The Kevin Sheehan Show - Brackets, Diggs and Gruden Story

Episode Date: March 18, 2019

Kevin opens with NCAA Tournament talk and goes through Maryland's draw in detail. He talks about the Stefon Diggs to the Redskins fake drama from over the weekend and reacts to the Rodgers-Cromartie signing. Chris Knoche and JP Finlay were guests on the show. Kevin and JP talked about the report this morning from Eric Bickel/WJFK that Jay Gruden has not been consulted on any of the Skins' offseason moves. <p> </p><p>Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices">podcastchoices.com/adchoices</a></p> Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

You want it. You need it. It's what everyone's talking about. The Kevin Sheehan Show. Now here's Kevin. Whoa, that's much better. Love that sound. Love that intro. Love this time of year. It's March. It was snowing earlier this morning. I don't know if you caught it. If you're up really early, it was snowing at about 545, 6 a.m. this morning. Not much. And hopefully that's the last time. We'll see that until next winter. Good morning, everybody. Chris Naki shortly, J.P. Finley, after that, we will get to the Stefan Diggs thing, Redskins fans. I said on Friday show, it didn't make any sense. I'm sitting there Saturday. I'm like, it doesn't make any sense to me, but maybe, you know, something crazy is going to happen. But a lot of you are gullible.

Like, just you've got to think some of these things through. Anyway, the DRC signing after we left the show on Friday. we'll get to that. Some of you really, really crushed me for saying, you know, this is not a big deal. I think it could go the way that Orlando Scandrick went. Like, he may not make the team. The guy was retired. They're not, right now, they are being denied by big names. And what's left are players that are coming out of retirement or coaches that are coming out of retirement to be a part of this organization. Whatever. We'll get to all that, including the Redskins tweet, St. Patrick's Day tweet from yesterday. God, they are dumb. No other Monday. No other Monday on the sports calendar, Aaron,

resembles this Monday. And you know why? It's the only Monday during the sports calendar where we don't spend time recapping games from over the weekend. Talking about the games that we watched over the weekend on this particular Monday is irrelevant. This Monday is different. The bracket is complete. The tournament field is set, and that's all anybody cares about. There were some very good college basketball games this weekend. Nobody cares today. Conference champions were crowned on Saturday and Saturday night and Sunday, complete afterthoughts. Nobody will be talking today about the Kentucky Tennessee game from Saturday, which was unbelievable. Awesome. The Carolina Duke game from Friday night, the ACC semi-final, which was off the hook. The Monday after the brackets are out, no discussion of what

happened over the weekend. All of the focus is on the bracket and the filling out of the bracket, this tournament. These conference championship games that were played yesterday, nobody cares shortly after they end. You know, the Sunday games in particular really get masked. You know, it's almost as if the Big Ten final is just something to bide time before the selection show begins. Anyway, I'll mention real quickly that Zion Williamson's performance from over the weekend was amazing. He's good. You almost forget during those three weeks that he was as good as he is. He's a rare thing heading into this tournament, Aaron, and I was thinking about this late last night.

He's a true star player, a star of the game that everyone is talking about and everyone wants to see play. Zion is the biggest star college basketball has had in a long, long time. Can you even remember who was last year's player of the year? Right now, for a hundred bucks, who was last year's player of the game? Three, two, one. Jalen Brunson was. Right. How about the year before?

Frank Mason. The year before that, Buddy Healed. Frank Kaminsky, the year before that, Doug McDermott, back in 2000, whatever that was, 13, and Trey Burke the year before that. You know, for those of you who are convinced that the players move the needle in college basketball, you're so wrong. The teams, the coaches, the uniforms, the rivalries, and the tournament. Duke, Carolina, Kansas, Coach K. Roy Williams, Tom Izzo, Carolina Duke.

And, of course, this month of March, the tournament, the bracket you're filling out today. Those, these are the stars of the sport. The players are there for a lot of things, but from a basketball standpoint, the coaching and the marketing platform, that is Duke's uniform, Carolina's uniform, and the month of March. What that provides these players is invaluable. Did anybody know who Kobe White was two months ago? Some of you still don't know who he is.

He's turned into a star at North Carolina. Carolina, he's gone from being on few mock drafts anywhere, first or second round, in November, to now being as high as the number five projected pick in June. If Kobe White had decided not to play college basketball, because he wasn't going to get paid, and instead sat out or played in Europe, what kind of an endorsement deal would he get as a rookie next year? Where would he have been drafted? Do you know who wasn't a consensus number one pick in the NBA draft as recently as two months ago? Zion Williamson.

Zion Williamson. RJ Barrett was the consensus number one pick two months ago. You don't think Zion Williamson made money playing college basketball this year? Seriously, he became the biggest star we've seen in the sport in a long, long time in terms of a player. The stars in the sport aren't usually the players heading into the tournament. I mean, if you watch the tournament show last night, all of the tournament shows, and you're listening to Jay Billis and Seth Greenberg, you know, rip off the names of the supposed stars, most of you have no idea who those players are.

I mean, even Kentucky right now, you know John Calipari. Name Kentucky's leading scorer right now. Right now, most of you cannot do it. You might be able to do it in two weeks because of this tournament, because PJ Washington is the answer. Seth Greenberg last night You gotta love Texas Tech Chris Beard doing a phenomenal job

Jared Culver Matt Mooney Tarique Owens that team can go a long way Many of you have no idea who these people are None And how about when one of the analysts on one of the shows last night starts telling you about how good Wofford and Buffalo are You don't know any of the players who play for them But you might in a few weeks

The tournament is the star We do however this year have a different setup. We have a star player entering this tournament, and it's Zion Williamson. It is without a doubt the first legit major star we've had entering this tournament in a long, long time. The tournament doesn't need a Marin. The tournament never really seems to need the star players heading into the tournament. The stars of the tournament heading in, again, are the coaches, the bracket itself, the pools around the bracket, the marquee names of teams, and then during the tournament, stars are born. Even if some of these players were really good players during the regular season,

they become more recognizable because of the month of March and this tournament. Zion's different, though. Sports fans who barely pay attention to college basketball, they know who Zion Williamson is. This tournament is different because Zion Williamson has become must watch. It's been a while. It really has. It's been a while since we've seen a player bring this kind of attention to the sport, a player. I know a lot of what I just addressed deals with the subject of paying college athletes, but this is what you have to think about as you get ready for March. You don't know who many of these guys are, and because of that, if they weren't in this thing, they wouldn't be on the verge of being drafted super high and on the verge of getting a massive endorsement deal before they ever dribble one basketball

in the NBA. People aren't watching this tournament more times than not because of the star players. They don't know who the stars are in this sport now. Most people are just starting to pay attention. Zion is different, though, this year. As an aside, I'm not supposed to, prize that Duke is the favorite to win it all. I'm not surprised that a lot of the analysts basically, you know, are picking Duke and think that they are borderline unbeatable with Zion Williamson. I don't personally think that, though, Aaron. I think Duke can lose. I have them losing in the final four. I haven't filled out my full bracket, but I know I have them losing in the final four. We'll fill out brackets somewhere so you guys can follow along with our brackets,

and we'll figure that out here today. Carolina was right there with the legit chance to win on Friday night. That would have completed a three-game sweep of Duke. Now, the first two were without Zion. I mean, he played the first part of the first game at Cameron Indoor and blew out his knee and shoe and the whole thing. But Carolina could have easily won that game on Friday night. I don't see Duke as a lock at all. In fact, I like North Carolina to win the whole thing right now. I think they've got a very... I like Gonzaga, too. I think they've got a chance, too. A few other teams. By the way, I think a lot of people heading into this tournament because of the three Carolina Duke games that we've seen,

two of which, which did not include Zion Williamson, but are memorable nonetheless. I think a lot of people this year are hoping for a Duke Carolina final. I don't think anyone will complain about that. A fourth matchup, excuse me, a fourth matchup between the two teams, you know, they've never played in the NCAA tournament. A final four matchup, by the way, between those two teams, it would be in the championship game, would be a dream for CBS, a dream. Zion being part of that. Again, one of the players that unique actually does move the needle.

But the two programs, the greatest rivalry in the sport, and one of the great rivalries in all of sport, matching up in a championship game, you know, as many Final Fours as Carolina and Duke have been in, they've rarely, if ever, matched up with other ACC teams. Duke, of course, had the 2001 semifinal, national semifinal against Maryland. That is the only ACC team that Duke has ever played in the final four. I don't think they've played many ACC teams in the tournament.

Unless you want to count the recent ACC, I think they played Syracuse. Didn't they play Syracuse recently and maybe even Notre Dame? And there was one year where they had like nine and ended up facing someone in the Sweet 16, I think. I think it was Notre Dame. Yeah. I think it might have been Notre Dame. And I think Carolina played Syracuse. recently. Actually, they did. They beat him in the final four two years ago. Didn't they,

didn't Carolina on the way to losing to Villanova? Didn't they beat Syracuse? That miracle Syracuse. Yeah, so that was technically, I guess, an ACC matchup. I know. But from the ACC that we remember, Carolina faced Virginia in the final four in 1981, the Ralph Samson, Virginia team. that Carolina team had Michael Corne, Al Wood. That was not the Jordan Worthy Perkins team. Was Worthy on the 81 team? Worthy was on the 81 team, I think. That was a game that Carolina won.

They beat Virginia. That was Ralph's only Final Four. They beat Ralph in that 1981 Final Four game, and then lost to Indiana in the National Championship game. That was the March Day. that Ronald Reagan was shot down at the Washington Hilton. They thought about canceling that championship game in 1981. They went ahead and played it in Indiana,

beat Carolina going away in that 81 final with Isaiah Thomas. Anyway, they've never met in the tournament. In 91, Duke's only title, in 91, I'm sorry, Duke's only title, Duke's first title under Coach K. It was Kansas beating Carolina in one semi-final, so it could have been a Duke Carolina a final, but Duke ended up beating Kansas. Anyway, I just got sidetracked. My fault. Let's get to this year's field, and Maryland's draw in particular. And for those of you that have asked me in the last few weeks, I'll address UVA and Virginia Tech as well. We'll look at their draw as well. Overall, Aaron, I don't really have many gripes with the teams that got in and those that didn't.

NC State didn't get in. And how about NC State Athletic Director Debbie Yao's statement after the Wolfpack didn't get in? Debbie was not happy. Debbie, of course, was the Maryland AD for many years, and Debbie was not a favorite among a lot of us Gary supporters because that relationship was never good, Gary and Debbie. But she released a statement when NC State wasn't included in the field. And she basically cited all of the metrics that the NCAA said before the season

that they would use to determine the 36 at large teams. And NC State ranked in the top 33 of all of them, except for one. And that was non-conference schedule, which was the only metric that hurt them, but it hurt them badly because they were ranked 179th. I'm surprised it was that high. On Ken Palm, it's ranked 353. All right, well, in the net, it was 179th. And let's not forget, and I mentioned this on Friday to Patrick Stevens.

NC State scored 24 points in a college basketball game this year against Virginia Tech. 24. Debbie went off, but I didn't really have a problem with it. I don't have a problem with the teams that got in and those that didn't. I'll admit that I wasn't this year wrapped up in all of the numbers late in the process. Primarily, it's a selfish thing. My team wasn't a bubble team. When Maryland's a bubble team, I'm really involved in looking at all the numbers.

but they weren't a bubble team this year. They were safely in the field. I did watch a lot of college basketball games and teams like you did Aaron over the season. And of the final teams that got in versus those that didn't, I'll just make this one comment. I personally, in Ohio State wasn't one of the final four in. I think they were probably one of the final six or seven in. I just didn't think they were a very good basketball team. I know they were missing Caleb Wesson over that final stretch of the season.

They just didn't impress me over the last month and a half with or without him. And I'll be honest with you. I watched Belmont in their tournament, and I watched them, I think, once early in the season. I don't think Rick Bird's a good coach. I don't think Belmont's very good. And I thought Indiana and TCU, in particular, were two teams more capable than Ohio State and Belmont. But overall, no real issues with the field. I did wonder, however, about some of the decisions related to seating and locations of some of the top teams

and potential conflicts in game venues that we could see down the road. Some of it didn't make sense. How the hell is North Carolina, the number one seed in the Midwest region? And if the teams in their region advance based on seed, they'd have to play a Sweet 16 game against Kansas in Kansas City. That wouldn't be fair. Now, it may not happen, but based on seeding, the committee expects it to happen, so therefore, they shouldn't have done it. Kansas should not have been in that region,

period. You cannot have the number one seed playing a potential road game in the Sweet 16. But you were calling for it for Maryland before. Different. I was not calling it, calling for it. I was hoping for it. You were hoping for it. I was hoping for it, yes, but I didn't necessarily say that it would be fair. Now, Maryland as a six-seed, Well, but you wanted them as a four or a three. Yes, I did. I wanted them as a four or three in the east, and it wouldn't have been fair from that standpoint either. Okay.

