Locked On ACC - Daily College Football & Basketball Podcast - SHOCK: ACC Football Championship Betting Odds Reveal SURPRISES | Only Duke Makes Sweet 16

Episode Date: March 24, 2026

Miami Hurricanes shock the ACC as FanDuel names them odds-on favorites for the 2026 ACC football championship, despite never having captured the title since joining the conference. Alex Donno and Kenton Gibbs dissect Miami’s loaded, but inexperienced offensive line, wondering if superstars like Darion Mensah and Cooper Barkate can spark a historic breakthrough. With SMU and Louisville lurking as betting value picks, are oddsmakers sleeping on potential upsets? The hosts break down Duke Blue Devils’ longshot odds after Miami poached their best playmakers and assess the shifting balance of power in the ACC. On the hardwood, Duke stands alone as the conference’s last hope heading into the Sweet 16. Insightful takes on coaching changes, tournament disappointments, and the fading magic of Cinderella runs round out a packed show for college football and basketball fans hungry for bold predictions and sharp analysis. Everydayer Club  If you never miss an episode, it’s time to make it official. Join the Locked On Everydayer Club and get ad-free audio, access to our members-only Discord, and more — all built for our most loyal fans. Click here to learn more and join your team’s community: https://lockedonpodcasts.com/everydayerclub     Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! 5-Hour ENERGY Have your cake & drink it too. Birthday cake-flavor is back, no fork needed. Vanilla-y cakey flavor, caffeinated kick, and no sugar. It's party time. Order Now at https://5-hourENERGY.com or Amazon. Mazda Like our players, we’re driven by the details. Highlights make the reel. But the work behind them makes it count.
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The odds are finally out to the ACC football championship in 2026. And I'll tell you who took the biggest tumble from last year. You are Locked-on ACC, your daily podcast on the Atlantic Coast Conference. Part of the Locked-on Podcast Network, your team every day. He's Kenan Gibbs from Locked-on Wolfpack. I am Alex Dono from Locked-on Cain's. On this episode, we'll discuss the Duke Blue Devils, who are the ACC's final hope.

The only hope remaining heading into the Sweet 16 in the NCAA men's basketball tournament. We'll also talk football on this episode because Kenton, Fandual has dropped your futures for ACC football championship. And, okay, before we get to who surely took the biggest tumble from last year, we all knew, let's start with the favorite.

Like we all knew Miami would be the odds-on favorite to win the football championship, keeping in mind it's something Miami has never done before in two decades in the ACC. But this year, according to the odds, it's going to be Miami's year. But Kenton, I don't find a whole lot of value in actually betting Miami to win this because the hurricanes minus $135. So $100 bet on Miami versus 16 other teams in the ACC to win the conference. You would have to bet $135 just to win $100 back.

everybody else is in the plus money. And Kenton, you know, I'm a little superstitious, a little very superstitious. As a Miami guy, seeing Miami favored by that much because the next team up is plus 700, I get a little worried that the odds makers think Miami's going to cruise into this thing. Oh, the odds makers absolutely think Miami's going to cruise in this thing because the odds makers don't respect the ACC. Last year, the odds makers thought Clemson was going to blow through the AC. like nobody's business.

We thought, oh, dab on the gangbusters are back, everybody, hide for cover because Clemson is going to be bombing it on your all game, and then they'll send that relentless pass rush at it, and it's all going to be over but to cry by the second quarter. But wait a minute, Donald, that was a good team on paper, and you're a soccer guy, so you know this quote. Unfortunately, you play the game on grass. That's what happened.

That's what happened. On paper, Miami is hands down, head and shoulders above. everybody in the conference on paper. Unfortunately, we played a game on grass with some big angry men. And I'm worried about Miami's big angry men being able to move around some furniture. The more I think about that offensive line, the more I'm like, I know that's Mario's specialty. I know he's got one of the best in the business as an offensive line coach. But it's not just about the talent. It's the experience aspect of it that really has me scratching my head going, I'm not sure.

I'm not sure. I can be proven wrong. I can be convinced. And mind you, I'm saying I can be proven wrong and I'd be convinced in terms of Miami just dominating the ACC, running smack over everybody.

Do I think that they'll win it? Yes. Do I think that it'll be this runaway, no game is closer than double digits type of deal that the odds are putting it at? No. Yeah, some folks who we don't have like all the odds for individual games yet,

but like some folks think Miami will be favored by by double digits in like 10 of their 12 games and that the only game they'll be an underdog in is in the Notre Dame game. But I see you rolling your eyes. And I agree with you. I've been covering Miami football for way too long to think any ACC season is going to be a cakewalk. I know better. Like I'm going into this with an open mind. And you talk about the offensive line. And I'm very excited.

I'm going to be at the opening spring practice tomorrow for Miami. me. Not that you can tell a whole lot when they're running around in shorts the first day. But in these early spring practices, I'm definitely going to be watching the O line because they have to replace Francis Maui Noah, who's about to be a top 10, probably NFL draft pick. They've got to replace their other offensive tackle, Markell Bell. They've got to replace a four-year starter at right guard in Inez Cooper. And they've got to replace their center, James Brockermeyer. So you do the math, they've got one returning starter.

from last year, full-time starter in Matt McCoy, who's got a couple dozen starts under his belt. It was kind of like a part-time starter, Samson Okulola is also back. And Jamal Meriwether, who I don't think he started many games at Georgia, but he's a guy with a lot of reps under his belt who transferred in. Outside of that, you've got a lot of really talented players. Like Miami's been recruiting dogs at the offense line.

We all know that. But a lot of young guys like Jackson Cantwell, who's coming in as a five-star offensive tackle who may start immediately at right tackle. So, you know, this Kenton, what it comes down to is in Miami's offensive line, coach Alex Mirabal often says it, five men, one mind. They've got to build that chemistry here within the next, what, five to six months, that you have to have five men who have not all played together along an O line. They have to really move and think as one by the time September rolls around. Right. And mind you, you're talking about five men, one of whom cannot legally purchase alcohol in Jackson

Kentwell. He can't do it. He's a young pup. He still got Simulak on his breath. Now, am I saying it's impossible to have an impact freshman on the offensive line? No, because last time I checked, when did C.C. starts starting for Miami? His first year, yeah. His freshman year.

So I'm not saying it's impossible. He was an impact player right away. I'm saying Jackson Cantwell is facing an up-eastern. Hill battle because defensive line play is almost as good as it's ever been. Almost every team has at least one guy that like nobody's surprised if he goes for double-digit sacks. Almost every team has at least one guy on the interior that people are looking at like, man, if you throw him on any team 20 years ago, he's probably their best defensive tackle by a good stretch. So you're looking at a situation where you're asking those five guys to have one mind,

when some of them haven't taken reps with Miami. Some of them haven't taken reps to the starter. Some of them have never taken reps in college. So it's a big thing to me to say, I expect domination every time. The difference between older guys and younger guys in college, it's not necessarily the physical talent. It's the ability to prepare and be consistent.

And a lack of consistency amongst the offensive line, if there is no other position that will cause you more, you know, in terms of the point spreads and what you are or not, besides quarterback, that is the one position group. If you get inconsistency out of your DBs, if your D-line is good enough, you can cover it up. If you get inconsistency out of your D-line, if your offensive scoring enough, you cover it up. Your linebackers are filling gaps flowing in the right way, you can cover it up. But there is nothing you can do.

When that offensive line ain't getting it, Fletcher is going to look worse. Mints is going to look worse. You can't get the ball to ball. our case. You ain't even going to look at him. Tony, same deal. He needs somebody to throw him the ball. The guy that's throwing this got to be upright. So ultimately, I'm not saying that Miami is a bad team. I'm not saying Miami is not going to win ACC. What I am saying is when you look at these odds, that is depending on five becoming one in a very, very short time that have never played together. All right. So let me give you some more of these ACC Conference Championship odds. And again, Miami is,

I don't know if I've ever seen margin this wide. Maybe it was last year with Clemson, but I don't think so. I'd have to look back at that. But Miami at minus 135. And then the next team up is SMU at plus 700, which means $100 bet would win you $700 if they win the ACCC championship. Louisville at plus 1,100. Clemson and fourth at plus 1,600.

