How new NCAA rules for student-athletes are playing into this year’s March Madness

Read the Full Transcript

• Geoff Bennett:

  Tonight marks the last final four and potentially the final game for Duke's Mike Krzyzewski, finally known as Coach K. Ahead of tonight's final four matchups, I spoke with veteran sportswriter Howard Bryant, about how new rules have changed the game for student athletes and coaches alike.

  Coach K as you know, he took very seriously the notion of a student athlete. This is something that you've written a lot about. And the idea of a student athlete has changed dramatically in just the last year because of the new NCAA rules?

• Howard Bryant, Meadowlark Media:

  Well, he took the notion of a student athlete seriously until it was very, very clear that the game of being a student athlete was no longer the game that he had once mastered that Mike Krzyzewski along with every other coach once it became very, very clear that the very best players were not going to stay two years, never mind four years anymore, then Coach K adapted the same way the rest of them adapted.

  Remember back 20 years ago, they were talking about Kentucky and John Calipari and some of the more dastardly coaches exploiting the one and done rule. And then it became the norm and even coaches like Mike Krzyzewski had to get along to — and deal with it, if they were going to get the best players and stay relevant.

• Geoff Bennett:

  You talked about the one and done dilemma. And for the unfamiliar, this is a basketball player who plays college ball for a single year and then declares himself for the NBA Draft, how has that changed the game?

• Howard Bryant:

  The one and done rule has changed everything in college basketball for two specific reasons. The first reason is that now that you don't have these great crops of players staying together for four years, then Team A that had those great players is no longer going to be guaranteed good for the next four years because those players are going to leave for the NBA after one year after two years. And what that does is that completely diminishes the gap between say the number one seed and the number 16 seed in this tournament. We just saw St. Peter's a 15 seed go to the final eight, which had never happened before and it would never happen if so much of that talent that would have been in college basketball have that talent not been in the NBA. So that's a huge, huge factor as to what happened to college basketball.

  The other factor as well is with the one and done rule being so prevalent, then now you have something else that didn't happen before either. And that is that some of these new schools that we've never heard of, they believe they can win. So not only are the other schools no longer as strong, the Dukes in the Carolinas no, obviously they're here, because they're in the final four. But there hold on the sport is nowhere near what it once was.

• Geoff Bennett:

  Let's talk about tonight. This big matchup, Duke versus UNC. Coach K is trying to go out on top as he heads into retirement. You've got the coach at UNC trying to win his first title, break down the moment for us?

• Howard Bryant:

  Well, that moment is historic. Number one, let's not forget when it looked like everyone was saying goodbye to Coach K. And they were saying goodbye to the Duke Carolina Rivalry, Carolina went into Duke, they absolutely destroyed Mike Krzyzewski and his ACC farewell. And everyone thought, well, this is going to be the lasting memory of the Duke Carolina Rivalry. Well hold on a second, now they're meeting in the final floor. So you've got so many steaks there, you've got Duke wanting to win the championship. You've got Duke wanting revenge, you've got Mike Krzyzewski wanting to go out on top. And that hasn't really happened at his level since John Wooden in 1975 wins 10 national championships and goes out on top, winning his last one. And so that would be an amazing storyline.

  On the other hand, you've got Carolina as an eight seed, and wouldn't they like to go win another championship as well. So you've got that with this matchup. And then on the other side of it, you've got another blueblood Kansas trying to win get another championship. And then you've got Jay Wright with Villanova and Villanova is a terrific team that has really over the last 15 years just escaped the shadow of the old Big East. Remember Villanova won the championship in 1985. They beat Georgetown. They with a great Cinderella story. Well, they're not a Cinderella anymore. They have emerged from the ashes of the old Big East and now they're the top one. So you got four great schools. You've got three blue chip, IBM style legendary franchises with Carolina Duke and Kansas. And then you've got the big up and coming school Villanova that is moving into the 21st century along those same lines as a blue chipper as well.

• Geoff Bennett:

  Howard Bryant, I appreciate you breaking it all down for us. Thanks for your time.