Speaker 1: Is Cougar Sports with Ben kretel At. It's time for
the Cougar Beat getting the dish from the local reporters
that cover Cougar athletics. Welcome back Cougar Sports one O
three nine ninety eight point three.
Speaker 2: ARSBN the fan.
Speaker 1: I've been crital broadcasting from our Vanderwelth Studios Vandawelth dot com.
Get on the free Q and A no obligation to
advance Q and A with our tax smart Wealth Advisors
are certified financial planners. Nobody does it better than vand
or Wealth vidistime for Little Cougar Beat, you get a
welcome antic Cougar Sports insider representing casel dot com and
breaking down all the newton notes of the day and
getting into the Cougar beat. Those that are on the
ground level, always talking Koug's, always covering Kougs. This segment
is going to be brought to you by Central Garage
Door Central Garage Utah dot com. Central Garage Door They've
been proudly serving Utah over thirty years now offering top
quality garage door products and services. They're skilled technicians dedicated
to delivering the fast and efficient solutions whether it's preparing
an existing door or installing.
Speaker 2: A new one. Master Authorized Club Play Dealer.
Speaker 1: They offer a wide range of garage doors to fit
your personal style in budget. Let them know I sent
your VP products, VPP service VP. Discuss Mintion, Ben Crittle
or ESP and the fan when you give him a
call eight A one six oh four two nine one nine.
That's eight one six oh four two nine one one
six oh four two nine one nine Central Garage Door.
Let's get out to the hot line. Welcome in Ballers,
shot Collar D Shan. Oh wait, he's not on the
line yet, D Shine.
Speaker 2: Walker. He's going to join us here shortly.
Speaker 1: Uh, I can't wait to Delvin del the k nooks
and crannies with my guy, Sean Walker.
Speaker 2: Sean you living.
Speaker 3: Uh up down, left? Right? Or in the current age
of college sports, I guess west is right and right
is west because we've got we've got G League players
playing college basketball. Pretty sure NFL draft picks are going
to be coming back to college football any day now.
And uh, I think Pet's heads are falling off.
Speaker 1: Then hey, those that you know, they they they feel
like there's there's two trains of thought here. Those that
are saying all is not well, all is ruined, nothing
is right, and others that are saying all is well. Look, Indiana,
just one one the national championship. Uh, you know that
you're seeing in college basketball as well as are we
seeing Wait.
Speaker 2: A second, let me let me evaluate this really quick.
Speaker 1: Are we seeing something similar in college basketball as we
are in college football where there's been a little bit
of the flipping of floppity Indiana, they're losing his team
in college football history, all of a sudden, winging Natty
oh Miss, a middling SEC team was there Miami, who
hasn't been in the in the conversation for like thirty years,
they got into the national championship game.
Speaker 2: They were a ten. Say that's almost a Cinderella's story.
Speaker 1: Sean, Are we seeing something similar in basketball or just
in football?
Speaker 3: I think you're on the right track then. I mean,
we're very much seeing the flattening of the playing, of
the flattening of the curves in college sports right now.
And it's because of a lot of changes that have
been made in recent years, namely NIL the transfer portal.
I think the rise in coaching has helped a lot,
but I think it's just helped to kind of spread
it around the left. Like, look, ten years ago, you
know we talked about the twenty twenty six twenty sixteen trend. Right,
it's all over my TikTok seat twenty sixteen. Apparently it's
the thing right now. If you go back to twenty sixteen,
what were people complaining about in college sports, it was
Alabama is winning everything. It's always two SDC teams in
the final. You can always count on one hand, you know,
three or four teams that are that are going to
be contending for championships, So maybe Ohio State occasionally jumps
in there. Now, all of a sudden, you have this
incredibly rich, diverse pool, not only a champion, three different
College Football Playoff national champions in the last three years,
all from the Big Ten. We can maybe get into
that if you want to, but you also just have
more teams that are relevant right now. You mentioned Miami,
you mentioned Notre Dame. How relevant were they getting left
out of the College Football Playoff? Right? Notreed is Notre
Dame back. I think there's an argument that they are
byu with suddenly on everybody's tongues, which you couldn't say
back in twenty sixteen, unless it was for some POI
you found as a hit and a bye word, because
you know, twenty sixteen was right before a certain season
that shall not be named, that we're not gonna talk
about on the show, right, Yeah, yeah, we're not gonna
talk about it. Don't worry, don't worry about We're not
gonna talk about it. But yeah, I mean I college
football to stay on the college football train. College football
has really never been popular. Thirty million people watched the
CFP National Championship between Indiana and Miami. That's a thirty
six percent increase from last year. That's the highest in
over ten years, since the twenty fourteen twenty fifteen season.
