This is I on the Ball with Steve Rivera on Fox Sports fourteen fifty powered by Nova Insurance Services insure your most prized possess.
Yets goodbody. Welcome to Eye on the Ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera, and with me today is a dude who said I will work for free on the corner of the speedway and something, and so he decided to come in at home. Did the hell were you holding nothing? I saw? I gotta feed this guy, Jay Ga Zalis, welcome back.
Good to be here.
We got our guy Kobe and usual unusual Friday, right.
Yep, Nice see you guys.
Yeah, good, good good. What's going on? Jay? We we're over the super Bowl no longer at the casino on a Friday. This bums.
I had a good football season, Steve, both from a you know, our our our. I know I lost to you, but I had a good year but also did some did some nice stuff online.
The Tahiti chrip is on as well.
No, I've got money to play with for the for baseball now and for March Madness as well.
So okay, but you know it was a fun football season. I hate to ask you how well, because just well enough that I'm not dipping into the bank account.
Good good, good, Well, welcome to Friday. A big game tomorrow. I tried to get the beat why you beat writer, But those people in Utah, you don't know what the hell's going. I don't know what this trail all day? Last time I did too. Uh So, you know, what do you think about tomorrow? I will hope to get some calls. We're gonna talk to Dennis Dodd here at three seventeen to get the scope of the nation and the Big twelve.
Well, I think I think Arizona's really hard to beat at home, and and so i'd like to think, you know, probably a you know, maybe seven or eight point win or something like that. You know something, again, I think it's gonna be a hard game, as they all are, as all the Big twelve games are. And I've got a little bit of rant about that. I was ranting earlier this week.
Okay about what twelve.
Just about fans understanding how hard it is to win.
Without question, you know, they didn't understand it in the Pac twelve and it wasn't.
That right and the fans not getting it, and then I'll you know, I'll get to that and you know later. But you know, b YUS, you know, they're they're a good team, they're playing well. You know, I think we were surprised that they won Arizona one at b YU. Yeah, I was right, And so to think that, you know, that was a hard game to win. You know, the way they they lighted up from three. You know, if they're hot, they're going to be hard to be sure, No, no question.
In fact, at that time when they won that game at b YU, I said that might have been the best win of the season at that time. And then they've really kind of even expanded on that, right, Iowa State and just the recent one on the Baylor and the Houston loss, wasn't that bad of a loss to me?
And and then again that that going back to why I was ranting at people, you know earlier in this week. Well, Monday on Tuesday, Okay, they beat Baylor Monday night. And I get it, it was late some people maybe and sit up and watch the whole thing. But they win at Baylor after losing two tough games, including a really good game to a really really good Houston team. I get it. It was at home, and they get they had a lead, you know, late in the second half, and I get
that Houston, you know, ran them down. But Houston's really damn good. Yeah, one of the better teams that a National championship quality team, right, and then they then they beat Baylor, and then Monday on Tuesday, all I hear is how bad Arizona looks.
Like just fans you're following Twitter, and both people.
That I know, people that I see these were, you know, and people that you would be surprised what would be saying. And I'm like, you know, it was a did you watch the game?
Say?
Yeah, I did? Well, you know Caleb this, and they turned the ball over too much and they you know, Henry can't hang on to the ball and all these things. And I'm like, did you watch the end of the game, Well, yeah, so you know they won, you.
Know, they one and they didn't they did what they couldn't do against Houston.
And you watched it on TV because it was at Baylor. It wasn't here in Tucson, so you know they won. And yet what are you bitching about, Well, they don't do this and they don't do that, and they're they're vulnerable here, and they're vulnerable there. I said, wait a minute, stop, you also know they're twelve and three in the Big twelve, right, you know that too? And they're in second place, you know,
behind a team that could win the national championship. This person, yeah, okay, yeah, I'm having this conversation with live with people, not just and not.
Just one person, like that group of yours. It is, isn't it. You look at me like which group? The group of some of them right?
Who you know? Who they are?
What are they? What are they thinking?
I don't know. I don't know.
Adam and I my son and my son and are going to guys because they're complaining about Caleb. They're complaining that we turned the ball over too much. They said, we're not tough and gritty?
What And I was just I was gonna say this to you after this conversation or before this conversation, what has been the most oppressive thing about their toughness? They're tough?
I said, wait a minute, let's go back to when let's go back to when Arizona got in the Big twelve, and what did we say?
