They welcome back to Eye of the Ball hero Fox Sports fourteen fifty MCI Rivera, your Troy, your one, and your Ray.
You gotta breaking news now.
This is Eye on the.
Ball breaking news on Fox Sports fourteen fifty eight.
All right, got some breaking news for today, starting off with a quick update with the first four game. We got Mount Saint Mary's and American tied at twenty two in the back half of the first half.
So that, I mean, that's gonna be interesting. I think those.
Are more even teams, right because they're like last night. Last night's game North Carolina s San Diego State. I thought that was a runaway even before the game started because if North Carolina, it's like one of those If Arizona plays well, they should do well. But the think about it, they have to play the other team. Like last night, if y, if North North Carolina plays well, they'll they should.
Win that game. And they played out of their mind with a lot to prove.
Yeah, I mean they looked like a team ready, ready to make a run and angry about everybody questioned they should be in right?
Who they playing out Memphis? Who they playing?
Oh, miss Olmos.
That should be fun.
That should be the game. Yeah, they could win that one too, I think so. Yeah.
Also, the other game was oh man, it was an nobody went all the way down to the end.
The play, the play itself was it was won. I had one of those plays you put you were way before you were born, the macshot where they threw it from under the under the basket from this end to that end. They fumbled it and McMillan picked it up and put it in just like yesterday, right, just kind of found the ball.
And put it in.
Was that eighty eight or eighty nine?
It was eighty eighty six eighty seven, so okay, yeah, could have been even before that eighty six.
Yeah.
And other tournament news.
Funny enough, Pima is advancing to the quarterfinals after ninety nine to sixty five win against Sunny Niagara and they're gonna be playing the eight seed Davidson Davy Community College.
Well, actually both teams have the women did.
Yeah, the women's did too, and they're gonna play Lincoln Land Community College tonight.
You know, nobody really talks about Pima athletics, but Pima basketball, for both men's and women's they have been so consistent over the last several years Peabody and coach uh I can't remember. Why am I not getting off the name? You know what I'm trying to think of the women's basketball coach Old House do a terrific job there, well respected coaches, just a tremendous job there.
Yeah, well, I mean, and then the men's team hasn't lost. I don't think all year. No, I think I think they're like thirty three or something. So that's I mean, could be wrong, but yeah, that's pretty cool.
Yeah.
Bringing it back to more yo a stuff.
The baseball team beat Kansas yesterday, so eight and oh or eight two to oh, sorry, and they're thirteen at home, thirteen and zero at home. Now, they had a nine game homestretch, one undefeated in that too.
You know, Kansas was playing high level, high level baseball coming into that series. I believe they won like seven in a row before a loss here and there. But look at the Big twelve, some good baseball being played, and yet no respect. I don't think any Big twelve team ranked yet in the eight people or the rankings don't. It's not ap but you know what I'm talking about the national rankings, and Arizona looks like they're on the cups of that.
Yeah, they've been ever since that tournament in Texas. You know, they've been kind of on a roll.
Yeah. I think they were suspected to be good, good.
In terms of for this conference. I think so.
They're ranked in the top twenty five to start the year. Again that tournament. Early on in the season, they struggled mightily, found their way back. And you know, this is a big twelve conference. Arizona, Kansas playing well, Oklahoma State playing well. Outside that, there's not the depth that there was in the PAC twelve.
Yeah, keeping it going. Softball moved up into the ten spot. They were eleven last week, moved up into ten. They played GCU tonight and then have the ASU series over the weekend up in Tempe. So it'll be pretty pretty interesting. Some more news that we kind of know about already. The girls start their tournament tomorrow here against NAU and the w B I T, which I found out is actually different from.
The w n I T. It's told the two different terms, two different things.
So I guess the w n I T is privately owned while the w B I T is n cua A owned. Also, all those games are going to be like on ESPN affiliates like for the w B I T. It's also a different number of teams stuff like that. So yeah, a little interesting in there.
Let me give you a heads up because you might not might do it again. So when we're covering college games, this is probably you don't know where maybe the style stuff. When they're college the women, they're women. Okay, when they're in high school they're girls. Okay, that's just how it is, all right, Yeah, because I call the girls to that. Yeah, makes sense.
Keeping it in the vault. But yeah, other big news. Uh talked about it a little bit earlier.
The football team started their spring trainings spring ball yesterday, and I guess some of the big things that came out of that was Brennan putting a big emphasis on culture, you know, trying to establish the culture and stuff like that.
