December 4, 2025 • 17 mins
Tony talks UC Hoops and Football with Keegan Nickoson from BearcatJournal.com on ESPN 1530!
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is Tony Pike Cincy three sixty about Cincinnati from Cincinnati,
sponsored in hardby Penn Station East Coast Subs hand crept
It hot grilled subs, fresh cut fries and Lemonade. It's
all about good taste Penn Station East Coast Subs orderum
line Today. This is ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
All right, our three thanks to Penn Station on ESPN
fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station. Let's dive right into it.
We get them each and every Thursday now through the
conclusion of the college basketball season. It's our good friend
from Bearcat Journal dot Com, Keegan Nickoson joining us right now.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
Hi Keegan, Hey Tony, how are you?
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Keegan? I'm great. I thought I would throw some rapid
fire questions at you just to kind of get you
ready to go for today's segment.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
Would you like to do that? Huh, I would love
to do that.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
All right, here we go. Rapid fire question number one.
Do you believe Brendan Sorosby's really getting offers north of
four million dollars in the portal?
Speaker 3 (01:05):
Yes?
Speaker 2 (01:08):
Keing and Nickoson.
Speaker 4 (01:09):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
Gisel James was spotted on the jumbo Tron on Monday
at the UC game against Tarleton. Is Giggsel James gonna
play for the Bearcats this year?
Speaker 3 (01:19):
No?
Speaker 2 (01:20):
Keg and nickoson Bearcat Journal dot com. Is in year
five of the shootout for Wes Miller is tomorrow night?
I must win for West Miller. Yes, Keing and nickoson
do you have a educated guest on which bowl game
the Bearcats will be playing in?
Speaker 5 (01:38):
Educated?
Speaker 4 (01:39):
I don't really educated in me don't really go together
very well.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
What do you know that we don't?
Speaker 5 (01:44):
Kegan?
Speaker 3 (01:44):
What do you know?
Speaker 2 (01:45):
I know, you guys get inside stuff at the barricat Journal.
Brendle's probably already got Brendel's already got Brendle's already got
a spot booked for you, and probably Springer. I know,
So where's it at?
Speaker 5 (01:58):
I don't know.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
Let's start on.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
The football side officially now signing day yesterday, and your best, um,
let's say, your best summary of the class that you
see in Scott Saderfield brought in yesterday would be what.
Speaker 4 (02:20):
Best summary was more successful than the twenty.
Speaker 3 (02:24):
Twenty five class. Okay?
Speaker 4 (02:27):
I say that mainly because they were able to hold
on to some guys that were getting recruited by SEC
schools and Big ten schools like Solomon Mathis, there's a corner,
Markel Taylor and then Dadrian Waller. They were getting offers
from schools like Georgia, Florida, Mississippi State, and they were
(02:50):
some of them were taking visits.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
Others were completely shutting down.
Speaker 4 (02:53):
Their recruitment and staying fully committed to Cincinnati. But they
were able to hold on to them, and especially when
you think about their high rated or brute Lance Dawson,
who was offered pretty crazy money by West Virginia and
decided to stay with Cincinnati, And it even got to
the point where he was changing his Instagram profile picture
(03:13):
to a West.
Speaker 3 (03:14):
Virginia commitment graphic.
Speaker 4 (03:16):
So like he was basically he had told West Virginia
staff he's coming, and then Cincinnati goes and changes that
and then rewrites the narrative that you know, Lance Daalson
is going to be a Bearcat and then they're able
to sign him late yesterday afternoon.
Speaker 3 (03:31):
So yeah, it was.
Speaker 5 (03:33):
It was a successful class.
Speaker 3 (03:35):
Obviously not what.
Speaker 5 (03:36):
You want to see from a ratings perspective, but.
Speaker 4 (03:39):
Zach Grant isn't the guy that's gonna look at that
judge what the class is based off.
Speaker 5 (03:45):
That, so I think it was a good class.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
Just recently we saw the Big Twelve Awards come down.
Tommy Walker, Jeff Codwhill, Jalen Hunt, Antwine Peak Junior Honorable Mention,
Joel Royer, Gavin Gerhardt, Third Team, Second team was Fletcher Corleone,
Tengistall Cotton, Allen Sowersby, First Team Jake Golde. When you
see all these players earning all Big Twelve honors, does
(04:09):
it change in all your view on how the season
went based on success or disappointment? Seeing how many Bearcats
were honored and yet seeing how the season ended.
Speaker 3 (04:18):
Yeah, I mean it should have been better.
Speaker 4 (04:20):
When you have that many guys on the first, second,
and third team, you should finish better than seven and five.
Speaker 3 (04:26):
Because that told me you have the talent to do it.
