Ride Home Rants
Ride Home Rants
Bracket Breakdown: Who Will Win the Men's Final Four?
Duke vs Houston and Florida vs Auburn - this Final Four may be chalk with all top seeds, but our basketball roundtable delivers bold predictions and passionate debates about who's cutting down the nets in San Antonio.
Our panel of coaches, broadcasters and basketball lifers tackle the burning questions: Is Duke's Cooper Flagg truly the greatest freshman in college basketball history? Does Houston's top-ranked defense give them the edge over Duke's offensive firepower? Which coach among the Final Four has the advantage? And who ultimately wins it all?
The conversation takes a fascinating detour when Coach Mike Worrell shares the remarkable story of coaching Jacob Tucker, the 5'10" Division III player who shocked the basketball world by winning the 2011 NCAA Slam Dunk Championship. From viral YouTube sensation to meeting NBA legends and being mobbed for autographs, it's a reminder of how March Madness creates unforgettable moments.
The group also examines how dramatically college basketball has changed in the NIL era. With players and coaches constantly moving between programs, could any modern coach ever reach the legendary status of figures like Wooden, Knight or Coach K? As one panelist puts it bluntly: "There's no loyalty anymore on any level - players, coaches, administrators."
Whether you're filling out your bracket or just love college hoops, this basketball conversation is packed with insights, stories and predictions from those who've lived the game at every level. Tune in to hear who our experts believe will be the last team standing when the confetti falls Monday night.
Basketball experts gather for our annual Final Four roundtable to break down the matchups and predict who will cut down the nets in San Antonio this weeken
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Welcome everybody to another episode of the Ride Home Rants podcast. This is, as always, your host, Mike Bono. I got a great and seems to be annual show for us here. We are going to be breaking down the final four men's basketball tournament here coming up this weekend. I got a lot of great teams in it, but I got a great panel of guests here to help me break down the final four. I'm going to let them introduce themselves. And guys, it wouldn't be a roundtable if we didn't have some questions to answer at the beginning. So I need your name what sports, if any, did you play in high school and or college? And number two, what time do you normally eat dinner? And Bob, we're going to start with you.
Speaker 2:Bob Gavaliere and I didn't play any sports. What was nice, I went to Struthers High School so I got to broadcast football, basketball games while I was in high school, and also they kept a spot for me on the baseball team because I kept a good scorebook. So that was my claim to fame.
Speaker 1:There you go, that's important. Got to keep that book. There you go, it's important, got to keep that book.
Speaker 2:Got to keep the book and I usually about between six and seven I eat to my dinner.
Speaker 1:Six and seven, all right.
Speaker 3:And Duncan. Let's go to you. Duncan Williams originally from West Virginia and played soccer, basketball and baseball all through high school. Played soccer and basketball in college, and dinner during basketball season is anywhere from 8.30 to 11.30 at night, outside of basketball season, usually 7 to 9-ish.
Speaker 4:Okay, next we've got everybody's favorite manager of the podcast, fitty hey everybody, you know me, I'm um fitty, um, I played football and track um in high school. Actually, growing up I played street hockey and soccer. So fun fact right there, I don't know if anybody ever knew that, but uh, played street hockey and soccer growing up, football and track in high school and I did football on indoor track and outdoor track in college many, many moons ago. And I eat dinner on a good night If we're both home. My wife and I will have dinner probably between six and seven. If she's working, she gets home, we have dinner about nine or nine 30.
Speaker 1:Okay, and next up we got coach Barth.
Speaker 5:Uh, drew Barth here. I played basketball football and baseball in high school and then, uh, in college, played one year of basketball conference champs won that year. I played it. I don't know if it was just me that was on the team.
Speaker 5:That's why I don't really know, uh, and then four years of football, and then golf too. You know you got to golf in the spring, so a three-sport athlete, I guess you could say throughout, and always noon hoops. The real ones know what that means. And then supper. I call it supper over in these parts, over here Anywhere, so like if I'm coaching during basketball season it could be nine o'clock when I'm getting home, or regular time would just be six, 30 and eight between there.
Speaker 6:Okay, next up we've got Steve. Uh yeah, steve Thompson. Uh played uh basketball in college. Uh, a bevy of sports in high school. I am a retired noon Hooper that used to play with uh coach bars and coach warrell who you have on and I typically try to eat dinner around seven o'clock, unless I'm at a basketball game or something. I get a really good hot dog uh a little bit earlier than tip time, so that'd be like 6, 6, 15 if I can find a hot dog or something yeah, all right, and last but not least, we cut the goat, mike.
Speaker 7:Yes, mike Worrell here. Hello everybody. I went to a small high school in northwestern Ohio called Riverdale High School. Played football, basketball and baseball. Played baseball in college at Rio Grande home of Bevo Francis, which we could have a podcast about, bevo, if you want to do that sometime. But um, and then my time at bethany college. Even though all conference basketball player in high school and a lot of experience noon hoops at bethany, I was relegated to the jv team most of the time. Steve thompson and drew bar Thompson and Drew Barth on this call, were on the varsity noon hoops at my time at Bethany. So I'm still trying to get over that. In my days of recruiting dinner could be at 9, 30, 10, 11, fast food at night. Those days aren't happening right now. So it's I'm like a normal person now 5, 5, 30 dinner and I know that's a question that fitty came up with. I wish I'd known before. I could have prepped for that dinner question, but that's all I got bottom that was a tough one.
Speaker 1:Starting off with a tough one. Yeah, that was definitely, uh, a fitty-esque question. Uh, for me, I played football and swam in high school. I actually swam at bethany college too as well. Um, didn't do much of any sports I, you know, growing up I did play like bitty to do a lot of street hockey with, uh, the guys. I think I played noon hoops once at Bethany and then Coach McGowan saw me playing and he really wasn't too happy that I was putting a lot of pressure on my knees and joints so had to shut that down after one time playing there. But yeah, noon hoops, swimming and football. But we're going to dive right into this here. Everyone seems to be pretty excited about this chalk final four that we got here. A lot of one and two seeds here. I don't know if anybody's bracket got busted on day one, like mine did, but we're going to start here. But, bob, who do you think is the best team in the final four? Is it Duke, auburn, florida or Houston?
Speaker 2:That's a tough one. I like all four of these teams. I mean I've watched them play. I think Duke has the best player, I think. But I think Florida is the most rounded team. I think they have a lot of weapons. They have guys that can step up when someone's off that day. They have guys that will step up. So we'll see if Duke is able to do that. So I think right now Florida is the most well-rounded team in this tournament.
Speaker 1:I got you, barth, what about you?
Speaker 5:I would tend to agree with that. I hate Duke and I hate saying it, but I think they're the best team still out there right now. I do like to see that matchup though Duke and Houston. Houston's defense is unbelievable to watch and obviously Duke likes to put up points, so that battle is going to be interesting to see, but I do think Duke is the Best team left still.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I got you on that one, steve. What about you?
Speaker 3:You're muted.
Speaker 1:Steve.
Speaker 6:That's what happens when you try to use your cell phone for this. Yeah, I would tend to agree with Bob on the front end. I really like Florida. I like how rounded they are and really like Clayton. I think he can finish when he needs to. The Duke-Houston game, I think, is going to be the best of the two, the best of the two, but Final four games but I think Houston might shock people just with the style of play is going to be really different than what Duke wants to do and it's going to be an interesting one for sure.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely Fitty. What about you?
Speaker 4:I think it's Houston. Right, I think it's Houston because they have the number one defense in the entire country and it's kind of hard to argue against a team that has a number one defense to say they're not the best team and I just think they're the toughest physical team. It's kind of like the old school basketball there, mike, from the 1980s, you know, when John Stockton played so. But I like Houston. I think they're the best just because they're the physically the toughest and the strongest defensively, gotcha duncan.
Speaker 1:What about you?
Speaker 3:yeah, fitty's sounding smarter and smarter, uh, every time he gets on one of these. I'm not sure how that happened, but he's getting more normal by the hour. Um, I think the the best team and who will win it is two different. Probably questions a lot in basketball, especially because it's just such a volatile sport. I agree with the Florida call. I think Florida has probably the highest ceiling, but they also probably have the lowest floor.
Speaker 3:A lot depends on how many threes they chuck up and make, and sometimes they look really good and sometimes I think they look above average. They chuck up and make, and sometimes they look really good and sometimes I think they look above average. I think you've got two no-doubt teams in Auburn and Houston that play great defense, that play with great passion, that have that exact replica of a coach that I think coached that into them. So I think those two are probably the most consistent. You've got Duke with the best player or players, but they're also young. I'm just going to go weird and say that now Auburn's winning it, just because I haven't heard people say it. They're a bit older and I think everything rests on their point guard chance. Why not?
Speaker 1:Got a left field a little bit, but I expect nothing less from you. Duncan Mike, round us out on this one here.
Speaker 7:I'm looking forward to the semi-pro Final Four this year down in San Antonio. I think you can put all four teams in a hat and pull one out and have a good chance of picking the winner. I played one bracket just for the sake of doing it. I think I had Florida beating Houston in the finals. I don't know if I still believe that Three of the four teams are averaging over 80 points a game. Auburn has five guys averaging in double figures, almost six. Florida has almost five guys in double figures. A lot of balance in those teams. And Fiddy, as Bill Walton said many times in his broadcast offense, wins championships. And Bobby Knight even said you can't win two to nothing in basketball. So I tend to agree with Coach Knight. You've got't win two to nothing in basketball. So I I tend to agree with coach Knight. You got to be able to score and defend. I'm not really sure if that answered your question, bono, but that's that's my take on it, mike.
Speaker 1:I expect nothing less from your answers. Bad Like I, I love every single answer you give, because I have no idea what you just said to me on that one, uh.
Speaker 6:So yeah, we just say that he got a in a bevo francis and a bill walton reference and within like five minutes of the podcast quickly, quickly out the gate.
Speaker 1:We.
Speaker 3:Like there was a shock bug.
Speaker 7:Bob Evans is on Rio Grande too. We could talk about that sometime, along with Bebo.
Speaker 1:Mike, I got to get you back on solo show and we're just going to let you go. I'm just going to ask one question and I'm just going to let you go for the entire half hour to an hour that we're on. But for me, I struggle with this one because I like Houston's defense but I have Duke in two of my brackets, so I think Duke ultimately comes up with the win. I picked Florida in one of them just for shits and giggles. I honestly didn't think Florida was going to make it this far. They have, but yeah, I'd have to go Duke on this one. It's going to be a really good matchup with them in Houston. I think Houston is going to give them fits in the first half and then Duke's just going to do what they've done the entire tournament and just run away with it. But, mike, let's stay with you. Who do you have in your own personal Final Four picks before March Madness began? Did you have any of these teams in the Final Four before the tournament even got started?
