Locked On ACC - Daily College Football & Basketball Podcast - Cuse and Pitt Shun the NIT

Episode Date: March 19, 2024

In this episode, Candace and Kenton discuss the teams who decided to forego the NIT and is the tournament still worth it Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

So today's show, we're unpacking Tom Crean's comments around the NIT. Should teams just go ahead and start the new year, right? Should teams participate in the NIT? We'll talk about all of that. Plus, women selection Sunday, where are your favorite teams headed around the ACC? We'll talk about all of that here on today's episode of Locked on ACC. You are Locked on ACC, your daily podcast on the Atlantic Coast Conference. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day.

Everybody, welcome to today's edition of Locked on ACC. I'm your host, Candace Cooper, joined by Kenton Gibbs of Locked on Wolfpack. Each and every day, you can find us where I be listed podcasts. Make sure you download, subscribe to the pod, where you want to participate because it is a good time here on our YouTube channel where you could talk to us and certainly get in on our community. Make sure that when you are thinking about Locked on ACC, you have friends here that want to get in on some betting action.

Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Make Every Moment more. New customers join today, and you'll get a high. $200 in bonus bets if your first bet of $5 and more wins. Visit vandu.com slash locked on to get started today. All right, Kenyon, we are talking through basketball. It is March Madness. It is a time where people have, you know,

rampant worth of opinions when it comes to what teams should do, what coaches should do, transfer portal. People are entering and doing all the things. And right now as it stands, we have a couple teams who said no to the NIT pit being one of them. But we definitely have some that are still dancing, Boston College being one of those programs and others. and Wake Forest being in that mix.

Now, there people are saying that the NIT is lame. Don't participate. Turn the page. Transporters open. Figure out how your team's going to look for 2025. Others are saying, you know, all in as many runs as you can get, highlight tapes, all the things, participate. Tom Crean, former Indiana coach, had opinions about this bad boy,

but nonetheless, we are going to unpack and kind of say where we stand. So if you give people the synopsis of what Tom Crean sort of laid out for the people, and then we can go from there. For sure. So in essence, Tom Green said that, you know, there is a very finite amount of time in which you're allowed to play basketball at this level in which you are, you know, allowed to,

there's a finite amount of opportunities that you get to get out there on the court. And you should always, you know, you can always have the coaches who don't want to coach, do the recruiting or the players who don't want to play just sit out a lot of very similarly, to how they do for bowl games and everybody else get out there, you know, play, do all the things, go, go give it your best shot to try to win something and also to give those players

another opportunity because we all know, right, you and I both know intimately well, college is the last time that many of us get to compete in our sport at a high level. So that was basically Tom Green's whole argument that, you know, you only get so many times to do this and therefore you should try to take advantage of those and maximize that amount of times in every way that you possibly can, which denying or declining NIT invites is obviously doing, not doing. And of your opinion, do you feel like, you know, for people who have one more chance or maybe not any more chances to play, they should participate in any options possible or should they just hanging up and move on to the next chapter? I absolutely agree with Tom Crane here. You know, I absolutely agree.

That it's give the players who don't want to play the ability to not do so and go about your business. Go play the games. You know, I don't understand why a lot of these schools are skipping and all that good stuff. With all due respect, I don't get it. If you're a Memphis, why are you skipping? What are we doing here?

You know, if you're a pit, why are you skipping? What are you doing here? What? And again, I, you know, in the past I've said if your school is a true blue blood and you hang banners for you got a bunch of banners for national championships and all that you can skip. But even for them, it's kind of ridiculous. But let alone, with all due respect, Pitt, where's the national championship banner at for you all to say like, ah, we're above this? No, you're not.

Go play some damn basketball. What are we doing here? What do we do? You have the opportunity to go out there and prove yourself again. And the reality is, as much as you and I joke about, oh, Armando Bay. I get ready to learn, you know, get ready to learn Spanish or get ready to learn German, whatever the case may be, there's a lot more than Armada that are, you know, hey, the next time that you play ball, brother, you're going to be in Japan.

That's just what it is, you know, get ready to learn some Mandarin. So while you all have the opportunity, I don't understand turning the opportunity down. When you know a vast majority of you, the next level is not there. It's not there. I understand guys who get in the Portland and all that. Wake Forest is a prime example. They're going to be playing and Mont Santo is already in the portal. Prime example.

