CBS Sports Eye On College Basketball Podcast

There is a boatload of new information to get to -- and we've got some on-court preview content as well. Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander open this week's episode by extensively discussing and picking apart just what happened in federal court during week three of the college hoops corruption trial. it was troubling for Kansas and LSU especially -- but Duke is suddenly a part of this story, too. Zion Williamson's recruitment has been brought into question. So what comes next for him, Duke and the NCAA? And is Bill Self and his assistant's job in trouble? The guys also explain why the new NBA rule that allows G League players to earn as much as $125,000 coming right out of high school will have almost no impact on college basketball. They wrap with a discussion of the best players in college hoops; CBS Sports published its list of the top 100 (and one) guys in college basketball earlier this week.

Two critical government witnesses took the stand this week in the case of US vs. Gatto et al., which is the massive trial that has college basketball collectively curious, if not nervous. Matt Norlander was in New York City all week to watch and report what happened. On this podcast, he and Gary Parrish discuss the biggest statements and evidence brought to light this week. In short: it wasn't good for Kansas, Arizona, NC State, Creighton, DePaul and Louisville. Plus, Norlander provides a lot of quotes and scenes -- including wiretapped phone calls -- from the trial.

It's been a few weeks -- but the guys are back! Matt Norlander had a second child, so the podcast went on a brief hiatus, but he and Gary Parrish are in typical rhythm as they catch you up on the start of the highly anticipated federal trial in connection to college basketball corruption. Oregon was named, as were others like Arizona and NC State. The start of this trial brings up interesting plot lines to dissect; the guys do just that. They also touch on Mike White's success on the recruiting trail: Florida landed five-star prospect Scottie Lewis, who picked the Gators over Kentucky and St. John's. White is proving to be an ideal successor to Billy Donovan.

On this episode, Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander dive into some details with Rick Pitino's new book and debate over what it really accomplishes. They also touch on the dilemma surrounding Loyola-Chicago. Final Four darlings from last season, the Ramblers had a hard time scheduling in the non-conference for 2018-19. Most big-time programs wouldn't play them. Is this a reality we should just accept, or can the selection committee and new evaluation criteria change the way coaches think when it comes to scheduling good mid-major teams?

Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander have a fun-loaded, nearly hour-long podcast heading into Labor Day Weekend that touches on a number of topics. In recent weeks, the duo has published their annual Candid Coaches series over at CBSSports.com. It touched on the FBI investigation, Rick Pitino's next job (in coaching?), the new NCAA rules, the best coaching hire of 2018, and who coaches pick in the Jordan-vs.-LeBron debate. The guys go behind the scenes on these questions -- and make their picks for them as well.

On Wednesday, the NCAA officially announced the end of the RPI era. The Division I men's basketball selection committee will now use a new metric, known as NET, to rank and sort teams for inclusion to the Big Dance. So what is NET, why is it better, and where did the NCAA still come up short? Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander give you a detailed but easy-to-understand overview of what awaits for March of 2019. They also get into some of the surprising revelations in the first few installments of their annual Candid Coaches series.

It's a pretty slow time in college basketball right now. No coaches are on administrative leave. No notable players have been arrested. There's not much going on. But Kentucky just wrapped a four-game trip to the Bahamas. And Duke is in the middle of a three-game trip in Canada. So Matt Norlander and Gary Parrish had no problem getting 20-plus minutes out of those two things. Some fun developments occurring with both teams, and for different reasons.

The NCAA on Wednesday announced sweeping changes to college basketball's bylaws and recruiting calendar -- and new legislation that gives more entitlements to student-athletes. But how much will it matter? Will it solve any problems within sport? Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander answered those questions in this episode. The announcements created some nice headlines that'll possibly fool the uninformed. But here's the truth: All of this is an undeniable reaction to what the ongoing FBI investigation has exposed. But none of these announced changes actually address the issues that the FBI investigation exposed.

Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander spent the week in North Augusta, S.C. and took in their annual viewing of the Peach Jam. There is speculation and real concern from virtually every coach they spoke to that the NCAA is going to overhaul July recruiting to the point where coaches are no longer allowed to attend tournament events that are held by apparel companies. What's the NCAA up to, and will they change their plan close to the 11th hour? Parrish wrote a column that sparked a lot of discussion at Peach Jam, and Norlander reported out a story with sources close to the vote who went on the record about where things stand. Overall, the future of recruiting hasn't been this foggy in as long as many can remember. There's a lot to unpack, and a lot to cover with all that happened at Peach Jam and beyond.

Welcome back to the pod. On this episode, Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander try to get to the bottom of who should be No. 1 heading into the season. Kansas has a good case, but Kentucky's could be better. And why not Gonzaga, though? The Bulldogs just added a coveted transfer for next season. The guys get into all of that, plus have a discussion on college stars who are stumbling to start Summer League.

Matt Norlander and Gary Parrish open with discussing Wendell Carter Jr.'s mother's comments about how she was "pissed" when Marvin Bagley III reclassified, enrolled at Duke and caused her son to play a secondary role. After that, the guys discuss ... 18:45: Thanks to the late additions of Reid Travis and Ashton Hagans, Parrish has Kentucky ranked No. 1 in the CBS Sports Top 25 (and one). 24:20: And now there seems to be mounting pressure on John Calipari to deliver another championship to Kentucky. What's reasonable, and unreasonable, for fans to expect of coaches. 37:28: This UConn-Kevin Ollie situation isn't a good look for anybody. School officials are doing real damage to their reputation and the reputation of an alum who won them a championship in 2014. But will it save them millions of dollars? Yes, perhaps.

Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander have a 56-minute podcast entirely dedicated to the 2018 NBA Draft, including an opening debate about what is happening with Michael Porter Jr. Is a hip issue now affecting his stock? Norlander says he wouldn't draft him. Parrish is torn. They get into Deandre Ayton's case (is it so convincing?) as the top prospect, and try to predict two top-10 projected picks who will flame out. They also label the players slotted later in the draft who have the best chance to wind up as top 20 pros in this year's crop. That includes a couple of players who went from being lowly ranked in high school to becoming first round draft picks.

John Beilein will probably retire at Michigan. The 65-year-old announced on Twitter earlier this week that he would be continuing to coach the Wolverines. So, no Detroit Pistons future there. At Auburn, Bruce Pearl was rewarded with a contract extension. During the season, many believed he wouldn't be able to keep his job. Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander discuss both of those coaching situations on today's episode, and they wrap up by bringing attention to a somewhat surprising move: Detroit Mercy hiring Mike Davis, who once took Indiana to the national championship game.

It's a special Saturday offseason podcast, as Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander have in-depth discussions about the two most interesting developments in college hoops in recent days: John Beilein interviewing for the Detroit Pistons job, and the teams who benefited or were substantially hurt by players who left or stayed in the NBA Draft pool.

A slow week in college basketball has Matt Norlander trying to explain to Gary Parrish what multiple universe theory is, and why this very podcast might be part of a simulation of what we perceive to be reality. (You can thank NBA draft prospect Lonnie Walker for this, as the podcast explains.) The duo starts at the top of the episode by looking at potential preseason All-America choices for 2018-19. From there, the guys put Tennessee?s No. 3 ranking in the CBS Sports Top 25 (and one) into perspective. Weird to see Tennessee so high, but the Vols are a valid pick in the 3 spot. Norlander also provides his two NBA Draft sleeper picks, one of which is Lonnie Walker, which then opens up the conversation on, well, you?ll just have to listen to find out.