Six eleven in the Queens City of Cincinnati, Chick Ludwig seven hundred w l W.
This is Sports Talk.
Joe Waddell is tonight's producer, and we are coming out of the gates strong with my favorite Bengals partner talking Bengals football legendary wide receiver, the one and only Tim McGee.
Tim, how are you tonight?
I am going good, excellent, just sitting here chilling. What's you up to?
Oh wow?
Yeah, Hey, a great night of sports talk at seven hundred WLW and Tim. The Bengals have three games remaining. They play tomorrow in Miami Gardens against the Dolphins. How difficult is it right out of the gate here to go from what zero degrees minus with the wind chill, going to nearly eighty degrees and trying to play a sixty minute NFL game?
Well, I'd say one thing, it's tough because I'm down here and it's an eighty plus degree so it is extremely tough. People talk about playing Denver, and trust me, in Denver, Colorado, it's with the altitude there is probably the toughest, Don't get me wrong. However, it is totally underrated when you go from frigid temperatures in the Midwest or east or wherever it may be, and then you come down South and you play. Your lungs are just not ready for it. So you know, you got to
stay hydrated. You got to have a sub you know, you got to play smart, and you got to play composed and all the things that you hear about. Trust me, it takes a toll on your body.
If you wait for hydration. You are too late, aren't you.
Oh, there's no question about the hydration has to start the night before and obviously the day of the game early. But it's going to happen. I mean, there's no such thing as being hydrated for a football game. You're you're gonna see players no matter whatether. You know, people go, oh my god, the guy's cramping up. Why didn't he you know, why didn't hydrate himself prior to the game
or whatever. Yes, he did, but you know, obviously you lose a lot of water weight, You lose a lot of water and you end up doing the course of a hot game like this and your body's just not You just can't adjust. You can't go through a walk through on Saturday and play on Sunday and say, oh, oh, okay, my body's adjusted to it. It's not gonna happen.
Tim, kind of an umbrella question here, how just how disappointing from an alumni standpoint and really a Bengals fans standpoint, has this season been?
You know what it's been.
This has been.
Probably the weirdest football season that I have been around personally.
And here's the.
Reason why this team was built exactly the way they've played exactly. There's been zero surprise. Zero. Oh my gosh, I can't believe this particular player, or this particular position, or this particular side of the ball that's not playing well. You knew going.
Into this season.
They fed you sugar. They gave you t Higgins, they gave you Jamar Chase, they gave you Joe Burrow, and the fans wanted it, and you got it. You got it. Now all your allocation of you of your cap is sitting.
On the offensive side. You have an offensive cour a.
Pretty much quarterback coach sore to speak, and coordinator in Zach Taylor. He's definitely on the offensive side of the ball. And you have a defense that's you know, was put out on the Island and just doesn't have much talent. We knew that going into the season.
What we didn't know is Trey wouldn't play you know, the.
Full model games. But nevertheless, when he played, you know, it still wasn't very successful. So this is exactly the way they were built to outscore teams, and they just could not outscore them. And unfortunately, you know what seems to be a year yearly occurrence. You're Joe Burrow is you know, gets beat up, fits out a couple of games. And you know, obviously Joe Flacco did a wonderful job stepping in, but nevertheless he's not the leader of that
locker room like Burrow is. And so I would say, yes, it's been extremely disappointing, chick, but not surprising. This is kind of what I mean, I kind of expected.
There's three games remaining. What do you look for tomorrow? How important is this game for a Joe Burrow to bounce back from that? Really the to backle against the Baltimore.
Man. I wish I could tell you something inside of the lock inside of the locker room that you know, you get motivated for games like this, you know it. Now you're starting to see the preseason mentality kick back in. Yes, I want to play well, but the most important element or the next the remaining games of the season is not to get hurt. That's and you're not playing not to get hurt. You're just cognitively aware that this is not something since it's a meaningless game, so to speak.
But obviously I'm getting paid a lot of money to show up, the fans are showing up. I still need to perform. However, my number one priority is not to get hurt, you know, an aco or something that's going to carry over to the next year, so I you know, and and on the defensive side, I think a lot of guys on the defensive side, if you look at it individually, they're playing for their jobs. You know. The defense is pretty much lasting in the National Football League.
So I don't think there's a if any players that could really be comfortable with their performance, and especially going into next year, I think they have to look at every position to see where they can upgrade.
Tim McGee is with US.
He played for the Bengals from nineteen eighty six to ninety two, then one year with the then Washington Redskins, and he came back to the Bengals in nineteen ninety four and ninety five, a great ten year career. Tim The word bengalized gets tossed around a lot, and I define it as when all the life and joy of playing football for the Bengals gets sucked out of you. Is Joe Burrow bengalized?
I think he's headed in that direction. I think he's about to walk into that vacuum. Unfortunately, it's very tough. You got to understand Joe Burrow's fight and how his career has elevated itself to the point where he got to the point where he is expecting nothing but championships. This is a guy that you know, he went from Ohio State to LSU National championship, number one pick, Heisman trophystead his resume, it just says it breeds success. Then you're early in his career, boom, you go to the
Super Bowl. You figured, just like I did and all my ex teammates, you figure you're coming back and things getting worse and worse and worse. And that's the when you say bingalives. I think that's where it is, where it just kind of sucks the football life out of you. And I know all the listeners are going to serve, but you're getting paid a lot of money. Well, you know, everybody's being paid every bread. That doesn't necessarily mean you're
not human. And I think he is falling into that trap where mentally it has just got to be extremely tough to put up forty thirty five forty five forty two points and still look up and be dejected walking off the field. That's got a way on any human being.
And tim a lot of discussion. Also, Hey, a lot of fans wanting to sit out these final three games so he avoid injury. I look at it, you know, from a fans standpoint, when I go to a game and I'm paying all this money, I want to see the best players. Should Joe Burrow play if he's healthy these last three games?
That's a tough you know, when you think about that, you look at the load management in an NBA. But that's you know, that's kind of where I can understand both sides, and I think fans, particularly the last game or two, we'll look at it as in every single time he takes a hit, they're going to be like, get him out of there, get him out, get him out. We need him for next year because this year is meaningless,
and if he does get hurt, oh my gosh. You know, Zach Taylor, you know, I mean you got to catch the.
Next next bus on out of there because you know people are not going to.
Be very happy with you. But let's just say this, chick, there's only one person that controls Joe Burrow, and that's Joe Burrow. No other person, no other person all the way from Mike Brown all the way down to the janitor. It's just not going to happen. Joe Burrow is going to make the decision for himself, and I'm pretty sure the Bengals organization will support whatever he decides to do.
Tim mcgeeze with us for a few more minutes, and Tim, looking at your career with the Bengals, You've been on some very successful teams and then some teams that went three and thirteen, that went four and eleven during a strike year. Man, when you struggle one year and then to come back and you go to a super Bowl, you know, it's really incredible. So are the Bengals that far away? Even though they've missed the playoffs here three
straight years. I don't think you're ever too far away with a free agency and the draft and bouncing back the next year.
You know, I'm sorry, I don't see it, and I want to see it, trust me, my heart wants to see it. My heis wants to see it. I just think the defense is so I don't think they're a player too. I think there are four or five six players away from, you know, where they can have the offense and compliment the offense and compliment special teams and be a asset opposed to a liability right now, So I don't see it. They have some young talent, but let's just face it that, you know again, there's a
reason they're thirty two in overall defense. So I would be on the pessimistic side, and I think things are trending in the other direction. I think they're getting worse opposed to getting better. And I think next year.
Is going to early next year, the first three.
Or four games is going to be very pivotal because if they get off to a bad start, man, I just I just couldn't even imagine what Joe Burrow would what would be going through his head. You see, he's already wore out right now and getting off to a slow start next year will probably be it would It would not be good for him.
And you know, again, Chick, we.
Had talked about it. We've done many shows. Rob They're in the AFC North. You know Moore is going to be there. You know, Pitchburgh's going to be there, and you know the Bengals would typically be next in the Browns. But you know it's I still don't think they're going to be as talented as Pittsburgh and or Baltimore and Tim.
You talked about this being a weird season, Well, how about no Joe Burrow and no Patrick Mahomes in the playoffs?
Is this?
Could this be Buffalo's year in the AFC with with Denver.
You know, it's funny you said that. I was talking to someone last.
Night at a Christmas party and I actually said that that this may be the year Buffalo creeps into the super Bowl and actually wind it because they are not favorite, and now you have the their nemesis pretty much out with.
You know, obviously Kana, Kansas City is not in and the Bengals not in, so you know, the road is clear for him and it would not surprise me right now there, you know, I would pick them to be, you know, the the the team that could really creep in and show some people that you know this this will be their year.
And you know it's just a Goofy year.
This year, it's just Goofy and Tim.
Before I let you go the college football Playoff? Okay, you talk about special teams. Oklahoma just absolutely melted down last night. Alabama wins Ole Miss is taking care of TWU Lane.
What do you think of two Lane.
And James Madison being in the twelve team college football Playoff?
You know, it's so funny. I love you to death, and you know how much I despise college football, the structure of it.
So if you pose these questions, I say there and go.
You know, it's a hot mess. It's just there's just the structure of college football or college last professional football, because that's what it is now. Nothing surprises me. They will never have a system where it's spare and parody like the NFL. It's just that's not going to happen. I think the committee does as best as they can, but I just think the structure is as such right now that you know it's just going to be pitch poor.
You're gonna get some teams in there that truly do not belong, and they have to ask the question, there's only one question, do you want the top teams in? If you want the top teams in, wipe all that other stuff out that you know, give gifts to a conference champion and all that. Pick the best ten, twelve, whatever you want. Pick the best ones and let them
go and let them go out there and play. But you know, it's just sad that certain teams like Alabama got to play Oklahoma, which is a tough, tough, tough, tough game. Miami had to play Texas Tech, which is a tough, tough game. But you know, you know, you got somebody playing Tulane and if you're sitting here going, oh miss playing to Lang, like, come on, really that you can't call that a fair battle in a playoff structure.
But you know, again, until they get the structure of it together, it's always going to be a hot mess.
Tim McGee, always a pleasure, great insight as usual.
Thank you so much. Merry Christmas to the family.
Thanks Chick, Merry Christmas to you and everyone's just listening.
Thank you so much.
This is Sports Talk with Chick Ludwig on seven hundred WLW six forty one in the Queen City of Cincinnati. Chick Ludwig, this is sports Talk. We're going all the way to seven thirty tonight and then coming back after the Xavier game from ten thirty to midnight. So uh, looking forward to being with all the fans out there this evening. And I think most everybody knows that I'm
a Cincinnati Elder High School grad. Well, coming up on Friday, January thirtieth is the most important event of the entire school year, and that is the forty ninth Elder Sports Tag. And here to talk to us about it is the chairman of the Elder Sports Tag Elder Class of nineteen seventy eight, Joe Lynd Junior.
Joe, how are you tonight?
I am doing great, Chick. Thanks for having us on the radio. I really appreciate it and it's always great to talk to another fellow Elder.
Grad altiora all the way. And Joe, it doesn't shock me that you're involved with Elder High School because your dad, Joe Sr.
Was man. He was headed the Elders Dad's Club for for how long.
My dad was head of Elder's Dad's club for thirty years. It was a nineteen fifty three brad. He also ran the Elder press box, so he was instrumental in expanding the press box at the football field and also getting it read. I mean he completely had it refurbished, got room built for the NN and all the radio they
do up there. My dad gave countless hours, countless hours and all the dance club guys do just serving food at two days for the old football team and every Tuesday night at Dan's club, and they work pancake breakfast for the students at Elder High School.
So he loved it.
He our dad just bled purple absolutely and loved everything about it.
And you've been chairman of the Elder Sports Tag for how many years now?
It's fifteen years.
Fantastic years. Class of seventy eight grad And what makes this stag so special? Here coming up on Friday, January thirtieth, what a phenomenal guest. We are talking Gene ster Ataur, CBS sports rules analyst, former NFL official and NCAA Division One basketball referee. So this is a little bit outside the realm of you know, an athlete or a coach, But man is going to be a spectacular night with Jean Sterotaur. How in the world did Elder get a hold of this guy?
Well, you know at Elder and you know this, we have a really wide web of people. Plus we built a heck of a reference team to get to almost anybody we need to get to, and we Jim Jim Hilbert, who's a football coach at Baldwin Wallace, knew Gene Sterotur and was able to give me a warm introduction. So when I called Gene and told him about what we were all about, Jean Stertur was all over this. And
I'll tell you a kick. The Stag committee wanted to do something different this year because every year, you know, it's a coach or a player and it's football or baseball, and we were like, let's do something different. We came up our committee came up with, Hey, let's try Jeans Sterotur. So I was tasked with the java trying to find him and get to him and get I got to him.
That is fair fantastic.
Once again, the CBS we hear we hear his voice all the time watching uh the NFL CBS Sports rules analyst, and he just strikes me as and I've heard stories where you know, he'll get to a game and and really.
Talk to people on the sidelines.
He seems to be very personable and uh, he's here to support Elder High School. And it's always a great cause because the money generated from the Stag uh Man supplements the UH teacher salaries.
So what a great cause it does.
It does when it is When the Stag was originally formed, our first speaker was Sparky Anderson, and it was it was formed as a bonus. So the money that we generate, one of what we make on the sports day so is evenly distributed to this to all the teachers at Elder High School as a bonus check. And it's it's wonderful and it's grown. And I'll tell you, chick, it's our greatest recruiting tool because who hasn't a teacher touched
in their lives? Yes, And you know when we got the boomer A Siasan and we got the Sean Casey and they found out what the Stag was all about, they were like, oh my god, it goes back to the teachers. I'm in Jean's territory, don't know, if you know he's one of seven kids, Italian Catholic. You only drawback about him. He's from the Pittsburgh area, you know, so he's a big Steelers fan. But that's okay.
But you know he's going to be He's going to be great.
He's attracting a very good crowd, instrumental, he's going to tell great stories.
Just that.
It's a couple of times I've talked to him, I felt like I've known him my whole life. He's one of those guys you could talk to.
That's beautiful. Hey, Joe Lynn Junior is with us and he's chairman of the Elder Sports Stag. It's the forty ninth year for it. And man a shout out to my buddy Dan Meyer, who is the brainchild and really the founder president CU of Nea Maya Manufacturing, which is the presenting sponsor.
So Dan is just a phenomenal friend.
Uh played football at Elder, played football at the University of Pennsylvania and just a phenomenal, phenomenal guy. And Uh, our ticket's still available for the Stag one hundred bucks there, Yeah, one hundred bucks, or you can go the VIP route for a one hundred and seventy five tables for eight, nine and ten. And man, just get a hold of the alumni office and can I give that number out here, Joe, it's five one three nine two one thirty four eleven.
That is correct, and ask for Brian Bill. He is the alumni director. Yes, and everything's online now, which is really nice. So everything will be one hundred percent now it is one hundred percent on your on your telephone. But uh yeah, we still have we still have some seats available. Uh so flee that you know fast because January thirty will be a you know, a promise before.
We know it, no doubt.
And Brian Bill's a director of alumni and public relations for Elder and that's his number. Five one three nine two one thirty four eleven. And Joe, just to uh, I mean to recap the fall here, unbelievable football season for the Elder Panthers twelve and one, twelve and zero, A tough loss in the what the state semifinals to uh our GCL brothers the same X Bombers, But what an unbelievable season for Elder.
It was a great season and a great run and uh you know it fits well to everything Elder is about and I you know, I think I think good things are coming for the older football program in.
The And if I may say so, Joe, when I was Ken Halp's student manager and we had an army of student managers for football, I got elevated as a sophomore to varsity.
That was a big time feather in my cap.
Okay, yeah, two a day's coach Callahan and I would open up large cans of chicken noodle soup and the players had to bring it brown bag it. And when I'm hearing stories of it being catered and everything, moms and dads, Oh my gosh, how awesome that would have been.
But how great it is for today's players.
You know, something ticket is Uh. They go out and they get sponsors from all the West Side restaurants, and they cater a great needle every day. And the dad's gloved guys and a shout out to them, Jerey McAdams and Mike Sandman and a and a cast of a bunch of them who put it all together, and they go out and recruit these guys and they serve the
kids every day. It's just it's just fantastic to all the people who who donate the food the Elder It's it's great and makes for such a great experience for the kids.
And a big time shout out here to head football coach Doug Ramsey because going to that Dad's club in the fall on Tuesday nights, man, that can get wild in there, but he's able to weather every storm.
