Hoops and Howie Podcast

Hoops and Howie look at the players they’d want on the floor at crunch time — and what that could mean come NCAA tourney time. Plus, they highlight six freshmen making major impacts and some surprising teams stepping up their games. Also, they explain the reasons behind a stunning fact facing Hall of Famers Coach K, Pitino, Calipari and more. And Saint Louis coach Travis Ford joins the podcast to reveal how COVID impacted his team’s season and what’s ahead for the #22 Billikens. Thanks to Coach Ford for joining us, and as always to Dick Vitale, Chris McLernon, Ricky Sanders and Sonic Librarian.

Duke, North Carolina, and Kentucky are all out of the AP Top 25 for the first time since Dean Smith’s first season, and Hoops & Howie examine what that means for their respective NCAA Tournament hopes. In this episode, they also reveal why the top teams in the state of Texas are enjoying unprecedented success this season. And don’t miss an exclusive interview with Villanova coach Jay Wright, one of just three coaches in the last 45 years to win two titles in three years, as he and his team return from Covid-19 restrictions. Thanks, as always, to:Dick VitaleChris McLernon, Ricky Sanders and Sonic Librarian.

Hoops and Howie evaluate the decision to hold the entire NCAA Tournament in and around Indianapolis — and what that may mean for conference tournaments across the country. They discuss whether schools that self-ban from postseason play are helping or hurting their case, and speculate which teams might actually have a shot at an undefeated regular season. Hoops talks with “program builder” Kelvin Sampson, the head coach at Houston, who reveals what initially drew him to the Cougars and what has fueled his 11th-ranked program’s rise. And Bud Withers, author of the recently released book, "Mad Hoops: The dizzying, floor-burning ride of the Kamikaze Kids of 1970s Oregon," joins the conversation to talk Oregon, Gonzaga and Pac-12. Thanks, as always, to:Dick VitaleChris McLernon, Ricky Sanders and Sonic Librarian

The NCAA may keep moving the three-point line back, but Baylor, the nation’s leader in three-point percentage, is among several top teams still firing away and reaping results. Hoops and Howie look at those teams’ early success, what’s ahead, and a recent team that rode hot shooting from deep to a national title.  

What it takes to build a successful program is at the heart of Hoops’ interview with Steve Pikiell, coach of 15th-ranked Rutgers. Pikiell experienced that first-hand as a captain at UConn during its rise to national prominence. 

But first, Hoops and Howie look at why there is a dearth of black head coaches in a sport with predominantly black players and what can be done to change the dynamics. 

Thanks to: Steve Pikiell and Rutgers basketballDick VitaleChris McLernon, Ricky Sanders, and Sonic Librarian

While the little guy rarely gets a playoff shot in college football, college basketball offers more hope. Hoops and Howie discuss several unexpected teams and players already making an impact this season. Two conferences have a pair of those teams making a name for themselves. 

Hoops and Howie wrap up 2020 by reflecting on five iconic coaches who died this year - John Thompson, Lute Olson, Eddie Sutton, Lou Henson, and Billy Tubbs - and the legacies they left. 

Thanks to: Dick VitaleChris McLernon, Ricky Sanders, and Sonic Librarian

Happy New Year!

No. 1 Gonzaga’s return and its game with No. 3 Iowa and Player of the Year candidate Luka Garza gets Hoops and Howie debating which is more important: individual star power or team chemistry, especially in this pandemic-challenged season. 

Don’t miss Hoops' conversation with Michigan State coach Tom Izzo, whose 6-2 Spartans are looking to navigate the toughest conference in the country.

Hoops and Howie start things off with a trip back to Dec. 23, 1982 to remember perhaps the greatest upset in college basketball history. 

Thanks to:Tom Izzo and Michigan State men's basketballDick VitaleChris McLernon, Ricky Sanders, and Sonic Librarian for the theme music, "Joe Blob."

Dick “Hoops” Weiss and Howie Schwab examine several key factors affecting teams across the country this season. In particular, the pair break down the impact of transfers, the changing landscape for one-and-done players, and how Covid-19 could impact recruiting this year and beyond.

Five of the top seven teams in early AP polls have transfers playing key roles: Gonzaga, Baylor, Michigan State, Villanova and Houston. Hoops and Howie explain why the impact of transfers has changed the game of college basketball. 

They also break down why the programs with one-and-done stars haven’t been teams winning national championships recently. And they look at how programs have adapted as the coronavirus has changed the rules for recruiting and what it means for programs at all levels. 

Thanks to:Dick VitaleLearfield IMG CollegeChris McLernon, Ricky Sanders, and Sonic Librarian for the theme music, "Joe Blob."

On the first Saturday in December, Gonzaga and Baylor, were scheduled to meet each other in the middle of the country for a widely anticipated showdown of the top two teams in the country. But like with so much else in the unraveling early stages of the 2020-2021 college basketball season, plans for that game were wrecked by the coronavirus.

In this debut episode of the Hoops & Howie podcast, our hosts – a couple of college hoops institutions, Dick “Hoops” Weiss and Howie Schwab – explore the many ways the COVID-19 public health crisis is disrupting every team in the country. They discuss the pandemic’s effect on everything from practice routines to game scheduling, analyze which teams are best-suited to handle the uncertainties and interruptions, and ponder the NCAA’s many crossroads and challenges as it tries to navigate this unprecedented season.

Our guest is Lea Miller-Tooley, the driving force between the Battle 4 Atlantis preseason tournament. Miller-Tooley talks to Hoops about the scramble to reinvent her event this season, and create in its place the Crossover Classic – an event so successful that the NCAA sought her insights and advice as it begins planning for the most unusual NCAA Tournament ever.

Thanks to:

* Chris McLernon, Ricky Sanders and Sonic Librarian for the theme music, Joe Blob.* Learfield IMG College for the audio from the championship game of the Crossover Classic between West Virginia and Western Kentucky.