But I just I don't even know how to feel about the fact that there's no Kentucky.

There's no Duke.

I just don't know what to say.

Could you talk to us about the absence of these two and what it means to the tournament?

To not have these two teams?

Well, the tournament will survive and college basketball survive, and both Duke and Kentucky will we've had over the years.

Maybe I think it was 1996 was the last time that Duke was not in the tournament or 95 was the last time Duke wasn't in the tournament.

And, uh, Kentucky didn't make it five years ago or something.

When Nerlens Noel got hurt, Uh, so they'll be back.

I'm not worried about it, but it does kind of diminish the brand names of it, but a lot of people may like that, but this year I don't think anybody's gonna worry about it because we've got big shots at the top with Gonzaga, Baylor, Illinois, Michigan.

But it does indicate that not all number one recruiting classes are the same.

And when you don't have the superstar talent and you're young, you can be just like everybody else in a lot of games.

You know, Kentucky know Duke, but J If I were to say to someone, Boy, that Alabama defense, you know they might win the whole thing before they were talking about basketball.

Alabama and Ohio State, Right?

What's going on?

These typical, like football program schools have some of the best teams in the country this year.

Well, Ohio State's good all the time.

I mean, they've had a great program there.

They've been in the Final Four there last in the Final Four, I think in 2012.

But they're they're they're they're good all the time.

Alabama has knocked on the door of being good for a while, but they're legit this year.

Nate Oats was a high school coach in Detroit and as a math guy and talk about an analytics guy.

But they're really good defensively, but they can really shoot the three, and they've got a player named Herb Jones that is the player of the year in the SEC.

He's big time, so I think Alabama is Final Four.

Good, Jay, let me ask you this.

We mentioned some of the teams not in Louisville, Kentucky, but Rick Pitino back in it, this time taking Iona.

I mean, it's unbelievable.

He's got nine lives.

What are your thoughts on this?

I think it's pretty cool to have Rick Pitino back and have him back in the tournament.

And it was funny.

He was on our bracketology show last night and coming over FaceTime or someone zoom whatever it was.

And he was isolating in his hotel room in Indianapolis, and, uh, and it did not look like a luxurious suite like he would have had in one of the top hotels as a as a high seed at either Kentucky or Louisville.

It was It was a single room and and it looked like a hostage video.

We we may.

We joked about it before he came on, and he said, He said, It's 1/15 seed.

You don't get the best hotel rooms and just laughing about it, so but it is good to have him back.

And, uh, but I own has been in the tournament the last five years.

Like Tim Clues had that program in really good shape when Rick took it over.

And it's only gonna get better from here sleepers in this n c double A tournament when we use that word.

Jay Bilas What teams jump out in your mind?

Well, I mean, sleepers usually means of 1st and 2nd round upsets to me.

Um, it's funny, Steven.

A.

Like you've got a bunch of double digit seeds that are major conference teams.

So a lot of times like you're gonna be looking at Rutgers as a 10, or Syracuse is an 11, or Michigan State is an 11 and those are upset picks.

I don't look at those as upsets.

A couple of the early upsets that I see that are going to be interesting for brackets are going to be in the West.

And that is Ohio.

Ohio has a point guard named Jason Preston is gonna be a first round draft pick.

He's kind of the Lamelo ball of this tournament.

Averages 16.7 rebounds, seven assists.

He's a triple double guy and very, very talented fun to watch.

They've got they've got a good team in Ohio.

You can win in the first round.

The other is is u C Santa Barbara.

They've got really good guards, and I would not be surprised to see U C.

Santa Barbara beat Creighton in the first round.

Creighton did not play well against Georgetown.

They got blown out.

Uh, they've they've had obviously some, some issues they're dealing with, but but I C U C Santa Barbara as a as a pretty darn good upset pick.

The other one is Winthrop.

They're playing against Villanova, and Winthrop can play fast.

They've got a point guard, 67 Chandler Badran, who's a lefty, kind of got an old man game.

Another triple double threat.

Who's had him in the past?

They've got a £270.

67 Low post threat named DJ Burns a lefty.

They're both lefties, actually, Uh, and they're good enough to beat a Villanova team that is diminished without having Colin Gillespie.

He got injured, so he's not going to be playing the rest of the year.

I still would favor Villanova, but but Winthrop can beat them.

Meantime, speaking of injury, Isaiah Livers, uh, the, uh, he's a senior with Michigan with a stress fracture in his foot.

Real good player co captain.

What does that mean for their chances?

Do you?

Do you know what?

I have not heard that he's coming back, They said indefinitely at it with a stress fracture.

And what does that mean for their tournament chances?

Well, my understanding Max is it's a stress reaction, which which can, if not properly taken care of lead to a stress fracture.

Uh, so I don't know whether he's going to be back for the first round that they're playing in.

But without, um, without Isaiah Livers, Michigan is compromised.

They're still really good, but they're still good offensively.

But they're not elite without without him.

He makes them elite as an offensive team.

Overall, he's their best player, I believe.

And so I think that puts them, gives them a little bit of pause.

If they I shouldn't say pause now with what pause means, but it gives them a little bit of concern.

When they go into the second round.

They could be playing L S U, and that's a really dangerous game if they have livers because LSU is super talented and they're actually starting to guard people now, they didn't do that earlier in the year.

So that's that's sort of an upset alert there for Michigan in the second round.

If they get L s u and without livers, it's really an upset alert.

Mm.

Number for Juwan Howard.

I really wish they were fully healthy.

Has done an exceptional job taking over that program.

All right, I really want to ask you about a 7 10 matchup in the East region, but this is a national show, so I'm gonna avoid that.

Can you really quickly give us, uh, your final four in your winner Jay?

Final four?

I've got Alabama, I've got Gonzaga.

I think Illinois is going to make the Final Four.

And I think Baylor is gonna is gonna do well in its bracket, even though it had some covid issues not too long ago.

And then I've got Illinois and Gonzaga in the final, and I think Gonzaga is going to cut the Nets down and be the first undefeated team since Indiana in 1976.

Which, oddly enough, was the last time that both Duke and Kentucky did not make the field.

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