The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Good Follow - Dearica Hamby joins the Show, Rose BC Wins Unrivaled + A Bracket Breakdown w/ The Underdogs & More
Wed, 19 Mar 2025
This week on Good Follow: Ros & Logan discuss the March Madness 1 seed controversy, Unrivaled semi-final upsets, and Rose BC winning the Unrvialed Championship. Then Peter Keating & Jordan Brenner from Underdogs join the show to break down the women’s March Madness bracket - predicting upsets, cinderellas, and more. Later, Ros sits down with WNBA & Unrivaled forward Dearica Hamby to discuss her winning bucket to upset the Owls, being a mom in the league, and her friendship with Kelsey Plum. Finally, Ros shares her March Madness pick of the week presented by DraftKings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Chapter 1: Why are Ros and Logan excited to be in Miami?
What's up, everyone? Welcome to Good Follow, presented by DraftKings. I'm Roz Goldberg. She is Logan Hackett. And we are so excited today because we reunited in person in Miami. Actually, we're in Miami because... Woo! Woo!
we went to the unrivaled playoffs and championship we brought this from the ground the streamers from the championship game of unrivaled and we went together we did shooting contests photo shoots like what did you think logan coming out here amazing i absolutely loved it the whole fan fest was so much fun i showed them how i shoot a basketball
yeah i mean i can't made it in i i did after a few 10 20 tries all she had to do was bend her knees folks but you made it in so did team rose we you know they won the championship but it was so cool i know that was your first time at unrivaled and it was really cool to do the playoffs and championship together we'll always have these streamers girl i love when we're in person right i love that
Chapter 2: What happened at the Unrivaled Championship?
Logan and Roz do Miami. But you know what, guys? We've got an awesome show for you today. Today's show, we have D'Erica Hamby joining the show. She's a wonderful guest. She has her daughter Amaya with us, and she's going to represent
team vinyl and the la sparks her vinyl fell short in the championship game but guess what we also have an exclusive interview with azare stevens make sure you go find that we drop that exclusively uh for you to watch and she talks about the championship journey for team rose at unrivaled and guys guess what the ncaa bracket is set for the tournament for march madness so we've got an analytical breakdown we brought in the underdogs who are going to break down
upsets and cinderellas and like really take a deep dive at thinking about what this bracket could look like and who's gonna bust it oh natasha cloud joins the liberty yes it's getting cloudy it's getting cloudy in new york and isa ray and asia wilson now that is the power link up that we love to see love it love to see
And as always, y'all, we love you so much. We appreciate y'all so much. And make sure to like, comment, and subscribe. I feel like one of those YouTubers saying that. Subscribe. Click the bell. Click the button. Like, notify. But seriously, please do it. Yes, please. Tell all your friends about us. Go to work and just rant, please. But we drop every single Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Eastern time, and we'll be waiting for you. So please come and watch us.
the bell the bell is here logan is here in person we we've got pom-poms we've got confetti we've got we're ready to go we are absolutely ready and i'm ready for march madness literally cannot wait it is one of the most exciting times of the year other than christmas for some people but the bracket was set and there was some controversy i feel like these days we can't do much without having some controversy ucla texas usc and south carolina were named as number one seeds
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Chapter 3: Why is there controversy over the March Madness 1 seeds?
And UCLA is getting this for the first time. Great accomplishment for them, though some coaches had some things to say. Let's take a look.
I'm a little bit surprised because we manufactured our schedule to put ourselves in a position to be the number one overall seed. And I do think if you do the blind test and you put our resume against any other team in the field, I think... I think you'll pick us.
I never thought I'd be a one seed and feel disrespected, but I thought the committee, I just, I thought there would be very little chance we would be the number four overall number one. Sometimes I don't understand people who make decisions in women's basketball and why they do what they do. And certainly with this committee, I would love to ask some questions.
You know what? That's crazy. You know, and I feel both coaches, and especially for Coach Gottlieb, like, I at least understand why she doesn't love her number one seed because in her bracket, you know, that's so hard. They got the number two seed at UConn, right? And, you know, this is a UConn team that is healthy, that is in rhythm, that has won 10 straight.
And yeah, like USC beat UConn earlier in the season, but this UConn team looks completely different. Actually, that loss may end up being something that they can hold on to to motivate them. If everything works out where both of those teams don't get upset, if they end up meeting in the Elite Eight, and don't forget there's the added motivation and urgency.
This is a UConn team that loves each other, and they want to do this for their upperclassmen. They want to send them out with the championship. It's been elusive. for this group of UConn upperclassmen. So I think, you know, that's tough for USC, but also for fans, right?
Because what's definitely coming out of this bracket is that the Final Four will definitely either not have Juju Watkins or it may not have Paige Beckers, who are two of the best players in the country. And it's possible they could both get upset. It could be possible that we have none of them, neither in the Final Four. So, you know, this is part of it.
Yeah, I was when I saw Dawn Staley's comments, I immediately went to do my little notes or not even notes, but like analytics on all the schedules. And I actually have some interesting takeaways that I think validates what she was saying. South Carolina played 15 ranked games. Two of them came in the conference tournament. Their losses were to UConn, Texas and UCLA.
The lowest ranked team they played was Tennessee at 18. But the average ranking of the ranked teams was 9.1. Yeah. Whereas you look at USC, the average ranking of their 11 ranked games was 11.2. Texas 9.9, which hot take. I don't think Texas should get a number one seed.
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Chapter 4: How does Team Rose defy expectations at Unrivaled?
You know what, at one point she got hot. She was shooting from three and I was like, no way, this is going to be insane. The winning score is gonna be met with a Chelsea Gray three. 62 was the number. I was so excited for it and it didn't happen. But go on about Chelsea Gray.
what I'm saying though like she absolutely though when it comes to winning time whether it was the championship game or the semi-final it was Chelsea Gray bucket after bucket or assist I mean the semi-final game where she dropped 39 was insane and after that game her jersey I believe her jersey is the only one that sold out at unrivaled like it just after the semi-final game it was gone
And so, I mean, it's between her ability to step back, to be clutch, to come at you in a flurry, to make her teammates better. Some of those dimes, those passes she's throwing are works of art. And ultimately, what it tells me, Chelsea's healthy. She's rejuvenated. She's playing with joy. She's talking her mess. And actually, I'm like, yo, aces, baby.
Aces are back, baby! As long as they stay healthy!
The new look aces? Because Chelsea's doing her thing thing. I also want to shout out one more player, Azare Stephens. Azare was incredible in a championship game. Her 19 points and 18 rebounds were huge, especially with Angel Reese out. Shout out defensive player of the year for Unrivaled. But with her out, everything that Azare Stephens gave that team was so needed.
And I think they shaved her on a couple of blocks that she had. I think they didn't give her her full credit, but she was just a force. So shout out to Azare Stephens, who also did her thing in the one-on-one tournament. So she had a really great Unrivaled.
And I want to backtrack just a tiny bit quickly, because you were at the semifinals and the whole year it was Lunar Owls, Luna, what do you who? Everything. And they got upset. What was that like?
You know, first, shout out to the Lunar Owls. Yeah. Like they set the standard for the entire season for Unrivaled. So much so that when they were in a situation, in a one and done situation in the semifinal game and Team Vinyl, the fourth seed, you know that...
It was such a big deal that they got upset, that there was so much raw emotion on the court when Team Vinyl beat the Lunar Owls because the Owls were that great. So it made the defeat that much more. It was pandemonium.
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Chapter 5: Who are Peter Keating and Jordan Brenner and what do they do?
In the playoffs, she was great defensively, blocking so many shots locked in. Ryan, take that with you to Atlanta because you are just as good defensively as you are offensively.
So both sides of the court.
real quick if you had to use one word to describe the first season of unrivaled and everything is done for women's basketball oh gosh this might be really hard to think about that whole sentence what would it be um success yeah unrivaled was a success i feel on so many levels like it showcased that an investment in women's sports and women's basketball from salaries to facilities to making the players partners via equity that that would work it showcased that
storylines, rivalries, trash talk. Like, it's good for the game, you know? And the one-on-one tournament was a hit. It was a ratings splash for the league, and it ended up being talked about through the Men's All-Star Weekend and beyond. Social media content. I think Unrivaled always knew that part of their job this season was to story tell. And that's not always the way leagues think.
And like, here's a way we, they really focused on giving us the players and we just wanted more. We just wanted to consume more. And then meaningful brand partnerships, like what they did with the Sephora, like walk-in tunnel, the level of fits that we got and the moment it became. So more than just taking a brand's money or saying, oh, you do the NBA. Can you also do the W?
No, having like really intentional partnerships where you can
bring out the best in each other um i thought the broadcast coverage was great i mean you were great thank you i'm not even just talking about your flowers they had like lisa leslie candace parker renee montgomery from the studio to the game broadcast it was really well covered um and ultimately i had to make a list for this but ultimately this was about the players this was about the product the games it was awesome and the big takeaway was unrivaled i'll give you another word
was fun. Yep. It was so fun. Eight weeks and it was fun. So you know what? Great job unrivaled.
Well, y'all coming up, we're looking at the March Madness bracket from a bit of a different lens. We have Peter Keating and Jordan Brenner, the host of the underdog show coming on and I'm very excited to see what they have to say. So we'll be right back.
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Chapter 6: Which teams are potential sleepers in the March Madness bracket?
Yeah, because what you're left with when you don't have good data is a lot of hot takes and personality based coverage. And it's great to get to know the athletes and the coaches as people. It's important, but it's also very easy when you don't have any numbers or any analytics or any evidence for what you're saying, basically.
to just offer up a bunch of opinions which might be true or might not be true. Every time around this time every year, we hear simultaneously from people who say, wow, this team is so young and brash and inexperienced, they don't know enough to be afraid. And then at the same time, people on the same TV set are saying, wow, this team has senior leadership. It's so important to have experience.
And you're like, well, which one is true? And how do we know? And there's a million things like that. And there's no good excuse anymore, given the audience, given the interest, given the talent that's flowing into the game to have women's sports analytics lagging as far as they currently do behind their male counterparts.
Yeah. And you're just providing more tools for fandom, you know, different ways to see and explain the game. And then you mix it all together because I don't think there's just hot takes. And I think numbers can't just stand alone either. I think it all comes together in a pot. So, Logan, let's get into this tournament bracket.
Yeah, I cannot wait to hear y'all's takes. But I want to start with the Spokane 1 region. You have UCLA as the number one top seed. It was their first time getting that overall number one. And they're actually going for their first ever Final Four appearance, which
I don't know why I thought that they've been in the final four before, but just on paper, their side or their region does look quite easy. If there were to be a challenge, where do you think that would happen?
Well, I'll tell you one team that's sort of off the radar and could lose in the first round, but our model likes them a lot better than their seed. So if you're looking for a deep, deep sleeper in that region, try Michigan State. We actually have them as a better overall team than NC State, the two seed. And if that's not enough... They force turnovers on a quarter of opponent's possessions.
That's really, really, really high. And one thing we've learned over the years is that anything teams underdogs do to force extra possessions really, really helps them. Because think about it. Everyone, unless you're just crazy good and lucky, everyone's going to have a cold shooting night at some point, right? And in a seven-game series in the NBA, okay, you move on to the next game.
In the NCAA tournament, you're done. So you need something to protect you against cold shooting. The two biggest things typically, offensive reboundings, because if you're going to miss a lot of shots, go get the ball back. And forcing turnovers, limiting the other team's possession, giving yourself extra ones. So Michigan State would be a deep sleeper.
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Chapter 7: How do analytics predict the outcome of the tournament?
Well, I mentioned Norfolk State with their one player driving an incredible turnover rate. This is another off-the-wall deep dog, but out in Montana, at Montana State, there's a freshman point guard named Taylee Cherick who...
is I think if she's not leading the country in steel percentage, it's only because she hasn't been playing enough minutes because she had to grow into the role because she's a freshman. That's that's a really interesting, crazy giant. The analytics love Montana State. I don't know if that's a famous enough team to pick, but that's that's kind of a cool off the wall pick in this region.
Sure. And I think I think you're right. If you're going to have a region where it's not a one or a two seed, this is your region. So I mean, I don't know that we can really consider Notre Dame a Cinderella, but they certainly first of all, we all know they have the upside.
Yeah.
Battle with anyone if they get it going.
they had a slow finish to the season. So they've got, they're in a one and done situation. So they've got to turn it around fast. Guys, we've got one more region to look at. I'm going to take you to the Spokane four region. USC earned a number one seed there. Guess what? Coach Gottlieb did not like her number one seed. Why? Because in that bracket at a two seed is UConn.
Well, yeah.
Yeah, right, right. And, you know, if they don't get upset, they can meet in the Elite Eight. And it could be a matchup between Juju Watkins and her squad and Paige Beckers and her squad. If that ends up holding true without an upset, like who has the edge here?
I mean, our model thinks UConn is significantly better than USC. I think Peter and I both would take UConn to win the national championship at this point. Peter, you agree?
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Chapter 8: Who do experts think will win the March Madness tournament?
Hey, what's up, Good Follow? This is Roz Gold on What A, and I am here with one of the top players of the WNBA, a WNBA champion, a two-time Sixth Woman of the Year, a three-time All-Star. She is of the LA Sparks, and here at Unrivaled, she is with Team Vinyl, my girl, De'Erica Hamby.
Hey, De'Erica, what's going on, girl? Nothing, thanks for having me. I'm so happy to just chill with you.
I know. And catch up.
We do it a couple times a year.
Yeah, yeah, we get our little moments. Can you believe that this unrivaled season is over? Yes.
I can't, it's fast. It happened fast, kind of similar to the style of play. So the turnover is like very fast.
It's interesting. There's like an analogy to the way the game is and to the way this season is. Actually, with it being so fast, it makes me think about one of the signature moments of this entire season was in the semifinal. Your team final upset the heavy favorite in the Lunar Owls. Right. And it's a signature moment because, I mean, they only lost once. They've been dominant all season.
It was a kind of big, it was heard all over in the women's basketball world. And what I saw from you at the end of that game was so much fire and passion. So first of all, what was it that your team held onto throughout the game and certainly in the fourth quarter when you guys were down 10?
I think just staying consistent. I talked a little bit about it after the game and during the game, halftime, Spoon is kind of the anchor of all this. She's so positive. And there wasn't a second during that game or even really this season that she's doubted us or had a down conversation or like, talked about us happened to like play from behind.
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