Sweet 16 Preview (Hour 2)

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From ZQ certified Merino wool, to a bouncy midsole made from sweet foam, the world's first carbon-negative EVA material made from sugarcane. Sixteen teams remaining, it is the Zach Gilb Show, Coast to Coast, CBS Sports Radio, Sweet Sixteen will tip off coming up later in the week on Thursday. Here are the matchups, Alabama against San Diego State, Creighton against Princeton.

Coming up in a few moments, the head coach of the Creighton Blue Jays, Greg McDermott, will join us. Yeah, Florida Atlantic, we heard from Dusty May last hour, going up against Tennessee. We'll have Kansas State, Michigan State, Houston, and Miami, which I cannot wait for that game in particular.

Xavier, Texas, Arkansas, UConn, and then Gonzaga, UCLA. And we all remember the last time Gonzaga and UCLA had a little showdown in the NCAA tournament, that was the Jalen Suggs game. Which, Hickey, there's a lot of times in sports where you see a moment and then you can't go to sleep. And it's different when, let's just say, it's involving your team because that's expected, like win or lose. If you win, it's euphoria, you're partying, you're going nuts. If you lose, then on the other hand, it's like, oh, you're just sitting on the couch like a slob and you're just staring at the TV and into space that we've all been there.

But when you don't have a dog in the fight, I'm not just talking about like, oh, you gambled on something. But when you don't have a team that you really care about win or lose, just in terms of the actual outcome of the game isn't going to really impact you, that game, Gonzaga and UCLA, I'll never forget it because I had an early tee time the next day, and I could not fall asleep because it was just one of the craziest things you've ever seen with that Jalen Suggs shot that he did hit it. And it was just one of those NCAA tournament memories that you will remember forever and probably one of the top five that you're going to think about in your life. It just goes down in the annals of really NCAA tournament history. Because it's not just even the shot and obviously just past half-court to win and send your team to the national title, keep your undefeated season alive.

It's not just that, but that game was great back and forth over time. I think it was 91-88, I believe, was the final score. So you had a very high scoring, both teams kind of giving it their all. UCLA at 11 seed. They were in, I think they were in the first four. Not mistaken too, so making that run all the way hanging tougher than undefeated Gonzaga.

So much for Mick Cronin won't be a good fit at UCLA. All-time great game with obviously the stakes in mind and an all-time great finish. It was incredible. Out of all the teams remaining, I still think Alabama has the most pressure on them. And that was a big takeaway from this weekend. We looked a lot at the injuries with Brandon Miller and then also Marcus Sasser. Sasser was incredible and Brandon Miller, they just didn't really need him to be great with how lopsided that game was up against Maryland. I would still say the most pressure though is on Alabama to get to that Final Four and not only get to that Final Four, win the entire thing. When you look at the 16 teams remaining, who do you have the most pressure on?

Has to be Alabama. Not just because of the number one overall seed, but also now the route to get to at least Houston in the Final Four. I mean you're talking about San Diego State and then the winner of either Creighton or Princeton. They've had the two-seed eliminated, the three-seed eliminated, the four-seed eliminated. There's been a lot of chaos in the south bracket. And again, for having what was determined and talked about this time last week as Alabama having the easiest road to the Final Four.

Well that road got a whole hell of a lot easier when the top three teams are all eliminated outside of you. For this weekend, matchup-wise, for the rest of this week in the Sweet 16, for me, the matchup that I gravitate first to is Houston-Miami and then it would be Gonzaga-UCLA as well. But Creighton is in the Sweet 16. They'll be going up against Princeton coming up at Friday at 9 p.m. Eastern. And we are going to be joined here in a few moments by the head coach of the Creighton men's basketball team back in the Sweet 16, Greg McDermott. Coach, first off, congratulations to your program after taking care of business against NC State and Baylor. And we're excited for your game coming up on Friday against Princeton. Appreciate you doing this.

No problem. I'm happy to join you. Well let me just start you off. This team started out the year 6-0. We know all the expectations that were surrounding your program before this year. Then you lose six straight at one point. You're sitting there at 9 and 8 after losing to UConn and Xavier. Just what does it say about your team's toughness to be in this spot after some early adversity?

Yeah, it's hard in this day and age. When you go through a tough stretch and the power of social media and the world that we live in, where it's what have you done for me lately, it's hard for a young group to kind of stay focused and stay on track and be process-oriented. But to our guys' credit, that negativity never crept into our locker room.

