This is I on the Ball on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I want to take part in the show call out Steve now went five to two oh four one seventy.
Hey, Hey, welcome back to Why on the Ball Here on Fox Sports Fortune fifty.
I'm Steve Rivera. In with me today.
Troy Hutchinson from those Azy Cats, got Dave Silver or okay, good nine, we got Kobe. If you guys do want to call please do we have plenty of guys to answer your questions. Five two zero four one six seventy four forty Uh, that'd be great to hear from you guys. And then we have Kobe with some breaking news right now.
Beloved Brewers broadcaster Yuker, what is that is? Bob Ucker dies? That pass away in ninety.
You kids, you kids said, did you did you ever meet him here? I think so.
He came down for some spring training games, you know, at the High Corvette when the Brewers would come.
In, and don't forget I think did he was he here part of the filming of Major League?
He was in Major League? But I don't know if he phil if he was.
Here, I honestly because all the scenes that I can remember I was thinking about that today were games where he was in Yeah, supposed in Cleveland, but it's actually h Milwaukee if I'm not mistaken with the stadium they used. But I don't think he was here for those early you know, the spring training for the High Corbett right, But yeah, I mean, okay, that's that movie made him famous, even more famous.
Not in Saturday Night Live.
Yeah, you're on the air and I on the ball.
Hey, it's Davis Jonashon.
How you doing, Hey, John Good, good to hear from you. What's up?
Well, you know, living down with you of a sports borner, raised here and watched everything else come and go, and this is the one constant, right, and watched a lot of Arizona basketball teams. And I'll tell you the one advantage that I see this year playing in the Big Twelve and watching how the Big Twelve has been officiated so far, it is a much much more physical brand basketball.
And to me when it comes tournament time, when you go through that through the through the conference season, as opposed to the ticky taxi fouls that we're called in the Pac twelve. You know a lot of times we were shooting three throws with thirteen fourteen minutes ago in the first or second half, and vice versa when we were you know, traveling to see four and five thouls called with six minutes ago and you know and a half.
That's preparing us, I think, to be a more battle tested, tougher team come to tournament, to play in any kind of style that's officiated. And you know, to me, that's that's going to be a difference maker for us, you know, in the next four or five six tournaments, watching how we can play with different style officiated games, you know, as opposed to what we've experienced in the past to back ball.
Yeah, it's funny because I hadn't even noticed the changes. But you're right, yeah, because you haven't heard any good complaining about it. You know, you do you do during the game, but not outside of the noise, you know. You know what I'm saying.
There hasn't been anything that gregious where you're like, how's that a valt? He barely touched them, right, there's none of that. I mean, it's physical play, guys falling on the floor. There's a lot of the times where I watch it now and you're like, well, I'm surprised they ain't called out there, but she would never have said before.
Because you're a long time fan, you pay attention to the teams. Do you like this team and how it sets up?
So yes, I do, except for what is who you're talking about? And you know what scares me is, here's what scares me about this team. I think we're a better prepared team from a physical standpoint and maybe make a little bit of a run. We're bigger at Dard, We're more physical, and I think that the kind of team that we are sets us up to play a well in March. The what scares me is they have a tendency to let their foot off the gas. A team that tape is is that we're a little bit
stops occasionally throwing the ball around the perimeter. And you know what you guys were saying with klo it's more it's not that he's gonna I think he'll play great in a game or two. It's I'm more worried about a four for seventeen night that he all of a sudden starts shooting up extra shots. Right now, at least he's playing within the flow of the offense. And you know, but at the same time, you know, a couple of decisions he's made the last few games late have allowed
other teams to have late runs. So it scares me a little bit that that were reliant on him. But at the same time, I see a physicalness with our team that they could really could really bad. Welcome March. You know, it really always comes down and can you make free throws? Can you take care of the ball, and you know, can you stay out of the palace trow? Can you do at and can you rebounds? And you know, the only only thing I see that really scares me is we don't box out very well.
But that other than that, missus Lincoln, how's the player? Okay?
Okay, So you can do a lot of things really well though, I mean we're offensive, redounding, elite. Our defense, by the way, has been much more elite than it's been the last five years. So from that perspective, yeah, I do see where, you know, I can see where we can play a rugged style the day twelve or in the tournament where it could be a fifty five point game and we could still win. But it always comes down and you have as much talent, can you do the little fundamental things?
Yeah, Well, John, Thanks for the call, Thanks for continuing to listen.
Appreciate you guys.
Thank you man.
It could be our fourth voice on this show. Yes go ahead.
Number two Iowa State defeats Number nine Kansas seventy four to fifty seven.
Is it a case where Kansas isn't Kansas anymore?
I think Kansas doesn't have the guard playing they usually do.
They have the big guy Hunter Dickinson's been there two years in a row. They played through them, but when you press them, when he get in their face, they kind of fold. She was able to do that in the first half, kind of keep it up in the second half. Same with Cincinnati. But if you had the talent to compete with them and you're able to press them, uh, they're they're gonna fold.
I don't think they're a straw in the back court.
I didn't watch enough of it last night, but when I turned it on their way down, so I know they were having trouble from the out said and you know again, I was stayed a team that Arizona's going to see a couple of times here in the next couple of months. I have to deal with a team like that. Remind me where were we last year at the tournament Utah?
Where do you go?
I think we went to Salt Lake and Kansas was there. They almost got beat by the team in the red. I was not there, but yes, and the coach says, we got a call to real quick.
Uh.
And the coach says, I wasn't even I was already looking to next year.
Uh.
What's his name?
Well, next year's here? I wonder if he's looking to next year already. We got to call list get this real quick. Hello, you're on the air and I on the ball.
Who's this? My name is Steve, Hey, Steve, what's up?
I think that Arizona has got to do a better job on the offensive end.
They take too many trips down where they come come away empty.
They need to increase their percentages of being success successful on the offensive end.
Didn't you Didn't you say they're hitting fifty three pots that.
They shot pretty well?
Are you?
Are you talking certain certain situations, Well, I'm just talking overall.
When they they lose, they lose the ball like Caleb Love lost the ball on the drive to the to the basket. I'm just saying they take a lot of trips down where they aren't as efficient on the offensive vent as they could be, or they should be if you look over history, like Uh's teams were much more efficient on offense, you know, cal Perry, those type of.
Teams, the successful teams UH.
You know they are when they get the ball down on an offensive end, they try.
To come away with with points, some points. You think that that.
Steve, are you are you a big fan? Are you an observer? What are you?
I'm a big fan?
Yeah, so you're do you get frustrated at times? That's why I asked him, Yeah.
I mean, I'm telling you, I think that they're playing their best defense right now that I've I've ever seen. I've never seen a I mean, they used to have some good defensive teams under Loot And I actually told him that once in the costco that I thought he was a great defensive coach, as you know, but because I didn't think he.
Got enough credit for that.
But I think they're playing a better defense now than I've ever seen them play in forty years.
So okay, but.
I think they're good on offense, and I think that Bashar is really doing a great job. And so it was Bradley and s kJ I think those guys are kJ Bradley and they're like the of course, del Orsol is really picking up the he's really filling the.
Gaps as well.
But the defensive end is really where they really performing well.
All right, right, we'll see things for the call, things for the observation. Appreciate it, welcome, Yeah, okay, cool. I have a little because they're playing. They're shooting the ball well, at least they have been recently. Well, their defense wasn't too solid in the second half that.
Well, I'll say this, I think this is the best defense they played since Tommy's first season at Arizona. Really, I think that team was better defensively overall, but this team's a little tougher. That team matched up against Houston kind of folded. This team I don't think has the full capable, but I think they're just a little more.
Well running around that edges again, guys, I mean this is this is just an observation. And I followed the horses. I mean this is there are one hundred thousand dollars horse going against fifty thousand dollars horses, or they have been in this seven game streak. In the next few weeks, they're going to have two hundred thousand dollars horses against Iowa State, the better teams to Houston's and all that, so you have to rev it up a little bit more.
I think the one positive thing though, is if this was the PAC twelve, You're looking at a what ten game winning streak, oh, and all of a sudden you're playing a RN team in UCLA. At then that you get smacked by. It's like, okay, then where are you? You've played a bunch of nobody's. Now you're playing at least you're playing top twenty five teams. You have three top twenty five wins in the.
Skit to the tournament.
In those old days, you know Week two you're gonna play you know, the fourth best team in the Big ten or something.
Right, No, no, this, no question, guys. To your point, it sets them up nicely for later. But I asked, what's your name from Baylor? Historically, does this league beat you up? Beat you up, beat you up? Then you can to a tournament. You're beat up by the time you play the tournament. Yeah, So we won't know until we know.
Yeah, And honestly, I think it depends on where you are and where you're seated in terms of the projections, and then CAA tournament and where like, if you're locked in to a three seed and you're feeling kind of beat up, you need to go out there and win the Patrol Tournament.
Probably not well, that's that was mentioned or last week too.
I mean, come on, yeah, it's not that you want to lose, but you're okay if you lose the first one the rest.
We have to go to Kansas City and play three games. I mean, yeah, you know we've seen what's happened. Well you do how Loot felt about that. I don't want to do this. We don't need to do this. We already proved who we are. This might be those times when we want it, we don't. Everyone knows how good we are.
I'll say this.
I think it's best for teams like Arizona that struggled in the beginning of the year that they're able to be one of those what is I forget out the bracket works out, but one of those teams that get the extra day or two off. If you're able to be one of those teams, it's going to allow you time to rest. You're going to play some high quality games and potentially move up in the ringing day?
Do you have?
Can you get thee we got to go?
Already, I was gonna say the the U of a schedule and I'm just because I'm going to probably be wrong off the top of my head to go to the Big Twelve.
But the last two games, last two.
Regular season games, three issue Kansas issue here, issue here is there there? What's the one before a state? Okay, so those three and then they go to the tournament. Those are three huge games. Then you get the tournament to play maybe at least two huge games, and then guess what's a week later the tournamenturnament and.
You could see Kansas And I always state again.
How that's a that's a daunting them.
Go play for the champions schedule.
Yeah, let's just go back to the to the Arizona weather in March and you deal with the cold weather. I mean, you know, play as you wish, but but you know.
Don't don't be stuck in the middle. We were playing every single day in that tournament.
You know what of that?
Yeahs, the Kansas game falls on a Saturday, and then the Big Twelve tournament.
I assume it's going to start with and are they going to stay there? They're probably going to.
Stay in Kansas City because we've already talked about going.
Right, try and we do we go to the Kansas game and just continue on or or not go at all because it could be a quick trip, right, you know, we'll see what happens.
Kansas City is fun, but in March it's cold.
It's not.
I wonder what the U of a crowd is going to be.
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Streamy Live on the Ihearts Radio WAT. This is Eye on the Ball with Steve Rivera on Fox Sports fourteen fifteen.
Hey, welcome back to Iron the Ball Here on Fox Sports fourteen fifteen.
Obvious Steve Rivera, I can today with.
The Troy Fits, just Simp, Gois and Cats, Dave Silver. We've got Kobe handling machines here. Now we have Jared Ramirez from Rivals out of Texas Tech.
Jared, how are you?
I'm good? How are you good?
Thanks? What do are the one? Are the Cats gonna run up? Against up in Lubbock.
Well, uh, they've got a Texas Tech team who's pretty hungry for a home conference win. You know, I think it's it's pretty interesting Texas won all three of their Big Twelve games on the road, owing two at home.
Uh.
You know, asking me that a few years ago, if I if I could imagine that happening, I'd probably tell you no. Uh, it's been a it's been an interesting stretch of Big Twelve play that that Tech's been in.
Right now.
You know, the team is just kind of starting to get healthy, and now it may not be as healthy as you as you would like it to be, but I think the meshing has finally started to kind of take place. And and with this Tech team, I mean, they're so potent offensively, but they're still trying to figure it out.
On the defensive end of the floor.
But I mean when it's both clicking at the same time, I think these Road Raiders are pretty strong.
So in terms of home environments, Arizona has seen Cincinnati, They've obviously seen West Virginia as well. The Big Twelve is known for its home atmosphere. What are they going into going into Lubbock in that home crowd in Texas.
Well, they're catching them on a I guess they're catching them about a week late. Classes started this week, so the full student body should be back here in the eight oh six. And I think it's it's kind of fluctuated here there this season. I think you've had some really good turnouts and some turnouts that were.
Uh, you know, probably not so ideal.
But now that you're kind of starting to get into the actual bulk of conference play, I think you can finally start to get more of the fan base invested, more of.
The students invested.
And even when this even when that arena isn't you know, packed to the brim, I think it's still can get pretty rowdy in there, still gets pretty loud. I mean, if you remember, even back to just a few seasons ago, I mean, people were nationally regarding the United Supermarkets.
Arena as one of the tougher places to play in the country.
I think it's it's taking a little bit more buy in, it's taking a little bit more investment from the people, from the fans to show up to the games, and show up even to the meaningless games. But now I mean you're getting into the big telf play. Every single one of these games is a big game.
It's they're all a massive deal.
So uh, definitely gonna be another pretty impressive environment this Saturday, especially, you know one o'clock tip.
I think you're going to get a pretty packed house.
Darien Williams they got to watch and there's some pretty good, pretty good mixture of talents.
It looks like at this this point of the season.
This is Darien Williams' team. It really is.
