The Pre Wrap Ep. 10 - CBA updates and the aftermath of championship weekend

The CBA deadline has come and gone with no deal.....will the league and WNBPA have a deal by next week, or will Lucy be wearing the Nebraska hat again? And, thoughts and feelings after championship weekend as we head towards the big dance!

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Maybe we should wait to maybe we should start eating lemons before the pot. I love that. Maybe Anthiversary. Woo! Catherine came up with that.

SPEAKER_01 0:19

Don't send this stuff.

unknown 0:20

Like we don't like.

SPEAKER_02 0:21

Yeah, guys, it's fine. We don't even like.

SPEAKER_01 0:25

Yeah, we're not. We're not like that.

SPEAKER_02 0:27

We're not into that. Um, we're we're uh we're showing new sides of us today. Catherine got a haircut.

SPEAKER_01 0:34

It's a little too short, but it's fine. She looks like fourth member of Muna. It's awesome. It looks great.

SPEAKER_02 0:47

I know. Um and I'm wearing a scuba neck line for the first time on the pod. So wait. It's really vulnerable. We have a lot going on. Okay, anyway, um now just talking about stuff that's not us, even though I know that everybody wants to know so bad um about the how I pick my necklines out in the mornings. Um if you haven't heard, if you've been living under a rock, um the CBA deadline has passed.

SPEAKER_01 1:20

It came and it went.

SPEAKER_02 1:22

And there's no agreement.

SPEAKER_01 1:24

No agreement. But they were there for 12 hours. Yes. Physically meeting, which I was this the first time that they ever met? No. No.

SPEAKER_02 1:31

They met physically, because remember there was they were there, they met at All Stars. There was also, remember when they missed the flight? Who was it? It was Plum and Phi. No, and Phi. And when Phi. They missed the flight.

SPEAKER_01 1:45

So they were posting about it and everyone was like, everyone was like, um, I'm not laughing that hard.

SPEAKER_02 1:50

Anyway. Um yeah, so the deadline has passed for starting the season on time. Um they met for 12 hours.

SPEAKER_01 1:58

12 hours? Like that is really did not reach a deal. They took a couple breaks. Yeah. But yeah. I mean, also I was like, okay, the longer it's going, like, surely it's a better sign. Like, and then just like having an hour long meeting being like, we're done, or is it like worse that it was so long and nothing came of it still?

SPEAKER_02 2:18

I think to me, it's like, okay, well, first of all, we know that they're negotiating, it's not just like revenue sharing models that they're negotiating, they're also negotiating housing and all these other issues. So it's like to me, I I don't know whether to take that and be like, okay, this means that they actually sat and maybe talked through revenue share, but haven't really gotten exactly where they want to be for housing or haven't gotten exactly where they want to be for like, I don't know, salary caps or whatever. And then or the core or whatever, and then or if if I'm looking at that and I'm like, okay, then they're just still really far apart. I don't know how to take that.

SPEAKER_01 2:58

I feel like it's hard because if they met for 12 hours and left with a deal, you could be like, okay, clearly they talked together. Right. This was super productive. I think to your point, if they had met for an hour and parted ways, you'd be like, whoa, like they really did not seem really bad. Like, no deal reach. If they met for an hour and reach a deal, you'd be like, okay, wow, like it really wasn't that hard. But I feel like 12 hours and still no deal is like they're really on opposite sides of the.

SPEAKER_02 3:30

I almost think that if if they went and met for like one hour and came out with a deal, I would have been more skeptical than if they met for 12 hours and came out with no deal.

SPEAKER_01 3:38

Well they're really making sure that they, I'm sure, I'm sure that they're making sure they have every chance. And I think it's uh well not to plug no off-season, but like V went on no off-season and and spoke and it was a pretty short episode. But I think she said something interesting on there just about how like playing Unrivaled and having these players play in Unrivaled and actually getting treated the way that they should be treated, and now they've like tasted what kind of their life as a professional athlete should be. I don't think that they want to compromise. Like Fee, especially as the president, like it's like and the owner of Unrivaled.

SPEAKER_02 4:21

So of course, yeah. I mean, yeah, I I understand, like, I think that she's right, and also hearing her say that out of everyone, it's kind of like, well, of course she would say that because she's the owner of the league.

SPEAKER_01 4:36

I don't think it's necessarily biased though, because like I think it is. She offered the they offered the W to be investors in the league and they said no. And I feel like it's one of those things where it's like when Unrivaled grows, like the W grows, you know? Like if these players get more exposure and more brand deals and things like that, that carries over into the WNBA. So like obviously, like she wants to push like how Unrivaled treats their players better, but I'm also kind of like I think they just do. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_02 5:05

Like, I think Well, I think, well, yeah, I th I don't think that anything she's saying is necessarily false.

unknown 5:11

Right.

SPEAKER_02 5:11

I just think that I maybe would I would take what she was saying more seriously if it was coming from like a mid-tier player who is plays in both leagues. Yeah, that's right.

SPEAKER_01 5:26

Like she's gonna get like a max salary. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 5:28

Right. Like she's she's gonna be making over a million dollars no matter what deal she take they take. Um I think like I think as like the owner of Unrivaled to go on a podcast and be like the reason why we're not taking the deal that we're being offered is because of Unrivaled. To me, I don't know because of Unrivaled. Okay, well, I I don't know. Like that's she kind of but she she does kind of position it that way, and I'm and I'm like what I'm saying is like coming from her, I'm like, of course she's saying that. Coming from a different player, I would take it a little more at face value.

SPEAKER_01 6:06

I think it is probably most helpful at this point to hear from the like bench and role players because they're the ones that are most gonna be affected by this deal, and it's hard because you don't usually see those players in positions of power like leading the uh like W and the players' association and things like that.

SPEAKER_02 6:28

But it's also interesting too because I feel like one thing we haven't talked about just because there's so much to talk about, and we have like a limited amount of time, is the letter that was sent to the Players Association from Brianna Stewart and Kelsey Plum that ESPN to get out. Right. Of course they didn't, but ESPN got their hands on it somehow. Yeah. Very inter who knows how they got it, but I what I would give to know how who sent that letter to ESPN.

SPEAKER_00 7:01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 7:02

So I I don't think like I guess what I'm saying is like I think that right now they've I just don't feel like I feel like anyone coming on a podcast and doing like an eight-minute episode being like we're all super committed and we're all super on the same page. I feel like and I'm talking about from the player side. It's kind of hard for me to not see that as like a pointed PR move.

SPEAKER_01 7:36

In response to the letter? Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 7:38

Like specifically in response to the letter.

SPEAKER_01 7:40

I think public any public like announcement, any press like in regards to CBA is completely pointed. It's completely calculated because it's all about how the public perceives it, like what it's all strategic.

unknown 7:58

Like they're like basically playing chess at this point. Yeah, it's just to be honest, just think about that rapid model.

SPEAKER_01 8:05

It's like what percentage of W players played overseas this winter, and like what percentage played in Unrivaled? Like how many players are still going overseas?

SPEAKER_02 8:16

Well, that's actually very easy to find out because Unrivaled only has like 40 something players.

SPEAKER_01 8:24

Like what their sal each salary is, like, Stewart goes and plays overseas versus like, I don't know, like Lexi Hull or something. Like someone who's not making as much money. Do you guys think it's gonna be delayed the season? Like about how much we got some entire impot that it was going to be, I think it's going to be delayed.

SPEAKER_02 8:49

Honestly, I was surprised that people weren't talking more about the fact that it would be delayed earlier than this point. Yeah. It's not like if they got a deal on March 9th, it wouldn't have very similar impacts, and if they didn't get a deal until March 11th. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:10

Like I just it still takes a few weeks for them to like finalize everything. Yeah. So yeah, there's gonna be a shorter season.

SPEAKER_02 9:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:21

How long do you think it'll be delayed for? I feel like at this point it's gonna be a month. Like three to four weeks up to a month. Yeah, that makes sense. There's just so much. We said this like January. You've been saying this since the beginning of the year. They've been talking about it for so long too. Like I remember like Fee's exit interview. Like, Yes, that was crazy. That was crazy.

SPEAKER_02 9:45

I that's that's also the thing that I think I find one of the things I find most interesting about like watching this is like the level of contention and then like this switch from from like outwardly contentious and outwardly, like, I don't want to say hostile because I feel like that's too extreme of a word, but super, super combative to now like it's clear that the negotiations are still very contentious, but the the public-facing conversation has tampered down so much. Post-Uber Right, post-superb Rebecca Lobo conversation when you would expect it to be the opposite. It's like it starts out a certain type of way and then maybe becomes more contentious as it takes longer and longer and longer.

unknown 10:36

Oh, for sure.

SPEAKER_02 10:38

So I don't do you think that's a result of what they feel like they've gotten from the league in these negotiations, or do you think it's more of a calculated public move since now they're in a Rev share model? Like, do you think that's a sign of trust, or do you think that's a sign that they're not speaking publicly about how they actually feel?

SPEAKER_01 11:00

That's a good question. Um I don't know. Like maybe trust, but maybe I'm being like really positive. I can't I can't like I can't tell if they feel like the offers that they're getting from the league are like a slap in the face. Like, don't you think that's what they're doing? Well, that's what they're what they think. That's what they said. But I don't, I can't they specifically say it's a slap in the face.

SPEAKER_02 11:23

Yes, that was that was and and that was that was my issue and what Rebecca Lobo went on the podcast. I guess I think this was when you were Yeah, you were you were on your hiatus. Yeah, yeah. Like she they literally said a minimum salary of like over like $500,000 a year. They called it a slap in a fit.

SPEAKER_01 11:43

Yeah, which isn't gonna be sympathy with the common the average person.

SPEAKER_02 11:47

And I mean Lucy's kind of our resident Twitter expert, but she was saying that Yeah, there's like people were not happy about that.

