Episode 76: Rob Dauster From The Field of 68 Previews Feast Week + The Maui Invitational

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Mark Titus | The Mark Titus Show

Transcript

00:00:00 Today's episode of the Mark Titus show feast week is here. It's the best week of the college basketball season outside of March

00:00:05 The Maui Invitational is going on right now as we speak as I am speaking into this microphone

00:00:10 Games are being played in

00:00:12 Almost said Maui sad. It's in Honolulu. It's in Oahu this year because of the fires in Lahaina, but uh

00:00:19 Checking the score. There's seven minutes left

00:00:22 Syracuse is down four to Tennessee Dalton connect was cooking. He hasn't scored in a little bit

00:00:26 We had to turn it off and and record the podcast, but I will be it's a situation. We will be monitoring

00:00:32 Tennessee's it's felt like they've been up like five this entire game

00:00:35 But yeah, Syracuse is hanging around. That's that's Tennessee basketball, baby is they just

00:00:41 They might let you hang around, but they kind of know what they're doing, but maybe they don't I don't know

00:00:46 We'll see if they can they can hold on. Oh, they're back up six. So thrilling basketball game, but uh

00:00:51 My invitational is going on right now. Also the battle for Atlantis, which is kind of the always it's always a great tournament

00:00:58 But it's always a step below the Maui Invitational in my eyes

00:01:01 There there been a couple years where the battle for Atlantis has tried to say we have the better group of teams

00:01:05 And whether they're right or not Maui will always be the number one for me

00:01:09 This year the battle for Atlantis lineup isn't quite as great still some name-brands Carolina's there Memphis is there, Texas Tech?

00:01:17 But Villanova has lost a pin already this season Arkansas just lost to UNC Greensboro, Michigan lost to Long Beach State

00:01:23 I think some of those losses kind of took the wind out of the sails of the battle for Atlantis

00:01:27 And it isn't quite as great of a group and especially with how stacked Maui is this year with Tennessee and Marquette

00:01:33 Purdue and Kansas Gonzaga

00:01:36 UCLA Syracuse and then of course shaman on Maui is is just insane

00:01:41 But feast week is here, Arizona by the way, Arizona and Michigan State play on Thanksgiving in a weird-ass like

00:01:48 Championship game of a tournament that wasn't even really a tournament like Michigan State beat the snot out of Alcorn State

00:01:54 But come to find out like that was actually the semi-finals of a tournament

00:01:58 It's all a very weird time. I don't fully understand all of it

00:02:01 I think that's why I like Maui the most is because it's the one I actually understand the rest of these like

00:02:06 Feast week events are a little confusing at times. But anyway, Arizona, Michigan State play on Thanksgiving. That'll be a ton of fun

00:02:12 Rob Doster the field of 68 is joining the program today to break it all down

00:02:16 We talked to Rob this morning this morning being Monday morning. So a lot of the games that already been played

00:02:21 I think I said that in the interview

00:02:23 But yeah, we talked to Rob about feast week

00:02:25 We talked to him also about this UConn team who plays, Texas tonight or last night if you're you know, listening

00:02:34 You know how the we're recording on Monday you get it. Ah

00:02:36 They play Texas, but they just beat the crap out of Indiana and Rob is is a

00:02:42 UConn fan and you know

00:02:44 I've known Rob forever and I thought we got to have him on the show and talk about this UConn team because I am I'm

00:02:48 Quickly falling in love with this UConn team

00:02:50 Still got a ways to go for me to love him as much as last year's UConn team

00:02:54 But they look they very much looked apart

00:02:56 In the preseason in the offseason. I never said I was out on UConn. I just said I need to see it

00:03:02 I love those those three guys. They lost so much. I just need to see what it looks like

00:03:06 I saw what it looked like against a team of the Poles finally in Indiana

00:03:10 which like I don't think the Hoosiers that good but at least they are they they have some talent and and

00:03:15 Should have theoretically provided a fight for UConn and the Huskies look great. I mean the Huskies look like a national championship

00:03:22 Contender for sure again this year

00:03:24 So talk to Rob about that for a while and all sorts of other college basketball stuff fun conversation with Rob Doster field of 68

00:03:30 Please enjoy

00:03:31 Alright Rob Doster is here and it is Feast Week

00:03:34 Which is obviously a great week for college basketball one of the best weeks certainly like the best like early week of the season gets

00:03:40 Everybody excited all the casuals start tuning into Feast Week

00:03:43 It sucks for us Rob in this instance because we are recording this it is

00:03:49 1141 Eastern on

00:03:52 Monday morning and the reason I'm time stamping this is that there are a million games today

00:03:56 Involving ranked teams and we're putting this out on Tuesday morning, and I say all that to say if Rob or I

00:04:02 Hype up a team that that loses today

00:04:05 Just know that we were joking and we didn't actually mean it and it was sarcasm and you guys just couldn't pick up on the

00:04:10 sarcasm, but

00:04:12 Anyway, it is Feast Week Rob Doster's here

00:04:14 And I wanted to talk to you about one of the teams that is playing today that everyone listening already saw play last night

00:04:20 I guess um

00:04:21 Yukon you are you are a Yukon fan. They are the defending national champions, and I was watching Yukon play, Indiana and

00:04:29 it stood out to me that like yes, I understand that Indiana is not like a

00:04:33 you know one of the top teams in the country per se but uh

00:04:36 Yukon just looked like they were on a completely different level and I I

00:04:41 Like it really the overreaction. I had was just like from one game. I

00:04:45 Really think that that repeating is very much in the cards for this team. Do you agree with that?

00:04:52 Yeah, I'm starting to come around to that idea a little bit more, you know, the thing about this Yukon team is

00:04:57 Last year's group was loud, right?

00:04:59 Like you knew Jordan Hawkins could reel off four straight threes in five minutes like this, right?

00:05:04 You knew what Andre Jackson was able to do how athletic he was

00:05:07 You know

00:05:07 If you gave the ball to Adama Sano go in to post something good was gonna happen, right?

00:05:10 Like they had their three guys all three of those guys ended up being pros

00:05:14 We're seeing what Jordan Hawkins and Andre Jackson are doing in the NBA right now. They're both in the starting line

00:05:19 They're both playing really well this year's group doesn't have that same kind of like pop, right?

00:05:24 But they're just a buzzsaw man

00:05:26 Like they're just it's like going into a meat grinder when you play against their big their physical

00:05:31 Their guards are old. They got the seven foot three the wall of Bristol was what I like to call them

00:05:36 Donovan clinging in the middle like he just he made clear where it came into that game last night averaging like 18 and 10

00:05:43 And then he made him look small. Yeah, I think it did so

00:05:47 But it's they don't have that same level of

00:05:50 Elite talent so I was kind of I was a little bit worried if I don't want to say worry

00:05:55 That's the wrong way to phrase it

00:05:56 but I thought they were more like a top tennis kind of a team than like a top five ish kind of a team coming

00:06:00 into the season and I mean you see Tristan Newton have

00:06:04 2311 and six in Madison Square Garden and you see Cam Spencer do all of those cam Spencer things that he was doing last night

00:06:10 Yeah, they're there man. They're good. I think they are really good

00:06:14 Yeah, I think what stood out to me is like the I agree with you

00:06:17 they don't have the top-end talent the last year's team had but they have the confidence across the roster and that is

00:06:23 It's just so apparent when you watch them play

00:06:26 Especially a game against like Indiana who has like negative basketball IQ that Indiana team was just like holy shit

00:06:33 They are the definition of like beating themselves the the yeah every they do not do the little things. Well, in fact they do

00:06:41 None of the little things well, but anyway, um that's what became apparent to me

00:06:45 It's like all the dudes on UConn just play with immense confidence Tristan Newton and and caravan knows his role perfectly

00:06:51 And when he's open, he lets it fly cam Spencer

00:06:53 Is he was always that way at Rutgers?

00:06:57 But now he's that way or at UConn where he's like, there's no rule that says I can't score 40 tonight

00:07:02 So I'm gonna go out and try to score 40 tonight. Um

00:07:04 What what to you is like the secret sauce of this with Dan Hurley?

00:07:07 Like what why is it that because because I think this is happening now in the last couple years where you're starting to

00:07:12 UConn has gotten to the point where you could put them in any jerseys and

00:07:15 You I can kind of like pick up on some hallmarks of like oh

00:07:19 This is a UConn basketball team with the way they're the confidence of what their play with which they're playing and how hard they're playing

00:07:24 What is it to you that that makes them play like this?

00:07:28 But they they kind of changed what they did

00:07:31 After the New Mexico State loss, right? Like it was it was

00:07:37 Year four for Hurley right year three. He finally makes it to the tournament

00:07:40 They lose in the first round to Maryland as a 17 year for get back to the tournament as a 5c

00:07:45 They lose to New Mexico State and up to that point his whole concept of building a basketball program was alright

00:07:51 We're gonna be more physical. We're gonna be more athletic. We're gonna be tougher. We're gonna press we're gonna defend

00:07:55 We're gonna force turnovers are gonna get rebounds. We're gonna try to win that way

00:07:57 And then he kept seeing himself like lose early in the tournament. He's like, maybe this shit isn't working

00:08:02 maybe you need to do something different and what you saw last year was embrace this idea of pace and space and

00:08:09 Creative sets and tons of movement and let's just try to play a little bit more of a modern style and it worked

00:08:15 They were they were a juggernaut. They were a wagon

00:08:17 They won a national title and if you go back and look at what they're doing this year

00:08:20 I think through four games they've taken seven shots that weren't threes or in the paint, right? It's turned into a very very

00:08:26 like pace and space analytically sound

00:08:32 Systematically sad, well, however, you want to phrase it like it turned into that kind of a team and oh by the way

00:08:37 They're also like ridiculously tough and they got a coach that only accepts like if you're a complete cycle

00:08:42 Like you mentioned Kim Spencer. I went to one of their practices earlier. He punched at least four chairs

00:08:46 I was in there just because he missed a shot and like a drill

00:08:49 he punted a ball once from the court that went all the way up to like the

00:08:52 The the entrance level and it rolled almost out the door if the door was open to gamble pavilion

00:08:58 He would kick the ball out of the arena

00:08:59 And I guess that's an everyday thing for him. So like they got a bunch of psychos on that team that play really smart

00:09:05 really sound

00:09:07 Really well executed basketball. I think that's kind of the sweet spot, right? Like here's the craziest thing to me mark is they

00:09:14 They kind of held Indiana like, you know

00:09:17 when when you're playing against like your little brother or something like that and and you're just kind of hold your arm out and you

00:09:21 Keep them keep them away from the ball and just kind of dribble and they can't get close to you, right?

