Men's hoops still needs a PF and a chat with Michael Lev

Ladies and gentlemen, tonight, the reigning, defending, defending, defending, defending, defending, defending undisputed universal heavyweight champion,

Wildcat Radio 2.0. Bear down, you beautiful people.

What's up, everybody? This is Wildcat Radio 2.0.

I'm Adam Green, and this is not Brett Baer.

We have Chris Brown, AZ Band Cat Sports, subbing in for Brett this week.

Brett is, I guess, on parental leave, as we'll give him, and he hops in when he wants to, so we're happy to have Chris, who's been a...

Awesome guest on this show.

Sub in for Brett.

I know for what it's worth, Chris, I don't want to put any pressure on you, but Brett got his start subbing in for Ronnie Brown, and then Brett just stayed.

So it's entirely possible that this might become a full-time thing for you.

Chris BrownGuest1:09

All right, Brett better watch out.

Chris BrownGuest1:11

I'm coming.

Chris BrownGuest1:13

I'm always auditioning new

co-hosts, right? One day maybe someone will come for me.

But Chris, happy to have you on the show this week.

Obviously, you've brought great insight on Arizona athletics and stuff, and we've had you on as a guest.

We'll just get right into it.

Like this show, we haven't been on for a while.

If you're listening to us now, sorry about that break again.

Been vacations, parental leave, and just trying to get our schedule.

We're hoping to get back into a rhythm and routine this summer.

We may have people like Chris filling in for Brett when he's unavailable, you know, being a new dad and all that he is.

I mean, I've been there.

But let's start off with men's basketball.

And not in the sense that there's been a lot of big news recently.

There really hasn't been.

You know, the Transfer Portal stuff has kind of died down.

Since we last recorded, Koa Pete officially stayed in the draft.

And like we had talked, he was in the draft until he wasn't.

He decided to stay in.

And we've seen the mock drafts.

It seems like Braden Burry's in the top 10.

Koa may be the top 22, 23.

Jaden Bradley in the second round.

I saw Anthony Delorso's been getting some workouts.

Maybe a G League two-way guy coming up.

We'll get to the draft stuff, I think, in the second half of this.

Let's start with just where Arizona men's basketball is right now.

I know, Chris, when we talked before, it was like, okay, if Koa comes back, wow, this team could be just ridiculous next season.

if he doesn't come back, there is a trust in Tommy scenario.

And I trust in Tommy to fill that number, that power forward spot.

And they've picked up a few guys that might be able to do it competently, but without Cohen out officially, he's not coming back.

He's going pro Arizona would appear to be a power forward away from being a final four favorite once again.

Chris BrownGuest2:52

Yeah, I, I completely agree.

Chris BrownGuest2:55

Um, I think, yeah, right, like we said on the last time, right, like, Coe was in until he wasn't, right, like, ultimately that was his decision to make and all those things, but yeah, I think Tommy has earned the, like, has earned Arizona fans' trust.

Chris BrownGuest3:11

that he continues to put together strong rosters.

Chris BrownGuest3:14

The difference is just that this is going to look a little different than the Arizona team that we all fell in love with last year, where it was like, you know, put it up inside, right? Like, we're just going to out-muscle you.

Chris BrownGuest3:26

We're bigger, tougher, taller, stronger than you, all those things.

Chris BrownGuest3:30

So this is going to look a little different, I think.

Chris BrownGuest3:32

That's not to say that Mo Krivas isn't going to be the anchor inside.

Chris BrownGuest3:35

Yvonne isn't going to have... you know, that same kind of like hard-nosed, gritty style of play, right? And then whoever they land as kind of the starting four will work into the fold there.

Chris BrownGuest3:49

But it's not going to be this like one-two punch of Koa and Tobe, right? Like you have just like a physical, beefy dude at the four.

Chris BrownGuest3:58

But I think that's okay.

Chris BrownGuest3:59

Yeah.

Chris BrownGuest4:01

Because everything that we've seen, and we don't know it until we know it, but Caleb Holt is Braden Burry's, but even more dynamic with the basketball.

Chris BrownGuest4:10

So maybe the offense just looks a little different.

Chris BrownGuest4:14

And it is more of a...

Chris BrownGuest4:16

It's Derek Dixon and JJ facilitating the ball for Caleb Holt.

Chris BrownGuest4:22

And so it's just going to look a little different maybe than a conventional Tommy Lloyd team or the Arizona team that Got Arizona or that got us there the first go around.

Chris BrownGuest4:34

Right.

Chris BrownGuest4:34

So but nothing wrong with that.

Yeah, it was always going to be a different team.

And we knew that that's college sports these days, especially college basketball.

When you are a high level program, we knew what Arizona was going to be losing.

I think I definitely trust in Tommy Lloyd.

Like I do.

I believe that he can fill the spot.

I guess the question is, though.

And I don't think Tommy's this guy.

I don't think he was banking on Koa coming back.

But you wonder, did Arizona miss out on a Koa replacement, maybe a better replacement, thinking that, OK, we're going to keep the spot open for Koa? And, you know, Koa had no reason.

I mean, he was in the draft the whole time, right? Unless he was unless he was communicating to Arizona, like, hey, I'm kind of thinking of coming back.

I'm just kind of getting the feedback, you know, because Carter Bryant, he was gone.

He was gone.

So you go replace him.

I think for the people that are worried right now, and I don't blame them, even though I'm not one of them, is that Arizona coming off a Final Four.

And I wrote this phrase, it's from Tommy Lloyd, if he's coming back, he's resigning a new extension, because he feels like Arizona's going to have the finances and the resources to compete in a transfer portal era.

Coming off a Final Four, Arizona Caleb Holt, top five recruit.

Awesome.

That's great.

He's a plug-and-play for Braden Burris.

He might be better in some ways, maybe not as good, but I'm not worried about that spot.

You get Yvonne back, terrific, because he assumes he takes a step forward.

You have a lockdown defender whose offensive game should grow.

And obviously, Mo Kriva's coming back.

That's huge.

But other than that, you're getting a couple guys in the portal who are question marks.

There's not a plug-and-play surefire like Derek Dixon's going to be a stud point guard.

We don't know who can replace Jaden Bradley or how different he'll be.

And then you don't have the power for it.

And it seems like coming off the momentum that you should have had with the resources that we think they have, Arizona could have done better in the portal.

And I say that understanding, too, that there's still international players out there that Tommy may get.

You know, Yvonne Karchenkov, I was looking that up.

Like, he committed to Arizona on June 3rd of last year.

He signed on July 1st.

So, at least according to 247 Sports.

So, it's not like there aren't guys who can still be acquired.

And I don't, I'm not going to pretend to know who's out there.

In terms of, I've seen some rumors of certain guys.

I don't know if they're plug-in play, if they're Lowry marketing, or if they're Polis Moravskis, right? If they're guys who are developmental, or if they're going to be someone who can come in and contribute as freshmen.

