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Come Fan with UsSaturday, July 11, 2026

Final Four preview podcast: Kentucky-Duke is the championship game college basketball deserves

A Final Four podcast with a hint of McDonald’s All-American Game talk.

Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Ricky O'Donnell
Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.

The Final Four is here, with three No. 1 seeds and Tom Izzo’s surprising Michigan State team joining the party as a No. 7 seed. Before we head off to Indianapolis to cover the drama, Scott Phillips and I sat down and talked about the storylines heading into the weekend. There is no shortage:

  • Does Wisconsin have the blueprint to beat Kentucky?
  • If Kentucky goes 40-0, are they the best team ever?
  • Is Tyus Jones the most underrated player in the country?
  • Do the Spartans have a chance against Duke?
  • Does Wisconsin really want to slow it down against Kentucky?
  • Can Frank Kaminsky score one-on-one against Willie Cauley-Stein?
  • Who on Kentucky guards Sam Dekker?

Scott and I also talked about the 2015 McDonald’s All-American Game a little bit. Topics include:

  • Ben Simmons or Jaylen Brown?
  • Where will the eight uncommitted players end up?
  • Does Brandon Ingram have the most long-term upside of any player in the class?

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