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Speaker 1: The Big Bets on Campus Podcast podcast PODCA. All right,

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Speaker 1: here we go running the corn. Ten seconds remaining, so

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Speaker 1: it just goes throw up to the basket.

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Speaker 2: Under the basket. That's the true for the wind God,

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Speaker 2: a miracle.

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Speaker 1: Some water.

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Speaker 2: That one from a parking lot.

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Speaker 1: Welcome to the Big Bets on Campus Podcast.

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Speaker 3: This is part seven and the final episode of our

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Speaker 3: conference tournament preview series. It's been a marathon, but Duck

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Speaker 3: and I have been doing our part. Stucky and just

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Speaker 3: an ever expanding group of experts here at BBOC have

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Speaker 3: led you through the wilderness. We're going to finish here,

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Speaker 3: get through all thirty one conferences, and we've had a

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Speaker 3: bat blast sweating it out.

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Speaker 1: Some of it has been at the expense.

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Speaker 3: Of regular season champs Belmont, Navy, UNC, Wilmington, Central Arkansas,

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Speaker 3: all these teams that had the potential at least to

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Speaker 3: throw a scale into a highly rated team in the

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Speaker 3: Big Dance in the field of sixty eight.

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Speaker 1: They're all out. So I'll start there with you, Duck.

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Speaker 3: In terms of licking our wounds, I know that Navy

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Speaker 3: was personal for you. You did the right thing. You covered

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Speaker 3: up a little bit by taking some action on Lehigh

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Speaker 3: in the futures market, but just the end of that game.

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Speaker 3: And I'll also put it out there. I had Saint

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Speaker 3: Thomas to win the summit and I had Navy in

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Speaker 3: a moneyline parlay. Both teams had the ball, shot clock unplugged,

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Speaker 3: tie game, end of regulation, and somehow they lost in regulation.

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Speaker 3: They gave the you know the Navy score too quickly,

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Speaker 3: gives up basically the half court shot to Boston. You

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Speaker 3: and then Saint Thomas disastrous final possession where their guard

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Speaker 3: drives in dishes it no look back into the middle

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Speaker 3: of the defense, gives up a runout and they foul

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Speaker 3: zero point one seconds on the clock.

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Speaker 1: And they end up falling there. Just brutal time management.

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Speaker 3: We talked about it a lot in football, where you

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Speaker 3: can see the difference between the coaches that understand time

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Speaker 3: management and the coaches that do not. For basketball, it

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Speaker 3: seems like it should be even simpler, like if you're

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Speaker 3: tied and the shot clock is off and the other

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Speaker 3: team is not pressing, why are you putting yourself in

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Speaker 3: a position where you're not taking the last shot.

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Speaker 1: But that's the way it is at this time of year, Navy.

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Speaker 1: It's more forgivable. You had it in Begnanni's hands.

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Speaker 3: He's the player of the year. He's the guy who's

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Speaker 3: worked his way for that moment for four years. He's

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Speaker 3: a fighter pilot, all the story, the aura, everything, and

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Speaker 3: he scored.

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Speaker 1: He made it.

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Speaker 3: The only thing is that they were discombobulated because of

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Speaker 3: the speed in which he scored, and they just put

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Speaker 3: themselves in a position where they did not want to foul.

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Speaker 3: That's when you'll get the body language on the replay.

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Speaker 3: That's what was showing up more than anything for the middies. Additionally,

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Speaker 3: they didn't run the clock for like a dribble and

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Speaker 3: a half.

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Speaker 1: That wasn't great.

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Speaker 3: But at the end of it, I mean, I had

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Speaker 3: to go back and I'm sure you've been like this before, Duck.

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Speaker 3: I had to bring out my own stopwatch. He still

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Speaker 3: got the shot off even if they started the instant

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Speaker 3: that he touched it. All that being said of Belmont, UNC, Wilmington,

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Speaker 3: Central Arkansas and Navy money aside, I know that it

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Speaker 3: was a gut punch for you, which should have been

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Speaker 3: the right pick. You got Navy at what minus one

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Speaker 3: twenty a wonderful price. But of those four teams, which

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Speaker 3: ones are or which one, I should say, is the

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Speaker 3: one that you regret not making it to March Madness

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Speaker 3: the most.

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Speaker 2: I think it would have been really exciting to see

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Speaker 2: the Tommy's in there. I think Navy would have put

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Speaker 2: a real scare and do a three seed. As a fourteen.

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Speaker 2: I think Belmont losing the way that they did, you

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Speaker 2: saw this sort of apathetic nature at about the thirteen

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Speaker 2: minute mark in their regular season finale against Illinois State,

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Speaker 2: they had built a double digit lead, just could not

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Speaker 2: keep the momentum going, and that clearly spilled over to

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Speaker 2: their game against Drake. I mean, they were just so

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Speaker 2: ill prepared defensively, and we know that Belmont's defense is

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Speaker 2: not going to be exquisite. We just needed mid level

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Speaker 2: defense just can start contesting some shots. They could never

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Speaker 2: get over the hump and really regain control after they

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Speaker 2: went up seven points early and they just were chasing

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Speaker 2: and constantly behind and couldn't get shots to fall. I

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Speaker 2: thought Belmont was a very injurious team. They run such

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Speaker 2: a unique offense. Casey Alexander's been there before. I was

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Speaker 2: very surprised that they bowed out the way that they

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Speaker 2: did and getting blown out by a Drake team that

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Speaker 2: had lost nine in a row coming into the Missouri

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Speaker 2: Valley Tournament, very very disappointing for Belmont.

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Speaker 1: Two ideas that I have.

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Speaker 3: One, there's some conferences that we've seen the Sun Belts,

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Speaker 3: the extreme version of it, where you're giving teams, you know,

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Speaker 3: that red carpet all the way to the semifinals.

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Speaker 1: I love that. I take it one step further.

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Speaker 3: I want to incentivize the postseason structure because particularly when

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Speaker 3: you're playing on campus sites and you're not playing at

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Speaker 3: a neutral site that you have to worry about, you know,

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Speaker 3: leases or rentals or whatever they do to be able

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Speaker 3: to get those contracts. Why not have it be okay,

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Speaker 3: the number one seed gets a red carpet to the semis.

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Speaker 3: If they go undefeated in regular season play in conference,

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Speaker 3: they get an autoby to the championship game. I think

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Speaker 3: that would be a cool feature. I think it would

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Speaker 3: add even more juice into the regular season, giving more

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Speaker 3: emphasis on running the table. The second part of it,

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Speaker 3: and we're going to get into it with this IV

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Speaker 3: preview where Cornell is not the top team, but they

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Speaker 3: get to play on their home floor, a huge advantage

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Speaker 3: in that regard. I'd love to see conferences, particularly the

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Speaker 3: smaller low majors, really have some fun at the beginning

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Speaker 3: of the season and either come up with some kind

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Speaker 3: of tournament format or I'll even go crazier, how about

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Speaker 3: a three point shootout. Take every school's best three point shooter,

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Speaker 3: have a three point shooting competition, the winner gets the

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Speaker 3: home court for the conference tournament. Just putting it out there,

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Speaker 3: because it's clear you can make up any rules that

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Speaker 3: you want. And unfortunately, I think by you know, feeling

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Speaker 3: they needed to be you know, shackled to certain formats

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Speaker 3: or previous venues or whatever it is, they're leaving their

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Speaker 3: best teams on the sideline and not getting them to

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Speaker 3: the field of sixty eight. And that's really where you

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Speaker 3: get the massive exposure, the money for the brand, the

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Speaker 3: money for the conference to win those games in March madness.

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Speaker 3: So I think really every opportunity should be you know,

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Speaker 3: put on the table for some of these smaller leagues

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Speaker 3: have as much fun. I can certainly say as a

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Speaker 3: college basketball fanatic, if the MIAC or the Summit started

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Speaker 3: with you know, a one on one competition or a

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Speaker 3: three point shooting competition for home.

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Speaker 1: Court, that would be really cool, all right, enough for me.

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Speaker 1: Let's get into the conferences.

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Speaker 3: We're gonna start with the Mid American one that we

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Speaker 3: obviously loved throughout the entire season. And I'm just gonna

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Speaker 3: put a cap on this whole Miami of Ohio. Should

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Speaker 3: they be respected as and at large? Do they need

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Speaker 3: to win this? You know, their schedule was so weak.

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Speaker 3: I view it as it's almost like McDonald's analogy. The

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Speaker 3: Miami of Ohio story, to me is like a new

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Speaker 3: restaurant opening with no fanfare, and out of nowhere they

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Speaker 3: get a Michelin star. Everyone focused on the perfection. It's

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Speaker 3: amazing that we got that ten to one sect. I

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Speaker 3: gave it out here on the show on the Action Network.

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Speaker 3: For them to go undefeated in the regular season, that

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Speaker 3: was an all timer, you know.

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Speaker 1: Future for me, I'm gonna have it framed.

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Speaker 3: But that zero in the lost column I think has

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Speaker 3: covered up something else that's really obvious, which is they

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Speaker 3: played in so many close, so many fun, high scoring

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Speaker 3: thrillers throughout the entire season. We should be enjoying that.

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Speaker 3: I mean, even had Steel knocking over the DJ speaker.

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Speaker 3: You got the whole team MM and the Ohio student

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Speaker 3: section because they're throwing crap on the court like that

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Speaker 3: was absolute theater of you know, a plus plus variety

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Speaker 3: and it's just fun, Like, just embrace it.

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Speaker 1: I know this is a gambling show.

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Speaker 3: We're always going to give you the gambling angles, but

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Speaker 3: there's no reason to view this as something other than

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Speaker 3: something to be enjoyed. And I think the big contingent

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Speaker 3: of the Power Conference teams and fans, to me, they're

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Speaker 3: like McDonald's fans. They're like, Oh, your food's great, you

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Speaker 3: want a Michelin star, Well, what's your you know how

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Speaker 3: many people have you served, what's your annual revenue, what's

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Speaker 3: your ebitda, Like, I don't give a shit. I will

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Speaker 3: also eat a McDonald's. I'll have that big arch. I'll

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Speaker 3: eat it in a much more comprehensive fashion than their

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Speaker 3: CEO did, taking his little bites and calling it a

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Speaker 3: product and all that weird stuff. Like I'm not above

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Speaker 3: watching Auburn play or watching games just because I want

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Speaker 3: to see a five star kid or kid who's going

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Speaker 3: to play in the NBA. But this idea that Miami

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Speaker 3: of Ohio, all of their theatrics, the product that they

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Speaker 3: put on the court doesn't count because these guys aren't

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Speaker 3: going to be in the NBA and they weren't Ballyhoot

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Speaker 3: transfers or high school recruits. Is ridiculous, and I think

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Speaker 3: that's the beauty of you know, college sports. You have

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Speaker 3: no guarantees. Kevin Durant won one game in the NCAA

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Speaker 3: tournament year after year. He have future pros littering some

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Speaker 3: of these teams, and they go out early. So I'm

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Speaker 3: just I'm still confused why there's any pushback on this

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Speaker 3: Miami team.

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Speaker 1: All that being said, they're spence, They're drained. They did it.

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Speaker 3: They are in the record books, They're immortalized. This is

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Speaker 3: Akrons Tournament. The Zips are going to win this tournament

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Speaker 3: minus one p fifteen out of the market I played

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Speaker 3: up to minus one forty bucket. Their road is Buffalo,

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Speaker 3: who's down free Tag. I think it would be a

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Speaker 3: miracle if he comes off you know, the injured list.