Pittsburgh plus 1,700. Same with Virginia. I can see some value in both of those. Tech at plus 2,200 with their new head coach and a ton of new players that James Franklin brought with him from Penn State. NC State then at plus 2,700, same odds as Cal. rounding out the top 10 is Georgia Tech at plus 3,300, Florida State at plus 3,500, so they're 11th. And then Kenton, the Duke Blue Devils come in 12th at plus 7,000. And that is, boy, that brings up a big hypothetical here, Kenton. So a big reason why Miami

is so favored to win the conference is they plundered Duke's roster and took their two best offensive players, right? They take Miami takes Darian Mentsa who makes Miami the big favorite that they are and his top receiver Cooper Barcate took them both away from Duke. So KG, you're looking at Duke as the 12th best odds out of 17 to win the ACC. If Darian Mentsa and Cooper Barkate were still on that team and Darry and Mentsa and Cooper

Barkate were not on Miami. How different would those odds look for both teams? I think Duke would be top five odds if they still had Menta and Barcate. I'll take it so further. I think worse, they'd be top four. If we're talking about in basketball terms, they'd get themselves a double of I. Let me tell you why. If Dary and Mentsa came back, they would be one of the only teams in the conference to have a returning head coach and quarterback duo. That would be one of only ones.

I mean, really, Dono, go up and down the conference and say, who's got a quarterback that was a starter last year for our team and the head coach coming back? You've got a very, very short list of guys. And now you're talking about Manny Diaz, who is known as a defensive coach. He's not some offensive guru, and the expectation is every year his defense will be as bad as it was last year. because that defense was atrocious last year. I mean, downright stink, stank, stunk last year.

And they still found a way to not only get to the ACC championship, but win the ACC championship, despite their best efforts to do otherwise during the ACC championship game. So ultimately, this team, to me, I don't see a world when they land outside the top three to four, really, because, I mean, who do you put over them if you say Darien Menta is not there? Who goes over? I mean, I, you know, I'd probably still put Miami over them just based on all the, the talent at most positions. But for sure.

I don't know who Miami's quarterback would be if Darien Mensa wasn't there because that, that was like their last chance to get a marquee guy. So it might be a red shirt freshman, Luke Nicol might be Miami's quarterback. And the odds would look very, very different than they do now. I'd probably still put S to you in front of them. and I can see Louisville and Clemson. I can see Louisville. I can't see Clemson.

I can't see. Yeah. So I'd say Duke fourth and then Clemson, fifth, if Mentson, Barcate were still Blue Devils. You see what I'm saying? That's that double by right there. You'll get your double buy, you know, and that, that's, that's what I think there, they would be, if those two had stayed. But that, I mean, those who going to Miami was an upheaval in the ACC. It was, it was.

Mutiny afoot in Durham because, man, that absolutely destroyed that roster in one fell swoop. So ultimately, if they stayed at Duke, we would have a much, much more interesting odd section. You know, Dino's degenerates would probably see a lot more value all over the board. But instead, we still got a bet on whether or not Red Panda's going to slip tomorrow night if you want to find some value. Because the reality is right now in the ACC, it's Miami. and then everybody else has some very long odds. The field has some extremely long odds. And you're right that I'm all about finding value.

And even though I think Miami's going to win the ACC, I don't see value in minus 135. So where is the value? We will tell you when we come back. We're also going to talk hoops on this episode. You want to keep it locked right here. We're only getting started on this new episode of Locked on ACC. Workplace chaos, deadline stacking up, inbox overflowing,

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on the Everydayer Club. Thank you so much for making Locked on ACC your first listen. So looking back, Kenton, at those fan dual odds. And by the way, National Championship. you'd figure Miami being the odds on ACC leader. They also have the best national title odds in the conference. That would be plus 1,300. Nationally, they're behind Georgia at plus 1,000.

Oregon at plus 850, Indiana, plus 800 to repeat. Notre Dame at plus 750, Texas at plus 750. Ohio State at plus 550 is what we'll look. So Ohio State, the odds on championship winner. but going back to these ACC odds. Kent, I'm feeling like Louisville at plus 1,100 is not terrible, but I have questions about Lincoln King Holtz at quarterback. I'm looking at Pitt at plus 1,700 tied for the fifth best odds.