Speaker 4 (04:29):
The surprise was that Evan Pryor didn't get any real nomination.
I think he had a really really good year and
was he was better than Tawie Walker for the latter
half of the season despite missing I think it was
two games, So that was a surprise to me. But
when you look at that list, those are a lot
of names that are also not going to be back
(04:50):
next year, mainly to exhausting eligibility, and then you never
know what could happen with the portal.
Speaker 3 (04:56):
So they've got a tall task ahead of.
Speaker 4 (04:57):
Them to put together a Anton roster given all the
all the very honored guys that are not.
Speaker 3 (05:06):
Going to be here. So I'm looking forward to seeing
what they can do with that.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
Knowing now what it's like in college football bowl games,
and I know we don't know where the Bearcats are going,
but I would assume, you know, I see that that
Corleone and Royer and Goldey are all going to you know,
they got Senior Day and Senior Bowl invites. I don't
foresee Soresby and Corleone and Royer and Goldey and others
playing in a bowl game. So how do you view
(05:32):
bowl games now? You know from the Cincinnati sports area
where you're covering, Now, what do you look for? I
know you get extra bowl game practices, which is vital
to coaches, But does this now just become a showcase
for younger players on this team to show what they
can do.
Speaker 4 (05:49):
Yeah, I think a big thing you can do is
kind of decide what you're going to do in the
portal based off of what the guys on the team
do in the bowl game, Like say say Maney, Kobe
and Zion Johnson go out and have great games and
then you say, okay, we probably don't have to bring
in the running back, or maybe there's some linebackers who
(06:10):
step up and you think, okay, we don't have to
bring in three linebackers because we're losing Checked England, Jake Golde.
The tight end position is interesting to me. You're losing
Patrick Kurd, J're Royer, and then you've got some decently
experienced guys and Devin de Hursky and Gavin Groger, which
I believe that they're just going to go forward with
that group next season and probably not bring one in.
(06:32):
But I think it's a it's a look at what
you need to do for next season, and it could
also be a chance for some of these guys to
up their price tend and their conversations.
Speaker 3 (06:42):
With the team to come back.
Speaker 5 (06:43):
So I don't put too much stock.
Speaker 4 (06:45):
In it, Like if they go out and lose, that
doesn't change my opinion, Like it doesn't make me think
that it's worse.
Speaker 3 (06:53):
If they go out and win. It's you know, it's
you know a good job. You played a probably fundamentally
sound game and won a game.
Speaker 4 (06:59):
But I don't put too much stock into these games,
just like I tried not to put too much stock
in any of the exhibition basketball games before the season.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
Is that still though, Like, does it change anything because
they lost the last four in a row and trying
to avoid a five game losing streak to end the
season or are you fully separating.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
The two.
Speaker 5 (07:21):
No?
Speaker 4 (07:21):
I mean, in my mind, I think after the BYU lost,
there was just air taken out of the program. So
like I think that they put all their eggs in
the basket of beating DYU, staying alive in the Big twelve,
and seeing if they could manage.
Speaker 5 (07:38):
To get in.
Speaker 4 (07:39):
But I just think it doesn't really change it for me.
Speaker 5 (07:44):
There's just too many factors.
Speaker 4 (07:46):
You can look at the four consecutive losses and say
that was your best team on the field for those
four games, and it was your best effort, and.
Speaker 5 (07:55):
You guys were supposed to be bought in.
Speaker 4 (07:58):
But the TCU loss I don't put as much stock
into as if you know they were still playing for
a Big Hold title, because obviously it would have been
a lot different. But obviously the four losses down the stretch.
You have to find a way to keep your guys
bought in and playing for something, and that just didn't happen.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
Let's switch gears. Tomorrow night is the Crosstown shootout. You
and I had a chance to talk earlier in the week,
and I wonder, like, do you feel now in covering
this game, We've had a couple extra days, now you've
you've put more into it. Do you feel the buzz
generating for this game or do you think there is
a lack of buzz surrounding the shootout still which is
(08:35):
being played tomorrow night.
Speaker 4 (08:38):
Yeah, I think the biggest buzz being put into the
game is probably my boss going after.
Speaker 3 (08:42):
Jager fans on Twitter coccer. I think if it weren't
for if it weren't for that, where would it be at.
I don't know.
Speaker 4 (08:50):
I think there's naturally a lack of buzz just with
the new landscape of college basketball.
Speaker 3 (08:55):
And Wes Miller like mentioned that yesterday.
Speaker 4 (08:58):
Like, it's not it's not you unique to this rivalry.
