1/21/26 - The Mo Egger Radio Show

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Speaker 1: ESPN fifteen thirty, where Bengals Nation Lives.
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Speaker 2: Terry Francona is a very very very smart man, very smart man, and he's gonna be in the Hall of Fame, and he's one of the most universally beloved and respected people in baseball. But I don't understand what he did over the weekend, and we'll make that make sense coming up in just about fifteen minutes. I'm Moeger. This is ESPN fifteen thirty. Thanks for listening, Thrilled that you're with us. Show preview is available right now on Twitter at moegar thanks to share Facts credit Union. Become a member just like me. Go to share facts dot org, Rick Browing, Musketeer report dot com and NKU Radio Color Analyst is going to join us in about forty minutes. We're done early today to make room for UK basketball at five thirty, the Wildcats taking on Sean Miller's Texas Longhorns.
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Speaker 1: More on that in a bit.
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Speaker 2: Good college basketball guest in the four o'clock hour, and some Dan Pitcher stuff. I think the Bengals should go overboard to keep Dan Pitcher. We'll get to that coming up a little bit later on winners go first. Winners go first. Miami wins last night. This was a hell of a game. Tuned in with about thirteen minutes to go, Miami was in the middle of completing a collapse where they were up fourteen and a half. The last thirteen minutes of that game were terrific. The atmosphere at that game, now, the coach at Kent State was apparently gonna buy beers for the students who were twenty one and over to come to the game. I don't know what their typical attendance is like, but the atmosphere for that game seemed awesome. Seemed like a fair amount of Miami fans in the stands last night. They survived. The RedHawks do a great atmosphere. They survive a good Kent State team that had a killer turnover with about eleven seconds to go, right when they were in a position to hand Miami its first loss of the season. This is what happens. This is what happens when you're a really good team. If the opponent lets you off the hook, you take it in overtime. Did the RedHawks are twenty and Oh, it's refreshing and I think it's refreshing from a few different perspectives. One is, look, man, I'm a UC basketball fan, have grown up a UC basketball fan, been a UC basketball fan my entire life, and we are going to talk about Cincinnati versus Arizona tonight. But I'm old enough to remember when Miami University's basketball program was like a legitimate part of the landscape. For those of us who grew up in the nineties watching the ascension of UC, watching the ascension of Xavier, watching Rick Patino thrive with the Kentucky Wildcats, the Miami RedHawks were maybe not on those levels, but they were cranking out rather consistently MAC championship teams and NCAA tournament teams. There is no reason why that program can't be good, and it's it's also fun and refreshing. From this perspective, Chaos is the in college athletics.
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Speaker 1: Turnover is the rule in college.
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Speaker 2: Athletics, and this is something we've talked about on this show. I think college basketball, I think college basketball, frankly is hurt by this a little bit more than college football, thenk college basketball is hurt by the fact that you have a lot of folks who love the team that they root for or love the school that they went to, but they they don't love it as much as they used to, and they don't love college basketball as much as they used to. They don't love rooting for their favorite team as much as they used to because they don't feel like they have a connection to the players, because the players don't have a connection to their school. Travis Steele's team, there are ten players from last year's team, which was this close to making the tournament, on this year's team. There's been some continuity what any of those guys are getting in terms of nil I have no idea, but there is a little bit of a throwback feel to it, and you can enjoy a throwback field. None of us, at least I don't think any of us, but none of us want college basketball to go back to the way it was, even as recently as like ten years ago.
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Speaker 1: I don't think anybody wants that.
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Speaker 2: But for those of us who who would would would love things to kind of swing at least a little back, a little bit back towards the way things used to be. The Miami RedHawks with their current roster, with how they've played, or a fun story. We also love a redemption story. And look, there's a lot of head coaches who have maybe not necessarily had a ton of success at one level, and don't take this the wrong way, but they've they've they've dropped down a level and they have success. And don't get mad at me for saying that the MAC is not the Big East. Call it what it is. But there's something sort of redemptive about Travis Steele who leaves Xavier. And it was kind of gnarly at the end there, right they're playing in the EDI, nobody goes to their first round an IT game. The school quickly moves on. Travis Steele has sort of cast aside very quickly because Xavier can hire Sean Miller. And what Xavier did made sense at the time and it makes sense now. But it was reasonable to wonder, like, what's gonna happen with Travis Steele? What to make of Travis Steele? What is are we done hearing from that guy? Is he going to go back to being an assistant coach? Is he going to get another chance to be a head coach? Is he going to be given another chance to be a head coach at the high major level? Well, he almost instantly ends up at Miami. It took a couple of years for him to get his program going and now, and I'm certainly not saying that this will happen or even should happen, but you have folks wondering, like, all right, where is Travis Steele going to get his next quote big time opportunity. That is a conversation for two months from now. In the interim, it's fun to watch an area team chase an undefeated season. You could say whatever you want about their schedule. All you can do is play who you got to play. They have survived some challenges. They probably should have lost the game on Saturday to Buffalo didn't. Probably should have lost the game last night to kent State didn't. If you are going to offer a special season, sometimes you have to dodge bullets. Travis Steel's team did last night. Fun evening This evening college basketball tonight on ESPN fifteen thirty. Kentucky plays Texas. Pregame at five thirty, so we're done early. The question is can UK win a game without falling behind by seventeen or eighteen points? Because you could look at those games again from multiple perspectives. You love the fact that they have found ways to win games that you could argue maybe they should now against a pretty good Tennessee team, but a really bad LSU team, they fall behind by eighteen against one seventeen in the other. They win both. That is, as we say, not sustainable. Can they win a game tonight against Sean Miller's Texas Longhorns without falling behind seventeen or eighteen points? What do the Xavier Musketeers have in store for an opponent that just over a month ago handed Xavier it's most lopsided ever loss at the Centas Center hung ninety eight on the Musketeers. Now, Xavier's team looks better and has played better since that loss to Creighton. What they're doing right now offensively in the open court at times has been something to behold. I'm not sure how good Creighton is. They're not in the upper tier of teams in the Big East, but they certainly look like it that night they played Xavier. Here can Xavier author a forty two point turnaround against the.
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Speaker 1: Blue Jays this evening in Omaha and also tonight?
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Speaker 2: Can the Bearcats give themselves a chance in each of these Big Twelve games? Pretty much in every game they've played this year, they have given themselves a chance, and sometimes they've lowered themselves to the level of competition, and sometimes they have risen to the level of competition. That was certainly the case in the game against Iowa State, it was the case in the game against Houston. Now, against Houston, they couldn't get the win. Against Iowa State, they did, But can they give themselves a chance in the final few minutes tonight? It's not so much about do they get the win, as awesome as that would be, it's do they even give themselves a chance in the final four or five six minutes to even have a chance to win the game. Arizona is the unanimous number one overall team in the country. Cincinnati is a thirteen and a half point underdog. This opened at fifteen and a half. It climbed to sixteen and a half. Right now it's thirteen and a half. The Wildcats this season have destroyed Alabama, They have hammered Auburn. They have wins over Florida, Yukon, and Ucla. They have won each of their five Big Twelve games by an average of thirteen points. This team tonight will be an absolute load and it's on the road for Cincinnati year is what I wish. And I don't spend a ton of time talking about, you know, the games that aren't gonna happen or circumstances that aren't gonna materialize, because what's the point. But you just look at a game like tonight. Early in the season, it was abundantly clear Arizona had a chance to be the class of the Big Twelve. Time will tell if they proved to be that by the end of the season. But they're obviously a national title threat, obviously a team that has a very good chance to win the Big Twelve. What of a handful of teams that you have to include in the conversation as the best in the entire sport. It just you look at a game like tonight. You understand the uphill battle the Bearcats face. You understand the uphill battle that pretty much anybody would face in a game like tonight. And I just said this to Tony about twenty minutes ago. You just wish to god, they were like, I don't know, fourteen and four or fifteen and three, you wish that this could be this sort of game that you go, you know what you steal this one, you get this one. It's a landmark, signature victory. It's one that can just completely boost your resume. It's one that you circle on the resume in black magic marker and keep it there to the end of the season. Instead, they're ten and eight and nobody's talking about this games in terms of what it could catapult the Bearcats toward.
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Speaker 1: That doesn't mean that if they could.
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Speaker 2: Pull off the upset tonight, and I laugh because it's almost hard to imagine this happening. But if they could pull off the upset tonight, it wouldn't be awesome because it would be so we'll see. We'll talk about the game in greater detail a little bit later on. Arizona offensively and defensively is in the top six of the Ken Palm adjusted efficiency rankings. I think the thing that stands out more to me is not just how efficient they are on the offensive end, but how good they are grabbing rebounds on the offensive end. And to a large degree, I think it's going to come down to that, Cincinnati's defense has been good for much of the season. You're probably at times going to be helpless against a really good offensive team in Arizona. But when you force missus, who gets the rebound. If the answer is Arizona, the Wildcats are going to win this game, and probably win it by a lot. If the answer is Cincinnati, maybe they could keep it close, as they have for pretty much every big game they've been in all season long. And then the question becomes, can they execute down the stretch against one really good team? Earlier this season the answer was no, against one, excuse me, really good team. On Saturday, the answer was yes. Sixteen minutes after three o'clock, our lines are open five point three seven four nine, fifteen thirty eight sixty six, seven oh two three seven seven six. So we played audio yesterday of a Tito Francona doing something that all of us should do. But when all of us do what Tito Francona did, there's then something we then do next. The Reds haven't done that. I'll explain next on ESPN fifteen.
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Speaker 3: Thirty, WCKY, Cincinnati and iHeartRadio Station Guaranteed Human ESPN fifteen thirty, I Heard Radio.
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Speaker 2: Twenty one after three. This is ESPN fifteen thirty. Anything you may have missed on this show, go get now or later on the iHeartRadio app. Paul Danner Junior on the Bengals yesterday was as usual terrific. We talked Dan Pitcher, We talked about the NFL teams that have decided to move on from their coaches, some possible cat casualties, Orlando Brown, so much more. Listen to the conversation in its entirety wherever you want, whenever you want on the iHeartRadio app, or you could go to ESPN fifteen thirty dot com and find the podcast page podcasts or a service of long Neck Sports Grow loaded college basketball night tonight in the area.