Oh he gets it gets big time. It gets big time crowded in there. And you should see the meals they have in there, because they have the food caters for that stuff too, and they'll be there'll be, you know, a couple hundred people in there. And Doug Ramsey, God bless him. He goes to the whole film and he'll ask your questions and explain every play and say who made every catch or who ran the play or who
made the tackle. So he's very patient and everybody is very respectful and just goes and has a really good time.
Well, the pit is a very special place.
And also how about Elder basketball coach Joe Schoenfeld.
Oh my gosh, he's a Hall of Famer period.
He sure is. And he just was nominated for Teacher of the Year back to won the award. So Joe Schonfeld and I are one year a part at Elder. He's the seventy seven grad. I'm a seventy eight grad. So we drove to school together for a few years. Both Saint Treis are grads Saint Tries and Bruins.
Yeah, and what five hundred wins plus for Joe Schoenfeld, right, Well, he had one heck of a career, he really has.
And I also was student manager for the immortal Paul hans Fry. And some of my greatest memories at Elder High School on the sidelines for football and being at the basketball games in the They called it the new gym back then, but it's the old gym now it's the wrestling gym in the volleyball gym, right right, chick.
And when you come to the stack, because I understand you're coming to the Stag this year.
Yes, sir, we got to give you a really.
Nice detailed tour of all the new things that are going on at Elder. Wait till you see that volleyball wrestling gym. And if you talk to Kurt Ruffing, who's the principal at Elder, he says, it's the wrestling volleyball Jim because he was a wrestler for four years ago.
Beautiful well and when I was there the last time a couple of years ago. What they've done at the Shaper Center, which used to be what pharmacy was that right there on Glen Way, Oh my god, super X and the Shaper Center is incredible. And what Elder has done uh for journalism, radio, TV and the social media is just phenomenal. I'm I'm listening to games on the online and it's uh, it's just awesome.
Yep, it is.
And I mean thanks to Bill Hemmer for doing that and the n N room And I'm telling you, chick, wait till you see that when you come up, and we'll get you interviewed, you know, and and and talk a little bit to Jee's there for You're gonna love it. You're gonna have a fantastic time.
It's going to be a spectacular night.
And once again, if fans, tickets are still available and uh limited number here, so so get on the horn five one, three, nine, thirty four, eleven and if you want to mention, hey, you want to sit with a couple of your buddies. Even though there's tables for eight, nine and ten, they squeeze in hopefully with a couple of your friends that night.
We'll get you in with with your friends and it's good food, good drinks, and of course a lot of fun with your elder friends and other friends you know that that you'd like to spend time with. I'm telling you it's a class a event. I have to say. We put on a we put on a good deal and it's twelve worth of money.
And before I let you go, Joe Lynn Junior, you've been great with your time here, chairman of the Elder Sports Stag class of seventy eight. Your baseball career, do you have a state title on your resume?
I do? I do?
We want to stay title and eighteen seventy eight played for Jerry Federally.
The one and only he.
He was one of my English teachers at Elder and I treasure the memories of the late Feds.
Awesome. O.
Hey, great guy, Great guy.
Joe.
Can't thank you enough for joining us tonight to talk about the Elder Stag with special guest Jean Staratur, CBS sports rules analyst and former NFL and NCAA Division One basketball official.
Appreciate you, Joe, all.
Right, chick, thank you for having me on and appreciate it, and I look forward to seeing you that night.
Okay, take care, Thank you so much, Joe, all right, you bet you? All right?
This is Sports Talk And when we come back, man, we're going to talk some Xavier basketball because they played Georgetown tonight. And I'll be here afterwards to take you all the way to midnight on seven hundred WLW.
ME seven eight in the Queen City of Cincinnati, chick Ladwig seven w l W. This is Sports Talk.
Joe Waddell is tonight's producer, and we are getting you ready for Xavior basketball against the Georgetown Hoyas. And I like to say, I've got my coffee, I've got my computer. So glad to have you in. I'm so glad to have our next guest man. And what a weekend he's got coming. Our good friend from the Musketeer Report and the color Basketball analyst for the NKU Norse, the one and only Rick Browing. Rick, How are you tonight?
