I Love Mondays with Mike Heller

I Love Mondays-Episode 11, March 16, 2026

• Mike Heller

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NCAA Brackets and the Badgers #5 seed and path, we get insight from Badgers Radio Network Analyst-Brian Butch.  Plus Packers free agency talk with SI's Bill Huber

SPEAKER_00

I love Mondays with my hell.

SPEAKER_02

Broadcasting live from an undisclosed bunker in the Badger State. This is I Love Mondays with Mike Heller. Powered by determination and a little bit of duct tape. Here's your host, Mike Heller.

SPEAKER_04

All right, so here we go. It is uh one of the best weeks of the year. I love Mondays. The whole moniker used to be uh when I was doing live sports talk radio for the last 23 years. The I love Monday really kind of came in a few years ago. I would say it on occasion prior to that. But I I decided to name the podcast that because I do. I love Mondays. There is no better day to talk sports than on a Monday, and that goes for 12 months a year, 365, all 52 weeks of the year. Monday is always the best day. Now, sometimes slower than others. There's a challenge to this Monday, depending on where you're tuning us in. Um, and I get it. And and uh I'll begin with this from James. I'm very sorry, Mike. I don't love this Monday. Hope all listeners are safe. I get that uh because I I am based out of Madison. And if you're based out of Madison or Milwaukee, and if if the southern third of the state is where you call home, it's much different than it is in the northern two-thirds of the state, and specifically in the northeast. Uh when you're talking about Green Bay, Sturgeon Bay, going up in a door county, or if you're getting up into Okano and uh north and west of Green Bay, significantly different than what we are getting here from a weather standpoint. So I'm gonna echo what James said uh online there, and that is uh I hope you're safe. And depending on where you are in your uh in your life circle, uh, get some help with some of this driveway stuff and make sure you pay attention to your own health when you're out there. Uh it's gonna melt by Friday, but I get it. You've got to get it clear, and there's significant drifting in its blizzard-like conditions. So welcome in. Uh, there is so much to get to, so many great things. Yesterday was fantastic. I had a great weekend. I hope you did as well. Saturday uh went to a local watering hole and uh and took in Wisconsin against Michigan in the Big Ten semifinal, and it was a great game. It truly was a great game. And Wisconsin got beat on uh Big Ten player of the year, three-point shot that went down the hole with uh four tenths of a second to play. You can live with that. I uh I would have preferred, I think competitors prefer that you win, but it wasn't the worst case scenario for me thinking of playing a fourth game in four days for them and then turning around and likely, and I said this on another show I was on uh in Milwaukee earlier this morning, saying that the the whole concept of playing the fourth game in four days had they beaten Michigan and played Purdue for the Big Ten title yesterday, that that is Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, four games, four days, and the committee doesn't care. The committee doesn't care about yesterday's result. In in all of the odds, they would say that had Wisconsin won the game against Michigan on Saturday, they still would have been a five seed and probably still going to Portland. Maybe they move up one slot on the five seed. They're the lowest of the five seeds. They're the last five seed in. They were ranked 20th by the committee. So they're the last five seed in. If they beat Michigan on Saturday, maybe they're up a spot. My whole point is the committee doesn't care. They would likely still have you play on Thursday. And I get it. We're talking about young men who are in incredible shape and can turn around and play three days later. But think of this: you if you'd have played Sunday in Chicago, then you stayed there for the selection committee, you leave Chicago about seven o'clock, and you get back to Madison about uh and back to their apartments and wherever sometime around 10 o'clock. They're gonna have today and then tomorrow they'll travel again. The teams that play on Thursday will leave tomorrow. So Wisconsin will leave on Tuesday and head out to Portland. They have the uh the open media shoot uh shoot arounds on Wednesday and media availability, and then they'll play on Thursday. One other note about how how Wisconsin's path stack stacks up, and we're gonna visit with Brian Butch. He'll join us in just a few minutes. Wisconsin will play a game that will tip at 1250 Central Time in Portland. There are two parts to that. One, that arena is going to be very low-key. I'd be the first game out, and it'll be 10:50. It's breakfast in Portland. It'll be 10:50 Portland time, Pacific Coast time. So bring your own buzz, bring your own juice. The only time I would think that that arena gets loud and boisterous is when high point's doing something. Because uh if you've not been to NCAA tournament games, I'll talk with this about this with Brian in a couple of minutes. If you've not been there, the underdog is the home team. They're the ones that get fan juice behind them, other than if you're playing really close to home. And we understood that in Milwaukee when Wisconsin is played through there. There's a home court advantage. There's no home court playing in Portland, but if there's no home court, then the underdog is the home team. So there's a little bit of that. And I don't love that they're playing Pacific Coast time before 11 a.m. local time. It shouldn't impact Wisconsin on body clock stuff or high point for that matter, which comes from High Point, North Carolina, Eastern time zone. So there's that part. Then the other is just the path, right? Is a five-seed, if you can get out of the opening weekend, you're gonna get a one. So it's just the way it stacks. And the goal is to get out of the opening weekend. Wisconsin hadn't been to the Sweet 16 since they got beat by Florida in Madison Square Garden in the Sweet 16 on uh Chioza's running three-point shot at the buzzer in overtime, of which Wisconsin had a two-point lead and is gonna move on to the Sweet 16. And um hard to forget that moment in time. So there's that. Also, yesterday, yesterday I'm watching uh sled hockey at the Paralympic Games in Italy and the U.S. beating Canada for the third time in three weeks. The U.S. women beat Canada, the U.S. men beat Canada, and then the in the Paralympic sled hockey, the USA beat Canada. There's no women's version of that. You can have women on your men's team, uh, but there is no women's version of that. But that was a great way to kick off the day. Then I'm watching the players' championship and switching back and forth between Michigan and Purdue and uh waiting for selection Sunday. And I think Wisconsin was treated fairly. There, I think there's less controversy about this uh tournament selection for pretty much everybody than we've seen, you know, in in recent years. So I thought that was good. I have a poll question on our I Love Mondays uh Monday edition today. So, how far will Wisconsin go in the NCAA tournament? First round out, just 1% of you think that they'll lose to high point. Good job there. Second round out against Arkansas is the next choice. And how about that? Uh coaching up against Coach Cal. If indeed you get there and they get there, they open with Hawaii. Not a foregone conclusion, but if chalk holds, Wisconsin would take on Arkansas in the second round. 33% of you think that that's the end of the line. And the sweet 16 out, which again, if chalk holds, that would be Arizona. Uh, 56% of you, 10% think that this team goes to the Elite Eight or further. So you got that working in our corner as well. Um let me uh let me thank our sponsors before I bring in Brian Butch. So this program is presented by neuroscience group, neuroscience uh out of the valley. And in sports, you trust the right team for your health. It's no different. Neuroscience group brings together specialists in neurology, spine, and pain management working together to get you back at full strength. Go to neurosciencegroup.com. Also, our presenting sponsor is M3 Insurance. We help businesses and individuals manage risk, purchase insurance, and provide the right benefits to employees. With M3, you get it all. That personal guidance you need to protect and grow your business. Go to M3INS.com. Also presented with our partner sponsorship by Pottawatomi Sportsbook and Casino Hotel. Pick your game from slots to poker to the best sports book anywhere, and more. Enjoy restaurants, bars, and luxurious hotel just steps from all of the action. Learn more at Pottawatomi.com. Must be 21 to enter the casino. And all of our injury updates and more, including mine, presented by Habish Habish and Rotier. 13 locations to ensure you get a hometown attorney who understands your life and the impacts of your injury and is personally committed to your recovery. So let me bring in uh Brian Butch to the program. I add him right there. There he is. I can see him. And now step two. Can I hear him? Hey, what's going on? Hey, look at that. Look at you. Technology is amazing. Well, when you're doing it, uh when you're pushing the buttons and it uh they actually work, uh, it's even more amazing. Butchie, it is so good to see you, and uh I'm so happy for what you're doing. Uh I I love the chance to be able to be front and center. Uh, you got your Butchie's den going on. Can I begin there? Um, you you got some content going out today. What are you doing?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, no, we did an hour and a half uh selection Sunday show. We had Lance Randle on from Wisconsin basketball. He joined Matt LePay, had a bunch of guys. Billy, we had Billy on. Zabe jumped on for a little bit. It was fun. Um, it's a great YouTube page where we're constantly throwing out um uh content all the time. Uh hit the subscribe button. But she's dead. You can find it on YouTube anywhere. Um, but mainly just doing some stuff on YouTube with it, doing a lot of interviews. Had Isaac Gard on, had Gregard, had uh Bull Ryan. Um, and it's a different type of um a different type of uh a page, obviously, player-to-player conversations. Uh Nolan Winter's gonna be joining, um joining me later on today. Um and I might I might sneak my little my little guy in there. He's a big fan of Nolan. So he's so he was able to see Nolan get off the bus after a after the win against Illinois, and my man was jacked. So um those sorts of kind of interactions again, not not the mainstream media, um, but just having fun doing with it and kind of getting more real with it versus the uh, hey, what do you think about your team today? You know, those conversations, everybody can get that. Um, and I think I can bring a unique side of it, but it's fun. It's it's it's fun. We'll see what uh what comes of it. But yeah, look at uh Butchie's den. It was good catching up with Lance Randle yesterday as well.

SPEAKER_04

So what did you learn about this team uh from over the weekend? Uh this is the way they have played against better competition uh the last month and a half of the season. Uh but Greg Gard's teams always come to play in the conference tournament, and they did again with a pretty impressive three-day run.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I don't know if we knew or if we learned anything new from this group, um, but they're gonna compete. I mean, uh the the wins at Michigan, at Purdue, at Illinois, against Michigan State. Like, that's all you needed to know about this group. Um, I think when you look at what the five seed where they're at, whether that was good or bad, I I mean, I almost would have preferred a six-seed, stay a little bit closer to home, and because now they've got a trip on them. Um, and that's I mean, can you know Arkansas has that same trip, High Point has that same trip. I I I get all that. Um, but this group also is just coming off of a trip from the West Coast about two and a half weeks ago as well. So uh one of those things where they finally got back on track. But this group in general is a tough team. Uh play together, like each other, play for each other, and there is a healthy competition between your two best players. And I think that's elite. Like, not many teams have the you get one, I'm gonna go get one mentality. There's a lot of deferment that happens at times, and um, that's not the case with this group.

SPEAKER_04

But she this is uh uh it's a guard-led team. Pete, I don't know if you agree with this because you're I mean, you're a big, uh, but they they talk about uh guard play when it comes to tournament time, and they have great guard play in Nick Boyd and John Blackwell. They're gonna go up against a team in high point that scores a lot, and they play transition basketball. They play at a greater pace than Wisconsin does. They haven't seen anybody. And let's talk a little bit about that. High Point's best win on the year is against Winthrop. Uh, Winthrop is a 131 in the net ranking. Even in their non-conference, High Point just didn't play anybody. They had a game against Southern Illinois and a game against US UAB. They lost both of those. But in the early look at what High Point brings, what do you see?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I think they're a great offensive team that's able to score the basketball. And, you know, it's no secret, Wisconsin's not an elite defensive team. Um, but they've gotten better. I think that's that you can take that away from the Big Ten tournament, is what they were able to do on the defensive end. I thought they guarded Michigan really well. Um, thought they did the same thing against Illinois at times. Uh, but I think overall this high point team is a team that's going to want to push it, gonna want to play fast. They don't defend well. So I think you know Wisconsin's gonna be able to get what they want. This team in Wisconsin, when they're scoring the basketball, they are also defending that at a high level. And now both shouldn't happen. Like that's not the way it's supposed to be. Even if you're not scoring, you should be better defensively. But it's kind of the DNA of this team. And that's why I like the matchup with High Point. I also like the matchup in Arkansas because it's not Arkansas, it's not like Arkansas is a great defensive team either. Now, if both teams win, now you're looking at Acuff, Darius Acuff Jr., and I mean the guy's a lottery pick, guy is elite. Um, he's one of those guys that we've talked a lot about when I jumped on the field of 68 and just throughout it. Like he is a guy that can change it. Um, and those games and those guys always scare me. Uh, but I have some P PTSD from a guy by the name of Steph Curry. Uh, so I like I I I do know a little bit about a guy going off. Yeah, uh, so those guys scare me, but they've got to beat Hawaii. Wisconsin has to beat High Point. But the high point game is one where if you control what you need to control, I think the X factor is is Nolan gonna play? Is he not gonna play? Do you like where is he at? Uh because there is no interior with high point. I think that's the interesting thing about it.

SPEAKER_04

This this uh this matchup, and I talked about this before you joined in. For those who haven't been on site in opening round games in the NCAA tournament that this opening weekend, the arenas are interesting. And because this is a 1050 Portland time Pacific Coast time tip, that arena is going to lack juice, which only means one thing the underdog becomes the home team. Wisconsin will have to bring their own level of intensity because the arena, Butchie, you've been there, the arena won't have an intensity to it.

SPEAKER_01

Well, not right away, not in the beginning. Now, and when the you know first half gets going and people slowly start making their way in because there's a four-game slate there. They're number one. And you look at how this plays out, like they've got two games, they'll break, then the other two games will come. But there's a four-game slate when most fans come in, they're gonna go to all four games. They'll they've got both sessions, but they won't get there right away at 1050 for the initial tip um because they've got the full day they're gonna be there. They're gonna be there the entire time. So I think that's the that's the interesting thing with this group is how does that play out? Um, this group has always brought their own juice, though. I think what the environments they've been in, yeah, they've they have found that. Um, and I think that's the best thing about that I could say about this group is they understand what's at stake. Um, Nick Boyd knows it's his last go run. John Blackwell knows, hey, I got one more run, and then who knows what's next. Like, I there's a lot that's in play here. Um, so I that doesn't bother me. Do I love the 1050 tip local time? No. Do I love going out to Portland? No. I mean, Cal said the same thing. He goes, Portland. I we're I thought I'm surprised we're playing in the United States. There's some truth to that. Like, there just is. Um, the sights this year were kind of all over, nothing super close. Um, don't love it. I mean, I don't love it. I it's a you know, we're gonna get on a plane at some point tomorrow, and we're gonna have to take a four-hour flight out there. Now, High Point's got a five and a half hour flight. So it's like it's it's a it's a mute point because everyone's doing it. The only team that has somewhat of an advantage is Hawaii when you look at those four teams. Um, but it's not like Hawaii's got a quick flight either. So they're used to that, and it is what it is.

SPEAKER_04

Let me ask you your impressions of what we saw from Billy Yowskis and Rap over the weekend. They knew that they were gonna be playing a man short. Garlach had to log some minutes as well. But those guys, and I'm not talking about the shooting. The shooting is one thing, and and and rap getting white hot in the game against Michigan, but both Billyowski and Rap shot it well. I'm talking about the other uh elements to their play because there was no choice without Nolan Winter, they had to step up. And they're both young dudes. One's a sophomore, one's a freshman. They're pretty good. Your thoughts? Yeah, so I'm gonna remove the young dudes.

SPEAKER_01

Alexis is 20 years old, and Austin Rap is and and and Austin Rap has had a full uh year of playing at Portland. So, I mean, as far as that goes, I think they've got experience. Both are overseas guys, both have been put in that. Now, Will Garlock at times seemed overmatched, and that's a young dude. That that's a guy where I'm I'm with you. You're throwing in the fire, but I thought Will did some things really well there. Didn't surprise me that those two guys played at that level because the leash is longer. You know, you're gonna if you if you miss a defensive rotation, if you miss a block out, if you take a bad shot, like you're not gonna get pulled because who are you gonna get pulled for? Um, which is always good. Like as a player, that's what you want. As a player, you want that opportunity in front of you to do that. And I think that's exactly what you know they did. They took advantage of it, and now the confidence is high because Austin was not shooting the ball well before that Michigan game. Now the confidence is back. Same thing with Braden Carrington, wasn't shooting it well, had a kind of a pretty bad tournament until that last game, saw the ball go in a little bit. The environment's different. So to get those guys to play well in a determined environment is huge. I truly believe that.

SPEAKER_04

So, what is the biggest challenge uh for an opening weekend in the tournament? And let me ask, let me dovetail that question. A debate that we have at this time of year, every year. Butchie, you and I have entered into this many times. There are a lot of people, fair or unfair, and I think it's unfair, but there are a lot of people that will gauge who you are, how good your program is, only by what happens from today moving forward. Wisconsin has had an up and down first half of the season and a pretty damn good second half of the year. How will you end up grading this team based on what you've seen and what is about to happen?

SPEAKER_01

And I'll throw in there what I know. And that's also part of it, the NIL part of this. Yeah, I know, I know more than most. Um, so when I look at this in general, is I think the season's phenomenal. Like nobody thought they were gonna do what they've done. Nobody thought they were gonna have the two best wins in all of college basketball. Like they have that under their belt. Now, there's a reason I say college basketball always delivers. You just got to pay attention to it. Like, there's a reason I say that because, and Greg more or less said the same thing. He goes, It's a shame if you're just joining us now, but we'll welcome you, but it's a shame. Uh, and it is true. Like, this team has delivered, this team has played great. You shouldn't be judged on one game. That's what we do. Um, that's what the common folks do. I'll as I put that in the air quote. Um, because now they just start paying attention to it. With this group has been elite. There's a reason that the national media has said, hey, it's the best backcourt in all of America, and John Blackwell and Nick Boyd, because they've been doing that for a very long time. It's not like they did it one game, and now all of a sudden you just say, Hey, this is what they are. Like, that's not how this works. So I look at it in general, and I just think this group has had a really good team. And I absolutely Think however this plays out, they're gonna have, you know, they're set up for success next year and for many, many, many more years to come under great guard. Now, I get the R I get the conversation. They know it as well. Like they get it, they understand that you have to win in March. It's not like it's something that they're you know not uh uh aware of, right? Like it's out there, they get it. Um but I think in general, like you're you deal with it, you go play, but the season's been phenomenal.

SPEAKER_04

The the uh the if I could skip a game and I get it, people don't like skipping games.

SPEAKER_01

Uh what we do in the media.

SPEAKER_04

Come on now, yeah, yeah. So I'm okay skipping a game. What's that matchup with Arkansas look like? And I I said this, and listen, I I know enough just uh just enough to be dangerous. My opinions are not driven from playing the game the way you did. Um, but I like a coaching matchup against Coach Cal, who I think has a ridiculously great resume as a college basketball coach. But I thought Wisconsin, when they've faced Calapari, they've outcoached him. And I'm wondering what your feeling is on a potential matchup with Arkansas Saturday.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I think it's elite. I think it's the first one to 90. It's elite point guard play. You know, you look at A. Cuff Jr., what he's been, he he is a you know right up there. He'll be an all-American. Um, guys, a lottery pick can take over a game. And then you've got Nick Boyd and John Blackwell who can go, you know, punch for punch with him. So I I think it's gonna be an elite guard game. There's gonna be a lot of offense. Both teams are not elite defensively. Who's gonna be able to get stops? I think Wisconsin has a benefit in the interior. Now, again, the Nolan Winter question is out there. Yeah, um, but I still think Wisconsin has an interior advantage there. It's gonna be get up and down, who can make the most threes? Like, all of that's gonna be in play. Uh, it's gonna be an interesting game as far as the Cal over coaching and stuff like that. Sometimes it just comes down to like, I mean, I think Cal's a hell of a coach. Yeah, I think part of coaching is getting talent. He's had a hell of a lot of talent. Like that's just how he continues to do that. And then you look at the X's and O's and execution down the stretch. I don't think there's anybody better than Greg Guard. You've seen him in his ATOs at the end of games. You feel extremely confident um in what they're doing. The Illinois game, he draws up a great play where John gets an up screen, boom, and then re you know, turns that the big turns the screen back screen or um down screen, then wide open for a three. So a lot of the stuff that Wisconsin's running is all Greg. Greg's continues to do that late game situations. You're also gonna have a guy that you don't need a play for, and that's what Cal has in Acuff Jr. You don't need a play. Like your play is you're gonna go four low, and I'm gonna go ISO because I got a lottery pick. That works a lot of the time as well. So it if we get there, and I think I think we get there, I don't think there's a lot of upsets, but if we get there, I think it's gonna be extremely interesting and it's gonna be a great matchup. And um, but I do like this matchup versus a Kansas matchup. Um, Kansas has one of the better players, and Darren Peterson thought maybe that might be a matchup for um Wisconsin. It wasn't, so I like I like that one a little bit better.

SPEAKER_04

So I'm gonna look back at something uh weedy, but I just wanna I I didn't hear your initial post-game reaction from Saturday's loss to Michigan. Wisconsin had a foul to give on the last possession. Did they miss an opportunity to go ahead and foul with the back to the basket in the corner before the ball went back up uh for the three-point game winner? You're not gonna do that.

SPEAKER_01

I saw Bar School, Barstool, Big Cat say the same thing. We had a foul. Dan, come on, be better here. Like you're going away from the basket, you're in the corner. Why in the world would you foul? Like they are as far away from the basket as you can be, going in the opposite direction of the hoop. It's a simple Brendan Carrington didn't communicate a switch, and that's what happens. And a guy gets like you're the guy is going away from the basket. Yeah, uh, you what are you gonna file for there? There's no part of me that says file. Number one, you probably haven't practiced that because you're not in a situation you're gonna play it out defensively, yeah. Like you're gonna trust what you've done all year long. You haven't practiced, well, it's a tie game, we have one to give. If he's going away from the basket, we're gonna like that's that's not in the in the player's DNA. Just isn't it? Uh and you're doing everything you're doing, like you've you've done everything right. You force the ball handler, baseline corner, you're good.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, yeah. Just the miss switch between Carrington and Boyd. Uh, the communication wasn't there, and they both went down into the lane and left uh the Big Ten player of the year uh with shooting practice who, by the way, is not an elite three-point shooter, yeah. Right.

SPEAKER_01

So yeah.

SPEAKER_04

So let me just step out of the Wisconsin uh conversation for a minute. What were your overall thoughts on this? I didn't think there was a whole lot of controversy. Miami, Ohio, Auburn, I mean, shoot. I mean, Auburn was not good enough, you know, in what they did. But overall, the view on this tournament, I filled out my first bracket. I got a bracket challenge on I Love Mondays that's out there for those who follow me on Twitter at Heller Sports. Go to that. You can get in the bracket challenge. I have Arizona winning the title. It's it's a I've got a chalk bracket, uh, a bunch of ones. I don't have a ton of upsets. What did you think of the overall field and some of the what stands out to you?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, no, I think the Miami, Ohio, the bubble teams were fine. Uh, nobody was winning. Uh so I I'm not, I don't feel bad for anybody that didn't make it because you had a chance to win your conference tournaments. And as you heard by from the committee, they valued the conference tournaments highly, which again might be the first year that that played out. Um, but for me, I have no problem with that. Uh, as far as matchups, I think Florida has a super easy way to the Elite Eight. Now, who they catch in the Elite Eight, I think has it to be a challenge for them in Houston. I think Houston comes out of that one. I think when you look at overall that Purdue seed line and where they're at with Arizona, I think Purdue could easily get to the Elite Eight. I think they're playing good basketball, they've got the experience, they seem to have turned a switch, they've guarded, they've been more physical uh recently here. And I think obviously I think the loss to Wisconsin hurt on senior night, but I also think it put them in play as far as if we want to do anything, this is our last run. Like we let this one slip away. And so they've done that. I do think Arizona finds a way to beat them. I really like Arizona. Um, Michigan, I think, is in the easiest bracket as far as what they have. I have them getting to the final four, and then you know, I've got Duke, but I think Michigan State Duke is going to be an intriguing game. Um, I think Michigan State beats Yukon. I think it's there. I do have Duke. The only thing that I that I wish we would have seen, and I am if the bracket stays the same, is Michigan, Arizona. I would have loved to have seen that in a national championship game. I think that's kind of what it is. But because Michigan and it didn't because Michigan lost to Duke about three weeks ago in a non-conference game, what happened is it sled Duke to the one and moved Michigan to the two. And then it obviously, you know, had Arizona at the three. Because Michigan lost in the Big Ten tournament, Michigan slides down to the three, Arizona moves slide up to two. Didn't matter. You those two were gonna have to play in a regional semifin or uh semifinal, anyways. Um, so that's an interesting one. I really thought this was gonna be a year of the Big Ten. Uh, I thought someone was gonna cut down the nets. I'm not saying that's not gonna be the case, but the matchups I don't love. Um, I think Michigan has a chance to beat Arizona. I really do. I think the interior play of Michigan, I think uh hopefully we get that game. Yeah. I think that's a game that is is out there. Um, I think whoever wins that game wins the national championship.

SPEAKER_04

Uh so you you mentioned Michigan a couple of times. Out of the Big Ten, are they the best chance? And yeah, I didn't hear you bring Illinois to the conversation.

SPEAKER_01

Well, Illinois has what I don't love about Illinois is they've got Houston. And Houston and Illinois are very similar as far as physical teams. They're gonna go after each other. Now, Illinois, much better at offensively, uh, Houston much better defensively. So, and usually some of those times we've seen what Calvin Sam has done. I I I did not love then. That's one of those teams I thought had Final Four written all over them. I don't love the matchup with Houston as the two. If you were to give me Iowa State, if you were to give me any of these other twos, I'm feeling much comfortable about Illinois. Um, so that's just one of those that I look at that say, man, that's a tough, tough draw.

SPEAKER_04

Last uh, last one for you, but who's the most vulnerable number one? I think it's Florida.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. I think it's Florida. Uh, just because their guard play. Uh, that's been the question. We've seen what happens. Their bigs are elite, um, some of the best bigs in the country, elite. But I think their guard play has always been in question for me. They've been playing really well, and that's why they're at once. But I think they're the most vulnerable for sure.

SPEAKER_04

Hey, Brian Butch. Uh, you know, I love doing this. Uh uh, and I'm it's the first time we've done it since uh since changes were made in our lives uh last fall. So uh thank you for doing this. You you know my feelings about you and how good you are and our friendship. So thanks for jumping in here uh with us. But she's Den is my other go-to place. Uh continued great success for you there. And uh enjoy yourself in Portland.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, absolutely. We're gonna be there. So we'll we'll be there, we'll get it done. I appreciate it. Same to you, my friends. Same to you. Let's keep this thing rolling.

SPEAKER_04

You got it. Thanks, Butchy. Thanks. Brian Butch joining us uh on the program. I hit that button, he goes out. I hit this button and I tell you about our sponsors before I bring in Bill Huber, who is standing by. Our presenting sponsors are M3 Insurance and the Neuroscience Group. Both of them present the I Love Monday with Mike Heller show. And it is Monday, and some of you, depending on where you are, including our next guest, might not love this Monday because there's, you know, so much snow out there. We are also brought to you by Pottawatomies Sportsbook and Casino Bet Above the Rest. And our injury updates and many other things on this program are presented by Habish Habish and Rotier. So that kind of takes care of that part of the conversation. I bring in Bill Huber to the program, which now I see, and then can I hear him? No, I'm gonna fix this right away. Watch, watch what I uh I've got a there's a button I have to hit. No, I've got that button hit. All right, talk to me again, Bill. Hmm. This is what I was worried uh what I always worry about is me managing technical issues. And I believe I've got my buttons properly pushed. Uh give me one more try, Bill. Nope. I I don't have you on audio, but that doesn't mean you're not there. So um let me uh yeah, you want to do it by phone and give that a shot? All right, I'm gonna I'm gonna take uh Bill out of here. We're gonna try it one more way and see if I can't get this right. So while we do that, I'll pop that graphic up so you don't have to see me leaning around and try to do stuff. Everything should be as I see it. So we'll give this a shot. Billy's gonna uh check back in with me here in a second. We will add him in. I will go here. How about we try this one? Hey, there we go. Now we're fine.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, I'm sorry. I I gotta go without headphones, so I'll hopefully hope it's works out okay.

SPEAKER_04

Well, it's good. We're good. Um, and I appreciate you doing this. And um I you know, I call this my podcast is I love Mondays, but you are in the Green Bay area. Is is this a Monday uh you love? Kids are home, uh, but there is a ton of snow. My goodness.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, we got I don't know, we I we I measured 20 last night in the driveway, and I know we got another six or eight so far today. Um, my snowblower died yesterday. Um, I was hoping it was just kind of plugged up, and I went, I turned it off. I thought, yeah, it's not plugged up. We got other issues here, and I so I I cleaned it anyway. I turned it back on and had black smoke coming out, so that's not great. So the neighbor's doing his right now, and he's gonna bring it over when he's done. So it's not but wait, but it's it's winter in Wisconsin, right?

SPEAKER_04

Your snowblower uh announced the new Pope.

SPEAKER_03

Uh maybe Yeah, but the pope the Pope doesn't get black smoke, does it?

SPEAKER_04

No, no, no, it's it's white smoke when they have uh yeah, okay. There is no hey let's jump into a little bit of Packer's conversation because uh I'm curious as we look at them today as opposed to the team that left the field after playing against the Chicago Bears in the wild cards. So I'm gonna give you um a couple, and this is a little bit unfair, but I'm gonna do it anyway. Uh so they went from Quay Walker to Zaire Franklin. That's not an upgrade, is it? No.

SPEAKER_03

No, it's not. In fact, you're probably gonna do it in a story that I wrote a few days ago. Yeah. It's like individually, I kind of like all the moves, but if you look at the some of the parts, I don't, I they're worse. I don't I don't know how you could think that they're actually better without a bunch of projection, which is fine. But yeah, I don't see how they're a better football team now than they were back in January.

SPEAKER_04

So were there missed opportunities then in free agency, or is this just the the rub of the green in this game and and and how the ball will bounce and who's available and what you have financially? Because you went Quay Walker to Zaire Franklin, Kobe Wooden to Javon Hargrave, Nate Hobbs to Benjamin St. Juice, Romeo Dubbs to Matthew Golden, who was already on your your roster. I mean, he is essentially takes that spot. Rasheed Walker to Jordan Morgan and Elton Jenkins, whether you had him as a guard or a center, to Aaron Banks or to Sean Ryan, those are the there were none of them were trades other than Quay and and you know Wooden going in the deal, but Quay Walker to Zaire Franklin. How do you gauge those moves? And you just talked about some of the parts or individual moves and whether you liked it or not.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, like you know, it's weird. Like I like the moves. Like I totally understand all of them. Um, if you can't, if you've seen enough of Quay Walker and you will think you can do better, and you certainly don't want to pay the contract that the Raiders paid, you've got to do something. So what do you do? Well, Zaire Franklin's available, and he's got a bunch of really good production. He's cheaper. He's a little older, but he again you're you're saving some money. So I mean, I get that one. But you've traded Colby Wooden, so now you're worse at defensive tackle. Who's the best guy he can get? Well, maybe this is Javon Hargrave who played with Jonathan Cannon. So you've got a pass rusher, and you can kind of, I don't want to say he's gonna be a coach in the field, but he can kind of be that in-between guy, so I like that. Um, replacing Romeo Dobbs player for player with Sky Moore. I like that because of what you said with Golden. And Sky Moore gives you a return. But again, is is Dobbs or is Golden better than Dobbs? I don't know. I mean, you're more explosive, but like who's who's gonna make a play on third down and in the red zone? Because that Romeo made a bunch of those. Who in the roster can take that spot? I don't know. Um, Elton Jenkins was not a great center. Sean Ryan saves you money, but Sean Ryan is not the seventh highest paid center in the NFL based on seven regular season starts.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

So um I do like St. Juiced over Hobbs, but as St. Juiced make the defense better, isn't he? He's gonna go beat out Carrington Valentine now. We'll see. So again, I and I totally get going for compensatory picks because it's a whole bunch of decent draft picks, which can give you three or four years of cheap labor and talent. So I I totally get everything that happened, but they're not a better team today, right?

SPEAKER_04

And that that's at at the end of the day, that's gonna be the question when when they go through whatever is left, and and maybe there's something left in free agency. I mean, we're the the period's not done. Is there another move? Anything on the horizon then before we get to the draft?

SPEAKER_03

Um, yeah, I mean, I d I can't say for certain, but you look at defensive tackle, like Hargrave's gonna be a nice replacement, but Javon Hargrave is not a run stopper. Colby Wooden was. Not that Colby Wooden was a great run stopper, but so after you got ran over for 360 some yards by the Ravens, who's gonna stop the run? So maybe that's where they find a veteran guy who's played some who can help you out there. Um, defensive end, maybe there's a veteran guy again. At this point, if it's week one, your starters are Lucas Van Ness, who I think everybody would agree is it'd been a disappointment, and Baron Sorrell. Those are your week one starters. That's not good enough either. So again, maybe maybe you can amplify those things in the draft, and they probably will, but maybe you double up where you get a a cheap, usable veteran who can play a role for you, and then you go double up in the draft to help you help you out there.

SPEAKER_04

Bill, this is uh if we handicap the division today, I did this a little bit last week, in the moment, and uh without you know the helmet that's behind me and and being uh you know a fan of a team that I've talked about and covered for a lot of years as well. I would place the Bears as the team to beat in the division. And I don't I there's nothing that's happened so far in the offseason that would convince me that they're not the favorite in the NFC North. Do you see it that way?

SPEAKER_03

I'm still suckered by Detroit's talent. Like they got so many great players, and I I think it's a great player league. And if you got great players, you're probably gonna win. So I I kind of but if I'm looking at Green Bay, I'm thinking, you know what? If they don't lose Parsons and Kraft at the end of the year, I mean they're in first place in the North. And they never really played great football, but they're still in first place.

SPEAKER_05

Right.

SPEAKER_03

So if they can, you know, Kraft Crest maybe probably gonna be back week one. So, but again, it's it's winner. Kraft and Parsons is gonna be back to being Kraft and Parsons, not just on the field. But you know, if if they can hang in there until those guys are back then to be in themselves, they could certainly win the division. Now that being said, Chicago's not worse, and you figure Caleb Williams is gonna get better. Detroit had a bunch of injuries, and again, I like to I just like their high-end talent, so they could be better. And Minnesota has Kyler Murray, and I'm not a Kyler Murray, fan band is actually the imagination, but they went nine and eight with bad quarterback play. So Kyler Murray in theory gives you better quarterback play. You know, Parsons and Kraft are slow to adapt. Maybe they're they could be a last place team. Um it's still a good team. Like Detroit was lasted nine and eight last year. So I'm not saying Green Bay's gonna be terrible or bad. Um NFC North is just really good, and they're gonna need some things to break their way. And then, you know, they all could happen. You know, the old line really could be better, right? Maybe Matthew Golden just is this goes off. You know, Jaden Reyn stays healthy, Zach Tom stays healthy. I mean, Green Bay's got a bunch of high-end talent too, and they could what whatever you place you tell me they're gonna finish, I I can make an argument for it.

SPEAKER_04

Sure. Yeah, I get that. Um, let me uh let me talk quarterback just for a minute on two fronts. Um, I'm I'm thrilled that Malik Willis is gonna get his opportunity. I am less thrilled that it's in Miami because I don't think that's an ideal scenario for him to go to. What were your thoughts of the landing place, not the dollars, but the landing place for Malik Willis?

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, I mean, it's pretty predictable just because it's all the Packers guys went there. But I totally agree with you, Mike. I go back to what McCarthy would say about rookie quarterbacks, and obviously Malik's not a rookie quarterback, but I think the point is good. Um McCarthy was asked at some point about some team's quarterback if if some team's rookie quarterback was ready to start, and McCarthy said, I don't think it's about whether the rookie quarterback is ready to start, it's whether the team is ready for a rookie quarterback.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

And kind of to that point, again, Malik Willis is not a rookie quarterback, but is is Miami good enough to help Malik Willis out? Like I don't know, I don't know that Malik's gonna be able to carry a load, and you know, they're rebuilding, and you just kind of hope for his sake that he's tough enough mentally and physically for what's gonna come. Um he had a really good team in Green Bay and they and they set him up for success. I don't know that they're gonna be able to set him up for success right away, but man, he is a really good player. Yeah, like really good. And I I would be surprised if it doesn't pan out.

SPEAKER_04

So there's the story's out there now that Justin Fields appears to be headed to the Kansas City Chiefs. How important we found out with Malik Willis how important that position is, a backup quarterback, because it was the first time that the Packers had a starting quarterback go down, and you didn't have the air apparent as the backup, in which they were they were fine. They I mean Malik Willis saved the day in essentially back-to-back seasons. Right now they don't have that. How critical is that position? And who might be on the hook to potentially be that backup?

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, it's huge. Like you said, you know, and then Jordan Love is not an injury injury prone quarterback in two seasons. The last two seasons, he's missed three starts. So I guess in three seasons as a starter, he's missed three starts because of his own health. And I'm not gonna count week 18 against Minnesota.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Um, so that's pretty good. That's a pretty good track record for a quarterback. And then the quarterbacks get hurt, and he's been he's been pretty good. Maybe he's not Aaron Rodgers and Rhett Farr, but he's been pretty dang healthy. But you're right, they don't make the playoffs in 24 without Willis, and maybe they don't last year either. Um Desmond Ritters started 18 games in his career. He's been fairly successful. Um, I think you could do worse. I wonder if they take a swing though. I mean, we've seen the rumors for Anthony Richardson, who LaFleur spoke pretty highly up before they played the Colts in 24. Um, Woolvis is available from the Titans. You know, you're talking like super late round picks, you're not giving them much of anything. Um, but if they go into this thing with Desmond Ritter as your backup, I wouldn't feel terrible about it.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah. Um the these are the kinds of moves that they're going to have to make over the next uh few weeks and then into the NFL draft. Let me also ask you about uh Florio's piece of ProFootballTalk.com that's centered around uh dollars, Ed Policy, talking about the the opportunity that the Packers may look into in the future, not today, uh, about stadium naming rights. When you took in that story, did any of it surprise you? And what is your reaction to the financial situation in the league as it relates to the only publicly owned franchise in the National Football League?

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, um it's an issue. I mean, I remember I talked to Ed Policy's dad, um Carmen, before Ed was officially the president, and he said the big challenge going forward for Green Bay will be um the equity stuff, private equity. Because teams can tap into private equity and get untold millions of dollars. And Green Bay just they Green Bay can't do it. Um they've been fine for all these years. I mean, ever since they got the Harlan got the referendum penance and they sort of winning. They they're pretty usually top of the bottom or top of the or bottom of the top quartile in revenue. So you're talking fringe top 10. So they're perfectly able to contend, or they had, but now that private equity is involved and teams can tap into um easy money, it is gonna be hard. And so you hear about Lambo field naming, or maybe she kind of take a step back and say, oh man, I don't I don't like the sums of that just because of the history of the place. And I love history as much as anyone, but you better never say never. Yes, and I think it was pretty smart of Ed to get that out there, just just get it out there, just throw it out there, yeah. See what people think about it. Um, but if the choice is sticking with the revenue-wise, or maybe you get and I have no idea what the Viking or the Broncos are getting or the Vikings are getting pupped for naming rights. I have no idea. I should look into that here at some point.

SPEAKER_04

Naming rights are uh I looked this up before the show. They're anywhere between 15 and 30 million per year, but they're usually long-term deals, like 10-year deals. So if it starts there, I don't know if there's escalators in there, but somewhere between 15 and 30 million per year, and only the Bears and the Packers don't currently have stadium naming rights, and the Bears will have one when they move to Gary or when they move wherever they're gonna move.

SPEAKER_03

Okay, that's a lot of money. Like the Packers are gonna get less, right? So no offense to the Broncos, no offense to the Vikings, but this is Lambeau Field, and this is Green Bay, it's the most iconic place on sports earth, at least in the United States.

SPEAKER_02

Yes.

SPEAKER_03

Green Bay is not gonna do worse than that. So if it's the difference between signing players and being competitive and not, you better be prepared to do it. And I think Ed, at least putting it out there, I think that's really smart. Um so you don't just stun everybody when you pull the trigger on something like this in six months or two years, or you know, whatever happens. But the idea is to win football games, and it's it's a great story that it's Lambo field and all that, but um you got to compete.

SPEAKER_04

Bill, can I ask? Let me ask this question. I don't know the answer. I don't know that you do either, but in recent years, since Bob Harlan and the referenda got pushed through and the renovation, and then you know, with Mark Murphy and Titletown, the district, and everything else that they've done, money hasn't really been a conversation in Green Bay. Uh their their savings account, for lack of a better term, is uh is pretty well funded. So this idea, is it is it because they might have trouble in five to eight years meeting the salary cap um elements, or is it improved facilities? Where where does this money, where does it leave them shorthanded right now?

SPEAKER_03

Here, right now it's nowhere, but you know, the cap wise, they'll probably, I mean, just because it's a percentage of the national revenue, yeah. Um, they'll probably be okay too. But yeah, it's it's facility, it's just it's just keeping up with the Joneses. Um coach coaching staffs, right? Coaching staff says that's not salary cap, so it's that stuff at facilities, that's the Don Hudson Center, and it's just kind of keeping up when you when you bring in Joe Free Agent. Um, Joe Free Agent looks at Green Bay stuff and goes, wow, Revan's saying, yeah. Last five teams have visited, you know. Yeah, it's stuff all matters. I mean, as much as we all want to think Green Bay is the special place and you know the lure of the Packers matters. People, no, but it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter to the Joe Free Agent who wants to get paid and he wants to win. Um, it's been a long, bleeping time since the Packers won a Super Bowl, and I just don't think um the Packers' his history resonates to a lot of players, maybe not all of them, but to a fair number. And I think you just you'd better be ready to compete with everyone else.

SPEAKER_04

Let me finish with this, Bill. The the draft is coming up. The Packers don't have a first-round selection in the NFL draft. How, though, how critical is how they can add and what they can add in the draft? Last year, half of our conversation, half of the draft anticipation was about the spectacle that was gonna be in Green Bay. That's gone now. It's gonna be in Pittsburgh. Doesn't matter. The rest of it, it's about player procurement. How critical is this draft and what can Green Bay do? What do they need to do to bolster who they are?

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, I mean, it's a huge draft. It's free agency. I mean, there's some players out there, but no one's gonna move the needle. Um, I'm not a draft expert right now because I've been so buried in free agency, but you know, it seems like corner is a really, really good position. And defensive tackle kind of falls off a cliff early, offensive tackle does too. So maybe it's one of those things you bet you better go get an offensive lineman and a corner, a defensive tackle who can help you right away. Um, you might not need the defensive tackle to start, but you might.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Um, you gotta get better corner, and we talked about D-tackle at the start. I don't I don't know who stops running, and I don't know how much juice Javon Hargrave has Javon Hargrave has at this point. So you better hammer those things out in the in the first few rounds. Second, third, second, third, and fourth. I'm talking.

SPEAKER_04

Yep, I get it. Uh, Bill, uh, thank you. But best of luck on the snow removal today. And you know, it's good to have neighbors, right? You you need a little help. So go get that snowblower from the guy next door, and all the best. All right, I'll need to appreciate Mike Dicker. Thank you, Bill. Bill Huber joining us on the program, and uh his work is is fantastic. He's been doing it a long time, and he's there every day. Uh, and there is so much value to that. I appreciate Bill jumping in to spend a little time with us. I haven't talked about the World Baseball Classic yet. Here, here's the question that I have off of uh last night's USA wins. So the USA gets a win um to advance to the championship game, and they do it with uh a 2-1 finish over the Dominican Republic. So the team USA, fourth inning solo home runs from Roman Anthony, who plays for the Red Sox, and Gunnar Henderson, who plays for Baltimore. Gunner wasn't necessarily going to be in the lineup, but he was. Good move uh by Mark DeRosa. Paul Skeens, Pirates, four and a third innings, just gave up one solo home run. Mason Miller on the finish strikes out Gerardo Perdomo, Perdoma of uh the Arizona uh from Arizona. Corey Blazer is the home plate umpire. So we're gonna see the ABS system in uh Major League Baseball when the season begins in 11 days. You get two challenges in a game. You keep them if you're successful on the ball strike challenges. The catcher or the hitter is the one that issues the challenge. The pitcher can, but he better not. So catcher or hat or hitter. So let me bring up an equation here last night. Perdoma uh in the final at bat on a 3-2 pitch, and it's a ball. Corey Blazer is the home plate umpire, but he calls it a strike and it ends the game. And it's it's an elimination game. Dominican had a lot of other opportunities. The game wasn't decided on that pitch. But the hitter's job is to protect the plate if it's close. It wasn't. It started looking really good, but on the on the box, it was a ball and a half low of the bottom portion of the zone. That's not my point. My my point is we're gonna see the ABS in Major League Baseball this year with two challenges. Here's something that the other leagues do, and the NFL in particular, that does that takes the challenge out of the sidelines' hands in the final two minutes or in overtime. So do you think that major league baseball as they institute the ABS challenge system will at some point and I think they will, that's the reason I'm bringing it up, go to a ninth inning, challenges are instituted from the booth upstairs. So, in other words, if they would have had ABS in the World Baseball Classic, and they don't, but let's just say they did. In the ninth inning last night, the hitter doesn't get the challenge, but the challenge does come. Essentially, they go to the full ABS system. Now, some people are gonna hate that concept. But this is what I've always said about the National Football League, and the reason I love replay, and Steve Zabin hates it because he just doesn't get it. He doesn't understand it, he won't soften up the the frontal lobe enough to allow an outside thought in on this. I love Steve Zabin. My point is you want to protect from the egregious error. You want the perfect game to be intact from Jim Joyce missing a call at first base. You want it to be able to go, no, no, no, that's the egregious error. Corey Blazer is called third strike to end the game last night for the USA to beat the Dominican two to one is an egregious miss. It's by a ball and a half on the box. Would I have been upset as a team USA fan if they would have reversed the call, if the system were in play in the ninth inning or extra innings to have a full ABS ball strike call? I'm not going to be bothered by it. I think the ABS challenge system is a precursor to all of the pitches being called from the ABS system anyway. So I wonder, especially if a team is out of challenges, because they missed one in the sixth, one in the eighth, and now you're in the ninth inning like it was last night. If that pitch is called a ball, Fernando Tatis is at the plate with runners at first and second, and it gets tighter on Mason Miller. I mean, that is a game-ending, game-changing moment that I have since replay was instituted, I have been of the mindset that that call should be overturned. It would have hurt USA, but I've I've said this forever. What am I gonna do? I'm gonna pound the table being angry because they got the call right? I can't be upset if they overturn an egregious and turn a wrong call into a right call. So I just saw that as an interesting little byproduct to what we saw at the end last night. Now we're gonna get Venezuela and Italy in the other semifinal. That's tonight, and then the championship tomorrow night in Miami. And I have enjoyed the heck out of the world baseball classic. I think my son Jackson walks upstairs and sees me watching it, and he goes, you know, there's a really good NBA game on. And I was like, wait, that's an oxymoron. There's a really good NBA game on in March. No, there isn't. That is not true. Now, a conference basketball game. I still would have gone to last night's USA Dominican over, you know, the big sky championship game, the Missouri Valley Conference, the Big South. And that that'll bring us all the way back, uh, bring this all the way back to the beginning. So High Point, which is going to be Wisconsin's opponent Thursday in Portland, High Point is a big South conference champion. That's how they get in. Their net ranking is number 74. I follow net rankings during the season because I want to see how teams are doing in quad one games and in, you know, how that all plays out. So uh let me give you the stats on High Point. Their quad one record this year, zero and zero. Meaning they did not play a team ranked high enough to be considered a quad one. Their record against quad two teams, and I be believe the two quad two games are Southern Illinois and UAB. They lost both of those. Next, their highest net ranking win is against Winthrop. They went two and one against Winthrop, and Winthrop's net ranking is number 131. They lost to UAB, who's 117. They lost to Southern Illinois, who's 121. They lost to App State, who's 193 in the net ranking. Winthrop's in the tournament. They're a 12 seed. They belong in the tournament, and they could they could beat Wisconsin. They're not gonna. If you keep receipts, it's a good receipt to keep. Wisconsin's gonna win on Thursday against Winthrop in Portland. But there are people who are on my Twitter timeline who are freaking out about that contest and about the matchup and can they play with Winthrop? And Clark Kellogg didn't help it when he picked Winthrop right on right when the seeds announced. So there's a little bit of that. My tops of the day three weeks after the United States beat Canada in the Olympic hockey finals for both the men and the women. Both in overtime. The Americans win the Para Olympic gold medal and complete the three-peat in Milan Cortina. Jack Wallace scored a hat trick to help the U.S. beat Canada 6-2 in the Para-Ice hockey final, become the first nation to sweep the hockey tournaments at the Olympics and Para Olympics. It is the first time I watched a full sled hockey game, and I did. I watched it beginning to end, and it was fantastic. There is a Wisconsin connection to that uh team and to Para-Olympic sled hockey, and that is Jeff Sauer. The late Jeff Sauer was team USA. I mean, he he moved from uh traditional hockey to sled hockey, para Olympic style hockey, uh, after he left the University of Wisconsin. And it was his passion. And he was a fantastic in the USA has has been brilliant in uh sled hockey from its origins. So that is my tops of the day. And one other note. So if you follow me on Twitter, and many of you are watching on Twitter live, so I appreciate that, or if you're listening later, wherever you get your podcasts, uh I Love Mondays has a bracket challenge. And I put it out on the Twitter, sent the link to my bracket challenge. So uh that is out there. So if you would like to be part of our bracket challenge, I'm not exactly sure what the prizes are gonna be, but might have something to do with red and white. Or you might be invited to be a guest on our Super Fan Tuesday, which Courtney Corning is gonna be in tomorrow, um backed by popular demand after his appearance here last week. Um James says Arkansas looks like a tough matchup in round two. How much does it take away from a good season if they lose and miss the sweet 16 again? It's a it's a fair question because so many people, I don't know what the percentage is, but so many people look at college basketball only in what happens after selection Sunday, which was yesterday. And yeah, it's been a decade since Wisconsin got to the sweet 16. It's a hell of a matchup if Wisconsin and Arkansas meet on Saturday in Portland. Uh, I will like Wisconsin's chances. But if they don't get there, the critics will come out, and I will understand their argument, but I look at each of them individually, and I like the program a lot. I like Greg Gard and his staff a lot. Will I view them negatively if they don't make it to the second weekend? I'll say that they still have to find a way to get into that second weekend in the tournament, something they haven't done in a decade. Uh, but it will not erase what I think has already been a very good season. But it is the goal. It's where they are right now, and their goal is to play into the second weekend, which would be in San Jose, California. So they're gonna go from Portland, and if they win two games, they're gonna come back and they're gonna go right back out west and play next Thursday. And in all likelihood, if things go chalk, uh, whoever advances out of Portland is gonna take on Arizona, the uh number one seed from the West region, not the overall number one seed. That belongs to Duke. Arizona's the overall number two seed. But to me, Arizona is the best team in the tournament. It's who I have uh playing in the championship and cutting down the nets. I have Arizona playing for all the marbles when it's all said and done. If you want to get in that bracket challenge, it is on my Twitter account at Heller Sports. The link is there to join that. Doesn't cost you anything. Big thank you to our sponsors. We are presented by Neuroscience Group and presented by M3 Insurance. Go to neurosciencegroup.com. Go to m3ins.com. Also brought to you in part by our friends at Pottawatomi Sportsbook and Casino. Man, are they gonna have a great week? How about that sports book going big time on Thursday? You get there bright and early for the Wisconsin game in that first wave of Thursday morning games. Uh, Pottawatomi Sportsbook and Casino Bet Above the Rest. And also brought to you in part by Habish, Habish and Road here. 13 locations to make sure that you have a hometown attorney in your personal injury case. Wow, what a day. I love Mondays. We're gonna come back and do this tomorrow. Courtney Corning will join us, and I think he's gonna come in and sit in studio again. He is back by his own popular demand. He invited himself back because Treadmill, you know, he's got other stuff going on, more important things than this. Uh, I love having you in on a Monday. I love Mondays. We'll talk to you again tomorrow on this program. Thanks for being here with us today. And uh enjoy digging out from the rest of your Monday. We'll talk to you tomorrow.

SPEAKER_00

I love Mondays with my help.