This is on the ball, breaking news on Fox Sports fourteen fifty.
I mean, before you start that one, could you do me a favorite or maybe raise as you do odds to win the title now if you can find them for me? Okay? Cool?
All right, starting with some breaking news coaching carousels happening in college basketball right now.
You know Texas hired Sean Miller Boo, I have a question to you after.
The and Iowa hired Drake's Ben McCullum as their.
Coachah, yeah, I thought he was a he's a good coach. Yeah. There was another Who's going to Minnesota?
Did we Colorado State's head coach Nico med Yeah?
Is that official or is that just to mention it says it's a Minnesota named him? Okay, well, I'm do you have a good year or two? What about in NC State? Who's who's wait wait that's what we talked about? Yeah right yeah he uh well, I tell you what, I was impressed to that guy. Yeah. Well he's he's got some you know, background, but he's a pretty good coach. Yeah yeah. Anyway, yeah right yeah, Arizona no, no, all of them, all of them.
Looking at Duke to win the national championship plus two twenty five twenty two point two five to one, Okay. Right after them is Florida with three ten plus three ten three ten Okay, Houston and Auburn or Houston at five hundred, Auburn at five point fifty, Tennessee sixteen to one, along with Alabama twenty and one goes to Michigan State and Texas Tech thirty three to one, Maryland Arizona forty
to one, Kentucky fifty to one. You got Ole Miss and Purdue sixty to one, saxty six to one BYU Michigan seventy five and one in Arkansas.
Also, so Arizona might be the tenth best team. And there, you know, because you talked about them being thirteen. Yeah, there was a there was an article that they listed him as the fourteenth best team. Oh yeah, yeah, thirteenth on ESPN.
Yeah yeah yeah. Keeping it with coaching news, Duke's head coached, John shape Shear was named a finalist of the Naismith Award.
Oh. I had to vote for that, Okay, I messed up. You vote for you vote for that. I was the state, the rep bro I was. There's no state I didn't want to write my many in. I totally forgot that today was the day.
Also, something that I noticed over the weekend there was only out of the fourteen you know, big story, SEC got fourteen teams, there was only one team that had a negative conference record that made it past the first round, and it was Arkansas.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, they went. Yeah they We could talk about that later. I mean I had I had Cali party getting crushed by Patina to me the night and day and coaches and surprising Patino could the team couldn't hit anything, couldn't do anything. They missed, bunnies they missed. Yeah.
Yeah, I couldn't buy a basket fortunately for my bracket. But we'll keep it going.
Here's what everybody else.
Yeah, switching over to some U have a Baseball won the weekend series against West Virginia the one yesterday, eleven.
To four, so they're pretty hot. Still.
Softball unfortunately lost up in Tempe yesterday two to three. The Suns played a night against the Bucks at seven on NBA TV for all the Arizona Sun or Phoenix Suns fans sorry. Also keeping it in town and keeping it with college basketball, the women's PEMA team lost in the national Championship yesterday seventy five to six. Saturday, Saturday, Oh yeah Saturday, sorry sowars to score again, seventy five to sixty seven.
Yeah what what a fantastic ground fantastic grun come on, and then the manfl I didn't know that this happened on Friday. I guess they lost in the semi finals, right they lot they got kind of crushed, Yeah, going undefeated.
Ninety five to seventy four, only loss of the season. And then yeah, bounce back on Saturday to a third year.
For the school for basketball. Yeah wow, wow wow. Yeah too bad. Too bad to men because they were they were doing so well, and then them too second place. Nothing to sneeze that, No, yeah for both of them. You know, yeah you got you got the medals.
You know, you're standing on a podium figuratively, I don't know if literally, but.
You know.
Audio Barnes still still naming the coaching and the coaching hiring hat switching over to the NFL uh Phoka. Nakuwa said he aims to be retired by thirty and cites Aaron Donalds kind of as his inspiration. I feel like it's kind of been a trend, like you're starting to see people retired.
Get you get enough enough reports of the CTE. Yeah, yeah, I got a I got a buddy of mine played football with him at Army. He's uh uh got that. It's like it's not good. Yeah, doctor will Smith. He I forget the guy's actual name, but different Will Smith.
Yeah. Not too much. Apart from that. A lot of it was the tournament stuff. But I got a question for you, Steve. Yeah, who who is the most surprising upset for you this weekend?
