Texas WBB Gets Set for Final Four, Baseball Takes on UGA

The Craig Way Show. Craig is on location in Tampa Bay, Florida for the Women's Final Four as the Longhorns get ready for a Re-Re-Match with South Carolina. Also, Texas Baseball hosts Georgia. Andrew Zimmel fills in for Craig

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good afternoon on a Final Four Friday. Andrew Zimola hanging
out with you on the Craig Way Show three hours
as we gear up for Texas and South Carolina tonight.
The Longhorns trying to make it back to the National
Championship game. Vick Shaffer trying to get back to the

(00:21):
National Championship game. And the job is not going to
be an easy one. It's hard to beat a good
team once, let alone twice, let alone three times. Right,
this is the time you're facing off against a team
in South Carolina for the fourth time this season. Vick

(00:41):
Shaffer and his crew have their work cut out for them. Also,
men's Final Four action begins this Saturday in San Antonio,
Auburn and Florida at five pm tomorrow University of Houston
and Duke at seven forty. But you know how these
things run, it's going to be However, soon that first
game wraps up, we will hear from Vic Schaffer and

(01:05):
his team later in the hour. We also will hear
from Craig Way in the four o'clock hour, as Craig
is in Tampa Bay on the call tonight for the matchup.
We will get the last previews between these two teams.
Will get his thoughts'll after shoot around and what we
can expect. I can tell you right now, the experts
are not in the favor of the Long Cords. Every

(01:29):
gas bag, every expert, quote unquote I have seen have
been picking against Texas. So we'll get into some of
the reasons why they might be doing that and what
Texas needs to do to bounce back. We also have
a new Coach of the Year and AP Player of
the Year. Bruce Pearl and Rick Patino were named co

(01:50):
Coach of the Year by the AP earlier today. Bruce
Pearl turned around Auburn gets them into the final four.
Rick Patino has gotten Saint John's back to to the
dominating program that they are in the Big East.

Speaker 2 (02:03):
It's one of the.

Speaker 1 (02:04):
First times, is the first time I think that they've
split the Coach of the Year honors between two guys.
Pearl and Patino each received twenty votes on the ballot
from the national media. They got a share of the trophy,
which is cool and I would say before before it
was announced, I would have picked Patino for how he

(02:26):
turned Saint John's back into the national conversation after the
incredible run that they had in the Big East in
the eighties and nineties to get it back to where
it is now where many people were picking them to
win the entire thing.

Speaker 2 (02:40):
You got even a lot of credit for that.

Speaker 1 (02:41):
Also, ap Player of the Year on the men's side
of things, Cooper Flag. So you're gonna see the coach
of the Year and the player of the Year tomorrow
in the men's Final four. Of course, we also have
Florida Man Friday to day for Inconceivable and the voice
of the Spurs, Bill Shoning joining us in the three
o'clock hour twelve seasons with Texas, twenty four seasons with

(03:05):
the San Antonio Spurs. He has a big announcement as well.
Sarkisian sat down with Chris Sims. We will hear some
of that. He talked about the quarterbacks both in the
NFL and still on the forty Acres. So a lot
of course to get into. On today's program. It's a
jam packed to the Gills Final four Friday on The

(03:26):
Craig Way Show. So let's start with the men's Final four.
Let's talk with Kelvin Sampson, who got his Houston Cougars
to this point after a thirty four and three regular season,
after winning the Big Twelve regular season title and then
the Big Twelve championship, rolling on through and now they
face off against one of the best teams in the country,

(03:47):
one of the most talented teams in the country, the
Duke Blue Devils. Kelvin Samson was on The Herd earlier
this week talking about how you prepare for a team
like Duke.

Speaker 3 (03:58):
Really haven't watched Duke, but I have watched him enough
over the course of the year. The first thing that
jumps out to me is what a great job John
did and putting his team together. You know, for example,
bringing a kid like Scion James in to pair next
to Cooper Flag and Knepo and the big kid inside

(04:21):
because he's smart, he's tough, doesn't require a lot of shots.
It's got a lot of winner in him.

Speaker 4 (04:28):
Cooper Flag was going to be the centerpiece.

Speaker 3 (04:31):
How they fit everybody around them as what's so impressive.
How do you start to stop Cooper flagging?

Speaker 4 (04:37):
But that's kind of a silly question. You don't.

Speaker 3 (04:40):
But you have to be the best version of yourself.
You know, we played in the Big Twelve the last
two years and you know, whether it's Kansas or Iowa
State or Texas Tech. There's a lot of really good teams,
and all those teams had a best player.

Speaker 4 (04:55):
So we'll come up with something. Now, will it be
good enough? I don't know. Maybe it will, maybe it won't.

Speaker 3 (05:00):
But at the end of the day, every team has
to focus on what they do good and try to
beat their best version themselves for that forty minutes. For
that forty minutes, we have to be the best version
of the Houston Cougar as we can be.

Speaker 1 (05:13):
So Juwan Roberts, a senior. A senior for the Houston Cougars,
big deciding factor on who's going to end or how
this game is going to end up. Houston does a
great job defensively throwing different bodies at players in the
NCAA tournament. Over the last two games, he's had four

(05:35):
steals between Purdue and Tennessee. On the season, a ton
of steals as well. He got asked, is Duke the
most talented team that his Cougar team has faced this
season on paper?

Speaker 5 (05:48):
Yeah, but when we've seen that a lot, and especially
when we played against Auburn, Alabama, those teams, Texas Tech, Arizona,
but now I feel like our defense is will get this.
So on paper yet are pretty good, but I feel like,
you know, once we come in with that defense mentality,
I'm just gonna be a different ball game.

Speaker 1 (06:08):
And that's what Houston does, I think better than most
teams in college basketball. In fact, that's what they do
do better than most teams in college basketball, and that
is defend. Now, John Shire was on the head coach
of Duke. He was on the Scott Van Peltz Sports
Center yesterday. He got asked about how do you prepare
for a team like Houston when they can throw so
many adjustments at you on the fly.

Speaker 6 (06:30):
Houston no offense to our scout team. We have a
great scout team. It's not something you can replicate. And
so it's a combination of understanding what could or could
not be there. But then at the same time, you
don't want to make them out to be the boogeyman.

Speaker 1 (06:46):
No, you need to focus on a team in Houston
that can throw a lot of different looks at you.

Speaker 2 (06:51):
Obviously.

Speaker 1 (06:52):
Now, Scheister went on to talk about his biggest concern
when it comes to facing Houston.

Speaker 4 (06:57):
Well, a lot concerns me.

Speaker 6 (06:58):
I think you start with fact that they've had, you know,
the core their team has been together for multiple years
and so the experience they've had together, their connection is
incredibly deep. But they're just a team that doesn't beat themselves.
You know, you have to really beat them, and it
starts with they make everything difficult for you on our offense.

(07:20):
Our offense, their defense is legit. You know, when you
see one two guys moving in a pick a roll
defense together, another three are moving at the same exact time.
I mean, it's incredibly impressive when you watch him play.
And then they have a top ten offense in the country.
You know, they have three guys that are shooting over
forty from three. They polenge you in the offensive glass.

(07:42):
They're just just they're They're a great team, and so
a lot concerns me. I feel we're a great team too,
and we're excited for the challenge, but a ton of
respect for coach Sampson and what he's done, and then
their team of how connected and how tough they are.

Speaker 1 (07:57):
Coach Sampson has built a big good at Houston that
is now trying to get to the national championship for
the first time since the eighties. With the phil Slamajama team.
This is an argument between two different philosophies when it
comes to college coaching as well. Duke is the school
of one and Done's young players, in Houston's the school

(08:17):
of Wiley Vets guys that have been in school three
four years together. So it's going to, I think, going
to change a lot of people's minds on how you
build a program. Ironically, we've seen teams win with the
one and done system. We saw Calipari do it at Kentucky,
We've seen other teams do it as well. But then
you think about what Jay Wright did at Villanova, how
he was able to build a program on guys who

(08:39):
were there multiple year over year over year. I also, again,
college basketball a little bit different, but college baseball is
a similar spot where if you have a team of
guys who have all been together for a long period
of time, season overseason, who have gone through deep NCAA
tournament maybe conference tournament runs, you see those teams have

(09:00):
more success when they get to the final stages of
whatever tournament they're playing in. Now, Bruce Pearl, who is
not a spring chicken by any means, he talks about
the difference in age between himself and Florida's head coach
Todd Golden.

Speaker 7 (09:14):
You know, the only thing, the only way I look
at it is Calvin and I have fewer chances to
get where we are right now was John Shire and
Todd Golden will be back here many more times. So
Calvin and I have better take advantage of it this
time because we're you know, we're we're clearly on the
back nine. I'm not on the eighteenth hole yet, but

(09:36):
we're getting closer. And so no, Todd and John don't
give up anything and experience, They just they just give
up a little bit. And they're not as they're not
as much gray hair, and they may not have been
beat down as much as Calvin and I have been
over the years.

Speaker 1 (09:55):
And Bruce Pearl, the head coach of Auburn, the one
seed basing off against one in Florida four one seeds
in the college basketball Final Four in San Antonio for
the men first time since two thousand and eight. The
last time that happened, the games were also played in
San Antonio. But Bruce Pearl makes a good point, Hey,
him and Calvin Sampson, they might not get back to
this point with their programs how do you build a

(10:18):
program and sustain it and try to get to this point?
So this is one more side thing, This is one
more storyline to pay attention to as the men's Final
four begins tomorrow five pm. Auburn and Florida seven p
forty Houston and Duke. Do the old guys got it?
Can we see a Bruce Pearl Calvin Sampson National Championship

(10:40):
Alburn versus Houston? Or are we going to see the
young guys in at Todd Golden's Florida Gators and John
Sires Duke Blue Devils in the National Championship.

Speaker 2 (10:50):
Time will tell.

Speaker 1 (10:50):
We'll hear more from coaches and players as the program
rolls on. Coming up next will gear you up for
tonight's Final four matchup on the women's side of things
between Texas and South Carolina five forty five air time
six pm, tip A ninety eight one cavet FM. That
is where the game will be had. More coming up
next on Sports Radio AM thirteen hundred The Zone. Sports

(11:13):
Radio AM thirteen hundred The Zone Andrew Zim will sitting
in for Craig Way this Friday afternoon. Not four o'clock
yet two eighteen as we continue to work our way
through the workday together. I hope things are going good
for you and yours as we gear up for Texas
Women versus South Carolina tonight, five forty five air time,

(11:35):
six pm tip on ninety eight one KVET FM.

Speaker 2 (11:39):
That is where you can hear the game.

Speaker 1 (11:41):
You can also listen on the free iHeartRadio app always free.
You can make us your number one preset as well,
and yeah, not a bad way to listen to the game.

Speaker 2 (11:52):
Craigway will be on the call.

Speaker 1 (11:53):
He will join us in the four o'clock hour to
talk Texas Women as well. So he's in Tampa Bay,
he is courtside. We will hear from him and we'll
have a good time doing it too. Okay, so let's
we will continue here. We were gonna talk Texas Women.

(12:17):
We're having a little bit of technical issues here. We'll
see if we can get those things tuned back up.
So Texas Women tonight taking on South Carolina is very
formula for Texas beating South Carolina. Well, that's what it's
looking like. So the experts around college basketball, on college

(12:40):
women's basketball have been talking about this Longhorn team that
we're able to beat the game Cocks earlier this season
when the game was in in Austin, Texas. They snapped
a fifty seven game SEC regular season winning streak. Now,
South Carolina has shown vulnerabilities throughout the season.

Speaker 2 (13:01):
This game Cock.

Speaker 1 (13:02):
Team can get cold at times during the year. They've
been known to go cold in the shooting side of things.
An earlier loss, multiple players got into foul trouble as well.
For South Carolina, Staley was forced to change the rotation
of players.

Speaker 2 (13:20):
It got the team out of sink.

Speaker 1 (13:22):
Texas has a very formula formidable defense, number one of
course being Rory Harmon on the defensive side of the
ball making an impact.

Speaker 2 (13:35):
Now. The other thing is Madison Booker.

