Speaker 1: From the king of sports books comes the Key Sports
Speaker 1: podcast Unleashed, presented by the MGM. Here's your host, Jani's
Speaker 1: Papas and Olivia Arlan Decker. We have the bluest blue
Speaker 1: blood Final four ever. I want everyone to try to
Speaker 1: say that four times past wherever they are right now,
Speaker 1: and we are here to break it all down. What's up? Everyone?
Speaker 1: Welcome to Unleashed. Look on one side of the bracket.
Speaker 1: Tipping off Saturday at six o nine Eastern. It's number
Speaker 1: two seed Villanova, the winners of two national championships since
Speaker 1: versus the last remaining one seed, Kansas Jayhawks. They just
Speaker 1: passed Kentucky for all time wins. They are four and
Speaker 1: a half point favorite, and amazingly enough, that's the undercard
Speaker 1: because we have an epic A C C battle featuring
Speaker 1: one of the most storied and heated rivalries in all
Speaker 1: of sport. This is Michigan, Ohio State. This is Yankees
Speaker 1: Red Sox. It's eight seed North Carolina taking on two
Speaker 1: seed Duke, the four and a half point favorite in
Speaker 1: what could be Mikachevsky's final game coaching. We know it's
Speaker 1: his last dance, although these days I never really believe
Speaker 1: anyone's retired. It's kind of hard to trust people these days.
Speaker 1: But look, these teams have played two hundred fifty seven times.
Speaker 1: Their campuses are eight miles apart, and can you believe it,
Speaker 1: they have never met in the n C Double A tournament.
Speaker 1: That is wild, That is nuts. These are the heavyweights. Really.
Speaker 1: All four teams have won at least three national championships.
Speaker 1: And look, we had our fun with Cinderella's and upsets,
Speaker 1: but this is like survival of the fittest, and it
Speaker 1: appears the best teams ended up where they should be. Honest,
Speaker 1: I should shut up. I know you're still confused. How
Speaker 1: Yale did it make it? But what do you think
Speaker 1: about these final four? It's incredible. Like you said, it's chalk,
Speaker 1: it's the bluest of the blue blood It's very hard
Speaker 1: to say, back to back, bluest of the blue bloods,
Speaker 1: blue blue bloods. Yeah, yeah, you're still in my heart, yell,
Speaker 1: And I know that you're gonna be most of these
Speaker 1: guys bosses one day, so you can pay them back
Speaker 1: by not giving him a full salary when they look
Speaker 1: for work after they don't make the league. I am
Speaker 1: just kidding. It's been an amazing tournament and I'm just
Speaker 1: looking forward to this Duke North Carolina rivalry. I'm looking
Speaker 1: forward to our guests. This episode a dream come true
Speaker 1: for me. The one and only Clark Kellogg is gonna
Speaker 1: be here. I want to ask him about Greg Gumble's
Speaker 1: wig and Kenny's tattooed hairline. Please please don't ask about
Speaker 1: anyone's hairy on it's I won't, I won't. I'm just
Speaker 1: saying that show is great because him and Charles are
Speaker 1: the only ones keeping it real about what's going on
Speaker 1: above their forehead. Boy, that is, I mean, just one
Speaker 1: of the best shows. Seeing him in studio for almost
Speaker 1: thirty years he's been at CBS, That's pretty incredible. He's
Speaker 1: gonna be such a great guest. I love how we're
Speaker 1: going from Coach K to Special K Clark Kellogg. He's
Speaker 1: gonna be so great. You've watched him all tournament long, Folks,
Speaker 1: You'll see him in the studio forget Thomas though he's
Speaker 1: Mr March. So this is this is a real treat.
Speaker 1: I wait, I thought, are we also going to cover
Speaker 1: Will Smith Chris Rock? Nobody's talking about that. I mean,
Speaker 1: we gotta ask Peter Andrew. What the bet? Mgm thou,
Speaker 1: I am so sick of hearing about the slap heard
Speaker 1: round the world. I don't know. I don't even feel
Speaker 1: like I have a take on it, do you No,
Speaker 1: I don't have a take. I just I know that
Speaker 1: Will Smith gotten one little fight um at the Oscars
Speaker 1: and his mom got scared, and now he's got to
Speaker 1: go live with his uh auntian uncle in bel Air.
Speaker 1: I know that. I think the Fresh Prince, I think
Speaker 1: the Fresh Prince of bel Air too is coming. And
Speaker 1: that was the setup. No, it already is coming. It's
Speaker 1: on Peacock. They have they have a reboot. I forget
Speaker 1: what it's called. It's maybe it's called Fresh or Prince
Speaker 1: bel Air. I don't know, but there I think it's
Speaker 1: called Propecia on Peacock, I know it is. Yeah, I
Speaker 1: think it's called alopecia. That's horrible. That's horrible. No more
Speaker 1: hair jokes this episode. Yeah no, that was Yeah. That
Speaker 1: tried to steal the headlines from March Madness, baby, but
Speaker 1: you can't because March Madness always wins. The final fours
Speaker 1: come in. So sorry, Mr will Smith. It's back to basketball,
Speaker 1: especially for Unleashed. We are not an Oscar's recap show.
Speaker 1: You're not watching Bravo baby. We're on bed MGM, We're
Speaker 1: talking to Clark Kellogg. We're getting into it. We are
Speaker 1: getting into it, Twiday, Olivia, I wish we were talking
Speaker 1: Bravo boy. I need I need to have like a
Speaker 1: whole separate podcast just to do Bravo recap episodes. In fact,
Speaker 1: I should co host that with your wife, Brittany. She
Speaker 1: and I could host a great Bravo summary podcast. See
Speaker 1: if she's up for it. Yeah, that please please, that
Speaker 1: would be amazing. I would not tune in for that. Well,
Speaker 1: you wouldn't be invited. We would we wouldn't have you on.
Speaker 1: Oh that'd be so good. Okay. We gotta get to
Speaker 1: our bad Beat winner Brad Beat all the Week. Every
Speaker 1: week we do this and you win for losing bad,
Speaker 1: but you win pretty good. And this week it's Nick Young.
Speaker 1: And it's not to be confused with the basketball player
Speaker 1: Nick Young. This is this actual guy's name. This is
Speaker 1: not Swaggy Pee, but this is the winner of the
Speaker 1: bad Beat of the Week at Real Reel n Why
Speaker 1: he had a seven leg parlay plus two thousand seven
Speaker 1: hundred seventy five odds. Wow. He hit six of the legs,
Speaker 1: including the New Orleans Pelicans who came back from twenty
Speaker 1: and they covered. But it's always that last leg that
Speaker 1: screws everything up. So for Nick, I'm so sorry man.
