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00:00The opening two weekends of the 2025 Men's NCAA Tournament now in the books.
00:06We have a full week off until Saturday in San Antonio.
00:10We shall never forget.
00:12We will always remember.
00:13To the Alamo, don't we go for a Final Four in 2025.
00:17And Joe, just for the second time ever in the history of the Big Dance, all four teams
00:23on the one line, all four one seeds continue playing into a Final Four.
00:29In 2008, as the only other year, that Final Four also contested in San Antonio, Duke,
00:39Houston, second game of the night, Florida, Auburn, first game of the evening on a Saturday
00:45in San Antonio in all SEC affair.
00:49Before we dive into the early looks, Joe, at these Final Four contests, let's take one
00:53big picture look at the four teams still in the hunt for a Final Four.
00:59Duke remains the national championship favorites at plus 105.
01:03Florida, second best price, plus 270.
01:06Houston, third best number at 4-1.
01:09And despite being the number one overall seed, Auburn actually the longest of the four teams
01:15in the Final Four to win a national crown at a 5-1 number.
01:20Joe, in your mind at this stage, is there value on a national championship number or
01:26should we just focus on the specific Final Four games that we have?
01:31Well, it's interesting, Ben, because if you are somebody that might be holding future
01:39tickets on, let's say, Florida or Houston, well, then you've got some decisions to make
01:45because I believe Auburn is a dog, but not a 5-1 dog, right?
01:53So if there's a hedge to be had here and you don't have Duke in your pocket, I don't see
02:00a scenario where you're going to get Duke at a better price than this right now.
02:04Here, Ben, do you?
02:06I do not, Joe.
02:07And this is the final day of March, one week exactly from tonight, Monday, April 7th, the
02:14national championship game in San Antonio, and those hypothetical odds are out right
02:20now.
02:21Things can change.
02:22Performances can be dominant.
02:24There could be an injury knock on wood and, God forbid, in the Final Four.
02:28But if Houston were to pull the upset against Duke, the Cougs right now are projected as
02:34a slight underdog against either of the two teams from the SEC, Auburn and Florida.
02:40Duke, meanwhile, at least a four-and-a-half point favorite against the Gators, projected
02:45as a hypothetical five-and-a-half point favorite against the Auburn Tigers.
02:49Duke is that national championship favorite for a reason, but there is some value to be
02:54had.
02:55So how will we get to Monday night inside the Alamo Dome?
02:59Our first game, 6.09 p.m. Eastern Time on Saturday, the All-SEC clash between Florida
03:06and Auburn.
03:07And despite being that top overall team in the bracket, the Auburn Tigers are a two-and-a-half
03:14point underdog.
03:15It would be game number four only for the Tigers as a dog this year.
03:21Early in the year, on the road against Houston, they won outright.
03:25Again, in non-conference play, three-and-a-half point dog on the road in Durham against Duke.
03:31Most recently, Auburn on the road as a slight underdog against their rivals in Tuscaloosa.
03:38The Tigers won that game outright in a matchup of one versus two in the AP Top 25 at the
03:46time.
03:47Joe, does it feel fitting to see Auburn, the number one overall seed, even as a slight
03:51underdog against the Florida Gators?
03:54Yeah, well, listen, two teams very familiar with one another, right?
03:58We caught this last round with Kentucky and Tennessee, although they had already played
04:04each other twice this year.
04:06For Florida to have that confidence to know that they went into Auburn's building and
04:13beat them convincingly, by the way, you know, these two teams kind of line up pretty much
04:19the same here.
04:21And while Auburn was able to, you know, top 10 in adjusted offense and defensive efficiency,
04:27well, guess what?
04:29Florida was like, yeah, we can match you body for body, length for length, shot for shot.
04:35I think it's going to be interesting who has the lead at the break in this game, Ben.
04:39I think it's going to have a lot to do with who might actually win this game when it's
04:44all said and done.
04:46I would say the opening 20 minutes for Auburn yesterday against Michigan State, their best
04:50first half so far in the big dance.
