The Herd with Colin Cowherd: Prime Cuts

Episode: Final Four Preview, Tiger’s Troubles, Elite NBA Draft Class (April 4, 2026)

Episode Overview

In this wide-ranging episode, Colin Cowherd sits down with coach Doug Gottlieb to preview the NCAA Final Four, dissect college basketball's changing landscape, and take a look at an elite upcoming NBA draft class. They also address the latest Tiger Woods controversy and close with a spirited discussion on referees and sports officiating in the era of modern instant replay.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. NCAA Final Four Breakdown

(Start – 12:32)

• Teams & Tournament Upheaval:
  The episode opens with an assessment of this year’s tournament, which has seen less chaos than previous years, with only minor upsets, and heavyweight teams like Michigan and Arizona standing out.
• Focus on UConn:
  • Colin brings Doug Gottlieb (now head coach at Green Bay Phoenix) on to discuss UConn's dramatic comeback win over Duke and what separates UConn in March.
  • Quote [05:13, Doug Gottlieb]:
    “Dan Hurley fights for his players to the very last moment. And the players play above their level of toughness, if that makes any sense. Like, he’s got tough kids, but they play even tougher because they got that maniac over there on the sideline.”
• Illinois’ Keaton Wagler:
  • The remarkable story of Illinois’ star freshman Keaton Wagler, who went from the 261st-ranked high school player to potential NBA lottery pick, draws attention to the new world of overlooked recruits and NIL-fueled rosters.
  • Quote [07:57, Doug Gottlieb]:
    “He was loyal to his AAU coach...There’s so many guys who fall through the cracks. You have to be so thorough because you’re gonna miss some guys, but you gotta use all the resources at your disposal.”

2. State of College Basketball: Coaches, Money & the Portal

(12:32 – 16:18)

• Big Ten vs. SEC & Big 12:

  • Colin posits the Big Ten’s resurgence in both football and basketball is a product of both “great coaching and big checks.” Doug agrees:
    Quote [13:14, Colin]:
    “Is the Big Ten’s resurgence…is it just checks, Doug? From my purview, it’s really good coaching and checks.”
  • Doug adds context about how legalization of direct payments makes things “curious” for old rule-breakers like the SEC, and notes the huge disparity between haves and have-nots.
  • Memorable moment [15:37]:
    “Coach, they got $3.5 million. We got $95,000. Don’t beat yourself up. We never had a chance.”

• Roster Building Realities:

  • Discussion about the portal being like “speed dating,” the difficulty of projecting 18- and 19-year-olds, and why creativity and thoroughness in recruiting matter more than ever.

3. Elite NBA Draft Class & Darren Peterson’s Dilemma

(16:18 – 22:47)

• Top Prospects:
  • AJ DeBonsa (BYU), Cam Boozer, Caleb Wilson, Keaton Wagler, and Darren Peterson headline what Colin calls a “loaded draft.”
  • Quote [18:12, Colin]:
    “I see Wagler, the guard at Illinois, and I’m like, is he the next SGA? Jesus. He’s 6’6, not even halfway home.”
• Darren Peterson Scouting:
  • Concerns about Peterson’s “silo” play style, injury history, mental makeup, and now a notorious “shut it down at halftime” moment.
  • Doug’s take:
    Quote [19:02]:
    “He can literally say, like, you remember those old Larry Bird videos? I’m gonna get the ball right here, I’m gonna shoot it, and then he did it...He gets to his spots and he’s never sped up. He plays at his own pace. He’s great.”
  • Strong prediction [19:10, Doug]:
    “If the Utah Jazz have the number one pick, they’re taking AJ DeBonsa. ...There’s never been a person that has ever been tampered with more than AJ DeBonsa to end up with the Utah Jazz.”
  • Debate over drafting Peterson due to medical and off-court doubts:
    “Would I draft him? I’d have to really know what’s going on with the shutting-it-down thing...He’s somewhere between Kobe and DeMar DeRozan.”

4. Tiger Woods’ Troubles & the PGA’s Dilemma

(27:48 – 34:15)

• Latest Incident & Tiger’s Value:
  • Discussion starts with questioning whether the PGA should distance itself from Tiger Woods amid fresh controversy.
  • Quote [27:58, Guest]:
    “He is so valuable to them on so many levels. ... I do not believe that Augusta or the PGA Tour or his sponsors are all of a sudden going to turn their back on Tiger Woods because of this latest incident.”
• Analysis of Tiger’s Dependency & Public Perception:
  • Colin:
    “Athletes, you know, it’s an outlier to find a wealthy athlete with fewer than a half dozen cars...It’s an alpha quality. Fast cars, fast driving.”
  • Guest explains the more worrying opioid and chronic pain issues:
    Quote [32:56]:
    “Tiger Woods has done some shady things with relationships, and he might not want a witness to where he’s going...But the obvious thing, you talk about drinks or smoking a blunt, he blew a 0.0. He had no booze in his system, but they found two hydrocodone in his pocket.”
  • Firsthand experience with opioid pain and empathy for Tiger’s struggle [34:01].

5. The Referee Debate: Technology, Perception & Labor

(34:15 – 39:00)

• Quality of Officiating & Instant Replay:
  • Colin defends part-time NFL referees citing a 99% accuracy rate (per NFL operations), contrasting with public hand-wringing over NBA and MLB officiating.
  • Quote [36:19, Colin]:
    “The NFL is in such a position where they’re Teflon, whether they do it or don’t, replacement refs or not.”
• How Technology Changes Perception:
  • The guest argues that HDTV and replay have made officiating look worse because errors are now magnified and endlessly dissected.
  • Memorable exchange:
    “[36:19, Guest]: I don’t know if 99% figure is correct. I think officiating has been damaged by HD television...We have this ability to microscope, slow down, zoom in...and we’re debating it for 45 seconds…”
• The New ABS System in Baseball:
  • Both express admiration for MLB’s instant challenge system (Automated Ball/Strike) and tennis's simple replay, praising “game show” reveal quality and speed.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Colin on UConn’s endurance:
  "They're like a pitcher who gets better in the later innings. Like, they just wear you down. They're so physical." [03:13]
• Doug on player NIL pay:
  “Guys that make $250–$300,000 a year don’t play. If you make that much money, you can expect to not play.” [09:53]
• Colin on Tiger & Adrenaline:
  “Athletes, you know, it’s an outlier to find a wealthy athlete with fewer than a half dozen cars. Guys in cars, I mean, it’s an alpha quality.” [28:55]
• Doug on scouting & the “eye test”:
  "The problem with the eye test is it kind of depends upon the day when you see a guy." [18:33]

Important Timestamps

• [03:43] UConn’s comeback and coaching philosophy
• [07:57] Story of Keaton Wagler and insights on missed recruiting
• [13:14] Big Ten and college football’s arms race
• [16:18] NBA Draft preview, elite prospects analysis
• [27:48] Tiger Woods, opioid crisis, PGA’s business interests
• [34:15] NFL officiating, impact of instant replay and public perception

Conclusion

This Prime Cuts episode gives a candid, insider’s view of pivotal moments in the NCAA tournament, exposes the realities of modern college recruiting and the NIL economy, and previews a blue-chip NBA draft. The discussion on Tiger Woods is nuanced and empathetic, and the show closes with an astute, layered take on refereeing in the modern, tech-saturated sports world. Doug Gottlieb’s first-person coaching and recruiting stories add vivid color, and Colin’s blend of critique and admiration for today’s athletes and systems is reliably provocative and sharp.