The PreWrap Ep. 12 - MADNESS IN MARCH!!

This week, we're all about the big dance: surprises, early round upsets, sweet 16 & elite 8 predictions.

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:00

So, like to say that these games, it's like no one ever upsets anyone and it's just they're not exciting. No, that's I it's just not true.

SPEAKER_01 0:11

Like you just weren't watching, but you just didn't want to like welcome back to the pre-rap.

SPEAKER_03 0:24

I don't really have a voice this week, but that is okay because I have a lot to say, and I feel like both of you do too. Um, we I would say go, go, go. Really? You missed it. I like did not have a voice at all like three days ago. I was literally like, which made me even more annoying because I was trying to talk and I couldn't. But thank you. I appreciate it. Um we are still uh virtual, but that is okay because we have a lot to say, and we are midway through the tournament. We've watched a lot of games, and we've had some upsets. And I know, Catherine, you've been saying you've had some stuff to say about the discourse around the upset discourse, so I wanted to know if you wanted to add anything to that.

SPEAKER_00 1:27

Okay, yeah. Well, Lucy kind of started that too of because Lucy's like our resident like Twitter intern. Like she's like always on Twitter. My fingers on the pulse. Yeah, literally, ear to the ground. But she was talking about how people were saying online that it's how people are upset that like there's not a lot of upsets in the first round, and that you only get exciting basketball in the second round of the women's tournament. And you were talking about how that was that's just like really annoying. And I was saying the problem, quote unquote, of that there's not as many upsets is that the fact that women's basketball doesn't have as much investment and as much money in their women's programs across the board in the way that men's basketball does. So obviously, in the first round, you're gonna see not as much of an even spread. It's not there's gonna be more of a gap. It's just the way it is. Like, I don't like you know what I mean. Like, Colorado State doesn't have the same investment as Yukon. Like, that's just the way it is, you know. Like you in the like eight-nine games, you get something more interesting, but in like a three like 12 game or a one like 16 game, it's not it's gonna be very different. Um I don't know what you guys think about that.

SPEAKER_01 2:46

Yeah, also you can see it like this tournament with the what with the Virginia like Cinderella. That's what I was gonna say. Yeah, Alexis Ohanian has donated a bunch of money, like this big donor to the Virginia women's basketball program, and now like within a year, they're here in the Sweet 16. Right exactly. The proof is in the pudding, guys. Right, right, exactly.

SPEAKER_03 3:12

I you took right out of my mouth, Lizzy.

SPEAKER_01 3:16

Yeah, yeah. Um, but yeah, on I just feel like also this is every single year I see this, and I don't know why it gets me every time. Every year I'm like, like, how can you say this? And it's like every single year it happens, and every year I'm I'm shocked and disturbed. But because I also feel like these a lot of these people aren't actually watching. I'm like, there were a lot of close games. There have been ups upsets, so like it just doesn't even like that's just not even true what you're saying.

SPEAKER_00 3:39

Like, yeah, well, it's like you just you're just like scrolling through looking at the scores and like that. No, you're even like I felt like even Syracuse Iowa State was an upset. Like I know that that was like an eight-nine game, but that was surprising for me at least.

SPEAKER_01 3:53

Yeah, I know it was. And USC beat Clemson in overtime. Yep. I would I didn't um there were a lot of other games with victory, yeah. Yeah, oh yeah, actually, I think I did, but but then they got blown out the next round, but it's fine. I felt like NC State over Tennessee, like we called NC State, but it was kind of like a spiritual upset because just like Tennessee losing in the first round is like a spiritual upset, and obviously, and even Virginia, Georgia, like yeah, and they were like a first four team upsets all the way. Honestly, like, do you think they could beat TCU? Maybe if TCU won an overtime to who did they beat?

SPEAKER_00 4:35

Uh Washington.

SPEAKER_04 4:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 4:38

Yeah.

unknown 4:39

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 4:40

I mean, it took them like overtime.

SPEAKER_01 4:43

Virginia, I feel like, is just very confident, and they're just kind of like they look confident themselves. Yeah, they look like that.