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Speaker 1: Watch your favorite team, or watch teams you hate.
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Speaker 2: If you like to hate, watch any of the three long Next locations Wilder, Hebron and Richwood, four KTVs all over the place, awesome menu, tons of cold beard excuse me, and each location very very easy to get to. We played this audio in the five o'clock hour yesterday, and I've thought about I've thought about what Tito, what Terry Francona had to say a lot since I heard his conversation with Lance on Friday. By the way, if you want to hear that in its entirety, you could also find that on the iHeartRadio app. This is the part of that conversation that I think got the most attention. It's the part that we have focused on the most, and I have more to say about it. So Tarren, go ahead and play that from Friday night on seven hundred WLW.
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Speaker 4: So, when we were going through good times last year, our bullpen was rested and deep, and when we struggled, we were relying on guys like Santion but gotten way too much. Now we've got some depth. We added some left handers. So and it's it's not just when you're winning, but you know, when you're down by two in the sixth guys give you a chance to come back and win some of those games and also not bury the guys at the end of the game. But you make a good point because there's different styles. Now again, we're not going to leave the league in runs, is my guess. That's just being honest. But I would rather try to play with a really good pitching staff and team that catches the ball than when you score, it's meaningful. Trying to win ten to nine is really hard. You got to do it sometimes, but it's a hard way to play there.
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Speaker 2: It goes down Terry Francona with Lance from Redsfest on Friday night, and like, my first reaction, and I talked about this yesterday, but my first reaction was, why does it have to be either or? Like, it doesn't have to be win ten to nine or win three to two. If you want to rest your relievers more, if you want to rest your high leverage guys more often, if you don't want to tax your bullpen or your starting pitchers, one way to do it is to score more runs. Like yeah, man, trying to win every game ten to nine is not sustainable at all. But if you're trying to win the World Series, trying to win every game two to one, three to two also doesn't seem sustainable.
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Speaker 1: What you're hoping for.
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Speaker 2: You're hoping for is a deep enough team, a good enough team, a balanced enough team that you can win your share of not necessarily blowouts, but you score enough runs that not every game is filled with high leverage outs and high leverage innings, Not every game comes down to a pitch or two that you don't need to burn a reliever when you know, deep down inside it might be best for him to have the night off. It doesn't have to be either or. It shouldn't be either or. So you know, I use extreme examples like, yeah, you're not gonna win ten to nine games consistently and hope to win a title. Uh so let's let's win these low scoring games we're scoring, Matt. How about win eight to one more frequently. How about put your relief pictures in non save situations more frequently. How about look at the starting pitcher and go, we're gonna give you some rope because the score dictates there's margin for error because we've scored enough runs. It doesn't have to be either or, And so like framing it the way he did, and Terry Francona, I don't have to say this, but I will anyway. Terry Francona is a Hall of Fame manager, So yes, I mean, he's got bona fides that none of us do. But I don't understand. I don't understand kind of leaning into the well. You know, our offense isn't gonna be all that good, but that's okay because we're gonna we're gonna we're gonna win more games three to two. Like, how about fix the entire team, not overhaul it not make drastic changes everywhere, and part of what he's doing is pointing out the work they've done in the bullpen. And I think every even skeptical observer would be okay with the work the Reds have done in their bullpen. They've signed legitimate, established relief pitchers. That's really good, but it doesn't excuse the fact that they've done nothing substantial to the offense. By the way, if you were holding out hope that they would jump into the Cody Bellinger fray, that's not gonna happen. He reups with the Yanks five years, one hundred and sixty two point five mil Luise Robert, I feel like we've spent two years talking about the Reds in their pursuit of Louise Robert. Well, that's going to end because the Red Sox, I'm sorry, the White Sox have traded him to the Mets. So Luise Robert goes to New York across him. All off your list a Juhanio Suarez is still out there. But the other thing that Terry Frank ConA did, he did something that we should all do, right. He acknowledged a flaw. By the way, in this day and age. Nobody does that. He acknowledged a flaw. He didn't come out and say we're gonna have a hard time scoring runs. He didn't come out and say our offense is maybe gonna be below league average. He didn't come out and say, you know, our offense has a pretty low ceiling. He framed it in a way that you know you don't have to You don't have to strain yourself to figure out what he's saying. We're not going to lead the league in runs. He is acknowledging a flaw. The Reds offense is their flaw. The lack of pop is their flaw. Doesn't mean that players from last year's team can't perform better this year, and if they do well, then the offense is maybe a little bit better. But he acknowledged a flaw. But what good is acknowledging a flaw if nobody's going to fix it? Like there's the issue, right Tito points out the flaw. The front office doesn't seem like it's doing anything to fix it. Maybe they do. I keep being told there's time spring training this and start for a few weeks. By the way, first Cactus League game is one month from today. But if I point out a flaw, if I point out a flaw in my house, okay, that's cool. What are you going to do to fix it? Somebody points out, you know what my personality I just have, I have a really bad temper.
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Speaker 1: That's cool that you acknowledge it. What are you going to do.
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Speaker 2: To fix it? Hey, our offense isn't very good? Yes, Tito, we agree. These statistics would say as much. Advance metrics and projections say as much. Neat what's going to be done to fix it? Nobody seems to have that answer. And by the way, the off season has been underway for more than three and a half months, so okay, fine, and it's an acknowledgment or bullpen is better? By the way, one of the goals this offseason was to make the bullpen better. They have acknowledged last year's flaw that it was good at the very top. You needed some depth, needed, maybe more clearly defined roles.
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Speaker 1: Mission accomplished. Great work, Nick Krawl.
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Speaker 2: But if you get an A over here in one class and an F over here in one class, well then the average is a C. And that's what the off season grade should be. You don't get a's for ignoring something that you're bad at. So like I heard that, and it's like man Tino is acknowledging. He is pointing out their flat, and he's pointing it out before the season begins. He's also pointing it out when there's more than two months to go before the season starts, so there is some time. But there's absolutely no use in saying, yes, we're not going to be good at this. If you're not active, proactive and trying to fix what you're not good at. That rule applies to life. I think it applies to a major league baseball team. What good is pointing out the flaw if nobody's going to fix it. It is not Terry Francona's job to fix the roster. And by the way we say fix, it's probably the wrong word. Don't need an overhaul, need like one legit bat. They've also acknowledged we need a legit bat, because they at least kind of went after one. His name was Kyle Schwarmer. What good is acknowledging a flaw if no one's going to fix it? Three point thirty sports headlines are next phone calls coming out five point three seven, four nine fifteen thirty. This is ESPN fifteen thirty. Oh, you are gonna hear the Ultimate kill Joy. The Ultimate kill Joy next on ESPN fifteen thirty.
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Speaker 1: ESPN fIF fifteen thirty. Cincinnati's sports station.
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Speaker 2: Sports headlines are a service of Kelsey Chevrolet at home of lifetime powertrain protection and guarantee credit approval from their family the Yours for Life kelseyshev dot Com. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers today announced that they have conducted a virtual interview with Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher to become Tampa Bay's new offensive coordinator.
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Speaker 1: Stay tuned, things.
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Speaker 2: Will get, as we say, hot and heavy, perhaps if we find out that Dan is going to conduct an in person interview virtual interview. I have very few goals professionally. One of them is to never engage in a virtual interview like want me to interview for your job? Fly me down there, especially in Tampa where it's much warmer that it's been here. College basketball tonight, Cincinnati looks for a win over the number one ranked team in the country for the time since November of nineteen ninety eight, as the Bearcats take on undefeated and top rated Arizona Tip off tonight at nine on seven hundred WLW Xavier looks for a third consecutive win as the Musketeers take on Creighton in Omaha. That game at seven o'clock. Tonight on fifty five KRC. Kentucky battles Texas this evening. That game tips off at seven pm on ESPN fifteen thirty. The Wildcats looking for a fourth consecutive win and Dayton's won five straight games. The Flyers on the road tonight against lasle That game tips off at six thirty. College football, the twenty twenty six UC football schedule was released earlier today.
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Speaker 1: I will read the schedule for you quickly.
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Speaker 2: Bearcats open up the season or home against Boston College Week one, home for Western Carolina.
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Speaker 1: Week two.
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Speaker 2: The Miami game is going to be at the Avenue originally known as Paul Brown Stadium. Saturday September the nineteenth, the Big twelve opener. Bearcats will host k State Saturday September the twenty six at Arizona Saturday, October third, My Birthday, Saturday October the seventeenth, Cincinnati's out West Virginia home for Texas Tech. On ten twenty four home for Utah and ten thirty one on the road consecutive weeks at Houston on eleven seven, at Iowa State on eleven fourteen, home for Colorado and Dion Sanders on Saturday, November the twenty first, winding down the regular season on the road at BYU on Saturday eleven twenty eight, the Big twelve Championship game, it was announced yesterday is moving to Friday nights and that game will take place at Jerry World on Friday, December the fourth. Make your plans now five point three seven four nine, fifteen thirty. Thanks to those who have waited patiently so far. Rob in Northern Kentucky. You're on ESPN fifteen thirty, Rob, good afternoon. How are you hey man?
00:24:51
Speaker 5: Thanks for calling me back. Appreciate that.
00:24:53
Speaker 1: No problem.
00:24:55
Speaker 5: I want to make comment. I guess or I guess maybe a.
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Speaker 6: Question to you or maybe we looking what with TV said as being maybe a little too or look at it maybe a little too close, because I think he's a knitting that. You know, we're just not, you know, gonna be a great offensive team. And I agree with you as far as what they've done in the off season, you know, typical Reds or Bengals, you know, they could say not much to improve it, but also too if you look at the you looked at some of the statistics in the last decade, how many teams do you think led the league and led the Major leagues in scoring runs?
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Speaker 1: Like?
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Speaker 2: How many how many teams led the league and score well one per season?
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Speaker 1: Does?
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Speaker 6: Now I'm saying, how many teams won the World Series and also led the league and led the Major Leagues and runs?
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Speaker 2: Well, I could tell you the Dodgers two years ago came in second and the Yankees came in third. Those two teams played in the World Series.
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Speaker 6: Well, in the last ten years, three teams have led the league or led Major Leagues and scoring runs. So yeah, schooling runs is definitely a factor of winning a World Series, but it's not the whole factor. I think playing defense and pitching are your two things that come before that, and in the offense probably be your third thing that really can't put you over the top.
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Speaker 2: Well, let me ask you this, how many teams in the last ten years finished fourteenth in runs per game and won the World Series?
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Speaker 6: I agree with you on that. That's what I'm saying that that back in it's got to improve yeah.
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Speaker 1: And that's the thing.
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Speaker 2: I don't think anybody is realistically thinking that the Reds could find somebody that's going to take this team from middle of the pack to the best in the sport. But I think you would agree after having watched them last year, they do need more offense. And maybe it's in the form of home runs, which I love home runs. Maybe it's in the form of somebody who's getting on base that would be a better fit at the top of the order. But they won eighty three games last year despite having very good starting pitching. The team's offensive potential all season was limited. I don't want to win eighty three games this year. I want to win closer to ninety and I think you have a better chance of doing that if you boost for offense.
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Speaker 1: And they haven't done that this year.
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Speaker 6: Yeah, I agree with you, but once you get in that tournament, then it's all the ball game. But yeah, you got to have some offense to get there too.
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Speaker 5: I mean, like you said, but I just want to kind of point that out that I.
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Speaker 6: Don't think offense was Ito t was kind of I don't think he was saying that we're going to be a terrible offensive team. I think he was saying that maybe there'll be more opportunities with Whey. He's kind of manas a team this year.
00:27:46
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, I appreciate the phone call. I don't think anybody thinks they're going to be a terrible offensive team. They weren't a terrible offensive team last year. They were okay or middle.
00:27:53
Speaker 1: Of the pack. But I don't. It's like I say this.
00:27:57
Speaker 2: About the Bengals all the time. I hear, but all they need is average defense. On one level, I understand that I want a great defense in the fourth quarter. I want a defense in the fourth quarter that when it's time to like seal the game, is great, is great at getting off the field when the game is hanging in the balance. I think if you aim for middle to pack, then your Flora lowers or fourteenth in the league last season and run scored per game. I don't I don't see as I look at those rankings right now, at the top of my head, I don't say anybody else who made the postseason who's below them, it'd be better offensively. Just there's there's no there's no other way to gotta be better offensively. And I think what Tito was doing was acknowledging that there are offensive limitations while pointing out the fact that they are probably better equipped to win low scoring, close games. That part is awesome, But I don't want to just win the three two games. I want to be equipped to win games where, hey, you know what, the bullpen falters or starting pitcher puts you behind the eight ball and gives up a bunch of runs, or there's a critical error later in the game and you know what, Now, now you gotta overcome it with your bats. They may have a championship starting staff, they may have a championship bullpen. There's barely been an attempt to take a league average offense and turn it into anything resembling a championship offense. And I think the frustrating thing is they're not awful. Nobody said they needed offensive upgrades, but and that meant, you know, go and and trade away. You're in entire middle of the batting order, or overhaul four to five positions. Go at a legitimate bat like one, go at one a legitimate bat.
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Speaker 1: It hasn't happened, And that's frustrating. It's frustrating.
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Speaker 2: If you've watched, if you watched last year's team at times look totally stuck in the mud. On offense, it feels like they're overly dependent on a lot of things going right this year that didn't go right last year. And by the way, if two of those things go better, this offense will be better. If if Matt McClain performs as as well as they expected him to last year, that'll help. But if Eli Dela Cruz isn't hurt, chances are that'll help significantly.
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Speaker 1: That doesn't.
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Speaker 2: That shouldn't preclude you from finding help from elsewhere, and they haven't. I still may, but they haven't. So it gets back to my original thing. Tito acknowledged a flaw. It's one thing to acknowledge a flaw. It's something else to do something about it. That has not happened a quarter to four, five point three seven four nine fifteen thirty Xavier was crushed by Creighton the first time the Musketeers played the Blue Jays. The rematches tonight NK you lost the tough one over the weekend to Robert Morris, Rick Buring talks about both next, Hey, Alexa, What's going on in baseball?
00:31:14
Speaker 1: Lock from iHeartRadio ten Away from four o'clock.
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Speaker 2: This is ESPN fifteen to thirty milegra Thanks thanks for listening. On Wednesdays, we are joined by our guy Rick Buring Musketeer Report dot com, covering Xavier basketball. He is also the color analyst for NKU radio broadcasts in addition to his many other endeavors and on x at Rick Buring.
00:31:40
Speaker 1: Hi, Hi Rick, How you doing?
00:31:42
Speaker 7: Hi?
00:31:42
Speaker 2: Moll? Xavier played Creighton the first time that game was here. It did not go well. They lost by forty one points. How do they avoid a similar faith this evening.
00:31:57
Speaker 8: By doing the exact opposite of everything they did?
00:32:00
Speaker 1: They in that game.
00:32:03
Speaker 8: It was a complete disaster.
00:32:04
Speaker 1: I'm gonna huge echo on this. I don't know, you sound amazing, Okay, just a little.
00:32:10
Speaker 8: Hard to you know, if they can't hear yourself at the same time, but you know they they played really poorly in that game on both ends of the court. They couldn't generate any looks on the offensive end because Creighton plays a style of defense where they stick to shooters, they kind of guard you one on one and Vager just didn't generate any paint touches that that game. They weren't able to drive past those one on one matchups, and so if you're not going to beat the one on one matchups and they're attached to your shooters, not a lot for your offense to do, especially when you don't have post up options like Xavier Lax. So the offensive part of it is going to be really difficult for them against the style of creating plays if they're not able to get into the paint tonight. So I think that's the biggest thing. And then on the defensive end, they were really chasing the ball that entire game, the way Creighton plays on the perimeter, with so many different and screening actions. They'll use ball screen actions, they'll use off ball screening actions, they'll play in transition to get open looks from three and then and then they cut into the pain as well. It's not just like they're settling for nothing but threes. So it's a different a different style for Xavier to guard and a difficult.
00:33:16
Speaker 1: Style for them to guard.
00:33:18
Speaker 8: But yeah, it's hard to be optimistic when the last time you played in your own gym you lost by forty one point.
00:33:24
Speaker 1: No question.
00:33:24
Speaker 2: Can they can they run against the Blue Jays the way they ran against their last two opponents.
00:33:32
Speaker 8: I think they'll try to the problem with Creton a little bit is that Creighton wants to do the same thing on their offensive end, right, Like, if you want to get up and down with Creyton, you're probably going to give up some threes to Creighton too, So that's part of it on the defensive end. But yeah, I mean, offensively, there's no doubt that Xavier is at its best when they can get out in transition and get the ball moving and get some easy three point looks, especially, so I'm sure that'll be part of the game plan.
00:33:59
Speaker 1: We'll see how it does.
00:34:00
Speaker 2: H Obviously, you know, with players being able to go wherever they want, whenever they want, that obviously is a big caveat to this. How many players on the current Xavier roster would you say would be of guys who have eligibility left at the end of the season, which maybe that's an entirely different conversation, but of players who have eligibility left at the end of the season that are on Xavier's current roster, how many of them would you say could be building blocks and would be welcomed with open arms on next year's team.
00:34:31
Speaker 8: Yeah, that's a really good question. I think that's probably the biggest storyline for this year's leager team.
00:34:37
Speaker 1: The rest of the way.
00:34:38
Speaker 8: You know, when you look at the way Richard Patino and his staff handled the transfer portal last season, He's made no buns about it. He's mentioned multiple times that we understand it's a year to year deal and nothing is guaranteed in terms of players staying. But they took five sophomores, and they were purposeful in doing that because they were hoping a couple of those guys would maybe stick around and would develop into something and you'd have some building blocks for the future. Now, as things stand right now, I don't think there's a ton of excitement about the idea that like, Okay, yeah, you've found a clear stud going into next season, and this is your guy that you're your centerpiece that you want to pay a bunch of money for and build around. But I've also told fans, like one of the challenges Xavier faced in last year's transfer portal was they were trying to piece together an entire roster aside from Roddy Anderson, you know, trying to find eleven twelve guys all at once in the transfer portal, Granted, you're always going to be looking for several it seems like the new way that the sport is handled, but trying to find an entire team at once is really difficult, and so there is value in it's nothing else of having your tenth, ninth, and eighth guy in place.
00:35:46
Speaker 1: Maybe, So I think.
00:35:47
Speaker 8: There's no doubt that having some of those guys stick around is going to be part of the plan, and it's valuable. In terms of the guys that I'd be excited about right now as a Xavior fan, I think Jova Malichovich is chief among them. He's made more three pointers as a guy six to nine or taller than any one in Division one basketball, So I mean, I think he's the second highest, but he's he's right up there at the top of the entire nation in terms of three pointers made by big men. And for him in a sophomore year to make the jump he's made, I think next year, if you're not even relying on him for as big of a scoring role on the offensive end, if he's more of a role guy for you and just a perimeter threat, more of a specialist, he could maybe excel even more in that.
00:36:29
Speaker 5: Pull At the Big East level.
00:36:30
Speaker 8: So that's that's the guy that I think I'd be most excited about. Another guy that's starting to come on, though, is pop Enji at the center position, and he's been playing a little bit more and giving them more production as a shot blocker and rebounder.
00:36:43
Speaker 2: Rick Buring with US Musketeer Report dot Com. You'll hear him on Saturday NKU on the road against Wright State, first of three consecutive road games. Rick'll be calling a game from his favorite arena. The Norris have lost two out of three, a tough overtime loss at home to Robert Morris. They went into that Green Bay game with a bit of a head of team they had won at Milwaukee. Since two losses out of three a tough one at home to Robert Morris, how much has the air come out of the balloon.
00:37:12
Speaker 1: I don't think much at all.
00:37:14
Speaker 8: It's been a little bit of a weird season in the sense that when the team plays well, they're handling teams in the conference. I mean, they blew out Milwaukee, granted Milwaukee's a little banged up. They blew out Youngstown State. I mean they've handled a lot of these teams and put on pretty impressive displays for at least a half of those games. Now the problem is when they've gotten in some of these closer games, they haven't played poorly ness, They've made some good runs and like they came back on the road at Green Bay and played a great second half there, but they've struggled to come up with some of the necessary plays down the stretch of games. And part of it is I think one thing that's a little bit new for this NKU team is in years past, there's always been a clear go to guy. I mean for years it was Mark west Warwick under this staff. But last year, you know, you had Trey Robinson and Dan or kind of late down the stretches, you go to guys, but it was clear who the ball was going to in late game situations and what types of things you were going to be running.
00:38:08
Speaker 1: This year might be a little bit.
00:38:09
Speaker 8: Different in the sense that they have four guys averaging over fourteen points per game. They're the only team in the entire country that has that, and so the late game situations, it's been kind of a different guy each game who has the hot hand, and so you find yourself in a situation of Okay, what's the best matchup, who's playing the best tonight, and what are we running for him? I think there's been more of a feeling out process sometimes in those late game situations, and guys are, you know, maybe not used to being in that role necessarily or maybe don't have the confidence for it, so they're finding some of those things out as they go along as well.
00:38:41
Speaker 2: I asked you a similar question, I think last week or maybe two weeks ago, how many teams in Division one men's college basketball this season have had a guy come off the bench and give him thirty eight?
00:38:52
Speaker 6: Yeah?
00:38:52
Speaker 8: I can't imagine there's another one. And obviously Donovan O'Day could easily be starting for this NKU team, and for my money, he's been their MVP to this point. I think he is their best player right now, given in the entire season's body of work. And like I said, on different nights, it's been different guys certainly, but overall he's been the most consistent both offensively and defensively in my opinion. But I think he has the six ten of the year wrapped up already in the Horizon League, and if they do a national Award, maybe there too.
00:39:22
Speaker 1: But he is so important.
00:39:24
Speaker 8: When he comes into the game from a spark standpoint, giving them that offense and that transition burst that they have that's really given some teams trouble.
00:39:33
Speaker 1: Did the did the echo go away?
00:39:36
Speaker 6: No?
00:39:36
Speaker 1: Not really.
00:39:36
Speaker 8: What I've been doing is listening to what you say and then holding my phone away from my ear when I talk.
00:39:41
Speaker 2: You know, we I don't know if you're familiar with the work of Jeff Carr locked on Reds, we once had him do a segment while he was riding roller coasters at King's Island.
00:39:50
Speaker 1: So basically since then we've had that segment.
00:39:52
Speaker 2: We've had a no excuses policy for our guests or for our callers, so if there's any sort of audio issue, whatever it is, you're to persevere and get through.
00:40:01
Speaker 1: And you've done that, so thank you very much.
00:40:04
Speaker 5: Yeah.
00:40:04
Speaker 8: For some reason, this was even more unsettling than the Christmas party, Daniel Christmas party call in where you can't hear anything because there's music playing around that people are yelling in the studio. The echo thing is just like a half second delay on your own voice is very weird, you know.
00:40:18
Speaker 2: Interesting, Well, we'll call if Verizon or Cincinnati Bell or MCI or whoever we have our service from and try to figure that out. Thank you as always. Thanks though, that's our guy, Rick Brooring. Go to his website Musketeerreport dot com and you'll hear him on Saturday when NKU takes on Wright State at the Nutter Center, a game we'll tip off at seven per the best rivalry in the Horizon League.
00:40:43
Speaker 1: Five after four.
00:40:45
Speaker 2: Dan Pitcher has interviewed with the Buccaneers virtual interview. It didn't via zoom or teams or I don't know, conference crime. I haven't been on a job interview in twenty eight years. That's not entirely true, you know, I've never told this story. I actually in two thousand and three, I interviewed for a job in Birmingham, Alabama, producing a show, and the host of that show his name was Paul Finbaum. I did not get the job. I really didn't want the job. So I interviewed for a job twenty three years ago. But we did that in person. I went to Birmingham and the dude who did the hiring took me to a rib joint.
00:41:27
Speaker 1: It was awesome.
00:41:28
Speaker 2: I don't know how things worked out for Dan Pitcher and the Buccaneers. I don't know if he's gonna get an in person interview. I don't know how that's gonna work. I just but Paul Dayner Junior was here yesterday. Paul is am smart as hell and is connected and sourced, does a great job. He's a big Dan Pitcher guy. I understand the Bengals are very high on Dan Pitcher and we were talking yesterday and the entire conversation is available on the iHeartRadio app, so you can go and listen to it. But Dan is interviewing for a job that he has. The difference is in Tampa Bay, he would be given the freedom to call plays. He would be the play caller. In Cincinnati, Zach Taylor handles those duties primarily, and so the thought being, look, if you have a chance for the same job, but with the added responsibility, we're not going to get in your way. And man, on a human level, I think that's awesome. I've worked with people, I've worked for people before who have gotten in your way, who have gotten in the way of like, hey, man, here's something that might be good for me in my future, and they get in the way. There's nothing, there's nothing worse, and so I do think on a human level it is awesome. The Bengals are looking at Dan picture going, look, man, you want to be a head coach one day, and for you, if you think what's best is a stopover in Tampa calling plays, go for it.
00:42:54
Speaker 1: I guess for me though, and maybe it's just me.
00:42:57
Speaker 2: If you really value somebody, really value them, then you go overboard to keep them. If you value somebody who works for you, and you're like, you know what, Yeah, we can replace this guy, and maybe we have a good plan be in place, but you know what, this person is really vital to what we do. He's at the core of what we want to be about. You figure out a way to keep them. You figure out a way to keep that person, You add responsibilities, you throw money at them. Now maybe at the end of the day. And Paul talked about this, and I think it's a fair point. Dan wants to be a head coach. He was interviewed by the Browns for their head coaching vacancy. Uh, And I think to a degree it's a little puzzling that he hasn't gotten other opportunities because the coaching cycle there have been so many jobs open, and frankly, many of the candidates that you see discussed or you see getting interviews feel like feel like retreads, feel like okay, there's it feels like there's a lack of like, really good candidates. And so I think it's a little surprising that Dan's only gotten one head coaching interview. But I just can't help but feel and I could be dead wrong about this. I guess Dan's perspective is I don't get credit for anything that happens in Cincinnati, and I wouldn't even if I was calling plays, because if we're good on my side of the ball, the credit's going to go to the quarterback, the credit's gonna go to the weaponry, the credit's going to go to the person that put the weaponry together on top of the head coach. And so I'm gonna be viewed as somebody who's just simply Joe Burrow adjacent and not somebody who is integral to the success of that offense. And there may be some validity to that. I can't help but believe because I've seen it happen. I cannot help but believe that if you are the Bengals offensive coordinator in twenty twenty six and the offense explodes, which it may because of continuity and star power.
00:45:06
Speaker 1: I cannot help but.
00:45:07
Speaker 2: Think that in a league that, on an annual basis essentially turns over twenty five percent of its coaches, you're not going to get opportunities. I just I can be dead wrong, and I far be it for me to tell Dan that his perspective is incorrect because he's living through it and I'm not. But I just cannot help but believe. And you can tell me if you think I'm wrong in five point three, seven, four, nine, fifteen thirty that if you're the Bengals offensive coordinator, regardless of whether you are calling plays, and this offense legit takes off next year and the Bengals win because of it, that there's not going to be somebody in a hiring capacity that wants to bring Dan Pitcher in for an interview. Can be dead wrong about that in the interim, if you value the guy the Bengals clearly do, and you legitimately think like this dude is really important. This guy, even if you have Brian Callahan in your back pocket as a plan B, you don't let him get away. And yes, you give him the ability to call plays here. This has been something we've hit on a bunch over the years. I spend less time than most debating and discussing play calling because I don't think most of us are qualified to talk about what goes into calling a play. There are times, you know, for instance, Monday night, when Indiana is trying to salt the game away and Kurt Signetti decided to have Fernando Mendoza handoff, and it's like, buddy, you've got the best quarterback in the sport. That's your meal ticket. He's going to be the number one pick in the draft. Let him make a play, don't let him hand off. Stuff that I think it's fun to discuss. But on the granular level, do any of us know what goes into calling of play?
00:47:06
Speaker 1: So it's with Zach Taylor.
00:47:08
Speaker 2: It's never been about he's a great play caller or he's a bad play caller. There have been some play calling themes I've agreed with. There have been some play calling themes I haven't. There been times where I felt like he's taking the ball out of his most important players hands. There have been some times where I've felt like the Bengals offenses is pretty pretty interestingly designed, we'll put it that way.
00:47:34
Speaker 1: But I have, and I think a lot of us have.
00:47:36
Speaker 2: If you're a Bengals fan, I think you have over the years, while you've been in love with the quarterback himself and you've been in love with the weaponry, you've wondered why the offense doesn't function as smoothly as it should. Tony Pike and I the day after the Bengals played the first game against the Cleveland Browns, spent like forty five minutes talking about why the offense was so clunky, why they were having a hard time getting the play called, why they were having a hard time getting everybody lined up, why they had procedural penalties, why it felt like not everybody was on the same page. And the excuse for that might have been, well, it's the first game and it takes time. It's like, man, it's the same quarterback and same dudes on offense operating in the same system. This shouldn't be as clunky as it is. And over the years, despite their potential, despite their explosiveness, despite all the statistical accomplishments of Joe and Jamar and t and Chase, despite having an offense that when you look at the personnel, feels like it's very difficult to prepare for its overall function. It's overall efficiency has, I believe, at times, left a lot to be desired. When that is the case, how do you not take a look at who's on the headset, who's calling the play? I know, talking about that is overly simplifying it. Getting a play in an NFL game seems like it's extraordinarily complex. But as I've watched the Bengals, even when their offense has been cooking, I can't tell you how many times either I've thought or someone else has brought up, boy, this offense doesn't quite function as efficiently and as effectively as it should, and so until it does on a more consistent basis, like one of the examples for me is the Baltimore game here, you know, the game where it was really really cold, not freeze or bowl cold, of course, but really, really, really really cold, and folks were mad about the snow not being knocked off the seats. If you remember, in that game, in the third quarter of the Bengals trailed by seventeen points. The season is hanging in the balance. Uh, they have to score. They have to win the game, and they have to score to even give themselves a chance. And they look like they were killing the clock. They look like a team that had a seventeen point lead with four minutes to go and is just trying to get the game over with. They're huddling, they're throwing it short, there's no urgency, there's no tempo. They're running the ball, and I'm going like, all right, can somebody say, hey, let's step on the gas here?
00:50:21
Speaker 1: Nobody did.
00:50:23
Speaker 2: And there's a few examples like that that if we have encountered over the years, I just as we watch them. I don't know how you don't. I don't know how you don't say, look, let's let's try somebody else. Let's try our offensive coordinator, and not entirely remove the head coach from the process, but change the process. Maybe take out one voice, maybe change the ultimate decision maker as to which play is going to be called, just to see if it works. The floor is pretty high. If it doesn't work, chances are the offense isn't going to totally implode. Maybe it'll take off. If it does, Dan Pitcher will get credit and My guess is Dan Pitcher will then enjoy professional opportunities that he feels so far he lacks. So you know, I get it that Brian Callahan will be a good plan B and they love continuity, and that's Zach Taylor's BFF, and so fine, whatever. But if you really value somebody who works for you, you do what you can to keep them. Maybe it's financial, maybe it's a title, maybe it's responsibility. But if in changing the responsibility there's a potential benefit to the overall group, well then it's.
00:51:41
Speaker 1: A no brainer.
00:51:43
Speaker 2: And nothing against Brian Callahan, nothing really against Zach Taylor. This to me, if you believe they value Dan Pitcher as much as they do, or as much as they say they do, this is a no brainer. Sixteen minutes after four o'clock. You can tell me why I'm wrong. Five p one three seven four nine, fifteen thirty and eight sixty six seven oh two three seven seven six College hoops Tonight, we're gonna chat with our guy, Hunter sansum Nky bracket guy. We're gonna focus on two teams in particular. One of them Miami twenty and zero winning last night. The other is Kentucky I think Kentucky is interesting from an that large perspective. The Wildcats played tonight pregame at five thirty. The NKY Bracket Guy joins us at four thirty on ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati Sports.
00:52:30
Speaker 3: Station WCKY, Cincinnati and iHeartRadio Station gainer in t Human ESPN fifteen thirty, I.
00:52:40
Speaker 1: Hardradio twenty two.
00:52:42
Speaker 2: After four o'clock ESPN fifteen thirty, we have UK basketball tonight, the Wildcats battling Texas toipa off at seven o'clock pregame at five thirty. The Wildcats will be part of our conversation with our guy, the NK My bracket guy coming up. Excuse me in just about ten minutes at malegger on Twitter. By the way, thanks to Delta Dental, Delta Dental is building healthy, smart, vibrant communities for all good at Delta dentaloh dot com. Mike, go ahead, you're on ESPN fifteen thirty. Good afternoon, Mike.
00:53:17
Speaker 1: How are you?
00:53:19
Speaker 5: Thank you? Mom? Big game tonight, looking forward to it should be a lot of fun.
00:53:25
Speaker 1: Which one are you referring to the Cats?
00:53:29
Speaker 2: Yes, I'm excited to see how their improvement over the last three games and I'm I'm folding into that a game that they lost. I'm curious as to how those improvements hold up against clearly the team that I think most of us believe is the best in college basketball.
00:53:49
Speaker 1: It's the ultimate problems, the ultimate measuring stick.
00:53:52
Speaker 5: Yeah, you can't hardly argue against Seth. But but I hope you know I'm pulling from Jade too obviously. Sure we were talking early. Well, I'll tell you what one more thing on college basketball. John Calipari just blows my mind. He's got a hell of a basketball Dave manhandled Vanderbilt last night, which is a good basketball team. They did their breaksaw.
00:54:19
Speaker 2: Yeah, the way they pulled away in the second half was something to behold.
00:54:22
Speaker 1: I watched that entire game.
00:54:25
Speaker 5: That's a dangerous team in the tournament.
00:54:28
Speaker 2: Uh yeah, yeah, very very and a good bounce back because I know a really good Georgia team got him by fifteen points or so in their previous game. They lost pretty handily to Auburn. But John Calipari has gotten Arkansas. I don't want to say back on track, but he's got a good team. He's got a good team.
00:54:49
Speaker 5: He's amazing. Yeah, but guy's amazing he's amazing. I don't know if it's long term good for anybody, but he gets it done.
00:54:58
Speaker 2: Before I get to the red there is I'll say this, there is a togetherness and a flow and a chemistry to that team in Fayetteville that was absent from most of John Calaperry's last four or five UK teams.
00:55:13
Speaker 1: Yeah.
00:55:13
Speaker 5: I noticed that too. It's twenty you say that, I didn't know if it was just me. I'm glad you said that. I know I'm not only partially nothing.
00:55:21
Speaker 2: And you know, if you if you watch them offensively like he's, he's I think he's embraced more modern offensive philosophies.
00:55:27
Speaker 1: They average nearly ninety points a.
00:55:28
Speaker 2: Game, like they I they look different they did last year as well. They look different than a lot of those UK teams that mark the end of John's tendre and Lexington go ahead, Yeah, I'm.
00:55:43
Speaker 5: A great I agree. I'm so happy you're picking the Rams. I'm so elated that my buddy Mo is picking my Rams. I'm so I haven't been a jacked up about a super Bowl since the Bengo.
00:55:55
Speaker 1: So well, I'm excited.
00:55:57
Speaker 2: Here's the thing I've I've sort of hedged this because I've I wagered on the Rams to win the Super Bowl, like two and a half months ago. All right, I don't think they're gonna win on Sunday.
00:56:11
Speaker 5: I just thought I heard you say that. You thought the Rams. Oh you're talking about two and a half months ago.
00:56:17
Speaker 2: So I have a ticket for the Rams to win the Super Bowl, but I don't think they're gonna win on Sunday. I got Seattle's defense I think is going to be too much the Rams, and look, man, their secondary made plays when it had to against Chicago, and so you give them credit for it. I still think there's a special team's advantage. I think Seattle is one of the teams in the NFL that has a legitimate home field advantage.
00:56:43
Speaker 1: Their defense, when.
00:56:44
Speaker 2: It's at its best, feels like there's twelve or thirteen guys on the field. And you know, say what you want about Sam Darnold, they've been able to win with him merely being okay. They they don't require him to do a ton now losing Charbonas, I'll admit that, but I think the number is small enough. I think Seattle's gonna win the game out right, and I actually think they cover his favorites.
00:57:09
Speaker 5: Yeah, Kenneth Walker's come out of nowhere quite as start. Uh well, I'll just keep my fingers crossed. Uh well, I wish I had Indiana at one hundred and one. Okay, the Reds. I listened to Tony and uh Austin today, but they had meant Austin said, well, now Bellinger got his deal, maybe there'll be a trickle down for for for Hayes. Come on hot and Hayes can't carry Tody Bellinger's dock crap.
00:57:41
Speaker 1: Do you think he was saying that facetiously?
00:57:45
Speaker 5: Maybe? I don't know, it could have been, you know, but I'm tot he's my one of my favorite you know that guy. That guy.
00:57:53
Speaker 9: Look at the year m d P one year a couple of gold gloves in center field could have had a gold glove at first base. He was five games short of having enough games there at first With the Dodgers, the guys any battle backs from a terrible back injury.
00:58:09
Speaker 5: So I'm a big Cody guy, but I wish we had Cody Bellinger. Boy, I really wish we had Cody Belling.
00:58:16
Speaker 2: I wish I wish, I wish they had any difference making bat in the middle of the order. I wish they had a bat to help provide protection for Elie Dela Cruz.
00:58:26
Speaker 5: Wouldn't this be cool like they do in San Francisco for years hit Candlestick and now in the Bay with McCovey Cove where the people are out there in their kayaks and their boats and their canoes waiting for their long ball. Wouldn't it be cool if we could have a Kluzuski's Cove.
00:58:45
Speaker 1: Klazuski's Cove sounds amazing.
00:58:47
Speaker 2: That is geographically not possible because the ballpark is not close enough to the river.
00:58:52
Speaker 5: Yeah, but god, it sounds so good, doesn't it does?
00:58:57
Speaker 1: Klazuski's Cove sounds amazing.
00:59:00
Speaker 2: But I mean the ballpark there's a mirroring way, isn't But there's there's a there's a lot of there's more real estate beyond the outfield wall than I think people realize.
00:59:11
Speaker 5: Yeah, well, including me. I know. You gotta go, Pal, thanks for time.
00:59:15
Speaker 2: I appreciate it, Mike, Thanks, thank you very much. Yeah, like I've seen the Cardinals connected with Austin Hayes. Now, folks have suggested that maybe the Reds bring him back, and you know, like fine, but but you go from visions of Kyle Schwerber dancing in your head to perhaps settling for the return of Austin Hayes.
00:59:40
Speaker 1: Hard pass.
00:59:43
Speaker 2: Could the Miami Radhawks get in the NCAA Tournament as an at large? That and other questions will be answered by the resident bracketologist of this show.
00:59:52
Speaker 3: Next, no one covers the Bengals like ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati.
00:59:57
Speaker 2: We we got to get to sports headlines and the few minutes. There's nothing of major consequence happening. Right now, we're less than an hour away from UK basketball on ESPN fifteen thirty, the Wildcats taking on Texas, a big game for both. A year ago, at this time, we declared Hunter Sansom to be our official bracketologist, the NKY bracket Guy, and through no work of ours, he is. He's taken his little bracketology hobby and and now he's developing like a college basketball and sports media empire. So you should follow him on Twitter at bracket NKY and you should go to his website nkybracketology dot com. And we had to like negotiate to get him on the show because he's very busy. We probably had to pay him an appearance fee for all I know, he's with us.
01:00:51
Speaker 1: Now, how's it going, No, I'm great. How are you well?
01:00:55
Speaker 2: It's awesome to have you. Thank you for joining this. This is earlier than we had your last year, but it's nonetheless nice to have you.
01:01:03
Speaker 10: Absolutely so happy to be back and happy to talk to some basketball.
01:01:07
Speaker 2: The Miami RedHawks are twenty to zero now. If they win every game, including all their games in the MAC Tournament, they're going to be an NCAA tournament team. Their schedule works against them. Do they have any prayer of being an at large if they don't win the MAC Tournament?
01:01:27
Speaker 10: It's not out of the conversation. I don't think.
01:01:30
Speaker 1: But they can't take any.
01:01:32
Speaker 10: More than really one loss. I think their best path is probably losing the MAC championship game. But like you said, their schedule is just not going to do them any fingers.
01:01:42
Speaker 2: Uh So, undefeated in the regular season, lose game one of the MAC Tournament and they don't make it.
01:01:51
Speaker 10: I don't think so. I mean, unfortunately, the metrics and the quad system and all of that fun stuff that the committee likes to use just don't do Miami any favors. They won't have any Quadrant one games, which is that like gold standard for tournament appearances, and you really need that one quadrant one win to get in at a minimum.
01:02:10
Speaker 2: In the in the MAC the last three teams and obviously it's been a one bid league for a quarter of a century, more than a quarter of a century, but if you look at the last few years, the seed has been a thirteen or a fourteen. Your latest projections have them as an eleven. If they were to run the table, and admittedly that's not likely because it's it's obviously hard to win every game, But if they were to run the table and and and win the MAC Conference tournament championship, which is redundant, what's the seed ceiling?
01:02:42
Speaker 10: I mean, I think the committee could do a couple of different things. They could really honor that the team's undefeated and won their conference championship. I mean, look at what they've done the past two games with just some crazy shots.
01:02:53
Speaker 6: It's taken a.
01:02:53
Speaker 10: Little bit of Look, yes, but it's a lot of talent. I really think that they could get up to like a seven maybe, but more like scenario, they're probably gonna be a nine or ten at a max.
01:03:04
Speaker 2: So but like, explain that to me, because a seven would mean, like you know, there are there there are at large teams that are gonna get in as a seven. If you're an automatic qualifier and you get in as a seven, I don't think you should go from a seven to like not even in the field if you lose one game.
01:03:22
Speaker 10: I completely agree. However, the metrics and all of the other stuff that I explain on Twitter a lot more frequently and a lot more in depth are gonna be very against Miami. So the committee is gonna use that one thing where those two things to really bump them down. And then if you add that quadrant four loss on top of that, they're just really gonna hurt them. And assuming they lose, it's likely going to be at least Quadrant three, if not quadrat four.
01:03:47
Speaker 1: Kentucky has work to do.
01:03:49
Speaker 2: Your latest projections had uk as a seven, And again this is we're doing this in the middle of January.
01:03:54
Speaker 1: There's lots of ball to be played.
01:03:56
Speaker 2: How tenuous is the Wildcat's grip on an at large spot right now?
01:04:02
Speaker 10: A lot better this week than it was maybe before they played Minsissippi State ten days ago or so. Tonight's Texas games pretty big. They're both of those two teams are bubble teams. It kind of it's going to be a big sway for Texas. But I mean, Kentucky's in a good spot right now. Metrics look good, They've got three Quadrant one wins at this time.
01:04:21
Speaker 2: Do you anticipate this year having a big bubble or a small bubble?
01:04:27
Speaker 10: Right now, it's a big bubble, and I mean it's obviously January. All you can really do is talk about it, but it seems like it's going to stay a pretty large bubble. A lot of these Power conference teams don't look great, and there are a couple of mid major types of teams we're looking at all.
01:04:40
Speaker 2: Right, mid major teams are you talking about like teams that if they don't win their conference tournaments could still get in as at large?
01:04:49
Speaker 4: Yes?
01:04:50
Speaker 1: Why do they have better cases than Miami?
01:04:54
Speaker 10: Because they had better teams schedule them in the non conference slate. And I mean the rank of through play us motto that Miami, like social media went with is an amazing auto. And honestly, everything that I've heard and everything I've talked to, Miami really got hurt with their schedule this year. I know Houston and Michigan were tentatively on the schedule and then dropped them for the Players Era, and they weren't able to get anybody. But the teams that scheduled, like the George Mason's or the Saint Louises are just a little bit better than what Miami is, and those teams are in a little bit better of a conference.
01:05:28
Speaker 2: When you do like first four out, last four in last four buys that sort of thing with which every bracketologist does. How many teams would you have to list before you listed Cincinnati or Xavier.
01:05:44
Speaker 10: Cincinnati's in a much better spot after the last week that they've had, probably still twenty fifteen, twenty teams out, I mean that lost Eastern Michigan and some of their metrics are really going to hurt them. Xavier, on the other hand, you're probably going and thirty teams deep. I mean, they're they're very far out of the.
01:06:03
Speaker 2: Bullet I like the fact that you answered that question seriously, like you gave me like a legitimate, well thought out answer to a question that I sort of asked more or less just to I don't know, get a chuckle out of you.
01:06:17
Speaker 10: Fair enough I assumed it was coming, so I kind of like did some research last night looking at it after we confirm the time here. But I it's been a rough year to say the least.
01:06:27
Speaker 2: Yeah, but if the Bearcats, I'm sorry, when the Bearcats win tonight over the undefeated, unanimous number one team in the country, how will that change things?
01:06:40
Speaker 10: That would be a I mean, on the road against one of the best teams in the country, if not the best, would jump them ten or eleven positions. I mean, that would be just absolutely monumental, season defining type of win. We would have serious conversations at that point.
01:06:53
Speaker 1: Really. So.
01:06:54
Speaker 2: So if they if they go to Tucson and win tonight and and beat in consecutive games the second ranked team in the country at the time, the second ranked team in the country, and the number one ranked team in the country, then like I could legitimately talk about like their NCAA tournament hopes.
01:07:13
Speaker 10: Yes, I'm holding off on putting this out for Cincinnati, but I put out like a path for Miami to get in that large bid today on Twitter. I will be doing the state for Cincinnati after the Arizona game. But this game would just be massive if they could get it done. Obviously that's the biggest But let's see what happens.
01:07:31
Speaker 2: Where are the two area Big ten schools on your radar, Ohio State and Indiana.
01:07:37
Speaker 1: Ohio State in.
01:07:38
Speaker 10: A much better position after beating Minnesota than they would have been if they would have lost. The UCLA win was really big. I was in Columbus for that one. So they are currently in the tournaments right above, maybe a ten or eleven seed after last night. For Indiana, they are out maybe eight to ten spots out just off the page of those next four out teams. Quite a bit of work to do after last night, and just kind of how the season's gone.
01:08:03
Speaker 2: Will this exercise for you be easier, more difficult, more fun or less fun once we inevitably expand the tournament field?
01:08:13
Speaker 10: Less fun because we're gonna have teams. And I don't mean this as a jab at Cincinnati. We're saying Cincinnati Savior would be genuinely considered at this point, and I don't want that for the tournament. I don't want to water it down and make tea I want to make teams earn it. But at the same time, it would be nice to consider some of these local teams a little bit more seriously.
01:08:31
Speaker 2: There's no living, breathing college basketball fan, with the exception of Seth Davis, who I follow, who wants an expanded tournament field. Nobody else wants it. Even as a dog hard Bearcat fan.
01:08:42
Speaker 1: I don't know. This is not this is not anything that we need. All right, Well, awesome to have you.
01:08:49
Speaker 2: Now, you know, as the tournament draws closer, we get you on the show more and more frequently, sometimes on a daily basis, to react to things that may have happened the night before. But we appreciate the time as always, and it's always good to have you.
01:09:04
Speaker 10: Absolutely happy to be here.
01:09:05
Speaker 2: Thank you, bim, You're very welcome. So that's our guy, Hunter SANSLM. He is the NKY Bracket Guy. His Twitter feed, if you love college basketball, is awesome, so you should follow him at bracket Guy NK. He said he give me a dollar for every new follower he got today. So at bracket NKY on Twitter, or if you prefer to call it by its proper name, X.
01:09:32
Speaker 1: Quote to five.
01:09:33
Speaker 2: Nobody wants an expanded tournament like I'll hear that argument. Well, you know, mo, your Bearcats, you know, or Xavier would have a chance more of a chance this year.
01:09:42
Speaker 1: Like, yeah, that's neat.
01:09:44
Speaker 2: It's there are very few things in sports that are pretty damn near perfect. Maybe the NCAA Tournament isn't perfect, pretty damn close, by the way, I think the twelve team college football playoff field also pretty close to perfect.
01:10:02
Speaker 1: Now there should be tweaks, don't.
01:10:06
Speaker 2: I don't know that we need this year's version of James Madison in the tournament. I don't know that we need this year's version of Tulane in the tournament. I think as good as those teams were, I think you should make group of five. Schools have exceptional seasons. Call me a homer. Twenty twenty one, you see, in the old way of doing things was an exceptional season. I think twelve is it's we're gonna go to sixteen, that we're gonna go to twenty four, which is stupid. Then invariably we're probably gonna get a thirty two. I think twelve there's still a level of exclusivity. You could have some really fun debates about teams number numbered eleven and twelve, but it's not that forgiving. I had perfect I liked it at four wasn't a huge proponent of expanding it, and then it kind of felt like everybody needed to feel like their team had access to the championship. I think every every fan of a group of four college football program feels like their team has access to the championship event, and I think that should be enough. I probably in the minority. I don't know that we want to see one versus sixteen in football, especially played on the one seeds home field. I'm not sure we really want that. Twelve is pretty damn close to perfect. It is a thirteen away from five o'clock. You know it's not perfect the Reds offense. You know who says as much, Terry Francona. More on that coming up in five oh five on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.
