Hour 1- December 10, Brian Pedersen

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
This is I on the Ball with Steve Rivera on
Fox Sports fourteen fifty powered by Nova Insurance Services. In
sure your most prized because that's yets.

Speaker 2 (00:15):
Hey, good not to noon, everybody. Welcome to Iye on
the Ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera,
and today with me is the kid Juan the kid. Yes,
don't be nervous to the co host today, I'm shaking
him my boots.

Speaker 3 (00:31):
These boots were made for talking on the radio. His
boots were made for shaking in your boots. Shiver me, timbers. Yes,
that's all I got today, two hours of us. No.
No eagerly waiting today? No, because yeah you didn't. He
had somewhere to be. Apparently he's important or something. No
eager Tomorrow we have Jay John and then Friday we
might have Eager. If Jay doesn't show up, Jesus pray

(00:54):
he's getting his butt kicked again. Doesn't want yet, so
he's probably listening. I made the mistake last year so well,
choosing Jay over you.

Speaker 2 (01:05):
Oh yeah yeah, I if I would have bet you
had to taken all your money, all your coins because
he's not good. But he is not again this year
but Jay, we miss you, we love you. Hey you
do have some guests though, Yes we do. Brian Peterson
three seventeen. We talk about what's going on to the
U of A football, basketball and everything else that's going on.

Speaker 3 (01:26):
Yes, easy dessert swarm. It's an easy desert swarm day.

Speaker 2 (01:29):
Yeah, you're there, he's there. I'm not there, but I'm
here with your eye on the ball. Yeah, are you
going to say you know?

Speaker 4 (01:37):
Yes?

Speaker 2 (01:38):
Are you a little bit as a fan? No, you're
gonna be covering? Oh okay, did you already get your
credentials or no?

Speaker 3 (01:43):
I did. I did do my application. I haven't heard
back yet. Yeah, me too. Okay, so that's happening here.
You're going to cover the Arizona bawl Uh. Probably not,
but I don't think. I'm not sure if I'll be here, Yeah,
I'll glady World Traveler, No Gallaus, No, No, I'll be
I'll probably be heading to San Diego already.

Speaker 2 (02:04):
Okay, nice to stay in Yuma. Stay in alcohol. We're
going straight to the beach. Okay, good for you. It's
kind of cold. That's good for you. And then if
four seventeen, we have uh who Rubino from a Tempee.
Let's see, let's see if they recovered from the football game.

Speaker 3 (02:23):
I know that program might be in shambles right now.
People are jumping, well, people here are jumping too. They
had left lost too, I think, I think too. Two,
And we'll talk about the basketball program because they're winning.
Obviously people are talking about their basketball program. Number one
team or a su Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, they're not
number one eleven that they're not like previous years where
they're just kind of you all over them. They're they're dangerous,

(02:45):
they're they're competitive. Yeah. Yeah, they got that nice center,
center may Bee power forward.

Speaker 2 (02:50):
Yeah, Hawaii was good to them. Yeah, they just won less.
I think it was last night against any of you,
a big deal. But you know, still they didn't lose
to any They didn't lose any of you. So we'll
talk to about that and see what's going on in Tempee.
What else going on a lot of breaking news a
little bit. So some women play today.

Speaker 3 (03:07):
The women's basketball team did play today, So he talks
about that. You can see that. Okay, what else anything
else from your end? No, just waiting for this Saturday
big matchup with Alabama and Bromham.

Speaker 2 (03:18):
Were you here with me and the kid, the other kid, Troy. Yep,
you saying they're gonna win. You say they're gonna win.

Speaker 3 (03:27):
No, No, I think this is prime Arizona to be
rings number one. But then to go on the road
and quote unquote neutral site and Alabama's a dangerous team.
They could honestly just shoot the lights out of you
if they wanted to, or shoot themselves out of it. Yeah,
you know, because if they don't, you don't know what
Alabama is gonna show up. A version of Alabama's gonna

(03:49):
show up on Saturday.

Speaker 2 (03:50):
One are the things that I know you're kind of
still new in the game and you but you watched
a lot of uy stuff over the last ten twelve years.
And I was asked this on the Phoenix Radio show
maybe two a half hour ago. What do I think
the signature is of this team? You know, what's the
calling card?

Speaker 3 (04:09):
What do you think? What do you mean? What are
they known for? Right now? Who are probably the freshmen? Okay,
Arizona is the team led by freshmen and then Jaden
Bradley h.

Speaker 2 (04:22):
Well, maybe what distinguishes them? Maybe I'm just trying to
maybe I.

Speaker 3 (04:25):
Think what distinguishes Arizona is that they can win in
many different fasts of the game. You can get very
ugly with them, and we saw that kind of with Yukon. Yeah,
but you could also shoot the lights out, and that's
what we saw against Florida. You know, that's a ninety
three eighty seventh final compared to Yukon seventy one sixty seven,
which are both relatively high scoring. But for college basketball,

(04:46):
Yukon is not really a high scoring game, and especially
for I mean they're just in general for Arizona. Look
at UCLA sixty nine sixty five. Yeah, that's a very
low scoring for the even tough buckets type of game.
So my whole thing is that don't disagree with you,
but my whole thing is how much tougher they are
this year than compared to last year because last year's

(05:07):
because Arizona historically is not known for being a tough team.