What did you think about it?
What did you think they're gonna have to get a lot tougher if they're gonna be good in the Big twelve. They're twelve and three in the Big twelve. So what's the conclusion you can draw from that that they're tougher? And I'm like, how can you sit there and say they're not tough?
What?
What team are they watching?
What do you want?
Yeah, here's the here's the demise, Jay, is that in a month or so, if they happen to lose in the thirty two game or the sixteen game or whatever game, they're gonna say I told you, Jay, they just turn the ball too much, they're not tough enough. Bla blah blah blah. Eventually, Okay, yes, but not now.
I'm okay, I'm confident. I'm confident enough to say this. If Arizona loses, you know, earlier than we think they should the tournament, in the tournament, okay, it's not going to be because they weren't tough enough. It's going to be because maybe they had a bad shooting night, somebody had a really bad game, a team matched up with them in a way that that you know, it was just a bad matchup for them. It's not going to
be because they weren't tough enough. Like when we think back to you know that that year that they had to scrap to beat TCU and then Houston beat him in the next round, and they will clearly like you guys weren't tough. It was glaring. Not anymore.
No, no, no, this is not the team that we saw in December. They found some magic of one getting tougher right and finding ways to to win. Henry, I think, in fact, who would you say the m v P of the team is right now?
Since over the last several weeks, Henry vas too without without him, I don't know where they are. But the point being that you've got fans who are watching this team play and and they have issues with how they're playing. Ye I mean, shouldn't shouldn't shouldn't them? Whatever you think of the team be based on whether or not they're winning games in the Big Twelve.
I'm surprised by the group that well I'm not surprised. I am surprised because they should know better. Uh, some of them. Uh this team is Hey, this team had to I had to get sold on this team. I'm kind of being more sold than I have ever been because of the toughness. Uh, you don't need Caleb as much as you did in the past, at least perception wise. Henry has kind of added to a Waka's uh inside power.
He gives them a change of pace inside over there. You know you've been you've been packing it down with Tobyo Waka down there. Then he comes out of the game and Henry comes in, and now you got to get out on the on the perimeter.
Now the other play together, and they're playing together, which makes it hard. I'm surprised.
And then and then you know, older guys right in my breakfast club, the same conversation. I had the same conversation all day Tuesday.
How do those guys become successful business people?
Our sales are gone.
I don't know how many times I said to somebody, you do know Arizona won last night?
Yeah, yeah, they picked And we just gotta I just gotta text for one of our friends who said that you're spot on, because that's all you hear on Twitter and Facebook, people bitching about whatever. Enjoy the moment, because these moments are not are not gonna have.
I am having so much fun this basketball season because I don't you know. One of the things I one of the things I said was, Okay, Arizona's got twenty conference games, all right, And they had twenty conference games the last couple of years in the big in the in the PAC twelve.
Oh yeah, when you.
Looked at the PAC twelve schedule, at the twenty conference games, how many games did you think were losable?
Maybe three?
Maybe three? Yeah, you know you thought the two UCLA games could be losable. You figured you'd split with Oregon, so you know, maybe maybe you count and that's it, right, right? Year after year after year, you thought maybe there's two or three games, and if they lost any more than that, you thought, what's wrong with you?
Hold on? Hold up? Thought we got a call. Hello, you're on the air and on the ball. Who's this hey, guys?
How you doing?
What's up?
Well?
You think what were you think?
I don't know, I don't know what got into Jay, but whatever he had, I want to eat some of it. Uh No, I agree, I agree wholeheartedly. The the interest thing about this team this year is they have struggled. They you know, they haven't shot well, I shouldn't say struggle overall. They have struggle with They're shooting and Caleb, you know Caleb specifically, but like you said, they're twelve
and three with that struggle. R and I read this week one of the national writers I can't remember who was that if if Anyson is struggling like this, can you imagine if they get in a hot streak, what could happen? And that's what people got to think about. I mean, they've gotten in the past, they've been really you know, shooting a lot better. Maybe you know, you know, on a winning streak, and then again the tournament and
they fall flat. This could be uh, you know, who knows, but this could be uh, you know, the reverse could be they could get.
On a hot streak. To your point to me and you're texting me during the Jay's conversation. I think you guys need to have better friends, smarter friends.
I think the thing about me and Jay is that we cut you know, we grew up in tuc time. We've been around a lot of maybe get frustrated and you know, like the football program get frustrated because you know, you can't turn the corner. And now the basketball team has been the Final four and what twenty four years, So I think we have a lot of people. We've been around a lot of people that have been through all that. So we hear the complaining or the you know, the.
Whining, and Steven, they see.
Something wrong, they're gonna act on.
It has to understand that we're related to most of these people.
Yeah, it just makes sense. You know, Hey, guess what I married. I married a supermodel. Yeah, but can she cook shot the hell?
Yeah?
Well, I just wanted to call them and just say I agree with Jay, and I think people should just kind of you know, check themselves and see where Arizona's.
At right now and enjoy what we're having, Enjoy what we're seeing.
Right, Okay, all right, thanks, So you made Jay's dat whatever.
Agrees with Jay.
So so, you know, to finish the point I was making, Okay, you know Pack twelve season, you know, three maybe four in the Big twelve conference? Of the twenty games, how many are losable? Sixteen?
All of them. Here's the thing that I asked the
people this week. I says, Okay, so you went through the PAC twelve schedule forever, Pack ten, even before that, how many times you say, okay, we're ready for this the tournament, right, not as much as you think you are that you are now because now you're thinking, Okay, we've been through a lot of stuff and we're not here to aliby the team, but you've gone through a lot, seen a lot, and you're going to be more comfortable now going in than you have ever been.
To my point, which I think you know, if they if they don't go far in the big point in the in the in the in the tournament, I don't think it's going to be for lack of toughness. Maybe for lack of something, maybe for lack of shooting, something could get them, right. It may be that that you know, a couple of guys have a stretch of bad games and you don't win games, whatever, But I don't think you're going to chalk it up to a lack of toughness.
No, no, because that's been to me, that's been the biggest, most impressive thing for me.
Unless people who equate losing and and however you lose, how do you lose? Unless people equate that too, Well, they lost it because they weren't tough. Well, no, maybe they lost because the other team was pretty good.
Well that's that's the thing. They're not factor, right, that's nothing. The ten people that you have lunch with, you get a limited about five of them. But but how many of them believe what you're saying that they're not.
There's a handful, there's a handful, But you got more people who, as you say, are nitpicking. They're saying, but we're not doing this, and we're not doing that, and if we don't do that better, we can't go far. And I'm saying, guess what, We've gone pretty far doing exactly what they're doing up to now. You know, Yes, a Yukon, you know, gets on a tear like they did last year and just plays perfectly for six games in a row and they win the national championship going
away that that can happen. But this team, let's say all of it comes together, they can do that. Whereas look at what the Yukon's doing. Now, look at Kansas right now, they've got well, you know, you can argue that both of those teams have way better players in Arizona, you know, player by player. But what are they doing.
What the other guys don't understand is the other teams, like you kind of said, well, the other teams are pretty good. These teams are really good that Arizona's playing. You have to play Houston mentioned if you played about Houston. They played them here, they played them well. There's no shame in that that they played them well.
And I don't think I sign anything against Houston that would tell me they couldn't beat them in a neutral court game if.
They played and they played well enough. Yeah, yeah, we gotta go. We're gonna get a whole Dennis Dodd talk about national stuff and maybe where Arizona fits in nationally. So looking forward to this. We hadn't talked to him in a while.
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Steve Rivera, he's got his eye on the ball on Tucson's sports station, Fox Sports fourteen fifty.
Hey, welcome back to wy in the Ball Here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera. You are Jay Goanzas. Now on the phone, we have Dennis Dott, one of our great guys from CBS Sports. Dennis, How are you are you there, danns Well, I'm here, Hi, Dennis, Welcome, Welcome to the show. We always love having you. You're a busy, busy man football with all the stuff going on with the college football situation, basketball going on. But let's talk first about Arizona basketball in the Big twelve.
What do you think about the twelve to this point.
You know what's the biggest The biggest story is one of the biggest disappointments that can Yeah, you've got people from ESPN now you know, same players quit and what happened canns basketball story came out today The Bill self interviews the Oklahoma State job like a year ago today. That's his alma mater, but still shocking for a Hall of Fame coach, still in the prime of his career. And it's and look, the league is down a tick. I think the SEC is just killing it. It's by
falling away the best conference this year. I think Arizona's a good story. Houston's you know, may win the league. We'll see, uh, but I think it's more there's more parody this year in the league than there was last year. Still a good league, it's not the one it was maybe last ten years.
