I'm thrilled to go on it! Appreciate you.

Ep. 1134: Hot Take Tuesday: We're back, talkin' MSU basketball, football, Tigers, Pistons and Life YouTube video by Couch and The Rube

🚨🎙️📺 Couch and The Rube listeners: Our Tuesday show, digging into our takes and yours — on MSU basketball and football, the Pistons, Tigers, media ethics, life and more — begins now.

The podcast will be up when the show ends.

You can watch and listen now on YouTube ⬇️ www.youtube.com/live/J9tq2JG...

*isn’t* the 8th-most capable team.

🚨🎙️⏰ Couch and The Rube returns TUESDAY. We’ll begin our Tuesday show, with our takes.

We want your best take, too - and maybe a bonus/baked take - on MSU football or hoops, the portal, the Pistons, Tigers, media ethics, grievances, anything.

Reply by 6 a.m. Tuesday or email graham.couch@gmail.com

Detroit *I think* will get it done in a long series. But the No. 1 seed should get to choose its best 1st-round opponent. Because the Magic were a top-3/4 favorite in the East entering the season because, pound for pound, they’ve got some dudes. This is the 8th-most capable team.

In October, Orlando was +600 to win the East. Detroit +1100. Duren’s development, etc, Orlando’s dysfunction/injuries led to this 1-8 seed difference. But the talent isn’t that. Magic are like that underachieving 8 seed that’s dangerous in the NCAA tourney. Luckily it’s a 7-game series.

🎙️⏰ Couch and The Rube listeners: We’ll be back next week. This time we have a good excuse.

🚨Couch and The Rube update 🚨

We’re going to have to take a rain check on today’s show. Sorry about that.

🚨🎙️❓ Couch and The Rube listeners: We'll answer your questions during our Friday show.

Have one?

Reply here by 10:30 a.m. or email graham.couch@gmail.com

Thanks for catching it.

Couch: MSU basketball roster looks to be in a great spot — a center away from contention Tom Izzo and Co. have built an MSU roster that's only a center away from being a contender next season. Now he and his staff have to finish the job.

Tom Izzo and Co. have put themselves in a great spot. Even if that’s hard to see through the confetti and applause showering a rival who’s just won the national championship.

Column on an MSU program that just needs a center — but needs a center.
www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/sports...

Ep. 1133: Hot Take Monday: What's next for MSU basketball after Michigan wins the national title YouTube video by Couch and The Rube

🎙️NEW COUCH AND THE RUBE: What's next for MSU basketball after Michigan wins the national title, presented by @goMuskOx quality flannels.

Download it anywhere you get your podcasts or on YouTube: www.youtube.com/live/E_pY0Cy...

🏀🏆 Congrats to Jon W. for winning the "Beat Couch" LSJ NCAA tournament pool.

You, sir, have won lunch on me — with or without me. If you don't want to watch me eat, I understand.
www.usatoday.com/sports/conte...

CBS Sports - 2026 NCAA® Women's Bracket Games - CBSSports.com ‘Couch and The Rube 2026 women's NCAA tournament bracket challenge’ is my 2026 NCAA® Women's Bracket Games on CBS Sports. Join it today!

🏀🏆 Congrats to Max Spayde 🥇 for winning the Couch and The Rube NCAA women's basketball bracket challenge.

Also, congrats to runner-up Justin Haverkamp and third-place finisher Eric L.

All three will receive Couch and The Rube prize packs. picks.cbssports.com/college-bask...

Below is a statement of regret from Couch and The Rube NCAA men's basketball tournament bracket challenge winner Mike Scott:

CBS Sports - 2026 NCAA® Men's Bracket Games - CBSSports.com ‘Couch and The Rube 2026 men's NCAA tournament bracket challenge’ is my 2026 NCAA® Men's Bracket Games on CBS Sports. Join it today!

🏀 🏆 Congrats to Mike Scott 🥇 for winning the 2026 Couch and The Rube NCAA men's basketball bracket challenge.

