Locked On ACC - Daily College Football & Basketball Podcast - BRILLIANT: Syracuse-Colorado SPRING GAME? - Benefits Syracuse, Fran Brown & ACC
Episode Date: March 18, 2025Could a Syracuse Orange vs. Colorado Buffaloes spring football game redefine college sports? With Deion Sanders and Fran Brown at the helm, this potential matchup promises to captivate fans and boost ...player development. Dive into the dynamics of this proposal and its implications for the NCAA landscape. Explore the ACC's presence in the NCAA basketball tournament, featuring powerhouses like Duke, Clemson, Louisville, and UNC. The episode dissects each team's prospects, with a spotlight on UNC's controversial inclusion and Duke's high expectations under Jon Scheyer. The hosts, Jackson Holzer and Kenton Gibbs, also preview the UNC vs. San Diego State clash, analyzing strengths and potential pitfalls. Join the conversation for exclusive insights into college sports' evolving strategies and challenges. Don't miss out on this engaging discussion that could change your perspective on the future of college athletics. Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!NissanTake your adventures to new heights in the All-New Nissan Armada PRO-4X. Learn more at NissanUSA.com.Disclaimers: Optional features. Towing capacity varies by configuration. See Nissan Towing Guide and Owner’s Manual for additional information. Always secure cargo. Supply HouseJoin the Trade Master program today at SupplyHouse.com/TM and start ordering plumbing, HVAC, and electrical supplies with just a few clicks. Plus, use promo code SH5 for 5% off your first order. That’s SupplyHouse.com! FabricJoin the thousands of parents who trust Fabric to help protect their families. Apply today in just minutes at MEETFABRIC.com/LOCKEDONCOLLEGE. 5-Hour ENERGYHead to 5-hourENERGY.com to find over 15 flavors to choose from, including Watermelon, Blue Raspberry, and Peach-Mango. Need one now? Grab a 5-hour ENERGY shot at your local grocery or convenience store—they’re everywhere! Stock up today and stay energized. UpworkVisit Upwork.com right now and post your job for free to connect with top talent and grow your business today! FactorLooking to optimize your nutrition this year? Eat smart with Factor. Get started at FACTOR MEALS.com/FACTORPODCAST and use code FACTORPODCAST to get 50% off your first box plus free shipping. Monarch MoneyTake control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code LOCKEDONCOLLEGE at monarchmoney.com for 50% off your first year. GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONCOLLEGE for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime. FanDuelRight now, new customers can get TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS in BONUS BETS when your first FIVE DOLLAR BET WINS! Download the app or head to FANDUEL.COM to get started. Bet with FanDuel—Official Partner of the NBA. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Transcript
Discussion (0)
Hang on a second here. Syracuse, Colorado, spring game? Should more teams consider doing this? Could this even happen? Let's talk about it.
You are Locked on ACC, your daily podcast on the Atlantic Coast Conference. Part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day.
This is Locked on ACC. I'm Jackson Holeser. Of course, we're always joined by Kenton Gibbs, the host of Locked on.
Locked-on Wolfpack and former NC State defensive tackle.
I am the host of Locked on Syracuse, filling in for Alex Donah, who is on vacation.
He will be back soon.
Of course, we're going to talk about UNC and San Diego State.
That matchup is tonight at 9, 10 p.m. Eastern.
We're also going to talk about the four ACC teams.
Who has most, who has the most approve?
And also, is anyone here playing with House Money?
We're going to talk about that coming up.
But first, Syracuse and Colorado.
So a spring game, that could be interesting.
We got plenty to talk about here on this edition of Locked-on, ACC.
But before we get to everything, today's episode is brought to you by the all-new 2025 Nissan Armada.
Stay with us for the Armada team of the week later in the episode.
So Kenton, I'm going to set the stage for you all.
I'm going to paraphrase everything that went on.
It happened last night.
Basically, here's the deal.
Here's what you need to know, Cliff Notes version.
Dion Sanders, the head coach of Colorado, told the media that, hey, he wants to make college maybe a little bit more professional.
