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Gary Parish
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Matt Norlander
Hey there, Gary Parish. Welcome back CBS Sports. I own college basketball podcast where we sometimes discuss camel fighting, dodo Birds Leaky Black the Island College Basketball Podcast is presented by Jersey Mike's a sub above. Matt Norlander is here with me. If you're watching on YouTube, you know what to do to that. Like Button shouts to Brandon Davies. And if you haven't yet subscribed to the CBS Sports college basketball YouTube channel, please also also do that while you're here. Let's get into it. Let's start in the West Coast Conference, where the Kings are the Kings once again. Final score Gonzaga 58, St. Mary's 51. You could probably tell just by those numbers that it wasn't the most beautiful game in the history of the sport. Or even on Tuesday. Or even on Tuesday on one of ESPN's channels, the two teams combined to go one of 31 from three. But Gonzaga did get the one. Give them credit, they got the one. So the Zags beat the Gals by seven. And not to suggest it was ever in real doubt, because I don't think it was. But it should be noted Gonzaga has now officially punched a ticket to its 26th straight NCAA tournament. Congratulations to the West Coast Kings.
Gary Parish
I think we had this one on the Tuesday CBS Sports Network edition of the pod, right? We both have.
Matt Norlander
Gonzaga nailed it like always. Hashtag expert picks. Hashtag expert picks.
Gary Parish
You lose and I lose, too.
Matt Norlander
You lose.
Gary Parish
Yeah, we had St. Mary's first of all, we're all, we're all the way back on a number of levels here. One, I made the mistake of tweeting out late last night after I got back from St. Francis. We'll get to that before the end of the show, no doubt. I, I was able to get home in time, write my story and catch much of the second half of St. Mary's Gonzaga. And it was close and I, and I, I had no idea what had gone down in the first half. But they win 58, 51. And, and I said, you know, Gonzaga is going to be a top 10 team with a seven or eight seat on selection Sunday. And I think a seven's likely. Six is possible. I want to get and then we were right back where we've been, baby, for the past 15 years on Twitter, people arguing about how much Gonzaga sucks. We are all the way back. We are all the way back. It is going to be pretty damn interesting here because Gonzaga won. It beat St. Mary's it was favored to win. It is this morning. It is sitting all the way up there at number nine at Ken Palm and the wind like, you know, they got it done. It was gutty texted few late last night before I went to bed. I was like same old zags, huh? And I woke up to a text from I don't know like 3:45 Eastern just being like, yep, guys are really starting to figure it out. I guess so. But not from the three point line. So they win. They win ugly. Which I think there actually is something to be said for that. There's still a, A metrics darling, but they are going to be, they're going to be seated much lower than where they should be. Now we've had that this in the past gp. We've seen it with Wichita State. We saw it a few years. Remember when we harped on the Loyola Chicago situation, said it would be unfair to a one or two seed and lo and behold that it happened to Illinois in the bubble tournament. Let's just go a little bit further on the conversation we had on Tuesday because I thought about it, I personally, if they, if the committee gets to a point where they're scrolling through the seating and Gonzaga, let's say it's on the seven line, that's just where it shakes out. Personally, I really don't have an issue if they, if, if the folks in that room take a look and say, okay, Gonzaga is 10 and eight in quad one and quad two. They have wins over, let's just say Baylor, San Diego State, Indiana, they're on the field. St. Mary's so four wins over tournament teams. One of them like safely, easily in the field with St. Mary's the other ones, I think we'll get in with some breathing room probably. But they're closer to double digit C than not right. But they say this team is 8th at Torvik, it's 9th at Ken Palm, it's 9th in BPI, it's 8th in the net, which is also a predictive metric. Are we sure we shouldn't out of consideration for competitive balance in this bracket? Should we not put this team maybe one seed line higher than where we have them right now? I would not. You know, Ken Pomeroy's written about this. He did a video hit with Andy Katz earlier this season as they were talking about the selection committee. Pomeroy, whose site is obviously predictive metrics and all that, he very much believes that resume based metrics, metrics and what you've achieved should, should, should win out for selection and largely for seating. But I think in rare cases like this, I personally would not have an issue. If you could bump Bumpkin Zaga one or two C lines to better balance the bracket. But if you want to make the case that no, no, the resume is what it is and if they're awesome at killing other teams, well, then you know what, they're going to play a really, really good team that's potentially safe. There are seven that there's going to be a two seed in the second round and if they're that good, they'll prove it. Where do you land on this?
Matt Norlander
I don't feel strongly in either direction. I, I mean, I think I've flip flopped on this over the years. I remember arguing in favor of Wichita State, which I think at some point had, you know, strong computer numbers, not the strongest resume given their conference affiliation. I, I, obviously you listen to this podcast enough or just look at the top 25 and 1. You know, I am largely committed to resume based stuff. I, I, I don't want to say I don't care how you win, but the thing I care most about is whether you win or lose. Not how you did it, not how efficient you were while doing it, not whether you won the game by 25 or, or, or three. I, I, I like wins and losses and that that's what should matter most. I, I do understand the, the idea behind okay, Gonzaga doesn't have the resume that a typical 5 seed might have or 4 seed might have. But all of these numbers that we universally respect suggest that this team is, is much better than its resume indicates. And it's, this isn't just about being fair to Gonzaga, it's about being fair to the rest of the bracket, the, the higher seated teams in that region. Yeah, we could, based on resume, place them as an eight seed or whatever. I'm just making up numbers now and we could justify it, but at the end of the day, are we being fair to the one seed that's probably going to have to play them in the round of 32? Like I understand every bit of that. I lean toward mostly your resume is your resume. You'll be seated accordingly. But I get, I get, I get the counter arguments. They, sometimes I, I get to a point where I can say I hear your counter argument, but it's silly to me. The counter argument to this one is sensible. I understand it.
