UNC Headed to Big Dance - Coast to Coast | College Basketball

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What's up, everybody?

Coast to coast podcast coming out tonight.

The conversation changes.

The regular season of conference tournaments are done.

And the NCAA tournament.

Is revealed.

It's about to begin with the official opening in Dayton on Tuesday night.

Carolina enters March.

Without their blue chip recruit.

In a very different roster.

Than the one that started the season.

But only in identity sense.

Tonight will break down.

UNC's matchup against VCU.

The structure of the region.

And any realistic paths forward.

Rob Harrington joins us first to analyze the bracket.

Look at UNC and how their draw fits.

And what Carolina needs to do to win games in this year tournament.

The back half of the hour.

Greg Barnes will join us to analyze the full bracket nationally.

Where the committee is.

Where the surprises are.

And how the tall hills fit into this field.

Y'all.

The bracket is here.

Let's get into it.

Good evening.

Good day.

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Almost 200 folks joining us.

In the YouTube chat this evening as we just saw the bracket.

Undoubtedly, you're already tired of all the talking heads giving you.

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Y'all, I'll go ahead and say it. We've got we've got famous folks in the room

tonight. Rob Harrington joins us. Rob, I don't think you've been with us since

probably before the season started or at least November-ish.

Cheryl McMillan and Sean Moran, the bastions. That's bastions. Not bastes

something else. Bastions of the show are here to give us as much analysis as

you guys could possibly handle and then some. So let's go first. The biggest

thing that I want to throw out to you first, Rob, you know, which seed lines

jumped out at you and which, you know, which placements jumped out at you with

regard to, you know, with regard to to North Carolina, maybe it's specifically

in their bracket and it will dive in to the Tar Heels a little more. I was pleased.

I mean, the first thing to keep in mind is that when you're hanging out in the

16 range, you're going to have a tough path. It's just like 2022. It's another

one's instinct and the history is to look at worse or better matchups and

that still applies. But you're going to start playing really good teams really

quickly. I thought under the circumstances, you've VCU is a good team. They're

not as battle tested as Carolina. And I was pleased instead of getting one of

the underachieving power five programs that might pose more of a

challenge, personal wise. I think a team without Caleb Wilson can do better

against a mid major probably than a P5. So from that point of view, I was happy.

I don't think there'll be any more than probably a few points favorite because

again, you're a six seed and those six loving games are tough. I was worried.

It didn't happen thankfully, but I was worried that as come up, it's for

last year's inclusion, which was so controversial, of course, that the

committee might say, hey, Caleb Wilson's gone, you bombed out against Duke,

you flamed out against Clemson, you get dropped to a seventh.

They didn't do that to their credit. I thought that Carolina earned a six seed.

Even after Wilson went out, you know, they won the two home games at least.

You know, can they beat quality opposition away from home?

That has been a reoccurring question throughout the year,

but especially since January. So we'll see. But under the circumstances,

at least to start off the first round game, I think they did okay.

You've got to be somewhat pleased if you're Targill fans in a sense that they don't have

to go very far. I'll admit, when I was watching the review, I was scared to death.

They were going to get sent to San Diego or somewhere far west.

And I think most of the folks that listen to this show and maybe the ones watching right now

still have a little bit of PTSD from a trip to California earlier this season.

So guys, I think the first thing, let's talk specifically,

let's talk specifically about Carolina. And I think we'll get a little bit more,

we'll get a little bit more wide angle when Greg gets on with us later. But

I think the biggest thing is, do you guys feel like North Carolina is

where they were expected to be? I think Greg did a great job of couching that. Rob just touched on

a little bit. Sean, yes or no, is this about what North Carolina gets, whether without Caleb Wilson?

Well, with Caleb Wilson, you're potentially looking, I think, up to a foresee, depending on how they

how they would have done. But I think more importantly, you're looking at what could have been a

higher higher ceiling or opportunity versus being happy if they win one one game in the tournament.

But you know, with Rob, I was a little worried they might drop down to a seven based on how they

did play for the most part against Clemson and not having Caleb Wilson going forward and getting

ding for that. But you did feel pretty safe with a six. So it was a lot different than last year

where you didn't think we were, you know, you and C was going to get in and there was a surprise

that there was a playing game. But yeah, I think in general, this is fair. If it was with Wilson,

you know, whatever that C would have been, they weren't going to be a one or two seed.

So to Rob's point, they would have been playing tough teams early. But the potential to beat those

teams would have been much, much greater. And you know, the matchup problem posed would have been

more significant versus they saw. So you know, he's going to get double no matter who the opponent is.

And teams are going to force everybody else to try to beat you.

Sheryl, what do you think mattered the most for the committee in seeding with Carolina?

You know, there's been a lot of things that we've thrown out. There's been, you know, injuries.

There've been how many games they've played without their full starters. There's wins above bubble.

There's the net. There's, you know, all these different things that factored in. What do you think

the main driver was from with Carolina's seeding? And you're muted.

No, I got nothing. No, okay. Rob, I'm throwing that to you. Well, let Sheryl fix his audio again.

I'm back. I'm back. I'm sorry. The other beat was on my bed. Yeah, this is my now.

I'm tired. I'm kind of never mind. I'm not going to say that.

Yeah, I think I think I think is really about the fact that they did beat two tournament teams.

I'll be at home without Caleb Wilson. I think you're looking at, you know, if you lose,

I guess the Clemson game or the Louisville game, you're probably looking at a seven more than likely,

but they did show themselves worthy, I guess, of a six seed by being able to beat

tournament teams without Wilson. It's kind of funny. They were the number 22 overall seed,

according to the NCAA. So it's like, man, if they had Caleb Wilson and maybe they just one game

is different, maybe they do hop up into a five seed because we can play hypotheticals for whatever,

but I think it's clear that maybe the committee saw the team in a better light than the metrics

and then a lot of us did because 22 and that's without Caleb Wilson. It's been more than a month.

So it's not like they're, it's not like they build up this huge resume without him and then

they're coasting off of that. This is a lot of the work. A third of the season was done without Caleb

Wilson. So I think to me, it's more about that that they showed themselves capable of at least

beating decent teams without them. Rob, there's kind of this notion that you'd rather be a six

because your second game, if you could win the first, is better than having to play.

You know, the better than having to play the situation if you're if you're a five,

it definitely better if you're seven. So I want to ask you, do you feel like the six probably suits

this team or does it not matter considering how jackal and hide they've been? I would have I would

have wanted the highest seed they could possibly get because I think that this team will be doing

extremely well to make the second weekend and their best chance to do that would have been

as high a seed as possible. I mean, yes, if you were injured in getting healthy for the tournament

and you thought you really could make a deep run, of course, you'd rather not see a one seed in

the final 16s. That's what you get as a six versus a five. The problem is, of course, you get a

number three seed in the second round as opposed to a five four game. And I think that I think

those three seasons are pretty good. I mean, the Illinois is a rough matchup. They would have been a

rough matchup with Caleb Wilson, but they're top 10 team and that's what you get when you're a six seed.

I would love, I mean, when I look at the five 12 games too, I think the 12 seasons this year are a

bit weaker than they have been in the past. I wouldn't be surprised if all the five seasons went

actually. Whereas Carolina has somewhat of an unknown in VCU. We know that they're solid, but

they don't have the track record. They could be better than we think. Whereas those those 12s to me

look a bit weaker than VCU is in 11. I would have wanted for this team as high as these possible,

but as mentioned, I think a six seed is what they earned. Probably they would have gotten,

you know, at least they were on track to get a five maybe a four with Caleb Wilson, but at least a five.

So I think it could in theory, it could be the difference. That injury could be the difference

between making the second weekend and not. But to your point, Joey, I don't I never saw this team

as a contender. They haven't shown all year the type of dominance to suggest to me that they

would be a final four type team unless they just got high or there were a bunch of upsets or

something like that. So I wasn't thinking about the third weekend all along. I've been thinking

about the second weekend. Yeah, and there's a there's a bigger conversation to be had about is the

second weekend the standard for North Carolina. Because I think most folks that have gotten used to

this, you know, this program over the years that follow it or that, you know, cover it.

That's typically not where North Carolina falls, but that's a different show for a different day.

Sean, I want to throw out the Ken Palm numbers for VCU. What's crazy is if VCU doesn't win their

conference tourney in the eight in, they likely didn't make this field. I think that's if you look

at the way the seed lines popped out, they absolutely would not have made it had they not won their

conference tournament. But if you look at VCU's Ken Palm profile and, you know, we use Ken Palm

here on the show. But Sean, I'm seeing a team that's 27 and seven. Their offensive rating is very

similar to North Carolina's. If you look at their defensive rating, it's, you know, it's very

similar to North Carolina's. Yeah, I mean, there's there's 20 positions are showing between them,

but it's it's close and right. And it's it's kind of what you would expect with a two and a half

point, you know, line as you've seen right now. Strength of schedule, however, VCU's only played

four power four teams or power five teams. I think they and they're all they're all teams that

North Carolina has has seen as well. Virginia Tech. I'm sorry, North Carolina's not seen Vanderbilt,

but it's NC State Vanderbilt and Virginia Tech and North Carolina seen two of those three.

Sean, you tell me looking at just the the profile of this team, I don't want to get into the

actual skill sets and the players yet, but just the profile of this team. What's your what's the

biggest thing that jumps out at you looking at VCU and how they match up with North Carolina on paper?

Well, just staying from the profile, you know, the the A 10, I think it they're rated number

number seven, you know, UNC barely beat Dayton, Dayton last year. So there's always some good teams

that come out of the conference. VCU has been the hottest team in in the conference and it was

shown, you know, with how they ran through the the A 10 tournament granted really going back to

this calendar year. They have three losses to the St. Louis who they did not match up with,

but they've been struggling and then to George Mason in January. So they've been pretty much rolling

since since January, but you know, I think to your point, Joey, to me, it's the three-point shooting.

They've been, you know, even over the last since February, top 50 from the three-point shooting

perspective and they're not at Alabama where they're number one or a Louisville where they're top five

and in terms of three-pointers attempted per game, but they do get them up and we know, you know,

how quickly just a few threes can change the tenor of the game, whether you have a any-point lead or

or it's a tie game and you get to hit. So to me, that's the biggest, you know, I think focus point

for UNC when you're looking at VCU from offensive perspective, you know, offensive rebounding,

they're 114th on Kenpom. So there, that means they focus on it, but they're not going to try to

crush you like potentially Illinois or what we saw against Duke and we know UNC's struggled

on the boards. And then, you know, I think defensively, the ranked number 60,

over the last once against in February, number 30. So they're solid, but it's not going to be

a Clemson Duke physical matchup, which we've seen the Clemson team twice now. So I think

there is that opportunity, not that UNC has really shown it, but I know we all have it in our heads,

the ability for UNC to get up and down or the everybody to want for them to get up and down. And I

think, especially with Phil Martelli Jr. and what he did at Bryant, the game might have a tendency

to be sped up quicker than it would be to face a team that is trying to go, you know, 28 seconds

on the shot clock, work you defensively and you'll really play slow. So to me offensively,

it's a three point shooting defensively. It's a solid team, but it's one that I think UNC should have

a better stylistic matchup with in this game. Bringing your business dreams to life takes

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Yeah, and I, Cheryl has shared with us apparently there are some early reports that you and

see will tip at 310 on Thursday. That's 310 on the East Coast. Cheryl, I see this question just for

you, man. Guards, guard play, March. When you watch VCU and I saw them play a little bit this weekend,

you know, Nick Lewis and Terrence Hill are absolute. I'm not going to call them the D word,

but they are absolutely tenacious. They have a ton of guys that don't play a huge load of minutes.

Martell, the junior does a great job of spreading it around in a sense that they have seven

guys that play 20 more minutes, but nobody plays over like 27. But Terrence Hill and Nick Lewis,

they're both young guards, but they're absolutely quick. They shoot free throws very well.

The whole team, everybody in their starting five shoots better than 35% from three.

This feels like off of, excuse me, off of paper. This feels like an issue from North Carolina.

Make me feel better or make me feel right, Cheryl.

Struggling. Honestly, man, I don't know. I can't see here and tell you that I watched VCU

a ton throughout the season. I've looked at the profile, watched their game again since he stayed

back in. Was that November? It feels like a different life ago. So a couple snippets from the

18 tournament over the weekend. You know, just looking at the profile, though, like Sean said,

it does seem to be a decent matchup for UNC. But I think the line that is there says a lot about

what people feel about the two teams. And then Nick Lewis, he is someone that we know a decent

amount about from Sean's neck of the woods. He actually uses the AAU and high school teammate of

Derek Dixon. So it's going to be pretty cool to see those two more than likely locked up against

each other for significant portions of the game. They play beside each other. And the point,

no, sorry, you're probably going to get to it, but and the point guard get making Dixon play,

you know, play the two guard on all those high school AAU teams as well.

Yeah. So it was those two for team takeover who as you, as people who follow this stuff,

that's always one of the better grassroots programs because of their discipline, their style,

and all that stuff. So I think Lewis actually is going to be a tough matchup for Dixon,

but I think Dixon's going to be a tough matchup for Lewis because Lewis is of the shorter ilk.

He's listed as six foot. I don't think he's quite six foot. But that's a matchup that fascinates me.

And then of course, you know, you stick Trimble on the other teams best for a runner player and

hope for the best. I think the key is just for Carolina moving forward is going to be, you know,

it's not rocket science. It's going to be Henry Vesar like he has to be maybe not 28 and 17

like on Friday, but he has to be like 2010, I think for them to beat VCU because it's going to be

tough for other people to to get off their shots. I mean, we saw it against Clemson. We've seen

it over and over in that there's really only one player who can get into the lane consistently,

beat his man off the dribble consistently and that's said Trimble. And, you know, sometimes he

he can finish around the rim and sometimes he struggles. So to me, it's really about Dixon,

that Dixon Lewis matchup is compelling. And then Carolina just finding a way to make sure

that Vesar has the ball. Again, just like the Randy ratio, we talked about back in the day with

Randy Moss, like there has to be Vesar touches almost every possession and you have to play through

him. I don't know anybody named Randy Moss. I know Randy Moss, but I don't know any Randy Moss.

Rob, something I'd love to hear your insight on what kind of match or sorry, what kind of

game does North Carolina want this to be? I think Cheryl did a great job of teasing matchups.

He mentioned Vesar. It should be noted as well that VCU's got a 6-11 post player from

from Eastern Europe as well in Lazar Jochovich. But I want to ask you Rob, what kind of game

most favors North Carolina or if North Carolina can can make the game blank, then it will favor them.

I think they want to expose VCU the way they've been exposed by other teams.

Think about VCU as they draw a lot of fouls. And that plays into Carolina's advantage because

Carolina's defensive scheme is designed not to foul. So in theory, they shouldn't have a problem

with that because as much as I gripe about drop coverage, that actually works to their advantage

here because they're going to be playing contain rather than pressuring. If they aren't fouling VCU,

you know, some of the top VCU guys have fallen off hard against their best opponents.

And so I think ideally they would sort of not give them anything easy, don't foul and bait them

into taking a lot of tough threes, you know, at least contested threes. I think, yes, it's scary

when you when you allow top players to take a lot of threes in the tournament, you know,

it can happen. We remember Harold Arsono. But that's that's the game that they want.

Too soon, Rob. Too soon. I know. But they don't want to they don't want to get into a free

third shooting contest. Obviously, not only because that's VCU's game, but that's such a

a sore spot for the heels right now. I think you do your contain defense, take care of the ball,

run when you can. And I think the superior overall talent level should be enough. I'm more optimistic

about this game than the point spread or Kenpom because I think that I think Carolina's defense

actually projects better against VCU than it would be against someone else. If they get to Illinois,

that will flip completely because the Illinois can expose the worst parts, the weakest parts of

Carolina's game. VCU can't really do that. So I feel pretty good about it, you know, with all

caveats, not going to win everything else. And just following up on that, I mean, obviously

different tournaments, different teams and these other the other previous Carolina teams went in

with full health, but in their opening game, including the first four under Hebrew Davis,

the average margin of victory is 29 points and they scored nine year more points all three times.

So I don't know if it's something that they're doing in between the ACC tournament and NCAA

tournament to get ready. Or if there's, you know, I think at Marquette, Caleb loved his head like

eight threes or seven threes in the first half. And then it gets Wagner. They were a number one

seed. And then against San Diego State, they were making everything. So I don't know if it's

something they do or or if just as the way it's worked out, but they have shown a

proclivity here in the last five years to really take advantage of these first round matchups.

You get points for using the word proclivity on the Sunday evening. Hey, shout out to the

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sure that you get all this stuff because it's top quality stuff. We are your favorite podcasts,

favorite podcasts. Guys, I want you to help me. I don't want to talk about random predictions.

I want to talk about structural possibilities. We've talked a little bit about, you know, Illinois

obviously, but are there some other teams that you think might either create problems for North

Carolina or play to Carolina's strengths if the things fall right? And I'll let each one of you take

one of these. So Rob, I'll come to you first. I mean, honestly, you know, if they get through

the first weekend, I will be matchup agnostic because at that point, I just, I think eventually,

they will encounter someone who is able to exploit the absence of alpha talent on the team.

I mean, it's very clear they have personal limitations right now. I think they have enough.

I mean, they had enough to beat Clemson on a neutral floor. That's no excuse. I think they

should beat VCU. Obviously, if Penn meets Illinois, that'd be fantastic. And we'll all be hoping for

that to happen. I think the longer they can go without having to play a talented and accomplished

P5 opponent, the better. But of course, that's asking a lot. And if they do proceed and they get

deeper into it and they get Houston, I mean, hey, Houston's not Michigan. I would, I still have

PTSD. You mentioned that already from Alabama two years ago. I don't want them to play a team like

that that plays that pace, especially given the heels lack of depth right now. So they can,

they can, we're able to stay away from those that team at least. So get by VCU, pull for a pen

upset after that Houston or whoever. I will be pleased very pleased under the circumstances with

anyone that they would play in the final 16. And again, you back yourself into the six line.

You don't get to be, but so, you know, so choosy Sean, Cheryl, I'll, Sean, I'll let you take

this next one. What do you feel like if there's a, if there's a team whose style might play to

Carolina strengths or is there somebody you really don't want to see? And I'll take away the top

seats. I think that's obvious. Well, I mean, even going back to the, going back to the run

when, as an, as an eight seed, I felt like the first round matchups were better just because you

got a market team that would run and gone. And then you had a, a Baylor team that was the weakest

one seed where one of their top players had, you know, been, been injured, similar to, to Caleb.

We'll not at that level. But I mean, in terms of that question to me, it's really if St. Mary's

makes a, makes a run and, and upsets Houston. And you get, you get to say Mary's team in,

in the sweet 16 before facing a Florida team. But I think, you know, outside of VCU,

yeah, to Rajwain, Les Penn makes it and TJ, or, you know, TJ Power, Powers makes another 44 point

attempt against, against Illinois. It's going to be a rough, rough game. I think it would have

could have been a great game with Caleb Wilson in play. But they are the number one offense and they

do do a great job of matchup hunting. And, you know, there's, there's a lot, a lot of challenges in

that game from just the shot making perspective that they do have. So we're just how narrow the

bracket is. I mean, it would take a lot, a lot with the St. Mary's as well as UNC getting to that,

that weekend, because I think, you know, the, the one, two, and three for the most part are pretty,

pretty set going forward, especially if I think what we saw last year with how NIL really

probably taken out a lot of the upsets that you'll, you'll see the NIL favorites advance being

the higher seats. Granted, there is a probably huge NIL disparity between UNC and VCU. So we'll see

on that front, but St. Mary's would be the only one in my mind on that question.

Sure, I'm actually going to let you take a pass on this question because we get a, I want to get

some more out of Rob before we get him out of here at the, at the, the split of the hour. So Rob,

I don't want to say which opponent changes the calculus from North Carolina the most because I

think you, you shared that when you went with Penn. Give me your honest, I guess your honest feeling

on how North Carolina, is there a way they win a second game in this turn? I'll leave it that way.

Rob Harrington, right now, you know, putting the screws to you, can North Carolina beat Illinois

if they find a way to beat VCU? I definitely think they can. I don't, I wouldn't favor them to do it.

I think it would, it would be probably about the same shot as Baylor 2022, but they beat Baylor

in 2022 and should have beaten them more emphatically had the game been officiated correctly.

But it's certainly possible if there have been much bigger upsets, Carolinas has, has beaten

good teams this year. That is what sets this team apart from last year's. Even away from home,

you know, yes, they were much better at home, of course, but they did win at the A, they won at

Kentucky. And so those, those are very quality wins and they show that they can do that. Yes,

different player composition, but the guys know what it's like to win in those environments.

You do have Vesar who is capable of giving you 2015. And if the shooting comes through, I mean,

it will always come down to, I guess the team like Illinois, it is better than the shooting has

to be there. They can't win with a 32% shooting day. I think they're just going to have to find

their Brady Manic or have a spread allocation of Brady Manics, but they have to have that type

of shooting impact where you cash on your opportunities because I don't think that physically they match

up very well with Illinois. I think they have some problems and they need to get Zaden Hyde back

playing better again. I mean, everyone who can step up a little bit would have to do that

simultaneously. So it's not impossible, but they're in a very difficult situation, which we knew

that they would be. It's not hopeless. You know, the first game is so difficult that I can't even

focus too much on that game yet, but certainly I think from a, and this will be my final comment

before Greg is hearing both be a teaser for later discussions, but I think going into the immediate

offseason and portal season, the difference between final 32 and final 16 is even more important

than it would be in another year. I think final 16 would turn out the temperature. Some

if they go out in the first two games, especially the first game, it's going to be a very

tumultuous and kind of ugly few weeks and possibly 12 months. So there are a lot of reasons

not just as a Carolina fan, but if as someone who who likes to watch a team and relax while you

watch them, they need to get it done next week somehow, some way. Bringing your business dreams

to life takes heart and about a thousand decisions a day. That's why Atlantic Union Bank's knowledgeable

bankers are here for you with the right guidance and customized solutions to help you reach your

business goals. So whether you're planning your next move, upgrading your space, or scaling to

meet demand, we make sure your business is ready for what's ahead because we are big enough to

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for more information. Yeah, that's that I love that you call it a tease Rob because in the business

that's absolutely what we what we call a tease at a preview and a cliffhanger and whatever

whatever else you have. Rob, we appreciate it. We're going to wait for a wait for Greg to jump in

here in a second, but let me ask Joey. Let me ask Rob one thing for you. Sure.

No, if Kelley on him makes a sweet 16 if blank player plays beyond what he did this season.

Look a bug a lot. Okay. I have to be Luca because I think that he is the one he has creative

shot making and he was able to deliver or when it gets clumped in pretty recently and I know

he fell flat some after that, but but I think he's the one with the age and experience. I'd like to

think I can't I can't get there with kind of events like two months ago. I would have said kind

of events, but I kind of lost it with him now. I think it's too far gone. Vogue about still plays

a lot of minutes. He still is able to get his shots and games and I think that's why I was sort

of invoking Brady Manick thing. I'm trying to kind of manifest that one of these guys or some

combination of these guys would do it. If it were one player, I think he would be the one.

Well, Rob, we appreciate you joining us, man. I'm going to kick you out of here and let

let Greg jump in, but we appreciate it and we'll talk to you very very soon. You guys can hear

here from Rob multiple times throughout the season. He's been doing the post games with Tommy. He

does some some other stuff. I think he he shows up once in a while when when Greg isn't here, but

Greg Barnes is joining us now. He's the lead beat writer for Inside Carolina. He just got back

from Johnny T shirt. So while I'm here, I want to mention Johnny T shirt. They are big sponsors

of this year's show, big sponsors of all of Inside Carolina's content. They've been supporters of

what we do of UNC athletics of the university for a long time. What you guys support them too?

Targill's out in Berkeley this week for a baseball sweep and I want to say they put that

thing on Cal. Cal had come in Red Hot and North Carolina beat him, swept him, had 10 hits in each

game. I think they only allowed like five runs over the three games in Berkeley. Again,

first time this team has been out to the West Coast and Scott Forbes's boys just went

berserk, great starting pitching, all that stuff. But I say that because they're going to be back

home this coming weekend next weekend, go buy Johnny T shirt when you're at the Bosch, get some

gear. You'll be glad you did use the awesome code that you can find on the message boards.

And again, if you see me at the Bosch, you can thank me. Greg Barnes is here. Greg, I appreciate

how much you have followed this thing for a long time. I think there's a lot to discuss with

how this thing came out. But I don't feel like there are as many WTF moments with this bracket

as maybe there have been in the past. So Greg, I'll ask you first, which seed line surprised you

and what did the committees, what signals did the committee send to the conferences about conference

play this year? Well, clearly, the conference tournament matters. I mean, with Purdue jumping all

the way up to a two seed line, when I would say they were probably tracking for closer to a four,

although I guess Keith Gilson, maybe a three, that kind of speaks to that. I know a lot of people

have the idea that the conference tournaments just don't mean anything. And I think it's important

that they do. I mean, if it's an event where your conference winner of that event automatically

gets into the incidental tournament, it should matter. And so I think that's a good thing. I think

it helped Virginia as well. I was a little surprised Virginia got a three. I figured they were going

to be a four. But I think the way that they played to close the year and the way they played in

Charlotte probably helped them as well. You know, we always have this conversation about quality

wins. And I think some of the quad talk maybe died down last year because of North Carolina,

getting in with a one in 12 Q1 record. But that topic came up again with the bubble teams.

And look, not to get on a rant, but the idea that we need to expand the incidental tournament

is laughable to me when we're talking about some of these teams like Texas and NC State and even SMU,

you're being an Auburn being in the conversation. And then of course, Miami of Ohio, which I

think Keith Gill completely botched that explanation. He had an opportunity to say, hey,

wins matter. If you go into feed it, that's for something. And of course, he didn't. And so they

weren't the last team in and then turned around and said, well, they actually kind of were the last

team. So none of that was a good look. But in terms of, in terms of how the seedings went down,

I think for the most part, it played out pretty well. Now, we'll say that if you go back,

and there's probably been, I think Hansbro was still at Carolina when when NCAA got rid of the

last 10 games metric that they used. If you look at NC State being one of the last four in,

you would say, well, okay, maybe, maybe they did look at the last 10 games. But I'll give you two

examples. One is Ohio State. Over the last month of the season, Ohio State has been number eight

nationally in Bart Torvick. And that's relevant because they play everybody who's watching this

podcast favorite team, potentially the second weekend. That's who Duke's paired up with.

So I think that's that's of note. So maybe if you do a last 10 games metric, maybe Ohio State

seeded a little bit higher than the number eight. And then the other thing kind of, you know,

pertains to North Carolina and injuries, right? And since Caleb was announced to be an out

on February 12th, Carolina has been the number 39 team in the country in Bart Torvick.

So it gets into that conversation. It was North Carolina appropriately seeded.

And I think you can have a conversation either way.

Man, I thought you were going to, I thought you were going to actually just rip the jacket off and

go, go full ultimately warrior on me. But you tempered it down a little bit. I guess you save all

the you save all the rage for Tommy, which, you know, I'll I'll take what I can get. Greg, I think

one of the things that also everybody likes to talk about, everyone will say what's the deepest

region. But I want to ask you, and then I'll let the other guys chime in as well. Where do you feel

like the committee just were total chaos agents and created complete anarchy and how they seeded

things? Is there was there one of the, I guess, one of the regions that made you feel that way?

Well, I think pretty clearly to me and I like to hear your opinion. But I think the east and

the south are just brutal brackets. Top the bottom. I think there's there's a lot of really good

teams in those brackets. And then you get to the west and the Midwest and you're kind of like, man,

yeah, not necessarily. Look at Arizona's stretch. They may have to play, you know, west

constant who's on a tear with Nick Boyd. You BYU's banged up. Gonzaga, you know, I think they're good.

I don't think they're great. Purdue, very good offensively. I have a lot of questions about them

in the defensive end. You get into the Midwest kind of the same thing. Texas Tech, I really like them

with Topin. But now you got, you know, it's Christian Anderson healthy. You don't have Topin

anymore. So in Bama, I'm just not impressed with Bama. Virginia, we talked about, you may be a

little bit overseed as a three Iowa States good. I don't know, they're great. So it just seems like

you're kind of destined to have Michigan and Arizona on that side of the final four bracket.

But then when you get into the east, I mean, I mentioned Ohio State, that's going to be a tough

game for Duke, assuming Ohio State gets by TCU. I mean, St. John's and Kansas as your four five.

That's that's that's the that's the money maker right there. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, Duke, if Duke gets

to the final four, they would have earned it. Yeah, absolutely. I said the same. Well, I said the

same thing about them going through the ACC tournament without two starters. I mean,

to say what you want about those guys. And I'm, yeah, this isn't a podcast about them. But

whoever comes out of the east is going to absolutely be bloodied. Uh, Sherrell Shawnee,

you're the one of you guys feel like there was, uh, there were some chaos merchants that play with

the, uh, with the seating. Maybe not with the seating, but the matchups just, uh, Clemson Iowa is just,

I don't know what we're doing there. Like, are we trying to make everybody? We're just trying to

make everybody's eyes bleed on like I don't even know what I'm sure that's going to be like a one

o'clock game on Thursday or Friday. And we're just got to make it through it. We just all have to

survive that game. So I actually, but it's kind of like when you have those terrible movies,

everybody's like, Oh, you got to see this is so bad. That's how I'm going to watch Clemson Iowa

from an offensive perspective. Like it's such a train wreck that I want to watch it. I want to see

like 49 to 48 final score in the ACC tournament to like that might be my most anticipated game in

the first round because of that lack of offense and, and just have those two teams play. They should

make that the very first game on Thursday. Yeah. That way, that way everybody has to watch. Yeah.

Everybody's got to watch at least the first half. Those first half unders on Thursday are a thing of

beauty. So they'll play right right into it. Listen to the show with informational purposes only.

Yes. Sure. I think I'm going to call that the Sharknado game because that's that that absolutely

reminds me of of what you said about the, the bad movies that you feel like you have to see. Sean,

do you feel the same way kind of that is the it's the east and the south and the other side is just

you milk toast? Yeah. I mean, I think going through the east, I at least found myself nodding my head

of okay, Duke Duke is going to get through there, but they'll have to most likely earn it, but I think

we said the same thing about Yukon two years ago and they they got through their bracketed F pretty

pretty easily. I would like to see them max max matched up with St. John's as well as Yukon and

just see what what coaching standpoint could be done, but yeah, I do agree. I mean, when you look

at the, you know, one, Joe, you talked about the 512s and even that Candice Cal Baptist game,

which was, you know, I almost went to sleep on the West Coast before that game ended and they

won on a botched, botched all of you. Was it the actual value of it was? Yeah, it's terrible.

I mean, I saw that they were a 13. I had to do a do a double take just because I figured they

would have been more on the 15 15 seed line. You know, I was just trying to go through quickly and see

are there some big upsets, which I think learned my lesson last year that those, those might be over,

but do like North Dakota State, at least to to look at against against Michigan State, they were

the top seed in the summit. Sorry, top team in the summit, but yeah, in terms of the

West or Midwest, especially the Midwest at lower, lower side, you know, I'm not going to call it a

cakewalk for Iowa State, but they have, you know, they have a good, good opportunity and then,

you know, same thing as a Greg was saying in the West, you know, you go through from the three

seeds outside of Alabama and the Midwest at the four. It is pretty, pretty late. But, you know,

crazy, crazy things, crazy things happen. So I was just trying to go through the double

seasons and say, hey, are there going to be any that can can make a little run. And I think it's

it's hard off the the bat, but I think Santa Clara Kentucky is is interesting. You know, high point

to an extent, again, but Wisconsin's been playing been playing really well. And you know,

as I said, North Dakota State, but you know, even Northern Iowa for a little bit, just because

they're they're really strong defensively and they've had, you know, their offense has come

alive in the MVC, but yeah, the East and East and South are definitely the tougher, tougher side.

So I want to bring this back to North, go ahead, Cheryl. I want to say, we got five or six

teams in the East, y'all think can make it the final four? You can, I don't, I don't consider

a little bit, but I think, I think there's five, yeah. There's at least five. I mean, four,

definitely four, maybe five. And I still think, yeah, it's it's anyway, I'm not going to pick games.

Let's just look, Duke is, boozer's not losing. Let's just put it out there. And I go full

there, full p-gill and certainly Duke is Duke. All right, great. I want to play. Look, back in 2017,

we both Carolina and Duke played in Griebel. I was down there. That place was absolutely rocking

with Carolina fans pulling for South Carolina fans when South Carolina upset Duke. So

um, not only did Duke get a difficult bracket, but I think the fact that the fact that

Duke's going to have to deal with Carolina fans potentially on that second day when they

may have to play Ohio State, that's going to be impactful. But isn't that didn't, didn't Duke choose

to play there? They did. I would assume, yeah, I would assume they picked to play there. So

it can't be that bad, Cheryl. Well, let me, let me ask you this then, Greg. And this probably

is the harbinger of a bigger conversation that we'll have. But do you think Carolina fans are going

to be all excited to be down in Griebel? Because 2016, 2017 is a very different time from now. So like,

I don't know that I expect this amazing UNC based crowd who's going to, you know, be energetic.

It seems like just anecdotally, it seems like just kind of a raising nation to what's going to

happen over the next few days. Rita from Chester will be there. I think it's a great point,

Cheryl. And I think it kind of speaks to what this all season is going to be like.

Because if Carolina fans who have always traveled well, they travel all over the,

yeah, I'd say the world. I mean, essentially, you're talking about the Caribbean and Hawaii

is the extent of the college basketball world. They travel very well to those places.

If they don't show up in full force and Griebel for an NCAA tournament game,

that will speak loud and clear to, I think, the administration. So it's certainly something to watch.

So I want to ask you, Greg, I want to bring this back to Carolina specifically.

I think North Carolina was what the third succeed, but how does North Carolina stack up against

the other six seats? At this point, does it even matter?

Yeah, I mean, at this point, I don't think it matters. Here, I've got the seed list somewhere,

I can pull it up. But one thing I didn't want to mention before we get too far long, I mentioned

that last month, what Carolina has done in terms of being 39th. The VCU during that same time,

VCU has been 29th. And that's, you know, that's both the adjusted offensive

literacy and adjusted defensive literacy. So VCU has actually been playing in terms of the metrics

better than North Carolina has. How much does that matter? I don't know. But I think it's,

I think it's a real conversation when we talk about where teams are seated and where Carolina

is seated. In terms of the seed list, we're all pointed out there that Carolina is 22. But when

you dive in closer, you got Louisville's number 23. Louisville's team is banged up. BYU is 24

and seed list. They're banged up. And then you got, you tend to see, I guess, is the other one.

So the six liners is the mash unit of seats is what you're telling me, Greg.

Pretty much. And I think everybody saw the statistic, I can speak. I guess over

the what, last 10 tournaments, the number 11 seed is actually one 52.5% of his opening round

games against the six seed. So that's, when you add in some of these injuries, that makes it

even more likely. And while you're seeing some people like Seth Davis pick against Carolina,

which I don't think am I surprised that Seth Davis picked against Carolina.

Water is in fact wet. And hey, I should point out the, the, the six seed is the second high seed

that North Carolina's had under Hubert Davis. And in the second highest is 2019. Yeah.

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Chill now for a minute. Throwing that out there. Um, so I want to ask each one of you guys.

And I'll, I'll let Cheryl start this. What version of North Carolina is the most dangerous

in this field? Uh, same thing we said last week that we thought we might see against Clemson

and didn't see it is VASAR, VASAR, VASAR. It's tremble at the free throw line. It's the other guys

hitting timely shots. If those things happen offensively, then I think, you know, they have a chance

to beat VCU. And I know people are going to recoil the fact that I said a chance to beat VCU,

but that's where things are. You have to accept where you are to understand where you're going.

So accept it. Don't fight it. Move on. That's, that's where it is right now. Defensively,

I think it's, you know, Jerry and Stevenson, he has been better on the boards than maybe I've

probably ever expected to be honest. So if he can continue that defensively and, and be that

piece that they move around, then yeah, they can be VCU. Now, um, that's the best version of UNC.

And I still don't think personally the best version of this UNC team can be Illinois. Even if

all the UNC fans show up, if they beat VCU, if they're hitting their shots, that's just,

you guys were talking earlier about the worst possible matchup for Carolina. And Illinois is

probably in the top five for me, including all the number one seed, just because of the way they

play their offense. And we've seen the struggles that UNC has had against some high-powered

offenses this year. So again, it's Trimble, relentlessly to the basket is Vesar Vesar Vesar,

Townley shots, Stevenson being a valuable defensive piece and, and Stevenson rebounding.

Vesar Vesar, Vesar sounds like the worst version of the Brady Bunch I've ever heard of in my life.

Sean, same question. What do you feel like is, you know, the best version of this team? And,

and if you want to run maybe a little more schematic angle than Cheryl did with regard to to philosophy,

I think that's fine. Well, I think in terms of Vesar VCU as a talented,

talented big, but they're going to focus on on him. I don't think that's any surprise and make

the others beat you. And I think the Clemson game was brutal to watch for the most part. And then

all of a sudden they came alive for four or five minutes. And I think they have to find a way to

pick up the speed early on so that even if they're not getting the offensive rebounds, there's a little

more pace to the team. And people are going to have to hit shots. So you both, you know, Greg and

Rob talk about Luca. So Luca is going to have to hit shots. Powell is going to have to be a

assertive off the bench. And to me, offensively, you just, you know, they hit 11 against Clemson

from a three point perspective. We talked last week. They probably need to be in that 10 range,

but it needs to be more spread out. It can't be five in the last in the last minute. So

they don't have to match VCU from a three point perspective, but they have to hit hit early.

This is going to be more of offensive game than a defensive game. And, you know, we've come,

we've applauded Hebert for a lot of the sets that he's run. And they just need to run,

you know, they need to be sport smart, you know, going throughout the game in terms of what they

are running, you know, some of the Iversine cuts to get pick and pops, you know, the high low action,

even with this Stevenson base star, they just need to be quick. They've had, you know, they've

been playing together since August, September. This is the time to time to show it. But if they

there are struggles, the coaching staff needs to step in quicker than what they've what they've been

doing. So to me, it's just in terms of shot making, which has been very inconsistent.

So it's kind of hoping we get that shrill 16 parlay from the spring and summer coming together

from a three point perspective. And then defensively, I'd say the concern, what you brought up,

Joey, is that quickness from a guard perspective? I think you can put Trimble on on Hill,

Dixon on Lewis, you know, probably a little bit of a mismatch on the foot foot speed. And if

they're getting downhill, that's just going to open up their three point shooting as well. But

in general, to me, it's going to be, you're going to see two teams, one with a first-year coach,

Illinois, been there for a while, but two teams that have a philosophy and know what they're good at

and how they play. And you can see, as I said, over the years, there's not really an identity.

So that to me is what could cause this to unravel quickly, whether it's the first game or second game,

but, you know, if they are able to find an identity even for a short time, which they didn't

against Clemson, that will be, you know, the piece that has a stocking next week.

I would argue that inconsistency is what North Carolina's identity has been under this coach

and staff. And you saw it all in a matter about the final six minutes against Clemson on Thursday

night. All right, Greg, we talk a lot about variants on the show. It's one of Cheryl's favorite words.

If I had my little bell queued up, you know, I would, I would ding that. But I want to ask you,

what's the biggest variable or variance for this team from here forward?

Well, I think in terms of what this team needs to have success, clearly as they start,

but we all know that. But I think Sean mentioned it and Cheryl mentioned it to him.

I'm sure Rob has talked about too. Guys have to make shots. And you know, you've got to get

contributions from your starters. But really where Carolina had success once Caleb went out,

is you saw some of the bench guys really step up. Jonathan Powell had a really good game.

Yes, for you to take Zayn High had a number of really good games. And just having some guys come in

and you maybe not give you a boost, but not allow for there to be a drop is significant.

And when you lose a player like Caleb Wilson, obviously that works into your bench anyway.

But what we've seen in the last two games is that North Carolina's bench has only scored 12 points.

Total. I think Zayn High has got seven. Jonathan Powell had a three. Then Jayne Young had a shot

against Duke. And that's it. And the starting five is not good enough by itself to be what carry the

load. And I really think it's important. And you get the bug of odds in there. I know he's a starter.

I've just guys that need to step up and really provide assistance to Seth Trimble and Vesar.

And you for, I don't know, maybe two months, really through the West Coast trip.

We had a lot of conversations about, okay, you got the big three, Vesar Wilson and Trimble.

But that may not be enough. You need other people to step up.

And now we're back to this situation where you don't have Wilson. So yeah, you've got Vesar and Trimble.

But even if those two guys play really good games, and Vesar was elite against Clemson,

and it wasn't enough. But if those two guys play very good games, it won't be enough against some

of these teams. And so it's going to be you're we talk about the team concept of everybody pitching in.

Well, this team has to do that. And so you can't have the variance. Everybody's got to pitch in.

And if you don't, then you have the inconsistency and you have the lulls.

And that's where Carolina's had a lot of issues this year. And last year.

I mean, the obvious thing is the intensity, right? Like I feel like every single game that this

team has won, where they have looked their best is when they've had a steady level of intensity.

Even if they start slow in the first couple of minutes, they're not getting skull dragged by the

by the under 16. And the intensity is just the fact that they can come out so flat against Clemson

and don't feel desperate. The player's words desperate until, you know, there's like four minutes

left to go. I can't wrap my head around that. Greg, do you have any any inclinations to

if North Carolina can come out with some fire Thursday night at at at 650, which by the way,

I push in the chat. But yeah, if you're listening to us before you see it, North Carolina plays at 650

Eastern time on Thursday evening. Yeah, the the conversation about intensity. And one of the reasons

I wanted North Carolina to get one of these middle of the pack power conference teams as their 11

was for the fact that those teams are kind of sleepwalking to. But when you get a team like South

Florida or VCU or even Miami of Ohio, I mean, VCU heard on the selection show tonight

that had they not won their conference tournament, they would not be in.

I mean, if you want bulletin board material, there you go.

I don't mean to interrupt you, Greg, but let me just add during that,

look at Carolina last year, seemingly the last team in, they heard it for three days and they

come out and destroy a decent San Diego 16. Right. For sure. And I think that's kind of the same

setup. So VCU will be ready to play. I don't think there's any question about that. So Carolina has

to come out with their hero fire. The last thing you want to do is go in a halftime and it be like

a one or two possession game against VCU. Because then you're going to be in a dog fight.

And yeah, you like Trimble and Hill, but he's probably a better guard than what Carolina has.

And it's the guard of this game and this is a black tournament.

Greg, last question for you. And I'm going to popcorn these last few to you guys, a little bit of word

association. Greg Robb felt like for a six seat, they got about as good of a matchup as they could,

they could have hoped for. How do you feel about that?

With VCU, yes. I think that it goes the other direction if they get by VCU. I agree with

Cheryl. I think Illinois, they're big. They shoot lights out. And they rebound offensive glass

like Ruim's teams used to. I think that's just a horrible matchup for Carolina. So yeah,

Carolina may have gotten a beneficial break in the opening round. But the committee did the

no favors with that second round matchup. Sean, I want to ask you, I'm going to say this,

and I want you to tell me what it means for North Carolina matchup execution.

