Larry David thinks filling out brackets is crazy: 'I'm supposed to know who's on Drake?'
Amid the hype and frenzy that is the NCAA March Madness basketball tournament, those who are just not that into it may be feeling, well, a little left out.
But if you haven't filled out your bracket or tuned in for the early rounds of the tournament, know that you're not alone. In fact, you're in the good company of "Curb your Enthusiasm's" one and only Larry David.
The "Curb" star and "Seinfeld" creator was in his trademark curmudgeon-y form Thursday during an appearance on "The Rich Eisen Show," where he discussed just how overwhelming the tournament has become to follow.
"I'm supposed to know who's on Drake?" David practically screams of the No. 10-seeded Bulldogs, who fell Thursday to the No. 7 Washington State Cougars. "This is insane, I don't know anything!"
'We're not a Cinderella': Oakland's Jack Gohlke early March Madness star as Kentucky upset
'How do people do it?' Larry David asks of March Madness fans
The humorous exchange occurred during an episode of "The Rich Eisen Show" shared Thursday on social media site X in which David, 76, appeared as a guest.
Eisen, a sportscaster and radio host, was preparing to ask the "Curb" star another question before David went off on the diatribe.
"I don't know if you've heard this, so I hope that I'm informing you –" Eisen began before he took a detour that launched the tangent:
"You don't fill out brackets, do you?"
If anyone wonders if Larry David fills out a bracket, wonder no more. An emphatic response herein: ⬇️pic.twitter.com/a7D5ODhlBZ
— Rich Eisen (@richeisen) March 21, 2024
"Can I make an admission here?" David began, voice calm and low. "This tournament, how much can I follow?"
From there, David's voice rose as Eisen and others off camera began cackling uncontrollably.
"This is crazy, crazy!" David said. "Valparaiso? I know names on Valparaiso?"
David, an avid fans of the New York Rangers in the NHL and New York Knicks in the NBA, implied that following those teams closely was work enough.
"I can't follow all these teams, how do people do it?" David asks incredulously. "Maybe I'll watch the semifinal but that's it, what can I do?"
So if No. 14 Oakland can make an improbable run to advance to the Final Four after knocking off No. 3 Kentucky, then maybe he will learn their players names.
And as for Eisen's innocent question about filling out brackets, it's fair to say that no, David does not partake in the tradition.
"Maybe once," he said. "But it's all guessing."
Eisen asks David about Long Beach State coach's 'Seinfeld' comparison
It was roughly a minute before the conversation got back on track to Eisen's intended topic: Getting David's reaction to fired Long Beach State coach Dan Monson making a reference to "Seinfeld" in a recent press conference.
Monson, who started with the program in 2007, was informed after the regular season that he was fired but could play out the conference tournament out of courtesy.
In a pre-tournament presser, Monson compared his situation to that of George Costanza (Jason Alexander) in an episode of "Seinfeld" when he attempts to get fired from the New York Yankees.
“You guys remember when George Costanza was trying to get fired? And couldn’t lose his job? And still, going to work every day?" Monson said. "That’s me. I’m a 'Seinfeld' episode going on in real life.”
The team responded by winning three games in a row in three days and winning the Big West Conference tournament crown for the first time since 2012. With it came the conference's lone March Madness bid: the No. 15 seed in the West Region ahead of a first-round exit courtesy of No. 2 Arizona.
The "Seinfeld" episode had aired after David departed from the show, but Eisen also compared the situation to another episode when George quits a different job before he attempts to return the next week as if nothing happened.
Unsurprisingly, the bit was based on a real experience in David's life during his tenure on Saturday Night Live.
“In real life, I quit SNL. I freaked out; I quit,” David explained. “And then I came back on Monday morning and pretended it never happened."
Contributing: Ayrton Ostly
Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Larry David tells Rich Eisen he doesn't do March Madness brackets