But I still wanted that. Fair enough. Fair enough. Maryland is a sixth seed and could play in D.C. in the East Regional. But they're a six seed. They aren't expected to make it to D.C. Different issue than Kansas, who is a four seed and projected to make it to Kansas City for the Midwest Regional. The Terps are not projected to make it out of the first weekend.

I think that that's a problem, and I think that the committee just completely whiffed on that. How can you not sit around that table and say a number one seed is going to play based on our seeding a road game in the Sweet 16? It's just brutally unfair. It's brutally unfair, but as far as what the committee did and why they did it is because based on their rules, based on the bracketing principle, that is the correct thing to do. It changed six, seven years ago that location matters more than anything else. I understand. They want to fill those arenas. It's not a fair thing for a team that deserve to be treated with the most fairness,

your top seat in the region. And by the way, we're not talking about a fan base and a location that might be a home court advantage. No, no, no. If Kansas is in the Sweet 16 playing in Kansas City, It's going to be a home court advantage for them. This isn't Vermont playing in Hartford against Florida State. Exactly. The other thing that bothered me was Michigan State and where they were put.

First of all, I think they had a case for a number one seed by the time we got to the end of the day yesterday. I agree. So worst case, to me, anyway, they had to be the number one two seed. They were the number two two seats. I know, behind Tennessee, right? Well, personally, I think Michigan State should have been the number one two seed. But still, it still applies what I'm going to say. By the way, they were a regular season champion in the Big Ten, the tournament champion in the Big Ten,

and a team that did it without two of their best players for a significant stretch over the final month and a half of the season. Now, they got one of those players back. But if Michigan State wasn't going to be a number one seed, then they should have gotten a favorable number two seed draw. and they didn't. They drew the number two seed that matches up with the number one overall seed in the tournament, and that is Duke. Now, the committee will tell you that we don't use the S-curve, all right, and that one of the goals is to keep our higher-seeded teams as close to home as possible. Yes.

So ask Tom Mizzow if he cares that much about playing in Louisville, Kansas City, or D.C., like any of them is that much closer to East Lansing. Tom Izzo, by the way, was not happy, and you rarely hear him complain about this stuff, but he was not happy. He thought it was unfair that he got matched as the number one or number two number two seed in the bracket with the number one seed in the tournament.

Look, it's real simple. It should be real simple, and I know they don't do it this way. But if you take the top eight seeds, the number ones and number two's, then the number one seed should be projected based on seeding to play the number eight seed in the elite eight, not the number five or six seed in the elite eight, which Michigan State probably was. Made no sense. Look,

Michigan State beat Michigan three times this year. All right, three times in the last month, by the way. And Michigan got put into the region with Gonzaga, who was the fourth of the number one seeds. So based on seeding, Michigan got the easiest number one seed as a number two. That's messed up. No way Michigan deserved on paper anyway, an easier Elite 8 game than Michigan State a team that had beaten them three times. I know that that's not the way it's set up. I guess my point is it should be set up that way. Right. They should go back to an S curve is what you're saying? Yeah, they should go back to the S curve. Absolutely should go back to an S curve. And if there are certain rules about location, and not facing conference tournaments, then you adjust accordingly.

But in that particular case, there's no reason why Michigan State should be playing a potential elite eight game against the number one seed in the field, when you could have easily debated and argued that Michigan State should have been a number one seed themselves. The only other thing before we get to Maryland's draw and some of the other locals, or if you want to call them locals, there's a first-round matchup between Louisville and Minnes. Minnesota that raised some eyebrows. Rick Petino's son's team, Minnesota, against Rick Petino's former team, Louisville. You don't think the father's going to be helping the son get ready for a team that he knows intimately. Anyway, in summary, other than the Michigan State seating and Kansas getting

the chance to play a virtual home game in the Sweet 16 as a four seed. By the way, Cincinnati gets to do that in the second round as well against Tennessee, in Columbus. Yeah, you're right. But, you know, no, you're right. You're right. I was going to say, I was going to basically put less emphasis on that because Cincinnati, they actually do have a rabid fan base. Yeah. I think that's going to be a pretty strong fan base there.

That will be. But, you know, Columbus from, you know, from Knoxville, it's not that long of a drive either. So Tennessee's close to that as well. But anyway, no other major issues. All right, let's get to Maryland now, and they're drawn. We'll look at the field in general. We'll talk about Virginia and Virginia Tech as well. Several of you, when I tweeted out that I like the draw that I think that they can beat Belmont and Temple.

And people said, well, you mentioned how much you like Temple and Fran Dunfee earlier. And I do. I love Fran Dunfee as a coach. I like Bird as a coach, too, the coach of Belmont. Two very good coaches. Dunfee's always been one of my favorites, in part because I've just always liked the way Temple plays. I mentioned that I liked the way Huggins played. I like aggressive teams.

I like defense in football, aggressive defenses in football. I like aggressive mindsets in basketball. Fran Dunfie has recruited at Temple consistently over the years, and at Penn, these tough Philadelphia high school players, boxy physical competitors. And, you know, he's had a couple of decent tournaments, and he's had a couple of where he hasn't coached him up real well, or they've just had bad matchups. Maryland's a better team than Temple.

All right, they're a better team than Belmont. This is not Belmont's best team in recent years. I haven't watched Belmont a lot. I'm not going to lie and say that I have. I did watch their tournament game against Murray State, not overly impressed. wasn't impressed quite frankly with either one of those two teams. And I was thinking, and I said on Friday, I'd be fine if Maryland got matched up against

Marie State. And I'm fine with them getting matched up against Belmont, who was a three and a half point favorite in this first four game. There are advantages in being in that six-seed spot where the Terps are in facing an 11 team facing another 11 team in a first four game. And then I think there are disadvantages. They've got to play a game. And then they've got to turn around, travel and prepare for Maryland in essentially one day, but don't think that they're preparing for them in one day. They are putting together a scout on Maryland as they are on, you know, each other, meaning Temple and Belmont. You know, it's not like they're all of a sudden going to start on preparing for Maryland if they win the game on Tuesday night. They have enough people that can scout

and put together a scout in Maryland. But, you know, playing two nights earlier, in this case, it'll be less than 48 hours. It's 39 hours, about, since they've played. in the three o'clock game. Yes, because it's a three o'clock game. They'll have to travel and play. So there's that advantage. But the advantage for the two teams that are playing is that they get the nerves of the tournament out, you know, and they've already gotten through that, you know.

There's something about that first game in the tournament, you know, in a sterile environment on a neutral court, especially the early day games where there's not a ton of excitement. It's different than what they have faced over the last couple of months of, you know, a raucous home environments or intimidating road environments. And getting used to that is something that will happen with Temple and Belmont tomorrow night in the game in Dayton. And they will have gotten used to that. So we've seen first four teams win. Actually, we should go back and look at that. How many times a first four winner has advanced in the next round? Because it's happened a few times.

I'm pretty sure it's happened a few times. I think it's almost every year. Yeah. And now, These aren't, you know, 13s over threes. These are, you know, two 12s and two 11s, right? It depends on the year. Occasionally, it's higher. Occasionally, it's lower, but yes. So this year we've got two 11s in Belmont and Temple that will play Maryland. Yeah, here we go.

And actually, two 11s in Arizona State and St. Johns that are going to play Buffalo in that first four game. By the way, the first four has turned into not a very big television show, which is always what CBS, CBS, TNT, TBS, True TV, what they always wanted. They didn't want 16s versus 16s on that Tuesday night. They wanted some high-profile programs. It really hasn't moved the needle, I believe, if we look at the ratings. Pretty sure the ratings have not gone through the roof on that Tuesday and Wednesday night. In part because sometimes you get teams like Middle Tennessee State playing in the game or BYU playing in the game.

This year, Belmont and Temple, who's excited about that? Who's excited about Arizona State and St. John's? Not anybody. The tournament, really, for most of us, starts on Thursday. You were going to say something. As of last year, a first four, at least one first four, winner has advanced every year. In the following round.

Yes. Yes. And I think part of that is because they are into a rhythm of playing in these environments that you get in the NCAA tournament. Yesterday, what I was really hoping, and I didn't mention this on Friday, because I hadn't seen them play in a while. But after watching Florida play twice,

I kept thinking, oh God, we're going to get Florida in a 6-11 game. And a lot of people had that mocked out. I think Lannardi had a Maryland-Florida game mocked out. And I was thinking it could be a 6-11 game or a 7-10 game. I do not think Maryland would have matched up well with a Florida. I wouldn't have been thrilled, quite frankly, with Seton Hall again with the way they're playing and the way they can spread you out. I wouldn't have been thrilled with that game.

So actually Maryland's draw, I actually like it. I think that they are better than Belmont. I think they are better than Temple. Belmont's the favorite in that game. It wouldn't surprise me if Temple wins. I think that they can win that game Thursday afternoon, Thursday in Jacksonville. I think some of it is what I've been saying, you know, periodically over the last month,

and that is after they get out of this Big Ten grind, that it might be easier earlier in the tournament for them playing a team that they are unfamiliar with, but that is also unfamiliar with them. I think Maryland defensively, and I think some of these Big Ten teams in particular on defense, that they're going to hold some of these free-flowing offensive teams like Belmont, if they play Belmont, to a much lower shooting percentage than they are used to, because they will be defended in a way that they were not defended in their own leagues. that's just an observation from past tournaments

and a gut feel on what could happen with Maryland against either opponent in the first round. Now, the rest of their draw, they get the LSU Yale winner. Well, that's better than any two they would have had as a seven, and it's quite honestly better than the other threes they could have had. I would not have wanted to play Texas Tech or Houston in a second round game. LSU is going to be without their head coach more likely than not. Yes.

Okay, so... Chance that they're at one of the... of their better players, too. Yes, they had an injury. So they're playing Yale. Yale, a lot of people are giving a chance to. Yale's understeed. I think Yale should be a 13, probably not a 12, but probably it should be a 13. I haven't seen Yale play. So I'm not going to make a determination on how Maryland would match up with Yale. With LSU, it's a winnable game if they get to that in the second round in Jacksonville, especially with all of the turmoil that is engulfed the LSU program. And then, Aaron, okay, let's dream a little bit here.

And then, if they were to pull off two wins, guess what? Capital One Arena downtown for a sweet 16 game more likely than not against Michigan State, which would be a very difficult matchup for them. and then if you really want to dream, Duke in the Elite 8, which would be, I think for a lot of us, it would be the dream situation. Look, with all the pressure that Turgeon is at least perceived to be under, at least by a lot of people in the fan base,

what a difference a couple of weeks could make? If he were to win two games this weekend, advance to a Sweet 16, and have virtual home games in the, Sweet 16 against maybe Michigan State and Duke, both of those teams would be, are better than Maryland. And by the way, by a lot, they did not, they got blown out by Michigan State and their one game against Michigan State. They would be a solid seven, eight point underdog to either team. I think they would be. But anyway, the truth of the matter is, the way they play,

I can see them winning two games this weekend, and I can see them losing their first game. It's just been frustrating to watch them all year long for all the reasons we've spent time talking about. I personally think that the preference should be a higher possession game, more up-tempo. God, how about watching some of the games in the ACC over the weekend, especially Carolina Duke, and then thinking about those big 10 games that we had to trudge through during the course of the year, it's just different basketball. And I think you've got to be able, Gary Williams has always told me this, and he's going to be on the show on Thursday.

Gary Williams has always mentioned to me. And I am trying to get Turgeon on the show. I've put in for both Turge and a player. I'd like to have Bruno on the show if they're going to give out players potentially this week. We'll see how that plays out because they are busy, preparing, and then they've got travel, et cetera. but I just think that Gary Williams has always said to me, you got to be able to score in this tournament.

Defense wins championships in a lot of sports, but in the tournament to win six games, you've got to be able to score. And Maryland just hasn't been a team that's scored very easily this year. And that's why I think they're limited in terms of how far they can go. I mean, I'm dreaming about getting to D.C. because it would give them an advantage. Now, these tickets are going to be outrageously expensive with or without them in it because Duke is there and Zion Williamson is there. You realize that the Sweet's Tech could be Virginia Tech. Michigan State has a big alumni base.

Yep. Like that, if it's Duke, Maryland, Michigan State, Virginia Tech, I think we're talking about in that building all-time secondary market prices. All time secondary market prices. For anything. Yeah, I mean, they're already going to be super steep because of what you've mentioned. Duke, the possibility of Virginia Tech, who's a four-seed in the east, Michigan State. Hell, Louisville's fan base, if they were to get there, they travel big time. But nothing will do it like if Maryland is there.

I mean, when they had the Big Ten tournament there, is it two years ago now? And Maryland was playing Northwestern. that was, I mean, you know, Maryland had a good season that year. It was a good season. It was Mello's final year. Yes. You know, they had gone to the Sweet 16 the year before, and they were going back to the NCAA tournament regardless of what happened. But I remember sitting in that arena,

and I happened to have been next to the Wisconsin section. And I remember people saying, my God, why is Maryland so popular? This was before Maryland played Northwestern. The game before it was Indiana somebody. Forget who Indiana was playing. And the Maryland fans, you already, during the course of that game, you heard the, let's go, Maryland, you know, reverberating throughout the entire arena. And I remember the Wisconsin fans.

And I said to one of the guys, he's like, he was talking to his wife, why so many Maryland fans were in D.C.? Like they had no concept that D.C. was right near Maryland. Like none. I'm like, well, the campus is about eight, nine miles away from here. This is the home market for Maryland. He goes, oh, I didn't know that. But anyway, that would be an incredible, it's an incredible opportunity for Maryland that came off that loss to Nebraska, whose coach is under fire by the fan base in many ways right now, whether he realizes it or not.

We'll ask Naki about that. I don't think he's going anywhere. I had this debate multiple times over the weekend with various people. I just don't think he's going anywhere. I don't think Maryland can buy him out. Part of me would answer that with, we're in the Big Ten. We were supposed to have this just infusion of cash that was supposed to be Fort Knox cash, and we can't buy him out.

I'm not advocating for that, by the way. Most of you know this. I've been critical of him, but I also like him personally, and I know that he is not a bad coach, like many of you think he is. I think he's a good coach. You don't win as many games as he's won without being a good coach. I personally have not loved the way they played this year, but I'm sure he'd have good answers to it. But the opportunity to turn the whole narrative of the program around over the next week and a half to win two games in Jacksonville to come home and potentially have a game against your former arch rival in D.C. would be amazing.

What are the chances of that happening? I would put it at 1 in 5. 20% chance tops. Yeah, because I don't think, here's the problem with it. I think that they've got a chance to win two games. I don't think that they would beat Michigan State. Oh, oh, 20% to make it to the elite eight. Yeah, 20% to make it to a game against Duke in the elite eight.

Okay, yeah, in that case, absolutely. One in five. In terms of making it to D.C., I still... Yeah, I would put it at, I think there's a 30, yeah, one and three shot that they can win two games this weekend. I like the way the draw played out. I think LSU is very good, but, you know, LSU, part of their lofty level this season is based on some games that were super close that they were on the right side of. You know, they were on the right side of a very controversial win at Kentucky. It should not have been a win.

It should have been a game that had went to overtime. on a clear offensive goal-tending call that was not reviewable. They won an unbelievable game against Tennessee, pretty much at the buzzer, at Florida against the buzzer. But since the Will Wade news came out, they beat Vanderbilt. That's basically it. They lost to Florida in the quarterfinals on Friday. A good Florida team, a team that actually I would look at

as a team that could do some damage in the tournament. But anyway, yeah, it's, they got the kid Tramaine Waters. You remember Georgetown fans remember that he had committed, Tramont Waters had committed to Georgetown, then changed his mind when JT3 got let go and he's been playing very well at LSU, leads him in scoring, leads him in assists. Naz Reed is a load at 610, 240. They got a good team. They got a really good team.

Is it a team that Maryland can't beat? No. If Maryland had been a seven seed or had gotten a couple of these other six three games, Texas Tech would have been a problem for them. Yes. I completely agree with that. I think Texas Tech would have been a problem for them. And the other threes were... Houston.

Yeah, Houston, I think, would have been a problem for them. Yes. I think they would have been a problem. Those were the only other two possibilities. Now, Houston's a team that can struggle to score Cincinnati who beat him yesterday a team that could struggle, that struggles to score. But if they had been in twos, like in seven twos, they wouldn't have been. in Kentucky. They wouldn't have beaten North Carolina. You know, they wouldn't have beat,

they wouldn't have matched them against Michigan or Michigan State. Although they could have matched them against Michigan State because they only played Michigan State once this year. Actually, Michigan State's second round game could be against Minnesota. And by the way, I think it will be. That's one of the ten, I like, right now I can tell you, and I'm going to do a smell test on Thursday and on Friday, and then I'll do on Friday a smell test for Saturday,

and then I'll tweet out my Sunday smell test picks. people I'm going to do that just I think I did it last year too on the radio show but I can tell you right now that I like Minnesota to beat Louisville is a 10 over a 7 in Des Moines on Thursday that's the first game of Thursday I believe but anyway Maryland's draw like it I mean I don't know that you could have asked for anything better you could not I mean look if you I think I would have liked the other first four game a little bit better but that's really nitpicking and I was fully Arizona State or St. John's instead. the problem with St. Johns. They've got a great player that can almost beat you single-handedly. I don't feel the same way about Belmont or Temple. I've watched Temple a little bit more because

when they're on, I'm a Dunfee fan, always have been. Both of those teams they are playing are very well... Either one of those two teams is an exceptionally well-coached team. And to your point, St. John's with Mullen, I would have liked our matchup, bench to

bench. But I'm saying, that's sheer nitpicking. The place 24 hours ago, I was with you. I thought if they're lucky they win a game. I didn't want Florida. That was the one I didn't want. I think there's a path now. There's a path. Yes, there's a path. There's hope. There is hope in College Park right now. I think I think that's true. I mean, you know, I look at some of the, you know, we had wished for four seed. We were hoping no worse than a five. You know what? I don't, I wouldn't have wanted Oregon right now if I'm Wisconsin as a 12 seed. Liberty is a capable team as a 12 seed. You know, Murray wouldn't have bothered me. A lot of people, I have not seen them play at all. A lot of people like New Mexico State. I actually think Maryland's 11 seeds,

Belmont or Temple, are better than some of the 12s that they would have got matched up with. And you know what? Some of the fours, a lot of people love UC Irvine as a team that can beat Kansas State. You know, this tournament always comes down to matchups. And, you know, they're neutral floor environments for the most part. And when I say neutral floor environments, remember this. The people that are in these crowds are always rooting for the underdog, if it's not their own team. So the higher-seated teams very often, if they're in a difficult game early, are then playing by the time you get to the second half a quasi-road game.

Because all of the other teams, fans that are there, if they are there, are then rooting for the underdog. I went to one of the all-time NCAA upsets. I'll never forget it. It was at Cole Fieldhouse. It was the year that Richmond is a 15 beat Syracuse as a two. And I was in that building for that game, and the entire arena was rooting for Richmond to pull the upset. And that's what you get. Just like last year, poor Virginia had the entire arena rooting against them in the UMBC thing. Netting it out, I like Marilyn's draw. If we're going to do it as percentage chances, I think they've got much better than 50, 50. chance, I'd call it a 75% chance to win their first game. It's certainly loseable. As any game they will play in is loseable because they play these games that allows a lesser talented team at times to sort of hang in there. But I bet Maryland's defense in their Thursday game will be a deciding factor.

And then I think they've got a 35% chance. I'll make it slightly higher than one out of three. a 35% chance to win two games and advance to the Sweet 16 in D.C. And then beyond that, you know, it's a one in five chance that they could get to the elite eight by winning three games. Michigan State would be a very difficult matchup. You know, we've seen Michigan State too at times come up a little small in the tournament. As many final fours as Izzo's been to, it was just a few years ago, right, that Middle Tennessee State, wouldn't it Middle Tennessee? Yeah. They took them out in the first round in a 215 game.

They get Bradley, and then they get a familiar. foe in Minnesota, you know, potentially in the second round game. I think they would crush Louisville, personally, if they play them. Virginia, real quickly. Virginia has, I think, an easy way to get out of the first weekend, we thought that last year too. Gardner Webb, I don't know anything about Gardner Webb. I think Ole Miss or Oklahoma are winnable games for them in the second round. I would look at that Sweet 16 is a possibility to face either Wisconsin or K-State. And I know a lot of people are on Oregon right now. I still like Wisconsin in that game. But they played Wisconsin early in the season, I believe, in a very low-scoring game. Kansas State is also an exceptional defensive team. Remember,

Kansas State with Bruce Weber, they were in the Elite 8 last year. They lost to Loyola, Chicago after beating Kentucky in the Sweet 16. K-State's a good defensive team. In fact, I want to say they are top five, top 10, and Ken Palm's adjusted defensive, defensive efficiency numbers. So I see rugged, hard-nosed, physical, defensive, smart, well-coached teams as a matchup for Virginia in the Sweet 16 in Louisville. They would eventually play potentially Tennessee in the elite eight. I'd like their chances against Tennessee. If it's Purdue or Cincinnati, a lot of people starting to like Cincinnati because of how rugged and tough and defensive-minded they are. These are the teams that have really pushed Virginia around a little bit, like when they've lost,

they lost to Michigan State twice. They blew the lead against Syracuse. I think that they would not have easy times with Wisconsin or K-State in the Sweet 16 or a Purdue, Cincinnati, or Tennessee in the Elite 8. I still think they're the favorite. I still think they're the favorite. I still think they should be sitting there in the final four, but if you're talking about, did they get the best draw? I mean, would it have been easier for them to have faced a Virginia Tech, a team they're familiar with, an Auburn, I'll tell you what, they would have smoked Kansas in a 1-4 Sweet 16 game if Kansas was the team they faced. As long as they wasn't in Kansas City.

Right. They just lost to Florida State, so at least they're not getting them. I think they would have smoked Marquette as a five-seat if they face them. Anyway, Virginia should advance in this field. There are a lot of in that South region, Villanova can spread you out. They've got championship pedigree with at least Phil Booth who's still on the team. Pascal's still on the team, right, from the championship teams. That assumes Villanova makes it past the first round.

And St. Mary's one of those teams that's got great backcourt play, really well coached with Randy Bennett. They could pull it off. If you've listened to me over the years, you know what a big Matt Painter fan and Jeff Jones fan I am. They play each other in the first round, Purdue and Old Dominion. That region's really interesting. I mean, Virginia's the favorite. They should be. People will pick Tennessee to beat Virginia because they love the way Tennessee beat Kentucky Saturday.

And by the way, the way they lost Auburn yesterday, I don't put any stock into that. They had an emotional win over Kentucky where they outscored him, what was it, 10-9th. to win that game or whatever it was at the N10 2. That was a great basketball game. I mentioned that a little bit earlier. Great basketball game. I, you know, I'm not, typically I don't pick chalk all the way. I think I had Virginia winning the tournament last year, and of course they were out in the first round. But I see some potential stumbling blocks, teams whose styles will in some way mirror their own in Wisconsin and K-State, Purdue to a lesser-due. degree. Cincinnati, Cincinnati struggles to score, but man, they defend and rebound. Tennessee's,

you know, not an up-tempo team either. I don't know. Virginia slows down fast teams and usually wins. The teams that are grinded out teams and physical, rugged teams, the teams they typically can have a little bit more trouble with, like Florida State in the tournament, although they've always owned Florida State. Virginia Tech, look, they're getting back Justin Robinson for this tournament, right? They are getting him back? They're supposed to, yes. I think that's what I read. That's going to help. It's going to help their ball handling, their shooting in particular. And they were, I love Buzz Williams. I heard something about Buzz Williams over the weekend

that he's not long for Virginia Tech. Well, no, Texas, everyone expects him to go to Texas A&M. Yes. So you've heard this too. I clearly just missed out on this. Yeah, this has been a poorly kept secret for a few weeks now. There you go. Something that I just, for whatever reason, completely missed. and that he wants to go back to Texas where he's from. He's a really good basketball coach. Personally, I don't know why you would leave the ACC for the Big 12. But he's at a football first school.

Virginia Tech, Texas, A&M are very comparable programs. So, yeah, you're right, except that Virginia Tech's in a much better basketball league. But that could be a pro or it can be a com. There's a ceiling at Virginia Tech that doesn't necessarily exist. Rick Barnes has made a living coach. at football first schools, you know, including Tennessee in Texas before. Buzz Williams was at a basketball only school in Marquette before he got to Virginia Tech. But Virginia Tech, you know, they've got some really, really good wins.

