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So from the logo with Jimper for Dead, there's a
couple of interesting sound by year. This is Jemper for
Det's take on Ajdbod versus Darren Peterson, who he would
take first overall in the MBA drapped up this year.
Who's the real number one NBA pick? Between Dayren Peterson
and ajd Botcha? This is Jebber for DET talking about it.
Speaker 4: Darren is more polished right now. I would go AJ
number one. Like you think the ceiling is higher. I
think his ceiling is higher. Darren is going to go
into the NBA. He probably he could average twenty points
in the NBA today. He's a great shooter. He can pass,
he can handle the ball, He's good in the pick
and roll. It seems really easy for him. It's effortless,
which is a sign of obviously a great scorer. And
I was really impressed with how he came out and
played against AJ. I just can't get wrapped around how
good AJ could be. He reminds me of kind of
like a Cooper Flag. Cooper Flag's probably a little bit
better offensively right.
Speaker 3: Now, but AJ could be that type of player. And
if you're that type of player.
Speaker 4: I mean, he's average twenty points a game right now,
he's bringing records. I would go AJ number one because
of the upside on the NICHELO.
Speaker 3: Okay, so I'll let you react to this, Ronnie.
Speaker 2: Then I'll bring you up the caboose on my thoughts
regarding the AJ slash DNP debate.
Speaker 5: Yeah, I think the first thing to know is that
I agree with the about the Cooper flag part of it. Now,
we only heard a clip of it. We didn't hear
everything else in between. There's some other stuff going on
with Darren Peterson. We don't know if they comments on it.
That's just the commoness is. But I think that's the
first thing you have to take into account that the
reason Darren Peterson is the more polished player all around
one hundred percent. You can see it on the court.
But you wonder as a GM and as a coach,
really you feel bad for a coach because if a
GM drafts this guy ben, the coach is gonna ultimately
be at you know, Darren Peterson's mercy. He can do whatever,
he can sit out as like Kawhi Leonard, you know what.
Speaker 3: Stuff.
Speaker 5: You know, whether it's the guy is injured, the guy
is a little managing whatever it might be, it sucks, right,
you know, it's kind of like what the whole people say,
the tanking thing going on right now. Coach is at
the mercy of what they have to do from the
front office, but they could lose their job. But to
the point, I think Aj is the number one pick.
Your best ability is availability. That has to matter. We
heard it early in the show from Ari Tempkin, eleven assists.
Are we serious? Like from a guy that's gonna be
a guard. Then you look at all the guards, Darius Garland,
Donovan Mitchell, Jaylen Brown, you look at Jalen Brunson. You
can't just score it. You have to facilitate too, And
a lot of these guys can facilitate and get into
the four, five, six, eight or double digit assists. You know,
we don't have any more point gods like Chris Paul.
But then you see that and he doesn't provide that,
and his availability is the biggest thing. So I think, yes,
with the upside with the availability, with how AJ's playing now, now,
Darren's gonna have a chance to correct that in the tournament.
But if AJ keeps doing what he's doing and Darren
continues to not be able to play in these games.
I think when you go to workout with everything that
we seeing, it doesn't matter. I think you're gonna see that.
And to me, if I'm a GM right now, I'm
taking AJ with what I've seen now. That could change
next month, but as of right now, I think today,
excuse me. February twentieth, twenty twenty six. AJ de Bons
is the number one overall pick and you've seen the
way he's been playing this last month, but he's been
on the tear. The only issue is BYU has no depth.
That's why AJ is not in the Big twelve Player
that year conversation, some of these other things. But he
leads the nation and scoring been at twenty four point eight.
That's ridiculous, like twenty five points a game. Again, I
say it. This's the only reason AJ's not getting more
hype and b yu is is because they're one in
six against a peop whole top twenty five teams. You
got no win against Texas Tech, Kansas been, You're lost
on the road against Oklahoma State. You didn't beat Arizona twice,
Like that's the reason. That's the reason Ben, Now, if
you beat Iowa State, you beat Texas Tech, maybe you
can get into that. But for the most part, Ben,
that's the reason why maybe noise hasn't been made by
AJ is because you got the stats, but you don't
have the wins to go and you're not the best
team in the Big twelve.
Speaker 6: Yeah.
Speaker 2: Great thoughts there from Ronald the three man weaver. Look,
as Jimmer pointed out initially said, Darren's more polished, AJ
has more upside. This is a conversation, literally that extends
that we've been having on this show. I was told
over a year and a half ago, this same this
same premise, this same tenant, this same conversation that we
were having over a year and a half ago, that
Darren is the more refined score, the better player right now.
Speaker 3: But AJ has the best upside.
