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00:00Finishing off the West region here on the early line for a Tuesday morning setting the table for the Sweet Sixteen and the Elite Eight this weekend in NCAA Men's College Basketball.
00:09So I ask you the same question I did previously in the South. In the West, without the odds, just to advance and get to the Final Four, who is your pick? Florida, Texas Tech, Maryland, and or Arkansas?
00:20Yeah, no, it was. I do think it's ultimately going to be Florida against Arkansas and shocker. I think it's going to be an all SEC region there with a trip to the National Championship on the line.
00:34But again, I just think Florida is is too good. I don't think Arkansas hits the three enough or or plays well enough and I think styles make fights and Florida is a bad matchup for Arkansas.
00:48But I don't think Arkansas is a terrible matchup against Texas Tech. I think they have a pretty good shot of pulling with Coach Cal one more upset before it's all said and done.
00:58So who will be the flyer team on that? Would it be Arkansas at the plus 950 price get hot and maybe win that one game chance to hedge in the second with Arkansas?
01:05Okay, so we'll go with Arkansas there as a flyer along with Michigan at a 7 to 1 price. Let's move it over to the East and the beast in the East is the Duke Blue Devils here.
01:14As we said, the spouching of Mount St. Mary, the 16th seed, beating the 9th seed in Baylor, now going to match up against Arizona.
01:20So this region here in the East, it's Duke in Arizona and BYU and Alabama. Talk to me about this region here and also Duke as the minus 175 favorite and then BYU 9 to 1 getting hot here.
01:32Is anybody eligible to knock off Duke in your mind in this region here?
01:36Yeah, I think Alabama has got a pretty good shot at at doing it with Nate Oates because offensively they certainly have enough in the tank to be able to get it done there.
01:49Listen, BYU has been a great story and I think BYU is in pretty good hands after they lost, you know, Mark Walter, Kentucky.
01:57But this team and this group, man, they got some shooters in there and it just goes to show you, Donnie, right?
02:04Shooting matters in these tournaments and BYU's got some of the best in the country here, but they don't have more offense than what Alabama does.
02:14And I think if you're going to take down Duke, you have got to be able to toe to toe.
02:19You've got to be able to score with them.
02:21You can't allow them to get out 15, 16, 17 points.
02:25And that's how Alabama is built here.
02:28I think Alabama is the one team in that bracket that has the shot of taking down the Duke Blue Devils here.
02:36Yeah, you take a look too, because the Alabama Crimson Tide, very quick tempo on offense, but play some really good defense and chase and defend the three point line, which is something you take a look at BYU.
02:45That's the lifeblood for them.
02:46If they're knocking down the three point shots, they're going to be in the game regardless of who they play.
02:50Arizona is an interesting matchup against Duke.
02:52One of those upper echelon talented team that might be able to run the court, but I don't know if they have enough to get over unless Caleb Love goes nuts and scores 35 points in that game.
03:00There's always those opportunities.
03:02So if we're looking at the east here to wrap it up, Duke probably moves on.
03:05That flyer that you're taking, would it be Alabama at the plus 350 price?
03:09Absolutely.
03:11I think that is going to be an awful lot of fun, that game.
03:14Listen, Arizona is nice, but I don't see Arizona knocking off Duke in this game.
03:22Although they are another one of these teams that Caleb Love gets hot and who knows?
03:27We've seen him take over tournaments before, haven't we?
03:31And a pretty good opportunity, I think, for him to be able to do some damage here.
03:36Any which way, I'm not sweating an under in any of these games in this side of the bracket, Donnie.
03:40I'll tell you that right now.
03:42Let's get to the Midwest here and wrap it up.
03:44Houston, the cheapest favorite, if you will, at a minus 110 price to win their region, followed by Tennessee, Kentucky and Purdue.
03:50So if we look at these matchups, Houston and Purdue, Kentucky and Tennessee.
03:54And keep in mind, we are playing in Indianapolis in a football stadium.
03:58So how do we handle the Midwest here for you, Joe?
04:01Where defense is going to matter.
04:03So I think Houston is that kind of favorite for a reason here.
04:09Plus, they've been there, they've done this.
04:12I think it's Houston's.
04:14Unless they come up with some ridiculous, crazy letdown, I don't see it happening in this bracket here.
04:20Tennessee is too up and down for me.
04:23But they would be my second choice to get it done there.
04:27I don't think Kentucky or Purdue have enough on the defensive side to take down either Tennessee or Houston.
04:34So those would be my two choices here.
04:37You know, it's interesting, Joe, because, you know, I don't know, until we had this conversation, bring it up.
04:41I knew the games were in Indianapolis.
04:43But when you take a look at the calling cards for these two games, right, Tennessee, elite defense, we'll find some offense.
04:48You take a look at Kentucky, elite offense, we'll find some defense.
04:52And the same thing with Houston versus Purdue.
04:54And the reason I bring that up is you need to make shots, and sometimes it's hard.
04:58And maybe in the elite eight, say, you know what, we played the sweet 16 here.
05:02We found our shooting distances here.
05:04We're comfortable.
05:05That first half of the first game for both of these teams, watch out.
05:08I might just be leaning to the defensive team, Tennessee and Houston, even just in the first half alone, just to get those shots here.
05:15Let's shift it back over to the focus here on the men's, because, again, sweet 16 elite action coming up in a few days.
05:20Have some time to decompress, get those thoughts together, coach.
05:23So we'll start right at the top of the heap at the FanDuel Sportsbook with the championship odds to cut down the nets.
05:28The Duke Blue Devils increasing their lead, per se, to a plus 220 price after key victories here.
05:34Let's say key victories is the right word.
05:35Impressive victories over the Mount and also Baylor before they take on Duke here coming up in the sweet 16.
05:41Florida, Auburn, Houston, Tennessee, Alabama, looking at those odds here.
05:45Any surprises for you at this point, or we're just rolling chalk and may the best team win?
05:50Well, listen, obviously the 4-1 seeds who net ratings were at 35 or better are obviously at the top of the board.
05:58I think Houston is a team to beat here, but the reason why Houston's got the worst odds is if you look at the 2-seeds,
06:04I think everybody trusts Tennessee more than they trust anyone else as a 2-seed with Rick Barger's team ability to play defense.
06:13I think the team, if you look at the 4-1 seeds, well, who's the one you still think is the most vulnerable?
06:19And to me, I still think it's Auburn.
06:21Now, people may look at Michigan and say, eh, I don't know.
06:24But listen, what UConn did is show that the blueprint is to make it a street fight.
06:31And to make it tough and hope that you have quality bigs.
06:35Well, Michigan rolls out two 7-footers and Vly Golden and obviously Danny Wolfe to transfer from Yale.
06:41Those two bigs are going to pose problems.
06:44Now, it's going to come down to whichever guards make more shots, but Auburn should be on alert.
06:49And if they get by Michigan, I mean, that other half, I don't think, you know, Michigan State has been playing with fire.
06:56Let's be honest.
06:58If we look at this, like, and you just close your eyes and you name the top 5 to top 10 coaches in the country,
07:05Chris Beard's one of them. I mean, he's one of them.
07:08Look what he did at Texas. Left Rodney Terry, a team that went to the Elite 8,
07:12and as soon as he had to recruit his own guys, they fired his you-know-what in two years.
07:17Auburn misses a dangerous team that I think, honestly, may come out of this bracket in the South.
07:25I am going to be more, I am really fascinated with, does anybody give Duke a run for their money?
07:32Because whoever they end up facing at some point here, and I think Alabama has the best shot at beating them.
07:39I don't think Arizona can do it, but I think Alabama's got the best shot of beating them if anybody's going to.
07:46But to me, this is all about, is Duke going to sweat at all, or are they going to finally get their backs up against the wall in a national championship game?
07:54And then we don't know what they're going to do here, Coach, because it's been a hot minute since Duke's been pressed at all.
07:59Well, I would tell you something right now.
08:01I know people, including our director of social media, Rebecca Harrelson,
08:05is praying that our old buddy Caleb Love is going to do it to Duke.
08:09Just like Jeremy Roach was supposed to do it to Duke in the last draft.
08:14That ain't going to happen.
08:16I like Duke, my supports, I wouldn't be surprised if they win by 15+.
08:20Alabama, you hope, because of the inside presence of Cliff Omori as a rim protector and shot blocker.
08:25But I don't think, if you think about it, at the four spot, Grant Nelson has a propensity to get into foul trouble.
08:31He's got to guard Cooper Flagg.
08:33Good luck with that one.
08:35That ain't going to work out really well for them.
08:37So to me, if there's a team that's going to give the problems to Duke, it's Houston.
08:43Because if you talk about a team that can muck the game up, that can make it a street fight.
08:48Remember, Duke is one of the slowest teams in the country.
