The Ryen Russillo Podcast - Bracket Preview, Upsets, and Final Four Picks with Stanford Steve

Episode Date: March 18, 2025

Russillo welcomes Stanford Steve to break down what makes Duke and Florida so good, discuss which teams are primed for an upset, and share who they think will make it to the Final Four (0:46). Plus, Life Advice with Ceruti and Kyle (58:18)! What is pickup basketball? Check us out on YouTube for exclusive clips, livestreams, and more at https://www.youtube.com/@RyenRussilloPodcast. The Ringer is committed to responsible gaming. Please visit www.rg-help.com to learn more about the resources and helplines available. Host: Ryen Russillo Guest: Stanford Steve Producers: Steve Ceruti, Kyle Crichton, Mike Wargon, and Jonathan Frias Get Game Day Deals only on Uber Eats. Order Now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We get you ready for the brackets and everything you're trying to figure out before the NCAA tournament with our guy, Stanford Steve. He is all over this stuff, all season long. So we'll talk about Florida being maybe everybody's favorite. Obviously, there's a lot of chalk in the bracket stuff, which actually makes a lot of sense when you look at the power of the top four, maybe even five teams. We'll talk about the SEC bids and what this means for them. We'll get to the Johnny's, of course. So he's got a wild Final Four.

We even try to find some upsets for you. So a lot of fun. One hour with Stanford Steve on the tournament and a bonus extended life advice. And a bonus extended life advice. The brackets are out and we are fired up to talk to Stanford. Steve of ESPN, former road partner. Um, he loves the tournament. He's all over this stuff. So we're just going to run through all of it. What's up, man?

Good morning. Good to see you. Good morning. Good afternoon. I don't know where anybody is. First time seeing war gone. Pleasure to meet you, bud. Srooty. I see the, where anybody is. First time seeing Wargon. Pleasure to meet you, bud. Cerruti, I see the scarves.

Oh, nice. So yeah, that place looks familiar. Wish I could get out there more, my man. Hey, man, invitation's always here. All right, so let's, I've got some historical stuff here. You're all over it. I'm not gonna pretend I'm a fraud here and say I've been locked in all season.

But I did watch a lot of the conference tournament stuff. I was really into it. And then we were texting a bunch about a bunch of different things and obviously kind of locked into the Johnnys as well. All right, so if you're looking at the best number one seed field that we've seen historically in a really long time, you could even argue,

I mean, depending on the tracking data of this, the combined net rating of these teams is off the charts. You have five teams with a plus 30 net rating. You know, look, and that's including Tennessee in the four one seed. So why, look, you were texting me about Florida. Now everybody loves Florida. Everybody's picking Florida.

I'm picking Florida too. Why Florida? Let's start there. The depth, the wow factor, the multiple guys that can make tough shots and big shots, an absolute game changer at the point guards position, which I feel you have to have. Now, when you look at the different styles, Ryan, you're playing, you know, Houston comes to the big 12, which I think is one of the toughest, if that was the toughest league in the country. And Kelvin goes like 34 and two and two years, and they bring their own brand and they're able to play it, you know, but with Florida, I just, everyone's

on the same page, but it's constant different flow of bodies. And you know, in the Alabama game, it really showed up like they, they had their way Alabama had senior night a couple of weeks ago, Florida just went in there and ran them. And Scott and I, you know, we watch as much as anybody. We got eight screens at TV. We got at work. I'd say probably five or five are on college and three are on the NBA, you know, on a nightly basis. So we're, we're pretty locked in, but Florida, you know, probably the beginning of February, you know, Auburn had was accumulating all these quad one wins, but Florida just went there and beat their brains in like at Florida's gym, which has turned into the new

toughest place to play in the country. But I just love how they go about things. There was a great interview that Jeff Goodman did with the trio of guards in the, in the ice tub after the semi-finals. And there's no ego. You could tell they brought up like everyone talks about the top, the, the, you know, Auburn and the top teams all season because they had better starts to the year where I think Florida was still figuring things out. But I mean, they got plenty, I mean, transfers, I mean, condens a guy you watch their bigs run the floor. He's from Australia. The kid Hawk was huge against Tennessee with

rebounds late. We've talked about Clayton Elijah's a transfer from FAU. He has final four experience. So they just have everything. There's really, it's really, and that's, that's tough to do in college basketball because the way it's rosters are constructed, you could tell coaches make mistakes. And I keep like basketball team had shown up even more of what coach Saban said from week one this past year, college football, you paid a wrong guy, your shit out of luck. And Florida definitely got their guys the right way. So yeah, them, they're the wow factor and what they just did in this tournament. Like you just went through all the net numbers and the quad one, like all that sec, they

won every game by double digits. Like it was nuts. So yeah, as impressive a team, as I've seen coming into the tournament in a while, I mean, you kind of obviously last year, but you couldn't, you still had that if factor because of the big East, I think they only got three or four in last year. So there was that, can they, you know, when they get tested, how they're going to react? They, they did fine. But yeah, Florida doing what they did. It deserves, I, I kind of think they got screwed with the bracket because they have the toughest region for sure. Yeah. If you look at the adjusted ratings here for teams, the West region has some poor of the top 12. They have St. John's on the other side. Again, we're

going to spend time with that Texas tech. And then of course, my favorite nickname, the crab five in Maryland with this. But look, when I watched them go through Missouri, Alabama, Tennessee, um, I think the Clayton junior game against Alabama was the one thing where you're like, this guy's just smart about everything. His pace is really good. Um, he's just very in control. Everything seems to be right with him. And it's funny cause Patina was talking about trying to keep him with him at St. John's just very in control. Everything seems to be

right with him. And it's funny because Petina was talking about trying to keep him with him at St. John's because he had him at Iona. And I think he had said on game day, he's like, we offered him $1,100. $1,100. He's like, yeah, that might not work if he has an option to go to Florida. But you're right. Condon, not that he shoots as well as the other guys do, but it's like six of the top seven guys are all a threat from the outside.

They kind of remind me a bit of an NBA team of the design of what you would want. You want a big who can run the floor. Hawk is just, he's so like versatile for a big guy, six, nine, you think he's gonna hold onto the basketball, he turns and then just drives on everybody. So I was so impressed. Granted, Tennessee ran into foul trouble in the final,

but the way they ran away from Alabama in the second half, I know you were probably hoping, because maybe it was the Georgia loss. Maybe it was the absurd game against Tennessee where they couldn't score, where they shot at, I think, like 25% from the floor overall. So when you saw that loss, you're like, well, how the hell am I supposed to get that excited about this team? I know you probably wanted them to lose here

in the SEC tournament, just for the betting odds. Yes, for sure. There's second behind Duke on FanDuel, but everyone is on them after just, I don't know how you couldn't watch that week and not be impressed with them. Exactly, and it happens every year, right? I mean, we see it all the time.

And then, you know, there's, we'll get into it with these teams that come in and historically these teams like, you know, the Michigan and Wisconsin deal playing on Sunday with big 10 title teams playing in that game, their success in the tournament hasn't been great. You go back, you know, and look at the sec Auburn wins it last year, they lose the Yale first round. So there's different things, you know, golden, if you really want to dig in, hasn't won a tournament game, but I don't think that'll be a problem in their first game. But like we didn't even mention Chinello too. Like hit that kid. I mean, he's a freak. There was a sequence against Tennessee. He blocks a shot, runs the floor, gets down like muffles the catch. But then like just underneath the

hoop dunks and it turns into the Vince Carter arm in the rim. It's like, where did this guy come from? And he's a wazoo transfer golden was on him. He's from Nigeria, but yeah, I mean, they just keep coming. They got, um, hand-glutton back. He broke his leg last year. I really liked them last year too, but they just couldn't get a go and had a tough matchup against Colorado who had some pros. So yeah, they got all the goods, it's for sure. Yeah, and his dad, Ben, NBA vet, German. All right, Duke, Flagg, it sounds like he's ready to go.

I mean, as bad as it looks, when I guess you're that young and your ankle goes in that direction, you just recover. So people had said he could have come back if they were in the tournament. We know about the three freshmen and we know about the guards. I know you're super locked into Duke. It's not gonna be a surprise if they win this whole thing,

but how do you see their bracket right now? I do a thing, Ryan, where I try and make a list starting on Valentine's Day every year of teams that can win the national title. And this year I had a lot, like I started with like 14 and this region has the most of any region. I got five Wisconsin's teeter. And I think Wisconsin got a brutal draw. We could get to that, but Duke, Arizona, BYU, Wisconsin, Alabama, I believe all can win

a national title. So when it comes down to Duke, I'm a Duke fan. This is a Ben as fun a Duke team as I can remember, probably going back to Shire's team because they knew it was their last chance. And that was a group that played for a while. They weren't perfect, but they, they played together and Shire was, was great as the quarterback, but you get spoiled because of all the pros and every K team you watched, you just wanted more. You go to the Zion team, you want it? You know, he gets hurt. You want to more out of RJ Barrett. You know, they, they lose a brutal game. They don't even get to a final four. The Tatum team got absolutely screwed going to have to play South Carolina in Greenville. I just went there. I brought my daughter to the sec

women's tournament. That South Carolina thing in Greenville is an absolute army of fans, but like Tatum was one of my favorite guys, obviously you see what he's done, but they got a brutal draw. You go back. Oka for wins it when Jones and injustice get it done. So there's been, there's been plenty of teams and then, and then the bank Carol team, I thought overachieved because you wanted more all year. You saw at the beginning of the year, they beaconzag in Vegas. He's obviously something that they haven't had with his ball control and, and shot making ability. And they get to the final four and they get their hearts ripped out

by Carolina. But this team watching them every single game is as fun a team as I can remember because of the construction. I thought Shire did a great job of getting pieces in the portal. James is just a man at the point guard position. And they tried to get Caleb Foster to be the point guard. He was one of the biggest recruits. He can't do it. Can't put the ball in the basket. He's timid around the rim. So James just comes in. He's built like a rock guards. Anybody Gillis is a kid who I thought was the mainstay of Saturday night because they couldn't get a rebound. That's that was the biggest difference. They were maxed out against Carolina and Moloch

is, is awesome to watch. He plays so hard. He he's amazing in his size, jumping ability, covering space switching, but they couldn't get a rebound because he, they were blocking him out. So Gilles starts the second half and basically plays the whole second half and they really control the boards. And that showed the depth. I did say in February, they were not going to win a national title without Malik Brown because he's even a better version of Gillis because he's more long on the perimeter and those switches guards can't get the shot up offer over him. So I think everybody's going to say it's a cakewalk because no one thinks Baylor and Mississippi state are good. I just think they're super dangerous. Mississippi

state plays a weird ball. Hubbard shoots from anywhere and Baylor. I can't wait to talk to you about edge comb, but that dude, he's got, I mean, you want flashes. We got him in plenty of these freshmen. They got it. But Arizona is a team that's scary to me and everyone's picking them to lose in the first round. I don't see it, but Arizona played Duke earlier this year in Tucson and Duke beat him low scoring game weird. And it was right after Duke lost the Kentucky. So I think Arizona benefits from having seen the length, having seen flag in person. So Arizona is a team that's sneaky there. And that'll be a monster matchup if they get, if we get into sweet 16, but Duke's best is as good as anyone's. I just

think it's kind of a tricky road. And the other thing that drives me nuts is Scott and I got off the air last night and there was already 9 million brackets, 40% at Duke winning it. Like I don't want any, like if I'm not touching bet Duke to bet or anything, uh, because of those numbers and I've seen those numbers go by the wayside when something gets so popular in something as random as the bracket. Yeah. Malwatch.