So I don't understand it. I don't get it. I don't get the turning down the opportunity to play this game, especially from teams that, again, winning the NIT would be one of the first banners you've hung in basketball a year. Why not? 100% agree in that regard. I think it ultimately comes down to just the way the college lands.

give is these days. I think, you know, speaking from an old man screaming from the couch, like it was about competing. It was about opportunities. Anyone you could get, you sort of try to capitalize on. It's not necessarily the same way these days. I would never question anybody's whoever wants to or, you know, heart and desire to, you know, participate. But it's definitely a different time. And speaking of Wake Forest and Monsanto having to leave or deciding to leave, I think his exit was probably the strangest exit I've seen so far from the ACC schools in terms of just how he did it and participating in senior day getting his plaque walking off not really having that true senior moment and it's unfortunate because that man young man brought

a lot to the deacons and definitely kept them into some games and was certainly one of the most exciting parts of wait for fourth basketball in the forbes era yeah for sure for sure and again i that's that's one thing that i absolutely adore about forbes anybody who knows me knows this is the coach for stand-a-com because his his guys are going to compete they're going to going to play ball. They're going every opportunity they can get. They're going to take it. And I was very much so on the train for, you know, if if NC State didn't go on the magical run that they did, ACC champs, what a time to be alive. If that didn't happen, obviously, I would want them to be in the NIT and play and participate in it if they got the invite because, I mean, you know, it's a, it's another moment to root for your team. And it's another, like we, like we talked about. There's how many of those guys do you look at right?

now and you're like, I know for a fact. He's going to be on an NBA roster opening day next year. With all due respect, tournament MVP, DJ Burns a bad brother. I don't see it for him. Casey Morsell, lights out shooter, 40% from deep last year, I don't see it for him. DJ Horn, leading score for the team.

Carried this team on his back at multiple points. Campancy, stadium games. They had no business being in them once again this year. I don't see it for him in terms of if somebody told me, You've got to bet he's in or out on the NBA roster after start next season. All three up, give me out for everybody. So, you know, I just don't understand it. I don't get it, but it is what it is.

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March Madness, you're going to want to have a Fire TV. Check it out at Fire TV channels right now. Go to www. www.am.com slash locked on Fire TV and get yourself hooked up today. Kins and Gibbs and I rolling through March Madness Selection Sunday, happened for the women as well. If you did not check out yesterday's episode about the men, do yourself a favor and go ahead and get hype on that one.

We talk about ACC Championship as well as where our favorite five ACC schools have landed. But the women have a couple more schools. to add to that list, and we are going to talk through just how good they are, but more importantly, where or how long they'll last, which would be interesting for some and some not surprising for others. In regional one, you have Albany. Excuse me, yep, and Regional 1 is in Albany. Regional 2 is Albany as well, but this one, Albany 1, North Carolina will face off against Michigan State, and should they win, they'll have to face South Carolina as their first true test, which I really

think Michigan State's true test, but here we are. Notre Dame, same region, we'll have to face off against Kent State to start and potentially a firing hot, Ole Miss, or Marquette team. Now, it is Regent Kenton, you know, we talk about our ACC schools and how well they've done this season. It's been highs and lows for North Carolina. It's been pretty consistent. And with our ACC champions Notre Dame, how do you see these two fairing in this very difficult read bracket? With all due respect, North Carolina does not have a horses in a stable to compete with South Carolina. But you're very right. And the Michigan State could be a true test for this team. I mean, that is, that is a Michigan State team that is,

you talk about a team that in the big team, which is one of the better women's basketball conferences, has found their way to be competitive every night, to get some big upsets to end up being one of better teams in that conference. Michigan State has absolutely done that. So with that in mind, I wouldn't say, hey, this is going to be easy. This is going to be slight work, no reaction. Down focus. Don't even think about South Carolina. Focus on game one first.

Because if you don't win that one, it doesn't matter. It really and truly doesn't matter. And you don't even put yourself in position to pull off a magical upset if you don't win the first one. Right. So this is, you know, UNZ, be on alert. Be on the lookout. The Spartans are coming. And Tom is only the only one that can work a little magic in green and white in terms of basketball up there in East Lansing.

