SPEAKER_01 0:34

Welcome to the Five Arms of the Lucky Finn podcast. I'm your host, Brendan McCormick, with my co-host, David Soloway. He is for the people. The people are for him. And David, you know, UConn had to do it their own way. Send themselves to the final four with a buzzer beater from Mullins. So what a way to, you know, kick off the final four that way to finalize it. What insane. Insane, man. Uh dude.

SPEAKER_03 1:03

I actually on that, on that, I want to go back to something. We talked about it all after the first weekend was over. Yeah. John Fantas said this was going to be an all-time tournament. And we said after the first the first weekend, not an all-time tournament. But then in that Sweet 16 and Elite Eight, the three of the four Elite Eight games weren't great. But we had the Purdue Buzzer Beater. Yeah. Uh over Texas. I guess what else was there? The the Iowa Nebraska game was right right down to the wire. We had the Yukon shot. Duke St. John's was a great game. Great game. I think it's picking up some steam. And I think we got some damn good Final Four matchups that could be great games too. I I'm with you. Maybe not all-time tournament thus far, but there have been some all-time moments, I think. Including, I think the Mullins shot is one of the greatest shots of all time in tournament years. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:01

I mean, it's it's it's it's gotta be up there, man.

SPEAKER_03 2:08

It's especially because of all the chaos surrounding it. And if Boozer just doesn't dribble and stands there, it's it's it's over. They foul him and it's it's over.

SPEAKER_01 2:21

I don't understand the panic.

SPEAKER_03 2:24

Well, I mean, he had two guys up you know in the front court where if the ball gets over the defender, it's a hundred percent game over. You don't have to make a free throw, nothing. But I agree with you. He's a freshman, but you gotta know, just stand there, just get fouled and have some confidence in yourself to make the free throws. You just have you have to have game awareness, yeah, for sure. Especially because they could not have gotten a backcourt, you know, 10-second violation. Yeah, that's what I'm saying. There was 10 seconds on the clock. Nothing, if you just hold on to the ball, nothing bad can happen.

SPEAKER_01 3:04

Is is Shire Shire was basically saying that's on me. Uh they had a timeout too, David.

SPEAKER_03 3:13

They had a timeout. There was also a clip going viral of him uh in film with the team talking or showing a clip from an NBA game where there was four seconds left, and the player gets the ball and just throws it straight up into the air to kill the clock. He could have done that, he could have just thrown it straight up into the air and it would have killed the clock.

SPEAKER_02 3:31

Yeah, that's what it's it's like he could he had coached it.

SPEAKER_03 3:37

He he so like are the is he really gonna call a timeout? Because honestly, the play up until he takes a dribble and makes the pass was fine. They got it right uh from the inbounder to the corner. The corner guy uh passes it right back to the inbounder, he gets it up to Caden Boozer, and then he just kind of I think you call timeout there, though.

SPEAKER_01 3:58

You have to why you have to calm everyone down. Why is in the situation?

SPEAKER_03 4:02

Everybody was calm, and they were coming out of a timeout. Everybody was so calm.

SPEAKER_01 4:06

I just I just think you have to take another timeout there and just hey, we're good. You can literally hold the ball, be strong with it, you're gonna get fouled. Do not make do not turn the ball over.

SPEAKER_03 4:21

I think calling a timeout in most situations would have actually been worse. It would have allowed the defense to set up and guard the inbound pass, and then if you have no timeouts left, you get a five-second call, then the offense can set themselves up. I think the chaos of it was actually playing in Duke's favor. They just had the two things that couldn't happen. He couldn't turn the ball over like that. If he had just thrown it out of bounds and make them go 94 feet, it's better the way he turned it over with the live ball turnover. And then, I mean, Mullins hit a 40-footer, dude. Like, what do you do?

SPEAKER_01 5:01

Didn't we learn from the Kyle Guy situation with Texas Tech? Don't let an Indiana guy shoot the three twice. Kyle Guy did that twice in the NC tournament. The other time is Auburn in the corner.

SPEAKER_03 5:11

Yeah, a foul. Yeah, that wasn't a foul.

SPEAKER_01 5:16

You don't think that was a foul? It wasn't a foul.

SPEAKER_03 5:19

No chance it was a foul.

SPEAKER_01 5:22

David, that's a foul.

SPEAKER_03 5:24

In what world was that a foul?

SPEAKER_01 5:26

In what world? How is that not a foul? He didn't either literally is shooting the shot. He didn't touch him. He didn't touch him. Oh, David. That it wasn't a foul, dude. Go watch that clip.

SPEAKER_03 5:41

I'll watch the clip right now. You you you start talking about whatever you want. I'll rewatch the clip right now.

SPEAKER_01 5:47

Obviously, there's a lot of coaching changes, uh, listeners and viewers, and also David, David knows, but uh a lot of high major changes. Bobby Hurley is out of Arizona State. Randy Bennett is in, leave St. Mary's after a very long time of being there, over 25 years. David, what's your first impressions of that move? How did they get Bennett to finally make the decision to come over to a power five?

SPEAKER_03 6:16

I think it was it it was an easy decision for him.

SPEAKER_01 6:20

I think so too.

SPEAKER_03 6:21

You have Gonzaga leave leaving the WCC, which essentially kills the WCC.

SPEAKER_01 6:27

I agree.

SPEAKER_03 6:28

Uh, obviously, St. Mary's could still run the WCC, but yeah, you're never gonna get those two guaranteed quad one games every year against Gonzaga. Win or lose, it's gonna it's gonna up your strength of schedule. Um, so I think it was a pretty easy, pretty easy move for him to make, you know.

SPEAKER_01 6:47

The big the Big 12 just in coaches, David, is absolutely stacked. It's stacked from like your bottom teams to your very good teams, they're just stacked. Are they in the bottom? Randy Bennett's one of the bottom coaches. Who we got at Oklahoma State? Honestly, don't know. Same, I don't either. But if Randy Bennett's down there, they gotta be halfway decent. That's what I'm saying.

SPEAKER_03 7:22

Uh is is Tad Boyle still at Colorado? Yes, yeah, yeah. So, okay, bottom of the league. I don't think we should be giving him that much credit. Steve Lutz is the guy at Oklahoma State. Everybody knows about Steve Lutz, of course. Do they?

SPEAKER_01 7:38

No. Oh man. But yeah, great hire. Yeah, great hire. Another one, butler. Uh Thad Mata's out. Thad Mata is out. Hanging it up, David. Decides to move on. Uh Ronald Norid is in. So that's um yeah.

SPEAKER_03 8:01

Ronald Nored was the point guard on those Final Four teams. So you like to see them.

SPEAKER_01 8:07

Uh did not know that.

SPEAKER_03 8:08

Giving it to an alum. Yeah. Uh he's been a coach, I think, uh an assistant in the G League and maybe even the NBA uh since then, since he's his playing days ended. We'll see if it works. I don't think Butler has enough money to compete at the power five level in the big east. Yeah, um, but maybe bringing bringing in a guy who was there for the success, maybe it'll work out.

SPEAKER_01 8:33

Yeah, I'm with you. Hopefully, hopefully it does. The biggest news in the blockbuster coaching carousel of this year's coaching carousel of all carousel, will wade leaves NC State, David. Maybe not on the best of terms, but decides to go back to boot up country with the LSU Tigers. Now our LSU family and Jason, aka Lucky Finn, and Kenny Hilliard, our our graphics, social media guru. They're pretty excited for him. Now, I think this will this will be okay. This is an okay hire, in my opinion. I don't think it's a great hire. This is why. I'm gonna go, I'm gonna go off the rails on this one. But Will Wade with a lot of NIL money didn't even do that great a NC State, David. And had a pretty healthy roster. That front five. He didn't really have a bench, I'll give that to him.

SPEAKER_03 9:45

I think we could argue how good that that starting five was, too, though. Solid. Could like Darren Williams, obviously stud. Other than that, it was kind of a lot of guys you're taking a flyer on. You're paying a lot of money because they came from big schools, yeah. And you're hoping they work. And when you're putting when you're putting your whole starting five together as transfers, we saw this happen with Indiana this year. It just doesn't work. You need some some pieces that you can build your program around. And it's like he only brought one guy from McNeese, I think. Um, so it's not like he it's not like brought over three or four guys from McNeese and then supplemented the roster with a couple other pieces, um, which I think is probably why it didn't work as well. But yeah, I mean you can continue on your point if you want on on why you don't think this is good hire.

SPEAKER_01 10:40

You know, he said we could make history by winning a national championship or getting fired twice from the same school. And I legit think he has a chance of getting fired twice. Because what if this reunion after year two they go sub 500 in the SEC? That's not gonna be good enough for them with what he's saying, what what he wants to bring. I just think he's all talk at times.