They beat Duke at home. They pushed, you know, they pushed UVA in the game that they had in Castle Coliseum. They, early in the season, they had an inexplicable loss at the time at Penn State in the Big Ten ACC matchup. And I remember thinking, wow, because I liked Penn State last year, but Penn State started slowly in the Big Ten. They beat Purdue, however, Virginia Tech did early in the season. By the way, just in talking about teams that aren't in the field, and this is the way

it is when you limit it to 36 at large. You know, I guarantee you right now Penn State's one of the best 64 teams in America. Like no one that's watched college basketball over the last month would even remotely begin to argue that fact. It's not the way the tournament's designed, obviously. They might be one of the best teams, but they didn't play the best. They didn't play the best during the season. Their resume isn't a tournament-worthy resume. But at the end of the year, that team was winning and winning impressively with a great player in Lamar Stevens

and their defensive player as well, the defensive player of the year, whose name escapes me real quickly. Is it Reeves? Yeah, Reeves. And then, but they're not in the tournament. They didn't even make the NIT? I know, didn't even make the NIT.

So, no, Penn State didn't make the NIT? Penn State did not make. So what? Did Nebraska make the, Nebraska must have made. Yes, Nebraska's in the NIT. Indiana's in the NIT? I believe so. I haven't looked at the full NIT bracket.

All I know is Georgetown's in posting a game at McKee, Donno, which is kind of fun. They've done that before. Yeah, they have. I was there the last time. Yeah, well, Penn State wasn't next in line in the Big Ten. Indiana and Nebraska were. Right. Right? Yeah. All right. So, back to Virginia Tech and the draw. I give them a chance to get to a Sweet 16 game against Duke. St. Louis just got in, you know, the only way they could get in by winning their conference tournament. Then they would have a Mississippi State or Liberty. A lot of people like Liberty. I haven't seen him play. Mississippi State's okay. I can see Virginia Tech, you know,

being fully healthy again, winning two games and playing at Capital One Arena and a Sweet 16 game against Duke. I mean, and I see Virginia. I'd be surprised if they're not in a Sweet 16 game. They should be. There'll be a heavy favorite against Gardner Webb. What's that point spread? It's in the 20s, right? Yeah. Whatever it was against UMBC, it's probably similar against Gardner Webb. They'll be, you know, they'll potentially be a double-digit favorite, no less than eight or nine against Old or Oklahoma. But I think a Sweet 16 game against K State or Wisconsin, I'm not as big high on Oregon as people are. Dan Altman's fine. He's a good coach. That Pac-12 championship game against Washington was a horrible basketball game. Washington, who do they play in the first run? Is it

Utah State that they have in an eight-nine game? I think that's what it is. They stink. I mean, they are bad. They were the Pac-12 champion. It's a bad team. The only reason I stayed up and watched that game on Saturday night was because Bill Walton was calling it. I just love Walt. Many of you can't stand Walton. I'm sorry about that. I can't help you. I love listening to Bill Walton.

I understand. If you don't like it, I get it, but he's so entertaining. So entertaining for me. And his relationship with Pash in particular is really, it's a great broadcast. In my view, not everybody likes it. It's a matter of opinion. Pash getting flustered is one of the best things in college basketball broadcasting. Utah.

State, I can't see personally after watching Washington a couple of times here down the stretch, I can't see them beating anybody that they play in this tournament. They're a horrific basketball team that just happened to win a terrible Power 5, Power 6 league. I'd be surprised if they win. What's the point spread in that game? Is Utah State favored? It's close. I mean, they're the 8th seed. Washington as a conference champion, regular season champion of the PAC 12 is a nine seed. All right, Arizona State's in, and then Oregon, you know, ironically, Oregon qualified without having... Utah's two and a half point favorite.

Yeah. Oregon as a team that wasn't going to get into the field without winning that championship game is actually a 12 seed but doesn't have to play a first four game, whereas Arizona State is an 11 seed and has to play a first four game against St. John's. I do not see a run for any of the Pack 12 teams in this field. I would be aware of the Big 12 teams, and I think the Big 10 in general, and the Big 10 did get the most teams in. They ended up getting eight in, and after that it was the ACC at 7 without NC State, right? Big 12 in the ACC had seven.

Yes. So the Big 10 ends up with the most teams in the league, most teams in the tournament, but most people would say that the ACC with three number one seeds have the best chance of winning the title this year. Sure. But I just would not count the Big Ten out from having, of their eight, you know, four in the Sweet Sixteen. How about the SEC? The SEC's dangerous right now.

I was going to say, SEC, I could very easily see at least two making the final four. Well, clearly Kentucky and Tennessee have a really good chance. Look, if LSU gets their stuff together. LSU would not beat Michigan State in a Sweet 16 game. It would not beat two. Probably not. They're not. Kentucky could beat both of those teams.

Tennessee could even beat both of those teams. I don't see it with LSU. Probably not, but look, there were a good team up until all this nonsense came out. It's going to be, this tournament, my gut feel on the tournament, I've already mentioned, you know, you have a star player for the first time in a while that everybody will be paying attention to, and, you know, it's funny about Duke, who's often the most hated team and the most love team, very polarizing team. My sense of it is, Aaron, I'm interested in your take, that people this year actually are rooting more for Duke than ever in the past because they just want to keep watching Zion play.

Look, I've said it before that I remember it was that first Duke UVA game. I found myself rooting for Duke. I was rooting for Carolina Friday night. Not because of the anti-Duke thing, but because I've been very impressed with this North Carolina team. The fact is Duke is an extremely fun team to watch. If their name was anything besides Duke, they'd be one of the, you know, everyone would be behind them.

If they were any other team, if they were Wisconsin and play, obviously they wouldn't be Wisconsin. But you know what I'm saying is that the hatred for that team is solely because they're Duke. And for good reason, they don't have that hateable player they usually have. And on the contrary, they have a lot of likable players. So yeah, I mean, look, the tournament, the selection show was the highest rated in over five years. I think part of that is just because people are all in on Duke. Yep.

I think that there's some truth to that. It was the highest rated one in five years. Yeah. Interesting. Well, you know, overall, you know, I've given a lot of sort of my high-level thoughts on the field. I would just, in terms of, you know, which is the strongest region? The only thing I will say that I feel is that the West is perhaps the easiest. But I wouldn't want to play Gonzaga or Michigan.

Or Texas Tech. Or Texas Tech. And I think Florida is a sleeper out there. I think they're a dangerous team. Personally, I haven't seen enough of Buffalo. Florida State is so talented, and they finally sort of busted through to get to the Elite 8 a year ago. But man, as much as Leonard Hamilton can coach up defense,

and he recruits a certain kind of player, a long-armed, big, long, lean, shot-blocker, defender. They're dangerous. They're so talented. But I can see them getting beat early. as much as I could see him advancing to the elite eight. There's something about a Leonard Hamilton coach team that I think will just stop them from getting all the way to the final four. You have to assume until it happens otherwise.

I kind of have the same thing. I think the Midwest is going to be crazy. I think that's going to like determine brackets. Well, where are the big upsets? Houston could get to the final four. They could. I think Iowa State's underrated. Yeah, Iowa State, Houston.

I think that whole bottom part. Iowa State, Houston, Kentucky, that Sweet 16 game could go anyway. There are some, let's wait on that, because I want you to stick with that thought, because there are some very good second round games shaping up. Certainly a Maryland LSU second round game on paper is a pretty good matchup for a second round game. You know, if you were to get Michigan State Louisville, I think from a marquee program standpoint that looks right, I think Michigan State would destroy Louisville. I think their tougher game would be against Minnesota.

Tennessee Cincinnati could be a very interesting second round game, as you mentioned, in Columbus. How about Purdue Villanova as a potential second round game? K-State, Wisconsin as a second-round game would be outstanding. I think, you know, some people are really talking up Utah State. I can't speak to that. The way North Carolina is playing, I don't see them losing. that early. In Iowa State, Houston game would be

outstanding in the second round. Michigan, Florida, that'd be a tough spot for Michigan. Texas Tech Buffalo as a possibility. You know it would be fun just to see. I don't think it would be a Greek case. No, I was thinking Duke UCF with Taco Fall. Yeah, he's 7 foot 6, 7 foot 7, something like that. Yeah, and then your sweet

16 matchups could be major marquee matchups. You know, if you have, first if you've got an ACC matchup in Duke, Virginia Tech. The possibility of, you know, a UNC Kansas in Kansas City. In Kansas City, exactly. The possibility of Kentucky, Houston. That would be a very interesting suite 16.

Michigan, Texas Tech. Texas Tech last year, Michigan beat Houston in that second round and ended up losing or beating Florida State in the elite eight. Who'd Michigan beat in the Sweet 16? Was it Texas Tech? Actually, it's funny the way... That sounds vaguely familiar? It's funny it's the way it's setting up for Michigan.

Michigan beat Florida State and the Elite 8. I'm almost positive about that a year ago. I think that's right. But anyway, the Elite 8 matchups, how about Carolina, Kentucky, Duke, Michigan State? Michigan beat Houston. Oh, they beat Texas A&M in the Sweet 16 last year. A&M. But then Florida State and the Elite 8, right?

Yes, then Flores the 8th, the Fleet 8. They played Montana in the first round last year, too. Same first round game. Really? Michigan, Montana for a second straight year? Yes. That's odd. A couple of, yeah, I mean, the elite eight matches could be phenomenal

with Carolina, Kentucky, Michigan State Duke, Virginia, Tennessee, and Gonzaga, Michigan, if they were to hold seeds. There are a few teams lurking there. I mentioned Minnesota. They've got pros on their team, and they're a physical team. Jordan Murphy and Amir coffee. I think that Minnesota could do some damage. I think that they could beat Louisville.

In fact, I'll pick them to beat Louisville. And then the familiarity with Michigan State, they've been playing better here recently. Minnesota has been. That's a team I'd keep an eye on. I think the St. Mary's Villanova winner, as much as I'm a Purdue fan, I think they'd have a shot at Purdue to get to the Sweet 16.

I definitely believe in Houston. I also believe a little bit in Seton Hall right now. They spread you out, man. They can score. The two Big East games that I watch over the weekend, the Seton Hall Marquette game, which was a three-hour 78 foul, three ejection, eight technical foul game.

It was crazy. There was a fight in the game. That was a crazy game. And then the Seton Hall of Villanova Big East Final was a really good basketball game. You know what, that Big East tournament never been because I'm an ACC guy, never had any desire to go. It produces every year, you know, in a much better environment sometimes than some of the others. I'm looking forward to this tournament.

Expect the unexpected every year. That's so cliche, but it's going to happen. There are going to be major upsets here in the first round. Brackets are going to be spoiled on the first afternoon on Thursday. But at the end, I would be surprised if we don't get mostly heavyweights. We'll have our brackets done before the tournament starts, which is tomorrow. So we will go through our brackets tomorrow, you know, pick by pick. But that's basically it on the tournament.

Did I miss anything? Nothing that we can't cover tomorrow. All right. Yeah, we'll have plenty of time to do it tomorrow. Real quick word about Window Nation. Harley and Aaron and Eric listen all the time. They will be, I guarantee you, involved in pools, in brackets, in filling out brackets. They're huge sports fans.

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All right, let's bring in Naki, who will be on the call for the Maryland Basketball Network, and I think you can hear that game on 980 on Thursday, 310 projected start time against the winner of the Belmont Temple game in the first round. We're back to calling that, I believe, the first round. Remember there was a couple of years there. It was first round, then second round, and then they got to the first four, and then we got to the first round, which I like better, because I think that's how people sort of describe it Thursday and Friday. Do you like their draw? Well, I mean, I don't think there's any question that they got a big break.

I mean, first of all, I thought there was some speculation. I could be wrong because I'm not in the committee, but, hey, you know, I was reading in some places they could have been a seven. Yeah. A seven seed, which means, you know, first of all, you're conceptually, you're playing a, you know, a higher seat, obviously, in that first round. But then the other thing is you're playing against the two-seed, you know, in the second round, and your two-seeds are, you know, North Carolina, Tennessee.

I mean, those are difficult batch-ups for you. So it's a big difference playing a three. It's also, you know, you're playing a team that just had to survive a play-in game, you know, they were barely 48 hours before playing you on Thursday afternoon. So there's a lot to like about, you know, about the bracket. Yeah, you know, my biggest concern, and I mentioned this in the open, was if they had dropped to the seven, and I thought it was even a possibility as a 6-11, the team that I watched here recently that I did not want them to play was Florida. I thought Florida would have been a horrible matchup for them. And even Seton Hall, they had already lost to them once, but I think this is even a better Seton Hall team now than they had faced back in December when they lost to them at home after that long layoff. those were the teams I didn't want to see. But in Belmont or Temple, first of all, I'm a massive fan of Fran Dunphy.

I've always been a fan of him. I love the players he recruits, those tough, you know, boxy, Philadelphia, wings and guards, the way they play. Are you a fan of his? Well, he and I coach together for several years, and he is one of the best guys that I know, period. He's beyond that, I mean, he's a very good basketball coach. He's a, he's just tremendous human being and a guy that's very, very easy to root for. I kind of hate to see them on our side of things because, you know, you kind of hate to play games like that against your friends. What, what may, well, first of all, they're an underdog.

Belmont's actually a three and a half point favorite in that game on Tuesday night, tomorrow night. they're an underdog. But real quickly, just on Dunfee, what makes him so good in your opinion? Particularly good, I think, on the offensive side of things. He's just got a really good grasp. He was a great college player back in the day at LaSalle in the late 60s. And I think he graduated from LaSalle in 1970. But he's just a, he's got a really good grasp of the game. He's very even-tempered as well. I can't remember the last time I saw him get a technical foul. I've seen him go off to practice, certainly enough times, but he's just a very cool, calm, and collected guy. And his teams kind of play that way.

They're pretty steady. Was he your assistant after Gary, like, he was your assistant, right? He was, Dumpf was Gary Williams' assistant with Eddie Taps got. And then, and then Gary left, Tapp got the job. Dumpf moved up to be the number one guy, and I came on board then. So I coached with Tapp and Dumpf. Got it. I was on staff there for two or three years before Fran went back to Philadelphia.

Forgive me for not knowing the details of your esteemed coaching career. But you know what? I've thought I always, whenever Temple's in the tournament with him coaching it, and it was the same when he was at Penn, you know, I always look at. at them thinking, you know what, he can beat somebody that's got more talent. And he's retiring, by the way. This is his swan song, this final tournament. Don't bet on that. Oh, really? You think he'll miss it too much and come back? I don't think he's going to, I don't, I mean, I think that, I heard that somebody told me that

he's, that his name has been linked to GW. Wow. Interesting. Yeah. So I'm giving you a newsflash. There you go. All right. Let's talk about Maryland in more detail. What's been different here recently is they have struggled down the stretch, you know, losing to Penn State, losing that emotional game against Michigan at home, and then really going out in a whimper against Nebraska in the first round of the Big Ten tournament. Well, I mean, you also have to throw the trouncing of Minnesota in there. That happened all in that. stretch too. So, you know, I just think that, and I think that the book has been written a little bit on this theme in the sense that their fortunes to a large degree are tied to the point guard, you know, to Anthony, Anthony Callan. And when he's playing well, they're a problem. And when he's not, just puts a lot of pressure on the other guys. You know, I think a guy, a guy like

Eric Ayala is a really, really good role player, good support guy, you know, But he's not one of those guys. Not like Anthony who can get you 23 or 24 in a game. I think that's a part of it. I think they've lost a little bit of intensity. The other thing is, Kevin, we've talked about this ad nauseum. The problems on the offensive end are just maddening. Between the turnovers, and then you talk about the lapses,

where they just go three, four minutes without putting a point on the board. You're not going to win games like that against really good teams. I'm almost of a mind here where I'd like to see him play at Belmont or somebody like that who gets up and down and runs. And, you know, I'd like to see a game where we get out an open court and play an open court game for a little bit. But that's just me. I'm tired of these grinded out things.

The Big Ten has just kind of bored me to death, I think, is part of it. You know, we have had these conversations all season long. It's been a point of frustration for, you know, you and me and a lot of other Maryland fans. But, you know, I always think about it from the other side, and I know you do too. You know, if, and you get a chance to talk to him, I'm actually trying to get turge on the show this week. Hopefully it'll happen. But I, you know, I think about what his answers would be to a simple basic question. Why don't you prefer a higher possession game to a lower possession game with the

talent advantage that you have in a lot of the games. And the one answer that I always come back to is he would look at me and say, have you seen the teams we're playing how good they are defensively, how well they get back? In our league, you have to be able to execute in the half court, and that's sort of our league. And part of that wouldn't be wrong. They've been a very good rebounding team, but they don't turn people over a lot, which gives you transition opportunities. But it's maddening. The crawling it up on, I don't know, 75% of their possessions, not really initiating offense until there are 19 seconds left on the shot clock. To me, it's a recipe for a lesser team having a chance. And by the way, Nebraska's not that

much of a lesser team. Now, Nebraska's got some talent, and they're pretty good. And all of the big 10 games were grinds. And all of all of, those teams were capable, but that's one of the answers I always come up with. What are the answers he gives you? Well, first of all, Nebraska has three big-time players that all play at a really high level in that game. The other thing about that particular game is, you know, we were talking on air about, you know, how can Nebraska possibly win this game? And my comment on the air before the game was, well, first of all, two or three guys have to play well. The other thing is, is that when they get a rebound, they're just going to take the air out of the ball.

They're going to walk it over half court, which is exactly what they did. They limited the number of possessions in the game. And common sense and easy math, simple math tells you that the more possessions there are in a game, the more talent will win out, you know, just over time. So they did a hell of a job. Now, in terms of – I think Terge – one of the reasons why – and I've never asked him that question point blank, but I think one of the things that he would point to is the fact that the more possessions they have, the more they're going to turn it over.

I think he's very sensitive to that old thing. And sensitive to the point, Kevin, where he hates to even discuss the turnovers. He hates to even talk about it because they do work on it all the time. You know, it's something he stresses in practice. There's a penalty for a turnover. You know, you've got to run if you do certain things. And so, I don't know, but I just don't think if you look, If you look in Mark's past, he's never had really high scoring.

This is not an anomaly. This is much more the rule than it is the exception, what we're seeing. Yeah, I agree with you. A lot of those Texas A&M teams were good defensive, hard-nosed defensive teams that didn't score a lot of points. All right, Bruno Fernando, who had four shot attempts in that game against Nebraska. The easy answer to why he didn't shoot more is that he got doubled, you know, consistently, and they did not handle the double team well in that game against Nebraska. My frustration with Bruno is I don't know why he doesn't or isn't given the green light to,

when they initiate the offense through Bruno at the elbow, often he doesn't even turn around and face the basket, but they don't guard him there. Why isn't that an option for him to turn, face, he's got a great stroke and knock down 12 to 15 foot jumpers to make him come out and guard him? Well, I think it is an option. I think he chooses not to shoot it for whatever reason, which is strange to me because, you know, Jaylon Smith doesn't hesitate to shoot. No. When he turns and faces it. And so, yeah, I think there are a multitude of ways to get shots.

And I, you know, you credit Nebraska to a degree. but some of these were self-inflicted wounds. That's easily the worst game Bruno's played all year long, by far. He kind of reverted to 2018 a little bit. And so, you know, hopefully he's back. And, you know, they also kept, I don't think he had an offensive rebad in that game, Kevin. No, he didn't. Not one.

Not one offensive rebound. Also, there was no, there wasn't a back tap. There wasn't a, you know, so it wasn't like, I mean, just there was no presence there, and we're so used to the presence. There was one play where, you know, he went up and Roby tried to dunk on him, and there was, like, one play that I thought was the 2019 Bruno, but the rest of it was, you know, it was just, you know, it was terrible. So when you get at one point in the first half from Anthony,

and you get Bruno playing like that where he's just not a factor at all, it's just, you know, it's a recipe for disaster. Those are two guys who are going to have to be primary guys for you. Is it possible that getting out of this 20-game stretch or 21 games, if you include the first tournament game, against teams that really know you well, scout you well, good defensive teams in the league. Keep in mind, too, and I mentioned this on Friday, Nebraska had given up 90 or more points in three of their six games coming in, 80 plus in a fourth, and Maryland had 20 at halftime. That's hard to swallow as a fan of the team.

But is it possible that they get out of this three-month grind it out, and it gets easier for them on Thursday? I guess it's possible, you know. Clearly, whoever they play will have one day to prepare for them, you know, that Wednesday. So I guess it's possible, but, but, Again, so many of their wounds are on the offense, especially, are self-inflicted, you know, and whether there's turnovers, guys just missing shots, you know.

You also wonder, you know, which version of some of these guys you can have. You probably know this that better than I do, but I think Maryland is undefeated when Jalen Smith scores over 15 points. Yes, I don't know if it's undefeated, but I mentioned the other day for all the Maryland fans that are bitching about how soft sticks is. They've played their best basketball this year when he's played well. Yeah, I think that I do believe they're undefeated when he's got, when he's over 15 points. So a question was put to me this morning, well, why would you let that guy shoot three-pointers?

He's, you know, shooting 27% from the three-point line. But the issue is, is that he's as likely to go four for six as he is to go over six. Agreed. You know? Totally agree. So you have to, you can't just tell a guy. you know, put it in your pocket. That's not the way that's not the way you coach. That's not the way you play the game.

So he's got to be a part of the process himself, you know? Well, it's like when, you know, you watch Wisconsin play in the big guy, Severs, right, that can really stroke it from deep. Yeah. He's the big guy that can stroke it. I mean, if he watches stroke. You know, watch Sticks his stroke. It's a good solid stroke.

if he's open and the defense isn't coming out to guard him, if he knocks down one or two of those, it's just like if Bruno were to knock down a couple of those elbow jumpers, it just makes your offense much easier to run. You can't turn down those shots, especially for this team that tends to struggle to get anything good when the shot clock is running out. The Wisconsin guy, by the way, is Revers.

Revers, my fault, yeah. Yeah, but to your point, if sticks, hits the first couple of threes, then it means that his guy can't sit back in Bruno's lap. And, you know, in most cases, Wisconsin was running the double from either Morsalzeman or Stix's man down on Bruno. So it's just one less guy who can create traffic for Bruno. So I agree with it. I mean, you've got to let the kids shoot and see what he's got and go from there. On the double on Bruno. Yurik, you are a coach. I mean, most people know that. Naki was a college basketball coach. She's been the Maryland analyst for, I don't know, seems like 55 years at this point with Johnny.

20. But you replaced Greg Manning, right? That's 20 years ago. Actually, honestly, it seems like it's even longer than that. Yeah, it does to me too. I know. But, you know, there have been times where they've handled it well. on that double though wouldn't you like to see more of a quicker reaction or a step through versus the going backwards yeah and so i thought bruno has come a long way in terms of his ability to handle it i'd like to see a couple different things first of all uh you know you don't want to see anybody standing still um for sure you know uh but you you look cross court because that's who that's where the uh somebody's going to be telling up at the three point line you should have two guys on the two guys on on the other side of the court, but like a guy like Morsal, you know, I like to see Morsal

if, like if he enters the ball, he should make a basket cut, a rim run right away. You know, you might be able to get something cheap right there. And his man, you do it one time, and now of a sudden his man is going to have his head on a swivel the whole time. I think Bruno's done a pretty good job. I don't know. I can't even explain the failure to handle the double team against Nebraska. You know, I mean, a lot of times there were triple teams, but he just didn't handle it well at all. He panicked. He just made poor choices, and there were no ball fakes either. And, you know, there's nobody's strong enough to rip the ball out of his hands. He doesn't have to worry about that. He had guys in the right places. He just,

he didn't handle the double very well. All right. Last thing, which may be a conversation here, you know the fan base. You know how passionate it is, and sometimes how, how, delusional it can be. Do you think the TURG feels any of the heat right now or even knows it's there? Absolutely. Absolutely. And I, you know, you know, I said at one point just jokingly, I said to them, I forget where we were, we're on the road. And I said, you should be thankful for, you should be thankful for Indiana. And he's looked at me, said, what do you mean? And I said, well, if it weren't for Indiana, we would have the most delusional fan base in the conference. And he kind of juggled at that. And he said, you know, I mean, I think Kevin, I think he completely gets it. I think he understands it. I think it's one of the reasons why he took the job is because there are these expectations. Now, the

reason you take the job and you appreciate the history and all that is one thing, you know, dealing with heat is quite another, obviously. So I think he's well aware of it. And he's well aware it. I think it's hard to escape it. But I think he's doing his best to kind of keep his head down and get this team better. Because, I mean, they're still a lot on the table. You're a sixth seed in the NCAA tournament. You have a pretty significant weekend ahead, for sure. Well, I mean, we all know, and we all looked at the bracket, and we know what is in play here. He could completely take all of this heat and turn it into, you know, blind love. if he wins two games, gets to D.C. and has an Elite 8 game against Duke.

It's amazing what two weeks could actually do to the whole perception of him by a fan base. Really? It rarely does an opportunity present itself like the one that he in this program have based on the way that the draw played out. I swear, and I can never, and I will never claim objectivity. But in my heart of heart, I feel like if there's any justice at all, then these things happen. Because I really like the guy, and I hope it happens for him. Yeah, I do too. I like him as well.

All right. Thursday, 310, Jacksonville, I think, you know, a couple weeks ago, we hoped for a four-seed and maybe Hartford or something like that, but who cares? Hartford, Jacksonville really doesn't make a difference. Actually, I want to say that the last time, I could be wrong, and I didn't even look this up. They were in Jacksonville, I think, with Steve Francis's team. I want to say that they played one. That was the year before I started doing this.

Okay. It could have been. Have you been to Jacksonville since? Now, I don't believe we have. You know, we played in Gainesville against Florida when they were number one. Right. That was a game that Travis Garrison won with a gym show. That would have been like 2004 maybe.

Yeah, Canter Medley had a good game. That was like a November game, right? Yeah, Gilchrist fouled out, and DJ Strawberry played some point guard in that game, which I remember correctly. It was a great win. So, yeah, I don't think we've been to Jacksonville since I've been doing this. Okay. I may be wrong, too, about the Francis team.

Anyway, all right, enjoy it. I'll talk to you later in the week, I'm sure. All right, Kathy. All right, see you. Here it is. I found it. They actually played not in Jacksonville in 99. They played in Orlando in 99.

That was the Steve Francis team. They beat Valpo as a two seed. They beat the 15 seed. And then they beat Creighton in the second round. And that put him into the Sweet 16 in Knoxville, Tennessee, when they lost where they lost to St. John's. That was a painful. Gary had a lot of Sweet 16.

losses. He lost to Michigan in 94, lost to Yukon in 95, lost to Arizona in 97, lost to St. John's in 99. Also had a Michigan State loss in there somewhere along the way in the Sweet 16 that I'm forgetting. But that St. John's loss with the Steve, the Steve Francis team, was the most painful for Maryland fans. And just so people don't forget, when they lost to St. John's, in the Sweet 16. There were a lot of people that didn't think that Gary Williams

would ever get it done at Maryland. He had just been to his fourth Sweet 16 in six years and people were irate. The fan base was irate. I remember that people were like

if you couldn't get Steve Francis to the final four, even to the elite eight. And the next year without Francis, they got blown out in a second round game by UCLA. I think that was the next year.

I can't. Yeah, that was the next year. And then 2001, they went to the final four. By the way, 2001, a season that in the regular season, they lost a home game to Florida State, and people were calling for Gary's head that year. Anyway, real quickly, Ferrisch, Chrysler, Dodge Jeep in Fairfax. If you're considering something new,

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Friday. Well, I'll start with Dominic Rogers Cromarty. I'm not, I've spoken a little bit about it. This is, to me, you know, you're taking a guy out of retirement, essentially. He may fill a role. He may not. There'll be no pain in cutting him if it doesn't work out. Some fans are going nuts about this deal. I'm more wait and see. Where are you? Same place.

I don't think it's something to be excited about or upset about. It's a move for veteran help in the secondary, and they can just cut them if they need to. Or, I mean, you could even retire again. knows what will happen, but there's really no downside. I haven't seen the contract, but I'm guessing it's going to be better and minimum with some incentives. And he has the versatility to play in slot. Maybe he can help you in dime packages and an extra safety on the field. It's lukewarm. There's nothing to feel dramatic about one way or the other. Yeah. I mean, they, if they didn't sign DRC on Friday, who would have been the least? Who would have been the

candidate to be their slot corner? I mean, Moreau did it last year, right? Right. Assuming Dunbar comes back healthy, I think you'd maybe look at that unless, you know, one of the really young guys, Stroman or Johnson, develops, and those guys all played on the outside. I think a really big key for that defense, beyond what happens with Rubin Foster is can Quentin Dunbar play? Because they need them. The team is way better when he's on the field. Yeah, that's what I was going to ask you. That's one of those injuries that you're sort of unsure about because of the weird nature of it.

But are you hearing that he'll be healthy and ready to go at the beginning of the season or by training camp? I haven't heard much one way or the other, which I guess would be good. But usually guys that are injured are able to stick around and work out in Ashburn. And I think Quentin is down in Miami for the offseason, which is where he's from. So, you know, last year I went down to Miami and he did some like workout story video. with Sweringer and Dunbar took part in those. And he works out in a really famous gym down there

where Dwayne Wade and LeBron and a ton of just athletes go. So I assume he'd be working out there again this summer or this winters. All right. Getting back to sort of some of the news that trickled out over the weekend or supposed news that trickled out over the weekend. We get to Saturday. Aaron first mentioned it to me on Friday about dig. and I said, how could that happen?

It made no sense to me. And I was sitting there like two of my three sons are texting me early Saturday. Dad, have you seen Trayvon Diggs what he's sent out? And I'm thinking myself, yeah, but there's nothing, it doesn't make any sense. But the fan base, you know, I don't want to call it gullible because, listen, I was questioning my better judgment there for an hour or so. Like, maybe this could happen. I mean, who are we going to give up?

Trent Williams? I mean, would they give up a first round? round pick. Maybe we're offering them something so incredible that they can't turn it down. But boy, that thing took off and had a life of its own for a few hours on Saturday until Schefter completely squashed it. Yeah, I mean, Shepter certainly squashed it. And I agree that from the Viking standpoint, it makes very little sense. And what are the Redskins have to offer is a very valid point. But after the Beckham trade and after how many times the Giants said we're not trading him, we didn't just sign him

to trade him, all that. I think his brother posted that. You know what I mean? That wasn't just some random fan account. It was his brother posting that picture. I think, I'm not saying this is going to happen, but I think to say that it's completely, I would say it's a 3% possibility, something like that. That's hysterical.

By the way, real quickly, I want to give you some. credit for it too, because if not for your report on Thursday or Friday, I forget when you tweeted it out, that the Redskins, you know, potentially, they're, they're, I'm paraphrasing now, they're looking at a wide receiver and that wide receiver could come, you know, via trade. I think a lot of that played into the reaction as well. Yeah, I think it did. But, Kevin, you know, and I mean, Skins Twitter had a hell of the weekend. Let's be honest, because the assumptions that come from my tweet like that are just crazy.

And I've been told very clearly that nobody expects AJ Green to go anywhere but Cincinnati. And I've been saying that, and I want everybody on your podcast to hear me saying that because the amount of AJ Green questions I got was crazy. The dig stuff, his brother posting that to social media is a little weird, right? Like it's his brother. I just found that one a little odd. But, you know, the bike's just got a deal done with him. And you think they did that for a reason.

If you want to be a conspiracy theorist, you can start pulling threads and be like, oh, well, this and this and this. But it all seems a little premature. But, I mean, we also know that the skins were in on the Antonio Brown trade. So they're sniffing around. They know they've got to get better at receiver. Dave Rund and Doug Williams have said that. they said it at the combine. Bruce Allen has been clear that they need more blue-chip players.

They need more great players. Right now they don't really have many. So, you know, the big thing on the surface level makes absolutely no sense. Made no sense to me, but let me just follow up on what you were saying about A.J. Green, because you did put out that tweet on Friday, and it sounds to me like when people started reacting with A.J. Green, you do not think that that is a possibility. But you did put put a 3% possibility on Stefan Diggs. When you tweeted that out, were you thinking Diggs? No, and I'm still not thinking Diggs.

I just know that they want to make moves at the receiver and are considering trade offers. I mean, that doesn't mean that it's going to be Diggs or Green or Jerry Rice coming out of retirement. You know what I mean? They know they have to get better at the position and they're looking at what they can find. That's what I've been told. All right. Let's move to the next thing. The reports about the Red Skid...

Let me ask you, Kat. I'm sorry. Would you go to 0% on Diggs? I mean, 3% is overwhelmingly saying that I don't think it's going to happen. When Aaron brought it up to me on Friday, I was at 0%. When my kids texted me on Saturday, because initially I thought that they were reading some sort of report of it, I guess I went to like 5%, but then I started thinking... And then I saw the Trayvon Diggs thing because my boy sent it to me, and then I went back to 2%. And part of it is just without going into great detail, just a general sense from some of the high school football people in town about Trayvon Diggs in particular.

I won't go any further on that. But I'll just say that I just didn't, I started thinking about the contract, Minnesota, what he brings to them, what the Redskins would have to give up. up. He's a totally different player than OBJ, not as gifted, clearly, but also not the headache that OBJ is. And the Giants are in a completely different position than Minnesota is in with respect to trying to compete. But the Vikings have no money on the cap. I mean, they're in worst cap situation than you can, and they want to get feeling done. Dealing's a hometown guy, I believe, in the last year of his deal, which is probably paying him peanuts as far as the NFL.

so he's an undrafted guy. So they do have, if you want to pull threads, there are some situations that make you wonder. But again, I'm at 97% it won't happen. I feel like that sounds more. I think I'm at zero. Part of that is Schefter's report. I think I may have been at 1% or 2% before that report.

But I did tweet out on Saturday. I tweeted out, this makes no sense to me at all. And I just can't imagine that it would happen. But, you know, the one possibility, and I think I tweeted this out as well, maybe it was a response to somebody. Look, the Vikings are in dire need of offensive linemen. That offensive line, that line and the giant line were the two worst in the NFL last year. It was a disaster for them. Plus, they lost, tragically, their offensive line coach.

I'm sorry? I think they lost. The coach, sorry. Yeah, Tony Sparano. Did they just lose their center? I think her center just left to go to New Orleans too. Well, there you go. I did not know that. I mean, I saw that Unger retired unexpectedly, but they lost Tony Spirano before the year. Anyway, I was thinking, I mean,

a blockbuster trade could be Trent Williams for Stefan Diggs, you know, and I don't know if the Redskins would have to throw in a pick because of Williams being a little bit older, you know, but anyway, let's go to the next thing. Right now, what's, I mentioned to you, know you and I have talked about this on the podcast, I believe, that I expected a really active year because I just didn't think Dan Snyder was going to sit back and take E.J. Biggers and Pernell McPhee this offseason, and I think Landon Collins, you know, is a, I think Dan's involvement, you know, pushed and influenced a big signing. I think going after Antonio Brown and being a player in that, I heard that they were very interested in Golden Tate, but

Tate pick New York instead. They were in on C.J. Mosley. So the activity in the early part of free agency, the intention was to be a major player, but they haven't landed anybody other than the player who grew up dreaming of playing for the franchise and then resigning a 34-year-old running back. I have this sense, JP, and I want your sense,

that it's what we all feel intuitively, And that is the organization's gotten to a point where unless it's a necessity, it's nowhere near anybody's top-of-list destinations. Yeah, I think that's pretty fair to say. I think the one thing to keep in mind, and agents and players will tell you this, I bet 95% of free agent decisions are based on money and where the highest bidder is. I don't think you see veterans that will kind of chase Super Bowls late in their career. But, you know, unless somebody really loves a certain situation or their families from a location,

most of these decisions just get made based on money. And the Redskins don't have a ton of it under the salary cap. And as much as Lane and Collins, I think, is kind of the outlier of really wanting to play here. They also paid in a boatload of cash, you know. And I think, honestly, the CJ Mosley deal, I'm not sure I would have gone that high for an inside linebacker. So maybe Lay Bion Bell, but I don't know that they're combination. I agree with you with the principle that the skins, one of the most interesting conversations is talking to national reporters about kind of where the skins rank in their realm of reporting. and unless it is something crazy, which tends to happen here,

the day to day of like, oh, the redskins are getting ready to take on the eagles doesn't move the needle nationally, whereas that always used to be the case. That would always be a big deal. And I think you see it more and more with the ratings and the attendance issues and all that. So combine all that with where free agents are looking to go. That doesn't surprise me. It's almost like right now we've got this combination of, you know, Dan trying to, you know, assert some influence maybe more than in recent years

with the signing of Landon Collins, the attempt to get in on Antonio Brown, C.J. Mosley, et cetera. And the pushback from Bruce saying, I, you know, really Eric Flowers and, you know, Case Keenham for three and a half million bucks is really the way to go. It's an interesting off-season so far. And then there was this report this morning from the, the from the from the from the junkies at 1067 Eric Bickle eB reporting that the redskins have not consulted head coach j gruden on any of their offseason moves and he cites a source saying quote I'm told he heard about the or he this is eB's quote from the junkies quote I'm told

he heard about the landing collins signing through the media closed quote what do you what do you think to unpack there, right? It sounds, it sounds damning, but rewind a year, and we know that Jay and Doug Williams weren't involved in the Alex Smith trade. They were part of the process of laying out the Redskins options at quarterback knowing that the Kirk cut, knowing that Kirk wasn't going to sign, but, you know, it's very public that Bruce made that trade and then let everybody know about it after. It's all, Doug Williams said the other day at Redskins Park after the Atlanta Collins press conference, that the coaching staff and the talent evaluation side are held.

It's kind of two separate bodies, and one doesn't have much influence on the other. I played that soundbite on Friday and put that side by side with what Jay Gruden said in that season-ending press conference about the coaching staff and personnel need to be more on the same page. Clearly it is not. Yeah. And we've kind of been hearing,

They started saying that midway through the year last year on some things. I think particularly as the DJ Sweringer situation progressively got worse over the course of the year, kind of what he was saying about the staff and the comments got further and further, you know, outlandish, I guess. But I think you can argue whether or not it's the right situation, if it's the right way to handle it. and I don't think it is, but I don't think it should be that big of a surprise if you've been listening and really paying attention to what they've said. And especially if you remember when Gruden got his contract extension,

a lot of the talk was, and this kind of went hand in hand for as the team lost Scott McLuhan, was, you know, we're really lucky to add to Jay. He's so good at talent evaluation. We really trust him as a scout, even beyond just as a head coach. And then this year we know he wasn't at the senior bowl, you know, it does seem odd, but odd might be their process.

Yeah, that's the nice way of putting it. I will tell you that I did hear that Jay Gruden evaluated all of these free agent quarterbacks in significant detail more so than in recent years, and that he did like Case Keenham, and that he was, he was, he was, he was, He was impressed with the tape. He was impressed with the competitiveness, you know, the baller aspect, which is what I think he likes in Colt McCoy as well. And probably what he did not like necessarily in Kirk Cousins, who is more, as we know, a process guy. But I think that Jay, with respect to him.

And Jay said that about the competitive side of case. He said that on Thursday. Whenever we got to talk to him at the Landon Collins Presser, he said that exactly. like the competitiveness and, you know, his willingness to take on all the challenges or what the court might have been. I guess what I'm saying is on the report, I would definitely agree with more likely than not he had no idea about the land and Collins signing until the media, until hearing it through the media. I would be surprised if he didn't have a say in the case Keenham trade. I think that he was asked this year, to really evaluate those free agent quarterbacks. Remember last year, he admitted that he didn't even look at any of the college

quarterbacks before the Alex Smith trade was basically given to him, which he had nothing to do with. But I think that he had some say in the case, Keenham trade. That's my guess anyway, based on some of the things I've heard. Real quickly. No, go ahead. I was just going to say it's worth, I think, fans paying attention to what teams they seem able to work with and then kind of project that out. It was very weird that the Redskins hosted the Broncos for a preseason game last year. Like, it's very odd for teams to travel that far, but they did.

And clearly, they've now had two trades with Denver in the last 18 months between Craven and the now Case Keenum. That's just something for fans to keep an eye on when you look at who the organization deals with very well. And one key on that is always pre-seasoning games. They're not going to play the Ravens because it's close and it's cheap for all parties. But wherever they're traveling to, like they go to Tampa every year. They're not playing Tampa. Those kinds of things are something that fans should take notice of. By the way, one other thing on Case Keenham in Jay Gruden.

I still believe that Jay Gruden would have been fine going into this. off season with Colt McCoy and drafting a young quarterback and then maybe signing an undrafted you know quarterback is the third guy or you know I and I still believe that he thinks that Colts got a good chance to beat out Case Keenum I'm just suggesting that he actually did you know watch a lot of film on Case Keenham and have an opinion with the organization on Case Keenum the other things that happened uh or were you know were reported over the weekend or tweet it out over the weekend were other players like Eric Flowers and now, you know, a linebacker as well. What's their next move, do you believe, whether it's free agency or trade?

Like what's in the works right now? I think it could be depth guys now. Like what we saw with DRC, I think there'll be more of that with Flowers. I mean, people think Flowers is coming in to compete. That is nothing but depth. And if you remember, you know, Ty and, second, he just got paid by the bill. Ty and Seki was a big time project when he got to Washington.

And I think Flowers honestly is a project as well that you hope Bill Callahan can work with and get fixed over time. I think they might have to spend a little bit of money to bring in a pass rusher, but I don't think they're going to bring in Justin Houston or anything, even though I think he could help. I think that's the one spot if you can find some cash and you bring a veteran pass rush. us specialist in. I think it would make a lot of sense. Yeah, I still have Shane Ray on my list. He hasn't been signed by anybody, I don't think. But there could be a reason for that, too.

He's coming off a bunch of injuries. There was... Clay Matthews is, you know, there are guys out there. I just don't know what the cost would do. The Clay Matthews thing, I was thinking about that and the Justin Houston thing, those are the guys that they're going to sign with a team that they think will contend. They're the old veterans. don't you think that, you know, they'll wait it out until a contender, they get through the draft, and then there's a contender that needs a specialty pass rusher that they think they can, you know, play playoff games with that they'll sign with. That's my guess is that that's how that'll play out.

There was, and I'm forgetting his name, right? There's a linebacker that was rumored. Did you have that, or did somebody else have that from over the weekend? I haven't. The name I heard a couple weeks ago was a Rams inside linebacker. name is Barron. Does that sound right? I'd have to look at my notes. Yeah, well, I don't know if that's who you're talking about. Yeah, I think Mark Barron is the, you know, the other Bama guy that's sort of a hybrid safety

linebacker, but I'm thinking of somebody else. Actually, Aaron... The name I've heard a bunch of is the tight end, Jared Cook. But I don't know that he's actually visited. I mean, a lot of this is just like crazy text messages you get this time of year, so... Brandon Copeland is the name that I was trying to pull up. Kime had that over the weekend. But again, that's not a

starter. You know, right now the names that are popping up, flowers, like you mentioned, is a backup. Like, he's a Thai and Seki replacement. You know, he was a total bust in New York. Copeland played in New York last year with the Jets, I believe.

Yeah, I mean, it's right now after landing Collins and a trade for Keenham and more activity, in the first couple of days of free agency, more reports of big names and the Redskins being involved in those. We're back to now, Bruce Allen. We're going to end up with Brandon Copeland and Eric Flowers and a retired DRC. Think about, we had two coaches that didn't have any other choices

that were called out of retirement, and Ryan and Horton. You've got a player who's basically retired that you're bringing back. It's so far, JP, they haven't improved themselves. they really haven't improved the team. Well, it depends on what you're comparing it to. I would say if you're comparing to Week 16 and 17, where you had Josh Johnson and they've improved. They stabilize the quarterback situation, right?

You're not going to have, barring something unforeseen, you're not going to go back to the Mark Sanchez, Josh Johnson world by having Keenom and Colt. and they still, to me, absolutely have to draft a quarterback. I think Collins helps on the back end because you don't have Sweringer. You have nothing there. I think he helps. But no, has there been dramatic improvement?

No. The only thing, I think they have raised their floor. I think with Keenham there, 3 and 13 is off the table. I think 6 and 10, 7 and 9 is right in line with what we're looking at. and seven to nine is what they've done the last few years. Maybe Geis comes back and they really figure something out between he and Adrian Peterson. And, you know, one wild card in all this is Ruben Foster.

If he's able to play beyond just all the off-field trouble, he's not with injuries too. Like he's missed time because of on-field stuff. So if he can play and he can play at the level that he saw him coming out of Bama, was a top 10 pick, you know, that defense could look a lot better. Again, I don't think there's been dramatic improvement. I think Collins helps a lot at a position that was a giant hold of. Three more, quick ones, and then I'll let you run, and I appreciate this as always. First of all, what do you think Kareem Hunt's suspension of eight games says about what Ruben Foster will get?

Just take a guess. I don't know. I have thought for a while. while, Ruben Foster gets four games, appeals it to three. Because the James Winston situation, he got three games. There's no video and there's no court documents. You know, there's been no, as far as the courts go, Foster's been pretty and clear. And there's no video. I think the video really hurts with Kareem Hunt. Second thing.

Right now, when they're on the clock, night one of the draft, will they be holding 15, and if so, you know, will they go quarterback? You know, I just wrote about this on our website. It's starting to look more and more like a QB could actually slide to them because I think Kyler Murray is totally gone. I think he goes number one to Arizona.

I think the jags are out of the quarterback market by spending all that money on polls. The Dolphins seem like they're going, they're waiting for 2020. Maybe that's a smoke screen, but the Brian Fitzpatrick signing and then Shepter saying they're waiting for Tua, it seems pretty clear. The Bengals haven't traded or released Andy Dalton, which makes me think they're hanging on to Dalton and won't go to QB.

The Broncos seem to like Flacco, and, you know, I think Elway certainly wants a veteran, a big, strong-armed veteran. So really, it's just the Giants that seem like a team that definitely needs a quarterback. Maybe the Raiders, but who knows what the Raiders are doing. So I think it's possible Drew Locke is there at 15. I certainly think it's possible Daniel Jones is there at 15. And I think there's a growing possibility that somebody like Duane Haskins is even there. I think that's still a slim chance.

But all along Doug Williams has said, we'll take a quarterback at 15. That'll be the easy choice. And I think it could certainly happen. There's a report over the weekend that the Giants are not. not in the Haskins business anymore. This is not a surprise to me. Cooley also did a film breakdown, thought he had high bust potential. And I was told last week, I think I mentioned this, Aaron, on Friday or Thursday,

I forget when, that Jay Gruden is involved in looking at these rookie quarterbacks this year, and he's not a massive fan. He's crazy not to have him involved. Yeah, he's not a massive fan of Haskins. I think they're going to, like, lock in the building. At Redskins Park, lock she's not. like they're kind of guy. Yeah.

Yeah. All right. Oh, by the way, I found one other thing real quickly, and I was looking for it as we were talking because I barely remembered it and I just found it. You know, Scott McLuhan said about, he was asked a few years ago about why he took Jamison Crowder and didn't take Stefan Diggs. Diggs went in the fifth round in Minnesota, Crowder in that same draft, fourth round, to the Redskins.

And he made a comment that there was a lot of information. out there that it was best that Diggs not play in his hometown, which I, you know, Diggs had some issues, but I, they weren't, I didn't think there were major issues. His, his big risk coming out of Maryland was injury. You know, he'd had some injuries. He had a broken leg. Yeah, but the talent was, was off the charts. Um, as you know, I don't know anything on that, but I would also imagine, he's been out of college four years, five years now. Right. I think he would, whatever that was, I would imagine, would not be an issue anymore. And people just grow up, you know what I mean?

Here's McClune's quote at the time. This is two years ago. There were some background things lingering that made us nervous. I can't go into them, but it sounded like me meeting with the coaches and me meeting with him and the scouts. The best thing was for him to go maybe somewhere else from the area just because of the background stuff. Close quote. But might that also be. Scott McLuhan?

C-Y-A a little bit. because Diggs looked like a star and Crowder, while he looked good, wasn't Diggs? Yeah, I guess. It's funny how... I mean, that stuff happens when coaches and folks say stuff after the fact. Of course. No, no, there's... Look, McLuhan, though, actually, I never felt like, you know, was a cover-your-ass kind of a guy, personally,

you know, as long as he was coherent. But I would say, I would say that, A lot of times, teams end up having a much better sense. It's strange. As much information as there is that's out there. Take Adam Thielen. He's the perfect example. Sometimes teams really know the players locally much better than the rest of the teams,

and you have sort of insight. You see them play more. You have a chance to see them play more live. You end up having more of a relationship with the local coaching staff than potentially you do with others. So maybe they did know something at that point. By the way, I did have one other subject because I did not address this

when I was talking about the Redskins earlier in the show. And I was saving it for you, and I nearly forgot. But I think you and I texted back and forth on this. I texted back and forth with a number of people yesterday on this, and I thought I did with you. Maybe I didn't. But how about this? And for those of you that didn't see it,

the Redskins on social media, let's just say... the St. Patrick's Day thing. Yeah, let's just say they're a little bit limited when it comes to brainpower and social media. They put out a tweet yesterday on St. Patrick's Day, not this Sunday, not ever, and attached a letter that they wrote, Dear Loyal Redskins fan, this is your excuse note to not wear green for St. Patrick's Day. As a diehard fan, we know the struggle this holiday puts you in. We don't want to wear green and we know you don't either. So if someone comes up and pinches you because you're wearing something beautiful like burgundy and gold instead of some awful green color, we give you permission to pinch back.

