Mike Harmon & Dan Beyer talk Alex Ovechkin Makes History, Cooper Flagg & NCAA Men's College Basketball Championship, and So Much More!

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio Radio. We'll see if
I can avoid an epic collapse here over the next
two hours. Feeling pretty good, feeling spry, but as we know,
all the best laid plans can go to hell in
a matter of seconds. Welcome in Fox Sports Radio from
the Tirac dot com studios. It's Fox Sports Sunday. Mike
Carmen alongside my guy Dan Byer. Tire rack dot com

(00:24):
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a championship Sunday, the women's final coming up game, Cocks
against the Huskies. We got the Roughnecks and Renegades ready
to go in the UFL. We got mann City and

(00:46):
man you, I mean, all these things going on.

Speaker 2 (00:49):
The Manchester of Darby. Is that my good accent? Thank
you very much, Mike. If you do collapse, the good
thing is is for nine tenths of the show you're
going to be amazing. It's just that last tenth that
it will completely fall apart.

Speaker 1 (01:04):
But then I'm gonna remember it forever. Dave when I
have those moments, Yes, you know, because I've had them.
I mean, certainly we can check the tape. I've been
doing this long enough that you could find those moments
where it's just it just spirals for whatever reason. Either
someone's tapped out of talking about a subject, or heated
arguments or technical difficulties, you name it, and then it

(01:27):
sticks with you and you carry that the next day.
And in this case, as we're talking about obliquely the
final four epic meltdown of the Duke Blue Devils, or conversely,
the Houston Cougar's coming in saying hey, I'm taking your money.
It's something that will live in infamy forever.

Speaker 2 (01:46):
That's the interesting part about it, because I think it's
Houston saying we aren't going anywhere for a while, and
that's holding Duke without the field goal for basically the
final quarter of the NASH semifinal last night. But Mike,
when you have a nine point lead, like you do
with two minutes left, when you have a six point

(02:08):
lead with thirty four seconds left, those are leads that
you have to take care of. And as we've seen
in this tournament, whether it be Arkansas against Texas, Tech
Texas Tech against Florida and now we see Duke against
Houston last night, No lead is safe. I was at
the point Mike where I I had moved on, not

(02:30):
because I didn't think Houston could do it, but there
really wasn't a point where I thought in the game,
oh boy, maybe the Cougars have something. And at some
point I thought Duke was going to hit a shot
Cooper Flake did put him up nine, and thought that's
the bucket that they needed, That's the one to kind
of break the will. And boy was I wrong?

Speaker 1 (02:50):
Just all throughout. One of the things we talked about
a lot, particularly on Friday show Jason Smith and I
in our spot, and I know you would have talked
about it doing shows, either with Doug or a Monsei
or who you were working with this Weekdan, is you
being served for Duke?

Speaker 2 (03:09):
Right?

Speaker 1 (03:09):
That that just you circled it off to the side,
and we talked about it a lot from the These
guys aren't babes in the woods, right, even though they
haven't had a lot of close games, They're all very
decorated end of high school into Duke and through forty games.

(03:30):
Even if you haven't had a lot of these scenarios
because you've won a lot of blowouts, that you're a
talented enough squad, and giving Shier credit given his playing days,
his come up as a coach and into this moment.
Now all of a sudden, he's got coach K who
is just a shadow all season long. And now you

(03:51):
look over and the TV cameras certainly found his ass
ninety seven times between him and Ken Jeong. I thought
one of them was actually coaching the game.

Speaker 2 (04:00):
I think they should have done just a separate coach
K channel.

Speaker 1 (04:03):
Well let's see how let's see the snarls on his
face and how ready gets in.

Speaker 2 (04:08):
What sitt all coach K all game and we.

Speaker 1 (04:11):
Just sit and comment on his facial expression for the
entire game. But all of that owing to you're in
this scenario that even if it got tight, that they'd
have enough to get through. And then all of that
just goes to hell in no time flat, because we've
been talking on the other side of it, these veteran

(04:31):
squads and things skewing older with the transfer portal, guys
staying now you can stay and make a bunch of
money instead of the I'm going to roll the dice
that I'm the thirtieth name called in the NBA, right,
because for years that's all it was like, all right,
I've got a draft evaluation from twenty seven to sixty
damn it, I'm going Ah, I went thirty fourth, so

(04:53):
I have no guaranteed money and it's over.

Speaker 3 (04:56):
Now.

Speaker 1 (04:56):
It's like, wait, I could stay here and make a
half a million dollars. We had a quote for Don McClain,
who is on with petros and money because his kids
at West Virginia coach Lee's right, so trying to figure
out what the next steps are, and he goes, yeah,
I heard from a reliable guy, and the guy I
talked to a lot that if you're a rotational guy,
meaning top eight, you're at a half a million dollars minimum. Yeah,

(05:17):
right now, that's where the money is, right. So, and
then obviously escalator based on program availability and how good
you are. But all that means is you're skiing older.
And we saw that with Houston. I mean a bunch
of guys making plays later older than I mean five
years older than flagging these other guys running around.

Speaker 2 (05:37):
I think that Calvin Samson also was preaching culture after
the win. Mike in saying like this is these guys,
don't give up this group, and you can build that
when you have guys around for a while, Like there's
no doubt about that. I don't know if culture killed
Duke last night, but a lack of guard play. I mean,

(05:58):
if you're Florida in that situation and you're like, let's
just get the ball to Walter Clayton, Let's just do
that and it done. Here on the other side inbounding
the basketball, you're like, Okay, LJ. Cryer get open, so
you could get the basketball and then you can get fouled.
Duke's trying to imbound to Cooper Flag like that's like
that's their best option to imbound in that situation. And
I thought it was pointed out well that even with

(06:21):
Houston having everything going for it, Duke's inexperience in a
close game because of how bad the acc was. I
think that's a very fair point in how to react.
They couldn't they couldn't get the inbound they couldn't inbound
the ball, and then when they did, they couldn't get
into the hands of the right players that they needed
to know.

Speaker 1 (06:38):
And that was it, right they that was painful to
watch those last few inbounds plays where like, all right,
we're going to get a five second call. Instead you're
getting lazy pass towards them, towards your own basket. Yes, wait,
that that was the thing to me. It's like, all right,
you got all of this operation and look over the
course of the tournament. I don't know how much you've
you've noticed it guys doing like three or four steps

(07:01):
left or right when they're not supposed to move.

Speaker 2 (07:04):
Yes, yes, yes, there's there's some leeway given, but you
are absolutely correct, like there's a lot of crossing the
line that they don't call. And that's also Mike, I
think that that's an interesting point right there, because I
think it goes back to the Cooper flag over the
backfall of what do you call in that scenario and

(07:25):
what don't you call? And if you go on social media,
it's a mixed reaction to how it plays out. But
that call at that point, and I made a list
of five points of the game that I thought were enormous.

Speaker 1 (07:42):
I've got half a page of notes I called.

Speaker 2 (07:46):
I could not I could not remove this is what
this is what I've got. Gay, I thought, uh, Kankainepple's
misshot when they're up six with forty seconds to go
would have sealed the deal. You go up eight at
that point, forty seven seconds left, sixty nine to sixty one.
Houston's really hard pressed to get back in it. But

(08:07):
Houston got to stop at that point. There was also
a point when it was sixty seven to sixty four.
Talking about the inbounds, Houston gets a steal. In that scenario,
they quickly run out for three and miss it, but
they get the put back dunk, so there's still like
there's you're now within one. You know they can't imbound it,
and you actually have momentum because the dunk was pretty inspiring.

(08:27):
I thought that that was a huge play in the game,
and again it stems off of the inbounds. Tyres Proctor
missing his free throws at twenty seconds left was the
third biggest spot. I felt, what sixty percent free throw
shooter throughout the throughout the season, He's not the guy
that you want to have the ball in that situation.
So there again it goes to late game situations and
not getting the ball in the hands of the players

(08:48):
that you should. I think that we're overlooking Juwan Roberts
free throws.

Speaker 1 (08:53):
Fifty nine career free throw shooter.

Speaker 2 (08:56):
In a in a cavernous, you know, stadium, with the
whole world watching, about to take down America's most hated program,
and he makes both. Like I thought, best case scenario
one of two, because I would no doubt pressure can
get to you in that scenario. He ends up making
those two free throws, which I don't think we're talking

(09:18):
enough about. But the top point is the over the
back call on Cooper flag and the reason why it's
so important and it was off the Proctor free throw
is you gave Houston an opportunity to score without any resistance.
And Duke is good defensively, they have been throughout the year.
You want Houston to make that play at the end,

(09:38):
and now you get a dead ball situation and Juwan
Roberts goes to the line of makes two huge clutch
free throws, as clutch as they are. Mike, I still think,
if you're Duke, you don't want to put him on
the free throw line. You don't want to give him
two easy points. And I didn't like the call. Houston
would have gotten possession anyway. The way that the ball bounced.
I thought it was a bad call in that situation.

(10:00):
I don't know if I'm along the lines of Bill
Simmons and saying that the referee was waiting to make
that call, but he sure made the call immediately, And
I just I don't think you make the call in
that situation. And your pointing about Coach K. Coach K's
on that bench, No way that call has made, absolutely
positively zero chance that call has made in that scenario.

Speaker 1 (10:18):
You also have probably practiced your end of game situations
a bit more like I'd love to know the practice schedules.
Sure right, they're like this is where we start. Hey,
let's let's peel the unding back. Because you didn't have
a lot of real life experience. And that's what Shier
owed up to in the post game. He goes, look,
we thought we were ready, but we haven't had a
lot of these. We didn't get a lot of endgame situations.

(10:41):
The free throw by Roberts like those that to me
sealed it, Hey what a fifty nine percent guy goes through?
But they allowed both games just felt like wrestling matches.
Like you and I were joking because I'm going to
head out to Russell me in a couple of weeks
and kind of talking about you know, details and all that.
Like both games, they let a lot of stuff go

(11:03):
and then you get that call on flag, and I'm
not gonna leave it there because once again Duke gets
to be hated because they screwed up all your parlaysure.
So now you're mad at Duke for that. So there
you go.

Speaker 2 (11:12):
Welcome back Duke, just when you want to side with
them because you think that that's the part that's never
going to never go to the dark side. I think
that your point about John Shire and talking about late
game situations, and I know we've got some Cooper flag
sound as well to hear from him, but I don't
think that that could be understated because something that I

(11:33):
thought was missed was after Roberts makes the free throw,
he makes the free throw of nineteen seconds left, Duke
has one time out left. When you're in a one
point game. Rule of thumb in basketball is you don't
Duke's not gonna play for the last shot, because the
reason you don't play for the last shot is if
there's a miss and an offensive rebound and you can

(11:55):
get a put back. So you know there's gonna be
time left, but there's also the fact of if you
miss the shot, the defense gets the rebound, you got
to set yourself up for another opportunity to score. Shire
calls timeout at seventeen seconds when they get the ball
across half court to set up a play for Cooper
Flagg to go one on one, and I just felt

(12:16):
that you could have done that without the timeout, if
you had a designed out of bounds play to run
in that scenario, to get yourself a bucket to go
up one with eleven seconds left. I get it, But
all they did was clear out for Cooper Flag to
go in the middle of the lane and ended up
missing the shot, couldn't get it, got it over Roberts,
but ended up getting short, and then they couldn't get

(12:37):
the rebound right away, and there was a loose ball,
and the next thing you know, you follow and there's
three point seven seconds left, and now you don't have
a timeout, Like I just don't think that that was
a great scenario of playing things out. Cal Pari earlier
this tournament got ridiculed for not using the timeout, So
I get it that it's both ways in those situations,
but if you're just gonna run a guy. At least

(12:58):
Cooper Flag had the ball in his hands. We criticized
Cal because their fourth best scorer had the basketball in
his hands. You weren't getting it to your top guy.
I think it's pretty easy to douke if you wanted
to just clear it up for Cooper Flag and have
him score. If he misses, maybe it got ten seconds
on the clock. You still have a timeout if you're
down three. In that scenario, I thought they could have
handled it a lot better.

Speaker 1 (13:17):
End game scenarios coming back into the forefront of our
talking points, because look, we got a couple of dandies,
which is something we'll talk about as the show goes on.
But let's hear from Cooper Flag on that last second
shot if we can.

Speaker 4 (13:31):
What's to play closed? You up took it into the paint.
I got my feet set and rose up. Not to short, obviously,
but I mean it's a shot I'm willing to live
with in the scenario pulling up on the rim, trust
the work that I put in.

Speaker 1 (13:49):
Yeah, he took his couple of minutes for clarity, a
couple of big articles written about authorized personnel only signs
and him absconding to a space to get his head
right before answering questions. But you know, all of that
built up, and I'm sure we'll have the knuckleheaded approaches
of Cooper. Flag is not clutch and whatever. No, No, this

(14:11):
is a team, team thing. He missed a shot and
I get and that was the other thing, right, and
all our list of notes and it's it's been since
that game went final. The stat that will stand forever
final ten twenty three. One field goal, Yes, one field goal,
but yeah, yes, to the point you made, like his
three point shot, but to the point you're making Dan.

(14:34):
It's something that I tried to bang the drama on
because we talked about the defense for Houston, right, that
was one of the big calling cards for the week.
But like all four of these teams were what top
fifteen in terms of field goal percentage against with a
difference of what one percent yes between them. I mean

(14:57):
we're talking thirty eight percent to like thirty nine, which
five I think people would think.

Speaker 2 (15:03):
With Houston, but I don't think they would think that
with Duke or maybe Auburn or Florida in that scenario, Yeah, Duke.

Speaker 1 (15:08):
Was a half a percentage point behind Houston, So I
was like, they did the job until the final minute
of play.

Speaker 2 (15:15):
I think, yeah, I think your point too, is Duke
not having a field goal of ten minutes and still
somehow leading by six with thirty seconds left is actually
pretty darn amazing that it even got to that, you.

Speaker 1 (15:26):
Know, right, an awful lot of good empty possessions for Houston.
On the other side, as we continue, we've got a
lot of big things going on in our sporting universe.
We set up all those games. We've also got the
Ovechkin game coming up. And I had a great talking
point that kind of dissipated over the last twelve hours
because the get in was creeping towards one thousand dollars

(15:47):
a ticket when we got off air, Jason and I
Friday night into Saturday morning. It was one thousand dollars
a ticket. Over the course of the day yesterday, still
in the high hundreds. Right now, as this game gets
ready for puck drop, you can get in for one
hundred dollars if you just want to.

Speaker 2 (16:04):
Go sit in the three hundred month see history.

Speaker 1 (16:06):
It's a very low get in price because you know,
part of it was the gamble right lottery tickets, people
buy baseball card packs, walking across the street, all those
gambles that you take. And here was like one hundred bucks.
I may see history. Before it was a thousand, all right,
thousand dollars. Now we're talking about some pricey priciness to it.

(16:27):
Now it's like a hundred bucks. Yeah, that's a meal
at Apple.

Speaker 2 (16:31):
That'd be a no brainer. You know, afternoon at the rink,
why not?

Speaker 1 (16:34):
That's it heading out to you, beautiful Elmont, New York.
He's Dan Buyer at Dan Byer on Fox. You hear
him during the week alongside Doug Gottlieb and Cavino and Rich.
Hear me in the evenings yelling at Jason Smith and
trying to keep him off Mets and Jets talk away
with draft season, no chance in hell. Hey, everybody, stay
with us. We've got so much from the women's final

(16:56):
coming up a little bit later, more on this final four,
because I want to stay with the coaches. Right Shires
on the young side, right, just cutting his teeth. We
got the veterans, and there's a narrative this week that
I just want to pump the brakes on for a moment.
We'll do that next year on Fox. You're listening to
Fox Sports Radio Radio. Hey, welcome back in Fox Sports Sunday.

(17:20):
Fox Sports Radio Gangs all assembled. Chris Burfett, Guy Shay,
Isaac Lohenkron over at the news desk. I'm Mike Garment
alongside me. I got Dan Bayer find him at Dan
Byer on Fox. We do the I Watch a Flex podcast.
Probably time for almost have for a reboot of the
top five round draft that we did. But you could

(17:41):
take a look at that pre free agency trying to
read the tea leaves, and you know we're in the
final throws of that as we get ready for full
on draft season. I know you guys are getting your
draft profile things all set.

Speaker 2 (17:52):
Yeah right, I have doing some behind the scenes work
and it'll be here before you know it, two and
a half weeks away.

Speaker 1 (17:57):
All the important TV folks will come in and va
the studios. It's true, I'll go have to go hide
in the back for a while, but we'll figure that
out as we go. The Fox coverage unparalleled. Our guy
Jay Glazer leading the charge with the greatest phone known
to man.

Speaker 2 (18:14):
Yes, Glazer, LeVar Arrington r Own will be doing work
as well.

Speaker 1 (18:19):
Did you see the the thing from the owner's meeting
of Jay's flex of Hey, pretty good day. Yes, a
little camera shot and there's Aaron Rodgers the first guy there.

Speaker 2 (18:29):
With the coaches in the in the circle.

Speaker 1 (18:31):
Yeah, so there's here's Andy Reider's Mike Tomlin. You just
go on down the line and one of the first
guys is Aaron Rodgers. I had to take the screen
shot because I'm like, I want to use his hat.

Speaker 2 (18:40):
I didn't even see it. I thought it was Quinn
Kyle Shanahan.

Speaker 1 (18:43):
Oh, maybe I got it wrong because I don't know.

Speaker 2 (18:45):
No, I didn't.

Speaker 3 (18:46):
I didn't.

Speaker 2 (18:46):
I didn't catch it, but I thought it was Quinn
Kyle Shanahan. And then it ended I couldn't see anybody
in the middle.

Speaker 1 (18:52):
Maybe it was all coaches, and then it was tom
and someone invading.

Speaker 2 (18:55):
Tomlin and Andy Reid at the other end of the rainbow.

