The Duke Hate Is Still Strong, Plus Jay Bilas on the UConn & Hurley Difference, Arizona vs. Michigan & Some NBA Draft Talk

Summary

The Ryen Russillo Show — “The Duke Hate Is Still Strong, Plus Jay Bilas on the UConn & Hurley Difference, Arizona vs. Michigan & Some NBA Draft Talk”

Date: March 30, 2026
Host: Ryen Russillo
Guest: Jay Bilas (ESPN)
Producer/Crew: Kyle, Ceruti, Kevin

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Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the aftermath of Duke’s heartbreaking NCAA loss to UConn, a result that once again united much of the sports world in collective schadenfreude. Ryen explores why Duke losses feel uniquely satisfying for so many, offers historical context, and breaks down how the game unraveled. ESPN’s Jay Bilas joins for an in-depth analysis of the UConn comeback, NCAA Tournament culture, Final Four matchups (Illinois, Arizona, Michigan), and the evolving impact of NIL and the transfer portal on both football and basketball. Life Advice wraps up the episode with gym misadventures, intergenerational small talk, and a lively golf fan mailbag.

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Key Segments and Insights

1. The Joy (and Universality) of Duke Losing

[03:27–11:38]

• Duke’s agony as communal celebration:

  • Ryen reflects on the “incredible, historic comeback by UConn” and how, predictably, social media and studio shows exploded with glee at Duke’s defeat.
  • “There may not be anything that has a higher approval rating in the sports world than Duke losing in the tournament.” (Ryen Russillo, 05:03)
  • The phenomenon is explored as something that truly unites sports fans across divides. Unlike rooting against “enemy” teams like the Yankees or Lakers, the Duke effect feels outsized given the school’s small size and unique, almost mythic, campus.

• Personal Duke fandom history and psychology:

  • Ryen shares that, as a younger fan, Duke’s perceived privilege and the TV image of “fucking nerds” waving behind the basket triggered jealousy, but also a sort of respect for how well the program manipulates rules and officiating.
  • “I thought the kids were just... look, I'll say it. You know, you watch the broadcast... I'm like, look at these fucking nerds. I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I felt that way, but that's how I felt.” (06:59)
  • He admits to softening (“I love Shire. I started rooting for that Zion team just because I wanted to keep watching Zion.”), but recognizes the communal catharsis in watching Duke fall.
  • Quick history detour: Ryen lays out Duke-UConn connections, referencing the infamous Christian Laettner regional shot (1990) and UConn’s rise since then.

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2. Detailed Game Breakdown: UConn’s Epic Comeback over Duke

[16:56–25:26]
Guest: Jay Bilas

• Game story and turning points:

  • Jay unpacks Duke’s blown 19-point lead, dissecting key possessions and the critical turnover in the final moments.
  • “Anytime you have a comeback... number one seeds were 134 and 0 with a double digit lead. You have to give UConn credit, but Duke just did not do the right things in the second half.” (Jay Bilas, 17:49)
  • On Duke's freshman mistakes and the lack of collective experience, especially around breaking presses and in late-game situations.
  • Kudos to UConn’s Alex Karaban for his next-level poise and trust, passing the ball back out to Braylon Mullins for the dagger shot — “99% of the college kids are letting that [shot] fly. They're not passing it to somebody else.” (Russillo, 22:27)

• What sets UConn apart:

  • Bilas points to Danny Hurley’s culture: “Games are way easier than their practices and they’re in high stress situations all the time.” (23:42)
  • UConn’s core belief and “championship DNA” is highlighted, plus the advantage of older, seasoned players.

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3. Final Four Preview & Matchup Analysis

[25:26–38:57]

• Illinois’ growth and offensive firepower:

  • Jay describes Illinois now as “arguably the best offensive team in college basketball,” highlighting their pro-experienced Eastern European players, versatility, and rebounding.
  • Keaton Wagler gets Tyrese Haliburton comparisons for his “impossible to speed up” style and unique shooting release.

• Arizona vs. Michigan:

  • Ryen and Jay agree Michigan’s guards have closed the gap vs Arizona’s vaunted backcourt. Jay singles out Yaxel Lindeborg as a potential pro and a transfer portal success story — a star now revealed on a bigger stage.
  • Both call Michigan-Arizona the likely “real championship game,” with Jay noting Arizona’s old-school approach of drawing fouls and dominating from the stripe.

• What it takes to beat Arizona:

  • “It takes tremendous physicality and strength, and the discipline to play that way without fouling.” (Jay Bilas, 38:57)
  • Arizona’s interior depth and the willingness of starters to come off the bench is called out as a key intangible.

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4. UConn’s Offense: NBA Crossover and Championship DNA

[32:43–36:26]

• Russillo admires UConn’s European-style offense, “almost FIBA-like,” and wonders whether Hurley’s motion-heavy, multi-action system could work in the NBA.
• Jay credits assistant Luke Murray’s international influence and notes how UConn’s patience and depth of offensive actions “puts you in some bad positions” as an opponent.
• “They're looking for the other stuff — 2nd, 3rd, 4th action. It's beautiful to watch.” (Jay Bilas, 36:26)

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5. NBA Draft Discussion: Scouting Top Prospects

[41:28–45:35]

• Ryen and Jay do a rapid-fire rundown on the loaded, youthful 2026 NBA Draft class, comparing positional needs and upside.
• Jay leans slightly toward AJ DeBonsa as the no. 1 overall pick, notes AJ Peterson’s volatility but immense talent, and flags Arkansas’s Darius Acuff Jr. as “the real deal.”
• “This draft reminds me a little bit of ‘03… It offers a tantalizing array of talent and a depth of young players that I just can’t remember.” (Jay Bilas, 43:41)
• Discussion of projection challenges: “Now the 22-year olds go, ‘well, we know who he is.’ Like, really? When did that become a thing?” (Jay Bilas, 44:15)

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6. NIL, the Transfer Portal, and “What Do Fans Really Want?”

[45:35–55:07]

• Ryen lays out how the same changes — NIL and the transfer portal — are cited as explanations for both increased parity in college football (Big Ten titles) and superteam dominance in modern men’s basketball (four 1-seeds in the Final Four), depending on which outcomes you want to rationalize.
• Jay calls out the hypocrisy of coaches angry over player empowerment while jumping between gigs themselves:
  • “Why can’t the players better themselves? … If you want them to stay, then sign them to multi-year contracts… But the NCAA won’t allow that.” (49:41)
  • “Coaches, they just become less and less… It’s hard to have sympathy.” (Russillo, 53:14)
  • “Their coaching staff costs more [than roster]. Tell me there’s any offensive coordinator out there in football more valuable than a great quarterback. There isn’t one.” (Bilas, 53:37)
• Fans say they want Cinderella stories, but ratings spike for blueblood Final Fours. “People will say they don’t like it and then the ratings show, yes, they do.” (Bilas, 49:41)

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7. Life Advice (Gym Woes, Old People Small Talk, Masters Fandom)

[57:32–82:43]

• Ryen's gym injury ([58:08]): Overzealous plate-loaded pull-ups lead to a “pec-bicep thing”— precautionary sling, and the pain of learning your limits.
• Mailbag: Small talk with the 70+ crowd ([66:21]):
  • How to keep the conversation rolling with older relatives?
  • Kyle: “Ask them how much they paid for their house. They love that shit.”
  • Group consensus: steer them to their favorite old stories, treat their favorite “hits” with patience.
• Masters trip advice ([74:09]):
  • Practice round strategies, budgeting (most costs come from the pro shop, not food or drink).
  • “You lose your phone, everything’s like ’90s prices and the one thing where you get hammered is the gift shop.” (Kyle, 75:11)
  • Barbecue chicken sandwich, peach ice cream, and Masters cups—what’s worth it, what’s not.
  • Relatability of underwhelming souvenir gifts, Masters gear as low-key status symbol.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “There may not be anything that has a higher approval rating in the sports world than Duke losing in the tournament.” (Russillo, 05:03)

• “If you want them to stay, then sign them to multi-year contracts... But the NCAA won’t allow that.” (Bilas, 49:41)

• “People say, I’d love to see the Pittsburgh Pirates make the World Series… And the ratings are crap. But the Dodgers and Yankees… the ratings are through the roof. What does that mean? It means more people are interested with the brand names." (Bilas, 49:41)

• On UConn’s offensive system: “Their initial action is not what they’re looking for... it’s second, third, fourth action that’s going to get you. I think it’s beautiful to watch.” (Bilas, 36:26)

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• Duke Hate and Communal Joy: 03:27–11:38
• UConn vs. Duke Game Breakdown with Jay Bilas: 16:56–25:26
• Final Four Matchups & Analysis: 25:26–38:57
• UConn Offensive Philosophy: 32:43–36:26
• NBA Draft Conversation: 41:28–45:35
• NIL, Portal, Fan Desires Rant: 45:35–55:07
• Life Advice — Gym Injury Story: 57:32–62:46
• Life Advice — Old People Small Talk: 66:21–71:39
• Masters Practice Round Advice: 74:09–83:04

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Conclusion

This episode combines Ryen’s trademark humor, cultural observation, and deep college hoops chops—with Jay Bilas offering technical and philosophical insight on both the Final Four field and the mechanisms changing college sports. Add in top-tier banter from Kyle, Kevin, and Ceruti, and robust Life Advice, and it’s a flagship experience for new and old listeners alike.

Transcript

[Ryan Rosillo]

Hey Priscilla listeners, you can find every episode on Apple Podcasts and Spotify Prime. Members can listen ad free on Amazon Music.

