At Cameron, we had a poll question where I said you could I could give you tickets to the national title game or tickets to tonight's game, make love and update the poll results.

62% want to go to the national title game.

Now.

I said the game being at Duke, I'd rather see Duke.

North Carolina at Cameron.

A sure thing.

You know, the national title game will be in an antiseptic building in Minneapolis, you know, in a dome, and I don't know who's gonna be playing, Which one would you take?

I would take to Carolina cameras, or I take it at the Smith Center.

Uh, I'd love to go back to Carmichael, too, where they used to play before the Smith Center opened in 86.

But you know, the national championship games, great.

But 70,000 people.

And it's not a great atmosphere.

It's just a great game.

Uh, this is, uh, this is an unforgettable atmosphere.

And you know, Dan, you've been You've been there before.

You can't You can't describe the Duke Carolina atmosphere because the air is heavier.

It's hotter.

Um, it's tangible you can actually feel it in there, and it's unlike any other game, and I don't know.

I almost don't know how to describe it in words.

But once you go through it, you'll never have another.

Another experience like it.

And I think it's even different than than playing at Carolina, which is is just a loud.

It's just bigger, Um, but maybe because there's more air in that bigger place, it doesn't seem it's hot, It doesn't seem is heavy, but the atmosphere inside a camera for the Carolina game, unlike anything else, it's like I don't even know how to describe it.

It's just and you had coached game mentioned this yesterday practice.

Um, he said, because do you remember?

He says to me, Do you remember?

Uh, you know how emotionally spent you'd be just when you got the opening tip?

Because of the emotional energy and the toll it takes on you building up to the game.

And when he said, Do you remember?

I think he was taking a shot at old I waas.

Am I capable of remembering?

I was also wondering about this Jay at the beginning of the year when ESPN sets their schedule.

They're broadcasting schedule.

How strategic is it that you would have Duke, North Carolina?

No N ba following the All Star break and it's on a Wednesday night sort of a stand alone.

Is this on purpose?

By design by ESPN?

I have not thought about that.

It didn't occur to me, Dan until yesterday that this is the latest that Duke Carolina have ever played, except one time when the game got snowed out and they had to postpone it for like 10 days.

So they've never have never had their first game this late in the year.

And I was listening to the radio earlier today and a former Carolina player was asked about managing the day for a nine game, and I started thinking about well, I never played at nine.

I mean, I played 30 years ago, but our games were always in the afternoon on Saturday, either in the A C C tournament are regular season.

We play in the afternoon, so it's even harder for these guys now because the television toe manage all they have to manage.

And I'm telling you wouldn't believe the buzz around here.

You know, it looks like the Super Bowl around around camera with all the TV crews, all the celebrities that air here, um, it's Ah.

It seems like this thing gets bigger and bigger and bigger.

And just when you think okay, can't get a bigger this, it gets bigger than that in the tickets I was reading a little while ago on the Internet.

You know, some of the tickets for tonight are going for 10,000 bucks on Vivid in.

The average price of a secondary market ticket is is like 2,503,000 bucks.

Yeah, I got 30.

100 is like the average just your get in price for this.

Who were some of the luminaries that are expected to show up?

Well, Todd Gurley was there at practice yesterday.

And by the way, if it if it gets much higher than 3100 you could be here in tonight.

Dan Shulman and some dude named Fred sitting in my teeth.

You're gonna sell your pretty damn food.

It's gonna be worth selling.

Um, but, you know, I've heard some rumors that President Obama may be here tonight.

I don't know if that's true or not.

But that's the rumor effort.

You think you could take him one on one?

I know I could take him one on one, but it depends if his Secret Service guys, they're gonna be gonna be screening for him because those guys very way, we're looking at this fascination with this Duke team.

And I know you've said this on the air before We've witnessed this and I have said to the dance, You know, it's one and done when you get to the tournament, it's different.

If if If this was a best of seven, could anybody beat Duke in America in a best of seven?

No, no.

They would win the best of seven for Duke to lose.

They have to have a bad shooting night and sort of get in foul trouble, have something something crazy happened or have a performance like they had in the 1st 30 minutes against Louisville or something like that, where they run into a hot team.

But that was a game on the road.

I just don't see it, Dan.

But you know, like you said, back in 2015 Kentucky was the best team.

Uh, back when I was an assistant UNLV and 91 was the best team.

They were undefeated and they got clipped.

So it can happen in that one game scenario where you're the best team and you may be the best team by far.

Um, but these guys are extraordinary.

I mean, this is the best freshman class I've ever seen.

It's clearly the best freshman class coach has ever had.

He's had some good ones, and it's not just their talent.

They've got a maturity level that is, uh, that I can't fathom to be this young.

And then and then Zion puts it on a different level.

I mean, this dude, people thought I was I was no hyperbole.

Whatever you wanna call it over hype when when you know they said, Well, how would you describe Zayn Williamson?

And my response was, Oh, my God and you know, people get it now.

I think they get it.

He's like he's like putting a Mack truck in a ballet performance and you go, Hey, it works, man, this guy's good.

This guy's good at this.

Um, you can't believe how nimble he is, given his size and explosiveness.

He's He's an incredible play and the numbers he's putting up our historic, uh, you know, he's He's averaging, like 24 game and conference play, shooting 70%.

It's crazy what he's doing, and I think he's going to get better when he starts shooting it better.

How you gonna guard this guy like if you don't crowd him?

Dan like, you know, say a non shooter, you step off from, Ah, few steps and give him some space.

He's taken up that space and you've got a crowd him like he could shoot it because, uh, because you'll take that space up and he'll be gone, you won't have any anyway.

I was talking to Chris Webber.

You know, when you had the Fab Five at Michigan, he said with a difference with the Duke freshman.

They're not facing veteran teams, he said.

When we came in to college in Michigan, we're facing guys who had been in college for two or three years.

You know, Duke was a veteran team when they were facing them, so I I know it's hard to compare and contrast, but you know, Webber does have a valid argument that that team was just a talented because of what they were facing night in and night out is supposed to Duke your best teams.

You know, you're probably facing one in donors.

So you think that this Duke team couldn't handle like Kevin Salvadorian, Hendrik Rodal and Henrik thinks that?

You don't think they could handle that?

No, I don't think they like.

Look, Chris, Chris Webber is a Hall of Famer and Toby able to say somebody is some classes as good as them.

I don't think is insulting to them because I do think everything gets the idea that everything in America gets better over time except basketball players.

I find ridiculous.

And I'll tell you one thing like, I don't think any member of the Fab Five would entertain the idea that anybody before them was as good as they were.

Do you think they would like if you said, Wait a minute, man?

The classes the freshman class is in the 19 sixties played against better players and they played against guys stuck around.

They would never entertain that they would never listen to it.

Um, so the idea that 30 years later players players are not or could not be better, the average players better.

Never.

You could be better.

You could be more talented.

But I'm saying Michigan went against veteran teams where it actually didn't win at this point in the season when Michigan Plate, they lost eight games and they didn't win the Big 10.

Those years they were there.

They went to the title game twice.

They were great, like nobody's arguing.

They weren't great.

But But the idea that these guys like it's not a crazy statement to say These guys are just as good, if not better, because I think they are.

And when they have, when they have a body of work with them later on in their careers, when they're older, then people are going to realize just how freaking good these guys are.

Cause Tau have tohave R J.

Barrett averaging 20 to Zion average in like 23 24 in conference play.

The last game they played Zion at 32 against NC State, which has better players, and R.

J.

Barrett had a had a triple double.

I mean, without a turnover, Uh, that just doesn't happen.

That's extraordinary what these guys are doing.

And look, I I'm not I'm not trying to diminish in any way the Fab Five.

What I'm trying to do is say just how good these guys are, its historic and I've never seen anything quite like it.

It's it's crazy.

But you know, when the season started, I was watching Barrett and he felt like he was, you know, a like a larger version of Harden, like he could get his shot outside inside.

But I also looked at the marketing of Zion Williamson that I didn't know if he would be better a better pro than R.

J.

Barrett.

But as you've seen them develop their freshman year going into the n B.

A.

Is ion obviously the best player you can market?

But is he a better player going into the N B A?

That R J.

Barrett is, That's That's the question.

And I have not given up on the idea that R.

J Eric would be the better number one pick.

I don't I don't know that I would do that, but I happen to think that that he's built for the N B A.

He's a he's a much better shooter and I think his shot is gonna improve kind of like hardens dead.

If you remember.

When hardened came out of Arizona State, we were touting the fact that he was a great shooter and he has certainly turned into that and a spectacular offensive player.

He could do everything Well, this guy can, too, and he rebounds his position.

He could play the point, Uh, ridiculously talented, getting to the basket and finishing.

And if he weren't playing with Brian Williamson, he'd be the lead story in everything we were doing this year, it's just Williamson is one of these.

Ah, very few times.

Will you see somebody this, this extraordinarily talented and a guy that is truly unique, that's taken all the air out of the room.

And to his credit, Barrett has not one ounce of jealousy and him, uh, which is which I think is extraordinary.

That that he was the presumptive number one pick coming into the season.

And now it seems like everybody say no, it's not even close it Zion, which I don't agree with.

I think it is close but doesn't seem to bother R.

J.

Barrett.

One bit.

Have fun tonight, Jay.

If you decide to ah go and take part in the broadcast.

Yeah, just like Antonio Brown.

If you If you have an offer for my feet, hit my phone.

Thank you, Jay.

That's Ajay, Bela's ESPN college basketball analyst.

If Duke loses, Duke is gonna lose from the perimeter.

They're one of the best, you know.

As far as field goal percentage, their fourth in the country, they shoot 58 almost 59% from the floor.

Three point range.

They are 13th in the A C C alone.

Now they don't don't have to take threes.

Bacon Beach in transition.

They can get their shots.

They can get to the hoop.

But if they lose, I feel like they're going to have one of those off night's shooting from three point range outside shots if you're able to make them shoot outside, which is not easy.