So let me, I said, because everybody has that right, everybody has to have their culture. What does it mean here? He talked about that originally when he came. You weren't there, right, you didn't go to you were there, and he you know, he had his notes and he wanted to speak about a few things. Bullet point type of stuff in culture, and you know, I didn't want to ask any questions. That's not my space football, And I'm thinking what does
he mean by that? Because everybody wants to have a culture. What do you think that's his?
What do you get?
What his? Or what Arizona historically?
No?
No, his is because historically what is historically?
What is I think historically for Arizona. If you're looking at the tomy Larry Smith and even Jim Young and Mike Stoops, Era's uh toughness, it's gritty. It's running the football, hard nosed defense, and recruiting the Polynesian community.
Okay, so is what you get out of it?
So yeah, working with the underdog always going to be doubted.
Okay, Okay, but isn't That's okay, That's always been the culture. It's like when people talk about the space of the nil and the money the kids are going to get, Well, we're not gonna be I'm saying speaking this Arizona that week. We're not gonna get the Ohio State guys, Texas guys because they have all that money, right, Well, we're gonna have to go to the three stars and coach them up. Guess what before you were born Troy before you were
born one. That's just how it is. Whether Nil was here or not, It's always been the case.
I'll say this.
The only time where it's been different and it didn't last on was Jetfish because they expected to win that third season when once the quarterback changed happened and once he saw them played tight against Washington and USC there wasn't a game they thought they could have went out there. So the culture changed for for that period I'm saying for for what Jetfish was establishing. They got ted Taro McMillan away from Oregon, they got some other.
So you're probably telling me because I'm not speaking out of my my butt here, But Jed had a different mentality, right. He had not a swagger, but he had a There was a confidence is a great word. He had that my stuff doesn't stink and it's going to be better than yours kind of rich Rod had that to a degree to degree.
But but maybe Jed's a little different.
Jed is the best recruiter Arizona Football's ever had. I would say I think he's the best recruiter Arizona's ever had.
Troy.
I mean, I think with rich Rod it was a little bit of doubt coming from Michigan and how that ended with with Jed, it was a little bit of the unknown, So why not take a chance on it?
And I think with rich Rod, the mentality is of yeah, you may you know, get us in the first half. I'm gonna help coach you. I'm gonna make the adjustment. I'm gonna beat you in.
And he did because he was He's a smart football coach. But I think mentality to heat he realized he only had.
The three stars.
The old KG is right, the three stars, and maybe we'll get a four star and we'll coach him.
When you don't recruit, well, you come a no no, no, no.
No exactly, Hey make me America great again?
Where Jad, I'm not going down that right where Jad he was out offering for or five star kids and they're saying, you're Arizona.
Why are you offering right?
Because we don't care where Arizona and we're gonna be better. Want to be a part What you need? You need that, you need that, you need that, and you what that costs a lot of money now now? And then I well, once once they prove it, I'm saying I'm saying for the coach. Once the coach proves he can do it, it costs a lot of money.
No, no, no, I totally agree with you, Joy, because you you saw that with him. It was not a it was a subtle but not subtle thing because he was Jed and this is I've been here, I've been here.
Here's my resume. But you need that, and it was and it was different. I don't know if I should say this, but I'm gonna. I'm gonna say this. No, no, I'm not I'm not cussing. I'm not cussing. But Jed's first meeting with the alumni association. Every coach meets with the alumnis and oh hi, I'm da da da da. He showed them the facilities at Alabama, Oregon, we did Georgia, some high level secs and he goes, you want to be as good as them, We need your money.
Yeah, And he was great at that.
And they're like, excuse me, Like, you guys are on a twenty game losing streak. It's your first thing on job. Who you know? Are you to tell me that? But he was right, yeah, but you don't right.
And eventually eventually I'm not gonna dog him. We're not gonna not gonna.
He did what he did and this town needs to be thankful for that.
This this town will hate to hear this, but it's one of the most impressive turnarounds in college football. Yeah, you went from Kansas level football and no offense Kansas, but let's be honest, Kansas football isn't very good. So all of a sudden at the end of the season in that third year, if they didn't have the slow start with Jada de Laura, you're talking about a team that could have competed for the college football playoffs.
And I think only.
Michigan Oregon were the only two teams and maybe a Georgia, a physical team that Yeah, they're not beating those teams. The rest of the country, they could beat them on any given night.