Guys stayed hungry. We got better during that stretch. And then when we got Ryan Kochbrenner back and healthy, we were able to take off and play some of our best basketball. Greg McDermott here with us. How do you look back at this past week, the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament, and just what your program was able to accomplish?

Really happy, obviously, that we've been able to move on to the Sweet 16. But the way the two games transpired, we didn't shoot it well against NC State, but Ryan Kochbrenner was really a force on the block, and we were able to get him to basketball and do a good job defensively on their guards. And then against Baylor, they did a good job of taking away Kochbrenner, and our shooters stepped up and made shots. And we did a good job of the trio of guards that Baylor has is probably as good as we faced all year. And to be able to keep two of those three in check and at least make Cryer work for his 30 points, whatever he had, we made him work for it. So really proud of the way we went about it and the fact that we were able to win two games in two very different ways. If you think your team could do better, it's not a bad place to be in when you guys are in the Sweet 16.

Absolutely. And we weren't perfect, and I don't think anybody is this time of year, especially teams that aren't used to playing at altitude and you go out to Denver and have to deal with that. But I was pleased with the fact that we were able to get both those games to the pace that we're accustomed to and that we like. We got them going up and down, and that's the best version of Blue Jay basketball. You called this team a special group after the win to go to the Sweet 16, Coach Greg McDermott. What makes this group so special? I think simply because of the adversity that we faced.

You'd probably have to search long and hard to find a team that lost six games in a row at one point in the season and then reach the Sweet 16. Very difficult to do for guys to stick together and not point the finger at one another, not point the finger at the coaches. Coaches not blaming the players. We just really worked together during a very difficult time and made sure we came out better on the other end of it. They trusted in one another. They trusted in our daily preparation.

As a result, we're still playing and it's late in March. When you had a moment to celebrate after the Baylor victory, what did you tell your players in the locker room? Just how proud I was of them. We've been through a lot.

It's been quite a journey this year of highs and lows. When you reflect back on that and realize that this group stuck with one another, they believed in each other, they believed in the coaching staff, there's a lot of pride there. At the same time, we wanted to celebrate, we wanted to take joy in what we accomplished, but we also have a big game on Friday and we're excited to try to continue to advance in this tournament. I thought it was very fitting to defeat Baylor. We all know in 2014 you had a heck of a team and things just didn't go your way. How did that loss to Baylor in the tourney in 2014 really just change your program to where it is today? Those four seniors that were part of that group, my son Doug and Johan's man and guy Ethan Rogge and Grant Gibbs, they ushered us into the Big East era. We went from the Missouri Valley Conference to the Big East overnight and that group of guys was able to finish second in the Big East to Villanova, lose in the Big East championship game in the Garden, and then be a three seed in the NCAA tournament. I think that group really established that anything is possible at Creighton and they got us off to a great start and it really set the sails for the things that were to come for this program.

I talked to a couple of them last night, I've been texting off four of them today. Obviously there's a lot of pride in what transpired last night and I think they take great pride in knowing that they got this all started. Coach, I'm a New Yorker, I always remember skipping school and going to the Big East tournament and there's been a lot of changes with the Big East and people are going to wonder what the future is like for the league. We know what Villanova has done recently, but to see three teams now in the Sweet 16, I know it's not surprising to you, but what does it say about the health and the state of the conference? You mentioned you went to the Big East tournament as a child, so you know what that tournament is about. There's no conference tournament in the country like it. I have the television on during the Big East tournament, having the other conference tournament games on in the background while I'm preparing.

They're not sold out like the guard is and it's just an unbelievable environment, an unbelievable experience for our guys. The Big East is here to stay. Val Ackerman and Stu Jackson from the Big East office and obviously the leadership of Jay Wright in the early years when this reconfigured conference started. Set us on a path where there's an unbelievable commitment to men's basketball by the member institutions in this league. It's fun to see the success that we've had. We've been beating each other's brains in all year and now it's really fun to see three of us in the Sweet 16.

Your matchup coming up on Friday against Princeton, what a story that is. Third straight year of 15s defeated at two and then they really took it to Missouri the other night. What stands out to you about the team that Mitch Henderson has? Yeah, I'm just digging into them now and obviously Coach Henderson has done a great job during his tenure there. They don't beat themselves, they don't make a lot of mistakes, they're very disciplined on both ends of the floor. As I told our team today, we had a hard time stopping Arizona. I think they scored 80-something on us and Princeton just held them to 55, so I think that speaks to what they're capable of.