But it certainly felt like, at the end of the season, like, okay, you're going to lose Jaden Bradley.

You're going to lose...

You were going to lose Koa.

You thought maybe Yvonne or Mova, but I think we all kind of felt like they were most likely to come back.

You knew some of the other guys that were gone, and you felt, yeah, they'll be fine.

They're going to just dominate the portal, bring in these guys, and they didn't.

Unless, of course, Dixon becomes that dude, and it's possible.

He's a highly rated prospect.

He played well as a starting point guard at North Carolina.

If he's that dude and becomes like he's a big 12 caliber starting point guard with maybe a better outside shot than Jaden Bradley, you know, and a little bit bigger even, then great.

That's awesome.

But if he doesn't become that guy, if he is just okay, and Mandequit's just okay, like good players, good role players, but not stars, Arizona may be short of star talent if they can't upgrade the power forward spot.

So that's the concern I think a lot of people have, and I share it to an extent, but I also...

Maybe where I differ with some people is I do believe that Tommy Lloyd's not going to come back with a team that isn't good enough to win a Big 12 or compete for a Final Four once again.

Chris BrownGuest7:54

Totally.

Chris BrownGuest7:54

I think these things, like, they're...

Chris BrownGuest7:59

They can exist at the same time, right? I feel the same way.

Chris BrownGuest8:05

I have confidence that the roster that he will assemble will be competitive in the Big 12 and will have the opportunity to get back to a Final Four.

Chris BrownGuest8:16

But it's okay to say that it does feel like they missed on the portal a little bit.

Chris BrownGuest8:20

It just...

Chris BrownGuest8:22

You know, especially when you're looking at some of the names, right? You're like, is Bryson Tiller from Kansas a shot? And then he, you know, then he commits to Missouri, right? Cancels the trip the day before.

Chris BrownGuest8:32

And you're just like, what's going on? Like,

Bryson Tiller? Yeah, like, you know,

Chris BrownGuest8:37

yeah, he goes and picks, you know, school's rival, right? Like, you know, So, like, some of those kind of things, it felt like there were a couple of guys who were like, oh, yeah, like, as long as you get them on campus, right, like, this is surefire lock.

Chris BrownGuest8:48

You know, and especially a guy like that, where it's like, this is a pretty similar, like, physical, like, mold of a co-opete.

Chris BrownGuest8:55

And there's a

starting spot there at the four available for you.

Yeah.

Slide right in, it's yours.

Right,

Chris BrownGuest8:59

like, so it did feel like there were some misses there, like...

Chris BrownGuest9:04

How are we not getting this guy on campus? It did have some of that, but again, I think it's totally fair to say that there was a miss there, but Tommy has proven year after year that he's got an eye for international talent that nobody else in college basketball quite seems to have.

Chris BrownGuest9:22

he's I'm sure got somebody in mind and, and this is, this wasn't a surprise that, you know, Koa said, no, I'm not coming back.

Chris BrownGuest9:29

Right.

Chris BrownGuest9:29

I'm in all the way.

Chris BrownGuest9:31

Um, so they certainly have people in mind that they're, they're looking at and they're in communications with.

Chris BrownGuest9:35

And, and yeah, I think Tommy has earned our trust that, you know, he's going to, he's going to lead us, uh, or that he's going to lead Arizona back, you know, or at least be competitive in the big 12.

Chris BrownGuest9:46

And if not lead it back to a final four.

Yeah.

And obviously if, if Mo takes another step forward as an offensive focal point and I, I could see him shooting some threes next year with more regularity.

I'm not saying that's where I want him all the time, but he's got a good shot and he's, you know, if he can stay healthy and he was healthy all last season, you have to figure he'll be just another year better than Yvonne.

Just when the game slows down a little bit more for him, that aggression turns into, you know, sometimes a little out of control.

But can they run the offense through him more? So you don't every team is different in what they need from these guys.

And I think that's where we say, like I talked about, I thought about to a Tommy Lloyd.

What is a Tommy Lloyd player? And you look at all the teams he's had at Arizona.

They've been wildly different from each other.

I mean, the last couple of years have gotten tougher, more physically tough.

And I think that's what he saw from the early ones.

I mean, the first year he was here with a lot of the Sean Miller players and Umar Balo and Pella Larson.

You know, they just ran up and down the floor.

It wasn't it was a talented team.

It wasn't the toughest team.

And then the next year after that, obviously, they weren't a very tough team.

And then you start going into like Caleb Love and all that stuff.

So he wants that.

But I think Tommy has shown an ability to.

get the most out of what he has.

Now, does that mean what he has is going to be good enough to make a final four? I don't know.

Chris BrownGuest10:58

You know, like you have those years like the

list about the year they lost

Chris BrownGuest11:00

to

Princeton.

I forget how many games that team won, 27 or something in the regular season.

They had a monster regular season.

Obviously, the Princeton game was stupid.

But was that a great Arizona team? No, it wasn't.

It was like Courtney Ramey, I think, was on that team.

It was like one of their starting guards.

Yeah,

Chris BrownGuest11:16

so

it wasn't exactly a team where you say, wow, that's a team that's going to go far.

But he got the most out of them.

They should have made it a Sweet 16 probably.

But they won a lot of games, and it wasn't actually the best roster.

So I do believe that he will be able to maximize what he has on the roster next season.

It's just you kind of were maybe like depending on what they do the rest of the offseason, if they can get an international guy to be the power forward who comes in, he's like, yeah, that guy is a starting pick.

It's like Caleb Holt, you know, is coming to replace Braden Burries.

They had that plan for a long time.

I wonder if they do not fill that spot with someone.

And we go into the next season with Arizona being really good everywhere except for the four spot.

Maybe someone steps up and is that guy.

Maybe they don't need a co-op heat level of power forward.

But if they do, if it'll be one of those times where Tommy Lake kind of re-approaches or re-looks at the way he approaches the portal and the offseason too.

Because again, this was an offseason that should have had all the momentum.

Your coach is stuck around.

You're coming off the Final Four.

You have guys that are wanted on NBA players like, hey, come into this spot.

It's yours, and I can get you to the NBA, and that you don't get Tiller on campus even.

And I wonder if they were kind of thinking Koa would come back and if that cost them.

And it's possible because you don't want to recruit over Koa Pete and have him say, oh, I was going to come back.

Now I don't have a spot.

So you can't do that.

But I wonder if, I don't think Cole would put a fast one on Arizona and Tommy Lloyd either.

I don't think there was anything malicious, nefarious, or anything about that.

But Tommy, I think he has his reputation where he doesn't offer a ton of guys high school players, right? He offers a handful of players, and that's that.

And it doesn't seem like Arizona wants to outbid people for the transfer portal.

And I respect that.

They want to keep their guys around the same number, help their team continuity on that.

But in the year 2026, when you see what Texas and Sean Miller did, when you see what Kentucky's done, when you see what Michigan did last season and is doing again and trying to do.

maybe that's something that time is going to have to address how he approaches the offseason.

Maybe.

And that's only if they don't get it done.

Like if Derek Dixon is not the guy.

You know, if Ivan doesn't take that step forward, Amanda quit is not the guy.

And if they don't get the guy at the four and the guys mean there's the guy, I don't know how to pronounce his name.

You know, they got

Michael LevGuest13:33

in the portal.

Michael LevGuest13:34

Some of these guys, like

if it's not enough, then maybe it's a time for Tommy, like a learning experience.

He's still a fairly new coach.

And a lot of these coaches are still trying to figure out the transportal error and where things go.

But if Arizona wasted the opportunity, or maybe not wasted, but missed out on the opportunity to really build that momentum off of last season because of the approach that Tommy likes to take, maybe it'll be a learning experience that Arizona has to adapt to.

But again, it's more exciting when you're getting transfers.

It's more exciting when you're landing the big guy.

I get that.

And it doesn't have to be exciting to be good.

You don't have to win the transfer portal to win games.

Arizona's proven that.

But if Arizona is a 23-win team next season with Caleb Holt and makes the Sweet 16 or something, it's going to be probably seen as a disappointment, especially if the power forward spot is the reason why they don't seem to be as good as they could have been.

Chris BrownGuest14:22

I completely agree with everything you said.

Chris BrownGuest14:25

I'm going to put my co-host guest co-host hat on here for a second.

Chris BrownGuest14:29

I'm going to flip some questions on you now.

Chris BrownGuest14:31

So you said like, what if they don't, what if they don't land the, the, the four, right? What, what are your thoughts on like, do you, you know, buy or sell kind of, you know, What are your thoughts on Yvonne moving to the four and Cam Holmes takes the three spot? Do you think that works? Do you think he's ready? Is that out of the woods? Is that completely out of left field? I don't know.

Gosh, I think, I mean, a lot depends on what Yvonne comes back looking like, too.

You know, is he ready to bang with some of the fours? Does he have a consistent three-point shot? Can he be a stretch four in that regard? And then can Cam Holmes, I haven't seen Cam Holmes play, especially at this level, so I don't know.

I don't trust that.

And again, I could see Cam Holmes taking the Carter Bryant path, where you're coming off the bench and having a role that kind of grows throughout the course of the season.

But I don't know if I love him being a starter in game one.

But, yeah, I mean, Arizona started three freshmen last season and it turned out pretty good.

So I but maybe that's the plan.

Maybe that's the fallback plan.

Maybe, you know, Tommy's like, I'm going to wait out.

I hope he comes back.

If he doesn't, this is my lineup and I'm comfortable with it.

And it could maybe that's what it is.

And it works out great.

But I don't love that as being like plan 1A.

But you roll out the best lineup of five that you have.

We'll see what Evan Miyakawa has with the best five-person lineup, best four, best three.

But yeah, last season's team had a lot of question marks but had the high-profile recruits.

This year's team doesn't have as many high-profile freshmen coming in but also still some questions.

I

think

most teams

have question marks.

They're not the

Chris BrownGuest16:12

only one.

Chris BrownGuest16:13

Yeah, I think the other thing, to your point about if it feels like Arizona missed out in the portal and they didn't do enough... work during the off season to have the season they want in 2627.

Chris BrownGuest16:28

I think Tommy has also proven it's like it's just good to remember.

Chris BrownGuest16:32

He's proven that he's a pretty like he's he's proven that he's willing to adapt his style in whatever facet of the game he needs to, to get the results like I think that sweet 16 against Houston and what was that 21 2221 When they got... 22, I think.

Chris BrownGuest16:50

Yeah, the 21-22.

Chris BrownGuest16:52

Tommy's first year, I think.

Chris BrownGuest16:54

They just got punched in the face by Houston.

Chris BrownGuest16:58

It was like, whoa.

Chris BrownGuest16:59

Arizona needs to get tougher in order to win.

Chris BrownGuest17:03

And what has he done since then? Go get big, strong, physical dudes that can compete.

Chris BrownGuest17:09

At the time, I mean, dominate the Pac-12, but hang and now dominate the Big 12, too.

Chris BrownGuest17:14

So...

Chris BrownGuest17:16

I think to your point about this may be a good wake-up call for Tommy, they need to be a little bit more active or a little bit more on the aggressive side, recruiting out of high school, going after some big high-profile players in the portal when those guys come around.

Chris BrownGuest17:32

It very well could be, and it would be disappointing after the season they had this year, making it to Indy, but if that's the learning lesson that needs to happen, and ultimately Arizona is better for it in the long future, then I think most of us would sign up for that if that was the long-term game.

Yeah, yeah.

No, it's not always about just the one season.

Obviously, with college sports these days, especially basketball, you play every season as its own thing.

You know, there doesn't have to be a carryover.

It's nice when there is.

And that's what made last year's team so unique for Arizona men's basketball is how many players you had coming back from the year before when you had Jaden Bradley and Tobe Iwaka and Del Orso and Krivas.

Like, yes, the freshman got a lot of the publicity, but it was a team that had been around for a little bit and had its veterans.

And so there's multiple ways to win.

You know, Michigan did it with a lot of transfers.

They can do it that way.

It also can be done.

We've seen it to teams that are more experienced.

They can get it done, too, if they're talented.

And last year to have like a senior point guard, to have a senior in Toba Iwaka.

You know, to have a junior Mo Krivas, like to have what Arizona had last season was unique, but also because their freshmen were so ready to play.

And so there's a lot of ways, like there's every word where Dixon comes in and he's like, yeah, I'm a big 12 point guard.

You know, he grows under the tutelage of this coaching staff and with the talent around him and not being within the dumpster fire that was North Carolina last season.

You know, there's a world where Caleb Holt comes in is even better than Braden Burries, you know, more aggressive, a better defender.

And Burries was excellent, especially after the first four or five games.

But maybe he's instead of Burries, if Burries finished out points, like was he in like the 14th, 15th, 16th, maybe Holt's like an 18 or 19 point per game score and picks up the slack.

So it doesn't it's not going to be the same team as last year.

Doesn't mean it can't be just as good.

It would just be different.

But, yes, I think just the fear would be that, you know, Otten and Ugg and these other guys in Arizona has to be the bigs.

Like, one, you need Mo to stay healthy because you don't have a Tobey Awaka now behind him just in case or to play that spot.

But, two, just you don't want to waste momentum because it can be fleeting, except for the fact that Arizona basketball, as long as Tommy Lloyd is there and the resources are there, there's no reason why Arizona basketball should fall off.

Even if they have a year where they only make the Sweet 16 or something, it doesn't mean that the program is in shambles.

That's sports.

That's college basketball.

You may not love where the program is at right now, but it doesn't mean the program is going anywhere.

Chris BrownGuest20:00

we're going to have to record that and play that on loop like every March or just like have that as the, that's like the, the Mark Titus, like, you know, up November, like pucker up Arizona fans.