Mason Hinchel's second year. I just hope he doesn't have the second year regression that Eli Holstein had last year. I'm hoping Heinzschel keeps moving on up, not moving on down. But I feel like Pitt at plus 1,700, maybe Louisville at plus 1,100. I think those are probably the best value. Oh, you're muted. Dono, I hate to say it, and I know I'm going to sound ridiculous. I know I'm going to sound silly.

When's the last time we saw the runner-up with plus 700 or more? Yeah, that's SMU. Yeah, you know. That feels like a pretty good value for it. team that if you parse this out to, hey, they're going to be in the ACC championship. Yeah. I'm just saying, I'm just, you get them there and if you put down 100, you get 700, I'm just saying it makes a lot of, now again, I am not.

Miami last year in a regular season. I was just about to say, I was just about to say, I am not one of Donald's DeGenericks and would never tell you to be out here, Pat. But with that being said, a team that beat them last year, returning quarterback and head coach, That was one of the things that I said. That would make Duke one of the favorites. This is one of the teams on the short, very short list. One of the teams on a very short list of teams who continue that.

Now, they will have a lot of holes in their defense. They are losing a ton of production on defense in terms of SMU. I am not denying that. I am not denying that. But what I am saying is we have seen their quarterback be a player that you win because of, not with, not in spite of. Kevin Williams, he's short. it. Kevin Jennings rather. I'm sorry.

Kevin Jennings has shown it that he's the guy that, hey, when he is rocking and rolling at his highest clip, he's darn near unstoppable. And I'm going to tell you, they were half a defensive stop away last year from getting to the ACC championship. Kevin Jennings did his part, drove him down the field in about 30 seconds. In about 30 seconds. Hey, please, just hold, hold cap. they got less time left on the clock than Ken and Donald got strands of hair on their top of their head combined. They got very, very few seconds left in this fourth quarter.

Just hold them. And all of a sudden, their defense forgot, oh, wait, their wide receiver that already has 150 yards, that's probably the guy they're going to go to again. I got an inkling that that's going to go to again. So ultimately, if I'm seeing plus 700 for a team that, literally was one stop away from going last year, brings their quarterback back,

brings their head coach back, and a team from a winning pedigree. Let's be very serious. They have winning habits at SMU, which has allowed them to be in a position where last year was the first time in how many years they weren't in a conference championship. You see what I'm saying?

Four years, I think. Exactly. Three or four years, yeah. First time before you. So, again, I think that plus $700 for a potential runner up, If everything holds served, you're going to be sitting there on ACC Championship Day saying, hmm, summertime and the living is easy, baby. All you got to do is pull off one last upset.

All right. So meanwhile, in hoops, Sweet 16 starts on Thursday. The ACC just has one team left. Now, it's the one we expected to make the deepest run. And hopefully the version of Duke that we saw against TCU, where they blew them out, hopefully that's the real Duke and not the one that was taken to the wire by a five-man Sienna team in the opening round. But Duke is the only team left, Kenton.

And, you know, I got to say, and I don't know if you can talk me off this ledge a little bit, but, you know, we did a show, what, about a week ago, less than a week ago before the tournament started, where, like, we were both, you know, really excited that after, you know, a down year last year, only four teams in the tournament, eight teams made it to the end. A couple of them didn't make it past the first four, but we count that. That counts as making the NCAA tournament with eight teams in. But now we, after two rounds played, one weekend, only one team survives. I feel like that takes a lot away from the excitement that I had of eight teams making the dance.

I feel like it's been canceled out. My excitement has been canceled. Here's why it shouldn't be canceled, Donald. These teams have run into some phenomenal teams and phenomenal stories. want to be honest about it, right? Start on the furthest out. Both of our teams lost in the first four-eight, right? How many games did Miami of Ohio lose all season before they played SMU?

One. Just a singular game. You can say what you want about, you know, they played this, they played that. SMU is the prime example. SMU football is the prime example of winning habits begin winning, regardless of what level you're at. SMU football built winning habits into that program, and then when they step stepped up 11 in terms of G5 to power 4.