We know it's going to be a heck of a matchup and we're playing a very good basketball team. When you look at Ryan Kalkbrenner and how he's improved as a player, what just has stood out to you the most with his journey so far at Creighton? Probably his work ethic.

He was gangly, skinny, a little bit clumsy as a freshman, not great stamina. Just everything that he's done from the day he's walked on campus really has reworked his shooting mechanics. He's added 35, 40 pounds to his frame, got himself in incredible shape. He's our anchor defensively at the rim. He puts a lot of pressure on the rim offensively in transition and in our ball screen offense. He's been a heck of a leader for our team, so we're glad he's on our side. He's had an unbelievable year.

I know Ryan Nebhard had 30 points for you the other night. His brother a few years ago got the best of you guys in an NCAA tournament game when he was at Gonzaga. What has really impressed you about him and what he was able to do for you guys in this NCAA tournament so far?

R2's played great all year long. He's really the engine for our team. He gets our transition game going. He sets a tone on the top of the defense on that end of the floor. He's a point guard that you can trust. He never really changes emotions.

He's pretty even-keeled in his approach. He takes what the defense gives him. There's games where he's had nine assists in one turnover and scored six points and we've been successful. Last night the defense went under some screens. He was able to get loose and transition some, so he hit some big shots for us. He's a heck of a player and it was fun to see. He and Ryan both missed the game to go to Sweet 16 last year. To have them play such a big role in these two games this weekend was great to see. Coach, we discussed the adversity you guys did go through earlier in the year when you lost six in a row.

But at one point also we're sitting at nine and eight. Does that just really make you guys a more dangerous team? Because nationally when you go through that, everyone's then counting you out and then it's tough to get people to buy back in on creating. Do you guys feel like you're being overlooked a little bit?

None of that stuff really makes any difference to me. I think what that non-conference schedule did is, number one, it prepared us for the Big East and I think it's also prepared us for the NCAA tournament. We played three very difficult games in Maui, all ranked teams. We came home, went to Texas, who obviously is still in the Sweet 16, and then we lost it home to Nebraska that had a very good year.

Then we went to Vegas and played BYU and Arizona State, three of those games without Kalkbrenner. We learned a lot, we grew a lot, we lost some close games in that situation, but we saw a little bit of everything. When you play different teams from different parts of the country, it prepares you for what you're going to see in the NCAA tournament. I certainly think the non-conference schedule we played loomed large in us being able to get a sixth seed.

It's really prepared us for what we're going to see moving forward. Coach, before we let you run, just getting back to the State of the Big East Conference. We see Ed Cooley today leave Providence to go to Georgetown. Rick Pitino is getting back into the Big East and is going to be going to St. John's.

How did you react to those two moves? Well, obviously we've got great coaches in this league and we've added another one in Rick Pitino. Coach Cooley is moving down the road to Georgetown. Ed left the Providence program in a much better place than he found it.

Unprecedented success there over a long period of time. If this is what he thinks right for he and his family, I'm extremely happy for him. He's a great friend of mine and I wish him all the best at Georgetown except for a couple times a year.

I love that answer. Well, Coach, it's been fun to watch your team as the lake. Good luck coming up on Friday up against Princeton and I appreciate you doing this. Absolutely, great to join you.

Thank you so much. That's Greg McDermott, the head coach of the Creighton Blue Jays, joining us. Zach Gelb's show on CBS Sports Radio. And coming up on Friday, the opponent for Creighton, like we've been talking about, is Princeton. And when we return, Ryan Langborg had a really good game for the Tigers.

And look at that story. You beat Arizona and they held them off the board for the final five minutes in that game in the opening round of the tournament. And then I was talking to a few people in that Princeton team and they were talking about how they liked the Missouri matchup. And that wasn't even a game.

It wasn't even close. Like, they dominated them. And we remember St. Peter's last year being a Sweet 16 team, being a 15 that did take down a 2 and they win their second game. And then unfortunately, they lose in the – they get to the Elite 8 where they beat Purdue in the Sweet 16 and they go to the Elite 8. And whenever you go through that stuff, it's like, okay, how far can a team like that take it? And I know that, right, we had the great matchup, the 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson winning and they lose to FAU.