Speaker 1 (19:00):
The grizzled veterans that they have to sit by experience
all of that to say, I'm talking coaches here for
the NCAA Tournament and something that I don't know if
it's full on Peter Griffin grinds my gears, But is
this deification of some of the last guys standing, and
we talked about it a little bit. When it went

(19:20):
to Caliperry and Patino, suddenly everything washed away because they
were familiar faces that we could hug. Sure, it's like
Coach K showing up yesterday for the first time, like
he'd been away from the Duke Duke games all year long.
Oh it's coach K. I remember him. When's he gonna
yell with people to stay off the court? I don't know,
but it's like it's that hug, right. So that's what

(19:41):
we had there, and now it feels to some degree
we're getting the same thing. I want to read you
a quote Will Wade, who also started getting a lot
of love as this tournament went on. He was at
the Silver Waves Global NIL Conference in San Antonio. Here's
the money quote quote. You guys have heard a lot

(20:02):
of speakers today. I'm the only one who could have
spoken at an NIL conference five years ago. Waw if
that's not a guy just standing there doing the double
bird to everybody. Yes, and all of that's going on,
and that's what I think we're getting. You know, we
talked cal Perry and Patino, We add Kelvin Sampson Oklahoma

(20:26):
and Indiana in the past, and it takes nothing away
from their acumen of coaching five guys on a court
and rotating in subs occasionally getting an inbounds play in
the final minutes of a game, right Hi, John Shire
and everybody else. But like all these guys history, Golden's
been investigated for things we haven't talked about really at all.

Speaker 2 (20:46):
I actually think that that scenario, because that's an end season,
that's a this season, this sort of deal where I'm surprised.
I was at I was at a press conference in
two thousand and nine at the Final Four where Yukon
Yahoo and Dan we Sell did an investigation into Yukon
and they're basically asking, you know, Jim Calhoun these questions

(21:07):
while he's there like this is I mean, that's that's
hardcore journalism right there. And when you've got this now
the investigation is closed, but there's to have it not
be a topic that was brought up. I thought was
I was very very surprised, especially on the on the
Golden situation. I get that it's the Final Four in

(21:28):
the run, but this is something that that was happening
earlier this year that he was being investigated, and.

Speaker 1 (21:34):
Even that there was enough specificity to where it got
closed pretty fast. Sure, right, it's got of like I mean,
not that they're anywhere near the same level of issue,
but it's like how quickly major League Baseball with the
Otani things like nothing to see here. Yes, it's clearly
all on that guy, correct, and it might have been
like full on, but like there's still part of me

(21:55):
is like that just closed.

Speaker 2 (21:56):
Yeah, this was wrapped up.

Speaker 1 (22:00):
Same thing here when you're talking about golden and it's
not to cast dispersions of them as coaches and whatever
they get out of players on the court and in
the locker room. Clearly, for Calvin Sampson, you've got a
long history of that. It doesn't mean that they didn't
break rules, and you can laugh about what those rules were,

(22:20):
but you had major violations and penalties associated with them.
Those aren't suddenly like ah shucks.

Speaker 2 (22:28):
Yeah he was in under a strike one in your
out scenario at Indiana because of what happened at Oklahoma
and these I get paying your dues and the redemption story.
I think what you're getting at is it's just not
all rainbows at the end of it. It's not like
they're the coaching path that say Calvin Sampson went on

(22:52):
was probably due because of what Calvin Samson did, Like
him going to the NBA and being an assistant all
those years wasn't a part of his plan twenty five
years ago when he was the head coach at Oklahoma
and the head coach in Indiana, and the roads and
the actions of his doing led him to those places.

Speaker 1 (23:09):
But that's it, right, Like a bunch of it has
been aw While it was unfortunate he had to go
coach in the NBA, it's like, no, he did that.

Speaker 2 (23:16):
Yes, yeah, that was his own doing, correct.

Speaker 1 (23:20):
And the NCAA and basically said don't bring this guy in. Right,
he's got a PAM penalty for this and he's back
in rehabilitation. Second chances, third chances, however many that's fine.
But it's like we just were just whitewashing all over
all this stuff, chuckling about it because the rules have changed.

Speaker 2 (23:37):
Yeah, and you're not saying that he's doing stuff now
at Houston. It's just the point of it's not the
redemption story that if you do it to yourself, I mean,
that's it's a great turnaround. But he is the one
that put himself in that situation. Great to get back
in the game. And maybe things have changed, and I
assume that they haven't. It's a different college basketball now

(23:58):
than it was twenty years ago. But yeah, it is
part of part of the story. We don't have to
harp on it. We don't have to sit, yeah, you know,
and talk about it all the time. I just I
mentioned it with the Brownie James stuff, like, there's at
some point for people who like myself, think that you
should be in college right now and maybe playing in
a national championship game as opposed to going to the
G League. There's going to be some point where I'm

(24:19):
going to have to get over it and move on
from it. But in terms of like the high profile
and Houston did make a Final four a couple of
years ago, was in the COVID you know time, so
maybe you're not getting that sort of exposure. You're not
going to be asking about things twenty years ago. But yeah,
to make it all one hundred percent, you know, rainbows
and roses not necessarily the case.

Speaker 1 (24:38):
It was a nice little tie in there. You said,
COVID maybe not exposure good for you at Dan Bayer
on Fox. Didn't even realize the puns are flowing. They're
so seamless, even though Dan that they roll through. Now
let's go to the other side of coaching. We're talking
about the Women's Final today, and I think it ties
to a lot of what we're talking about in coaching,

(24:59):
in consistency and continuity and just narratives that surround these games.
Don Staley talking about their date with Yukon later on today.

Speaker 5 (25:09):
You know, sometimes we create these narratives about great players.
Caitlyn was one of them. Page is one of them
right now, and we tend to forget the narrative about
what our kids have been able to do and going
for their third in four years. So there's a sentimental

(25:34):
narrative about Page, great freaking player, like anybody would start
their franchise with Page because of her efficient way of playing,
because of her she's a winner, and she'll be the
number one pick in the w NBA draft, and she'll

(25:54):
be an Olympian. She will be all of those things. Right,
But when you put a narrative out there, everybody sees
that and it puts it puts us at a disadvantage,
whether you want to believe so or not you know,
official seed. You know, it's all over TikTok is all
over Sports Center is all over.

Speaker 3 (26:15):
All of that.

Speaker 1 (26:17):
So everyone sees it. Everyone triple underscore add the ESPN
because she had issues with some of the way they
were characterizing quotes from the presser as well. Spreads actually
moved out a point. I predicted what it was on Friday,
so good, it's now six and a half Yukon minus

(26:38):
six and a half. It started at five and a
half because we did the let's predict the game at
the end of the show and I said, Yukon minus
six and he goes at the spread and literally it
hadn't updated, and like in the final ten seconds the
page refreshed like it starts out at five and a half, like, yeah, it.

Speaker 2 (26:54):
Should be our women's basketball handicap.

Speaker 1 (26:56):
Evidently I had something my finger on the pulse.

Speaker 2 (26:59):
But I find I find this conversation two levels the
most immediate. I do think that Don Staley is talking
about the game later today and Paige Beckers and maybe
a message to the referees. That's probat of the least
amount of it. But it is a part of being like, Okay,

(27:23):
you know, we've got a pretty good team over here too.
Let's not make or make sure that their star player
doesn't get the favorable whistle, even if there's sure if
she's maybe favorable in terms of the fan base and
the crowd that you have. I remember last year, like
Paige Becker's fandom somehow ended up in my TikTok algorithm.

(27:44):
So this isn't just a necessarily a recent thing, Mike.
It I don't even know if it's I don't even
think it's a Caitlin Clark sort of thing. I think
that it's just the fact of there's something about Paige
Beckers being on the most popular women's basketball team that
there there is, and that leads to it. Zion Williamson

(28:05):
had his own like hype coming in to Duke from
high school. Not that Paige Beckers had hype going into
high school. But we did know a little bit about
Page Beckers when she committed to Yukon, and she's had
that name, so there is maybe not exact parallels, but
Page Beckers has been a name for a while, Yukon
has been a name for a while, And I get

(28:27):
when you're Don Staley and you're saying we're playing in
our third national championship game in four years, and all
people want to talk about is Yukon. I completely understand
that portion of it, but I do think that there
is something unique about about Paige Beckers because it's not
like the rest of the Yukon team is like that.
But Yukon has had stars in previous years, sure, and

(28:49):
she just ends up being the star at this point.
So whether it be Maya More, whether it be Brianna Stewart,
whether it be Diana Tarassi or you know, Sue Byrd
in those thing back to Rebecca logo, logo lobo, maybe
she should be, Maybe she should The point is is
they've had a star player go along those lines, and

(29:10):
I don't know if if you can trump that, especially
in today's day and age, where individuals start them just
carries so much, you know, so much weight.

Speaker 1 (29:19):
Well, but that's just it, right. We watched it on
the men's side, right, it was Cooper Flagg coaches and
then a little bit of noise and now we've got Clayton.
Now we had Broom fantatic. We didn't even talk about
that game. Fantastic. First half looked like it was going
to be dumping into the low post all day long,
and then second half cloak of invisibility. Yeah, as Florida

(29:40):
gets it done. Here was the quote like from the
ESPN Women's Hoops Twitter account linking to their their article,
Daunce Staley says narrative around pagebackers that her quest to
win a title is overshadowed South Carolina's feet lies. Fix
your headline please. That clip we played kind of said
that verbatim, like all that was even if it was Ai.

(30:03):
This is the case where AI might have gotten it
rad I think because we're reading into the subtext of
referees and making sure you know, you make your officiating
this properly and all. But yeah, that's exactly what she
said first out. I mean, there's no denying.

Speaker 2 (30:21):
Zukon made the Final four in like seventeen in the
last eighteen years.

Speaker 1 (30:24):
Right, and they had, but they haven't won a title
in a decade. Huge, huge for coach Gino Orima, who's
still been one of the voices and faces of the game,
hasn't finished the job. Only title game loss to Don Staley.

