How will UNC and Duke do in the NCAA Tournament

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Could have closed the door. Yeah. News of the day is that Clemson has also filed lawsuit to a lawsuit to get their way out of the Atlantic Coast Conference. And the clock is ticking on Miami, maybe North Carolina, Virginia. Who knows who else? Brendan Marks covers the Tar Heels and Duke for the athletic, also part of their massive array of college basketball writing talent. And he joins us on the Adam Gold show.

How are you? You know, you might have been at the scene of the last one. Yeah, listen, if there was a tournament to be at, that was the one. I mean, I as tough as it was to be in D.C. for a week, I texted my wife at halftime the championship game on Saturday and said there is no place I would rather be right now. It was it was awesome. I hope I hope just how awesome it was was conveyed through TV. You texted that to your wife. You know, listen, I was really, really excited to see her.

But, you know, would you have wanted to have not been at that game? I understand. I wholly understand the sentiment.

I I'm not in any way arguing about the set. I just that is a bull. That is a man confident in his relationship. And I appreciate you exuding that confidence. Brendan Marks.

All right. So you you took us there. Tell me about what that felt like. Yeah, you know, I think I was fortunate enough to be sitting right behind the NC State bench. And so, you know, I feel like I was kind of seeing my emotions play out in front of me from the way that NC State players were expressing it.

You know, Casey Morsell is my favorite. There was about two minutes left in the game. And, you know, North Carolina was down at that point, seven or eight points or whatever.

It certainly didn't look good. And Casey Morsell is looking around. You know, all these teammates are pumping their face. And D.J.

Burns is starting to dance on the sidelines. Casey Morsell is like, it's not over yet, guys. I've seen this before. I know.

I know. So it was it just kind of had this feeling of surely this cannot happen. And every day when we came into the arena, you know, coming in, I think on Tuesday, everybody walked in and said, all right, well, NC State should be able to handle Louisville.

Maybe that'll save Kevin Keats's job. And that happens. And then Tuesday you walk in, you're like, all right, I think if you stay could probably beat Syracuse. And then day three walks in.

That's amazing. I mean, three days and three days in Duke, like, oh, this one, this one could get ugly and maybe Duke. And it's like, OK, well, why?

Why can't you think Virginia? And then it gets to the last day. And it's like, listen, there is no logical reason for this to be happening. But quite frankly, I'm tired of picking against NC State. Clearly something bigger is going on here. It was just incredible to watch, you know, like it was one of those things truly that happens in March.

And it's magic where a team just finds a meteor hitches onto it. And we'll see how far they can ride it for. I'm not going to pick against them anytime soon. I think they're going to beat Texas Tech. And I like them just taking a swing at Kentucky. And as I said this, I said this earlier, now that sports wagering is legal, I'm not saying you should, but I think it'll be interesting. Plus, five hundred state plays gets to the Sweet 16.

I don't think it's a terrible, terrible swing for for, you know, whatever, a dollar on it. That's fine. Brendan Marks from the Athletic is joining us here on the Adam Gold Show.

So I want to get back to let me start with the Duke game, because I think we all expected because we had seen this about, you know, 10 days prior in Raleigh, that state played with him for 30 minutes and then kind of went away. Adam Golan studio with my man coach Pete through to Capital Financial Advisory Group. I was on your website and I love the term financial termites because there are always things eating at your money that you can't see. So you don't want financial termites. Termites in the financial world are risk fees, unnecessary commissions. All the bad things that we see and we hear about on TV are happening many times inside your portfolio you don't see. So you need a financial exterminator. Well, for the next 10 of you call, we'll put together for you your very own total retirement plan at no cost. Call 888-843-0013 or text Adam to 600-700.

Adam Gold is a paid spokesman investment advisory services offered by Capital Financial Advisory Group, a North Carolina registered investment advisor. And third game in three days. I think a lot of us expected it to be the same way. State got off to a good start. Duke battled back. It was a game in, you know, what a three point game at halftime. But then state came out of the locker room and hammered him again right out of the gate. Was that more about state or more about Duke?

Because this is now what, four straight halves? Well, no, the the second half against Carolina, they were better in the first five minutes, but it's three out of the last four halves where Duke has had trouble starting. Yeah, to me, I mean, I think it says a lot about Boesel, obviously, NC State, like credit to the belief there, but equally as impressive or impressing upon me, not impressive at all was the way to do came out. I mean, listen, I don't know about you, but if I lost to my rival for the second time in a row on my home court a couple of days before, lost the share of the ACC regular season because of it, I would probably be pretty unhappy and I would come out and play like that. And Duke did not do that.