Speaker 2: He's a he's a he's a developing monstrous baby's giraffe
right now and he's gonna become just this, this this
beast eventually. Darren Peterson I think is the best scorer
in college basketball, and I don't really think it's closed.
I really don't like if he he would like if
he played, you know, equivalent minutes he's playing thirty five
minutes a game. I think the points permit it played.
If he's staying healthy, right, would be pretty insane. He'd
be the Nasmith Award winner just because of how productive
he can be and how.
Speaker 3: Efficient he can be. Now, my biggest question is how.
Speaker 2: Injury prone is Darren Peterson, Like is are these true
injuries or are these faked injuries that he's just like,
I just don't want to play, and I want to
limit the load on my knees, my back, my ankles,
my body, Like there's no reason for me to play.
Like it's my Robert or big shot Bob theory right, Like,
I'm gonna go play when it matters most, and I
got a great team around me. I don't need to
play more than eighteen minutes a game. I don't need
to play every single game I need to play. I
need to be ready in March madness. So I'm I'm
of the thought process, Like if he goes off in
the NC Double A tournament and he balls out, he's
playing thirty five minutes a game and he's you know,
he's the leading scorer in the NC DOUBLEA tournament and
Kansas is going deep and going to an Elite eight
Final four. I think it's gonna be hard for NBA
gms to not.
Speaker 3: Take Darren because of what they.
Speaker 2: Deem as an immediate impact player, and not to say
aj is not an immediate impact player.
Speaker 3: He is, but.
Speaker 2: I don't know if AJ do you Okay, let me
ask you this, Ronnie, do you think aj next year
in the NBA will have as big of an impact
as Cooper Flag has had on the NBA this year?
Do you think AJ's in the same realm, same spot
as Cooper Flag?
Speaker 5: You know what I mean, that's a very good question.
I mean it all comes down to team of where
he gets drafted. Ben, if he's in the Western Athletic Conference,
in how deep that conference is, I would have to
say no, because look where Cooper's at. He's with the Mavericks.
Same thing that's he is Andrew Anthony Davis Kyrie is
gonna miss the reus.
Speaker 2: Cooper's averaging twenty points, games, rebounds, four point one assist.
Speaker 3: I believe, I.
Speaker 5: Believe Ajie will average the same, but I believe.
Speaker 2: Man and then I think forty six percent from the
three point line.
Speaker 5: Yeah, he's not gonna have that it''s not gonna have
the forty six percent from three. Not gonna give him that.
He could be somewhere in like the low thirties. Uh,
But I mean it's gonna be ridicted. I mean his
free done. We need to keep track being of how
many frea throws is gonna attend because the three ball
doesn't matter in college basketball. And I know we heard
in the first segment, you know of Richie Saunders, but
look they the way they play defense. I said this.
None of the fans are giving me credit for it.
I said Yegor would be fine. I said the shot
would improve and the spacing Kevin Young told you, And
look at what it is, rising Star. This is gonna
be the same thing AJ's bait of the of how
he gets you, the foul bait, the hand discipline is
gonna go away a little bit in the NBA because
he's gonna be the spacing is gonna allow Asy to
get to the basket so much so, I believe AG's
gonna have the same numbers. I believe he's gonna have
the same type of impact, not from three. But you're
not gonna hear about it, really because he's gonna be
on one of the worst teams you know, Cooper again,
worst teams because of injuries all those things. But yes,
I believe he's gonna have the same impact, And I
think you need to take it a step further. They
putting out projections been for the twenty twenty eight Olympic team.
AJ has a chance to be on that. I legit
believe that. I don't believe that's hyperble like with his
skill set been and how far he's gonna be able
to rise, like he's gonna be in the Rising Stars,
He's gonna do all of that. Like, AJ has a
chance to really be an all time great at the
next level. So yes, I believe I have the same
impact as Cooper flag if not more.
Speaker 2: Yeah, Well, like I said, I'll go back to this premise.
If the injury issues that that Darren Peterson has experience
over the last two years are actually accurate, like that
he's actually injury prone, then you can't take him because
obviously the best ability is your availability. You can't take
him right, you can't take him first overall, And AJ
will be the first overall pick because of the consistency
of the competitive nature, because he cares about winning. He's
got that dog in him and wants to win championships,
and he's willing to go out and practice and compete
every single day. Whereas Darren's a load manager, He's a
Kawhi Leonard And and I just don't you know, you
don't want Kawhi. You don't want Kawhi to build around
you just don't. You don't want to build a team
around Darren Peterson.
Speaker 3: You don't even want to. I don't even know if
you want him as a role player.
Speaker 2: Quite honestly, he could very well be a cancer. Just
all of the all of this stuff. I think he
will drop. You know, if if the injuries are accurate, right,
if these are like cramping and ankle tweaks and soft
tissue and all this stuff he's got like some sort
of underlying issue, then then he'll drop. Is he If
he balls out in the NCAA tournament and like leafs
Cancer to a final four, like he may go first overall? Guys,
I'm sorry, but like and they will take a risk.
They will take a chance on him because they're like
we we are coach, our organization will be different. We can,
we can, we gotta take a chance but we gotta
go get him, and that's just the nature of it.
Don't be surprised if that happens. All I'm saying is
I'm just saying, don't be surprised if that happens.
Speaker 5: I agree with you, Ben, but isn't it It's Look,
let's just tell the fans that, look, I served a mission.
I'm allowed to say this word. You're not yet if
you haven't served a mission, because I'm gonna say it.
Speaker 3: Look, that's that's the ruyerophy. You gotta serve a mission
in order to use any curse word.
Speaker 5: But it's been is damned if I do, damned if
I don't. That's what the situation is with Darren Peterson. Okay,
so he balls out in the final four. Okay, so
he loaded managing college, which is really bad. So he
messed it up, like Kendrick Perkins said, for the rest
of athletes for college of basketball. But if we don't,
we're fired. What if he does go off? Okay, he's
not really heard with the NBA dread like that's what
I mean. Like, if you're if you're an organization and
maybe they're not praying for this, that's probably the wrong thing.
To say, but some of those people are hoping that
he just doesn't play March madness. So you can take
aj because if you take him and the same thing happens,
you're gonna be so mad. Yeah, but that's the thing.
Is like Kaylen Williams when he was a number one
pick for the Bears of you pass and he goes
to the Super Bowl, been you're fired, like you won't
get a job ever. Again, that's the sucky part. But
I agree with you. If he balls out, he's gonna
be the number one overall pick, and that very well
could happen. But look, but I think this will do this.
This is what I can't say, and this is official,
and this is not a hot take. Darren Peterson hitting
that three and whoever caught it on video on him
pointing back to Bill self ruined the credibility of Darren
Peterson's honesty going forward. And I don't know who in
this corner is telling him that and ruined the future
of those going to college athletics. I believe that can
be in a way of basketball. And maybe I'm not
explaining at the best, but that low managing if he's
doing any heat balls out, Ben and he tests fine
and there's no sign of injuries. You will have duped
all of those in the NCAA. You will have cost
Kansas a potential chance, you know, to have a great season.
And that's not good. And we and now that the
talk is going to be other kids are not gonna
get the benefit of it out because of that. And
he's not gonna care, right, He's gonna go get his
selfishly Yana idiada. But I just think Darren petersons that
that video bill will be that's that's encrypted in college
basketball forever. That might ruin the future of it for
kids in the future that have to go through things
because of what Darren did.
Speaker 3: And I don't like that. If that's the case, let's
get to the next SoundBite.
Speaker 2: The next gugar bite brought to you by rupees in
rubies in dot com. But by the way, I just
posted a video of the snowcappudos of Bryce Cannon National Park.
Follow me on exact Crital Benjamin at Crital Benjamin. It
is gorgeous, man, it is fansat over a foot of
some new snow has fallen at Bryce Cannon National Park
and it's an absolute dream. This morning photographer on ig
Dinosaur eight O two sent to Matthew Johnson of KSL
a video.
Speaker 3: Just a few minutes ago. I just retweeted it. It
is gorgeous. It is beautiful.
Speaker 2: There's nothing quite like fresh snow on southern Utah's red
rock and today's it's on display from Bryce Canyon to Moab.
Get out there if you can, ladies and gentlemen, boys
and girls. It is awesome.
Speaker 3: It is truly a wonder of the West.
Speaker 7: Uh.
Speaker 2: You got one life to live. Go out and experience
one of the wonders of the world.
Speaker 3: In my opinion. All right, let's get back to this SoundBite.
Pete Sousans pe Sports Nation.
Speaker 2: Pete discusses aj over Darren Peterson said the best ability
is availability. Let's tune in as Pete Sousa prognosticates and
projects who can go first overall and become maybe Big
twelve Player of the year for the Big Twelve.
Speaker 8: I'd say jay to Bons in my opinion and and
and the reason, and I'll take an opportunity because I've
being out and still water and you go, you go
to the shooter rounds, right, you talk to Bill self
Kansas there shoot around it is like a well oiled machine.
And I can tell you there is nothing but love
between Darren Peterson and his teammates. I mean, I saw
that firsthand, and you can't fake it, right, But you
all so can't ignore that there's some strange around that situation.
And I said this, and I'm never and I told
you so, guy, because I'm usually wrong, but I said this.
I said this weeks or months ago. I thought AJ
was the better player simply because I like his game more.
And the best ability of ability is availability, right. I
mean a lot of times, that's why the three of
us have the jobs that we do, because we knew
that when somebody called us to go call a game
or host the show, if they were going to give
us a nickel on the dollar, it didn't matter.
Speaker 3: We were going to.
Speaker 6: Show up and be there.
Speaker 8: And I think that that is what separates AJ from
a player like Darren Peterson.
Speaker 6: And this isn't you know. I'm not looking for an.
Speaker 8: Opportunity to talk negatively about Darren Peterson, but I want
to bring reality into the picture and say I like
AJ's game more than I like Darren Peterson's game, and
I also love his availability and toughness more than Darren Peterson's.
And I don't know much about Darren Peterson's family, but
I do know about AJ's family and his mom and
his so you guys have got to.
Speaker 6: Know very well at this point just knowing that story.
You know you're the son of.
Speaker 8: A police officer in Boston, Dude, Like that is to me?
That personifies grit and toughness. Yes, that we usually don't
see from an elite level prospect or player like like
like AJ, And I think that it makes him very
very special.
Speaker 2: Special indeed, No, I I just think once again, like
it's what I leaned into early this year. AJ is
a competitor and continues to compete no matter what the
situation is. And that's what you want if you're trying
to build a championship. If you want to build a championship,
take him one first overall, Given that the player of
the year, who else would be there?
Speaker 3: Right, Fleming?
Speaker 2: Do you think who else would be in competition with
I don't Thinkdarren Peterson's there. Who do you got as
as player of the year, Big twelve, Ronald the three
man Weaver?
Speaker 5: Yeah, I think it comes down to two people. Been
Chancellor Johnson who play out a video and I agree
with them as well. You can go to follow that
a Chancer Johnson TV. But it comes down I think
the Kingston Fleming and braiden Berry's and again they may
they may not necessarily be the best players been on
their team, and they there well could be too when
you look at the numbers Josh Jefferson's in that conversation,
I think as well. But winning does matter. I've mentioned
it multiple times and guys, look, I know what I'm
saying is right. You can't be the fifth best player
in the conference and win play of the Year.
Speaker 3: Now.
Speaker 5: I could be wrong, you know, like Pete says lots
of the times, I am wrong Ben, but I know
that for a surety that I don't think that will.
I think he will win a Newcomer of the Year,
and I don't think he will be close. I do
think he'll get that one. But I do think that
a Player of the Year will come down to Kingston
Fleming and braiden Berry's, and I think that game been
will be decided on Saturday as those two teams meet.
Speaker 2: Yes, indeed, last thing, last thing I do want to
get to the Mark Pope SoundBite, real quick. Mark Pope,
former b YU head coach now the Kentucky head coach,
was asked a question from the meeting about what advice
he would give to the aspiring journalists that were in.
Speaker 3: The room there at the University of Kentucky. This was
his response.
Speaker 2: I thought it was appointed and positive and uh uh,
and take some introspection here all you potential journalists out there.
Speaker 7: Which I've got twelve students here from my journalism classic,
what kind of advice would you give to at a
young aspiring journals. Oh, that's dangerous, that's a dangerous, dangerous question.
I would tell you guys that you're in a really
complicated space from my position where unfortunately you're just going
to be graded on clicks, like that's just what you're
graded on, and and and so you're you're that makes
your job hard. It makes this job really hard because
you can get cheap clicks or you can get clicks
for being great at what you do. And it's probably
like everything in life, and that's just that's the challenge.
You know, you have experienced media crew in here, but
that's probably the question you're going to ask yourself. Am
I gonna go Am I gonna go down the road
of just getting the cheap clicks? Or am I gonna
get the clicks by being the most real, authentic, truth
telling hardcore journalist. A lot of people would say that
that can't exist anymore, that long form is gone and
real truth telling is gone, and you just have to
put out the headline is inauthentic or manufactured as it
might be, you just have to put it out because
you got to get clicks, you got to earn a reputation.
You got to do it that way. But I don't
know if that's advice, but I do from my perspective,
that's the biggest question you're gonna have to answer as
a journalist. And and for my money, if you are
a great, if you want to be great, you're gonna
probably do the impossible. And that's gonna be like you're
gonna you're gonna stay away from the cheap click manufactured, artificial,
skewed headline and you're gonna become like the world's greatest storyteller.
Because I will tell you this. I talked to our
media about this too. Storytellers have the power in the
world right now, you know, I think in this space
where facts can get skewed all kinds of ways. It's
storytellers that actually have the power, but it comes with
an immense responsibility. And I think if you can become
a great, great, authentic, hard hitting storyteller that is really
searching for the truth, the greatness of stories is actually
in the truth rather than just searching for the clicks.
I think it's pretty well, that's my two cents. I'm
not in the media, but that's my thought.