I would say Duke and you and seeing large part
is the same because they've basically had this kind of
player rotational landscape and roster turnover for the past twenty
years because other guys are there for one year and
then they leave. So that's kind of just ingrained in
the culture. But for other rivalries, like you don't get
(09:23):
the like cultured hatred for the teams, like these guys
aren't playing against.
Speaker 3 (09:31):
Each other four years.
Speaker 5 (09:31):
In a row, and you know, like it's just not there.
Speaker 4 (09:37):
So I think I say all that, but then the
lights come on and there can be some really really
interesting stuff happened. And then I look at guys like
Kurk Prisa who take on Luka Doncic.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
In the game in Europe and.
Speaker 4 (09:50):
Since her Harris who's one of the most physical players
in the country, and Dane Thomas who just got ejected
Gods Tarlotan State. So you never really know what can
have happen. Maybe this can be a thing where Wes
Miller turns it around and he's here for a long
time and Richard Patino has success, because I think that's
also something that you have to look at as the
lack of success each program has had since like twenty nineteen,
(10:14):
and that's definitely had an impact on the rivalry losing
its luster as the phrase I've heard.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
I certainly understand too. When you look at this weekend,
championship weekend in college football, Bills Bengals on Sunday, it
often it falls on a different time. I think you
could venture to say that there's not a lot of
Xavier fans that know a lot of guys on the
UC roster, and there's not a lot of UC fans
that know many people on Xavier's roster because of the
current landscape of college basketball and college athletics as a whole.
(10:42):
I mentioned to you in rapid fire earlier, though, is
this a must win for Wes Miller? Can Wes Miller
change that? Like, if they come out and play their
best basketball this season, does that then change the feel
around this team going forward? In your opinion?
Speaker 4 (10:56):
Absolutely, And this feels like a pivot point for the
season because if they go into Zager and.
Speaker 3 (11:03):
Lose a game that is very.
Speaker 4 (11:05):
Winnable against the Zavier team who has struggled. They've turned
it around over the past three or four games, and they've.
Speaker 5 (11:10):
Got some decent wins.
Speaker 4 (11:12):
But I think Cincinnati has the better roster and they
have the talent to go in and win. If you lose,
it's going to be hard for me to picture you
being able to get the momentum going, especially to the
end of the non conference and build up your tournament
resume before you get into the gauntlet of what is
a big twelve schedule, where it's going to be even
harder to get on a winning streak and get some
(11:33):
momentum going. If you win, then that's the tip of
the cap. That's okay, let's get on the right foot.
Let's start playing our brand of basketball. Let's start competing
to the level that Wes Miller wants them to compete at.
Speaker 5 (11:45):
So you know, I could see the season going one.
Speaker 3 (11:48):
Of either ways based on the result of this game.
And you know, Wes Miller not winning at.
Speaker 4 (11:53):
Sentas is definitely something that could be a dark spot
on the resume. But yeah, I think before I was
saying it's not.
Speaker 5 (12:03):
A must win because he can still turn.
Speaker 3 (12:05):
It around, But now I'm thinking, how do you turn it.
Speaker 4 (12:08):
Around if you lose this game to a Zavier team
that you should beat And like the rivalry might have
lost its luster, but beating Xavier is still like the
most important thing.
Speaker 3 (12:19):
To a lot of Cincinnati fans.
Speaker 2 (12:21):
For just sheer x'es and o's that are going to
happen tomorrow night. How does U see win this game?
How do they take care of business?
Speaker 4 (12:30):
I think you just you really shut down Zager's three
point offense. Try to limit them to like twenty five
or twenty percent conversion rate, and then you don't even
have to have a really really.
Speaker 3 (12:42):
Good shooting night.
Speaker 4 (12:43):
You just can't have your best shooters only making like
twenty percent of their threes. So I'm looking at Kerr Presa,
I'm looking at John Celesting, Shanna Baia, Dde Thomas, those
guys they can't not show up. And then the big
three that I've been talking about of Baba Miller, Shanabias
and Mustafa Cham. You know, Mustafa Champ cannot have a
(13:04):
Tony Snell line in this game, Like he can't play
twenty five minutes and there was zero points for once
from the from the field and only get three rebounds.
Like he has to dominate, he has to play physical.
So I'm looking for three point defense. I'm looking for
three point offense and being able to kill some runs
and some momentum there by Jaeger and then also physicality
(13:28):
on the board. See if the double double Machines and
Baba Miller and Mustafa Champ can kind of just tell
the runs and bring a steadiness to this team in
an environment where it can get pretty crazy.
Speaker 2 (13:41):
I look at the remaining non conference and I think
going into the year, you're like, Okay, Georgia Clemson kind
of middle of the pack. If you look right now,
Georgia is sitting at eight and one. They lost their
only loss of the years to Clemson, an overtime loss.
They have beaten Xavier, They went on the road and
put up one hundred and seven points at Florida State
just to nights ago. Clemson, on the other hand, just
(14:02):
took Alabama to the finish on last night. They lost
ninety to eighty four in that game. Clemson is also
sitting at seven and two. So, you know, I think
there's a lot of fans Keig and I know the
crowd wasn't great on Monday night. I think there's a
lot of fans that are going to sit back and say, Okay,
what happens against Xavier, what happens against Georgia, what happens
against Clemson, and then make that determination on how the
(14:25):
rest of the season goes.
Speaker 3 (14:26):
Would you agree with.
Speaker 4 (14:27):
That, Yeah, absolutely, because I think what you saw last
year was the definition of getting your hopes up after
the non conference, Like you you beat Dayton, you beat Xavier,
you go into Georgia Tech in Atlanta and you kill them.
You had had the exhibition blowout win over O Higher State,
and then you opened Big Twelve play with Kansas State
(14:50):
and you lose, and then you lost to Villanova as well,
But that was more like, you know, you're playing.
Speaker 5 (14:55):
On the road.
Speaker 4 (14:56):
Villanova's got a sneaky good team. Eric Dixon is a
really good player, and so that loss is kind of understandable,
but then it just starts that losing streak and then
it's a hole.
Speaker 3 (15:06):
That you have to dig yourself out of.
Speaker 4 (15:08):
So I don't blame fans for kind of keeping their
guard up a little bit and wanting to see what
happens against Georgia and Clemson.
Speaker 3 (15:14):
Before really buying in.
Speaker 4 (15:16):
Especially the track record over the past two or three seasons.
Speaker 3 (15:19):
So yeah, that makes a lot of sense to me.
Speaker 4 (15:23):
And I think when you looked at the non conference
before the season, it was okay, like it's decent for
the big games are really Xavier and Louisville, and then
Georgia and Simpson are two just high major teams, and now,
as the college basketball season usually goes, everyone's team changes,
the outlook for the team's change and our crimeson in
Georgia are two pretty good teams that it's going to
(15:44):
be really tough to beat them, especially against an away crowd.
Speaker 2 (15:49):
It should be a great atmosphere, a huge, massive opportunity
for the Bearcats. I look forward to talking again next week.
After the dust settles, we'll have an idea, we'll understand
where the Bearcats are going to go bowl, and we'll
know where the basketball bear Cats sit after obviously the
Crosstown shootout. Keegan, what's the easiest way to keep up
with all your coverage of the bear Cats going forward?
Speaker 4 (16:09):
Follow kay Nicholson forty two on X and the next series.
Speaker 5 (16:13):
Subscribed to Bearcat.
Speaker 4 (16:14):
Journal and just posted an article about yesterday's signing day.
Press or Zach Rant Scott Satafield had a ton to
say about the twenty twenty sixth signing class, So go
ahead and read.
Speaker 2 (16:24):
That awesome Keegan, thanks so much, man. We will catch
up next week. Enjoy the shootout, and enjoy the weekend.
Speaker 3 (16:32):
Thanks Terry, seeing Phoenix re.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
Seagan nickoson urcat journal dot com. Oh, that would not
be great. How about Keigan going to the Blakesnell Lustafa Chom.
Speaker 3 (16:45):
You get to be better than what he was, would you?
What did you just say it would not be great? Phoenix? No?
Why not listen?
Speaker 2 (16:52):
December twenty sixth, That would mean the team flies on
the afternoon of Christmas. It will not be good in
the piecoul.
Speaker 3 (17:00):
It's Christmas mornings. What matters?
Speaker 2 (17:02):
Oh no, no, no, no, no no, we'll dive more.
Speaker 3 (17:06):
Into that this week.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
People don't care. Maybe next you get paid to watch football.
I care, I care. I know Moagger cares, of course,
I mean, but other I mean just saying other people
gotta work on Christmas?
Speaker 3 (17:19):
Not many. You don't even have to work. You just
have to fly. Yeah, mean more work?
Speaker 2 (17:24):
You say, not many have to work on Christ's more
work leaving buddy, leaving down on a little just a
smidge out of touch right now? All right, Well, try
I'm trying to get I'm trying to keep you in line.
I'm not gonna apologize for wanting to spend Christmas with
my children.
Speaker 3 (17:37):
Of course, my wife, of course.
Speaker 5 (17:38):
Not.
Speaker 2 (17:39):
That's it. Bob Man Jean Nova care well he'll be
doing on Christmas. They probably have practice, don't they. No,
we at that point we might whill wait till tomorrow night.
Since he three six the ESBN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports station,
it'll be possible to fill you a gring with an
This is Tony Pike Cincy three sixty about Cincinnati from Cincinnati,
sponsored in hardby Penn Station East Coast Subs hand crept
It hot grilled subs, fresh cut fries and Lemonade. It's
all about good taste Penn Station East Coast Subs orderum
line Today. This is ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
All right, our three thanks to Penn Station on ESPN
fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station. Let's dive right into it.
We get them each and every Thursday now through the
conclusion of the college basketball season. It's our good friend
from Bearcat Journal dot Com, Keegan Nickoson joining us right now.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
Hi Keegan, Hey Tony, how are you?
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Keegan? I'm great. I thought I would throw some rapid
fire questions at you just to kind of get you
ready to go for today's segment.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
Would you like to do that? Huh, I would love
to do that.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
All right, here we go. Rapid fire question number one.
Do you believe Brendan Sorosby's really getting offers north of
four million dollars in the portal?
Speaker 3 (01:05):
Yes?
Speaker 2 (01:08):
Keing and Nickoson.
Speaker 4 (01:09):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
Gisel James was spotted on the jumbo Tron on Monday
at the UC game against Tarleton. Is Giggsel James gonna
play for the Bearcats this year?
Speaker 3 (01:19):
No?
Speaker 2 (01:20):
Keg and nickoson Bearcat Journal dot com. Is in year
five of the shootout for Wes Miller is tomorrow night?
I must win for West Miller. Yes, Keing and nickoson
do you have a educated guest on which bowl game
the Bearcats will be playing in?
Speaker 5 (01:38):
Educated?
Speaker 4 (01:39):
I don't really educated in me don't really go together
very well.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
What do you know that we don't?
Speaker 5 (01:44):
Kegan?
Speaker 3 (01:44):
What do you know?
Speaker 2 (01:45):
I know, you guys get inside stuff at the barricat Journal.
Brendle's probably already got Brendel's already got Brendle's already got
a spot booked for you, and probably Springer. I know,
So where's it at?
Speaker 5 (01:58):
I don't know.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
Let's start on.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
The football side officially now signing day yesterday, and your best, um,
let's say, your best summary of the class that you
see in Scott Saderfield brought in yesterday would be what.
Speaker 4 (02:20):
Best summary was more successful than the twenty.
Speaker 3 (02:24):
Twenty five class. Okay?
Speaker 4 (02:27):
I say that mainly because they were able to hold
on to some guys that were getting recruited by SEC
schools and Big ten schools like Solomon Mathis, there's a corner,
Markel Taylor and then Dadrian Waller. They were getting offers
from schools like Georgia, Florida, Mississippi State, and they were
(02:50):
some of them were taking visits.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
Others were completely shutting down.
Speaker 4 (02:53):
Their recruitment and staying fully committed to Cincinnati. But they
were able to hold on to them, and especially when
you think about their high rated or brute Lance Dawson,
who was offered pretty crazy money by West Virginia and
decided to stay with Cincinnati, And it even got to
the point where he was changing his Instagram profile picture
(03:13):
to a West.
Speaker 3 (03:14):
Virginia commitment graphic.
Speaker 4 (03:16):
So like he was basically he had told West Virginia
staff he's coming, and then Cincinnati goes and changes that
and then rewrites the narrative that you know, Lance Daalson
is going to be a Bearcat and then they're able
to sign him late yesterday afternoon.
Speaker 3 (03:31):
So yeah, it was.
Speaker 5 (03:33):
It was a successful class.
Speaker 3 (03:35):
Obviously not what.
Speaker 5 (03:36):
You want to see from a ratings perspective, but.
Speaker 4 (03:39):
Zach Grant isn't the guy that's gonna look at that
judge what the class is based off.
Speaker 5 (03:45):
That, so I think it was a good class.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
Just recently we saw the Big Twelve Awards come down.
Tommy Walker, Jeff Codwhill, Jalen Hunt, Antwine Peak Junior Honorable Mention,
Joel Royer, Gavin Gerhardt, Third Team, Second team was Fletcher Corleone,
Tengistall Cotton, Allen Sowersby, First Team Jake Golde. When you
see all these players earning all Big Twelve honors, does
(04:09):
it change in all your view on how the season
went based on success or disappointment? Seeing how many Bearcats
were honored and yet seeing how the season ended.
Speaker 3 (04:18):
Yeah, I mean it should have been better.
Speaker 4 (04:20):
When you have that many guys on the first, second,
and third team, you should finish better than seven and five.
Speaker 3 (04:26):
Because that told me you have the talent to do it.
Speaker 4 (04:29):
The surprise was that Evan Pryor didn't get any real nomination.
