Eye On College Basketball

The NCAA quietly announced late Tuesday night that president Mark Emmert had his contracted extended through 2025. It's baffling, and it's why we open this week's pod on the topic. Then Norlander and Parrish get to Loyola Chicago (22:00) hiring the youngest coach in D-I basketball -- while somehow keeping the roster almost entirely in tact. Pretty impressive. The pod closes with some thoughts on Texas (35:45) and then a Trivia Time! for you, the listener!

Here is the Trivia Time! Name the 17 coaches in the past 25 seasons to get their first head-coaching job while simultaneously inheriting a program that made at least the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament the season prior. 

Parrish's column on Emmert: https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/mark-emmert-receiving-contract-extension-as-ncaa-president-should-draw-disappointment-but-not-surprise/

Norlander's column on Drew Valentine: https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/loyola-chicago-hired-29-year-old-drew-valentine-to-take-over-a-top-mid-major-and-then-things-got-even-better/

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Gonzaga is reloading. On Monday the No. 1 prospect in the class of 2021, Chet Holmgren, announced he'd be playing next season in Spokane. Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander discuss whether or not this will move Gonzaga to No. 1 in the preseason rankings, and give insight into Holmgren's unique game/build and how he'll play alongside Drew Timme ... if Timme does indeed return for his junior season.

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Two big news drops hit Wednesday, prompting an emergency pod, The final two major-conference jobs have filled. We open with Tommy Lloyd leaving Gonzaga to take over Arizona, and all the details from behind the scenes in the past week that led to this moment. Then, at the 22-minute mark, Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander share their thoughts on Wes Miller leaving UNC Greensboro after 10 seasons to be the next coach at Cincinnati. The podcast's final few minutes touch on the power-conference hiring from the past month-or-so that GP and Norlander each think will go down as the best one years from now.

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Villanova announced a double dose of good news Monday night: Collin Gillespie and Jermaine Samuels will use their bonus free season of eligibility to return. That makes VU a national title contender; it also opens the pod. The guys also discuss Parrish putting Auburn into his way-too-early offseason Top 25 + 1 due to UNC transfer Walker Kessler committing to Bruce Pearl. And at the end of this Tuesday episode: shoutouts to those who finished atop our Bracket Games NCAA Tournament podcast. Our thanks to the Supreme Court!

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Arizona fired Sean Miller Wednesday. Weird timing. Norlander explains more as to why it happened the way it did. And Parrish's column on this can be read in the description below. The guys open on the Arizona opening, including the candidate list, before moving on to talk North Carolina (23:30) hiring Hubert Davis to replace Roy Williams. The pod closes around the 32-minute mark with some thoughts on Texas Tech promoting Mark Adams to replace Chris Beard and Oklahoma hiring Porter Moser.

https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/arizona-fires-sean-miller-but-it-would-have-made-more-sense-for-everybody-if-this-had-been-done-much-sooner/

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Baylor's 86-70 win Monday night over Gonzaga was fairly shocking. Nobody had the Bears winning by more than 15 points. Nobody. Matt Norlander and Gary Parrish open with their thoughts on what BU did to demolish Gonzaga. And as for the Zags, this team is probably now out of the all-time-great conversation (23:00) because of how poor it looked against Baylor. What's next for these two? Parrish reveals where he's ranking both teams (41:00) in his early look at the 2021-22 offseason Top 25 + 1.

Here is Norlander's championship-night column from Lucas Oil.

https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/baylors-scott-drew-never-let-others-change-his-story-path-or-program-and-with-a-title-is-really-happy-now/

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The stakes of Monday night's title game are as big as they could possibly be. Undefeated Gonzaga. No. 1 vs. No. 2. Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander set the table and make their picks. Did you know: Gonzaga and Baylor combine for two losses, which ties for the fewest ever by two teams entering a title game. The stats, storylines and everything to set the table for a game we've been waiting for months to see.

