This is I on the Ball with Steve Rivera on Fox Sports fourteen fifth day powered by Nova Insurance Services Insure your most Prized Possessions.
Hey, good afternoon, everybody. Welcome to I End the Ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera. Your Troy as my guest host, Troy Hutchison at go easycats dot com. We got Ray here, we got what the hell's your name? Well you have one. It's I gotta bring your kids to school. Day is a workday. The average age is about twenty five. Now, thank you guys,
thank you. Welcome everybody. Uh, just a day or two before the women's game and two before the men's game, we'll talk all about that we've been talking about all week. We have Matt Miilbach coming in at three seventeen. I hope he answers his phone.
And we have Jay.
Who's at four seventeen. I hope he doesn't answer his phone. So we should have a fund show about to about these upcoming games.
Did you want to practice this morning? That this morning yesterday? But you're gonna have it? Yeah? Okay, So how did that go? You know, it's a typical first day of Supreme ball. Everybody's excited. You're running through I don't want to say easy drills, but non contact drills from seven on seven's. You have guys blocking there. It's the typical light day of first practice. Yeah.
Yeah, they're not hit very much this fall. You saw that, right, They're just not going to do that. Nobody hurt move forward. I'm not sure a whole lot.
Yeah, I mean they already have nine guys that will not be participating in this fall. Yeah, one of them being Rhino Tapio Doyo, who is coming back from Toyopio Doyo. I'm probably saying it wrong, but you know it's a good attempt.
Yes, Okay, what do I know? I would butcher that too. However, you say it's right for.
Me, we just say Rhino, that's right. Okay. What's up with a tent.
That you know?
That's annoying? Nobody's called him that? He How did this happen? Just some analysts on ESPN started or some radio guy on you know, one of the national people started saying, everybody, oh, that's his nickname, tat. You know, they asked, no, if have you ever called him that? He goes No. Yeah, nobody. My nickname on the radio is so go ahead and start using me there. I thought it was. I said, what the hell is this coming from? Where's this coming from? Okay? Cool?
Uh So it's gonna be like this probably the whole spring, right, really, go in, get interviews and that's it.
Yeah, interview, a lot of install for the offense and a lot of install for the defense. You're talking about two new defense, two new coordinators, one on offense, one on defense. A lot of a lot has changed, so it's going to be a lot of learning for the players. Right.
Well, he's done that the last three four years, right with the three different coaches or and for this is a third straight season with a new offense coordinator.
Yeah. Yeah, a bright guy. He'll be able to do it.
Okay, Uh see what the other guys can do though, with changes, a lot of.
Changes offensively in terms of the offensive line, you're not gonna have the Duroma Millan at the receiving corps anymore. Uh. Defensively, some new faces out there, there's there's a lot of new It's usually when that happens, it's not a good thing. You want. You want that consistency.
Yeah, yeah, well, we'll see how it goes, uh with that, because we have plenty of time to talk about that. But first we have the basketball games.
Uh did you go.
To any do you guys get any of the press commerces for a da other people?
Yeah?
So I saw some portion of it, you know, and they're excited to be playing in it. And it's more time, right, Uh we just the clock is on idea.
Right, yeah, I mean you think about last time because they changed the name of the w N I T right, it's now the w E I Yes. Yeah, Back when they first made it, there was a sitement. You know, you're you're making it, you get the host and get to the top. Now it's like why are you here again? Yeah? Well you know.
To tell you the truth is that is that official that they replaced the n w N I T.
I don't know if they were. I thought it was a replacement, Okay. I thought it was maybe just another tournament. Okay, but okay, so so you no. I agree with you, though, what four or five years ago maybe longer? They get the w N I T play very well win it, right, they think they want it. They're buying home games and then they sold the heck out of it.
It became I opened my eyes for the first time of Wow, is this as possible? Wow, she's done a great job, done a great job. Okay, so they'll play in it, and no harm, no foul. They weren't good enough to play in in the big tournament.
And I think that's where the foul comes though, is you're in a weaker conference than the back twelve. I think the fan expectation was probably top six in that conference and you fall far below that. And how do you where do you go on from here? From this this point, from this point on? If you can't make how does how does she go on from there? The program and better? Yeah? Be better?
I don't. I don't. It's possible, right, It's it's not as tough as a Pac twelve, or it wasn't.
It's not as tough that you finished worse than he did the previous yea.
But circumstances, all those circumstances happened a lot. It's happened last yeah four years, and yeah, once it becomes uh, just one of those things.
It becomes a habit after second or third year. Eventually when stuff keeps on happening to you there's a reason. Maybe maybe you're part of the reason. Yeah, so we'll we'll see. I mean I saw that we had Michael lev on the show yesterday. Did you listen to the show, But Michael.
