Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is ESPN fifteen thirty and iHeartRadio station.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Welcome back and thank you for joining us, Thanks for
following along since he three to sixty hour three thanks
to Penn Station. Obviously, I think it's pretty much as
much of a must win as possible tonight for the
Cincinnati Bearcats on the road at Colorado. We need to
talk Bearcats, and we need to do so with the
man covering the Bearcats for Bearcat Journal dot Com nice
(00:35):
enough to join us right now, Keegan Nicholson, what's up, Kegan?
Speaker 3 (00:41):
Nothing much, Tony?
Speaker 2 (00:42):
How are you, Kegan?
Speaker 3 (00:44):
Uh?
Speaker 2 (00:44):
What is your plan for the game tonight? Are you
in Colorado? Will you'll be watching locally? How will you
take in UC versus Colorado? Tonight?
Speaker 3 (00:54):
I will be at my desk with about three monitors
doing at the most of way possible without being there.
I don't think my boss thought it was a great
investment to send me the Boulder after a four game
losing streak.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
The four game losing streak, UH highlighted by a forty
point performance at home. I don't understand if if you'd
have told me Kansas was going to score fifty four
on Saturday, I would have set one hundred out of
one hundred times you see wins that game.
Speaker 4 (01:25):
They don't.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Where do you even start right now with the struggles
that this team is going through on the offensive side
of the ball.
Speaker 3 (01:35):
How much time do you have? I really don't know.
There's so many levels. It's your best two players, Gessel
James and Simos Ducosia's offensive players. They're not performing close
to where they were in the non con close to
where they're supposed to be, close to where West Miller
playing on them performing. The bench continues to struggle. They
(01:58):
had a better game against Kansas. I think Aaronton Page
and Dayde Thomas might have combined for nineteen of the
forty points. And then the free throws are still struggling.
You're just getting no pressure. You you're not You're very
easy to defend. Dylan Mitchell and as he's Bendego or
(02:21):
two kind of I don't want to say liabilities right
now on offense, but they just they don't really give
you as much as you need. So there needs to
be just a stark flip of the switch to kind
of give some faith. And it's it's got to start
in this five game stretch. I think they have to
win at minimum for their next five in order to
(02:43):
have a chance. And I think if you don't beat
Texas Tech in that five game stretch, it's kind of like, Okay,
what have you really done? You're kind of beating teams
that you might be supposed to be beating.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
You know, Keigan, I look at I feel like, at
least with Dylan Mitchell, I know for the most part
what I'm gonna get, and I know that he can
at least catch, put the ball on the ground and
make him move to the basket. I thought Kansas exploited
as The's bendego because every time a Z's would screen,
the Kansas big would just jump the screen and you see,
can't give that to Asease and an opposing team worry
(03:16):
about him going to the basket. So what what is
the next step for that process?
Speaker 4 (03:22):
Do you do?
Speaker 2 (03:23):
You not play those guys at the same time on
the floor. Do you use somebody else in the screen
because the screen was essentially rendered useless because Kansas, and
I think teams going forward are just not going to
respect a Z's catching the ball and doing something with it,
putting on the ground.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
I think the next step in that process is getting
Seamos and Jizzle to figure it out because that lob
is open because Seamos and Jizzle, we're drawing so much
attention now if they're playing so poorly offensively as they
have been, I mean, there's no you take away the
lob and what what is the rest of the offense,
(04:01):
So they just become very very easy to defend. I
do think a smaller lineup playing the smaller lineup of
maybe Day Today, jizzl Dan, Seemos and Dylan, or maybe
do Asease instead of Dylan, I think that is something
worth monitoring. Maybe that's something must will do. I just
(04:25):
think that that makes it easier for Seemos to go
against opposing teams four instead of a three because he's
obviously he's not the most athletic kid, especially when you
look at the entire rotation that you see puts out there.
So giving him a mismatch that might be interesting to
see what he can do there. But a lot of
it is just it's shot making and it's just not
(04:46):
happening for UC at the moment. And that's the number
one thing that really has to get figured out, because
if they're not going to be able to threaten from
free and if Gisel James isn't able to make his
mid range jumper and he's not going to drive to
the hoop a lot of people would like him to see,
they just become very, very easy to defend.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
This team doesn't go to the free throw line of bunch,
they don't and they aren't making their outside shots. How
much of it, because you get to see this team
more than most, do you feel like this team has
a confidence Confidence is so big in any sport, especially basketball.
But is there a confidence problem going on right now
with the Bearcats? I wouldn't blame them for it because
of how bad this four game stretch has been. But
(05:26):
if so, how do you come out of a confidence
block if you're a basketball team?
Speaker 3 (05:32):
Yeah, I'm not really sure. I know there's a confidence issue.
Wes Miller brought it up a couple of weeks ago,
And even if he didn't, I mean, shooting as poorly
as some of these guys have shot, there's no way
it doesn't creep into the back of your head when
you go to take that free of Instead of this
is going in, it's I hope this goes in, and
(05:52):
then like I played baseball for a long time. If
you go to the plate thinking, man, I hope I
get a hit, you're probably going to strike out. It's
amazing how the mental side of the game impacts everything.
Wes I actually asked him that question of you know,
with the mental side of it, how do you overcome it?
And it's kind of just you continue to lean on
(06:13):
on your principles and trust the work that you've put in,
and that's really all you can do. The other thing
would be get lucky and have a couple of threes,
go in and get that positive attitude, get some momentum going,
and then just see where the offense can go. But
that confidence, that's maybe the most important thing that they
have to fix because you're playing in such a competitive
(06:36):
league and the margin of error is so slim that
you have to be able to play with a little
bit of an edge.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
You mentioned maybe shuffling around the starting lineup a little bit.
I think it was telling on Saturday some of the
first guys off the bench, where Josh Reed and CJ. Frederick,
who have not seen a bunch of time as of late.
I thought Errington Page had his best game as a
Cincinnati bearcat. But how much do you try to tinker
with the lineup, how much do you try to change
(07:02):
or maybe shrink the rotation of the bench when you're
just trying to fit. It feels like right now Wes
is trying to throw different lineups out there, but but
nothing is sticking right now with this team.
Speaker 3 (07:15):
Yeah. I think the biggest thing was that Tyler Betsy
didn't see any time at all against Kansas, and he
had said after non con play that Betsy was gonna
end up playing more instead of the he was trending
towards playing less, but Wes kind of said, no, he's
gonna play more because we need him to be good
(07:35):
in order to be where we want to be in
detailk play and he hasn't been good, and I think
Wes kind of understood, like he's on the floor to
make threes and he has missed his last seven. And
then Connor Hickman is that's probably more of an injury
thing the reason he didn't play. But you know, they
go at Josh Reed, they go to CJ. Frederick and
(07:57):
I don't know, I don't think I think CJ. Frederick
might have shot the ball twice. So you're just not
getting shots up from your best players. Simos is shooting less,
Frederick didn't shoot a lot. So the the shuffling around
the starters is as big as a priority for me
because you look at the Kansas game and day Ay
(08:19):
played twenty six minutes and Gisel played twenty. So it's
about who's on the four more. I would expect the
starting line up to stay the same, but the minutes
that's where I think something could change against Colorado.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
What do we know at this point about Colorado? They're
zero to four in the Big Twelve as well their
boxer against the wall. I know they got a couple
of players banged up as well. What do we know
about this team taking the floor against UC tonight and
maybe some of the challenges that they do possess.
Speaker 3 (08:49):
Yeah, a lot of continuity when I look at their
players to watch and kind of their biggest contributors. There
was only one transfer out of Washington State and the
rest of the guys they were fourth and fifth year
Colorado guys, second year Colorado guys. Their lead guard Hammond
is a very very talented player, taken over for kJ Simpson,
(09:10):
who had a really good year last year. I think
he Simpson averaged nineteen points a game last year, Hammond's
around fourteen. And then the two players you mentioned. Elijah
Malone their six tenth center. He's been a starter for them,
and then r J. Smith is shooting thirty nine percent
from three. Both of those guys are questionable. I'd expect
(09:31):
to see some stuff from warm ups from them, from
probably from Dan Horde. He said he was going to
monitor it probably rounds seven o'clock eastern. So that's two things.
Those are two starters that you really really should be
following that could have a big impact on the game.
But they're a very very world coach team. I mean
Ted Boyle maybe Tad Boyle, can't remember how that first
(09:53):
name is spelled, but he's been there since twenty ten,
so he's the third longest tenured head coach in the
Big twelve five. I'm Bill Seltham, Scott Drew. So I mean,
they're they're a wellcome team and they don't lose at
home a lot. So this is gonna be a tough game.
This is not I mean, I think you see three
and a half point favorites. It's not something that you
(10:13):
go in expecting you see to handle it and then
come home the Cincinnati winners. It's gonna be a battle.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
What, in your opinion are the biggest keys to get
a win as a slight favorite on the road at Colorado,
to get the first Big twelve win, ideally, get the
ball rolling going forward. What are your biggest keys?
Speaker 3 (10:33):
Control the rebounding differential, second chance points, and then I
mean you need Giesler Siemos to step up and make
a couple of threes or a couple of big shots.
It's just not sustainable to beat teams in this conference
if your best players aren't going to play like your
best players. I'm looking for Semos to make at least
(10:54):
three threes and then Gisell. Just have a couple of
mid range conversions to your identity and have success playing
within your identity. That's what the cent team has to do,
and it has to be led by Ze, Kochias and.
Speaker 2 (11:06):
James a lot. In college basketball, Keigan, you are deemed
successful or not by if you make the NCAA tournament.
There are sixteen Big twelve games still left, and out
of those sixteen, you got to go to Houston. You've
got to go to Iowa State. You got to go
to West Virginia, you get Baylor again. But out of
the sixteen, there are more winnable games coming up on
(11:27):
the schedule. Do you have a number in mind from
a conference standpoint. I've heard a lot of people say
ten and ten. I've heard nine and eleven. Do you
think there's a certain number that this team needs to
get to when you mentioned four out of the next
five in order to make the NCAA tournament for the
first time under West Miller.
Speaker 3 (11:46):
Yeah, I think it's probably around ten. I think comfortably
it would be eleven. Ten is where if you have
some bad losses in there, that's when it can get
kind of But I think ten is a pretty good number.
Nine is more. They'll be on the bubble and you'll
have to have some things bounce your way. But with
(12:09):
how they've started, they're gonna have to pick up some
big squad one road wins against Houston like you mentioned
against Iowa State, beat Baylor at home, and then they
play at BYU in this five game stretch coming up,
I believe. So it's there's a lot of chances for
them to turn around. Just these signs of a turn
(12:31):
of an impending turnaround haven't been there, So it's really
focused on Colorado tonight in order to kind of prove
to a lot of people that this is a sintheticing
the Wes Miller believes that he has and that he's
been pounding the drum of we're going to figure it out,
and you're all gonna see that we're gonna figure it out.
So it all starts tonight against Colorado. If they lose tonight, yeah,
(12:55):
it's gonna be tough to see a future where they
can turn the entire thing around and go on a
stretch and beating a BYU beat and Iowa State of
bating Houston.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
You know, to your point, Keegan, if you can go
on a four game losing streak, if you're buying what
Wes Miller is selling, then you can go on a
five game winning streak. Colorado Arizona State, Texas Tech BYU
Utah to finish out January, West Virginia comes to fifth
third Arena. If you want that game to matter, you've
got to take care of business in the next five
that starts tonight. Keegan, what's the best way to follow
(13:27):
along with your coverage of the Bearcats starting this evening
against Colorado.
Speaker 3 (13:32):
If followed Kane Nickotson forty two on X and then
also follow my boss chat Brindle and then make sure
you're looking at barys. Ernald just posted a preview he
subscribers yesterday and take a look at Colorado and a
well coached team that you is gonna have a tough
time against tonight.
Speaker 2 (13:51):
Keegan, appreciate your time. As always, we will we'll talk
again soon. Man, Thank you all right. See that is
Keegan nickoson bearcat Eral dot com. This is Sincy three
sixty A quick break and back with quick Kits with
Moagger on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.
Speaker 1 (14:07):
From the Baker Heating tempst Our Weather Center, here's your
forecast and nothing but sunshine for the rest of your Wednesday,
but it will continue to stay cold a hive have
only twenty two degrees at in that southwest wind at
three to six miles per hour, and we're looking at
a wind chill into the mid teens for much of
the afternoon. Sky starts to turn partly to mostly cloudy
overnight tonight, it's temperatures dropped down towards thirteen and then
as we head on into Thursday, clowns building along with
(14:29):
snow showers those mainly to the north and east of downtown.
Not a whole lot of precipitation. We'll be right around
thirty three. That's your forecast. I'm nine first wanting meteorologist
Brandon Spinner.
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