0:00
Why do I have faith that be why you can win in March Madness and that Kansas might get upset in the first round?
0:07
Oh, and the Baylor Bears can make the tournament?
0:11
A lot's going to happen in the next two weeks.
0:13
Here's how you become a genius.
0:15
This is bonus episode of Locked On Big 12.
0:24
You are locked on Big 12.
0:26
You're daily podcast on the big 12 conference part of the Locked On podcast network.
0:31
Your team every day.
0:34
Happy Monday night everybody.
0:36
Welcome to a Locked On Big 12 bonus episode.
0:38
I'm Drake Toll from America's number one big 12 podcast locked on big 12.
0:42
Thank you for making this show your first listen every single day.
0:46
The awards ESPN Central Texas asked me on their show this week.
0:50
So I thought, you know what?
0:51
Let's share this interview with you to give you my broad thoughts.
0:54
No, like, you know, Drake built the topics, broad thoughts on the big 12,
0:58
basketball, women's side, hell, baseball.
1:01
They'll ask me about everything.
1:04
Do you hit subscribe?
1:05
I could keep my job.
1:07
And welcome back to the press box here on ESPN Central Texas.
1:10
Joining us now from the Westwood One Morning Show and Locked On Big 12.
1:15
It is the one and only himself.
1:17
Drake Toll Drake, good morning to you.
1:21
Hey, Ward, I sent Aaron some Bosley in the mail.
1:25
Has he gotten it yet?
1:26
I haven't seen it yet.
1:27
I just didn't know if it was working.
1:31
Oh, Drake along with this.
1:35
I have not got a good quip in on Aaron in a long time.
1:44
And I appreciate everyone that you can take a swing in.
1:47
I would do appreciate the help there.
1:49
Drake Toll with this inside the press box.
1:51
And ESPN College Game Day announced they will visit Kansas City
1:55
for Philip 66 Big 12 men's tournament championship game.
2:00
Drake, just from the outside looking in,
2:02
what does that say about the Big 12?
2:04
Yeah, it shows the Big 12 was the most top heavy conference in college basketball.
2:08
And that our best schools are better than your best schools,
2:11
whether it's Arizona or Iowa State, Houston or even Kansas, Texas Tech.
2:18
What it says to me as well, Ward is, is there's a loyalty that's lacked
2:24
And this is the only issue that I take up with with this announcement.
2:28
They are pulling John Chambie and Fran Farshilla off the call of that game
2:32
or the championship game for the Big 12.
2:34
That's the piece that I don't like.
2:36
The billis is going to step in and do the game.
2:38
The Big 12 to me sounds better when guys like Chambie and Farshilla who have followed
2:42
it all year long will call it.
2:45
And so that's the only downside.
2:47
Otherwise, a lot of exposure will come from this and ESPN being on site all week.
2:53
It just shows that the Big 12 albeit not the deepest conference in basketball is still the best.
2:58
You look at what happened over the weekend in the Big 12 on the men's side.
3:04
And really, I think the biggest surprise is for me is the red raiders get the win over Iowa State.
3:12
And without topping, they just keep on rolling.
3:15
Now they've won four in a row without their star.
3:18
It doesn't make a lot of sense.
3:19
This is what BYU wanted was to lose Richie Saunders and have them go out with an ACL
3:25
and then still somehow win for Texas Tech.
3:29
They continue to win despite JT Top and going out BYU's on the opposite trajectory.
3:33
And they look stronger and stronger, including a win on the road against number four Iowa State,
3:37
who has a healthy meal on Mom Cheelovich team in Lipsy.
3:40
This gives me more question marks red flags about Iowa State than it does Texas Tech.
3:47
Obviously more red flags than it does Texas Tech.
3:50
But I actually want in saying that I mean, I'm more upset with Iowa State than I am impressed with Texas Tech.
3:56
I wonder how Iowa State lets this collapse happen at home or helping Coliseum so tough to play.
4:00
And then for the red raiders, they've further established in my mind.
4:03
They are the third best team in the Big 12 right now, even without JT Top.
4:08
And given the volatility of Iowa State here recently, including their lost cyclones,
4:12
that is to BYU a couple of weeks ago without Richie Saunders.
4:15
Then there is that Pasque BYU team.
4:17
I still believe Ward in two things.
4:21
One, BYU will make it to this feed 16.
4:24
And a big portion of that is due to the competition they'll play.