Chris BrownGuest20:10

Right.

Chris BrownGuest20:10

Like just because Arizona loses in the sweet 16, it does not mean the program is in shambles shambles.

Chris BrownGuest20:17

right signed adam green and we're gonna have to

i mean it happens you know it's hard to me she wasn't at arizona's um there's a game against utah state was like their toughest of the tournament or something up until

Chris BrownGuest20:29

michigan and like totally their second game that was the game i was the most nervous at yeah like well i guess the

final four and yeah utah state was the biggest challenge up until the final four

Chris BrownGuest20:43

yeah Yeah, totally.

Chris BrownGuest20:46

So

that's just how it goes.

Last year was unique.

Next year will be different.

But I think we're in agreement that Tommy Lloyd, he's an excellent coach.

He gets the most out of his players.

I mean, who knew Henry Vassar two years ago was going to be Henry Vassar two years ago, you know, for that team.

Yeah.

So, you know, it doesn't mean these guys that they have this year will become that, but I can believe, I can see Tommy Leite adapting to the talent he has.

And as long as the talent is good enough, Arizona basketball should be fine.

But yes, it would be nice to have someone in that fourth spot.

You go, yeah, that's a starting power forward.

Arizona will be quite all right there.

And maybe that guy is still out there and hasn't signed yet or hasn't been announced yet.

So, yeah.

Chris, good first segment.

That was fun.

Let's take a break.

When we come back, we're going to talk to one of Wildcat Radio 2.0's favorite guests, Michael Lev, from the Arizona Daily Star, to get his thoughts on so many things regarding Arizona athletics.

We're back.

It's Wildcat Radio 2.0. Glad to be joined by Michael Love of the Arizona Daily Star.

See, Chris is here and all of a sudden I'm just all thrown off.

But Michael Love, one of our favorite guests.

Brett Berry always loves talking with you, which just makes it all the more better that he's not here for this conversation.

But welcome back to Wildcat

Michael LevGuest21:54

Radio 2.0.

Michael LevGuest21:55

Thank you, gentlemen.

Michael LevGuest21:56

Happy to be here.

Yeah, we're happy to have you.

There's a lot.

It's kind of like it's weird because it's summertime, and usually in college athletics, the summer is a quiet time for things.

But now with the way the transfer portal is and it's with everything, there's really a year-round sport.

It's like the NFL made itself year-round.

I feel like college athletics is certainly year-round now.

Let's start with a little bit of football.

I guess Arizona will not have to play Brendan Sorsby this season when they travel to Lubbock on Halloween.

So, I mean, that's – I wrote for AZ to the store, and I got a lot of people like, you know what, Arizona should want to play him.

Be that as it may, whether he should play or not, if he's on the schedule, if he's there, play Texas Tech and go and beat them.

That's more fun.

Some people didn't like that.

Either way, the Big 12 kind of made it apparent that they were not going to let him play football this season in their conference, and that happened.

Just your thoughts on that whole situation and just like what a mess.

Well,

Michael LevGuest22:46

you know, Arizona already played Brendan Sorsby last year on the road at Cincinnati and won.

Michael LevGuest22:53

I think they intercepted him on the first or second play of the game, right? I think one of the...

Michael LevGuest23:02

sort of like sidebars to this whole story in my opinion is that i don't think brendan sorsby's all that as a player like i don't he's like that good like i think he's good i don't think he was really like five million dollars good like the market gets all sort of um twisted uh and bent out of shape like like you know similar to what you'll see in free agency because Like the, you know, the supply of truly great players at premium positions is always lower than what the demand is, right? So the price gets driven up artificially.

Michael LevGuest23:47

And that's what happens with quarterbacks.

Michael LevGuest23:49

That's what happens with offensive tackles, you know, maybe like elite wide receivers, right? um i don't like i think if will hammond is healthy that he's basically just as good of a player as brendan sorsby would have been i could be proved totally wrong on this front but that's one of my takes um on this uh particular topic

Chris BrownGuest24:18

It's an interesting point, right? Because Texas Tech did not have a superstar quarterback last year.

Chris BrownGuest24:25

No.

Chris BrownGuest24:26

And they just had a lights-out defense that carried them to a Big 12 championship game and into the college football playoff.

Chris BrownGuest24:34

And so, to your point, all this outrage, like, what is Texas Tech going to do without...

Chris BrownGuest24:41

Brennan Sworesby, it's like, they kind of have been there and done that already a little bit.

Chris BrownGuest24:46

So it will be interesting to see, right? Like talent wise does, are they okay? But, but is it the, the sort of the other ripple of just all the, the media focus, the spin, the shuffle this late in the game? Do any of those things have a factor? But I do also like the, uh, the economics lesson, a little supply and demand.

Chris BrownGuest25:06

That's pretty good.

Michael LevGuest25:07

it's

Chris BrownGuest25:07

about

Michael LevGuest25:08

the extent of my knowledge of economics

Chris BrownGuest25:09

honestly

Michael LevGuest25:11

very very rudimentary um but so i think that it's actually a net gain for texas tech that he's not part of the roster anymore okay because this would have been a massive distraction all year long People would have been suspicious every time he threw an interception.

Michael LevGuest25:35

Right.

Michael LevGuest25:36

I mean, it would have been kind of unbearable for them and for him.

Michael LevGuest25:40

I mean, honestly, like he does have a problem apparently.

Michael LevGuest25:45

Right.

Michael LevGuest25:46

And he's receiving treatment for it.

Michael LevGuest25:48

And I think it would have been really difficult for him.

Michael LevGuest25:52

to perform to the best of his ability in that fishbowl.

Michael LevGuest25:56

I think if he does go in the NFL supplemental draft that he can go be a backup somewhere and just kind of rehabilitate his life and learn behind someone without that level of scrutiny.

Michael LevGuest26:12

I also question those who say that Texas Tech, they're the favorites to win.

Michael LevGuest26:18

They're still going to win.

Michael LevGuest26:21

I'm not sure that I, and I have not made any predictions myself, but I'm not sure I would have picked them to win the Big 12 if they had Swordsby.

Michael LevGuest26:30

Now, I know their schedule is favorable.

Michael LevGuest26:33

They missed some of the other really good teams, but...

Michael LevGuest26:37

I think they lost so much from last year.

Michael LevGuest26:41

I mean, that defense was unbelievably good.

Michael LevGuest26:44

Right.

Michael LevGuest26:44

I mean, four defensive linemen who are going to the NFL.

Michael LevGuest26:49

I mean, that is like, you know, that is the foundation for any awesome defense.

Michael LevGuest26:54

Right.

Michael LevGuest26:55

I mean, that is how that's how Tom Brady lost three Super Bowls.

Michael LevGuest27:01

because he ran up against three really good defensive lines that dominated the offensive lines and gave him a hard time, right? Happened with the Giants, happened with...

Michael LevGuest27:13

I'm sorry.

Michael LevGuest27:14

It's not.

Michael LevGuest27:15

All right.

Michael LevGuest27:16

Two of them were Tom Brady.

Michael LevGuest27:17

One of them was Patrick Mahomes.

Michael LevGuest27:18

Sorry.

Michael LevGuest27:18

That's what I meant to say.

Michael LevGuest27:20

Two of them, Tom Brady.

Michael LevGuest27:21

One of them.

Michael LevGuest27:21

Yeah.

Yeah.

Michael LevGuest27:24

Yeah.

Michael LevGuest27:24

Patrick Mahomes was the one that I was thinking of with.

Michael LevGuest27:28

Yeah.

Michael LevGuest27:28

With with that happened twice to Patrick Mahomes.

Michael LevGuest27:33

One could argue.

Michael LevGuest27:34

Right.

Michael LevGuest27:34

In Tampa.

Michael LevGuest27:35

Tampa Beach, you know, I'm just getting myself all confused.

Michael LevGuest27:38

Tampa Beach, Kansas City.

Michael LevGuest27:40

Is this true? And then Philly Beach, Kansas City.

Michael LevGuest27:45

Right.

So, OK.

Michael LevGuest27:47

Yes.

Michael LevGuest27:47

So twice a piece to two of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.

Michael LevGuest27:52

What I'm trying to make is if you have a dominant front four, you will have a dominant defense.

Michael LevGuest27:56

I don't know.

Michael LevGuest27:57

And they tried to rebuild that front for Texas Tech did.

Michael LevGuest28:01

We don't know if it's going to be as good as it was before.

Michael LevGuest28:06

They do bring a lot of talent back.

Michael LevGuest28:07

They've kind of established themselves as this, you know, kind of front running team with a big budget and big expectations.

Michael LevGuest28:17

But I'm not sure they're better than BYU or Houston or Arizona, for that matter.

Michael LevGuest28:24

Arizona's got some question marks.

Michael LevGuest28:26

We'll probably get into some of those things, but I don't think they were.

Michael LevGuest28:31

as clear-cut of a favorite to win the Big 12 with Sorsby, and I think it's kind of the same without him because I have some other question marks about them.

The thing that I wonder then is, too, because a lot of people look at Texas Tech and say, They say Texas Tech would be the team to beat in large part because of how much money they spend on that roster.

Because they go through free agency and shopping and pick up as much talent as they do.

And you look at Arizona, they are not that team.

They don't go shopping and getting the big name guys, the big dollar guys.

And they've had a lot of what makes them supposedly pretty good this season is a lot of the returning talent, especially at the quarterback position.

And I am curious your thought, because you mentioned there that you think they may not be Texas Tech may not be better than Arizona, along with a few other teams.

Like, where do you look at this Arizona team in terms of the Big 12? Because last season, Arizona, they were never really going to win the Big 12.

Like they had that good season, but they were never on the level of the BYU, the Texas Tech.

We knew that for a while, most of the season.

But this is, you know, everybody's 0-0.

Everybody has a chance to win this conference.

And, like, where do you see Arizona fitting into that? I assume, like, you kind of mentioned, like, the top tier, maybe the top third.

But is it kind of a close competition between those teams, those programs, and the top few or the top, you know, four or five teams in the conference? Or is Arizona kind of at the bottom of that list, in your opinion?

Michael LevGuest29:59

Yeah, I mean, I would say, like, perception-wise, they were never on the level of those teams last year.

Michael LevGuest30:04

But performance-wise...

Michael LevGuest30:07

They kind of were for a long stretch, and the coaches would tell you they were one fumble recovery away from beating BYU, right? They were arguably one strange officiating decision away from beating Houston.

Michael LevGuest30:25

The only game that they lost decisively was the game at Iowa State, right? Yeah.

Michael LevGuest30:32

and did not ever face Texas Tech last season, so we don't know how that would have gone.

Michael LevGuest30:37

I think it would have been difficult for them to beat Texas Tech because of that matchup between their defensive line and U of A's offensive line.

Michael LevGuest30:45

But I think they are a little underrated going into this season.

Michael LevGuest30:49

I think Noah Fafita is, for whatever reason, is being underestimated.

Michael LevGuest30:56

I listen to a lot of... college football podcasts and read a lot of college football stories and some people are acknowledging like how good noah is but others seem to just kind of gloss over him and cite a bunch of other quarterbacks who have more potential perhaps more upside or they play for teams that are more established in the um hierarchy of college football programs right The fact that Arizona brings back both coordinators, all three coordinators, its head coach, its quarterback, that's huge.

Michael LevGuest31:39

That's a really big deal.

Michael LevGuest31:40

I don't think they lost any players to the portal that they wanted to keep.

Michael LevGuest31:47

That's a big deal.

Michael LevGuest31:48

Now, they, like a lot of the programs at Arizona, kind of take a money ball approach when it comes to the portal.

Michael LevGuest31:59

You're not going to get a ton of big names, expensive players.

Michael LevGuest32:06

But they showed the previous year, admittedly with a different front office, that they could attack their players.

Michael LevGuest32:14

needs right and find fits with guys from lower levels guys who had previous college production and they tried to kind of you know follow that pattern again so i'm encouraged about that um and i also think you know when it comes to predictions in general about college sports in particular that even though we have access to more information than we've ever had before we know less about how these teams will actually perform together because there's so much change Right.

Michael LevGuest32:54

So much change.

Michael LevGuest32:56

50 percent of your roster, 60 percent, like 70 percent of your roster could turn over in a given year.

Michael LevGuest33:02

And you just don't know how it's all going to come together.

Michael LevGuest33:05

So I take all the predictions with a grain of salt.

Michael LevGuest33:08

I'm looking at Athlon's picks right here.

Michael LevGuest33:13

I don't know if they were made before or after.

Michael LevGuest33:16

Well, OK, they've got it updated here with Sorsby going to the supplemental draft.

Michael LevGuest33:20

They've got Texas Tech first, BYU second, Houston third.

Michael LevGuest33:24

Utah fourth.

Michael LevGuest33:25

I would not place Utah ahead of Arizona, even though I like a lot of their talent.

Michael LevGuest33:29

That coaching change is kind of a big deal.

Michael LevGuest33:32

Kansas State fifth, Arizona sixth, and then ASU seventh.

Michael LevGuest33:37

I mean, that's not bad, right? I mean, that kind of puts you in the...

Michael LevGuest33:42

In the bucket of contenders, but I give them as good a shot as anybody.

Michael LevGuest33:47

And as mentioned earlier, a lot of times it does come down to kind of who you play in these giant conferences where the round robin is dead, right? I mean, you could play literally a completely different schedule than someone else in your own league.

I miss the round robin.

I like the round robin.

You know, maybe you got them on the road instead of at home or something like that.

But you played everybody and it felt like a real true.

This was the best team.