Speaker 2 (05:11):
I mean, right, no, but this one is this one
is with the Waka, with CoA, with Jaden maybe Evon
uh Krebus, who's kind of you know, he can be
uh and I'm sure, and that's about it. Maybe who
else is off the bench?

Speaker 3 (05:31):
That's about is tougher, tough in general, but tougher.

Speaker 2 (05:36):
So that hasn't been the calling card for Arizona in years.
If ever, they've had tough minded teams, but not tough
physically yea uh and Waka leads away with the CoA
and the rest of the guys. Jayden, I wouldn't get
into a fight with Jaden uh. And you're Evon, Yeah,
he's an older freshman. Yeah yeah, season season freshman. That's

(05:58):
a good, good word because in the past they haven't
been this team. No, they're they're They're built for something.
And I think that Tommy and I'm hoping to get
Tommy on the show at some point, and I might
even asking this question sometimes, you know, how was it
in the roster construction?

Speaker 3 (06:14):
What was his thinking? And it must have been fun
putting this team together, of course it is. I mean
because they're fit, right, you know what they get? Yeah,
you have very talented players at almost every position, Jayden Bradley,
you already had that. Now you're looking for a shooting guard.
They could possibly elevate your your outside shooting and even

(06:34):
mid range. That's Bury's. Then you're looking at a small
forward like uh, Yvonne that can pretty much do anything.
The Swiss Army knife qute unquote of this team, which
was the Pelo Larcens the day Daleen Terry's, and he
kind of talked about that well that when he got here.
That's what Tommy said, look at their film, this is
exactly what I'm gonna want you to do and what

(06:54):
we're gonna need you to do. You say that, Uh, Yvonne, No, no, Tommy, No,
Yvonne said in the post game of After Auburn. Okay,
Tommy said, Hey, look at these type of players. You're
gonna be just like them, and you should be modeling
your game around this type of.

Speaker 2 (07:12):
But he's not that guy. I mean, he's not deal Arry,
you know what I'm saying. He's not shaped like him,
he doesn't play like him. Dalen was more of a skinny,
get to the basket guy who could shoot it. Yvonne
has has a better all around player. I think he's
just a different player.

Speaker 3 (07:32):
But for that team, Daleen Terry was that Swiss Army Yeah,
do anything, Hella Larson, ask him to do anything, He's
going to He's a better parallel pill Larson. Yeah, a
more physical pillow of course. Uh. And then you're you're
looking at Cole Pete, who speaks for himself. Put him
at any position on that court, and he's gonna exceed expectations. Uh.

(07:52):
And then the question mark was who starts at center?
Who do you start? Tobayowaka, who went through all the
last season as the starter, got tough. You know he's
tough or more crevas who could probably use that kind
of experience in time to find that toughness. And I
think we've seen a game game by game that's improved. Yeah. Yeah,
so we'll see what happens.

Speaker 2 (08:11):
So one of the things I heard him say that
he's asking Cola to be a better rebounder, at least
go after more rebounds, right, yeah, I think that'll be easy,
not easy. It'll be easy to go after the rebounds,
whether he gets some or not. That's the thing he
does need to be.

Speaker 3 (08:26):
It is truly truly hard to go out and go
get rebounds. Obviously he can, yeah, but that's the thing.
Alwaka and Molkreevos are eating the rebounds. They averaged almost
ten per game. That's twenty right there, just alone between
two players, So you're really only asking for ten more rebounds.
Maybe from the other four players on the on the court,

(08:48):
which is easy to do. Yeah. I was reading something now.
I think it's in Ken Palm.

Speaker 2 (08:53):
They're talking about the favorites to win Player of the Year,
and who do you think is leading player of the year?

Speaker 3 (08:59):
The Boozer kid? Yeah, did you see it? That's that's
every time you can get him on the screen, you're
going to see him on the screen. Yeah. Where do
you think, Uh, there's one of the best players. I
would say it's Coed Pete and uh, probably around ten.
Maybe saw this? No, I did s this. I did not.

(09:19):
I did not. It was a tad did you clean
your room? Sun? I actually came to Actually, Uh that
is that? Is that where he's at? He's a tid.
I would have thought thirteen, maybe just because of the
East Coast bias, but I think I think his performances
in the big time games have earned him in the
top ten spot. Yeah, and he's not enough to boost

(09:41):
past ten. And I don't think he's had enough. You know,
that first game was like, Wow, holy crap. And then
you see by us.

Speaker 2 (09:45):
Guy last night, right, yeah, yeah, and you're thinking, holy crap,
who's that?

Speaker 3 (09:49):
Yeah, but he's very good. He's very good.

Speaker 2 (09:50):
So it's co uh and it takes me. It tastes
that one game they say, oh wow, who's this. They
haven't even talked about JP J T top topping.

Speaker 3 (10:00):
Yeah, yeahon Houston is still a very dangerous team, probably
just because they haven't said, oh top I thought he
was at Houston. No, he's a top Both teams are
very dangerous in the Big Twelve. Yes, they probably haven't
had the schedule like Arizona or By was gonna win
the Big Twelve. No, no, no, it's gonna be Houston. Yeah,
they've been there, done that about their business, and even

(10:21):
then I would think it's possibly Texas Tech. Yeah, it's
such a long road. Yeah. And then again it comes
back to the overall theme of March Madness and just
tournaments in general. Where you seated, who do you end
up playing? Because Arizona very could easily play a team
like Kansas in that second round if they get that

(10:42):
buy and lose. Yeah, it's a very talented Big Twelve
this year and it's fun to watch.

