HR3: Ben Standig talks Commanders’ top draft prospect & who to cross off at 7 | NFL GMs should be cautious with Brandon Aiyuk?

Time for Ben Standing on this show. He joins us every Monday and Friday as our

Washington commanders insider. Substack is where you can find them. You can link

to it by going to Ben Standing at Ben Standing on Exxon Twitter. He's just

written something that dovetails perfectly with the conversation we were just

having. I'll have you get into some of what you just wrote but I'll ask you the

question that I asked the callers last two segments which is forget who you

think you want or forget who you want them to pick. Forget who you think they'll

pick based on availability based on mocking it out as you do. Guess who the

number one player is on their board right now. Who do you think it is? So this

would be clear if I think R. Vell Reese is going to. Who's number one on their

board? Oh man. I mean it could be very it could very well be R. Vell Reese

based on like everybody seems projecting him you know to go top two or three

which is like the only like consistent projection of any of these guys that

are going in the top. Other than Mendoza. He would go high. Oh yeah. Other than

yeah. Other than him. So could very well be him but I mean I don't know the

sunny styles. Part of this again the whole off-ball linebacker thing not a

premium position but you know the athleticism is off the charts. He's kind of a

modern defender you know former safety who could play linebacker can cover

can do the green dot all that stuff. You know top the board baby is tough but

that might be my my guess after Reese. Yeah that was my guess with styles and it

was in due in part due to what you've written about about Adam Peters obsession

with Rascores because he's the number one off-ball linebacker from a

relative athletic score ever ranked since 1987 when they started doing it but

we've also heard high character very bright teammates love him great in the

locker room and oh by the way it fills a major need. So it wouldn't surprise me

if he's number one. Your point about Reese is a good one and I did say Bailey

in recent possibilities and maybe even delaying after what he did on his pro

day could be in play as well but I went with styles like there's something that

just makes sense. Now he may not be be there and I forget where your last mock

at him because there is a lot of mocking styles to the giants at five but Fred

Warner man that's his comp and Adam Peters has been around Fred Warner.

Yeah no I mean I specifically asked Peters if the lead meetings about the

idea of you know taking up a non-premium position player high in the draft and

you know he's like well look I mean you got obviously a perfector in the

economics and all that but I don't really care about the quote-unquote non-premium

position. If a guy can play can play he's like look at Fred Warner dot dot you

know he drafted you know I obviously had a great success I think he was a

third-round pick I want to say so yeah you know there's something to be said

for that for sure and yeah I mean the only the only thing I'm sort of

hesitant right now is again we talk the other day about the green dot who's

gonna have it all that stuff and if you have if you take styles and you still

have should all and Louvoo so that's three linebackers what what what are we

looking at now then for this defense is it gonna be you know you're you're not

taking chase on an oh way off the field right and so that leaves what two like

defensive tackle types and that's more of a four three base so that's where I'm

only it's all of them sort of stuck on to a degree is how does it fit right

now long-term it's it's it's completely fine Louvoo is afraid to be into the

year anyway you know that but for this year that's my only like how would

that actually work it's so let me let me follow along with you like so

obviously Chanel is an off-ball linebacker styles would be the same I think

Louvoo's more versatile than that I mean I I could certainly see in a three

four Louvoo being on what one edge you know way being on the other but to your

point there's a lot of options there right there's chase on there's still

Doran's Armstrong coming back there's a many you know we're we're gonna see

maybe is an inside pass rusher on pass downs but I could see Louvoo being

used as a two-point stance edge you know outside linebacker in in a base three

four I mean I guess but again like I would be surprised if he would be playing

over chase on based on like you know chase on death more of his natural you

know that natural ability of gave him a twelve million dollar deal you know so

like that's where I'm picturing him working and neither he nor away is like big

enough I would say to be a three four end maybe maybe the coaches and

pushback on that in this more sort of you know more modern era but you know

yeah that would be my only my only wonder why don't you push back why don't you

push back on the same idea if they were to take let's just say Bailey were to

drop to seven because you've got away you've got arms strong coming back you've

got chase on yeah well the difference there is that the defensive line and

they're typically said waves of those guys in and the Bailey thing also would

be for the for the future you're always the only one who's under contract of

the main defensive ends yeah beyond this year so so that would work and and it's

just like move who plays every snap last year he's since he's been here right

yeah I know she'll probably gonna play a ton so I'm not saying you couldn't have

that you can't rotate guys but I don't know that you're really best to play in

at linebacker with those guys that that would seem to be a bit much but again you

know you take the best players in time if you figure it out and go from there yeah

