Hersh on Hoops

Eli Hershkovich and Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) -- a hoops insider at all levels -- breakdown whether Loyola-Chicago continue last season's success, the Ramblers' breakout candidate, the Missouri Valley's outlook as a whole come March, DePaul's potential in a down Big East, whether Illinois or Northwestern can exceed expectations, Illini guard Trent Frazier's long-term prospects, and Goodman's Final Four and national title pick.

Eli Hershkovich and Jerry Palm (@jppalmcbs), who's a college basketball bracketologist for CBSSports.com, discuss the preseason AP Top 25 Poll and whether Loyola-Chicago deserved a spot, Kansas losing second-year forward Silvio De Sousa because of the college basketball investigation, what Illinois could've become under Bill Self, potential surprises across the sport and the effect of "NET" on the NCAA tournament selection committee.

Eli Hershkovich and Brendan F. Quinn, who covers Michigan State and U-M basketball for The Athletic, discuss his start in the business and whether Chicago can become a college basketball-crazed city, Tom Izzo vs. John Beilein, his odd interaction with Izzo at Big Ten media day and the perception of the Spartans' program, how the college basketball trial could affect the sport, along with a Chicago AAU program's involvement in the case, and whether Illinois or Northwestern could exceed expectations.

First up, Eli Hershkovich and Illinois State coach Dan Muller discuss how Muller got started in the business, the ISU plane crash that he'll never forget, his defensive philosophy, Milik Yarbrough's suspension and the Redbirds' hopes in the Missouri Valley Conference and NCAA tournament. Then, Michael O'Brien on the Chicago Sun-Times hops on to breakdown Markese Jacobs -- a four-star 2019 point guard and Chicago native -- verbally committing to DePaul, the Blue Demons' chances of retaining him and their coaches involvement in the current FBI-NCAA investigation.

Eli Hershkovich and Jordan Sperber (@hoopvision68) discuss Sperber's start in the business, increasing tempo in college basketball, working for Nevada coach Eric Musselman, applying analytics to elite scorers, the Wolf Pack's national title chances, Loyola-Chicago's Missouri Valley Conference hopes, whether elite shooting point guards -- like the Ramblers' Clayton Custer -- are needed in college hoops, how analytics evaluate freshmen heavy teams vs. experienced ones, and where Gonzaga's Mark Few slots in among the top coaches in the sport.

Eli Hershkovich chats with Northwestern assistant coach Brian James about how his career began, the similarities between Chris and Doug Collins, designing the "hail mary" to beat Michigan in 2017, last season's regression, replacing former Wildcats point guard Bryant McIntosh, key players for the upcoming campaign and a tough part of the schedule in their new arena.

Eli Hershkovich and John Gasaway -- a college basketball analytics writer for ESPN.com -- discuss how Gasaway broke into the business, shot volume vs. shooting efficiency, Max Strus (DePaul) and Trent Frazier's (Illinois) potential, the NCAA selection committee's new tool and how it might affect mid-majors, Loyola-Chicago's run and his Final Four picks.

Eli Hershkovich and Southern Illinois coach Barry Hinson discuss his journey into coaching, how Illinois-turned-Kansas coach Bill Self impacted him, the Salukis' depleted roster from a campaign ago and their 2018-19 outlook, whether the NCAA selection committee's new tool will help mid-major programs receive more at-large bids, facing Kentucky in their opener, what makes Loyola-Chicago such a difficult opponent to matchup against, Cameron Krutwig's potential and how the Missouri Valley Conference stacks up this season.

Eli Hershkovich and Ricky O'Donnell (@sbn_ricky) tip things off by discussing Rick Pitino's "retirement," and his statement about the latter part of his coaching career at Louisville. They also breakdown why Loyola-Chicago center Cameron Krutwig is a breakout candidate -- not just in the Missouri Valley Conference. Later on, they dive into how Villanova achieved its blue blood status after reeling in a 2019 five-star recruit, along with whether Duke will finally break through with its elite freshmen class.

Eli Hershkovich and Loyola-Chicago associate head coach Bryan Mullins discuss Mullins' path to coaching, if the NCAA's new recruiting rules will affect him and the rest of the Ramblers' staff, the NCAA Tournament selection committee's new tool to evaluate programs, their non-conference schedule, how to avoid a college basketball "hangover," Cameron Krutwig and Lucas Williamson's development and more.