Speaker 1: It was the Brooklyn Nets. They're up four at half,
Speaker 1: they lost to Charlotte and Nick loses his parlay. That
Speaker 1: had to hurt. Fortunately, you've got a hundred dollars and
Speaker 1: bet MGM credit headed your way to U try and
Speaker 1: hit the next one. So hopefully he comes up with
Speaker 1: something good for the final four and he can listen
Speaker 1: to this episode with Clark Kellogg and he can listen
Speaker 1: to Peter Andrew at the end because that's when we'll
Speaker 1: really break down the bedding of it. Yes, plus, want
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Speaker 1: That is a great promo. I hope everyone listening takes
Speaker 1: advantage of that now. It is one of our favorite
Speaker 1: parts of the show. This is where we both unleash
Speaker 1: on a topic we feel passionately about this week, positive
Speaker 1: or negative. So honest, you're a first friend, go ahead,
Speaker 1: It's time to unleash. It's time to ade. Okay o
Speaker 1: h d Let's talk a little m b A. Let's
Speaker 1: move the camera over from the boys competing attorney to
Speaker 1: the men making millions. Alright, all season long, we've been
Speaker 1: taught good about this n b A n VP race,
Speaker 1: and it's always talk between guys that don't include my guy,
Speaker 1: who's been silently crushing it in the desert down there
Speaker 1: in Phoenix. All the talk is about Steph Curry, Joel Mbi,
Speaker 1: Janice Yokich, John Moran. But what is going on with
Speaker 1: my boy, d Booker? Is anyone paying attention to what
Speaker 1: Devin Booker has been consistently doing on the best team
Speaker 1: in the n b A with Chris Paul hurt for
Speaker 1: a portion of the season. Like I said, he's on
Speaker 1: the best team in the league, and Chris Paul hasn't
Speaker 1: played since the All Star break and the team hasn't
Speaker 1: even missed a beat. They are nine games up. You
Speaker 1: heard that right, nine games up over the GRIZ. So
Speaker 1: if you didn't think Devin Booker is an MVP can date,
Speaker 1: then you got another thing coming. All right. Maybe you're
Speaker 1: not staying up to watch the West Coast games. Maybe
Speaker 1: that's what it is. I don't know what it is.
Speaker 1: But he's averaging twenty six point five points per game,
Speaker 1: currently ninth best in the league. He's also averaging nearly
Speaker 1: five assists per game from the two spot. And here's
Speaker 1: the best part. He's incredibly efficient. Okay, insiders know this.
Speaker 1: Last week he dropped forty nine on the Nuggets, shooting
Speaker 1: sixteen for twenty five from the field and fifteen for
Speaker 1: seventeen from the stripe. So when Kyrie and John Morant
Speaker 1: tweet that d book is an m VP candidate and
Speaker 1: Yanni tells you on Unleashed with oh d, you better
Speaker 1: open your ears Jack and listen. Okay, the oddsmakers seem
Speaker 1: to be listening, because finally they're starting to take notice.
Speaker 1: And Devin Booker jumped up to forty six to one,
Speaker 1: which was much higher than even a week ago. So
Speaker 1: trust me, take a little bit of that cash money
Speaker 1: you just got back from your tax season and put
Speaker 1: it on Devin Booker for m v P. Watch him
Speaker 1: down the stretch, because my man, Devin Booker has my vote.
Speaker 1: I love that light skinned brother. You already got your
Speaker 1: tax refund. It's mark Yeah. I file early, girl, I
Speaker 1: follow my going early. I gotta get I want to
Speaker 1: get that money freed up, so I can I can
Speaker 1: put some money on Devin Booker for m v P.
Speaker 1: There you go, hey. One thing, you know, I'm in Turkey.
Speaker 1: I've got a lot of time on my hands. One
Speaker 1: thing about Devin Booker that I have loved lately. He
Speaker 1: has a really good tour of his home on Architectural
Speaker 1: Digest YouTube page. If you want to go see that.
Speaker 1: That's how I kill some time over here. I'm not kidding.
Speaker 1: This house is like the most amazing thing I've ever seen.
Speaker 1: And that's not what I'm unleashing on. Well, but you
Speaker 1: could talk about that on your new show with my wife.
Speaker 1: I could oh h, Brittany talk talk gossip. Yeah, houses, Bravo.
Speaker 1: That's yeah, that's my second love. Okay, I gotta get
Speaker 1: back focused, because what I want to un leash on
Speaker 1: is a great tournament. Look. Every year there are critics
Speaker 1: out there that complain about the n C Double A tournament,
Speaker 1: about the committee not getting it right, or some teams
Speaker 1: being seeded wrong, or that a sixty eight team, single
Speaker 1: elimination tournament isn't the best way to crown a champion.
Speaker 1: I disagree, by the way, if we wanted to really
Speaker 1: find out who the best team is. We probably would
Speaker 1: play series like in NBA playoffs. I like single elimination.
Speaker 1: I think it is so fun. It's so dramatic, and
Speaker 1: it's so much fun to watch. There's a reason everyone
Speaker 1: tunes into college hoops this time of year. But I
Speaker 1: love the early chaos, big part thanks to fifteen seeds St.
Speaker 1: Peter's upsetting everyone, especially Kentucky. I loved watching that one.
Speaker 1: That was fun. They made history, is the first fifteen
Speaker 1: seed to make the Elite Eight. By the way, head
Speaker 1: coach of the Peacocks, coach Shaheen Holloway, basically earned himself
Speaker 1: two million dollars in those three tournament wins because he
Speaker 1: is now finalizing a deal to coach at his alma mater,
Speaker 1: Seaton Hall. So that's a great story. He's I think
Speaker 1: about three d thousand was his salary this year and
Speaker 1: won three tournament games as a fifteen seed, and now
Speaker 1: he's gonna be making over two mills. So that's pretty incredible.
Speaker 1: But this year we've got something even more special. Speaking
Speaker 1: of someone who makes a lot of money, the n
Speaker 1: c Double A Final four has given us some incredible
Speaker 1: matchups over the years. Coach K has been in thirteen
Speaker 1: of them individually Final four's, but somehow we've never even
Speaker 1: seen Duke play their biggest rival in North Carolina in
Speaker 1: the tournament at all until this year. I mean, it's
Speaker 1: you could not script this any better, Hollywood, pick up
Speaker 1: the phone. This is dying to be made into the
Speaker 1: next movie. In fact, we should do a betting game
Speaker 1: of who will play Coach K in the next movie
Speaker 1: that I mean this is. I could write that script
Speaker 1: and it would be fantastic. But on the other side
Speaker 1: is Hubert Davis. It's his first for North Carolina. I mean,
Speaker 1: the basketball gods did not disappoint us with this, and
Speaker 1: I just think it's a tough task for both coaches
Speaker 1: to bring the Steaks down to quiet the storyline in
Speaker 1: their locker room. Obviously, the colossal upset last time they played,
Speaker 1: just a couple of weeks ago. I was on Duke's turf.
Speaker 1: Duke was really bad. At the end of the game,
Speaker 1: you know, Coach K took the mic and addressed the
Speaker 1: crowd like that. That's a part of my plot, by
Speaker 1: the way, part of the story, but it's just so dramatic.
Speaker 1: But Grant Hill has said that Duke wouldn't be here
Speaker 1: playing in the Final four if they hadn't lost that game.
Speaker 1: They got better defensively, they got tougher, they got closer
Speaker 1: as a team. But you can also make a big
Speaker 1: argument that North Carolina would not be here playing in
Speaker 1: the Final four if they hadn't won that game. That
Speaker 1: was the last regular season game they were on the bubble.
