This is I on the Ball with Steve Rivera and Jagan zalaz Son Fox Sports fourteen fifteen powered by Nova Insurance Services and Sure Your Most Prized Possessions katz R two SAG and iHeartRadio Station. Good afternoon, everybody, welcome to Eye on the Ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera. He's Jagan Zawas. Got our our guy Sammy in today. That our guy. Did you see Sammon? Hey, good to be here. So many kids, there's like four interns. Man, What the heck? You know, how
are we supposed to remember all their names? Come on, I've been here for Sammy, you know what, I forget my I call my daughter by my other daughter's name today, fair enough? So you know, you just you're talking to a couple of guys who, yes, we get up and leave the room and don't remember why we left the room. I know, I'm with Steven j yeahs. You gotta just yeah, you gotta know as long as you gonna call you out, at least Kevin or somebody else.
Okay, that's hey, hope to develop some momentum for the show to get me to the end of the day. A lot of things going on. A nice Tommy press conference. Yes, today, we're gonna have that, right, We're gonna play the whole thing in its entirety. A couple of pieces that we took out of it because there was some discussion of an event going on with coaches versus cancer, and we'll we'll mention that, but we took it because we wanted to hear have you hear Tommy's comments on what's going
on with his team and then the game's coming up this weekend. But we'll play that. It'll be the second segment of the four o'clock hour, and we'll play that thing start to finish, right, okay, And at the beginning of the show here in about ten to fifteen minutes, we're gonna have Troy Hutchinson from go Azy Cats. He went to the softball press conference right the Tommy press conference, so I wasn't aware of softball today, but it is what it is. We're so busy that we have can go to everything.
You know, did you ever do you ever have to help your boys move in and out of apartments not here, dorms and things. No, No, my oldest is in Baltimore. In my youngest here. No, no, but it's it's the one of the worst things you can well im. It's the thirty first, right, So I'm wrapping up getting my daughter out of her house and and you know, she's got to find another mover. That's all. That's all I can say. And I didn't even do
that much this time. Was most of it is over the weekend. But that's what I was busy doing, you know today, So ours social media got up so late and I was just, uh, you know, trying to you know, get her out of the house, you know, painting some walls and you know, make so she can get her deposit back and you know all that stuff. And it's in a nutty time when your kids move. Man, She's moved like four times that she left high school.
You moved into a dorm her first year, moved into an apartment after that, moved into another apartment after that, moved into this house. And now and she's actually moving back home. And I don't know that she's all that happy about that picture. She gets to the house well enough to get her to puzzit back at tri place. Yeah, yeah, she comes with a cat. She's got a cat. There are now four cats in our house. O. Man, that's not fun. Yeah, okay, let's let's
proceed with the show basketball game tomorrow obviously with Cal. Right, I think it's the get right weekend for Arizona or get better, because I think you're gonna kill Stanford on Satday. Sunday should be okay with Cal tomorrow, yep, And that'll be some that'll be some some momentum, as you like to use the word. Yeah, Well, you know, you have the expectation
that they're playing at home. You know that they'll have their uh you know, they'll be motivated, right, They'll they'll they'll be uh, you know, in front of the home crowd, knowing you know, you can't lose at home. If you're gonna be splitting on the road, you can't be losing games at home. And they've got a tough road trip coming up after this weekend. So yeah, you know, they handled Cal pretty well, but then they got handled pretty well by Stanford. You imagine that they'll be
a little a little fired up for that one on Sunday. Okay, yeah, yeah, no question, So it should be fun. Uh, maybe stay in at the top of the top of the conference race. You know, you know what's a weird conference because everyone's bunched up. Yeah, there are, and you know, and then and then again, as we're saying nationally, you know, everybody's lising. You know we saw last night, Uh, you know North Carolina get beat by Damon Stardharmer and Georgia Tech.
Uh shot at the at the end and North Carolina got hosed on that last place. It should have been a foul. You know, you know what happens, right, they're gonna make you free throws or not. But you know the fact that you know, Georgia Tech was with them all the way. You know in North Carolina hadn't hadn't lost the conference game. So so what you're seeing, guys, And I'm sure you pay attention to Seving more
than probably us the road games. And and I know that Tommy was asked this last week and this week, uh, Georgia was at the Georgia six at home. North Carolina, who's supposed to be very good, goes on the road gets beat by Georgia Tech and all applause, applause to up to Damon. But you would se should handle them right, think though, And that's not Arizona going to wherever and then getting beat. I mean, they're not the only one happening to and that, you know, I'm Georgia,
Georgia. Tax's still under five hundred. Think they're ten and eleven. Yeah, right, so they're still under five hundred. And you know, and but it seems like not to not to rag on on Arizona fan, but they feel like they're the only program who should never lose. Anytime they lose, it's like, what the hell are you guys doing losing? Right? You know we're no good? Yeah, you know, exact right, and you know what, well, you're so much better than them, but on
that day you weren't. Yeah right, you look at you you're passing by tests. But Steve, you know, but you know, I take in terms of basketball, I'm more level headed than that you make me out to be. But but I need some more. But you know, well, I get frustrated with Arizona fan who feels like Arizona should never lose a game and never lose a game to a team that they're better than. Well, that happens all the time, especially in basketball, happens all the time.
