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Dan Patrick
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Bill Simmons
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Dan Patrick
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Jay Bilas
You are listening to the Dan Patrick show on Fox Sports Radio.
Dan Patrick
Jay Bilis of the Mothership. He played under Coach K. And he also coached with him and won a couple of titles as an assistant coach with Duke and of course Mothership's lead college basketball analyst. There hasn't been much madness here. Jay, we need another word. March. What for you so far with this tournament, it's March.
Jay Bilas
It's happened before but people don't seem to remember it. Like this is not the first time we've had a tournament quite like this. It's happened many times before. But you know, in this age of facile interpretation, we're going to immediately blame Nil and the transfer portal because we didn't have a mid major breakthrough. We didn't have as many buzzer beaters as one can remember in another year. But you know, you go back to 2008, all four number one seeds made it to the final four in San Antonio. And so what are we to take from that or seven years ago we had the same number of major conference teams breakthrough versus mid majors. What are we to take from that? You one, one data point does not make a trend. And if we have this five years in a row or five out of six, then I think we can talk about it. But right now it's just, it's just another year.
Dan Patrick
Was that traveling at the end of the Maryland game?
Jay Bilas
I didn't think so. When I looked at it live as you know, you know the, the, you get two steps after you complete the gathering and, and it looked fine to me. But if we're going to look at it like the Zapruder film, like what I always look at when I hear officials or supervisors talk about a call afterwards and basically justify it and say okay, this was the right call given the circumstance, what I always ask him is all right, if it had been called the other way, would you say that was a bad call? And I think if it were a call to travel, all of the, all of the supervisors and people who are on television critiquing the officials, former officials, they would, they would have justified the call as a travel too. It's one of those, it's one of those calls.
Dan Patrick
But then we would have had an underdog with Colorado State making the Sweet 16, which leads me to, is Arkansas a feel good story? Are they an underdog?
Jay Bilas
Not really. I mean and that's sort of the thing when you talk about double digit seeds like last year we Had a double digit seed make the Final four in NC State. You really think an ACC team is an underdog or a Cinderella? It depends on your definition of it. Arkansas, if they were healthy all year long, they would not have been a 10C. They weren't healthy. So I think what Cal Perry has done is frankly amazing. They're, they're, they've been absent their leading score at Duke. Thero, who transferred in with Cal from, from Kentucky. Boogie Flan, their hotshot freshman who was their leading scorer until about two months ago when he injured his hand, just came back. He's only played like one or two games. It's remarkable. And they've played better over the last 10 or 11 games just to make the tournament. And, and for them to have to give up 28 offensive rebounds and, and only make two threes against Saint John's and win, I, I'm still stunned by that. It's kind of a refuse to lose back to UMass Cal Perry that we're seeing.
Dan Patrick
I was curious about Rick Patino. Got a little sharp with a reporter saying why was RJ Lewis on the bench the last five minutes? And Rick was saying, you're, you know, basically baiting me here. But why was the biggest player of the year, even though he was struggling shooting, he's still your best player? Why was he on the bench, you know, for those final five minutes?
Jay Bilas
I mean he was clearly in a funky and, and he couldn't make a shot and was not playing well. So I don't know exactly what Rick's reasoning was. My issue watching the game was I was like, why are you not throwing the ball inside to Zubie Edgar form like he's killing these guys and you can't make a perimeter shot. They really haven't done that all year. And it was pretty clear it wasn't going to magically appear in the last five minutes. But you know, Arkansas had some significant foul trouble. Fouled out with, I don't know, six, seven minutes to go and Jonas Adu had four fouls like go into the, go into him and, and let him bowl his way to the basket at 23 points. And he was so hard to stop. But you know, my, my coaching place in the hall of Fame has not been secured.
Dan Patrick
Rick says can, should Danny Hurley change?
Jay Bilas
Well, he should change some things. Yeah. I think the way he comports himself on the sideline should change. And I think some of the things that he says after a game, you know, like what we saw in the hallway, was that a huge deal. No but is it. Is it what you should do? I think the answer is no, too. And look, I get it that the response is, well, that's just who he is. I tend to think that's an excuse for bad behavior. It's not a crime. It's not a big deal. So on. On one hand, you go, well, we don't have any characters in the game anymore, and he is clearly a character.
John Calipari
But.
Jay Bilas
But would it be so bad if he was just kind of superstitious and this crazy competitor and wears, like, superhero socks and all that stuff and we cut out the other stuff? I mean, yeah, I think that would be okay. I don't know that the way he talks to officials actually benefits him. I know the officials don't care for it, because when I was critical of Danny earlier in the year, that was probably the first time in my lifetime officials were like, hey, keep going. Usually they don't like what I say.
Dan Patrick
Yeah, but Bob Knight couldn't change. Coach K probably didn't change. I mean, these guys are who they are. At some point, that's who they're going to be. Doesn't mean. I mean, it was the end of the detriment of Bob Knight. You know, Coach K was a fiery guy. I don't know if Danny Hurley can change. I just. I don't. He's been this way since he was at Wagner in Rhode Island. And it's not like, hey, we're the bullies on the block. I'm going to dictate what college basketball is all about. Feels like he was this way a long time ago.