SPEAKER_01 11:56

Like on social media are starting to get like maybe like disappointment. You can't disclusion, or just kind of like this that maybe isn't the route to go if you want to have public support. Yeah. Right. Because like people can't relate to like, oh no, we're only making $200,000 a year. Yeah, right. Like minimum salary, yeah. But I think two hundred thousand dollars conversation if like sexism in women's sports, where it's like, I mean, I agree with you, like how like don't be fine with half a million dollars, but it's like the principle of the idea where it's like, well, if these male athletes are if their minimum salary is like a million dollars, like yeah.

SPEAKER_02 12:36

But that but the difference now is that in a rev share model, the league is not necessarily dictating this, like, yes, they're setting a salary cap, but in a rev share model, it doesn't matter, it's you're working more in like percentages than you are like numbers. So when it comes to like the NBA, because the NBA generates so much more revenue than the W, they're going to make a higher, they're going to make more money because the percentages are like the chunks, the pie is just bigger. So that's what I also think people were, and and like I'm not at the time people weren't necessarily talking as uh specifically about RevShare as like maybe we are now, but it's like what they're asking for is a greater percentage of Rev share, and if the percentage they're getting is like it's all within the equivalent of like how much they're how much money the league and attention it draws.

SPEAKER_01 13:35

Right. Which will always, not always, but at this point is lesser than the MBA.

SPEAKER_02 13:40

And so if if what they're saying is like what they should be saying is like the men get this percentage of league revenue, not 500 grand average salary is a slap in the face.

SPEAKER_01 13:52

Yeah. Because the person, like the Twitter user is not gonna be like, let's think about this or like their PR to just like, yeah, don't like make them think about like you said, don't make them think about the numbers.

SPEAKER_02 14:05

Because like for me, I'm not like no one's gonna feel bad for for you if if that's how you're going about it.

SPEAKER_01 14:13

Clearly they have pivoted like that away from that sort of language too.

SPEAKER_02 14:17

Right. So we'll see.

SPEAKER_01 14:21

We'll see. Oh my god, every single episode. We'll see. You guys think that there will be a deal by the end of the week? By next app, will there be a deal? Yeah, true.

SPEAKER_02 14:32

Emergency if there is a deal called emergency episode, we're gonna break it down.

SPEAKER_01 14:42

Everybody wants to know what we have to say. Um I maybe like I thought like maybe they would have a deal at the end of the 12 hours. So I'm like, okay. But they both sides, the WNBA PA executive director said there was a lot of conversation going in the right direction. Both of these are super vague, and then Kathy was like, we're working hard and still have work to do. So it's like buying themselves. Okay, what does that mean?

SPEAKER_02 15:12

Well, we part of what we know that it means is that they can't publicly look like they're beefing because if they do, nobody wants to invest in the league.

SPEAKER_00 15:22

Right, exactly.

SPEAKER_02 15:23

Because and the players actually have like skin in that game now because they will benefit from investment into the league.

SPEAKER_01 15:30

It's in nobody's best interest for them to be like necessarily. We hate each other. Yeah, that was horrible. They can both be on that.

SPEAKER_02 15:38

Right.

unknown 15:39

Unfortunately.

SPEAKER_01 15:39

Because yeah, yeah. Oh god.

SPEAKER_02 15:41

Okay, so as we stand right now.

SPEAKER_01 15:44

I'll say yes. I'll go yes. You're gonna go yes? I'll go yes. You're gonna be positive by next Tuesday. By next Wednesday, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 15:53

I I have no idea. I genuinely can't even make a prediction, I have no idea.

SPEAKER_01 15:58

And I don't even know what terms they're gonna reach. Like at this point, like, yeah. We have no idea. They're not even like the last proposal that was leaked with specific numbers was the league offering 25%, and like after the players association had offered 27 and a half, and that was when they had lowered their numbers from like 30%.

SPEAKER_02 16:20

So I can actually read the last known proposal from Front Office Sports. So the WNBA's this is yeah, from Front Office Sports, the WMBA's last known proposal included the salary cap of $5.75 million and a 70% share of net revenue. According to sources familiar from with negotiations, this share amounted to less than 15% of gross revenue. The union's last known proposal was seeking a 26% share of the league's gross revenue over the life of the deal, with sources have which sources have previously said was an eight-year term with an opt-out after seven.

SPEAKER_01 16:56

That's crazy. Because I feel like the last we heard was that they wanted 27.5, so they dropped it another percent and a half players.

SPEAKER_02 17:04

Sounds like it. Wow.

SPEAKER_01 17:06

Um But it's what you've been saying where it's like It's all it's all about gross or not.