Lev and we talked about that with his interview with Desre and just you know, the evaluations of the coaches after the season. I mean, what is she going to say? Of course, we'll do all the evaluations after the season. And obviously you have three coaches. You have three big baseball, yeah, baseball with Chip Hail, you have softball football with Kaitlin Lope.
Yeah, we have a da. They're all after this season, will be entering their final year of their contract.
Sure, and in order to recruit and be good at it, you need time right.
Any times, and security right and money. Everybody needs money, you know.
She also said that Left said that I guess the deficit, whatever number it was, I don't know if it was forty five thirty, I don't know what it was. That's what sounded like a few years ago, right, forty five million. It's just for the athletic department. Yeah, yeah, she's got that under control, should be done by next year.
Well before she before she walked in. I think it was around that eighty ninety mark, and then she got it down to forty five real quickly. Oh really, yeah, I think it was around eighty nine. Didn't realize that. I thought it was forty five. Originally I thought it was eighty ninety. But so many numbers were only facts getting the way of a good story. They're trying go ahead and make it and Bellish buying. Oh yeah, okay, well, she says Michael, but it has cut down, she said, Well,
she said to Michael. According to Michael, that that should be gone by the physical year of twenty twenty six, which is amazing. If it is amazing, an amazing job. You know some of that obviously booster and stuff like that, trying to fundraise money and also shaking up the athletic department in terms of person to re organizing stuff and personality. If something's going wrong, you gotta look at yourself. Sure, an athletic department of that, Sure.
Yeah, yeah, no question. And we kind of knew this. And when Michael was talking about that yesterday, Desiree has a job. It might have been Troy Dave silver Jay, whomever whoever held that job was going to be up against it, you know, being the bearer of bad news, the cut person, the you know, eliminate this, eliminate that, trying to get it down to the bones of what.
It needs to be. Yeah, I mean to make an omelet, you gotta crack some eggs. And that's what happened.
There's two expensive we're not eating any If you're gonna eat them, you better go buy him. You an Eastern Good luck with East. We're gonna get the past the egg and a egg. Oh yeah, yeah, the yolk thing. Yeah, Okay, I don't take imitated. I don't like gigs. I'm fine with no eggs. I don't need eggs. Okay, no cool? And then uh then Friday, of course, Tommy Lloyd. I think they're on the road today, right on the road today. Did they already leave?
You're no? Yeah? Hicking her head? How do you know that?
Senor Well, I believe I saw a post from the basketball Instagram the farewell and big crowds.
Okay, best of luck.
So so let me ask you, Troy, because you've been around and the kids have two a little bit. Uh, the times that they lose in the first round, and I'm not saying that's gonna happen is the times they overlook the opponent because they're obviously more talented. I'll say this publicly, have covered what four or five first round losses that it's it's the overconfidence that kills the Cats, not the play of the Cats.
For the most I think the Buffalo one was the matchup. I think the match the matchup. Oh, I think Buffalo was the better. That's a better matchup for them. With the height of Arizona and the small guards of Buffalo, I think they're able to get into.
Let me ask my kid, evaluator one, do you go with it? Would you believe that with the Buffalo game? Uh?
I'm not gonna be honest. I don't remember the Buffalo game because one, I don't want to as a fan, I don't want to remember that. But it was I wasn't as analytical at the time. I need this team to win because I like this team. Yeah that was eighteen seventeen.
Yeah, seven years ago in Ristic playing in the front court. Yeah, six eight size a Buffalo running gun.
And right, well, I'll give you some of that, Troy, I'll give you some of that. I also one thought that they didn't want to be there for sure. They didn't like each other, and they wanted to get the hell out of Dodge. And that was the quickest and easiest way to get the hell out of Dodge. Get your ass kicked and go home, get ready for the NBA. Who they all thought. Who they all thought, maybe Ristick not so much, but Trier definitely thought he was going.
And Ayton was already signing his checks for sure, you know, thought he was going to that's and that's exactly exactly. So that was my whole thing, not whether they were And yes, the style buffalo random out of the gym, but I'm also saying those guys didn't care to be either.
That's fair, you could tell, and the way they they played right and Chalan and just going back to Tommy Lloyd's upset with Princeton, you tell you know what, we're better than this Princeton team. The thing that set me up, go ahead, that that whole that team, that whole season, they did that all right.
The thing that set me off for that game was that game where they did the introductions and I can't remember who the guys that transferred.
In two of them, Corney Ram Cedric Henderson. Yeah, right, I think it might have been one of the two.
When they're doing the introduction lines blah blah blah, he didn't go to shake the other dude's hands. It was like more of a dismissal, like it was like, yeah, yeah, who are you. I don't need to shake your hand. And I'm thinking that's not good. That's not good when you start treating a pony. We just have to show up and play and you know we're gonna be good enough. It doesn't work that way, especially this time of year,
especially given Arizona's history. You know, they need to be more like eighty eight eighty eight, and I'll go back to the original four to fourteen. They didn't give a crap who they beat that crap out of you because they wanted to have fun and doing so.
In ninety four.
In ninety four, they were afraid of that first game because they had already lost two first round games, and they played. They beat Maryland whoever it was, and they rolled into the final four there and so they got over that first ninety seven ninety five they lost again in the first round Miami, Ohio kind of beat up ninety six. They went to Sweet sixteen ninety seven, they won it all struggled in that first game was closed
South Alabama right South Bamo. They won the tournament in that game because they had to get through that game and they were down like ten with them at five minute stuft. So that first game, if you're not over confident and you play how you're supposed to play, they should be fine.
Yeah, and again you're looking at it. Everybody wants to talk about, oh, east coast, west coast and all that kind of stuff. One advantage Arizona has. You're playing in Seattle. Yeah, that's a lawn trip for Accurent, lawn trip for Arizona, but you're familiar with that area. Yeah.
Yeah, we'll see how much of an advantage we're not advantage it is, but we'll see.
I'm looking forward to it. I like the style.
It's going to be a first one to eighty wins. And what does Akrin do one of Arizona script tonight slow it down? No, they play it fast. It's it's one shooting the three.
Oh, I see what you're saying. Shooting the three.
And if there's a list of things that you don't want it Arizona face is shooting the three and shooting the three and defending the three, right, that's what you're referring to.
One.
They're defending the three. Yeah, So here we are and they are. They're very undersized too, Yeah, very understanded. You telling me Buffalo Buffalo was yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. These Arizona bigs move better than Aiden and yeah yeah yeah, and they and they're better suited. Yeah, suited.
So it's a good word because I don't even know where to go with that because, like I say, those guys didn't want to be there. Yeah, so if you don't want to be there, let's just get the hell out. These guys want to be there.
And they're tougher, Yeah, tougher physically and in mentally mentally. Yeah.
This is this is where that Big twelve introduction comes into play, where maybe you go into that first round game you're like, well, can our big men handle the physicality? What if they get punch in the face. First, Arizon's been punched in the face many times this season. They've been able to handle it well. At least that's your that's what you have behind your pocket, right, Yeah, But if they don't go to the big bucket. I mean you're supposed to have that.
Yeah, Well, I think what's key and the reason why he brought them in and he's proven out throughout the whole tire season is Tobya Walka. There hasn't been a single game where you question that guy's hustle out there on the court or his ability to physically impact the game rather be defensively offensively. And you can say kJ Lewis as well. He's been physically tough, mentally tough throughout
the season, even when he's not scoring the basketball. So just having that added toughness that Tommy really hasn't had his own dire career here at Arizona, and that Arizona really hasn't had since I would say the Aaron Gordon Nick Johnson team of thirteen fourteen, that's key.
And they were more mentally tough than anything then. They weren't physically tough. Yeah, they were mentally tough. And you need that too, right, you need that to And let's go. We're gonna try to get ahold of Matt Mealbock here talk about the more about the Uba basketball team.
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This is I on the Ball with Steve Ravera on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. Subscribe now to the podcast on the iHeartRadio app just search.
I on the Ball.
Hey, welcome back to I on the Ball here on Fox Sports Fortune fifty. I'm Steve Rova, and today with me is Troy Hutchison and I got and Ray with me and now we have Matt meuleboch form of you of a undefeated, the undefeated Matt meal Bok.
How are you?
What's happening?
Are you doing?
I'm great, I'm great.
Tournament week baby, Yes?
Yes, are you doing anything? Any and analytics? Any analysis for anybody in the postseason?
You know, typically once the Pac twelve tournament was over, I was I was done, and that was kind of we didn't have the tournament this year obviously, so I've been done. Although I am actually going to be calling the U of A women's game tomorrow night. Oh nice, they asked, Yeah, they have that the w B I T H game and they host the first round against NAU. And they called me just a couple of days ago and asked if I'd do it. I said, yeah, I'd
love to do it. Gonna be awesome. I love Ida, I love what she's done with the program, and that that'd be fun to do.
What what's the outlet what's where you going to be seeing ESPN.
I think it's I want to say it's ESPN Plus and so, you know, on one of their on one of their streaming on ESPN, But I don't. I think I think that's what it is.
Okay, So you'll be working continuously until a year or not. That's cool, that's cool. You know you're busy.
Man.
So did you after after the season is over, for all the seasons.
You've done now I don't know how many years it is.
Do you feel kind of like, Okay, now I can breathe, or you kind of wish you continue?
What's your feeling?
Well, I mean, I you know, I still did a bunch of games this year and and and hope to do more next year. You know, the same thing, you know, I typically when I get done with the season, it is kind.
Of a nice break.
And part of that usually is because when I've done the PAC twelve tournament, you know, like the last couple of years, like I've done every every game, you know, I'm I've been in the studio on site or doing games live, and so it was it was quite a it was quite a lift. I guess I'd call it that and so I was pretty you know, I got pretty tired by the time that tournament was over, and I was ready to rightly just watch basketball. But you know, I didn't have it this year, so you know, I
definitely missed it. I was that was one of the more fun sort of sporting events I've ever been a part of. And so I'm not you know, I got plenty of plenty of stuff left to do, but yeah, wait till next year and just kind of enjoy the games and hope, obviously hope Arizona, you know, can win a few.
You know, man, I was about to say, I think we all missed the PAC twelve tournament in Vegas and that whole environment there, and that's hard to replace. But Arizona going through the Big twelve tournament and seeing what that was about. Just your general thoughts of not only the tournament, but Arizona's run to the title game in that tournament and how that's really helped boost the Cats come tournament time.
Yeah, you know, I've always said this, I think the tournament's you know, kind of a rock fight, and you know, I don't I've always fought back or into the PAC twelve against its talent base, its talent base, it has easily been as good as most, if not all, the other conferences you know, through the years when you think of NBA talent and first round picks and lottery picks. But as a whole, the conference, you know, partly maybe because of some of the distribution issues, maybe a little
bit less resources. You know, I don't think they were as deep as some of these conferences, like like the like the Big Twelve has been, and the style of play didn't lean it, you know, lean itself to I mean didn't you know. It wasn't a style that I thought fit the tournament. It was a style that fit you know, guys trying to audition for the NBA. That's for sure. Now that doesn't mean I mean Arizona's obviously had team's good enough to go to the finals or
win it or be in the final four. But as a whole, I thought this year prepared this Arizona team more or the type of tournament that you have than what we've seen in the past. It's a great point, A great question.
Yeah, yeah, no question. I think we talk about all the time.
Right, you go to the Big Twelve, you think, okay, we're gonna be better off going through the toughness and then getting to the tournament. So now that you're you're not working and you get to observe and watch, are you more of a fan one and two? What do you they and what do you think they need to do moving forward to maybe advance as far as they can?
So yeah, I kind of, you know, during the season, I definitely have my objective hat on, right, I don't. I'm not a fan, especially obviously when I'm doing games, like I feel like when I do a game, I could do Arizona versus you know, my family members, and I'm not. I'm an objective I don't. I don't take sides. I just call the game like I see it, prepare
the same as if I do any other game. But yeah, when the season ends and I'm done and my stuff is done, I definitely as an alum, I'm rooting, like heck for the U of A. So I hope they do well. To answer your point, I mean, I think there's a there was a couple obvious things. I mean, this may be just obvious, but I think it's worth staying. It's just you've got to shoot the ball well. In
the tournament. You know, they didn't shoot it well last year, and you know, they had a bad shooting game against Clemson. I think they've learned some lessons from that, especially Caleb Love. You know, he had a poor shooting game, and he's learned some lessons about getting to the rim and you know, becoming I've I've noticed I didn't even think he had it to start the season, Steve, but you tell me,
like like you probably know so too. All of a sudden, he's got a much better mid range game, like in the last even month than he had in even January. So and maybe he had it, but he never was like comfortable with it or you know, didn't go to it as much. But he's really gone to the mid range, the floater. He had a couple of post ups against Texas Tech that I loved and even Houston. So I think they got you got to shoot the ball well.
I really love how they're playing offensively, though they're they're playing way better than they've played all year offensively, just in my mind, how they their identity so if they shoot the ball, well, you know, the one thing we've seen, we've seen a little bit of drop in defense, their defense has gone down a bit now. They've also played better teams the last month, so there's a bit of that. I also think the second piece, Steve is I think
they were tired. I thought they were a little bit fatigued. They have a short bitch. The Big twelve is is a gauntlet. It's a marathon, and I think it got to them a little bit, you know, which is understandable. It gets to a lot of people, So they had.
A little bit.
I didn't mind in a way that they even lost the finals. They had a day, they come home and then rest. They got a day. This now they got I think, you know, coaches do usually a good job this time kind of period to really give guys rest and shoot a lot and not so much real practice. But if they can have the energy on defense that they had in January and mostly February, I think they're going to be in great shape. I think they just got to defend.
Though.
Last year again against Clemson, go back and look at what Clemson shot in the two point range. They were they made a ton of shots in the paint and layups and and and you know, shots close to the rim, and that that hurt Arizona, it really hurt them. So their defense had some some holes in it, you know, in the sweet sixteen games. So it's easy to say, like, you just got to be solid, right, you got to You got to be pretty good on both sides, defense
and offense. It's why, it's why the Kim Palm numbers historically have shown that teams that make the Final four are top twenty in both offensive defense.
They have balanced.
