Sunday Mornings with Matt and Myron

Hour 3: AJ Dybantsa & Nolan Smith join the show...
Date: March 16, 2026
Hosts: Myron Medcalf, Matt Jones
Guests: Tom Crean (analyst), AJ Dybantsa (BYU forward), Nolan Smith (Tennessee State coach)

Episode Overview

The third hour of Sunday Mornings with Matt and Myron is devoted to NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Selection Sunday. Matt Jones and Myron Medcalf—joined by Tom Crean—give instant bracket reactions, debate upsets, and analyze regional matchups. The episode features two exclusive interviews: with AJ Dybantsa, one of the country's top freshmen (BYU), and first-year head coach Nolan Smith of Tennessee State.

The tone is lively and insightful, packed with predictions, debates, and stories that bring the personalities of college basketball to life.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Selection Sunday Reactions & Bracketology

[00:00–05:45]

• Hosts react to conference tournament results and bracket reveals:

  • “Arizona Wildcats, they win the Big 12 tournament championship.” – Matt Jones [00:00]
  • “NDSU is your regular season and postseason champions of the Summit League.” – Myron Metcalf [00:49]

• Off-the-radar upset picks (“bracket busters”):

  • Matt’s pick: Wright State over Virginia – “That’s completely off the radar. I’m not even saying it’s going to happen…” – Matt Jones [01:46]
  • Tom Crean lauds TJ Power’s 44-point game as a harbinger of March heroics: “…a lot of tournament experiences where some guy comes out of nowhere, drops 30-plus…” – Tom Crean [02:42]
  • Myron: Hofstra over Alabama, praising coach Speedy Claxton’s journey and team’s guard play [03:15–04:08].

• Potential for Tennessee State to push Iowa State:

  • “Eight minutes to go… going to be a one-possession game with my man Nolan Smith in Tennessee State against Iowa State.” – Matt Jones [04:13]

2. Regional Breakdowns and Dark Horse Teams

[04:49–09:10]

• In-depth look at the West (Arizona’s bracket):

  • Arkansas as a wild card, backed by a red-hot Darius Acuff Jr.
    • “I don’t know that anyone in America is playing better basketball than Darius Acuff Jr. right now.” – Tom Crean [05:19]
  • Arizona’s championship credentials: depth, matchup problems, and adaptable offense.
    • “They’re the most prepared team to win a championship... Arizona’s depth is what makes it stand out.” – Tom Crean [06:49]
    • Myron: “I think they win it because… even if they have bad shooting nights from three, they’re rebounding their misses.” [07:26]

• Oddities in seeding: Confusion over committee rationale (Miami of Ohio as lowest at-large, but not mentioned as last team in) [08:33–09:10].

3. Player and Coach Interviews

A. AJ Dybantsa (BYU Forward)

[12:45–19:27]
One of the NCAA’s hottest pro prospects shares his journey, mindset, and leadership growth.

• On making his NCAA Tournament debut:

  • “It just feels good watching March Madness on the TV for all these years, seeing all the buzzer beaters, and now actually being able to play in this is a real feeling for sure.” – AJ Dybantsa [13:12]

• Stepping up as a leader after teammate injury:

  • “He challenged me to be more vocal on the defensive end and just try to pick guys up, which I wasn’t really used to, but… got to do it if you want to win.” [13:36]

• Defensive potential—and praise from Tom Crean:

  • “You are by far the best freshman defender… you’re going to be next level defensively.” – Tom Crean [13:53]
  • “It’s just more of an effort standpoint, just wanting do it… sometimes just being lazy… can’t happen in this tournament…” – AJ Dybantsa [14:24]
  • “You got a chance to be a Kawhi Leonard, Jimmy Butler, Paul George… type defender…” – Myron Metcalf [17:40]

• Clarification on name pronunciation:

  • “Give me definitively... how am I supposed to pronounce your last name?” – Matt Jones
  • “Yeah, it’s B. Bonsa.” – AJ Dybantsa [15:10]

• Pro outlook and future:

  • “I might come back. Obviously you’re in the running for the number one pick. How are you seeing your professional future…?” – Tom Crean [15:21]
  • “I was waiting for March Madness my whole life and... that’s what I’m really focused on right now.” – AJ Dybantsa [15:36]

• Comparing footwork to Kobe Bryant’s:

  • “When you go to the gym... what would people see?” – Tom Crean
  • “It’s actually a lot of reads… just work on just shooting with the hand in my face… it’s not that complicated.” – AJ Dybantsa [16:47]

• Post-dunk preference (a fun, human moment):

  • “What’s your preference after you dunk on somebody? Is it trash talk? Is it stare downs?...” – Tom Crean
  • “The go to is probably a stare down, especially if it’s a loud one…” – AJ Dybantsa [18:33]

B. Nolan Smith (Tennessee State Head Coach)

[24:31–29:03]
A first-year coach leads his team to March—and reflects on building culture and facing high-major powerhouses.

• On first March Madness as a head coach:

  • “Our guys, they’ve worked all year to become champions and now we’re getting ready to attack this tournament as such.” – Nolan Smith [24:31]

• Building culture after a late hire:

  • “We had to come in and cultivate relationships with these guys... Play fast, press, create organized chaos on defense…” [25:15]
  • Team’s turning point came after a tough loss at Morehead State: “…our guys got together, just locked in and called each other out... From there they took off on both ends...” [25:44]

• Challenges of program-building at mid-major level:

  • “It’s very, very unique here… but… just piecing these guys together… our guys… never made excuses and just kept grinding.” [26:04]

• Standout player—Travis Harper II:

  • “Probably one of the best shooters in the tournament right now... he’s very dangerous, very confident…” [27:00]

• Keys to challenging Iowa State in the first round:

  • “We got a rebound. We got to be tough and physical and do all the little things… apply pressure, get downhill, get some of their guys in foul trouble…” [27:42]

• On the legendary 2007 McDonald’s All American Class:

  • “Absolutely... a lot of Hall of Famers, and from top to bottom, was definitely one of the best classes of all time.” [28:34]

4. Coaching Strategies & Tournament Prep

[29:03–35:02]

• Tom Crean on preparing an underdog for a March run:

  • “Before you show Iowa State… you show some common things that you faced. Okay, your league is not Iowa State’s league, but… we’ve been dealing with this all year, right?” [29:20]
  • “You keep it short, but you keep it intense…” [30:19]
  • “You give them every bit of confidence you can that some of the things they do are good enough to beat Iowa State.” [31:12]

• The importance of matchups, especially for one seeds in early rounds:

  • “This year is the most matchup-oriented for the one seeds through the first weekend.” – Tom Crean [31:55]
  • “You can’t keep advancing… if you can’t defend the rim or defend bigs that can shoot the ball.” [33:38]

• Coaches adept at short turnaround prep:

  • “Tom Izzo’s phenomenal... I think Izzo has the best record in the second game on these tournaments of any coach in the field.” [33:54]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On March Madness magic:

  • “That’s the beauty of this time of year.” – Myron Metcalf [04:47]

• On Arizona as a title favorite:

  • “Arizona’s the only team that could turn to 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 guys who can pick up the score low defensively.” – Tom Crean [06:49]

• Dybantsa’s humble approach:

  • “Sometimes just being lazy… can’t happen in this tournament…” – AJ Dybantsa [14:24]
  • “I was waiting for March Madness my whole life… that’s what I’m really focused on right now.” [15:36]

• On handling post-dunk etiquette:

  • “The go to is probably a stare down, especially if it’s a loud one…” – AJ Dybantsa [18:33]

• On the value of program-building:

  • “Our guys… never made excuses and just kept grinding.” – Nolan Smith [26:42]

Timestamps for Major Segments

• [00:00–05:45] — Bracket selection show reactions, upset picks
• [05:45–09:10] — In-depth look at Arizona’s regional path, case for title favorites
• [09:10–12:33] — Seeding logic confusion, transition to interviews
• [12:45–19:27] — Interview: AJ Dybantsa (BYU)
• [24:31–29:03] — Interview: Nolan Smith (Tennessee State)
• [29:03–35:02] — Coaching strategies for underdogs, matchup analysis, second-game coaching
• [37:08–44:00] — Hosts “play out” their tournament picks, Final Four and championship predictions
• [44:10–45:17] — Most exciting first-round games to watch

Tournament Predictions & Bracket Picks

[37:08–44:00]

• Hosts pick their “chalk” Sweet 16 and debate who advances:
  • Arizona emerges as universal champion pick.
    • “The winner of the NCAA selection special championship is Arizona.” – Matt Jones [41:58]
  • Case for Arizona: unmatched depth, multiple scoring threats, ability to withstand off-nights from stars.
  • Noted Final Four sleepers: Duke, Virginia, Florida, Iowa State
• Tips for bracket fill-out:
  • “The two most common mistakes people make is what we did. Always picking 1 seeds…” – Matt Jones [43:24]

Engaging, Authentic Moments

• Playful jabs and self-deprecation (e.g., Tom Crean about Provo: “Cause there’s nothing to do… Are you trying to… down blow Provo?” [20:43])
• Name pronunciation riff around AJ Dybantsa [15:10–20:35]
• Insider tales, e.g., McDonald’s All American class; preparation memories with Tom Izzo [28:34, 33:54]

Final Thoughts

Sunday Mornings with Matt and Myron captures Selection Sunday’s excitement, blends sharp analysis with quotable moments, and uses two standout interviews to showcase the personalities shaping this year’s tournament. Whether you’re strategizing your bracket, curious about future NBA draftees like AJ Dybantsa, or rooting for underdogs led by new voices like Nolan Smith, this episode sets the table for a thrilling March.

(For more coverage, tune in every Sunday morning at 10 am ET on ESPN Radio.)