Tradition's Finest Episode #129 - "The comeBACK Episode"

Welcome Back to the Tradition's Finest Podcast! Episode 129 - "The comeBACK Episode" includes a discussion of the following sports-related topics: - NCAA: News & Storylines - - NCAA College Football: "NCAA's Appeal Denied:" The Mississippi Supreme Court denied the NCAA's petition to overturn a judge's decision that would allow Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss to play next season - - Initially, the NCAA denied Chambliss' waiver request on Jan. 9, and after Chambliss appealed, the organization's Athletics Eligibility Subcommittee upheld the denial on Feb 4. - - On Feb. 12, Judge Robert Whitwell, the presiding judge, said that he agreed with Chambliss' argument that the player's medical history was not properly considered by the NCAA - - The 23-year-old Chambliss has been in college for five (5) years, but was healthy enough to play just three (3) of those years - - Afterwards, Judge Whitwell advocated for the Ole Miss QB, stating that Chambliss would have received "irreparable harm" had the NCAA's ruling been upheld, and he further elaborated that the organization would not be damaged by allowing to play - - Chambliss and Ole Miss Athletics Department submitted nearly 91 pages to the NCAA to document how medical issues prevented him from playing two years, the judge said - - The NCAA, according to the judge, did not properly take those [medical] records into consideration, and denied the waiver's request "on pure semantics," - - Prior to transferring to Ole Miss, Chambliss began his college football career at Ferris State University, a Division II program, where he would lead the Bulldogs to a NCAA D-II national championship - - Last season, in Oxford, Chambliss completed 294 of 445 passes (66.1%) for 3,937 yards with 22 TDs and three (3) INTs for the Rebels (13-2), which set a school record for wins, including two after making the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history, while also rushing for 527 yards and eight (8) TDs on the ground. . .Q: What are your thoughts on the Mississippi Supreme Court's decision to deny the NCAA's appeal to overturn a judge's decision regarding Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss' eligibility in 2026-27?. . .Recently retired coach, Gus Malzahn, who won a national title in 2010 as Auburn's OC, will join former Cal coach Jeff Tedford on the College Football Playoff Selection Committee this spring, the CFP announced on Monday - - University of Arkansas AD Hunter Yurachek will return as the Committee chairman for a second consecutive season, and Louisiana AD Bryan Maggard will also join the group - - The three (3) new committee members will each serve three-year terms & replace outgoing members Chris Ault (a former HC), Jeff Long (a former longtime collegiate administrator), and Miami (Ohio) AD David Sayler, whose terms have expired - - Malzahn, who had a 35-year coaching career and developed a reputation for his up-tempo offensive philosophy, announced his retirement in February after serving as the OC under Mike Norvell at Florida State University - - He spent 13 years as head football coach at Arkansas State (2012), Auburn (2013-2020) and UCF (2021-2024), where he posted a career record of 105-62 - - As for Jeff Tedford, he served as the head football coach at Cal University (2002-2012) and Fresno State (2017-2019 and 2022-2023), compiling a career record of 127-79 - - At Cal, Tedford engineered one of the most remarkable turnarounds in college football history, leading a team that had won just one game to consistent bowl appearances, national rankings as well as a share of the 2006 PAC-12 Conference title - - He remains the Golden Bears' winningest coach with an 82-57 record, while guiding the team to eight (8) bowl games - - Malzahn & Tedford will join former coaches Mark Dantonio (Michigan State) and Mike Riley (Oregon State/Nebraska). . .Q: What are your thoughts on the news that former head football coaches Gus Malzahn & Jeff Tedford will be joining the CFP Selection Committee this spring? How does Gus Malzahn's addition impact Kalen DeBoer & the Alabama Crimson Tide come postseason/CFP time next spring? . . .NCAA College Basketball: "Wade Just One Damn Minute:" Just one year after signing a six-year deal to become the head basketball coach at NC State University, Will Wade made the decision on Thursday to make a jump back to LSU, where he previously coached from 2017 until 2022, while NC State was left to pick up the pieces, and like many Wolfpack fans, NC State AD Boo Corrigan was not pleased by the sudden move, stating "I'd commiserate with [fans], in terms of feeling lied to," - - After leading the Wolfpack to a 20-12 record this season, Wade has now inked a seven-year deal to become the head basketball coach at LSU - - Out of the ACC Conference, NC State got off to an 18-6 start (9-2 in conference play) prior to losing six (6) of its final seven (7) games to end the regular season, as the Wolfpack were ultimately placed in the First Four on Selection Sunday, and afterwards losing to the Texas Longhorns, finishing the season with a 20-14 mark - - In his introductory press conference on Monday, Wade indicated to the Tiger faithful that "We're coming back to try and hang a banner, win a national championship, or I'm going to be the first [head] coach fired from the same school twice," as Wade does become the first SEC men's basketball coach in conference history to be fired and re-hired by the same program "One way or another, we're going to make history!" - - In his first stint at LSU from 2017-22, Wade was 105-51 with an SEC regular-season championship and three (3) NCAA Tournament appearances, however, LSU would go on to fire him in March 2022 for his involvement in NCAA Level I and Level II recruiting violations - - Overall, Wade is 266-119 with eight (8) NCAA Tournament appearances in 12 seasons as a head coach at five (5) different NCAA D-I programs. . .Q: How do you expect for the Will Wade-LSU reunion to play out? - - **Update: It was announced that former player Justin Gainey, who has spent the past five (5) seasons as an assistant coach, will return to NC State as the Wolfpack's next head basketball coach and Wade's replacement, sources confirmed to ESPN on Monday amid multiple reports - - Gainey, 49, played for the Wolfpack from 1996 to 2000 and later began his foray into coaching as an administrative coordinator with the program from 2006 to 2008 - - Gainey has spent the past five (5) seasons on Rick Barnes' staff at Tennessee, including the last four (4) as an assistant coach - Gainey also has served as an assistant at Elon, Appalachian State, Santa Clara, Arizona & Marquette - - Gainey was on AD Boo Corrigan's short list of replacements, and was believed to be one of the final candidates last offseason prior to the hire of Will Wade. . .Q: What are your thoughts on NC State's hire of former Wolfpack player Justin Gainey as the program's next head basketball coach?. . . - 2026 NCAA Tournament: Sweet 16 & Elite Eight Review & Recap: In this particular segment, JD & Spencer will review and recap the eight (8) games from the Sweet Sixteen as well as the four (4) games from the Elite Eight from this past weekend - as well as discuss a few of the major takeaways from the first weekend of March Madness; the following matchups from the third and fourth round(s) of the 2026 NCAA Tournament listed below are discussed within this episode: Sweet Sixteen: West Region: No.1 Arizona Wildcats vs. No.4 Arkansas Razorbacks (ARK HC John Calipari suffered the single worst loss of his career in the NCAA Tournament) . . . West Region: No.2 Purdue Boilermakers vs. No.11 Texas Longhorns (Despite their loss, TEX G Tramon Mark (29) sets record for the most points scored by a Texas player in the NCAA Tournament since Kevin Durant (30) in the second round of the 2007 tournament) . . . South Region: No.2 Houston Cougars vs. No.3 Illinois Fighting Illini (The Cougars struggled offensively, as a team shooting 34% in its lowest-scoring game of the season) . . . South Region: No.4 Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. No.9 Iowa Hawkeyes (IOWA first-year HC Ben McCollum, who won four (4) national titles at the D-II level, led the Hawkeyes to its fifth Elite Eight and first since 1987) . . .**NOTE: 38,369 NCAA Tournament brackets (0.144%) accurately predicted Iowa, Illinois, Arizona & Purdue advancing to the Elite Eight following the first four (4) games of the Sweet Sixteen . . . East Region: No.1 Duke Blue Devils vs. No.5 St. John's Red Storm (Three (3) weeks post-surgery on his left foot, Duke's Caleb Foster helps the Blue Devils rally from a 10-point second-half deficit to stun St. John's and to advance to the Elite Eight) . . .**NOTE: It was just the second loss for St. John's head coach Rick Pitino in 14 visit(s) to the Sweet 16 - and just the second loss for this season's Red Storm in their final 23 games . . . East Region: No.2 UConn Huskies vs No.3 Michigan State Spartans ( A true heavyweight clash between two of college basketball's traditional "blue bloods," as well as a battle between two of the sports' greatest coaches in Tom Izzo and Dan Hurley) . . .**NOTE: Following UConn's win over Tom Izzo and the Spartans, forward Alex Karaban won his 16^th NCAA Tournament game as a starter . . . Midwest Region: No.1 Michigan Wolverines vs. No.4 Alabama Crimson Tide (In an up-tempo matchup of two of the NCAA Tournament's highest-scoring teams, the Wolverines - led by the Big Ten player of the year Yaxel Lendeborg, guards Trey McKenney & Roddy Gayle Jr. - outlasted Labaron Philon Jr., who scored 35 points in what is most likely his final game under HC Nate Oats - and the Crimson Tide after a 33-6 advantage in bench points) . . .**NOTE: The Wolverines & Crimson Tide combined for a total of 74 shots in the first half alone, including 39 attempts from beyond the arc . . . Midwest Region: No.2 Iowa State Cyclones vs. No.6 Tennessee Volunteers (Despite a strong effort from Iowa State guards Tamin Lipsey & Nate Heise, the Cyclones clearly struggled without star forward Joshua Jefferson - as star freshman Nate Ament & the Volunteers used a dominant effort on the glass and a strong second-half performance to advance to the NCAA Tournament Regional Finals for the third straight year) . . . Elite Eight: South Region: No.3 Illinois Fighting Illini vs. No.9 Iowa Hawkeyes (Under HC Brad Underwood, Andrej Stojakovic & the Fighting Illini are headed to their first Final Four in 21 years (2005) and their sixth trip overall, which has - believe it or not - never won a national title) . . . West Region: No.1 Arizona Wildcats vs. No.2 Purdue Boilermakers (Now riding a 13-game winning streak, the Wildcats, which features a talented freshman class led by Koa Peat & Brayden Burries, frustrated the NCAA record-holder in assists, Purdue guard Braden Smith, and prevented his fellow four-year senior(s) in Trey Kaufman-Renn & Fletcher Loyer, from getting into a rhythm) . . .**NOTE: The trip to the Final Four is a long-awaited one for the Wildcats, who last made it to that stage in 2001 when they lost the title game under HC Lute Olson/Freshman Koa Peat, who was named the West Region's Most Outstanding Player, became just the sixth freshman to score at least 20 points to help his team win in both the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight . . . Midwest Region: No.1 Michigan Wolverines vs. No.6 Tennessee Volunteers (Making the most out its' size advantage and athleticism on both sides of the court, Michigan advanced to its first Final Four since 2018 and ninth overall) . . .**NOTE: The unselfish Wolverines steamrolled the Volunteers to become the first program to win at least four (4) games in an NCAA Tournament by double digits while scoring a minimum of 90 points in each . . . East Region: No.1 Duke Blue Devils vs. No.2 UConn Huskies (Two words: "Mullins MANIA!") . . .**NOTE: UConn head coach Dan Hurley is trying to coach the Huskies to a national title for the third time in four (4) seasons, a feat that hasn't been accomplished since John Wooden did so at UCLA in the 1970s . . . - 2026 NCAA Tournament: Final Four Preview & Predictions: In this particular segment, JD & Spencer preview the two Final Four matchup(s) from this upcoming weekend, and provide their individually-selected, subjective predictions for both games, which are listed below: **Be Sure to Tune in for their picks/Share Your Final Four Picks with us via X - @TraditionFinest or Send Us a Message at [email protected]! No.2 UConn Huskies vs. No.3 Illinois Fighting Illini (-2.5)            O/U139.5 No.1 Michigan Wolverines (-1.5) vs. No.1 Arizona Wildcats         O/U157.5 - NBA - - The Chicago Bulls waived guard Jaden Ivey for conduct detrimental to the team Monday, just hours after he posted a lengthy video rant on social media about religion and other topics that included anti-gay sentiments - - Ivey has gone live on his Instagram account more frequently in the past week, posting at least three (3) lengthy videos after he was shut down for the rest of the NBA season by the team because of injury last Thursday - - The Bulls acquired Ivey, 24, from the Detroit Pistons prior to the NBA trade deadline last month, after he was drafted with the No.5 pick by the Pistons in the 2022 NBA Draft, and featured early by a rebuilding Detroit franchise prior to knee issues limiting him to only 30 games in 2024-25 and kept him out for the first 15 games this season - - Ivey has appeared in only four (4) NBA regular-season games for the Bulls, and has not saw any action on the court since Feb. 11 prior to the All-Star Break. . Q: What are your thoughts on the Chicago Bulls' announcement that they have officially waived guard Jaden Ivey following his anti-gay remarks? . . . - Miscellaneous - - "Tiga, Tiga Woods, Ya'll:" Tiger Woods was arrested and charged with driving under the influence following a rollover crash in Jupiter Island, Florida last Friday afternoon, according to the Martin County Sherriff's Office - - Woods' Range Rover SUV rolled over after it clipped a trailer being hauled by a truck, after the truck had reportedly slowed down to turn into the adjacent driveway - - Woods' SUV swerved and flipped on its' side and slid down the road, after which point he told authorities that he was looking down at his cell phone ("I was just talking to the President of the United States". . .no BIG deal!) and changing the radio station in his SUV, which caused him to not see the truck slowing down prior to the rollover crash - - Woods, 50, was arrested on the suspicion of a misdemeanor DUI with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test, and while Martin County Sherriff John Budensiek reported that Woods' breathalyzer test revealed no signs of alcohol, Woods refused to submit to a urinalysis test for other drugs, according to the sheriff - - Another Martin County Sherriff's deputy found two hydrocodone pills in Woods' left pants pocket, according to the arrest affidavit - - After Woods agreed to perform field sobriety exercises, the deputy observed him "limping and stumbling to the right," to which, Woods informed the deputy that he has underwent a total of seven (7) back surgeries & more than 20 operations on his right leg, which he severely injured in a car wreck outside of Los Angeles in 2021 - - After Woods was arrested, he was transported to the Cleveland Clinic ER South, but he ultimately refused all medical treatment - - The 15-time PGA major champion was then transported back to Martin County Jail, where he was held until his release on a $1,000 bond later Friday night - - Neither Woods nor the PGA Tour has publicly commented on his arrest, however, multiple recordings of Woods' arrest have now made their way onto the Internet - - **Update: Per his attorney on Tuesday evening, Tiger Woods has checked himself into a rehab facility and is stepping away from the PGA Tour/golf until further notice. . .Q: What is going on with Tiger Woods? . . . Thanks for Listening!