Jay Bilas
Oh, I'm not. I'm not arguing that. And I'm not saying that maybe he can't change. If he can't, then, you know, then don't worry about it. But I would think maturity would be helpful in these situations. Like, I just don't believe. Like. And I used to talk to Night about this, like, when he would. When he would embarrass a reporter, because I saw him at clinics when an unprepared, lazy coach would ask him a stupid question, and he would educate that coach and be very, somewhat. What I would call empathetic, I guess. Then a reporter asked him a question that he thought was a stupid question, and he would embarrass the reporter. And I said, I was with him one time at Texas Tech, and I said, why do you do that? Like, why don't you? Just like, this guy was probably covering a state fair and then a high school football game. Then he's got to come cover you. Like, why don't you help him out and educate him? He goes, I've gone too. I'm too deep into my. I can't. I just can't. And I was like, yeah, you can. And he just, he didn't want to. And you know, with. The one thing that I think is interesting about coaches is they love to talk about accountability, and rightfully so. Accountability is important, but they make excuses with regard to themselves at times. And kind of what you hear from Danny, some of it is reasons, and then other parts are excuses. And my thing would be just get rid of the excuses and make the, make the. If you're saying I shouldn't have done this, then stop doing it. You know that that's okay. Like, we can, we can do that. He can still be fiery in a competitor. Like one of the things about Coach K. And look, every coach, every player, you're going to cross the line at some point. It's competitive, I get it. But man, after games, it was pretty rare where he, he wasn't a good loser. It's pretty damn rare. Like he, he comported himself pretty darn well. And, And I always admired that about him. Win or lose, after the game, he. He had empathy.
Dan Patrick
I asked Danny Hurley about not taking the Laker job, and I'm paraphrasing. He said, I. I'm not mature enough. I gotta. I gotta mature. So, like, he's aware. I just think he gets in. And I always find it ironic when coaches like, you know, you gotta comport yourself. You gotta. You gotta stay in the moment. You know, don't go crazy. You know, you know, all the. Then coaches go crazy. I never understood that Knight wanted discipline out of you, but he couldn't get discipline out of himself.
Jay Bilas
Exactly. And that's sort of what I was talking about on the accountability point. You know, sometimes you think about, you know, Will Ferrell in old school and not, what was it? Old school, when he's, when he's saying we gotta keep our composure. Kind of losing his mind. But look, coaches do that. But. But I think, I think they can do better and, and they should strive to do better and quit making excuses when they don't.
Dan Patrick
Good to talk to you. We didn't even get to transfer portal month. We didn't get to nil. Maybe next week we'll hold off and talk about that and I. Transfer portal starts today. Jay. Crazy.
Jay Bilas
The coaches portal has been open and nobody's calling for guardrails. Coaches under contract are getting poked.
John Calipari
They're getting.
Jay Bilas
They, they. They have no loyalty. But nobody says that. It's. It's only for the players. We have to worry about that.
Dan Patrick
Thank you, Jay.
Jay Bilas
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports.
Dan Patrick
Talk lineup in the nation.
Jay Bilas
Catch all of our shows@foxsportsradio.com and within the iHeartRadio app. Search FSR to listen live.
Dan Patrick
Hey, it's Steve Covino and I'm Rich Davis. Where Cavino and Rich on Fox Sports Radio. You can catch us weekdays from 5 to 7pm Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. And of course, the iHeartRadio app. Why should you listen to Covino and Rich? We talk about everything. Life, sports, relationships, what's going on in the world. We have a lot of fun talking about the stories behind the stories in the world of sports and pop culture. Stories that, well, other shows don't seem to have the time to discuss. And the fact that we've been friends for the last 20 years and still work together, I mean, that says something, right? So check us out. We like to get you involved, too. Take your phone calls, chop it up, as they say. I'd say the most interactive show on Fox Sports Radio, maybe the most interactive show on planet earth. Be sure to check out Covino and Rich live on Fox Sports radio and the iHeartradio app from 5 to 7pm Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific. And if you miss any of the live show, just search Kobe. Know Rich wherever you get your podcast. And of course, on social media, that's Covino and Rich. Hey, everyone.
John Calipari
Welcome back to Bachelor Happy Hour. I'm Joe. And I'm Serena. And we are here with the I heart music Awards and David's Bridal who are sponsoring this podcast. And we are so grateful to them.
Jay Bilas
Thank you.
John Calipari
Thank you for finishing my sentence. And we are here with our favorites, Dot and Charity. Where were you in bikinis in the snow?
Dan Patrick
Montana.
John Calipari
Okay. She flew out and joined you guys. Isn't it cold? No, it was we. Well, yeah.
Dan Patrick
Bikinis in the snow. We risk getting hypothermia for those photos.
John Calipari
Wow. They were sick, though. I don't get bikinis in the snow.
Jay Bilas
Just like an aesthetic.
John Calipari
I don't know if him and I did that. If we did, like, speedos in the snow, you guys would be like, douchebags in the snow would be hilarious.
Dan Patrick
I would be like, let's see it.
John Calipari
Come on. I would not complain him to do stuff like that. He's like, no. That's going to be the name of this podcast episode. Bachelor Happy Hour. Speedos and the snow. David's Bridal if you're listening, branding a little bit. Sponsored by David's Bridal Speedos in the snow.
Bill Simmons
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Dan Patrick
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John Calipari
I'm great. Great to see it a long time.
Dan Patrick
Yes, it has better game college basketball, NBA. As far as the aesthetics of watching it.
John Calipari
Well, you're asking the wrong person because I love the NBA and college hoops. I have trouble with March Madness. I just have trouble with especially what I grew up with in the 80s where you felt like you got to know these guys over the course of two, three, four years and this year, especially now in the NL era, it's just, you know, it's like a fantasy draft where you just reset the rosters every year. So I think that combined with the style of play, like I went to two NBA games this weekend. Lakers, Bulls. The Bulls were incredible. OKC Clippers last night, which was like a round three playoff game. And I was really impressed by the Clippers, how good they were. And you, you go to games like that and you watch college and it just to me just feels like such an inferior product. So I think unless. Unless you went to one of these colleges, you grew up rooting for them, or you just have a major gambling problem, it's fine. March Madness is fine. But I'm still taking the NBA when.