Speaker 1: We didn't know if they'd make the tournament, let alone
Speaker 1: be seated. They were an eight seed and they won out.
Speaker 1: They've been playing their best basketball in these last couple
Speaker 1: of weeks. More confidence too, after beating Duke. Are you kidding?
Speaker 1: They've been so confident And this is actually their two
Speaker 1: hundred fifty eight meeting in history Blue Devils and the
Speaker 1: tar Heels, but the first time in the tournament. I mean,
Speaker 1: that's just so incredible. And obviously you can't talk about
Speaker 1: Duke without talking about everyone who hates them. Um, you
Speaker 1: know they won back to back titles in two You
Speaker 1: have Christian Lightner the shot. There are people who still
Speaker 1: wear shirts saying I still hate Christian Lightner, I hate Duke.
Speaker 1: People think they have arrogance. There's always a kind of unlikable,
Speaker 1: punchable face on the roster, the players slapping the floor
Speaker 1: on defense. If you love Duke, you love that, And
Speaker 1: that was a big storyline this year too, and just
Speaker 1: the grace and alan nous of it all. So I've
Speaker 1: got to admit in my household we veer on the
Speaker 1: anti Duke side. My husband lost to them in the
Speaker 1: National Championship Game in I think that's a good reason.
Speaker 1: But I cannot wait for this game. You know. I'm
Speaker 1: a sucker for a good storyline, honest, and you couldn't
Speaker 1: have written this one any better. So hats off to
Speaker 1: the n C Double A Tournament. March Madness has been
Speaker 1: so memorable already, regardless of what happens after this, and
Speaker 1: I can't wait, and I bet our guests can't either.
Speaker 1: So let's get right to Clark Kellogg now and see
Speaker 1: what he has to say about March Madness. You see
Speaker 1: him all throughout March Madness, breaking down every single game,
Speaker 1: one of the best in the business. CBS Sports College
Speaker 1: Basketball Analyst Special K Clark Kellogg, Clark, thanks so much
Speaker 1: for being here. I've got to say, leading up to
Speaker 1: talking to you today, my dad was so excited. You
Speaker 1: guys are partners on NBA two k and at CBS
Speaker 1: over the years, and he said, and I quote that
Speaker 1: you may be the nicest person in the business. He
Speaker 1: just loves you and we love you for coming on.
Speaker 1: So thank you so much. Oh, it's great to be
Speaker 1: with you, Olivia. I love your dad. It's some Unfortunately
Speaker 1: we didn't get to work together this season, but we've
Speaker 1: worked together quite a bit over the years, and I've
Speaker 1: always enjoyed not just our time together on the microphone,
Speaker 1: but all fair. We have a lot of neat conversations
Speaker 1: about our families and what's going on. And love the
Speaker 1: vibe that he brings, the energy, the enthusiasm of passion,
Speaker 1: and we're kindred spirits in a lot of ways. So
Speaker 1: I really appreciate him saying that. But I love your
Speaker 1: dad and love hanging out with him and two K
Speaker 1: has been great for us to journey together with two
Speaker 1: So it's been a cool relationship. What's it like working
Speaker 1: with Kenny and Charles behind the scenes? Isn't as fun
Speaker 1: as it seems, your honest, it is exactly what it appears. Man.
Speaker 1: I tell people all the time, if you don't have
Speaker 1: your laughing muscles in order and in shape, you won't
Speaker 1: last because you're laughing the whole time. Charles is just
Speaker 1: a naturally gracious and funny guy. I don't know if
Speaker 1: you've had a chance to cross pass with him, but
Speaker 1: I played against him in the NBA. We've worked together
Speaker 1: now for several years. We've crossed paths through the fraternity
Speaker 1: of the NBA, even when I was no longer a player.
Speaker 1: I was working for the Pacers for a couple of
Speaker 1: decades after I had to retire from playing, and would
Speaker 1: see all the players as I was doing road games
Speaker 1: for the Pacers on television as a commentator, and so
Speaker 1: we've had a long history of crossing paths. And then
Speaker 1: the last seven eight nine years we've worked together and
Speaker 1: it's just been an absolute blast, great basketball knowledge, tremendous humor,
Speaker 1: a lot of mutual respect, and as is the case
Speaker 1: with any group of sports fans when you get together,
Speaker 1: part of the fun of being able to watch games
Speaker 1: is to talk about them and debate players, coaches, strategy,
Speaker 1: and then you have fun. And him and Kenny are
Speaker 1: like to like big brother little brother, back and forth,
Speaker 1: bicker in the whole time. I'm laughing. I'm laughing like
Speaker 1: six of the time, just laughing because those two guys,
Speaker 1: so it's been great. And then Ernie stirs the pot. Okay,
Speaker 1: Ernie loves He's like a big sibling who knows exactly
Speaker 1: which buttons to push, and so he'll spend him. It's
Speaker 1: just off and running. And Greg does the same thing
Speaker 1: in his own way because he likes to jab me.
Speaker 1: Because Greg and I, Greg Gumbel and I have worked
Speaker 1: together for almost twenty well, he came back, I became
Speaker 1: I was full time and night. So yeah, it's been
Speaker 1: twenty twenty five years that Greg and I've worked together.
Speaker 1: So he tries all of his stand up comic routines
Speaker 1: on me first to see if in fact they work,
Speaker 1: and then that way you can take him out on
Speaker 1: the speaking It's it's it's a right man. It's so
Speaker 1: much fun and seven it's almost impossible to call it work.
Speaker 1: It really is just so much fun. Yeah, that's an
Speaker 1: all star cast there, And really, sports journalism, sports broadcasting,
Speaker 1: television in general, it's a tough business. It's really hard
Speaker 1: to sustain success. What have you learned from almost three
Speaker 1: decades in television? Maybe that's a kind of bigger life lesson.
Speaker 1: You know, it's interesting, Olivia. I'm grounded. My faith is
Speaker 1: really the foundation of who I am and who I
Speaker 1: attempt to be. I gave my life to God through
Speaker 1: faith in Christ in November of eighties six, So I'm
Speaker 1: coming up on thirty six years of being a christ following,
Speaker 1: and to me, it's all about seeking to follow the
Speaker 1: mandates of Scripture and how you live and how you
Speaker 1: treat people and how you work to the glory of God.
Speaker 1: So that's my audience of one and the key has
Speaker 1: been to be me, to be genuinely me, to learn
Speaker 1: from my mess ups, to appreciate and esteem the other
Speaker 1: people that I'm part of the team with, and to
Speaker 1: enjoy it. I mean the joy that I have for
Speaker 1: for life and for what God has graced me to
Speaker 1: do as a basketball player, initially realizing the dream of
Speaker 1: getting to the NBA that was cut short because of
Speaker 1: injury after only five years, and then to have a
Speaker 1: chance to stay in the game connected to the game
Speaker 1: in this way, I'm just exceedingly grateful. And so that
Speaker 1: to me is a really primary value for me is gratitude,
Speaker 1: and that has served me well, not just in my
Speaker 1: professional life but in my personal life. And that's how
Speaker 1: I try to approach it. I'm grateful. There's stuff, there's
Speaker 1: tough stuff going on in our business, certainly in the world,
Speaker 1: in our relationship. I mean, there's any number of things
Speaker 1: that you can see that are part of the difficulty
Speaker 1: of life. But where you have opportunity to rejoice and
Speaker 1: be joyful, I think you should do that as often
Speaker 1: as you can, and I try to walk that that talk.