Gary Parish
Yeah, it will be, it's going to be intriguing as hell to see where Gonzaga lands. My guess is it will be a seven. If it was a six, you wouldn't hear a complaint from me. It wouldn't even necessarily stun me if the committee actually said, okay, you know, they're the final six and here's how we got there. A five would surprise me. It would not. It wouldn't bother me if they put him on the five. I don't think that will happen, to be clear. I don't think that's going to happen. I think a six is conceivable, but seven is the most likely outcome. And we talked about this on the Tuesday show so we don't need to go back into it. But just a reminder, if you haven't gotten to it, if, if, if Auburn doesn't win the SEC tournament and Duke winds up with the number one seed as a result of winning the ACC tournament, this same logic would apply to Duke because Duke is not going to have the best overall resume most likely, but it will be number one in the predictives like across the board. And so if the committee were to do that and apply that thinking there, just be interested to see if it remains consistent with with Gonzaga. By the way, as a result of Gonzaga beating St. Mary's in the title game, St. Mary's still has not swept Gonzaga since the late 90s three times in a season. That is not just two, but three times in a season, which is any huge surprise obviously. But that was also notable in and the Zags getting a win. So we talked plenty about the Zags also on the Tuesday show leading into it. So if you're catching up, listen, this is the bull Time Bulldogs kind of year. Current poll question right now for our for audiences, will Gonzaga make a 10th consecutive sweet 16? We both said on the Tuesday show no just because it beat St. Mary's Listen, I'm willing and ready to be wrong again. I'll still stick with no. But it is damn intriguing here to see to see Gonzaga get itself together get another WCC Tournament championship. I think that is 20 out of 25 times that fuse been there where they've won the actual WCC tournament crown, which is of course absurd. And and yeah, Bulldogs fans, good on you guys. I know you're psyched, you're pumped. And now your team has the advantage, if you want to view it that way, of getting to rest longer than literally every other high major level team in the country because Gonzaga's done kicking back and waiting for selection Sunday and seeing where it plays either next Thursday or Friday where we're whereas everyone else that's going to be in the field gets going today and tomorrow real quick.
Matt Norlander
On this and and then we'll move on because we have a lot of stuff to get to and we are on a clock today. I Got a whole nother show to do and then a flight to catch. A lot going on. We've talked about it for years. We'll continue to talk about it as long as it's active, but I don't think we should ever just pass through it real quickly. 26 straight NCAA tournaments for anybody is outrageous. For this school is unimaginable. Like, quite literally unimaginable. At one point in my lifetime, a history lesson. And I just love that I have this story. It's November 1998. I am a senior in college at the University of Memphis, and this school called Gonzaga comes in to play the Tigers at the pyramid, which is now a Bass pro Shop.
Gary Parish
Yes, it is.
Matt Norlander
I. I don't remember recognizing the name Gonzaga. I don't remember knowing what that was like, that I've been lifelong college basketball fan. And the day before the game, if you'd have said, what is Gonzaga? I don't know that I would have known. Perhaps because it was a.
Gary Parish
Maybe not even Stockton.
Matt Norlander
I don't know that I would have known.
Gary Parish
Okay.
Matt Norlander
Do you realize in November 1998, we're talking about a school that had never won a game in the incident play tournament?
Gary Parish
Yep.
Matt Norlander
All right. Never won a game in the instrument. I don't know that I would have known what it was. I remember subsequently for the Commercial Appeal, either as an intern or a young reporter writing NCAA tournament capsules and getting a correction letter from some. A Gonzaga fan said, hey, we're the Gonzaga Bulldogs or the Zags, but we're never the Gonzaga Zags. Like, don't do that.
Gary Parish
Oh, you did that. How dare you. You called them the Zagazags. Okay.
Matt Norlander
I must have. I just remember that being something I had to address.
Gary Parish
Yeah.
Matt Norlander
This is how unfamiliar this thing was. So it's November 98. I don't remember recognizing the school at all. And they come into the pyramid and they just. They beat Memphis by 15. Just. Just ran them off the court. Four months later, they beat Minnesota to win their first NCAA tournament game in school history. Then they beat Stanford to go to the Sweet 16, beat Florida to go to the Elite Eight. Are you ready for this? That school has never missed the NCAA Tournament since then. That's insane. Absolutely insane. But it is something that happened. Starts with Dan Munson, has continued incredibly with Mark Few. And it is. It's. It's one of the best stories going in college basketball, and it's a story that's been going for nearly three decades. Outrageous.
Gary Parish
Yeah, we. Let's move on. But it would be like, I'm just scrolling through it would be like Marist right now making the NCBA tournament in 2025 and us looking up in 2052. And they've never missed it since and made a couple of title games like it. It's really about on that level. It's just, we take it for granted because it's an annual thing, but it is, it's just, it's, it's incredible what they've, what they've built there.