Man?
There were very many, right, that's not a lot of big ups It was kind of like Cinderella's Little Chalky. I thought that Colorado State had had a huge game with Maryland and and and lost. It was that was a yeah, well, I tell you, I love that coach talking about It's like going, yeah, we're not you know, we're here, We're real. Yeah, no, no, we're real. But
I'm gonna go we are so real. I'm going somewhere else exactly right, right, And you know it's who off the top of my hand, ray I, I don't have to help me with this, Yeah, yeah, because you know what pull disclosure. In fact, I rarely bet these games anymore, but I did put some money down on Saint John's because I thought Saint John's would kick the crap out of Arkansas. And it was just a bad matchup. It was just a bed because Arkansas was too big toot
and they finally showed up the play game. You know, the one thing that I wanted to talk about, you guys, I don't know. Two years ago, there was a big story and a big bruja about the basketballs. Right there are different color? Have you seen? Have you noticed that? Have you noticed the basketballs? I remember that? And the same thing this year? Have you you haven't noticed? So last year time he brought it up at the tournament, he brought it up that he talked about being different.
There's the same this year. And I watched every game and it's notice how they can't handle the ball, and notice the free throws are missing. Notice the free throws were missing, and how they bounce off the rims and and notice just the bouncing it. The thing is nobody's
written about it, and it's the same ball. To me, I would bet my life it's the same ball and they're having a hard time controlling it and it's a sponsoraball because they give a ton of money to the If you google it, you'll find from the last a couple of years ago, there just hasn't been a story about it. I'm gonna ask Tommy about it. It's a stupid question because it doesn't really matter now. But if you notice that ball, Yeah, so the response back is that, oh,
we both played the same ball. Sure, but that's not the case. No, no, but both the both teams are struggling with differently. Yeah, they played different The teams play differently, and uh and they and they and they both are struggling with the ball. If you know, if you go back and you watch some games kind of just out of curiosity, watch how that ball balances. It's just really strange to me. Yeah. Interesting. Yeah, I saw I think Tennessee guy at the airport.
There was like a sound bite, oh like an official sound bite, but he said the the air pressure is like a bit more inflated.
So he actually said that, he said over the weekend. Yeah.
I think someone just like asked them about it at the airport or something like that, and it just like happened to like someone got.
A clip of it, right, Yeah, okay, because it's to me, it's it's the same problem that was two years ago, same problem that Timmy brought up last year. And then there was a story if you google the ball, they're getting a ton of money for the use of that ball, but they don't play with it during the year, which makes no sense. Yeah, right, exactly why would they. It'll bout now they'd be used to it. But even then, if you watch the games and watch some of the replays,
you can kind of say, that's interesting. The balls bouncing kind of strange and they're mishandling it a lot.
It kind of reminds me of how there's always a special ball for the World Cup, and especially it reminds me of the twenty ten in South America.
Do they do that too, Yeah, they make us They make a different ball every year. And how was that different? The twenty ten one?
It had like a knuckle, more of a knuckle effect kind of than like most of some other soccer ball.
Yeah, and so there was I mean, there was greaty.
If you go back and watch some of those goals, I mean you just look at them and you're like, man, that's insane.
Yeah.
Other big college basketball news in town. Jada Williams put her name in the transfer portal.
Yeah, yeah, we were talking about out the air. Yeah, guess what it's that time of year. Yeah, well that's that's an interesting thing though. The transfer portal opened up right in the middle of the tournament. Yeah. So you've got people that are hitting it, hitting the portal now instill in the tournament. They gotta go. You got to fix that a little bit. So the kid from Arizona State, uh, Jason Jason Sam Yeah yeah, yeah, so he's in the in the portal too. And where was he going to
come last year? Arizona? It's signed here or committee here, signed here and decided not to When when when when Caleb decided to come back? So now it's there's the thought, there's a thought, who knows? And do you want to go after him?
Uh?
