Tuesday, January 14, Hour 2

Steve Rivera, he's got his eye on the ball on Tucson sports station Fox Sports fourteen fifty.

Hey, welcome back to ying the ball. Here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty.

I'm Steve Rivera. You're Dave Silver.

Now we have Kobe with breaking.

News, breaking news from Sports Today. Alleged Kaelin Clark stalker disruptive in court hearing.

Did you can you hear?

Uh?

Yeah?

Here?

Okay, yeah, yeah, yeah, that's he That's a strange story just to begin with. You know, here's this old dude stalking this young woman, acting like a fool.

Welcome to the world. I'm not surprised. Yeah, I don't know. I mean, well, you who knows where di did this all happen in Indiana? Athletes?

Yeah, and he's from Texas and yeah he got he got goofy in the courtroom too.

Ye.

Yeah, So we'll see what happens with him. I'm sure he's not gonna it's gonna be serious, yeah said good face. Up to six in prison and a ten thousand dollars? Fine, what's the game?

What's the game? And even the attention is stupid?

Yeah?

Really, this is what you're known for.

Yeah, Hey, Dad.

Sam Darnold sacked nine times as the Vikings were defeated by the Rams twenty seven to nine.

Yeah, that was that one sided affair. Very QUI very much. Yeah, you said you gave it up about Oh.

Yeah, I didn't see probably three of those sacks. I think when I turned out, every time he turned around he was he was had somebody in his face. Yeah, that was a tough one to watch. You're a Vikings fan because they had such a really good year and his story was really cool, and you know he kind of sputtered the last couple of weeks.

No good, good point. I was just going to say that he didn't look good last through three weeks. Did you see that graphic? Well you probably didn't because you didn't see it. They hadn't scored a touchdown twenty one straight uh drives. Yeah, twenty one straight drives. I's like three is hard to do. Yeah, you almost have to fall down every time not to score.

After letting Mike McCarthy walk deon Sanders and Jerry Jones meant to talk about the Cowboys head coach vacancy, Yeah.

The circus comes to the circus maybe just if they need I don't know.

Well, you know what I think. I still think it makes sense and it could work. It could work if Jerry Jones lets some coach or becomes uh he's eighty two, lets him coach or lead or whatever.

Yeah.

Do you know how good of a coach he is, though, Dylan? Yeah, I have no idea. And and do you think that the twenty eighty nine, thirty year old guys who are making millions are gonna say, oh.

Yeah, shut up. I don't know. I think that.

He's yeah, because what is he He's got to be close to sixty, right, Yeah, So his reputation, you know, he is still Dion, he's still prime time and people know him. And he got you know, some great publicity with Colorado, so they know that.

But I don't know what his I don't know what.

His long term goals are to come back and coach in the NFL.

Here's here's the rub Dave. Who else is is there? Yeah?

I mean there's all these assistants and all these coordinators that they every year is the same group of different you know, the same type of coach that's coaching waiting. You know, he's just thirty five year old guys been the offensive coordinator, YadA, YadA, So he must be the next great thing.

If Jerry Jones got out of the way, hired somebody maybe like young, and just got out of the way and let them coach, I think they'd be Okay.

Yeah, well in a few cases, I mean in many cases, those that I was just talking about have worked out. You know, these guys that have been assistant coaches for you know, for Andy Reid or for some of the other coaches who've had you know, great success, and next thing you know, they're at the top of the list. It's Ben Johnson guy everyone's talking about.

Yeah, Arizona softball receives preseason recognition.

What kind of what was it? What was it? I believe Let me see.

I'm not sure, but I'm sure they're I think they're definitely ringed in.

The top twenty five.

Yeah, we'll look that up. Just okay, Okay, what's next?

We got two top fifteen matchups today for college basketball as number in Kentucky takes on number eleven Texas A and M and number fifteen Mississippi State takes on number one Auburn.

Okay, Auburn has been good. Yeah, they've been very good.

There was an interesting story in the athletic I think it was about their offensive coordinator, some young dude who kind of just fell into the job and it was just guru of offense. And now they've turned into this jugging out of offense with their coach, which is tell me his name way which Alburn Alban Uh we all know, I see his face. A good coach. Yeah, I know this is horrible.

Yeah. Bruce Pearl, Yeah yeah, I think you're talking football person.

No, no, no, Auburn, Bruce Pearl, who you could win it all? I don't know. A SEC is killing each other. It is going to be very good by the time the season's coming around. You know, Tennessee is was good, Soil they got, Florida's good, Toda was good, Kentucky's good.

