A Cut Above: The Top Four Teams Face Off for the NCAA Tournament Crown

Sam Ravech, host of Countdown to GameDay on the ESPN YouTube channel, and Jeff Borzello, ESPN college basketball insider, discuss the powerhouse teams hungry to take on Duke—or at least eager to see the Blue Devils fall—as the NCAA Tournament title game approaches. Off the court, more drama unfolds as the transfer portal swells with players, raising the question: should the portal window be pushed until after the tournament ends? Meanwhile, one coach in particular has drawn the ire of Maryland fans: Kevin Willard, who made a high-profile exit for Villanova. How did it all unfold—and what did it cost the Wildcats?

0:00 - The clear cut top 4 teams chasing the NCAA Tourney crown

6:33 - Wave of players hit the transfer portal

8:43 - Why not move the portal past the NCAA Tourney title game?

12:21 - The current transfer portal window forces rushed decisions

19:11 - Duke's biggest threat is Houston

24:00 - SEC to end their 12-year title drought?

28:30 - How Coach Kelvin Sampson completely transformed Houston

34:44 - Michigan State's costly mistake against Auburn

38:55 - How Coach Kevin Willard's exit from Maryland unfolded

43:18 - What it cost Villanova to land Kevin Willard

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices