The Starting Five

The Starting Five
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Basketball
  • Updated Daily

The Starting Five brings you news and analysis on college basketball from around the country. From mid majors high majors, from the best games to the best bets, The Starting Five has you covered.

  1. 12/23/2025

    Episode 35: Miserable Mizzou

    On this episode of The Starting Five, I recap what’s taken place since last time. A handful of high quality games and high quality beatdowns are all on the ledger today. Villanova 76 Wisconsin 66 (OT): 0:00-2:32 Seton Hall 72 Providence 67: 2:33-4:43 Kentucky 78 St. John’s 66: 4:44-7:36 Houston 94 Arkansas 85: 7:37-9:53 North Carolina 71 Ohio State 70: 9:54-12:03 Texas Tech 82 Duke 81: 12:04-14:57 Others/Villanova @ Seton Hall: 14:58-22:35

    23 min

  2. 12/19/2025

    Episode 34: A Falling Knife’s Handle

    On this episode of The Starting Five, I make my rerun after giving out the worst bet in the history of basketball. I also recap what’s missed, and what we have to look ahead to (not much). Best Bet: Xavier -2.5 ❌ (deserves two losses) YTD Record: 10-7 Vanderbilt 77 Memphis 70: 0:00-2:21 Creighton 98 Xavier 57: 2:22-6:39 Previews: Villanova vs Wisconsin: 6:40-9:14 Seton Hall @ Providence/Others: 9:15-12:46

    13 min

  3. 12/17/2025

    Episode 33: #Vol4Life

    On this episode of The Starting Five, I breakdown Tuesday’s (light) action, and preview Wednesday’s (lighter) action. I bet against my Alma mater, though I think I provide plenty of reasoning and logic behind the pick (side note: I’m on fire picking games off the pod this month, so either ride the wave, or sell high. The latter is probably a better idea). Best Bets Result: Tennessee +1 💰 YTD: 10-6 Tennessee 83 Louisville 62: 0:00-3:58 Other Games (shoutout Miami Ohio): 3:59-6:52 Previews: Vanderbilt @ Memphis: 6:53-9:44 Creighton @ Xavier: 9:45-17:29 Best Bet: Xavier -2.5 Arizona State @ UCLA: 17:30-19:44

    20 min

  4. 12/16/2025

    Episode 32: Social Media Squabbles

    On this episode of The Starting Five, I kick it off with something different. Noted college basketball pariah Jeff Goodman set the (very niche) CBB Twitter (X) sphere on fire by claiming today had no good games. Fair or foul? (Spoiler Alert: Fair). Joel Klatt then said the NCAA Tournament sucks and is stupid. Fair or Foul? (Spoiler Alert: a little fair but mostly very foul). I then do a normal preview. Jeff Goodman: 0:00-2:22 Joel Klatt: 2:23-6:47 Previews: Illinois @ Tennessee: 6:48-12:01 Best Bet: Tennessee +1 YTD Record: 9-6 Butler @ UConn: 12:02-14:02 UC San Diego @ Loyola Marymount: 14:03-17:20 Others: 17:21-19:51

    20 min

  5. 12/15/2025

    Episode 31: The Finals Countdown

    On this episode of The Starting Five, I recap the last few days (90% Saturday because we still pretend these are students and thus they can’t play games during the week). I highlight a few of the big games, but then swing around to other notables you might have missed. This includes, LSU, SMU, Santa Clara, Radford, North Texas, and more! Best Bet: Nebraska -1.5 (from Thursday) 💰 YTD: 9-6 Intro/Nebraska’s Two Wins: 0:00-6:11 Arizona 96 Alabama 75: 6:12-9:12 Kansas 77 NC State 76 (OT): 9:13-13:56 Arkansas 93 Texas Tech 86: 13:57-16:53 Kentucky 72 Indiana 60: 16:54-18:55 Whip Around: 18:56-26:46

    27 min

  6. 12/10/2025

    Episode 30: Welcome Back Clemsoning

    On this episode of The Starting Five, I recap another devastating close loss for Florida, an infinitely more devastating loss for Clemson, and another loss for Ohio State that shows they’re probably a Crown team. I also look to get back in the Best Bets win column after (incorrectly) being gun shy yesterday. UConn 77 Florida 73: 0:00-4:13 BYU 67 Clemson 64: 4:14-8:58 Illinois 88 Ohio State 80: 8:59-11:51 Other Notes: 11:52-12:58 Previews: Wisconsin @ Nebraska 12:59-18:12 Best Bet: Nebraska +1.5 YTD: 8-6

    18 min

  7. 12/09/2025

    Episode 29: Big Least

    On this episode of The Starting Five, I recap the weekend that was, including Duke and Iowa State’s big road games. I touch on a handful of scores, and give a breakdown of tomorrow’s top heavy slate. Best Bets Results: YTD 8-6 Tennessee -1.5 ❌ Marquette +11.5 ❌ Duke 66 Michigan State 60: 0:00-3:51 Illinois 75 Tennessee 62: 3:52-7:31 Iowa State 81 Purdue 58: 7:32-10:52 Louisville 87 Indiana 78: 10:53-12:53 Weekend Roundup: 12:54-18:45 Previews: Florida vs UConn: 18:46-21:12 Clemson vs BYU: 21:13-25:04 Illinois @ Ohio State: 25:05-27:30

    27 min

  8. 12/06/2025

    Episode 28: Super Saturday

    On this episode of The Starting Five, I do a quick preview, and then get into an absolutely loaded Saturday Slate. Two games feature KenPom top 10 squads facing off, with other great supplemental games as well. Best Bets (8-4 YTD): Tennessee -1.5 Marquette +11.5 Gonzaga 95 Kentucky 59: 0:00-4:17 Xavier 79 Cincinnati 74: 4:18-5:32 Previews Duke @ Michigan State 5:33-8:44 Illinois vs Tennessee: 8:45-12:44 Iowa State @ Purdue: 12:45-15:52 Louisville @ Indiana: 15:53-17:45 Marquette @ Wisconsin: 17:46-22:15

    22 min
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5
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About

The Starting Five brings you news and analysis on college basketball from around the country. From mid majors high majors, from the best games to the best bets, The Starting Five has you covered.

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  • Creator
    The Starting Five
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    35
  • Rating
    Clean
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