I mean and back to the conversation we had the other day it you know who's the

green dot who's the Bobby Wagner replacement is it Chanel is it Lou Vu is it

Nick Cross is it Will Harris is it Jordan McGee that would be something that we

be you know trying to figure out his training can't began but by the way all of

these things are much better issues for them having choices then having none

and trying to pull players off the street to play for them as we saw last week

now to what you last year so to what you wrote I actually kind of was reading

it between the breaks so Ben has written about just Adam Peters draft history of

really looking for those high level athletic traits in that relative

athletic score measure and as I mentioned in the last segment last hour and

with Ben sunny styles not only graded high he's the first and the highest ever

since this started to take place in the late 80s for linebackers in general but

in in writing this about Peters give me the big kind of takeaways that you

want people to take away from reading it by the way style isn't even the most

athletic guy in his own family is that his brother who's a defensive back in

this draft but like later in the draft he had a higher score then his brother

did which is not considering but you just said number one linebacker all the

time yeah I mean look I said let's kind of what you were saying before like

this is the I don't say this is money-balling the situation but this is trying to

just take out any bias you know you ask me what I think they'll do well I have

that my own thoughts have to creep in there to some degree even if I don't want

it to so here it's just simply okay what has Adam Peters done what what's the

common thread between the picks he'd had 13 picks all right I think they're very

13 and so ever all but two had a well the will to get a razz score but they

did all the time I girls and thanks for okay so everybody except for Jaden

Daniels and Johnny Newton got a score and all those players were in were

considered to be great in the in the razz score so I mean that's pre-notable if

you go back to the to the previous group this is not about the Rivera drafts

were particularly good but it was much more even or closer to even split or

there was a fair amount of guys who were not the that top tier so if you look

at like the top 10 or 11 prospects my list not there look at the top 10 or 11

prospects and then you break it down like that which one score the high in the

higher group you know that gets you down to like six names if you if you take

out an offensive lineman that gets you to five if you take out R. Vell Reese just