SPEAKER_02 17:14

Like you want to be able to have something that's gonna grow like with the Well and I think I think net can it net can grow. It's just that it's just that it's um it's just that the league has a little more, it gives the league a little bit more of a leg up because they can dictate wit how much of per they can dictate basically like the league operations. Right. And I don't think they I don't necessarily what we don't know is how much what they decide is league operations. What they decide is league operations right now. I am operating under the assumption that that will remain league operations for the life of the deal. So it's not like they can just say like, oh, like this expense, we're deciding that's league operations now. Like I'm operating under the league grows. But not necessarily what it is, but the But that's what I'm saying is like if if there's a ton of money coming in, I don't necessarily think that they can decide that like league operations all of a sudden cost like $200 million more. So e like I think that I don't necessarily think that's the case. I think league operations stays pretty fixed. It's not, I mean, yeah, if like it suddenly becomes like a million dollars more expensive to book a charter plane, then maybe league operations changes, but and I'm not saying and I'm not saying that that makes it a better deal for the players because obviously the gross deal is the best deal for the players. What I'm saying is like if I if it were up to if I were looking at this and I they're saying that this is 15% of gross revenue at this point, and I said this I guess two episodes ago or one episode ago, I would take a smaller chunk of gross revenue than a bigger chunk of net. Like if I'm looking at this and they're like, okay, this amounts to 15% gross revenue at this point, just to get the season going, I would I would take the 26% share of the gross revenue. I'd be like, we'll take a 20% share of the gross revenue. We just want the gross revenue. That's where that's where I that's my that's how I would negotiate this.

SPEAKER_00 19:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 19:41

I'll take a smaller chunk of gross to get gross over a larger chunk of net. I want a smaller piece of a bigger pie. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 19:52

With potential.

SPEAKER_02 19:54

Yeah, because then you can if you can get it, if you can get them to agree to gross, then you can opt out. And no matter how much if a ton of money is coming in, you're still probably gonna get a lot. And so then you can negotiate a bigger, on those terms, a bigger chunk. That's that's just how I'm thinking about this. I totally think that if the players can get the league to agree to a 26% gross share, that they they 100% sure should. But I mean, is it worth what they have to ask themselves now is like how much money are they going to lose by not having potentially a month of games?

SPEAKER_01 20:44

But over the lifetime of like a year or eight year deal.

SPEAKER_02 20:53

I mean it depends on how long the season is.

SPEAKER_01 20:56

How long how long it takes. But don't you think that like a year out of the eight years that is the end of it again?

SPEAKER_02 21:04

Assuming people will st are still going to invest after you went on strike to not you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_01 21:10

Like Yeah, that's fair. Because if people are like these are more anticipated for like the next season.

SPEAKER_02 21:16

Well, people will definitely want to watch because it's it'll be great TV.

SPEAKER_01 21:20

If people are watching, then people will invest, you know, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 21:23

If they I mean that but this is what they're talking about right now. It's like that's the gamble. Yeah, it's like the gamble, the gamble is will people, if we don't jump on this momentum right now, are pe are we going in in this like attention economy, will we be able to stay in people's minds enough for them to watch the momentum where it's like Yeah, this is what both of them are saying have like an amazing season. This is what both of sides are saying.

SPEAKER_01 21:48

Also, like we have the momentum to go on strike. Yeah, but it's like either answer is like you lose something from playing and taking like. Or from like striking and that people like like you said the attention economy stop watching.

SPEAKER_02 22:07

Right. It's like there's just so much momentum. Yeah. And there are people actively like waiting for them to start playing so that they can put their money in. So it's just like I don't think that there's like a great answer either way. But I don't I I really hesitate to say like this is the right move or this is the right move, because I don't necessarily think at this point with them actively cutting into the season, I don't think that there's a necessarily a right move. I think the right move, well, I say what I think the right move is, which is to take like a smaller gross cut. It just to get the league to if the league is gonna play hardball like this, then what other option do you have? If you want if you're not holding it. No, not at all.

SPEAKER_01 22:50

How much they're getting like uh I would like a net revenue, like exactly. Like I know that they're saying that they get to like 30% of that is like the league operation, but I wish I knew like the exact number and like what the total, what like their anticipated revenue that they're expecting for this year is and uh how much of it is.

SPEAKER_02 23:11

And this is also s interesting because I think the last time we talked about this, we were operating under the assumption with the information that that was being withheld from the players' association by the league.

SPEAKER_01 23:25

They wouldn't show and then the letter that they've met, like they wouldn't show uh the previous bank statements because remember how they finally matched it, like this last year was the year.

SPEAKER_02 23:36

Yeah, like they knew they matched, they just didn't know how much. But what the letter to me, what made the letter from Brianna Stewart and Plum so interesting to me that they sent to their reps at the Players Association was the phrasing of that letter made it seem like, and obviously we don't know, made it seem like the players association they felt as if the players association wasn't being upfront about the information that they had from the league. Yeah. That's what made that letter so interesting to me.

SPEAKER_01 24:07

I wonder what the incentive is to withhold that like from the player players. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 24:15

I mean it it puts them in a it gives it gives them more control over how the negotiations proceed without the players like input.

SPEAKER_01 24:23

But like does the players association is it that they like want the season to start too? Like what is in it for the players association besides like because they're supposed to be there for the players, you know.

SPEAKER_02 24:34

Right, I don't know. I mean, I don't what we don't know is how much the players association benefits from how the players deal. Okay, wait, how do I say this? What we don't know is, and what could be a possibility, I don't know, is that their salaries increase based on how much the players collect. So, like if for example, you take like how most unions work is you take a percentage of your paycheck and it goes to union payments. Right. So if that's the way that they get paid, then it is a part of their incentive to for the players to earn more money. Which as it should, but it should be their incentive. That's what they're there to do.

