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Eye On College Basketball
MICHIGAN WINS A NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP! Title game recap from Indianapolis!
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- [00:00]
Matt Norlander
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- [01:30]
Gary Parrish
Hey there. I am Gary Parrish. Welcome back CBS Sports. I own College Basketball podcast where we sometimes discuss animal fighting. Dodo birds. The E Black Matt Norlander is here with me. He's still inside Lucas Oil Stadium. If you watch it on YouTube, honor Brandon Davies the way he would appreciate it. Smash that like button. And if you haven't yet subscribed to the I own College Basketball podcast, please also do that wherever you listen to podcasts like Stream, Spotify and Apple. Let's get into it. The 2026 NCAA tournament. Oh boy. It's in the books. Held to the victor. Final score, Michigan 69, Yukon 63. The Wolverines had their second national title in what was Dusty May's second season in charge. The Big Ten has won its first national championship since the year 2000. Norlander, let me get right to you. I don't want to keep you waiting. Your thoughts on what we just watched at Lucas Oil Stadium late Monday.
- [02:21]
Matt Norlander
Hello, gp. The drought is finally over. Thank God we don't ever have to talk about this again. Michigan ended it. Couldn't love it anymore. I'm hoping the WI Fi remains strong for the rest of this podcast. Shout outs to Rob D. Who's behind me. They've already wrapped their pod. Hello, Robbie. We got our. We got our picture down on the court. The whole deal there. And Michigan is the national champions. They have done it in and definitive Fashion. If you're watching on YouTube. Hey, YouTube. Doster is imitating what Michigan did all season long. He's pulling a Marez Johnson. You can stay there as long as you want, buddy. I'm gonna keep going. There we go. Ugly game, but Michigan was able to win it, and it's fitting in this regard. I talked to Mike Boynton, the assistant coach, and he actually. We'd actually talked about this going into the weekend. The single biggest factor that gave this coaching staff, and I guess the players as well, belief that they would win the national title was that over the course of the entire season, while they were not flawless and they were not perfect, they had the ability to win games in a bigger variety of ways than basically any team in the country. And we saw that tonight. UConn played the game at its tempo. It played the game with the preferred physicality. I think it. It wanted. It didn't allow Michigan to get up and down the floor. Michigan did not make a three until deep into the second half. It had not done that as a program in years and years and years. And by the way, gotta love a live podcast after a national title game. They're literally breaking down the stuff around me. Guys, just don't take the table, okay? Let us. Let us do this. More of us appreciate it. And, and what I just said on HQ about 30 minutes ago is I know that this game wasn't another 90 point performance for Michigan. I know it wasn't aesthetically like a lot of their best wins of the season. That's a credit to UConn. It's a credit to Dan Hurley and that staff. They controlled a lot of it. And, and, and I'll get. We'll get to more on UConn in just a little bit. No one's gonna care about that. Maybe literally tomorrow, let alone a month from now, five years from now, in a generation. And now they've got the banner. They won the national championship. It was one of their tougher games of the entire season, but they got it done. They got it done without a star player really putting up a notable performance in this game. They just did what they needed to do to win. And here's Dusty May in year two with one of the all time turnarounds after taking that job. Michigan had eight wins. It had hit a nadir under Juwan Howard. He has worked the portal magnificently, beautifully. And. And this. This is so damn impressive. I'm gonna write at some point overnight here about how he has tapped into something that I don't Know how many other schools will have the ability to do it? But he worked the portal masterfully. Did they have a lot of money to use? Yes, that's part of it. But you also got to get the right players. And for the first time ever, a national champion has three players six, nine or taller than that, led the team in scoring and, and, and cut down the nets in the process. He unlocked something here that I think is going to try and get replicated and duplicated and maybe it will, but credit to him and that staff. He leaned in on bigs before it was trendy and, and as a result, he is poised and set up to be, I think in the, in the conversation, Michigan to be the number one team going into next season. Give me your thoughts on the game and, and the champs out of Ann Arbor and in the Big Ten streak after 26 years.
- [05:48]
Gary Parrish
Well, first let me touch on was something you just noted there. You know, first team to win a national title with three starters, six, nine or taller being their three leading scores. I did think there was an interesting moment in press conferences over the weekend where Dan Hurley even said, like, when you're watching them and you know, they, they go and get a Dimara, they go and get Jaxson, Linda Borg, they go and get Morris Johnson and you start to wonder like, this is Dan Hurley talking, like, how is that going to work? How is that going to fit together? And then Dusty has asked, you know, somewhat about the same thing. And he just said, well, look at Oklahoma City. Like they had Chet Holmgren and went out and got Isaiah Hardenstein. So like he was intrigued by that. This is the best basketball team in the world and they're getting super big. Like, are we sure that's not the way to play? And so I just thought that was interesting that he was committed to something that the sport has kind of gotten away from for a while. But now clearly it's, it's circling back. And I did think just in the
- [06:59]
Matt Norlander
game,
- [07:02]
Gary Parrish
you know, Dusty said it afterwards when he was talking to Tracy Wolfson. But first let me back up because, you know, peek behind the curtains a little bit. The way this night unfolds for us is Norlander is there to, you know, be in the building and write a column. I have TV responsibilities and so we have to be in a green room together at tip off. So I walked my family into the building just because I wanted to walk in and walk in with them and see my boys faces as they look up and you know, are watching a national championship game or getting Ready to watch a national championship game. But even before the starting lineups are announced, I'm back in the green room. I tell you all that because I watch it on tv. Norlander watches it in the building. And so I don't know if he saw this or even knows that it happened. But at the first half, Tracy Wolfson was doing an in game interview with Dan Hurley, and she asked him, you know, just sort of how the things unfolding. And he said, we are dragging them into the type of game, perhaps the only type of game we could win. And he said it with a smile. I never know where he's coming from exactly with that, but it's almost this game for the past few days. And he's like, hey, this is the only shot we got is to try to drag it into the mud. And so they made Michigan not play well. And then Dusty, after the game's talking to Tracy and he says, if you'd have told me, we'd have shot it like this. And like this is, you know, below 39% from the field, 2 of 15 from 3. And they also rebounded below their standard. Dusty more or less told Tracy, I don't know if I would have believed we would have won that game. But they did win that game. And then these are my words, not his. The reason they won it is because they are so awesome, like such an awesome college basketball team, that even when they are playing another awesome college basketball team with an another awesome college basketball coach, and as you say, inarguably the greatest program of the past three decades, they didn't even have to play their best game or anything close to it to win, because they have an offense that finished the season rated fourth nationally, a defense that finished the season rated first nationally, and they could not shoot it well, could not rebound like they usually do, could not get into the 90s or even the 70s and still beat that UConn program. That is why they should be regarded as, or at least among the reasons why they should be regarded as one of the great college basketball teams in modern history. And I know you know this, but just for the people who don't, they finished at Kinpom with a net rating of 39.7. And that, I believe, is the second highest or third high. Here's what's true. I believe it's the highest ever for a national champion in the Kin Palm database that dates back to 1997. And I know that's not the end all be all. Like, you could just focus on a different national champion that had five future NBA players or however you want to chop it up. But you can reasonably right now say that the team we just watched win the national championship is one of the greatest teams in modern history. And perhaps, and I emphasize the word perhaps, I'm not trying to get into an argument, but you could make the argument based on some data points, that this is maybe the best college basketball team we've seen.
- [10:25]
Matt Norlander
Yeah, I think the nature of the title game is going to dampen some of the talk around that. Not that there's not the case to be there. There is actually a case for that, for sure. It'd be interesting to see how that ages. This needs to be regarded as among the five best teams of the 21st century so far. As far as I'm concerned. We can have that conversation maybe sometime soon, another time. We're not going to run through all the, all the data and stats with all those other ones, but obviously UConn of 24, Nova of 18, Kentucky of 12, Kansas of 08. Those are some of the biggest ones. Carolina of 09. A lot of really, we've had a lot of really, really good teams, but this one has been outstanding and it is a testament to the team's adaptability that it was able to win a game like this. Play it in the mud, get it done. Really impressive. I'll give you a few nuggets from our research team off of this game. What we just saw here, it was the second combined worst. It was not a work of art. It definitely wasn't so coast sometimes. And before I give you the nuggets, it is like just a little bit of a downer, a little bit of a bummer that in the preseason we hyped up just how special this season could be and then we pretty much got that like this was one of the better seasons we've had, in my opinion, in the past 10, 12 years or so. But undeniably not a good Final Four. Just in terms of it's great Final Four for Michigan fans and I'm thrilled for, for them to get that done. And having known a lot of those guys in the Michigan staff, like, it's awesome just to see them experience that. That's really, really cool. But the but the title game was not a work of art. And Michigan blitzed Arizona and one of the most hyped matchups ever, and that wasn't that good. And Illinois and Yukon had some stuff to it, but it wasn't. Also, it was far from a Picasso. So just a little Bit of a bummer after such a great season.
- [12:03]
Gary Parrish
Whatever.