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Speaker 3: He has a concussion, he hasn't played in weeks. Even

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Speaker 3: if he were to return, I think, you know, Buffalo's

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Speaker 3: just playing a water down version of Akrons basketball. They

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Speaker 3: want to be able to beat teams by scoring, and

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Speaker 3: they're not going to score more than the Zips. You know,

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Speaker 3: Akron beat them by nineteen and fifteen. Next up is

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Speaker 3: likely a kent Say team that wants to push tempo

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Speaker 3: just like Akron, but they're another version that's just not

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Speaker 3: as good as the Akron team, and they rely so

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Speaker 3: much on Gillespie to do it all, to do all

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Speaker 3: the dirty work. Well, Ackron crushed him both times that

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Speaker 3: they played. They totally neutralized him with Lyles held him

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Speaker 3: six points below his scoring average and four rebounds below

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Speaker 3: his rebounding average. So I think if that ends up

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Speaker 3: with a Miami against Akron title game, I think they're

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Speaker 3: going to finish the job.

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Speaker 1: They led by four at Miller at home.

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Speaker 3: Keep this in mind, with three thirty to go, they

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Speaker 3: just couldn't get across the finish line. And a big

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Speaker 3: element in that particular game was the hometown whistles for

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Speaker 3: the RedHawks. Thirty foul shots in that game. You're likely

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Speaker 3: not to see that again in a neutral site game.

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Speaker 3: This is going to be Tavari Johnson's introduction to the nation.

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Speaker 3: He's going to give them sixty plus across three games.

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Speaker 3: He's going to be a household name rolling into the tournament.

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Speaker 3: They'll probably be a twelve seed, and they'll be a

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Speaker 3: problem as a twelve seed. I think this is all Zips.

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Speaker 3: I tried to talk myself into Kents. I tried to

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Speaker 3: talk myself into Miami having pulled so many rabbits out

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Speaker 3: of their hat, but I think this one is I mean,

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Speaker 3: the national media went, oh wow, Miami's not even favorite

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Speaker 3: in this tournament.

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Speaker 1: They shouldn't be.

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Speaker 3: They're not as good as Akron, and I think Akron

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Speaker 3: should be closer than minus two hundred years. So anything

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Speaker 3: MIAs one forty or better. I think you got to

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Speaker 3: play the zips. What's your take on the Mid American

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Speaker 3: as a whole here, duck, Well.

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Speaker 2: Let's unpack Miami of Ohio. How far has the perception

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Speaker 2: of this sport come since the NIL era? The upset

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Speaker 2: minded teams or the cinderella stories were celebrated for so

231
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Speaker 2: many years in this tournament. We all remember the Vermont

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Speaker 2: team that beat Sarah Hughes or Bucknell upset in Kansas.

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Speaker 2: I mean, the list goes on and on and on.

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Speaker 2: There was a point in time in this sport where

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Speaker 2: Gonzaga was considered a Cinderella team, and we have an

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Speaker 2: opportunity to do that with Miami of Ohio, whether they

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Speaker 2: win this tournament or not. And people are up in

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Speaker 2: arms about Miami of Ohio getting in over a fifteen loss.

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Speaker 2: Auburn team or a team like New Mexico or potentially

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Speaker 2: Cincinnati or San Diego State teams that are in just a.

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Speaker 1: Jump in road. By the way, Evan Mia has already

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Speaker 1: quantified it.

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Speaker 3: He said, this is the weakest bubble of all time

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Speaker 3: in terms of the teams where they stack up wins

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Speaker 3: above the average bubble team all but the distance between

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Speaker 3: the teams on the bubble and the teams at the

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Speaker 3: top of the sport. He said, it's not even particularly close.

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Speaker 3: Twenty twenty six is the weakest year. So to have

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Speaker 3: a team with a week schedule like Miami run the table,

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Speaker 3: they should be totally protected.

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Speaker 1: They should be in a.

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Speaker 3: Consideration even with a loss here in Cleveland on the

253
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Speaker 3: niner of the ten line. Forget about having to play

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Speaker 3: a playing game of Dayton.

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Speaker 2: Sorry, go ahead, and you just look at cancommon to

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Speaker 2: the landscape of today. Nil is tearing these teams apart,

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Speaker 2: and Miami of Ohio stayed together to give it one

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Speaker 2: more run. These are people who grew up in the

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Speaker 2: program and matured and were developed here by Travis Steele

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Speaker 2: at Miami of Ohio. We should celebrate this bunch. They're

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Speaker 2: a good basketball team. Are they a team that's going

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Speaker 2: to the lead eight and is going to rip through

263
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Speaker 2: the bracket? I don't necessarily think so, but let's let

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Speaker 2: it play it out of the floor, right They have

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Speaker 2: not lost a single game. I think Miami of Ohio

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Speaker 2: deserves to get in regardless of what happens. With that said,

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Speaker 2: I don't have much to add here. Honestly, Akron is

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Speaker 2: the team that I bet to win this tournament. I

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Speaker 2: think that they are head and shoulders above everybody else.

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Speaker 2: You just go up and down the Akron lineup of

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Speaker 2: players that they have, Tavari Johnson, Amanie Lyles, the Mafi Brothers,

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Speaker 2: Shama Scott. There's so much talent with Akron. They're so

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Speaker 2: athletic and physical in the post, both on offense and defense,

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Speaker 2: and the path is clearly defined for them. Having to

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Speaker 2: line up against Buffalo without free tag should not be

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Speaker 2: much of a challenge. Kent State could in theory provide

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Speaker 2: a challenge, but Akron has handled Kent State twice. I

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Speaker 2: think you pencil Akron into the final, and it doesn't

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Speaker 2: matter who they play, they're going to be laying five

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Speaker 2: or six points. This is honestly a bargain here. This

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Speaker 2: is a situation where generally in these conference features, I'm

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Speaker 2: not wanting to lay odds, but this is one where

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Speaker 2: I think it's okay to. I even think at minus

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Speaker 2: one twenty minus one twenty five, where we're getting two

285
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Speaker 2: with Akron, you're still in a good spot. I can

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Speaker 2: see if you're a long shot player and you're trying

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Speaker 2: to take a flyer. Bowling Green at plus twenty two

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Speaker 2: hundred is miss briced. They're going to be in a

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Speaker 2: coin flip game with Toledo to open up. They can

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Speaker 2: beat Toledo, they can beat Miami of Ohio or UMass

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Speaker 2: whoever were to advance through on that other side. So

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Speaker 2: Bowling Green is a team where if you're wanting to

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Speaker 2: take a shot, I'm not advocating that they're going to

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Speaker 2: win this tournament, but they are miss priced at twenty

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Speaker 2: two to one Miami of Ohio. You look at their

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Speaker 2: path and it's a fairly difficult path. I mean, UMass

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Speaker 2: took these guys to the wire twice and that's who

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Speaker 2: they open up with and then you've got Toledo or

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Speaker 2: Bowling Green who can either one of them can put

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Speaker 2: a scare into Miami, Ohio. So I think Miami's path

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Speaker 2: is much more difficult. Akron has more top end talent.

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Speaker 2: They have a clear path to the final. Akron is

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Speaker 2: the play to win this tournament.

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Speaker 3: Here, all right, let's jump now to the A ten.

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Speaker 3: The elephant in the room there, obviously is Saint Louis's

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Speaker 3: drop off in the last two to three weeks. They

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Speaker 3: got to high as twenty fourth in Ken Palm, and

308
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Speaker 3: it was deserved, but they've gone three and three to

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Speaker 3: close the year, and that Dayton and Georgetown those games

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Speaker 3: they got drilled. I mean, this three and three finish

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Speaker 3: has them one hundred and ninetieth in Torvik since mid

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Speaker 3: February two hundred and forty seventh. In defense, they've been

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Speaker 3: super sloppy with the basketball now some of its shooting variants.

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Speaker 3: Opponents have been locked in from deep, making thirty eight

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Speaker 3: percent from three in the last six games. But I mean,

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Speaker 3: you need to keep in mind how different they are

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Speaker 3: today than they were. Let's call it the middle of

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Speaker 3: the season, because when they opened twenty four and one twenty,

319
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Speaker 3: first in torvic, thirtieth in adjusted defense, first in opponent

320
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Speaker 3: three point percentage twenty seven point six, and they led

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Speaker 3: the nation in effective field goal percentage on the offensive

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Speaker 3: end and north of.

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Speaker 1: Sixty one percent. And it's not as easy as saying.

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Speaker 3: You know, Canavila, you know, get it going again. As

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Speaker 3: themes you know, kind of plateaued as he leveled off

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Speaker 3: off the bench. This whole team has been in a

327
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Speaker 3: funk and from a playable perspective at plus one thirty,

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Speaker 3: not for me. I am not interested in taking a

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Speaker 3: team that is limping to the finish line here. So

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Speaker 3: before I get into my play and my sleeper, I

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Speaker 3: just want your thoughts on the Billikens.

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Speaker 1: Is it too late for them to get this turned around?

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Speaker 3: Because you know, when they opened in that first twenty

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Speaker 3: five game stretch, they looked like not only a team

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Speaker 3: that was going to get a six or seven out

336
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Speaker 3: of a league like the A ten, but they were

337
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Speaker 3: probably going to go to the second weekend. And now

338
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Speaker 3: I'm not even sure that they're going to make it,

339
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Speaker 3: you know, a win or more in the A ten tournament.

340
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Speaker 2: Yeah, the operation shod with slew man o man, this

341
00:15:01,520 --> 00:15:04,000
Speaker 2: team has shown some weakness over the last couple of weeks,

342
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Speaker 2: and it just appears that the horse and pony show

343
00:15:06,160 --> 00:15:08,400
Speaker 2: really doesn't look the same on the road. The defense

344
00:15:09,000 --> 00:15:11,520
Speaker 2: was just shredded by George Mason in a twenty nine

345
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Speaker 2: point loss on the road, and it's not the mojo

346
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Speaker 2: that I would want my team having going into the

347
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Speaker 2: conference tournament. I think we've seen with other mid major

348
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Speaker 2: one seeds like Navy, Wilmington, Belmont, even Etsu who's been

349
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Speaker 2: in dogfights every single game in the SoCon. I don't

350
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Speaker 2: want to be taking short odds with these guys right

351
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Speaker 2: now because it just doesn't look right. They could go

352
00:15:35,280 --> 00:15:38,560
Speaker 2: on a run in this tournament and easily dispatch either

353
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Speaker 2: George Washington or Fordham and then go on from there.

354
00:15:41,480 --> 00:15:43,920
Speaker 2: But I'm not wanting to bet on that this team

355
00:15:44,400 --> 00:15:47,560
Speaker 2: is very talented. I think they're well coached, but the

356
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Speaker 2: proof is in the pudding. It has not looked right

357
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Speaker 2: over the last six games. So I'm not interested at

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Speaker 2: the current price at Saint Louis.

359
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Speaker 3: Here I al's talk about seeh I am interested in

360
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Speaker 3: at the current price plus seven point fifty on the

361
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Speaker 3: Dayton Flyers. Let's go back to the season. The a

362
00:16:01,040 --> 00:16:04,040
Speaker 3: ten media poll. The league basically got pegged. I mean

363
00:16:04,080 --> 00:16:06,040
Speaker 3: it's just you know, flopping the order a bit. But

364
00:16:06,160 --> 00:16:08,960
Speaker 3: went VCU Saint Louis Dayton one two three. They were

365
00:16:09,000 --> 00:16:11,480
Speaker 3: the only three programs that had first placed votes from

366
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Speaker 3: the media. Dayton got as high as fifty nine in

367
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Speaker 3: Ken Palm, but then injuries in a four game losing

368
00:16:16,520 --> 00:16:19,680
Speaker 3: streak in January. It really appeared that their season was lost,

369
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Speaker 3: but then they won six straight.