Matt Norlander
It's, it's absolutely incredible what has been built and maintained. And I think Mark would be the first one to tell you this. Not this part. I, I'll tell you this part. He deserves the most credit. He deserves the most. All right. But I think Mark would tell you this part. He, as great as he is, he couldn't do it without the administration committing to wanting to do this. They had to decide a long time ago, we want to be a basketball power. We don't want to lose another coach to a power conference. We don't want to have what represents typical west coast conference facilities. We're just going to operate on another level and try to be something that nothing really tangible suggests we should be able to be. But let's see how it goes. And it has gone amazingly well again, 26 straight NCAA tournaments. I don't know that we'll ever see anything like this again in college basketball. But. But we are. We're witnessing it right now. Up next, we're going to play Stay Her Head. It's brought to you by Ciampa Casino. Oh, man, it's my favorite game. It goes so smoothly every time. I think this one will go smoothly. I think this one's going to go real. We'll see. First, though, let's get a word from our partners. This bracket season, FanDuel is letting you make the call because right now new customers can get $200 in bonus bets. When your first $5 bet wins, that's 200 extra bucks to bet on everything from clutch shots to last second heartbreaks and even on who's cutting down the nets. If you've been waiting to join, there's no better time. There's tourney action almost every day. And FanDuel has amazing bet types like spreads, totals, game props and so much more. Like, if you believe in Auburn, make a play on the Tigers to cut nets in April. If you believe in Duke, make a play on the Blue Devils to cut nets in San Antonio. Lots of ways to get in on the action. Like I said earlier. No better time to join than now, so visit FanDuel.com I and get in on the college hoops action.
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Matt Norlander
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Gary Parish
I, I, I. Yes. Question mark, Question mark, Question mark. I think that he is probably and has probably been under consideration from Indiana's athletic director, Scott Dolson. Whether or not McDermott would be willing and wanting to. He's what, 60? To leave a very good situation at Creighton and choose to coach for five to seven years in Bloomington. That I'm a little hesitant on. I'd have to, I'd have to see on that. He's got. He's got really good support, generally speaking. But anyway, to your question, and for the purposes of Stay ahead, I'll say yes.
Matt Norlander
Presented by Chumba Casino. Presented by Chumba Casino. I agree he's a legitimate candidate. I suggest. I suggest you do whatever you want, right? I suggest you do whatever you want.
Gary Parish
You tell Greg McDermott right now how to live his life. You do it right now.
Matt Norlander
That is my approach as an adult to other adults. I tell them to do whatever they want. Talk about it with people who matter to you most, and then do whatever you want. But you know what I think I would do? Oh, Buddy. I'd get the best contract extension I could get. I think I'd get the best contract extension I could get. Now it's time to play Stay or hit. Next Indiana coach, I'm gonna name coaches. You tell me which one you think is more likely to end up as the Hoosiers next. Coach, do you wanna, you wanna stay on Greg McDermott or do you want to hit and get Northwestern's Chris Collins? Oh, you're a terrible button pusher. I don't know if you know that. I don't know if you know that about yourself. You ever, you ever meet somebody, you know somebody and you're like, man, they don't know this about themselves. You might be thinking of me right now. You might be thinking of me right now. But I don't think you know this about yourself. But you're a terrible button pusher.
Gary Parish
I. I'm. I wouldn't say terrible. Have I messed up two weeks in a row? Sure. Anyway, did the question. I'll stay. I think that McDermott would be a more likely guy to be at Indiana than Chris Collins.
Matt Norlander
Okay. Do you want to stay on great McDermott or hit and get Clemson's Brad Branau?
Gary Parish
I suggest you hit, sir. Now, I don't think. I don't think Brad Brownell is going to leave Clemson and be the guy that's plucked at Indiana. But I think if you made me pick between which of the two was more likely to wind up happening, I would say Brownell.
Matt Norlander
My fate. That would be my favorite. From the forever hot seat to Indiana's coach would be my favorite thing.
Gary Parish
I know where he would be on the hot seat immediately.
Matt Norlander
Immediately. He'd be on the hot seat in six days. Okay, Brad. What if Brad Brownell was the guy who stood up and said, you guys think you could just fire coaches all the time at Indiana? Is that what you think you do? Well, here I come, baby. I live on the hot seat.
Gary Parish
It'd be amazing.
Matt Norlander
I'm com. I'm comfortable. I'm comfortable in this chair. Let's go. The hot seat fan base gets the all time greatest hot seat coach.
Gary Parish
Yep.
Matt Norlander
Let's put him in a cage and see who comes out.
Gary Parish
I love it. Yes.
Matt Norlander
In real time. I've just decided exactly what I want. I want Brad right now to be the next head coach in Indiana. The. The fan base that fires every coach against the. That cannot get fired.
Gary Parish
Oh, just please. Yes. Love it.
Matt Norlander
Do you want to stay on Brad Brow or hit and get West Virginia's Darren Devries?
Gary Parish
I'll stay. I think Indiana might have reached out to de camp. I don't see that happening whatsoever.
Matt Norlander
Do you want to stay with Brad Brunell or hit and get Drake's Ben McCollum?
Gary Parish
I suggest you hit, sir. That's a hit. And I would say as of this morning, I would say Ben McCollum is perceived as the most likely candidate to be the next head coach of Indiana. I'm not saying he will be. I'm not even saying he's the front runner this morning. I'm saying around college basketball, when people are scanning the name trying to figure out what's going on here. Okay. Some of the bigger candidates are not not in. McCollum would be the he would have the best odds right now. We'll we'll see what happens there. Coaches at Drake. He's in Iowa. A lot of folks are waiting to see if Iowa indeed does open here in the next couple of days. Would he prefer a place like that over Indiana? What do you not. But yeah, I'd say McCollum's the the most likely name of the five you've given me.