Yeah, Well, Dennis and Jacob's also, I mean part of that is because, I mean, the reason that the Big twelve seems down is because Kansas is down right. It's kind of like, you know, if UCLA or Arizona wasn't good in the Pac twelve, people didn't think much of the packed wee well, they didn't think much of the
Pacweb anyways. But but you know, when you've got to when you've got a program like Kansas that isn't where it normally needs to normally is Yeah, you look at the league and say, well, you're not as good as you usually are. It's still a hard league. And you mentioned the word parody. It's it's unbelievable, you know. You know, we're going through our first round of this and we're seeing how every team that Arizona plays is another really good team that's hard to beat.
Yeah, it's like even a Baylor that's down this year. It's hard to see Cincinnati where did they just want? I can't remember, but no, you're right. I mean, I think the thing that makes the Big twelve so attractive in football is the parody because now we know in any given year anybody through that. Uh. It is not not so much in uh in basketball. But I think Kansas got taught, you know, maybe going to the portal too much to try to try to fill in with players.
And these guys, these guys a J. Store Peak, Mayo's good, Ryland Griffin from from Alabama are very good. Hunter Dickinson has taken a big step down right guy who's an All American for who is for his career. I think average is seventeen and ten. And so it's that there are times when you watch them play, but they really look like they they're not interested in playing basketball. The certainly they look like they care about each other. When they got their butts with it the DYU this week,
that looks like a total give up job. I mean they were they were never to start. So that's some of.
The look some of the look at it can Yeah, no question, Denis. I can't remember if we saw you a Boise last year or not, but I know I saw you at the Final four and and and Bill self at the time, I think they had just beaten Stanford or Sandford. I'm sorry and talked about I can't wait till next year. In fact, I was looking forward to next year. Now this year is here and not doing so well. In the Oklahoma state thing that you mentioned today, I saw that. I saw that just about
an hour ago. Uh, unbelievable. Do you think that the that a play that a team from the Big Big twelve will end up at the Final four even though the SEC is very dominant?
Look, I yeah, look anything can happen. We haven't seen the job. We haven't seen the bracket. You don't know who's gonna get hot. Yeah, do I think No? I don't think one. Well, but that's not to say it can't happen. I mean I do think there's there's pressure. As good as the SEC is, there's pressure on the SEC to have at least two right the way they've been. They just had a one versus too Alabama Auburn for
the first time last Saturday. And Zuri to me is the top ten team like that mm hm, you know, for example, and maybe a quality throughout that throughout that league. So no, I look, if I had to pick today, i'd say no, But you know, you never know. That's what the tournament's about.
Have you watched Arizona at all?
I had watched them a bit yet, I you know, obviously they've rebounded from early on. The schedule schedule was tough. They so I got a chance to win this league. Can't wait to see him in Kansas City. Yeah, in the with the sixteen team league, they're going to play, let's see four games each Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday of that week. I think that's right.
Yeah, yeah, that's how they're doing it. The bottom the bottom eight teams play on Tuesday. Then those four winners play against teams uh seven through I mean nine through twelve, and then the one through four only have to play starting Thursday.
Yeah, and this town has never seen anything like that. I live in Kansas City, Uh, and I've been to think all the Big twelve tournaments. Uh, they've never seen anything like this. And I still think it's the best postseason conference tournament out there. This will be fun. I mean, if you're just want to go watch ball and significant ball beginning Tuesday is shot. Yeah. You means there's you know, talent scattered throughout there. It isn't top TENVY, So I think that's gonna be a black You know.
The only people that are disappointed are the two sons because they wanted to go to Vegas.
Yeah that may that may happen. Uh when this current contract.
Yeah, well you've been busy as well with basketball expansion and now I saw a couple of days ago you had the possibility of football expansion. Can you go into the basketball first?