Speaker 4:You're on mute, Mike. You're muted, Mike.
Speaker 7:I did play a bracket I. I had Florida beating Houston in the championship 74 to 70 um, but then I had a long shot, texas A&M, who got knocked out in the second game, and I had Duke getting upset. So I you know there's all usually upsets not this year for the number one seeds but so I did have florida and houston in the final then. I don't know if I still believe that, but that's who I had okay, uh duncan, what about you?
Speaker 3:well, I didn't play a bracket because that would be illegal.
Speaker 2:So only if there's money involved.
Speaker 3:Yeah, um, yeah, someone took my guesses and I did say Houston and Auburn, but I didn't know if either one of them were going to win it. Just because they're two of the older teams in college basketball and they were already good and already coaches and everything matched up for them, so I picked both of them. But in this tournament you never know who's going to win it. I do think that all four are relatively talent-wise, kind of even across the board. So really it comes down to matchups at that point and kind of who has a hotter night than the other team. We can make sense of it a hundred different ways, but really the matchups at this point and who makes a couple more shots. But it's kind of how the Final Four goes, which is exciting. There's not a Hurley in there that's going to win by 26. This should be a pretty good Final Four.
Speaker 1:I definitely think it's going to be a good Final Four. But Finney, what about you?
Speaker 4:How do your brackets look in the Final Four? Yeah, so I didn't pick a champion, but the Final Four, I was predicting. I had Michigan State, houston, michigan State, houston. I had St John's and Wisconsin, if I'm not mistaken, and, needless to say, three out of those four teams disappointed me. And you know, tom Izzo, you, you can coach for a long time, but, man, you cannot win without, without the talent you used to have. So, tom, his own Michigan State disappointed me, but I did have Houston. I had one out of the four.
Speaker 1:I had Michigan State, too, as well. I did have St John's going to the Elite Eight, though, so there was that too, but, steve, now that you're not the only one who's talking on mute, what do you got on this one?
Speaker 6:Right, yeah, I filled out a bracket in about 30 seconds. I was real creative and I picked all four number ones. So come last Sunday evening it was really good to be able to brag to most of my family that I was the only one to hit all four, Taking a lot of chances to get those top four seeds to the final four. But I just think in this day and age you're not going to see as many more upsets anymore.
Speaker 1:I think you're right on that, and I normally do like six or seven brackets just for fun. I always do one serious one and then I just kind of mess around and I normally do an all-chalk one and this year I didn't do it. I'm really upset with myself that I didn't do it, because I would have done fantastic in that one if I did an all chalk one this year, but I didn't do it. Uh, but barth, what about you?
Speaker 5:was it really legit, though, if you're doing six, seven brackets?
Speaker 1:I mean, let's be honest here I mean, I do one legit one where I sit down and plan it out, but then I just have fun.
Speaker 5:But you could say that six, or you could say the other one of those. Five, though, are legit. I wouldn't, though, Okay all right, stay true to your word. All right, I'm not coming at you, Bono.
Speaker 3:You are coming at me, Bartholomew.
Speaker 5:All right, but anyway I got two out of the four I had. Unfortunately, Rick Pitino let me down, and so did Nate Oates. Their offense could not sustain another 100-point game, and Duke was just too good. But I ultimately which will probably say it later but I have auburn and houston in the final. Not going to tell you who I picked, though, yet yeah, I said we'll get to that later.
Speaker 1:Don't, don't, don't spoil, don't spoil.
Speaker 5:I did get two out of the four. Half is better than zero absolutely bob.
Speaker 1:What about you?
Speaker 2:well, I actually had three out of the four. I kind of went chalk as well. The only difference I thought Tennessee was going to be Houston, even though Houston has a great defense like that. I just thought like the SEC was a really good league this year and they were beating each other up. Actually, I had Tennessee winning it too. I was out with that one.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I didn't have Tennessee anywhere near sniffing the final four. I had three. I had Houston, florida and Duke in all of my brackets. I liked Houston's defense. I didn't know Auburn was going to do as well as they did. I thought they were going to be one of the ones that got beat out by one of the Cinderella's early in the tournament. I thought they were going to be one of the ones that got beat out by one of the Cinderella's early in the tournament. But yeah, I mean I was happy with the, with the three out of the four. Like I said, I have Duke winning it all and you know, speaking of Duke, you know sports people have that the Cooper flag is the greatest freshman basketball player in basketball history. I mean, is this an accurate statement when?
Speaker 2:you compare him to other freshmen that have played in the past. Bob, I think I don't know. I think it's so hard. I mean, I can remember going back when Patrick Ewan came on as a freshman for Georgetown. You know he was just a great player all around too, and for Georgetown, I think you know he was just a great player all around too. But I just think this year maybe I can't think of any other guys that have come on. There's so many, like one of Don's, that you forget. Like who Right, you know, who did it, you know. And then you got the guys that just skipped, went right from high school. So I think that this era, maybe this last couple of years, I think he's the greatest. But I think there's a lot of other freshmen that have played in the past that I think are probably comparable to him.
Speaker 1:This year I got you, barth, what about you?
Speaker 5:I mean, I'm a lot younger than most of you guys here, so it's not going off as much here.
Speaker 1:Always got to get those stabs in about our age. We're a destroyer.
Speaker 3:Every show you're on, Barth, you're always getting those age digs in His facial hair doesn't look so young, I'm telling you.