I mean, you know, in baseball, you're a good team if you only win sixty percent of your game the game, right, No, it's just the way it is. They've been spoiled. Your your blue blood followers have been spoiled. They have been But you know, so you know when you go lose at Stanford, do you go lose at Washington State or you even go lose at Oregon State? You know these kids are they're all college basketball players, which means they're all pretty damn good and on a given day,
if it all comes together for somebody, they can beat somebody. Georgia Chake had no business beating North Carolina's last night. Well that's the nature of it. Feels like just basketball in general right now, it's like a team. You take Stanford beating us for example, they hit their they they hit their record in threes on one right, and you mentioned it. The guys playing at a high level in college basketball NBA, they're there for a reason.
Yeah, they wouldn't be playing college basketball if they weren't very Even if you're a you know, a player at you know, New Mexico State, not to you mean you're you're you're Alma my Steve, that's still a really good basketball player. Go play him on the playground, and let's see how you do against that guy. Right, you know what happens happens all the time. So and my whole thing is when the Arizona gets to the tournament, it's the it's the first round or two that they struggled the most,
because those are the teams. Oh, they're no problem, no biggest problem. Peters Saint Peter's. Come on, when they played the Georgia, They'll play the North Carolinas and all the other teams. Oh, I don't feel any problems with those guys because Arizona shows up. They show up, they're ready to play. Most of the time, it's these teams, like even last night Georgia Tech and going on the road we've talked about is hard to win. But those those subpar teams, they play with house money, and
that's the team you don't want to play against. Like you mentioned we lost to Princeton last year. You've aided. They weren't expected to win that game. That's not a team that you want to play in the first weekend that if they lose, Okay, they're happy to be there, but they're happy to be there. They're going to play their tail off, right. Yeah, Steve mentioned it's kind of how you have a has been even the last three years of they play to their opponent, and we'll see they played better
at home. They should handle Collen Stanford, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's close. Sure, Yeah, I mean, I tell you what I know right now that Arizona fan does not want to see Stanford in the first round of the Pac Cluff Tournament, right or Washington State now they like to see, well, they'd like to see Oregon State because they feel like there's no way organ station would do that to them again. But I can you know, if Arizona winds up against Washington State or Stanford in their first game
in the PAC twelve, there's gonna be some nervous Arizona fans. Yeah. Well, and PAC twelve still, if we're one or two, you get to buy right, Yes? Okay, So I was gonna say, you know who the last team in the PAC twelve actually one through four gets one through five, get one through four gets by. I was gonna said, you know who the last place team in PAC twelve is right now? Fate anymore, it's USC Wow and seven Yeah, they're even talking about getting rid
of their coach after ten years I think Field. Yeah, so in the Anfield was that you know, nice looking car in the window guy. When they hired him, he had come off that uh run at Florida Gulf Coast, had no connection to USC and uh you know he was the shiny he was the shiny new new car. Well, he's the he was. He's been a good, very good recruiter. Yeah, he hasn't been able to coach him. The funny thing about it is that's how people are judged.
Now, you guts, who was the shiny new car three weeks ago? Jet Fish? Yeah, Jetfish. We'll see if that's a used car a month, a couple of years, or if the bumper falls off when he pulls out of the lot. What have you done for me lately? Through a nature of it. It's a nature of it, and you see him more and more like the iso was they I mean, those guys are on their last leg or in the back nine of their career, per se.
And now you would never fire a tom Is out or when Roy Williams and were there, You weren't firing those guys because of what they've done for the program. But now it seems like this next wave of maybe it's an NCAA culture thing, but it's like, okay, if you're not getting us what we need in three to four years, see you, Bill Belichick? Yeah, Bill Belichick, Right, I mean, I know that's nine but you
know, probably possibly the greatest coach in the history of the NFL. And he did not leave on his term, right, No, and that's one of the most difficult things. You know, Lout didn't either. Yeah, they've been given the situation, right. The end game is a tough game to play. It is a game to play when you don't have the team
or the players, you know. And maybe, and maybe that's why Nick Saban got out of I get I know he got to the playoff, but all season long, Yeah, people were saying it's not Alabama in the SEC anymore, it's Georgia. And and you know, maybe he was noticing a little bit of a slide and said, I'm even before this thing gets gets rolling, I'm out. Yeah. Well, coach k did the same thing, and he went out on his own term. Yeah. It's it's tough, you know, stuff. Not all of us can, you know,
So it's u No, it's weird, weird stuff. But you know, but again it's uh, you know, I I think, what, well, well they even after this weekend, that won't even tell us have they you know, have they turned? Because they should win these two games. They'll find out next week. Talk to me in mid mid March turn well this, after this, I'll give you jay perfect example. Okay, twenty seventeen, right there, DeAndre Alkins Trier, blah blah blah. You wonder
what the hell they storm? They storm through the PAC twelve right, what are you thinking? What do you think they're going to the Phoenix Because they're playing, because they're playing out of their mind, right right out of their mind. You're thinking, Okay, Sean's finally got him going. They're playing like you expect them to. Five days later, they're getting the ass kicked the boise and it's over. No, that was that. That's how quick it is. That was actually Ins the Xavior Arizona game. No, no,
no, no, it was the Treer Buffalo Buffalo. It was the Buffalo. Oh Trier, Oh that game? Okay, you meant the Trier, the Trier. Don't give the ball to lor Marketing market that was the year before. So every year, you know, you think they get momentum, they don't, and they get their butt kicked because every day's an adventure. Man, it just is, especially with the twenty year olds. Yeah.
Yeah, that's been the bigger thing. It's like you everyone preaches in college basketball you need you need experienced guards to win in March, which has kind of been its case. But even an experienced guard is twenty one, twenty two years old at the max, Like it's kind of boswell an experienced guard. Like people say, yes, but this is his second year. He's nineteen years old. No, no, don't go that we've canceled his culture. But he's he's he's forty games into his season, forty nineteen.
Guess what, there's some NBA players who are nineteen who are fantastic. And give me this. He played really well his first year and at the beginning of this year, because I didn't think his first year is different than this year. The expectations different, of course, of course, but he still
played. I don't disagree with you, but he played very well. So you get the sense that this guy can play and he's very consistent, shocked the ball, very well, whatever he's going through, because it's obviously there's something there. You don't go through five six games like that. Yeah, consistently, But in the nineteen the eighty thing, you're he's forty games into this, forty games into games. I mean, but he's not a lot
He was never going to be like a lottery picker. Nope, but a lot of people, I should say, a couple of the sites said he was gonna be an NBA player, be sure, Sure, but he's gonna have to stay a little longer than people follow. Yeah, he's not going anywhere after this. No, no, well unless unless unless it's boom somewhere else. All right, let's hit the road. We're gonna come back.
Troy Hutchison, we'll talk We talked a little Arizona softball with him. He went to the uh the press conference for their media day, I guess, and then we'll be talking about the Tommy Lloyd press conference as well. We'll try not to let try give up too much of it because we want to play the whole thing in the second hours. Let's stick around. Make the
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the iHeartRadio app just searching I on the Bar. Hey, welcome back to I on the Buck here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera, he's Jiginsauce. Now on the phone, we have Troy Hutchinson from Go Easy Catch dot com. Troy, how were you good? How about you guys? Been doing this nice beautiful day? Yes, yes, well you spent some of it in a press conference or two. Yeah, and then and we're in a window list studio, so we have no idea what it's like.
Your office looks better than our. So how was Let's start with softball first, because that's what you went to first. How was today? And how was coach? You know, today was very different from previous media day press conferences in the past. When it comes to theres on a softball there's usually high expectations. The programs usually ranked in the top ten, if not in the top five. This year being the first year in a long time
that they're not even in the top twenty five. It's a sense of read putting the program where it belongs, putting the program back in national spotlight, and not having what happened last year missing the tournament in thirty six years happen again. You know, maybe this is a horrible question to ask, but you know, you know, we all saw that. You know it was a little bit of a struggle in Kaitlin Lowe's first year as the coach, replacing Ca Andrea, and then they end up in the in the College World
Series that year. You know, how did it go backwards? I guess is what I want to ask for any ideas on why it went backwards. I think that you lost a little veteran leadership in the circle when Hannah Bowen
graduated. And again, the pitching wasn't solid that first year, but they kind of piece stick together as the tournament rolled around and they had enough marquee wins to get in where this past year they didn't that The pitching just really never materialized last year, and a lot of it was young in experience, in experience pitching with Isisa Silva uh Summer and Dyke was in there as well. I had a few transfers and Devin Nuts really needed to carry the load,
and you know, it's it's a difficult task. But when you look at Arizon the last season, the offense was top five in the country, the defense was top five in the country. But at the end of the day, the way you win in softball is in the circle, and Arizona just didn't have the arms that needed to win games, important games down the stretch and throughout that season that would have gone on them in the tournament.
So they were able to make some changes this offseason, seeing Tarren Moett lead the program, bringing in Christian Conrad, adding to the staff with the new edition of an extra coach and Josh Bloomer, and they're kind of reidentifying themselves as the coaching staffs and just as a program retooling right now. So they have some pictures in that are I guess injured or what. They're not ready to go right away. Yeah, So the season starts on February eighth,
and Devin Nets will not be ready to go. The injury was unknown. She really didn't say what the injury was. And same with Sydney Summer and Dyke and those were two of the pitchers that really carry the load last Sea than for Arizona and for Devin you know, she's really good at the play for Arizona as well. And Caitlin at the end of the press conference said that she will not be even hitting during this time as she tries to recover
and get back to full strength. Well, so they're already already backed up against the wall and the season hasn't even started. How's her? How's how's Caitlin's demeanor? What you know, can you tell? Is she feeling pressure? Is she not feeling pressure? Is she you know? Okay with all of that, What does it look like from where you sit? Yeah, you know, I think she's made it clear from the moment she took the job. There's always pressure when you're taking over for a legendary coach like Mike
Andrea and taking over a program like Arizona. So I think there's constant pressure in that job. But I think she's learned how to handle it a little bit better. I don't know to mean. She seemed I don't want to say, calmer, bit a little bit more confident in the last couple of press conferences than in years past. And you know that's just from my perspective.
But they also have of Christian Conrad again. They're retooling this coaching staff, and I've gotten to interview him a couple of times, and he talked about changing the way they look at pitching, changing the way they prepare for a game and how they go about a game, talking about spin rate, talking about you know, timing on a fastball, ground ball rate, all these things that you see at the major league level and incorporating it into softball.
So it's going to be very different. And I don't know if it's going to be your traditional here's your one or two starters that go six seven innings. I think it's going to be more of a starter that goes four to five and then you're going to have a bullpen to close it out. I think you're going to start to see kind of MLB style play at the softball level at Arizona, more of a major league approach, situational pitcher.
Yeah, yeah, exactly Is she maybe to both of you guys, is she under pressure this year to get stuff right in terms of lisening her job? Just maybe more criticism and maybe possibly seemed what she's girl? What do you think? Just a random question. I think if you don't make the tournament, there is going to start to have pressure Mountain, probably from alumni boosters, because it is one of those programs that you know, Arizona's known
for as a university of softball and they take great pride in it. Obviously with coach Canrea being so successful having eight national championships always been in the conversation. I think if you make the tournament and make a push for a super regional, you kind of back off that, but you do need to show progress from last season three years. But still right, well again, you know, when you're at Arizona from a from a leadership standpoint, who who
you know? Who who runs this team? You know, in the in the roster, I know Karlie Scooping has been there like forever. There's gotta be some others. I mean, you know, our very first intern at the show at a crush on on Carli's Scoop and so you know that's how long that's been. Yeah, you know, it amazed me today that that
class as seniors. I remember interviewing them as their incoming freshmen and getting them, you know, in that you know, college mindset of what are you going to do on campus and all that, and all of a sudden there's seniors. So I would say Carly Scooping is one of those players on the
roster. Ali Skaggs to me is kind of not only the leader, but really the figure of Arizona softball right now, the face of Arizona softball right now, Devin Nats, even though she's going to be starting off injured this season. It's kind of like the emotional leader of this team. You see a lot of the times when they play in there going well and Devin is having that change up working you saw in the tournament a couple of years ago. She gets fired up and the rest of the team gets fired up.
So I think those are a couple year leaders. But you're going to also see new leaders emerge from the sophomore class because you look after the senior class, there isn't a lot of juniors on the rosters. So who's going to be that leader among the sophomore group. Maybe Olivia Din she was of the press conference today, had a great season her first year. Dakota Kennedy as well. But you're going to need to see some of those software and step
up as leaders because they're going to be in that role soon enough. Yeah, youah, no question, We'll see what happens with this team. I look forward to him. I hope to get out there at a time or two. But there's no question that if pitching's not there, this team is
going to be in trouble. It's the case every year. Yeah, and you know, they actually set up the schedule very nicely for I think a situation like this, you do have your Alabama in Arkansas that you're playing, but you have a lot of teams that are high in RPI highend strengthen schedule that aren't necessarily top fifteen teams that you could have competitive games, maybe win a couple of those games, and put yourself in a good spot going in the back role play. All right, all right, all right, So
you were also at the at the time of Lloyd press conference today. I thought he had a lot of interesting stuff to say. As we told jof Air, we're going to play that whole press conference. But you know, what's your main takeaway from from today's press conference. I think one is kind of I'm going to use we're talking about softball, so kind of a and Andrea saying here is stay in the moment, say where your feet are, because you've seen this team, you know they have a high quality win and
then they go on the road and take their lumps. And Tommy's just really been talking about consistency. How do you stay the course of what you've been doing at home and on the road and not letting the moment maybe get to you and not overthinking things. So you talked about playing twenty five twenty five seconds of solid defense and then all of a sudden they have a foul, or all of a sudden a three point ball goes in, and how do
you finish those possessions, not only defensively but offensively as well. So to me, this press conference really was about finishing, finishing offense and finishing defense. Yeah, we'll see what happens. You've seen enough, James Troy and we all have Which team is this team? Yeah? Who are they? I think they are the team that do beat Alabama and took care of business against those teams like Wisconsin. I think that is more of the team you'll
see come n C doublea tournament time. Yes, they've had their lumps, but you look across college basketball right now, there's a lot of teams losing on the road. And Tommy brought that up in terms of there's a lot of seniors with an extra COVID year, a lot of grad transfers that came in, and there's a lot of leadership out there and teams are just deeper.
I think this team, at the end of the day, when you have a guy like Caleb Love and Kashaw Johnson, even Umar and Pella that have been through those battles, you're going to have veteran leadership that's ready for the n Cuba Tournament pac called tournament. And they might hit their stride at the right time. That might you know that they might not very true, but I think it's a good sign when you have guys that have been to a national title game, that have been to the final four and know what
it takes to get to that moment. Because even with Pella and Uma, they haven't been in those moments where Cayler Love and have Yeah, well and and and you know certainly that had to be you know, one of the reasons that Time went after those guys to get some of those guys in there, because by all accounts, it looked like they had teams that could go far. His last two teams that could do well in the tournament. They
were high seeds in the whole bit. And yet you know, they certainly flamed last year and the year before that, you know, lost the game that everybody thought they should have won. So it's, uh, you can you can see why he would he would go after guys like that who have had that kind of experience. Let me ask you, guys, did you
ever with those two teams? But last year seem in particular, I think that they were tough, that they had to tough at of course, never just what toy I continue to say in my thirty five years, they've had two teams that have been tough in thirty five years to me, To me, this seems a little bit more tougher than that. How much tougher? That's that's the question. So I won't go here. I won't go there.
Oh come on, let's if you're tough from one to ten, and you're tough of a one or two and you've improved to a three, good for you. Yeah, but okay, is that what you're talking about, or you're talking about from a two to a seven? Well, well, the scene is to me, yes, seeding is important, but it's also about can you play different styles? Can you play different matchups? To me, this team potentially, can you can play a slowdown game, you can
play a speed up game. You don't have to worry about playing to your style. You can play different styles because in the tournament, it all comes down to matchups. So can they match up with more teams across the country than last year's team? I think so so doesn't. And I'm just being Devil's advocate because I think this is a team, don't they? The Oregon
States, the Washington States, and the Stafford games scare you. With Stanford for sure in the Oregon State, Yes, Washington State that is again, that's that's been a buggy boo for many Arizona teams in the past, many teams across college basketball. That's a really crappy play right over to gore Valas, I mean, Pullman and uh even though the record doesn't show that they are tough. But the Oregon State and Stanford I do agree with so. So, at the end of the day, what seed do you give washed
Let's assume just if they were in the tournament? Who kind of seed would you give? Questions state? If they make it somewhere between seven and ten. If they make it seven and ten, so so, wouldn't you think that Arizona would be a seed that's seven and ten nine out of ten times? If not more sure, sure nine out of time. But it takes that one right. That word might scares me. That word night scares me. Troy, I like you a lot. You're one of my roommates on
the road. Save your money, man, Thanks Troy for joining us. Have a good one. Guys, all right, thank you. I appreciate you. Uh yeah, that doesn't that If you see golf, you've seen good golfers and see mediocre golf, well this guy might get out of the greado might Professional golf in NCAA basketball is wildly different. If if a professional golfer isn't a bunker greenside bunker, he's getting it out one hundred percent of But is he getting close to the pin? It depends how great you actually
are. That's my point. And I don't know you of a basketball right now. Joelan already has this as a two seed. You think that's my default or reputation. I think it's. I think it is because of the quality wins that they do have. It's reputation overall. And then the first the wins that they had, they tied everybody's attention. Because Joe Lenardi isn't paying attention to the Pack twelve. No, he knows that. He knows that all good teams are gonna have games like you and C last night or
Tennessee last night. You of a losing to Oregon State, Washington State, even Stanford isn't an anomaly across college basketball this year, even in the last couple. I get it. I hear you, I hear you. But I agree with Jay. It's it's they. They they compiled some street credit in member and they haven't wasted it wasted at all. They still haven't. They still have some of it. Isn't that the last three years of Arizona basket, I mean lasts But today? Do you think that the sixth best
team in the country? Yes, you do? Okay, I don't know, JayR. They could be though, right there's the there's the mighty they could be. But you can say that about Kansas, you can say that about North Carolina. You can say that a whole bunch of teams. You can say could they are? They? They could be? Okay, So Jay, you guys, so you have one hundred dollars in your pocket. I think they're the fifth or sixth best betting team in the country right now.
Fourteen to one, you're gonna spend one hundred bucks to win fourteen. I'm putting the hundred on Purdue. I'm not. Oh no, I wouldn't either, but good let's let's let's talk about after Okay, that's right, all right, okay, you're like our director. Now, all right, we'll be right back. We'll take your calls five two zero, four, one, six, seventy four, forty We'll be right back. And eve. If you're an Arizona men's basketball fan, you know it's been successful for
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for a part time job or a second income. Come be a part of a winning team. The A Team apply online today at a Team security dot net. Steve Ravera and Jacob Salaz they have their eye on the fall on Tucson Sports Stay chat. Fox Sports fourteen to fifteen. Hey, welcome back to I the Ball Hero Fox Sports fourteen fifty Om Steve, He's Jay got bar guy same in. We got fifteen minutes. If you guys want to give a quick call five to two zero four one six, seventy four to
forty. So let's see what are the chances of Arizona getting to the final four, because that's kind of how you're gauged kind of right now, right, I mean, if Pamila had got to a Final Four. People would be extremely happy even if they didn't win it. They just okay, what we got, We got another Final four. We're back, right, wear
a blue light again. Love that. So there's five teams and from you a so Purdue plus one eighty, Yukon, Houston, North Carolina, and Kentucky and then Arizona is plus three sixty to make it to the final four. Well, of those teams, who would you put your hundred bucks? Not on Purdue. Well we'll go to that again because well, Sammy produce. I'm firing a dart at Sammy right away. Uh, you know, I see Yukon. I don't know because it's so damn hard to repeat,
right, and you don't want to believe. Yeah, and it's like, okay, you know, and I'm not gonna say last year was a fluke because they were really good and they were the best team at the end of the year, but they did not have a great season leading up to that. Yukon seems to me like that ninety eight Arizona team. Are they right? You know? They okay? They you know there? Yeah, but still it's like they're gonna get into the tournament, They're gonna work what are
the defending champs? We're coming and then somebody jumps up a massive target. Yeah, so I don't even know who I like. Maybe Houston, you know, I was gonna say Houston or Kentucky. You know, I think Kansas said, plus six hundred is a good is a good number to get. You said that, Steve, and I agree with you that that. You know, uh, Eddy, Kansas at plus six hundred is not a
bad place to get, just to get to the final four. I feel more if I had one hundred dollars dues between Kansas and Kentucky, I would go with Kansas because I feel more confident in Bill self than I do with Calipari. Yeah, just historically, But my one hundred bucks would go on Kelvin to get back to the funnel four, I'm putting it on here. Houston's playing Arizona, Arizona. That's fine. Three sixty. I think that for a hundred bucks, that gives you three and a half thousand. Yeah,
didn't that sound good? That sounds good to me. Sounds pretty good. I like pulling our money. Yeah, it's it's you know, it's three hundred sixty dollars a hundred bucks on it a hundred bucks, one hundred dollars. Yeah, no, yeah, it's a hundred, it's one hundred thirty six hundred gets you. You get four to sixty back, you get what one of the odds plus thirty three sixty three. Yeah, you put one hundred bucks, you'll get thirty six hundred. Bad. No, like
three and a half to one. Oh you're you're saying three and a half. They're three and a half to one, three fifty Oh okay, okay, I thought it was thirty singing. Okay, I don't know what I was thinking. Undred. No, those odds are not well those ads. So if you want to make a grand or like above, their better, they win. I don't know what I was thinking, God, I do this for there you do. It's really sixty. I was I was thinking, what are you talking about? The fourteen hundred? Okay, so that's
what I was thinking. To win it bigger number, so good, but it's gonna happen. Yeah, So I again perdue at eight fifty. I'm not I'm not putting money on Purdue just because you know why. I gotta because I would kill myself if not, myself would be very upset with myself knowing produced history and then putting money. Yeah, you're on the air and I on the ball. Yeah you guys, Richard, how you doing,
Richard? What's the word? Hey? I think my dark horse right now for a final four would be TCU out the Big twelve looking really really good. Big twelve is stacked up with lots and lots of great teams with I think Arizona needs to get real here right now, and you know, be thinking about not worrying about Washington State so much in these punky teams because next year, you guys are really gonna you're gonna face a baptism of fire out in the heartland of America, no doubt, Yeah, no doubt. You
know, it's funny. I mean, you know it's gonna be you're gonna be outsiders trying to break into a league, you know, and you're gonna probably be treated as outsiders. So yeah, well yeah, well watch out, okay, because Arizona is coming, okay, Arizona, And it's seventy five hundred to get to win it, but the sixteen hundred to get to the final four. Y you know, I mean, if you want a good price on somebody, why TCU. Tell us a little about tc and
why you like them. Gosh, I just Jay, I can't just watching them. They're really They're deep, tall, strong, fast. They got a really good coach and what is his name, Jamie Dixon. Yeah, very very good for basketball team. But you know, you never know, there's a lot of great teams in the Big Twelve. Even Oklahoma can rise up and play really good right now. So well, that's the lots of
teams. That's the thing about playing in the league, like, you know, the Big Twelve, right you know, weekend and week out, you got you got teams and you don't know who's gonna step up and bite you in the butt and beat you. You know. So yeah, I know
I agree with you. I mean, Arizona, you know, the four schools coming in are well Colorado maybe a little less because they have some history, but you're right there are gonna be outside is coming in and fans are going to be you know, all over them, and especially with Arizona being you know, arguably the class of the Pac twelve, you know, coming into their league and say, hey, guys, we got Kansas, we got Baylor, we got Texas Tech, we got Houston, getting Arizona,
get the hell out of here is what they're gonna do. Jack, But you know what, how about them? How about a mission statement from the U the U of A as they head to the Big twelve, because it's a similar moment, it's a historic moment. What's our mission? What are we going to be great? Do we want to be I think we need I think to you, they need to be coming out and saying we're we're planning to dominate this league. We plan to be the number one team and
the champions period asumed. No, it is not you're going to say that. Hey, rich when I walk into a room, I think I'm the best looking guy in the room most of the time. It's not the k that would be delusional. But listen, you know no anyway, I'm just saying this, it's a historical moment. Where's the mission statement? I want to hear it. It will be No, you're a tough customer, Thank you, Richard, Thanks Richard, Thank you guys. So you are you
going to stay with Purdue? Well, so in the in the betting market, like I wouldn't bet Purdue at plus one eighty for the Final four because it's like the value there is there no like if i'm if I'm, if I have a hundred dollars, then I would do I'd have separate into twenty five and I would take four teams. I would take Baylor, Creighton, I would take in Zaga at plus fifteen hundred, and then last plus fifteen hundred Mark Few, and I know they're there. They've been very quiet this
year, yes, and that's because they're not a typical mark Few. Great great team, but come tournament time, I don't think anybody would want to play in Zaga and at plus fifteen hundred, put twenty five there. And then lastly, I mean I would put twenty five on you of a at between plus three fifty and four in the in the game of gambling, that's called dead buddy, Baby Bundy. All that is dead money. All that
is dead money. With sixty eight teams now going to the tournament, like some of these teams on that have odds might not even make the tournament, which is nuts and crazy. It's great marketing. I'd like Houston. I like Houston. Whatever you said three sixty the collar higher on the ar and I on the ball. Hey, good afternoon, Good afternoon, Rick, Hey, you know, I'm really surprised you had a hard time with maths after you've got my pocket last night. Well, I guess it's paying one
hundred dollars, Bet dakins Man. I got hurt. I got hurt. I'll tell you what was your previous caller about TCU. One thing about the Big twelve. I've had a chance to watch a lot more of it at night, late at night, and you got Houston, Texas, A and M. These teams are quick, and they hustle Alabama and there's some other teams in the SEC. They play a lot faster, and they moved the ball a lot chrisper than I see in the Pac twelve, Junie Arizona,
did you see did you see Texas? Did you see Texas Houston the other night? Yes? I did, Houston, very very good. Yes, both teams. Yeah, and they're quick. I mean they they move the ball, they don't hesitate. They get from point A to point B as fast as anybody in fact. And then that in regard I think they're better than Kansas is simply because they move a lot faster than Kansas. Yeah, Kansas has better shooters and a better all around team. But those other teams,
I'll tell you what, there's no lightweights in the Big Twelve. I don't care. I watched Iowa State the other night against Kansas. I mean, we're in for some fun next year. And I think that it's gonna be great for It's going to elevate Arizona basketball because I believe we can compete. But it's gonna really test their metal. Yeah, I agree, it's gonna be fun. Rick, all right, I want my money back. You won't get it. See another day another day. Thanks, Rick.
You know, Rick was just trying to touch on something that I you know that I wanted to touch on. Is that you know, when Arizona gets into the Big twelve and game in and game out, they're playing teams like that, you know, every you know, every time, that's just gonna make their game better. You know they're gonna know, wait a minute, Wait a minute. I didn't. We didn't have to play like this to win the Pac twelve. We have to play like this every day. It's
gonna take a while. It's gonna take its toll, and it's gonna take a while for them to realize, for them to realize, wait a minute, this is a different kind of basketball. But we've been playing no question. In fact, we had Bruce on yesterday Bruce Pasco. I asked him the question about what about the rotation and Philippe and and the Moroscus. So he asked the question on to Tommy and I will wait for that answer because I think that you're gonna have to go deeper. You gotta go deeper.
You gotta go deeper, whether they give you great minutes or whatever, you've got to go because you're gonna get beat up. I mean, I just think about that. The the n C doua a game two years ago against TCU, and just what a brawl that was. Right Arizona came out of that. I mean, it was dicey, they came out, but they won that game, but that was a brawl. And then they got into another brawl similar to that two days later and it was just too much,
you know. And but that's how it's gonna be. Be game in, game out. When you get to the Big twelve, you're gonna have they're gonna have to play a much more physical, much more demanding, faster game than they've had to play to beat you know, Oregon State and Washington and these teams that they've had to face here and you're out, you know where the Pac twelve has been more of a of a of a finesse kind of
kind of league. You know, I think back to the uh my first year covering covering basket Arizona basketball and the first you know, they're out of conference games, you know, when they had refs from another league. You know, they went and played Georgetown and that came at Georgetown's like, Arizona doesn't know how to play this kind of basketball and they got their asses. Kid. Yeah, the same thing happened to him at Illinois, you know, a Big Ten, you know, on the road in the Big Ten,
and I'm like, this is not the basketball that Arizona knows. And then the next year they go off and they open up in the Great Alaska Shootout and they you know, they beat Michigan and Syracuse. I'm like, wait a minute, you know, how did that happen so fast? That they played that that kind of a game. And that's what that that team showed right away. And well the thing is too, they had some dogs on they had some they had some dogs that love to compete, you know,
Sean and Steve and those guys right who who loved playing together. But except for Steve Kerr, the team the year before was the same team and they they looked like children out there against George. That tells you how important he was in terms of even just bonding them together. Well, we had we had Harvey Mason and in part of the book and I asked him, what's the one thing you didn't want to do. Well, you didn't want
to disappoint Lout and you didn't want to disappoint Steve, you know. And then you know, stretching that out a little bit, thinking the Oklahoma game in the in the final four, that was a game like you saw the year before, where they were just they were overmatched physically at all the positions. So let me ask you. Let me ask you this because everyone says this, This is before I came on board to cover the team. Give them. Did they play Oklahoma ten times that year that year? I think
it goes five and five. That's okay, that's fair. I think it's I think that's fair because everyone said everyone who was the best team in the country then they were? But but but that but that's the way Oklahoma played and the guys that they had, especially those two guys, Harvey Harvey, Uh, Harvey Grant was that Harvey Grant was on that team, and Stacy King, Stacey King and then and then uh the movie Blaylock out there Arizona hadn't seen guys like that all year long, you know. Uh, And
they got and they got the hell beat out of them. They didn't get the hell beat on them, but they were never gonna win that, right and then and then Steve has his worst game, but they weren't gonna win that game. And and you know, look, and I think the reason Steve got shot the way he was because those are the quickest cards he faced
against all season and he was not comfortable shooting the ball out. So, you know, but that's that's what that type of game that they have to play game in and game now, you're gonna have to get used to playing that way every game, as opposed to every once in a while like they do now. I think we're giving the Big twelve a little too much credit.
They're good. Well, it's funny because we'll go back to this on the other side of the our Brian Peterson, somebody, guys, someone tweeted about how tough the Big Twelve is, and then Brian Peterson, mister Inside Baseball, said that like five teams from Arizona have played tougher schedules than any of them, any of the Big Twelve. I'm not talking about I'm talking about the physicalness and toughness of a given game, and it's a different kind
of game them. Then they have to play against Washington for not all of them, but yes, most of the that's what I'm saying. Okay, that's fair, but all right, we'll agree to disagree. That's what we have you here. Ye, all right, we'll disagree some more. Okay, we'll come back with breaking at the top of the hour, and then at in the second segment, we're gonna play the whole Tommy Lloyd press conference from today, and you'll get to hear where his brain is right now on his team, stick around