Attacks, and Arizona does have a very balanced attack. As I said, the one piece of the balance that dropped a little bit with their defense. Their offense is twelfth in the country, like they are. They're really offensively right now, playing fantastic. Their defense dropped to thirty third, so you know, hey, they can they can move thirty third. They can move up to the top twenty easily in the next four games if they played bour games, and and that would
be true. So they've got to They've got to really button.
It up on that time real quick. Matt, looking at a player like Tobya Wata and just thinking about you of a history and you know, you've seen a lot of basketball in Tucson. Has Arizona had a player quite like him? And what how does his toughness help this team come march about a minute.
You know, maybe a Eugene Eggerson type guy, Michael Wright, you know Ben Davis, some of the strong, sturdy guys down low. I've made the statement, I think he's the toughest player maybe in Arizona history, or at least the most physical We've had. Some tough players comes to mind as well.
I've got a call coming in Pete Williams.
Pete Williams, there you go. Pete as tough as anyone that we've ever had. But he just he is as physical as any player I've ever seen play the post at Arizona, and he was the perfect recruit. Tommy and his staff deserve a lot of credit for bringing him in, you know, for that for that piece of the puzzle.
Great, great, you got to go back. Take care.
I know the mewbox would be a thirty point dog against Arizona.
All right, thank you, thank you.
That'd be blucky had to take off early. But no, thanks very much. I thought he talked about Arizona's defense being thirty. I saw something yesterday, and you know the Mike Cowell, all those people who do these analytics says, and they're doing their analysis that they like Arizona, but over the last few months they've dropped to ninety second in overall analytics, and I'm thinking we've noticed that they
haven't played as well. But during that span, during that span, the other like ninety second the worst of the good schools. And I'm thinking, holy holy, because we've seen it, right, they're not the same team.
And a lot of that is the three point nine and a lot to me, it's all been in transition. Hack you son. In the Big Ball title game, even though I thought Arizona played well enough to win it, Houston got three wide open threes because they weren't communicating in transition. Knock down every single shot that was wide open, and they lost by eight. So, right, right, what did you make of you?
You were there at the thing when I asked, Yeah, well, when I asked you about his little rant.
Oh, I was so I was there when he went on the rant about the Oh you were there about the about Michale know.
About about him going on the sideline when they went to huddle.
Oh okay, okay, yeah, No, I wasn't there when you Yeah.
Yeah, it was funny. Did you you read the stories or you saw the story, what did.
You make of that? I think it's great. I think, you know, I think a lot of people look at Tommy as a guy that isn't fiery, just kind of like it happened, almost like a happy, go lucky guy. But if you're around that bench, if you get to sit behind that bench, and I got to do that his first year when they played Stanford in the Packboll Tournament, he is as fiery as anybody out there. Really he is.
He's but he's under control. He's not a Sean Miller that's gonna be kind of your refs and and players, and he's not gonna go into the press conference and do that kind of stuff. But you see him in practic because you see him on the court. There's a lot of fire that people don't see right, right, And that was manufactured though a little bit. Yeah, well even in a minute says well, you know, I have a friend there who wanted me to do it. Blah blah blah.
Okay, yeah, it was funny. I thought it was good, good stuff. But then there's a backstory to it. Yeah, okay, hey, let's take a break here, maybe take some calls on the other side.
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Breaking down all the apsis and ohs. This is I on the Ball with Steve Rivera on Box Sports fourteen fifty.
Heday, welcome back to on the ball here on Fox Sports Fortune. If the I'm Steve, you're Troy Hutchinson. If we got our guy one and Ray with us, our guys raise under the control here. So if you'd like to call five two zero four one six seventy four forty, we'll take your call. We're gonna have Jay on the other side of four seventeen breaking news Ray at four
four o'clock. So we're on schedule for everything. If you guys want to call again, just please do talk about the games, women's men's maybe college football whatever we'll see.
Yeah, college football come, you know, Spain football.
So you talked about the team again. I had three things and talk about all the time shooting defending, and there was the third one, Caleb Loove, right, which is more critical to Arizona doing well defending the three, shooting three, You're Caleb Love plaving a good game.
I think Caleb Love. I think Caleb Love is going to be the most important thing because I think during the Big twelve tournament they've proven that they can keep themselves in it, plays solid defense. They have their lapses the defensively, but overall very solid defense and had others step up. But come to the Houston game, they're right in it and then all of a sudden, Kayleb Love
gets hurt. And I'm talking about before the choice today and cool it was kind of limping in that ten min mark limited him offensively where he could only really take jumpers and not push the ball, and Everyzon's offense kind of stalled out. So I think when he's aggressive and driving, it frees up everything else for everybody else.
Guys, do you think personally? I think it's defending the three. I think they've in my opinion, they've shown an ability to win games without Caleb Love without being able to shoot the three. But most of the time when they can't defend the three. They get into holes, they get close, but they can't come out on top in the end and go ahead.
Yeah, I'd say the same thing, I mean kind of. I think a good example is that was the Kansas game during the tournament. You know, I think Caleb had like under fifteen points around yeah or nine and he yeah, you know, it wasn't a great night for him, but you know, the defense rallied offense was able to find some sparks.
So if not Caleb who it's probably gott to be a Jayden Jayden. You saw it in the tournament again, that Kansas game. Even though Caleb Love wasn't scoring, he had six assists. Jaden, I think the first game against Kansas had eighteen points. Second game, I believe sixteen something like that. If he's able to drive and be aggressive, he's another guy that has a great mid range jumper and attacking the hoop. You need somebody that is gonna
be fearless of getting in the paint. And those are the two guys on the roster because when shots aren't falling, you just got to scrap and say get to the bucket. And those are your two guys that can get to the bucket. Yeah, I was thinking more Henry.
That's a good one, Henry, because they're smaller, he's gonna he's you know, he's versatileity's athletic. He'll fit right in because he's he's athletic, and they can't. They don't have a guy his height to defend him. You're saying, just for that, just for this, just then Henry. Yeah, or a WAKA offensive glass.
Yeah.
And I think I want to CBS Sports Lines show with with what's his name? What's his name? You probably don't even know what I'm talking about. They played at Miami, uh Miami A while he talked, there's no player like him that he's just done so much for this team. There's nobody better rebounding the ball. And and in Mia, how was listing's he's the second best rebounder in the in the tournament one I can't remember. You could probably you can fire it up, you find it.
But he is.
He is that dude, And I agree with you, and and uh and the Matt Bilbock Uh. It's like, okay, we're gonna be in the Big twelve. Who do we go get? Let's go get Tobiya Walker, he's gonna he's gonna fix our rebounding.
And you look at the other transfer editions and this isn't a slide at them. But if you didn't get Tobya Walka, where's the physicality coming from on the portal? Because Townsend, you know, has his moments, but isn't really physical. And Anthony Yeller, So there is games where you couldn't even play him the game of sol So, I mean, I can't imagine where this team would be without Toba Waka on the roster. Yeah, no, that was good.
You know, I may have messed this up when I asked about their X factor guys and I said del Orso he's the x He's the x x x X guy because he has He shows up every now and again, but he doesn't do it enough to.
I hate again, I kind of alluded to it. I hate to say it. I think when you get to a certain point of the sweet sixty and on where the games get physical. Yeah, I agree, you can't play him. I know where you're going with that.
Yeah, I totally agree because the games are different, right, You're playing against more better teams.
Games that will push you around.
Yeah, and he's not that guy. He's the finesse guy. He might be the acron guy. Yeah, yeah, and maybe Oregon guy. Like I said, I haven't seen them, But you're right because he hasn't to this point, he hasn't shown he can be part of that unless he just roams on the perimeter.
But then you have to defend right and and you had to shoot the shot. He doesn't shoot forty three percent, but if you're only taking three shots again, have you ever seen a shooter not want to shoot or not want to any guy coached by Sean Miller? Because anyone is outside of that, Yeah, you know, outside of that. No. Imagine Salim Stottamayer Hessington throwing up a shot. Yeah, I know, that's why he was what he was. Give me the damn ball, Yeah, clear the way I'm gonna shoot, get out of move.
Yeah, there was one who hasn't had a guy like him since since him.
No, they haven't.
You know, maybe maybe he's the horse could, but he's but he's not that guy.
He got it, he's not that. You got to have a mentality, yeah, no, he's got to have the Caleb Love mentality, Caleb or at Momo Jones. Uh what was got Mark lyons. Yeah, they had that mentality.
Right right, Yeah, yeah, Mark plans was just he could shoot, but he could get the ball to the basket.
Yeah. Yeah.
And that's what Caleb Love has done. He talked, Matt talked about this mid range game that and he's getting to the basket more, attacking more.
Yeah.
No, he's getting to the basket attacking, drawing vows and he's playing at a high level defensively right now. Yeah. I don't know that stuff.
Maybe I just don't look for it or whatever, but you know, kJ is it was doing that and came up with everyone talking about his defense, and Sony said, yeah, he does, and then he gets lazy every now.
And again I don't Yeah. I mean, sure, offensive players want to be locked and offensively, but I think what's key right now is that he's not he's not getting beat on hedges. He's hedging hard. He's forcing guys to to really go up against them. And it's where you get in isolation, where it's just him and the offensive player, that's where he gets in trouble. In trouble, you guys, you guys run Instagram and all that.
You watch that little girl who says, uh, she's she's critiquing some soup. It has a little hint of Paprika has a right, what.
The hell she has the answer? What is the hint? Well, I don't know someding good. So what the hell's hedging? It's where you come out the screen. You're trying you're trying to head your offensive player so he doesn't have a free lane to the basket. Just defend the damn guy. I don't need no hedging. But he's a good team defender. If it's ISO basketball and he has to go one on one, that's where you have your problems. Yeah, yeah, yeah,
And he's not used to playing defense. No, man, it is what it is, right, Okay, Uh, anything else, we have a lot of time. It's when he said we have ten minutes. We went early, really early.
Right.
Well, you know, I think one thing that everybody keeps that I mean, people mention it, but that's going to help Arizona in this tournament compared to others is the rebounding. Arizona has been very good rebounding the basketball under Tommy Lloyd, but it's been you know, one or two guys on the roster that are really good at rebounding the ball, your whole entire starting unit outside of okay, outside of
Dela Roso because he starts. But you're let's say, the the last five guys playing in the last final five minutes are high level rebounders. Your guards rebound, your ford's rebound, your BIG's rebound. That's rare to have that. Then that's that's a skill that's positive for this tournament.
The last team's last ten teams that I was on to add, where does this team rank in terms of being good?
I think this is Tommy's second best team. I'll say this outside of the first one. Outside of the first one, but they're much more physical and mentally than the first one.
Yeah, okay, and then Shawn's. I guess Shawn's is the tail end of the twenty fifteen.
I would say this is their's in terms of Sean Miller, probably the Stanley Johnson here. Yeah, okay, because I think even that Lonzo Trier, Wristic and Larry Market in the season, I would take this team over them in any day of the week, because you're you're asking Parker Jackson cart right to go killa blove.
Yeah, they did have more flaws Yeah, they did have more flaws, but they had some pretty good pieces.
They did. But then you're asking Duson to keep up with this pace.
No, I I yeah, this team is so inconsistent it's hard to figure out where to put them. I would say this is his second best team. Yeah, because he lost to uh, Princeton's second team, right, and that was kind of wish you watched with Kerr and his injury and Trier in that Trier but.
Oh no, no, Kerr was the injury to Kirk Crise. That was the first first year, first year really already that long ago. Yeah, okay, God, the second year was was Princeton was Princeton, and they just didn't play well because they didn't have they didn't have a guy to be the go to guy outside of Taballas where you have to feed him the ball. He can't just take the ball.
Yeah, and in the end he couldn't handle the ball, lost the ball. And then last year of course, was just that bad. You know, I think again they were thinking Clemson, Okay, Clemson, really.
I agree, you know, I think everybody saw Clemson thought, Okay, Arizona's going to.
Because they didn't know that's the that's the bad thing. I think that they might think about Erk in that way. They could even think about orgon that way.
I think the one thing with Oregon, though, is you have a lot of players on this roster that got punked from a by organ last year in the packball tournament.
Okay, yet helps you guys were shaking your head.
Yeah that was I mean I remember being at that game and yeah, I'm forget who which Oregon player was, but he went out and then you know, Arizona sorry to come back to the lead, and then he came back in and it was just a scoring drought like or it felt like like the offense just got like hit like.
Hit a wall or something. That was their big guy. I forgot his name. He oh yeah, yeah, yeah, he's he's a pronoun and yeah, big dude. Yeah he uh he had a great Yeah yeah he did.
He was.
He was.
He kept them in the game in the first half, and then he got trouble.
I think it was he got hurt. He got hurt and then came back. He came back, right, he was the big dude. He's in the NBA. I don't know where he's at, but it was.
Like o'donna or I know it was either the first last name Dante.
Yeah, that's it. That's it. That's it, that's it.
I don't remember.
Yeah, good numbory. That's why we have your kids here. You guys remember because he he rebounded the ball, like no, I think one game he had a twenty twenty game in that.
Right, you know, I know I do remember that game now because it was in Vegas, right, Yeah, okay, so we'll see. Yeah, No, that's a good point. They they've had the experience with them. They know what to see.
Uh. And al Almans a pretty pretty good coachmens one of the better coaches in this in this tournament. I think he's one of the most underrated coaches in the tomb. Yeah, well in the country, not conference anymore. But yeah, so we'll see. And they had a pretty good year with their fifth right fifth seed. Yeah, okay, anything else from you guys.
You just mentioned earlier that if back in ninety seven, it felt like if Arizona kid get past South Alabama, they'd go all the way. It kind of feels like that this year, where if you go and if you face Akron and your you're well, Arizona has a history in the first round with lower tier teams. But if they can get past Akron, they go and play Oregon, who they have history with. I don't think they'd be I don't think there's a chance that Arizona would lose that game.
Do you think they play Oregon?
I do?
I do they play Liberty, who shoots like forty and there and they're slow and slow down. Yeah, I would rather play if I was Arizona, rather play Oregon. I was going to say, I'd rather play one Liberty and Liberty. Yeah.
Uh, And then you're looking at a possible duke call credit to duke. I don't think Arizona loses the duke again.
You know, I don't disagree with you. I do a little, you know, and one percent, maybe forty percent.
I think the difference in that game with possibly a Cooper flag legendary game like Legacy. Oh here, I'm him, this is my team. I'm going to take us.
To the to the leading if he's healthy exactly, and that ankle did not let.
And it takes a lot to be the Arizona twice in a season, and they won't overlook it. They'll be pissed because you pissed off Arizona. They played really well.
And Henry Vasar didn't play that much in that game. That was when was playing more. Yeah, and that's when Carter Bryant really didn't know his role yet. Okay, that's a good, good way. And Duke is missing. I forget the guy's name, but he fell in that game where Flag got hurt as well. But he was one of their best defensive players. And he's out for the season. So okay, I think there's something to.
Keep a note. We'll see, we'll see. There'll probably be like a five point favorite. Yeah, on a neutral court. Yeah, I mean after after Duke. Your Arizona fans are already happy with the season at that point. Wait a seconds, fans happy.
It's crazy, right, we're talking to talking, We're talking about the lousion again.
Here we go. I actually disagree with you. I think even if they get to an e lead eight, everybody will everybody will say, oh, this is great, this is great. What if you get just not slaughtered, but you lose by ten to Alabama or something like that, who's a really good, well coached, really good offensive team. I could see Arizonaugh fans saying, well, see typical Arizona. We're not winning an lead eight.
That is very true in the moment you see that, and you're not gonna piece everybody because you know the people on Twitter, you know them.
But to both your points, I think you're both right. They beat Duke especially right to get to the lead eight. And then Alabama, all bets are off. They'll play their style. They could have played them last year. Yeah exactly. Well, here's my thing. I don't think they play Alabama. Who's who they play.
I think they play the winner of possible b YU Wisconsin game.
Oh okay, So you're saying BYU Wisconsin will beat Alabama, and then I can see that. I'd see that you have done your bracket. I have, and I believe if.
This is where my memory comes in, I have to go and take pictures.
Now, Uh give me one second. You've been on the show too.
I have Wisconsins. I was gonna say into the final four were no, no, no, to play Alabama and be Alabama.
Okay, So okay, that brings me how upset what Arizona fans be Wisconsin does it again a third time? I know it's not Tommy's fault. Didn't coach those games. But well everyone ask history with everybody.
Yeah, talk about owning the state.
You know.
I have to say one thing about the selection committee though they say they don't set up matchups, but kind of.
Well, the thing is a lot of things have to happen for them to happen, right. But they lost to Wisconsin earlier this year.
Yeah, and then it wasn't look like this is Arizona really and they played Duke, they played BYU. But how do you not put in Zaga Arizona in the same bracket. This might be Mark Fu's final run, may you know. I mean he's up there in age. It's been speculated that this might be it. And really and this we may never see Tommy versus Field. They don't want it. And they have a schedule the game that they got to make up. Yeah I don't think they ever will. Yeah,
probably not. Okay, let wish that we get two minutes, three minutes, a couple minutes. Okay, Rady, did you have something to say? Uh yeah, getting back to that was not here just to be a pretty pacer. Uh yeah, getting back to that Wisconsin game.
Though, from like earlier this year, there was so there was like sixty eight.
I was like, that dude went off. It was I can't remember his name, yeah, but what I told you, Yeah, yeah, he had like forty one points something like. This was a New Mexico State guy, I think or somewhere. But most of the like thirty of his points came from the free throw line. I mean that that was a whistle every time.
Well, the good thing that we know is Arizona's not the team from November December.
It's just not that team. Right. They do have one problem that was happening, you know them or in that game, what's that a three point? They were They were giving up threes, right, and that really hasn't changed. It went away for a little bit.
But because they stopped shooting, well, I don't know, I didn't pay attention to the teams start stopped playing.
Well maybe maybe a stretcher, but I think your opponent matters, yeah, very much.
So people didn't understand that they're eleven in one and look how good they're playing.
They didn't play anybody pretty much. Yeah, I mean West Virginia was yeah, they were you know BYU was solid. Yeah.
Yeah, Now it's part of the best game. Did we talk about that yesterday that was their best game.
There was maybe two good games.
The most Yeah, they haven't Tech Texas tech game, maybe Texas out even even though they almost choked it at them and they got a Caleb Love halfcourt shot. Sennet, I always say that I thought overall was their best game except for the last five minutes where they almost blew it. Yeah.
Well, the thing about it with people that you went to the games and solid games the league watching was fun.
Yeah, the season was fun.
It was not boring, and it wasn't because it was no drama, which we loved no drama, but they it was entertaining.
High quality brand of basketball. Yeah, yeah, okay, we gotta go raise give me that nots. We gotta go