After Hours with Amy Lawrence PODCAST: Hour 2

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BetQL.com today to start your three-day free trial. One more could you ask for to tip off the Sweet 16 in New York and Las Vegas. A game that goes into overtime at Madison Square Garden between Michigan State and Kansas State. An NCAA tournament record 19 assists by the Kansas State point guard.

We'll get to that coming up. But then Blue Bloods as well in Las Vegas. Gonzaga versus UCLA with these wild momentum swings. The Bruins up by 13 in the first half. Gonzaga puts together a classic run to go up by 10 in the second half only to see the Bruins rally for a one-point lead.

Are you kidding? It was still hanging in the balance with seconds to go. Strother will get it in. Salas picks it up.

Clock starts 11 seconds. Salas across the top line. Pitch it back. Strother deep three from the top of the key.

Got it. Oh he hit it. Strother from the top. Seven seconds left. Campbell on the run into the front court. Drives to the right side. Stripped away. Strother's got it.

Found with 1.1 to go. The Vegas native pulls up from deep and puts Gonzaga in the lead and then gets a steal at the other end. Strother walking staring into the crowd. What a shot by Strother who was at a tough night with his heels and the March Madness logo drills a three and with 1.1 to go he can ice it. Gonzaga leads 78-76. The play was a little dribble handoff action to see if we could get a defense on their heels a bit and initially when coach drew it he kind of drew you know just search it a little bit maybe go downhill and I kind of just asked him like can I shoot it like if if no one steps up on me like do you want me to shoot it and he was like absolutely so then I shot it.

No one stepped up on him with his heel on the logo. That's Julian Strother who is a Vegas native. Wowzers. The calls with Ryan Radke on the Westwood One NCAA radio network. It's after hours with Amy Lawrence in the wake of these really incredible games to get at least half of our final or our lead eight all set. We're pleased to welcome Arash Markazi who was posted up on the corner of the court at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. He is the founder and CEO of the Sporting Tribune and Arash I watched your videos on your Twitter.

Man those are phenomenal. So what was your perspective? Take us through those final few moments as this game between UCLA and Gonzaga is hanging in the balance. I mean you touched on it Amy. I mean it was an incredible like wave of emotions where UCLA takes this big you know 13-point lead at the half. Gonzaga's up you know 10, two and a half to go.

UCLA comes back and then when UCLA comes back you're thinking that's it. The amazing thing is Julian Strother was really the local story. I mean this was the you know prodigal son returning home and so I mean he he did so many you know group interviews during practice on Wednesday and then you could kind of feel that he was perhaps tight tonight just really not performing well. So when he shot that shot I think everyone on press row is thinking like I know you're struggling son but what are you doing and then he hits it and it was the most incredible thing. It was straight out of a movie and then gets the steal gets fouled and immediately after that goes up to his father hugs his father and says this is my city.

This is my city. I mean this was a young man who lost his mom at the age of nine but was really one of the high school heroes here. So everyone in Las Vegas knew about him uh again you know didn't play well for the majority of the game but then man did he come on strong late. Final seven seconds. He has the three-pointer to put Gonzaga ahead but then also has a steal and a free throw just to be sure. So Arash when I was watching your videos I love the roar because you're on the court or right off the corner of the court and so you're at court level the the fans are up and above you. I couldn't tell if it was a pro UCLA or a pro Gonzaga crowd what it sound like to you? So I mean pro UCLA but only because of the connection with Los Angeles and Vegas.

Again it's you know it's a half hour flight. It's a three-hour drive and so there was a lot of UCLA fans. That being said I mean this has become Gonzaga's home away from home come conference tournament time and again this is this was a very significant night in Las Vegas by the way. The first time that they had hosted an Elite 8 2016 NCAA tournament. So you know generally speaking if you're a Gonzaga fan you know you're saving up for the conference tournament. They run that conference tournament in Vegas. I really get a sense that you're going to see a lot more Gonzaga fans. Again if you didn't see them tonight on Thursday nights they're going to pack that place.

I mean this has really become their home away from home. What changed for Gonzaga and UCLA in the second half? It's a great question and I mean there was so many like ebbs and flows in this game. The interesting thing was that what Mark View said was this was the tempo that they wanted. This was the tempo that they were comfortable with and they felt that listen UCLA I mean it's been well documented you know not at full strength.

Right. They really felt that at some point in time them going six deep they're gonna they're gonna tire out. But you know to be honest like even as I'm saying that I'm like this was just a classic game. So it really came down to the last shot and so maybe if there was a few more seconds on the clock UCLA would have found a way to win.

But again you know 17 years to the day Amy from that like Adam Morrison shot. And by the way he's now doing color commentary so he was courtside. Just these two schools have played some classic NCAA tournament games. Arash Markazi of the Sporting Tribune is with us from Las Vegas following these two games that couldn't have been more different and yet were very entertaining.

It's after hours with Amy Lawrence CBS Sports Radio. The I would say the saltiness maybe a little spiciness from Mick Cronin after the game was well documented. What happened because he seemed to indicate and I saw it on your Twitter as well that that the post game press conferences weren't in the order that he was used to or would have expected. And so I got corrected but here's what generally happens and I mean I've covered a lot of these events over the years you know you know the team that loses they just want to go home. They want to go back home. They want to go back to the hotel. The Gonzaga press conference I felt went a little bit longer than it should have.

We're post-Covid. I mean they took about six questions like on Zoom so the people in the room asked all their questions. They took a bunch of questions over Zoom. Listen I know Mick Cronin's frustrated but I could understand you know if you have to wait like a half hour. I totally get his frustration there but yeah this was that was a very short press conference. The players didn't really talk a whole lot. Mick didn't really want to expand on what had happened. You know listen quite frankly he was upset with the officiating. I did not see anything wrong with the officiating tonight. He was upset that they weren't at full strength.

Can't do anything about that. So yeah it was unfortunate because listen they've had such a great season and it really came down to one miraculous shot. Who was the biggest star and I don't mean basketball or sports I mean who was the biggest celebrity that you saw there in Vegas for these games today? Well it was Bill Murray Amy. I'm very excited. I'm a big Bill Murray fan and what I love about him is just the absolute pride and joy that he has in his son Luke is an assistant coach at UConn.

You know because he could just be the dad who's you know quiet or maybe he's sitting in a suite. I mean he's there row one behind the bench losing his mind and then the funny thing was during the UCLA Gonzaga game they invited him to sit with the coaches and scout the game and the funny thing was like Luke was talking to his dad about you know pointing out what Gonzaga's doing and so just from a father-son perspective yes Bill Murray's a comedic genius yeah I'm a huge fan but just the absolute pride that he took in his son's success was so cool to see. That's awesome. All right let's talk about the UConn win. They make quick work of Arkansas and what I thought was really impressive was how the Huskies and their aggressive mentality kind of kept the Arkansas defense chasing because that's what they want to do. They want the game to be ugly and yet that's the opposite of what happened. The Huskies played some really pretty basketball.

When did this start to get out of hand? It was so early and you're thinking that like Arkansas is going to find a way to come back but really like Amy it went from you know 10 to 12 to 20 to 25 almost 30. By the way give UConn a ton of credit. I mean they've really done this throughout the tournament.

They have not played a close game. I'm hopeful and I fully expect a close game on Saturday against Gonzaga but UConn's really gone from being like a very good team obviously but to a team that I mean there's no team I don't think in the country that's playing as well as they are because it's really a testament to them come tournament time as we saw in the UCLA-Gonzaga game you can lose or you can gain and lose a 12-13 point lead quickly. What UConn has found a way to do during this tournament they go up by 12 they'll find a way to go up by 20, 25 and so again unfortunately for Arkansas great fan base you know but they never had a moment to enjoy their trip to the Sweet 16. You mentioned Vegas and we know there's a bunch of events that are cycling through Vegas now that it's got T-Mobile Arena and obviously Allegiant Stadium so the Pro Bowl was there the draft is headed there we've got NCAA tournament basketball there's always been golf there's NASCAR I mean is a full-fledged pro sports and college sports mecca now. Not only that Amy by the way the NCAA tournament's not the biggest event in town this weekend Taylor Swift back-to-back concert at Elite Stadium both of them are sold out both of them going for upwards of $700 a ticket so yes while me as a sports fan now I'm very happy about the tournament being here the Swifties they have taken over Las Vegas. So I can imagine it's some kind of buzz there this weekend with the mix although Vegas is used to that it's not like Vegas is a stranger to that type of an atmosphere but yeah I mean even the Super Bowl is headed there so right now it's a major sports destination. 100% so there's two big events here happening Amy the Formula One Grand Prix that is the biggest event when I tell you the prices for some of these tickets I've never seen multi-million dollar packages in some of these packages are you'll have a private chef you'll have a private car this that and the other that takes place in November then in February I can't even imagine this and the locals here still it's like they don't know what to think the Super Bowl is coming to Vegas generally speaking if you can't be at the Super Bowl the next best place to be is in Vegas you go to a sports budget it's a great time the actual Super Bowl will be on the Las Vegas strip it's crazy. Believe it or not and I admit this sometimes people think I'm nutso I've never been to Vegas and so when we're out there because after hours we'll be there for the Super Bowl come next February when we're out there it will be my first time ever and I know I'll be overwhelmed I won't be able to see and visit and take it all in everything but I can't wait it feels like that's the right time to go ahead and see everything Vegas has to offer as much as they can cram into Super Bowl week. Well the beautiful thing about being in Vegas for your show 12 midnight is a perfectly totally normal time everyone's happening when I was talking to your producer normally 12 midnight you know pacific time I'm usually in bed listen I'm in Vegas now the night has just begun. There you go well we're so excited to steal a few minutes with you Arash you can find him on twitter at Arash Markazi M-A-R-K-A-Z-I he's the sporting tribune in fact he is the sporting tribune the founder and the CEO and he's a Vegas regular he's got some really incredible videos from the corner of the court UCLA Gonzaga going down to the wire thank you for a few minutes it's always good to talk to you my friend. Amy you're the best we'll talk to you soon bye. Yes he says in Vegas you got to stay up late well that fits us perfectly because it is exactly 12 15. Well 12 15 I want to say am but it's just it's not really am if it's 12 15 and you're still awake it's it's your p well you know what I mean it's your Thursday night it's still my Thursday night I tend to stay on pacific time because it just fits the lifestyle a little bit better my body doesn't know that that's another story altogether but really cool that we've got games and events that are now making Vegas legit it's no longer a just about the gambling obviously they were the first place the og when it comes to sports gambling and sports books but because that is spread out around the country where the majority of states now have legalized gambling Vegas is getting into the more legit sports business and and I'm being tongue-in-cheek but with a pro hockey team and obviously the Raiders there with Allegiant Stadium and the number of events they're attracting because they've got world-class facilities there could be more I wouldn't be surprised if we see more uh whether it's pro or whether it's just more events that show up there because of the facilities they've obviously got the hotels to be able to handle the influx of people and as Arash points out there's always some type of concert whether in residency or traveling I personally want to go out there and visit the Hoover Dam I know that makes me a total nerd but some of the incredible hiking and and the desert the gulf that I've heard about Las Vegas so yeah I'll get out there at the very least next February that's a promise by the way write it down anyone want to write it down don't put it past me just trust me take my word for it you should see Jay's face right now you're not putting it past me are you oh absolutely not I'm scheming don't you worry plotting I've been plotting for sure it's after hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS sports radio you are listening to the after hours podcast this is after hours with Amy Lawrence you can't care what