Speaker 1: Like you mentioned, you know, you got injured after five years.
Speaker 1: We've seen that happen to a few players like Jay Williams,
Speaker 1: Bobby Hurley. We actually had Frank commission Um and he
Speaker 1: was talking about his knee injury and how disconcerting it
Speaker 1: could be. What's that feel like when you feel like
Speaker 1: your dreams are slipping away? And how do you remain
Speaker 1: positive when you know life throws you that curved Yeah,
Speaker 1: you know, I go back to my faith, you honest.
Speaker 1: It was during my injury time that I came to
Speaker 1: a personal relationship with Christ and that was really the
Speaker 1: anchor that kept me moving in the right direction despite
Speaker 1: the heart ache. It was a devastating, but I was
Speaker 1: twenty one when I got drafted back in I was
Speaker 1: twenty six when I retired, and I had a promising
Speaker 1: career that ended because of my knee troubles um. And
Speaker 1: yet I never thought basketball was the end of my journey.
Speaker 1: It was a means to an end. I knew there
Speaker 1: was more to me into life than playing basketball. I
Speaker 1: was thrilled that God gave me the ability and that
Speaker 1: I had shown that I was capable and could have
Speaker 1: had a long career, but on my path ended up
Speaker 1: being cut short by injury on the court. And I'm
Speaker 1: thankful for all of the people in my life. My
Speaker 1: wife Rosie, we've been married, coming up on thirty nine years.
Speaker 1: We dated to three years I was in college. She's
Speaker 1: been an anchor in a rock. I've had unbelievable people
Speaker 1: in my life, parents, extended family, mentors, teammates, friends that
Speaker 1: have helped me try to keep a good, positive perspective
Speaker 1: on where I am and where I might end up.
Speaker 1: And hey, life isn't always smooth. And I was grateful again,
Speaker 1: I go back to gratitude. Yeah, I had to retire
Speaker 1: at twenty six with a promising career in front of me,
Speaker 1: but I got there. I actually was there and proved
Speaker 1: that I belong and was probably destined for some better things.
Speaker 1: On the court had I stayed healthy, but I wouldn't
Speaker 1: trade it to lose playing basketball and gain an internal
Speaker 1: relationship with God through Christ. I take that any day.
Speaker 1: That's really beautiful testimony, great words for anyone to hear.
Speaker 1: I think part of what you're saying really relates to
Speaker 1: March Madness of No one knows the future of a
Speaker 1: lot of these players, so it's so fun to watch
Speaker 1: them at this stage. And we're seeing star players on
Speaker 1: Star Final four bound teams go down with a minute
Speaker 1: left in the game, and it feels so unfair and sad.
Speaker 1: But what do you think makes that special? To turn
Speaker 1: it positive about March Madness of? So many of these
Speaker 1: players will not go pro or will not have the
Speaker 1: careers maybe they envisioned. Now what makes it special in March? Well, Olivia,
Speaker 1: and you honest, I think there are so many dimensions
Speaker 1: in the human experience that are embodied in March Madness.
Speaker 1: The wonderful highs you see from achieving a goal, and
Speaker 1: for some that goal is simply making the field of
Speaker 1: sixty eight. For some of those schools to Longwood Lancer's
Speaker 1: first time in program history, they're part of the field
Speaker 1: of sixty eight. For others. It's going from winning a
Speaker 1: game to winning two, or getting to the second week
Speaker 1: to the to the second weekend. I mean, there are
Speaker 1: just so many elements of the human experience. Achievement, competition, disappointment, heartache, unpredictability, uncertainty, camaraderie, relationships.
Speaker 1: Outside of the games, the bands and the fans have
Speaker 1: an experience that special, whether it's watch parties or being
Speaker 1: of a tournament run or just being in the venue
Speaker 1: with other fans. So there's so many levels and layers
Speaker 1: of the human experience. Some of the stories that we
Speaker 1: discover and uncover away from the game a blind radio broadcaster,
Speaker 1: a kid that is part of a team he's got
Speaker 1: developmental disabilities and the other team allows him to score
Speaker 1: three four buckets. I mean, those kind of things resonate
Speaker 1: on a human level. And that's the magic of March
Speaker 1: Madness is because across the spectrum of our challenges, our
Speaker 1: joys and everything in between, you see elements of that
Speaker 1: in this three week run to a championship. And whether
Speaker 1: you're a Rabbit fan, whether you're a journalist, whether you're
Speaker 1: a broadcaster, whether you're a coach, the parent or the
Speaker 1: aunt or uncle or cousin of a player or manager.
Speaker 1: There's a connection that touches here, that touches your heart.
Speaker 1: And when you have things that are life giving and
Speaker 1: touch your heart, it's memorable and it's impactful. And that's what,
Speaker 1: to me is the essence of why this tournament is
Speaker 1: such a cultural phenomenon. You can't explain it. You only
Speaker 1: can say that it will always deliver. It will always deliver.
Speaker 1: A needs to clip that and just make it there commercials.
Speaker 1: I've said it. I've said it. I've said it countless
Speaker 1: times in our seminars and anytime on interviews when people
Speaker 1: give me the runway, I've said that and shared that.
Speaker 1: And that's really how I feel. I mean, I felt
Speaker 1: like I was in college bas church right there. That
Speaker 1: was beautiful. You worry, honest you were, That's what just
Speaker 1: happened there. Yeah, speaking of amazing storylines that capture our imagination. St. Peter's,
Speaker 1: their run was incredible. Not to talk too much X
Speaker 1: and OS just yet, But what do you think went wrong?
Speaker 1: Were they overwhelmed by a better team, where they intimidated
Speaker 1: by a powerhouse team. It seemed like everything went wrong.
Speaker 1: It seemed like the game they were playing kind of
Speaker 1: went out the window when they played North Carolina. Was
Speaker 1: it North Carolina that got them out of that rhythm?
Speaker 1: What do you think went wrong for them that they
Speaker 1: got beat so bad after such an amazing run, and
Speaker 1: what went right for that amazing run. Yeah, I think
Speaker 1: a couple of things. One the unpredictability of sports is
Speaker 1: that sometimes you just have a bad day. I mean,
Speaker 1: you can't make shots. The ball is falling, it's inline,
Speaker 1: it's online, and it's somehow spits out. I mean that
Speaker 1: happens whatever sports. Your plan. In tennis, the ball is
Speaker 1: not being hit in the sweet spot of the racket.
Speaker 1: In golf, you're missing six or eight foot puts. I
Speaker 1: mean that happens. But I think the bigger thing they
Speaker 1: actually were able to play their game. In the first
Speaker 1: three games they played primarily from the front. They only
Speaker 1: trailed by six points twice. They trailed by six against
Speaker 1: Kentucky late in regulation, I think, and then they trailed
Speaker 1: by six right before halftime against Purdue but got a
Speaker 1: bucket to cut it to four at the half. Never
Speaker 1: trailed against Murray State, and that allowed them Janice and
Speaker 1: Olivia to play the way they're best suited to play.
