Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00But let's highlight some games to watch in the opening round of 64.
00:04And, J.Y., there are plenty of compelling matchups in this portion of the big dance.
00:09To highlight, where does your eye go first?
00:11Yeah, my eye goes right to that 7-10 matchup of UCLA versus Utah State.
00:16And if you look at, you know, obviously UCLA, it's been really an up-and-down season
00:20for McCrone in first year in the Big Ten versus a Utah State team that's more than capable
00:27of springing and upsetting.
00:29And it's so, McCrone is such an interesting, as a coach, to watch because he's very forthright
00:36and very honest on his assessment of what's going on.
00:40And sometimes that can rub players the wrong way.
00:45Where is UCLA's head at after, really, I would say even though making the tournament,
00:50a tumultuous season and a team in Utah State that can definitely pick them off in the first round?
00:56The Aggies are a 26-win team out of the Mountain West.
01:00Now, the Mountain West has seen their fair share of struggles in large part in the men's NCAA tournament,
01:05but a really good matchup there and just a four-and-a-half-point spread.
01:09Utah State efficient on the offensive side.
01:12Defensively, they want you to play slow.
01:15The tempo time and the possession time for their opponents is a very grinded-out style,
01:21could benefit UCLA.
01:23Tyler Bilodeau, one of the best bigs in the Big Ten, a name to know for the Bruins.
01:27Speaking of the Big Ten, in a team that has seen its struggles in the month of March,
01:32in a team that last year, led by National Player of the Year for a second consecutive season in Zach Eaddy,
01:38reached the Final Four for the first time in more than four decades.
01:41But if you are a Purdue doubter, you might have some worries about the Boilermakers' opening round matchup
01:47against the Hus-Bus and the champions for High Point,
01:52who were great this year in the Big South and in the two years under Alan Hus in High Point, North Carolina.
01:59J.Y., this will be an incredibly compelling matchup in my mind in the opening round of 64.
02:04Nine-and-a-half-point spread in favor of Purdue,
02:07led by Big Ten Player of the Year for a third straight year, no longer the big man in Zach Eaddy,
02:12but one of the best point guards in the country in Braden Smith.
02:16Trey Kaufman-Wren down low, another starter note for the Boilermakers.
02:19Outside of that, Purdue has kind of been lacking that X-Factor glue guy that they had in various other spots
02:25last year under Matt Painter.
02:27In High Point, as elite offensively as you will find at the mid-major level.
02:32Two years under Alan Hus, as I highlighted.
02:35And J.Y., the Panthers are 56-14 straight up this year,
02:40finally getting to the big dance for the first time in program history.
02:43Yeah, to me, if I'm Purdue, I'm looking at Kaufman-Wren.
02:45I think he's going to have to have a—
02:47Listen, I know the guard play of Lawyer and Smith,
02:49but you're looking at a team in High Point that is 227th in adjusted defensive efficiency,
02:55a team that's 290th in blocked shot percentage,
02:58a team that's 270th, 267th in steal percentage.
03:03So a team at Purdue that does not turn the ball over a ton
03:07and should have advantage on the interior.
03:10If I am Matt Painter, I know you want to get into—
03:14Sometimes your guards get into this,
03:16oh, they can shoot, I'm shooting.
03:17No, no, no, no, no.
03:18You got to do what you do.
03:20I know you got great guard play, one of the best backcourts in the country,
03:22Big Ten Player of the Year.
03:24You got to go through Kaufman-Wren and exploit High Point defensively.
03:29If you don't do that and get this into a track meet and a shooting contest,
03:32they could get picked off.
03:33When you lose the 7-4 two-time reigning National Player of the Year in Zach Eaddy,
03:38sometimes your interior defensive presence is going to drop off season over season.
03:43Purdue's still back in the big dance on that four-line.
03:47Let's pick an upset in the Midwest region.
03:49J.Y., who's playing? Spoiler in the opening round.
03:52We'll wait.
03:54McNeese! McNeese! Took him last year, didn't turn out too well.
03:57No.
03:57But guess what? I'm back on the horse!
04:00I'm going with McNeese State to get the upset over Clemson.
04:04This McNeese State team, really good offensively
04:08and even defensively, being 66 in adjusted efficiency,
04:12they turn you over.
04:14That's the key thing.
04:15They have to turn you over and get into a track meet.
04:20And at the end of the day, I mean, forget the team.
04:23Forget the coach.
04:25I want to see the manager!
04:27I want the boombox!
04:28I want all that smoke!
04:31McNeese State finds a way, and they pick off Clemson.