And sure, there's always injuries and other things that factor into it.

But like you play everyone and everyone's the most games from that group.

You know, it was the winner.

I like that.

So

Michael LevGuest34:19

I don't want to go off on a tangent here, but please do.

Michael LevGuest34:22

You know, since we're here, we've got time.

Michael LevGuest34:25

There are maybe two things that I like and only two things that I like about the idea of a 24 team college football playoff.

Michael LevGuest34:34

OK, there are many, many things I don't like about it.

Michael LevGuest34:38

One of the things that I like is that there would be more meaningful postseason games.

Michael LevGuest34:44

Right.

Michael LevGuest34:44

As we know, the bowl system is crumbling and guys are opting out, et cetera, et cetera.

Michael LevGuest34:50

There would be more games in which guys would opt in.

Michael LevGuest34:52

They would play.

Michael LevGuest34:53

The other thing that I like about it is this idea of playing more conference games, right? Like Brett Jormark said, let's play 10 conference games instead of nine.

Michael LevGuest35:05

I think that would be a boon for all leagues if they were to do that, because at least... you know, it gets a little bit closer to the round robin concept.

Michael LevGuest35:16

It's not there.

Michael LevGuest35:16

It's not possible because there are 15 opponents in a 16-team league or 16 opponents in the 17-team ACC and maybe 16 and a half if you include Notre Dame.

Michael LevGuest35:29

But you get a little bit closer if you had 10 games.

Michael LevGuest35:32

So anyway, that concludes the sidebar.

Michael LevGuest35:35

Back to whatever you guys wanted to talk about.

I'll let Chris go.

But I never thought about the idea of like with more playoff games, more games matter.

Yeah.

Season games matter.

You get more.

I mean, whether that's good or bad, I don't know.

But I could.

Yeah.

Like if Arizona's in a playoff game, I don't think those guys are opting out.

You know,

Michael LevGuest35:49

I also I mean, I have some like sort of tangential experience with a 24 team structure because, you know, my son played high school baseball the last four years.

Michael LevGuest36:01

And that's how they do it now for some of the levels anyway.

Michael LevGuest36:07

They have 20.

Michael LevGuest36:08

So it's like they call the nine through 24 is the play in.

Michael LevGuest36:13

Right.

Michael LevGuest36:13

That's a play in into into the actual playoff.

Michael LevGuest36:17

So I don't know.

Michael LevGuest36:18

Maybe it's just semantics.

Michael LevGuest36:20

You know, we're all getting upset over nothing.

Michael LevGuest36:22

I don't know.

Chris BrownGuest36:23

As long as the band gets to travel to wherever the games are, then then we're good.

Chris BrownGuest36:28

Right.

Chris BrownGuest36:29

That's the.

Chris BrownGuest36:31

That's the takeaway of all of that.

Michael LevGuest36:33

Chris has his agenda, as always.

Michael LevGuest36:37

I do.

Michael LevGuest36:37

Yes.

Michael LevGuest36:38

Yep.

Michael LevGuest36:39

Well, you know what? Hey, let's do more on campus, right? Yeah.

Michael LevGuest36:44

More on campus games.

Michael LevGuest36:45

That actually would be another positive potentially.

Chris BrownGuest36:49

Yes.

Chris BrownGuest36:49

That would be actually a huge win.

Chris BrownGuest36:51

Like those environments look incredible, right? And to be able to like host that or have that for your fans and your auxiliaries and all of that.

Michael LevGuest37:01

Yeah.

Michael LevGuest37:02

Am I talking myself into the 2014 playoff?

Chris BrownGuest37:06

Are

Michael LevGuest37:06

you

Chris BrownGuest37:07

talking

Michael LevGuest37:08

to me? I'm talking to another late night at work.

That's what I'm hearing out of this.

You guys want more late nights.

You want to have those games to cover.

I would just be watching from my TV at home with a beer.

You guys would be working.

So that's what I'm hearing.

Michael LevGuest37:21

Hey, man, if you're an Arizona fan and you want to get into the playoff and you don't really care about college football at large, you're probably in favor of expanding the playoff.

Michael LevGuest37:33

I mean, I think 16 would be just fine.

Michael LevGuest37:37

I'm good with 12.

Michael LevGuest37:38

I actually wanted eight.

Michael LevGuest37:39

I thought eight was like the perfect number.

Michael LevGuest37:42

But I don't know.

Michael LevGuest37:43

We're probably destined for

Chris BrownGuest37:45

24.

Michael LevGuest37:46

It's just the way these things go.

Chris BrownGuest37:49

If the NCAA tournament is going to 76 teams, then yeah, we're right.

Chris BrownGuest37:53

I feel like, yeah, we're going to 24.

Chris BrownGuest37:56

So it's a when, not an if.

I mean, hey, there's merit behind it and I guess a lot of money behind it.

And that's probably the more important thing for the people who make the decisions.

Well,

Michael LevGuest38:08

I think that, yeah, that's the part that they haven't quite figured out yet.

Michael LevGuest38:12

But if they can determine that they'll make more money, then they'll definitely do it.

But I guess thinking of playoff teams or potential playoff teams of an expanse of 24 or 36, we'll stick with Arizona here.

How much do you see this season as kind of like a if not now, then when? Like we thought that for the men's basketball team, right, especially with the way the season went, like when they got to the tournament, if they can't make the Final Four with this team, what team can do it? For football, I don't imagine if everything goes well, if they're a good team, Seth Daigie's probably not coming back after next season.

I would think he's gone.

Noah definitely isn't coming back after next season.

The thing that's been the advantage for Arizona the last couple seasons will be gone.

They'll have to find a new quarterback for the first time in a few years.

Just with the way college football is and what we know Arizona's going to lose and what they could lose after another successful season, how important is it that this next season is another 8, 9, 10 win, maybe even better season for the program and what it's trying to get to under Brent Brown?

Michael LevGuest39:11

Very important.

Michael LevGuest39:14

Very important.

Michael LevGuest39:16

Like you said, it's definitely possible that some really key elements or characters on this particular team are not going to be around next year if they enjoy the same type of success that they had this last year.

Michael LevGuest39:31

We know that Noah Fafita will not be back.

Michael LevGuest39:34

They could lose both coordinators.

Michael LevGuest39:37

easily even though they signed contract extensions that you know to provide a little bit of financial protection uh for the program but you know contract extensions have never stopped anybody from taking a job especially if it's a promotion and i think in the case of danny gonzalez he would only leave for a head coaching job seth i don't i have no idea seth might leave for another like oc job at like a quote-unquote bigger school Um, so that's all true.

Michael LevGuest40:08

Um, they have something to prove this year because the history of Arizona football says if they have a really good season one year, they will not have a really good season the next year.

Michael LevGuest40:20

So can they buck that trend? That's definitely going to be a big theme of the season.

Michael LevGuest40:27

And then, assuming all of this stuff happens, let's say they have a really good year again, and let's say the coordinators do leave and Noah, of course, leaves.