4:27
I'm confident that when they get into the NCAA tournament,
4:31
if they end up playing in the second round of March, a team like,
4:36
like an Arkansas sits middle of the pack in the rankings right now
4:41
and kind of upper echelon of the SEC, I'm going Big 12 all day in a match up like that.
4:46
I think that conversely, if a Kansas is in that situation,
4:51
I don't have a ton of confidence in the J Hawks who are playing better basketball than BYU right now
4:56
because of the Darren Peterson situation and the distraction that has been.
5:00
And obviously the J Hawks despite playing better basketball still lost this week in 8461.
5:05
So Ward in total, what I watched on Saturday,
5:08
loved what Texas Tech did, hated even more so hated what Iowa State did.
5:12
And I think I'm starting to believe that BYU,
5:15
even though they're losing games here, will reorient themselves for the NCAA tournament
5:20
and the Kansas won't be able to due to that Darren Peterson distraction
5:24
that both those teams are headed in different trajectories toward the postseason.
5:28
I learned a little bit more come this week's slate.
5:31
What do you take away from Baylor going on the road and getting the one point win over UCF,
5:36
UCF was red hot going into that game, but Baylor finds a way to get it done on Saturday night.
5:43
I told you a couple weeks ago on this show, the Baylor was done that the NCAA tournament
5:49
hopes were over and it would have helped if they beat Louisville at home or BYU at home.
5:56
They had beaten Arizona in a game that they controlled down a wake or if they'd gone at Kansas State
6:01
and wanted for drum tang was fired, but somehow having won two of their last three,
6:06
if they pull off a miracle at Houston, they're in.
6:09
If they lose to Houston and beat Utah,
6:14
but win two or three games in Kansas City, they're on the bubble.
6:18
And as much as people will push back and no, there's no way Baylor can make it in,
6:23
there's always that one team ward.
6:26
I think it was Syracuse a few years ago was 16 wins, 15 losses at the end of the regular season
6:31
and got in as like an 11 seed in the play in game.
6:34
There's always that one team of Rutgers who comes out of the big 10 at 17 wins and 15 losses.
6:39
Do you think, no way, why would they ever let them in?
6:42
Baylor's got the brand to be that team now.
6:46
It is kind of odd for me as Baylor grad to say that Baylor has a brand that's going to
6:51
give them special treatment and college athletics, considering the amount of times
6:56
that's felt like Baylor was completely overlooked.
6:58
But it is the case in college basketball.
7:00
I think the Baylor Bears are a couple of savvy wins away in the big 12 tournament as well
7:05
from maybe not getting in, but at least making this thing interesting.
7:08
Even Joe Lennarty agrees that Baylor's net seven or eight teams right outside the bubble.
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Tonight, big Monday, Iowa State and Arizona and Iowa State really can make a statement
8:53
tonight against Arizona.
8:54
But it's just another example of how this conference can chew each other up.
9:00
Yeah, for Iowa State, this is a game where they can prove to the committee.
9:04
They can prove to the big 12 that hey, we're we're still okay.
9:08
We're back to our winning waves.
9:10
I want to take this back when they lost on the road to TCU.
9:14
I was surprised by that loss.
9:15
And since then they've gone three and three in there in their last six.
9:18
Now they've won games against number nine Houston or number nine Kansas.
9:22
I should say number two Houston, but they lost at me.
9:25
Why you and they lost that game at TCU.
9:27
They they lost against Texas Tech at home.
9:30
They've got a couple of head scratchers in here for the cyclones.
9:32
Tonight is the opportunity to prove.
9:34
Hey, when we go to March madness, we're going to be able to to knock off some of the best teams
9:41
The number one number two number three seeds in America and conversely for Arizona award.
9:46
This is just another Monday night.
9:47
I mean, this is all right.
9:49
I guess we'll go play basketball.
9:50
They're that tactical.
9:52
They're just that good.
9:53
I don't think that the despite Iowa State being very high up in my in my list of teams
9:58
can go to a final four out of the big 12 that ultimately me.
10:02
Meal on mom, Sheila bitch.
10:03
Josh would you have for some team in lips.
10:04
He can get it done.
10:05
It's just the teeth.
10:06
The defense are gnashing way too strong for Iowa State to walk into the Michale center and get a win.
10:12
Arizona will win by 10 points tonight.
10:15
Bader women go into full worth with an opportunity to get a three way tie in the big 12 championship.
10:24
Not able to come away with it.
10:27
And for the second year in a row, the frogs have the big 12 championship 65 53 over the
10:35
The frogs have the Baylor Bears number.
10:36
There's no two ways around at this point.