We hope our rivals in New York and the middle to North Texas area take part in our boycott as well. Love the Washington Redskins. They shouldn't get off social media because it's too important, you know, in this day and age. but my God, I mean, who is overseeing some of this stuff? Do they read the replies? The replies to this one may be the funniest of all time. Did you see what the Eagles replied? The Eagles said.

That was, they ethered them. I mean, they ended, that was, they took that one on the chin. Yeah, the Eagles, the actual Eagles Twitter account. And by the way, for those that missed out on the clever tweet, this was a shot at the Eagles who, if you didn't know where green. Their uniforms are green. But the Eagles' Twitter account replying to the Redskins, but what about this, and they have a picture attached, what about this Sunday, a picture attached to a FedEx field late in December? Was that January 1st? I don't even know what day it was,

that was filled with green in their own stadium. I mean, did they not see that they were leading with their chin on this one? Did they not understand that? They missed the mark on that one. bad. It was, and I mean, I saw, when I saw that, there were, I would say hundreds of replies. Thousands now. Yeah, I'm sure. It was, you know, somebody, social media is tricky. You try to make a joke, and it just goes poorly, but I think that wasn't really thought out all that well. It's unbelievable to me. I mean, I was part of this thing in, in terms of, you know, the owner and a group that he had owning the radio station. that I worked at for nearly 15 years.

And you see a lot of what I saw now. It is, CJ and I used to have this thing we would do with each other because we're both diehard, born and raised, Redskinned fans who have just been, you know, had the life beaten out of us over the last, you know, decade plus. And we used to do this thing with each other where when something like this happened, you know, a tweet like this came out or, you know, something stupid that, you know, Bruce would say or a coach would say,

We would just look at each other and we would just say, we're never going to win. And when I see that, that's my reaction. And I say we, because I'm a fan, I'm a lifelong fan, that wishes and hopes for them to actually win again at some point. And when you see this, and it's small shit, right? It's social media, but it's reflective of what some of us who have been sort of not inside necessarily, but close to people who are inside have seen for a long time now. There are major intellectual limitations in this organization. They just do one stupid thing after another.

It's gone on for years, and when you see it, it's just like, God damn, they are never going to win. You know what I've said? I think you need to get lucky and find a franchise quarterback, and that can dramatically change things. But then there are some that will argue they had one and let them walk away for a compensatory third-round pick. So to me it's because I also, I don't see them bottoming out, really. I don't see a top five pick in their future.

So you need to find Aaron Rogers at 22 or whatever the draft pick is. That's kind of what I see as the way to getting back to winning. you know, significant, sustainable winning playoff game football. What you said is true. It's like the legitimate, as objective as anyone can be in viewing this situation, and it's hard for all of us to be objective because we're born and raised Washingtonians, we're lifelong fans, the whole thing. But what you said is really where I've come to as a conclusion, it's like they're going

to have to luck into it. You know, like the Cardinals were a horrible organization, a cheap, horrible, dumb organization for a long time. And they lucked into Larry Fitzgerald and Kurt Warner. You know, and Kurt Warner came via trade, you know, and they, you know, they had two superstars, Hall of Famers, and they had that mini run. And by the way, they lucked into a good coach who was not, you know, on anybody's top tier list of big name coaches. He was a hell of a coordinator, you know, in Pittsburgh and in various other places as a coach. But it really will almost take a stroke of luck.

And that's what you're hoping for. What you said, like somehow they stumble into the next Patrick Mahomes. Or even, Kevin, maybe just not bad luck. I mean, if you look at last season, and I know, I don't think any of us thought they were a world-beater team, right? But, I mean, before the Smith injury, and maybe even if Colt doesn't get hurt, they're probably making the playoffs. They almost made the playoffs with Josh Johnson. So I think even if you could just limit the bad luck would help. The bad luck for the franchise has been really pretty remarkable the last few seasons.

Because I don't think Jay Gruden is Vince Lombardi, but I think if you look at the talent, especially the talent difference between these Redskins teams the last few years and other franchise. Just when you talk about, you know, elite talent, all pro-type talent. The skins don't have much, if any, they really don't have much of it. And yet they keep staying in contention. It just seems like, I mean, Jay Gruden said this at the podium during a press conference, which is pretty remarkable. And it seems like there's a dark cloud hanging over that franchise.

And until, you know, the sun comes out, it's hard to see much changing. Yeah, I mean, I know what you're saying. And, you know, people have made the argument here in recent years. They've had some competitive seasons. Like, they actually had back-to-back winning records, you know, which hadn't happened in nearly, I think it was 19 years when they had them. Dude, an 8, 7-1 doesn't count. I know, but they were actually, you know, they had a legitimate chance to go to the playoffs in back-to-back years. But you're right.

They weren't a contender. Just like last year, they weren't a contender. And we can debate whether or not they would have made the playoffs. They were not a six-and-three team when Alex Smith got hurt. They were really on the verge of becoming a six-and-four team when he got hurt with a brutal schedule, including the Eagles twice and the Cowboys on the road still to go. So whether or not they would have made the playoffs is debatable. But they certainly weren't a contender.

And you saw the few times they played the Saints, the Colts. They got blown out. Yeah. Yeah. They got blown out. But anyway, I don't know. Whenever these things happen like yesterday, that's my reaction. CJ Doc and I have always looked to each other.

Oh, you have a text threat? I feel like I've heard about this text threat. Yeah, yeah. I mean, it's like we're never going to win. Like, we want them to. We want it to be different. It's not from a lack of hope that springs eternal, certainly in the fall, springs eternal in the autumn.

But it's just these are the things that continue to happen. and they're not accidents, they're not aberrations. There is a cultural root cause for all of this. But then again, it's the NFL, and every season you get lucky, you draft Patrick Mahomes, and something could happen, that could be great. It just never seems to happen to them. I'll let you run. Thanks.

Talk to you later. Let's get together. I mean, it's a big, you and I love this the next couple of weeks of my, March Madness. I just realized I have to go up to Connecticut on Thursday, and I'm going to be on a train when Maryland tips off. Are you kidding me? You've got to change that. I know. Ideally, you know, if they win that one Saturday, I can plant myself firmly and watch it. But that app is pretty good. I'll be able to watch it on the train. Yeah, you will. All right. Follow JP on Twitter. Listen to the Redskins Talk podcast. It's great. You also said you've got it.

you guys have an app now where you can watch the podcast? Yeah, so we're doing more and more of like the podcast as a show, basically. Last week when I tried to get you in studio, we did it as a show all week for free agency. And it's going very well. I imagine there will be more of that. I think the next one when we do that will probably be, I'm hoping we go down to Nashville and do it live from the draft. All right, thanks so much.

I'll talk to you soon. Okay, Kevin. Take care. Thanks to J.P. For joining us, I always love catching up with J.P. Real quickly, though, on the report from E.B. from the junkies that the Redskins have not consulted head coach Jay Gruden on any of their offseason moves. He cited a source and said, I'm told, he heard about the landing Collins signing through the media. Yeah, I mean, this has been the MO, and we talked about this on Friday to a certain degree.

on the Doug Williams comments. But just to emphasize once again, because as we were sitting here talking to JP, I did text somebody and I heard back from that somebody, he was definitely involved and had some influence on the Case Keenham trade. I totally believe that on the land in Collins trade, and a lot of the other things,

C.J. Mosley, the interest in Antonio Brown, that perhaps he was not involved in that as well. but I do believe that Jay probably spent more time than in recent years watching film on free agent quarterbacks, which, you know, watching film on quarterbacks that could be traded for, you know, Josh Rosen, Case Keenham, free agent quarterbacks like Teddy Bridgewater and Ryan Fitzpatrick, and I think he's going to spend more time watching, you know, potential drafted quarterbacks than he has in recent years. Now, are they listening to him? No, but they have, I think, reached out and asked him to do some of this legwork and want his opinion on this perhaps more than in recent years.

I do know that Jay likes Case Keenham, thinks he can play. Does he like him as much as Colt McCoy? No. And did I say a few weeks ago that if they end up with somebody other than Colt McCoy starting a quarterback this year, that it is a clear-cut indication that Jay had no input on who was starting quarterback was going to be in 2019. I did say that. But I also know that he was involved and had some influence in the Case Keenham trade, or at least I feel very strongly that he did more so than in recent years, and that he will have a choice going into the off-season as to whether or not it's Colt McCoy or Case Keenum

or a rookie quarterback. Now, is it possible that Bruce Allen's going to draft a quarterback at 15 or trade up or trade back for a quarterback in the draft that Jay doesn't necessarily love? Yes, that's totally in play. What does it mean as far as Jay Gruden is concerned? Look, is it a revelation that this is more likely than not a lame duck season for him? but then again, to be fair, last year I thought was a potential lame duck season, or it was a season that he had to make the postseason. And I would definitely feel the same way about this upcoming season,

that if they don't have a big time year, they're going to move on from Jay Gruden. But with this organization, who the hell knows? And what we're also finding out, and I mentioned this earlier, who can they attract at this point? launch workplaces in Bethesda is an office location that you should consider if you live in the Bethesda area. The Bethesda area, the Upper Northwest D.C. area. If you are looking for a new place to work from, you're working from home, the kids are loud, the pets are loud, you've got a small office that isn't working out for you somewhere else, or you've got to move out.

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6714 or launchworkplaces.com. Did you have a busy weekend? Don't worry. We've got you covered. It's time for weekend DBR. All right, let's finish up with a few things from the weekend that we haven't talked about. The Caps. I did watch some of that game Saturday night against Tampa.

I did. I watched mostly the ACC tournament, but I did watch some of that game. And it was exciting. They cut a 3-1 lead to 4-3, had a chance late. It ended up giving up two empty netters losing six to three. The Islanders won last night, got an overtime win, and they are tied now with the caps and the Metropolitan, both of them with 91 points.

The Penn's actually missed out on an opportunity to be in a first place tie by losing to the Blues and then losing an overtime game to the Flyers last night. So three missed opportunity point opportunities for the Penns. They could have been sitting, here in a first place tie with the Islanders in the caps as well. Instead, they're at 88 points, three back. Carolina won a game, and they're sitting there at 85. It's crazy, the Metropolitan.

The Caps with the Devils, and then they have two more games with Tampa, and they have a game late in the year against the Islanders at home that may decide the Metropolitan winner. Can you imagine that if they play the Islanders in that final game of the regular season against their coach? their former coach, their Stanley Cup winning coach for first place in the Metropolitan. The Wizards, two games over the weekend that we didn't have a chance to talk about. They beat the Grizzlies, 135-28, lost to the Hornets.

They've won three out of their four so far in that homestand that they're on. They play the Jazz tonight. Beale had 40. He's been going off scoring-wise. It's impressive. There's still some plays like at the end of that Grizzlies game where he had a turnover and then he should have had a second straight turn. turnover on key possessions. Drives me nuts watching it every once in a while. Other than that, the football free agency from over the weekend, the Dolphins signed Ryan Fitzpatrick

to a two-year, $11 million contract. So he did get in that $5 to $6 million range, I thought it could go as high as seven or eight, but Fitzpatrick's their starter. To me, doesn't mean that they won't draft a quarterback at 13 overall. I still could see the Dolphins if they like somebody taking a quarterback. So I think the stories of of the Dolphins being out of the quarterback market in the draft are overrated. And then Ryan Tannahill got dealt to Tennessee. He's the perfect backup for Marcus Marriota, much more so than Blink Gabbard was. And Tennessee gave up a seventh round and 2020 fourth round pick for Tannahill.

You know, the Tannahill versus the Case-Keon-Due deal, I think the Keenham deal's better, personally. Anyway, it does appear, however, that what's left on this whole thing is that the Redskins may be the only team in the Josh Rosen market. Unless Denver is, I guess Miami could still be in it. And I guess the Giants could still be in it. So even that's wrong. That's it. What else happened from over the week? Oh, the golf.

I watched a lot of the golf, and Rory was phenomenal. I really was rooting for Fleetwood because I had him in my golf pool, and he put one, yoked one into the water at 17. and he was really going for it at that point. But he had eagled 16, had a chance there. But McElroy won it. Real quick, that's just in Brian Quick, back with the Redskins. Okay. Yeah.

I mean, right now, they have signed basically players that don't have any other choice, coaches who don't have any other choice, and a player that grew up dreaming about playing for their organization. All right, enjoy the day. Back tomorrow with our brackets. We'll fill them out right here on the show. Thank you.