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- [00:00]
Colin Cowherd
As a renter, do you ever feel like you're just throwing money away? Think you'll never be able to save enough to buy your own home? Then check out Rent Rewards from Rocket Mortgage. They're helping you put your monthly rent payments toward home ownership. And for the first time, you can save up to $5,000 off the cost of your home just by paying rent. Only at Rocket Mortgage. Learn more today at 804Rocket or just visit Rocket.com Rocket Mortgage LLC equal housing.
- [00:33]
J. Mac
Lender licensed in all 50 states.
- [00:34]
Colin Cowherd
NMLS ConsumerAccess.org Number 3030 welcome to a.
- [00:37]
J. Mac
Day in the life of an AMEX.
- [00:38]
Colin Cowherd
Gold Card Member 7:00am Iced coffee with.
- [00:41]
J. Mac
Up to $84 back annually at Dunkin locations MMM 12:00 Pesto zoodles with 4 times Membership Rewards points on purchases at US restaurants up to $50,000.
- [00:52]
Colin Cowherd
This is so good.
- [00:53]
J. Mac
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- [01:00]
Colin Cowherd
What a day. That's the powerful backing of American Express. Terms apply. Cap applies. Learn more@americanexpress.com withamx Virgin Voyages isn't your average cruise. It's a masterclass in luxury all in Voyage. Pricing includes over $1,000 in value, Wi fi tips, entertainment, even specialty dining. No hidden fees, no surprises. The cabins are next level private terraces, virgin red hammocks, unbeatable sea views. Add in the adult only factor. No kids, that's right, just relaxation. It's no surprise they're award winning. And the destinations Caribbean this winter, Iceland, North America and the Mediterranean in 2025 and 2026. Virgin Voyages is where luxury meets travel. Book it and see what you've been missing. Learn more@virginvoyages.com or contact your travel advisor. Banking with Capital One helps you keep more money in your wallet with no fees or minimums on checking accounts and no overdraft fees. Just ask the Capital One bank guy. It's pretty much all he talks about in a good way. He'd also tell you that this podcast is his favorite podcast too. Oh really? Thanks. Capital One Bank Guy. What's in your wallet? Terms apply. See capitalone.com bank capital1na member fdic thanks for listening to the Herd podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports radio and noon to 3 Eastern, 9am to noon Pacific. Find your local station for the herd@foxsportsradio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR.
- [02:43]
Bill Simmons
Let's get this party started.
- [02:45]
Colin Cowherd
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Oh, it is a Monday. Sixteen teams left in college basketball and yeah, I got 15 of them. I don't know what happened to J. Max Brackett, but Captain Chalk is coming, baby. Oh, wow. Yeah, John Calipari did me wrong. Patino. You know what? That was the one I lost on Bill Simmons. One hour from now, there's a new Celtic series on hbo, Max, which the staff's all into. I'm starting it this week. Supposed to be great. Colin, right? Colin, wrong. So JMAC spends all year, you know, on this college basketball stuff. I'm an, I'm a casual, but I've always believed in just the committee mostly gets it right and well, they've done pretty well. So it's fascinating. The ratings are in for the first weekend viewership for the first day. All time high, by the way. There are no have nots. It's all power conference teams in the sweet 16. So remember the nil. Everybody's terrified with the nil. Nil is actually, actually great for college basketball because it keeps some of the better players in college for another year, like a Zach Edie. And then the big brands can cherry pick mid major teams that nobody watches on television and get better faster. Everybody thought the nil going to help the little guy maybe. No. Made the rich richer. Yes. America likes to watch Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, Michigan State, Arizona, more than Drexel, Lipscomb and Woford, who knew? But college basketball diehards through the years and they love the sport and that's great. And it probably, it's a little bit like, hey, I, I bought the iPhone first or I knew this band before you did. And I know more about college basketball. Those days look like they're over. The mid majors may have an NBA player. Kentucky goes and grabs him. Arizona goes and grabs him. And so the mid majors, listen, the rest of us common people don't watch a lot of Missouri Valley basketball. I've never said to my wife, honey, let's go out, bottle of Chianti, little Italian romantic dinner. And she turned to me and went, no, honey, let's stay home and watch Murray State. Most people don't watch it. They watch the big brands and eventually all these upsets, their ratings killers because you end up with McNeese State in the next game. So people say a lot of things. I love upsets. And people do predictable things. They don't watch the next game after an upset. So this is why, by the way, the the movies that are flourishing in Hollywood. Big stars stay away from politics, action films. Why are the Oscars dying? Too much politics. They don't acknowledge Tom Cruise and they talk about movies nobody watches. Stay on the big brands. This is not Copenhagen. People don't ride around on bikes all day. Have a second lunch, a siesta. We'll get to it tomorrow. We're busy. We're distracted. You gotta give us familiar laundry. And so Duke gets a huge rating. I probably made a mistake in my bracket. My dark horse was number four. Arizona. I don't know how long they're going to last. Lucky Oregon missed a lot of free throws last night, but Duke elicits a feeling, whatever that feeling is, outside of the NFL. Baseball, hockey, basketball, college or pro wnba. Look at the WNBA ratings. Why? Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese. Angel Reese is. Is a part of that now. Caitlin's the bigger part. But there's a. There's a. There's a villain here. A push and a pull. It's bird and magic. It's coastal. And so to me, folks, we're distracted. We got to know the laundry. You got to give us big brands, you know, I mean, where politics distract us. Movies, options, Beaches, mountains. Pro sports. Canada doesn't have our labyrinth of college options. They're watching their hockey. That's what they're watching. This weekend, the Dodgers Angels was on, and I'm sitting there watching it, and by about the third inning, I'm like, wait a minute. This is back to being an exhibition game. Dodger Stadium looked kind of full in the lower section. I thought, that's kind of a weird opening game against interleague play. I don't really get it. And then I remembered some of the starters are playing. We got so many games on tv. You got to give us the big stuff. Mid majors, see a big brand, stronger than ever. It's good for college basketball. All right, so the first round of the NFL draft, I think it's officially like a month away as of today or yesterday. And it's not a particularly strong draft. It's not a great quarterback draft. But the last couple of years, there have been an abundance of Michigan Wolverines speaking of big brands in the first round. So this year they got a tight end, corner and two defensive tackles could all go in the first round. And the Pittsburgh Steelers could use some of those players. But the Pittsburgh Steelers staff skipped the Michigan pro day. That's a big deal. They all skipped it to stay home and interview Aaron Rodgers and try to talk him in to becoming a Steeler. And he went and he interviewed and he left and there's no contract. So. And I'll say this, if you do not take quarterback seriously, like Pete Carroll in Seattle, Geno's good enough. Not really. With that roster. He's not. Sam Howell's good enough. Ron Rivera, not really. Mason Rudolph, good enough. Not really. This is Pittsburgh's fault. And by the way, I really do wonder what Aaron's thinking because the Steelers offensive line was bad and then they lost their left tackle. And Najee Harris who came out this weekend and said, yeah, Pittsburgh's offense, it's frustrating. There's no identity. They also lead the league again in defensive spending and they spend 150 million on DK Metcalf. So they have two needy, combustible wide receivers who sort of have the same game, both want the ball and they have no quarterback. So I'm sitting there and I'm thinking to myself over the weekend, there's a reason Aaron Rodgers was waiting and wait. He wanted Minnesota. Excellent offensive coach, superstar wide receiver who doesn't complain much. Upgraded their offensive line very well in free agency. Aaron wanted to go to Minnesota, knew the division, closer to Malibu, closer to home. He wanted to go to Minnesota. And what he's doing, he's treating the Steelers like they need him more than he needs them. And Aaron Rodgers is right. I looked it up this morning. Even with California taxes, he's got a net worth probably $300 million. First ballot hall of Famer, 41 year old guy with a lot of interests. I've said this before. Minnesota, I would have stuck around for Giants. Was interesting because of the coach and left tackle and weapon. I think Pittsburgh is fool's gold for a quarterback. Go ask Russell Wilson. It was a mess by the end of the year. Go ask Mason Rudolph, old Big Ben. It's fool's gold. The Steelers are 29th in touchdown passes with a variety of quarterbacks since 2021. Think about this. That's fewer than the Patriots, the Raiders and the Bears. I mean, come on now we're getting in the Carolina categories. So I, I think Aaron Rodgers, if he signs anywhere, it will be Pittsburgh. But I think there's a reason people wait to take a job offer because they have questions. It could be my kids, it could be your kids, it could be you, it could be Aaron Rodgers. He's sitting around, he's like their offensive lines of mess. And they may have just lost their best offensive lineman and their best running back. And I met with a coordinator, he's fine not special. It's a defensive culture, tone, deft offense, and two wide receivers that are talented, but both want the ball and both have proven to be combustible. So in this instance, I think Aaron's on the right side. I think he wanted to go to Minnesota. He would consider San Francisco if the Brock Purdy thing didn't work. I think he wants to keep his options out there. I don't think that's necessarily a bad plan, but just to give you a sense, Pittsburgh kept all their staff home instead of going to the Michigan Wolverine pro day. And they have four first rounders and they could certainly use some help. So that's where we stand today. J. Mac, Bill Simmons in one hour. Calling right, calling wrong. You know, people said there weren't a lot of upsets and it was a boring tournament, but I will say this, that I thought. I mean, I guess Arkansas beating St. John's is an upset, but Arkansas got off to a really bad start this year with Calipari. It's a new coach, new staff, new players. They played very well at the end of the year. So it's not a huge upset. The SEC is so stacked that Arkansas in the middle of the pack is actually a team capable of getting to the Elite Eight.
- [11:49]
J. Mac
Yeah, they worry me, man. That's a. That's a pretty damn good team. I will say, I like your flex to start the show. 15 of 16 sweet 16 teams. Well done. But Colin, your take on the transfer portal nil. Don't you think it's kind of killed Cinderella? I mean, if you're good at a small school for one year, you're gone. The big guys are gobbling you up. There will not be another Steph Curry in college basketball. That's not happening. The Davidson thing? Yeah, the fau. Those runs are done.
- [12:15]
Colin Cowherd
That's right.
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J. Mac
As soon as you're good, you can.
- [12:19]
Colin Cowherd
Win a game, maybe get lucky in two. But I would argue when I say Cinderella, it's a myth. It never existed. Well, Villanova beat Georgetown. No, that's right in my wheelhouse. They were a tough matchup for Georgetown. Roli Massamino, who I covered in Vegas, told me, he goes, we were. We didn't want anything to do with St. John's we didn't match up with him. We played him twice in the Big east and they crushed us.
- [12:45]
J. Mac
They had a couple pros on that Villanova team.
- [12:47]
Colin Cowherd
That's what I'm saying. That's considered the all time Cinderella rolling. Massimino told me when I used to host his co. I hosted his coaching show in Vegas. He goes, we love Georgetown. They were physical. We had an NBA center in N. Pinckney. We could slow it down. I thought I could go toe to toe with John Thompson. We had no fear of Georgetown. St. John's crushed us. So that's considered, oh, the Villanova story. Villanova had pros.
- [13:11]
J. Mac
Those are big east schools. I'm talking like a George Mason. Remember when they made the run to the Final Four?
- [13:14]
Colin Cowherd
Yeah.
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J. Mac
That ain't happening, by the way, those things.
- [13:17]
Colin Cowherd
Go ask a sports fan and name three players on George Mason.
- [13:20]
J. Mac
Yeah.
- [13:20]
Colin Cowherd
So that this idea that we watched for, for Cinderella. No. CBS and tnt. CBS has done a great job to sell that mythology, but it's untrue.