They've all lost.

The only team that's not good is Arkansas, which is Okay, cal Perry.

That's all we got today for breaking news.

Okay, So what about the big news that so your thing with the softball there's a few of the players that are featured in the Top one Herd players. Uh Dakota Kennedy thirty fourth to best player, Reagan Shaki fifty ninth. Uh some other watch this freshman Emma Cavanaugh, third baseman Jenna Sniffin and pitchers Sarah Wright made a lot of the rookie teams, so we'll see what happens with them. They need to get some pitching. Well, that's the name

Right, You're not going to be competitive, I should say so.

If they get going, their season starts pretty soon, right, always starts like.

In yeah, February baseball a million home games, got to get hurt and I got to get Tom chip Hale on the show before things get crazy. Yeah, okay, and there's tickets, right, Did you just pop something up we talked about yesterday with with Mike Quinn. I wanted to get tickets to softball? Did you have tickets to anything? You just have friends.

I have friends.

But you know, again, not to harp back so much on the past, but again, loots first years or so, we got season tickets. He gave to the media because there were a lot of people there. Really we would get we had I think either two or four from at the TV station from.

From from him. Oh maybe that maybe just so they could fill the place up. Every time I walk.

It's like section eight, I want to say, which is like the end zone every time I go to Michale and I go, I had tickets in that yeah spot.

And the and the TV's had no problems with it, apparently not or maybe they had to pay a little bit of a conflict there.

Yeah, years, but who knows, maybe we paid for him. Yeah, you might have been a sponsor.

Sometimes it sounds more like yeah, yeah, now that I think about it, Yeah, why did we get those?

But that was always the line that gave us. It's like, well you just need to give mkail looking like there's people in there.

Well you you were here when he first guy says you better get your tickets now.

Yeah, it's gonna be crazy.

And then he had to almost, you know, beg people to show up and watch games.

But yeah, so we did.

I remember, I I don't know why I was able to go to a number of games, you know, just that way.

Yeah, the can canceled. Uh yeah, The Greenberg Show, Mike Greenberg. Really yeah, the radio show. Yeah yeah, this radio gig?

What can have? It is tough?

It's tough. Yeah, I know it is tough. Well you saw what happened like with our guy Jody Taylor. He's not playing our other guy, my other guy.

Can god?

Uh?

He was here, he was here and then he moved to Phoenix from the Vegas. Mike, I want to see it'll come to me. Don't get over eventually here you I'm driving home. This is what the hell does it do me? Now?

Right?

How was your break, Goby? How was New York? It was good?

It's went Home's awesome. Family actually went to Miami for a week.

Though, did you pretty people convention Miami?

Yeah? Cool?

Nice?

Cool?

Okay, what time is it? We got a lot of time. Not anything else you want to talk about? Hey, maybe take a call to five two zero four one six seventy four forty if you guys want to call.

Are you guys going to the game tonight?

That you have any special memories of the the blind mice that have.

Been three blind mice that have been there?

Uh?

Did you talk about the man? Right?

You talk about these guys. I can't remember any other characters. If you sat real right behind the opposite of the score tape before we used to sat right in the bottom. The guy I want to say, damns, but it's nothing. It's Mike something. Uh oh he does his yell at the refs. Oh yeah, I do remember that.

I do remember.

He's a friend of mine now because he sat right behind it and he's like, oh God, don't embarrass Everyone looks over here and he's just yelling all constantly.

Wasn't there a guy that used to sit kind of behind the scorer's table that either he used to just there still does us still help the visiting team?

Oh yeah, he still does. Yeah.

I was down there because Mike had seats down there maybe a month ago, and I went to sit with him for like maybe five minutes, and he was there and I'm thinking, God, i haven't been on this close to the to the court, and he was right next to me.

Yeah.

Some of the other top fans remember, there's well, there's Phyllis. She's still there. Still, she's still dancing away.

Yeah. You know.

Obviously when Lutes and Bobby were around, Bobby always waved the crowd when she walked in with everyone.

Say that, what kind of wait for her? Bobby, Yeah, little.

Man, bless his soul, he was. He was great. He used to see him at Blockbuster Video. He lived up near us.

Yeah.

Uh, other characters. I mean, there's that's kind of been a fit.

Well, there's just a thing Doug is. I don't know if Doug existing, but Doug is painted face.

Doug.

He's the one with who infas infamously had the vindicated sign for Sean. Remember the remember the photo the vindicated.

Maybe if you see, if you go, if you.

See it after you know Sean has come back and all the kind of news died down.

Doug and I sat next to each other a couple of years ago with the PAC twelve Baseball championship game in Scottsdale. I just happened to sit down and there's this guy sitting next to me and he was like.

Leading the leading the chairs. Yeah yah yeah the entire game, and the crowds like.

Look at who is this an older guy? Yeah, not older older but older guy and he gets smart dude. Yeah, it was face painted and all that. I don't think he was painted, but I mean he was just loud and the guy with the horns. Don't forget the guy with the horns. You see him the football games. Yeah, bigger guy, horns painted face as well. We're power to them.

Yeah.

Well we discussed this. You wouldn't do this, I wouldn't do this. So it is what it is. Hey, let's up. Let's we're not taking any calls. So let's go come back and get a hold of Bryce Cherry from the Waco Paper.

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This is Igh on the Ball with Steve braveraon Fox Sports fourteen fifty. Subscribe now to the podcast on the iHeartRadio while just search Eye on the Ball.

Hey, welcome back to Island Ball here on Fox Sports.

What che fIF Steve Rivera, your Dave Silver and right now like we have Bryce Cherry from the newspaper of the Waco Tribune.

How are you up?

Bryce? You there? Bryce?

Yeah?

Hello?

Hear hey Bryce? How's it going good? How are you good? Good? Good?

We are looking forward to the game tonight Baylor in Arizona. Two teams that have had pretty good seasons and obviously Baylor's in the top twenty five U of A is trying to get into it. What can we expect from this this matchup here late tonight here in Tucson.

You know, there was a lot of games last year where Scott Drew came into the post game interviews and he.

Said, typical big twelve game.

I mean he said that so many times it just became almost like a running joke, and that's kind of what I expect tonight. It's a typical Big Twelve game.

Now Baylor. What I mean by that.

Is obviously Arizona's new to the Big Twelve, but you know, last year, I think Baylor's first ten Big Twelve games were decided by a single digit with three of those going to overtime. This year, it's been a little different for Baylor. They have had three blowouts, I would say in their first four you know, Big twelve games, with Arizona State being you know, the exception to that.

But you know, they they start.

Off with a blowout at home over Utah, and then you know, go to Iowa State, which is notoriously a tough place to play, but Baylor just.

Did not shoot the ball very well that day. Had had some good looks. They had like fifteen uncontested threes in that game, but just weren't able to hit them.

I mean, they just could not hit anything.

And then they come back home and they blow out Cincinnati. So I mean their first three games were sort of atypical for the Big Twelve because you know, a.

Lot of times this league is just you know, coming down to the last possession.

And then of course Baylor gets off to a big lead against Arizona State and let's the sun Devil's back into it. It goes to overtime, but the Bears pull it out. I you know, I think Arizona's probably better.

Than Arizona State I had.

I've had the Wildcats in the top twenty five in my.

AP ballot the last couple of weeks, and so yeah, I expect to, you know, down to the wire kind of tussle.

So I know you're a voter in AP.

So if you had Arizona in the top twenty five probably May twenty four to twenty five, where did you have Baylor or where did you have Arizona?

Ambuler, Boy, I have to look at my poll, but I know I had Arizona one spot above Baylor, and I think they were around seventeen eighteen basically.

Okay, Yeah, So I mean, I you.

Know, I'm probably given giving them a little more respect than the rest of the country is. But you know, and obviously the Wildcats took some lumps in the non conference season, but clearly they're on a pretty good run now. Six in a row with you know, four of those in the Big Twelve, which has been a really good basketball conference, and I think, you know, they're starting to figure it out.

So yeah, I think they deserved the rank.

So Bryce, Dave and I have covered this team for a long time in different capacities. Dave's a TV guy, I'm a newspaper guy now a radio guy. Uh and we've covered it for a long time. We know historically Arizona has this reputation of being a basketball school blah blah blah. Baylor is this school too, now that's coming on as a basketball school with with with drewe.

Uh are we are?

We now at the point where it doesn't matter if they're good or bad.

Everyone just assumes they're good because of who they are.

I mean, there's probably a certain you know, truth to that. I think the brand names are always.

Going to give a little bit of the benefit of the doubt, whether.

It's in the minds of AP voters, whether it's in the minds of.

You know, fans that you know are tuning into those games, or.