SPEAKER_03 4:50

And it really helps to have a billionaire backing your program. Like you said. But there's been a lot of close games. I mean, I know I talk about them all the time because they're like, this is my like hood, but like Louisville and Kentucky both squeaked by Louisville and Kentucky only won by one point. One point. So it's like literally.

SPEAKER_01 5:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 5:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:17

Kentucky won't awake.

SPEAKER_03 5:20

So like to say that these games, it's like no one ever upsets anyone, and it's just they're not exciting. No, that's I it's just not true.

SPEAKER_00 5:32

Like you just weren't watching, but you just didn't want like Notre Dame, Ohio State is like a huge upset. Like, obviously, like Notre Dame is a very storied program, but just for the year that they've had, I was not expecting that at all.

SPEAKER_01 5:50

No. And they won by 10. Also, Jelone Cambridge had 41 points. Imagine you score 41 points and you lose by 10.

SPEAKER_00 5:58

I feel like Notre Dame, like, kind of had control of most of that game, to be honest. They did it all the way through. Okay.

SPEAKER_03 6:05

So this is getting this is getting to something that I feel very passionate that I must talk about. And that is that, and that is that all season I have been being like, what is going on with the committee like loving on the Big Ten? I don't really or the ranking committees loving on the Big Ten. I like not that I think that the Big Ten is bad, like a bad conference, but I don't think I understand how like what makes this play like so much better than like the ACC or the Big 12. Well, if we are to look to see which teams from which conferences are now in the suite 16 of the tournament, we have six SEC teams, five ACC teams, three Big Ten teams, one Big 12 team, one Big East team. And I also feel like I do have to call myself out because if you look at my bracket, I I didn't trust I didn't I didn't stick to my truth. I did not stick to my truth, and I should have stuck to my truth. And my truth is that I think the ACC is much better than they've been given credit for all season. And then I picked like all of them to lose in the second round. Um, so I'll I'll both give myself flowers for like being on this train and also take some of them away for not following through on the train, but that's fine. Um yeah, how how are we reacting to the breakdown of the team?

SPEAKER_00 7:49

I think it's interesting. I think you made a good point about the Big Ten earlier in the year of that it was just really hard to tell how good they actually were because it was like UCLA and then it was a little bit like everybody else, kind of just like in the pack trading games and stuff like that. And I think it's really showing. I feel like the SEC SEC teams do really well in the tournament, I feel like usually and always because I feel like when you get to the tournament, it's all about like not all, but a lot of it is about physicality, and the SEC like really brings that and like asserts themselves. So that um doesn't surprise me, but I feel like the ACC like what do you think is making them so successful?

SPEAKER_03 8:41

I don't know. Like I I feel like it is like I think it's the coaches. I think the coaching in the ACC is just like really high quality, and I think like I don't know if you look at like Carolass and Jeff Walls, like those two kind of I feel like have been like cream of the crop. Oh my gosh, I can hear your cat. Are they fighting?

SPEAKER_00 9:10

They're joining the pod, they're wrestling. Oh my god. Wait, sorry, what were you saying?

SPEAKER_03 9:16

It's so funny. I've I just feel like they they're they're really good coaches, and I think like they get good players, but I think like these are coaches that have been around the block for a really long time and like know how to develop players. Like, I don't know. I can talk about I can talk about Louisville because like that's a program I've followed really close for a really long time. Like Jeff Walls like gets these players like two of them are from like Eastern Europe, and they're these like six, they're both like six-three, and they're like centers who can shoot the three. It's like where did you find these people? Um so I think like they are very like creative in their recruiting, and they like know like the exercise of the game like really well. Um and they both have tournament experience. What's going on?

SPEAKER_00 10:17

It's actually pure. I agree with you. Yeah, I agree with you too.

SPEAKER_03 10:23

Lucy, you're you're an ACC trooper.

SPEAKER_01 10:26

What do you think? How many AC do you remember how many ACC teams were in the Sweet 16 last season? I feel like they made the ACC wasn't performing that well last season. I feel like that was like also I don't know. Can you fact check? Yeah, I'm lucky.

