Eye On College Basketball Podcast: January 7, 2026 – "Tuesday Night Was Drunk"

Hosts: Gary Parrish & Matt Norlander
Main Theme: A chaotic, thrilling Tuesday night in college basketball packed with wild comebacks, overtime drama, major upsets, and season-altering performances.

Episode Overview

Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander react to what they call one of the wildest nights of the season in college hoops. With multiple epic comebacks and several ranked teams in action, the hosts break down the improbable Kansas win over TCU, Duke's strong second-half at Louisville, Houston's narrow escape from Texas Tech, Auburn's heartbreak against Texas A&M, close calls for Michigan and Oklahoma State, and more. The episode is loaded with statistical nuggets, behind-the-scenes stories, and lively banter about coaching, player minutes restrictions, building trust, and the emotional rollercoaster of covering college basketball.

Main Topics & Key Discussion Points

1. Kansas 104, TCU 100 (OT): The Allen Fieldhouse Miracle

• Setting the Stage: Kansas trailed by 15 with under 5 minutes to go, seemed destined for an 0–2 Big 12 start.
• The Comeback: Jayhawks closed regulation with a 21–6 run; freshman Darrin Peterson forced overtime with three heroic free throws (1.7 seconds left).
• Peterson's Saga:
  • Scored a career-high 32 points in 32 minutes, playing hobbled and on a clear minutes restriction.
  • Didn't play in OT due to apparent leg issues.
• Allen Fieldhouse Magic: Norlander emphasizes a recurring theme—how Kansas often finds ways to win at home in seemingly impossible situations.
  • “There is a voodoo magic inside the walls and halls of Allen Fieldhouse. And it surfaced again.” (Norlander, 04:13)
• Stat Nugget: Only 13 teams in D1 history have won when trailing by 15+ with less than 5:00 left; the largest recorded comeback is 20 points.
• Fan Reaction: Kansas fans both love and hate Peterson—he drives them crazy, but is also their hero.
• Insider Coaching Perspective:
  • Wally Szczerbiak’s take on player minutes restrictions: “I would have played five more years in the NBA if I would have been on a minutes restriction… When you push past your limit, your body does feel it.” (13:04)
• Parrish’s Reflection: Notes how even in the studio, no one believed Kansas was winning until the final horn.
  • “At some point somebody says, ‘Hold up, Kansas won?’ It was that surprising.” (08:01)

Notable Quote

"Can you come back in and just come off a ball screen and take a shot? He’s like, yeah, I’ll give it a go. He gets fouled, knocks down three free throws… and then he never comes back in."
— Gary Parrish (10:35)

Timestamps

• Start of Kansas-TCU: 01:26–16:18
• Key comeback moment: 02:53–04:13
• Minutes restriction & overtime talk: 10:09–13:04

2. Duke 84, Louisville 73: Second-Half Domination

• Game Summary: Louisville, without star Mikel Brown, led by 12 at one point. Duke stormed back, outscored Louisville 46–26 after halftime.
• Key Players: Cameron Boozer (27 pts, 8 rebs, 4 ast), Caleb Foster (top-3 game), Isaiah Evans (23 pts, averaging 22.7 in last 3).
• Defensive Flip: Noted as the best defensive 20 minutes Duke has played all year, holding Louisville under 0.7ppp in 2nd half.
  • “I think this was the most important 20-minute half of Duke’s season so far.” (Norlander, 17:31)
• Takeaway: Duke’s length (3rd-tallest team in NCAA) is a defensive weapon. Confidence in Duke as a legit title contender.

Notable Quote

“He is doing things now where we’re just like, ‘Oh yeah, Boozer—27, 8, 4. Yep, that’s what he does.’”
— Matt Norlander (19:12)

Timestamps

• Duke-Louisville discussion: 17:31–22:35

3. Houston 69, Texas Tech 65: Surviving the Defensive Dogfight

• Houston’s Resume: Now 14–1, only loss to Tennessee (by 3 on neutral court), 46–1 in last 47 home games.
• Kingston Flemings’ Star Turn: 23 points, 5 assists, 17 from L.J. Cryer. Flemings emerging as the latest in a line of elite Houston guards.
  • “He is becoming one of the most, most watched players in college basketball. He’s the next great Houston guard.” (Norlander, 28:53)
• Coaching Praise: Parrish raves about Kelvin Sampson’s consistent intensity and Hall-of-Fame credentials.
• Game Drama: Parrish laments his on-air prediction that Houston is the team to beat, then sweats out the close finish.
• TTU’s Bennett Sturts: Missed a wide-open game-tying three in final seconds after Parrish hyped him. Running joke about podcast “jinxes”.

Notable Quote

“Credit to Houston in general with its defensive attack… it just seemed that in this game in particular [Sampson] was fired the hell up. Paid off in the end.”
— Matt Norlander (29:07)

Timestamps

• Texas Tech-Houston: 23:06–31:18

4. Other Tuesday Night Thrillers & Storylines

Oklahoma State 87, UCF 76

• UCF’s big win over Kansas followed by loss to an unranked but surging OSU; home streak noted.

Michigan 62, Penn State 61

• Wolverines (#2) survive first close game; remain undefeated.
• Coach Dusty May’s realism about the streak: “This is not going to last forever… We’re not going to keep doing this to everybody.” (35:55)
• Lesson about learning in close games, even if performance isn’t pretty.

Auburn’s Heartbreaker: Texas A&M 90, Auburn 88

• Wild Finish: Auburn’s Keshawn Murphy sinks a would-be game-winner that is overturned; ruled just after the buzzer.
• Auburn’s Record: Now 9–6; many “good” losses, but too many overall.
  • “There’s no team that has a better buffet of losses than Auburn. The problem is they have six of them.” (Norlander, 46:14)
• Chaotic Scene: Fans throw objects, Stephen Pearl irate; postgame confusion & crowd mayhem.
• Hosts’ Comic Relief: “Rule of cool—let it stand!” (Parrish, 45:03), followed by a tangent about AI, Grok, and internet oddities.

Other Notables

• Florida 92, Georgia 77: Florida wins despite slow guard start; Thomas Hauck shines.
• Wisconsin 80, UCLA 72: Bruins flirt with disappointing season.
• San Diego State 76, Nevada 71: Aztecs win in a crucial Mountain West battle.
• Georgetown’s Collapse: Went 1-for-23 from field in 2nd half, losing to DePaul; “unacceptable behavior.”

Timestamps

• Michigan-Penn State: 34:59–38:17
• Auburn-Texas A&M: 43:20–48:18
• Georgetown/Other Recaps: 56:58–60:39

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Allen Fieldhouse Magic: "There is a voodoo magic inside the walls and halls of Allen Fieldhouse. And it surfaced again." (Norlander, 04:13)
• Fan/Player Love-Hate: "I've never seen a fan base hate and love a player as much as Kansas fans hate and love Darrin Peterson. He drives them crazy. But then he goes out and gets 32 in 32 minutes." (Parrish, 07:36)
• Coaching Reality Check: "I talked to a coach one time... they had won the round of 32. He was like, GP, I can't believe I've got to try to win a Sweet 16 with this son of a... He's terrible. Talking about his point guard. Sometimes you get these guys talking about the players and they hate them." (Parrish, 53:25)
• Bad Night for Georgetown: “That’s one of those things when they hand you a shot sheet in studio... ‘Can you double check that they really missed 22 of 23 shots?’” (Parrish, 58:30)
• Auburn’s Buzzer-Drama: "In real time I thought it was good, and then the replays suggest at least, if not prove, that it wasn't... they got out of there as quickly as they could because the crowd was throwing things." (Parrish, 47:00)

Segment Timestamps

• Kansas-TCU Breakdown: 01:26–16:18
• Duke-Louisville Recap: 17:31–22:35
• Texas Tech-Houston: 23:06–31:18
• Michigan-Penn State: 34:59–38:17
• Auburn-Texas A&M: 43:20–48:18
• Florida-Georgia, Wisconsin-UCLA, SDSU-Nevada, Georgetown: 56:03–60:39

Recurring Themes & Running Jokes

• The Power of Buildings: Both hosts discuss “trusting buildings” (like Allen Fieldhouse) as code for homecourt magic.
• Podcast Jinxes: Parrish constantly referencing his on-air bold predictions backfiring spectacularly.
• Coaches’ Real Talk: Anecdotes about coaches privately disliking (or being frustrated by) their own successful teams.
• NBA Pension Envy: Parrish and Norlander joke about wishing they had the careers (and pensions) of their NBA-analyst desk-mates.

Next Up and Looking Ahead

• Triple-header on CBS Sports Network (Furman/Chattanooga, St. Louis/VCU, Davidson/Loyola Chicago)
• Highlight games: Iowa State at Baylor, UConn at Providence, Alabama at Vanderbilt, Arkansas at Ole Miss, Santa Clara at Gonzaga
• Discussion about the strategic use of “pros” in college, and watchability rankings for upcoming nights.

Summary Bottom Line: This episode captures the essence of what makes college basketball special—mad finishes, overreactions, unexpected heroics, and the unpredictability of the sport. Insightful, irreverent, and always entertaining, Parrish and Norlander take listeners on a whirlwind through a jam-packed Tuesday that will resonate into March.

For more detailed breakdowns and lively debate, subscribe to Eye On College Basketball wherever you get your podcasts.

Richest Segment for Full Listener Experience:
If you want to hear the best live reactions—including signature Norlander stats, in-the-moment jokes, and analysis—listen to the Kansas-TCU section (01:26–16:18) and Auburn-A&M chaos (43:20–48:18).