Best of March Madness Part 1: Blue Blood programs ARE DEAD, Unc & Iso Joe TEAR UP their brackets after Arizona & Illinois advance

Summary

Nightcap: Best of March Madness Part 1

Episode Date: April 1, 2026
Hosts: Shannon Sharpe ("Unc"), Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson (Ocho), "Uncle Joe" & Iso Joe
Theme:
This episode digs deep into the shifting landscape of college basketball as this year’s March Madness upends traditions. The crew reacts live (and hilariously) to the fall of blue blood programs, the rise of new powers, and tournament chaos—including their busted brackets. The episode offers sharp insight on NIL, the transfer portal, and features lively breakdowns of key Elite Eight matchups, including Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Tennessee, and Arizona.

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The Death of the Blue Bloods

[02:57–11:54] Bracket Chaos & Changing Powers

• The end of Blue Blood dominance: Ocho kicks off by reflecting on Rick Pitino’s declaration: “The era of the blue blood programs is over... There is no difference between Kentucky, North Carolina, then Illinois, St. John's.” (03:00)
• NIL and the transfer portal: The whole crew dives in on how "name, image, likeness" (NIL) rules and easy transfers have levelled the playing field, letting nontraditional programs compete with blue bloods.
  • “Now all of a sudden, the teams that normally were there… the Blue Bloods as we know them, the Kansases, the Kentuckys, the North Carolinas, and all these teams…” – Ocho (04:04)
  • “The playing field is so even nowadays... it’s not like the old days. College basketball is a professional sport now. It’s different.” – Iso Joe (04:19)
• Money now matters: Players follow the money, not the brand—“His money spend over here at Arkansas just like it spend at Duke, North Carolina, Kentucky.” – Ocho (05:09)
• Coaches losing their grip: Ocho and Joe note legendary coaches are retiring since the easy money and transfers have eroded their long-time control (mentioning Coach K, Roy Williams, Nick Saban).

Memorable Quotes:

• “These coaches been jumping and jumping. Now you wanna cap it. You ain’t putting no cap on how much these college coaches make... College has robbed these kids for so long—let them get about 15, 20 years to get back.” – Ocho (07:13)
• “I’m a business, too. I’m incorporated. I’m an LLC... gotta look after my bottom line just like they look after theirs.” – Ocho (11:11)

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Recruitment as Relationship: Keeping Players and Partners

[11:54–16:19]

• Annual recruiting culture: Iso Joe jokes about having to recruit players every year, and Ocho spins an extended metaphor about relating to recruiting your woman to keep your relationship strong:
  • “Don’t you got to recruit your girl every day? …That’s what you do in a relationship. That’s how you stay together for an extended period of time.” – Ocho (12:02)
• Capitalism’s double standard: Ocho riffs on college sports’ sudden aversion to unfettered capitalism now that athletes, not just institutions, are cashing in.

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Recaps & Analysis: Elite Eight and Busted Brackets

Illinois vs. Houston

[22:51–28:18]

• Illinois advances with defense: Illinois beats Houston 65-55 despite missing free throws and not shooting well. Illinois dominated the glass and defense; Houston shot only two free throws.
  • “They made it ugly, huh? …They were tough defensively.” – Uncle Joe (24:36)
  • “We did not shoot the ball well. We did not play a really good game and we’re moving on to the Elite Eight.” – Ocho (25:51)
• Illinois coach likely telling players: never apologize for winning, but tightening up is necessary if they want to go further.

Iowa vs. Nebraska

[29:55–37:00]

• High-scoring shootout. Iowa wins 77–71, powered by huge bench production (38 points). Nebraskan coaching mistake—only four players on the floor out of a timeout!
  • “How do you get caught with too many men on the field out of a timeout?...How is this possible?” – Ocho (31:59)
• “You get 38 points from your bench ... you’re gonna win a lot of games.” – Ocho (34:15)
• Both teams played hard, but Iowa’s confidence soared after beating Florida in a previous round.

Michigan vs. Alabama

[45:00–49:33]

• Michigan beats Alabama behind Yaxel Lindenborg’s near triple-double (23 pts, 12 rebounds), “doing it all.” Michigan hits 13 of 27 from three; Alabama’s star Phil Young Jr. needed more help.
  • “Game change. You need guys who can get to that chicken, Uncle Ocho. Who got a bag?” – Joe (45:26)
• Alabama’s basketball history gets its due tribute (Robert Horry, McDyess, Gerald Wallace).

Tennessee vs. Iowa State

[63:19–64:51]

• Tennessee pulls away in the second half with dominating size and physicality.
  • “They out-rebound Iowa State by 21... you get out-rebounded by that, I’m surprised the score wasn’t more lopsided.” – Ocho (64:23)
  • “They got the upperclassmen doing the dirty work while the young guys do all the scoring.” – Joe (64:07)

Arizona vs. Purdue

[64:51–68:39]

• Arizona heads to their first Final Four since 2001, beating Purdue 79–64.
  • Freshmen step up: “Braden Burris, Carter Neukopf, and Cora Peat combined for 52.” – Ocho (65:51)
  • “In the second half, Arizona, everything kind of slowed down for them freshmen... collectively, as a team, I don’t really see nobody beating Arizona, man.” – Joe (67:28)

Illinois vs. Iowa

[68:39–71:26]

• Illinois’ size leads to a dominant paint performance against Iowa, outscoring them 40–12 and out-rebounding 38–21.
  • “Whoever says size doesn’t matter... Illinois got that big 7-1 junior down there.” – Ocho (69:04)

---

IQ, Discipline, and the Evolution of the Game

[49:12–55:37]

• The panel emphasizes basketball and football IQ as the key separator at higher levels.
  • “Having a great IQ for the game, knowing how to pass, knowing how to play the right way —that’ll get you a long way, bro.” – Joe (49:13)
  • Compares how tough, disciplined, IQ-driven play transcends raw athleticism.
• Repeated frustration at players who don’t study or remember assignments: “Give me your phone right quick. You wrote all this down [numbers], but you can’t remember these damn plays?” – Ocho (52:44)

---

Busted Brackets & Mascot Picking

[71:48–74:16]

• The crew bemoans their demolished brackets. Uncle Joe jokes about only picking teams with animal mascots: “He got the Wildcat. He got Huskies. If you got an animal in your name, that’s it.” – Ocho (72:42)
• Friendly gloating and ribbing continues about who still has a shot at redemption depending on the results of Michigan, Duke, and Arizona games.

---

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “If it makes dollars, it makes sense with a C and with an S. Come on!” – Ocho (11:43)
• “Once upon a time is what I wanted. Now you get what you can.” – Ocho on adapting to the new transfer landscape (15:37)
• “I ain’t got no problem with NIL... For the longest time, colleges have used their name, image, and likeness.” – Ocho (10:05)
• “Never apologize for winning, but we know we can play much better.” – Ocho (27:45)

---

Tournament Takeaways & Outlook

• The new era has arrived: With blue bloods getting bounced early and parity at an all-time high, the panel agrees: March Madness has never been more unpredictable or fun.
• Teams to watch: Arizona and Illinois emerge as favorites, while Iowa and Michigan’s confident runs keep the Big Ten lively down the stretch.
• Culture shift: Ultimately, the panel celebrates that more kids and schools have a shot—and that the game, finally, belongs more to the players than ever before.

---

For listeners wanting a lively, irreverent, and deeply informed take on March Madness—full of both sharp analysis and hilarious real talk—this episode is a slam dunk.

Transcript

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[Carrie Champion]

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[Joe]

Oh, whatever.

[Carrie Champion]

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[Ocho]

Yeah, sure.

[Lily Herman]

So you're a Spartan.

[Uncle Joe]

Is that what I'm getting?

[Carrie Champion]

Exactly.

[Jemele Hill]

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[Carrie Champion]

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[Charlamagne Tha God]

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[Ocho]

Okay.

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[Brianna Stewart]

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[Ocho]

Hello, it's your favorite sports funk here. Don't forget to hit that subscribe button to join the fastest growing community on YouTube. Remember, Nightcap doesn't happen without you, so please subscribe or you're gonna make Ocho cry. At the St. John's upset, Kansas, Rick Piccino didn't hold back, declaring the era of the blue blood pressure programs is over. The Blue bloods no longer control basketball any longer. There is no difference between Kentucky, North Carolina, then Illinois, St. John's there's no difference anymore. There's no difference between Michigan State, who's a blue blood, and the other team from the conference from Mississippi. When they get going, it's all going to be the same. Joe has nil at the transfer portal. Has it leveled the playing field? Because before the nil, Indiana had no chance of doing what they did in football. 16 0. So now it's made a lot of these programs. You see what Texas Tech was able to do. You see some of these other programs, Ocho, that were typically doormats.

[Uncle Joe]

Yeah.

[Ocho]

And now all of a sudden they're playing in the college football playoffs. Now all of a sudden the teams that normally were there. And he's saying the Blue Bloods as we know them, the Kansas, the Kentucky's, the North Carolinas and all these teams.

[Joe]

It ain't. I, I agree with you. I think the, the playing field is so even nowadays, fellas, you know what I mean? That the Blue Bloods are really getting kicked out. When you think about it, you know, it's not, it's not like it was back in the day. Everybody wanted to go to Kansas, Duke or Kentucky. That's not it.

[Ocho]

Yeah.

[Joe]

With college basketball being a professional Sport. Now it's, it's different. It's, it's. You know, you got a lot of these cats. They going with a bag at just like anything else. You know what I mean?

[Uncle Joe]

Yes.

[Joe]

Now, they ain't gonna come out and tell us they going, but come on

[Uncle Joe]

now, come on now we know it's

[Ocho]

just a joke before because think about it, guys. Before, before they was giving out them bag. The bonds are going to North Carolina, Duke, Kansas, somebody like that Acuff going to one of those blue bloods.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Probably.

[Ocho]

Yeah. And the funny thing, but now money is money. Hey, his money spend over here at Arkansas just like that money spent at Duke. North Carolina. Yeah, Kentucky.

[Uncle Joe]

It all, it all's been the same. And there you go. Because say the same thing. You have coach coming out saying this about basketball, that the blue blood program no longer run college basketball. Hell, didn't Nick Saban say the same thing about college football? When the playing field is even, not everybody. We can go and get whoever we want.

[Joe]

Yeah.

[Uncle Joe]

Need some boosters. All we need is a little cash, just a little change. You know, that's very enticing. All you got to do is incentivize the better kids to come to your school. Now if you got enough money now, you ain't got no control now.

[Ocho]

And they want to. And they want, they want. They like capitalism. But you see what they're trying to do to them college kids because a lot of the kids are getting that capitalism. How they looking on? Hey, now all of a sudden we. We need to put a. We need to put control on this.

[Carrie Champion]

Yeah.

[Ocho]

On the portal. The portal. College coaches always had a portal open.

[Wilmer Valderrama]

Always.

[Joe]

Yeah, yeah.

[Ocho]

You see them coaches start leaving when all of a sudden that nil came to. Came to be. And the money was going to be spread around. All of a sudden, you know what? I think the game has passed me by. You think now all of a sudden, you ain't the only one. Now ain't nobody care nothing about no scat pack. No come back, no hellcats, no demons.

[Uncle Joe]

Yeah.

[Ocho]

You guys say, hey, Texas said we got Ferrari and Lambo. Yeah. Ohio said, what you want? These other programs offer money too. So guess what? We see these coaches start to dip Coach K. Then you saw Roy follow him out the door.

[Uncle Joe]

Yeah.

[Ocho]

You saw coach Saban. Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, don't, don't, don't do that. And I think coach Saban is the greatest college coach ever. But we know what time it was. Now all of a sudden, let's get A hold on this. Let these kids. These kids. No, no, no, no. College has robbed these kids for so long.

[Uncle Joe]

Long.

[Ocho]

Let them get about 15, 20 years to get back. Then y' all want to do something with it, but nah, don't do nothing with it now. Cuz you know why? Y' all know why they want to do something with it now. But I. I thought we love capitalism. America is the greatest country in the world because you can come from nothing and make something.

[Uncle Joe]

Yeah, that I.

[Ocho]

Hey, hey, hey. And that.

[Joe]

What?

[Ocho]

Hey. An American dream. That. Whoa, whoa. Now they telling they don't dream too big. Ah, nah. Let me get mine. No. These coaches been jumping and jumping. Now you want to cap it. You ain't putting no cap on these. How much these college coaches make? Not in football, not in basketball. Now, now I get it now if you want to say, look here, man, I'm gonna give you five years to play four. Hey, you shouldn't be 25, 26, 27, Ocho. Playing college. No sport.

[Uncle Joe]

Right.

[Ocho]

Get your ass out and get a job, get a wife or get whatever. But you shouldn't be playing with no 18, 19, 20 year olds. I'm. You shouldn't have no 7, 8 years draw the line at some. You. Oh, we got to draw the line somewhere. We can't have no 26, 27 year old playing damn college sports.

[Uncle Joe]

I got a question too. Hey, are there certain scenarios. Hey, Uncle Joe. Certain situations, injuries, ACLs or.

[Ocho]

Or things messed it up. What Kobe did. Kobe not. So basically now, now. And guess what, Ocho. Now kids can go to juco and they ain't with the school. So you still got four, five years to play four.

[Joe]

You can do two in juco and still.

[Ocho]

Yes. And that ain't nothing.

[Joe]

But it's schools out here, Uncle Ocho, like the University of Arkansas to where when they get these cast these nil money, they don't even tax it. It ain't even no tax on it. Yeah.

[Ocho]

What?

[Joe]

Yes, yes. It's some schools who giving out nil money. Who don't even. Who won't even take you. You can't even collect tax from it. These guys. Hey, man. Hey. They. They getting it, man. By the boatload. You hear me? I'm trying to.

[Ocho]

Hey. And I ain't got no. I ain't got no. I ain't got no problem with neither.

[Joe]

I'll try and get it.

[Ocho]

Because for the longest time, they've always. Guys have always gotten money, but they didn't call it nil.

[Uncle Joe]

No.

[Ocho]

You know, you you from, from, from, from high school coaches or parents getting jobs at the university, mom getting a home or, or a car or getting a job or something, you know, hey, yeah, I tell you what, you buy the car, I'm gonna have this school here to put gas in it. If somebody bought the car, somebody else put gas in it. But I'm going over here cause they bought my house.

[Joe]

There you go.

[Ocho]

So, so I, I don't have a problem with it. I want these kids to make as much money as they possibly can because for the longest time, colleges have used their name, image and likeness. And I don't have no problem with guys leaving because guess what? That college scholarship is for one year. College can get off a player after one year if they see fit. But now when the players got a little power and they can go somewhere else and get a little bit more money. Oh, that ain't how you do business. How many coaches have released a player that he thought he had a four year ride there?

[Joe]

Oh, it's been plenty of time.

[Ocho]

Exactly.

[Joe]

Yeah.

[Ocho]

So I'm go, guess what? I play good over here. Somebody you paying me a million, somebody go offer me two.

[Joe]

Yeah. That's why in college, college sports, they can say what they want, but it's never going to be any loyalty in it when, when it comes down to these guys making money. They in it for making money, but it's a bit.

[Ocho]

I thought it was. Hold on. You see what it is, Joe? You see what you're saying? It's a business for them, but it's

[Joe]

loyal to us, right? Please.

[Uncle Joe]

Hey, Joe, funny thing about it.

[Ocho]

So you want us to be loyal while you doing business? We being loyal. Nah, it's a business. Guess what? I'm a business too. I'm. I'm incorporated. I'm an ella.

[Joe]

Hello. Yeah.

[Ocho]

And so I need to worry. I need to worry about my bottom line too. Like, you worry about your bottom line, I need to worry about mine. Yeah. So guess what? We both worried about our bottom line. What is in the best interest of you? What is in the best interest of me? If it work? If it works, it works. Because if it makes dollars, it makes sense with a C and with an come on. Which is why you got to recruit your players every year. You absolutely do. You absolutely do.

[Joe]

No matter, no matter the relationship that you think y' all might have a great relationship, you got to still recruit that guy, man. Cause guess what?

[Ocho]

Don't you got to recruit your girl every day? You gotta wake up every day, Joe, and kiss it and tell her how much you love it and how much you miss her. And when she gone for a little while, you say, baby, I missed you. I'm so glad that you in my life. You gotta recruit. That's what you do in a relationship. That's how you stay together for an extended period of time. Guys, you gotta recruit the woman that you with. You gotta recruit the man that you with. Somebody else trying to recruit somebody else. Hello? Get what and get what? He got nil dollars, too. Cause the guy that you. If somebody see you, well, let me let you know what, Joe. I stepped in the water. The water was cold. It chilled my body, but not my soul. The water. I said, Lord, Lord, have mercy on me. Cause trust me about this. If somebody see yo with you, Joe, your girl with you. Your girl with you. Ocho, guess what's coming. Another dude that got a nil package. Yeah, so you gotta recruit her. Just like these crews gotta recruit them. Because I stepped in the water. It was up to my knee. I said, Lord, Lord, have mercy on me. Yeah, y' all ain't ready for real shot. Y' all ain't ready for it. Because he asked you, you know, in Malachi 3 8, he asked a rhetorical question. He said, will a man rob God? He already knows the answer. He said, yes, theoretically, you can't rob God, but you can and ti in an offering. He said, now, in 3:10, he says, now, if you believe in me, if you tithe and you offer, he says, I'll open up the windows of heaven and pull you out of blessing. You will not be able to receive. That's what the Bible teaches us. So if you don't recruit your girl, that relationship, because a school, a college of the player, is a relationship. You don't recruit or somebody else recruiting.

[Joe]

Hello.

[Ocho]

Damn.

[Uncle Joe]

I like that. I like that.

[Joe]

It's cold out here now, fella.

[Ocho]

Yeah, yeah.

[Uncle Joe]

Hey, hey, hey. You know the funny thing about it? The game always.

[Ocho]

Yeah, you just got the game.

[Uncle Joe]

Always been cold, but, you know, now we got jackets.

[Joe]

Yeah, look, look, check them out. Check them out.

[Uncle Joe]

Huh?

[Ocho]

You know what I'm saying?

[Uncle Joe]

Now we got jackets.

[Ocho]

We got the church. We got the door that the church is open. Now, you don't say, hey, I'm sure now, you know what I'm saying? I look here, now, we gonna pass the complexion plate around. Now, God don't like noise. You know what I'm saying? That what they say, they say, God don't like noise. No,

[Uncle Joe]

hey, hey, you know what? After. After hearing you Preach. You are also a brother of the cloth with me. You are now anointed.

[Joe]

Huh?

[Ocho]

Yes, sir. Yeah, I'll say.

[Joe]

Oh, my goodness.

[Ocho]

But you know what? I think as you get older, you learn a lot more. Because, guys, you know, when we. We weren't recruiting nobody. Hey, this is what it is. Stay if you want to, leave if you want.

[Joe]

Right?

[Ocho]

Hey, as you get older, you know, your boy ain't what he used to. You know, I got. Got me look, you know, I got me a little cane. I go get around on, move fast. So you know what I'm saying? I can't catch what I used to catch. You know what I'm saying?

[Joe]

You know what I'm saying, guys?

[Ocho]

I can't catch what I used to catch. Yeah, you know, you. You get what you can now. Yes, sir. Once upon a time is what I wanted.

[Uncle Joe]

Now you get what you can.

[Ocho]

Yeah, man. Hey, when you go fishing, I don't know if Joe, you up in deep sea fishing.

[Joe]

I ain't been deep sea fishing.

[Ocho]

Sometimes when you go deep sea fishing, you looking to catch a particular type of a fish. Come on, now, you get to be my age, you can't. You know what I'm saying? I catch catfish. I catch crappy bass, walleye, pike, you know what I'm saying? Flounder, sheephead, rockfish, peacock bass. I'm just saying I have to keep it at 1000 with y'. All.

[Joe]

I like it. I like it.

[Ocho]

Whatever bite. Whatever bite.

[Joe]

It's a little different nowadays. It's a little different.

[Ocho]

It is. It's absolutely. It's a lot different. It's a lot different out there. But you got to. And these guys know. These guys know their value. Get what you can get. Obviously you want to go. You know, I think for the most part, 90 of guys that go to college have aspirations of playing in the next level.

[Uncle Joe]

Absolutely.

[Ocho]

Probably 10 will. But in the process, if I can make me a couple of million dollars before I even get there.

[Joe]

Hello.

[Uncle Joe]

Why not? Why not? The game is the game. They didn't played it a very long time.

[Ocho]

Yes.

[Uncle Joe]

Pendulum has happened to shift now. And now with that pendulum shifting, now they want to control it. Oh, now they want to change the narrative. Well, hell, you didn't made. Oh, you made billions off playing billions for the years. Billions. Ain't nobody batted to eye. Ain't nobody said nothing.

[Ocho]

Nope.

[Uncle Joe]

Oh, now that. Now. Now the playing field is even.

[Ocho]

Oh, it's a problem.

[Uncle Joe]

Come on.

[Ocho]

All that money y' all made off the backs of these college kids. Now it's a problem. They're getting a little bit. They still, they could never. Because the system that was in place, it was in place for 75 years. So it would need at least 75 years for them to catch up. Now they get a couple years, they get what, four or five years of nil money. Now all of a sudden it's an issue. Now all of a sudden, oh yeah,

[Joe]

they gonna come up with something to where they gonna, of course, just keep continue to let this go on.

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[Ocho]

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[Ocho]

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[Uncle Joe]

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[Ocho]

Hey, whoa, whoa.

[Uncle Joe]

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[Lily Herman]

a different take on Formula One? Look no further than no Grip, a new podcast tackling the culture of motor racing's mot most coveted series. Join me, Lily Herman, as we dive into the underexplored pockets of F1, including the astrology of the current grid.

[Ocho]

Lewis Hamilton, Capricorn Sun, Cancer Moon. Wouldn't you know it? Michael Schumacher is also a Capricorn Sun Cancer Moon.

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The story of the sport's most consequential driver's strike. We have one man who, upon hearing that he was going to be fired, freaked out and apparently climbed out the

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[Ocho]

He started getting all this attention and

[Lily Herman]

he maybe started to think, I'm bigger than this, I'm better. And plenty of other mishaps, scandals and sagas that have made Formula One a delightful decadent dumpster. Fire for more than 75 years. Listen to no Grip on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Jemele Hill]

If you're trying to keep up with everything happening on and off the court, we've got you covered on the podcast. Flagrant and funny.

[Carrie Champion]

You look at the top four number one seeds. What do you think UCLA is gonn break down that for me, my friend.

[Jemele Hill]

Obviously UConn is the overwhelming favorite in this tournament, but I'll be honest, I think people are kind of sleeping on Texas.

[Carrie Champion]

Experts are suggesting that UCLA is the number one challenger to UConn and that right after that would be Texas. SEC is so is so deep and so thick in just about everything. It really is annoying. So it's UCLA, Texas, South Carolina, LSU, only ones that could possibly upset UConn

[Jemele Hill]

on flagrant and Funny. We're giving our unfiltered takes on the biggest moments, the conversations everyone's having.

[Carrie Champion]

So whether your bracket is busted or you just want the latest on the tournament, we got you. Listen to Flagrant and Funny with Carrie Champion and Jemele Hill on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports.

[John Green]

I'm John Green. You may know me as the author of the Fault in Our Stars. And now, I guess also as the co host of the Away End, a brand new world socce soccer podcast.

[Daniel Alarcon]

I'm Daniel Alarcon, a writer and journalist, and John and I have known each other since we were kids. My first World cup was Mexico 86. I was nine years old. I watched every game and I fell in love. On our new podcast, the Away End, we'll share with you the magic of international football, all leading up to the 2026 World Cup.

[John Green]

For us, soccer football is a story we've shared for over 30 years, since Daniel was the star player on our high school soccer team.

[Ocho]

Very debatable.

[John Green]

And I was their most loyal and sometimes only fan. I love this game. I love its history, its hope, its heartbreak, and above all, its beauty.

[Daniel Alarcon]

Together we'll find out why. Of all the unimportant things football, soccer is the most important.

[John Green]

Listen to the Away End with Daniel Alarcon and John green on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[O]

Hey, I'm Wilmer Valderrama and this is Freddy Rodriguez.

[Wilmer Valderrama]

Welcome back to Dos Amigos, dos Amigos Season 2B. This time, we're going even deeper into our careers, our lives our art and everything in between.

[O]

Each episode emanates from our very own speakeasy, where we swap stories about the moments that really shaped us on and off camera.

[Wilmer Valderrama]

What do we invest in right now? What is the immediate advice you give

[O]

people right now is to value time, to be cognizant of time and how important time is. Because once the time is up, it's up, and then that's it.

[Wilmer Valderrama]

And the relationships, collaborations, and even the failures that pushed us to grow. And the common denominator is that we have the same people with us since like 30, 40 years ago.

[Ocho]

Right.

[Wilmer Valderrama]

Like, we have a lot of the same homies that stuck around.

[O]

Plus, the door always stays open for a third amigo to pull up a chair. Listen to Dos Amigos as part of the Michael Dura Podcast Network, available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Ocho]

Illinois beat the Houston Cougars by the score of 65. 55. The freshman keep in Liverpool, Illinois. Wagner and Markovic are the first freshman teammates to each have double doubles in the same NCAA tournament game since freshman became available to play in 1972. 73. You talk about 14 and 10 and 13 and 12 and they, you know, neither team shot the ball particularly well. But when you look at Houston Joe, they shot two free throws the whole

[Joe]

night and win no game.

[Ocho]

The game. The game would have been even more lopsided if Arizona could the fighting a line. I could have made that free throw. They're 12 or 21. Beat him on the glass. They beat him on the glass. Both teams shot 9 of 23 from the 3 the the align. I shot 43% from the floor. Houston was worse, 22 of 64, 34% from the floor. And we know the Cougars can turn the defense up, but in the process they didn't really get anything cheap.

[Joe]

Nah, they had to scrap for everything.

[Ocho]

And they couldn't, they couldn't, they couldn't buy, they couldn't buy a bucket.

[Joe]

They couldn't, they couldn't, they couldn't. I I'm giving Illinois credit. And they, they play hard.

[Ocho]

Yes.

[Joe]

Guarded. They were tough defensively. Uncle Ocho, it took Houston forever just to even score a bucket.

[Ocho]

Yeah, I was looking at, I was like, hold on. Because I had, I was going, trying to go back and forth and I'm looking, I'm like, damn, it's 15 minutes. It's five minutes already going out the game and it's only 42. I'm like, what the hell?

[Uncle Joe]

Hey, hey.

[Ocho]

I said they shooting in A peach basket with a bowling ball.

[Joe]

They made.

[Uncle Joe]

They made it ugly, huh? They made. They made it real ugly. Illinois.

[Joe]

They did, bro. They did. They made it ugly.

[Ocho]

They.

[Joe]

They were tough defensively, Uncle Ocho. And then they got a. Illinois's got a lot of guys. They can go off the bounce and they can score that ball and put pressure on you. I didn't think they played great, but they played good enough to win Houston. They did play so bad at the wrong time that this 10 point, this 10 point victory for Illinois really should have probably been about 15, 20.

[Ocho]

Yes, absolutely. Absolutely.

[Joe]

They look terrible the whole night. I'm be honest with you. They had no. No type of chemistry, no flow, continuity. None of that coming in this game to where, you know, I thought Flemings would kind of get off to a good start, you know, kind of seize the moment, but none of that happened, bro. It was a super low scoring game. And, And Illinois is.

[Ocho]

Stujakovic looked good.

[Joe]

He got.

[Ocho]

He had 13. How do we do light on prize picks? I don't think. I think somebody. I think somebody let us down. Was it. Brandon Smith let us down because he needed 21 and a half and I think he had 21. That's the boy from Purdue.

[Joe]

Yeah.

[Ocho]

Yeah. I think that for. For me, guys.

[Uncle Joe]

Yeah.

[Ocho]

If I'm Illinois coach, I'm like, look, guys, we did not shoot the ball well. We did not. We did not play a really good game and we're moving on to the Elite Eight.

[Joe]

Yeah.

[Uncle Joe]

Yeah.

[Ocho]

We gotta feel good about where we are. We have that team to 55 points.

[Uncle Joe]

But, uncle, you got to think about it, though. Do you really tell your team that with the performance that you had tonight, you happen to get. Because you can improve win because the other team plays so bad, but going. But going forward, you're not seeing teams, they're gonna. They're gonna shoot this bad.

[Joe]

They're not gonna be, hey, Illinois's coach probably telling his players, we not gonna shoot this bad when you did 32.

[Ocho]

That's what I'm saying. We.

[Joe]

We played. We ain't play no great game neither. We a play our best basketball, you know what I mean? Against a top team like Houston, like, they are two seeds, like a lot of people had them pick to win it.

[Ocho]

Right? I. I like Illinois, but I did not see them going. I did not see them getting beaten either. I didn't, you know, I pick. I, I thought they, you know, caught a couple of highlights of their game, but, man, they guys, whoo, boy, look here. I mean, they Got about six or seven guys. I can't pronounce their name. They had to go for. They had to. They got brothers on the team. They got Timoslav Isovich, his brother, Isovich, Store, Yakovic, Huber, Ruchos. I. I like. Damn, Where y' all get these guys from?

[Joe]

Hey. And Stoyakovic had been playing great the whole season. I can't believe he come off the bench. I thought he was starting.

[Ocho]

Yes. Yes.

[Joe]

Yeah. Illinois got a good team.