You know, I don't I wouldn't go as far as saying he's the most talented player on this team, and I think people will acknowledge that, but he's the heartbeat of it all. I mean, he's one of the bigger returners from last season. I think he's averaging about sixteen a game. I know evanmaya dot Com one of the metrics websites, they've got him rated as like the number ten player in the country right now as far as all of their metrics and stuff go. You know, big,
versatile threat. He's a big body at six six. I don't know exactly how much he weighs, but you mean, he plays, he plays big, and he does a lot for this team. I think he does a lot of facilitating some shot creating himself, shot making, shot taking, that sort of deal. And then, like you said, you know there's a bunch of bodies around him.
JT.
Topping is namely probably the most nationally known, you know, the New Mexico transfer from last season, Mountain West Freshman of the Year a year ago. I think he's I think he's been sick this week. I know, I know they talked about that today, Grant did. He was sick the other night when they played against Kansas State. But I mean, this is a guy who was getting NBA draft grades last season and you know very well could leave for the draft again after this season. Topping, what
you're going to get with him is he's athletic. He's high motor. He does it all around the rim. He's going to go and do the cleanup plays. He's going to get the offensive rebounds, he's going to get the put backs, He's going to do all that.
But he's got he's got some.
Finesse around the rim. He's got he's got a little baby hook to him that he can he can use whenever he wants to. I think another guy you're you're going to look at a lot is is and they I think they're trying to get him back in rhythm because he's kind of struggled.
He struggled the other night. At least is a chance.
McMillan one of the nation's leaders as far as three point percentage goes. I know he was kind of hovering around fifty percent from three, which is you know, if if you cover basketball, if you watch basketball, fifty percent from three is just absurd. But with McMillan, you're getting I mean, he's a little bit smaller for the position that he plays, which is really more of a swing guard. He's only about sixty three. I think you'd like to
have somebody a bit bigger there. But what he makes up or what he lacks in size, he makes.
Up for with his athletic ability as well.
I think he's a great rebounder for a guard, and like I said earlier, he's one of the best three point shooters.
In the whole land. And then a guy that really.
Starting to get rolling as conference player has gone along Elijah Hawkins, Minnesota transfer point guard. He's been playing pretty phenomenally. I'd say over the last few games, one of the best.
Facilitators in the country last season.
I think it took him a little bit to get rolling this year just because he had some injury stuff to deal with. But he's a guy who's gonna get the ball to his teammates. He doesn't turn it over a lot. So, like I said earlier, this is a very potent offense when they get rolling. And they've just got so many different ways of putting the ball in the hoop.
So last time I was through a lubbuck, I was gonna play them in football. And I think he is nineteen eighty eight, so a lot of things have changed, you guys. Love Like at least the Texas Tech had been pretty good in basketball in recent years with Beard and all the rest. Are you guys now a football school or a basketball school?
Uh?
For you again?
And like asked me, Yeah, ask me again. Maybe give me maybe give you like two three years and we'll see how it's how that's coming along. I think the football program is definitely on an upward trajectory right now.
Uh.
They've got a lot of things going for them as far as what they were able to do in the portal this past this past window in December and uh, you know, eight wins was the first time they reached that mark in oh, I guess since nine the last year that that leach coached up here. Uh, you know, the football program I think was kind of in the depths there for a little bit, and right around when that started to dip pretty dramatically, is whenever the basketball team started to take off.
At least that's what it kind of appeared like to me.
Uh, you know, it's it's hasn't reached well, I guess, you know, Beard leaves and then Mark Adams comes in, one of his main assistants, takes over as the head coach that made the Sweet sixteen his first season. They made the tournament again last year after missing it in Adam's second year. So last year was Grant's Grant m chasms first season. They made the tournament again, and in all honesty, that making the tournament last season was quite
the accomplishment. I think they dealt with injuries all season. They just them pushing that far and Grant squeezing as much as he.
Could out of that team. Really was was.
Kind of eye opening, kind of surprising, so as far as a football or basketball school, you know, college sports.
In general, it all revolves around football.
It you know, it always does, and that's the case for ninety ninety five percent of schools around the country. So I mean everything here does still heavily revolve around the football program.
But I mean the basketball program is no slouch either.
Though they came here, right, Texas came too. Had some fans here.
Well, I guess it was part of the five percent because it's basketball, right, It's.
Basketball, Arizona due Kansas. It's all basketball right there. Yeah, they're looking looking at Arizona and what they face. Uh, throughout Tommy Lloyd's tenure and really throughout the last fifteen years. Whenever they play a game on the road or a team, that team always switches the zone, loves to slow Arizona downs, to put them in the half court set. What do
you see Texas Tech doing defensively? And are they a program that likes to change things up defensively or do they stay put in their their own defensive set.
Well, as far as what we've seen this season, I think they've really kind of just stuck to their guns and tried to develop their main defensive identity as best as they can.
I don't I don't.
