According to the near-100 coaches CBS Sports surveyed, the best player in college basketball this season will be a bearded point guard who stands shorter than 6 feet and weighs less than 175 lbs. In fact, Braden Smith set a Candid Coaches record for the highest voting return on this question ever🫣

I was there 🖐️. Maybe the definitive Granny. www.youtube.com/watch?v=a58d...

GP had the byline on this one, so we had some cutting-room-floor quotes that were there in the first file. This question, more than any other in our 2025 series, prompted the most response. Here are a few more full quotes that didn't make the piece.

News—Wagner has suspended MBB coach Donald Copeland as the school investigates claims he was abusive to his players, including one alleged incident of Copeland running the team to exhaustion, leading to a player going to the hospital. Wagner's AD confirmed the suspension this morning to CBS Sports.

Candid Coaches is back. CBS Sports polled ~100 coaches across D-I on a variety of topics. We'll publish the results of our survey across the next three weeks. We open with the unofficial preseason coaches poll. Who will be the best team in 2025-26? Ten schools got multiple votes. See who won:

I don't know why people keep posting about Bruce Pearl running for the Senate. He is not. I reported as much multiple times earlier this year and, finally yesterday, Pearl himself stated that would not be the case in his retirement video.

OK, been a wild afternoon, but here's the fleshed-out, big-picture CBS Sports story on Bruce Pearl's big decision to retire, including the good and the bad that came from a career that spans more than four decades.

did they want to make it look like a Succession still or no

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BREAKING: Auburn coach Bruce Pearl is retiring, a source tells CBS Sports. It's the second straight offseason CBB has had a high-profile preseason retirement (Tony Bennett at UVa in '24.) Pearl, 65, is coming off his second F4 w/ the Tigers. His son, Steven, will be named the full-time head coach.

Olamide Zaccheaus went for the jumping celebration with DJ Moore who didn't see him 😭🤣

Clemson pacing to be the biggest preseason flop in college sports since UNC was preseason No. 1 and missed the NCAA Tournament? That sound about right?

Coaching news from late last night ⬇️

Mid-September, late Friday night college hoops SoCon coaching scoop. (What is going on?????) A week removed from controversially firing its coach, Wofford is bringing in a former player to take over the program, sources tell CBS Sports. Story: www.cbssports.com/college-bask...

Bumping this one more time. Some key five-star official visits happening this weekend. A high-major coach whose been to a Final Four in recent years called yesterday to vent his frustrations and told me he's more in the dark on recruiting right now than at any point in his career.

#NoContextEyeonCBBPodcastPreview open.spotify.com/show/2vk8wq9...

Podcast going live in just a minute. We've got a mailbag special and it's gonna be a fun one. Hop in: www.youtube.com/live/5BFKDOY...

Dave Matthews Band 2025 Summer Tour in numbers: 35 shows in 25 different cities with 682 song performances (125 different) and the full Before These Crowded Streets played front to back at the Gorge Amphitheatre on August 30th. #DMB2025

Very interesting phase CBB is going through this month and into the fall. A massive market adjustment—prompted by rev-share cap + the House case settlement—has led to a stall in commitments from high school players. Who's bluffing? A big story on something coaches can't stop talking about:

Very interesting phase CBB is going through this month and into the fall. A massive market adjustment—prompted by rev-share cap + the House case settlement—has led to a stall in commitments from high school players. Who's bluffing? A big story on something coaches can't stop talking about:

Getty Images photog Hannah Peters deserves an award for how good these shots of Mondo Duplantis — the greatest pole vaulter ever — are. I love sports photography.

Aubrey’s kick would’ve been good from 72 🥱

The NFL is unbelievable and inevitable.

The Chicago Bears are, once again, a laughingstock.

The NCAA has announced a wide-ranging probe into 13 CBB players involved in impermissible gambling activity in recent seasons. Arizona State is the one high-major school tied to the investigation; former Sun Devils starter BJ Freeman is one player in question, a source tells CBS Sports. Story:

The first college basketball coaching carousel move of the 2025-26 season is in: St. Joe's just lost its coach to the New York Knicks. www.cbssports.com/college-bask...

College basketball news: Three college players at Fresno State and San Jose State last season (Mykell Robinson, Steven Vasquez, Jalen Weaver) have banned from the sport after being busted for "manipulating their performances" in certain games last season. NCAA release: www.ncaa.org/news/2025/9/...

Two episodes into Shōgun. I'm all in.

I see other podcasts have picked up on the bit.

Every time they cut to Ben Johnson on the sideline he looks like he already regrets taking the job.

I give it a 10.

Wait — if Hockenson's knee is down and the *first* contact is hand to football, that is a fumble.

That's roughing the passer???

It's time to watch Chicago Bears football.

0-1!

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It's been a while since Parrish and I went live and did a pod, so let's fix that. We've got a grab bag full of college basketball news and notes to get to, plus a full-on recap of our college hoops fantasy draft last week (that I won; I have the proof). Come on in: www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRFc...

Matt Prater looks like a guy who did not expect to be seen in public before October.

Phenomenal battle, one of the better regular-season games in modern history — and a Scorigami! First 41-40 ending in NFL history! nflscorigami.com

The NFL is unreal, man. Are we getting the game of the year in Week 1?

Baltimore looks like it's going to have the best offense in the league. Maybe comfortably.

That Bryan Adams NBC bump to break just hit so right. www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCBA...

Among many other well-known tunes, he wrote "Goodbye Stranger," which is one of the more creative pop songs of its era.

We will talk about Derrick Henry in 2055 the way we revere Barry Sanders now.

REDZONE IMMEDIATELY DELIVERING IN WEEK 1.

Browns … brutality.

Fewer games bumps it down. The ones on top are on top because of the cornucopia of hope and optimism for almost everyone watching. Championship Sunday is amazing and easily top 10, but it's only two games and four teams.

Top 10 days on the sports calendar: 1. First Thursday of NCAAT 2. First Friday of NCAAT 3. First Sunday of NFL 4. Selection Sunday 5. Thursday of CBB conf tourneys 6. Friday of conf tourneys 7. AFC/NFC championship Sunday 8. CFB on New Year's Day 9. Final Four Saturday 10. Sunday at The Masters