It's time for Coffee and Company, fueled by Thornton's on Sports Talk seven nine day. Now here's Nick Coffee.
As you could expect, we have spent a lot of time talking about the big games yesterday as two teams punched their ticket to the Super Bowl. Very familiar faces when it comes to late runs in the postseason. I mean, the Chiefs could win their third in a row. How many do they have overall? Like with Mahomes, would this be four for him? I think it will be right, This will.
Be number four for him.
Yeah, I'm not exactly keeping up with his you know, his stats, but yeah, four sounded four, honestly, sounded like it might be low, Like maybe he has more than three right now. But the Chiefs, they are currently in the midst of a dynasty and I don't really see it slowing down anytime soon. But the Eagles, they've been a real I mean, what's been a down year for
them lately. I mean, I know that haven't been nearly as good as the Chiefs, obviously, but they're also a team that I don't think anybody can be shocked has made it back to the super Bowl. And I'm gonna be pulling for the Eagles, but you know, I also am going to expect the Chiefs to win, because one I think they're deserving of you know that they've proven that they when they get here, they win, right. I mean, who in fact did they lose to last time in the postseason?
The Chiefs? Yes, the Eagles, right, yeah? Okay?
And then last year the Eagles they lost to the Bucks?
Was it last year? Okay? I kind of don't remember that.
Yeah, it was very they had They started off so hot last year and then they kind of like fell off. I think that was last year, right, I mean, I may be wrong. I'm pretty sure that they lost the Bucks last year.
I just don't remember.
Well, I don't remember the Bucks making a big run of the playoffs, although I do know that they made it because I remember Baker being back in the playoffs with the Buccaneers and winning.
Like that was that was a that was a story.
But either way, it's the Eagles and it's the Chiefs, and I was hoping we got the exact opposite match up Bill's Commanders, and neither team was able to pull through. And I'm just trying to figure out how I'm gonna you know, get it. I want to be excited for the Super Bowl, and I usually have been able to be excited for the Super Bowl regardless if I have a real team to pull for, because sometimes I'm just pulling for a team that I that I you know,
doesn't matter. It's not about who I'm wanting to win. It's about who I'm wanting to lose. And I guess that'll be that'll be the case with the Chiefs. But I've just I realize now, like if I am going to just make it all about anybody but the Chiefs and really root and pull for them to lose games and come up short, I'm gonna be a miserable person, aren't I Like, they're.
Not like they're not going anywhere. I mean, this isn't ending anytime soon, right, Yeah.
And then you have the history of the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes in the last five years of being in the Super Bowl, and when we talked about this earlier, for we're just fatigued at all of the Chiefs being in there or the same old teams, and how someone likes dying I can I could sort of get with both sides.
By the way, the Buccaneers, Oh.
Yeah, yeah, there you go. Yeah, it was like a blowout if I remember.
But yeah, I'm on I'm on both sides of like I like the dynasty, hate it, but also kind of love seeing new matches, but on like the converse end where we really all that pumped a couple of years ago about the Bengals and the Rams making it. I guess it was pretty nice because it's too I guess new war teams. We saw the the Rams in there a few years ago when they had golf and McVeigh and they went up against the Patriots Tom Brady's last as a Patriot. But like and then you have people
rooting for the Bengals to finally get one. But I can understand if that didn't draw as much as you have like the Chiefs coming up and then another rematch with the Eagles. Of course, the forty nine ers did it last year, almost the same scenario, Like they kind of improved on things that they didn't have before. They went out and got an elite running back Christian McCaffrey. That kind of helped them out. Now the Eagles go out and get an even more elite running back with
Sakwan Barkley. So it's it's it almost plays out exactly how the rematch was last year with the forty nine ers.
Yeah, I think the Super Bowl that had the Rams and the Bengals, there's no doubt that big picture that probably wasn't good for the NFL.
There's a lot of hype around here, of course, because.
Yeah, that's what I was going to say. Like for me, I know so many people that love the Bengals. A lot of close friends of mine love the Bengals, and I remember kind of just I mean, I was pulling for Cincinnati because I'm I mean, I'm kind of a fake fan where I can't act like I have any gift. I don't really care if they win or lose, but I prefer them win because I don't dislike them, and I want yeah, and I want my friends.
To be happy.
