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Speaker 1: Foes on the hardwood BYU basketball, trying to find their
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Speaker 1: They they played extremely well Verziowa State and then laid
a dud versus UCF, one of the worst performances of
the year. It's a game of Jackal and hide for
this Boa basketball team. But they have another challenge on
the dock at West Virginia on the schedule. We got
to get to know the foe and see if this
Boa basketball team is prepared for the Mountaineers. This segment's
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Speaker 1: We're gonna be fair and equitor's eight one six oh
four two nine one nine. All right, let's get out
to the hotline. Welcome in West Virginia, inshide or we
got Michael j Asty on the line, Managing editor of
West Virginia Sports.
Speaker 2: Now, what's up, Mike, what's going on?
Speaker 3: Guys? You're happy to be back with you.
Speaker 1: Yeah, Hey, a pleasure of blessing to be able to
talk ball with you. Let's talk a little bit about
the Big Twelve to start us off and kind of
the overall view of how West Virginia is spared this
year in the Big Twelve.
Speaker 3: Sure, and I do feel that the Big Twelve this
year is back to where the conference has been for
the most part throughout the last decade. On the college
basketball side of things. Last year, you could argue that
maybe it dipped a little bit, and certainly that's kind
of what it was reflected in the seating of the
NCAA Tournament. But this year the Big Twelve was back.
This year, the Big Twelve has top teams and elite
teams that could make a run in March. Granted, everybody's
shown that they're vulnerable as well, and we have seen
some deal with serious injuries as of late that certainly
could affect how far they could go in the postseason,
even though they're likely going to be there. Where West
Virginia has spared in comparison to the US Iowa States
Arizona's and Arizona and Neuston looked like they could win
the national title and Euston could get back there. And
Iowa State's been good in Texas Tech prior to their
injury to top and they're far from those programs. We've
seen that even when they were winning, and even when
West Virginia was at its best this year, they would
run into those schools and those schools would beat them
by twenty plus points. However, as you guys know, West
Virginia's dealt with a three year period that's been very
dramatic and not really normally what the program has been
for the better part of the past or really forty years.
So to go off of losing a head coach in
drama controversy last year after a ten win torn around
on a degrees, they went from nine wins under Josh
Eiler two years ago to nineteen under Debrees, they got snubbed.
I still feel they should have got in last year
they had six quat one wins and North Frona had
one and North Rona got instead of them, so they
got snubbed. The coach left. The fans to this day
believe that Tucker Divres and Darren DeVries are running a
conspiracy all season one, so they got over that. They
bring in a new coach, a whole on transfer roster,
and they turn it around to be on the bubble
most of the year. They beat Kansas Kansas less than normal,
but they're still a great team. They do have quality wins.
They have four quad one wins. They beat their rival
and pitt in non conference, even though Pitch knocked in
that good this year at all, but they missed the
opportunities not only a non conference but even in conference
play and recently, which is what be why he was
going to care about. They've been rough and kind of
at their worst. Once they peaked and it felt like
they were going to probably get in the tournament. Maybe
a week ago it was leaning that they probably were
going to get in, which would have been incredible after
the last several years. Their last appearance is Salan twenty
three and Huggins last year. They've lost three straights and
yeah they're on the road, TCU on the road, Oklahoma
State on the road. Recently. They're solid teams, but West
Virginia's played so poorly and lost these games that it
almost feels like those teams are now going to get
in the tournament at least PCU and West Virginia is not.
And their comeback over Cincinnati, their comeback over UCF now
seem for not And it's just a very inconsistent team,
especially on the offensive side the ball, And right now
it feels like their season probably is done as far
as the NCAA tournament, But who knows if they can
go on a run and went out and then run
through the Big Twelve. Is still a tournament in the
Big Twelve that anybody can beat anybody, even though there's
definite disparity between the top teams and kind of where
West Virginia is.
Speaker 1: Is there any silver lining maybe in these last five games?
I know they've lost four to the last five, But
have they been competitive? Have they showed promise? Have they
just not been able to execute down the stretch? Anything
that could maybe get them moving in the right direction
from a silver lining standpoint, Well.
Speaker 3: I think for a silver lining standpoint in general, this
year and as I've said, even after all of these games,
I sound like a broken record. Probably it's hard to
call this year, as I mentioned, quote unquote bad because
you're dealing with what happened in the last three years.