Expect them to to really switch it up or throw anything kind of different out there on the court.
I honestly couldn't.
Tell you if I've ever or even seen this team either this season or last season the one last season, if I've seen them run his own.
It's all very man to man oriented. I think they really like to pack the paint.
And I think what we've seen over the last week couple weeks, I think they've gotten a lot better as far as defending the perimeter goes. And that was something they've struggled with from before conference season up till whenever UCF came to town. They struggled defending the perimeter. It didn't matter who it was. I mean, Saint Joe's bit him
with that, A and m got him with that. And so you know, in turn, now they've they've I do want to say, shifted the focus, but it's gotten a lot better defensively from the perimeter goes.
And I think they're still trying to find find.
Out exactly how good they can be at defending the basket.
This isn't the.
Biggest team by any means, by any stretch of the imagination. They've They've got Toppen, who's six foot eight, six foot nine is what he's listed as, but I think he's really a little bit shorter than that. They've got another big man six foot eleven, Federico Federico and in you know, he's big, but I wouldn't say he's a marquee paint defender by any means. So I think the biggest issue for this team as far as defensive, as far as like a defensive identity goes, is just really trying to
figure it out. I think you saw, like against BYU, they did a phenomenal job defending the perimeter there, and that's a BYU team who that's all they do is shoot threes. But then against Iowa State, I think tackle out in the neighborhood of fifty to fifty two points in the paint, And so it just kind of goes back to what I was saying, like they're trying to figure out what that what that defensive structure is, and it's it's progressed, it really has since conference play its started.
And I think that's that's the result of mccaslyn's sense of urgency as far as getting that turned around. Uh, but no, I don't I don't anticipate seeing zone Saturday, and I think they're still going to try to pack the paint, but also try to defend from the perimeter pretty well as well.
Yeah, Arizona's had trouble defending the three. Seems like for the last couple of years. It seems to be a trend maybe in college basketball. Hopefully each team can pick up the defensive load, you know, and then in that area.
Right right, let me ask you real quick, because I don't remember off the top of my head, Arizon I had a transfer there U two three years ago. From here to there, I don't think he's any He's not there anymore, right, A tall, skinny a kid from Europe.
You are referring to, and you're referring to Daniel Bacco.
Did he believe he left there?
Right?
He did? And let me I guess, let me double check.
Yeah, he's still out a So he went from So he was here the first so like the first season after Beard left and then the year after that with with Mark Adams and then a Tech assistant, Telvin Hester actually went and became a coach at LA Tech. So he followed him there, Okay, And I mean he was pretty high. I don't know exactly what conference I think La Tech is in. Are they in Conference USA?
Is that?
Is am I saying that?
Right?
I think so he was a pretty good player in that league.
He was I don't know if he was tabbed as their player of the year in the preseason, but I know he was pretty highly regarded going into this year.
Yeah, okay, that makes sense.
So very lanky, you know, European guy, you know, obviously, Yeah.
He he was a he developed somewhat of a cult following here when he was here, actually very uh, you know, because he doesn't say a whole lot you know, he was French, so he didn't really know a whole lot of English, but like the little English that he did know, like people just kind of gravitated towards him because I mean, he was a funny guy.
Uh.
And so he was.
Still super young when he was here, so he was just kind of starting to get his feet under.
Him and and and develop into the game. And and I guess he's he's.
Come along as one of the one of the elite there in that kind of that G five level.
I guess.
Yeah, okay, good to know.
I can't speak English either, and I don't have't I don't have a cult, so I gonna forget what he did.
There.
You go, okay, cool, So before you go, uh, what do you predict any predictions?
Well, Uh, it's it's been hard to call with this Tech team because I think.
You've seen them.
You've seen them a little bit of everywhere in conference play. I mean, you're five games in, you've had well UCF was an eighteen point comeback that they were unable to complete in the final minute of the game, had a couple of chances at it and just couldn't take that one. Uh, they dominated Utah on the road, they scraped out a tough one against BYU, and then you saw they played a really I'd say they played their best game of the season.
I think against Iowa State.
Uh, definitely, If if not their best, it's one of their better performances. I mean, you've got a top five team in the country on the ropes and it and it takes them, you know, exhausting everything that they have to try, and you know, well they do, you know, eventually make that comeback and eventually did win in overtime. And then like the other night against Kansas State, they're up in Manhattan. It was just a if you're a fan of the game of basketball, that game was just gross.
It was just just the sloppiest game you could really imagine.
So I say all that because Tech has been a just all over the place.
I think they're hungry for a home win.
I think they're they're anxious for a home win because that's evaded to them. And I think what they're trying to see too. And I think this will depend on how healthy like topping and Darien Williams are because you know, Darien Williams rolled his ankle the other night against the Wildcats.