What have you been drinking? I think just that one team, just that one team.
Also, to kind of add to that, Jed was really good, like what you kind of mentioned it with the alums, but like working his like network, because I mean, you know, you get Pete Carroll's son. Obviously, he goes to Washington, he gets Bill Belichicks, But I mean, why is Belichick and two soon like that.
I remember when like that came out and I was like, man, no, he was.
Now what you can kind of look back and get the full view of it. Very impressive, and I think you were just talking about him the bravado that he had. He didn't do it with us much, but I'm sure in the back of his mind, I kind of talk.
To these nitwos. Oh you know what I'm saying. These are hooky guys.
You know, I deal with the NFL these guys all the time, and these guys are asking me questions, what do you think he left?
And he definitely had an ego because he looked at when Kenny Dellingham went from Oregon to ASU.
He did not like Kenny Dillingham very.
Much because there was similar soyl in terms of offensive quarterback coach, guru coach Kenny Dillon him. He goes over to a su and everybody's like, oh, they got the quarterback whisper. I remember him talking to some of us on that. He goes, I'm going to developing quarterbacks too.
Yeah, well see it, so you have a lot of stuff because we're going to be running out of time. Okay, So now you have he leaves and he takes with him his bravado.
Now you have a.
Brennan Brennan who doesn't have that. Maybe he does and we don't see it, but he doesn't have that. So Arizona lost that.
Yeah, it lost somewhat of an edge to the coaching staff. Yes, I think I think Jed set the tone for his staff of how they were going to bring. I don't think a lot of those coaches, I don't think everybody knew were going to be very good coaches. Brennan, Brennan Carroll, he basically got kicked out of the NFL. He went from an offense offensive line coach, the game passing game control coach, to run game control coach to Arizona.
So you're kind of on your way out.
I mean, you're no longer the offensive line coach being demotor kind of there. And then you have some other like Scottie Graham, never coached to day in his life. You get him from ASU's administration. All of a sudden, your running backs are good, your offensive line is good.
It starts to develop. You set the tone from the from the top down, where I think Brennan and his coaching staff I think it's in terms of on paper, a really good assistant coaching staff, But do you trust the head coach to set the down?
So I know you've been here just you know, ten years or whatever, I've been here a long time and not just but.
Who has bigger egos?
But these college coaches, right, they make a ton of money and you have, but you have to have those. If you're gonna have a big ego, you better well win some games.
Heck, they're soccer coaches with big egos, and you're you're not making the money that the football and the basketball and the you know coaches are making.
So what do you think? Same thing ego wise. So you've been around, you saw something that Brennan doesn't have that, but.
Not not as much as Jet Fish did.
You know Fish would walk around campus, go to the little Starbucks right there, and you know he would have that charmed him. Yeah, yeah, you go, hey, coach, Hey, guys, how you doing. Yeah, he's a salesman, salesman and you you wanted to go and support Arizona football because of that.
Well, and that's what made him good too. He knew how to play the game.
I'll say this, when he was at a basketball game, or he was on campus the camp, the students and everybody knew, oh that's the football coach. Brennan's passing out pizza at a U of a game. Oh cool, thanks for the pizza, because you and me, he's just a normal dude, like, oh okay, cool.
Yeah, well tom Temmy's that, but he's he's got that personality too. He's got that Oh shucks, but I'm Tommy Lloyd.
But the difference is you're the head coach of Arizona basketball.
Right away, he's won games, yeah yeah, yeah, and right away, even when he first came here, he said, that's Timmy Lloyd.
You know this new guy.
Okay, we're gonna shut you off here. Okay, thanks, thanks for We're gonna come back with Jay. Who knows we're gonna talking to him about this ego stuff. Who bigger than Jay?
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Steve Rivera He's got his Eye on the Ball on Tucson's sports station, Fox Sports fourteen fifty.
Hey, welcome back to Why in the Ball Here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve your Troy. We got Jue with us, and we got Ray. Now we've got Jay on the phone. Jay Hawaii sounds like you got a role full of people over there just bringing my kids to work Today's so they're all here, my child support people, yeah, my driver, right, Yeah, this show wouldn't go without them.
Man.
Hey, we're talking about a lot of different things. So one of the things we're talking about just randomly about football and coaching. And you've been here a long time obviously seeing some coaches. Uh, and we're talking about Jed specifically, with the other coaches sprinkled in with egos, and then we're thinking that you have to have that ego to be a good one, right, to be a good coach.
I just have a bit of an ego for sure.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
So so the guys that you saw from let's before Jimmy Young, I guess you were how many you have, fifteen years old?
Maybe then?
Yeah, I was in junior high and early high school when jim Young was here.
Did he have that?
Oh?
There was no way for me to.
Tell that to him. I mean I knew he was a good coach because you know, you got a crappy team and went eight and three in his first season. You never said that, you said that he was sort of a down home kind of kind of guy. But again I was in early high school so that you know, that wasn't as much of a thing to me then as you know, as later.
Okay, So then then you go to uh Mason, Tony Mason. He had to Yeah, he had to have ego, Yeah, a big enough.
Ego that he thought he could break all the rules and that was just too bad. He was you know, he didn't he didn't feel like he had to play by the wolves. And then he you know, he he he he. He justified it, you know, in ways that you know it could people could say, Okay, I get it, but he knew the rules and he just didn't feel like he had follow.
Yeah, okay, So we go u from him to Larry, Larry and Dick.
Neither one of them. I thought that big eagles. I think Larry got one, okay when they got pretty damn good, and all of a sudden he said I could be the USC coach. You have to have a big ego to say I don't do that job right. So I don't think he came with it. I think I think it developed a bit. But I think had he stayed Steve, he would have been he would have stayed the same been the same guy. He just your clients said, oh wow,
you know I'm in that neighborhood. I'm taking that because I think I can do that job.
Yeah. And then Dick, for sure, he was just one of a coach.
He was a guy. He was just a guy. You know. He just wanted to coach football. He wanted to do He wanted to mentor guys. He wanted to bring in guys that he could change their lives in a positive way. He never had the ego. In fact, you know, here's the funny thing. It a lot of people think he got fired. He did not get fired.
He resigned.
Now, he was probably going to get fired, but he quit before they fired him. You know, he he I mean people, you know, like I said, it's been stead over over time.
He got fired.
No, he quit.
He resigned at the end of the ASU game is last year. And that was his ego. He's like, I don't have to take this anymore. I don't want to take this anymore. I want to live my life. I'm leaving. And he did that, right.
Okay, So you go from him two stoops.
You forgot one big ego? Who I forget?
Oh yeah, well forget about Oh God.
I'm ego could fill McHale Macavis. Ego could fill McHale. And the minute he got there, the first time I met him, I thought, we're in big trouble, big trouble. And then I was I was right, yeah, you know, I mean the first time I met him, you know, first and person, I met him on the golf course. There was a golf tournament and he and he was they put him on the hole for he was hitting. He would hit a shot for a drive for you
if you wanted to do. And we walked up there and he was like, you guys, suck, I'm going to hit your drive kind of thing. And I'm like, and not in a joking way.
You know, it's huge, e.
Though, massive yeah, And we saw how that went. Then then you get stoops.
Not not nobody was big in Macimic, but I thought we had a big eagle from the standpoint that he felt. I'm in Twison, Arizona and at the University Arizona, and I was at Oklahoma. We won national championships over there, and and I don't think he really ever brought himself to a level of understanding the fans around here, and that we really didn't give a crap where he was.
We just wanted to win here. And I thought he I thought, I thought he never really I thought he never really brought his ego down to a level of you have a football coach. He kind of still thought, I'm I'm in Oklahoma where I win national championships, and you guys are beneath me.
Yeah, okay, that's fair, I think.
Then we went to rich Ron, Right, another big ego, right, you know, another big eagle guy that just you know, yeah, he didn't break rules, but he played by his own rule. But I love Rod because he was he was a he was a big giant ego, but he was our big giant ego, and he was winning games and we were having fun, his his his his teams were exciting, and we were going to bowl games.
Yeah okay, So then he's gone and then we get some.
Oh god, he's right up to with Macavic.
Yeah yeah, And I think his reputation, at least in his mind, tried to solve issues, but he.
Had it was bad.
It was just bad, right, right, No, you're you one hundred percent correct. I was just like, what the hell? You know? You know, you got fired from your job. You really shouldn't have any kind of an ego, right, right, right?
And you fell forward that job, he fell forward into this job.
Yeah, exactly, exactly.
Okay, so we go from him now to the now to the guy who can You kind of started this conversation, Jed, who who?
Who? Go ahead? I want to just get your thoughts through a quick Jed.
Pretty good sized ego. But you know, some some will say it was confidence in himself that right. You know, guy was a tennis player who became a major college football coach, so he wasn't afraid to take chances. He wasn't afraid to tell people, Look, I'm pretty damn good at what I do. So in that regard, I don't think it was an unhealthy big ego. But I thought you did have a big ego.
Well, and that's why we still does. Yeah, and that's why we kind of started this conversation. I think a lot of people in Tucents need to say thank you for doing what we did.
But he wouldn't be who he was or is without that.
Ego, right, I agree with that one hundred percent. You know, he he had to believe in himself that he could do these things, because he was not anybody that you looked at and said he could do those things.
Right, really, I mean the underdog mentality most of his career, right, a guy that like tennis guy. And you know, I'm on Florida's campus. Can I be one of your analysts? It's like who are you? It's like, well, you'll learn my name, okay.
Right, okay, so you go for him.
Well, I'd be interested to see how all of that has changed or not changed at Washington, right. You know, I'm at Washington. I'm not at Arizona. I'm at a place that's one national championships and there's that expectation. You know, I'd be interested to see what he'd liked up there.
Well, give your example of the first meeting with the guys.
Oh yeah, when Jed first came to campus. You know, they meet with the alumni via zoom or whatnot, and you know, introduced the new head coach and he had a slide ready for them, uh, talking to all the former football players of locker rooms and facilities at Georgia, Oregon, Alabama and big time programs like that, and he said, you guys want to compete at that level we need your money. We need that money to compete at that level because they have that money. And he's white gap and he's right.
The good thing that he's very good salesman and a pretty good coach as we as it turns out, then turned, you know, after two years, turned this program into what we never thought possible, right at least at that moment. So you you have to understand that his ego worked for this place.
Yeah, right, Yeah, he had to believe he could come and do this in Arizona, and he did so.
Yeah, and again I think he oh, sorry, Jay, go ahead, No, go ahead, go ahead, No, I was gonna say, I think not only did it show in terms of how he carried himself in terms of how he coached, but on the recruiting field, on the recruiting trips and recruiting field, you go and offer five star kids that Arizona wasn't even offering before, and usually you'd get a laugh and he's like, no, you know, we're offering you. We're going to be good and you should be a part of
it because you'll be remembered. You'll start at Arizona, you'll get big time minutes, big time snaps, and you'll help turn around a program. And that's the recruiting pitch he sold and it worked and they got to tuo McMillan.
Out of that.
Yeah yeah, no, okay, yeah, I mean I yeah.
So let's transition into what they have now another do you tell me?
Yeah? But you know, let's let me say this and going back to Dick again, to be a major college football coach, you've got to have some sort of an ego, right, because it's a hard job. People crap all over you all the time, whether you're doing a good job or not, as you know with with Tommy Lloyd, and so you have a belief in yourself that you're good enough to
do this. So he's got some bit of an ego maybe, But in terms of when you compare these guys, yeah, he's definitely in the Dick Toby range more so than the even you know, rech rod or or Stoops you know Stoops range. You know, you got to have a bit of an ego to uh, to be able to withstand all the stuff you've got to withstand in this job.
Yeah.
Yeah, so we'll see there's a conversation what what what what? What led to this conversation.
We were talking about just the success of I think he started with Jed right, Yeah, and we kind of just manifested into just the kind of egos that you need at this level. Now, you know, we have Tommy who's kind of got one, but you don't really see it because he's just a happy But it's kind of good. But no question, just this year, this year, because of how he has handled us and handles he's handled the outside world.
And I forget who I was so much of himself to himself. Yeah, which is interesting. Yeah, you know, kind of I forget who I was talking to about this, but you've seen it grow. I think one of the big things is you've gone from a Pac Twell conference, where you were the dog on the street, you were gonna you were probably gonna go top dog, yeah talking basketball, to the Big Twelve, where you are now the underdog.
Nobody thinks you're physical enough, nobody thinks you're talented enough to finish in the top three of the Big twelve. And now now that gives you a little bit of a chip on your shoulder and therefore a little bit more of an ego in terms of we're going to get this sum and we're in we're gonna do it and surprise people along the way. And this year they
finished third in the Big Twelve. I don't think anybody thought they were going to do that, and they become one of the more physical teams in the conference as well.
Yeah.
