Johnny Fanta
Appearances
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
Mm-hmm.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
Absolutely. There's an aura about a box or a bag of popcorn. And the fact of the matter is this. Popcorn, and I'm serious about this, is my absolute favorite snack. I can't live without it. I have to have... If I'm at home chilling and watching a game, forget the chips, forget the pretzels, forget the veggies and dip. Go straight for the Orville Redenbachers and don't look back.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
Yes, I've got a couple. I've got the O-Pop Pop, which you can get on Amazon or any site. I highly recommend. You can put the kernels in. It's like a yellow... It looks like a silicone bowl, but I promise you it's totally safe. You can pop... I have that as well. And then all you have to do is take the top off and it's, it doubles down as the bowl. So it's, it saves you the glass.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
It saves you having to pull out the plastic bowl. No, if it went home, it's homemade. It's, I have the old school Orville Redenbacher, the electric spinner. that goes around and then you take it and you flip it upside down. And then that becomes the bowl or you can put it in a bowl, but we've got a couple of homemade makers and I've got the whirly pop too. Yes.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
PFT when I'm really feeling it and it got the bonfire going in a movie or something, it's downtime. And, and you know, you've, you could throw something in the, in the dishes and say, I can wait till Sunday morning. I've had a couple of pops. I'll go with that too. But popcorn to me, If you're home, if you're not on the road, what are you doing? Make it homemade.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
Make it the right way, the way it was meant to be made.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
Listen, that was a situation where I had – My wife and I are very excited. We're expecting. We're thrilled. We're looking forward to it. Congrats. Congrats. Thank you. Thank you. Baby boy due in May. We had the 1 o'clock appointment, right, on Friday. I had a game on Saturday that I was calling, and it was in Philadelphia. It was at Drexel, Charleston and Drexel, a mid-major game.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
I'll do any game in the country. Every college basketball game is beautiful to me. Yep. And hop in the car rental, zip down to downtown Philly. Well, as you guys know, it was congestion on a Friday evening. Get in the hotel room, take a quick shower, zip over to Wells Fargo, sat down. I'm not a big, like, let me sit down in the building and go get dinner. Like, that's not who I am.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
I'm like, but I got to have something. And so I went up and got a big box of corn and sat down and enjoyed some Friday night hoops. I love it. Had a blast doing it. I love it. You have to. Yeah. You got to do it.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
Thanks.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
I needed something there. Your dedication level to watching that, that game was stuck in neutral for a good 45 minutes. That just shows why you're different. You're a different breed to be able to go all the way through. Thanks for joining us. What was the spread?
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
So to me, this embodies college basketball. Sorry that I didn't have more urgency there on the spread. I appreciate it. That really – that's an apology there, and you can pick that bone anytime because I don't want to see you get your money taken from you. What I will say is this. This is why I tell people on the tournament. What people say –
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
When the non-casual better, like the guy who literally puts down two or three or four things in the entire year, Super Bowl, March Madness, and maybe they do something during the NBA Finals or World Series or whatever. I tell them, just play any 13 games. any 14, any 15, and go ahead, dump $50, $30, whatever, on any 16. You're going to come out okay. Yeah. Because this is the sport.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
Like, yes, college football has insanity. There's no question about it. It has some absolutely bonkers results. But college basketball, from that perspective, guys – is just at times i don't i mean for lack of a better term disgusting with the endings of games and you know where is it whereas you might need to go 90 yards for a touchdown
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
If it's a bucket, if the difference is literally a basket, somebody could heave the ball 50 feet, and it could go into the basket, and it could produce a total turn of events in Vegas. So that's why I say there's nothing – we call it marked madness. Nobody ever rolls their eyes when you say it. People say it's the best. I live for it. I can't wait.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
The only part I hate about it is that it only lasts three weeks, and it really lasts two weeks because then you've got the final four, and it's a matter of three games. That's – Seton Hall was down by 21. They trailed by double digits the majority of the game. They were within three with a minute to go. It embodies this sport. Expect the unexpected. And if you want to have fun in a sport,
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
Go ahead and have fun in college basketball and take the home dogs and let it fly. Yeah, it is.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
Yeah, go, go. Best thing that ever happened to Wisconsin was that run. I agree. Thank you. Best thing that ever happened. They're going to go back in the lab. Yep. Greg Gard is going to rip his team apart over the next couple of days. I think Gard, I understand Wisconsin fans have been frustrated at times because they've been looking for his teams to turn a corner offensively.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
This is his best offensive team. Yeah. The ball pops. John Tonje's a beast. Blackwell, fantastic player. Max Klebsman, a matchup problem. Wisconsin can still be trusted. Don't let one unravel job at home, Big Cat. Tell you, and I tell you, you're not one of those guys. But you know there's Badger fans out there who are like, same old, same old.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
I'm here to tell you right now, it's not the same old Wisconsin. And I believe in this team. I believe in this team as much as any of the top teams in the Big Ten.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
Yeah, that's what you hope for. By the way, Oregon just gave you all a lesson now because if Dana Albin makes a sweet 16, everybody's like, how did that just happen? What just happened? They're talented. You can't – I would urge – if you're just joining college basketball because you were involved with football, which a lot of fans are –
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
Don't watch a team play once and say, now that's what I think of them, because if you do that, you're doomed for failure when the madness comes. Oregon won the players' era back in November.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
The joke was they played for money, and they played totally better than they've played the rest of the year, even though the guys are still getting paid pretty good money, and Phil Knight's got deep pockets out there. But they're a dangerous team. The Oregon Ducks, with Jackson Shelstad and Nate Biddle, who's a seven-footer who's a matchup problem, Don't sleep on the Ducks. Big time.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
It's not crazy, provided that Lamont Butler and Jackson Robinson are healthy for Kentucky. If those two guys are healthy, PFT, then you're going to be talking about – a situation where Kentucky's offense is as dynamic as many of the top offenses in the country because they've got flamethrowers. Kobe Brea is a stud. He's one of the best pure shooters in the sport.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
Amari Williams, as a big man on both ends of the floor, really good defender. I think that that's the biggest what if for Kentucky. Are they going to be able to play defense in a tournament? They could score at will, which I love. If I'm picking between a team that's just defensively stout or a team that can get buckets quickly, I'm taking the latter in today's day and age. Ask.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
Tennessee's been better the last two years, but that held them back. Texas A&M, I don't trust them. I don't trust them in the tournament because at times they get stuck in the mud. Being physical is great until every ref in America calls a foul two minutes into the game because they say, in March Madness, the officials are getting evaluated for the next rounds.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
just like the teams are trying to move on, the officials get told whether or not they're moving on to the next round. So when there's a bunch of calls in a game, it's because they're trying to follow the rules so that they can advance and make more money. The fact is, Kentucky, I like Kentucky's upside still. I am not out on Kentucky. I don't think anybody should be. But we know this.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
When this team shows up for their first-round game, There's gonna be the narratives, the spotlight now on Mark Pope. Can he be different than Cal? Can he spin a different song? And if they make the Sweet 16, people didn't know what to expect from Pope in year one. They haven't done that since 2019. I still like their upside, but they've gotta get healthy. If they're not fully healthy,
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
They're a team that maybe they win a first-round game. I don't trust them enough to make the Sweet 16. They need Robinson. They need Butler. But they've got dudes, man. That team put together some terrific early season results, and they're very difficult to defend.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
So first and foremost, St. John's can make the Final Four. And the statistical data backs it up. Just this past week, this was on social. Since 2011, there have only been two teams that have shot less than 32.5% from three and have made the Final Four. They were Rick Pitino's Louisville teams, one of which won a national championship. No NCAA.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
You can't take away a banner and a trophy from Russ Smith and Peyton Siva. That's not – I don't know where you two stand. No, I agree. Yeah.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
Yeah. Forget it. Come on now. This St. John's team plays a lot like those Louisville teams. They are relentless. So here's what they've got going for them. Multiple – explosive guards who make plays for their teammates. R.J. Lewis, he could be Big East Player of the Year. That kid never stops. He has fully understood what Rick Pitino's about.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
Qadari Richmond, Brooklyn boy, putting on for his city, living for the big spotlight, and delivering in that spotlight. So those two, they get everything started for this team in a lot of ways. When you can dump it into Zuby Ejiofor, and he's playing at the level that he's playing at. Davon Smith brings the fire. Smith and Richmond are like fire and ice. Smith with his pace.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