It's not ross Hodge's fault, but Darren Dere's left after
a one year turnaround and they got snubbed. It's not
his fault that Josh Aileen was in over his head
and they had literally the worst season in program history arguably.
And it's not his fault that a Hall of Fame,
legendary coach ended his career in scandal and kind of
ruined the trajectory of the transfer class and where they
were that year. That's not ross Hodge's fault. He has
him on the bubble. That's he had a real truncated
recruiting class. It's a full on transfer roster. These players
have underachieved in a way, even though they've won some games,
and I do think he's a solid coach. But with
all of that said, they've been competitive and they've come
back in games, especially recently, but they get down so
much early in these games, especially recently. The issue that
I think some bring up in terms of the prospects
of Ross Hogy in the future, and it's not like
he's going getting fired, but just their thoughts of him,
it almost feels like they're getting worse that the season
goes on. At least recently. They were getting better for
a while, as I said, but recently these last four
or five six games, even the ones they won way
back in that slump, they just start out sluggish. Defensively.
They've been a top ten defensive ranked team most of
the year in the country until recently, and then the
game against Oklahoma State maybe the worst defensive effort of
the season. They got down big and then they gave
up eighty plus points. That is, whether it's Huggins, de
Frees or Hodger who be lying way back westaging, the
team do not give up that many points, and that happened,
and it just looks like, I don't know. I mean,
they got on the bubble Lenardi was saying they were
going to get in, and then after that the team
kind of has played lackaday'sical like they think they're done.
So you got to put that on coaching a little bit.
But even though again I do like Ross Hodge, but
they're competitive. They're never out of a game. Wouldn't be
shocked if, say, they would upset BYU, because BYU, as
you mentioned, the lead in has been hot and cold
at times too. But if that happens, fans are going
to say, that's great, but where was this effort against
the teams that are behind you. That's why they're probably
not going to get in. They have four quad one wins,
but the losses SECI recently aren't great.
Speaker 2: Yeah, two and.
Speaker 1: Four quad two games that may be the most devastating
your foreign seven and quad one opportunities. It's not bad
and competitive in some of these losses. It's not like
you're getting You're not getting blown out in these games.
Speaker 3: Yeah, that's fair. I mean, the only games are getting
blown out in on the resume are against what I
mentioned earlier. They years to be the guy with Stacey Arizonas,
but against these teams they were fighting with ought to
be on the bubble. They're close and honestly, guys, that's
why again, I don't think the year can be said
to be bad because it's year one with the transfer
ross after drama. But if they would miss the tournament,
regardless of circumstances, it's a would if, meaning they should
probably have a resume that got them in. I me
even if they you know, four quad one wins four
and seven, even if that's what it is, and you
moved the quad two record to you know, four and
four or five victories instead of two, you're in the dance.
They were. They were on the right side of the
bubble a week ago for most recketologists, and they right
now according to Leonardi this morning, and obviously he was
wrong last year, so it's not like he's the gospel,
but just going off him this morning, he bumped West
Virginia out of the bubble to the group that's basically
below the bubble, not even next four out but below that,
and put Cincinnati in West Virginia beat Sincantti twice. They're
messing up their own season as of late. I feel
like if they would have won two out of these
last three instead of lose these three in a row,
or maybe even one out of these three because they
were on the road but played really well these games,
maybe they would still crawl in there for some but
not if they just keep on stacking losses in these
games that are very similar with programs right now, that's
kind of the bigger issue. No one's holding against them
losing to the top teams, but the Kansas win is
not enough to compound everything else that's been going on recently.
Speaker 1: If they have a three game winning streak right to
end the season, does that put them back in the
NCAA tournament you think, I mean that would be two
big wins BYU and UCF.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I would say maybe. I guess is why I'll
answer that, because obviously BYU would be in there, that
would be the bigger win. To me. They've already beat
UCF on the road, so the road win, according to
the metrics, is a bigger deal than beating a similar
team at home. Honestly, the game against UCF is a
literal must win unless your season's over and you're already
out of it by that point. But if you lose
the UCF your toast, you could maybe get over for
the BYU lost because they've been ranked a lot of
the year. Granted you've already lost too many games in general,
but not UCF. So I would say they probably have
to win out to have a shot at getting in,
and probably still have to win a couple of games
in the big COLT tournament to know that they're secure
to get in, and they certainly if they're going to split,
they can't have the U. They can't have the UCF
game be the loss. They're better off losing the b YU,
if that makes any sense, just because they already have
the UCF win on the road.
Speaker 1: Well, b YU is only a I think only going
to be a slight favorite in this game because they
had such a devastating, just piss poor effort versus UCF
all or excuse me, yeah, versus this team last night.
And it's just kind of crazy to see b YU
kind of have this jekul and hide. Does that give
maybe some move to this coaching staff and this team
to get back on the right track. Hey, this is
a wounded this is a wounded animal. Right, let's take
advantage of it right now. ESPN Analytics only given BAU
sixty one point chance of victory right now.
Speaker 3: Yeah, and it's crazy. I'm sure for you guys to
think I'm watching West Virginia Like last night when your
producer texted me about being on I almost said, well,
if you're watching this game or are you sure? I
don't know, just as a joke, like this is a
horrible effort that we're watching here. But you're probably thinking, well,
it's West Virginia team looks down and out. They're gonna
get stepped on and have the season over, and yet
people think they why just gonna lose to them, Like
what's going on? So yeah, I mean anything can happen again,
I wouldn't be shocked. We've seen West Virginia get over
a down period and then have a big win. But
everything you're saying about BYU, I also can say of
a West Virginia and they've also been really rough recently.
Their losses have have kind of possibly ended their year,
and all the likely they ended their year. So you
have to also wonder what their mentality is, and you
would seek or they'd play hard. I think Gross Hodge
is a good coach. But right when we thought they
were gonna get in and they've kind of done this,
So I guess both these are teams kind of have
to feel that they're bound to play better, They're bound
to have a big win, They're kind of due for
a big night. West Virginia, certainly, I'm sure feels that way. Again,
these these are definitely must win games for you now
for sure, But we will see what they do. I mean,
they have a problem at times rebounding wise, they have
a problem sometimes with long scoring droughts. These things happen,
and if they start slow in the game again, I
think B was to use the type of team that's
not going to give up a twenty point to what
twenty point lead, Like West Virginia has been able to
come back, but they are never out of a game.
So I will tell it will BYU fans out there
if B. If you see the score early where BYU
is up sixteen to four, and you're thinking to yourself, Okay,
you know good, God gonna get a victory. Let me
go to dinner, No big deal, we're good, and then
you turn it on an hour and a half later
and you're thinking, well, man, BYU is up two or
they're down one, like what's going on. That's every West
Virginia game the past two weeks, so that's certainly he
could be what happens. And recently West Virginia still ended
up losing at the end because the final possessions have
been so bad. But they never say die in these games.
It does feel like that, especially offensively, they just don't
have enough. They're not consistent enough offensively. So if EYU
can score what they have been when they're really good,
they should be able to get to w granted again,
West Virginia certainly could pull it off and maybe the
crowd or help them out.
Speaker 1: What West Virginia does it perk Kin Pomp's the top
twenty five team defensively, I mean it's they can't be
an elite team defensively. So let's give us a little
scattering report on the personnel. What makes them so good
defensively and when they have been efficient offensively?
Speaker 2: Who stands out to you personnel wise?
Speaker 3: Yeah, so do the ladder first offensively when they've been
at their best. Honor Huff is kind of a little
Allen Iverson out there where he just can take control everything.
He's a smaller guard, but he's not afraid of anything.
He's really to watch. He's really easy to root for,
and he's had some really really hot nights and has
become even more of a leader this season. Progressed and
in addition to him, which is when the offense is
really clicking, that they have more than just him because
he's undersized and the teams can double double cover him.
Trasan Eagle staff who he was supposed to actually be
the guy. I mean, he had top games last year.
He had a fifty point game last year he scored
forty as Alabama. Last year he comes to West Virginia
and he's been a roller coaster ride. Guys. He literally
had a game this year where he scored one point.
That's how much of a roller coaster ride it is.
A guy scores forty last year goes to one this
year like that was the beginning of the season. When
he's hot them and when he's hitting three pointers, if
Huff is doing the same, Jasper Floyd, Brendan Lowrie and
to other guys to watch for. They really control the
rock more kind of inside jump shooters. But when they're
hitting outside the specially Eagle Staff, they are deadly and
that is how they come back in games. I would
argue that when they get down, they tend to take
really bad shots and think their's Steph Curry out there.
Eagle Staff does his lot, and then he misses one, two, three, four,
and then it's just over and then that's how they
end up losing. They don't do enough in that regard,
and then defensively they really buy into what Ross Hodge
is selling. This is not an incredibly big team. DJ
Thomas as there as a young player. Ob Oha Harlan
obi Oha. When they're clicking defensively, he's at his best.