SPEAKER_03 11:06

You know what's funny is he is the lane kiffen of college basketball, and now they got two of them. How is that athletics department gonna handle two of them plus Kim Mulkey?

SPEAKER_01 11:20

Dude, I there's been some things around Twitter, I'm sure you've seen it of nicknames for them, and I'm not gonna re-state on our podcast. Oh, the one, the one is all time, all time nickname. I just it's almost laughable, like they're all laughable at this moment, like all three of them. Like they're great coaches, don't get me wrong, but they're great coaches, just the personalities.

SPEAKER_03 11:44

You got a lot of big personalities in that effect department.

SPEAKER_01 11:48

I think Wade is a great recruiter. I think as a coach, I think he really does struggle implementing what he wants as yes, David.

SPEAKER_03 11:57

Is he a good recruiter or was he cheating?

SPEAKER_01 12:02

That's yet to be determined, I think. But I think if you can get Darien Williams from Lubbock, Texas, over to Ralph. It was all money, Carolina.

SPEAKER_03 12:08

It was all money.

SPEAKER_01 12:09

I understand it's money, but you still gotta get the kid there.

SPEAKER_03 12:12

Sure, but is LSU gonna have the three million dollars to pay a guy like that? Because they're spending so much money on their football team.

SPEAKER_01 12:19

I believe he has a$10 million roster.

SPEAKER_03 12:21

That's that's honestly not that much for college basketball.

SPEAKER_01 12:25

Well, let me look it up real quick.

SPEAKER_03 12:26

What was in the end of this year? We were at like 21, which is ridiculous. Well, Kentucky was at 27. We had to pay some people off. We didn't pay anybody off. I just think 10 million, I mean 10 million is great, sure. But also, I mean the landscape's still changing a lot, too. I don't see how a school can guarantee 10 million.

SPEAKER_01 12:52

10 to 12 million. That's what he's expected to get each year. Yeah, I mean we'll see. I'm with you. I'm not gonna be negative around it. I just don't know if it's the home run hire like every LSU fan is is is predicting here. That's all I'm saying.

SPEAKER_03 13:11

Here's what I'll give them. It is a significant upgrade from McMahon. Oh, yeah, McMahon's. Because he just was not the guy, he wasn't gonna be the guy. No, so great. It's an upgrade, but I do like basketball school, so let I don't I'm not expecting them to like hire the next great coach. I do love how it can bring them some stability, then what was that?

SPEAKER_01 13:36

I said I do love how McMahon was the backup. Like, oh, if we can't get Will Wade, oh yeah, for new.

SPEAKER_03 13:41

We'll just keep with this guy.

SPEAKER_01 13:43

Yeah, tough, tough break for them. Tough break. But yeah, I'm with you. He wasn't he wasn't the answer long term, but I mean we'll see. It's got you know, he's a household name, a brand name, and I think that's what LSU fans need right now. I I have a question for you.

SPEAKER_03 14:00

Yeah, what is a better job? NC State or LSU? Because I actually think it's a really, really good question. It's a good debate topic. It is a good debate topic.

SPEAKER_01 14:19

I mean, do you always want to be in the shadow of football? Or do you want to be the guy? Of course. North Carolina is the second best basketball state in the country. That's what I was getting at. I think you have plenty of talent around you, and I'm pretty sure the AD and the NIL was getting pushed towards you. Oh, yeah. It was the first year, they were gonna spend. This year, I'm pretty sure they were gonna spend. You get the right guys, the guys that you want, and then you develop some of the people that you've recruited. I just I I think NC State's the better job, in my opinion.

SPEAKER_03 14:59

I think LSU is the better job, okay. But only because the ACC has been so weak in recent years. Okay, combined with the fact that the way college sports are going, there are two main conferences in it's Big Ten and the SEC. And so, yes, NC State might be a top five program in the world right now. Yeah, for sure. I mean football and basketball. Yeah, okay, the money, the sports that make money. Um, I mean the Big 12, though, basketball-wise, it's got to be 12 will never be a major player in football and basketball because they just don't have the money.

SPEAKER_02 15:42

Wow. The TV look at Arizona right now.

