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Let's get out to the hotline. Welcome to Cougar Sports Insider.
We got Jerems Jordan on the line representing BYU Sports
Nation and BO TV. Jerrem, how are you?
Speaker 3: I'm doing great? And with that promo, I feel like
I should be running around Kansas City in one of
those suits, like stretching out, squatting, Viking like I'm in
the moon right now.
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love them. They're they're great. I really do like them.
Speaker 1: Nobody does it better, man, They're fantastic. So state of
BYU right now, BYU basketball, let's talk about it. Big
twelve tournament time. How far will BYU go in the
Big twelve Tournament? Do you think?
Speaker 3: Win two games and then probably bout against Houston. So
win today against K State B West Virginia, give a
little revenge not in Morgantown, and then three games three
day is gonna be a lot to take on a fresh,
really good Houston squad and Colin Good have a week
to rest up for the NCAA tournament and then go
see if you can't win two games.
Speaker 1: Go win two games. That's quote job well done, rest
up and get ready for selection Sunday in the NCAA tournament.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I don't think it. Like let's say the UY
did pull off a Craig upset against Houston on Thursday,
should they get there, I don't know that it helps
you a ton like I don't know that the Uyu
would get up to a five seed. I think they
would lock in a six. I think if YU wins today,
they've got a good chance of the six If they
beat West Virginia, they got a great chance of the
sixth seed in the anti tournament. If you happen to
beat Houston, which just feels like a crazy tall order.
Three games in three days, where Aj and Rob are
probably playing almost forty minutes every game. That's a lot
to ask, even those young lives. So yeah, go get
you a sixth seed, which has been great to b
YU in two of the three Sweet sixteens. BU was
a sixth seed, including last year. And that's kind of
the hope is that this team can catch a little
bit of fire and get to that second weekend.
Speaker 1: Okay, so what does it look like? So if they
get a sixth seed, right, how confident are you that
by You can get to a Sweet sixteen? And what
does the bracketology look like? Would you say? On location
for BYU?
Speaker 3: Yeah, we know there are four possible Thursday Saturdays, right,
and then you got to look into the next spot
to see which regionals are Sunday or whatever. But yeah,
the four that are Thursday Saturday right now are Buffalo, Greenville,
South Carolina. That's how you say it. My dad is
from North Carolina, so I'm super legit. Oklahoma City and
then Portland. And then the two regional spots are that
are Thursday Saturday are Houston and San Jose. And it
all depends ben On. If BYU can play defense at
the level and give an effort and energy and rebound
like they did Saturday, it's going to be hard without
that little number next to the name. Like when BOAD
played the top ten team, they've been up for those games, right,
And isn't it wild that BYU had only played one
top ten team in any given season when they played
them at home, and then they played four this year.
BYU went two and two in those and amazingly without Richie,
those are the two they won. So coach Ritchie, I
can verify is in Kansas City? Is it going to
be on the bench with by which is great news?
Is it causation? Is it correlation? It's probably just correlation,
but there's some juice that is there. And if BYU
gives a crap on defense and a rebounds, I think
they have a chance to not only win two games
in this tournament, but next week perhaps win two as well.
Because what is the point of the Big twelve Gauntlet, Ben,
is so that in that first and second round game,
you go, okay, first yet and you should win, right
if you're six, you're playing eleven, might be tricky, who knows,
maybe you match up with like a Miami of Oira
or whatever. But that second round game, you go, we've
played hand of these kind of games in the WCC,
you would say we played that one non conference game
and maybe two or three in the regular seasons. BYU
should be a weathered, experienced team at this point in
those kind of matchups, and they should give an effort
in on defense and rebounding. And then they got a
shot because in that three game losing streak to unranked teams,
boy did not play hard on defense. They just didn't.
Against Texas Tech, they were super engaged and it was amazing,
like if Rob and Canard a AJ that's the tone. Defensively,
switching everything, moving their feet, hit in the glass, hadeen,
bloop energy, all that. Boy can do something. Man, they
can They can get to the Sweet sixteen. We'll see
on the matchups and all that coming up on Slection Sunday.
But I feel like if Euyu just it sounds weird,
tries harder, they got a chance to do something.
Speaker 1: If they just try harder, is there a visible like
I mean, you're right, you know what I mean? Like no,
But I'm like, I'm watching it from home. Ronnie covers
the games, right, you know for ESPN the fan, you're
your court side, you're watching. Do you do you see
a visual difference in effort in these games in which
b YU is playing like, you know, a top ten team,
and there's like maybebe the backs against the wall and
and the players are really efforting a little bit more.
Speaker 3: I literally do against Iowa State in Tech with Tech
Day tried harder than they did against UCF Cincinnati and
West Virginia. And it's not about what happens in the
game in terms of made shots or not. Ben On Saturday,
d YU allowed twelve for nineteen from the three point line,
yet they stayed engaged, They did not give up Canard
Davis goes zero for five to start from three. What
did he do? He's still staying games on the defensive end.
He hit the offensive glass for two easy putbacks, and
then and then second half, how did he how did
he shoot four or five in his final five three
point shots? He stayed engaged. He has to be in
double figures for VUA to have a chance to compete
at a high level. And he's got to be that
third guy because you know, Aj and Rober are gonna
get it done. Aj was not super efficient on Saturday,
but he was. He was rebounding, and he was finding
his teammates, and he was scoring when needed and so
on so forth. Rob Right's the third is a Texas
Tech demon. They don't have a guy that can guard
him right now. Certain teams have not But that was
good to see too. But it's more important on the
defensive end, Rob to be engaged because that's the key
for this team. Is Like to me, defense is in
basketball is less skill than offense, Like you got to
make a shot. That takes skills. It's rebounding and defense
our effort, like just try hard and b aways. Again
I've said a million times, but just be engaged on
that end.
Speaker 1: Be engaged. Be engaged in a good cause, which is
winning basketball games right now, playing great defense, getting rebounds,
getting a second chance shots, and hopefully getting a bucket
or two on the offensive. Van Jerem Jordan talking to
some BYU basketball here on your Utah. ESPN ready a network.
What what Thursday Saturday situation is best for by you?
Would you say from a home court advantage and BYU
fans showing up, showing out. Gone to Denver.
Speaker 3: Last year, Yeah, that was sweet. There were a ton
of BI fans there and BOI dominated. And that includes Wisconsin,
who is famous for how their fans literally travel. We
say BUA fans travel, but we know they've mostly just
live there and fans do travel in but it's who
kind of lives with it. You dow like an eight
hour circle, like or with a pin on a map,
and like all those homies show up, which is great.
Portland seems like the obvious choice there. I lived in
the five O three as a kid, and like there's
some great BUI fans in the Northwest that would really
show up. My only fear there is what if gone
Zaga is a three seed and Boi matched up in
the second round against them in the Great Northwest, like
all the Zag fans and all of a sudden, it's like,
is this or Leans Arena again? We've been here. I
don't want that a per se. If contact is not
a three there, then I am enticed by that because
I could say hi to the in laws who live
in Wilsonville, you know, and the whole thing. It'd be great.
But like selfishly, I kind of want to go to
like Greenville or Buffalo, just like to see somewhere else.
But UI did in twenty ten go to Oklahoma City,
and that's the gym or for that junior year. That's
Michael Lloyd junior off the bench. That's you know, they
beat Florida, you know, and overtime, and then the next
game they lost to Kansas State. But you know, there's
so there's some history of winning Oklahoma City. But it
doesn't matter all that much because if I guess, if
you feel like you need some energy from the crowd,
then Portland is the most obvious choice there. If you don't,
then yeah, you go somewhere else. But what you don't
want is you're the sixth Miami will House. The eleven
and you're in Buffalo because then all those Red Hawk
fans are showing up, so it could be interesting, but
ultimately you just got to go and win. It's like
people that have been to the NCAA tournament. It's a
more sort of uh gale environment than people like want
to admit it like a little super exciting, but there
are four teams in there, so kind of who's whose,
other fans are rooting for who. It's a weird vibe,
the weirdest game mode that I've ever been to. Ben's
Remember when Jimmer played in his hometown of Glens Falls,
New York against Vermont to senior ear yep. I went
to that game. The people only cheered in the gym
for Jimmer, nobody for Vermont, nobody for Yu except for
when Jimmer scored. There was no like in house toun
of music. There were no cheerleaders, no mascots. It's like
the weirdest game I've been for this, but it was
really cool for Jimmer.
Speaker 1: It's always intriguing, right, the kind of the neutrality sometimes
in the the role those fans play in the in
these games. Uh, it's always uh of intrigue to me
and uh, you know, we're the momentum shifts Ultimately. You know,
b YU pass Ball is a great basketball team when
they're playing in front of their home crowd. It seems,
at least recently, they have been without Richie Saunders. So
if you can create a home court environment, great, If not,
they got to find a way to win. My thought
is this, I want to get your your eval on this.
AJ versus Tech didn't have his best game. In fact,
it was kind of an average to maybe above average game.
If BYU is going to get to a Sweet sixteen,
doesn't Rob Wright and AJ have to play their best
ball in March in order to get there?
Speaker 3: I mean in Seria, yes, but on that day you
just have to be better than that team. What's the
sort of level that team is competing at. Maybe they
shoot poorly too. You just have to scrap your weight
to whatever that day requires, because every game is different,
right If yeah, if Robin and AJ play their best,
I mean I think they're beating a lot of teams
in the country, like all but like six or seven.
Maybe I have no idea, but yeah, those two are
super important to me. They Yeah, if one of them
is super off, it's going to be hard, but you
have to have Canard Davis playing defense, hitting some threes.
If you need Alexic coast to a little bit, you
meet Kava Cata and that injured hand to like be
able to get enough rebounds. Which, by the way, Kiva
was fantastic against Kansas State and the two games he's
played the less complete as I expect him to have
a big game today. For BOI to go far, it
does depend on kind of the matchup. But the good
news is we have two reference points BOI playing tremendous
teams like two and three seed types in Iowa State
and Texas Tech where BOI won. Those were in provo.
But if you don't have a big home court advantage
for either team, BOI was six and one in neutral games.
Then they had more neutral site wins than any other
team in the country in non conference play. This team
has been through it. Granted it's been a minute. What
is that yield here in Kansas City? What is that yield?
In the NCAA tournament. The hope is you avoid a
upset in the first round. Right, I think Boa is
going enough to get through the first round. It's this
team will be defined by whether they win that second
round game or not. If they don't, we'll go, hey,
injuries off too bad with aj he's going to be
the number one pick. Still a lot of positivity. But
if they do win a second round game and gives
them Sweet sixteen, you go, hey, that was the minimum
threshold for how much talent was on this team and
how much was fed on the team. And so that's
my hope that next week BUA can kind of validate
that it's not a massive failure if they don't because
they've had too many injuries, but if they can get
through that second round and get to the fourth Sweet
sixteen ever do it in back to back years with
Kevin hung Now we're talking because Buy's future is in
the right direction.
Speaker 1: Let me ask you this, speaking of a j to Bontson,
do you feel like he got robbed? Did he should
he have been the Big twelve Player of.
Speaker 3: The Year Jerem Heck, yes, he absolutely got robbed. I'm
fired up about this man. I think that he should
have been the player of the year. It's not the
leadership award, it's not the the best player on the
best team, which I'm not even sure. Jaden Bradley is.
I think Brayden, Burrays and Coed Pete are like as good.
Arizona and Houston have so much talent and they're good
and their balanced. I'm not saying Jayden Bradley is not
a great player, because he is. But AJJ. Box is
clearly the best player in the league. I don't understand
why this happens. Sean Farnham was on roy Sport station
to day and he brought up a great point which
I agree with and I have discovered through some conversation
that was likely the case, which is Jaden Bradley probably
won because JT. Toffen and AJJ Box have probably got
neutralized in the votes. I bet you it came down
to one vote and Jaden got one more among the
sixteen coaches, and you can't vote for your own guy, right,
and so that sways things or whatever. So yeah, I
do think aj got robbed. Does this really matter in
the hierarchy of whatever? No, not even within like the
season it would have been cool. I think we all
get that he's the best player in the league. Though
he's going to be a first team All American. Jane
Bradley was not even and Sean brought this up a
great point. Jamee Bradley was not even a unanimous first
team selection. What does that tell you again, Jane Bradley,
great player, Jake Toppin amazing player. Ad was the best
player in the league though, no.
Speaker 1: Doubt about it, no doubt about it. And hopefully he
confirms that in the Big twelfth Tournament and hopefully confirms
that into March madness. For you, what is quota this season?
Taking into account five season ending injuries, the three iterations
of this BYU basketball team, the trials, the tribulations, the undulations,
the Jekkoelin hiding of Brigham this season? What is quota
this year? And what would be overachieving this year for
this BOA men's basketball team in the NCAA Tournament.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I'm kind of split between they have to win
a second round game and no, you know, if they
bout the after the first into the second, then maybe
with all the injuries, that's tough to say. Hey, you
got to beat a three seed if you're a six
seed aka top kind of twelve through fifteen teams. Yet,
we've seen some lows, we've seen some real highs coming
off the high against text of sex so hope this
boy can get to a Sweet sixt team. I think
if they do, we go they did it, they probably
over atch you by a little bit given where the
roster's at right now. But it's also just tough because
you have literally the best player that's ever worn a
BA uniform, like AKG. Bompson is going to be the
number one pick in the draft. We can discuss another
day whether this season for him was better than Jimmers,
because I think that is an interesting conversation, Jimmer senior
year or Danny senior year. Danny defined the year by
beating Utah top ten team in the final regular season
game and then going to the Elite eight. One of
those things just happened for AJ. By the way, senior
Knight's top ten win for him, it was freshman night.
He ain't coming back. That's by what he's saying. Come on,
so how is you? Are you going to be defined
not what they do in Kansas City this week, by
what they do next week in one of those four cities.
Speaker 1: I said, yeah, you bring up an interesting debate here.
We discussed it as well. Today. You buying are selling
the rhetoric that AJ is seriously considering coming back to
b Yu. He's now said it or three times. He
does it with a smirk. He does it with maybe
a chuckle each time. But you buying, are selling?
Speaker 3: That selling? There's no way he's coming back, dude. There's
like I've talked to as and he's saying the same thing.
It's like, stop, there's no way he's coming back to me.
I don't care what he tells McKay coppins. I don't
care what he tells Spencer Linton. He ain't coming back, man,
There's no way. Who would that, right? Mind is like,
I'm cool with a third of the pay with anything.
That's what it'd be, right, Like, he can make you know,
three or four mil, and next year he'd make thirteen
or fourteen miil, Like what are we talking about here? Also,
he's grown up wanting to plan in the NBA, he
didn't say I want to stay in college two years.
He can't even say it without a smile or a tuffle,
Like you said, he can't even finish.
Speaker 1: But Jeremy, he said he loved his Book of Mormon class,
and he loves his teacher, and his mom wants him
to get his degree.
Speaker 3: The degree can still happen for Yegor and AJ if
to want so, no, he gonna he gon' But what
a year it was for a j And let's uh,
let's finish, let's finish strong hair and listen, here's the thing.
If it doesn't go well here at the end, whatever
that means to you, it was still worth everything that
it costs for the donors and from YU, because this
dude is gonna rep BUYU in the NBA and he's
gonna be the highest drafted player ever from BYU unless
he goes too then he Tyshan Bradley, Right, But what
he's repped really well, and he's carried himself in a
way that his parents have raised him really well, and
the boy should be proud of.
Speaker 1: To him, no doubt about it. And do you think
did Jazz get them? Do you think the Jazz somehow,
some way fortuitously get you know, a little tank Lake
City and get the number one overall.
Speaker 3: Pick and they take a j Isn't there the stat
that the Jazz have never had their pick improved from
where it was like it? And you think the NBA
and all the conspiracy theories about you know, the lottery
and whatnot, you think after the fine that the Jazz
is somehow going to get a top two pick.
Speaker 1: I do not.
Speaker 3: I'm hoping, you know, I would love to have aj
on the Jazz. Trust me, I work like fifteen twenty
games a year. There's some tough nights in there.
Speaker 1: Man.
Speaker 3: If they don't and they kind of fall, you need
to take best player available. But if they fall the
four or five, then, which is likely where they're going
to be again, give me a cuff junior, Give me
Kingston Plumbings one of those two. Now we make our
move with Walker Kessler, Jaron Jackson, Lay Laurie Markinen, de'ante
George and then TBD top five draft pick. That's a
fun roster that I think could be somewhere in the
seven eight nine seed range. You're in the plays for
the playoffs.
Speaker 1: Now we're going which fact of the day uh ticks
off BYU slash Jazz fans. More? Is it the fact
that they've never improved their lottery slot ever, or is
it that they've gone to more ZAA tournaments and not
seeing a final four than any other team in college
basketball history.
Speaker 3: Well, given the tanky nature of what's going on, promptly
the Jets, But I do hate the I do hate well,
I don't hate it. Like what I love about it
is well that means BI makes attorney a lot. Yeah,
but yes, have they had that? Like team No? I
want Boa to have some magical run in the attorney
that it feels like random teams get every year that
someone stumbles into the Elite eight as a ten seat away,
It's like, why kid by us? Then can b A
do that? They have a daj bonter this year? Can
we just alection coastch goes for five threes and Canard
goes for four and a J and Rob do the
thing and Kate like and Boom b aways in the
Sweet sixteen with one game to an Elite eight. Now
they've equaled the best run ever and you're one game away, Like,
can we do that? Because we talked about Final four
and when Gostren Baker was healthy and Richie was healthy,
BOI was a top ten team. I'd like to remind
people that they had a nice jump on the season
starting number eight. But yeah, unfortunately injury injuries happened and
BOI was even struggling with Richie, Like it's not like
having Richie Boy was perfect but they have discovered something,
hopefully here at the end that they can capture and
hopefully that they packed packed with him from provo.
Speaker 1: Yeah, we'll never know how Nate pickens, what role he
would have played as well on this squad.
Speaker 3: Right, give rob just a few minutes to rest the
bench a little bit, like Brody Koslowski has a stretch
forward and like and and by the way, with Senior Knight,
we learned that basically it's not a done deal, but
that Dawson and Nate intend to come back because they
were not honored on Senior name. We have implied that
Nate would be from the beginning of the year, but
we didn't know on Dawson for sure. He wasn't honored
on Senior night. And I dapped up Dawson today earlier
in the hotel and it was loud. So they're a
good vibes with Dawson Baker like earth earth shattering dapths.
Speaker 1: By the way, the decibels were just off the freaking chart.
Speaker 3: You know what I mean. You've you've been there, like
you connectually, like, oh my gosh, did we just like
break glass somewhere? What's happened?
Speaker 4: Jerem has the best DAPs been. He'd he gets everybody,
but that probably was. We have it every single time.
Speaker 1: Jerem.
Speaker 4: Just see that I'm jumping in. Jerem needs to continue
to help the other, and I have to help brand
to see Gurney because it can't be forced. It's just casual,
you know, like growing up on the growing up there
in Seattle. JJ knows, he knows.
Speaker 3: For whatever reason, it's just Goodbbes.
Speaker 2: You know.
Speaker 3: Right now, next time I see it, Ben, we'll do it.
Speaker 1: We'll do it. Let's go, baby.
Speaker 3: I want it in his like entryway. We'll like dap
up and till it's super loud and it takes like
max three.
Speaker 1: I want more of like a like top gun you know,
traditional o g you know Maverick Goose, like high five
up top around the windmill. You know what I mean,
That's what I want. I just did it.
Speaker 3: I just did it thinking about it.
Speaker 1: Yes, I did it too.
Speaker 3: Do we have to lose the shirts if we do that,
because like your.
Speaker 1: Damn straight, we do. We may. We're gonna take them
off and then do the Windmio baby high five around
the wind meo baby around the clock. Let's go, Jerem Jordan,
Ladies and gentlemen, Oh man, Jerem, let's go, let's get
a win, let's go. Uh cougarnation. How can they support you?
What you do, how you do it? Jerem.
Speaker 3: First off, if you listen closely tonight, you'll hear Kansas
Day Break one of the huddles can coon on three
because they're going to be done so after tonight. But
yeah continues to uh, hey, listen to this program. Watch,
listen to you ay Sports station. We got covered from
Kansas City all week. So keep up the good work boys,
love it.
Speaker 1: I appreciate you. Jerem Jordan, Ladies and gentlemen, we'll go
to break, don't go anywhere and more to get to
on a beautiful Tuesday edition of Cougar Sports. That segment
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