You just never know what it is from one game to another. Hickey, the most impressive part to me, and it's kind of crazy to say this because Princeton, they did beat Arizona. It's a 15 and a 2 and all that, but I was more impressed with what they did to Missouri and how they just dominated Missouri in that second round game in Sacramento. And there's a reason why there's only four, right, 15 seeds that have made the Sweet 16. In large part, you can get an upset, but then it's, okay, now you're not sneaking up on anyone.

Now everyone's ready to go. It's harder to win that second game just because now the element of surprise is gone. I'll never forget, too, when St. Peter's lost to, it was UNC, and UNC goes to the Final Four, and that game was in Philadelphia, like the disappointment from them, and that's the thing that we lose sight of. Like, we look at Princeton as a Cinderella. Princeton doesn't view them, like themselves, as a Cinderella. And that's what I learned from those runs that we've seen from Florida Gulf Coast and from St. Peter's as well. But, hey, college basketball in a great spot, especially with this tournament where you have three straight years, a 15 beat and a 2, and then obviously on Friday we saw for the second time ever a 16 beat at one where Fairleigh Dickinson joins UMBC as they did send home Purdue. And we know a few years back you did see UMBC take down Virginia. All right, we'll take a break.

When we come on back, we'll chat some Princeton Tigers to Ryan Langborg, who will join us next. And their shoes are so stylish, they go perfectly with a wear-whatever-I-want attitude. Allbirds is all about loving Mother Nature, too, because no one wants to leave a bad footprint. Each shoe is carefully crafted from natural materials that tread lightly on our planet.

From ZQ certified Merino wool to a bouncy midsole made from sweet foam, the world's first carbon negative EVA material made from sugar cane. You're listening to The Zach Gelb Show. You're listening to The Zach Gelb Show. The Princeton Tigers, they're dancing to the Sweet 16. They will have a battle up against Creighton on Friday at 9 p.m. Eastern. And now joining us fresh off is 22 point performance in the round of 32 to send the Tigers to the Sweet 16 up against Missouri, which they did a heck of a job over the weekend, is Ryan Langborg, who joins us right now. Ryan, first off, congratulations.

Thanks so much for doing this. How you been? Doing great, man. I'm on cloud nine right now.

So, yeah, having a blast. When did it start to feel real? Like, was there a moment in the last 24, 48 hours you're like, holy crap, we're going to the Sweet 16? Yeah, I think being, we got back to Princeton, we took a red eye after the game, so I think having a full day here and just kind of letting the dust settle a little bit, it starts to get pretty real in your ass how special of a run it's been so far, but at the same time, we just started scout today for Creighton and job's not done yet. What are people standing on campus just wondering? We've got a couple of standing ovations and things, but people are just rolling back from spring break, so as it gets busier, I think it'll ramp up a little bit.

I know a lot of people are going out to Louisville for the game, though, so that'll be fun. Ryan Langborg here with us from the Princeton men's basketball team at 22 points to send the Tigers to the Sweet 16. I want to take you back to the first round game up against Arizona. When you guys win and it's three straight years of a 15 beat and a 2, just what's the lasting memory for you and what are you going to take from that game up against Arizona?

Yeah, it's unforgettable. And I think everyone on the team did a tremendous job following the scout and making them uncomfortable on the floor. I mean, it's a 15-2, it's March Madness, it's Magic, it's the best time of the year. So, yeah, like I said, it's an unforgettable moment for all of us and we're just super excited to keep the run going. And you guys were down 10 in the second half to Arizona. How is this team able to not only get back in the game, but then end up going and win that game when you're up against such a really good team in Arizona and you guys were able to accomplish what you did?

Absolutely. I mean, we just don't get too up or too down. It's a big thing with Coach Henderson and all of us guys on the team are best buddies, so we believe in each other and we know that we're going to tough it out whether they go on a run. I know they're a tough team to come back down 10-2, but it's hard when it's March and everyone's believing in each other and having fun. We're a tough team to stop and I think that holds for a lot of the teams still in the tournament. And I love what Mitch Henderson, he joined us on Friday, and he said, yeah, I get it, it looks like an upset of 15 beat in a 2, but you guys are a gritty team. Where does that confidence come from to allow you guys to just look so cool and calm in a big stage no matter what the score is? Yeah, I think part of it actually just comes from the whole 15 seed that we received to play Arizona. We just played like we had nothing to lose, and I think that's still true, going into all these games. No one's looking at us saying, oh, you guys are supposed to win this game, so let's go play, let's use that to our advantage, let's go leave everything we have on the court.

