March 18, 2025 • 42 mins
On today’s episode, Jason is joined by ESPN college basketball analyst Fran Fraschilla for a full March Madness preview. During the conversation, Fraschilla shares his thoughts on whether or not Houston has enough offense to win it all, the narrative that the SEC isn’t as good as the committee seems to think it is, which top-3 seed should be on upset alert in round one, what makes the Arizona Wildcats so dangerous, the narrative that Auburn should cruise to the Final Four, which Cinderella teams are poised to make a deep run and much more!
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
This is Straight Fire with Jason McIntyre.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
What is up?
Speaker 3 (00:11):
Firefam, It's me Jason McIntyre, Straight Fire for Tuesday, March
the eighteenth. Oh boy, what a guest today. You're gonna
be so fired up. I know you love the tournament.
I know you're filling out brackets. You're getting pressed, you're nervous,
you're getting rattled, you're shook.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Oh my gosh, what do I do? Is Florida really
going to the final four? Wisconsin? What do I do?
Speaker 3 (00:35):
My daughter comes home from actually she texted me from school. Dad,
We're doing a bracket contest and I'm gonna need your help.
And that just makes me feel so damn good. Oh
my goodness. The tournament starts tonight. You know, we got a appetizer,
Saint Francis and Pennsylvania against Alabama.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Fun side note, Saint Francis of Pa.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
My good friend growing up through elementary, middle, high school, college, everything.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
We still talk to. You know, I'm on a different coast.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
His sister had three kids, and she married a guy
who played Division two basketball, and they had three sons,
and one of them plays for Saint Francis in Pennsylvania,
and we saw his first college game at UCLA last year,
and he played a lot and they weren't very good.
(01:29):
They played a lot of young guys. They hit the
portal hard and they made an amazing run. Now they're
in the tournament. I'll be backing them blindly tonight. I
have no clue if they win. I'm just taking them
on the money line Saint Francis just because he's on
the team. It's pizza money for action play. And then
the nightcap is North Carolina San Diego State, which should
be good. I like UNC there, but I don't know
(01:51):
about the spread. I'll go ahead and take it anyway,
just for some action on the game. But the madness begins.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
I'm very excited.
Speaker 3 (01:57):
Baseball starts later this morning from Tokyo, Konishiwa. It's the Dodgers,
the world champion Dodgers open.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
The MLB season. Man mb sneak it up. March Madness.
Speaker 3 (02:10):
NBA was kind of wacky last night, but let's just
get to our guests, the spectacular fran for Scilla, who's
been an announcer at ESPN forever. He knows the NBA,
he knows March Madness, he knows a big twelve. You're
gonna love this lockin.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
You know a guy, Jason likes to think he knows
everything when it comes to sports.
Speaker 4 (02:30):
I know what sports fans want, but for.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
Everything he doesn't, he knows a guy who does.
Speaker 4 (02:36):
Let's just say, I know a guy who knows a
guy who knows another guy.
Speaker 3 (02:41):
All right, let's welcome back to straight fire. Everybody's March
Madness favorite. Pretty much the goat college basketball announcer currently
Fran for Scilla. He does ESPN games, and he's gonna
be doing a lot of nit action this month. Fran
for Schella, one of the great voices in this generation
of college basketball, as well as anybody.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Fran, how are you, man, Jason.
Speaker 4 (03:03):
You're very kind, Thank you very much. I do have
my voice. I did ten Big Twelve Tournament games last
week of the thirteen and two studio appearances, and I
was busy, and I was I was drinking a lot
of TEA question, and I gotta leave tomorrow for your
coast and do an n I game on Wednesday night
(03:23):
at San Jose State. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (03:25):
I love the Big Twelve Tournament. First of all, I
got to ask what was up with that court? It
was a little messing with my eyes and my head unscrewing.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
It kind of popped. For sure. It was interesting.
Speaker 4 (03:34):
It was Louis Wos you know, Louis Vuitton was oh
you know, no, actually it was excellente you know, Remneuveral twelve.
It was actually better in person arena than what you
saw on TV. It wasn't quite as bad as Oregon
and oh yeah right, but uh it was a little
jarring when I watched the women's tournament the week before.
(03:56):
But brett Or Mark, the commissioner of the Big Twelve,
he thinks of everything. He's a mover and shaker, you know,
he's a New Yorker Rock Nation. He's just a guy
in It was just an initiative and actually I think
it caught on that tournament.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
So no, it's all about buzz and he created it.
For sure.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
Let's jump right into the tournament. And you called a
lot of Big twelve games. Houston was a machine. I
love how into Milo's uz and I hope I said
his name USA and use okay, you love this guy.
And he was at Oklahoma then he goes to Houston.
He was I mean, I just think his game is phenomenal.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
They look good.
Speaker 2 (04:34):
But frand every year.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
It's the same thing with Houston. Do they have enough
offense to now they kind of sort of got screwed
by the committee having to face Gonzaga possibly in the
second round. Gonzaga, an eight seed, is a top ten
team in ken Pom, which is absurd.
Speaker 4 (04:49):
Yeah, it's gonna be a tough second round game. But
I gotta tell you, like, Houston's gotten to a final
for the COVID year. Right, they got beat by Baylor
in the semifinals. Nobody was beating Baylor that year, right,
I mean they destroyed a gonzagatine that was undefeated. How
crazy is that? You know? But this Houston team the
last what was it the one year they lost Sasser?
(05:10):
Last year they were devastated early and then they lost
sit in the sweet sixteen to do I think they
would have I think we all know they would have
beaten Duke. No. But this is an amazing operation. Kelvin Sampson,
you know he comes back from the NBA. I asked
him about five years ago. You'll love this because we
(05:31):
both remember the nonsense of Indiana with the texting and
a show. Cause he goes to the NBA and I
asked him, because we've been friends for thirty years. This
is the thirtieth anniversary of Manhattan College upsetting Oklahoma thirteen
to four game coach and I was a young coach then.
(05:52):
It's my greatest moment in coaching. And we actually became
great friends because of that game because he's a coach's coach.
That night, we were better. He shook my hand and said, hey,
you got a great team, and we've been friends ever since.
But I asked him five years ago, I said, you
could have been an NBA head coach. You know, you
were with the Rockets. They loved you. And I said
(06:13):
why did you come back? And he said, well, first
of all, my dad, who passed away soon after. He
said this to Kelvin, he said, you're a college coach.
He used to call him fella. He said, fella, you're
a college coach. When I asked Kelvin, I said, why'd
you go Houston? He goes, I needed something to fix
and Jason, what he was saying it was a double meaning. Okay,
it wasn't just fixing Houston. It was fixing Kelvin Sampson.
(06:36):
And now there's no question in my mind that after
Billy Donovan and Mark Feu and maybe Rick Barnes is
good buddy who he's known fifty years. Kelvin Samson's a
Hall of fame coach. Yeah, and so I hope they
win it because I love him and I loved the
Big twelve and they got it. Man, they got a
lot of pieces. You got to be a little lucky
(06:56):
to go all the way. But they're as good as
any buddy. Right now. We love Auburn, we love Florida,
we love nor we love Duke. I almost said we
love North Carolina. We don't love we don't don't love
it later. But so he's great. And this kid, Uzann
is a is like a I saw him at Oklahoma,
(07:17):
a great kid coached by Porter Moser. Kelvin hand selected
him to be the guy to replace Shed. The kid
took less money from Houston than he could have gotten.
He knew he was gonna get yelled at every day
of the season. Kelvin drove him, drove and drove him.
And I have to tell you we will talk NBA
Draft in a couple of months. And yes, Ben, if
(07:39):
you're listening, man, come on, I need to be back
on the draft. But that's another story. Yeah. By the way,
Shams and Robbie Hummel and I last year we had
at stadium, which we're not gonna do it anymore. Ten
million views of our draft coverage. Wow, yeah, it's great.
But uh U Zann has become an NBA prospect because
(08:00):
Kelvin and the staff gave him the confidence. The teammates
believe in him, and he's like Andrew Nemhart. He is
Andrew Tilmhart reincarnated. And my NBA friends and I saw
a bunch of them in Kansas City. They said, oh, yeah,
he's at least a second rounder and he might come
back next year, but his stock is really high right now.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
Interesting.
Speaker 3 (08:21):
So Houston's prospects, I like them to go to the
final four offensive rebounding. You know, it's a lot about
the numbers now frame when you're picking these teams. Houston
fifteenth in offensive rebounding, fourth and three point shooting second
in defense. The one Achilles heel is two point shooting.
Explain to me how they're so good from three fourth
in the country, but they're two hundred and sixty eighth
(08:42):
on two pointers?
Speaker 2 (08:43):
What is that about?
Speaker 4 (08:44):
This is why you have me on Okay, this is
why you have me on now, and I'm gonna tell you, Okay,
it's the best three point shooting team they've ever had
at Houston. So we're always used to Houston winning ugly.
They're gonna get more. They're gonna get more field goal
attempts because they're going to turn you over more and
get more offensive rebounds. Well what they do this year
when they crash the offensive glass. Now, I'm gonna repeat
(09:06):
back to you when you said sixteenth in the country
in offensive rebounding.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
Right, fifteenth, Yeah, fifteenth.
Speaker 4 (09:11):
Okay, how about when you get an offensive rebound and
you don't have a dunk and you kick it out
to Sharp and e'ts a three? You know what I mean?
That's good a prior we call it the dagger three.
But Bob McKillop, the great coach at Davison, came up
with this offensive rebound out two or three point shot
is called a dagger three because you think you stopped
(09:32):
him on the first shot, and they put a knife
in your heart by kicking it out the crier or
Sharp or Arsenal or now u Zan And they're hitting
threes at forty percent. So the reason they're not good.
They don't throw it inside that much except to Roberts,
who's become a threat. Usually Joe Tuggler or Roberts or
Francis grabbing your rebound, and if it's not a putback dunk,
(09:55):
it's a kickout three. And the percentages speak for themselves.
For maj you're getting one point two points per possession.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
Right, Yeah, look at that. He's crunching the numbers. I
love it.
Speaker 4 (10:08):
No, So that's why I think, don't worry about the
two point percentage because they don't have a go to guy,
like they don't have like an aircraft carrier zach Eedy.
But those offensive rebounders kick it out and those guys
hit threes.
Speaker 3 (10:22):
So this Gonzaga matchup, assuming Gazaga gets by, Georgia's SEC
gets fourteen teams and George is pretty damn good.
Speaker 2 (10:28):
But I don't.
Speaker 3 (10:29):
I gotta be honest. I've seen Kadzaga a bunch this year.
I've never been overly impressed.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
What am I missing?
Speaker 4 (10:36):
No, you're not. I saw him early in the year,
and listen, give them credit. They win, they win the
WCC tournament. Uh, they look great beating Saint Mary's who
I think is also a team that's gonna be dangerous.
And you know what, you know, you just put the
get you know, in the old days, not not the
last year or two. But you know, Kansas, Oh crap,
we're playing Kansas. Oh crap, We're playing Houston. Oh crap,
(10:57):
we're playing Auburn. Gonzaga still has that. You know, they
might not have Kelly olynnok or you know Karnowski or
nem Hart or you know Morrison or you know guys
I'm leaving out that's true, Timmy, But they're Gonzaga. You know,
Graham Meeky is ek is a is a thread inside.
They've got some athletic guys. They got Ryan Demhart. So
(11:19):
that's a dangerous game for Houston, assuming they win. But
I'm not sure they're gonna get by Georgia. Yeah, Georgia
has been battle tested all year. They're playing in the
obviously the best league in the country. They got Ason Newell,
they got some guys that, you know, the upper mid
major guys who've transferred up, and Michael Wise is done
a good job. That'll be a street fight. Not gonna
(11:39):
surprise me either way. And then you you know, Houston
just can't have that one bad game and you know,
have a game where they go five for twenty three
from three, which they haven't had many of those this year.
Speaker 3 (11:49):
So I've given you one of my final four. I
don't love Tennessee as much coming out of the Midwest.
I'm a Houston guy here.
Speaker 2 (11:55):
What do you make of the.
Speaker 3 (11:56):
Whole SEC fourteen teams? Everybody loves Aubert at Tennessee, everybody,
I don't know. They did beat each other up, so
all those guys are battle tested.
Speaker 4 (12:05):
But I don't know.
Speaker 3 (12:05):
This Tennessee team scares me. Just the way they play
their brand. I don't know if they're going to get
the whistle in March. If they get overly tenacious, they
gonna have guys foul out and they don't have any depth.
Speaker 4 (12:15):
Well, let's go about the SEC first historical historic Okay,
most teams ever, you know, some of it some of
it at the end was hype trained. Some of it, Yeah,
most of it was real. Most of it was real.
They dominated the non conference. Very interesting about the SEC.
I did this research with our ESPN people, and it
could change and fluctuate a little, but seventy five percent
(12:37):
of the starters in the SEC have started ten games
plus and their seniors and their fourth and fifty year seniors.
When you think of the great players in the league
this year, you start with jan I Broom, Mark Sears,
Walter Clayton, Chas Lanier at Tennessee Ze Guy Siegler is
a homegrown four year Rick Barnes guy, I can if
(13:00):
you look at the top seven teams in that league, Man,
it's now or never because it's just a historically crazy
confluential events transfers. You know, COVID year guys that there's
a lot of upper classmen in the league, and good
for them. When we talk about the NBA Draft, you
(13:21):
and I a couple months, there aren't that many SEC
players in the first round. Happen to be young players
on teams that didn't do great. Trey Johnson on a
Tech Texas team that barely got in. You know, Colin
Broyles Murray at South Carolina first round pick. Those guys
don't win in the SEC this year because those upper
(13:42):
classmen are so good, so they got that. I saw
Tennessee in person two weeks ago, beat A and m
at A and m. I worked for Rick Barnes for
three years of Providence. I get that people don't believe
in him. This year, the defense is still great. Oh yeah,
but I tell you what they got Chaslinier, Zekai Ziggler
(14:05):
and Ganey Justin Ganey's kid, I think it's Jordan Justin
and Jordan's.
Speaker 2 (14:10):
Something like that.
Speaker 4 (14:10):
Yea, yeah, Giney kid. Those two. Those three kids are
legit and they can They can put points up. Chaslin
here can go get thirty. Zekai Zigger is a killer.
Speaker 3 (14:20):
You know? So is his team better than the Dalton
connect team last year that I think went down to
Purdue in the.
Speaker 4 (14:25):
Lad I wo said yes, but I think so because
Interesting relied so heavily on Dalton Connecting. Yeah, I think
this year that Zakai and they got three guys that
can go get twenty in a game. And I'm I
got them losing. I got them losing. It's really funny.
Tennessee Houston is a great matchup because Rick Barnes I
mentioned it earlier. Rick Barnes and Kelvin Sampson are small
(14:49):
town North Carolina kids. One guy played at Pembroke State,
the other guy played at Leonora Ryan. They've known each
other for fifty years. They competed against each other. They're
best of friends. That's gonna be a hell of a
game to get into the four because both of those
guys deserve to win a championship, and this year with
this bracket, interesting do it.
Speaker 1 (15:11):
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Speaker 3 (15:23):
If I said sleeper in the Midwest and I tossed
out Xavier, I mean, I don't even know if they're
gonna get by Texas, which is a problem, but some
of the profile of Xavier, some positives jump out that
I kind of sort of like, I don't know.
Speaker 2 (15:39):
Again, I tend to fall in love with, you know.
Speaker 3 (15:41):
Sean Miller, three point shooting teams, you know, instantly like, okay,
we got great free throw shooting team. I know the
Big East wasn't phenomenal this year, but I kind of
liked Xavier here to win a game or two.
Speaker 4 (15:55):
You're oh, you know. The thing that scares me about
Illinois is they've been such a roller coaster, you know,
like they've got a young team, and some nights I
watched them and they got a couple of NBA prospects.
The point guard from Lithuania is terrific. But I'm worried
about Illinois. So if you tell me, if you told
me a week from now, Xavier beats Illinois to go,
you know, to move on, I wouldn't be shocked because
(16:17):
I can't make I can't. I don't know what to
make of Illinois. They've been so hot and cold. You know. Yeah,
they get destroyed by Duke, which is understandable, but they've
lost some games that are kind of scratch head scratchers,
and yet they got enough talent to go far. But
I think where Xavier could get them is very upper
classmen orient. Yes, they've got toughness. Sean Miller seems always
(16:41):
have toughness, sneaky, sneaky, sneaky game. I think you picked
a good one there.
Speaker 3 (16:47):
So if you on the Ken Pomp site, D one experience, okay,
and that matters because if you listen to what friends
said about the SEC, they've got a lot of old
dudes D one experience, Xavier second in the country.
Speaker 2 (16:58):
Then you look at Illinois and Frand knows this stuff.
Speaker 3 (17:01):
Illinois is three hundred and first out of I believe
it's like three hundred and sixty four. So they're, like
you said, a young team. You can't rely on freshman
now when you're playing twenty three twenty four year old.
Speaker 2 (17:10):
So it's good. You're kind of in agreement with you. Okay,
so we both like Houston.
Speaker 4 (17:14):
I'll say another team. Don't do not sleep on McNee
state really. Oh yeah, yeah, No, I was familiar with
their work. Well, i'll tell you what they are. Their
junkyard dogs. You know Will Wade, who's probably not going
to be there next year. He served his time. You know,
he's he's gonna he was in.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
Is he the one from LSU.
Speaker 4 (17:33):
Yeah, he was the one that got fired for you know,
for the for the you know, the tape recordings. And
I like Will. He's a hell of a coach. He was,
let's put it this way. Mcneise was a minimum security prison. Okay, okay.
And he's paid his dues, he's paying the news. He's
a heck of a coach. He did an amazing job
at McNeice. They dominated a low major league. He's got
(17:55):
athletic guys, they got toughness, they played great man a
man defense. They switch everything, They could give Clemson trouble. Now,
keep in mind now as much as Brown, Brad Brown
now has done a great job and he possibly could
be the next coach in Indiana. Okay, coold, that's real
because he's an Indiana guy. But we still have to
(18:16):
wonder whether seventeen and three or whatever it was in
the ACC means the same as being seventeen and three
in a big ten or SEC, and it doesn't. It
doesn't seventeen and three to me or whatever it was
translates to like, you know, thirteen and seven in the SEC. Okay,
So I think mcnese is a sneaky pick here, I
(18:37):
really do. I think Will Wade is a gangster. Okay,
I love to stay he's a gangster.
Speaker 2 (18:44):
You know, he must be a pretty damn good coach
to turna.
Speaker 4 (18:46):
He's a good coach. It's just he's a great recruiter.
And I want to give you a little tidbit here
because Will has gone in a little NCAA hot water, right.
Speaker 2 (18:54):
Yeah, you know that.
Speaker 4 (18:55):
One of the places Will Wade coach was Harvard for
Tommy Aberger.
Speaker 2 (18:59):
I did not know that.
Speaker 4 (19:01):
My son's there. And he says I'm the spiritual successor
to Will Wade. I don't know what I don't know
what that means, but you know, like Will's a really
good coach, sneaky pick.
Speaker 2 (19:13):
Wow, Okay McNee states, So everybody got that one. All,
let's quickly go to the East.
Speaker 3 (19:17):
I don't want to say it's the Duke Invitational, but
Copper Flag should be good for the second round. I
don't know about the first. I don't think they're going
to be pushed hard. I kind of like Oregon. I'm
not as high on Arizona as others up in that quadrant.
Speaker 2 (19:29):
Can Duke be pushed?
Speaker 4 (19:32):
Yeah, I think they could be pushed. I want to
tell you something now, it's so easy. You're a West
Coast guy, right now, it's so easy to discount Arizona. Okay,
okay here. I like them. I've seen them a lot.
Remember they're in a big twelve now. And I said
on Saturday Night the only way they are now. I
want you to I want to put this in perspective.
(19:53):
When I was the young coach at Saint John's. I
was only there two years.
Speaker 2 (19:56):
Okay, we're gonna get to Saint John's.
Speaker 4 (19:58):
Yeah, yeah, yeah. And by the way, this is what
I was building. Of course, when they fired me, that's fine,
no regrets, no regrets. But when I was at Saint
John's my first couple of years, I said, who's the
bully on the block Connecticut Jim Calhoun. Okay, we're punching
his ass in the nose. In other words, we're going
after Connecticut. They could beat us like the drum, but
(20:19):
we're gonna we're gonna get in the street fight with them.
And we did, and we, you know, we Jim and
I had our differences, and then we later on when
he was he's a great coach, he said, I like
the way your team's played. Okay, Arizona Saturday Night, needed
to make that a street fight, now, Caleb Love, I'll
get to him in a second. Jaden Bradley kJ Lewis.
(20:43):
They're all street fighters, every one of them. And those
guys went after Houston for forty minutes, and except for
a possession or two, they had that game, and they
could have won. It came up a little short. Arizona's
got TOBEYO. Walker to transfer from Tennessee. Is a wide body,
and Henry Vassar is going to play in the NBA
(21:04):
seven foot or he's a sophomore from Estonia HM at
Sheridan last year. I like Arizona to do some damage.
Speaker 3 (21:11):
Okay, let me back up though, Arizona Friday Texas Tech.
Speaker 2 (21:13):
Did you call that game?
Speaker 1 (21:15):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (21:15):
Okay, so Texas Tech was down I think two of
their top three players, right?
Speaker 4 (21:19):
Yeah? Right?
Speaker 3 (21:19):
So did Arizona catch something of a Breakdower, I, by
the way, extremely bullish on Texas Tech Cowherd.
Speaker 2 (21:25):
I don't know if you were watching the Herd or herd,
but he loves Arizona.
Speaker 3 (21:28):
I like Texas Tech a lot as a final fourteen,
but I sell me a little more on why Arizona
is getting by.
Speaker 2 (21:36):
Let's just say who they oh Oregon in the second round.
Speaker 4 (21:39):
Okay, I'm gonna tell you something. I love Caleb Love.