Michael LevGuest40:35

Then, and we're getting way ahead of ourselves, of course, but then it will be the true test of, has Brent Brennan truly laid the foundation for sustained success through recruiting and culture? Right.

Michael LevGuest40:53

They've had some, you know, pretty highly thought of recruiting classes.

Michael LevGuest40:58

Right.

Michael LevGuest40:58

Especially like the one that's arriving that it's partially here and arriving on campus.

Michael LevGuest41:04

This month, like really good, right? And last year, a lot of those guys, whoever was on the team last year, most of those guys didn't play.

Michael LevGuest41:14

So, you know, they're kind of like maybe doing it right.

Michael LevGuest41:19

They're filling holes.

Michael LevGuest41:21

They're bringing in starters through the portal.

Michael LevGuest41:24

They're developing players through practice and limited opportunities.

Michael LevGuest41:32

And they're keeping them happy enough for them to stay around.

Michael LevGuest41:35

Right.

Michael LevGuest41:36

I mean, I've asked this question like many different ways to many different people.

Michael LevGuest41:40

Like, how do you do both of those things? And like the one thing they all say is like they have to want to continue to be here.

Michael LevGuest41:48

So you have to, you know, keep keep them happy by creating that good culture, that brotherhood, all of those things that they talk about all the time.

Michael LevGuest42:01

Plus, like they have to know that they're actually getting better and they're on the right track and that there is some sort of chance that they'll get to play at some point because guys want to play.

Michael LevGuest42:12

Right.

Michael LevGuest42:13

I think Wesley Yarbrough will be a good test case for that this year.

Michael LevGuest42:19

Someone who was basically just a special teamer.

Michael LevGuest42:23

last year and seems like he's going to have a pretty significant elevated role this year out of the backfield.

Michael LevGuest42:30

Let's see how that goes.

Michael LevGuest42:31

And maybe he'll be a good example for some other guys who are kind of in that same position.

Chris BrownGuest42:39

Yeah, that's a good, that's a good like pace right there.

Chris BrownGuest42:43

I think he is going to be a good like player to watch and kind of follow.

Chris BrownGuest42:47

It is interesting.

Chris BrownGuest42:50

To your point, they talk so much about the Bear Down Brotherhood and the culture and the camaraderie, but there is some proof in the pudding there, right? The fact that, yeah, some of these guys aren't getting the play time, they aren't seeing the field in games or in meaningful moments, but they are deciding to stay and come back, and that...

Chris BrownGuest43:13

that speaks a lot of volume about the culture that they have built.

Chris BrownGuest43:17

Not just Brent, but so many of the other, like a Joe Salavea, right? And like the family bond that he has been able to create and kind of add, right? And guys like that, when you hear about, you know, the entire offensive line in Josh Ogilvie's office, like those types of things, like you can't fake that, you know, and talk is cheap, but Those are the results.

Chris BrownGuest43:43

When you hear those stories and then you see those guys continue to show up, even if they're not a superstar, it does speak volumes about the bond at Arizona right now, and it does feel different than maybe it has in the past.

Michael LevGuest43:56

You know what is not cheap? Putting together a roster.

Michael LevGuest44:01

to compete for national championship these days in college football, right? Now we know that Arizona is investing in football in a pretty major way in terms of revenue sharing, right? I mean, we don't have exact figures, but they're all in, in that regard.

Michael LevGuest44:20

Desiree Reed-Francois has said in so many words, Like, yeah, we're doing the full 20.5 million, and you know she values football considerably.

Michael LevGuest44:29

But, like, in the NIL space, they're not in the same league as Texas Tech, for one example, but, you know, those top teams in the Big Ten, in the SEC.

Michael LevGuest44:42

So it just underscores the point that they have a positive culture, that they're able to keep these guys without, like, having, you know, without... being able to probably to match even some of the offers that they might be able to receive, right? I think it's pretty well, it was pretty well publicized that, you know, Tatarola McMillan and Noah Fafita could have left.

Michael LevGuest45:07

and made a lot more money.

Michael LevGuest45:09

The defensive backs, one of my big arguments in favor or in defense of the three defensive backs who opted out of the holiday bowl was they could have left at any point during their careers and played for someone else and represented someone else in the NFL.

Michael LevGuest45:30

And the only game they missed but aside from injuries and their entire careers here at Arizona was that one game and the holiday bowl, those guys could have left for more money too.

Michael LevGuest45:43

So again, I think that just speaks to the culture element.

Does that culture, though, I know, like, where does it come from? Is it the coaches? Because obviously Brent Brennan, this will be his third season.

So for some of these guys, they played under the Dreadfish staff.

Or how much does it come from the players that are there? Like, how much of it is like Noah Fafita-led, right, when your quarterback is Mr.

Culture? and the guy who players want to play with and catch the ball from, you know, how much does that matter with regards to the players? Because, you know, when those guys leave and I think that's my big question there is like when those guys leave, does the culture survive? Is it Brent Brennan coaching staff led when guys are going to be players to be moving on and you and some of the coaches and corners could be moving on as well? Because culture is great when you're winning and when you're losing, it's really tougher to keep generally.

Michael LevGuest46:30

I think a really fair question.

Michael LevGuest46:34

Forgive me for popping the halls into my mouth.

Michael LevGuest46:38

Coming off of a little late spring cold here.

Michael LevGuest46:41

Got some lingering phlegm issues and one of those tickle cough situations that's annoying as I'll get out.

Michael LevGuest46:50

We'll muddle through here.

Michael LevGuest46:51

It's just your sexy voice.

Michael LevGuest46:52

Right.

Michael LevGuest46:53

It's a fair, fair question because Noah is a leader in that regard, right? Big time.

Michael LevGuest47:03

And what will it be like after he's gone? Like, will they be able to replace that? Maybe his brother will be the guy who kind of brings the team together.

Michael LevGuest47:12

But I do think you mentioned this earlier, Chris.

Michael LevGuest47:15

Joe Salavea was a freaking great hire.

Michael LevGuest47:18

I mean, like grand slam, brilliant move to bring him in.

Michael LevGuest47:25

Not only did the performance of the defensive line improve, but like, you know, Polynesian pipeline recruiting, he's the guy, right? And they have a ton of Polynesian players.

Michael LevGuest47:42

And for the most part, I hate to generalize about anyone, but they're usually very team-oriented, family-oriented guys.

Michael LevGuest47:53

A lot of them are linemen, right? And that's a...

Michael LevGuest47:59

position where you have to be unselfish a lot of times because as an offensive lineman, you hardly ever get any credit, right? You only get blamed as a defensive lineman.

Michael LevGuest48:08

Sometimes you're occupying blockers to free up linebackers and safeties to make plays.

Michael LevGuest48:14

Right.

Michael LevGuest48:14

So I think those are some reasons I would tend to believe that the culture will remain in place and strong.

