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