- [13:32]
J. Mac
And what do we see all weekend? The McNeese State team, they get one win in the tournament and it was like, oh my gosh, McNeese State, their manager, all this stuff. And then poof, it's gone and they're done.
- [13:41]
Colin Cowherd
Remember? So last week everybody, everybody was on UC San Diego beating Michigan.
- [13:48]
J. Mac
We're so close.
- [13:49]
Colin Cowherd
So I watched Michigan the week before play, you know, Big Ten games. I'm like, Michigan's got like two seven footers.
- [13:55]
J. Mac
Yeah.
- [13:55]
Colin Cowherd
You see San Diego's not going to be able to. Just going to dump the ball low, dominate the glass. So there'll still be upsets, but there have never been as many. There was a shock of smart. Was it VCU team, You get a hot coach, a hot team, they get kind of a friendly bracket. But this idea, that's why we watch. It's not. That's not why we watch. We watch for the Michigan's and Dukes and Carolina. I mean, last night I'm watching Oregon and Arizona. By the way, I watched, I watched the entire UConn Florida game. You know why? Because it had a bunch of NBA players and great coaches. And it was, by the way, I thought UConn outplayed them. But then Florida dominates the last three minutes and makes all the big plays. But. But the reason UConn in Florida was so good and the reason we love College football, because UConn Florida looked a little bit like NBA basketball.
- [14:46]
J. Mac
Yeah.
- [14:46]
Colin Cowherd
You had shot makers and size and physicality. And so again, there are just things we. People say, I'm going to work out, I'm going to lose £20. Maybe with Ozempic you will, but you never lost it at the gym. People say a lot of things, but they do very predictable things. And we don't watch Missouri Valley Conference basketball and we don't watch March Madness because of that.
- [15:07]
J. Mac
We like dominant teams. Who's winning around sports. Boston Celtics, absolutely loaded. Philadelphia Eagles, stacked team. All like the great teams are dominating right now. You're not really seeing these major upsets in sports at all right now.
- [15:21]
Colin Cowherd
All you can hope for if, if you're a bad franchise, the Indiana Fever is that you land Caitlyn Clark.
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J. Mac
There you go. Yeah.
- [15:28]
Colin Cowherd
I mean, that's really it. Or if you're Oklahoma City in a small market, you get SGA about la.
- [15:33]
J. Mac
Dodgers spend the most money, win the.
- [15:35]
Colin Cowherd
World Series, greatest team, get upset with it. This is, this is wrong with sports. Yankees, Dodgers went through the roof ratings wise.
- [15:41]
J. Mac
Yeah.
- [15:42]
Colin Cowherd
So the more social platforms we have, the busier we get, the more distracted we get. I mean, I say this about streaming. I watch Netflix. Yeah. You know, first thing I go to out of the football season, the big dog. It's nothing against Hulu. Hbo Max will give them love today. I watch stuff on that Apple tv. But, but it's even with streaming, I just go right to the big brands that I've known forever. That's where I go. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the iHeartRadio app. All you renters out there, here's something from Rocket Mortgage you're gonna want to hear now. Anyone who has ever rented before knows that feeling you get every month. Your hard earned cash gone. It's like throwing money away. Even more frustrating is the knowledge that every dollar you spent on rent is a dollar you could have put towards your future. It can make it feel like you'll never be able to save enough to afford a home of your own. And that's what makes what Rocket Mortgage is doing so special. Rocket Mortgage is now helping you put your monthly rent payments towards home ownership. It's called Rent Rewards. And for the first time, you can save up to $5,000 off the cost of your home just by paying rent. Only at Rocket Mortgage. If this sounds like something that could make a difference in your life, call 804Rocket or visit rocket.com learn more about rent rewards. That's 804Rocket or rocket.com Rocket Mortgage LLC.
- [17:18]
J. Mac
Equal housing lender licensed in all 50 states. NMLS consumeraccess.org Number 3030 welcome to a day in the life of an amex Gold Card Member.
- [17:25]
Colin Cowherd
7:00Am Iced coffee with up to $84 back annually at Dunkin locations. Mmm.
- [17:31]
J. Mac
12:00 Pesto zoodles with four times Membership Rewards points on purchases at US restaurants up to $50,000.
- [17:37]
Colin Cowherd
This is so good.
- [17:38]
J. Mac
And to finish strong, the freshest sushi spot with up to $100 back annually on eligible purchases at US Frezzi restaurants.
- [17:46]
Colin Cowherd
What a day. That's the powerful backing of American Express. Terms apply. Cap applies.
- [17:50]
J. Mac
Learn more@americanexpress.com withamx this is Jonas Knox.
- [17:53]
Colin Cowherd
From Two Pros and a Cup of Joe and today's podcast is brought to you by Ferguson Home. Whether you're a homeowner working on a remodel or a pro managing multiple projects fer Ferguson Home is where great ideas become stunning spaces. It's designed for the way you want to shop. Explore the best selection of kitchen, bath and lighting products online or visit a local Ferguson Home showroom and get one on one support from an expert consultant. Go to FergusonHome.com to shop the latest styles from top brands like Kohler or find a showroom location near you. This podcast is brought to you by Pfizer let's talk health. You may not know about pneumococcal disease, but if you're 50 or older, or 19 or older with certain medical conditions like diabetes, you're at risk and it could turn your plans, big or small, into a hospital visit. So get vaccinated. It's one action you can take to help protect against pneumococcal pneumonia, an invasive pneumococcal disease. Keep enjoying everything you're looking forward to, even if it's just a podcast. Schedule a shot@vax assist.com so the best game in the tournament that I have seen so far is UConn felt like they were the better team for about 85% of it. But you know what? Florida hit the big shots late and that's you're going to see that in the NBA playoffs. Nobody cares until the final three and a half minutes. You got to make the shots. Florida did. They're a really good team but you knew the champs, the back to back champs. You know to be the champ you got to beat him. You know it would be a tough out, super physical team and could have won the game. But so Dan Hurley after walks off the floor and he's dog cussing the referees. He's rough on referees. He's rough during the season much like Jim Calhoun rough, rough on referees and he's just saying we got dog by the refs. But you know what? He's intense. That's who he is. In pro sports you have an owner you have. Every player's a millionaire. Occasionally, you'll coach a billionaire. You have big city, aggressive media. They all keep you in check. But a dominant college basketball or football coach, he's the highest paid state employee. Bob Knight, Nick Saban, Woody Hayes, Jim Calhoun, Dan Hurley. It's why I said when the Laker job became available. No, no, no, no, no. Don't take that job. You are a college coach. You're smart enough to be a head coach in the NBA, but your personality is built for college basketball. Steve Kerr, more conciliatory. Eric Spoelstra, Ditto. Ty Lou. They're not screamers. You know, they've. A couple of those guys have played in the NBA. So, you know, I mean, Steve Kirk was a fighter as a player, got into the legendary fight with Michael Jordan, the punch. But as a. As a coach, he yells mostly at officials, not his players. And so I think college sports is very attractive to men who, like, control. You do not have that in pro sports, okay? And billionaire owners, now they're all billionaires, are more impulsive than ever. So good coaches get fired. I mean, Carson Wentz goes 27 and seven touchdowns to picks in Indy. And the owner's like, yeah, we don't have a backup plan. Get rid of him. What? That's pro sport. So Tom Thibodeau in New York coaches the Knicks. The knock on him is, you know, he practices very hard, and, you know, he plays his starters a lot of minutes. That is viewed in the NBA as not player friendly, just asking your starters to play a lot. So Dan Hurley is 13 and one in his last 14 tournament games. And here's the thing. His players love him. Some have stayed for an extra year. He doesn't really yell at his players, not that I can tell. He yells at the refs. Calhoun yelled at everybody. Hurley yells at the refs. He's good with the media mostly. He's great with his players. Oh, he probably drives the UConn administration nuts, but it makes you uncomfortable. It makes the media really uncomfortable. But it doesn't appear to make his players uncomfortable because their recruiting classes are always excellent. So that intensity, it's who he is, and the players are okay with it, and that's who matters most. And here's Hurley after the loss. You know, unless it ended in San Antonio, cutting the nets down again, it.
- [22:20]
J. Mac
Was gonna end, you know, in a.
- [22:24]
Colin Cowherd
Real, you know, emotional way. It's a lot of emotion, man.
- [22:29]
Bill Simmons
We're a passionate program.
- [22:31]
Colin Cowherd
The players play with it, I coach with it.
- [22:34]
Bill Simmons
And you're always drained when it's over.
- [22:38]
Colin Cowherd
You know what? And here's my thing. He's authentic about it. Like, he's like, hey, listen, man, it's like in Hollywood, they have these directors. You know, some of the, I think it was like Stanley Kubrick, I want 68 takes. And there were actors who were like, yeah, I'm not going to work for Stanley Kubrick. I'm not going to do that. And then there are directors. Woody Allen may ad lib a little more. And you know that going in. So it's the actor's responsibility to accept it. Do your homework and know what you're walking into if you go play for Dan Hurley. Practice is hard. Coach is hard. It's intense, it's volatile. You have the choice as the athlete. It's up to you. Do your homework, vet the program. It doesn't seem to bother the players. I don't love the outburst. A couple years ago, people are banging on Tom Izzo because he's yelling at a player. Players love Tom Izzo. They go back for years, decades, tears. They love him. You know, I mean, Tom Brady barked at people on the sideline. Know what you're getting into? I don't have to like, Bobby Knight touched players. Bobby Knight was on players, Hurley and the players. He just barks at refs. He barks at refs. He's very intense. I can live with it. I don't have to love it. You know, I, I, I, I, I kind of like the Steve Kerr approach. But Steve Kerr similarly. I mean, he's called out the NBA this year. He's called out officiating this year. He's called out the media before. And I love Steve Kerr, but he's doing on a pro. But you know what Steve doesn't do call out players much. It's to Dan Hurley. Hurley's not on the players. When he's barking to a player, he's not screaming at him. He often looks past him. And I don't know if that's because somebody yelled at Hurley, but I think that's probably the case. But I, I, I, I'm going to defend him. Here is this is the program. When you watch UConn. If I had to explain it in one word, I would say intense. I mean, when, when Nick Saban was at Alabama, that's what I, how I would have described it. Yeah, Nick's intense. Nick is barking a lot at revs, at his coaches, at his players. And so, you know, players have a choice. Every player today on social Media knows the coaches that bark. They know what they're getting into at UConn. And what they're getting into is currently the best college basketball program in the country. He's not, he's not grabbing players. He's not throwing stuff at players. I wouldn't defend him then. J. Mac with the news.
- [25:09]
Bill Simmons
No, no, no, no. Turn on the news.
- [25:12]
Colin Cowherd
This is the Herd line news.
- [25:14]
J. Mac
All right, let's continue the tournament. Rolling. Colin. Maryland. Colorado State was thrilling. The best finish in the tournament so far. Take a listen. With the terps down, 18 seconds left.
- [25:26]
Colin Cowherd
To the freshman Queen who's driving, floats it. Maryland on the right side of a buzzer beater.
- [25:35]
J. Mac
How about that? The freshman went into the huddle before the final play and said, give me the mfing ball. By the way, like, that's awesome.
- [25:42]
Colin Cowherd
Why are people getting worked up? That's not a traveling. And if it is close, you're not going to call it there. People are like, don't ruin the moment. I. When I watch that, I kind of bake it in. That's like a half step too much. Nobody's going to call that.
- [25:57]
J. Mac
Yeah, you're not called.
- [25:59]
Colin Cowherd
I actually saw this weekend. Was I watching OKC in the Clippers? I was watching an NBA game this weekend. Somebody walked about four steps and they did. It was Giannis. Was it the. Was it the ball handling with Giannis last week? You know, there's just certain things I. We're like, first of all, Maryland is a good story. Good story, good team. But we're way too heavy on the traveling.
- [26:24]
J. Mac
Yeah.
- [26:24]
Colin Cowherd
Angle on.
- [26:25]
J. Mac
How about the fun stat that this kid Queen freshman from Baltimore, he played high school ball with Cooper Flag. Can you imagine him and Cooper Flag on the same high school basketball team? That's ridiculous. So now Maryland goes up against Florida next. Colin. That's a tall order. Florida didn't look great at times against Yukon any early lean in that one.
- [26:43]
Colin Cowherd
Well, I think Florida, Florida's really good. I think. You know, it's funny, I have 15 of the 16 teams left.
- [26:50]
J. Mac
You're going to say that twice every.
- [26:51]
Colin Cowherd
Week I went back and forth. The one scratch off on my bracket is I took Oklahoma to beat Yukon. So. But when I was watching Yukon in their two games, my take is, man, they're. They just ratchet. They go from intense to hyper intense in the tournament. So I actually think the way UConn plays benefited Florida going forward. They will not play a team that physical or that well coached. So like, like Florida comes out of that now. Like, that may be the best coach team you play and the most physical team you play. So I think Florida is now going to start rolling, people.
- [27:25]
J. Mac
They're in good shape. Yeah, the kid, Walter Clayton, I mean.
- [27:27]
Colin Cowherd
He'S a really good shot maker.
- [27:29]
J. Mac
Next story. Colin staying with the tournament, John Calipari led the Razorbacks over Rick PATINO in the St. John's folks, it's Saturday night. Now, what was a pretty good game. Calipari was informed that the transfer portal is opening today. He's got to worry about the sweet 16. Here's Calipari's reaction.
- [27:46]
Colin Cowherd
When does it open the portal? When? This Monday. Welcome to my world. So Monday we're really preparing for a game and we're having individual meetings about, are you coming back?
- [28:04]
J. Mac
Are you ready?
- [28:05]
Colin Cowherd
You know, if they put their name in the portal, they probably don't have an option to come back. But, you know, I mean, it's, you care about the kids. At the end of the year, it's all about them, whatever they choose.
- [28:17]
Bill Simmons
You want to go pro, want to.
- [28:19]
Colin Cowherd
Come back, you want to go somewhere else, it's their choice. And I've always been that way. But it's, it's getting harder to be that way. You know, I, first of all, I supported him for a long time at Kentucky. I, I, it drove me nuts when he said, my job is not to win in March. It's to make these kids great pros. To which I would say, can you imagine coaching Ohio State football and saying, it's not my job to win the Big Ten or to win bowl games. It's just to make kids pros. You'd be out of work. So I didn't buy. I thought that was a little bit of a grift. But I will say this. He may not finish as well as people like, but he is a great program builder and there is an art to it now. Now he's got a title. If he'd have won a second at Kentucky, none of this would have stuck.
- [29:01]
J. Mac
He had many chances to win that second day.
- [29:04]
Colin Cowherd
And it wasn't just losing at Kentucky in the tournament. It was losing the first game to, like, real have nothing.
- [29:09]
J. Mac
And he's always had stacked team John.
- [29:12]
Colin Cowherd
Wall, but he has a great eye for talent. His teams play great defense. Now in that game, nobody could hit a shot. It wasn't that appealing, like, nobody could shoot. But to his credit, John builds programs, and like an Urban Meyer, you do not have to wait long, like six weeks. And he'll land four elite players. So it's when you look at it, they started really. I watched them early in the season and they a bit of a mess. But by the end of the year you're like, yeah, that team could win them.
- [29:40]
J. Mac
They're pretty good. Yeah, they got to play Texas Tech next. You know, I love Texas.
- [29:42]
Colin Cowherd
That's your dark horse in the tournament.
- [29:44]
J. Mac
Yeah, yeah, yeah. They got a decent shot at the final four. I'm curious, do you think we'll see any players left in the tournament in the Sweet 16? Enter the transfer portal and say I'm out. I don't want to go to the sweet 16. I'm not like playing that would be surprising to me. But we saw kids, I think there was a Texas football player, remember, but ahead of the playoff left because he wanted to enter the portal. Like this is your window, right? You've got to enter now where all the spots are going to be gobbled up.
- [30:09]
Colin Cowherd
So yeah, I mean I think this, this tournament has been too many people complaining, there's not upsets, the ratings are good. I, I mean I did think. I'll tell you one of my takeaways. Vegas, don't mess with Vegas. So many games ended right on the line. Five point game was a five point spread. I mean Vegas is so good at this stuff.
- [30:32]
J. Mac
Decent, decent final story call to the NBA. I know we don't pay a lot of attention to it during March Madness, but LeBron returned Saturday night against the Bulls at home. He missed seven straight games. And the Lakers, they got blasted by Chicago, gave up a buck 46. Embarrassing stuff. LeBron wasn't in top four. He did have 17 points first game back. Here he is talking about the loss. A little rusty, little rusty.
- [30:57]
Colin Cowherd
But I was happy to get back all day. I just take day by day. I can't worry about you what's going.
- [31:02]
J. Mac
To happen in the future.
- [31:03]
Colin Cowherd
But I mean I'm got through today. As a proud Chicago Bulls season ticket holder, I can tell you that's the best they've shot in maybe a decade.
- [31:13]
J. Mac
Yeah, Josh Giddey looked like a whole NBA player. Almost had a quadruple double.
- [31:17]
Colin Cowherd
Dude, if Cooper flag goes to you.
- [31:20]
J. Mac
Like that, let's start pushing that narrative.
- [31:22]
Colin Cowherd
That's fun. Listen, the NBA's got an interesting Boston team, New York team, Bay Area team, Los Angeles team. I'll argue all day long with Simmons when Dallas is healthy next year. That is an excellent roster.