And everywhere I saw a tweet do you want it to go after issues rejects or whatever? People? You know, they have differently they have to unlearn blah blah blah. If he can play and he's good, hell yeah, well yeah, if the guys got telling him. Christy Brinkley, if she's calling for me, get get her on the phone. I'll talk to her. Exactly, she needs a transfer portal. I have no nil money. Exactly, He's got my good looks man. You and Billy Joel. Hey, if Billy Joe can do it,
I can do it too. Yeah, you're as ugly as Billy Joel. Exactly. Look I'll take that. I look like hell uh yeah. Well, and well that's the thing about it. I mean, all these guys are coming from from somewhere else on the transport. But I want to go back to the fact that the deal I was I was
reading something about the transportal. They they you can't really push it to the end of March madness because schools have to and I know this is crazy, but there they have to accept them for academics, which which I know it's like academics. Who's talking academics? Okay, but they have to up him into the school and the acceptances are going out now in all this talk of nil and in athletics, how many times you hear the word academics? Yeah? No, I mean today today you said you saw what you
did today? I'm sure. All how many classes you have? I got six? Six? How many of them are online? Two? And right? Kind of same five and three are online online. So nowadays the team went from Seattle Junior Jersey today. Yeah. Right, so if they had class today, they didn't class. Yeah, not taking an under And I'm not criticizing eight because that's just the way the life is. Yeah, I mean it's been that way. Yeah, it's been that way. And
that's been that way from class. I mean, guys who are going to commit to the NBA, they don't register for the second semester. No, yeah, it was Shirkurs Sanders said, you know, it's like going he didn't go to any classes. Okay, you know some of these guys are not not in school for school. Okay, but it's been that way the whole time.
It's funny you mentioned that one of the seven week classes. I just started last week and with Trade Townsend, and I did a week week's worth of homework.
And stuff last night.
So it's it is beneficial when you can put it to where you're if it's in your schedule.
Oh yeah, it's it's a self paced, right, self pace. I did that. I did that forty years ago when I was in school, and I probably did it incorrectly, but I did it because you know I could, I could knock this up in the final week of school. Yeah, get it all taken care of. Well, that's they shooting. Didn't recognize me when I went to classes.
You're in.
No doubt about it. Yeah, kind of piggybacking off that.
I remember last year I had I had a class with Bassar actually like before he started or anything, and it was a cool guy. Never really talked too much. I always kicked my stands, you know, seven feet you know you need you need some legspace down.
So I ain't mad about it. Herd to fit in the chairs. So so I get a text from out here. He is not an ah she reject. He rejected the issue, but he is probably going to try the NBA we're talking about. So so yeah, yeah, not an and not an assue reject. Just he wants to leave. I mean, I'm sure that if he wanted to come here, Arizona
would welcome him. I don't know the situation, but but the threat that I saw, do they want to this Arizona wan to get his reject And to Huger's point, he's exactly right fit fiteah location location location, absolutely, I mean he was like a five stars coming. Yeah he was, Yeah, yeah, he was the perfect dude to come in every place, you know, and everybody in November December saying Ketlum should
have left, We should have got this guy, you know. Oh, let me ask you to we'll talk about this with with with with Brian, but let me ask you Okay, So, isn't Arizona supposed to be where they're supposed to be? They're a good program. Uh, they started the season tenth that tenth, I think it was maybe eleventh during the Sweet sixteen. Isn't this where they're supposed to be? Yeah, anything less would have been what well, I think I think anything less would have been a big disappointment for
the for the seam. So now, but well, anything else is gravy, you know. I mean, look, look, we go out there and we beat Duke. It is we've got to be living on cloud din. We are playing beyond or beyond what we had. But also before we go the week the week, So if you if you're you're a fan long time, find all you guys, if they go to the Sweet sixteen for the next ten years,
are you gonna be happy with that? Come on, guys, this teason I'm happy with it, but I will tell you I would really of course we're going for going to the final four? Is an Arizona part of that now before the discussion for the final four?
No, no, no no.
If they go to the sweet sixteen for the next ten years, is that good enough? You're Arizona. Oh you played. That's like people saying, well, they did well, they won the Pac twelve title championship. What you don't they don't play for that. You don't. You don't.
You don't go all off season through the season for sweet sixteens. Right, you go for championships, right, point blank period. Okay, let's go take a break. Get hold of mister Peterson here on the other side.
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Streaming live on the Ihearts Radio while this is Eye on the Ball with Steve Rivera on Fox Sports fourteen fifteen.
Hey, welcome back to my I on the Ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Vera, and today with me is Mike Quinn. Now on the phone, we have Brian Peterson from Azy Desert Swarm. Brian, how are you doing?
Hey, thanks for having me back.
Yep, all right, Brian.
I get the opportunity and the once in a lifetime opportunity to ask the first question for the guests.
I could ask.
You know, we saw a little bit of an interaction between the Azy Desert Swarm gang and Caleb Love when he came went crashing into the media section. I got to make sure you're okay and are you doing it all right?
Yeah?
It wasn't the first time my life flashed in front of my eyes court side at a game. But I was more worried about him that he kind of slid really hard into the side of it like that it could have bruised his hip. But I think Caleb loves one of those players that wears the the padded shorts underneath his game shorts. So I'm sure he was fine, and I mean he showed he was fine after that.
So let's get to some questions here real quick. And we've been talking about this every now and again, and Corey explained his thought on what happened. But why wasn't the question or maybe he was asked on the side to Tommy why Owaka wasn't in a game late?
Yeah, it didn't get asked. I'm just assuming that he felt that the defensive approach with the other guys against Biddle was better than Owaka, that Owaka was going to get that fifth foul. I mean, I guess at some point you have to put those guys at risk because you don't want them sitting on the bench with fouls to give.
So to speak. But I guess it.
I mean, usually when Tommy is asked about that stuff, he just mentions something about the guys we had out there worked force. But there was something that started to go on after that where they were put Ouaka in there for when there was free throws to get the rebounds and also having gal orso to to foul. But before that, yes, he wasn't out there, and I think it did contribute a little bit, but I don't think. I mean, they were doing well on the boards even when he wasn't in there.
Yeah, so I was just a question. Corey explained it offensive that it was more about offense because because of the Caleb love able to rub off on on Henry. The he explained that way he doesn't ye, he said.
Yeah, yeah, I mean Henry Henry space is the floor better and and Caleb has has really been able to create a good connection with him on give and goes and whatnot and and o waka. It's constantly has been referred to the season as kind of a below the basket player. You don't run your offense through him. There's
no high lows. His scoring is almost always going to be off putbacks, and as valuable as those were, uh, it's also risky that you get that fifth foul trying to go up for a rebound and on the offense, and then you don't want to kill a possession in that respect.
Yeah, okay, I guess YEA. That was so nice. You stayed there a little longer.
Yeah, I'm still here I'm heading back tonight. I had been considering going to New Jersey, but life happens, and I'm going to come back to Arizona and follow that game remotely. And yeah, if they go to the Elite eight, same but if they go to the Final fours, that's an easy drive, Steve, we can do another road trip.
Well aware, I'm getting ready. I'm getting ready. If that happens. We'll see what happens. Is twenty fourteen hours. So Bucky's here we come. So what do you think? I mean, what did you think about the game itself? Very strange when it started and the way you finished.
Yeah, Oregon played a really great start to that game. They were hitting shots, and they weren't necessarily wide open shots, they were just hitting the shots. Arizona had a couple turnovers, three really early that led to seven points. It's just kind of one of those nothing could go right situations. But as has been the case so many times with Tommy Lloyd teams, he doesn't call that quick time out to stop the momentum. He doesn't lay into the team.
He's just kind of like, all right, well now we've built the hole, so now the goal is to not let it get worse, just try to chip away with it. And it took them ten minutes and one second from when they were down fifteen to take the lead. So he clearly wasn't worried, and neither were any of the players. And he had said kind of after the game that he's been involved in games like that so often, but usually on the other end, that you know, the other team,
if they're good, is going to make a comeback. So he went with this approach of he wanted Oregon to be like, wait, why aren't they calling time out?
What are they?
Oh?
Wait, they know they're coming back, and let's let's get them stressed a little bit. And I mean, Arizona was up by six in the first half after being down by twenty one, okay, or down by fifteenth season.
You don't let me ask you, let me let me jump on that. Why didn't they just why didn't they maintain that momentum?
Then?
I mean, that's the thing, you know, that's the thing. I mean, it's just kind of like we kind of threw it back into third gear the same light. That's not what they do.
I know, that's not what they do.
Why don't they do that?
It works both it works both ways. Oregon was a good team. Arizona got up by eleven, and then Oregon started playing with a little bit more of that intensity that we have to do something or this game is going to get away from us. And yes, Arizona, it does let teams back into it. They don't really put their foot on the gap. They started to make a couple of mistakes, but they never gave up the lead.