Richmond kind of is back to the basket, Uncle Drew, I'm going to put you to sleep but then make you pay type game. St. John's is a New York teen that has a New Yorker who's out to write his last chapters his way, to go out his way. What Pitino is doing, as you guys felt in your studio, you felt what I'm feeling covering Pitino.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
This is a guy who's been through everything in his career and now is a really refreshing personality in college basketball because he doesn't give a damn and he's out to do one thing. Win. Win, win, win. And he's got Mike Rapoli backing him with money. He's got Madison Square Garden on fire again feeling like Nick playoff games for a –
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
Big East contest against the likes of Creighton or Xavier or, over the weekend now, Connecticut. And they are a real threat to make it to San Antonio this April. And oh, what a scene that would be if Rick Pitino is down there at the Final Four. That would be wild. In terms of the rest of the Big East, I'm with you. Marquette has definitely struggled as of late. Cam Jones is still a stud.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
Connecticut has to have a – they're just not what they've been the last two years. The question now is can they win two tournament games and be one in the Sweet 16? For them, I think they're a victim of their success in terms of the narrative. Dan Hurley, we know what he said and that he's certainly made headlines with all of that.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
I think they've had trouble accepting the fact that they're not a national title contender. As a result, things have sort of spun off. It's not good, but because they're just an okay team, a solid team, now people are going crazy. Some people are like, well, they stink now. Compared to last year, you weren't going to duplicate that, guys.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
There's a reason why John Wooden's the only guy who's done that.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
100%. You still have people who understand what it takes to perform on that stage. And in the NCAA tournament, that's very helpful because I can't tell you how many teams and UConn won't be one of these teams. They play in an NCAA tournament first or second round game and you watching them, you don't recognize them. You genuinely do not understand what you're watching.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
You're like, this is not the team that I watched throughout the season. So you're exactly right, Big Cat. This is a Connecticut team that I still think, with Liam McNeely, solo ball, and if Hassan Diar can stay healthy. The problem is, you went from Adamo Sanogo, Donovan Klingin, to Donovan Kling and Samson Johnson. Samson Johnson and Terrace Reed, neither one of them's a one on an elite team.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
And that's where things have gone wrong. Watch out for Creighton still. Ryan Kalkbrenner is an absolute beast. Steven Ashworth is a terrific point guard. And you just know the Big East tournament could throw a curveball or two, but St. John's hasn't won it since 2000. And I can't help but think that Lou Carneseca is smiling down on this team and providing some magic.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
Fun, you know, just a touching note, but an interesting note. When John Thompson passed away in 2020, Georgetown proceeded to win the Big East Tournament. And Patrick Ewing told me, John Thompson was here with us. He made this happen. You know, Rick is an unbelievable coach, but if St. John's were to win this and they haven't done in a quarter century, it is Patino, but the year that Louie passed,
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
I don't think that he would regret it. Uh, I don't think that he would, I don't think I, no, I, I don't think he lives with regret that he didn't take that job. I don't because I think that Dan is so happy with his wife and his situation of being the king and, And this goes back to why I feel he didn't take it.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
If you go to the NBA, you become secondary, if not tertiary, if not whatever the next wheel is, fourth, fifth, sixth wheel. You could get in the headlines, but not for the right reasons. Think about the best NBA coaches. Like, okay, Joe Mazzulla goes crazy on an official. And so, yes, that makes headlines. But, like, are we talking daily about how great Joe Mazzulla is?
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
No, we're talking, I mean, for better or for the right or wrong reason, we're talking about Jason Tatum. And we're talking about Brown. And we're talking about their core of players, White and company, who make them a championship team. The coach's story gets told by the local press and people covering it. And you guys will bring it up if they win another championship.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
But, like, we're not breaking down NBA head coaches during this time of year. Hurley's in the headlines every day. And don't tell me – he loves it. And that's a good thing. Like – We need more of that energy in college basketball. My reason for it is there are some people out there who despise him. There are some people out there who love him. You two do a show. That's the premise in a good way.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
We want to be talking about it. During conference championship week of the NFL, they got done breaking down Mahomes and Allen and what would happen in the NFC and if the commanders could pull it off and what the Eagles would be doing. They got done with the segment on debate shows. And the B block was Hurley saying he's the best coach in the sport. And what do we make of this?
