Eye On College Basketball

It's been a while since we've led a pod with the UConn Huskies, but after that huge comeback road win at Marquette, it's where we start. Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander then get to the confirmation of the NCAA Tournament securing six venues in and around Indianapolis (16:45) for the 2021 NCAA Tournament. Norlander has more details, including a look at a potential schedule for the Dance. Off-the-court news this week (36:00) with WVU's Oscar Tshiebwe and Houston's Caleb Mills both transferring out of their programs. The pod wraps around the 44-minute mark with what to watch for Wednesday and Thursday night in college hoops. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We hope you got a lot of hoops watching in this weekend. The show opens with some … Leaky Black! Then moves to Texas’ 25-point win at Kansas and Kentucky’s season mayyyybe (18:45) getting saved by Dontaie Allen. The guys do a 20-minute whiparound at the 32-minute mark with the notable results from this weekend, touching on nearly 10 scores of note. The pod wraps (52:00) with some reader reviews. We love them — keep sending, and be sure to include some questions to spice it up going forward.  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to 2021! Here’s our reward: a fabulously loaded Saturday, from noon until nearly midnight, of compelling college basketball games. Before Norlander and Parrish get to the Final Four + 1 picks and previews, they open with undefeated Michigan, then get to undefeated Tennessee (13:45). Also, Friday morning brought bad news for West Virginia (20:00): Oscar Tshiebwe has left the team, putting WVU’s Final Four aspirations in doubt. The stuffed weekend preview starts around the 24-minute mark.  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Happy New Year’s Eve eve! We open this ep by talking Michigan State and whether it misses making the NCAA Tournament in 2021. Then GP and Norlander discuss Arizona (14:30) removing itself from the 2021 postseason and whether this plan should or could backfire on the Wildcats. At the 28-minute mark, Parrish’s podcast betrayal before discussing the games to know for Thursday night, New Year’s Eve (32:00), led by Minnesota-Wisconsin. And given this is the final episode of 2020, we have to wrap by looking back on the year. Norlander has the five biggest college hoops stories of the past 12 months, and there’s even a call to our listeners: send and share your favorite podcast moments from 2020, too. Because Parrish remembers almost none of them. Stay safe, stay happy, we wish you all a great start in 2021. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Northwestern is 6-1 with a 3-0 record in the Big Ten. Yes, we are opening the podcast talking NORTHWESTERN. Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander also discuss the Big Ten (10:00) and evaluate the league’s chances of sending at least 10 teams to the 2021 NCAA Tournament. Then it’s Gonzaga (19:30) and the likelihood it runs the regular-season table, but also why this would be a very good thing for college basketball (the convincing case made therein). The duo unexpected gets into a discussion about Seinfeld and VCRs, but Norlander steers it back on track by looking ahead to the games to know for Monday and Tuesday (42:15) before the pod wraps with some entertaining shoutouts to the listeners who left notable reviews (57:00) — so be sure to leave yours if you want some love on a future pod.  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Merry Christmas, everyone, and happy holidays. Our Christmas Eve episode brings a lot of basketball and holiday cheer. We open with Indiana, then get to notable results from Wednesday (12:00) before moving on to discussing the Big Ten opting to play games on Christmas (21:00) and making our picks in the Final Four + 1 (29:00). The pod wraps with some Christmas chatter, like favorite holiday songs, family traditions (good or bad) and what are the top five days of the year? What's better: Christmas Eve of the first Thursday of the NCAA Tournament? Enjoy, we wish you and yours a safe, happy, grateful holiday. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

North Carolina lost at NC State on Tuesday night, bringing to light an unfortunate possibility: the 14-19 team last season might mean UNC struggles to make the 2021 NCAA Tournament. The guys also touch on Kansas (12:15) and its runaway home win over West Virginia. Looks like everyone underestimated KU heading into the season. As for Kentucky (20:30), the news gets worse as John Calipari takes the unusual action of publicly criticizing a player -- and asking him to temporarily step away from the team. On Tuesday, more great Keyontae Johnson news (35:30), as the Florida star left the hospital. The pod wraps with some quick holiday talk, focusing in on Festivus and few airing of grievances. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Gonzaga reminded everyone that it’s the best team in the sport with its double-digit win over No. 3 Iowa on Saturday, so the guys start there — and make quick mention of the CFP committee’s final rankings. Then we must get to 1-5 Kentucky (18:15), off to its worst start in more than 90 years. And after that, a weekend whiparound of sorts (34:30), with thoughts on Creighton-UConn, Providence-Seton Hall, Marquette-Xavier, Illinois-Rutgers and a few other items, too. Plus, we bring back the Apple Pods reader reviews (56:00) and Northwestern’s upset of Michigan State happens just as the pod wraps.  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's not good that the biggest discussion topic off a huge Big 12 Thursday game is the officiating. But that's the case with Kansas' 58-57 win at Texas Tech Thursday night. GP and Norlander start there, then get into the myths and facts about Billikens (14:00). Oh by the way: Saint Louis is 6-0. After a conversation that goes in many directions, it’s time for the Final Four (and one), with picks and previews for the weekend (27:00). Included is talk on Gonzaga-Iowa, Louisville-Wisconsin, UNC-Kentucky and Indiana-Butler, among others! To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Might the Big East be the trendsetter in college hoops? Matt Norlander had a report — which you can read here as you listen to the pod — that quoted league commissioner Val Ackerman and got into the topic of whether or not the Big East (and other power conferences) could ultimately decide to play league games in controlled environments in January, February or March. The guys extend the Big East chatter with thoughts on Marquette (19:30) and its upset win at Creighton. On Tuesday we got great news about the health status of Florida’s Keyontae Johnson (27:15), and on Tuesday night Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer (31:25) became the winningest coach in women’s basketball history.  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices