COLLEGE BASKETBALL THOUGHTS

[00:00:01] Yes, 2-5 is here, Sports Reports As Ordered. Sorry y'all, I've been a little under the weather as you can probably tell by my voice, but we gonna get this in. College basketball is back. Right now I'm watching the college football committee reveal their rankings and all I gotta say is aren't you so glad that basketball doesn't do it like this?

[00:00:24] So, you know, I just got 10 quick things that I want to hit on real quick before we get out of here to get the basketball season started. And the basketball season got started with a bang last night. You know, number four, Michigan State falling at the hands of the James Madison Dukes. How about my hometown UMBC Golden Retrievers? You remember them from beating Virginia, right? Went into Louisville and lost by one point, 94-93. You know, Kenny Payne, you better get it together.

[00:00:52] You better play some defense down there. You know, you ain't gonna be there very much longer. But like I said, I wanted to get into it. You know, the national champs, UConn started off with a win. So that's gonna be my first question. Can UConn repeat? Well, I mean, obviously they can, but do I think they will?

[00:01:12] So they came out of nowhere last year. You know, they finished 31-9 overall, but they went through the Big East 13-7. They finished fourth in the Big East. You know, Marquette went on to win the Big East tournament. We got into the tournament and Coach Hurley, prior to last year, had lost all his first-round games at UConn.

[00:01:36] So, you know, they opened up last year's tournament with Iona, you know, against Coach Rick Pitino, who they're gonna get to know a lot better since he's gonna be at St. John's now. And it was on to the races from there, you know, beating everybody by double digits, crushing Arkansas, crushing Gonzaga, who I had as my national runner-up. And then, of course, you know, San Diego State in the national title game.

[00:02:02] So, UConn's gonna have a tough go of it. You know, they lost Adama Sanogo, who was the heart of the team, in my opinion. And Jordan Hawkins, who, in that NCAA tournament run, turned into Ray Allen reincarnated. Andre Jackson, don't take my word for it. Take the 40.1 point, 17.7 rebounds and 7.3 assists that walk out the door with them.

[00:02:26] Now, they still have Donovan Klingin, you know, who hurt his foot. So, you know, we'll see how that holds up and everything. We'll see how that goes. You know, Andre Jackson was the person that kept the ball moving when they would get a little stagnant. He would make the extra pass. He would do the cutting to the basket. He would do all the little intangibles that you either have or you don't. You know, you want to give the effort or you don't. That was Andre Jackson. You know, but Donovan Klingin, 7'2", all-freshman team.

[00:02:56] You know, they won their tournament games, like I said, by 14.5 points. Alex Carabin is back, 6'8", small forward, or power forward, I'm sorry. You know, offensive glass monster, if you will. So, UConn is definitely with talent. They have their assist leader back, Tristan Newton. They bring in Stephon Castle, who I think is going to be a pretty damn good basketball player. It may take a little while to actually get the consistency. You know how it is with freshmen.

[00:03:25] But, you know, he's a five-star. He's going to probably be a lottery pick. They got Solomon Ball. They brought in Cam Spencer from Rutgers, you know, 43% from three-point range. So, and my guy Catalan, of course, you know, who I feel like every time I watched the NCAA tournament last year, he hit some kind of shot, some kind of three-point shot that killed somebody's momentum and broke their backs.

[00:03:49] So, you know, the last back-to-back champion that we've had, the Florida Gators back in 2006 and 2007, you know, that would be, you know, Al Horford, Corey Brewer, Torreon Green, Joe Kane, Noah in the gang, you know, like all that, you know. But I think that as far as UConn goes, I think Kansas is better. I think Duke is better.

[00:04:14] I think that regardless of what happened last night, I think Michigan State will end up better. So, point blank, I say no. I don't think that UConn can repeat. You know, they're going to have it tough. You know, are they the best team in the Big East even? A lot of people are in love with Marquette this year. I've seen some love for Villanova, Ken Palm, for example. So, you know, I just think that UConn is tough to repeat.