For VCU, it means being able to stay with your man, especially from a guard perspective,

so that knowing each guy can shoot on VCU or likes to shoot, that they're not getting wide open

threes. There's not systemic breakdowns defensively from the defensive philosophy, whether it's a

drop coverage or switches. So to me, matchup execution is, you know, especially on the defensive

end, how do you guard against a three from VCU perspective? If you get against VCU, how are you

defending the glass against Illinois? Love that. All right, shrill. Your word association,

mentality. Just find a way to win on Thursday and figure the rest out later. Like they should not

be thinking about Illinois. They should not be thinking about Saturday. They should be laser-focused

on VCU. Previous UNC teams, maybe that wouldn't have said that. More talented teams, better teams,

they had the ability to talent the really just the resume to say, okay, we can go out and beat

X team with our C plus or B game. We're going to get ready for Saturday. This team has no margin

for error. It's going to be a tight game. It seems like VCU, like everybody said, like I'm not

going to, again, I'm not going to pretend like I've watched a ton of VCU, but just from a matchup

perspective, it seems like there's some things that they could exploit that have been exploited

against UNC all year. They just have to play like it's a national championship, honestly. That

has to be the mentality. There's too often, just too often, the last few years, where

you know it's a big game, Joey. Greg knows it's a big game. Sean knows it's a big game,

but it seems like everybody except for the five people on the floor know it's a big game.

And so they come out. They're lack of days of cool. Oh, miss last year. Just go back to their

last tournament game. Perfect. They were down. I mean, they had all this positive momentum

from beating San Diego State. Everybody was saying, oh, sorry, Carolina, we were wrong. You were

you belong. You should be in the tournament. And before you know it, they're down 20 points,

and they have to do the false hope. Go on a 21 to 2 run and run out of gas thing at the end of

the game. Like don't put yourself in that situation. My grandmother, grandmother, granny,

rest her soul. She always said like, don't put yourself in bad situations and bad things

aren't likely to happen. So don't get down 15. Don't get down 20. Call a time out if the run is

six, you know, six, nothing run. If they hit back to back threes, don't let it get to 11 or 12 or

15 or 18 before you try to stop their momentum. So like this is your national championship game.

Treat it as such. That's the mentality they have to have because this team doesn't, it doesn't

have to catch a to say we can just kind of, you know, work our way through it. And we'll figure

it out later. They don't have that. I mean, wise woman once said, cook your greens early.

I would leave that at the feet of of the North Carolina Tar Heels as they are taking the

floor on Thursday evening. All right, we're not picking games. I do want you guys one answer,

one word. Tell me here, your national champion is shrill.

I was kind of, I thought you could say like sleeper. I was prepared to say Georgia because I've

watched a ton of Georgia. I like Georgia, but they're not going to win national championship.

Um, I, it's chalk, but I, I think Arizona just seems like they have a lot.

The only thing I'll worry about Arizona is like, if someone decides to zone them,

can they hit enough shots? I mean, obviously they'll kill, they'll kill on the boards like they'll,

they'll, they'll rebound anybody. But do they have enough shooting to sustain themselves for

six games and win a championship? But they seem like to me the best team in the country, so.

All right, Sean, who's your national champion? And since Cheryl did, let you give me one sleeper too.

I mean, you, you don't want to have to hear what, what I say, it's unfortunately the,

mission stay, yep. Fortunately, going to be boozer adding another championship to,

to his resume. And it's going to be a struggle for all of us to watch it.

Um, in terms of a, a sleeper, um, I, you know, I, I had North Dakota state.

Do I see a 16 point underdogs? But I mean, Arkansas is not a sleeper, but I can see them making a run

just as a foresee. Um, and then, you know, maybe, maybe UCLA, um, you know, for a little bit,

just without well done of indent has been playing. Um, last one, first round upset, just because I

don't think they're any good at all, but Troy over in Nebraska. Um, that could be one, even though

the, the, the upsets will be, will be struggling this, this year, but Troy would be one to look at,

just given, uh, Nebraska, I think is very overrated. Yeah, I feel like Nebraska's been way, way

guest up all year. All right, Greg Barnes. I'm going to take the last word, but you're going to

have the last answer for, for this one. Uh, give me your national champion to give me one sleeper.

Yeah, I've got, I got zone as well, just because, uh, I have questions about

Caden Booser running the show for Duke, even though they look good in the ACC tournament.

I feel like not having Caleb Foster back is a problem for the blue devils. Um, I've got to go,

I think the easy ones south Florida over Louisville. Uh, I think Louisville's kind of been a massive

late. So I think south Florida is a, a pretty safe, uh, 11, six upset win.

All right. I love it, man. Um, what the heck? I'll throw one out there too. I, I think it's, uh,

I think it's Arizona's to win, but, um, I, I'm not going to lie. I think St. John's could actually

make some pay, um, if, if they're playing well, I just, I like the makeup of that roster.

And I have to say it because the shrills heard me talk about this all year. I am a huge

y'all in the Borg fan. I just, everything about his story and his game is so fun. Um,

so I'm, I'm going to joy watching him too, as I hope they're sticking around. But fellas,

are really, yes, let me ask one more, since we have Greg, let me ask one question.

And then I'll be done. This is for all of y'all. So all three of y'all answer this.

Who winning the title would be least harmful to you and see?

Oh god, you can Houston. Yeah, Houston, probably.

I think you have to give an answer. We're curious. Yeah, I think Houston is, it's kind of,

that's one that everybody could kind of live with. I think.

Hey, shout out to people. Obviously. Well, we know, yeah, and we know Kansas.

One of Kansas and Duke is not going to win it because they're in the same bracket.

So that cancels out one of the other blue bloods. Kentucky is not going to win an actual

championship. So that cancels them out. So then it's like of the people left who,

who kind of does it harm you and see? I don't think Yukon, you know,

I think Carolina would start to lose some traction as like in that ultimate blue blood

conversation because of how the last eight or nine years of gone and Yukon's been so good.

So I think Yukon winning could actually be harmful to you and see, but I would say Houston,

I don't think any of them would really be harmful. That's fair. Or a big 10 team winning

star first time because nobody believes you stop. All right.

Y'all, I'm grateful for you. I want to shout out to Rob Harrington for being a part of the show.

Greg, thanks for joining us, man. Anytime you want to, you want to roll up in here,

we will, we will absolutely, absolutely make space for you.

For sure, Macmillan, for Sean Moran, shout out Salvios. Again, use the code. I see 20,

get your Salvios pizza when you're watching the game Thursday night. Hit them up online.

I appreciate Johnny T-shirt sponsors will, but y'all, the bracket is set and matchups are known,

now the conversation moves from speculation to execution. It's winter, go home.

Carolina knows their opponent. They know what reason then and they know what challenge they've

got in front of them. Let's find out and see what they can actually do. And then once it's over,

we'll have some real conversations. But until next time, I am Joey Powell. This has been the Coast

Coast podcast for Inside Carolina. Y'all making a great week.

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