4.3.23 - JR Interview with DeShaun Tate

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45% off selected products at Blinds.com. Rules and restrictions may apply. Deshaun is joining us, a college basketball expert. Hey, Deshaun, how are you, man?

J.R., I appreciate you for having me, per usual, man. It's, you know, another one we get to check off of the books, I guess, another box that we get to check. National Champions, Connecticut Huskies, obviously, and they've done this thing, man, since 99, five different times with three different coaches. We talk about the Blue Bloods, North Carolina, Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, and all these other ones. I like to think that Connecticut has kind of, you know, etched their foot in that sand to go along with those other ones. Got to give them credit.

They've been dominant all across the board for every single game as in this tournament has been by double digits of a win for them. So congrats to them and to the Big East. Deshaun Tate is joining us here.

The J.R. Sport Brief Show, CBS Sports Radio. You are in Houston. You just walked off of the court. What was the atmosphere like during tonight's game? Sometimes the games can get out of hand and that giant stadium can get quiet. What was the atmosphere like for the entire game and then there for the victory?

No, I think it was incredible. You know, I think in this situation, not a lot of people gave San Diego State a chance for obvious reasons. I think because you saw that dominance and not just based off the way they were playing, but some of the size that UConn had. And listen, I mean, it was great to see, you know, a lot of the, you know, known former UConn Huskies alums and things of that nature where you have a Mecca Okafor was in the building. Rudy Gay, Kemba Walker, Ray Allen was around as well.

And whenever you can throw, you know, names like that out there. And these are guys that, you know, some of these guys, one of them currently playing in the NBA, guys could be anywhere and everywhere, but it's a tight knit family. And you can kind of see that based off the camaraderie that they have kind of put together and established and developed between one another.

It's a tight knit community and tight knit family, and they're having a good time and deserve to be so. UConn is the best team in the country. A lot of people had questions about that this year. Anybody could win it. This team is the best. North Carolina started out ranked number one. They didn't even make the NCAA tournament. The only thing that really matters is who finishes number one.

There's not a single McDonald's All-American JR that was participating in this entire Final Four. So yet another year with 0-1 and done winning a national championship, I should tell you something. Deshaun Tate is here with CBS Sports Radio. I feel like I hear a little bit of celebrating in the background coming down a tunnel. That's the atmosphere that has been in Houston for the past several days. It's one thing to watch the game from the studio.

We got folks who have listened to the game in their cars and their vehicles tonight. Was it as much of a physical beat down? Was it was it very noticeable the size and the physicality of UConn and San Diego State? Did it appear that they walked onto the court and it's just like, OK, they they are physically bigger and stronger. Did they bully them? They did. Not only did they have the presence in terms of, you know, the, you know, how notable that they are in terms of, you know, UConn as an established program. So that had its own little dominance to it.

But give credit. I mean, some of these other programs, the other three, this is the first time that they've ever been to the Final Four in the history of their entire program. And there was a lot of diehard saying some of Miami was traditionally a football program. You know, talk about, you know, Florida, Atlanta, who never had a I don't even think has had a player play in the NBA.

At least that for an extensive, you know, long term period of time. And then, you know, obviously you have the other one in San Diego State, which we know Kawhi Leonard and maybe one or two here and there. But for the most part, it's the dominant dominance of UConn that size between clinging to the seven footer. He's a freshman, obviously, for no go.

Who's the big man in the middle? They didn't necessarily look like, you know, Golden State Warriors of college basketball to me, per se. But they but they they showed they say they flex their muscles. And even in some instances where, you know, it looked like Miami might try and make a, you know, try and storm back and make a run on them in the national semifinal or even tonight. You know, the the deficit getting, you know, close to what, five points or something like that. It just seemed like UConn was toying with them. Like, OK, time to put the foot back on the gas again. And that's what they did.

And guess what? That's what good teams. That's what great teams. That's what great programs do is you don't let up off the gas. And if you do a little bit and you find a way to just, you know, kind of put the foot on the neck and show who's boss.

And they did that for not on the other reasons shown by example. They're the ones that stand on the ladders tonight with the scissors in hand and taking the trophy home. Deshaun, we know that that college basketball and college athletics is going through a lot of changes right now.

Transfer portal, NIL, et cetera. What's in store for the future? We know Coach Dan Hurley, he's not going anywhere. You know, you got Dutcher out at San Diego State. What does the future look like for both of these programs, let's say over the next couple of years?