SPEAKER_03 15:46

No, dude, the TV deals speak for themselves. That Arizona's got a rich basketball history, they're always gonna be good at basketball. But the the Big Ten have so the Big Ten and the SEC have so much more money. There's a reason they're running the all of the meetings around the college football playoffs. There's a reason that Greg Sankey's at the forefront of trying to get the NCAA tournament expanded to 7-16 because he wants more of his teams in. Yeah, there's a reason that those two conferences are 16 and 18 teams, they're the two biggest conferences. They are going to run college sports moving forward. ACC teams like North Carolina, Florida State, Clemson, those teams, when they get out of their ACC deal in 2031, they are going to jump ship to one of those two conferences. Those are the two conferences to be in. And that's why I think LSU's just more stable as far as they're not leaving the SEC. They're going to be in the SEC. You know what to expect, you know, you know what your recruiting base looks like. You know you've got an athletic department that's committed to winning in every sport, which they've shown, down to like baseball. You know, gymnastics they're great at. It's just a great athletic school. Whereas NC State could be in flux in five years if the ACC breaks up, and you don't know, you don't know what the future looks like. Not that NC State's gonna be left left on the side of the road the same way that Washington State and Oregon State were because they got screwed. But NC State's not like they're not like a big dog in college sports.

SPEAKER_01 17:14

Do we think the ACC and Big East will join back?

SPEAKER_03 17:19

That'd be a massive conference.

SPEAKER_01 17:23

I mean, I wouldn't hate it.

SPEAKER_03 17:25

I wouldn't hate it.

SPEAKER_01 17:25

I wouldn't hate it either, honestly.

SPEAKER_03 17:27

If they cut like the bottom five big East teams and bottom five ACC teams and combine their yeah, that's what I want them to do. I'd be okay with that. Get rid of DePaul. I don't need to see DePaul play basketball anymore.

unknown 17:39

No, dude.

SPEAKER_03 17:41

They're bad every year, every year, no matter what.

SPEAKER_01 17:45

Man, geez, they really are, they really are. Uh, want to touch on some other coaching changes real quick. Um, Akron, they uh hired Dustin Ford, John Gross left for Charleston, so he's in at Charleston as Mac left to go to South Florida. What do you think of Mr. Chris Mack going to South Florida? Because I I feel like that was a great move for him and his coaching career.

SPEAKER_03 18:14

Yeah, he's had kind of an up and down coaching career in general, just because he was at Xavier, uh, which is you know, he was an alum of Xavier, took him to a one seed in the tournament, and then he left for Louisville, and everything went to hell at Louisville. Um, and then he was out of coaching for a couple years. He was on like the Field of 68 podcast. Really? Their network. Yeah, he was with them for a couple years. Interesting. And then got back into it at Charleston and Charleston, you know, they went 24-9 and a 21-11. Yeah, great coach. I mean, I think he's proven it over the years. Louis obviously a train wreck, but yeah, South Florida obviously committed to winning too. They've they've shown that over the past few years with Hodgson getting that big job at Providence. Um, I think that'll be a good fit.

SPEAKER_01 19:03

I was shocked that he left because South Florida's really pumping the money into their NIL for basketball and football. They're really pumping it.

SPEAKER_03 19:13

Yeah, the only thing is Providence is a rabid fan base for basketball, and it's a power five job, you know. Yeah, plus uh works out, yeah. Hodgson's from New York, so it makes sense. We don't want to get back to the Northeast.

SPEAKER_01 19:30

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, that does make sense. We talked about it a little bit before, David, but Ben Jacobson after 20 years in Northern Iowa finally leaves. He is out, and Kyle Green is in.

SPEAKER_03 19:46

So yeah, I mean, I don't really care who Northern Iowa hired, they are going to go into, they're gonna be irrelevant moving forward. Yeah. I think that was my main point when we talked about Northern Iowa and Ben Jacobson when they made the tournament was when you got a guy that that brings the culture, yeah, and is at your school for that long, you know what to expect. You know, they were at a high level pretty much every year he was there, whether they won the conference or not, and now he's out. Um, because he's taking a bigger job, and good for him, you know. Utah State, Utah State has seemed to be a job that's gonna get you a much better job within a couple years recently. Uh you know, you had Ryan Odom, uh, who's now at Virginia, Danny Sprinkles now at Washington, Jared Calhoun's now at uh Cincinnati. So all these guys were getting better jobs. Ben Jackson stuck it out at Northern Iowa. Now he's at Utah State. I hope he wins there and and gets a big job because he's still pretty young and he's been part of our lives since the Ali for Rickmanesh days.