No, yeah, I mean I agree, you know, I just you know, he's he's he's a bit of a self effacing guy, but he's a kind of a serious guy, could you know. Yes, he always uh you know, takes responsibilities for his think we played bad, it was my fault, you know, those kinds of things. And again, you've got to have an ego to do that, right to say I'm willing to take the hit. I'm comfortable enough in my skin to take the hit for that. So it's it's not it's kind of a weird thing, right right.
Okay, So let's move that from now to now where he has to have an ego and a good team, because all good teams are here. Uh and in the end, Yeah, any misstep in the next two weeks or three weeks, uh could happen.
Yeah, I mean, uh, he's yeah, I mean, he's got to he can't. You know, I'm right, he's got to have a good he's got to have a really good team, and whether he does or not, this year is gonna he's gonna, you know, addual a lot as to whether or not he gets to stick around Jay. I you know, I mean, I think you know, hot hot seats have gone from a three year thing to a two year thing, right and.
They just got a new you think No, yeah, No, I was gonna ask Jay his thoughts if he is able to get through that sweet because right now, the Sweet sixteen is that barrier that he hasn't been able to break.
I thought we're talking about Are we talking about Tommy or Tommy? Oh, I'm sorry, I'll talk about Bretton. I thought we were still talking about Okay, Okay, I see what you meant to tom No, Tommy's not anywhere near the hot seat. Tommy is now if you want to go to that, you know, you know he I mean to me, to me, they got to get to the Sweet sixteen or it's going to be a rough off season for Tommy.
Well, I was gonna say, is it a better off season than think of there? Or do they need to get past the Sweet sixteen and break that barrier and get to the lead, which Tommy hasn't done yet.
I don't think they have to because here's what's gonna happen. Okay, all these people are going to be talking about outside of both sides, that are enough. People are saying you suck, You lost twelve games, you're not any good.
Okay, but you're better.
Get to the Elite eight because you know, I mean, you are who you are. They're a Sweet sixteen team. You know they can get to they can get to the Elite eight. Part of it's that part of that's going to depend on a matchup. But to me, if they get to the Sweet sixteen, that's really what you can expect. You they finished third in their league, you know,
and they had a decent year. They you know, if they hadn't struggled so much, and you know, if they didn't have five losses coming out of non pfer let's say they were they had three fewer losses coming out of non conference, and some of those would have had to be really good. Wiz, you'd say they're an elad eighteen, but they're not. You know, there's Sweet sixteen team and I think, you know, I think fans don't be fans.
If they get to the lead eight and don't get to the final four, they're still going to be pissed.
Off, Yeah, because they want more, Because they want more, right, right, So are they going to get to the sweet sixteen?
I think they are. I think they are even even. You know, a lot a lot of people are picking Oregon to beat them. But you know, I think this team is different. I think they're different from a toughness standpoint. I think it's a very confident team. Thank Caleb Love has been playing well for a few games now. They you know, there's some other guys who are stepping up. You know, Trey Uh, Trey Townsend had a good few games.
Uh, you know, uh.
Your part of we're talking about this, part of this is you're wondering about Jayden Bradley and his I don't say his stamina right now, He's been playing a lot of minutes and because del Also is more or less not very functional, you know, kJ is having to come in and play in del Orso spot and Jayden Bradley's not getting you know, as much time off as maybe
he could use. He's playing, he's playing with thirty seven minutes a game right now over the last several games, so you wonder about his legs and his ability to you know, to make it through this stuff.
But I think that.
I think they're good enough to get to the sweet sixteen, and then it just depends on who they play. I say, they get to the sweet sixteen and it's not Duke to somebody else. Well, then you get into the final eight, and I think they can beat Duke. I don't know if they will, but I think they can. It's the same way I think that even though they lost twice to Houston, I think they can beat Houston. I'd rather not see those guys, but I think they can beat them.
Yeah. I think they would have a harder time against Houston a third time than they would against Duke.
Yeah, I agree.
I think, Yeah, a great Duke isn't as physical as who say they don't slow it down that way?
Can they choose?
They're not like Arizona because they're they're more finesse, physical and they have talent.
You know, Houston just be rough you up, and I think I think has become more physical tough.
Who does Duke play in the next round.
Potentially Baylor or in Mississippi State, and I would I would give the edge to Baylor in terms of getting to Duke.
But yeah, yeah, so we'll see, I mean, we'll see Arison Eversons capable of Obviously everything has to go well though.
