Speaker 1: Conferences. Well, Ben Crittle is here to break it all down.
In a reading between the line segment, Ben breaks down
the latest sound from BYU coaches and players right now
on Cougar Sports.
Speaker 2: Welcome back to Cougar Sports. Here on one to three,
nine to ninety day three ESPN. The Fan Ronald the
three Man Weaver here holding down a little bit for
Ben Crittle before we get into our next segment. We've
had a great show this far. I just want to
recap if you missed any of it, always remember you
can download the podcast on iTunes, Speaker, Google Play, iHeart Radio, Spotify,
give us a rating and give us a review. We've
been breaking down the BYU match up. BYU was handed
a bad loss last night to the UCF. Knight's good
for the nights. They probably have booked a trip to
the NCAA tournament. Obviously, everything we'll have to play out,
but that win that Premier Quad want to win on
the road for them should be enough for the beginning.
I know that there have been per Joe Lenardi's bracket.
Maybe they've been fluttering, you know, floating at ten. They
should be in now, no doubt about it at all.
We've had Spencer Linten on if you missed that. Interviews
up on the podcast. Dave bar two and Mark Durant's
interviews are uploading as well. Gonna get into a little
reading between the line segment with Aj Debonsum and alexdi
Kosch their post game sound. When you get a chance,
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let's welcome in Vic Graham. Our data aggregated here at
ESPN the fan uh Vic. I want to give you
a stat right I know we're a big stat people,
and I just wanted to stick out to you, Richie
Saunders out, can't you have to have Rob Wright step up?
And obviously other guys made shots, but it was already
out of hand. The game was too far. Now Rob
would have not even Rob but the defense necessarily would
have been better with that performance. They probably do. It
probably is flipped and they probably beat the Knights by fifteen,
but there wasn't the case. I believe I did the numbers,
and I could be wrong, but Rob Wright, I think,
is thirteen of forty one or forty two in his
last three games, and it's three of twelve from the
three point line. That's just not gonna cut it. Look,
everybody was bad defensively. I know he was last night
as well and in the game against UCF. But my
coach would always tell me this victim, you played baseball, right,
you know, if you're hitting's not on point, you know,
then make them walk you then steal a base, right,
There's other things you got to do the impact the game.
But in the game of basketball, if the shots not falling,
then defense, you know, he was seven of twenty one,
you know, with twenty points is not the best outing.
It's a bad outing offensively, but you can make up
that for your defense. But when you have both, you're
just that's not going to get it done, especially night
in and night out in the Big twelve.
Speaker 3: Yep, you hit it right on the head. If you're
not playing well in one area, you just find a
way to help your team. And defense, you know that's
the thing with defense. You can you cannot be hitting
your shots. But but all it takes is effort on defense, right,
I mean, you know you just gotta have effort. Give
you give your effort, and you know you can help
the team. Again in other ways.
Speaker 2: You definitely help the team out of the ways, the
effort was definitely not there, you know last night. Now
b Yu moves in vic. I'll get your thoughts. You know,
obviously we're gonna keep discussing this, and it's conversation. This
is talk radio.
Speaker 4: Now.
Speaker 2: The question is can b why you win the last
three games? We thought they if they won last night,
that they would be able to win all four and
now you know we heard it from Spencer Linton. The
reason why I'm bringing up this conversation is, Spencer Linton,
you have to go download the interview to listen, unless
you were listening live with Us during that time at
three thirty. If they if they get both of the
games on the road trip, and it's gonna be difficult,
but you gotta start with West Virginia in one game
at a time. But if you get the one against
West Virginia, and then if you rectify what happened last
year aainst Cincinnati because you got boat steamed. Honestly, if
you do that, and west Miller is a good coach
that program, knock off Kansas on the road. So it's
gonna be a tough game. Both of these are Quad
one games on the road. If you get both of
those and then you knock off Texas Tech, you know
it would just have Mark Durant almost forgiven. You know,
all might be forgiven if you went on Saturday. That's
just how the Big twelve is. You have a chance
to make up for it. But Vick, if they win
the last three games, I'll ask you this and then
we'll get into the sound. They win the last three games,
if they beat if they beat West Virginia, they beat Cincinnati,
they beat Texas Tech, they'll give them another top twenty five.
You know, maybe the top fifteen Premier matchup. They probably
are able to finish in the top twenty five, but
they have to win all three, can't lose. That would
give them I believe it's nine quad one wins, so
they'd be nine and six and quad one games, they'd
be six and two and quad two. What would that
then do for them c wise? Does it keep them
locked in at that six to ce D you believe that?
Speaker 4: Oh?
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think so. They if they come back three
to zero on their last three games, and especially that
road trip, like you said, if you go into Cincinnati
and beat Cincinnati, I mean, that's a huge win in
my opinion. I mean, they look good at home. They're
kind of two different teams a little bit on the
road and at home, but at home, they they play
good basketball, and you know, West Virginia you look to
win that game. I was a lot more confident after
Iowa State than I was again after UCF. For them
to go out there and get a win. Now I'm
a little bit, you know, I'm scared a little bit
about that game.