08:51Well, who may be the slowest?
08:53That's Houston.
08:55That game is going to be unbelievable, and here's the key.
08:59I know Juwan Roberts looked good there.
09:01Listen, Joe, it's the guard play.
09:04They have that guy right there, L.J. Cryer, who is a shot maker.
09:08You have Emmanuel Sharp.
09:09You have Uzon to transfer from Oklahoma.
09:12You have enough guards.
09:14You have quality bigs.
09:16And you have the style of play and the coaching that poses the matchup.
09:20If there's a team that knocks Duke off of winning a national title, it's a team I think wins it, and that's Houston.
09:26Coach, which players impressed you the most so far in this tournament run?
09:30And who also has a chance to reach that potential and be like, that's a superstar here?
09:34Well, listen, Cooper Flagg's been more than the goods.
09:37But to me, you look at the way L.J. Cryer has been, absolutely fantastic in his shot making, his shot creativity.
09:46That's the key.
09:47That's what makes Houston different than before.
09:49They got guys that can create their own shots, and there are multiple guards at that.
09:53How about that?
09:54Region by region.
09:56We're going to go over next.
09:58Maybe the best card you will ever see out here.
10:00And that's free.
10:01We're going to talk about it next.
10:02Come on back with us.
10:05Ah, yes.
10:06Rapid fire in the regions here.
10:08I cannot wait.
10:09It's going to be so much fun to watch on Thursday and Friday night.
10:11The Sports Grid Network's got you covered.
10:13J.Y.'s going to be live in studio.
10:14We're going to be kicking here as we count down to an NCAA champion.
10:19Let's start here in the East Region, Coach.
10:20It's Duke.
10:21It's Alabama.
10:22It's Arizona and BYU.
10:23What a fun bracket here.
10:25A lot of talent, a lot of tempo, and a lot of three balls going down.
10:28So, I'm going to ask you this question.
10:30Give me the team you think is going to win this region and also a team with the possible upset
10:36based on price point that you like.
10:38Well, to me, listen, Duke is the clear favorite, and that's why I'm going to take them at minus 175.
10:45It's hard to take that bet.
10:46It's probably better to just take them minus points or whatever and kind of go game by game.
10:52If there's a team that could be the value play that could maybe pull it off, honestly, it's BYU.
10:57Because they have a way that they could score in bunches.
11:03And all you need, and you've seen it obviously with Patino and how their team's out.
11:08If you shoot the ball from three and the other team is off, the three-point shot guys
11:13has now become the great equalizer in basketball.
11:16So, for a value play, for me, it probably is BYU.
11:20Because I think that their three-point shooting, if they get hot for a couple of games, could lead to upsets.
11:26And that's why I like it at any place at 9-1.
11:30So, you had mentioned earlier, Coach, out in the south region that you think the number one seed, Auburn,
11:39still very vulnerable here, taking on a Michigan team that only knows how to win close games, apparently.
11:45But, boy, that Ole Miss-Michigan State, Izzo versus Beard, is going to be fascinating as well, isn't it?
11:51It is. It is. And, you know, a guy in Tom Izzo that is the best to me, you know, in this generation,
12:00of after timeout, after halftime, just adjusting on the fly.
12:06There's no one better than Tom Izzo. He's got more tricks up his sleeve than anyone else.
12:11But Chris Beard's team is really tough.
12:13And they're battle-tested in that SEC.
12:16And I just think if Ole Miss can get out to a lead, they have enough that they can kind of pull this out.
12:23So, to me, that's the team I'm looking at. I'm looking at Ole Miss possibly pulling off the upset here
12:29and taking out Michigan State.
12:32So, for me, I don't believe Auburn's coming out of this region.
12:36They haven't looked good going into the tournament, right?
12:40They didn't cover their first-round game.
12:42They literally were in a game with Creighton until the last five minutes,
12:45until Creighton's wheels fell off.
12:47And now, I don't know if they get past Michigan and Ole Miss or Michigan State.
12:53So, to me, I look at the other side. Who would I like more?
12:55I like Chris Beard. I like his team's ability to defend.
12:58And I think they have enough scoring.
12:59So, plus 650, that's a value play right there for Ole Miss to come out of the South.
13:03Absolutely. I feel like two wild cards here, like Ole Miss and Michigan,
13:07when they're playing their top end of the game, where it seems like coming into the tournament,
13:10maybe sort of, ah, we're not going to really watch them through.
13:12Eventually, they'll get knocked out.
