In short
NCAA Men’s Tournament coverage through the Sweet 16 set, focusing on major upsets (top-seed Florida losing to 9-seed Iowa), key buzzer-beater finishes (St. John’s over Kansas), and what the bracket suggests for teams in Indy. Also discusses NFL/Team USA flag football reaction from a Fanatics/NFL event on Fox, including Tom Brady’s performance and the argument that flag football’s best players are those who play it regularly.
Guests (backgrounds)
Seth Greenberg, ESPN college basketball analyst and former coach; Max Homa, six-time PGA Tour winner (TGL); Daryl Doucette, Team USA flag football quarterback; Mark Norman, comedian with Netflix special “None Too Pleased.”
Key claims
Iowa’s identity/physicality beat Florida; Todd Golden’s defensive setup on the final possession was a “head scratcher.” St. John’s’ physical defense and drawn-up late shot eliminated Kansas. Greenberg argues “blue blood” dominance is increasing and “cinderella” labels don’t fit teams spending heavily. Flag football success favors specialists over NFL players learning quickly.
Notable examples
Alvaro/“Fulgaris” corner three for Iowa; Dylan Darling scoring zero then hitting the winning bucket; Rick Pitino praising “power” play; St. John’s’ air balls/inbounds issues; Texas advancing as the only double-digit seed.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VONCAA Tournament Update
1:46 to 3:14
Discussion on the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.
“Welcome to this edition of the Rich Eisen Show live on a Monday in Los Angeles, California.”
Iowa's Shocking Victory
3:14 to 4:38
Analysis of Iowa defeating top-seeded Florida and key player moments.
“I do believe the table is now set on everything that we're going to be talking about.”
Fulgaris’s Emotional Tribute
4:38 to 7:17
A look at Fulgaris's performance and his tribute to his mother after the game.
“A corner three in books for Alvaro Folgaris.”
St. John's Upset Over Kansas
7:17 to 10:10
Recap of St. John's victory against Kansas and coaching strategies.
“I mean, I'll work a lot to be able to worry about right now.”
Tournament Coaching Decisions
10:10 to 12:41
Discussions on coaching strategies and critical moments in the tournament.
“John's from getting a game-winning shot, having four fouls to give in the final 11 seconds, and chopped eight seconds off of the remaining time with those fouls to give.”
Exciting Tournament Highlights
12:41 to 14:01
Highlights from the tournament including Nebraska and Texas's progress.
“As a matter of fact, Cronin picked up a technical just for clapping, apparently inappropriately.”
Exciting NCAA Tournament Moments
14:01 to 15:44
Discussing thrilling instances from the NCAA tournament, including Nebraska's first win.
“Vanderbilt heaves up a half-court shot down two with no time left that went in and out.”
Seth Greenberg's Insights on the Sweet 16
15:45 to 16:30
Seth Greenberg shares his take on the Sweet 16, including team performances and surprises.
“Get into the Hyundai Getaway sales event and get away with a deal so right, it almost feels wrong.”
In-depth Analysis of NCAA Teams
18:12 to 28:00
Seth Greenberg analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of various NCAA teams.
“We've got teams that have earned their way.”
Analyzing Team Strategies in NCAA Tournament
28:00 to 29:20
Gain insights into the aggressive strategies employed by NCAA basketball teams.
“hard he competes, and their ability to kill the Torrey, and the pressure on the basketball, and the relentless nature in which they play.”
Show all 18 chapters
Impact of Player Dynamics on Game Outcomes
29:20 to 30:50
Explore how player roles and teamwork affect game results in college basketball.
“And I look at, I look at Iowa State as a team that just totally buys in.”
Understanding Defensive Challenges in College Basketball
30:50 to 32:30
Learn about the complexities of preparing for diverse defensive strategies.
“and like the Arkansas-Arizona game, Korchenkov is the perfect defender.”
Mick Cronin's Insights on NCAA Improvements
32:30 to 33:34
Discover key insights from Mick Cronin regarding the need for change in NCAA basketball.
“Just one last subject matter is what are we seeing in the tournament so far and what does it mean for college basketball as a whole?”
The Financial Landscape of College Basketball
33:34 to 36:18
Understand the financial dynamics affecting college basketball programs and their competitiveness.
“And you can be UCLA, and those four letters mean a lot.”
Challenges Facing College Coaches and Donors
36:18 to 38:02
Examine the relationship between college coaching, donor expectations, and player development.
“My goodness, just in terms of, obviously, football.”
The Importance of Flag Football
42:00 to 44:15
Learn about the significance of flag football for the NFL and its role in promoting the sport.
“And that's what the NFL is trying to get going.”
Team USA's Dominance in Flag Football
44:15 to 46:46
Discover Team USA's impressive performance in flag football and their potential for the Olympics.
“Brady looked, everyone's talking about it.”
Reactions to Burrow's Performance
46:46 to 47:16
Understand the concerns regarding Joe Burrow's playstyle and its impact on the Bengals.
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00Score more with the college-branded Venmo Debit Card and earn up to 5 % cash back with Venmo Stash. Got paid back? With the Venmo Debit Card, you can instantly access your balance and spend on what you want, like game day snacks, gear, tickets, and more. The more you do, the more cash back you can earn. Plus, there's no monthly fee or minimum balance. Sign up now at Venmo.com slash college card. The Venmo MasterCard is issued by the Bancorp Bank N.A. Select schools available. Venmo Stash terms and exclusions apply at Venmo.me slash stashterms. Max$100 cash back per month. Protein is now at Starbucks, and it's never tasted so good.
0:33You can add protein cold foam to your favorite drink or try one of our new protein lattes or matcha. Try it today at Starbucks.
0:45Rich Eisen:This is the Rich Eisen Show. Hey, everybody. Can't get enough of the Rich Eisen Show? You're in luck. You can find us everywhere. Watch us weekdays on Disney Plus from noon to 3 Eastern. Miss the show? We've got a podcast so you can listen anytime. But here's the best part. Our YouTube channel. Subscribe at youtube.com slash Rich Eisen Show and you'll never miss a moment. Now, on with the show. There are so many games that come down to the final shots. This is the Rich Eisen Show. Layup is good! St. John's wins it! Polgaris for three. Today's guests. ESPN college basketball analyst, Seth Greenberg.
1:31Rich Eisen:Six-time PGA Tour winner, Max Homa. Team USA flag football quarterback, Daryl Doucette. Comedian, Mark Norman. And now, it's Rich Eisen. All right, everybody. Welcome to this edition of the Rich Eisen Show live on a Monday in Los Angeles, California. The Sweet 16 and the men's tournament is set. The women's tournament getting down to the Sweet 16 on that side of things. Opening day is this week in Major League Baseball. The Lakers have won nine basketball games in a row. Luka Doncic getting set to be suspended because he picked up a 16th attack and then they took it back. They pulled it back. Oh, shocking.
2:16Rich Eisen:So he's not going to get suspended for the Los Angeles Lakers. The National Football League. We got a star getting pizzayed. We've also got the stars of the sport, past and present, getting beat by Team USA in flag football here in Los Angeles this weekend. And we've got Daryl Housh-Dousset, the quarterback of Team USA, is going to join us on this show. And I will ask him, are you really better than Patrick Mahomes? That's an hour number three of this program. Max Homa, Mark Norman are going to be joining us. PGA Tour professional Max Homa of Jupiter Lynx on the TGL Tour. He's going to be joining us here on this program right in the middle of the show.
3:00Rich Eisen:Mark Norman, the comedian whose new Netflix special, None Too Pleased, is getting set for you to watch right now once this show is over, obviously. He's in our number three. Seth Greenberger, VSPN, going to be joining us. I do believe the table is now set on everything that we're going to be talking about. Good to see you over there, Christopher Brockman. How are you? Rich, what's up, my man? DJ Mikey D is in D's nuts. Mike Deltufo, good to see you. TJ Jefferson, the candle's lit. Good to see you, sir. Good to see you. How's everybody doing? Everybody's great in this neighborhood. Disney Plus and the ESPN app audience, we say hello to you.
3:31Rich Eisen:Those who are listening to us on the ESPN radio affiliate, Coast to Coast, part of the Rich Eisen Show, Terrestrial Radio Network. We're saying hello to you on Sirius XM Channel 80, our podcast listeners as well. Thank you for taking in this show via podcast, The Overreaction Monday pod. Chris Brockman and I just finished recording it before this program. It should be in your RSS feed shortly. Please do RSVP to go check it out. That was my way of trying to cover my tracks. So we will have a new national champion cutting down the nets in Indianapolis for the men's side of things as top-seeded Florida goes down to ninth-seeded Iowa.
4:13Rich Eisen:Wow. Now, Ben McCollum in his first season there as the head coach of Iowa basketball, being termed the Kurt Signetti of college basketball. They're right in the nation's heartland. Took care of business, chopped down the first one seed of this tournament. And sent Florida packing on a remarkable three point shot. A corner three in books for Alvaro Folgaris. A young man in Iowa from overseas going to the nation's heartland and cutting the hearts out of Florida Gator fans everywhere in Tampa, of all places. And they are celebrating. This kid, Fulgaris, lost his dad at age nine, always points to the sky when he hits a three or a big shot.
5:02Rich Eisen:And it was a three and a big shot. So he pointed to the sky thinking of his dad. Can't make this stuff up. as Iowa became the sixth Big Ten team to make the Sweet 16 on the men's side of things. One shy of the most, the record for most set by the SEC last year because it just meant more to them. The Big Ten taking out the SEC's Florida Gators, the one seed overall, and that was a shocker of the weekend. This is what the head coach of the Florida Gators had to say. Obviously on the last play we wanted to take a foul to prevent them from getting off a three and they got away from us. We weren't able to take it and they knocked it down so credit to them for that.
5:50And just a tough way to go out but really proud of my group. Love these guys. They did a great job for us all year. Gaining the second one seed in a row. And a tough one for us to swallow. And you know we'll be thinking about this one for a while.
6:04Rich Eisen:Todd Golden saying that after the game and a lot of folks in Tobacco Road who root for North Carolina are thinking potentially they've got Tar Heel bait right there to try and snag the Gators head coach. That's the rumor that's going everywhere that Hubert Davis whose Tar Heels blew a 19 point lead to Virginia Commonwealth in the first round of the tournament is thinking of stepping down. That's rumor conjecture we'll talk about it with Seth Greenberg shortly but as for Iowa Bennett Sturtz who was lighting up Florida in the final minutes of the game had the basketball in his hands and everybody thought he was going to be the one to try and take the last shot until he found Fulgaris in the corner this is how the Iowa team as a whole sitting there pretty much with the coach had this to say about that last game-winning basket.
7:05The player was drawn up for me to get downhill, and then this dude came up to me. He's like, I'm going to be ready, and I'm going to make it. That's what he did. Did you actually say that? He said that. I said that. You're a crazy man. He made it. That was me. Yeah. Yeah, he's got, what do they say? Ultra confidence. Yeah, irrational confidence. That too. I love it. I mean, I'll work a lot to be able to worry about right now. I know, I know. So, yeah.
7:29Rich Eisen:Yeah, I work, coach. and then Fulgaris shouting out his mom after the game. Hit it. It's super special having my mom here. She's everything for me. Where the world will be without the moms, you know? She's super tough. She's been through a lot of things in life and sometimes when I struggle through basketball and basketball is life, I think of my mom as an example of resilience and that really inspired me and, you know, gave me going because she's not just a fighter. She's a super special person. I'm so glad to, I'm so lucky to have her as a mom. And she hasn't seen you play in two years. Yeah, yeah.
8:20She, I mean, she saw me with the national team this summer, but in college basketball, she came to one game when I was a freshman and I didn't play much. So, yeah, I think she's coming back after two years and, you know, seeing where I am right now and how much I work for being where I am right now, for her it's a great feeling because she sent a 16-year-old kid to America without knowing any English, without absolutely, you know, anything but dreams and hunger. And this one is for Harry and my dad that is watching up there.
9:03Rich Eisen:Beautiful. Beautiful. The Goliaths from Iowa City. Ninth seeded Iowa. Not the lowest seed remaining in the tournament. That belongs to Texas, which has gone from the first four to the Sweet 16 after they took care of Gonzaga yesterday in a tight contest. But Texas surviving there and advancing the 11th seed. Not one, but two teams, Iowa and St. John's back in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999. Iowa taking care of business to get the sixth Big Ten team into the Sweet 16. St. John's the first of two Big East teams to make it in the Sweet 16. UConn taking care of UCLA, but St. John's taking on Kansas.
9:52Rich Eisen:This was a highly anticipated contest. and St. John's having a lead, Kansas storms back against the Red Storm, ties the game. Kansas essentially playing for overtime, or at least to prevent St. John's from getting a game-winning shot, having four fouls to give in the final 11 seconds, and chopped eight seconds off of the remaining time with those fouls to give. You were also fouling too soon. That was a weird way. It was so weird. And so they could have. Isn't it amazing that part of the criticism was like, you didn't foul properly. It was a smart move to use the fouls to give to at least prevent you from losing at the buzzer.
10:41Rich Eisen:Also, without giving them enough credit to be like, you play defense so well all game. Right. That you had these four. Like, you never see that. But they were inbounding it and then immediately fouling. Like, let them run around for a few seconds and then foul. I'll try to get the steal real quick. And you left it up to, how about this one? Dylan Darling. What a name. Well, he is the Darling of NY, right? Well, I mean, he didn't have a single point. Isn't that amazing? High point wins a first-round game with a guy who scores the first two-point bucket of the season. St. John's says, okay, Dylan Darling, you don't have a single point on the night.
11:20Rich Eisen:As a matter of fact, your total points from the field matches your uniform number, zero. And he goes to the bucket and scores to beat Kansas at the buzzer. Mosh pitch. St. John's moves on. Rick Pitino is in the Sweet 16 once again and had this to say about drawing up the game-winning shot. So we're going to run a play, but they've got fouls to give. and Bells comes up to me and says, run power, which is a high back screen pick and roll. So I walk away. I said, okay, power. I walk away and said, wait a second. He hasn't scored a bucket and he wants to run a play for himself. And I'm thinking as I'm walking, I said, but he's Bells.
12:09And not only did he do it, he went with his right hand.
12:12Rich Eisen:And they scored. and that's the way Kansas gets eliminated and that's the way St. John's moves on to take on wait for it wait for it Duke and I was talking about this early on when you could just see how things could formulate in the tournament when I'm like when UConn takes on UCLA that game should be brought to you by Zoloft with those two head coaches As a matter of fact, Cronin picked up a technical just for clapping, apparently inappropriately. That was wild. Okay, like didn't say a word and got a tech. A very unfortunate time for UCLA. There's really no good time to get a bench technical.
12:57Rich Eisen:But one of the things that you could see is, okay, Rick Pitino's St. John's Red Storm could take on Duke. Pitino versus Duke. I wonder if that's ever happened before. And it only took a few minutes for Pitino to make reference to it. You win some, you lose some, and I'm hoping we can get Duke at the buzzer next to make up for that Christian Leighton shot. Still hasn't forgotten. Who has? We're going to see it all week. Yep. Okay? You don't think the pregame coverage will show it over and over and over again? And what if they do beat Duke at the buzzer? As a New Yorker who roots for Michigan, if that happens, I'll throw a party.
13:41Rich Eisen:wherever you guys are going to be you come to my house i don't care where i'm nice all right i don't even know which night it is thursday or friday i'll tell you okay right doesn't matter show up at my house i wouldn't it'll be great in that friday night rich oh yeah i'll be there let's party actually i'll be i'll be sweating out uh michigan versus alabama no well that's the okayst john'sst john's duke is uh 25 minutes before okay here we go so much fun the whole thing has been so much fun nebraska moved on we had chris weber on on friday he called the thursday nebraska when he said that nebraska fans were partying over their first ever tournament so hard that he he couldn't believe that they weren't like blackout drunk the next day in his hotel room i thought about that and then you know you guys were texting each other like i guess more beer for nebraska because they beat vanderbilt with vanderbilt you want to talk about something that make somebody drink.
14:35Rich Eisen:Vanderbilt heaves up a half-court shot down two with no time left that went in and out. In and out. That was sick. It went in and then out. These games have been great. They have been great. They have been great. They have been great. But Texas is the only double-digit seed that has advanced to the Sweet 16, And they're, you know, they're not like out there with one arm tied behind their NIL back. You know what I mean? Like, so the question is, is what what to make of the Sweet 16 that is very chalky in ways. Although Illinois is probably raising its hands and saying something. I mean, Virginia is raising its hands and saying maybe not as Tennessee did move on.
15:24Rich Eisen:But that's a six seed. bottom line is what to make of the first couple of rounds going into the sweet 16 seth greenberg's about to join us next from espn our our friend is back one week later i told him look for my texts and uh gotta have your head on a swivel when i'm uh looking for your considerable two cents seth greenberg is next here on the rich eisen show to make heads or tails of a wild NCAA Men's Weekend. The Rich Eisen Show Podcast.
16:01Rich Eisen:Get into the Hyundai Getaway sales event and get away with a deal so right, it almost feels wrong. Because right now, you can get great deals on our most popular models, including our adventure-ready SUVs like the Hyundai Santa Fe or Santa Fe Hybrid and the Tucson or Tucson Hybrid. Plus, there's our bold and stylish Elantra loaded with the latest tech or go all electric with the Ioniq 5 or Ioniq 9. So get down to your local Hyundai dealer and get away with a deal you'll love during the Hyundai Getaway Sales Event. Visit HyundaiUSA.com for details. Rich Eisen here. You know that feeling of handing off your taxes and then hearing nothing?
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18:10Rich Eisen:seth greenberg you have the floor sir back here on our rich eyes and show simulcast you've got the floor what what's your takeaway from uh from the rounds of uh 64 and 32 seth look i think it's been compelling i mean everyone's all losing their mind oh we don't have enough cinderellas we never have that many cinderellas let's be honest and we're going to have less because there's the cost of doing business but we had the high point the high point it was fun to watch we had miami of ohio and that was fun to watch but you know when you get down to 16 we mostly have blue bloods and don't call texas a cinderella don't call iowa cinderella when you're spending 10 million dollar on your million dollars on your roster when you're a texas team that has a nike contract with kd probably worth you know three or four million dollars you know last time i checked that like cinderella was trying to find a slipper to fit like those guys of Texas, they got their choice of slippers.
19:02So, I mean, it's just the way it is. But I think it's been great. We've got compelling matchups. We've got teams that have earned their way. We've got 11 that played its way in from the playing game. So, I think we've got so many different storylines, and the games have been great. It's been fun to watch.
19:19Rich Eisen:Which was your favorite from the weekend, Seth? The biggest shock from the weekend, I got a couple of shocks. The biggest shock from the weekend was Florida. I mean, Iowa's a good team. They owned the tempo and rhythm of the game. They basically imposed their identity on it. And Florida got exposed. Iowa was the harder playing team, the more physical team. Iowa's back arc got exposed. They didn't have Walter Clayton Jr. to bail them out at the end of the game like they did last year. Playing three guards as opposed to playing three bigs. I just thought Iowa's resilience. And then at the end of the game, I was absolutely shocked how Todd Golden set up to defend that last possession.
20:02He was talking about maybe fouling and getting the ball back. Well, they did get the ball back with five seconds left, but I mean, Bennett Sturtz, it's real simple. There's a guy taking the ball out of bounds. Right? There's eight and a half or nine seconds left in the game. You don't need a guy on the ball. You want to play five on four, which means take the guy off the ball, maybe have him front Sturtz, have Boogie Flann stay between the ball and the basket, and now all of a sudden you keep everything in front of you. I just thought the whole concept of what they did defensively, then they left the ball side corner.
20:34One thing you couldn't leave was the ball side corner. A two, it's a tie game. You get the ball back. A three game over. So that was the biggest shock to me, just how it went down and how the game was played out. That was a head scratcher for me because I think the world of Todd Golden.
20:53Rich Eisen:Yeah. And, you know, now you'd take a look at that region, three Big Ten teams in Houston and Iowa and Nebraska. Nebraska go from zero tournament wins in its school history to an Elite Eight appearance. Iowa has different thoughts on its mind. Houston could not have looked more impressive. Do you think this is Houston's region at the end of the day, Seth? I picked Houston to come out of that region because, again, I'm a big guy on identity and culture and who are you and how you win, and they impose that identity on people. I mean, it's not a lock. I think there are a lot of things that can shake down in that bracket, quite honestly.
21:35If you put that bracket up again, I mean, the winner in Nebraska and Iowa, both of those teams are hard to play against. They're big, they're physical, their bigs pull you away from the basket. They're low turnover teams. They have a physicality. I mean, like, to me, and then if you look at the upper half of the bracket, it's insane. So, I mean, like, the winner of that group right there, Iowa, Nebraska, Illinois, and Houston, I mean, like, that's like no joke. I mean, like, different styles. Like, Greg Mast is a hard matchup. The way Nebraska plays, they use him like a guy to help with their offense.
22:12They play through him. Frager's got a little edge to him. That team is, you know, Fred Hoiberg, he looks like a choir boy, but those dudes play like a bunch of thugs. I mean, they're going to knock you right on your keister. I mean, they are physical. And the same thing with Iowa. Like, they preach physicality and toughness in Iowa. All right? And they have no fear. And they've got a little bit of a chip on the shoulder edge. You know, we got a bunch of guys who played D2, then went to Drake. And all of a sudden now they're on the biggest stage in the Sweet 16. They've won a zillion games. They expect to win.
22:46uh i mean both of those games are just incredibly intriguing games to me iowa and nebraska similar type teams houston a little bit different in terms of you know how they're going to play
23:00Rich Eisen:in the east region as you pointed out again what a what a sort of murderers row dukest john's michigan state uconn alex caravan had maybe the game of his uconn career against ucla on sunday night. St. John's the buzzer beater over Kansas. Duke has been the personification of survive and advance despite being the number one overall seed. You could make the case though Michigan State's coming in the hottest team even though it got bounced in its first contest in the Big Ten tournament. Who do you think takes on Houston on this side of the bracket in Indy, Seth? I'm leaning towards Michigan State.
23:36I'm leaning towards Michigan State and Michigan State's playing really good basketball. Tom Izzo's found a way to find the right shot maker each different game to complement those two bigs that have been absolutely terrific. His song is fierce, takes care of the ball. You know, you talk about a UConn team. I'm a big Dan Hurley fan, but they got to get someone to make shots. Bray Lamont made three threes the other day, but he didn't get anything out of solo ball. Who's capable of making shots? And then, you know, Tyrus Reed had the great first game. He struggled a little bit yesterday. That's going to be interesting.
24:07They're not 100 % healthy right now, which is a concern. That Duke game, though, against St. John's, that is the ultimate rock fight. Because if you watched St. John's yesterday, I mean, first of all, I mean, have you ever watched a game with more air balls in your life? Have you ever watched a game where they couldn't get the ball in bounds? My concern for Duke is simple. Like, Caden and Boosers are playing great. They don't have a backup point guard. So you're playing against that pressure. You can play him against that size, that length, that athleticism, the Dell Mitchells, the Zubies, the physicality.
Read the full transcript
24:42So when you take Caden out or if he gets in foul trouble, who's running your offense? Who are you running your offense through? Because of Calis Foster going out, they don't have a backup point guard. They have a seven-man rotation, an eight-man rotation now that they have Patrick back, but they don't have a secondary ball handler. and the pressure that St. John's puts on you and the physicality that they put on you and the way that they kind of attack, attack, attack. For a team that doesn't have great depth, that's a hard style of play to play against. And as good as Cam is and as good as Evans is, and I think that Patrick Gump, he was terrific.
25:19I think he was like plus 20 in a game the other day. You still have to advance the ball up the court. You still got to get an offense. You got to still deal with switching. You still got to keep your opponent off the glass. And I think St. John's is one of those teams. It's just hard to get in a comfort zone with. And I don't think that Duke has really played against anyone that really plays that aggressively and that physically. And plus, they got my man Dylan Darling. He's got church bells.
25:47Rich Eisen:Seth Greenberg, kind enough to join us in between SportsCenter hits here on the Rich Eisen Show on the Monday after the first four days of the men's NCAA tournament. looking at the other side of the bracket before I let you go back to your other pieces of business Seth I'm good right now okay great appreciate that I don't want to overstep the west and Midwest region is going to play each other in the final four Arizona has looked terrific taking on Arkansas Acuff going to be going on against Arizona got to check that one out Texas don't call them uh cinderella uh unless they're slippers made by jimmy chu if i'm not mistaken exactly taking on purdue michigan alabama which we've seen a couple times on the gridiron last couple years uh with tennessee surprising to get past um to get past virginia to take on iowa state suss this one out for me if you don't mind so let's go to the midwest right there alabama's playing their best basketball they actually guarded the other day i mean they're playing Texas Tech, which was guard already, and they were playing without JT Toppen, which is a huge loss.
26:52But I loved Alabama's approach yesterday, and I actually think Holloway being suspended sounds silly, but now all of a sudden, Luttrell Reitzel's not looking over his shoulder. He played freed up yesterday. Yeah, LeBaron Phylon's explosive. You know, he just creates easy offense. And Aiden Trell really played well against Texas Tech and gave him some inside scoring. So that is going to be a really interesting game, because I think Alabama's been trying to create possessions possessions possessions play faster play faster and then you try to play fast with them and they kind of seduce you into it taking bad shots maybe turn it over so i think that's going to be a really interesting interesting game right there and then you know the the bracket above it you know let's throw that thing up michigan i mean i'm below it i should say uh tennessee and iowa state did you what iowa state did to kentucky yesterday and i'll get back to your Michigan team in a second, but what Iowa State did to Kentucky yesterday, they had a heart transplant.