people think no matter what people say to you it can't change you you can't allow it to change you how about the guy who said to me you should give me some more respect I am the guest hey I am the guest on the show so show me a little bit of respect no bye buddy see ya haters gonna hate you can embarrass yourself in front of the entire country I have no trouble with that we get a lot of people who hate Amy Lawrence shake it off because you can't please everybody what's not as open-minded I've been listening to you and giving time for our cause and I like to say you doing your own thing it's gonna be a bunch of haters don't worry about what they're saying I think you're doing a great job call Amy at eight five five two one two four CBS I am not a Swiftie I'll just make that declaration she obviously has built an empire and is extremely popular and you don't cross Swifties because they will come after you in droves they're worse than sports radio animals coming after you on social media the Swifties they unite and they'll get incensed and enraged if they feel as though they're queen or they are being wronged so just beware the Swifties yeah she's talented I will I will give her that I think I just outgrew the music a little bit but I know we have a lot of people who work in our building who absolutely adore Taylor Swift it's after hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS sports radio so Taylor is in Vegas along with the NCAA tournament first time ever elite eight games and and that'll be coming up well sweet 16 games an elite eight game coming up on Saturday so the very next game in Vegas college basketball comes up on Saturday between Gonzaga and Yukon and man yet another one where I think who this could go a variety of ways now the games on Friday you've got coming from Louisville and coming from Kansas City so more in the center of this great United States and the two one seeds that are remaining will be the first two to to get on the court so Alabama is taking on San Diego State that's a 1-5 matchup as is Houston and Miami so those are your early games on Friday but I know the one you're all excited about the one you're most looking forward to Princeton the Tigers are still dancing and they will take on Creighton that's the second game in Louisville and if you missed my conversation with Zach Martini a junior from the Princeton squad you want to go back and listen to that because they're calm they are not only a team that's poised and feels like they can handle pressure but it's not by accident I mean that they're there's a method to the Princeton madness to be sure so if you missed that it's part of our podcast and you can find the links on Twitter after our CBS or a law radio and then also on our Facebook page it is still Thursday National Puppy Day in two of our time zones Alaska and Alaska and Hawaii so for you who are in those two time zones well you know go check out my photo of of Penny because she's still a puppy at heart it's now up on our Facebook page it was on Twitter earlier on Thursday evening but yeah both Twitter and Facebook and it's her happy place and her favorite activity well actually two of her favorite activities combined but I'm not going to tell you what they are you'll have to go check it out on social media to see this is actually a photo of Penny I just took last weekend so it's it's the most recent one I have of her and then our YouTube video we promised you that we would have it up it's actually shorter I don't know why we were not feeling the need to elaborate but maybe because we were in a really small space Jay and I were sitting on the floor and my phone which was the video camera was propped on a chair in front of us about a foot and a half away from us because we wanted really clear audio we were in a studio but there wasn't a whole lot of room and so we were actually sitting on the floor in a corner with the chair kind of blocking us into this corner so maybe that's why it was quick because it was a small space and Jay's claustrophobic that might be why it was tight it was tight in there we also had some props but you're gonna have to check those out on uh the video and then Jay did a great job with some of the fun graphics so we he added graphics and we had props and it's our our it's our I would say it's most compelling post seasons in sports most entertaining post seasons in sports you can use best you can use favorites it's the latest in our stairway to seven series now we're up to episode four and just as a reminder if you love producer Jay I mean you all love producer Jay he by far is the more popular member of this team in fact whenever I get on Jay's case oh no you're such a bully leave poor Jay alone oh yes poor Jay let's leave poor Jay alone oh my gosh I'm not saying anything no you better not say anything you know as a matter of fact that you're treated very well so you wouldn't dare royalty royalty exactly a son of the king in there so anyway Jay's fine don't have to worry about Jay or his ego or his anything he's well fed all he eats is candy all he drinks is soda the man is fine well well fed by your standards you're the one that told me that no I'm not hungry but yeah well fed is but yeah I mean you can eat broccoli anytime you want yeah it's out there it's available it is and when we get to 4,000 subscribers so that brings me back to producer Jay Jay loves YouTube when we get to 4,000 subscribers on our YouTube channel we're getting we're getting there we're inching our way toward that number when we get there though Jay has agreed to eat a