04:53They covered as a three and a half point favorite in the opening half against MSU up
04:57by nine.
04:58As Joe shared, just one meeting between these two teams, despite being conference foes this
05:03year, maybe the best win in college basketball.
05:07Florida on the road as a 10 and a half point dog knocking off the Tigers on the plains.
05:13We'll talk more about that game.
05:15Our nightcap on Saturday in the final four in the MOP when our number two on TEL comes
05:22We welcome you to our number two live right here on this Monday morning on the early line
05:26on sports grid to set the stage for final four week in men's college basketball with
05:32two more spots in the women's final four to be determined on this Monday evening as well.
05:39A little bit later on in this hour, our coach, J.Y.
05:42James Young will be with us to break down what we saw this weekend during the elite
05:46eight.
05:47And of course, to take an early look at the final four, we'll continue to look at the
05:51early lines here on the early line for our final four matchups on Saturday evening in
05:57San Antonio.
05:58A lot to get to here, Joe, in this second hour, including the opening weekend of the
06:03Major League Baseball season as well.
06:06What an absolute crazy weekend it was, Ben.
06:09And let's be realistic.
06:10It's going to get even crazier over the next couple of weeks as well.
06:14It's what we love right now in college hoops, of course, the NBA season coming to a close,
06:19the regular season in the next two weeks, Major League Baseball beginning all really
06:24good stuff.
06:25The NFL draft on the horizon at the end of this month or starting tomorrow, the end of
06:29this month, because tomorrow is April 1st.
06:32Joe, we talked about Florida and Auburn, our first final four matchup on Saturday night.
06:37Again, the second meeting.
06:39That's it.
06:40Between these SEC foes on Saturday in San Antonio, Florida winning the opening matchup
06:45of the year on the road as a double-digit dog against the Tigers.
06:50Auburn has not been an underdog since the middle of their conference slate on the road
06:55in Tuscaloosa against Alabama.
06:57Just game number four for Auburn as a dog this year.
07:00Let's quickly look at the nightcap on Saturday.
07:03Duke and Houston, the Blue Devils, a four and a half point favorite in a total that
07:08stands at 136 and a half.
07:11Duke is the national championship favorite.
07:13Where they were to start this season, where they were to begin the big dance, and now
07:17where they will be entering the final four.
07:20But Joe, just how competitive do you think this game is going to be between the Blue
07:23Devils and the Cougs?
07:25I think it's going to be extremely competitive, and we had mentioned earlier that a lot of
07:30the players on Houston were on the team a year ago that lost in the Sweet 16 to Duke,
07:38and they were very banged up at that time, Houston.
07:40They didn't have Jamal Sheed, who was of course their leader and their best player.
07:46He didn't play, and yet they still almost upended Duke in that game, 54 to 41.
07:52Now Duke is a different team as well here, but there is a revenge factor on this Houston
07:59side with guys that were there a year ago that is not on with the Duke side.
08:05I think Duke, if they're going to lose, this is probably the game that you've got the best
08:11shot of them being knocked out.
08:13A very different Duke team, of course, led by the outstanding freshman class, Cooper
08:18Flagg, Con Canippal, Kamon Malliwatch in that starting lineup.
08:22But do not forget Patrick Dunba or Isaiah Evans off the bench.
08:26A couple of different transfers this year for the Blue Devils as well.
08:30Final four berth, and then now the three-year tenure, the three-year era of John Shire in Durham.
08:36Jamal Shed gone for Houston, but a lot of those guys are back.
08:40Jawan Roberts, Emmanuel Sharp, LJ Cryer.
08:43It was a Sweet 16 matchup last year.
08:46Low scoring affair.
08:48We only barely got to the century mark between the two.
08:51Duke winning as a slight underdog, catching about three and a half points, 54-51.
08:58Duke now the favorite, laying four and a half points against Houston.
09:02A lot of money on the Blue Devils early.
09:05About 84% of the spread bets on FanDuel early on Duke.
09:10Quickly move this number to five and a half.