I think he had a really really good year and
was he was better than Tawie Walker for the latter
half of the season despite missing I think it was
two games, So that was a surprise to me. But
when you look at that list, those are a lot
of names that are also not going to be back
(04:50):
next year, mainly to exhausting eligibility, and then you never
know what could happen with the portal.
Speaker 3 (04:56):
So they've got a tall task ahead of.
Speaker 4 (04:57):
Them to put together a Anton roster given all the
all the very honored guys that are not.
Speaker 3 (05:06):
Going to be here. So I'm looking forward to seeing
what they can do with that.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
Knowing now what it's like in college football bowl games,
and I know we don't know where the Bearcats are going,
but I would assume, you know, I see that that
Corleone and Royer and Goldey are all going to you know,
they got Senior Day and Senior Bowl invites. I don't
foresee Soresby and Corleone and Royer and Goldey and others
playing in a bowl game. So how do you view
(05:32):
bowl games now? You know from the Cincinnati sports area
where you're covering, Now, what do you look for? I
know you get extra bowl game practices, which is vital
to coaches, But does this now just become a showcase
for younger players on this team to show what they
can do.
Speaker 4 (05:49):
Yeah, I think a big thing you can do is
kind of decide what you're going to do in the
portal based off of what the guys on the team
do in the bowl game, Like say say Maney, Kobe
and Zion Johnson go out and have great games and
then you say, okay, we probably don't have to bring
in the running back, or maybe there's some linebackers who
(06:10):
step up and you think, okay, we don't have to
bring in three linebackers because we're losing Checked England, Jake Golde.
The tight end position is interesting to me. You're losing
Patrick Kurd, J're Royer, and then you've got some decently
experienced guys and Devin de Hursky and Gavin Groger, which
I believe that they're just going to go forward with
that group next season and probably not bring one in.
(06:32):
But I think it's a it's a look at what
you need to do for next season, and it could
also be a chance for some of these guys to
up their price tend and their conversations.
Speaker 3 (06:42):
With the team to come back.
Speaker 5 (06:43):
So I don't put too much stock.
Speaker 4 (06:45):
In it, Like if they go out and lose, that
doesn't change my opinion, Like it doesn't make me think
that it's worse.
Speaker 3 (06:53):
If they go out and win. It's you know, it's
you know a good job. You played a probably fundamentally
sound game and won a game.
Speaker 4 (06:59):
But I don't put too much stock into these games,
just like I tried not to put too much stock
in any of the exhibition basketball games before the season.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
Is that still though, Like, does it change anything because
they lost the last four in a row and trying
to avoid a five game losing streak to end the
season or are you fully separating.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
The two.
Speaker 5 (07:21):
No?
Speaker 4 (07:21):
I mean, in my mind, I think after the BYU lost,
there was just air taken out of the program. So
like I think that they put all their eggs in
the basket of beating DYU, staying alive in the Big twelve,
and seeing if they could manage.
Speaker 5 (07:38):
To get in.
Speaker 4 (07:39):
But I just think it doesn't really change it for me.
Speaker 5 (07:44):
There's just too many factors.
Speaker 4 (07:46):
You can look at the four consecutive losses and say
that was your best team on the field for those
four games, and it was your best effort, and.
Speaker 5 (07:55):
You guys were supposed to be bought in.
Speaker 4 (07:58):
But the TCU loss I don't put as much stock
into as if you know they were still playing for
a Big Hold title, because obviously it would have been
a lot different. But obviously the four losses down the stretch.
You have to find a way to keep your guys
bought in and playing for something, and that just didn't happen.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
Let's switch gears. Tomorrow night is the Crosstown shootout. You
and I had a chance to talk earlier in the week,
and I wonder, like, do you feel now in covering
this game, We've had a couple extra days, now you've
you've put more into it. Do you feel the buzz
generating for this game or do you think there is
a lack of buzz surrounding the shootout still which is
(08:35):
being played tomorrow night.
Speaker 4 (08:38):
Yeah, I think the biggest buzz being put into the
game is probably my boss going after.
Speaker 3 (08:42):
Jager fans on Twitter coccer. I think if it weren't
for if it weren't for that, where would it be at.
I don't know.
Speaker 4 (08:50):
I think there's naturally a lack of buzz just with
the new landscape of college basketball.
Speaker 3 (08:55):
And Wes Miller like mentioned that yesterday.
Speaker 4 (08:58):
Like, it's not it's not you unique to this rivalry.
I would say Duke and you and seeing large part
is the same because they've basically had this kind of
player rotational landscape and roster turnover for the past twenty
years because other guys are there for one year and
then they leave. So that's kind of just ingrained in
the culture. But for other rivalries, like you don't get
(09:23):
the like cultured hatred for the teams, like these guys
aren't playing against.
Speaker 3 (09:31):
Each other four years.
Speaker 5 (09:31):
In a row, and you know, like it's just not there.
Speaker 4 (09:37):
So I think I say all that, but then the
lights come on and there can be some really really
interesting stuff happened. And then I look at guys like
Kurk Prisa who take on Luka Doncic.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
In the game in Europe and.
Speaker 4 (09:50):
Since her Harris who's one of the most physical players
in the country, and Dane Thomas who just got ejected
Gods Tarlotan State. So you never really know what can
have happen. Maybe this can be a thing where Wes
Miller turns it around and he's here for a long
time and Richard Patino has success, because I think that's
also something that you have to look at as the
lack of success each program has had since like twenty nineteen,
(10:14):
and that's definitely had an impact on the rivalry losing
its luster as the phrase I've heard.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
I certainly understand too. When you look at this weekend,
championship weekend in college football, Bills Bengals on Sunday, it
often it falls on a different time. I think you
could venture to say that there's not a lot of
Xavier fans that know a lot of guys on the
UC roster, and there's not a lot of UC fans
that know many people on Xavier's roster because of the
current landscape of college basketball and college athletics as a whole.
(10:42):
I mentioned to you in rapid fire earlier, though, is
this a must win for Wes Miller? Can Wes Miller
change that? Like, if they come out and play their
best basketball this season, does that then change the feel
around this team going forward? In your opinion?
Speaker 4 (10:56):
Absolutely, And this feels like a pivot point for the
season because if they go into Zager and.
Speaker 3 (11:03):
Lose a game that is very.
Speaker 4 (11:05):
Winnable against the Zavier team who has struggled. They've turned
it around over the past three or four games, and they've.
Speaker 5 (11:10):
Got some decent wins.
Speaker 4 (11:12):
But I think Cincinnati has the better roster and they
have the talent to go in and win. If you lose,
it's going to be hard for me to picture you
being able to get the momentum going, especially to the
end of the non conference and build up your tournament
resume before you get into the gauntlet of what is
a big twelve schedule, where it's going to be even
harder to get on a winning streak and get some
(11:33):
momentum going. If you win, then that's the tip of
the cap. That's okay, let's get on the right foot.
Let's start playing our brand of basketball. Let's start competing
to the level that Wes Miller wants them to compete at.
Speaker 5 (11:45):
So you know, I could see the season going one.
Speaker 3 (11:48):
Of either ways based on the result of this game.
And you know, Wes Miller not winning at.
Speaker 4 (11:53):
Sentas is definitely something that could be a dark spot
on the resume. But yeah, I think before I was
saying it's not.
Speaker 5 (12:03):
A must win because he can still turn.
Speaker 3 (12:05):
It around, But now I'm thinking, how do you turn it.
Speaker 4 (12:08):
Around if you lose this game to a Zavier team
that you should beat And like the rivalry might have
lost its luster, but beating Xavier is still like the
most important thing.
Speaker 3 (12:19):
To a lot of Cincinnati fans.
Speaker 2 (12:21):
For just sheer x'es and o's that are going to
happen tomorrow night. How does U see win this game?
How do they take care of business?
Speaker 4 (12:30):
I think you just you really shut down Zager's three
point offense. Try to limit them to like twenty five
or twenty percent conversion rate, and then you don't even
have to have a really really.
Speaker 3 (12:42):
Good shooting night.
Speaker 4 (12:43):
You just can't have your best shooters only making like
twenty percent of their threes. So I'm looking at Kerr Presa,
I'm looking at John Celesting, Shanna Baia, Dde Thomas, those
guys they can't not show up. And then the big
three that I've been talking about of Baba Miller, Shanabias
and Mustafa Cham. You know, Mustafa Champ cannot have a
(13:04):
Tony Snell line in this game, Like he can't play
twenty five minutes and there was zero points for once
from the from the field and only get three rebounds.
Like he has to dominate, he has to play physical.
So I'm looking for three point defense. I'm looking for
three point offense and being able to kill some runs
and some momentum there by Jaeger and then also physicality
(13:28):
on the board. See if the double double Machines and
Baba Miller and Mustafa Champ can kind of just tell
the runs and bring a steadiness to this team in
an environment where it can get pretty crazy.
Speaker 2 (13:41):
I look at the remaining non conference and I think
going into the year, you're like, Okay, Georgia Clemson kind
of middle of the pack. If you look right now,
Georgia is sitting at eight and one. They lost their
only loss of the years to Clemson, an overtime loss.
