Mick Cronin (6:00)

LeBron at the buzzer.

Colin Cowherd (6:01)

They will look at it.

Jason McIntyre (6:03)

Talking about winning it at the buzzer. Oh, my goodness.

Colin Cowherd (6:10)

LBJ with the winner.

Mick Cronin (6:14)

I really couldn't really have too much.

Colin Cowherd (6:16)

Emotion because I was trying to see if I got the ball off in time, to be honest.

Mick Cronin (6:20)

You know, it's always tricky when that, you know, you kind of touch the.

Colin Cowherd (6:23)

Ball, you kind of see the. The red light around the backboard and you don't quite know if you got it on time. I thought I had it on time, but you never know. After they showed the replay on it.

Mick Cronin (6:31)

It was definitely gratifying to know especially.

Colin Cowherd (6:34)

What we were, you know, the way we've been playing and to come in.

Mick Cronin (6:38)

To know how they've been playing, you know, and to come in here and.

Colin Cowherd (6:41)

Get a good win in a very.

Mick Cronin (6:42)

You know, hostile environment.

Colin Cowherd (6:43)

That's big time for our ball club. Yeah. So the young teams like Indiana and OKC are playing their butt off. The teams that have some age, like Boston and the warriors and the Lakers. And now Cleveland now's got guys who have been around. Denver's got guys that have been around. These are dog days. You're trying to get everybody rest and reduce minutes. But the Lakers got to be careful. Thunder twice, Rockets twice. Warriors, Mavericks. Tricky game in Chicago. So tonight the tournament resumes. Arizona, Duke. I tried to get really smart. I had a great first weekend. I have 15 of the 16 teams left. I got them my best bracket ever. It's probably going to go up in smoke tonight because I got real clever and I don't think Duke, they've got all these great freshmen. Freshmen don't win the tournament. So I think Arizona is going to beat him tonight. Do I really think that? Well, I did. I did two weeks ago. I'm not sure if I do now. But here's what's interesting. Since Coach K took over Duke and John shire, they've had 90 guys in the NBA. I think Cooper Flag is going to be their best NBA player ever. So Grant Hill is the best Dukey ever. His first six years, five times, all NBA seconds. Jason Tatum, excellent player. Kyrie Irving to me only played eight games at Duke, would be third I think. I think Cooper Flag and by the way, the NBA right now, 24 Dukey, second best of Kentucky. It's a factory. And think of all the guys that have come in since Coach K started. Remember he came from like army to Duke, had some turbulent early years. They almost got rid of him. He stayed, built an empire then. John Shire has been a great, great candidate and a choice. And I think now Grant Hill is the best Dukey ever. And his injuries shortened his career, but he was an unbelievable player. But he entered the league at 22. Cooper Flag is entering the league at 18. He was 17 when the season started. So I think he's going to be much better early than Jayson Tatum and I think he'll be better late than Grant Hill. He won't be as good as Grant was first year in the NBA. Grant was an all star. But I do think Cooper Flag, when you watch him tonight, iq, shooting, passing, he's an excellent defender. He's got to become a better ball handler in the pros, no question. But everybody's game needs work. The kid is just fantastic. He is a finisher. He's got more of a chip on his shoulder than Jayson Tatum. In fact, Jason Tatum's dad, as Rick Bucher told us earlier this week, Jason Tatum's dad acknowledges that he's got everything. The chip, the eq. He's tough, a finisher, can shoot scores at all three levels. Just got to handle the ball better. But he was 17 not long ago and he'll enter the NBA at 18. But here's the classic NBA dilemma. So years ago when Patrick Ewing went to the Knicks and you know how fans are, we weren't even in a conspiracy theory era, but it was like the frozen envelope theory because you know, gosh, what do you know? A good player went to a new York team. It should be noted that the Orlando Magic won the lottery twice. Nobody wants to bring that up. Or Cleveland's won it. But yes, at one point the Knicks with Ewing won it. So here's what's funny. If you look at the NBA lottery odds, there are, there are three landing spots. Either perfect, perfect would be maybe Chicago or Philadelphia or hey San Antonio with Wemby. Okay would be Utah, great gm, great coach, a lot of draft picks. They got some players, they're going to be, they're going to be okay. See if they land Cooper flag, they're going to be OKC and Utah's a great NBA market. And then there's just God awful Washington, Charlotte, Toronto, Sacramento. And so if Cooper flag, the odds are right now it's mostly awful teams he's going to go to. And this has always been the NBA's dilemma. If he ended up going to Chicago, it's rigged. I'll say it again. The Magic won the lottery twice, the Knicks won it once. But he is an all time player and here's his coach as he enters the game tonight against Arizona.