I think it can be bright. San Diego State being a program that's usually at the top of a very respectable conference in the Mountain West. This gives some hope to some of those mid-major or high-major programs.

If not, I'm sure that, you know, the Florida-Atlantic run certainly does. They've got pretty much just about everybody coming back. San Diego State certainly has, you know, starting four seniors and a junior. Still going to have some, you know, rebuilding to do. But yes, I don't think they'll have too many issues in that particular department with a great coach. Obviously, Miami, some of their guys are coming back and they utilize the transfer portal probably better or more than anybody else. Especially when you start looking at their backcourt and Nigel Peck getting over a million dollars with the NIL alone as a single player. So, I still like to think, you know, people are going to talk, you know, this and that and say, oh, well, you know, it wasn't, it didn't really have the same pizzazz that maybe any of the other Final Fours did in comparison last year with, you know, Kansas and Duke, Carolina and so on and so forth.

Who's supposed to be there was there. If you don't like the way it is, get inside of the, get in the ear of some of those coaches who, you know, or some of those players on those rosters that, you know, are, you know, sporting the big name across their chest and not getting there. Give credit to the ones, it's time to embrace what we have now. A lot of NIL deals, a lot of recruiting, big time differences. Transfer portal is, I remember at one point in time, a couple of years ago, I was having a conversation with Coach K. And at that time, it was around this time this year, of this year, and they marched Madness, but there was over right around like 500 something, 600 transfers around this time, just two years ago. Right now, the last time I checked about three days ago, JR, there was over like, I think, 1,167 transfers.

And that's not even everybody. So, that number is pretty much just about doubled. I'm not great at math, but I think that we're going to begin to see more and more of that as we get closer and closer to what I think college basketball's endgame is, and that's to make college basketball what it once was, but yet still doing it in a little bit of a different way. We have a short amount of time here, Deshaun, before we hit the break. I want to get in two quick questions.

You got to hit them fast for me. What are your thoughts on the potential expansion here of the tournament into the future? I'm not in love with it. I think we're good at 68. But nonetheless, I mean, you're going to have whoever's number 69 is going to have gripes about not getting in. If you move that to, you know, over, you know, a hundred, you're going to have a hundred and first team that's going to feel like they, you know, deserve to be in.

So, I think we're good where we are right now at number 68, but if they're talking about expanding it, that means more college basketball, and you know you'll never hear a complaint out of me about that. We had an excellent women's game this past Sunday, and I feel a good portion of it was overshadowed just taking a look at the last, you know, ten seconds of the game, and it extended over into today. Do you feel any of the media attention surrounding Angel and then also Kaitlyn kind of took away, you know, from this game tonight? Was a lot of attention on that game heading into tonight? There was still a lot of attention on tonight's game, but yet still, I mean, it looks like better brand of basketball.

Let's just call it what it is, the elephant in the room. It appeared to be more competitive. It appeared to obviously have been more interesting matchups and programs participating, maybe not necessarily Iowa, but even then, yet still, I'd like to think that there was a lot of attention paid towards the girls' game, and for a very, very good reason. And I love everything about what the women's basketball has been able to do in comparison to the men's to try to, you know, put themselves in position to draw a lot of traffic and attention to their brand, because it is well-deserved, and as you can tell, that it is, you know, the way that they still play the game, the way that it was designed and originated to be played, if you can't love that and embrace that, then you've got a bigger problem on your hands.

It sounds like a personal problem. Hey, Deshaun, I appreciate all of your insight over the past month as we got ready for March Madness. College basketball expert, tell us very quickly, where can we find you online? At Tate Hoops, T-A-T-E-S-T-A-K-E-H-double-O-P-S. It is where basketball lives. Go on and find it anywhere you find your favorite podcast, and thank you over the course of the last month, JR and CBS. No doubt about it.

Of course, nice conversation there, Deshaun. Tate, college basketball expert, calling us, taking the time, stepping off of the court to call us from Houston, Texas. Home of the national championship this year. This podcast is brought to you by the Showtime original series, Yellow Jackets. For those of us who didn't peak in high school, those teenage years were pretty angsty, but nobody had it worse than the Whiskey Hawk High Yellow Jackets girls soccer team of 1996. Yellow Jackets, the Emmy-nominated phenomenon that has us all asking, what really happened out there and what wouldn't you do to stay alive, is back for its much-anticipated second season. The team survived a plane crash and a summer stranded in the woods, but winter bites and those girls are hungry.

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