Speaker 5:You're going to mistake him for being a lot older. But I mean you can go back to another Duke player, zion Williamson same type, I mean, coming in. I mean Cooper Flaggen is very good though. He's fun to watch and he's not one of those Duke players that you hate. You know like there's been guys that come through as Duke players, just like I can't stand watching them. Uh, he's not one of those. I actually enjoy watching him play and he, he plays the game the right way. No, that doesn't really answer your question, but he, he's fun to watch.
Speaker 1:All right, steve, what about you?
Speaker 6:I'm going to work in a little Mike Worrell story here on this opinion. I'm going to say he's not the best yet, but could be Back early in my career. I had the pleasure to work for Coach Mike Worrell there and he took me on a trip down to New Orleans for the Final Four. And there was a young man on Syracuse's team that ended up winning the national championship and was the most outstanding player. Carmelo Anthony, as a freshman, led his team to a national championship. So you know, same like with the LeBron Jordan talk right Like everybody has an opinion, but he won the championship. Cooper Flagg hasn't won any championship yet. So and Mike was big time on that, allowing me to kind of stay out at the casinos till late or early in the morning, really make a little bit of money, get in a little trouble, and he still took me home and kept me hired. So I'll take all that from Coach Worrell.
Speaker 1:It's a great weekend from coach oral. It's a great weekend.
Speaker 6:We almost got robbed in the hotel halfway down, but that's a another podcast. He could tell you I can.
Speaker 4:I can say I've heard that story from Steve. I've heard that story.
Speaker 1:I don't have the time to get into that story, but we'll. That's another story for another day.
Speaker 4:But Spitty, what about you? No, he's not. He's not even top 10, because you got to look at the history of basketball and, technically, the guys that couldn't play their freshman year, who in theory, were freshmen when they played back, when they only could play three years Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, bill Walton, you could say Carmelo Anthony, patrick Ewing you could talk about, then you could talk about Derek Rose. I think Derek Rose, as a freshman, was way above and beyond better Than Cooper Flagg. I think he's good, but he's just what the cool thing is right now To say he's one of the greatest Freshmen of all time or the greatest freshman of all time, no, and he wasn't even better than Kevin Duran at Texas either. So I'm going to say all those guys were better than Cooper flag.
Speaker 1:Okay, out the gate, hot with that one. I will say this that's only seven players I was counting, so that would still put him in the top 10. Just to kind of poke holes in your in your answer.
Speaker 3:There, fitty, I can find three more. I'm sure you can. I'm sure you could find three more, duncan. What about you one? I retract my first statement that that fitty's somehow maturing in all of this. And fitty is now back. He is back in full force by saying he's not even top 10. If Duke wins the championship and old Coop dad averages 25 plus, he's easily going to be, if not one, probably top five freshman phenoms of all time. Steve the thief stole my Carmelo reference so that one hurt a little bit.
Speaker 6:He came on the trip with us.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I was. I was actually in the casino, he just didn't know I was there. Yeah, I would say a lot depends, like like anything in sports depends on if he wins it. If he does, I give him the thumbs up of easily being a top five guy, if as long as he plays well, which I think has got a good chance. There's been plenty of freshmen to average 20, 25, 30 points and never won it, so it's probably why I don't put him in there, but he's headed that way. It's definitely a chance, that's for sure.
Speaker 1:Okay, mike, what about you?
Speaker 7:I've been around a lot more than most of you guys. I've seen more college freshmen come in I agree with what everybody's saying almost and Flagg is one of the best I've seen. He reminds me of a Larry Bird, just maybe as quicker, but skill-wise and everything you know. He can do it all. He rebounds, can shoot the three, can drive it pass, it shoots well at the line. He does it all. I never really focused in on his defense so I can't really say much about that, but I I would put him as one of the best I've seen in the last several years. And I don't remember much about that new orleans trip in 2003. But I do know that steve booked us a room some that was before the internet maybe booked us a room in memphis on halfway down and with a gate, a big fence gate around it wherever we were at, and somebody tried to break in our room at 2 or 3 in the morning but we got unscathed and made it back home.
Speaker 3:Steve trying to make it in the room.
Speaker 1:Steve trying to get in. Glad we got the cliff note version of that story for this show here. We'll dive into that a little bit later. Mike, which game are you most excited to watch? Is it Auburn, florida or Duke Houston?
Speaker 7:You know both of them. I probably went to 25 straight Final Fours. I haven't went in the last seven or eight years. Most of the time I would go to Saturday's games. Every once in a while I'd stay for Monday, but you know the Saturday games are like. It's just what an atmosphere on that Saturday. It's got to be behind the Super Bowl, it's got to be maybe the next event Exciting, and it's a long, long day slash night. We watched those two semifinal games on Saturday. We were in the arena for like seven hours for those games and just sort of throw a pet peeve out there about. You know it's excruciating to beat those games with all those media timeouts. By the way, it's not so bad at home. You can get up, go to the bathroom, go get something to drink. When you're there with all those media timeouts it's a long night. But both games I think potentially, you know, in a one-and-done situation where you have a bad shooting night or you could be out quickly but I'm looking forward to both games.
Speaker 1:Okay, duncan, what about you?