Dan Patrick
It comes to awards. And I got to vote on these. I'm sure you probably got to vote on NBA awards. And the MVP is always a tricky one. And I got criticized because I didn't vote for Barkley and didn't vote for Malone when they won. I voted for Jordan. I think, you know, seven or eight years in a row, history is, remember.
John Calipari
Remembered you fondly for that one.
Dan Patrick
I think it wasn't a stretch to do that. But like Joker, Joker's not going to win the mvp, but he is the best player in the NBA SGA who didn't play well in the game. You know, the win against the Clippers is going to win. I just don't know. Are we. Do we follow the Academy Awards? Hey, it's your turn, your time to win something. Are we doing that with awards or have we been doing that with awards?
John Calipari
Yeah, I mean, I would probably put myself in the highest percentile of people who stupidly care about this the most. Like, even when I wrote my basketball book, I did a whole chapter about the MVP and tried to correct every injustice. Every year on the pod the last four or five weeks of the season, I'm trying to grind it out and make sure you get to the right place with somebody. I think the difference this year is SGA is incredible. And I actually think he's now becoming a little bit underrated. Like he's having, I think one of the best scoring seasons in the history of the guard position. Like what he's doing this year, you can put against any Jordan regular season you can put against. It's as good as any Kobe season or better. Except for 2006. It's up there with West. It is one of the best guard scoring seasons of all time. And he's doing it night after Night after night. And the thing that I care about and I, you know, right now, 12 games left, I think I'm going to vote for him. The thing I care about is every time he goes against whoever one of the other best guys in the league is, he's either better than them or is equal to them. Right? So that matters. The fact that his team is the best team in the league and he's the centrifugal force of that. That matters to the fact that I haven't seen really anybody stop him. Even last night, the Clipper game, I know what his box score was, but I went to the game like it was just one of those nights. Like it was. The ball was just rolling around the rim, bouncing out like he couldn't buy a break. The whole night he was still getting the shots he wanted. So I think he's been awesome. I am probably the number one Joker cheerleader anyone in the mainstream media. I just think he's one of the best 10 to 12 players of all time and he's certainly the best player of this generation. But, you know, I don't know, what if, if OKC wins 69, 70 games and SGA is going to average 33 a game and have 5030 point games and do all the stuff he's doing? I think it's a fair one. I think it's the right vote.
Dan Patrick
You think Joker's already one of the 12 best players in the history of the game.
John Calipari
I think he's definitely, he's at least moved into that class, you know, and this is another thing I probably care about too much and I redo my pyramid every year with the tears and I'm a huge loser. But he's at least in that group with Hakeem and Shaq and, and Moses and in that kind of territory. And I think when you're talking about the best offensive players year after year who can both get their stats and make everybody better, to me, he's in the Bird magic area offensively. And I mean, you know me well enough, Dan to know, like, I wouldn't say that lightly, but when you think like what he can, how he can elevate his teams, the stats that he just gets to night after night, like just the experience of watching him day to day where it's like he'll just put up a 35, 20 and 15 and we're like, whoa, big game for the Joker last night. We're almost like numb to it at this point. So yeah, he's, I think he's one of the best offensive players I've ever seen. So, yeah. Could he win three MVPs in five years or four? I'm not sure it matters. I just think he's in the combo now. Historically.
Dan Patrick
Yeah. We're talking to Bill Simmons and the show. HBO docu series on Max Celtic City. When did the idea first start? The genesis of it was.
John Calipari
Might have been before COVID or right around Covid when we found out the Lakers were doing a multi part thing for somebody. And you know, the Boston thing kicked in, immediately got competitive and we're like, well, we gotta come up with a better one than theirs. Theirs has already come and gone. But you know, we, we. I got together with Connor, who I created 30 for 30 with, and just try to figure out like, man, if. If one of these franchise things was ever gonna work because obviously there's going to be a few of them that are done. This is probably the one with the highest upside because you can tell the story of eight decades of the NBA. You can tell a lot of things about America through the Celtics. Whether you talk about race or drugs or business or the evolution of the NBA, things like that. And then the characters, I found out, I'm sure you felt the same way during the Last Dance. I was shocked by how little people knew about anything before the 2000s about the NBA. It's almost. It's almost like most people felt like the NBA started when Shaq and Kobe had the three peat. So like they had the Rodman episode in the Last Dance. And the people in my life were like, wow, that Dennis Rodman, he was crazy, huh? And I'm like, what? Like you don't remember this? So I. We just felt like there was such an upside with the whole Celtics story going from Koozie to Russell and you know, all the way through the 70s and how it intersected with Boston was. It was a big thing because it's a story about the Celtics and the city. But now, like the one tonight, it's really that there's three straight kind of Bird era episodes in a row. And the one tonight is about Boston and Philly in the early 80s and bird kind of ascending. And it's like this is the first one where I feel like if you're probably under maybe 60 or maybe you're over, I don't know, over 25, you're gonna remember all the aspects of this. And then for people under 25, I think they're going to enjoy it. So it's a. It's been an amazing project. To work on.
Dan Patrick
I don't know how tricky this was for you. Maybe that's not the right word, but you want to get a mass audience with this. You know that it's regional with the Celtics, but you want to make it national. The race part of it with Bill Russell and the Celtics is very, very powerful. But how do you factor in making this for maybe mass appeal or the casual basketball fan?
