30 million and some are up to 50. The number I heard with Florida basketball was somewhere around 25. Does that line up with something you've

[Matt Norlander]

heard that seems, seems maybe a tad high, but definitely at least 20. So yeah, call it between 20 and 25 million for Florida next season. What those players will get paid by the end of next season in particular. Yes. Doesn't mean they'll be the most expensive roster. Not necessarily be up there because of Thomas Hauck as, as he should be extremely well paid for coming back. The guys turning down being a potential lottery pick in order to be, you know, the BMOC and probably the most valuable player on a national title contender as someone who's already been a key factor on a national championship winning team. So yes, and, and why wouldn't the, the motivating factors from all the necessary boosters around Florida lead that to be the case there? So it certainly seems as though by virtue of Chinny Lou coming back. Condon, proven commodity, Boogie flan, proven commodity. And then you gotta, you gotta pay up to a certain level to keep Cloud Char, C.J. ingram, Isaiah Brown, whose roles will improve and increase, you would have to think next season. So yeah, a highly competitive roster probably amongst I would think definitely among the 10 biggest and quite possibly among the five biggest in the sport. And that'll come with a lot of attention, a lot of pressure, but really cool story for the mainstream for college basketball. This is a team that just won the title what 14 months ago and a lot of those central figures on that title winning team, they're still here. This is a very embraceable team because a lot of the central characters are still there, involved. And so yes, Florida is poised to be one of the must see, must watch teams in 26, 27 college groups.

[Gary Parrish]

Never before in the history of the world has there been a better time to be a great college player who is a not so great NBA prospect. Never been more lucrative than it is right now. The campus in Gainesville is a, is a good place to serve as an example of that. When we Come back. Norlander had some news this week about another multi game event coming to college basketball. It's called the Diamond Cup. What is the Diamond Cup? That's the question I'll ask Norlander next here on the Ion College Basketball Podcast. We're on CBS Sports Network.

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[Gary Parrish]

Welcome back to the I Own College Basketball podcast here on CBS Sports Network. We've got a new event coming to college basketball. It's called the Diamond Cup. Matt Norlander, you had the headline earlier this week. You can find [e-mail] tell me all about the Diamond Cup. What do I need to know?

[Matt Norlander]

