This is I on the Ball with Steve Rivera and Jag and Salad Sound Fox
Sports fourteen fifty powered by Nova Insurance Services and Sure Your Most Prized Possessions katz
R two SA at iHeart Radio Station. Yet Hey, welcome back, Good
afternoon everybody to Eye on the Ball. I'm Steve Rivera. You're Jigginsauce got
a guy? What the hell is your name? I don't even know what
is my name? Do you have to sing them today? No, let's
not sing. We'll screw there. Is your birthday? How old are you
about? Forty twenty three? Twenty three? Oh? Man, you're too
old for the NFL, because that's why they don't want to That's why they
don't want to draft Michael Pennix because he's twenty four years old. Twenty three.
Man, Oh the things I didn't do with twenty three twenty three?
Were you married? You got it, Jimmy, I got to come came
here. I was twenty three when I first arrived in duc. Yeah,
skinny little kid, hoping to Michael Jordan. Well, and then you'll sell
them this is all funny, you share. I'll be here three years and
then go to a bigger market right exactly then, but it's it's a great
place to live, you raise kids, and and why why you cover one
of the best programs in the country basketball wise specifically, and then football we'll
see, but welcome everybody to a great show. We think on Monday,
a lot of hoops today, right, a lot of hoops, a lot
of hoops. Michael De Corsi from The Sporting News put out a call in
this morning that, uh, you know, Steve's on one side of it.
I'm on the other talking about not having a lot of trust in Arizona
or just you know, having some with Arizona as with purdueing some others based
on their recent history. And so we thought would give him a call,
and he's going to join us at uh at uh at the in the first
segment, our first hour, and we'll just talk to him, you know
what he thinks. And he explained to it pretty well. But I think
we've got some more questions about why he's why he suggested and I get it,
I mean I understand, yeah, I mean, I understand why you
have trust iss I'm just saying that what I you know, I'm starting to
see and what I think I saw on Saturday certainly was if that team that
played on Saturday can win a National champions Well you've heard this that you were
at the game, maybe so, so you hear this all the time.
Okay, they play, they play out of their minds. I played very
well. This is well, and I'm sure you heard this about ten times.
If they play like this, no one's gonna beat them. And then
okay, conversely, if they don't play like this, right, if they
play one game not like that, I'm not wishing they're not winning the next.
So it's as easy as that. No, not as easy as that.
Well, yeah, it's the team that does that six times in a
row. Sure, right, sure, and and and look, you know
again, let's not forget that. You know, Arizona went into the went
into the NCAA Tournament ninety seven on two game losing streak. Right, they've
just been swept. So Stanford in the Bay Area went in on two game
losing streak and put together well even their first game, they don't be around
game wasn't a great game, but after that they played really well. I
swear to whomever I need to swear to that first game is when they won
the title. Yea. They were down by nine with about a few minutes
think it was just like four minutes, and then mc miles in Jason Terry
saved them. And then of course the the Kansas game and then the overtime
games, the time game. So they just I mean, they obliterated North
Carolina in the in the final four. Okay, so you use as an
example, let's go to ninety eight. They're playing right along, kicking the
crop out of everybody, and then boom and boom they laid an egg and
then what egg? And they were bounced by by a team that took advantage
of Utah saw them and said, let's come on, guys, I mean
yeah, and you can lead it from the other side, you know.
You look at that that twenty eleven team, and Duke goes into the sweet
sixteen, the number one seed. Everybody thought they were your natural champion.
Kyrie Irving's their point guard. Arizona comes out of nowhere, you know,
and and and beats them and beat a handley that day. So it's it's
again, it's matchups. It's you know, where's your head when you get
into get into the situation, and and that's how that's how you figured out
and some team we keep saying it, I keep saying it, some team
is going to get hot and win it. Sure, sure, just like
last year. I mean last year, nobody going in. I don't know
who thought Yukon was the national champion. No, no, we'll see,
we'll see. Uh. So we look forward to talking to Michael uh And
then in the second hour more poops. I found a dude who who talks
to bracketology, does his own bracket has pretty good with it, pretty consistent.
I know this because he was with Camp Bob Kemp on his show and
I think, oh, maybe we can get him on. And he's he's
fine. He's on the East coast. What's it called. He's got a
bracketwag dot com. His name is Shall Shelby Mass. He's like anything like
that. He's another guy that Melkyle. But he but he's the you know,
he's the official bracketologist for us A Today. So he's got some he's
got some cred. So he's not you know, he's not just a guy
who came up with a bracket website and and we and we called him.
He actually, you know, his his bracket is what USA Today uses,
so so will you know, he's got some knowledge and so we'll talk to
him and cool and you can go to his website bracketwag dot com. Today
he had Arizona on the two line too, but he's got him as the
top two seed. They're they're teetering right there. They are the four or
five six right in that line because of North Carolina Tennis, North Carolina and
Tennessee. You know, I watched North Carolina the other night, and you
know the Tennessee Saturday, they look pretty, they look good, damn good.
Yeah, you know I watched Auburn. Auburn looked really good and and
so you know it's there's a there's a bunch of teams in there. Once
you get once you get pass I think even you might even start to say
that, you know, Houston barely won the other night. You might even
start to say they're showing a little bit of a well. Once you get
past u Kond of Purdue, there are about six teams that fit in there.
I don't know if if you have shows like this, you know,
all the respective sites that you just said that they have trust issues too with
their teams teams, because we don't know what they know about their team.
I think we do about you know, with the trust issues we know w
Purdue because because we've seen them fade, we've seen them fade. They flamed
out the last two years. Well with Zach just what some showing Purdue was
thinking Arizona the same thing. Yeah, you don't say it's the same.
It's the same resume. Arizona doesn't have Zach ed right, which is you
know, how did fairly Dickinson handle him last year? How did he do
that? It's we saw what he did against Arizona. He was unstoppable,
you know. And then the guards, well you got to make sure that
somebody else doesn't beat you, and their guards beat Arizona, and then that's
how we found out that they needed to be better on defense, right,
right, And the officiating whenever you play for due is always going to be
really important. If your BIG's getting foul trouble the earliest possible time they can,
you're gonna be in it for a long while, right, And it
depends on what they're gonna call. Like in the game on Saturday with with
with Arizona Umar, right, the guy's backing into him. Umar is just
you know, shoving him and shoving him and shoving him. A couple of
times, they called him a couple of times they didn't. I'm like,
okay, how do you decide whether you're gonna call the fill on Umar there
or not? Right? Because I mean they were going at it. I
mean, Umar was putting forearms in the guy's back, and you got to
call it a couple of times, then a couple of times he didn't get
a call, and I didn't understand what what makes you make the call?
Yeah? Well that was a great game and a great week, a issue
in Oregon. And guess what here we are with two final regular season games,
right, Arizona must win both to win the title pack twelve regular season
title maybe well Washington, Washington States, that have to be Washington, well
at home? Right, Yeah, I mean yeah, you never know,
you never know, but still then you never know. I still think that
guy's day's game for Arizona's gonna be a tougher one. Email got guys,
they've be like guys, they don't they're not playing like the god guys.
The question is, right, have they quit? Are they mailing it in?
They're not going to n Cuba Tournament there. I mean, I don't
even think they want to play in the n I t It's they wanted to
be over with. Yeah, but remember this is a team that had Arizona
pretty bad in the first well. And and the thing is, if you're
if you're a player at u C l A and you have any pride in
your body whatsoever, and Arizona's coming to town with a chance to win the
PAC twelf Tournament PAC twelve Championship, You're gonna You're gonna give it all you
have. The question is will that overtake whatever other feelings they have about their
season? Are they gonna come out ready to player they come out and say
screw it, I just want I just want this to be over. But
if Pauli is never attended, well attended, this is the game that they
show up waiting for. Yeah, this is Arizona brings up the stars in
La and a lot of U A fans out in La too for And then
Saturday, who knows with the with the lebron and o'bronni and and and get
to give and said so and look forward to all that. The women's team,
the women's team, Oh we did we talked about No Friday, was
it Friday, Saturday? Thursday, the Thursday night they got beat, it
was a game they should have won. And then then Saturday you could just
know it was the clock struck twelve for those guys. That was you know,
I mean Ucla went out to what a thirteen to nothing lead, and
Arizona was just never never had a chance. Uh. They looked they looked
fatigued. Yeah, they looked I'm not gonna say uninspired. They just look
like, this is a bad This is the last place I kind of want
to be right now, because you know, it's been such a grind for
them. It's kind of like, okay, let's let this happen. Their
seed is locked in for the packed off tournament. Not that I think anybody
was thinking about that. They wanted to beat Ucla, but it was like,
okay, let's just get past this and you know, take a break,
get into the into the packed off tournament and and go from there.
And I think that's what that's what they did. But they were just they
never had a chance. So they played adomobile. They played Wednesday night,
right the first night, and then if they win there, they have a
chance at USC one more time. They played Wednesday night at seven against Washington.
Yeah. Yeah, so maybe win a couple of their maybe they get
in into the tournament. But we'll see what happens with him. Anything else,
a lot of state championships. Maybe we start talking to kids or high
school or high school coaches. This week, Yeah, tomorrow. I think
I think we're gonna get Mike Bibby. So that'll be fun. I'd be
fun. He saw that middle last week. I want to see how he
thinks he would have fit in here. I think I think Bibby with this
team, Uh, that's all they need, you know what, all they
need? You just got, you just got. You gave goosebumps to a
bunch of Arizona fans just now because kind of really he would be the guy
that kind of that's what they need that is missing. Like, so we'll
talk to him, I'm hoping tomorrow. I spoke to him over the weekend.
So anything else Now. I watched a lot of college basketball this week.
It was it's like, you know, I had some stuff to do
on Saturday, but it was around the house, so I just put games
on all day long. Did you watch the Ziggs? I did not watch
that. It looked good by that time. By that time, I was
kind of I was kind of done. I watched late. It was like
yeah, because I mean I started watching, you know, I watched,
uh, watched that Creighton game, a bunch of that Creighton game. They're
good and uh. And that was on Saturday. But then I had the
I had the I had the Arizona game, the men's game, and then
came back and watched some more basketball for that. I watched a bunch of
basketball yesterday. I was watching Nebraska and Nebraska. Who did Nebraska play?
I watched Nebraska Rutgers Steve they need the Nebraska's Nebraska is a surprisingly good in
a weird way. Yeah, uh so, so a lot of basketball.
It's march mane. I watched Stanford Colorado last night. I saw that horrible.
They're horrible. I watched that game and it was one of those games
too where I thought, watching two teams do really bad things, you know,
you go, how is either team going to win this game? And
then Tristan de Silva went off in the second half and then he had like
five or six three pointers in the second half of Colorado, and then they
blew them out. And then I thought I got today. I came and
I thought, how the hell it's Stanford bed Arizona. I don't care where.
I don't care if it was in two the coaches backyard. Scanford's not
a beating Arizona two times in a row. Just so, I think you
hit the nail on the head with the word can. I wrote about it
two weeks ago, a week ago with Washington State matchups. If they find
a team that plays slow, methodical, has a big man and a nice
guard, Arizona is that's sir, Kryptonite. It's been the cryptite forever.