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
Or that he went off on another official or that he went crazy here. He is who he is unapologetically. But you're not getting – if he's doing that in the NBA, guys – The NBA people are looking at it as this isn't going to last. It's just not going to last. He would have had to change everything about his act, I feel, to be in the NBA, where coaches, to me, are not the priority.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
The NBA is the furthest thing from a coach's league. If you even so much as make one mistake, you could be –
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
Well, I love that you went down to the ACC to talk Maryland because Maryland deserves to be in the ACC. They're an ACC team and they always will be. So that was so well done by you. By the way, that tournament should be in Greensboro every year for the record. 100 million percent. The ACC tournament should never be anywhere but Greensboro.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
Keep your conference tournament in the same location every year. Why? Familiarity is good. As for Maryland, they are dangerous. Kevin Willard has done a terrific job with this team. Why? Derrick Queen, throwback player. He's got this Moses Malone style to his game, as style as that could get in 2025. When he's got the ball, the game slows down, but you're forced to play it that way.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
Julian Reese, tough. I mean, this guy plays with muscle. He's on the attack. He's a good defender. He understands the assignments. And then last year, you talked about Maryland's front court. But last year, they didn't have enough guard play. And they certainly didn't have enough shot making. So I think much like Greg Gard and his staff, Kevin Willard and his staff went to the lab.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
And they said, look, we want to play hard. We want to be gritty. That's all nice and whatnot. Toughness is awesome. But at the end of the day, we don't even have a Jack Golke on our team. Right. We need to find shot making. Jacoby Gillespie's been that. Selvin McGill's been that. Rodney Rice is that as well. The Crab Five is outstanding.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
By the way, whoever came up with Crab Five to describe the Maryland starting five, that is an elite job right there. You've got Scott Van Pelt courtside. Cheering you on. He's so into it, and I love it about him. And Maryland basketball, when they're cooking, they're one of the brands that's fun in the sport. That fan base is electric.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
They're going to be all over us talking about them right here, right now. I think they're dangerous. You know why? They're not over-reliant on any one or two pieces to win. they've got a nice complementary balance to their group in terms of they don't say, we got to get post-scoring. No, they use the drives to kick and hit threes. And because they're hitting threes, Maryland can go deep. Yeah.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
No, I agree.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
It's a load of crap when people are like, yeah, I go, I've got nine or 10 deep. Okay. Do you put nine people on the floor at the end of the game in the sweet 16? No. Give me your best five. They're 18 to 22 year old kids. I also laugh when people are like, yeah, they're getting tired. This guy's wearing down. Yeah. These kids come back to campus in July. It's too long.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
In college basketball, they get three weeks off and they have to come back and start working out. That's the problem with the calendar. The kids want to play in the games. The games are the fun of this sport, not the transfer portal chaos. You need five or six guys. You need a sixth man and maybe a body, a post body at seven or eight. Jay Wright won a national championship with six players.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
Yeah, you know what it is when you say, oh, I can go eight or nine deep? Yeah, that's my life during Brown's training camp this upcoming summer. We feel that we've got two or three really strong options, potentially a quarterback, and I'm going to be staring at a rookie, another backup who should be at Walmart, and a veteran pickup, probably Kirk Cousins.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
That's probably what I'm going to be staring at. Yeah, you probably will. And you know what happens when they say to you, we've got two options here? It means you don't have one. That's facts. That's facts.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
Do you think a buddy texted me on Saturday night and they said, you know, and I couldn't help but chuckle in a good way. I mean, I know you have your own, so I'll bring it up on this show. But they said Coach K cuts down the nets this April. Shire takes down his piece and hands Mike the scissors. Man, that would kill me.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
It sucks. Illinois, are they in the ACC now?