Speaker 2 (10:48):
It'll be fun to watch. It's could be great to
watch if you have tickets. People were talking about, oh
that was the best non conference game at McHale and
we know it was or it should have been. It
wasn't much of a game. But if you have tickets
to rest the way, excluding a couple of cupcakes coming
the end, it's gonna be a lot of fun in
the Big twelve.

Speaker 3 (11:07):
And then Phoenix is not too far of a drive.
I know people will complain though about it, the money
money portion of that. Yeah, that game, but that will
still be a good game. San Diego State was a
Final four team with you know, uh, they're they're they're
kind of like Houston, but not to that level of Houston.
They're just a very tough, physical team. Yeah, they're gonna

(11:29):
make you earn it and you just it's gonna be
a it's gonna be a battle. It should be fun.
It's a late night on next Saturday in the Phoenix. Yeah, yeah,
it's a I'm gonna get them on the ball that weekend, right.

Speaker 2 (11:46):
Oh yeah, yeah, that Friday, we got we have a
we have a we have a group date at the TCC.

Speaker 3 (11:51):
What's bulls? I forgot about that that Friday night. Good luck.

Speaker 2 (11:54):
You better get insurance if you told your parents, they
know any not kidding out how you tell your parents, Oh.

Speaker 3 (12:01):
No, me, no, no, no, you know me. I no.
Le'll just probably say good luck. Yeah right right, yeah,
try to make it back home. You went a burrito
in the morning, I'm gonna want a burrito right after.
I'll tell you that some water, Oh, pase water ice? Okay.

Speaker 2 (12:19):
Anybody want to call? How much time we have you
get about two minutes? Oh okay, never mind, no calls.
We're gonna get a hold of Brian Peterson, have a
little fun with that and talk more about the UA
basketball program. The women had a game. We'll wait for
that to talk about for breaking news. And uh, I
think let's just go.

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Speaker 1 (17:19):
This is I on the Ball with Steve Rovera on
Fox Sports fourteen fifty. Subscribe now to the podcast on
the iHeartRadio wipp just search Ie on the Ball.

Speaker 2 (17:31):
Hey, welcome back to my on the Ball here on
Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera here with Jan
and now with Brian Peterston Peterson from Asy disners Warm.

Speaker 9 (17:40):
How you doing good? Thanks for having me.

Speaker 3 (17:43):
Yeah, yeah, I know. We're at a busy time.

Speaker 2 (17:45):
I think maybe this week is kind of not so busy,
given that there's no game between games, and football's gone
for now and basketballs has a week off. Let's talk
basketball first and we'll revisit football, number one team in
the country. You've been here a long time. I've been
here a long time. We've seen this all before. What
does it mean in December to you?

Speaker 9 (18:07):
It just means that they've had a good start and
that they haven't really had any screw ups, and that
the teams that were ahead of them in the original
poll have.

Speaker 10 (18:17):
Have fallen, which all of those things are.

Speaker 9 (18:19):
The case here. I mean, they've definitely played.

Speaker 10 (18:23):
Better than I expected with this group, considering that the
number of freshmen that they have used and started, and
particularly when I saw that they were going to go
with a third freshman in the starting lineup in Karchenkov.
To be sitting here at eight to oh and number
one in the middle of December is very surprising. I
thought that this was a kind of team that was
going to need to work a little while to get

(18:44):
to where it wants to be. And it's still not
a complete team. There's certainly flaws and whatnot. But just
like two years ago when they were number one, first
game they have to play is in a tough road
environment against the ranked opponent in Alabama. Two years ago
it was Purdue, and so they've already shown that they've
played in a tough environment at Yukon, so maybe this

(19:08):
will go a little bit different. But two years ago that.

Speaker 9 (19:10):
Team had already won at Duke so and then went
to Purdue, and losing this game won't really change anything.
To have one loss going into the Big Twelve would
still be a massive success. I thought maybe two or
three losses out of this non conference state.

Speaker 3 (19:25):
You talk about the that this team is maybe exceeded
expectations given that they're playing three freshmen, but Steve still
sees concerns. I still see concerns. His is the lack
of three point shooting minds, free throws. Well, in your eyes,
well would that flaw bee?

Speaker 9 (19:43):
Yeah? I mean they haven't identified who can be the
go to shooters on the outside. So far. They haven't
needed it because they have been so dominant in the
paint and the ability that everyone is able to score
in there, the fact that Kartschenkov can, the fact that
dell Orso is driving better, Burris can get to the

(20:03):
rim that they haven't met, and Bradley has already shown
he can get to the rim. They don't need to
be shooting outside. But if they get to a point
where they have a team that is able to neutralize
their front court advantage, then if that were, you know,
a team that really packs in the paint and forces
them to take threes, are they going to be able

(20:24):
to do that? That's not what Alabama is Alabama doesn't
really have a very strong front court, so it would
be someone in the Big twelve that I think would
do that, or maybe San Diego State. We'll try something
to that approach. As far as the free throws, yes,
they miss some, but they get to the lines so
much that if you're getting to the line thirty times
and making twenty, it's better than going fifteen to fifteen,

(20:47):
and not just for the points, but also for the
foul pressure and all that. So I'm not as concerned
on the free throw side.