It's so easy to hate the kid. He had so
much bad stuff said about him because he's a Caleb
Love is g and Carlo Stanton. Okay, he's gonna hit
forty homers, he's gonna strike he's gonna hit two forty
and he's going to strike out two undred times. He's
(22:01):
gonna hit forty homers and he's fearless. And if he
has a three for fifteen. I'm with you, they'll probably,
they'll probably get bounced, although they can withstand three for
fifteen from him this year.
Speaker 3 (22:13):
Last year they could not, not well because the other
guys have gotten better.
Speaker 4 (22:16):
If the tsar has gotten better, this Carter Bryant Kidd
from Corona Centennial and the Inland Inland Empire is gonna
be a you know ro someday. Caleb loff Man, he's fearless.
If he's on, he can, they can, they can go
to it. They can go far. They can, they can
get to the sweet sixteen.
Speaker 3 (22:31):
So last year in the NCAA Tournament, kleb Love three
for twelve from three three for eight and then zero
for nine and the loss to Clemson.
Speaker 2 (22:39):
And sometimes he falls in love with being a chucker.
Like you said, Stanton, I would.
Speaker 4 (22:42):
Tell you about that now. He beat single handedly. He
he gave coach k his final boss.
Speaker 2 (22:49):
Oh that's right, yes, yes, yes, good call.
Speaker 4 (22:52):
Then he went five for twenty against Kansas and the
rest of it.
Speaker 3 (22:56):
It's right, he went postal. That costs me money. That
too out that Duke team in that was a fine
four right.
Speaker 4 (23:01):
Yes, twenty Jay Wright's swansong, because you remember twenty eight. Yeah,
and Justin Moore got hurt against Houston in the final
minute and so Kansas got by them and then they
eventually won it. But I've seen a growth in Caleb
Love where he'll still take the big shot, but I
don't think he'll shoot them out of it this year.
Speaker 3 (23:19):
It's funny twenty twenty two. You're right, he blew up.
Remember how he beat Ucla. I think that was sweet sixteen.
I had Ucla and he was unstoppable. Thirty points at
six threes.
Speaker 2 (23:28):
Yeah, he can be volcanic.
Speaker 4 (23:30):
I don't know, volcanic mercurial. You know, he's g and Carl.
Speaker 2 (23:34):
Stanton, Yeah, that's a great comparisons. Why his why is
so good?
Speaker 4 (23:39):
Four and have eight RBIs.
Speaker 2 (23:42):
Or the opposite? All right, bottom half of the of
the email.
Speaker 4 (23:46):
He knows it, Temmy does. Yeah. Yeah. So that's where
I like Arizona. Now. I was disappointed in bing Yu
because they're kind of a catchy, you know, they're kind
of a hot team to like root for, because they
got a lot of wapping.
Speaker 2 (24:00):
Yeah they do.
Speaker 4 (24:01):
Sometimes they played Houston, man, they just I don't know,
maybe it's because it's Houston, but I expected them to
fight more they didn't fight the way Texas Tech and
Arizona fought Houston. So I'm a little scared of them.
But man, they could be also a team that I
got them losing to Duke, you know, going.
Speaker 2 (24:20):
Far interest you have b wow. Okay, so BYU and
that's the big thing. Pressure.
Speaker 3 (24:25):
Like you said, they lost to Houston by thirty one
and then twenty in the tournament.
Speaker 2 (24:30):
Oh my gosh. Yeah that's a beatdown. And now they
got to face the VC.
Speaker 4 (24:34):
They were down fifteen nothing in Houston over the weekend
and they knew it was going to be a street
fight and they got punched in the nose early. You
can't do that.
Speaker 3 (24:42):
You don't want to come out and say, you know,
they're soft or whatever, but they do. You know, the
freshman kid who's very very good coming off the bench.
Speaker 4 (24:49):
Then Igor Igor's a starter, but they got eight or nine?
Speaker 2 (24:54):
Oh is he starting now?
Speaker 4 (24:54):
Okay, yeah, he's a starter. But you know, and they're good.
They're not soft. When I against Buyu in the old
days of New Mexico, they're older, they've been on missions.
They cheap shot you. They no listen here, you're like this.
They play a little physical and dirty and then after
the game. There's such good kids that they're like they
make they make mother Teresa got a gangster. They can
(25:17):
come up on a handshake on most friend. We love
playing the Lobos man. You guys play so hard. We
love competing against you. And I'm joking about the Chief Shots,
but yeah, they play hard, and they just didn't bring
it against Houston, so I worry about them a little,
but they're not soft.
Speaker 3 (25:33):
Any thoughts on where is it? DA is it Wisconsin?
We've seen some Big ten team tournament teams get hot
in the tournament four games in four days, and now
Wisconsin's got to go to Altitude on Thursday. Montana should
be a win, but then they will have to probably
face BYU or VCU. I don't know about Wisconsin getting
(25:55):
out an opening weekend.
Speaker 4 (25:56):
I'll tell you you said it all. No, there's nothing worse.
I talked to Mick Cronin in like February, and he goes, listen,
I want to win the Big Ten tournament, but I
will not be unhappy if I lose on Friday, because
if we win on Saturday, on Sunday up they might
ship us out to Providence, so we can't go home
(26:16):
to La and then go back across the country and
that wears on you. So Wisconsin plays until Sunday. You know,
they had some monster games with Michigan State and then
Michigan and I always worry about the teams that play
on Sunday, I really do, especially when they got to
travel the way they do. So yeah, I love what
Greg Guard's doing. I like their team. I think the
(26:38):
first round matchup, could you know, the first round matchup
to me is one of those holy crap, Turn on
your TV at sixty three sixty one with a minute
to go and it's Montana Ball, you know what I mean?
Speaker 2 (26:50):
Oh wow?
Speaker 4 (26:51):
Okay, then it was Wisconsin win sixty five to sixty one.
I worry about them because of the length of that
Big Ten tournament.
Speaker 2 (27:00):
Yeah no, that's a great point.
Speaker 3 (27:01):
All right, Let's shift to the South. That's Auburn's region.
It's tough not to like Auburn, but fran I gotta say,
we're talking about home field disadvantage. Louisville's getting to play
in Lexington against Creighton. If they get by Creighton not
a lot, Creyton's.
Speaker 2 (27:17):
Kind of good.
Speaker 3 (27:18):
Then Auburn's basically got a road game, and I think
Louisville's probably gonna have what eighty percent of the crowd
in Lexington.
Speaker 2 (27:23):
It reminds me of when Duke.
Speaker 3 (27:25):
Had to face and I think it was the Jason
Tatum team They had to go face South Carolina in Columbia,
and I don't know if you remember it was this
It was the Sunday game and the place was juiced
up and South Carolina just mauled them.
Speaker 2 (27:37):
Did I get that right or no?
Speaker 4 (27:39):
Yeah? I think you did. But I also remember Kansas
playing in Kansas City a few years ago when Josh
Jackson was there and they were playing Oregon in Kansas City,
you know, forty miles away from Lawrence. Oh yeah, yeah,
Oregon sent that and packing. So I want to tell you, no,
I don't worry about First of all, how about this.
Both teams have played in that venue this year. Oh right. Also,
(27:59):
I did an Auburn Houston game early in the year,
which was a classic. This is before Yuzan came on
and Javier Francis didn't play that game. But having said that,
Auburn had a lot of people. Auburn will travel well
to Lexington. I don't think the crowd will be any factor.
I think it'll be a great atmosphere when they played
(28:20):
that second round game.
Speaker 3 (28:22):
So you've got Auburn kind of cruising. Can anyone give
them a problem? I don't even know if Texas A
and M gets by Yale. There's some crazy three point
shooting numbers. Yale's like top ten, and Texas A and
M is one of the worst three point shooting teams
in the country.
Speaker 4 (28:34):
You know, I think I saw Texas A and M
a couple of weeks ago against Tennessee, as I said,
and I think they're gonna maul Yale. I think I
say that. And I love James Jones. He's a he
should be in line for a major job, like a villanova,
a place like that. James Jones is a great coach
at Yale. When you one of the things that everybody's
(28:54):
doing this week is everybody in America is saying Yale's
the upset special and they just upset Auburn last year.
You think Texas A didn't, Yeah, like you don't think
Buzz Williams those guys eating nails for breakfast seriously, And
I just think they're gonna come out and like maybe
it's an ugly game, but they're gonna come out. They're
they're ferocious. I don't, I don't. I think A and
(29:16):
M will get by this now. They don't have a
lot of offensive firepower. I'm looking at my bracket here,
and I do have Auburn going far. I got Michigan
State in Auburn. You know it's not not unusual. Iowa
States wounded. I'd be careful about it if you want
to sleep or Sweet sixteen team. I'm still bullsh on
New Mexico.
Speaker 3 (29:37):
Oh wow, okay, I have not even looked at that game.
New Mexico or Marquette interest.
Speaker 2 (29:43):
I don't know anything about New Mexico.
Speaker 4 (29:45):
Well, they got a great guard, maybe an NBA type
guard in Donovan Dent. They got a terrific big guy,
you know, Marquette as Cam Jones. You know, give him credit,
he's terrific. I like it. But Marquette's leaked oil here,
you know, the last month of the season.
Speaker 2 (29:59):
Everything they lost three four, yeah.
Speaker 4 (30:01):
Yeah, so you know there's gonna be crazy upsets and
we're gonna I don't you know, Marquet could win by
twenty and then someone will say last stupid ass Fran
for Sholla I mean, I'm just throwing some stuff against
the wall. Yeah, not to be an expert, but just
to say that this could happen, because you know, you
and I both know the more you know, the less
likely your brackets.
Speaker 3 (30:21):
One hundred and listen, Shaka Smart, I think he's lost
in the first round. Like six times he has known
to lay an egg. I know back with VCU he
was awesome but said some letdowns with market one last one.
Speaker 2 (30:31):
I've got a drill down on this.
Speaker 3 (30:33):
It's the U see San Diego Tritons, Yes, against Michigan. Now,
I have been on the Tritons a little bit. I
read an Awesome's article. I employed some of their defensive
no middle tactics, which I guess they stole from Texas Tech.
I've employed some of that at the youth level for
my kids. I'm just telling you, I love what the
what they do defensively. This teams scrappy. I have already
(30:54):
bet them Fran against you against Michigan.
Speaker 4 (30:57):
Sorry, what's the number. What's the number?
Speaker 2 (30:59):
It was three and a half. Now it's two and
a half.
Speaker 4 (31:01):
Oh really it's that low. Yeah, I gotta take on
this now. I gotta tell you I watched I watched
three you See San Diego games at the end of
the season because I wanted to see what they were about.
Love them, love them. They're They're like the West Coast
Drake okay with them, Okay, very similar, you know, very similar,
kind of a Northern Iowa with with Darren Debrees. And
(31:24):
I love watching them play. They play great, they play
the right way, they shoot the ball. That kid Gray
is leading country and steals per game.
Speaker 2 (31:31):
Awesome.
Speaker 4 (31:32):
Yeah, terrific team for terrific player. That's not enough. That's
not enough. I would need like more points to take
you see San Diego. I just think you know, you know,
in Michigan, you've got great size with Wolf. He's a
playmaking big golden. This Trey Donaldson kid was really good
last year at Auburn off the bench. He's gotten a
(31:53):
bigger role this year. Kind of they brought in Aiden
Holloway from Alabama. Trey Donaldson. By the way, little trivia
question is high school coach was a Heisman Trophy winner,
Charlie Wennerward.