SPEAKER_03 10:45

So, but what I thought was so interesting was like in in season there were like more teams that it seemed like were competing for like who could be the best team in the ACC. And then like this year, everyone's talking about how the ACC is underperforming. These like teams that are usually so good aren't good this year, and yet they're performing better in the tournament. And I feel like in the big one, like we're we just talk about like some of the same programs over and over again. Like, I think this year Michigan like really stepped it up, and uh obviously we've people have been talking about Iowa, like Ohio State usually like makes some noise in the tournament, but I feel like they've gone out in the first couple rounds the last couple years. Like I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 11:31

I just I I I feel a little vindicated, and this is why I think that UCLA is is a I feel like I was a slight AC hater this season, also, so um I'm eating my words. Or not a hater, but I just also was I just didn't think that they were like definitely I would not have had five making it to the sweet 16 versus yeah Big Ten.

SPEAKER_03 12:04

I didn't pick any of them. Like, I didn't really pick any of them, even though I've been yelling about this. But I so I don't know what it is, but it's just an interesting year for the ACC, which is very interesting.

SPEAKER_01 12:19

Yeah. Who do you think of the ones that are in the what? No go.

SPEAKER_03 12:26

No, and I'm saying, like, the ones that made it in that I did not think were going to make it in are Notre Dame and UNC. And they both be very strong Big Ten teams to get to where they are. That's true. Like Notre Dame beat Ohio City and North Carolina beat Maryland.

SPEAKER_01 12:49

Yeah. I think only let's see. And you see one by like almost 10 or something.

SPEAKER_03 12:56

Like I never would have, I would, I did not expect that from them.

SPEAKER_01 13:02

I think a lot of these ACC teams are also like kind of rolling towards the end of their season.

SPEAKER_00 13:06

I think only three teams last year made it to the Sweet 16 for ACC teams. It was North Carolina, Duke, Duke, and Notre Dame. Uh yeah, yeah, Notre Dame, and then Notre Dame lost to TCU in the Elite Eight. So yeah, there's a lot, a lot less. It it's increased by 100%.

SPEAKER_01 13:33

I know. Which one of them do you think has the chance of the chance of going to the Elite Eight? Like how many do you think are gonna be in the Elite Eight?

SPEAKER_03 13:40

Well, not UNC. Let's see. Not UNC. Not UNC because they're playing Yukon.

SPEAKER_01 13:46

Nope. I feel like I'm I would call Virginia just for fun. I think I would call Virginia over TCU.

SPEAKER_03 13:54

Wow, you think you think they're they're on a training roll?

SPEAKER_01 13:58

I mean, I don't know if I like deep down think that, but I feel like I the vibes are saying that they're gonna keep it rolling. I know.

SPEAKER_03 14:06

They have high vibes, they're they're vibing right now. They have high vibes.

SPEAKER_01 14:10

You sing that would be crazy. That would be crazy. But I it was crazy that they beat Iowa on Iowa's home court.

SPEAKER_00 14:20

Oh my gosh. I also I also do kind of like I could kind of see Notre Dame like doing something crazy too.

SPEAKER_01 14:28

Right. I know LSU. I know. LSU I think is I I like I think I would if I had to bet my life on it, I would call LSU, but I I feel like Duke could totally win that game.

SPEAKER_00 14:41

I feel like he's like so locked in.

SPEAKER_03 14:45

Yeah. I know. Yeah. I don't know if Duke has uh I don't know if Duke can is has LSU this year. Especially because it's Flash's senior year and Kim Wolke's like calling like local radio stations and crying about it. You know what I mean? Like she's like really, she loves that kid.

SPEAKER_00 15:06

Yeah, I feel like also just their tournament experience is like really valuable in this situation.

SPEAKER_01 15:15

So there could be zero ACC teams in the Elite Eight after five in the dude.

SPEAKER_00 15:21

Do you imagine though the Virginia upset would be yeah?

SPEAKER_01 15:25

I feel like Louisville is the best. Yeah, Louisville does kind of do like the other ACC teams.

SPEAKER_03 15:34

Yeah, I think Michigan Michigan is one of those teams that's like when they perform, they like really perform, and when they're off, you're like, wait, I don't even know what's going on.