How they pick their brackets when it comes down to March madness or whatever. I mean, I think you know, you expect the Dukes and the Kentucky's and you know, the Arizona's and Baylors. I mean I think you expect them to be there year and in year out. Now, obviously we know covering these teams that you know, every year is different and it's all cyclical and uh, you know, and I think it's you know, it should be even more apparent to people now with you know, the transfer portal.

I mean I've compared it to junior.

College basketball, where essentially you're turning your roster over completely and you know, every season. I mean, that's that's how it is now in in D one college basketball with the with the portal, you know, Baylor, Arizona Boat you know, have a lot of new guys. So yeah, I mean that that to me is something these coaches are having to navigate because you know, and I've.

Actually heard Baylor fans who've complained like, oh, you know, we uh, you know, we.

We need to start like getting some different kind of recruits that we can keep around for a few years instead of.

Like the one and done type guys.

And and I'm like, oh, man, I mean you start turning down one and done, you know, really high talented guys.

I'm not sure that's the way to go. What you have, what you need to figure out.

How to do is to you know, speed along that sort of chemistry building process where you know, these these guys are figuring out how to play together. And truthfully, when Baylor lost to Clemson in the second round the NCAA Tournament last spring, I don't think it was because they hadn't played together long enough. I think it was because they couldn't make free throws and they didn't get the most important rebounds.

Of the game. I mean, you know, sometimes.

We overthink these things, and you know, I mean sometimes you just have to go out and make a play.

Right, And you had to replace what four starters from last season, and they, you know, again they went into the portal, I guess and got what Jeremy Roach and VJ. Edgecombe. How have they fit into this this season so far?

Yeah, I mean they got some good transfer with Nord shadow Mere who came over from Miami, and then as you mentioned, Jeremy Roach who came from Duke. Now VJ is a freshman who you know should be a one and done guy.

V J. Edgecombe and he's he's he's special. Like, Scott's had some pretty good freshmen the last few years.

You know, I think they've had I want to say, four of the preseason Big Twelve Freshmen of the Year in a row, and three of them won the Postseason.

Award as well. And yeah, I mean they've been good players.

I mean, Keyshawn George is playing you know, point guard for the Jazz now and Jacoby Walters playing you know somewhat for the Raptors, and you know, I mean they've had really good freshmen to come through here. I'm not so sure that DJ is not more talented than all of them, Like, I actually think he will end up when it's all said and done, and being Scott Drew's first NBA All Star.

He's never had an All Star.

But DJ, to me, he reminds me a little bit of Anthony Edwards of the Timberwolves.

And that's high praise obviously with what that guy is doing. But and he's got a long long way to go.

I mean, I'm just gonna put that out there too. His jump shot is a work in progress, to say the least. But he's just hyper athletic. I Mean, the guy can dunk over anyone and just really hustles and gets after it and impacts the game even when his shots not falling. So yeah, but the transfers, I mean, obviously Jeremy Roach had been to a final four with Duke nor Chat o'mere had been to a final four with Miami. So when you get that kind of experience, I think that that plays.

You know, that's what you want.

So what do you guys know about Arizona. Well, let's go with this first. What's the secret formula for the Big twelve? You know, you know in the Pac twelve, it was kind of like Arizona could go seventeen and three, sixteen and four, whatever and kind of finish first or second and make a good seed in the tournament. Now it's like, yeah, you got to hold court and you've got to at least win half in the in the conference on the road.

Is true?

Yeah, Yeah, I think that's absolutely true. I mean I think that's actually asked Scott Drew something to that effect recently, and.

You know, after he I wouldn't say, hmmed it.

Hat a little bit, but just basically said, look, we're trying to win them all, you know, Da da da da dada, but at the same time, you know, is that the formula you know, holden holding court at home and then obviously win in you know, stealing some.

On the road. And you know, like you said, if you can, if you can maybe go five hundred on the road and Big Twelve.

You're doing something. I mean, because it's tough, it's really tough. There's really good environments.

All over the league. You know, not many teams going to Lawrence, Kansas.

And come out with a win, and that kind of thing is really you know, the case all over the league.

So yeah, I think I think that's it. And I think if you have a five hundred or better record.

In the Big Twelve, you've got a pretty good shot of making an NCAA tournament. I mean, you know, this has over the last you know, I don't know what you want to say, eight ten years, it's been, if not the best basketball conference in the country, you know, right there.

At two maybe. I think I wrote a column just a week or so ago.