Speaker 3:Well, now that everybody's talked about Cooper Flagg, but I'm looking forward to both games. Okay, duncan, what about you? Well, now that everybody's talked about Cooper flag, I'm kind of interested to see how he responds kind of against such a tough, gritty team. I I guess this is going back to the question before I think Cooper's got a level to him, to a top, I would say a toughness that takes him over the hill and probably makes this a game or maybe even gets them a win in this. So I'm probably a little bit more excited to see that one. Just from that aspect, you got a 17, 18 year old, which I'm pretty sure Cooper at this point is like the average age of a high school senior, because I think he kind of four went his like last year anyway, um, so probably a little bit more excited to see that. But I love the sport in general so I'll watch most all right bitty.
Speaker 1:What about you?
Speaker 4:I'm kind of going off what duncan said. I want to say it's duke in houston, because in theory you have the unstoppable force versus the immovable object. You have probably the you know people say the greatest freshman of all time versus probably one of the best defensive teams of all time in Houston. So you have this unstoppable force meeting this immovable object. So we'll see what happens in that. But I think that's the game I'm more excited about.
Speaker 1:Okay, Steve.
Speaker 6:As a former great defender in my day. But since this change, as I've gotten older, I don't look forward to watching defensive grind out battles. So really looking forward to watch Florida Auburn Cause. I think there'll be some points there. I think they'll get up and down a little bit and hopefully make some shots. So I I'm looking forward to that. I love watching Clayton play. Uh, I just think he makes some hard shots look really easy and that's exciting for me. So I think I like that matchup better, just for the potential of greater offense.
Speaker 1:I got you, barth, what about you?
Speaker 5:Yeah, I'd have to go with Steve. You know being a great defender, I was back in the day. You know I did lead my high school in charges. At one point I got passed. But it is true, believe it or not.
Speaker 6:I do believe it, because you probably only had one person keeping stats.
Speaker 5:Okay, here we go First guy If you're taking charges in noon hoops, so that you know you're in play. I did do that I do that too.
Speaker 6:I don't think that's a real penalty in noon hoops.
Speaker 1:Anyway, did any penalties get called in noon hoops If we're going to be honest.
Speaker 5:Not really no, but anyways, I like points. I guess with Bama I was hoping they, because they don't play any defense at all. It's kind of like when we played Greenville in college the score was 150 to 140. I mean, it's just unreal what they do. They do their Grinnell system. So I think I'm going to lean towards more watching the Florida-Auburn game than Duke-Houston.
Speaker 1:Okay, bob, what about you?
Speaker 2:I think Duke-Houston. Like I said, just whatever he said about the defense of Houston will they be able to shut down Cooper Flagg, how they're going to defend him, and stuff like that. I think that game does have the potential to be the blowout, though I think if they can't contain Flagg, I think it's going to be a long night because I don't think Houston's offense is going to be able to keep up with Duke. So if the defense doesn't work out, then it's going to be a long night for them. But I just want to see how they do that, how they contain him. No one has done it yet in tournaments, so I think that they're going to work on that. So that's the game I'm going to like to watch the most.
Speaker 1:I gotcha. Yeah, I'm most looking forward to Duke, houston. I just want to see how that game's going to play out. So, bob, we'll stay with you on that one, uh. So which remaining team has the coaching advantage? Is that bruce pearl, uh for auburn? Uh calvin sampson for houston, uh todd golden from florida or john shire from duke?
Speaker 2:that's a hard. That's a hard one because we had a lot, a lot of young coaches, except for bruce pearl, uh, who's been around for a while. Um, I think shires did a good job with duke, I mean with the kids and stuff you um the tradition and the pressure. So I think probably shire at duke, I think, uh, with him, just with all the pressure that he has. Uh, you know, replacing coach k. So I think it has to be him okay, steve, what about you?
Speaker 6:uh, yeah, I uh, you know bruce pearl obviously has has been around a bit longer. Uh, I always like to thank him for what he did for ohio state basketball, having like an illegal cookout when he was at tennessee. So aaron craft came to, came to Columbus. Mike Worrell was like a noon hooper of like Aaron Kraft. They're very similar talent. Couldn't make a long jumper but deadly up inside and could really defend. But really I don't know how much it is really about coaching anymore At that level. Those guys are just so freaking good. Right, it's the side out of bound. That's critical and you know who can create those right plays. You know in key situations and that's. I think Florida did a good job in a couple of their close games. Shire's done a good job, kelman Samson's been around right, like so I don't know it's who makes more shots, but yeah, I don't think it's who makes more shots. Uh, but yeah, I don't think a coach is going to win or lose this one.
Speaker 1:Okay, pretty. What about you?
Speaker 4:I got to go with Kelvin Samson because he went into exile from the uh, the college basketball realm and he coached in the NBA.
Speaker 4:You learn from a lot of guys at coaching at the highest level and I think he brought that mentality then back back um to them with that defensive fierceness not that he wasn't a good defensive coach before, like at oklahoma in those places but I gotta go, kelvin samson, just because it is experience coaching in the nba with more schematics and against more talented players, right like in college basketball, and everyone's been around long enough and has coached it. I mean it really comes down to your players. Maybe not so much coaching when the NBA, you know everyone's almost equal talent-wise, you know, and then you have your upper echelon guys and you've got to really prepare for that. But I just think it's Calvin Sampson just because of his experience having to coach against guys like LeBron and Kobe and all those guys that were playing at that time. So he really has learned, I think, a lot of good schematics. So that's why my nod is with him.
Speaker 1:Okay, mike, what about you?