because it feels like he'll be one of the first you know two or three picks that

leaves you with four guys who again if they're if we're just simply saying

they're gonna take the best athlete I you know add a position of need of course

that you know you're looking at look Jeremiah love David Bailey sunny

styles and man toward the lane and I as I see here I'm thinking of what I would

probably have no issue with any of those guys at seven and you know it's not

the same that they couldn't take Caleb down for Carnaultator Rubin Bayne who

were not in that top category but that the evidence says that this is where

Adam Peters is looking to go and so if that's the case then it also looked

me it's not just the draft look what they did in for agency yeah right I mean

the last few we know they largely went with older guys and at the whole of

their thing but this year it was the younger faster and guy's like oh way

which in all was like the third linebacker when he did his combine testing so

I guess they're gonna have like two of the top four five linebackers if they

get styles in the all-time rascals so they you know he had a type there as

well and that's why I think it's reasonable to think okay which other guys

fit that profile the best and then you can get to that's again that has

nothing to do with are they a good player yeah you can be the world's greatest

athlete and not know how to play football but which of these guys makes the

most interim of the football player and they already passed the bar for the

athletic aspect right you know Ben did something in his

sub-stack story today and looking at you know top-rass performers you know

looking at it in the context of Adam Peters and his picks not only in the draft

but in free agency but you I'm not gonna this would be a reason to go read this

story people he's got day two and day three potentials with high rascals and

I'm just gonna mention one because I thought about this guy when I was watching

him this year tail in green is the quarterback at Arkansas he was I think it

boy Z before that he's six six and just a freak athletically now throwing the

football there's kind of a big wind up there's some issues there not always the

best decision maker if I recall from some of the games he had an unbelievable

game I remember against Ole Miss Ole Miss was not very good defensively but

they were right there when Ole Miss was you know ranked high and and they were

right there with him I'm trying to I'm gonna guess that he probably accounted

for like a Jaden Daniels type of game you know in terms of passing and

rushing yards hold on for one second did I see that there was like some notion

of like some teams may look to switch having switch positions and he's

yeah boy he's a ridiculous athlete here it is against Ole Miss this past

season he threw for 305 and rushed for 115 so it's not exactly Jaden

Daniels against Florida but still like when and this guy is six six too and he

looks six six but he is just a freak and when I saw you post his rascore as the

highest rascore among quarterbacks I thought to myself I wonder if he

were sitting there you know late on day three I wonder if they think about it

you know because he could play the position similarly because he's an athlete

to Jaden I mean I know they've got Marcus there but you know it's sort of a

project but that was interesting you had some interesting guys as potential

day two and day three guys is there anybody based off of this idea which I

think is a good one in trying to figure out what they're thinking that you

would completely write off their board at number seven me because they don't fit

into the not even close yeah I mean Colonel Tate based on the rat again he

didn't he don't a lot of these guys unfortunately as we see more and more often

don't do a complete workout at the combine and so that we only have a little

of the 11 guys I mentioned we only have rascores for four I took some data

from NFL.com the individual draft previews to sort of fill in the blanks but

you know Colonel Tate's horse pretty low in in a lot of the category to me he

ran a four five two which you know if you look a lot of receivers who are very

effective in the fleet they also ran in some more similar areas. Yeah exactly I

think Jerry Rice is not no kidding was like he ran four five something yeah yeah

no for sure it was definitely the game speed was very different than the time

speed and maybe you know maybe that's the case here he's also not like the

biggest guy like he and Mackay lemon both are listed at 192 pounds even

Tate is three inches taller at least so I just for me it just doesn't feel like

where there we go I'm not even fact or in the brain that I use gaspact of it all

where you know I don't know you take another outsider receiver if I use in fact

coming but yeah I just don't I don't know I mean if you can if you listen to

the people evaluate him they love the player policy route runner all that but

they all say just doesn't have the explosiveness probably not gonna get you a

lot of yak and it just feels like these are things that I'm assuming that they

want to incorporate as best they can so I kind of him but from a pure need

perspective obviously would make sense. Man I'll tell you what that that

notion like if you didn't know any of the numbers and any of the scores and you

just watched Carnell Tate play football at Ohio State none of those things would

enter your mind none of those things speed wouldn't enter your mind yak

ability wouldn't enter your mind but you know this is it's their projecting from

him as a college player with by the way Jeremiah Smith on the other side of the

field to what he would be in the NFL I loved the player as a college player I

mean he is a Justin Jefferson Esk route runner he has great hands and I think

his yak is you know I've heard that recently I'm like really I saw him run

away from people I saw him catch hitches break tackles and I don't know we'll

see but consistent with what you wrote about that may be a guy that they're

like we love him but we're afraid athletically he doesn't measure up that the

Bane thing to me Ruben Bane you know I've said this before he almost just

seems like a Dan Quinn type of player but I have a feeling the the arm length will