Speaker 1 (13:38):
Booker in the losses for Texas this season against South
Carolina seventeen combined points on seven to thirty two shooting
the time that the Longhorns won though seven of twenty
two shooting not efficient, but it did get the job
done for Texas. There are other players need to step
up as well, which would go into Taylor Jones and

(13:59):
the p and Kylo Oldacre as well. If the Longhorns
want to win, it's gonna come down to the ability
to have those players having a big night. If the
Texas Longhorns can score anywhere between forty ish, forty five
ish points and sixty ish points, they could win this game.
The other big part South Carolina's re haul. She said

(14:20):
that she's not concerned about Madison Booker, but she is
the type of player who could make an impact on
the defensive side of things. If she can stop Madison Booker,
then the Longhorns could end up being in a spot
that could get in a lot of trouble. That could
be in a lot of trouble if a Booker is

(14:42):
stopped by Brianna Hall or Bree Hall. I'm sorry that
game tonight of course at five forty five airtime six pm.
Tip for the Final four or it's a quick break,
come back and talk more Texas in a minute on
sports Radio AM thirteen hundred at the Zone.

Speaker 2 (15:03):
Sports Radio AM.

Speaker 1 (15:04):
Thirteen hundred Zone Andrews them we'll hanging out with you
on a finally Friday, Final four edition of The Craigway Show.
Want to thank you guys for hanging out with us.
A little bit of technical issues things, but we're getting
things going as we continue to work our way to
the weekend together, we were talking Texas women's basketball and

(15:24):
how the Texas Longhorns are playing in a Final four
matchup tonight that has everybody on pins and needles. Now,
the Longhorns are two and one this season against South Carolina.
They're a team in the game Cocks who have done
a good job of preventing Texas from doing what they
want on the offensive side of the ball, and the

(15:44):
games that the Longhorns have won this season, it's been
on the shoulders of Madison Booker in her ability to
have offensive production. Now, Texas, in the two losses that
they had this season against South Carolina, Booker combined for
about two seven of twenty four shooting and seventeen points,
which is not what you would want for a Longhorn fan.

(16:08):
It's gonna go the way this game will go the
way that Madison Booker goes. If the Longhorns are able
to fire back and have impactful shooting from Booker, then
they have a chance to win this game.

Speaker 2 (16:21):
We will hear.

Speaker 1 (16:21):
From the players and coaches here in a little bit
as the Longhorns and their head coach Vic Schaeffer spoke
to the media yesterday gearing us up for this one.
The Longhorns have been in Tampa Bay for the better
part of this week. They got there on Tuesday night,

(16:42):
and part of the reason that they did that was
because of the media availability.

Speaker 2 (16:46):
It's been really cool.

Speaker 1 (16:47):
We've talked to Craig Way yesterday about how the media
in just general when it comes to covering the Women's
Final Four has been really crazy. A lot of voices,
a lot of questions that you might not have expected,
including questions about which player is most like Vic Shaefer,

(17:10):
which through I think some people for a little bit
of a loop. So we'll get you some of that
audio here in a moment as the Longhorns and South
Carolina game Cocks face off tonight, ninety eight to one.
KVET FM is your home for women's basketball, and we'll
have them tonight five forty five hour time, six pm.
Tip as thirteen hundred the Zone is your home for

(17:33):
a round. Rock Express and one O three one will
be where Texas Baseball plays tonight. Now the baseball program
playing a game against Georgia tonight, one of the best
teams in the SEC.

Speaker 8 (17:46):
NOTO A ton I mean, I'm constantly thinking of.

Speaker 1 (17:50):
So let's hear from Vic Schaefer from yesterday's press conference,
gearing up his thoughts on how impactful, how important it
is for this team. Let's hear from him talking about
the difference and how special it is to get to
the Final four with this group.

Speaker 4 (18:11):
It's special.

Speaker 9 (18:11):
I mean five years ago when they hired me, it
was really important to me that Chris Polonsky, Kathy Harston,
and Jody Conrad.

Speaker 4 (18:27):
We're in on that. I wanted to.

Speaker 9 (18:30):
I wanted their blessing because I know what they've meant
to Texas women's basketball. But I also know what they
meant to.

Speaker 4 (18:40):
The game. Those are lifers.

Speaker 9 (18:43):
Those are people that have invested their entire life and
careers into women's basketball. Like there's some young folks up
here they don't understand I do.

Speaker 4 (18:54):
Like I get it.

Speaker 9 (18:55):
I've seen it firsthand. Is this is my life, and
I've seen it up close and in person. To know
the domination that coach Conrad had in the Southwest Conference days,
I'm embarrassed. I can't recall the number, but it's one
hundred and some odd, crazy number eighty something games of

(19:16):
consecutive conference victories. So I know the history and the
tradition at Texas and you know, like I said, that
banner hangs in there, that thirty four and oh national
championship banner hangs in my practice facility. The two thousand
and three, the last time they've been in an NCAA tournament.
It hangs in my practice facility. So it's a it's

(19:41):
a tremendous responsibility for me to be entrusted with the
keys to the program. But it's also why I wanted
the job, because my vision is their vision. And my
vision was to come into the office and remember I
took it during COVID, so it was jacked up bad.

(20:04):
But my vision was to come in after a game
the next morning and have coffee and have Coach Conrad
come down from her office and talk about the game
with me. Like I embraced that those moments. And so
coach is around a lot, and I love that. I
love having her around, Like it means a lot to
me that she takes enough time out of her day

(20:24):
or you know where she is right now. I mean,
she's a hell of a golfer, and you know that
she would take that time to come by practice, hang out,
be around Like I love that, Like that's my vision
when I took the job.

Speaker 4 (20:37):
I wanted to be around her.

Speaker 9 (20:39):
I wanted her to be around our program, and so
you know, she was there when we beat Baylor back
in my second year, we beat them to win the
Big twelve championship tournament game.

Speaker 4 (20:54):
Again, one of the reasons they probably hired me was to.

Speaker 9 (20:58):
Catch up to them and be them and win a championship,
and we did that pretty quick. And then to now
be where we are now in the NCAA Final Four,
I'm really you know again, I'm honored to be their coach,
but I'm really proud of what we've been able to
accomplish in a short period of time. It's been twenty

(21:20):
two years since they've been in the Final four. It
had been twenty two years since they won a conference championship,
and we won four.

Speaker 4 (21:26):
And five years.

Speaker 9 (21:27):
So I have a great deal of respect and admiration
for those three because to me, they are Texas women's
basketball and I love being around them. They're just wonderful,
wonderful people.

Speaker 1 (21:40):
Sports Radio AM thirteen hundred of the Zone. All right,
when we come back, we're back on the rails with
the Craig Way Show. When we are back, we'll talk
inconceivable it's a Florida Man Friday.

Speaker 2 (21:50):
You're not going to miss it.

Speaker 1 (21:52):
Some of the craziest stories from around the state coming
up next on Sports Radio AM thirteen hundred. The zone
inconceivable On a Florida Man Friday on Sports Radio AM
thirteen hundred. The zone is inconceivable that all of our
equator works all of the time. Maybe all right, let's

(22:14):
talk Florida Man or Friday and we will start here. Okay,
so you probably have, at some point or another taken
a test drive. I think all of us is one
point or another, have bought a new car, taken it
on a little joy cruise. Well, this Florida man is
accused of stealing a cyber truck during a test drive

(22:37):
and returning it to the dealership a couple days later.
You would think that if you're going to make some
sort of run on a cybertruck one hundred thousand dollars vehicle,
that you probably wouldn't bring it back.

Speaker 2 (22:48):
Not the case.

Speaker 1 (22:49):
This Florida man is accused of stealing a cyber truck
during a test drive last month. Then we're turning it
to the dealership at a later date to retrieve his belongings.
According to the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Dexter Smith and allegedly
went to the Tesla dealership in Tampa, Florida, on March
twenty six to test drive a cyber truck cyber Beast.

Speaker 2 (23:10):
After meeting with the salesperson.

Speaker 1 (23:12):
According to the criminal affort, David Smith then got the
sales associate or gave the sales associate his driver's license,
which was confirmed to be his, and then signed a
test drive agreement to return the truck to the dealership
within thirty minutes, which he did not do. The attempt
to reach Smith him through the number he wrote on
the test drive agreement were unsuccessful. You got to come

(23:35):
up with a better way to do things, except, you know,
calling the guy. The sales associate also emailed him demanding
the return of the cyber truck. A different sales associate
used a geolocation tracking to locate the truck, told deputies
he drove into a home depot, parked, went inside the store.
The affid David state, so did they hunt the man
down and appear? So he returned to the Tesla dealership

(23:59):
on Tuesday to achieve some of his items that he left.
He was arrested at the business and while being searched up,
he said they found five credit cards.

Speaker 2 (24:08):
With five different names.

Speaker 1 (24:10):
That he's charged with grand theft of more than one
hundred thousand dollars and a unlawful an unlawful possession of
identic personal identification. But can you imagine you're you steal
a one hundred thousand dollars truck and then you have
to go back to pick up what a credit card?
Pick up your license? Come on, man, you gotta be

(24:32):
smarter than that. Dumb criminals.

Speaker 2 (24:34):
All right?

Speaker 1 (24:35):
Uh, let's hear this story of Florida man's visit to
Grand Slam Collaptibles to check out the sports memorabilia.

Speaker 2 (24:42):
All right, let's hear this one.

Speaker 1 (24:44):
Florida man is accused after falling asleep and a taco
bell drive through. He then woke up and hit a
part card. This actually happened to a coworker of mine
one time. I think we were getting breakfast tacos for
the morning show, and I think somebody ran into the
back of her car.

Speaker 2 (25:00):
Tacoplink. Here's the story.

Speaker 1 (25:03):
A man was arrested after deputy say they found him
under the influence of a controlled substance when he fell
asleep in the drive through of a Taco Bell and
crashed into a parked car when he woke up. According
to the County Sheriff's office, a concern citizen called nine
to one one Tuesday about the reckless driver. The caller
told deputies he followed the man to a Taco Bell,

(25:23):
where the driver fell asleep in the drive through while
waiting for his order. After waking up and getting his food,
deputy said the driver was later identified as a James
Christopher Powell tried to leave the parking lot but struck
another parked vehicle. He was arrested for dy and driving
under the influence. But you know, we've all been there.

(25:44):
After maybe a late night, you go to the bars,
you bounce around a little bit, and then you decide
to go to a taco Bell for that late night snack.

Speaker 2 (25:52):
You gotta be careful.

Speaker 1 (25:53):
That's really what this story tells us is you have
to be careful in those parking lots because you never
know what is going to happen. You got to keep
your head on a swivel. You don't want to end
up getting rear ended from behind by a Florida man
in his car.

Speaker 2 (26:11):
And a Taco Bell drive through.

Speaker 1 (26:12):
All right, when we come back, we will talk more
college basketball as the men's Final Four begins in San Antonio,
Florida and Alburn, Houston and Duke. Is it inconceivable that
we have an old man Final four? Or are the
young guys gonna get it? Will Cooper Flagg, the future

(26:33):
number one overall pick in the NBA lead his team
to a title? Is it inconceivable for Auburn to get
a national championship? Or Houston trying to get there first?
All that happening next, as we wrap up our one
of the Craigway Show on Sports Radio AM thirteen hundred
The Zone of Course Radio AM thirteen hundred. The Zone

(26:54):
is always exciting when Andreson Will fills in on the Zone,
don't forget tonight Final four action on ninety eight one
KVET FM. Texas women take on South Carolina. Craig Way
will be on the call. We'll have Craig on the
show in the four o'clock hour four seventeen, Craig joins

(27:14):
the program to talk Texas women's basketball as well as
Texas baseball. Happening tonight as the Longhorns take on one
of the best teams in the SEC. That game played
on one oh three one, Austin's eighty station six to
fifteen air times six thirty first pitch as the Georgia

(27:36):
Bulldogs come to town in a budding rival We talked
to Craig yesterday about it a little bit that you
have teams in the SEC now in Texas and Georgia
that are good in multiple sports, nationally recognized in multiple sports,
which leads to an easy line in to have big
rivalries and hopefully fun ones for the fans. Those games

(28:00):
played this weekend at the Dish. Some of the best
baseball hopefully in the SEC played this weekend in Austin.
All Right, So we have two coaches winning Coach of
the Year, which kind of feels a little redundant, right,
You don't want to have two coaches win the Coach
of the Year. But in this case, I think we

(28:20):
have to make an exception in this season with what
Bruce Pearl did at Auburn and what Rick Patino did
at Saint John's, I think both those teams and both
those coaches deserve the accolade.

Speaker 10 (28:32):
Now.

Speaker 1 (28:32):
Bruce Pearl turned around in Auburn program that might be
having their best season maybe ever, and Rick Patino ushered
one of the fastest turnarounds in Division one basketball history.
The success has led to the first tie in the
fifty eight years of the Associated Press Coaches Coach of

(28:54):
the Year Award. Now Pearl and Patino both received twenty
votes on Friday, that is ballot from the National Media
Pale Panel. It Also receiving votes were Tom Izzo, Drake's
Bell McCollum, You See, San Diego's Eric Olin pat Kesey

(29:15):
won got some awards. All coaches who were awarded, but
Patino in his first season at Saint John's. It's the
sixth time that Big East coach has won it now.
Shaka Smart won the award two years ago. Patino was
hiring twenty twenty three the Red Storm at the time
mediocre at best. Saint John's hadn't been to the NCAA

(29:39):
Tournament since twenty nineteen. They've been sporadic since the late nineties.
Patino led Saint John's to twenty wins in his first
season and got them now into national providence. They won
the regular season, going eighteen to two. They also took
home its first Big East title since the year two thousand,
so over a quarter of a century. First time that

(30:02):
Saint John's wins it, which makes a lot of sense
for him to win the Coach of the Year, but
he split the award with Bruce Pearl. The Tigers had
not been to the NCAA Tournament in over twenty years
since two thousand and three. Pearl got them back into
the bracket in his fourth season. Alburn took a huge
leap the first trip to the Final four in twenty nineteen.

(30:23):
They've been unstoppable this year. Pearl joins Cliff Ellis in
the ninety nine season as the only Alburn coaches to
win the Coach of the Year award from men's basketball.
He's the first SEC coach to win the award since
Kyle Pari did it ten years ago. So yeah, it's
great national Coach of the year as well. With Rick

(30:43):
Patina another the Player of the Year, this one comes
as no shock. It was Cooper Flagg, who was by
far the best freshman this season. He won the award
in his only season probably at the Universe. He is
by all means a child eighteen years old, just turn eighteen.

(31:09):
Successful season, he has set himself up to be the
number one overall pick in this year's NBA Draft. He's
the fourth freshman to win the award in the sixty
four year history of the award. And it's weird to
say that the best American born player might be from
the state of Maine, because you don't really think about

(31:30):
Maine as a state that is producing a ton of
nationally recognized talent. But he is I think the first
player since I think he might be the first player
from the state of Maine. He has won the two
man race against auburns Johnny Broom. Both players were unanimous
First Team All Americans this season. There are only two

(31:53):
players to receive Player of the Year of votes. Flag
got forty one of the sixty one first players votes.
Now Flag joins Duke Sion Williamson, Anthony Davis, and of
course for Texas's Kevin Durant as freshman to win the award.
The fun fact about those players Zion number one overall pick,
Anthony Davis number one overall pick Kevin Durant number two,

(32:16):
So winning this award all but guarantees that Cooper Flagg
ends up being a top two pick in this year's
NBA draft. Very very cool stuff. Duke plays this weekend
against Houston at seven point forty in the men's Final four,
and it'll be exciting Auburn and Florida five PM and

(32:36):
SEC matchup in Houston and Duke the best team out
of the Big Ten or I'm sorry, the Big Twelve
and the best team out of the ACC matching up
in the final four. Now, Juan Roberts, who's a defensive
stoppers senior for the University of Houston, got asked about

(32:56):
this Duke team if this might be the best team
of his team the Cougars have seen this season.

Speaker 5 (33:01):
On paper, Yeah, but we've seen that a lot, and
especially when we played against Auburn, Alabama, those teams, Texas Tech, Arizona.
But now I feel like our defense is what gets
its going. So on paper yet they're pretty good, but
I feel like, you know, mostly come in with that
defense mentality.

Speaker 4 (33:21):
I'm just gonna be a different ball game.

Speaker 1 (33:23):
No, obviously, it's two of the best teams in college
basketball facing off against each other, but it is something
to be said for the Big Twelve, which last year
I think most people considered one of the best basketball
conferences in the league, and the sport this year. However,
the way that Houston ran through the Big Twelve, I
think that that limited the way that people talked about

(33:45):
that conference, where As the SEC it was a dogfight
every single night between the best teams in the conference.
I wonder if because of that, because of the Alburns
and the Floridas and the Alabamas of the world, that
Duke did very quickly dismantled. I wonder if because of

(34:05):
how competitive the top to the bottom of the SEC
was this year, then it gave some teams and gave
the conference a little bit more of an edge. Whereas
the Big Twelve is a very good basketball conference with
Arizona with obviously Houston, with Texas Tech, but it doesn't
get that same recognition because of how quickly Calvin Sampson

(34:28):
and his team absolutely dismantled the conference. Now, again we
said at the beginning of the show, this is going
to be a battle between Houston and Duke of different
styles of building a team. We go through college football
all the time, the teams that build culture versus going
to the transfer portal. Now Duke doesn't necessarily go into
the transfer portal, but they are a team that is

(34:50):
led by a guy who's going to be a one
and done in Cooper Flagg, whereas Houston is led by
a core group of older talent. Which way do you
win in college basketball? The women's side of things, It's
pretty much been set.

Speaker 2 (35:04):
Up from the start.

Speaker 1 (35:05):
If you have a core group of players who have
played together multiple tournaments year over year over year, those
teams tend to do better in the tournament. Whereas a
team like Houston who has gotten their scars going down
the same type of path, can you build a program
to win year over year over year after struggling kind

(35:27):
of getting some of those playoff loss lumps, those tournament
lost lumps. Now, Houston has had plenty of those. We'll
see if they can get the job done against Duke
one and done's versus seniors. Who wins We will see
on Saturday, all right, when we come back. Texas baseball
play tonight against Georgia. Our man Mike carbar Harge is

(35:47):
on the call, as well as a David Salzman. That
will be happening on one O three one, Austin's eighty station.
We'll talk baseball coming aback with a major announcement. Major
announcement twelve seasons with the University of Texas, twenty four

(36:08):
seasons with the San Antonio Spurs, and he will be
the one that breaks the news to you if you
haven't heard already. Also, Steve Sarkejian joins the program or
does enjoy the program talk to Chris Sims Unbuttoned and
NBC Football podcast about quin viewers and Arch Manning, And
I thought you did a very good job, an excellent

(36:30):
job of selling not only Arch and what he does
best when it comes to the Texas Longhorns and what
he does best when it comes to the way that
he's leading the program, but I think he did a
really good job of kind of giving us the intangibles
of what goes into that as well. So but we'll

(36:50):
start here Texas Baseball Tonight on one oh three one,
our guy, Mike carbol Harges will be on the call
with David Salzman first pitch six fifteen, six thirty for
Evertimes six fifteen, first pitch six thirty, one oh three
to one your home for Texas Baseball. But he spoke
yesterday at length to the media, gearing up for this weekend.

Speaker 11 (37:16):
Looking forward to the weekend, excited to get back in
conference play and playing a great team this weekend, a
lot of power. Hopefully the rain will stay away for
the most part and have some big crowds and see
if we can't put together good weekend.

Speaker 1 (37:33):
And this Longhorns team is going to be one of
the best. I think it's gonna this is a great
team that is one of the best in the SEC.
But George has been really good too, continuing to rack
up wins in the Southeastern Conference. What makes this Georgia
team so good?

Speaker 11 (37:52):
Coach super talented, very very very physical. When they swing,
they hit the ball. When they hit it, they hit
it super hard and super far, so not a lot
of the bunt game. You know, they'll steal some there's
some guys on their team. They'll steal some bases, but
they're literally built around power and which a lot of

(38:14):
our teams in this league are. But they're really really
good at it. And then, uh, you know they haven't
they're they're starting. Pitching hasn't been awesome, but they've the
bullpen has been amazing, and they've flipped some guys from
the bullpen into the rotation. Wes Johnson has been one
of the better pitching coaches in our not just college baseball,
but in our sport for a really long time. And

(38:36):
and so you know, you know they're gonna figure that
part out and in which they have and so so yeah,
it's a national championship contender. I think they're mony games,
you know, and we feel good about our team too.

Speaker 8 (38:50):
And it's got to play with baseball.

Speaker 1 (38:52):
There's a lot of teams that are national championship contenders
in the SEC twenty nine to two on the season,
eight and one in conference. These Georgia Bulldogs are ready
to play, and you wonder if the bark is worse
than the bite though for some of these wins that
they had this season. So over the past week, the

(39:13):
Long Horns lost a tough one to the Texas State
Bobcats at dishfalk Field, five three loss that saw a
lot of pitchers do a good job. Kate Bing pitched
really well six and one thirds innings. Could we see
any of those pitchers who performed on Tuesday night, Could
we see any of them in this weekend's matches.

Speaker 11 (39:36):
I wouldn't imagine Bing would be much a part of it,
if at all. I think part of the reason he
was able to have success Tuesday is we took him
with us to Missouri, but we didn't have him on
the active roster, so he could throw a bullpen and
kind of prepare to be a staying routine to be
a starting pitcher.

Speaker 8 (39:51):
So I don't imagine he would.

Speaker 11 (39:53):
Be a part of it with this wait and see
before we announce a roster for tomorrow the game tomorrow,
Flores will certainly be available.

Speaker 8 (40:01):
Those guys did a nice job on Tuesday.

Speaker 1 (40:02):
So do you have any idea what your pitching rotation
will look like? Now we've joked at not at length
about how you kind of have any idea.

Speaker 2 (40:12):
Saturday your Friday and Saturday starters.

Speaker 1 (40:14):
Sunday will always be a TBD because at that point
you need to decide if you're going to try to
win the series, where if you've already won the series,
you want to give some guys some extra looks, some
extra mountain time. Do you have any idea what that
rotation will look like?

Speaker 11 (40:27):
It'd be Sam, Spencer and Harrison and then TBA after that.
I'd love to be able to keep Ruby right where
he is, but I know we're trying to win championships
for sure, But at the same time, We're also trying
to get fifteen sixteen wins in this conference, which normally
puts you in a postseason. So with our injuries and

(40:47):
different things that have happened, you got to look at
things a little. You have to take everything into account
when you're trying to get to that win mark and
playing some of these teams that are super teams like
at Georgia.

Speaker 8 (41:00):
So we'll just see how they go.

Speaker 10 (41:02):
Game the game.

Speaker 1 (41:02):
You got to think back to two weeks ago when
LSU came to town in the long runs, lose Friday,
then bounce back Saturday and Sunday and perform very very well,
winning that first SEC through a series at dishpot Field
and their inaugural year in the conference.

Speaker 2 (41:18):
But you mentioned the injuries.

Speaker 1 (41:20):
Now Max Belue injures his thumb out for a long
period of time. Might be out the season, could be
out the whole regular season, maybe some of the playoffs
where he could be back for the playoffs. In the
first full week without Max belou What are your plans
for left field in the offense, coach, I.

Speaker 11 (41:36):
Think you probably saw it the other night, you know,
I mean, we don't have We got to wait and
see how Rodriguez feels he's kind of day to day.

Speaker 8 (41:43):
Don't know if he'll be available this weekend.

Speaker 11 (41:45):
I would think I'll have him on the roster just
because he can go do other things. He can play defense,
he could play the outfield, He could play third base
if he had to do it.

Speaker 8 (41:53):
He could run bases.

Speaker 11 (41:55):
But in terms of you know, Tommy will stay in
right field and then left field will just kind of
determine what the matchups are. I was really excited about
Gumbo or Jaden to Planted the other night. He you know,
if he can get on bass right and he's a
good bonner. He actually swung the bat really well against
our pitching in the fall, and he had a great

(42:18):
swing the other night in the night, ending off a
good pitcher. So that was encouraging because when he gets
on base, you know, then especially if him and Farmer
are back to bat, then you got guys that can
run and do some things on the bases. So certainly
got to find ways to score runs differently. You know,
I don't think anybody on our bench is going to
bring the dynamic power that and the extra base hit

(42:39):
stuff that Max brings, So we have to find a
way to play different kind offense in those spots.

Speaker 1 (42:45):
So Max Below a left handed batter and Adrian Rodriguez
was a left handed batter as well. Now Rodriguez might
be able to come back for this weekend series, but
how important is it to try to find another lefty
in this lineup?

Speaker 11 (42:59):
I mean, I definitely overthink it to the point because
I and I really, uh our goal and hopefully you'll
look up here next year or the year after and
you'll have a team full of left and switch hand
and switch hitters and right handed hitters where we can
have really good balance and and make it tough on
the other team. But right now it is what it is.
Our rosters, our roster. So he can't really I can't remember.

(43:21):
I can't remember the last time I rode the lineup
and had like five six left right handed hitters in
a row. But that's where our team is, and so
you don't have a choice, you don't have a problem.
So uh, it is what it is. And you got
you know, Steward over there. Uh he had he put
he put together good at bats against Missouri both right
hand left handed pitchers. He stays on the balls, and

(43:44):
most left handed hitters that handle left handed pitching are
the ones that can stay on the baseball and don't
pull off the ball. He's not gonna run, you know,
run base as much, but uh, he can put together
good at bats and get on base. So I think
you could see him in there. Uh, we just don't
have that man. I mean the day took the job,
there was one left handed hitter in the entire program.
You know, it's Max, you know, so this summer, you

(44:06):
know that'll be That's a big That's always a big
focus for us in recruiting is to have balance in
that recruit in every recruiting class.

Speaker 1 (44:13):
Yeah, you want to go try to find guys who
can yeah obviously be switch hitters, but also bring power
and bring a different look when you are facing off
some against some of the best pitchers in college baseball. Finally,
how much of a competitive advantage is it when your
first two series, two of your first three series, I
should say, are at home against two of the best teams.

(44:35):
How big of a competitive advantage is it to face
off against LSU and Georgia at home?

Speaker 11 (44:40):
I mean, it's always helpful to play in front of
your own fans. You know, this playing service is different
than most. I think anytime you're at home in the SEC,
it's you know, it's a good thing. But at the
end of the day, these teams are super talented. Georgia's
gone on the road. They swept a series at Florida,
I think, or one of a series at Florida. Great team,

(45:01):
great program, great players. So hopefully our fans will come
out and make it a great atmosphere. The problem is
that there's so many great atmospheres that, like when we
went to Starkville. Once you do that, you get used
to playing it and so it doesn't spook you, which
is why we need to get to fifteen wins. Because
once you get through this league and put yourself in

(45:23):
a postseason, even if you have to play a regional
on the road or a super regional on the road,
nothing speaks you because you've been through the best of
the best.

Speaker 1 (45:31):
The best of the best, one of the best teams
in college baseball coming to the dish tonight. You can
hear the game on one oh three one, Austin's eighty
Station six to fifteen, ERA Time six thirty First Pitch
Mike Harball, Harg and David saltzmen on the call as
well for that one. This is going to be a
great game. I'm excited for it. I can't wait to

(45:54):
hear it tonight. But it also got to keep an
eye on Texas women as they take on South Line
in the women's Final four five to forty five. Airtime
six pm tip on ninety eight one KVET FM. That's
where you can hear tonight's Final four matchup. Speaking of basketball,
Bill Shoning, the voice of the Spurs, coming on, talking

(46:15):
big news out of San Antonio. All coming up next
on sports Radio AM thirteen hundred The Zone, Curry.

Speaker 12 (46:22):
Weill pro shortings picked off for the twenty fifteen ten
five Time to into the XEL touchdown.

Speaker 2 (46:29):
Cory Redding on to the fun court.

Speaker 13 (46:32):
We'll drive it inside, mon all the way in left
test slam.

Speaker 2 (46:36):
Wow mono let us high yojo do hoo doo he
yojo so well.

Speaker 1 (46:41):
Sports Radio AM thirteen hundred The Zone. And you know
this man for his twelve seasons with the Long Horns
and his twenty four seasons with the San Antonio Spurs.
It's Bill Shoning and Bill, Today's a very special day.
It's one of those days where we get to sing songs.
And get off the cake and sing. He's a jolly
good fella. So congratulations you're on your announcement on retiring

(47:03):
after over two decades in San Antonio.

Speaker 13 (47:06):
Bill, Yeah, over four decades on the air. I appreciate
that a great deal. And Andrew, thanks very much. It's been
an amazing day. The Spurs issue to press release this morning.
The San Antonio Express News did a story and I
posted it on Facebook, and I've been just inundated all
day long from really all over the country. I just
got a phone call from France, so it's really cool.

(47:27):
You know, going into the season, I had a feeling
that might be my last year. Is the last year
my contract. I wasn't sure if I wanted to keep going.
I feel great. I'm sixty six years old. I love
what I do. I have a passion for it. But
my wife's just retired and she's done a very good
job taking care of the finances. And we really like
to travel, you know, both of us, so we got
some traveling ahead.

Speaker 4 (47:47):
You know.

Speaker 13 (47:47):
I've got a passion for music, so that'll be something
I'm sure i'll do. I want to help out young broadcasters.
I'm involved in a mentorship program with a national sports
media association out of Carolina. So I'm going to help
out some young college broadcasters with their rising play by
play careers. And I love to hike. You know, we're
gonna hit national parks this summer, so I got a
lot on my plate. And then I'm not going to

(48:08):
hang the mic up completely. Andrew. I think that you know,
I've really missed doing baseball and football. So I'm hoping
that I get a few opportunities just in fill in
filling opportunities here and there to do some work, not
a full time basis at all, but get back to
doing some football and baseball as well.

Speaker 2 (48:22):
Well.

Speaker 1 (48:22):
First off, if you don't look at day over fifty five, Bill,
I just got to give you the credit there. Second,
I appreciate that the thing that caught my attention, and
because I listened to you on the flagship WAI where
you can hear all the Spurs games you've heard Bill
for twenty years. But the thing that caught my attention
is giving back to the young guys, because as a
young broadcaster, I can tell you from experience, it's hard

(48:43):
to find guys who want to give their time. So
for you to say Hey, I'm going to spend a
little bit of time. I'm going to give it a
little bit back is huge. I think it's a it's
a real testament to the type of guy you are,
Bill Well.

Speaker 13 (48:53):
I appreciate that, but you know, I started out in
small market radio, Andrew. I did not have anything handed
to me. You know, I had to pay some dues
in this business. That's okay, that's the way it works,
and everybody has to start at the bottom. And there
have been a lot of successful guys that started at
the bottom. And I just never forgot those ten years
that I kind of labored in small market radio. You know,
you hear the term now these days embrace the grind. Well,
it really was a grind because we were't making a

(49:15):
lot of money. I was doing news, spending records, doing
whatever I could to keep my play by play fix
even at Sam Houston State, and I had to cover
the prison system and do a lot of extra stuff.
So I always remember that that I had to work
my way up. And now I see guys that have
passion and I only take the time. I take time
out to try to help everybody. But I'll really try
to guide a guy if I see him really making
the effort and you know, paying his dues and you know,

(49:38):
embracing the grind as I always say. So, there's a
lot of young folks out there that want to get better.
And if I've got some ample time to help some
folks through this program that Dave Gorren set up with
National Sports Media Association, I'm going to do it.

Speaker 1 (49:49):
So you talked, You've been the voice long ward as
the voice of the Spurs, but before that, you were
the voice of what when you were in Sam Houston,
Sam Houston.

Speaker 13 (49:56):
State for six years? Yeah, the Bearcats.

Speaker 1 (49:58):
You know, I was going to say it was because
I was watching a lot of press and a lot
of videos of Bill showing today it was the voice
of death when you were covering the.

Speaker 13 (50:08):
That's yeah, okay, okay, the voice is Death.

Speaker 7 (50:12):
Yeah.

Speaker 13 (50:12):
Well, true story in nineteen eighty seven, and this is
in the book Story, Sports and Songs. There's a plug
for the book available right now. When I was gone,
operators are standing by no, but this is the true story.
In nineteen eighty seven, I got an award for my
news work with the Associated Press. I was named the
Correspondent of the Year. There was a lot going on
in the prisons back then, not just executions, but a
lot of violence, overcrowding, just a lot of stuff going on.

(50:34):
And because I was right there in the middle of
it and doing the news anyway there in Huntsville, I
was able to make a name for myself in the
news business because I was the correspondent for Texas AP
and for APM Washington as well. So they give me
an award, And at that banquet where I got the award,
I was introduced as the voice of death in Texas
for my extensive work covering the executions.

Speaker 1 (50:53):
Now, you covered the Longhorns for over a decade, and
you have good stories with craig Way, I imagine, so
I figured it's his show. I want to I want
to hear some Craigway stories from Bill Shooning.

Speaker 13 (51:04):
First of all, I'm very disappointed. And on the day
of my retirement announcement and I'm on the Craigway Show,
Craig Way is getting ready for what a final four games,
something that's not very important, of course, and good luck
to the Horns there in Tampa. I'm pulling for in
big time tonight. Even though Don Staley of course is
from my hometown of Philadelphia, the head coach of South Carolina.

(51:24):
But I've got my horns up. I'm pulling for the
horns tonight. So yeah, there are so many Craigway stories
I don't even know where to begin, so you know
you've heard them a lot. But my my favorite, I guess,
is the time that he overbooked himself on purpose in
Boise and Salt Lake did not get a flight, so
he had to drive back and forth between two NCAA
tournament sites and that's I want to say four hundred

(51:46):
miles or something like that. So it didn't bother Craig
to drive back and forth between games that I don't
know how many miles he drove that weekend, but I
want to say twelve hundred something like that. But he
invented binocular driving on that trip where he went north
of Salt Lake City where the Salt Flats are, it's
very flat, you can see for miles and miles. Well,
Craig would just put the rent car in about one

(52:06):
hundred and ten miles hour on cruise and get the
binoculars out and he could binocular drive so you can
see anybody coming for ten fifteen Miles.

Speaker 1 (52:14):
I guess it sounds like one of the Florida Man
stories we do the binocular draw. That is something that
truly is an impressive story. All right, So what do
you remember from your time covering the Horns and being
the voice of Texas football?

Speaker 4 (52:26):
Oh?

Speaker 13 (52:26):
My goodness. Well, Ricky Williams, I guess would be the
first thing, because he won the Heisman Trophy while I
was there, and I carried or I covered every carry
of his career, and he was such an impressive player
and I really enjoyed that a great deal. So football,
I guess my number one memory would be Ricky, and
also Major apple White. He was one of my favorite players.
In my last game as the voice of the Longhorns
at the Holiday Bowl when Major led that comeback against

(52:47):
Washington and passed for a school record well over four
hundred yard. I think it was four forty eighth that
night for Major apple White. So that was a really
good memory for me. Is my final game as the
Longhorn guy. Baseball, it was all about Brooks k. Schnik Man,
the best player I ever saw in college baseball. He
could do it all. He pitched with a linebacker mentality,
yet he would always go up there and hit about
three fifty. I'll never forget we played at A and

(53:08):
M one time, and Bruce Brooks used to have this
little butt waggle right when he came to the plate,
big left handed hitter, that picture of this guy right
six three two fifteen, could hit all fields and really
really had a lot of pop in his back. But
he would do a little wiggle when he got up
to the plate, and the Aggie fan started pulling dollars out, okay,
like they were going to tip him for his wiggle,
as if he was on stage somewhere sugars or something.

(53:29):
So anyway, but he turned that into respect because I
think the first pitch against A and M at Olsen Field,
he lined to double off the right center field wall,
and the next time up all the Aggie fans who
had dollars out earlier were now praising him and mock praise,
you know, for praise, and of course Brooks just wore
out A and M. I think he probably hit over
five hundred against them in his career.

Speaker 1 (53:50):
See and we're talking to Bill Showing on the day
of his semi retirement after twenty four years of being
the voice of the San Antonio Spurs bill.

Speaker 2 (53:56):
There's a ton of calls.

Speaker 1 (53:57):
I tried to go through all the archives that pulled
my favorite ones from you. The Ricky Williams call though,
when he gets the record, that to me is like
when I think of Texas football in the ninth that
is the thing I think about.

