Speaker 1: Stats.
Speaker 2: Let's talk about stats. Ben Credal and his team of
former players and insigners give you the latest stats, data
and analytics that are trending in the world of Cougar
Sports stats.
Speaker 3: Welcome back Cougar Sports, one of the three nine ninety
eight point FREESPN the fan. I've been Curtal broadcasting from
our Banterwilth Studios Bantererwealth dot Com. Get on a free
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Speaker 1: All right, let's get into it. Let's talk about stats segment.
Speaker 3: Check this out five star small Ford Bruce Branch the
third is currently on an on an official visit to
Brigham Young University. That's right, a big top player, six
foot seven senior out of prolific prep in Florida. He's
ranked those the number four overall prospect in the twenty
twenty six class according to Rivals. This was Joe Tipton
that tweeted out earlier today. He was previously the number
one ranked player in the twenty twenty seven class prior
to reclassifying. Along with the Cougars, Branch holds offers from Kansas, Kentucky,
Louisville USC, and several others. In a recent interviews with Rivals,
Branch spoke briefly about BYU. I've talked to aj degbonsa
these bonds.
Speaker 1: As he stated, he.
Speaker 3: Was just talking about his experience as a BYU student.
You know, it's interesting, but again, I'm not really focused
on college at it's prolific. I want to be the
first to win the Chipotle Nationals with this team. That's
the reason I came here. In that same previous interviewer,
Branch discussed what he's looking for at his future college. Honestly,
a plan. Relationship probably my big thing. But having a
plan is important. Everyone wants to know what they're doing
that plan to get me to the next level. That's
the main thing I'm focused on now. When you hear
those quotes, right I've talked to Aj it's interesting, he said,
you know, it's interesting. He was talking about his experience
as a BYU student, But then he says, I'm trying
not to focus on that right now. I'm focused on
the prolific prep and winning a national championship. Honestly, I
just need a plan, though. Someone needs to pitch me
the plan to get me to the next level. That's
the main thing I'm focused on. Ronnie, do you like
these quotes? Good sign? Bad sign? Where you lean right
now when you're seeing some of these quotes? He is
on an official visit per Joe Tipton and Rivals and
the on three Sports Network. Your thoughts, your reaction.
Speaker 4: Look, I think a lot of people might look at
more of all his experience as a BYU students, and
people might take that out of context, and I just
don't want that to be Look, everybody's experience as a
student is going to be different, is going to be different,
and I'm gonna go there. It's gonna be different as
whether you're from Massachusetts, whether you're from Georgian and you
move to Pennsylvania, whether you're from Chicago, whether you grew
up in Arizona and you move to Utah.
Speaker 1: Like all of it.
Speaker 4: I just used everybody that's here, and yes I did
do that, Yes that's exactly right everyone. But everybody is
gonna go to things differently, and you can listen to that,
but your experience is gonna be different, like AJ's experience
wouldn't be his. So it's value in that, But you
also don't want to bank everything on that. I mean,
it's good feedback to know, but focus on more of
you know, the next level. I mean, you're coming to
BA you guess to get your your degree, but also
to develop and play basketball and to get to the
next level. The coaching staff can do that for you. Ultimately,
you're gonna get a high level of education even with
your experience at BYU, and you're gonna be able to
play in front of the best fan base. And I
think if you look at what as going through, look
at how he's in the media, look at how he's performed,
if you're a basketball player, you want every part of that. Absolutely,
he stays out of trouble, goes to school, goes to practice.
That's what you want to do. You want to limit distractions. Sorry,
I don't think Arizona and Duke's the place for you
want to limit distractions. I think BAU definitely is, and
I think AG would agree with that. So positive and negative.
You know, I don't want everybody to look turned sideways,
but sometimes, you know, maybe being a double minority, you know,
at by some people might look too much deeply into
that people.
Speaker 1: They're good people of you.
Speaker 4: You're gonna treat you well, and you're gonna enjoy your
experience and be it a play basketball and get your education.
Speaker 5: That's my main point.
Speaker 3: There's a key stat there. Let me give you a
football stat. If I can't actually, let me give you
a basketball stat. One more basketball stat. So, Kansas freshman
Darren Peterson is still currently the favorite to be selected
first overall in the twenty twenty six NBA Draft.
Speaker 1: This is the number one.
Speaker 3: Overall pick odds per Fox College Hoops. Darren Peterson number one,
A J. De Bonsa number two, Cam Boozer number three.
This is per fan Duels Analytics. So you're getting this.
This sway back and forth between the two players. It
will be glorious to see these two matchup aj De
Bonsa and Darren Peterson a week from now. Can't wait
to see it because look, they couldn't go one and two.
We'll see who that is, right, But it'll be great
to see these guys go head to head football football
stat as well, most explosive receptions over the past two
seasons per PFF, Puka Akua has eighty three, behind Jackson
Smith and Justin Jefferson. By the way, so Pooka's at
eighty three, Jackson at seventy eight, Justin Jefferson at seventy three.
So Pooka and the Rams fell short last night. But man,
he has had back to back iconic, singular, amazing seasons
and hopefully he makes it back into the playoffs and
I can continue to live out his dream. Hopefully Stafford's
coming back as well, leading them. A couple other stats
as we get prepped to get ready for the BYU
U of A matchup, I know you've been previewing this
and by the way, Ronald, the three man we will
take us to hip off with the Cougar basketball pregame show.
I believe it's the evening, so state tuned. Oh wait,
you're not gonna be on that one.
Speaker 4: No, not not tonight. It is it is will be Saturday,
but we won't be We will have the UVU coaches show.
Speaker 1: Okay, we got the uv Okay, I thought you were
taking a step. That's my bad.
Speaker 3: I apologize for that. There was a little conflict of
programming there. So, but it should be a fantastic game.
I know you've been previewing this though, Ronnie. What are
some of the key stats as you get prepped for
this BYU you of a matchup.
Speaker 4: Yeah, Arizona's also a top two team along with BYU
in offensive rebounds. So these teams dominate the glass very well.
They're the best in the Big twelve. And then the
second one. Arizona actually has a losing record coming to
Provo been five and fourteen per the Arizona Game Notes.
But they've won the last two matchups in Provo twenty
twenty five. Last year, as you know, Ba, you just
ran out of steam. Remember the last seven minutes, like
you want to talk about turning the water off Bau's
watershed all the way off. Last year there was no offense.
And then the last time before that nineteen ninety eight.
So Bo, you need to win. And here's another stat, Ben,
Do you know me and Brad have already talked about this,
So I want to see if you know. Do you
know the last time Bay you beat the number one team?
And what the record is against the top team in
the country, number one?
Speaker 1: Give it to me number one.
Speaker 4: There, I think the one to nine all time. And
the last time I did it was they ruined gonzagas
perfect season.
Speaker 1: Ah, that's why there it is. Wow. So you're telling
me there's a chance.
Speaker 4: So you're telling me I got a chance.
Speaker 1: Let's go.
Speaker 3: All right, there's our stats of the day. Well, let
me give you a few others here. ESPN's Big Monday
is in town is the number thirteen b Way You
Cougar's host the top rank Wildcats of Arizona at the
Arizenter Tip is scheduled for seven pm. Monday's game will
be broadcast on ESPN with John Sciambi and Franfur Scilla
and Angel or Angel Gray on the call. The game
will be available on BOU Radio obviously with a Gregorbell
and Mark Durant on the call, and Monday will be
the first of two regular season meetings between b YU
and Arizona this season, with the Cougar schedule to make
the return trip to the McHale Center in Tucson on Wednesday,
January eighteenth, Monday, alsomuch the forty second all time meeting
between the two schools that were once rivals in the
Western Athletic Conference from nineteen sixty two to nineteen seventy seven.
The Cougars are twenty and twenty one all time against
the Wildcats, including a fourteen and five record in Provo
Bay You actually won its first twelve games against Arizona,
including its first two matchups in the Marriage Center of
Cougar's last loss at the Marriage Center came at the
hands of Arizona on February four, twenty twenty five, where
Jayden Bradley went eight of eight from the free throw
line in route of seventeen points, leading the Wildcats to
an eighty five seventy one victory.
Speaker 1: B Why You return the favor on February twenty second.
Speaker 3: Where Richie Saunders of the Todd King scored a team
high twenty three points, including a pair of free throws
in the final seconds, to secure BYUS second straight win
in Tucsons. So those are some of the key stats
to sell.
Speaker 4: Yeah, Ben, I haven't seen anything say.