Jason McIntyre (11:00)

Cooper is about to move on with something incredibly special.

Colin Cowherd (11:04)

The next step he's going to go after this. But happiness doesn't necessarily equate to, you.

Jason McIntyre (11:12)

Know, just becoming a pro or just making money.

Colin Cowherd (11:14)

And although they're making money either way now.

Jason McIntyre (11:17)

But I think it's important for guys to each, each guy is their own individual. So I think depending on the situation, guys should make the decisions for themselves. But Cooper's thing is different. Cooper's thing is that said, and that's.

Colin Cowherd (11:31)

Going to happen as it should. Yeah. Now so if you're 20 years old or in your early 30s and watching this show, first of all, thank you. Second of all, what's happening with Cooper flag, leaving a big brand, going to the pros and being good immediately. That's why everybody used to love the NBA because that's the way it always was. 25 years ago, Tim Duncan would go to school, be an all American and he would come back two more years and Ewing would at Georgetown would be dominant as a freshman. He'd come back two or three more years. Chris Paul, Duncan, Grant Hills, they didn't leave after a year. So you would watch them for years and years and years and you'd build up this fascination and visceral connection with all these players. Then they'd go to the NBA and they were very good. Year one, we are starving for it and we're getting Cooper flag and it's so exciting because we don't get this anymore. Great player at a big brand, can walk in and be a 19 point a game guy. MJ, people forget this. MJ hits the shot at North Carolina, right? Oh my God, they made the movie air. He came back two more seasons after it and didn't win a college title. It's as if they evaporated. Michael Jordan, Dean Smith, he was so great. He had James Worthy. Dean Smith's like, no, let the freshman shoot the game winner. He came back two more seasons. Everybody did. The Worthies, the Ewings, the MJ's, the Duncans, they all came back and back. And I've said, if you want to know about the NBA's popularity, you know, people are going to go, oh, it's the politics. It's the fact that we don't know any of these guys until they're 28 years old. We have no connection. That's why Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese was such a TV ratings home run. They'd formed a rivalry in college. I'm watching the HBO Simmons series on the Celtics. Magic and Bird had a rivalry in college and it just pivoted to the NBA. So the fact that what we're getting with Cooper Flag is what we used to get a surplus of, it was a conveyor belt. Great players, mature, ready to crush, maybe make second team, all NBA right out of college. So that's why this is so exciting for me. It's a little old school in the NBA. And if you just. And I said this, one of my only complaints about Adam Silver. Put your arms around college basketball. Put your arms. Nobody's watching the G League. If Cooper flag dropped 38 tonight, I'd actually watch him if he went to Charlotte, you know, like that's what the NBA used to be. The whole politics thing, maybe that's 5%. It's the fact that guys come into the league. Can you name the top five guys drafted last year in the NBA? Nobody can. I'm not sure GMs in the NBA can. That's the problem is that football, and now women's basketball is doing this. They provide us with stories, identifiable stars and rivalries. And then you just microwave them at the pro level and they're ready to go. I mean, Reggie Bush had a huge following. Tim Tebow had a huge following in college. I mean, if Zion could have controlled his weight, if Ja Morant was more mature, maybe you could have had that. It wasn't. They weren't. It looks like Cooper Flag could be. All right, J Mac, we've got. I got a little tip last night. You know, we work the phones. I called you last night on something. You weren't available.

Jason McIntyre (15:10)

Oh, shoot. I'm sorry. I remember. See? Yeah, I had something going on. Wait, did you get added to a group text chain accidentally? Like, where did you get this info from? What's going on?

Colin Cowherd (15:19)

I don't get on group. As Carissa Thompson knows. If you put me on one, I. I got on an NFL Sunday text chain and I immediately eliminated myself and apparently offended the whole building.

Jason McIntyre (15:29)

You removed yourself?

Colin Cowherd (15:30)

I don't like being text chains.

Jason McIntyre (15:32)

Why? You just mute the chain?

Colin Cowherd (15:34)

I don't. I don't even know how to do that. All I know is my thoughts cannot be shared with 47 people simultaneously. If you can get me one on one, you want to mean a phone call. I don't want things coming out of my head. Should not be shared universally.

Jason McIntyre (15:47)

Interest. Okay, what does this theory have to do with NFL? NBA?

Colin Cowherd (15:50)

NFL?

Jason McIntyre (15:51)

Aaron Rodgers.

Colin Cowherd (15:52)

It's very in. It's not just about Aaron. It's it. It could affect Aaron. Got a little tidbit last night. Don't go anywhere. Live in la. It's the Herd. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, Weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio FS1 and.

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Colin Cowherd (16:23)

Learn more@americanexpress.com withamx this podcast is brought to you by Pfizer. If you're 50 or older, getting sick can keep you away from where you need to be. You don't want surprises like pneumococcal pneumonia or invasive pneumococcal disease. You're 6.4 times more likely to get pneumococcal pneumonia compared with adults 18 to 49. It's recommended that people 50 or older get vaccinated. Being sick could get between you and the people who rely on you. So schedule your shot@vaxassist.com hi everybody. This message is brought to you by the official Whiskey of the Herd with Colin Coward podcast, Green River Whiskey. As you know, we've been having some fun getting to know Green River Whiskey. Let me tell you, there's a ton of incredible stories to be told in its 140 year history. How's this? For example, Green River Whiskey was once the most advertised whiskey in the world. But just now they've launched their first advertising campaign in more than 100 years. You see, it seems the team from Green river in reviving the whiskey have accidentally also revived its resident ghost. And he's quite a character, spending his days reminding us to keep it simple, focus on the quality, and have a little fun along the way. So if you want to see the ghost of Green river come to life, check out at GreenRiver Whiskey on their YouTube channel or head on over to greenriverwhisky.com here's to Green River Whiskey. Raise your spirits. Product of Green River Distilling Company, Owensboro, Kentucky. Alcohol by volume varies by product. Greenriverwhiskey.com Please drink responsibly. Tires matter. They're the only part of your vehicle that touches the road and they're responsible for everything. Acceleration, braking, steering and handling. Tread confidently with new tires from tire Rack Whether you know exactly what you want or you're looking for expert recommendations, Tire Rack makes it easy. You're going to get fast free shipping, free road hazard protection and convenient installation options, including mobile installation where they bring installation to you, your home, your office or anywhere in between. And of course, the best selection, including a full line of Bridgestone tires. And they don't just sell tires, they test them on the road on their test track. Learn how the tires you want tackle evasive maneuvers, drive and stop in the rain or just handle your everyday commute. Go to TireRack.com Collins see their Bridgestone test results Tire ratings Consumer reviews Be sure to check out all the current special offers. That's tirerack.com Colin tirerack.com the way tire buying should be when the transfer portal they've got to get this thing fixed. I mean the guardrails have improved, but it's still absurd that basically in the middle of this tournament here come the transfer portal questions. And here was Mick after a loss.

Mick Cronin (19:05)

It's 12:40am and our season just ended. That that's it. You're gonna ask me about next year. Right now my biggest concern is how bad the seats are on the allegiant flight on that terrible plane that we're gonna have to fly home tomorrow. And is there any chance that Doug got me some hot food because I don't eat on game day that I got something edible by the way.

Colin Cowherd (19:36)

I love that the listen I am for let's just start with this transfer portal nil. Where are you today on that?

Mick Cronin (19:47)

Well, you got to be positive about it. I've Always. I learned this when I was young. Somebody told me, if you complain, you're never going to achieve. So if you don't like something, okay, then get a new job. Don't complain about your job. Shut the hell up. Just go get a new job. So it is what it is now I'm all for and I have been guys getting paid.

Colin Cowherd (20:11)

Yeah.

Mick Cronin (20:12)

Like this, this should have happened a long, long time ago. And it's just right now the NCAA is on the run trying to survive. Okay. Trying to get help from the government. So I'm of the. Of the opinion. Look, they're trying to figure all this out.

Colin Cowherd (20:28)

We.

Mick Cronin (20:28)

They are. They really are. And everybody's talking right now. The problem is the timing right now.

Colin Cowherd (20:33)

That's right.

Mick Cronin (20:33)

You know, okay, like this is our best time of year for you to. This is when you talk about college basketball.

Colin Cowherd (20:39)

Three, four great weeks.

Mick Cronin (20:41)

We don't need to be. We should be talking about the games. Right?

Colin Cowherd (20:43)

That's right.

Mick Cronin (20:44)

Not that the portal Open Monday and 1300 guys are already in.

Colin Cowherd (20:47)

Yeah.

Mick Cronin (20:48)

So they got, you know, they, they got to adjust and roll and you know, and fix all that. And I, I think there'll be adjustments to it, but as far as, you know, paying players, I mean, that's here to stay and it, it should have came a long time ago.

Colin Cowherd (21:00)

Yeah. So I, I have 15 of the 16 teams.

Mick Cronin (21:05)

That's impressive.

Colin Cowherd (21:07)

J Max. Do you hear that?

Mick Cronin (21:08)

That's impressive. How many you got?

Colin Cowherd (21:10)

10.

Mick Cronin (21:10)

Oh, see, because you went by the old model.

Colin Cowherd (21:13)

Yeah.

Mick Cronin (21:13)

And you're See, the portal model eliminates the mid major.

Colin Cowherd (21:16)

That's right.

Mick Cronin (21:17)

Because all their players are playing for us.

Colin Cowherd (21:19)

That's right. I'm for it. I want to watch UCLA with a.

Mick Cronin (21:22)

Stack roster and so is Mark Silverman. You know, I mean, look, the networks are all the network heads. He's your network head. They're all for. Yeah, all that stuff. All they need. Cinderella. No, no, no. The executives, they want Duke in Arizona.

Colin Cowherd (21:38)

Okay. So now. But I'm going to get toasted here because I tried to outthink the room.

Mick Cronin (21:42)

Yeah.

Colin Cowherd (21:43)

I picked Arizona over Duke for two reasons. Freshmen don't win the title.

Mick Cronin (21:47)

I heard you say that.

Colin Cowherd (21:48)

Okay. And secondly, Caleb Love, veteran, they got a seven footer playing. Well, you know, ucla. Well, can they beat Duke and how.

Mick Cronin (21:57)

Yeah, well, we played Arizona. Yes, and I. So they played Duke early in the year at.

Colin Cowherd (22:04)

That's when the center wasn't as good.

Mick Cronin (22:06)

Well, they. But they had crevass. Arizona did. Was there. Who was their starting center. He got hurt. Then Vassar started playing more, but crevass is 7:1, so. And look, Arizona didn't get off to a great start either. But winning at the McHale center is not an easy thing. And Duke went in there to Tucson and won.

Colin Cowherd (22:27)

So you think Arizona is in a little trouble.

Mick Cronin (22:30)

Look, here's the beauty of this tournament. You only got to win by one. Pressure's all on Duke, and it's not a game. It's not best of five or best of seven. So they only got to win by one. So. Yeah. Can they win? Sure. Especially, I would say exactly what you said. If Caleb Love has. He has to make shots. If he doesn't make shots, they're not going to win.

Colin Cowherd (22:50)

When's the first time you saw Cooper flag?

Mick Cronin (22:53)

My assistant, Darren Savino and I in Orlando. He said, we got to walk over this court way in the back in AAU in the summer. So who were we doing what year? Four years. You know, he was going to be. Now he skipped a year of high school, so he was gonna. He was. Had just finished his freshman year in high school. Yes. And I said, that's. Where are we going? He goes, there's a freshman from Maine. That's unbelievable. And, you know, so, you know, we're ucla. We gotta go. Show your face. We'll offer him a scholarship. And I'm like, the guy's in Maine. He's not gonna come to you. He goes, edwards, come on, we'll walk over here. And I was a whole. You gotta be kidding me. I mean, it was obvious.

Colin Cowherd (23:32)

Really.

Mick Cronin (23:33)

Oh, it was obvious.

Colin Cowherd (23:34)

Even as a. Even as a 13, 14 year old.

Mick Cronin (23:37)

He defends, he's athletic, he blocks shots. There's nothing he shoots. He thinks. And he's a fierce competitor.

Colin Cowherd (23:44)

He's got a little edge to him.

Mick Cronin (23:45)

Oh, yeah, Yeah. I, you know, Jimmy Jackson and I were going on one of your shows here about, about. I said, you know, he's trying to compare him to Keith Van Horn and.

Colin Cowherd (23:55)

And, oh, he's better than Keith.

Mick Cronin (23:57)

Yeah. And I. That's all respect to Keith. Yeah.

Colin Cowherd (23:59)

Yeah.

Mick Cronin (23:59)

But what I didn't get to say, we didn't have enough time. What if Cooper flagg could play three.

Colin Cowherd (24:05)

Years of college, 36 a game is.

Mick Cronin (24:08)

Last year, and he was coming into the NBA then, then people would be saying is this guy Larry Bird, that's a great take. And that's the, you know, very few. You know how good you have to be like. Like, look, none of those guys were ready. I mean, when Minyama wasn't ready to make A team. No, you can't go make a team, win when you're 18, 19 years old. You just can't do.

Colin Cowherd (24:29)

Can't get into the hotel bar.

Mick Cronin (24:30)

No, you're not J.T. daniels, who. Who started 55 games in college. Yeah, of course.

Colin Cowherd (24:36)

Jaden Daniels.

Mick Cronin (24:37)

Jaden did that. Went to the Commanders. Yeah, he started 55 games, which would be the equivalent of Cooper flag playing what, 100 and something college games.

Colin Cowherd (24:46)

Right, right.

Mick Cronin (24:46)

Give him 100 something college games, then let him go to the NBA. But those days, you know, then it's Magic Johnson, it's. Yeah, you know, it's Larry Bird, it's whatever. I mean, he's that good guys now.