Speaker 1: To let their defense dictate the control pac and then
Speaker 1: let those four guards and the big guys too that
Speaker 1: can create and make plays and make shots do it
Speaker 1: from a position of on the lead, and that put
Speaker 1: pressure on those higher seeded teams and they were able
Speaker 1: to ride that. Carolina was the only team that jumped
Speaker 1: out to a significant lead early. I think it was
Speaker 1: a combination of that and the size across every position
Speaker 1: for North Carolina by cot Manic Caleb love Leaky Black.
Speaker 1: The size and the start of Carolina is what did
Speaker 1: the man. As a a matter of fact, leading up to
Speaker 1: that game, I told everybody, I'm anxious to see what St.
Speaker 1: Peter's does when they're uncomfortable, meaning if they're down by
Speaker 1: more than two possessions. And Carolina jumped out I think
Speaker 1: either nine oh or nine too, and they could never
Speaker 1: find Then they missed some shots, and then that was
Speaker 1: the other part. I mentioned that they had some shots
Speaker 1: that have been falling that just didn't go and into
Speaker 1: one game circumstance that can happen. I mean, we see
Speaker 1: it all the time. So I think it was a
Speaker 1: combination of those factors. They got behind early in the
Speaker 1: size and the quality of how North Carolina has played
Speaker 1: really just warmed down and never gave him a chance
Speaker 1: to to find a rhythm. Well, now North Carolinas headed
Speaker 1: to the Final four going to New Orleans. They've had
Speaker 1: a lot of success in history in New Orleans under
Speaker 1: team Smith, but only one one seed has made it
Speaker 1: to New Orleans to two seeds. Obviously, do you think
Speaker 1: that the best four teams are making it to the
Speaker 1: final four? Of everyone you saw this tournament, I do,
Speaker 1: I really do now that I look at it. In
Speaker 1: a matter of fact, we all felt there was gonna
Speaker 1: be chaos, that the teams on the top four seed
Speaker 1: lines we're not gonna stay as they were seated. Just
Speaker 1: because there's so much compression across college basketball. With the
Speaker 1: transfer portal, teams are able to get older and better,
Speaker 1: far quicker than they used to be. So that's why
Speaker 1: you saw so many of the different types of upsets
Speaker 1: and not many of the top two seed lines advancing.
Speaker 1: We've got what two two's and a one, and then
Speaker 1: we've got um who's our other team Villanova than uh Carolina,
Speaker 1: North Carolina, North Carolina. So that's fairly unique. Yeah, that's
Speaker 1: fairly unique in terms of the makeup of the final four.
Speaker 1: It's power stacked because of the pedigree of those programs
Speaker 1: and the championships that are represented. But I think the
Speaker 1: compression was a huge part of seeing what we saw
Speaker 1: during the first two weeks and what we have remaining
Speaker 1: in the final four. They're just a more good teams
Speaker 1: and not much gap between the good teams and not
Speaker 1: many great teams. With these four, I think have earned
Speaker 1: their way there. And it's a shame that is without Moore,
Speaker 1: who tore as an achilles in that game. That's your
Speaker 1: reference a little bit ago, so we know Villanova's without
Speaker 1: Justin Moore. He tore us achilles and that was so
Speaker 1: painful for everyone to watch. He's the team's second leading scorer,
Speaker 1: but he leads in minutes and he always guards the
Speaker 1: best perimeter player. And they've had this strong six man rotation.
Speaker 1: Now they're down to five because their bench it's pretty
Speaker 1: non existent. Like a lot of teams in March, they
Speaker 1: really shortened the bench, and I saw stat that really
Speaker 1: startled me that players seven through twelve on Villanova's team
Speaker 1: don't even average ten minutes or two points per game.
Speaker 1: How much does that concern you? In their meeting with Kansas. Well,
Speaker 1: I've adhere to this philosophy for a long time, in
Speaker 1: my days in the NBA as a player and then
Speaker 1: as a broadcaster, and certainly as I've covered college basketball
Speaker 1: for over three decades. I think a team is most
Speaker 1: dangerous in the first game after losing a key player,
Speaker 1: and I'll tell you why a couple of reasons. One,
Speaker 1: the opposing team exhales just a little bit. One of
Speaker 1: their key guys is not there. We're good. They shouldn't
Speaker 1: be able to beat us without one of their starters,
Speaker 1: and Justin Moore is more than just another starter. He's
Speaker 1: an indispensable, valuable piece at both ends of the floor.
Speaker 1: The other reason, and probably the more prevalent one, is
Speaker 1: that the other guys, in the absence of a key teammate,
Speaker 1: relish the opportunity to rise up and do more, and
Speaker 1: typically played better. Will that be enough against Kansas, a
Speaker 1: team that's played at a really high level all season
Speaker 1: long and has added Remy Martin to the mix, who's
Speaker 1: been outstanding in the tournament. I don't know, but to
Speaker 1: dismiss or discount Villanova because of the absence of Justin
Speaker 1: Moore is the wrong position to take, and in the
Speaker 1: way the Villanova Wildcats do things. They're always developing players.
Speaker 1: They have a system where guys come, they're recognizing and
Speaker 1: understanding that they're gonna wait their turn, but they're always
Speaker 1: being prepared to play. So I wouldn't be surprised if
Speaker 1: we see somebody from that Villanova roster in that seven
Speaker 1: to twelve man you talked about Olivia that hasn't played
Speaker 1: much step in and play a significant role in ten
Speaker 1: twelve whatever spot minutes he might get. But the other guys,
Speaker 1: Caleb Daniels in particular, certainly Jermaine Samuel's, Colin Gillespie Slater,
Speaker 1: I see all of those guys raising their level and
Speaker 1: competing at a high level. Mentioned how tough Kansas is
Speaker 1: gonna be. Obviously they're the only one seed remaining. But
Speaker 1: I live in Kansas City, and I feel like Kansas
Speaker 1: has gotten here the quietest. I don't know if people
Speaker 1: don't like to give them credit due to the ongoing
Speaker 1: investigation and in fractions or what. Why do you feel
Speaker 1: like Kansas is kind of quietly again getting to another
Speaker 1: final four. Hey, it's very simple. It's very simple. There's
Speaker 1: only so much room on the Marquee m m somebody
Speaker 1: has to be left out, Duke, and Coach K was
Speaker 1: gonna swallow up any Marquis this year. That was inevitable.
Speaker 1: That's like the Cleveland Cavaliers having great teams in Michael
Speaker 1: Jordan's in Chicago. So somebody is gonna be left out
Speaker 1: and shortsighted, and it happens to be Kansas, a number
Speaker 1: one seed that perhaps has been the most consistent of
Speaker 1: any of these teams from start to finish, and then
Speaker 1: you factor in adding Remy Martin who was injured and
Speaker 1: not up to par most of that time. Bill self
Speaker 1: told us on selection Sunday night, this is the most
Speaker 1: whole that his team has been and he feels really
Speaker 1: good and they showed it in the second half against
Speaker 1: Miami that Kansas team could win it all. And that's
Speaker 1: the way they're probably gonna have to play to win
Speaker 1: it all. But they're more than capable of doing that.