SPEAKER_01 25:25

Like but then why with hold because wouldn't necessarily the most funny be in the gross model?

SPEAKER_02 25:35

But I don't what what I think people are not strikes are very messy, and and the the possibility of and it is very, very possible that a very large percentage of the players, especially your like middle income WMBA, middle earner WMBA players, or like even your first year contract people don't want to strike at all.

SPEAKER_01 26:02

And also us a salary is better than no salary, if that's the the players associate should be.

SPEAKER_02 26:16

So I I don't know. If you're if the majority of the league, because your top earners, if they can afford to to not play because they make so much through unrivaled or through like other organizations, Instagram, whatever it is, whatever, or and then your middle income players can't afford to not play, then they're probably I mean, and I'm not saying I don't I don't necessarily think that um like look the people who are ahead of the exec committee, like Mecca and Alicia Clark and Stewie and Plum and Fee, like these are all people who are highly, highly invested. I I truly I believe that they are highly invested in the well-being of every single person that they represent. I really do believe that. Um and also like they can afford to take risks that other players can't take. Yeah, or don't may maybe feel as if they cannot take.

SPEAKER_01 27:18

I don't think the lines are so blurred. Like when you're like the vice president and the president, like between, like you said, truly having the best interest of everybody, but like not being able to negotiate without your own experiences, you know, it's just hard to separate.

SPEAKER_02 27:36

Yeah. Um that's where we stand.

SPEAKER_01 27:41

So we give it one week, and if not, you know what happens in a Nebraska hat. Yeah, Nebraska hat. I should be wearing it now because so many of our takes from last week were so bad.

SPEAKER_02 27:52

I know. So we're gonna do like a little recap. Just like a quick recap of what happened last week. Right. Because it was crazy.

SPEAKER_01 28:02

It was crazy, and I didn't think it was gonna be that crazy, but it's March.

unknown 28:05

It's March March.

SPEAKER_02 28:06

Anything can happen.

SPEAKER_01 28:07

Literally March. My, I don't know what your biggest I'm gonna put my biggest shocker as Texas winning the FCC. Okay. Because obviously, because last week I was just talking about the final game being Van D and South Carolina. It's just uh as if that was like 100% guaranteed. I was like, yeah, when Vanderbilt, when it's like Vanderbilt.

SPEAKER_02 28:29

We we were all talking about Vanderbilt like that.

SPEAKER_01 28:32

It's not Vanderbilt.

SPEAKER_02 28:33

And then literally the hour, like it was like an hour after we stopped taping.

SPEAKER_01 28:37

We watched the dominoes fall like so fast. Yes.

SPEAKER_02 28:42

Shea Ralph got ejected.

SPEAKER_01 28:44

Ejected. Yes!

SPEAKER_02 28:46

I'm not gonna say what she said that got her ejected, but you can find it online. You can find it online. People she was heated.

SPEAKER_01 28:53

We're lip reading? Yeah. Lip read? Yeah, the lip readers all that lip readers, but that was a crazy game because they just were doing nothing. Yeah. Yeah, that was.

SPEAKER_02 29:03

Michaela Blakes could not get it going. Although she did end with 18 points.

SPEAKER_01 29:07

Yeah, but the first half was one point. One point. I was watching, I was like, I was like, let me check the buttons more real quick. I was like zero, and I was like, Then she went to the line, she missed the first three turn. I was like, you're like still zero. No. Oh no.

SPEAKER_02 29:24

So that's a game that's gonna stick with her for a long time. Right.

SPEAKER_01 29:27

Well, so then do you think like, does that go? Into the tournament. Yeah, in the tournament.

SPEAKER_02 29:32

I think that she's gonna I would be so afraid to play her after that.

SPEAKER_01 29:37

I like like this as like kind of like her origin story.

SPEAKER_02 29:40

Yeah, villain origin story.

SPEAKER_01 29:43

So they can make a run from this.

SPEAKER_02 29:45

Yeah, I'm like so afraid of her now.

SPEAKER_01 29:52

I know she beats so sick. She said in the postgame, she was like, last time this happened, we won the national championship. I was like, oh well, actually, last time it happened, they lost the national championship. They're not.

SPEAKER_02 30:02

I'm just saying, like, oh, their last like beatdown was against Yukon. The last beat down was against the game. I guess she's saying like the conference championship.

SPEAKER_01 30:13

They won the national championship. But oh, I think it's better that it happened that getting stuck. And like on like a big the biggest stage before the biggest stage. It's the first time to course correctly and she will.

SPEAKER_02 30:30

I think I think I think they're gonna course correct. I'm really afraid of them. I think I might call it now though. I don't know. I don't know. They don't look as invincible this season as they have. Yeah, no, like and I and I also think like last time this happened, like Donna's saying that they lost the conference championship and then went on to the that was like a total fluke. Like it just didn't even. This is like a different kind of loss.

SPEAKER_01 31:00

How far do you see them going?

SPEAKER_02 31:02

Oh, they're definitely gonna be in the final four.

SPEAKER_01 31:03

I was gonna say definitely like the final four. It's gonna be like now I feel like they're not gonna be like just after predictions like last week. Like wait, do you know anything? I know. No. No.

SPEAKER_02 31:15

Um okay.

SPEAKER_01 31:17

Do you think they would be UCLA if they had to meet them before the championship? Yeah. Yeah. Do you think? UCLA is they don't, they haven't been haven't gotten that like Kevin. And I also lost, but I also blew out, I went by like almost 50 points. That is crazy.

SPEAKER_02 31:33

I I the game that I'm looking at is UCLA against Ohio State.

SPEAKER_01 31:40

Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, you're right.

SPEAKER_02 31:42

And because South Carolina played Ohio State. It was very it was a lot earlier in the season, but it was a total beatdown.

unknown 31:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 31:50

So I'm that's that's what I'm using, and maybe it's a wonky barometer just because it's like so early in the season, but that's what I'm using.

SPEAKER_01 31:58

That's UCLA's one one loss. They lost twice? I think they lost twice. So Texas was it Texas?

SPEAKER_02 32:04

Texas.

SPEAKER_01 32:06

Texas and Ohio State. So you think they would lose?

SPEAKER_02 32:10

No, I don't think they lost to Ohio State. It was just really close. It was just a really, really close. In the Big Tid.

SPEAKER_01 32:17

They won 82-75 to Ohio State.

SPEAKER_02 32:21

In the Big Ted tournament, they beat down. It was a beat down against Ohio State.

SPEAKER_01 32:25

Right. So do you think they're both?

SPEAKER_02 32:26

Oh wait, wait, wait, wait. That was that was last year. No, no, no, no. This year, okay. Only 10 points. They only beat Ohio State by 10 points. South Carolina beat Ohio State by like, I don't even know. A South Carolina number. Yukon blew out. Obviously. So I just that's kind of obviously different points in the season.

SPEAKER_00 32:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 32:50

I think Ohio State has like more of a fire under their butt right now because it's a conference. But it's just that's kind of what I'm that's that's what I'm using. Because I don't know how else to tell.

SPEAKER_01 33:00

But I don't think they're gonna make. But even though UCLA, like, they're they're playing for something, they are big. Like they have all like this is kind of everyone's last year. This is a lot of things. Yeah, it's kind of like UConn last year where they started playing for like Paige. Like, oh we like Paige, we want her to get like a national championship. Like, there's kind of like that kind of like storyline to it. Just think about the Gino Presser that I sent you yesterday. Just so weird.

SPEAKER_02 33:28

I don't think he can be like that though.

SPEAKER_01 33:30

Yeah, he gives me like a random. I know, but he's he's like grandpa, like it goes back to Paige, like he's so obsessed with her like this goat. I don't know what like I don't know. Well literally what, yeah, like our motivation this year is to like win it for Paige.

SPEAKER_02 33:45

No, I think he's saying to prove we can win it without Paige.

SPEAKER_01 33:49

Like, but just because like it's just crazy, like he's like, because Paige said we couldn't do it without her. Like I'm just like honking the oh wow.

SPEAKER_02 33:59

It's like, you know what it reminds me of? It reminds me of like Jordan like making up B for himself so that he had something to play for. It's like that's what they're doing at this point.

SPEAKER_01 34:10

Right, it's like what Gino was like, well, they'll be on my benches, Paige. Like, what he's gonna do.

SPEAKER_02 34:17

He's motivating! I think he's trying to motivate them to prove, like, I think it's a tactic.

SPEAKER_01 34:22

We start talking about page, like, I guess. He's he's um rage baiting his direction.

SPEAKER_02 34:26

I think he's rage baiting the team.

SPEAKER_01 34:28

Yeah, yeah. But I also think he is like no, he definitely loves Page. Yeah, he loves Paige. He's also like softer in his older. I think so too. Oh, definitely. Definitely softer. Um But I feel like they had that kind of like motivation. Like they weren't gonna maybe say, like, oh, we like we want this. But it was kind of like the storyline of like a national championship. Right. Yeah, this time, like with UCLA, they have all those, they have all their seniors or whoever, like leading like there's no flat chance to know it. And it's also like not just for them, it's like the program. Like, yeah, so they're on hold for the first time. Yeah, and this is yeah. Which that's all to say, like, they're not gonna be able to do that. Yeah, they're right, which again they can't because UConn's there, but uh they are physically unequal, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 35:16

I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 35:17

But it's like past South Carolina or Texas.

SPEAKER_02 35:22

Wow.

unknown 35:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 35:24

You all really think that they're more likely to I don't know if I don't know anything clearly because everything I said last episode.

SPEAKER_01 35:32

Oh, it's watching it from what run of me. I was like, oh, okay.

SPEAKER_02 35:35

I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 35:36

I I think that like But that's also kind of the spirit of like March. March anything can happen.

SPEAKER_02 35:42

It's so true.

SPEAKER_01 35:43

It's almost better to be it would be bizarre if you need to watch any game of Rasketball, you know. Right. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 35:48

That's the beauty. Alright, should we move on? Yeah. ACC. Sorry, Sydney.

