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Best of The Herd - The Herd with Colin Cowherd | Wave AI Podcast Notes

Back to The Herd with Colin Cowherd

Best of The Herd

The Herd with Colin Cowherd

Fri Mar 20 2026

Summary

The Herd with Colin Cowherd — Best of The Herd

Date: March 20, 2026
Host: Jason McIntyre (in for Colin Cowherd), joined by Rachel Nichols
Produced by: Fox Sports Radio, iHeartPodcasts & The Volume

Episode Overview

This vibrant Friday edition of The Herd, hosted by Jason McIntyre with guest co-host Rachel Nichols, dives deep into the hottest sports stories of the moment—most notably, Luka Dončić's stunning 60-point performance, the Lakers' resurgence, March Madness upsets, debates about college sports NIL value, and evolving NBA MVP rankings. Packed with data, banter, and original takes, the dialogue swings from NBA dominance to NCAA upsets and features engaging analysis on generational stars like LeBron James, Victor Wembanyama, and high-profile college talents.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Luka Dončić’s 60-Point Explosion & The Lakers’ Momentum

[04:20 – 07:28; 33:58 – 39:37]

Luka's jaw-dropping 60 points scored on the second night of a back-to-back (after 40 the night before), carrying the Lakers against the Miami Heat.
LeBron James' leadership called out, playing despite the travel/back-to-back situation and inspiring both Luka and Austin Reaves to suit up:
- Austin Reaves on LeBron’s example:
  
  “When he said he was playing, I was like, I can’t let a 41 year old play and I don’t play. So signed up to play and so did Luka and grinded a win out.”
  – Austin Reaves [07:09]
McIntyre draws sharp contrast between Dončić’s 60-point “authentic” game and Bam Adebayo’s recent 83, arguing for context in big scoring nights.
- On the Lakers’ turnaround:
  
  “They are freaking out on the Laker bench when Luka goes to the free throw line to get his 60th point. An authentic 60, not a Fugazi 60.” – Jason McIntyre [07:28]
LeBron’s triple-double at age 41 and historic greatness:
- Only players over 40 with NBA triple-doubles: LeBron has four, entire rest of league has one (Karl Malone).

2. Comparing Luka's 60 vs. Bam’s 83

[07:28; 33:58 – 39:37]

McIntyre contends Luka’s 60 is more impressive than Bam's 83 due to the context—road back-to-back, meaningful game, and lack of “gimmicks.”
Bam’s 83 referenced as coming against a tanking Wizards team; hints that high-scoring games depend on context, opponent, and genuine team need.
Rachel Nichols weighs in on “one-upmanship” among NBA elite, noting it’s fun for fans but underscores Dončić’s team-first mentality.

3. NCAA Tournament & NIL Spending Debate: The AJ Dybantsa Case

[11:05 – 15:38]

BYU’s one-and-done tournament run despite signing #1 recruit AJ Dybantsa to a $7M NIL deal.
McIntyre questions whether it’s worth investing so much in one star versus spreading NIL funds across multiple high-level recruits:

“Are teams seeing this and being like, hey, we all know no man is an island. You cannot do it yourself.”
– Jason McIntyre [11:05]
Sean Miller’s candid comments on defending Dybantsa:

“He puts so many fouls on the opponent that he wears out the other team… We knew he was going to score. We just wanted to make sure… we did as good of a job as we can guarding the rest of the group.”
– Sean Miller, Texas Head Coach [13:47]
Takeaway: Roster construction via NIL is still in its infancy; star power is great, but basketball remains a team sport.

4. Victor Wembanyama & The Spurs’ Rebirth

[20:29 – 22:30]

Spurs clinch a playoff spot for the first time since 2017, driven by “unicorn” Victor Wembanyama.
McIntyre defends tanking as an effective franchise strategy (“the Spurs are like very obviously the blueprint for how to do it”) and highlights Wembanyama’s transformative impact:

“If you take Wembanyama away from the Spurs, they don’t scare a damn soul… The Spurs are essentially Wembanyama. And then you’ve got Castle and all role players…”
– Jason McIntyre [22:30]
Wembanyama’s attitude on playoff berth:

“The key for me is to try to not care because we want to attack 82 games. I’m scared to become complacent. So I’ll be on the other end of the spectrum and try to not care at all.”
– Victor Wembanyama [22:10]

5. NBA MVP Race: Shakeup and Rankings

[25:27 – 29:09]

McIntyre challenges consensus that SGA (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) is a lock for MVP, ranks his top five:
- #5: SGA
- #4: Nikola Jokic
- #3: Jaylen Brown
- #2: Victor Wembanyama
- #1: Luka Dončić
SGA’s numbers are “down a little” from last year; MVP field is more open than the straw polls suggest.
Rachel Nichols discusses her MVP voting process:
- Importance of team success as a tiebreaker.
- Example from last season:
  
  “When the votes actually were tallied, even though it was so close for a lot of people… I am picking SGA last year and so did so many other people. Okay, it was close in people’s minds, but the vote was like 70-30.”
  – Rachel Nichols [39:53]

6. March Madness Shockers and McIntyre’s Bracket Wisdom

[04:46 – 05:04]

Early NCAA upsets: High Point shocks Wisconsin, Duke survives Sienna.
McIntyre touts his bracket-picking prowess, having picked High Point as a first-round upset.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

LeBron’s Unprecedented Longevity:

“LeBron has four [triple-doubles over age 40]. The entire rest of the league has one. Karl Malone.”
– Jason McIntyre [07:28]
On Luka’s 60 vs. Bam’s 83:

“Bam last week, 83 points, there was some gimmicks involved…60 (from Luka) earned, a little more impressive than 83 given.”
– Jason McIntyre [07:28]
AJ Dybantsa’s college impact:

“If you could get the number one recruit, top five recruit, you take him, obviously. But…did they get the value that they spent on Dybantsa?”
– Jason McIntyre [11:05]
Sean Miller on defending a top NBA prospect:

“What we talked about is a jump shot by him is a victory for us… puts so many fouls on the opponent that he wears out the other team.”
– Sean Miller [13:47]
Wembanyama’s attitude after playoff berth:

“I know it sounds arrogant, but he just sounds authentic… I don’t want to get complacent.”
– Victor Wembanyama [22:10]
Rachel Nichols on NBA scoring feats:

“If it was easy, everyone would do it. You know how you know it’s hard? People don’t do it.”
– Rachel Nichols [36:27]

Important Segment Timestamps

Luka’s 60-point night and Lakers uplift: [04:20 – 07:28]
Austin Reaves on LeBron’s leadership: [07:09]
Discussion: Luka’s 60 vs. Bam’s 83: [07:28; 33:58 – 39:37]
NCAA tournament & NIL spending, Dybantsa’s one-and-done: [11:05 – 15:38]
Coach Sean Miller on A.J. Dybantsa: [13:47]
Victor Wembanyama’s playoff-clinching night & interview: [20:29 – 22:30]
MVP race reshuffled, top five rankings debate: [25:27 – 29:09]
Rachel Nichols details MVP voting process: [39:53]

Style & Tone

The episode is high-energy, opinionated, and blends stats-driven sports talk with playful banter. Jason McIntyre (standing in for Cowherd) brings data and irreverence, Rachel Nichols adds nuance and clarity, and guest voices contribute expertise. The discussion oscillates between light-hearted and hard-edged, maintaining the show’s tradition of bold sports commentary.

Summary Takeaways

Luka Dončić is having “pure” historic scoring games and leading the Lakers’ post-season momentum.
NBA MVP race is more competitive than current odds suggest; Luka, Wembanyama, and Jaylen Brown are legitimate top-tier candidates.
Scoring feats must be weighed in context—opponent, circumstance, and method matter (as in Luka vs. Bam debates).
NIL-driven roster construction in college basketball is still a wild experiment; huge spends on single stars may not be worth sacrificing depth.
Victor Wembanyama is the transformative force for the resurgent Spurs, and his mentality signals sustained relevance for San Antonio.

For anyone who missed the episode, this breakdown captures all the sharp analysis, surprising stats, and candid player/coach commentary that keep The Herd essential listening for sports fans.

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Transcript

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Jason McIntyre (5:04)

I tend to do well in the tournament bracket. Not totally busted yet. Got a couple great guests on the show. Pro Bowler A potential all NBA first team rookie guy. Maybe we'll see if he gets on the first team. And then Michael Rubin, your friend Fnatic's co founder, joining the show, talk flag football in the final hour. But I have to start with the Lakers. Normally it'd be automatic NCAA tournament, right? Not so fast, my friends. Look at what the Lakers are doing, folks. The story keeps getting crazier. I mean, seriously, they can't be beat right now. So in NBA parlance, last night for the Lakers was supposed to be a scheduled loss. Okay, they play Wednesday in Houston, game ends, they got to fly to South Beach. Apparently they land around 4am, get to the hotel at 5. As you heard here yesterday on the show, when you hear that, you're like, okay, let's assume Luka's going to sit. Lebron, I mean the old man, 41, he's going to sit, probably rest. Austin Reeves, you don't need to risk injury. You're in the middle of a long road trip. So as the story goes, J.J. redick said, anybody tired, who's healthy, who's ready to go, and LeBron James was the first one. I'm in LeBron. That's leadership, my friends. That doesn't sound like somebody who's pouting and whining about next year or whether or not he fits alongside Luka and Reaves. That sounds like leadership. And LeBron saying he's going to play. Instantly, everyone fell in line. It's Luka, it's Reeves. And then the real surprise happened. Luka Doncic on the second night of a back to back, as Rachel said, he scored 40 against Houston. He dropped a 60 piece, folks. 60 points in 38 minutes. Last night the Lakers stunned the Heat. And listen, Miami's not a great team this year. They're top eight in the East. They have a player named Bam Adebayo who scored 83 points last week. I think we'll reference that in a moment. But I want to go to Austin Reeves, who talked about the Lakers. They're not, they're not settling anymore. They, this is a legit championship team. And listen to how Reeves talks about their new mentality.

Jason McIntyre (7:28)

you see the celebration and you could just tell the vibes are off the charts right now. I mean, they are freaking out on the Laker bench when Luka goes to the free throw line to get his 60th point. An authentic 60, not a Fugazi 60. Okay, LeBron, by the way, got to give him some props. You see on the screen, 30, 15 and 10. And our stats team came up with this whopper. This is crazy. Guys over the age of 40, in the history of basketball, in the NBA triple doubles, LeBron has four of them. The entire rest of the league has won. Karl Malone. I could not have guessed Karl Malone. That's how dominant LeBron was on the night of a back to back. And again, we're like four weeks removed from. Does LeBron fit with this team? Hello, narrative killer. That's what LeBron's doing right now. Now I just want to really quick wanna drill down on Luca's 60 for a moment. Because somebody smart recently said, oh, Luca, 27 years old. He's like an old 27. I mean, he only has three dunks this year. I don't think he's first team, all NBA. All he does is whine. Listen, Luca is shredding everybody. He's torching the league and he's torching the media. Anybody wanted to push back on Luca? Hey, man, just take it. You were wrong. Eat it. He had 60 points and you could argue Luca's 60 a pure 60. They needed it. They had to come back in the fourth quarter to win this game. Luka's 60 was more impressive than Bam's 83 last week. Now, I know you think, hey, Jay, save that for hot take happy hour. I don't need to. That's a legitimate take. That's credible. Bam last week, 83 points. There was some gimmicks involved. Hey, let's intentionally foul so Bam can get the ball back. Get to the free throw line. I mean, they were up a billion. He barely shoots threes. He's just shucking all game long. And again, 83 points is amazing. Obviously I'm not knocking that the path to 83. Not as pure as Luca's 60. 60 earned a little more impressive than 83 given. And here's what Luca's done in this eight game streak, folks. He's on fire. 40 points per game in the last eight games. He is, I mean, just doing an unbelievable job. Somebody in our meeting this morning had a funny line. You know, Bam's 83 points. It's kind of like when you hit a home run and you're up 19 to 2 and the pitcher is a guy who was playing shortstop two innings ago, that they're just joking around and that home runs like does it really matter that much? Again, not taking away from Bam's 83. Just putting it in context what Luka did last night. 60 on a back to back against a good team. Remember the tanking Wizards were Bam's opponent during the 83. I'm just continue to be blown away by the Lakers. They, they have a huge one in Orlando Saturday. I know there's NCAA tournament games. It's the weekend, it's going to be like 85 degrees out here in LA. Everybody's going to be at the beach. Just keep one eye on Luka and the Lakers who seem to be rolling toward the NBA finals. All right now I'm going to pivot to college basketball and you guys know I love to geek out during the tournament. We had some amazing guests this week. Casey Jacobson, Miles Simon. Everybody seems to be under the consensus that AJ DeBonsa, probably the number one pick. It was Darren Peterson for a minute and now it's pivoted back to DebonSA. Boozers lurking. Darius Acuff is in the mix. Caleb Wilson as well. But AJ DeBonsa, let's talk about him. So yesterday the BYU star scores 35 and has 10 boards. But BYU lost to Texas. There's some great sound, we'll play for you in a minute from Sean Miller, the coach of Texas. How do you stop him? We can't stop him. I mean AJ debonto was insane. If you've seen the highlight reels online, I mean they're throwing double teams at him. He's doing whatever the hell he wants. You cannot stop this kid. I see like a young Tracy McGrady. You know, some people say they see a little quicker. Paul Pierce. Bottom line is A.J. deBonsa is going to be an NBA pro. Maybe the first pick overall. I just had a, I just had a question though. He cost in the 5 to 7 million dollar range. If you look online, he allegedly got $7 million. I'm just wondering. BYU. Last year they made the sweet 16 guys, good run, lost Alabama. Alabama made like 75, three pointers. Crazy game this year. They get AJ DebonSA. They're like a middle of the pack team in the Big 12. Now they did lose Richie Saunders, their second best player. Obviously that hurts, but for five to seven million dollars we'll go with seven. For seven million dollars they got one game in the NCAA tournament. It's over. I'm not saying they would not take AJ Do Bonsa. If you could get the number one recruit, top five recruit, you take him, obviously. But we're in the infancy period of nil and how to pay players and build your roster. And we've talked a lot in the NFL about how, man, once you pay that quarterback a ton of money, it's tough to build a roster around. It's even tougher in the NFL with 11, you know, 11 offense, 11 defense. Special teams basketballs should be easier, right? Five guys pay them, right? Michigan's doing it. You know, Duke, BYU interestingly, has DebonSA at 7 mil. I'm just wondering, are teams seeing this and being like, hey, we all know no man is an island. You cannot do it yourself. It is impossible in this era. There's just too much talent. Would BYU have maybe fared better if they had go, I don't know, two guys for 2 million and a $1 million guy. And oh, by the way, that trio, hey, let's, let's run it back next year. We're not going to the league yet. And again, I'm not saying you don't take debons. I'm just asking a question, like, was the value, did they get the value that they spent on debona? And it's not a knock on the kid. He brought the major pub right there all over newspapers, online. We're talking about him on this show. When do you talk about BYU basketball and national TV shows? Not ever. And they got high profile games. And again, he was exceptional. But they're one and done. It's over. We don't get any more debonsa. And to me, that it's just a little annoying. Here's Sean Miller, the Texas coach, on trying to stop the potential number one pick in the draft.