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
Duke is damn good. They are a spectacular team. They're a wagon. Defensively, I just think the amount that their length does to alter. You can't run your game plan, plan A or B, against what they're going to do because they're going to come out. Seon James said, I'm going to get on Kasperis Chakachonis, who's a top five pick in the draft, and he said, I'm going to limit him.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
And even if he makes some shots, I'm still going to do what I can to shut him down as much as possible. But then it goes beyond that. To me, the fact that they were dominating to the level that they dominated in that first half against Illinois held them to 0 for 16 from 3. I had Illinois fans being like, it's not them holding us. We can't make a shot. Get out of here.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
You couldn't make it because of how they defended you. Oh, number two, Cooper Flagg only had one field goal make in the first half. This is not just because of Cooper Flagg. He has a lot to do with it, and I think Cooper is a fantastic player and will be the number one pick in this draft. Full stop. It's over.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
If on draft day you wake up and the batting lines are getting shaken up by insiders and stuff, enough. It ain't happening. He's going number one. There's no reason why anybody should pick anybody else there or take that risk on. You've got to pick him first. But it goes beyond him. This team, Isaiah Evans, has turned into a different player now. Conn Knipple –
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
He plays the game a little crazy intensity-wise in a good way. He's got Cam Spencer-like genes. Remember Spencer for UConn last year? A little bit of, like, knipples always going. Crazy, yeah. Farmer Malawach, really strong. They didn't even have Malik Brown. But, like, they – if they're making any perimeter shots, any – It's over. They are not going to lose.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
Now that your hope big cat is that they show up to the Alamo dome. If they do, let's say they make the final four. I'm sorry. It is a football stadium. There is a unique shooting background. And sometimes teams that are kind of iffy from a shooting perspective can shoot miserably. And then the game looks a whole lot different game. Always look better when the shots are going in. But right now,
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
If you forced me to take Duke slash Auburn or the field, today I would take Duke slash Auburn.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
No, I'd say no because I think Auburn could get taken out of that earlier than expected because I think there's going to be some teams that may be a little more desperate. And I also don't trust conference tournament champions.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
Just by virtue of it takes a lot for you to do that to win it, and then you've got to go right back to the road and play in the NCAA tournament, and you just play until Saturday or Sunday. I always look – bracket help here – at Thursday or Friday at the latest losers in their conference tournament if they're a steady NCAA tournament team. Because I like the fact they can go back.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
They're pissed off they didn't win their conference tournament. They got a couple extra days to rest. They went back. They saw their girlfriends on campus. Get a nice free weekend with your honey. And then you say, here's how I go dancing.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
That was desperate. They needed it. They kept it going. One of the wildest Cinderella's we've, we've ever seen. And that's inexplicable, but that's why we watch. Yeah. You know, I was thinking about that. Like even here's the best part about March madness by the championship game. Even somebody who I love the sport. I'm like bummed out that it's over and it's one game.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
So let's just say it's Duke and Auburn. It's a dream matchup for the sport. What the best part is Duke's in one region, Auburn,
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
auburn's in another region that means there's two like let's just say and by the way i would say if you if you made me bet i'd say okay i'm gonna be wrong on one of them and one of them bows out earlier than expected but i would i'm saying i'm getting one of them to to win it all yeah there's still two other regions that duke and auburn have no control over that the chaos is gonna happen that's why the madness is the best it's non-stop you looking going from true tv to tnt to tbs to cbs and say what the
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
is going on right now in my life it really is and then you get your jack gold keys involved you get your magical moments like that it really is the best event of that you wake up a day you wake up on a sports day and you're it's a glorious day but by the end of the day you are saying someone's name that you didn't know existed at the beginning of the day yeah don't sleep on florida john
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
They're very good, and Walter Clayton and Elijah Martin are studs. Walter Clayton isn't All-American. When Elijah Martin's on, he's 1-2. And Chinielu had a very good performance this past weekend. They're big. Alex Condon's taken that next step. They just got hand logged them back. They are tough, man. Like that team is very, very good. They are an offensive juggernaut.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
They can come at you in waves. I agree with PFT. Texas Tech, tough. Grant McCaslin's done a great job. J.T. Toppin, absolute stud. They've got depth. Elijah Hawkins is a really good distributor of the basketball. In terms of other teams, like teams that are not at the top of the country, but I still like a lot. Not the very top of the country anyways.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
Don't let a Michigan loss to Michigan State get you out on Michigan.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
I think Michigan State is the team. Well, Tom Izzo, he's got a group that – how magical would it be if Izzo in year 30 made the Final Four?