John Calipari
Yeah, you're trying to do both. And it's also an old school documentary. I don't. There's not a lot of these long multi parters anywhere. And the HBO model I think actually favors us because the, the. One of the ways documentaries and docu series have changed this decade is they. Most of the places dump all of them at once. Right. And you just binge it and you're binging it and you're also doing something else and you know, you can just zoom through something and whatever. Maybe you watch six episodes of something and you really only concentrate for half of it. I think in this case, like we're making nine one hour movies here. We're trying to tell a bigger story than just hey, here's the Celtics and wasn't this game incredible? Like we're really trying to dive into some stuff and, and especially how a franchise intersects with a city and a country, you know. So I think for us we just. I felt this way when we did, you know, the, for the first 30, 30 for 30s and some of the other stuff I worked on, like if something's good enough, people are going to find it. So I think that was our mission this whole time. Can we make this good enough that somebody is going to be suspicious of it and say maybe, eh, I don't need to see that. I don't really care about the Celtics, like care about basketball. You're going to enjoy watching this, like. And I think that's the spot we got to.
Dan Patrick
But also I go back to the first time I went to the Boston Garden. So I'm working at cnn, Celtics are in the NBA finals and all of a sudden you walk into that building and okay, it's esthetically not pleasing. It was, you know, a dump. But you felt like it was a stage. Like it was a Broadway stage when I, when I was growing up, 76ers Celtics on Sunday afternoon, the way the building was lit, it just looked like a Broadway show. And I just, I could not wait to shoot hoops on that floor. And I would go there three hours early Bird would be in there, whether he's shooting or he'd run, he run around the upper deck and I would just wait until he was done. And if that ball was out there, I went over grab it. Absolutely, absolutely. And so I was very fortunate that, you know, you had magic and Bird being there when magic hits the sky hook. And, and so when I see it, it brings back the memories of. And maybe I didn't appreciate it as much. I loved it. But even looking back, it was, I mean that was unbelievable rivalries, unbelievable talent and, and the personalities, the characters, the all time greats that came out of those matchups. I just, I loved reminiscing about it and it gave me, I look forward to the Bird episodes because I got to spend, you know, a lot of, a lot more time with Larry than I thought I was going to. But that was the fun part of it. I don't know when you first said, I love this, this team is me, it's my DNA.
John Calipari
Yeah, I mean my, my dad got one season ticket in the 73, 74 season. He's had him ever since. So it's, I think he's like the fifth oldest season ticket holder. So he would carry me in when I was a kid. And then eventually we got two tickets right before Bird showed up. But we went to the triple overtime game, which we went, we covered in episode three. And yeah, I think one of the cool things about the 70s and 80s, first of all, in the 50s and 60s, basketball was it wasn't a minor league sport, but it was the fourth sport. Baseball was the biggest. Football was right there behind it. And honestly, hockey was bigger than basketball. They created basketball because the hockey owners wanted to fill their buildings on the days where they didn't have hockey. So it took, you know, 15, 20 years. They had a bunch of weird racial quotas and a bunch of like pretty unseemly stuff. And it wasn't really until the mid-60s that the league started becoming the league. You go into the 70s and it was still pretty rinky dink for the most part. Right. They had the one TV contract. The ABA showed up. So some of the players weren't even in the league. And you know, in that triple T game, it started at 9, 17 at night. The Boston fans said, they're all blue collar fans. They've been out since four in the afternoon and they're hammered. And you know, it was, they charged the quarter after second overtime. One guy jumped the referee. Like that's just what the ERA was like. And then as you, you go to the 80s and the 90s the league starts to shift. Jordan shows up All Star Weekend Stern, Bird versus Magic. And it kind of rounds into where we end up in the 90s. But it took a long time to get there. And there are people like us that really love the league. But it was, you know, a contrary opinion to tell somebody your favorite sport was the NBA. It was like, what really? And now it seems like they have probably the most famous players out of any sport. It's not the biggest league, but I think they have the most famous players.
Dan Patrick
Who was your favorite interview in this docu series?
John Calipari
You know, I was stunned by how good Robert Parrish was. I think when you do these, and we interviewed like a hundred people, you're always hoping for a couple ones you didn't expect. And Parrish was somebody who was pretty quiet when he played. They called him that. They nicked him the Chief after the guy in the One Flew Over Cuckoo's Nest who never talked. But he just had a lot of, a lot of like 40 years of pent up stuff to say. And he was really charismatic. And you do these things, right. Part of the issue we had was a lot of the people from the first three episodes weren't alive anymore, you know, and so you're cheating with different old footage. And our director, Lauren Stoll did a great job kind of weaving footage of people who weren't around anymore and making it seem at least a little lively. And once we get into the 80s, then we have everybody, you know, so like Mikhail Parrish. We got Larry, all these guys. All these guys are great. And then, you know, we, we got. KG was probably the last one we got because I think he was a little maybe suspicious of the thing. And you're not going to believe this, but KG's interview is amazing. That was the other one where he's just, he's just like that at all times. So you just turn the camera on and he's kg.
Dan Patrick
But Isaiah didn't want to do it.
John Calipari
No, we're, you know, and I know Isaiah and I knew why he didn't want to do it. I think he felt, you know, I think the Last Dance and some other sports documentaries that have happened over the last 10 years. Nobody wants to be in somebody else's doc when they're like the other team in the sports movie, right? Like when we, the first 30, 30 30s we did we get anybody, you know, and people like, hey, we're doing this documentary. Can we come film you? Sure. And that started a shift in the mid 2010s and I get it. You know, like, if somebody was making a documentary about espn, I don't know if I'd want to be in it. You know, I don't. I don't know how. And I'm sure you would feel the same way. Like, wait, how am I going to be portrayed? So I get it. But it also makes these things a little bit harder and increase the degree of difficulty. So we didn't have. We didn't have Barkley either. Barkley will talk to, like, you know, a lamppost about basketball, but some of the people that are the. On the other side, they just don't want to do it.
Dan Patrick
Congrats on it so far, Bill. Good to catch up with you again. Thanks for joining.
John Calipari
Yeah, good to see you, too. Thanks.
Dan Patrick
That's Bill Simmons. Be sure to catch the live edition.
Jay Bilas
Of the Dan Patrick show, weekdays at.
Dan Patrick
9:00Am Eastern, 6:00am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio in the iHeartRadio app.
John Calipari
Hey, everyone. Welcome back to Bachelor Happy Hour. I'm Joe. And I'm Serena, and we are here with the iHeart Music Awards and David's Bridal, who are sponsoring this podcast, and we are so grateful to them.
Jay Bilas
Thank you.
John Calipari
Thank you for finishing my sentence. And we are here with our favorites, Daughton and Charity. Where were you in bikinis in the snow?
Dan Patrick
Montana.
John Calipari
Okay. She flew out and joined you guys. Isn't it cold?
Dan Patrick
No, it was we. Bikinis in the snow. We risk getting hypothermia for those photos.
John Calipari
Wow. They were sick, though. I don't get bikinis in the snow.
Jay Bilas
Just like an aesthetic.
John Calipari
I don't know if him and I did that. If we did like speedos in the snow, you guys would be like, douchebags in the snow would be hilarious.
Dan Patrick
I would be like, let's see it.
John Calipari
Come on. I would not complain.
Dan Patrick
I beg him to do stuff like that.
John Calipari
He's like, nah. That's gonna be the name of this podcast episode. Bachelor Happy Hour. Speedos in the snow. David's Bridal. If you're listening to branding a little bit, sponsored by David's Bridal Bridal Speedos in the Snow.
Bill Simmons
The name of this product is the active cash credit card from Wells Fargo. That's a lot of name, but it's also a lot of card. It earns unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases. Whether it's buying tickets to the game with your mom or grabbing coffee with your dog, Purchases big and small earn unlimited 2% cash rewards. No limits, no categories to track, just straightforward rewards that keep adding up. So you might stumble a bit while saying it, but paying with it will make you stumble upon so much more. Shopping, dining, cooking, gardening. You get the idea. Let's say it together. The Active Cash credit card from Wells Fargo earns unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases. You know what? It does have a ring to it. No, seriously, try saying it out loud. The Active Cash credit card from Wells Fargo. Oh, that sounds nice. Learn more@wells Fargo.com ActiveCash terms apply Cars.
Dan Patrick
Today are built to last, but how they look is up to you. And that's where Mako comes in. They specialize in cosmetic repairs. Let's say it's affordable paint jobs to fixing those annoying dents and dings. Maybe your car's paint is faded or you've been meaning to fix that scrape from the grocery store parking lot. Whatever it is, Mako has you covered. Now here's the best part. Stop by your local Mako free estimate and you're going to find out how easy it is to refresh your ride. With more Americans keeping their cars longer, now's the time to protect your investment and keep it looking sharp for years. And you can do so with the great folks at Mako. At Mako, they are proud to be a trusted partner for drivers across the country. Whether it's a fresh coat of paint for your car or fixing up everyday dents and dings, Mako is here to keep your car looking its best. Get started. Visit your local Mako today, get the free estimate and see how easy it is to bring new life to your ride. Oh, better get Mako. Hey, it's Dan Patrick. If you're a listener of the show, you probably know this by now. We're a big fan of Keeper's Heart Whiskey. Keeper's Heart, the first whiskey to offer a unique blend of Irish and American whiskeys. Nobody's ever done it at this level. The results are incredible. Smooth enough to enjoy, neat. Or enough character to make amazing cocktails. Don't take it from me. I'm just an Irish American guy who enjoys a drink or two. The whiskey experts agree. Crafted by one of the biggest names in the world of whiskey, Brian Nation, Keeper's Heart is one of the most awarded new whiskies of the last couple of years, winning over 150 awards to date, including best Irish whiskey in the world and winning a double gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. You gotta try it. It's available now in the best liquor stores. Look for it on the Irish whiskey shelf or you can buy it online. Keepersheartwiskey.com keepersheartwhiskey.com It's a bottle worth keeping. In the NFL, there's no margin for error. One mistake can change the outcome of a game. Science proves quality sleep can help boost reaction time, recovery time, overall athletic performance. As the official sleep and wellness partner of the National Football League, Sleep Number's mission is to provide players with data and insights to optimize their sleep for the ultimate competitive edge. And did you know 80% of NFL players have a sleep number smart bed? I've been partnering with sleep number since 2008. My sleep number setting is 75. And sleep plays such an important role in recovery and we're all unique in what we need from our beds. Why choose a sleep number smart bed so you can choose your ideal comfort on either side. It's the only bed that lets you make each side firmer or softer whenever you like your sleep number setting. Sleep Number Smart beds start at $999. Prices higher in Alaska and Hawaii. Exclusively at a sleep number store near you. Sleep Number official sleep and wellness partner of the NFL. See store or sleepnumber.com Patrick for details John Calipari, hall of Famer beat Kansas, beat St. John's got Texas Tech coming up this Thursday. Back on the show. Back in the sweet sixteen. Look who is. Look who proved he could still coach. Congratulations there, John.