So yeah, like college football has never been popular, and
yet there's still people complaining about nil about the transfer portal,
about how it's ruining the sport, even though it's doing
the exact same thing that everybody wanted it to do
ten years ago, which is flatt that curve, spread out
the well, you know, push talent to more than just
the Alabamas and maybe the Georgia's and the Auto States
of the world. Like, I'm very much of the half
glass bull when it comes to college sports, and I
think it's okay to admit then, quite frankly, that a
lot of it is because guys are getting paid, Guys
are allowed to move, Guys are allowed to professionalize or
semi professionalize at least their brands, and make the players
as big as the coaches in the sport. I think
it's fine. I think it's great.
Speaker 1: Sean Walker talking some ball here on your Utah ESPN
Radio network.
Speaker 2: Let's talk about this.
Speaker 1: Let's talk a little BYU football for a minute. It
looks like not only does b YU football have Neucy
tom Wy pay you uh hopefully they get uh John time,
I pay you back right and he's elible eligible for
next year, but they got the brother, the big brother
of news, Daniel tam we pay, who's on the roster now.
Looks like he's transfered from Eastern Washington. They got a
lot of dudes in that locker room, a lot of linebackers,
but the product at of west Lake High School transfers
from Eastern.
Speaker 2: Washington to b YU. What do we know about Daniel?
TELLMI we pay you, Sean.
Speaker 1: Have you have you done any research on this particular
move from b YU?
Speaker 3: I know a little bit about Daniel. When he was
coming out of high school, he was a little bit
of a project, served a mission. I think, so he's
been out for a little while, for a little while,
right look, Yeah, if he's if he's anything like JT,
give me all the tamiyaos as possible. If he's anything
like like Noucy, give me all the TIMI payos possible.
Great pickup. And again this is another example of a
guy who, for whatever reason, wasn't on BYU's radar coming
as much coming out of high school, went elsewhere, kind
of wandered in the desert a little bit. Uh coming back.
I think it's I think it's totally signed and acceptable.
I don't I don't think there's any too big of
a problem about it. But he's excuse me, I got
some of mycro right there. But yeah, big kid, big kid,
kind of a bit of pass rush specialist. I think
it will be really interesting to see where he plays
out position wise on the YU team. Is he an
a you know, he came out of high school at
a little over six feet six one to ten. I
think it was I'm assuming he's probably a little bit
bigger than that. For some reason, his page over at
Eastern Washington is down, which conspiracy theorist guys baby to sign.
I don't know. I'm just saying, batter just got crashed.
The internet's probably crashing it.
Speaker 2: Well.
Speaker 3: Yeah, so he's a little bit of a tweener right
there between that d and outside buying backers, kind of
pass rusher spot. I don't know exactly where he fits in.
But again, give me all the time we pay as possible.
I'm totally fine taking a flyer on a guy like that,
no problem.
Speaker 2: That's what I'm saying. Yeah, give me all the time
we pay.
Speaker 1: There's no doubt about it, and we'll see what role
he'll play and what you're what he has as far
as eligibility is concerned. But I think you're right. I
think you just got back off on the mission. So
we'll see. We'll see how it plays out. Sean, it
is a basketball season. We've started off with football, obviously,
but BYU lost the U of a nail bider.
Speaker 2: I'm sure you covered it.
Speaker 1: They've had three games this season where they've fallen almost
twenty points deep in deficit and somehow work their way
back into the game and get into like a last possession.
Speaker 2: What's up with these Cardiac coops?
Speaker 1: Why is it that they are the seventieth team in
college basketball the first half and the first best team
in the second half.
Speaker 3: I think a lot of that just goes down to
one worry. We've talked a lot about it, about a
lot about it on this show, then, and that's depth.
This isn't a particularly deep team. Yes, the Big Three,
as they're being called, the break three, the Probo Power Company,
the Provo smoke Stacks, They're they're awesome. AJ, DeVonta Rob Rights, third,
Riggie Saunders. They've been great. The supporting cast hasn't always
been there. So if the Big Three shows up, this
is a great team. It's capable of hanging with anybody
in the country. All three of them showed up big
time in that second half against Arizona, but in the
first half there was some struggle. Bus rob Right didn't
shoot the ball very well from three. AJ was fine,
but he's a little bit one dimensional. It seemed like
Arizona was kind of relegating him to jump shots a lot.
He only took one or two I think two three
pointers didn't really get to the rim. Maybe as well,
if you would like two or three times, but probably
not as well as you would like. Richie struggled a
little bit in that first half, and then all of
a sudden, all three of them came alive in the
second half, and boom, you add in the likes of
Cannard Davis Junior and Alexa Kostitch who decided to make
some pretty significant shots in the second half, and all
of a sudden, this team is continuing with the number
one team of the country in Arizona. So, I mean,
that's kind of where they are. This is a little
bit of the inverse of last year's team, where I
think one of the keys to that Sweet sixteen run
was the fact that you had a deep team. Maybe
no like quote unquote big time stars in some ways,
yet Richie Sondez is there, so I guess you could
throw him in the mix. But it was a team
that was capable of going eight to nine, sometimes ten
guys deep. Right, We saw significant minutes and significant actions,
guys like Tray Stewart from the end of the bench.
This team doesn't really have that. It doesn't really have
a deep, consistent bench, or at least it hasn't shown
to so far. I think if they can find it.
If they can find that, they can get really just
about anything off the bench. This is as good of
a team as anybody in the country. It's when they don't,
they just see a little bit more of a struggle.
And I think that's largely where the handful of losses
what are we up to on the year? Three losses
on the year have come from is when that debt
is kind of really sort of weird. It's uglyhead, if
you will.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's it's something that we've been trying to diagnose
in treat this BYU basketball team. Some some are complaining
about refs, Some are complaining about free throws, some are
complaining about defensive effort. Some people are just you know,
wanting to see the brig three you know, you know,
not shooting nine to forty, right, I.
Speaker 3: Mean yeah, like like again, you've got Delonta Sanders, right,
who are all averaging double digit points per game twenty
three point six to eight point eight seventeen point four
points per game, respectively. Do you know the fourth leading
scorer on this bo human's basketball teams?
Speaker 2: Who is it?
Speaker 3: I want? I want to be Can you guess it?
Speaker 1: Know?
Speaker 3: You what I want to. I want to see I
want to be a little tribute.
Speaker 2: It is it Dawson Baker who's been in.
Speaker 3: Dawson Baker seven point five points per game through eight
games before he went out, uh midway in the.
Speaker 2: I didn't have it pulled up either. I was just like, look,
this is good.
Speaker 1: I kind of felt like it was a trick question
of like it's probably Dawson.
Speaker 3: Yeah, Dawson Baker is the fourth leading scorer on this
by U men's basketball roster. Now Cannard David Junior is
right up there seven point two points per game. But
I mean, other than that, other than that break three,
other than the prolo smokestack, You've got a whole lot
of just roleplayer minutes, you know, I think, and I don't.
I don't want to take that away necessarily from what
some of these role players can do, because I think,
like Keva Keda, for example, he's way down in the
scoring ball of six point nine points per game. Also
a team I seven point eight rebounds per game. So
like Keava's doing what he's got to do, right, He's
that rebounder, he's that red rning rit protector. He's averaging
a couple of locks per game. Like I think there
is value in role players. I'm not saying there isn't.
It just doesn't feel like there's been a guy to
really shoulder much of a load outside of that day three.
And so if there's ever a night when the Big three,
any member of those three struggle, that's when you see
the struggles continue for Byu Bassbay. I think it's a
lot more likely for something like that to happen. Then
if you have say six, seven, eight guys who can
put the ball in the bucket, you're probably going to find,
you know, three guys that are playing pretty well on
any given nights.
Speaker 1: Pretty crazy, Dawson Baker your fourth leading scorer, I mean,
after that it is Canard Davis Junior. Though Cannard is
is nipping at the heels at seven point four points
per game.
Speaker 3: I thought that was probably actually the biggest story to
come out of ULA's loft Arizona. Quite frankly then, which
Canard Davis Junior finals got a shot back a little
bit six or six and three in the second half.
We won't talk about the first half too much. Probably
doesn't want to talk about it too much, but he
really came alive to that second half, and again it
was him and Alexi Coastage hitting a couple of threes
about midway through that second half that I think really
drought the UYU back into the game. In addition, too,
obviously you want the ball in the hands of one
of your big three, probably one of your big two
in Aj and Rob at the end of that game.
But I thought I thought Mu and Alexi in particular
were really kind of the difference in leaving that comeback charge.
Speaker 1: Sean Walker, what do you got cooking for us at
ksel dot com? What are you gonna be writing about
here shortly? What have you written about recently? Tss A
little bit.
Speaker 3: Oh, we've got a little bit of everything. If you're
a BUYU fan. We're diving into well overlap season right now.
Did you guys see the YU softball pick finished sixth
in the Big twelve. I'm just kidding. We won't go
into that too much, but Big One on Saturday, b
YU Kansasday? Is this the biggest game in BYU men's
basketball history? Whoab from from an NBA draft perspective, You've
got the very likely number one and number two pick.
I won't say likely, but a very possible number one
versus number two pick in the NBA draft and up
this Saturday at fog Allen Filhouse between a j De
Bonsa and Uh and Darren Peterson. Like from an NBA draft,
from a talent perspective, from an NBA profile perspective, I
would put this game up there with any NBYU basketball
history because that has that has that really happened very
much before.
Speaker 1: I mean, I don't know how how often you've had,
you know, to one and done's, you know, going against
each other. In BOE basketball history. You have Yegor, who's
a one and done. Right, Sean Bradley was a one
and done before before Jegor came to town. Right, Sean
the original one and done after serving a mission. I
guess you could say, but he would have been a
one and done easy after the nineteen ninety one season.
But yeah, I mean, this is it's a high profile game.
I mean, obviously there's gonna be a ton of eyeballs
on this because it's AJ versus versus Darren, Right, it
is gonna be a hopefully it's a it's a scoring fest.
Hopefully it's actually entertaining a j uh. He kind of
fell short a little bit. He kind of fell short
in that u of a game, didn't shoot the ball
as well, was looking for calls, looking for fouls. I
know he's gonna come. He's gonna bounce back. There's no doubt.
It's you know, he may take this one personally like
he did the Utah game.
Speaker 3: Yeah. I mean, if there's one thing about this YU
team in general, it's it's that they take as personally.
It's it's that they bounced back. Obviously, they lost three
times on the year, but they've yet to lose back
to back games. I mean, I think that says something
about just a team that comes back. I think that
says something about a coaching staff. Kennyyam doesn't like to lose.
I think he used the pyboard. He said he was mad.
He was real mad about losing after that game. Didn't
want any part of moral victory. Is that kind of thing?
They bounced back from that Texas Tech loss with a
big win against Utai. Expect a much better effort on
the road this Saturday. This Saturday afternoon, I guess afternoon,
almost at night, Saturday afternoon and Lawrence for a pretty
significant road stretch I seen for this BYU team. Three
of the next four are on the road, Kansas, Oklahoma State,
and Baylor. You've got a top ten team in Houston
coming to the Marriott Center in between there. So these
next four games I think may help define BYU basketball
the regular season as much as any in terms of
do we slot them into the top of the conference
and to the kind of that cream of the crop echelon,
or they just sort of a nice team, a good team,
and maybe half a step behind there. Look, being a
half a step behind, if you will, the second tier
of the Big twelve is still pretty good. That's still
an NBA playoff team if we're really dragging out the
comparisons a little bit, a little bit far like that.