- [12:03]
Matt Norlander
Beggars can't be choosers. At least this game wasn't a blowout or a runaway. And it was the second worst combined field goal percentage in a title game since 1950. 34.1 Combined Shooting in this game, the only one that was worse. The first one I ever attended in person. 2011. UConn and Butler Michigan tied for the second fewest made threes in a game by a national champion. The worst ever was that UConn team that only hit one. UConn had the worst field goal percentage in a title game or excuse me, in a tournament game Under Dan Hurley. 30.9%. They actually hadn't shot that poorly in a game period since 2022. But that's credit to Michigan's defense where, you know, it was able to hold the final four teams that faced to a season low and how they shot from the field. Overall, Michigan dominated in the paint 36 to 22. Now Yukon was able to get some, some. Some wins on the boards and all of that, but still the size. Mara, who I actually voted for the mop. I understand why Cadill got it. I thought Mara, over the course of the two games on Saturday and Monday, he was the most impactful player in aggregate on both sides of the floor. And I thought that his size posed a real problem. They got some out of terrorists tonight. UConn did, but it wasn't obviously enough. They didn't shoot well enough from three. That was a problem as well. And Yukon couldn't quite. Couldn't quite overcome it. No shame in it whatsoever. But credit to Michigan for. For getting it done in a new and different way. This was not the expected way that it. The outcome. It wasn't a good sign for UConn that it probably played. I'd say. I'd say Michigan was at like a C to C minus level in the first half and UConn was probably at a B plus level, all things considered. And UConn was still trailing. Wasn't a good indication for them. Michigan. I'll just give you the tallies here. Cadill winds up with 19 points. Team high. Lindenborg had 13 and didn't play that well. He had. He gave us a great interview with me on the court on hq. Really great stuff. He was obviously good on the stage. Stage on the broadcast as well. Really fun stuff for him. Really cool stuff for him as well. He wound up with 13 and. And just being on the. Being on the court, I think was a real big boost for that team overall. Marush Johnson finishes with 12, but that's like the most stunning thing to me. If you had told me that Michigan was going to get out of this game against Yukon and only three of its players were going to score in double figures, let alone gp, let alone all of the, the shooting stuff and, and the off night there, just surprising overall, but 37 three outstanding team, big time, just big time fan presence. As you would expect from the Michigan side. Yukon showed up pretty, pretty damn well as well. But yeah, I was, it was a heck of a night. Glad that we got a close game. For a minute there it looked like it was gonna really be something, but they had can I pull this up? UConn had the transition, Reed had the ball off the turnover. They could have cut it to 4, 3, 5 in that moment. They don't get it. It's a good defensive play. Come down at the end. I think you're going to mention that later in the pod. GP I'm just kind of, I'm riffing in real time here. But, but at least it was good. It was compelling, it was gripping. I never felt like Michigan was truly threatened, but it was Yukon. So there was always that little bit of a piece of my mind where I was like, could they actually do it? Will they actually pull this off? Because they had that banked in three. I'm glad we got a little bit of drama. Michigan was the best team in the country this season. It just gutted it out in a way that was so starkly different from the rest of the tournament. They scored 90 the rest of the tournament here they didn't even get to 70 and they nevertheless get it done. 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- [17:40]
Gary Parrish
unprecedented things in order and then I'll make a point. As you noted, first team with three players six foot nine or taller to be the three leading scores. First team to make, I guess by what you told me, two or fewer three pointers in a championship game and still win it. And well, Yukon.
- [18:04]
Matt Norlander
Yukon made one in 2011, so there had been a team that made fewer.
- [18:07]
Gary Parrish
Okay, so, so Michigan. But Michigan's second on that list then, correct?
- [18:11]
Matt Norlander
Yes.
- [18:11]
Gary Parrish
My bad. Okay, either way, this is what I heard. You tell me if you heard the same thing. I'd be interested to know if you heard the same thing. What I heard is that Michigan wanted to try to win the championship game with as few as many three pointers as possible to show Arizona like, yo, you could have done it. You could have done it. If you did not need to do
- [18:28]
Matt Norlander
this, you don't need to do this. Right?
- [18:30]
Gary Parrish
That's what I was told. Okay. Michigan was like, let's show them that they could have done it. They're probably feeling bad. Let's show them they could have done it. Not making threes if they just didn't have to play us. So that was neat and I thought kind. And then they also become the first team ever to win a national championship with a starting lineup with nothing but transfers. And I recognize this has gotten some attention over the past few days. I mean, they don't make you take an IQ test to start a Twitter account. So, you know, anybody can get one. And then you, you know, you can type whatever you want. And I saw some people typing things like, oh, wow, right? How different is this than the Dodgers just going out and buying a World Series? Michigan went out and got a lot of money and then they just went out and bought players from all over the country and now they're the national champions.
- [19:21]
Matt Norlander
I'll just inject something real quick. This will be a tease for my column, which I think we're going to publish that on Tuesday morning, mid to late morning. Got some good quotes from the staff on all of that. Stay tuned on that to that they didn't have the biggest budget that they had plenty. They had plenty of. But not every coaching staff could do what Michigan did here. So stay tuned for that one. I'm glad you injected that as well.
- [19:44]
Gary Parrish
It's a silly, silly perspective for anybody to have. First off, the idea that money just buys championships. Did you watch Kentucky? I'm a lifelong Mets fan. Let me tell you, $300 million payroll last year. Couldn't he make the playoffs? Money does not guarantee anything. A lack of money guarantees a lot, but all the money in the world won't guarantee success beyond that. It's not like they went out and bought five All Americans. You know, Merez Johnson was a role player at Illinois. Dai Mara was whatever at ucla. Yaxo was great at uab. Elliot Cadeau, I don't think they liked him at North Carolina consistently like these. In many ways, these were just guys at programs outside of Yaxel, who was the guy at uab. But that's what they just won with. And a point I made beyond that on CBS Sports Network tonight is just that. A disagreement I have with some coaches sometimes is when they get in on these little rants where they talk about the transfer portal and transfer waivers have just led to a world where every young person runs from adversity. First opportunity they get. The implication being if you transfer, it's because you weren't willing to fight through stuff like people used to fight through stuff in the good old days. And you're going to pay a price for that someday because you're not Going to learn all the right lessons in life. Well, first off, every person who transfers isn't, quote, running from something. Sometimes you're just looking for a better situation, a fresh start, a new home, anything. Playing time. It could be any number of things that you. That convinces you to get into the transfer portal, the most obvious of which, lots of money. Lots of money. And so I hope this Michigan team, it will have a legacy, probably on multiple levels, I hope. Among the legacies it leaves is that you got a group of five men in a starting lineup who all started their college careers somewhere else. And I can't tell you why every one of them left where they left, but I can promise you they weren't all just running from adversity and scared of learning lessons the hard way. And they all came together very quickly and created a monster of a college basketball team. And that should not be shamed. It shouldn't be criticized. It should be celebrated. What Dusty May and his staff did and what the young men he brought to that campus did should be celebrated and not chastised. If anything, it should try to be replicated by other power conference programs across the country.
- [22:44]
Matt Norlander
Very well said, GP. I don't have too much to add from that one last big picture comment on Michigan, and we can take a break and Talk to the UConn side of it after this. Dusty May, obviously, by getting a national championship and everything that has transpired in the past 24 hours, it's been a wild, wild, really, stretch of news. Here in Indianapolis, he elevates himself to among the biggest names in the sport. Now you get the national championship. It's coveted territory. He's not going anywhere. I've lost track of everything we did. Did we talk about that on the pod? Had that come out when we talked on Sunday? I can't remember. I think it had. I've lost total track. Had we. Did we talk on the podcast?
- [23:28]
Gary Parrish
Only thing I remember about Sunday's pause, I watched two strangers have sex through a window.
- [23:32]
Matt Norlander
There we go. We're podcasting almost at 2am Hello. I can't remember if, when we podcasted, I don't think we had talked about the fact that he wasn't taking North Carolina, which is a separate thing altogether. We're not talking about that on this show.
- [23:47]
Gary Parrish
We're.
- [23:47]
Matt Norlander
We're recapping. I got to go back and write Carolina has a new coach. That's another show for another time. But that I only bring that up to say, Dusty, you know, he had privately decided by the time they Brought Michigan to the Final Four, where we are, where I need to be. And this. And whether or not we do win this national championship here, we have everything in place to do so. And this is where I want to be in coaching in college. And I do wonder as we sit here in the immediate aftermath. And look, I got the confetti right here. It's all. It's all around me. Got the confetti. The Maize and blue confetti left and right. Are we. Are we on the verge of another run from another program? Is Michigan about to hit a gear here where it's going to be loading up for the ne next season, the season after, the season after? Nothing is guaranteed, but he has the makeup, intelligence and right approach to do that and really set up Michigan to be consistently in the conversation to be a national championship contender. There's no guarantee it will happen, but just knowing him, the staff, how they operate, he's going to be getting a new contract announced pretty soon in short order here, and they're going to be given even more empowerment on the nil side. Just look out like a lot of coaches in the sport. And. And there's. It's not gonna be easy, but I very much believe that he might. He might have something humming here and. And if it goes the way that I think it might go with him, like, there's a chance that he could have them perpetually as a top 10 program, which is very. It's very hard to do. That is. That is certainly easier said than done.
- [25:29]
Gary Parrish
For what it's worth. Take it for what it's worth. But for what it's worth, as we were sitting outside, very cold, doing a television show tonight, an intoxicated Michigan fan walked by and yelled repeatedly, michigan is the new Duke. Dusty May is the new coach. K
- [25:51]
Matt Norlander
drunk on a large number of factors. I can't go there yet.
- [25:55]
Gary Parrish
Hey, let me ask you a question real quick in the spirit of. I have to finalize the top 25 and 1. What do you think Adai Mara is doing? What do you think Morris Johnson's doing? How do you. What. Who do you think Michigan's bringing back next season?
- [26:07]
Matt Norlander
I think a diemar is probably going to be gone. Oh, man, I don't know. I think a guy's probably gone. Morez. That'll be an interesting one. I'll guess he gets paid a pretty penny in returns. I don't know. The axle's gone. They're losing some guys. That's a good question. I don't know. I would think Michigan will wind up at a place where it's a preseason top five team. I don't know where you've got them. I don't even if you know where you've got them. But they've, they've got pieces still that are coming back and, and you know they're going to load up in the portal. So. Yeah, I'm not sure that's a good question, but I'm not sure right now.
- [26:41]
Gary Parrish
All right. Before we move on, any final thoughts on UConn? It does come to an end. The Alex Caribbean era. They woke up today with an opportunity to do something that no men's college basketball team had done in the modern era since ucla. And they fall just short of it. Still an incredible four year run. They went to three national championship games in four years and won two of them. But obviously disappointed. Dan I think said he got most of his tears out before the press conference. Just any thoughts on. On Yukon where it, where it sits right now because that's another program that will look very different next season.
- [27:21]
Matt Norlander
It will. They had a wonderful opportunity. They almost pulled it off. They prevented Michigan from joining the likes of 23 and 24 UConn in this regard. The only team since the tournament expanded in 85 to win every single tournament game by at least 12 points were, were Carolina and 09 Nova and 18 and then 23 and 24 UConn. Michigan needed to do that tonight. It was not able to do it. Put on a really good effort. Standing ovation for Alex Caraban who ends his career with an 18 and 2 NCAA tournament record. Come on now. Come on. One of the all time great careers and you know he hoisted that, that three near the end of the game. Had that fallen. Who boy, who Buddy. But it's kind of like that shot didn't go in. You had the, you had the five point swing down the stretch that I, that felt critical in the moment and it frankly it wound up being just that. But incredible run here. Two national titles and then a three national title game appearances and a four year span. Hurley's operating on an elite level. Yes, they're going to have, they're going to have some changes on this roster. Caravan's gone. Mullen's off to the draft. You got to think Reed graduates, but Demory and Solo Ball, they're juniors. Jaden Ross Jr. We'll see. Jalen Stewart Jr. Rybo comes back. They're going to have some, another, you know, good freshman or two that comes in and they'll work the portal as well. So until I see Dan Hurley incapable of. Of building a roster that's good enough to compete with the best in the sport and make a deep run like that was even true last year when it was up and down. But they still beat some really, really good teams and almost beat out, you know, the national champion in the second round. A gutty effort. Unfortunately, they just didn't. They didn't shoot well enough. The one thing I didn't mention about Michigan, that happened when the game. Sorry for not mentioning this before. They went 25, 28 from the foul line.
- [29:14]
Gary Parrish
I think. Yeah, let's get to that. Right.
- [29:16]
Matt Norlander
I think there's. I think that's a top five free throw performance in title game history that equates to 89.3. It's not the best, but it's. It's up there among the best. Meanwhile, on the other side, Yukon was fine. 75. It was not good from the kind of 33 from beyond the arc. It hit some shots that needed down the stretch. I know Yukon fans are salty over the whistle. I get that. Sorry. Just. Yeah, I'm not gonna get there personally. I understand you're Yukon fan. I get it. You thought that the whistle was definitely a little bit tilted in the first half. I won't even necessarily disagree with you. Program's doing just fine. And. And sometimes, sometimes it's. It's a hard deal with the whistle, but it wasn't perfect on either side, frankly. And I don't think that. I don't think that's a big enough story, but I get it. Especially in the immediacy of the game. You're going to be a little bit bitter over that. I understand. Great job at a Hurley. And then the only thing. Other thing I'll give you is I. I posted this and it did get some reaction. I thought it might. Game ends. Michigan celebrates. Players are on the floor over here. And I didn't even notice it at first, but then I was like, huh? Why is Hurley still out? Why is he still on the court? It wasn't just Hurley. It was the whole team. And that was a really cool moment. And he. And he's getting a lot of love for it and he should. Not that like, it's kind of like, you know, paying your taxes. Wasn't that a Chris Rockhold deal? Like you shouldn't be credit for getting dudes.
- [30:33]
Gary Parrish
You're supposed to take care of your kids, correct?
- [30:35]
Matt Norlander
Correct. You're supposed to take care of your kids. However, Michigan had their moment. They celebrated. And Yukon could have just like quietly sauntered off the floor, whatever. But they sat and they wait, they waited for a good minute, maybe minute and a half. Hurley went out and even found a Dai Mara who was on the other side of the floor and just, they just gave him dap. Like he actually talked to Mara for probably about you know, seven, eight consecutive seconds. And in fact even after I stopped recording the video, there were a couple of just like, like bench players, guys that weren't even in the game for Michigan that Hurley talked to. It was just a cool, awesome gesture. I'm not surprised by it, but I thought it was a, an important moment to I captured just because I saw it. But you know, really, it's a lot of crap and understandably so. But a lot of really, really good aperture brutes that he brings to the game. And I know there's a lot of people that like love to hate him, I get that. But that showed a lot of what he is truly really all about and he gets it. They're the better team. It's going to be tough to beat them. And he gave them their credit. He did so in the post game press conference afterward. There was a lot of things to be proud about in the game, but ultimately one team was just a little bit better, a little bit bigger, just more well built. They couldn't get it done. He's doing just fine. Three title games in four years.
- [31:36]
Gary Parrish
I noticed Dan have a moment with Jake Davis after the Illinois game. You know, he just sort of grabbed Jake Davis and talked to him very noticeably for a minute. So perhaps, you know, maybe he's just doing that because it comes naturally to him. But I do remember watching Mike Kashevsky like be very intentional in the handshake line. Except for that one time with Dylan Brooks that was weird. But every other time he seemed to know these young men might remember shaking my hand for the rest of their lives and I am the goat. And this is probably a meaningful interaction for these other people. So I'm going to make it a meaningful interaction for me. Like I remember noticing Case seemed to do that and I like the idea that Dan takes the time, you know, sometimes to, to have those moments. And I like the idea that he kept his team out there, let Michigan have their moment and then, and then handle the handshake line the way you would. So yes, I'll co sign all of that if we're through here. Let's move on. I want to do the same day delivery of the game. It's brought to you by ship. But first, let's get a word from our partners.
- [32:44]
Matt Norlander
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- [33:11]
Gary Parrish
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- [34:28]
Matt Norlander
Predator Badlands now streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney plus Here, you're not the predator, you're the prey. Pray, pray, pray, pray.
- [34:42]
Gary Parrish
Critics are saying it's epic, stunning and breathtaking.
- [34:48]
Matt Norlander
Many have come here.
- [34:51]
Gary Parrish
None have survived.
- [34:53]
Matt Norlander
Predator Badlands now streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney Plus.
- [34:57]
Gary Parrish
Rated PG 13. They say you should learn something new every day. Like how you should only drink Jagermeister at 0 degrees Fahrenheit, ice cold.
- [35:05]
Matt Norlander
Or like those frozen cavemen they find. Which makes you wonder, what would a
- [35:08]
Gary Parrish
caveman think of Jagermeister? Well, if you served it warm, he'd probably throw it in your face, say unga bunga and storm off.
- [35:14]
Matt Norlander
And nobody wants that. So drink it cold or not at all.
- [35:17]
Gary Parrish
Jagermeister. Damn, that's cold.
- [35:20]
Matt Norlander
Drink responsibly.
- [35:21]
Gary Parrish
Jagermeister. Liqueur 35% alcohol by volume. Imported by Mast.
- [35:24]
Matt Norlander
Jagermeister U.S. white Plains, New York all
- [35:26]
Gary Parrish
right, now we're going to talk about tonight's most impactful performance in the same day delivery of the game. Brought to you by Shipt your go to grocery delivery destination for anything you may need for game day. Norlander. If you don't mind, let's just give it to Roddy Gale. And here is why. If it's the delivery, he made the biggest one of the game. It's 62:58 or 62:56. Rather little more than two minutes to go solo. Ball misses a layup. That would have made it 62:58 with 202 left. It stays at 62:56. They're going the other way. Roddy Gale finds Trey McKinney, buries a three. So we go from what could have been 62:58. Instead it's 65, 56 in a matter of seconds. And that was game over because that took Michigan from 62 to 65. And as you know, UConn never got that, never got enough to win the game once. Once Michigan got there. So your same day delivery, the game. Let's give it to Roddy Gale. That was the. That was the dagger, right? That was the moment where you say, okay, the national championship has been decided.
- [36:37]
Matt Norlander
Yes, I felt it in the moment. In fact, I sent it. Yeah, I sent that five point swing. Feels like it might be the game. UConn couldn't get points on the breakaway. And McKenna drains a three to make it 65, 56 with 149 to go. That wound up being the case. Now there were some nervy moments after that, like it wasn't over over. And Caravan did have the three that did not go in that had it gone in. You got the one possession game and maybe we got something else. But that five point swing was downright positively massive. And how about Roddy Gale getting it done? You know, second year player at Michigan, came from Ohio State and you know, just a 6, 5, 65 senior who was great team player, logged 25 minutes in this game, only had four points, only had two assists. But just a little stuff here, little stuff there made it happen. And that was a very key, key play. And one of the big sequences of the game. I thought another big one was the, was the Lindenborg block in the second half when there's a couple opportunities where UConn looked like okay, if they can, there's something happening here. Can they get some points and shave it down? Shave it down. Couldn't quite get there. And just a little stuff added up, particularly in a game like this where Neither team hits 70 points and they only wind up playing 65 possessions. It was only the third time in the past. What GP Like 12 games, Michigan had played 65 or fewer possessions. It played 62. In the loss against Duke, it played 63. And the loss against Purdue, another low possession game here. But it, it avoids getting dropped and as a result us down the nets.
- [38:10]
Gary Parrish
All right, that was the same day delivery of the game brought to you by ship. You can use ship to order all of your faves same day. From your favorite snacks to theme. Perfect decorations. They have it covered. Download the app order now@shipt.com that's S H I P T.com before we get out of here, we're going to share the current odds to win the 2027 NCAA tournament according to DraftKings sportsbook. We're going to call this the Final Four and One. Because, like, it's 2:09am why not? And as always, the Final Four and One. It is sponsored by DraftKings. Stay tuned because you'll hear more about DraftKings and all it has to offer throughout the show. DraftKings. The crown is yours, Norlander. It's trivia time. Trivia time. It's trivia time.
- [38:54]
Matt Norlander
What do we got, buddy?
- [38:55]
Gary Parrish
Who do you believe is the favorite right now to win the 2027 NCAA tournament according to DraftKings?
- [39:00]
Matt Norlander
Gosh, I have no idea. I will blindly guess Michigan because they just did it.
- [39:05]
Gary Parrish
You are wrong. Wrong.
- [39:07]
Matt Norlander
I will say. Okay, give me. Let's see if I can get it. How about Final Four and one? Give me five guesses.
- [39:11]
Gary Parrish
Okay.
- [39:12]
Matt Norlander
No, no. Guess who is Duke.
- [39:15]
Gary Parrish
Ding, ding, ding. Duke's always. Duke is always the favorite to win everything at all times.
- [39:20]
Matt Norlander
Okay, fair enough.
- [39:22]
Gary Parrish
Duke at +800 is where DraftKings is. Is setting it right now. That makes Duke the favorite to win the 2027 NCAA tournament. Look at all the confetti. Look at all that confidence.
- [39:35]
Matt Norlander
Big old box, by the way. We can keep it going. They're bringing down the whole thing right now. Bringing it down the whole thing. Keep it going. But I'm just letting you know.
- [39:43]
Gary Parrish
You know what?
- [39:44]
Matt Norlander
Maybe, maybe I'll just look on the Court here and finish the pot. This way. We don't have that much time left.
- [39:48]
Gary Parrish
What I'm dealing with, I am in what they call the Hong Kong room. That's what they said. Okay, I, I, I, I had secured the Singapore room, and so I got to the front tonight and I said, hey, my name is GP I talked to Isaiah earlier today and he said that I could have the Singapore room. And they said, oh, buddy, we moved you to the Hong Kong room. I said, okay, whatever. Doesn't matter to me. As long as you have a garbage can, I can put my computer on, I'll be just fine. Duke at plus 800. They are the favorites according to DraftKings. After that, it is Michigan and Florida at plus 1400, then Arizona at plus 1500, then Michigan State and Kansas City at plus 1600, then Houston and Arkansas at plus 1800. Then it's your Yukon Huskies at plus 2000, Texas Tech and Alabama at plus 2200. North Carolina with its new coach, Michael Malone plus 2500. Right now, Purdue and BYU at plus 3000, and then Kentucky and St. John's locked in at plus 3500. How do you feel about all that in Orlando?
- [40:52]
Matt Norlander
So a lot of teams will figure that out. The portal is officially open. I believe the portal I, I believe the portal opened at within 60 seconds of one shining moment airing, which feels appropriate, by the way. I'm talking to you right now on the floor. And it's a good thing I'm paying attention because, hello, if I was just like walking, that could have been real, real bad. Wow, it's so deep underneath there. Look at that. How about that yourself not be funny whatsoever. We got, we got fellow podcasting going on right here. Look at this. This is my buddy. He's getting it done right there. Getting a little podcast action.
- [41:33]
Gary Parrish
Well, yeah, I wish you to just stayed still. Your WI fi looked a lot better when you were just sitting still.
- [41:38]
Matt Norlander
What? Who you got in the final four? I'm final form. Got in the top 25 1. You even know that yet?
- [41:43]
Gary Parrish
I have, I have put together about 30 rosters. I have put together a rough ranking, but like, this stuff is changing by the day. I had Tennessee in it this morning. I don't have Tennessee in it right now. I had Kansas in it comfortably this morning. Then I think Bryson Tiller and El Marco Jackson both jumped into the transfer portal. So I am honestly, I am going to close this computer when we're done here and start catching up on the things that happened during the national championship. Game and in the past few hours, readjust where I need to readjust and then we will publish version one of the 20, 26, 27 preseason top 25 and one at some point on, on Tuesday. But I can already tell you, yes, Michigan will be very high. So will Duke. And if you're looking for a team that maybe. What? Because spoiler alert, a lot of the same teams that were good this season are going to be projected to be good again next season. But if you are looking for one that wasn't in the rankings hardly at all, if at all this season, but is going to jump right in there if people are paying attention to what the coaching staff is putting together. Usc, USC should be very high in most rankings. I would think around top 15. Eric Musselman has put together a star studded recruiting class and you know, they got some players they got to get back. But USC could be among the teams that take the big, that make the biggest jump from one season, the next based on what Eric Musselman already has set to enroll.
- [43:13]
Matt Norlander
All right. And I'm appropriately ending this season podcast.
- [43:18]
Gary Parrish
All right, let me. All right. Okay. So. Well, look at you climbing a ladder.
- [43:23]
Matt Norlander
Okay. Yeah, it's the end of the season. This is, this is our, this is our season ending pot. I'm ending it on a ladder. Why not?
- [43:29]
Gary Parrish
Okay, well let me let, first off, let me take care of this real quick. One sponsored by DraftKings and look ahead to who is favored to win the 2027 NCAA tournament. DraftKings, the crown is yours. And now I think, I think, I think we can call it, I think we can call it a show. I think we could call it a season. Are you ready to call it a season?
- [43:51]
Matt Norlander
We can call it a season. We can call it a show. Real quick from you. Do you agree with me just instinctually that even if we didn't get a classic on Saturday or tonight, top two, top three season of the past 15 years, it feels like that's the case to me.
- [44:09]
Gary Parrish
Yeah. I mean, I don't want to live in the moment, but I just, every week of this season I was like, man, this is awesome. You know, in between, like, you know, you get tired and you're up late and you're up early and it can become overwhelming. I think everybody understands that. But like, awesome. The players were awesome, the great teams were awesome, the storylines were great. And like, we got to talk about it at least three times a week, sometimes early in the morning, sometimes late at night, sometimes in the middle of the day. Sometimes in the middle of the night, but, you know, not to get too sappy or whatever, but, like, what a cool way to live your life, you know? Like, it's never lost on me. Like, when I was young, when I. So my little guys were here with me, they're 12 and nine. And when I was 12 and nine, I would hope that maybe, like, somehow, some way, like, I could get a ticket to go see Memphis State against Austin Peay in a by game at the Coliseum. Like, that would have been an awesome thing for me. And so to be able to bring my boys to the Final Four and have them sit in there and watch the national semifinals and then watch the national championship game and have them just experience this and then, yeah, like, watch their dad get to work on these, you know, in these settings. It's just been a. An awesome season that culminated with a terrific weekend on. On multiple levels. And so now we'll all get up tomorrow and we'll go back home and the sport's going to keep rocking and rolling for a while. Like, the idea that it just ends tonight, like, the transfer portal ends when the season. The transfer opens when the season ends, more or less. And so we're going to be busy, you know, for the next few weeks at least. And we will continue to do the ion College basketball podcast consistently. And I think we'll get back to you at some point this week. I think we probably need to. But it ain't going to be Tuesday. It's going to be a minute.
- [46:06]
Matt Norlander
We'll see. I actually got some other stuff as well. I'm seeing a couple people in the chat. I will hook you up if you have watched the chat and watch this podcast up to 2:15am Eastern. I got all this confetti, you have my word. I'll pick up some of this confetti, this maize and blue. There's a couple Michigan fans that want the confetti on the court here. I got you. We'll figure out logistics on how I get that to you, but I'll pick up. I'll pick up a decent amount. I know we got a couple of Michigan fans in the chat, so I'll make that happen for you. That's a show. Appreciate you, G.P. we'll talk again soon. Oh, it's our good friend Brenna Green coming on the court here. Good. There we go. There we go. Brenda does amazing work. Covers every Final Four. Was at the USBWA luncheon and she. She definitely doesn't look like she went to bed very, very late last night. No, that definitely. Oh, Borzello. Crashing Borzello's crash in the pod.
- [46:55]
Gary Parrish
Jeff.
- [46:56]
Matt Norlander
Bro. There we go. Yes. Well, he just finished and now I think I'm finished. I love, I love the impromptu cameos on the pod. All right, G.P. that's your show. I appreciate you, buddy. Another great season.
- [47:08]
Gary Parrish
We'll.
- [47:08]
Matt Norlander
We'll figure out when the next show is. No promises, but we'll get, we'll get that stuff to you soon enough. And North Carolina, thanks for. Thanks for ruining a lot of writers days on the day of the title game. Not cool whatsoever.
- [47:19]
Gary Parrish
Shouts to Devin Downey. Shouts to Chester, South Carolina. Terry Teago's a legend. Huck Larnell. Thank you guys. Seriously. Thank you guys once again for watching Listening to the Ion college basketball podcast. I can't tell you how many people. So many Freaks of Internet. More of us.
- [47:34]
Matt Norlander
Hold on. So many, many. And NCAA staffers, you will go unnamed. But I got more of us on press row here at the Final Four, so we appreciate it all.
- [47:43]
Gary Parrish
I couldn't walk, you know, 30 yards without hearing a more of us for much of the weekend. So, like, that makes me smile. Every time, like we're talking on tv, people are yelling more of us. And so you guys are awesome. And I don't know that we deserve you, but, but we appreciate you. So thank you guys for being here. We'll talk about you again real soon. Let's leave it there till then.
- [48:03]
Matt Norlander
Bye. Bye. Paramount Podcasts. Your next chapter in healthcare starts at Carrington College's School of Nursing in Portland. Join us for our open house on Tuesday, January 13th from 4 to 7pm you'll tour our campus, see live demos, meet instructors and learn about our associate degree in nursing program that prepares you to become a registered nurse. Take the first step toward your nursing career. Save your spot now at Carrington Edu Events. For information on program outcomes, visit carrington.
- [48:43]
Gary Parrish
Edu Sci.