00:00I like Bruce Pearl a lot.
00:02If you've ever watched his show, you know that I'm a fan of Bruce Pearl's.
00:04He was a really great college basketball coach.
00:07His son took over from him at Auburn.
00:09His son, only experience was working with his old man.
00:12He was like Rick Pitino's kid who went to other places.
00:15And then became a head coach.
00:16He went to like Siena and worked his way up.
00:18Yeah, I think he's a savior now, Pitino's kid.
00:19That makes that sound right.
00:20I think that's where he's at.
00:21You guys can double-check that.
00:22Because I know they played head-to-head a couple times this year.
00:25In any event, I just got to say this to put it out there.
00:27Because I'm a big March Madness guy like Tyrone is.
00:30And to be fair, I watch a few college teams prior to March.
00:34And then March is I'm all in on college basketball.
00:37Like everybody else, I'm excited for the Big East tournament next week.
00:40Right here at the Garden, as it always is.
00:42That being said, Bruce Pearl is out of his absolute mind.
00:46Yes.
00:46So we told you last week there's a college basketball team.
00:49It's a mid-major Ohio.
00:51That is, at the time, was 28-0.
00:54Yes.
00:54They got a couple games left.
00:56Fingers crossed for them.
00:58They could end their regular season.
00:59I guess 30-0 or 29-0.
01:02The only undefeated team left in all of Division I.
01:05And then, of course, you got to go to your postseason tournament.
01:08And there's a big debate.
01:09A team like that that's never lost, but we all acknowledge,
01:12doesn't have a lot of big wins against major ranked teams
01:15because their conference doesn't have any.
01:17Do they need to win their postseason conference tournament
01:20to actually get in with the automatic bid into the dance?
01:24Right.
01:25Meaning, if they got upset in the semis or finals, do they get an at-large bid?
01:29I say yes.
01:30Okay?
01:31And I acknowledge your schedule's not as tough as, you know,
01:35ACC, Big East, SEC, Big Ten, et cetera.
01:38But, man, if you go 32-1 or something like that, you go to the tournament.
01:43I agree.
01:43That's what the tournament's all about.
01:45I agree with you.
01:45So, my guy, Bruce Pearl, is trying to make an argument that his alma mater,
01:51which he's still on the payroll for, and where his son is the head coach,
01:55Auburn, despite the fact that they have 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13,
02:0614 losses this year, are four games under .500 in their own conference,
02:12that somehow, someway, if they win a couple more games
02:17and a game in their postseason tournament,
02:20that they deserve to be in the dance more than Ohio.
02:25And I'm saying to myself, Bruce Pearl, I love you.
02:29You got to stop.
02:30You're embarrassing yourself.
02:33I'm sorry.
02:34I know he's your son.
02:35I know you love Auburn.
02:37I know they're still paying you.
02:38But you have to stop.
02:40Because that take is everything wrong with college sports today.
02:46Because it sets up the parameter that no matter how great a season you have,
02:52if you're in a, quote, unquote, lesser conference talent-wise,
02:56there's nothing you can do to get into the tournament
03:00and try to win a national championship.
03:02It's why I love the fact that James Madison was in the football tournament.
03:07It's why I love the fact that Tulane was in the tournament.
03:12Do they have a great chance to win it all?
03:14No, they don't.
03:15But they earn the right to try.
03:18And that's why a team like Ohio, it's Miami of Ohio.
03:21Miami of Ohio.
03:22Pardon me.
03:23Miami of Ohio deserves, at this point, if they don't win another game,
03:27I would put them in the tournament.
03:29Now, they might be a 14 seed.
03:31They might be a 15 seed.
03:33They might be a 13 seed.
03:36But, man, if you go 28-0, which is where they're at now, I believe,
03:40and you have a couple games left.
03:4229-0.
03:43So they won over the weekend.
03:45So if you're 29-0 and you haven't lost to anybody,
03:49if you stumble or falter in the semis or the finals of your conference tournament,
03:56that shouldn't erase an entire season of winning.
03:59And, again, if you want to make them the 14 seed, I got no problem with that.
04:04But you can't tell those kids in that team that you're not worthy of one of 68 spots
04:11in March Madness.
04:12And far more worthy than a team like Auburn that's got 14 losses.
Comments