Speaker 7:I'm going to give my traditional answer Bono and Kenny. Every podcast we've talked. Talk about the coaching aspect and you have the better players you have, the better chance you have at winning. All four of these teams have are loaded with players. Talk about cooper flag. He got hurt a few weeks ago. Duke won without him. They got some other guys. They're loaded without flag. Add him there. They're super loaded. Um. So whoever wins it this year, the next podcast will be that guy's the best coach in america right now, at least for six months. Then next year it'll switch. You remember when everybody hung this hurley guy? Everybody hung on every word he said the last year and a half on Twitter. He'll be forgotten here in a few months. The new winner of this year will be the new flavor until the next season, until next year. I don't know if I really answered your question, but I gave my traditional answer.
Speaker 1:You did give your traditional answer. I swear one day I'm going to have a show where I'm going to force you to make just a just a pick on something like that. It's just going to be a whole show of me just holding you to the question, mike. But I love your answers every time and for the new listeners out there, you can tell how long mike whirl uh was a coach with his answers. Those are the most like press conference pr answers I've ever heard come out of a human being and it's from Mike Worrell and I love it every time. Mike, it's not a bash. I love the answers every time.
Speaker 7:Marty Schottenheimer is still my guy by the way.
Speaker 1:Yeah, barth, what about you?
Speaker 5:You got a pick for us with the coaching uh, I mean everybody's really hit on the spot there with all these teams are loaded with talent. I mean it's gonna come down to it's at the end and, like Mike said there, everybody's forgot about this Hurley guy. Is it Bobby Hurley or Dan Hurley? I forgot um.
Speaker 6:Dan.
Speaker 5:I mean Dan F, that was a joke. Come on, fitty, at least you fell for it, at least someone did. But I mean, I don't know, you could draw a name out of a hat and you're like all right, he's the best coach. I think with these four, just what it is right now. I mean, if I had to pick one, though, for you to just answer your question, I'll just go with Bruce Pearl.
Speaker 1:Okay, duncan, round us out.
Speaker 3:Bruce Pearl. He was a national D2 coach of the year a time or two decades ago. He has made his way up. He's recruited under the rocks and coached in the little gyms and he's winning one for us little guys. I don't know if that's right, but I'm giving one to Bruce Pearl.
Speaker 1:All right, I can appreciate it, especially from where he came from. But this next one this one is for Mike Whirl only. And Mike, you had the national slam dunk champion from when you were a head coach. Can you talk to us about the whole experience at the Final Four and some of the people that you met and seen there?
Speaker 7:yeah, that was 2011 when all that happened. And, uh, we had a decent team that year. We were second the conference and got beaten the championship of the conference tournament. But, um, like the last two weeks of the season, we cut down practices. It was winding down and the guys would stick out, stay out on the court. I'd go change, come out and they were like filming Jacob Tucker doing different dunks and stuff. I had no idea what they were doing. I didn't care, as long as they didn't get hurt, I'd go recruiting or go home. Well, the Monday after we got beat, I was in the office and jacob tucker called me in the office and said there's a video on youtube that you should look at and it was that video compilation of all his dunks those guys have been working on for two, three weeks, and that that video went viral. Make a long story short that's how he got invited to the slam dunk contest, because division three guys didn't get invited to those things.
Speaker 7:And, uh, you know, then it was in houston. That year he went down tuesday or Wednesday. They had a practice on Wednesday. I went down. Thursday. I went to my son's Bono, who you did a podcast with a few weeks ago. Yeah, he was playing high school baseball. Then I went to his game Wednesday. Then I flew down to Houston Thursday. Well, we get to the Houston arena and it was a dump. This was before they renovated it. But when you walk in you see banners up in the arena Elvin Hayes, clyde Drexler Then you're like, wow, these guys all played in this arena. They fixed it up since then, the last six, eight years. So we get there.
Speaker 7:I got nervous at my son's high school baseball game Wednesday because I saw Jacob in the gym practicing new dunks and I got worried that, you know, maybe this is not going to work out for us or for him. So I called him in Houston at my son's baseball game. I said tuck. We called him tuck. I said are you sure? Are you these dunks? You're trying these hard dun. Are you sure? Are you these dunks? You're trying these hard dunks. Are you, are you ready? Are you sure you want to do these? He goes, don't worry about it. It was, we'll be okay, all right. So we get to the arena Thursday in Houston, university of Houston and Brad Underwood now the Illinois coach was then assistant coach for Frank Martin.
Speaker 7:I can't remember where, kansas State maybe. But I knew Brad Underwood because he used to be at Western Illinois and they had a shooter. Kansas State had a shooter in a three-point contest, jacob Poland. So I'm talking with Frank Martin and Brad Underwood and they said, hey, your guys in the slam dunk contest. I said yeah, because we've talked. We've talked to Jacob today, our guy. They had a practice three pointers and the dunkers the night before and they said the things Tucker was doing, the dunks, he goes. Those guys are scared to death of Tucker. They're in the slam dunk contest. I said what? He goes, they're scared to death of him.
Speaker 7:To make a long story short, of course Tucker won it. Carl Malone, he was one of the judges. I can't remember the other judges. I remember the announcers. Brad Nessler, dan Dockich and Jimmy Dykes were the three announcers there that night. So he won it. I didn't know how big of a deal it was until the next day and they kept Jacob Tucker an extra night. They flew everybody back home the next day. They kept him to be a judge at the National High School dunk contest, which was the next night, friday night.
Speaker 7:So I met, I said Tuck, come down to the Hyatt. I was at the headquarters where all the coaches were at, and he's going to meet me. We're going to spend the day together. Blah, blah, blah. I'm in the lobby of the hotel and and Tucker was 5'10 1⁄2", maybe 5'11". So I'm watching a TV in the lobby at the Hyatt Everybody's wearing their coach's shirt. There's a guy from St John's, one from Syracuse assistant coaches. They're watching. I'm standing there watching the slam dunk contest with them. There's about 20 people watching it and they're like bitching. That guy's not funny. There's like he's at least 6'3". He's at least 6'2" and I'm standing right there. I'm hoping Tucker would come up and I'm going to tell these guys hey, this is the guy right here, but they left and whatever. And then Jeff Bowles, the coach at Ohio University, who I've known a long time. He's outside with me. On Tucker, we meet out there.
Speaker 7:Jeff goes hey your guy won the dunk contest. We talked for like two minutes and finally I said Coach Bowles. I said this is him right here. He didn't believe it because he was only like five, ten and a half and we tried to go to lunch. There's a big food court across our hotel in Houston and there's TVs everywhere and Tucker's getting mobbed. He can't even eat his lunch down there. You know people want pictures, autographs, houston Rockets staffed there, a bunch of young kids, interns, I think they played that night. They said, hey, we want you guys to come to our game tonight. I can't remember who they were playing, but we couldn't go. I had an engagement and Tucker had to judge the slam dunk contest, so we couldn't go and gave our tickets to somebody else. But anyway, it was a big deal. I met a lot of people. It was crazy for a couple of months. Of course, he went on to play at the Harlem Globetrotters for a year after that and then gave that up. So Jacob Tucker made me famous, at least for a few months.
Speaker 4:Well, if anyone doesn't know, Mike is the only coach in NCAA history, regardless of classification, to coach over 400 games, have the national slam dunk champion and coach a Division III team to beat a Division I team. Mike has that over Coach K, bobby Knight, danny Hurley, everyone. Mike is the only coach in NCAA history to accomplish that.
Speaker 1:It was Phitty at the end with the stats. I love it.
Speaker 7:Just to make it clear, I've lost a lot of games too. It doesn't matter.
Speaker 4:I've been coached, coached over 400 games.
Speaker 1:He didn't say won over 400 games, Mike. He said coached over 400 games.
Speaker 3:That's the darkest living room in the country.
Speaker 7:I'm sorry for listening and, fetty, unlike those other guys, I'm basically broke and those guys are multimillionaires Wow.
Speaker 1:Oh well, with that being said and we kind of touched on this with the last question for everybody. But, duncan, let's go with you and start with you on this one. During the last two title championships, a lot of people said Danny Hurley from Yukon was one of the greatest coaches of all time. It was mentioned in the same breath as coach K John Wooden and the great Bobby Knight. Will any of the coaches in today's era ever be as great as any of those three guys?
Speaker 3:ever be as great as any of those three guys um, in the same breath, I think. I think I think the older two probably. You got you got to win a natty to be in the same conversation. If either of them do, I would say they deserve to probably be in the same breath, the same conversation. Are they equal? Probably not until you win two, but at the same time I would if something about florida's coach tells me that it'll be in the nba at some point.
Speaker 3:I don't know why, like he'll leave college before he has a rep of being the elite college coach and just doesn't make it long enough to be the elite college coach. He like does well enough and he's the coach of the Orlando Magic and doesn't come back to college. He did for some reason. So I don't know if he'll go down as, like one of the great college guys. Typically Duke coaches, you know, stay forever. So I could, I could see him running that uh profession and that job out long enough to probably be considered that. So if I had to bet money, I would probably say Shire. If I had to say, right now, I think Houston and Auburn's probably got a really good chance, I just, you know older guys stuck it out through the NIL deals Today. I think they deserve probably to be in the conversation the most.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 5:Barth, what about you? I mean it's difficult to put those up there with those guys. I mean there's somewhere sleeve and leaving out that could be put in the realm, up with those guys above, where these guys are at. So I mean some of them have a long way to go in their career. Obviously we got two young guys, two old guys. The two older guys they don't got maybe as much time left to prove themselves, so what are they gonna do with that? But the younger guys, anything can happen. They could be fired next week. You know what I mean. Like obviously not gonna happen, but situations happen and everything. So I mean I would say short answer right now.
Speaker 1:Uh, no okay, biddy, what about you?
Speaker 4:no, I don't think so, because the thing is like what john wooden did is is probably the most incredible run in sports history, um to have some of the greatest players ever to recruit them and stay during that time.
Speaker 4:Granted was a different era. Um, coach k maybe shire, maybe if he wins a couple national championships and coach 40 years. But I don't think anybody will be in the realm of bobby knight. And the reason is bobby knight and for the older guys on the show that know this, bobby Knight coached NBA players, but outside of Isaiah Thomas, bobby Knight never coached outstanding NBA players. He coached a bunch of guys who've moved on and went into careers or coaches, you know, like Mike Woodson and guys like that. John or Bobby Knight did more with less and he also graduated all of his guys and they stayed for four years and they retained and he was the last coach in NCAA history to coach an undefeated team in 1976. So I don't think anyone will ever be like those guys and I don't think they'll ever be someone like Bobby Knight again. And Danny Hurley couldn't carry Bobby Knight's whistle.
Speaker 1:See, like Bob Knight. I think Fiddy likes Bob Knight. I'm going to go out on a limb here. But Mike, what about you with this question?