Well, the first thing to know is that it is not yet official. It's not, it's not done. None of the teams have signed, but the actual premise has been talked about for who going back to last summer. And that's the story that. Yes. That I had earlier this week at dot com. If you're watching here on CBS Sports Network or after the fact on YouTube, you can see those eight teams. I'll say them aloud for everyone listening on the podcast version. Arizona, Connecticut, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina and Indiana are the eight schools that are in the latter planning stages for this event, which if it happens as planned, would not start next season. It would start the year after this upcoming season. So we're looking at a November 2027 launch date and the initial plan for this event was to be all eight of these teams. I'll try and keep this as quick and simple as possible, but the pitch was all right, let's get the eight, eight of the 10 or 11 biggest programs in the country to do a four game arrangement every single year and the winner would win the Diamond Cup. But the twist was they would meet first in the reg in the in the preseason in an exhibition. But the result of that game would actually count for the quote unquote points and the results to win the Diamond Cup. Then you would open the season on the first two nights of the season with all of these teams playing each other and Then you would wrap up surrounding the Thanksgiving holiday and kind of give you another major college basketball event around Thanksgiving that would give the winner of the Diamond Cup. But, but, but as they are trying to get this thing over the finish line, it looks like for year one because of some other scheduling stuff as well, it might just be a two game arrangement that's around Thanksgiving. And then in talking to a variety of sources at a variety of schools, they're very interested in the idea of doing this for four games with one of them being in the preseason. And also a critical detail with this is these would be neutral site games. Because when I first got told about this many months ago and it was kind of slowly but surely forming and bubbling up and teams were getting more and more interested, I was like, man, we, we sure we can't do this in on campus sites because that would be the ultimate right. But the problem is the schools and their conferences have the rights to all the home games. And so you're just not going to have a situation where all of these high end schools are going to be willing to do that where they know they can bring in more potential money for their programs and then I'll earning opportunities GP than if they are at neutral sites. So we're still a ways away from this being a thing every I checked in with a variety of sources over the past week plus and all the schools that I just listed there are all still extremely interested in this idea as a few different sources at those schools told me. Like the biggest driving force of this whole thing needs to be how amazing this can be for college basketball because you have so many of the biggest programs that want to play against each other in November when we're trying to bring as much attention to the sport as possible in the spirit of making college basketball in the regular season that much better. In fact, I had one coach at one of these schools say the fact that we are now going to 76 teams in the tournament, like it's basically on us. And by us he meant like the coaches that are at the top 20 programs in the country. It's on us to make sure that, that we are involved in events like this and scheduling home and homes and doing as much as we possibly can to play as many good games as possible in the month of November to bring attention. Because the average sports fan is going to say tournament house now has 76 teams. Why do I need to tune into a game in November? We have to make them want to tune in. We have to make them want to Watch Michigan and North Carolina and Kansas and Kentucky and et cetera, et cetera. So that's essentially what it is. There's a much more reporting on the story@.com. Um, Duke was initially involved in this event, but as we've talked about on the podcast, Duke is now doing its own thing with Amazon, a three game thing that comes this upcoming season. And so at some point in the past three months, Duke kind of dipped out the side door and pivoted away from this. And so the other, you know, they got a replacement school in there for Duke and nevertheless this is, I hope it comes to be. It looks, it looks awesome. And the only bummer is it can't happen on campus. But everything else about it is super, super intriguing. What are your thoughts gp?

[Gary Parrish]

Okay, I got some questions for you. How do we feel about the idea, the theoretical idea of exhibition games counting for something?

[Matt Norlander]

I was puzzled at first and yeah, I remember, I thought about it, I thought, you know what? This actually might be something that can really, really, really work because we already have these high profile teams scheduling each other on October 13th, October 18th, October 25th and they're getting paid 300, 400, 500, $600,000 to do so. So if the game's already happening and you can add some sort of compet, like true competitive element to will take a minute for like, I'd love to see the four game format come to be because I'd love to see how the general sports public would embrace it. After a year or two, we don't even know if we're for real gonna and for true gonna get there if it's not gonna get beyond the, the initial two there. But, but I do like it more than the first time that someone pitched this idea to me and told me what it was all about.

[Gary Parrish]

Yeah, maybe I'll like it more than the third time I hear it too. Yeah, yeah, but it does it.

[Matt Norlander]

Yeah, yeah.

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It's different.

[Gary Parrish]

It does, it's not, it's not a non starter for me, but it is different. And I've talked to so many coaches over the years where in these exhibitions the motivation is rarely to win the game, it's to look at some stuff, different combinations, hey, let's put the ball in this guy's hands and suddenly if you make it where, hey, you need to win this game, your priorities shift in a way that, I don't know, every coach wants their priorities to shift, but you make a perfectly reasonable counterpoint which is, hey, they're getting real money to play These games and people are paying real money to buy tickets to these games. What's the problem with making them want to compete? So yeah, I'm fine with that second question. And this one to me is the bigger one. I hear you. In terms of more great programs playing against each other is good for college basketball. I agree. Put these games on, I'll watch them. By definition, every neutral court game we get is a game that otherwise is not on a campus somewhere, is not in a true home road environment somewhere. And to me, that is the best thing college basketball offers. I heard people talking about it this morning as it pertains to the NBA playoffs. Like the NBA is a lot of things, but it can't match college basketball environment for environment. But Madison Square Garden is kind of tapping into that a little bit right now. Yeah, it feels, it feels like a place where big time basketball is happening. It feels like it's a part of the story, like, like the Paycom center, like God bless it. But I don't know if it's a part of. It's not a character in the, in the Spurs Thunder story, but MSG is a character, just like Cameron Indoor is a character. Alan Fieldhouse is a character. And by definition, every game we take and put on a neutral court is a game where we lose that. And I don't love it. Now the counter argument might just be, well, we don't get those games on campuses. So if you want the games, this is the way we're going to have to do them. And I hear you, but. But I would so much prefer to watch two of the best brands in the sport play each other in true home road environments. It's one thing because when you think of November neutral court basketball, I think your head first goes to Maui. But Maui's a character. But outside of Maui's a character. The Garden, when we used to have preseason nit, that kind of felt like something. But the rest of these things just, they just in basketball arenas happening somewhere. And yeah, it's two big brands and two recognizable coaches and great teams, but we don't have that, that, that character that, that is the environment. We lose that with neutral court stuff like this.