Matt Norlander
As somebody who has been setting up Stay or Hit segments presented by Chumba Casino for weeks now. There's a reason I present things in a certain order and there's a reason I presented things in that order. That's called Building to the climax of Stay or Hit presented by Chumba Casino. This ain't my first day. Or Hit segment presented by Chamba Casino. I've been planning Stay or Hit segments for weeks now and I think I just proved once again I know how to do it. That was the Stay or Hit segment brought to you by Chumba Casino. Ready to dive into some excitement? Chumba Casino is where it's at. It's free to play. So just jump right in and explore over hundreds of social casino style games. With fresh new releases every week. Play anytime, anywhere and enjoy free daily login bonuses and an amazing welcome offer. No purchase necessary. VGW Group voidware prohibited by law. 18 plus terms and conditions apply. Hey, in addition to Gonzaga, three other teams also punch tickets on Tuesday. Let's celebrate each of them. Can we start in the CAA final score? UNC Wilmington 76, DE 72 CAA final fun game CBS Sports Network Donovan Newby, he's the name to know. 17 points, 4 assists in 34 minutes. Buried a jumper with 34 seconds left to make it a two point to make a two point game, a four point game and then with six seconds left stepped up to the free throw line, made a couple of free throws, made a one possession game, a two possession game. That was basically it. Great stuff from here. Norlander, tell me how happy you are to see Takeo Siddle, UNC Wilmington's 38 year old head coach in the NCAA Tournament. That was a sweet scene last night.
Gary Parish
Yeah, that was a good scene. I was watching on my computer because I was at a game we'll get to in just a second here. But yeah, quality game on on cbssn. No doubt about it. Love to see that CAA title game or you know, it's given us some good ones over the years and Seahawks and the tourney I'll take it every single time. Really, really like it. Siddle is a coach on the rise and certainly a name that has. Is being talked about about for some potential openings here. That'll, that'll come about over the next one or two weeks. So good on him. He gets to have good problems. He knows that's floating out there. While preparing his team now to. To go into the NCAA tournament. Cool stuff. I saw Mike Bray made the trip to watch Martin Ingles be his former assistant. Delaware gave him a great fight. You know, 12 seed had never been in the CAA title game before. They got real close, but the Seahawks move on and figure, I actually haven't looked at the resume overall. My blind. My blind guess is Seahawks are probably like a 15 seed.
Matt Norlander
I just, I love those moments as a family. We sit down and watch this last night, and, you know, my wife was like, you know, my wife doesn't get caught up in a college basketball game too often, but she was like, oh, look, they're crying. Oh, look. You know, and then she was like, oh, look at the coach. Wow, he's got a great smile. Look how beautiful his teeth are. She loves to chaos teeth.
Gary Parish
Okay.
Matt Norlander
First thing she noticed, amazing smile. So just good stuff. Just those scenes. And I love that on CBS Sports Network, we carried the trophy presentation live. I just, I, I've been there for that trophy presentation. It's just. That means so much to those people. I'm glad we carried it. It was nice to watch. And then for Takeo, just again, incredible scene. Kevin Keats was there. That's his old coach. That's his old boss. Played for him at Hargrave. Worked for him there for a year. Worked for him at Wilmington, Worked for him at NC State. Then you get the Wilmington job, and then that guy is there to watch you punch your ticket to the NCAA tournament for the first time. And just to highlight what it is, you talked about a coach on the rise. He's now finished top three in the CAA in each of the past four seasons, won at least 21 games. Four straight years, 54 and 19 in the CAA past four seasons. Just based on nothing more than those numbers. This is a guy who should be on bigger jobs, radars move on. Final score. You were there. St. Francis, Pa 46. Central Connecticut, your longtime rival, 43. This was in the Northeast final. 46. 43.
Gary Parish
I know.
Matt Norlander
What was that about? Why'd they do that?
Gary Parish
St. Mary's and Gonzaga was. Was rough last night. These two teams also, they were tossing up Bricks. But whatever, man, it was. It was small conference tournament basketball and. And no lead was ever bigger than four in this game and not bigger than four. St. Francis won despite shooting 32 from the field. 5 of 26 from three. Central Connecticut State was 3 of 17 from. From the field. Building was packed. One point that I was told, the fire marshal said, like, I think I can get like 50 or 100 more and then that's gonna have to be it. You know, I drove up, I park walk in. You know, streams of students are getting ready to go into the gym. Just come on, man, this is. This is great. It was really, really cool. The St. Francis mascot is absolutely terrifying. I posted it on Blue sky and Twitter last night. I. I think it might be more horrifying than the Providence Friar. And I mean that. So do Google search, but prepare yourself. And yeah, Central Connecticut State went into the game 25 and 6. By far the best team in the NAC. And we get this every year, man. We get the top seated team in the mid major league. You know, it's just dominated across the conference. It was 16 and two against league opponents going into last night. And St. Francis was a sub 500 team. And St. Francis won was, you know, Dame R. Kelly's the guy who hit the. He hit the runner with about what, six seconds to go, four seconds to go. That, that coming after the Blue Devils, the other Blue Devils, Joe Ostrowski hit a layup and, you know, building was just on tenor hooks. And then, you know, there was a foul and it got to 46, 43. And actually CCSU had a chance to tie it from half court and the shot almost went in. I loved being there. GP I'm not even kidding you. Like, I love being there almost as much as I love being at the Garden because it is such an intense small gym environment. St. Francis had a great. In the corner. They probably brought between pep band friends, family. I'm gonna say they had 250 people and a gym that was probably. It might have been more than. It might have been like 300 people. And that gym holds about 3200. Let's call it. We're like 3300 in there. Last night I wrote a story. We'll link it in the podcast description. Rob Krimmel has. Has an incredible deal. But before I play his audio, not if we can, I posted this quick little celebration of the team last night. If you're watching on YouTube, you can see they're slamming the. They slam the sticker. They slam the Sticker on the court afterward. And then one of their role players just, you know, I don't know if the audio is going to come in too great here, but it's just, it.
Matt Norlander
Was, I know it, I know it's not, it's not going to great.