Speaker 2 (30:39):
Well, so she has that last laugh.

Speaker 1 (30:41):
That's it. We'll see if they can even that up
a little bit later on Now let's turn things over
to our guy, Isaac loewen Kron at the news desk.
Plenty of stuff going on, how about it?

Speaker 6 (30:50):
As we speak, fellas Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals
trying to break the NHL's all time goal scoring record
as they visit the New York Islanders. There two and
a half minutes out of the first period, no score.
Now for a preview of what Ovechkin might say after
he breaks the record, let's refer back to his speech
at the Capitol's Stanley Cup victory parade back in twenty eighteen.

Speaker 7 (31:21):
It's your squatting josshh where let's go.

Speaker 6 (31:26):
Expect some of the same measured, calm reaction after the
next goal he scores. At the Final four on Saturday night,
Houston with an epic comeback to beat Dukes seventy to
sixty seven. Duke up nine with two oh six to play,
but Houston closed on a fifteen to three run. Duke's
Cooper Flag scored twenty seven and missed a twelve footer
for the lead with eight seconds to play. And guys,

(31:49):
the popular social media account Freezing Cold Takes curated a
number of tweets that were posted last night before Houston
made it's amazing comeback. Joseph posted quote, this is classic
Houston basketball. Unbelievable regular season, followed by just absolutely choking

(32:10):
when the lights are the brightest, and then Sean added quote,
Duke has led by fourteen plus points in every NCAA
tournament game this year. No game has really felt close
for the Blue Devils. And it's not because they can't
play close games. They're just flat out better than everyone else. Unquote. Anyway,

(32:31):
Houston will play Florida for the National Championship on Monday,
after their seventy nine seventy three victory earlier Saturday evening
over Auburn. Walter Clayton Junior scored thirty four points. Coming
up today at three pm Eastern, the women's National Championship
game between South Carolina and Yukon.

Speaker 1 (32:47):
Guys, back to you bang Zilo at Isaac Low and
gron where you find it, Hey, Calm to chaos with
the shipping software that delivers you'd code sports for a
free trial at shipstation dot com that shipstation dot com
code sports and coming up next, well, everybody's assembled, everybody's
got their caffeine going, so here's one to ponder, Oh,
what could have been for Duke? Chew on that as

(33:10):
we continue. It's Fox Sports Sunday. He's Dan, I'm Mike.

Speaker 3 (33:13):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
the nation. Catch all of our shows at Foxsports Radio
dot Com and within the iHeartRadio app search FSR to
listen live.

Speaker 1 (33:25):
Hey, welcome back into the Tirac dot com Fox Sports
Radio studio. It's Fox Sports Sunday. Mike Carmen alongside Dan Byer.
Plenty of action. We're on the pitch, we're on the course,
we're starting baseball games, we've got hockey going. But we
also have a game brewing within these walls.

Speaker 2 (33:43):
Dan Byer, Mike, it's a great time to get the
Fox family together and play the feud. Mike Harmen, Chris
Purfet Shay and Isaac Lohencron make up the foxfamily here
on this Sunday, April sixth. Tell you what. It was
almost top twelve answers on the board. Instead, it's top
eleven answers on the board. Just because Duke loses doesn't

(34:05):
mean that I'm gonna lose. I had a Duke themed
question set up days before today's show, and Duke ended
up ruining it last night by losing that contest to
the Houston Cougars, blowing that nine point lead with two
and a half minutes to go. Duke had appeared in
the National Championship Game eleven times. If they win last night,

(34:26):
it would have been number twelve. Crazy enough, they've played
eleven different opponents in those championship games. I want to
know who they are, and I'll even give you guys
a hint. They had two appearances pre nineteen eighty six
in a championship game, but everything after that was coach
k Mike Carmon. We start with you schools that Duke

(34:48):
has faced when they've made it to the national Championship
game in men's basketball.

Speaker 1 (34:52):
Now, since it shows up on every documentary, I'll let's
you start with UNLV.

Speaker 2 (34:55):
UNLVS show me the Running Rebels. The nineteen ninety game
Duke actually lost to UNLV by thirty points in Denver,
which made the next year's game in the National semi
final so intriguing. In Indianapolis, UNLV is off the board
over to Chris purfets.

Speaker 8 (35:12):
See you say that it's disappointing Duke lost. I say
it's a great day in the country. That Duke lost.

Speaker 2 (35:19):
It's disappointing for me because I think I thought that
my feud was gonna go to waste. Then I said,
do it everyway.

Speaker 8 (35:26):
But like I will always take Duke losing. I'm gonna say, Ucla,
they must have played him somewhere.

Speaker 2 (35:32):
Show me Ucla getting one of the old ones off
the board. Nineteen sixty four Duke loss to UCLA and
the National Championship game. Good job, Chris over to shay Um,
let's go. Duke has played in the National champions You
think I'm gonna go with an easy one here? I
think it's easy at least. Okay, North Carolina North Carolina

(35:55):
conference rival. We know about the rivalry? Is it North Carolina?

Speaker 1 (36:00):
Oh?

Speaker 2 (36:00):
Never in a championship game. In fact, they played in
the Final four a couple of years ago, which was
really strange. North Carolina won that game and it was
coach K's last game as Duke head coach. One strike,
A pass is available, By the way, guys, over to Isaac.

Speaker 6 (36:12):
Low and Cron, why'd you mention a pass is available
before going to me?

Speaker 2 (36:16):
I forgot that. I just got to mention it at
the start.

Speaker 6 (36:19):
Purvis Ellison because of him. It was Duke losing two Louisville.

Speaker 1 (36:25):
I think at.

Speaker 6 (36:26):
Kemper Arena in eighty five, or maybe it was Reenion Arena, whatever, Louisville.

Speaker 1 (36:31):
It was.

Speaker 2 (36:32):
Well, show me Louisville nineteen eighty six Reunion Arena in
Dallas is when it was Louisville is off the board.
Back around to Mike Carmen.

Speaker 1 (36:43):
Had to be a battle with Kansas somewhere in there,
wasn't there.

Speaker 2 (36:46):
Show me Kansas nineteen ninety one, the year that they
beat UNLV in the national semifinal, they faced Kansas in
the championship game in Indianapolis and won their first championship.

Speaker 8 (36:57):
Over to Chris Purfett. Well, since we're in the nineties,
let's go with Michigan.

Speaker 2 (37:02):
Show me Michigan beating the Fab five A year later
in nineteen ninety two in Minneapolis. Michigan is off the board.
Good job guys. So far UCLA, Louisville, UNLB, Kansas, and
Michigan has schools that Duke has faced in the National
Championship game. Over to Shay, I'm gonna go Yukon, Yukon,

(37:25):
great success, Show me Yukon nineteen ninety nine, Duke loses
Jim Calhoun's first national championship in your parents' backyard, Saint Petersburg, Florida,
Yukon is off the board, over to Isaac Glohancron.

Speaker 1 (37:41):
Oh gosh, I'm screwed.

Speaker 2 (37:43):
There are five answers left. We all have one strike
on the board.

Speaker 6 (37:47):
I'm gonna have to go late seventies. Maybe Kentucky in
Saint Louis.

Speaker 2 (37:53):
Show me Kentucky. Okayating How would you know it was
in Saint Louis.

Speaker 6 (37:58):
Because they played at the Checkered Ome in the lates seventies.
That was the last time they got before Coach k
made it.

Speaker 2 (38:03):
It was Oh, that's pre Isaac Longcron. He wasn't even born.

Speaker 1 (38:06):
How goot that?

Speaker 8 (38:07):
All?

Speaker 2 (38:07):
Right? Mike Carmen back to you.

Speaker 1 (38:09):
You can stream this show all our Fox Sports Radio
shows live twenty four to seven the new and improved
iHeartRadio app. Search Fox Sports Radio in the app to
stream us live and one of the newest features in
the app. So like Fox Sports Radio is one of
your presets, just like the presets on a radio. Now,
be sure to preset Fox Sports Radio in the iHeartRadio app.
It'll always pop up at the top of your screen.
All that filibustering to come back to. How about Arizona.

Speaker 2 (38:31):
Arizona, They've had some great teams, but where they able
to meet Duke in a championship game? Show me the
Wildcats of Arizona. Happened in two thousand and one. Yes,
that's when Duke won a national championship, the third for
Mike Krzyzewski. Arizona's off the board. Chris Burfett over to you.

Speaker 8 (38:49):
Oh no, now I'm really sweating.

Speaker 1 (38:53):
Oh you know what?

Speaker 2 (38:53):
Why am I doing this?

Speaker 1 (38:54):
No?

Speaker 2 (38:54):
No, no, Butler, show me Butler. I was gonna say this.
Two most recent terrances. Gordon Hayward's half court shot that
did not go down ended up giving Duke another national
championship their fourth. Butler is off the board. There is
a pass available, Shay Final two answers left, final two answers.

(39:16):
Seems Duke is faced in the national championship game. I
think I'm gonna use my pass here, guys, Okay, all right,
let's throw in the pass here. Now I got ninety
four Arkansas they beat ark Yes, they lost. I should
say they lost to Arkansas. Scotty Thurman ceiling the deal
for the Hogs with Bill Clinton, Hi in attendance. All right,

(39:37):
Isaac Longcrow, we got ten seconds?

Speaker 1 (39:40):
Maryland?