Speaker 2: No, I think I think that's great insight from Mark Pope,
very very powerful.
Speaker 3: Indeed for all you aspiring journalists.
Speaker 2: All right, guys, that's our State segment, brought to you
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Speaker 3: Let's go to break. We got John Walters.
Speaker 1: At ninety eight three DESPN the Fan this spring, the
best college baseball program in Utah is coming to the
fan to miss Utah Valley Baseball on the ESPN the
Fan app. Get to know the Cougar's opponents and rivals.
Right now, I need to know the Faux segment Todd
Cougar Sports with Ben Kretel.
Speaker 3: Welcome back Cougar Sports.
Speaker 2: One of three nine ninety eight point three ESPN Fan.
I've been broadcasting from.
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your quest for financial stability and sustainability. It is time
to get to the foe BYU Basketball trying to find
a dog, trying to find a win right now as
they prepare for their next matchup versus the Iowa State
Cycle is a good team, very good team, one of
the best teams in the nation, sitting at twenty three
and three overall and number six in the nation.
Speaker 3: UH and uh b YU coming off Philoso.
Speaker 2: Versus U of A a disappointing one, but then they're
trying to find their identity without Richie Saunders.
Speaker 3: It's gonna be a fantastic matchup.
Speaker 2: B YU needs to get back on the right track
to get tonother foe. We're gonna welcome in an Iowa
State Insider. This segment's gonna be brought to you by
our good friends at Central Garage Door, Central Garage Utah
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VIP discounts. All right, let's get out to the hotline.
Welcome in the voice of the Iowa State Cyclones, the
director of broadcasting. We got John Walters online, John, how
you live it?
Speaker 6: Things are great? Uh, happy to join you. And it's
been a been a very fun season for Iowa State
and it's zipping right along, so that makes the winners
go a little faster. Your names.
Speaker 2: No doubt about Iowa State's favorite in this game. I
think it opened at three and a half uh and
I think that's uh uh doing part because they are
such a good team. Now they're not the same team
on the road as they are at home. They're in
names that that's a that's one of the best teams
in the country. Is still one of the best teams
in the country I think on the road. But how
would you describe, uh, the trajectory of this Iowa State
Cyclones team right now?
Speaker 6: Well, they you know, they did have some some road winds.
Certainly the win at Purdue by twenty three when they
were ranked number one in the nation early in the season,
got a lot of people's attention. But you're right, they've
been especially strong at home where they're eighteen and zero.
But you know, this is a team that is it
has avoided big roles in their schedule. You know, they've
been able to if they have a game or two
where they don't play particularly well, bounce back and kind
of refocus and re energize and get back where they
need to be. And so that's been kind of the
strength of this team. I think it comes from senior
leadership with Tim and Lipsey and Joshua Jefferson. I think
it comes from a corps that returned with those two guys.
Plpost be on Monchilo Beach and made Heisei. I just
has a lot of guys that are back from last
year's team, which you know, in this day of college basketball,
is a little bit rare, and so I think that
was a great starting point. And then when some freshmen
around them and transferm Blake Buchanan who has had a
big impact, and it's been a good mix. And I
was staying as been able to because they're a very
close team, not get caught in those long slumps that
can sometimes affect you.
Speaker 2: Yeah, this is a well coached team. They're a well
constructed team from a personnel standpoint. And how would you
describe the skill set, the overall skill set of this
team in what they do best.
Speaker 6: Yeah, I don't know that they're, you know, the most
athletic talented team in college basketball, but they play really
well together and they have a lot of good individual parts.
I mean, Joshua Jefferson is a Wooden Award Top twenty guy.
He's having a great season. Milan Mumchilovich has become the
best shooter in college basketball this year without question. When
you look at the numbers across the board. Taman Lipsey
is a veteran leader, a guy that's been around you
can do a lot of different things with hustle plays.
All these guys are really good players and all conference
type of players, but I think we all recognize that individually,
while they're good, they're better together and some of the
parts with this group is definitely better than just the
parts themselves. And they play together and that's what's really
fun to watch. They do share the ball, they move it,
they get themselves in motion to move their bodies and
are able to get open with good cuts to the basket.
And so it's a fun style to watch a lot
like what YU has done through the years and how
much fun that's been to watch. Offensively, and I think
that's where I would state has grown so much as
on the offensive end. Defensively, that's always been their bread
and butter under TJ Alzelberger, that's where they're going to
hang their hat. And they're good again defensively this year,
but I think they've taken a nice step forward offensively,
and now they get ready for a huge challenge on
the road and a place where they got beat pretty
soundly last time they went in there, and they know
what a bus saw that can be, and so they're
looking forward to the challenge this week.
Speaker 2: Well, I don't know what the scattering reporting has been
on the Cougars, but without Richie Saunders, they're they're kind
of limping into this game.