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[Ryan Rosillo]

The Ryan Rosillo show is presented by DraftKings. We have Jay Billis. We're going to talk about that Duke loss. Also Yukon's win. Make sure we do that as well and look ahead at the rest of the Final Four stuff. Just talk a little bit about the matchups. Also some draft stuff and I'm going to throw a theory at him about the nil and different outcomes that we have in two different sports. I'm going to do more on UConn's history and also why Duke losses seem to bring everyone together. We've got life advice and a little update for you every week in the NBA, stars rise, legends are made, and one player rules them all. All season long, it goes down every Tuesday. DraftKings Sportsbook, an official sports betting partner of the NBA brings you King of the Court. Here's how it works. DraftKings is putting up $1 million in bonus bets each week. Opt in, apply your token and place a $5 pregame bet on the NBA star you think will dominate each Tuesday. If your pick finishes the night leading the league in points, rebounds and assists, they're crowned King of the Court and you win your share of $1 million in bonus bets. And this season, track the action with the King of the Court leaderboard inside the app. Before tip off, see the top 10 stars in PRA points, rebounds, assists. While the games are live, watch your pick climb the when it's over, find out exactly where your star stacked up and if you've been crowned a winner. Download the DraftKings sportsbook app. Use the Code Ryan. That's Code Ryan R Y E N To win a share of $1 million in bonus bets if your player is king of the core in partnership with DraftKings, the Crown is yours. Gambling problem. Call 1-800-GAMBLER or 1-800-MERNET NEW YORK Call 877-8-HOPE-WHY or text Hopeny, CT Call 888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org on behalf of Boothill Casino in Kansas. Wager tax Pass through may apply 21 and over in most states, Boyd and Ontario. Restrictions apply. One token per customer that expires at the start of the final NBA game. When offered Winning shared is $1,000,000 in non withdrawable bonus bets that expire in 7 days. Restrictions apply. [e-mail] promos Duke loses. Duke loses in a horrible way. Duke loses in back to back tournaments in ways that will haunt their head coach John Shire until he wins a national championship. Which I think he will win a national championship. I went back to the Final Four last year and we had Shire on to ask him about that Houston loss that was in the Final Four. Obviously yesterday against UConn was to go to the Final Four and they couldn't inbound the ball and I was like kind of not trepidatious about it, but it was kind of like, hey, can we talk about what happened? They were up 67, 61 last year and it was like under 40 seconds left, I think Sharp hits the three at like 33 seconds left and they still have their issues. And so when you see them lose on Mullins 3 yesterday, this incredible historic comeback by UConn that we'll get to here, the joy, the joy that everyone else feels in the sports world. I don't know that there's anything like it. There may not be anything that has a higher approval rating in the sports world than Duke losing in the tournament. That feels significant. It hasn't even been 24 hours. It's all anybody is talking about. There's like a just a little bit more spirit in each person's step. You're watching guys on TV that do this job and obviously if they have no affiliation with Duke, it's like everybody just enjoys it. It's going to be brutal. Brutal to know that everyone is so happy with your sadness. I'm never going to run for president, in case you were wondering. I don't think it's for me, but I Do like to just kind of run myself through a little bit of an exercise. When I think about how difficult it is to get everyone to agree on stuff. A lot of stuff, too, that seems like, hey, wouldn't everybody just sort of agree on that? You can even look at, like, voting, and then you can look at what the public wants, and then what happens with our leaders? And you're like, hey, I thought everybody wanted this. I like to think of different things to be like, if you said, hey, no more $7 bottle of water stuff at the airport, like, that's done. Cheaper water at the airport. Could we do that? Who would be against it? Maybe Big Water, obviously be the one. But you'd have to figure that one out. I just don't understand why there's this just understood tariff that we're paying as soon as we walk through security where it's like, how much are those earbuds? I don't think that's. It says it's on sale. I think that sale price is actually still $50 higher than if I just bought it at the store or online. Like, no, no, these are the new ones. I don't even think they're the new ones. Two waters, 14 bucks. No youth sports travel before high school. That might be something everybody could get on board with. We got to do something for the parents, folks. They're losing their weekends, divorce rates. I'm worried about it. Although you could argue people are getting divorced because it's just more efficient to have two households just to get the kids to their games on the weekends. It's like, yeah, actually, we still get along great. We're in love. But if you got three kids and they're all traveling for soccer and it just made more sense, like, you know, she's an hour and a half away. I'm down here. We just. The commute times cut down. I may never know my son, but daughter soccer, we've got it covered. I think universal healthcare makes a lot of sense, but yet there's opposition because of costs, who's actually paying for it, that kind of stuff. Fraud's had a weird year. Feel like people, you just be like, hey, do you like fraud? Like, no. Now it's like, hey, do you like fraud? Well, who doesn't like fraud? Well, maybe I do like fraud a little bit more. So Duke losing has a very high approval rating. I don't know that anybody that's bummed out about it. Everyone seems to enjoy it. And if we just keep it to sports not being political. The Yankees were That for a long time, but they've been replaced by the Dodgers. Maybe the Pats were that in the NFL. So if you went, like, total number of NFL fans or baseball fans. Baseball's just on the rise right now. Maybe we could get some math here where it's like, hey, there's actually more. But there's actually more Yankees fans that are rooting for it than are rooting for Duke basketball, if you did an NBA one. There's just too many Lakers or Celtics fans if you want to point to them as being the enemy. And that's kind of like its own cool little coastal thing. But I just don't know that there's anything quite like Duke because it's a small little school in North Carolina with 6,500 undergraduates. 87% of them are from out of the state. The grad school numbers are a lot bigger. I've been to both places. When we did a live show in Chapel Hill for unc, you know, Unc feels like it's part of the town. It's, you know, Chapel Hill, Unc. It's the same thing, that it's just all connected. It's this beautiful, cool little. Going back in time. Huey Lewis just walking around and being like, this is. This is what the 50s must have been like in the best way possible. Madison has a little bit of that as well. And then I was like, I want to go check out Duke. And people are like, why do you want to check out Duke? I'm like, well, I'm here. I want to see Duke. They're like, it's over there. Like, okay. They were, like, offended. Get in the rental car, shoot over 15, not even 20 minutes away. You just take a turn off of a road, and then you drive up and you're like, what the fuck is this? This Harry Potter set and walking around and it's its own little thing. And I'm not even upset about this. I hate it. Duke going way back, 86, final four. I was like, hey, can I check out maybe, like, a facility? You know, espn, Anything we can do? And it was like, no. Like, are you serious? Duke wouldn't beat Duke without espn. That's fine. I don't. Hey, there's some guy outside who says he's, you know, so that's fine. Has nothing to do with it. But, look, I was jealous of Duke back in the day. I thought the kids were just. Look, I'll say it. You know, you watch the broadcast, regular season game, the other team's guys inbounding the kids are behind him and they're waving their fingers. They just got a basketball T shirt like two weeks ago. And I'm like, look at these fucking nerds. I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I felt that way, but that's how I felt. That's what I felt when I saw them on tv. Knowing that I was like, yeah, they're probably going to be more successful than me anyway. When you watch the games, you're like, they're going to get every call. Your guy on your team that you're rooting for. You just knew he was going to get hit with that third foul in the first half. You're like, great, so now he's not going to play the next eight minutes of this or they can't bring him back in and then he's going to get four. When in reality, Coach K just was better at coaching his team on fouls. He was like, they were better at attacking guys that were in foul trouble, like they would make it more of a priority. They were just smarter at coaching fouls, whether it was them avoiding them or whatever. I also had this weird theory back probably 20 years ago where I felt like the offensive foul, the charge, the emphasis on the charge was directly related to Duke because K and everybody knew that the refs are just bad at calling it. So if you just kept taking charges and flopping and all the Shane B. A shit, I mean, look, there's a lot of backlog here. I'm not new here, all right? But I would say, and I've brought this up before, that I've pivoted a bit. I love Shire. I started rooting for that Zion team just because I wanted to keep watching Zion. I don't have any hate in my heart. The audience knows this. I'm just a very happy person day to day. I think everybody realizes that. But this was just an unbelievable reminder for them to lose in this fashion, that there is nothing else in sports, that the sports world celebrates more collectively when it really doesn't even have anything to do with them. They can have nothing to do with it. Watching that team lose in the tournament makes the sports world happy. The game. Couple minutes on that. A little history lesson for you. 26, 21, 9:12 to go in the first half. Five minutes later, it's 40 to 21.

[Kyle]

I didn't know.

[Ryan Rosillo]

It felt like UConn was on 21 for two straight days. UConn didn't score their 22nd point until 413 left in the first half. 44:29 at the half. The largest halftime lead blown by a number one seed in tournament history. And also a lot of people forget about this redemption for the other Leitner shot. The Leitner shot against Kentucky is more recent, but there was one against Yukon in the regional final. That was after Tate George had hit the shot against Clemson, where it's Duke. UConn in overtime in 1990. Now this season, unless you want to go with the NIT championship before this. But the 1990 season put UConn on the map. UConn basketball became UConn basketball in 1990. And there were signs, but they were preseason, I think, unranked. They won the Big east title. They won the Big east tournament. They were the number one seed in this region. Duke was the number three seed. UConn is up 78, 77. They get a stop, a missed jumper, and Allah Abdel Nabi put back that missed. UConn's got the ball. They're trying to run clock. And they do the classic thing that so many of these college teams do. They prioritize burning clock over, actually getting a good look. They get a terrible look in the corner. They'd had two different options where they could have gone earlier. They didn't. They waste the entire possession. Hurley's bringing the ball up. Tate George almost intercepts a pass ahead. The ball's knocked out of bounds in front of Duke's bench. 2.6 seconds left. Leitner to inbound. But Yukon does not assign a defender to Leitner on the inbound. So they're going to play five against four. Laitner just throws it to Hurley, who then throws it right back to Leitner. I think it was Hurley. It may not have been. And Leitner coming in from out of bounds, double pumps, which I don't think he even needed to do, swishes it. Duke goes on to the Final Four. Duke, later in that Final 4, lost to UNLV 10373 in the championship game. UConn, despite the 90 season putting them on the map, and I think it was their first tournament appearance since 1979. UConn didn't make the Final Four, their first Final Four, until nine years later. But once they got to the Final Four, they usually win it. This is their eighth. The previous seven, they've won six titles. Their last loss in the Final Four, 2009 to Michigan State. They have now won 18 straight games in the Sweet 16 range or later. And yesterday they did it by being Duke with a freshman hitting a three. Who said after the game. He wanted to get the ball to somebody else who had made one. Caravan throws it back to him and that shot will live on. It's not going to be late in Kentucky, but it will be something you will. And of course he will. But you'll see that shot if you're a college basketball fan for the rest of your life. A quick word on the tool that keeps people's workflow tighter than my takes Microsoft365 copilot the world moves fast your workday even faster. Pitching products, driving reports, analyzing data. Microsoft 365 Copilot is your AI assistant for work built into Word, Excel, PowerPoint and other Microsoft 365 apps you use, helping you quickly write, analyze, create and summarize so you can cut through clutter and clear a path to your best work. Learn [e-mail] m365cpilot boost your credit instantly with Experian Boost. Experian Boost is completely free and can instantly raise your credit scores. Add everyday on time payments like phone, utilities and even rent payments to your Experian credit file so your positive history can count. It's fast, secure and free and built for people whose credit doesn't tell the whole story. See results quickly. Many customers get instant score uplift. I had bad credit and when you have bad credit, you are more like a long time ago. Let's not freak out. But when you have bad credit, you then kind of don't care about credit until somebody else is like, hey, we care about your credit score. And you're like, oh, I've been putting this off. I've been trying to ignore it. And guess what? Ignoring it doesn't fix it. Addressing it fixes it. Signing up for stuff like this so that you can start implementing a plan and seeing the work pay off. You're like, man up 12 points. It's a weird feeling, but it's a good one the first time it starts heading in the right direction. Download the app and get started for free. Results will vary. Not all bills or subscriptions are eligible. Savings not guaranteed. Paid membership with connected payment account required. See experian.com for details. Excited to talk with Jay Billis from ESPN, one of the best in college basketball. So I'll just start with this. Like, I don't think I saw you anywhere. Where were you for this game for UConn Duke?

[Jay Billis]

I was just. I had just flown back from Bristol, Connecticut. I was up in Connecticut for studio shows, The Wraparound, the Elite 8 games and the Sweet 16 games over the weekend And I had just landed and got home right about the time the Duke Yukon game was starting. So I was like most people, sitting on my couch watching the game start to finish.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Look, this is the kind of game that no one's ever going to forget. I mean, it's going to be up there with the latent shot against Kentucky. You know, I think the problem for Duke and Shire is that you have these two years with these results and I think I know you well enough and we'll probably just agree to keep it moving, that we don't know that there's something wrong functionally with the Duke basketball program to have these kinds of losses. But what do you think about the game itself and how it changed? What did you see for this to turn like this?

[Jay Billis]

Well, I mean anytime you have, it was a 19 point lead at its highest in the first half. It was 15 at halftime. And anytime you have a comeback, like there's a reason that number one seeds were 134 and oh when they had a double digit lead like that. So you have the heroics of UConn in making the comeback and the toughness and the acuity to make plays under pressure, but it has to go hand in hand with the team that has that lead of not doing the right things. And so in the second half, Duke scored 28 points. I mean, you're not going to beat anybody doing that. They almost did, but they turned the ball over eight times in the second half to UConns one. And that led, I think it was 16 to nothing in points off turnovers in the second half. And so I think John Shire was right in saying it wasn't just that one play at the end. Well, he's right. But, but it's not about one play until it gets down to one play. And Duke didn't do what they're trained to do. Like when I was at Duke a million years ago playing for Coach K, we did a drill called for coach passing drill every day and they, they still do it today. And it's, it's that kind of drill where it's, it's a, it's a press drill. And the deal is when you catch the ball, you're going back to the ball. You catch it and get on two feet and then you catch and face the defense. Coach K and John Shire say catch and face every time in that. And when Kaden Boozer caught the ball, there's nothing wrong with him looking up court to pitch it ahead. But what he didn't do was catch Face the defense, assess it and then make whatever play was available, including hold it if that was required. He caught it and then immediate like kind of turned while he was catching it and then dribbled it and then jumped into the air to make the pass. And that's exactly what they're trained not to do. So that's under pressure and he's a freshman. And that's kind of one of the issues that you deal with coaching Duke now is there's no memory bank for these players because they haven't been in these situations as often as Alex Caravan has been in it. So you're, you're having to redo everything year by year. So the Houston game last year in the final Four had no effect on this team because hardly any of those players were there that were on the floor. So it's all essentially new to them. So maybe, you know, you're going to have to look at this objectively, take a step back and say, okay, you know, there, there's a trend here like Duke's last four losses, including that Houston game, they've had double digit leads and lost them. So do you have to, do they do game situations in practice? Do you have to do more of that, you know, with a young team when your team's new? So there's no memory of that for these players. They weren't there. And maybe Malik Brown was there, but I'm not. He wasn't even in the game at the end. And last year against Houston, one of the things that I thought cost Duke was they weren't in close games during the year. So they didn't have that. They weren't conditioned to that. And this year they were in more close games. So they did have the Carolina game, the Texas Tech game to draw on in their memory bank. But like Ryan, I think this, I think this is true. Like the last play when Alex Caravan. So they Yukon guess the deflection off the Caden Boozer pass. Braylon Mullins was the one that corralled the ball. He pitched it ahead to Caravan like Caravan could have shot that ball. But he's a mature champion mindset winner with a lot in his memory bank and he made an extraordinary play to pitch it back to Mullens for the step in shot. And if you watch Mullins in high school, he made a lot of those. You know, his range is unbelievable. That's not unusual for him to make a shot out there and. But that sort of poise under pressure, you expect that more from a senior like Caravan and Duke has chosen to go with these uber talented freshmen. And you're going to have a situation like that and they got, they got beat. But one of the things, like, I really do believe this, like, John Shire was right in his post game press conference that it wasn't just about that one play. There were a number of turnovers that went for touchdowns. You know, with a minute to go, Duke was up four, and Cameron Boozer turned it over trying to drive it, and he just let it go. And then. And then UConn gets a three and now it's a one point game. But so all those plays led up to the last play, but still they were. And what difference to make whether Duke made the comeback or. Or UConn made it. You still have to process that last play. And UConn did and Duke didn't.

[Ryan Rosillo]

It's a great point on Caribbean, because I'm 99% of the college kids are letting that fly. They're not passing it to somebody else. They're not passing it back to a freshman. And even Mullins had a great comment after. Just like I was trying to get it to somebody else because I hadn't hit anything all day long. So not the Caribbean was on fire either. I mean, he didn't hit one at his threes until late. That was the only one that he made. There's always a conversation about culture, and it's like a really easy thing to say, like, hey, we, we want a culture here. And it's just hard. It's hard to make it up, you know, unless. Unless you have those people. And clearly with UConn, you know, it's easy to have an expectation of winning once you start winning titles like they have under Hurley. But do you notice that or. You know, I just don't feel like many teams win that game unless there's a belief. And coming up with that belief is not just something you can put on a T shirt. And it's actually, I think, a really short list of whether it's professional sports teams or college programs in football or basketball that have a culture where there's like, we still are in the fight. And to me, the Huskies are the epitome of that yesterday.

[Jay Billis]

Yeah. And I think the culture you're talking about is Danny Hurley. His practices are high stress environments. Same is true of Kelvin Sampson. I think it's true of John Shire, too. You know, Duke's been unfortunate in a number of ways with. They've had some of these things back to back. I mean, you could look back over Coach K's career, I mean, he's coughed up, he's coughed up leads too. But for John, it's been unfortunate that the way they've come, you know, causes the unreasonable out there to start, you know, saying, okay, can't win the Bay, all this nonsense. That doesn't mean you don't, like we talked about before, you don't take a step back and assess things and say, do we need to plan for this or make some changes in how we prepare? That's, I think that's, that's fair game and true. But you know, Danny's program, like in their practices, man, those things, the games are way easier than their practices and they're in high stress situations all the time. So they, they and they're, and those guys are older, you know, like Braylon Mullins is a freshman, but he's around a bunch of older players. And it just sort of depends on your philosophy and the players you can get. Like Duke's got a lot of these one and done guys. You can't argue overall with the results. I mean, I don't, I'm not, I think this is right. Like John Shire has gone back to back years of winning 35 plus games. And nobody does that. It's just they haven't finished it off the way they wanted to. So you got a lead eight and Final Four, which most, most places would put a banner up. You know, Duke doesn't do that. And, and so you're going to, in that seat, you're going to get an extraordinary amount of praise when you win and you're going to get extraordinary amount of criticism when you lose. And that's the job. It may not be right, it may not be fair, but that's the way it is.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I want to look ahead of the final Four just because of the matchups that we have here. And if you go back to late November, it's at MSG. UConn puts it on Illinois. Illinois to me is a completely different team. Wagwood played 14 minutes in that game, took only three shots. And as anybody who's watched the solenoid run like. And you start thinking about matchups as you go, all right, you know, Terrace Reed has been on this absolute tear here. He's gone. He's gotten to a level where I'm like, do I have to start thinking about him as a pro prospect now? Even though the NBA hates the post game? So I don't know how many of these touches he would actually get in the NBA. But like that went from I don't need to do the tape on him to like he might actually be somebody you have to think about a little bit now. But whether it's Illinois's growth and also I think the versatility of all the size that they can throw at them, I wasn't shocked to see Illinois actually favored when the number came out this morning.

[Jay Billis]

No, because they're. They're arguably the best offensive team in college basketball. They have a bunch of Eastern European players that have pro experience. So they're very, very skilled. They can spread the floor and they can shoot it from all five spots with the lineups they put out there. And I agree with you, they're a different team than they were earlier in the season. I don't think earlier in the season they defended at a high level. They rebound, they're good offensive rebounding team. They've got positional size. And Wagler, I think Keaton Wagler, like, I'd never heard of him in high school. And that's a little bit unusual for me because I do follow that. Not like I used to. I used to be out on the road a lot more during the summer. But, you know, like, he reminds me of Tyrese Halliburton. Like, I think that's the comp for him is Halliburton. They play very much the same where it's hard to speed him up. And you can say, well, look, that low release point on his shot, that's the same thing Halliburton had. But they make it at such a high rate. He's legit. He's the real deal. Then Kylan Boswell, who transferred in from Arizona, having him back healthy has been a difference maker because he, he can play the point, he's really strong, good defender, all that stuff. So they're fully capable of winning this thing. And how many times have we seen where one side of the bracket we're going, that's the championship game. Like, kind of reminds you of 83 for the older folks in the crowd like me. That was my freshman year in college and you had Elijah 1 and Drexler in Houston going against the doctors of Duncan, Louisville and everybody. And then on the other side of the brack, and it was Georgia and NC State. And NC State winds up beating Georgia when they had Verm Fleming and Terry Fair and those guys. And NC State winds up winning the whole thing. Like, who would have imagined that? And you know, this, this year's kind of could be setting up that way because that's an unbelievable heavyweight fight on one side of the bracket with Michigan and Arizona.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I look, I love Arizona. I'm late to it, as you know. You know, so I start watching some of the games. I start watching the conference tournament games. And I just felt like, you know, when you're first watching Arizona, you're having a hard time keeping track of, like, wait, who? This guy's awesome now, too. And so when I think about that matchup with Michigan, like, I didn't like their guards as much, but I think their guards have been a lot better. And Londonborg essentially can play outside. Like, whatever you want to say about Londonborg, like, offensive ability, his size, the shooting, the rebounding. He's turned into like a perimeter player. His passing was outstanding throughout. I feel like the entire tournament here. So there's. I'm not like, hey, I'm giving Michigan a chance. Any sane person gives Michigan a chance. Maybe they win this game. But do you look at that? And I'm asking you kind of like to go back to my original thoughts. Like, I always felt like Arizona's back court on top of their front court would be an advantage over everybody. I don't know that the gap is there as much as I thought it was between Arizona and Michigan in the back court. The way those guys have played and what London Borg's been able to do.

[Jay Billis]

Yeah, honestly, I don't think there's any gap. I think those are the two best teams and have been throughout the course of the season. Like, Arizona is this old school, you know, issuing the, you know, three point line as the way to play. They don't shoot a lot of threes. What they do is pound the ball inside and, you know, they're going to get downhill and, and get to the rim. And they're, they're an outstanding offensive rebounding team as well, but they, they do their damage from the free throw line like on the season. And in all these games, they make more free throws than their opponents even attempt. And as you know, the free throw line is the most efficient place on a basketball floor to score. So they play it a little bit of a different way. But Michigan's got another gear. And your point on Yakto Lindeborg is really good. Like Lindenborg last year was at uab. And so last season there were two players in the country that led their teams in scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, and blocks. It was Cooper Flag at Duke and Yaxel Lindeborg, uab. And yet hardly anybody outside of the basketball literati that have their noses buried in this all the time. Even knew who he was. And that's one of the really cool things in my view about the transfer portal is a guy like Linda Borg is, is one of the great players in the country and nobody really knew about it. He goes to a bigger stage now. Everybody knows his name and they should because he's going to play in the NBA for a long time. But that other gear that Michigan has, like, they can go on these 20 to two runs and really the only game where I thought, you know, they lost to Wisconsin, where Wisconsin had 15 threes because they can kind of invert and their big guys can shoot it,

[Ryan Rosillo]

that was, that was a three point barrage in that game.

[Jay Billis]

Like unusual. But the, the only, the only game I felt like they got out of character was Duke when they played in Washington D.C. like they never seemed to get to their second action in a possession. You know, it was almost, I don't want to say they were playing hero ball, but they were always taking the first action and that was so unlike them. And I kind of thought if they, if they played Duke again, Michigan would win. And we will never know now, but that, that's going to be an unbelievable game. It has the chance to be one of the great games and, and you know, look, Illinois, Yukon is going to be fantastic. And you got to like, I know Illinois is favored. I favor Yukon in that game.

[Kyle]

Why?

[Jay Billis]

Well, I think they've got a level of toughness about them and you know, I mean, I use this term and I hesitate a little bit. But even though some of these guys didn't play on their championship teams, I think there's a championship DNA that they have and this crazy belief that even when they were down. I think Tracy Wolfson had this great report out of a huddle midway through the second half when it looked pretty dire and she reported that something to the effect of, you know, Danny Hurley was telling his team like, hey, the momentum's turned, like this is right here for us, you know, that kind of thing. And I think his players believe that. And they, even when, you know, they, they missed an open, they missed a few open threes down the stretch before they hit those last few and you know, they missed a few free throws and stuff like that where you kind of hang your head and they never did. And there's something to that, that, that championship belief that I think they have and this is a first time deal for, for Illinois. I'm not saying they'll be glad to be here because I don't think they will. But there's the expectation that UConn has, that, I think, is a very real thing.

[Ryan Rosillo]

You know, when I watch UConn, I almost feel like I watch them on offense differently than I watch other teams, because I know that whatever the first actions are aren't really what they're doing. And, you know, I think Illinois can do it because I think their defense is so much improved from beginning of the year. But it must be kind of maddening to hope that your kids are going to have the patience to continue to defend the set, where it's like, hey, they're going to run these, like, two curls, one after another, like wide receiver routes into the middle of the paint. But, you know, look, if there's a look, they'll make the play, but that's not really what the play is. The play is actually over here. So when I watch UConn on offense, I find myself going, like, don't get caught ball watching, like, don't let all the eye candy get in the way. Because what it's really about is they're going to get somebody else out over here and they'll run it longer, they'll run it deeper into the shot clock, you know, And I watch some of Hurley stuff. I go, I wonder if, you know, I don't know that he ever really wanted the Lakers job, but I'm thinking to myself, like, I wonder if you could get NBA players to actually run this stuff or that they would just be like, hey, I don't feel like re. Screening, Screening, screen like six times on the same possession. We're so good. We're just going to make the shot. So they are. And I'm not trying to discredit anybody else, but they're just. They just feel like there's a different level of commitment that you need to have with them defensively because it's going to keep going. Like, you have to stay locked in, whatever it is that they're doing.

[Jay Billis]

Yeah, that's really perceptive, and I think you're exactly right. Like, UConn operates like a European pro team on offense. You know, they play like, almost like a FIBA style. And Luke Murray, who's one of the top assistants for Danny Hurley, that that's a lot of his influence over the years of. Of watching what's going on internationally in basketball and using those. And he's done. I think Danny's done an extraordinary job. Like, they do that over and over again, and they're going to. They're going to get an opening at some point. Point. And they don't hesitate to pull the trigger on these shots, but that those actions you're talking about were ultimately what got. That's what got Caravan. That three after the, the Cameron Boozer turnover with about a minute to go. And they look, they missed a bunch of open shots. Like, you know, Duke defended well. I don't want to take anything away from. But, but, you know, honestly, they missed a bunch of open shots throughout the course of the game, but they hit them down the stretch because they're just relentless and running their stuff and they took advantage of some matchup, matchup advantages they have. Like, they had disadvantages on matchups defensively, but they had advantages offensively. And then they took advantage of it and look, they could have lost that game. Like, I don't know what the percentages on that Mullen shot were. They certainly, it certainly wasn't great. So certainly he could have missed that. We wouldn't be talking about this. But just that relentless nature of their offense is going to put you in some bad positions. And, and you're right. Like their initial action is not what. They're not what they're looking for. They may take it, but they're looking for the other stuff. And, and it's second, third, fourth action that's going to get you. And it's, it's. I think it's beautiful to watch. They just don't have the same personnel that they had when they won the two championships. Like, their personnel was better. Their personnel is really good now. But that was extraordinary personnel that they had in 23 and 24. I mean, they won, they went. They won 12 straight games over two tournaments by double digits. Nobody's ever done that. Not Wooden's teams, nobody. And that tells you a lot about, about how good those teams were relative to the field.

[Ryan Rosillo]

From the wildest upsets to the most creative bracket bust shared, we saw that no matter how the bracket ended, every moment was a chance for fans to win and reward themselves with a Reese's all tournament Long brackets have busted for Reese's and we've seen some epic fails and even some more epic Reese's fans. We even sent someone to the Final Four. Everything happens for Reese's. Even busted brackets. Shop Reese's [e-mail] Reese's TastyTrade has a suite of probability tools so you can make smarter picks for your portfolio. Though it can't help you fill out your NCAA bracket, you can trade stocks, options, futures and more all in one platform. Tastytrade offers low commissions, including zero commission on stocks so you can keep more of what you earn. The platform is packed with trading features like Backtesting, which lets you simulate your trading strategies using 10 plus years of data so you can test your ideas about potential Cinderella stocks. Active traders can use features like Ladder Trading Mode, One Click Trading and Smart Order Tracking to manage their positions during crunch time. If you want to learn to trade or discover new strategies, Tastytrade has dozens of educational courses you can access for free with your account. Get Live stellar support from Tastytrade's Deep Bench of experienced trade desk reps during trading hours. Visit tastytrade.com Barstool today tastytrade Inc. Is a registered broker, dealer and member of FINRA, NFA and SIPC. So I want to get your thoughts on Arizona Michigan. But just like you know Arizona, it's like, okay, Burry's a freshman, okay, so we'll run it through him in tight spots. We're totally fine. Like we don't have to go to the Big 12 players the year in Bradley to run the offense, but if we want to do that, maybe we'll get him in a switch. And he's so good at creating contact, he's probably going to get a good look. Krivos is a nice option. Karchenkov, who I think has this ability to start his layup release earlier than anyone ever intends, he's got this lean that no one on defense ever seems to like adjust for. Like he's into his layup sooner than you ever expect. And then you got Koa P hitting turnarounds on a 7 foot 4 guy, a walker comes in, looks like he's the strongest human being in college basketball. And even Dellorso, you know, he's had moments where I've watched him be like he looks like their best offensive player. What is, what is it take to beat Arizona with all of that depth?

[Jay Billis]

It takes tremendous physicality and strength and the discipline to play that way without fouling. And that's really hard to do because with with all that physicality that Arizona brings, you're going to have to put them on the foul line. You know you're going to pile up fouls and that's what they rely upon. And your point on Toby Iwaka and Anthony Del Orso is really good. Like those guys were starters last year. Both of them started like 30 games and they agreed to come off the bench. This year and earlier this season is around the time, it was the time that Arizona lost back to back games. They lost on the Road to Kansas. And if the tournament were played at Allen Field House, Kansas would win the championship. But it wasn't. So they lost a game. They could have won, but they lost. And then they came back and I was there for their loss to Texas Tech. So they lose to Texas Tech and Co opied got hurt. And, and so, you know, Anthony Del Orso had to start. He had like two straight games at 20 where he scored 22 points. He hadn't been shooting well. And a walk up plays about 20 minutes a game. He averages 10 rebounds a game in 20 minutes, man, dude fills up a doorway. You know, he transferred in from Tennessee and he was willing to come off the bench like he's an unbelievable mature leader in doing that, saying, hey man, these freshmen are great. Let them start. I'll come off the bench, I'll play whenever you want. And he not only accepts it, he embraces it. So it's going to be a task for Michigan. Like Arizona's bulkier than Michigan. You know, Crevasse is bulkier than a Daimara. You know, Morris Johnson's big and strong, so is Yaxel Linda Borg. So they're not hurting for strength, but I think the strength of Arizona is going to be the biggest challenge. You know, their physicality that way. But Michigan play, they can play more on the perimeter, so they'll have more three point threats and we'll see what wins. But you know, any shot that goes up, that's when the fight's going to start because you're going to have all those physical bodies going, going after each other. You know, I think, I think Michigan is probably more versatile overall and maybe a little bit more athletic, but only a little bit. But like, I picked Arizona to win at the beginning. Who cares? None of that matters because it's. It doesn't affect anything. But it's hard not to, not to favor Michigan in the game.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Do you know he would pick number one if you had the number one pick?

[Jay Billis]

No, I would probably lean toward AJ DeBonsa because of his positional size and length. Peterson is the most fluid scorer I can remember in college since Durant, and they're really different. But he didn't play this year the same way. And I know the injuries and all that stuff, the cramping and the hamstring and illness contributed to how he played differently than high school. You know, over the last 10 games or whatever it was. He was playing 32 minutes a game. So all this stuff about him not wanting to play was nonsense. But, but the fact that it wasn't what we expected does put an odd feeling in the back of your head that, that it's hard to get rid of. But after seeing him in high school, like, he's the real thing and you don't want to miss on that. But at the same time, DebonSA offers stuff that you know isn't going to miss. And the hard, the hard one, I think is going to be Cameron Boozer, because he's so productive and so good. He's just not this crazy athlete that you would like to see. And then the other thing, Ryan, that, that I'm going to have a hard time with and I don't have to make a pick, so it doesn't matter. But Darius Acuff Jr. At Arkansas is the real deal. Like that guy, I'm a little bit surprised that he's not talked about more as a number one pick option, but whoever gets him is getting a killer. And I mean, you know, he averaged like 24 a game in SEC games and still six and a half assists. He was the only guy, only player to lead that league in, in scoring an assist since Maravich did it. And that's saying something like he is legit. So this draft reminds me a little bit of 03. I don't know that the players are going to be as good as LeBron and Carmelo and Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh and all that, but. But it offers a tantalizing array of talent and then a depth of young players that I just can't remember. They're gonna be. They're gonna be 18 to 20 freshmen drafted in this draft, if they all come out.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah, the Acuff thing. I think there's even a conversation about Flemings, you know, from. From teams. And I don't know, I don't think it's the tournament game or anything like that, but I think the. A cut, his thickness, you know, I mean, that you look at it and you go exactly, like. I know exactly what this is supposed to look like. Even if Flemings probably has a little bit more control of the game, he's just not going to be as physically as imposing as Acuff. And then I think Caleb Olson is still in the conversation here.

[Jay Billis]

Oh, yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Not. Not for number one. It's just, you know, in, in this group of seven, this group of seven or eight guys.

[Jay Billis]

Because that. You're right about Wilson, because of that ridiculous upside. Like you watch him play and then watch him in practice, and he does some things where you're going well, that doesn't look like a fluid smart move to make. And then he just punches it on somebody out of nowhere. Yeah, yeah, he's ridiculous. And I think, I think he's just kind of scratching the surface. But that's the difficulty, as you know, in this is you're trying to see where it's going to be, because where it is now, I don't really matter. These guys are 19 years old and you're trying to project them out to where they're going to be. And you know, when I was, when I was younger, coming out of college, you know, you drafted a 22 year old and you're going, hey, he's a rookie with a lot to learn, you know. Now the 22 year olds go, well, we know who he is. Like, really? When did that become a thing? But these younger guys have proven that, man, the Runway is unbelievable. You're going to miss on some of them, then they're not going to pan out to what you think they're going to be. But the Runway for some of these guys is ridiculous. And they're going to get bigger, stronger and better. But debons is the one that you're going, man, it's kind of hard to like. He's Johnny Bravo, he fits the suit and he's got all the upside that the other guys have and then some.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I want to do something a little different here to close this out, and I think you'll enjoy this. Who knows, maybe you won't. I think you and I are alike in the sense that when you have something different, then you immediately equate the results to what is now different. Because it's just very simple. I've used this, a much smaller, less important example, but I left espn, started doing shows. It's like, oh, he's different now. I leave again, always different. The show's been the same fucking show, all right, but it's just easy for people to go, hey, something is now different. So now I'll say that this is why this is happening. So in college football, with the nil and transfer portal, the SEC doesn't win national championships. Big Ten wins three in a row here. I'd add that I think at some point the Big Ten had to put together a bit of a run and the SEC wasn't going to win it every single year. But I'd also point to other things and say some of that SEC dominance, where they would destroy some of these teams in the bowl games and the out of conference stuff early on, like those results aren't really happening the last couple years. So then it's immediately pointed to, well, look, now that everyone can pay, which I always get a kick out of when I hear certain coaches say it from non sec schools where I'm like, okay, it's like, look at this shift. There is parity throughout college football and it's directly related to the NIL and transfer portal. After the first weekend of the tournament with four teams all being one seeds in the final four last year and the path that we were on until Florida got bounced out, but it took a Mullen shot to have it be 31 seeds in the final four. And it's not like Illinois isn't a powerhouse here. We had the same changes with different results pointing to less parody. And I was reading about how in college basketball it's like, well now with the NIL and the transfer portal, all of these top programs are just going to be that much more loaded up. They're two completely different outcomes with the same origin. And now I know what'll happen because nobody ever wants to admit that they're wrong about anything. Media members would just say, well, football is completely different than basketball. Like maybe, maybe you have me there. But I can't help but think that in general people are falling into the habit of what are the results? Okay, now I'll tell you what. If something is different, I will use what is different to now tell you these are the results that we're getting when it may just be sometimes the results.

[Jay Billis]

Yeah, it's kind of the post hoc propter hoc thing, you know, after it, therefore because of it.

[Ryan Rosillo]

So three years ago, smarter and quicker.

[Jay Billis]

Yeah. Three years ago in basketball we had Florida Atlantic and San Diego State make the final four and San Diego State made the championship game. And the narrative after that final four was nil has made the world flat. Now anybody can win. The big shots are not going to dominate anymore. Two years later, all four number one seeds make it. Not the first time that's happened. It happened in 2008, way before nil. So it wasn't unprecedented. Unusual, but not unprecedented. Then everybody said Cinderella's dead. Mid majors, can't win anymore. And so this year, I mean look what it took to beat Santa Clara. And we had other teams that won in the first weekend. We just didn't get like a fairly Dickinson win against the 16 or we didn't have a St. Peter's run to the Elite Eight or something like that, which people think they're entitled to every year in my view. What NIL has done is it has, it has spread talent out more certainly across the majors where you have Vanderbilt, who's more competitive than they might have been in the past in football. Does anybody believe that Indiana would win a national championship pre nil? Maybe they would have. Maybe if they hired Signetti 15 years ago, they would have won one 14 years ago. Maybe that happened. I don't know. I doubt that.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Probably not. I think that's a really good example of the NIL working in college.

[Jay Billis]

So people have to ask themselves, what do you want? And because what people say they want isn't what their, their decisions reveal that they want. In other words, people say I love Cinderella, then Cinderella makes the Final Four and the ratings go way down and they say, oh, I hate this. Four number one seeds and they have the highest ratings ever. Like, so people will say they don't like it and then the ratings show, yes, they do. Like college football and college basketball. Ratings have shot through the roof over the last few years. We've had our highest rated years ever. So what does that tell us? Like, that tells us people are voting with their viewing. And, and they do like it. And, but that's true. That's been true forever. People say, I'd love to see the Pittsburgh Pirates wake, make the World Series. They make. And the ratings are crap. And the Dodgers and Yankees play and the ratings are through the roof. Like, so what does that mean? It means more people are interested with the brand names. And so we're going to get a great Final Four out of this because we got brand names. We had, we had one of the greatest ones ever last year with brand names. So I don't know what people want, but I know that they voted with their viewing. But, but this is what drives me crazy a little bit. Ryan, I spoke out on it last week. Like, you know, the coaches say one thing. They don't like Nil. They don't like the movement of players. They don't like the players have a choice. They don't like them having money and all that stuff. They say they do, but they really don't and they're really vocal about it. So a player transfers and it's what about loyalty? What about commitment? Nobody wants to go through adversity and there's tampering and poaching. Well, what about the tampering and poaching with coaches? Like people. People don't think that LSU tampered with Will Wade. And one of my favorites was Brian Hodgson at usf, who's a great dude and A great coach. And I do not begrudge the coaches their opportunities. I'm not saying they shouldn't be allowed to go, but that would never happen in the NFL or the NBA. You'd have to get permission and all that stuff. You don't have to do that in college. But Brian Hodgson was waving his finger at everybody saying stay away from my players in almost a threatening manner. Stay away from my players. No tampering with my players. Well, it wasn't stay away from me because he left skid marks on USF to go to Providence. So it was okay if he gets tampered with, but not the players. And this double standard in contradiction to the point of hypocrisy, makes me laugh. Like why can't the players better themselves? Like we mentioned with the Axel Linda board when he was at uab. If you want him to stay, then sign them to multi year contracts where they got buyouts just like the coaches do and have that be bargained for at arm's length. But the NCAA won't allow that. So then they go up to Congress, all these administrators, the NCAA are up Congress and they should be embarrassed by this. They're up at Congress saying this is unsustainable. You know, the players making this amount of money, it's unsustainable. Not one of them said we need to get coaches contracts in line. And these buyouts are ridiculous. Like what are we talking about at LSU? Like 70, $80 million in buyouts. They've been paying with Lane Kiffin and Will Wade and firing their coaches and all that. It's funny how they can find the money when it's going into their pockets. But when it's supposed to go to the players, then we've got an unsustainable problem. Like those two things are not compatible. And if Congress wants to come in and say, hey, okay, we're going to limit players, then you better limit coaches too. Because you can't, you can't do it both ways with straight face.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah, the coaches, they just become less and less. Like it's hard to have sympathy. Like I understand it's a harder job now because of the portal, because of the ni. I understand all that stuff. But it's like, do you want to start doing a chart graph of salaries?

[Jay Billis]

Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Like you want to start, you want to start looking at that over the last 20 years.

[Jay Billis]

Right.

[Ryan Rosillo]

You are being compensated in a way that no one would have ever projected.

[Jay Billis]

Right. And that's fine because they have great value. Like I'm not arguing their value. But don't tell me, like, when they complain about. About how much a roster is costing them, their coaching staff costs more. Like, they're paying more to their coaches. Like, tell me that there's any offensive coordinator out there in football that's worth more than a great quarterback. There isn't one. And tell me that. That an assistant coach in basketball is worth more than a great player. They're not. And so we're in an era now where the players can be compensated. They still don't get anywhere near their value and nowhere near it. They're still restricted due to the house settlement. But we've got. We're still clutching our pearls over this being professional. It's been professional forever. There's no difference between a media rights contract for the NCAA and a media rights contract for the NFL or the NBA. Zero difference. And people will tell me all the time, like, well, why don't you quit your job if you don't like it? Like, ESPN's the problem. They're the ones that. They could fix this. No, we can't. Media. Media rights. You know, media companies buy the rights to broadcast. We don't tell the NFL what to pay their players. We don't tell the NBA what to pay. That's their business. And we don't tell the NCAA what to do. That's their business. We buy media rights. So we. What we make is totally separate from what. What other people make. We're in the media business. That's totally different.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Do you think you would quit your job to make a point, though, to get back at the guy in the future?

[Jay Billis]

I laugh when people say that. I understand the point. As though there's some sort of hypocrisy. But what I would say is, as an American citizen, if you complain about government policy, if you don't like government tax policy or immigrant, whatever it is, pick a policy. So we have to leave the country if we want to complain. That makes no sense. And if you look at my position I've advocated for the players over the years, you could argue that hurts me. Like, the players now can do commercials. So you turn on the TV and you're watching NCAA tournament game, they go to commercial and you see Cameron Boozer and Kaden Boozer on State Farm commercials before nil. Those commercials went to media members. They would get clowns like me or other broadcasters to do those because they weren't allowed to get the players. So you could argue that it's against my interest to advocate for the players because some of that money might have been going in my pocket. Now, why they'd hire me, I would never know. But they used to.

[Ryan Rosillo]

You got a good run?

[Jay Billis]

Yeah, got a good run. But, but, but that's. But that's a great point. Like, we had a great run, but the players deserve it. And, and if we can't compete in the marketplace with the players, then too bad.

[Ryan Rosillo]

You're the best. Man, that was awesome. Let's catch up before the draft. All right, Jay.

[Jay Billis]

Love to. Anytime.

[Ryan Rosillo]

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[Jay Billis]

Fine.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I drive a Ferrari 355 Cabriolet. What's up?

[Jay Billis]

I have a ridiculous house in the South Fork.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I have every toy you can possibly imagine, and best of all, kids, I am liquid. So now you know what's possible. Let me tell you what's required. Life advice. Life Advice, rr.gmail.com. get your emails in. We got Cerutty, we got Kyle. How is everyone?

[Kevin]

I'm all right. How are you?

[Ryan Rosillo]

I'm fine.

[Kevin]

That's why you gotta watch the video.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Just.

[Kevin]

Ryan just showed up today unannounced with a sling on. Just taping Billis and Kevin, the comments. Like, is he wearing a. Like a. What's going on here with the shoulder? I'm like, I don't know. Hasn't told me about it. So what's up?

[Ryan Rosillo]

It's Louis Vuitton's summer line for men and I'm just breaking in one of those bags that could fit a pair of binoculars and maybe some credit cards in it.

[Kevin]

Smart. It's very Euro of you.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Well, it was just in Portugal, by the way, the Portugal pod should be coming out soon. I think we'll just wait until after the tournament's done. Maybe that little dead period of last week in the NBA before the playoffs.

[Kyle]

That's scheduling. That's great. It's a great move.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah. Because sometimes when I get it done, I'm like, ooh, let's get it out immediately. And then I'm like, you know, let's. I mean, we could wait until the summer if we wanted to. Summer Orion. I don't know if it's going to be a summer Orion. Yeah. So I've got a sling on. It's precautionary. Changed up the lifting routine a little bit. I was really proud of it. The last few weeks, I'm like, you got to be in here less days. Focus more on the Muay Thai. Less lifting days. Because a lot of the days I don't want to work in an office, but I'm noticing things where it's like, you are home way too much. And that's why I'll just bounce. I'll just be like, all right, I got to go somewhere for a few days. So I miss going to work. Like, at espn, I actually can tell you that I liked getting up, getting the day started, going to the office, prepping and interacting with people. I liked it. My worst day at espn, it really wasn't ever that bad because I would try to have an adult moment. If you were going through something and be like, hey, man, think about what you're doing today. This is pretty good. This is pretty good. And whether or not I believed it, I would. I would do that kind of stuff. And granted, I never want to drive into, like, East LA three days a week. I don't want to drive to a studio now. But I would go to the gym just way more than I probably needed to, because it feels like just, yeah, right. And you guys know how I am. As soon as we're done with the ads and I'm taping everything, it's like, all right, I want to get to the gym, put myself through something physically, so that I also.

[Kyle]

Yeah, I think it's usually, I got to get the out of here. I think that's usually the line.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah, get the out of here. Boys have heard that one a lot.

[Kevin]

So

[Ryan Rosillo]

I've been lifting less, and I've been getting Stronger because I'm not going as much, which is actually pretty normal. And so your boy was really feeling himself the last couple weeks and I was like, what if I tried this amount? And what if I did this? And what if I tried this? So I've been hanging plates off of my waist and doing pull ups and yesterday I was doing a wide grip pull up thing with a plate dangling between my legs. And on the third one up I felt this awful pec bicep thing. My right arm, my right chest, all in here. So just going to immobilize for seven to 10 days and then we'll be back in attack mode here soon.

[Kyle]

I think that's honestly one of the coolest things you can do in the gym. The thing that's already harder for most people and then we're just throwing a plate there. I think that's probably one of the coolest things you could do, so.

[Kevin]

Oh, I thought you were going to say get hurt.

[Kyle]

No, no, no, no.

[Kevin]

Nothing like getting hurt at the gym.

[Kyle]

I tell you, I just think the pull up, the extra hard pull up is one of the, one of the cooler things that's going on inside those four walls. But that's just me.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Well, I didn't, I did a few and then I was like, I'm just going to throw a plate on. And I was like, I'm going to throw a bigger plate on. And it was like, you dickhead, you should have just incremental, incremental, like, you know, I've been better at this as I've gotten older. Like, hey, you're going to do huge incline dumbbells today. Start at 30 rep out. 30 rep out, another 10 or 30. Slowly, slowly get into this. I stretch like crazy now. And that was, that was something I hadn't tried in a long time. And I at the very top was like, haven't ever felt that before. That's going to suck. And here we are. You're right, left handed, brutal.

[Kevin]

You're going through like a little George Kittle phase here where it just, we're just, we're just getting hurt left and right. You know, we got the torn calf. Do we tear the pec? Did we get a confirmed diagnosis on that? Like you're getting through all these like football injuries but you're without the football part of it.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Well, it's good for the show because when we have guests on it, like, hey, ever tear your calf?

[Kevin]

Yeah, it's true. Yeah, you know what? That is true.

[Ryan Rosillo]

All right.

[Kyle]

You ever cheer your peck talking about turnaround times. Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah. I don't think it's. I don't think it's that bad. I think I'm going to be. I think I'm going to be fine. But I'm also 100% saying that to convince myself that it's going to be fine.

[Kyle]

Well, I think it's going to be fine, too.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Thanks, Kyle. Good to hear.

[Kevin]

Kyle, how are you doing?

[Ryan Rosillo]

Doing good.

[Kyle]

Took Johnny shirt down, threw up the Masters thing. Just, you know, we're just moving forward.

[Kevin]

How's seasonal decor in the background? It's just. I look forward to it.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I was just. When I page on around the horn

[Kyle]

back in the day when I changes, I was like, I think we'll just keep this going. We'll see if there's anything else we got to slot in there. Yeah, it's. I'm just looking forward to the good things. Two pretty cool postseasons for me, two kind of bummer losses. But, you know, there's still cool tournament basketball to watch. The Duke thing was unbelievable. Yeah, it was good. It was nice talking to you guys on game day. That was cool. Enjoy that.

[Kevin]

That's right, Kyle. Kyle did FaceTime. I was at my sister's house, and I did pick up. You saw my daughter, Marlo, what's up?

[Kyle]

Yeah, that was really nice.

[Kevin]

Yeah, we were hanging out, watching the game.

[Ryan Rosillo]

It was fun.

[Kevin]

My buddy.

[Kyle]

My buddy kept talking about his Knicks. Well, Ryan called me pre, and I think we said we were gonna check in at halftime. I'm not really sure. My buddy was in there glued to his phone, talking about the Knicks. And I think I smacked a cigarette out of his mouth when we were outside. Just. I was like, it needs to end. It has to stop. Cause he was just like, oh, fuck, Cat's not scoring enough, or whatever was playing. And I just. I lost it right at the end there. But we apologized, moved on. I've since cooled down. A lot of good perspective was gained that day.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I ordered some more St. John's gear, including one piece for Kyle. And I knew as soon as I ordered it, I was like, they're gonna lose.

[Kyle]

You ordered it in game?

[Ryan Rosillo]

Oh, my God. No, I didn't order it in game. I'd order it days before.

[Kyle]

Oh, okay.

[Ryan Rosillo]

But I actually had it open and then went, they're gonna lose. Don't order it. Closed out of it. And then was like, ah, I want to get something. I want to get this, and I want to get something for Kyle. And then I'm like, they're going to Lose. Were we rooting for UConn? I was. I'm. You know.

[Kyle]

Yeah, I was.

[Ryan Rosillo]

That's. That's the whole SEC thing where Danny Cannell was like, no one's ever, ever rooted for a conference. And I was like, actually, I used to do it even as a little kid. I would want all the Big east teams that I didn't.

[Kyle]

Thought that was the rules.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah. To keep going through the tournament. We're going to root for the ACC teams. And he was like. He looked at me and was like, no, you didn't. Like, okay, I didn't.

[Kevin]

Danny thing ever too.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I love that I made it up.

[Jay Billis]

Nope.

[Kevin]

No, you didn't.

[Ryan Rosillo]

He's like, no one's ever done this. I'm like, what are you talking about? I did it all the time. And he was like, no, you didn't. I was like, okay. Coming up next.

[Kyle]

Well, you know what? I have a lot of Johnny's gear that I think translates. Translates really well to summer. I probably leave the Patriots stuff until about September, but yeah, I think I'll be. I'll be right.

[Kevin]

I mean, still wear the john. Yeah. I mean, it's a great season.

[Kyle]

Yeah. We're not hanging our heads.

[Kevin]

And Patino just didn't. He just signed a huge deal.

[Kyle]

Yeah, he did. Good.

[Kevin]

Yeah.

[Kyle]

Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

But what's the succession plan?

[Kevin]

No.

[Ryan Rosillo]

All right, let's get to some emails here. 26 years old, five 10, 165 max bench. That's going to be mine for about a month. 170 squat. Oh, wait, wait. He's 165, max bench is 170, squat is 300. Great.

[Kevin]

Claricomp.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Ben Simmons with finishing ability. Helen Keller shoots a better three ball. Just had a kid. It's incredible. Helen Keller jokes for a 26 year old soul.

[Kevin]

Still got it.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah, he really is that material. Slayed at recess in 83.

[Kevin]

Well, I will say that. Slayed in 06 too. So, I mean, it's just an actual thing. Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Didn't know that's a staying power her. I admit this email will sound slightly self righteous and snooty, but I'm having a really difficult time connecting with a 70 plus age group right now. Between family members and church, I have a ton of interactions with that age and literally all they have in their arsenal is how's your job going? Or where are you working these days? I understand their whole lives revolved around work, but I literally say the same thing every time it's going well or same job as last time. It's the least interesting part of basically everyone's lives, and it's a question with no dynamics. Wow. This guy needs some depth if you're going to step to him.

[Kevin]

I want to know what a job is.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah. Do I need to suck it up and see this as a feeble attempt at further connection paired with completely different stages of life? What are some tips for how I can make them feel better about social interactions but not make me want to leave the conversation? 10 seconds in. Thanks.

[Kyle]

Ask them how much they paid for their house. They love doing that shit. Find out what they like to complain about and then just incept it. And then you've got 25 minutes. They'll keep going. I love hearing old people complain about shit.

[Ryan Rosillo]

You know, I bought that in 1972. My grandmother will be $29,000.

[Kyle]

My grandma was like, you know, we borrowed $500 from one bank and put it in another, and that's how we got our house loan. I'm like, I think that's fraud. And $500, I get shit done anymore. She's just like, you know, you should. I see you with a coffee. You shouldn't be drinking coffees because you know you're never going to get a house. And we just. I hear this $500 from one bank to another. She could get a loan in 1950. It's like, all right. But she loves telling that story. She likes it.

[Ryan Rosillo]

But you know what? I'm telling you, Kyle, I think you're onto something, even if you don't care or believe it. Any topic that steers towards something they did where they seem smart, they love telling you those stories, and they love telling them, eat it up. They're fresh every time they tell them.

[Jay Billis]

Yeah.

[Kyle]

Just like cars. These cars today, they're not built like they used to. Boom. There's 20 minutes. There you go.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah,

[Kevin]

I would ask.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I worked at radio shack for 42 years. I put up my pension. You want to know what my pension is? I do. I do, sir. And he's just sitting there and he's so proud of himself. That might be a conversation starter or advancer.

[Kyle]

This is so easy. Yeah. This is so easy. What do you got, Steve?

[Kevin]

No, I was just like, what are you bringing to the table? Like, maybe you're not that interesting. Maybe these people don't want to talk

[Kyle]

to you if you're saying if you're dropping. Good. When somebody asks you a Life Update question, maybe you should be doing better, too.

[Kevin]

You could have topics ready for the next time around. You know, it doesn't have to be, you know, going with The Boomer Questionnaire. 21 questions with a boomer. But like, I don't know, like, what do you want to talk about? Talk about it with that person. If they don't, if they don't interact with you, then maybe that's their problem. But it sounds like you're not really bringing much to the table here either.

[Kyle]

Thinking about investing in silver. What do you think about that?

[Kevin]

I saw an infomercial about gold coins.

[Kyle]

We've seen the price of nickel lately.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Harry, how long you had that rake? Yes, yes.

[Kevin]

This is perfect.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Hey, Harry's had this rig for 21 years. Listen to this.

[Kyle]

You know where I can find an anvil? You know, that's something people don't think about anymore.

[Kevin]

Right, right.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I saw some guy on Instagram find an anvil and he was like, so fired up. I'm like, really hope he's going to use that. I can't.

[Kyle]

Don't put it in the front yard.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah, yeah, no, I'm like using it, you know? Yeah, I, I do like the general question though, of like, I think it, the, the answer ends up becoming that you have to adjust what your expectations are here, man. It's likely going to be topics that you don't care about. Like, welcome to talking to people that are a lot older.

[Kevin]

Maybe drop a hell and tell her joke.

[Kyle]

You know, you got to match their game. Yeah. You have to.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah. I think the respectful way to do it is if you don't like it, just be nice during it. I don't know. I don't want to sit here and make it sound like anybody north of a certain number has nothing to bring to the table. It's all that interesting, but you just start to notice it. You'll notice it more and more as you get older. The close people around you, the family members around you, they're playing the hits. They're playing the hits every fucking time. I think everybody eventually kind of evolves into like, I know what this room is going to be. I know what the questions are going to be. I know that I've already answered these things before, but this is all they're really going to care about. And it's probably up to you to kind of meet them in the middle as opposed to them like you unlocking or hacking your way into in depth conversation that you weren't expecting.

[Jay Billis]

Yeah.

[Kyle]

Break out a yellowed photo album. They love that shit. Go on the Root cellar before Easter and just have that shit in the living room. That's good. And the other thing, you're right. Old folks are not shy about what they got minutes on. Like, they're not like, you know, you just have to pay attention. They're not shy about it. You will know immediately about that baseball pitch clock.

[Ryan Rosillo]

All right, we have a lot of follow ups on the baby stuff. We're going to wait. We're going to wait on those. That's all right.

[Kevin]

That's fine with me. I don't. Assuming people disagree, Steve

[Ryan Rosillo]

Surudi took some heat.

[Kevin]

Yeah, it's fine. I don't care.

[Ryan Rosillo]

But my issue with the heat is that Ceruti was actually trying like Ceruti's options, the best version of it in Cerutty's world, that's where everybody's looking out for each other. Right. It's not a bunch of mercenaries. But people, people did not like it. Yeah.

[Kyle]

I just took away that. Ceruti comes from a solid family. That's what I took away from that whole email.

[Ryan Rosillo]

That's how I felt. Yeah. I'm like, that just means they're super aligned. Serhi's never going to be emailing into some show going, this could tear me and my sister apart. All right, six two dad bod 225 with another one on the way. No gym stats, but try to hit the office gym three, four times a week for midday endorphins. Good for this guy. And you're getting out of the office. This one's mostly for Kyle Masters practice round patron who wears it proudly, chugging away the daily grind. When my focus was disrupted by the slightly longer vibration. Only an email notification you provide on the iPhone. Never have been a guy to keep a high number of unreads in my Gmail thumbnail. So I wasted no time in opening the email. You have notifications on every email you get. That seems insane to me, but maybe if you're in that world, you just got to lock in. All right. So, Saul, what Might as well be not safe for work For a newish dad sitting at his nine to five on a summer day. Congratulations. Your ticket application was selected.

[Jay Billis]

Whoa.

[Ryan Rosillo]

26 masters. Holy balls.

[Kyle]

Did it the right way. Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Immediately thought it was spam, but upon a deeper look at the email address it came from, I thought it was safe to click the link Q. Holy balls again. It's real. I've got four tickets to the Masters Wednesday practice round.

[Kyle]

Hell yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

My golf watching wife, our golf obsessed couple friends are heading to Augusta. Here's the question. What's the Play on a practice round day. How much should we budget for the pro shop? Do we eat everything on the menu or there are some must haves or stay aways would you want or would you go watch the Par 3 contest? Any general thoughts for a first time patron are appreciated from all of you guys. Added context. Flying into Columbia, South Carolina and renting an Air Airbnb there. I've heard Augusta is not worth staying and for the price and quality of rentals. Love the show.

[Kyle]

Short answer, yes, right? Do it all. I mean do what feels right. It's like going back in time when you go there. I mean Chapel Hill meet, meet at the. Meet at the big tree at 3 o'.

[Kevin]

Clock.

[Kyle]

It's fucking awesome. I mean you lose your phone, you know, everything's like 90s prices and the one thing where you get hammered is the, is the gift shop. So I guess you just gotta look. It's like going to Vegas. Like how much are we prepared to lose? And honestly if you lose more than you thought, you can get by on the pimento sandwiches or whatever. Like it's all, it's like 10 bucks you can eat the whole day. It's unbelievable. I mean nothing's really incredible, but it's incredible where you're at and it's incredible that you can just like not think of. You don't have to game plan food. You just pop in one of those little shops and you go out, you leave after paying $10 for sick cups that you get to take home. And I just say yes. There's really not much to think about other than like how many people do I have to get shit for Outside of yourself? Because I think I let my dad down a little bit because I got a bunch of shirts and this was 2018 Kyle, so still very much in the bus zone. So I.

[Ryan Rosillo]

What did that mean, let him down? What specifically?

[Kyle]

I just like, I went there and I wanted to get him a bunch of master shit and I think he got like a divot repair tool and a visor that I then decided to keep for myself. So he has a sick master's divot repair tool and a ball marker.

[Ryan Rosillo]

But yeah, that's disappointing.

[Kyle]

It is an advisor, but it was.

[Kevin]

Dad is right.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Did you tell him you were going to hook him up too?

[Kyle]

No, it was going to be a surprise. So I just had to live with like this is one twentieth of the surprise I had planned.

[Ryan Rosillo]

So while. How many things did you buy yourself?

[Kyle]

This shirt behind me, a pink like T shirt that was pretty sick. Got A got a rough oil stain on it that I still wear in the house, but it's really not an outside shirt anymore, and I have a sick master's visor. But again, that was like. That was it for me. I was, like, tapped out for the rest of the trip, you know what I mean? So.

[Ryan Rosillo]

And you brought him a divot repair tool and a sick.

[Kyle]

And I mean, honestly, a really nice ball market that clips onto the hat.

[Ryan Rosillo]

What was his react. What did his face look like when he got the divot repair thing?

[Kyle]

Oh, yeah, look at that.

[Kevin]

Look at that.

[Kyle]

Damn it, Kyle, get your finances together, son.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Look at that.

[Kevin]

It's such a great response.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Look at that.

[Kyle]

All right, guys, I'm trying to be vulnerable here.

[Ryan Rosillo]

How old were you? I mean, I get 23, 20, 18.

[Kyle]

So, yeah, 24. I think 25. I don't know.

[Ryan Rosillo]

He was disappointed, but he wasn't shocked.

[Kyle]

He wasn't shocked. No.

[Ryan Rosillo]

No way.

[Kyle]

No way.

[Kevin]

That sucks, too, because, like, the thoughts that this is. This is a great glimpse of Kyle, though. Like, the thought is there. You know, he wanted it. He wanted to do something great and, you know, wasn't all the way there. It's all right.

[Ryan Rosillo]

No one's ever gotten him a shirt since.

[Kyle]

From the masters. I mean.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah, not really.

[Kyle]

I mean, I think you can buy stuff online, but I think. I mean, the whole thing about the shop is they got exclusive.

[Ryan Rosillo]

No. Yeah, you gotta. You gotta get it from there. Wednesday's awesome. Is telling you. Is he saying, like, he only has Wednesday, then he doesn't have Thursday, Friday, or anything like that?

[Kyle]

Yeah, I think that's how. I think that's how that lottery works. I check every year, so.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Right. So there's a lot of people that tell you, like, Wednesday's about as much fun as it gets. So I. I don't have. I went Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. My thing that I couldn't believe is that if you just roll around once everybody has their seats, you can just sit in their seats, and then if they.

[Kyle]

Friendly tap on the shoulder, you're like, oh, yeah, totally.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Hey, I'm back. No problem.

[Kyle]

Nobody wants to make any trouble there.

[Jay Billis]

You know, that's the.

[Ryan Rosillo]

They expect that their seats are going to be filled by people they don't know when they're not there. Because it's totally understood that once you come back, you get your seats back because they found a way to set them up whenever that whole thing starts. That whole process. The no phone thing is awesome because you check for your phone like a weirdo and Think it's gone. Like, the first 30 minutes, it's just like this spazzing thing, and then it's just this absolute oasis of comfort of like, oh, that's right. None of us have them. This is great.

[Kyle]

Trying to find dudes that you split up with is. That's like a fun little game, and, you know.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Is a fun little game.

[Kyle]

Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah. So the shop is chaos, though, right? Yeah.

[Kyle]

I don't know if there's more than one shop, but the one that I went to was absolutely. I was like, all right, I'm just going to budget an hour and a half to wait.

[Ryan Rosillo]

That's towards the entrance.

[Kyle]

Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah. I don't. I don't know. I don't even remember if I bought anything,

[Kyle]

really.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Wow.

[Kevin]

It's a weird move.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Three days, you didn't buy one triple.

[Jay Billis]

True.

[Ryan Rosillo]

But then I realized I'm like, I don't think I have anything.

[Kyle]

Sounds like my dad made out better than you did. So, I mean, I don't really know what we're talking about here.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah, I have a ball marker. I don't know if that's true or not, though. I don't know. But I'm kind of running through going, do you have anything that you can think of? Maybe I grabbed a full. A flag for someone. Gave them.

[Kyle]

Because it's sick, though, because it's one of those things, like, I don't want to compare it to veterans. Or maybe it's like, when you have the same car as someone else, somebody might actually stop and be like, oh, yeah. Did you go? And then you're like, oh, yeah. What year? Like, if you see that little logo,

[Ryan Rosillo]

like, it's sort of real.

[Kyle]

Listen, I don't want it to be that. But, like, I'm trying to think of something that it's like. But dudes have stopped. It's probably like, that I've stopped dudes coupling at me. And there's a guy at a bar with the little logo, and I'm like, oh, yeah? When'd you go? And I'm upset that I don't get that from my dad, where he can be like, oh, yeah, my son went. Because nobody's going to notice that little marker. That was the whole point, you know?

[Ryan Rosillo]

That sucks, though, because it's like, if he's playing golf with somebody, it's like, hey, how'd you get that? It's like, oh, my son got it for me. Like, that's really cool. What else did he get you? Come on. All right.

[Kyle]

You're piling.

[Ryan Rosillo]

On.

[Kyle]

Well, hey, listen, I still enter that lottery every year, so.

[Kevin]

Wait, what's the. What's the food, though, like? Is the pimento. I love a good.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Terrible.

[Kyle]

It's a barbecue chicken. It's not terrible. Ryan's just a bit snooty when it comes to what you actually eat when you're out places. But the barbecue chicken's fine. I think there's like a ham or, like, there's like, regular. There's sandwiches that you'd, like, make when you're going to go to the beach

[Ryan Rosillo]

or something, you know, for.

[Kyle]

For a day. There's like a bunch of different ones.

[Ryan Rosillo]

The chicken one's good, but I think it's cold, isn't it? I don't know what time you're getting sauce on it. The peach ice cream thing is awesome.

[Kyle]

Great. There's like blue moons there for five bucks in a cup that you can just keep. I collected like a million of them. I got to keep.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Where are they now?

[Kyle]

I got to keep two. Somebody. Somebody needed them.

[Kevin]

I'm looking at a list right now. Savory tomato pie.

[Kyle]

That might be a new one.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I don't think that was there. When I was there, I went with

[Kyle]

Joe House and he made me get all the sandwiches. So that's back when we did that food podcast and we had to go back to the house and he was like, we're going to put the pimento. So I'm just like, there's a photo of me standing around all those guys holding a bag full of sandwiches that we were going to go bring back for a food thing later where Joe House just tried to mix all the sandwiches together. So that was the end of that day. Was just walking around with a bag full of, you know, $2 sandwiches.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Wait, did you walk around with a snake of master's cups all day long?

[Kyle]

I did.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I had a bunch. I had a bunch.

[Kevin]

Few beers.

[Kyle]

That was the tax, though.

[Ryan Rosillo]

That was the tax. And the cups are now gone. I got.

[Kyle]

Hey, I still have.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Should have told your dad that I had so many cups.

[Kyle]

I still have one. Honestly worth it. I carry cups all day. If I go again,

[Ryan Rosillo]

I gotta finish because I'm going on cowherd show and they're going to call me 700 times on the FaceTime thing. So we'll leave that in. Thanks to Kevin, thanks to Tom, thanks to Sruti, thanks to Kyle, and thanks to Jay Billis for dropping some knowledge on us there at the end, as always. And we will be back with a good 10 minutes to recap all of we may have to do a minute or two on that magic first quarter against the Raptors. My God.

[Kevin]

There's nothing to say anymore.

[Ryan Rosillo]

But they may. They may end up in Vegas and there'll be another expansion team in Kansas City.

[Kevin]

Might as well.

[Ryan Rosillo]

The way this is going, that's being a little extreme. Please subscribe. Ryan Rosilla Show Barstool Sports. Sam.