Speaker 2 (39:41):
Is it Maryland? Harmon?

Speaker 1 (39:44):
No clue?

Speaker 2 (39:46):
All right, guys, it's my alma mater, Wisconsin. The last
title College Buckets.

Speaker 1 (39:56):
Next, Greetings, Welcome in another hour Fox Sports Sunday. Here
live from the tire Act dot Com, Fox Sports Radio Studios,
my garment alongside Dan Bayer at Danbyer on Fox where
you find and find me over at Swollen Dome tire
act dot com. We'll help you get there. An unmatched selection, fast,
free shipping, free road hazard protection, over ten thousand recommended installers,

(40:18):
tire act dot com The way tire buying should be.
Still waiting for Ovechkin to make his mark on this game.
To nil or is it to nothing? Like I've started
saying nil for everything because I've got soccer with Man
City and Man You going at it as.

Speaker 2 (40:38):
Well, I think too. Nothing is fine, Okay.

Speaker 1 (40:41):
I just want to make sure I don't get someone
mad at me for using the wrong expression to say
you're scoreless. So as we talked about a little bit
last hour, the price of tickets, plummeted. We keep getting
all sorts of uncomfortable shots, like did they think Wayne
Gretzky's just gonna go into and start cursing up a
store him if Wevekin does something positive? I mean, I

(41:02):
don't know what what we're looking for. The coach shot.

Speaker 2 (41:05):
Yesterday, I'm not sure either. I do think that Gretzky
probably at some point hopes that Ovechkin does it so
he doesn't have to follow him around for the final
two weeks.

Speaker 1 (41:16):
He was he was looking at his watch in the
last shot. All right, we got spending time with Bettman.

Speaker 2 (41:23):
But yeah, the did somebody call a penalty just so
I don't have to go to the next game? Give
him a penalty shot and we can end this now.

Speaker 1 (41:30):
That would be a fun way. And as we talked
about a little off air against the Blackhawks, he wouldn't
take the empty net proposition, So you got that off
the table. You watch competition, no straight straight hand lay
down opportunities. That's good, which is good, right.

Speaker 2 (41:47):
Shows a restraint. Also shows that you're pretty headsy about
what's what's going on, and I think.

Speaker 1 (41:55):
That's how that does. And also recognizing that the world
goes against you, Yes, that is your break a record
like that, versus right now, ninety five percent of the
world doesn't know what's happening, which is a sports watching world.

Speaker 2 (42:08):
Yes, it's been, it's been going on, and it's been
going on for a while. I remember, Heck Shaye we
were doing shows in February and Shaye was talking about
eight goals away. Yeah, was ten thirteen like around that
number and then the countdown. And I mean the way
that it's aligned with Gretzky's career is pretty amazing. But
I am surprised that it hasn't gotten as much run.

(42:31):
I would have thought that, okay, if it was, if
it was a points deal where Gretzky leads everybody by
a mile, that that could maybe get lost in the sauce,
because I mean, getting goals is the most simplest thing
that there is. It's the easiest metric that you feel
like you could look at in hockey. And for him
to about to pass Wayne Gretzky is crazy. And I
know there's been a lot of talk on whether he

(42:54):
should or is deserving of it or not, the fact
is that he's about to do it, And you're right,
mynad I'm not sure how many people are actually paying
attention to it.

Speaker 1 (43:02):
We can fight about the wha goals. We could do
all that because we talked about the the NFL this
week changing the rules so Tom Brady's no longer the
most decorated quarterback, Northwestern alum, Auto grand Baby and the
Cleveland Brown.

Speaker 2 (43:17):
Let's go, baby, we're on the board back on top.

Speaker 1 (43:21):
That's those stats coming in from forty six to forty that's.

Speaker 2 (43:24):
The AAFL, right, that's yeah, I come on.

Speaker 1 (43:27):
So creating a bit of chaos. But that's been one
of the arguments with Gretzky, is you lose a year
of thirty nine goals that don't count. It's all arbitrary.
It's kind of like we were talking about with the
NCAA coaches. In your own mind, you decide where your
narrative is going to lie, and then the accomplishments are
what they are. Right, So, Vechkin, if you don't want
to recognize him as the all time goal leader, fine,

(43:50):
If you don't want to recognize Bonds, fine, I can't
tell you how to feel, but recognize that the rest
of the world will notch that next goal and move on.

Speaker 2 (44:01):
There is a natural aspect of it as well. And
I still think when you think all time home run leader,
you think of you think of Hank Aaron. I mean,
even like Bonds's number of seven sixty three, I think
that's what it is.

Speaker 1 (44:16):
Is is it too there?

Speaker 3 (44:17):
It is?

Speaker 2 (44:17):
It's a perfect example. We all knew seven fifty five.
That's that's the point. We knew seven to.

Speaker 1 (44:23):
Fifteen, five, seven, fourteen, six, sixty.

Speaker 2 (44:26):
Seven to fifteen to break it, yep, seven fifty five
to end it. And yeah, and so now to not
even know what the number is exactly? Think was it
seventy three? Single season? Was that? Was that the number? Yeah?
Sixty one? He there's a movie about it, right, pretty good?

Speaker 1 (44:44):
Yeah, yeah, it worked out pretty well.

Speaker 2 (44:46):
Those numbers. That that's what tells you that the test
of time, those things stand up. It's an organic sort
of process.

Speaker 1 (44:53):
Yeah, we're not going to remember. I don't know how
many goals it is. Even now, it's like I don't
breaking the record, right, what is it? Eight?

Speaker 8 (44:59):
Ye?

Speaker 2 (45:00):
Yeah, and you'll remember that he did or he didn't, right,
I Mean that's the point.

Speaker 1 (45:05):
That's the test of it at this point, right, because
we don't remember how many yards EMMITTT. Smith Rush for
no or how many points Lebron James has now scored,
or any of those things. It just it is again
we move on. Tractor Supply knows that a winning season
takes practice, teamwork, and a can do attitude. Thankfully, when
you have a neighbor like Tractor Supply, teamwork comes easy.

(45:28):
Whether you're caring for pets, chickens or a few acres,
our team members will help you succeed season after season.
Tractor Supply for Life out here, and be sure to
check out Tractor Supply. Fox Sports Radio Bracket Challenge at
Fox Sports Radio dot Com. C our hosts are doing
with their picks? Not well for this guy? And who
the top ranked listeners are The listener with the best
bracket at Fox Sports Radio dot Com. We won the

(45:49):
twenty five hundred dollars gift card to Tractor Supply and
those that are doing really well, I'm sure we'll spend
segments upon segments telling you about how well they did.

Speaker 2 (45:58):
Doug gollif till everybody had three picks wrong and then
I went looked at his brackety at eight. I'm not
saying that Doug was lying. I just don't think that
he knew and he was in first place at the time.

Speaker 1 (46:07):
Look, he like we were just talking about memory play.
I picked that game, right, No, I didn't pick that game,
and I owned it very very early on in the tournament.
A lot of dart throwing, kind of like the feud.
This last time, I let pick some big brands and
go for it. And that's what we have here in
the final four, right, number one seeds getting after it.

(46:29):
People trying to make Houston little engine that could okay
on a grand scale. Sure, you could say kind of
an outlier, but it's a program that Kelvin Sampson's been
building but over a decade at this point, and consistent winning,
consistency in culture. That word that sometimes the hairs stand
up on my arms when I use it because we

(46:50):
use it so often that it g's almost cringey at
this point. But the point being that if you paid attention,
they're a number one seed. Yes, they're an older team,
a good defensive team. They beat the hell out of teams,
and like we talk about coming out for those that
were uninitiated, they don't go away. They don't go away

(47:10):
to the final buzzer. You're gonna get for it's not
quite Nolan Richardson's forty minutes of Hell that we talked
about in the feud as well. But it's the idea
of consistency, of course. And so all the lamentation about Cinderella,
I tried to make the point at the start of
the tournament of Cinderella is supposed to be rare and

(47:32):
appreciate this. So now Dan, you know, point you and
I as we're talking about it, is like, maybe it's
time to rethink where college basketball college football are in
this time. Continue.

Speaker 2 (47:44):
Yeah, So Houston, just for the record, the last loss
was on February first, so that was before the Super Bowl.
The last loss, it was an overtime game the Texas Tech.
They lost at home eighty two eighty one. Texas Tech
by the way, pretty good team, right, saw make it
to the to the Elite eight.

Speaker 1 (48:00):
One of the darlings. Those people were trying to go
away from a one or.

Speaker 2 (48:03):
Two seas that's lost number one they have four on
the year. Two others were in overtime, one to San
Diego State. Similar style of teams that you're gonna play,
can understand. And Alabama not not a bad loss by
any means if you're losing to the Crimson Tide. So

(48:24):
that was back in November, and then they lost early
to Auburn, who, by the way, another pretty good team.
That's it. Those are the other teams that knocked Houston
off all year, and it might to talk about the
final four as a whole. Auburn was number one for
a majority of the year before a late season slide.
Then Duke moved into that spot. Florida had beaten that

(48:45):
Auburn team when they were rolling. They were competitive in
every single game and winning most of them outside of
a of a rare stinker that they had against Tennessee.
But Florida's been there the whole time, So the whole season,
I think it's been telling us, and the Seeds told
us that this is likely what the final four should be.
But what I find funny, Mike, is the Johnny come

(49:08):
lately's to college basketball that we'll only want to talk
about things in a enormously broad sense. Is this good
for college basketball or is this bad for college basketball?
Is this good for the tournament or is this bad
for the tournament. A couple of years ago, when we
had a final four of San Diego state in Florida Atlantic.
Remember when they were in at FAU it was Yukon

(49:29):
and Miami. I believe it was the other school in
that final four. Man, look at these cinderellas. This isn't
I don't want to watch this. There's too many cinderellas.
There's too many teams.