01:11:44
Speaker 3: Hey Alexa, who's on the DL.
01:11:47
Speaker 6: Getting ESPN fifteen to thirty radio.
01:11:50
Speaker 2: Said six to ten inch the snow Saturday, that's what we got.
01:11:54
Speaker 1: Six to ten be fun for him, not for me. For correct me if I'm wrong.
01:12:03
Speaker 2: Earlier this winter, weren't we told one of these weekends we were gonna get like as much snow as Steve just said, and it never came?
01:12:09
Speaker 1: Did that? Happen? Did happen?
01:12:11
Speaker 2: Am I imagining that we there was like a it was a weekend, wasn't it where we were supposed to get like just this unearthly amount of snow and we got like a decent amount, but not as much as they said.
01:12:21
Speaker 1: Correct.
01:12:22
Speaker 2: Okay, well, uh, we'll see, we'll see six to ten.
01:12:26
Speaker 1: He's saying. By the way, toilet people, yeah, don't don't buy. Don't buy. I mean, look, do this.
01:12:33
Speaker 2: Go and buy a normal amount of toilet paper that you ordinarily would, but but do it like today. Don't rush out on Saturday morning and hoard all the toilet paper or hoard you know, pretty much anything less.
01:12:44
Speaker 1: It's boobs.
01:12:46
Speaker 6: Uh.
01:12:46
Speaker 2: While we were doing the college basketball, uh, last night a big, big win for Mick Cronin's UCLA team. It has been an up and down season for the Bruins. Hunter mentioned before that he was in Columbus to watch Ohio State beat UCLA. And I'm not sure that game was as close as the final score. The buck Geys won that game by twelve points. Big win for OSU. The Bruins with that victory last night, improved to thirteen and six. I don't know that they're capable of catching the teams at the absolute top of the Big Ten. Nebraska is still undefeated, not just in the league but all season long. Michigan is one of the best three or four teams in the country. Michigan State very quietly is having an excellent season. But it was a win over Purdue, handing the Boilermakers their first loss of the season. Donovan Dent finally played like you know, the guy that everybody talked about being perhaps the best transfer in college basketball. The game was at Pauley Pavilion, so a lot of excitement, a lot of excitement if you're a UCLA fan following that big victory over Purdue, lot of excitement. And you could hear it him Mick Cronin's voice after the game.
01:13:58
Speaker 7: And I want to thank to Big Ten for giving up us five of our first seven on the road, bringing Purdue here on Thursday night, where we don't get back to in La till Saturday night, and giving us the team pick to win the league on a two days rest after five of ours a first seven on the road. I really I want to thank the Big Ten.
01:14:19
Speaker 11: Forday yay, never change never, never ever, ever ever change McK cronin is a great coach.
01:14:40
Speaker 2: But if if there is somebody who has the capability of being a wet blanket, call it what it is like big win catapult the Bruins to maybe making the tournament, make a run of.
01:14:54
Speaker 1: The Big Ten.
01:14:55
Speaker 2: No, look, it's not that his gripe isn't legit. Of course it is. Purdue was in LA because they played USC over the weekend. But dude, when you join the Big Ten, every team has scheduling irregularities in every sport. When you join the Big Ten as a West Coast school, you're subject to irregularities that are going to tilt things against you. The issue isn't with the Big Ten. The issue is with the administration that decided to join a league that is mostly based in the central part of the United States, that has a school in California, a couple in California, has a school in Oregon, has a school in Washington, and also has schools in New Jersey and College Park, Maryland.
01:15:40
Speaker 1: It's dumb.
01:15:41
Speaker 2: I mean, I'm a proponent of a lot of things happening in college sports right now. It remains dumb. But as long as your school decides to lean into the dumb, then you're going to be subject to scheduling irregularities that at times work against you. It's not the Big Ten's fault, your school's fault for taking that Big ten coin. Anyway, congratulations a big Quilton and his team for a win over Purdue last night. Five point three seven fifteen thirty is our phone number. Terry Francona acknowledged a flaw. It's one thing to acknowledge a flaw. It's something else to do something about it. Will that happen? We'll get to that next coming up on five o'clock ESPN fifteen thirty.
01:16:24
Speaker 1: Just answered this.
01:16:24
Speaker 12: Nationwide keyword on our website. Money that's money entering. Now, you got a dude on social media. I know who he is because he didn't say who he is.
01:16:36
Speaker 2: So I've been talking about Tito Francona's comments on Friday about, you know, we're not going to lead the league in runs scored.
01:16:43
Speaker 1: Which is an acknowledgement. It's it's stating the obvious.
01:16:48
Speaker 2: It's an acknowledgement that offensively they're gonna have issues this year. And old boy sent me a picture of the game, the box score from the game the Reds one, twenty four to two over the Orioles. But yeah, that was cool. That was neat The Reds had a league average offense last year. By the way, when last season ended, also on Moeger, this is ESPN fifteen thirty.
01:17:07
Speaker 1: Thanks for listening.
01:17:08
Speaker 2: We're done. The bottom of the hour for UK basketball. The Wildcats taking on Texas Tonight's when last season ended. When last season ended with the Reds having made the postseason. I do not recall anybody anybody claiming that, you know what, this offseason when it comes to the offense, they need to stand pat I don't remember anybody saying that. I do not recall anybody going, you know what, just all this team needs. Bring everybody back, let everybody, some guys get healthier, Let some dudes get through the offseason and find ways to improve this year. And that's going to be enough. I do remember hearing people say they need they need some arms in the bullpen. They've accomplished one of those two things I've been told. You know, I'm being too harsh and overreacting, like the Reds made this season be dramatically better than last year.
01:18:10
Speaker 1: And by the way, that's the goal.
01:18:12
Speaker 2: Miss me with this hey, just get into the dance thing, Like just getting into the dance last year meant they had to go on the road and play the Dodgers and they couldn't set up their pitching rotation the way they would have liked for Game two, like I would in an ideal world, And I would imagine if you're a Reds.
01:18:31
Speaker 1: Fan, you feel the same way.
01:18:32
Speaker 2: Love to avoid Round one or would like to kind of be able to set up the team and the roster and more specifically the pitching rotation for the postseason by not having to really win Game one sixty two, like to play at home in Round one if I have to, like the Dodgers did last year. Is a three seed, so this you know, well, hey, they just sneak back in like they had to, and they deserve credit for it. But do you remember last September they were six games out in early September of the last wildcard.
01:19:11
Speaker 1: They barely got in.
01:19:13
Speaker 2: They needed help on the last day of the season to get in. So they made the postseason. It's never been easier. They got in with eighty three victories, not a great record. Didn't go in with like this full on head of steam, didn't go in with the ability to rest guys like they needed some stuff to go their way. They needed a New York Mets collapse, they needed the Padres to really not post. They needed a lot of stuff, And I think we all acknowledged that when last season ended. So I think the idea is to take eighty three wins in a playoff berth and build upon it do even better.
01:19:49
Speaker 1: Maybe what they have.
01:19:50
Speaker 2: Not done this offseason will compel them to be better this year. Maybe there are enough guys currently on the roster who offensive you are capable of having this sort of years. You're gonna need for this team to be even better than last year. But that should not preclude you from looking for help from outside. Like I can hear it now.
01:20:13
Speaker 1: I can hear it now all May, June and July hearing about how.
01:20:22
Speaker 2: The Reds just need to go get a bat at the trade deadline or it's just we did it.
01:20:27
Speaker 1: We did it on opening day last year.
01:20:28
Speaker 2: I remember like I kind of snapped at Tony and Austin an opening Day because the question was, well, like, well, who are they going to go get at the deadline? It's like, really, we're doing that more than four months before the deadline and acknowledgment that the offense was incomplete, an acknowledgement that they had holes in the offense, and by the way, you could see those holes coming. We talked about it during spring training last year, like this search for a bat has been going on for a while, and so maybe to that end, it shouldn't be surprising that they haven't exact actually been proactive. I mean, go back to last offseason and look, they acquired players who helped Austin Hayes had his moments. Jose Travino did some really good things. Now offensively, he was a non starter so to speak, in the second half of the season, but that was a good pickup. And the fact that they prioritized pickups from teams that had been in the postseason I think mattered last year. We talked about that last week with dudes like TJ. Friedel and Amelio Pagan and Andrew Abbott. But during spring training last year, how many times did we talk about how boy, offensively, it feels like they didn't quite do enough, as I recall all throughout February and March. So then when the season started, especially when guys had to miss time at the beginning of the season, like Austin Hayes and like Spencer Steer, well, it was doubly frustrating, wasn't it watching the Reds offensively spin their tires. And it will be pointed out by many they weren't a league worst offense. They were a league average offense last year, but they spun their tires and you're like, well, you know, in March, in February, we kind of knew that they hadn't done enough, And as it turns out, now that the games have started, they haven't done enough.
01:22:20
Speaker 1: So then what did we do?
01:22:22
Speaker 2: We spent all spring and summer talking about the need for a bat at the deadline, need offensive help.
01:22:29
Speaker 6: Now.