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The NCAA Tournament is the best event in sports. What a magical night we had. An epic of all epics to close out the national semis on Saturday. Jalen Suggs' deeeeep, banked-in 3-pointer to win in OT and keep Gonzaga undefeated is a highlight for the ages. The top of the podcast features audio cuts from CBS, Gonzaga Sports Network from Learfield IMG College, and arena sound via CBS/Turner. The guys go long on Zags-Bruins, then touch on Baylor's convincing performance vs. Houston (36:00), which sets up the best title game in a very long time. Here are Norlander and Parrish's columns from Saturday night as well.

https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/gonzagas-jalen-suggs-calmly-took-three-dribbles-then-made-one-of-the-biggest-shots-in-march-madness-history/

https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/gonzagas-jalen-suggs-calmly-took-three-dribbles-then-made-one-of-the-biggest-shots-in-march-madness-history/

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With the Final Four a day away, it's our promised preview episode. GP and Norlander open with some thoughts on Indy and overarching takeaways on the scene there, then preview Baylor-Houston (10:15) and Gonzaga-UCLA (25:00). As referenced, here is Norlander's must-read story on the Baylor staff, who is war vet and who donated a kidney to save a life last year.

https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/a-life-saving-story-behind-baylors-final-four-run-how-a-kidney-donor-on-bears-staff-helped-a-friend-in-need/

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matt Norlander and Gary Parrish reflect on Roy Williams' career, name their candidates for the UNC opening, talk Chris Beard's fit at Texas and toss out a few names for the Texas Tech job as well.

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The podcast must have some sort of karmic power. Because first it was Baylor, and now it’s Mick Cronin and UCLA. The Bruins upset Michigan, and in the process locked up the most upset-riddled tournament in history. Gonzaga casually destroyed USC to continue their run toward history. Parrish and Norlander look back on Tuesday night’s regional finals, setting the table for Saturday’s Final Four. 

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Houston beat Oregon State. Baylor beat Arkansas. Half the Final Four is set, and we have you covered with overnight reaction to Monday's regional semifinals. Baylor. Terry MF'in Teagle. Bill Henderson. Vinnie Johnson. LaceDarius Dunn. You know all the names. Back in the Final Four for the first time in 71 years. As Norlander alludes to on the podcast, here is his column from Lucas Oil Stadium on Kelvin Sampson's late-stage revival and return to the Final Four after 19 years since his first trip there.

https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/how-kelvin-sampson-repaired-his-career-at-houston-and-resurrected-the-cougars-who-are-back-in-the-final-four/

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Pac-12, for the second time in league history, has three teams in the Elite Eight. UCLA’s upset of second-seeded Alabama was the best game of the day and leads our Sunday reaction pod. GP and Norlander open with that, then go game-by-game with reactions and a basketful of nuggets and stats to know. In order: UCLA over Bama, Michigan over Florida State, Gonzaga over Creighton, USC over Oregon. The final seven minutes of the podcast are reserved for picks and predictions of Tuesday’s Elite Eight games. Enjoy! And here’s Norlander’s re-seed of the teams still left standing. 

https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/march-madness-2021-re-seeding-the-teams-in-the-elite-eight-of-the-ncaa-tournament/

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Your early Sunday AM episode is a recap of everything that happened Saturday in the NCAA Tournament, with some quickie previews of Monday's two Elite Eight games. Plus: a bonus. In honor of Baylor winning in the Sweet 16, the very end of this podcast has a "hidden track" throwback to one of the highlights in this pod's history from a few year's back. If you never heard it, be sure to stick around.

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Friday emergency podcast, how's your life? Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander react to Shaka Smart leaving Texas to take the Marquette job, in addition to offering up a little more coaching carousel scuttlebutt at the tail end of the pod. As always: these guys got you. Enjoy.

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After a 12-plus hour drive, Norlander has arrived in Indianapolis,. Our Thursday episode opens with some informal how-you-dos from the guys, and then it's a Sweet 16-stocked preview -- including game picks vs. the spread -- for the eight tips that will be played Saturday and Sunday.

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Monday was objectively the least exciting day of the first four days of the opening two rounds, but it nonetheless did provide another toppling of a top-two seed in addition to securing what is statistically the most unpredictable opening weekend in tournament history. GP and Norlander scan through the top storylines and go game-by-game Monday, picking out their key takeaways. Turns out, we've got a little of both: some bracket chaos but still plenty of good teams AND familiar teams that have made multiple Sweet 16s in recent years. Don't let anyone tell you this is an underwhelming or random Sweet 16 -- that's hardly the case.

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Here were Sunday's upsets:

No. 15 Oral Roberts beat No. 7 Florida to become the second 15 in history to make the Sweet 16.

No. 12 Oregon State upset No. 4 Oklahoma State to reach its first Sweet 16 since 1982.