Speaker 1 (49:37):
I don't know the teams that you didn't know. Yeah, correct, right,
Miami making it.

Speaker 2 (49:41):
I don't know any of these teams. I don't know
these squads. I get it. Now we're sitting there saying
nil is ruined Cinderella, Well, which way do you want it?
Because I'm fine with what we've got.

Speaker 1 (49:53):
I get it.

Speaker 2 (49:54):
The first round wasn't as crazy and seeing a high
point pulling an upset or an Omaha knocking off a
top team. I get it. We only had one double
digit seed make the round of sixteen, and that was
Arkansas coming from the SEC. I get we missed that aspect.
But you can't tell me last night wasn't awesome and Mike,
I can have it both ways. I just don't like

(50:17):
it when people don't want it either way. So they
either don't want Cinderella's or now they're saying anil has
completely ruined the tournament? Did it ruin it? Last night?
When we had four high quality basketball teams play two
high quality basketball games on the biggest of stages. That's
the part that gets me. What do you want? Because

(50:38):
this probably is the future? And guess what, that's not
too bad considering what we saw last night in San Antonio.
If that ends up being what college basketball is.

Speaker 1 (50:48):
So be it.

Speaker 2 (50:48):
We don't have Cinderella anymore. Maybe Cinderella is just much
more rare. But if you can get a Final Four
like that and hopefully a championship game that lives up
to it, why are we complaining?

Speaker 1 (50:58):
I think some of it owes to what we did
talked about last hour of teams trending older and so
what it's gonna take is one of these again the
the term that gets everybody cringey mid majors to get
the right set of junior and senior guys. Maybe less

(51:19):
money is in the in the pot and whatever, but
that it just happens. And then we talk about matchups
all the time, but the larger scale of sports as
a whole is the competition and the striving to find
the best teams. What do we always complain about Like
look at the way Eli Manning's career has been characterized. Sure,
those Giants teams weren't really good, like they won. Shut up, Yes,

(51:43):
Brad Johnson didn't need to be great, he won. Trent
Dilfer much beligned. Guess what, Yeah, he had a great
team around him. He won. We want the competition at
the best, and it doesn't mean that position for position
that they're all going to be the the all times,
but we want the best teams there. To your point,

(52:04):
we can't. Then we complain when we don't get Ah,
thenother one seed fell out, and then we try to
find the reasons slash excuses like the harping on like
the flag file is clearly a huge play, but it's
not the only thing in a ten minute collapse. Correct right,
and and give Houston their proper due, Like I don't
want Don Staley coming after me because I dismiss their players.

(52:28):
But it's all that to say, like in theory, you
want the best of the best, and if nil is
not your cup of tea, there's a lot of sports
to watch.

Speaker 2 (52:38):
Sure, and this is the part where I understand it.
It Mike, it's likely going to be the mid majors
needing to have a group of freshmen and sophomore in
juniors because if they are having success, they'll get money
to go to go somewhere else. But there's there's a
give and take with all of it. We saw runs
from Loyalo Chicago, which I know, you know you're close

(52:59):
to your roots. We remember Wichita State. We talked about
Butler's run earlier. I watched Butler play the next year
against Yukon in the twenty eleven Final four in the
National Championship Game, which has been panned as one of
the worst, if not the worst National Championship game we
ever had. No one could make a shot. It was

(53:21):
in Houston. Butler doesn't have a huge alumni base. Yukon doesn't.
You have seventy thousand seats there. There weren't seventy thousand
people there. It was just a blah atmosphere. There was
no juice whatsoever. There was juice last night. Houston's. Hey,
you can make a drive to San Antonio if you
want to watch that. That's awesome. You're gonna have big

(53:42):
fan bases. My old point is is I just I
don't like the drop ins to the sport. I know
it's not ideal. In a perfect world, Mike, we'd have
a couple of cinderellas, maybe one goes far bows out
at the end and we get this final four. But
you're not gonna have that. But not everything is one
way or the other. So if you don't like what
you saw on the earlier rounds, you get this in

(54:02):
the final four. And this is the point that I
feel the drop ins always said, well, no upsets early
mean better games. Yeah, that's what you're gonna get. And
it may not always be number one seeds, which I
didn't love. But I love the games last night and
I refuse to complain about it.

Speaker 1 (54:17):
That's first time since two thousand and eight, second time
that we've seen it. So does it become a trend?
I don't know. We have to wait for the next
couple of years to bear out. Sure, right, injuries happen.
Look at look at what happened to Duke Cooper. Flag
missed a couple of games. You had a scary moment.
You know, you can talk about operations shut down of

(54:38):
how much the collegiate experience means versus could something be
aggravated if he were to play well, he went, and
he laid it out and played his heart out. Misses
the shot, he'll be lambasted and you know, mocked and
told these overrated here in short order, because I've seen
an awful lot of Carmelo anthony. It does not help

(54:59):
that Carmelo nay to the Hall of Fame as this
kind of conversation goes on, right, that one behim glorious
run with Carmelo all those years ago. But it's just
the that idea of maybe maybe this is where it
comes for the next couple of years. Then guess what
things will pivot because it's always evolving, sure, and the

(55:20):
rules of echangement as they stand right now will not
will not be either there'll be governmental intervention or we
change up the dance card as a whole.

Speaker 2 (55:30):
I also think that when you look at the bracket,
and we sometimes look at it in a funky way,
the two seeds, I don't think we're as strong as
we thought that they were. Sure, like Tennessee was the
highest seeded, number two seed, they got completely locked up
by Houston in the regional final. As it turns out,
maybe Texas Tech was the biggest threat to anybody as

(55:52):
a three seed. Heck, we just mentioned they beat Houston
earlier this season, so those sort of things are still there.
Maybe there'll be six teams that dominate college basketball. The
top of college basketball this year. Iowa State was a
team that was in the top five. Then they have injuries,
stuff happens, Guys aren't available, they fall down to a
three seed, and they're out after the first weekend of
the tournament. Those things happen in college basketball. I don't

(56:13):
think you're going to see a string of all number
one seeds making it to the final four. But if
we do, I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing.
Considering what we saw on the court last night. In
both of those games.

Speaker 1 (56:26):
You absolutely my rapped attention, no second screens. I was
getting a lot of stuff done. Like I was telling
you off air, it's like this, this is a great
theater from pillar to post. Even when it was a
big lead, it's still the theater. Duke has ha done
it in a bit, new coach, star player, but knowing

(56:46):
Houston's propensity to come back. Likewise on the other side.

Speaker 2 (56:50):
And Mike, I get it, but you also when we
talk about this small window of just this year, You
can't tell me that some three seed next year who
was a top team in the maybe throughout the season,
but maybe had injuries like Iowa State, or things fall apart,
or maybe the chemistry isn't there, doesn't run into a
fourteen seed, and maybe the three seeds just doesn't have

(57:12):
it that day. Those things can happen. It just didn't
happen this year.

Speaker 1 (57:16):
That's it. It's an outlier. It's a blip on the radar.
Doesn't mean everything's thrown into chaos. And hey, calm to
chaos with the shipping software that delivers use code Sports
for a free trial at shipstation dot com. At shipstation
dot com Code Sports coming out next. A canceled the
visit what does it mean? And I want to do
one more thing on ticketing and seeding talking off of

(57:38):
the final four. We'll do that next. He's day and
on Mike And this is Fox Sports Sunday. Ah, Yes,
welcome back in Fox Sports Radio. It's Foxsports Sunday. We've
got action on the pitch. Nil nil final. Yay man
you man city. At least it wasn't all the near
brawls that I saw on a match yesterday. I'm my

(58:00):
carving alongside Dan Byer with me as we get ready
the Masters next week. Will have a couple of minutes
on that a little bit later, go through odds and
picks and selections, because I know that's a high holy
day in the buyer house I have.

Speaker 2 (58:14):
I am taking off Thursday and Friday. It's you would
think working at a sports network, you would be the
ideal place to be, but just like any other workplace,
you are distracting. Now. It's nice to have it on
the TV, but I am not locked in because I'm
doing ninety different things and I would like to be

(58:36):
locked in. And so Thursday and Friday I am off,
and when I join you next Sunday will be the
I'll have all my Master's takes from the previous three
days entering the final round.

Speaker 1 (58:49):
And you'll literally be hiding in the Buyer bunker, y
hunkered down and ready to go. But you know, one
of the last points, because we talked about the Ovechkin
and what ticket sales were ahead of the effort today
trying to break Gretzky's goal record. We're keeping an eye
on it, but just the vantage points right of Hey,
here's what this seat will cost you, and because the

(59:10):
ticket ticketing apps have gotten more sophisticated, it's like, here's
the view from your seats. And then we saw that
yesterday from the Final four, and it's not new but
recency and just seeing the proliferation of them, because it
seems like more and more folks want to say, yeah,
you think that sets bad. Look where I am. Hey, buddy,

(59:31):
that was a fall.