The fact that he's been playing basketball apparently for four years. And the first time I watched him, I went, okay, but that has to be like a lie. Was there a hoop in the town? Right. I mean, it was the first time he touched a basketball four years ago. And then you'd heard from scouts like that had gone to practices going,

this is insane. And then I posted that clip the other night where he got caught in a garden, a switch, and he moved his feet and, you know, he blocks the shot and you just go, okay, well, this is why this guy's a lottery pick, despite all the attention, which is deserved with flag here. Because you kept bringing up VJ Edgecone for Baylor and being like, you have to watch him, you have to watch him. I watched a bunch of clips last night and I get why you would assume that I would like him so much

because I'm kind of an athlete movement snob when you look at the draft prospect stuff. His body control, it's a bit like Jayden, look, I'm not saying he plays like Jayden Ivy, but Jayden Ivy had moments with the ball in his hands where you went, okay, well that looks different than almost everybody else. And I'll work with that.

And he doesn't, even on the drives, like there's some guys, and maybe it's just because I was watching Neil LaCraton so much, where I was like, I get that you're supposed to be like this athletic wing who just can kind of get his own. I was like, man, it is, it is, let's slow down a little bit.

Edgecomb on the other side of things, his body control and when he's deciding to drive, it's just so decisive. There's even some plays where it's like, I can't believe he didn't score on that. So you're right, you're right. Just going through a hundred clips of him last night in Synergy, I was like, this makes sense

that Steve would be telling me all year long that I'm going to love this guy. I, you know, it's really, uh, my new, uh, I think to a lot of people, but when I watch him, the way these guys go by and not a lot of guys, you can't, I mean, you watch Florida, that's another thing. Like you guys can't even get the ball over their shoulders when they're under the hoop. Like, and it's just getting punched in their face. But when edge comb, he doesn't get like when he can't

get all the way by you, he's long enough to get that ball high enough on the glass. And it's soft enough where he's a lot of guys you see they, I mean, it happened to queen against Michigan. He gets to the hoop, he's out of control and it doesn't even hit rim. It just hits backboard. And then the rebounds all messed up because everyone's thinking it's going to hit the rim. But edge come around the rim. I thought is really cool. Cause he's strong enough to, to, to, to dunk it on you. But yeah, I just think he's only getting a bet. I mean, shot selection, they're trailing a bunch of games. It's a tough league, Another roster that's different, but Drew is one in this tournament. He's also lost early. But yeah, I think Edgecombs a guy that dead that it's going to keep climbing.

I can't wait to see you know him. Harper is another guy. I have like four games I have of him that I could just send you to. But yeah, it's a super interesting draft class. It really is. When you look at it and then plenty of these guys will be featured in the tournament, which is awesome. OK, let's go over to the South. Auburn's the one seed. Auburn had been the story all season long. Maybe it was really about OK,

Auburn or Duke for the number one overall. They lose three or four to close the season out. They also lost. If you look at the overall seating, the number five team, the number 16, the number 13 team, there's an argument to be made that it's more about their defense slipping since March 1st,

which isn't a ton of games when Denver Jones got hurt, but he's obviously played in that, in this stretch where they've lost some of this game, some of these games again, that was the injury in the Kentucky game. Look, we know National Player of the Year, we know Pearl, we also know the early exits from all of this stuff. Are people too off of Auburn?

I feel like they are. Now I sent out a tweet after they lost Saturday and I was like, has the number one overall seed ever lost three or four games going into the tournament? I was just asking a question and then it gets turned, you know what it gets turned into. Oh, you know, why do you hate them? Look at all the quad one wins, this and that,

resume, bill, blah, blah, blah. I'm like, I wanted to just ask a question. I figured somebody would knew when you went to the right place. Yeah. It might be actually my new favorite thing just to stir people up, which is not hard to do on the old bird. But no, I, when they have everything, Denver's huge because you'll find him. I think Butler's the same way for the kid at Kentucky, not great defensively, but at least he could stop the ball. And when you see so many of these teams and how good the point guard plays and now, you know, with Florida, they have multiple guys, Aberdeen is a guy comes in and it could start on any

teams top 10 point guard in the country plays like 12 minutes a game. But Auburn has seen the best you go through the losses. They go to A and M they lose a game after they clinched the sec zero effort. And that was an A and M game. They, the A and M had to have, you know, what buzz does with his teams, getting them all riled up and then, you know, Tennessee out muscles them in a 40 minute game. So plenty of like my issue is, you know, the other guys, the freshmen is, is really, really talented, but he gets his shot selections brutal and Baker Mazzaro is a guy that's gotten better every year. I find him tough to root for. I can't trust him.

He got thrown out of the Alabama game for just a cheap shot. Yeah. That was ridiculous. And like I go back to the Duke game earlier this year, he keeps rolling around with guys and jump ball situations, just asking for it. And I get it. You know, all the NBA, all great players we talked to always say, you got gotta have those guys on your team. I get it. But there's a, there's a line where like, Hey man, we need you. You can't get kicked out of the biggest game of the year. I mean, that's their senior day. They're going to celebrate the sec championship and they lose to their arch rival after going to Alabama and winning. So I trust Bruce Pearl. I really, I think he, I think he's awesome. I love the, the office that they, he runs a bunch of old school flex stuff. That's really, really cool. And

broom has really gotten himself better, man. Like I go back, I remember him at Moorhead and, and I'm like, he could, he's a transfer guy for sure. And then the way he passes out of double teams is really, really good. You see it with other guys. Dickinson just gets out muscled at Kansas, but broom really holds his ground and he's added the three pointer to his game. So there is dangerous. I actually really liked their draw. People make a big deal because they got to play the winter of Louisville Creighton and the game's going to be in Lexington, But Auburn's got, they're deeper, they're more versatile than those teams.

I really like them on the Sweet 16. And then I don't know who, like the bottom of that thing with UC San Diego and Michigan and A&M and Yale, like I have no idea who's coming out of that. So I actually really like Auburn's path to the lead eight, not knowing who they're gonna to face on the bottom. Broom hasn't even shot it as well this year as he did last year and still, I mean, he just doesn't make his free throws and we're still talking about the national player of the year at 19 a game.

But yeah, I don't know. I mean, it just feels like when you lose, no one's going to be excited to be like, hey, I love this team that I've loved all year that's now lost this many times in the last couple of weeks to close. Let's stay in that bracket though. Just because Michigan with their run through the Big Ten, they get UC San Diego, who is actually 115 straight. You could go schedule if you want to a little bit on that. No doubt. Michigan's offense, people are kind of turning it too

because if you watch those games, it was such an incredible grind. They get the game winner against Maryland, which you knew as soon as that ball was inbounded, you were like, uh-oh, this is gonna be a problem. You weren't with Van Pelt for that, correct? I was not. I did get the story cause his wife's obviously

a huge Florida fan. Florida was playing at the same time as Maryland. He was on vacation and said he sequestered himself in a room Florida fan. Florida was playing at the same time as Maryland. He was on vacation and said he sequestered himself in a room by himself and I'm like, everybody doesn't realize the benefit they got out of that one with not having to be with him for that game. So yeah, he's all right though.

He's in good spirits. He's in good spirits, all right. That was a tough one. That was a tough one. Anyway, so here's what I think is interesting about this is that you have Michigan on the Auburn side of it, but I don't know. Again, people kind of look at it as like specific as if some of these other grinds aren't as tough, but then it's like, okay, but locationally they're going out to Denver.

I don't know. College kids, I would think with a few days off here, they're going to be able to turn it on. But you have Michigan State on the other side, which is really everybody's kind of favorite Big 10 team where a lot of people have them going to the final four. So give us a Michigan State breakdown where we know it's very Izzo-ish. They don't shoot it great.

They defend like crazy. They've got one top 20 high school prospect in Booker, who doesn't even really play that much, the big kid. But they seem to be a very, I don't want to call it chalky. I guess you could as a two seed. But if somebody's going in another direction, I've seen a lot of Michigan state brackets. Yeah, for sure.

And I think it's to what we just talked about of people falling off Auburn because, you know, everybody picks up their viewing. Once we get to these weeks of the year and Auburn hasn't looked impressive. I get it. And you're saying, how are they the number one overall seed? You got to watch the whole season

and they were the most impressive team. Yeah, this one, I think this is the toughest region because the ultimate wild card is Iowa state. You know, they lose Gilbert. Now I will say they played plenty of ball without Gilbert and they played BYU and two games this year. There were two, my two favorite games of the year because the way the ball went in the hoop, the runs that were made, BYU blows a 21 point lead in aims. And I would say comes all the way back. BYU wins it over time. Talk to Dave Fleming who called the game. He's like, I've never seen two teams more tired at the end of a game.

And these days they play up and down. But Iowa state is a team where there there's a path because old miss is the six. You got the Carolina factor with them playing San Diego state, San Diego state is 11 seated on the mountain west mountain west teams that are seated 10 or lower in the tournament are one in 29 in their last 30 games. So I kind of like Carolina to move on. But I would stay, I they're good is really, really good. But Michigan state, the problem is, and I'm, I'm all for this, like in picking in your brackets. And I mentioned the Duke number and in Florida's love, like I'm not picking those teams in my brackets. I want to be different

and hopefully you get lucky. So you look at a team like Michigan state who's at the bottom of a one seed Auburn. The issue is, you know what you're getting and it's not going to be pretty. And Marquette, this was flipped two years ago. Michigan state was the seven Marquette was the two and Michigan state beat them. And now it's flipped Marquette's the seven this year. They play a different brand. I actually liked their style for March because it's so chaotic. They don't have size though. This is, is those most together team. The guards know their roles. Jace has created a really big spark because when they started them, I think they've lost one game since then. And they had a brutal

stretch where they played the four toughest teams and won them all at the end of the big 10 schedule. So from a trust factor, the history is, Oh, the whole deal. I get it. I don't have any problems with Michigan state, but Iowa state's good is better than Michigan state. I will say that it's just a matter of them getting there. And I believe in Otsilberger he's rumored for every job now. Supposedly there's a buyout deal, but I was state as a team. No one is talking about that. Come up, could come out of that, that whole bracket and go to the final four. And then the bottom of the top with Michigan, you know, Scott did a thing last night where, you know, they

got screwed out of seed because they won the big 10. They beat Wisconsin, Maryland and Purdue. And they're seated behind all those teams. And it's like, what are we doing with the committee? Like you just closing up shop on Friday nights, Saturday, like why are we playing these games? And now you factor going in playing in Denver, you're the team that played the latest game Sunday and they're playing, I believe Thursday evening in elevation Denver, the whole time people could take you know, take with that. I think it's real, especially at this time of year. I remember Seton all had to go out there a couple of years ago when they won a big East title and lost in the first round, A&M,

they teetered with being on the list earlier in the year. They can't shoot and Yale's really, really good defensively. Everyone's going to love you because they'd be Auburn last year. Give me the under in that game because A and M is just a rebounding machine, but Yale doesn't let you get offensive rebounds. So I, again, to your Michigan point, the way they're constructed, I love dusty may like, like to, to see that situation with five seconds left, no timeout. All right, guys, Hey, here's a call. He makes the free throw. This is what we're doing. And if you go back and watch that spacing of the play in the little twerk that the guard gives before he goes, it gets to a hundred miles an hour. And then word, the spacing

of that confused their queen, where the hell he was. I just thought that's good stuff. I mean, that's a, that's a pressure situation game on the line and your team ready is ready to go and execute better than they did all night. So yeah, I look at Michigan. I think they go and play. I think they get to Auburn, but I don't love it because of the difference of teams are going to play UC San Diego shoots it. But Michigan is better athletically in those two bigs, man. Wolf is, is, is awesome. He's, he's no one else is like him. There is a true point for and you know Michigan doesn't turn the ball over they're fine because the size and they

make it made enough outside shots but yeah I always stays the sleeper on the bottom Michigan I see playing Auburn yeah and then remember golden of Florida Atlantic where you're like oh that guy looks familiar wolf is the first round pick and you know the funny thing on that game. I don't know. I haven't done the work. Okay. Trey Donaldson on that layup.

When I watched what Maryland, hey, look, they're kids. They're freaking out. There's no like mental reset, but the way the game is played, I think everybody expects whether it's tied, whether you're down one, down two, certainly down three, you understand it, but it's like everybody just settles for some three.

So I think kids scramble. I mean, NBA guys do it on certain plays because nobody ever thinks like, oh, this guy's gonna go coast to coast with it anymore because it's just, I don't know, everybody's just working. I say go to the rim all the time, man. Yeah. Go.

I mean, unless you're down three, like Pascal Siakam a couple of weeks ago. All right. Houston, 40% from three. They're healthy. Okay. Yep. Um, the LJ cryer part of this, him winning with

Baylor in 21 is pretty crazy. Uh, I think we're kind of phasing out of some of these dudes were like, this guy's still around. Man. So, um, you know, in sharp 21 a game in the big 12th tournament here. So it feels like if you're projecting ahead Houston, Tennessee, if you're going all chalk,

because I don't blame people for kind of going chalky on this because it's just the way it feels. And, you know, I love creativity with a bracket, but if you're trying to win your pool, you can be out of this thing real quick if you start getting weird. Yeah. So go ahead. A couple things.

Being in the picks business, I totally get why people go chalk because as soon as you pick an upset, you hate that school that you picked the upset against. That's just the world. It were, you didn't hate them before the pick. Once the pick is out, then you return hate everybody associated with that program. And you probably picked them in three straight games before that. But no, and you won and no one mentions when you win. So yeah, that's a really fun part.

But I'm watching game day Sunday and it's, it's Greenberg, Billis and Jay Williams. It's all ones and twos in the elite eight. Like I just thought it was hilarious. Uh, but anyway, I get what they're coming from and it's uh, uh, that's the way you want to deal with it. I'm totally fine. And it's probably a hell of a lot easier. Well, yeah, but, but it's like, fine. All right. So fine. Pick Purdue then. All right. Pick Purdue, Kentucky and in your Elite 8 matchup in the Midwest with Kentucky's injuries. Like, feel free, I respect the halality for doing it,

but it certainly doesn't feel good when you're attaching a $20 bill to that and handing it into the office pool. Correct. Good job. That's, Vandal's working. Well, I hear you. All right, but I guess looking at the Houston part of this

and Tennessee on the other side, because I think ultimately I'll just kind of get the elite eight picks and see if we get anybody that's outside of the one and twos here. I love the way Tennessee plays. So do I. It's a classic Rick Barnes team, motherfuckers wings, big everywhere.

Again, they were in it with Florida until all of a sudden, you know, it looked like they were gonna get stomped and then they come back at it. And then you're looking up at the foul trouble and you're like, okay, all of these dudes are going to foul out for them. I don't know if it's enough offense to keep up with Houston. I actually really hope of all the elite eight matchups,

I mean, granted Florida and St. John's, we're going to get to the Johnnys here shortly. But from what I've seen, if Houston, Tennessee ends up chalking out, we get that. Like I can't wait for that game. I just wonder if they'll have enough offense. Yeah, totally with you. And these are two teams, Tennessee and Houston. All I wanted was them to have a road to the final four. I really did. I love what Sampson brings in to the table. We follow so many big 12 games.

And then we have, you know, Tennessee here earlier in the night. But you know, it's, I love what Rick Barnes has done too. Like you go back to all the schools. I mean, you know, Tennessee here earlier in the night. But you know, it's, I love what Rick Barnes has done too. Like you go back to all the schools. I mean, you're, you're my age, you know, going to Clemson and his road and, and the whole deal, the pros that he's got and, and, and everyone points to the final four. I'm like, yeah, okay. But there's plenty of sweet 16 and elite eights. And that's, this is why I feel Tennessee's different. They go to lead eight last year. Connect plays out of his mind. They don't

have Ziegler. Ziegler is their most important guy. There's probably not five more important public guards in the country than Zach Ziegler. He's healthy. That's your point. He's a fucker, man. He is in your shit. Non-stop. He's dropping on jump balls with Florida centers in that title game. Like, I don't care. We're going to, we're going to do this. They have five guys that average double digits. Ganey is played great, great against Florida. My shack can guard anybody. Lanier has been a great addition. The difference to me is they are better offensively. And I know they had Dalton connect, but there's more, there's more roundedness. And you talk about the,

the specimens they got Phillips, the big, I mean, he didn't back down at all. He's only playing 15 minutes, but he gives you something. So again, Houston, I love Roberts has gotten better and better. He's going to be healthy. He set out the big 12 tournament and they won it without them. The cryer factor, they're better offensively sharp when he's on, I could just say, I mean, he and Samson's battles in game, like it just feels like year after year and game after game, but man, his good is really good. And it's exactly what they need. They need a guy to make shots late in the shot clock because they run, they run stuff and they muck it up a lot. But yeah, this, that's the matchup. I see when you look

at the bracket Gonzaga, I get it. I love fewie, but he constantly has talked about when he plays St. Mary's, he plays St. Mary's for 25 years and Randy Bennett, he can't speed him up. He can't ever speed up St. Mary's and they got to dictate to their tempo. So if he can't speed up St. Mary's, I don't think he can speed up Houston where it's like, it's dangerous for sure. But I think that's a good, I think all the ones really are a better off to get tested in that second round, but all the teams in the middle, it feels like that's where everybody's picking upsets. But I don't see it. Everyone's picking high point against Purdue high point hasn't played

a quad one game in two years. Purdue painters, a great coach McNeese. I watch them. Will Wade. I get it. I think they were better last year. Clemson has men. They lost the Hunter Dylan Hunter. That's a huge injury as far as another ball handler, which you want against McNeese, but I still think Clemson has enough. Illinois you can have, but they'll probably make a run because I said that, but they have zero, zero interest in playing defense, zero. I would say like just jumping in late to the scene

as far as the momentum or lack thereof, it's like everybody just kind of hates Illinois right now. Well, it's crazy. Their point differential and wins Ryan is 15. Their point differential and losses is 15. Like there you go right there. You never know what you're going to get. But there is a path for them because Texas and Xavier aren't great. Trey is really, really good. I don't know if he's, yeah, he's probably the best player in that game when they play. And then Kentucky, I absolutely love. They're one of my favorite teams to watch what Pope has done offensively and piecing together a roster, a bunch of

kids from all over. But if they don't have Butler, they're, they're in trouble at point guard position because again, he is the ultimate guy that stops the ball for them. Cause they're not good defensively. And they beat Tennessee twice, which makes no sense. And then, you know, going to UCLA, Utah state, I don't love. So knowing what I'm going to get with Tennessee and I believe it's different and it's better offensively. I like Tennessee spot and I like their draw and I'm also rooting for Rick Barnes because I really I mean the road he's done Impaved I think is great and I love the way Tennessee plays I mean their strength coach to whoever that is is that guy deserves raises because they have chiseled guys

Non-stop year after year. It's crazy to see All right. Let's talk Johnny's here. I hate that they're on the Florida side of things. You know, I've been texting about them a lot and it's been, you know, a team that I've enjoyed for the first time in a really long time, at least having expectations for this team. It was funny, because it still felt like the voters were late on it.