Speaker 1: Duke in North Carolina not a bigger rivalry in sports.
Speaker 1: They have never met in the tournament Coach K's final season.
Speaker 1: Do you think God wants to see this game in
Speaker 1: the tournament? Hey, divine intersections are real in my world,
Speaker 1: and I'm not sure where that would land. But clearly,
Speaker 1: clearly this is of monumental, humongous significance that in this season,
Speaker 1: the last lap for Coach K, his duke team has
Speaker 1: grown up in front of us. With each passing tournament game,
Speaker 1: they've shown another level of maturity. We know the talent.
Speaker 1: I didn't think they would get to this point Olivian, honest,
Speaker 1: because I thought youth would. At some point, youth and
Speaker 1: perhaps the pressure of being part of Coach K's last
Speaker 1: hurrah would get to them. But it's been exactly the opposite.
Speaker 1: After the loss to Carolina and Cameron in Door, that
Speaker 1: was too much when you factor in the rivalry, the
Speaker 1: quality of the opponent, the pressure that I think those
Speaker 1: young men felt with all of the former Dukies in attendance,
Speaker 1: and I mean, it was just it was a major,
Speaker 1: major deal, and to try to even figure out what
Speaker 1: they were feeling emotionally is beyond me being able to
Speaker 1: do justice too. But since then, they've grown up and
Speaker 1: they're playing with confidence, joy and dare I say, love
Speaker 1: for each other, love for their coach, love for the
Speaker 1: opportunity to gift him something that would be super special
Speaker 1: to be part of. And that's what they're thinking about.
Speaker 1: That's how they're playing. And I think they've got the
Speaker 1: best player in the tournament and Paolo ban Carol, so
Speaker 1: I think Duke wins it. I'm excited that matchup is
Speaker 1: just my goodness, first time in the tournament. What's this state?
Speaker 1: Oh my goodness, It's gonna be absolutely insane. And I'm
Speaker 1: already having a tough time trying to tamp Kenny down.
Speaker 1: We're just gonna be almost it's gonna be almost unbearable
Speaker 1: with that dude for the next couple of days. You know,
Speaker 1: when you look back at their meeting a couple of
Speaker 1: weeks ago, as you mentioned, it was it felt like
Speaker 1: it was for all the marbles at the time. Well,
Speaker 1: now it actually is. And I saw that Grant Hill
Speaker 1: was making a case that both teams needed that outcome.
Speaker 1: Duke needed to lose, Carolina needed to win to make
Speaker 1: the tournament to get that eight seed. They were a
Speaker 1: bubble team at the time. We kind of forget that.
Speaker 1: What makes this time around different for both teams, especially Duke.
Speaker 1: You you said maybe they're playing a little bit differently
Speaker 1: now and coach k is adjusted a bit. Yeah. I
Speaker 1: think we grow through each period. We go through and
Speaker 1: each game is a new entity in and of itself.
Speaker 1: You look at what happened in the past for contact,
Speaker 1: but the next forty minutes they play will be a
Speaker 1: whole new story. It won't hunt back to what happened
Speaker 1: in Cameron. But I do think as you journey through,
Speaker 1: whatever your journey is, that you have to go through
Speaker 1: some of the bumps. I think rain and sunshine are
Speaker 1: needed for growth. As a matter of fact, God lays
Speaker 1: is out that way in creation. Grass and trees and
Speaker 1: flowers they don't just grow because of sun They need
Speaker 1: water and rain too. And sometimes trees need the winds
Speaker 1: of adversity, the real winds to be able to get
Speaker 1: their roots anchored. In Hubert Davis went through it as
Speaker 1: a first year head coach in North Carolina. It was
Speaker 1: a little bumpy criticism was coming his way, which is
Speaker 1: ridiculous to me. But nonetheless you go through periods of questioning,
Speaker 1: figuring it out, having some failures, the same with Duke,
Speaker 1: and that's all part of the journey. And I'm excited
Speaker 1: about this matchup and I hope both I think both
Speaker 1: teams will play play relaxed and confident and put together
Speaker 1: a show that we'll be talking about for a long time.
Speaker 1: I hope relaxed. Yeah, yeah, I think there's there's a
Speaker 1: there's a there's a relaxation that comes when you get
Speaker 1: between those lines, once you when you're outside of it.
Speaker 1: I've always used this phrase, lose yourself in the game,
Speaker 1: and I was telling some of our coworkers, some of
Speaker 1: our camera folks and technicians. When I got between the lines,
Speaker 1: it was a long time ago, but I felt the
Speaker 1: crowd and heard them, but there was no distraction from
Speaker 1: the crowd. There was no distraction from anything once I
Speaker 1: got between the lines. There were butterflies in the opening introductions,
Speaker 1: but once you get through that first period of sweat
Speaker 1: or rebound or shot attempt, it's on from there and
Speaker 1: you're lost and what you're trying to do. And I
Speaker 1: think that's the case. I think most players would say that.
Speaker 1: I'm definitely rooting for North Carolina because I grew up
Speaker 1: with Nick fans, so I'm with you. But Davis, you know,
Speaker 1: he played for the Knicks. Behind the scenes. Is Charles
Speaker 1: just picking Duke because he wants to get under Kenny's skin?
Speaker 1: Is he just going with Duke. I'm sure there's an
Speaker 1: element of that. You know, they're like big brother little brother,
Speaker 1: So you know, anytime you can jab your little brother,
Speaker 1: then you want to jab him. So I think there's
Speaker 1: an element of that, But I do think he also
Speaker 1: is kind of riding the wagon I'm on. As we've
Speaker 1: watched this Duke team continue to show great maturity, and
Speaker 1: there's an energy and a joy in both the players
Speaker 1: and coach k that is palpable. You can feel it,
Speaker 1: you can see it, and you can hear it and
Speaker 1: comments in the postgame press conferences, his interactions, I mean,
Speaker 1: and that's special, not that it doesn't happen with other teams,
Speaker 1: but this is his last time around. This is a
Speaker 1: unique set of circumstances. And to see that kind of bond,
Speaker 1: that kind of power, that kind of growth take place,
Speaker 1: and to see the joy that they're playing with, I
Speaker 1: think it's gonna be a really hard combination to keep
Speaker 1: from winning that championship on Monday Night, because they've got
Speaker 1: talent to I mean, it's not like this is all
Speaker 1: some kind of emotional smoking mirrors. They got. You know,
Speaker 1: they got three or four guys that look for sure
Speaker 1: like NBA players going forward. So the talent and the
Speaker 1: power of love is a pretty strong combination. Not to
Speaker 1: mention that guy sitting on the sidelines who knows a
Speaker 1: little bit about what he's doing. Is he the best
Speaker 1: coach of all time? I'm not quite ready to go there,
Speaker 1: ye honest, he clearly is on the short list of
Speaker 1: roll Call. You know, it's the same debate with Michael
Speaker 1: or Kareem or Lebron. You know, it's a it's father
Speaker 1: for a talk show and barbershops and the like. I'm
Speaker 1: not ready to go there, but he's clearly, I mean,
Speaker 1: he's the list is and not just in basketball. I
Speaker 1: think it's in all in all sports. You would put
Speaker 1: him on a very short list of the greatest coaches
Speaker 1: of all times. A matter of fact, you can't put
Speaker 1: have a list and he's not on it. That's how
Speaker 1: I look at it. Whether you put him at the top,
Speaker 1: that's a matter of personal preference. But he's there clearly
Speaker 1: and remarkable his impact and influence on on the game.