Speaker 2 (32:05):
No way, all right, wow, okay, I didn't even know.
Speaker 4 (32:07):
It was coaching Ward. So anyway, hey listen, that's what
that's another one of those games, it's gonna be like
sixty three, sixty one, two minutes to go. The crowd's
gonna be going crazy. Yeah, Cinderella. But I'm gonna go
with Michigan on that one.
Speaker 3 (32:21):
So Michigan lost three in a row, they lost four
of six heading into the Big Ten Tournament.
Speaker 2 (32:24):
A lot of people starting to write them off. They're
not that great, and then they get hot.
Speaker 3 (32:28):
It felt like they put every Dusty may really good good.
They put everything into the Big Ten Tournament. And I
just wonder that late comeback against Wisconsin holding off Maryland,
the letdown, I just wonder, like, are they gonna the
two seven footers is kind of plotting now, you know,
like people don't really play that way. No.
Speaker 4 (32:46):
I will tell you the Sunday thing is is real,
you know, the you know, the whatever it was. The
Sunday games are real, you know, playing on Sunday and
then shipping yourself out somewhere. I'm looking at who they
lost to, you know, Illinois, Hall, Okay, they laid an egg,
losing to Maryland at home late in egg Michigan state.
The way, you can understand.
Speaker 1 (33:06):
That 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. Do you think Texas Tech has a
problem with Drake? Drake is probably a top five story,
you know, if Saint John's up there. Drake with with
their coach, has done all the D two transfers like
(33:26):
it's a great story.
Speaker 4 (33:28):
It's a great story. I am a freaking junkie. Okay.
When when when Arizona played Iowa State second weekend at
the end of the season. I had Kansas Houston on
Monday night, Okay, Saturday Monday. Okay. I've seen all these
teams a million times. They're sick of seeing me. Okay,
even my coaching friends are sick of me. So I
(33:49):
saw Drake. I went to Drake's final home game in
Des Moines against Missouri State. They'd already crunched, cunched. I
had to see this kid startch Benbert, yeah, yeah, yeah,
I had a see these guys. I had to see
him play. Then I jumped on a Sunday night flight
to Houston. I love them, I love their team, I
love their coach. I love Bennett Stearts. They overachieved yeah, overachieved. Man,
(34:13):
the some is greater than the whole, is greater than
the some of the parts. Talent wise, they're kind of
like UC San Diego. They're gonna stay in games because
they're so well coached, and they beat Kansas State, they
beat Vanderbilt ear any year. I'm not big on them
going far in this tournament because I just don't think
they have the talent level.
Speaker 2 (34:31):
Okay, that's fair.
Speaker 3 (34:32):
I mean I look at their experience D one and
it's one of the worst in the country because all
their guys came from D two. Interesting, maybe I need
to reconsider Missouri there. I thought Drake would be it,
but that they're a great story.
Speaker 4 (34:45):
I saw Missouri annihilate Kansas in Columbia. I really like
what Dennis the Gates goes ten deep. Caleb Caleb Grill,
He's on. Caleb. Caleb Grill is the Caleb love the sec.
He can get thirty or he can go crazy. He's
a great kid, but he can get crazy. And then
(35:05):
tomorrow Bates has had a great year at the Indiana.
Speaker 2 (35:07):
Transfer Matt Right game, So let me do I want.
Speaker 3 (35:12):
This is kind of a macro thing, But you know, friend,
you look around the country at what's happening with transfer
portal and less fewer and fewer, and freshmen are getting minutes,
so you know, maybe they have to go start at
D two or they go JUCO or whatever. How long
do you think this trend will continue where guys are
going to be like twenty three, twenty four years old, Like,
are they going to keep this going or are they
(35:32):
going to go back to the old ways anytime soon?
Speaker 4 (35:35):
Well, b yu, they'll keep it going because a lot
of those guys go all missions right, yes, yes, no,
I think no, we're ending the COVID here, the COVID
year is over. This is it. The fifty year guy,
the extra year.
Speaker 2 (35:46):
They're not allowing that anymore.
Speaker 4 (35:47):
No, no, so this is all done. All those guys
that got the extra year for COVID, this is it
Now you can still transfer up or down. That part
is still a complete circus. Transfer portal is a joke,
and not because kids shouldn't be able to transfer. It's
just so out of control. I mean it's Kevin Willard
(36:08):
had the best line of all the coach of Maryland.
The transfer portal Jason technically opens March twenty fourth, the
Monday after the first round of the NCAA tournament. Yeah,
Vin Willard said early in the year, the transfer portal
opened on November fifth. I was the opening night of
the season. Oh man, everybody's tampering. Everybody's got agents. Agents
(36:30):
are calling other schools. My guy's definitely leaving. He might stay,
but he's gonna have to get a raise. It's it's madness.
Speaker 3 (36:38):
I okay, so it's madness, but doesn't it seem a
little fun Friand I'm gonna tell you this. I haven't
told any one of my family or any of my friends.
I'll just reveal on the podcast. I'm so into what's happening,
you know, like Steph Currie is now like the assistant
gm at Davidson Wooje got involved in Saint Bonaventure. There
was a couple other media guys have got involved. So
I graduated from JMU and I know I follow their team,
(37:00):
and I looked up who their collective is and I
emailed them, Hey, guys, I follow JMU closely.
Speaker 2 (37:06):
I'm on the West coast.
Speaker 3 (37:06):
If there's anything I can do, I'm not going to
just write checks. Sorry, I would love to get involved.
They haven't responded now. It's only been a week and
I'm not a big deal, but just hearing you and
this team building. I love this stuff, man, I absolutely
love it.
Speaker 4 (37:23):
It's really like fantasy basketball. It is basically, yeah, basically
fantasy football college basketball. Right, I'm going to tell you
without giving out the name, there's a coach that just
got a job. A young coach's father mid major home majors.
Maybe father just donated one point five million to the
nil that's kind of how the kid got the job. Oh,
(37:43):
he had some credentials.
Speaker 2 (37:45):
I'm not going to We all need help. Everybody needs Yeah, no,
I'd be in at Harvard.
Speaker 4 (37:51):
Everyone in IL I'm in. I'm in.
Speaker 2 (37:53):
It's funny, So you say I mentioned Harvard.
Speaker 3 (37:55):
So you know, I do the men's leagues out here,
and I'm constantly recruiting and I'm trying to figure out
our team. And you know, we got to have like
three stars and then a bunch of role players, and
we don't want guys who can plain.
Speaker 4 (38:05):
Slee Saunders, who do he got Wesley Saunders?
Speaker 3 (38:07):
Well, no, I mentioned Kale Catchings who went to Harvard.
And then so he's in our league. I tried to
get him on our team. Anyways, he in the semi finals.
I felt bad. He popped his achilles last week. Oh
so you know he's out. But he's the nicest guy.
We've become friendly and like, you know him. And then
he opens a portal to a bunch of other really
big time ballers, and I just I just love this stuff.
Speaker 2 (38:27):
The team building.
Speaker 4 (38:28):
Well, you know what for everybody who loves it, and
I get it, I get it. But how do you
build the team? How do you build how do you
deal with adversity? Like Houston Marquette for the most part,
Michigan State, they're old school. Okay. In other words, I'll
give you a great story. I think I probably told
you this before. But when my son Matt was at Villanova,
(38:50):
the one that's at Harvard now, they had a kid,
Jermaine Samuel's on the team. Okay, you remember Jermaine saying
six to seven wing maybe, yeah, he was like his power,
he was like a center.
Speaker 2 (38:58):
Said okay, okay, maybe, but yeah.
Speaker 4 (39:00):
But the reason they played him at center is because
that was his best position. Because couldn't remember a lot
of the plays, but he was great inside. But he
didn't play as a freshman on the championship, first championship,
and I said to Matt is he transferred, and he goes, no, Dad,
he knows he's gonna play someday. It's just a Jay
Wright system. We don't have that anymore. No, it's just like,
(39:22):
if I'm not playing, I'm gone. You know, do it.
Villanova could do it with Jay. So there is a
negative negative effect to this that relates to kids dealing
with adversity. But there's a lot of unintended consequences, some
for good, summer bad. That's my point. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (39:38):
No, you end up playing with three four colleges and
then you get out and it's like, dude, you're not
going pro anyway.
Speaker 2 (39:44):
What's the big deal?
Speaker 3 (39:44):
You know you got to get an accounting job. Sorry,
you the rest of your life.
Speaker 2 (39:47):
It is stink. I guess we could wrap up. Do
you have a final four pick? I don't want to
put you on the spot because you are an announcer
you call games.
Speaker 4 (39:55):
No, No, I'm good, I'm good. We did it. We
all did our brackets today. I can't believe I went chalk.
I'm sick that I went chalk because chalk never worked.
So I got her. I got at Auburn, Florida, Houston
and Duke God. I'm sentimental about Houston because I know
those guys so well. Yeah, and I also could back
it up like if you if we had a defense
(40:16):
attorney for each of those four teams, I could make
a great argument for Houston. You know, I could. You know,
like you you you pointed it out earlier, and I'll
tell you as a wrap up. They've got depth, they've
got experience, they've got shooting, they've got defense, they've got
a great coach, and so you know, can it will
will they? Will they lose? Will they lose to Tennessee
(40:39):
in the Elite could absolutely happen. I don't see that,
I know it, but it could happen.
Speaker 3 (40:43):
Well, one team we didn't talk about, friend Alabama. They've
been leaking oil here a little beast season. I love
the point guard that the kid Nelson is. It's kind
of banged up.
Speaker 4 (40:53):
Yeah, Nelson's hurt, and I was disappointed that they They're
great offensively, I just don't think the defense this is
gonna hold up over the course of you know, five
or six games. Love their coach, love the way they play,
but their defensive they've given their I mean, you know,
they're not going MB eighteen. They're giving up a hundred
a night.
Speaker 2 (41:10):
Yeah, that's not gonna work.
Speaker 4 (41:11):
That's that that probably can't fly, you know deep into
the turn.
Speaker 2 (41:14):
Have you heard anything on Nelson? Is he how is
he out?
Speaker 4 (41:17):
I haven't heard. I just saw he was banged up,
but I don't know, you know, yeah, yeah, I don't know.
Speaker 3 (41:22):
So they're not going to go down to Robert Morris,
but Saint Mary's. Could Saint Mary's get him with with Yes,
what's his name's kid? The former Golden State Warrior Marcell Otis.
Speaker 4 (41:31):
Yeah, uh, Marshall Otis the kid that transferred U from
Arizona's had a great year. They got size inside. If
Saint Mary's controls the tempo and keeps him out of
a transition game and Grant Nelson's not at one hundred percent,
that's a sneaky good upset game. You know, Saint Mary's
got to control the tempo on that game. Can't can't
(41:52):
play in the eighties with the Alabama No way.
Speaker 3 (41:54):
All right, Franfriscilla one of the greats at college basketball.
Hopefully you learned a lot and he's gonna be calling
ni TA games Hopefully he's back on the NBA Draft
here soon. Nobody knows him the draft better than Frand
for sella. Frand, thanks a lot for taking the time.
Enjoy March Badness, Jayson, It's always a pleasure.
Speaker 4 (42:08):
We'll catch up in a couple of months once I once,
I watch a lot of film, and you know I'll
cool you in on some sleepers. I promise. Can't wait. Okay,
This is Straight Fire with Jason McIntyre.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
What is up?
Speaker 3 (00:11):
Firefam, It's me Jason McIntyre, Straight Fire for Tuesday, March
the eighteenth. Oh boy, what a guest today. You're gonna
be so fired up. I know you love the tournament.
I know you're filling out brackets. You're getting pressed, you're nervous,
you're getting rattled, you're shook.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Oh my gosh, what do I do? Is Florida really
going to the final four? Wisconsin? What do I do?
Speaker 3 (00:35):
My daughter comes home from actually she texted me from school. Dad,
We're doing a bracket contest and I'm gonna need your help.
And that just makes me feel so damn good. Oh
my goodness. The tournament starts tonight. You know, we got a appetizer,
Saint Francis and Pennsylvania against Alabama.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Fun side note, Saint Francis of Pa.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
My good friend growing up through elementary, middle, high school, college, everything.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
We still talk to. You know, I'm on a different coast.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
His sister had three kids, and she married a guy
who played Division two basketball, and they had three sons,
and one of them plays for Saint Francis in Pennsylvania,
and we saw his first college game at UCLA last year,
and he played a lot and they weren't very good.
(01:29):
They played a lot of young guys. They hit the
portal hard and they made an amazing run. Now they're
in the tournament. I'll be backing them blindly tonight. I
have no clue if they win. I'm just taking them
on the money line Saint Francis just because he's on
the team. It's pizza money for action play. And then
the nightcap is North Carolina San Diego State, which should
be good. I like UNC there, but I don't know
(01:51):
about the spread. I'll go ahead and take it anyway,
just for some action on the game. But the madness begins.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
I'm very excited.
Speaker 3 (01:57):
Baseball starts later this morning from Tokyo, Konishiwa. It's the Dodgers,
the world champion Dodgers open.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
The MLB season. Man mb sneak it up. March Madness.
Speaker 3 (02:10):
NBA was kind of wacky last night, but let's just
get to our guests, the spectacular fran for Scilla, who's
been an announcer at ESPN forever. He knows the NBA,
he knows March Madness, he knows a big twelve. You're
gonna love this lockin.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
You know a guy, Jason likes to think he knows
everything when it comes to sports.
Speaker 4 (02:30):
I know what sports fans want, but for.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
Everything he doesn't, he knows a guy who does.
Speaker 4 (02:36):
Let's just say, I know a guy who knows a
guy who knows another guy.
Speaker 3 (02:41):
All right, let's welcome back to straight fire. Everybody's March
Madness favorite. Pretty much the goat college basketball announcer currently
Fran for Scilla. He does ESPN games, and he's gonna
be doing a lot of nit action this month. Fran
for Schella, one of the great voices in this generation
of college basketball, as well as anybody.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Fran, how are you, man, Jason.
Speaker 4 (03:03):
You're very kind, Thank you very much. I do have
my voice. I did ten Big Twelve Tournament games last
week of the thirteen and two studio appearances, and I
was busy, and I was I was drinking a lot
of TEA question, and I gotta leave tomorrow for your
coast and do an n I game on Wednesday night
(03:23):
at San Jose State. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (03:25):
I love the Big Twelve Tournament. First of all, I
got to ask what was up with that court? It
was a little messing with my eyes and my head unscrewing.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
It kind of popped. For sure. It was interesting.
Speaker 4 (03:34):
It was Louis Wos you know, Louis Vuitton was oh
you know, no, actually it was excellente you know, Remneuveral twelve.
It was actually better in person arena than what you
saw on TV. It wasn't quite as bad as Oregon
and oh yeah right, but uh it was a little
jarring when I watched the women's tournament the week before.
(03:56):
But brett Or Mark, the commissioner of the Big Twelve,
he thinks of everything. He's a mover and shaker, you know,
he's a New Yorker Rock Nation. He's just a guy
in It was just an initiative and actually I think
it caught on that tournament.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
So no, it's all about buzz and he created it.
For sure.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
Let's jump right into the tournament. And you called a
lot of Big twelve games. Houston was a machine. I
love how into Milo's uz and I hope I said
his name USA and use okay, you love this guy.
And he was at Oklahoma then he goes to Houston.
He was I mean, I just think his game is phenomenal.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
They look good.
Speaker 2 (04:34):
But frand every year.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
It's the same thing with Houston. Do they have enough
offense to now they kind of sort of got screwed
by the committee having to face Gonzaga possibly in the
second round. Gonzaga, an eight seed, is a top ten
team in ken Pom, which is absurd.
Speaker 4 (04:49):
Yeah, it's gonna be a tough second round game. But
I gotta tell you, like, Houston's gotten to a final
for the COVID year. Right, they got beat by Baylor
in the semifinals. Nobody was beating Baylor that year, right,
I mean they destroyed a gonzagatine that was undefeated. How
crazy is that? You know? But this Houston team the
last what was it the one year they lost Sasser?
(05:10):
Last year they were devastated early and then they lost
sit in the sweet sixteen to do I think they
would have I think we all know they would have
beaten Duke. No. But this is an amazing operation. Kelvin Sampson,
you know he comes back from the NBA. I asked
him about five years ago. You'll love this because we
(05:31):
both remember the nonsense of Indiana with the texting and
a show. Cause he goes to the NBA and I
asked him, because we've been friends for thirty years. This
is the thirtieth anniversary of Manhattan College upsetting Oklahoma thirteen
to four game coach and I was a young coach then.
(05:52):
It's my greatest moment in coaching. And we actually became
great friends because of that game because he's a coach's coach.
That night, we were better. He shook my hand and said, hey,
you got a great team, and we've been friends ever since.
But I asked him five years ago, I said, you
could have been an NBA head coach. You know, you
were with the Rockets. They loved you. And I said
(06:13):
why did you come back? And he said, well, first
of all, my dad, who passed away soon after. He
said this to Kelvin, he said, you're a college coach.
He used to call him fella. He said, fella, you're
a college coach. When I asked Kelvin, I said, why'd
you go Houston? He goes, I needed something to fix
and Jason, what he was saying it was a double meaning. Okay,
it wasn't just fixing Houston. It was fixing Kelvin Sampson.
(06:36):
And now there's no question in my mind that after
Billy Donovan and Mark Feu and maybe Rick Barnes is
good buddy who he's known fifty years. Kelvin Samson's a
Hall of fame coach. Yeah, and so I hope they
win it because I love him and I loved the
Big twelve and they got it. Man, they got a
lot of pieces. You got to be a little lucky
(06:56):
to go all the way. But they're as good as
any buddy. Right now. We love Auburn, we love Florida,
we love nor we love Duke. I almost said we
love North Carolina. We don't love we don't don't love
it later. But so he's great. And this kid, Uzann
is a is like a I saw him at Oklahoma,
(07:17):
a great kid coached by Porter Moser. Kelvin hand selected
him to be the guy to replace Shed. The kid
took less money from Houston than he could have gotten.
He knew he was gonna get yelled at every day
of the season. Kelvin drove him, drove and drove him.
And I have to tell you we will talk NBA
Draft in a couple of months. And yes, Ben, if
(07:39):
you're listening, man, come on, I need to be back
on the draft. But that's another story. Yeah. By the way,
Shams and Robbie Hummel and I last year we had
at stadium, which we're not gonna do it anymore. Ten
million views of our draft coverage. Wow, yeah, it's great.
But uh U Zann has become an NBA prospect because
(08:00):
Kelvin and the staff gave him the confidence. The teammates
believe in him, and he's like Andrew Nemhart. He is
Andrew Tilmhart reincarnated. And my NBA friends and I saw
a bunch of them in Kansas City. They said, oh, yeah,
he's at least a second rounder and he might come
back next year, but his stock is really high right now.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
Interesting.
Speaker 3 (08:21):
So Houston's prospects, I like them to go to the
final four offensive rebounding. You know, it's a lot about
the numbers now frame when you're picking these teams. Houston
fifteenth in offensive rebounding, fourth and three point shooting second
in defense. The one Achilles heel is two point shooting.
Explain to me how they're so good from three fourth
in the country, but they're two hundred and sixty eighth
(08:42):
on two pointers?
Speaker 2 (08:43):
What is that about?
Speaker 4 (08:44):
This is why you have me on Okay, this is
why you have me on now, and I'm gonna tell you, Okay,
it's the best three point shooting team they've ever had
at Houston. So we're always used to Houston winning ugly.
They're gonna get more. They're gonna get more field goal
attempts because they're going to turn you over more and
get more offensive rebounds. Well what they do this year
when they crash the offensive glass. Now, I'm gonna repeat
(09:06):
back to you when you said sixteenth in the country
in offensive rebounding.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
Right, fifteenth, Yeah, fifteenth.
Speaker 4 (09:11):
Okay, how about when you get an offensive rebound and
you don't have a dunk and you kick it out
to Sharp and e'ts a three? You know what I mean?
That's good a prior we call it the dagger three.
But Bob McKillop, the great coach at Davison, came up
with this offensive rebound out two or three point shot
is called a dagger three because you think you stopped
(09:32):
him on the first shot, and they put a knife
in your heart by kicking it out the crier or
Sharp or Arsenal or now u Zan And they're hitting
threes at forty percent. So the reason they're not good.
They don't throw it inside that much except to Roberts,
who's become a threat. Usually Joe Tuggler or Roberts or
Francis grabbing your rebound, and if it's not a putback dunk,
(09:55):
it's a kickout three. And the percentages speak for themselves.
For maj you're getting one point two points per possession.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
Right, Yeah, look at that. He's crunching the numbers. I
love it.
Speaker 4 (10:08):
No, So that's why I think, don't worry about the
two point percentage because they don't have a go to guy,
like they don't have like an aircraft carrier zach Eedy.
But those offensive rebounders kick it out and those guys
hit threes.
Speaker 3 (10:22):
So this Gonzaga matchup, assuming Gazaga gets by, Georgia's SEC
gets fourteen teams and George is pretty damn good.
Speaker 2 (10:28):
But I don't.
Speaker 3 (10:29):
I gotta be honest. I've seen Kadzaga a bunch this year.
I've never been overly impressed.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
What am I missing?
Speaker 4 (10:36):
No, you're not. I saw him early in the year,
and listen, give them credit. They win, they win the
WCC tournament. Uh, they look great beating Saint Mary's who
I think is also a team that's gonna be dangerous.
And you know what, you know, you just put the
get you know, in the old days, not not the
last year or two. But you know, Kansas, Oh crap,
we're playing Kansas. Oh crap, We're playing Houston. Oh crap,
(10:57):
we're playing Auburn. Gonzaga still has that. You know, they
might not have Kelly olynnok or you know Karnowski or
nem Hart or you know Morrison or you know guys
I'm leaving out that's true, Timmy, But they're Gonzaga. You know,
Graham Meeky is ek is a is a thread inside.
