all rise and it's time for what's trending good evening cougar basketball fans we kind of have homegrown fans everywhere in this country and so what an incredible blessing we talk about urgency and Faith fast break run to Perfection give me that I think we're just excited to keep going you know who else is excited to keep going Yukon they won their sixth National Championship last night holy cow back to back for the first time since Florida did it in 2006 and 200 boring domination they they won
every game by what at least 14 points it was an average of 22 it's unbelievable the best overall point differential in the six games in the history of the NCA tournament run second best Mark Pope's Kentucky in 1996 so yeah the national championship game was a little boring it's cool to see Yukon repeat but again you get to the end of the game and it doesn't take very long for these way too early top 25 not too early to show up they too early would have been during March mandis well I mean 2 minu
tes after the game it's like all right let's look atad the next year what yeah who who's going to be the best team is it going to be Yukon again might as well surprisingly or maybe not surprisingly in some of your minds BYU is featured as high as number 10 in one way to early top 25 they're currently number 13 in the Athletics way to early top 25 and they're given the 14th best off to win the 2025 National Championship according to FanDuel this is Pope actually looking at this graphic that's tha
t's the face yaho Sports hasm at 20 Fox Sports 21 Sports Illustrated 25 well well Sports illust still going huh are you buying the hype for BYU men's basketball going into next season why not why not by's got up to eight guys returning um and that's without Jackson Robinson right you're bringing in your highest s ever at 28 in Colin Chandler from ESPN's top 100 um you know certainly you lose some guys uh in Spencer Johnson and Marcus Adams Jr and probably Jackson Robinson uh but yeah you're brin
ging in Chandler you're bringing an Isaac Davis Dawson Baker is gonna play you're gonna have a healthy Ali Khalifa hopefully he gets the offseason knee surgery that he requires and and gets ready to go I I would say why not because boy brings back enough guys and showed that they can compete and compete well in the Big 12 if you operate and I've said many times this that BYU BYU does operate better from a know believes in a standpoint well that's a negative if you're being hyped up in that case
but at some point you can respond positively to the hype so I say why not man I think um some of the issues that Bo had will be rectified in different ways for example only one real ball handler on the team you're going to get two more dudes in Colin Chandler and Dawson Baker who can help in that regard as combo guards to help with the uh the combo guard SLO guard that is down in Hall you lose 14 points the game in Jackson but let's not act like it was 20 or 2 Five Points a game like 14 is repla
ceable uh by a couple of guys we don't know what the portal is going to look like in terms of people who may want to leave Andor come in reminder Bo didn't play with 13 scholarship players last year they played with 12 is Bo an attractive option for a highlevel transfer portal player hopefully but I don't know that bu is going to attract high level transfer portal players because they're not shelling out the nil to get those kind of guys guys like Dawson Baker and Ali Khalifa are midlevel in ter
ms of uh production slash what they ask of nil BYU is trying to get more competitive in that space bence But I don't think by will ever attract a high Lev guy because they're not willing to Shell out that amount Chand right well yeah Colin Chandler I'm talking from the portal though not out of high school okay also Colin is a member of the church like that's your recruiting Advantage the the portal guy that isn't a member Dawson was a member like Ali Khalifa was uh at Charlotte uh put up unique
numbers but didn't blow your mind right BYU is a unique place we're not getting the high level transfer portal guys I don't think yeah high level I'm talking so and so at a big school put up 17 a game at a big school I'm not talking 14 at LMU I'm talking seven 17 in the Big East or the Big 12 or the ACC or something listen Bo is in a great position great position with the with the core that they bring back again and it's not even a guarantee that by will get the high level guys that are members
of the Church of Jesus Christ of last there's no Parker yeah you know oh if Duke enters the convo by's not winning that recruiting battle so not many are against Duke BYU with their highest recruit ever in Colin Chandler by metrics he joins a team that is now projected and again 14th best odds to win the national championship like that is wild sorry what we just want to win a first round game here let alone seriously by wants to get to the second round for the first time since Jimmer fet played
in 2011 how about a pick since Jimmer that could be Jackson maybe it's Jackson Robinson by the way is Shifting perhaps there are two fewer NBA draft picks this year by the way two teams have forfeited their picks that much tougher to get picked into the NBA super random right all right so the 14th best odds what yeah interestingly enough those are the fifth best odds in the Big 12 taking fifth again let's go okay Kansas and Houston and Arizona and Baylor and by the way Arizon hi then there are B
YU and Iowa State who are tied for 14 not bad to be with Iowa State it was a two seed nearly won the regular season title wild pretty good now we have spoken at length we so often about how valuable it is to have a returning core of experience and even if BYU how nice is it that even if BYU loses a talent like Jackson Robinson we sit here and say okay it's all right BYU brings back a ton of production yep ton of production and can be get some guys healthy can Dawson Baker take over the void that