They have beaten Xavier, They went on the road and
put up one hundred and seven points at Florida State
just to nights ago. Clemson, on the other hand, just
(14:02):
took Alabama to the finish on last night. They lost
ninety to eighty four in that game. Clemson is also
sitting at seven and two. So, you know, I think
there's a lot of fans Keig and I know the
crowd wasn't great on Monday night. I think there's a
lot of fans that are going to sit back and say, Okay,
what happens against Xavier, what happens against Georgia, what happens
against Clemson, and then make that determination on how the
(14:25):
rest of the season goes.
Speaker 3 (14:26):
Would you agree with.
Speaker 4 (14:27):
That, Yeah, absolutely, because I think what you saw last
year was the definition of getting your hopes up after
the non conference, Like you you beat Dayton, you beat Xavier,
you go into Georgia Tech in Atlanta and you kill them.
You had had the exhibition blowout win over O Higher State,
and then you opened Big Twelve play with Kansas State
(14:50):
and you lose, and then you lost to Villanova as well,
But that was more like, you know, you're playing.
Speaker 5 (14:55):
On the road.
Speaker 4 (14:56):
Villanova's got a sneaky good team. Eric Dixon is a
really good player, and so that loss is kind of understandable,
but then it just starts that losing streak and then
it's a hole.
Speaker 3 (15:06):
That you have to dig yourself out of.
Speaker 4 (15:08):
So I don't blame fans for kind of keeping their
guard up a little bit and wanting to see what
happens against Georgia and Clemson.
Speaker 3 (15:14):
Before really buying in.
Speaker 4 (15:16):
Especially the track record over the past two or three seasons.
Speaker 3 (15:19):
So yeah, that makes a lot of sense to me.
Speaker 4 (15:23):
And I think when you looked at the non conference
before the season, it was okay, like it's decent for
the big games are really Xavier and Louisville, and then
Georgia and Simpson are two just high major teams, and now,
as the college basketball season usually goes, everyone's team changes,
the outlook for the team's change and our crimeson in
Georgia are two pretty good teams that it's going to
(15:44):
be really tough to beat them, especially against an away crowd.
Speaker 2 (15:49):
It should be a great atmosphere, a huge, massive opportunity
for the Bearcats. I look forward to talking again next week.
After the dust settles, we'll have an idea, we'll understand
where the Bearcats are going to go bowl, and we'll
know where the basketball bear Cats sit after obviously the
Crosstown shootout. Keegan, what's the easiest way to keep up
with all your coverage of the bear Cats going forward?
Speaker 4 (16:09):
Follow kay Nicholson forty two on X and the next series.
Speaker 5 (16:13):
Subscribed to Bearcat.
Speaker 4 (16:14):
Journal and just posted an article about yesterday's signing day.
Press or Zach Rant Scott Satafield had a ton to
say about the twenty twenty sixth signing class, So go
ahead and read.
Speaker 2 (16:24):
That awesome Keegan, thanks so much, man. We will catch
up next week. Enjoy the shootout, and enjoy the weekend.
Speaker 3 (16:32):
Thanks Terry, seeing Phoenix re.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
Seagan nickoson urcat journal dot com. Oh, that would not
be great. How about Keigan going to the Blakesnell Lustafa Chom.
Speaker 3 (16:45):
You get to be better than what he was, would you?
What did you just say it would not be great? Phoenix? No?
Why not listen?
Speaker 2 (16:52):
December twenty sixth, That would mean the team flies on
the afternoon of Christmas. It will not be good in
the piecoul.
Speaker 3 (17:00):
It's Christmas mornings. What matters?
Speaker 2 (17:02):
Oh no, no, no, no, no no, we'll dive more.
Speaker 3 (17:06):
Into that this week.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
People don't care. Maybe next you get paid to watch football.
I care, I care. I know Moagger cares, of course,
I mean, but other I mean just saying other people
gotta work on Christmas?
Speaker 3 (17:19):
Not many. You don't even have to work. You just
have to fly. Yeah, mean more work?
Speaker 2 (17:24):
You say, not many have to work on Christ's more
work leaving buddy, leaving down on a little just a
smidge out of touch right now? All right, Well, try
I'm trying to get I'm trying to keep you in line.
I'm not gonna apologize for wanting to spend Christmas with
my children.
Speaker 3 (17:37):
Of course, my wife, of course.
Speaker 5 (17:38):
Not.
Speaker 2 (17:39):
That's it. Bob Man Jean Nova care well he'll be
doing on Christmas. They probably have practice, don't they. No,
we at that point we might whill wait till tomorrow night.
Since he three six the ESBN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports station,
it'll be possible to fill you a gring with an
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