Speaker 1: You mentioned all the talent Doukas. I think a lot
Speaker 1: of people think they are the better team. But North
Speaker 1: Carolina's style is very modern, very NBA style. It's almost
Speaker 1: position lists. There are times with all five players on
Speaker 1: the perimeter. How do they match up when we get
Speaker 1: down to XS and os. I think they match up well. Okay, yeah,
Speaker 1: obviously great points you make, Olivia, because Carolina does play
Speaker 1: a lot of four out Baycott is the one guy
Speaker 1: who typically stays anchored inside, but everybody else, particularly Manic,
Speaker 1: there's a real problem match up because of his size
Speaker 1: and ability to shoot it. He gets in there for both.
Speaker 1: I mean, they're and Caleb Love is just a dynamic
Speaker 1: to guard who's got size and deep range. Yeah. I
Speaker 1: think they match up well, though they have to be
Speaker 1: disciplined on defense, but it's gonna be I think it'll
Speaker 1: be an up and down game. I'm imagining seventy five
Speaker 1: will be the low watermark for both teams. I think
Speaker 1: it's gonna be somewhere north of that just to terms
Speaker 1: of possessions and and scoring. But I think they match
Speaker 1: up well. Duke has shown some zone defense on occasion,
Speaker 1: which has served him well. Did so against Texas Tech.
Speaker 1: I think it helped him a minute with Arkansas. Wouldn't
Speaker 1: be surprised to see that be part of the equation
Speaker 1: at some point. But I think we'll see a lot
Speaker 1: of exciting playmaking on both sides. In conclusion, are you
Speaker 1: saying it's Villanova Duke and Duke wins at all? Coach
Speaker 1: k rides up. I'm saying this Duke and can do
Speaker 1: coming through and Duke wins at all, that's my Duke
Speaker 1: and Kansas. Yeah, I mean, I think Villanova is gonna compete.
Speaker 1: I don't know if they can beat Kansas. The way
Speaker 1: Kansas is composed and the fact they have inside outside
Speaker 1: balance and they'll have eight probably eight. I think Bill
Speaker 1: has been playing right around eight eight and a half guys,
Speaker 1: and I think that might at the end of the
Speaker 1: day be a factor. But I like Kansas because of
Speaker 1: their total package. But I wouldn't be surprised if Villanova prevailed.
Speaker 1: I wouldn't. But I'm picking Kansas. I picked Kansas and
Speaker 1: Duke to get to the championship game with Duke cutting
Speaker 1: down the nets in the storybook ending for for Coach KH,
Speaker 1: I love it. If not if they lose, Do you
Speaker 1: believe that he's really retiring. It's tough to believe in
Speaker 1: sports now when someone says they're retiring. Yeah, it is,
Speaker 1: You're right, Olivia, My guess is yes, he would. I mean,
Speaker 1: there's so much that he has to enjoy. I don't
Speaker 1: know him that well. I've interacted with him several times
Speaker 1: over the years and have great admiration and respect for
Speaker 1: him as a growing and evolving leader. I think that's
Speaker 1: his greatest attribute. He's never stopped pursuing what it means
Speaker 1: or looks like to be an effective leader. And so
Speaker 1: that's a lesson for all of us. We all have
Speaker 1: sheres of influence and opportunities to lead, and and leadership
Speaker 1: is really influenced at its core. One of my mentors
Speaker 1: told me that, and I really believe it. It's influence.
Speaker 1: How do you influence others for good and for their
Speaker 1: weston for the good of all. And he's about that
Speaker 1: and you can see it so many ways over the
Speaker 1: years where he's modified and I think his Olympic experience
Speaker 1: has fortified some of that, and the fact that he's
Speaker 1: always eager to learn and grow and evolve as a leader.
Speaker 1: He talked about it a little bit in an article
Speaker 1: I read this year. He took a look at himself
Speaker 1: after that loss the North Carolina and how he needed
Speaker 1: to serve this group better. That speaks volumes to what
Speaker 1: he's been able to do and as a real cornerstone.
Speaker 1: I think of his um forty plus years of success
Speaker 1: to think of how he's evolved with the Game of
Speaker 1: One and Dun's of n I l of all the
Speaker 1: way the game has changed so much when he's still
Speaker 1: able to relate to kids he's recruiting in high school,
Speaker 1: That's that's pretty impressive. I've got one more question for you, Clark,
Speaker 1: because I think there's a fifth character in this Final
Speaker 1: four story, and that's the city of New Orleans itself.
Speaker 1: Do you think inc there might be any kind of
Speaker 1: voodoo energy where anything can happen? Are there any curses
Speaker 1: that these teams should be weary of. Well, I wouldn't
Speaker 1: necessarily say curses, or I wouldn't name them, but clearly
Speaker 1: there's an element of the mysterious that is part and
Speaker 1: parcel of the history of New Orleans. And you can
Speaker 1: go down any road you want to with that because
Speaker 1: it does exist and it's real. Whether or not it
Speaker 1: plays out in the games, I'm not ready to jump there,
Speaker 1: but it is somewhat apropos that as we come out
Speaker 1: of a COVID impacted tournament, not having one in twenty
Speaker 1: having it in one location in twenty one with the
Speaker 1: elements between the lines that New Orleans would be the
Speaker 1: backdrop for this particular final four. Last question for me,
Speaker 1: You've been following college basketball, like you said, for decades,
Speaker 1: so closely this tournament. What is your favorite moment? Was
Speaker 1: Christian Leidner from Grant to win it, Chris Webber calling
Speaker 1: the fake time out, Carmelo carrying the team, Danny Manning
Speaker 1: When you look back, what was the most amazing thing
Speaker 1: you've seen in this tournament. I love all of those,
Speaker 1: and it would take me a minute to kind of
Speaker 1: rank them in order, but there's only one moment that
Speaker 1: goes to the top of my tournament moment list, and
Speaker 1: that's when our son Nick was part of the two
Speaker 1: thousand twelve Ohio University team that was a thirteen seed
Speaker 1: and made a run to the Sweet sixteen and took
Speaker 1: North Carolina, a shorthanded North Carolina team Marshall and Kendall.
Speaker 1: Kendall Marshall the starting point guard that got hurt in
Speaker 1: the game prior, so he wasn't available, and the Bobcats
Speaker 1: took North Carolina to overtime with a chance to go
Speaker 1: to the Elite eight, and Nick played well in both games.
Speaker 1: To get there and played really well in that game,
Speaker 1: and to me, that's the greatest basketball moment in my history,
Speaker 1: whether my plane, my accomplishments, there's nothing that will ever
Speaker 1: compare to what I was able to watch and witness
Speaker 1: and feel seeing him have his one shining moment that
Speaker 1: tops them all. From me, that's really good. Well, you
Speaker 1: have a busy weekend ahead of you, Clark. This is
Speaker 1: gonna be a lot of Thanks so much for joining us, Pleasure,
Speaker 1: and if you aren't already following Clark Kellogg on Twitter,
Speaker 1: give him the follow at Clark Kellogg with two gs CBS.
Speaker 1: It was so much fun talking hoops with you. Thank
Speaker 1: you so much. Yeah, pleasure. Great to visit with you,
Speaker 1: Olivia as well as you Janice Um. Enjoy the tournament
Speaker 1: from wherever you happen to be. This should be fun
Speaker 1: and I'm looking very much forward to the next few days.
Speaker 1: I'm a big fans and thank you so much. Now
Speaker 1: to take a different look at these amazing games coming
Speaker 1: up this weekend in New Orleans, let's bring in our
Speaker 1: good pal bet MGM betting expert Peter Andrew. Peter. You
Speaker 1: gotta help us out here because it can be almost
Speaker 1: more overwhelming now that there are fewer teams and fewer games,
Speaker 1: because the stakes feel bigger. So what's your advice for
Speaker 1: people betting the final four. It's tough. It's in a
Speaker 1: in a different year if it wasn't so Chalky per
Speaker 1: Se or so blue blood, and I think you feel
Speaker 1: better about things. But I mean, you have the most
Speaker 1: underrated one seed in Kansas. I think in the tournament
Speaker 1: you have do Furst, you and see you have a
Speaker 1: our house team in Nova. That's one in the past
Speaker 1: couple of years. It's tough, and that four and a
Speaker 1: half I think on both games is gonna stay pretty flat.
Speaker 1: You may see a move half a point, but I
Speaker 1: think you just you go with the hot teams. And
Speaker 1: I know, you know you can make a case that
Speaker 1: u NC is hot, but Duke looks incredible right now?
Speaker 1: Would they hang almost eighty points up on Tech? You
Speaker 1: have a really really good team you have in Chero,
Speaker 1: you have obviously coach k playing his last presumably two
Speaker 1: games of his career. I think you have to ride
Speaker 1: hot teams in this. It's a tough one though. I mean,
Speaker 1: if you go with Duke q n C, you saw
Speaker 1: you and see what they did, and Coach K's last
Speaker 1: game with Cameron, they took it to him. But I
Speaker 1: think Duke comes back with a little bit of an
Speaker 1: edge here playing so well. I really like Duke minus
Speaker 1: four and a half in that first game, and then
Speaker 1: in the Kansas Nova game, Justin Moore out with an
Speaker 1: achilles injury for Nova Kansas, like I said, a hot
Speaker 1: one seed, they were the under the radar. Everybody talked
Speaker 1: out Zona, everybody talked about Gonzaga. They were really really
Speaker 1: good team. So I think I'm going both favorites here
Speaker 1: minus four and a half. But I think these games
Speaker 1: are relatively close. You know, you can easily see a
Speaker 1: two point game, and I can see a six or
Speaker 1: seven point games, So it's gonna be somewhat close. Uh So,
Speaker 1: maybe you look for an alternate line, maybe you tease
Speaker 1: it a bit, but I think you're gonna have two
Speaker 1: really competitive games in an amazing game. Whatever happens on Monday,
Speaker 1: where are you watching it? You're watching on the big
Speaker 1: screen there. I would like to say that I was
Speaker 1: going to the super Dome this week, but yeah, I'll
Speaker 1: be watching at home. We are launching in Canada this
Speaker 1: week for bet MGM So I'm on a flight to
Speaker 1: Toronto Sunday night, which will be super exciting, and then
Speaker 1: we have a launch on Monday, which is gonna be amazing.
Speaker 1: So bet MGM is finally international. Nice time to start
Speaker 1: betting your looty's and two ds. I've got to say
Speaker 1: North Carolina plus four and a half looks very attractive
Speaker 1: to me and apparently to a lot of people because
Speaker 1: that's getting six of the bet scent of the handle
Speaker 1: over at bet MGM. Uh do agree with me there
Speaker 1: at all? Pete Jannice, do you want to take North
Speaker 1: Carolina plus four and a half? Yeah? I will. I
Speaker 1: want to, especially because a couple of weeks ago, as
Speaker 1: we were going into March Manus into the first first weekend,
Speaker 1: I had said U n C is a sexy number.
Speaker 1: I think there were one to one to win at all.
Speaker 1: They'd have to go through one seed to get even
Speaker 1: close to where they are now in the final four.
Speaker 1: So this is an awesome team to watch. They looked
Speaker 1: really really good last weekend and last week so yeah,
Speaker 1: I'm that's probably the game I'm more iffy on. I
Speaker 1: think I'm definitely going Kansas four and a half. But
Speaker 1: the back and forth there for two q NC is real,
Speaker 1: like I said, especially after that that a c C
Speaker 1: game a couple of weeks ago. And then another thing
Speaker 1: that catches my attention with some of these numbers is
Speaker 1: the under unders hit big in the Elite eight first
Speaker 1: half unders specifically, we're really successful since the Sweet sixteen,
Speaker 1: and I just feel like with a week about to
Speaker 1: prepare and to scout these teams, you can see really
Speaker 1: good defense. So I kind of like the under in
Speaker 1: in both games as I'm looking at what they are.
Speaker 1: One thirty two and a half for Villanova Kansas, but
Speaker 1: one fifty one and a half. That's a high number
Speaker 1: for North Carolina and Duke. So I'm gonna like just
Speaker 1: say it publicly. I'm taking North Carolina plus four and
Speaker 1: a half and I'm taking the point total under one
Speaker 1: one and a half in that same game. Do you
Speaker 1: think that's a wise move? Pete makes me feel good
Speaker 1: about it. I hate agreeing that's taken under, but I'm
Speaker 1: so with you on both of them. You know, the
Speaker 1: Duke North Carolina is a little bit elevated on purpose.
Speaker 1: I think they want you to take the under. I
Speaker 1: think God's honest truth, But I really like it. I
Speaker 1: think teams are gonna come out a little bit nervy,
Speaker 1: especially when you know you talked about UNC and Duke,
Speaker 1: especially after what happened. I mean, this whole storyline. I
Speaker 1: can see it being a very slow start. You saw
Speaker 1: that with a couple of games last week too, So
Speaker 1: I'm riding the under train with you. I love it,
Speaker 1: all right, Pete, I just gotta as so basically you
Speaker 1: saying bet MGM is officially taking Looney's and Tunis. Now,
Speaker 1: we are officially taking Looney's and Tunis come Monday, for
Speaker 1: in Ontario only, so hopefully more provinces to come, but
Speaker 1: for right now it's Ontario. So raptors, fans, leaves fans,
Speaker 1: We've got your back. Nice all right, Very exciting, big
Speaker 1: week in sports betting, Pete, thanks so much for your time.
Speaker 1: As always, it's going to be an amazing final four,
Speaker 1: certainly sexy billing of a final four. Thanks guys,