They stepped up and said, we're ready to go right now because they have winning habits. Miami, Ohio have winning habits all season. They got themselves a win. And then on the other side, NC State loses to Texas. Where is Texas going right now? Yeah, Texas, they're in the Sweet 16, and they're having a great run.

Okay. Well, this ain't an NC State team that lost to some complete slouches that were blown out in round one. Now, some of these other teams, a little bit more disappointing, you know, a little more disappointing. North Carolina against VCU in the first freaking round. I mean, that was disappointing.

Yes, we were all disappointed. Yes, we were very disappointed. All of us were equally disappointed by that result. But, yes, largest collapse in the first round of the NCAA tournament history, you know, that was flat out. embarrassing. And some of these other teams, man, it's ultimately tournament time. You got the best of the best rolling. And this was a bad tournament showing for the ACC. We got to be honest about that. But I'm not going to take away from the excitement of we doubled our headcount from last year in the tournament.

We doubled our representation. Now, next year, we expect this again and we expect you to win some. We expected, Will Wade said this is the worst team I'll ever have at NC State. I'm sure. sure Odom feels the same at Virginia. I'm sure Jay Lucas feels the same in Miami. I'm sure there are lots of coaches right now looking around saying, my boys will be better and we're going to be back. And we're going to be back. So that's my hope for the Acese.

Yeah, and I'm really proud of Miami. And, you know, they did win a tournament game, which was important. They beat Missou in essentially a true road game against the lower seed. Yeah. They ran into a Purdue team who's, Purdue's had the same head coach. head coach for like 22 years,

senior laden team, a lot more depth than my, like Jay Lucas literally had zero players on his roster 11 months ago. He was able to field the team that won an NCAA tournament game and had the biggest turnaround in major college basketball from last year, going from 7 and 24 to 26 and 9, I think was Miami's final record,

including the final tournament loss. It was an incredible turnaround. I'm really proud of Miami. They weren't supposed to beat Purdue. I wish they had. They hung tight for a while. It is what it is. Now, what about Virginia as a three-seed falling to six-seat Tennessee?

It was one of those weird things where the lower seed was favored in the game. Like Tennessee was favored by a point in a half. But still, I'm a little disappointed in Virginia because I thought that was a team built to make a deep NCAA tournament run, not a one-game run. Virginia. Coach Odom. I got some beef with y'all. I got some beef.

Because when you played NC State, your bigs all turned into Hakeem Olajewan, prime Hakeem Lelah, swarmed everything. They had a guy off the bench you had like 11 blocks. What was it? Now all of a sudden, the boys can't figure out verticality against Tennessee.

Now all of a sudden, every time they go to contest a shot, they got to send their elbow at a guy. They got to get a foul. And don't get me wrong. Don't get me wrong. would I be lying if I said the officiated wasn't a little touching go? I would be lying.

I would be lying if I said that. But with that being said, it's just disappointing to me because a lot of things that you think about when you talk about UVA and who they've been all year, they did not show up in this game. And again, I'm fully acknowledging that the referee was very much so anti-contact and all those things, which works to the detriment of a team that's physical. as Virginia to a very high cliff. Yes, Tennessee shot two times more free throws than Virginia, not denying that in any shape, form or fashion.

Yes, acknowledging that the bigs being in file trouble definitely hurts Virginia. Sure. But the reality is, all season, I watched those big, standing the paint like giant trees, arms straight up in the air. But this game, they turn into wacky waving the flageable arm tube, man, just hitting people all over the play. And now all of a sudden, we get one of our, the team that we said outside of Duke,

if anybody's going to do it, they're going to do it. Now they're out very early to a Tennessee team that, I mean, don't get me wrong, they're a good team. But they lost the Syracuse for crying out loud earlier this year. Syracuse, the same Syracuse that's now going up to Siena said, hey, man, you know, you got to worry about no new state taxes and none of that. Come on down to Syracuse. Welcome back, G.