09:12A little bit of buyback in the market on Houston.
09:16That number now at four and a half points in favor of the Cougs.
09:20So we showed you the national championship odds.
09:23Let's take it the individual approach here, Joe, to start off this second hour.
09:27Most outstanding player odds for the final four.
09:31And that is a big distinction.
09:32As we have tried to remind everybody throughout the big dance, it doesn't really matter what
09:36you have done to get to this point individually based on those performances outside of the
09:41fact that your team is still here in the final four.
09:45Most outstanding player determined by this weekend, Saturday and Monday in San Antonio.
09:51No surprise, Joe, to see Cooper Flagg as the favorite plus 120.
09:56The two guys there should be, right?
09:59Cooper Flagg and Walter Clayton Jr.
10:00If those two teams end up advancing and meeting for the championship, I think Broome's injury
10:07is interesting now.
10:09What if they don't advance?
10:10They lose to Florida.
10:12But I, you know, I'm looking at Knipple here and while Cooper Flagg is the easiest one,
10:20the value is on the other side with his teammate there, who, by the way, carried them offensively
10:26in that last game.
10:28It was not Cooper Flagg who did not have a great game shooting the ball.
10:32It was Knipple who actually carried the offense there.
10:34So I find that number interesting, Ben, at plus 3,000.
10:3921 points for Conn Knipple, Saturday night's leading scorer in that East Regional Final
10:44in Newark, also at 20 against Arizona.
10:48I still think, Joe, based on a narrative, if you were to give an MVP of the East region
10:53over the weekend, it probably would have been Cooper Flagg, just based on narrative.
10:58I'm not so sure there is value in those favorites.
11:02I'd just rather bet Duke at plus 105 if I had not made the wager already to win a national
11:07championship.
11:08I'd rather bet Florida at plus 270 than Walter Clayton Jr. at plus 380.
11:13Sure, $1.10 could be more in my pocket based on that number, but then you are also allowing
11:20the opportunity for a guy like Thomas Houck, or Will Richard, or Elijah Martin to have
11:24a huge weekend in the Final Four to lead Florida to a national championship.
11:29It is those secondary players that if you want a small sprinkle, that's where you find
11:34some value.
11:35I would say Jani Broome's price is interesting, five to one number on Auburn to win a national
11:40championship.
11:41Longest of our four teams that have reached San Antonio, $3.50 back.
11:46For Auburn's best player by a good margin, that is Jani Broome.
11:51Could be worth a sprinkle just based on value compared to that national championship price.
11:58You have to consider it, right?
12:00Because if you're talking about narrative, then as much narrative and hype that Cooper
12:04Flagg has, and by the way, all warranted, the hype around Broome right now and what
12:11he did coming in, pulling the old Willis Reid act there yesterday, coming back in against
12:16Michigan State, one arm, he's chucking up, making threes, he's still rebound.
12:22The narrative has all of a sudden switched here a little bit.
12:26He is maybe the wild card of all the names on that list right now.
12:31You see how Houston goes about it, strength in numbers for Kelvin Sampson and the Cougs,
12:38LJ Cryer 10 to one, Milos Uzan 60 to one, Emmanuel Sharp 23 to one, to Juan Roberts
12:4427 to one.
12:45Houston, the most players in the 10 best prices to win the MLP.
12:49That's kind of how they do it based on depth and balance.
12:53Good luck finding the needle in the haystack, if you will.
12:56Might as well just bet the Cougars at a plus 470 price, whatever that number is.
13:00Let me 4 to 1 price, excuse me, to win a national championship outside of our teams in the final
13:07four.
13:08Joe, a storyline, sadly entering the second weekend for a Maryland Terrapins team that
13:12had reached the sweet 16 for the first time since 2016 was the focus on their egotistical
13:18individual head coach.
13:21That is Kevin Willard making the story about his job status, throwing the entirety of the
13:25Maryland athletics department under the bus only to take a new job at Villanova.