13:13Those 650 price and 701 price is very valuable in that region there.
13:17Let's move it over to the Midwest.
13:18It's Houston. It's Tennessee. It's Kentucky and Purdue.
13:21My goodness, if you get the Elite Eight matchup with Houston and Tennessee,
13:24rock them, sock them, robot, turn off the, you know, change out the three-point line,
13:28turn off the shot clock, let's go back to 1983 and get it popping here.
13:32Is Houston your favorite team in this?
13:34And also, if it's not Houston, boy, look at some of those price points.
13:37240, 6-1, and 7-1.
13:39Talking about Kentucky and Purdue, Coach.
13:41Yeah, I mean, I think Houston is the clear favorite, as they should be,
13:46because of their ability to defend.
13:48If there's a value play, guys, it's simple.
13:51It's Purdue. Why?
13:53They're an Indy.
13:54And I still don't understand a Houston team that wanted to go to the West
14:00because they were worried about what, exactly what was going to happen.
14:04And that's Purdue basically having a home game.
14:08It's not going to be at Mackey, but it's going to feel like it.
14:11So can Purdue and those guards have experience with Lawyer and Smith, right?
14:16Can Kaufman-Wren do enough inside?
14:19I get worried about him getting into foul trouble like he did in the first game of the tournament,
14:23obviously, but if there's a value play, it's Purdue.
14:28For the simple fact that they're basically at home.
14:31Yeah, two defensive teams versus two offensive teams.
14:37Should be an interesting, when it all said and done there.
14:40But what about the West?
14:42I'm a big Florida guy.
14:44I don't think Maryland stands a chance.
14:47And I would not at all be shocked if Arkansas beats Texas Tech here, Coach.
14:52What are you thinking?
14:54This is the one that's going to be completely wild.
14:57I mean, I was on St. John's because I thought that St. John's was going to be the type of team
15:00that was going to make the game a street fight, right?
15:04So Dan Hurley has shown that that is going to be the way to beat Florida.
15:09So who out of those three teams can make it the biggest street fight?
15:14It's Texas Tech.
15:16Maryland, listen.
15:18You can say whatever you want about Reese's shot.
15:23Derek Reese's shot at the buzzer.
15:25They shouldn't have been in that damn position to begin with.
15:27Because number one, they didn't foul what a foul to give.
15:30And number two, you're up by two.
15:31Everybody knows the one thing you don't do is give them a three.
15:34So Kevin Willard showed what Kevin Willard does at times, which is drive people crazy.
15:38But he's got immense talent.
15:40I don't think he has the guard play to go against Florida.
15:42Although his bigs can match up with Florida's bigs.
15:46The other side, Arkansas is so intriguing.
15:50And I want people to understand this.
15:53They are where they were supposed to be.
15:57Don't tell me this Cinderella run with Calipari and oh my god.
16:02They were a top 15 team to begin the year.
16:06They were a top 5 talent team.
16:08That team tremendously underachieved.
16:10And they shot the ball like you know what.
16:13And R.J. Lewis decided I'll hold your beard.
16:15I'll shoot it worse than you guys.
16:17So to me, Texas Tech, Grant McCaskill has done a great job with this team.
16:21I think that's a team that takes it out.
16:23And I think they get to the Final Four at plus 280.
16:26Yeah, I need Chance McMillan to come back.
16:28Light it up from the three-point line.
16:30I've loved Texas Tech all year long.
16:31Let's see if they can put it together.
16:33If we just focus on Thursday, Coach.
16:35There is one game, BYU and Alabama.
16:37175.5 as that total.
16:40If I give you a free wager today on a Tuesday, is that game going over?
16:45Or is that game staying under?
16:47No, that game is going over.
16:49If you play defense in that game, you're probably getting benched.
16:54Okay?
16:55Layup lines, three-point shots, back and forth, up and down.
16:59It will be a game of runs.
17:00This will be a game that you can play multiple times
17:02because it's just going to bounce back and forth with runs.
17:06I'm telling you, one of the best cards I've seen in a long time
17:08is that Thursday night's late for the Sweet 16
17:10is going to be absolutely sensational.
17:12And we're going to have you covered here at the Sports Grid Network.
17:15Now, thinking about having covered Joe Ranieri and the coach
17:17going to continue that supply, I've got to go to radio.
17:19Kevin's not showing up again today.
17:21Somebody's got to hold down the fort.
17:23That's your boy right here.
17:24He'll be back.
17:25See ya.