[00:04:41] I think that they lost a little bit too much as far as not just the points in production that they lost, but the members that they lost. You know, like I said, Sanogo was the heart of that team. He was their best player. Hawkins was the Ray Allen, you know, coming off the screens and shooting everything. So, I just feel like they lost a little bit too much from a leadership standpoint to be in that same echelon that they were in last year.

[00:05:06] So, question number two, why do we do this every year? Why do the pollsters believe in Tennessee so much? We do this every single year. You know, they were ranked number nine last year in the preseason poll. They were 12th in 2020, 6th in 2018. They're going all the way back to 2009. You know, they were 10th. They never made a Final Four.

[00:05:34] You know, they got Coach Rick Barnes, who I know that you know is one of the biggest choking coaches I've ever seen, you know, that we've ever seen. You know, like whenever you get to the Sweet 16, no matter how good Tennessee looks, I generally don't take them any further than that because I already know what's coming. Now, Rick Barnes is a great coach. He's a great recruiter. 36 seasons as a head coach, three Elite Eights, one Final Four back in Texas.

[00:06:01] So, you know, this takes me back to people like Jim Boeheim, a legend, but coached for 47 years and won one title. Now, I know it's hard to win in college basketball, but you got to give me one. You know, at least, can I get it every eight years? You know, something like that. I mean, Coach K probably spoiled us when it comes to that. But his style of basketball just doesn't work long term. They just can't score.

[00:06:29] So whenever I watch this team, it takes me back to the late 80s, early 90s. You know, you got Cincinnati under Bob Huggins, Kenyon Martin, Damon Flint and the guys. You got Temple, you know, with John Chaney leading the way. So, you know, these teams would always just strangle you. You know, have these 51 to 49 games, 56 to 52 games. And then they get to March Madness and they're just a little too physical.

[00:06:57] So now you got different referees, different paces of the game. It just doesn't work out very well. So that's how I feel about things as far as when it comes to Tennessee. Zakai Ziegler should be back, you know, soon. You know, I don't know how soon because he tore his ACL back in February. So, you know, that was the game against Arkansas. You know, they beat Kansas, USC and Gazaga to start last year. So they were cooking with Greece. You know, they bring back Santiago Vesucci.

[00:07:28] And but they lose Olivier Nakamua who went to Michigan. So losing Nakamua I think will be a big thing. I think bringing back Josiah James, you know, was a great move. But they're just Tennessee. So when I look at the SEC, I look at Kentucky. I look at Texas A&M. You know, these are teams that I have projected ahead of Tennessee. Not necessarily in that order. I think A&M will probably be first place because Kentucky is just relying on too many freshmen.

[00:07:56] I think they are super talented. And I think they will by the end of the season be a force to be reckoned with. But I think A&M is going to win the SEC. I could see Tennessee finishing third or fourth. Don't sleep on Arkansas. Coach Musselman, you know, number three. Can FAU do it again? And by do it again, I mean, can they make the Final Four again? Yes, they can. Will they? Probably not. But yes, they can.

[00:08:21] You know, they bring back everybody except for Michael Forrest, who was the first recruit. And, you know, Dustin May's tenure at FAU. So, you know, you hate to see him leave. He hit some big free throws during the tournament last year against K-State. So, you know, but everybody's back. You know, they're the reigning, you know, CUSA champion moving up to the AAC this year. But the AAC isn't necessarily what I would call a strong conference.

[00:08:51] They have Memphis. You know, Houston's gone to the Big 12. Cincinnati's gone to the Big 12. Can the Wheat Shockers make a comeback? You know, is Tulane going to finally get over a hump? You know, but they're also bringing their Louis with them, if you will. No shot at Coach Prom, but it just is what it is. They're bringing North Texas and UAB with them. You know, UAB won the – or I'm sorry, North Texas won the NIT over UAB.

[00:09:19] So both teams finished in the NIT championship game. Charlotte won the CBI coming along for the ride. So I don't think that the AAC this season is going to be any tougher than CUSA was outside of you've just got to play Memphis. But I think FAU is going to win the conference. I think they're going to finish the season ranked in the top 25, the regular season. You know, I think they'll still finish around 15 to 18.

[00:09:45] They'll get to the NCAA tournament with something along the lines of a 6 or 7 seed. That's the way I see it. Number four, what mid-major should we be keeping an eye on? Drake. I know you saw my video a little while ago. Tucker DeVries, you know, the MWC, Missouri Valley Conference, Conference Player of the Year, three-point ball. They took Miami down to the wire last year. Remember, Miami ended up in the final four last year.

[00:10:11] They had a lead on Miami with about five minutes left in the game in the first round. So I think that they're bringing back the experience. You know, they're bringing in some other shooters. So watch out for Drake. Colgate. 23 or more wins in the last three of the last four years. You know, obviously not the COVID season. But three out of the last four years, this team has won at least 23 games. They play that frantic up-and-down pace. They shoot the three out the building.

[00:10:41] They can beat anybody on any given day. The problem is they play in the Patriot League. So they end up with a 15 seed every year. They run into somebody like Texas in the first round. So, you know, but keep your eye out for Colgate. And I think Weber State, you know, Weber State, you remember them 1996, you know, knocking off North Carolina in the first round of the NCAA tournament. I think this could be a vintage Weber State year. Charleston, you know, five projected starters back.

[00:11:10] You know, their five projected starters are here. They have three-plus years of experience. We saw them, you know, take San Diego State down to the wire last year, who also made it to the Final Four. So I think those are some teams that we need to keep an eye on. You know, is this the year that St. Mary's takes the stranglehold away from Gonzaga? More on that later. But, you know, I just think that those are the teams that I'm looking at.

[00:11:36] Now, when I say watch them, does that mean that I think they can make the Final Four? Probably not. But these are teams that are live for the Sweet 16, potentially at Elite Eight. Think of St. Peter's a couple of years ago. You know, so number five, what does year one look like for one, Rick Pitino and the Johnnies? You know, up in New York City. So, you know, he's bringing in a top 30 recruiting class, top 10 transfer portal class.

[00:12:05] You know, he's got Dennis Jenkins coming over from Iona with him. You know, 15 is 6 or 15.6 forward 4. So, you know, point guards, stability. He already knows Rick Pitino's system. He has that rapport with Rick Pitino. I like the setup. You know, Jordan Dingle, son of my God, Dana. In case you don't remember Dana, Dana Dingle from the famous UMass teams of the 90s. His son coming over from Penn out of the Ivy League.

[00:12:34] He led the conference to score by a whole 5.6 points last year at 23.4 points. They bring back their heart of the team. You know, Joel Soriano, 15.2 and 11.9 boards. So I think St. John's is set up for success. What does success mean? I think that they finished top five in the Big East.

[00:12:53] So anywhere you look, you're going to see some combination of Marquette, UConn, you know, Marquette, UConn, Villanova. And then you might get Providence up in there, Creighton, you know, as your top four in the Big East. You know, I think they could be number five, you know, possibly ahead of Providence.

[00:13:15] So if you ask me, you go Creighton, Villanova, Marquette, UConn, St. John's, Providence, Seton Hall. So that's my top seven in the Big East, you know. But I think that Coach Fatino is probably the best coach in college basketball right now. You know, no disrespect to Tom Izzo, you know, even though I don't know how much he wanted to talk after last night. But, you know, I think Rick Fatino is the best coach in college basketball.

[00:13:43] He has an argument in being one of the top five greatest coaches. If he had another title, he would probably be considered to be, you know, in the top three of coaches all time. Because I don't count John Wood as cheating. You know, you can't put anybody over Coach K in my eyes, even though I despise Duke. But I'm going to just keep it real, right? So, you know, what teams are overhyped? I just talked about one, Marquette. I think that Marquette might be slightly overhyped.

