Eye On College Basketball

He didn't play college basketball, and he's not a top-tier prospect in this year's draft. But is Jonathan Kuminga for sure the best option at No. 5? What will the Magic do with that pick? Norlander doesn't regard Kuminga as a top-10 pick in this year's field, while Parrish slots him No. 5 in his latest mock draft, which you can scroll through here as you listen to the pod. https://www.cbssports.co...

Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander offer their insights and opinions on what Monday's huge news means. The Supreme Court returned its opinion on the NCAA v. Alston case, ruling 9-0 in favor of Alston, which equates to a win for college athletes everywhere. While the case did not tie to paying players, the Court did send a message to the NCAA that its current definition of amateurism falls outside of...

This is episode No. 4 of our NBA Draft profiles, and it's the first one that features a player who didn't spend last season in college basketball. Jalen Green was once considered the top prospect in his class. He's a guarantee to go in the top four of this year's draft. Today's ep explains why, with an interesting player comp from Gary Parrish included.

We’ve got a fun, thought-provoking offseason ep for you here. Gary Parrish hopped on the horn with Chris Beard earlier this week -- you can read that story here -- and so GP and Norlander discuss a few things tied to the column. No. 1: Of the 60 hirings made in men’s college basketball this year, is Beard most likely to be the best hire? No. 2: Is it Beard or someone else most likely to have the b...

There's still a chance Jalen Suggs could go No. 1 overall in July's NBA Draft. If that happens, it's going to be for the reasons detailed on this 25-minute podcast that evaluates Suggs' story, stats at Gonzaga and NBA projection. Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander lay out the case for Suggs to be as immediately impactful as Ja Morant and potentially as valuable as Donovan Mitchell.

Maybe the biggest news story of the week dropped out of nowhere on Wednesday afternoon when it was reported by multiple outlets -- including CBS -- that Mike Krzyzewski plans to coach one more season, then retire in 2022. Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander have instant reaction to college basketball's biggest headline of the offseason yet.

We continue our weekly, up-to-the-draft specialized episodes on the top prospects by focusing on 4/5 hybrid big Evan Mobley, who was the Pac-12's Player, Freshman and Defensive Player of the Year last season. Mobley has been touted as a potential No. 1 pick for more than three years now. Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander evaluate his case, with some thoughts from USC coach Andy Enfield included. As...

The 2021 NBA Draft will be held July 29 at Brooklyn's Barclays Center. Being that we're a little more than two months out, it's time to bring back our appetizer-sized prospect episodes. We are opening with Oklahoma State one-and-doner Cade Cunningham, who is most likely to be taken with the No. 1 pick. These draft profile episodes will publish once per week through the end of July. Enjoy!

Friday's news: a couple of highly rated, five-star prospects in the class of 2023 will commit to playing for Overtime Elite, a fledgling league backed financially by the likes of Kevin Durant, Drake and Jeff Bezos. GP and Norlander open with thoughts on that and explain the difference between the viability of a league like this and why it barely affects college basketball. The second half of the p...

Kentucky received two significant backcourt commitments in recent days: five-star point guard TyTy Washington and Georgia transfer Sahvir Wheeler, who led the SEC in assists last season. Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander open on Kentucky’s newest ranking and why this team looks different from any other ever under John Calipari. And while UK should be good, Gonzaga (12:00) will be great. The Bulldogs...

Patrick Baldwin Jr., the No. 4-ranked prospect in the class of 2021, committed to play for his father at Milwaukee next season. He picked the Panthers over Duke and Georgetown. GP and Norlander hopped on the horn for a quick 20 to discuss the commitment. Programming alert! We will begin doing offseason mailbag episodes later this month, so please head to Apple Reviews and leave your questions and...

Mark Emmert told The New York Times over the weekend that he wants the NCAA to have name, image and likeness rules on the books by July 1. Why July 1? That's when five states will have their own rules go live. It's a sticky situation, and change of tune, for the president of the NCAA. This is a story with a few layers, and we continue to follow and keep you up to speed on it because it's a huge st...

GP’s feeling a little froggy, so beware! The guys are back to discuss three topics: the rules changes that could be coming to college basketball next season, Gonzaga-UCLA (23:40) closing in on playing each other and why other top-20 programs should be trying to do the same right now, and Iowa’s CJ Fredrick committing to Kentucky (42:00), bolstering the Wildcats’ desperate need for 3-point shooting...

The NCAA quietly announced late Tuesday night that president Mark Emmert had his contracted extended through 2025. It's baffling, and it's why we open this week's pod on the topic. Then Norlander and Parrish get to Loyola Chicago (22:00) hiring the youngest coach in D-I basketball -- while somehow keeping the roster almost entirely in tact. Pretty impressive. The pod closes with some thoughts on T...

Gonzaga is reloading. On Monday the No. 1 prospect in the class of 2021, Chet Holmgren, announced he'd be playing next season in Spokane. Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander discuss whether or not this will move Gonzaga to No. 1 in the preseason rankings, and give insight into Holmgren's unique game/build and how he'll play alongside Drew Timme ... if Timme does indeed return for his junior season.

Two big news drops hit Wednesday, prompting an emergency pod, The final two major-conference jobs have filled. We open with Tommy Lloyd leaving Gonzaga to take over Arizona, and all the details from behind the scenes in the past week that led to this moment. Then, at the 22-minute mark, Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander share their thoughts on Wes Miller leaving UNC Greensboro after 10 seasons to be...

Villanova announced a double dose of good news Monday night: Collin Gillespie and Jermaine Samuels will use their bonus free season of eligibility to return. That makes VU a national title contender; it also opens the pod. The guys also discuss Parrish putting Auburn into his way-too-early offseason Top 25 + 1 due to UNC transfer Walker Kessler committing to Bruce Pearl. And at the end of this Tue...

Arizona fired Sean Miller Wednesday. Weird timing. Norlander explains more as to why it happened the way it did. And Parrish's column on this can be read in the description below. The guys open on the Arizona opening, including the candidate list, before moving on to talk North Carolina (23:30) hiring Hubert Davis to replace Roy Williams. The pod closes around the 32-minute mark with some thoughts...

Baylor's 86-70 win Monday night over Gonzaga was fairly shocking. Nobody had the Bears winning by more than 15 points. Nobody. Matt Norlander and Gary Parrish open with their thoughts on what BU did to demolish Gonzaga. And as for the Zags, this team is probably now out of the all-time-great conversation (23:00) because of how poor it looked against Baylor. What's next for these two? Parrish revea...

The stakes of Monday night's title game are as big as they could possibly be. Undefeated Gonzaga. No. 1 vs. No. 2. Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander set the table and make their picks. Did you know: Gonzaga and Baylor combine for two losses, which ties for the fewest ever by two teams entering a title game. The stats, storylines and everything to set the table for a game we've been waiting for month...

The NCAA Tournament is the best event in sports. What a magical night we had. An epic of all epics to close out the national semis on Saturday. Jalen Suggs' deeeeep, banked-in 3-pointer to win in OT and keep Gonzaga undefeated is a highlight for the ages. The top of the podcast features audio cuts from CBS, Gonzaga Sports Network from Learfield IMG College, and arena sound via CBS/Turner. The guys...

With the Final Four a day away, it's our promised preview episode. GP and Norlander open with some thoughts on Indy and overarching takeaways on the scene there, then preview Baylor-Houston (10:15) and Gonzaga-UCLA (25:00). As referenced, here is Norlander's must-read story on the Baylor staff, who is war vet and who donated a kidney to save a life last year. https://www.cbssports.com/college-bask...

Matt Norlander and Gary Parrish reflect on Roy Williams' career, name their candidates for the UNC opening, talk Chris Beard's fit at Texas and toss out a few names for the Texas Tech job as well.

The podcast must have some sort of karmic power. Because first it was Baylor, and now it’s Mick Cronin and UCLA. The Bruins upset Michigan, and in the process locked up the most upset-riddled tournament in history. Gonzaga casually destroyed USC to continue their run toward history. Parrish and Norlander look back on Tuesday night’s regional finals, setting the table for Saturday’s Final Four. 

Houston beat Oregon State. Baylor beat Arkansas. Half the Final Four is set, and we have you covered with overnight reaction to Monday's regional semifinals. Baylor. Terry MF'in Teagle. Bill Henderson. Vinnie Johnson. LaceDarius Dunn. You know all the names. Back in the Final Four for the first time in 71 years. As Norlander alludes to on the podcast, here is his column from Lucas Oil Stadium on K...