Yeah, I mean, you know, Arizona's not a you know, they're not a one seed, and not chis that you have this expectation that they're one of the best teams in the tournament. But they are somebody that's got good enough players, you know, to to make a deep run under the right circumstance. Uh And and that that's that's what they are. And people have to understand that. Anybody's saying, ohth you're better go to the final four, Tommy, yeah, you know.
That those are man, those are the ones I believe that the programs of blue Blood.
You know, we were saying on BBC there.
We gotta go way over. Thanks Jake, Thanks Jake.
All right, man, it's fun tuck you guys later, ellone.
You know, we gotta go and come back. Maybe take a caller too.
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This is I on the Ball on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. Want to take part in the show? Call up Steve now went five to two oho seventy four.
Hey, welcome back to everybody. Oh Steve, your Troy, your one and your ray one. I don't know why fend your own your neddamn name.
I'm quite offended.
Yeah, I don't see you. Yes, yeah, you're my favorite son. So there's that.
If you guys want to call if I do five to two OHO four one six seventy four, forty, you'd like to hear from you. We kind of went sideways on that conversation, but it was a good one. About the egoists. Yeah, we don't really talk about that. I'm talking about Tommy Miller, Sean Sean had Sean hadwin in a different way, you know, and Tommy has one, but just a different way.
We'll see what happens. Now, you gotta call cool. Hello, you're on the air nine the ball. Who's this? Yeah? Oh wait, wait, Hello, you're on the air nine in the ball.
Hi, Steve, this is done.
Hey Don, how are you?
I'm good. I just it's just funny to hear Jay talk and a lot of other people too about giving Tommy a pass in what sense? In what sense?
Yeah, if he if he doesn't get to a certain point.
He's nowhere near the hot seat. He comes, he comes, he's he's you know, instead of instead of coaching the game, he's watching the crowd and the timeout festivities at fog Allen. And then, uh, you know, he crumbs the program. He crumbs McHale, you know, and he acts like he built it. You know, he was given the keys to the Cadillac, and uh, poor ol Brannan is taking the bus.
Was it a Cadillac or was it a broken down vehicle? Because Sean did not have a running Sean did not have a running At the end of his coaching career in Arizona.
It's been it's been competitive since nineteen eighty five. They were, Oh, no, no, I've been I've been here the whole thing. No, the program is the program.
No, No, I have to disagree with you at the end because Sean, Sean was sputtering at the end. Although although he did have the cupboard of Matherin and and Matherine and Dalen Terry, who else.
Was there at Coloco and Coloco? But we didn't know how good those guys.
So so Arizona basketball was busted down to the stone.
No no, no, no, no, no no no.
It was a yes, yes, you are time up and the other thing, Donny, go ahead and you finishing to finish?
Over you go ahead?
Okay here you I'll get off of that for a second. You were asking about people's X factors, Yes, going into the tournament, going into the Big twelve, and going into the national tournament. Now mine is Tommy Lloyd himself. In your article, Steve, he told you or he he said that he mostly did the all access for his friend that works at ESPN, right, and he made the big
old show. And then in the post in the postgame press conference, he admitted that Houston was forcing the defensive switches that Arizona was was making and getting favorable matchups for themselves, and he says, we got to own it. Well, what happened to the coach figuring out a plan to take that away from the other teamgree So he makes a show in the time out and then at the end he threw his players under the bus where he didn't he did not take the blame. It wasn't on him.
He goes, we got to own it. Well, you know what, he needs to own that part. And that's the part that gets me that Tommy gets a pass because Arizona wasn't busted down. Arizona wasn't UTEP basketball, which can rise up and be competitive at any moment, just like New Mexico. If Lude had gone to New Mexico, that that's where you know, we'd be, where they'd be where we are now.
H You know, I kind of agree with this point of the of the of the showmanship on the TV and asking the guys to to be or to close out. Yet he didn't have the plan or this. They didn't execute it for whatever reason, they just didn't and and done to the point of Houston's pretty damn good, you know, pretty damn good.
So you are taking I'm not taking anything away from Houston because they are good. Our guys are good too, But for us to go you know, it goes back to the this team not defending the three the three point shots. Oh geez, let's see from since when. No, No, you remember, You're right, you know, and it's it's like, how how how has it been so long?
Yeah?
That or Or is the big well just too good to defend the Three. No, you're right that he hasn't figured that out. I mean he's the coach, he's the one that's supposed to make the plan done.