He wants to bring in a team for a few days, have a couple of practices against another Division I football team, and then play a spring game against them.
Then the head coach of Syracuse, Fran Brown, responds on social media saying,
we'd love to come to Boulder for three days to play you all in a spring game and practice against you guys.
It is important to note that as of right now with the NCAA, I do not believe that this is allowed.
But I think that this is an amazing idea.
Kenton, what are your thoughts on this?
I agree.
I agree.
This is an amazing idea.
And when we talk about what was taken away from the fans with so many schools,
mine being one of them, in terms of NC State to cancel their spring.
game, you think about what can we do for the fans while also getting our guys quality
reps? What can we do? Because to me, I think that that's the biggest thing that coaches are
always, you know, they're beating the table about beating the drum about, oh, we have to be
secretive because I want quality reps. I want quality reps for my guys. I want my guys to be getting
better. Well, with all due respect, at a certain point in time, you kind of hit a limit in terms of
going against the same guys in practice of how much better you can get.
Yes, you can always improve your technique on these little things here and there,
but it's very different that seeing somebody for the first time ever.
You know, Joe Tuny is going on to win a bunch of Super Bowls
and become one of the highest paid guards in NFL history.
And in practice, he'll tell you, I used to give him hell.
Why?
Because I knew him.
I knew what he was going to do, how he was going to do it and all that stuff.
And vice versa.
There were guys in the team.
I'm like, oh, Ozzy a division of a player that gave me help.
because again, we learned each other and we knew each other's habits of patterns.
So to see another team in real time, that is big time.
That is very, very big time.
I don't think the NCAA has the teeth to necessarily stop this.
And at the end of the day, we talk about, you know, the NCAA is rolling by the Rutan
clan model, cash rules, everything around me, cream, get the money, dollar, dollar bills,
y'all.
You know what it would be a great boost for these TV ratings when we're in the dog days of all,
nothing's really going on.
Oh, the NCAA tournament ain't necessarily started yet.
You know, not really much.
You know, it would be a great time.
Let's get us a competitive spring game.
You know, we no longer have to watch the ones beat up on a bunch of freshmen
that are probably going to be red shirt during the season.
We no longer have to watch a situation where the starters are going against death got.
We get to watch competitive football at a very high level,
even if it isn't a much more controlled,
hey, we're going to do three, four, five kickoffs.
They're not going to be live.
It's just going to be tagged.
Whatever the case may be.
I think it'll be great for the fans, great for the players, great for these institutions.
It's funny you mentioned, you know, great for the fans, right?
Because fans always, we're going to come up with ideas.
And sometimes they either don't logistically make sense or it'd be great for the fans.
In reality, it's not practical or it doesn't make sense.
So you can't necessarily think about this from what do the fans want, right?
that being said, I'm trying to figure out who exactly loses from something like this happening.
All right?
We're going to talk about Syracuse, Colorado specifically here.
Who loses?
Who's the loser?
I mean, does Syracuse lose here by doing this?
Does Colorado lose here by doing this?
Do the coaches or players lose from it?
I don't think so.
The fans certainly want it, so we don't lose by this happening.
Do the networks not want this?
I would think that the networks would be.
all over this. I think that the ACC network would be sitting here saying, yeah, I mean,
come watch Syracuse and Colorado. I mean, who cares if you're a Clemson fan? I mean,
you might as well go watch it because it's competitive football. It's an ACC team against a team
from a different conference, right? High major teams. Big 12 network would probably want it. ESPN would
probably want it. So there's a bunch of money to be had here. The fans want it. The players,
they don't get bored from constantly going up against the same guys.
And also it kind of eases the transition to the pros, which is, I mean, Kenton, I mean,
it's basically minor league football now.
I mean, that's where we're headed.
That's actually where we're at right now.
Here's my one concern.
And I want to bring this up to you.
It's the spring portal window.
So logistically speaking right now, the spring.
The spring portal window opens, I believe, on April 16th, and it lasts until April 25th.
Now, Syracuse has a spring game currently scheduled on April 12th.
That's not expected to be televised.
Colorado has its own spring game on April 19th.
That's at 4.30 p.m. Eastern on ESPN, by the way.
So they are nationally televising their spring game.
Now, I'm assuming that if this were to somehow happen, that it would be on national television.
How could it not?
Is there a concern that if you do this during?
the spring portal window that this could be a breeding ground for tampering and ultimately
poaching players?
So I'm going to say no to that only from this standpoint.
At the end of the day, when you talk about a spring game and getting these guys good film
against other teams and all that good stuff, if somebody wanted to poach, they would do so
anyway.
If somebody wanted to poach, it's the same idea behind not having a spring game at all.
because if you're going to say spring games at all are important, then guess what?
You are de facto opening yourself up to poaching.
And here's the thing beyond that.
I don't know if y'all know this because I've talked, and it's not even for this segment.
I've talked to multiple coaches, players, all that type of stuff around the ACC
about the poaching situation.
And I've been told that there are multiple schools that will poach without seeing a lick of
film.
if they see that a guy was rated such and so out of high school,
if they believed that a guy was such and so out of high school,
if they recruited a guy heavily out of high school,
they'll be willing to,
if this player is not getting significant playing time,
they will not ask any questions.
They'll say,
hey,
I want this player.
There are multiple schools like that in the ACC with all the respect to all of these schools.
That's not me denigrating anybody.
They're saying you're not doing it the right way.
That's how they choose to do it.
whatever, hope it works out for you.
I think that you can't go wrong by getting the most information possible.
But there are schools who already do that.
So if there are schools that already exist in that zone,
what are you protecting or defending by saying,
hey, let's take away this thing that again,
you talk about revenue sharing coming down the pipeline.
You want to add in some quick revenue?
Everybody, come on, let's go.
Everybody, y'all got to, I don't care who you are.
You got to play somebody in your spring day.
You've got to go to somewhere for,
two to three days or somebody's got to come in to you for a week or so, whatever it looks like,
y'all are going to practice together for a week, and then at the end of that week,
y'all going to have yourself a little spring game. It's not going to be an official game.
Again, y'all going to set up all of these different situations, set up goal line, who can get the most stops,
set up, punt, set up all these things where you run it back to back to back. Sure.
But at the end of the day, if we're worried about poaching, then you would have to get rid of the transfer portal all together.
You'd have to go back to the old transfer model where it's like, hey, you got to sit out of you.
Because at this point in time, that would never work.
Exactly.
So at this point-
They get a lawsuit if they tried doing that, and it would just be blow up in everyone's face.
Exactly.
So at this point in time, I think that this is one of those things that Coach Prime and Coach Brown are starting up something that's going to be colossal going forward.
I have a solution, by the way.
How about, you know, you still have a spring portal window.
cool. How about just put all the games after the spring portal window?
Okay. Now you can have the games and you can have the practice and you don't need to worry about the tampering.
Because I'm the type of person. I'm the type of person. I believe. Leave it how it is.
If your players can be tamper with and taken. Listen, some of the OGs in my life taught me a very valuable lesson that I'll never forget.
They said never fight. You can fight for your woman. If somebody disrespects your someone,
somebody does something crazy,
you fight four, sure, never fight over a woman.
If she can be taken, she's not yours.
It's the same thing when I talk about these players in terms of if that player can
be tempered with and taken because they put up a monster spring game,
guess what?
They never wanted to be there.
If a player has half of his bearings about him, he puts up a colossal spring game
with you, he puts up a three sack game, he puts up a two touchdown game,
whatever the case may be, he knows, well,
Wait a minute. Coach Brown put me in position to score three touchdowns on the track of time.
Well, wait a minute. You know, Coach Prime put me in position to pick off a, what was the quarterback from Syracuse last name?
I mean, now it's going to be Ricky Collins in all likelihood, but if it was last season, it would be Comacourt.
Yeah, Coach Prime put me in position to pick off a Kyle McCord a couple times.
So you don't need to immediately jump in that portal where you go from being a guy.
who was put in a position to succeed through becoming,
you don't know what you're going to be in that new squad.
You don't know what they're stacked like.
You don't know what, damn, this pass rush can't get home to say their life.
I can't cover this guy for five seconds.
I just can't do it.
You don't know what can happen.
So if players are that easily poachable,
that just means that you have not done enough to establish that relationship.
I think you cut out a little bit there,
but I think I got what you were saying.
Oh, I was just saying you didn't establish the relationship.
into loyalty if players are that easily posted.
Oh, he put up 80 yards in the spring game.
Now I got to worry about him leaving.
Come on, man.
Come on.
All right.
Well, I think that's maybe my one minor concern about this whole thing.
And so that's why I proposed to, you know what, just do it after it.
So you don't have to worry about any of the tampering or the poaching because guess what?
There's no portal to get into.
And with NIL and everything, someone could blow you away with an offer where a relationship
at that point doesn't matter.
But I think we can continue this conversation because we can expand it.
beyond just Syracuse and Colorado.
We can talk about some other matchups that we would maybe like to see if this were
obviously to occur going forward.
So stick with us here on Locked on ACCC.
The Armada team of the week is brought to you by our friends at Nissan and the all new
2025 Nissan Armada.
Each week our locked on college basketball experts are picking one team that stands
apart from top-seated stars to the unexpected upsets.
These guys showcase the strength and sheer power needed to push their team forward.
And this week's Armada and Clear Cut team of the week is the Florida Gators.
The Gators led by Walter Clayton, 17 points a game, just dominated the SEC tournament, winning
each game by at least nine points.
Not only did Florida grab the fourth one seed, but they are the nation's most efficient offense.
When it comes to the Nissan Armada, they say go forth and conquer, and that's exactly what
the Florida Gators have done here.
It's clear that our team of the week is out here ready to conquer the road ahead with confidence,
just like you can in the all new 2025 Nissan Armada or any of Nissan's outstanding vehicles.
the Nissan Armada, Rogue or Pathfinder, and go find your next big adventure.
Shop nisoneusa.com.
Life moves fast, especially when you have a family.
One day you're watching your kids take their first steps.
And before you know it, they're off to college.
That's why securing their future is so important.
Fabric by Gerber Life makes it simple to get term life insurance that fits your family needs.
With fabric, you can apply for term life insurance online right from your couch.
You can be covered in under 10 minutes.
And in many cases, no health exam is required.
You can get a million dollars in coverage for less than a dollar a day, so protecting your loved ones doesn't have to break the bank.
Join the thousands of parents who trust Fabric to help protect their families.
Apply today in just minutes at meetfabric.com slash locked on college.
That's meetfabric.com slash locked on college.
Policies issued by Western Southern Life Assurance Company, not available in certain states, prices subject to underwriting and health questions.
This is Locked on ACC. I'm Jackson Holeser, the host of Lockdown, Syracuse.
were joined by Kenton Gibbs, the host of Lockdown Wolfpack,
and a former NC State defensive tackle.
And we're going to stick with the conversation here
about a Syracuse, Colorado potential spring game
in case you all missed it last night.
Dion Sanders, the coach of Colorado, said,
hey, we want to host a team for our spring game
and a couple of practices.
The head coach of Syracuse, Fran Brown says,
we'd love to come to Boulder.
And oh, by the way, there's more to the story
because then Dion Sanders says,
hey, I love you, Coach Fran Brown.
He didn't necessarily say yes or no,
but he does love head coach Fran Brown.
So we'll see where it goes.
But it got us thinking,
what other matchups would you like to see,
you know, if Syracuse and Colorado were to do this,
obviously this would be groundbreaking.
So what other matchups would you like to see
in a potential spring exhibition game?
Give me some Michigan, Miami.
That's the first one I thought of where I'm like,
these are two physical teams who pride themselves in the trenches.