00:09:25 it's like me playing against the eight-year-old kids in my neighborhood and

00:09:29 That's that's what it felt like for you con playing

00:09:31 Indiana last night like it never really felt like Indiana was gonna make a run and

00:09:35 You kind didn't even have their most talented dude. Steph Castle wasn't playing. He's gonna be a top-ten pick

00:09:39 Yeah, it just it's it was wild once you kind of looked at it big picture

00:09:44 and I don't know if that says more about you con or your

00:09:46 Your Hoosiers over there, but it was start to watch a person my Hoosiers. Come on. I've

00:09:51 There your boy Goodman's Hoosiers now

00:09:54 They are they are it's really annoying. I'm so tired of hearing him talk about Indiana basketball. Do you see what he said yesterday?

00:10:00 No, Indiana had more talented starting five than you cons starting five. What do you stand on it? Uh,

00:10:07 I

00:10:09 Mean, yeah, that's that's I think he started getting to the blue moons a little early. That's that's insane. That's insane

00:10:15 the Indiana team though this Indiana team like you could see how

00:10:20 But not really cuz I mean I'm watching Indiana yesterday

00:10:23 It's like this team will never I've tried to talk myself into like IU has a high ceiling

00:10:27 But I don't know where their floor is

00:10:28 But like I don't I don't think it's like I don't think they're ever going to like be good at the little thing

00:10:34 I don't think Kahlil Ware is ever going to be like tough

00:10:36 I don't think he's gonna like go up against the Donovan Klingon and be like, you know what?

00:10:39 I'm bringing the fight to him tonight. He's just not part of that and Baco. I

00:10:43 Don't want to criticize a kid who's like five games into his career less than that. I guess I

00:10:49 Don't I don't have any idea how he was a five-star. He is he is one of the worst defenders

00:10:53 I've ever seen on a college basketball. They're playing him out of position like what's is not doing him any favors

00:10:57 Yeah, he's like a four-man that can slide up and play small ball five. They're trying to play him at the three

00:11:02 Yeah, right like I get what he's doing

00:11:03 You want to get your five best players on the floor?

00:11:05 But when you're trying to play like three bigs together and then switch everything defensively, it's you know, by the way that yeah

00:11:11 It's a mess man. It's not working dude. It's an absolute mess. And I think that was like the stark contrast

00:11:16 I I had with like obviously you cons a better team, but it's just like the way they were going about it

00:11:20 It was just like I guess like for me last year you kind of going to national title

00:11:24 I was I was not surprised you were the the Huskies were so good in the non-conference that like

00:11:28 Yeah, they had to slide in the middle of the season

00:11:31 But when they picked it back up like I wasn't exactly shocked that we saw a UConn be so dominant

00:11:36 But coming out of that season and going into this year where you count is ranked high coming into the year

00:11:41 My question is kind of what you said earlier was like the the top in talent is now gone like those three guys that they lose

00:11:47 Were so important to the team

00:11:49 the question for me was like is it was last year's team a national champion because

00:11:54 They had some good dudes or was it because the culture at UConn is now like over the hump and now it's like this is

00:12:00 What you can't basketball will be and I think that is my overreaction from the game against Indiana was like, okay

00:12:05 This is just who you can't basketball is now and and again

00:12:08 I understand with context Indiana is not going to be a national title contender anything

00:12:12 But like you said it was just like it was like playing a little brother

00:12:14 They just like Indiana cut it to seven a few different times and the Hoosiers fans and the tenants are losing their fucking minds

00:12:20 And even I'm like at home just like

00:12:22 Damn, it's still a seven-point game

00:12:24 Like you had to go on this great run have stocks shots start to fall and it was just a seven-point game

00:12:29 It's not like it was so like I you took the leader

00:12:31 But you got within seven and you felt like you were you had something cooking there

00:12:34 So oh the behind the scenes when I was at the game yesterday, right?

00:12:38 Like I had the the press credential and everything but I bought brought my family brought my kids

00:12:42 it was their first ever UConn game and

00:12:44 my dumbass

00:12:46 Accidentally bought tickets like in the Indiana section right behind the Indiana bench. So

00:12:51 It was it was me

00:12:53 There was like four guys in the row directly behind us that were also you kind of fans and then everyone else around us was

00:12:59 Indiana fans and every time they go on a like a little

00:13:01 6-0 run and cut it to like 11 or cut it to 9 and all of a sudden we get loud

00:13:06 You hear all these Hoosier fans start chanting these guys

00:13:08 Just be like chill out. Like you've got it under double digits. So now you are not a mid-major. You are Indiana basketball

00:13:16 There are no moral victories here. What do we do? Yeah. Yeah, it's gonna be a long season for the Hoosiers

00:13:21 But I do think they do have the talent

00:13:23 Theoretically that they will have like one or two games where they have no business winning

00:13:28 And they'll win but they they're gonna live on the bubble all season I think

00:13:32 So what what they need go ahead. Here's what Indiana needs. I'm gonna fix the Indiana basketball this season for you

00:13:38 Ready, we need to implement a rule where you have a trade deadline in college basketball

00:13:43 What they need to do is trade one of those three big guys that they have

00:13:46 To Duke for one of the guards or one of the five-star guards that do have yeah

00:13:50 I'm playing bring one of those guys back to India. That's what needs to happen great

00:13:54 Calls out better for anybody right got a little more size at Duke. You got another guard at Indiana. That's that's what we need

00:13:59 Dude, can you make this happen? They we should have a trade deadline college basketball

00:14:02 I mean how much fun would that be? I mean dudes dude

00:14:05 it does feel like we're getting there but dudes just transfer whenever they want and

00:14:09 It seems to work out. So I don't know maybe maybe that's not as far-fetched as it seems. Um,

00:14:15 Tristan Newton my last thing on UConn is just Tristan Newton. He to me last year

00:14:22 ended up being the difference for the team like I felt like

00:14:25 He was up and down throughout the year by the time March Madness rolled around. He was fucking rolling

00:14:31 He obviously was was a monster against, Indiana

00:14:33 um

00:14:34 Do you think that like the up-and-down nature of Tristan Newton is behind us and that this is just who this guy is and this?

00:14:40 is who we expect to see all year is just a

00:14:42 Very aggressive point guard and kind of do it all

00:14:45 Yeah, I think the biggest thing with Tristan was figuring out

00:14:50 How he can have like a normal relationship with Dan Hurley you got you got this maniac from Jersey City

00:14:57 Whose father was like this this this this really famous high school basketball coach that played a certain way

00:15:04 Whose older brother was Bobby Hurley, right?

00:15:07 And he's coaching a kid that comes into the program after growing up in El Paso, Texas

00:15:12 And then going to school at East Carolina, right?

00:15:14 Like the vibes for the way that he's lived his life and the way that he's played this sport his entire life is very different

00:15:20 Where he was and then walking into that program and I think they just kind of had to figure out that like, okay

00:15:26 I don't need my point guard to be the most vocal dude to be yelling to be screaming to be exactly who I am

00:15:31 To be effective and once Danny figured that out and Tristan figured out like, okay

00:15:36 Just because this maniac is screaming at me every single day doesn't mean he doesn't care about me

00:15:40 Once they kind of figured that out

00:15:42 Yeah, and that's when you comment on their run at the end of the season and I think that now that they have a year

00:15:47 Under their belt. It's I don't see him slowing down. You know, what's crazy about him watch this next time they play

00:15:53 I've never seen a dude that looks like he's gonna dribble the ball off his foot

00:15:57 Every time he has that he's being pressured who then somehow manages to find a way to cross somebody up get to the rim get fouled

00:16:03 Get an one like I never feel comfortable when he's dribbling

00:16:07 Yeah

00:16:07 That he's not gonna end up turning it over and or throwing it into like the fourth row and then he makes a great play

00:16:12 It's it's a very odd experience watching. I think it's just his confidence. He's just like

00:16:18 Yeah, like he maybe is close to turning it over, but he's just like so caught that that yeah, I've said it like five times

00:16:24 I'll say it again. It's just like something about watching UConn the the confidence with which they play

00:16:28 I've always felt like that is like the number one

00:16:32 Skill a team can have is if every player on the team is aware of how good they are

00:16:37 That's like a that's like a sneaky thing. That isn't as obvious like some teams have guys that are way too confident

00:16:44 Obviously, that's like the the worst-case scenario

00:16:46 But oftentimes there are dudes that are not confident enough and I feel like that's that could be a pretty like Alex caravan is a

00:16:52 Great example his role on this team

00:16:54 If you put him on a lot of other teams his confidence level would probably be too little like he would be like

00:16:59 I'm just out here to kind of like fill in the gaps

00:17:02 But caravan really does go into every game where what I said about Cam Spencer - where it's like there's no there's no reason

00:17:08 I can't score 40 tonight now. I might not and if the game ebbs and flows a certain way

00:17:12 I'll take a backseat whatever but like

00:17:14 Every single one of these dudes knows exactly how good they are and it's been fun to watch so far that UConn does have an insane

00:17:21 schedule this year though, so that'll

00:17:23 That'll get that'll get interesting really quick like, you know going to Kansas, North Carolina

00:17:28 They're either the Atkins aga or is it like a one of those like one of those like semi

00:17:33 Semi neutral semi home and away. I think they're playing it like the what's the name of the NBA arena in Seattle?

00:17:39 Yeah, oh they're playing in Seattle. Yeah the key. Yeah, so they do want to Seattle and they're gonna do one in New York

00:17:45 Insane insane schedule, but I'm fired up for to see what this UConn team is

00:17:50 And also I'm saying all this assuming that Texas did not just beat them as everyone is listening

00:17:58 By 25, yeah

00:18:00 Moving on broader picture

00:18:03 What who do you so far in the season the seasons very early obviously?

00:18:06 panic button status for some of these teams like who

00:18:09 What what is the number one like ah shit?

