The Mo Egger College Basketball Spectacular LIVE from The Holy Grail -- 3/20/25

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
No one covers the Bengals like ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati's
sports station.

Speaker 2 (00:07):
All Right, what's up? Good afternoon, No, good morning, Good morning.
This is ESPN fifteen thirty. If you are expecting to
hear Clinton and Friends, that is being bumped today. Our
apologies to listeners of that show. Typically obviously, I'm on
ESPN fifteen thirty in the afternoon from three o'clock until six,

(00:29):
but let's be honest. During that time frame, I am
going to be where I am right now watching college basketball.
It is our annual NCAA tournament preview show. We are
broadcasting from downtown Holy Grail, which this week celebrated it's
fourteenth anniversary, it's fourteenth birthday.

Speaker 3 (00:46):
How about that.

Speaker 2 (00:47):
Congratulations to the folks here at the Holy Grail, a
must before and after any Reds game, and a must
if you're out and about looking for a place to
watch college basketball today, tonight, tomorrow, tomorrow night.

Speaker 4 (01:01):
We thank them for having us.

Speaker 2 (01:02):
We also thank the folks at Coors like rabin Ice cold,
Corus light and watch the tournament Mountain Cold refreshment made
to chill. We are here till noon since he three
to sixty comes your way when we're done.

Speaker 4 (01:12):
Austin Elmore flying solo.

Speaker 2 (01:14):
If you're thinking of coming to the ground, get here soon,
because if you're one of the first sixty four people
in the door.

Speaker 4 (01:22):
We do this every year. We give you a team.

Speaker 2 (01:24):
Now you don't get a chance to pick the team,
but we give you a team, and if your team
wins the national championship, you win a weekend golf getaway
thanks to Bertram Golf. You can learn more about Bertram
Golf at Bertram goolf packages dot com. We also have
Dave Matthews tickets to give away. We have Is that
a ball signed by the entire nineteen ninety eight Kentucky Wildcats?

Speaker 3 (01:47):
Is that what we have?

Speaker 2 (01:48):
That's a hell of a prize National championship team. We've
got a Rick Patino signed basketball, We've got cors Light swag.
We've got so much more. And leading us off a
guy who was working until what time last night.

Speaker 5 (02:01):
It doesn't matter when it's March. We just go until
we sleep in May or whatever. John Rothstein said, I.

Speaker 2 (02:05):
Understand our guy, Rick Browing Musketeer Report dot com.

Speaker 4 (02:09):
Do you have to list all your jobs?

Speaker 5 (02:11):
Here's the thing you always do this and you make
it out to look like I'm working seventeen jobs. One
of them you list is a podcast. It's one podcast
a week. It's just I do things that are fun.

Speaker 6 (02:20):
Mo.

Speaker 5 (02:20):
I'm not working overly working. I'm not working too many jobs.

Speaker 3 (02:23):
Get it.

Speaker 5 (02:24):
Well, it's like a bit, you know, I don't like.

Speaker 3 (02:26):
No, it's not a bit. I don't even know what
you like.

Speaker 2 (02:27):
Let's say Xavier plays Friday tomorrow night and loses, which
we're gonna talk about last night's.

Speaker 4 (02:32):
Game, which you were at.

Speaker 2 (02:33):
I don't know what you even do for like the
next six months, so you're kind of seasonally busy.

Speaker 3 (02:38):
Thank you.

Speaker 5 (02:38):
Yes, that's exactly right. It's not that I'm overly working.
I get people texting me about that when you say it,
and I'm like, it's not I'm at home hanging out
with my kid.

Speaker 4 (02:46):
Like in the middle of June. I have no clue
what you're doing.

Speaker 5 (02:48):
It's johnsfer Portal is always Well, that's that's true.

Speaker 4 (02:51):
Let's talk about last night.

Speaker 2 (02:52):
You were there at Udy Arena, and first of all,
we were just talking about this. The atmosphere last night
was awesome, and you would expect it to because Xavier's
closed the date. We get that, but I was at
that game in twenty fourteen when they played NC State.
The atmosphere was different. The atmosphere last night seemed awesome.
The game lived up to it, the atmosphere seemed awesome.

Speaker 5 (03:11):
So I have a little scientific evidence to back this up.
I said, as we were sitting in the media workroom,
was that as loud as any Xavier home game this year?
To some of the other writers in new room, and
they're like, I think that sounds about right.

Speaker 3 (03:24):
Well.

Speaker 5 (03:24):
Sam Green, the photographer for the en Choir, had his
Apple Watch on. He said, well, it said it got
to one hundred and five decibels. Wait, no, one hundred
and thirteen decibels during the game, because I haven't seen
that all year. And he went through his watch data
and said he checked. He said the last time his
watch had registered something that loud, he was out filming
air fighter jets. Wow, that were roaring past him. So yeah,

(03:44):
I think it was pretty loud in UDI Arena.

Speaker 4 (03:46):
Probably louder than any date and home game as well this.

Speaker 5 (03:48):
Year, probably this year. Yeah, not typically.

Speaker 2 (03:53):
At halftime, I felt like Xavier was gonna win, And
that seems weird because they couldn't get any stops. Texas
is racing up and down the floor. They score forty
seven points. I think that's the most amount of point
Xavier is given up and a half and half and
the first half all season long. And yet I felt
like despite all the foul trouble that they dealt with
in the first half, despite this, Texas onslaught offensively.

Speaker 4 (04:16):
They were right there.

Speaker 2 (04:17):
And so I was talking to my wife during the
game and I said, I think Xavier's Okay. I'd be
lying if I said I predicted Xavier was going to win.
But I think if you watched the game and maybe
didn't know what the score was, I think you would
have thought the game was a little bit more lopsided.

Speaker 4 (04:31):
And I'm going, it's eight points. They can overcome this,
and they did.

Speaker 5 (04:34):
Yeah, that's exactly right. I think there was a point though,
after halftime, a little bit, you know, a few minutes
into the second half, where it started feeling again like, oh,
they just can't get stops against this text They.

Speaker 2 (04:44):
Got it back to ten with about thirteen to go,
and I started feeling nervous, and then.

Speaker 5 (04:48):
Xavier scored again, and then it went right back to ten. Again,
and it's like, I just don't know if this Xavier
defense is athletic enough to keep these Texas players in
front of them. And that's where I really give Sean
Miller and his staff a ton of credit the way
they were able to get the defense back on track.
The original game plan was, hey, we got to stay tight.
You can't let their athletes get downhill and drive through

(05:09):
the lane without us swiping and getting some help defense
in there. But early in the game they made those
four to threes in the first half and Xavier's defense
started expanding and they couldn't slow down the drives for
a long time. But at some point in the second
half they were able to find that defense again and
really tighten up, and it was really impressive down the
stretch what they.

Speaker 4 (05:27):
Did tighten up on defense.

Speaker 2 (05:29):
Dalan Swain had a lot to do with that in
the final eight nine minutes of the game against Trey Johnson.

Speaker 4 (05:33):
And then the performance of Marcus Foster last night.

Speaker 2 (05:35):
You know it's you and I talked yesterday afternoon and
in the course of leading up to the game talking
about how the Muskies beat Texas.

Speaker 4 (05:43):
I don't recall Marcus's name coming up that often.

Speaker 5 (05:45):
Yeah. Well, the one time we talked about it when
you asked me, what what is Zager's biggest advantage in
this game, and I mentioned spot up shooting, and he's
one of the names I brought up because that's his game,
is not creating off the dribble, not making his own shot.
But if you leave him open or you let him
off the screen freely and catch and shoot, he can
do that. And it just so happened that he was
being guarded by Trey Johnson, the star freshman who's ready

(06:08):
to go to the NBA, and quite honestly, for the
last two months of the season, it's looked like on
the defensive end, he's had the NBA on his mind
because he has not paired at all.

Speaker 6 (06:16):
On that end.

Speaker 5 (06:17):
And Marcus Foster, to his credit, took advantage of that.
He punished Trey Johnson in the second half of that game,
scored sixteen of his twenty two in the second half,
and a lot of that was because the freshman just
wasn't tough enough defensive.

Speaker 2 (06:28):
The shot of the game arguably made by John Hugley.
And what's interesting is watching on TV. Look, that's I
get it, that's maybe not the shot you want, but
when he's open, he makes him.

Speaker 5 (06:37):
He's been proving that he can make that shot. He
has a ton of confidence and shooting that open three
as a trailer.

Speaker 2 (06:42):
I think twenty four or forty for the season, right,
something like that.

Speaker 5 (06:46):
I mean, it's a great percentage at this point.

Speaker 2 (06:47):
I don't know that Speir Odidius and Jim Spinnarko doing
the game for True TV, which this is great.

Speaker 4 (06:54):
This is the four days a year I watched True TV.

Speaker 2 (06:57):
I don't know that they knew that that's a shot
he can make and has often made it.

Speaker 3 (07:01):
This year.

Speaker 4 (07:02):
He's got to be wide open, but he was last night,
and he can the three.

Speaker 5 (07:05):
In fairness, asking those two to be prepared and ready
for anything they're watching is a bit like Star eight games.
Eight games has been the last CBS broadcast in the
NFL for like fifteen years. Do you not move up
at all?

Speaker 4 (07:16):
He's like the voice of the Browns. Yeah, Jim's pernarcle's
pretty good.

Speaker 3 (07:20):
Usually, No, you know who? I don't know.

Speaker 5 (07:23):
I mean, maybe it's a wake.

Speaker 3 (07:24):
Well.

Speaker 2 (07:25):
I watch a lot of NBA League Pass. He did
the NETS games for years.

Speaker 5 (07:28):
If you're over seventy five, it's probably time to stop
and see that games. He's gotta be. He looked like
he was in the grave last night.

Speaker 4 (07:34):
Not a gym spinarcyle guy.

Speaker 5 (07:38):
It's not the best.

Speaker 2 (07:39):
Well, they were dramatically caught off guard by John Hughgley,
not just being open but making the shot. And I thought,
like when he started to lift and I thought, that's
a shot I seen to make.

Speaker 5 (07:49):
Yeah, admittedly it did catch me a little off guard
in that moment too, because that the the arena was
so tense at that moment and it was so proxavior.
They love John Hughley right now. Anything he does positive
it's a huge pop. I mean honestly, when that shot
went in, I thought the roof might come off.

Speaker 4 (08:03):
Yes, no doubt.

Speaker 2 (08:04):
All right, So now they go to Milwaukee to play Illinois.
Do you like this matchup where do they have an
advantage over the fighting alignment?

Speaker 5 (08:13):
It's hard to say you like a matchup with like
an eleven verse six and it's a talented team that's
going to score a lot of points. It can put
one hundred on you any given night. But what I
would tell you is I don't think it's a matchup
that presents the biggest issues for Xavier. What Xavier really
struggles with is teams that are very athletic, very long,
very tough defensively, that won't let them swing the ball around,

(08:34):
won't let them get their offense moving, won't let Ryan
Conwell get open for threes. And I don't think that's
Illinois m O. They want to get an up and
down game. They're fine with you scoring a lot of
points as long as they can shoot their threes and
do what they want to do. So in terms of
a six to eleven game, I feel like you've really
got a chance. If you're a Zavier fan.

Speaker 2 (08:51):
Yeah, I mean, yes, they're an eleven seed, and understandably
and deservedly so, I don't think that over the last
month they have played like an eleven seed like that.
Eleven is indicative the overall body of work, as it
should be, but the overall body at work is one thing.
How they've played over the course of really since the
first couple of Big East games, that's not an eleven seed.

Speaker 4 (09:12):
That's not a first four in team.

Speaker 2 (09:14):
I get it, I get why they were where they were,
But if I'm going like just January one, that's that's
not a that's not.

Speaker 3 (09:20):
A first four in last four in team.

Speaker 5 (09:22):
Yeah, I think most people are familiar with Ken Poms
at dance Metrics at this point. Bart Torvik is a
site that basically does the same thing. But one thing
it has is you can sort by dates, so you
can say, just from this date to this date, how
has this team been playing? And when you do that,
for Xavier for the date range that you just mentioned,
they are top twenty five is in offense and like

(09:42):
top fifteen ish in defense. That equates to the type
of team that usually is a much higher seed and
is capable of making a run in the postseason. So
to your point, I think a lot of opposing coaches
that are looking at Xavier right now are saying, yeah,
this is a good team that we're playing. We better
be ready.

Speaker 2 (09:58):
All right, let me advance the cond to potentially Sunday.
What would you say about a Xavier Kentucky matchup?

Speaker 5 (10:05):
For Xavier a three seed that's all banged up and
is the exact type of matchup you're looking for.

Speaker 2 (10:10):
Not great defensively to begin with, much less so with
lamon Butler's issue, And.

Speaker 5 (10:14):
What would you say is Kentucky's biggest issue this year,
they're lack of athleticism. That's perfect Xavier. That's probably the
biggest concern for them matching up with higher seed teams
is are they going to be two athletic?

Speaker 3 (10:24):
Are they going to be.

Speaker 5 (10:24):
Oversized for Xavier? And in that matchup, I don't think
they will be. And you pointed out the Galant Butler situation,
Jackson Robinson not being available. Kentucky is so banged up
that I'm just not sure you can be confident what
Kentucky team you're gonna get in the postseason.

Speaker 4 (10:39):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (10:39):
I talked with somebody late last night who's a huge
UK fan, and I said, like, from a Xavier perspective,
I like their chances against Kentucky more than I like
their chances against Illinois.

Speaker 5 (10:51):
I think that's right. Yeah, I mean, because Illinois has
multiple guys that are very healthy right now, and Will
Riley starting to play. One of their talented freshmen who's
like a six to seven ball handler Score is starting
to play really well right now. So they've got multiple
weapons that cause problems that scare you, where as Kentucky's like,
you kind of know who their guys are gonna be
right now with them being banged up, and you know

(11:11):
what you're getting.

Speaker 2 (11:13):
Did did Rodney Terry get tarmaced after the game? Did
they let it get on the team bus? How did
this work out?

Speaker 4 (11:18):
Buddy?

Speaker 5 (11:18):
It was done before we were out of the press conference.
The tweet was out there, and then all a sudden,
guys are looking at their phones and asking. While we're
there in the press conference, he said, it's in God's hands. Now,
that's a good way to look at.

Speaker 2 (11:28):
They shook hands, and I said out loud, like coach
Terry should have sean like, you got a gig, you
got an opening?

Speaker 3 (11:34):
Anybody leaving like any? I mean?

Speaker 2 (11:36):
That was I had read the stories leading up to
selection Sunday that the word was he had to win
two games in March, and I didn't know if that
math changed with them having to play in the first
four if it was, you got to win three games.

Speaker 4 (11:47):
So as the.

Speaker 2 (11:48):
Final seconds were unfolding, I thought, like, I hope Rodney
Terry's really enjoying himself, gets that first four pin, and
I hope they let him back on the team plane.

Speaker 5 (11:57):
The interesting thing is their athletic director, del Conte, is
known for having his next hire lined up. That's the
way it's been for the other sports, the big hires
he's made. So if that's the case, you got to
think there might be someone who's already been interviewed, already
been vetted, and ready to take that job. The question
is who is it? If that's the case, I mean,
he's a Grant mccaslan. The Texas sites are all writing

(12:19):
about Sean Miller after that game and the job he
did last night, So there are going to be that
could be a fast and furious job Sean Miller in Texas.
I don't think that's the case, But if you go
to Texas's sites today, the name that they're all bringing
up is Sean Miller because the job he did last night.

Speaker 2 (12:34):
That's just because they won the game last night. So
the fans are like, you know, frothinking about that they
want him or is.

Speaker 4 (12:38):
That like a legitimate thing.

Speaker 5 (12:39):
No, it's it's because all of those sites, as recently
as this week, have been talking about the fact that
last time, when Rodney Terry got the job, he played
his way into the job by making that run in
the season to the Elite eight. Sean Miller was rumored
to be the top candidate on Texas's list that time. Obviously,
Rodney Terry beats Seawan Miller that year in the NCAA tournament,
so then it didn't happen been But now a lot

(13:01):
of Texas beat writers believe that Sean Miller would still
be a target.

Speaker 2 (13:04):
This is a stupid question. Why don't they just rehire
Chris Beard. He's coaching, he's in this tournament.

Speaker 5 (13:11):
You and I are in agreement on that. I think
when you're the school that was the one who fired
him for what happened is his whole domestic dispute situation,
it's a tough sell.

Speaker 4 (13:21):
To I don't know what happened with that situation.

Speaker 2 (13:23):
I know the guy is coaching in the SEC right now,
right yeah, so, but he might have been toxic two
years ago.

Speaker 4 (13:29):
Doesn't strike me as that toxic.

Speaker 5 (13:31):
Here's the other thing. I don't know. Do you open
yourself up to lawsuits if you do that you fired
him for cause? Can you now bring him back and
say it's fine to bring him?

Speaker 4 (13:38):
I don't know how. I don't put it this way.

Speaker 5 (13:40):
Texas ain't hiring Chris Beard that much, I know, Okay,
But Sean Miller, perhaps you're gonna hear his name. I
can tell you that I do not think Sean Miller
is a top candidate right now from the Sean Miller
side of things. Yeah, but you're going to hear his
name right.

Speaker 4 (13:54):
It is eighteen minutes after ten o'clock.

Speaker 2 (13:57):
I want to talk about the tournament as a whole,
because I bet you, like everybody has a bracket strategy.

Speaker 4 (14:02):
I bet you don't know.

Speaker 3 (14:04):
See and I know you well enough, yep.

Speaker 4 (14:07):
I bet you You're just pick the teams you think
are gonna.

Speaker 5 (14:09):
Win pretty much, and oftentimes I don't fill out a bracket.
I just kind of do the games as they're going.
You can you know you don't fill out a bracket.

Speaker 4 (14:16):
You're communist?

Speaker 3 (14:17):
What's wrong with you?

Speaker 5 (14:18):
Or I will Now I've got a sons. We got
to get into.

Speaker 4 (14:20):
My seven year old daughter this morning, filled out of bracket.

Speaker 5 (14:23):
Oh, let's kids fill out brackets.

Speaker 3 (14:24):
Yeah, she did it, she did it.

Speaker 2 (14:27):
I've got it here in the most boring way possible
until almost the very end.

Speaker 3 (14:33):
What are you shaming?

Speaker 5 (14:34):
Bracket? Shaming your daughter? But public area, But it's probably
going to win. Yeah, that's how it works.

Speaker 2 (14:39):
That's why brackets are we'll run through her bracket when
we come back. Okay, we're here at the Holy Grail
downtown Cincinnati on the air until twelve o'clock. The games
tip off right around twelve ten twelve fifteen. Will be
here all after known Rick Boring Musketeer Report dot com,
uh on Twitter at Rick Boring and he's lost all
his other jobs, so that's all we'll talk about. It's

(14:59):
nineteen after ten o'clock here at the Grail on ESPN
fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Stage for ten o'clock This morning,
were at the Holy Crawl downtown Cincinnati, previewing the first
round of the NCAA tournament, talking about last night's Xavier
come from behind winning you the Arena over Texas and
Rick Boring reporting that Shawn Miller's leading candidate Texas.

Speaker 5 (15:20):
How why are you doing that? Xavier people. I'm not
trying to do this. I'm not trying to start. That's
just let's let's be and talk about on Texas.

Speaker 2 (15:30):
That's what's being talked about on Texas sites. That doesn't
mean there's any validity to it.

Speaker 5 (15:33):
Yeah, but but I mean I do think the Texas
writers believe Sean Miller will be a candidate, all right,
well not Brad Underwood.

Speaker 4 (15:42):
Xavier beats them. Brand Underwood's a good coach.

Speaker 5 (15:44):
I think they should just keep going with the transit
of property all the way through the tournament. That's like, right,
right now, Xavier's the coach. But if Illinois wins, then
Brad Underwood is the next coach, and then if Kentucky wins,
Mark Pope would be your next coach, and you just
go from there.

Speaker 2 (15:57):
I'm going to tell you something that has nothing to
do with anything, all right. We broadcast from the Final
Four in twenty fifteen.

Speaker 3 (16:03):
Kentucky was him. Yep.

Speaker 4 (16:04):
We did the Final Four radio row.

Speaker 2 (16:06):
You get all these coaches, and most of them I
had no interest in talking to Chris Mack.

Speaker 4 (16:10):
We had a lot of interest.

Speaker 2 (16:11):
Chris had no interest in talking to anybody else, so
he did like eight segments with us.

Speaker 5 (16:15):
It was great, talking about Bengals and Reds.

Speaker 4 (16:17):
Yes, it was awesome. It was like he sought us out.

Speaker 2 (16:20):
He's like, can I just like go on with you
so I don't have to talk to this station in
San Francisco whatever.

Speaker 4 (16:25):
But the only other coach I really enjoyed talking with
was Brad Underwood. Really genuinely nice guy. We talked about.

Speaker 2 (16:31):
He worked for Bob Huggins, had been at Stephen F. Austin,
Like I think he might have still been at Stephen F.

Speaker 4 (16:38):
Austin. But he was the guy that I enjoyed talking
with the most.

Speaker 5 (16:41):
I don't mean this negatively. I've never heard anything bad
about Brad Underwood, but I don't think I've ever heard
someone say that before, like, Oh, he's a great personality.

Speaker 4 (16:47):
I enjoyed talking with him. And Ben Hallan.

Speaker 5 (16:50):
I've heard Ben Hallen's a very engaging guy, very nice guy.

Speaker 2 (16:52):
And Ben Hallen was cool because he coached at Northern Arizona.
When you see beat them in the NCAA tournament.

Speaker 5 (16:58):
Oh, I bet he appreciated you bringing that up.

Speaker 2 (17:00):
Northern Arizona almost won the game, but then Dwan Baker
hit a three with like four seconds to go, broke
his heart and he was cool talking about it.

Speaker 5 (17:07):
You gotta appreciate that.

Speaker 4 (17:08):
I do appreciate that, all right.

Speaker 2 (17:10):
Uh, since you're like the zager guy, can we talk
about the Big East teams in the tournament?

Speaker 3 (17:15):
Sure?

Speaker 4 (17:16):
Uh? How much how much pause should I have.

Speaker 5 (17:21):
For Saint John's I want to love the Saint John's team.
I want to pick Saint John's. I did pick them
into the final four. I want to pick them to
win it all potentially. Yeah, there's just the fact that
you worry about some team throwing a junk defense out
there and they just can't make a shot and they
find themselves in that situation. But they they've got a

(17:41):
really fun team to watch. They play super hard. Their
style feels chaotic, but it's really organized, and they have
the best coach of all time, Rasino leading them. For
saying that gives me a lot of confidence.

Speaker 4 (17:54):
Look, there's that, but there is that butt.

Speaker 5 (17:56):
What is the butt that they can't shoot and that
that concerns you.

Speaker 2 (17:59):
I think for a lot of the butt is it's
what we used to say about Houston that you need
you need the right whistle six raight games.

Speaker 5 (18:07):
Where you can foul and not get called. And I
can foul trip, but.

Speaker 2 (18:09):
I think that don't foul to the way that Houston
did when Calvin Samson really got the program going.

Speaker 4 (18:14):
But they're really physical.

Speaker 5 (18:15):
I think that's right. The other issue they have is
they got a really difficult bracket. I mean, Florida's plain
as was anyone in the country. That's in the same
region as them, and there are a few other teams
in there that have a chance to make a run,
So that would concern me as well.

Speaker 2 (18:27):
People get mad at me when I say exactly what
you just said, that Rick Patino is the greatest college
basketball coach of all time.

Speaker 5 (18:33):
I mean, you can have an argument against him being
the greatest of all time, but there's no argument that
he's in the conversation oh know that about him?

Speaker 2 (18:40):
I mean, he's he might not be the greatest human
being of all time. That's not what we are care
about that. That's not what college basketball coaches.

Speaker 4 (18:46):
I'm not looking for great human beings.

Speaker 2 (18:47):
If he gets Saint John's to a Final four, after
he did that at Providence, got Kentucky to multiple final fours,
international title, got Louisville to multiple final fours, international title,
which still happened, and then gets Saint John's to a
Final four, Are you kidding me?

Speaker 5 (19:03):
That would be incredible.

Speaker 3 (19:04):
I guess the greatest of all time?

Speaker 5 (19:05):
Yeah, I mean I already believe he is. But if
he does that, I don't think there's any conversation that
can be had about anyone.

Speaker 2 (19:11):
And to do it across like multiple eras of the sport.
You know, he was a guy. This is what's interesting
to me about Saint John's and a little bit more
so year one, last year than this year. I guess
when they weren't very good. But at Kentucky he shows
up and they embraced the three. Even in Providence before
he got to Kentucky. They're shooting more threes than anybody. Well,
now everybody's shooting threes and Saint John's really doesn't shoot him.

Speaker 5 (19:32):
Yeah, and he's still winning. Yeah, he's always reinventing himself
and fine, like all these older coaches, you hear complaining
about the sport's ruined. I'm ready to get out. Rick
Patino's coming up with new idea after new idea for
the nc LA and how they should change the sport
to evolve even farther.

Speaker 2 (19:46):
Yeah, that's why I like Rick Patino. It's why I
like Tom Izzo. You know you're right. Jay Wright leaves,
Mike Krushcheweski leaves, Tony Bennett leaves him.

Speaker 4 (19:54):
Fine, like changes him for everybody. I understand it.

Speaker 2 (19:57):
I like the ones who said it and go okay, fine,
like this this is what it is. I'm still great.
I'm still resourceful. I'm gonna figure out a way to
make it work.

Speaker 5 (20:04):
Yeah, I don't like the whininess of it all. It's
like you cast your checks for tens of millions of
dollars over the course in the last decade or however
long for some of these coaches. Don't whine on your
way out. If it's time for you to leave, that's fine,
but quit telling us that the sport's been ruined.

Speaker 7 (20:16):
Uh.

Speaker 4 (20:16):
What do you make of Creighton versus Louisville?

Speaker 5 (20:19):
Great first game to start this thing off. Louisville's obviously underseated.
They shouldn't be there. R Creighton's a really dangerous team
in that eight and nine game two that can make
a run. I think everyone's on Louisville because they were
underseated so much, But I think Creighton's just as dangerous,
and I think that's gonna be a fantastic game.

Speaker 4 (20:38):
Yukon. It's weird for a Yukon team to be flying
under the radar, but they are.

Speaker 5 (20:43):
They are, and that would make me concerned about in
their bracket.

Speaker 4 (20:46):
Yes, I don't think that Oklahoma team's especially good. They're susceptible,
they're susceptible.

Speaker 2 (20:52):
Porter Moser really hasn't been the same since he left
the old nun at Loyola.

Speaker 5 (20:56):
Yeah. Yeah, since the don't get Jed Demuci started on
her sister Jean. Sister Jean. He's not a fan of that, really, Yeah,
just taking up too much of the shine from the
I understand.