Uh? Well that's been reported that I think at least Greg Zankee and the SEC is really supports the expansion of the field by as many as eight so from what is sixty eight to seventy six, and that all dovetails into what the SEC is, Big ten one and
expanding the field in football. It's look, if you think those eight teams in the basketball tournament are going to be Fairmount or mon Mouth or Northern, They're going and you're praised, it's going to be all Power Conference teams and it's probably all going to be SEC and Big Ten school to that. Then the reason you're seeing them go for those two leagues go for automatic qualifiers beginning
in twenty twenty six is really simple. Tony Pettiti, the commissioner of the Big Ten, realized he had eighteen teams, biggest conference ever ever in Division one and needed access and more spots because he has the biggest league. Number two,
the SEC is seriously considering considering a nine conference game. Well, that means that half of Greg's thanking teams are going to endure a loss if you play that ninth conference game, and so you need a cushy landing spot for those schools that do lose that extra game and still have an ability to get in the playoffs. And it basically explains their mentality and trying to do.
But what drives me crazy about all this, Dennis, is that they're getting those bids anyways. Now get the whole Alabama didn't get in over SMU last year, but that that's an aberration that's almost never going to happen. They're gonna get four bids no matter what. Why do we have to put it down on paper? Because if you don't deserve the fourth one, you shouldn't get the fourth.
One because they don't want that discussion to be had. And by that, I mean they don't trust the selection to me, and I don't know if I blame it. It's all what they did in Florida State. Yeah, I guess you could have made a case for Alabama. I wasn't in Alabama. Guy, I'm glad you got in. But they don't want the selection committee. They don't trust them. They don't trust them because it's a rotating membership. Their standards and they're the things they consider important different from
year to year. And with that much of stay the deal collegetball playoffs. They don't want humans deciding. To the point that I did a story last year on ward manual. He is the athletic director at Michigan, and he became the chair in these in these critical times where everybody's looking behind everybody's Max, How can you put the Big ten commissioner in charge of the playoffs? That you know? Let's all I ask him, Ward, why do you need this?
You've got two accidentcy investigations going on at that me trying to hire a basketball coach, and he wanted to be chair of the committee. So I thought that was kind of odd that they would go to those links to put the Big ten commissioner and charge of the playoffs. So that I think that only heightens the the anxiety about letting the humans decide we.
Don't have you very long. So let me ask you, what do you plan on coming out here? We saw you a few times under Jed. I think in springball, do you think you're gonna come out to see what Brennan's up to?
One?
Do you think he'll write that ship? Two and three? Uh, some people are not even going to have the spring ball because they want to hide their guys.
Yeah, TVD we haven't gotten that fall yet. Obviously, there was some first year I don't know when you're what you're gonna call it hitters and consistencies, the front kind of riving things. Yeah, they don't want they don't want spring press. This is a bigger issue. College football tended towards an NFL model anyway, and her current coach or coach say, we just want to do lowt you know, off season uh, training activities where you're not no one's
getting injured. There's I'm going to write something soon about the injury rate. Uh that is now so far the injury rate on kickoffs, which had changed a couple of years ago, it's so far down. It's almost lower than the regular place in scrimmage, so white even risk it the average NFL team, it's less than one time per week. Because of the obvious you're paying these guys millions of dollars. Why put your in their training professionals at a point? Why put their health at risk? And I think college
coaches are seeing that too. Why have you know? Why put you You've got the the Nebraska thing with rules players. I got news for Matt rule. If they want one of your players, they're going.
To know its.
Controlled spring game. You know.
It's like me trying to add a girlfriend.
Trying to have a keep I know, I know.
Exactly exactly.
Yeah. So I mean it's it's changing everything and and it you know, and I'm gonna I keep having this conversation with you, like get used to this, right, It's it's it's different, uh, and but it can still be fun. You know, we were just talking about the you know, the Big Twelve season. You know, as hard as these games are, you know, for teams like Arizona, they're certainly
more interesting and they're more fun. And yet you still got people down here at least, you know, thinking that they should be running through the Big Twelve like they used to run through the Pac twelve. And it's just not not that way anymore.
That's the curse and the attracting that anybody can win the Big Twelve, and by extension, you'd be in the playoffs if you did. I think the you know, out of this automatic qualifier playing. I think the Big Twelve is going to get too automatic every year. I think they love that they won't they got publicly yet because they hadn't vetted all.
The times, right.
I think the President would love having an age that love had two guard keep spots with the SEC and Big ten taking over. No, but I you know, I think that's the way it's going to go. And look, I love I love the fact that it's like that. I went to that Kansas Colorado game in November. Was mid November. Yeah, at that point both of those schools, Kansas is trying to get to a bold Colorado was still in the running to get to win the Big twelve play a championship game and by extension, get to
the playoffs. That was a juicy storyline at that point where little old Kansas they stumbled early that they were they're trying to get to a bowl game. Colorado is proof of concept. Now Kansas won that day, but I think by then Coach Prime had already proved his proof of concept, that he had turned it around. I mean, I give him im all kinds of props now among those that really dunk him early on. He has done what he was supposed to do with.
Right Dennis real quick. Because I kind of joked about it earlier. Fans are used to going to Vegas and kind of in making it Tucson South. What are Tucson North?
Uh?
But no one really talks about the Kansas City Tournament and you kind of alluded to it that it's gonna be fantastic basketball for a few days. What can people expect if they do go to that tournament, because it's gonna be crazy.
Uh T Mobile Uh not tem Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, but T Mobile Center in Kansas City is a great venue. It's across the street from an entertainment district called Power and Light Bars restaurants. You just walk across the street to between games after games the four games. If you're of a mind and it's typically you know, the most fans from Kansas State, Kansas and Iowa stay, It's gonna be interesting how those Kansas fans turn out for a
very disappoint the team. I guarantee you one thing, I always stay, will out, buy out, drink outscream anybody that week in time. They are great fans. They just it's a tradition. They come down to my Iowa or wherever and build a place basically as long as I always stay.
Last right, Well, they were down here and they came and droves, I mean the part of the biggest crowd I've ever seen from an opposing team, and they gave everything until that sixty five footery killer. Yep, yeah yeah, thanks, yeah, yeah, well, thank you, Thank you Dennis as always appreciate you. We see you soon.
Are you guys going to be here?
Well, I gotta buy a jacket.
I work for a living.
Had seven below if it was last.
That scares me? Thanks Ben, Yeah, take care they did a stime from CBS Sports. Yeah, I was thinking about people have to buy jackets and globes.
Well, well again, I remember when when Arizona got in the league, was announce Arizona's going to be in the league, and of course Arizona fans went on and saying move the tournament to Vegas, and Big Paul fans were going on there and saying, you guys have no idea how good this tournament in Kansas City.
And he says, hey, this is already, don't.
Tell us how to get out of here. Oh, it's great in Vegas. At Kansas City is saying, hold my beer.
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Streaming live on the Ihearts Radio while this is Eye on the Ball with Steve Rivera on Fox Sports fourteen fifty.
Hey, welcome back to I on the Ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera in today with me is Jay Gonzalez. Got Kobe at the head of the machine here out of the snake. Good to talk to Dennis.
Yeah, you know, these guys are Here's what I like is that you talk to these guys and you talk to them about Arizona and they're not clueless, right right, right, you know, they know their stuff and they have good opinions and they have knowledge, and it's great to you know, one, it's great to see that Arizona's on the radar right as a fan, but also that you know, they bring some insight that maybe we don't bring because they they're all over the country and seeing stuff.
Let's not we have a bunt ten and twelve minutes. Let's get through. Maybe if we can hear it the Tommy Lloyd thing, maybe the first five maybe he said something interested interesting, and then we can talk about it.
All right, guys, let's knock this out. Got stuff to do.
Two sort of days off was nice, It was great, great Tucson.
Tucson did well, Tucson provided some good weather, and uh, yeah, it was. It was good to kind of recharge a little bit.
Said after that the Bailor year that it was about the response and the energy for that game, and you seemed pleased with it.
But how do you then build off that now that you have this extended break do it again? I mean it's not complicated.
I mean, you you know this time of year, you know every game is going to be you know, you know, competitive, and and if you think you're going to show up and and just go through the motions and be successful, you know you're you're you're delusional. So yeah, we just need to we need to make sure every time we take the court that you know, you know, we we were serving the game the way it should be served and and that's with effort, energy, intelligence, you know all
that stuff. So you know, I mean just to me that that those are the things that those are the ingredients that I'm looking for right now.
I mean, obviously, I or Devon is a very highly thought out I thought, after prospect, what did you guys see from him? What was the plan?
And try to defense the first time around?
And I mean, he's, you know, he's he's he's a very talented, you know, young player.
Obviously he's got a great future ahead of him.
And you know he's he's you know, getting a great opportunity there to play with the ball in his hands a lot, and you know, and and and you know he's having success. So you know, we know he presents a lot of challenges, you know, and but you know, but but those are challenges I think we're up for.
You had your team's country before, but are things a little easier when you see be like even when they did to Kansas and you can kind of point to I.
Mean, I mean, you know, we haven't really even talked about that yet. I mean, you know, I mean, I hope our guys are paying attention. But you know, I mean that game at b YU, I mean it's a little misleading.
You know.
We we we kind of It's one of those games is very even throughout, you know, like I don't know, eight minutes to go or something.
We kind of made a run at the.
Right time, and you know, and and you know, they they tried to come back and missed some of the shots, and you know we were able to kind of you know, win at the end comfortably. But but you know, it wasn't like it was from the tip. It was domination. So we know it's gonna be an evenly matched game.
And and and I.
Also know, you know, I've played East BYU a lot. I know I know that there's some character in that program, and there's gonna be a response, and you know they're gonna come down here, you know, with the mindset of getting to win. And so we're gonna have to approach it the same way when you played three.
Straight home games against ranked teams Iowa State, Houston, Texas Tech, and.
Now you've got an unranked b YU team coming in here.
You have to, you know, tell the players to guard against the letdown.
Of the GAU.
No that easy.
Did you make.
The EYU Kansas game?
It seems like nationally the perspective is Kansas is slipping, et cetera.
But you just went up to be white.
I mean, listen, I mean by you played great, Kansas, didn't, I mean when it was impressive. You know, there's you know, no no reason for me to draw the opinions on Kansas because we you know, we don't play them for a few weeks. But but by you look great. You know, they had their way with them every which way, and so obviously they're gonna be feeling really good about themselves, you know, coming down here.
Yeah, that was just kind of an early point of it. I want to ask you, because I haven't asked anybody this question, because I have an answer to my own question. Uh, who do you think the X factor is with this team? You got a month left, you want to try to go as far as you can, do as well as you can. What would you say is the X factor?
I still think it's Caleb and And the reason being is that you know.
Okay, okay, you know okay. I mean, would you if you had a hundred bucks, would you bet on? Would you bet on him trending in a good way or in a bad way.
If I had to bet it, if you said you have to bet this is okay. If you said I have to bet this, I'd say he's gonna he'll finish strong.
Okay, So and then he's so.
The reason I say he's the X factor is because you know that if he goes off, if he has a great game, scores a bunch of points. Is in the mix offensively, turnover I mean I turnover, assists, some steals, playing some defense. They're gonna win, yes, if he and if he doesn't, they might lose. There's a good chance they're gonna lose. So the one guy to me that they need down the streets because you're gonna get what you're gonna get from kJ lewis he is who he is. Okay,
you're gonna get what you're gonna get from Jayden Bradley. Now, Henry maybe is a kind of a close runner up to that, because if he keeps doing what he's doing, they're a whole lot better. But I think the one guy they have to have as we go, as they go into the tournament. Okay, not so much to finish out this regular seat because they're gonna you know, if they're throw top one, two or three seed in the in the Big twelve, they've got a good seed, they'll
be fine. But to make a run in the n C Double A tournament, they're gonna need Caleb Love.
I have no I've said that. I've said that, there's no question that in order to go deep into the tournament that Caleb has to have. He has to have some matches.
Tournament.
Hear me out, and I'm not gonna go along with this, but they would not have won without without Dela Orso. Dorso has kind of been been not he's been a C player, he's been a C player C plus.
But they would not have won Monday last Okay, correct.
So that's what he that's what he offers to this team. If he scores eleven points, does it efficiently? Can maybe defend, but you're not gonna get defense for him. He's gonna spot up and shoot.
Uh.
They would not have won Monday. And I know this is a reach for me because it's just because your Caleb thing is is pretty accurate because without him going, they're not going to go deep, right. They need him to catch fire right, But Delorso is one of those dudes that if you can, if he can get twelve and you hit four the or whatever from the three point line to free up from perimeter. He just hasn't
done that. He's done it maybe a time or two, but they need him to do that, and Tommy has not talked about him a lot until the last couple of weeks where he says he needs to start showing up.
The only thing I'll say to that is that they've gotten this far essentially without.
Him, no question, no question.
So I think to me, Delorso is kind of like, you know, icing on the cake. If they if they get him too, well, then now they're really really hard to beat. I don't know if they have to have del Orso, but if they do, it's great. I think they have to have Caleb.