Speaker 7:It's hard for me to answer this. Bono, as Fiddy and I talk about often. There's no loyalty anymore On any level players, coaches, administrators. I just don't see. I see more coaches hopping around and not staying at places like they used to, you know, like Wood and Coach K not staying in the same school for that long. It's not even happening at the Division III and Division II level anymore. It's just people are hopping around more and especially since you know the tournament's a semi-pro tournament I call it now this NCAA Division I semi-pro basketball and football it's getting harder for me to watch, believe me, with players and coaches moving around.
Speaker 7:I know there's always a question who might get back to the final four next year? Yeah, half those guys in these final four in their rotation might not be on these same four teams next year. So so I don't know coaches I guess you'll be. They'll be judged by the media and everybody if they win win the national championship here and if they go to another school and win it. Calipari is legendary now for taking four different teams to the final eight or 16. You'll probably see more of that. That statistic will start coming up more often. So-and-so has taken three teams to the Elite Eight or four teams to the Sweet 16. Again, I probably didn't answer your question, but I had to get that off my chest about the new semi-pro tournament bono.
Speaker 4:I gotta jump back in and say this too, though. And the thing is, before bobby knight died if everybody remembers his back before covet hit bobby knight didn't coach for 20 years at indiana. Bobby knight got a standing ovation and all of his players came back, and those people rocked out that gym, for the Hoosiers like Bobby Knight never left. Danny Hurley will never have that.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 7:No he does not like Danny Hurley.
Speaker 1:But Steve, what about you for this question?
Speaker 6:It's just everything Fitty said is a lot to unpack. Yeah, I don't think anybody in the final four is worried about retaining guys for four years anymore. John Shire doesn't care if Cooper Flagg stays at Duke. He knows that's not going to happen. So Fitty to say Bob Knight was part of the reason he was a great coach because his players stayed. It's a totally different world now and I am a Bob Knight guy from the area he grew up in, so I think he is one of the best.
Speaker 6:But it's going to be hard to judge coaches today because of the landscape that college athletics. They're not going to stick around. You look at Jay right, he had enough of the NIL world and was like I'm, I'm retiring, I'm going to go call games on whatever channel he's on. Now, except for like a John Shire, I don't see any of those guys sticking around. Like a Bruce Pearl's always going to have other stuff hanging around him. I think even if he does win one championship, there's still going to be enough negative uh people will talk about same with uh kelvin samson. So they won't be listed at that level, I think, uh.
Speaker 6:And then the florida guy. I agree, I don't. I don't think he's going to stick around long. I I just don't think you're going to have the same. It's a different game now to steal Mike's semi-pro basketball tournament. All these teams are going to look different next year. Nate Oates is going to have a totally different team in Alabama than he did this year and it's just going to become that now. And who's going to have more money to pay those guys? Who's got more NIL money? That's is going to be who's the best coaches.
Speaker 1:I got you Bob. What about you?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I agree with whatever he's saying. I think the landscape's a lot different than back, you know, at night, coached and wouldn't coach. I think the problem, like I said, these guys don't stay the two, even three years anymore. I mean, they stay one year and you're almost reloading your team so I can't see any coach. And I agree, the coaches don't stick around as much. You're trying to go to the pro or you're going to move up to a better place where they have more NIL money, and that's what I think the coaches are going to be looking for now is where the money, where's the money at, where it's going, and I think that's where coaches are going to move around to.
Speaker 1:I got you yeah, coaches don't stick around and players don't stick around, it's. It's completely different from when those guys coached. Answer this question for me, quick answers no, basically, for what everybody else said, saying it's just I don't. I don't think anybody will come close to those guys. Um, especially today's era of basketball. Uh, but we're gonna wind the show down here with this question here and bob, let's start with you. Who wins both games and who's the national championship after this weekend?
Speaker 2:um, I like, and these two, I think I like Florida and Duke, and then I like Florida. Win it all this one. Okay, steve, what about?
Speaker 6:you, I would second what Bob said Florida, duke, florida wins it all okay, betty Biddy.
Speaker 4:I'm going to go, the two old guys, auburn and Bruce Pearl, and I'm going to go with Kelvin Sampson and Houston, and I'm going to go with the immovable object of Houston winning the championship.
Speaker 1:Okay, mike, what about you?
Speaker 7:I don't agree with what I'm saying, but my original bracket I had Florida and Houston getting there and Florida winning 74-70, so I got to stick with that.
Speaker 1:Okay, barth.
Speaker 5:Like Mike said, I got to stick with what I had in my bracket Auburn over Houston and I think I had Auburn winning by nine. So I'm going with Auburn.
Speaker 1:I got you Duncan.
Speaker 3:It's gross, but Fitty's starting to make sense again. It's time to go, you didn't even answer the question. Houston, because they got close a couple times and that's about time they win one. There you go, okay.
Speaker 1:I'm going to go Duke and Florida and I got Duke winning it over Florida. I picked those two because I did two brackets and I have Florida winning in one and Duke winning in the other. So I'm going Florida and Duke, but I still ultimately think Duke takes it and Duke becomes the national champions this year. But that is going to do it for this week's episode of the ride home rants podcast. I want to thank everybody for coming on Mike, duncan, fitty, barth, steve and Bob. This was a lot of fun getting to talk all things for the final four and break down what we think is going to happen in this year's final four for the men's ncaa bracket. As always, if you enjoyed the show, be a friend, tell a friend. If you didn't, tell them anyways, because they might like it just because you didn't, that's gonna do it for me and I will see y'all next week.