Duke did not do that at all. And, you know, we've we've ragged on Kyle Philipowski or the national media, which I guess I am kind of part of, has ragged on Kyle Philipowski. Most of the season have said, you know, he's got this bad body language, yada, yada. He was the one guy who looked like he was willing to do whatever it took. I thought Kyle Philipowski played great in that game.

I thought he looked great. Mark Mitchell hit two, three pointers. But the rest of Duke's team looked soft. And that is the word that keeps coming to mind with the Blue Devils. They're 0 and five in games in which they allow 80 points this season.

And I just wonder where some of the resilience is. Jeremy Roach has been terrific most of this season. He has not been himself the last two games. He has not looked right.

He has not looked comfortable. Quite frankly, he's been pretty detrimental to Duke, especially at critical moments. And I thought it was fascinating in the postgame locker room when completely unprompted Kyle Philipowski said something to the effect of, if we come out entitled, if we come out expecting to win, then this is going to happen to us again. And it's the same thing that happened to us against Tennessee last year. Other teams want it more than Duke and 32 games into the season. I don't think that's what you want to hear if you're John Shacker.

I 100% agree. I talked to actually, I think I talked to you after the the Duke Carolina game where Jeremy Roach looked like he was in a rush the entire first half. He was better at the start of the second half, but I thought he spent the whole first half trying to win the game, trying to do too much. And he was forcing it and it didn't work. Kyle got better in the second half and was great, really. Most of the second half was really good, but Jeremy really never got it going.

And then this is the second game in a row where Jeremy Roach wasn't really there. Let me get to the Tar Heels now. I've said this all along about Duke. They are matchup dependent to the final four. I think they have enough talent to get there, but they are matchup dependent. And I've seen people pick Vermont.

I don't know. I mean, whatever. But Houston is the kind of a team that is so physical that they might, they can't score. So maybe that'll work in Duke's favor, but Tennessee really couldn't score last year either.

And it didn't matter. Let me get to the Tar Heels. I was surprised that they didn't have an answer, but that might have been more about NC State than about them. And they didn't have Ryan or Ingram, you know, knocking down a bunch of threes to kind of stretch the defense out. It really became all about RJ. Yeah, I mean, RJ Davis ended up having 30 points or whatever, but it was for most of the second half and especially the last 10 minutes, it was a lot of watching RJ Davis playoff, even for guys on the court. It was a lot of full guys standing around and RJ Davis trying to, you know, do his best Kemba Walker oppression.

And most, most games that is probably good enough. Um, but he needs help with North Carolina is going to make this a legitimate run. And I'm not too worried about North Carolina. I mean, again, I think you look at NC state, you look at the fires they had all week.

Um, the idea of playing with house money is something that I think is pretty powerful at that point. Um, but for the people who are like seeing that and, and our North Carolina fans are like, Oh my God, I'm worried now. None of North Carolina's last four national title teams won the ACC tournament. Um, in the grand scheme of things, this team came in riding a tremendous win streak. I don't think losing is the worst case scenario. I think it gives you a little bit breather, take some of the pressure off, gives you a little bit of a reset.

I think it also humbles you a little bit. And I think North Carolina probably needed all of those things going into March. Um, the, the thing that I would say about North Carolina strictly from a basketball perspective is RJ Davis was great. I actually thought Armando breakout was pretty good.

Most of that game. Um, I was a little surprised that Hubert Davis didn't adjust more to what DJ burns was doing and how, how Kevin Keith is using him. I thought there were times when you into double teams were a little bit slow.

It's traps were a little bit slow. Um, the biggest thing to me from North Carolina is Harrison Ingram has to be the third triplet and Harrison Ingram was not up to that level the other night. And if he is not there, I don't know how far RJ Davis and Armando Baker alone can take you in this tournament.

Um, if Harrison Ingram is playing like the Harrison Ingram, who was an all ACC pick, we've seen all year who basically led the league in rebounding. Then I think North Carolina is absolutely a final 14. Uh, but if it's just going to be those two guys, things get a little tougher. And especially because North Carolina does not have an easy draw. I think that West bracket actually has a number of pitfalls. Um, obviously the biggest of them all would be a potential elite eight matchup with Caleb love. And that's a game I have manifested. That would be one of the greatest things ever.

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Save up to 25% your first year at lifelock.com slash aware. Oh, it would be so much fun. It would be so much fun because I figured Caleb would either go, you know, 15 of 17 for about 40 points or he would go three of 18 for seven points. Um, but listen, like, you know, I, I think a lot of North Carolina fans, especially if you haven't watched a ton of Arizona this year, those bad Caleb love performances have been a lot fewer and further between. He has been pretty efficient this year. Um, obviously he was the pack 12 player of the year, which I still find hilarious. He's the last track 12 player of the year.