- [31:36]
J. Mac
When is that going to be like February?
- [31:37]
Colin Cowherd
Well, next year, just wait till next year. That team has the best center rotation in the game. They need another play initiator. But Dallas is good. If all that's missing is an interesting team in Chicago.
- [31:50]
J. Mac
Yeah. Remember, Zion Williamson landed in, like, New Orleans and everybody was disappointed. I'm sorry, I'm not going to be thrilled if Cooper Flag goes to play in Charlotte with. I'm sorry, Charlotte. But I want to see him in Chicago.
- [32:02]
Colin Cowherd
Of course.
- [32:03]
J. Mac
Okay. I'm sorry. NBA fans. Like, I need Cooper Flag in a big market, on TV a lot. There's a world where he's like an NBA savior. Colin. Okay. Given the political climate.
- [32:12]
Colin Cowherd
Well, he's also star.
- [32:13]
J. Mac
He'll be the biggest white star that the NBA has had in decades. Well, I mean, and again, like, Steve Nash was Canadian. Jokic is not.
- [32:20]
Colin Cowherd
I would say this. The kid's doing multiple national commercials. And he's got a personality. His game reminds me a little bit of Jayson Tatum, where he does everything well. I don't know.
- [32:32]
J. Mac
If you bring the ball up, break, it's like, whoa, no, no.
- [32:35]
Colin Cowherd
He does everything well. I don't know if Jayson Tatum is great at anything, but he's very good at everything. Cooper Flag's got a lot of that. But I think more than anything, I mean, this is Zion. If Zion would have kept his weight under control and stayed healthy, Zion would be one of the faces of the league. There's no. Because his early numbers were insane. Flag is go. If he goes to Chicago, Duke, he's already got major advertisers like this. I'm rooting for it because we both like the NBA.
- [33:03]
J. Mac
The NBA kind of needs Cooper Flag to be a big flag bearer, if you will. I mean, again, I don't want to make it a white black thing, but there just aren't a lot of good white players in the league. I know Austin Reaves is great, a lot of Europeans.
- [33:14]
Colin Cowherd
But, you know, I don't see it as a race thing. I see it as a domestic product.
- [33:19]
J. Mac
You don't see it as a race thing? Are you not seeing all these race baiters online? NBA's General. Why do you think they're saying that?
- [33:24]
Colin Cowherd
I don't pay attention to that. I think we need more great domestic players who were stars in college. I don't. To me, I don't care about anything other. I need more Duke, Carolina guys who star then going to the NBA and like Cooper Flag averaging 18 as a rookie for Chicago. That's what I want. That just. And I think, and I've talked about this before, I think the NBA and I love Adam Silver, the load Management drives me nuts, and they marginalize college basketball, and I'll never get it. Cooper Flag. People just forget how fascinating Zion was as a rookie. I was watching Pelican games and he was giving you like 24 and 10 easily. Just. And then. But. But his torque, the injuries, the weight.
- [34:11]
J. Mac
Now there is a world where the Philadelphia 76ers. Colin. Get in the mix for that number one pick. You know, they're cratering, they're tanking. Everybody's done. Embiid, Maxi Paul George and Cooper Flagg. That would be scary.
- [34:23]
Colin Cowherd
Again, Philadelphia, not bad for the league. J. Mac with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Herd line news. Well, I picked Auburn to win it. I told. I told Tom Izzo that right here. Remember last week I said, tom, I've got Auburn winning it. Bruce Pearl, their coach is around the corner. Colin, right. Colin, wrong. Bill Simmons has a new series with hbo. Max, the staff's ahead of me on this. I'm never first on anything, okay? So I just. It's not a shot. I'm never first on anything. I'm gonna get to it this week. I got Tuesday and Wednesday night. I'm gonna get through it. But the staff loves it. We'll talk about that next. Live in la, it's the Herd. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, Weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific. 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 Cavino Enrich 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 Nonrich, wherever you get your podcasts and of course on social, that's Covino and Rich. All you renters out there, here's something from Rocket Mortgage you're going to want to hear now. Anyone who has ever rented before knows that feeling you get every month. Your hard earned cash gone. It's like throwing money away. Even more frustrating is the knowledge that every dollar you spent on rent is a dollar you could have put towards your future. It can make it feel like you'll never be able to save enough to afford a home of your own. And that's what makes what Rocket Mortgage is doing so special. Rocket Mortgage is now helping you put your monthly rent payments towards home ownership. It's called Rent Rewards and for the first time, you can save up to $5,000 off the cost of your home just by paying rent. Only at Rocket Mortgage. If this sounds like something that could make a difference in your life, call 804Rocket or visit Rocket.com learn more about rent rewards that's 804Rocket or Rocket.com Rocket.
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J. Mac
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Colin Cowherd
You get up to 100 back annually on eligible purchases at resi restaurants. So party of two, right this way.
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J. Mac
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Colin Cowherd
Required terms apply. 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 alright, let's get into it. Virgin Voyages this isn't just another cruise line. This is redefining what luxury travel means. First off, all in voyage pricing. Over $1,000 in value. Wi fi tips, entertainment, even dining at specialty restaurants. It's all included. No nickel and diming, no hidden fees. It's clear, simple and honestly how it should have always been done. And the cabins? Let's just say they're not your standard hotel on the water deal. They've got private terraces, virgin red hammocks, views of the open sea. It's a reset button for Your brain. Now here's what really sets them apart. No kids. That's right. Adults only. Everything. Food, entertainment, activities tailored to what you actually want. And the destinations you're looking at the Caribbean this winter. And for 2025, 2026, they're hitting places like North America, Iceland, the Mediterranean. It's top tier travel for people who demand the best. Virgin voyages isn't just a cruise. It's the future of adult vacations. Get on board. Book now@virginvoyages.com or contact your travel advisor. Well, I picked Auburn to win the Natty last week and I told Tom Izzo that and I think I told Mark Few that. And one of the reasons is I like their coach. They got multiple guys that can score and they have an elite shot maker so they can play from behind. I think there are certain teams in this tournament. Michigan may be one, Michigan State may be one. They're very, very good teams. I'm not sure they're built to come from way back. Bruce Pearl, it's already been 11 years at Auburn. He's built a power four time coach of the year. So you know Calipari's joking about this Nil Portal stuff. He was funny about that. He's like, the Portal, oh, it opens today. Four year five starters are from the Portal. So it's obviously something you're comfortable with. You, you've been at smaller schools, you know the talent, is it one of those things, it drives you nuts. But you, you, you know, you can, you're not going to complain or do you kind of lean into the Portal and all the challenges of it.