gigantic dish of broccoli and nothing on it except for salt and pepper and maybe a little bit of olive oil he can't he can't fry it he can't put cheese whiz all over it he can't cover it in anything else no sauce so no sweet and sour sauce no barbecue sauce no butter nope all you're allowed to do is drizzle some olive oil and salt and pepper that's it steam it that's how you have to eat it yeah okay this isn't just raw like off the I mean shelf right no raw is a little crunchy I do sometimes put raw broccoli in my salads but raw is a little crunchy it's supposed to be cooked broccoli or steamed broccoli okay yeah yeah but they're gonna be pictures of this because I don't trust you to go home one day and be like yeah I did it no I'll take a picture of the plate before no no no there's gonna be a video of you eating it no not done you would give it to moose your bulldog and then pretend like it was all gone he doesn't I don't know if he likes that actually yeah well I don't trust you as far as I can see you when it comes to vegetables all right when I bring blueberries to work which is most nights Jay will eat one blueberry a week because I don't want one one I know you don't eat any fruits and vegetables you refuse when was the last time you had a fruit that wasn't sour patch not in a few days in a few days how about a few months some salsa with tacos does that count it's like basically a salad there's something wrong with you I don't know why I even bother to have a conversation with you it's like having a conversation with a telephone pole when it comes to this it's just and Marco's laughing but I'm telling you his teeth are gonna fall out before he's 40 he weighs like 15 pounds he could do whatever he wants at that point really so it's okay if you're thin but you have no teeth ah his teeth would you let your child eat nothing but candy and drink soda and no vegetables or fruits ever no but I'm also the guy that doesn't drink soda doesn't eat candy eats fruits and vegetables all the time and I'm the big fatty in the room because Finn does not equate to health thin and healthy are not the same thing I'm just telling you they're not you and I are I mean we're different body types than him I have to be careful what I eat too but I also want to be healthy again I sure uh he looks like he's doing fine feel pretty good again again see just because on the outside he's thin does not mean he's healthy what's going on inside those but he's not crying out right does he I'm all right all right 31 years old doesn't eat a lick of vegetables or fruits just saying it's not going to be sustainable someday he'll come back to me and be like I wish I wish I wish that I had listened to you but I mean I guess honestly some of that stuff sounds like the the stuff that I used to hear forever you keep wearing that hat you're gonna lose your hair really now I'm 45 you really don't think that vegetables and fruits are a necessary part of anyone's diet no it is but my point is if he's fine and if he's healthy and he looks good you don't know what's happening on the inside I think every you said it everybody's a little different he his body apparently doesn't need that to sustain I walk him in there once in a while okay when I don't need to explain of course not because you don't you can't remember the last time all right coming up Michigan state and Kansas state because it was a wild affair that went into overtime at Madison Square Garden actually featured multiple New York natives which is super cool you can find us on Twitter a law radio also on our Facebook page after hours with Amy Lawrence there's a penny photo she's not posing but she's engaging in her favorite activities also our latest YouTube video because I know you love Jay and he loves YouTube so there there's your connection you are listening to the after hours podcast left wing weather spoon head fake goes around his man kicks it out to Martin he'll try the three it's good Elijah Martin with a tray he's got nine and FAU leads by seven 48 41 with 720 to go and Rick Barnes needs a timeout here's Boyd out near center court guarded by May shack comes to his left all the way to the bucket lace it up with the left-handed in Nick Boyd now with 10 and FAU back up by 10 that's when he gets by him kicks it out to James he'll try a three it's good big shot Josiah Jordan James his first points in the second half to get Tennessee within five this is after hours with Amy Lawrence early on this was the exact tempo the volunteers wanted their tough defense which is rated number one in the country by Ken Palm if you know what that is their statistical defense is best in the nation and they were really working on Florida Atlantic and the shots weren't falling but then this is what happens very often especially in this age of basketball if you can get a couple of triples to drop what you do is you open up the defense and you force the defense to spread and then they oftentimes are chasing if the ball is swinging around the perimeter trying to leave guys open or trying not to leave guys open I should say but also the idea of trying to double and trying to trap and so if you can make threes it forces a defense to guard straight up and to go man on man or if there's a particular zone but it does tend to take away the element of trapping and also helping because then you end up scrambling around if you're facing a team that not only is hitting a few from the outside but is able to move the ball quickly to find an open shooter it's after hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS sports radio Gary Cohen from Madison Square Garden on the Westwood 1 NCAA radio network once Florida Atlantic finds some found some seams and made some shots this this game took a decided turn in which you could really start to see it's funny because I want to say you can literally see but you couldn't literally see it you could just feel it and know the momentum was shifting out to the way to James takes the three moves right takes the three it comes up short but right into the hands of Meshach but he's stripped it comes out the best could be though for three no good and the rebound Davis taps into himself down court Boyd tries from the left lays it in Nick Boyd off the feed from John L Davis and FAU lead by 7 57 50 with 220 to go the owls take the lead by again with the three pointers that open things up and then Nick Boyd able to get inside for what is a huge layup and there was also this second half surge that was spurred on by Michael Forrest they were able to to move the ball around spread the ball around get different guys involved so this wasn't about one superstar it wasn't about one guy who took over instead it was a total team effort for the owls on the NCAA radio network from Westwood won just the second tournament in the 30-year history of Florida Atlantic and this year three wins to get into the elite eight so it stands to it stands to I love owls did you guess what kind of owl that is a hoot owl nope that would be a spotted owl well how am I supposed to guess that that sounds like a monkey that would be a Eurasian eagle owl just so you know Jay is very learned when it comes to owls so yes first three wins initial elite eight for Florida Atlantic and I love it I love it because even though they're a nine seed they're definitely a Cinderella and yet what typically happens with these teams that kind of shock the world quote unquote is that they believe in themselves they have this belief and this foundation that keeps them grounded and great leadership like Dusty May who's been doing a ton of interviews since the selection show as the head coach for the owls after the first seven seven minutes seven minutes or so we felt like we really settled in and played good basketball despite the scored half we felt like we were playing our type of game we got back to moving the ball we were playing with great physicality we did an unbelievable job on the glass in the first half despite our size and it's once again it's a testament to how hard these guys play and their drive and determination it sounds just right man um we where we're supposed to be uh we're gonna keep moving keep working we're gonna stay humble and hungry I mean yeah I can't count us out no more man we we're here to stay and uh we're gonna keep fighting no matter who we line up against who we play I got a group of brothers that play together and I feel like there's nobody in the country that loves each other like we do and works like us so we're gonna keep making statements how about that I feel like there's no team in the country that loves each other as much as we do I often mention this but chemistry is not built based on one particular formula sometimes it's about a group of guys that have worked through adversity sometimes it's about a common goal sometimes it really is about personalities that mesh really well sometimes it's more about leadership and it doesn't matter whether or not the personalities mesh winning definitely helps but chemistry is a key ingredient in a team that has it and the Florida Atlantic owls definitely have it now 34 wins in one season that is rarified air for any team it doesn't matter what part of the country blue blood or cinderella 34 wins in one season is an incredible percentage and really they've been able to capitalize on that in the experience of winning together it's after hours with Amy Lawrence here on CBS Sports Radio Michael Forrest with the eight points in what was a significant surge from down to leading the charge in the second half we got a group of guys that no matter no matter what night it is somebody's gonna step up and make the big plays so um everybody stays together through the ups and downs so that's that's really what separates us all the work that we everybody puts in all the hours and hard work that everyone puts into it it can be anybody's night so we just everybody just stays together all the time everybody just stays together all the time there isn't a team in the country that loves each other like we do man that's awesome and their defense was also good i mean that's not what they're known for as much as Tennessee but the vols only go six of 23 from beyond the arc so really could never find a rhythm and sometimes that is about exercising so exerting was probably a better word exerting so much energy on the defensive end that you just don't have it on the offensive end when they started scoring our offense wasn't very good and we gave up too many drives and then along with that offensive rebounds where we let them get downhill and a couple situations where those those we did a better job in the second half staying down on shot fakes early in the first half that's why we were getting into so much rotation because we were leaving our feet went under a few ball screens but i thought offensively and we didn't we needed to continue to put pressure on them at the rim whether it was throwing it inside or whether it was driving the ball and we didn't do enough of that that's Rick Barnes who has taken four different schools to ncaa tournaments but seemingly runs into this glass ceiling uh