Um, but he has been much better. If that game does come to fruition, it would be hard for me to pick against Arizona and just how motivated would be in that game. So RJ Davis could be the last ACC player of the year too. That's what I'm, uh, uh, based on Clemson's, uh, lawsuit, uh, to leave the ACC Brendan marks from the athletic is joining us here at Brendan R. Marks on Twitter.

Yeah. It all, I guess it depends on who you talk to whether or not the North Carolina bracket is hard, uh, or it's easy. Uh, cause I look at the, at least the top half of it and I go, yeah, I don't see North Carolina having any trouble, uh, with anybody there.

And at the bottom, yeah, Arizona would be super hard. Um, so I'm not, I wouldn't be, but whoever you face in the elite eight should be, should be a difficult out. I mean, the truth is, is even in the sweet 16, although I think North Carolina might've even gotten a little bit of a break there. Cause I'm not sure how good Alabama is. Uh, and North Carolina plays the defense that they can play. I think North Carolina will be fine. That's what I've always thought about that team is that when they turn their defense up, then I think there'll be, uh, there'll be great. Did you think the ACC, uh, was in any way, uh, jobbed by the committee?

No, the exact opposite. Actually, I, I, the ACC should be sending flowers to the selection committee. Jim Phillips should be writing a handwritten note. Um, the fact that the ACC ended up getting five teams in is, I mean, it's, that's a best case scenario, you know, listen, walking into, walking into the arena on Saturday afternoon, I thought three ACC teams were in, I thought it was UNC Duke and Clemson. I thought that Virginia had effectively played its way out. I am still shocked that Virginia ended up getting in. Um, I thought pit is the best of those three bubble teams between pet Virginia and wait for the best basketball team.

Um, I think they're playing the best as well, but they didn't have the resume. I get it. Wake forest, same thing.

Didn't have the resume. I get it. It's hard. Um, and so the fact that Virginia got in and NC state got the auto bid, like that's a best case scenario for the ACC. Um, you know, next year, what's the rate going to be out of whatever, all those teams you're going to get? It might be ugly, but, uh, three years in a row, the ACC has gotten five teams. And now they've put a team in the final four, at least one team in the last two years. I don't think it's inconceivable that they get another one this year, especially as you said, given the way that North Carolina has, uh, got its bracket shaping up.

Yeah. And I mean, again, matchup dependent for Duke. If somebody knocks off Houston along the way, I mean, I think, you know, given the right set of circumstances, certainly a, uh, an awakening Jeremy Roach. I think there's an opportunity for, uh, for the blue devils to go far.

But, uh, again, I think they're, they're matchup totally matchup dependent. It would be nice, uh, if Caleb Foster was ready to go, but we talked to Chris Carroll yesterday, uh, and, uh, he didn't sound like somebody who was expecting to see Caleb Foster. Certainly not this week. Uh, but maybe if you're, uh, if you get to the second week, uh, maybe he can come back, but, uh, look, I, you know, Duke's going to have to deal with, uh, with all of it. I wish I'd seen Sean Stewart play better the last couple of games because I thought the game, uh, I guess it was against NC state where he was so good.

I thought we were starting to see, uh, Sean Stewart kind of come alive. All right. I'm going to ask you the same thing. I asked David Teal before I am, uh, I'm bad at brackets and I've decided that I'm going to not only change who picks my bracket, but how so I'm picking brackets based on the best movie in those particular schools area. So I got two games tonight. We've got Howard Wagner and we're going Mr. Smith goes to Washington or the Godfather. The opening scene of the Godfather was, uh, was shot, uh, in, um, on Staten Island, which is, uh, where Wagner is. Uh, so who you got there?

I honestly, I love them both, but I got to go Godfather. Probably, uh, probably, uh, correct there. Uh, and then, uh, Virginia, Colorado state, uh, Evan almighty starring Steve Carell against, uh, blades of glory, which was filmed in its entirety in Colorado Springs.

Give me, give me blades of glory there. And, uh, I think the on-court basketball pick there is the same as my movie. Thank you very much for indulging, uh, Brendan marks. I appreciate your time, man. I appreciate you hope everyone has a good time watching the games and made the brackets and bedding be ever be ever in your favor. All we can do is hope.

All we can do is hope that the dart hits in the right spot. Thanks man. Thank you. I chose William peace because of the personalized education that offers, which allows students to truly know their professors truly possible to make genuine connections with your professors and learn intentionally here and dive deep into what you're passionate about. A 12 to one student to faculty ratio is just one of the many reasons students choose William peace university. Extra attention starts day one for career planning with their career services center. Find out all they have to offer at peace.edu.