13:31What we knew was going to happen at some point after the Terps were bounced from the big
13:35dance was officially announced in the early morning hours on Sunday, Kevin Willard, the
13:40new head coach on the main line at Villanova.
13:43Yeah.
13:44You know, listen, I, in these type of situation, Ben, we all understand there's, there's enough
13:50blame to go around.
13:52And while yes, uh, he went ahead and made it very public, uh, and there's, it's all
13:59about leverage in these spots, right?
14:01Ben.
14:02So ultimately he would have only put himself in a spot to make more money.
14:06I don't blame a guy for doing that.
14:08I do think though, they did drag their feet in Maryland and allowed it to get to this
14:13point, which is unfortunate for everyone involved.
14:17He kind of held them up hostage slightly.
14:20Maryland did answer his demands, a lot to be done for a guy that has been a head coach
14:25of the D one level for 18 years and has one sweet 16 birth to show for it based on an
14:32outstanding lottery pick freshmen and Derek Queen.
14:36That's all I'll say.
14:37Our coach James Young joins us next.
14:39Sure.
14:40It's about five days away, a Saturday night in San Antonio for a final four, but with
14:46how good this final four is set to be for just the second time ever in the history of
14:51the men's NCAA tournament, we have all four one seeds that have advanced to a final four.
14:57We got to take an early look because we can market right now where the market is and then
15:03see where it changes in the coming day.
15:06So we will break down both of our matchups on Saturday with that early line approach
15:11in our early leans here on the early line, all sec affair, Joe, in our first game of
15:17two Saturday night inside the Alamo dome in San Antonio, Florida and Auburn, the Gators,
15:24a slight favorite, despite not being the number one overall seed two and a half point spread
15:30in a total at one 60.
15:33And we talked about the spread earlier.
15:36You believe, as do I, that Florida is very justified as that slight favorite against
15:40Auburn.
15:42Let's talk that point total here to begin one 60 and a hook both teams as efficient
15:48as you would like on the offensive end of the floor, but neither team a slouch defensively.
15:53How many points do you think we see on Saturday in San Antonio to start?
15:57Well, I can tell you this, the market has been doing nothing but hammering the under
16:04in this one one sixty two and a half is an open band and we're seeing nothing but under
16:09money come in down to one sixty and a half here.
16:13And listen, big stage final four.
16:17I get it.
16:18These two teams, Ben, in many aspects are like looking in a mirror at one another.
16:23They both excel at a lot of the same things.
16:27They both have some depth.
16:28They've got shooters.
16:30I think Florida does have an edge as far as some of the big men that they can throw out
16:36there. And they also have the knowledge and the experience of having dropped 90 on this
16:43Auburn team in that first game in their own building and getting it done.
16:48So I think that game alone, although I'm not going to put a whole lot of stock into what
16:53we had in that game again, it might as well have been years ago.
16:58But they did not have one of their seven footers.
17:01Florida broom was actually pretty good in that game.
17:05But different teams at this particular point now, I do think they deserve, though, because
17:11of that win, a look as a slight favorite.
17:14But I'd be shocked if this total drops into the 150s at any point here.
17:19Ben, I think the initial move to the under is expected.
17:23I expect I wouldn't if you're looking to bet the under, don't bet it now.
17:26I would wait because we all know the over money is coming, Ben, before tips and Florida
17:32has gone over in every single game so far, all four of their wins in the big dance.
17:37They have gone over in 11 straight games as well.
17:41Joe, that win for Florida on the road, on the planes against the Tigers back on February
17:478th, the second full Saturday in the month of February was a defining victory for the
17:52Gators this year.
17:54It kind of legitimized what they were doing overly impressive.
17:58But Florida did not play the non-conference slate that a couple of their conference compatriots
18:03Auburn or Alabama did.
18:06So to win that game as a double digit dog, which looking back now seeing Florida getting
18:10ten and a half, 11 points from anybody is ridiculous, even on the road against the Tigers.
18:17But I think that was a statement for Florida to put up 90 against Auburn on the road and
18:23win outright.