What's up?
Stud?
Oh man? Now you got me fired up? Ready to run through a wall with snot bubbles? Man much goal?
I love to hear it. Check.
Oh fantastic, doing well.
Merry Christmas to you and your family, and this is a big game tonight here for the Musketeers and if we could just look back, if we could what to Wednesday night man the big East opener for the Musketeers at home. Wow, A ninety eight to fifty seven lost to the Creton Blue Jays. And what shocked me so much not just the final score forty three bench points for the Blue Jay That was rough.
Yeah, I think part of you know, the bench points thing is Creighton has recently benched three of their starters and changed around their line because they weren't playing well and they were trying to get going. I think coach McDermott has sent a message with his group. He also said he felt like he needed to be more positive with his team and get them to play a little freer and looser on both ends of the floor, and they did that. Finally, I think they had a breakthrough performance.
They obviously shot the ball incredibly well at the Centa Center, which you took your cap to them for that, because even if they were wide open, you still got to make those three point shots and to make the amount that they did is impressive. But Xavier's defense was a total mess in this game. The thing that made Xavier good during their resurgence that turn around where you know, they picked up a handful of wins, and the two main ones were West Virginia and Cincinnati, was they went
to a small ball lineup. They moved Yovan Malichevich off of the bench and into the starting center position where he stretch forward, playing the center spot and basically playing a five out offense. But he didn't play well in this game against Creyton. He didn't give them anything offensively, and he's not a good defender, and Creyton really exploited
him on that end of the floor. Trey Carroll also wasn't able to get it going against Creighton after that masterful performance that he pulled off in the Crosstown shootout.
You know, as good as he was in that game, I don't know that he's going to be a consistent go.
To option on the offensive end night in and night out. And I think you saw that against Creighton. Without Zager being able to get their front court going in that game, they really didn't.
Have anything offensively.
And then, like I mentioned, on the other end of the court, they were a bit of a mess in part because they're playing Yovan Malichevich at the center spot, and he just really struggles defensively.
Rick Brooring is with us from Musketeer Report, and man, they just shoot. The Blue Jays certainly shot well sixty percent from the floor thirty eight of sixty three, including sixteen of thirty three threes for forty eight percent. Only six of ten at the line for sixty percent. But man, they were absolutely red hot. And now turning to tonight, man, you know, having a five game winning streak snap like they did, and they had won six out of seven games, how important is tonight against the hoyas.
Well?
I think it was a sobering reality for a lot of Zavier fans who felt like, you know, maybe this team isn't as lacking in talent, and I was going to struggle as much as everyone thought that they would when the season started and they lost by nineteen to Santa Clara, and they lost by nineteen at Iowa. After they had turned it around and they played well against West Virginia, they played well against Cincinnati, or.
At least played well enough to win those games.
I think people were kind of feeling some momento and some positive vibes around this team, and then you see that forty one point loss, and it's like, oh wow, that's right.
This this team is not as.
Talented as what we're used to seeing at Xavier, and so this Georgetown game represents an opportunity to wipe away some of that taste, some of that taste out of Xavier fans mouths and remind him that, Okay, maybe it's going to be an up and down year and it's not going to be as bad as it looked on Wednesday night. So I think that's probably what.
Fans are looking for as just some glimmer of hope.
That this isn't going to be a really dark season ahead and it wasn't just the Crosstown shootout win was the last bit of fun that they had for the season. I think that's what everyone's kind of looking for tonight, is get back on track and maybe it's going to be an up and down year. This is clearly going to be a team that can be inconsistent at times, but can you at least give us enough good nights that you can have a fun rest of the season.
Rick Brooring is with us from the Musketeer Report, and head coach Richard Patino kind of warned us at the beginning of the season that you know it was going to be a work in progress, and that five game win streak really got everybody's hopes up. Like you mentioned sobering reality here so and you mentioned the perfect word, an opportunity tonight here against Georgetown, and you sure would be nice to have them bounce back. I still like
the job Richard Patino's doing. It is very first year here with the Musketeers.
Yeah, I mean, I think the issue Zavier has right now is a roster issue. They just don't have enough talent for what you're used to seeing that Aavier used to see in the Big East, and I think you're seeing that across the board in the Big East.