Speaker 2 (20:54):
I was asking on a different show earlier out of
Phoenix and asked about the identity of this team, and
I had to kind of maybe think a little bit,
that says, I think. One of the things that I
realized is this team is tougher the most, if not
all the teams I've seen over the last few years,
many years in fact, there's this physically tougher and they
have a guard who's mentally tough and physically tough. Does

(21:15):
that strike you or no?

Speaker 11 (21:18):
Yeah?

Speaker 9 (21:18):
Yeah, I mean I think that there's been a push
ever since the first year that Tommy Lloyd was here,
and he saw how much they got pushed around, that
they needed to become a tougher team, and it's been
slowly but surely building towards that each year. And I
think you are seeing the most amount of that here
in terms of not just.

Speaker 10 (21:39):
On the offensive side, but on the defensive side. The
coaches that have pointed.

Speaker 9 (21:43):
Out the ability for Arizona to be able to defend
at the rim so well, and just everything about that
that that physical nature has really been there. And yes,
Jayden Bradley is a tough SOB sophomore excuse me, senior.
Everything that he's done this this does the you saw

(22:04):
maybe the in the middle of the Shawn Merrick Shawn
Miller time, like that Final four for those the Elite
eight teams and all that he had some toughness and
then it kind of went away in the back half
of his But yes, this is definitely the most physical
group that I've seen here in a while.

Speaker 3 (22:26):
In your eyes right now, who's the biggest threat to
Arizona both naturally and within the Big twelve.

Speaker 10 (22:33):
I mean, everyone's talking about Michigan.

Speaker 9 (22:35):
And they're just kind of blowing everybody out of the water.
And they're they're beating good teams too, So I.

Speaker 10 (22:41):
Would have to say that that is a major challenge there.

Speaker 9 (22:43):
Same with Duke. Duke has played as tough, if not tougher,
a schedule than Arizona has and has come out with
all those and they're doing it with a bunch of
freshmen just like Arizona. So and they but what could
hurt Duke is that the ACC is better than it
was year, but it's still not as good as the
Big Ten or the Big twelve or the SEC, and

(23:05):
so that they're going to get to this point where
they're not going to be facing it as good competition
within the conference. I mean, there's always going to be Houston,
though I don't know if this is as good a
Houston team as last year. It looks like the defense
is still there, but there aren't the same kind of
offensive playmakers. Iowa State. The fact that they want it

(23:26):
Purdue is just an incredible performance, so you can't discot them.
The thing is Arizona doesn't see Iowa State until the
final week of the season. The one time it's the
final home game at McHale, so they presumably could be
battling it out for a long time without ever seeing
each other. And Kansas is still always a challenge and

(23:46):
I mean I would even have the BYU because of
Ajdabansa is in there and Texas Tech is always a
tough one. So I mean there's four or five teams
up up at the top in the league. Arizona doesn't
see any of those for a little while. They I
think the first half of their schedule the only top
five team they play is once against BYU. It's a
very backloaded schedule, so Arizona could easily be sitting at

(24:10):
like sixteen and one something like that before they start
to hit the really tough teams in the league.

Speaker 3 (24:16):
So I can't remember.

Speaker 2 (24:17):
You're about twenty years younger than me, if not a
little less, But you showed up here.

Speaker 3 (24:23):
Tell me when you first got here.

Speaker 10 (24:25):
I've been in Tuson since nineteen ninety four, Steve, you're
not sixteen nine years old.

Speaker 3 (24:29):
Are you? No?

Speaker 2 (24:31):
I just feel it. So what you say ninety four?
So final four year? Ninety four, ninety four year or yes.

Speaker 9 (24:39):
I I got accepted to the u of A in
December of ninety three. They made the Final four in
ninety five March with Damon.

Speaker 2 (24:49):
And the reason I ask is, Okay, you've seen a
lot of games, whether you were a student and or
a media member in various capacities. So I you know,
I started covering this team in ninety one and had
here since eighty seven.

Speaker 3 (25:00):
So a lot of good.

Speaker 2 (25:01):
Games and people are now loving this team, which they
have every right to. I have no doubt this team.
I didn't go see Saturday's game. I had an obligation,
but everyone was saying, oh, this is the best team,
the best game ever. You've seen better teams and better games,
haven't you.

Speaker 9 (25:19):
Yes, yes, I would not look at the Auburn.

Speaker 10 (25:23):
Performance as the one that you should.

Speaker 9 (25:25):
Be pointing out in this group. It's the Yukon performance,
even though Yukon was missing one of their better players
and two because one hadn't played yet. To do that
on the road and to really be controlling the whole game,
that's the game that really set apart for me that, Wow,
this really could be a special team. The Florida game
was very surprising, but we've seen since Florida does have

(25:47):
some flaws, particularly as backcourt, and UCLA hadn't challenged itself.
And you never know what you're gonna get with with
mccronin's teams, especially with the way he deals with them,
but the Yukon performance was that there.

Speaker 10 (26:01):
Beating Auburn and beating them handily was very impressive. But
you know, myself and a.