Steve Covino
Thank you, Dan. Patrick. That's the ugliest top I've seen in a while. It befits you, though. So it's, it's, it's good.
Dan Patrick
Well, what's uglier? Your sport coat from this weekend or.
Steve Covino
Like that sport coat, hey, you won.
Dan Patrick
With looks a whole lot better when you win. And this is this a gift from Adam Sandler. This is.
Steve Covino
Yeah, you're out hitting golf balls. But do you. Would you. Would you think it's in the bag to go this weekend, that sport coat? Yeah, it's in the bag.
Dan Patrick
Okay.
Steve Covino
I'll travel with it.
Dan Patrick
Okay. And when you're done with it, maybe you could send it to the man cave.
Steve Covino
I will. I'll deliver it to the cabin in Maine.
Dan Patrick
Okay.
Steve Covino
I'll hand deliver it.
Dan Patrick
Are you an underdog?
Steve Covino
Yes. Yeah, I'm fine with that. Like, look, my most of my career was shouldn't, wouldn't, can't, won't. I mean, we've been the underdog. You remember, you mash, you came up and did some games, you went on the court, shot air balls and you know, some of the stuff there. And the Memphis the same thing. And you know, we had a pretty good run at Kentucky and there was that eight, nine year period where, yeah, we were the. The one. But, you know, most of my career I've been that. And so I'm fine in that role. I'm comfortable in the role. I'm just trying to make sure my team is comfortable in that role.
Dan Patrick
Yeah. I was going to ask you, are you telling them it's. Nobody believed in us. Us against the world? No, none of that.
Steve Covino
No. I'm just saying we're the underdog.
Dan Patrick
Okay.
Steve Covino
And every time they play in those kind of games, they play well. I think, look, we're at that point in the year. The whole thing is how do I get them to have that mindset that we had against St. John's because, look, there's two things happened. We went 2 for 19 from the 3 and gave up 28 offensive rebounds but still won. We played to win. Don't matter what happens. No matter. They got a rebound. Just keep playing. And we keep them in that attitude and that mindset. It doesn't mean you're going to win, but it gives you a good chance to win.
Dan Patrick
How do you keep the relationship or whatever with Pitino out of going into a game, coaching a game and making it about the game, that it's not about you against Rick?
Steve Covino
If you went through the year we went through when we were 05, when we were 1 and 6 and they said they got no chance of making the NCAA tournament. When you're playing games, you're not worried about the other coach. You're about survival. I wasn't worried about Matson with no chess game. I wasn't he out coached. I didn't care. It was about, let's just win. Because what these kids went through, they deserved good to happen because they came together. They became one heartbeat and, well, what did you do? What did I do? They knew if they didn't come together, they were going to lose every game. And they figured this. You know what? I'm so worried about myself. If I worry about the team more than myself, maybe it's easier. And they found out it was easier.
Dan Patrick
How do you balance coaching right now and the transfer portal all in the same week of preparing and transfer portal starts today?
Steve Covino
Well, we. Yesterday was a kind of long day. Got a lot of film work done, got practice plans prepared, the staff meetings where we were doing everything. And then in the end I said, all right, let's. Let's talk now. Before you can figure out portal, don't you have to know who's coming back and who's leaving. So I don't know of anybody in these 16 teams that is sitting down with players and say, are you coming back? Are you gonna put your name in the portal? You know, so it's just difficult right now, but we've got names and, you know, and what I would say with anybody listening, if you want to get better, if you want to be challenged, if you want to really play with good players, be coached as though you've already gotten there to be hugged and challenged and make you uncomfortable and be. Then you come with me, you come to Arkansas. But right now we're not on the phone with anybody yet. My staff may be. I shouldn't say that. My staff may be, but I'm not.
Dan Patrick
When will you be open or paying more attention to the portal yourself?
Steve Covino
If there's a young man that we know is really, really good and he wants to do this and wants to talk to me, you won't believe this. I probably get on the phone with him and say, hey, let's do this. But short of that, it's probably mostly staff. You know, my hope is that we have a group. We have some guys that won't be back because they're graduated out or they're going to, you know, put their name in the draft and all that. But there is another grouping of players who are really good that probably need more time that we do that.
John Calipari
We.
Steve Covino
We already have three guys, freshmen signed. And I'm going to say this again, and I said it after. I'm still recruiting freshmen. I'll recruit the best freshmen. And as you saw last game, three of them played a lot of minutes. But I can't recruit seven or eight freshmen. So we got one more freshman we're trying to get. We've got three. One that, you know, they're. They're all really good. Okay, but we're trying to get one more and then who comes back and then probably a couple transfers and that'll be our team.
Dan Patrick
Is the SEC a football conference or a basketball conference?
Steve Covino
You try to get me in trouble. Last time I said something like that stuff, people went nuts. And then you find out that, you know, they're investing in what they want. So I look it, I told our baseball coach who's there were number one in the country and you know, right there they're. They're going to win a college world series. Every game they played, every weekend, they knew they could win or lose. What about the football? You want to say? Vandy? Well, we Got Vandy. Yeah, go play Vandy. Go play them now. Well, we could play Mississippi. Yeah, go play Mississippi. Play Arkansas. Tennessee. And you get beat. I mean, that's what happens. Well, it's now basketball the same way, and it's top to bottom. Our bottom two teams would have figured finished in the top half of most leagues. They were that good. But they got into this league and they started. It was like Oklahoma when 13 and old beat people did it, got in the league and couldn't win early. We were owing five to start, and I knew we weren't bad. Well, I wasn't sure, but we were only five and we survived it. And now it looks as though. How many SEC teams are in the sweet 16?
Dan Patrick
Seven.
Steve Covino
You don't know? Ask your people.
Dan Patrick
Seven.
Steve Covino
Okay.
Dan Patrick
Yeah. You underestimate me. And that's when you make a mistake.
Steve Covino
I've always underestimated.
Dan Patrick
Yes, you have. And I've always overestimated you. Finish this. We will make the Final Four.
Steve Covino
If the other team doesn't make 23, that's it. That's it.
Dan Patrick
Well, don't screw it up now. You got this far. You got to go further than Kentucky, don't you? No.
Steve Covino
Not worried about them. This is what's happened for us. This season has been the most rewarding season. I've had seasons where we won more games and won national titles and Final Fours and Elite Eights, I've had all those. But what this team has been through to survive it, it's been as rewarding as any season. It talks a lot about the character of these kids, how they were raised, that they could withstand the onslaught. Dan, these kids, all of them have pianos on their backs because of Nil. Well, they're paid. They should do this. And they're trying to live up to expectations. It's a piano. Families are involved more than ever before. Why Nil? And then social media. And you know what the worst is for the kids? Talk radio. I mean, all that stuff is out there that they got to deal with. And then the expectations are winning pianos on their backs.
Dan Patrick
Good to talk to you.
Steve Covino
Thanks. Danny, I need to know the cabin. Do you have a studio in the cabin in case you want to do it up there?
Dan Patrick
Yes.
Steve Covino
I knew it. I knew it.
Dan Patrick
Yeah.
Steve Covino
Do you let your guys come up and stay or do they gotta go to a hotel?
Dan Patrick
No, they don't get invited. It's like. Right.
Steve Covino
You're very selfish. But you know what's great? You've been consistent your whole life.
Dan Patrick
Thank you. Thank you, coach.
John Calipari
I was always around it.
Dan Patrick
Hollywood saved me on this week's episode of Eating While Broke, a podcast presented by the Black Effect Podcast Network. Nick Cannon joins us to discuss his journey from teenage comedian to entertainment mogul.
John Calipari
Now I do the super dad content.
Steve Covino
With my kids and everything that people go viral for.
John Calipari
And making millions of dollars on YouTube.
Steve Covino
I was doing in the 90s.
Dan Patrick
Listen to Eating While Broke from the Black Effect Podcast Network on America's number one podcast network, iHeart. Follow eating while Broke and start listening on the free iHeartRadio app today. In 2020, a group of young women.
John Calipari
Found themselves in an AI fueled nightmare.
Dan Patrick
Someone was posting photos.
John Calipari
It was just me naked.
Dan Patrick
Well, not me, but me with someone else's body parts.
John Calipari
This is Levittown, a new podcast from iHeart podcasts Bloomberg and Kaleidoscope about the.
Dan Patrick
Rise of deepfake pornography and the battle to stop it.
John Calipari
Listen to Levittown on Bloomberg's Big Take podcast. Find it on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Dressing. Dressing.
Bill Simmons
Oh, French dressing.
John Calipari
Exactly.
Dan Patrick
Oh, that's good.
John Calipari
I'm A.J. jacobs, and my current obsession is puzzles. And that has given birth to my podcast, the Puzzler.
Jay Bilas
Something about Mary Poppins?
John Calipari
Exactly. This is fun. You can get your daily puzzle nuggets delivered straight to your ears. Listen to the Puzzler every day on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Dan Patrick
I'm Mary Kay McBrayer, host of the podcast the Greatest True Crime Stories Ever Told. This season explores women from the 19th century to now. Women who were murderers and scammers, but also women who were photojournalists, lawyers, writers, and more. This podcast tells more than just the brutal, gory details of horrific acts. I delve into the good, the bad, the difficult, and all the nuance I can find, because these are the stories that we need to know to understand the intersection of society, justice, and the fascinating workings of the human psyche. Join me every week as I tell some of the most enthralling true crime stories about women who are not just victims, but heroes or villains, or often somewhere in between. Listen to the greatest true crime stories ever told on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hi, I'm Bob Pippman, chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia. I'm excited to introduce a brand new season of my podcast, Math and Stories from the Frontiers of Marketing. I'm having conversations with some folks across a wide range of industries to hear how they reach the top of their fields and the lessons they learned along the way that everyone can use. I'll be joined by innovative leaders like chairman and CEO of Elf Beauty Tarang Amin, legendary singer, songwriter and philanthropist Jewel Being a rock star is very fun.
Jay Bilas
But helping people is way more fun.
Dan Patrick
And Damian Maldonado, CEO of American Financing.
Steve Covino
I figured out the formula.
John Calipari
I just have to work hard then that's magic.
Dan Patrick
Join me as we uncover innovations in data and analytics, the math and the ever important creative spark, the magic. Listen to math and magic on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.
Podcast Summary: The Best of The Dan Patrick Show Release Date: March 24, 2025
Introduction
In the episode titled "The Best of The Dan Patrick Show," hosted by Dan Patrick from the iHeartPodcasts and Dan Patrick Podcast Network, listeners are treated to an engaging discussion primarily featuring sports analyst Jay Bilas. The conversation delves deep into the current landscape of college basketball, focusing on March Madness, NCAA tournament dynamics, coaching behaviors, and the evolving landscape influenced by Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals and the transfer portal.
1. March Madness: A Tournament Like No Other Timestamp: [02:35]
Dan Patrick opens the discussion by greeting Jay Bilas, renowned for his expertise in college basketball. The core of their conversation revolves around the uniqueness of the current March Madness tournament.