They weren't really sure. We know how bad they are shooting the three. They're almost a little Michigan statey, but maybe more fun to watch. If you look at some of the profile stuff, there's 343rd in the country out of 364 teams from three, but, um, every single guy that comes in and gets minutes for them serves whatever role it is and whether it's Lewis one night, etch a four the other nights, Dari, you know, there's just different moments where those three guys in particular can all kind of find a way to get it going.

And they are going to work you. Like they're not going to lose because they, you know, maybe they run into something where maybe it's Florida, where they just can't keep up with the shooting part of it, but they're going to make your night. You're going to feel them. It's like the fighter who you may have won the decision,

but you're never going to forget the guy that you went up against. And I would expect with Patino and this group and watching them now this closely, that part will always travel. So I think that's the, I almost feel like you like their final four chances better than I do and I think it's probably related strictly to just seeing Flora on the one side. Yeah, yeah, because I don't ever look at who's on the other side. Like I always look at, you know, path to the lead eight cause a lot of times when you don't know, um,

somebody can get beat. Um, so when you look at St. John's and I've, I've stared at this practice, they're, they're another team. All I wanted was them for a path to the final four and everyone points to Florida. But I look at, to get the elite eight. And when you look at that side, I sound crazy and everyone points to the outside shooting, but they have gotten better with the shooting. But Ryan, I honestly believe they could be, when you start that bottom of the bracket, Missouri, Drake, Texas tech, UNCW, Kansas, Arkansas. They could beat those teams without making five threes. They really can't because they, you saw it. They wear on you. And I

heard coach Kreen talking about Patino and when he has it right. And even what he said, you know, Moni met was when he has the depth and he has guys contributing and he's not afraid to go to the bench, which he has this year, they've shown that every game, the last eight minutes, you're, you're, you're just done. And then I saw there's a quote out there from Mike white, the Georgia coach from early in the year. And it was, it was a long lines of I've never been in a game for 40 minutes where I had to worry about getting the ball over half court so much.

And it's true. I mean, you watch what I mean, Creighton was up against it. Obviously their lack of depth, but that eight minute, I mean, it's just a swoon that comes in any factor in the garden and whatever. But to your point and what you said, it's going to travel and, and they just, they get up in you. They rebound like complete animals. It doesn't matter who the size is. They're all about it. And I think Rick's a guy that if they're going to play great defense, the office will figure itself out and they're not, they're not going to play one of these bombing teams that shoots the three until they, they get to that elite eight spot.

So I really liked their draw. They're in Providence the first two games. And then they got to go West, which I get it, but they played in an NBA arena for home games. So I still, I've still believe them. Scott and I have gone back and forth on them all year. He wants more offense. I get it, but I watch games and I watch teams deteriorate every single guy. I mean, I keep going back to that Yukon game in the garden earlier this year. I mean, that was it. They absolutely manhandled that. I hadn't seen that in years with the Yukon team.

Um, and that was over in the first, they were up 20 in the first half. So they're not going to be afraid of anything. They bring the edge to you and that, that stuff travels. So I'm in on St. John's coming up next. No, um, I was trying to think of a better tease for it, but I have a bunch of numbers to look at where the SEC is at historically here. We'll do our final four picks and our upset pick that we both have to get on the record. That's next.

The beauty of the tourney, it's the underdogs, the chaos, the stories that make you believe it's why we love college basketball. And now, Fandule is turning the excitement up even higher. All through the first two rounds of the tournament, bet correctly on the lowest winning seed of the day, and you'll win a share of $1 million in bonus bets. Now that's an upset you will not be upset about. Normally, we look for the 12 fives, right? So since the field expanded in 1985, 55 upsets by the 12 seeds over the number five seeded team in their region. We had Graham Canyon, we had James Madison last season. We did not have one in 23.

So it's not automatic, but it's usually what we look for. But I'm going with a little 11-6 action. VCU, BYU. VCU, depending on where you see it, plus two and a half. I've seen it at plus three and a half. It may have changed. If we go based on the model and some of the projection stuff

that again, other people are using, VCU, we know they force turnovers on 20% of their opponent's possessions. We also know they hold their opponents to the lowest effective field goal percentage in the nation. And VCU, even if you wanna go shooting variants here, they are still steady enough, which is what you're looking for from three points

from teams to pull off the upset. But this wouldn't be necessarily a massive upset based on the Ken Palm stuff, because he has BYU 24th and VCU 30th. So that is the play, even though some people getting a little tasty there with Akron as well. So here's the deal. Vanduul is the best place to bet on the tourney.

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Okay. Math, give me math. Well, they're not, it's not tricky. This is pretty standard math. So we're the 40th anniversary of the greatest final four in the history of the tournament, big East feast, the cover of sports illustrated with the Johnny's fortunate that I played Georgetown again. So I enjoyed this final four.

It's my favorite final four until it actually started happening. Yeah. Um, and then you had Memphis before it was, it was Memphis state back then. Yup. Um, and then Villano, Georgetown for one of the great upsets in the history of American sports. So it was a biggie. It's something that you could look back to. And I remember arguing, I think,

depending on where you were at, depending on what year, the biggies felt like the NBA league. No doubt. Right? I wouldn't argue with anybody, to be honest with you, but I'm gonna be biased because I grew up with it and I loved it. And it's funny too, because when you felt like the NBA league. No doubt. I wouldn't argue with anybody to be honest with you, but I'm gonna be biased because I grew up with it and I loved it.

And it's funny too, because when we started talking about the SEC stuff that Kanell used to always lose his mind about, he was like, no one ever used to root for conferences. And I was like, you're 100% wrong. You're sitting next to somebody who, as much as I despise Georgetown or Syracuse, I wanted them to beat the ACC schools

once the tournament happened because I felt like this is cool. Like the best brand of basketball is in the Northeast and look a lot of this stuff is cyclical but at that time like that's something Big East fans will still remember because it felt ridiculous how much better those teams were for a stretch. I'm so glad you brought it up because this was a stretch when we were younger. UConn wasn't a factor there. I mean, they were, they played in the field house or dirt on the floor.

Like they weren't a factor is three days. Yeah. And in Connecticut, you either rooted for Syracuse Georgetown or St. John's. That was it. That was it. And I was more towards the New York side. I sided with Georgetown. Plenty of my cousins were St. John's guys, but like we were going through Scott and I were going through the old st. John's rosters. And then

this weekend you see Walter Barry in the garden. Like, and then you read, I don't know if you read the story by Quinn on the athletic where Walter Barry goes up to Lewis in the locker room after the game and the semi, like it's, it's like you talk about full circle stuff and bringing back memories and, and just like, you know, Molly and those guys, like those teams, they just went at each other. Then you bring up that final four and Villanova comes out of nowhere and wins the national title. I remember being heartbroken that night where Georgetown just couldn't get it done against Villanova. But that, that was it, man. That w that was all big Monday. I mean, then you had like team, like Charles Smith was from Bridgeport and he played a pit. Like

there was all these connects where Connecticut had got Connecticut had guys. He had guys from here where I am now in a DMV all over rosters. And obviously the New York city thing, there's nothing like it. The Rocking, the Rock, women, the big East, the doc, I thought was great. You can't people hate it because it was during those days when you can't was a doormat. But yeah, that's what's really, really cool about the old Johnny stuff.

And sorry to get in the way of your ramp, but. No, no, it's fine. It's so good. But I do think that there are some parallels because you still understood, like you weren't going to get it every single year and you know there's a bit of a carryover especially when we look at the Big Ten winning back-to-back national championships in football here where even if I'm you know well documented I'm always arguing for

the SEC because of visually what I see and then the draft part of it but like look maybe we are in this transition you know these things should be cyclical and the funny thing is is the SEC for all of the resources and all of the athletes that you think are just down the street, basketball wise, it's been a really disappointing conference for years. I mean, there were some really lean years. You're like, how is it even this bad?

And I'm with you, like, there were certain big 12 years. I'm like, this is the best conference in all of college basketball. I don't, you know, I don't even think that's debatable for some of those years. But ultimately it's gonna come down to where these teams end up. Because if you go the last three years,

the SEC said 22 total bids. If you go expected wins, it was 30. They were at 22 total wins in those three years. I think that's what the number was. It was actually the lowest based on expected wins of any of the power conferences. Well, they roll in this year with 14 bids, which breaks the Big East record of 11 back in 2011.

The Big East didn't actually have a great tournament at all that year, but UConn ends up winning the whole thing, so that kind of can get lost. If you look at the non-conference winning percentage for the SEC this year, it's 88.9. I've seen it written that that's the best ever, but I think the ACC in 83, 84 technically was higher, where I read somewhere else.

None of that really matters, but like in 83, 84, like nobody looks, that's lost in the Big East, 84, 85 season, because UVA was only the final four team, and that was the Georgetown Houston title game. So look, the last champ for the SEC is Kentucky in 2012. I've talked about the expected win part of this. It is clearly a loaded conference. I don't have an issue with non-conference,

or excuse me, in-conference records being below 500 when the shifting of where these conferences is going is so ridiculous that you're like, with this expansion, maybe you'd like to punish the teams for being below 500 in the non-conference, or excuse me, in-conference, I gotta stop saying non-conference. Where do you see, we know what the bid part of this is, below 500 than non-conference, or excuse me, in conference. I gotta stop saying non-conference.