Speaker 2 (21:07):
During that run, could you name any Loyola players? No,
but you can name sister Jean who didn't score a point.

Speaker 5 (21:12):
And after the fact, we're still running. She's like Dicky V.
We're still runner out there. She's in the grave already, Like,
let her die with some dignity. We don't have to
keep runner back out there for clicks.

Speaker 2 (21:20):
While we're talking about leagues, you're familiar with Robert Morris
out of the horizon, Bobby Moo will play Alabama, who
can't guard anybody. Do you give Bobby Mo a chance
to be competitive?

Speaker 5 (21:30):
No, unfortunately not. I think Alabama is just a really
difficult matchup for most teams, but especially sixteen seed type teams.
That's a tough team to upset. But Bobby Mo was
a fun story this year, and Andy Tool, their head coach,
saved his job, right, I mean he had not done
anything since they moved up to the Horizon Le.

Speaker 4 (21:45):
He was going to get waxed.

Speaker 5 (21:46):
He was very likely.

Speaker 3 (21:47):
Was he going to get rod?

Speaker 5 (21:49):
Yeah, and he found a way to lead him to
a championship in the regular season and the tournament and
now he's dancing.

Speaker 4 (21:54):
Did get an extension for that?

Speaker 5 (21:55):
I would hope, so get one of those deals he deserves.

Speaker 2 (21:57):
You like a Kelvin Keats where it's like, man, we
want to fire this guy, but now they're good and
we're stuck with him, and then they fire him a
year later.

Speaker 5 (22:03):
But here's the terrible thing. If you're Andy Toole, Yeah, okay,
you've built this thing. You finally got the chance to
make the run. And now you've got two players that
are definitely going to the transfer because they just played
really well.

Speaker 2 (22:12):
But it isn't that like just the reality of like
let's say NK, you won the Horizon League tournament and
they're playing today regardless of how they do within twenty
four to forty eight hours with the portal opening Monday,
aren't we reading the same thing?

Speaker 4 (22:29):
The players are gonna.

Speaker 5 (22:29):
Bolt absolutely and they embrace it now. I mean, Darren
Horn just said on The Darren Horn Show this past
week when we recorded it. That it's it's almost like
a minor league situation now, and every year is year
to year. You're trying to build the best roster for
that year, and once it's over, you move on to
the next season. You don't try to hang on to
something you had last year that worked if guys are leaving.

Speaker 4 (22:48):
How'd Marquise worked for Missouri this year?

Speaker 5 (22:51):
Had a nice year, came off the bench the team. Yeah,
obviously the team. Obviously he's not going to play nearly
the same role he did at NKU there, but he
made some big shots for them, He played some portin
minutes off the bench for them, and obviously cashed a
huge check this season. So it worked out really well
for him. It's exciting, Yeah, it is. It's awesome.

Speaker 2 (23:06):
Do you want to hang out for one more segment
or do you want to give way to Richard Skinner,
Shannon minor Dan Hortz coming later?

Speaker 5 (23:12):
It's your show. I'll do whatever you want.

Speaker 3 (23:14):
I like talking to you.

Speaker 5 (23:15):
I love talking to you.

Speaker 4 (23:16):
Great, very good.

Speaker 2 (23:16):
Rick Brooring Musketeer Report dot com And since you mentioned it,
the host of the Darren Horne TV show right which
I can watch again because they put Fandool Sports Network
back on aulta Fiber.

Speaker 5 (23:27):
We're back, baby, Yeah, I can watch myself again.

Speaker 4 (23:30):
That's really nice. James and James Repeene's on all the time.

Speaker 2 (23:34):
If you're ever like at a place like this and
a Red's game has been over for an hour, there's
James Rapine.

Speaker 5 (23:40):
Or if you're ever in like a dark situation you're
in your house at two thirty in the morning watching
Fandel Ohio, Yeah there's James.

Speaker 3 (23:46):
There's James.

Speaker 2 (23:46):
I can't tell you how many, Or like you watch
the Reds game the night before and then you went
to bed and you turn on the TV the next
day and it's still on the channel you had on
last night.

Speaker 4 (23:57):
There's James Rapine.

Speaker 5 (23:58):
That's tough to wake up to.

Speaker 4 (23:59):
You know, he got his start on my show.

Speaker 5 (24:01):
People forget that, they do. Yeah, he was your producer
who struggled as a producer and now he's a great
as a talent. He's struggling well, you know, pretty good.
He was doing his best.

Speaker 4 (24:10):
But I gave him.

Speaker 5 (24:11):
Yeah, that's why I should have said. You made it
hard on him, and you you ridiculed him a little bit.

Speaker 4 (24:16):
I ridiculed him a lot.

Speaker 5 (24:17):
Yeah, and now he's a star.

Speaker 2 (24:19):
He is a start. He's twenty eight away from eleven o'clock.
We're here at the Holy Grail downtown Cincinnati, thanks to
our friends at Coors Light, Hot Bracket, Cold Refreshment, COR's Light.
Stay refreshed with Coors Light, round after round here till noon.
Be one of the sixty first sixty four in the
door we have room for you. Get a team, your
team wins the title, you win a weekend golf getaway

(24:41):
thanks to Bertram Golf. It is a twenty eight from eleven.
NCAA tournament preview show rolls on on ESPN fifteen thirty,
Cincinnati sports station.

Speaker 8 (24:51):
Sincey three sixty.

Speaker 9 (24:53):
It was such a disappointing loss for many reasons last night.

Speaker 8 (24:56):
It's our playground for sports fans like you. Really since
he's three.

Speaker 10 (25:01):
Sixty today at twelve noon on ESPN fifteen.

Speaker 2 (25:05):
Thirty, twenty four away from eleven o'clock.

Speaker 3 (25:09):
This is ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 2 (25:11):
We are broadcasting today from the Holy Grail until twelve noon.

Speaker 3 (25:15):
Richard Skinner's going to join me, and at.

Speaker 4 (25:17):
Eleven o'clock in less the Bengals go sign a guard.
Then he's Brandon shirt run out and go cover that.
We want to thank our friends at Sports Investments.

Speaker 2 (25:25):
Sports Investments is the Tri States leader in the finest memorabilia.
Check them out on Montgomery Road in Montgomery and at
sports investments dot com.

Speaker 3 (25:33):
They have given us some really cool stuff to give away.

Speaker 4 (25:37):
I'm not a UK fan, but I would like that
ball signed by the ninety eight national title team.

Speaker 5 (25:42):
Yeah, that's pretty cool. I mean that's college of basketball history,
not just Kentucky correct.

Speaker 3 (25:45):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (25:46):
I would like the Rick Patino ball as well, and
then I would pull it out of the case and
write greatest coach of all Time underneath his signature.

Speaker 5 (25:52):
I don't know if that helps the value or hurts it,
but I would I would like that probably doesn't help.

Speaker 6 (25:56):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (25:57):
Is there a lower seated team you like?

Speaker 5 (26:01):
I don't know about lower seeded, but I'll give you
my Final four dark horse. Yeah, Michigan. Okay, I like
Michigan one. I mean just the run they put on
the Big Ten Tournament I thought was impressive. Saw them
early in the season when Xavier played them and they
smacked Zavier. I thought they looked tough to match up with.
I saw them late in the season they still looked
really difficult to match up with. They just seemed to
me like a team that's been consistent throughout the season.

(26:22):
They've played at a high level, and they can win
in different ways. They have some talented, tough guards that
can score, but they also have a couple of really
big front court players that can give you some serious
problems inside as well.

Speaker 2 (26:33):
On my daughter Crosley, her bracket has Michigan beating UC
San Diego but then falling to Texas A and M.

Speaker 5 (26:40):
Well, in that case, let me change my pick. Texas
A and M is the team we need to be
talking about.

Speaker 2 (26:45):
So here's the strategy that she and it's a good strategy,
although lazy. She just picked the higher seeded team in
every game until we got to Saint Mary's versus Alabama,
and then suddenly, out of nowhere because we went left
to right right, so they're all the way on the
right side. Suddenly, out of nowhere, she decides, I like
Saint Mary's, like the Gaels the Gaels.

Speaker 5 (27:07):
Yeah, yeah, naturally.

Speaker 4 (27:08):
I don't know.

Speaker 2 (27:09):
Every other game she picked the higher seeded teams, and
I think she's going to win the pool that I
will enter her.

Speaker 5 (27:16):
I don't hate that strategy.

Speaker 3 (27:18):
No, not at all.

Speaker 2 (27:19):
Yeah, the rest of us adults, we get all cute
about it, and she's like, yeah, I'm just gonna take
the teams that are. She would ask like, all right,
so the one means it's better.

Speaker 4 (27:28):
Than a sixteen.

Speaker 2 (27:28):
I'm like yeah, She's like, cool, well then I'm taking
Auburn And then we just went on down the list.

Speaker 5 (27:33):
Yeah, it's perfect. It's the midwit memal, you know if
you've ever seen that online. But it starts out as
like the simpleton says like the most basic things, like, well,
that team's better than that team, right, I'll just pay
that team yeah, And then all the experts get lost
in the middle. Yeah, and then the truly enlightened ones
get back to right where you start. It goes, I'm
just going to pick the best team, right, Like that
seems like the right way to do it.

Speaker 2 (27:51):
Well, it is the one sporting event where the people
who put it together tell you who should win.

Speaker 5 (27:56):
And the last two years, the higher seeded teams have
crushed from against the spread perspective, which has not been
historically the case. But we've sort of seen a transition
the last few years.

Speaker 4 (28:08):
Am I allowed to ask who you picked a way
the whole thing.

Speaker 5 (28:11):
Sure, okay, I think Duke is the heavy favorite to
one at all.

Speaker 6 (28:16):
Sure should be.

Speaker 5 (28:17):
Yeah, I'll get with Duke.

Speaker 4 (28:19):
Not concerned about Flag Zacher.

Speaker 5 (28:21):
I would be concerned about it. But here's the thing.
I think Duke is actually good enough to win it
without Cooper Flag and if he's healthy, it just makes
him that much more of a favorite.

Speaker 2 (28:29):
When Duke played Kentucky and the uh what do they
call the Champions Classic? Yes, I thought kan k Nipple
was going to be one of the big villains of
college basketball.

Speaker 3 (28:37):
Just fits the profile.

Speaker 4 (28:38):
Never really took didn't.

Speaker 5 (28:39):
Develop that way. One didn't he wasn't really quite good enough,
and two he's not like kicking groins and tripping people.
That's kind of what you got to do as a
Duke white guy to be famous.

Speaker 2 (28:49):
I thought he was going to like own the mantle
and be like the guy that everybody hated. And you know,
he's on a team with Cooper Flag is probably gonna
be the player of the year in the country.

Speaker 4 (28:56):
Would you go Cooper Flagg er, Jani.

Speaker 5 (28:58):
Broom, Cooper Flag.

Speaker 6 (29:00):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (29:00):
I love Cooper Flagg's game. I think he is perfect
not just for the NBA, but basketball at every level
right now. And he's a little bit of an old
school guy too. Everyone wants to spot up and shoot
the three. He can do a little bit of that,
but he really drives right at you and makes you
guard him without fouling, and that's tough to do.

Speaker 2 (29:16):
So if you had to pick a team, if you
had to put an amount of money that mattered to
you on one team to win it, it would be due.

Speaker 5 (29:24):
I mean, now we're getting too perceived odds. I would
still go with you.

Speaker 3 (29:27):
I'll go with you. Yeah.

Speaker 4 (29:28):
Uh, I want Houston to win it. Here's yeah, here's
why I hesitate.

Speaker 2 (29:34):
I don't trust teams in March that aren't great at
getting to the free throw line. I agree with that,
and they're not great at getting to the free throw line.

Speaker 5 (29:41):
I also don't trust teams where their weakness is usually offense,
and not that they're not a good offensive team, but
at the end of the day, when teams try to
squeak wins out in the fifties or sixties, I don't
like that in the NCAA tournament, and that seems to
be what Houston always runs into. Eventually, they always run
into a team that just outscores.

Speaker 2 (29:58):
Now, you hear this when you talk to to Bearcat fans,
that Houston plays a brand of basketball that reminded a
lot of us of the UC teams that many of
us grew up loving.

Speaker 4 (30:10):
And that's why I'm rooting for them.

Speaker 5 (30:11):
Yeah, I think that's right. I see they remind me that.
That makes sense because the mc cronin era, it felt
like UC was trying to catch up to Houston and
do what Houston was doing. Yeah, the Bob Huggins era
felt more of like what Houston is.

Speaker 3 (30:24):
Yeah, yeah, where the brand is.

Speaker 2 (30:27):
And in frankly, I think the brand sort of obscures
how good they really are. When he first got that
program turned around offensively, it was throw it up, have
it come off the rim, and go get it. That's
not what they are anymore, but they still have carried
with them toughness, play hard defense, rebounding and all of

(30:48):
that looks familiar.

Speaker 4 (30:49):
And and so I'm rooting for Houston from that.

Speaker 5 (30:53):
Perspective, I'm with you. I also think he's done such
a great job there. He's been so consistent. He was
a guy who had to revive his career over texting
rules that are silly to begin with in the first place.
You look at what we're doing now in college basketball.
It's like this guy used to be a villain and
label as a cheater in the sport, and now he's
been so consistent with the way he's built that program
that I'd love to see him break through because I

(31:14):
do like watching his staff.

Speaker 2 (31:15):
And you talked to you referenced something that we were
talking about off the air. It is interesting and even
like some of this applied to Sean Miller when he
got hired where at Xavier the second time, where it
was like, oh, yeah, got in trouble at Arizona And
my take was, yeah, you could pay players now, So
I don't care. And I'm watching Will Wade right just
being talked about as the guy at NC State. I

(31:36):
love the candor his press conference where his team's getting
set to playing the tournament at McNeice and he's asked
about have you been contacted by NC State and he's like, yeah,
I talked to him, Like I love that.

Speaker 4 (31:46):
So this is a dude who had LSU, got in
trouble for all sorts of stuff.

Speaker 5 (31:49):
They're all kind of cool with now, Yes, And the
thing that's great about Will Wade is even going back
to the LSU situation, He's always been honest and the
only one who's been like, I understand what's going on
of you are playing in this fake world that isn't real.
Let me know when you want to come. Like I
can coach basketball, I can win you games, let me
know when you want me.

Speaker 2 (32:08):
So that's why I loved John Caliperry in his first
six to seven years at Kentucky. Yes they won a ton,
but he was like college basketball's most honest man. Look,
let's be honest about what we're doing here. I want
to use you to win games. You want to use
us to build a brand and jump to the NBA
after one year. Let's drop this illusion of it's all

(32:30):
about education. Let's drop this illusion that it's all about
school loyalty. Let's understand the transaction that's at play here
and get the most out of each other, and we'll
all benefit from it.

Speaker 4 (32:41):
He was painfully honest.

Speaker 2 (32:43):
A lot of people didn't like it then and maybe
still don't like it now, But that's what I've always
loved about John CALIPERRAI.

Speaker 6 (32:48):
I do too.

Speaker 5 (32:48):
It's fun to see the guys who are themselves and
who aren't afraid to speak the truth and are put
themselves out there and are still really good. And those
are two guys that I would put in.

Speaker 4 (32:58):
That guy, John Calipery have a team that can Kansas.

Speaker 5 (33:01):
He has a team that can be Kansas, because Kansas
isn't very good. But neither's John Caliperry's team. And I'll
be honest, I think he's lost his magic. I don't
think he's getting back. It's not that he can't coach anymore,
but I don't think he has that spark where they're
gonna make an impressive run as an underseeded team.

Speaker 3 (33:16):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (33:17):
I mean, I think every Kentucky fan would would agree.

Speaker 5 (33:20):
You've just seen it too many times now in late
game situations and in big games. His teams do not
perform well and they look like a team that quite
honestly isn't always that well coached.

Speaker 2 (33:30):
But I do want to see John Caliperry coach against
Rick Patino in round two.

Speaker 5 (33:35):
It'd be unbelievable. The reports from the people in Lexington
who have covered those guys and the pettiness and how
much they actually hate each other Yeah, I'm dying for
that matchup to happen.

Speaker 4 (33:46):
Yes, I'm dying for I'm in.

Speaker 2 (33:48):
I don't know how many years you've done this with me,
but I can't thank you enough.

Speaker 5 (33:52):
Yeah, we gotta be closing it on like a decade now, right,
it's been going on a while. Yeah, yeah, I love
doing it.

Speaker 3 (33:56):
Well.

Speaker 2 (33:56):
What we can do is we can add this to
like the list of things, you know, so we could say.

Speaker 3 (34:02):
NCAA tournament preview show regular.

Speaker 5 (34:04):
At some point, it's just going to get down to
where it's basically an intro for me when I come
on your show, and then like thirty seconds of talking
and then the segment's over, because that the longest part
of this show is now you reading off all.

Speaker 2 (34:15):
My next year, We're not even going to invite you.
We're just going to assume that you're you're gonna be here.

Speaker 3 (34:21):
I'm in.

Speaker 2 (34:21):
Count me in unless the Norse are playing, and then
I'll you know what, I'll make I'll make it to
the show either way, and I'll drive to whoever the
Norse are if need be.

Speaker 4 (34:29):
I'm gonna hold you to that.

Speaker 5 (34:30):
Count count me in.

Speaker 4 (34:31):
I'm gonna have Austin clip that audio and I'll throw
that back in your face.

Speaker 5 (34:34):
I will do it.

Speaker 4 (34:35):
Rick Prooring.

Speaker 2 (34:35):
Check out his website Musketeer Report dot com full coverage
of last night's Xavier win over Texas and what lies ahead,
which is a matchup tomorrow night in Milwaukee against Illinois.
We are here at the Holy Grail until twelve noon.
Austin Ellmore takes over since e three sixty at noon.
Chad Brendall hosts my show today at three oh five.

(34:57):
We are going to be here at the Grail all
day long watching hoops. We're here on the air till
twelve o'clock thanks to our friends at Corp's Light on
ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati.

Speaker 11 (35:06):
Sports Station, ten.

Speaker 3 (35:08):
Minutes from eleven o'clo.

Speaker 2 (35:10):
This is not Clinton, friends, this is the annual ESPN
fifteen thirty NCAA Tournament Spectacular.

Speaker 4 (35:17):
We are broadcasting from the Holy Grail.

Speaker 2 (35:20):
We want to thank our friends at Riverbend Music Center
for hooking us up with tickets. We've got tickets to
go see Dave Matthews June thirteenth. You can win them
if you get here. We'll give them away before twelve o'clock.
You could also get tickets go to Riverbend dot Org,
Richard Skinner and Dan Horde coming up in the next hour.

(35:40):
An annual tradition. How many years have you been doing
this with me? Ten the NKU Hall of Famer. Usually
we're talking about the Norse and we're not talking about
him in the tournament.

Speaker 4 (35:50):
This year wee mins.

Speaker 6 (35:51):
Here we could still talk about NKU.

Speaker 4 (35:53):
What happened?

Speaker 6 (35:54):
I mean they had a down year.

Speaker 4 (35:56):
They played really well at the end of the regular season.

Speaker 6 (35:58):
I mean that's when you want to play your best basketball.

Speaker 11 (36:01):
They had, you know me, they had a guard, a
point guard to play good towards the end of the year,
and that was the key. I mean, your point guard
play is is definitely the Key's your quarterback, your pitcher
of the team. And uh, they definitely played better, you know.
It's just it's hard. I mean it's extremely hard. It's
a marathon of a season. You can't play good the
whole time, but at the end of the year, you

(36:21):
need to play your best. And they didn't get that
game where they host. They had to go on the road,
and I think that the difference. Yeah, it made a
big difference because they did beat Cleveland State one time
at home, but they lost to them both times on
the road, and uh, you know, they lose some good
players and that's gonna.

Speaker 2 (36:38):
I am all in on NIL and the transfer portal.
Like I like this era, but I don't know that
I would like it if I were Darren Horney, and
I understand that. Like I I think at that level
where the coach of a program that has been very,
very good at every college coach's job is different. I'm

(36:58):
not going to say more difficult, but it's different. I
do think it's difficult. At the Horizon League level.

Speaker 11 (37:03):
Well, I think they they kind of get the bad
end of it because those guys hear things and see
things and have friends that have signed those deals, those
NIL deals, and they get I think I think Mick
Cronin said it best delusional. I mean, some of these
guys are delusional. They're gonna leave n KU because they
think it's greener somewhere else. They're gonna get their money

(37:26):
and then not play, or they're gonna be the second
or third option and they might get to play if
there are injuries and that so I think the mid
majors get hit the worst. I've always been an underdog
my whole life so I don't like the nil it
always happened.

Speaker 6 (37:42):
Let's let's get it. You know, it was just in
brown bags.

Speaker 11 (37:44):
How much you get I didn't get any No, I
got a scholarship, got a scholarships, and we got to
eat it at Perkins and restaurants for free. I mean
it was good back then.

Speaker 3 (37:56):
I gotta be honest with you.

Speaker 4 (37:57):
I'm not sure you're selling me unmuch there.

Speaker 3 (38:00):
Hey, it was free.

Speaker 11 (38:02):
We got frishes, big boys, we get anything.

Speaker 4 (38:09):
Get sack Panka.

Speaker 6 (38:10):
Coach Shields was the best.

Speaker 11 (38:11):
Coach Shields loved to eat and we ate at the
best places.

Speaker 6 (38:15):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (38:16):
You uh.

Speaker 2 (38:17):
At the high school level, do you find that players
are equally delusional.

Speaker 11 (38:22):
Yes, And it even happens at the high school level
in terms of guys moving, transferring, going places.

Speaker 6 (38:28):
It's everywhere.

Speaker 11 (38:30):
You know, It's come down from the NBA to the college,
from the college to the high school, and it gets
it'll start getting into the middle school. I mean you
can even look online, this is the best third grader.

Speaker 4 (38:39):
In the Nation's ridiculous.

Speaker 11 (38:40):
They're starting to rank people as they're starting to get
into elementary school. Well, when you put an emphasis on
athletics and not the other part, the academic part, which
is what they really need to start doing.

Speaker 6 (38:52):
Like even think about it.

Speaker 11 (38:53):
Like when my kids were growing up, we hardly went
to academic camps or we went to the library and
did those things, but they were always going to sports camps.

Speaker 6 (39:00):
If that doesn't work out, you got to have something
to fall back on.

Speaker 4 (39:03):
Yeah, you know.

Speaker 2 (39:04):
To me, and again, I'm all for everybody getting paid.
I want everybody to get paid as much as they can.
But I would caution anybody at looking either to where
to go to college or where to go to college next,
I would caution anybody again solely focusing on what you
can get financially. That obviously should be a big part

(39:26):
of it. I don't think it should be the only
part of it. I don't think it should be the
only part of any equation in life, whether you're looking
for a job, thinking about keeping the job you have,
bouncing somewhere else. Again, I want everybody to make as
much money as possible. I'm as free marketed guy as
you'll meet. But I can understand from a coach's perspective,
when you have a certain amount of things you want

(39:47):
to sell, you have a certain amount of things you
want to impress upon a kid, and the only thing
they want to know is how much can I get.
That's it's frustrating for the coach, and I think it's
extraordinarily my opic from the standpoint of the player. My
opics of kind of a big word.

Speaker 6 (40:00):
I was just gonna say, you need to break that
down now. I'm not.

Speaker 11 (40:02):
I'm a gym teacher, so I can't. But here's the
thing though, Like I like watching the mid major teams.
I'm not saying these guys today aren't getting paid, but like,
for the forty minutes that they're playing the game, it's.

Speaker 6 (40:14):
So relaxing just to watch basketball.

Speaker 11 (40:16):
I hate all the extra stuff, Like what happened to
the team concept? What happened for you playing for me
and me playing for you, and us coming together, as
you know, five people forming a fist and being out
there playing. I think that happens during the game. I
don't think they're looking and going, hey, you make more
than me. That might happen in the locker room, in
the dorms or wherever. But whatever happened to just playing

(40:36):
for one another for one common goal.

Speaker 2 (40:38):
I had a conversation with a college basketball coach about
this last summer, and I said, like, you know, I
watch games and I see togetherness, and I see guys
rooting for each other and picking each other up. And
what I was told was yes, but off the floor,
they don't spend a lot of time with each other.

Speaker 4 (40:57):
Now, got money, there you go, I'll go do their
own thing, right. Uh.

Speaker 2 (41:01):
And so maybe that doesn't impact the encourt product. I
think in many cases it does. It does undercut what
the experience is supposed to be. I think that's Fairmosia.

Speaker 11 (41:11):
Yeah, And like the other day, just little things as
I get older, annoy me. Like Cooper Cooper flag wearing
his big goal chains.

Speaker 3 (41:19):
I like that.

Speaker 4 (41:20):
See I don't. I like that, Okay, but I worry
during the game, Like I like that because.

Speaker 6 (41:26):
He's a big guy, guy like me. I'd fall forward.

Speaker 11 (41:28):
But I mean it was just it's just it's too much,
Like can't you just it's about him?

Speaker 6 (41:33):
And I like him as a player.

Speaker 11 (41:34):
Now, the best player in the nation, the best I
don't care about all. Like, look, I'm a big Bruce
Barro guy in Auburn. Cooper play the best player. But
you don't have to.

Speaker 3 (41:45):
You don't have to.

Speaker 6 (41:46):
There's a time and play. You go out after the game.

Speaker 11 (41:48):
It's like the first thing they want to do is
put their ear rings in after the game, put their
blank on, Like, now, who's it about?

Speaker 2 (41:54):
It's about them? And I hope you're a Blain guy.
Though not, I can't get away with that, but I
do like that. I was talking with Rick Boring about
somebody who you're a big fan of. So Xavier is
gonna play Illinois. Oh yeah, Brad Underwood's the coach. You're
a big bread.

Speaker 11 (42:10):
Underwood guy, love bred under Why Well, the offense that
he used to run was an offense that we ran
in high school. And it's called a spread offense, and there's
different variations of it. And in fact, I would go
up to his practices, sit there, and his staff would
take time out to like explain things in Illinois. Yeah,
I mean that's a you know, roundtrip that's almost eight
hour drive there and back, and we would do it

(42:31):
in my staff and I would go and watch it.
Because what happens is when you have a lot of guards,
you can spread it out. If you can have a
big guy or a guy in the at the at
the now with the free throw line, they can catch
the ball. Rip it because he's setting all the screens now.
In the past, he's changed his offense a lot. But
when I would go to Vegas and watch games, or
I would go to Illinois and watch bred, Underwood always
took time for a.

Speaker 6 (42:51):
High school coach to explain his offense.

Speaker 11 (42:53):
He was so excited about that offense and he used
it when he was at Austin be or Stephen fr
I'm sorry Stephen Austin so like when he got bigger
in big time he didn't big time people.

Speaker 4 (43:04):
That's gonna be a hell of a coaching matchup. Kasehawn
Miller's terrific.

Speaker 6 (43:07):
It's gonna be great right out.

Speaker 3 (43:08):
What's really good as well?

Speaker 6 (43:09):
He gonna be great.

Speaker 4 (43:10):
Give me thirty seconds on Pat Kelsey.

Speaker 11 (43:11):
Pat Kelsey local guy, a lot of energy, a lot
of extra stuff behind the scenes he does to try
to motivate his players.

Speaker 2 (43:18):
Pat Kelsey having instant success at Louisville is not surprising
doing it with a lot of guys who played at Charleston.

Speaker 11 (43:25):
Here here's the thing, what Pat does. You don't see
him during the games getting really wild and crazy. I
think he coaches his guys during practice. Yeah, and then
he makes those changes, those small, no point intended, minor
changes during the game.

Speaker 2 (43:37):
Yeah, he is a high energy guy if you're around him,
and you've been around.

Speaker 6 (43:41):
Him, I played basketball with him growing up.

Speaker 2 (43:42):
But if you watch him for those two hours during
the game, he's a little bit more buttoned up than
you would.

Speaker 4 (43:47):
Expect if you have spent time with him. But just
an awesome.

Speaker 11 (43:50):
Coach man, very calm on the sideline, hypes up the
student body. I buy my cars from Kelsey Chevrolet plug
right there.

Speaker 6 (43:56):
Wow, how about that?

Speaker 3 (43:57):
Very good?

Speaker 4 (43:58):
That's very good, very well done. Yeah, all right, is
there anything else you want to touch on?

Speaker 6 (44:01):
No?

Speaker 11 (44:02):
Nothing at all? All right, nothing at all you I mean,
you hit on all of it. Let's go mid majors today.

Speaker 2 (44:06):
Robert Morris from the Horizon League. Do you give him
a chance against Alabama?

Speaker 11 (44:11):
I don't, Okay, I don't, But I like the two
one the two that I like, I like, I like Creighton,
and I like I got a mid major. No, no,
but I'm saying for an up Loislle eight nine, Yeah, okay,
and any other one.

Speaker 6 (44:23):
I'm gonna go Utah State.

Speaker 4 (44:25):
I like Utah State.

Speaker 2 (44:26):
In that game against the UCLA Mick Cronin as big
a fan of I as I am of him. I
don't know what his team does necessarily well, and it
has felt all year long like.

Speaker 4 (44:35):
He can't wait for the season to be over. We'll
see if that happens.

Speaker 6 (44:38):
I'll watch UCLA play last Friday, and I'm not I mean.

Speaker 3 (44:41):
I just destroyed.

Speaker 6 (44:42):
Yeah, I mean Wisconsin did make some threes, by.

Speaker 4 (44:44):
The way down nineteen of them. Yeah, all right, we
gotta go.

Speaker 6 (44:47):
All right, well, thanks, thanks for having me always. This
is awesome, the shortest segment ever. I love it.

Speaker 4 (44:51):
Oh it's not ten minutes.

Speaker 6 (44:53):
It's all right.

Speaker 2 (44:53):
That's all I need is coming up on eleven o'clock,
We're at the Holy Grail NCAA Tournament previews show on
ESPN fifteen third Cincinnati sports station k.

Speaker 8 (45:02):
WISE, Cincinnati.

Speaker 11 (45:03):
Make us the number one pre set on your car
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Free never sounded so good ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 1 (45:12):
No one covers the Bengals like ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati's
sports station Nice exactly.

Speaker 3 (45:21):
Fifteen. There's a good morning, Moegger.

Speaker 2 (45:24):
If you're looking for Clinton and friends, our apologies. That
show is back tomorrow, we are broadcasting from the Holy Grail.
Thanks to our friends at COR's Light. Watch all the
games here at the Grail, all tournament long, brought to
you by COR's Light.

Speaker 4 (45:38):
We are here for another hour.

Speaker 2 (45:40):
Dan Horde, the voice of the Bearcats and the Bengals,
joins us. Coming up in just about twenty five minutes.
Austin Elmore has Sincy three sixty at noon. We talk
about like annual traditions. Richard Skinner's here with me every year,
and we can kind of count on it because I
know you're not going to be busy doing anything else.

Speaker 3 (45:57):
No. Actually, this is a good week because it came
week after free agency start. Usually this is like right
in the free agency. Thank goodness. We got the contracts
done on Tuesday and we can put all of it
behind us, except for a guard in Trey Henderson is
a guard. I mean, they they're visit, they're they're hosting
Lucas Patrick of the New Orleans Saints.

Speaker 9 (46:16):
Good.

Speaker 3 (46:17):
Uh, he's a guy. He's a starting caliber NFL guard.
How about if I go with that?

Speaker 4 (46:22):
So is Alex Kappa apparent?

Speaker 3 (46:23):
Yes he is, I mean the Raider.

Speaker 2 (46:27):
Instantly, Raiders seemed to think so the Raiders made me
go like, what are we missing here?

Speaker 3 (46:31):
Well, I will say this, Alex Kappa played really hurt
last year and played through it, and I think his
performance unfortunately dictated that. But he really did. I mean,
and if he doesn't play, I'm not sure who does?
Who does play? Well?

Speaker 4 (46:45):
Answer and we're here to talk basketball.

Speaker 9 (46:48):
I know that.

Speaker 3 (46:48):
But why not?

Speaker 2 (46:50):
So a year ago they had interest in Mackai Becton,
he goes to Philly, changed his positions, yep.

Speaker 4 (46:55):
Plays well. Why would they suddenly have no interest?

Speaker 3 (46:57):
Oh, they had interest. They coveted to have an other
camp had no interest. That was the problem.

Speaker 4 (47:03):
That's unfortunate. Why not Brandon Surf That's a good one.

Speaker 3 (47:06):
I don't know the answer to that. Thirty three years old,
I guess, but he still plays at a pretty good level,
not at the pro bowl level he used to play at.
He was a four time pro bowler. I'm I did
the Paul Deaner Junior Athletic exercise. I'm sure you did too,
And every time I did it, Brandon sur literally every time. Yes,
and probably at the price they could get him for that.

(47:27):
That's what Tevin Jenkins, I know everybody's talked about. I
think they're afraid of the injury. His hurt, and I understand,
and the bidding process probably would have gotten out of control.
But yeah, I'm kind of with you on the Brandon Shurf.
I'm not sure what I'm not seeing there. Do you
think if.

Speaker 2 (47:42):
If we're sitting here in mid July, is the Trey
Hendrickson thing still hanging over the start of the beginning
of camp or is there a resolution between now and then.

Speaker 3 (47:49):
I think there's a resolution, I'm not sure it's one
that Trey's gonna like. You know, look what, danil Hunter
got thirty five million last night. Max Crosby got thirty
five million. Obviously, Mouse Garrett got forty. I can't I
can't tell you that Trey isn't as good as Max
Crosby or daneil Huntery. Fact, he's probably better, But the
Bengals aren't going to pay that, nor probably should they

(48:11):
pay that, and so they let him go seek a trade. Yeah,
he found a couple of takers financially, but those takers
weren't willing to give up the draft picks the Bengals wanted.
I think the Bengals always knew that. Yeah, then you
get him back at the bargaining table. But where are
we at there? If you're him, you got to ask
North for thirty million dollars, right.

Speaker 4 (48:27):
Yeah, Like, I don't think, but I don't think either
side is wrong doing either.

Speaker 3 (48:30):
But I don't know what The only resolution I come to,
I wrote a column on this a week or so ago,
is that he plays out the year on his current
contract and you let him go to free agency. And
that's I'm okay with that. I am too. I don't
know if he's okay with that.

Speaker 2 (48:43):
Fine, but all right, man, Like this sounds really sort
of old man ish.

Speaker 3 (48:48):
You signed the damn contra. That's a fact, you know.

Speaker 2 (48:50):
I did the goofy exercise where I put the picture
of him signing the contract on social media, and I said,
show me where you see someone with a gun to
his head, no question, show me where he looks unhappy,
where he looks like he's being held hostage, where someone's
holding his hand making him sign the contract like he
did that willingly. We talk about athletes who bet on
themselves and it pays often we're happy for him.

Speaker 4 (49:10):
Well, Trey Hendrickson made a bet. It kind of worked.

Speaker 3 (49:13):
It kind of didn't.

Speaker 4 (49:14):
Right, Sorry, man, So go have a great year and
then see what you can get.

Speaker 3 (49:18):
I think that's exactly what that's my standpoint on it too.
And again do I feel for him, Sure, because he's
certainly being underpaid at the moment, But when you sign
the deal, you weren't underpaid. You felt like that was
fair market value. And this wasn't a quarter of a
century ago. This was just a year or so ago.
And remember even a year ago when he said, well,
I want more or I'll retire and then came back,

(49:38):
I'm not gonna retire. I'm sorry. I was half joking. No,
we're kind of in that. The problem here is they
let him go seek the trade. Uh huh. They did
everything right by him. Yeah, and so when he comes back,
you can't say you didn't give me the opportunity to
do this. They did, and I think the leverages back
in their court. The problem is even now the next extension,

(49:59):
where does it go? Is he willing to sign for
less than thirty I don't think the Bengals go over thirty.
Is he gonna do it for a year and do
this again? And go? Wait a minute, I put pen
to paper and I want more money again. This is
one of the weirdest ones I've ever been a part of.
You knew Jamar was gonna get paid, right, You knew
the ballpark for Tea, and it fell in that ballpark
finally with a sweet spot for both. This one, to

(50:20):
your point, neither side is wrong, but I don't know
the resolution. I then going, my guy, you're playing this year,
we got to under contract, go to free agency next year. Yeah,
I'm okay with it too.

Speaker 2 (50:29):
And by the way, I can't imagine the Bengals this
year without them because of what they haven't done.

Speaker 3 (50:35):
That's just that they're not for those they'd say, well,
you know, take a second round and a fifth round pick.
I'm not giving him well because guess what, the market
went very quickly at Edge Rusher, and it wasn't a
great market to begin with. Now you're in the middling.
Aziz O Jalaris seven eight sac guy, could he help you? Sure?
Opposite Trey Hendrickson, but not to replace Trey Henderson, so

(50:55):
you know I'm not giving him away.

Speaker 2 (50:57):
Was the the press conference the other day, the most
light hearted, fun press conference you've ever been to.

Speaker 3 (51:01):
It was, and they did Carlos Dunlap and Gino Atkins
together and that was one of the few times you
know talked. But it wasn't all that fun. This one
was actually very interesting. I'll be honest with you, I
hate press conferences with a passion. I just we all
share the same quotes, we all write the same story,
it's all the same stuff. But that one was actually

(51:22):
a fun one to be a part of. I'll be
honest with you.

Speaker 2 (51:24):
I liked Jamar shooting down the idea the T Higgins
is a two.

Speaker 4 (51:28):
I just thought that was cool, And I said this
on our show.

Speaker 2 (51:32):
If I was T Higgins, that's my moment, I'd have
a hard time sharing it. And this is his moment
and he sits next to the guy who's getting paid more.

Speaker 3 (51:41):
He's getting paid twelve million year more.

Speaker 4 (51:43):
And I think there's a lot of athletes.

Speaker 2 (51:45):
I think there's a lot of people that would have
been like, huh uh, like this this is my time,
and I get their boys, their buds, their tea. I
understand all that. I Over the last year, I have
gained a lot of respect for Tea Higgins for how
he has handled all of this up to and including
the prime.

Speaker 3 (52:00):
I mean when he showed up. I think he missed
the first week or two of OTA's and they're voluntary,
but I thought, okay, I get it, man, You're not
gonna come for any of this stuff, and I can't
blame you. He shows up like after two weeks, and
I think the first question I asked him a locker
was what are you doing here? You don't have to
be here. He said, I'm working on my craft.

Speaker 6 (52:17):
Man.

Speaker 3 (52:17):
He goes, is what I do. I missed a little
bit of time, but I'm ready to I'm thought, wow.
And to your point, he was really hurt, and Ben
Baby of ESPN did a great story. Ben got him
alone one day in the locker room. He was really
really hurt that people thought he was making business decisions
early in the year not to play and he wasn't.
He's legitimately hurt. Now that's a concern, right, sure, I mean,
in your history is a concern. But he was really

(52:38):
really hurt that he thought people thought he was quote
unquote hurt when he wasn't hurt. He was hurt. No,
he's handled all this as professionally as you could handle it.

Speaker 2 (52:49):
Speaking of hurt, here's a pivot. Yes, the Kentucky Wildcats.
They're hurt, they're beat up.

Speaker 3 (52:53):
Now, yeah, I mean Lamont Butler, I'm hoping to get
twenty minutes out of me as a Kentucky grad. And
that's the thing. I had a friend of mine in
high school, and I don't know how he used to
be able to pop his shoulder in and out.

Speaker 2 (53:05):
At will, like, yeah, that's that's disgusting. That became a
bar bet AT's all good? Yeah right, and this is
there any girl impressed by that? But I was always
I was grossed out and impressed by like, you can
really do that. But that's the thing with this guy's
shoulder is he could be good for a game or two.
He could pop it out in two minutes in a
game and he's done. And if he's done, they're just

(53:26):
not good enough. Good enough to be Troy, good enough
to beat Troy, yes, good enough to beat Illinois.

Speaker 3 (53:34):
Good enough to beat Illinois. I don't know if they're
good enough to be to That's the thing.

Speaker 2 (53:37):
I just said that to Rick, like from an ex
you perspective, you give me, here's the only.

Speaker 3 (53:41):
If you give me the Illinois when it's at its best,
it's like a two seed team. Yes, you give me
Illinois that I've seen at other times losing to like Rutgers.
You're like, okay, yeah, the one.