Slow them down, and guess what happens in March. Teams start to slow
down, they pay some stims because you got six attempts at that apple,
well, you know, six bytes and if you miss the bite, your
teeth get lodged in there, you get screwed. I think I think it's
I think it's gonna be a fun tournament, you know again, and thinking
about last year, you know when all these teams came out of nowhere,
Yeah, you know, to get into the final four. Yeah, I
don't know that it's gonna be like that, because I think I think the
teams that are sitting there at the top right now one are aware, right
that they should be, that they have to be at their best every single
game. You know that that a team like a you know, a San
Diego State or an fau or or Miami Florida, they're lurking out there.
Yeah, well, you've been to enough or tournaments. All sounds good.
Instance, it sounds good. It doesn't work that way because you go into
the gym and there's this feeling like like we watched last year. I think
Virginia lost. You saw Purdue La lose, and you're thinking, okay,
Arizona saw that another ready, right, you see that that's not gonna happen
to us, and then it happens to them. You know who among Arizona
fans is not thinking about the fact or is thinking about the fact that,
you know, assume Arizona is the number one seed, even if they're a
number two seed, that they're going to the Huntsman Center at Utah where they
lost to Santa Claira Santa Clara, So Claire. That has not been a
kind place to Arizona. You know, that's where they lost in the sweet
sixteen to Kansas, anythink right? Uh? Oh no, I mean not
in the lead eight that Kansas game in the Jason Gardner So you would you
were good? You went. I went to Anaheim in the ninety eight.
Ataheim was that year. It was St. Clara though has been another common
place. It was Wisconsin. They lost to Wisconsin in the first in the
second round there. Yeah, oh that's what it was, right yep.
So back in two thousand as the number one's next one, number one overall
seed. Yeah, so we'll see Salt Lake. Be carever what you wish
for. So let's go and get to morrow. Let's take our break.
Mike of course he'll be joining us from the Sporting News and uh yeah,
if you got if you got five minutes before he comes on, read his
column that you can you can search him on Twitter or something like that,
and he wrote a column that pretty much involved Arizona. So, uh,
stick around, we're gonna ask him about all of that. Be right back.
Make the right choice for your home when it comes to windows and doors.
For more than twenty years, the Window Depot has provided the best price
and biggest inventory on in stock windows and doors. The window Depots open to
the public. So whether you're a homeowner or a contractor, you can shop
the enormous warehouse. Browse the shelves with over one thousand vinyl windows, interior
and patio doors, and skylights and several varieties and sizes available to go home
today shop the window Deepot dot com or find a location near you the Window
Depot Best price, biggest inventory. Steve Rivera here to talk about Dorato Rock
Materials. I needed a lot of gravel for my driveway, so I called
Eric at Dorato Rock. He found out the amount and color I needed and
boom, it was taken care of and at a great price. How do
I know radio commercials work. I heard one of his on the radio.
Dorato Rock Materials provides a wide range of landscaping materials, including decorative rock,
boulders, gravel, soil, and sand for residential and commercial use in the
Tucson area. They are locally owned and have been around for more than fifteen
years. Give them a call at five two zero four zero zero four two
three three. Where do you buy exercise equipment? Arizona Health Arizona Health,
Arizona Health. Of course, to feel better and look better, it makes
sense to buy your fitness equipment from the people who know it better than anyone
else. At Arizona Health, our goal is to help you choose the equipment
you need to reach your goals. Your health and fitness deserve the best you
deserve. Arizona Health the leading edge and exercise equipment on twenty second just west
of will Not It's twenty twenty four, a new year, and it's time
to think of recognizing your employees, salespeople, managers, team members and agents
with a Creative Award for the great job they did in twenty twenty three.
Come visit Creative Awards beautiful showroom with over one thousand items to choose from.
Creative Awards is located at two to twenty eight West Rackman Street and Tucson,
Or visit Creative Awards website at Creative Awards az dot com. At Nova home
Loans, we believe everyone deserves the opportunity to enjoy the independence that comes with
home ownership. Paul Volpi is ready to help you find an option that best
fits your needs. Whether you're a first time or veteran home buyer, or
want to get cash out with the refinance. Nova has a variety of home
loan programs to meet your unique situation, visit voltepeteam dot com. That's Volpe
team dot com or call five two oh SIXE eight five six two six today
in MLS three oh eight seven Arizona b K nine two nine four two equal
housing opportunity Now to commitments to Lyndrix syncredit rates and available loan programs of subject
to change the U numbers. Did you know sports cards that memorabilia are setting
records sales last month of nineteen fifty two, tops Mickey Mantle sold for twelve
point six million. Lebron James Rookie so for five point six Also, collecting
cards is a family fun hobby that can be very profitable. If you want
to start a collection or expand your collection, check out Showtime Cards. They
are one of the leading card shops in the country and have served our local
community for twenty five years. They are located on e Speedway. That's show
Time Cards. Oh, how road trips hit different when you borrow better with
one rate? The one Rate Auto Loan Program is a quick and easy process
for affordable auto financing, one rate for everyone else, So ready to hit
the road. Vote for details or to apply for your one rate autolone today
visit Pyramid FCU dot com slash one rate. Pyramid Federal Credit Union is an
equal opportunity lender federally insured by NCUA. And it's that time of year,
Summer in Tucson. Time to take control with temperature control for all your air
conditioning needs. Will keep you cool during all the hot streaks. All you
have to do is stay in control with temperature control where we handle everything you
need with prompt response, affordable pricing, and sound solutions. We also excel
in plumbing and electrical work. We handle everything you need. Give us a
call at five two oh eight, one five, five six sixt five or
visit our website at tempdash con dot com and remember, stay in control with
temperature control. Need concrete, hard Works Concrete has it. We have more
than twenty five years of experience with all things concrete. Installing sidewalks and patio
floors are our specialty and handle masonry work and retaining laws locally and family owned.