If this is our last game, we're going to give it everything we had and we're not going to look back with any regrets. And I also think it helps you guys when you come from a one-bid league in the Ivy League, your postseason starts earlier because it's really win or you go home and you don't get into the NCAA tournament. I'll take you back to obviously 2020-2021 when you guys lost the entire season, the adversity, you came coming back from that and then you lose to Yale. I feel like all those moments, it's like, okay, this is our time to shine, right?

Absolutely. I think a lot of us saw that a moment like this could possibly happen last year, like you said. We won the Ivy League and had a really good team going, but I think this year, obviously we're still very skilled and we have all those tangible things, but I think it's our belief in one another overcoming some of those tough moments in the season. The Ivy League sets us up so well, all the teams have very different play styles like Cornell set us up for that game against Missouri and things like that that we could take from each one of those tough moments and we know and we're confident that we can overcome anything that we face. What allowed you guys to dominate that game up against Missouri? Because I was just saying this right before you came on, I was actually more impressed with the game on Saturday just because of how dominant you guys were rather than the game on Thursday.

Absolutely. I mean, I think we matched up a little bit better with Missouri in terms of just pierce size, which definitely was helpful on the boards. I think we rebounded them by like 14, which gives us shooters a lot of confidence when people like Kate Pierce are going for 16 rebounds in one game, to just get them up and feel really confident. I think we just carried that belief that we got from that Arizona win. We went into halftime and we just had this calmness about us.

Everyone in the group, we had this trust that we were going to take this one home no matter what. What was the thought in the locker room after the game? I know it was elation, I know you guys were having a water fight with Coach Henderson, but when you know you're going to the Sweet 16, what was that kind of feeling in the locker room after the game? It was a bit of relief, obviously, the excitement you mentioned, but it's also kind of excitement to be able to look forward and say, all right, now we have another one coming up, let's continue this fun, let's not let this die out now, let's go as far as we can go, and who knows, maybe you'll see us in a national championship game. That would really be something. That would be incredible. We saw St. Peter's last year get to the Elite 8 and they lost in the Elite 8.

How much is that on your mind? I know that's another team from New Jersey, but you guys are going to be linked to those teams that were 15 seeds, and we've seen three of them the last three years go and take down two seeds. We're totally good at that. We want to be compared to some of those teams, and whether we want it to be the case or not, they gave us inspiration, they gave us something to look forward to when it comes to making these upsets.

It's been done before, so we know it's possible. I guess there's something in the water in New Jersey with FDU, St. Peter's stuff. It's a great inspiration to all of us. What's your first thought on Cretum when you get a chance to look at them and get ready for the game? They're solid, they're disciplined, but I think we match up pretty well with them. We've just got to make sure we hammer down the scout and we'll be good. I think a real underrated part of this team, and I covered Princeton basketball for a little bit, as Ryan Langborg is joining us right now. Brett McConnell, who's one of your assistant coaches, what do you take from Brett McConnell, and what should the world know about him? He's a fantastic coach, an even better guy. Whenever he does our scouts and stuff, it seems like we have this statistic.

It's called points per possession on defense, where if we hold a team to less than 1.0 points per possession on their offensive possessions, it's a big thing for us, and we win almost every game where we do that. We call him Coach B-Mac, but whenever Coach McConnell is on the scout, it seems like we hit that mark almost every single time. He's working with us every day. He's everything you could want in an assistant coach. I'm sure you guys get reminded about it all the time, not from Mitch Henderson, but just the nature of playing for Princeton basketball, what he was able to do in the NCAA tournament up against UCLA. You guys back in the big dance and now in the Sweet 16. When you look at Coach Mitch Henderson and what he's meant to that Princeton program from playing, and also now is his time coaching, what do you take away from that? It's an honor to be able to help him get a Sweet 16 as a coach as well. I know he had that big UCLA win, and we get asked about that all the time. Since even before I was a Princeton student when I was being recruited, they were talking about how special that moment was and how maybe if you come here, you'll have a chance to replicate that. It's pretty special to be able to give him that celebration and that excitement from both the playing standpoint, but now the coaching standpoint.

I think he really deserves it, so we're all elated. Have you seen Toson's game just really develop the last few years? He's come alive the last few years.

Freshman year, we didn't know exactly what to expect. I had never seen him play because he was coming from England. I think when he stepped into the gym, everyone knew that this guy could be something special.