- [40:02]
Bill Simmons
Well, Colin, great to be with you. Look, you got to adjust to the rule changes and the Portal and Nil are here, they're here to stay. And so you got to find a way to navigate within the framework of that. For me, I don't mind the Portal at all. And yet so much of my team are guys that have been here four and five years. That's been the foundation and that's what our culture is. But if you could add the right pieces at the right time, you can be competitive every year. For me, I typically don't like somebody else's mistakes. I really like guys in a Portal that come from mid major or division two or junior college. Guys that are humble and hungry and just want an opportunity having, you know, worked out a little bit. Now they're ready to play at the high major level. And that's, that's been the secret sauce for Auburn.
- [40:49]
Colin Cowherd
So I said this in January I'd watched SEC basketball and I said on the air twice, I said I don't know if you guys are watching this, but the middle of that conference could be better than everybody else's top. So you know, the nil. I would argue that a lot of the SEC schools are not in big rich markets. But yet when I watch SEC basketball, you're all stock with talent. Is that just the geographic footprint? The high school coaching, the money? Why is the SEC suddenly so deep?
- [41:20]
Bill Simmons
That's a great question. And you hit the nail on the head, Colin. Everybody in the SEC is invested. It just means more. And I said this at the beginning of the season as we were out there in recruiting and we were competing. What was going to make the SEC really special and really deep this year and really difficult to win is that the teams at the bottom of our league are investing very similarly to the teams in the middle and the top of the league. There's just not that much difference. And Colin, I think if you looked at look at the national champion in football and the teams that got there at the very end, they were the teams that were committed in the nil area when I mean committed, you know, $20 million rosters. If you look at this year's Sweet 16, I think you'll find very much that is very much the case. I'm happy that the SEC has got seven teams in the Sweet 16. Not that it needed to validate what we did during regular season because what we do did with the regular season was real. We earned the teams that we got. But I'm glad this many teams advanced that we don't. That way we don't have to put up with the argument that we were overrated.
- [42:20]
Colin Cowherd
You've come into this tournament. I mean for years and years I thought of Auburn as a football school and I don't anymore. I think of Bruce Pearl. That's the first thing I think of with Auburn. I think of Charles Barkley and Bruce Pearl and you're that you've done that. So it's interesting.
- [42:34]
Bill Simmons
We are still eight. We are still a football school. But I also like to say that we're at everything school. You know we did that. We won the national championship in men's golf, our women's golf team with the elite eight, our gymnastics team in ranked softball is amazing. And Hugh freeze mark my words is going to get it done in football. You're going to make a lot of progress this year. So listen, I'm glad when you think of Auburn, you think of me and Charles, that's a great, great compliment. I just hope that I'm worthy of your picking Auburn to win the whole thing. You realize we got to go through Michigan, Michigan State, Ole Miss, and then all the other chalk that is still, that it's still alive in the Sweet Sixteen.
- [43:13]
Colin Cowherd
You know, I said this earlier. I watched Florida, UConn, boy, that, that was a game. And I said, I think Florida benefited from Yukon's physicality. I don't think they'll play a more physical team the rest of the way. And I like Florida. They got really hot late. Everybody's got Florida winning for somebody that knows them well. I watched him yesterday. I thought Yukon outplayed him for big chunks of that game. Were you shocked that Yukon gave them that much?
- [43:43]
Bill Simmons
Yeah, I was surprised. You know, not because Coach Hurley can't put together a game plan and beat anybody on any given Sunday. It's just that you're right. UConn was able to match Florida's physicality. And Florida is the most physical team, I think, in the country with the deepest and the best guard play. I mean, Clayton is going to be the best guard on the floor. Almost every single night he takes the floor, particularly the offensive end. So yes, I was surprised that Florida, you struggled as much as, as, as they did with UConn. But look, UConn's a two time national champion and they were, they played with great pride and, and not many people were picking them. I still think right now Florida is playing the best of anybody in the country. I think Duke is, is also has demonstrated they played, you know, some great basketball. But look, we just got to see who can, who can stay hot and who can manage to navigate them one at a time. For Auburn, we've got these two seven footers at Michigan that are both really skilled and really physical and they're obviously really, really good. And coach Mays, I mean, he's one of the best young coaches in college basketball. So we'll look, we'll take it one game at a time, but we definitely feel like the SEC prepared us to make a run.
- [44:57]
Colin Cowherd
You know, it's Juni Broom's obviously played great. You've got shot makers. That gives you a chance to win a title. I said this earlier. I, I think Adam Silver is very good as a commissioner of the NBA. I think he's marginalized college basketball. They thought, you know what, we'll just go to the G League. We don't need college basketball. My take is that is a huge mistake. College basketball between the brands March Madness. Also, I think the coaching's better in college basketball than the G League. I would argue NIL does you a favor that you may be able to keep a kid one more year. And I do feel like the NBA kind of like, nah, we don't need college basketball. I think the ratings prove it. Did. Did you always feel that, that you were kind of almost. They were a rival. The NBA was almost a rival to college basketball?
