Contoura Facial Plastic Surgery - Episode 4: The Confident Choice. It’s all about March Madness Dr. Roberto Garcia

Transcript

You’re listening to the Confident Choice podcast with me, Dr. Roberto Garcia, a double board-certified facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon. Honest conversations and expert advice about the decisions that make you feel your best.

Dr. Garcia:

Let’s talk some basketball, boys. Fun time of the year—March is upon us. One of the best. I’ve got a Duke fan here and a Gator fan. Probably going to be two number one seeds—we hope. We’ll see. Who knows?

Guest 1:

I’m not so sure about that one.

Dr. Garcia:

Tell us why Duke’s going to be a number two seed.

Guest 1:

Well, I think you’d have to get some weird alignment for that to happen. We can talk about why Florida might slip to the number two line or try to jump to the number one. For Duke, they’ve just been a top team all year. In terms of seeding, I don’t think there’s anything that could happen at this point that takes Duke off the number one line. Actually, I don’t think there’s a clear number one overall.

Guest 2:

If they win out, they’ll be number one overall. I don’t think anyone can pass them. If they were to lose and Michigan wins out, then Michigan probably jumps to number one overall. But given that Duke’s got the head-to-head—

Guest 2:

Yeah, and they worked them too. That was an impressive game.

Guest 1:

By Duke, right? Obviously, it was a neutral court, but still, that was a big signature win. They’ve only lost two games all year, and they were up double digits in both. They lost to Carolina—they were behind in that game for only four seconds.

Guest 2:

That must have hurt a little bit.

Guest 1:

That one’s tough. Losing always is.

Guest 2:

But they’re going to get some retribution this weekend.

Guest 1:

I feel pretty good. Carolina’s been a bit beat up. Then Texas Tech—they’ve probably got the best wins of any team this season. They’ve beaten basically all the top teams. Now JT’s out, so they’ve got some challenges in terms of where they’ll end up, but they’re a team no one wants to play.

Dr. Garcia:

So tell me—there are twins, the Boozer twins?

Guest 1:

Yeah.

Dr. Garcia:

They’re freshmen?

Guest 1:

They’re freshmen. They come from a strong pedigree—dad played in the NBA and at Duke.

Guest 2:

Dominated at Duke.

Guest 1:

Carlos was great, and the boys are both great. The most impressive thing right now—if you look at Cam, I don’t see how he hasn’t locked up National Player of the Year. He’s been that consistently good all season. He dominates scoring, rebounds, assists—he’s a solid defender, can shoot threes, can play inside. He’s got a complete game. Obviously, he’ll be in the NBA next year.

Dr. Garcia:

You think he’s going that early?

Guest 1:

Oh yeah.

Dr. Garcia:

What about his brother?

Guest 1:

I think his brother stays. He’s worked his way into the rotation and is a key contributor. Early in the season, Duke’s backcourt was a question mark, but now it’s top tier—not elite, but very strong. That’s going to help them make a run.

Dr. Garcia:

Who has the best backcourt?

Guest 1:

Among the top seeds, Arizona has a great backcourt, though they’re prone to turnovers. They’ve got size and scoring. UConn is probably the most balanced team overall and very well coached.

Dr. Garcia:

If I had one coach for one game, I might go with Hurley.

Guest 2:

Yeah, I think he can draw up a play when you need it.

Guest 1:

I don’t know…

Guest 2:

Golden, maybe.

Guest 1:

You have to admit what Golden has done is impressive. That team lost a lot—especially in the backcourt—and he’s rebuilt it. Transfers like Savan Lee and Boogie Fland came in. They had a rough start, but over time they’ve meshed. Even when they weren’t shooting well, they defended, rebounded, and pushed tempo. Now shots are falling, and they’re clicking with the frontcourt, which has been Florida’s strength.

Guest 2:

They’ve been averaging 65–70 points in the paint over the last five games.

Guest 1:

That’s a lot. Those bigs move well. It’ll be interesting when they face a team like Michigan or Duke with big frontcourts.

Dr. Garcia:

Florida feels different this year.

Guest 1:

Last year, they beat you offensively. This year, they beat you defensively. And if you look at the top teams, most are defense-first. In past years, a hot scorer could carry a team, but this year, top teams are all top 10 defensively.

Guest 2:

They still score, but it’s more about efficiency.

Guest 1:

Exactly. They suffocate opponents and rebound well—one shot and done.

Guest 2:

That’s how you win.

Guest 1:

It is, though it hasn’t always been the trend. This year is different—elite defenses paired with efficient offenses.

Dr. Garcia:

Florida doesn’t have that one guy to score 30.

Guest 2:

No one.

Guest 1:

Their offense comes from defense, tempo, and passing. It’s a true team approach.

Guest 2:

But they’re fun to watch—so many alley-oops this year.

Dr. Garcia:

When you look at the top teams—Duke, Michigan, Arizona, UConn, Florida—they’re clearly above the rest. What beats them?

Guest 1:

For Florida, probably an explosive offense—like a hot three-point shooting team.

Guest 2:

Exactly. One hot shooting night in the tournament can end you.

Guest 1:

That’s why lower seeds can be dangerous teams like Liberty or UC Irvine. They can get hot and pull off an upset.

Guest 2:

It happens every year. Worst seeds to be are two and five.

Dr. Garcia:

There’s a drop-off after the top seeds too.

Guest 1:

Yeah—teams like Kansas, Kentucky, Tennessee are limping in. If they find form, they’re dangerous. Otherwise, top seeds could cruise.

Dr. Garcia:

Coaching is huge now. You’ve got to be a CEO.

Guest 2:

The transfer portal changed everything. You can rebuild quickly now.

Guest 1:

There are different formulas—portal teams like Florida and Michigan, versus Duke’s one-and-done model.

Dr. Garcia:

Duke always seems to land top recruits.

Guest 1:

Usually more than one—multiple NBA-caliber freshmen. That’s their model, and it works.

Dr. Garcia:

NIL plays a role too.

Guest 1:

Of course. But the risk is they’re still young—18-year-olds under pressure.

Dr. Garcia:

Let’s talk NIL and the portal—what’s the right solution?

Guest 2:

It’s not sustainable. The pendulum has swung too far. Players deserve compensation, but there needs to be balance.

Guest 1:

Agreed. Maybe require two-year commitments, with exceptions if coaches leave.

Guest 2:

Right now, it’s the Wild West.

Dr. Garcia:

Final thoughts—best time of the year.

Guest 1:

Absolutely.

Dr. Garcia:

We’re hoping for Florida vs. Duke—with the right team winning.

Guest 2:

We’ll see.

Dr. Garcia:

We’ll also figure out what a Blue Devil actually is. Thanks for joining, guys.

Guests:

Thanks for having us.