Speaker 9 (26:06):
Couple of the other people that were at the game
were joking during the game that were like, maybe this
is why Bruce Pearl decided to retire, like that, he
saw that he had an incomplete team and you know.

Speaker 10 (26:17):
Hey, let's let's let's hand it off to the to
the Sun.

Speaker 9 (26:20):
And see what he can do. This is not the
same kind of Auburn team that just made the Final
four last year, not just because it's new players, it's
just it's made up very differently. So no, that's not
the game they would do that, And even beating Alabama
and Birmingham wouldn't do it for me because Alabama, while
they are impressive, they are also extremely flawed. If they

(26:41):
don't make their threes, then they're it's hard for them
to win. They took fifty seven three pointers on Sunday
against UT San Antonio and made sixteen of them, so
they that's that's their game, and you know they could
hit a bunch and then well that's just how it works.
But no, I would not say this is the best

(27:02):
team I've seen, I mean the last time there was
I mean, the Brandon Ashley team was better than this one,
I think in terms of its overall complete makeup. And
you know, everyone brings up what would have happened if
he hadn't broken his foot kind of thing. That team
was better than this one.

Speaker 2 (27:18):
So yeah, and where one of the things that I
think though they've played well or at least gotten tatan
no without the consistent services of Buris.

Speaker 9 (27:30):
Yes, yeah, and in fact, none of the freshmen well,
with the exception of co Opete, even though he had
one bad game against UCLA. They haven't had to rely
on those guys because of the veterans that Jaden Bradley
has been solid and spectacular in every.

Speaker 10 (27:45):
Game, Tobayowaka has done his.

Speaker 9 (27:47):
Part, Lo Crebis keeps getting better on the offensive end
and has been outstanding on defense. And Anthony del Orso
has shown new parts of his game which I guess
our old parts of this game from when he was
at Campbell with his aggressive dis and driving to the basket.
So the fact that the four veterans have been solid
in every game has allowed the freshmen to be hot

(28:08):
and cold. And you can offset those. If they have
a game where two or more of the veterans struggle
and the freshmen also struggle, that's when there's going to
be an issue. They haven't needed the freshmen to carry them.
They also have been able to withstand the freshmen having
rough games.

Speaker 3 (28:26):
Looking ahead to football now, obviously Arizona's going to the
Holiday Bowl. What's the most intriguing part of this matchup
against SMU.

Speaker 10 (28:36):
Well, it's another team that likes to throw the ball
a lot.

Speaker 9 (28:39):
They I think they're top ten, maybe top twelve in
passing and as Arizona has shown, they've been able to
neutralize passing at attacks. Gaylor was number one in the
country when Arizona face them, and their quarterback had maybe
thirty yards in the second half. The last eight opponents
haven't hit two hundred passing yards, and I think that's
the longest weeks since two thousand and four.

Speaker 10 (29:02):
Bowl games.

Speaker 9 (29:02):
You never really know what's going to happen because who's
going to play and how serious a team takes it.
SMU was a team that looked like they could get
back to the playoffs for the second year in a row,
and then they lose at Cal and now they're playing
in what maybe feels to them like an unimportant Bowl.
But I think that you also will have teams trying

(29:24):
a lot of tricks and trying different things because the
game really doesn't matter. Arizona definitely wants to get to
the ten wins.

Speaker 10 (29:33):
And will try some of their own fun stuff.

Speaker 9 (29:35):
But I think dealing with that pass defense is going
to be the type of thing. But also just seeing
how Arizona just finishes this out and puts together a
season that nobody saw coming, especially the way last year was.

Speaker 2 (29:50):
Well, there's kind of one guy. I hope you gave
a raise. It's Juan who went instead of eight and four.

Speaker 3 (29:56):
What did you say on your predictions.

Speaker 9 (29:59):
I think I said seven and five, So yeah, I mean, okay,
I just thought I mean getting to Yeah, I think
getting to seven wins that were just getting back to
Bowl eligibility was was really all they needed to do,
just to show a level of progress after the first year.
Because I've always been of the mindset of you don't

(30:21):
do something in reaction to a bad year. You do
something in reaction to what happens the year after the
bad year. That you have to show there's always going
to be some backslides from time to time, and it's
what you do the year after. And if they had
started six and two and then finished six and six,
that's one thing. But once they got to six wins,
they just kept winning. And it's very similar to two

(30:43):
years ago. And I think it speaks to the players
wanting having this collective goal, which is hard to do
nowadays with when you're bringing in all these one year
mercenaries and everybody you know is coming in for money
and all of that and all the changes. I think
there's also some solace in knowing that they're not going

(31:05):
to be losing their head coach this offseason, even though
I mean there was a surprise head coaching change here today.
But I don't see Brent Brennan being part of that
domino effect. Like when two years ago when Nick daven retired,
I quickly tweeted, I said Arizona might want to get
that contract signed for Fish. People thought that meant that
I thought he was going to go to Alabama, and

(31:25):
I didn't think that, but I thought that whoever ar
Obaama hired, you know, might whatever that school is, might
go after Fish, just in the dominoes. And sure enough
that's what ended up happening. But I see this, this
staff saying intact for next year, and while there's going
to be plenty of holes to fill there, there's much
more of an opportunity to carry on from this year

(31:48):
to next than there was from twenty three to twenty
four when you had the head coaching change and all
the players who left.

Speaker 3 (31:55):
Yeah, no question.

Speaker 2 (31:55):
I think that one of the reasons they did so well,
and one of many is that they bought into Brennan's
philosophy and they believed in him and his assistance that
he brought in because that was lacking in the first
first half. He would not have in the first year.
He would not have said I'm not gonna kiss anybody's
asked anymore, you know whatever. He never would have said
that had he not believe that. Let me say this, Yeah,

(32:16):
with the two defections or more, maybe there's more, I
don't know, will that hurt them at all?

Speaker 9 (32:22):
The players in the portal? Yeah, no. And Michael Wooten
is a backup guard, and assuming that everybody who started
in the last game, I mean, he might still end
up being able to play in the game that Brennan
has made mention that you know they're still part of
this team. It's just a matter of how much Henny
reps you want to give to somebody during the lead

(32:44):
up to this game to actually be able to win.
And Wouton has has filled in admirable with me this year,
but I don't think he was part of the long
term plans. And then on the defensive side, Chandler Chancellor
Owens had appeared in the first two games and that
was it, And I mean he must have seen the
writing on the wall that he's not in the plans
for next year. They may they'll have a couple other guys,

(33:05):
probably whose names will leak out between now and January second,
who plan on leaving, But I don't think anybody who
is a key member of the team that any of
that will happen before the game that's the first day
of the portal on January second. You might see a
couple of guys after that, and that's just part of
the normal business nature of the game nowadays. See now,

(33:28):
if Arizona's losing players, it's going to be strictly over money,
because they're not going to leave a winning program unless
somebody is just throwing a ton of money against him,
or they're just not playing enough here, but all the
key guys have their their rotations and their roles.

Speaker 3 (33:46):
Kind of just to wrap it up, and final question
for a guy like no Fafida, Obviously he's going to
go down as one of the best, but is there
an argument to kind of put him at the best
the label of the best quarterback to come to you
receive Arizona.

Speaker 10 (34:02):
Well, yes, it depends on what you're gauging. Like Nick
Foles is the one that went to the NFL.

Speaker 9 (34:09):
Won a Super Bowl and all that, so he probably
had the best pedigree in terms of that. But considering
the journey that Fafita took as part of a very
important recruiting class at Arizona that helped turn things around
and to kind of come in in a storybook way
when Jade Laura got injured against Stanford in the twenty

(34:31):
three Pac twelve opener and lead them to victory and
then take over the team after that and go on
this long winning streak to get them to a ten
win season, weather them through a rough year, stick with
the team after bolt, after a coaching change, and after
a bad season, when I'm sure there's other places that
he could have gone, and to continue to do that

(34:52):
and to be so solid this year, beyond just the
records that he set, and assuming that he is back
next year, he'll become the career passing leader in yards.
He could get the single season touchdown record in this
final game. So beyond just the stats, I think from
the ambassadorship that he has done, he I wouldn't even
just say one of the best, the best quarterback in

(35:14):
school agry, that he'd probably be one of the five best.

Speaker 10 (35:17):
People in program history because he throwing guys like Teddy Bruski,
you know, ones that you'll always associate.

Speaker 9 (35:25):
With Arizona beyond just their performance. That he's just a
guy you'll remember as an Arizona Wildcat.

Speaker 2 (35:31):
No, and I think that's a good point. Let me
end this with some good news. You and I won't
be making the trip together this time.

Speaker 9 (35:39):
Oh to San Diego. Oh you're going with someone else.

Speaker 2 (35:44):
Yes, you've been kicked to the curve, baby, kick to
the curb? No you go by yourself? Are you driving somebody?

Speaker 9 (35:51):
No?

Speaker 10 (35:51):
No, I'm going by myself.

Speaker 9 (35:52):
Seet you missed out. I got a new car. You
could have been You could have been luxuriating in.

Speaker 3 (35:58):
I could darned.

Speaker 10 (36:02):
Okay, well there's always there's always.

Speaker 9 (36:04):
March when we hopefully are going back to San Diego
again for basketball and.

Speaker 3 (36:08):
Then santose stay that they're good.

Speaker 9 (36:10):
Yeah, well so I'll have I'll have more pictures of
you sleeping.

Speaker 3 (36:14):
Look forward to that adventure. Okay, thanks by thanks Bred,
Thanks guys.

Speaker 2 (36:19):
As Brian Peterson from an easy Desert swarm, let's take
a break and come back.

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Speaker 1 (39:51):
Steve Rovera, please got his Eye on the Ball on
Tucson's sports station, Fox Sports fourteen fifty eight.

Speaker 2 (40:01):
Hey, welcome back to Eying the Ball euro Fox Sports
fourteen fifteen.

Speaker 3 (40:04):
Steve Roberta, you're one.

Speaker 9 (40:06):
What do you do?

Speaker 3 (40:06):
A little fact checking here? Fact checking? So it was
as experts.

Speaker 2 (40:12):
Brian Brian accurate in his description of how he picked
this team.

Speaker 3 (40:17):
Uh, I mean it as quote unquote accurate as you
could be. Uh, everyone from Desert Swarm outside of myself
at six and six you had eight and four yep.
Everybody had six and six yep. Go over the critiques.
Uh so some of the comments. My mama done told me,
if you have nothing nice to say, then don't say anything.