Where I think the SEC has probably supplanted the Big Twelve at least for this year. But my thesis of that column also was, you know, let's check back in March, because that's.

Where you really prove you know, you know who you are.

Yeah, I was gonna say too.

You know, Steve and I have always talked about this on the show, But just Arizona fans, I don't think they know much about these venues. What else should we be paying attention to? You know, as we're watch, as we're maneuvering through the Big Twelve. We know I always state it's good. Kansas obviously is good, Arizona's played in full times Houston.

Who else should be maybe?

Like, maybe is there somebody we're not thinking about that we should be aware of.

I mean, Kansas State is not an easy place to go and play either. I think they have great crowd support in Manhattan. And I think Jerome Tang, even though they're not doing just a bang up job this year, he's.

Done a good job there now in his third year.

Obviously, Baylor fans are very familiar with Jerome Tang, as he was Scott Drew's right hand man for.

You know, two decades. Uh, you know, and if.

You want a kind of a little scouting report of what to expect in wakego, I mean I would say, you know, Baylor fans are an interesting group.

I mean, they're a little bit of front runners.

I mean, I mean, I'm you know, I'm not breaking news here. But at the same time, you know, if if they have a successful team.

They will turn out.

And Baylor did a smart thing when it opened up its new arena, the Foster Pavilion, which opened up just about a year ago. I think January third of twenty four was was when it opened, kind of the middle of last season. It downsized, you know, which is not a It's been a trend. I think in certain places. The old arena is right at about you know, eleven thousand capacity and this one's you know, seventy five hundred.

But uh uh was some of the base and some of the you know, canned noise.

The manufactured stuff was you know, was just insanely loud.

But the fan noise, I mean, yeah, you want it to be loud.

That's what you h That's what you want to cause basketball games. So that I'm saying, you know, sure, make that as loud as you want. But some of that artificial stuff that they pump in, you know, you could you could dial down some of the wolfers on that, but but no, it's become a good home court advantage for Baylor, I think, and you know, Scott Drew has it going there.

I mean it was Baylor fans were sweating it out.

A little bit last year when Louisville and Kentucky came, you know after him, trying to get him to, you know, to be their head coach. And he made a lot of people in Waco happy by sticking around here.

I was gonna just say that in the transition before you mentioned his name, his legacy must have totally changed or just enhanced once he won the titles a few years ago, and Waco is probably loving him for it. It's like loot winning here changes the trajectory of the program and kind of puts the program on the map.

Yeah, no doubt, there's no question about it. I think you can see it.

You can see it in I think the level of expectation that everybody has now for the program.

I think you can see it in the level of recruit.

That they've been able to get since winning the National Championship.

They didn't used to get.

One and done guys like Scott was more known for getting the guys like Touring Prince and Royce O'Neill and Corey Jefferson and these guys that he would sort of they would come in as sort of less regarded prospects and they get better while they were with you know, coach Drew and coach Tang and those guys, and you know, then they get it, end up getting drafted and you know,

The National Championship. They've been, you know, somewhat close before.

They had a really tough loss to the in the Elite eight to Duke back when Coach k was there, and that was you know, it was kind of a controversial game, but that was probably a team that Baylor thought could get to the Final four that like maybe twenty ten.

But yeah, yeah, it definitely and probably put him in the Hall of Fame, honestly. I mean, I think.

Most coaches that win at least won national championship end up there with with his record, you know.

That he's got and uh, you know.

Will they ever win another one? Who knows, But I mean it's hard to do.

Uh.

But I think at the same time, he's got this program going at a.

Pretty good level.

What's the nil situation there at Baylor for for basketball?

Yeah, they've bumped it up. I mean I couldn't give you the exact.

Numbers just because Baylor is a private school and they hide behind that, you know, so uh but at the same time, they they've definitely bumped it up, and I think, you know, it has helped them get some guys like a like a.

Jeremy Road or a North Jeto bere.

And and and they do look for guys that like kind of like you know, quote unquote fit their culture.

I know that's sort of a cliche that coaches like to use.

But with I mean, you will absolutely hear Scott at some point tonight, if you're in the postgame interview, say something about culture of joy.

That's their I mean, that's their catchphrase that they.

Kind of hang their whole program around, is this culture of joy. And you know, Scott's a Christian and he really hangs on to that, and I think, you know, I did a feature on North Chead just the other day and was talking to him about, you know, why did you leave Miami? You know, they had been to a Final four there, and he was like talking about how, you know, there was a lot of reasons, but one of the things was, you know, I felt like I

Use nil to their advantage, but at the.