I think he's proven that he's an elite force. He makes us so agile on offense and defense. He can guard multiple positions and really hurt Missouri because they were focusing on crashing in on him when he gets to the rim. He's so good at passing and finding guys with his vision.

It makes all of our jobs super easy. The game you had, to be able to do that, to send your team to the Sweet 16, what's that lasting impact for you individually? I know you've been having a great year all throughout the season, but to be able to do that on the big stage and make everyone know who Ryan Langborg is, what does that mean to you? It means everything, but it's more the fact that our team is the Sweet 16. It could have been any one of us on that day that we were able to have the shots go in. Blake Peters, I think, made even more of an impact than I did. It's really cool to be able to live out my dream and have a good performance in March Madness.

Like I said, I couldn't have done that without Toson and these other guys setting me up and yelling at me in the middle of the game to shoot it whenever I'm open. It's always nice to have that confidence behind you. I'll tell you, some of those younger guys like Kaden and you mentioned Blake, they don't look like they're freshmen and sophomores. I'll tell you that. No, they play unafraid. That's the best thing you can have out of an underclassman.

Everyone makes mistakes, but if you play with no regrets, then usually your effort will make up for those. It's really remarkable. It's been a heck of a story to see you guys now get to the Sweet 16. Good luck. Enjoy coming up and we'll see if you guys get to the Elite 8. But really appreciate you doing this today. Thank you so much. Thanks for having me.

You got it. There's Ryan Langborg from the Princeton Men's Basketball team. Just what a remarkable story. It really makes you just stop right in your tracks when you see them beat Arizona, then not only just beat Missouri, but crush them. 78 to 63, like at one point in the game, I had them up like 21 points when I was watching. It was wild just watching them and seeing what they could accomplish.

And you hear the confidence. How they match up well and you hear how they even talk about this game coming up at Creighton. Obviously they have the respect there for that program. But you just get these teams, and I know I sound like a broken record player, but when you look at a team like Florida Gulf Coast all those years ago, you know, George Mason, VCU, these teams that just go on these runs, St. Peters, Oral Roberts, even Fairleigh Dickinson, right? Their coach, Tobin Anderson, we said this on Friday, it's the biggest boss move in the history of the NCAA tournament. You practically called your shot and you end up beating Purdue. I know we look at them as an underdog. Obviously we call them Cinderella's, but you kind of look at it as, okay, the other team, even though Arizona's a bigger team than what Princeton is, they're college students and you even heard them say it, right? A team like St. Peters going on a run a year ago being in the state of Jersey, it rubs off on them and makes them say, okay, why can't this be us?

All right, we'll take a break. When we come on back, Jeremy Fowler with some interesting insight on Lamar Jackson and some speculation. This is one of the two or three teams that he's now mentioning. You're listening to the Zach Gelb Show.

You can think of Riley Auto Parts where your car care needs get guaranteed low prices and excellent customer service from the professional parts people at a Riley Auto Parts. I don't know if you've seen this video yet, Ry, but it is of Kevin Harlan and Stan Van Gundy. And we've all reacted going back to open up the tournament where Virginia loses to Furman and Kihei Clark, who's been with the Virginia program forever, and he won that national championship as a freshman and playing a big role for Virginia, just inexcusably throws the ball down the other end of the court and then Furman gets it and they make the three-point shot to give him the one-point lead. I'm a sucker for these announcer videos, and we all know Kevin Harlan is one of the creme de la creme broadcasters, but it's great to see the difference from Kevin Harlan to Stan Van Gundy, because Harlan is losing his mind going nuts. And Stan Van Gundy gives you the coaches side of it.

For someone that's a neutral observer, that's got to be, because you know both sides, the elation and then the heartbreak, but I think when you're a neutral observer and you're calling the game and you're a coach, you think about more of the heartbreak. And just to see an experienced player, not a freshman, not a sophomore, not someone that doesn't have any minutes ever in the NCAA tournament, Kihei Clark, just take that basketball and chuck it up in the air like it's nothing, Van Gundy looks like he kind of saw a ghost there in this spot. That is one of, I don't want to say all-time great videos in the announcing world, but just to see the differences, if I would have just showed you side by side, Harlan, isolate him on one camera and then put Stan Van Gundy on the other, you would have thought they'd been watching two completely different games, and it shows you the one side, Harlan's kind of like the Furman euphoria, and then on the other side, Virginia, it's just that blank stare that Virginia fans are going to remember for a while. It shows even when you're out and you're done with coaching and you still can't get the coach out of you, because I'm sure Van Gundy in his mind is going back to the millions of practices he has had in those situations.

Call time out, the last thing you do is throw the ball up in that situation. I'm sure it's just like almost PTSD of all those practices, all those coaching mannerisms of just what not to do, and he just could not believe in that moment with such an experienced player, he did the absolute one thing that you cannot do. Because you've seen it twice in terms of a coach that benefits from it have that kind of blank look as if, okay, either the game's over and then you think about the other side or the game's not over yet, there's two that come to mind. One was the game winner, Jay Wright, when he wins that national championship up against UNC, and you had the big shot that was hit by Chris Jenkins. And Jay Wright explained it years later, he's like, yes, it's a moment of shock, but then also you kind of just throw your hands up in the air because you've been on the other side of other devastating defeats and it's like you just saw one kid in Marcus Page go down the court, hit that acrobatic, ridiculous shot, and then you guys go down the other way, and it was O'Shefu Wright with the mop, mopping up the court, Arte Diacchino flipping the ball to Chris Jenkins, and then Chris Jenkins hits a shot like that.

In a weird way, in like the greatest moment for Jay Wright, he was kind of saying, wow, we could have been on the other side of this, and then also there's just some shock in a moment like that with the way that you win. So you just watch Marcus Page make one of the most acrobatic circus three-pointers to tie the game, it's just one of those, like I said, when you've been around that long, you've seen some great moments of joy, but more times than not, you're on the other end where it's just absolute heartbreak. Like that Marcus Page shot gets thrown in the lost chapter of Julio Jones in the Super Bowl where he makes that great catch in that game up against the Patriots, Patriots come back and win meant nothing. Or I forget the player for Seattle, was it Doug Baldwin, whoever the player was who makes that crazy catch, that circus catch, and then all anyone ever talks about from that game is obviously the decision or the lack of it by Pete Carroll to run the football when he elects to throw the ball, and you have the Malcolm Butler interception. There's moments in sports that in the moment, right, you're like, oh, wow, that's one of the great shots, the great plays you'll ever see, and literally five seconds to ten seconds later, everyone erases you from their memory just because of what happens after that. Yeah, and even going back to what we were talking about before, UCLA and Gonzaga in that back and forth game, it wasn't like a great play to tie the game, but UCLA ties the game, and next thing you know, the only thing that's talked about is the Jalen Suggs game winning three. Oh, yeah, and then also Baylor, we talk about coaching phase, too, and just that blank stare when it ran to squad two years ago when the Big 12 championship makes that stop at the goal line, he kind of just the emotions, they get like sucked out of you where you just get numb, where you're like, you know what happened, but you're processing everything, and there's still things going on, and you look like you're miserable, but you know it ends up actually being in a weird way a happy moment, but your face just doesn't show or your body does not show because that's what these coaches are.

They're robots. That's why I kind of like when the coach loses his mind and goes nuts, and you have Musselman over the weekend, it kind of was like he was at a frat party, right? He gets up on the table, it looks like he had like too many to drink, and he's just like waving that shirt around. That's the coach, don't get me wrong, like everyone loved to have a Jay Wright, everyone loved to have a Dave Aranda, and you go through these coaches, but a guy like Musselman, he gives you both. He gives you the winning, and then he also gives you the crazy celebration afterwards. I feel like Eric Musselman would be exactly, or I think I would be exactly like Eric Musselman if I was ever a coach in sports. Like just celebrate the win, take the shirt off, whip it around in the air, beat your chest.

By the way, when you look like Eric Musselman, and you kind of like had a little bit of a six-pack going there, I get why you want to rip your shirt off so fast and chill quickly. Do you have that in you? Absolutely.

In a game like that, without a doubt. So you're saying one of your teams actually wins something one of these days? Yes. We're going to see like photos and videos of Hickey like just taking his shirt off and just going nuts and doing like the worm and everything. That's what we're going to see from you?

Yes, oh yeah. Now it doesn't happen often because my teams are not very good and there's not a lot to actually accomplish and celebrate, but oh yeah, you win a big, like if I was an Arkansas fan and I was in that crowd, oh, as far as the head coach, even if I was Musselman himself, that shirt is off, the party is on. No, actually you did bring up a good point. We have seen that one time out of you. In the lowest rated Rose Bowl of all time, you did leave the Rose Bowl just totally lost in the sauce. I thought you were going to talk about the push-up where I pounded out like 44 push-ups. No, but that wasn't really... And then took my shirt off afterwards to show everyone, you know, I still got it. But yeah, there you go.