Spencer Johnson leaves we think and he will alleviate some of the ball handling concerns different roles but yeah right so it's Colin Chandler is more of your Spencer Johnson replacement to me Dawson Baker is more of a okay now we have a second point card like who we expecting I would love two ball handlers on the floor at the same time with down hall and Dawson Baker at times you'll see that at times yeah for sure so I I love that the core is back BYU has experienced things together they had g
one through really really intense frustrations in the West Coast Conference now they've experienced some success in the Big 12 but they're dealing with the frustration that awful dessert of the NCAA tournament that they can dwell on and use it as motivation and just see what they can do but I I mean I'm a little Sur are you not a little surprised I'm a little surprised that BYU is as high as they are in some polls I thought maybe they'd be like a fringe top 25 team we're seeing them as high as n
umber 10 number 13 number 14 this goes to show that a first round loss does not negatively affect you as much as the perception of what you could become next year it's more about what Bo did the entire season and look at kenpom BO finishes number 18 in kenpom season oh they jumped up two spots they jumped up two spots that's unbelievable so like what BYU is a good team and they had good metrics and they were they had a disappointing finish but it doesn't mean it was a disappointing year it is wi
ld to see like 10 though from USA Today I'm like 10 like by by doesn't have the sort of recruiting chops against a lot of those teams um but like I would put BYU in the 20 to 25 range going into next year kind what I which is where they finished and where they were and where they probably are given if you lose Jack and you uh add Colin Chandler like okay um there there's a guy that you expect to sort of have a productive freshman year which by the way I've said it a couple times I'll say it agai
n I'll keep saying it I'm not going to expect Colin Chandler to come out and like score 15 a game out of the gate now give him off a mish he's still on his mission in London as we speak so even if he got home in the next couple of weeks which I can't remember when he gets home but I think it's soonish in the next month or two he's he's going to have four or five months before the season yeah give him time it takes a long time sure ask gon Hall about that ask Richie Saunders about that yeah it ta
kes a minute those guys really Excel the sophomores right um Colin is exceptional in terms of where he sits in the signing rankings and whatnot and the type of player he is super exciting though um and Isaac Davis could be a baller and Dawson Baker we expect to be healthy and super uh able to help this BYU offense continue to do what they do but provide different skill sets like Dawson Baker gives you a one-on-one uh ball handler that Bo didn't really have Bo relied on pick and roll more at time
s with I love that Hall is gonna have some help I like catch and shoot guys but when duaine and Texas Tech are up in your grill uh can one guy make a play to create an opening and get a odd man Rush with which is the goal of every offense is to get a two-on one a three on two and then you get an open shot so I yeah I'm stoked am am I like buying into it 100% I'm not buying into number 10 but I'm buying into like yeah bu should be a top 25 preseason team they don't lose a ton they return a lot th
ey had some nice pieces that's the formula for preseason prognostications yes yes I'm buying into the idea that BYU can be a top six or seven Big 12 team even though the conference is expanding to to 16 team like I feel like BYU because they return essentially what they were last year if they if they replicate it yes there's no guarantee that it's the same the Marriot center is not all of a sudden going to become easier to play in for opponents right I what you have to do is you have to be as ef
ficient as you were last year you have to win the games you won last year you have to also lose the games no bad loss had zero bad losses I am up for the idea that BYU could be better than last year they could also be worse like there's that option as well but um yeah if BYU kind of Builds on what they had this year and uses the motivation of the frustration of the end of the year yeah they could maybe be better what if Colin Chandler is amazing uh and then he's one and done like that would be t
he best if Colin Chandler was so good and Bo made a run that he was oneand done that'd be amazing hey two and done when uh D Hall is a senior point guard and maybe there another essentially core returning from something special that they do next year I don't know maybe I'm getting greedy a core is nice for sure and if you feel like you have a better shot at BYU especially of core and experience equals better shot at being better yeah absolutely doesn't you don't necessarily need it though yeah l
ike 2021 football you lost a lot from 2020 you did retain some core but you lost like five draft picks and like seven to 10 dudes yet you were able to have a tremendous 21 so it doesn't always mean exactly what you think it means but hey we'll take we'll take the core returning we'll take an influx of talent absolutely yeah on that 21 Squad by still had four draft picks uh that were eventually go to the NFL the the build of 18 and 19 of the struggle of seven and six was was tough let me add this