And I think there's there's a difference between turning a twenty of ten to twelve point lead because they got to eleven into a one score game or or giving up the lead. Those are two very different things. As long as they were staying in front, and they started to have that answer. Every time Orgon got within like four, Caleb hits a three, Oregon gets within three, they make a putback, or they get the free throws. They kept answering.
They didn't have the collection. They only had one period in the second half where they went more than two minutes without scoring. So you do have to give credit to the other team for kind of getting that sense of urgency and doing something and you're not going to stop them. Every single time. They weren't making a lot of their own mistakes. It was just a matter of Oregon, I think, just really starting to push it because they knew this was the only way they could get back into the game.
I'm assuming you were in the room when this question was asked to Tommy on Saturday. His final question actually Michelle from The Athletic to ask him, probably didn't word it right or well in terms of with Henry, were you in the room.
I was not. I had some vehicle trouble, so I missed the press conferences that day. But watching the video of it and hearing about it beforehand, it's the kind of question that I think you're probably better off asking yes, no question, no question, because that way, first off, you're going to get a more honest answer, and secondly, if it does elicit the kind of reaction that it did from Tommy, you're not putting anybody.
On the spot.
And I mean, I give him credit for not blowing up when he could have. And I know there's a lot of other coaches that probably would have, especially yeah, like particularly Dan Hurley with his hating the national media type stuff right now, he probably would have laid into her on that, which is not really what you do. He's just like, no, that's not what I'm doing, and it's it was a bit of a ridiculous question because he's clearly not hiding him. I mean he's just playing
him as part of the rotation. And you know, when they've got two different bigs that they're using in a rotation along with other players, I mean other than the two guards of Love and Bradley, no one plays over thirty minutes, just how the rotation works.
Yeah, I was going to say, outside of anybody not named Caleb, who would you say is the second best player playing right now? Because I asked by mine Mine's k well, okay, Theresa. I was going to say most important, as opposed to the play the best unless they're the same thing.
I mean, they need Bradley's consistency. What they need from Lewis is to not make too many bad mistakes. He didn't have any bad fouls in this game. He I mean, he had the situation where he tried to dunk his own put back by holding onto the rim and he said afterwards he had no idea that that was a
technical hurry would not have done it. But I I've kind of made the joking reference throughout the season that he has one or two of those WTF turnovers every game, and he didn't have that in this game, so I guess it was It's one of those He a lot of times he'll have a game where he makes three or four or five like what are you doing plays, but then also three, four or five really great plays and it evens it out, And I guess I just because he didn't have the what are you doing plays,
the good ones just kind of flowed with everything. And yes, it was a very solid game for him, but he's still the I just I think that he's got to be very, very very selective with the taking the shots from outside because it's just not his thing.
Totally agree with you, But he's hitting them. I mean he's hitting shots now.
Yes, yes, but his shot is the one where he catches it on the perimeter and immediately starts heading into the paint and either gets to the rim and Ben puts it in or get draws a foul, or just pulled up for a nice mid range. Him and Bradley the same. I just Bradley has just been so concerns that he he just whenever they seem to need a shot.
He just he dribbles in and he hits like a ten footer and it kind of cools everything off, and he doesn't have There's been some of those end up game mistakes which you'll you'll remember because Okay, there was a turnover on the last possession, but before that he had been great, and I think it's unfair to rank the game based on that last play because everything else
had been so good about him. I think if he were to have a bad night, it would really throw everything off, and it would cause Caleb to try to do too much, and it would cause a lot of other people to try to do too much. So that's why I think he probably does fit more into the more important player aspect of it, that he needs to have that consistency throughout.
Yeah, I think that. I mean, we want our way back by those mid rage jump shots. We started going back going to that, and that's when we started really you know, we'd come down court. We did majoria and jump shot.
But see here. And the thing is is that Arizona's three point shooting has gotten so much better. The last seven games, they're shooting like forty three percent and that includes a five of eighteen against Houston during that stretch, and they're not taking a lot of shots, they're just taking good ones. I mean against Akron Love only took four to three point attempts. This when he was was he five for seven, but first half I think he
only took two three point attempts. It was a lot of getting into the lane and they're trying to set up those shots and make it so that the right people are taking them and it's working out. Well, they're all still taking shots, but they're taking them at the right moments. Dell or So hit a couple that were important, Bradley had one that was important. I mean, even vs are still taking the shot from the top of the key.