00:18:12 I thought that team was going to be good or like maybe not even you the college basketball world thought that team is going

00:18:17 To be good, but I got to be honest from what we've seen a couple weeks into the season

00:18:20 I'm smashing the panic button if I'm them is there a team that comes to mind I

00:18:26 Think it's Michigan State for me

00:18:28 And I know that's probably like the the trendy and the easy answer

00:18:32 But the reason I say that is I was expecting much more out of AJ Hogarth

00:18:38 I was expecting much more out of JD at Jay Nakens, and maybe they're gonna figure it out

00:18:41 Maybe this was just like a an early season blip

00:18:44 But when you combine the struggle like the whole reason we were in on Michigan State was because I thought that they had the best

00:18:50 Backcourt in college basketball right yeah, Tyson Walker's been a stud this season

00:18:54 But I thought AJ Hogarth was gonna be just as good not that Jay Nakens was gonna be just as good when you combine those

00:18:58 Three with Malik Hall at the four and whatever you want to try to figure out at the five like that's that's a line of

00:19:04 They can get creative you could play small ball. You could be switchable you could do all these different things now

00:19:08 You just got a bunch of little guards that are inefficient that are missing shots that are

00:19:11 That are hoping that Tyson Walker's gonna score enough to be able to keep you in a game

00:19:16 And that's just not and that's not how you're gonna win playing Tom Izzo style of basketball

00:19:20 Especially when like there's times you got to play. What is it six four Cohen Carr at the five spot, so

00:19:25 I went from thinking Michigan State could legitimately

00:19:28 Compete with Purdue for a Big Ten title to being like hey, you know what the Big Ten might just have one team this year

00:19:33 Yeah, they Michigan State has like zero identity

00:19:37 Which is wild because they felt like a team coming into the season that?

00:19:40 Kind of kind of knew who they were they felt like a team that we would know exactly what we're getting and now

00:19:45 it feels like they have no idea who they are and

00:19:49 What lineups work and what lineups don't?

00:19:51 Tyson Walker's really the only thing that is consistent on that team, and he's been awesome

00:19:56 But I just don't think he's he's not gonna be good enough to carry them though is he I don't know he has been fucking

00:20:01 Awesome. He's awesome. Yeah, but the product you're putting all that on like a six one guard

00:20:07 Yeah, he is gonna score first right like you need him to be basically Allen Iverson every single every night

00:20:13 That's asking a lot out of anybody right like he's awesome, but he's gonna need some help at some point

00:20:18 You're not gonna beat Duke in the Champions Classic or

00:20:20 Beat James Madison at home just relying on Tyson while he dropped 35 against James Madison at home and they lost

00:20:27 The Big Ten in general is looking

00:20:33 Not great to start

00:20:36 Wisconsin has fallen off a cliff for whatever reason not that they were they weren't ranked right to start the season

00:20:41 But I think they were they were receiving

00:20:44 I was so in on them

00:20:45 That's one of those ones where I hope like you got to go back and see if I can erase takes from the air

00:20:49 Because I was like yeah, they're gonna be a top 25 team

00:20:52 They bring everybody back and they add AJ store from st. John's well turns out like adding a dude

00:20:58 That's gonna take a bunch of shots doesn't work out very well when you got other guys that want those shots

00:21:01 You know already coming back so hey

00:21:03 Maryland got blown out by Villanova

00:21:07 Michigan losing a Long Beach State I thought Michigan was interesting there first like Michigan beat the fuck out of st.

00:21:13 John's and I was like damn is Michigan gonna be a team and then they lose at home to Long Beach State

00:21:17 You know you lose a team that like is sneakily

00:21:20 I'm smashing the panic button on but like

00:21:22 The audience is going to just completely fall asleep until we move the topic to a different team is

00:21:27 St. Mary's preseason number 23 they've lost three in a row

00:21:33 Weber State they lose to San Diego State by a thousand Xavier beats him by 17

00:21:39 They the the non cut like obviously the West Coast conferences is Gonzaga and st. Mary's and I know the the conference has gotten better

00:21:45 But like let's be real

00:21:46 It's like those two teams and it's not exactly a conference where you get a lot of opportunities to stack up

00:21:51 Impressive wins there. They're sneakily like gonna be in bubble territory for a team that like

00:21:57 Had some sort of buzz is like maybe they can dethrone Gonzaga because this Gonzaga team is not the power that we're used to seeing

00:22:03 They they badly need

00:22:06 San Diego State to be awesome and Z to be awesome

00:22:09 Yeah, and and we were state to win like 30 games to really have a chance, right?

00:22:14 Otherwise like they might already be fucked

00:22:16 Yeah

00:22:16 they might already be in a spot where they can't make the NCAA tournament because I mean look they're never gonna be

00:22:22 This elite physical defensive team with the way that that roster is built. You got to be really good offensively

00:22:28 You got to be able to run your stuff and get good shots and be efficient and make open threes

00:22:32 That's kind of how they're built in the last since they were up

00:22:36 16 at home against Weber State with 13 minutes left in the second half of that game, right in the last

00:22:42 93 minutes of basketball that they played they've been outscored 175 to 113. I did the math on that myself mark

00:22:47 So I know it's correct. Once they've been outscored by 62 points and basically

00:22:51 Five halves of basketball, which is insane. That's crazy top 25 team. Yeah playing against teams that are unranked

00:22:58 We know Xavier's not very good this year. They've been about 20. That's crazy. Yeah, and and the schedule I'm looking at it right now

00:23:05 They have they have Davidson. They have Utah Utah is not awful. But you know like other they Boise State

00:23:11 Colorado still like there there aren't opportunities other than Gonzaga to really like undo the damage that they've done

00:23:18 That's yeah, I mean they were I again

00:23:21 I don't want to say that like people had final four aspirations with this team

00:23:24 But they were they were a trendier pick to like knock off Gonzaga and be something on that the mid-major level

00:23:31 They look like dogs

00:23:32 There is there is one guy on the field of 68 that that picked st

00:23:36 Mary's to make the final four this year and his name might rhyme with Jeff Goodman. I

00:23:40 Have to we brought his name up now twice

00:23:46 We do have to address the elephant in the room that so Rob for those who don't know which everyone knows you

00:23:52 Run field of 68 with Jeff Jeff Goodman

00:23:55 Had some comments about the bar stool

00:23:58 Invitational what what what did his tweets say just unwatchable was that it this is a like that unwatchable. Yeah, um

00:24:04 Care to defend your boy on what yeah

00:24:08 Because this was this I had to I had to like address this around the office where they're like should we be worried about Jeff?

00:24:14 Goodman talking shit about our event and I was like not really my poor guy Jake Marsh who you know

00:24:19 All he wants to do is call college basketball games. He finally gets an opportunity with I mean, he's had some other opportunities

00:24:24 But the bar so invitational is a big deal to him

00:24:26 He's doing a hell of a job calling this basketball game and you have Jeff Goodman step up and say this is unwatchable. I mean

00:24:31 Respect the biz Jeff, right? Yeah. Well, let's just let's just say that that was not I told you this is the Champions Classic

00:24:39 That was not a shot that was directed at Jake Marsh. That was directed at other people that Goodman has had

00:24:46 past run-ins with and I think everybody knows who

00:24:50 You know, like he is who he is man like Goodman is stubborn

00:24:54 He's opinionated and if you kind of push back on him on a take that he has he's not gonna he's not gonna

00:25:00 He's gonna double down it crazy. That's why it works me

00:25:05 Me you and Jager sitting at the table at the Champions Classic and we're trying to remember why Goodman and Portnoy hate each other

00:25:10 And we couldn't really

00:25:13 Like what was it was like the final was it the final I don't know was it the who said what?

00:25:18 We're just like laughing like I don't know. It's just as it turns out. It's two opinionated dudes that

00:25:23 hold grudges really well and

00:25:26 Yeah, it's like are you surprised that two stubborn dudes from Boston are gonna find a way to not like each other?

00:25:31 Like that's just that's what they are man. That's how it works

00:25:34 Um, where do you stand on the big 12 Big East?

00:25:38 And is there another conference that's better to you?

00:25:41 Like I assume you being an East Coast guy being a Big East guy

00:25:43 You're gonna say the Big East but like what what's your read on like the best conference so far this season?

00:25:48 I think it's the the big 12 is the best and then I'd say it's the SEC

00:25:52 I don't know if that's a hot take I think the big 12 or the Big East

00:25:55 Once you get past the top three like Marquette Creighton and Yukon are all

00:26:00 National title contenders, right? They're all tier one. However, you want to phrase it?

00:26:05 They can go in six in March once you get past that I think there's

00:26:08 There's some real question marks there, right? Like how good is Villanova? Really? Do we trust Kyle Neptune yet at this point?

00:26:16 I want to see it work for him. I like Kyle, but

00:26:18 I don't think losing at the pleasure is a great sign, especially with the town on that roster

00:26:23 Providence has a chance to be really good

00:26:26 Providence also lost to Kansas State who got smacked around by Miami in the what was at the Bahama or whatever

00:26:33 Well somewhere down there in the Bahamas

00:26:35 Xavier is not who we thought they were gonna be

00:26:37 tough ask when you lose your own hunter and Zach Fremantle before the season even starts, but

00:26:42 Xavier is

00:26:44 Probably going to be like a borderline tournament team at best

00:26:46 St. John's is not what we thought they were gonna be and once you get past that like Georgetown stinks DePaul is DePaul

00:26:52 Butler I want good things to happen for them. I'm not convinced. There's gonna be this year yet

00:26:57 Seton Hall has won a bunch of games

00:26:59 They haven't actually beaten anybody and the only thing notable about them is she hean Holloway

00:27:03 Almost got in a fight with another saw that all grad and the handshake. Did you see that?

00:27:07 What what what was that like I saw the video, but I did is there is there a story behind that like that seemed insane

00:27:12 so

00:27:15 Seton Hall was up by like 18 and was pressing down to stretch the game like when it was very clearly over and

00:27:20 Donald Copeland didn't like that and he said something to Shaheen about it

00:27:23 and I don't think she he liked that he said something about not liking it and

00:27:27 Shaheen Holloway is one of those dudes where if he's not angry about something he's not breathing so it's

00:27:33 That's why his programs play the way that they do. That's why he has success and

00:27:37 Yeah, I think he's gonna be mad about that for the next week

00:27:40 So maybe just hammer Seton Hall next time that they play there you go. There you go. Um, yes, st

00:27:45 John's has been a bummer

00:27:47 Getting blown up by Michigan losing a date and they're three and two

00:27:49 I I think we all think that's gonna work out for Rick there. I wanted to I don't know they're there

00:27:55 I've been talked out of it by people in New York City

00:28:00 They're just like st. John's is dead like st. John's just cannot be revived and and it's not I

00:28:05 Mean, I'm not gonna say people I'm gonna give him a shout out Rico Bosco made the art. He pointed

00:28:10 He his whole thing was like everyone's fired up about Rick Pitino back in Madison Square Garden

00:28:16 But they only play X number of games in Madison Square Garden

00:28:18 Like nobody that Jim that they play the car in a second arena kind of stinks

00:28:23 It's kind of in the middle of nowhere in terms of New York like the glitz and glamour of st

00:28:27 John's the way people talk about st

00:28:28 John's is that it's like right in the heart of Manhattan

00:28:30 Like you can get any recruit you want as it turns out you can't and he's telling me all this stuff

00:28:34 I'm like, you're the East Coast guy

00:28:35 So I'll just agree with you

00:28:36 But it also kind of checks out cuz like you do kind of scratch your head over the years

00:28:40 You're like, yeah, if so many good dudes are coming out in New York

00:28:43 Like why is st. John's never really been relevant outside of the 80s?