Speaker 2: We'll see, right because they're gonna talk to Mike Auskie
in the next segment. When thing comes back, we'll be
able to discuss what what is this matchup gonna look like? Look,
West Virginia not a good basketball team. Utah went in
and beat them. But at the same breath, I mean
to win on the Big twelve, but to win in
the Big twelve on the road is hard. And I mean,
you could argue he's not a bad basketball team, but
you could argue not playing great basketball right now because
they just UCF and it wasn't if they had lost
this game. You know, vic by you know, four six, Okay,
it's unfortunate, but when you're getting run by thirty and
I know that the box score wont ninety seven points.
And here's another stat. I believe in Bo's four of
his last six games or losses, they've allowed eighty five
plus points. Like that's not good. You cannot have that,
you know. And I wrote these down on my laptop
and I need to pull them up, and I put
some of them in my recap article on the espndefan
dot com. But you just can't have that. You can't
have that. You gotta play better basketball. So we'll see
if they're able to do it. I believe that they
can turn it around. Kevin Young. Look, you got three games,
maybe you get all three and then you going to
the tournament. You can get some momentum even if they're
not the six seed and then the seven seed. Right now,
Kansas is the two. This is per Jason Sheer. Let
me pull up this photo for you guys. I just
want to give if the Big Twelve, if the Big
Twelve were to start today, this is what it would be.
The one seed would be obviously Arizona number two would
be Kansas number three, Iowa State number four, Texas Tech
Houston dropp into the five seed, so they wouldn't get
the double by number six would be what is it
U cf B YU will be seven. TC would be
a so B YU will play the winner of Cincinnati
Kansas State. Now understand, if you lose to Cincinnati on
the road, playing on the neutral is a little bit different,
so you have to believe by you would win that matchup.
Then you play Kansas. So still getting my premier matchup,
and I'm getting what I want to see, which is
d n P versus AJ Round two. But I don't
know if fans would be confident if BA uses seven
seed going to the tournament. But then again, anything could happen,
and if you beat them, you probably book a trip
to either play Iowa State, UCF again in a rematch, Colorado,
or Baylor, who they all have played this season. So
we'll see what happens. But first, got to take care
of West Virginia. That's what's on the docket first and foremost. Well,
without further ado, let's get into it. This is aj
Debonsa and Alexi Kosch addressing the media yesterday following BYU's
unfortunate loss that they didn't like against UCF.
Speaker 4: Is this a game where you guys.
Speaker 5: Kind of gotten right too high after that Iowa State
game and took this one for granted?
Speaker 6: No, not me personally. I think we had a good
game plan coming in. We were pretty focused and shoot around.
I think the three point shooting by them kind of
just surprised us. I don't think we took it for
granted though.
Speaker 7: Was talking about how Richie gone, let's start up with
leadership and stuff like that.
Speaker 4: What's it been like with Richie being off the court?
Speaker 8: Now you guys.
Speaker 4: Adjusted to that?
Speaker 6: Yeah, I mean he was definitely like the vocal leader
on our teammate he left by example as well, obviously
being like an upperclassman. But since he's gone, Call has
been challenging me to try to step into that role
and it's new for me, but you know, I'm just
trying to do a better job at it, trying to
be more vocal for the for the for the guys
and how goodbye.
Speaker 3: Language you guys had so much success and second half runs.
Speaker 4: What was kind of.
Speaker 7: The the the attitude going to start where UCF just
kind of kept a rolling this time and the pain
in the second half.
Speaker 4: What was he used used to start off that second half?
It was just this lack of effort.
Speaker 6: I think, uh, I think we just got lazy and
they kind of took advantage of it. I think we
try to blench them a couple of times. They got
two dunks off rip. We just gotta be better.
Speaker 2: Okay, I'm gonn stopping here, Vic and let us come
in because I think that's a good point. The second
half by has been able to come back in the
second half. Remember overcame the largest deficit until this one,
which was Clemson in Madison Square Garden. Rob right hit
the buzzer beaters. We know they came out and they
came back from that. So this is nothing new to
this team of having a cloud's way back. I mean
it was one point thirty six and they lost by thirteen.
So that just tells you the nature of this team.
But it's a problem because they always put themselves in
the hole. Now we'll see what they do against West Virginia.
Because West Virginia gives up big leads. You have to
wonder if bo He's gonna beat that team by twenty
to make a statement. We will see. But to AJ's
point of the second half the dunks, you wanted to
know what and everything I said, this game will be
defined and they will be able to get back into
this game. And some people are gonna be like Ron
and Side probably know. I was like, they can get
back into this game depending of what I see on
the first five possessions. You know what I saw in
the first five possessions, Yeah, Vic, you know what I saw,
John Ball, They all they gave up three dunks. I
think all of it was to John Bow And I'm like,
what in the world is going on with this basketball team?
And look twelve oh run and it was just like, Okay,
it's like this team is not getting back into it.
And I hate to go to Twitter, and I hate
to do this because you know, you know, but accountability,
what is it?
Speaker 4: Lie?
Speaker 2: And maybe this is more of an off season conversation,
but I have posted this and look on my Cougar
basketball pregame show before the season started, you know, right
before that Kansas game, I interviewed associated head coach Tim
Fanning and we heard it from Spencer Linton, who's over
the defense. Will Void was over it last year. Seems
like those responsibilities have been delegated this year to Tim Fanning.
He told me that he is in charge of the coverages.
I don't know who had the scout last night. I
didn't get a chance to ask those at b YU.
I might have to follow up and ask that, and
it might not matter. People want to be past it
because it didn't work out that way. But the defense
was was was a struggle last night, and it struggled
all this season and it's gonna have to fix itself
and you gotta lock in. And here's the thing they
can and when they do, you beat a top five
team like Iowa State. They were number six at the time,
but number four. I would state you beat them. So
you have to lock in defensively, and it might take
AJ maybe taking the best player. And maybe you can't
do it every single game. That's gonna be tough, but
maybe in some of these games you have to say, hey, AJ,
you're gonna have to play all forty you know, and
you're gonna have to take the best player, and that
might need to be the deal. In the tournament, he
might have to go two way and do that and
that's gonna help his draft stock even more. But in
the Big twelve tournament, AJ might have to take the
best player, play thirty five, play thirty five thirty seven
forty minutes a game in order to be what you
to get it done. That's just what it's gonna have
to come down to. So we will see. Let's get
back to the sound. This is ajd Bonsa and Alexi
Kosic addressing the media following yesterday against UCF.
Speaker 4: Yeah, you guys getting a bit pat there. What were
you seeing down low with I don't know.
Speaker 6: I mean, obviously, like have John bo who's seven ft two,
so you know, it's obviously gonna be a little harder
to finish in the run. I think me personally after
I got to my spots, maybe forced a little shots,
but I think we could have got more painter greats
get too fit of pain and then try to kick
it out for Grete threes.
Speaker 5: I mean, I'm with him there, Like some days like
shots fall more or some days they don't. But I
think like at the end of the day, that was
not like the reason we lost. I think it was
like mostly our energy and so like, yeah.
Speaker 2: Like I say, you were part of whether that second
half round then got back into it a couple of
three pointers.
Speaker 8: Just what was kind of the energy change there?
Speaker 3: And can you take something maybe out of that scratch?
Speaker 5: I mean, for sure we can take something out of that.
We just tried to like forget the scoreboard and just
like try to end the game on a positive note
and like that we don't go out like that like
how we started, and we just tried to get our
energy up.
Speaker 2: And yeah, for sure we can like.
Speaker 4: Take that into the next game. Yeah, PJW.
Speaker 2: Would you described that postgame work room?
Speaker 4: What was kind of the message from coach and just
the reaction from you guys and that post.
Speaker 6: Game Oh yeah, obviously, yeah, we were sick, but he said,
we're just gonna watch the film tomorrow. We're gonna come
in tomorrow and just get better.
Speaker 2: Did your what's your confidence level and bouncing back from
a loss like this down the stretch.
Speaker 6: I mean my confidence is extremely high. I mean we
have a tough road trip against Cincinnati and West Virginia,
two good teams. But I mean if we can you know,
win those both games and then come back home and
you know, beat Texas Tech, I think will be good
going in the march.
Speaker 4: What would you see them doing a limit?
Speaker 5: Uh you for in terms of the volume shots you
were taking toll late in the game.
Speaker 6: I mean they were in they were in heavy ships,
founeeing a lot of bodies. I mean, I'm not gonna
complain about the you know, officiating. I mean I get
filed a lot in a lot of games today. They
decide not to call it. But it's whatever. I gotta
play through contact. Mister Big twelve is one of you know,
the most physical leagues. I'm ill just got to adjust
and I did it just in the second half. Put
us a little too late.
Speaker 2: Question, like said k I mentioned in his interview, just
now that you're a tough kid and you really stuck
your nose out there of this scan.
Speaker 4: There's a moment the press, but things a little shit.
You see a player, Can you speak of that toughness
and bring up the.
Speaker 5: Intensity with out Yeah, I mean at that point, like
for me, it was more like it was more than
just basketball. Like it's like embarrassing, like losing that much
and your like own home court. So I just tried
to like do whatever to kind of get like get
the energy up and get like get us like more
into like playing with more energy.
Speaker 2: Now Ben said earlier obviously, and I'm bringing you back
in here, Vic. When you're losing like this, you know
you got to give a hard foul. Now they got
into it with the Jordan Burks. You got a technical foul.
First of all, If Jordan Burks, you're an idiot, I'm
gonna call you that. Your team's up thirty. Get out
of that mess. Don't let someone do that. Don't get
yourself kicked out of the game where you've had a
phenomenal day when you're nine of twelve, I think you're
three or five from three. Don't get involved in that
nonsense like they're trying to do anything. It's like hockey, right,
you know, the Olympics just ended. What do you do
in hockey? You start a fight because you want to
get the beat, the boys riled up. You put the
fourth line out there, Vic, and you say, go do it.