Right then and there, there's proof. After eclipsing everyone's expectations, accomplishing something I didn't think I could do, shirt comes off in celebration. Yeah, but coming out of the Rose Bowl, I think with some of your worst, but also your finest work ever. I mean, I was three sheets to the wind. What do you want me to do? You were what? Three sheets to the wind.

What do you want me to do? Never heard that phrase? No, but it's just, it was funny. You were, you were, you were banged up. I was toasted.

Oh yeah. You were toasted. Could not drive a car that day, that's for sure. But if I would have seen that video, I actually would have thought it would have been a big win, not just the lowest rated Rose Bowl of all time, you know, walking out of a game where even the great Penn State fans didn't even show up to. Well, who watches it?

Doesn't really matter in terms of whether it's a big win or not. But your own fans didn't even show up. That stadium was like 80% Utah. But you don't represent the entire fan base. I made my support known. I was there. I was fighting for the guys.

Like 10 years ago. And I helped get them a win. Five years ago, six years ago, much bigger deal than, than what it is now with really you being the third best team in the Big Ten that year. Like now you've got to go make a college football playoff. If you're going to tell me that starts to turn around at Penn State, okay. But then you guys better be in the playoffs this year and we'll see if you guys are. What do we say, playoff or bust?

Not hiding from it. Will you post the video if they do not make the playoffs this year? Because I was a little disappointed with you. You just got no reaction out of you. No reaction out of you after Penn State loses. After a loss? What do you, like, I don't understand what you want me to say. They lost.

I tweeted in a, in a, in a meme form, my pain. There's no reason to get on it. But no one wants to hear my voice after a loss. No one cares. Penn State lost in a game.

They actually played pretty competitively and then maybe hit a few or three. Like who cares? And it's a wonderful season, but a lot of times I think people in our listening audience, they enjoy when your teams lose. And we get these tweets right away like, oh, I can't wait to hear Hickey on Monday. Or I can't wait to see some of these videos. And I just think it's a little disingenuous when you're putting out videos when they win.

But then when they lose, like, we don't see it or see it. Well, when it comes to basketball, I didn't put out any videos, win or lose. Come on.

I'm tweeting about when they went by. Again, what do you want? They lost to Texas in a game that, honestly, I think they should have won. What did you do?

What did you do? They missed a few threes and it's like, what do you want me to say? That's what you want? That's a video I'm going to say?

No, but. Hit a few more threes and maybe win the game? But let's be real, the look on your face would tell the entire story.

And I think we would have seen a really dejected Hickey. What did you do after the game, just wondering? Did you just go home and go to bed? Oh, no, we stayed out. OK. Did you, like, sulk in your sorrows? I mean, I was pissed, but, you know, it didn't, you know. Were you moping around the city?

I was moping around the city. I mean, I was down for a little bit. Again, it's a tough loss in a game that was winnable. I'm just saying.

It's frustrating. For the producers here, Mraz's team loses a playoff game. They're flipping tables. I would like to see a little video reaction. Well, you know. You don't talk about the legitimacy of the table flip. Oh, I thought that was genuine. That was genuine. I'm just saying, you know. You don't think that was genuine?

I don't know. I'm just saying the fact that the question's even out there, I think is just damning enough in and of itself. Um, I thought that was a genuine table flip. I just wanted to see a little upset Hickey.

That's what I wanted to see the other night. Well, I'm glad I couldn't give you that. Good. It's embarrassing.

Yeah. Next time one of your team loses a big game. I want an instant reaction video. I thought it would've been great because you know, if they would have won, you would have gave us a video. You know, if they would have won, you would have got on the video. I'm like, I mean, I didn't do anything Thursday after they could not come, but come on.

If they were going on a sweet 16, you're telling me you're not giving us a video. I don't know. I can't wait. This is part of the moment. I don't predict it. It just happens.

These, these videos are now like, Oh, I'm going to sit here three hours. Let me just type what I'm going to write. It is in the moment if I'm feeling it. Yes. Was I feeling it? No.

If they won, would I have been feeling it? I don't know. I hope so. But I can't guarantee it. Did your girlfriend get any videos of you after the game? Uh, no, no, no.

She did not. I mean, I'm not throwing things around. I'm not making a clown. I'm not saying you got to throw things and go crazy, but I want your analysis. It was needed after the game. There's the analysis.

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