It's a down year.
There are clear and obvious reasons for that, with the way the rules change in college basketball last spring and summer and how it affected the transfer portal. It's too complex and too complicated to get into it during this segment. We've done it a twenty five different times since last spring on various shows, But basically a lot of the schools that weren't the big football schools this year were handicapped in last year's transfer Portal, and so you're seeing
that across the Big East. It's looking like a conference that might only get two or three teams Indian Zilla Tournament this year if it continues the way it's going right now. And so so I think that's the biggest struggle to Davier's head as a lack.
Of talent on their roster.
Now, from the standpoint of being able to coach in games and make adjustments within your roster and from game to game, changing things up and giving your chance to giving your team a chance to win games, I think Richard Patino and his staff have done just about everything.
You could ask of them.
Now would you You don't want to see forty one point blowout losses. You don't want to see the record setting losses on your home floor the way they did against Creton. That obviously wasn't a positive sign. But there's been a ton of things that they have done well. From a coaching perspective, there's no question about that.
But in this day and age, Chick as you know.
I mean, a lot of this is going to come down to being able to put together a roster. There. They were putting an impossible situation last year getting here when they got here, going through the portal with the lack of resource, they did in comparison to the bigger football schools.
So that is what it is.
But going forward, they'll have to prove they can put together a good roster along with the coaching moves that they they've already proven they can make throughout the course of the season already.
And you mentioned Rick the Big East, and yeah, Saint John's took one on the chin today at Rupperna against the University of Kentucky seventy eight to sixty six, and Saint John's ranked twenty second in the nation, So I'm sure Rick Pattino is looking for answers there also. And hey, I'd like to just shift here for a minute and talk about the Northern Kentucky Norse Monster game tomorrow with the College of Charleston coming in with Chris Mack noon game.
You can hear it right here.
iHeartMedia, Cincinnati, Fox Sports thirteen sixty at the Truest Arena in Highland Heights.
This is a great opportunity here for the Norse well it is.
It's a great opportunity too if you're a local college basketball fan to come see two good mid major teams go at it at noon on a Sunday, just an easy time to get to you know, I know Sanna is going to be there doing pictures with the kids. So fun opportunity for good mid major basketball viewing.
Opportunity at noon on a Sunday.
With the Bengals out of it, you know, it's a good time to maybe look at that option. But when you talk about NKU right now, check, I think this game with Charleston is another great measuring stick for them to see where they're at, what their improvement on the defensive end.
They've been able to score the ball.
They had that six.
Game winning streak that they had, the rough loss at Prue Fort Wayne where they led by fifteen at halftime and then watched it slip away, and then they lost a close one in conference at home to Oakland the other night. But the issues that they've had have come with not being consistent enough defensively, especially down the stretch of some of these conference games. And Charleston isn't a conference game, so it's not going to count towards towards
the seeding in the Horizon League Tournament. But last I checked, this was yesterday on pen Pom, these two teams NK and Charleston were ranked exactly one spot apart, so they are two teams that are evenly mad by all the metrics. Chris Mack and that Charleston program always have great resources in the transfer portal, so it really is a good chance to measure up and kind of see how you're improving against the team that's very similar to you.
The Norse have one eight out of ten of their last games here and they're nine and four overall, seven and one at home.
Charleston is six and six.
But man, it all happens tomorrow Truest Arena, Highland Heights, Kentucky at noon, and.
How do you see this game going.
What's going to be important here for the Norse getting off to a good start and man, just being consistent throughout.
Yeah, I think really for them, they've been pretty good in the first half of these games.
They've they've gotten off.