27:50Those dudes took Kentucky's heart out. I don't even think they'd use a scalpel. They just ripped it out of their chest. I mean, that's how hard those guys played, and David Lipsy, just how hard he competes, and their ability to kill the Torrey, and the pressure on the basketball, and the relentless nature in which they play. You can't prepare for that. That's a hard game to prepare for. They keep you on one side of the floor. They don't let you reverse the ball. The aggressiveness that they play with, like once they settled into the game, like that wasn't a fair fight. It wasn't a fair fight. I mean, you're looking at Kentucky like fumbling the ball over the place.
28:31So you haven't seen the aggressiveness and the physicality of that sideline defense where they make you play in the outside third to the floor and basically cut the court in half. That's really hard. And I thought losing Josh for Jefferson was going to be brutal. And they proved me wrong. That team, TJ Otzelberger, he has the ability, despite the Smedium shirts, I still don't understand the Smedium shirts. I mean, despite the Smedium shirts, those guys hang on his every word. and they, you know, I always say to win the games, you'll win the games you're supposed to win, but to win the games you need to win, those guys got to be aligned with their coaching staff and the culture and the identity of the program.
29:11I just, I'm a firm believer in that. Like you'll win games, but if you win like these type of games, those guys got to like totally buy in. And I look at, I look at Iowa State as a team that just totally buys in. And I underestimated that. And I've been there and I go, Watch TJ practice preseason, and I'm blown away by their approach, just their approach.
29:37Rich Eisen:Well, and Michigan would have its hands full if it gets past Alabama to take on Iowa State. With only one point guard. That's the concern. Yeah, right. That's the concern. Can they wear down Elliott Cadeau? Like, can Elliott Cadeau deal with getting pushed off the line? Now, look, they have other guys thinking they can take pressure off him. There's no doubt about that. But a lot of what they start with, like Yax will end up maybe their point forward. But if you get on the outside third of the floor, and I'm not saying anything that Dusty doesn't know, you play on that outside third of the floor, they can kind of push you down to the baseline and trap the baseline.
30:14And no one in the Big Ten plays that way. And so like preparing for it in a 36-hour turnaround is really hard as a coach. How much do you give them? Like we can't reinvent ourselves. So what are the one or two things we're going to do against this defense from like this is who we are and this is how we play. But we're going to have to make this one little change. Dribble entries out. Wing passes and ball reversals out because you throw to the wing too much. Maybe a dribble handoff in the middle third of the court. So, I mean, I think that would be a fascinating game.
30:46Rich Eisen:And who do you have coming out? Arizona, Michigan? I got Arizona, Michigan. I love Arizona. and like the Arkansas-Arizona game, Korchenkov is the perfect defender. I'm interested to see who they put on Acuff. Like what Acuff's done has been unbelievable. It's unbelievable. Like I wanted to see Darren Peterson go all Barry's Acuff Jr. in their game against St. John just today. And when the game's on the line, Acuff just makes every big play. He's like, he can play poorly for a couple minutes and then games on the line, boom. He just takes over the game. And watch out for Texas on the bottom of that thing.
31:24uh texas is sneaky volcatus volcatus whatever the name is he's not a it's not it's not the flu it's it's just a player that's very large and carves out space and rebounds volcatus he's good now they got to defend the three-point line and you know that that's the most important thing they don't do a great job texas defending three-point line although how about this crazy number they lost five of the last six texas coming into the ncw tournament they were giving up 88 points in those losses. They gave up 66 points a game in their three wins. That's as big a swing as I've ever seen. I'm going, oh, do you have to play defense?
32:05And he's got those guys taking good shots, taking care of the ball, which are the two most important things. Texas gets to the line so they can get people in foul trouble. They can defend Braden Smith maybe with a bigger defender or Weaver who just plays as hard as anyone. That'll be an interesting game. Sean Miller's done an amazing job. Despite being Cinderella. Nice, right?
32:28Rich Eisen:Do I have five more minutes left with you? I don't know if you've got a run. Let me look at it. It's 1235 Eastern. Okay. Just one last subject matter is what are we seeing in the tournament so far and what does it mean for college basketball as a whole? How's that for a five-minute conversation? Because there's been a lot of conversation about mid-majors and big blue bloods and whatever. But this comment from Mick Cronin last night after the UCLA season-ending loss to UConn makes it sound like there's even a have-and-have-nots in the big conferences like the Big Ten. This is what Cronin was asked about moving forward for his team and what he needs to improve it.
33:09And then big picture-wise, third consecutive season, not getting to the second weekend of the tournament. I know different seasons, different reasons, but do you feel like anything needs to change with the approach, roster construction, or the way you're in? Yeah, I have no, right now I'm worried about tonight, consoling the guys. We'll stay here in the front row. I'd like about five more million. There's my answer.
33:34Seth? He's right. Look, it's a question doing business. And you can be UCLA, and those four letters mean a lot. But you know what? If you're trying to compete at the very highest level, you need 12 million, maybe more, to compete at the very highest level, to build your roster the way you want to build your roster, to build your depth, to compete with the other teams. Like in the old days, oh man, Westwood, Pauley Pavilion, UCLA, look at this campus, everything that goes along with it. But in the end, a lot of these kids, everyone's got to sell. Everyone's got a new practice facility. Everyone's got a tradition.
34:11Everyone's got, and that's what we've seen. To me, and this was a big kind of complaint for me everyone says oh the bubble's weak because you're getting nine and nine and eight and ten teams in a tournament it's because after the top three or four that are spending 12 to 15 million everyone else else is spending about seven so that middle of those conferences or middle to the bottoms there's a level playing field for the guys you can get at that level but if you want to compete at the very highest level there's the cost of doing business why are the mid-majors disappearing the mid-majors disappearing because they can't afford to like the one mid-major that made a low run or low major from the big south conference high point they spent five six million on their roster well they became one of the best mid-majors because of the cost of doing business they had the opportunity you got to get the right guys but you got the opportunity so what Mitch is saying I mean what what Mick is saying is is is right Rich I mean like what do you need to compete to play at a level playing field with Duke and Carolina that doesn't guarantee you you're getting to the second weekend I mean Kentucky spent 22 million they didn't get the second weekend You know, I thought Coach Saban put it best.
35:20Like, you got to acquire talent. You got to acquire talent that fits your system, fits your coaching staff, fits your culture, fits your identity. And if you do a bad job identifying talent and don't develop a chemistry and don't help guys that fit, you know what? You just got a group of players instead of putting together a roster. So I 100 % agree with Mick. I don't know what the number is. The whole rev share thing is supposed to be$20.5 million. Come on, man. I mean, football teams are spending that on their offensive line. Who are they kidding? That's right. I mean, like, what's Michigan paying for the quarterback?
35:55Rich Eisen:Oh, it was close to$12 million, last I heard, you know, last year. So they dropped all their non-revenue sports? Yeah, I know. They dropped swimming and diving and basketball. Listen, Seth, and just to put a button on it, you know, what Saban said is, like, you've got to choose the right players, and if not, you've just only got to collect some players. You also don't have a job. Because I'm sure the people who are putting this NIL money in the kitty want to see a return on their investment, which is why Indiana's NIL people right now are just happy as happy can be. You want to talk about a return on ROI?
36:27Rich Eisen:My goodness, just in terms of, obviously, football. Oh, it's, you know, in any sport, like the people that have the big, big money to help athletic departments, you know, build their rosters and compete nationally. They're not, they're used to getting a return on their investments. They don't make bad investments. Like, I'll give you a perfect example. I have a really dear friend of mine when I was at Virginia Tech. Now, that was pre-NIL. And he's helped them significantly the last two years. And those guys, when I say significantly, significantly. And those two guys that he helped with each of the last two years, after one year, they transferred.
37:03And, like, he called me up. He said, Coach. He said, like, what am I going to do? I said, what do you mean? I won't mention his name. He said, I said, like, last two years. Like, I give money, and these kids are ungrateful. They just, you know, it's, it's, you know, all they want is, you know, boom, no thank you, no this, no that. He said, I don't need thank yous. You know what he did this past year? He gave the money he was going to give to NIL. He's a cancer survivor to the V Foundation. Because you know what? Successful people want to see a return on the investment. And they want to feel like they're doing something that's going to impact someone else's life.
37:34And I think that, I think that was the real thing that we've got a, donor fatigue is real. unless you have a guy that was like big, big, big time money, which you have at Michigan and some schools have, they got them at Michigan state. But a hundred percent, the cost of doing business, you need real money to acquire the very best players to have a chance to compete at the very highest level.
37:58Rich Eisen:Seth, I appreciate the time. I don't want to take you any much longer. Go back to sports center, sir. We have an audience now. Awesome. I love it. Longest conversation I've had in a Bristol hallway ever. So that's all good. Thanks, Seth. You got him right back at you. That's Seth Greenberg, everybody. He's the best, too. By the way, I'm not kidding. I mean, they used to be catwalks. I assume there still are catwalks that would connect the buildings on Bristol campus, where I've not been back in 23 years now. And you'd walk from one building to the other, and somebody would be walking from that other building to your building, and you'd pass them in the catwalk.
38:34Rich Eisen:And then, like, 20 minutes later, you'd see them again. and i i literally thought to myself like larry david i'm like how many times do i have to stop and say hello to the same person right you know what i mean after a while it's just i'll just give you the nod and keep walking and and you have to understand like what am i gonna we just said we said hello we stopped we just caught up just did this you know what i mean we just caught up i don't need to say stop and do it again i'm not being rude it's just like that's we've done it we've done it like that's it yeah you've got work to do i've got work to do we've had our small talk we're done keep it moving now i'm just going to give you the head nod and keep going and then the third time it's going to be like yeah this is ridiculous isn't it like we'll share that look is that a curb episode or am i right it's both totally okay very good that is the longest conversation i've ever had with anybody in a bristol hallway that's how it felt in the indie for the combine because you'd walk by people about the like i walked by tom pellicero at one I just put my hand out.
39:33Rich Eisen:We're done. That was it. I wouldn't even put my hand out. I would just give the head nod and keep walking. Well, you know, I had to acknowledge my boy. But I didn't want to talk to him anymore is what I'm saying. All right, we take a break. Now I've had enough of this conversation. I'm in the same room as you. It makes sense. It does. 844-204-RICH is number. I'm happy to have a conversation with you. Okay, thank you. The Rich Eisen Show. The podcast.
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41:06Rich Eisen:Back here as a whole on radio and TV, streaming live, all lots of good stuff here on the program. Max Holm is going to join us top of the next hour. So I received a text from an agent in the NFL. Oh. Who shall remain named. Oh, dang it. Of course. over the week. I get texts from a lot of agents. Oh, okay. Guys, guys, guys. My name's Rich Eisen. My name on the mug. I get texts. All right? Don't shoot the recipient. Sorry. Called the flag football classic that Fanatics and the NFL put on together this weekend on Fox. Mixed by Jamie McCombs. Very good. Thank you for that heads up. great all good your friend until he actually tries to take credit for being better than you okay sounds good very good very good he is better than me um called it one of the most embarrassing things the nfl's ever been part of wow and well i mean i guess what at one point some somebody was in roger's seats that uh other people might know from their other work yeah at any rate that there's I'm like I push back obviously my my initial hackles go up when that happens but that that this was not up to the NFL's standards essentially and I push back saying first of all fanatics is an important partner in the NFL but the pushback is that it's March Madness weekend and flag football is on Fox and all anybody was talking about in my feed was how Tom Brady was throwing the football okay and then on top of it flag football is a highly important initiative for the NFL and for good reason if you want to play this sport and not get knocked around um then this is the version of the sport for you taylor played flag football three years ago when she was in grade school and she misses playing it she wishes that there was a form of flag football you know um in her athletic department right that her school or schools around the area would have a flag football tournament or program.
43:38Rich Eisen:And that's what the NFL is trying to get going. For girls, boys, men, women, people just don't want to get knocked around. And it's important. And that's why the NFL is excited to have flag football in the Olympics on top of it. The whole world is going to play, throw a pigskin around or a version of it. So that's what was my pushback. so if you think that this wasn't all that for the NFL to have flag football talked about on Fox with a major partner of the NFL all together and stars of the sport out there that's not a loss that's a win and this show other shows like it overreaction Monday I even Brady looked, everyone's talking about it.
44:31Rich Eisen:Because he was just throwing dimes. Dimes. He was just flinging it around. He's throwing a gronk and he's throwing, putting it in a perfect spot like he's never missed a beat. Back right corner to Diggs was a laser. It's great. And that was after he olayed someone. I forget. Maybe it was Logan or someone, but hit him with the olay. And then he stepped up. It was great. My biggest takeaway though is that doesn't matter how great Brady looks and sure could he still play yeah does he want to play I think he'd rather the gig that he currently has to be straight up yeah ownership and Fox is paying him transitional quarterback tag transition tag quarterback money all right so and he's not getting hit but my takeaway is doesn't matter who you're throwing out there because I'm sure the league would love to have current NFL stars on the Olympic stage, like the NBA and the NHL have been enjoying in their respective Olympics for years, decades.
45:39Rich Eisen:But the guys who are best at it are the ones who play it all the time. And Team USA whipped everybody, whipped everybody. and Darryl Housh-Dousset, our third hour guest, was the one who basically told everybody, I'm better than Mahomes. And on this day, he looked like he was unstoppable. The whole Team USA whipped everybody. And for them to go on this stage and say, hey, Joe Barrow, hey, Jalen Hurts, hey, Jaden Daniels, hey, Stephon Diggs and everyone else, we're the ones who should be in this stadium for the olympics because that's where that stadium that stadium is what's going to hold the olympics that's a reality is that the best team to play flag football are not a collection of nfl players who are going to go into some camp and try and figure this thing out in the span of weeks or months it's them who do it and I can't wait to have Darryl Doucette on an hour three to basically ask him if that was their point and if he believes they've made it emphatically and Burrow getting knocked around like what the hell did you see that it wasn't the guy Burrow was he's diving I know he gets knocked around he was throwing his he was putting his body on the line too if I'm a Bengals fan I'm a little bit like yo come down or you're like yeah save that for September but it was interesting.
47:11Rich Eisen:It was interesting. Soup to nuts. It certainly was. Start to finish. The Ridge Eisen Show Podcast. Monster Energy. Everybody knows White Monster Zero Ultra. That's the OG. It kicked off this whole zero sugar energy drink thing. But Ultra is a whole line up now. You've got Strawberry Dreams, Blue Hawaiian, Sunrise, and Vice Guava. And they all bring the Monster Energy punch. So if you've been living in the white can, Branch out. Ultra's got a flavor for every vibe and every single one is zero sugar. Tap the banner to learn more.
From the publisher
Rich reacts to Iowa sending Top seeded Florida packing, St. John’s advancing with a win past Kansas, and Nebraska moving on to the Sweet 16.
ESPN Basketball Analyst Seth Greenberg joins the show and discusses his takeaways from the tournament so far, Florida losing being the biggest shock so far, Houston to come out of the South Region, Michigan State to come out of the East Region, who he likes to come out of the West and Midwest regions, and what teams need to do to compete in college basketball.
Rich Eisen pushes back at comments from individuals that Flag Football is an embarrassment to the NFL.
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