18:24It was also their second win in those 12 victories in the final 13 games, including the SEC tournament
18:31before the big dance and in all 12 of those wins for a covered Florida is not covered
18:37except for one game, second half and the sweet 16 against Maryland on Thursday night.
18:45I do find this line incredibly interesting and in terms of the money already, Joe, in
18:50terms of the spread 75% of the money in the spread betting on the FanDuel Sportsbook back
18:56in the Gators early on.
18:59Yeah, and it doesn't shock me and I don't know that we're going to get a ton.
19:04I don't know.
19:05We're going to get a ton more movement.
19:06Ben, if we're being completely honest here, I think that we're going to see a pretty healthy
19:12dose of folks wanting just to take the points regardless because they see the teams even
19:18I think you're going to see also a lot of hedging this week, Ben, with people who are
19:24holding tickets for Florida to win a national championship, that this is their opportunity
19:29to back Auburn.
19:31I think that's going to affect some of these numbers and the ticket handle as well at FanDuel
19:35because when else are you going to do it?
19:38Now's the time to hedge out at plus money with Auburn.
19:41Well, now is the time to hedge it out if you're holding a Florida ticket.
19:47Auburn, the number one overall seed in the big dance.
19:50And I would say, Joe, that for all 40 minutes, looked a part of that number one overall seed
19:55really for the first time in this tournament yesterday against Michigan State.
20:00Sure they only win by six at the end, a flurry of scoring from the Spartans.
20:04Auburn was up double digits for a good majority of the final half of the opening half and
20:09that second half against MSU for a team that dropped three of the final four games entering
20:15the big dance, playing a lot better, under in five of their last six, under in three
20:20of four for Auburn here in the NCAA tournament.
20:24The Tigers, by the way, only a dog three times this year, twice in the nonconference, a semi
20:30away game against Houston.
20:32It was not played inside the Fertitta Center, but in the Toyota Center, the home of the
20:36Rockets in H-Town early in the year.
20:39Game number two for Auburn.
20:42If you remember, the story for that game was an Auburn team plane that had to turn
20:47around because of a fight on board for where that Tigers team began the year to where they
20:53are now, pretty incredible stuff.
20:56They won outright as a five and a half point dog against Houston.
20:59They were a three and a half point dog against Duke on the road in Durham, lost that game
21:04by six.
21:05The last time Auburn was an underdog on the road in Tuscaloosa, middle of February, a
21:10matchup of one versus two in the eight people.
21:13The Tigers won that game outright.
21:15Joe, I think you have two very dangerous teams facing each other in what should be an instant
21:20classic, at least we hope, in the final four to start on Saturday night.
21:24And that will be a theme because of how good these teams are.
21:28We should be in for some marquee matchups in San Antonio, at least we hope.
21:34And you know, the cream will rise to the top and it always will here in this spot.
21:41I do think, and I think maybe an interesting question, Ben, who has the coaching edge in
21:44that game?
21:45Oh, a really good question.
21:49You think Bruce Pearl has more of the experience, but what Todd Golden has done, pretty impressive.
21:55By the way, Golden was hired on Bruce Pearl's staff earlier during their time together at
22:00Auburn, more on the early line.
22:01The first game of the final four on Saturday and all SEC affair between Florida and Auburn,
22:07a two and a half point spread in favor of the Gators, a total that stands at 160 and
22:12a half.
22:13Our nightcap, oh man, on paper, this is one of the best basketball games you could ever
22:18dream of.
22:19It is Duke and Houston, the Blue Devils, a four and a half point favorite.
22:23The over-under stands at 136 and a half.
22:27I think the four and a half point number, Joe, speaks to the strength of this Duke team.
22:32But I also think it does not allow you to overlook Houston by any means.
22:39How competitive is this game going to be between the Cougs and the Blue Devils?
22:46Impossible to choose here, Ben.
22:48It really is.
22:49I mean, this is another one of these where if Stiles make fights, right, well, you're
22:54looking at two teams that are pretty much identical lockdown defensively.