Speaker 2 (59:33):
I love that. I don't know whose account that is,
but I saw that as well.

Speaker 1 (59:37):
But it's like, gran God, it's like looking at or
you know that pitch is outside or whatever, when we
have these circumstances in different unfamiliar ballparks or larger stadiums
in this case, and you know, owing to that, I'm
going to WrestleMania in a couple of weeks. It'll be
at Allegiance and all this stuff. What your vantage point

(59:58):
is and how about are you watching the video versus
what's actually going on in the ring. But looking at
it from the Final four, I'm like, that's as much
as I like being there, and I do. I love
the in game experience and live experience, music, theater, ballgames. Yeah,
you know, it's just that I don't know that I
would rather watch on my television if I've got that

(01:00:20):
guy's seat.

Speaker 2 (01:00:20):
I agree with you and Mike. Here's the news flash
that people may not even realize even good seats aren't good.
When you're behind the basket on a raised floor, you
can't tell what's a twelve foot jumper and what's a three. No,
like there's it's it's difficult to see. So like when
you're in those student sections behind the basket, Yeah, you're

(01:00:42):
closer than everybody else, but it's not a great vantage
point to watch the game, even if you're lower bowl,
like you're talking about the guy who's up in the
upper deck in the corner where you can't see anything
lower bowl. Let's say you were sitting in where an
end zone seat would be for a football game. The
court isn't in front of you. It's a student section
that's in front of you. The courts to the left,

(01:01:03):
the way that the Alamodome seats are in this scenario,
I don't think they curl towards the field, So you're
basically turned with your head left for four hours. Of
the seventy thousand seats that you get in these stadiums,
I would say maybe maybe five thousand are good. And
those are the ones that are on both sides of
the court sideways, because behind the hoop is no good

(01:01:24):
because you're so far away, and when you're so high up,
it's not great. It's really you're you're I would do
exactly what you want to do, and at least with wrestling,
you get a pop if somebody enters, you know from
the ring, like, this is just the game, and maybe
you get to see the game winner. But the bang
for your buck to be at the final four to

(01:01:44):
actually watch basketball is really not worth it.

Speaker 1 (01:01:48):
I will say this. My favorite other than those shots
from the seating were the number of peoples that ran
into a chem Elijahuan at a Bucki's I.

Speaker 2 (01:01:57):
Didn't see that. I was like, yeah, hey, there he
is making a stop on the way right.

Speaker 1 (01:02:02):
He's absolutely insane. Hey, Tractor Supply knows that a winning
season takes practice, teamwork, and a can do attitude. Thankfully,
when you have a neighbor like Tractor Supply, teamwork comes easy.
Whether you're caring for pets, chickens, I'm getting those chickens
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and be sure to check out the Tractor Supply Fox

(01:02:23):
Sports Radio Bracket Challenge at Fox Sports Radio dot com.
See our hosts are doing with their picks and who
the top rank listeners are. Listener with the best bracket
at Fox Sports Radio dot Com will win a twenty
five hundred dollars gift card to Tractors Supply. Later on
today we have the Women's Final. We've got a ton
of baseball action, all of these things that we're watching

(01:02:45):
along the way, more chatter about torpedo bats. We're not
gonna do it here, but let's talk about the NFL
for a minute. Dan, As we get ready for draft
draft coverage in earnest right, starting to pick up all
the profiles mocked drafts. I always do a one rounder
based on everything I've read, everything I've seen, and what
I think teams should do. Usually get eight to ten

(01:03:06):
guys placed in the right squad, and then wildly crazy
because I don't try to predict trades right that that's
the wild card and all this and even at the
top this year a lot of uncertainty. But one news
item that came out in coming into the weekend is
that the Titans and Shadeur Sanders and his team have
mutually decided to cancel his private workout, private interview, and

(01:03:34):
hang out. So the obvious thing is, Oh, they're gonna
take Cam Wort. No, we think you are. But that's
not one hundred percent doesn't preclude them from still trading out.
Doesn't mean that they won't take Shador Sanders. Sure, right,
it's still in the realm of possible that happened, but

(01:03:55):
the immediate jump to it obviously signals this like it
just signals they've either seen enough or they are done.
But it's a game of liar's poker for several weeks
until someone's walking around with a sign contract or wearing
a hat on draft had.

Speaker 2 (01:04:12):
Yeah, and no, you're right. Anything can happen in those scenarios,
And if somebody to call Tennessee and say, guess what
this is an offer? Things could change. How much do
you think though it's now should or Sanders not visiting

(01:04:32):
and having the visit with the Titans and being like, Okay,
if there's a team that wants to move up to two,
I'm available. I know it's kind of a far reaching
sort of thing, but I don't know if it's a
way to I don't want to say safe face, but
there sure seems to be a lot of back and
forth on where should or Sanders is going to go,

(01:04:54):
and there seems to be more talk of him slipping
in the draft than going into one of those top
three pays. And so you just wonder in the case
of maybe Tennessee just hasn't shown the interest that other
teams have as well. I know there are a lot
of theories, but I just wonder as well, if it's
if it's a way to make it look like, all right,
we're not going to Tennessee, but two and three, all right,

(01:05:16):
let's if you want to move up, we're going to
be there. Yeah, that's just a theory.

Speaker 1 (01:05:19):
So a thing that you know, Travis Hunter is now
the favorite to be drafted by the Browns and these
have been moving all over the place. You've got cam Ward,
You've got to have dual Carter, and I think we're
we're all in agreement of where those top who those
top players are. And then it just becomes a all right,
have the Giants invested too much in the quarterback position?
Even if it's not a lot of guaranteed money by

(01:05:42):
bringing Jamis Winston and Russell Wilson in that they obviously
pivot to Odre or Carter. I don't know that it's
necessarily that either, Like they're not into the either of
those guys for a tremendous amount of money. So if
you're still looking at the process, and this is Shane
and Dable, is it better to win three more games

(01:06:04):
short rump. By the way they're over under is still
like four and a half for Winns. The thing, yes,
then try to hopefully you get a stay of execution
to then bring in your next guy.

Speaker 2 (01:06:14):
I think there's a tug of war in NFL teams
right now in that scenario, Mike, because let's say the
Giants were to draft should or Sanders. It's probably the
best way for Brian Dabele and Joe Shane to keep
their job if Sanders had a great rookie season, because
now you're looking, look, we got this young guy, let's
keep him around. But if you draft him in that

(01:06:36):
scenario and you're in a lame duck season, now you
have drafted should or Sanders and there could be a
whole new regime coming in and they that regime may
not love should or Sanders, So now it's a completely
wasted pick from that perspective. And it's if I'm John Merra,

(01:06:58):
I want to find my quarterback of the future. But
if I'm Brian Dabole and in Joe Shane, I want
to make sure that I have my job. And I
just think that if you have Shador Sanders, if you
would draft him in that spot, that would be the
way to keep your job. A seven wins season from
Russell Wilson or Jameis Winston isn't going to save their
job in New York. And that's where if you wanted

(01:07:22):
to If I'm Joe Shane, then I roll the dice
in that scenario makes it work out. John Harbad just
got a contract extension from Baltimore. We forget on how
Lamar Jackson saved his job. When you switched from Flacco
to Lamar Jackson. There was talk at the time of
John Harbaugh maybe not being back in Baltimore and Joe
Flacko not being back and Lamar took off, Harbaugh stayed

(01:07:46):
and the rest is history.

Speaker 1 (01:07:47):
Yeah, it's always the question there, just like the game
we're playing now, how much of that is real noise
versus just the dissatisfied fan base and a guy needing
to write and fill some coll of inches. Right with
Tomlin every year of is he really will they really
do the unthinkable? But then he ends up winning a

(01:08:08):
bunch of games. The streak is alive. It's like the
Russell WrestleMania streak that the Undertaker had for years. Like
you lost to that guy all those years. You gave
it up to that guy.

Speaker 2 (01:08:17):
The funny thing with the Titans in this situation and like,
when you have Brian Callahan as your head coach, you're
hoping that he can turn the quarterback into something. And
the way that he responded to Will Levis at times
last season was like, all right, Will Levis is gonna
be here for very long. If you're having these outbursts
with this quarterback, there's something going on behind the scenes

(01:08:40):
that makes you this way. But it's also a team
that is in a division that is winnable. We feel
Houston's the class of the division. But again, and you
have Jacksonville in Indianapolis going through their own versions of
newness and Indies trying to figure out who their quarterback is,
you should be able to win some games, and you
got that new stadium right next door that you're building,

(01:09:02):
like you're gonna want some some of that excitement moving
into your new facility. And so that's why this why
cam Ward I think is likely the guy for all
of those scenarios.

Speaker 1 (01:09:15):
Updated betting odds, and this one is really new here,
at least from my understanding that it was a little
more murkier cam Ward from FanDuel minus twenty thousand to
be the number one pick at this point, I'll send
it to card no exactly. Abdul Carter at eighteen to
one is your next betting favorite. Number two pick, Travis

(01:09:38):
Hunter now at minus one thirty five I head of
Abdul Carter, Shadur Sanders third to ten to one, and
then you get to the third pick overall. Abdul Carter,
Travis Hunter, Shadur Sanders seen his over under as to
where he'll be selected. But then it becomes a question
of does New Orleans really believe in Spencer rat Bler

(01:10:01):
Maybe maybe not. They re up Derek Carr, but that
seems to be he's one of the guys.