[00:14:12] You know, they're losing Olivier Max Prosper. He was the heart of the team. You know, I think that Creighton is going to be the class of the conference, like I said. You know, Marquette reminds me a lot of Tennessee. You know, they just – they have the talent. They come strong-armed people in the regular season, and then for some reason they just can't put it together. But Coach Shaka Smart has a good thing going. You know, he went back home. You know, he had Marquette back in the tournament last year.

[00:14:41] They ran into Michigan State. You know, or was it USC? I'm sorry. They lost to USC in the first round. Or Michigan State in the second round. I can't remember. But it was Michigan State. Point being, you know, Marquette didn't go as far as their talent would have suggested that they were going to go last year. Now, when you look at this year, the Big East is just going to be tougher. And I think last year we ran into Miami, FAU, San Diego State in the Final Four.

[00:15:10] But this year these Blue Bloods are coming back. I mean, Kansas has a monster of a roster, and I can't wait for next Tuesday night as a Kentucky fan to get that matchup. You know, Michigan State's bringing everybody back, you know, except for Joey Hauser. Now, like I said, I know what happened last night, but don't count out Tom Izzo in March. You know, Duke, you know, with Filipowski decided to come back. Filipowski, you know, that was big for them.

[00:15:38] Major, Tyrese Proctor, you know. So Duke is going to be pretty good. You know, keep your eye on them for later. You know, I think that Gonzaga, yeah, I said it, Gonzaga. And I know to those of you who know me, that's going to be a shock to you because usually I'm the one that defends Gonzaga. Usually everyone talks about how they play in the week conference and they have a free run to a one seed every year. But then they still go out of conference and beat Dukes.

[00:16:07] You know, they still go beat Baylors. So I don't want to hear it about that. But this year, this year, I just feel like they lost too much. You know, they lost Hunter Silas over the Wake Forest. Julia Strother is now a Denver Nugget. And of course, how could I forget Drew Timmy, who compiled a 121 and 13 record during his career at Gonzaga?

[00:16:32] You know, is this the year that St. Mary's overtakes them to be number one in the West Coast Conference? I say yes. What does the future hold for Gonzaga? You know, is this their last year? And, you know, or is next year going to be there last year? I think they're going to be moving to the Big East pretty soon. But anyway, they are bringing in Brian Nembhard. So I do like that. But same thing, starting off slow. You know, something along the lines of 8-4.

[00:16:59] So like something that's not, we don't attribute with Gonzaga because, you know, do 12 games. They're usually 11-1, 10-2, undefeated. But I think they take some more losses this year that they might not otherwise take. You know, but I think they're going to be a team that you don't want to play in March. But for the time being, overrated. Can the A-10 make a comeback? So this year, I got Dayton, St. Bonaventure, and VCU making the NCAA tournament.

[00:17:27] Why is that a big deal? Because VCU is the only team that made it last year. And they lost in the first round to St. Mary's. Two years ago, they got in Richmond and Davidson. Richmond won a game in the first round. Back in the COVID year, that was the year Dayton was going to be primed to make a national title run. Obi Toppin and the gang. The season ended, obviously. You know, you had Kansas, San Diego State, and Dayton. Those were the top three teams in the country for my money in that particular year.

[00:17:57] So, you know, I think this year Dayton gets back to that. You know, I think that St. Bonaventure last year came in with a lot of hype. You know, a lot of people thought that they would make noise in the A-10, possibly win the conference or at least, you know, finish in the top two or so. They ended up finishing 14 and 18. So I think that the projections were just a year early.

[00:18:23] So I think the way that people felt about St. Bonaventure last year is going to be the St. Bonaventure that we get this year. You know, back in 2014, the A-10 had six teams in the NCAA tournament. You got to look at what the A-10 has lost over the years. You know, they still got UMass, but they lost Temple. They lost Xavier. They brought in Loyola Chicago, who should be better this year than their first year last year. You know, Fordham. You know, Fordham. You know, finished second last year.

[00:18:53] 25 wins. 12 and 6 in conference. That was their most win since 1991. They lost a lot off that team, though, so I don't know if they'll be back. But Coach Ryan Odom is coming into VCU, and he's bringing Max Shulga and Sean Beristone with them from Utah State. You know, they went 27-8, made it to the NCAA tournament last year. So I'm not saying that it's a coaching upgrade per se. I'm just saying it's not a downgrade.

[00:19:23] So, who is my national title pick? Now, so, let me tell you who my national title picks are not. It is not my Kentucky Wildcats, because I just feel like they're relying on too many freshmen. I don't think Cal, I don't want to say he's lost it. I don't want to say that. But he just doesn't seem to have that same fire in his belly than when he came to Lexington.

[00:19:51] He got his national title, and then he just kind of kicked his feet up, you know, for lack of better words. He kicked his feet up. He's happy. He's, you know, he's a Hall of Famer. He's counting wins. That's all he cares about in getting players drafted. Now, I get it. I love players getting drafted. I love to turn on the NBA draft and see my guys going in the first round. But, damn it, you got to win a title first. You got to win a title first. So, it's not Kentucky.

[00:20:21] It is not Tennessee. But you probably already knew that. It is not Texas A&M, even though I picked them to win the SEC. It is not Duke. Even though I like Duke this season, ew, that just sounds disgusting. But Duke is a very good team this season. You know, I just don't know if John Shire is there yet as a coach. You know, I just don't know.

[00:20:46] In March, can he push the right buttons to get Duke over the top? It is not UConn. I just said it earlier. I don't think UConn's going to, I don't think they're going to win the national title. That doesn't mean that I think they're going to be a first-round exit or anything. I think they can still make a sweet 16, maybe an elite eight, maybe even a final four. But it's hard to ask them to win six games straight, I feel, with everything that they lost. Now, this is the part where you laugh at me.

[00:21:17] I can see Michigan State as a contender. I can. I can see Michigan State as a contender. Like I said, they're bringing back everybody but Joey Hauser. So, actually, you know, they are my national title pick, Michigan State. I was just a little shy about it after the loss to James Madison last night. But this is what they do. They lost to Texas Southern a few years ago. I'm not worried about it. It's early in the season. These things happen.

[00:21:44] So, you know, but Michigan State, I didn't pick a final four because there's just too much going on right now to even try. But just for the sake of y'all holding me accountable, just for the sake that y'all can say y'all held me accountable, let's go with, this is off the top now, let's go with Michigan State as the national champion. Let's go with Arkansas in the final four, Coach Musselman. I trust him. You know, let's go with Villanova.

[00:22:11] So, that's Villanova, Arkansas, Michigan State, and Kansas. That's my final four. Michigan State, Kansas, Villanova, Arkansas. So, those are the four teams that I see at the end, and I see Michigan State cutting down the nets because if it's one thing that we know about college basketball is that you don't have March without Tom Izzo. Now, I don't have Purdue winning the title. You know, I don't have Purdue making the final four.

[00:22:41] You know, I'm just not sold. You know, their guards, they have experience now. I know everybody wants to do the whole they can be Virginia thing since they lost to the 16th seed and Virginia came back and won the national title. You know, Texas is a final four contender. I think Houston's still going to be good.

[00:23:00] So, there is a lot of talent in college basketball, and I'm so glad that I don't have to sit there and watch a committee put Ohio State at number one in college basketball. So, that's it. Those are a couple of my thoughts that I wanted to share with you all about college basketball this season. Let me know what you think. Give me a bunch of crap because I know you will about the Michigan State thing, but it is what it is. I'm not going to top tail and let one game decide a season.

[00:23:31] So, you know, but I'm 2-5. Sports Reports is already coming at you shortly. We're going to have playoff ranking reaction. We're going to talk about the NFL. We're going to have some college football for you, recapping the weekend and everything like that. We are here. Get it off my chest. All that. 2-5 out.