We're glad to have it. Yeah, that's right. I was about to bring that up. You beat me to the punch. Jerry Mac, the Merritt, not that this was surprising because, like, this was the move for him to become the new Eurecuse head coach. He's a program legend. It was a longtime assistant coach there before going and getting that Sienna head coaching job. I mean, he got more out of Sienna than anyone could have expected, like actually getting them into the tournament for the fur was at the first time they made the tournament in 16 years and then actually have. Duke number one seat on the ropes. It was incredible. And it's like, you know, I know Syracuse, Kenton, you know what? Let's talk about this on the other side because like there is definitely a risk for McNamara becoming the Syracuse head coach right now, but it was a risk he had to take.

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Guys, you want to try these flavors. Find your new favorite flavor of five-hour energy shots available online at five-hourenergy.com or on Amazon. Thank you for making LockdowneACC, your first listen. For your next listen, make sure you check out our other shows. Kenton Gibbs and his co-host, Grayson Boone, do a great job covering NC State on Lockdown Wolfpack. I cover all things Miami on Locked on Cains. You know, I know Syracuse basketball, they've been flailing, I would say, since the later years of Jim Beheim. Like even before Beheim stepped down, Syracuse was lost in the wilderness for a little bit.

Like, it's not, this is not the golden age of their basketball program. And, you know, just based on the shows that our guy Jackson Holzer's been doing, it sounds like they could use a little bit of an infusion of NIL money in certain funds there, all right? So it's like from where I sit, the timing for Jerry McNamara, who is a rising star in the coaching ranks, I don't know. Like maybe they're giving him certain commitments for how much they're going to help him spend to build that program. I don't know if the timing is great for him to take over there, but he kind of had to, right? Because he's such a legend at that program and in those facilities. It's like the Syracuse head coaching job comes open. I'm assuming that's his dream job.

Like the timing may not be perfect, but he could not say no to that. And let me ask you, Donno. Let's say you're the head or you're the athletic director at another school. Let's say in the Big Ten. Let's say in the ACC. Let's say in the SEC, you know, wherever. And you're sitting here and you're saying,

hey, this guy was the hottest coach in America. And he didn't take a job at his alma mater that we all know was on him while he was at his peak took duke to the ropes with five guys that are going to be accountants next year five guys there's going to be some six nine young man at renter center next year that's i'm being generous he's going to be working in in finance somewhere in the back you know he's not going to be moving couch you're not going to be crunching the numbers not moving in there you know we use our brains and our bodies of student athletes and And he took five of those up against a Duke team that if you throw a rock in their huddle,

you are more likely to hit a future NBA All-Star than you are a guy that will never play in the NBA. That's just the reality of what you're looking at. And you're telling me that he didn't take that job and you're going to want him at your school? I'm going to ask, why? Oh, well, they weren't able to give me the financial commitment. It sounds like you don't got the competitive edge to do what it takes to be the guy at this level. Because whatever school you're at, you can't always guarantee we're in perpetuity. We'll have the best booster.

We'll have all the money unless you're at Texas or something like that. And they already got their head coach. They're going to a sweet 16. So he don't look like he's leaving any time to him. Everybody else, you got normal money. You got normal boosters. You got normal donors. And so I would be very hesitant of a guy that didn't want to go back to his alma mater when they needed him most because of an NIA dispute as opposed to he went there.

He tried his best. He couldn't get the financial support. But he showed that if he's at a place where everything is about even, he can win. I take him. Even if he burns out of Syracuse, goes back to a lower level and then comes back. I'll take a chance on that as opposed to a guy is like, no, I don't want to go to a higher level while they don't have the money. Yeah, I'm with you on that. So another thing about the tournament heading into the Sweet 16,

I've seen some folks talking about this coming out of the weekend. Do you feel like this tournament is where we're at now, is it hurt by the lack of Cinderella's? Because like the lowest seed remaining is, it's Texas, which is not a Cinderella, right? They're an 11 seed because they come out of a very deep SEC, right? There's no Cinderella's headed to the Sweet 16. Now, Kenton, I don't know if this is a hot take or an unpopular opinion. I care more about great games than Cinderella's, because the Cinderella's don't finish the job, right?

The George Mason's, the Loyolas, the Wichita States. It's like, you get these nice stories in the middle of the tournament, a shocking elite eight every now and then you get a George Mason crashing the party of the final four. But the Cinderella's never finished the job. Like, I'm a lot more excited about the likelihood of an elite eight matchup between Duke and Yukon than I am about, like, high point if they were still in the tournament at this point. Like, I just, I don't know, man. Like, I don't need Cinderella's. That's not what makes the tournament great for me. It's great games and great moments.

And you don't need a Cinderella to get those. Donnell, you are in an extreme minority. Cinderella's are what make March Madness different from every other sporting. tournament is what makes it different you got all these little schools that you couldn't put out on a map this you never heard of that they have to include the city think about how small a school has to be for them to have to include the city Loyola Chicago we're not the other loyal we're not Loyola Miramount we're not loyal over here we're not we're in Loyola chicago we got sister jean over here she's about a thousand years old god rest her soul i believe she just went on to the other side

very recently but you know with the stories like that make it worse George Mason. Where is George Mason? Where, what city is that is? I, I covered Coach L for years at Miami after he was, I couldn't tell you where George Mason is. And I probably talked about George Mason with Jim Laroniaga two dozen times. I don't know where it is. But that's my point. Washington, D.C. I don't know where. It's in George Mason, Virginia. I was close. I was close. But you get the point, Dono. You get the point. These stories are what make March beautiful. These teams that shouldn't be there showing up in the party and being odd and being wonky and being funky and doing their thing. You know, I believe it was St. Peter's a couple years ago.

Their entire lineup was under 6-9 and they found a way to make a run. That stuff means something, man. It means something to have teams that are not supposed to be there in a dance because that's the beauty of marshmallow. Do they finish? You're absolutely right. No, they don't. They don't. But with that said, it's still a beautiful time.

It's still a great time to see those teams pull off an upset here and there. But now the Cinderella is dead because if you average 25 at George Mason, now you're not going to be a George Mason too much longer. You're not going to be there for one year and then you're going to go to Duke. You're going to get that call from Shire. You're going to get that call from Oldham. you're going to get that call from Izzo. You'll get that call from all these coaches.

Hey, man, we got a bag so big. We got some money so long. Your mama never work again. You come on over here. How about it? Talk to me. And now all of a sudden, you know, Loyola and St. Peters and all of them, you've lost.

You've lost in the sauce because, again, your 28-pointed game score that was supposed to set the world on fire, your Skolsky, if you're Oakland, well, guess what? he's now getting paid to sit on the bench in Kentucky. You're the seventh man at Kentucky, but you're still getting paid money with at Oakland. Ah, how about it? You know, so it's a shame that the Cinderella's dead.

I enjoyed watching them dance their dance until the carrots turned back into a pumpkin and the glass slipper disappeared, but it is what it is. And you might be right. In this age of player mobility and NIL money, the Cinderella's are going to be fewer and far between now because you're right. A lot of times these Cinderella's were built out of third

and fourth year starters, but it's like if you have a good year at a small school, you're going to wind up somewhere else because it's so easy to transfer and it's so easy to get that bag. So I'm with you. Maybe I'm just, I just hate Cinderella's for some reason. I don't know. Maybe I, maybe I should be on board with you because it probably is better for the sport if you have some of those. I know what it was, Donald. You was at that day. It's with. Cinderella in the prison. You want to get Cinderella numbers. You went running out of it there. And now all of a sudden, you hate all

the fairy tams. You don't want no Cinderella you don't want those streaks. You don't want none of. You don't want nobody to be happy if you can't be happy. But you're still married and happy anyway, Dono. You find your Cinderella at the end of the story and now you don't want nobody else to be happy. Now, he don't want Loyola.

It's just a gene in the dance now. You don't want. You're right about that. Well, we'll certainly talk more tournament this week. We'll We'll examine Duke's chances. Duke, of course, as you would imagine, they are favored to move past St. John's, but six and a half point favorite.

So it could be a game. Could be a game. Make sure you check out Kenton at TGIF underscore Kenton on X and at Lockdown Wolfpack. Check me out on Lockdown Cains and at Alex Dono. And we'll talk to you again next time on another episode of LockdowneACC. We are part of the number one Lockdown Podcast Network.

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