Jay Bilas remarks, “It's not the first time we've had a tournament quite like this. It's happened many times before” ([03:01]).
He draws parallels between this year’s tournament and previous ones, notably referencing the 2008 tournament where all four number one seeds made it to the Final Four in San Antonio. Bilas emphasizes that a single data point doesn’t establish a trend, highlighting the variability and unpredictability that makes March Madness thrilling.
2. Refereeing Decisions and Game Outcomes Timestamp: [03:56]
A significant portion of their conversation scrutinizes refereeing decisions, particularly a contentious traveling call in the Arkansas vs. Maryland game.
Dan Patrick questions, “Was that traveling at the end of the Maryland game?” ([03:56]).
Jay Bilas responds thoughtfully, “I didn't think so... if it had been called the other way, would you say that was a bad call?” ([03:59]).
Bilas underscores the complexity of officiating, suggesting that officials likely justified their calls based on the circumstances. He posits that such calls are inherently subjective and part of the game’s fabric.
3. Arkansas: From Underdog to Contender Timestamp: [04:49]
The discussion shifts to the Arkansas basketball team, dissecting their performance and seeding in the tournament.
Dan Patrick asks, “Is Arkansas a feel-good story? Are they an underdog?” ([04:49]).
Jay Bilas clarifies, “Not really... they weren't healthy,” attributing Arkansas’s 10-seed to injury woes, including key players like their leading scorer Cal Perry and freshman Boogie Flan’s hand injury ([05:02]).
Bilas praises the team's resilience, noting their remarkable performance despite significant offensive rebounds and low three-point shooting against Saint John's, highlighting their "refuse to lose" mentality.
4. Critique of Coaching Conduct: Danny Hurley Under Scrutiny Timestamp: [06:06]
A heated segment unfolds as Dan Patrick probes into coach Danny Hurley’s behavior during a game, specifically questioning his decision to bench RJ Lewis, the team's standout player.
Dan Patrick states, “Rick Patino. Got a little sharp with a reporter...” ([06:06]).
Jay Bilas critiques Hurley, questioning the rationale behind benching Lewis despite his struggles, suggesting alternative strategies like utilizing Zubie Edgar more effectively ([06:29]).
Bilas extends his critique to Hurley’s overall demeanor, advocating for a change in how Hurley conducts himself on the sidelines. He contrasts Hurley’s behavior with the composed nature of legendary coaches like Bob Knight and Coach K, emphasizing the importance of maturity and accountability in leadership.
Jay Bilas asserts, “I think the way he comports himself on the sideline should change... accountability is important, but they make excuses with regard to themselves at times” ([07:25]).
5. The Evolution of Coaching and Accountability Timestamp: [07:18]
Continuing the critique, Bilas draws comparisons to other coaches, debating whether Hurley can evolve his coaching style without losing his competitive edge.
Dan Patrick counters, referencing Bob Knight and Coach K, saying, “Bob Knight couldn't change. Coach K probably didn't change...” ([08:03]).
Jay Bilas acknowledges the challenge but maintains that maturity is essential. He recounts interactions with Knight, highlighting his ability to educate reporters, which contrasts with Hurley’s defensive stance ([08:34]).
Bilas emphasizes the necessity for coaches to eliminate excuses and adopt a more accountable and empathetic approach, suggesting that while competitiveness is vital, it shouldn’t come at the expense of professionalism.
6. Upcoming Changes: Transfer Portal and NIL Deals Timestamp: [12:14]
As the conversation nears its conclusion, Dan Patrick hints at upcoming discussions on the transfer portal and NIL deals, acknowledging their impact on college basketball.
Jay Bilas briefly touches upon the lack of “guardrails” in the coaching transfer portal, mentioning that coaches under contract are receiving attention, though predominantly concerning player transfers ([12:14]).
Dan Patrick responds with surprise, stating, “Crazy,” indicating the evolving and dynamic nature of these aspects within the sport.
The segment concludes with Patrick expressing intent to explore these topics in future episodes, underlining their significance in shaping the future of college basketball.
Conclusion
This episode of The Dan Patrick Show offers a comprehensive analysis of the current state of college basketball, spotlighting the unpredictability of March Madness, the intricacies of refereeing, the resilient yet challenged Arkansas team, and the critical evaluations of coaching conduct exemplified by Danny Hurley. Jay Bilas provides insightful critiques and comparisons, advocating for greater accountability and maturity in coaching, while also hinting at significant shifts looming on the horizon with the transfer portal and NIL deals. For enthusiasts eager to understand the deeper layers of college basketball dynamics, this episode serves as a valuable resource.
Notable Quotes
Jay Bilas on Unique Tournaments:
"It's not the first time we've had a tournament quite like this. It's happened many times before." ([03:01])
Discussion on Refereeing Calls:
"If it had been called the other way, would you say that was a bad call?" ([03:59])
On Arkansas’s Resilience:
"It's kind of a refuse to lose back to UMass Cal Perry that we're seeing." ([05:02])
Critique of Danny Hurley:
"I think the way he comports himself on the sideline should change... accountability is important, but they make excuses with regard to themselves at times." ([07:25])
On Coaching Maturity:
"Every time he goes against whoever one of the other best guys in the league is, he's either better than them or is equal to them." ([22:02])
This structured and detailed summary encapsulates the essence of the episode, providing clarity and insight into the discussions that unfolded between Dan Patrick and Jay Bilas. The inclusion of notable quotes with precise timestamps offers listeners specific moments of emphasis, enhancing the utility of the summary for those who haven't tuned into the episode.