23:01They also are capable of pulling it up, playing from three.
23:04Duke is, isn't exactly, we know Houston plays with zero pace.
23:09It's like watching paint dry, but yeah, Duke is not that far behind.
23:14Their choice is not to run up and down and get into some sort of crazy firefight here.
23:19So I mean, both of these teams are so similar in so many ways.
23:25It feels like, Ben, the only value here is by taking points.
23:29And if you're going to get the market who's going to overvalue Duke, although it's warranted,
23:36is this more than a final possession game?
23:39There's no way I'm looking at an over.
23:41I'll tell you that 15 and nine to the under is what Samson is with Houston in the tournament.
23:47I don't see this thing getting 140 points.
23:50That's for sure as well.
23:52And Joe, these two teams met last year in the Sweet 16, very different cast and crew
23:56for Duke.
23:58A lot of the same pieces for Houston, especially because Jamal Shad did not play in that game
24:03for the Cougars.
24:04They're emotional and on the floor leader last year as well.
24:09That game was 54-51.
24:12Houston was a slight favorite.
24:13Duke won outright as an underdog.
24:16Of course, whatever the pregame total was, I think in the low 130s did stay under.
24:21So far in this NCAA tournament, Houston has played to the under in three or four games.
24:28They got off to a very slow start against Gonzaga, then the Zags in their comeback in
24:32the round of 32 kind of opened it up to go over a total of 141 and a half.
24:38Again, Houston, like Auburn, as you would expect as a one seed in the NCAA tournament,
24:44has not been booked as an underdog often this year.
24:48Just once on the road in Allen Fieldhouse to end out January.
24:54That was a crazy game.
24:55Kansas was up by as many as 20, I believe, before Houston rallied to win outright as
24:59an underdog.
25:00One of the worst defeats the KU has taken inside the fog in a very, very long time.
25:07Duke though, in the NCAA tournament, has covered Joe in three of their four games.
25:12The only game they did not, that was against Arizona in the Sweet 16.
25:18They still won by seven, has about an eight and a half, nine and a half point favorite.
25:23Duke has been a favorite in basically every game this year, especially since ACC play
25:28got started, laying at least six points.
25:31This will be the shortest number in favor of Duke since they began in the calendar year
25:352025.
25:38There's no doubt this is the hardest one to pick here.
25:42And the fact that, I don't want to say overvalued, Ben, but we know the public is going to love
25:47themselves some Duke here.
25:50Are they capable of winning this thing by a touchdown?
25:53Absolutely they are.
25:55But with the kind of pace I think that's going to be played and shots are going to be at
26:00a premium, it doesn't feel like either of these two teams are going to be able to win
26:04by multiple possessions.
26:07It just feels like I'll take the points regardless, one way or the other, because I'd want to
26:12be having points given to me as opposed to having to lay them in this spot.
26:17Yeah, and I think that's a really sound philosophy as well, Joe.
26:21One of the things that I think will be a key matchup indicator that I thought was really
26:25different for Duke this second weekend, playing against a team in Arizona that wants to play
26:30with pace and of course, Alabama, who wants to be as fast as you can.
26:34Entering the Sweet 16, Duke held their opponents to the slowest average possession length in
26:40the country, 364 of 364 at exactly 19.6 seconds on average.
26:48That is almost the entirety of the shot clock on average.
26:52What exactly is the average possession length for Houston on the offensive end of the floor?
26:5819.6 seconds.
27:00That should work in Duke's favor to keep this game slow, 136 and a half, a very intriguing
27:07total for a nightcap on a Saturday in the final four.
27:12That does it for our number two here on the early line.
27:14Our third and final hour comes your way up next, right here on Sports Grid.
27:19Welcome to our number three live right here on the early line on Sports Grid.
27:23I am Ben Stevens.
27:24He is German Airy.
27:25One more hour to go up until 11 a.m. Eastern time, and in this third and final hour, we'll
27:31talk some NBA basketball.
27:33For the weekend, less than two weeks remain in the regular season.