10:38
The better basketball program right now.
10:40
The better basketball program of the the 2020s has been TCU.
10:45
They won five straight against Baylor now.
10:47
And you know, I when Nikki Colin was first hired.
10:51
There were question marks about whether or not she was ready to coach the collegiate level,
10:55
which she had not done before.
10:57
And she's had time to settle into this and had time to build Baylor into a championship program.
11:02
And instead the bears have gotten close, but no cigar.
11:06
Now, I don't think that going, you know, 24 and seven of the regular season of being a team on the
11:12
bubble of hosting the first round of March madness means that you should be should be fired or that
11:17
that we should kick Nikki Colin to the curb.
11:20
However, Baylor fans expect championships.
11:22
And I don't I right now I want to everybody in central taxes to know you should still expect
11:31
When when some of the greats in our game have stepped down and retired or moved on from the sport,
11:37
you know, Tennessee is a great example of this with Pat.
11:41
They've struggled and they've struggled.
11:43
Mildly, Notre Dame has seen this Stanford seen this for Baylor.
11:47
They've at least hovered around the top 25.
11:50
I just I would love to see them win the big one to win a big 12 championship to get back in the
11:56
They dominated TCU did not lose the frogs 35 years.
12:01
That's obviously going to sting.
12:03
I think Nikki Colin is still safe.
12:05
But I've got some big, big question marks on whether or not she can actually be the coach
12:10
that wins the big one as the head of the Baylor Bears.
12:13
And Drake, that brings me to my question to you, which is about the Baylor athletic program
12:18
in general right now.
12:19
Literally every major program is down so much from 2020 and 2021 five years ago.
12:28
Is winning championships still the end all be all?
12:31
I don't hear a lot of I don't hear the word championship a lot anymore.
12:38
And look, Aaron, I think we learned that Mac Rhodes was a distraction toward the end of his
12:44
tenure as the athletic director when he first stepped in.
12:48
He had a huge job to undertake a Baylor given the school is coming off scandal.
12:53
And the second he began to waver, things started to fall apart in IEL.
12:58
Baylor was late to game.
13:00
You know, the transfer portal Baylor was late to game.
13:02
They were just late to everything.
13:03
There was no initiative to jump out on the forefront of college athletics.
13:06
The way that a Texas tech has the way that it'd be why you has for a big 12 perspective.
13:10
And I think if you really want to that last pillar, that last domino doesn't even come from Baylor.
13:15
It came a couple, I guess a month ago now from Spencer Danielson, the Boise State head coach
13:21
being named the grant half coach of the year for fellowship of Christian athletes and being an elite head coach.
13:28
You learned that you didn't land the Boise State athletic director Jeremiah Dickey who you really wanted.
13:33
A lot of fans really wanted.
13:34
Oh, and by the way, Spencer Danielson who could have been the next Baylor coach with Dickey and brought a lot of his great talent at Boise State
13:40
has just been named the grant half coach of the year.
13:43
That was a pretty good culmination of how Baylor could have revamped the athletic department.
13:50
And you know what, Doug McNamey has done I think a really solid job of relating to fans so far.
13:55
My big question still and I'll support Doug here in his connection to Magnolia and connection to business and money.
14:03
But if he walks into a room tomorrow with a head football coach like a Spencer Danielson.
14:09
What is what are his credentials to hire that coach?
14:13
What are his credentials to know football enough to bring in the right head coach if David Rader does not work?
14:19
Because Spencer Danielson can walk in there and say, hey, I love cookies.
14:23
I love money. Those are great.
14:25
I need an athletic director that knows football.
14:27
Is that Doug McNamey?
14:29
I haven't heard anyone say yes.
14:31
That's the question mark I still have.
14:33
He's got plenty of time to prove it.
14:34
I'm not putting pressure on him.
14:35
But I need to know if he walks into a room with Jim Bo Fisher to ask about a coaching search.
14:40
Is he going to be left out of the office due to his lack of connections in the football realm and lack of ability to hire a legitimate football guy?
14:49
That's still, that's still to be seen.
14:55
Start spreading the news.
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Drake told locked on big 12 and hosted the Westwood one morning show
16:02
with us here in the press box on ESPN Central Texas.
16:05
Big 12 women basketball has the big tournament coming up starting on Wednesday.
16:12
And Baylor with that third seed will have a couple of opportunities to watch their opponent
16:18
before they get into action.
16:20
The last game of the third day on Friday night at eight o'clock scheduled tip off.
16:26
Either taking on the winner of the game one between Kansas state.
16:34
And Cincinnati or have the opportunity to play.
16:39
I believe Colorado is the next match up in that one.
16:42
I mean for Baylor women.
16:45
Is this and you know my feelings.
16:48
You've known me long enough about the tournament and what I feel about the tournament.
16:52
But I mean, is this another big opportunity for the Baylor women to just say, you know what?
16:57
We only got to really win a couple of games to get to the championship game.
17:01
Why not just go for this thing.
17:03
Yeah, that's part of me at the top four seed in this world.
17:06
You're, you're kind of spot on for Baylor and man that you and I have shared those,
17:11
those same opinions on this tournament before.
17:14
Here I'll say for Baylor winning a couple of games picking up momentum going into what could
17:20
possibly be a championship on Sunday March eight.
17:26
I just need to see Baylor win.
17:28
And I think those girls need to see Baylor win against TCU.
17:31
They need to see Baylor win against Cincinnati or against West Virginia again.
17:35
They need to see that ball go through net Baylor bears win game.
17:39
That's something that feels like this team could utilize no matter the format,
17:44
no matter the tournament matters or not.
17:46
And so I, if you're Nikki Colin, you're pushing to win these games.
17:50
I think Baylor and TCU have a great shot.
17:52
Obviously a great shot to rematch in the finals of this.
17:55
And I do believe that ultimately Baylor will be in the final against TCU.
17:59
But right now it's impossible to pick against the frogs.
18:02
They own the conference.
18:04
Well, and that's my feelings too.
18:06
I mean, if you're not one of the teams that's having to play all the way through the bracket,
18:11
I think it behooves you to go ahead and get that momentum to go in.
18:15
But if I'm having to go all the way through the bracket,
18:17
and I've already pretty much set in where I'm going in the NCAA tournament,
18:21
I don't know how much I care about this tournament.
18:23
No, this is a useless tournament for sure award.
18:26
If you are sitting there as a team that like a Texas tack knows it's in
18:32
or Iowa State knows it's in and just needs to get healthy and rest.
18:35
You won your games this year.
18:37
You've done your best.
18:38
Why waste three good basketball games right now?
18:41
Three good game plans in a tournament format when you need to be ready for the big dance.
18:45
I'd rather win a national championship than a big 12 championship.
18:48
I don't know about these coaches.
18:50
Great toe locked on big 12 and host of the Westwood one morning show with us here on the press box.
18:55
And and Drake what's coming up on the morning showing locked on big 12.
19:00
Yeah, talking a ton of a big 12 basketball and the men's women's sides.
19:04
We get ready for March madness and and who are the real contenders?
19:07
Who are the real pretenders out of the big 12 conference this year on on both of those sides?
19:11
Then I'm baseball and softball man.
19:13
I tell you what award.
19:14
Very surprised to see an Arizona baseball team as prestigious as they are in in you know,
19:20
really their their programs history.
19:22
City at three and eight right now.
19:24
The worst record of the big 12 losing a series to Yukon at home,
19:28
lost in Nebraska Omaha.
19:29
There's really going through it right now.
19:31
So we covered a lot of big 12 baseball and softball as well where Oklahoma state, Texas tech.
19:36
There's some really good stuff on the ladies side on the diamond.
19:40
You know, people warded it and you've always been so good at covering the hits,
19:45
playing the best topics, even in local radio.
19:47
I'm turning on some of these national stations and they're doing Mount Rushmore.
19:50
Mount Rushmore of popcorn flavors.
19:55
There's so much to talk about.
19:56
There's so much to get to.
19:58
Um, I'm over the moon that I get to have an opportunity to platform to talk about it.
20:02
And we'll be waxing poetic all week long about March madness.
20:05
There is Drake toe locked on big 12 hosts of the Westwood morning show with us in the press box.
20:10
Drake always appreciate the time.
20:12
Have a great week and we'll talk to you next Monday.
20:15
Aaron, last time I saw a ward, he had excess hair.
20:18
You can just borrow some of that.
20:21
He's always make it.
20:22
He's always, you know, like combing it and stuff, trying to do that.
20:26
He without saying anything, you know, I just ignore it.
20:29
He's always cognizant pleasure.
20:37
Drake toe locked up big 12 and host of the Westwood morning show with us inside the press box.
20:41
Appreciate his time.
20:44
Used to work with him for a guy.
20:45
I mean, not even that long.
20:46
Six months, eight months.
20:48
This is been always will be locked on.
20:50
Thanks for making it your first lesson every single day.