March Madness Recap, 4 Days Of Upsets, Chaos And Awesome Moments + Monday Reading About Kyler Murray

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On today's Pardon My Take, March Madness.

Recap of the last four days of our lives, everything that happened, all the upsets.

No guests, it's just the boys in studio today, because we got a lot to talk about.

We also have to talk about Aaron Rodgers from Billy's perspective.

I don't even know what else happened in the sports world, but we have a Monday Reading.

Who's back? Great show for everyone.

Everyone's probably picking themselves off the mat after a crazy four days.

Getting back to work, hopefully we can give you some entertainment going into that.

And we are brought to you by our friends at Coors Light.

There's nothing like the excitement of the big tournament,

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And every game is a chance to turn the tables.

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take a moment to chill with an ice cold Coors Light.

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Jake is already doing woes and ahs, because we still got a half of basketball left.

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Okay, let's go.

And then we'll take it higher.

Oh, we gonna run down to the electric avenue, and then we'll take it higher.

Welcome to Part of My Take.

Today is Monday, March 20th, and holy shit, boys.

March Madness.

We are still alive, and I don't know.

I've just spent the last four days watching every second of basketball.

Gained probably 15 pounds.

Feel absolutely like dog shit.

Haven't slept, but man, was that fun.

I've got a new winner from the weekend.

Yeah.

It was a loser on Thursday, but biggest winner of the weekend, the University of Virginia.

Yeah.

UVA big time dodged a bullet because not only did their loss against Furman,

it wasn't even close to being the biggest upset of the tournament so far,

but also they're no longer the only 16 seed to go down to a one seed.

Thanks to Purdue and FDU.

Somebody told me, I don't know if this is true or not.

Someone told me that FDU, they changed their name to the Paladins, which we,

what'd we figure out?

No, that's Furman.

Furman, sorry, sorry.

Furman changed their name to the Paladins.

But Furman used to be called Furman University Christian Knights.

Yes, fuck.

And that spelled fuck.

So if you saw those hats that had the lines on the front,

all the kids were buying those.

They were hilarious.

Yes.

I had a Cox one myself.

Everyone had the Cox one.

That was as chuggy as it got in the late 90s.

Uh, no, I, I do think that, uh, UVA came out of this, uh,

it came out of the weekend smelling a lot better than they smelled on Thursday.

So we're going to recap everything.

We're going to try to do a little bit chronological order,

even though our brains are still pretty scrambled.

Um, I don't know about you guys, but I, I feel my body feels terrible.

I feel, I feel like we did four NFL Sundays in a row.

Uh, but we will start with Purdue, uh, the story of the tournament,

Purdue losing to fairly Dickinson on Friday, uh, fairly Dickinson,

the shortest team in the tournament, the worst schedule in NCAA basketball.

They were 363 out of 363 in strength of schedule.

They also didn't even win their conference tournament.

That was Merrimack and Merrimack wasn't able to play in the tournament because

the four year stupid grace period Merrimack is actually should be,

should get credit for all fairly Dickinson's wins.

Uh, and we do a pizza party for Merrimack.

We should, we should do a pizza party for Joe Gallo.

The coach, the coach reaches out to us directly done and ask for a pizza party.

It's yours.

I saw Merrimack play against long Island university when I took my son and the coach

was like, what the fuck are you doing here?

And I was like, I'm just watching ball.

I love ball.

You say Joey Calo, Joey, Joe Gallo.

Okay.

Joe Gallo.

So a great coach.

They'll be in the tournament next year.

So fairly Dickinson, worst strength of schedule, shortest team.

The conference they come from the NEC was Oh, and 31 in the round of 64 in the history

of the conference.

They had never won a round of 64 game.

They take down Purdue, Matt painter, Zach Edy, Purdue, the one seed, probably

the lowest that Purdue can get.

And Purdue has been in some really low places because Purdue now 2021,

they lost to a 13 seed, North Texas, 2022.

They lost to a 15 seed St.

Peter's 2023.

They lost to a 16 seed fairly Dickinson.

Good news for Purdue.

Say something nice about Purdue.

There are no 17 seeds.

So it feels like we've reached the bottom.

They'll probably find a new way to do this and make it worse.

But right now it feels like this is the bottom for Purdue.

We should do the, the Ravel tweet.

When, when dunk city one back in a, when, what year was that?

2013, 2013.

Where it was like, don't, don't feel bad for the guys.

This is their college campus.

Don't feel bad for Purdue.

They get to go back to school in West Lafayette, Indiana.

This is, and I listen, I'm not a fan of Purdue.

They're there, uh, you know, in the big 10, I root against them.

Uh, and I, I will admit hand up on Friday night when I got back to our hotel room at

like one 30, I probably spent about an hour laying in bed, just reading all the Purdue

blogs, stories, everything that I could read.

It's worse than bad.

Like it's, it's rock, rock bottom.

Uh, that team, I don't know where they go from here.

My takeaway was that Zach Eady, without Zach Eady, Purdue would not have made the tournament.

They probably wouldn't have even made the NIT.

Zach Eady was the only one doing anything.

And granted, he didn't shoot for the last, whatever, five, six minutes of the game, but

they were triple teaming him every time he got the ball.

Their strategy was just, we're going to smother this guy with the tiniest dudes that we can

find and just really confuse them.

And so he's obviously going to try to pass out of that triple team.

And then nobody could make a shot at Purdue.

They stink.

Except for Zach Eady.

It was, it was painful to watch, uh, with the expectation that you knew that Purdue

was favored by, you know, a lot of people to make it.

This was going to be the year.

If there were a lot of future, some people had a future, some people bet on them, some

people bet on them.

Uh, those guys are fucking idiots and they should never talk publicly about college basketball.

If you said, if you had a future on Purdue to win the national championship, nobody should

ever, well, I was so grateful.

So here's what happened on Purdue in this game when the whole sports book was rooting

for the upset.

Cause that's what happens in March.

Yeah.

Upsets like start once the wave starts, it's, it's, it's why March Madness is so special.

You can feel it in the arena.

You can feel it in the sports book.

If you're at a bar, if there's an upset brewing, everyone kind of perks up and they start paying

a little more attention.

And even if you don't have a bet on it, you're like, go underdog go.

And you were sitting there and that you're the only one having a bad time.

All right.

Zacky, you would dunk on like a five 11 guy in PFT.

You'd be like, yes, I would be like that idiot.

Yeah.

It literally was David versus Goliath.

And you were, you had Goliath minus 14 points.

Yeah.

I had David, I had David going down in the first round.

It was tough.

And I, I did in the second half, I wanted to root for FDU because obviously I don't like

Purdue when you realize you're not going to win your bet.

You're like, fuck it.

Yeah.

My whole thing was, I don't want to publicly switch sides and start cheering for FDU because

whatever I, whatever streak I was on on Friday, where I was at a point where I was over eight

in my last eight and I was down bad.

And I was about to lose my bet on a one seed, uh, not just against the spread, but straight

up.

I just said, uh, I think I, I whispered to spider.

I was like, you know what?

I'm going to, I'm, I'm internally going to be rooting from this point on for FDU, but

I don't want to transfer my bad vibes to them.

So I'm just going to sit here in silence and, and just be miserable with myself.

But it was, you're right.

They were the shortest team.

Well, they said effective height, their effective height was the lowest of any team in the tournament.

I don't know what that means.

Probably guys that play.

It sounds okay.

It means that they probably have a 12th guy that is like seven feet, but he sucks.

Cause I was going to say, what's my effect.

Maybe I could just fudge another inch out of myself.

If I said, I would imagine effectively I play as a five, nine and a half guy.

Yeah.

But so yeah, they were going up against Purdue.

They were too short for Purdue.

You were saying it, but it actually was true.

They were too short.

Zacky D literally did.

He looked like a cartoon character when it was like a bunch of little guys running around him,

tying him up, tying his shoelaces together.

It was Gulliver's travels.

Yeah.

It was crazy.

It was actually too short.

And Tobin Anderson, the coach for FDU.

All right.

Let's start with him because Matt Painter deserves a lot of criticism.

He, he said after they beat Texas Southern on Wednesday night, we went to that game.

Shout out Dave.

He also said that they could beat Purdue.

But Tobin Anderson was like, I've been watching Purdue.

We can beat them.

And then his game plan was absolutely perfect.

He was like, pressure their guards, the entire court front.

Everything was Zacky D basically havoc and be like Purdue.

If you could make three point shots, you can win this game by 20.

Oh yeah.

Your guards can't, you lose this game outright as a 16 seed.

So it was like the perfect game plan.

And Matt Painter, like Zacky doesn't deserve criticism.

He's just a kid.

He's probably like 25.

Matt Painter.

You, if you're a Purdue fan, I know that he's made Purdue like very good and they've gotten top

five seeds.

I think in the last five tournaments, what have they done?

I mean, the one thing that sucks for Purdue is they did lose in the, was it a lead eight?

I was the lead against Virginia who won the tournament and on a insane, like last second

play that went to overtime.

So like they were very close and that one, they don't deserve blame for it because that's as

close as you can get in a very hard tournament to win.

But the last three years, like Matt Painter, you stink buddy.

Yeah.

But you're right.

He should have done something.

There should have been an adjustment made at halftime when everybody was like, well,

you're going to lose this game.

It wasn't, it was by no means a fluke after the first half.

It's like this team matches up really well against Purdue.

If Purdue had, if, uh, if Ivy, right?

Chucky Ivy.

Jaden Ivy.

Jaden Ivy.

If Chucky Hepburn dropped 27 in the NIT today, no big deal.

If Jaden Ivy was on this Purdue team, they probably win the game by like 20 points.

But Jaden Ivy lost to a 15 seat.

He did.

So I don't know if you could say that.

That's earlier.

That's, that's before Zach Eady got good and he became a solid passer.

But that's what I'm saying.

Like Purdue's had players, Purdue's had good teams.

They get to the tournament and Matt Painter, for whatever reason, the disappointment follows.

This was, this wasn't a fluke for FDU.

If they play a best of seven series, I think FDU could beat Purdue probably three times,

three, four out of seven.

Yeah, I'd say four out of seven.

They were, they were better.

I don't, they were better coached.

The speed they played with, they had like, and they just were so unafraid.

And I know we'll get to Sunday's game where they end up losing.

But this is why like March Madness is so special is if you win one game as a 16 seed, you're

remembered forever.

You don't have to go win the tournament.

Like these underdogs get remembered forever.

We just talked about Florida Gulf Coast.

Who doesn't remember Dunk City?

You know, like you can basically write history and, and make careers out of one awesome upset.

Yeah.

The new market inefficiency is having short players on your team.

They've been overworked for too long.

They're like Oddjob from GoldenEye.

It's like a cheat code.

It's tough to hit them.

It's really, it's really tough.

Here's a fun stat.

In the 64 team era, there have been 36 teams to enter the tournament as a one or two seed

that weren't ranked in the preseason AP poll.

They have combined for zero final fours averaging fewer than two wins per tournament.

Purdue and Marquette were the two teams that fit into that criteria.

This March Madness.

Yeah.

No, it's the, the, the preseason poll as much as people make fun of them.

They nailed it with UNC.

For football and basketball, they actually do mean a little something when it comes to

basketball in the tournament.

Uh, Jake, do you think Matt Painter should be fired?

Say it.

Fire his ass.

Jake, this is unforgivable loss.

Fire his ass.

Do you want me to read it again?

13 seed, 15 seed, 16 seed.

He's the, he's the bizarro world Tom Izzo.

Indiana is a basketball state.

Isn't that correct?

It is.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Get him out.

Yeah, fire his ass.

There we go, Jake.

String him up by his toenails.

What's the saying, Hoosiers?

Uh, in 49 states, it's a sport or something.

Indiana, it's bats.

My team is on the floor.

That's, that's Hoosiers.

My team is on the floor.

This rim is 10 feet off the ground.

Yeah.

My, my team is on the floor.

He's got 49 states.

It's just basketball, but this is Indiana.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Get him out.

That's the quote I was looking for.

I bring back Brad Stevens.

I am curious because it is like a, it's an impossible place to be in as a fan where.

Matt Painter has made Purdue very good and they're winning big 10 titles, big 10 championship

tournament championship this year.

But then you get to March and it's like the most painful excruciating embarrassment possible.

It was bad.

It was bad.

Really, really, really bad.

So, uh, New Jersey is now the, the kingdom of upsets in the tournament between St.

Peter's and, and now, uh, and Princeton also.

And FDU, that's the state of underdogs.

Yeah, it is.

It is.

So, uh, other, other games from Friday, I mean, Purdue, that was the game.

That was the game that everyone talked about.

Uh, Vermont.

No, it was a fun time.

Didn't even cover the spread.

Was it fun?

Was it fun?

Was it fun?

I don't think it was fun.

It was cool.

It was cool.

Yeah.

It's cool to see them play.

Yeah.

Okay.

Uh, I own a Yukon, Rick Patino lost.

And then it was like maybe an hour later he was at St.

John's not officially at St.

John's, but the report came out that like they're finalizing a deal.

It was, it was, I love it.

It was very funny.

And to Rick's credit, they hung it.

They hung in there in the first half in true Rick Patino fashion.

They came out strong, very strong and fast.

Very fast.

Yeah.

So they, they were running the court.

That was a fun game for the first half.

We thought we had a chance, but no Rick Patino.

His, uh, his seed was eliminated yet again.

Yes.

It was gone.

Um, I'm trying to think of what other games, I mean, we saw, so the big story

from this tournament is everyone just sucks at shooting.

I don't know if it's Sam Decker, friend of the program said the ball is lighter

and it's like shooting a balloon.

There's also been talk about the rims.

Cause it had to, you know, change up the rims and, and, uh, adjust them.

A lot of rims.

The rims in, in both Greensboro and Des Moines were actually terrible.

There was something fishy going on there.