Just let us know what you need, how you want it, and
we'll take care of it. Leave the hard work up to us. We're
Hardworks Concrete. Call us at five one, two nine six' to two
five six six zero, or visit our website Hardworksconcrete dot com. We'll put
the work in for you. Gut bugs, termites, bees, or rodents,
Arizona Pest Control will hunt them down. Arizona Pest Control is your complete
desert pest management specialist. Tests can't run or hide from Arizona Pest Control.
They use only the latest and most technologically advanced methods of pest elimination available,
which minimizes the effects on the environment. Let Arizona Pest Control get rid of
your bad bugs, termites, bees, or rodents. Serving Tucson and Southern
Arizona since nineteen forty seven. Go to azypest dot com to schedule your free
evaluation today. Steve Rivera and Jacin Saliz they have their Eye on the Ball
on Tucsons Sports stage jet Fox Sports fourteen fifteen streaming live on the iHeartRadio.
Hey, welcome back to I on the Ball here Fox Sports fourteen fifty.
I'm Steve Rivera. He's Jakin Zaws. Now on the phone. We have
Mike de Corsi from the Sporty News, longtime writer from the Sporty News.
How you doing, Michael, I am doing well, Steve, how are
you. I'm doing fine as well, but I have reservations just like you.
I read your calling today about the Arizona basketball team, and they give
me the hebgb's two. I didn't use the word hebgb's, but I like
it. Well, you did use trust I have. I've been talking about
trust with this team. I don't know whether to believe in him or not.
I think that compositionally there's a lot there. Yea. They have great
size with follow and obviously a dynamic score in Caleb Love. And I've liked
Tylan Boswell's talent from the first time I saw him last year with the Wildcats
and wondered at times last year if they might not have had more success in
March if he were given more of the ball. And I know that he's
been a little inconsistent at times this year, but I still do trust his
talent. I believe in it. But you know, everybody's got to grow
as a player at their own pace. You know, Michael, we all
know what happened last year with Princeton, and then you know they were a
number one seed lost in Sweet sixteen. But does any of this trust they'll
go even beyond that, you know, the Loud Olson years, the Sean
Miller years, you know that that Arizona is just a team that has a
reputation of you know, not meeting expectations in the tournament. Well, for
me, it doesn't work like that at all, because I that's not my
you know, my job isn't to go by feel or reputation or anything like
that. I don't worry about that. I mean, like for Purdue,
I mean, what they've done recently has an impact because several members of the
team that are trying to fight through that are members of the team that lost
to Fairley Dickinson last year or that lost to Saint Peter's the year before,
So that matters. But what happened under Sean Miller, which honestly they I
mean, they were one shot away from the final four three times, so
I don't think it was that bad. And of course lut won it and
was probably one shot the way from the final four three or four other times,
and did make the final four on multiple other occasions. So I don't
think of Arizona as an underachieving program. No, I don't buy that.
So you talk about boswell, what other things concern you, or do other
things concern you? Well, you know, the only thing that really you
know, from like I said, from a compositional standpoint, I don't look
at them and say they don't have this. I don't look at them as
a team that is lacking in a specific area where you would need in order
to win a championship. Or they've got the top twenty offense and defense.
They've got guys who are significant talents. Do they have a first round pick.
I'm not sure whether that's true or not. That may be where ultimately,
you know, they may not be quite talented enough, even though they
have really very good college players. You know, they have terrific college players.
Catle Loves averaging nearly twenty points a game. We know what Umar can
do, Keishaw Johnson is contributing so much. So they may not have quite
enough talent to win at all. I think that's something that still could be
determined. But from a standpoint of roster and the way they play, they
have the ingredients. They shoot the basketball really well. They're seventeenth in the
country in three point percentage, and that's obviously an important component. Now,
you've always had to have somebody who can break down a defense. If you
don't have that, you can't win at all. It's just not possible.
Because you get into the NCAA tournament, especially the deeper rounds, and opponents
have you so well scouted. They spend days, they don't eat, but
they don't sleep, and they just watch every out of tape and they have
you so picked apart, and they do their best to communicate that to the
players. And what ends up happening is that somewhere in the game and this
was true with Mike and Miles back in ninety seven, you just got somebody
that's going to go make a play they can't stop. And that's what you
have to have. And so I think Arizona has that. That's I like
a lot of the things about this team, but they keep giving us reasons
to wonder, and the Washington State home game to an extent, especially the
way it closed, even more so going to Stanford and losing, going to
Oregon State and losing. The best teams don't often do that. You're right,
yeah, And you made the point that you know when you add up
the losses and the net rankings of their losses, that you know the Arizona's
got worse losses than most. I mean, I watched Stanford against Colorado last
night and they were so bad, and I'm like, how did theirsonant to
ever lose to the to this team? You know? And I guess that's
that's a part of it. Do we tend to lean towards we think more
of the worst possible scenario as opposed to thinking of the best possible scenario?
Because the team that I saw on Saturday against against Oregon looked like a team
that could win the national championship. Well, you know, I mean,
I think that the reason you concern yourself with the worst scenario is that it
only takes one of those, right, And that's that's like if it was
a series, you'd look at the best because the best is ultimately gonna win
out, like if it was a seven game series, like in the NBA,
the best is ultimately gonna almost always going to win out. And and
so that's not true in the NCAA tournament. If you throw one of those
games out there, it hits you in the face, as it did a
year ago against Princeton. And I think that's that's the concern. I think
the team two years ago that lost in the Sweet sixteen. I mean you
saw much they struggled even in the TCU game in the second round, So
they were more beatable than these past two teams have been. So to speak,
this team in particular, there's a lot to like about it. I
don't want anybody to get me wrong about this. I mean, I think
when you have a shot blocker, and you have a creative guard who can
take the ball to the lane, and you have excellent three point shooting and
you defend, which they do, then you have a lot of what you
need to do well in the tournament. But you have to find that level
of consistency well. And let's go there to the guy who guides them in
Tymy Lloyd. You know, third year has won a lot of games,
but as you pointed out, and lost in the sweet sixteen, lost in
the first round. Now he still has stuff to prove. Yeah, I
think until you do it, it's always a question, and usually the best
coaches do it, even if it starts slowly, even if there are times
when you say that's not matching the seed in the early stages. Ultimately the
better coaches do that, and I think that will happen for Tommy. It's
just a question of when that time arrives. Does it arrive this year?
Probably, but not definitely. Until it happens, it's I don't question him
as a coach. Goodness, this is the third consecutive year he's produced a
championship level team. I don't question him as a coach at all. But
there is the question of getting it done in that tournament is different than than
performing on a week to week basis, as he has excelled three consecutive years.
Now that's a different deal. And like I said, I don't have
any doubt that at some point he's going to cross over that river. But
it's just a question of when that happens. Do you do you have any
ideas on teams that Arizona needs to watch for. And I'm talking more in
the early rounds, not necessarily the first round, because that's just a crapshoot.
You know, somebody shows up and beats you. You're you're not going
to get beat in the first round. But that's not going to happen to
this team. A second round. I'm not worried about that at all.
Right, a second round team or a sweet sixteen team, the kind of
matchup that they would really want to avoid. I think it might be somebody
that that pressures the basketball because although I like Kyland's talent, I'm the one
thing I don't know that yet I'm in love with is his ball handling ability.
I think he's I think he's a really good I think he's got very
good vision, and he's certainly a fine shooter. But I'm not one hundred
percent sold on him in terms of like if he were playing in the Big
Ten and they had to play Penn State, which is a pressure oriented team.
It's the first team that comes to my mind because I work at the
Big Ten Network and I see it every week, and so that I'm not
saying that Penn State would beat them. I'm just saying a team that plays
in that vein, and I don't know, I mean, how many other
teams in the tournament will do that at I don't know how many teams that
are in the tournament that do that will wind up in Arizona's neighborhood. So
I think it's hard to say for sure, but I think that, you
know what, I think that one of the teams they need to look out
for would be Gonzaga, because Gonzaga is probably you know, there's a shot
that they would be in the West. I mean because either Kenzaga or Saint
Mary's is probably going to get put in the West because of preference. And
I think the team that earns that will be the one that prevails in the
in the West Coast Tournament next week. And so they're good enough to bother
to bother Arizona. They've got size, they've got a terrific point guard in
them, hard, they've got guys who can make shots now, and they
have some confidence after really not having much for the first half of the year.
And that's a team that right now I have as a seven. If
Arizona were to fall to it too, that would be a problem. It
wouldn't be a problem if Arizona. If Arizona's a one, they won't see
Gonzaga until the regional final because if if I'm wrong, I may be wrong
that Gonzaga is a seven, but I don't think they'll be in an eight
nine game. I don't think they put a team with Gonzaga's metrics and an
ability in an eight to nine game, and dare them to be the number
one seed. I just can't That's that's not the way you protect. The
number one seeds are there to be protected. That's why you make them number
one seeds. And why why you would put a team that's in the high
teams in the in the net and ken palm and that has Gonzaga's level of
ability in an eight to nine game. I just can't buy that. Well,
you sure stirred the juices with two song people. They've been waiting for
a Gonzaga game. They cannot get what they wished for here exact. Let's
go through the rest of the So we got about four minutes about the rest
of the league. Are we going to see what we saw last year with
so many people, so many teams from out of the blue planes well and
get into the final four. I don't think it'll be like that because I
because I really believe in Yukon and Purdue to an extent at least to make
the final four. I really believe in Yukon a lot. Houston is going
to be hard for whoever plays them. And as I said, I think
I trust Arizona less than the three I just mentioned, but way more than
most of the other teams. I think that we'll see some of those teams
get there. I mean last year that basically all the one cleared out and
went home, uh and left at the Yukon and San Diego State and the
rest. I think we'll see some measure of teams that are in the protected
seed category one, two, three, four. I'll be surprised that there's
too much in the way of intrusion on that top group. Who would be
who would we be surprised. Let's say, look, you know you're purdueing
in Yukon aside that pitched them aside. But after that, which team would
would you be surprised to see flame out? Early? Wow? I would
be surprised the Houston flame out. I wouldn't be surprised to see Houston losing
to Sweet sixteen level because I worry about the way they're composed offensively. A
lot of people look past how teams are built and just look to results.
But this is a team that is first of all, they're really aggressive on
defense. That a good team, not every good team, but some good
teams can turn that to their advantage. If they break the traps, they
can make it happen for themselves and then the second thing is that Houston's offense
comes primarily from their guards, and I can't remember a team that's won a
national championship by featuring two small guards who are their primary offensive options. Jamal
Sheded and LJ. Cryer are fantastic, and I would take one of them
on my team every day of the week, but I'm not sure that I
want two of them. I don't know that that's the best combination to win
a championship. So that's the team I could see losing when we get to
playing. Let's just say Creighton's in their region, I could see Creighton taking
them out. Well, well, yeah, there's a lot of those teams.
Outside of like Jay said, there's the four you know, four or
five Maybes or kind of definite maybees. The rest of it's who knows,
the Creightons, the Iowa States, the Kansas if they get lucky. There's
so many of those two. Absolutely, I mean, Kansas on its best
day, when they can hide the fact that they're still basically a five man
team, can I mean, they have played with everybody in the country,
and when they've been a little limited either by one of the players being absent,
has happened with Kevin mccullor recently, or somebody doing a great defensive job
on someone like Dickinson, which happened over the weekend against Baylor. Then all
of a sudden, they don't I mean, they need all five guys to
go, because first of all, they don't have anybody behind them. Second
of all, they can't convince Dewan Harris he's allowed to shoot. I mean,
they just can't get him to do it. I mean, he's a
very capable shooter, but he won't do it. And as long as that's
the case, it limits them even more than they already are. Well,
Mike, we appreciate your time. We'll probably see you somewhere along the road.
If not of the road, we'll see you in Phoenix. I would
love that. I will look forward to it very much. Steve, it's
great to talk to you. Thank you. Mike de Corsi appreciate you.
Thanks much, Mike, thanks very much from the Sporting News Mike de Corci.
Be sure to read him. If you can't find him, just google
Mike de Corsi for the Sporting News. I really liked when you saw this
column this morning. You pointed out to me I liked because you don't reuse
the word trust that you've been using, and you use it in the first
first sentence exactly. I wanted to ask him which team, not Houston,
U can't, Purdue Tennessee or Arizona, what he picked to definitely get into
the final Yeah, and that way bracket I've already got used to ending at
the sweet sixteenth. I got that from you, O good confromation. Right,
all right, let's take our break or we'd come back. We'll take
your calls five two zero, four, one, six, seventy four,
forty give us a call. We're talking basketball all day today, so would
love to hear from you. We'll be right back. If you're an Arizona
men's basketball fan, you know it's been successful for nearly forty years. Now
take a look back at the Ludolsen era. In my new book, Lessons
from Loot. It was a labor of love through the eyes of twenty five
former players, coaches, and friends to give insight to the coach and the
man who led them, competed against them, and inspired them. Twenty five
chapters for his twenty five years as Arizona's beloved coach. Lessons from lut is
an insight to how he built the program into a national powerhouse. What one
email me at Steve dot RIVERA ninety five at gmail dot com. Hi,
this is formal while get Leman Huntley with Arizona Health imagine how home GM can
change your health, your comfort, and your time. Arizona Health is everything
you need to transform your personal space and your life. We off a complete
line cardio machines, multi gms and freeway equipment. I'll certify fitness experts and
technicians will set you up with the right equipment and training to get you started
to keep you going. Visit our shureroom today at twenty second in Wilmot.
Arizona Health the lead edge and exercise equipment. What's your goal a new career
or career advancement? How about transferring to a four year college. PEMA Community
College can help you make someday today and reach your goals affordably on your schedule.
With over one hundred programs to choose from and financial laid available, it's
time to earn the degree or certificate you need to prepare for the career you
want. PEMA offers free career exploration classes so you can choose the field that's
right for you. Learn how at PEMA dot edu, slash Someday State up
spring us here and so are the allergies. I'm Janay Arenas and if you're
a mom like me, you're concerned about how clean the air is that your
family is breathing. That's why we offered duct cleaning, aerosaled duct ceiling and
air purification. Call us at Picture Rocks Cooling at five two zero four four
zero four zero six nine. Your family deserves to breathe clean, healthy air,
kick your rocks, doing, cheating and coming. Do you want to
be part of a winning team. A Team Security is looking for friendly,
outgoing event security guards and event staff to be a part of our team.
We've been providing our outstanding services to some of Arizona's biggest sporting events and concerts
for over twenty years. We want you to join the action. A Team
offers a fun and exciting opportunity to work in the sports and entertainment industry,
with flexible schedules that are perfect for those looking 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 teamsecurity dot net. Extreamly live. I mean,
iHeartRadio app. This is I on the Ball with Steve Rivera and Jay Goozalez
on Fox Sports fourteen fifteen. Hey, welcome back to my on the Ball
here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera, He's jacins oas got
a guy birthday boy, Kevin and today for fifteen minutes. If you like
to call us or give Kevin a happy birthday, just do it by to
zero four one, six seventy four and you can if you if you come
over to this too, you can join us on our pin the tail on
the Donkey game that we're gonna happen. We are. I have no time
for that. You ever play that? Yeah? Do it right? You
know what it is in elementary school? You know what it is? Yeah?
Yeah. Did you do your homework with Donna Summer? I did.
Actually. On the way over here, I was listening some some hot stuff,
some some last dance. Money. You're hard for the money, then
make it the bad. Oh you got bad, girls, you got a
call, but you got it? Okay, good. Hi, you're on
the air and on the ball. Hey you guys, this is Dave.
How how are you guys? Are doing, Gave fine, How are you
doing today? I'm doing pretty good. Can we talk about Arizona's dominating women
against Oregon? Yes, so I think that was a complete game in regards
to all Arizona players. Oregon didn't have a chance to come back or make
a run into the game. And I'm just very happy that we don't need
that. We're not going to play them up in Eugene or our games or
or in twos because we finally owned them in basketball, so they should stick
to football. So anyway, Wow, gay Well again, what you said
a complete win? What did you like about it the most? I mean
what what? What made it complete for you? Island Boswell has score nineteen
points on the usual Kushat Johnston, Caleb loves Pela Lawson, Omar Bollo and
and the and the Arizona's bench. So so far, so good. They
need to uh continue. They needed to take care of business in LA and
then next week the Pactful Tournament. They need to dominate that as well.