00:28:46 I don't know. I know I worked in the 80s, right?

00:28:49 The the way that they got a role in the first place was that it's technically a commuter school

00:28:54 Like they don't really have a big on-campus presence. So they were able to get

00:28:58 Get stipends to pay players to be able to have them like we got to pay them this amount of money to be able to

00:29:04 Have housing to live here

00:29:05 But all they did was recruit kids from New York City who just lived at home

00:29:08 So they able to pay these thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars to go. Well, there you go

00:29:12 All right, they're just living in the house that they grew up in. So well, there you go

00:29:16 Yeah, I wanted to work but I

00:29:18 Definitely have my doubts

00:29:19 I mean starting three and two like st

00:29:22 John's was never gonna like be national title good this year

00:29:24 but I certainly thought that they would not get blown out by Michigan and then lose to Dayton and

00:29:29 Yeah, I'm really bummed because I wanted it to be something and I'm just like worried that maybe it's not going to be

00:29:35 Um, I'm gonna give it another year like Rick always it takes a year to kind of get used to yeah

00:29:40 I think he's uh, you know, he's another one of these guys

00:29:44 It's it's a little bit crazy when it comes to what he demands

00:29:47 His coaching staff out of his teams to be clear if if Rick Pitino is is not wildly successful at st

00:29:53 John's I am a hundred percent just gonna blame it on st. John's. I don't think it's like a damn Rick Pitino's lost it to

00:29:58 Me it's just gonna be like, okay, I guess st. John's will never be resurrected because if Rick Pitino can't do it

00:30:03 It's it's it's a hopeless exercise. Here's here's the other thing Titus

00:30:08 I'm gonna make the argument that you're gonna be able to agree with the most

00:30:11 If Rico Bosco has a very strong opinion about something

00:30:16 I think the odds prove that if you just go to the other side of that aisle

00:30:18 You're probably gonna end up being right most of the time and I like Rico

00:30:22 But if he's if he's all in on something I'm gonna be all in

00:30:24 Be careful

00:30:27 Oh Rob, I can't Rico if you're seeing this clip. I

00:30:30 Disavow I I'm washing my hands of whatever Rob just said

00:30:38 Let's talk Maui a little bit Maui invitational starts today it is the most anticipated Maui invitational field

00:30:44 Probably ever. I mean you got four teams that are national title good and then you also have UCLA in Gonzaga and Syracuse

00:30:51 Who are all like some?

00:30:54 Some variants of good. They're all undefeated right? Like all every single team is undefeated except shaman out in this thing. Uh

00:31:00 What uh, what how do you like?

00:31:04 First of all, do you agree with that? Do you think that like I mean obviously Kansas and Purdue are up there

00:31:08 Do you see Marquette in Tennessee as national title good teams?

00:31:11 Yeah

00:31:13 Yeah, especially Marquette. I mean they they won the Big East regular season last year

00:31:19 They won the Big East tournament title last year. They brought eight of their top nine back

00:31:23 They brought a the Big East player of the year and first team all-american and Tyler Colick back

00:31:28 They have the best culture in college basketball right now

00:31:32 and Tennessee

00:31:33 I'm a little bit wait-and-see on them because I don't know if Rick Barnes is fully gonna just kind of let Dalton connect go

00:31:39 Yeah, but I think he's kind of realized like hey if we just try to play rugby out there instead of playing basketball

00:31:45 We're not gonna win a lot of games in March

00:31:47 so we brought in the dude that could just go out and get buckets and

00:31:50 Can't really guard anybody and if he can stick with that and kind of let this guy, you know

00:31:55 Don't connect average 18 everybody else plays defense

00:31:58 You just worry about scoring to make sure that we can actually break 60 on any given night

00:32:01 I think they got a real chance. So

00:32:03 I'm very excited about this. I think this is the most

00:32:08 Excited I've been about them and I'm always fired up about the Maui

00:32:11 But I think this is the most excited I've been about the Maui in a long long time and like you have

00:32:17 Five of the top ten teams in America, you know what we need mark

00:32:20 I made this argument the other day we have to have Purdue and Kansas play in that 5 p.m

00:32:27 Championship game on Wednesday

00:32:28 Think about it the two best teams in America number one and number two the two best players in America Zack Ede and Hunter Dickinson

00:32:34 you have

00:32:36 Bill self who people say does everything the wrong way and Matt painter who might be the most

00:32:40 universally like coach in the history of college basketball

00:32:43 It's just it's it's the perfect kind of matchup to cut through all of the other noise that happens

00:32:50 During this week outside of college basketball, right? Like you got Michigan Ohio State this week

00:32:55 You got Thanksgiving Day football games as we you got all of this stuff happening and you can get number one and number two

00:33:01 Hunter Dickinson Zacky like that that's gotta happen. We need that all due respect to Tennessee Marquette Gonzaga fans

00:33:07 Whatever that game needs to happen

00:33:09 I I absolutely hate that college football bumped everything back a week because feast week used to make so much sense that like

00:33:15 like like most college sports fans are

00:33:18 Sweating out their rivals playing each other in the football game this Saturday not to say that like nobody cares about the Maui Invitational

00:33:25 But it used to be so great because it would be leading into conference championship week

00:33:30 So only a certain number of teams like the football kind of it wasn't done obviously

00:33:35 But it kind of solved itself and it was a big deep breath and then feast week starts and it's like my team

00:33:40 We just lost to our rivals or like we just had a five and seven season in football

00:33:44 Fuck all that there's college basketball and let's pit

00:33:47 Let's do a hard pivot and we're still stuck in this like rivalry week is going on

00:33:51 So like maybe our football team stunk all year, but we got the we got those other guys

00:33:54 We got to play this weekend, and it's just like a weird it. I it worked out

00:33:58 So well it used to work feast week used to be so awesome. It still is like the basketball hasn't changed

00:34:03 it's just what you said like the the attention the rest of the country is paid to it has changed because

00:34:07 Suddenly this is now the biggest week of the college football season where it used to be not really that other than the conference

00:34:13 Championships, and I agree with you if Purdue and Kansas play for the Maui Invitational title it would it would pop

00:34:18 And it would it would be something um I?

00:34:21 It has to happen it had it just I don't know I I the thing about Maui is every time

00:34:27 I have gone which I go every year and don't ask me why I'm not there now

00:34:31 I just say I go every year Rob so that way it just gets in people's heads that like I have to be there every

00:34:35 year oh

00:34:37 No, I went to the one in Asheville, and I vowed that I will never go to a Maui Invitational

00:34:42 That's not in Lahaina ever again

00:34:43 So when they you know obviously the fires are the reason they moved it this year

00:34:46 But uh I decided I wasn't gonna go to I was I was planning on it till the fires

00:34:50 But anyway every time I'm there I feel like it's it's like bachelor in paradise or some shit where you're just like putting like a an

00:34:56 incubator and and

00:34:59 It's it's like the bachelor

00:35:00 But it's for basketball for me where like I fall in love with every single player every single team every single

00:35:05 Just everything that happens in Maui. I'm like. I think that's the best team. I've ever seen oh shit. No nevermind

00:35:09 That's the best team. I've ever seen that's the did I just watch the best game of basketball. I've ever watched

00:35:13 It's like that every senior. I say all that to say I really do think this year

00:35:18 Those four teams could be the final four like that legitimately could be a final four

00:35:21 Yes, Tennessee Marquette Purdue, Kansas, and even though I say it every year like I I I fucking love all four of those teams

00:35:27 I'm so fired up to see it's like. I mean. It's like every year you go on vacation right you're like

00:35:32 Oh, man. You know I could live here

00:35:34 Yeah, I can move like you go to you go to I don't know you go to Miami or something like that

00:35:38 Oh, man, imagine just living Miami all the time, and then you actually move there

00:35:42 And it's just kind of like well

00:35:42 You know what you don't get to party every single night right you know if you're gonna live there you like you got to have

00:35:46 An actual job you got to be a little bit responsible

00:35:48 And that's kind of what it is with the teams in Maui you see them in this unbelievable

00:35:52 Environment in paradise in this gym that just it doesn't exist in sports anywhere else

00:35:57 In America right like you can't just put the best teams in the sport in a 2000 seat high school gym essentially

00:36:05 Yeah, have it be this unbelievable environment, so you go there, and you fall in love with it

00:36:08 You're like I could live here

00:36:09 Yeah, and then you get back to the mainland like oh you know what all these teams have warts these guys can't guard this guy

00:36:14 Can't you don't have the soft rim so just is what it is man. It's the beauty of Maui

00:36:18 That's why we love the event. I am worried that uh

00:36:20 I'm worried the crowds not gonna be

00:36:23 Yeah, I don't know it'll be a good litmus test cuz it's like I how much does that?

00:36:28 Gym matter for the the atmosphere of Maui and how much of it is is

00:36:33 You know it having 400 people on top of you and being crazy

00:36:38 I don't know we'll find out because they're playing in like a 10,000 seat arena so um you know what you're actually you're a perfect

00:36:43 Person to ask this question to because you played high school basketball in Indiana where there are millions of gyms that are basically like just wooden

00:36:51 bleachers when you put

00:36:53 2,000 people in a 1500 seat gym

00:36:55 All screaming all crazy all yelling at you like how how do those two things?