Colin Cowherd (24:56)

So I said this. When the usc, ucla, Oregon, Washington merged with the Big Ten, I said, it's not going to matter to football. They've got five road games. I said, it's going to hurt. Volleyball, basketball, I said, those guys are toast because they're playing on Tuesdays and they got classes. I'm like, yeah, yeah. So you had to do the travel midweek travel. You also had Big Ten basketball. I watched me. I had izzo on. I said, you can't shoot a lick from three, but you score 80.

Mick Cronin (25:24)

Yeah.

Colin Cowherd (25:24)

I don't know how, but you get there. So let's talk first about Michigan State then. Then the pivot into the Big Ten. When you listen, St. John's was trying to win a title without shooters. Can Michigan State get to the Final Four?

Mick Cronin (25:38)

They can, but they're going to have to. They shoot it a little bit better, but they have stretches where they're awful. Like the first half against New Mexico. The difference is, I think they're deeper than St. John.

Colin Cowherd (25:52)

Yes, yes.

Mick Cronin (25:54)

And their defense, when they're. Their defense is the key because they run off their defense.

Colin Cowherd (25:59)

No, they get 80 points. It's crazy.

Mick Cronin (26:01)

Well, they didn't against UCLA, but they do. They got to 61. But. But so again, that's all who you play now. You know, like. Like we win our first round game by 25 and they say, well, you didn't make shots against Tennessee. No, no, no, no, no, we didn't. The problem was Tennessee, you know, they're really good. Yeah. I mean, yeah, we never. Best night, but this because of them. So the matchups are the key in this tournament. Now for Michigan State, they have to play. They have to beat you on the backboard and shut you down and get out on the break. If they don't do that and they have to execute because they don't have a Guy they can just give the ball to that can just get you baskets. They don't have an unguardable player. Their best offensive player is a freshman, Chase Richardson, who's done a great job.

Colin Cowherd (26:46)

Good player.

Mick Cronin (26:46)

He's done. But. But he's. To your point. I mean, he's. He's a freshman.

Colin Cowherd (26:50)

Yeah.

Mick Cronin (26:51)

And Cooper Flagg's got Tyrese Proctor now making every shot in his third year. And you know, he's got knipples, another top 10 pick. So Michigan State doesn't have that guy, but they got, they got that guy on the sideline now. Yeah, he's pretty good.

Colin Cowherd (27:06)

Yeah. So I said the best game I saw in the tournament was Yukon, Florida and Florida super physical. And so is UConn.

Mick Cronin (27:13)

Yeah.

Colin Cowherd (27:14)

And I said sometimes when you beat a team, they're actually the perfect team for your next game. And I think Maryland's in trouble against Florida because I think UConn, that's the first time in three months somebody went into Florida and pushed them around.

Mick Cronin (27:29)

Yeah.

Colin Cowherd (27:29)

And I was like, oh, they're going to benefit from UConn. I think Florida's really, really good.

Mick Cronin (27:38)

I said it. I did the pregame show with your guys here for Duke Illinois, and I said I thought Florida was the best team back then. Very few. They play four centers. They just beat you to death. Now somehow we were on. We were on the plane. So, you know, it's not like we had. With the NCAA buying the plane. It's not like we were watching the Yukon floor Florida game. You know, it was all I could do to get a bag of pretzels.

Colin Cowherd (28:03)

But by the way, FUBO is excellent. If you want to use a song. UBO tv, it's excellent.

Mick Cronin (28:08)

You got to have Internet know, so. But any. Anyway, you know, I mean, look, we can't even get a seat reclines. But we're. So when you're talking about Yukon. I saw the rebounding. They rebounded with them. So my concern for Maryland and my Kevin Willard is one of my best friends in the world. Can Queen and Reese stay out of foul trouble? That's a problem.

Colin Cowherd (28:30)

Good luck.

Mick Cronin (28:30)

Because they don't have any backups.

Colin Cowherd (28:32)

No, that was St. John's issue. St. John's was a great second half team because that's the only time they could play at like yes, full and.

Mick Cronin (28:39)

They beat you up and wore you down.

Colin Cowherd (28:40)

But in the first half they couldn't get anybody into foul trouble. They had no depth.

Mick Cronin (28:43)

Well, they ran into a team longer and more athletic that they hadn't seen in The Big East.

Colin Cowherd (28:47)

Yeah. One more herd. The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the iHeartRadio app. Search herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. Hey, it's Steve Covino and I'm Rich Davis, and together we're Covino 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 Covino and Rich wherever you get your podcast. And of course, on social media, that's Covino and Rich.