So the Bengals, it was just a it was such a storyline that they were even there, especially locally, Like can you believe that Joe Burrow in his second season as a quarterback has the Bengals in the Super Bowl. I think before that you could have told people my age that are diehard fans of the Bengals that they never lived to see the Bengals in a Super Bowl
and they probably would have believed you. So there was like a local element that made it kind of cool for me, but I'm sure overall nationally it wasn't that big of a story. It was probably a matchup the NFL did not want. Now, the best storyline right now, at least for me to root for, is Sequon Barkley because he's been able to put together such a phenomenal season with the Eagles, and you know, I think it's been awesome to see how I guess mature he's been
throughout the whole thing. I don't really know if he has any real reason to be like bitter towards New York. But they didn't put a lot of pieces around him. They let him walk at the end and didn't keep him. And he's been nothing but mature and you know, respectful about his time in New York and not really wanting to kind of dance on their grave. And he seems like a really easy guy.
To root for.
And man, look, Derek Henry and Barkley this year, I think had special seasons at the running back position that I hope kind of, you know, changes how the league views that position, I doubt it will. I think you're still going to see very few running backs actually get drafted, especially early on in the earlier rounds, because again, let's
be real, they are the outliers. Henry being able to play this good as he did this late in his career is something you just haven't seen for a while out of running backs.
I mean, Barkley, I don't know.
If he ever looked like he was washed up, but he had injuries and it never I mean, he had a better year this year than he ever had in New York. And again, I think more than anything, it's because he's with a winning culture. There's better pieces around him, so that stuff does matter. But that guess that's what will probably get me pulling for the Eagles and actually really wanting them to win. I mean I do, but it's more so right now because I just don't want it to be the Chiefs.
But it would be a really good story.
For Saquon Barkley to be able to not only win, but maybe he ends up being the MVP. And look, if he keeps playing the way he's playing, I think that'll likely be the who who the trophy goes to. Because he's just been he's just been that good. So I have fatigue with the Chiefs in a major way. But in the last twenty four hours roughly, since it's
kind of set in that here they are again. They're probably gonna win, I certainly, and who knows, maybe they don't win, but I certainly won't be surprised if they do. And I just you know, I'm kind of at a crossroads here. Not that I'm gonna like start being a fan of the Chiefs and cheering for them, but I gotta find something to kind of just you know, neutralize it or not care as much and not be as
big of a hater. Because if I'm sitting around on the edge of my seat just anybody but the Chiefs wanting them to fall apart and be bad, I think I'm gonna be miserable for many years to come, because I don't see this thing slowing down anytime soon. In fact, this year, they haven't looked as scary. They didn't visually put a lot of fear into teams. I don't think just because you know, they just didn't mean they still won. And that's all that really matters, right, You're not playing
for style points in the NFL. Your resume doesn't matter in the NFL. You just need to win, and that's what they do. But I kind of felt like I actually, now that I think about it, I probably didn't say it much on the show. In fact, I probably continued to talk about how they don't look that great, but
you know, you can never count them out. I think deep down, maybe I was lying to myself, and I was just thinking, Okay, they're gonna get humbled, right, they're gonna get beating the playoffs, going to start the conversation about their demise and that their best years are behind them and not in front of them. But I was lying to myself because you know, here we are like yesterday. Yeah, they had some things go their way, especially with that spot on fourth down. I mean they had some breaks
go their way. Both teams did. In fact, every team that plays has occasionally a call that maybe went their way that shouldn't have. But you remember it about the Chiefs because more so than anybody else, because you hate them so much and because they make you pay. But like yesterday, they were just better than Buffalo, right. I don't think there was any luck with that. They were just a better team.
On their first match up, Buffalo didn't.
Trail like the entire four dominated them.
And now the roles were like reversed, and you give Andy Reid an opportunity, and so I wouldn't even say so many people overlook them. But that's gotta be probably like the best coach in NFL history, right, he's got to be etched up there, Andy Reid does.
Oh yeah, and he's been so good there. I forget that he coached the Chiefs or that he coached the Eagles.
Yeah, and that was this thing you could never get over the hump in Philadelphia.
Did I see something that he has more wins than is he the That can't be right. I thought I saw something that said he has the all time wins for both these franchises, the Eagles and the Chiefs. I mean, that doesn't sound right because he wasn't that good with Philadelphia.
But there wasn't a lot at Philadelphia.
Yeah, I know he won. In fact, he made the Super Bowl. I remember that was the McNabb too team.
But I don't know, I can't think of any like great Kansas City coach Hank Stram, that guy that used to roam the sidelines with like the with like the top pat Herm Edwards, he has to have more wins.
Than Herm Edwards.
God, I forgot about Herm.
Yeah.
I obscurity of coaches that that that organization has had over the last few years.
Andy Reid, he I've always thought he was a good coach and unfortunately.
Romeo Crenell Todd Romeo.
Yeah.
But like there's Andy Reid has had some headlines in regards to like his family that have been something you don't typically see from NFL coaches, like his son and whatnot. And so I've always I mean, to me, he's somebody that I've just known is to be a good coach in the NFL. But now like he's clearly I mean
he's legendary. I mean he's he's already done enough as it stands as far as just making the Super Bowl as many I mean, heck, if you make the Super Bowl with two teams in the NFL, like during your time as a coach, and you don't even if you don't win one, you still can claim that you know you've had success. But look there they're not. I don't see the Chiefs slowing down, and we're just gonna have
to live with it. I will say this one of the things we did not talk about yet that I know has been a big talking point after the you know, and this is an this is an obvious thing anytime you watch football. But I think the Chiefs maybe maybe benefiting from there, you know, there being no technology technology
involved a's far as spotting the ball. That's when it becomes a bigger conversation where you see people saying, well, the NFL, with a billion dollar business, you got to be able to do something to where they can't just trust the judgment of some guy on the sideline that the ball got to where it needed to go for a team to get a first down or be denied of a first down.
That kind of stuff.
And I mean wouldn't be shocked, It wouldn't shock me if they were able to develop something. In fact, I didn't even realize this until last night when it became a bigger talking point that the USFL they put a recent chip in the ball that they use and they that's how they spot it. And I guess the UFL does something similar with cameras, so like it is possible, and I guess these two leagues have shown that, like from a technological standpoint, like you can do it.
I've just assumed that that would be way that would be.
There'd be You're opening up so much opportunity for the technology not to work and it get you know, like I just I don't know. There's amazing things we can do technologically that that blows my mind. So having you know, something inside of a football they can quite literally tell you somebody got to the line they needed to get to, like they wouldn't be crazy. I just feel like if that wasn't to work and you were trusting it, like you'd have the ultimate like not know what to do.
But it is, you know, to see.
That other leagues that you know, play football that don't have the budget the resources that the NFL does, you know, maybe eventually they will do something. But again, I feel like that's the kind of thing that comes up that
only comes up the way it does. And there's that many people outraged about the NFL not having technology be a part of it because it's the Chiefs and everybody's mad, Like I bet that happens in every playoff game to an extent, right, there's a guy going forward on well, actually, no, you could even go for a third down and not get it, so then you got a punt, right and if the if they had the technology then you then maybe you would you would have gotten it. It would have
extended the drive and you could win. So the one thing that that is worth mentioning, and I don't know when they do it, but there are plans apparently to address the problem with Mahomes doing his flopping and sliding, which again that's I mean, I get why that's I mean, that's probably been talked about more than anything when it comes to Mahomes and preferential treatment is that he is Manique mulating officials and they don't know what to do
because man, they're forced to always keep players safety in mind. These players, you know, built like automobiles are coming at him, and Mahomes knows how to how to get away with it. He knows that refs are going to always probably want to take care of the quarterback and keep him safe,
especially him, you know, the face of the league. So I mean I kind of fe I get while Mahomes gets criticized for that, but again, as a competitor, he's probably just realizing, Hey, if I got the ability to take advantage of this.
I'm going to take advantage of it.
Yeah, he's smart.
Yeah, So there.
Was the late call that they yeah it was it was a roughing call on Mahomes when he tried to slide when they played the Texans and two players collided and they were clearly not They were trying to figure out, Okay, we know what we can't do. Does it look like he's about to slide? And it's like he knows as soon as he can read that the defender has committed to making some level of contact. He's got the ability to just you know, make it look like he was
trying to slide ahead of time. And you know, again, nobody's got to like this. And I'm sure it's not something that's premeditated, but refs are humans, and I think more often than not in that situation, Patrick Mahomes, you know the face of the NFL. A guy that's that good, he's gonna get that call more times than he's not. And that's that's just the way that it is. But I'm seeing here that there. Yeah, this is from let's see, I'm gonna cite my sources here. This is from ESPN
dot com. I'm reading an excerpt that got put up in Barstool Sports, but the original article is from ESPN. It says amid Mahomes angst NFL eys replay on sidelines for all. It says, for all those complaining that the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes gets too many calls, relief soon could be on the way. NFL Replay Assist is expected to expand this offseason into plays that could include the quarterback slide. That's something that was said over
the weekend. According to ESPN says, the NFL enacted Replay Assist in twenty twenty one to allow replay officials and designated members of the official Officiating Department to assist with on field calls in limited game situations. Replay Assist has been used during games where there is clear and obvious video evidence such as the spot of the ball or a foul, a complete or incomplete pass and touching of the ball, or a line.
So, yeah, that replay assists this year has been so weird.
Yeah, they can pick and choose when they want to use it, and different foul calls don't count face mask and other personal It's just been weird. If you're going to have that extra eye in the sky, then commit to it.
Yeah, in the NFL, by the way, they could have some goofs and still not have to worry about losing viewership because that's how much they dominate. But where they really should consider like consistency and you know, like you
shouldn't have people confused. And I know that can happen for those who don't watch football that closely, who really don't understand the rules, But people who've watched it their whole life are probably questioning what Austin just mentioned, like wait a second, if they have the ability, why aren't they looking at it more? But then again you think to yourself, well, that'll impact the experience if we have to call if we have so much stoppage where.
You're reviewing everything.
But that's why it's tricky, Like if you have the that's why when it comes to having the ability to go review anything in sports, I just think you put your I mean again that you would think that's what you want right, make sure you get it right. But when it's selective and you don't always go double check something that you have the ability to review, to me again, I get why that you only do it on certain instances because you don't want stoppage after every dead ball.
And you may have that right if if reps could tell you every time they think you got a call wrong, you need to go look at it, Like I mean that you would never be able to do that.
That's not realistic.
But there being things that you know you can't review, but you know it because you got it wrong. It's going to impact who wins or loses. Like that to me is just an awful, awful thing that is that exists currently in sports. I don't know how you fix it, because again I think when you have the ability to fix it, you should And there's been many times where you're glad your team was able to have the benefit
of a replay to change it. But there's also times where well, you can't review that, so therefore, what are you going to do? Like again, we're all fans of sports. I don't think there's much they could do to make us not watch it. But whenever it's selective and it's not consistent as far as hey, our job out here is to get it right.
Like I just think it's not steered me away.
From watching, and clearly viewership and the most popular sports around here is not declining because of the stoppage and the inconsistencies with what you can and can't review. But to me, it's just never really made a lot of sense. Look, if you have the ability to go fix it, go fix it. Don't tell me, well, we can review this,
but we can't review that. But then again, as I mentioned, you're opening up a whole new can of worms and have even more stoppage than we have now, and that's the exact thing that you don't want.
But I will say this about the Chiefs.
I mean, even though I can think of many instances during their run here, not just this season, but of course in the midst of this dynasty where touching Patrick Mahomes was called targeting and it shouldn't have been. Or you know, they got new life because of a call. I can't tell you that I believe they're in this position potentially going to win their four super Bowl, third consecutive. I can't tell you that I believe it's because they
get preferential treatment. I think they get preferential treatment, but I don't think that's why they're as good as they are. And I think that here I am talking talking through it with you guys as I I guess, you know, try to deal with being just a hater. Like maybe the more that I do in fact recognize their greatness, it'll help me deal with it better.
But I don't think anybody, even.
The most vocal anti Chiefs people out there, if you were being honest with yourself, you would acknowledge both things are true. Yeah, they do in fact get some benefit that maybe others don't get, certainly the whistle that Mahomes gets. But they're also just really good and they make it look easy and we hate that. At least I know it.
And want to talk about rooting on some downfall. I'm surprised they haven't talked about it yet. But you saw who was in the locker room yesterday celebrating with the Chiefs, right which one? Yeah, the Patrick Mahomes look a light guy. He's annoying. You're you're a grown man, dude. Well, I mean I don't.
Remember if you were here the day we talked about it.
Yeah, I was okay, like a couple of weeks ago.
Because I for those who don't know what we're talking about, the Nebraska quarterback he is doing Patrick Mahomes cosplay. He's a he's was a freshman in Nebraska last year. I mean,
had a good season. They snapped their huge bowl streak and and you know, I'm not saying they're great, but like he he was a big time commit for them, and he is a Patrick Mahomes fan clearly, But I mean he he which is fine, Yeah, which is fine, But one he rubbed me the wrong way when he acted like he couldn't he doesn't know why people like think he looks like him.
And I'm like, dude, you.
You have deep rooted issues that need to be dealt with as a human being, not an athlete. If you're sitting here, straight faced, being honest and telling us that you don't know why people think you look like you, I mean, I think he does every little thing every day of his life, trying to do it exactly the way he envisions that Patrick Mahomes would do it.
Abs And it's cool to be but I.
Guess what irritates me is that it's there's nothing wrong with you saying you idolize this player and that you think he's great. He's a great guy to idolized. Look how successful he is, but like the hairstyle.
The headband, the headband.
The way he like pumped this pumps, like there are things that like, look, even if you did all that and acknowledged it, I still think it'd be weird. But for him to like be offended when people bring it up like he's got is Like again, I'm not trying to like, I mean, I get I'm not even trying
to make fun of him. I'm being serious, like that guy's got problems, Like that's not normal for you to like, if Patrick Mahomes ever ends up dead, I'm thinking that guy had something to do with it, like or he just tried to like get rid of him so he could be like maybe he would show up to the to the Chiefs facility as the new Patrick Mahomes.
Like yeah, I'll interer if anyone will notice this. Yeah, I mean like Romeo and Juliet's it, like Pat, I can't live in a world where you're not living.
Yeah, and like there are plenty of athletes that that you can see at times have picked up certain things from a different era.
This is not that like this is this is just a little bit different.
Yes, and it wouldn't have even been I mean it's it's clearly a talking point within college football, and people notice, Hey, this this quarterback for Nebraska. Man does he love Patrick Mahomes? He really tries to be dislike him? But whenever I listened to him, be like I don't even like like he didn't know why. It's a thing, like come on, man, like you're serious, aren't you? I think that's that's that's my thing.
Weird.
I think he was.
Serious that he doesn't he doesn't think people like are onto him, Like, no, you're like you're you might be a psychopath because that's not like I had idols growing up, but like I never tried to actually, like, you know, be them.
If he is stone cold Steve Austin is my idol. I'm not shaving my head and drinking be.
You're not walking You're not walking into her boss's office and giving him a stone cold stunner.
Right and stopping a mudhole in someone's ass.
If he has a girlfriend, which I'm not sure if he does or not, but like, if he has a girlfriend and we see that, like she is identical to Brittany Mahomes, who's surprised, right, and nobody'd be shocked and everybody'd be laughing, and I'd be like, we need to stop laughing and get this person some help because this is just weird. It's weird, all right, Let's talk some hoops on the other side. Coffee and Company.
Feel about Thornton's right here on Sports Talk seven.
Ninety Now back to Coffee and Company fueled by Thornton's on Sports Talk seven nine day.
So we've got both Louisville and Kentucky back at action tomorrow night. Kentucky of course, trying to give back to their winning ways after losing Sevanderbilt on Saturday. And Louisville, I mean they're going to try to continue their winning ways.
In fact, they mean.
We've got a couple people ask on the text line if I worry about any kind of a letdown because they had a week off.
I mean, maybe you might.
See like some rust or something, but I don't know.
I'd be shocked.
I think you're so deep into the season that having a week off without a game. I mean, I would hope that it's more it's more of a beneficial thing for the team than it is anything else. And I would imagine if you ask Pat Kelsey behind closed doors he probably would not have wanted to have a week off, but you know it's part of it. So I mean, if they have a bad game tomorrow, when they lose, I mean, we'll never know if it was because they
had a week off of anything. I guess you could say they were just due to have a dud type performance because you know they've been playing so well as of late. But I just until I see any sign of this team, you know, having that kind of a performance. And I don't mean like that they that they can't lose. But when it comes to how well they've played in January, what has given them such a boost as far as not just winning, but how well they're playing, Like they're
dominating some teams. We went through it earlier. They're four point win at Pittsburgh. That's the only close game they've had in this stretch of play to where they've won nine overall. And really, I know the Florida State win and the Ekau win they count to, right, they haven't lost a game since December fourteenth, been a long time. That was the Kentucky game. But it really changed for me when they played Carolina on New Year's Day and they just came out with a little bit more intensity.
They were really good defensively, tension to detail on the scout. I mean, they were just outworking their opponents. And even in some of those games they didn't shoot well. I mean they had bad nights at the free throw line, or at least one. It stands out to where like you felt like, man, it's gonna be tough for them to win. They really are struggling at free throws. I think it might have been the Carolina game and certainly the Pit game, but it hasn't mattered because they've just
been so good in every other area. And what is we can't ignore the shooting performances they've had along the way. I mean it wasn't just Rain Smith. I mean he hit ten of them against SMU and that was awesome. But when they went on the road to Syracuse, like that was another game where they shot it really well. I mean Chucky would he go five of seven or
five of eight from three. So when they are knocking down shots and shooting, you know, forty ish percent as a team, making ten or more, and then they're doing all the other things that are easier to control, right like playing really hard defensively, outworking your opponent. I mean, that's when they become really dangerous to where they could they could be a really tough out for anybody in
the NAA tournament. So what has me so confident, I guess in this group is their consistency in the last month and that what's made them again, what's made them. I think a team that is in this position is what you can control.
Right.
It's coming ready to play, being locked in. I mean again, they're going to make mistakes, They're not perfect. But until I see any sign of like a letdown, I'm going to assume they come mount tomorrow and continue to take care of business and beat Away for his team that
they should beat. And when you've won nine in a row, you've put together a fifteen and five record, you're a top twenty five team, you know, I think we can say that, right, Like I thought this year would be a year where really no game was I going to be super confident in. And I'm not, maybe overly confident, but like I would have to really lie to myself to not approach this game tomorrow from a fans perspective. Of course, this may shock you. I'll have no outcome
in the game. But like, I'm expecting my team to continue to do what they're doing, and if they do that, I know they're going to win because they're better. So until I see I guess I was thinking, until I see a sign of it coming, I don't even really know where you'd find a sign that they're going to have like a letdown. But I mean, they just keep
getting better. I mean that SMU performance was dominant, and you're not going to be able to bank on somebody making ten threes in a game or anything like that. But they didn't need the ten threes from Rain in order to win that game with ease. They were already
you know, in good control. So if he's hitting four a game, I mean, that is that's gonna make the world a really dangerous And by the way, right now, I mean he's up there as far as I mean, I wouldn't be shocked if he's Maybe because they didn't
play last week. I actually need to look at this because the uh he had more threes than anybody from the Power five conferences after the SMU game, as you could expect, he made ten, But because they didn't play Saturday, I wonder if he's still he's still up there.
Yeah right now.
When it comes to three point field goals made per game, his three point nine leads all of college basketball, not just the Power five, but all of college basketball, and as far as the total threes made. For some reason, they don't show that in this breakdown here at ESPN Stats page. But yeah, I mean, I'm excited for tomorrow knowing that, hey, it'll just be another day where you probably take care of business and fans are going to enjoy it.
I hope there's a great crowd there. Won't care if there's not.
As far as the numbers, I know those that are going to be there are going to be rowdying into it because that's how much the fans love watching this team play. So I'm excited, but I am a little bummed to know that I believe and I you know, it's just my belief, which isn't worth anything because you know, it's just just I can't prove this, and perception is reality.
Wake Forest I think is a good team, Like I think wake Forest should easily be a team right now that looks like they're in the tournament, and maybe you know, I don't want to act as if they they should be safely in and have like a really good seed. But right now, let's go to bractology and just the first one that comes up. It's usually Leonardi, but you know he doesn't update his a whole lot. His last update was three days ago. Let's see with Jerry Palm.
Let's see when he did his his His was updated today. So Jerry Palm and I guess we can give you the update.
Yeah.
So he's got Louisville as a five seed right now, and he's got Kentucky now as a four after their loss to Andy. And he's got Carolinas one of the last four. Actually he has Wake he has wake Forest in as one of the last four in. But their net is seventy one. Let me give you an example, and this is where you have to kind of just understand.
The net is not the end.
All be all, but it is a valuable It is a valuable I mean, actually, I'm gonna I was gonna lie to you. I think the net sucks, to be honest with you. The net does not factor winning and losing as much as it should. But I just know that that's what the committee uses.
It's not the only thing.
But when it comes to the different formulas out there, right, the RPI, the strength to schedule, the kin Palm, the Net, the bart Torvik, the Sagarin like they have they can utilize all those, And I know there's more than just the net, but the net is their own, like the net was created by somebody at the NCAA hired to create it. So I'm not defending the net like it's perfect. I just know that it matters. It's not the end
all be all, but it does matter. And whenever you know how it works and you choose not torategically schedule, like knowing like you're gonna put yourself in a bad spot, Like it's just it's indefensible to be honest with you like that. I'm resetting from last week, but I feel like I feel even stronger about this than I did a week ago because I've now watched wake Forest play.
I watched him beat North Carolina.
They were I mean, I think it was like fifty six to fifty one at some point late in the game against Duke, and then they ended up ended up losing to Duke.
But Duke's I.
Mean Duke's great, Duke's number one. See Duke, Maybe the best team in the country when it's all said and done, in wake Forest, you know they've competed with him. And in fact, I wouldn't be shocked if I don't have the net pulled up and in the kin Palm, Yeah, Wake they went from number let's see. Yeah, they jumped up like they lost to Duke, but they jumped up four spots because it was a competitive game. So my issue with Wake is their scheduling in the non conference.
So let me go back to the net really quick here and then I'll run down like Wake Forest is seventy three in the net. I'm sorry, seventy three in Kin Palms, seventy one in the net. The other teams that are on the that are in this group of last four in Texas their net is thirty two. North Carolina their net is forty. New Mexico's net is fifty six. These are bubble teams that are on the outside looking in. First four out Ohio State twenty ninth, SMU forty fourth
BYU thirty eight. Again, Wake Forest has a worse net than all these bubble teams, and it's not even close, and that could have been avoidable. And what I mean by that is if you didn't play the worst of the worst and barely get by them, you would have a much better net. You would be a team that
has a fifteen and five. They have the same record as Louisville, the same exact record, fifteen and five, and yet they they do not only need to beat a Louisville or a Duke at some point to feel safely in like they need to like blow out teams like Cal and NC State in Virginia and Georgia Tech. Because you're now playing league team like other leagues are doing this, they're going to the bottom of the barrel when they you know, when they play the bums of their conference.
But even the bums of the SEC, the Big twelve and the Big ten are like in the top fifty or the top sixty. The ACC has got a bunch of teams that are nowhere near that, so you have to beat them badly. And I just think Steve Forbes last year Wake was a bubble team and they ended up losing late and there was a lot of there was a lot of yapping from ACC coaches, and I don't really blame them because you know, there's no harm that can be done. But like it would. Also, I
don't know, I get it. You're gonna advocate for your team and your league and it may never help you, but if it, by chance, you know, if it does, maybe resonate with a committee member and they realize, you know what, he's right. His team is better than a lot of people are giving him credit for. We should put him in Like there's really no harm. And if you, you know, it's almost almost like if you're not advocating for your team and using your platform to do so,
then like are you really trying? So at times I feel like, you know, I would probably do the same thing if I was an ACC coach in that position. But you also have to kind of look in the mirror. Like last year, Forbes was really vocal about the ACC not getting enough credit and how the ACC network needs to step it up and start really advocating for their league, and I'm just sitting here like, dude, I hear you,
but you got to go earn it. Like last year, wait, I think I don't even know what their schedule looked like last year, but they were very much a bubble team. But this year, like the fact that you played coppin State North Carolina State, USC Upstate, Western Carolina, Detroit Mercy. Those are some of the worst teams in college basketball. And you knew when you scheduled them that if you play them, you have to beat them bad. And they
barely got by some of them. And I'm not arguing that that's the way it should be, because I think when I talked about it last time, there were a lot of folks that were acting like I'm claiming that it should matter. I'm not, like, you shouldn't have to beat a bad team by forty in order to not fall in the net the kin palm whatever, Like that's flawed, and I've been pretty vocal about that, but it is what it is. It's not been changed. It still matters.