No. 11 Syracuse upset No. 3 West Virginia, improving the program's record to 9-2 in the tournament as a double-digit seed, the best win percentage in history.

No. 8 Loyola Chicago upset No. 1 Illinois in the first game of the day.

Beyond that: Baylor and Villanova took care of business, Arkansas reached its first Sweet 16 since 1996 and Houston ripped away a win from Rutgers in devastating fashion. GP and Norlander touch on all of that, and preview Monday's eight games, right now.

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We've got an even longer episode for you here than yesterday, because Saturday brought on a couple of major headlines in addition to tournament results. Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander lead with VCU being removed from the NCAA Tournament, then dive into Abilene Christian's upset over Texas and run down everything from Saturday before tying a bow on the pod with a preview of Sunday's second round slate.

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It feels glorious to have this amazing tournament back. And we had some history on Friday. Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander recap Friday's action -- with some bonus First Four thoughts at the end -- so be sure to dig in before the second half of the first round resumes Saturday afternoon just after 12 p.m. ET.

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode focus on Matt Norlander and Gary Parrish's picks for their top five bets for the first round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament. Are they experts? Of course not. Will this be the most entertaining (and still informative) picks podcast episode you'll find? Of course. We hope you enjoy this special bonus episode. To see the guys' brackets at CBSSports.com, head here: https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/ncaa-tournament/bracket/expert-picks-and-anaylsis/

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The days after Selection Sunday bring a heavy influx of headlines due to coaches being fired and/or hired. Seven jobs of note have either cut ties or made new ones with coaches in the past 36 hours. Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander offer up their thoughts on the openings and closings at Iowa State, Minnesota, DePaul, Penn State, Boston College and New Mexico. As for Indiana, that's covered in an emergency pod from Monday.

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander are giving you some great bonus pod content this week, and we're starting with fun, free-flowing episodes that touch on the storylines, best games, upsets to look out for and picks for each of the four regions. Our final one: No. 1 Illinois was given the toughest road to the Final Four, but Norlander and GP explain why they're still taking the Illini to break on through. 

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander are giving you some great bonus pod content this week, and we're starting with fun, free-flowing episodes that touch on the storylines, best games, upsets to look out for and picks for each of the four regions. Up next, the South, where No. 1 seed Baylor looks to make the Final Four for the first time since Bill Henderson was coaching the Bears in 1950.

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander are giving you some great bonus pod content this week, and we're starting with fun, free-flowing episodes that touch on the storylines, best games, upsets to look out for and picks for each of the four regions. Up next, the East, where No. 1 overall seed Michigan is not at full strength and gets a fairly tough draw. 

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander are giving you some great bonus pod content this week, and we're starting with fun, free-flowing episodes that touch on the storylines, best games, upsets to look out for and picks for each of the four regions. Up first, the West, where No. 1 overall seed Gonzaga looms large

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

An absurdly busy Monday. Parrish and Norlander react in real time Archie Miller's firing and offer six candidates who Indiana should consider to replace him.

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What more is there to say? We finally have a bracket again. Our Selection Sunday spectacular spans discussions on the 1-seeds, snugs, overall seed order inconsistencies, Virginia and Kansas' COVID issues and other random rants and musics in the aftermath of the reveal of the 2021 NCAA Tournament. Let's go! Here is Norlander's ranking of all 68 teams for you to read as you listen.

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Busy Friday. You're locked in and we've got you covered on the pod. The guys open on the Virginia situation, then Norlander runs down his top 10 college basketball days of the year (agree? disagree?) before talking Georgetown over Villanova. Patrick Ewing dropped and great rant, too. The pod closes with the Final Four + 1, featuring three Friday games, a Saturday championship matchup and Sunday's A-10 title, too. Selection Sunday is almost here. LET'S GO.

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander react to Thursday's news that Duke is out of the ACC tournament and likely has had its season end due to a positive COVID-19 case with one of its players.