Where do you see, we know what the bid part of this is, but it'll be interesting in a one and done scenario if they end up becoming way below expectations here, whether it's maybe Bama not playing defense to their standard Kentucky's guard, is not being healthy enough. We already know what's going to happen because I think there is a carryover in the conversation of

how just annoyed so many parts of the country are about the football conversation that's dominated for like 15 years. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, when you throw those numbers, it's not even close what's more verified, right? But I always, you know, we talk about coaches all the time. I hate to go back to Rick Barnes, but like the criticism he gets, I don't judge a guy on that. You know, we talk about coaches all the time. I hate to go back to Rick Barnes, but like the criticism he gets, I don't judge a guy on that. You know, the tournament is the ultimate, you know, crap shoot a lot of times. The ball goes in the hoop. It doesn't ball bounces the wrong way. The reviews with these balls off the hand, whatever. And you already know the army of non-SCC people is waiting to throw. They're going to set the record for the most losses in the tournament. Knowing that only one team in the whole tournament

is going to end up with a win. So I get it. But when you watch them and in a team like Alabama, right? They lead the country in scoring in this conference, 91.1 points per game. And all I've said all year was I thought Alabama needed to get out of the SEC more than anyone to show what they can do. Right? They've given up 90 plus points, I think three of the last six games. And you could just tell like, I still don't know what their best five is. I really don't when I watch them. You know what? It's not, it's not file on high ball screen. No Now let me do whatever I want. Correct drives me crazy. I understand he's talented at big time group,

but I mean it's gotta. The ball needs to be back with Sears and some of these tournament possessions where it really matters. Yep, and I I totally could see, you know, Bill self getting things together for one game against a flawed Arkansas team another thing that I

don't understand Cal brought up that boogie flans coming back for the tournament. They're own five with boogie flan and sec games when he played, they got better when he didn't play. Yeah. I didn't think that was interesting. Cause I remember he's back. Okay. I get it. You want another ball handler. Okay. You're going to need that against St. John's if you get there. But you know that Cal's going to get, if Kansas beats Arkansas, they're going to get piled on and that's everybody's favorite thing. But when you watch it as I do night after night, I just think it's, it's tremendous.

The athleticism and the size. And then you got like a team like A and M that just doesn't care. They're fearless. They know they're not good shooters, but you better block them out. Cause they're going to get the offensive rebound. They last I checked, they were like in the 300s and three points shooting into 300s and free throw shooting first in offensive rebounding. And it's like, Holy cow, there are four seed. How many games did they win? They won 22 games in that conference. Like there's different methods to the madness. So they're good is better than anyone else is good. I firmly believe that I did say, you know, in February that I, I believed multiple big 10 teams would be in the lead eight. But when you start looking at the sec teams, I mean, they all got the high numbers and then it just magnifies things like, all right, there's their road. There's their road, but

there's always going to be a team that could come from nowhere, obviously. But the way these teams are built, I feel like it's going to be really hard to knock them off. And I believe they deserve 14 teams and, and they, and they got it. And people got to deal with them now. I really like the point about Alabama getting out of conference play there. Okay, all right, so last thing we're gonna do here, 12 fives, we have it all the time,

it's everybody's favorite upset. Do you have an upset that's a 12 five or do you have a dog that you like that's tasty and it's not even in the 12 five category? I do, I have, I'm not sure what the fan dual odds, uh, other books, BYU, uh, another team that I put in the category of Alabama. I just want to see them outside of their conference the way that I don't know how much you've watched them, but the way they, the young's done a great job.

Their concepts offensively, they spread you shooters, couple crazy athletic guys. They're the six in the East. It was around plus 600 to go to the lead eight. I grabbed that. I really liked the issue I had with them is their first game. VCU is a really good defensive team. VCU has only played two tournament teams though, but the games in Denver and we know how BYU travels. And then if they win, they get Wisconsin. I would think they're in Denver and Wisconsin just played till Sunday afternoon. So I just looked at the path for BYU and a team that I really, really like.

But as far as a double digit seed, you know, Liberty feels pretty popular right now. That should, yeah. I, you know who I actually like is North Carolina because they get the draw. I mentioned a number. I mentioned a number about mountain, mountain West teams, one in 29 seated 10 or lower in the last 30 games. And then they get the six Ole miss. Ole miss doesn't have any bigs and Carolina doesn't have good bigs. So I kind of like Carolina's draw. And then they get there. But you know, that's probably a good hefty price, probably in the three, 400s, but Carolina, I mean, one of these teams always makes a run.

And I sneak you like Xavier on in the other play game, a playing game, cause they play defense and that, that, that usually wins this time of year. When you look at teams like Texas and Illinois who are in their path that don't seem as interested. But yeah, that's, that's the 12 fives. I'm not, I mean, Colorado state's favored over Memphis. They're the 12. So I do like the Terps to go to sweet 16. What's cool out there too. You could parlay a team, you know, pass. There was a parlay that was over plus one 50 of Maryland and St. John's going to the sweet 16. I liked a lot, but double digit sees, I look at those playing teams. I think they're, when you look at their path,

they have enough to get, to win a couple of games for sure. Yeah. St. John's to reach the sweet 16 minus 175. And as of this morning, VCU is getting two points against BYU, two and a half, I believe. I'd have to double check that. So it's two, two and a half against BYU. That's a really popular one that I gave out a little bit earlier based on some of my models.

You know, nice ran it a thousand times over here. Um, but yeah, I understand what you're saying. Kind of like BYU the next, if they get through that, um, just because of how, how good they've been. Um, you know, you want to look at the Iowa state games that you pointed to the closeout the season. Uh, and you know, whatever. All right. So look, let's finish here. Final four. All right. Because I'm going against it. I'm going to go Alabama.

Tennessee. St. John's, watch out for Missouri. Just watch out. And I'll go Iowa State. Wow. So you went because you want that's what your official one is going to be. Or is you just freelance right here on the show? No, I've been piecing together and I just realized I don't have one one seed.

So yeah, we'll go with that. OK, all right. I've got Michigan State, Florida, Duke, Tennessee, Florida over Duke. OK, national championship, which I hope we get to see that game. You are the best. You could check out. I have one NBA question? Yeah, of course, the floor is yours. We followed Warriors Nuggets last night.

Yeah. Explain. Doc Rivers. Doc Rivers theory? I knew you were gonna go there. Doc Rivers theory. Good Lord, we can't catch a break. I know, that was a little frustrating

because I was really looking forward to that one. I was so into Philly and Houston. That I, yeah, we were locked in that and then Minnesota and Indiana was nuts. Was Craig will be topping just. Unbelievable. Four and four threes in overtime. That was another dock rivers game. I mean, it's really, it's, that was three dock rivers series games in, in a road.

Yeah. Depending on who you want to watch there. But no, I mean look- Do the Warriors ever wear their white jerseys at home? Their real white jerseys, they never wear them at home. You would know better than I would. Never. Because you pay attention to that stuff. You'll be sitting there watching a game with Steve and it'll go, oh.

Uh. Thaddeus Young changed his shoes in the third quarter. And you're like, what are you looking at? Uh, and then I have one, uh, entertainment question. Sure. Do you watch 1923? No. You gotta.

I mean- That's the Harrison Ford one, right? Yes. I watched the pilot on a flight, but I think I was just too immersed in the Yellowstone universe. It was kind of like another Marvel movie where I just, I was like, I need a break from this.

Not that I don't respect it, think it's good. It just, I wasn't, I wasn't ready. I think Yellowstone's all the way down at the bottom of all his shows. I have 1923. Ranked last? Yes. I didn't expect this. A Taylor Sheridan, Stanford, Steve ranking. Linus won 1923. Ranked last? Yes. I didn't expect this. A Taylor shared in Stanford, Steve ranking.

Linus won 1923 too. What about Landman? Better than Yellowstone. Early Yellowstone or late Yellowstone? Late, the late overshadowed the early. That's the problem. So there's just, I mean, they have one season, nothing happened, not one thing happened.

I think it was three, three or four. So it's kind of like a bad non-conference loss. Yeah. But 1923 and Spencer's journey from Africa to Bozeman, Montana, it's still going. And it's just, I mean, you're the history guy, but the track, like being at grand central and the wife telling the guy where you asked him, uh, he asked where you're going. She's like Bozeman. He's like, Oh, Montana. And it's like, good luck honey. You got like six weeks to get there.

And then they start in Africa. It's it. It's just amazing. I think it's so well done. But the history thing I find fascinating, people trying to travel back then, it's nuts. A lot of faith, a lot of faith on a destination. Just be like, what are you doing?

Be like, oh, we have a contact. My great uncle is in Yellowknife. Another shout out to Yellowknife. Speaking of being repetitive, I was gonna share this, this feels like more of a Friday feedback. We've had some aggressive tones lately in some of the life advice emails, Steve.

So we'll just do this one, it's titled SVP. 41 white male, 500 meter row, personal best, 127.7, 6'1, 235 thick. So we're dealing with a specimen here, Player Con, Floddy DeVos and Nick Van Exel combo. That's insane. Scott doesn't like going out and partying on the road. So I hear he prefers to stay in and text to stay up late,

stay up to date on who all is where and what's happening, but he never really wants to be in the mix in person, just kind of wants to know who is there and keep an eye out on the scene. You know why I know that? Because you've told that story in the podcast in person just kind of wants to know who is there and keep an eye out on the scene. You know why I know that? Because you've told that story in the podcast about six times. Good luck on your writing career. Wow.

That was mean. That feels like more like Friday Feedback than it does. I don't think there's a question in there. Feels like this guy's hate listening too. Like if you got a problem with it, you don't like the content, stop listening. Yeah, I don't know the content, stop listening. Yeah, I don't know. I don't know. I have good news on the writing career,

I just can't share it, that's all. I'll let this guy know immediately. Yeah, send them back, reply all. You're the best, SVP pod once a week and these guys will be gearing up in your home for all of the tournament recap stuff. It's a lot of fun, look, it's gonna be, I can't wait for this thing to start

and I love catching up with you guys on TV after it's all done. So I'll talk to you soon. You got it, my man. This episode is brought to you by Uber Eats. Uber Eats is delivering game day deals because you can't watch eight hours of basketball a day on an empty stomach.

From burgers to wings, pizza to chicken sandwiches, whatever you're craving, Uber Eats has deals on all your game day favorites so you never have to miss a single buzzer beater. Get game day deals on all of your favorites, only on Uber Eats. Order now. You want details? Buy. I drive a Ferrari. 355 Cabriolet.

What's up? I have a ridiculous house in the South Fork. I have every toy you can possibly imagine. And best of all, kids, I am liquid. So now you know what's possible. Let me tell you what's required. Email address, life advice, rr at gmail.com, Saruti, Wargon, and Kyle. Kyle, this is your season.

This is your time to shine. What's your schedule like? Traveling all over going to Vegas with Sal on Thursday and Kate, they're doing the first round there. It's a true gambling holiday I just discovered last year. McDonald's All American reached out going there, going to New York, just south of the Crown Jewel for a little bit. Then San Antonio for the Final Four, it's going to New York, just south of the crown jewel for a little bit. And then, San Antonio for the final four.

It's going to be great. Thank you. Yeah. Hey, can you give us a quick recap on the logging history of Poughkeepsie? Cause I was looking at a map the other day and I started going through it. Yeah.

I mean, that must've just been Cedar central, man. Yeah. There's some, there's some saw mills and stuff that they've turned into museums that no one goes to. Um, but yeah, sawmill Plaza right by where I was born was born. Yeah, it was a big, big logging community for a while. I wonder if there's just like a higher level of balance amongst people from the valley. You know, if there's a genetic thing that could be passed. Yeah, like, oh, that guy's from Poughkeepsie has incredible balance. That doesn't make sense. I'm certainly not one of those guys. Maybe it's Poughkeepsie, he has incredible balance. That doesn't make sense. I'm certainly not one of those guys.

Maybe it skips a generation. You just don't know, yeah. Yeah, if you tried. Do you know that you in fact do not have great balance? Yes, yes. Shout out to Pick Up Basketball. Maybe if you were delayed, speaking of, we've got a basketball query from Australia.

People a little upset with Sarutti, but what else is new? Yeah, it's all good. Okay, what is pick up basketball? This may be more of a Friday feedback one, but as we said, we're getting a lot of complaints sent to Life Advice lately. All actually directed, I don't know what's going on with me, but I've been dropping votes in the polls the last few weeks. That's all right.

We always finish the season strong. All right, 511, 180, 31-year-old female from Melbourne, Australia. Oh, 250 bench. I was trying to short this guy. Squad 275, deadlift 350, player comp Terry Roger. Not so long ago, I was considered a deadlift player. I was considered a deadlift player. I was considered a deadlift player.

I was considered a deadlift player. I was considered a deadlift player. I was considered a deadlift player. I was considered a deadlift player. I was considered a deadlift player. I was considered a deadlift player. I was considered a deadlift player. I was considered a deadlift player.

I was considered a deadlift player. I was considered a deadlift player. I was considered a deadlift player. I was considered a deadlift player. I was trying to short this guy. Squad 275, deadlift 350, player comp Terry Roger. Not so long ago I was considered a decent player. In recent years though it feels like one of the mon-stars has taken my abilities. Unlike scary Terry though, I'm actually still trying to be good. I'm just not anymore.

Terry Roger, not a great pickup for the Heat. That one did not quite work out. My question is what is- Heat culture by the way. Tough stretch here for Heat culture. Yeah, but Heat doesn't fit in. that's the thing is maybe he's not accepting of heat culture. No I think it goes beyond him but Davion Mitchell seems to accept heat culture. So look we don't make you can do whatever you want.

I mean everybody's voice is important here but I I said after that 23 run that I just don't know that I can make fun of heat culture anymore but I do think that like in a vacuum even Miami people would be like they put culture on the jersey. Yeah. But again I'm gonna refrain. Feels like he's got the shark there. Yeah. Yeah it's an Aussie the concept to pick up basketball is foreign to me. I don't think we have it down under. The closest equivalent here would probably be various local leagues we have in the suburbs of Melbourne. These are organized competitions, however, with refs, uniforms, game fees, game schedule, stats recorded, etc.

I've played basketball for over 20 years and I think I have a superficial understanding of pickup. Please help your international audience to understand it a bit better. San Sebastian they just play pickup, so I don't know. Maybe it's where you are. Do they lock the gates when league play isn't happening? That's how pickup works, right? I've seen that, Martha's Vineyard had that.

They take the rims out. Yeah. It was never that cold. They put a cap over it. Yeah, that's just dirty. Or COVID when they put the bars across it. You were really fired up about that, I remember that. just dirty or COVID when they put the bars across it. Yeah. You were really fired up about that. I remember that.

Well, cause I think in California you just lasted even longer, you know? Yeah. And then I actually went and got shots up, uh, one night I was just desperate. Pfizer? Desperate. I'm just kidding.

No, no, uh, no riffs. So it was just all simulated. Is that a loser move? I'd allow it. All right, so here are the questions. It sounds like a bunch of guys just rock up to a local court whenever they like and full court scrimmage with anyone and everyone there,

but surely there's more to it. I have many questions, feel free to skim. So let's just try to go through as quick as we possibly can. Are there organized game times? Usually it's the same kind of group. Hey, we play here on Sundays at 10. We play here in the afternoon at three. We fight with high school kids over who has it

because they just vape and then ride scooters. That's a very local thing. Who sets the date and time for the games? It's just the same time every week. See above. Are there refs? No. Who brings the ball?

Someone. Can you go by yourself or do you need a full team? If you're by yourself, how do you form a team? Yes, you can go by yourself. If teams are early playing and people are waiting around, you ask who has next. Ask if you have five. If they do not have five, you join their now five. If there's more than ten guys, how do subs work? Well, five plays against five. Winners stay on. If there's a new five, they replace the losing five. If there are only eight, then the losers would shoot for two do you have to pay to play no is it first to 21 wins or something you just play till everyone gets tired you play to 11 I never really understood ones and twos but it seems to be pretty

accepted at most places especially especially if people are waiting. Playing at 21, twos and threes would probably make more sense, but I just never really saw it all that much. I'm not really playing that much pickup anymore anyway, but yeah, everyone plays basically until they get tired. There's usually one last game, and then that's where somebody tears their ACL. Are there timeouts?

No. How are disputes resolved? They're not. Good? A lot of yelling. That was a great FAQ. Yeah. Usually the most aggressive guy

wins the dispute part of it. But I've seen it go on. Yeah. It truly is like the loudest guy wins the argument and follows and pick up basketball, which does suck. Yeah, right. Like whoever's the worst ends up getting the call, you know, just stand at the other end, hold the basketball weight, you know,

Van Pelt used to always scream, respect my call. You know, it's funny with Van Pelt, if you go on a road trip with him. Such a good lie. OK, so we have a parking one here that's a bit. It's more like narking, what we should call it. All right. Nice. Yeah. I'm addicted to calling the cops, essentially on a limited parking.

This is from a while ago. All right. Wow. 2863, 220 pounds. Bench 255, hack squat, four plates, haven't dead lifted in years. Player comp Anthony Bennett, because I'm Canadian and complete garbage at basketball.

Wow. Wow. Anthony Bennett catching strays from an international email. Looking for some tough love or vindication for my actions here. Useless fun fact. I live in a mid-size Ontario city that neighbors Jamal Murray's hometown, Kitchener. I'm addicted to calling bylaw on people that illegally park. So bylaw, I assume, is just, I guess you're calling the cops. Important to provide the backstory to this addiction. So here I go. I'm a rule follower.

I live for dumb things. Like those mentioned in the efficient grocery lane email you had a few months ago. That guy and I would get along so well. I moved to a new house this past summer. I think that makes sense, even though I murdered that sentence. My previous house was a corner lot in a student neighborhood. Said corner was on a

steep hill with a one-way stop sign of attach a street view. Photo of the corner for reference. I'll say people in general but more likely students constantly parked between the stop sign and my driveway. Alright so just think of a suburban neighborhood road coming out, stop sign, and then if you take a right, there's maybe 20 feet of curb, it's not straight, and then that goes directly into where his driveway is. So everybody kind of following along here. So I already know what this guy's thinking. If he's pulling out, is the car in the way? All right. So I'll say people in general, all right, so we talked about students, where I live it's illegal to park within 15 meters of a

stop sign. It's especially dangerous here as the parked cars in the corner block the view of oncoming traffic coming up the hill while Sam is tangentially forcing turning cars into the oncoming traffic lane. The space available at this corner barely fits a car anyway, so a lot of time the people, a lot of time the front of the cars would barely fits a car anyway. So a lot of the time the people, a lot of the time the front of the cars would be blocking a couple of feet of my driveway. It pissed me right off.

I worked from home and had my office set up facing the window out to the street. I would spend eight hours a day watching cars park at this corner and causing air collisions. I eventually discovered my city offered program where you can file a bylaw complaint online. I decided I'd give it a try. Wanted to see if cars parking at the corner

would actually get tickets for parking there, and they sure did. I started filing a complaint every time I saw a car parked there and probably netted my city close to $1,000 in parking ticket revenue. I fucking loved it, all cash. Who needs Doge, am I right? This guy's a real earner.

I cannot express the gratification I felt when these cars would get ticketed. The odd time I'd even be lucky enough to witness these idiots find the parking ticket on their windshield by licking my chops from my office. I noticed a heavy decline in the number of cars parking at the corner and blocking my driveway over time as well.

Fast forward to now. I've been in a new house since June where there is no longer a corner to call bylaw on for parking criminals. This may be where you think the story ends, but alas, there's more. I have a dog. I walk the guy after work every day and notice cars parking in similar fashion at a corner in my neighborhood. It was like Batman moving to Chicago and seeing a new Bat signal call him to duty. I told my girlfriend about this new corner and that I have the urge to call bylaw again

whenever I see cars there. She basically told me to stop being such a hardo, turn a blind eye, and let people park in peace. I did not follow her advice. I've been calling bylaw on any dog walk where I see cars park at this new corner. They work fast. A lot of time I see a ticket on the dash of these cars when I'm on my way back at the end of my walk. I think I'm self-aware enough to know I'm being a fucking loser and going way overboard on this But I feel such vindication when justice is served and I cannot help myself Please talk some sense into me here. Should I stop my bylaw calls? Should I set a limit to how many I do? Is this totally fine? Do I? That sounds like you're addicted to the game

Yeah I Get I understood that first thing and like it'll send me into a small road rage when I'm coming up to a corner and there's just cars and I'm like, wait, how am I supposed to, how can they, what am I supposed to do? There's cars behind me. I'm getting nervous. I understand that.

And I guess I understand, I guess I understand like, you know, patrolling your block and your corner kind of sucks that you're hitting college kids with bills that they probably don't have a way to pay for. Well, they don't pay them anyways. Yeah, I guess not. Yeah, but I think this was a great opportunity for you to kind of introduce yourself back into normal society when you moved and you're just not ready to do that. So I think it's a little insane. I wish your girlfriend was a little bit more on this rather than just like wish you wouldn't do that Like I wish I wish you like talked a little more sense into you

But maybe she just knows the guy she's dealing with and she's like this is we're barking up the wrong tree here This is a road to nowhere. Yeah, I try to find another passion if I were you You know pick up watch watch your own sure watch your own driveway man. I don't I don't know. I don't love it You know what your own driveway? We talked about a couple weeks ago But whenever and I'm I'm guilty of this like whenever it becomes it comes to driving anything car related like we just have no patience and Like I feel like I'm a pretty calm person overall and I'm just not a calm person around a car. No limits when you're in that car. And I don't know.