He is controlling the boards, he's getting rebounds. He's a
physical specimen and he's a beast. There are times he
kind of takes the night off and on most feels
so when he is peaked, they're great defensively. They have
shown the ability with or without him at his best,
that they can be a top twenty defensive team in
the country for sure. Granted they're coming off of such
a bad effort, but they clamp down. And we even
saw at the end of the Oklahoma State game. This
will be interesting if you see this against BYU whether
the earlier, certainly if they're down, lad he's never pressed Virginia.
The Huggins press Virginia teams three out of four years.
In the sweet sixteen, Jevon Carter and that group, well,
they basically did it. I mean they put a stranglehold
press on Oklahoma State towards the end of that game
and regulation, then in overtime and they go for the
steal a lot like they play that they want the steals.
But there have been times recently where the effort defensively
has not been there. As much. You know, I guess
I'll leave you with this. Wow, all of that is
the potential of the team. Ross Hodge literally said, the
reason why they lost to Oklahoma State is because of
defensive intensity. So the worst effort is what they just
put forward. He did not even just they lost the
game and defensively they were rough for the first time
all year. And he usually is a player's friendly coach
that defends his team to no end. He basically called
the players out and called their effort out. So we'll
see how they respond. And Chance More is another player
to name. But if he knows notice a medical mistake game.
Look at the film. There was a moment late under
the boards, Ross Hawk is yelling at him like what
are you doing? Get your head in the game. He
just stood there when there was a riven opportunity and
didn't run, didn't do anything. He just looked around me.
I don't know what to do. And we're not in
November with the new staff. This is or at the
end of February. I mean, I don't care who you are.
You got today. You should know what you're doing. So
it can be great, it can be bad. You'd imagine,
which maybe that's a negative for BYU that they got
to if these players have anything to them and they
played big level games. I mean, Lauren's been on a
Final fourteen. Like, if a coach says their effort is
why they lost, you would imagine they got to answer that.
They I would imagine they're gonna be competitive in that
game whether they win or not. I would think they
got to answer that.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's interesting as you're talking about this the b
way you're coaching step Kevin Young in particular, has called
out the effort of his team multiple times now this season,
and I wonder if it is a products sometimes you're
I'm hearing it from you, I'm hearing it from others
in this mercenary like approach you're into, You're out transfer
portal and the era, the pay per play era is
it is it hard to keep teams players motivated? Uh,
game in and game out like because there's not there's
not a cohesive culture, you know, buy in to the school,
to the coach, to the roots that you're building there.
Speaker 2: It's just like I'm getting paid to be here.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean I'll play well, Like I just wanted
to improve my my draft stock I want to maybe
leverage this into the next stop it when you have
undulation of effort and it's hard to to to build,
you know, consistent culture day in and day out, repetition
and high intensity of every game.
Speaker 2: You see these drop offs? Are you seeing that?
Speaker 1: Are you seeing that visibly maybe around the country and
they're West Virginia as well.
Speaker 3: I think it's definitely fair to wonder. It's hard to
get in these kids in really psychoanalyze, but it's a
fair thing to wonder. And we've kind of even asked
ross Hodge's thoughts on this, and he also kind of
said that he even answered why a lot of coaches
are calling teams out, because that was even literally asked.
We asked him why a lot of coaches are calling
players out and why a lot of coaches are if
you recall having freak out viral sessions after these losses,
I mean literally, West Miller, after living to West Virginia,
has freaked out twice this season in which he went viral,
and ross Hodge basically said he does believe the pressure
of the era, the fact that even if you are
a team that thinks they can a national title, you
know that in two months, you have to rebuild the
entire roster like that. Pressure is insane on coaches. The
Big twelve is a war every single night, and he
does believe it's getting to people, and it's like mentally,
like that is that is becoming a mental issue. So
I'm not a therapist, but it certainly does look like
that could be a possibility here, and you would imagine
the players that want to play hard for themselves. But
even if I mean, you have to think of it
that way. It's crazy to say, but you know, when
you see a team that's about to get in and
they have a three game losing streak and they have
such a skid that is worse than all their metrics,
and it's fair than in this air to ask, well,
were you guys thinking that, Okay, now we're maybe going
to get in, but we're not going to probably go
to the final four? So you would rather just end
your season and get in the portal or go on
to the next level, or if you're a senior, leave
school and move on. I mean, would you prefer to
do that then have one game in the nca term
And even though the program wants to be there and
it sounds crazy to ask, but a team that wants
to do everything imaginable to get that one game, even
if that's all they get, it's hard to think this
is the effort to last four games. It's just I mean,
this isn't enough to beat anybody, let alone the victive.