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, it's definitely it's got to be a second episode.
Speaker 4: I just haven't seen him post normally the post I
assume it is. I'm just waiting for confirmation.
Speaker 1: Yeah, no, it's got to it. Scots to be a
sellout BYU's.
Speaker 3: I would say their their defense is going to be
showcased tonight.
Speaker 1: With five blocks against Utah.
Speaker 3: By the way, on Saturday, BYU now has ninety four
blocks on the season. If the season ended today, they're
four point nine blocks per game would be the second
highest in program history, trailing only the nineteen ninety nineteen
ninety one season that saw Sean brad Limty seven as
a Saturday morning bo rings twenty twenty seventh in the
NCAA's in blocks per game. So shout out to this
BYU men's basketball team and their defensive efforts at the rim.
Let's take a time out, we'll come back with Drake
tole Oft the Lockdown Big twelve podcast. I believe he
was in town for the BYU Utah game. Let's get
his his comments, his perspective on the atmosphere at the
Merriott Center, and what he learned about this BAU basketball
team and more.
Speaker 1: This is Cougar Sports on one O three, nine ninety
eight point three.
Speaker 2: Eh, It's time to celebrate the freest team sport known
to man. We're modern day gladiators collide for all the
glory on the Gridi. Let's talk some college football on
Cougar Sports with Ben Privel.
Speaker 3: Welcome back in your sports one of three, nine ninet
eight point three, Esbon the Fan. I've been Prittal broadcasting
from our Vanderwelth Studios Vanderwelth dot com. Get on a
free Q and A no obligation to invest Q and
A with our tax smart Wealth Advisors certify financial planners.
Nobody does it better than Blaine Anderson and his crew
in his top a little college football segment here on
your Utah ESPN Radio Net. We're gonna welcome into college
football the inside of Big twelve. Inside, we're also can
talk some BWU hoops by the way, so we're gonna
we're gonna.
Speaker 1: Meld the two together. Big twelve Football, Big twelve Basketball segment. Goet.
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Speaker 1: Let's get out to the hotline.
Speaker 3: Welcome a Big twelve insider representing the Locked On network.
Locked On Big twelve hosts. We got Drake cea toll
on the line. Drake, how you living?
Speaker 5: Ben? It's fun. I'm sitting right here Sundance Resort, right
outside of Provo, Utah, getting ready for Arizona BYU tonight
in the Marriott Center. Could not be more excited to
be back out west and on the air with you.
Speaker 3: How lovely you Sundays That's where we got married, me
and my wonderful wife, my better half. That's my one
of my favorite places on earth. The Foundry love that place.
They don't pay for me to say these things. By
the way, love it all. The Cowboy Bar there, the
the Owl Bar, if you will, that place is great
as well.
Speaker 5: Love it. The whole experience has been awesome.
Speaker 2: You know.
Speaker 5: It's interesting to hear for a lot of YU fans like, oh, Sunday,
that is right there, isn't it? Like yeah, it's just
right there. You can go. You know, they allow that
you can do it. So I'm taking full advantage this week.
It's been a great place to stay and look, I
could not be more comfortable, rested, and to go for tonight.
It's a huge night in Oops. I know we'll talk
a lot about it.
Speaker 1: Boom shocka Locke.
Speaker 3: I know the dust is settled on the college football season.
Speaker 1: How would you evaluate how.
Speaker 3: Would you grate out the Big twelve college football season?
Speaker 5: Yeah? I think the Big Twelve was far better in
twenty twenty five compared to twenty twenty four, just because
we had actually teams in the conversation, teams competing at
the top of college football, Texas Tech being one of them.
You know, the way America viewed the ACC this year
with Duke and oh no Virginia and Wow, Miami sneaks
in despite Note winning the conference. That's kind of how
the Big Twelve was viewed in twenty twenty four, Arizona
State end we were the league that got a team
in due to the loophole in the rules. And this
year it wasn't like that. We didn't have to get
a lifeline given by some rule that a conference chipion
needs to be in the top four or the top twelve.
This year Texas Tech certainly earned it. Now at the
same time, you feel completely scorned if you're a BYU fan,
and scorn if you're Bret, you're ship Field scorned. His
purpose has not sounded that way. But a Big Twelve
fans Big Twelve, you know, fans and those who roots
for the conference, how how did you leave BYU out
and just sit on your loves and say that's okay.