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Gonzaga won its 19th WCC tournament Wednesday night while simultaneously getting its first tough game since the week before Christmas. Parrish and Norlander open on that for the first 15-ish minutes, then get to a bubble case (17:30) that is going to provide the committee with some interesting discussion. We won't spoil it here. After that: Uh, the Big East (27:00) went out and named three Players of the Year on Wednesday. What are we even talking about? The guys wrap on that, plus a remembrance of Kemba Walker's ankle-breaking winner in the 2011 Big East tournament, which happened 10 years ago to the day. Plus: a little lookahead to what to know Wednesday and Thursday in conference championship week. As referenced, here's Norlander's piece on every team to ever make it to the NCAA Tournament with an undefeated record: https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/gonzaga-vs-history-what-the-undefeated-zags-are-up-against-as-they-enter-the-ncaa-tournament-at-26-0/

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander open up with a big ol' deep dive on some Big Ten topics that span the league, led by the ongoing beef between Michigan and Illinois over should be the league champ. Michigan State a lock? GP says yes. Norlander can't quite just yet. Then, we must talk Houston's shot from the logo (26:30) to kill Memphis' at-large hopes on Sunday. A good trip down memory lane, too. There were four auto bids handed out over the weekend, but with Loyola Chicago (38:45) keeping Drake on the bubble, where should both of these teams be seeded? Dilemmas await. And a rapid-fire, highly informative whiparound (55:00) touches on just about every result of note from a jam-packed March opening weekend.

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to the first weekend of March. Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander open by talking about the details of Norlander’s epic podcast intro from Wednesday, then get to the brutal news from Thursday: Villanova’s Collin Gillespie has a torn MCL. Elsewhere in the Big East, Creighton coach Greg McDermott (25:00) has been suspended for Saturday’s season finale, though he did coach Wednesday at Villanova. Why? The weekend picks include autobid chatter and yes, that means Fighting Camel talk! The preview starts around the 34:30 mark. A clean intro today. Right to the veins. Just that sweet, sweet music.

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You know what's coming.

It all starts here.

Whatever it takes.

Let's go.

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

'Fantasy Baseball Today in 5,' a new daily podcast from CBS Sports is available now. Download and subscribe now on Apple, Spotify, Stitcher and whenever else podcasts are found to get episodes as soon as they are released.

Want Fantasy advice, news and analysis fast? Fantasy Baseball Today in 5 will get you caught up on what you need to know to win your league in just 5 minutes every weekday morning. Join host Frank Stampfl and company as they help guide you to a Fantasy championship. The FBT crew will filter through the news cycle and deliver what matters most from a Fantasy perspective so you can make your add, drop, start & sit moves all before breakfast.

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you are hoping for a certain something, you will need to wait just a little longer. The final episode of February is smash-loaded with so much great college hoops talk and some absurd tangents peppered throughout. Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander open with Baylor’s undefeated season coming to an end. Someone’s getting pizza! The guys pivot to Iowa-Ohio State (21:30) and Iowa having a 2 seed-level resume, with Ohio State also sharing a spot on the 2 line now. An extensive and informative whiparound (33:00) that touches on just about every single bubble team with a game on Saturday and Sunday. The listener reviews are something else too, and those wrap the show right around the 64-minute mark. Here's Norlander's column on Kansas ending Baylor's unbeaten season:

https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/baylor-is-unbeaten-no-more-and-now-the-question-becomes-will-bears-be-able-to-return-to-their-dominant-form/

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The NCAA has revealed (most) of its plans for bracket contingencies for the 2021 NCAA Tournament. Matt Norlander and Gary Parrish open with a detailed synopsis of what you need to know and offer up a few more tweaks the NCAA should have ultimately decided to go with. The second segment is tied to Michigan State (18:15) now vaulting itself into the field thanks to its win over Ohio State on Thursday. Plus, Michigan beat Iowa in a top-10 affair, and at this point three of the four No. 1 seeds are locked up. The Final Four + 1 (31:00) has Norlander disrespecting the Drews, Parrish disrespecting a Mountain West team and -- get this -- these two disagreeing on every game this weekend. Shouts to David Lighty! Shouts to remote mines in the caves. Let's go.

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Baylor flirted with the biggest upset loss of the season Tuesday night before pulling away from 2-17 Iowa State. The guys open on that, then get into everything tied to Big 12 (12:00) from Monday and Tuesday, including results and the restructuring of the league schedule. There's a lot to get to. At the 33-minute mark, disagreement on which team has the better at-large resume right now, Duke or Michigan State. Norlander still believes both will miss the NCAA Tournament.

