Eye On College Basketball: "These 12 teams CAN WIN the title this season: The Ultimate Mailbag & a Whacky Final Four & 1"

Date: December 26, 2025
Hosts: Gary Parrish & Matt Norlander

Episode Overview

This episode features the annual "Ultimate Mailbag," where hosts Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander tackle thoughtful, irreverent, and occasionally absurd listener questions covering all corners of the college basketball universe. From coaching near-misses and conference scheduling upheavals, to philosophical debates on "Blue Blood" status and the difficulties facing mid-major programs in the NIL era, the episode is equal parts informative, historical, and rollicking. The show closes with the famously quirky "Final Four & 1" picks for an abnormally light post-holiday weekend slate.

Key Topics & Insights

1. Coaches Who Almost Took Other Jobs

(03:50–17:00)

• Early 2000s Memories: The episode kicks off with stories of legendary college basketball coaches who nearly jumped ship for other jobs.
  • Coach K & The Lakers (2004): Matt unpacks how close Mike Krzyzewski came to leaving Duke for the Lakers, reflecting on the alternate universe this would've created for Duke, Kobe Bryant, and Johnny Dawkins.
    Norlander (05:36): “If [Coach K] goes to Los Angeles and does a good job...he might be considered the best basketball coach if he was amazing there...But it's, it's a very interesting 'what if.'”
  • Mark Few to Oregon (2009): Both share the saga of Mark Few secretly meeting the Oregon AD, only to remain at Gonzaga, a program he ultimately took to multiple Final Fours.
    Parrish (09:04): “He was just out fishing all day...The whole world is talking about him...and he's completely unplugged.”
  • Dana Altman to Arkansas (then back to Creighton), Matt Painter’s dalliance with Missouri, Dan Hurley’s Pitt/UConn choice, and Calipari’s Memphis drama round out the segment—with an especially entertaining tale from Parrish about trailing Calipari’s “negotiating” flight to South Carolina (13:06).
  • Wild What-Ifs: The hosts note how small decisions, like Hurley’s wife urging him to honor his first job acceptance, shaped the future of entire programs.
  • Memorable Quote:
    Norlander (16:27): "That is what we call intrepid reporting, young folks."

2. The Future of Non-Conference Events

(17:00–21:50)

• Challenges for Tradition: Mailbag Q2 prompts a discussion on whether classic early-season events (like Maui) can survive in the NIL era.
  • Parrish is blunt: “If Maui wants to be the Maui I grew up with, it's going to have to dramatically change its business model.” (18:42)
  • Norlander explains how NIL and "Players Era" events are shifting incentives, with ESPN’s controlled challenges (e.g., SEC-ACC) being safer from disruption.
  • Both anticipate more marquee non-conference games in February moving forward.

3. Big East Nostalgia Trivia

(21:53–24:37)

• Trivia Challenge: A listener asks the duo to name nine active D1 coaches who were head coaches in the "old Big East" (pre-2012). The hosts stumble through, reminding us of how many coaching trees and conferences have shifted—only getting about five right.
• Memorable Reaction:
  Norlander (24:10): “Steve Lavin is at San Diego. Come on. Andy Kennedy is a sneaky answer. That’s some good listener trivia time.”

4. College Hoops’ Hottest Storylines & Star Power

(24:53–27:15)

• Intrigue for the Rest of the Year:
  • Gary highlights Kentucky’s trajectory and budding star AJ DeBonsa, who is piling up unprecedented triple-doubles as a freshman.
  • Norlander singles out the SEC’s depth and NCAA tournament bid potential as the storyline to watch, calling it “my most intriguing one… everything tied to the SEC.” (26:35)

5. Top 25 & 1 ‘Building Rankings’ & The Power of Home Courts

(30:00–31:58)

• A whimsical inquiry about Parrish’s beloved “trustworthy” college basketball arenas leads to a loving homage to places like Allen Fieldhouse, Cameron Indoor, Hinkle, The Kennel, and more.
• Parrish: "My favorite thing among my favorite things about college basketball is... they all have different things that make them special. The NBA can't provide that, but college basketball can." (31:58)

6. NIL & The Plight of Mid-Majors: Should Schools Get Transfer Fees?

(34:59–38:21)

• Proposed Model: A listener suggests a European soccer-style “loan” system, where poaching a player means a percentage of NIL goes back to the developing school.
• Norlander is intrigued, citing coaches who want more stability but admits it would be “a very heavy lift.”
• Parrish is unsparing:
  “You don’t own this player… Why do I owe you anything for him? Answer that.” (37:23)
• Greater Context: The real future risk is the SEC/Big Ten pulling decisively ahead… “At the University of Memphis right now...after each of the past three seasons...all lost their best, most important returning player... even a school like Memphis...is having a hard time keeping players.” (41:17)

7. MTE vs. MGE—The War Over Tournament Acronyms

(42:03–44:01)

• A pedantic, tongue-in-cheek debate over whether “Multiple Team Events” (MTE) or “Multiple Game Events” (MGE) is more accurate.
• Both hosts agree to adopt “MGE” on-air, committing to the bit with mock seriousness.

8. How Many ACC Teams Make the Tournament?

(44:27–48:09)

• Rapid-fire: The hosts take turns declaring “yes” or “no” for each ACC (and new additions) program’s tourney odds. Both land on “7” as the most reasonable number—though neither can comfortably pinpoint the exact mix.

9. Can Michigan State Really Win the Title?

(48:09–51:34)

• Listener Question: MSU seems to be the cutoff in top 25s for “true contenders”—why is that?
• Parrish: “Can you win a national championship with [this roster]? Because… you usually need at least one [NBA prospect], often two… That’s probably the place to point.”
• Norlander: Includes Michigan State as a title contender, based on defense, schedule, and Izzo’s proven ability.

10. What Makes a "Blue Blood"? The Florida Debate

(51:44–59:10)

• Listeners Defend Florida: A Gator fan pleads the school's case as an emergent blue blood. Norlander rattles off blue blood criteria (multiple eras/titles, basketball first, history) and puts Florida “closer to 30 than to blue blood.”
• Norlander: “What do they all have in common, every single one? … Basketball is the show in town.”
• Parrish & Norlander agree: Florida, while great, is not a blue blood. Programs closest to breaking in? Arizona and Michigan State, but “needs a minimum of three national titles.”

11. Thought Experiment: How Many Teams Can Actually Win It All?

(62:01–67:45)

• Listener asks: Where do you draw the line for “teams you’d take vs the field”?
• Both hosts debate: At six or eight teams deep, they'd feel confident.
• Norlander’s List of teams who can win six games: Michigan, Arizona, Iowa State, UConn, Purdue, Duke, Houston, Gonzaga, Michigan State, Illinois, BYU, UNC.
  • Parrish: “I would throw Louisville in that group.”

12. Quirky Mailbag Quick Hits & Memorable Quotes

• Stadium rankings, Memphis insider travel & zoo recs, and favorite airports get multi-minute tangents, ending in detailed airport power-rankings.
  • Parrish: “I could do two hours on this.” (79:41)
  • Norlander: “I want to be the last one on the plane. I don’t like to go sit on the plane.” (88:00)
• Zach Edey vs. Five Braden Smiths:
  • Most serious answer to a nonsensical question: Parrish (72:15): “Five Zach Edeys would destroy five Braden Smiths... they would never touch the ball if you didn’t want them to.” Norlander: “As fun as it would be to see five Braden Smiths... it wouldn’t be competitive. The Edeys would destroy the Braden Smiths.” (74:30)

13. Mailbag Correspondence Shoutouts

• Numerous nods to loyal listeners, inside jokes involving “more of us than them,” and shoutouts to women who email the show.
  • Norlander: “We get so much correspondence from the fairer sex, if you will... I’m contemplating an off-season mailbag with nothing but lady listeners.” (98:08)

14. Final Four & 1 Picks: Holiday Edition

(99:03–114:13)

• “We are barren with games this weekend,” so the Final Four & 1 features mostly mid/low-major and West Coast Conference matchups:
  • Winthrop @ Texas Tech
  • Louisiana Monroe @ Kansas State
  • St. Mary’s @ LMU
  • Gonzaga @ Pepperdine
  • San Francisco @ Seattle (the “and 1”)
• Usual comedic banter over obscure venues, coaches, and the statistical likelihood of victory.
• Running Joke: “You don’t just walk into Pinnacle Bank...”

Notable Quotes & Moments (With Timestamps)

• On what makes a "Blue Blood"
  Norlander (53:41): "What do they all have in common... Basketball is the show in town. It's the main thing. It's not that at Florida. It will never be that at Florida."
• On mid-major struggles under NIL
  Parrish (41:17): "Now those players are leaving those schools every year for lots of money. It is hard to maintain—bordering on impossible."
• On “multi-team events” naming pedantry
  Parrish (43:41): "It's like when people say 'defending champ'—you're not defending anything! You're the reigning champ."
• On airport routines
  Parrish (81:41): "I cut it that close every time. Sometimes they will push the departure time back up... Now I'm late. I think that should be illegal."
• On coaching rumors
  Parrish (11:07): "The whole world is talking about him... and [Mark Few] is just out enjoying, you know, Washington State. So that's a memory that I have..."
• On offbeat mailbag favorites
  Norlander (42:34): "This is one of those that I don't think you even think about unless you're super high..."

Listen If You Want...

• Deep dives on college basketball history & near-alternate realities.
• Debates on the future of mid & low-major programs in an era of superconferences and NIL.
• Humorous asides and inside jokes (from “buildings as people” to “more of us than them”).
• A rapid-fire, often irreverent, yet meaningful take on the sport’s present and future.

Episode Structure

• [03:36] — Podcast start, technical normalcy jokes
• [05:08] — Coaching carousel near-misses
• [17:00] — Conference scheduling/event future
• [21:53] — Old Big East trivia
• [24:53] — Intriguing storylines, star freshmen
• [30:00] — Beloved college hoops venues
• [34:59] — NIL, transfer costs, and mid-major woes
• [42:03] — “MGE” vs. “MTE” for tournaments
• [44:27] — Realistic ACC tournament bids
• [48:09] — Michigan State as a true contender?
• [51:44] — What defines a “Blue Blood”
• [62:01] — How many teams can truly win the title?
• [72:15] — Five Zach Edeys vs. Five Braden Smiths
• [79:41] — Airport/Travel tangent
• [99:03] — Final Four & 1 picks

Final Thoughts

• Longer questions may make for fewer answered—but richer—mailbags.
• The essence of Eye on College Basketball is part smart, part silly, always passionate about college hoops culture.
• “After all these years, I was doing this podcast the way I always do...I was being me.” — Gary Parrish ([99:16])

For a full mailbag ride—both insightful and irreverent—this is as “Eye On” as it gets.