That's what happens. Well, BAU has no fourth line. All
these are great players. That's not just my analogy that
I'm bringing in, but Alexi, you know, you know roughed
it up. You would have liked to see that in
the first half after they went up twenty to six.
You'd have loved to see a you know, a hard
foul or something, or some type of chatter or talk.
And the guys that I feel like that will do
that is you know, I my Hilo's gonna chirp at you.
AJ's not gonna buy in today, He's gonna stay that canard, Alexi,
those feels like the tough, the rough rider guys of
this team. You know that that aren't gonna go down
without a fight. Cable's gonna say something. Look I always
say this, you know, since it came to my brain,
we need the mo what mag the guy that's gonna
stand in front of Cable Love after beating them in
their building and say do something in the hand check line.
You need that. Nonetheless, you hopefully that this doesn't happen again.
They got an opportunity to go on the road against
West Virginia. You heard aj uh. You can't force fouls
and whether they call it or not, it's on AJ
now we've talked about it. Kevinyxy. AJ is a smart player.
J can't try to force the shots. Get to the basket.
They're not giving you fouls. Put your shoulder down and
drive and go into the person. That's just what it
needs to be. But we need to go to break.
He's in rubies in dot com. Go to hit hit
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to Cougar Sports one three nine ninety eight three, ESPN
The Fan.
Speaker 1: This is a one oh three, nine and ninety eight
three ESPN Sports Center updates.
Speaker 9: Ninety seven to eighty four. That was the final score
of last nights men's basketball games. UCF handed BYU only
their second unranked home loss of the Kevin Young era
and first of this season. Ajd Bonsa did his duties
and scoring twenty nine points and leaving the team with
eight rebounds, but it wasn't enough, as the night shot
fifty eight percent from three, hitting fourteen of them. Demus
folks In Jordan Burke sled Central Florida with twenty four
point c On the bright side, for Yu, Alexei Kostitch
had his second those points in the game in this
season as he scored fourteen points, including four to three pointers.
Uyu heads to Morgantown next for a Saturday afternoon matchup
against West Virginia. Sticking with basketball, ajd Bons added another
award to his trophy case this week as he was
named the Oscar Robertson National Player of.
Speaker 2: The Week following last week's games.
Speaker 9: Also yesterday, Swim and Dive began their meet at the
Big twelve Championships and saw three swimmers land on the
top ten list for the fifty meter butterfly and the
fifty meters backstroke. The championships continue through Saturday. Following a
win over Denver last Saturday, gymnast Brindley Anderson Brokeman earned
her second Big twelve Events Specialist of the Week honors
this season following a nine point eight seven to five
beam and nine point nine floor performance against the Pioneers
tonight's events ce BYU women's basketball looking to go two
and zero on the season against Arizona State at six
thirty pm down in ten YU baseball looking to improve
to five and three on the year at Long Beach
State at seven oh five, and number six BYU Men's
volleyball taking on number three Hawaii at ten o'clock on
the Islands. I'm Cameron Clark and this has been your
ESPN the Fan Cougar Sports Center update, brought to.
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Know the Cougar's opponents and rivals right now, I need
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he's not a little know the Fox. Segment got to
get to know the foes on the hardwood by U Basketball,
trying to find their identity again, trying to find out
what it is that they're good at. I guess they
played extremely well Versiowa State and then laid a dud
versus UCF.
Speaker 4: One of the worst performances of the year. It's a
game of Jackal and Hyde for this Boe basketball team.
Speaker 7: But they have another challenge on the dock at West
Virginia on the schedule. We got to get to know
the foe and see if this Boe basketball team is
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two nine one nine. We're gonna be fair and equitus.
Eight one six oh four two nine one nine. All right,
let's get out to the hotline. Welcome in West Virginia inshideer.
We got Michael j Asty on the line, Managing editor
of West Virginia Sports.
Speaker 4: Now, what's up, Mike, what's going on?
Speaker 8: Guys? You're happy to be back with you.
Speaker 4: Yeah. Hey, a pleasure of blessing to be able to
talk ball with you. Uh. Let's let's talk a little
bit about the Big Twelve to.
Speaker 7: Start us off, and uh, kind of the overall view
of how West Virginia is spared this year in the
Big Twelve.
Speaker 8: Sure, and I do feel that the Big Twelve this
year is back to where the conference has been for
the most part throughout the last decade. On the college
basketball side of things. Last year, you could argue that
maybe had dipped a little bit, and certainly that's kind
of what it was reflected in the seating of the
NCAA Tournament, but this year the Big Twelve was back.
This year, the Big Twelve has top teams and elite
teams that could make a run in March. Granted, everybody's
shown that they're goingable as well, and we have seen
some deal with serious injuries as of late that certainly
could affect how far they could go in the postseason,
even though they're likely going to be there. Where West
Virginia has spared in comparison to the Houston's, Iowa States,
Arizonas and Arizona and Uston looked like they could win
the national title and Euston could get back there, and
Iowa State's been good in Texas Tech prior to their
injury to top and they're far from those programs. We've
seen that even when they were winning, and even when
West Virginia was at its best this year, they would
run into those schools and those schools would beat them
by twenty plus points. However, as you guys know, West
Virginia has dealt with a three year period that's been
very dramatic and not really normally what the program has
been for the better part of the past or really
forty years. So to go off of losing a head
coach in drama controversy last year after a ten win
torn around on a Debrees, they went from nine wins
under Josh Eiler two years ago to nineteen under Debrees.
They got snubbed. I still feel they should have got in.
Last year they had six quat one wins and North
Fronta had one and North Rona got instead of them,
so they got snubbed. The coach left. The fans to
this day believe that Tucker Debrees and Darien Debries are
running a conspiracy all season one. So they got over that.
They'd bring in a new coach, a whole transfer roster,
and they turn it around to be on the bubble
most of the year. They beat Kansas Kansas less to normal,
but they're still a great team. They do have quality wins.
They have four quad one wins. They beat their rival
and Pitt in knowing conference, even though Pitch knocked in
that good this year at all. But they missed some opportunities,
not only a non conference but even in conference play
and recently, which is what be why he was going
to care about. They've been rough and kind of at
their worst once they peaked and it felt like they
were going to probably get in the tournament. Maybe a
week ago it was leaning that they probably were going
to get in, which would have been incredible after the
last several years. Their last appearance is Sales in twenty
three and Huggins last year. They've lost three straight and yeah,
they're on the road, TCU on the road, Oklahoma State
on the road recently. They're solid teams, but West Virginia's
played so poorly and lost these games that it almost
feels like those teams are now going to get in
the tournament at least TCU and West Virginia is not.
And they're comeback over Cincinnati, their comeback over UCF now
seem for not and it's just a very inconsistent team,
especially on the offensive side the ball, And right now
it feels like their season probably is done as far
as the NCAA tournament, But who knows if they can
go on a run and went out and then run
through the Big Twelve. Is still a tournament in the
Big Twelve that anybody can beat anybody, even though there's
definite disparity between the top teams and kind of where
West Virginia is.
Speaker 7: Is there any silver lining? Maybe in these last five games.
I know they've lost foid to the last five, but
have they been competitive?
Speaker 4: Have they should promise?
Speaker 7: Have they just not been able to execute down the
stretch anything that could maybe get them moving in the
right direction from a silver lining standpoint.
Speaker 8: Well, I think for a silver lining standpoint in general,
this year and as I've said, even after all of
these games, I sound like a broken record. Probably it's
hard to call this year, as I mentioned, quote unquote bad,
because you're dealing with what happened the last three years.
Is not ross Hodge's fault that Darren Dere's left after
a one year turnaround and they got snubbed. Is not
his fault that Josh Eileen was in over his head
and they had literally the worst season in program history arguably.
And it's not his fault that a Hall of fame,
legendary coach ended his career in scandal and kind of
ruined the trajectory of the transfer class and where they
were that year. That's not ross Hodge's fault. He has
him on the bubble. That's he had a real truncated
recruiting class. It's a full on transfer roster. These players
have underachieved in a way, even though they've won some games,
and I do think he's a solid coach. But with
all of that said, they've been competitive and they've come
back in games, especially recently, but they get down so
much early in these games, especially recently. And the issue
that I think some bring up in terms of the
prospects of Ross Hodge in the future, and it's not
like he's going getting fired, but just their thoughts of him,
it almost feels like they're getting worse at this goes on,
at least recently. They were getting better for a while,
as I said, but recently these last four or five
six games, even the ones they won way back in
that slump, they just start out sluggish. Defensively. They've been
a top ten defensive ranked team most of the year
in the country until recently, and then the game against
Oklahoma State maybe the worst defensive effort of the season.
They got down big and then they gave up eighty
plus points. That is, whether it's Huggins, Devrees or Hodg
or who be lying way back, Westagina team do not
give up that many points, and that happened and it
just looks like, I don't know, I mean, they got
on the bubble, Lenardi was saying they were going to
get in, and then after that the team kind of
has played lackadaisical, like they think they're done. So you
gotta put that on coaching a little bit, even though
again I do like Ross Hodge. But they're competitive. They're
never out of a game. Wouldn't be shocked if say,
they would upset BYU because Yu, as you mentioned, the
lead in has been hot and cold at times too.
But if that happens, fans are going to say, that's great,
but where was this effort against the teams that are
behind you. That's why they're probably not going to get in.
They have four Quad one wins, but the losses SECI
recently aren't great.
Speaker 7: Yeah, two and four Quad two games that may be
the most devastating your FOIGN seven and Quad one opportunities.
It's not bad and competitive in some of these losses.
It's not like you're getting You're not getting blown out
in these games.
Speaker 8: Yeah, that's fair. I mean, the only games are getting
blown out in on the resume are against what I
mentioned earlier. They used to be the guy with stag
in Arizonas, but against these teams they were fighting with
ought to be on the bubble. They're close, and honestly, guys,
that's why again, I don't think the year can be
said to be bad because it's year one with a
transfer roster after drama. But if they would miss the tournament,
regardless of circumstances, it's a wood if, meaning they should
probably have a resume that got them in. I mean,
if they you know, four Quad one wins four and seventy,
and if that's what it is, and you moved the
Quad two record to you know, four and four or
five victories instead of two, you're in the dance. They were.
They were on the right side of the bubble a
week ago for most recketologists, and they right now. According
to Leonardi this morning, and obviously he was wrong last year,
so it's not like he's the gospel, but just going
off him this morning, he bumped West Virginia out of
the bubble to the group that's basically below the bubble,
not even next four out, but below that, and put
Cincinnati in. West Virginia beat Sincanni twice. They're messing up
their own season as of late. I feel like if
they would have won two out of these last three
instead of lose these three in a row, or maybe
even one out of these three because they were on
the road but played really well in these games, maybe
they would still crawl in there for some but not
if they just keep on stacking losses in these games
that are very similar programs. Right now, that's kind of
the bigger issue. No one's hold against them losing to
the top teams, but the Kansas win is not enough
to compound everything else that's been going on recently.
Speaker 7: If they have a three game winning streak right to
end the season, does that put them back in the
NCAA Tournament you think? I mean that would be two
big wins BYU and UF.
Speaker 8: Yeah, I would say maybe. I guess as why I'll
answer that because obviously BYU would be in there, that
would be the bigger win to me. They've already beat
UCF on the road, so the road win, according to
the metrics, is a bigger deal than beating a similar
team at home. Honestly, the game against UCF is a
literal must win unless your season's over and you're already
out of it by that point. But if you lose
to UCF, your toast you could maybe get over the
BYU lost because they've been ranked a lot of the year.
Granted you've already lost too many games in general, but
not UCF. So I would say they probably have to
win out to have a shot at getting in, and
probably still have to win a couple games in the
big COLT tournament to know that they're secure to get in,
and they certainly if they're going to split, they can't
have the U. They can't have the UCF game be
the loss. They're better off losing the BYU, if that
makes any sense, just because they already have the UCF
win on the road.
Speaker 7: Well, BYU is only a I think only going to
be a slight favorite in this game because they had
such a devastating, just piss poor effort versus UCF all
or excuse me, yeah, versus this team last night, and
it's just kind of crazy to see BYU kind of
have this jekylin hide. Does that give maybe some move
to this coaching staff and this team to get back
on the right track. Hey, this is a wounded this
is a wounded animal. Right, let's take advantage of it
right now. ESPN analytics only given BYU sixty one point
two percent chance of victory right now.
Speaker 8: Yeah, and it's crazy, I'm sure for you guys to
think I'm watching West Virginia. Like last night, when your
producer texted me about being on, I almost said, well,
if you're watching this game, are are you sure? I
don't know, just as a joke, like this is a
horrible effort that we're watching here, But you're probably thinking, well,
it's West Virginia's team looks down and out, they're gonna
get stepped on and have the season over. And yet
people think they right, you're gonna lose to them, Like
what's going on? So yeah, I mean anything can happen again.
I wouldn't be shocked. We've seen West Virginia get over
a down period and then have a big win. But
everything you're saying about BYU, I also can say of
a West Virginia And they've also been really rough recently.
Their losses have kind of possibly ended their year and
all the likely they ended their year, So you have
to also wonder what their mentality is, and you would
figure they'd play hard. I think Gross Hodge is a
good coach, but right when we thought they were going
to get in and they've kind of done this, So
I guess both these are teams kind of have to
feel that they're bound to play better, they're bound to
have a big win. They're kind of due for a
big night. West Virginia, certainly, I'm sure, feels that way. Again,
these are definitely muscle win games for you now for sure,
but we will see what they do. I mean, they
have a problem at times rebounding wise, they have a
problem sometimes with long scoring droughts. These things happen, and
if they start slow in the game. Again, I think
B was to use the type of team that's not
going to give up a twenty point to what twenty
point lead, like West Virginia has been able to come back,
but they are never out of a game. So I
will tell it will be YU fans out there if B.
If you see the score early where BYU is up
sixteen to four, and you're thinking to yourself, Okay, you
know good, God gonna get a victory. Let me go
to dinner, No big deal, We're good. And then you
turn it on an hour and a half later and
you're thinking, well, man, DYU is up two or they're
down one, Like what's going on? That's every West Virginia
game the past two weeks, so that certainly could be
what happens. And recently West Virginia still ended up losing
at the end because the final possessions have been so bad.
But they they never say die in these games. It
does feel like that, especially offensive they just don't have enough.
They're not consistent enough offensively. So if EYU can score
what they have been when they're really good, they should
be able to get the W Granted again, West Virginia
certainly could pull it off, and maybe the crowd or
helping out.
Speaker 7: What West virgin does it Perkin Pomp's the top twenty
five team defensively, I mean it's they can't be an
elite team defensively. So let's give us a little scattering
report on the personnel. What makes them so good defensively
and when they have been efficient offensively?
Speaker 4: Who stands out to you personnel wise?
Speaker 8: Yeah, so do the ladder first offensively when they've been
at their best. Aner Huff is kind of a little
Allen Iverson out there where he just can take control everything.
He's a smaller guard, but he's not afraid of anything.
He's really fun to watch. He's really easy to root for,
and he's had some really really hot nights and become
even more of a leader of this season. Progressed any
addition to him, which is when the offense is really clicking,
that they have more than just him because he's undersized
and the teams can double cover him. Trason Eagle Staff,
who he was supposed to actually be the guy. I mean,
he had top games last year. He had a fifty
point game. Last year, he scored forty as Alabama. Last
year he comes to West Virginia and he's been a
roller coaster ride guys. He literally had a game this
year where he scored one point. That's how much of
a roller coaster ride it is. A guy scores forty
last year goes to one this year like that was
the beginning of the season. When he's hot them and
when he's hitting three pointers, if Huff is doing the same,
Jasper Floyd, bringing Lowrie and to other guys to watch for.
They really control the rock more kind of inside jump shooters.
But when they're hitting outside, especially Eagle Staff, they are
deadly and that is how they come back in games.
I would argue that especially when they get down they
tend to take really bad shots and think they're Steph
Curry out there. Eagle Staff does his lot, and then
he misses one, two, three, four, and then it's just
over and then that's how they end up losing. They'll
do enough in that regard, and then defensively they really
buy into what Ross Hodge is selling. This is not
an incredibly big team. DJ Thomas as there as a
young player. Ob Oha Harlan obi Oha. When they're clicking defensively,
he's at his best. He is controlling the boards, he's
getting rebounds. He's a physical specimen and he's a beast.
There are times he kind of takes the night off
and on most feels so when he is peaked, they're great. Defensively.
They have shown the ability with or without him at
his best that they can be a top twenty defensive
team in the country for sure. Granted they're coming off
of such a bad effort, but they clamp down and
we even saw at the end of the Oklahoma State game.
This will be interesting if you see this against Yu
whether the earlier. Certainly, if they're down lad He's never
press Virginia. The Huggins press Virginia teams three out of
four years. In sweet sixteen, Jevon Carter and that group, well,
they basically did it. I mean, they put a stranglehold
press on Oklahoma State towards the end of that game
in regulation, in overtime, and they go for the steel
a lot like they play that they want the steals.
But there have been times recently where the effort defensively
has not been there as much. You know, I guess
I'll leave you with this whole. All of that is
the potential of the team. Ross Hodge literally said, the
reason why they lost to Oklahoma State is because of
defensive intensity. So the worst effort is what they just
put forward. He did not even just they lost the
game and defense defensively they were rough for the first
time all year. And he usually is a player's friendly
coach that defends his team to no end. He basically
called the players out and called their effort out. So
we'll see how they respond. And Chance More is another
player to name. But if you notice in that Oklahoma
State game, look at the film, there was a moment
late under the boards, Ross Hodge is yelling at him like,
what are you doing? Get your head in the game.
He just stood there when there was a riven opportunity
and didn't run to do anything. He just looked around me.
I don't know what to do. And we're not in
November with the new staff. This is we're at the
end of February. I mean, I don't care who you are.
You got today. You should know what you're doing. So
it can be great, it can be bad. You'd imagine,
which maybe this is a negative for BYU that they
got to if these players have anything to them and
they played big level games. I mean, Laurent's been on
a Final fourteen. Like if a coach says their effort
is why they lost, you would imagine they got to
answer that. They I would imagine they're gonna be competitive
in that game whether they win or not. I would
think they got to answer that.
Speaker 4: Yeah.
Speaker 7: Yeah, it's interesting as you're talking about this the b
way you're coaching staff. Kevin Young in particular, has called
out the effort of his team multiple times now this season,
and I wonder if it is a product. Sometimes I'm
hearing it from you, I'm hearing it from others in
this mercenary like approach. You're into, you're out transfer portal
and the era, the paper play era, is it hard
to keep teams players motivated?
Speaker 4: Uh, game in and game out?
Speaker 7: Like because there is not there's not a cohesive culture,
you know, buy in to the school, to the coach,
to the roots that you're building there.
Speaker 4: It's just like I'm getting paid to be here.
Speaker 7: Yeah, I mean I'll play well, Like I just wanted
to improve my my draft stock. I want to maybe
leverage this into the next stop it when you have
undulation of effort and it's hard to build, you know,
consistent culture day in and day out, repetition and high
intensity of every game, you see.
Speaker 4: These drop offs? Are you seeing that?
Speaker 7: Are you seeing that visibly maybe around the country and
they're at West Virginia as well.
Speaker 8: I think it's definitely fair to wonder it's hard to
get in these kids in really psychoanalyzes. But it's the
fairest thing to wonder if we couldn't even asked for
oslags thoughts on this, and he he also kind of
said that he even answered why a lot of coaches
are calling teams out, because that was even literally asked.
We asked him why a lot of coaches are calling
players out? And why a lot of coaches are if
you recall having freak out viral sessions after these losses.
I mean literally, West Miller, after living to West Virginia,
has freaked out twice this season in which he went viral,
and Ross Hodge basically said he does believe the pressure
of the era, the fact that even if you are
a team that things they go in a national title,
you know that in two months you have to rebuild
the entire roster. Like that pressure is insane on coaches.
The Big twelve is a war every single night, and
he does believe it's getting to people and it's like mentally,
like that is that is becoming a mental issue. So
I'm not a therapist, but it certainly does look like
that could be a possibility here. And you would imagine
the players that want to play hard for themselves. But
even if I mean, you have to think of it
that way. It's it's crazy to say, but you know,
when you see a team that's about to get in
and they have a three game losing streak and they
have such a skid that is worse than all their metrics,
and it's fair than in this air to ask, well,
were you guys thinking that, Okay, now we're maybe gonna
get in, but we're not going to probably go to
the final four. So you would rather just end your
season and get in the portal or go on to
the next level, or if you're a senior, leave school
and move on. I mean, would you prefer to do
that then have one game in the NC term And
even though the program wants to be there, and it
sounds crazy to ask, but a team that wants to
do everything imaginable to get that one game, even if
that's all they get, it's hard to think this is
the effort the last four games. It's just I mean,
this isn't enough to beat anybody, let alone the Big twelve.
So I think it's very fair to ask. And that
is definitely the situation is not changing though, like this
is it? So this is what they're going to have
to be dealing with. But yeah, the Mountaineers have seven seniors,
a lot of players are going to be leaving. I mean,
there's a lot of conversation now with West Virginia of
if they don't get in the NACA Tournament, should they
accept or decline the College Basketball Crown or even the
Niit and because the dig twelve tie in, as you know,
it will likely be the colleged basketball crown. And there
are people that are on both sides that are saying, well,
this is an historic program. Final fours. There are thirty
one appearances, you know, Hugins, Jerry West. You can't go
ahead and be in this minor tournament. It's beneath you.
It's been beneath programs worse than you historically in recent years.
And yeah there's an nil payment, but it's not all
that much with the travel that would be involved there.
There are others that are bringing up well, in the past,
West Virginia's got in these things and then you know,
twenty years ago they weren't a NT and three years
later they're in the final four. Why can't they do
it again? Because best is not the era. Nine of
these players are going to be around. They don't care.
Probably what the program does in three years. The coach
maybe will, maybe he won't. The system could be totally different.
If it's a new coach, that's a whole new culture
than in there. You just don't know. So, I mean,
an nil payment for the program is what you get
out of winning the basketball crown. You don't get money
if your eagle staff and your eligibility is over. What
would his motivation to be even in there? Maybe this
effort would happen in there. There's no guarantee they win
that so it is there. I think to ask what
the motivation or effort of care is of these players
when you get to the end of the year and
they know they're leaving like that is that is just
a hard thing to coach, I would imagine.
Speaker 7: Yeah, I don't know how you can coach up kids hard. Yeah,
or you have to be very strategic about who you're
gonna coach up hard.
Speaker 4: So uh give not.
Speaker 8: Seeing anyone like Peterson in Kansas. No one's checking out
of games. That's not happening.
Speaker 4: Hey, that's a good Yeah, that's that's actually a good sign.
Speaker 7: Let's say if that's the baseline individual players like being
capable of checking themselves out of the game. I wish
you know that I would have had that type of
power in my life anyway, anything, well, in anything right,
just being hey, I'm checking it out today as I
ain't showing up, but send me to send me the check.
Speaker 8: Yeah, yeah, I'm just gonna tap in my head. I'm
checked out. I'm done.
Speaker 7: Can you imagine like just just d n P and
everybody like like just d MP and your your wife, Hey, honey,
the kids are a little ROADI.
Speaker 4: I'm gonna check myself out of this. Time to go.
We're gonna have a beer. We have a root beer
over here.
Speaker 8: If you look at the film of Chance More at
the end of the Oklhoma State game, he might as
well have checked out.
Speaker 4: All right, Mike, we gotta let you go. I hope
it's a good one.
Speaker 7: I don't know if the line's dropped yet, but three
thirty pm, February twenty eight it's at West Virginia, Morgantown,
West Virginia. I can't wait to see what happens in
this game, and hopefully it's a competitive entertaining one best
way to sport.
Speaker 4: To you what you do, how you do it for
all of our listeners.
Speaker 8: Sure you can find me all over social at Mike
Osty eleven, West Virginia. Sports Now is the site there.
I also do some nastra writing with Yard Barker and
have a podcast, Mike Drop that's on Serious XM. So
go ahead and find that wherever we gig your podcasts.
But I appreciate the time, guys. And yeah, I hope
to be talking to you again sometime soon, maybe basketball, football, whatever.
Give me a call.
Speaker 4: Much love, Mike. We appreciate your manthicks propping on today. Brother.
Speaker 7: Yep, someone needs to do some sort of like you know,
TikTok Instagram, you know, sequence of like guys, just DNPN
like activities, you know, like I'm not Ronnie would be
like I ain't cooking on the grill tonight, tapping out,
I'm done. You know, I'm taking care of Jersey night, babe,
tapping out, I'm done.
Speaker 4: Oh man, I need that. I need that in my life. Guys,
that's our show. We're sticking to it.
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