Yeah, I truly don't think that North Carolina makes out of the first round. I only say that someone who's very hard on them, but also very realistic. I think unless they play truly inspired basketball, to me, it's just a turn the page type of moment. They are really good. They have the talent. It's something about the team chemistry that just doesn't quite fit for me in comparison to a Michigan state that has been played really inspired basketball right now. So I think it will take a Herculean effort. And by Herculean, I mean, probably you need, what are the group, what is the group of girls

that was with, you know, Hercules, the group of black women that sang, you know, I'm talking about. I believe it was the muses. The muses. They're going to need to be the muses. Right now, they're just, you know, Hercules is doing his own thing. He's trying to figure it out, but they need the muses to come together and sort of really, you know, hone that one in. On the flip side, I'm very confident in Notre Dame. I think that Hannah Hildago is being a superstar freshman. She is not playing like a freshman, playing like someone who's been here before. I don't see Kent State being trouble for them.

It's just a matter of how they come out unscathed, come out healthy, a big loss at center, but I still think that they have an opportunity to go pretty far. Yeah, and I would say, you know, when you look at this Notre Dame team, Coach Ivy is always going to have them prepared. She's always going to have them ready. And the reality is Kent State is a very good draw for them. Kent State is not one of those 15 seats. You're like, oh, my God, they were so poorly underseated because their conference just doesn't get to respect nationally.

I'm going to say it right here right now, if Notre Dame finds a way to lose this one, you know, we'll give all the credit to Kent State on air. But it would be a massive collapse necessary for that to happen. Yeah, 100%. Agreed there. Let's move on to Albany two region, which will be led by Iowa. Caitlin Clark and Company will certainly have their work cut out for them when they get into this bad boy, because boy, is it a good region. Louisville will be the number six seed. They'll face off against Middle Tennessee State. Should they come out the winner, they could potentially have to face an LSU team that, you know, beats Rice and fairly confident in that. But say all of that,

say we could see a Haley Van Liff, LSU, Louisville team rematch or sort of matchup, clashing of the tight ends. And for all those who sit there and tell me that the community doesn't do things on purpose, I find it hard to believe. People love storylines. People love gossip. People love soap operas. People love drama. And that certainly is one. Oh, let's be honest. The committee absolutely does things for the fans and viewers, like putting the worst two seed a couple years ago into the first two seed slot so they could end up where they were very close to home, if you will. I'm not looking at anybody in particular, Nina King, but, you know, good job there.

But in all seriousness, I think that we are going to see that, hey, it's Haley Van Liff against our old school type of moment. And I'll tell you what. and coach wall could not be more different. They truly could not be more different. Wall, you think of this like very cerebral, very like, you know, he gets fired up. But of course, when he's presenting to the public and all that, very like, you know, hey, we're going to do what we do.

You know, we need to hit our stuff. As opposed to Kim Moki, I wish he would have pushed a bigger girl. Yeah. Ooh, you know, that type of very, very different, very different energy there. And so that would be a. great clash of the Titans. That would be a great game that's very, you know, stylistically for those two teams as well. That is a matchup that's not terrible for Louisville. As much as we like LSU, that's not a terrible match. If you got Cochran down there to take care of

Andrew Reese potentially, and we know how many different sets, Coach Wall likes to throw out there. And you know Hayley Van Lent because you've seen her every day for, what, three years or so. You know. You know her in and out. You know where she likes to go, where she's I'll come through a lot of that good stuff. Mmm. That's going to be a game now. And I truly think that, you know, we talk about portal transfer all the time and where it worked and where it didn't. And for me, Haley Van Lund didn't work in LSU, right?

I don't think that she is a true point guard. I don't think that she really commanded that team the way she may have if she had stayed at Louisville. So I wouldn't just count Louisville out in this bad way. And there's nothing better than sweet revenge and reminding people why they do or do not need you. So I certainly think that LSU will have their work cut out. for them and this will definitely be one, a stinger. When it comes out coaching, I certainly will give Wall's credit over Moki any day.