It does something to how an opponent has to guard you because they know that that's there, whether it goes in or not. And I think after so many games year where it just looked like they didn't have an idea of how to shoot from the perimeter, they have figured it out. And it's coincided with Love now also making more of his because he doesn't have to take so many of them.
Yeah, I think that's that's a great, great insight because you're right, I mean, they were taking a we were taking a lot of what I call hero threes, where it's like I just want to be the hero here. I gets the ball and I want to I want to be the three pointer right now. But we're taking the three pointer when it's there, when when it's given those and that's great.
The last seven games, Klea Love is twenty one of forty three from three point.
Except just and that's exactly what you get from him, and we need from him. I shouldn't so on your site. You you're the dude that comes up with these crazy numbers, which is great because I would like to see him, But the odds of the odds are they're nine and a half point dogs, and you came up with all these history stats.
Could you repeat, well, the nine and a half point spread for this game against Duke is the same spread that it closed that in twenty eleven for the three sixteen, So it is it's kind of funny that it's that same situation, and that was supposed to be a team of destiny. Duke one out in the West Regional. That was also the last time in the tournament that they were an underdog all the way back then. It was
not that. No, the last time would have been Ohio State in the Sweet sixteen and twenty thirteen, but this was the biggest that they've been there. They haven't actually been a dog, they just don't. They're usually not an underdog in the postseason, but they've won a lot of those games going back to like ninety six. I think they're like, yeah, six and five or something like that, straight up right when an underdog.
And the reason I'd say that is because I've said this a number of times recently, and you know this because you've been around a long time and I covered them for forever that anytime you tell Arizona they can't do it, they play well. And when they're a dog, they play really well.
Yeah. Well, and see now as opposed to the previous three years when Arizona was a one and a two seed and just getting to the Sweet sixteen wasn't good enough because by seed alone, you're supposed to go further. Well, they're supposed to lose this game. Duke is the one that has the pressure on them. Duke is the one that has the number one pick, has three first round picks.
They've lost one time since Thanksgiving, and they they've looked pretty much unstoppable, just a straight wagon during all that time. They're the ones that can't afford to have a bad game because they're playing against a team that essentially is on house money.
Yeah. You, so they have been on a role. They have been winning their games, but they'ven't beaten the ACC. Is there a.
I mean they haven't. They haven't had the best competition in that conference. And I do think that that the no they that was way early in the season that I think they played that like their long.
Running through their schedule at thirty two and one, but only beating up Saint Mary's.
Yeah, yeah, I mean there is something to be said about that. There. It was that the ACC had three or four good teams at the top, but then nothing else whereas the Big Twelve, which is kind of like how the Pac twelve was most years, where there were a couple of good teams at the top, but then after that you had to make sure that you kept your focus or you would get picked off by somebody who was treating it like a Super Bowl. And I
think that the Big Twelve has really helped. kJ Lewis said something about that after the game when he was asked if this game against Oregon felt like an old Pac twelve game, and he said no, it didn't because it felt more physical. And he thinks Arizona moving to the Big twelve and Oregon moving to the Big ten forced both of those teams to learn how to play
a different way. And if you think about it, when Arizona played Duke the fourth game of the season, it had yet to play a Big twelve game and hadn't faced that. They also just had no idea what kind
of team they had at that point. That was the one and only game Ota It's crebus started, uh and he wasn't able to do much, nor was a Loca or vsar kJ had a very good game, but it was a game where they they really didn't know who they were and they didn't really start to trigger that out until I mean, they got into the Big twelve and really identified themselves and put the rotation and the roles and everything together. So whereas Duke has been rolling,
Arizona has been developing. I guess it's a good way to put it.
Last quick question on have this question after the after we get off with you two, who's gonna win the national title or get to the national title first, Tommy or Sean?
Oh wow, how about can I say neither?
That's a good choice too. That's a good choice.