Speaker 3: Now.
Speaker 2: Don't get me wrong, there's some talent there, rob right,
the third Age of Devons and Canard Davis Junior. All
three of those guys are really good basketball players, but
they're not deep, they're thinned out. They were competitive versus
U of E, but it never seems like it seemed
like they were ever in control of that game. What's
the scattering report from your perspective and maybe the coaching
staff perspective as you've discussed it with them on this
Bay Cougar basketball team.
Speaker 6: Well, I think they're very impressed with devansa and you know,
Cada's played great against Iowa State. They love his energy
and what he brings on both ends of the floor,
and so I think they do have plenty of talent.
I mean, Robert Wright was a terrific player at Baylor,
he's even better at BYU. I just think he's an
exceptional talent that can get by people and really gets
the basket. And that's what de Bansla can do too.
I mean, it's just so much fun to watch him play.
It's it's incredible because you just haven't seen anybody really
be able to figure out how to slow them down yet.
And so for I say, that's the huge challenge because
each of those guys, as we've seen in the last
few games here, are very capable of going off for
a forty point game where they can carry a team
to a win. And obviously Saunders is a tremendous player,
and I know they're going to miss him. But in
the short term after injuries, and we saw this a
little bit what Iowa State last year when they lost
me on Momchiloviach for a seven game stretch, they lost
David Lipsei, they lost Keyshawn Gilbert, they were able to
in the short term play some really high level basketball.
Over the long haul, I think it really did hurt them,
but a team kind of rallies around each other, and
I think you could see Davis step up and play
a bigger role. I think you could see some of
the guys that are maybe haven't played as big of
a role step up and take on a bigger role
and take on a bigger challenge. But I really think
it all starts with those three, in particular Cata and
then the two the dynamics scorers in DEBANSA and Right.
And you know, those are huge challenges for Iway State
because I don't know that anybody's found somebody to slow
down the ban said. Now, Kate Chillian Tory is a
terrific defensive player, but he's he's not six' eight, you know,
and I don't know if that's who ends up getting
the defensive assignment, either that or he'll be trying to
slow down Robert Wright and put some ball pressure on him.
Taman Lipsey's a very good defensive player, but again these
are guards and Debansa at six eight, you know that'd
be a tough matchup for me al On Lonchiloviy. So
we'll see how it's all going to play out. But no,
I know that team has enough talent and then some
to be able to beat the Iowa State And so
I say it's gonna have to really be sharp to
beat them.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's gonna be a tough one, no doubt. B Yu,
like I said, is a three and a half point dog.
I guess it's closer than than the line the spread
that was BYU versus U of A, and I believe
ESPN analytics giving Iowa State a fifty five point two
percent chance of victory. How would you describe the Big
Twelve this year? You've gotten up close in personal the
last couple of years. It seems like the Big Twelve
is getting better and better every single year.
Speaker 3: How do you describe the Big Twelve this year?
Speaker 6: Well, it's so dynamic at the top. You know, I
think the teams in the middle at the bottom have
kind of beat each other up and been beaten up
by the teams at the top as they kind of
backloaded the schedule. So you know, you've got all these
top teams playing each other right now down the stretch. Well,
that's great for those top teams because they kind of
elevated their resumes and you know, now they're beating up
on each other where where if they get beat it
doesn't hurt you as much. Where some of those other
teams that play all the really good teams early, you know,
now the record doesn't reflect how good they really are,
and so those teams are just trying to race to
the finish line. I do this I think it's an
exceptionally strong league. I mean the level of talent. Just
go look at the mock drafts. So when you're seeing
you know, nine big twelve players that are projected to
go in the first round of these mock drafts, that
lets you know what a special basketball league it is.
And so a lot of great individual talent, tons of
great freshmen, but still very unpredictable. Look at Utah going
in and winning at West Virginia. That was amazing. I
mean nobody saw that coming. And here's West Virginia fighting
for a spot at the NCAA Tournament, really feeling good
about what they've done lately and how they've built the resume.
Utah had won on the road in about four hundred days.
They go in there and dominate and get out to
about an eighteen to two lead and end up winning
that game. So you know, it's a very unpredictable league.
It's a very challenging league, and it is competitive endurance
is a term that TJ. Alselberger likes to use within
a game of being able to get to the finish line,
and I think that's within the season two, just having
the competitive endurance to realize what a marathon this is,
and keep battling and striving even if you get some
bumps in the road, to keep getting better. And that's
really what the Tide eight team, I would say, has
been good at. You know, they they lost too straight.
They got their themselves back together and they really blew
out about four straight opponents. Then they lost a game,
a very competitive game, and came back and and have
looked really sharp since then, beating Kansas and Houston home
last week. So it's a it's a crazy race, but
you got to be prepared for that long haul.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's it's an interesting dynamic. You mentioned dynamic very
much top loaded some stars. There's a lot of stars
actually in this h this Big twelve conference. In one
of those stars, I want to get your opinion on it.
It seems to sub himself out midway.
Speaker 3: Through games, Darren Peterson and Bill self. I think it's becoming.
Speaker 2: I think a little bit incredulous and that doesn't understand
what's going on and why he's subbing himself out for
his post game. What's going on with Darren Peterson? Why
is Do you think the injuries are real old? Do
you think he's he's load managing himself. He's just an
autonomous being, just doing what he wants on a one
of the best Big twelve teams, one of the best
college basketball teams in the country.
Speaker 6: Yeah, I mean, I'm strictly speculating because I honestly don't know.
I'm not close enough to the situation. It is puzzling.
It's very puzzling because you know, he'll play at an
elite level and then all of a sudden just tap out,
you know, And and we don't know what's going on
with his physical being. And I know coach self has
defended him many times, although it seems like he's maybe
getting a little bit tired of offering up that defense.
And so look, he's extraordinarily talented. His ability to get
off shots. When you think back to that game with
Texas Tech where he had to make those two incredible
three pointers late in the game and he rows up
and knocked him both down. You know, he's an extraordinary talent.
But it's just a weird dynamic can I think in
this day of college basketball too, you got a lot
of people in your ear right. You're hearing from your agent,
your parents, your friends, your your circle. You know, what
is best for you in the long haul, and how
do you have to make sure you're one of the
top picks in the NBA draft. And maybe there's a
lot of that going on to Again I'm speculating, but
I can't believe this is all just his decision to
just kind of, you know, unexpectedly take himself of his
help out of the game. And he also goes over
and sits next to Doc Sadler, who I never know
was knew was a real doctor, but apparently he is
because that's we sits next to him. Bad. Scot's a
good guy. Used to be her Yowa State. But no,
it's we joke about it. But I mean, it is strange,
and I'm sure it's puzzling for Bill self. But all
I know is when he's out there, man, they're a really,
really dangerous team.
Speaker 2: That that is for certain. They are extremely dangerous. He's
a dangerous player. Know he's answered, but bad. Who do
you think the past? How would you rank out like
the best players in the Big twelve?
Speaker 3: Right now?
Speaker 2: That's an interesting debate we've had on our show, Who's
the How would we rank out like the top five
best players in the Big twelve. You you would probably
have more expertise on that front than anybody. Haven't seen
all these great players over the last couple of years.
Speaker 6: I'd say the best player I've seen this year in
person to this point, and I haven't seen the Bats
in person yet, so I'm with whole in judgment, But
Kingston Flemings from Houston is just extraordinary. His quickness, his
ability to get his shot off at any time, his
ability to get to the basket. He's one of the
best freshmen I've seen coming to this league in a
long long time. Now again, Peterson to be Hansa. I mean,
there's there's gonna be somebody left off the All Big
twelve team that you're gonna be saying, how in the
world you know did that happen? And there's so many great,
great players in the league. But I really like Bury's
at Arizona two, and I haven't seen him in person yet,
but just watching games, and he is an exceptionally extraordinarily
talented freshman. Pete gets a lot of attention and had
that bust out game early which I think got everybody's attention.
Maybe sike some attention away from Bury's, but I think
Burry's is just an incredible player. And so there's a
bunch of them all over the league and so far
I've just mentioned freshman and those are some of the
best players in the league without a doubt, but that
Joshua Jefferson is right up there with any player in
the league with what he does across the board, scoring, rebounding, assists.
He's just a guy that impacts the game in so
many different ways. And so and I know I'm leaving
people off. There's so many good players all over the league,
and it's just that's what makes the Big twelve so great.
I think that's why you see these TV ratings that
you do. You see the big Monday matchups or the
Saturday night matchups that are all over national TV and
everybody around the country. Twos in it's a high level basketball.
I mean, we just played a big Monday game with
Houston and you know, you catch yourself just I was
talking to Derek after our analysts just saying, this is
great stuff. You know, this is just high level, high
level basketball, and win or lose, this is just fun
to be here and just to witness it. And those
two teams really went back and forth for forty minutes.
So I love the league. I love what it's all about.
I love how it's grown with the additions that have
come in and made it only better, and I think
it's only going to get better. I think Commissioner Yormark
has a great feel for how valuable Big twelve basketball
is and I think that's only going to continue to grow.
Speaker 3: What let's go back to Iowa State here.
Speaker 2: The three losses are on the road, Kansas, at Cincinnati
and at TCU. What what happened in those games? Specifically?
How did they fall short in those games?
Speaker 6: I think turnovers were the number one thing that cost
them in those games, and I was it's kind of
been on a roller coaster when it comes to turnovers
this year. For the most part, they've been pretty good
at taking care of the basketball. But when you look
at those three losses in particular, they had a hard
time taking care of the ball and getting shots. And
then they turn around and they play Houston, which is
one of the best teams in the nation enforcing turnovers,
and they had a school record whoa three turnovers in
the game on Big Monday. So it's really hard to predict,
but you're right especially on the road, there have been
times where they've had struggles to take care of the basketball,
where the ball kind of gets stuck and there's a
little bit too much one on one stuff going on.
I think I would say, as I mentioned earlier, is
just better when they act collectively as an offense and
they really share the basketball and swing it from side
to side and everybody's moving and cutting. That's when they're
the most dangerous. That's when Joshua Jefferson can really find
open teammates and they can excel offensively. But sometimes, and
I think it's just human nature, you get behind and
you're trying to make a play, you kind of tend
to hold the ball a little bit longer and see
if you can make a play to get your team
over the hump. Well, I think they need to keep
trusting each other even in those late shot clock situations,
to say, hey, we can still make a play. We
might be down to three or four on the shot
clock here, but we can still make a play. We
can make two or three more passes. We saw that
with the game winner by Nate Heisei the other day.
Joshua Jefferson with about two on the shot clock, threw
it from the top of the key and made a
great pass that set up Heisey for that game winning shot.
So that's that's when I was stayed tad as fast
as when they're moving the ball, sharing and really keeping
it moving so that the defense can't walk in tj.
Alzilberger said, a guy standing still is a lot easier
to guard than a guy on the move. And so
I think for Iva State, movement, ball movement, player movement
is really the key.
Speaker 2: As you look forward these final five six games for
these Big twelve teams, who do you think is going
to be at the top of the standings? How many bids?
Also do you think the Big twelve gets this year
in the NCAA tournament.
Speaker 6: Well, I'm concerned about that last part of it because
I think, you know, you look at that West Virginia
loss last night, or you look at TCU losing the UCF.
You know, those losses really hurt. And I know that
each everybody seems to be in agreement that the Big
twelve has the best league, and so I think that
could help. But at the same time, each team is
evaluated individually, and so you know, you've got to get
some more resume building wins. If you're those teams that
are kind of on the bubble right now, there's a
bunch of them in the Big twelve. They're in that
middle of the pack. I'd love to see eight teams
get in, but I would think right now it would
probably be more like six or seven at the very top.
I think because Arizona's going to Houston this week and
what Houston's done historically in this league, to me, there's
still the team to be until until somebody knocks that
champion out, there's still the champion. It was alwayst that
hey with Muhammad Ali, you had to knock him out.
If you were going to beat him, you weren't going
to win a decision, right And that's to me when
that's Houston and especially on their home floor, and Arizona
goes in there with a real challenge this weekend, and
so yeah, I'd still pick Houston to win it, although
there's several teams still in the race, including Iowa State,
and that's really exciting, no.
Speaker 3: Doubt about it.
Speaker 2: Give me a little prognostication, how do you think this
BYU iway stay game plays out.
Speaker 6: I think it's gonna be an absolute dogfight. I mean,
BYU is really good, especially on their home floor. It's
one of the truly great environments in college basketball. It's
going to be noisy and it's going to be a
buzz saw and I would stay went in there and
did not play well last time they went there, and
you have to be sharp. You have to be really
really sharp to go in there and win. Now, lately
I was stated has been really really sharp. So hopefully
that they can carry that over on this trip. But yeah,
they're gonna have to. They're gonna have to get off
to a good start. I don't think you want to
dig yourself a deep hole against this team. I think
you need to get off to a good start and
establish your physicality and your identity early in that basketball game.
But then the billion dollar question is is de Bansa
gonna go off? Is he gonna have forty points? If not,
then who's responsible for slowing them down? Because you know
they're gonna they're gonna spread the floor, they're gonna get wet,
right and de bants will go one on one and
do their thing and it's gonna be hard to slow down.
And then on the boards, I think is going to
be a huge part of this game. And Okada has
been just incredible on the boards against Iowa State in
the past. Can you get a body on him? Can
you consistently win the rebound battle or at least play
even on the boards with BYU and I think that
will be a critical part of this game as well.
Speaker 2: We appreciate you hopping on to talk some ball with
us today, John, best way to support you.
Speaker 3: What you do, how you do it. Thanks wropping on
for little know the faux segment with.
Speaker 6: Us see that my pleasure. Happy to join you anytime.
Speaker 2: Thank you, John, appreciate you. I have a great rest
of your day, you too. There you go. That's John Walters,
the director of broadcasting for the Iowa State Cyclones and
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