Speaker 2 (53:50):
The most roller coaster, Yes, seems but if I'm a
Xavier fan, I'm going, okay, we're gonna be dogs against Illinois.
Give me a neutral floor matchup against Kentucky. Way they
play already not great defensively, worse with the Butler injury.
As a Kentucky grad the first year of Mark Pope
in the middle of this historically great SEC season, this

(54:11):
has been awesome to beat because if you love college masters,
ridicuous night in the night out watching the top of
the SEC has been awesome for them to get a
three seed in the NCAA tournament in that conference year one,
all the challenges that come with that. Do they need
to you don't want to lose Detroit, correct, But do
they need tournament success to validate what they've done in
the regular season, which for my money has been a

(54:31):
smashing success.

Speaker 9 (54:32):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (54:32):
I think you just have to avoid tomorrow losing Detroit. Yeah,
I think every Kentucky there you get the sweet sixteen,
that was like, that's the pinnacle. Anything beyond his complete gravy.
So the middle ground then is what happens in round two.
Wouldn't be the end of the world to lose Illinois,
wouldn't be the end of the world to lose to AVI,
even those avers eleven seed based on you know, this
team being beat up in the fact they've struggled in

(54:53):
some ways defensively. No, I think it's been wildly successful.
And I think if you're a Kentucky fan, as long
as you have void tomorrow rather loseing Detroit, I.

Speaker 2 (55:02):
Think you would say it's been a good season. What's
been refreshing to me watching them? And I felt this
way watching the Champions Classic. Mark Pope embraced that event. Yes,
John Caliperry played in that event like he was going
to the electric chair watching them at the end of games.
And you know, they lost their share of games where
they didn't execute at the end, but there was imaginative
sets being run in close games the last four minutes

(55:24):
we weren't getting shot clock violations, and so that was
a start departure he embraced playing in the SEC tournament.

Speaker 4 (55:30):
Didn't have a very long stay.

Speaker 2 (55:31):
He embraced playing in the SEC tournament and after the
John Calipery act, which were very very thin, and you
know it's exacerbated by the Saint Peter's and Oakland losses. Well,
I shouldn't be Everything about Mark Pope was so refreshing, Yes,
on the floor and off, relative to what John Caliperry's
last four or five years were all about.

Speaker 3 (55:49):
Yeah, and you know, even despite you lose double digit games, sure,
and you know the old mantra of ten lost Tubby
and it didn't feel like part of it was to
your point, Yes, was history good? Yeah? And every night
was a war. I mean literally two teams didn't make
the tournament LSU in South Carolina and they were they
were bums.

Speaker 4 (56:08):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (56:09):
In that South Carolina team, by the way, did beat
Arkansas at home late in the year pretty handily. So No,
it was refreshing. And I think that's where people can say, well,
you know, he didn't have more regular season success than
John Caliperry had, and you know they they still lost
double digit games, but it was it was just different.
It was something different about it and the fact you
could give him a pass. And I know you can

(56:30):
say this about Johns team because he had all the
one and done guys I mean to build a team
from basically scratch and do this and get a three seed,
that's pretty remarkable in this league.

Speaker 2 (56:39):
In this league, you know, the SEC is always it's
a high major, like I think casual college basketball fans.
Over the last week or so, I've come to the
realization this might have been the greatest single season any
conferences ever had.

Speaker 3 (56:49):
Yeah, I mean, you can argue, did they gain the system.
I don't think they did, but you know, they scheduled
some wins out of league. But he having an eight
to ninety I think it's eighty eighty nine officially winning
percentage in conference games. If you can figure out that
formula to do that with some wins over a Gonzaga
and a Dude, et cetera. Once you get in the league, man,
people can argue, how does ten and eight get a

(57:10):
three seed? Because you've already done all these things out
of the league and you're just cannibalizing each other. Remember
last year. That was the thing about the Big twelve
is well, they gained the system, they found a way
to just to really well outside the league, and then
they just play each other in eight and ten teams
are gonna get in the tournament. That's fine. Will game
the system.

Speaker 4 (57:25):
Then to me as much as anything.

Speaker 2 (57:28):
And I just you know, I said this to a
few minutes ago, just watching Auburn and Alabama and Florida
and the teams at the upper end of that league night.

Speaker 4 (57:37):
Missouri was really fun to watch this year.

Speaker 3 (57:39):
Texas, I mean, Hexas was. I don't know how they
lose sixteen games.

Speaker 4 (57:44):
I really don't.

Speaker 3 (57:45):
They're so daggone good how they lost sixteen games and
how they blew that lead last night's beyond the other
than the coach is about to get whack, probably Rodney Terry.

Speaker 2 (57:52):
Yeah, I think there's a r answer and hang tight,
I have a guess about you. Oh no, in the
brackets okay, because I I think I pinned down on
the sort of like bracket guy, he is, Okay, did
you hand draw the entire bracket?

Speaker 3 (58:06):
I did this. I hand drew it Sunday night. Because
I had to have internet access to me, I had
to write. I pre wrote stories on.

Speaker 2 (58:13):
Xavier yeah, UK.

Speaker 3 (58:16):
Making the tournament, so a Crown preview coming up. I
got a Crown preview for a local toill dot com.
So all I was doing when the brackets were come
out in case like a Kentucky got picked early and
I had to put the story online quickly. I had
it in front of me who they played, who was
in their region.

Speaker 2 (58:33):
Yeah, but that was Sunday night, like you for the
I know, but I literally have I went to so
much trouble to hand draw this of like computer paper.
You literally just drew. You don't even have a bracket,
just as.

Speaker 3 (58:44):
Just just listed teams in their seeds, and.

Speaker 2 (58:45):
So it looks like a pet Rose betting slip from
the town report might be It is all right, hangtight.
Nineteen after eleven o'clock. We're here at the Holy Grail.
Want to thank our friends at cors Light. Grab an
ice called Coors Light, and watch the Tournament Mountain. The
Tournament Mountain call refreshment made to chill. We are here
till noon. Dan Hord's gonna join us in about ten minutes.
Richard Skinner for one more segment.

Speaker 4 (59:06):
Next on ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati Sports Station, Hey Alexa,
what's going on in baseball?

Speaker 8 (59:13):
Getting ESPN fifteen thirty from iHeartRadio.

Speaker 1 (59:17):
No one covers the Bengals like ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati's
sports station.

Speaker 4 (59:23):
Twenty four after eleven o'clock.

Speaker 3 (59:25):

Speaker 2 (59:26):
We are broadcasting from the Holy Ground downtown here till
twelve o'clock since E three sixty with Austin Elmore Flying Solo.

Speaker 4 (59:35):
Comes your way at noon.

Speaker 2 (59:36):
I want to thank Bertram Golf for the grand prize
Tennessee Golf getaway that we're given away.

Speaker 4 (59:41):
Throughout the tournament. Go to Bertram Goolf.

Speaker 2 (59:43):
Packages dot com for the best in Tennessee Mountain Golf packages.
Richard Skinner is here from Local twelve Local twelve dot com.

Speaker 3 (59:52):
And they're fascinated. Bite.

Speaker 2 (59:53):
I really am, because you know, Tony Pike and I
were talking about this. I'm don't be mad at me.
I'm not as old as you, but I still.

Speaker 3 (01:00:02):
I'm not mad that you're not as old as me.

Speaker 4 (01:00:03):
But that I mentioned it.

Speaker 2 (01:00:04):
Yeah, I still love the days where I would get
the Cincinnati Post, the Kentucky Post. Yes, because the Post
former newspaper always had the better bracket, Yes they did.

Speaker 3 (01:00:13):
You always had the better bracket that.

Speaker 4 (01:00:15):
I grew and by the afternoon had the times.

Speaker 2 (01:00:18):
Yes, the games the Inquirer would not have as we
were in after your newspaper back, so I'd cut out
the bracket and i'd get two right there by Taylor
Mill Pharmacy. I'd pay thirty five cents and i'd usually
take two papers. I think that's why the paper went.

Speaker 3 (01:00:31):
Under, right, Yeah, that's why the paper went.

Speaker 4 (01:00:33):
I'd take two for the price of one.

Speaker 2 (01:00:34):
One would be the bracket that I tracked and the
other would be the bracket that I filled out in.

Speaker 4 (01:00:38):
Our family pool.

Speaker 2 (01:00:40):
So I still I can respect writing the teams in
I love I did that here and when my daughters
and I did that with this one.

Speaker 3 (01:00:48):
It's very nice.

Speaker 4 (01:00:49):
But I actually have a bracket. You just have a
list of teams.

Speaker 3 (01:00:53):
I do because I just literally the last second, I'm like,
oh crap, I got to write this stuff down in
case bracket was online three minutes after. I can't. But
once I did all this work and I circled some
stuff and whatever, I'm like, I'm good.

Speaker 6 (01:01:04):
This is what I'm I'm.

Speaker 3 (01:01:05):
Gonna live off of this sheet. Okay, very good.

Speaker 2 (01:01:08):
You strike me as the kind of guy when you
enter pools you like submit like four or five brackets.

Speaker 3 (01:01:12):
I only do the CBS bracket. I do three of
those on that, and then I'm in these all these
crazy games where you take like eighteams based on their seeds,
the seven player bracket stuff. I like those far far
more than do it because the bracket. I convince myself.
I go to every game and go, yeah, I can
see why yell with the Texas saying I'm gonna drive
myself crazy. I think ESPN lets you do like twenty five.

(01:01:32):
I think something like that. I can't do that. I
would make myself.

Speaker 4 (01:01:36):
Nuts, so I admit that I do too.

Speaker 3 (01:01:38):
I do well for you. I do the CBS one.

Speaker 2 (01:01:39):
I do one where I I guess who I think
is gonna win every game, and then I do one
where I try to fade what I think everybody else
is right. Sometimes it works, and when it doesn't work,
it fails spectacle. I would hope the year that San
Diego State in Florida Atlantic made the.

Speaker 3 (01:01:54):
Final Florida that workout will no, Okay, not the year
Virginia won it though, because they picked because the year
before they lost his sixteen cent Yeah, so that that
year worked out well? All right, break this down for
First of all, can I ask me you have I
can't even tell by looking at the I got chicken scratch.

Speaker 4 (01:02:12):
You have anybuddy that's not a one making the final four.

Speaker 3 (01:02:15):
I do. I've got Michigan State out of the South.
Auburn just played Wonky at the other something four. Yeah,
And you know, I could argue after the Kentucky win
when they clinched the SEC, that's kind of that. And they
had Alabama and NEX that was the trap game and
Alabama's really good. They lost Alabama, but they just don't
look right at the moment.

Speaker 2 (01:02:31):
For whatever reason, it felt to me in real time
when they won in Tuscaloosa that they peaked.

Speaker 3 (01:02:36):
Yeah. No, I'm kind of with you on that. And
I I still like them, and he's a good coach,
But I like I like Michigan State. I do like,
believe it or not, two dark horses from that bottom
part Old Miss and Marquette. I think they've got a
real legit shot out of that part. But that's where
Michigan State is.

Speaker 2 (01:02:50):
They're in that part of the brack Ole Miss very
much lost in the shuffle in the SEC.

Speaker 3 (01:02:54):
They are with Chris if you believe in Ken Palm metrics,
they fit the top forty offense, top twenty five defense.
Every national champions like two thousand has been that you
could win it down, because that takes into account a
Yukon team that went on a run and they were
fortieth like an offense to Kemball Walker year or whatever
it was. If you win it down, they probably don't

(01:03:14):
fit the metrics, but they do fit the top forty,
top twenty five. The one chalk I do like is Florida.
I thought once once they got I mean they lost
four games and one of them was early near at
Rupp actually literally in the first conference game and they
played Kentucky Toty. That was just a great game. This
seems couldn't miss for goodness sakes. I like Houston here,

(01:03:36):
and I know their chalk as googies is gonna sound
that bottom part of the bracket. Ucla fits the metrics.
I know they fit the metrics too, and I root
for them. I know you do. They fit the metrics.
And in the top I'm gonna go with Wisconsin in
the top the East, are you yeah? I Duke's really

(01:03:56):
really good. I just I don't when I watch them play.
The other night I watched him a game. Man, I
know Cooper Flagg didn't play, and he's gonna play whether
he plays a lot in this first game. I don't know,
we don't know yet. That just feels like a really
I mean, they're even with Arizona and Oregon and they
both fit the metrics.

Speaker 2 (01:04:12):
So Duke did something interesting that we used to do
a little bit more of. They played a non league
game in February, Yes, Madison square guard. So all the
year along, the ACC has not been very good. So
I've held that against Duke. I have two probably and
that's why not that Illinois is awesome. But they played
him in New York and hammered.

Speaker 3 (01:04:29):
Hammered him.

Speaker 2 (01:04:29):
Now, was that bad Illinois day? Or is that that's
the day day? That wasn't the Illinois of the very
end of the regular season. But still that was you
hate to say statement, but no, that stood out to me.
And so I don't hold the ACC against him nearly
as much.

Speaker 3 (01:04:45):
No, but the it feels like the committee held the
ACC against Louisville making him an eight seed.

Speaker 2 (01:04:50):
If you're a Louisville fan, if you're Pat Kelsey, you
don't like the seed, but you get to play at home,
you do.

Speaker 3 (01:04:56):
Right, I'm actually going Saturday, and I'm hoping Auburn. I'm
hoping it's An Auburn and Louisville UCLA, Tennessee.

Speaker 4 (01:05:01):
I think is a great game.

Speaker 3 (01:05:03):
It's a great game. I mean it tips it all off.
That's a terrific game. I don't know if you saw
the reaction of Pat Kelsey when he got the seed,
you could turn to it like an assistant like, wait,
what we're in eight.

Speaker 4 (01:05:12):
I think we all did.

Speaker 3 (01:05:13):
I think we all did that too, because I did
the same thing, like, wait a minute, that can't be
it is right.

Speaker 2 (01:05:16):
I think Louisville is criminally underseeded, and if you look
at metrics, Gonzaga is.

Speaker 3 (01:05:21):
Criminally they and and honestly, I think they're a tough
matchup for Houston and two in that in that second
second round game. I really done with you on that.

Speaker 4 (01:05:30):
How far do you have Kentucky going?

Speaker 3 (01:05:32):
I got him winning two games, and that's probably more
hope than belief. I don't think they lose to Troy.
I mean Troy is is ranked pretty highly in points allowed.

Speaker 2 (01:05:42):
Evan Miakawa The Great College Basketball Yes Alex says that
Troy is the most likely fourteen seed. I know, now
that's somebody has to be gives him like a twenty
percent chance to winning that game Oakland did.

Speaker 3 (01:05:54):
I know it's in hindsight, but Oakland had a dude
in Townshend, who's gonna starts in Arizona, And the way
they shot threes. If they got in a role, which
they did, they were gonna be hard. Troy just isn't
great offensive league. They're ninety eighth and Ken Palm their
their their Ken Palm defensive metric doesn't match up the
fact they only give up sixty three points a game,
so that's kind of misleading. They don't scare much. But

(01:06:14):
to our point earlier, Illinois is really good. When Illinois
really good and Xavier, I think is a really tough
matchup for them if if Xavier beats meats Illinois.

Speaker 2 (01:06:22):
The NCAA tournament covering from a TV perspective, it's hard
because it's multiple cities, right, multiple weekends. The Crown streamlined
one city one week, so is the.

Speaker 4 (01:06:33):
Entire le sports.

Speaker 2 (01:06:35):
I think the CBI is too, dude, they moved it
to I've been to a CBI game. You see Bradley
two thousand and eight.

Speaker 3 (01:06:40):
Man, I think that's one week in Pensacola.

Speaker 2 (01:06:41):
I think, well, you mobiles not in that, so are
you guys like sending the whole sports Yeah, what are
you guys doing, like doing a special thirty minutes special.

Speaker 4 (01:06:48):
Well, like when the.

Speaker 2 (01:06:49):
Bengals are playing like a road game in the playoffs
where the anchors, Oh yeah, go out there like Tuesday
front everything, so you'll just have like what the more
Chila Gray and Bob Herzog right me, Yanny Trichellis, I
think we're all going to be there for the Crown
all day, all night. Yeah, get their Sunday. They played
Tuesday and then you're you're posted up clear.

Speaker 3 (01:07:05):
To the weekend. Well they're not losing to the poll.
So yeah, we've got plans that you know, right when
the Crown Championship happens, I mean, this city's gonna.

Speaker 4 (01:07:12):
Go buyers, Well, it should be what you.

Speaker 3 (01:07:15):
Think, at least through two streets of Clifton.

Speaker 4 (01:07:18):
I would think, hang a banner.

Speaker 3 (01:07:20):
Are you going to the crowd? No? Oh, aren't you
the engineer for UC games?

Speaker 4 (01:07:25):
Yeah, I'm not going?

Speaker 3 (01:07:25):
And the pregame post game host.

Speaker 4 (01:07:27):
Yeah, I'm good, I'm good. I would like to go.
My mom lives in Mesquite, Nevada, so I go see her.

Speaker 3 (01:07:34):
But that would be nice. That would be nice.

Speaker 4 (01:07:37):
She was disappointed when I told her I would not
be attending the Crown.

Speaker 3 (01:07:40):
I just want to I'm interested in these teams of
how many of their real guys show up to.

Speaker 2 (01:07:46):
Yes, thank you as all, you're the best. Richard Skinner
Local twelve, the voice of the Bearcats and Angles and
the Bengals and the Crown. Dan Horse with the crowd.

Speaker 3 (01:07:56):
What is here at the police actually talking about this?
He's exciting. I did about this week in Vegas.

Speaker 2 (01:08:01):
How could you not be with you right? Get a
chance to go to Vegas maybe for a week and
hang out with all the guys At Local twelve covering
the Crown, Dan joins his next worth, The Holy Grail
Downtown previewing the tournament on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati.

Speaker 10 (01:08:15):
Sports Station CINCY three sixty, starring Tony pike Man.

Speaker 8 (01:08:19):
That's a great question, and Austin Elmore, I'll.

Speaker 5 (01:08:22):
Take that with me to make no one can ever
take that away.

Speaker 10 (01:08:25):
Ever, Sincy three sixty today at twelve noon on ESPN
fifteen thirty.

Speaker 2 (01:08:33):
Twenty three away from twelve o'clock.

Speaker 4 (01:08:35):

Speaker 2 (01:08:37):
We are broadcasting this morning from the Holy Grant getting
set for around one of the NCAA tournaments. It it
pains me that he is here because I wish he
was calling a game tonight or getting ready to call
one tomorrow. But it's still awesome to have the Hall
of Fame voice of the Bearcats and the Cincinnati Bengals.

Speaker 4 (01:08:56):
Dan Horde is here. What is up, mom?

Speaker 7 (01:08:58):
It's great to be here. I'm sure I am here.
Give you my Crown Final Four. That's my purpose for
being here today.

Speaker 4 (01:09:05):
Exactly.

Speaker 7 (01:09:06):
I've got Boise State, Nebraska, Cincinnati, and Villanova in the
Crown Final Four coming up two weeks from Saturday.

Speaker 9 (01:09:13):
Right there you go.

Speaker 3 (01:09:16):
You've made a lot of iconic calls.

Speaker 9 (01:09:19):
This will be number one.

Speaker 3 (01:09:20):
This might be at the top of the list.

Speaker 7 (01:09:22):
All right, I'm excited we get you to engineer in Vegas.

Speaker 4 (01:09:26):
Okay, I would love to.

Speaker 2 (01:09:29):
I don't know if I could do round one, but
if if you keep it going, I want to go.

Speaker 3 (01:09:34):
Because my mom lives out there. You gotta go, so
maybe you can pull some strings.

Speaker 7 (01:09:38):
All right, I'll work at I work at Vegas. Engineers
are charging too much. We need mo.

Speaker 4 (01:09:45):
I listened to the West Miller Show the other night.

Speaker 9 (01:09:47):
Yeah, what did.

Speaker 2 (01:09:48):
You what did you take away from talking to him
about the composition of the team in Vegas.

Speaker 7 (01:09:53):
That most of the players are still going to be
on the roster. And that was the big question, right,
I mean, well, they have seven scholarship guys to even
be able to go. Clearly they will, and Wes made
it sound like they're gonna have just about everybody. So
will they lose a guy or two when the portal
opens on Monday. Probably, But are they going to have

(01:10:15):
a shell of the teams so that guys that barely
play are suddenly getting thirty five minutes?

Speaker 9 (01:10:20):
It didn't sound like it to me.

Speaker 2 (01:10:22):
This question is being asked around the country involving many
of the other fifteen teams. Have you seen anything to
suggest that any one of these other squads will have
a hard time putting a team on the floor.

Speaker 7 (01:10:32):
No, And unfortunately, I think if you look at the
teams that made the.

Speaker 9 (01:10:36):
Bracket, that might be why.

Speaker 7 (01:10:38):
Because five of the sixteen teams that are in the
Crown finished in the bottom six of the Big twelve.
You've got four teams from the Big East, and a
couple of them.

Speaker 9 (01:10:48):
Weren't very good. So clearly there were.

Speaker 7 (01:10:51):
Some teams that the Crown wanted to have in this
sixteen team field that would not be able to feel
the semblance of their real team. They backed out, and
that's how some of these other teams got in.

Speaker 2 (01:11:02):
Cincinnati beats Dayton the Saturday before Christmas to round out
the non conference schedule. If you would have told me
that night that you see would be playing in the Crown,
I would have made that bet.

Speaker 9 (01:11:15):
I lostely.

Speaker 4 (01:11:16):
Why did this not work out this year?

Speaker 7 (01:11:18):
You know what I've come to the following theory and
or realization.

Speaker 9 (01:11:23):
You tell me if this makes sense.

Speaker 7 (01:11:25):
So when Cincinnati beat Ohio State in the preseason exhibition.

Speaker 9 (01:11:30):
We're like, all right, they're going to the Final four.

Speaker 7 (01:11:32):
You see, look great? And they were really good in
the non conference, sixteenth in the country. At the end
of the non conference portion of the schedule, it beat Xavier,
they beat Dayton. Obviously, Xavier turned out to be a
really good team going into this season. One of the
reasons why we thought Cincinnati was going to be really
good was continuity. They were able to retain the four

(01:11:53):
guys they wanted to keep the most. My theory now
after watching this entire season play out, is that continuity
is good in November and December, and talent matters more
in January, February, and March. So if you keep guys together,
chances are you're going to hit the ground running. But

(01:12:14):
at the end of the day, the best players win.
So that helps explain why Cincinnati destroyed Ohio State in
the preseason.

Speaker 9 (01:12:23):
They had guys back Ohio State didn't.

Speaker 7 (01:12:26):
It helps explain why they were ten and one in
November and December. They had guys that had played together.
But these other teams that went.

Speaker 9 (01:12:34):
Out and got really good players.

Speaker 7 (01:12:36):
As those players gelled, got used to the coaching staff,
learn the system, etc. Then those teams ascend and the
teams that are basically bringing most of the same guys
back from teams that were good but not great don't
get that much better. So we looked at Cincinnati last year.
A team that was good but not great went to

(01:12:57):
the nit won a couple of games, and we thought, well,
they've got most of the same guys back, they're going
to get better, Therefore the team will get a lot better. Well,
I don't think that that's how it works anymore. I
think you got to just say, you know, yeah, we
like this guy, but if we can get somebody that's
a lot better.

Speaker 9 (01:13:16):
Let's go get it.

Speaker 4 (01:13:16):
I remember leaving Tera Hote last year.

Speaker 2 (01:13:19):
And saying to you and Terry, if Dan Skillings is back,
if Dayda Thomas is back, if Gisel James is.

Speaker 9 (01:13:26):
Back, and and those were the four.

Speaker 2 (01:13:28):
Let's go, and Seamas is going to come back, Let's go.
Like there was such optimism, and we could talk about
the players they brought in, but based on that core unit,
Like I spent all summer thinking that the NCAA tournament
was all but an inevitability.

Speaker 7 (01:13:43):
Right, and I did too, But then you look at
that core and look at the guys they brought in.
Throw out Connor Hickman because he was hurt. Didn't play
great before he got hurt, but he would have contributed
if he was healthy all year. Dylan Mitchell had his moments,
but he's not a good offensive player. He didn't get
much offense when A Z's and Dylan were on the
floor at the same time. So I think Dylan Mitchell

(01:14:06):
can be a very valuable piece, but he's a valuable
piece if you've got another big guy that can score,
and if he's on the floor with a big guy
who can't, then you are really compromised offensively. So you know,
I think Wes has learned all these lessons, and when
he builds his roster for next year, I think it's
safe to assume it's not going to feature a lot

(01:14:26):
of lineups that have two big guys that can't score.

Speaker 3 (01:14:28):
How much could have helped.

Speaker 7 (01:14:31):
He would have definitely helped in terms of rebounding, but
he's not a guy at least at this stage of
his career that was going to catch it on the
block and get you a bunch of buckets.

Speaker 9 (01:14:40):
He would have been able to get more than a
z's and more.

Speaker 7 (01:14:44):
In that type of game than Dylan Mitchell, but I
still don't think he's that guy yet. He would have
been one of their best rebounders and that would have helped,
and a good defender as well, but at this stage,
I don't think he would have been a great low
po score.

Speaker 2 (01:14:57):
Fans get frustrated and want to see the co coach
or the GM, which we'll talk about clean house. That's
not necessarily going to happen, But based on what the
coach and the new GM want, how.

Speaker 4 (01:15:12):
Much turnover do you expect a lot, A lot, a lot.

Speaker 2 (01:15:16):
Based on what they want not necessarily players poulting on
the run.

Speaker 7 (01:15:20):
Yeah, I mean my suspicion is guys that leaves it
may not be portrayed as being mutual, sure, but I
get the sense that it.

Speaker 9 (01:15:27):
Probably will be.

Speaker 5 (01:15:28):
So.

Speaker 7 (01:15:29):
I mean, there may be somebody that they would really
like to keep that leaves, but I think most of
the guys that leave, assuming several do, will be guys
that Wes is willing to say, you know, good luck
somewhere else.

Speaker 4 (01:15:43):
How does the role of GM work in college basketball?

Speaker 7 (01:15:47):
You know, I think it's similar to what we've gotten
used to seeing with the football program, where they've got
a GM and assistant GM and a director of player personnel.
It sounds like an NFL front office. You can't have
a coaching staff spend all of their time scouting guys
year round for the moment they under the portal. You
need somebody else doing that, somebody that's ready at a

(01:16:09):
moment's notice. This guy entered, we want this guy as
opposed to ooh, this guy entered, Let's learn all we
can about this guy. I think you need to know
that before the portal opens. That to me, is the
biggest thing that GM can do.

Speaker 2 (01:16:23):
Yeah, you know it's commonplace in college football. I've got
to think most high major programs having in college football.

Speaker 4 (01:16:28):
It's a little bit less widespread in college hoops.