Toppin's been sick and.
He had he had I think had some issues against Iowa State too, So I don't know exactly how healthy those guys are. If they're less than one hundred percent, I think it's gonna be really tough for Tech because I think depth wise is where they're also really kind of struggling. I think they're they're looking to get some more out of guys like Kevin Overton. I think a freshman like Christian Anderson has been really strong these last few games, but I mean he's a freshman.
You know, you don't really know what to expect, and I.
Think it's been a been a bit of a surprise how well he's been playing. And one thing that I, you know, I have picked up on about Arizona is it seems like their depth is really strong.
They've they've got guys like kJ.
Lewis or Henry Bursar off the bench who had some pretty good performances here recently. And I don't know, it's a it's a it's it's tough to call about tech. I you don't know what to expect with them, but all I can tell you is I think they're hungry, and I think if they're as if they're pretty close to healthy, I can see them. I can see them winning this game. I think they've proved they can hang with anybody. Take the Iowa State game. I mean, they've
proved they can hang with anybody, especially at home. So I think they'll be a good one.
Okay, Thanks, we'll get back to you and see Bobby on the return trip.
Do you play again? Right?
Yeah? They again?
Okay, Yeah, we'll get you in reconnect. Thanks a bunch, sure, Thanks sharing.
All right, I appreciate it. Yeah, we'll have to we'll set that one up. Appreciate it.
Okay, great, thanks so much, and let's take a break. We'll talk more about the predictions. Maybe be shorter with our evaluation. 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 Ludelsen era. In my new book, Lessons from Loot, 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
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Breaking down all the xs and ohs. This is I on the Ball with Steve Rivera on Box Sports fourteen fifty.
Hey, welcome back to Why on the Ball Here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty Steve Rivera in today, Troy Hutchinson from My Go Easycats, Dave Silver, I got our guy from from the.
School of U. A. Johnson, Kobe.
We got some we can get some calls here five two zero four one, six seventy four forty CE. I'm blustered and I still don't have that. What do you have backing or what do you have like Boo the guy in Texas tech speaking this, but you have this following me. I can't speak an don't have a group of year.
I think we're all that way today.
Yeah, No, that's fine. It's been a good show though. Getting ready for Saturday's game. Good talk to Ben Hallan and now to Jared to Rumirez. Anybody want to call? The lines are free five two oh four one, six, seventy four forty. We had a couple of calls already, so I asked, uh, Jared of the prediction, I don't think we got one.
What do you guys think?
You think? Yes, I think they're going to meet him.
I think Arizona is going to go on the road, walk out with like a four or five point victory, hard fove game and find a way to win.
Dave, you're you're mister Paul Yanna.
Yeah, what am I gonna say? Oh, it should be a good game. It'll be closed.
I don't know. I think I think the UVEA is playing great.
I think it's it's Yeah, it's that time of year where they usually you know, historically have kind of sorry to get things primed up for yeah, for March, and you know, late January early February games are usually pretty.
Good for Tommy has this radio show here today of five or six whatever time, but it's going to be I think one of the questions I'd like to ask me, how did those feats, those self surprising not self surprising defeats help him become this team? You know, because you know you learn and losses, right, you also learn the victories.
But they must have helped. The UCLA game had to have helped.
I was gonna say the c LA games the game to me, Yeah, point two. I mean that that's the I don't want to say embarrassment, but it's the it's by thirteen against your arrival. They go down the last ten minutes of the game and smack you and you only score what five points down that final ten minute stretch. That's the eye opener, the come to Jesus moment where you got to collect and say we need to change.
We're not going.
Anywhere right, And after that game, a lot of people have thought they were gonna go anywhere.
They turned it around.
Okay, they turn around, but they still show signs of late game meltdowns, not keeping the lead, not staying focused.
YadA YadA, and not that loots team.
And I go to that team because I covered it every day every day for a long time. That they had those Lully moments too, but not as often. And there were teams we covered them, Dave. They had teams that just wanted to beat the crap out of you and enjoyed it. Not a lot of teams like that, but you know, eighty eight they had fun and beat you bad, and I love beating you bad. I think ninety four was a little like that with Damon and Kalid and some of those guys. Ninety seven not so much.
Ninety eight, Yes, you know, they just showed up with the crap out two thousand and one when they had a chance before Bobby, you know, when Bobby's the situation. But that's what they need, that's what they need, that killer instinct.
All those teams had NBA players too, just about every one of them, right, and they were all kind of ready to go and want to lead the way and play that way.
Yeah. Hello, you're on the air on the ball. Who's this?