- [45:48]
Bill Simmons
Yeah. I not been asked that question and I don't like to be criticized. I'm not critical of any. My grandfather said if you don't have something nice to say, don't say it. But I don't know that the NCAA basketball world and the NBA basketball world at the highest levels have worked that well together either as it relates to developing our game exposure. In fact, I think in many ways we've been competing and I think now with the nil, we are absolutely able to compete with the NBA. Kids would rather their kids are better off being in their teens and their 20s in college, continuing to develop and being able to be compensated for their value and their worth versus having to go into the G League and play on a team with a bunch of guys that don't want to be there and you know, and rush the development. Look, Colin, it's not how much you make, it's how long you can make it. So what I tell kids, look, you're going to get rich when you sign your first contract, but you're not going to get wealthy until you sign your second or third. So the question is, when is it best for you to go into the league so that when it comes to your second and third contract, your body, your game, your maturity level is ready. I think the quality of NBA basketball will be better and better served if they would stop drafting so much on potential. Like, like there are, there are some great freshmen this year that were on losing college teams. They're going to draft it really high and they're going to be great players, but they're not ready right now. So what are you going to do? Put them out there in the NBA where they're not going to play very good basketball or stick them in a G league as an 18, 19 year old kid? I don't think right now that system's working. Nil gives those guys a chance to stay in college a little bit, get right and get better and they'll be better pros for it.
- [47:33]
Colin Cowherd
Yeah. And I also think there's such value in the community of a college campus. There's a Lot of diversity. You got to go to classes you don't love, you don't always get your way. But it's a community. College campuses are some of the great times in your life. He's Bruce Pearl. Friday, it's Michigan. I like Auburn winning, but this is a good one. Michigan is NBA big. So Bruce, I appreciate it as always. Thank you. And you built a powerhouse. And good luck to you.
- [48:01]
Bill Simmons
Thank you, Colin. We'll talk to you again soon.
- [48:03]
Colin Cowherd
All right. Bruce Pearl, 11 years at Auburn. Four time SEC coach of the year. See this, his feeling is mine, which is the NBA kind of worked against you. I've said this. If my kid was a college basketball player, I'd rather you take some classes, get coached hard in college, not go to the G League. In most of the coaching's hit and miss. In the G League, the training staffs are hit and miss. There's no marketing. College players. I've talked to Mark. Few at Gonzag College players get treated great and now they get paid great if they're excellent players. So. By the way, I know you're excited about this. As a Jets fan, I don't know if this caught your attention. Jameis Winston signed a two year deal with the Giants.
- [48:44]
J. Mac
I'm excited about that. So what does that mean? Does that mean that they are drafting a quarterback in the first round regardless of who's there or second round? I mean they have to take.
- [48:53]
Colin Cowherd
Yes, yes.
- [48:54]
J. Mac
So who's your head coach next year? Because it's not Brian Dable. Well, there's no way he's surviving with Jameis Winston and or a second.
- [49:01]
Colin Cowherd
Well, especially if you don't have your offensive line. Right. And the Cowboys and the Eagles will have pretty good pass rushes. Jameis throws a lot of errant balls. So it'll be a turnover plug season.
- [49:15]
J. Mac
Now when does Malik neighbors. Have you checked his social media to see if he what his thoughts on this, this acquisition? I mean it's like Aaron Rodgers maybe. Oh no, we got James Winston. It's like, oh well, it's Colin. We're going to a big steak dinner. We're going to Outback. You know, like that that's what this.
- [49:30]
Colin Cowherd
Feels like for a lot of people. That's wonderful. Let me just say this. The New York Giants in their franchise history had never lost 13 games. They've now lost 13 games three times in eight years. And it's just a series of egregiously bad moves. I mean, Bill Simmons next hour. The reason the Celtics are good. Brad Stevens and Danny Ainge are basketball savants. Yeah, they made really good decisions on coaches, really good decisions on draft picks. Danny made really good decisions when to move off stars at the right time.
- [50:02]
J. Mac
They could have had Markel Fultz in the draft. Remember that? They were like, no, we're gonna, we're gonna upstairs, take this Jason Tatum guy.
- [50:08]
Colin Cowherd
Upstairs is the difference. I mean, I love Andy Reed and Mahomes, but upstairs is the difference between eliminated early and eliminated late. And the Giants have been a mess upstairs for a lot of years. All right, Colin right? Colin wrong. Monday show our two next. 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. I don't know. 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 OTs upwithhate. We live in a divided country and our media couldn't be more polarizing. That's why we started the Middle with Jeremy Hobson.
- [51:02]
J. Mac
It's about bringing voices not from the extremes, but from the vast middle into the national conversation. Each week we hear from ordinary Americans from all over the country. And when you subscribe to the Middle, you also get an episode each week called One Thing Trump did that focuses.
- [51:17]
Colin Cowherd
On just one item from the avalanche of news. Listen to the Middle with Jeremy Hobson on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. In 2020, a group of young women.
- [51:29]
J. Mac
Found themselves in an AI fueled nightmare. Someone was posting.
- [51:34]
Colin Cowherd
It was just me naked. Well, not me, but me with someone else's body parts. This is Levittown, a new podcast from iHeart podcasts Bloomberg and Kaleidoscope about the rise of deepfake pornography and the battle to stop it. Listen to Levittown on Bloomberg's Big Take podcast. Find it on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Are you hungry?
- [51:57]
J. Mac
Colleen Witt here and Eating While Broke is back for season four every Thursday.
- [52:02]
Bill Simmons
On the Black Effect Podcast Network.
- [52:05]
J. Mac
This season, we've got a legend, legendary.
- [52:07]
Bill Simmons
Lineup serving up broke dishes and even.
- [52:09]
J. Mac
Better stories on the menu. We have Tony Baker Nick Cannon, Melissa Ford, October London and Carrie Harper. Howie Turning Big Macs into Big Moves Catch Eating while broke every Thursday on the Black Effect Podcast Network iHeartRadio app.
- [52:24]
Colin Cowherd
Apple Podcasts Wherever you get your favorite.
- [52:26]
J. Mac
Shows, come hungry for season four.