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
Yeah, it can be. But sometimes when you play together that long, your numbers don't tell the full story when you get on the big stage. And that's kind of where my argument is. It's like at some point, Amari Burnett, Trey Donaldson, Roddy Gale and company are just I'm betting on them. I'm betting on Dusty May, who's made a Final Four run, and I'm betting on veteran players.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
They might be turnover prone, but I just know that I've got Vlad Golden and Danny Wolf, and in the NCAA tournament, you, my opponent, have likely never seen any combination like that because of the uniqueness of it. So I think they pose matchup. to what they can do. But there's a number of these types of teams that could be really interesting in the tournament.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
I mean, you can go right down the line, like Mississippi State down there in Starkville. Chris Jantz has a really intriguing team. St. Mary's is tough again, and they're going to win the WCC. How about Randy Bennett and the job that he does year in and year out, having them as good as they are? And there are Cinderella teams. There are a couple of teams wearing the slipper again.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
PFT, that makes me say they have a chance, they're shot making. Houston's always been held back by having multiple guys who can dial it up from downtown. So they've had Marcus Sasser. They've had Jamal Shett. They've had some talented individuals. This feels like a perimeter that really can share the sugar and make threes and waves.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
LJ Cryer had 28 points in the win over the weekend over Iowa State. Cryer had a couple stepbacks that were flat out ridiculous. Emmanuel Sharp is steady. He's tough. If you're going to go to Houston, you have to be tough. It's like... It's like going to, you know, like if you're not going to play hard for Calvin Sampson to be tough, you're going to go get sent to Weenie Hut Juniors.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
Like it's just how it is. It's a non-negotiable. Like he has someone stand there at the front of the club, and if you don't bring that, you're done. And I don't care if it's practice. I don't care if it's summertime. I don't care if it's a team bonding trip to a lake. You have to be tough. But the guy that's opened things up for them is Milo Shuzan.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
Milo Shuzan is a clutch shot maker, big-time shot maker, and Juwan Roberts is a guy who's embraced his role. This is Kelvin's best offensive team. I'm never worried about whether they can get stops or not, but in the past, you guys know this, Houston, Tennessee, like A&M's good, but I –
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
When your sole goal is to get teams stuck in the mud, in a game of shot-making where the opponent has those types of players, at some point you can't get them into the mud. Houston can win a game out of the mud this year.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
If I had to make a prediction right now, I would say T.J. Otzelberger. I think he makes a lot of sense. I think he's done a phenomenal job at Iowa State, and I think he's been outstanding at Iowa State. But I think that this guy is one of the best coaches in the sport who can take on the Indiana fan base and will be strong. So if I were to – it should be the guy that Indiana pursues the most.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
And I'm just thinking if I'm Scott Dolson, who's running this search – You got to bow down to whoever you're hiring and say, look, we need you. Everyone's like, oh, it's Indiana, the aura. Come on, man. Kids don't know about that. They don't. They see the candy cane pants, but the days of Coach Knight, I mean, God bless him and may he rest in peace. But the fact is, that was a long time ago.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
You got to get a guy. who coaches with toughness, who gets his teams to play endlessly hard, and a guy who can educate the kids on what it means to play in Indiana. I think Otzelberger's one of the best three coaches in the sport. The building job he's done at Iowa State, think about this. Iowa State hasn't made a Final Four since 1944.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
He could lead them to only their second Final Four ever this year.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
can I give one up before I'm sorry to cut you off my favorite my favorite ending would be Indiana who just beat Purdue makes the NCAA tournament they're on the bubble they win a game or two and Mike Woodson sits down and says after after the game you know what I actually have had second thoughts I'll be back next year they are a bubble team I mean this was a big win for them today and and they they've had flashes where they've looked really good even the first time they played Purdue they played their balls off they they lost at Mackey but uh
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
Well, when a caller says, excuse me, I'm talking. Or, John, this is where you're wrong. Or, no, John, you're not listening to me. And it's like, I just got done listening to you for two and a half, three minutes. Look, I love the fans. Love it. Just like you guys do too.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
