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Speaker 4: Let's talk about stats in this segment with our favorite
Vitrio retinal surgeon, our favorite optalmologist, big byu fan man
of metrics.
Speaker 3: We got Jeff Fuller on the line. Jeff, how that heck?
Speaker 5: Are you doing great?
Speaker 1: Ben?
Speaker 5: How's it going?
Speaker 3: Hey, I'm doing fantastic.
Speaker 4: Appreciate you joining me for a Let's talk about stats segment.
Look I love seeing Jeff Fuller take to Twitter and
begin pontificating about numbers, analytics, metrics. Uh that uh that
people need to know about rite many of your tweets,
When of your opinions have gone viral over the years
and you continue to put out great content and I
keep on retweeting it.
Speaker 3: Uh, what have you delved into recently?
Speaker 1: Jeff?
Speaker 3: What's got your Uh? What's is there a be in
your bonnet at all?
Speaker 4: About any of the stuff that's occurred this b YU
college football season?
Speaker 5: Oh? Are you? Are you kidding me?
Speaker 1: Is water wet?
Speaker 6: Is?
Speaker 5: Is there a dog in Georgia? Is the Pope Catholic?
Speaker 1: Then?
Speaker 5: I guess we shouldn't talk about about Catholic in the
recent Notre Dame situation. But little little source spot there,
But yeah, of course, I mean there's some stuff over
the last you know, two seas seasons that boy, I'm
I'm I'm gonna, you know, keep keep spouting from the
small platform that I have as much as possible. But
I mean, what's happened to BYU just being left out
of discussion last year? And even you know when clearly
not just a bubble team but probably the most resume
definitely the most resume were the Bubble team this year
just completely left off graphics, just not discussed on podcast shows,
you know, with with national podcasters when you're talking about
you know, the ESPN podcasts or their shows, when you're
talking about Josh Pate or Ari Wasserman, Andy Staple, you know,
some of those, some of those shows that these guys
that are the talking heads and sort of drive a
lot of the narratives. I mean, just completely like, oh, well,
why why would we talk about b YU. They can
they can play their way into the playoffs. It's like,
are you getting eleven and one BYU? And this is
one of the things that sort of hit the most
is that I did an analysis you know that I
saw other people sort of picked this up afterwards, some
other BYU stats people, and then Shihan Jayleraja I think
I'm saying that name right. He picked it up and
put it in his article a few days after I
tweeted this out. But if you look back at all
one loss teams from power conferences over the last thirty years,
I went back to a peoples. I think some others
have taken it back even further and have confirmed that
it's even for there has never been a Power conference
one loss team at the end of the regular season
ranked worse than ten in the nation. And BYU with
eleventh at eleven and one only loss to a top
five team, Texas Tech, the strength of schedule around thirty
ish in the nation. You know, jump just jump back.
Last year, Indiana wasn't getting a lot of respect. Oh,
they haven't played anyone, you know, yeah, they were eleven
and one, but they haven't played anyone. You know, though
in the time they did, they got they really got
smoked by Ohio State. But you know, sort of similar
to what BYU was being said about about Texas Tech.
What what do you think Indiana's strength of schedule was
last year? It was eighty fourth eighty fourth, Okay, BYU's
was about thirty ish. We're talking about two different you know,
resumes completely as far as strength of schedule and strength
of resume. Then you know, strength of record, I guess
is the resume metric. And then just going back, I mean,
even Boise State last year was a one lost team,
was ranked higher than BYU in the final final College
Football playoff poll before conference championship weekend. So even Boise
State had you know, more respect from the MIDI A
one lost Boise State than by you did in a
power conference. And you know, you just I've been you know,
people say, oh, you know, there's this persecute persecution complex.
All these all these Mormons that think they're always you know,
the worlds have to get them, and everything's unfair and
they're just you know, they just like to whine and
they're just you know, got this persecution complex. I mean,
is it a persecusing complex? If it's real? I mean, well,
what do they say, I'm only paranoid because everyone's against me.
And you know, you go back and you look. Brett
Brett McMurphy looked at all the ap poles since twenty
fourteen and he ranked all the most underrated teams in
the history of the A people since that time, you know,
the last eleven years number one, b YU. I've done
a longer analysis, going back twenty five years, fifty or
seventy five years, at every time interval over over all
the time intervals. Guess who pops up is the most
underrated team in ap pol. You know it's b Yu.
It pops up again and again. I did basketball you know,
I've pweted something out a week or two ago. You know, basketball,
most underrated team in the last fifty years in basketball
comparing pre season rankings to postseason you know where you
finish in the AP poll in basketball, no other team
is more underrated than b YU. It was tied with
Texas Tech for that one. But you know, one one
sport could be sort of a statistical you know, someone's
got to be the most underrated, right, But if you
take it to a second sport, and it's also there,
if you take it, you know, not just to AP pole.
If you look at college football playoff rankings, if you
take it over any time period you want to look,
and it's the same team popping up time and time
and time again. You know that there. It's it's clear
that whether it's contents just you know, hate or bias,
or whether there's just subconscious there's something notable there and
it's not right. And I do not trust a committee,
the committee idea for deciding the playoffs. They'd have to
end or if there's a committee, they have to publish
the metrics that matter, and they have to you know,
and they have to you know, rank the teams if
they're using metrics, and you know, maybe they can say, well,
metrics are fifty or seventy five percent of it, and
then we'll apply the eye test and our other arguments
for the rest. You know, at least give us where
the teams are sort of slotted, sort of like the
sorting tool of the net ranking for the for the
basketball tournament. At least we know an idea of where
people are slotted. And b Yu is just totally totally
left out of that discussion. And I've talked long enough.
Speaker 4: But well, no, I think one of the tweeks that
I retweeted too, you know, we try to get as
many data points right, as many objective data points as possible.
And one of the things I discussed with great Yormark
was I felt like the committee was too human based,
too subjective, and when we were going to see kind
of a melding between algorithm metrics objective with the.
Speaker 3: Human element and how will that be weighted?
Speaker 4: And like he felt like they were moving in that direction,
but it still didn't seem that way this go around. Well,
they ever, they waited it except for BYU. Right, BA
was never involved. So the other component right at Parker Fleming.
We've had him on the show a lot. He says,
I need to do a lot more on this, but
he's got a stat wins above what an average team
would be expected to have against your schedule. Indiana at
number one point plus seven to one, Georgia at six
six point seventy five. Ohiouse Ate at six point three
to one, Texas am at six point one to three,
and then b Yu at number five five point six four.
I think you timed in on this and said everyone's
going ballistic over number thirteen, getting it getting in on
this list. That last CFP spot, number thirteen was Miami
at plus four point twenty nine. Well number five, b Y,
you can't even make ESPN's bubble graphics.
Speaker 3: It's really insane.
Speaker 5: Yeah, yeah, I looked at that, at that metric that
the stats of war Parking Fliming guy put out, and
I know you've you've had interactions with him. Producer some
great stuff, produces some interesting stuff. But number one through
ten and in this metric of this wins above you
know what an average team would be expected to make.
All ten of them are in the playoffs, except number
five is DYU and then number eleven is Notre Dame.
Number twelve is Vanderbuilt, then number thirteen is Miami. Miami
got in the playoffs. You know, Texas isn't on here,
Utahs fourteen, Michigan sixteen, Tulane was sixteen, today Lane a
playoff team. You know, they even made this young top
and then James Madison was nineteen. So we've got the
two G five teams pop up as the you know,
top twenty in this metric. So it seems to be
a pretty good sorting metric to sort of predict who
should be in the playoffs, except for BYU, who's number
five and is not nowhere near you know, make you know,
nowhere near seated there, let alone even in the bubble
discussion for a lot of the graphics. I mean, you know,
people tell me I'll just get over it, and you know,
by he's got to get on the stage and prove
it on the stage. And it's like, well, I agree,
we could make our case a lot better. But it's
why why did it rules for BYU?
Speaker 4: Okay, minus Alabama because they got to the SEC championship
and earlier in the year they had baked into their
resume that they beat Georgia on the road. I understand
all that you're an Alabama guy, right, so you maybe
that maybe may ring true to you Alabama getting in
even though they got blown out in a similar fashion
to that of BYU in their.
Speaker 3: SEC championship game.
Speaker 4: BYU lost by twenty two the first go round and
then how many did they lose by?
Speaker 3: What was it like thirty four to seven? And in
the second go round?
Speaker 5: Yeah it was twenty twenty four. This second time four nine,
second down no twenty seven, twenty seven the second seven
yet four seven?
Speaker 4: Okay, So was there anybody else in the college football
playoff that lost by that amount to another college football
playoff team or a lesser team? Did anyone else lose
by a same similar margin to that of BYU that
got in?
Speaker 5: I mean, Alabama the first week of the year lost
by is it eighteen or twenty two to Florida State,
a team that didn't then ranked. And you know that's
what's so frustrating. Ye. Yes, I'm a Dama fan and
I live on seventeen.
Speaker 4: It was a closer game, you know what I mean?
I mean it's closer game.
Speaker 5: Yeah, well a little bit. But if you if you
watch the games. You know that that game wasn't it
was terribly close. Yeah, And you know, I know a
lot of the a lot of people just sort of
look at the box scores and the final scores. But
what's frustrating is just here in Alabama, people have watched
this team that honestly is peaked mid season. You know,
they had you know, ESPN talks about, oh, they had
a stretch of four four straight ranked wins. Well, two
of those teams didn't end up being ranked by the
end of the season, but they still get credit for that.
But but the fans here, most people are like, man,
I don't think we deserve to be in the playoff.
I don't want to watch this team in the playoff.
They they're looking worse week to week, and so you know,
it's just so frustrating just seeing sort of both sides
of the coin and where BYU fans would kill for
the opportunity to be there. You know, DAMA fans are like,
I don't I don't want. I don't want this team
on the national stage because they feel they've been falling
off towards the end of the year. And you know,
I think if you look at the results that sort
of bears out.
Speaker 4: So let me ask you this, This is a philosophical
thing we debated.
Speaker 3: Look, I think the committee was trying to do B.
Speaker 4: Why you was solid by lining up Notre Dame with
with b YU and the pop touch bawl? Had that happened, right,
how much anguish would BYU fans be having a post
post final committee decision? Do you think if they go
to the pop touch bawl against Notre Dame the first
two teams out?
Speaker 3: Like, how how disgruntled are we?
Speaker 5: I'm I mean I'm still still very Yeah, I mean yeah, absolutely,
And the committee wasn't trying to do anything there. I mean,
the committee doesn't care one lock about the bulls. After
the college football it was.
Speaker 4: Acc associated with a big twelve FO so that they
were able to to make that work because Notre Dame
was contracted out with the a SEC.
Speaker 5: Yeah, but the College Football Playoff Committee doesn't make that.
Speaker 3: College You're right, You're right.
Speaker 4: So Okay, let's say, B, why you got in? What
were they would have been probably a number ten seed? Right,
they would have got that ten seed? Okay, Texas A
and M. How would be why you far against Texas
A and M in your opinion.
Speaker 5: I mean, Texas A and M is the least tested
of the SEC teams. They played one team that had
that finished in the top half of the SEC final
standings and they lost to that team. That was the
Texas is the only team they played in the SEC
that finished in the top half of the standings, and
they got beat pretty handily. So they had a very
interesting draw. Yeah, they have the Notre Dame win early
in the season, and people argue whether that should have
been win with the hold at the end and the
mixed missed extra point and everything. But they you know,
they really drew an inside straight on the easy side
of the SEC schedule. When they played a better team Texas,
they lost pretty handily, So you know, they they may
be a little bit of a paper tiger. I mean,
they've they've got talent, they got a better coach now
than they've had in a while with Elco. I think
Dyu performs pretty well. I mean, they have one of
those explosive offenses that you know can can come out
of nowhere, So it really depends on how well the
defense would hold up.
Speaker 3: But I mean and M's strength of record was fifth.
B Yu's ninth.
Speaker 4: Their FPI was tenth, BYU was sixteenth strength of schedule
and M was eighteenth.
Speaker 3: BYU is twenty third. This is all per ESPN.
Speaker 4: Right, Sagarin had BYU at number twenty four, Texas am
at number eight.
Speaker 2: ESPN.
Speaker 3: Okay, you don't like Sagur.
Speaker 4: That's why I'm giving you all the date, these these
these spots, right, because I'm giving you as many of
these because I go through them all right, I'm going
into Massie, you know, I try to see exactly and
how they're weighted, and just to try to get a
visual of what BYU is because in my opinion, BYU
is in that very uh like they're a great team.
Speaker 3: They're in that.
Speaker 4: Six to about seventeen rank. I think right around there
where they that's where they're at. I don't think they're
an elite team. I just don't.
Speaker 3: I think the top five teams.
Speaker 4: That are our leader probably Ohio State, Indiana Tech, Georgia,
and I think Oregan's right there knocking on the door
to be an elite team.
Speaker 3: I really do.
Speaker 5: I think that's the correct assumption, you know what I mean.
Speaker 4: Like that's kind of where I'm at. A and M
was eighth per sp plus. Collectively, they're septh and offense,
twenty first and defense, and then eighty first on special teams.
My personal opinion is, I get where you're going. I
think we're out matched even versus Texas A and M.
Like I wonder, like from a pr standpoint, not like
a profitability or not like I want to be where
you get over the hump. But at the end of
the day, I also think, do you believe how a
team finishes, you know, matters going into the offseason.
Speaker 3: Do you think getting a win over at Georgia.
Speaker 4: Tech a twenty second team, twenty second team, best team
in the country would be more beneficial than by you
losing by you know, fourteen to twenty one points versus
Texas A and M.
Speaker 3: And the college football.
Speaker 5: Playoff, oh no, take the playoffs. Playoff loss every day
of the week and twice on Sunday until.
Speaker 3: You got to the playoff. It's kind of the tournament thing.
Speaker 5: Sure, you you get the yeah, you get the buzz,
you get the sort of the notch on your belt,
you get the the buy in that hey we can
you know you've broken through the glass ceiling. And I
think maybe in any other given year. You know, if
if a team that you don't think is going to
do great, maybe you're like like the Alabama fans here,
uh maybe maybe don't want to see this team, you know,
not not do as well as they are fearing. Uh.
But yeah for b YU, yeah, you got to break
that class ceiling. And even if you get uh, you know,
you don't get beat. And I think that's where you know,
fans just don't want to hear it from you know,
their their co workers or people on social media. So
you just got to ignore that stuff. The average person
who you know, they respect, uh, they respect programs too,
who get there. I mean uh so, I mean you
don't want to TCU versus Georgia kind of total blowout.
But you know people talk about that, but they also
forget that TCU beat Michigan to get there. They want
a playoff game, uh to get there.
Speaker 1: Uh.
Speaker 5: And then sort of the the other side of the
coin is that a lot of these powerful teams got
there and got embarrassed. Last year. I mean, Indiana got
blown out by Notre Dame in the playoff game. Oregon
got blown out by Ohio State in the playoff game.
Where are those two teams now this year, you know,
those are two of the five teams you just mentioned
that are elite. They were able to parlay that, you know,
elevated status of being in the playoff, even though they
didn't perform well in the playoffs, they were able to
parlay that into increased respect. Uh and you know, great
transfer portal classes.
Speaker 3: So yeah, you just got to get there.
Speaker 4: I think when when the when the Dominoes finally felt
like and they evaluated who they got in last year,
to me that what they did is a reactionary cause
or reactionary uh, just just kind of this motive of
why they did what they did this year. I think
they reflect on last year. Boys State got their their
their booties beat belt a boot s MU did not
was not competitive last year.
Speaker 3: I think they look at.
Speaker 4: Those two situations and they're like, we overseeded Boise and
we probably should have left s m U out. We
want a more competitive playoff. The more competitive playoff will
come from five SEC teams. Let's do something different than
we did last year. I think it's almost that basic.
And then they had to find a way to get
an ACC team in there.
Speaker 5: I mean, but the playoff, I mean they're not being
if what you're saying is true, I mean, did they
not watch the games? I mean, I think Indiana and
Tennessee and Oregon performed every bit as bad as SMU
or Boise State, did you know you can say, I
mean that there were a lot of and you know,
people say, well, we want to have the most competitive games,
and that's why we're going to put in the best teams.
Maybe not the most deserving teams, that we want to
put in the best teams. And it's like some of the.
Speaker 3: R tennant Tennessee got destroyed.
Speaker 4: Some people say the Ohio State team was was you know,
I don't know they're seeding right, Yeah, you know, we
know how good Ohio State is from a resource depot.
They like Tennessee was. You know, like I said, it
goes back to like my elite and then great teams.
Like I think in any given year you probably have
like five elite teams, right, Like we know that Clemson
was not an elite team. Last year they were, they
were a great team, and Texas was kind of in
Texas to me last year was kind of like Oregon
this year, like depending on the day, they're like great
or they're they look elite, right depending on their game
plan where they're playing is at home away neutral type
of deal. So I don't know, it's intriguing to me.
It really is like how how far out should we
How how many teams should we expand to? Do you
think in order to you know, like maintain brands, conferences,
you know that happiness and have a couple of cinderellas, Right, Like,
what do we need to get to with some bye
weeks as well? We would start the calendar a little
bit earlier, maybe get rid of conference championship games, right,
if we need to just get rid of conference championship
games and we can play another conference game there, we
can we can play maybe a couple more conference games
if you start the calendar a little bit sooner with
your non conference play.
Speaker 5: Yeah, I think you know their expansion is imminent. Apparently
the question is it sounds like sixteen is sort of
the next step that most people are agreeing upon, and
you know, then, I you know, five plus eleven is
what's being discussed right now. It's five plus seven, you know,
five automatics plus seven at largest, five plus eleven would
just expand the large field by by four more. I
just don't trust that commit I honestly believe it was
if it was a sixteen team playoff this year at
VYU Utah would be ranked, you know, the first two
teams outside outside of I mean, that's the cynic in
me that that they've just seen what they've done in
the last two years, and it seems like they figure
out a way to do it. So I don't I
don't trust the committee. And initially I hated the idea
of the Big Ten with these multiple automatic qualifiers, this
four you know, initially it was four four two two
one five or something like that for the sixteen team playoff,
and then they expanded it, well, let's do four four
four four, so all the power conferences get four automatics
and then you know there's still you know, maybe two
spots for G five champions and then still like five
or six at large spots I think for a twenty
four team playoff, which I know sounds huge, and I
initially just push back and hate that idea, but I
you know, the committee has made me a bullie. We're
in that plan, a plan that I don't like because
I don't trust the committee. And if conferences can sell
and you talk about, you know, conference championships going away
with that plan, you know, you could still have your
conference championships for the Power four and they you know,
the top two teams automatically get in, uh, those those spots.
But then you maybe have two play in games where
you know, number three plays number six and number five
plays number four in your in your conference, and whoever
wins those playing games, you know, they get a home
game maybe on that same weekend, and that you know,
under the interest. And he initially I hated the idea,
but I mean seeing what the committee's done in the
last couple of years to b YU and certain other teams,
you know, I just anything that will take hower away
from a very subjective committee that won't tell us the rules,
that'll say, well, strength of record matters now because this team.
We want to get this team in, but oh, the
test applies more to this team. And did you see
how gutsy they were, you know, going fourth down or
did you see how their offensive line played? It's like,
what what are you talking about? These these are completely
random subjective things. Why are you quote you know, the
committee and the show and everything. They just need to
have less and less power, and anything we can do
to get that committee is going to be better for
college football. In my opinion.
Speaker 4: The college football cartel, the cabal, the oly goppoly, the
monopoly on the sport.
Speaker 3: It continues.
Speaker 4: They don't like look BYU once upon a time, That's
why they don't like them. Eighty four baby, the by
was able.
Speaker 3: To circumvent the cartel. That you're like, no, never again.
When we let that happen, they still haven't paid their pennance.
Speaker 4: It's you know, they they're not getting in no IF's answer,
but about it. No, I do think from a legacy standpoint,
like okay, like we we've had top twenty five for
a right, we always talked about the top twenty five.
Obviously you can't have twenty five in the in the
in the college football playoff, but it'd be nice to
include as many of the big brands as possible, even
if they end up being one and done right or
you have multiple playing games like that with like these
you know fifteen to the twenty five area, right, Like,
I don't know, there needs to be those playing games
to keep relevancy and we need need Cinderella's Joel Klatz
an idiot. He doesn't want any Cinderella. What an absurdity,
what a pompous prick. No offense, nove. He's a smart man,
but that was not a smart thing to say, in
my opinion.
Speaker 3: So anyways, I gotta let you go, Jeff.
Speaker 4: But always a pleasure, always a blessing, talking ball with you,
love talking stats with you, a great conversation today.
Speaker 5: Brother, Appreciate the time, and you have great day. Go
koogs and I go.
Speaker 3: There you go.
Speaker 4: That's Jeff Fuller, our local or our favorite Vitrio retinal
surgeon live from Alabama, always talking metrics with him.
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given much, we too must give.
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Let's talk some college Basketball BYU Basketball on the flip
side with Jonathan Tabinari, the Brazilian bomber.
Speaker 3: Coming up next. This is Cougar Sports on one of
three nine ninety eight point three ESP.
Speaker 2: This so marches right around the corner and the Cougars
are in the metal of it. It's time to talk
some college basketball on Cougar Sports with Ben Cripple.
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Speaker 4: Time for a little college basketball BAU Basketball segment. Get
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Speaker 3: Let's get out to the hotline.
Speaker 4: Welcome in former BYU great the three point Specialist or
three JT.
Speaker 3: Jonathan Tabinari, the Brazilian Bomber. What's up JT?
Speaker 1: Another Dame Paradise man. How's it going going?
Speaker 3: Awesome man? All is well in Cougar Country? Uh? This
is uh Like last year we talked.
Speaker 4: About how football and basketball they did two teams combined
created one of the best athletic performances in BYU athletics history.
Speaker 3: We're gonna top that this year.
Speaker 4: Man if BYU wins in that bowl game of the
Pop Tarts Bowl and BYU basketball does what they're capable
of doing, this is gonna be an even better season.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I couldn't agree more.
Speaker 6: You know, like to have you know, back to back
his market seasons for both football and basketball, you know,
and and what that's gonna do for football, putting them
into in the top ten coming into next year. Hopefully
that perception into the you know, into the committee helps
with the playoff seating right for the conversation next year,
Bey are coming back and so on, and.
Speaker 1: So it's huge.
Speaker 6: And from a UYU basketball perspective, I think you're spot on,
you know what I mean.
Speaker 1: And and based on where.
Speaker 6: You know that right now and with the games that
they have before conference, you know, it's not crazy to
say that they're going to be continued to be a
top a top ten team, you know as they start conference,
which again it's ludicrous and uh, you know, but this
is the reality that we're in. And you know, God
blessed the de Kevin Young era.
Speaker 4: It's uh, it's truly remarkable to watch a great performance
from AJ to BONSA. The last couple of games. Obviously
MSG took over that second half. Uh, We're truly remarkable.
We're watching something remarkable. It's tremendous. One of the things
that I really love about AJ is his effort on defense, though,
and his effort to get his teammates involved. He's the
backup point guard for that second team, and we're still
figuring out who's going to be a part of that
that bench rotation right now. But I think my favorite
quality about AJ is just his competitive nature. How he
gives full flop fledged effort whatever it is that he's doing,
whether it's defense or distributing for his teammates.
Speaker 6: Yeah, and you know, I I'll maintain this and I
don't know how many people would agree with me, but
I see a j much more than a Tracy McGrady
or Kevin Durant. Definitely not a Kevin Garnet. I see
more as a Penny Hardaway. I've always said that because
of his playmaking ability. I think if he tied his
handles more, meaning you know, he dribbles a little bit lower,
he's a little bit more given the ball the ball more,
you know, like the way that he created and he
took over the game at Medicine Spread Garden, my first
time in the garden. You know, did an interview with
you as the game started. It was a crazy energy
in a game, but like that second half, it was
masterfully right. I mean, I'm I'm not going to put
it up there with magic in you know in nineteen eighty,
you know, going and playing center to win, you know,
a Lakers sidle over the sixers. But like he or
for sure that that comeback. And I don't know how
many people in basketball, I'm not talking about college basketball,
talking about entirely. I don't know how many people in
the in the world, you know, have the ability to
do that. I can tell you it was not many.
Speaker 5: And so you know, for him to.
Speaker 6: Deliver performance on top performance and also been starting on
the defensive end because he is the anchor of that
team and getting stopped and you know, obviously Richie is
incredibly talented and has incredible abilities, but you know, AJ
truly is one of one, and you know he's one
of ours, and it's it's an amazing experience and well
we're winnessing you know here. I mean it, I think
back to our time here and this is crazy to
even think about we're even in this realm of conversations
that we're.
Speaker 4: Having right now Jonathan Tabinari talking to b YU Basketball
here on esp and the fan.
Speaker 3: Who do we trust right now coming off the bench?
Speaker 4: Right what do we we're getting into. We're about to
get into Big twelve play? Worth were three games away
from Big twell play. We're gonna find out a lot
about our bench over the next three games. That's something
I'm looking at intently tonight versus specific who do you
trust right now coming off the bench in that rotation
with aj Maybe is the backup point guard leading.
Speaker 6: The way Kadeem and Diamante And that's about it. You know,
Kadeem and Dominique are the only ones to me right
now that have shown that they can hang and aside
from that is just very much lacking.
Speaker 1: You know.
Speaker 6: Obviously, with Dawson going down, that became an issue. You know,
it's it's uh uh, you know, a massive, massive loss.
But as I've shared before, you know, I expected much
more from Alexe. He played at a at a very
high level in Europe. You know, I expected much much
more from him, and we're just not seeing it. And
Kevin any it's clear that Kevin young Is, you know,
is being forced not obviously, you know, it's he's thing
to turn to a Lexe to provide some some some minutes,
you know. And but even then aj is the backup
point guard and rob Is then comes back in, and
I expected more of a Lexe and I think that
if he can fix that situation, hopefully Mahilo and Tyler
will start knocking down some shots, because that is also
an area that's lacking right now.
Speaker 1: I mean, the game of.
Speaker 6: Medicine Square Garden had YU made you know, not even
half of its threes, but if they had made a
third of their threes in the first half, that that
doesn't happen, right And you know, but you see the
people that are stepping up, are you know Aj or
Rob you Robert Wright and Richie and Dominique and Canard
and so are people that are always doing what they're
supposed to do, and so they need.
Speaker 1: A little bit of help, right.
Speaker 6: I mean, John Rothstein said, hey, bench play is going
to be the key here. I think b YU has
a fine bench. They need one more player to step
up and you know, hoping to be a point guard
that is supposed you know, that was supposed brought here
to help with international experience, and you know, we're just
not seeing.
Speaker 1: It right now.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I feel like, you know, I'll be honest, I'm
a little disappointed in Mihilo right now.
Speaker 3: I thought he would make he'd make bigger jumps.
Speaker 4: I thought that he was trending in the right direction
last year, and I felt like with an off season
that he was going to take a big lead forward,
maybe like that stretch five four man, you know what
I mean, Like I felt like that, Like I mean,
I haven't given up hope on him by any means.
It's still very early in the season. But what does
Mahilo need to do better in order to maybe get
some more minutes. I mean, he's very he's a seasoned
overseas player. He comes here and now he's in year two.
I figure he's going to make the jump.
Speaker 6: He needs to do everything better, I mean what I mean,
you know, and from that perspective, you know, he needs
to make shots. He's not making shots. He's even shooting
air balls, and so you know, like you saw the
way he played last year and he just hasn't played
way this year at all. And so I would, you know,
hope that Mahilo can be in a situation where he's
making shots, he's knocking down shots, and uh.
Speaker 1: You know the same thing for Tyler.
Speaker 6: Tyler had a really good summer, but just has him
delivered that, you know, on the way that's needed. Right
you look at Travin now the way that he was
a specialist and a sniper. They accomplished that last year,
right this year they don't have anything. They're asking one
of their big three players to be a shooter, which
is fine, right, you know, I was a shooter with
jim Or and Jackson and and and Lee and Lee
and Trent and you know and so on. But you
need someone else, right, You need that micro's that extra
guy who's able to knock down shots and you're we're
just not seeing that right now. So to me, the
most glaring things are too. One is, you know, is
a lexic going to step up and be able to
play more of a of a of a no conservative
but more of a assured back up point guard that
they can try them with big minutes. And two, who's
going to be able to knock down some wide open threes?
Because they're there, but nobody can you know, can can
throw a rock in the ocean right.
Speaker 4: Now, Alexei looked pretty good. He's coming along. What would
you like to see from election in these next three games?
What do we need from Alexa in these next three games?
Speaker 6: J T Well that he is able to you know,
come in play about ten minutes, you know, anywhere from
eight to twelve minutes, and then he is able to
not turn the ball over and be able to put
the ball in the hens of people that that need
to be doing that right And I think, I think
if he does that, and he can do that for
you know, around ten minutes a game on average at
the Big twelve level, then buy is going to be
a top four team even be able to fight for
a league championship, which again is crazy that we've been
thinking about these levels of success for BUYU.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I need more from a lot of these guys.
Dominique obviously has the play. You look at Dominique running around,
you know, his athleticism is like he's he's there, right,
He's just he's still a little raw. And and so
I think down the stretch we're going to see some
some some great ball from him.
Speaker 3: He needs to be that guy.
Speaker 4: Are you You're sold? On on booth though, right, you're
sold on a deam right, he's he's he's that guy.
He's he's going to be tried and true right now.
Speaker 6: And Dominique as well. I'm sold on all all the night. Yes, so,
but that's okay. I've always been a little bit more
optimistic than you've been, so that's okay. And so but yeah,
I Dominique is there and so is Kadeem. We just
need Alexei. If Alexei, Mohilo and Tyler figure it out, uh,
this is a absolutely lead eight final fourteen.
Speaker 1: But if they don't, then you know, we need.
Speaker 6: To say a prayer every night for a brother the
Bansa to stay healthy and keep leveling up after every game.
That's the only I mean, those are the two pass
of success.
Speaker 1: That we have.
Speaker 4: So crazy, man crazy Jonathan Devenar here on ESPN the
fan h keys to the game tonight, We would you say,
what do you want to see from this squad tonight?
Speaker 6: I mean anest you know it's it's it's finals week.
Then you remember this better than I did. You know,
go to class, be healthy, don't get hurt, put them
away early. You know, like you know I was just
talking to Shocking a couple of people here at Uyu TV.
You know, as I do the pre game tonight, you know,
like just before the game Delaware, you know, me and
and him and Himuley Junior, we kept looking at each
other like, oh boy, it's ten zero, Oh boy, it's
thirteen zero. Oh boy, it's eighteen to one. And you know,
like we like when is this going to change? And
so you definitely don't want Dad put them away early,
put them away. Let you know, these guys get a
lot of minutes, get them up and running, and let
Alexay play for ten to fifteen minutes and make a
lot of mistakes and hopefully that is going to allow
him to get the confidence, the confidence that he needs.
So to me, the key is, you know, can we
get Alexe, Mihailo and Tyler some meaningful minutes in terms
of being able to play longer period as a time
so they can get comfortable with the environments.
Speaker 1: JG.
Speaker 4: As we get closer to Big twelve play, I don't
know if you've been monitoring the Big twelve and how
good it is right now, like you compare it to
you compare the.
Speaker 3: Big twelve record to it's other.
Speaker 4: Power Conference foes and they're dominant right now. You got
a lot of top twenty five teams coming of the
Big Twelve this year, and it seems like the seeding
is gonna be pretty gosh dang impressive from the Big
Twelve this year.
Speaker 3: You may have I think John.
Speaker 4: Rosson said, like, you know, six of the top sixteen
seats could be Big Twelve teams, which is an insane number.
This is the the G League with university logos right now,
and BYU's bringing in a G League player, Abdullah Achmed.
What type of impact will you think Abdullah Achmed will
have if he plays this year?
Speaker 6: You know, word is right now to him and the
junior college transfer won't right. But again right, if Alexey
doesn't show up these next three games by January first,
that might change on a heartbeat. Reminds me a lot
of when uh, Steve Cleveland was going to red shirt
Jimmy Balderson and then nobody was really doing anything and
he throwed Jimmy in and you know, and Jimmy Bolsen
played out of his mind and so you never know.
But if you know the whole plan, like yegor going,
you know, going in the draft after one year is
for you know, this guy to come in next year
after Robert Wright is drafted, you know, but if you know,
if it needs become, you can also make an argument
that he's coming in right away because he plans to play.
Speaker 1: And so, you know, I think either way, the.
Speaker 6: Key becomes, you know, who is able to offset Robert
Wright's minutes, you know, for about ten to fifteen minutes
a game, so that maybe they feel they can get
him some rest. So this dude is not playing, you know,
thirty plus minutes a game in conference, and he is
you know, burned out by the time, you know, by
the time the tournament comes in March. And so that's
what I would say. But I know, for the for
the big guy from the from the G league, you know,
Keba is such a massive force, and so is and
so is Cadem. I think, you know, he I would
definitely see the plant guard getting playing time right away
and even even you know, burning in his red shirt
year before the big fellow does. And so and by
the way, man, the same way that every single one
of us were criticizing the committee and complaining about the
SEC football and so on, b y U basketball in
the Big twelve is the sec of basketball. So we
get to you know, you know, you know, not to
quote brother, uh, you know Van NOI a whole lot,
you know, but we get to soak it up a
lot on the on the basketball court for the Big
twelve basketball.
Speaker 4: So hey man, we'll take all six of those those
top seeds, no doubt about it. I think recently b
YU was predicted projected as a two seed. If they
keep on this trajectory, they win the you know how
they've been winning, Uh, they could be as good as
the of a two seed or maybe even better. What
do you think the floor in the ceiling is for
b Y as far as seating is concerned in the
NCAA tournament.
Speaker 3: We broached this subject yesterday.
Speaker 4: I think the best seeding deal he's ever gotten was
like a three seed, if I'm not mistaken.
Speaker 6: Yeah, well, I mean, obviously, you know, the the ceiling
for this team is like Michael Jordan said, you know
the roof of the ceiling because there was no roof,
and a lot of people didn't understand that his airness
was that's smart. But what I would probably say is,
you know, obviously, you know the ceiling is them being
the number one seed. That's extremely difficult, but possible. And
you know, if this team doesn't make it the Sweet sixteen,
it will be a disappointing year. Right And based on
the showing that they had against Yukon, against Clemson, you know,
their matchups that they've had. You know, if if they
are not a Sweet sixteen team, then then you know,
it's not a successful season. And so that that's the
way that I'm looking at it. This team right now.
Speaker 4: Jonathan Tabinari did Brazilian Bomber talk can BYU basketball here
on your Utah ESPN Radio network.
Speaker 3: Have you been satisfied with? Look?
Speaker 4: Your three point guy is b Why you shooting the
three point shot as you would like you? Is they're
meeting your standard, I guess is what I'm getting at.
Are they meaning the JT standard right now?
Speaker 1: Absolutely not? I mean not even close.
Speaker 6: You know, like you have Ritchie and Robert Wright being
one of their best three point shooters right now, what
are we talking about? They're supposed to be the guys
that are penetrating and kicking it out. Which is why
I'll humanly say, because I play my role to perfection,
you know, someone made fun of me the other day
and said, oh, you were the Lewis litt of the
Suit Show. I said, absolutely, but that man played his
role to perfects.
Speaker 1: And when when Jessica.
Speaker 6: Peersonan and Harvey Spector were in trouble, who took care
of the farm.
Speaker 1: Lewis did.
Speaker 6: And so you know, like the role players needs to
step up bar none, right because right now you have
Domique Diamonde, you know, and Canard knocking down big three
point shots. Mahilo needs to do that. Mahalo knows better.
He is European guy, so is Alexe. He needs to
step up. Tyler was brought in here definitely because he
was a shooter and because he shot the lights out
against BYU.
Speaker 1: And we need that.
Speaker 6: They need to step up, They need to start doing it.
And so you know, my my b for right now
is these guys needs to start making wide open shots.
You're not asking them to make less second shots, you know,
with three people on top of them, You asking them
to have their feet set up and knocked down a
three that's not asking.
Speaker 1: Much for Disney level, especially if an Io involved.
Speaker 3: So no doubt about it.
Speaker 4: Jonathan Tabnai, Ladies and Gentlemen BYU versus Pacific. Tonight will
have a pregame show as well. Ronald the three Man
Weaver will take you all the way up to tip
six to seven pm right after Cougar Sports, and so
we'll give you some content. The Pacific Tigers are good
though they're an eight and three team right now. B
y U absolutely nine and one boy will be favorited
in this game, and I think it's like, I mean,
it's a heavy favorite by like twenty three and a
half half, but uh, you know, hopefully it's a nice
you know, maybe hopefully.
Speaker 3: It's another fifty point win.
Speaker 4: Do you do you expect it to be as dominant
as the UC riverside when was this this past week?
Speaker 6: I would hope, so, you know, especially because it's Pacific
and you know, teams from a WCC for me are
full and the fact that we were in a conference
with them and we couldn't really dominate them, it's, you know,
it's it's kind of it's kind of a sad story,
and so you know, we need to throttle these guys
to make sure that they understand that there is a
massive difference between uh BUYU and know and them and
so I take back to when I was playing. We
played Pacific a few times and we played Pepperdine when
I got my eyes poked.
Speaker 1: I mean, you need to make sure that.
Speaker 6: You understand that you need to blow these guys out.
And the fact that they were actually beating us in
conference play is not a very good look. And and
so but you know, would I could have should have been.
But this is something that they have to do it
right now when he has to be done, you know,
it has to be done well. And I hope, I
hope he does and I hope he happens.
Speaker 3: Let's go, j T.
Speaker 4: Any best way to support you what you do, how
you do it, JT, thanks for hopping on for another
college basketball bo you basketball segment always.
Speaker 1: I appreciate it.
Speaker 6: You know, the best way to hop me is, you know,
coming up for conference play, I'm here on ESPN defan
we're gonna be doing post game shows for road games
and so stay tuned to see you know, after the
game on Twitter on Band's account, the radio station's account,
my account, we're on the three men Weaver account, and
so we're gonna get it done hopefully, you know, brother
brother Crittle makes time for for a chat so we
can align on all of this. Yes, and and so
I'm calling him out round. That's okay, that's your boss game,
my boss. I'll say whatever I want to him.
Speaker 3: And so can count me out, man, you can call
me out. I need to be better getting the alignment done,
no doubt.
Speaker 1: Figured this out and but always in forever been appreciate
you and.
Speaker 3: Go Koob's love to appreciate you.
Speaker 4: Brazilian bomber Jonathan Tabana, always producing fantastic content and opinions
and insight that you can't get anywhere else. Shout out
to JT, Ronald and the Three Man Weaver before we
go to break anything that stood out to you from
what JT state. I know you're gonna be taking us
up to tip off six to seven pm, so stay
tuned for the Cougar Sports Basketball pregame Show, brought to
you by all of our sponsors here at ESPN de
Fan appreciate all of our sponsors supporting us so we
can give you a content that you love.
Speaker 7: Ronnie your thoughts, Yeah, I think the biggest thing that
JT has said as I was listening, you know, I
have my notes here. Look, I think the biggest is
disappointment is Mahilo. You know, and and JT's right. Hilo
played at a high level European basketball and he has
a high ki Cuban. He came in the game to
make that pass to Rob right for him to hit
the buzzer beater. That was the third option, by the way,
and if you missed that catching interview on the podcast,
Brendan Dunson said that was a third option, so that
wasn't the first. So Mahilo is a high level player,
just hasn't stepped up and played and it is disappointing
out of all the guys in the system.
Speaker 6: This is his second year.
Speaker 7: Ben guys thrived normally in that second year, and he
missing free throws, air ball and hasn't played well this season.
And he's not hurt Ben, He's out there, so just
hasn't found the shot. Look, I think that is the
biggest disappointment. You can blame Tyler, you can blame Alexi,
but those guys it's their first year playing this.
Speaker 6: Level of basketball.
Speaker 7: But Mihilo has been on this team before. So that's
probably the biggest disappointment because that's the guy at the
beginning of the season that you thought would come in
and he'll still play because of matchups.
Speaker 6: But I'm with JT.
Speaker 7: If things start to go south bend where things are
going well with Alexi and with Mahilo and Kadem's always
gonna be playing well, but he's really a four, he's
not a five, and Dominique will get in the mix.
Speaker 6: They're gonna get stuff worked out.
Speaker 3: Like I agree with j T.
Speaker 7: If if all hell starts to break LuSE excuse my language,
you might have kJ and Abdullah at worse both playing.
Speaker 3: You don't want to burn up. I'm not trying.
Speaker 6: I'm serious.
Speaker 7: If it starts to go south, Kevin young season opportunity
with aj De, Bonser, Rob and Ritchie, and he will
not squander He will do that if he has to
Afi goes south. I don't think it will. I think
he'll be able to get it done in that show.
That will show it to the level of coaching in
the STAB. But right now, I think that's the biggest thing.
Is he Nimahilo and Alexi to step up big time
so you don't.
Speaker 1: Have to go that out.
Speaker 4: Boom shaka laca. That's our segment. If it was brought
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Speaker 3: Let's go to break, Don't go anywhere.
Speaker 4: Coming up next, former BYU wide receiver Jared Bledsoe joined
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football history. Also talking to BAU football, as we get
prepped get ready for the pop Tards ball biggest what
makes it most optimistic that b way you get to
win over Georgia Tech And what's his biggest concern prepping
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