370
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Speaker 1: They nearly made it seven, falling to VCU in the

371
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Speaker 1: regular season finale.

372
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Speaker 3: And amele Letongue has flashed some massive potential now that

373
00:16:27,800 --> 00:16:29,840
Speaker 3: he's healthy. He was in a walking boot earlier in

374
00:16:29,880 --> 00:16:32,040
Speaker 3: the year, took some time to get his minutes back

375
00:16:32,120 --> 00:16:34,800
Speaker 3: up get into game shape. He had forty three points,

376
00:16:34,880 --> 00:16:37,960
Speaker 3: twenty rebounds, eight assists and six stocks, and back to

377
00:16:38,000 --> 00:16:40,520
Speaker 3: back wins over Duquane and Saint Louis. I think that

378
00:16:40,600 --> 00:16:43,080
Speaker 3: was his coming out party. Javon Bennett has also found

379
00:16:43,080 --> 00:16:45,200
Speaker 3: a shooting stroke from deep and that's what's made them

380
00:16:45,280 --> 00:16:46,720
Speaker 3: much more dangerous offensively.

381
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Speaker 1: Now.

382
00:16:47,280 --> 00:16:49,720
Speaker 3: The path the reason why this is plus seven to

383
00:16:49,800 --> 00:16:52,280
Speaker 3: fifty and not closer to five to one, The path

384
00:16:52,320 --> 00:16:52,960
Speaker 3: is treacherous.

385
00:16:53,120 --> 00:16:53,880
Speaker 1: They likely got.

386
00:16:53,800 --> 00:16:57,400
Speaker 3: George Mason, Slew and then VCU. You know they they

387
00:16:57,400 --> 00:17:00,200
Speaker 3: got drilled. You know, they drilled George Mason at home

388
00:17:00,240 --> 00:17:03,000
Speaker 3: by fifteen, Slew by fifteen at home as well, and

389
00:17:03,040 --> 00:17:04,680
Speaker 3: it was a two point game with VCU with under

390
00:17:04,680 --> 00:17:06,800
Speaker 3: two to play last week. So I like how they're

391
00:17:06,840 --> 00:17:08,960
Speaker 3: playing right now, and I think in terms of the

392
00:17:08,960 --> 00:17:12,440
Speaker 3: apples to apples, it's just a question of do you prefer,

393
00:17:13,080 --> 00:17:16,199
Speaker 3: you know, at least one gimme game in a broader

394
00:17:16,240 --> 00:17:18,160
Speaker 3: tournament like this where you have to win at least

395
00:17:18,200 --> 00:17:20,119
Speaker 3: three or four games to cut down the nets, or

396
00:17:20,119 --> 00:17:22,520
Speaker 3: would you prefer a team that has proven at the

397
00:17:22,640 --> 00:17:25,639
Speaker 3: very top of you know, their ceiling in terms of play,

398
00:17:25,880 --> 00:17:27,959
Speaker 3: particularly in the last month, that they can get it done.

399
00:17:28,160 --> 00:17:30,919
Speaker 3: My only other reservation, Anthony Grant, has never made a

400
00:17:30,920 --> 00:17:33,800
Speaker 3: deep run in this tournament. He's not a great tournament coach.

401
00:17:34,040 --> 00:17:36,160
Speaker 3: I think they have all the pieces to get this done.

402
00:17:36,240 --> 00:17:38,879
Speaker 3: And now obviously there's no at large chances whatsoever they

403
00:17:38,920 --> 00:17:40,880
Speaker 3: got to cut down the nets to make the tournament.

404
00:17:41,440 --> 00:17:43,800
Speaker 3: But with the way Slew is playing, how competitive they

405
00:17:43,800 --> 00:17:45,640
Speaker 3: were with VCU, I think.

406
00:17:45,440 --> 00:17:48,280
Speaker 1: This is an opportunity for Dayton to get it done.

407
00:17:48,359 --> 00:17:50,680
Speaker 3: I think if you can sack as many of those

408
00:17:51,040 --> 00:17:53,399
Speaker 3: five to eight to one kind of tickets that you

409
00:17:53,480 --> 00:17:56,160
Speaker 3: really believe in a team's core fundamentals and you kind

410
00:17:56,160 --> 00:17:58,360
Speaker 3: of sprinkle that out and you know, mitigate your risk

411
00:17:58,400 --> 00:18:00,600
Speaker 3: and spread out that risk eventually to come out a

412
00:18:00,600 --> 00:18:03,359
Speaker 3: conference tournament week in the black. I'm hoping this is

413
00:18:03,400 --> 00:18:05,359
Speaker 3: one that gets me there. What are your thoughts on

414
00:18:05,400 --> 00:18:07,959
Speaker 3: the Flyers, A team that we were high on, then

415
00:18:08,000 --> 00:18:10,320
Speaker 3: we were low on, then we were unsure of where

416
00:18:10,320 --> 00:18:12,160
Speaker 3: do you come down on Brant and as Boys right now?

417
00:18:12,840 --> 00:18:14,960
Speaker 2: Yeah, and I'm interested to talk about my long shots

418
00:18:15,000 --> 00:18:17,720
Speaker 2: here coming up later on on the A ten, we'll

419
00:18:17,720 --> 00:18:19,720
Speaker 2: spend some time on that. But I had the exact

420
00:18:19,760 --> 00:18:22,040
Speaker 2: same notes written down for Dayton, a team that can

421
00:18:22,240 --> 00:18:24,320
Speaker 2: make a run. They won seven of nine games down

422
00:18:24,400 --> 00:18:27,520
Speaker 2: the stretch. They're getting healthier with l Tang, Malcolm Thomas,

423
00:18:27,680 --> 00:18:30,080
Speaker 2: Jordan Deurkhak all back in the fold. I mean, these

424
00:18:30,080 --> 00:18:32,520
Speaker 2: guys beat Saint Louis Farren square on February twenty fourth.

425
00:18:32,600 --> 00:18:34,800
Speaker 2: They wouldn't play VCU. They were swept by VCU, but

426
00:18:34,840 --> 00:18:38,200
Speaker 2: they wouldn't play VCU until the final. I absolutely think

427
00:18:38,240 --> 00:18:41,879
Speaker 2: that Dayton is trending in the right direction, and I

428
00:18:41,920 --> 00:18:44,480
Speaker 2: mean their health here, their profile is completely different than

429
00:18:44,520 --> 00:18:47,360
Speaker 2: when we saw them in mid January lose four games

430
00:18:47,400 --> 00:18:50,520
Speaker 2: in a row. I think Dayton is absolutely dangerous and

431
00:18:50,600 --> 00:18:53,520
Speaker 2: can I know that there's some concerns with Anthony Grant

432
00:18:53,800 --> 00:18:56,960
Speaker 2: and that is a very real thing in his coaching profile,

433
00:18:57,040 --> 00:19:00,480
Speaker 2: but I mean Dayton really has something to prove here.

434
00:19:00,520 --> 00:19:02,840
Speaker 2: I think that regular season didn't go very well here

435
00:19:02,880 --> 00:19:04,400
Speaker 2: in the middle of the season with all the turmoil

436
00:19:04,440 --> 00:19:06,760
Speaker 2: at the Flyers face, and now that they're healthier, they're

437
00:19:06,760 --> 00:19:09,240
Speaker 2: playing good basketball. I absolutely think that this is a

438
00:19:09,280 --> 00:19:11,280
Speaker 2: team that can And we didn't compare notes on this either.

439
00:19:11,280 --> 00:19:12,919
Speaker 2: By the way, I want to everyone listening in to know,

440
00:19:13,000 --> 00:19:15,440
Speaker 2: like we don't compare notes and just this isn't group think.

441
00:19:15,600 --> 00:19:17,560
Speaker 2: I had the exact same thing written down for Daton,

442
00:19:17,600 --> 00:19:19,440
Speaker 2: a team that I think is live in this tournament.

443
00:19:19,720 --> 00:19:21,040
Speaker 3: All right, we'll see if we can make this a

444
00:19:21,080 --> 00:19:24,640
Speaker 3: clean sweep and start in lieu of like a mind

445
00:19:24,680 --> 00:19:28,160
Speaker 3: meld or something like that. George Washington, they're my sleeper

446
00:19:28,280 --> 00:19:32,199
Speaker 3: sixteen to one the Revolutionaries. They have every potential outcome

447
00:19:32,200 --> 00:19:34,080
Speaker 3: on the table. They could lose to Fordham in the

448
00:19:34,080 --> 00:19:36,360
Speaker 3: second round. I wouldn't be shocked, or they could get hot,

449
00:19:36,440 --> 00:19:39,320
Speaker 3: grab every single offensive rebound in sight, and make a

450
00:19:39,400 --> 00:19:42,720
Speaker 3: run to the championship. Castro's return makes all of it possible,

451
00:19:42,960 --> 00:19:45,639
Speaker 3: and Slew as we mentioned, is no longer this unbeatable

452
00:19:45,680 --> 00:19:48,600
Speaker 3: foe in the quarters. They gave Florida a scare earlier

453
00:19:48,600 --> 00:19:50,240
Speaker 3: in the year. They only lost by ten, but it

454
00:19:50,280 --> 00:19:52,880
Speaker 3: was a single digit game. Late, they beat South Florida.

455
00:19:53,119 --> 00:19:55,480
Speaker 3: They nearly beat Saint Louis at their place, losing by

456
00:19:55,520 --> 00:19:58,000
Speaker 3: three at one of the most difficult, you know, mid

457
00:19:58,040 --> 00:20:00,560
Speaker 3: major venues to win at in the entire sport.

458
00:20:00,800 --> 00:20:03,880
Speaker 1: They've been close. They just need to get hot from three.

459
00:20:03,920 --> 00:20:06,720
Speaker 3: They had the shooters, but they absolutely need to have

460
00:20:07,080 --> 00:20:10,000
Speaker 3: at least back to back, you know, multi or double

461
00:20:10,040 --> 00:20:12,399
Speaker 3: digit three point games, I think to get there because

462
00:20:12,520 --> 00:20:16,040
Speaker 3: their offense can it can leave a lot to be desired.

463
00:20:16,080 --> 00:20:19,320
Speaker 3: That game against Dayton recently where they lost by two

464
00:20:19,440 --> 00:20:21,600
Speaker 3: at home, that was a spot that I thought they

465
00:20:21,600 --> 00:20:23,160
Speaker 3: were going to get across the finish line.

466
00:20:23,240 --> 00:20:25,040
Speaker 1: They couldn't knock down enough shots, So it's going to

467
00:20:25,080 --> 00:20:27,120
Speaker 1: come down to their shooters. But the fact that I have.

468
00:20:27,080 --> 00:20:30,880
Speaker 3: Castro back, he's arguably the best player in this entire league.

469
00:20:31,080 --> 00:20:34,840
Speaker 3: What he brings from rebounding and defensive perspective. I'd like

470
00:20:34,880 --> 00:20:36,600
Speaker 3: to see them get him a few more touches on

471
00:20:36,640 --> 00:20:38,240
Speaker 3: the low block, but he can create so much of

472
00:20:38,280 --> 00:20:40,800
Speaker 3: his own offense on the offensive glass. Sixteen to one,

473
00:20:40,920 --> 00:20:43,640
Speaker 3: it's priced to move. I'm in on GW, particularly if

474
00:20:43,640 --> 00:20:46,359
Speaker 3: we look back at Saint Louis Laisenegg in the quarters.