Mario Cristobal, obviously former offensive lineman, that's where he cut his teeth,
being an offensive line coach on the Alabama staff all those years ago.
And then you go to Sharon Moore, who what was his job before he was promoted the head coach, right?
He was also an offensive line guy.
I want to see those two go at it.
And on top of the aspect of the physicality of both teams, they're both very big brands
that I think would do ridiculous numbers in terms of the first.
first ever, you know, televised joint spring game, which would be great for not only,
you know, the actual fans and people who are very invested in these two teams, but it's also
great for guys like you and me. So when we make our preseason predictions and when we say,
this team will be this or this thing will be that, we have something to base it on, not saying
that, you know, a week of practicing and then one spring game is like the greatest defining factor,
because I'm sure some coaches are going to say, oh, I don't want to risk my starting quarterback.
getting hurt. We're going to sit them out there. Oh, I don't want the world to see how great
this running back we got is. We're going to give them about three touches and that's going to be it.
But I think that it'd be great to have something to base our preseason rankings off of.
And again, a matchup like a Michigan, Miami could go a long way into doing.
Well, I think in regards to quarterbacks and anyone getting hurt, first of all, it's football.
Injuries are going to happen no matter what. And second of all, we're quarterbacks.
You put them in the no contact jersey. It's a simple, you put bubble wrap on them and you say,
hey, like the only way this guy's getting hurt is if it's a freak non-contact injury,
which of course we will never wish upon anyone.
But that's it.
We're not going to let a real sack occur in this game.
I mean, they don't even let it occur in normal spring games.
You're not going to like a quarterback get hit at all.
I don't care if it's the fifth guy on the roster.
It's just silly to have that occur.
But you got me thinking about Miami here.
How about Miami, Oregon?
Mario Cristobar, Oregon again.
I would be interesting.
How about that?
How about,
I like it.
Devil Tweeney's old stomping grounds where Alabama, correct me if I'm wrong, right?
Yes, sir.
He got, you know, Alabama.
I love it.
I love it.
That would be really cool.
I think ultimately, I would not want this to be neutral site.
I think neutral site is stupid for a thing like a spring game.
I don't see it at all.
Perhaps a home-and-home type series.
So one year you go to one school, the next year they come to you,
and then you find a different thing.
different stool after that. So you just basically play every two years. We're going to do musical chairs.
We're going to shuffle it around. Perhaps the television networks can get in and say, hey,
our spring games, we're going to have an ACC SEC, SEC challenge, just like there is in college
basketball. So it's going to rotate between an ACC and SEC team or ACC Big Ten or
or whatever it is. I just think that there's so many possibilities here. And as far as the
logistics, I think we're in agreement.
that we want this to be on home turf at someone's facility.
Neutral site just doesn't seem right.
Absolutely.
Quarterbacks, yeah, put the no contact jersey on them.
Don't let them get hit.
So anything else you want to talk about here regarding this spring game thing?
I think that it would be a great job to have that and to kind of establish like all of the formal
or all of the former formal rivalries that don't.
get played anymore, let that kind of play itself out, right? TCU was very upset with SMU,
or I'm sorry, SMU was very upset with TCU for kind of discontinuing their robbery. Hey,
me this in the spring game. How about it? How about it? You come see us? We come see you.
We ride down the street from each other. Dallas, Fort Worth. There's about a 20-minute drive.
Let's do it. You know, those types of things. I'd love to see those things. Obviously,
you don't want to scrimmage against somebody. You got to play during the season. So you wouldn't
want to see a Clemson, South Carolina, a Florida State, Florida, anything like that. But
you want to see some of those kind of old bad blood things where, you know, it got discontinued
or kind of taken apart because of how realignment and all these things have happened.
I want to see him.
I want to see him.
If you don't have a designated partner to do this docee dough with, go ahead and pick up one of those old riders.
I also want it to be, I mean, we're in college basketball terminology right now,
but I want it to be high major versus high major.
You know, I want it to be powerful versus.
power for. I don't want to sit here and be like, ah, we're going to do this idea.
This is brilliant. So, uh, Alabama, you're going to play FIU.
Like, like, no. Like, that's not the point of this. Like that's just,
don't you call up central Michigan. Lead them boys in Mount Pleas.
Lead of those out of conference Cupcake games. Yeah, save them for the regular season.
We want actual competition here in the spring game. Once again, this whole conversation was
started because Dion Sanders at Colorado wants it to
happen where he plays another school for a spring game. And then Fran Brown at Syracuse says,
we'd happily go to Boulder for a few days there. And obviously, he's not worried about going to the
west coast. So I don't want to hear about the travel logistics either, okay? I don't care about if
Miami has to go to Oregon or Oregon has to go to Miami. All right, but fine. They got airplanes
nowadays. But let's shift gears to the college basketball conversation here. And with that,
that means I got to change my background back to basketball. So here we go. Now we're talking about
basketball again, ladies and gentlemen, okay?
We got four teams in the ACC that are in the NCAA tournament.
Obviously, UNC is playing tonight against San Diego State, so we're going to talk about
that in the next segment here.
But first, you got Duke as a one seat, Clemson as a five, Louisville as an eight.
Again, I don't know how they were in an eight C.
That makes no sense.
By the way, they were top 10 in the latest ranking that came out after we recorded the
episode.
Top 10 team gets an eight.
Oh, UNC.
11 seed obviously playing.
Kenton, who do you think has the most to prove in this NCAA tournament?
Oh, USC by mom.
They're the team that everybody's saying, you don't belong here.
You are not worthy of being here.
Everybody's talking about how undeserving you are.
There is not a world where anybody else has a higher track uphill to prove something.
Even if dude goes out there and loses in the first round.
They won't be the first one seat to ever lose to a 16th.
seed. Also, there's not that many people that are picking Duke as their national championship
in terms of what I've seen from national pundits. I have not seen enough picking Duke as their
national champ to say, hey, this team has the most approved. And then you go to Clemson.
Clemson is a team. I would probably say I got the second most approved because Brownell,
everybody says that he's a tournament dropper. Time to show something, brother. Time to show
something. But I think by far the team that has the most approved, not even close. I'd definitely
give that trophy to the yield.
I'm back and forth on this.
And the two teams are obviously UNC and Duke.
I do think Duke has a lot to prove in this tournament.
I understand that they are a one seed,
but this is the first time in a few years now
where they have a legitimate chance at the national title.
They haven't been a one seed in a few years now
since maybe that time with Paulo Bencaro.
They were a two seed and in the final four.
Since then they really haven't, you know,
they've been really good, obviously,
but they have not been that tier one type of team.
They're obviously back to that category this season as the number two overall team in the tournament.
I do have them, by the way, winning the whole thing for the record.
It's, I mean, it's random, but I do have them winning it.
So I think they have a lot to prove.
I think if they bow out in the round of 32, I think that is a complete failure.
UNC also, you hit the nail on the head.
I mean, UNC, everyone's saying you don't belong here.
Well, if UNC goes out, they win tonight against San Diego State, then they win the round of 64 and the round of 32.
Now they're in the sweet 16.
I mean, who's laughing now, right?
And this is why I say Duke is the team with nothing to prove here.
How many times have we seen Uber talented teams that are very young flame off?
How many times have we seen teams that are like, oh, they've got the number one overall pitch and that guy has a bad game or two in the tournament, all of a sudden you're cooked, you're done.
like that is less surprising to me that is less of a call to me and obviously
and obviously both jackson and i left out louisville for a reason louisville is not
with all the respect they just came out of the kinney pain error to now be in the tournament
and and be wildly underseated so nobody's expecting anything big out of them however
when you look at these other three teams there is some level of expectation and i do agree
that people are going to expect something out of because it is due regardless
of Cooper flag, regardless of health of him and Brown, regardless of those things.
It is Duke.
When they get to the tournament, you're going to expect something.
But again, that's why I say even more so.