(40:39):
Who said that one of the readers, of the readers, Yeah,
one of the readers. They don't. They don't put there
any real names. Come on, delusional staff picks. This is embarrassing.
Six wins, question mark, question mark, question mark four tops period. Okay,
I think this is wishful thinking. I want them to win,
but after last year, I'll believe it when I see it.
Bennon Solis a bill of goods last year. I bet

(41:02):
he's doing the same this year. And then you had
some seven and five comments, a lot of just if
they can get best this game, if they could do this,
if could do that, then yeah, maybe they could exceed expectations,
but more than likely not going to happen.

Speaker 2 (41:23):
Yeah, that was about it. Yep, which was the all
of them incorrect? Then pretty much I was incorrect. Who
who would have had this on the Big Goo Cars Nobody? Nobody,
not nine to three, No, no, no, no. A four
is quite literally the closest to your point in how
you got to eight and four makes total sense.

Speaker 3 (41:44):
It didn't make total sense to be back in September
or August given the schedule, because what you took into
account was the schedule. Yeah, thinking that these teams aren't
at the top of the team, at top of the
tier of the Big Twelve, correct, Yeah, I mean we
talked about it before the season. This is a very
unpredictable conference. Who would have thought Houston and in Arizona
would have finished within the top five. Yeah. I mean

(42:09):
the way I looked at it, I saw two easy wins.
Obviously with Hawaii and we were State. I thought they
could get past Kansas State, mainly because it was in Tucson.
I thought enough confident would be built within those first
two games to say, hey, we can go out and
get out, put out a good product, and it'll be
enough to quote unquote upset Kansas State. And then I
saw the Iowa State. I said, that's a tough early

(42:32):
test to open up the Big Twelve. That's gonna be
a loss. Come back home rebound against Oklahoma State, easy
win because I didn't think it would be good at all,
and they obviously weren't. You come back home against bau
you play a really very tough game, but you lose
that game, but you get that belief in confidence that
you can compete with one of the top dogs in
the conference. And this is where I think the only

(42:55):
prediction I had wrong. No, no, no, no, this is
my first wrong prediction. At HUES then I had it
as a win very close. It could have happened, but
it didn't. And that's where I kind of got concerned
with my four prediction. I said, Arizona's gonna need to
win at Cincinnati. You're at ASU to help alleviate that.
And at the time, you didn't think that was going

(43:15):
to happen. I thought there was a chance with a
su because at the time, I think we had learned
that Levitt was out for the rest of the year.
With Cincinnati, I didn't think that was possible. I thought
it was always a tough road trip to the eastern
part of the US.

Speaker 2 (43:31):
So let's go ahead, you know, because this is what
we do. This is you know what we do. Let's
assume for second, they win ten to three. Okay, and
actually Bill sent me this against so finished ten to three.
And in the great history of Arizona fans and the fandom, that.

Speaker 3 (43:50):
Is, what do you think the expectations will be next year?
So through the roof realistically yes, though realistically yes, because
because it's a nine and okay, so ten and three teams,
I don't coming back with most of that team, I
don't disagree with which it was very similar to real
to the Jet Fish departure, right, Okay, A lot of

(44:12):
that key team, a lot of key components of that
team came back and the expectation was a big twelve
title contending team. Do you think that's going to be
the Kicks again? Yes? One, because of Arizona fans the
way they are. That's and that's is that why you're
saying that?

Speaker 9 (44:25):
Yes?

Speaker 3 (44:25):
Okay, Okay, now realistic, realistically, Uh, that's a tough schedule
next year, exactly exactly. And I haven't wanted to talk
about it because I don't, you don't. We want to
focus on this year, SMU. But that is a very
very tough text on the schedule. Utah. Three of the
top four teams are back on that schedule, so people
don't talk about that stuff.

Speaker 2 (44:45):
I think you you you hit it on the head
by doing what you did. You you looked at the schedule.
There was not in It's in the strength of schedule.
It was not that great. No, and that's how you
factor it in. It's like me doing the horses when
I read the form. You know, Okay, this horse is
not as good as this horse because it's not fast,
or it's not it doesn't have the class.

Speaker 3 (45:04):
Yeah. Yeah, took those things into account. Well, even then
there was there was teams that were overrated this year. Yeah,
everyone thought that Baylor game would be tossed up in
the air because it's never I never had a doubt
because it's Baylor. Because it's Baylor. I thought they had offense, Yeah, sure,
but they don't have anything else outside of that. And
if you can get their quarterback flustered even better than

(45:25):
they did yep. Uh. And then I thought Kansas would
be the key to everything because that they're very similar
styles in my eyes. And uh, and Kansas has a
good defense. We we saw it. There's there should have
been three interceptions, all right, that's two get called back,
ones dropped if there's a game, if there's a game.

Speaker 2 (45:44):
That Okay, So they won the b they lost the
by you gained. They lost the Houston game in kind
of flukish, kind of weird, weird, but they also won
one in a very weird manner. It's the Kansas game. Yeah,
because the guy had they had three interceptions.

Speaker 3 (45:58):
Or possibly called back, called back, right, even think about
BYU there were right before that last touchdown, bar Bachmeyer
fumbles the ball and it just so happens that it
takes a bounce to b Why you if Arizon, if
any Arizona within that vicinity is a second quicker, Arizona recovers,
Arizona wins. Same thing with Houston. If they stopped the

(46:21):
run once, Arizona probably wins.

