Nick's East & South Region Bracket Picks

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I will fill out the bracket in moments and we'll bring Tyler Morales on to the show.

We will bring Kenny Henderson onto the show and I'll find out what they think of the various

pivot points that we have in the bracket, Bill Zimmerman is with us and it's totally

Bill, Bill's camera is working.

Bill, what do you have for us here on the news last hour?

Tade Cunningham for the Detroit Pistons MVP candidate point guard,

collapse long Persham, Shirani of ESPN, Tade out a quote extended period of time.

Bill has some context for us on this injury, Bill taken away.

All right, Nick, I saw a couple reputable NBA people retweeting this guy.

It's Jeff Stots.

He's an injury analyst for Rotawire.

He said Cade Cunningham injury update, the collapsed young is more common in contact

sports like the NFL, but there have been several cases in the NBA.

He names them Gerald Wallace, CJ McCollum and happened twice and Terence Jones.

Now he says the average time lost for those individuals was 26 days.

So 26 days from today is the April 14th.

The Pistons last regular season game is April 12th.

And the NBA playoff start on April 18th.

So that timeline and look, he can come back sooner.

It could be longer.

We have no idea.

But Bill telling you that the average amount of time, a little less than a full calendar

month, NBA playoff start, a little less than a full calendar month.

So the guess right now and believe me, this is a guess is that Cade's back for game

one of the postseason for the Detroit Pistons.

That would be my guess.

I can absolutely be wrong about that.

With the information we have now, I think that that is the most probable outcome.

And then it's just, are the Pistons the one?

Are they the two?

How effective is Cade?

Who is the opponent in the first round?

It's all very interesting for the Pistons.

And I'm going to get, I'll get Detroit schedule here.

And we'll see that some of the teams that they are playing down the stretch of the season.

So the Pistons coming up in the final stretch of games.

So at Washington, that I don't think

they need Cade, Cade, they could start the 2004 Pistons, even without Johnson Phillips

and win that game against the Wizards.

Then the Warriors with no staff, Lakers, Hawks, okay, tough New Orleans is not tanking

New Orleans, trying to win at Minnesota, at OKC, not easy home Toronto, not easy home

Minnesota, that easy at Philly at Orlando, not easy versus Milwaukee.

You would think Yannis is playing in that game.

You had the report yesterday that the Bucks want to shut Yannis down.

He's basically the NBA Max Crosby right now saying, well, guess what?

I'm playing.

Then at Charlotte and the Hornets are going to be playing for playoff positioning on

Friday, April the 10th.

And then against a tankalicious team in the regular season finale at the Indiana Pacers.

That is not an easy stretch coming up here for the Pistons and my expectation is no Cade

cunning him until the start of the postseason.

I can be wrong.

That is my guess as it stands right now in the NBA.

So that's our breaking news today.

We do have some breaking news in the NFL.

We will get to that to start next hour.

That news is that the Minnesota Vikings have resigned quarterback Carson Wentz.

Now you might hear me say that and think, well, why does that matter?

I actually think it matters for two important reasons.

One relates to the Minnesota Vikings and the other relates to a team in the AFC.

And I will explain and I'm going to make it make sense next hour on the show.

Right now, right now, let's bring in our friends, Tyler Morales and Kenny Henderson,

our tactical director and our engineer here on you better, you bet both ginormous college

basketball fans and betters to criticize my bracket and talk about potential inflection

points.

And if they agree or disagree with me, hello, gentlemen, start with Tyler Morales.

Tyler, happy NCAA tournament to you and yours, my friends.

Same to you.

I'm excited.

We'll get into it.

I think the first time I get a little wild here.

I think I could see some crazy crazy things happening.

So I'm excited to get into it.

So give us your before we bring Kenny on because, you know, Danny was just saying Danny

Parkinson's from Fox Sports one that, you know, in the NIL age that maybe like the art

of the first round upset doesn't really exist anymore.

We're not going to see as much of it moving forward.

It sounds like Tyler, you think that that may not be the case this year and we do get some

madness this year.

Correct.

Yeah.

Maybe this is a specific year, but there's there's some matchups and some teams that I really

don't like that we'll get into that.

I think the underdogs could come out with wind here.

I think we'll get a couple in like the first couple games to be honest.

I think this could get a little, I think we could get a wild start to the tournament.

Kenny Henderson is with us.

Kenny, happy NCAA turn to my, my friend, how are we feeling this morning?

Great.

This is one of my favorite days of the sports calendar.

It should be a good one.

We've got, I agree with Tyler.

We've got some good ones early in the day.

So I'm excited for it.

I think like I love the tournament.

I like the NFL.

The NFL is my favorite thing.

This might be outside of anything NFL.

I think this actually might be the best day on the sports calendar, the opening Thursday

of the NCAA tournament.

So this is pretty special.

So Mike Brown is with us, our incredible video producer along with Dan the Man Turner

Mike.

Let's toss up the East region and let's start there as I fill out my bracket.

And what we'll do is we'll do each pod, right?

And just for people that don't know if you're listening, you can't see it on the screen.

We define pod as the four teams, right?

So for example, the first pod in the East region is Duke against Sienna, Ohio State against

TCU.

And we will go down the board from there.

So I will give you winners and we can talk about bets that we like in these games as well

and you guys can give your opinion.

So I obviously have Duke advancing past Sienna, which I'm sure you guys do as well.

The first game of the NCAA tournament, a little over two hours, oh my god.

We are.

We're two hours away, guys.

Can you play?

Can you play the music?

Yes.

Oh, baby.

Two hours away.

So Ohio State TCU is the eight nine.

I don't like.

I love Ohio State.

Lade the points with Ohio State, I bet that number is like two, two and a half.

And I'll say it right now.

I'm going to pick Duke to beat Ohio State in the second round.

I will bet Ohio State plus the points in that game.

If and when we get there, Tyler Morales thoughts on the opening pod in the East region.

Um, yes, I also bet Ohio State in this game.

I agree with what you have right there.

I like him in the game as well.

I don't know if there'll be Duke, but I'm curious to see how they match up their very

high three point shooting team.

I think that's the kind of team that could be Duke.

So I like Ohio State in the first game as well.

If they go nuclear, I think we can absolutely see that.

So Kenny Henderson, your thoughts here, Duke and Ohio State for me.

I bet Ohio State against TCU and I will bet Ohio State plus the points if and when

they play Duke.

Yeah, I agree with you.

I have exactly the same.

Ohio State TCU is a great match up.

I just think Bruce Thornton and John Moby being the best players on the floor.

They'll they'll overmatch them, but I think it's going to be really close game.

I was tempted to bet TCU plus the points.

I don't have a bet, but I picked Ohio State in my bracket.

All right.

We'll move on to the next pod in the East region, which is St. John's Northern Iowa, Kansas

and Cal Baptist.

I'm going chalk here with St. John's and Kansas, both advancing.

I think I'm going to be with Danny and Lay Kansas against Cal Baptist.

St. John's Northern Iowa.

I don't have a huge betting opinion.

St. John's obviously a pretty big favorite in that game.

Tyler, first, do you see any upsets here in this pod?

Any betting thoughts on either of those games?

No, I could see both teams actually running away.

I do like Kansas as well.

I feel like this is like they're we're going to prove it to you first game and an

massively determined out there in Peterson gets like he seems like he's fully healthy.

We don't know.

I feel like they could just run Cal Baptist off the course.

So I agree with you.

St. John's Kansas.

Kenny.

I have I have Kansas, St. John's as well.

I think we get self patino.

I wonder what you have in this one because I've got St. John's over Kansas in the second

round.

Yeah.

Well, we'll we'll continue down the line here, but I'm going to have St. John's over

Kansas as well when we get there.

All right.

The next pod, six seed Louisville 11 seed South Florida and no Mike L Brown for Louisville

this weekend.

And maybe he'd be back for next week if Louisville were to advance a Louisville South Florida.

That number down to Louisville minus four and a half Michigan State North Dakota State's

party.

A big favorite.

I'm taking Michigan State against North Dakota State.

Are we all just going to take South Florida to beat Louisville straight up here?

Is that how we're trying to play this Tyler?

Yeah.

So I picked save South Florida my bracket in terms of betting like it would be honest would

not bet South Florida right now.

I feel like we all knew that Mike L Brown wasn't already playing.

So I keep Louisville was six and a half a couple days ago.

I thought that was already baked in.

So now you're getting South Florida minus four and a half like I'm good.

I want no part of this.

I'll just pick South Florida win my bracket.

I think if you want to bet and you want to go against this, you just take Louisville

right now.

I don't necessarily disagree with that because look, Louisville was going to live or die

by the three with or without Brown.

So maybe they just make all their threes without him and they win this game.

And who are you advancing in the Louisville South Florida game?

I'm just like Tyler.

I'm not I'm scared to bet him.

I'm not trying to lose money.

I'm just going to take him in my bracket because I think Louisville missing Mike L Brown

is going to be an issue.

And I think South Florida plays to their pace so that they'll be able to keep up.

All right.

So let's advance South Florida and Michigan State and on the bottom.

I love UCLA both to win and cover against UCF.

We think UCLA is going to be fully healthy.

Macron has been to a final four.

Give me UCLA and obviously guys, we will advance Yukon against Furman in the 215.

Yep.

I'm good.

We'll go about those.

Do you guys have bets on either of those games?

UCLA, UCF, Yukon Furman?

Nope.

Just advancing those two.

I'll definitely put you.

UCLA, UCF is tomorrow.

I'll definitely put UCLA in some sort of money line, partly.

I like them to win for sure.

Okay.

So Duke, Ohio State, St. John's Kansas, South Florida, Michigan State and Mike, please

put the please put it back up on the screen.

And then Yukon UCLA are the eight teams in this region.

Let's continue advancing.

We have no points for us to talk about, obviously, because these are hypothetical games.

Duke, St. John's Michigan State, Yukon.

I'm going chalk here to advance in this region, Tyler.

I completely agree with you.

And I'm excited to talk about the Duke St. John's game because that's the game.

I think we'll have a tipping point in.

Tanny.

Yeah.

We have the same exact bracket in the East so far.

So this should be interesting.

So we have the one, the five, the three, and the two.

So a lot of chalk thus far in the East now, I am going to get a little wacky in this

region, guys, but I'm not getting wacky here.

I'll take Duke over St. John's and like, I don't know, like, who do you guys like in Yukon,

Michigan State?

I feel like flip a coin.

I could see it going either way.

I have Michigan State.

I don't listen.

I don't like Michigan State.

I don't tend to make the final four, but I think they'll just bully Yukon out.

This isn't a good version of Yukon.

I think a lot of people will see that in the tournament.

Tanny.

Yep.

I'm saying.

I was picking Michigan State to go to the final four.

We'll talk about that elite matchup, but I definitely have Michigan State over Yukon.

So I'm so we'll advance Duke and we will advance just for the purposes of this conversation.

Let's advance Michigan State.

We'll put Michigan State in the elite aid, Michigan State beats Yukon.

Jeremy Fierce kicks solo.

There's a really funny Jeremy Fierce solo ball refer at the joke to be made here.

I won't make it.

And then we get another Duke Michigan State regional final, just like we had with Zion.

William Senator J. Barrett and Cam Reddish once upon a time.

And this is where I'll have my tipping point.

I'll take Sparty to beat Duke.

And this is how I'm playing all my brackets while acknowledging Duke and obviously when

the national championship, of course they can.

I'm going to I'm going to play into the injury volatility here with Duke and have Duke

getting bounced in every bracket I have prior to the final four.

Give me Sparty guys to the final four Tyler, your final four in the East region and then

Kenny.

I have bet St. John's the win the region 9 to 1, I think they beat Duke even before we

get to the elite day.

I think they match up perfectly.

They have three big men.

I think they can all throw my cam boozer.

Duke's yet to get punched in the mouth to be honest, and I think St. John's will do that.

And they have the better coach to be honest, X's knows.

So give me St. John's the win the region against Michigan State in the elite aid.

Kenny?

Nick, I'm glad we don't have exactly the same East region bracket because I have Duke

over Michigan State in the elite aid.

I've changed my mind from Monday.

John Fanta came on the show yesterday, he said, never seen a cam boozer, not raise the

trophy at the end of the tournament.

I think Duke gets it done despite the injury concerns.

Well, John Fanta convinced and you would love our friend to John Fanta.

All right, we are way behind schedule as per usual here on the show.

You better, you bet Nick Costos and the crew filling out our bracket.

Let's try and race through the South region here in a couple of minutes.

So Mike, let's get this is the Florida region in the NCAA tournament.

So we have Florida against Prairie View A&M beat the piss out of Lehigh last night and

press the performance by them.

Obviously, we will advance Florida in that game.

I'm not going to bet that 116 matchup.

Johnson in Iowa and eight nine feels like everybody likes Iowa.

Does anyone want to bet Clemson here and who are we advancing in that game?

Tyler Clemson and Iowa.

I advance Clemson.

It's like to me a true coin toss and nothing.

I have no bed in the game.

I just advance Clemson because everyone took Iowa.

Kenny.

I love Bennett.

It's one of my favorite players watching the country.

He got he got a tournament win last year.

I think he gets another one this year.

I got Iowa over Clemson.

I'm going to want let's advance Clemson just because I think, you know, in a coin flip

game in an eight nine matchup, it does feel like everyone likes Iowa.

And maybe, you know, advancing Clemson could provide like some help in your brain if it

goes contrary.

And obviously, and what could be a coin flip game.

All right.

Next pod is the five seed Vandy against the 12 seed McNeese.

The four seed Nebraska against the 13 Troy now.

I absolutely think Troy can beat Nebraska.

I have bet Troy to cover in this game.

I actually think McNeese can cover against Vandy also with all the hype around Vandy

following the upset win against Florida.

So I have bet both underdogs here to cover McNeese and Troy.

I will though just for the sake of the bracket, advance the two favorites Vanderbilt and Nebraska.

Tyler, your thoughts and then Kenny.

I think this is working.

Get wild.

I wouldn't be taught to be either a Vanderbilt or a Nebraska loss.

So I bet McNeese and Troy in both these games and the Troy games like one of the first

games of the tournament.

And so I like the underdogs and both of them, but we can advance the two favorites.

Troy's one of my favorite bets to cover cover the number today.

I don't think they win though.

I think Nebraska just they're just going to make it interesting because they have yet to

win a tournament gaming program history.

They're just going to make it interesting.

They're not going to cover the number and Vanderbilt's one of my favorite teams in this

tournament.

So I have them over McNeese.

So all three of us like Troy, just in case anyone keeping score at home, maybe you'd

like to bet in Nebraska.

Next pod.

The six seed North Carolina against the 11 seed VCU Carolina, obviously without its star

player center, Caleb Wilson, who's going to be the top five top seven pick and a loaded

NBA draft gets a 10 champion VCU and the three seed Illinois against old pal Fran McAfroni,

the the old co Iowa coach and pen.

My favorite bet today is North Carolina and talked about this on Monday.

Guys, this is an excellent contrarian spot.

Everyone hates Carolina as if like we don't know Caleb Wilson's out.

Okay, like face stars playing Carolina's Uber athletic.

I think Carolina runs VCU off the court.

So I think Carolina wins and advances.

I don't know if Illinois is going to cover against pen, but I I would be completely stunned

if the line I lost Tyler.

I'm completely with you on North Carolina.

It's not even like North Carolina has played bad without Caleb Wilson.

Like they took a step down, but they've been playing awesome with that.

I'm as good as you probably could expect.

So I love North Carolina and I agree with you, Illinois, we're going to be talking about

them down the line.

I guarantee.

I actually advanced VCU in my bracket.

So I'm against you guys, but I'm not betting VCU.

I just think they've been playing really good ball down the stretch of North Carolina.

It does have like I'm fading Texas tech to will get obviously get to that, but I'm just

fading them because they don't have their best players.

So I did take VCU in my bracket.

My senses Carolina wins by double digits today against VCU and then Illinois beats Carolina

by 50 in the second round to advance to this week's 16.

All right, bottom of the South region, St. Mary's the seven against the 10 seed Bucky

McMillan and Texas A&M and then Houston against the Vandals of Idaho in the two 15.

For me, obviously, advancing Houston, I don't want to bet that game.

I may bet A&M plus the three and a half against St. Mary's.

I don't have a strong lean on this game as far as who wins.

Do you guys Tyler, first and Kenny, I'll say this, I, I'm going to bet A&M.

These are the kind of teams, St. Mary struggles with the team that just shoot a ton of

three.

So they just can't keep up with.

So I'm going to bet A&M in this game and I advanced to my bracket.

Yeah, I like A&M as a dog as well, like Randy, Randy Bennett just does not have success

in the tournament.

I like A&M a lot.

I just think they're too athletic.

Yeah, so I think we'll all have A&M plus the points it sounds like, okay, we now move

to the sweet 16.

I will advance Florida, past Clemson, Vandee, past Nebraska, Illinois, past North Carolina

and Houston past Texas A&M.

Any disagreements guys with any of those.

So the final four teams in the region, Florida, Vandee, the Align Eye and Houston.

Any disagreements?

I'm with it.

I'm with it.

Kenny.

But the team's in the region.

All right.

Now let's, let's get wacky.

Vandee over Florida, Illinois, over Houston.

Oh, yeah.

Maybe Kenny, Kenny.

Kenny agrees.

I like Florida to go past Vanderbilt.

I feel it.

That was just a one off and Vanderbilt just got hot.

So I have Florida, Illinois and then I feel annoyed within the region.

Kenny, who wins this region for you?

I've got Vanderbilt and the reason being is I do think they can keep up with Illinois

and their defense is much better than Illinois.

So I've got Vanderbilt going to the final four.

Me and Diego Pavia.

we're going. Maybe I have, I have, I have, I have the align

eye in the final four out of the South region. And, and even

if Florida beats Vandy, which can obviously happen, I, I'm

gonna like Illinois in that game. I'll like Houston or Illinois

against Florida, if that's the matchup in the Elite 8. So I

think winner of that game, Illinois in Houston for me, whoever

wins that game, I think goes to the final four. I think that

might be the biggest pivot points, the biggest high leverage

game of the entire tournament leading up to the final four is

Illinois Houston, because I think the winner of that game goes

to Indianapolis. Quick break on the other side, the West

region and the Midwest region. Who do we have in the final

four? Who are we betting in the first round? We'll tell you

next here on Westwood Wantsports.

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