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Colin Cowherd (30:22)

Cap applies. Learn more@americanexpress.com withamx this podcast is brought to you by Pfizer. If you're 50 or older, getting sick can keep you away from where you need to be. You don't want surprises like pneumococcal pneumonia or invasive pneumococcal disease. You're 6.4 times more likely to get pneumococcal pneumonia compared with adults 18 to 49. It's recommended that people feed 50 or older get vaccinated. Being sick could get between you and the people who rely on you. So schedule your shot@vaxassist.com hi everybody. This message is brought to you by the official Whiskey of the Herd with Colin Coward podcast Green River Whiskey as you know, we've been having some fun getting to know Green River Whiskey. Let me tell you, there's a ton of incredible stories to be told in its 140 year history. How's this? For example, Green River Whiskey was once the most advertised whiskey in the world, but just now they've launched their first advertising campaign in more than 100 years. You see, it seems the team from Green river in reviving the whiskey have accidentally also revived its resident ghost. And he's quite a character, spending his days reminding us to keep it simple, focus on the quality, and have a little fun along the way. So if you want to see the ghost of Green river come to Life, check out GreenRiver Whiskey on their YouTube channel or head on over to greenriverwhiskey.com here's to Green River Whiskey. Raise your spirits. Product of Green River Distilling Company, Owensboro, Kentucky Alcohol by volume varies by product. Greenriverwhiskey.com Please drink responsibly. Tires matter. They're the only part of your vehicle that touches the road and they're responsible for everything acceleration, braking, steering and handling. Tread confidently with new tires from Tire Rack Whether you know exactly what you want or you're looking for expert recommendations, Tire Rack makes it easy. You're going to get fast free shipping, free road hazard protection and convenient installation options, including mobile installation where they bring installation to you, your home, your office or anywhere in between. And of course, the best selection, including the full line of general tires. And they don't just sell tires, they test them on the road on their test track. Learn how the tires you want tackle evasive maneuvers, drive and stop in the rain or just handle your everyday commute. Go to tirerack.comcolin to see their general tire test results. Tire Ratings Consumer Reviews Be sure to check out all the current special offers. That's tirerack.com Colin tirerack.com the way tire buying should Be we do it on our final live segment of the week tomorrow. It's a best of Herd show. So we're watching college basketball. We'll be watching it on a flight tonight. You'll be watching it all weekend. We call it tomorrow's headlines today. What's the headline for Bama? Number 2 seed against 6 seed BYU. Who can shoot a little tonight?

Jason McIntyre (33:12)

I'm curious if Mick Cronin thinks that this would have been like one of the highest scoring games in NCAA history. The total Is enormous because nobody plays defense. The headline will be the book of more money. BYU upset worth its weight in gold. I'm on BYU Moneyline with the points. I'm just not buying Alabama. I know they played the rigorous SEC schedule, but I haven't seen any defense played by this team at all. They have not looked that impressive in the tournament so far. I know they got the two wins, but BYU, man, they got the freshman point guard who's 6 9, starting to play like the lottery pick everybody thought he would be. They could shoot the three as well as Alabama. This will be a track meet. Could be first to 90 wins. And I think this is my biggest upset of this week. 16. I have BYU taking down Bama.

Colin Cowherd (33:56)

Okay. I think Maryland love their last second win. I think they're in trouble. Tomorrow's headlines today, number one seeded Gators against a little surprising four seed Maryland Terrapins. What say you?

Jason McIntyre (34:10)

How about that sweat from Florida against Yukon down late.

Colin Cowherd (34:13)

Great game.

Jason McIntyre (34:14)

Walter Clayton, by the way, unrated coming out of high school. You know, he started out low major and then worked his way up. He's a superstar. The headline for Florida, Maryland will be get her done. Florida keeps tearapin up the competition. I have Florida winning this, I think kind of handily. Maryland's calling itself the Crab five, you know, picking off the Fab Five because Maryland crabs, I'm sure you know this. They have no bench whatsoever, Colin. They cannot weather any foul trouble. Florida, meanwhile, had foul trouble against UConn. They got four guys, six, nine or bigger who they can throw at the superstar Derrick Queen, the young kid who hit the game winner for Maryland. I just think the depth of Florida wins out. Guard play should be a push, but I like Florida here to win, perhaps comfortably.

Colin Cowherd (34:55)

Okay, listen, I'll probably get baked on this. Tomorrow's headline today, my underdog in the tournament, number four, Arizona. I love their veteran point guard. They've got some size against the Dukes who have the best player easily, probably easily in the sport right now, Duke.