Speaker 9 (46:23):
Right.

Speaker 3 (46:23):
So it just takes a bounce to the ball. And
that happened within the last five games of the season.
Right in all positive I mean, do you believe in
football gods? I do us forever? Or did you been
on the show forever? Because I thought they do exist.

Speaker 2 (46:39):
They do exist, and it's not it's like in my mind,
not like momentum. But if you have them, you write them, baby, Yeah,
you write them. And that's what issue did last year.

Speaker 9 (46:49):
Year.

Speaker 3 (46:49):
Last year there were no gods. No, no, they looked
away to too. Someone moved up the road to Tempee.

Speaker 2 (46:55):
But guess what if you're going to write a book, Uh,
that's what the book would be called them because it's
it's you never know in the season. And for Arizona football, yeah,
because when you think you have it good he'll take
it away from me exactly.

Speaker 3 (47:10):
And if you think you have a bad well, you know,
here's here's this and this, like this year, think about it,
think about it. Arizona comes off of that alamable win
against Oklahoma. Arizona is a top contending team in the
Big Twelve. Nick Sabram retires, killing the bar goes jet
Fish goes to Washington. Yeah, but that key core of
that team stays. So you're thinking, yeah, they can still

(47:33):
contend if if Brett bnnan is able to just steady
the ship. Obviously, so what you're.

Speaker 2 (47:39):
Telling me the butterfly effect, Uh, they should send the
letters to Sabman.

Speaker 3 (47:43):
What the hell? Program? Yeah, it all starts it Stashington, Tuscalusa.
Maybe this year starts in in Nine Arbor. Maybe it
starts in Happy Valley. It hasn't to this point. Really,
it kind of happened with it is Baton Rouge.

Speaker 2 (47:59):
It is funny because now they have this big job
opening and with there's uh, like Brian kind of alluded
to the butterfly effect, the dominoes.

Speaker 3 (48:07):
It won't. I don't think it will affect you.

Speaker 9 (48:09):
It won't.

Speaker 3 (48:09):
It would have to take a lot of obviously money
and a lot of sway, especially being this late into
the coaching carousel, is going to take a lot from Michigan.
Who was who was not taken.

Speaker 2 (48:23):
In this scheme of things with with with coaches because
there were some a lot of openings. Some guys didn't go,
like issues guy yet right right, right, because and we'll
talk to a whot about this because his name has
been mentioned at l s U and maybe another place
at time or two, and he stayed here or stayed there,
and now people are jumping you know, who knows.

Speaker 3 (48:46):
I think with the a SU situation, a lot of
those players are probably seeking one last good year and
they're not sure if they're gonna get that with a
issue kind of Yeah, you don't know, Well, you don't,
like you said, you don't know if the football gods
well kindly upon Tempe Arizona next year. They don't know.
We don't know if it's gonna shine on on Arizona

(49:07):
next year, right, and it it rarely shines for both programs. Yeah,
they're not.

Speaker 2 (49:12):
You know, they're just as not as inconsistent as Arizona.

Speaker 3 (49:16):
Yeah, especially within the last ten years or so, if
not more. We'd have this research that Yeah, for what issue?
Could be they underachieve a lot. Did you have the camp?
Did you have the game Saturday against Asia Friday? With
the issue? I can't remember seeing you. I was a fan.
Oh you were a fan? Yeah, okay. Had you been
on campus before? Yeah? Yeah, I love that campus. It

(49:38):
is if you're a student, Okay, campus it's h Yeah,
it's an okay campus. Nice, it's nice. It's a city.
It's huge. You have a lot of options, I'll give
it that. Yeah. Yeah, you find you can find almost
anything on that campus, right right. And Arizona's is fantastic too.
It's just different. It's different. But over there, it's like
you turn here, turn there, and it's like you you

(49:59):
feel like you're in a separate world within the world
of tempy area. And then she's it just feels like
tuson all the way around.

Speaker 2 (50:06):
And I say that only because and I've said this
a thousand times, and when I got here, this phrase
was years This was forty years ago. It's a sleeping
giant just because of the campus. Yeah, they haven't awoke
in that giant.

Speaker 3 (50:16):
No, and you thought it would possibly happen this year
and obviously because of last year. Yeah, because of last year,
you know, she's got a lot of attention, and they
were in the top twenty five for a good portion
of the season, rightfully, so they took care of inness
when they could, except towards the end of the season,
of course. And so you just you kind of you're

(50:38):
on a waiting You're waiting on this sleeping giant to
wake up to contend with the giant in Ohio that
Ohio stated for a moment. It did for a moment.
They and one bad play call in my opinion, with
the sket the fumble, No, with they it was that
I think first overtime on fourth down to decide to

(50:59):
send a splits on fourth and long and they decide
to the third strow over issue and they get that
touchdown to go and send it to a second overtime.
I didn't think that was the right call in the moment.
I still don't think it's a great call to this day.
And who knows if a issue goes on to who did
they text to play Ohio State. I don't think that's

(51:21):
a close game, but you'll never know, because that Giant
still has an awakened Yeah he'll never know. Yeah, we'll
see you. Okay, how much time we gotta go? Okay,
let's do it.