27:37Two weeks from yesterday, on a Sunday in the middle of April, that will do it for 82 games
27:42around the NBA.
27:44The playoff spots that need to be figured out, the postseason positioning that needs
27:48to take shape, and a couple of games around the association to break down here.
27:53We will also get the prop perspective on this Monday from TV Tom Vecchio with a 14-game
27:58slate in Major League Baseball that starts with some afternoon baseball on this Monday,
28:04a little bit after 2 p.m. Eastern time.
28:07All of that and plenty more here on this Monday in the final hour, Joe, of the early line.
28:12Gotta love, right?
28:13You got baseball back in full effect here during the week, a couple of afternoon games
28:18here.
28:19By the way, we still have another college basketball tournament getting ready to start
28:24here, Ben, believe it or not.
28:27Still got a little something for everybody as we say goodbye to the month of March.
28:31Yeah, we certainly do.
28:33There are two more spots at stake tonight in the women's Final Four to be figured out.
28:39A Lone Star State battle, Texas and TCU.
28:43The Longhorns a one seed, a 7.5-point favorite against Haley Van Liff and the Horned Frogs.
28:49A 14.5-point number in favor of UConn, led by Paige Beckers, and a 40-point performance
28:56in the Sweet 16 win over Oklahoma, of course, against USC without Juju Watkins.
29:02It is why that spread is so large.
29:06But now, Joe, as we look at the Final Four this weekend in San Antonio, we wanted to
29:10hear from the people.
29:12As we think about cutting down the nets, exactly one week from tonight in San Antonio, with
29:17only four teams still standing, but all four teams chuck on the one line for just the second
29:23ever time in the history of the men's big dance, which is the best bet to win a national
29:28championship at this moment.
29:31That's what we had to ask all of you and fade the public.
29:41Four teams left in the chase for a national championship.
29:44All four teams a one seed as we get ready for San Antonio and a Saturday night in the
29:50Final Four.
29:51Duke is the national championship favorite, where they were to start this season, where
29:55they were to start the NCAA tournament.
29:58Now at plus 105, Florida's second best number at plus 270, Houston a 4-1 number, Auburn
30:04despite being the number one overall seed, the longest number at 5-1.
30:10So Joe, of those numbers and of those teams, which is the best bet to win a title and cut
30:15down the nets exactly one week from tonight?
30:18That's sports grid on Twitter.
30:20The public is backing the favorite, really?
30:23How can you blame them at this moment in a tournament defined by its chalk, defined by
30:28its favorites having overwhelming success, 43% backing Duke at that plus 105 number?
30:35Well, I mean, the public is right from this aspect here, Ben.
30:40Now is the time to bet Duke.
30:42If you haven't, this is the last time you're going to get them at plus money here.
30:46They're not going to be a dog in the next game, no matter who they play, whether it
30:51be Florida or Auburn, they will be the favorite there.
30:55So if you think Duke can beat Houston, well, then you got to believe that Duke can win
31:01it all, Ben.
31:02So I think the public, whether they realize it or not, this is your last chance to get
31:07on the Duke Blue Devils to win it all.
31:11And heck, if they beat Houston, Ben, I think a lot of people believe it's already over
31:16then at that point, this might be their toughest obstacle.
31:20Again, Joe, the favorites in this tournament have been sensational.
31:25We talked about six plus point favorites, 32 and two straight up.
31:29Of course, you want to cash tickets as you lay it with the spread.
31:33If you're back in the Blue Devils minus four and a half, you're hoping they beat Houston
31:36by at least five points.
31:38But Duke is a favorite of four and a half points.
31:40So we expect them to get to the national championship game and in that national championship game
31:47against either of the two teams hailing from the SEC, Duke would be a four and a half point
31:52favorite in the projected hypothetical lines against Florida, a five and a half point favorite
31:57against Auburn.
31:58In a tournament defined not by its chaos this time around, but by its chalk, it makes a
32:03lot of sense.