So when you schedule and you know what the criteria is, you know how this works. You can't play victim right, like you're fifteen and five and quite literally, the only reason you're a bubble team is because of who you scheduled, Like, don't go play a team from the three hundreds, play a team from the two hundreds. Like the average college basketball fan wouldn't know this, but like there's a big difference in playing Coppin State usc Up State and Radford
or sam Houston State. Like again, you could even be a big college basketball fan of your of you know, high level college hoops and not realize there's a two hundred plus difference between those teams I mentioned that Wake played and the longwoods of the world, the mains of the world, even Southeastern Louisiana is in the two hundreds. Like again, if you're going to play one, I mean, and look, everybody does it. Everybody plays teams of that caliber.
But when you choose to play teams that you know, and by the way, it's not like it was a random one off. These teams that Wake played, they scheduled. They've been the worst of the worst for years every year. Coppin State, North Carolina A and t usc Upstate, Western Carolina, Detroit, Mercy. I'm not kidding you. You could go back for the last ten years and I bet those schools we were consistently in the bottom tier of the sport, and just
choosing to play them is foolish. You stand nothing to gain by doing it unless you beat them by fifty, which again, who would want to do that? And you know, easier said than done to beat somebody by that much. So I'm kind of angry because I wish Wake Forest didn't do this because the ACEC would be benefiting from having at least another decent to good team, and there'd be some like.
Here's what's wild.
If Lousville loses to Wake tomorrow, that's like a quad three loss. And I know that Wake is a better team than that, but because of how they scheduled, that's where we are. It's just foolish and it would be different if the league wasn't so vocal about, you know, being treated unfairly. Anyways, quick break, we'll come back on the other side and wrap this thing up or here on Sports Talk seven ninety.
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Day, somebody asked an interesting question during the break there on the text line, and I don't know this for certain, but you're probably right. So Tyler Johnson plays for Wake Forest, so he'll be back in Louisville. In fact, he might be back in Louisville as we speak. And somebody asked, is this the most Louisville former Louisville players that Louisville has had to play against in the same season, and
I mean it has to be. You've got Jalen Withers at Carolina, Matt Cross at SMU, Dre Davis when he was at ole Miss, and then Tyler or Tomorrow. So I mean you got to keep in mind it was very rare for guys to even transfer until the last five years or so, so I doubt there's been a previous season where Louisville has played as many former players as they have, And honestly, two of them, you're only like, they're only still playing college basketball because of a global
pandemic gave them an extra year of eligibility. That's Matt Cross and Andre Davis. So like Skytt Clark is is that UCLA, you won't play them unless they go to the tournament. Mike James has heard, but brand Hilly Hatfield is playing for Ency State. You'll obviously play them coming
up a little later this season. So yeah, I would imagine that's probably a record and probably won't be broke because again, even in the portal era, the likelihood of Louisville having so many former players currently playing in college basketball, it would take something like what happened here recently where you have to start from complete scratch and build a brand new team, which you know that's a scary thing to think about, but I know Louisville fans, we're ready
to embrace a fresh new start, completely brand new and here we are, and man, it's been awesome. I think the one complaint that I've heard, and it's not genuine, it's not.
Like people are upset.
But if there is a way to be upset, it's that you only get this this whole group for one year because you know, some of these guys are going to be exhausting their eligibility, but no clue exactly what we should expect from guys that are that do have eligibility left. But you know, like Javon Hadley can play an extra year if he wants, and I would love to have him around. I mean, i'd say he's enjoying his experience here. Caseon Prior could play two more years.
Corn Johnson he's gonna get a medical red shirt. So you know, again, you never know when it comes to what guys are going to do, because they can leave and they have way more power and control than they've ever had before. But I think if we keep the guy that's kind of in charge right, not to say he'll be able to bring in these kind of players. I mean, I think Chucky Hepburn. If I'm being real with you, it's one of the best players we've had in a long time. Like he's going to be the
ultimate fan He already is the ultimate fan favorite. And we only get him for a year, which is unfortunate. But you know, let's enjoy it while we got him. All Right, we're out of time. Enjoy your evening. We're back at it tomorrow Game Day Edition to Coffee and Company tomorrow at three right here on Sports Talk seven ninety