Nobody said, Duke, you don't belong as a one seat.
You got to prove to us that you're a proper one seed.
But people are saying the biggest, there are folks who have not talked college basketball
all year.
I have not heard Stephen A and Shannon Sharp say, kiss, foot, shoe, butter, toe about college
basketball all year. But you know what they were on air talking about yesterday? Oh, it's a disgrace.
The police got it. Oh, it's a crime. It's a travest thing they got. So I look at that and I say,
if you have everybody named Mama who doesn't even watch the game talking about just you and saying
how useless and vetless and undeserving you are, oh, your ass got something to prove. You got to show up
and prove. I can totally get behind your, I get behind your reasoning. Like, I totally get it. That's
why I'm considering them as well with Duke. I just think they're.
neck and neck here.
And more specifically, really with John Shire.
I mean, we all agree he's a great coach, right?
Okay, no one's going to say he's a bad coach or anything like that.
We obviously think he's a really good coach.
But at Duke so far, he's in year three.
You don't get to the final four after three years.
Yeah, that honeymoon phase for John Shire is going to end real quick over at Duke.
You don't believe me?
Watch them losing the round of 32 and see what happens.
Yeah, John Shire's, it ain't going to be Cooper Flagg on the hot seat,
you know why because super flags out the door.
Yeah.
Ain't going to be Canoopal on the hot seat because he's out the door.
You know who is going to be on the hot seat?
John Shire.
I'm not going to sit here and say he's fired or anything like that.
But he'll start looking funny in the life.
Oh, it's not going to look all pretty because we're going to sit here and say,
oh, John Shire, you got all this talent.
You can't make a final four with Duke in three years?
Not enough time.
Are you now the next coach that can't win the big one?
I just see it circulating if they lose early.
that being said, I do have Duke winning the national championship.
So I don't think that's going to happen.
But coming up, we're going to talk about UNC and San Diego State because, hey, there is an
ACC game to talk about tonight.
And it's pretty damn important.
So stick with us here on locked on ACC.
Staling your business requires the right expertise at the right time.
With Upwork, you can find specialized freelancers in marketing, development, design, and more.
Experts ready to help you take your business to the next level.
Upwork gives business.
business is flexibility by connecting them with top freelance talent across multiple industries,
including IT, AI, web development, and marketing.
Whether you need extra hands for a project or a long-term partner, Upwork makes hiring simple
and affordable.
If you need help with a marketing campaign, Upwork can connect you with a freelance expert
who delivered incredible results.
Visit Upwork.com right now and post your job for free.
That's UPWORK.com.
upwork.com to connect with top talent and grow your business today.
The NCAA tournament is here and so is the bracket breakdown.
Locked-on Podcast Network and Amazon Fire TV channels are teaming up to deliver NCAA tournament
coverage like never before. Watch studio shows featuring former players and Lockedons local
experts as they guide you through every upset, buzzer beater, and bracket matchup.
Stream it all for free on Amazon Fire TV channels. Search Brackett Breakdown to see it all for free.
It's your team every day.
This is locked on ACC. I am Jackson Holeser, the host of Lockdown Syracuse filling in for Alex Dono, the host of Lockdown Keynes. He is still on vacation, but he will be back soon. And of course, Kenton Gibbs, always joining us here on Locked on ACC. He is the host of Locked on Wolfpack and a former NC State defensive tackle. So there is a pretty important game tonight in the ACC. It's the playing round of the NCAA tournament. You got North Carolina 11C taking on San Diego.
state an 11 seed tonight at 9.10 p.m. Eastern, North Carolina is a four and a half point favorite
on Fandul, and the winner will play Ole Miss on Friday. So Kenton, the floor is yours. Who do you have
winning and why? You know, here's the thing. This game, I mean, obviously both of these teams are
in the play in for a reason. And this game is featuring two teams that have, they finished up
down the stretch very strong.
But I can't go away from UNC on this one.
I really and truly can.
The thing that I think will be the biggest difference in this game,
all of the teams that have beaten UNC handling this year,
they've all shown that their front courts will handle business here.