Yeah, I mean, no, let's not be disrespectful now. LSU got some stars down there. They got some ballings out there. I said it's a good matchup for Louisville. I need some more probably is the only matchup where it's like, all right. And that's, and that was what I was just about to say. Come on. Oh, boy.

I don't necessarily agree with that, but I will say this. I will say this. I'm a bad ankle is that? I was just about to say, I believe that health is going to be a factor in this thing because Louisville is healthier than LSU. But more importantly, there also comes a time in every game that's tight where generally you're going to need a player. You can roll the ball off and say, listen, forget the sets, forget what they run, forget what we run. It's one-on-one, woman-on-woman, you've got to go get a bucket.

I don't think that Louisville has anybody in that situation that could succeed. to the level of underneath tomorrow. I don't. I would argue even flage, but, you know, it just depends. It depends on the day. It depends on the hour. But we'll see which teams show up when. Let's talk about regional three, which will be in Portland.

Virginia Tech will be a four seed. Who knows if they will have. Elizabeth Kittley, Coach Brooks has been very much mum or sort of obtuse, rather, whether or not she'll participate, trying to make her as healthy as possible. Will she play against Marshall remains to be seen? Syracuse will come in at a number six seed while Duke is in number seven scene will face off against Richmond. Good for Duke, right? They have everything in front of them to really be great.

Syracuse has everything in front of them to be great. Virginia Tech is going to need one hell of a showing from Georgia Amor in order to be fantastic. Oh, absolutely, absolutely. And George Amour is going to have to put on the Herculane effort here because this is a team that's playing with all the what, multiple time, two or three time, ACC player a year. like this is this is not this is not like a small little piece and it's very different from Notre Dame situation because Olivia Miles got hurt preceding they did not this team as it's constructed right now did not know what it was like to play with Olivia Mounts the Virginia tech team however did not know what it was like to be without kick until very late in the season

so you know I would say that that's a team that's dangerous because they've got nothing to lose they can just let it all hang out because nobody expects anything from that team without kidding. 100% agree. I also think that the ageing fair from Syracuse certainly has been the top of the town and she can certainly carry her team into next levels. But strong showing for the ACC in that region. And I think that a couple of them will come out victorious. Yeah, yeah, makes a lot of sense.

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A lot of great gaming action happening over the next week. It starts on Thursday for some Friday for others. But when it's all said and done, I think that this last region is going to be a joyous one as well. Coming in at the one seed will be Texas. And they have a nice showing with NC State in this bad boy, which I think, you know, NC State, ACC Championship Final, Florida State, also a really good team that could face off against a really good Alabama program. But, you know, say all that to say, this is probably the most anybody can get a bracket or section of the bracket to me. You know, not going to lie to you.

Wasn't disappointed to see NC State draw this one. I wasn't disappointed at all. I was not sitting up here saying, no, the brackets have done Westmore, another disservice. However, you still got to go out there and win the ball games, right? And, you know, you look at who these two teams are going up against in the first round. You know, you're not looking at necessarily world beats, especially in terms of talking NC State women's basketball. You're really and truly not looking at world beaters there. However, Westmore has struggled in the NCAA tournament in times with a first round exit to, I believe it was Princeton last year.

So, you know, you really don't want to overlook your opponent and all that good stuff in this scenario. But NC State should be just fine. Florida State, we all know what the key is. We all know what the key is. Can you get Latson going? Can you get Texan going? That's it. That's the key.

If those two can get it done, you can play with anybody. You can beat just about anybody in the country. However, if they're not rolling, you can lose anybody in the country. So we'll see what that looks like. 100%. And I think this bracket, the side of the bracket, if you look at it and break it down to me, you got a really good Texas team, but you also got a really good Utah team, right? You got a good Tennessee team that's definitely playing with damn chip on their shoulder.

And Iowa State team that's certainly hungry. Maryland team that's always going to be Maryland and Stanford. Who isn't always going to be Stanford? But shit, you got Norfolk State who's going to come in as a 15 seed. You got your old friend there from NC State. Ms. Diamond Johnson. Yeah. I think he fights hungry and feeling like they have an opportunity.