Gary Parish
The guy holding the trophy there is, he's, he's a guy who comes off the bench and he, his name is, I think he said his name was Whistler or Weisler. We talked to him afterward and he's the one holding the trophy. Going to March Madness, baby. We're going to March madness. Team is 16 and 17 from Loretto, Pennsylvania, population less than 2,000. I talked to Rob Krimmel afterward. Give a little more here after this, but not a fire up this audio. This is about a minute long. What you, you can kind of hear it, but you can't see it. Guy is essentially crying through this entire, this entire specific quote. And, and it was the first time that he kind of, I talked to him probably 25 minutes after the game ended. Let him celebrate with everyone and do all that. And then I went up and we had a chat there. Now let's go ahead and play this.
D
You know, I, I don't know that you know my circumstances like anything else across the country, but I could tell you that St. Francis has allowed me to grow up as a player, as a young professional, as a father, as a husband. I, my first, I grew up in State College. So my first impression of the place, I didn't like it. I thought college was Beaver Stadium. 100, 000 people, big campus. Both my parents worked there. You know, I grew up going to football games, basketball games, and my first trip up there, I told my dad, I'm not going to a school like that. That six months later I committed. I haven't left since. So, you know, I, I think the thing that's kept me there so long is, you know, the people are special. And, and I, you know, I believe the college experience is a four year experience, but it's about developing people. And that's at the heart of what St. Francis is. Our slogan has become that someone.
Gary Parish
In 1996. So in 1995, he, his brother played for Penn State from. They live in, they live in State College. He wants to go and be a Nittany Lion. He's not good enough. He gets recruited by St. Francis, has no interest, Reluctantly takes a visit, doesn't like it, tells his dad, I don't want to go there. You just heard it shows up and he Never leaves. Played there from 96 to 2000. Immediately graduates. Joins the coaching staff. Was an assistant for a dozen years. He got the job in 2012 and he's been the head coach since. He just guided his alma mater. He's 47 years old. He has spent more than half of his life in the tiny town of Loretto, Pennsylvania which most people doesn't even know exists. But he's been there and built something. And on Tuesday night after winning three games by three points total they were. They beat Long island over the weekend. They stayed in the North Seas. They drove up to Connecticut. They get it done against the team that had beat them by a combined 31 points. They go on the road. They do it. This team has.000 in nil. And he talked about that as well. He's not anti nil but he had immense pride because he said everyone that did this truly wanted to be here or. Or had to be here and did it for the right reasons. You know they don't have an IL at St. Francis Universe. The red Flash which is one of the elite college monikers in the entire sport. They. This is. This is like I understand they're gonna go to Dayton. They're gonna play another 16 seed. I get it. It was in a phenomenal scene. Just like I was there. Get a couple pictures afterwards. GP and it was me and some other like some photographers and some other media. And then I kind of look around and I'm like man, there's a lot of people. It wasn't other media. It was their moms and dads on the court taking pictures of these. Of their sons holding the trophy. Moms holding the trophy afterward. Like the best. The absolute best. I don't care. St. Francis isn't that good of a team. They were a great team when they needed to be. They found a way to win. Rob Grimmel. Great on you man. That is an incredible story. I appreciate his honesty. He. He wanted nothing to do with that university as a 17 year old. And now 30 years later he can't imagine his life anywhere else than what he's built there. Awesome stuff.
Matt Norlander
Make it a movie. Making a movie and I'll watch it. Love everything about it. And I don't mean this as a criticism because I'm a complainer as well. Like my life is pretty awesome. But I get agitated about something every day so I get it. But like take that audio and send it to every multi millionaire coach you ever hear. Complain about anything and just go man, listen how happy this guy is. This guy ain't got nothing that you got. He ain't making anything close to what you're making. He doesn't have any of the advantages you have. And his whole life is. Man, he, he doesn't sound like. And let me be clear, he might someday. I don't ever want to. When he leaves, then it doesn't mean any of this. If he leaves, it doesn't mean any of this means anything less. It's just, that's just sort of the nature of how careers work. But I, I could listen to that all day. I think everybody should listen to that all day. That's a man finding the great stuff in life. And we, we, we. Let me include myself in this. We could all learn something from that.
Gary Parish
Yeah. Before we move on, just one more note that I end the story with. As he's talking to me and he's watching his players like, as, as I'm interviewing him, like he's talking to me and he's looking at his guys climb on the net and they're all taking turns clipping the net. And that's what he just was taking it all. It was actually amazing to see a coach, like, it was really hitting him. And as you can tell, I actually had to edit that because there was about another six seconds of. He was just like, he was composing himself and I didn't want to have too much of that in the audio. But as he's talking to me, his son who's of teenage years was, I don't know, maybe 10, 12ft. I didn't know it was somebody who's standing right there. And he went from being a guy that did not want to go to St. Francis University to eventually naming one of his children after the St. Francis player who hosted him on his visit. First name is Tom. Tom Fox back in the day. His son's name is Thomas. Really, really cool. Really great stuff. There was one more awesome result there on Tuesday night. Andy Toole, another cool story. Got the job at RMU when he was in his late 20s, considered a fast rising coach. And he is stuck there for 15 years. And I don't mean like he's been stuck there, although on some level maybe that is true. He has stuck it out there and gotten the Colonials to the tournament by winning the Horizon League championship over Youngstown State. That was also incredible. Really happy for Andy. Really good dude. You and I saw him actually. We bumped into him at Frog Hollow last summer on the recruiting trail while we were at Peach Jam and got to catch up with him a little bit as well. So that's. That's amazing as well. Every. These. I'm telling. I don't care if it gets tried. These never get old. And it was awesome to see him be rewarded with that because he had a team that would have gone to the tournament in 2012. Like, they literally won the tournament in 2020. Their league tournament before switching leagues. They didn't get to play in it. So he finally gets to experience that for the second time. Great stuff.