[Matt Norlander]

Agreed. Undeniably true. And as for where the games will be played, that's still yet to be determined. The general idea under the four game model, if that ever comes to be, is, is that the exhibitions would be in one city in one time zone. The openers would be in a different city in a different time zone, and then the championship round would be in a different city, in a different time zone to make it truly national and to like, they want this to be a mainstay on the college basketball calendar for like a decade plus, like, become what the CBS Sports Classic has been, become what the Champions Classic has been and do that and then rotate it every single year so different parts of the country get to go and see it. Um, it's a really bold and ambitious idea, but the people involved on the, on the organizing side and the school side, they're, they're, they're, they're very optimistic about what it can be. And so I hear you. Like, I think there's got to, like, there's got to be someone out there that's creative enough to try and figure out a way to maybe take this concept, put a tweak on it and get it to be where you have some games on campus. But, but that's just not what this is in particular. Again, this is not for next season if it comes to be. It would start in November of 27. A lot of time to go between now and then. None of the teams have signed contracts yet. They've just been involved in deep, deep discussions for many, many, many months. And this was a new story that was really starting to become a loose secret behind the scenes. And so thus I had to pounce. And that's why the story's [e-mail] right now.

[Gary Parrish]

I'm sure we'll talk about it again many times before we actually experience the event. If you want to read it, you can find it right now. CBSSports.com when we come back, the NBA playoffs as mentioned unfolding right now with former college players mostly leading the way. What former player? Here's a question. What former player could Norlander have never seen after college playing this kind of role on this kind of stage for this kind of team? I'm going to ask him next. I've got a name of my own. This is the I Am College basketball podcast. We're on CBS Sports Network.

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[Gary Parrish]

Welcome back to the Ion College Basketball Podcast. We're here on CBS Sports Network. Spurs, Thunder, Knicks, Cavalier. We're down to the conference finals in the NBA. Former college players all over the place. Obviously the star of this whole thing is Victor Wimanyama. He's from France. He did not play college basketball. But most of the other people who are dictating the way this postseason unfolds were college basketball players. Here's my question for you, Norlander. Of everybody we've watched in both of these series, who is the one guy when you're sitting there, you go, man, I remember him in college. I saw him in college. I wrote about him, talked about him. Maybe I didn't even do those things, but I could never, ever envision this person having this role for this kind of team on this stage. Who's that guy for you?

[Matt Norlander]