[Ocho]

And I think that's. That's the thing. Look, that's the thing you do. I mean, we. We've all been a part of teams. We've won ball games. Yeah. And. And the coach says, look, you never apologize for winning, but we know we can play much better.

[Joe]

Yes.

[Ocho]

Than what we played. And so that tells you the. The. The room that we can improve because we beat this team. And this is not. That's. This is not anywhere close to how well we.

[Joe]

Absolutely. Absolutely. So if I'm Illinois, I'm feeling good about the next game. I mean, we. We. We played probably the toughest team, one of the toughest teams left in the tournament. Now we still get a chance to move on. We just got to tighten some stuff up and be better next game. But, yeah, for the most part, Illinois answered the bill. Man, they answered the bill.

[Uncle Joe]

Hey, who Illinois got to play next, Joe?

[Ocho]

Iowa. Big 10.

[Joe]

Oh, yeah? They both in the big 10, huh?

[Ocho]

Big 10 for a chance to go to the. The final.

[Joe]

I wonder what was. What was the series like this year on them playing? They probably played twice, right? Probably two or three times.

[Ocho]

Yeah. And then, hell, you got Iowa State on the other side, and you got Michigan and you got Purdue. Big Ten got to be feeling good about themselves. They're like, hey, y' all look at us in just about a football program, but they look at our basketball, Big

[Joe]

Ten ball, and they doing their thing. They said.

[Ocho]

Yeah, because, you know, you think about Ohio State, you think of Michigan, you think of Penn State, you know, you think of, you know, big football.

[Joe]

Yeah.

[Ocho]

Like, nah. N. No, no, no, no, no, no. You know, we go, hey, it's time. It's time for us to shine, too. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I had Houston going far. I think I had Houston.

[Joe]

Oh, yeah.

[Ocho]

I had Houston going to the final four.

[Uncle Joe]

You did?

[Joe]

I did.

[Uncle Joe]

Hey, how the bracket looks now?

[Joe]

Come on.

[Ocho]

Joe Cook. Huh? Joe Cook.

[Joe]

Y' all gotta be. I know. Ocho probably cooked over there, too. Yeah. Who you got?

[Ocho]

Yes.

[Uncle Joe]

Hey, I should be. Hey, Uncle, I should be in first right now.

[Ocho]

Nah, I'm not sure about that, Ocho.

[Uncle Joe]

I'm definitely in the league. I ask Ash, I guarantee that. I mean, we'll get to that point, but I'm just saying, I know I'm

[Ocho]

in the league now. We'll get there in a minute.

[Uncle Joe]

All right.

[Ocho]

But the, the Illinois, they move on to the Elite Eight thanks to a 65, 55 victory over the Houston Cougars. They advance. Iowa is headed to the Elite Eight after 77, 71 victory over Nebraska. This one was all offense, 26 combined, three pointer, minimal whistles and defense. Well, hey, take a choice. You can't make this up all season long. Nebraska only said four players out. I will get some layup and one that really sealed the victory. I'm trying to figure out Joe out of a timeout. How do you. How does Fred Hoiberg, a guy that played the game, college game at elite level, he's coached the game at an elite level. How does this happen?

[Joe]

I don't know how you get out there and don't notice. You ain't got before players out there, man, I'm saying, yeah, it's only I put it on the coach, but it's players too. Like, I mean, it's a pivotal moment, man. We still got a chance. It was still 40 something, 46 seconds on the clock, you know what I mean? Like you had plenty of time to get a stop and to come down and make something happen. I know they kicking theyself behind this, but I'm gonna get Iowa credit. Man, they were shooting a cover off that thing. I thought Nebraska shot the COVID off of it too. This was a good shooting game. These dudes played hard. Uncle Ocho. I thought they got great contribution. Iowa did from the bigs. They just know how to play make they move the ball, they play the right way. Getting good and wide open shots, playing for one another. And you love to see basketball when it's played like that, bro. Like you didn't know who was gonna be.

[Ocho]

I did a great job of protecting the basketball also. They only had five. You can win a lot of games. You're gonna win a lot of games like that. They shot 52% from the floor. They shot 43% from the three. They only shot. They only went to the free throw line. This, like I said, it wasn't a whole lot of free throws. They went to the line 12 times. Nebraska went 11 times. But like, like, it's kind of like like out of a timeout. How do you how do you get caught with too many men on the field out of a timeout? Yeah, football.

[Uncle Joe]

That's crazy.

[Ocho]

I'm like, bro. So I'm looking at basketball like, bro.

[Freddy Rodriguez]

How.

[Ocho]

How is this possible?

[Uncle Joe]

Nervous pressure. The situation. Sometimes them lights and lights too bright. You make mistakes like that. You're not thinking right, overthinking it, analyzing it too much instead of just being stuck right in that moment. In general, I agree. That's the only. That's the only way something like that happened.

[Joe]

I think probably Horberg was probably too busy thinking about the next play. Uncle Ocho drawing up a play. But I just don't know how you don't. I don't know how you ain't see those four. You ain't have before. Guys out there. This is really my first time, honestly. This is really my first time really watching Nebraska play. And I would, too, in this tournament. They.

[Ocho]

They both look good.

[Joe]

I. I think our beating Florida has gave them momentum and confidence to feel like they can beat anybody.

[Ocho]

Yep.

[Joe]

You know, don't. Don't pay attention to that nine seed they got. They ain't. No. They don't pay attention to that. Hey, them boys out there balling, man, they playing the right way. They playing the way basketball is supposed to be played. Moving that ball, getting great shots

[Ocho]

and

[Uncle Joe]

great, great shots is. Is exactly what they were doing. Hey, Joe.

[Ocho]

And.

[Uncle Joe]

But only two people was in double figures out of the starters. Brother, brother, brother. Right. Yeah, but they.

[Ocho]

You see them, too.

[Joe]

You see them, too?

[Ocho]

Yeah. The Hawkeyes had two. Three guys in double figures, one starter and two backups.

[Uncle Joe]

Two starters, two starters and two backups. That's what I did.

[Ocho]

You know, they had four guys with double figures. I thought you was talking about the Browns had two guys.

[Joe]

Figures.

[Uncle Joe]

Now, I was saying two starters for all kinds.

[Ocho]

Oh, yeah. When you get that kind of production off the bench. Think about it, though, Joe. Think about this. They got 38 points off the beat. Yeah.

[Joe]

At a high percentage, too. It wasn't like them.

[Ocho]

They was chilling six or seven. Six and ten. That bench. The bench guys made seven. Seven of their 12. They made seven of the 12 threes. You getting that kind of production off the bench? Hey, I'm happy. Yeah. You give me. In a college game, you give me 38 points off the bench, and you let them guys shoot like that for three. I'm gonna win a lot of games. I'm gonna win a lot of games.

[Joe]

Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.

[Ocho]

In College, I'm getting 38 points from my bench and the guy's shooting except making seven. Three. Yeah, I'm gonna win a lot of games, I am.

[Joe]

Yeah. Oh, yeah. And, and, and they guard too.

[Ocho]

I wouldn't.

[Joe]

Dang. It ain't just olay when you come down here like them dudes guarding too, Uncle Ocho. They ain't just out there offensively like they playing great team defense, help position.

[Ocho]

Yeah.

[Joe]

You know what I mean? Game rebound and we out.

[Ocho]

But I thought I would needed their bench tonight because they, they had, they had three starters that gave them eight points. One starter played 14 minutes, gave no points. Banks played 15 minutes, gave him two points. Kale Combs gave him 20, played 27 mil, gave him six points. So they need. If they don't get that kind of production from their bench, they're losing the ball game.

[Joe]

Oh, yeah.

[Ocho]

You can't have a starter play 14 minutes and give you no points and another spot. So you got two starters that play 29 minutes.

[Uncle Joe]

Yeah.

[Ocho]

Two points.

[Uncle Joe]

Two points.

[Joe]

You got to find a way.

[Ocho]

Three of your five starters. Three of your five starters give you eight points. You're losing that game unless you start. You guys come in and they give you 16 and they give you 19 and then you get another three. A guy hits a three.

[Joe]

I agree.

[Ocho]

So you get 38 points from your beat.

[Joe]

I agree.

[Ocho]

But contributions gotta, you gotta have that. I mean, and you know, look, it always happens like this in a tournament game. In tournaments, you always get, you always gotta basically expect the unexpected because somebody gonna pop up Joe. That you least expected.

[Uncle Joe]

Yeah.

[Ocho]

And give you. And give you, oh, you know, give you one of those performances.

[Joe]

Yeah, yeah. And that's. Hey, look, that's what we needed for Arkansas. But anyway, I'm, I was great. You know, you gotta have like, like uncle said, you gotta have contrib guys who maybe you didn't necessarily think, you know, they were going to give you that much. You know what I mean? Like, you, you got some guys who will step up and play outside, outside their bodies in this type of environment. It'll be great for you. And see, the thing is, it's like if you haven't played against a lot of these teams and you only get to play them in the tournament, you know, so trying to fill them out. It's kind of like boxing, you know, the first couple rounds, trying to figure you out, see what you got. It's like the first few minutes I'm trying to feel you out, see what's going on, then I can kind of make my move. But I think our man they define the remedy, bro. They play hard. Like I said, they didn't beat the. They beat the number one seed, which was Florida.

[Uncle Joe]

Yeah.

[Joe]

They confidence through the roof. I think they think they can be there. Anybody, Uncle Ojo?

[Uncle Joe]

Yeah, absolutely. Once. Once they beat Florida, then you got. You got them two young boys coming off the bench, you know, playing like that, being that efficient. 6 for 9 and 1. 1 for 6 was 6 for 10. 1 for 6 for 11.

[Ocho]

Yep.

[Uncle Joe]

You could, damn it, be anybody.

[Ocho]

I think the biggest thing. A biggest thing that has to happen when you upset a higher seat, you can't. A lot of times, you know, you see these Cinderellas, they upset us. A number one seed or number two seed, they get satisfied. Florida, I mean, Iowa doesn't seem to be satisfied. It's like, okay, damn. Here.