Jason McIntyre (35:14)

Yeah, Duke is a heavy favorite. It looks like it could touch 10. Money coming in. Game day on the Blue Devils. The headline will be 6 foot 7 foot 8 foot dunk. Duke just won. They don't want to go home. I got to work on my singing. Clearly. But listen, I like Duke tonight, obviously. We know I'm loaded up. I don't need to tell you again. This team is just so stacked, you know, defensively, they are an absolute force. Colin, you can't score inside against these guys. Now, Arizona has no Interior play anyway. They need to rely on Caleb Love hitting like six or seven threes, which he did at UNC against Mick Cronin's UCLA Bruins a few years ago. The guy's a good scorer. Arizona just doesn't have much. I had Jay Bilis on my podcast this week and he was talking about. He announced the earlier meeting, Duke, Arizona, and everybody was nervous for Duke. With three freshmen in the starting lineup, it didn't really matter. Cooper Flagg took over. Unguardable in, like, his fourth college game. Duke pulls away, wins by double digits. I think they win tonight handily.

Colin Cowherd (36:10)

Okay, I've got the Tennessee Volunteers getting to the Natty against Auburn. Tomorrow's headlines today, Kentucky and SEC showdown.

Jason McIntyre (36:19)

This might be the best game of the round. Now. You have Tennessee going to the championship.

Colin Cowherd (36:24)

I have them losing to Auburn by six in the Natty.

Jason McIntyre (36:27)

So for some background, Kentucky beat Tennessee twice this year. And I know people are saying it's tough to beat a team twice.

Colin Cowherd (36:33)

Tennessee is a good watch, though.

Jason McIntyre (36:34)

Tennessee's tough. As McCrone knows the headline will be. Hi, Jack Daniels. Tennessee whisks away Kentucky. I like Tennessee here. Interesting. In the two meetings against Kentucky, they could not shoot threes. Kentucky was like, have all the threes you want. They shot 43 threes in a game. They just couldn't make any of them. It was really bad. I think they were 3 for 18 in the second meeting. I think Rick Barnes, who we know has had a checkered history in March, I don't want to blast the guy, but he has had many, many disappointing losses. And they were. They've been upset a lot. I think they get it together and pull, pull through. Against Kentucky, they don't need to shoot the three. They do have Lanier and Ziggler, great scores in the back.

Colin Cowherd (37:14)

There are going to be a lot of athletes on the floor. These SEC teams. Yeah, it's athletes everywhere.

Jason McIntyre (37:19)

This will be a last possession. Wins. Kentucky can be sporadic. They're hit and miss. They were really, really good in the last round. I think Tennessee wins a really, really good game.

Colin Cowherd (37:27)

Yeah, I like. I think I had Tennessee. I may have had them in the Final Four last year. When you turn Tennessee on in the regular season, they just jump off the television. They had Dalton connect. You're like, man, these guys are athletic. They get up, they play with pace, close games.

Jason McIntyre (37:42)

Dalton connect against Zach Edie. Remember that last year, connected like 39. I mean, he's a bucket. Should be a good one tonight.

Colin Cowherd (37:48)

Finally, tomorrow's headlines today. Lastly, Houston and Purdue Now, Houston is going to lock you up defensively. Purdue's known more as an offensive program.

Jason McIntyre (38:00)

Indeed. Now, the key here is this is being played in a football stadium in Indianapolis, nrg, where the Colts play. However, that's close to Purdue. Like a 90 minute drive, I would assume. You know, we'll have busloads of people coming from Purdue. They'll have a home court advantage. The headline.

Colin Cowherd (38:14)

Well, me per.

Jason McIntyre (38:16)

Dude, where's my car? Boilermakers go up in smoke. I will ride with Houston. Houston's really, really good, man.

Colin Cowherd (38:23)

Yeah.

Jason McIntyre (38:23)

Kelvin Sampson, the last few years has had some awesome teams. They keep getting unlucky. Shed got hurt last year against Duke.

Colin Cowherd (38:29)

Yep.

Jason McIntyre (38:29)

That was a killer for me. I had Houston going all the way. I just think their defense overwhelms Purdue a bit. And Purdue took down High Point and McNeese State. Yeah, those are low maintenance.

Colin Cowherd (38:38)

And McNeese State off an upset, winning.

Jason McIntyre (38:42)

The super bowl, basically.

Colin Cowherd (38:43)

That was my favorite bet of the tournament. I couldn't get it up on DraftKings. I tried to get it up in the morning. Was Purdue over McNee State? Anytime a team upset somebody, they're so high for two days. The next game they're not ready to play.

Jason McIntyre (38:56)

And Purdue smacked him. But again, it was like, you're beating McNeese State. They're not very good. Houston's defense is something Purdue hasn't seen. I just think they swallow them here. And I think Purdue's in trouble. Give me Houston. Forget to get the W. We had.