Their front courts will take UNC out to the woodshed,
which we've seen multiple times.
And then your next thing after that, cut off RJ Davis.
Make somebody else have to score and beat you.
Do I think San Diego State can do those things?
No.
Don't get me wrong.
San Diego State's got some ballers in their own right.
Obviously, you talk about Boyd and all the different things that he does.
You talk about Magoon and the different things that he does as well in terms of being the leading big on that team.
But I'm telling you right now, I don't look at San Diego State as a team that right now has what it takes to beat a U.N.C. in this situation.
And I will say this.
When we talk about tournament play, what do we always say wins?
Experience and guard play.
And guess what UNC has an advantage of?
Experience and guard play.
That's all I'm looking at there.
McGuwen is a true freshman.
A young man was slow dance at prom a few months ago.
So, you know, this is a situation where I'm looking at UNC to edge one out,
edge a close one out here and show the nation,
oh, y'all said we didn't belong.
But look at us.
Look at it.
We've at least won a game.
More than at least 32 teams will be able to say this year.
I'm going San Diego State.
You got to explain yourself.
You got to explain yourself.
But first, I just want to point out that San Diego State has actually done pretty well in the NCAA tournament the last couple of years.
The only team to knock them out over the past couple of years just so happens to be the team that's won the last two national titles.
And that's the Yukon Huskies.
I do believe that they deserve a little bit more respect.
Carolina, a four and a half point favorite, even if you think they're going to win,
I'm pretty sure San Diego State is probably going to cover that line.
I think this is a bad matchup for North Carolina.
And let me tell you why.
San Diego State's one of the best defensive teams in the country, 14th in the country
and points allowed per game.
They are also expected to get their big fella back in Magoon Guath, Mountain West defensive
player of the year.
So that's going to make it difficult for North Carolina's guards to get to the rim because
he got this DiGuath, who's going to swat away every.
thing when they go to the basket.
So that means Tenton that North Carolina has got to take a bunch of threes, right?
And hey, they can win with their three-point shooting.
They can.
But San Diego State's also really good at defending the three-pointer this season.
They are top 20 in the nation in three-point percentage defense.
So I look at this matchup and I say, I don't know if this is a good matchup for North
Carolina.
So again, I'm going to go a close game, but I think it might be a little bit low storing here.
San Diego State 71, North Carolina.
67. Oh, you got more scoring going on to me because I,
here's the thing. I don't think that North Carolina has a ton of
offensive firepower. I think they have enough to get by San
Diego State. I think the San Diego State has shown us time and time
again in really big moments. They just don't have the goods in
terms of scoring. Their last game, do you know how many points they scored?
Take a while. I do not know at the top of my head.
Fifty two.
That's not going to be enough.
And so I've got them scoring a very similar amount in this game.
I've got UNC, again, winning a close one, 61 to 55.
I should point out that San Diego State's defense or offense, excuse me, is not very good.
Yeah, and that's my point.
It's a classic offense versus defense type deal here.
I'm going to take San Diego State in a close one.
Kenton, you got North Carolina in a close one.
Folks in the comments section, tell us why we,
we're both idiots. Who do you think is going to win this game and why? North Carolina or San Diego
State. And you know what the beauty of this whole thing is? We're going to find out tonight
who's going to win and play Ole Miss on Friday. And tomorrow here on Locked on ACC, I will
be back for one more episode with Kenton Gibbs. We will break down North Carolina and San Diego
State. Plus, once we know the outcome of that game, we're going to know how many teams in the
ACC are going to be playing in the round of 64, and we will be giving our bracket predictions for
all the teams in the ACC. I already kind of spoiled mine saying that Duke is going to win the
national championship. So, hey, get a head start. Leave a comment in the comment section below.
Who do you think is going to win the national championship game? Is it going to be an ACC team
in 2025? Thank you all so much for watching. Thank you all so much for listening. This is
locked on ACC, and we will see you all again tomorrow.
Thank you.