just he's off the board for somebody like Peters do you agree? Yeah that's part

of my reservation with him as well and then also like he's not he weighs like

the two sixties if they're going to if they are going to play more of a three

four base he's not a guy you would have standing up I wouldn't think he's

more of a four three and three point stance you're right about that yeah so

that's I just like it but again we still don't quite know exactly what they're

going to run the on either side of the ball but it's based on the general

thoughts but you know off of what Minnesota did yeah then it doesn't it doesn't

seem like a fit schematically and you're right on the the arm like all things

being equal it doesn't seem like that would be a Peter's guy for sure but

again you know the power is obvious the production was obvious so you know

that that's what's interesting about this drafting degree is that the premium

position guys are not necessarily the better players the better players are

playing non-premium positions but even there you know like Caleb Downs

doesn't have crazy measurables in any capacity so how do you you know how do

you weigh that and and that's why this is really so interesting and why it could

be a running back an off-ball linebacker as their first pick even out in

almost any other year that would seem on very unlikely all right do you know

what the internet says about Jerry Rice's 40 time in 1985 at whatever the

combine was then it says more seven one now it also says that there were

disputes and a belief that it wasn't timed properly and that it was closer to

the four five five four four five nine range so almost four six still I mean

the all-time don't don't watch what he does in his underwear watch what he does

in full uniform all right what else anything happen here news related and

they'll in the last 24 hours it's I wouldn't know if this is news but I I put

this out there this morning that I would pull that Jaden Daniels out in L.A.

now working with among others Terry McCormon the Army Brown Rashad White so you

know these things happen every offseason and you know I'm sure it won't be

in point hard to see you guys getting together and I always think it's you know

sometimes I think these things can be for for a show but I don't think that's

the case with these guys so you know it's always good to see them you know

getting together and you know working on on their craft incorporating new

guys as well but obviously they already played with Diamie and I think Jaden

knows we're shot pretty well so there's not as much there I don't know if there's

other players there but those are the ones I heard so you know after last year

where you know Terry missed everything you know he had Jaden they couldn't

do on these things but in terms of just getting on the same page and you know

it's good to see that is happening you know off the bat and yeah there you go

last one does pretty much everybody around the league assume that brand and

IU who will eventually at some point in June July or August end up in

Washington based on you know the people that you talk to the people that you

read the people who you follow isn't it seems to me like there is there is a

foregone conclusion that people have in their minds about where IU plays next

year yeah I mean there's zero rumors or buzz about any other team getting involved

I know we've all like been like come on San Francisco I just cut him nobody's

trading for this contract I had on Matt Barras or I think you probably had on

before we cover the 49th of the athletic and he and I were talking out in the

league meeting we just talked yesterday on my podcast and you know he's like a

if the reality probably would be that the Niners in the brain that I used to

camp would basically tear up the contract that exists do another one and do

assign a trade essentially that kind of deal so that would make a little more

sense in terms of San Fran holding out for a seventh round pick or something

because you know this is going to be the contract you're going to give

anyway then what's the big deal I guess but so but beyond that beyond San

Francisco having being no rush yeah there's literally no other buzz out there

and again that he walked away or is blowing up his massive contract you know

less the you know did he sign not long ago boy if he really want to put Jane

Daniels that bad this is hard to imagine he would agree to go anywhere else if

he's going to take far less money so yeah I don't know of any other scenario

that anybody has talked about again is it a hundred percent he comes here I mean

no but I haven't heard of any other scenario for him out there yeah I mean I

think you know one of the things I've tried to emphasize and I'll do it again

right here for those that haven't followed this super closely what Brandon

I you did is literally totally unique it's unprecedented to walk away from

between thirty and forty million dollars of contract money that was guaranteed

that he could have easily gotten for minimal effort even if he stayed hurt and the

fact that he walked away from that by going a wall and not you know submitting

to whatever medical they needed twice a month and then didn't even fight it and

that the NFL PA hasn't fought the voided guarantees is unprecedented and so

there's a judgment issue there that I'm sure teams are wrestling with and you

know the other thing I learned I don't think I've I've shared this but I read it

it's it's out there somewhere and I forget where I got it but the forty-niners

literally do not owe Brandon I you anything until there's some sort of team

roster bonus do on September first so if they're playing the petty vindictive

route the whole way they don't have to do anything until August 31st and Kyle made

it very clear we're not doing it you know other teams any favors if we don't

have to and the favor being why would we let him sign with somebody and have

it have a complete offseason against maybe a team that will have to play next

year so if they play this whole thing out and they don't care how you know

some people perceive what they're doing to be it could be August 31st before he

becomes available that would be nuts you there did we lose Ben no I'm here

sorry Kevin I'm not really upset what what I missed when you had it had me

muted the you know after of course again last year Terry misses everything

OTA's me camp during the camp so you're like okay that's you know it had it

had to affect things to some degree right that not even talk about him being

been getting injured but just that well at least Terry had played with

Gaden of course the year before had great success I you have to play with

Jayden since 2019 that that doesn't count like they may know each other they

know what kind of you know music they want to listen to but they you know

that's right how they want their steak done but they know it that's a completely

different deal you know the offense yeah yeah so yeah that this would be like

okay from Washington's perspective let's just say they go through the draft they

do whatever they do they they do consider I usually don't whatever at some

point I would think you have to say hey if you're not here by if this isn't

getting done by I don't know if it's a mini camp or the starter training camp

but you'd like to be sooner than that what are we doing here especially again

for the for the risk we get that we all get the upside but the upside only works

if he's ready to go and you know okay also hasn't played football in over a

year now because of the injury so yeah to me I don't know if there's a deadline

but you would have to think that Washington would be like uh let's get going here

it's it's been a year and a half since he's played football I mean you got to go

back to early in the 24 season when he got hurt um all right thanks appreciate it

have a good weekend yeah man you do say that then standing everybody speaking of

Brandon Ayukh one of his trainers is to Jay

TJ Hussman Zada a trainer for Brandon Ayukh I think he is he's been described as

his what a wide receiver coach like for him so yeah I a trainer would probably

be an apt thing to say so somebody who's been working with Brandon Ayukh for a while

former NFL wide receiver man publicly uh he's not necessarily super fond of him

you'll hear what he said about his client I guess Brandon Ayukh next

to TJ Hussman Zada former NFL wide receiver played for the Bengals I think he had a big game

against us one year I'm gonna say it was 2012 Griffin's first home game um when he was with

the Bengals it may have been a different game uh maybe it was AJ Green who had a great game

in that particular game I just remember RG3 running triple option in his first home game in 2012

you know the fake to the uh back and then he's got a pitch back so he's running down the line

with somebody to pitch to and he kept a couple of them and even when he pitched it he got it

pretty hard um anyway uh TJ Hussman Zada has been working with Brandon Ayukh as his trainer

as his uh you know guru um and he was on a podcast yesterday and had some interesting words

to say about his client Brandon Ayukh who's the other guy that he's having the conversation with

do you know Mack? I'm not 100% sure I can have it by the end of this

it's fine let's play it it's it's a little bit long but you're gonna get the gist here

of what somebody who knows him very well thinks of the risk a team would be taking

in signing him at my training session literally sat in the parking lot arguing with people about

this and if they're watching they know who people are um they all players right and we're discussing

this he really can play anywhere anybody should want him on the team but in the discussion was

yesterday at what cost because we had somebody saying uh a crazy amount of money that he was

gonna get and I said if anybody gives him a crazy amount of money they should be fired tomorrow yeah

no owner is gonna allow a general manager to pay B.A. that type of money the way he just

acted in San Francisco nobody is doing that and so if you want to pay play for

five million and maybe three to four in incentives we're gonna take you if you think you get a

dollar more than that somebody else y'all got this because if I'm a general manager I can't risk

my livelihood and my job for you after what you just showed us I can't do that and so talented

yep can he run can he catch is he quick is he a good yep can he up to yep

cannot trusting I don't know if he does go to Washington T my question then is both how good can he

make Washington and his he-writers he-for-one oh he's got scary Terry out there he's why receiver-one

really yeah he can go like it's crazy because when you see B.A. on TV he looks like he's his big

dude he's not he just has he long arms he can run he's quick he'd be the best receiver on that team

and he has that relationship with JD that they want to play together but what's the number yeah

I think that's gonna be to me is he realistic about what he's going to get is the team gonna feel

like they're disrespecting him by the offer that they offer yeah and so it's so what you're saying

it's crazy then because is there a better combination in the NFC than B.A. scary Terry

trading dangerous yes wait so he was saying yes there is a better combination yeah so the other

people on the podcast they're they're they bring up after after this clip I can kind of hit

controls here and we can continue it if we want but they talk about they just having the Eagles

and the Cowboys above them a discussion between Jayden first deck what do you say where do you

fall on that and everybody like like everyone's gonna have their own opinion about that but

B.A. adding to the add into the wide receiver core what do you think it how do you think it would look

yeah so I mean he he nailed it on how cautious you have to be of course from a commitment standpoint

no one's giving this guy a lot of guaranteed money it's just not gonna happen I mean I say that

and there are always teams out there that will do some things out of desperation and out of belief

that they're gonna be the ones that will be able to turn it around and have a great relationship

with them so I he's 100% right about that and then I know this upsets so many of you but if you

get the brand and I you from 2023 he's the best receiver on the team he was better than Terry

McCorme and had and has been better than Terry McCorme at any point but I'm not saying Terry

isn't good to stop you know I can already hear it right now I can already see you know what my

Twitter notifications are gonna look like I like Terry McCorme a lot I think he's a really good

receiver he's a number one receiver IUK is a definite number one and he's just he creates much more

separation as a route runner and with his speed but the two of them together okay let's think about

the pairings for a moment obviously CD Lamb and Pickens assuming Pickens plays that's a number one

in the division that that's ahead of well I mean is AJ Brown gonna even be an eagle we don't even

know that I mean I think would you take Lamb and Pickens above Smith and AJ Brown at this point yeah

I think so too there's too much pickens was outstanding last year except in that one game where

he just gave it away yeah interest that's in the division number one overall I don't want to

forget this is Chase and Higgins that's your number one pairing in the NFL right nobody's close

to Chase and Higgins maybe it's Lamb and pickens next it might be and then Brown and Smith are

up there oh well Nikoah and Devonte at the Adams right I'm just going through these

standings here looking at the team so I don't forget anybody a monrod Jameson Williams

oh Jefferson and Addison Addison's really good he just gets in trouble a lot yeah huh say if

he can be on the field yeah absolutely but he gets in trouble a little bit too much it gets in

trouble a little bit but Terry and I you if you had the I youk of 2023 is a really really good

combo it's top 10 it would certainly be considered a top 10 duo in the league I think it would

who are we forgetting what by the way a Mike Evans brand and I youk would be pretty impressive

in San Francisco but we know he's not playing there anymore um just looking down the uh standings

I don't know I think we have the majors who tank delaniko Collins but tank del's been you know

had that horrifying knee injury yeah no more hill and waddle yeah um man Nikoah and Adams who

Higgins Chase Brown Smith Pickenslam a monrod a look a monrod just everything else they have

the Laporta Jameson Williams Jameer Gibbs they're still such an explosive you know playmaking

position lineup offensively uh yeah uh oh um well no who's the other receiver it was she she

she's back she he didn't comes back and Cooper Cup yeah I don't know I mean I honestly

an I youk Terry pairing would certainly rival that it be top tenish it would be top tenish

where did DJ Moore get traded to why I'm I'm talking buffalo um because uh you know more

and what they have in Chicago as a whole group is interesting I look the guy we had Dante

Wittner on the show a few weeks ago he does a 49ers podcast former NFL player he basically said

the exact same thing that Hushman Zada said which is this has got to be a proof of deal you you

you cannot go into anything other than that with this guy because he just did something that is

as big red flag as you get he he all he had to do was show up in the building a couple of times

a month and get a look see on his knee and he wouldn't have given up between thirty and forty

million dollars in guaranteed money and he didn't and therefore they voided it and nobody's

fighting it because apparently it was so egregious in terms of uh you know um violating the contract

in the terms of his contract that's one of those how old's Brandon iuk 28 years old he's got to be

right so long as 28 that is one of those things I'm telling you man this dude in 20 years probably

just 10 years we'll look back and say I did what all I had to do was show up in the building twice