that is the elite eight in the final four regardless doesn't have the same track record and so it's become a tagline next to his name cannot get teams to the final four which is unfair of course but that's how he's been branded so if they ever got there he would definitely be a sentimental favorite for Josiah Jordan James he wants people to know that there's more to Tennessee than stats and figures and coming up short we've been through so much in the past you know however long the season's been going on and i feel like a lot of people don't know all the things that we've been through internally and so even to make it this far is a blessing i mean people accounted us out after the second game that we lost to Colorado they they the season they told us our season was over then but you know we we didn't we didn't hear any of that we didn't we heard it but we didn't listen to it we we stayed resilient and i think that if you guys or everybody outside of our locker room knew all the things that we went through they'd be you know um proud of us i know we're proud of ourselves we know we wanted more but there's so much stuff that went on that you know injuries and people in and out the lineup where a lot of people would just quit but i give a lot of credit to my teammates and our coaching staff nobody in that locker room gave up on us and i'm just so proud of my guys that we're able to reach obviously i'm i'm disappointed but i'm proud that we're able to come this far the thrill of victory i can't speak right now something's wrong with me well something some things are wrong with me i've got lots to say and the words just aren't coming out quite the right way the way that i want them to so you know just nod and smile it's after hours with amy lawrence on cbs sports radio what i meant to say the thrill of victory the agony of defeat we know that is the case because you're hearing the stark difference between gonzaga and ucla and then hearing the difference between dusty may and rick barnes with florida atlantic and tennessee and we still have some really cool stories but you're starting to see more and more where i guess i could say the cream rises to the top and this is what happens when you have a bunch of upsets early on then generally it tends to stabilize and you get more toward the chalk now the good news is with the transfer portal and with the the changing landscape in college sports but specifically speaking about basketball right now and you've got so many different leagues that are represented in the sweet 16 alone 11 of them how about that and you've also got a pair of one seeds but twos and threes and fours and fives all the way down to a double figure seed in princeton that's a 15 so it's an incredible mix it's eclectic it's it's varied all over the country different personalities offense defense and a lot of times and this has to do with the covid year as well you had a bunch of guys that lost a year or decided to stay in school an extra year because of what happened with covid in 20 and then 21 and so they are now in some cases fifth year seniors there's even a couple of guys uh that are sixth year seniors it just is more about the experience than two and having a little more age right little less panic a little more age there are guys that are not just 20 and 21 in this tournament there are guys that are 22 23 uh there's one school that even had 25 year old point guard i mean that's a big deal when you bring that kind of experience in general a little more poise and steadiness to the basketball court just because of the the difference in a couple of years by the way i have to tell you my favorite owl story are you ready i don't think it was one of those hootie owls there but right now that sounds like something off of the death star like do you hear the tinny behind it what is that this is a Eurasian scopes owl never heard that one never heard that one either that's what i'm saying they sound like they're coming from star wars especially that first one with what was very tinny sounding behind it where's the owl that's a Ural owl well can we just have a regular spotted owl i'm trying to give me 10 hours of owl sounds and play my favorite owl story ever this is actually really neat uh last year not quite this time but in april early april the family was in wisconsin my grammy's town well near appleton but not quite appleton uh little little town next to appleton wisconsin and we were there for her 100th birthday and of course the day after her birthday was my birthday so the family went out for a dinner on the day after and my brother and i were getting back to our airbnb and it's 11 o'clock or so at night and in the two very tall trees next to our airbnb there are two owls going back and forth it was amazing i've never heard two of them hoot to each other and call to each other but they're in two different trees they're up really high we can only see one of them we can't see them both but they are hooting to each other they're talking and it's and it's so dead quiet in this little town in wisconsin 11 o'clock at night and these owls are having a conversation it was amazing it was like a birthday present just for me that is cool oh it's awesome i probably started crying because that's what i do when i'm just overwhelmed with joy it's after hours with amy lawrence on cbs sports radio planning a wedding is intimidating but finding the perfect suit shouldn't be design your dream suit at indochino dot com and use code podcast for 10 off any purchase of 3.99 or more that's i n d o c h i n o.com code podcast