But I think BYU could do some damage with the
next four games to really show that they belong in
that upper echelant here in the Pig twelve.
Speaker 2: Sean Walker.
Speaker 1: Best way to support you, What you do, how you
do it over at KSHL dot com.
Speaker 3: You guys already know KISL dot com, ks dot com
slash sports if you want to bookmark our sports page
over there right now at state championship season, So we
got live streams going up from all of the state
title contenders if there's one right now, five day, six
day state drill for all the dance moms that are
listening right now in Utah County. Appreciate you guys, but yeah,
we've got a little bit of everything you talk. Abathar
on a nice hot speak. I'm disappointed man, you didn't
ask me any hockey questions today.
Speaker 2: Clay Kell, Holy mambo.
Speaker 3: Klayt Keller still maybe the best athlete, definitely the best
dog dad in the state of Utah. Shout out to
Clayton Keller uh and his best boy. But the Jazz
are doing what they do best, which is solidifying their
top eight protective pick in the NBA Draft, maybe putting
themselves in position for aj We'll see. But any Utah
times out there, we got discovered over there as well,
or just about anything else around the state of Utah.
So go ahead and give us a bugmarket cafil dot com, slash.
Speaker 1: Sports, my guy, Sean Walker, appreciate you, great content at always.
We invite everyone to follow you and read all of
your content. KJAL dot com, thanks so much.
Speaker 3: Brother, Thanks Ben, appreciate it.
Speaker 1: There you go with that Sean Walker. Great segment and
really fun fact of the day. Dawson Baker is still
the fourth leading scorer for the bu Events basketball team.
Speaker 2: That's crazy.
Speaker 3: I did not know that.
Speaker 2: I know I'm hopping on, but I went and had.
Speaker 4: To look at the stats, and I said, I was
just sketching out of like that is that gonna bite
them later on? Like, oh man, that's just it's sad
that these injuries occurred. But again, a lot of silver
linings Canard and Alexi. I believe they're both gonna play
minutes on Saturday. And that's perk Kevin Young, that's not me.
That's not me making a Khy said it in the postgame.
Speaker 2: Ben crazy crazy crazy times.
Speaker 1: By the way, Cougar Nation, you want to win some
some movie tickets twenty one pilots. They're releasing their concert
film titled More Than We Ever Imagined for Love twenty
one pilots. Bryce would be an Ucci want to send
you and a friend to see it in the cinemas.
Tune in at eight forty five am every morning for
your chance to win.
Speaker 2: A pair of tickets.
Speaker 1: That's right, check out Bryce would be an Ucci on
ESPN The Fan eight forty five am every morning. More
details at ESPN Thefan dot com. That was a cougar
beat brought to you by Central Garage Door, Central Garage
Utah dot com.
Speaker 2: Many of you guys, if you have an issue with.
Speaker 1: Your garage door, you call the local garage door fix
her upper right, and you get gouged a little bit
because you're in a bit of an emergent situation. You
gotta get that thing fixed, lickety split. Central Garage Door.
They're going to do a fair job at a fair price,
the right job at the right price, always thirty years
of experience.
Speaker 2: All they gain is five star reviews. Let them know.
Speaker 1: I cens your VPI products, VFP service, VP discounts. If
you're having an issue with a garage door, if you
need a new one, you need to get it repaired.
Get a quote today. Kelly's going to take care of you.
I know, if sands orbuts about it. Eight to one
six oh four two nine one nine, that's ATA one
six oh four two nine one nine. That's Central Garage Door,
Central Garage Utah dot com.
Speaker 2: Don't go anywhere.
Speaker 1: Cougarnation still planning again to on a beautiful Wednesday, January
twenty eighth edition of Cougar Sports. Keeping up with the
Cougar's coming up next, The greatest head coach of the
men's basketball coming up next, Dave Rose will join us
to talk some BYU hoops. This is Cougar Sports on
one oh three nine ninety eight point three ESPN The
Fan