Yeah, I mean that's the safe choice considering how hard it is to get there. Sean Miller going to Tech that's just such a wild ride. I guess he's like I thought going back to Xavier was so good for him because he didn't have to have that pressure and he could just win there and they could make the
tournament most years and just have. But he clearly has ambitions for higher than that, and and he's he's definitely aiming high with a school like Texas that you know, hired a guy who was an interim after going to the Elite eight, and he goes to the tournament both years, and they're done with him after two years. I mean there's no time to to just you know, to settle in there. Yeah. Yeah, he could. I mean one bad
year and that's over. But I mean he clearly he feels that he wants that challenge again, and and good luck to him. I would love it if we could see some sort of an Arizona text. I mean some of these projections, some of these projections leading up to the tournament, had the possibility of Arizona Xavier in the first round, and that would have been wild And yeah,
we'll never know. I mean, it's funny because he got hired now at Texas by a guy who used to be in the athletic department at Arizona in Crystal content.
Right, who wasn't when he wasn't here when Jim hired him. So you know, but in a full circle.
Correct.
Okay, thanks Brian, enjoy your chef back, Bran. Great insight, says all rights.
Guys.
Thanks, let's take a break here and come back. If you're an Arizona men's basketball fan, you know it's been successful for nearly forty years. Now take a look back at the Ludolsen era. In my new book, Lessons from Lut, It was a labor of love through the eyes of twenty five former players, coaches and friends to give insight to the coach and the man who led them, competed against them, and inspired them twenty five chapters for his
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Streaming live on the iHeartRadio app. This is I on the Ball with Steve run There on Fox Sports fourteen fifty.
Hey, welcome back to I the Ball here on Fox Sports worteen fifty. I'm Steve Vera, You're Mike quinn. I am Mike Quinn. We got one with us, We got ray with us, So real quick with the Shawn, Who's gonna do Who's gonna get to the championship first, Tommy or Sean? Who's who go's to jail for? You're the Yes, I'm a I am a u T Grad. I'm also a universe Arizona grad, uh which which I and a Notre Notre Dame grad and a West Point Grad. You got more I could just so I could root for,
you know, a winning team. And I'll tell you what I couldn't have been more sad, disappointed, upset to find that freaking Sean Miller is taking the job at U T. It's terrible. I mean, first off, we do as bad as we got a brick grunch. But my god, what the hell are we thinking there? Okay? One, in my very unbiased opinion, Tommy Lloyden right got to be.
He's got to I think he's he's as a foundation for a path to championships.
Okay, I don't have to go the same way. I'm the delusional fan on the show. So you know, we don't know you enough to call you that, But okay, I think that I think that you know, based on what I saw Sean Miller coaching here and the teams that he coached that he held them back. No, but he's changed. He's changed, which which is very funny because, Yeah, I was watching him this weekend after Texas or whatever, and I'm thinking, because I talked to him every year
about this, are you gonna go fast? And he would give me that look like, shut the hell up, Steve, I played the way I play the pack line defense and blah blah blah blah blah blah. And I'm thinking, Okay, well, I'm not gonna argue with you again. But we talked about that all the time. And then he got to got to his Zavy Xavier and he changed. He changed. Yeah, I don't, I don't change year, he'd still be coaching here. Oh, he definitely still be coaching The year we had Treer.
It was one of those things where it's like going, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, let's slow this down. Yeah and don't passy. Yeah we have a you have a four on one fast break. Let's pull it out and work the offense. And yeah, no, no, no, I think he's self destructive. I think he won he wanted to make it all about his coaching won the game, not the player. Well, you're you're a utra. Good luck with that, Yeah, I know, here we go. We'll see, we'll see who he brings in. I mean, well, he's
always been a good recruiter. Well he can he can do, and he's a pretty good coach. I mean, he's a he's a he's the old school coach. He's the old school coach. Unless he's changed with that too, but you know, uh, he looks happier. And then Xavier, you're you're they gave him a second chance, right, and I gotta go sorry. I really would have liked to have seen Texas go for a you know, one of these young upcoming coaches
that are really tearing it up. This may sound. I was talking to a U T grad from Texas over the yesterday when all those start the start came, is who do you think? I said, well, they got to do exactly what you just said. And I said Patino and he said the old one, And I said, no, the young one. If you could do what he's done at New Mexico, and he's got the name, his dad's gonna retire pretty soon. He might have some help with him down the road just in name alone, and you
give a recruit you can and win there. And they have the most resources outside of what Ohio State. Maybe New Mexico gave Michigan State all they wanted. Yeah, so so here we go. Let me let me I want Twitter and I want to make you guys laugh a little. But we can talk about this, and anybody wants to call please do us five two o four one four forty. So one of the guys on Twitter who covers you, they kind of these things. There are the things that
Arizona leads in the nation. Fouling three point shooters. Did you ever see this goldading goldenating on shots that weren't going to go in? Yes, right views during timeouts to go against the Cats, shots beyond the half court real or otherwise, you know, good or otherwise. And trash talk. Do you do you notice the trash talk? Because I had,
you know, maybe maybe Caleb, maybe Caleb. Yeah. But you know, the interesting thing is this is that Caleb was getting a little chippy with some of these cats right right. And I sat there and focused, I'm like, okay, I'm gonna watch his lips and he didn't really say anything. Yeah, okay, well okay, yeah, but he but yeah, well that's he's certainly yeah, well you don't say anything important, nothing insightful. But Caleb said, you know, I know he was trash
talking these guys. Boy, he was getting a little chippy. Yeah, okay, hey you're on the iron nine on the ball. Who's this?
Hey, Steve, this is done, don let's get into another fight. I'll settled down a little bit. Yes. The thing is is the point I was trying to make you guys started to defend your the point against what I was trying to say. Okay, So that's because what I would would go ahead, Well, because in the advertisement for your book, you state it right there, if you're an Arizona Wildcat fan, you know it's been successful for forty years. Yes, and I don't think that that is acknowledged enough by the
current regime. I'm not saying that he's a bad coach.
There are some.
Things that you know, we can all pick apart these coaches as we go, because I think I think Sean Miller is going to do great at Texas. I think that his second time around in the big time is going to be is going to be the one that sticks.
I really do. Yeah, No, I don't. I would. I wouldn't argue that because I think he's a good coach. He'll have more resources, uh and they we'll see. I mean, come on, he's he's a good coach.
He's a good coach. I think when he was here at Arizona, it always seemed like he was coaching like.
He wanted he wanted to be the point guard. Yeah, he wanted the ball in his hand, right, you know, and that's all he knew. I mean, that's all he's known.
Yeah, and now he's you know, it shown to him.
Whatever.
The man had a roller coaster last night.
Holy moly. Yeah, would five minutes I asked this question to the guys here on the phone. Five minutes in. What are you thinking it was over?
It's baseball season, baby. The Cats are ranked twenty third, They're won eleven out of twelve, they won a sixteen inning game on Friday night, they got blown up on Saturday, and then they came back with a big win yesterday.
That's what I was thinking.
It's baseball season. It's still baseball season, but it's still the end of the basketball season. And the basketball season continues, so aime and.
A halftime, you change your mind.
At halftime, it looked like, okay, okay, so we're gonna win this thing by fifteen or sixteen, and then went wha, well wait a minute, look who you're talking about. And I knew it was gonna get close, and it got too close for comfort there at the end. But I mean, these guys, they're mentally tough. They don't shake they you know, it's it's like like they said in the in the in the post game, was you know, we knew we
still had a lot of game to go. You know, we knew we just had to keep stay the course play our game. With the motion offenses, it's kind of hard to see that they're running plays. It's kind of hard to recognize that because I'm not in the gym every day and and all that stuff, So I don't, you know, the the high handoff that Henry would kept giving the caleb and then he makes a decision to shoot it or drop give it down to give it
to Henry and that stuff. When that was pointed out during the telecast, and going, man, we run that a lot.
Right right, okay? And final question, because we can run out of time here. Uh is Sweet sixteen good enough?
This is Arizona. Okay, So we get out of the round of sixty four, we're playing with house money. Baby, It's all good as long as we get out of the first As long as we get out of the first round, you're gonna be playing somebody good in around it, you know, in around the thirty two, you're gonna be playing somebody good. And the same thing goes with you know, getting to the Sweet sixteen, and the same thing goes to the Elite eight. No matter what, you're gonna have
to play her tail off. And these guys, I think these guys are primed just to keep on doing that. Yeah, okay, And I think and it looks funny that Alwaka didn't get back in the game until the vin we end when he was there to rebound and pick up that last that fourth file, because he was he sat.
Down with four or three four four we gotta go.
Oh he was sick.
Yeah done, man, Thank you man, Thanks for the call. Thanks thanks for the calling. Great show today. Thank you, Mike. I'm surprised as you are with you here exactly.
Thank you, thank you.
We'll see you guys tomorrow,