32:05I would say from a best bet perspective though, I would look to the other side because Duke
32:11is a favorite.
32:13I do think you can find some value on that Florida price at plus two 70.
32:17Now I have a number on the Gators at 11 to one bet back in early February because Florida
32:23lived up to the Ken Palm numbers that we know are the thresholds that you have to meet.
32:29And they were a top 12 team in the week six AP poll.
32:32I will say Joe, in the last 20 years, we have seen all 20 national champions be in
32:38the top 12 of the week six AP poll.
32:41Houston stumbled a little bit early on during feast week.
32:45Houston was not in the top 12 of the week six AP top 25 just so you know that the other
32:53three teams were, I do think there is some value on Florida and or Auburn at that five
32:59to one price because Joe, as you alluded to five to one right now on the Tigers for
33:04the number one overall seed, they're not going to be a five to one money line underdog, even
33:08if you were to bet both of those money line prices in these matchups against either Florida
33:15or Duke.
33:16So I do think there is some value on armor.
33:18I listen, there is.
33:21And it'd be interesting part of these prices here.
33:23Thank goodness Duke is this chalky Ben, because you can still come up with a scenario where
33:30I can bet Duke to win it all at plus one oh five and I can still bet Houston in the points
33:35and have a shot at winning both bets, Ben, because there's also so you can do the same
33:41thing with Auburn, right?
33:42You can bet Auburn to win it all, but you can also bet Auburn take the points or at
33:47some point during the game that it get a really good number and you can you'll have both sides
33:53of a pretty good bet with a pretty good opportunity to win a national championship.
33:57Yeah, there's no doubt about it.
33:59And Joe, just to say I did a little bit of math from the money line perspective, Auburn
34:03right now a plus 125 money line underdog, again, a projected five and a half point favorite
34:09against Duke.
34:10If they were to get there, part of that, of course, is baked into the idea that what if
34:14Houston wins a game when they are only a four and a half point underdog, but if Auburn were
34:20to win this game outright against Duke and then be a five and a half, four and a half
34:24point underdog, the money line price of a two leg money line parlay with the Tigers
34:28as a dog in both would be a little bit better than five to one.
34:32That being said, both of the SEC teams would be a slight point and a half favorite against
34:37Houston in a projected national championship matchup.
34:41Joe, just a quick aside here for a little bit of breaking news to start off this third
34:46and final hour.
34:48Of course, two weeks ago, Andrew Luck.
34:50Yep.
34:51Andrew Luck, the new acting GM for the Stanford football program, of course, at his alma mater
34:57firing Troy Taylor, who had some complaints against him for harassment in the workplace
35:03after only two years and leaving Sacramento State for the Cardinal.
35:07Andrew Luck making the decision as the GM to effectively dismiss head coach Troy Taylor.
35:13So in his place as Stanford is undergoing a national search, how about this thing?
35:19Frank Reich will be the acting interim head coach for the Stanford Cardinal in the twenty
35:25twenty five college football season.
35:28Frank Reich has never worked collegiately in any coaching capacity.
35:32He will now be the interim head coach for Stanford just for twenty twenty five.
35:37As the reports are stating, Joe, it is a one year rental.
35:41Both sides understanding that this is only for one year, at least as of right now.
35:46Yeah.
35:47And you know how it works, Ben, with the recruiting process and everything else.
35:52Not a good time to be in search of a or have no leader of your football team.
35:57But stability, I think, is what Andrew Luck said he wanted the most, right?
36:02Wanted to stabilize this program.
36:04And what better than Frank Reich to be a stabilizer there in this situation where there are no
36:10winners at this point?
36:12When Andrew Luck was at Stanford, they were an incredible team under Jim Harbaugh.
36:18I do not believe that they ever interacted, Andrew Luck and Frank Reich in Indianapolis,
36:24because Frank, how, where?
36:26Find it for me.
36:27All right.
36:28We'll talk about that on the other side of the break.
36:30Yeah, I don't think so.
36:32I don't think they did.
36:33All right.
36:34We'll talk about it up next.