I love this every year, this time of year. So before I give you the answer, just, you know, to bring viewers and listeners into kind of our world and our rhythms and cadences throughout the college basketball season. Like you watch more NBA during the college basketball season by virtue of living in Memphis, working for the Grizzlies, having a daily show that quite literally emanates from the Grizzlies home arena. Me, I don't really watch a ton of NBA during, during the college basketball season. It's almost like an annual rite of passage for me where we get to about mid April and then I do, I tune in, I dial into the playoffs on most nights and then we get deeper in the playoffs and I'm like, look at that. Look at this dude right here. Look what he's doing. And I remember him in college four, six, nine years ago or whatever. So it's always Fun to get that discovery. And I've got five guys. I'm going to lead you with my most surprising one. I wonder if we've got the same one. I would say again, this is a sliding scale. It's all relevant to where they were specifically coming out of college, what they had done in college. And now we flash forward to this year, 2026 and what they're doing. What's the biggest surprise to me, it's A.J. mitchell. Most people, if you go, A.J. mitchell, my brothers and I love doing this game. Like we'll just drop in a random NFL player, NBA player, where do you go to school? Love doing that game, right? You do that to most people, they cannot tell you that he was a Gaucho, that he went to UC Santa Barbara. He averaged 16.1 points, 4.3 assists in the Big west in three years with the Gauchos. He was drafted 38th in 2024, a year after he was the Big west player. He was not the biggest player of the year that he wound up getting drafted. Now he is averaging more points with the Thunder than he did the year that he left college and. And he's fourth on the team in scoring for the best team in the NBA, the reigning NBA champions. To me, narrowly, he. He's my number one surprise. Is he your pick as well or you got someone else?

[Gary Parrish]

He's not my pick, but he's an obvious choice. I thought you might go that way. Nobody could have a serious argument with you against him. He's an incredible out of nowhere story for the most part. I would go with one of his teammates though, Alex Caruso. He spent four years at Texas A and M. So this isn't like. Yeah, but he played at a mid major conference and we didn't have eyes on him. Like this guy played in the NCAA tournament, he played in a power conference, never averaged more than 9.1 points per game in any year of college. As a senior in college, he was the fourth leading scorer on his own team. And right now he's in his ninth year in the NBA, he is on an $80 million contract and he is being described pretty regularly as one of the greatest role players of all time. Now I don't know if that's exactly true because I think you have to really make the definition of a role player narrow to land on Alex Caruso. I tend to think most players in the NBA are role players like that. You've got about 25 or 30 guys in the entire world who aren't role players. That's Wimby, that's Luca, it's Giannis, it's. It's Jokic. But outside of that, we're just surrounding superstars with role players. So I think there's probably multi time all Stars that you could reasonably describe as role players within their own teams. But if you really want to narrow it down to this guy's purpose is very specific. He's never going to lead you in anything other than irritations for opposing players. If that's your definition of a role player. This guy's as good as it gets because he, he really could be among the main reasons the Thunder win a championship, even if it doesn't all show up in a box score, like in game one. Even though Wemby was incredible, Caruso was just bothering him and bothering him.

[Matt Norlander]

I know, it was, it was hilarious. It was. Some of those possessions were hilarious.

[Gary Parrish]

Well, it looks like, I mean, you know, my, I watch a lot. There's a basketball on in my home a lot. And my wife is the best in the sense that she's patient enough to just sit there with me and, and just watch it with me, but she's often looking at her phone or doing other things or whatever. She's not locked into every possession. She just sort of sees what she sees when she glances up. And even she, in game one was like, what is going. That doesn't look normal even to her untrained eyes. She was like, that's not a normal thing to see in a basketball game. A man that size being guarded by a man that size. It looked like little Buddy Garden dad in the driveway. Except it's a, it's, it's game one of the Western Conference finals. But here's the thing. I know they went bigger in game two, but like, it was totally reasonable to say, alex Caruso, your job tonight is to make things difficult for a 7 foot 4 man who's going to go down as the greatest basketball player who's ever lived. And he's like, all right, let's go. And he, I know Wemby did what he did, but like, Caruso made it. He did the, like, he didn't fail at his job. He's just. Every basketball team could benefit from having a guy like that on it. And I don't know that any of us properly understood that when he was coming out of Texas A and M, which again, to circle back to the initial point, that's a pretty remarkable thing.