Michael LevGuest48:23

And I think Brent Brennan's biggest strength is that very thing.

Michael LevGuest48:27

If you ask what is the thing that he brings to the table, it is that element.

Michael LevGuest48:33

He's very genuine.

Michael LevGuest48:35

He's very down to earth.

Michael LevGuest48:39

The players really like him.

Michael LevGuest48:41

They will play hard for him.

Michael LevGuest48:42

And I think that goes a long way.

Chris BrownGuest48:51

Totally agree.

Chris BrownGuest48:51

I think we think when one of the last times that I was on the show with Adam and Brett, we kind of landed on this idea that maybe Noah, well, statistically, Noah will be the best quarterback in Arizona history by every account in the book.

Chris BrownGuest49:12

But I think where we landed is that he may not be the best player that has ever

come through Arizona,

Chris BrownGuest49:22

but he will be the most impactful, significant player that has come through Arizona.

Chris BrownGuest49:29

What do you think about that? Just in terms of, again, where is this culture going to come from you know like will his his legacy will inevitably you know long outlive his playing time his playing career at arizona but just how does that all kind of factor together yeah i

Michael LevGuest49:45

mean i don't i mean i would like in my time here my experience here 10 plus years now um No question, he's the most impactful player.

Michael LevGuest49:59

I don't know the entire history of Arizona football where I could definitively say that there isn't someone else who is more impactful.

Michael LevGuest50:11

Some old-time players or whoever, Willie Tuitama, I don't know.

Michael LevGuest50:16

You can make arguments for other guys, but

Chris BrownGuest50:19

if you were to make the argument for Noah Fafita...

Michael LevGuest50:25

That moment at McHale Center when he and T-Mac came out and let all the players were back, incredible, unbelievable.

Michael LevGuest50:35

The loyalty that he has shown, like you cannot put a price on that, right? Made man, you know, statue worthy type stuff.

Michael LevGuest50:45

And the cherry on top is the on-field performance, right? Like really good, except for, you know, that terrible year in 2024, which I mean, I give him some of the blame for that for sure.

Michael LevGuest51:01

But a lot of it I give to, you know, offensive coaching structure, et cetera, all being like extremely problematic that year.

Michael LevGuest51:14

But if he goes out and has a year like last year, and leads them to another eight or nine win season, another bowl game, like, as you mentioned, he'll be atop the leaderboard in just about every single meaningful passing category.

Michael LevGuest51:34

I think you will be able to make a case that he's the greatest Arizona football player of all time, regardless of position.

Michael LevGuest51:43

So that, you know, we're going to introduce you, but he has still, I think he still needs to have one more really good year for him to, to have a case there.

Chris BrownGuest51:51

So we, we do this bit when I come on the show called the vibeometer where it's just like, what are the vibes right now? Like, you know, good, bad.

Chris BrownGuest52:00

And right now you've got the vibeometer, like the way that you're talking, like it's up, up, up.

Michael LevGuest52:06

Do we

Chris BrownGuest52:06

want to bring it down a little? No, it's the summer.

Chris BrownGuest52:11

Let's have some fun, right? Let's talk some baseball.

Chris BrownGuest52:15

There we go.

Michael LevGuest52:20

Womp

womp.

Before we let you go, Michael, obviously, we had talked before, like early in baseball season when things weren't going well, and we had a discussion of like, okay, They're not going to make a run this year.

It's not going to happen.

But what you need to see, what you want to see, is reason to believe that the program is still heading in the right direction, that Chip Hale still has his finger on the pulse of things, that players are going to want to stay a part of this program because, you know, the transfer role comes for baseball, too, and giveth and taketh.

And I'm curious at your take where obviously the season – What about the way it was going the whole way through? It

didn't really get any better.

There were moments of competence, but they were fleeting.

And then since the season has ended, is the program heading in the right direction following a bad season, or do you think things are kind of going the wrong way after what we've seen early on with the portal and everything?

Michael LevGuest53:14

No, I think it's been a promising offseason.

Michael LevGuest53:19

They obviously made a change with their hitting coach position.

Michael LevGuest53:23

Which, I mean, I really liked Toby DeMello a lot.

Michael LevGuest53:28

He's a great, great dude.

Michael LevGuest53:29

But it was just kind of time for a change there.

Michael LevGuest53:32

They needed a fresh voice, a new direction.

Michael LevGuest53:35

They went out and got an up-and-comer in Jack Meggs, who helped St. Mary's upset UCLA twice in the NCAA tournament, the number one seed.

Michael LevGuest53:46

So that was a really big move.

Michael LevGuest53:48

They've, you know, as of this recording on June 17th, there are 12 Arizona players who've gone into the portal.

Michael LevGuest53:58

And I would say that there's really only one of them that was a surprise to me that would fall into the category of we did not really want to lose this guy.

Michael LevGuest54:08

And that's a right-handed relief pitcher named Corey Kling, who announced earlier today that he's going to Auburn.

Michael LevGuest54:17

He was pretty good.

Michael LevGuest54:18

You know, middle reliever setup guys, they are replaceable.

Michael LevGuest54:25

They haven't landed any kind of like big fish type guys in the portal as of yet.

Michael LevGuest54:30

It's never really been their MO.

Michael LevGuest54:33

They definitely need some good players.

Michael LevGuest54:37

You know, someone like an Aaron Walton, who they got out of the portal a couple years ago, or Clark Candiotti.

Michael LevGuest54:45

You know, some of the portal success stories that they've had.

Michael LevGuest54:49

They do need more players.

Michael LevGuest54:51

They love their incoming recruiting class.

Michael LevGuest54:55

But it gets to that question of like, do you want to be super young again and possibly have another season of struggles? Or do you want to win like right now and, you know, maybe bring those young players along a little more slowly? I think softball has done a really good job so far of plugging their holes with one and done players.

Michael LevGuest55:22

so that they can be a winning team next year, but not really block anybody or make anyone unhappy or make anyone feel threatened.

Michael LevGuest55:31

I think that's the needle that you kind of have to thread if you're going to be a recruit and develop program, which I think every Arizona program is except men's basketball, where you can go out and get, you know, the best of the best, the one and done guys who are freshmen, you know, not seniors, which is what we're talking about, like with softball and theoretically like, you know, the type of players that baseball might still be bringing in.

Chris BrownGuest56:01

Totally.

Chris BrownGuest56:02

I think I don't candidly don't know.

Chris BrownGuest56:05

I

spent the first something talking about how Arizona men's basketball maybe hasn't gone out

Chris BrownGuest56:09

and got the best of the

best and comes to the portal.

Michael LevGuest56:11

Oh, no, I mean,

I'm talking I mean, I'm talking

Michael LevGuest56:13

about recruiting.

Michael LevGuest56:15

Right.

Michael LevGuest56:16

Like Arizona goes out and gets them.

Michael LevGuest56:18

I mean, what? Coa Pete and Braden Burry's were top 12.