[Joe]

Yeah, yeah.

[Ocho]

You get your first basket, Joe. You get your first basket in the NBA. You're like, okay, that wasn't as hard

[Joe]

as I thought it was.

[Ocho]

Y' all gonna let me. My first. My first time I touched the rock. Hey, I get the preseason game. Hey, the first ball they throw me, I catch a touchdown. Oh, that's what. Oh, okay, I'll do it.

[Joe]

Right, right.

[Ocho]

And you beat a team. You beat Florida when nobody gave you a chance. Probably only people in the locker room that believed in you and your fan base. Yeah. And you pull out that. Just don't be. And we see this a lot in football, too, Ojo. Sometimes a guy team get upset, and they're like, oh, man, we knocked off this team. And then you, like, you. They go out there the next week.

[Uncle Joe]

Yeah, yeah, it happened all the time.

[Ocho]

Nah, nah, don't be. Don't be green.

[Joe]

That's what I'm saying.

[Ocho]

You know, people like, man, why you greedy? Hey, I want to win Mega million. Powerball. Cash four, Cash three. Fantasy five.

[Uncle Joe]

All of it.

[Ocho]

I'm trying to win all of it.

[Uncle Joe]

Every last one.

[Ocho]

Yes.

[Uncle Joe]

I need my coins.

[Ocho]

Hey, hey, guys, you remember they used to send those publishers cleared houses, and they talk about, you can win 40 states?

[Uncle Joe]

You remember that? Hey, Joe, you take a picture with the check at the front door?

[Ocho]

Yeah, yeah, man, I remember that thing they said, the thing you won a million dollars. I'm like, oh, I'm jumping. I'm happy, man. Please. Everybody that got to talk about, you want a million dollars. But don't think we didn't play the train and send it in.

[Joe]

Hello. Hello.

[Ocho]

Cause, you know, they used to. I don't even know. I don't know if they still even have that but they used to announce the winners on television. Such and such won $1 million. Like, oh, my goodness, what would it be like to win a million dollars?

[Uncle Joe]

Especially back then, though, you know? How much money?

[Joe]

Yeah, what you talking about, man?

[Ocho]

That publisher cleared out a. And y' all remember the. The magazine? I think it was a TV guy, where you get like 13 CDs for a penny.

[Joe]

Yeah. Yeah, what?

[Ocho]

Yeah, you get 13, eight tracks, you get CDs, you get record. Yeah, for a penny. Uh, what was it? Columbia? I think it was Columbia. Chad, what was it? I forget.

[Uncle Joe]

Yeah.

[Ocho]

Y' all don't remember. You could get. You could get a record. You get like 13 for a penny.

[Joe]

Yeah, I remember.

[Freddy Rodriguez]

Hey, Donald, really flying on that treadmill.

[Zach]

I'm trying to run as fast AS T mobile 5G home Internet, Zach.

[Freddy Rodriguez]

Well, you better pick it up because now T Mobile has the fastest 5G home Internet according to Ookla Speed Test.

[Ocho]

Really? How's this?

[Freddy Rodriguez]

T Mobile's faster than that, bud. Speed up. Y plus they've got a five year price guarantee.

[Ocho]

Come on, faster.

[Uncle Joe]

How can I go any faster?

[Freddy Rodriguez]

Channel the speed of t mobile 5G home Internet. Think 100 meter dash fast. Think drag racing fast. Think speed skating fast. Now let's bump up your speed a notch.

[Ocho]

Hey, whoa, whoa.

[Uncle Joe]

That's too fa.

[Freddy Rodriguez]

You'll be all right. Just walk it off.

[Zach]

Get on the fast track. T Mobile now has the fastest 5G home Internet. And for a limited time, it starts at just 30 bucks a month with autopay and a voice line, plus a five year price guarantee plus taxes and fees. Fastest according to Ooglev Speed test intelligence data. Second half 2025. All rights reserved. Guarantee for monthly price of 5G Internet data on eligible plans. Find exclusions and details@t mobile.com Ready for

[Lily Herman]

a different take on Formula One? Look no further than no Grip, a new podcast tackling the culture of motor racing's most coveted. Join me, Lily Herman, as we dive into the underexplored pockets of F1, including the astrology of the current grid.

[Ocho]

Lewis Hamilton, Capricorn Sun Cancer Moon. Wouldn't you know it? Michael Schumacher is also a Capricorn Sun Cancer Moon.

[Lily Herman]

The story of the sport's most consequential driver. Strike. We have one man who, upon hearing that he was going to be fired, freaked out, and apparently climbed out the

[Ocho]

window of the bathroom.

[Lily Herman]

And was Daniel Ricardo's illustrious F1 career a success story, a cautionary tale, or some combination of both?

[Ocho]

He started getting all this attention and

[Lily Herman]

he maybe started to think I'm bigger than this. I'm better. And plenty of other mishaps, scandals and sagas that have made Formula One a delightful, decadent dumpster fire for more than 75 years. Listen to no Grip on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Jemele Hill]

If you're trying to keep up with everything happening on and off the court, we've got you covered on the podcast. Flagrant and funny.

[Carrie Champion]

You look at the top four number one seeds, what do you think UCLA is? Break down that for me, my friend.

[Jemele Hill]

Obviously UConn is the overwhelming favorite in this tournament, but I'll be honest, I think people are kind of sleeping on Texas.

[Carrie Champion]

Experts are suggesting that UCLA is the number one challenger to UConn and that right after that would be Texas. SEC is so is so deep and so thick in just about everything. It really is annoying. So it's UCLA, Texas, South Carolina, LSU, only ones that could possibly upset UConn

[Jemele Hill]

on flagrant and Funny. We're giving our unfiltered takes on the biggest moments, the conversations everyone's having.

[Carrie Champion]

So whether your bracket is busted or you just want the latest on the tournament, we got you. Listen to Flagrant and Funny with Carrie Champion and Jemele Hill on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports, I'm John Green.

[John Green]

You may know me as the author of the Fault in Our Stars and now, I guess also as the co host of the Away End, a brand new world soccer podcast.

[Daniel Alarcon]

I'm Daniel Alarcon, a writer and journalist and John and I have known each other since we were kids. My first World cup was Mexico 86. I was nine years old. I watched every game and I fell in love. On our new podcast, the Away End, we'll share with you the magic of international football, all leading up to the 2026 World Cup.

[John Green]

For us. Soccer Football is a story we've shared for over 30 years, since Daniel was the star player on our high school soccer team.

[Daniel Alarcon]

Very debatable.

[John Green]

And I was their most loyal and sometimes only fan. I love this game. I love its history, its hope, its heartbreak, and above all, its beauty.

[Daniel Alarcon]

Together we'll find out why, of all the unimportant things football, soccer is the most important.

[John Green]

Listen to the Away End with Daniel Alarcon and John green on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[O]

Hey, I'm Wilmer Valderrama and this is Freddy Rodriguez.

[Wilmer Valderrama]

Welcome back to Dos Amigos.

[O]

Dos Amigos, season two, baby.

[Wilmer Valderrama]

This time we're going even deeper into our careers, our lives, our art, and everything in between.

[O]

Each episode emanates from our very own speakeasy where we swap stories about the moments that really shaped us on and off camera.

[Wilmer Valderrama]

What do we invest in right now? What is the immediate advice you give

[O]

people right now is to value time, to be cognizant of time and how important time is. Because once the time is up, it's up, and then that's it.

[Wilmer Valderrama]

And the relationships, collaborations, and even the failures that pushed us to grow, the common denominator is that we have the same people with us since like 30, 40 years ago.

[Joe]

Right?

[Wilmer Valderrama]

Like, we have a lot of the same homies that stuck around.

[O]

Plus, the door always stays open for a third amigo to pull up a chair. Listen to Dos Amigos is part of the Michael Tuda podcast network, available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Ocho]

Michigan beat Alabama. The Wolverines had the most overall play on the floor. Yep. Yaxel Lindenborg, who did it all tonight, finishing just three shot, three assist shot with triple double. He had 23 points, 12 rebounds. Michigan was the more efficient than Alabama for three point range, connected on 13 or 27 attempts. Alabama, hey. Alabama held on as long as they could feel. Young Junior LeBaron Field, y'.

[Joe]

All. That's what I'm talking about. Game change. You need guys who can get to get. Get to that chicken. Uncle Ocho. Who can get to that? Who got a bag? Hey, man, we need. If you a score. Yeah, perfect.

[Ocho]

We need you to.

[Joe]

We need you to get some buckets. The rest of us, we can do the dirty work.

[Ocho]

One more gotta come along with it. He needed one more guy because Michigan had too many guys. You think they got 33 points.

[Joe]

They missing 20.

[Ocho]

So he needed what? He needed another guy.

[Joe]

You know, they missing 20 points a game, you know.

[Ocho]

Oh, yeah, yeah, I forgot.

[Uncle Joe]

He hurt.

[Joe]

Hurt?

[Ocho]

You hurt? Your guy tried to be free, Ross.

[Joe]

Yeah, but if they'd had him, they definitely, they, they probably would have really had a chance.

[Ocho]

They definitely had a chance. Yeah, but I ain't know. I ain't know. Phil Young was not that nice. You know, you. You see clip, you saw. I see highlights of him and stuff like that. Now. He could.

[Joe]

He could. Yeah. Yeah. I got a chance to watch Alabama play a few times because they in the SEC obviously playing against my Razorback. So they got some guys who can go who you know. And they got some, some tough gritty guys too. They got some tough, gritty guys. So they, they, they pretty good.

[Ocho]

You know, people look at Alabama and people just think Alabama football. Yeah, but Alabama used to have basketball.

[Joe]

What you talking about?

[Ocho]

I mean, you, you know, you. They had Ori. Before them. They had Free with Alabama.

[Joe]

Yeah, they had a Gerald Wallace. I played with Gerald.

[Ocho]

Yeah, before then. That's before your time. They had Bobby Lee hurt. They had Ena Swatley.