SPEAKER_01 15:45

We talked about this at the beginning about how they always like have this weird slow little start, and then second half they want to lock in. Like Olivia Olsen had all like 26 or was it 27 of her points in their last game in the second half. I'm like, what were you doing the entire first half? And I feel like maybe they can't they can't really do that.

SPEAKER_03 16:04

And I feel like just the second half.

SPEAKER_00 16:06

Oh, sorry, no, you guys.

SPEAKER_03 16:07

No, no, go ahead, go ahead, go ahead, go ahead.

SPEAKER_00 16:09

I was just gonna say, I feel like the second half of their or even like the last quarter of their season in general was like pretty inconsistent. Yeah. Um, and even how they played in the Big Ten tournament.

SPEAKER_03 16:20

Yeah. And I but I what what I will say is that Louville kind of has the opposite problem as they like roll in the first half, and then like the second half, big the other team comes back, and you're like, stop, stop, stop.

SPEAKER_04 16:36

So it's really balanced out.

SPEAKER_03 16:38

Yeah, so it's like it's like what is it, unstoppable force meets like it's an immovable object. Like, that's kind of what I feel like this Michigan Louisville game is gonna be. Like, I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 16:55

Michigan will can totally totally win. I'm gonna I would call Michigan. I chose Michigan in my bracket, but I fear for them.

SPEAKER_03 17:03

Well, I picked Louisville in my bracket. I feel like it's gonna be and I fear for them.

SPEAKER_00 17:07

It's gonna be similar for like Vandy, like Notre Dame. Like, I feel like it's gonna be like Michaela Blakes and like Hannah Hidalgo.

SPEAKER_03 17:18

Yeah, I think the thing the difference in that game is going to be their their like periphery characters. Like I would take supporting cast. I would take the supporting cast of Vanderbilt over the supporting cast of Notre Dame, and that's why I picked them no win.

SPEAKER_00 17:35

Yeah, I think so too.

SPEAKER_01 17:37

You think it's Hannah Hidalgo versus like Michaela Blake's or Hannah Hidalgo versus like Aubrey Galvin, like in terms of matchup? That's where it's that's what's troublesome for uh Notre Dame for me. Like, I feel like they kind of have they have their one star, like Michaela Blake, but Michaela Blake's, but they also have like Aubrey Galvin, who like is so fun to watch. Every time I watch her, I'm like, wow, look at her go.

SPEAKER_03 18:01

Just so tiny. And they say that she's 5'6, and I look at her, I'm like, you are not five six.

SPEAKER_00 18:12

So crazy.

SPEAKER_03 18:14

I don't know how tall she is, but I don't think she's five six.

SPEAKER_01 18:18

I think she's five six. Well, she's listed five's six. I don't know.

SPEAKER_03 18:21

That's what I'm saying. She's listed as five's but she does not shorter than that? Yes, she looks smaller on the court than that.

SPEAKER_01 18:28

But she's around all people. That's what it is. I feel like she's just around.

SPEAKER_03 18:33

But Hannah Hidalgo is also listed as five six.

SPEAKER_00 18:37

So what's five's first? I thought she was like five eight.

SPEAKER_03 18:40

No, she's five's, she's very small. So what we need to do when we watch this game is compare. Who's lying?

SPEAKER_00 18:52

I feel like also though, even if even if Notre Dame loses, I feel like this was such a good like tournament showing. And like even when they beat like Louisville too, like I feel like their end of the season has been so strong that like they could have such a good year next year because people will will be like, oh, like I want to play with Hannah. I wanna like like if they can make it this far with like the team that they have, I think that that could attract like good talent for the following year.

SPEAKER_03 19:23

Yeah, I agree.

SPEAKER_00 19:24

I agree.

SPEAKER_03 19:25

Um I feel like South Carolina could have Oh, sorry, go ahead.

SPEAKER_01 19:31

Say it.

SPEAKER_03 19:33

Once again, I will say it first before what a shame that TCU and Notre Dame are not in the same region.

SPEAKER_01 19:41

Oh, they're not saying that.

SPEAKER_00 19:44

That would be so messy TV. It's if they just were like, we just can't do this like two years in a row, but I'm like, that's that's that wouldn't that wouldn't that shouldn't stop like that shouldn't stop them, but it's just like were they just like, oh, like this already happened last year. It would be even better. It would be even better because it's like they lost to TCU, then Olivia Miles went to TCU, and then all the drama happened. Like it's just like why would you not?

SPEAKER_01 20:11

I think it's just such a Syracuse coach being like, Why do we always have to play UConn? I know they always have to play UConn, but then their committee's not gonna put TCU Notre Dame again. So good.

SPEAKER_03 20:23

I do want to talk about that too. I so I wrote down some of her quotes, like and I think like because you agree. Well, this is what I think. I think that this conversation, okay. So basically, this is from Felicia Leggett Jack. I think that's how you say her na her last name. And she's the head coach of Syracuse. She's been coaching for like 37 years. She's been in this in this game for a really long time. She coached at Buffalo, then she went to Syracuse, she's been there for forever. She's had a lot of success at Syracuse. I think that while she was their coach, they played for a national championship against Yukon and lost. So, like, this is this is someone who's like really been around the block. Okay. She's saying for us to have to come to Yukon and play at Yukon year after year after year, I think the the is is unfair. And I understand why the committee like has them play Yukon or puts them in the same region as Yukon every year, and it's because they try to schedule people close to home for the fans. Like, right. So the thing, the quote that she said in the press conference that got the less press than this like quote that she that has kind of been heard everywhere. The quote that's been heard everywhere is like for us to continue to come to Connecticut year after year is to me, it's a personal attack. That's the quote that's been like everywhere, because it's like a good quote, right? We're journalists, like we get it. But the thing that I feel like She said that was most indicative. Is I couldn't simulate what we were going to face, and I recognized that in in the shoot around. I saw the distraction, I saw the looks in seeing all those final four championships, and I saw the weight go on the back of those young ladies' heels and to the point where they couldn't make free throws. And so I knew that we were in trouble at around 2:30 this afternoon. So she's saying, she's not saying like Yukon is the best team in the country. I don't want to play this. What she is actually talking about is the fact that women deserve to play in neutral sites. Well, like, yeah, what I'm extrapolating from this conversation because I think like, okay, yeah, she got blown, they got blown out, and it was like their worst loss in program history in the NCAA tournament, which is like that's bad. Okay, like that's bad. And so yeah, she she is going in there and she's saying, like, look, we have to play them every single year, and it's annoying, okay? We have to play them all the time. But what I actually I want to like extrapolate from this conversation, it's like, yes, it's about playing Yukon, but I think more so it's like you're walking into Yukon's gym and you're seeing all this history and you're seeing like all this stuff, and then you're like expected to just have like the greatest game of your entire life. And it's like maybe that maybe there's a bigger possibility that that could happen in a neutral site than it is in their home gym. Like, this is a we're even like our game has grown. Like, we need we need to be in neutral sites. It's just like ridiculous that we're not. That's how I feel.

SPEAKER_00 23:50

I also kind of feel like well, one, like it's a little bit like every team is gonna have their worst loss in program history this year playing Yukon. But I also do think it is a little bit like, do you if I was Syracuse, I would rather play in somebody else's like home gym or like in their somebody else's arena than like Yukon's arena, or like like it's just it's just it's just ridiculous. Like it's just is like a little bit ridiculous. Um yeah, I think it is more about obviously it is trying to be like, oh, we're gonna bring in the fans, it's the East Coast, it's like more local, but at the end of the day, when it's Yukon, like it's it's not right.

SPEAKER_01 24:38

Also, like more fans into Yukon's gym, like Yukon's gonna have all the fans. Like, that's that's like huskies, like that's not a bunch of orange, you're not gonna be seeing a lot of orange in this.

SPEAKER_02 24:50

Okay, guys, this is Sydney in voice memo mode. Um, in classic fashion, our audio got cut out, or my specifically, my audio got cut out. So basically, the rest of this episode is unusable, unfortunately. And um, our conversation about who we're picking for the Elite Eight um is just not gonna be in this episode. But if you want to know who we pick, you should go to the 303 Instagram where all of our picks can be seen. So thank you for listening, and we will get next.