Inside the Arc

Alec and Brandon are joined by Sleepers Media's Greg Waddell (@GWizzy12) to dive through the dog days of college basketball's offseason to discuss the rise of Sleeper's Media and how it became one of the most listened to podcasts in Big Ten country before talking about the budding rivalry between Illinois and Michigan with plenty of laughs and a sharing of feelings from each side of the rivalry. At the end of the interview, the three rank Illini basketball player's with the best vibes and do a quick three-round snake draft of Big Ten arenas.  In the final segment of the show, Brandon pays his dues by eating ketchup because after the Cardinals swept the Yankees in St. Louis!  Thanks for listening to Inside the Arc, make sure to watch for additional content on YouTube and to follow Alec (@alec_bussee) and Brandon (@BrandonSimberg). 

In episode 68 of Inside the Arc, Alec Busse and Brandon Simberg look ahead to what the Big Ten is going to look like in the next five years by ranking all 16 programs into five different tiers. The top tier includes perennial conference title contenders and the bottom group is some familiar faces that have struggled for a while in the Big Ten. But where does everybody fall?  ESPN's Fran Fraschilla sparked an intense conversation on Twitter about how college basketball would benefit from a 24-second shot clock. One of Alec and Brandon agrees and the other disagrees. Where do Alec and Brandon fall and what are the pros and cons of shortening the shot clock? All the answers are included.  At the end of the show, a five-round snake draft of the five best restaurants in Champaign, which Champaign staples did Alec and Brandon nail and which restaurants did they miss out on? Share your opinions with ALec and Brandon on Twitter about their picks.  Follow Alec @alec_busse and Brandon @BrandonSimberg

Alec Busse and Brandon Simberg are back for Ep. 67 of Inside the Arc. With the Illini's nonconference schedule finalized heading into the 2022-23 season, they each share their thoughts on the opponents and who they think is the most exciting matchups. How many wins do the Illini have banked on their nonconference schedule? Peach Jam is over, which means the conclusion of the AAU summer circuit. Alec provides some insight into who is the biggest competition for Amani Hanberry in the 2023 class. In the 2024 class, Brandon saw the St. Rita trio of James Brown, Morez Johnson and Nojus Indrusaitis. What's the ceiling for each player in college? Sim has the answer for you. Illinois is ending their offseason workout schedule in the coming weeks. What has Skyy Clark shown this summer to make Alec and Brandon confident that he's ready to be the starting point guard? Coleman Hawkins looks like the player the Illini need him to be next summer and Terrence Shannon Jr. has the work ethic of Ayo Dosunmu. 

Alec and Brandon talk about the NBA Draft while analyzing why Auburn's Jabari Smith Jr. is atop Brandon's Draft Big Board and why Duke's Paolo Banchero and Purdue's Jaden Ivey are both higher than Gonzaga freshman Chet Holmgren.  Later, they talk about various Big Ten prospects including Wisconsin's Johnny Davis, Iowa's Keegan Murray and Ohio State's E.J. Liddell before diving into what the best scenario is for former Illini and two-time All-American Kofi Cockburn, who is likely to go undrafted.  In the final segment of the show, Alec gives Brandon a series of quick-hitting NBA Draft questions, including who will have the best and worst Draft Night suit. 

Alec and Sim are back after a long break to discuss the major addition of Baylor transfer Matthew Mayer to the 2022-23 Illini roster. The two breakdown what Mayer's addition means for Illinois, how he fits the rotations and if the Illini could add another transfer this offseason. Finally, the two give an offseason update on their Big Ten power rankings and then make a bet in Buzzer Beater at the end of the show on a pair of ACC teams. 

Alec and Brandon talk about the impact of 2024 prospect ZZ Clark committing to the Illini, and how much credit Tim Anderson deserves for landing both Clark brothers in addition to Ty Rodgers and Morez Johnson. Later in the show, the conversation shifts to the impending decision of Kofi Cockburn and what it would mean if he returns to Illinois for a senior season or what it would mean if he left Illinois for a professional career.

Alec and Sim react to the news of Skyy Clark committing to the Illini, which gives the Illini one of the best-recruiting classes in the entire country. Find out what the impact of Clark's decision to join the Illini means for the rest of the Illini offseason - and who else the Cardinals could target and how it all could change the roster outlook next season. 

Alec flys solo on this edition of Inside the Arc, and welcomes on Kam Cox. Cox is the director of Illinois' NIL department and oversees just about all things related to NIL and Illinois sports. Alec is able to ask Cox several questions related to NIL, including the effects that he thinks it has had on recruiting and what potential future impact the NIL collectives could have on college sports. 

Alec and Brandon talk about some of the big pictures issues that led to the demise of the 2022 Fighting Illini and what changes need to be made for Illinois to have a deeper run in the NCAA Tournament next season. They also define whether or not this season was a success for Illinois despite failing to make it to the Sweet 16, and how additions and subtractions in the transfer portal could dictate the style that Illinois plays with next season. 

Alec and Brandon react to the NCAA Tournament field and preview what should be a really interesting matchup with Chattanooga in the Round of 64 for the No. 4 seeded Fighting Illini. Find out some of the other interesting matchups along with who could be making a run from the Big Ten in Ep. 60 of Inside the Arc.