The parking thing too, like that would, I get, that would piss me off. And I don't know that I would narc, but I would definitely, it would bother me. Um, but Kyle's right. You had an opportunity like to cold Turkey, just be like, this is not my life. I'm putting this behind me. Nobody knows me here. Yeah. And you just kept, uh, you just kept riding along and you just can't quit it. I, I don't know. I, I just, I wouldn't tell anybody this, like, you know, obviously nobody figures out who you are in the email. Cause like nobody's going to like this person.

You can't tell the story in public and everyone be like, yeah, dude, that's a great call. I hear everyone's like, dude, what the hell's wrong with you? Like, so I don't know. I, it's kind of like, I don't think you're harming anyone by keeping to yourself, but if this becomes public, like you're going to have some serious issues with like people and just relationships and friends, cause like this is a, it's just kind of a loser move, unfortunately. You need to stop. And we're all on your side when you're thinking about it being your driveway

and it happening incessantly, like we would be wrong to tell you that you're the asshole here because none of us are dealing with your driveway situation. So I still don't love that you're on the side of parking. I'm not behind big parking. Is anybody that's lost a lot of parking battles? How many are actually my fault? Probably more than I'd like to admit, but the few that are, I mean, it's a lot like criticism versus praise. I'm not gonna remember the times where I deserved the ticket.'m not going to remember the times where I deserve the ticket.

I'm not going to remember the times where I deserve the boot because really you deserve like, they don't just put boots on cars and be like, Hey, let's screw this guy over. But you see that yellow thing. You're about to run some errands and you're like, my day has just completely been rattled here. Um, and we don't have any money.

You end up getting the boot, you know, it's like one of those episodes of Atlanta where Donald Glover's trying to flip a phone at a pawn shop and. been rattled here. Um, and we don't have any money. You end up getting the boot, you know, it's like one of those episodes of Atlanta where Donald Glover is trying to flip a phone at a pawn shop and. Darius is like, Hey, I can use the money that you got from the pawn shop. And I can like triple that. And they go through these series of quests throughout the day. And then Darius gives money to this dog breeder and then he goes to Glover and

he's like, Hey man, he goes, when he has a pit bull in a breeder, and then he goes to Glover and he's like, hey man, he goes, when he has a pit bull in a few months, you'll be good to go. Right. And Glover's character's like, hey, when you're broke, you're not thinking about, like your whole point of every day is to avoid being broke. So a lot of it is my fault,

but there's just a few in there, there's a few in there where you're just like, I'm getting towed or what's going on. So I can never run on a platform of being pro parking, even if you're arguing the revenue part of this. But that was something that was happening very specific to you. Your girlfriend is 100% right.

That was a phase in your life. You needed to move past this. You do not now wanna become a guy that's just calling the cops. And by the way, is there a bigger issue here that the city can respond to your ticket requests this quickly? That's kind of weird.

Is that even efficient? Is there some math that we could do where revenue coming in is actually not as great as you think because resources are being used for this kind of Uber version of giving out parking tickets that you can't stop doing? We understand your origin story here, but you need to evolve.

You gotta stop doing this. I wonder if it's past the point of solving the problem and it's more about screwing over the other guy. Clearly you felt vindicated when the guy who was wronging you, you'd see him pick that ticket up off his car and clench know, clench his fist. But now you're not even seeing that. You're just on your walk and you're just like,

got another one. And then you're just like, are you just imagining the moment when like, is it more about screwing over the other guy than doing the right thing? Cause I would ask, where does this end? Where does this end? You just start showing up at local parks and calling people, calling the cops on dudes fishing,

you know? Where does it end if you, if you end if this itch can't be scratched by what's going on here? Yeah, next thing you know, you buy a fake badge off Amazon. It's like, who do you think you are, buddy? Like, what's that? What do you think this is? Right, like he's at the Army Navy

and he finds some kind of jacket. Yeah. What is that? Is that jackets at Cleveland? What is that? Is that Jack? Is that Jack at St. Cleveland? What? What is that? Yeah. I mean, there was a guy that used to give out tickets in Burlington when I was up there.

I mean, again, we just touched on this. It was just mercenaries. Like it was like Boba Fett in a tow truck and like seven of his cronies just driving around being like Connecticut plates, mask plates, jersey plates. Fuck them kids, jersey plates. Fuck them kids, Jordan style.

Where was the sign? Like, I don't need one. Yeah. Spillanes. Yeah, wouldn't doubt, hook her up. Yeah, there was a place called Spillanes where they towed so many cars that nobody, people just purposely would be like,

I will not get their gas. I think they had to rebrand everything and then put the tow lot somewhere else. Maybe they sold it, I will not get their gas. I think they had to like rebrand everything and then put the tow lot somewhere else. Maybe they sold it, I don't even know. But like people would just drive by that gas station and be like, I despise you. I remember one time one of my friends got his car towed and he showed up and he was like,

I don't have the money for the car. He's like, but my clubs are in the back. I was like, what are you asking? He's like, you can keep the car for a week. I don't give a shit. He's like, I need my golf clubs. I think somebody had to get a 10 spot out of that. But yeah, I think you already know.

I think you know, I love that your girlfriend is on you about this. It was a phase in your life and it was a justified phase. But time to move on. All right, this is a simple one, but maybe it isn't. My roommate is broken. 6'1", 185, dreamaymond Green, but not mentally ill. Ooh, hey man.

You don't like that? Not a good start, yeah. Not a great week for Draymond in the cat series of things. Fair. Yeah, I mean, I didn't love it. All right, context, 27 year old with four other roommates. One of them is unemployed and watches eight to ten hours of TV per day in the living room. Eight to ten. What do you think your peak TV hours a day were in your life?

Kyle, you're gonna win this one. Peak? Yeah. No, no. Peak. Give me eight to ten. You in that eight to ten range be like I can put together a day Man, are we talking pre or post streaming? Because sopranos fucked me up in college, sorry for Kirsten I mean it really it really got me and then it was like wire and I was like what else does HBO have to offer? and I'm like we're going down the deadwood path and Yeah, a couple of no a couple of Seasons of Game of Thrones were out at

that point. So I mean, there was a lot of, you know. But every day putting in that work, punching that time card, eight to 10 hours. Like, think about it. If he's 27 and he's unemployed, he's not waking up at 8 a.m. He's not doing the early shifts. So let's say, let's give him 10 a.m. But there's probably still some yogurt and cereal involved and maybe checking an email

pretending he's being productive. So if you go 10 a.m. that's 10 a.p. Yeah, I mean, we had voted there was three cigarette smokers in the house of five dudes that they upstairs was gonna be a smoking zone. So I didn't even have to leave. That's healthy. You know what I mean? It was just like, I mean, the two dudes

that lived on the downstairs weren't happy about it, but we were close enough that we'd just like get over it. So yeah, I didn't even have to like take breaks to do that. And you know, as you know, first Sopranos run, you're just like, well, I guess I just have to see what happens next. So yeah, I don't know. I don't know the number, but it's up there.

It's up there. Eight to 10, that's a lot. I mean, 10, think this guy's doing 10. Yeah, that's a lot, probably not. 10-8. There was other stuff going on for sure, but I think I recognize we are approaching a problem. We didn't have enough good TV in college

to put in that kind of work. Right. Yeah. Streaming now, I kinda can understand. I still think it's a little weird when somebody's like, oh, I watched eight episodes of this today. And I did, but probably also not. If you're back at it, they do, right? Yeah.

They're not trying to figure out the situation. I think the kids are doing that on YouTube these days, too. Rotation, yeah, that's fair. All right. Just gonna wrap a whole stuff. First thing he does when he wakes up is turn on a two and a half hour movie. Last thing he can fire it up.

Oh man. Just loads up the Irishman at nine and nine 30 a.m. See you guys. He's a good friend, but he's also very stubborn. And one of his favorite things to do is to get angry. This is great. When he is watching something dumb, I like to stir the pot and tell him

to change it to something good. This actually happened tonight. He was watching a YouTube video of some amateur skiers. Dude, I know the TV is his and the remote at this point is probably sealed to his palm, but you can't be in charge of something that important. in the remote at this point is probably sealed to his palm. But you can't be in charge of something that important, right, five guys in their late 20s throwing on YouTube ski videos of just regular dudes too.

That's absurd. This isn't some Warren Miller deal. Or he's just run out of content, man. He just, he doesn't have. We had a buddy named Bob where the quote, it blew my mind when he first, because I think he was in between jobs for a little while. I'm like, what's this guy have to be like?

He finished the internet last week. Anyway, I tell him to change it to anything else. And he snaps and says, my taste for content is awful. I don't know. You guys are putting it in the grind. Maybe if you were hitting the gym, you're still trying to map out the weekend. You're watching fucking family trips on YouTube

of other people skiing. I think your roommate's wrong here. This doesn't bother me or the roommates much unless there's a big game on. He only relents if he has a 12-leg parlay in the game. He surprisingly hit one of them, but he blacked out and passed out before the last leg hit, so he didn't see it live. Anyways, just curious how you guys would handle

a creature like this. Look, I would say top line, he is not ready. He is not ready. There are a lot of people at 27 that are not ready. I don't know that I was making moves to make it look like I was ready, but I was still in the way society has constructed, not ready. He is definitely not ready. So the fact that you guys are working and doing all of these things and looking at him being like,

this is a stage in life where you can start to see some real gaps between dudes with the exact same background, know each other since school, the exact same age, the whole deal, same different upbringing dynamic. And there can be this massive gap between mentally where people are despite having the same profile and being the same age. So that's the first thing is that this is his comfort zone and he's probably mentally thought this is some kind of reward, you know, I need a break from everything and this is what I get to do and I'll be working again soon.