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Michigan’s win at Ohio State on Sunday might have been the most enjoyable game so far this season. Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander obviously open with that and share their thoughts on both teams and whether Michigan is right there with Gonzaga and Baylor. Then: uh-oh. Duke’s not dead yet. The Blue Devils (20:50) got their best win of the season by hanging on vs. Virginia. Let’s objectively evaluate the resume and determine their chances of dancing. The weekend whiparound begins at the 35-minute mark with some entertaining takeaways and commentary, and then our listener mailbag closes the show as it does every Sunday (55:00). As teased on the show, here is Norlander’s column on Michigan-Ohio State: https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/as-the-ncaa-tournament-looms-ahead-michigan-vs-ohio-state-arrived-at-perfect-time-for-college-basketball/

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Wichita State’s home win Thursday night over top-10 Houston was good enough to finally catapult the Shockers into the NCAA Tournament conversation. Parrish and Norlander disagree at this point about if they should be in, though. Another Q: Should Isaac Brown be promoted from interim to full-time head coach, or is an NCAA Tournament appearance necessary to make that jump? After that, the guys touch on Friday’s notable news: The NCAA allowing for 25% capacity in all NCAA Tournament venues this season (14:45). From there, the curious cases of Belmont and Winthrop (22:15) and why the selection committee should give them more slack this season. You can read Norlander’s story on this below as well. The pod wraps, as it does every Friday, with the Final Four + 1 (31:15). Norlander shouts out a number of listeners who came through with that Arkansas Sweet 16 stat, so stick around!

https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/court-report-selection-committee-chair-mitch-barnhart-explains-new-ncaa-tournament-bracketing-process/

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Illinois’ Ayo Dosunmu is college basketball’s premier closer at this point, or so one high-major coach who texted Norlander said. The pod opens on the Illini before getting to the most controversial story of the week, Jalen Johnson leaving Duke (11:30). GP and Norlander make some time to talk about Florida State and Arkansas (24:00) working their way into the top two spots in their respective conference races and then ask the important question: Who would you rather have an edible with, Leonard Hamilton or Eric Musselman? The pod closes on Boston College (40:00) deciding to fire Jim Christian in the middle of February. What’s the point? And is it a better job than, say, Penn State, which also will have to fill an opening in the next 6-8 weeks?

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We are now under a month away from the Selection Sunday’s bracket reveal. Strap in! Our Sunday evening ep opens with Michigan’s come-from-behind beatdown on Wisconsin. The selection committee said Michigan had the No. 3 profile on Saturday morning, and the guys agree. Segment No. 2 (11:30) focuses on Ohio State, Oklahoma and Alabama, three current top 10 teams that were not projected by any stretch to be in this spot back in November. All three won this weekend. The weekend whiparound (22:15) touches on Illinois, Creighton, Virginia,, Arkansas, Iowa, Loyola Chicago-Drake, UConn, VCU and more. Our Sunday night mailbag (40:00) includes the latest grammar grievance from the guys! Here’s Norlander’s weekend takeaways piece as well:

https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/college-basketball-scores-weekend-takeaways-bracket-facts-big-wins-ayo-vs-luka-creightons-statement/

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

One of the more enjoyable episodes this season, we do think. The guys start with an array of thoughts on the Pac-12 … but there is an off-the-rails discussion mixed in, so be prepared. OK, maybe a couple. And then GP’s thoughts on why Duke could be the No. 1 team next preseason (29:00) with a good Trivia Time! tossed in. A lengthy, entertaining weekend preview starts right around the 36:30 mark. As promised on the pod, here are links to Parrish’s column and Norlander’s Court Report. Read as ya listen:

https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/duke-will-rise-again-and-it-all-starts-with-the-recruiting-class-the-blue-devils-are-expected-to-enroll/

https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/court-report-cameron-krutwigs-harmonica-has-loyola-chicago-humming-along-as-it-tunes-up-for-run-at-big-dance/

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Should UNC have had to forfeit its home game Tuesday vs. Miami in light of video surfacing showing players partying without masks? No. Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander get into why. Then the guys touch on one of the bigger stories of the offseason (13:00) that went absolutely nowhere this season. What is it? Listen to find out. And about Duke and Kentucky (27:00), which lost again on Tuesday night — do we think these teams will be able to regain their top-10 form next season? For one, yes. For the other, not so much. And finally, Chris Beard (37:00) and his epic end-of-game meltdown from Tuesday night. Would you believe that’s Beard’s first technical foul at Texas Tech? At the end of the pod, Norlander shares some news on the NCAA Tournament. Here’s the story about it, which includes the TV schedule for the 2021 Big Dance. You can read more here:

https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/ncaa-tournament-2021-march-madness-tv-schedule-tip-off-times-and-selection-sunday-announced/

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Our Sunday evening podcast was recorded in the early afternoon, before the Super Bowl. The guys open with Kansas’ fifth loss in seven games. Hard to justify ranking KU at this point. They then turn to Texas and Alabama (14:00) losing as road favorites and get into those games. The always-lively weekend whiparound (29:00) touches on essentially every outcome of note — UNC over Duke, USC over UCLA, Illinois over Wisconsin, the quagmire in the A-10, but with an emphasis on Iowa losing for the fourth time in five games and being swept by Indiana. As always, the end of the Sunday ep gets into some listener reviews (52:00), including a story about someone running into GP for a change! 

Here’s Norlander’s column from Saturday night, easy to read as you listen to the show.

https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/uncs-win-at-duke-delivers-excitement-even-without-rankings-or-fans-in-the-sports-best-rivalry/

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ohio State got its seventh Quad 1 win by virtue of beating Iowa on Thursday night, so the guys open with that and spent about 15 minutes on the Buckeyes and Hawkeyes, including some chatter on how more experienced teams are atop the rankings almost universally this season. Then it’s the upset-laden Wednesday (15:45), which was statistically the nuttiest day of the season so far. And if it’s a Friday, it’s Final Four + 1 time (40:30), in addition to Norlander’s usual viewing guide on the other matchups to watch. If you want more “Let’s go!” Coach K drops, this episode will not disappoint.

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Show open: No. 2 Baylor’s 83-69 win at No. 6 Texas, which prompts a discussion about Parrish deciding to keep Gonzaga at No. 1 in his rankings. (Norlander prefers BU at this point by a narrow margin.) There’s a lot more to dig into as well, including on the Texas side, so come on in. After that, the guys get to Duke and North Carolina (23:30) both losing in recent days, setting up a highly urgent and historic Heels-Devils game this weekend. We've got a dash of Drake/Loyola Chicago love (35:00) and a then quick tour of other noteworthy Tuesday results, plus a good Final Four hypothetical GP asks Norlander. Happy Wednesday, all, and remember: you can play CBS Sports’ Super Bowl Props Pick 'Em game for free. Check it out: https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/games/props-pickem

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The death of John Chaney on Friday is still lingering as the biggest story in college hoops as we exit the weekend. The guys have a long discussion on Chaney in the back end of the podcast you won’t want to miss. But before that, an extensive tour around the weekend’s results. The pod opens with thoughts on five games featuring ranked teams falling to unranked or less-ranked opponents. Oklahoma and Florida are the biggest winners. Then GP and Norlander get to other notable outcomes (18:45) and touch on more than 10 games from Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The Chaney talk starts around the 33-minute mark, and then the listener mailbag -- with a ranking of some of the best bits and moments on the pod in the past 12 months -- concludes the final 20 minutes of the pod. Links below that Norlander references in the episode:

https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/temple-coach-john-chaney-a-naismith-hall-of-famer-who-led-the-owls-to-17-ncaa-tournaments-dies-at-89/

https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/weekend-takeaways-secbig-12-challenge-proves-need-for-more-nonconference-games-later-in-regular-season/

https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/games/props-pickem

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Listen, we’ve got some random stuff in this podcast, but you wouldn’t want it any other way! And as always, the majority of the talk is on college hoops. Here’s how it starts: Gonzaga and Baylor continue to steamroll. If Baylor doesn’t lose, it’s going to get the No. 1 overall seed. GP and Norlander lead with that, then get to Rutgers winning for the first time ever (16:00) over a Michigan State team that’s now not likely to make the NCAA Tournament. The guys make their weeknd picks (28:30), including Alabama-Oklahoma, Villanova-Seton Hall and Virginia-Virginia Tech. Bimbo Coles, hello.

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How are ya doing today? We hope we find you feeling healthy. The pod opens with Alabama over Kentucky and Auburn over Missouri from Tuesday night. The Crimson Tide have the SEC practically locked up at this point. Then it’s the Big 12 (18:15), focused on WVU beating Texas Tech and Oklahoma upsetting Texas. The guys make time for Drake (31:00) coming back from pause to remain unbeaten, with some two-bid MVC curiosity. Plus: Billikens (40:00)! They  could not do the same, plus some A-10 talk. As usual, there’s a Trivia Time! Mixed in along with goofy unexpected commentary.

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices