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00:00This might be only January, but I think Monday night in college basketball served as a cautionary tale.
00:07If you wait until March, if you believe the madness does not begin until that month,
00:13you are doing yourself a disservice.
00:16Because college basketball is great all season long.
00:20And you want some more enthusiasm?
00:22Who better than Jon Rothstein, joining us here on this Tuesday morning
00:26on the early line on Sports Grid on behalf of the FanDuel Sportsbook,
00:30and of course doing it better than anybody for CBS Sports.
00:34Jon, as always, we appreciate the time.
00:36Late night, if you watch the overtime thriller in Tucson,
00:40but we bring that excitement into another robust Tuesday night slate.
00:44And Ben, the biggest thing I thought of as Arizona and Iowa State wrapped last night,
00:50what I would give right now for a late night Mountain West or West Coast conference game,
00:55there is no sport like college basketball that always delivers.
00:59But you know as well as I do, this is only January.
01:03It is only January, but less than seven weeks away now from Selection Sunday.
01:08So those conference tilts add on even more impact.
01:12And Jon, always keep that belief in your confidence,
01:16as Caleb Love has shown time and again in college hoops.
01:20From nearly 70 feet away, with two seconds remaining in regulation,
01:25and as it expired, a heave, a miracle, that was answered.
01:31Between Arizona and number three, Iowa State, to set the game to overtime,
01:35and in that extra session, on their home floor, the Wildcats prevail in a big one.
01:4186-75, covering as a two-and-a-half point home favorite.
01:46Jon, a wild Monday night and a wild Wildcats victory.
01:50But what will your lasting takeaway be from Tucson on a Monday?
01:55It was a vintage Caleb Love game.
01:58A game that he started one of 11 from three,
02:01made obviously the three-quarter court shot to send the game into overtime,
02:05and then went two for two from distance in overtime.
02:09But also, even in defeat, and there are no moral victories in college basketball,
02:14the way that Iowa State continues to play,
02:17without Milan Momchilovic, who TJ Otzelberger told me Saturday,
02:21is still probably two to four weeks away from returning.
02:24This is a team, again, that has the requisites to get to San Antonio
02:28and reach a Final Four, but then, you know, there's always collateral damage
02:32when you lose games that you feel like you have won.
02:35Iowa State now trails Houston by two games in the lost column in the Big 12,
02:41and since Houston has joined the conference,
02:44it is 23-3 in the regular season in the Big 12 under Kelvin Sampson.
02:49They are perfect right now.
02:51There was a thought that perhaps Houston would falter with the big boys in the Big 12
02:56after dominating the American.
02:58As we learned last year, certainly not the case.
03:01But as we focus on Iowa State, Jon, number three still in the nation.
03:05At a point this year, number two in the country,
03:08the highest ever ranking in program history in Aims.
03:12It is already a record-setting season.
03:1517-3 for the Cyclones.
03:18Only one Final Four appearance in school history.
03:21Only one other Elite Eight appearance way back in 2000.
03:26Is this the team this year under TJ Otzelberger
03:30that can get Iowa State to the promised land on a Final Four trip?
03:35Iowa State is definitely capable of getting to a Final Four.
03:38There's no doubt about that.
03:40But when I say repeatedly every game matters, every game truly matters.
03:45Because geographics are going to play a big part in the NCAA tournament.
03:49Look at the region that Iowa State was in a year ago.
03:52Iowa State lost a war against Illinois in the Sweet 16 last year.
03:57But had it beat the Illini, it would have had to play UConn in Boston
04:02for the right to go to the Final Four.
04:04You look at the geographic makeups of this year's potential brackets.
04:08Auburn is trending towards being the number one seed in the South.
04:12That means first and second round games in Lexington
04:15and then Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games in Atlanta.
04:18I have a hard time believing that a team is going to be able to go to Atlanta
04:23and beat the Tigers, who are a short drive away from Atlanta,
04:27in a Sweet 16 or an Elite Eight game.
04:29Let's go to the East region.
04:31Duke continues to rip through the ACC like a chainsaw through butter.
04:34I know NC State was very competitive last night at Cameron Indoor Stadium,
04:38but there is nothing stopping Duke right now from being the one seed
04:42in the East region.
04:43That means first and second round games in Raleigh
04:46and then the Sweet 16 and the Elite Eight in Newark.
04:49Those two teams, Auburn and Duke, are pushing out from the rest right now.
04:54Yep, they certainly are, John.
04:56And when you look at the national championship odds,
04:58who do you see at the very top?
05:00Duke in Auburn, co-favorites at a plus 430 number,
05:04less than seven weeks away from Selection Sunday.
05:08Which team on this list, in your opinion, John Rothstein,
05:11looks the most like a national championship contender?
05:16I would say other than Duke and Auburn, I would put Alabama in the three spot.
05:21I know that Alabama obviously has taken a couple of losses,
05:24but still on a neutral court, when you look at the totality of the weapons
05:28that Nate Oates has in his arsenal, this is a significantly deeper team
05:32than the one a year ago, got to the Final Four for the first time
05:35in program history, but make no mistake about it.
05:38Those three programs, Duke, Auburn, and Alabama on a neutral court,
05:42have unequivocally the highest ceilings out of any three teams
05:46in college basketball.
05:47And with that said, it is only late January,
05:50but if any of those three teams, Duke, Auburn, or Alabama,
05:54finish their respective seasons short of San Antonio,
05:58it will be a colossal, colossal disappointment.
06:01Duke went to the Elite Eight last year under John Shire, came up short.
06:05Auburn has not been back to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament
06:09since it went to the Final Four in 2019, and again,
06:12is trending towards being the one seed in the South.
06:14And Alabama, who went to a Final Four last year and returned
06:18an All-American in Mark Sears, has a deeper roster
06:22than it did a year ago.
06:24I said before the season started this was the most anticipated season
06:27in the history of Alabama basketball.
06:30I'm not wavering from that statement.
06:32It's Final Four or bust in Tuscaloosa, in Auburn, and of course, in Durham.
06:36Of course, when you look at the SEC, John, each and every night
06:40there is going to be a top 10, top 15 type tilt.
06:43That is the case tonight in Knoxville, between Tennessee and Kentucky.
06:48In the final 30 seconds of this segment,
06:50what's a key matchup to keep an eye on?
06:53Well, Kentucky's offense against Tennessee's defense.
06:55Kentucky entering this game was averaging just under 78 points per game
07:00on the road in SEC play.
07:02Tennessee at home is holding opponents to less than 60 points per outing.
07:07The Vols, other than Houston, to me, are the most physical team
07:11in college basketball.
07:13Tennessee in Knoxville has been like Dan Severn in the octagon.
07:18The Austin always the best.
07:20More on the early line next.
07:22You know the story by now.
07:23At this stage of conference action around the country in college basketball,
07:27each and every night is filled with more key matchups.
07:31They know their top 15 tilt within the SEC.
07:34As we go quickly back to Knoxville in the matchup between the Volunteers,
07:37now ranked eighth in the country and number 12, Kentucky.
07:41Tennessee over the weekend in a huge top 10 matchup against Auburn
07:46on the Plains came up just shy.
07:49Low scoring affair, 53-51.
07:51Tennessee did cover as a six-and-a-half point road underdog.
07:55But the Vols, after a 14-0 start, have now dropped three of their last seven,
08:00four and three within the SEC.
08:02They got upset by Vanderbilt last weekend.
08:05This weekend, Vandy upset Kentucky on their home four in Nashville.
08:11Vanderbilt, one of seven programs around the country
08:14with both its men's basketball and women's basketball team
08:18ranked inside the AP top 25.
08:21Kentucky hoping to bounce back as John shared last night,
08:24that being John Rothstein.
08:26Lamont Butler, the San Diego State transfer for the Cats,
08:29out for tonight's game.
08:30This line overnight, eight-and-a-half in favor of Tennessee.
08:34As you can see, they are now double digits, 147-and-a-half.
08:38That total critical any time you are playing Rick Barnes and company
08:42because of that physicality on the defensive side of the floor.
08:45If Kentucky keeps this game more competitive, is the pace going to be up?
08:50Might we flirt with an over?
08:51If it's all Tennessee tonight, as the odds might expect in Knoxville,
08:55maybe this game does stay under.
08:57But elsewhere around the country, awesome games across the board.
09:02Michigan State remains the only undefeated team within the Big Ten.
09:06A 12-and-a-half point favor tonight in East Lansing against Minnesota.
09:10The Spartans should win, should comfortably win perhaps.
09:14But the Golden Gophers started 0-6 in Big Ten play
09:19and now have won three in a row.
09:23Outright as an underdog in all three.
09:26All three, at the time, quad one victories
09:30as the undoing of Iowa basketball continues before our very eyes.
09:34That's probably not going to be a quad one victory very, very soon.
09:37But Ben Johnson, that's the name of the head coach for the Golden Gophers,
09:41if you didn't know as well, has really done great things with Minnesota
09:45in the last week-and-a-half.
09:47Should be competitive tonight inside the Breslin Center.
09:50Marquette in the top spot within the Big East.
09:53Six-and-a-half point road favorite inside Hinkle against Butler.
09:57Eight-and-one Marquette, eight-and-one St. John's.
10:01Big road trip tonight for Rick Pitino and the Red Storm to D.C.
10:05where they will take on Ed Cooley and Georgetown.
10:08Three-and-a-half point spread in favor of the Johnnies over the weekend.
10:12It was Cooley back in Providence.
10:15The native's son returneth.
10:17Was not a great game at the Amp.
10:20Providence a big, big victory.
10:22That is their Super Bowl.
10:23How do the Hoyas respond against St. John's?
10:27How does Kansas respond after disaster in both regulation
10:31and overtime against Houston on Saturday evening?
10:35Fourteen-and-a-half point home favorite once again in the fog against UCF.
10:40Texas A&M, eight-and-a-half point favorite against Oklahoma.
10:43OU off to a great start this year.
10:45Was one of four remaining undefeated teams at the D1 level.
10:48They have really kind of tailed off since they have started SEC play.
10:53And Duke is the best team in the ACC by far.
10:57Of course, the only undefeated team in an ACC that, as a whole this year,
11:02from a conference perspective, is not living up to ACC standards.
11:06It's been a story the last few years in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
11:11But there are two teams behind the Blue Devils right now
11:13with only one loss in conference play.
11:16Clemson is nine-and-one.
11:18Louisville, first year under Pat Kelsey, eight-and-one.
11:22The Cards now ranked in the top 25
11:24and an eight-and-a-half point favorite against Wake Forest tonight.
11:28Now, the Demon Deeks were a double-digit dog over the weekend
11:32against Duke, excuse me,
11:34and played that game much tighter than expected.
11:37A really strong second half out of Wake Forest to stay within that game.
11:43They're seven-and-two in conference.
11:44Big game in ACC.
11:46Seeing ACC outlook tonight, of course, at the Yum Center.
11:50And I wouldn't be so sure that Wake doesn't keep this game
11:53a little bit tighter than expected from the odds.
11:57Really great games up and down the board tonight
12:00in college basketball as you see there.
12:04And let's go back to the title odds very quickly.
12:07We've got co-favorites, plus 430, Auburn and Duke.
12:10You heard from John Rothstein.
12:11If either of these two teams, John Shires' Blue Devils,
12:14Bruce Pearl's Tigers, do not reach a Final Four,
12:17it would be considered a disappointment.
12:20And he is spot-on.
12:21But a lot of talent behind those teams, of course,
12:25and the SEC continues to be a powerhouse.
12:28Ten teams in the top 25.
12:30Seven in the top 15, featuring a top 15 tilt tonight
12:35between Tennessee and Kentucky.
12:37The early line returns tomorrow, 8 a.m. Eastern, on AWACS.