And I think that's why you play the game. And this is arguably to me more exciting than the men's bracket just because, all season long. We've seen so many upsets. I mean, you've seen a Colorado team coming and do big things. You've seen the Indiana team do big things in Nebraska and Ohio State. So it's really any given matchup, you're going to

get some pretty electrifying plays. Yeah, and you know, you want to talk about old friends in that bracket. You know, you talk about Maryland basketball being who they are. Jakea Brown-Turner's over there. So it's multiple multiple ways that you're going, you know, you talk about the Haley Van Liff

and potentially playing Louisville. There are multiple situations where a team where you know we can see some star players playing teams that they starred for for quite some time and i i think that's going to be um a very very interesting thing to see there and you know this is again this this side of bracket while i think it is a favorable draw for nc state and florida state i would not say for either one of those teams hey the road is going to be easy go ahead and pencil yourself into the lead a to final four no sir no ma'am not at all You have to earn it. That Stanford team, we already know.

Stanford is going to be, they're going to be as long as the day is. Because I'm telling you, they're always going to drag out multiple players, 6-2-plus that are going to give you a lot of difficulty down low. And they finally figured out, well, not finally figured out, but they also combined that with some good perimeter scoring. So, you know, that team is nothing to scoff that. And, you know, Texas is Texas. They have played phenomenal basketball this year.

Of every team in this region, They've been the most consistent all year long. So I wouldn't say that there are anything to necessarily sleep at and say, hey, this is an easy bracket to come out of because their consistency is virtually unmatched by anybody except LSU this year. So, you know, there's a lot to be said for the women's teams. And the one thing that I will say is in terms of teams who needed to be in, Miami deserved to be in here.

And there are multiple teams that I look at and say, because everybody loves to say, oh, if you put your team in, who are we taking out? And there are multiple teams that I can look at and say they don't have the resume that money had this year. Yeah, 100%. And I think that's what made the women's bracket so difficult because there were so many ups, quote unquote, upsets. There were so many, you know, one seed changes and all the things. And as much as we want to glorify the hype of Caitlin Clark, she hasn't done the whole thing. So there's been national champions, you know, from South Carolina side multiple times. now. So I think, you know, credit to them and just, I don't think it's going to be an easy road.

We've seen them in difficult situations, but I would be curious who your overall winner will be. You know, it's really tough to pick against South Carolina. The way that they've been rolling all year, it's really tough to pick against them. And I'm going to tell you this, when you're big hits their first three of the season in the tournament, you know. DJ Burns felt very inspired by that. you know hey I'm not saying that DJ Burns is watching the Cardoso tape but maybe

maybe you know what I mean not guarantee anyone either I think that that's a team of destiny I think they run the table and get Don Staley another championship you know I'm not mad at it I can't make a better argument for anybody else because I feel like

Caitlin is a one man band in a lot of ways in a series that is very much a crap shoot Stanford you know I think they're going to be decent, but I wouldn't put too much stock into that. I think Tennessee certainly has a chance. And when it all boils down to it, I would love to see an ACC school do it. However, I don't know that Notre Dame without their big is going to get it done.

I don't believe in Tennessee at all. That is, that's what. You're not believe with the coach or the person or the team. I don't believe in the team. I think their coach is all right. I don't think that she moves to needle for me all that much. And, you know, I just don't believe in that team at all. I'd be shocked if they ended up in.

advancing out of their side of the brain. I think they have a bitter pill right now. They're playing with the biggest chip because they had the number one seed by the Cajonese. Yeah. I mean, there are multiple teams that are looking up and looking around and saying, oh, we're pissed off for reason, X, Y, and Z. Yeah. I just, at some point in time, you got that horses in the stable. I don't think Tennessee.

I don't see it. Here we go. Piss or get off the pot. Women's basketball is going to be in full effect. You don't want to miss any of our episodes to make sure you catch up. already given our conversations around the men. And March Madness is what it is going to be, starting Thursday, a wild ride. So make sure that you tune in and check out all of our episodes as well as our local hosts on Lockstone Podcast Network.

We know that a lot of our folks are gearing up for what will be a great season of basketball, as well as an offseason spring ball for football. So check us out as we get through this week and get ready for our matchups and preview some of the favorite ones that we have for Candace Cooper and Kenton Gibbs. Until next time.