So I think it's very fair to ask. And that
is definitely the situation is not changing though, like this
is it? So this is what they're going to have
to be dealing with. But yeah, the Mountaineers have seven seniors.
A lot of players are going to be leaving. I mean,
there's a lot of conversation now with West Virginia of
if they don't get in the NACA Tournament, should they
accept or decline the Colored Basketball Crown or even the
NIT And because the big twelve tie in is, you know,
it will likely be the Colored Basketball Crown. And there
are people that are on both sides that are saying, well,
this is an historic program. Final fours. There are thirty
one appearances. You know, Huggins, Jerry West, you can't go
ahead and be in this minor tournament. It's beneath you.
It's been beneath programs worse than you. Historically in recent years,
and yeah there's an nil payment, but it's not all
that much with the travel that would be involved there.
There are others that are bringing up well in the past,
West Virginia's got in these things and then you know,
twenty years ago they weren't an NT and three years
later they're in the Final four. Why can't they do
it again? Because best is not the era. Nine of these
players are going to be round. They don't care probably
what the program does in three years. The coach maybe will,
maybe he won't. The system could be totally different. If
it's a new coach, that's a whole new culture than
in there. You just don't know. So I mean, an
nil payment for the program is what you get out
of winning the basketball crown. You don't get money if
your eagle staff and your eligibility is over. What would
his motivation to be even in there? Maybe this effort
would happen in there. There's no guarantee they win that,
so it is fair I think to ask what the
motivation or effort of care is of these players when
you get to the end of the year and they
know they're leaving like that is that is just a
hard thing to coach.
Speaker 1: I would imagine, Yeah, I don't know how you can
coach up kids hard. He yeah, or you have to
be very strategic about who you're gonna coach up hard.
Speaker 2: So, uh, they're not.
Speaker 3: Seeing anyone like Peterson in Kansas. No one's checking out
of games. That's not happening.
Speaker 2: That's a good Yeah, that's that's actually a good sign.
Speaker 1: Let's say if that's the baseline individual players like being capable.
Speaker 2: Of checking themselves out of game.
Speaker 1: I wish you know that I would have had that
type of power in my life anyway, anything, well, in
anything right, just being hey, I'm checking out today, Guys,
I ain't showing up, but send me to check, send
me the check.
Speaker 3: Yeah yeah, I'm just gonna half in my head. I'm
checked out. I'm done.
Speaker 1: Can you imagine like just just D n P and
everybody like, like just D M P and your your wife. Hey, honey,
the kids are a little ROADI i'ma check myself out
of this.
Speaker 2: I'm gonna go. We're gonna have a beer. We have
a root beer over here.
Speaker 3: Look at the film of chance More At the end
of the Ogloma State game, he might as well have
checked out.
Speaker 2: All right, Mike, we gotta let you go. I hope
it's a good one.
Speaker 1: I don't know if the line's dropped yet, but three
thirty pm, February twenty eight it's at West Virginia, Morgantown,
West Virginia. H I can't wait to see what happens
in this game, and hopefully it's a competitive entertaining one.
The best way to support to you what you do,
how you do it for all of our listeners.
Speaker 3: Sure you can find me all over social at Mike
Osti eleven, West Virginia. Sports Now is the site there.
I also do some aster writing with Yard Barker and
have a podcast Mike Drop that's on Serious XM. So
go ahead and find that wherever you get your podcast.
But I appreciate the time, guys, and yeah, I hope
to be talking to you again sometime soon, maybe basketball, football, whatever.
Speaker 1: Give me a call much love, Mike. We appreciate you
anythingks wropping on today. Brother, Yep, someone needs to do
some sort of like you know, TikTok Instagram, you know,
sequence of like guys, just DNPN like activities, you know,
like I'm not Ronnie would be like I ain't cooking
on the grill to night tapping out, I'm done. You
know I'm taking care of Jersey night Babe tapping out,
I'm done. Oh man, I need that. I need that
in my life. Guys, that's our show. We're sticking to it.
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