Let me ask you one last year, this pathetic Human Sequel Matter conference,
So let me ask you one quick question, Gabe, I'm sure you fill
out the brackets. No, it's bad. It's bad. Juju Okay,
Okay, I was gonna say if you did or you I'm sure you did
that. How many times you picked Arizona to win it all? But if
you don't do it, never mind the question. I don't do it because
he's another thing. If any dumb ass politician picked Arizona to win them all,
then they should go to hell because that's gonna get Arizona because Joe Biden
did that last year and gets what they lost. You a bunch of dumbass
nerds. Okay, I wish you would tell us how you fearly feel.
But Gabe, thanks for calling us. Always spear down Arizona, go cap.
I'm glad you keep the finger on the pulse of that cuss button.
Have I have a couple of times I was eyeing it. Hey, that
was a good week too. Imagine if it would have been a bad week.
I know, I know, yeah, yeah, they yeah, they
crushed it this week. They still find the work matter Hutter Conference conference,
the Mountain West? How do you? How are you asking about the Mountain
West this year? I know we're talking. They're very good internally, but
who knows how they're gonna be I mean they got they're saying six six Mountain
West teams and you know in the tournament, but how good is their best
team? I only bring it up because some of me and my friends were
watching these Mountain West games and we're watching these PAC twelve games and we're like,
the Mountain West is better than the PAC twelve. Oh yeah, I
believe, no question. The thing is how good are they? Yeah?
And as and as we moved to the other conferences, all the Pack twelve
teams move out, Like are these Mountain West teams just gonna scoop up all
the I guess remains of all the gruits that are gonna be you know,
well, they're still going to be who they are. They're the Mountain West
and the PAC twelve, the Washington States and the Oregon States are gonna probably
end up in them. But in basketball and and there are aberrations. This
is one of those years on one offs. This could be that one off.
But they are improving, and who knows if the recruits don't want to
go to East to go play, like you know, the Arizona's the world
staying in the Mountain region that I was going to stay in the Mountain region,
but they've always kind of scrapped. New Mexico's kind of always scrapped,
but it hasn't been good enough. Uh, you know those teams Nevada under
Alfred on the collar. Hey you're on the air and I on the ball.
Hey guys, hey, you know we haven't heard anything about New Mexico
this year with Steve Rivera on the show. You have He's buried that story,
hasn't he. I didn't even realize that who's their coach? It's a
Patino Son. Yeah, Patino Son. You know I'm not in a lobo,
right, you know I'm not a Lobo. I'm gonna know that.
I said, Yeah, you're in New Mexico state team. Those I don't
know who they are. But Jay still thinks that they draw well, they
have been drawn a big crowd and it's the toughest place to buy. When
I think in New Mexico basketball, think of Norm Mellenberger and Grandpa Munster that's
in nineteen seventy three. Wow, Well, they've been good, that's for
sure. Right now. The way I'm looking at Arizona in the Big Twelve,
I'd say that Arizona would be in contention this year to win the Big
twelve. But right now I put him fourth place, you know, Houston,
Baylor, Iowa State, then Arizona. But in contention to win it
all, you know, that's what it looks like. You didn't even mention
Kansas, who could win it Kansas, Kansas running fifth or sixth something like
that. This year. Oh that's crazy too because there's a lot of a
lot of really good teams. And then final word, I found out there
will be no Big twelve network and they couldn't pull it off. And with
the Sooners leaving the conference, there was nobody with the technological knowledge to pull
it off. So there'll be no big pro network. Yeah, you're actually
game you know, the the uh, non revenue sports and games like that
that you see on the Pac twelve networks. They'll catch those on ESPN Plus.
Yeah, that's what they said. I don't know that you can get
them all because there's one there's so many teams, so you're you're not going
to get all of them, but you get some, you know, you
get some of the stuff. Some of the you know, soft softball I'm
sure will be a big, a big thing on ESPN Plus. Uh,
some baseball as well. Oh, by the way, Sooners lost their first
softball game. I saw that one straight the softball game they came back to
they came back to Tyan and then they lost it, which was crazy.
But Richard, you know what this all this does is piss them off and
they'll go on another seventy one. We hope, so we hope. So
we got to do something to pay for our new forty six million dollars softball
stadium. Just give that money back from the nil or the yeah, the
nil, Well we have a small nil though we could draw from Steve,
we have you Oklahoma's thanks for colling like sends me know. He's a good
boy from the from Oklahomas. Yes, I'm I'm kind of perusing the bracket,
the men's basketball bracket and the standing. So the way it sits right
now, Arizona would play either would play the winner of Washington Arizona State in
the first round, which I'm gonna try like either one of them. Well,
I'm not gonna like any of it because you want because I'm that Arizona
fan that thinks you can lose to anybody. That will be the late game,
right would be that that would be the first game Thursday noon. Yeah,
the number one seed plays Thursday at noon. Arizona is a two seed.
Arizona is a two seed. They're talking the winner of cal Stanford and
that would be at six. Okay, that would be So I'm pulling for
the twelve o'clock games, so I can I could do something Thursday night in
Vegas. Yeah. Reminding everybody that daylight savings time starts before the tournament this
year, so game times on the bracket are at the same time in Tucson,
right because it happens this weekend. Yeah, it happens this weekend.
No, it happens a Sunday before, right, right, Yeah, this
coming weekends. This Sunday is the Sunday before the tournament. Festival books,
it's we're all week off. Everything's been yeah everything. Yeah. So so
uh if you see if you see a bracket, those game times are also
Tucson times. Yeah, so you've got the championship game earlier than before.
It's that's sixth this year on Fox on Sunday on Saturday on Saturday. It
gives you more trouble to go out and or chance to go out and get
in trouble. What we used to do and we might still do it.