SPEAKER_01 20:54

Yeah, it's pretty wild.

SPEAKER_03 20:56

It's just cool to see him get an opportunity like this.

SPEAKER_01 20:59

No, I'm with you. Let's hold it over to our first matchup of the final four, David. What a college basketball season it has been. But we are down at the final four teams. Our first matchup, it is in Indianapolis, Indiana, right in your own backyard, David. Yes, sir. So I know the atmosphere is gonna be popping. Indiana is such a basketball state, so awesome to be able to host it this year. Sad that we couldn't have any any Indiana universities in the Final Four, but as long as it's not Purdue, we are happy.

SPEAKER_03 21:33

So yeah, I was about to say our only opportunity there would have been Purdue.

SPEAKER_01 21:37

Yeah, so you know, they could have their all time assist banner, I guess, and no other championships. So, anyways, uh Illinois will be playing Yukon. Um, and it looks like that the fighting uh L and I are one and a half point favorites against the Huskies, David. Um, I can't go against Hurley in this one. At all. I think Hurley's NCA record speaks for itself. And yes, the nail biter against Duke. You can say it all you want. Oh, this Illinois team. This Illinois team is finally going to crash and burn at some point. They've shown it throughout the season. I know they are blazing hot right now with Wagler and other people, and I know you're going to be on Illinois for a Big Ten team to finally win it. Because you're a Big Ten homie like that. But I'm riding with Hurley.

SPEAKER_03 22:31

I hate Big Ten teams, just so we're aware. I would love to see the conference get a championship because it's been way too long. Yeah. But give me Connecticut. Yeah. Brad Underwood, great coach. This team, great team. They've got they've got a lot of versatility, a lot of good shooting. They got the big guys down low. I'm with you though. They have one, been playing a little bit out of their minds, just just playing really well, which they are a really good team. So you would expect them to play really well. Right. But their route to the Final Four also wasn't the hardest. They played a pen team. Then they played a VCU team who was coming off of a very emotional second half comeback against North Carolina. Don't talk about my I'm not going to say VCU is a bad team, but VCU talent-wise, I mean North Carolina should have beat them. North Carolina was up 20. North Carolina should have won.

SPEAKER_01 23:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 23:33

Then they played Houston in Houston, which you gotta give them all the credit there. But 100%.

SPEAKER_01 23:38

That is a good thing.

SPEAKER_03 23:39

You know what Houston's one problem is and always has been is the ability to put the ball in the basket. At times, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:50

And they they that night they couldn't put the ball in the basket. Well, they couldn't play lick a defense. They were getting blown up. Whatever. I think they played some pretty good defense that night. How much did Illinois have? 65. 65, 55. Oh, never mind then. You're right.

SPEAKER_03 24:09

Yeah, Illinois shot 46% from two and 39% from three. So they did make some threes. But um I mean, yeah, Houston wasn't what just wasn't scoring the ball. And then they played Iowa, a nine seed to get to the final four. So the route hasn't been that crazy. UConn's has obviously been much more difficult. Right. Um, UConn has a coach who's been there very recently, back-to-back national champions. They've still got guys from that team, Caravan. Yeah. I trust Hurley in this spot over Underwood all day.

SPEAKER_01 24:48

You know, I just I just don't know how you can go against this team. Like, I just I understand like Illinois and and everything that they're doing. I just after that that went oh man, I could so I guess oh you good? Wow, I'm alive. Holy smokes. Sorry, not editing that, but holy smokes, I almost died. Okay, how uh just choked. I'm like on what a lot of nasal stuff going on now, Jesus. Woo! Anyways, um Terrace Reed on a mission right now. What I what I worry about the Huskies, David, is if it's a really close game and they just decide to foul uh terrace read, he's 59 from the from the floor. Granted, the rest of them shoot really well from the free throw line. Caravan, you know, sell the ball, mullins, all these other guys are 80% uh for 80% free throw shooters, but they're you know they're big, they struggle. So like not gonna say it's gonna come down to that, but that is always something that I worry about with Yukon is their is their free throw percentage. But I mean the rest of their guards are able to shoot at a high clip, so it's not too concerning, but I do worry about that um for the Huskies at times with Terrace Reed because he just can't make free throw.

SPEAKER_03 26:12

I will say these two teams already played once this year, Yukon, Illinois, 74 to 61 in MSG. Terrace Reed was barely a factor in that game. That he was really it was really early in the season. He was uh I think he was injured at the time. Uh he was definitely injured early in the season. Uh he played 15 minutes, had two points. So if you can get all the guys around him to contribute the same way they did then and get him to be the guy he's been in this tournament, uh, I like you kind of lot here.

SPEAKER_01 26:44

Yeah, uh I'm with you on the Huskies. It's worrying me that we're we're agreeing on this. So it's a little bit definitely, yeah. No, I don't know what's gonna win.

SPEAKER_03 26:54

Yeah, we agreed that Houston was gonna beat them too.

SPEAKER_01 26:57

Yeah, true. We did. Um, Michigan, our next matchup, Michigan Wolverines are playing the Arizona Wildcats. The Michigan Wolverines are one and a half point favorite, David. Total sitting at 157 and a half. I think Linda Borg is gonna have the game of his life, Mr. Yaxel. I think if Michigan is gonna win this game, he has to command the ball and have an easy 30 and 10 type of game, maybe even 35 and 10. I just expect him to take over. This game, David, is really up in the air for me, though. This Arizona team, they they've been on an absolute tear, they haven't lost since um they dropped two in a row to Texas Tech. And I forget the other team. Um Big Monday. That's right, on Big Monday. Um, ever since then they've been rolling at the beginning of January. Uh I had you had asked me who my winner was, and I was, and I without a doubt said Michigan. So I I have to roll with them because of that, and they're still the pick that I had on my bracket to win it all. So I'm with the Wolverines. Um, but I think this game is gonna be an all-timer uh and in March Madness. I think this game is going to be a fantastic one, and I just see a late basket to win it um for Michigan.

SPEAKER_03 28:30

So yeah, I I I hope it's an all-timer because these are two all-time teams, and I think we deserve an all-time game from these teams.

SPEAKER_01 28:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 28:42

Um, the one thing that's always scared me with Arizona is when they get down, they don't shoot threes as often as other teams. So are they able to you know make up that ground? They showed against Purdue, they don't have to shoot threes, they could be down seven and a half, and they're gonna make up ground on you. So I'm not really that worried about that anymore. Obviously, Michigan has a bit more offensive firepower than Purdue, uh, I would say. Yeah, I think this game comes down to guard play, and that's why I like Arizona a lot. Okay. Michigan's got good guards, they don't have NBA caliber guards, all American caliber guards. They don't have their their talent, their their best talents all in the front court. And so I like Jaden Bradley and Bradenbury's to to lead Arizona to victory here. And I think Lindenborg's gonna have uh a good game. I think Cody Pete's a pretty pretty good guy to put on him on defense. Right, a big body, tough down low, gonna grab defensive rebounds. Not to mention the other guys for Arizona. You got Toby Owaka off the bench, yeah. You got Krivas down low, big boy.

SPEAKER_01 30:08

I mean I like Zona.

SPEAKER_03 30:11

And I hate to say it because that's no big 10 teams in the championship for me.

SPEAKER_01 30:15

Yeah, yeah, it would. It really would. That would suck. But um, yeah, their guards are definitely their weaker point of this Michigan team. If you look at their forwards and their centers, Mara and Lindeborg and Johnson, they lead they lead the team in almost uh every statistical cat category besides uh assist with with uh K do.

SPEAKER_03 30:41

Yeah, Elliot Cadot is uh or Cado. He's good, he can't shoot at all. Um, yeah, I guess he he was better this year. He shot 37%. Not terrible. Um, he also apparently had an allergic reaction to something today. I saw that not travel with the team to get that could affect that could affect so we we don't know any any details around that, but yeah, even if he's 90% instead of 100, it could have an impact in the in a game this big, in a game with this high stakes.

SPEAKER_01 31:11

I agree, I agree, man. No Big Ten teams in the championship. That would be that'd be quite sad, David. That'd be very, very sad after the years Big Ten has had.

SPEAKER_03 31:23

So yeah, and after having six of the 16 sweet 16 teams.

SPEAKER_01 31:29

Jeez, man, that'd be brutal. It would be that would be an all-time brutal B.

SPEAKER_03 31:37

Yeah, I don't know. I I want to see UConn win because I want to see UConn go up against either Michigan or Arizona. I think that's a better championship game. What do you think about the people who are saying the Michigan-Arizona game is the de facto national championship game? The winner of that is like basically guaranteed to win the national championship. That's how people are talking right now.

SPEAKER_01 32:02

If people are really saying that, they need to look up Dan Hurley.

SPEAKER_03 32:07

Exactly. I could not agree more.

SPEAKER_01 32:10

If you're really gonna start saying that, oh yeah, say that to a Dan Hurley team. That's what they want.

SPEAKER_02 32:16

Not to mention the fact that they just beat Duke, they just beat the number one overall seed. So if they can do that, they absolutely can beat these other two.

SPEAKER_03 32:26

Illinois, I kind of think that'd be a blowout if Illinois gets to the championship game.

SPEAKER_01 32:32

David, he's getting up there for me in like the argument of the greatest coach of all time.

SPEAKER_03 32:39

Yeah, I mean, there's definitely an argument to be made.

SPEAKER_01 32:42

Like if he wins this year, although, yeah, I mean, yeah, but before the first season was. No one was talking about Yukon, though. No one was talking about Yukon season that much, not this much. Everyone was talking about Michigan and high powered was Florida was on a run, and then also everyone was talking about Duke and the Boozer brothers, and then you had Zona. Everyone was talking about Zona. Michigan, I mean, no, UConn kind of came.

SPEAKER_03 33:06

We can't do this, we cannot do this. Slated as the fourth number one seed all the way up until they lost that game to Marquette on like the last day of the season. They were gonna be able to do that. That's what I mean, though.

SPEAKER_01 33:18

Everyone was writing them off because of that loss, though. They lost to Marquette, they're not worth anything. I guess yeah, they're not gonna beat Duke. Yeah, I mean, I I wrote them off. Yeah, hand up.

SPEAKER_03 33:32

Duke was a monster. Yeah, no, with you. I I just I hope they win because I don't think Illinois can compete.

SPEAKER_01 33:41

But he just brings that edge to his team. Like, how would you not want to play hard for that guy?

SPEAKER_03 33:50

Yeah, no, I agree. He's the exact type coach I would want.

SPEAKER_01 33:55

Like I would run through a brick wall for that man. I'd be so locked in, and that's why you see, like, yeah, he doesn't get the best players, he gets great players, but he doesn't get the absolute best ones like Duke has. And he just beat Duke. He did get the Indiana Mr.

SPEAKER_03 34:15

Basketball five-star.

SPEAKER_01 34:16

No, I know, like that he does get great players, but not he doesn't have the best recruiting class every year. But he finds guys that fits his system. Now, if any of basketball could be a quarter of that, be moving in the right direction.

SPEAKER_03 34:34

Hey man, portal opens here soon. Let's get moving.

SPEAKER_01 34:39

Gotta get moving, gotta get moving. We gotta get some people, man. We've gotta get some dogs in there. We've got to get some people who want to play. That was a big one. That was a start. Yes. He's the type of guys we want. So hopefully Dorne's back too, and then build from there.

SPEAKER_03 34:59

Scrap the rest. I said it. Well, there is no other guys, so well the itches, right? Huh? The itches. The the European guys we had on our bench, the itches.

SPEAKER_01 35:11

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. Risk Stitch and Yeah. I don't even know the other guy's name. Yeah, I mean, they played three minutes the whole season. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 35:20

Hey, we did lose Jason Drake today. That was a big loss, Jason Drake. Yeah, that guy was a monster in the zero minutes he played.

SPEAKER_01 35:27

Yeah, great, great minutes for us. Yeah. Great minutes for any of them basketball. You know, great minutes that he provided and the value he brought to that program. Yep. Yep.

SPEAKER_03 35:37

We're back next year, baby. Let's go.

SPEAKER_01 35:39

Yeah, there's always next year. You know, we're starting to be the Dallas Cowboys.

SPEAKER_03 35:42

Next year we're gonna be at the Final Four in where's it at next year?

SPEAKER_01 35:46

I don't know, Phoenix. It's always in some weird city. Detroit. Oh, right in your backyard still. Huh. Still, yeah. Then Vegas, then back in Indy. Oh, Vegas is an all-timer. That's an all-timer. That's in my backyard. Yeah, it is. Man, shoot. All right. Well, we we appreciate you guys listening, tuning in, watching. Give us a five-star review on Spotify. Would mean the world to us. We always appreciate your support. Go to YouTube, Five Arms and Like Fin, uh, subscribe. And also go to Instagram and X5LF podcast. Give us a follow. Engage with us on our comments of our reels. We'd love to hear from you guys. We'll see you in the next one. Peace.