Let me say this, you are one hundred percent right. If they lose Friday, I'm not defending the three. Shame on them because they had thirty games to figure that out. I totally agree with you. And if they lose down the road too, that's one of the things they need to stop. To your point, I totally disagree. Agree with you, hold on.
And the thing I agree with is this team is good enough to beat just about anybody, maybe except for Houston, because that's.
Almost in the mind now.
But I mean, do we play them. I was gonna call in earlier in the week and I was gonna say, there's no such thing as a moral victory. Yeah, you played really good list last weekend. Yeah, even in that loss to Houston, Arizona played really good. Yeah, And it would have been if we if they could have figured something out here and there, you know, a turnover one you know, one or two turnovers last or getting you know,
or or something you know. Okay, Houston, Houston misses a couple of two more shots and maybe that game falls different, and who knows what happens.
Okay, So let's go back.
To your supert closer to Houston than the record.
Oh, I don't disagree with you, don't. Just they're right there, and like you said, after the first last one, they paid here. They've worked on this eleven years right, Arizona's four years into it. Eventually it'll happen, But who knows when we're gonna check some What was the Shawn's last couple of years.
So in the twenty twenty twenty twenty one season, there was the COVID season seventeen to nine, the one work got canceled at the end because of COVID twenty one and eleven, the last full season seventeen and fifteen.
Yeah, so I think you're trying to rewrite history. Done and all due respect, you're trying to run At the end of his his tenure, they were sputtering, and it wasn't a pretty sputtering. It was other things off the court and all that stuff as we know it.
And it was the off the court stuff, which when when when that stuff came out, it was somebody told me, they're going, why would why would DeAndre Ayton come to Arizona. Something's fishy because Sean Miller is not a big He's not a big man coach, you know.
Well, I mean I was, I was at that point in time.
No, I hear you. But he was also a good, good recruiter, you know, to a certain degree.
But the thing is, to your point, a good recruiter, and it's stunk and and maybe all that outside stuff. I mean, I'm sure you know he was looking over his shoulder and his and his attention was divided, which we know that when Sean Miller, Sean Miller is, he wants to be on the court. He wants to be on the court, you know, And and that and I just I just think that the program is still the program, and the program and everything that it entails. McHale's Center,
the history, all of that counts for something. All of it counts for something. And how good was Tommy Lloyd's first season with Sean Miller's leftovers.
That Sean Miller, that Sean Miller wasn't underachieving. Sorry, that's Sean Miller was under a teeming with Dalen Harry was nowhere close to the NBA. Christian Cloco was nowhere close to the NBA or even being a playable in terms of Star Wars.
I'll back up, it's not it was.
Hold on, hold on, hold on, and.
On.
Ben matherm wasn't a lottery bank.
I don't understand your point.
Done only and are you trying to defend Sean or trying to to to rag on Tommy.
I'm trying to defend the program. And how much credit the program.
Brings to the table.
This isn't just it's not just Tommy, but.
Who builds the program?
Just Tommy?
Who builds the programs?
So so continue So so what you.
Guys are So what you're trying to what you're trying to express to me, is it Tommy built this thing from the stuff?
No, no, no, no.
What I do.
What I'm saying is is I don't agree with that, and he's still acts that way.
No, Yukon was an elite program. They were broken down. They were not the Yukon of old. And then all of a sudden, Dan Hurley comes in. Win's back back national championships. They're back where they were, Donny.
The average price in this town is what the house maybe, let's say four to fifty, just average. Okay, So Temmy inherited a house that was like a two seventy five and needed some work, and now he's got it to about four fifty. It's he had to work with this. There's no question he did some pretty good players.
But guess what to.
Choice point, Sean wasn't doing anything with this team. You ever did you ever did a hot women woman?
Donny? You know how difficult that is?
Yeah?
Yeah, No, No, he's saying. You know what I'm saying is all I'm saying is is Tommy dude didn't do everything.
No, no, no, but he did.
Kay were there the whole time. He said, he's in his fourth year and he doesn't have it sold out. Okay, we go as far as seats goes, We're going back to nineteen eighty five. Oh no, we didn't get sold out until sewn until Shawn Elliott graduated high school. Shohn Elliotts freshman year was the first year they were sold out.
We gotta go.
We gotta go, but we'll have this discussion next week. Promise we aim out the next two days. Thank you, done, thank you,