They've got some athletic guys. They got Ryan Demhart. So
(11:19):
that's a dangerous game for Houston, assuming they win. But
I'm not sure they're gonna get by Georgia. Yeah, Georgia
has been battle tested all year. They're playing in the
obviously the best league in the country. They got Ason Newell,
they got some guys that, you know, the upper mid
major guys who've transferred up, and Michael Wise is done
a good job. That'll be a street fight. Not gonna
(11:39):
surprise me either way. And then you you know, Houston
just can't have that one bad game and you know,
have a game where they go five for twenty three
from three, which they haven't had many of those this year.
Speaker 3 (11:49):
So I've given you one of my final four. I
don't love Tennessee as much coming out of the Midwest.
I'm a Houston guy here.
Speaker 2 (11:55):
What do you make of the.
Speaker 3 (11:56):
Whole SEC fourteen teams? Everybody loves Aubert at Tennessee, everybody,
I don't know. They did beat each other up, so
all those guys are battle tested.
Speaker 4 (12:05):
But I don't know.
Speaker 3 (12:05):
This Tennessee team scares me. Just the way they play
their brand. I don't know if they're going to get
the whistle in March. If they get overly tenacious, they
gonna have guys foul out and they don't have any depth.
Speaker 4 (12:15):
Well, let's go about the SEC first historical historic Okay,
most teams ever, you know, some of it some of
it at the end was hype trained. Some of it, Yeah,
most of it was real. Most of it was real.
They dominated the non conference. Very interesting about the SEC.
I did this research with our ESPN people, and it
could change and fluctuate a little, but seventy five percent
(12:37):
of the starters in the SEC have started ten games
plus and their seniors and their fourth and fifty year seniors.
When you think of the great players in the league
this year, you start with jan I Broom, Mark Sears,
Walter Clayton, Chas Lanier at Tennessee Ze Guy Siegler is
a homegrown four year Rick Barnes guy, I can if
(13:00):
you look at the top seven teams in that league, Man,
it's now or never because it's just a historically crazy
confluential events transfers. You know, COVID year guys that there's
a lot of upper classmen in the league, and good
for them. When we talk about the NBA Draft, you
(13:21):
and I a couple months, there aren't that many SEC
players in the first round. Happen to be young players
on teams that didn't do great. Trey Johnson on a
Tech Texas team that barely got in. You know, Colin
Broyles Murray at South Carolina first round pick. Those guys
don't win in the SEC this year because those upper
(13:42):
classmen are so good, so they got that. I saw
Tennessee in person two weeks ago, beat A and m
at A and m. I worked for Rick Barnes for
three years of Providence. I get that people don't believe
in him. This year, the defense is still great. Oh yeah,
but I tell you what they got Chaslinier, Zekai Ziggler
(14:05):
and Ganey Justin Ganey's kid, I think it's Jordan Justin
and Jordan's.
Speaker 2 (14:10):
Something like that.
Speaker 4 (14:10):
Yea, yeah, Giney kid. Those two. Those three kids are
legit and they can They can put points up. Chaslin
here can go get thirty. Zekai Zigger is a killer.
Speaker 3 (14:20):
You know? So is his team better than the Dalton
connect team last year that I think went down to
Purdue in the.
Speaker 4 (14:25):
Lad I wo said yes, but I think so because
Interesting relied so heavily on Dalton Connecting. Yeah, I think
this year that Zakai and they got three guys that
can go get twenty in a game. And I'm I
got them losing. I got them losing. It's really funny.
Tennessee Houston is a great matchup because Rick Barnes I
mentioned it earlier. Rick Barnes and Kelvin Sampson are small
(14:49):
town North Carolina kids. One guy played at Pembroke State,
the other guy played at Leonora Ryan. They've known each
other for fifty years. They competed against each other. They're
best of friends. That's gonna be a hell of a
game to get into the four because both of those
guys deserve to win a championship, and this year with
this bracket, interesting do it.
Speaker 1 (15:11):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
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Speaker 3 (15:23):
If I said sleeper in the Midwest and I tossed
out Xavier, I mean, I don't even know if they're
gonna get by Texas, which is a problem, but some
of the profile of Xavier, some positives jump out that
I kind of sort of like, I don't know.
Speaker 2 (15:39):
Again, I tend to fall in love with, you know.
Speaker 3 (15:41):
Sean Miller, three point shooting teams, you know, instantly like, okay,
we got great free throw shooting team. I know the
Big East wasn't phenomenal this year, but I kind of
liked Xavier here to win a game or two.
Speaker 4 (15:55):
You're oh, you know. The thing that scares me about
Illinois is they've been such a roller coaster, you know,
like they've got a young team, and some nights I
watched them and they got a couple of NBA prospects.
The point guard from Lithuania is terrific. But I'm worried
about Illinois. So if you tell me, if you told
me a week from now, Xavier beats Illinois to go,
you know, to move on, I wouldn't be shocked because
(16:17):
I can't make I can't. I don't know what to
make of Illinois. They've been so hot and cold. You know. Yeah,
they get destroyed by Duke, which is understandable, but they've
lost some games that are kind of scratch head scratchers,
and yet they got enough talent to go far. But
I think where Xavier could get them is very upper
classmen orient. Yes, they've got toughness. Sean Miller seems always
(16:41):
have toughness, sneaky, sneaky, sneaky game. I think you picked
a good one there.
Speaker 3 (16:47):
So if you on the Ken Pomp site, D one experience, okay,
and that matters because if you listen to what friends
said about the SEC, they've got a lot of old
dudes D one experience, Xavier second in the country.
Speaker 2 (16:58):
Then you look at Illinois and Frand knows this stuff.
Speaker 3 (17:01):
Illinois is three hundred and first out of I believe
it's like three hundred and sixty four. So they're, like
you said, a young team. You can't rely on freshman
now when you're playing twenty three twenty four year old.
Speaker 2 (17:10):
So it's good. You're kind of in agreement with you. Okay,
so we both like Houston.
Speaker 4 (17:14):
I'll say another team. Don't do not sleep on McNee
state really. Oh yeah, yeah, No, I was familiar with
their work. Well, i'll tell you what they are. Their
junkyard dogs. You know Will Wade, who's probably not going
to be there next year. He served his time. You know,
he's he's gonna he was in.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
Is he the one from LSU.
Speaker 4 (17:33):
Yeah, he was the one that got fired for you know,
for the for the you know, the tape recordings. And
I like Will. He's a hell of a coach. He was,
let's put it this way. Mcneise was a minimum security prison. Okay, okay.
And he's paid his dues, he's paying the news. He's
a heck of a coach. He did an amazing job
at McNeice. They dominated a low major league. He's got
(17:55):
athletic guys, they got toughness, they played great man a
man defense. They switch everything, They could give Clemson trouble. Now,
keep in mind now as much as Brown, Brad Brown
now has done a great job and he possibly could
be the next coach in Indiana. Okay, coold, that's real
because he's an Indiana guy. But we still have to
(18:16):
wonder whether seventeen and three or whatever it was in
the ACC means the same as being seventeen and three
in a big ten or SEC, and it doesn't. It
doesn't seventeen and three to me or whatever it was
translates to like, you know, thirteen and seven in the SEC. Okay,
So I think mcnese is a sneaky pick here, I
(18:37):
really do. I think Will Wade is a gangster. Okay,
I love to stay he's a gangster.
Speaker 2 (18:44):
You know, he must be a pretty damn good coach
to turna.
Speaker 4 (18:46):
He's a good coach. It's just he's a great recruiter.
And I want to give you a little tidbit here
because Will has gone in a little NCAA hot water, right.
Speaker 2 (18:54):
Yeah, you know that.
Speaker 4 (18:55):
One of the places Will Wade coach was Harvard for
Tommy Aberger.
Speaker 2 (18:59):
I did not know that.
Speaker 4 (19:01):
My son's there. And he says I'm the spiritual successor
to Will Wade. I don't know what I don't know
what that means, but you know, like Will's a really
good coach, sneaky pick.
Speaker 2 (19:13):
Wow, Okay McNee states, So everybody got that one. All,
let's quickly go to the East.
Speaker 3 (19:17):
I don't want to say it's the Duke Invitational, but
Copper Flag should be good for the second round. I
don't know about the first. I don't think they're going
to be pushed hard. I kind of like Oregon. I'm
not as high on Arizona as others up in that quadrant.
Speaker 2 (19:29):
Can Duke be pushed?
Speaker 4 (19:32):
Yeah, I think they could be pushed. I want to
tell you something now, it's so easy. You're a West
Coast guy, right now, it's so easy to discount Arizona. Okay,
okay here. I like them. I've seen them a lot.
Remember they're in a big twelve now. And I said
on Saturday Night the only way they are now. I
want you to I want to put this in perspective.
(19:53):
When I was the young coach at Saint John's. I
was only there two years.
Speaker 2 (19:56):
Okay, we're gonna get to Saint John's.
Speaker 4 (19:58):
Yeah, yeah, yeah. And by the way, this is what
I was building. Of course, when they fired me, that's fine,
no regrets, no regrets. But when I was at Saint
John's my first couple of years, I said, who's the
bully on the block Connecticut Jim Calhoun. Okay, we're punching
his ass in the nose. In other words, we're going
after Connecticut. They could beat us like the drum, but
(20:19):
we're gonna we're gonna get in the street fight with them.
And we did, and we, you know, we Jim and
I had our differences, and then we later on when
he was he's a great coach, he said, I like
the way your team's played. Okay, Arizona Saturday Night, needed
to make that a street fight, now, Caleb Love, I'll
get to him in a second. Jaden Bradley kJ Lewis.
(20:43):
They're all street fighters, every one of them. And those
guys went after Houston for forty minutes, and except for
a possession or two, they had that game, and they
could have won. It came up a little short. Arizona's
got TOBEYO. Walker to transfer from Tennessee. Is a wide body,
and Henry Vassar is going to play in the NBA
(21:04):
seven foot or he's a sophomore from Estonia HM at
Sheridan last year. I like Arizona to do some damage.
Speaker 3 (21:11):
Okay, let me back up though, Arizona Friday Texas Tech.
Speaker 2 (21:13):
Did you call that game?
Speaker 1 (21:15):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (21:15):
Okay, so Texas Tech was down I think two of
their top three players, right?
Speaker 4 (21:19):
Yeah? Right?
Speaker 3 (21:19):
So did Arizona catch something of a Breakdower, I, by
the way, extremely bullish on Texas Tech Cowherd.
Speaker 2 (21:25):
I don't know if you were watching the Herd or herd,
but he loves Arizona.
Speaker 3 (21:28):
I like Texas Tech a lot as a final fourteen,
but I sell me a little more on why Arizona
is getting by.
Speaker 2 (21:36):
Let's just say who they oh Oregon in the second round.
Speaker 4 (21:39):
Okay, I'm gonna tell you something. I love Caleb Love.
It's so easy to hate the kid. He had so
much bad stuff said about him because he's a Caleb
Love is g and Carlo Stanton. Okay, he's gonna hit
forty homers, he's gonna strike he's gonna hit two forty
and he's going to strike out two undred times. He's
(22:01):
gonna hit forty homers and he's fearless. And if he
has a three for fifteen. I'm with you, they'll probably,
they'll probably get bounced, although they can withstand three for
fifteen from him this year.
Speaker 3 (22:13):
Last year they could not, not well because the other
guys have gotten better.
Speaker 4 (22:16):
If the tsar has gotten better, this Carter Bryant Kidd
from Corona Centennial and the Inland Inland Empire is gonna
be a you know ro someday. Caleb loff Man, he's fearless.
If he's on, he can, they can, they can go
to it. They can go far. They can, they can
get to the sweet sixteen.
Speaker 3 (22:31):
So last year in the NCAA Tournament, kleb Love three
for twelve from three three for eight and then zero
for nine and the loss to Clemson.
Speaker 2 (22:39):
And sometimes he falls in love with being a chucker.
Like you said, Stanton, I would.
Speaker 4 (22:42):
Tell you about that now. He beat single handedly. He
he gave coach k his final boss.
Speaker 2 (22:49):
Oh that's right, yes, yes, yes, good call.
Speaker 4 (22:52):
Then he went five for twenty against Kansas and the
rest of it.
Speaker 3 (22:56):
It's right, he went postal. That costs me money. That
too out that Duke team in that was a fine
four right.
Speaker 4 (23:01):
Yes, twenty Jay Wright's swansong, because you remember twenty eight. Yeah,
and Justin Moore got hurt against Houston in the final
minute and so Kansas got by them and then they
eventually won it. But I've seen a growth in Caleb
Love where he'll still take the big shot, but I
don't think he'll shoot them out of it this year.
Speaker 3 (23:19):
It's funny twenty twenty two. You're right, he blew up.
Remember how he beat Ucla. I think that was sweet sixteen.
I had Ucla and he was unstoppable. Thirty points at
six threes.
Speaker 2 (23:28):
Yeah, he can be volcanic.
Speaker 4 (23:30):
I don't know, volcanic mercurial. You know, he's g and Carl.
Speaker 2 (23:34):
Stanton, Yeah, that's a great comparisons. Why his why is
so good?
Speaker 4 (23:39):
Four and have eight RBIs.
Speaker 2 (23:42):
Or the opposite? All right, bottom half of the of
the email.
Speaker 4 (23:46):
He knows it, Temmy does. Yeah. Yeah. So that's where
I like Arizona. Now. I was disappointed in bing Yu
because they're kind of a catchy, you know, they're kind
of a hot team to like root for, because they
got a lot of wapping.
Speaker 2 (24:00):
Yeah they do.
Speaker 4 (24:01):
Sometimes they played Houston, man, they just I don't know,
maybe it's because it's Houston, but I expected them to
fight more they didn't fight the way Texas Tech and
Arizona fought Houston. So I'm a little scared of them.
But man, they could be also a team that I
got them losing to Duke, you know, going.
Speaker 2 (24:20):
Far interest you have b wow. Okay, so BYU and
that's the big thing. Pressure.
Speaker 3 (24:25):
Like you said, they lost to Houston by thirty one
and then twenty in the tournament.
Speaker 2 (24:30):
Oh my gosh. Yeah that's a beatdown. And now they
got to face the VC.
Speaker 4 (24:34):
They were down fifteen nothing in Houston over the weekend
and they knew it was going to be a street
fight and they got punched in the nose early. You
can't do that.
Speaker 3 (24:42):
You don't want to come out and say, you know,
they're soft or whatever, but they do. You know, the
freshman kid who's very very good coming off the bench.
Speaker 4 (24:49):
Then Igor Igor's a starter, but they got eight or nine?
Speaker 2 (24:54):
Oh is he starting now?
Speaker 4 (24:54):
Okay, yeah, he's a starter. But you know, and they're good.
They're not soft. When I against Buyu in the old
days of New Mexico, they're older, they've been on missions.
They cheap shot you. They no listen here, you're like this.
They play a little physical and dirty and then after
the game. There's such good kids that they're like they
make they make mother Teresa got a gangster. They can
(25:17):
come up on a handshake on most friend. We love
playing the Lobos man. You guys play so hard. We
love competing against you. And I'm joking about the Chief Shots,
but yeah, they play hard, and they just didn't bring
it against Houston, so I worry about them a little,
but they're not soft.
Speaker 3 (25:33):
Any thoughts on where is it? DA is it Wisconsin?
We've seen some Big ten team tournament teams get hot
in the tournament four games in four days, and now
Wisconsin's got to go to Altitude on Thursday. Montana should
be a win, but then they will have to probably
face BYU or VCU. I don't know about Wisconsin getting
(25:55):
out an opening weekend.
Speaker 4 (25:56):
I'll tell you you said it all. No, there's nothing worse.
I talked to Mick Cronin in like February, and he goes, listen,
I want to win the Big Ten tournament, but I
will not be unhappy if I lose on Friday, because
if we win on Saturday, on Sunday up they might
ship us out to Providence, so we can't go home
(26:16):
to La and then go back across the country and
that wears on you. So Wisconsin plays until Sunday. You know,
they had some monster games with Michigan State and then
Michigan and I always worry about the teams that play
on Sunday, I really do, especially when they got to
travel the way they do. So yeah, I love what
Greg Guard's doing. I like their team. I think the
(26:38):
first round matchup, could you know, the first round matchup
to me is one of those holy crap, Turn on
your TV at sixty three sixty one with a minute
to go and it's Montana Ball, you know what I mean?
Speaker 2 (26:50):
Oh wow?
Speaker 4 (26:51):
Okay, then it was Wisconsin win sixty five to sixty one.
I worry about them because of the length of that
Big Ten tournament.
Speaker 2 (27:00):
Yeah no, that's a great point.
Speaker 3 (27:01):
All right, Let's shift to the South. That's Auburn's region.
It's tough not to like Auburn, but fran I gotta say,
we're talking about home field disadvantage. Louisville's getting to play
in Lexington against Creighton. If they get by Creighton not
a lot, Creyton's.
Speaker 2 (27:17):
Kind of good.
Speaker 3 (27:18):
Then Auburn's basically got a road game, and I think
Louisville's probably gonna have what eighty percent of the crowd
in Lexington.
Speaker 2 (27:23):
It reminds me of when Duke.
Speaker 3 (27:25):
Had to face and I think it was the Jason
Tatum team They had to go face South Carolina in Columbia,
and I don't know if you remember it was this
It was the Sunday game and the place was juiced
up and South Carolina just mauled them.
Speaker 2 (27:37):
Did I get that right or no?
Speaker 4 (27:39):
Yeah? I think you did. But I also remember Kansas
playing in Kansas City a few years ago when Josh
Jackson was there and they were playing Oregon in Kansas City,
you know, forty miles away from Lawrence. Oh yeah, yeah,
Oregon sent that and packing. So I want to tell you, no,
I don't worry about First of all, how about this.
Both teams have played in that venue this year. Oh right. Also,
(27:59):
I did an Auburn Houston game early in the year,
which was a classic. This is before Yuzan came on
and Javier Francis didn't play that game. But having said that,
Auburn had a lot of people. Auburn will travel well
to Lexington. I don't think the crowd will be any factor.
I think it'll be a great atmosphere when they played
(28:20):
that second round game.
Speaker 3 (28:22):
So you've got Auburn kind of cruising. Can anyone give
them a problem? I don't even know if Texas A
and M gets by Yale. There's some crazy three point
shooting numbers. Yale's like top ten, and Texas A and
M is one of the worst three point shooting teams
in the country.
Speaker 4 (28:34):
You know, I think I saw Texas A and M
a couple of weeks ago against Tennessee, as I said,
and I think they're gonna maul Yale. I think I
say that. And I love James Jones. He's a he
should be in line for a major job, like a villanova,
a place like that. James Jones is a great coach
at Yale. When you one of the things that everybody's
(28:54):
doing this week is everybody in America is saying Yale's
the upset special and they just upset Auburn last year.
You think Texas A didn't, Yeah, like you don't think
Buzz Williams those guys eating nails for breakfast seriously, And
I just think they're gonna come out and like maybe
it's an ugly game, but they're gonna come out. They're
they're ferocious. I don't, I don't. I think A and
(29:16):
M will get by this now. They don't have a
lot of offensive firepower. I'm looking at my bracket here,
and I do have Auburn going far. I got Michigan
State in Auburn. You know it's not not unusual. Iowa
States wounded. I'd be careful about it if you want
to sleep or Sweet sixteen team. I'm still bullsh on
New Mexico.
Speaker 3 (29:37):
Oh wow, okay, I have not even looked at that game.
New Mexico or Marquette interest.
Speaker 2 (29:43):
I don't know anything about New Mexico.
Speaker 4 (29:45):
Well, they got a great guard, maybe an NBA type
guard in Donovan Dent. They got a terrific big guy,
you know, Marquette as Cam Jones. You know, give him credit,
he's terrific. I like it. But Marquette's leaked oil here,
you know, the last month of the season.
Speaker 2 (29:59):
Everything they lost three four, yeah.
Speaker 4 (30:01):
Yeah, so you know there's gonna be crazy upsets and
we're gonna I don't you know, Marquet could win by
twenty and then someone will say last stupid ass Fran
for Sholla I mean, I'm just throwing some stuff against
the wall. Yeah, not to be an expert, but just
to say that this could happen, because you know, you
and I both know the more you know, the less
likely your brackets.
Speaker 3 (30:21):
One hundred and listen, Shaka Smart, I think he's lost
in the first round. Like six times he has known
to lay an egg. I know back with VCU he
was awesome but said some letdowns with market one last one.
Speaker 2 (30:31):
I've got a drill down on this.
Speaker 3 (30:33):
It's the U see San Diego Tritons, Yes, against Michigan. Now,
I have been on the Tritons a little bit. I
read an Awesome's article. I employed some of their defensive
no middle tactics, which I guess they stole from Texas Tech.
I've employed some of that at the youth level for
my kids. I'm just telling you, I love what the
what they do defensively. This teams scrappy. I have already
(30:54):
bet them Fran against you against Michigan.
Speaker 4 (30:57):
Sorry, what's the number. What's the number?
Speaker 2 (30:59):
It was three and a half. Now it's two and
a half.
Speaker 4 (31:01):
Oh really it's that low. Yeah, I gotta take on
this now. I gotta tell you I watched I watched
three you See San Diego games at the end of
the season because I wanted to see what they were about.
Love them, love them. They're They're like the West Coast
Drake okay with them, Okay, very similar, you know, very similar,
kind of a Northern Iowa with with Darren Debrees. And
(31:24):
I love watching them play. They play great, they play
the right way, they shoot the ball. That kid Gray
is leading country and steals per game.
Speaker 2 (31:31):
Awesome.
Speaker 4 (31:32):
Yeah, terrific team for terrific player. That's not enough. That's
not enough. I would need like more points to take
you see San Diego. I just think you know, you know,
in Michigan, you've got great size with Wolf. He's a
playmaking big golden. This Trey Donaldson kid was really good
last year at Auburn off the bench. He's gotten a
(31:53):
bigger role this year. Kind of they brought in Aiden
Holloway from Alabama. Trey Donaldson. By the way, little trivia
question is high school coach was a Heisman Trophy winner,
Charlie Wennerward.
Speaker 2 (32:05):
No way, all right, wow, okay, I didn't even know.
Speaker 4 (32:07):
It was coaching Ward. So anyway, hey listen, that's what
that's another one of those games, it's gonna be like
sixty three, sixty one, two minutes to go. The crowd's
gonna be going crazy. Yeah, Cinderella. But I'm gonna go
with Michigan on that one.
Speaker 3 (32:21):
So Michigan lost three in a row, they lost four
of six heading into the Big Ten Tournament.
Speaker 2 (32:24):
A lot of people starting to write them off. They're
not that great, and then they get hot.
Speaker 3 (32:28):
It felt like they put every Dusty may really good good.
They put everything into the Big Ten Tournament. And I
just wonder that late comeback against Wisconsin holding off Maryland,
the letdown, I just wonder, like, are they gonna the
two seven footers is kind of plotting now, you know,
like people don't really play that way. No.
Speaker 4 (32:46):
I will tell you the Sunday thing is is real,
you know, the you know, the whatever it was. The
Sunday games are real, you know, playing on Sunday and
then shipping yourself out somewhere. I'm looking at who they
lost to, you know, Illinois, Hall, Okay, they laid an egg,
losing to Maryland at home late in egg Michigan state.
The way, you can understand.
Speaker 1 (33:06):
That 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. Do you think Texas Tech has a
problem with Drake? Drake is probably a top five story,
you know, if Saint John's up there. Drake with with
their coach, has done all the D two transfers like
(33:26):
it's a great story.
Speaker 4 (33:28):
It's a great story. I am a freaking junkie. Okay.
When when when Arizona played Iowa State second weekend at
the end of the season. I had Kansas Houston on
Monday night, Okay, Saturday Monday. Okay. I've seen all these
teams a million times. They're sick of seeing me. Okay,
even my coaching friends are sick of me. So I
(33:49):
saw Drake. I went to Drake's final home game in
Des Moines against Missouri State. They'd already crunched, cunched. I
had to see this kid startch Benbert, yeah, yeah, yeah,
I had a see these guys. I had to see
him play. Then I jumped on a Sunday night flight
to Houston. I love them, I love their team, I
love their coach. I love Bennett Stearts. They overachieved yeah, overachieved. Man,
(34:13):
the some is greater than the whole, is greater than
the some of the parts. Talent wise, they're kind of
like UC San Diego. They're gonna stay in games because
they're so well coached, and they beat Kansas State, they
beat Vanderbilt ear any year. I'm not big on them
going far in this tournament because I just don't think
they have the talent level.
Speaker 2 (34:31):
Okay, that's fair.
Speaker 3 (34:32):
I mean I look at their experience D one and
it's one of the worst in the country because all
their guys came from D two. Interesting, maybe I need
to reconsider Missouri there. I thought Drake would be it,
but that they're a great story.
Speaker 4 (34:45):
I saw Missouri annihilate Kansas in Columbia. I really like
what Dennis the Gates goes ten deep. Caleb Caleb Grill,
He's on. Caleb. Caleb Grill is the Caleb love the sec.
He can get thirty or he can go crazy. He's
a great kid, but he can get crazy. And then
(35:05):
tomorrow Bates has had a great year at the Indiana.
Speaker 2 (35:07):
Transfer Matt Right game, So let me do I want.
Speaker 3 (35:12):
This is kind of a macro thing, But you know, friend,
you look around the country at what's happening with transfer
portal and less fewer and fewer, and freshmen are getting minutes,
so you know, maybe they have to go start at
D two or they go JUCO or whatever. How long
do you think this trend will continue where guys are
going to be like twenty three, twenty four years old, Like,
are they going to keep this going or are they
(35:32):
going to go back to the old ways anytime soon?
Speaker 4 (35:35):
Well, b yu, they'll keep it going because a lot
of those guys go all missions right, yes, yes, no,
I think no, we're ending the COVID here, the COVID
year is over. This is it. The fifty year guy,
the extra year.
Speaker 2 (35:46):
They're not allowing that anymore.
Speaker 4 (35:47):
No, no, so this is all done. All those guys
that got the extra year for COVID, this is it
Now you can still transfer up or down. That part
is still a complete circus. Transfer portal is a joke,
and not because kids shouldn't be able to transfer. It's
just so out of control. I mean it's Kevin Willard
(36:08):
had the best line of all the coach of Maryland.
The transfer portal Jason technically opens March twenty fourth, the
Monday after the first round of the NCAA tournament. Yeah,
Vin Willard said early in the year, the transfer portal
opened on November fifth. I was the opening night of
the season. Oh man, everybody's tampering. Everybody's got agents. Agents
(36:30):
are calling other schools. My guy's definitely leaving. He might stay,
but he's gonna have to get a raise. It's it's madness.
Speaker 3 (36:38):
I okay, so it's madness, but doesn't it seem a
little fun Friand I'm gonna tell you this. I haven't
told any one of my family or any of my friends.
I'll just reveal on the podcast. I'm so into what's happening,
you know, like Steph Currie is now like the assistant
gm at Davidson Wooje got involved in Saint Bonaventure. There
was a couple other media guys have got involved. So
I graduated from JMU and I know I follow their team,
(37:00):
and I looked up who their collective is and I
emailed them, Hey, guys, I follow JMU closely.
Speaker 2 (37:06):
I'm on the West coast.
Speaker 3 (37:06):
If there's anything I can do, I'm not going to
just write checks. Sorry, I would love to get involved.
They haven't responded now. It's only been a week and
I'm not a big deal, but just hearing you and
this team building. I love this stuff, man, I absolutely
love it.
Speaker 4 (37:23):
It's really like fantasy basketball. It is basically, yeah, basically
fantasy football college basketball. Right, I'm going to tell you
without giving out the name, there's a coach that just
got a job. A young coach's father mid major home majors.
Maybe father just donated one point five million to the
nil that's kind of how the kid got the job. Oh,
(37:43):
he had some credentials.
Speaker 2 (37:45):
I'm not going to We all need help. Everybody needs Yeah, no,
I'd be in at Harvard.
Speaker 4 (37:51):
Everyone in IL I'm in. I'm in.
Speaker 2 (37:53):
It's funny, So you say I mentioned Harvard.
Speaker 3 (37:55):
So you know, I do the men's leagues out here,
and I'm constantly recruiting and I'm trying to figure out
our team. And you know, we got to have like
three stars and then a bunch of role players, and
we don't want guys who can plain.
Speaker 4 (38:05):
Slee Saunders, who do he got Wesley Saunders?
Speaker 3 (38:07):
Well, no, I mentioned Kale Catchings who went to Harvard.
And then so he's in our league. I tried to
get him on our team. Anyways, he in the semi finals.
I felt bad. He popped his achilles last week. Oh
so you know he's out. But he's the nicest guy.
We've become friendly and like, you know him. And then
he opens a portal to a bunch of other really
big time ballers, and I just I just love this stuff.
Speaker 2 (38:27):
The team building.
Speaker 4 (38:28):
Well, you know what for everybody who loves it, and
I get it, I get it. But how do you
build the team? How do you build how do you
deal with adversity? Like Houston Marquette for the most part,
Michigan State, they're old school. Okay. In other words, I'll
give you a great story. I think I probably told
you this before. But when my son Matt was at Villanova,
(38:50):
the one that's at Harvard now, they had a kid,
Jermaine Samuel's on the team. Okay, you remember Jermaine saying
six to seven wing maybe, yeah, he was like his power,
he was like a center.
Speaker 2 (38:58):
Said okay, okay, maybe, but yeah.
Speaker 4 (39:00):
But the reason they played him at center is because
that was his best position. Because couldn't remember a lot
of the plays, but he was great inside. But he
didn't play as a freshman on the championship, first championship,
and I said to Matt is he transferred, and he goes, no, Dad,
he knows he's gonna play someday. It's just a Jay
Wright system. We don't have that anymore. No, it's just like,
(39:22):
if I'm not playing, I'm gone. You know, do it.
Villanova could do it with Jay. So there is a
negative negative effect to this that relates to kids dealing
with adversity. But there's a lot of unintended consequences, some
for good, summer bad. That's my point. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (39:38):
No, you end up playing with three four colleges and
then you get out and it's like, dude, you're not
going pro anyway.
Speaker 2 (39:44):
What's the big deal?
Speaker 3 (39:44):
You know you got to get an accounting job. Sorry,
you the rest of your life.
Speaker 2 (39:47):
It is stink. I guess we could wrap up. Do
you have a final four pick? I don't want to
put you on the spot because you are an announcer
you call games.
Speaker 4 (39:55):
No, No, I'm good, I'm good. We did it. We
all did our brackets today. I can't believe I went chalk.
I'm sick that I went chalk because chalk never worked.
So I got her. I got at Auburn, Florida, Houston
and Duke God. I'm sentimental about Houston because I know
those guys so well. Yeah, and I also could back
it up like if you if we had a defense
(40:16):
attorney for each of those four teams, I could make
a great argument for Houston. You know, I could. You know,
like you you you pointed it out earlier, and I'll
tell you as a wrap up. They've got depth, they've
got experience, they've got shooting, they've got defense, they've got
a great coach, and so you know, can it will
will they? Will they lose? Will they lose to Tennessee
(40:39):
in the Elite could absolutely happen. I don't see that,
I know it, but it could happen.
Speaker 3 (40:43):
Well, one team we didn't talk about, friend Alabama. They've
been leaking oil here a little beast season. I love
the point guard that the kid Nelson is. It's kind
of banged up.
Speaker 4 (40:53):
Yeah, Nelson's hurt, and I was disappointed that they They're
great offensively, I just don't think the defense this is
gonna hold up over the course of you know, five
or six games. Love their coach, love the way they play,
but their defensive they've given their I mean, you know,
they're not going MB eighteen. They're giving up a hundred
a night.
Speaker 2 (41:10):
Yeah, that's not gonna work.
Speaker 4 (41:11):
That's that that probably can't fly, you know deep into
the turn.
Speaker 2 (41:14):
Have you heard anything on Nelson? Is he how is
he out?
Speaker 4 (41:17):
I haven't heard. I just saw he was banged up,
but I don't know, you know, yeah, yeah, I don't know.
Speaker 3 (41:22):
So they're not going to go down to Robert Morris,
but Saint Mary's. Could Saint Mary's get him with with Yes,
what's his name's kid? The former Golden State Warrior Marcell Otis.
Speaker 4 (41:31):
Yeah, uh, Marshall Otis the kid that transferred U from
Arizona's had a great year. They got size inside. If
Saint Mary's controls the tempo and keeps him out of
a transition game and Grant Nelson's not at one hundred percent,
that's a sneaky good upset game. You know, Saint Mary's
got to control the tempo on that game. Can't can't
(41:52):
play in the eighties with the Alabama No way.
Speaker 3 (41:54):
All right, Franfriscilla one of the greats at college basketball.
Hopefully you learned a lot and he's gonna be calling
ni TA games Hopefully he's back on the NBA Draft
here soon. Nobody knows him the draft better than Frand
for sella. Frand, thanks a lot for taking the time.
Enjoy March Badness, Jayson, It's always a pleasure.
Speaker 4 (42:08):
We'll catch up in a couple of months once I once,
I watch a lot of film, and you know I'll
cool you in on some sleepers. I promise. Can't wait. Okay,
Fox Sports Radio News
Host
Jonas Knox
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