Same time, they're gonna use kind of that the fact that they're a Christian school, a smaller school, you know, a good academic school.

I think they're gonna try to use those things to their advantage too.

And so before we go Bryce, you have Arizona ranked a little ahead of Baylor.

But what do you predict.

I say, Wildcats get it done in a close game tonight. I don't know the score, but let's say, you know, three or four point games something like that coming down to the wire.

I think it would be really, really tough.

For Baylor to make this two game swing through Arizona, the state of Arizona, and and.

Come out to and Oh. I mean, I you know, I.

Think you could hope for a split when you're doing that, but who knows. I mean, part of the key will be for Baylor, Uh, if they want to try to knock off the Wildcats. Will Langston Love play?

Will Jalen Celestine play?

Those are two guys that have been out the last three or four games with ankle injuries, and Baylor's had to kind of shorten up its rotation because of that. I mean, it basically been going with six seven guys the last few games. If those two guys play, I like Baylor's chances a little bit better. But at the same time, I'll take the Wildcats and Nicole get a close.

One before before one quick thing.

I thought that might be the last question.

But we talked about this with Bruce Pasco a number of times, and I covered the team for like twenty five thirty years.

Directly when it came into the league.

There was some thought that this is gonna help Arizona because one, they'll have to get tougher. They're gonna have to face these teams to get them ready.

For the tournament.

Okay, But then the second thought is, okay, yeah, they do, but they're gonna get beat up by the time they get to March and get tired. I'm sure you've seen that with Baylor. Have you seen other teams with that. Kansas recently has just kind of like sputters come March.

Yeah.

No, I think that's a real thing, and I do think that that has been, you know, kind of an issue. And I also think that it's why a lot of those coaches like Scott and like you know, Bill self, if those seasons where they have had you know, pretty good years and they know they're gonna get a high seed in the NCAA Tournament, they're not real concerned about what happens in the big twelve tournament, because it's like, do I really want to play three games and three

So I know, like Baylor's never won the Big twelve tournament.

And I don't think Scott I don't want to say he doesn't care like they But at the same time, if you've got a good seed locked up, I think they look at it like, you know, a few extra days of rest might not be a bad Yeah, I agree. I think that's a real thing.

And I do think.

You know, there have been times where you can say, well, maybe those teams were a little beat up because of what they went through through the.

Big twelve, you know, but it does you know.

Other conferences are tough too, and so it can be a little bit.

Of an excuse to fall back on. So, you know, I think in the end of the day, you just.

Got to step your game up in March and and like I said, make plays.

Well, Brice, We'll appreciate your time.

We'll probably get to you again on the return ship later this year.

Okay, thanks a good appreciate it.

Guys, well, thanks, thank you.

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Streamy live on the iHeartRadio AP. This is I on the Ball with Steve Ravera on Fox Sports fourteen fifty.

Welcome tying the ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera or Dave Silver and we have our guy Kobe Ian working on the board. So if you guys want to call, we'd appreciate it. You got about twelve minutes or so five two zero four, one six seventy four forty five two oh four one seventy four forty good to talk to the opposing guy. We really didn't talk much about Baylor, uh, but we know the situation right. I think they're five point underdogs.

Yeah, I think so.

That's about That's about right, And what the hell do I know? Everyone has to just play better?

Yeah, I think they just have to play their game and you know, use the crowd to their advantage. It's gonna been you know, national TV late start.

You're not going, right, I asked you my guest is still going to be about two thousand seats empty?

Think?

So, yeah, it's been and it's it hasn't been full the last couple of games, right, because they've been late, and it's you know, you know, the crowd there. You know, we joke about it, or people have joked about it since I've been here, Protty, since you've been here. The blue hair and the gray hairs, Well, guess what those people are dead when we first here. Right now, it's a new group of great haired blue hair. Does that make sense?

Everybody's got something to complain because, you know, the other day because the game wasn't televised exactly on time. Then, you know, and how many years are we going to go through this? That's just the way it's going to go. Tonight's game will not be shown on ESPN at nine o'clock. I can almost guarantee you.

Well, it was a funny post the other day just recently that wors it all in ESPN plus it sucks blah blah blah. I hate this. I hate that. I hate that.

And people says, all you guys do is pitch, all you guys.