[Matt Norlander]

Yeah, Caruso, number two on my list, almost put him number one. A.J. mitchell was drafted. Caruso was not drafted, played 137 games. The Ion College Basketball podcast Existence and Start predates Caruso's career by a couple of years and while some of those episodes have been lost to the ether, maybe for the better. By the way, if you gave me the over under of 2.5 the number of times the words Alex followed by Caruso was set on the Ion College Basketball podcast during his college career. Even up to the draft. I think I would take the under like he was. He was a fine player that made the tournament once with A and M, was on the A and M team that beat Northern Iowa in the greatest NCAA tournament comeback ever by the way. And now look at him. He has been an additive contributing piece to multiple NBA title teams and could get his third ring next month. He's number two on my list. I'll give you three more GP in order. Three is Max Strus. You can't recall a single play from Max Druce's career at DePaul. Don't even tell me you can because you can't. He played on bad teams. He was a good player, averaged 18 and a half points. He also went undrafted. Like Caruso first got a shot with the Bulls, but really cracked into relevancy with the Heat. Now he's at 9.6 points, 4.9 rebounds with the Cavs. I think he's three personally, but he's also top three in terms of most handsome players in the NBA. I think we can agree on that as well. Number four is another Thunder player and it's I did a big feature on him coming out of college four years ago. Jalen Williams now at Santa Clara he averaged 12.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists. His sophomore season was affected by Covid. They only played 18 games that year. But and in his final season with the with the Broncos, he was first team all WCC on a 10 player first team in that league. He did not win. I went and checked. He didn't win WCC Player of the week once. Now he's the second best player on the best team in the NBA. He did spike at the combine in a big way. So like I'm not surprised that Jalen Williams, given everything that was surrounding him coming out of the combine and you can go back and google my name and his and his name and his family was phenomenal to talk to. Like awesome, awesome. One of my favorite draft profiles I've ever done. But he was on a rocket. Like he went from like could this guy go 40th to he gets taken 12th, he's taken in the lottery and no one who he was coming out of college. He's number four on my list. And then five again. This is all relative. Jalen Brunson. Yes, he was a McDonald's All American. Yes, he won two national titles. Yes, he was the national player of the year. In fact, the fact that he did all of that in college is why he's lower on the list. But come on folks, he now averages 27.6 points a game for a Knicks team that is two wins away from its first NBA Finals. In 27 years he has been a two time All NBA player, second team selection and we wait to see he'll get that again this year. We don't know where he's going to land first or second team. So no, I was, I think I might have been more bullish on Brunson going into the NBA than maybe anyone you would have found in the media. I thought him, there was a lot of buzz he wouldn't get taken in the first round. He didn't. I thought that was a joke. And now you look at it like, you know what he's been able to do, how he's one of the very best players from that draft. So not surprised. He's a functional piece. Everyone is surprised. He's this. No one thought he could be the face of a franchise that could be a top six seven scorer in the NBA. So he's number five on my list.

[Gary Parrish]

GP what's funny is that he wins national championships, he's a national player of the year, he plays at Villanova, Everybody sees it and still was like, no, no, no. If he were coming out of college today with the exact same career, he'd probably be picked lower because his size would be used more against him now than it was even then. And so like the idea that that guy could now be the face of what appears is about to be the Eastern Conference champions and the face of a franchise that's now won nine straight games with a point differential of plus 212. You've probably seen this one floating around. It's the largest point differential over a nine game span for any NBA team in history, regular season or playoffs. It's crazy. And Jalen Brunson is the key to all of that. And every one of these players outside of Brunson is going to be somebody that we on the I Own College Basketball podcast have talked about more after they left college basketball than we did when they were actually playing college basketball. Great stories out there. And these are the types of stories. If I had children who had basketball aspirations, these are the types of stories I'd be telling them. I don't even deal with the Wimby story or the LeBron story. You're not wimpy, you're not LeBron. But like, can you, there's a place for you in that league to make millions of dollars if you can just be excellent at a very specific thing. You're never going to be Kevin Durant, but can you be Alex Caruso? Maybe you can figure out a way to be Alex Caruso because Alex Caruso figured out a way to be Alex Caruso, and I don't think anybody saw it coming. When we come back, turn our attention back to college basketball. Will Wade has returned to lsu and just like last time he was at lsu, he's making everybody mad. I guess some things never change. We'll talk about what's happening in Baton Rouge. We'll do that next. It's the Ion College Basketball Podcast. We're on CBS Sports Network. Welcome back. I own college Basketball podcast here on CBS Sports Network. Will Wade, you might have heard, is back at LSU after one year at NC State and he's already making everybody mad again. People are angry with Will Wade. I guess some things never change. Matt Norlander, should they be? Why are folks upset with LSU's men's basketball coach?