Colin Cowherd (39:08)

A good college basketball show. You know, Ryan, we should do that. We should. We should put Mick Cronin, make sure we got the Cooper Flag rant and maybe even tomorrow's headlines. Today. Let's do like a special edition for those that didn't turn in on our Thursday podcast. Do heavy college basketball today.

Jason McIntyre (39:25)

You know, I'm impacting you here because I know you have not. I know you know the tournament, obviously, and you run lv, but, like, I've been pushing NCAA on you for years now and you're, like, a little reluctant. This is the year to go all in.

Colin Cowherd (39:36)

Cooper Flag is two years I have been all in on college basketball.

Jason McIntyre (39:40)

Caitlin Clark last year. That's right. Yeah.

Colin Cowherd (39:42)

Yeah. So I'm not. I'm not against anything. You. You know what I am? I'm an opportunist. I look for big brands to do well because big brands get better ratings, more people care, and then some of those viewers will tune into our show. So if I'm anything, I'm a. I'm a big brand opportunist. I want the Dodgers and Duke. I want the big programs to win. More people care, and then more people have an opinion and watch opinion shows and listen to talk radio.

Jason McIntyre (40:12)

What happened to you liking the underdog? You know, like, I never like the underdog.

Colin Cowherd (40:16)

There's never been a day in my life I wanted to be an underdog.

Jason McIntyre (40:20)

I consider myself a career underdog, so that's.

Colin Cowherd (40:22)

That's why I'm proud of it.

Jason McIntyre (40:23)

Or I am. Hell, yeah.

Colin Cowherd (40:25)

Yeah.

Jason McIntyre (40:25)

How many Brown guys do you think there are on TV talking about sports? Come on, bro. Come on. Honestly, I feel like I'm an underdog. That's why I root for underdogs and bet underdogs, though not always.

Mick Cronin (40:35)

Yeah.

Jason McIntyre (40:37)

Why are you laughing?

Colin Cowherd (40:40)

I'm speechless.

Jason McIntyre (40:41)

Sometimes you look at me and you're like, this guy's such a knucklehead.

Colin Cowherd (40:44)

Okay, so Mick Cronin was on. I asked him about Cooper Flag in the first. It's from Maine. I mean, if all the states to have the best high school basketball player in the last five years, he's up in Maine. Like, really? I mean, you think Florida, Texas, Cali, wherever. Nope. Here's Mick Cronin on Cooper Flagadoo.

Mick Cronin (41:02)

I said, that's.

Colin Cowherd (41:02)

Where are we going?

Mick Cronin (41:03)

He's. There's a freshman from Maine. That's unbelievable. And, you know, so, you know, we're ucla. We gotta go. Show your face. Wal for him, a scholarship. And I'm like, the guy's in Maine. He's not gonna come to you. He goes, that's where. Come on, we'll walk over here. And I was a whole. You got to be kidding me. I mean, it was obvious. He defends, he's athletic, he blocks shots. There's nothing. He shoots. He thinks. And he's a fierce competitor. What if Cooper Flag could play three.

Colin Cowherd (41:31)

Years of college, 36 a game his.

Mick Cronin (41:35)

Last year, and he was coming into the NBA then. Then people would be saying, is this guy Larry Bird?

Colin Cowherd (41:42)

Yeah, he's really a special player. Probably has to handle the ball a little bit better at the pro level because the game is so fast. Like the NFL compared to college. It's just a F game. Got to make quicker decisions, but he's just a really fun player to watch. And again, he started the year duke, he was 17 years old. So if you go back, you know, years and years ago, he would have been 22. And, I mean, if he stayed for even one more year in college, his numbers all go up 30%. He's a really, really great finisher and a special player. All right, tomorrow's Best of the Herd. Good stuff today. Rachel Nichols was money, Mick Cronin J. One of my favorite shows in a long time. Really good job, everybody. Be safe. Have fun. Watch the tourney. We'll see you Monday live in la. It's the Hurt. This is Nikki Glaser from the Nikki Glaser Podcast. Have you guys seen this new commercial from Stand up to All Hate? It's basically Snoop Dogg and Tom Brady going back and forth with reasons that they hate each other. But then when you really listen to them, the reasons for the hate are just so stupid.

Mick Cronin (42:37)

I don't know.

Colin Cowherd (42:38)

This. This commercial really got me. It's a strong reminder that hate in our country continues to be out of control. So join us at iHeart in standing up to it. If you see hate, speak up. Call it out. Your voice is a powerful tool in this fight. You can learn more by following hat's upwithhate.

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