Do is pitch enough. I mean, it could be about anything, And I said, that's the greatest post ever, because it's true. It's all they do is bitch. But in this case, it's a nine o'clock game. I don't think it's going to be as packed as it could be. It should be. I could be wrong, but we've seen it before.

Yeah, I mean I think this is one of their marquee games of the season. I would hope that people kind of circle this one, you know, maybe just make make plans to you know, drink some coffee early seen it in and just wait.

Up for this one.

I mean, that's just the way we got to deal with with the scheduling sometimes. I mean, looking at their schedule, you know down the road, there's gonna be geving o'clock starts.

I think so, right, Yeah, I think we had seen there's a few eight o'clock eight thirties, right.

Yeah, nine o'clock. Here, there's an eight thirty against Iowa State on a Monday night. Okay, you know at nine o'clock against BYU on the road, so you know, get used to it. Nine o'clock against a issue in March. So there's gonna be some late starts.

Yeah, you're on the air and Ie on the ball.

Who's this? You're on the air? Ane on the ball? Who's this?

What is it?

Are they salling?

No?

I was gonna say that, you know, U of a fans kind of have to get used to this, and especially with the scheduling the days being much different than what we're used to with the usual weekend situations with a Thursday Saturday games or a Thursday Sunday, I mean, that's obviously out the window right now. So got to get used to some of these games in the middle of the week on a Tuesday day or Monday or Wednesday. It's gonna be a little bit different way to watch

There we are.

Yeah, maybe Howard Howard, here's go ahead and the game at the at they.

Hear the radio.

I can hear you.

I can hear you very quietly.

Yeah, okay, so here here we are. How are you good?

Okay?

Dave is exactly right. Nobody in the nobody on the East Coast is going to be watching the game.

Yeah start, No, you're right, Well, some people in the bars will Yeah, the people. Yeah, Arizona team, that's pretty scrappy.

Yeah, the bars are closed. No, live in New York and mind you're right.

So it's still it's not even last call.

By the end of the game, it will be last call. Arizona has a lot of alumni on the East Coast.

Yeah. Well, I'm just looking forward to the Iowa stayed in the Houston game. I got tickets that Iowa stayed already, pretty good ones. Yeah, of course Hanson was wrong. He said nine. I haven't got my actual tickets yet, but the little thing my wife got him. It says eight thirty start, but I guess that could be changed.

Oh, I say, no, I think you're right. Schedule.

Yeah, I like to part out Greg, who I love he said nine.

Yeah, Well, there's gonna be a What do you make of the late starts? I mean, everyone saying, oh great, we're gonna get good time slots.

Now, no, right, we're not gonna still, no one's going to be seeing anyone except fro on the Midwest and the West coast to see our catch our games.

Right, anybody, what do you think they're gonna win tonight?

Oh?

Yeah, they're gonna win tonight and and then then then they go on a road trip to winnable games.

I think, right, uh, well you think I don't know this road games are going to be very difficult. I was surprised that they swept over the weekend, but you know, I didn't think that upon further review, Cincinnati or West Virginia were any good.

Yeah, but you know me, I'm really peeked when both the Wildcats and the Sun's around the same day. But we we get early starts because around the East coast five thirty to night in Atlanta, Okay, and we have we've been make or break. We got to go minimum before went on this road trip, easily doable.

Well, you know, also the exposure situation, not having the PAC twelve network anymore kind of hurt everybody. But every game is going to be on basically ESPN or at least ESPN Plus. Some of the games haven't even been scheduled for TV, but you know they'll be on.

So have you, Dave, have you watched David Howard? Have you watched the games on ESPN Plus? I've watched a couple and I don't have it.

I don't have ESPN. I don't I don't cover it if a lot of I don't listen to the radio, I don't have that live feel. I also just follow it on my phone to scores, so now I know how everyone scores. And I think, Steve, we're gonna be. We're gonna be We're gonna be rewarded because Henry Vasser's he's like one of my favorite players and he's going to be doing it.

Dave, you what you have?

It so has been a pup No, it's been good.

I think other people have mentioned some problems with it, but basically it's you know, if you close your eyes and just you know, think about what you're experiencing. It's basically just like an ESPN game. Yeah, it's got a lot of the same broadcasters we're used to hearing, so, I mean, Corey, Matt Milbach, Darren Sutton, some of the guys we've always been listening to.

So it's pretty familiar.

Right, Okay, Howard, thanks for the call.

All right, thanks guys.

Later, Okay, we've.

Got about uh we got about another calingists if you guys want to do that five two zero, four one, six, seventy four to forty. I'm here with Dave, uh Kobe. So we got you know, about five minutes left before the big game.

Four.

I wasn't four What are you going to do to prepare for this nine o'clock start? I was gonna check out. I'm gonna relax.

That's today. I'm not gonna write after the game. I don't.

I won't nine o'clock. We'll probably get it.

You don't.

And the games aren't two hours anymore. They're like two twenty because of the TV.

Timeouts or longer.

It's it's just you know, upon for the review, we gotta go to the tape blah, blah blah. So it's like two twenty by the time they have now that you don't. Now they have the opposing coach going into the press. Commerce is he going first? He goes in first, so that takes about ten minutes after a ten minute cool off, so that's twenty minutes, and then Tommy comes in and gives his ten minutes and then we get

Yeah, and your stories these days are more columns, like you're not like going to play by place.

You're doing no.

Did you did you did you read me? Did you did you read in my last one? Because I don't know if I came across Tommy's how was it sarcasm. It was just his rant. Yeah, you know, did you get a feel that he was upset? And I even kind of joked that you never see this from him and how can you take him seriously?

Yeah, well, you're right, and I think maybe there just comes a point in the season where he had.

To do something without just say something.

You know, how many times are we going to lose a fifteen point lead and come back this time and you know, you know, got away with it, But there's been what three or four of these this this season already and some big games ahead.

You don't want to have that become a habit.

What do you what do you make of the Cronin situation? They want lost again last night? I didn't see any tweets today about you know, his postgame interviews because the last couple have been like holy crap.

Yeah, I don't know what is his problem is at this point?

Well, the players, well after the one two weeks ago or whatever time it was, Uh, you'd see, how did these guys get to play for this guy?

Right?

And they've kind of lost four straight. I think now they may not be playing for this guy.

Yeah, he's tough.

I mean, we don't We're not on the court with him, but just as a fan watching the way he just reacts and handles himself during the game, It's like, I'm not sure I want to play for him. I mean, he's up, he doesn't have a seat. I don't think on the bench, he's never he never sits down. He's always barking out something some play like, you know, every single possession he seems to be trying to orchestrate it. I don't know how the players feel about that.

I wouldn't be surprised if he the mutually decided to part ways because it's just a non situation, especially at UCLA. You know, you have this legacy, you have a pretty good coach. I think you know he's done a pretty good job. Outside of these things. Are a four game losing street. They four five of last six, and his comments have been very vocal. You're on Twitter, maybe do

It was it's been kind of crazy.

I mean, really, some of their wins are not exactly no high powered teams well, Arizona. It was on I hadn't had it not faded. They lost to Carolina by two. They lost to Gonzaga by three, and that's kind of when it started.

Then they started losing to Nebraska. I'm sorry.

They beat Gonzaga by three, but after that it started wiped out by Michigan and Maryland and Rutgers. And they're playing Iowa at home on the seventeenth when the seventeenth on Saturday maybe Friday, so they have problems, yeah.

And that that we're by. We just find it kind of interesting because of his his uh, his rants and the guy's playing for him or not playing for him. For Mick, yeah, because once you get berated and braided and Tommy didn't do that. Tommy, Tommy was different.

He didn't He didn't specific specifically talking about anybody. He just kind of said in general.

They need to do this, and they need to do this, and this is our season and we got to pay attention to you know, we don't play stupid and we're playing stupid or dumb or whatever the well.

You know, he can say that and then the next day they all look at the video and they, yeah, we know who's talking about here, right.

It's funny because that's when I asked the kids, because I needed a transition to go with a story, because in my head I already had it written, right, what do you think is gonna happen in your first practice back? And if I would have asked that to the to the lout's kids, they would have said, we're gonna run, We're gonna it's not gonna be fun because after losses for loot, we're not fun.

No.

They they got it, you know, they got it because he was a fundamental guy.

He would come back the next morning. Sometimes I think after.

Just yeah, it was you know when on the road it was like your holy crap, really, oh yeah, it was fun.

You take his walk.

And then I think football does did the same way back in those years. Oh yeah, they were just like they lose a game on a Saturday night late and uh okay, be on practice field the next morning.

Yeah, when Dick first got out, yeah, when they got beat early, when he first got here, That's how it was. I remember that. Hey, thanks for joining me, Dave Price to you later this week, maybe hope. So okay, great, Thanks to Kobe for coming in. Thanks everybody for listening, and we'll see you guys tomorrow