Mad About Hoops

The college basketball season is a long and winding road. Funny, the marketing people at the NCAA think the same thing. That's why they call it the road to the Final Four. But we've made it there and we spend the better part of the first two segments talking about San Diego State, Florida Atlantic, UConn and Miami. We talk about why we both enjoy this mix of teams. At 23:45 we discuss another spin of coaching carousel. Penn State, VCU and George Mason all come up there. And at 34:50 we dazzle you with some Final Four facts that we're sure you didn't know yet, and we lock in our picks for the weekend. It's been a blast guys. Thank you for following along. And enjoy the hoops!

We are down to the Elite Eight and history was made with no one seeds making it to this round. We dive into the historical trends this tournament is breaking, and why Alabama being out isn't so bad. Kansas State looks like a team of destiny, and UConn vs Gonzaga could be a classic. We preview all of the Elite Eight games and share some thoughts on the recent hires of Rick Pitino and Ed Cooley.

The NCAA Tournament is completely off the chain and it only took it until Day 2. First it was Arizona losing to 15 seed Princeton. Then Purdue said, Hold my beer. Fairleigh Dickinson becomes the second 16 seed to knock off a 1 in NCAA Tournament history and the better part of the pod is our thoughts on it, combined with some general thoughts on the Opening Round and why it's so great. You also have Timmy Hall sharing his experience of taking in all 4 games at Nationwide Arena in Columbus including that shocker of a lifetime. Enjoy it hoops fans and sorry about your brackets.

Tim Hall and Colin Barringer were live from the studio as the NCAA tournament bracket was revealed!

The middle portion of this podcast will be your magic potion for March. Our bracketologist Jason Carmello (no relation to Carmelo Anthony) joins us for a wide ranging look at the Field going into Selection Sunday. Follow him and his up to the minute projections from his twitter account @BigUnderdogBlog, yeah he's a guy that likes the little guy just like Evil Bald Colin. He joins us at 14:15. Our first segment is pure excitement about conference tourneys and the week this is. It turns into a Big East discussion quickly with some connections to Patrick Ewing being out at Georgetown and Jim Boeheim out at Syracuse. An iconic player and a frustrating and annoying end for an iconic coach this week. At the 37 minute mark we get into Ohio State's tremendous run at the Big Ten tourney and what it means going forward. We also do a bid stealing, high flying, profilin Mid Major Flavor and a MAH Road Trip highlight before we're out. Don't forget about the MACTION at Rocket Mortgage this weekend! Enjoy this podcast folks. Happy March! This is our time.

The guys are back at it and it couldn't be a better time of year. We've got a heart pounding, upset minded, buzzer beating, diving on the floor type of podcast to get March going. In the first segment we're talkin small conference tourneys and why we like them, plus we discuss the big programs and hit on Final Four contenders Kansas and Marquette. At the 15 minute mark we dive into Antoine Davis' chase at Pistol Pete's all time scoring mark. How authentic did we find this run at history? At 26 minutes we're talking Buckeye hoops. There's a stat about them this week that you probably would never believe as a Big Ten hoops fan. And in our final segment, it's Road Trips baby! Plus we comment on maybe the most overused comment in the sport this year. Enjoy this one folks!

Can you hear that? That CBS Sports theme building up to a crescendo? That's February ending, and March beginning. And in for Evil Bald Colin this week is our friend Matt "Matty Ice" Hayes from Rothman and Ice on 97.1 The Fan. We come outta the gates with some of Ice's recent observations including some CBB gambling tips. We even talk some UVA Cavs ball for you Hoos fans. Unfortunately we have a wildly outrageous story in Alabama surrounding Brandon Miller and his connection to January shooting in Tuscaloosa. We discuss what we would do if we were in Nate Oats' shoes (9 minutes in). At 15:38 we have a fun discussion about Zach Edey and some of college hoops' recent dominant big men. At 24 minutes we get right into Ohio State's 9 game losing skid and some discussion about what they're really lacking. Then in the final segment we're talking Road Trips! Enjoy this one folks, we'll see you in March!

Our good friend, 10TV sportscaster and resident college basketball nut Dave Holmes is kind enough to fill in for Colin today. Dave will explain in the 2nd segment around the 20 minute mark where his fandom was born and what blue blood he attached to. In the opening segment we find our way into a good discussion about programs that have made a realistic turn from being crappy to being good over the years. We can't find many that have pulled it off. The Buckeye misery segment hits you at 25:17, and the conversations keep getting more honest by the week as the team hits 11-15. And in the final segment Dave enjoyed rating some top notch Road Trips for this weekend. Enjoy it folks!

Evil Bald Colin is going to be absent for a couple of pods, but he'll be back and better than ever before March Madness. So have fun speculating about that....but it gave us a chance to talk to a terrific Fan voice in T-Bone from the famous Common Man & T-Bone afternoon drive show. We start right off with some good stories where we got excuses to just sit back and watch hoops. We recap the week that was and get Bone's takes on the CBB season thusfar. At 13:40 we have a fun discussion about teams and players that we gravitated towards as kids. Who are some of yours? A the 23:27 mark is the Ohio State discussion and the press conference moment that finally hit an uncomfortable level when Chris Holtmann was asked about Brice Sensabaugh's usage. We attack that from every angle. And finally we throw out some possible road trips for you. We really enjoyed having T-Bone with us and I know you guys will enjoy it too!

We are back for another great week in the College Basketball season! Lots of great games set up the weekend, and we preview Detroit's Antoine Davis as he sets records. What is going wrong for the Buckeyes and why their season is effectively over. The players we wish we could've seen play live and why Pete Maravich would have set 3-point shooting records. The Weekend schedule is packed with good MAC games, and Eastern Washington is our Mid-Major flavor of the week!

Welcome to another week of college basketball madness everyone. We dive into so much this week. After we hit some of the craziness from the week that was in the first segment, we ask the age old question, "Who's the man?" Really. Who are the dudes that are running the sport this year, and who is in that discussion for National POY? That's at 18:58. At 30:38 we break down the Buckeyes and what this team, and if this team can dig out of the Big Ten hole they're in. And at 40:15 we give you are Mid Major Flavor and Road Trip Meter ratings. But we have an extra in honor of the late Billy Packer. Our favorite voices and personalities in college basketball thru the years. Enjoy this one folks!

Folks, it certainly isn't The Ohio State Buckeyes at the moment. Chris Holtmann's program is struggling with a 5 game losing skid, tied for the worst he's ever had at OSU. We have a complete look at what's going on, and a deeper discussion about what the expectations need to be with the OSU basketball program at the 25:16 mark. We come in to this week's pod guns blazing about the Gonzaga's home court loss to Loyola Marymount and what that says about the Zags this year. At 14:32 we give you the best the state of Ohio has to offer with its non traditional programs. And we hit on a very traditional program in Xavier. Of course we finish with a very unfamiliar Mid Major Flavor but even that is Ohio themed, and your MAH Road Trip meter. Enjoy the hoops everyone!

Another week of college basketball is upon us, and the Ohio State Buckeyes have gone from having a really pretty Tournament seed and KenPom rating (still 18) to once again being in a tight spot for an unfavorable 2nd round matchup. We hit the Buckeyes a ton at the 24 minute mark. We have some fun right from jump street geeking out about tournament time and why it's amazing from an in-person fan perspective. At the 12 minute mark we give you our full scope on the top teams this week like Houston, Kansas and Alabama. And Hoosier fans, at 18:15 we take some shots at Indiana basketball this year --- bad. Can you say overrated? And as usual we end with Road Trips and the world famous Mid Major Flavor. Enjoy it guys!

The Chris Beard saga comes to an end at Texas, even though that saga for Chris Beard isn't over at all. The Longhorns are using a clause in his contract to fire him with cause and we break down the whole story. After that we're heavy with the fun stuff, like what to make of the Ohio State Buckeyes after letting one slip away to Purdue thanks to mistakes in the final minute. And as always a couple of special Mid Major Flavors and a nod to a Flyers team on the mend. Plus tons of action on the MAH Road Trip Meter. Enjoy this one folks, and as always enjoy the hoops!

There are a couple of distinct mile markers in the college basketball season. The Christmas break and the turn of the calendar year is maybe the biggest one. We spend some time bringing everyone up to speed on some of the big dawgs in the game this year as we approach the full turn to conference play. At the 11:40 mark we take a look at a surprising start for the Northwestern Wildcats and what makes that especially crazy. At the 18 minute mark we address the uncomfortable update in the Chris Beard case. A 23:20 you get your full dose of Buckeye hoops, plus a word on their bracketology projection. And of course we finish with a Mid Major Flavor and our Mad About Hoops road trip meter. Cincinnati is a calling! Enjoy the hoops and see you in the New Year everyone!

It's a big week in College Basketball! The First segment we dive into the news surrounding Texas and Coach Chris Beard. The second segment we discuss why UNC has struggled and how can Ohio State attack them. A huge Saturday schedule is filled with top-end games, and plenty of road trips available for this weekend. Our mid-major flavor heads out west to take a look at the Boise State Broncos, and how many Mountain West teams count as a mid-major?

Welcome to Big Ten play! We kick off this episode in the first segment looking around the top of the rankings and how teams moved up fast with good wins in November. Michigan suffers a critical injury to their point guard. We make the cases for UCONN, Houston, and Purdue to be #1. The second segment we dive into the quiet period of the season near Christmas when programs take time off or schedule buy games. We try to determine why North Carolina continues to struggle and will Armando Bacot play vs Ohio State. Segment three is dedicated to Ohio State's huge win over Rutgers and the controversy surrounding Tanner Holden's buzzer-beater three-point shot. Our final segment is our mid-major flavor focusing on Kent State and an Ohio connection in Marshall.

Folks, we had some content from Ohio State Basketball's media day that we didn't get the chance to share with you yet. Evil and I had a great time meeting some of the new players before the start of the season. And a couple of guys like us realize that just because you aren't the ones logging the minutes, doesn't mean you don't impact the team. But these two guys have a lot to offer, so enjoy our conversations with freshmen Bowen Hardman and junior Owen Spencer. They're both Cincinnati boys so they gotta be good. Enjoy!

The calendar has turned to December and College Basketball is in full swing! A wild start to the season provides many surprising results. We dive into the early season slate and the ending of the Big Ten / ACC challenge (4:00-17:00). With a month of a season completed, we try to determine which highly rank teams are the contenders and the pretenders (17:00-28:10). The Buckeyes navigated a tough opening schedule with successes in Maui and a disappointing performance at Duke, and we share our thoughts on their start to the season (28:10-38:20). And we wrap up this week's show with our Mid-Major teams to watch: New Mexico and College of Charleston (38:35-48:34). Catch our interviews with members of the Ohio State squad in our podcast feed coming soon!

Back again and in your face for his 4th year is the Gonzaga big man Drew Timme. In the first portion of this podcast we're discussing the Zags' headband wearing sensation and talking about what his ultimate legacy will look like. He's a walking bucket that is for sure. We also geek out on some of these early season games themed for our Armed Forces who do so much for us every day. Then we shift the conversation to two guys who will try to fill incredibly big shoes – talking about Jon Scheyer (Duke) and Kyle Neptune (Villanova). How in the hell do you successfully follow those legends? We then get into a very important discussion about one of the great sports theme songs of all time, and before we go Evil will hit with this week's Mid Major Flavor --- let's just say run and hide if you're a Louisville fan. Enjoy the pod friends! 4:40 – Drew Timme is an all-around dude of a college basketball player 15:18 – breakdown of what this year's Zags will be 17:45 – Scheyer and Neptune talk 25:00 – Is it a college basketball song though?

Folks, the season is here. And we got a big, phat Ohio State Buckeye basketball breakdown for you to enjoy over your next hour. The other big topic we blend into this pod is the news that Jim Nantz will be calling his last Final Four and Championship game in March. We also find ourselves exploring our own roles in the media and how we like to cover college basketball. Enjoy it folks, CBB is coming in hot! Here's some highlights: 8:06 - The Buckeye preview 12:10 - The Starting 5 17:55 - thoughts on Zed Key's season 21:55 - The Dispatch's Adam Jardy 25:15 - if you ever pull for the team you cover 36:00 - The secret scrimmage 38:15 - On the Maui 47:00 - our roles covering CBB 53:10 - Jim Nantz discussion

It's August and we can already hear the March Madness theme song in our heads. Can you? We don't even have full schedules generated but the Maui Invitational already has the brackets and tip times set. And since Ohio State is starting the teeth of their non-conference schedule out in paradise, we are breaking down the whole thing. It's as strong of a field as we've seen for a group that doesn't feature Duke, Carolina or Kansas and we give you our team ranks as well as our All Tournament Team heading into the event. Plus at the 25 minute mark a complete review of what's new with Ohio State hoops as they get ready for an exhibition trip to The Bahamas. It's good to be talking hoops with you guys again!

It's not an understatement to say that Jim Cleamons has experienced almost everything when you're talking about basketball. He's coached and played at the highest level in the world and his career in the game has spanned 7 decades. SEVEN decades. He played for the great Fred Taylor. He played with West, Baylor and Wilt. He played for the Cavs. He coached Jordan, Pippen, Shaq and Kobe, and so many others. And now he's coaching in the upcoming HBCU Classic for Columbus at Nationwide Arena on April 23. It's a wonderful event with a goal to generate the funds needed to run these fine institutions. Jim will be coaching the Ohio All-Stars, who will take on the HBCU All Stars in the event. We hit an array of topics in this pod, from when his love of the game was born, to playing for the Lakers, to his practice battles with Jerry West, being traded to the Cavs, the importance of HBCUs and more. Enjoy it hoops fans.

The Final Four is done. The National Championship is set. The Ball is tipped. And there you are. What kind of gratuitous statements or takes will we lay down after Carolina sends Coach K to his eternal retirement party? Plenty of response to that epic game is here. How badly does Kansas need to beat Carolina for those scorekeeping the "Best program of All time" race? And finally, Thad Matta is back in college basketball. This hiring is unique for many different reasons as one of the best Big Ten coaches ever is the new head coach at Butler....AGAIN. The last pod of the 2021-2022 college basketball season folks. Enjoy!

Another edition of Monday Madness hits us here. Once again this is a collaboration with our friends at 10TV and 97.1 The Fan. Dom Tiberi, Dave Holmes, Adam King, Joey Lane, Matt Hayes, Triple H and of course Evil Bald Colin and myself are all here to break down this wonderful quartet of teams we have in the Final Four. We talk about the teams, we discuss the immediate future for Buckeye hoops, the Big Ten crashing and burning and more.....like how the hell is this Kansas grad supposed to enjoy his cousin's wedding DURING the Villanova game? We're gonna have to figure it out folks! Enjoy this pod!

Evil Bald Colin and I are back for an unusually fast, but easily snackable Sweet 16 edition of the podcast. We begin with a little bit of bickering about something, but what are fans for? We highlight some of our favorite games from the 1st and 2nd rounds, and Colin points something out about the 8 and 9 seeds. We then do the classic re-do for Final Four picks as we arrive at the Sweet 16, and before we go we discuss Sean and Archie Miller's return as head coaches. Ohhhhh boy Xavier, you got your guy!

Colin and I will be with you tomorrow for the tradition podcast with our cutting thoughts on the 1st and 2nd rounds and the Sweet 16. But for those that wanted to grab a listen to the audio from our March Madness Roundtable discussion, here it is! We've got 10TV's Dom Tiberi, Dave Holmes and Adam King. As well as former Ohio State basketball player Joey Lane, and me, Timmy Hall. Plus we talk ball with Marc "Chops" Finch and T-Bone from 97.1 The Fan. So much Tournament talk you won't have anything left to ask when it's done. Maybe.

I don't know if that's enough exclamation marks!! There aren't enough to explain the mood. Me and the Evil Bald basketball scientist have brackets to break down. We have Final Four picks, we have sleepers. We have guys who got "Seed jobbed". Yeah that's a thing. We have a home team playing against a Norris brother. Of course it happened seeing how we just talked to his Dad in episode 63 (check it out). Sit back and relax or pace around the room as you enjoy the Mad About Hoops bracket show.

I think basketball junkies will love this episode. Brett Norris is like all of us in that he loves hoops and he loves this time of year. Only it's a little bit cooler for him. He actually just got to watch his son punch a ticket to the Big Dance. Braden Norris is a pretty good player at Loyola after all. But a few days later, he got to watch his other son punch a ticket as well. Keaton Norris is playing more than 25 mpg for Wright State. Insane right? Oh and did I mention Brett has dedicated his whole life to hoops. He's an outstanding HS Basketball coach for Hilliard Bradley in Ohio. His third son plays for him currently, and his fourth son is well on his way. What was it like as a Dad to watch all this happen? How does he coach his own team while finding time to be there for his sons in college? What's Sister Jean like? Check it out here!

As we prepare for the Big Day, meaning Selection Sunday, we figured to go out and get our own Bracketologist to help us with every nook and cranny that needs exploring. From the high seeds, the low seeds, the bubbles, Ohio State's position and beyond, we check it all out with Jason Carmello. Find his up to date NCAA fields at big-underdog.com or on twitter @BigUnderdogBlog (think this guy likes mid-majors?). And of course the most important question of all - HOW DO I FILL OUT THIS BRACKET? He's got a couple of really good rules of thumb to follow. So sit back, and get prepared for Selection Sunday with this pod. Enjoy.

Can you really believe it? Coach Mike Krzyzewski, (just felt like spelling it out there without checking obviously I'm not an amateur hoops fan) is going to coach his final game at the famed Cameron Indoor Stadium. Evil Bald Colin has the cash for us, but we're still not going to go. You'll hear some comments from K in this pod. We talk about some of the great mid-major conference tournaments that the CBB degenerate must see. And are we the only over-the-hill basketball players that get the itch to find a court and play more this time of year? Sink in and enjoy this pod folks!

Folks. It's almost time. Myself and Evil Bald Colin live in a March mindset 12 months out of the year. So when March actually comes around, we don't know what to do with ourselves. But Colin will prove through Excel spreadsheets and playing games associated with every single conference tournament in America that he might be the biggest college hoops degenerate of them all. We also discuss the race in the Big Ten and The Ohio State Buckeyes huge win over Illinois and what their chances are down the stretch. We of course discuss the rising star Malaki Branham, and hope to god he stays in college for a 2nd season. We even record a segment that will air on The Buckeye Show right here in the podcast. Call it a Mad About Hoops double dribble if you will.

Our guy Evil Bald Colin is fresh off of scratching another college basketball venue off the list. And boy did he see a good one. A Top 25 match-up between two of the best teams out west - USC vs. UCLA. So what did he think about The Galen Center, the home of the Trojans? What's his views about the game and it's popularity and passion out in LA? And what the hell does Bob Marley have do with anything on this podcast? Also the way USC built its basketball arena has Tim and Evil questioning what Ohio State could have and should have done.

Chris Mack is out of a job. What a freaking dumpster fire he was at Louisville. We jump into that conversation before we get to a topic that every college hoops fan can kill several hours with -- Who are the Blue Bloods?? We define it, give you some of the criteria, and give you the small and exclusive group of schools. And last but not least, Evil Bald Colin goes in depth on the Big 12. Have you seen how good Ochai Agbaji is? You should take a look. We hope you enjoy the episode. Bend your knees and follow through.

Folks this is a fun one. There really isn't a more proud and prestigious conference than the ACC (cough, Big Ten!) is there? So why the heck is it trending towards being a 4 bid league? Our man Evil Bald Colin gives his takes. Would UNC want a do-over on the Hubert Davis hire? Colin gets his minutes for a Buckeye breakdown as well (27:01) and then Timmy brings along some of his favorite press conference clips to the table. It ranges from emotional to funny, from under the radar guys to maybe the biggest name in college hoops history. Enjoy!

We spend so much time as college hoops fans discussing K, Roy, Knight and Wooden. And for good reason. But there are so many more great coaches that have had a monumental impact on the game and never get the air time or the recognition. We chose to give it to three guys in particular. Herb Magee, Jim Phelan and Paul Patterson. (25:55) And we get rolling in this pod with Colin's handful of Mid Major flavors. Do yourself a favor and start checking out these teams. Because they will make some noise in March. And could it be the Zags finally have some competition out in the WCC? Maybe.

In this episode, we're just two college basketball nerds talking about whether or not something our sport has done since the 1940s even matters at all. We're talking about your ranking in the AP Top 25 poll. We know coaches like to brush it off, but it's not meaningless to be highly thought of by your peers, right? Tim actually was one and done as an AP pollster which he tells you all about (21:55). Colin actually likes to pay attention to more data driven polls, like ESPN's BPI (26:10). And he's got some shocking numbers to give you. Right before they get into the BPI Tim shares one of his most embarrassing college hoops stories.

Do it LIVE!!! Our bosses at 97.1 The Fan let us take the podcast to the radio for a night, and what a show it was. Longtime college hoops analyst @RickBozich (25:00) from WDRB in L'Ville talked about Big Blue and more, as well as how the sport is stepping up in the tornado relief. We started up on why we are so rabid about this game, and we roll it into Colin's breakdown of No. 15 Ohio State. After we talk to Rick, we look at our Final Four picks and allow a couple redos. Then we get to one of our favorite discussions ever, the best venues in the sport. We even discuss an Internet list's accuracy. And before we go, my courtside chat with sharpshooter Dell Curry at the 2008 NCAA Tournament right after his son Steph dropped 40 on Gonzaga's head.

It's the most wonderful time of the year. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you college basketball lovers, and to Matt Sylvester for hitting one of the biggest shots in Ohio State history. At the end of the podcast you'll hear my network pregame interview with the Big Shot Buckeye Legend. Evil Bald Colin and I are living in the moment. There's so many games on TV in so many different places that its hard to cover. We break down Buckeyes hoops and their run in Fort Myers. We'll talk about that win over Seton Hall and break down the Florida Gators as well. We have a Duke story to look at, and then we feast on Holiday Hoops and talk about our dreams to soak in a full tournament in person one day. Which one though? Please enjoy and have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

The Final Four picks are in just in time for the 2021-22 college basketball season to tip off. How excited do you think these two guys are for some ball? Does it really even need to be asked? We address the chalk, The Big Ten's quest for Final Four success, and we each give you a down the chain Final Four pick. Let's just say Tim's is way more out of left field.

The man, the myth, the legend. He's got maybe the silkiest lowest toned voice you've ever heard and it brings you everything Buckeye football and men's basketball every time there's a game. We of course talk hoops with Paul Keels, because that's what we do here. But first Evil and I lay out our thoughts on Ohio State's (preseason No. 17) 123rd team in its history. Keels joins us in the 19th minute and is with us til the end. You'll get stories, hear about the Buckeyes in holiday tournaments, tight roping the crazy schedule between football and hoops in November and December, and more!

The 50th episode features a catch-up with a man who helped lead a memorable Sweet 16 run in 2005 for the UW-Milwaukee Panthers and Coach Bruce Pearl. Marion, Ohio's Ed McCants still has basketball in his blood. He now finds himself as an ambassador for women's hoops, which is awesome. But in this pod we talk about his longing to have been an Ohio State Buckeye, the 2005 tournament run, what the Sweet 16 experience was like at a Mid-Major. Plus a discussion you have to hear on girls' hoops (22:10) and how it deserves better. Plus, what the hell is like to actually play pro ball overseas? He tells you. Enjoy the Mad About Hoops catch up with Ed McCants!