SPEAKER_01 35:54

Okay, but I got I did get it, I did get a This is my only correct prediction. You were so I know this was this was your correct prediction.

SPEAKER_02 36:02

This was, yeah. I mean that unfortunately. That really hurt. I gotta be honest. Like, it was Louisville lost because of one missed free throw and a 10-second violation trying to bring the ball up the court. It's like, and this is a young team in the AECC championship, you like you just can't do that. And this is a young team, I think like people like to talk about like their sophomore class, they have a really, really strong sophomore class. So assuming they don't all transfer after the season, because at this point, like you can never like assume that that's not gonna happen, but I as a longtime fan, as a hometown fan, I really hope they stay and that we can see some growth because I think there's a high ceiling for this group. Like so, yeah. But the real story is Duke. They started the season six and nine.

SPEAKER_01 36:55

Terrible story. They were not allowed. People like were really losing pay.

SPEAKER_02 36:59

People like were they lost to Baylor, West Virginia, who nobody we'll talk about them, no one saw them coming except for me. I talked about them! Okay. Um South Florida, which is a crazy loss. Don't know what happened that day.

SPEAKER_01 37:16

That's they were just no must be.

SPEAKER_02 37:18

And then they lost to South Carolina, UCLA, UCLA, and LSU.

SPEAKER_01 37:21

So it's like Florida, like those are like impressive losses, I would say. Baylor, West Virginia.

SPEAKER_02 37:28

I think Baylor was at that point in the season, Baylor was was good. Everybody was like, what? West Virginia.

SPEAKER_01 37:34

That one was weird in the world. That was weird at the time. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 37:38

At the time it was weird, but now they're big 12 champs. So and then South Florida. We just don't know what's going on there. And then South Carolina, UCLA, LSE. Like, what are we even doing? Like, of course, those make sense. There's no chance. Um maybe there is a chance, but maybe there's a chance for Duke now.

SPEAKER_01 37:58

There's a chance, but like South Carolina, UCLA. Yeah, I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 38:02

I don't know. I think Duke is one of those like March teams that just comes alive at the end of the postseason and gives like they haven't in the last few years, they haven't made a super, super, super deep run. Like, we're not seeing them in the final four, but they're definitely like making Elite Eights and Sweet 16s. So, I mean, I don't know. If I were UCLA, I would not want to see Duke.

SPEAKER_01 38:28

No, you don't want that.

SPEAKER_02 38:29

I would not want to see Duke.

SPEAKER_01 38:30

It's not gonna be an easy game, that that's for sure.

SPEAKER_02 38:33

No.

SPEAKER_01 38:34

Um CLA has one loss. One, yeah. And we can talk about them. They didn't have an easy schedule. They did. They pretty good schedule.

SPEAKER_02 38:44

And they're the Big Ten champs now.

SPEAKER_01 38:46

Regular season and we yeah, because we said this earlier, like they're clear, they're way above the rest of the Big Ten. Like the same as a race per second, and even the second, the runner up of the Big Ten was blown out by 50. So that's that was horrible. Um and we kind of talked about it. We kind of took on UCLA, like alright. Yeah. I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 39:09

I guess I guess sorry, go ahead.

SPEAKER_01 39:12

Well, I was gonna say the only question is like, do you think they would get the number one seed over Yukon? Which I the in the top 16 ratings that's about two, right? UConn's been one for both, which I don't think they're gonna switch up and put UCLA up, but it's like a pitch that it's hard because like UCLA did have a harder skin, but it's also like UConn's just like total dominance, and then like the few games they did, like with actual contenders that they just like absolutely destroyed. Right, okay.

SPEAKER_02 39:46

I don't know. I I think I'm I know I'm like always doubting the Big Ten like on this podcast, but like part of me is like I don't know, I I just I I don't necessarily think like winning against like Oregon is more impressive than winning for than Yukon like winning against Villanova.

SPEAKER_01 40:09

Let's look at the other ones though. Oklahoma, North Carolina, Texas, they did lose to Texas by nine points. Uh they beat Duke, Tennessee, Ohio City. Ohio State. USC's unimpressive. Nebraska, Maryland, Iowa.

SPEAKER_02 40:26

But that's but I think like Nebraska. Sorry, I'm so sorry, Lucy.

SPEAKER_01 40:31

Like Nebraska's fine. I you know what I mean? Yeah, they didn't get it. They beat Michigan, but so many people are stronger than you. I think it would be a good thing. I think I think the I think the middle tier teams are stronger. The big tennis, the big tennis. I mean we'll see. They didn't look good when you're saying Duke was gonna make a run and they do they didn't look.

SPEAKER_02 40:53

No, I think no, I think UCLA is good.

SPEAKER_01 40:55

They be Duke 89 of 50.

SPEAKER_02 40:57

I definitely think, I definitely think UCLA is good. I definitely think we're gonna see them in the Final Four and in the championship. I'm taking them to the championship. Yeah. I'm just saying that like UCLA UConn.

SPEAKER_01 41:07

Oh, I'm saying that if they play UConn, it's perhaps. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 41:12

But that but I'm like, but I just don't I don't know. Like, I think I'm just confused about like, okay, like Minnesota, for example. I don't think I understand, like I don't know what have they done that a team in the ACC hasn't done. I think that I just think that the top 25. I have conference bias. I have conference bias. I have conference bias. I just I don't think I'm seeing maybe I'm just not I don't know. I and I I don't think that the the Big Ten is bad. I'm just like I think UCLA is like amazing, and I'm not able to tell how good the Big Ten is in relation to all the other conferences because no one's such a because there's like a benchmark and there's such a crazy gap.

unknown 41:56

Yeah, that's fair.

SPEAKER_02 41:57

Anyway, sorry, that's not important right now. What is important is that they could get the number one seed. UCLA could get the number one seed over Yukon, but they're in the they're in talks. And then the Big 12, West Virginia, I believed in you from the start, even though I didn't say that you would I didn't say you would win the conference championship, but I have been talking about you.

SPEAKER_01 42:18

So TCU, they fell. I know I was like, I know the one I was like felt pretty confident about too. So I was watching and I was like, I know. I mean cares in T. I know. She was carrying hot, and I was just like, what? Like I was more confident that than my dude ACC. Really? Yeah, like I thought UCLO or UNC could have felt like border, but sauce up. But shout out West Virginia, and they had that, they also like stuff like media viral because they were on the bench eating lemons.

unknown 42:53

Which apparently they do in the locker room each like before. Because that gives them like a little shock.

SPEAKER_01 42:57

Oh yeah, it's like smelling salts, but like that's it. Jordan Harrison said that uh MOP of the tournament said that it gets their brains like refreshed and focused. Which like I don't know the size behind that, but like I guess it's like a citrus I guess, but I guess it worked. They've been doing it apparently for the last two years.

SPEAKER_02 43:16

Maybe we should wait too. Maybe we should start eating lemons before the pot.

SPEAKER_01 43:21

Yeah, I love that. Maybe um so yeah. Alright. And then selection Sunday coming up. Yeah, so I feel like all I know is that like all I know is that the like Texas, South Carolina, like the Ta Texas winning last easy championship to secure that. Yep.

SPEAKER_02 43:45

Definitely.

SPEAKER_01 43:47

So that's gonna be crazy that's South Carolina like a little bit more of a difficult situation, but they gotta find it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 43:56

It's a big time difference.

SPEAKER_01 43:58

It's a big time difference, yeah. Yeah, from home. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 44:01

It's really far from home. Which it makes and this is something that people talk about with the SEC tournament all the time is that they're they play in Greenville, South Carolina, so they're basically playing at home.

SPEAKER_01 44:11

Which they saw lost.

SPEAKER_02 44:12

I know.

SPEAKER_01 44:13

Now they gotta fly and go out of Fort Worth. That's hu that's actually huge.

SPEAKER_02 44:19

Yeah, they're just like I didn't even realize that. That's insane.

SPEAKER_01 44:23

They can fly over. Yeah, he was like, let's just walk, guys. Okay, like who could go for a walk right now?

SPEAKER_02 44:30

Oh god.

SPEAKER_01 44:31

But yeah, it's super close. So yeah, I mean them getting the number one seed, especially I was doubting them. I just don't know why. Really? I don't even know why. Well, they didn't want to win this tournament.

SPEAKER_02 44:41

They didn't end the season as strong as they had started it. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. So I think that, um, shout out to them. Shout out to them, they've really put the gears on, and I'm excited to see them in the tournament.

SPEAKER_01 44:55

We'll see. I still don't think this is gonna be like fun. It's so funny if we just get to like play pretend for like 30 minutes and like UConn is just gonna win. I know everything for you except for one thing is for sure. Yeah. Wait, what if they don't win? Who who are they gonna lose? I don't know because it's like naked, like they don't really have like fluke weird games. Like maybe don't give it a few. Michigan.

SPEAKER_02 45:18

That was their one that was their one game.

SPEAKER_01 45:21

It was very close.

SPEAKER_02 45:22

That was in their prime. That was prime Michigan, that was in their high point.

SPEAKER_01 45:27

Michigan. Look at them go. And then you kind of just like locked in, they were like, oh my god.

SPEAKER_02 45:32

I know. It was it was close. It was close. So I guess we'll see.

SPEAKER_01 45:36

Yeah, and then it was never close again. I know. So busy they were like, I know. Yeah. So yeah, I guess I can't. Oh, I'm so excited. Yay! We'll be on Zoom next week. I know we all have our elaborate setup. I know. We've really locked in with this setup, so little by little we get more legit.

SPEAKER_02 45:55

Yeah, so we'll be on Zoom next week, but um we'll see you there. We'll see you there, and we're we'll have a lot to talk about. We'll have a ton to talk about.

SPEAKER_01 46:03

We'll see C B A. C B A, maybe definitely have C predictions. Will we have C B A?

unknown 46:08

I don't know. We'll see.

SPEAKER_02 46:10

We'll see. Time will tell.

unknown 46:12

Alright.