I think you look at the scope of this season
side of the Texan Tech got it to due. But
you wonder how Utah and BYU Houston Arizona did not
get more respect, and you worry about your standing for
college football to come based on how you were treated
in twenty twenty five.
Speaker 1: Did you do you feel like who's your favorite right now?
To win the Big Twelve.
Speaker 3: I know we're doing all these way too early rankings
and ratings.
Speaker 1: Who's your way too early?
Speaker 3: What's your way too the rankings maybe one through five
of the Big twelve. I didn't prep you for this,
but you know, give me some of your favorites here
to win the conference in twenty twenty six.
Speaker 5: If you could. I think BYU, Texas Tech, and Houston
all have to clearely be in that conversation. Think about this,
Ben is a really strong status one of who's gonna
be good again. Texas Tech returns six thousand, seven and
ninety nine snaps on the offensive line. BYU returns six thousand,
three hundred and seventy. Both of those are top fifteen
in the country. That shows me they will both have
staying power in the conference because they're o lines that
we're both quite solid will earn next season. I think
that Shuston, who has six thousand, five h twenty two
slightly about BYU, will also be in that mix and in
that conversation. Arizona is still a team to watch, so
I think given their schedule, they will take a slight
dip this year, but I I'm leaning on Texas Tech
BYU S Houston. The other two teams that would throw
them that five would still be Utah's because I think
the Uths will start five to OHO six and five
and one this season and have a really nice path
to early success that will propel them into a comfortable
spot in the late season. But watch out, bro Oklahoma State.
They said, Hey, whatever Kurt Signetti do can do, we
can do as well. They returned then the fifth most
snaps on their offensive line in the country. Now, their
offensive line was terrible, but here's what that means. It
means they can be picky, they can be choosy, They
can bring competition in and still have guys who have
played Oklahoma State with from Messamaker at quarterback, Eric Morris's
head coach. He said, what Indiana did with James Madison
Kurt Signetti, that whole rebuild, we want to do the
same thing. Will it work day one? Ah, Yes, it
will work. Will when you're a national championship No, but
it will help you compete in the Big twelve. I
think Oklahoma State ends up winning eight or nine games
this year in a complete turnaround. But you best know
that Texas Tech and BYU Houston they will be the
top three in the Big twelve again.
Speaker 3: Yeah, Oklahoma State very has gone very aggressive in the
portal too. People don't realize that they're one of the better. Uh,
they have one.
Speaker 1: Of the better portal hauls.
Speaker 3: I would say they picked up some pretty prospects from
a multitude of Power five, power power four institutions.
Speaker 5: They did, and it's it's People are like, oh, it's
just North Texas, North, this is North Texas light kind
of yeah, a little bit, Actually, yeah it is. It's
a large portion of their transfers do come from North Texas,
but they also got most Phillip Third from Missouri, Dominic
Macon from Washington, Ei White from Penn State, through Alberi
from Vanderbilt. The list goes on of players that they
went and grabbed from other powerful schools like SMU and
Louisville and even Texas Tech. They are building right now,
not just from North Texas. They're going and grabbing legitimate
guys out of the transfer portal. But yeah, they're three
stars that ban. If we've learned anything it's that the
portal star system is broken. They're giving stars to anybody
and taking stars away from anybody. Oklahoma State is grabbing
guys who are great out of high school, grabbing guys
who were solid into powerful ranks, and they're flipping them
on their roster this year. I have a lot of
confidence what they're going to do. And then if I
look at YU and Texas Tech, they handled the transfer
portal similarly this year, which is a weird thing to
say because BYU is seventh in the Big twelve Conference
in transferportal rankings this year and Texas Tech is second.
They have twenty one commits versus ye's nine. But for
the Cougars, most of the good guys are coming back.
Like the players are returning, you don't have to replace
that much. You're just kind of positive attrition to get
rid of the guys who weren't really contributors to the
guys who entered the portal, by and large, weren't massive
cruxes for BYU to win in twenty twenty five. For
Texas Tech, it's kind of the same thing. They got
twenty one guys, but a good portion of what they're
bringing in are players that are going to compete, not start.