Matt Norlander
You said Andy Tool. I know Andy is Andy Tool. If you Google everywhere, it's Andrew. Is that new or is that.
Gary Parish
Well, I don't know, actually, to be honest. I've always called him Andy, so I don't. Me too.
Matt Norlander
I just was Googling last night, looking up some stuff, and it was like, Andrew everywhere. I was like, we just did. We just decided to call him Andy because it is officially listed as Andrew everywhere. We're gonna have to figure that out. All right, I can be done with a text message. This is year 15 at Robert Morris. Outright Horizon champions. Horizon League tournament champ. Famously. I think this is probably that, like, beat John Calperi's Kentucky Wildcats in the NIT back in 2013, made the NCAA tournament two seasons later, didn't make it again until Tuesday night, but back in it now. Wonderful story. You know, it's just. I like, I know today's gonna be awesome and tomorrow's gonna be awesome. I. Last night was kind of one of those nights where you just sit around and you could watch one bid leagues get on a stage that they aren't normally on and that we don't typically look at. And I. I love that that Tuesday night, this last night of this week is always a fun night for me because it there. You. You can't watch Duke, you know, you can't watch Kentucky. They ain't playing right now. This is. If you want to watch college basketball, this is what's on. I love that they get the attention.
Gary Parish
And we got more tonight. We got more tonight. GP Right?
Matt Norlander
Yeah. I love that they. I love that. I love the stages that these championship. These tournament championship games find themselves on. Congrats to Robert Morris. Let's. Before we get out of here, look ahead to some notable Wednesday games. First, though, let's get one more word for. From our partner.
Gary Parish
Wow. What's up? I just bought and financed a car.
Matt Norlander
Through Carvana in minutes.
Gary Parish
You the person who agonized four weeks over whether to paint your walls eggshell or off white, bought and financed a car in minutes. They made it easy. Transparent terms, customizable down and monthly. Didn't even have to do any paperwork. Wow. Hey, have you checked out that spreadsheet.
Matt Norlander
I sent you for our dinner options?
Gary Parish
Finance your car with Carvana and experience total control financing subject to credit approval.
Matt Norlander
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Gary Parish
Them anytime through the Nourish app.
Matt Norlander
With hundreds of five star reviews from real patients, you know you're in good hands. Find your dietitian@usenourish.com that's usenourish.com all right, before we get to the one bid stuff, there is some interesting bubble stuff today. You tell me if these teams need to win or else. Adam Zucker's got bad news for you on selection Sunday. 1:00 Eastern today, Arkansas against South Carolina. Razorback's gotta win or Adam Zucker ruins their lives.
Gary Parish
I actually think so. Okay, so if Arkansas loses, it will be a second L to South Carolina and it will drop to. Let me double check this. I think it's 8 and 13 in Q1 and Q2. 8 and 13. I'm not going to say it's definitely out. I think it is the ultimate sweat team. If it loses to South Carolina, don't do it. And we talked about this on Sunday, so we don't need to rehash it. I know we're on a time crunch here. That would genuinely be awful for John Calipari. I think Arkansas will win if it loses. I could still see it maybe getting in the field, but it is sweat city for five straight days.
Matt Norlander
Yeah. And this is a man that has had to endure the St. Peter's thing, the Jack Golke thing. This wouldn't be that exactly. But it feels similar. It feels similar. Like, oh, what? Just like we got ourselves in a good position and then this 1:00 eastern big game 2:30 eastern. North Carolina against Notre Dame. Do the Tar Heels have to win or Adam. Adam Zucker ruins their lives.
Gary Parish
This doesn't even get it done. You got to win this. Don't even find yourself caught in a one possession game with two minutes to go. You got to win it. You got. You got two more after this. You need. They got to win.
Matt Norlander
3:30 Eastern. Texas, Vanderbilt, Texas need to win this or else Adam Zucker ruins their lives on Selection Sunday.
Gary Parish
Yeah, if you listen to, if you listen to the Sunday show. I told you that Palm on HQ overnight show Saturday, Texas is dead. His exact words, actually his exact intonation was Hakeem Dermis just set up the question and he goes, yeah, Texas is dead. All right, so yes, Texas needs to win. Vandy is a lock. Texas not only needs to win this game, it's like North Carolina. It needs minimum of 2, 3 wins to have a case there. So yeah, got to get that done. That's 3:30 Eastern today. Bubble City here on Wednesday, 6:00 Eastern.
Matt Norlander
Ohio State, Iowa. Do the Buckeyes need to win to prevent Adam Zucker from ruining their lives on Selection Sunday?
Gary Parish
I don't think it's debatable. I think an Ohio State loss 100 sends them out of the tournament. They're 9 and 14 in Q1 and Q2, which is even worse than Arkansas. Their resume average is 49, which is even worse than Arkansas. You cannot lose this game. It is a must win and may well need to get another one after this.
Matt Norlander
9:30 Eastern. Oklahoma, Georgia. Do the Sooners need to win or else Adam Zucker ruins their lives on Selection Sunday?
Gary Parish
Georgia is of course a lock. Oklahoma losing would certainly make it spicy. If they lost, they'd be 10 and 12 in Q1 and Q2. But unlike some of the other teams we just mentioned, Oklahoma also has a quad three loss. It's 47 in the net. Its resume average right now is 41. A loss would probably drag that down to 42, 43, 44 maybe. I want to say Oklahoma's safe, but I wouldn't be so sure. I, I think Arkansas is in a worse spot with a loss. And if both Oklahoma and Arkansas lose, I still think Oklahoma would be ahead of the pecking order. If Oklahoma were to lose, it's a sweat situation. I would, I would highly advise winning and erasing all doubt.