Speaker 3 (01:16:31):
But that's gonna happen here.

Speaker 7 (01:16:32):
It's already started happening. There are several teams in the
tournament right now that when I was watching their conference
championship games, they would show the GM in the stand.

Speaker 3 (01:16:41):
Let's stat it with duke Duke.

Speaker 9 (01:16:43):
Yes, it has a woman serving in that role.

Speaker 7 (01:16:45):
So I think many of the best teams already have that,
and I'm guessing by this time next year, all of
the best teams will have that.

Speaker 2 (01:16:53):
All Right, I've tried to pin all of our guests
down on the sort of like the bracket player. They
are so like with a Rick Brooring, no gimmicks, He's
just picking who he thinks is gonna win. Skinny has
this page of hieroglyphics that I didn't understand. I think
he probably submits like twelve at a time. You, I'm
not sure. I've known you a long time. I'm not sure.

Speaker 7 (01:17:15):
Yeah. Yeah, I'm a try to win racket guy.

Speaker 9 (01:17:19):
Yeah, only one. I will only do one. Yeah, It's
like my pride is on the line.

Speaker 7 (01:17:24):
I never win, but I go into it trying to
be the smartest guy in the room, thinking that I
know more than everybody else. And then I finish, you know,
three from the bottom, and you learn how much I
do know.

Speaker 2 (01:17:34):
But see, if you win, people are gonna think it's
unfair because of your job.

Speaker 9 (01:17:38):
Well good because I never do.

Speaker 7 (01:17:41):
They never feel that way, but someday I will, and
I look forward to them feeling that way.

Speaker 4 (01:17:45):
All right, let me ask about Houston.

Speaker 2 (01:17:48):
I'm rooting for Houston, and you've heard this refrain from
Bearcat fans. That's what we used to be, correct, right.
I love watching them play. There's toughness, they play hard.
They have from an overall talent perspective. Over the year's
gotten better and better. Offensively, I hesitate because they don't
get to the free throw on nearly enough.

Speaker 4 (01:18:09):
That's nitpicky.

Speaker 3 (01:18:10):
Should I be nitpicking Houston?

Speaker 7 (01:18:12):
I don't think they get to the final four. I
like Houston, and I've gone from hating Kelvin Sampson to
really respecting him, I mean, off the charts respect for
what he's done.

Speaker 9 (01:18:21):
There no depth.

Speaker 7 (01:18:24):
They've got three point shooting, which they haven't had in
the past. I don't love their bracket. I don't think
they get to the final four. It's kind of interesting
because another thing that happens to me, or has happened
to me in the past when trying to pick these things,
is that I have a bias for the teams I've
seen in person.

Speaker 9 (01:18:41):
So back when you see was.

Speaker 7 (01:18:42):
Still in the Big East, I would always, you know,
kind of tend to overrate the other Big East teams
and then get burned done the same thing since you know,
whatever league they've been at the time, the American the
Big Twelve.

Speaker 9 (01:18:53):
Now it's kind of the opposite. This year, I don't
really like the rest of the Big Twelve.

Speaker 7 (01:18:59):
I think Kansas is bad, Houston is good, but I
don't think they're one of the best four teams in
the country.

Speaker 9 (01:19:06):
Even though they're nimble one Arizona.

Speaker 7 (01:19:08):
I think Arizona is the most talented team in the
Big Twelve. Why they're so wildly inconsistent. I don't know
they've got great wins. I didn't see them in person
because you did that game. I was doing the Bengals.

Speaker 4 (01:19:20):
I forgot about that.

Speaker 7 (01:19:22):
But you know, I've obviously watched them a million times
on TV. I love their talent. I think Love shoots
them out of end of game situations with his horrible
shot selection. That will probably happen at some point in
the NCAA tournament. And as the four seed in that region,
I don't think they're better than the three above them.

(01:19:42):
Sometimes you look at the four seed and you're like,
that's the best team in this bracket. I don't think
that's true of Arizona, but I do like their talent.

Speaker 2 (01:19:48):
I think the team that I was most impressed by
seeing up close with Texas Tech.

Speaker 9 (01:19:53):
Texas Tech is really good. Final four good? No, no,
really good.

Speaker 6 (01:19:59):
Yes.

Speaker 7 (01:20:00):
Don't love Iowa State, especially with Gilbert being out. VYU
is a total wild card. They're such a great shooting team.
You saw them at their best and arguably the big correct.
I saw them beat UC by twenty eight and lose
to UC by eighteen. It's like two different teams, and
so much of it is predicated on their three point shooting.

(01:20:20):
When they're hot, they will beat anybody. Saunders guy, I'm
a big jaegor Devin guy who can give you a
triple double with the third category being turnovers.

Speaker 4 (01:20:33):
Right, all right, So do you have any upsets?

Speaker 3 (01:20:37):
You know?

Speaker 7 (01:20:37):
I brought my bracket, So what qualifies like a double
A digit seed winning in round one? Really like Colorado
State over Memphis, but they're favored, right, Yeah, I really do.

Speaker 9 (01:20:48):
I have them as a double digit seed winning. Uh
like Vandy. Vandy's a ten. I like Vandy.

Speaker 1 (01:20:56):
Uh.

Speaker 7 (01:20:58):
I guess those are the only two double did I've
got Arkansas winning because I hate Kansas Kansas, and Kansas
is terrible.

Speaker 9 (01:21:05):
Kansas didn't score sixty against.

Speaker 4 (01:21:07):
UC Yeah, fifty four.

Speaker 9 (01:21:09):
Now you see, only scored forty forty. Pit'll eight three
to get to forty.

Speaker 7 (01:21:14):
But I think they lose to Arkansas, So those would
be the double digit seeds that I have winning.

Speaker 2 (01:21:19):
A funny Kansas was better last year and nobody like
Kansas last year. Cincinnati whacked him in the Big twelve
tournament and they ended up, I thought, at least being.

Speaker 7 (01:21:28):
Worse this season as the number one team in the
country in the preseason poll.

Speaker 9 (01:21:33):
Number one in the country.

Speaker 7 (01:21:34):
Now there's the danger of thinking that you know, you
can build a great team strictly through the portal, because
they had the best portal class according to anybody, and
aj Store turned out to be a bust. I mean
of the guys that they brought in. All of them
got a ton of money. Zeke Mayo was the only
guy that really played as well as they would hope.
So there are dangers and following the portal rankings and

(01:21:58):
thinking suddenly you've got the best team.

Speaker 2 (01:22:00):
Yeah, you know, it's it's all got to come together
and God, And I was thinking about this this morning.
I called Cincinnati versus Georgia Tech because you had a
football commitment, and I Georgia Tech was not very good,
but I they played together offensively, they were like anything
I had seen in years from UC and I like

(01:22:20):
flew back from Atlanta thinking, holy hell, these guys are
going to be really, really good. And for me, the
moment where I started to feel sober, I guess it'd
be the right word was the first Kansas.

Speaker 9 (01:22:32):
State game, opening Big Twelve Conference game.

Speaker 2 (01:22:35):
Because they hadn't been good offensively against Xavier, but they won't.
They hadn't been good at offensively against.

Speaker 9 (01:22:40):
Dayton's second half, but they won horrible.

Speaker 2 (01:22:42):
Yes, and then the Kansas State game came and went
where I thought like, all right, a little bit of
a reboot some time away, start Big twelve play, and
I just remember thinking like this looks and feels broken.

Speaker 4 (01:22:54):
I had a bad feeling the first of twenty Big Twelve.

Speaker 7 (01:22:57):
Games, partly because we didn't think Kansas State was in
and then they turned out to be pretty good. I
mean they had a stretch of like three weeks where
they were as good as anybody in the country. Came
and went pretty quickly. My day that I felt that
way was really the Kansas game, because those are the
games that good teams win. You beat really good teams

(01:23:19):
on your home court. Cincinnati has not been able to
get to that point in several years. I think that
really is the next step. If they take care of
business at home against really good teams, including some teams
that are probably better than they are, that to me
is an NCAA tournament team. That's what Xavier has consistently done. Yeah,

(01:23:39):
they beat good teams at home. You got to do
that to be an NCAA tournament team.

Speaker 4 (01:23:44):
Yeah, it's a fair comparison.

Speaker 2 (01:23:47):
I think for a lot of us, the West Virginia
game was where you walked out of there or turned
it off and thought, what is that. There haven't been
many Bearcat games over the last however, many decades where
I've like I've.

Speaker 4 (01:24:02):
Driven home going what what was that?

Speaker 6 (01:24:05):
Agree?

Speaker 9 (01:24:06):
No doubt, West said after that game, I am disgusted
with my team, but.

Speaker 4 (01:24:11):
There were multiple occasions.

Speaker 3 (01:24:13):
That was the thing. I mean, that was the thing.

Speaker 2 (01:24:14):
That was the thing that wasn't It wasn't a one off.
It wasn't the norm, but it wasn't a one off either,
And that's deeply.

Speaker 9 (01:24:21):
Frustrated, no doubt, no doubt. I mean to lose twice
to that team.

Speaker 7 (01:24:25):
Yeah, safety, they deserve to be in the NCAA Tournament,
although I was not all that bothered by the fact
they didn't get in because they've got the six squad
one wins, but three of them came when they still
had their best player. They weren't very good at the
end of the year, and they lost to Colorado at
the conference tournament.

Speaker 2 (01:24:41):
I watched the Colorado game where they were up eight
eight minutes to go, like, it's not an insurmountable league,
but you win that game if you're an NCAA tournament
team against the Colorado team that is now in the Crown.

Speaker 9 (01:24:51):
Yes, Crown calls the Sun is very exciting.

Speaker 4 (01:24:54):
Yes, yes, well he'd be in Vegas.

Speaker 6 (01:24:57):
Sam is coming home tomorrow.

Speaker 7 (01:24:58):
For his spring break, looking forward to seeing him, but
he is not planning to attend the Crown of All. However,
he is taking credit for the fact that West Virginia
lost its coach to Indiana because Colorado beat West Virginia
Sam Fields, that accelerated the process. Now we've since learned
that apparently they were negotiating for months and that Indiana

(01:25:22):
is going to take Darreen Derees anyway. But the highlight
Sun likes to take credit for them.

Speaker 2 (01:25:26):
So the highlight of the Colorado season was beating a
coach in the game that he shouldn't have lost to.

Speaker 4 (01:25:30):
The coach then gets plucked by Indiana.

Speaker 6 (01:25:32):
Correct.

Speaker 7 (01:25:32):
Okay, interesting, Hey, in his freshman year a football player
and his team won the Heisman.

Speaker 9 (01:25:39):
So that was good.

Speaker 2 (01:25:40):
Give me one minute here because the show's almost over.
You've been to like a billion press conferences in your life. Yes,
Jamar and T the best one you've ever been to?

Speaker 7 (01:25:48):
Really good, really, really good Junior when the Reds brought
him home, that's probably number one, not necessarily because of
what was said, unlike the Jamar and T, which is
just tremendous content from both guys. But I swear to
God that Junior press conference was that was excite, as
exciting as any sporting event I think I've ever attended.

(01:26:10):
I mean, we were the epicenter of the sports world
that night, and anything and everything seemed possible. Unfortunately, injuries
and some bad personnel moves robbed us of what might
have been.

Speaker 9 (01:26:22):
But when that night was tremendous.

Speaker 4 (01:26:24):
When he put the jersey on and put the hattle
and said I'm home, like.

Speaker 7 (01:26:29):
I remember, I'm home, I get chill saying it, and
you know, Jim Bowden maybe oversold it a little bit,
but you know, tonight the Michael Jordan baseball but nobody
does agree.

Speaker 9 (01:26:44):
It was true.

Speaker 7 (01:26:44):
And if Junior didn't have horrible injury luck and spend
ten years playing on rock hard AstroTurf in Seattle, all
the things that we dreamed of happening might have happened.

Speaker 2 (01:26:54):
You were not the radio voice of the Bearcats at
the time, and so you didn't call my favorite at
all time Bearcat victory, which came against the Paul the
Kenyan Martin gave a two thousand. But you'll get an
opportunity to call if you see the Paul game in
Vegas that I think will be of equal stature by
the time it's over.

Speaker 7 (01:27:11):
Well, I didn't do the game you're talking about, but
I did do the game Kenyan sophomore year Trouble. I
had his first of his two triple doubles. Yeah, and
it was with twenty three points, twenty two boards, and
ten block shots. Yeah, which is probably the best individual
performance I've ever seen in any sport. First sophomore year,
twenty three, twenty two to ten. Yeah, incredible.

Speaker 3 (01:27:31):
And that was before he was Martin.

Speaker 7 (01:27:34):
At that point he had no offensive game, so that
was the first glimpse of what he was going to become.

Speaker 4 (01:27:39):
All right, speaking of no offensive game, we got to
make way for Austin Elmore.

Speaker 9 (01:27:43):
Thank you for doing this my pleasure. Thanks for having
me on.

Speaker 2 (01:27:46):
You are the absolute best. Dan Horde Voice of the Bearcats,
Voice of the Bengals.

Speaker 4 (01:27:50):
We are done.

Speaker 2 (01:27:52):
We want to thank our friends at Coors Light Hot Bracket,
Cold Refreshment, cors Light Stay Refreshed with cors Light Round
after round, Bertram Gold for giving us our our golf
weekend giveaway, our friends at Sports Investments check out Sports
Investments dot com and Riverbanmusic Center. Full calendar out including
uh Dave Matthews and the offspring riverbend dot org Sincy

(01:28:12):
three sixty is next. Thank you for listening, enjoy the madness.
This is ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station

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