Yeah, this is Nico. Good to hear from you. We were wondering about you, wondering about you.
Hey man, I'm all right, man, I gotta work, man, so gotta work.
For a living.
Real life sucks. Let me tell you that.
Now. What's up?
Hey?
I got two questions, man, Since you all are professionals, man, why did there gonna give up these leads all the time.
We were just talking about that Nico.
I wish they had a and not that I have a dog in the fight, but killer instinct. You probably grew up watching some of these teams I had that.
I don't know, just that they look lazy out there at times.
Yeah, things like, yeah, lazy's a good word, lacks you know, lacks of days, O cold, yeah, lazy, all those words.
Defenses.
Yeah, bad decisions the teams are making, making moves as well.
So bad decisions. You sound like me, Dave? What's up that you your sound right? Yeah, you're right practically, Yeah, that's good. And what else do you go? But I don't know, man?
My second question, Man, when are you gonna put this over on the payroom?
Man? Kid, he's a retirement, he's got a he's got a fluctuation with only a certain amount of money can go to his But you know the ten, ten ninety nine or whatever those things, he can't make as much.
He's retired. You can be my agent, Nico.
With Someone asked, man, he's bored at home, unus he's born at home.
I'm not. This is great. This is taking me back to my roots.
Yes, yes, is that it?
Nico?
Yeah, man, see it gets softball tickets. Man, just sit by me and my dad.
Oh hey, yeah, let me know where you're at because I might do that, Nico, I might need I might do that.
Thanks man.
I mean we'll probably only be at like three games.
Me too, Me too, But I wouldn't mind going out there hanging out with you guys. You know all right, Thank you man, Thank you Nico. Thanks for the call. Hey, we just got a call coming in. We couldn't get to it because we had to say goodbye to Nico. Call right back. We'll get it to it. Thanks for calling. Five two o four one six seventy four forty. My guy here will get a hold of it once we see it. Come in, Dave, you can't make any more money than you're making now you're living.
How much money? What are we talking about? I'll buy you lunch, Okay, I'll bout you lunch a gift card. And again here we go with a call. Hello, you're on the airline on the ball.
Who's this? Hey, Steve, this is done? How you guys doing fine? We're doing fine?
How you doing?
Hey?
Man?
Well, first of all, I act the second what Nico said about Dave.
You know, Dave, this is your last day.
No, but you got to know your worth, Dave, You're worth a lot, thank you. But hey, I agree about this. I agree about this team and the lack.
Of killer instinct.
You know.
It's yeah, it's still so frustrated. The other night, I stayed up till there was about it was like seven minutes left in it, and the lead was down to like fifteen, and I just couldn't stay up any longer. And I said, you know what, I'm just gonna I'll just wait till the morning and find the score. And then I didn't want to look.
Right, Well, I'm glad you looked, because you saw what happened.
I did, and I and I and I saw it
and go wow, you know. And then one of the podcasters put on there and they said, hey, you know, that's an eleven point win against a good Baylor team, And I'm going, you know what, but that was a twenty point win that you let get away to an eleven point win, and it's just like they you know, we'll have a misshot six shot and then and then we'll take a bad quick three point shot and then give up another shot, and then and then it's like and then then they're out the gate because they believe
they can get back in the games.
And everybody knows.
That going in and and the thing is, it's like last year's football team. After we played those two close games with USC and Washington, everybody's like, you know what, they could beat everybody else on the schedule, but how many any of us really believed it. We wanted it, But you know when you saw these other teams and you know, UCLA came and everything else, they're like, yeah, they can beat them, they can beat them. I mean
they beat them really good. But we didn't know what they were until they were what they were.
So don this is my issue with it. And I don't know what the guys.
If you have this tendency in you already, it's gonna bite you at some point again down the road, because that's just who you are.
I remember we talked about with Ben and Memphis doing what they did.
They couldn't hit free throws, during that time, and they could have won the national title had they hit free throws and they said, oh no, we'll take care of it, we'll take care of it.
They never took care of it.
This thing.
They say, oh we'll take care of it, will take care of it. There's a good chance they won't take care of it.
I agree, I mean, the the only the difference now it was with Baylor. We had that big lead, they had it almost they had it up to twenty nine at one point. Of course, that's going to be a short period of time because I don't even remember when it was twenty nine, but because well, it couldn't have been there for very long. But you know, you build a bigger cushion that gives you, you know. But it's like, dude, don't sit on the cushion. They're gonna pull it out
from under you. And when are they going to lose it at the worst possible time.
I don't know.
You're right, and it's in two months. Don We got to go get another call. Thanks for calling.
Take care guys, Thank you. Hello, you're on the air nine the ball.
Who's this?
This is Connie, Connie, what's going on?
What's the word Hey, listen, I know coaches coming up at a conference tonight and say, you're gonna asked a couple of questions, a couple of things. I mean, you know, we get these really nice leads and we just can't close. And I just I don't know why that is. I'm sure there's a lot of variables. And the other thing is to I don't know what the team's average free throw percentage is. But like John Wooden said, you live and you die at the line, okay, And that's that's like the other thing too.
I mean, we I know it's gonna it's gonna become far.
More imperative as we you know, near tournament time that we hit.
Our free throws.
And then lastly, Caleb is he's a crap shoot, you know, h every night, so you get a distros. So the other thing I think that needs to happen when he's not hidden, he's got to be either creating, you know, making assist he's got to be he's got to be doing other things to compensate for him not having the touch.
That's what I've gotten.
I'll just take care of you appreciate it.
Yeah, thank you, thanks for listening.
Troy you'd be good to talk about this because does he have the other stuff in him?
No, No, I don't. I don't think he is. I think he is a shooter. He is a score and he knows that. And you know, if he if he's hitting the shots, the rest of his game starts flowing. He gets the rebounds, he gets this defense that's not there.
Well, defensively, I'll give him this.
I think somebody brought this up on your show the other day was that he played a little bit of defense. They're down the stretch of that Baylor game. You need them to do the other things. But I think right now you have a team everybody's worried about, why aren't they closing? Why aren't they're closing? They kind of did close out that Baylor game better than they closed out previous games. You're seeing a team grow from a below five hundred team that the pieces did not match. We
all said these pieces did not match. This isn't gonna work. They're figuring it out.
Now.
Will they figure out to the level that they're rinked preseason? Maybe probably not, but they're slowly figuring it out.
So let me throw this at you because you see to talk about the pieces. We know that the starters aren't really the starters, right, but we have and we've seen VSR and kJ and those guys do really well.
Was that the reason why?
I mean, that's kind of you can kind of point to that, but I don't think that's the reason why they're doing what they're doing.
No, go ahead, I was gonna say it doesn't hurt. I mean, I think things changed when that lineup switched. Su brought something off the bench that wasn't coming before. So it's been a big part of it, I think.
So far, I think you have players that shift, that put their egos aside and for the betterment of the team. In terms of which guys, kJ lewis becoming from a starter to a bench player, right, there's a lot of ego going to the bench. It's like, I don't want to do that. I'm a starter. I'm just starting. Well, hey, you're getting starters minutes. It's fine.
Cool.
His numbers have increased by it like two points per game. He's shooting over sixty percent during the seven game winning streak. He's put his ego aside for the betterment of the team. But also I want to focus on the number. One hundred and thirty nine. That's how many assists they've gotten in the last seven games, and the first nine games they had one hundred and thirty nine. But they're only averaging fifteen assists per game. Now they're averaging close to twenty.
And when you look at Tommy Lloyd's teams, it's all about assistant turn overaging and they're starting to play like a team and you're set more again.
And I'm sorry to poopoo this. They haven't to me, they haven't played the teams that they need to beat. No, I agree, you know they're playing the And then Brian Peterson had that stat before the last game they paid the easiest schedule in the Big Twelve to this point, But what is that though, I.
Mean, it's exactly what you saw.
No, No, of course it's a good schedule, but it's the easiest group of four or five and you won four or five. You did exactly what you should have been doing. And to that point, hey, I didn't think they're gonna beat Cincinnati. I didn't think they're gonna beat West Virginia or at least sweep them, and they did that. Not that I'm the gauge of anything. But you know what I'm saying, did you.
I thought they would go at least one on one on.
That drive right right?
Yeah? It was good. It was a great performance.
Yeah.
So yay, they've already exceeded what we thought.
Right so, and now you're telling me they'll give to sweep again, yeah, which which is fantastic?
Is there?
What five and l right?
Now?
Come back seven and zero before they paid?
Uh?
I always stay, which is which is going to be a huge test. And you you have them exactly where you want them in Michale and you know what you do now?
And I think in conferences like this, you see the Dukes and Kansas's do this all the time, stockpile those wins.
It seems you should be Yeah, because now you can.
Afford to lose those close games down the stretch and still be able to win the conference title.
Right.
Yeah, we'll see what happens. Yeah, I think we got to go already. Don't we maybe get about half a minute at the most? Okay, No, thanks guys for coming in. It It is good. There's a lot a lot of discussions about a lot of different things. Thank you, bet Helen, Thank you Jared Ramirez from Rivals. We'll see you guys tomorrow.