Also, congrats to runner-up Stephen Reinhardt and to Andrew Zawisza, who finished third.

Those three will receive C&TR prize packs.
picks.cbssports.com/college-bask...

The Big Ten wins the men’s and women’s NCAA basketball championships and College Football Playoff.

Expecting that if Denver wins the Frozen Four, the Pioneers will get a Big Ten invite.

With 15-30 more teams, the Big Ten truly might be able to dominate this new era.

🚨 🎙️ Couch and The Rube listeners: We'll begin our TUESDAY show with our takes.

We want your best take, too — and maybe a heavily baked take — on Michigan basketball winning the national title, MSU hoops, the meaning of life, anything.

Reply 10 a.m. or email graham.couch@gmail.com

One element of the portal we’re seeing today is the reason players should be employees and have contracts - for their own sake and for the good of the game. Because we’re seeing a lot of players that appear to be in good to great situations enter the portal to test the market.

🚨🎙️⏰ Couch and The Rube listeners: Our next show is Tuesday this week, after the NCAA championship game.

If you have your takes ready to go, you can reply with them here. Or wait for the call for them Monday night and reply then.

This UCLA team is the best women’s college basketball team I’ve ever seen live. Glad to see my eyes weren’t lying - that they were capable of this - when they came to MSU.

The NCAA tournament is about matchups. UConn was a tough one for MSU - and Illinois and everyone. Have to wonder if the Spartans had won a couple games at the Big Ten tournament and grabbed Purdue’s path, if they’d be in this game tonight.

Gotta go to 6 fouls in college basketball. Right now. Call timeout. Change the rule. Can’t have this nonsense impacting the game.

This shit from the refs makes me glad the season’s just about over. Let’s do something else for a few months.

There are days that I think it would be fun to cover college sports at-large - the rules and legislation, the executive orders, the tit for tat …

Then there are the other seven days of the week.

Ep. 1132: Twitter Question Friday: What's next for MSU basketball and Michigan hoops chases a title YouTube video by Couch and The Rube

🚨🎙️📺 Friday's Couch and The Rube, answering your questions — on Michigan State basketball, the transfer portal, Michigan hoops in the Final Four, MSU hockey, life beyond all this and more — begins now.

The podcast will be up when the show ends.

Watch/Listen now ⬇️ www.youtube.com/live/GwD4UcE...

Couch: Limbs, money, dignity, and nothing — what MSU fans would give up for Michigan football and hockey not to win a national championship From limbs and cash to nothing at all, a look at the sacrifices MSU fans would make for Michigan basketball and hockey not to win national titles.

Limbs, money, dignity and nothing — what Michigan State fans would give up for Michigan basketball and hockey not to win a national championship.

Column.
www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/sports...

🚨🎙️❔Couch and The Rube listeners: We'll answer your questions during our Friday show (11:30 a.m. start).

Have one?

Reply here by 10 a.m. or email graham.couch@gmail.com

MSU fans, what would give for Michigan hoops and hockey to both NOT win a national championship?

Sell your soul? Life of solitude? Agree to an 0-12 MSU football season? Give up donuts? Run naked through the streets? Pay $10,000?

Reply with what you'd actually be willing to do.

100 years ago, the Spartans were born in the LSJ. Well, the ‘Spartons’. Close enough. 100 years ago this week, Lansing State Journal sports editor George Alderton first called Michigan State "the Spartons", soon to become the Spartans.

100 years ago today, back when sports writers had the audacity to give a team its name and spellcheck didn’t exist, the Michigan State “Spartons” were born in the Lansing State Journal. And, days later, the Spartans.

Column.
www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/sports...

Any news or stories that came out today should be re-posted and shared tomorrow. Because if it happened on April 1, bad timing, sorry, but it's not worth anyone's time to look into whether it actually happened. So it didn't happen, unless it's also published tomorrow.