[Joe]

Oh, they had come guys, they got some dogs. Some. Some boys raised down. Down deep in the South.

[Ocho]

And Mac, hey, prior to him getting hurt, Antonio nice.

[Joe]

I play with McDyess.

[Ocho]

Huh? I'm talking about. You talking about 6, 10 and can leave the building.

[Joe]

He like that, Ocho. I'm talking about.

[Uncle Joe]

He can jump like that.

[Joe]

Goodness head tap. That boy. That boy could fly. That boy could fly.

[Ocho]

Before we hurt that knee. Oh, he was. Hey. Cause I was in. I was in Denver when he got there.

[Joe]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Ocho]

I was at Brian Steeles came there. Lafonso Ellis. I was there when Jalen Rose got there. All of Dikembe Mutumbo, all of them Rodney Rogers mellow. So. So. Hey, but McDyess, Lord have mercy, man, before he hurt that knee, he was something to deal. Yeah, with.

[Joe]

He want nothing to play with. That boy was serious.

[Ocho]

He was like that. But Bama has some.

[Joe]

Yeah, they normally keep. They normally keep some Hoopers though. They, they basketball team.

[Ocho]

Really. They may not.

[Joe]

Obviously, you know, we know what the football side, what the football program does, but basketball wise, they rarely ever slouches now. They. They normally keep some. Some pretty good guys over there.

[Uncle Joe]

Yeah, I know that. I think Alabama football, it overshadowed it. They so goddamn book it does.

[Ocho]

It does.

[Joe]

It does.

[Ocho]

It's just like Michigan football. Michigan has some players. A couple basketball players come out here too. Now, you don't sleep on Michigan basketball

[Joe]

players, but Michigan, that's a football school, huh?

[Ocho]

Yeah, yeah. I mean, people just talk about the Fab Five, but hey, man, when they had Glenn Rice and Mills and all those guys, they had some guys.

[Joe]

Yeah, now they had some guys. They had some guys.

[Ocho]

But the number one seed so far other than Florida advance. Who does Michigan play next?

[Joe]

Hey, you, you. You see.

[Ocho]

Oh, they play Tennessee.

[Joe]

You see, Michigan got a lot of juniors and seniors too.

[Uncle Joe]

Yeah.

[Joe]

Hey, they. They got experience that they, that they banking on, but they got guys playing well. The one thing though that I noticed about their bigs, man, they can pass.

[Ocho]

They.

[Joe]

I'm gonna tell y' all something, man, in today's game.

[Ocho]

Yeah.

[Joe]

You got any young Hoopers is out there listening, Chad. Y', all. Y' all hear me out, man. Having a great IQ for the game, knowing how to pass, knowing how to play the right way. That'll get you a long way, bro. Michigan got some guys on the door. I'm talking about them back door passes. When you got them guys playing over aggressive.

[Uncle Joe]

Yeah.

[Joe]

Sitting, picking roles for your bees. And they can play make. They take a lot of pressure off your guards for guys who really can't get by their man like that.

[Uncle Joe]

Right, right, right.

[Joe]

You know what I mean? You got different ways to get open to exploit the game and manipulate it in. In so many different ways. When you're big is versatile like that. That's why yoke is so special, man. Look at Jokic.

[Uncle Joe]

Yeah.

[Ocho]

Oh, you see what he had? You saw?

[Joe]

No, what he had 33, 14, 12.

[Ocho]

33, 14 and 12.

[Joe]

Yo. Hey, he playing in our face right now. Y' all know that, right? That man playing our favor.

[Ocho]

Yeah, we.

[Joe]

Hey, hey. Y' all think he don't hear the chatters about who should be mvp? He always gonna be in it. But the man has a triple double for sure.

[Ocho]

I think you know what it is, Joe. Give me a guy that has. That has iq. Be it football, basketball, baseball. Because a lot of times, Ocho, we play with guys, dude. Robotic, you say, hey, hey, bro, this right 10 to 12, where the guy's standing right there, you go run behind Dumb. Dumb don't run behind him. The quarterback ain't gonna throw you the damn ball. You run behind the db. Cut in front of him,

[Joe]

man.

[Ocho]

You know what? Hey, I saw, bro.

[Joe]

Hey, IQ making you, boy.

[Ocho]

Son, I hate to tell you this, but if Dynamite were brains, you couldn't blow your nose. Come on over.

[Uncle Joe]

Hey, and Joe, the better your iq, especially when it comes to the game of football, obviously. I'm sure basketball is the same way where you can see what's going to happen before it happens, or knowing what's going to happen actually before it happens to be two steps ahead of everybody else. At times. At times, I could just speak for me playing receiver. Joke.

[Joe]

Yes.

[Uncle Joe]

I'm always two or three steps ahead of the person in front of me.

[Joe]

Right.

[Uncle Joe]

Two or three ahead of the safety. Because I understand what you have to do and I know where you're going to be. So understanding how to manipulate what's in front of me and give the illusion that I'm doing something that I'm really not going to do.

[Joe]

Yeah.

[Uncle Joe]

So I can get the spot I need to get to as fast as hell.

[Joe]

I understand it.

[Uncle Joe]

You know what I mean?

[Joe]

I think.

[Ocho]

Yes.

[Joe]

I think you may. I think you may even have to have that in basketball more than you do in football, especially if you got the ball in the hand, because I don't. Well, because the floor, if things happen, understand floor spacing. You know what I mean? I think that's the biggest key. Especially these young guys who really don't know how to play the game. You know, they don't understand floor spacing and getting deep corner, getting out your man way. You know, you got a guy operating, you standing right next to him. Cut. You know, you have a lot of these cats gotta learn, Ocho, because they all growing up with the ball in their hand. And when they don't have it in their hand, they just look like statues out there. They don't know what the hell to do.

[Ocho]

Yeah.

[Uncle Joe]

Hey, you know, Uncle Joe, you know what they always say when it comes to sports? The game, especially once you get to the highest level, the game is 90. Mental, hello. It's only 10. Physical, hello, middle. Because. So now it. It all comes to how much you know up here. How can you see the game and see things before they actually happen?

[Ocho]

Yeah.

[Uncle Joe]

Always having a plan. If plan they don't go right, how fast can you. Can you. Can you reenact?

[Joe]

Yeah.

[Uncle Joe]

When it happened with plan B. Yeah. Being able to adjust on the fly.

[Joe]

Yeah.

[Uncle Joe]

I mean, it, man. It's. Oh, it's.

[Ocho]

That's what makes me so upset, Ocho, is that. And we talk about this all the time. I say, ocho, he got help to the inside. Why would he get beat outside when he know he got help inside? If you got help outside, why would you get beat inside? That's what kills me. You see the guy. You see that safety coming down? If you see the safety coming down, what do you think the man on top of your head gonna do? He going inside, the safety is coming down because now he has outside contained. Bro. How you get beat on that, man? I ain't what you mean. You didn't know? Did you watch film? They did it on film 10 times, but every time. But give me your phone right quick. Let me see how many phone numbers you got in the last. The last last five days. You got that. You wrote all this down, but you don't remember these damn places. See that? Oh, see, Joe, that's why I couldn't coach, man.

[Joe]

It.

[Ocho]

It drove me crazy that we go over Stuff. And they show up on film, they're gonna give you this. Look, it's just like spags. We already know if spag get you. If, If. If spags feel threatened, he's coming with pressure. You know that it's coming. Why is it in a situation that we've gone over and over and over and over, you effing up.

[Joe]

Hey, I know. Hey, I know exactly what he mean, boy.

[Ocho]

Man, you know it's sharp. It ain't okay. It is not okay. Stop telling me that it's okay. It ain't.

[Joe]

Yeah, damn.

[Ocho]

Like, bro, how. And you mean to tell me. So let me get this straight. You can't remember one damn play, but you quick to tell me I got 1300 on the SAT?

[Zach]

I gotta.

[Ocho]

I gotta. I got a 30 over act. I can't tell who took the test for you.

[Joe]

Oh,

[Ocho]

your SAT must have been just shaped. What is this? A square, a rectangle, or a circle? Because ain't no way in hell you can't remember this, but you got a sport. 13, 1400 SAT, bro. It. That's. That's why I. I just. I just don't have the patience. I just. I. I don't. I try. I just don't. Because if I can get it. And I know when I got there, I didn't know nothing. I ain't know nothing about no over, no under. I didn't know about no coverages. I know no 2. I ain't no 1, I ain't no no 6, I ain't no quarters. I ain't no 7, I ain't no 8, I ain't know nothing. And for me to pick it up and to be able to do flourish in it.

[Joe]

Lord have mercy.

[Ocho]

I get mad every time I think about somebody that effed up a coverage.

[Uncle Joe]

Hey, Joe ain't. Joe ain't had no choice but to get it. Joe had no choice.

[Joe]

Hey, none of us had a choice, Ocho.

[Uncle Joe]

Hey, I talked to I, too. I talked too much not to get it, Joe.

[Joe]

Yeah. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.

[Uncle Joe]

I had to be on top of my game.

[Joe]

Oh, yeah?

[Ocho]

Yeah. Cause if you don't talk people out their game, you. But you talking. You worried about me. You got the flat here. You carry me up the scene. Yeah. Nothing today got 15. Your black ass supposed to be in the flat. Why you worried about me up the scene? Oh, man, but you ain't. They would rather. They would rather shut you down, Ocho. Blow an assignment saying I. You ain't catching no pass. As opposed. You got the flat you got.

[Joe]

Hood ain't done that. Yeah,

[Ocho]

I just. Man, I be thinking about stuff. I. Lord have mercy. I said, Lord, you could have. I said, I, I wouldn't mind, Lord, if you took a little bit of talent and gave me more patience. He gave me all talent, no patience.

[Uncle Joe]

You know, I, I. I can see you. I can still see you coaching for some reason. Hey, even. Even though. Hey, Joe. Even though he say I don't have the patience for it, but I understand that what he could do, especially with his structure and discipline when it comes to playing whatever sport it may be, whether it's football, whether it's basketball, but being that he knows both really well. Yeah, I can see Coach. Especially at the highest level, you get somebody like that in the building, man, stop playing.

[Ocho]

Because it's hard, Ocho. I mean, it's hard to develop this level of discipline if you're not already disciplined. Discipline.

[Uncle Joe]

No, that's what, that's what you got.

[Ocho]

That's got. I mean, you're like. I mean, it's just like it's obsessive. I mean, it's, It's a. I don't know. I don't know if I want somebody as disciplined as I was, Ocho, because it ain't. It ain't healthy. And the thing is that it drives you crazy. Because everything. My grandfather, it had to be right. And so I always tried to do everything because there ain't no if. He didn't like, if you. It wasn't no good job. I remember he told me and my brother. Well, he gave us. He gave. Told me and my brother to watch the truck. He gave us a dollar. No, he gave us two dollars. He gave us like 350. I got a dollar because I just watched the tires. My brother was in charge of washing the truck, the body, dried it off and do all that other stuff. We were going to house. We run the house. Pop out, pop out. We done. He come out there and look at it. He looked at me. He being spanking, standing side by side. He looked at the truck, he looked at me. And spanking. He looked at the truck, he looked at me. Don't laugh, y'. All. He say, anything is better than nothing. But you two fellas real close together. I look, I thought we did a good. Oh, Joe. I thought we did a good job. Hey, hey, you know what I need? I need my brother. See, my sister don't like when we tell the story, but that joker was hard.

[Joe]

He was hard on. Yeah, there was.

[Ocho]

There. There was. There was no Excuses. He didn't. He didn't tolerate excuses. He did not damn either. Get it. I was like. I'm like. And I remember. I remember being spanking, walking up. He's like, we real close to. Yeah, that's what he said. So.

[Joe]

Hey, hey, listen, what he said.

[Ocho]

So I could. I couldn't. I could. I couldn't do it. O. I. I couldn't do it. It took a lot. Because, you know, when you have kids, you have to develop a certain level. I'm talking about patience to the upgrade. Because like, like wet in the bed. They gave you two youth, about two years old, maybe two and a half, three. Boy, if you was four years old, let alone five, six, seven. They were teasing you. They were teasing, Teasing. Boy, Barney Porter, shut down on your ass. Mary Porter, go shut down on your ass. Oh, hell, no. Like, somebody. And I like, you know, kids have problems where they, you know, they wet the bed. It's a lot of things. Like, a lot of this stuff like you had, boy, they beat that Apache. Oh, there you all. All those. That what kids have now talk about, you know, he got 80, you know.

[Uncle Joe]

Hey, listen, hey, Joe, back in them days, you know, it wasn't no adhd. You were just stupid. That's it.

[Ocho]

You were.

[Joe]

You was.

[Uncle Joe]

You were stupid.

[Joe]

Yeah.

[Ocho]

They tell you, guess what? They tear your ass up, and all of a sudden you're like, damn, I could do this homework so good. Oh, four plus four is eight. Eight times four is 32. Oh, I could do my homework. What would Barney and Mary shut down on your ass? I could read. I'm like, damn, this so easy, boy. You know, a whipping solved everything in the South.

[Uncle Joe]

Everything.

[Joe]

You got him.

[Ocho]

Hey, you. Hey, hey, Grandma, I'm telling the story. We go, go. My granny used to have a saying that, like, my aunts that would come in the house and, you know, they wouldn't speak because my grandfather was big in that you couldn't walk in his house and not speak. But you know how women, I mean, they. They teenage girls, you know, they might be on this cycle or whatever, and they walk in the house and then it wouldn't say anything to him. My grandfather say, is there something on your mind? You want on gas? No, sir. Hey, hey, look at. Oh, Joey Joe, I'm telling you, y' all need to get my brother boy

[Joe]

part of it play that.

[Ocho]

All that coming in the house and all that sucking your teeth and slamming the doors. No, when you walk into the house, it's, yes, sir. Hey, good morning. Good morning, good Afternoon. Good night, blood. Ever the case may be, but don't you walk in that man house and don't. Boy.

[Joe]

Hey, man. Hey, y'.

[Ocho]

All.

[Joe]

When I was in elementary, bro, we were still. You still getting paddles? You get paddled?

[Uncle Joe]

Yes, we have. We had paddles.

[Ocho]

I was in high school. You could get paddled.

[Joe]

I know when I was in elementary, you could get a paddle. I went to the office one time. Ms. Goshen, boy, she gave me. She hit me three times with that paddle.

[Uncle Joe]

You got that paddle, Joe?

[Joe]

One time, Ocho. One time.

[Uncle Joe]

That's all it took, huh?

[Joe]

Three times. She hit me three times with that paddle. Boy. Hey, hey, hey. Never again.

[Ocho]

Three. Oh, boy. Y' all got off life, man. I remember my homeboy told the teacher her breath thing. She gave that joke about.

[Joe]

He probably deserved it.

[Uncle Joe]

Hold on, hold on, now. So he got 35 legs for the teacher. I know he got some when he got home.

[Ocho]

Nah, they. Hey, I. I was. I was just surprised. He. He, He. He lasted long in school. About as long as Skippy in the military. You know, skipping. He skipped the military.

[Uncle Joe]

Got you.

[Ocho]

No, they eat one of them. I mean, once they got to a certain age, I was like, I only really expect. I mean, if a guy missing 15, 20, 30 days in the second, third, fourth and fifth grade, as soon as they get big enough.

[Uncle Joe]

Yeah, it's a rap. It's right.

[Ocho]

I mean, we roll. We ride by. They rolling dice. So I like. He ain't. They ain't come. If you rolling dice at 7:30 in the morning, what's your chance of you coming to school, Joe? What's the chance?

[Joe]

It ain't. It ain't none.

[Uncle Joe]

I got you.

[Ocho]

Okay.

[Joe]

Well, hey, the boy.

[Ocho]

There it is. Tennessee beat Iowa State 76, 62. The balls pulled away in the second half because of their superior size, physicality, toughness, as Iowa State seemed to crack without star forward Joshua Jefferson. Rick Barnes and Duvalls are back to their third consecutive Elite Eight. Will have a chance to reach the Final Four for the first time in team wow. History.

[Joe]

Wow. Hey, I'm happy for Tennessee. Another sec, Blood, another team. Yep, they got some young guys. They got the freshman admit who. Who will be a lottery pick this year. Uncle Ocho. But the rest of these guys are juniors, seniors. They got a. I think they got another freshman or two coming out the bench, but for the most part, Gary, they. They got. They got the upperclassmen doing the dirty work while the young guys, you know, doing all the scoring, you know what I mean? And this Was surprising to me. It was surprising because I were led by two guards. That's a senior, you know, Obviously I thought both of them played well, but Tennessee too much, bro. They brewed. They got some bruises under their basket, man.

[Ocho]

They got out. They out rebound Iowa State by 21. You get out rebounded by that, you. I'm surprised the score wasn't more lopsided. Think about it. If you get out rebounded by 21.

[Joe]

Yeah. They had 16 offensive rebounds, shot 51% from the field.

[Ocho]

For the first time since 2001, the Arizona Wildcats are headed back to the Final Four. The Top City Wildcats punch their ticket with a 7964 win over the number two Purdue Boilermakers, setting a school record for wins in a season 36. In the process, the Wildcats will take their 13 game winning streak to Indianapolis where they'll play the winner of Sunday's game, Michigan and Tennessee against the veteran Purdue team. Arizona was led by its talented freshman Braden Burry's 14. I can't even say his last name. Carter no cough 18 and Cora Pete had 20 combined for 52 to up phase up faith on the biggest stage in their young careers. I was a little worried in the first half though, Joe, but boy, jokers came out in the second half.

[Uncle Joe]

I don't know what kind of adjustments they made at halftime, Uncle Joe.

[Joe]

Nah, they. Hey, hey, they coach told them, look, y' all gonna mess around and we gonna be looking back on this game talking about, man, we should be still playing. That's what he told me. Y' all need to come out with a little sense of urgency in this second half. Because in that second half, Uncle Ocho, the two freshmen, matter of fact, the three freshmen, the guy number eight, I can't say his name neither. But Cold P and Burrow and Burris, they turned it up in the second half. I thought Cold P really got into his. He got into a rhythm, the big boy, he got into a rhythm and he was going at them bigs that Purdue got. That's why Purdue was able to hang into the game. And that's why when you seen Arizona play against Arkansas, we kind of thin and frail down there. We got guys who could play on the perimeter, but we ain't really got enough girth to deal with them big guys. Purdue had that. Purdue had some big. That was going at them. They was offensive rebounding. They was making it tough for Arizona. I just thought in the second half, Arizona, everything kind of slowed down for them freshmen. Cause all three of those guys, freshmen, number eight, Is the freshman. Freshman. Burr is a freshman, huh?

[Ocho]

Carchenikov.

[Joe]

He nice, bro. He nice. Great in transition. Can shoot the three. He played fearless. Get to the bucket. He didn't make no. 3 tonight, but for the, for the most part, he's been a great energy source for those guys. Man, they play well together. They got some great, some good bigs mixed in with these freshmen who kind of doing some heavy lifting. Uncle Ocho, but they deep. They player of the year was a point guard, bro. Yeah. I don't even know if he was a leading scorer on the team. Maybe he was, but I didn't think he was the best player in the Big 12. That's just me personally. But collectively, as a team, I don't really see nobody beating Arizona. Man, I ain't gonna lie.

[Ocho]

It's gonna be interesting to see what Michigan does with Tennessee tomorrow. We'll see what UConn and Duke does.

[Uncle Joe]

That's gonna be a good one, boy.

[Ocho]

Yeah, but Arizona look good. They look good. Four guys. Four guys in double figures. They did.

[Joe]

Cause hey, hey, Purdue, Purdue is a disciplined team. UNC and Ocho, they ain't, you know, they ain't gonna typically beat themselves. They had a few turnovers here and there, but for the most part, they play the right way. They play through their bigs, they point guards, play, make score. I mean, it was a tough game. Like you said in that first half. I thought Purdue was gonna run away with that thing.