01:22:29
Speaker 2: They did get Miguel Andrew Harr, who apparently they're still interested in bringing back. But the big acquisition was a guy to play third base who can't hit. And think about that for a second offensively deficient team, big acquisition, guy to play third base who cannot hit. Yes, keep Ryan Hayes has right now no peer with the glove. He might be the best defensive player in the entire sport, regardless of position, but theoretically a major offense worse by adding a guy and like earmarking him for a corner infield position knowing he can't hit. So I guess maybe to that end, it shouldn't be that surprising. We've been talking about the search for an outside bat for a while and one hasn't materialized, and so it should be pretty unsurprising that they haven't prioritized getting one this offseason, but all the while that they haven't really gone and gotten a back that matters. There's been a limit to what they can do offensively, and the numbers will tell you that. Your memories of last season and how it unfolded will tell you that Terry Francona told us that on Friday night, we're not going to lead the league in runs. Here's the manager of the team acknowledging a major flaw. That's okay, Like that is completely and totally okay. What's not okay is not addressing a major flaw. Like, come up with whatever comparison you want. If you knew somebody who acknowledged like their biggest personal flaw and then did nothing about it, then okay, cool, it's it's nice. It's nice of you to mention that you know you have a temper problem or you're a procrastinator. Like it's all of us can identify our flaws, who does something about them? So there he was on Friday telling everybody, here's our issue. We're we're not going to lead the league in runs. Is an acknowledgment that offensively, the makeup of this team does not suggest that they're going to be a very proficient run scoring team. Okay, what's being done to address it? And you and I both know what the team is currently constructed. You and I both know what we're gonna be talking about all spring and summer long. In addition to how baseball is gonna have a lockout, we probably won't have a twenty twenty seven season, which I just I am dreading that to no end. But on top of all that, we're gonna be wondering who can.
01:25:21
Speaker 1: The Reds get? What will they give up? Maybe will they be buyers or sellers.
01:25:28
Speaker 2: Also, it's worth mentioning like the Kyle Schwerber thing would almost be easier if they didn't try to go get Kyle Schwarber. We could argue over how aggressive their pursuit was, but there was a pursuits didn't end the way most of us wanted might not have been as aggressive as most of us wanted, but they did pursue Kyle Schwarber, And when they did that, you couldn't help but think, like, all right, yes he's from Middletown. Yes we can argue over how much tickets he'll sell. Yes we could talk about what his tangible impact in the batting order would be. We can discuss how they would use them, how the other dominoes would fall. But when you swing and miss on a guy like that, or when the team you care about swings and miss on a guy like that, it is natural to then wonder, Okay, what's next, what's behind door number two? What's plan B? Like you know, if the Bengals decided we're gonna go after the best pass rusher available and didn't get him, you would then wonder, like, who's the next pass rusher they're gonna go after. Maybe he's not as good, but can he still be of value? Can he still help?
01:26:53
Speaker 1: You know?
01:26:54
Speaker 2: Might he end up being a better signing because you know, relative to what he costs, he represents better value. With the Reds, it was we're going to acknowledge our lack of pop by going after the dude, who's the best available player at hitting the ball out of the ballpark? And if we don't get them, you know, the rest of us are wondering, like cool, then then what?
01:27:18
Speaker 1: Well?
01:27:18
Speaker 2: Then what has been nobody like? It's it's frustrating beyond belief. And I know, like there's a lot of this. This team has taken a lot of heat and a lot of criticism for a very long time for how they've done things. And unfortunately, how we talk about you is based on the results you achieve or don't achieve. So you've got a fan base that is endured, depending on your age, decades worth of not making the postseason, who got a little sprinkle, little taste of it last year? Who is starting to look at this team through the lens of do you get to the playoffs every single year and you finally break through in advance? And a fan base that watched a flawed team last season overcome those flaws and make the playoffs? That has still the same flaw, so much so that the manager publicly acknowledged it. Front office has done nothing to address it. They tried, like it's it's still like to me, the fact that you would go after Kyle Schwerber and not even flirt with dudes like Cody Bellinger and Pete Alonzo.
01:28:33
Speaker 1: Is beyond mystifying. If this works.
01:28:38
Speaker 2: And if the offense is a major reason why the Reds finished dramatically higher in the standings this year and made the postseason and made it with ease and advanced in the postseason. Nick Krawl and this front office and this ownership group will deserve and get all the credit in the world. But until then, you are your track record, and the track record here is one of not winning much, not advancing in the postseason, and of a franchise building a brand that it won't go to the end of the earth to be the best in the world at what they do. When you leave a major flaw unaddressed, and they have using outside moves, they have left a major flaw unaddressed.
01:29:25
Speaker 1: The only thing you do is feed the belief that you're.
01:29:29
Speaker 2: Not interested or unwilling to go to the end of the earth to be the very best in the world at what you do. That's their brand as an organization. Hate it, love it, think it's woefully unfair, think it's dead on. For a lot of folks. That's the brand, and you got people to think, you know what, this is going to be a little bit different or a lot different because of the Schwarber thing. When it falls through and then is bupkis like what do you expect people to say and believe? And then when the manager comes out and says, yes, we're probably not gonna be good at this one pretty important area of the sport, just got to deal with it. And I don't want to completely diminish the good work they have done this offseason because there were two things they had to do and in one of those areas, I think they've crushed it. Like I think the Reds are gonna have a think Terry Francona will manage games this year with a lot of really good options in the bullpen. And they're not cutting corners. There's no re tread starter, there's no dude who used to be good a long time ago. Like it does look and feel like a legitimate strength of the team. That is awesome.
01:30:50
Speaker 1: It doesn't excuse what they haven't done with the offense.
01:30:53
Speaker 2: And you know, again, if this team scores a bunch more runs this season, I'll be the first to say, you know what, a lot of us got it wrong, But they haven't earned that benefit of the doubt yet.
01:31:06
Speaker 1: Nick Krawl has not.
01:31:07
Speaker 2: This ownership group has not earned that benefit of the doubt, especially when for a while now we have been saying you need to do more to fix the offense. They continue to not do more to fix the offense, and the offense continues to be League average at past nineteen and a half. For five o'clock five point three, seven four nine, fifteen thirty is our phone number eight sixty six seven h two three seven seven six. You can send a tweet at Moeger thanks to Delta Dental. Delta Dental is building healthy, smart and vibrant communities for all good at Delta Dental, oh dot com. College Basketball Tonight on ESPN fifteen thirty, UK and Texas pregame show is just about ten minutes away on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports.
01:31:47
Speaker 3: Station WCKY Cincinnati and iHeartRadio station g Garanteed Human ESPN fifteen thirty.
01:31:56
Speaker 1: I heard radio.
01:32:00
Speaker 2: Loaded night of college Hukes, UK and Texas in five minutes along Shawan Miller, old friend Sean Miller, Sean Miller. We played some Mick cron and audio before from a mixed postgame conference after postgame press conference after the Bruins beat Purdue last night, Sean Miller has sounded and looked as exasperated as I've ever seen him in talking about his players. His team goes up against Mark Pope's Kentucky squad. Doesn't feel like it, but they're looking for their fourth consecutive win. Fell behind by eighteen in the road game against LSU and then fell behind by seventeen points on the road against Tennessee.
01:32:48
Speaker 1: They win both. I'm not sure that should be the blueprint moving forward.
01:32:52
Speaker 2: We'll see if the Wildcats can win a game tonight, not falling behind by seventeen or eighteen points.
01:32:58
Speaker 1: Xavier and Creighton tonight.
01:33:00
Speaker 2: Xavier's team offensively the last couple of games has been a lot of fun to watch. They've leaned into running. We talked about this with Rick browing in the first hour of the show. Unfortunately, that's kind of the tempo that Creighton wants to play. Blue Jays beat the Musketeers by forty one points a little bit more than a month ago. Muskies are a seven and a half point dog. Tonight in Omaha. Cincinnati battles Arizona. Now Every metric will tell you this, Your eyes will tell you this, the AP Top twenty five, and coaches polls will tell you this. Most believe that Arizona is the best team in the country. And they are, and they're extraordinarily efficient on offense. They're really well coached on defense. I think the thing that stands out to me, and there's gonna be there's gonna have to be a lot of things that go in Cincinnati's favor. Arizona doesn't take a lot of threes, but they make a decent percentage of the ones they take. Coming into last night, forty fifth in the country in three point shooting percentage, but among the lower ranked teams in college basketball in terms of percentage of points that come off threes. They don't take a ton, but the ones they take they're pretty good at making sixth in the Big Twelve. Cincinnati is dead last in the Big Twelve, and three point shooting the great equalizer in college basketball. If you want to pull off an upset, you got to be really good from three. Can Cincinnati find its stroke from behind the arc tonight? But more than anything, as good and as efficient as Arizona is on the offensive end, they're fourth in the country in offensive rebounding percentage. Now, the Bearcats have defended all season really really well, Like the metrics will tell you that, and for the most part, your eyeballs will tell you that. But do they defend well and then give up an offensive board. Houston in the second half kick the crap out of Cincinnati on the offensive glass. If that's the case tonight, it's hard to imagine. If this is not so much about Cincinnati winning the game, can they put themselves in a position to have a chance to win the game? The issue for UC all year long has been being in close games with four or five minutes to go and not finding a way to execute, not finding a way to close with the exception of the last two. So does this team play with a little bit more confidence based on the results of the last two games? Can they handle everything that Arizona throws at them? Can they keep them off the glass? Because they're not going to be able to keep them from scoring. But you make it worse when you let a team like Arizona gets second chance points, then you basically have no chance. I can't wait for it tonight. Like I said this to Tony, I think off air, maybe on This went from a game that I think if you're a Bearcat fan you were dreading to one that tonight. It's like, all right, they aren't playing better, Let's see how they do. Regardless of how they do, I can't wait to talk about it tomorrow.
01:35:55
Speaker 1: We're done.
01:35:55
Speaker 2: Chad Rendel's on the show to talk about it at three forty five. We look forward to anything you, me and mis go find on the iHeartRadio app podcast of this show, or a service of Long Neck Sports Grill if you are looking for a place to watch any of those games tonight, Long Neck Sports Grill, Wilder Hubrin, Richwood Wings Beer, so much more.
01:36:18
Speaker 1: We're done. The show is over.
01:36:19
Speaker 2: Kentucky basketball is coming up next, the Wildcats taking on Texas tip off at seven pm. Don't forget Tony Pike. Sincy three to sixty is tomorrow at noon. We return tomorrow at three oh five. Have a great night. Thanks to Tarren Bland for producing. This is ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati sports station.