[Matt Norlander]

Because he is going to stress test more than any coach ever the idea of what should constitute a college basketball roster. We can be quick on this. We're also doing this episode, obviously on tv so we have more time constraints. And don't worry, we'll talk more. We'll wait. And LSU in the episodes to come, I promise you that if things go the if capital I, capital F, if they go the way Will Wade wants them to go, he will have RJ Lewis, who is 23 and has been out of college basketball for over a year. You will have Euroleague player named Bryce Dessert, who's 23. Marcio Santos, 23 from the Euroleague. Salu Nyang, 22 from the Euroleague. Those are the international prospects. He's still trying to get Yamadar, who's 25 and will be 26 later this year, who is a combo guard to get him to play. There are some. There's some. And then if you want to refresh on something refreshing, Modi Abate From Kentucky, he's 22, he's good to go. Austin Nunez from UTSA, he's 23, he's good to go. Abdi Bashir from Kansas State. He's 22, he's good to go. Divine Ugo Chukwu from, from Michigan state. A baby, 20 years old. You sure? Will Wade wants anyone under the age of 21 on his roster. So with Madar, with Louis, who is not eligible to play college basketball right now, I will be clear about this. LSU is and Will Wade are banking on the state of Louisiana and a judge to look at this case and say we don't care that you declared for the NBA, that you signed multiple professional contracts with the National Basketball Association. We think you're good to come back and go ahead and we're going to assign an injunction to allow you to play for LSU next season. This is actually truly angering a lot of coaches in the sport. A couple have spoken publicly, albeit with, with, with kid gloves on, but nevertheless, there has been some outspokenness there. Privately, a lot of coaches are fairly furious with Will Wade over this. So what, you know what, what else is new? What else do you expect here? But he is going to stress test everything about what should constitute an allowable player in college basketball. And as I was talking to one person yesterday, then GP you can take it away because I know we're tight on time here. Maybe the house really does need to burn down before we build a new one. Like maybe all of these players need to be allowed to play for LSU and their average age, which is older than the spurs, is starting five, by the way. Maybe we need that to show the absurdity of what is and isn't eligible to actually have some action about some narrow but easily definable pathways on what it means to be an eligible college athlete. Will Wade is going to push this as far as it can possibly be pushed.

[Gary Parrish]

Listen, I don't love that this is where we're at in the sport, but this is where we're at in the sport. And if you're Will Wade and you're getting pressed by Todd golden or Mark Pope or Tom Izzo or anybody else, why, what do you say to Will Wade if he just says something like this, hey guys, I hear you, but here's the truth. I just took a new job. I have no players. I would have loved to have gone out and recruited all the guys you got, Todd. I'd have loved to gone out and get all the guys you got coming back. Tom is. But that's not where I was. I had no players and so I getting paid a lot of money to compete in the toughest league in the country. Where there's going to be double digit number of NCAA tournament teams. I'm doing what I have to do to put the most competitive basketball team I can put on the court. And who knows if it'll be allowed. But you know, Ole Miss just did this in football with a quarterback. You guys can make me the devil if you want to make me the devil, but I am hired to win basketball games at lsu. And I'm not my, I don't consider myself the savior of the sport. I consider myself lsu, LSU men's basketball coach. I'm doing the best I can do for LSU to put together the best basketball team I can put together. You guys can bitch if you want to, but this is, this is the way I'm going to go about it. What do you say to him then?