They will compete for starting jobs and possibly start, but
not be instantly out yet that you know, we're gonna
play you, and an exception to that rule woul be
Brendan Sowars beat their quarterback, and an exception for By
you would be their linebacking Corse. They brought guys in
not just to compete, but to start day one at
the linebacker position understanding what they're losing. And I like
the way that bo attacked the linebacker position of the
transfer portal. They did not say, Hey, let's just go
get a hodgepotch of everybody. They said let's go get
what we need and from there allow the guys on
our current roster to compete.
Speaker 3: Do you believe that Brendan Sorosby is an upgrade to
Baron Morton.
Speaker 5: Upgrade? Yes, savior of the program? No, can he win
a game of the College Football Playoff? I do believe that,
but we got to keep in mind. And I watched
Swordsby this year. He didn't have a wealth of riches necessarily,
but the cover wasn't bear. It's a decent Cincinnati roster
he was working with, and he was a fifty good quarterback,
and I won't take that away from him, But was he
a five star in the portal? Was he an elite
portal pickup? Was he better than Josh Hooper? A better
pickup than Josh Hooper? Ah better pick up than Sam Levitt?
Speaker 2: Maybe?
Speaker 5: But I don't remember Brendan Soorsby for the first steven
games this season. I remember him for the last five
games of the year.
Speaker 1: Man.
Speaker 5: I mean, I look, I'm a what have you done
for me lately? Kind of guy. People are forgetting the
drop off, the fall off at Cincinnati had this year.
Brendan Soarsy had this year. So I think the Texas
Tech is better with Sorzy versus Baron Morton. Yes, better
is the right word A signing a national championship caliber quarterback?
I cannot say yes at this time.
Speaker 1: We got Drake Toll here on ESPN.
Speaker 3: The fan locked on, locked on Big twelve is what
he represents, amongst other things. He's a very busy man.
Give us a brief UF day really quick. Because you
have your own radio show now as well as being
a part of the Locked On Big twelve network.
Speaker 1: You do a lot of things.
Speaker 3: You're moving to groove and are you still part of
the Savannah Banana's crew?
Speaker 1: What's going on?
Speaker 5: Yeah? So play by play with the Savanna Bananas organization.
I'll be calling a game Friday, part of our spring training.
We're getting ready. Jackie Bradley Jr. Got a hit in
his first ab with the organization in spring training this
which is really cool to see. Yeah, they'll calling games
and those guys. That season kicked up here in a
few weeks. Then Westwood won the Drake Toll Show every
morning six am and nine am Eastern time, so four
to seventy. I was up very early today to do
the show from here just outside of Provo, and then
Amazon Fire TV's College Football Kickoff with formerly with coach
Gary Patterson. I'm not sure if he'll be able to
come back with us next ball. He's kind of tied
up a usc alongside the Dallas Cowboy Jesse Hotley. That's
of course locked on Big twelve. So the better question is, Ben,
what am I not doing? And when am I sleeping?
Speaker 1: Yeah, and I don't know what you are. I'm a
busy man.
Speaker 3: I'm an entrepreneur myself, running a couple of businesses and
then doing this radio gig is for fun.
Speaker 1: You're very very busy, a busy bee if.
Speaker 3: You will, And you were busy on Saturday night as well,
you covered I think the BYU Utah holy war on
the hard wood, and then went over to Chubby's one
of our favorite places to eat, give us a breakdown
of the game, and then in the and the post
game experience as well.
Speaker 5: That's so cool, Ben, That atmosphere is fantastic and I
don't think I saw the Marriott Center at it. That's
the best part is Yeah, it's a rivalry, but it
reminded me a lot of when Baylor would play PCU
in basketball. Baylor was always so much better that, Yeah,
it was a rivalry and everybody showed up. You're like, Okay,
we're gonna beat the doors off these guys. And boy
did BYU ever in the second half especially, that's where
this team is best. And gosh, when it did come
alive when Aj dropped his fortieth point, that it was
a mad out. That place was as raucous and as
loud as you will find in Aretna in the Big
Twelve Conference. It was as the electrical environment as you
will find in college basketball today. Given the implications for BYU,
given the fact to our top fifteen team, how did
they set up I'm gonna throw up. Then I'm gonna
throw up. How is a seventeen and two team, five
and one and Big twelve play thirteenth in America. The
disrespect in football is carried over to basketball. They have
one of the best home atmospheres you could ever conter upt,
and they still don't get any respect. I was blown
away on Saturday by BEYU, away by ag Debontsa. He
is the most twenty five year old teenager that I've
ever been around. Like he carries himself. He looks like
he's in his mid twenties. He's ready for the NBA,
but he's still in college basketball playing for BYU. Loved
everything about the Myriad Center, everything that I saw. But
I know tonight will be amplified times five times ten
because Number one Arizona is coming down. Tickets at their
cheapest are two hundred dollars, and BYU have still I
guess for the other talking heads a lot to bru
their game tonight. But Ben loved Saturday, loved chuppies afterward
and getting to meet hundreds of people who showed up
for a postgame show and to meeting greet And he
has just the heart of BYU and it just a
lot of good people with good hearts, good attentions, that
loved their school, and it's really neat to see.
Speaker 1: Yeah, byus.
Speaker 3: We had a deep discussion right when all these new
schools came into the Big twelve and you've added a
few other schools, right, and as you evaluate the new acquisitions,
the acquisitions from the old PAC twelve may at rest
in peace the Conference of Champions. And you look at
the the ucfs and they obviously byus and these G
sixers that came to the to the to the fold of.
Speaker 1: The Big twelve.
Speaker 3: H how would you grate out those acquisitions top the bottom?
Speaker 1: What's been the best acquisition for the Big twelve? Would
you say?
Speaker 5: Yeah, it's still it's BYU at one and Deon Sanders
at one b right, Like it's it's hard to say
even Colorado, but Deon Sanders edition of his presence in
the conference has been huge. The reason it's BYU at
one is in large part because of this beautiful merger
between elite level athletics, commitment to football, basketball, the revenue sports,
and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saint.
You're grabbing one of the most passionate groups of people
in the world in the world, one of the fastest
growing faiths in the world, and you take their flags
of university and you sat a Big twelve patch on
their shoulder, and you grab one of the best rivalries,
one of the most underrated rivalries in all of college football,
all of college sports, with the Holy War BYU in Utah.
You added to this conference and it's brought a whole
different level of care. And you know, even something with
Texas and Oklahoma, everybody hated Texas and OU. They hated
the rivalry. You didn't pick sides. You wanted both teams
to lose because they were so pompous with BYU and Utah.
I think some Utes fans of how vocal they've been
about how they want to go to the Big Ten,
and maybe they feel vibe devalidated and feeling spited by
that they have garnered their their reputation of being kind
of the heel of the Big twelve. And a lot
of fan bases love BYU. They come to their stadiums,
they bring the ice cream, they bring the cougar tails,
and and they have started to find a soft spot
for this school who is underrated, underrepresented, under underappreciated in
the Big twelve, and that is BYU think they've been
a great acquisition because of their ability to win and
their ability to merge with the conference, embrace the conference
so much. Maybe that's what I'm looking for here, Ben
Byu has e the conference more than anybody else out
of these new eighth.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I'd agree with you there. It seems like I mean, look,
they were on the outside looking. They were wandering the
wilderness for a long time during independence Mound West in
the whack and kind of always felt stiff armed. But now, uh,
they're They're a part of the power structure, even though
the Big twelve has been viewed by some as the
redheaded stepped out of the power conferences. Do you think
that they're in a position to be ranked at number
three in front of the ACCIO or has did Did
the the Miami team.
Speaker 1: Kind of set the Big twelve behind?
Speaker 3: And like the lack of of productivity and and the
lack of of maybe a good showing from Texas Act.
Speaker 1: Did that hurt us in that question to be the
power three?
Speaker 5: Yeah? But I think the problem is this is me
being a little dowur, But it's it's honesty. The problem
is there is such a large scalp right now, from
a revenue standpoint between two and three, it's kind of
an afterthought. That fight for third versus fourth, fourth versus
third is one that I think the rest of the
country isn't quite paying attention to because they're so dialed
into the SEC in the Big Ten, and even more honestly,
the number one spot in the country belongs to the
Big Ten and there's a pretty sizable gap between them
and the SEC. Now we're starting to see the class
of college football rise out of the Big Ten. For
the Big Twelve conference losing out on a College Football
Playoff victory again this year, I don't think it was
marred by what Miami did, and the reason is the
winner of the AEC was in Miami. It was due
eight and five embarrassing and complete embarrassment from the ACC
that their league champion was eight and five Dukes who
lost to Yukon. That gave the Big Twelve still a
lot that you saved face by having to keep my
Texas Tech go down mat and conference play and be
respected amongst its peers in the country. That puts the
Big Twelve in a great spot even though they did
not win Texas second is still a name. You're hearing
the top five, top seven, top eight going in the
next season. That's important to the Big Twelve Conference. I
think the ACC is, especially given the Miami and Clemson,
Florida State is probably won't out. They're not in a
great spot.
Speaker 1: Drag.
Speaker 3: I got an interesting question for you that I think
your insight and your opinion on would be insightful. So
last week we had it as our question of today. The
NCAA approved the logos of these corporate sponsors. Right, you
can throw a patch on your on your on your jersey,
and then I think you can also wrap a corporate
sponsor on your equipment.
Speaker 1: Right, You're you're abreast of that.
Speaker 3: I imagine, correct, Yeah, no doubt. Okay, all right, so
you're a breast of this. So we had the conversation around, okay,
well what what what BYU friendly brand would be best
for BYU athletics, And some people jokingly said, hey, why
not the logo that the Church of Jesus Christ of
Lattered Saints use it. It's the Christus, right and throw
it on there. It's like, okay, that could be viewed
as controversial, putting Christ Christ's logo on an athletic uniform,
but the sponsoring institution is the Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter day Saints for Brigham Young University.
Speaker 1: So look, we were kind of discussing a little bit earlier.
Speaker 3: Today it's like, Okay, well, what are you trying to
accomplish by playing sport? And you know, if it truly
is your mission to bring people to Christ and introduce
people to maybe the positive fruits of of maybe the church,
would that be.
Speaker 1: Improper?
Speaker 3: Would that be uncouth or unco would it be would
it be kosher to do such?
Speaker 1: Do you think in your opinion?
Speaker 5: A great question? And I'll answer this to somebody who's
not a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter day Saintans you get the outside perspective of somebody
who covers the entire Big Twelve. When I went to
high school and blowing Yarkansas Little Rock Christian Academy on
the road, they wore l RCA across their further jersey
or it would say Christian on their uniforms. And if
they cross behind that, their logo BEN was across Central
Arkansas Christian. Their logo was across like that. That was
the forefront of what they did as a school, as
a private school, if they wanted to further this mission,
and as a private Christian you know high school, they
were creating and women for Christ. So if your BYU
and your goal is as the flagship university of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saves, the flagship
university of a faith needs to be not just the
front porch of a university institution, be the front porch
for that faith. I don't think that goes to I mean,
like again, we're talking about little Rock Christian with the
best intentions having the cross in the middle of their
jersey as their logo. I think if BYU does that,
this is what BYU stands for, is what BYU stands on. Ben,
here's an example. Can I give you an example? Can
I do it? Can I preak for a second? Please?
Speaker 1: I want you to get up on your pulpit please.
Speaker 5: Okay, I'm gonna start slapping the table here. We're about
to go, all right. I got a lot of buddies
who visit TA and they would they look, this is
not against them. How to slide on them? Is what
they said when you walk on their campus. They tell
you we are TCU. They are no longer Texas Christian University.
They're played by play guys for ESPN, for Fox. When
they're given their game books their game that they're told, hey,
please only reference us at TCU. And the first thing
you hear on campus is you can to see as
big or as little as you'd like when you walk
on campus at Baylor University. My first case, it's the
reason I went there. They say the students, they say, hey,
first thing before we say hello, you know your name
and we tell you our name. We are unapologetically Christian
now university. Where's the proverbial cross on the front of
their jerseys?
Speaker 2: Right?
Speaker 5: They want you to know day one, think one bullet
point one they are a university of faith. I think
DYU doing that is not something that steps too far.
I think the use of that logo is less of
a sponsorship necessarily. I wouldn't view it as that as
much as I would, Hey, this is just like a
high school for their Michigan showcasing who they are as
loudly as they can. I personally have no issue with
it as a now SI Yeah.
Speaker 1: And look, I don't think it's gonna happen.
Speaker 3: It's probably gonna be Coca Cola, or it's going to
be you know something else, right, maybe Crop Bowl, Qual Tricks, whatever,
it may be Mountain America Credit Union. So it'll be
most likely because I think the athletic department gets to
eat what it kills. And I'm sure the corporate sponsors
want additional revenue coming in for for advertiser, tell booy
up there athletic Department. But I do think it would
be on brand. I think it'd actually be I actually
think it would be the right thing to do. Remember
what happened with Tim Tebow. You may have been too young.
Speaker 1: How old are you? And the Tim Tebow era was
going on?
Speaker 5: I okay, okay, right?
Speaker 3: I mean how many people went to the interwebs and
started googling scripture and I'm trying to understand scripture and
We're being exposed to the Bible and in Christ's teachings.
Speaker 5: Right, yeah, Well, and part of that too. You have
NFL players that they put John three sixteen on their
EyeBlack they get fined. Yeah, this was a guy whose
mom died of Naven D'Angelo Williams, whose mom that I
hope I can play it correct. Whose mom passed away
a breast cancer and he wore, you know, screw cancer
or end cancer, you know, cure cancer on die black
and they find him for it. In a world where
that's going on, I think institutions like Baylor and by
you should hold hands and be as vocal as vocal
as possible.
Speaker 1: Love that breakdown.
Speaker 3: Let's preview the byu U of a matchup tonight, a
big hitting it's cougar on baby bobcats.
Speaker 1: That's what they are.
Speaker 3: Wildcats are little baby bobcats and ducks, and that's what
they are. They're not true wild cougars. This is going
to be a dominant performance I believe by ag De
Bonsa coming off of forty three of forty Burger versus
the Utes.
Speaker 1: What do you see? What do you think will happen
tonight at the Merritt Center?
Speaker 5: Then it's not the Bonsa, It's not right. It's not
Saunders Cada tonight, it's kada ah. This game goes as
he goes, I think, because here's the thing. Then everybody
this level college basketball, and this is a final fourth
caliber matchup. It's in the lead eight caliber matchup. When
you get there everybody has a big three. Everybody's got three.
We go three deep. We can do that. Hoot your
fourth guy, and it might not be Kata's the fourth
best guy on the b YU basketball team, but I
think with his physical presence down low and by the way,
he's not gonna bully some seven foot two kid islamatav
Movkrevov from Perduce. He's not a bully that guy, right,
like Kate. That's not Kata's game. But for the games,
he's consistent when he is on, when he is pulling redounds,
when he goes eight points twelve boards, you might read
down on the status shoot and think, oh cool, eight
points out of ninety one. Great, But no, Then his
ability to scream, his ability to pick and roll, his
ability demand the middle of the defense when they go
to zone, that is different. That is the difference, and
that will be the difference with a BYU win over
copeat At, Arizona over Tobyo Waka and Arizona the very
deadly group of the Wildcats. And by the way, this
is an Arizona team where only one of their starters
had to play more than thirty minutes in their last game.
Against West Virginia on Saturday, and they don't have to
travel that far to go play BYU in this matchup.
It is fresh on fresh that the Coopars needed some
rest and got it in the middle of the week
last week. But this is these are two teams. You
saw it second half, especially clicking right now. If by
you wouldn't this game. It sends a message to the
rest of college basketball. And somehow, some way, it starts
with Kata.
Speaker 3: Drake told ladies and gentlemen, Drake, best way to support
you what you do, how you do it on all
your platforms.
Speaker 5: I should say, man, it starts with Cata, but it
ends with aj Debonds, So come on.
Speaker 3: Who we can Devons, Come on, I was gonna let
you ride with Kava like I love Keva. I just
wish he could do more than dunk and rebound. But
he's getting there, he's developing, getting there.
Speaker 4: We'll see.
Speaker 5: I think he'll be he could be a strong catalyst.
Tom bars at Drake's Toll on Twitter, I do to
you like bad tweets whever you find your podcast lost
on Big Tweve as well as YouTube and the Drake
Toll shawt the west Wood one sports half every day
six saying that I am Eastern.
Speaker 3: Been always a pleasure, always a pleasure, always a blessing.
Talking ball with Drake Toll. That segment was brought to
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dot com. Let's go to break, Let's get to know
the fot Let's talk some BYU basketball with the Brazilian
bamber Jonathan Tabinari breaking it all down. That's right, gonna
be prepping you for that by U U of a
matchup that coming up next. This is Cougar Sports on
what three nine ninety eight point three