Speaker 13 (54:10):
Well, I appreciate that, the funny bad That's not my
favorite call. I think Craig's call as the analyst was
even better than my call because he got to wrapped
it up. I just got excited because we were anticipating
the record, but not on a sixty yard touchdown run
and not again against Txada and end. That was awesome.
One of my favorite memories, too, was the fourth and
inches call. That was the first Big felve championship game

(54:31):
in Saint Louis, And of course the Spurs were big
time or the Spurs. The long Horns were big time underdogs.
That's how long I've been doing the Spurs. I just
called Longhorns the Spurs. The long Horns are big time
underdogs that game, and I think twenty one point underdogs.
They won the ball game. But a very dusty call
on fourth and inches of his own twenty nine yard line,
John mcaviick rolling the dice, faking the handoff, James Brown
rolls who was left? They call it roll left, one

(54:52):
of the famous plays in Longhorn War, and Derrek Lewis
was wide open down the field for a sixty two
yard game that' set up Priest Holmes touchdown on the
next play.

Speaker 1 (55:00):
Now you've called over two decades of Spurs basketball, Bill,
I have a sneaking suspicion. I think I know your
favorite player in that time was. But I got to
ask who is it?

Speaker 13 (55:11):
You think you well, Manus Gnobili. There's a number of
reasons why he's my favorite guy. And of course I
love all the guys, right, I mean, I love covering
all of them. But I got to call every game
of Manu's career, and I've never seen a guy play
with such passion a night in and night out. He
had a game one night where he couldn't hit a
shot at Oklahoma City, but he was the most valuable

(55:32):
player on the team. I think he went oh for nine,
but I think he had nine or twelve, nine or
ten assists, He had ten or twelve rebounds, four or
five steals, He saved three or four balls going out
of bounds. I mean that kind of an impact on
the game without a field goal. And that's the kind
of player man who was. So when he that midway
through his career, I told him, you're going to be
in the Hall of Fame, but I want to be
there in Springfield when you get inducted. And he goes, well,

(55:53):
I'm not so sure about that, I said, I am,
And sure enough, the night that he got inducted, I
was there. I was there for the press conference the
day before and he recognized me, you know, among the crowd.
And then I was doing an interview with Bill Walton
for a documentary, the Late Bill Walton Documentary that weekend
on the Spurs. I was interviewing him for that and
Manu interrupted the interview. He walked into the room. He's, oh,

(56:14):
it's Bill and Bill hey Manu, And of course Bill
Walton broke into his letter. He is from Mihia Blanco, Argentina,
Manusinobli tomorrow getting inducted due to the Basketball Hall team.
So it's a true great moment for me to be
there with Bill Walton and Manushinobli for for a little bit.
So yeah, so I've had a very blessed career to be,
you know, rubbing my elbows with people like this.

Speaker 1 (56:33):
And finally, it's like asking about your favorite child, your
favorite championship call, which one would it be?

Speaker 2 (56:39):
You got four of them?

Speaker 13 (56:39):
Well, twenty fourteen will always be my favorite season. The
way they dominated the Miami Heat in that final, and
also the fact that they came back to beat them
after the heartbreak the year before they beat the same
team and they drubbed them. I mean, they it was
a four games to one series, but I think the
average march in the victory was eighteen points. The Spurs
shot fifty four percent from the field of that series.

(57:01):
It was clinic. And this is against Lebron James, Dwayne Waiting,
Chris Bosh, and Ray Allen, So you know, I say
Lebron James. Of course, that was the special moment. Kawhi
Leonard playing defense against Lebron James.

Speaker 1 (57:16):
Bill shoning after twenty four years, semi hanging up the headphones.
We'll here again somewhere somepow. He will be on the call. Somewhere.
He's on the call for the rest of the Spur season.
They got some cool things planned out for him as well.
He's gonna get his flowers. So pay attention to twelve
hundred wais where you can listen to the games in
the flagship on the free iHeart Radio app. Bill until

(57:37):
next time. I appreciate you, buddy, thanks so much, Thank you, Aver.

Speaker 13 (57:40):
I'm sure we'll do it again.

Speaker 2 (57:41):
We will.

Speaker 1 (57:42):
We will, Bill Shoning all right when we come back.
He talked about major Applewaite. Chris Simms sat next to
Steve Sarkajian talk to Texas quarterbacks. We'll hear from him
next on Sports Radio AM thirteen hundred The Zone. Sports
Radio AM thirteen hundred The Zone. Andrews zimm I'll hanging
out with you on a four Friday. Texas women take

(58:03):
on South Carolina tonight five forty five airtime, six pm
tip on ninety eight one caved FM. You can listen
to it on the free iHeartRadio app tonight as well.
One oh three to one is your home or Texas
Baseball as the long Horns start their weekend series against
the University of Georgia twenty nine to two on the

(58:25):
year the Bulldogs. Oh, we'll see if the bark is
worse than the bite sixty fifteen airtime six point thirty.
First pitch on one oh three one, Mike Hardball Harge.
Our guy from the morning kickoff seven to nine right
here on the zone is on the call as well.

Speaker 2 (58:42):
Don't want to miss that.

Speaker 1 (58:43):
Let's talk Texas women tonight they take on South Carolina
team if they played three times this season now. In
the games that the Longhorns have won, it has been
thanks in part to the scoring output of Madison Booker.
In the win that they had in Austin, Booker finished

(59:04):
with twenty points as well as grabbed a handful of
rebounds and then gave assists as well. In the two
losses against the game costs, including the one in the
SEC Championship game, seventeen combined points on seven to thirty
two shooting. It's gonna come down to Ken Madison Booker
get off of some of those screens. Can she find

(59:26):
ways to get open shots? And can the post players
Taylor Jones and Kyla Oldacre both show up in the
paint tonight as well. Let's hear from Don Staley. She
spoke about Madison Booker, coach, what do you like most
about Booker's game?

Speaker 14 (59:41):
Just a bona fide scorer, not even the Bonafa sco.
She's a playmaker, like, she can score to basketball with
the best of them. She could play multiple positions, so
she's versatile. She could facilitate, you know, she's a really
great rebounder. I mean, she's you know, she's a difficult matchup,

(01:00:04):
like you really have to you know, you have to
play her one and a half players, like you can't
just straight up play her because she has so so
much of a skill set that if you don't show
whoever's guarding her in this show, you know, close her
her space off. I mean, because she's able to rise

(01:00:25):
above She's a big guard that that could pretty much
get her shot off at any at any given time.
And then you got to make her play defense. She's
a willing defender, but with how much she needs to
score for them, you got to make her play on
that other other side of the basketball so that that
pretty jump shot isn't as pretty and minute you know

(01:00:51):
thirty as it is at minute five.

Speaker 1 (01:00:53):
Obviously, the game plan for both of these teams will
be how well do you play on the defensive side
of the Can you dog the other team defensively enough
to upset their shot to upset their shot makers.

Speaker 15 (01:01:06):
Uh.

Speaker 1 (01:01:07):
Matthew Booker got asked about playing uh South Carolina for
a fourth time and also the matchup with Ree Hall,
who's a defensive specialist for South Carolina.

Speaker 9 (01:01:18):
Uh.

Speaker 1 (01:01:18):
She's been on the record talking about how in the
SEC Championship game that she woke up texting her parents.
I'm going to stop Madison Booker. What is it like
playing South Carolina for a fourth time and what are
your thoughts on their stopper Hall.

Speaker 4 (01:01:33):
She's a great defender.

Speaker 16 (01:01:34):
I mean it's kind of shocked she wasn't unliked like
the like our comforts, like defensive team or anything like that.
Long lean athletic. She definitely, you know, makes you think
on the court as an officive player.

Speaker 2 (01:01:48):
Oh yeah, she's a great player.

Speaker 10 (01:01:49):
I totally have a respect her.

Speaker 16 (01:01:52):
Definitely don't make me think great player.

Speaker 1 (01:01:55):
So Rory Harmon got asked a similar question about taking
on a familiar matchup the worth time that these two
teams are facing off, this one obviously meaning a little
bit more in the final four. What are what do
you think about facing such a familiar SEC opponent in
this final four?

Speaker 17 (01:02:12):
Yeah, I feel like we do know them inside out
as much as they probably know us in side it out.
So there's just saying that we've kind of been living
by since the tournament started. But once talent meets talent
and all that, it's basically it doesn't really matter anymore.
It's about preparation and who's gonna step up on the
biggest stage that we are in right now and who's

(01:02:34):
gonna be the tougher team.

Speaker 1 (01:02:35):
So I love that that's been the quote pretty much
this entire month of March for the University of Texas Women,
which talent meets talent, then it turns into preparation, then
it turns into hard work. And the Longhorns have been
one of the most prepared teams this season for the ability,
thanks in part to the coaching staff and the assistant

(01:02:56):
coaches for Vic Schaffer of getting this team absolutely ready
that Rory Harmon would be, I think considered by many
a defensive stopper, a defensive specialist. She got to ask,
do you prefer these high scoring games that you see
against teams that you know, high scoring games that the
long runs have been in, or do you rather have
defensive battles like you might have tonight against South Carolina.

Speaker 12 (01:03:20):
Yeah?

Speaker 17 (01:03:20):
I think depending on who we're playing, TCU in South
Carolina are two completely different teams. But during a TCU game, yeah,
we knew they were probably they're as far as their offense, like,
they're quite the efficient offense and one of the top
offenses in the nation. So we really did have to
hone in on defense and trying to keep the score

(01:03:41):
as low as possible and not like let it just
keep going up, because I think that's when we keep
teams our goal is like keeping them under sixty. And
then also apparently we just found it out a stat
earlier today. Don't see it all right, that's fine, but
just let's just say, like when we are playing the

(01:04:02):
best defense and keeping the score pretty low, I think
we're at a better chance. But with South Carolina, I
think both of us are pretty similar in a way
where we both can play defense and we both have
weapons to score. So like kind of the name of
the game is, it's just like who's gonna win it
more on this biggest stage that we're at right now,
and who's going to be tougher and bring the most energy.

Speaker 1 (01:04:23):
I'm looking forward to this one. I'm also looking forward
to asking Craig way when he joins us in the
four o'clock hour, four seventeen, Craig joins us from Tampa Bay.
He'll be on the call today. I'm curious what that
stat is. I'm gonna ask him, what is.

Speaker 2 (01:04:37):
That stat that was hush hush yesterday? And does he know?

Speaker 1 (01:04:41):
Is he gonna keep it in bargoed until maybe the pregame.

Speaker 2 (01:04:44):
There's some questions about what stat.

Speaker 1 (01:04:48):
I have to imagine it has to probably indicate that
when the Longhorns are shooting the ball pretty well, they
end up winning more of these games. I have a
sneaking suspicion it's something like that. Now, finally, I want
to hear from Shay Holly, a veteran on this team,
how difficult is it to face a team like South
Carolina that you've seen so many times already?

Speaker 15 (01:05:10):
Yeah, I would say it's our fourth time playing them,
but it's also their fourth time playing us. So it
goes both ways in the sense of, like, obviously, on
both sides, it's going to be a really well scouted game.
We're gonna know, play calls, all that stuff. So it's
just really how you execute it. You can put in
different things, I'm sure they're doing that as well. But

(01:05:31):
at the end of the day, like Rory said, like
talent meets talent, it's who wants it more on that
given day. So we have to go out and be
ready for a tough and physical game and yeah, and
really just have the energy.

Speaker 1 (01:05:44):
We'll hear more from players and coaches as we gear
up for the final four tonight Texas and South Carolina.
You can hear the game on KAVET FM ninety eight
one on the free iHeartRadio app.

Speaker 2 (01:05:59):
Greig What joins us Craig Way Show. Craig is in
Tampa Bay.

Speaker 1 (01:06:01):
He will join us here in about fifteen minutes to
talk Texas women's basketball as the Longhorned women get ready
to take on South Carolina. It's hard to beat a
good team twice. That's what they're gonna try to do.
And this one means more, not only because it's a
matchup between two of the SEC's best in South Carolina

(01:06:23):
and Texas, but it's because this one the winner moves
on to the national championship. It takes on the winner
of Yukon and UCLA, So this will be an excellent
matchup tonight. Obviously, we have been watching these two teams
circle each other. We saw them when they played in
Columbia earlier this season. We saw them when they played
at the Moody Center in February in the SEC championship

(01:06:45):
game in Greenville, South Carolina.

Speaker 2 (01:06:47):
And I go through it.

Speaker 1 (01:06:49):
I look at all of the pronosciaters, I look at
all of the guys who are giving takes on these teams,
and it seems like the team that everybody is rooting
four almost is the Ellevil Empire.

Speaker 2 (01:07:01):
And I don't know why.

Speaker 1 (01:07:03):
I've just seen so many people rooting for a Yukon
team with pagebackers.

Speaker 2 (01:07:07):
Maybe it's because.

Speaker 1 (01:07:10):
Maybe it's because Yukon is the lowest seed throughout.

Speaker 2 (01:07:15):
College basketball's Final four.

Speaker 1 (01:07:17):
On the men's and women's side of things, there are
seven number one seeds of the eight teams remaining. Yukon,
the team that won their first national championship thirty years
ago and never looked back, continue to just rack up
win after win after win, trophy after trophy after trophy.
They are the two seed out of their region going
up against a UCLA. And maybe that's why this team

(01:07:41):
that has obviously been a juggernaut in college basketball, one
of the best dynasties in college sports. Ever, maybe that's
the reason everybody is rooting for these spunky underdogs in
the Yukon Huskies. We'll figure it out, Craig Wade joins
us later. You also might give us a little insight
on what that secret stat is that Vick Schaeffer and

(01:08:04):
Ry Harmon we're talking about yesterday during media availability. I'm
curious to find out what his thoughts are on that,
And of course our final pregames are pre show thoughts
on what we can consider this matchups tonight to be.
Because I have the matchup between Bree Haul for UC

(01:08:26):
or USC versus Madison Booker as my matchup tonight of
this two heavyweight fights, but the fight between these two
heavyweights that will be a deciding factor and who wins
it tonight or this weekend, I should say. Also in
the Almost City, the Men's Final four begins, Texas or
Houston representing the state of Texas. In the Men's Final

(01:08:48):
four versus Duke is the game that I have circled
as the winner of that one going up against the
champion out of the SEC It's going to be Auburn
or Florida on the other side, of the bracket. That
game is I PM tomorrow seven point Houston versus Duke,
and the winner of that game, I feel will be
the champion of college basketball. On the men's side of things, now,

(01:09:10):
Calvin Sampson has done a great job of building a
program at Houston that rolled through the Big Twelve this year,
that rolled through the NCAA tournament this year, and now
he faces a Duke squad led by the eventual number
one overall pick, Cooper Flag. What do you see out
of Duke? How do you prepare for John Shire's team?

(01:09:33):
He spoke to Colin Cowherd leading up to tomorrow's matchup.

Speaker 3 (01:09:37):
The first thing that jumps out to me is what
a great job John did and putting his team together.

Speaker 4 (01:09:43):
You know, for.

Speaker 3 (01:09:44):
Example, brand a kid like Scion James and to pair
next to Cooper Flag and Kinnepo and the big kid
inside because he's smart, he's tough, doesn't require a lot
of shops. It's a lot of winner in him. Cooper
Flag was going to be the centerpiece. How they fit
everybody around them is what's so impressive. How do you

(01:10:07):
start to stop Cooper flagging? But that's kind of a
silly question. You don't, but you have to be the
best version of yourself. You know, we played in the
Big Twelve the last two years and you know, whether
it's Kansas or Iowa State or Texas Tech, there's a
lot of really good teams and all those teams had
a best player. So we'll come up with something that

(01:10:28):
will it be good enough?

Speaker 4 (01:10:30):
I don't know. Maybe it will, maybe it won't.

Speaker 3 (01:10:32):
But at the end of the day, every team has
to focus on what they do good and try to
be their best version themselves for that forty minutes. For
that forty minutes, we have to be the best version
of the Houston Cougar as we can be.

Speaker 1 (01:10:45):
Now, one of the best players on this Houston Cougar
team is Juwan Roberts, who is a defensive stopper of
the Senior has been the player that his coach has
thrown at other team's best players. He's been the guy
that when it comes to hey, we need to stop,
we need to find a way to limit a guy.
This has been the guy that Houston has gone to.

(01:11:06):
Roberts got ass is Duke the most talented team that
this Cougar's team has faced this year.

Speaker 5 (01:11:12):
On paper, yeah, but when we've seen that a lot,
and especially when we played against Auburn, Alabama, those teams,
Texas Tech, Arizona. But now I feel like our defense
is what.

Speaker 10 (01:11:24):
Gets us going.

Speaker 5 (01:11:25):
So on paper yet are pretty good, but I feel like,
you know, once you come in with that defense mentality,
I'm just gonna be a different ball game now.

Speaker 1 (01:11:33):
John Shire, the head coach of Duke, has won a
national championship with Duke. He's trying to be one of
the only coaches ever to lead his alma mater after
winning a title as a player and also as a coach,
and Calvin Sampson talked yesterday at his media availability about
how you know he's a good coach when we don't
even talk about the fact he's replacing the legendary coach

(01:11:53):
k Anymore, that we just are like, hey, this is
now the coach of Duke basketball. This is the guy
that is leading the program.

Speaker 2 (01:12:01):
He got asked.

Speaker 1 (01:12:01):
John Shire was asked about how do you prepare for
a team like Houston when they can throw so many
players and so many adjustments against you.

Speaker 6 (01:12:10):
Houston no offense to our scout team. We have a
great scout team. It's not something you can replicate and
so it's a combination of understanding what could or could
not be there, but then at the same time, you
don't want to make them out to be the boogeyman.

Speaker 1 (01:12:26):
No, you can't fear your opponent. You got to respect
your opponent. You got to respect your opponent. You cannot
fear your opponent. You're gonna lose games like that. John
Shire was also on Scott Van Pelt's Sports Center last
night and he's talking about the biggest concerns when he
talks about this Cougar team.

Speaker 4 (01:12:45):
Well, a lot concerns me.

Speaker 6 (01:12:46):
I think you start with the fact that they've had
you know, the core of their team has been together
for multiple years and so the experience they've had together,
their connection is incredibly deep. But they're just a team
that doesn't beat themselves. You know, you have to really
beat them. And it starts with they make everything difficult
for you on our offense.

Speaker 4 (01:13:08):
Our offense, their defense is legit.

Speaker 6 (01:13:12):
You know, when you see one two guys moving in
a pick a roll defense together, another three are moving
at the same exact time. I mean, it's incredibly impressive
when you watch them play. And then they have a
top ten offense in the country. You know, they have
three guys that are shooting over forty from three. They
poulenge you in the offensive glass. They're just just they're

(01:13:33):
a great team, and so a lot concerns me. I
feel we're a great team too, and we're excited for
the challenge, but a ton of respect for coach Sampson
and what he's done, and then their team of how
connected and how tough they are.

Speaker 1 (01:13:45):
Now, this is a Houston team that does everything really well.
They don't do anything. There's no facet of the game
that they don't do well. That was why they won
the Big Twelve as handily as they did, and that's
why they come intonight tomorrow's matchup as a team that
a lot of people are picking to not only beat Dupa,
to win the whole thing.

Speaker 4 (01:14:04):
Now.

Speaker 1 (01:14:05):
Bruce Pearl on the other side of things, with an
Auburn team that was the number one overall scene overlooked
a little bit, but he's also similar to Sampson, an
older coach. He talks about the age difference between the
two old guys Sampson and Pearl versus the young guys.
In Todd Golden's Florida Gators and John Shire's Duke Blue Devils.

Speaker 7 (01:14:27):
You know, the only thing, the only way I look
at it is Calvin and I have fewer chances to
get where we are right now was John Shire and
Todd Golden will be back here many more times. So
Calvin and I have better take advantage of it this
time because we're you know, we're clearly on the back nine.
I'm not on the eighteenth hole yet, but we're getting closer.

(01:14:50):
And so you know, Todd and John don't give up
anything in experience. They just they just give up a
little bit. And they're not They're not as much gray hair,
and they may not have been beat down as much
as Calvin and I have been over the years.

Speaker 1 (01:15:07):
It's also a difference of philosophy when it comes to
team building. Whereas Auburn and Houston are built around seniors.
It's a senior, older upper classmans driven team versus Florida
and Duke, which have younger guys leading the way.

Speaker 2 (01:15:25):
All right, when we come back, we.

Speaker 1 (01:15:27):
Go to Tampa Bay, Craig Way on the call tonight
in the final four for the women, the Longhorns and
the game Cocks. Tonight, You're not going to miss it.
You can hear the game on ninety eight one caved
FM at six pm. Tip we'll go to Tampa Bay.
We'll talk to Craig as we gear up for the
matchup in the women's Final four. All coming up next
on sports Radio AM thirteen hundred The Zone. Sports Radio

(01:15:48):
AM thirteen hundred The Zone. And we are about an
hour and thirty away from tip off between the Texas
women and South Carolina from Tampa Bay. It is Craig Way, Craig,
what do we need to know? How much more excited
can we get here?

Speaker 12 (01:16:05):
Well, I'll tell you Andrew, it's it's I would say
it's pretty exciting times. I mean, folks are pretty pumped
up about this. You know, it's been kind of a
calm before the storm. Yesterday the teams had their practices
they're closed practices on the floor here and then they
were you know, se questioned back in their hotels. And
then this morning to very early afternoon all four teams

(01:16:28):
got a chance to come back in for one more
shoot around on the floor, to get an hour on
the floor.

Speaker 10 (01:16:32):
So they came back to go through all of that.

Speaker 12 (01:16:35):
And you know the interesting thing is not only and
I think Walhorn fans are very very up on this,
the fact that it's you know, Texas and South Carolina
meeting for the fourth time this year. They get that, uh,
but you kind of UCLA also want a rematch, and
so there's gonna be, you know, something where there's gonna

(01:16:58):
be some some real familiarlady here, And I think it
makes it a little bit easier for the coaches to
do it.

Speaker 10 (01:17:06):
Like I said, it's kind of the devil, you know.

Speaker 12 (01:17:08):
But by the same token, you know, you have to
you have to prepare and make your adjustments. And in
the case of Texas, I think you have to make
even more adjustments because, after all, South Carolina won two
of the three matchups with Texas. Not only did they
win two of the three matchups, they won the most
recent one. So you make your adjustments off of that.

(01:17:30):
There was one film session very earlier in the week.
I think it was even Tuesday night when the team
first got here, when we were in the hotel and
they were going over some stuff and I'm sitting in
there watching him. Vic Schaeffer is showing him about the
rebounding and of course they got out rebounded by TCU
in the game. But then the other thing he said was,

(01:17:51):
you know, think about it. In the last game with
South Carolina, he said, how they out rebounded us.

Speaker 10 (01:17:56):
He said, so, I'm telling you it's just.

Speaker 12 (01:17:58):
Gonna be more of the same if we don't do
a better job of rebounding. And he showed a lot
of times in the game where Texas had the ball.

Speaker 10 (01:18:07):
This is the TCU.

Speaker 12 (01:18:08):
Game, had the ball in its hands coming off a
misshot by TCUM.

Speaker 10 (01:18:12):
For whatever reason, they didn't hold it.

Speaker 12 (01:18:13):
They dropped it or it got taken out of their
grasp or whatever, and he said, can't have that you
you know, you've got to you got to be able
to hold on to it when it comes to that.

Speaker 10 (01:18:22):
So you know, they were going over that things.

Speaker 12 (01:18:24):
But there's a lot of things obviously to deal with
when you're talking about this South Carolina team.

Speaker 1 (01:18:28):
Well what's ironic too, is we talked before the TCU game,
Craig and I said like, hey, the front court will
be the deciding factor. And it feels like again tonight
it's going to be the front court the deciding factor.

Speaker 12 (01:18:39):
Yeah, I I do, you know, if only because they
can't allow a player like and I'm not denigrating her
at all.

Speaker 10 (01:18:50):
She's a fine basketball player.

Speaker 12 (01:18:52):
But Chloe Kitts is not the straw that stirs the
drink for South Carolina. That's my Lasia full Wiley or
taking a pow Powe or Raven Johnson or Ree Hall
or Sanaiah Fagan or Joyce Edwards I just named, or
even Tessa Johnson. I just named seven players ahead of Cloye. Now,

(01:19:12):
Chloe Kitts averages ten and half points in eight rebounds
per game, so that's not shabby at all, but they
have allowed her.

Speaker 10 (01:19:20):
Here's my point.

Speaker 12 (01:19:21):
It's not that she's not capable of it and doesn't
do well in other games or something like that.

Speaker 10 (01:19:26):
It's just against Texas.

Speaker 12 (01:19:28):
In the two wins for South Carolina, she's been a
major factor both in the game in Columbia and in
the game in Greenville in the SEC Tournament final.

Speaker 10 (01:19:38):
She was a major factor in that game.

Speaker 12 (01:19:41):
And that's what the point is, is that she can't
be allowed to have a huge game because you know,
between Pow Pow and Raven Johnson and full Wiley, they're
gonna get a lot of you know, they're gonna get
their points, so you have to limit the other players.
You have to limit Sanaiah Fagan, you have to limit
Joyce Edwards. You know, the leading scores for South Carolina

(01:20:02):
come off the bench. Jeorse Edwards, the outstanding freshman, averages
thirteen points per game in Malaysia full whiley averages twelve.

Speaker 10 (01:20:08):
Points per game. They come off the bench and they're
the leading scores.

Speaker 12 (01:20:11):
That's why the game Cox did not have a first
team All American, That's why South Carolina did not have
a National Player of the Year finalists, because they're the
some of the parts, but there are really good, some
and very dangerous parts. And that's what Texas will have
to contend with.

Speaker 1 (01:20:29):
Yeah, I was gonna say that's a tight fist for
the South Carolina game Cocks and Don Staley.

Speaker 2 (01:20:34):
This is a good whole team.

Speaker 1 (01:20:36):
And all right, So Craig Rehaul versus Madison Booker, are
we building this up to be this like championship fight?
If Madison struggles today, will Rehaul become like this is
the player of the tournament? What do you think about
this matchup?

Speaker 12 (01:20:51):
Well, I think it gained a little more legs because
after the game in Austin the Texas won, This stuff
kind of filtered out that that that Madison was saying
things like she can't guard me, she can't guard me.
She she never said the words she can't guard me.

(01:21:13):
She said, at times when I'm really going well, I
feel like no player can guard me.

Speaker 10 (01:21:19):
If I'm playing my game and I'm doing well.

Speaker 12 (01:21:21):
She didn't say pointedly Bree Hall can't guard me, but
because Bree Hall drew the defensive assignment on her.

Speaker 10 (01:21:28):
Then in the SEC.

Speaker 12 (01:21:29):
Championship, when Booker had a sluggish start and a slow
game and all that, all the South Carolina players were
kind of clowning her after the game and saying, oh,
we can't guard you.

Speaker 10 (01:21:38):
Hump, you know that sort of thing.

Speaker 12 (01:21:40):
So that thing kind of gained its own legs about that.
I made a comment to Madison the other night about
the whole thing, and what I was trying to go
with this at TCU was when you are in a
zone and you're really driving and they're not stopping you,
do you feel in the moment like they can't guard me.

Speaker 10 (01:21:59):
I'm gonn going.

Speaker 12 (01:22:00):
When I said that, she started laughing, like here we
go again, and I'm like I'm not I said, I'm
not talking about South Carolina.

Speaker 10 (01:22:06):
I'm just talking about.

Speaker 12 (01:22:07):
Within yourself and then you know, and then she went
on and answered the question.

Speaker 10 (01:22:12):
But it kind of gained it the legs.

Speaker 12 (01:22:14):
And in an event as big as this, where there's
so many reporters here and so many websites and so
many podcasts and so many other media covering the thing,
in a deal like this, you're going to have people
looking for additional angles, other other things to discuss other

(01:22:35):
than just match up itself.

Speaker 2 (01:22:37):
So Rory Harmon is the defensive stopper.

Speaker 1 (01:22:40):
She got to asked yesterday about like, Hey, when you
were recruited here do you want? Did you expect to
play forty minutes of tight nosed defense the entire time?
She said, Hey, that's what I've been doing since high school.
This is what I'm kind of used to doing. You
said at the beginning crag, we were talking about how
both these coaches have faced each other another times. The
fourth time they've seen each other, I can see this
turning into a defensive battle, and this being who is

(01:23:03):
going to play hard noe defense longer. If that happens,
it's gonna be the long Horns because they have Roy Harmon.

Speaker 10 (01:23:09):
Well.

Speaker 12 (01:23:10):
A lower scoring game would definitely favorite Texas The game
they won at home against South Carolina was what.

Speaker 10 (01:23:19):
Was sixty six to sixty two.

Speaker 12 (01:23:21):
The game they lost was sixty seven to fifty in Columbia.
The game they lost in Greenboble was sixty four to
forty five. They couldn't get their offense going on that
and South Carolina had enough offense to go with the
defense that was really clamping down on Texas. So they've
got to find some offense, for sure. But a game

(01:23:42):
that's played in the fifties to sixties, I think probably
what favorite Texas.

Speaker 1 (01:23:48):
So finally I want to ask, what are your expectations
for this game? Do you see what's the path for
the Longhorns to win outside of it just being a
low scoring game.

Speaker 10 (01:23:56):
Well, I'm going to tell you right now.

Speaker 12 (01:23:58):
The key, the big keys to me is the number
two two, as in quarter number two, as in the
second quarter. In both of the games for South Carolina
that they won, they dominated, absolutely dominated the second quarter
of the game.

Speaker 10 (01:24:16):
Texas was awful.

Speaker 12 (01:24:17):
I think they scored six points eight points the game
in Colombia and didn't do much better in the set.
They gave up a fifteen oh run in the second
quarter in the game in the Columbia and also had
another really dive I think it was thirteen unanswered. The
game in the SEC Championship in Greenville, they just in.

Speaker 10 (01:24:35):
The first quarter was closed. It was twelve to ten.

Speaker 12 (01:24:38):
But the second quarter they just got outmanned and outmatched
and didn't make shots, and South Carolina did and got
them in transition.

Speaker 10 (01:24:46):
So we may find out early again.

Speaker 12 (01:24:49):
If South Carolina has a real big first quarter or
second quarter like that, it could be another long night
for Texas. If they stand toe to toe with them
in the first half, then I like their chances. Then
they probably you go through the last couple of quarters
and have a shot to win this thing.

Speaker 1 (01:25:02):
Now, I don't want to give too much away here, Craig,
but Roy Harmon almost said the stat that's the secret
stat for this team.

Speaker 2 (01:25:09):
Do you know what it is? You know what she
was alluding to.

Speaker 12 (01:25:11):
Have no idea, but I can, but I can tell
you this. I mean, that's just something that they keeping themselves.
But they have several different layers and tiers of stats,
and it has usually has to do with rebounding, points
in the paint, and points off turnovers. Those all three

(01:25:33):
were real big factors in all three games. When Texas
won the game in Austin, they out rebound South Carolina,
they outscored them in points in the paint, and they
got them to turn over the ball more and scored
off of turnovers more. So I would have a feeling
it's something like that, But you know, it could be
any number of different tiers of stats. But I would

(01:25:56):
say that that that you'll have something to do with
one or more of those elements.

Speaker 1 (01:26:00):
Texas and South Carolina tip off tonight ninety eight one
KVED FM is the home of the women's basketball Final
four six pm tip. Craigway will be on the call. Craig,
before I let you go here. Final four for the
men is in San Antonio. Are you caring or you
locked in who you got?

Speaker 10 (01:26:16):
I picked Duke at the start.

Speaker 12 (01:26:18):
I have three of my four picks still around, and
so I would say, you know, I'm gonna stick with Duke.
But the game with Houston, I think, is going to
go a long way toward determining the national title. I
think if Houston wins, they've got a real good chance
to win the thing. Auburn has been the number one

(01:26:41):
overall seed and they've been number one for most of
the year. But it's funny, I know, you like to
look at those things with the fellows in the desert
in the way they play those odds and all that
kind of stuff, and they have like the lowest odds
to win it, you know, the longest odds to try
to win it. So it's it's kind of interesting to
see how that is, see how that's to be.

Speaker 1 (01:27:00):
So yeah, my degenerates, my degenerates have been talking about that.
Craig all Right, Texas baseball tonight, also against Georgia.

Speaker 2 (01:27:07):
Quickly, what are your thoughts here?

Speaker 12 (01:27:10):
If Jared Spencer has another good night on the mound
and then they dodged the thunderstorms around the Greater Austin
and Central Texas here they had a good shot to
win the opener tonight.

Speaker 1 (01:27:18):
Craig, have a great call tonight, my friend Texas and
South Carolina.

Speaker 2 (01:27:22):
This is gonna be a good one.

Speaker 10 (01:27:24):
Yeah, looking forward to it.

Speaker 1 (01:27:25):
Thanks, Jim all right, Texas in South Carolina tonight on
ninety eight one caved FM, five forty five hour times
six pm. Tip Craig ways on the call, all right,
when we come back more Men's Final four. Does Houston
have a chance to win the whole thing. We'll talk
about it next on sports Radio AM thirteen hundred The Zone.

Speaker 2 (01:27:43):
Sports Radio AM thirteen hundred The Zone.

Speaker 1 (01:27:46):
Andrew Zimml filling in for Craig this afternoon as the
Texas women's basketball team fased off against South Carolina in
the Final four. Winner goes on to play a game
against either UCLA or Yukon, which could be very interested,
very intriguing. But the Longhorns, they got their work cut

(01:28:08):
out for him. Last time these two teams played like
Craig said, it came down to a second quarter, a
twenty one to nine run that led a deficit too
large for Texas to overcome. Other news that came out today,
former Cowboys backup quarterback got a new deal that would
be Trey Lance greed to an agreement a one year

(01:28:28):
deal where a six point two million with the La Chargers.
Sources to old ESPN earlier today, Lance and Taylor Hinnicky
are now the backups for Justin Herbert.

Speaker 2 (01:28:40):
Now.

Speaker 1 (01:28:40):
I was a big Trey Lance guy coming out of
North Dakota State, the number three overall pick in the
twenty twenty one draft. He remains something of a mystery
after four seasons, which at the most important position on
the field, you kind of would like a sure thing,
and Trey Lance has never really been able to show
anybody what he is capable of. In twenty twenty three,

(01:29:03):
the Cowboys acquired him for a fourth round pick and
last year's draft. Didn't play a snap in twenty twenty
three and only got some spot duty in twenty twenty four.
You thought with the injury to Dak Prescott that Trey
Lance could have gotten some snaps. Last year, Cooper Rush
was the backup quarterback that got the NOD because of

(01:29:26):
that injury to Dak Prescott, so Lance never got any
playing time. At twenty four, he's younger than twenty twenty
four first round picks Bonnix and Michael Pennix, junior former
coach Mike McCarthy, and Lance just needs to Former coach
Mike McCarthy said, Lance just needs to gain some experience.
He's only played nineteen games in North Coastate before entering

(01:29:47):
the NFL, Which is a perfect segue into college basketball
because the two teams that are playing in the Final
four the two teams that most people have picked to
win the whole thing. Duke and Houston are two completely
different mindsets when it comes to the way that you
go about competing. Now, the one and Done has existed

(01:30:10):
in the NBA for about twenty years ish right, and
the idea behind it was, we're not gonna let guys
go straight from high school to the NBA. We won
him at least one season in college, with the hope
being that these guys would gain some experience, get an education,
and then go into the NBA. What it turned into

(01:30:32):
is essentially college turning into a nine month AAU circuit
for some of these guys before going to the NBA.
And Duke, while they do have some older players on
their roster, they are led by eighteen year old AP
All American and Player of the Year Cooper flag. They
are a young team led by John Shier, a young
head coach. Now give him all the credit in the world.

(01:30:55):
He's an experience head coach at this point. He's got
Duke to the Final Four. After doing it as a player,
he now does it as a coach.

Speaker 2 (01:31:03):
But this is a.

Speaker 1 (01:31:03):
Young Duke squad led by a young guy in Cooper Flagg,
for all intents and purposes, is a young king of
the court. He's a very just turning eighteen years old.
He's going to be the number one overall pick in
this year's NBA draft, but there's still a lot of
experience that he lacks, and for Duke, a program that

(01:31:25):
isn't for again all intensive purposes, rolled through the NCAA
tournament and beat a team in Alabama, a two seed
that a lot of people get picked to get to
the Final four. They rolled through them and beat him
by almost twenty points. So they haven't dealt with a
lot of adversity compared to what the Houston Cougars have

(01:31:45):
with Calvin Sampson and his squad. That team, an older,
more wiley, more beat up, taking their lumps type of team,
comes into this Final four maybe feeling like they're a
little longer in the tooth and a little bit more experienced.

Speaker 4 (01:32:01):
Now.

Speaker 1 (01:32:01):
John Shire spoke at his media availability yesterday about how
do you prepare for Houston, who can throw so many
different looks at you.

Speaker 6 (01:32:09):
Houston no offense to our scout team. We have a
great scout team. It's not something you can replicate, and
so it's a combination of understanding what could or could
not be there. But then at the same time, you
don't want to make them out to be the boogeyman.

Speaker 1 (01:32:24):
No, they can't be the boogeyman, but you got to give.

Speaker 2 (01:32:26):
Them some respect.

Speaker 1 (01:32:27):
And what this season has shown, at least to me,
is that Houston a team that rolled through the Big Twelve,
that looked like the best team in the conference. Almost
from the tip, they felt really good. Josh Shire was
on Scott Van Pelt's Sports Center and you talked about
the concerns the team like Houston gives you.

Speaker 4 (01:32:50):
Well, a lot concerns me.

Speaker 6 (01:32:51):
I think you start with the fact that they've had
the core of their team has been together for multiple
years and so the experience they've had together, their connection
is incredibly deep. But they're just a team that doesn't
beat themselves. You know, you have to really beat them.
And it starts with they make everything difficult for you

(01:33:11):
on our offense.

Speaker 4 (01:33:13):
Our offense, their defense is legit.

Speaker 6 (01:33:17):
You know, when you see two guys moving in a
pick a roll defense together, another three are moving that
same exact time. I mean, it's incredibly impressive when you
watch him play. And then they have a top ten
offense in the country. You know, they have three guys
that are shooting over forty from three, they poulenge you
in the offensive glass. They're just just they're They're a

(01:33:37):
great team, and so a lot concerns me. I feel
we're a great team too, and we're excited for the challenge,
but a ton of respect for coach Sampson and what
he's done, and then their team of how connected and
how tough they are.

Speaker 1 (01:33:49):
And one of those tough players is Juwan Roberts, who
played like a legitimate All American for most of the season.
Between Midjanuary early February, he averaged almost seventy and seven
while playing almost thirty five minutes a game.

Speaker 13 (01:34:04):
Now.

Speaker 1 (01:34:04):
He suffered an ankle injury in early February and struggled
over the next thirteen games. He missed two games in
the Big twelve tournament with that ankle injury as well
in the last two games he struggled with foul trouble
on top of that. These are the things that the
Cougars have to clean up if they want to advance

(01:34:24):
past Duke and have a matchup with either Florida or Alburn,
which is an interesting matchup to say the least. Alburn
and Florida two teams out of the sec who have
battled for supremacy in the conference. And again it's an
Auburn team led by again a relatively older group and

(01:34:45):
an older head coach in Bruce Pearl. They're one in
three down the stretch going into the NCAA tournament. A
lot of people were questioning how good they would be
come tournament time, and we heard when we talked to
Crag the guys out in Vegas aren't so high on
Alburn even though they're the number one overall seed. This

(01:35:07):
is the best final four according to Ken Palm ever
point blank period of the top ten Ken Pom scores.
These four teams, these four to one seeds who are
playing in the final four in San Antonio, the first
time we've gotten four to one seeds since two thousand
and eight. This tournament and these games on Saturday will
be some of the best games of the season. If

(01:35:29):
it shakes out the way that we think it will.
I'm beyond excited. I picked Duke to win the entire
thing at the beginning of March. I've since after listening
to Calvin Sampson all week, after listening to the way
that the Duke players have talked and really listening to
some of the smarter guys, and maybe it's just that
Texas biased. I'm leaning on the Cougars in tomorrow's matchup,

(01:35:52):
and then for Florida and Alburn, I think Bruce Pearl
has this team kicking at all on all cylinders.

Speaker 2 (01:35:58):
I'm going to Alburn.

Speaker 1 (01:36:00):
I'm going Houston over Auburn in the National Championship on Monday.
All right, when we come back, we'll wrap up our
three and The Craigway Show and gear you up for
tonight's Final four matchup between Texas and South Carolina. All
coming up next on Sports Radio AM thirteen hundred The Zone.
Sports Radio AM thirteen hundred The Zone. Andrew Zimmel hanging

(01:36:23):
out with you. Wrapping up a Friday edition of The
Craigway Show. Craig will be back on Monday, Win Loser
draw joining the program, taking back over sitting in the
big chair. I'm glad that I was able to keep
the seat warm. Cameron Parker will be with him as well.
Cameron calls Saturday's matchup as Texas and Georgia face off

(01:36:45):
in the SEC, the second home series for the Texas Longhorns.
Talk about good games happening at the dish. First LSU
comes into town. Now Georgia comes into town. David Salizman
and Mike Hardball arch on the call tonight six fifteen airtime,
six thirty, first pitch on one oh three one, Austin's

(01:37:08):
eighty station. Check it out on the free iHeartRadio app
And while you're there, make that one of the presets
the zone should be your number one. Preset one O
three one should be your number two because that is
where Texas baseball will play for the rest of the season.
And then ninety eight point one tonight is where you
can hear Texas women's basketball. Speaking of let's hear from

(01:37:28):
the head coach, Vick Schaeffer as they gear up for
what will be one of the best matchups of the season.
This is the fourth time that these two teams have played.
How important is it, coach, that you have experience in
the final four? How important is it that you are
been there before, You've done that to get to this

(01:37:50):
point and try to win this championship for Texas.

Speaker 9 (01:37:53):
You know, I told them the other night after we
won in Birmingham, we got on the airplane and before
we took off, because I knew they were going to
go to sleep, and we weren't going to land till
two fifteen.

Speaker 4 (01:38:02):
I said, we're.

Speaker 9 (01:38:05):
Going to land, You're going to go home, wash clothes,
and we're getting right back on the airplane. I said,
from that moment on, you will not have a minute
to yourself. I said, I realized you want to see
your families. They're going to be with you. But I'm
going to need y'all to really try to If you
get an hour, if you get two hours, you need
to have that time to yourself. You need to take

(01:38:26):
a nap, you need to refresh mentally.

Speaker 4 (01:38:29):
As well as physically.

Speaker 9 (01:38:31):
And you know you can visit with family when you're
done with spring semester. Not take wanting to take away
from any of that, because I know all my kids
of their families are here, and certainly I want them
to enjoy that. But you just get pulled from so
many areas, so many different directions, and I just want

(01:38:51):
them to you know, we had a tough regional.

Speaker 4 (01:38:54):
I mean, we had to play.

Speaker 9 (01:38:56):
Another team from the SEC in Tennessee is playing very
well and is a really good team.

Speaker 4 (01:39:03):
Had a knockdown drag out with them.

Speaker 9 (01:39:04):
Then we had to go up against TCU, who's a
conference champion. As Rory said, offensively, their efficiencies off the chart.
Got a seventh year player on their team, a fifth
year player on their team. That's their two best players.
So we knew we had a challenge there. And obviously
if you watch that game Monday night, you saw how

(01:39:25):
hard my kids played. So yeah, it's something that was
on my mind from as soon as it was over.
And I had to tell my staff too, we have
to really try to lock in and really close the
doors and lock out the distractions if he will, and it's.

Speaker 4 (01:39:45):
Hard to do.

Speaker 9 (01:39:46):
And again for my kids, I want them to enjoy this.
I mean, you guys don't know this. Every time they
walk in a room somewhere, there's something they're waiting for.

Speaker 1 (01:39:56):
Yeah, tonight, what's waiting for them is the University of
South Carolina that they've faced off against three times this season.
To lock in now, Texas beat South Carolina a couple
of years back. This couple months back, they snapped a
fifty seven game SEC regular season win streak. South Carolina
is vulnerable. In that loss in January, that loss in

(01:40:19):
I guess February, the Gamecocks went a cold, poor shot
selection turned the ball over in that earlier loss. Multiple
players got in defouled trouble as well, and Texas's defense
is as formidable as advertised. This is a great defensive team.
Ry Harmon talked about when she got recruited what Vick

(01:40:42):
Schaefer's plan was for her. Did you know you were
going to be playing forty minutes of defense to night.

Speaker 17 (01:40:47):
I don't think he had to stress it to me,
because I think he saw that I was already doing it.
I've been playing defense for quite some time high school
and leading up to this point. But that's the reason
why I chose to come here, and we're part of
the reason why I chose come Here's because he took
that much pride in defense, and I was already showing
that at a young age that I really did care

(01:41:08):
about defense and I understood the fundamentals of defense. Obviously,
I didn't know everything then, and I just completely just
learned a whole new wave of defense here. But yeah,
he didn't He didn't have to really like preach that
to me, honestly, because he knew I hadn't.

Speaker 4 (01:41:23):
No.

Speaker 1 (01:41:23):
Obviously, these players love their head coach and their head
coach talks about how much he loves this team and
these players. Ry Harmon got asked, but how bad they
want to win this final four game against South Carolina
not only for themselves but for Vic Schaefer.

Speaker 17 (01:41:40):
Yeah, obviously he's how many seven out of the eight
years in lead eight, So I think getting to the
tournament is one thing, and then you're getting to the
lead eight and then now we're in the final four.
But obviously he's been here before. That just means a lot,
Like that's kind of why we come to Texas because
he knows how to win, like he's quite legendary. And

(01:42:01):
so when we look at these games coming up, and
obviously we wanted for ourselves, but someone who like sacrifices
like spending family time and sacrifices to sleep sometimes most times,
and you know stuff like that, Like it's so hard
for us to just.

Speaker 2 (01:42:19):
Not want to do it for him, Like we.

Speaker 17 (01:42:21):
Gotta not be so kind of tied up in ourselves
and wanting the success for ourselves, but we have to
show our respect and appreciation for him and of course
the rest.

Speaker 1 (01:42:30):
Of URK, which is great. You gotta show respect to
your head coach, gotta show respect to your opponent. Now,
the big matchup tonight that will decide this game, At
least in my mind, the deciding matchup will be Rehaul
versus Madison Booker.

Speaker 2 (01:42:47):
The winner of this.

Speaker 1 (01:42:48):
Matchup now, Texas is Madison Booker SEC player of the
year in the win against South Carolina this season, twenty
points on seven of twenty two shooting. It helped out
by Taylor Jones and Kyla Oldacre cleaning up the glass
and playing good down low. But Bree Hall will be
the primary defender on Madison Booker tonight. What do you

(01:43:11):
think of Hall and what do you think of the
South Carolina team?

Speaker 4 (01:43:14):
She's a great defender.

Speaker 16 (01:43:16):
I mean, it's kind of shocked she wasn't on like
the like the like our companies, like defensive team or
anything like that. Long lean athletic. She definitely, you know,
makes you think on the court as an officive player.
Oh yeah, she's a great player. I totally have alma
respect her. Definitely don't make me think, like I say,
a great player.

Speaker 1 (01:43:36):
No bulletin board material here, Texas's Madison Booker making the
smart decision, not giving them anything to gear up your
opponent any more than they're already geared up for this
Final four matchup. Now Texas plays tonight kived FM ninety
eight to one, Aritime five forty five six pm.

Speaker 10 (01:43:54):
Tip.

Speaker 1 (01:43:54):
Craig Way will be on the call from Tampa Bay.
I like the Longhorns of this one. On the other
side of the bracket, Yukon has been rolling. Give me
Yukon and Texas in the National Championship on Sunday. That's
what I'm pumped up for. That's what we're looking forward
to until next time. Creig will be back in the

(01:44:15):
chair on Monday. Cameron Parker will be with him as well.
I will see you on the other side. I don't
know when the next time we're gonna talk, but when
the next time we do talk, we'll talk Texas baseball
because they have a big matchup this weekend against Georgia
six fifteen air time, six point thirty first pitch Hardball.
Harge is on the call, Austin Dating station one oh
three to one. We'll see you next time. Until next time,

(01:44:37):
I'm Andrew Zimmel. I'm not wrong, I'm just early.

Speaker 10 (01:44:40):
Pete