Is we leave right after the game, right and then even come straight home,
get home about three or four in the morning. That's the extra hour.
There's that. And then the Friday games are at five and seven thirty,
which is an hour earlier than before, which is this is the long
way of saying, that's why we we can't do our show there on Friday
because of all these game times, right right, So next week we're gonna
be probably be dark Tuesday Day on Monday will be our last show of the
week. Next week we'll come back and wrap it up and then depending on
how Arizona goes that that's compaending on whether we have even have shows and because
Steve will be on the road with you with the basketball nice SNI March is
a busy time, Yeah, busy time. Again, we're not we're not
radio hosts that that's all we do. We we have other stuff. So
we'll make a determination on that. But yeah, next week, a show
on Monday, and then we're off the rest of the week because we're all
we're all working at the at the Packwall Tournament, the final version of the
pac TBE Tournament as what you know. I got a little I got a
little misty eyed. On on Saturday, at the end of the game we
did last I put I put a little something on social We I always do
it the last game with my thirty fourth year at the table doing stats.
But it was the last PAC twelve home game ever, uh for Arizona.
You know, I think back to all those teams that you know, we've
done visiting teams that came through, and the next year it's you know,
it's Kansas and Houston and Baylor and all these other teams. Kevin, consume
your favor right down this day, Call and call Jay's doctor. Hard doctor.
He does have one. His doctor said there was not one to be
found exactly. I did, man, I got a little, I got
a little misty, and you know, we all kind of you know,
shook hands and knuckled and stuff like. You know, it's been a long
run for us, and then coming up the packed off tournament, last one,
it will be like, you know, I don't imagine even if even
if they moved the big tent of the Big twelve tournament to Vegas the time
or two they've got a crew. So we're done our work. Is done
after this tournament. So I'm sure I'll getting misty eyed one more time at
the at the trophy presentation for the packed off. If we're there on Saturday,
I will be there. Oh that's right, you will be there.
Okay, I'm there no matter what. You know. I thought, you
know, I was going back through the through the through the tournaments. This
is the twelfth there eleven tournament. I thought Arizonas won five, but I
thought they'd won more five. Okay, yeah, it seems like they would
have won. They won five of the eleven, but I thought they'd win
more. I thought they'd win like at least two more in Vegas, Vegas,
justin Veague. Yeah, because well you know what, because they won
a lot prior to that. But yeah, they won five. You know,
I just remember there being six times that we hated being there sat because
Arizona was gone. The crowds definitely didn't work the same. Right. Then
there was the one There was one year that they lost in the They lost
in the first round. That was a horrible way that was. That was
so I'll tell you that was nobody there. It was terrible. I'll tell
you that we can It was the Luke Walton, Jason Gardner. Year when
Jason Gardner forgot his uniform and and people were saying, okay, what wasn't
that brilliant? Wasn't that brilliant Arizona which was kind of horbling, and now
it's the number one team in the country at the time, we're number one
seat in the country, and he forgot his uniform and they said, what
a brilliant move by lout because now he don't have to play two more games,
get him rested for the week after. And of course that was not
the case. But you know people who have these theories, but you know,
I it's just it's been a great run. I'll tell you what I
don't know about you. Everybody that I that I talked to you that is
any semblance of a basketball fan is going to the turn Oh yeah yeah,
if not even to get a ticket, just to go and see. I
mean even people who you know, you know, the people have been saying,
Okay, i'll go next year, I'll go next year, I'll go
next year. They didn't go. They didn't go. They didn't go.
Oh I got your car, it's gonna be like last one out turn out.
The life so so this is my complaint. I'll see if you feel
the same way. I loved it at the MGM. I loved it at
the MGM. It was cozy, it was fun, everybody lived in the
most game action. It was crazy. And not that the T mobile is
isn't any better, but it's except that the amateur is not the same,
right because because you're you never had to leave the building, and you saw
everybody, and you saw everybody. You come out of that, you come
out of the arena, which would spill into the lob, into the casino,
and every bar was jammed with Arizona fans. They have all kinds of
fans, but mostly Arizona fans, and you ran in you saw everybody.
The way it's kind of spread out. Now, you know, some people
go parking different places. There's you know, you got that one bar and
grill and I still don't remember the name of it, but next door is
right there. You know that that fills up. But it's not that part
of it is not the same. I will say the venue is the arena
is really cool? Yeah, yeah, no question. Well it's MGM and
then the New York New York, and uh, people go across the street
to the MGM grand Yeah, so they scattered. They to me New York,
New York that one of the nights after the Arizona would win you going
to New York York the dance club, And that to me reminded me of
the Ten Commandments when Moses came down with the tablets. It was really pissed.
That's how it wasn't with Arizona fans just whooping to the It was debauchery
and at those things. And again I mean at the MGM Grant. Look,
I don't do this. I stopped doing this long time. But at
three four o'clock in the morning and I'm like, I'm looking at my watch,
I'm going, what the hell am I doing? Go to bed man?
Yeah, okay, okay, man, are you gonna see something?
I was gonna ask him about the sports bar. Yeah, well it's there,
plenty of those packed, everything packed. I'm still I'm looking very much
forward to it. This is gonna be a lot of fun. It canna
be again a little heart wrenching, you know, once we get there,
knowing that this is the last time we're doing this, gotta go out on
a bank a blast. It's been okay, alrighty man, let's take our
break. We're gonna come back. We still have right, we still have
Shelby Masks coming up. Uh. He's a bracket guy for USA today,
among others. We'll talk some some bracket stuff. You can yell at him
if he's got since he's got Arizona on the two line right now. And
then we'll take your calls and we'll ast have breakings here at the top of
the hour with birthday Kevin. We'll be right back