Mad About Hoops

Happy 100 to Mad About Hoops! We didn't even realize it was coming and sadly Evil Bald Colin is out in Vegas covering the Super Bowl and paying homage to Tark the Shark. The Buckeyes keep sliding and there was a super frustrating game ending from this week that we jump right into. Then I recruited some help on this pod in the form of Ohio University Head Coach Jeff Boals. The convo gets started at the 11 minute mark. Jeff was a long time Thad Matta assistant so he knows OSU hoops and he knows how to build up a mid-major. He's had 5 straight winning seasons at OU. AT 22:45 we ask him about what's happening with Ohio State hoops so don't skip that. Then at 33:20 we take a look at one of the most intriguing players in college hoops before setting the table for a fabulous weekend.

We open the pod and wind up talking about some of the other schools that keep us engaged when our current team's season is falling off a cliff. That takes us to Big Sky country because we're sick like that. At 15:40 we dive into the Buckeye breakdown and talk about an element to this season that is more trying than just the losses on the court. And at the 24 minute mark we talk about some CBB drip. The baggie shorts, the uniforms that always caught our attention. What's the best? We actually hold some of Ohio State's uniforms in very high regard. And finally we talk about some of the matchups we can get to as road trippin' Midwesterners not afraid of a short drive. Enjoy the pod and remember to make your free throws!

This one is juicy folks. If you are looking for answers as an Ohio State Basketball fan, we try to give them all to you in this podcast. Right after our opening segment that has some Dayton flare (we aren't trolling they're really good) we get with Adam Jardy of the Columbus Dispatch and find out if this team can save it's season and go to the NCAA Tournament. The big discussion starts at the 18 minute mark. And in closing, maybe the best game to get to this weekend for Midwesterners who love crushing road trips is indeed the NW vs OSU game at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Enjoy this Buckeye therapy folks. Remember to hit your free throws!

Look at who just retired from our game in recent years. Giants of the sport like Coach K, Roy Williams, Jay Wright, Jim Boeheim are no more. So who are the guys in that next wave of great coaches in college basketball? Colin's got the list for you (27:14) in this episode so be prepared to know the future. We come right out of the gates talking about the current top coaches and we also hit on what those dominant UConn Huskies (9:45) are up to. They're following up their national championship by reaching the no. 1 ranking in the AP Poll for the first time in 15 years. The Buckeye breakdown hits you at 16:12 as Ohio State truly goes into a must win game vs Penn State. Then at 37:43 we take you around the MAH road trip meter and tell you about some games this weekend you might want to check out. Enjoy this episode and remember, hit your free throws!

It's another week into January and conference play caught up with 4 of the Top 5 teams in the AP Poll. Purdue, Houston and Kansas all go down. You can throw Tennessee into the mix as well. We hit on the mayhem and what it means, and also check out the Wooden Award Top 25 player list. Then we get knee deep into the issues we've seen from Ohio State in their back-to-back losses (16:55). What are the real concerns and what are the overreactions? Then we take a look at some metrics that might not be the most favorable for what feels like a much improved team for the Buckeyes (26:52) and we hit on a huge win for the last Buckeye head coach at Butler. Then at the end it's our MAH Road Trip Meter. Those games that midwesterners would love to drive to. As always, make your free throws! Enjoy the hoops.

We have made it to Week 9 of the CBB season as conference play is here the rest of the way. The guys re-set the table and give some views on the top teams in the sport right off the top of the pod. They jump right into the Buckeye Breakdown (16:30) in Segment 2. Then in Segment 3 (25:46) it's all about the beauty and mystique of tiny gyms and a smooth transition into our favorite bucket getters of all time. We thank Caitlin Clark of Iowa for turning the discussion to binge scoring. Then in our final segment (40:00) we hit the Mid Major Flavor as two conferences are on Colin's mind, and our MAH Road Trip meter shows you the way to some great CBB matchups accessible by way of central Ohio. Remember, hit your free throws!

As if last week didn't bring the juice with monster non-con (and in some cases league play) matchups left and right....just take a look around. First off we have the Buckeyes playing UCLA in the CBS Sports Classic. And that's just a small part of a ridiculous weekend slate. From Arizona vs Purdue, to that game down the road in B-town. Anthony Rothman of The Fan went to Kansas and Indiana as a student. How incredible would that college basketball experience be? Anthony will tell us what it was like. Then he hangs around as we go in-depth on Bobby Knight, as well as Anthony's own favorite coaches in the game. That topic almost turns into another one altogether. Evil Bald Colin isn't sick anymore, he's just out on vacation. Happy Holidays hoops fans, and as always, make your free throws!

The guys are giddy about some of the ball they were able to soak in this past week. Shaka Smart won the Shaka Bowl as Marquette pounded Texas. The Jimmy V Classic brought the heat. Four teams in the Top 20 went after it as the guys love what they see with Marquette standout Tyler Kolek. Then sick Evil Bald Colin takes a breather as Andrew Zoldan drops by to talk about the Buckeyes and some burning storylines in the sport. He's from the Drive the Lane Podcast as well as The Basketball Tournament. He's got a great story about how TBT got him into the media game in College hoops. The Mid Major Flavor hits on some wild news in our game of a coach calling it a career, and the MAH Road Trip Meter fires up too. As always, please hit your free throws!

Boy oh boy do we dive into a lot on this pod coming off of Feast Week as we break down the team that won the Maui and sits at no. 1 in the nation, Purdue (25:30). But we dive into a fun discussion in the first segment about how new TV platforms enhance our experience as CBB fans. We also talk about the one thing that quickly becomes a thorn in our side a couple games into a new season -- the REFS!!! The Duke at Arkansas game was a Banger (13:15)! The Buckeyes won a holiday tournament and we break down OSU at 29:45. And last but not least at the 37:15 mark we hit the MAH Road Trip Meter, those under the radar games that you might want to hop in the car and get to as a Midwesterner. And Colin looks West for his Mid Major Flavor of the week. Tell your friends. And as always, make your free throws!

We finally have some real basketball to talk about and as we head into Week 2 we deliver our Final Four picks as promised. I will tell you, between the two of us there are eight different teams, and only one Big Ten team. That Big Ten team is not who you expect. We jump into some Buckeye action right off the top of the pod, then the Final Four picks hit you at the 7 minute mark. At the 23 mark we hit some Mid Major flavor. You will not believe how an Ohio school lost a game recently. Then at the 32:45 mark I ask Colin about an outrageous last second hoops road trip that could pop up. It involves the no. 1 team in the nation. Enjoy this pod folks!