CBS Sports Eye On College Basketball Podcast

This is the first episode of the Eye on College Basketball podcast since Gary Parrish and his wife welcomed a baby into the world. The baby is eight weeks premature. So, naturally, Parrish and Matt Norlander dive into the craziness of that at the top. Then they discuss Michigan State's struggles, Frank Mason's National Player of the Year campaign, Austin Nichols' dismissal from Virginia, the Maui Invitational field, Creighton's blowout of North Carolina State, and why the name "Gary" is going extinct.

Is Markelle Fultz about to pull a Ben Simmons and spend his one year in college not winning enough to make the NCAA Tournament? Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander discuss that at the top of this episode of the Eye on College Basketball podcast. After that they talk about Arizona's win over Michigan State and Indiana's win over Kansas. Then they preview Kentucky-Michigan State and Kansas-Duke before making predictions for Villanova-Purdue and touching on Saint Mary's.

Who is going to win Kansas-Indiana? Michigan State-Arizona? Is North Carolina on upset alert? Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander discuss the opening weekend of college basketball -- yes, it's finally here -- at the top of this episode of the Eye on College Basketball podcast. After that, they talk about most of the relevant leagues -- ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, SEC, Big East, American, Atlantic 10 -- and then unveil their picks to win the national championship. Parrish likes Duke. Norlander likes Kentucky.

Former LSU standout Ben Simmons believes the NCAA is "f-cked up." Is he right? Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander discuss that -- and the "One & Done" documentary starring Simmons -- at the top of this episode of the Eye on College Basketball podcast. They then talk about Ray Smith's career-ending injury at Arizona, the state of Arizona Basketball in general, the CBS Sports All-America teams and ... the Chicago Cubs' World Series title.

The CBS Sports list of the Top 101 college basketball players has been published. Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander discussed it at the top of this episode of the Eye on College Basketball podcast, and Parrish made Norlander explain why he has Villanova's Josh Hart so low. (Among the other players talked about are Valpo's Alec Peters, Michigan State's Mile Bridges, Xavier's Edmond Sumner and Duke's Grayson Allen.) After that, Parrish and Norlander dove into the injury scare that Duke's Jayson Tatum went through this week -- and the Blue Devils' talent in general. And they wrapped this episode by discussing the improbable rise of South Dakota State's Mike Daum. The 6-foot-9 forward was barely recruited out of high school. But he averaged 29.3 points per 40 minutes last season, which led the entire nation.

Did Rick Pitino really not know what was going on at Louisville? Will he be suspended by the NCAA? Should the Cardinals' 2013 national championship banner come done? Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander discuss all of that at the top of this episode of the Eye on College Basketball podcast. Then they talk about Michigan State's injury problems, the release of the USA Today Coaches poll, Norlander's ranking of all 351 Division I teams, and Theo Pinson's fractured foot.

An NBA scout told Gary Parrish that DeAaron Fox will be Kentucky's best pro prospect this season. Does Matt Norlander agree? The two of them discussed that at the top of this episode of the Eye on College Basketball podcast. Is it going to be a down year in college basketball? Parrish and Norlander tackled that question before retelling a crazy story about former Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie kicking former No. 1 recruit John Wall out of a practice. And they closed by talking about Arizona's recruiting class that added a top-40 prospect on Wednesday.

How significant is Harry Giles' string of knee surgeries? Will his lack of health prevent Duke from reaching its goals? Is there still any chance of the five-star freshman becoming the No. 1 overall pick of the 2017 NBA Draft? CBS Sports' Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander discuss that at the top of this episode of the Eye on College Basketball podcast. Then they talk about the NCAA's baffling decision to rule Isaiah Brock, a decorated war hero, ineligible at Oakland. And they close on John Calipari's idea to have "August Basketball."

Is that picture of the entire Virginia basketball team kneeling in support of Colin Kaepernick's protest indicative of what we're going to see once the season begins? Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander discuss that at the top of this episode of the Eye on College Basketball podcast. They then talk about George Washington's decision to name Maurice Joseph its interim coach, Parrish's story on New Mexico transfer Cullen Neal, and the state of American Athletic Conference recruiting.

The NCAA has ruled five-star prospect Omari Spellman ineligible at Villanova. How big of a loss is that for the reigning national champions? Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander discuss that at the top of this episode of the Eye on College Basketball podcast. Then they transition into Rick Stansbury's recruiting at Western Kentucky and Larry Brown's desire to maybe coach high school basketball. And they close by discussing five programs that were once great but haven't even been good lately.

The NCAA and ACC have both taken a stand against North Carolina because of its controversial HB2 bill. Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander discuss that at the top of this Eye on College Basketball podcast. Then they talk about Duke's pro days, Mike Krzyzewski's decision to otherwise close practices to NBA executives and scouts, the Miami player who was arrested for attacking a man he caught in a closet with his ex-girlfriend, and an important coaching clinic that's happening this week.

How surprising was it that DeAndre Ayton, the No. 1 overall prospect in the Class of 2017, committed to Arizona over Kansas and Kentucky? Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander discuss that on this edition of the Eye on College Basketball podcast. They then dive into the question of whether Ayton will ever actually play college basketball. Also: Is Arizona's Sean Miller the best college coach who hasn't yet made a Final Four? That topic gets a few minutes -- as does Michigan State's Tom Izzo getting inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame this weekend. And, of course, Tim Tebow. Gary and Matt discussed Tebow signing with the Mets because ... why wouldn't they?

How big of an impact will Nebraska transfer Andrew White make at Syracuse? Should the Orange now be ranked in the preseason? Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander discuss that at the top of this episode of the Eye on College Basketball podcast. Then they spend a few minutes on Rutgers' unfortunate tweet before focusing on the Candid Coaches series that concluded this week with three questions: 1. Which coach would you most like to have a beer with? 2. What was the best offseason hire? 3. Clinton or Trump

Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander discuss their Candid Coaches series at CBSSports.com -- specifically the question that showed how the experiences black coaches have had with law enforcement officials differs greatly from the experiences of white coaches. They also get into a conversation about which college coaches are best equipped and most likely to next jump to the NBA before settling into a back-and-forth about must-see college basketball venues.

How big of a factor is Under Armour in grassroots basketball and recruiting? Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander discuss that on this episode of the Eye on College Basketball podcast. They then get into whether recruiting is cleaner or dirtier than it was five years ago. And, of course, they talked about Ryan Lochte, too.