To pretty good starts of late, but it's been more finishing in the second half of these games. You got to put two good halfs together, and a lot of it comes down to the defensive side. You know, it's easy to play well on both ends and play hard and have energy when you're making shots and the three balls going in. The issue in Kushead at times is guys let the way they're playing on the offensive end, or whether they're scoring or not, affects their overall energy
and effort level on both ends of the floor. And that's where I think, you know, coach Horn and his staff have tried to get them to mature a little bit, grow up and be more unselfish of like, hey, it doesn't matter how it's going for you, it matters how it's going for the team overall. And as long as you play defensive play with great effort, we can still get a lot of value out of you and win games. And so I think that's what they're moving towards, and
that's where they're still trying to get better. But the most exciting thing for MKU fans is this team has proven to be able to score the ball at a level that we really haven't seen in Highland Heights and Darren Horn's tenure yet he's had some really good individuals like Mark wez Warwick who can score by themselves, but those teams were oftentimes squeaking out sixty two to fifty eight wins. And you know, this team is able to play in the eighties and nineties pretty easily on the
offensive end. So if they can fix the defensive side of the ball and be more consistent there, they've shown flashes for sure, but they can be more consistent, have a chance to be pretty special this year, I think. But really, the entire top half of the Horizon League is looking pretty strong, chick. I mean, there are four or five teams that you could you could tell me any of the five are going to be at the top of the league here in a couple of weeks, and it would not surprise me one bit.
And that's what you love, Rick brooring about the Horizon League. Gosh, the uh it's it's anybody's league. We we see the Oakland Golden Grizzlies, UH with a six to seven overall record, but two to zero in the conference.
So UH.
To that, yes, yes, so UH love the league mid majors and man, uh you know seedings important here for the for the conference tournament, but year in and year out, it's just so balanced and on any night anything can happen. And UH love love Northern Kentucky and the closeness with UH with the right State Raiders up in the Dayton area.
Yeah, no doubt.
I mean, as you talked about out State's good this year, MKU is looking like they're going to be in competition for a Horizon League championship. Youngstown State is really good, Robert Morris is really good, Oakland's really good. I mean, any of those five teams are legit contenders to win it all. And I've been asked multiple times this weekend, even who do you think is the best team in Willie.
You think's going to win it?
And I'm like, I don't know. I don't have a favorite. There is no clear favorite right now in the Horizon League. And that's what makes it so fun going into this year. And also you have so many different styles of play
within the league. When you talk about you know, Oakland plays a funky matchup zone that Morris and MKU plays a matchup zone, and IU Indy is trying to play the fastest pace in all of college basketball with a very unique style, and Youngstown State's very analytical, takes away threes, shoots a lot of threes, all of these types of things. I mean, there's lots of different styles of play. You've got Doug Gottlieb at Green Bay and he's quitting his
radio show now to focus on his team. So so many storylines within the league as well.
And what I love about the league these are big cities that you go into, you know, Detroit, Yeah, you know, even a Green Bay you know that loves their football. But gosh, Indianapolis, Cleveland, and Chicago and Youngstown and gosh, Purdue Fort Wayne and they play in a great old arena that's been refurbished. Does do the Milwaukee Panthers still play in the old Mecca that Martell played in.
That is a historic old place. I love that place.
Great spot, chick. You know. The great thing about there is old spot like that classic arena. They've got the long John's in the bathroom still it's like you're peeing on the floor.
It's amazing, man, oh man, incredible. Yeah.
And that's where gosh, the old Marquette Warriors outlawed because their uniforms were too cool. They had to chase the uniforms for Al McGuire. Oh, great stuff. Hey, Rick, where can people find you? I know you're doing podcasts. Your man following the Musk. He's very close with the Musketeer Report and man, your partner Jim Kelch, you and him do a fantastic job.
Oh, I appreciate you saying that.
That's very kind.
If you're looking to follow Xavier coverage, mostreport dot com is where you need to be a fifty percent off sale right now during Christmas time.
Maybe you got a Xavior.
Fan that you're looking for a gift for it hard to buy. For get him a subscription the Musketeer Report. They won't regret that at all.
You'll enjoy that.
So right now, a Musketarreport dot com is a spot to find that everything else on Twitter or Facebook.
Rick browing Man really appreciate your time tonight, and I want to wish you and your family a very merry Christmas and happy New Year.
Thanks Jack, I appreciate it.
Thank you.
And before we go to break, just want to say that the best place for Bengals postgame celebration tomorrow is at Wings and Rings Finnytown on Winton Road. The Chickster will be there with the immortal Jim brew Each the leading scorer in Bengals history, will be broadcasting on seven hundred WLW and Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty from five thirty to eight thirty. But we will be live at Wings
and Rings, Finnytown on Winton Road tomorrow. And now we head to break, and we head to Musketeer coverage on seven hundred WLW