And we, and we bring them into different stuff and engage, but there's a, Hey, like it's somebody, somebody came on like two weeks ago and it's like, here's where you're wrong. I'm Providence. Here's where you're wrong. And all these things. And like, it's talking down to me. Come on. It's your space. I'm not putting up with that. Like there's a line to cross there.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
And it's, it's like when I was growing up, And my dad said, these are the things that you have to do on Saturday. These are your chores. And if you started to speak up and say why one of the chores was a bunch of bullshit, you got caught. That was the end of it. Yeah. You got hung up on it. It's a non-negotiable. You were sent out to the yard and you were picking the weeds in the mulch.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
And maybe that night you got to sit out on the patio and have a Diet Coke. Yeah. But the fact is like, that's not, you don't come into the space and start trying to run it. Then we have, cause it's spaces. It's not radio.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
So like, I like, well, if people come on and you guys know this, like they start telling me everything they know about the game, but like, we're talking X's and O's in the weeds deep and they get, and it's like four and a half, five minutes. And I've said before to the people, does this, sir, do you have a wife? And the guy will say back to me like, yes, I do.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
I go, well, one, does she ever get a word in edgewise? Like, does she ever listen to yourself? You know, we've all been in the cocktail party or the or the wedding or the thing where we love we love somebody. We love our our parents, friend or the friend of a friend. But, you know.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
When you're having a beer or a wine, you've got to budget out about 10 to 13 minutes to get their latest thoughts on whatever's happening in the sports world.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
Oh, boy. I mean, the fan bases that cause the most chaos up in the Northeast, look, the UConn fans are relentless in their pursuit. Providence fans can be absolutely unhinged, out of control. You don't know where things are going to go. And it's just how they are. That's Friartown. It's what they do. They can't forget about Ed Cooley. Nope.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
And so every space has at least one caller who just turns it up, up on the intensity meter, and they get started. Who else has come at me? I mean, Big Blue Nation and I are very close. Like, we're in a good place. I get the ACC fans who are mad at me sometimes when I'm like, look, like, I'm sorry, but North Carolina – They're not a tournament team.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
And if they didn't have the North Carolina name, we wouldn't even be talking about them. That's just a fact. You know who got on me this year a lot? Purdue fans. For not having them in the top 10 during times when people thought it. One week I ranked them like 21st. Now, with the way they're playing recently, they just lost to Indiana. They're back to the 20s this week. Not just on the edge.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
They're not a top 10 team. They're not a top 12 team. They're just not.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
Whoever makes the ed statue should one demand triple the money because it's a seven foot four statue. And two, like, you have to get that right. Yeah. Like, sports subculture thought here. What's going on with statue makers lately? I know. It's been bad. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, like, wired, tired. Yeah. Or statue makers, tired. Who's somebody?
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
Whoever the statue maker is out there, this is your chance to step up. Yeah. I agree.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
No, I mean, come on, wake up and whoever's tasked with that. Get it right. Yes.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
So there's one dilemma with this, okay? So this is a new office setup, and my wife set up the hoop, and she did tell me when she set it up on the wall, don't dunk on it because the hoop is literally wrenched to the wall. Oh. But because you two asked, I'll try it anyway.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
Tear that shit down, John.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
Oh, triple slam.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
Hey, there we go. That's some lateral quickness for you. Let's dance. Here comes the madness. I love it, John.
Pardon My Take
CBB With John Fanta, Steve Smith Sr Dominated The Weekend, Picking A New Pope, Who's Back Of The Week + Monday Reading
Thank you, guys. That's very, very humbling. I appreciate that. And if you're a fan out there, as we're talking and when this goes live, you are inside three weeks away from the best postseason tournament in American sports. Facts. It's going to be great. Facts. All right. Thank you, John. Thank you, guys.