[Matt Norlander]

You can say, get real. Well, everyone knows what you're doing and your history precedes what you're telling us right now. We know what you're actually about. That's what they would say and that's what they will say. By the way, all of this is happening in advance of the SEC meeting spring meetings taking place next week. Now, Greg Sankey and football and the College Football Playoff will take up the overwhelming amount of public coverage on that, but that will be, and by no means do I think the coaches are going to get involved in the screaming match, but you best believe Will Wade's roster situation, his philosophy on that's going to come up and would love to be a fly on the wall for those five, six, seven, eight hours as that plays out next week wherever the SEC meetings are taking place. But it's a fascinating situation. I don't agree with everything that he is doing, but it undeniably is a, is becoming a major storyline. And Will Wade waited no time to be that guy yet again at LSU in college basketball. He has no issue with being the sports villain.

[Gary Parrish]

I guess I would just bottom line it here and then we'll move on. Will is who he is. If you ever thought he didn't open these doors, all right. But he has recognized that you can walk through them. And he was always going to be the type of guy who walks right through any door that is left open for him. And so he's doing what it is I think you could reasonably assume he would do. And until there's a little more structure and clarity to everything that's going on, this is, this is the sport we cover. When we come back, we'll wrap this up. The deadline for underclassmen to Withdraw from the NBA draft. It's coming up on Wednesday. Who do we think might surprise us relative to what most people think they'll do as of this moment? I got a name. Norlander's got one. We'll do that next. This is the Ion College Basketball Podcast. We are on CBS Sports Network. Welcome back to the Ion College Basketball Podcast. We're here on CBS Sports Network. And before we get out of here, as you know, the deadline for underclassmen to withdraw from the 2026 NBA Draft, it's coming up. It is on Wednesday. Norlander, Everybody's got projections about who's going to stay in the draft, who's going to withdraw from the draft. Give me a name of somebody that is projected to do a certain thing. And you think on Wednesday they might actually surprise us?

[Matt Norlander]

Yeah. So this one's tough because I feel like I have a good gauge on most of these guys. So I guess the intel would have to be wrong. I'll go. With Malik Thomas returning to Arkansas, I want to be clear. I think he's gone to the NBA. I think he's leaving. But if you're giving me a, like, there's, you know, 10, 12 guys we could dive into, but he's one of those stay or go. Which one will it be? I think he's gone. But if you're giving one where it's like, they could surprise us, like, go back with Billy Richmond to Arkansas and go, like, go really push Florida and give yourself a chance at being, you know, a top, top three seed in the tournament and make a run with with Cal to make the Final Four. So he's my pick. But that being said, you know, I, I, I, I think unfortunately he's gone. I'd love to see him play another year. Who do you got?

[Gary Parrish]

I would set mine up. Similarly, this is a player most people believe is going to remain in the NBA draft, but I'm not sure it's the smart thing to do. And so given that we still got a few days before he makes a decision, I'm going to at least leave open the possibility that Co A Pete eventually announces he's going to withdraw from the draft and return to Arizona again. Most people believe he's going to remain in the draft, but he is not a projected lottery pick at this point. He could come back to school and be the face of one of the best teams in the country or go in the NBA draft and probably sit on a bench bounce between an NBA franchise and a G League franchise. It's just when it comes gets decision time. And both options are so clearly on the table for him. Everybody tells me he's a smart young man. I think if you were really trying to do the smartest thing, all things considered, going back to Arizona makes a lot of sense, as always. We'll see. That's the show. Shouts to Devin Downey, Chester, S.C. appreciate you guys being here on the Ion College Basketball podcast. We'll catch you next time.

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