OverDrive
Armstrong on Kentucky's overtime victory over Santa Clara, how NIL affects the top-seeded teams, and Luka Doncic's 60-point night
20 Mar 2026
Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Aaron Korolnik, Dave Fesschuk, the man, the myth, the legend, Jack Armstrong.
I just talked to you. I was in Chicago on a Wednesday morning, and I'm talking, and now here you are. And speaking of mail-in, where are Hayes and Noodles? They're probably sweating their brackets. That's my guess. They're in a pub somewhere watching this game.
They're worried about Santa Clara. I think O'Neal has them to the lead aid, and that probably didn't work out.
I had them beat in Kentucky today.
Well, I'm looking at your bracket right here.
I have a few X's.
A few X's. How deep do those X's go? Because there's nothing worse, Jack. You know better than anyone. You go over one side, another one. You're going all the way to the Elite Eight. I'm not. You're still in good shape? No, I'm not. Oh, okay. I'm in good shape for the shape I'm in. It's about the extent of it. I love it. I love it.
Well, why don't we start with that game today, Kentucky-Santa Clara. I mean, a half-court heave at the buzzer in regulation to tie it up, an overtime win for Kentucky. I mean, that was incredible.
Well, it was interesting. Kentucky got a great shot, and then Santa Clara came down, and they got a wide-open three. And then Herb Sendak, the coach, was trying to call a timeout. I was a little surprised, and it's hard. Again, you're dealing with college players. You know, you're up three. The strategy is do I give the foul to prevent the game tying three? And it was just so frantic.
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Chapter 2: What happened in Kentucky's overtime victory over Santa Clara?
But you got to beat a Santa Clara. And they did what they had to do.
Well, last year, Jack, it was so chalky, meaning the favorites were winning everything in this tournament. There's been at least a few upsets here. But what do you make of it? Why do you think, is this the NIL era where the money is going to win more often than not and the Cinderella's are going to be fewer and farther between? Or how do you see it?
Well, it's interesting. This is the last year of the collective bargaining agreement in baseball, and they're talking about the need for a cap. And why do you see some of the better teams in baseball with the higher salaries usually in the playoffs? So there's no cap in college basketball.
So I think the mentality of chalk really exists because of the fact that the teams and the schools and the conferences that are most committed are usually going to be there. And the transfer portal, though, is a great equalizer. And when you're a big-level school, you can poach a guy from the mid-conferences.
You're seeing some guys perform at a high level that came from low to mid-major schools, and they're able to pick and select. So it gets really, really hard to have as competitive a tournament as maybe we've had in the past.
Jack Armstrong with us here in studio. You're listening and watching Overdrive. So Duke almost loses to Siena, one versus 16. How much do you think that affects your perception of the Blue Devils going forward, that they were tested to that point by a 16?
Well, they got two injuries. Two of their starters are out right now, so they're not as good. They're a one seed, but their one seed is based upon the totality of their work from the beginning of the season in November. But if the eye tests to me, I give John Shire, their coach, a lot of credit At halftime, he made an adjustment.
They went to a zone against a small team from the MAAC conference in Siena. And usually when you have the better talent, you want to press, you want to trap. You say, we're just going to physically overwhelm these guys. Instead, they sat back in a zone and just used their length and kind of changed the rhythm for Siena.
Now, Gary McNamara, the coach of Siena, didn't use a sub until like eight seconds left in the game. So I thought his guys ran out of gas a little bit. And I thought Duke did a really good job attacking them on the offensive glass. And usually when you have talent, you're going to win that battle. Obviously, the Boozer brothers, they're different type players.
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Chapter 3: How does NIL impact the outcomes of March Madness?
And it's interesting. You're at a school like a Siena, and you do a good job recruiting a good player as a freshman. Maybe he stays one more year and develops into a really good player. That guy's out the door. You know, you got everyone above you that's going to hand the kid a lot of money and the kid's going to go. So it just changes things so much.
So March Madness coverage continues across TSN all weekend long. We'll be tuning in as soon as this show is over. We're radio YouTube only today, Jack, because of all the March Madness coverage. We're YouTube stars. We're like the Brian Bros, Grant Horvath. That's what we are, Dave. So let's focus in on the Raps tonight. It's on TSN 1050, taking on Denver. Tough test, clearly. But you heard R.J.
Barrett, after the Raptors win against Chicago, talking about how he thinks maybe the team has turned it around and found something that you beat a team like Detroit. which is a huge win. They had Cade Cunningham then and potentially get him back before the end of the season. But just how big of a test do you think tonight's game is against Joker and company?
That's a big test. You're at altitude, so it's never easy. And they're coming off an embarrassing loss against Memphis the other night. And Jokic didn't play well. So they have their own issues. And it's interesting. You look at Denver right now. They're the fifth or the sixth seed, if I'm not mistaken, in the West. And Toronto is the five seed.
But you got Atlanta, who's rolling right now, right on your back. Orlando, Miami, Philly, Charlotte. Five through ten in the East is crazy. I think, you know, Detroit... To your point about Kate Cunningham, as long as he's able to come back in a few weeks, they'll be fine. They'll hold the fort. I think they'll be able to hold on to the one seed.
I don't think if he's out for an extended period of time, they could withstand that because he really makes them go. But I think for the Raptors, I think it's imperative to try to hold on to at least the sixth seed. Because you get into a play-in situation, you know, you can move fast from 7 to 8 to 9 to 10. And, you know, do you really want to play...
One of these teams head-to-head, if you're going to be in the play and you better be a 7-8, we have two chances to go. Because if you fall to 9-10, and the Raptors really struggled matching up against Charlotte this year, they swept Atlanta, but Atlanta's a different team. And the three games that are going to be huge, thank goodness they're all in Toronto.
I'm not sure if I should say that because they haven't been a great home court team. They got Orlando next Sunday night at home. And then the following week, right before the season ends, they got Miami on a home back-to-back on April 7th and 9th. So those three games are going to be, I would say, tipping point games for the Raptors. Not only them, but for the Magic and the Heat.
So they're far from being assured of a playoff series. They've had a really good year. They're 10 games over .500. They've won 20 games. They're kind of a strange team at home a little bit. I'm still trying to put my finger on why.
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Chapter 4: What is the significance of the transfer portal in college basketball?
But nonetheless, they got their chances to be there. But they got to get a few more of these games on the West Coast. They got Phoenix Sunday as well, which won't be easy.
And you'll be with them next week when they hit L.A. to play the Clippers, Jack. The other L.A. team is probably the most talked-about team in the NBA right now, the Lakers. They've won eight in a row, coming off a big win last night where Luka gets 60. Wow. LeBron gets a triple-double. There was a lot of talk when they weren't playing as well as they're playing right now that...
Maybe this wouldn't work with LeBron and Luka not being particularly great defenders. Maybe this team didn't have the kind of wherewithal to be one of the NBA's top teams as it sits their third seed in the West. How seriously do you take the Lakers?
Dave, here's a few things. I think Reeves, healthy in the lineup again. You've got to guard him because he can really score. LeBron is LeBron. And anytime you send two to the wall on him, he's just a sensational passer.
And DeAndre Ayton, to his credit, to me, has been as professional as he's been in his career in terms of buying in and understanding and humbling himself a little bit in terms of who he is. And we haven't even mentioned Luka yet. Now, you get to him. The guy is just a dynamic. He's got that it factor. He can make any kind of shot. He's cocky, bordering arrogant, and a great talent.
And, you know, a guy that has shown in his career that he can make huge shots back end of the shot clock. So who do you guard? And do you send two to the ball on him? Because they got other guys.
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Chapter 5: What are the implications of Duke's close call against Siena?
You know, you got Aiton who could score at the rim. And you got Reeves who's a terrific scorer. And you got LeBron in big moments who still knows how to make plays. They're a really good team. And I tell you what, I give J.J. Redick a lot of credit. That's not an easy team to coach. He hired a very experienced coaching staff with him. And he's very secure in his own skin.
I mean, he's got Scott Brooks. He's got Nate McMillan, former head coaches, on his bench.
Chapter 6: How do injuries affect Duke's performance in the tournament?
He's got a guy like Bob Beyer, who's a good friend of mine, who was the head coach at Siena, has been a longtime NBA assistant. So he's got a lot of guys with him. And that's not an easy group to coach because it's ego-driven. And it's a huge market and a lot of pressure. But I think they've handled it really well. I mean, I think Denver and Minnesota are still asleep with teams in the West.
Minnesota's been the back-to-back West finals. And, you know, if Denver's healthy, their offensive efficiency's off the charts. I don't like how they're defending right now. And off the bench, Jonas Valanciunas hasn't been at the level we're accustomed to seeing him play. I thought he'd be better for that.
Jack, great to see you. Thank you so much for coming by. That's it. Well, we've got to talk about the Sabres briefly here. I mean, how fired up are you for some Sabres playoff hockey?
If I'm a GM in the NHL, I'm hiding under my desk right now. Think about it. You whack Kevin Adams. I mean, I think they were on a three-game winning streak when it happened. And, like, so if I'm a GM, I'm like, forget about trading a guy in the room that's a pain in the ass or, you know, firing the coach. Let's just go get the GM. Maybe that'll shake my team up. I can't figure it out.
They don't lose.
They never lose.
They're playing great. I mean, last night was just a juggernaut. And so I'm thrilled for them. I mean, you know, and I'm thrilled for Lindy Ruff. I mean, this is his last kick of the can.
Coach of the year right there.
He came back to turn this thing around and get him in the playoffs. I mean, he's had a great career. I think Lindy's fourth all-time and wins as an NHL coach. So I'm happy for him. They've got a fun young team, and let's see what happens. And we've got to get a few more Canadian teams in the NHL playoff. What have we got? Edmonton, Montreal. They're precarious. Montreal's teetering, too.
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