Speaker 2 (01:10:08):
Theory.

Speaker 1 (01:10:09):
Yes, yeah, we've talked about the march for Arch here
hearing on the other uh, the other yelling with Smith,
it's it's certainly out there. Still got to produce T
shirts before it's done, running out of time. But all
of that to say, it's the curiosity of those teams
that need a quarterback or seemingly need a quarterback as

(01:10:31):
to whether they make a move and whether they get
aggressive on draft day.

Speaker 2 (01:10:35):
It's not a great draft class. It's what one of
our first drafts that we have where every team has
their own pick, like, no one has two first round picks.
And I think that that says a lot about this
draft class that scouts. No scouts know when a draft
class is going to be good. They know when it's
going to be bad, and they know usually years in advance.

(01:10:55):
You can tell you know when certain guys are going
to be in and now some may balloon to even
better or shrink to be even worse. But this was
a draft class that was not thought of very highly.
And I think that's also why you see teams saying, like,
all right, why would I trade this first round pick
to get one in that class when it's not that great.
That's what makes the top of the draft so intriguing,

(01:11:17):
is you may just see best available, because if you're
filling a need, then you're really dropping down in the
list if that need isn't up there on an overall chart.

Speaker 1 (01:11:28):
Now we'll see how many of those teams accidentally win
too many games to screw themselves or have to give
up too much draft capital. A year from now, he's
Dan Byer at dan Byron Fox where you find and
find me over at Swollen Dome. Time to turn it
over to Isaac Low and grab one the other update
of everything going on in our sporting universe? What's going on?

Speaker 6 (01:11:46):
I love guys as we speak, Alex Ovetka to the
Washington Capitals trying to break the NHL's all time goal
scoring record. Is the Capitals visit the New York Islanders
right now. There are three minutes into the second married.
The Islanders lead the Capitals two to nothing. The good
news is that Ovechkin will not have to pass up
an opportunity to go for the record breaker against an

(01:12:09):
empty net the way things are going right now. Coming
up today, about an hour and twenty minutes from now,
the Women's National Championship game from Tampa between South Carolina
and Yukon. Today's major League Baseball action just getting underway.
The Arizona Diamondbacks up scored an early run at the
top of the first inning at Washington. A short time ago,
the Los Angeles Dodgers placed left handed pitcher Blake Snell

(01:12:32):
on the injured list with left shoulder inflammation. Finally, guys,
it was discovered yesterday that the Pittsburgh Pirates had surreptitiously
removed a tribute to Roberto Clemente on the white field
wall at PNC Park and replaced it with an advertisement
for a Philadelphia based company that sells hard tees and lemonades.

(01:12:53):
Well today, Clemente's son, Roberto Junior, issued a statement reading,
in part quote, I was shocked this change was made
without any communication with our family. While we appreciate that
the Pirates acknowledged their failure to inform us, it reveals
a broader issue, a lack of meaningful collaboration between the

(01:13:14):
organization on matters that are deeply personal and historically significant
to us and our fans. Unquote, guys, back to you.

Speaker 1 (01:13:24):
Thanks Halo at Isaac Low and gron. I saw that
story starting to make the rounds Dan, and I mean
there's a statue there's a lot of commemorating of Roberto Clemente. Yeah,
and I guess I can't tell you how to feel.
It's one of my old mantras in all of this.
But is that the worst thing in the world.

Speaker 2 (01:13:47):
I think it's the thought process that hurts. Somebody obviously
went to someone and said, you can get X amount
of dollars for this advertisement. Where do we put it?
What about if we take down the Clemente sign, let's
do it. I think that's the part that hurts. That
the the the okay, let's sign off. It's the I

(01:14:07):
get the lack of communication as well. I would I
would hate to make that call. Sure, just the heads up,
But I get what you said they I think there's
the street you know that. I mean, there's there's.

Speaker 1 (01:14:20):
A lot of commemorating of there. And it's not to
dismiss it, right, and yes, you should mind your p's
and q's, send notices, et cetera. It's also going to
be a bunch of executives. Sure, vertical clement is a name,
like it's not. I don't think it's decisions being made
by a bunch of folks who are really necessarily grasp.

Speaker 2 (01:14:42):
You just come back with a bigger and better way.
That's all you do. So now the ball is in
the pirates court, keep that up, figure out a bigger
and better way to do it to make everyone happy.

Speaker 1 (01:14:52):
Well, to put it in perspective, they had the opportunity
to pay one point one million dollars to get that
Paul Schemes autograph card. Dick's Sarting Goods bought it instead.
He's Dan Byer. I'm Mike Harmon here, Fox Sports Radio.
Coming up next the long Lead. Dan's getting rebped up
for the Masters. So we got that, and then we've
got all these promotions in baseball. Who's the next costume

(01:15:14):
character to show up to throw out a first pitch
for your team? We'll talk about it next year on
Fox Welcome back in Fox Sports Sunday, Fox Sports Radio,
Mike Harbin, Dan Byer, finishing up with you, coming up
in ten minutes. You got Hartman and Husky for everything
they've got to yell at each other about. But we've
got big stuff going on in the sporting universe. We've

(01:15:36):
we've been waiting on it, building it up. So let's
turn it over to Isaac Lohencron to tell you all
about freaking news from Fox Sports.

Speaker 6 (01:15:48):
Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals has just broken the
NHL's all time goal scoring record. Here's how it sounded
just moments ago from John Walton on w a JF.

Speaker 1 (01:16:00):
Right side to Wilson shattered up.

Speaker 2 (01:16:02):
Oh that skin has any stars?

Speaker 7 (01:16:04):
He stares alex so Betstan Star Saint ninety five.

Speaker 1 (01:16:11):
There's a new.

Speaker 7 (01:16:13):
Goal scoring champion and his name is Alexander.

Speaker 1 (01:16:18):
Oh bet'stan.

Speaker 7 (01:16:20):
He has done it here on Long Island.

Speaker 1 (01:16:24):
His teammates bob him.

Speaker 7 (01:16:27):
There is but one Alexander. The greats, the greatest to
ever do it in National hockety League history.

Speaker 6 (01:16:37):
The goal at seven twenty six of the second period
as Washington now trails the New York Islanders two to one.
But again, alex Ovechkin now the leading goal scorer in
NHL history with eight hundred and ninety five.

Speaker 1 (01:16:51):
Thanks so much, Iilo. I was gonna make a joke
about the White Sox taking a lead on Detroit as
the breaking news. The White Sox have a lead and
a twenty twenty five game. Boy, he had an awful
lot of space on the ice.

Speaker 2 (01:17:02):
He sure did, And I'll tell you what the scene
right now on Long Island of seeing all of the Islanders,
this is this is an end of playoff series handshake line.
Every member of the New York Islanders is shaking Ovechkin's hand.
At mid ice.

Speaker 1 (01:17:21):
They've unfurraled a giant. We're in the middle second period,
exactly seven twenty sixth of the second and we're stopping down.
They're rolling out a blue carpet. We've seen the eight
ninety five. This is a full mid game stoppage. Yeah,
this is insane. This war taking the rounds.

Speaker 2 (01:17:40):
This warrants it. By the way, I think this is
this is totally fine with me iliasorkin am I pronouncing
are correctly. I'm not sure the Islanders goalies the one
who gives it up. He and Ovechkin have a great
exchange because he's the last one in line of that
handshake line.

Speaker 1 (01:17:58):
She should keep that pucked. Well, it's very fight me
for It's very.

Speaker 2 (01:18:03):
Picturesque right of not wanting to give up that home
run because you're going to be there. The look on
Wayne Gretzky's face knowing that he does not have to
follow Alexandervechkin around the country anymore, priceless, Absolutely priceless.

Speaker 1 (01:18:17):
He leave the building right now. He shook his hands.
They had a quick exchange, maybe about ten seconds or so,
and then he walked off. Novechkin got back to hugging
everybody else. Do you think Wayne Gretzky leaves the arena
right now?

Speaker 2 (01:18:31):
Alvekin may leave, Like, what's the point of playing. Let's
take take the rest of the day off. Relax, this
is over it. You don't play again until Thursday. Enjoy this.

Speaker 1 (01:18:41):
Yeah, I don't know about all of this in the
middle of a game. I do no completely.

Speaker 2 (01:18:45):
I'm board for it. This is it in the game
of hockey, all time goalscorer. Absolutely. Gretzky's in the building.
Has it less yet for sure?

Speaker 1 (01:18:54):
Standing off to the side. I think that's the guy
he's asking. He's asking the coach, Hey, can you get
my driver? I have to pull up in about ten.

Speaker 2 (01:19:01):
Minutes, Wayne Gretzky, had said. Gordie Howe followed him in
terms of when Gretzky was about to break his record.
He felt that it was the right thing to do
with Alexandrovtchkin, such.

Speaker 1 (01:19:13):
A huge moment, record breaking here on a beautiful Sunday
Morning Fox Sports Sunday. He's Dan Barr at Dan Byron Fox,
who's winning the Masters?

Speaker 2 (01:19:21):
Is it Rory's time? I'll tell you what I think
that he's somewhat informed. He's going to be the story
next week. You're always going to go Scheffler and whatnot,
but Rory makes it tick.

Speaker 1 (01:19:32):
There you go at Dan Byron Fox to follow it all,
find me over at swollen Down. More on this record
breaking moment next on Fox Sports Radio

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