[Ocho]

Yep. Yeah, I did too.

[Joe]

It was on locked in that second half, fellas, they came out that second

[Ocho]

half, it's like, oh, damn. They start, hey, they started letting them threes go. They start, hey, they started crashing the boards and getting second chance opportunity. I'm like, okay, yeah. And you see, once they got the

[Lily Herman]

lead,

[Ocho]

pretty soon you ain't see number, tail lights.

[Joe]

Nope. Everybody pitching in doing something, they, they, they, they a great team collectively, bro. They gonna be tough to beat. I ain't gonna lie. They're gonna be tough to beat.

[Ocho]

Illinois going to their first Final Four since 2005 when they were led by Darren Williams. Team in college basketball figured how to use their size to an advantage. The third seed Atlanta outscored the ninth seeded Iowa 40 to 12 in the paint and out rebounded them. 38, 21. Whoever says size doesn't matter,

[Joe]

Illinois got, hey, that big seven one junior they got down there, that big boy in the paint playing around these perimeter guards that they got who can score. You know, Keegan Wagner, he gonna be a, he gonna be a lottery Pick Okay, Ojo. In this year's draft. Oh, hey, hey.

[Ocho]

He got busy today, Joe.

[Joe]

Yeah, that's another fresh one. That's another freshman stepping up, making plays, playing huge.

[Ocho]

That. Guess who else stepped up, Joe? Who stole Yakovic?

[Joe]

There you go. Yeah, you know what? He might come out too, Uncle Ojo.

[Ocho]

He might. Junior.

[Joe]

Yeah, he played well. He played well today. I mean, super efficient. You know, we look at his dad because his dad was such a great three point shooter. He can shoot it, but this boy, he'll get to the rack okay, Ojo, he ain't even shooting no 3 tonight.

[Uncle Joe]

Yeah, he had 17 points. He was 7 for 9. Yeah, he did off the bench, too,

[Ocho]

Uncle Joe, he's been doing that.

[Joe]

He's been doing that all year, though. I ain't gonna lie to you. I don't see any Illinois play a few times. He been doing that all year. He been doing that all year. Illinois's got a great chance. Yeah, you got the. You got them big boys in the paint who know how to play and ain't gonna take no bull job down there. You got you a few guards who can get to that chicken.

[Ocho]

Yeah.

[Joe]

And you guys, you got a chance.

[Ocho]

Hey, the Atlanta, man, they look.

[Joe]

They.

[Ocho]

They look good.

[Uncle Joe]

I will.

[Ocho]

Hung around as long as they could. Yeah, they did. They needed. They really needed their guard, their guards to like, play above their head.

[Joe]

Yeah.

[Ocho]

Yeah, Sturts played well. I mean. I mean, he did what he did. He does what he normally does. He does. He did what he was supposed to do.

[Joe]

Yeah.

[Ocho]

And hell, I don't think. I don't think he's been off the court. I think he's played all 40 minutes, damn near all games.

[Joe]

Yeah. Yeah. Nah, he did. He had to.

[Ocho]

What we.

[Joe]

What we saving you for? Yeah, you're gonna have a whole week of rest if we could win. Hey, but yeah, they guards. They guards. They had to get something from your guards, bro. At this juncture, you know, the tournament, you gotta have some guys who you can lean on, perimeter wise. But you also need some good bigs, you know, who. Gritty, tough, and can get you some chippies around the basket, right? Illinois is ready, man. They ready for the next round, fellas. They. They might be who they got next, huh? They don't play Arizona, do they?

[Ocho]

No.

[Uncle Joe]

Yeah, we got.

[Ocho]

Yeah.

[Joe]

Hey, hey.

[Uncle Joe]

Either way, that's gonna be hell. Either way, whoever. Whoever, they got to play out of them, too, is gonna be hell, boy, man.

[Ocho]

Yeah. Cause they honestly. Yeah.

[Joe]

Yeah. And then the winner of

[Ocho]

here at the bottom, Iowa State in Michigan.

[Joe]

Ocho, you had Arizona when you got Arizona winning.

[Uncle Joe]

Go ahead. Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. You know my bracket. My bracket's still intact, baby. I told you.

[Joe]

Hey, hey. I ain't gonna lie to you, Ojo. You do you do for a win, bro. You do for one. You do for one.

[Uncle Joe]

Put me like that, Joe. Do me like that.

[Joe]

You do for one. You do.

[Uncle Joe]

Talking about, look at my bracket, Joe, huh? What we talking about? That's what I do, Joe.

[Joe]

So you need you.

[Uncle Joe]

Hey, Joe, you might have played the game of basketball, but when it comes to picking winners, that's what I do, Joe. I've been a winner all my life.

[Ocho]

See, that's why we can't never let it win. I don't know who worse, Ocho or Joe. What?

[Joe]

Come on, man.

[Ocho]

Come on. Come on.

[Uncle Joe]

I. I don't brag. I don't brag. Y' all the one making fun of me talking about I pick mascot.

[Joe]

Man holl about he on Bragg. He did. Just got through gloating talking about he animals.

[Ocho]

Hey, he picked all animals. He got the wild cat. He got huskies. If you got an animal in your name, that's ot.

[Joe]

That's what he did.

[Ocho]

That's what he did.

[Uncle Joe]

See how y' all know some of the things y' all don't say? Hurt me. How you know it don't hurt me inside?

[Joe]

Dang. Your bracket busted too, huh?

[Ocho]

Oh, yeah, my br.

[Joe]

I'm done. I'm done.

[Uncle Joe]

Hey, y' all need to just follow my lead from now on.

[Ocho]

Yeah, Ocho still got Michigan.

[Joe]

Hold on. But. But if Arizona. If Arizona lose their next game, I mean, what is. It's just a. It's a three way tight end, huh?

[Ocho]

Nah. Cause he got. He got Duke. He still got Duke. He got Duke going to the Final Four, and he got Arizona going to the Final Four. So if one of them go to the Final Four is over, what y' all talking about?

[Uncle Joe]

Hey, matter of fact, you know what I'mma do, Joe? Uncle Joe.

[Joe]

What you gonna do?

[Uncle Joe]

Lotto? I'm gna play lotto. And I know I'm guess the right numbers and whatever I win, I'mma split it with y'.

[Carrie Champion]

All.

[Joe]

You would do that?

[Uncle Joe]

Yeah, for y'.

[Ocho]

All. Yeah, Joe, you still got. Oh, Joe. If Michigan. If Michigan goes, you need. You need what you call, but you basically. You need him to get knocked out. You only got one chance. He got two chances.

[Joe]

What I need.

[Ocho]

You gotta hope. You gotta hope. You gotta hope Duke at Arizona get knocked out. Hey, that's really the only chance you got? Cause you still got. You still got one team. You got Michigan going to the finals.

[Joe]

Hey, hey, hey, hey. Long as I got. Long as I got a fighting chance, you hear me? Long as I got a chance. Hey. You never know.

[Lily Herman]

Ready for a different take on Formula one? Look no further than no Grip, a new podcast tackling the culture of motor racing's most coveted series. Join me, Lily Herman, as we dive into the underexplored pockets of F1, including the astrology of the current grid, the story of the sport's most consequential driver strike, and plenty of other mishaps, scandals and sagas that have made Formula One a delightful decadent dumpster fire for more than 75 years. Listen to no Grip on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Jemele Hill]

If you're trying to keep up with everything happening on and off the court, we've got you covered on the podcast. Flagrant and funny.

[Carrie Champion]

You want to start with the first version for the Big Ten coach of the year?

[Joe]

Oh, whatever.

[Ocho]

Would you like to.

[Lily Herman]

So you're a Spartan.

[Uncle Joe]

Is that what I'm getting?

[Lily Herman]

Exactly.

[Jemele Hill]

So whether your bracket is busted or you just want the real talk on what's happening during the tournament, open your free iHeartRadio app, search Playground and Funny with Carrie Champion and Jemele Hill. And listen.

[Carrie Champion]

Now presented by Capital One, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Peace to the planet, Charlamagne Tha God here. And listen. We are back. The Black Effect Podcast Festival is back in Atlanta on April 25th at Pullman Yard. Yes, in the. The full lineup is nuts. We got the Grits and Eggs podcast, Deontay Kyle and Big Ice Cup Cat. We got Club 520 with Jeff Teague and the gang. Don't call Me White Girl. Mona will be there. Keep it positive, sweetie. With Crystal Renee. We got Reality with the King with Carlos King and yes, drink champs will be in the building.

[Ocho]

Okay.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Plus, you know we gonna have a lot of guests, so you need to join us. And we got the Black Effect mark in place. The picture podcast and everything you expect from the Black Effect Podcast Festival tickets are on sale right now. Go get [e-mail] podcast festival. Don't play yourself. Okay, pull up.

[Daniel Alarcon]

I'm Daniel Alarcon and this is my friend. He's much more famous than I am.

[John Green]

I wouldn't go that far, but I'm John Green, co host of the podcast the Away End with my old friend

[Daniel Alarcon]

Daniel on our podcast the away end, we'll share with you the magic of international football, all leading up to the 2026 World Cup. Together, we'll find out why, of all the unimportant things football, soccer is the most important.

[John Green]

Listen to the away end with Daniel Alarcon and John green on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Miles Turner]

I'm Miles Turner.

[Brianna Stewart]

And I'm Brianna Stewart.

[Miles Turner]

And our podcast Game Recognized Game has never been done before.

[Brianna Stewart]

Two active players giving you a real look at our lives and what we actually think on and off the court.

[Miles Turner]

Nothing's off limits.

[Brianna Stewart]

We talk tanking. I might get in trouble for this answer, but I think it's like, definitely happening.

[Miles Turner]

In the wnba, we talk about our mistakes, too. They pulled me to the side and was like, hey, man, we got a call last night, man. You can't be rolling around the city like this the night before games.

[Brianna Stewart]

Check out Game Recognized Game with Stewie and miles on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.