Yeah, I agree with that. I was just thinking because and I've said this, I'm not disapperiod No. No, if you make a good point, here's here's the issue. And I don't think I've talked to you about it, because I've talked with the other people. They have seven dudes, eight dudes. Maybe they haven't. They don't get much from dill or So consistently. They don't get much from Townsend consistently. Right, So that gets to six people, and then you need
those six to do really, really well. And in my mind I've said this, Platters were playing with with the one hand tied behind their back because two dudes, a starter and a key reserve. Two starters are not playing. But Steve, every team is like that.
The teams.
Teams for the most part, don't go when you're talking about really really good players, Okay, go about six deep. There's seven, eight, nine guys are guys that have to come in fill some gaps for short periods of time, try not to do anything stupid. And that's and Arizona's in the same position that so many other teams. You know, I saw like I saw Houston, all right, so these guys are really good, but there was you know, not every guy that stepped on the court for Houston was a great player.
No, but Steven Houston. But they do what they need to do. But they they are that sixty teams. They're a nasty good team.
But that's the thing, you know, if if Delorso, you know, they tell them out of Delorso, Townsend and and and and Henry Vassar, and those guys are playing really well and contributing and and and putting putting in some really good minutes, Arizona becomes very hard to beat. But most of the teams are like that with their six, seven, eight or even nine guys, you know, and and that's where a team like Kansas I saw I saw some of that b YU game, and I thought, what happened to their talent?
Right?
What happened to their talent? I said? Are there only three guys that I saw that that I thought were Kansas worthy? You know? B Yu b Yu look like Yukon against them and Yukon last year against them. I mean they just as as Tommy said, they just beat them every which way.
Yeah. No, we'll see what happens. We'll see what happens. I think those two do just have to combine for like twenty twenty and I don't know, eight rebounds and just do better.
What I what I like, Steve, is that it looks like Arizona has the pieces. Now the question is from game to game to game, do those pieces come together fit well and and build a win. That's the thing.
Let's take it because you're gonna cop a couple months. Hello, you're on the air nine the ball? Who's this.
Twenty and I don't know eighty bounds?
Who's Hey?
This is Don. How are you doing, Steve?
Hi?
Jake?
What's up Don? How's it going?
Man?
It's going good.
I missed you last week. I was out of town so on Friday, so I wasn't.
Able to call in last week because Steven had invited me to do so.
But I appreciate you.
I think that people you've been hanging out with Jay. It gets back to what I what I told Steve yesterday is Arizona fans.
Is used to cruising through the through the season.
Seventeen and one.
Sixteen and two's, fifteen and threes. That's what we've we've you know, we've we grew up with. That's what Luke taught us.
And now we don't know.
What to make of this being in a fight every day night, right, you know, So it's hard.
To It's hard.
You know.
It's like.
It's like if the basketball team was a football team, they were they would look like they've been playing in the mud all day. At the end of games, win or lose, it looked like a muddy game, whereas you know, basketball wise.
We're used to being clean at the end.
You know it, you know, we don't. We don't need first aid.
We just need a towel, dry off, and you know, go out and have dinner after the game. But now with the way the Big Twelve is, you know, you're in a fight every night, every single night, one through one through sixteen. And then Steve, Steve brings this guy. Steve brings this guy in and he pooh poohs the whole league. And Arizona didn't bring nothing to the Big twelve. And nobody from the Big twelve is gonna gonna make
the make the Final four. And then he backtracked and he goes, well, we haven't seen the brackets yet or nothing like that.
Yeah, well, Dennis is kind of credible. Yeah, that kind of and and I well, don if you were to pick a team or two who's going to make it to the Final four, I had one for sure.
I would probably say that Iowa State probably has the best chance to make a Final four. But at the end of the day, I mean, you you talked about a couple of a couple of years ago when Arizona had to get through went got got through TCU, and then had Houston after that. I mean, with with the numbers that we have, and and almost to the X
factor discussion, I agree with you, Steve. If Delorso can start producing a little bit more that puts Arizona, that would put Arizona over the top, just the same as if Caleb were to put six games together.
Yeah, but which one is more?
But which one is more likely? Who knows?
Yeah, who knows. No, that's a good point. That's a good point, because no, you're right, No, you just hope that it happens right, Well, I hope that happens consistently. Hey, Donna go, we gotta go. We get all right, thank you, thanks for the coming. Okay, guys, we're gonna take this this commercial and then come back with breaking news and maybe take some calls.