475
00:20:46,400 --> 00:20:48,080
Speaker 3: You're going to wish that you have sixteen to one

476
00:20:47,960 --> 00:20:49,280
Speaker 3: ticket on GW.

477
00:20:50,040 --> 00:20:52,280
Speaker 2: Very possible. They're actually eighteen to one at Caesars so

478
00:20:52,320 --> 00:20:54,920
Speaker 2: if you like and bet them there. And yet why

479
00:20:54,960 --> 00:20:57,399
Speaker 2: did they lose to Loyal Chicago at the end of.

480
00:20:57,359 --> 00:21:00,439
Speaker 3: The one of the stranger outcomes the entire year. I

481
00:21:00,520 --> 00:21:03,480
Speaker 3: don't know if it was a pure look ahead. I

482
00:21:03,520 --> 00:21:05,480
Speaker 3: have to look back at the math. I mean, I

483
00:21:05,600 --> 00:21:08,359
Speaker 3: believe it was impossible for them to move up in

484
00:21:08,440 --> 00:21:12,240
Speaker 3: terms of the rounds, so maybe they just mailed it

485
00:21:12,119 --> 00:21:14,080
Speaker 3: and still not a great look for a team that

486
00:21:14,200 --> 00:21:17,119
Speaker 3: needs momentum. You want to see them playing their best basketball.

487
00:21:17,280 --> 00:21:19,119
Speaker 3: I just think in terms of the five guys that

488
00:21:19,119 --> 00:21:21,560
Speaker 3: they're going to put on the court surrounding you know Castro,

489
00:21:22,400 --> 00:21:24,720
Speaker 3: this is the kind of team that I think can

490
00:21:24,760 --> 00:21:27,840
Speaker 3: surprise and grind out some wins and by being you know,

491
00:21:27,880 --> 00:21:30,760
Speaker 3: in a position to catch Saint Louis in their first game.

492
00:21:31,000 --> 00:21:32,760
Speaker 1: I think that also needs to be stated.

493
00:21:32,760 --> 00:21:34,760
Speaker 3: I think if Saint Louis gets it going and all

494
00:21:34,760 --> 00:21:36,400
Speaker 3: of a sudden, they're playing back to back to back

495
00:21:36,400 --> 00:21:38,840
Speaker 3: games and they start to feel good about themselves and

496
00:21:38,880 --> 00:21:41,240
Speaker 3: the offensive flow is back, then all of a sudden,

497
00:21:41,280 --> 00:21:43,280
Speaker 3: I think things could shift quickly for them. But if

498
00:21:43,320 --> 00:21:45,320
Speaker 3: you wanted to grab them, you want to play them

499
00:21:45,440 --> 00:21:47,359
Speaker 3: in that first game where they're coming off you know,

500
00:21:48,520 --> 00:21:51,040
Speaker 3: you know, essentially just warm ups and no game action

501
00:21:51,200 --> 00:21:51,960
Speaker 3: in more than a week.

502
00:21:52,520 --> 00:21:54,359
Speaker 2: Yeah, And that's the danger with the number one seeds.

503
00:21:54,359 --> 00:21:56,159
Speaker 2: We've seen that time and time again. It's not the

504
00:21:56,240 --> 00:21:59,240
Speaker 2: number one seed who wins a game early and then

505
00:21:59,320 --> 00:22:01,679
Speaker 2: falls later on. It's that very first game after a

506
00:22:01,720 --> 00:22:04,720
Speaker 2: significant rest a couple I'm looking at Saint Joseph's. They

507
00:22:04,720 --> 00:22:07,800
Speaker 2: were twenty two to one earlier in the weekend, down

508
00:22:07,880 --> 00:22:10,440
Speaker 2: to fifteen to one, but a team that went ten

509
00:22:10,480 --> 00:22:12,639
Speaker 2: and two down the stretch. They beat George Mason. They

510
00:22:12,640 --> 00:22:16,199
Speaker 2: struggled early in adjusting to life without Deuce Jones, but

511
00:22:16,280 --> 00:22:18,040
Speaker 2: really came on toward the end of the year. I

512
00:22:18,119 --> 00:22:20,360
Speaker 2: think this team can go to the Semis and they're

513
00:22:20,400 --> 00:22:23,160
Speaker 2: really being priced, although as if they can't. I look

514
00:22:23,160 --> 00:22:25,320
Speaker 2: at the Hawks. They play exquisite defense. They can really

515
00:22:25,400 --> 00:22:27,600
Speaker 2: do some things in the lane to frustrate their opponents.

516
00:22:27,800 --> 00:22:31,200
Speaker 2: These guys defeated all three of their potential quarter final

517
00:22:31,200 --> 00:22:33,679
Speaker 2: opponents recently, and they took VCU to the wire on

518
00:22:33,720 --> 00:22:35,960
Speaker 2: the road. I think Saint Joe's could get to the finals.

519
00:22:35,960 --> 00:22:38,240
Speaker 2: So fifteen to one, I'm in on them. But then

520
00:22:38,240 --> 00:22:40,960
Speaker 2: the other one we talked about briefly, George Mason forty

521
00:22:41,000 --> 00:22:42,800
Speaker 2: to one. This is a team that has wins this

522
00:22:42,920 --> 00:22:46,840
Speaker 2: season over each of the top three seeds. They've defeated Davidson,

523
00:22:46,920 --> 00:22:50,199
Speaker 2: George Washington. These guys can play. I don't want to

524
00:22:50,960 --> 00:22:53,639
Speaker 2: throw the baby out with the bathwater on George Mason.

525
00:22:53,680 --> 00:22:55,440
Speaker 2: These guys were eighteen and one at one point in

526
00:22:55,480 --> 00:22:58,720
Speaker 2: the season and there was large conversation being had about

527
00:22:58,720 --> 00:23:02,679
Speaker 2: the A ten and if George Mason was worthy of

528
00:23:02,680 --> 00:23:06,119
Speaker 2: at large consideration. That ship has sailed, but these guys

529
00:23:06,119 --> 00:23:08,480
Speaker 2: are very dangerous. I like that they'll get a tune

530
00:23:08,520 --> 00:23:11,680
Speaker 2: up game against LaSalle or Saint Bonnie before they play Dayton,

531
00:23:12,000 --> 00:23:14,760
Speaker 2: maybe they get a little positive momentum going into that quarterfinal.

532
00:23:14,800 --> 00:23:17,320
Speaker 2: About with the Flyers, I think George Mason is a

533
00:23:17,359 --> 00:23:18,480
Speaker 2: team that could win this whole thing.

534
00:23:19,040 --> 00:23:20,040
Speaker 1: I like the George Mason.

535
00:23:20,080 --> 00:23:23,760
Speaker 3: Look, it's just interesting that there's a bunch of teams

536
00:23:23,760 --> 00:23:26,320
Speaker 3: in this league that when you look at their stealing,

537
00:23:26,600 --> 00:23:28,560
Speaker 3: you say to yourself, this is a tournament team. This

538
00:23:28,680 --> 00:23:30,159
Speaker 3: is a team that deserves to get in as an

539
00:23:30,200 --> 00:23:32,800
Speaker 3: at large potentially. But you have to look at the

540
00:23:32,800 --> 00:23:34,760
Speaker 3: full body of work, whether it's injuries, whether there's a

541
00:23:34,800 --> 00:23:37,440
Speaker 3: cold streak, whether it was difficulty winning away from home.

542
00:23:37,720 --> 00:23:41,200
Speaker 3: There's obviously warts on every single team's resume. That's why

543
00:23:41,240 --> 00:23:44,120
Speaker 3: I'm a bit surprised that there's eighteen to ones on

544
00:23:44,240 --> 00:23:47,199
Speaker 3: GW What did you say, forty to one on George Mason.

545
00:23:47,520 --> 00:23:50,720
Speaker 1: I think that's mispriced, just flat out. I think that's.

546
00:23:50,880 --> 00:23:53,840
Speaker 3: Basically trying to paint this league as a top three

547
00:23:53,920 --> 00:23:55,840
Speaker 3: league only in terms of the teams that can win it,

548
00:23:55,960 --> 00:23:57,720
Speaker 3: and I don't see it that way, particularly the way

549
00:23:57,720 --> 00:24:00,760
Speaker 3: that the bracket shook out. All right, look at the

550
00:24:00,800 --> 00:24:04,120
Speaker 3: IVY League, that's a lot easier to preview because there's

551
00:24:04,160 --> 00:24:07,080
Speaker 3: only four they're going to be playing on Cornell's campus.

552
00:24:07,359 --> 00:24:10,800
Speaker 3: Yale the favorite minus one twenty five, Cornell plus two eighty,

553
00:24:11,119 --> 00:24:14,520
Speaker 3: Harvard close to five to one, Penn seven to one.

554
00:24:15,000 --> 00:24:17,560
Speaker 3: The interesting thing right off the bat, you know, back

555
00:24:17,560 --> 00:24:19,480
Speaker 3: in the good old days of the ancient eight, Yale

556
00:24:19,680 --> 00:24:21,920
Speaker 3: takes the autobid. They won the regular season. They don't

557
00:24:21,920 --> 00:24:23,520
Speaker 3: have to sweat this out. They you know, won the

558
00:24:23,520 --> 00:24:26,639
Speaker 3: regular season by full game over Harvard. But now they

559
00:24:26,720 --> 00:24:28,520
Speaker 3: have to win twice. They have to do it on

560
00:24:28,560 --> 00:24:31,600
Speaker 3: the road, and starting against Cornell on their home floor.

561
00:24:32,200 --> 00:24:34,040
Speaker 3: This is a big red team that just beat them

562
00:24:34,119 --> 00:24:37,600
Speaker 3: seventy two sixty nine in Ithaca, and Cornell has the

563
00:24:37,640 --> 00:24:40,360
Speaker 3: makeup of a perfect Cinderella. They shoot forty percent from

564
00:24:40,400 --> 00:24:42,640
Speaker 3: three point range. In IVY League play. They make over

565
00:24:42,680 --> 00:24:44,919
Speaker 3: twelve triples per game. So right off the bat, if

566
00:24:44,960 --> 00:24:47,280
Speaker 3: I'm playing Yale, I'm sweating, which is not what you

567
00:24:47,320 --> 00:24:49,359
Speaker 3: want to be, you know, laying juice with a favorite

568
00:24:49,400 --> 00:24:51,840
Speaker 3: in a tournament. They get Cornell, then they get the winner,

569
00:24:51,880 --> 00:24:54,560
Speaker 3: obviously a Penn in Harvard. Harvard beat Yale on their

570
00:24:54,560 --> 00:24:57,359
Speaker 3: home floor sixty seven sixty five, and that was on

571
00:24:57,400 --> 00:24:59,440
Speaker 3: the back of a monster night from Robert Henson. Who

572
00:24:59,640 --> 00:25:01,639
Speaker 3: is the best guard in the IVY and is a

573
00:25:01,640 --> 00:25:04,920
Speaker 3: matchup problem because he's also someone who rebounds extraordinarily well

574
00:25:04,920 --> 00:25:06,879
Speaker 3: for his position at six foot five. He gets in

575
00:25:06,880 --> 00:25:09,320
Speaker 3: the lane, he gets you know, on the glass, he

576
00:25:09,359 --> 00:25:11,959
Speaker 3: does really anything he needs to to be able to

577
00:25:12,000 --> 00:25:15,080
Speaker 3: propel this Crimson team over the top. And if it

578
00:25:15,119 --> 00:25:17,560
Speaker 3: happens to be Penn, by the way, Penn has played

579
00:25:17,600 --> 00:25:20,080
Speaker 3: really well with Ethan Roberts back at full health. They

580
00:25:20,160 --> 00:25:22,560
Speaker 3: beat the Crimson by three at home. They lost by

581
00:25:22,680 --> 00:25:25,199
Speaker 3: just one in Cambridge, and they gave Yale a hell

582
00:25:25,240 --> 00:25:28,480
Speaker 3: of a game, losing seventy four to seventy in New Haven.

583
00:25:28,640 --> 00:25:31,920
Speaker 3: So I hate Yale, straw, I can't bet them. I'm

584
00:25:31,920 --> 00:25:34,080
Speaker 3: gonna go Harvard in this one, just value alone. I

585
00:25:34,119 --> 00:25:36,359
Speaker 3: think I have the best guard. I have kind of

586
00:25:36,359 --> 00:25:41,720
Speaker 3: this weird happenstance where Yale was immediately disadvantaged in the semifinal.

587
00:25:41,880 --> 00:25:43,520
Speaker 3: So if I can get five to one, I'd even

588
00:25:43,520 --> 00:25:45,600
Speaker 3: probably play it at you know, nine to two, I'm

589
00:25:45,600 --> 00:25:46,479
Speaker 3: going to go to the Crimson.

590
00:25:46,880 --> 00:25:48,679
Speaker 2: Yeah, there's not a lot of value in Yale as

591
00:25:48,720 --> 00:25:50,679
Speaker 2: there on the road for a true road game. In

592
00:25:50,720 --> 00:25:54,080
Speaker 2: the opener against Cornell, excuse me, Cornell, and Yale just

593
00:25:54,119 --> 00:25:57,960
Speaker 2: has not looked as dominant in recent since the win

594
00:25:58,040 --> 00:26:01,440
Speaker 2: on the road against Howard where they complete escaped Washington, DC.

595
00:26:01,560 --> 00:26:05,000
Speaker 2: They were so unbelievably fortunate to get that win. The

596
00:26:05,040 --> 00:26:08,480
Speaker 2: Bulldogs have had three separate two possession wins. They just

597
00:26:08,640 --> 00:26:11,680
Speaker 2: lost on this floor last week against Cornell. They struggled

598
00:26:11,680 --> 00:26:14,520
Speaker 2: with Harvard and Penn, winning by one in four points respectively.

599
00:26:15,000 --> 00:26:16,880
Speaker 2: I just don't think Yale is a shoe in here,

600
00:26:16,920 --> 00:26:19,159
Speaker 2: and they're priced as if they're a shoe into the final.

601
00:26:19,440 --> 00:26:22,359
Speaker 2: If you do like Yale, I recommend a money line

602
00:26:22,440 --> 00:26:25,200
Speaker 2: rollover because they're projected to be laying about three and

603
00:26:25,240 --> 00:26:27,080
Speaker 2: a half or four, so that's a minus one to

604
00:26:27,200 --> 00:26:30,080
Speaker 2: ninety on the money line, and then probably a minus

605
00:26:30,080 --> 00:26:32,000
Speaker 2: two to twenty in the final, which comes out to

606
00:26:32,040 --> 00:26:34,800
Speaker 2: plus one to eighteen. So don't take the futures price

607
00:26:34,840 --> 00:26:37,040
Speaker 2: here in layodds, get a money line rollover and get

608
00:26:37,080 --> 00:26:39,920
Speaker 2: yourself a number that starts with a plus sign on Yale.

609
00:26:40,480 --> 00:26:43,080
Speaker 2: Interesting there's some dichotomy in the pricing here because if

610
00:26:43,119 --> 00:26:45,680
Speaker 2: you look at some of the books, Cornell is two

611
00:26:45,720 --> 00:26:47,760
Speaker 2: eighty five or three point thirty, But if you go

612
00:26:47,800 --> 00:26:50,560
Speaker 2: to MGM Cornell is plus five seventy five. So if

613
00:26:50,600 --> 00:26:54,160
Speaker 2: you like Cornell, bet it there. And Cornell is such

614
00:26:54,200 --> 00:26:57,280
Speaker 2: an interesting team because again they host the tournament. They

615
00:26:57,280 --> 00:26:59,840
Speaker 2: play blazing fast tempo. They could put a real scare

616
00:26:59,840 --> 00:27:01,760
Speaker 2: in to the Bulldogs like we just saw them.

617
00:27:01,640 --> 00:27:02,359
Speaker 1: Do last week.

618
00:27:02,680 --> 00:27:05,240
Speaker 2: These guys scored one hundred and eleven points on their

619
00:27:05,840 --> 00:27:08,800
Speaker 2: on their home floor in the season finale against Dartmouth,

620
00:27:09,440 --> 00:27:11,239
Speaker 2: and they're gonna let it rip from deep. More than

621
00:27:11,240 --> 00:27:13,320
Speaker 2: half their shots are gonna come from three point range.

622
00:27:13,600 --> 00:27:15,479
Speaker 2: They've got four shooters on the floor at any one

623
00:27:15,480 --> 00:27:17,520
Speaker 2: point in time who can bury it from the from three.

624
00:27:17,640 --> 00:27:20,359
Speaker 2: They're just very, very dangerous. They give up points in bunches,

625
00:27:20,400 --> 00:27:22,800
Speaker 2: so it can make for a scary watch. But if

626
00:27:22,800 --> 00:27:25,960
Speaker 2: the three ball is falling for Cornell, they could absolutely

627
00:27:26,000 --> 00:27:28,560
Speaker 2: win this whole thing. The other thing that I will

628
00:27:28,560 --> 00:27:31,399
Speaker 2: say is Harvard is as high as plus four to

629
00:27:31,440 --> 00:27:34,040
Speaker 2: eighty in some spots, So get the best number on

630
00:27:34,080 --> 00:27:36,080
Speaker 2: the Crimson. Don't take a three hundred or a three

631
00:27:36,119 --> 00:27:38,439
Speaker 2: to fifty, go get that four to eighty. Harvard has

632
00:27:38,480 --> 00:27:41,360
Speaker 2: the best defense in this conference. They've got the highest

633
00:27:41,480 --> 00:27:44,120
Speaker 2: rating and effective field goal percentage from two to three

634
00:27:44,160 --> 00:27:47,240
Speaker 2: point range on defense, they're a strong room protecting defense,

635
00:27:47,280 --> 00:27:49,760
Speaker 2: which the IVY League is not normally equipped with. They

636
00:27:49,800 --> 00:27:52,320
Speaker 2: just have no bench. They hardly play anyone outside of

637
00:27:52,320 --> 00:27:54,560
Speaker 2: the starting five, and so in a back to back

638
00:27:54,600 --> 00:27:57,159
Speaker 2: situation where you're going to have to win, win the

639
00:27:57,200 --> 00:28:00,399
Speaker 2: second half, and win the last ten minutes of the

640
00:28:00,440 --> 00:28:03,040
Speaker 2: second half in the championship game, I worry about the

641
00:28:03,080 --> 00:28:06,879
Speaker 2: depth for Harvard and lastly Penn. I mean, you look

642
00:28:06,920 --> 00:28:10,080
Speaker 2: at a team that's plus seven to fifty and they're

643
00:28:10,080 --> 00:28:11,920
Speaker 2: the hottest team in the IVY League. They have won

644
00:28:12,000 --> 00:28:14,639
Speaker 2: seven out of eight down the stretch. They had a

645
00:28:14,640 --> 00:28:17,480
Speaker 2: four point loss against Yale that was sandwiched in there.

646
00:28:17,840 --> 00:28:20,119
Speaker 2: But it's a hot shooting team. The defense forces a

647
00:28:20,119 --> 00:28:22,560
Speaker 2: bunch of turnovers. It's a widely variant team that has

648
00:28:22,600 --> 00:28:27,399
Speaker 2: widely variant outcomes. I'm not certain that Penn can threaten Yale,

649
00:28:27,480 --> 00:28:29,760
Speaker 2: but they've got the fran factor and they can certainly

650
00:28:29,800 --> 00:28:32,919
Speaker 2: threaten Cornell, who they swept in the regular season. So

651
00:28:34,600 --> 00:28:37,840
Speaker 2: any one of the three, Harvard, Penn, Cornell, I think

652
00:28:37,880 --> 00:28:40,200
Speaker 2: there's value. You got to really dive in and see

653
00:28:40,200 --> 00:28:42,720
Speaker 2: which one is the better. I don't mind Harvard because

654
00:28:42,720 --> 00:28:44,560
Speaker 2: they have the best defense. I also think Cornell is

655
00:28:44,640 --> 00:28:47,080
Speaker 2: dangerous because they're at home, but Penn at plus seven

656
00:28:47,120 --> 00:28:49,280
Speaker 2: to fifty is being priced like they just can't compete,

657
00:28:49,280 --> 00:28:50,040
Speaker 2: and I think they can.

658
00:28:50,480 --> 00:28:52,760
Speaker 1: All right, let's turn to the Mountain West a few things.

659
00:28:52,760 --> 00:28:54,480
Speaker 3: A note about the Mountain West right off the top,

660
00:28:54,680 --> 00:28:57,080
Speaker 3: they finished eighth out of thirty one conferences in terms

661
00:28:57,080 --> 00:28:59,640
Speaker 3: of home team win percentage at sixty two percent in

662
00:28:59,640 --> 00:29:03,480
Speaker 3: those conference games. Altitude matters great home court advantages, and

663
00:29:03,520 --> 00:29:05,680
Speaker 3: that was only improved by the addition of Grand Canyon

664
00:29:05,680 --> 00:29:07,720
Speaker 3: in the league this year. And the one stat that

665
00:29:07,840 --> 00:29:11,600
Speaker 3: really popped to me, they finished second in blowout percentage

666
00:29:11,640 --> 00:29:13,840
Speaker 3: of conference games, with nearly twenty two percent of their

667
00:29:13,840 --> 00:29:16,840
Speaker 3: games ending in blowouts of nineteen points or more.

668
00:29:16,920 --> 00:29:17,960
Speaker 1: That was the second most.

669
00:29:17,800 --> 00:29:20,840
Speaker 3: Blowout heavy league out of the thirty one across the sport.

670
00:29:21,400 --> 00:29:23,600
Speaker 3: And then let's just talk about the top teams here.

671
00:29:23,680 --> 00:29:27,560
Speaker 3: Grand Canyon special on defense eighteenth nationally, Utah State Special

672
00:29:27,600 --> 00:29:30,920
Speaker 3: on offense twenty fifth nationally. New Mexico super balanced, and

673
00:29:30,960 --> 00:29:33,360
Speaker 3: only one really bad loss the entire year. Soon New

674
00:29:33,400 --> 00:29:36,000
Speaker 3: Mexico State under Eric Olin, you know, coming over from

675
00:29:36,080 --> 00:29:39,200
Speaker 3: UC San Diego, bringing that magic San Diego State defense

676
00:29:39,240 --> 00:29:41,800
Speaker 3: the rim so well with Gwothe. Then they turned you know,

677
00:29:41,840 --> 00:29:43,960
Speaker 3: they turn you over at a super high rate. But

678
00:29:44,040 --> 00:29:46,360
Speaker 3: they were on the road. They just couldn't get it

679
00:29:46,360 --> 00:29:48,640
Speaker 3: together and have any real wins in the last six

680
00:29:48,640 --> 00:29:52,800
Speaker 3: weeks or so away from you know, Viejas Arena that

681
00:29:52,840 --> 00:29:54,200
Speaker 3: impressed me or moved me at all.

682
00:29:54,600 --> 00:29:56,600
Speaker 1: Now, the Lobos were swept.

683
00:29:56,200 --> 00:29:58,480
Speaker 3: By Boise this year, so there could be an early

684
00:29:58,920 --> 00:30:02,000
Speaker 3: upset there in the quarters. Colorado State also finished strong,

685
00:30:02,040 --> 00:30:04,360
Speaker 3: so I'd worry about San Diego State in the quarters

686
00:30:04,400 --> 00:30:07,160
Speaker 3: as well. There's some top teams that I think, you know,

687
00:30:07,240 --> 00:30:09,320
Speaker 3: I wouldn't I wouldn't even blink if both of those

688
00:30:09,360 --> 00:30:11,960
Speaker 3: teams got knocked out early. Looking at the top of

689
00:30:12,000 --> 00:30:15,920
Speaker 3: the bracket, though, i'd need six to one on the Lopes,

690
00:30:16,120 --> 00:30:18,560
Speaker 3: and it finally got there. I believe it's Caesars, So

691
00:30:18,560 --> 00:30:20,520
Speaker 3: I'm going to go in on Grant Canyon at that number.

692
00:30:20,560 --> 00:30:21,440
Speaker 1: I love their defense.

693
00:30:21,560 --> 00:30:24,000
Speaker 3: They're coaching with Bryce Drew Henley is a great go

694
00:30:24,080 --> 00:30:25,520
Speaker 3: to scorer when he's attacking the rim.

695
00:30:25,520 --> 00:30:27,080
Speaker 1: When he doesn't fall in love with his.

696
00:30:27,040 --> 00:30:29,400
Speaker 3: Jump shot and just puts his head down, gets the

697
00:30:29,480 --> 00:30:32,080
Speaker 3: line a lot. And their X factor is the former

698
00:30:32,240 --> 00:30:34,840
Speaker 3: lou Henson Mid Major Player of the Year in Brian

699
00:30:34,880 --> 00:30:38,000
Speaker 3: Moore junior, who came over from Norfolk State. He was

700
00:30:38,080 --> 00:30:41,600
Speaker 3: trying to figure out for much of the season, how

701
00:30:41,640 --> 00:30:44,440
Speaker 3: do I fit into this rotation? Am I the primary

702
00:30:44,440 --> 00:30:46,760
Speaker 3: ball handler? At times? Am I just feeding it to

703
00:30:46,800 --> 00:30:49,240
Speaker 3: Henley who's playing so well? Do I start to take

704
00:30:49,240 --> 00:30:52,040
Speaker 3: over a little bit? He's a great shooter. He's somebody

705
00:30:52,040 --> 00:30:54,240
Speaker 3: who shoots over forty percent from three.

706
00:30:54,320 --> 00:30:55,400
Speaker 1: He's a complete player.

707
00:30:55,560 --> 00:30:58,520
Speaker 3: He distributes, he rebounds well for his position, rarely makes

708
00:30:58,560 --> 00:31:00,000
Speaker 3: the wrong decision with the ball, and late in the

709
00:31:00,600 --> 00:31:03,280
Speaker 3: I think it finally all clicked. You saw three games,

710
00:31:03,320 --> 00:31:05,160
Speaker 3: I believe in his last four or five where it

711
00:31:05,240 --> 00:31:06,240
Speaker 3: went for double digits.

712
00:31:06,400 --> 00:31:07,920
Speaker 1: They split with Utah State.

713
00:31:08,200 --> 00:31:09,600
Speaker 3: So I don't think there's gonna be much of a

714
00:31:09,640 --> 00:31:11,680
Speaker 3: fear factor going up against the Aggies if they do

715
00:31:11,800 --> 00:31:14,920
Speaker 3: meet them in this tournament. I'm in on GCU here.

716
00:31:15,120 --> 00:31:17,360
Speaker 3: I think they have the guard play to get this done.

717
00:31:17,480 --> 00:31:19,040
Speaker 3: This is the time of year when you want to

718
00:31:19,080 --> 00:31:21,400
Speaker 3: hang your hat on guards. They can just take over.

719
00:31:21,800 --> 00:31:24,360
Speaker 3: That's what I see here. I don't mind them having to.

720
00:31:24,720 --> 00:31:27,160
Speaker 3: You know, lockhorns with Utah State earlier and not just

721
00:31:27,200 --> 00:31:29,040
Speaker 3: meeting them in the final. So I'm gonna go hit

722
00:31:29,120 --> 00:31:32,000
Speaker 3: here at six to one, walk me through who you

723
00:31:32,040 --> 00:31:34,720
Speaker 3: think is gonna win it, who you think is misspriced,

724
00:31:34,960 --> 00:31:37,440
Speaker 3: and of these top teams, which one are you most

725
00:31:37,480 --> 00:31:39,840
Speaker 3: fearful to even get a single win in this tournament?

726
00:31:40,960 --> 00:31:42,840
Speaker 2: You know, it just seems like everybody at the top

727
00:31:42,880 --> 00:31:45,320
Speaker 2: of the league is playing their worst basketball of the season.

728
00:31:45,440 --> 00:31:48,520
Speaker 2: Utah State has lost three out of five to close

729
00:31:48,560 --> 00:31:52,000
Speaker 2: the regular season. San Diego State has lost four out

730
00:31:52,000 --> 00:31:54,640
Speaker 2: of five. No New Mexico has lost games. I mean,

731
00:31:54,640 --> 00:31:57,480
Speaker 2: it's just these top three teams are playing their worst

732
00:31:57,520 --> 00:32:01,080
Speaker 2: basketball down the stretch. This is a tournament that has

733
00:32:01,120 --> 00:32:04,080
Speaker 2: had some wacky stuff happen in the past. We've seen

734
00:32:04,120 --> 00:32:06,760
Speaker 2: teams come out of nowhere to make deep runs. It

735
00:32:06,800 --> 00:32:08,800
Speaker 2: was not that long ago that the Mountain West was

736
00:32:08,840 --> 00:32:10,760
Speaker 2: considered to be a three bid league, and I don't

737
00:32:10,760 --> 00:32:12,560
Speaker 2: think we're going to see anywhere close to that get

738
00:32:12,560 --> 00:32:15,400
Speaker 2: into the NCAA Tournament, A far cry from where this

739
00:32:15,760 --> 00:32:19,280
Speaker 2: great basketball league once was. I don't have any interest

740
00:32:19,320 --> 00:32:23,200
Speaker 2: at current in Utah State, San Diego State, or New Mexico.

741
00:32:23,280 --> 00:32:25,920
Speaker 2: Because of that. You really make a good case for

742
00:32:25,960 --> 00:32:28,480
Speaker 2: Grand Canyon. I mean, these guys were able to absolutely

743
00:32:29,200 --> 00:32:31,800
Speaker 2: eat San Diego State alive on the boards in the

744
00:32:31,800 --> 00:32:33,840
Speaker 2: second meeting on the road, and that was with the

745
00:32:33,880 --> 00:32:37,320
Speaker 2: Aztecs getting Magoon Guathe back in the fold. Grand Canyon

746
00:32:37,360 --> 00:32:41,800
Speaker 2: can defend their patient offensively. Frankly, the path ain't bad

747
00:32:41,800 --> 00:32:43,840
Speaker 2: for them either. So I look at a split with

748
00:32:43,960 --> 00:32:46,640
Speaker 2: Utah State. They took them to the wire and the loss,

749
00:32:46,960 --> 00:32:49,720
Speaker 2: Grand Canyon will have a chance here. Another team that

750
00:32:49,720 --> 00:32:52,400
Speaker 2: I think is interesting as Boise State. They're plus seven

751
00:32:52,440 --> 00:32:54,640
Speaker 2: eighty five at Caesars at the best price. I found

752
00:32:55,080 --> 00:32:57,120
Speaker 2: just a real hot team right now. They've won five

753
00:32:57,160 --> 00:32:59,400
Speaker 2: in a row to close out the regular season, and

754
00:32:59,440 --> 00:33:02,760
Speaker 2: they've won a eleven out of fourteen games since January sixteenth.

755
00:33:03,080 --> 00:33:05,720
Speaker 2: I think the draw sets up really nicely for Boise State.

756
00:33:06,480 --> 00:33:10,360
Speaker 2: They get a first round matchup with San Jose State.

757
00:33:11,400 --> 00:33:15,600
Speaker 2: They then match up against New Mexico, who, I apologize

758
00:33:15,600 --> 00:33:17,520
Speaker 2: to our producer David the Lobos seemed to be in

759
00:33:17,560 --> 00:33:20,280
Speaker 2: free fall right now, and that would set up a

760
00:33:20,320 --> 00:33:23,560
Speaker 2: potential semi final with San Diego State, who is playing

761
00:33:23,640 --> 00:33:26,680
Speaker 2: terrible basketball right now. I think it sets up well

762
00:33:26,720 --> 00:33:29,360
Speaker 2: for Boise State to potentially make a deep run but

763
00:33:29,400 --> 00:33:31,560
Speaker 2: there's another interesting team out there at eighty to one

764
00:33:31,600 --> 00:33:34,720
Speaker 2: over at MGM Wyoming. I think this is a dangerous bunch,

765
00:33:34,760 --> 00:33:37,880
Speaker 2: one that underperformed all season and is really flying under

766
00:33:37,880 --> 00:33:41,400
Speaker 2: the radar. Wyoming beat UNLV during the regular season, and

767
00:33:41,440 --> 00:33:43,760
Speaker 2: they closed winning five out of six down the stretch.

768
00:33:44,200 --> 00:33:46,840
Speaker 2: They took Utah State to the wire, and they've defeated

769
00:33:46,920 --> 00:33:50,080
Speaker 2: Nevada Air Force and Grand Canyon, all three of the

770
00:33:50,080 --> 00:33:54,600
Speaker 2: potential semifinal matchup opponents later on in the regular season.

771
00:33:54,960 --> 00:33:57,360
Speaker 2: At eighty to one, this is absolutely a ham Sandwich

772
00:33:57,400 --> 00:33:59,800
Speaker 2: wager for me, like Wyoming can win a couple of

773
00:33:59,800 --> 00:34:02,080
Speaker 2: games here and then you'll have equity position in the wager.

774
00:34:02,920 --> 00:34:05,480
Speaker 2: The complete wild card, in my opinion, is Colorado State.

775
00:34:05,760 --> 00:34:07,960
Speaker 2: You talk about a hot bunch. They had won eight

776
00:34:07,960 --> 00:34:10,680
Speaker 2: in a row before a season finale loss against Boise State.

777
00:34:11,080 --> 00:34:14,560
Speaker 2: It's just another team in the RAMS that has underperformed

778
00:34:14,600 --> 00:34:19,719
Speaker 2: all season. But Colorado State did defeat Colorado South Florida

779
00:34:19,760 --> 00:34:22,040
Speaker 2: and Wichita State in the non conference, and these guys

780
00:34:22,040 --> 00:34:24,720
Speaker 2: have wins over San Diego State, Grand Canyon, New Mexico.

781
00:34:25,160 --> 00:34:28,000
Speaker 2: They play very slow, they control the pace, they can

782
00:34:28,000 --> 00:34:30,200
Speaker 2: shoot the lights out of the for deep, they can

783
00:34:30,360 --> 00:34:31,320
Speaker 2: hit a bunch of threes.

784
00:34:32,120 --> 00:34:32,920
Speaker 1: They just played in.

785
00:34:32,960 --> 00:34:36,240
Speaker 2: Thomas and Mac Arena against UNLV and scored ninety one points.

786
00:34:36,280 --> 00:34:39,120
Speaker 2: They were very comfortable shooting in this arena. I think

787
00:34:39,120 --> 00:34:40,520
Speaker 2: there might be something here on the rams.

788
00:34:41,239 --> 00:34:44,680
Speaker 3: All right, let's close out the entirety of our seven

789
00:34:44,719 --> 00:34:49,680
Speaker 3: part series on conference tournament previews with the MIAC and

790
00:34:50,040 --> 00:34:52,480
Speaker 3: I'm going to burst the bubble of anybody looking for

791
00:34:52,520 --> 00:34:55,240
Speaker 3: a Cinderella or a long shot here. This is Howard's

792
00:34:55,280 --> 00:34:58,680
Speaker 3: to lose, pure and simple. You know, you, as Duck

793
00:34:58,719 --> 00:35:00,880
Speaker 3: has said time and time again, you want to shop around.

794
00:35:01,120 --> 00:35:03,279
Speaker 3: I'm okay with minus three hundred. I haven't done it

795
00:35:03,320 --> 00:35:06,680
Speaker 3: for a single tournament this entire postseason. But there's a

796
00:35:06,719 --> 00:35:09,000
Speaker 3: reason why they're priced this way, and I think, frankly,

797
00:35:09,200 --> 00:35:11,759
Speaker 3: they should be minus six hundred because the way that

798
00:35:11,880 --> 00:35:15,759
Speaker 3: this conference tournament shook out, you had a team in

799
00:35:15,840 --> 00:35:18,560
Speaker 3: this league that did not qualify in comp and State

800
00:35:18,719 --> 00:35:21,640
Speaker 3: because of their EIGHTPR scores, and they're penalized for it.

801
00:35:21,840 --> 00:35:24,160
Speaker 3: So what that's done is it's moved the eight team

802
00:35:24,320 --> 00:35:27,279
Speaker 3: league down to a sevent team league, giving Howard the

803
00:35:27,360 --> 00:35:30,680
Speaker 3: only buy to the semifinals, which is a huge leg up.

804
00:35:31,040 --> 00:35:32,680
Speaker 1: But then let's talk even broader.

805
00:35:32,800 --> 00:35:35,640
Speaker 3: They closed on a MIAC conference run of eleven and

806
00:35:35,760 --> 00:35:38,520
Speaker 3: one straight up. They were running people straight out of

807
00:35:38,520 --> 00:35:41,000
Speaker 3: the gym. They beat Morgan State by twenty five at

808
00:35:41,000 --> 00:35:43,880
Speaker 3: their place Norfolk season sweep Central.

809
00:35:43,960 --> 00:35:45,760
Speaker 1: They dropped a bomb on them in the last meeting.

810
00:35:45,960 --> 00:35:47,439
Speaker 1: Since January eleventh.

811
00:35:47,080 --> 00:35:49,759
Speaker 3: This team is ranked one hundred and thirty third per Torvik.

812
00:35:49,880 --> 00:35:52,480
Speaker 3: That does not happen out of the MIAC all that often.

813
00:35:52,600 --> 00:35:55,479
Speaker 3: The defense is approaching top one hundred levels in Evan

814
00:35:55,560 --> 00:35:58,560
Speaker 3: Mea and Ken Palm, second in effective field goal percentage

815
00:35:58,600 --> 00:36:01,840
Speaker 3: defense in the nation. Killers on the offensive glass, and

816
00:36:01,840 --> 00:36:03,960
Speaker 3: they get to the line a ton, which I really

817
00:36:04,040 --> 00:36:05,920
Speaker 3: like when you start playing. You know, at this time

818
00:36:05,960 --> 00:36:08,480
Speaker 3: of year, when you're playing away from home, neutral sites,

819
00:36:08,680 --> 00:36:11,080
Speaker 3: you don't want to rely on three point shot, particularly

820
00:36:11,200 --> 00:36:13,319
Speaker 3: some of these low major teams that can go ice cold.

821
00:36:13,480 --> 00:36:14,120
Speaker 1: They don't need it.

822
00:36:14,560 --> 00:36:16,359
Speaker 3: And then there's the coach, and I'd like to really

823
00:36:16,400 --> 00:36:17,840
Speaker 3: focus on this for a second, because.

824
00:36:17,600 --> 00:36:18,560
Speaker 1: Frankly, I don't get it.

825
00:36:18,760 --> 00:36:21,600
Speaker 3: Kenny Blakeney took a program that was in a full rebuild.

826
00:36:21,760 --> 00:36:24,560
Speaker 3: He started five and thirty three. That should have killed him,

827
00:36:24,560 --> 00:36:27,080
Speaker 3: should have killed his career, he should have probably been,

828
00:36:27,120 --> 00:36:29,920
Speaker 3: you know, given the brown packing box and walked out

829
00:36:29,920 --> 00:36:31,960
Speaker 3: of the building, but instead they said, we're going to

830
00:36:32,040 --> 00:36:34,839
Speaker 3: give you time because we believe in what you're trying

831
00:36:34,880 --> 00:36:37,200
Speaker 3: to build. And he also grew up playing for the

832
00:36:37,320 --> 00:36:42,000
Speaker 3: legendary Morgan Wooden at Damantha, then under coach k at Duke,

833
00:36:42,160 --> 00:36:44,839
Speaker 3: and he really learned how to teach the game, how

834
00:36:44,840 --> 00:36:47,640
Speaker 3: to build the culture and recruiting. He finally got a

835
00:36:47,680 --> 00:36:49,799
Speaker 3: couple hits. He's taking them to the Big Dance in

836
00:36:49,800 --> 00:36:52,560
Speaker 3: twenty twenty three, twenty twenty four, but this is his

837
00:36:52,600 --> 00:36:54,959
Speaker 3: best team. Bryce Harris is going to have a really

838
00:36:55,080 --> 00:36:58,960
Speaker 3: nice overseas professional career. He's someone who's six' four two

839
00:36:59,160 --> 00:37:01,560
Speaker 3: twenty MORE ut level scorer turn.

840
00:37:01,480 --> 00:37:02,759
Speaker 1: Himself into a great shooter this.

841
00:37:02,800 --> 00:37:05,600
Speaker 3: Offseason was not somebody who could consistently knock down the

842
00:37:05,600 --> 00:37:08,040
Speaker 3: perimeter shots before this. Year he's close to being a

843
00:37:08,080 --> 00:37:10,760
Speaker 3: fifty forty eighty kind of guy this. Year Cedric taylor

844
00:37:10,920 --> 00:37:14,040
Speaker 3: also a big time. Score their size is clearly going

845
00:37:14,120 --> 00:37:15,600
Speaker 3: to hurt them in The Big dance because they're going

846
00:37:15,680 --> 00:37:18,480
Speaker 3: to draw a sixteen. Seed they'll get smashed By michigan Or. Duke,

847
00:37:18,520 --> 00:37:20,560
Speaker 3: career so it doesn't really. Matter they're not going to be.

848
00:37:20,600 --> 00:37:24,000
Speaker 3: Competitive but in this, league they run this. Place this

849
00:37:24,160 --> 00:37:26,800
Speaker 3: is like there's no chance that they're gonna get bullied

850
00:37:26,800 --> 00:37:27,160
Speaker 3: by any of these.

851
00:37:27,200 --> 00:37:29,799
Speaker 1: Teams they won eleven and three against the spread in this.

852
00:37:29,960 --> 00:37:33,480
Speaker 3: League Only navy had a better cover rate in conference

853
00:37:33,480 --> 00:37:36,640
Speaker 3: play in the entire country Than. Howard so here's my.

854
00:37:36,719 --> 00:37:39,520
Speaker 3: Pitch Because Common state's, out they moved to the. Semis

855
00:37:39,680 --> 00:37:42,040
Speaker 3: they're going to Kill norfolk Or South Dakota state on

856
00:37:42,080 --> 00:37:42,480
Speaker 3: a day's.

857
00:37:42,520 --> 00:37:44,920
Speaker 1: Rest so instead Of howard.

858
00:37:44,560 --> 00:37:46,640
Speaker 3: Minus three to, ten if that is something that is

859
00:37:46,719 --> 00:37:48,920
Speaker 3: just too difficult to, swallow you can go.

860
00:37:48,960 --> 00:37:50,280
Speaker 1: Ahead do double.

861
00:37:50,360 --> 00:37:53,320
Speaker 3: Units do two units On howard minus, nine ten. Eleven

862
00:37:53,440 --> 00:37:55,680
Speaker 3: i'll go up to twelve in the semis against Either

863
00:37:55,719 --> 00:37:58,600
Speaker 3: norfolk Or South South Carolina state and then roll that

864
00:37:58,680 --> 00:38:00,960
Speaker 3: winning up into a money line place in the title.

865
00:38:00,960 --> 00:38:02,960
Speaker 3: Game you should be able to get better than obviously

866
00:38:03,000 --> 00:38:06,640
Speaker 3: a minus three ten to. START i just view this

867
00:38:06,800 --> 00:38:09,080
Speaker 3: as the best. COACH i think he's short for this.

868
00:38:09,160 --> 00:38:12,400
Speaker 3: JOB i think this will be his LAST Miac conference.

869
00:38:12,480 --> 00:38:15,640
Speaker 3: Tournament he's gonna move. Up it's time he's earned. It

870
00:38:15,680 --> 00:38:18,160
Speaker 3: when you take a program to the Nca tournament three,

871
00:38:18,160 --> 00:38:19,799
Speaker 3: times in four years if they cut down the nets,

872
00:38:19,800 --> 00:38:21,880
Speaker 3: HERE i think it's time for him to get himself.

873
00:38:21,600 --> 00:38:23,440
Speaker 1: A nice mid major. Job and then they just have

874
00:38:23,480 --> 00:38:23,719
Speaker 1: the best.

875
00:38:23,760 --> 00:38:26,040
Speaker 3: Backward they got the best players, here AND i don't

876
00:38:26,080 --> 00:38:27,960
Speaker 3: really see a team that matches up well with them at,

877
00:38:27,960 --> 00:38:30,680
Speaker 3: all evidenced by the fact that they just killed everybody

878
00:38:30,719 --> 00:38:34,440
Speaker 3: against the spread this. Season, Howard It's, Howard It's. Howard

879
00:38:34,800 --> 00:38:36,200
Speaker 3: any final thoughts on THE miac.

880
00:38:36,280 --> 00:38:38,560
Speaker 2: DUCK i, mean there's only one way to look, here

881
00:38:38,560 --> 00:38:41,120
Speaker 2: and even at minus three, hundred when you look at

882
00:38:41,160 --> 00:38:43,720
Speaker 2: THE miac in, totality they have six of the bottom

883
00:38:43,800 --> 00:38:45,960
Speaker 2: twelve teams in the country who play in this. League

884
00:38:46,000 --> 00:38:49,440
Speaker 2: it's really really bad. Offense half the teams in THE

885
00:38:49,520 --> 00:38:51,720
Speaker 2: miac rank in the bottom ten and all Of division

886
00:38:51,760 --> 00:38:55,080
Speaker 2: one college basketball in terms of offensive. Efficiency you're gonna

887
00:38:55,080 --> 00:38:57,719
Speaker 2: have a ton of, Misshots you're gonna have putbacks at

888
00:38:57,719 --> 00:39:00,360
Speaker 2: the rim that don't go in. Turnovers it's going to

889
00:39:00,400 --> 00:39:03,959
Speaker 2: be sloppy basketball all. Around howard is the only team

890
00:39:04,000 --> 00:39:06,400
Speaker 2: in this league that has any resemblance of a competent,

891
00:39:06,480 --> 00:39:11,560
Speaker 2: offense and they're not exceedingly, dynamic but in this, league they're.

892
00:39:11,600 --> 00:39:14,840
Speaker 2: Dominant Bryce Harrison Cedric taylor a decent, Scores Alex cotton

893
00:39:15,320 --> 00:39:17,400
Speaker 2: might be the best three point shooter in this. League

894
00:39:17,840 --> 00:39:21,560
Speaker 2: and it's really the defense that separates themselves With. Howard

895
00:39:22,160 --> 00:39:25,799
Speaker 2: they swept FOR caaa opponents this. Year they Beat North

896
00:39:25,840 --> 00:39:29,000
Speaker 2: CAROLINA a AND T, Hampton, drexel And North Carolina. Wilmington

897
00:39:29,000 --> 00:39:31,759
Speaker 2: if you can believe that nobody else in this league

898
00:39:31,760 --> 00:39:35,520
Speaker 2: has a winning, record they are the clear, favorites and deservedly.

899
00:39:35,640 --> 00:39:39,040
Speaker 2: So if there's any other way to, look if you're

900
00:39:39,080 --> 00:39:42,239
Speaker 2: trying to grasp at straws for a long, shot you

901
00:39:42,320 --> 00:39:45,480
Speaker 2: could have shortcases to be made for a team Like

902
00:39:46,040 --> 00:39:48,640
Speaker 2: Morgan state at fifteen or sixteen to, one Or Maryland

903
00:39:48,680 --> 00:39:51,160
Speaker 2: Eastern shore at twenty two to. One but what you're

904
00:39:51,160 --> 00:39:54,319
Speaker 2: betting on is you're betting on them to advance to

905
00:39:54,360 --> 00:39:59,080
Speaker 2: the final and For Norfolk state to pull a miracle

906
00:39:59,280 --> 00:40:03,040
Speaker 2: and end Up. Howard so then neither one of those

907
00:40:03,040 --> 00:40:05,800
Speaker 2: teams have to Play howard in the, final because otherwise

908
00:40:05,800 --> 00:40:08,040
Speaker 2: what you're going to have is you're going to Have

909
00:40:08,200 --> 00:40:11,839
Speaker 2: howard laying eighteen or so in the title. Game so

910
00:40:12,000 --> 00:40:14,359
Speaker 2: buy back is going to be very challenging and would

911
00:40:14,400 --> 00:40:16,840
Speaker 2: require a ton of. Capital So it's not going to

912
00:40:16,880 --> 00:40:19,440
Speaker 2: be an overly competitive, tournament or at least on, paper

913
00:40:19,440 --> 00:40:21,600
Speaker 2: it shouldn't. Be nobody in this league outside Of howard

914
00:40:21,600 --> 00:40:24,440
Speaker 2: does any. Good the winner is likely headed To. Dayton

915
00:40:25,320 --> 00:40:28,040
Speaker 2: it's just tough here Because howard is so much, better

916
00:40:28,080 --> 00:40:30,040
Speaker 2: and you would need to deploy a ton of capital

917
00:40:30,040 --> 00:40:32,319
Speaker 2: the other way to try to hedge out. Later so

918
00:40:32,360 --> 00:40:34,640
Speaker 2: you would have to be making a bet on anyone

919
00:40:34,680 --> 00:40:37,640
Speaker 2: else and hoping and praying That howard would get upset

920
00:40:37,680 --> 00:40:40,120
Speaker 2: By Norfolk, state WHO i think is the only realistic

921
00:40:40,160 --> 00:40:43,120
Speaker 2: team that has any chance whatsoever to beat. Them this

922
00:40:43,160 --> 00:40:44,080
Speaker 2: Is howard's tournament to.

923
00:40:44,120 --> 00:40:48,279
Speaker 3: Lose of these five, Leagues, doug which pick to win

924
00:40:48,320 --> 00:40:48,960
Speaker 3: at is your?

925
00:40:49,000 --> 00:40:51,920
Speaker 2: FAVORITE i mean The Mountain west is very wide. OPEN

926
00:40:52,040 --> 00:40:54,880
Speaker 2: i think THE a ten is very very wide. Open

927
00:40:55,600 --> 00:40:57,400
Speaker 2: THE mac is going to be a fun. TOURNAMENT i

928
00:40:57,400 --> 00:40:59,759
Speaker 2: think it's going to be some exciting. BASKETBALL i think

929
00:40:59,800 --> 00:41:02,200
Speaker 2: there's a great price On acron still to be. Had,

930
00:41:02,600 --> 00:41:05,040
Speaker 2: AGAIN i don't love laying odds here on these, futures

931
00:41:05,040 --> 00:41:08,320
Speaker 2: but this is one WHERE i Think akron should probably

932
00:41:08,360 --> 00:41:11,120
Speaker 2: be about minus one to. Eighty we've already Seen miami

933
00:41:11,160 --> 00:41:15,600
Speaker 2: Of ohio get longer odds from let's call it plus

934
00:41:15,600 --> 00:41:17,839
Speaker 2: one fifty all the way to like plus two twenty five,

935
00:41:17,920 --> 00:41:20,719
Speaker 2: now so people are starting to realize who the cream

936
00:41:20,760 --> 00:41:22,479
Speaker 2: of the crop is in THE. Mac they have a great.

937
00:41:22,520 --> 00:41:25,160
Speaker 2: PATH i think it's a no brainer That acron gets

938
00:41:25,160 --> 00:41:27,520
Speaker 2: to the. Final it's just a matter of how many

939
00:41:27,560 --> 00:41:29,720
Speaker 2: they're gonna win, by and then it puts the pressure

940
00:41:29,719 --> 00:41:31,279
Speaker 2: on the committee to make THE mac two bid.

941
00:41:31,360 --> 00:41:34,640
Speaker 1: League i'm with, You akron is my favorite one from this.

942
00:41:35,080 --> 00:41:37,719
Speaker 3: Episode all right For duck on My Calbury's this has

943
00:41:37,760 --> 00:41:40,000
Speaker 3: been The Big bets On campus. Podcast thank you so

944
00:41:40,080 --> 00:41:43,120
Speaker 3: much for listening to the entirety of our conference preview,

945
00:41:43,239 --> 00:41:46,680
Speaker 3: series and we are just getting warmed up because obviously

946
00:41:46,760 --> 00:41:48,799
Speaker 3: we have the big dance Selection sunday coming.

947
00:41:48,880 --> 00:41:50,040
Speaker 1: Up we're gonna do live.

948
00:41:50,080 --> 00:41:52,840
Speaker 3: Shows we're gonna go through shows on our YouTube, channel

949
00:41:52,920 --> 00:41:54,919
Speaker 3: so be sure to check those, out and we're gonna

950
00:41:54,920 --> 00:41:57,919
Speaker 3: break down every single, region every single angle to try

951
00:41:57,960 --> 00:42:00,200
Speaker 3: to get you in the best position to hit the

952
00:42:00,200 --> 00:42:02,760
Speaker 3: ground running when they start playing these games In dayton

953
00:42:02,800 --> 00:42:06,200
Speaker 3: for the play in that's a. Duck any final thoughts

954
00:42:06,280 --> 00:42:09,480
Speaker 3: before we sign off, Here this labor of love has done.

955
00:42:09,360 --> 00:42:12,080
Speaker 1: A huge shout out To stucky because he.

956
00:42:12,120 --> 00:42:16,040
Speaker 3: Has been the brains behind all of, it just, orchestrating

957
00:42:16,120 --> 00:42:19,400
Speaker 3: setting up all the, pairings bringing in experts from different.

958
00:42:19,480 --> 00:42:23,360
Speaker 3: Leagues it's been exciting to hear different voices give, that you,

959
00:42:23,360 --> 00:42:27,400
Speaker 3: know incredible, specifics getting granular on leagues like THE, mac

960
00:42:27,880 --> 00:42:30,839
Speaker 3: like The America. East it's something THAT i think differentiates our.

961
00:42:30,960 --> 00:42:33,120
Speaker 3: Brand so a huge shout out To stucky for that

962
00:42:33,360 --> 00:42:35,520
Speaker 3: and doing it all with a four month old at.

963
00:42:35,560 --> 00:42:38,400
Speaker 3: Home the man has never been much for, sleep but

964
00:42:38,800 --> 00:42:41,600
Speaker 3: he's really pushing the. Boundaries any final thoughts, Here, Duck,

965
00:42:42,239 --> 00:42:43,000
Speaker 3: yeah we've.

966
00:42:42,880 --> 00:42:45,600
Speaker 2: Certainly experienced a lot of compression here the last couple

967
00:42:45,640 --> 00:42:47,799
Speaker 2: of weeks with all the conference tournaments ramping. Up we

968
00:42:47,840 --> 00:42:50,520
Speaker 2: have another week of that as we inch closer to Selection.

969
00:42:50,640 --> 00:42:53,240
Speaker 2: Sunday it's going to be real fun to see the bracket,

970
00:42:53,239 --> 00:42:55,399
Speaker 2: revealed to be able to break down those first round,

971
00:42:55,480 --> 00:42:57,440
Speaker 2: matchups the first four matchups as.

972
00:42:57,480 --> 00:42:57,680
Speaker 1: Well In.

973
00:42:57,800 --> 00:43:00,840
Speaker 2: Dayton just enjoy every minute of it because it's not

974
00:43:00,880 --> 00:43:02,640
Speaker 2: going to be long here and this season is going

975
00:43:02,680 --> 00:43:05,000
Speaker 2: to be over and all you'll have is baseball and

976
00:43:05,080 --> 00:43:07,960
Speaker 2: summertime activities before we get ready for college football season.

977
00:43:07,960 --> 00:43:11,399
Speaker 2: Again so enjoy the. Compression enjoy the. Madness we're working

978
00:43:11,440 --> 00:43:13,200
Speaker 2: hard behind the scenes to try to get everybody to the,

979
00:43:13,239 --> 00:43:16,680
Speaker 2: window and we're gonna Keep we're gonna keep finding value

980
00:43:16,680 --> 00:43:19,040
Speaker 2: in these conference tournaments and the individual matchups and.

981
00:43:19,120 --> 00:43:22,280
Speaker 3: Beyond you guys can support us by subscribing to the YouTube,

982
00:43:22,360 --> 00:43:26,400
Speaker 3: channel liking, commenting also going to wherever you listen to the,

983
00:43:26,400 --> 00:43:28,960
Speaker 3: pod and giving a five star rating and review as.

984
00:43:29,000 --> 00:43:31,560
Speaker 3: Well we'd love to give out another futures, Ticket so

985
00:43:31,560 --> 00:43:33,399
Speaker 3: if you give us a five star rating interview the next,

986
00:43:33,440 --> 00:43:35,480
Speaker 3: episode The duck AND i host will go ahead and

987
00:43:35,560 --> 00:43:37,880
Speaker 3: pick one out and throw you let's call it a

988
00:43:37,960 --> 00:43:41,600
Speaker 3: fifty dollars future on whatever you, want a regional, champ

989
00:43:41,680 --> 00:43:44,359
Speaker 3: a national, champ team to go to The sweet, sixteen.

990
00:43:44,080 --> 00:43:46,200
Speaker 1: Whatever you want it to. Be All, right that's it for,

991
00:43:46,280 --> 00:43:48,040
Speaker 1: Us thank you so much for. Listening best of luck

992
00:43:48,080 --> 00:43:49,839
Speaker 1: with all your. Bets we'll see you at The Way.

993
00:43:49,920 --> 00:44:11,239
Speaker 1: Up Action network reminds you please gamble. Responsibly if you

994
00:44:11,480 --> 00:44:14,239
Speaker 1: or someone you care about has a gambling, problem help

995
00:44:14,320 --> 00:44:17,000
Speaker 1: is available twenty four to seven at one eight Hundred

996
00:44:17,080 --> 00:44:17,560
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