00:37:00 Contrast is it is it similar to what you get out of the best high school basketball in the best high school basketball state in

00:37:06 The country Maui like this is the Lahaina Civic Center. Oh, yeah, dude

00:37:09 it is it is it feels like

00:37:11 exactly like playing on a high school game and it feels like the the soft rims and the how hot it gets in there and

00:37:16 It does feel like everybody had adds like

00:37:19 Three to five feet of range on all their shots, and they're capable of hitting shit that they wouldn't be able to hit in massive arenas

00:37:26 So yeah, I I'm I'm worried about that with the Maui Invitational this year

00:37:29 But also like if Kansas and Purdue are playing each other and it's Zach E versus Hunter Dickinson

00:37:33 It's just gonna be two Goliaths in the paint

00:37:36 Beating the shit out of each other. So maybe like the soft rims won't matter as much but soft rims

00:37:40 Won't matter when you rip the rooms down

00:37:42 But I'm sad because I wanted to see the Dalton connect show, you know

00:37:45 Like I feel like Dalton connect and cold like Marquette's offense could have been awesome and it still might be I don't know

00:37:51 we'll see but I

00:37:52 Seen Dalton connect in Maui. Just I don't know. I've fallen in love with that kid. So

00:37:56 We'll see what else um, uh

00:37:59 You think Kansas is the best team in the country

00:38:02 You high on this Kansas team. I

00:38:06 am

00:38:07 I think it's either Kansas or Purdue. Yeah, and every time I

00:38:11 Think about Purdue and think about Zach E. I like them a little bit more

00:38:15 I don't think we're talking enough about how good Arizona's been

00:38:19 Yeah, because I think that they have the big guy that can match up with all these other monsters

00:38:23 They have four perimeter players that can get out there and guard Colin Boswell has been unbelievable

00:38:29 He showed like 67% from three

00:38:31 It's early but the whole knock on him was this kid can't shoot and he's shooting 67% from three from five through five games

00:38:36 So I really like them

00:38:38 I think the beauty of this year is that there are

00:38:42 Like nine teams that are really really really good

00:38:46 But there isn't anybody that is a step above the rest of the country. Does that make sense?

00:38:52 yeah to me there's like you look at let's just put it in tournament sense like

00:38:57 The the best number one seed all the way down to the worst number two seed

00:39:00 I don't know how much of a difference there's going to be between all of those teams

00:39:03 All of them can go out and win a national title and I think all of them could also get beat in the second round

00:39:07 I wouldn't be that surprised about it. I love that about this season and the way this is kind of happen

00:39:13 Yeah, the 2015 year was like that where I know Kentucky was undefeated and they were so good

00:39:17 But like if I remember like the top eight was so

00:39:20 All the ones and two seeds were like so freaking good and then it kind of fell off after that

00:39:25 but it was Kentucky then it was like the seven teams were kind of even after that and then

00:39:30 Yeah, like Arizona was really good that year and Wisconsin was obviously really good and Duke won the title and I think Villanova and Virginia

00:39:38 Had awesome teams that year

00:39:39 Yeah, I those those are the fun year

00:39:41 So I would love it if there was like kind of a Death Star team there isn't so far

00:39:45 We shall see maybe Maui like one emerges certainly if like, you know

00:39:49 Kansas or Purdue just kind of looks dominant or market really any team whoever wins now

00:39:54 He's gonna be the number one team in the country. Um, yeah, I can't wait. I can't wait to overreact to everything

00:39:59 Yeah, I know that's the best part about Maui is like

00:40:01 The thing is though with Purdue with Marquette with Tennessee with I would throw Arizona in there, Tennessee kind of they went to the sweet

00:40:12 16 last year so maybe not as much but I think all of those programs are in a position where

00:40:16 For the general public it almost doesn't matter what they do in the regular season, which stinks

00:40:20 but when you're Arizona and you lost a 15 seed and then say tournament last year when you're Purdue and you lost a 16 seed and

00:40:26 Not even last year like the run that they've had

00:40:28 Tennessee did go to the sweet 16

00:40:30 but like Rick Barnes is still like one of those guys that gets stamped with like the

00:40:33 Never gonna get over the hump label and Shaka and Marquette or they have that going on, too

00:40:38 It is like a weird thing where like I feel like

00:40:40 Marquette could win the Maui Invitational be the number one team in the country and they're still gonna have this feeling of like yeah

00:40:45 We'll see when March comes around though shock in March like it always had you know

00:40:49 And I don't know if that's a good or a bad thing like Purdue will certainly be that like Purdue I could see winning Maui

00:40:53 Every game comfortably looking fucking dominant Zach Eaddy's like puts a stamp on I am winning national player of the year again

00:41:00 And the conversation is gonna be like which 16 seed are they gonna lose to which is fair. It's just like a weird

00:41:06 It's a weird space we're in

00:41:08 Yeah, it's they are exactly what Virginia was in the 2019 season like the parallels there are ridiculous

00:41:15 Like everybody said Tony Bennett was this great coach that could develop players that could develop a program that couldn't win in March, right?

00:41:20 Because they got I think they blew a lead to Michigan State in

00:41:24 In 2014 as number one seed and they lost as a number one seed know a number two seed in the second round in 2015

00:41:31 Then they were up by 15 with eight minutes left to Syracuse. It was a 10 seed in

00:41:36 2016

00:41:38 2017 they lost early 2018. They lost to UMBC and they come back 2019

00:41:43 They go out and they win the national title

00:41:45 In just like ridiculous storybook if you go back and look what they actually did during that run

00:41:50 It's like there's if you make this into a movie. Nobody would believe it

00:41:53 They were down by 14 to Gardner Webb in the first round

00:41:56 They they needed the key

00:41:58 Hey Clark shot to get to the elite eight or the key head Clark passed just to get to the elite eight, right?

00:42:04 They were down by I think six with six minutes left to Oregon. They needed that miracle foul

00:42:09 The on the three against Auburn to get to the national title, right?

00:42:13 And they needed the Andre Hunter to hit a three to force overtime

00:42:16 With nine seconds left in the national like if you made that into a movie

00:42:20 This isn't fucking real. Like what? What do we what are we doing here?

00:42:23 So I know I know you're you got Indiana roots, right? I know you played at Ohio State

00:42:28 I really want that for Purdue this year. I know where your loyalties are gonna lie, but I want that for Purdue

00:42:33 Yeah, I I have pretty go to the final four

00:42:35 I've guaranteed it that Purdue will go to the final four and if they don't I'm pulling my

00:42:39 Donation on the Purdue Day of Giving they will not be getting $35 for me this year. I have a pretty booster Rob

00:42:45 Did you know that I'm a pretty that's the only

00:42:47 Okay, so I didn't know that isn't your mom like in the Purdue Sports Hall. Yeah. Yeah

00:42:51 She's a legend her face is up in Mackey Arena

00:42:53 And you know whose face isn't up in Mackey Arena Robbie Robbie Hummel's. That's a great point

00:43:02 No, so I'm a pretty booster I would love to see my beloved Boilermakers go on a run

00:43:06 I do worry about the guard play at the national title level

00:43:10 But I think they're the guards are gonna be good enough to get him to the final four at least

00:43:12 But yeah, it would be it would be a great story and you're exactly right

00:43:15 The parallels are there and it's not just that they lost to the 16. It's it's all the other stuff

00:43:19 It's all the guys you mentioned. It's like the culture of the program and and I think painter has addressed the issues that Purdue had

00:43:28 More than he more than might meets the eye like it does sort of feel like they ran back the same team

00:43:34 They did not like Heidi and and Myles Cole like they added some athleticism

00:43:37 They hopefully those guys can are not going to be gun-shy with shooting and when they do shoot there

00:43:44 They don't throw up bricks like crazy, but I do think that Purdue has gotten better

00:43:47 But it does sort of feel I think to the to the average fan

00:43:50 It feels like this is the exact same team from last year, but it's not which is exactly how Virginia did it where Virginia?

00:43:56 They did lose to UMBC Deandre hunter did not play in that game, which doesn't diminish

00:44:01 UMBC's win but like Deandre hunters fucking Deandre hunter and like having it back

00:44:06 For a national title run as it turns out made a massive difference. So, um, all right

00:44:11 Well, I appreciate you coming on dude. I think I think we've we've hit enough. Well, I do

00:44:15 I don't know if I've actually so I think I've told you this story before I'm gonna I'm gonna take over the closing if you

00:44:20 Don't mind, please do over your show

00:44:22 Titus I've uh, I think I've told you this but I don't know if I've told the story publicly when I feel the 68

00:44:28 Wouldn't exist if it wasn't for you. Do you know this? Do you know what I'm about?

00:44:31 Hold on no, go ahead. I think I might but go ahead. So the day I got laid off from NBC I

00:44:39 Like I put out the tweet like I you know

00:44:43 I got laid off like anyone hiring blah blah whatever and then I kind of shut my phone off and do it to the side

00:44:47 Right, and it was like, you know a morning in the middle of Kobe

00:44:51 So I took my kids to a park and just like ignored everybody got home

00:44:54 Heavy in my feelings like what the fuck am I gonna do man?

00:44:58 They think there's no way I'm gonna be able to get another job. Nobody is hiring. There's no sports going on right now

00:45:02 Nobody's playing so I go down in my basement and I'm just sitting there

00:45:06 I'm like six IPAs deep like just getting drunk by myself being horrible about myself feeling

00:45:11 Sorry for myself and I just turn on my phone and open up Twitter. I'm just scrolling through

00:45:16 all the mentions from what people said right and you tweeted me a screenshot and it said Tony Bennett one hour after losing to a

00:45:24 16 seed and one year before winning the national championship

00:45:27 And it was just this quote that was like the the way that it ended was a life lesson is sitting there about defining yourself

00:45:33 By maybe not what the world says, but there's other things that matter and then you get back to it

00:45:38 So I'm sitting there like drunk by myself in my basement feeling sad. I'm like, you know what fuck this like let's do this

00:45:45 Let's make this happen. And if I I don't know I probably would have figured something out but like that was a real motivating thing

00:45:51 I don't think I've ever told that story publicly. I think I told you that

00:45:54 Yeah

00:45:58 No, man, that's awesome that makes me feel yeah, I

00:46:02 That's pretty cool. You're putting me in a weird spot because I don't I don't like no I know but I

00:46:08 Appreciate I wanted to make sure I publicly acknowledge that I appreciate the message and and hopefully had the effect that was intended

00:46:15 Well, yeah, this is it all worked out. I mean field of 68 is your national

00:46:19 I mean, you're a far better if I if I may say so I don't want to shit on your

00:46:24 Life life is funny like that

00:46:33 Rob, we'll have you back on throughout the season man. You're a hard guy to pin down though. You're traveling so much

00:46:37 I've been trying to book you for a week. Just don't ask me to come on like literally while I'm getting on a flight

00:46:42 Appreciate you make it time best of luck with Tio and Fanta. We've broken the seal now

00:46:48 We've had all three of you guys on the show

00:46:50 I'm gonna have to start power ranking Doster Tio and Fanta, but yeah, I'm third on that list and I'm perfectly fine

00:46:56 Even though even though my daughter tried to get a picture with Fanta at the game on on Friday and Fanta was too busy

00:47:02 Make sure to ask him about that. Oh, wow. Okay. All right. Well now I gotta get Fanta back on we gotta talk

00:47:07 I appreciate it Rob

00:47:09 Always good to see you mark

00:47:11 Quick break to talk about our friends at body armor

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00:48:38 All right. Thank you to Rob. By the way score update, Tennessee is now up nine

00:48:44 On Syracuse about four and a half left. So it feels like Tennessee is going to win

00:48:51 This is I mean, I said it to Rob and I'll say it again like doing doing shows during Feast Week is a ton of fun

00:48:57 It's the bit like I said, it's the it's the most fun week of the college basketball season outside of March

00:49:02 but also

00:49:04 it does give I'm gonna go home tonight and just like

00:49:07 have my asshole clenched as I'm watching all these games to make sure like UConn takes care of business against, Texas because

00:49:12 If you come looks dumb against Texas the show which already happened to us TJ this year

00:49:18 Yeah

00:49:19 when big cat came on the show and is like Michigan State National Championship book it and before even put the

00:49:24 Before he even put it up Michigan State was 0 and 1 with the loss to JMU

00:49:28 But yeah, it looks like Tennessee will hang on but we'll see. I don't know. There's still four minutes left in the meantime

00:49:35 Panic button team that we did not talk about I asked Rob who should be smashing the panic button. He said Michigan State

00:49:42 I

00:49:43 Don't disagree, but it's a long I still sort of think like it's such a long season a Michigan State plays so many good teams

00:49:49 Like they got Arizona coming. I guess I gotta see what happens with Arizona

00:49:54 The other thing is like the rest of the big ten kind of stinks right now outside of Purdue

00:49:58 That I think Michigan State is still gonna be just fine and in terms of getting second in the league

00:50:06 Which is kind of where I had him peg to start the season. Anyway, it's just they don't they obviously don't look like a

00:50:12 Final four threat right now, but we'll see

00:50:14 but a panic button team that I want to call attention to that we didn't talk about is

00:50:19 FAU bar still invitational co-champions with

00:50:24 Mississippi State the FAU owls who obviously went to the final four last year brought back five starters

00:50:31 Brought back their coach brought back what what feels like a team that should go to the final four again

00:50:37 lost to Bryant at home by nine a very very very very very bad loss a

00:50:43 Horrendous loss a loss that simply cannot happen if you are serious about making a final four

00:50:48 Return, I don't think it's an overreaction to say that their one seed is gone already. I think FAU

00:50:54 They have Butler. I

00:50:56 Somewhere this I think it's Fort Myers. They play they play Butler and then the winner assuming they beat Butler

00:51:02 But they'll probably be brother, but maybe not. I don't know. We'll see. I mean you lose the Bryant Butler could knock him off

00:51:07 I would love that but they play Butler and then either Texas a and M Penn State

00:51:11 So let's assume they beat Butler and they they have Texas a and M

00:51:15 Maybe they they can beat Texas a and M the schedule is not nearly as bad as it was last year for for Florida Atlantic

00:51:20 obviously moving up to the

00:51:22 American has beefed up the sked the conference schedule a little bit

00:51:26 but I

00:51:28 Bryant is a

00:51:29 horrendous loss and

00:51:31 It's not the end of the world in the sense that you know, they made the final four as a as an AC last year

00:51:36 So I don't think

00:51:38 Were they an AC or 9 seat actually, they were an AC birthday. Were they a 9 seat?

00:51:44 Doesn't matter if they Memphis yeah, they played Memphis

00:51:47 And see I hate that about didn't they not lose at home all year last year - that was like their big narrative

00:51:54 Yeah, they were so good. They that's that's the thing is like they were

00:51:57 They were a legitimately good basketball team last year

00:52:00 It wasn't just a situation where they got hot at the right time. Like they were actually

00:52:03 Very let me see here. Very good. And then

00:52:08 Why does this matter? Why do I care now? I just can't get out of my head now. It's gonna bother me

00:52:13 It literally does not matter if they're an AC or

00:52:15 But I'm just shook by this and I need to know I need to they were a 9c

00:52:24 Yeah, I said AC and as soon as it came out of my mouth was like I don't think that's right

00:52:27 I think I think they were 9. Anyway, they were there were 9c last year made the final four

00:52:31 So it's like who cares if they've squandered the one seat it to like who really gives a shit

00:52:36 but at the same time I

00:52:37 Think that's what we were expecting out of this program was like it that this was this was the next

00:52:42 Step was alright. You had your you had your fun little run now. Let's see where you are as a program

00:52:46 Can you return next year with with all these guys back and with the target on your back and and deliver and and a game?

00:52:52 Like this against Bryant at home is a game that you just simply cannot lose if you're if you're serious about winning a national championship

00:52:59 You know again, you can pretend like games in November don't matter

00:53:04 But this is this is the very very very bad loss

00:53:08 So I'm smashing the panic button on behalf of FAU they can I guess unsmash it

00:53:13 If that if that's a thing, can you unsmash a panic button? I think you can

00:53:17 I think you smash the panic button because you're panicking about the situation and if you resolve the situation

00:53:22 Then the panic is over right so they still have time to resolve it

00:53:25 But like I'm absolutely smashing the panic button right now a few shoutouts before we get out of here

00:53:29 number one

00:53:32 JDR and Ladi of

00:53:34 San Diego State former

00:53:37 Ohio State player by the way, it's been his freshman year, Ohio State averaged like three points a game did absolutely nothing

00:53:43 Jaden Ladi is averaging twenty eight point six points ten point six rebounds and one point is assists per game right now for San Diego State

00:53:52 He is shooting 58% from the field. He's also averaging 1.6 steals per game. I know it's early. It's only been five games

00:53:59 The nerds will point out the the the sample size is not that large

00:54:04 But in a hundred and eighteen career games, this is Jaden Ladi's like

00:54:07 Fifth season, I think how many seasons has he played at this point like sixth season?

00:54:12 He's played a hundred and eighteen games entering this this year

00:54:17 I'm gonna pull it up. I forget how many seasons he's played. I can't remember. This is fifth or sixth

00:54:21 One two, three four. This is his fifth. This is his fifth year. He's played four full seasons of college basketball

00:54:27 This is year five. He played a hundred eighteen games before this season. He had never in his career scored more than 23 points

00:54:34 And he's currently averaging twenty eight point six points. He had had one game of

00:54:38 11 plus he had never like the 23 is the career high now. He's averaging 29. He had had one game of

00:54:44 11 plus rebounds one time he

00:54:47 Got 12 rebounds in one game. I think it was last year and now he's averaging 10.6 rebounds

00:54:53 He's playing insane basketball to the point that like I think it's I feel pretty comfortable and saying he would be national player of

00:55:00 The year again, there's a lot of bass a lot of basketball left to be played

00:55:03 We shall see what happens from here

00:55:05 But just putting up insane numbers and coming out of nowhere

00:55:08 Like this is a guy who last year he averaged like eight points a game for San Diego State

00:55:12 And San Diego State was very very deep last year

00:55:15 that's a part of what made them so good on their path to the national championship game, but

00:55:20 Yeah, Ladi averaged seven point nine points at five point three boards last year for San Diego State

00:55:25 And he's just been an absolute monster. Just just a

00:55:29 Just playing insane basketball this year. I'll send you a state did lose to

00:55:34 BYU I know but they're four and one they're there. They're still in a decent position and BYU. That's a tough place to play man

00:55:41 so

00:55:43 Yeah beat the absolute piss out of st. Mary's beat Washington and overtime

00:55:47 JD and Ladi is is balling out and I wanted to give him a shout out because he is he is

00:55:53 Yeah, I don't know. He's coming out of nowhere - it's not just put up monster numbers

00:55:58 It's that he had kind of never shown this at all

00:56:01 He's shown some flashes I should say here and there but he's never like put complete games together like this

00:56:06 And now he's doing it every single night to start the season. So that's pretty cool

00:56:10 I want to shout out Cohen Carr as well

00:56:12 Who's becoming a fan favorite on this show? Like I cannot get enough of him again

00:56:16 I reserved the right to walk this back when he he humiliates, Ohio State, but right now I absolutely love Cohen Carr

00:56:23 How do you had a nasty dunk on Alcorn State? Did you see this TJ?

00:56:26 It's kind of all of Michigan State that like that Michigan State just loves dunking the ball

00:56:30 Yeah, they just love making highlights. Even if they're not that good right now, Michigan State to me is

00:56:37 Cohen Carr

00:56:39 dunking the ball

00:56:40 Tyson Walker doing insane shit like crossing guys up and then hitting like tough shots and

00:56:45 Then a bunch of guys that I'm screaming at like why aren't you better? Yeah, this is a narrative though

00:56:50 Like it's setting up to fulfill what we talked about last year with them where it's like

00:56:54 They're never the best regular season big ten team and then they're just like yeah, they're built for the tournament

00:56:58 yeah, they're gonna lose like eight or nine games in the at least in the big ten season and then

00:57:03 Be ready to go in March is that would do that thing where they get knocked down like the second round of the big ten

00:57:09 Tournament is like, oh, I guess we get extra off days. Yeah

00:57:11 Exactly there's a two-seed in the big ten turn. Yeah, they lose their first game

00:57:17 and then they make the sweet 16 and then losing the sweet 16 early date and

00:57:22 Then all the big ten people are like it is as a fucking wizard, dude

00:57:25 He did it again, but then all the national people are like, how is he a fucking wizard?

00:57:29 He didn't even make the final four like this man's won one national championship and then everyone's like yeah

00:57:34 But you don't understand this team looked lost

00:57:36 They look rudderless for most of the year and is Oh found a way to to get it done

00:57:40 And that's that's kind of where we're headed with Michigan State

00:57:43 But yeah, Cohen Carr had a dunk on Alcorn State where he didn't touch the rim and I just want to go on record as

00:57:50 saying I

00:57:51 Am very much in the camp that you do not need to touch the rim for it to be a dunk

00:57:55 I am I'm in the camp that if you throw the ball down

00:57:57 That is a dunk throwing in the ball. Like if the the Blake Griffin example TJ where he yeah

00:58:03 He would do that every so often where he gets so high

00:58:06 He just throw the ball, but he's kind of far away from the rim Cohen Carr had one of those

00:58:10 That's a dunk. That's a dunk

00:58:12 The act of dunking is not touching the rim to me like that's not

00:58:15 When you're dunking a basketball and everyone's like holy shit. What a dunk

00:58:19 They're not freaking out because the guy touched the rim

00:58:22 They're freaking out because the guy got so high that he can't throw the ball down, right?

00:58:26 Whereas usually when you shoot a basketball you have to shoot it up. This guy jumps so high. He's shooting it down

00:58:31 That to me is the dunk the dunk is is not touching the rim with your finger who gives a fuck about that

00:58:37 The dunk is displaying the athleticism that you're above the rim and now you're throwing the ball down

00:58:42 that's more impressive than a dunk like a traditional dunk where you touch the rim, so

00:58:47 I just want to go on record saying that because that becomes a controversy anytime you see a guy

00:58:51 Dunk a basketball and then there are always people they're like not a dunk. That wasn't a dunk

00:58:55 that was that was a

00:58:57 That was a shot that he shot down

00:58:59 And I and I go crazy about that because that is very much a dunk to me. So

00:59:03 There you go for all those who are wondering where I stood on that controversy, by the way, Tennessee's up 11 with a minute

00:59:09 And a half. I think the Vols are gonna get it done. They're gonna take care of business

00:59:12 Dalton connect only has 17 points. Oh, he's had 17 for a while

00:59:15 He didn't score much of the second half

00:59:17 Yeah, who uh, hey dude looks like he came alive a little bit I like this Tennessee team

00:59:23 I really really like this Tennessee team, but I mean Rob mentioned it like it's it's going to be very interesting to see

00:59:29 What Rick Barnes does?

00:59:31 With Dalton connect as the season wears on and if he goes through like a rough patch offensively so far so good

00:59:37 I mean, he's he's he's an absolute bucket

00:59:39 But if there's if there's like two or three games in a row where he's like two for 13

00:59:45 And his defense isn't great. What happens then? But I think so far I

00:59:50 Think we're gonna get to a certain point where Dalton connect proves that he's such a bucket that even if he's not hitting you have

00:59:56 To just leave him out there and and hope he comes around

00:59:59 I think you just have to live and die by him because he is so fucking good. I

01:00:03 Love him. I love him and and I already had like two or three Syracuse fans

01:00:07 that

01:00:10 listen to the show watch the show that uh

01:00:12 Wrote in during this game and we're like I hate this kid Dalton connect

01:00:15 And I get it I get it they're just like he's he's got a very punchable face and I was like, yeah

01:00:22 I know but some about him dude. I just respect the hell out of him

01:00:25 He's so good. So fun to watch a couple other things

01:00:27 I wanted to talk about before get out here

01:00:29 Jay Williams is impossibly bad at commentating college basketball games

01:00:33 And I just wanted to draw this to anyone's attention who did not watch the the UConn, Indiana game on Sunday

01:00:40 In a world where we're we have a lot of bad color guys

01:00:44 In college basketball and and listen, I did the job once upon a time

01:00:49 I know people it's I don't need to remind everybody. It's some most college basketball fans. Remember?

01:00:53 Well a seminal moment in college basketball history when I called the st. John's

01:00:57 St. Peter's I think was st. Peter's no, it's a st. Francis. Yeah

01:01:02 As I said, it's a moment everybody remembers well on FS -

01:01:10 It's a tough job I won't lie it is it is a tough job

01:01:13 pretty much the only thing you can do to fuck up the job is to

01:01:18 just

01:01:20 Be an absolute hater at every turn like Jay Williams was he literally said at one point that scene the red and white of Indiana

01:01:26 Makes him want to vomit

01:01:28 He was talking about how you con didn't recruit him. So he kind of fucking hates UConn. It's a game between UConn in Indiana

01:01:34 at one point Carl Ravitch points out that Donovan Klingon was like driving a Rolls Royce this offseason and

01:01:39 Instead of Jay Williams being like damn that's pretty baller to be driving a Rolls Royce

01:01:44 His hate and ass was just like didn't Donovan Klingon come off the bench last year

01:01:48 Why is he driving a Rolls Royce and I was like Jay shut the fuck up, dude

01:01:51 Jake can you shut the fuck? I don't I honestly don't even get that annoyed by commentators cuz I again

01:01:58 Like I think it's like part of me having done it

01:02:00 I understand how hard it is and like some of the things that annoy people

01:02:03 I'm just kind of like yeah, you know, it's a little bit of annoying but

01:02:06 It's it's a tough job. I try to show grace to guys. Holy shit. Jay Williams put forth the worst commentating effort

01:02:13 I've ever seen against the Indiana UConn game. I mean it was it was a master class in bad college basketball commentating

01:02:21 he's talking about one point at one point Ravitch brings up a Bob Knight dying right and

01:02:26 JJ chimes in he was like

01:02:30 Listen, I hate that whenever whenever people talk about Bob Knight

01:02:34 They always want to talk about the bad stuff and it always gets brought up and I hate that people have to do that and

01:02:39 I'm watching this. I'm like then don't then don't fucking do it. What are you?

01:02:42 And then he just goes on and on about how Bob Knight, you know

01:02:48 Obviously had was obviously was an asshole. We talked about it on the show when when he died, but like I

01:02:53 Don't he was driving me insane. He was driving me absolutely fucking insane

01:02:58 He wanted to be anywhere else in the world than at this college basketball game anywhere else in the world

01:03:02 It was it was very much an inconvenience to him

01:03:04 So I just want to I want to put that out into the ether

01:03:07 Anybody at ESPN watching this for the love of God do not put Jay Williams on any basketball game that Matt I I do not

01:03:13 Understand how people watch Bill Walton and hate him

01:03:16 But then you like like basically what I'm saying is in a world where like people seem to hate every commentator

01:03:22 I promise that Jay Williams is far worse than anyone else

01:03:24 Bill Walton is a fucking God at this and Jay Williams is so so bad

01:03:29 And I don't even say this is a guy who has a personal gripe with Jay Williams

01:03:32 So, you know that did come across like kind of personal but like he made it personal this commentating, dude

01:03:37 He was taking shots at fucking everybody like literally the entire game

01:03:41 He was his hate and ass was just like pointing out everybody who sucked why they sucked

01:03:46 It was wild. It was it was absolutely wild and I never want to see him call about college basketball game again

01:03:52 So there you go. There's that

01:03:54 He said at one point TJ he was speculating that DJ Wagner who starts at Kentucky who

01:04:00 It was was one of the like eight or nine number one recruits in the country

01:04:04 Because that's how recruiting works now

01:04:06 DJ Wagner's grandfather is in his on staff at at Louisville, right?

01:04:12 Kenny Payne hires his grandfather because he thinks that he has it that would help him get a shot or that's the

01:04:17 Implication is he hired his grandfather thinking he would have the inside track to getting DJ Wagner

01:04:22 It would turn the Louisville program around and everything would be great. So DJ Wagner. He has it basically down to two schools

01:04:27 It's Louisville or Kentucky. He commits to Kentucky Louisville fans are devastated by this

01:04:32 He gets to Lexington. He is now starting for John Calipari on a team that I'm very high on

01:04:39 He's he's he's so far so good at Kentucky Jay Williams in the middle of a UConn, Indiana basketball game is speculating about

01:04:49 DJ Wagner

01:04:50 Transferring to Louisville based on absolutely nothing DJ. If DJ Wagner wanted to go to Louisville

01:04:55 He had a very good opportunity to go to Louisville

01:04:58 He did not want to go to Louisville. He went to Kentucky so far. It's working for him at Kentucky and

01:05:04 And and Jay Williams just out of nowhere is like I I wouldn't be surprised if DJ Wagner next year transfers to Louisville

01:05:10 DJ Wagner's going to the NBA. He's gonna go to the NBA and if he doesn't go to the NBA

01:05:14 He's gonna come back to Kentucky. I don't assume leave. It would be pretty far down on the list of transfer

01:05:18 Oh, yes - if it was somebody like DJ Wagner and he just pulls this out of his ass out of nowhere

01:05:23 Very very confusing. I don't know he was it was it

01:05:27 again, it's it's it's a complaint that that I understand that

01:05:32 the college basketball community at large complains about announcer so often that I feel like and

01:05:37 announcing announcer complaints and ref complaints or like the two things that like just kind of

01:05:42 Go in one ear and out the other because it's just that's that's basically

01:05:46 We just we just complain about both throughout an entire season and I get that so this might be a little boy crying wolf

01:05:52 But I try not to complain about announcers too much and Jay Williams. Holy shit. Were you bad?

01:05:56 Please stop. Please stop for the love of God. Stop calling college basketball games. Ah,

01:06:00 If I could be any more direct than that

01:06:03 And then the last thing I wanted to last shout out I had was a PFT comment during college game day was so awesome

01:06:10 incredible he was it was it was an absolute master class except for the

01:06:14 The miss field goal that we don't have to talk about right? He didn't have his cleats, right?

01:06:18 He was they caught him off guard. He definitely did not he definitely did not

01:06:22 Have his cleats prepared for that kick

01:06:25 But yeah, dude, he was he was running circles around those guys and watching Rhys Davis

01:06:30 Develop a man crush in real time was so freaking awesome

01:06:34 Like like Reese's like 10 seconds slow, which I don't blame him because I was too I was on the couch like

01:06:40 You know listening everything PFT said then it wouldn't click in my brain until like 10 seconds after the fact but watching Reese like have the

01:06:46 Same realizations that I was having like 10 seconds later and then suddenly just like smack the desk and laughter

01:06:51 It was so good. It was it was so perfect. So

01:06:54 That was a ton of fun. It sucks the JMU lost the the football game because I kind of puts a damper on everything

01:07:00 But whatever

01:07:02 PFT was awesome. So by the way, Tennessee did in fact when they won by

01:07:06 Is my math right? They won by 17. Yeah

01:07:09 Damn, they just pulled away late hit their free toes. It looks like

01:07:12 Yes, the Tennessee marches on now invitational going on anything else before we go. This is the last show before

01:07:18 Thanksgiving break. Oh, yeah, please be on the lookout you if you follow anything bar

01:07:24 So you won't be able to avoid it, but our biggest

01:07:26 Sale of the years this weekend Black Friday sale starts Thursday night around midnight depends when Dave starts to sale

01:07:34 Everything's 20% off mostly sports stuff in the store. Yeah stuff in the store general barstool stuff in the store

01:07:40 buy some stuff if we go over our

01:07:42 Expected sales number the money divides evenly between all the behind-the-scenes people. So yeah help TJ help the fellas out help the fellas out

01:07:51 Go get some barstool murder. We got some good stuff, man. I've been

01:07:54 I've been thumbing through like the boxes of stuff we have here

01:07:58 And I mean am I allowed to say that I just like every so often will grab like a crew neck and no

01:08:04 Yeah, we got some good stuff. It at one point. We did not have a ton of good stuff, but we

01:08:09 Quality wise the stuff has only gone up emergency has really stepped it up. Yeah, and we love them for it

01:08:15 So be sure to check that out. Oh, yeah, I guess this is the last show before Ohio State Michigan football game, too

01:08:21 Yeah

01:08:23 big weekend big weekend

01:08:25 I

01:08:26 Said that to Rob to like I hate that they put these I hate that the football schedule got bumped

01:08:30 It used to always be played like the week before Thanksgiving and now it's the week of Thanksgiving

01:08:34 Which makes for like a fun weekend, but also our fun week and then leading up to a fun weekend

01:08:39 But it was also like too much going on and your head's spinning

01:08:41 Yeah, I like where the Buckeyes are at I like her I like our chances

01:08:46 I I think having a roster full of future NFL players and being considered an underdog is a great spot to be in

01:08:53 Especially in a rivalry game. I said this on mostly sports. I've been getting flack for it

01:08:59 I think the pressures on me the pressures on both teams

01:09:02 But I think the prayer I think there's more pressure on Michigan than there is Ohio State and somehow like everybody seems to disagree with me

01:09:08 on that I

01:09:09 Don't know. That's just like I don't I feel like Michigan

01:09:12 This is like coal the whole

01:09:14 Last 20 years of Michigan football has come to a head at this moment in time where they have an opportunity to sneak a national

01:09:21 championship to grab it real quickly before

01:09:24 The program gets nuked and whether it gets nuked or not

01:09:27 Like it's it's fair to say that the Michigan football future is murky

01:09:32 I think that's fair to say that whether well even if Jim Harbaugh still the coach

01:09:36 They have a ton of seniors on this team. I don't think Jim Harbaugh will be the coach moving forward, but I could be wrong

01:09:42 It's just like the the future is very very murky for Michigan and they have a they have a hell of a football team

01:09:47 This year in my mind

01:09:48 I feel like the the time is now for them and if they don't get it done this year in terms of like winning a

01:09:53 national championship I

01:09:55 Would if I was a Michigan fan, I'd be like, yeah, I don't know when this is ever going to happen

01:09:59 whereas

01:10:00 Ohio State like I I feel

01:10:02 Comfortable moving forward that like even if we lose the Michigan on Saturday like the program is going to be just fine moving forward

01:10:09 Like I know that everyone loves to make a big deal about like Ohio like crazy

01:10:13 Ohio State fans losing their mind at Ryan Day like there were some people TJ

01:10:16 Would you believe this there were some people last year that like when we were down?

01:10:19 When we started losing to Michigan the second half they were calling for Ryan Day to be fine

01:10:23 to be fired

01:10:25 Insane people who could have done that who could have possibly done that? Um

01:10:29 But no, I I think I think Ohio State

01:10:33 That's how I'm viewing it is like I get how everyone's like wrapped up in the Michigan cheating scandal

01:10:39 And it's like this is Ohio State's one chance

01:10:41 to to prove that we could beat me like I you know

01:10:44 Like this is an opportunity to knock off Michigan and stuff and take the power back and all and all that is true

01:10:49 like given given

01:10:50 Michigan's cheating

01:10:52 And like Ohio where Ohio State's at like Ohio State does have a great opportunity

01:10:56 There's a lot of pressure to like finally prove that the last two years were bullshit and we are the better program

01:11:02 We've always been the better program yada yada yada

01:11:04 And obviously if we lose we're out we're probably almost certainly out of the national title picture

01:11:09 Maybe there's like some chaos scenario where we sneak back in as the number four probably not though

01:11:14 Yeah, of course. There's an immense amount of pressure on Ohio State, but in my mind. I think there's more pressure on Michigan

01:11:20 They're the better really if you're the underdog

01:11:22 I think the favorite in this game is always has the pressure if you're at home, and you're the favorite the pressures on you

01:11:28 That's how I've always viewed it

01:11:29 But I don't know a lot of people seem to disagree and they feel like this is this is the biggest Ohio State game ever

01:11:35 When I'm like I I see it the complete opposite way

01:11:37 I think Michigan has all the pressure to Michigan doesn't win their entire

01:11:40 Their entire run to this point the last few years is all fraudulent and it all comes unraveling

01:11:47 This is the one game. They must win whereas if we if we lose this game fuck

01:11:51 We lost to Michigan last year and still must be George in the playoff. I

01:11:55 Don't know so I I I'm definitely

01:11:58 nervous and so far as like I

01:12:02 Get nervous for for every Ohio State, Michigan game, but yeah, I'm not gonna be on any stream by the what is the plan?

01:12:09 By the way here at the company is big ab doing a stream with Dave. I would assume so yeah well

01:12:13 No, they're going. Oh, they're going to the game. Yeah. Yeah, they were they

01:12:16 They weren't originally, but I think they're doing a live show from there on Saturday

01:12:20 Yeah, which we sick because they get really good access at Michigan. I

01:12:24 I I wouldn't be very good on a stream anyway. No, they're gonna come on a stream like I'm

01:12:29 If you want to see me be insane

01:12:33 It's it's Ohio State basketball in the stream like I'll get insane for Ohio State basketball

01:12:37 But even really insane is relative compared to a lot of people that work here

01:12:41 You and I both I think internalize our football emotions like I watched you at the Wisconsin game

01:12:46 And it was very much the same thing as I am during a Rutgers game where I go like almost dead silent

01:12:50 And yeah, just like the biggest Debbie downer in the world like I'm not like let's go

01:12:54 I'm like I'm going to fucking die if this if this isn't a first down right display. I will die instantly right um

01:13:00 Yeah, cuz I did the stream with Connor Griffin for Penn State, and I was I don't know

01:13:06 I'm really not trying to be like cool about it all but

01:13:09 You're gonna hate what I'm gonna say TJ very arrogant very elitist, but being an Ohio State football fan

01:13:15 uh

01:13:17 For me and especially a guy who didn't like grow up with it, and I like fell into it by going to school there

01:13:22 Um I kind of see the force through the trees

01:13:25 Which is like if Michigan beats us by a hundred on Saturday?

01:13:28 We're gonna be fine like next year. We're gonna be preseason number three

01:13:31 Like I know I know we're gonna be fucking awesome next year and that I don't take that the wrong way

01:13:38 It doesn't mean I don't want to beat Michigan. I very much do

01:13:42 It's it's a very big game obviously and I care immensely

01:13:45 I just I'm not going to punch a hole in my drywall if we lose

01:13:49 I'll just be like down in the dumps for the for the rest of the day

01:13:52 And then I'll wake up on Sunday and be like fuck it. Yeah, let's go about our lives. It's basketball season

01:13:57 Let's see what happens the one

01:13:58 I do get upset about is Ohio State in the NCAA tournament where I just like live and breathe by every shot

01:14:04 yeah, it's it's a fucking nightmare, but

01:14:07 Thankfully we haven't had to deal with that problem. Yeah

01:14:11 Thank God Ohio State wasn't in the tournament last year and I didn't have to yeah, thank God I hate playing in the tournament

01:14:17 So, yeah, I'm not doing the Ohio State Michigan football stream apologies to everybody but yeah

01:14:24 I it's it wouldn't been that much fun to watch me anyway, but uh

01:14:28 I'll do one if the bug guys make the NCAA tournament

01:14:31 I'll do I'll do live streams for sure and you can watch me sweat out every turnover when that happens. So

01:14:37 Anyway, I got I got I got buck guys by

01:14:40 we're gonna win by

01:14:43 We're gonna win by six against Michigan we're gonna win by six

01:14:48 And football on Saturday, the Ohio State Buckeyes will win by six. That's my official prediction. I think we're gonna win by six

01:14:54 I think we got the like we're gonna have the two best players on the field and Travion Henderson Marvin Harrison

01:14:59 I think our defense is better than theirs and

01:15:01 And I think the pressure is going to get to them and our coaches are better than theirs

01:15:06 Harbaugh's not coaching Harbaugh's definitely not

01:15:08 Calling in at halftime to make halftime adjustments

01:15:11 They did look super shaky this weekend. Yeah, they did but that's part of I

01:15:18 They did and I almost fell into the trap

01:15:20 But I think that's part of Ohio State Michigan is you always look like shit the game before that you're looking at

01:15:24 Yeah, yeah, it's all again. You don't want to like you're sandbagging a little bit because yeah, that's that's that's part for the course

01:15:30 It is the best rivalry in sports though. I fucking love it and I love that

01:15:34 They've got some juice to it, but I still stand by Brandon Brandon said this is the biggest Ohio State Michigan game ever

01:15:40 But oh six is definitely the biggest. I mean you can't beat one versus two. We're only yeah

01:15:45 That was for the Big Ten Championship too because there was no Big Ten Championship back then like there was no

01:15:51 You know what? I mean like championship game

01:15:53 So the winner is a big literally the Big Ten champion not like the presumptive Big Ten champion Bo Schimbechler died the night before

01:16:02 It was it was insane it was that was the most insane setup but uh that was in the past and this one is coming

01:16:08 Up. So I guess we have to say that this one is is the most hyped ever. So whatever

01:16:12 This is this is probably the second most hyped ever. Um, all right. Thank you to Rob Doster. Thank you to everybody watching

01:16:19 Listening enjoy feast week there boy. There's gonna be a ton to talk about next week

01:16:24 We're gonna obviously not do a show for Friday because the holiday so we will be back

01:16:29 Next Tuesday trying to trying to do our best to recap everything that went on

01:16:34 The Maui Invitational alone is gonna give me like hours worth of content

01:16:38 So I'm gonna I'm gonna try to do my best to distill it down to one show

01:16:42 But yeah, I'm fired up for that. Enjoy the week everybody. We'll see you on the other side

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