Seth Davis comments on Bruce Pearl, Tournament refs, Kyrie Irving
Sports Illustrated and CBS college hoops analyst Seth Davis joined the show to talk about Tennessee firing Bruce Pearl and also the Tournament.
Davis said that Bruce Pearl could get a “show-cause” penalty from the NCAA. That would mean that anyone who hires him has to write the NCAA and explain why they want to hire him. And then the NCAA would watch him like a hawk. Davis said the “show-cause” penalty makes it difficult to hire someone.
Davis weighed in on the officiating during the Tournament. He thinks it’s been great, with just a couple of exceptions. Davis said that they got it right at the end of Butler-Pittsburgh. Davis thinks that the Panthers’ Nasir Robinson thought his team was losing and intentionally fouled. They were tied and the foul cost the Panthers the game.
Dan asked Davis how Kyrie Irving’s return has impacted the Duke Blue Devils. “It’s mixed, frankly,” Davis said. “You are taking the ball out of Nolan Smith’s hand for large periods of time.”
Davis said Coach K is a riverboat gambler and thinks he needs Irving on the court to win it all. Davis said in the short term, Irving can make a difference defensively.
Dan and Davis were talking about which matchup would draw the biggest television ratings. They settled on Duke-BYU, considering Duke-Butler put up a huge number last year, and you’re adding in Jimmer Fredette.
Davis said watch out for Marquette against North Carolina. He said Marquette is just a bunch of “junkyard dogs” and the Heels are lucky they have a few days to prepare for that Sweet 16 game.