Yeah.

And we had, uh, we, there was no, no better, uh, showcase of that than Iowa state who I

think they made a couple of baskets at the end of the game, but with like three minutes

left, they were shooting 19% from the field.

They ended up shooting 9.5% from three.

It's been a bet under, if you, if you're an under better, you're, you're probably

listening to this on your yacht right now.

Cause it's just been every single under possible.

Um, and we have Bob Ryan was right because, uh, everyone's talking about the, the

shooting being terrible.

Bob Ryan came in from the clouds today.

And, uh, so Jeff Goodman said overall three point shooting in the NCAA tournament

entering today's action, 30.6%.

Bob Ryan comes in from the clouds, you know, you just entered my wheelhouse.

The three point shot is the worst thing to happen to basketball in my lifetime.

It is distorted the game at every level.

It was never necessary.

It was the gimmick of a promoter named Abe Saperstein.

Yeah.

Bob Ryan was right.

Hashtag Bob Ryan was right.

Steph Curry ruined basketball.

I saw a little alert go off in his house whenever someone's like three point shooting socks.

And you know what?

Bob Ryan's kind of right.

Bob Ryan's low key right about this.

Well, I wish I made more threes, but, but also the three point shot is awesome.

Yeah.

Like as, as a fan of, of watching sports on TV, I like the three point shot, but it has,

it's drastically changed the sport and not always for the good.

I do miss having a dude, having just dudes bang down low.

Yeah.

I miss that.

I miss just like two dudes banging into each other.

They don't let you, they don't, they don't let them play.

They don't let the dudes bang.

They don't let the dude, I've been a very upset about that many times watching college

basketball.

They're not letting the guys bang down low.

Yeah.

At least not in Florida.

So, uh, there's also a proposal where you have the three point line go off to the side.

So it doesn't, you don't have a side three pointer.

That's the three point line connects to, uh, to the sidelines.

That's European.

It does.

It does.

Does it feels European?

It feels like what you'd see in the Olympics.

It feels FIBA.

Yeah.

It feels like FIBA is getting its hold on basketball.

Globalism.

I don't like it.

Nope.

I'm not a fan of that.

Uh, Jake, our way out of this, we just got to keep digging.

Yeah.

Make the four point line.

Yeah.

I was saying and then past half court, the five point, there should be a circle at half

court.

That's a five, five pointer.

Yeah.

That would make games a little more exciting at the end when you're down four, it's like

game's not over.

Yep.

Can hit a five pointer.

Uh, Jake, other thoughts from Friday.

Anything else?

Yeah.

Friday, Kentucky got a tournament win.

Obviously they're eliminated and the Providence has lost.

There's growing speculation that Ed Cooley is going to jump to Georgetown.

So something to monitor, uh, we'll see if he makes that jump within the big East conference.

Are you taking John Calipari off the hot seat?

Out.

Oh, Jake is firing everybody.

Jake is fucking insane right now.

I think that Ed Cooley to Georgetown would be an awesome hire for Georgetown, but Providence

is his spot.

George Shawn just has a lot more resources.

He's from Providence, right?

Yeah.

He's a Providence guy.

So he might be using this just to get a couple million dollars more.

I've heard the boosters have stepped in.

For Providence?

Yes.

Yeah.

So we'll see.

And by that, I mean, I read it on Twitter.

Oh.

I don't have any sources.

I have zero sources.

Although Mike Rapolli is, uh, who we know who's a friend of Barstow did a, did the big

brain show with us.

He has said that, uh, he was, he's going to be very involved if Rick Pitino goes to St.

John's, St. John's alum.

So I'm hoping he just runs that program.

Like it's his own, you know, he tried to buy the Mets, uh, with A-Rod was denied.

I hope he just runs St. John's like a professional team.

It was very funny after the game because Rick Pitino did say before and after the game that,

you know, people just write whatever they want on the internet.

Doesn't mean there's any truth to it.

And then about, I'd say four minutes after the game was over, it was reported.

Yeah.

This is basically a done deal.

Listen, Rick Pitino, Hall of Fame, denier of facts.

Yeah.

He just can get in front of a microphone and just tell you like, this is not what's happening.

And then have literally walk off stage and have it be printed.

Like this is exactly what's happening.

He's like, nope, that's not happening.

So some people are speculating Pitino to St. John's.

Tobin Anderson.

Whoa.

To Iona.

Whoa.

Step up.

Okay.

Yeah.

Big March step up.

Friday.

We also had two near buzzer beaters, uh, TCU coming back to beat Arizona state and then FAU

over Memphis.

Which was great.

That was a great, totally well-officiated game.

Crazy game.

No problem.

Shout out Owl's thing at our hotel.

Memphis got hosed.