Welcome to the latest episode of Hot Takedown, FiveThirtyEight’s sports podcast. On this week’s show (April 5, 2016), we marvel at Villanova’s buzzer beater in the final of the men’s NCAA tournament and ask whether the narrative is more telling than the numbers in moments like those. We discuss the USWNT’s wage-discrimination case with FiveThirtyEight’s Allison McCann. We also look at whether Scottie Pippen is right when he says his Chicago Bulls team from the ’90s could have swept this season’s Golden State Warriors. Plus, we announce the lucky winners (and losers) of Hot Takedown’s NCAA men’s tournament bracket challenge.
Stream the episode by clicking the play button, or subscribe using one of the podcast clients we’ve linked to above. Links to what we discuss are here:
- Neil Paine says Villanova had the most impressive tournament win in over 53 years.
- Reuben Fischer-Baum and Neil Paine explain just how exciting the Final Four actually was.
- The New York Times breaks down Monday night’s incredible ending.
- FiveThirtyEight crunches the numbers in the USWNT’s wage-discrimination case.
- Kyle Wagner says the Warriors’ odds of going 73-9 are back up after their win over Portland last weekend. (But since our taping, the Warriors lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves!)
- Significant Digit: 10.6 percent. That’s the chance the 1995-96 Bulls would have had of sweeping this year’s Golden State Warriors.
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