Matt Norlander
I would also advise winning. In fact, that's almost always my advice. I believe we have three more one bid conference tournament championship games today. Southland tournament title games.
Gary Parish
You missed one more game.
Matt Norlander
If you want to say it, you can say it now.
Gary Parish
K State, Baylor Bears. Don't lose it. Don't lose to K State. That is a better win the game because right now they could be going to Dayton. So that's, that's another one. That's at 7 Eastern. That is an ESPN+ game nonetheless. But that's, that's another bubble game to.
Matt Norlander
Keep an eye out on the road to Joy. The road to Joy goes through Dayton. There is nothing in this. There's nothing in this about. About not making the NCAA tournament. All right? That is not on the road to Joy.
Gary Parish
Not even in one chapter does he talk about not making the NCAA tournament in the early years.
Matt Norlander
I don't think you can even start the Road to Joy without starting. Without. With missing the NCAA tournament. So I correct myself, but you get the point. The road to Joy does not include a loss to Kansas State. All right?
Gary Parish
By the way, that's Jerome Tang, Scott Drew.
Matt Norlander
Yeah.
Gary Parish
Colleagues for two decades going against each other.
Matt Norlander
Yeah, yeah, yeah. All right. Southside Tournament Title Game, 5:00 Eastern. Patriot League Tournament Title Game, 7:00 Eastern. Big Sky Tournament Title Game, 11:30 Eastern. Real quick, just on the Patriot League tournament title game. Navy and American. Navy is division one shortest team according to Ken Palm. Average height 74.3 inches. I'm. I'm a midshipman at my. I know I identify as bowler maker 46%, but I fully.
Gary Parish
That's dropping by the day. Forget about that.
Matt Norlander
I'm gonna look up one day and I'm not going to be bowler maker anymore. I know it's gonna happen to me. I've seen it happen to other people. I know how this works. I've seen it happen to other people. I'm starting to identify a little bit as a midshipman. Shortest team in college basketball led by Austin Benigni, 5 foot 10, little guard. Goofy story a few years ago, Remember when I was battling obstructive sleep apnea?
Gary Parish
Yeah, you've told us on the pod. You can tell it again. But you've shared this story on the show before.
Matt Norlander
I busted my head up and then I was on the sideline for Veterans Classic, and I was just sitting in the restaurant at the hotel all sad and stitched up, and I think I had like a CVS hat on or so I had something that suggested CVS on. Probably just hiding my face. And this nice couple was sitting next to me, and we struck up a conversation, and they're like, our son. He's here at Navy now, and we're from Texas, and that's Austin Benini's parents. I didn't have dinner with them one night, but I sat next to him and we talked at dinner throughout dinner one night. And to see that young man become what he's become like. You want to look for guys who could pop off for 27 in an NCAA tournament game and go viral. He's that he's that type of player. And he'll be. He'll be playing for a trip to the NCAA tournament tonight.
Gary Parish
He will be. That's the that CBS Sports Network Patriot League championship Navy, American red, white and blue USA doesn't get more than that. Southland is Lamar at McNeese, which does mean as of this hour, we technically could have, could maybe have Lamar and Drake in the same bracket. They won't face each other, but we could have Lamar and Drake and even the same quadrant of the bracket. I still have hope.
Matt Norlander
I know who wins that one. Oh, and I, I at least know who I'm picking. I know who I can't.
Gary Parish
This is a powerhouse in the Southland under Will Wade, almost certainly going to win, favored by 12 points for the culture. Lamar and Drake both making the NCAA tournament feels like it has to happen, but I don't think it will. Man, oh man, would it be amazing if that could go down. That's five eastern, by the way. ESPN2. And then if you, if you're watching the pod right now, hello. Rocking it right here, baby. Starch Madness, Big Sky, 11:30 Eastern tonight, ESPN2. Montana versus Northern Colorado. Montana. The Grizzlies, coached by Travis Cure, last made the NCAA tournament in 2019. Northern Colorado, most famous for being the school that Dalton Connect went to, has been D1 since 2004, only has one NCAA tournament appearance. That's back in 2011. So starch madness, we love it. The Big Sky a couple years ago changed from having its auto bid late Saturday night, caught in the mess of everything that goes on Saturday. I know it's a late tip, but this was a very smart move by Tom Westerschild, the the commissioner there. Get your games as an auto bid on the Monday, the Tuesday, the Wednesday of championship week. Because although there are some other ones, what GP Was just mentioning six minutes ago, we're paying attention to these. You're just going to get more attention. You're gonna get more publicity by doing this as opposed to. Yeah, if you want to wait till Saturday, by all means. But there's a whole crunch of stuff that's going on and you can kind of a little bit get lost in the shuffle there. So I love the fact that the Big sky has pivoted appropriately. So. And Those are your 3 auto bids on the docket, which means, if my Math is correct, GP I think we're at 13 in the tournament by the end of Wednesday night.
Matt Norlander
We'll let Jerry Palm keep track of that. That's his job. Shouts to Devin Downey shouts to Chester, S.C. shouts to Terry Teagle legend Huck Larnell. Thank you guys once again for watching listening to the I Own College Basketball podcast. If you're not subscribed, please go subscribe. Subscribe anyway. You subscribe to podcasts. Apple Spotify more of us than there are of them. That should be reflected in the comments. So do that and we will talk to you again real soon. Till then, take care.
Unknown
Paramount Podcasts.
Matt Norlander
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Episode: How should committee seed Gonzaga? Indiana coaching candidates; the GREAT story behind Saint Francis making NCAAs; win-or-else Wednesday bubble games
Release Date: March 12, 2025
Hosts: Gary Parish & Matt Norlander
The episode kicks off with an in-depth analysis of Gonzaga's impending seeding in the NCAA Tournament. Both hosts delve into whether the selection committee should base Gonzaga's seed primarily on advanced metrics or their overall resume.
Gary Parish highlights Gonzaga's consistent performance, stating, "Gonzaga has now officially punched a ticket to its 26th straight NCAA tournament. Congratulations to the West Coast Kings." (02:17)
Matt Norlander emphasizes the importance of wins over how they are achieved: "I like wins and losses and that's what should matter most." (07:05)
The discussion touches upon various metrics like Ken Pomeroy's ratings and how Gonzaga's strengths in quad one and two match-ups might influence their seeding. Both hosts express skepticism about Gonzaga being seeded higher than a seven, despite their impressive statistics.
Gary Parish (03:41): "I think a seventh is likely. Six is possible. I want to get and then we were right back where we've been, baby, for the past 15 years on Twitter, people arguing about how much Gonzaga sucks."
Matt Norlander (09:01): "But all of these numbers that we universally respect suggest that this team is much better than its resume indicates."
A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to discussing potential candidates for Indiana University's head coaching position. Through a playful "Stay or Hit" segment, Parish and Norlander evaluate various candidates' suitability.
Gary Parish (19:15): "I think that he is probably and has probably been under consideration from Indiana's athletic director, Scott Dolson."
Matt Norlander (20:11): "I suggest you do whatever you want."
The segment is filled with banter, showcasing the hosts' personalities while providing insightful commentary on the coaching landscape.
Matt Norlander (22:18): "He'd be on the hot seat in six days."
One of the episode's most heartfelt segments focuses on Rob Krimmel, the head coach of St. Francis University, and his remarkable journey leading the team to the NCAA Tournament.
Gary Parish (32:05): "He just guided his alma mater. He's 47 years old. He has spent more than half of his life in the tiny town of Loretto, Pennsylvania which most people doesn't even know exists. But he's been there and built something."
Matt Norlander (35:26): "I just could listen to that all day. I think everybody should listen to that all day. That's a man finding the great stuff in life."
The hosts emphasize the importance of commitment and passion, contrasting Krimmel's dedication with the often transient nature of coaching careers.
The latter half of the episode turns attention to the critical mid-week games where teams must win to secure their NCAA Tournament bids. The discussion covers multiple matchups, analyzing stakes and potential outcomes.
Arkansas vs. South Carolina: A must-win for Arkansas to bolster their tournament resume.
Gary Parish (41:11): "I actually think so. Okay, so if Arkansas loses, it will be a second L to South Carolina and it will drop to."
North Carolina vs. Notre Dame: North Carolina faces immense pressure to win to maintain their tournament hopes.
Matt Norlander (42:06): "Do the Tar Heels have to win or else Adam Zucker ruins their lives on Selection Sunday?"
Texas vs. Vanderbilt: Texas needs a victory to avoid jeopardizing their NCAA chances.
Gary Parish (42:23): "Texas not only needs to win this game, it's like North Carolina. It needs minimum of 2, 3 wins to have a case there."
Ohio State vs. Iowa & Oklahoma vs. Georgia: Critical games that could determine the seeding and selection for these powerhouse teams.
Throughout, the hosts advise on the implications of each game, providing strategic insights into how outcomes could reshape the tournament landscape.
Gary Parish (43:05): "I don't think it's debatable. I think an Ohio State loss 100 sends them out of the tournament."
Matt Norlander (44:10): "I would also advise winning. In fact, that's almost always my advice."
The episode offers a comprehensive look into pivotal aspects of the current college basketball season, from seeding debates and coaching crossroads to inspirational team stories and high-stakes games. Gary Parish and Matt Norlander blend statistical analysis with personal anecdotes, providing listeners with a nuanced perspective on the evolving landscape of March Madness.
For those seeking insightful commentary and engaging discussions on college basketball, this episode of Eye On College Basketball serves as an invaluable resource, encapsulating the drama and excitement that define the season's climax.
Gary Parish (02:17): "Gonzaga has now officially punched a ticket to its 26th straight NCAA tournament. Congratulations to the West Coast Kings."
Matt Norlander (07:05): "I like wins and losses and that's what should matter most."
Gary Parish (03:41): "I think a seventh is likely. Six is possible. I want to get and then we were right back where we've been, baby, for the past 15 years on Twitter, people arguing about how much Gonzaga sucks."
Matt Norlander (09:01): "But all of these numbers that we universally respect suggest that this team is much better than its resume indicates."
Matt Norlander (20:11): "I suggest you do whatever you want."
Matt Norlander (22:18): "He'd be on the hot seat in six days."
Gary Parish (32:05): "He just guided his alma mater. He's 47 years old. He has spent more than half of his life in the tiny town of Loretto, Pennsylvania which most people doesn't even know exists. But he's been there and built something."
Matt Norlander (35:26): "I just could listen to that all day. I think everybody should listen to that all day. That's a man finding the great stuff in life."
Gary Parish (41:11): "I actually think so. Okay, so if Arkansas loses, it will be a second L to South Carolina and it will drop to."
Matt Norlander (42:06): "Do the Tar Heels have to win or else Adam Zucker ruins their lives on Selection Sunday?"
Gary Parish (43:05): "I don't think it's debatable. I think an Ohio State loss 100 sends them out of the tournament."
Matt Norlander (44:10): "I would also advise winning. In fact, that's almost always my advice."
This summary is based on the transcript provided and is intended to give a comprehensive overview of the episode's content.