and I need to clarify when I said zero bad losses according to the tournament sheet Bo had zero quad three and quad four losses and this quote just just just marinate on this as we move into topic two the Cougars will have one of the best benches in college hoops this is a dream scenario for Mark Pope this is from the athletic he Pope has an old team with awesome chemistry and he adds a guard Colin Chandler with Pro potential why would Mark Pope leave jeram why would he leave well if it's uh li
ke 7even million bucks something bench points were fifth in the country 33 game really good really good topic two Alabama head coach Nate oats came out with statement saying he's staying in Alabama wasn't a denial though and Dan Hurley blew off the Kentucky rumors following the national Championship what would have to happen before you start to think that Mark Pope could legitimately lead boy for the Kentucky J when Scott drew and Billy Donovan and Bruce Pearl all turned down the job for Kentuck
y then those three I start to get concerned Nate oats just got a bump to $6.3 million per season Calipari was making about 8.4 and I know like it's another $2 million but oats has got Alabama heading in the right direction and would owe Alabama $18 million if he leaves in the next two years so yeah he's not going anywhere which is why he said what he said Dan Hurley's going to get a huge bonus this off season like yukon's going to sweeten the pot for him to stay for sure he's won back-to-back na
tional titles he's not going anywhere but if Scott drew who is making about five maybe a hair over five million pre year at Baylor and only has a four million do buyout if he's a guy that I think could absolutely end up in Kentucky if he turns it down and then Billy Donovan decides to stay in the NBA with Chicago Bulls now I start to get a little bit concerned because K's high level targets are all going by the wayside they're they're staying with their respective teams like who's if be if kuy's
going to reach on somebody I feel like they would reach on one of their own which would be Mark Pope you know the son returns home to Lexington so if Bruce Pearl Billy Donovan and Scott drew all say nope staying where I'm staying then I start to get a little bit concerned that Kentucky may they may reach on Mark Pope and be like look we want you to come home come lead this this team come work with no honor code and plenty of nil money and no no recruiting stipulations as it pertains to how toug
h it is to get into by just come to Kentucky and win basketball games that's when I would get concerned is maybe maybe I'm um maybe that's a little bit I don't know too reactionary to just three three coaches turning it down but what would you add to that before you start to think okay maybe this could actually happen I'm not worried at all I just don't think it's G to happen I just I just think that Kentucky Kentuck like I if Mark had won a game or two in the toury he would be a more viable can
didate that Kentucky without question Kentucky does probably like obviously Mark has a great resume Mark's awesome we love Mark he's fantastic it's awesome that he's at B we're enjoying this time uh I don't want him to leave yeah I don't want either but I I just think there are other candidates that are probably more proven in the NCA tournament that would be more attractive to Kentucky at this time I think once Mark has a run in the tourney of at least a game or two now his viability as a candi
date increases tremendously BYU uh does not have a recent history of winning in the tournament um like Dave Rose was courted by Oklahoma after Jimmer fet and then Lon Krueger got that job from un not not Dave Dave chose to stay here BYU did some things sweeten the pot paid him more and uh he stayed right it it's natural to have this and and and I'm sure Mark's getting quartered by other programs but now that bu's in the Big 12 like it's got to be an opportunity that makes more sense because you'
re in the best basketball league in America still feel that way even after the tourney the best regular season basketball conference in America whatever um yeah I'm I'm not worried at the at right now no it's not being Kentucky to bring one of the patinos back either like Rick patino's turning around St John's wouldn't that be something that story like bring him back or his son Richard who's doing great stuff in New Mexico yeah um but maybe maybe they reach with the younger patino I don't know I
I'm just telling you like I would start to become a little bit concerned if those three L highlevel guys all said no it's like okay obviously as NBA like playing in the NBA and having success at a program like by yeah those are all great things I'm not saying he's like not a candidate I just think there are probably a longer list of candidates who have uh gone to or or won in attorney or have some connection uh that could be attractive as well I'm not concerned I had some excessive Warriors tex
ting me last night well who if he leaves then who's out there it's not like the pool's big and there's a lot of Truth in that it's like okay Alex Jensen an assistant coach for the Dallas Mavericks Mark Madson Cal Chris Burgess over you Utah Nick Robinson like Barrett per Stan Johnson like it's about six guys like the pool is not long and so but I I'm not ready to worry yet okay I I feel like KY is goingon to go get somebody that has National Championship pedigree it's Kentucky it's not going to
be a problem it's Kentucky you wave that amount of Benjamins in front of people they come flocking hey Mark pop and BYU have some business to take care of in the tournament next year win a game maybe get to a sweet 16 let's go oh get to a sweet 16 and and uh there will be lots of opportun
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