The problem is you start doing this too long. It's a bit like being like 40 and then taking a class in college. I mean like notes, an essay, a point in conclusion, you know? Like there's just a lot of us I think walking around right now listening to this past a certain age. The idea of having a paper due would just like forget it. You can keep the check. I'm dropping out. I'm not going to get my masters. I just realized. So that's kind of the first, like you could sit

there and you can talk to him. The fact that he loves to get angry makes it seem like even a bigger waste of time. But I would say internally, like this is where he's at right now and you're all right to think that he's wrong, but he's not going to change likely anytime soon. He's going to have to get exhausted of himself before he

would listen to anybody else. And as a male, 27 on top of everything else, he's probably not super receptive to any kind of advice that you guys would provide him because then he would point to you and say, well, you did this two weekends ago. And you'd be like, yeah, but I you did this two weekends ago and be like, yeah, but I also have a job. I also have a job and don't watch the brutalist to start my Tuesdays.

Nice pull with the last little Hickens and brutalist. That's pretty good. Good job on you with the Irishman's treaty. I think I would attack the surface problems with this the shit that annoys me 28 years old you can still be pretty cut and dry about things I don't think you have to worry about massaging and the you know Bringing it up like some of the other emails we get and it's like I don't want this to ruin what's going on How do I approach this? I think you're still roommates late 20s. You can still just be like here

This is what's fucked up about what's going on right now. Sorry for cursing again, trying to do that less. But I think, like I would stay away from the like, what are you doing with your life? Come on, this is embarrassing. More of like, dude, we're not doing this game with the TV. Like, sorry you were here first, but like you haven't got up in six hours, whatever. Like I think you can still attack those problems head on, strength in numbers if there's more than one dude upset about this. I don't think you need to dance around it. I don't really have any answers for the, like you said, he's not ready any of the more

existential questions about what he's doing. But like I would just attack the stuff that's bothering you right now. At this moment in the living room at 6pm when you're home and you know, you'd like to watch something and he's, you know, I think that stuff you can attack head on, you know, dudes are still young enough that, you know, people move on from these little things. As long as you don't get into the bigger aspects of the whole thing, I would be, I'd be ready to fight about this stuff. I feel like it'll probably just go away. That's all. I feel like if he's got somewhat of a brain on his shoulders,

like he probably feels like ass and feels like shit. And yeah, right. You know, cause there's some part of him that's smart enough to have awareness. Right. And if there isn't, then what do you, what you, there's no, you're just beating your head against the wall. There's no point in actually like trying to talk any sense into him. So I'm, I'm going to go ahead and assume that this guy doesn't feel great about himself. And you know, I'm sure he doesn't want the current situation he's in. I am with Kyle. You there's gotta be some control over the TV if we're talking just like, you

know, hours per week and you guys want to watch something at in the evening and he's been on you know on there since you know for six hours Or so like it feels like we could pass the remote around But I don't I just don't think I think he's got to figure out himself like I just remember you know when I you know When I was out of the job after the ESPN gig And the thing in intercom and like you feel like you feel like dick doing it like kind of enjoying anything So maybe he's just like more crabby because he can't even feel like he can enjoy anything without you guys kind of judging him so again, I'm not saying he's in the right or in the wrong, but if he's got any sort of iota of

Self awareness. He's he's probably not feeling awesome about himself right now So I would even just try to lift him up I try to get him out the house to do stuff Could you like are there activities you could do that aren't TV related? Yeah job for 10 hours working Yeah, but like can you can you play pickup hoops after I just get them out of the house a little bit try to do something different So that's where I think buddy just got a job my our last unemployed buddy Just got a job yesterday, and it was a huge huge celebration in the group chat Dudes have to come up with more jokes. He went unconventional and finished college late

And then was like working in some sort of pseudo weed shop, and we were like, man, I just don't think this is gonna work out well, and of course it didn't. And he was unemployed for a little bit, he just got a big boy job yesterday. And shout out to the last dude in the group, and I hope that happens for this guy. The last dude in the group to get the job,

everyone's gonna be super supportive of that. Till then. It does suck with people on on different timelines, man. Because we had that in the friend group, and it's just, you know, guys don't know exactly what they wanna do, and other guys are being successful. Ryan, you've talked about this with your friend group. Like, to be the guy that's kind of the odd man out,

like that, it's not easy. That's how guys get to dark places. Yeah, and then, you know, look, we're dissecting an email here, so we don't know totally where his head is at. But I just always think it's worth pointing out when somebody is really, really bummed out with their day to day, they can become really, narcissus isn't the right word here, but you can become even more difficult because you think

everybody's kind of supposed to give into your deal. And that's where you're like, all right, it's one thing to be upset. It's one thing, you know, to the point where you actually feel like you're suffering from depression, but now everybody's just supposed to acquiesce to all of your demands, your whims because of what's going on with you. I think if you have a group, there's probably one dude out of the five that can get away with anything, get away with any kind of joke. Maybe he can go at him

more than other people could do it. I was never that guy in my group, but there's certain guys that I think of, and I'm like, well, if he says it, he can get away with it. This dude can always get away. I think you could maybe have that person have some real fun with this and be like,

look, here we are. Because granted, you guys are fighting over the TV because it's five dudes that are all in an apartment together. There's going to be conflict. So if you were to say, hey, just kind of house meeting, think about mapping this out. Five dudes, let's say five hour TV shifts. We're going to map out a schedule.

Doug, you are going to have your five hour shifts stack up. So they're going to be back to back. So you're going to have your five hour shifts stack up. So they're going to be back to back. So you're going to control the TV. We can do it at 9 a.m. We can start your shift. We could do eight to one and then you're one to six. And then from six on, it's going to be Steve and Barry and Kyle. And then it's going to come back around. And so like our Monday through Friday, you get two double shifts because you're not working right now. So we're, we're deferring to you. If you have eight to 10 hours a day

in control of the TV, when everybody comes home from work, you have now, you have to give up control. It's not yours. And he's, he's essentially dating the television. And he thinks that none of you guys, it's not an open relationship. I was thinking about a swear jar for us

because I went back to listen to an episode which I've not done in a really long time and I was listening to something and I decided I'm just gonna put it in the car and listen to the full episode and- You turned it off. No, I listen to the whole thing. I think in the beginning,

anybody that's starting off on air and you just listen to yourself and go, oh my God. It is funny though when I listen to myself at times, I'm like, yeah, I can see how some people don't like me. But the swearing part, if we get on a roll, I actually had a moment as a non-parent where I went. That was a lot of swearing. Do you think we could even try to see if we can get

through a life advice without swearing and then maybe there's some kind of punishment? Okay. I think I'd want to know where you're leading with the punishments because I'm sure I'd probably be the one to fall short. I don't know. I'm not afraid. But the problem is, it's like a complete waste. It's just really works sometimes. to fall short, but. I don't know, I'm not afraid. But the problem is, is like. Depends on the topics for you. I think. F-bomb is just really works sometimes. Yeah. How about, what if we, what if we judged

the necessity of the actual curse word? Like, did you need to say that there? Because I think that you're right, there are some where it's like, actually that's appropriate. I'm glad you did that. Yeah, a lot of gratuitous words. And then there's one where you're like, you were reaching there, that sucks.

And we could rate it on a scale of like one to five. I don't want to become a non-swearing podcast, but I would say this one particular episode. That's what I'm saying, helpful exercise, yeah. That I listened to, I went. Yeah, I could see this. I didn't need that. I could see a parent not loving this

two or three minute stretch. Totally, got it. So I think Saruti would be fine. Wargon, if you could dial up the camera here. I was thinking about this. Wargon, have you ever sworn on the pod? I don't know, I swear in real life. You do? I do. That's awesome.

Thanks, man. Hell yeah. Hell yeah, man. Cool. All right, buddy. See you Thursday. If we should try to come up with a punishment for it. But to Saruti's point, again, what if I'm reading all the emails and there's plenty of guys

that are swearing the emails, so then maybe am I, it has to be a non, because I don't want to be sitting here editing the emails on the fly and then deciding we're not gonna read any swears because I just think that would be kind of stupid but maybe there's something in here maybe there's some sort of exercise loser does what you say I don't know I'm sure I'll be doing it whatever it is so I always like to be bats, but like loser has to, has to work out for a month. Hey, for dinner. Go back to that one.

Works. Yeah. I don't think that really works. Yeah. The dinner one. What are you guys scheduled to come out here again? I don't know. Uh, Kyle's like, I live here.

Asshole. It's a good use of swearing. I did FaceTime Kyle twice though. I was gone and you were super disappointed, but we were trying to speed through the 18 and we just got caught behind some. That's right. Married to the game.

I get it. Okay, all right, open-ended. I don't think we have a resolution for this right now. We're not asking for anyone to offer up any bets because I didn't even think, even with the Alliance stuff and who's coming last and who's won the whole thing, I think there was a dinner online, didn't happen. So yeah, I blame myself as the leader of this group.

We're supposed to be taping a YouTube video at some point this week, TBD. Maybe we solicit some ideas from the listeners. We'll read them on that YouTube video. Yeah, so there you go. All right, so fridayfeedbackrrihgmail.com if you have a couple ideas there. Reasonable ideas.

Yeah, nobody's going to, I'm not going to the Waffle House for 16 hours or whatever. He's not coming to Hollywood either, so just get that out of here. What if we go like a month period and whoever unnecessarily swears the most has to like do a live video on YouTube at some point on like a topic of their choosing. No, but it has to be somebody else's. Within reason.

They have to like present an argument about something. The barest thing bears a history. Yeah. You just go back and read. I wouldn't be too hard to read all those books. All right. Yeah, we'll work on that. Anyway, thanks for listening to the podcast. And we are taping some kind of YouTube thing, I think. I don't know. We swear. Yeah, I mean, there will be a taping.

Will it be within the parameters of when we say we're going to do it? Not likely. So thanks to Wargon. Thanks to Kyle. Thanks to Wargon. Thanks to Kyle. Thanks to Saruti. Thanks to Jonathan Prius for making sure we have a video product to go along with the audio when you click on the Spotify tab. So subscribe to the page and the podcast.

Ryan Risilla podcast, Ringer Spotlight. Must be 21 and older, present in select states for Kansas in affiliation with Kansas Star Casino or 18 plus and present in DC gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit rg-help.com. Call 888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org forward slash chat in Connecticut or visit mdgamblinghelp.org in Maryland. Hope is here. Visit gamblinghelplinema.org or call 800-327-5050 for 24 seven support Massachusetts or call 1-877-8-HOPE-NY or text HOPENY in New York.