a month to get my knee examined for beat for life I've seen the numbers posted it's between 30

and 40 million I think who's from Zada said 40 whatever it is it's it's a lot of money he just

threw it away threw it away it was guaranteed for injury you don't do that I'd love to see him

though the way he played in 23 opposite Terry with jaden in chig and maybe you know for some of

you maybe Jeremiah love I I wouldn't mind seeing Jeremiah love either I think he's a really good

player just wouldn't take him seven all right final four uh discussion and a smell test pick or two

for the final four when we come back Kevin she and show the team 980 and the team 980 calm

for Mullins for three all he got it he hit the long three pointer from the logo with three

tens of a second up to go you've got his take of the lead I mean we have two excellent final four

games I mean the points reds tell you how competitive they are expected to be Yukon uh and Illinois

in the first game Michigan and Arizona in the night cap Illinois is a two point favorite in the

first game and then Arizona I'm sorry Michigan is a one and a half point favorite in the second

game I mean these are two really really good basketball games following I thought a really

compelling sweet 16 elite eight you know weekend of of games some high quality basketball for sure

and even if the Yukon Duke game wasn't high quality throughout or you know super compelling because

it wasn't back and forth uh the ending you know was certainly one of the more memorable endings

we've ever seen so taking each one of these games and I'll end with a smell test here momentarily

but I mean I kind of like Illinois in the first one the interesting thing and I saw a lot more

of Illinois during the regular season than I did Yukon uh just in part because they're big 10 team

and they played Maryland uh Maryland actually played them very close in the season finale but there

was a point during the season where I was like Illinois is not a final four team they don't defend

well enough and they didn't defend very well during the regular season but man has that changed

in the tournament they were outstanding against VCU held them to 55 Houston best defense

they've played all year holding Houston to 55 and then they did the same thing to Iowa you know

pulling away late in a 71 to 59 win over Iowa for for the Eli and I no one's questioned their

offense all year long they're one of the most efficient Ken Palm offenses in college back basketball

history or since Ken Palm started to measure the defense is what has them in the final four

as uh Keaton Wogler is as well a major reason they're in the final four you know there were times

watching him towards the end of the year I saw his 46 you know in Mackie against Purdue it was

incredible but I'm like this guy's not a top 10 pick not now anyway watching him in the

tournament I mean he is a legit 66 you know tempo controlling scoring passing point guard he is

excellent in the pick and roll and they seek it out especially against switching teams they'll find

the right matchup and then he creates and he's got a lot of help and a lot of size uh you con you

know they're the team that probably nobody expected to be here but it's a early team and they

overachieved and they defended well and they turned Duke over in the second half and they do have

an option in read junior in the post like to me this is a game in which you know Illinois's defense

if it's the same level it's been and you get a Yukon team shooting as poorly as they did for the first

30 minutes of the game I think Illinois wins I think I think Yukon's going to have to hit an

unusually high number or percentage of threes to win it I like Illinois in the first game

in the second game this is an unbelievable matchup I mean these are the two best teams I think

Purdue was really close in the draw it's in terms of like the analytics the matchup of offense

and defense efficiency etc it's one of the highest quality highest rated analytics matchups

in a long time these are two of the better teams college basketball has seen in a long time

per a lot of the advanced metrics this is really easy for me Michigan Michigan's got to stop

Arizona from getting to the rim and that is hard to do Arizona doesn't shoot threes it's not what

they do can they yeah but it's not what they do with Pete and Kreevas and Bradley and Burys their

freshman point guard and car check the the the Ivan Karchenkov they drive it and they can't be

stopped they're constantly going downhill Michigan's a hell of a defensive team but if Arizona is

playing this game at the rim and rebounding I like Arizona I really do Michigan would have to

really shoot it well from three I think this is you know it's weird that Michigan's favored

to me and I thought it would be Arizona would be favored and the public is playing Arizona but not

by a big enough margin for me to give out Michigan I like Arizona to win the game I like an

Arizona Illinois final but man both of these games could go either way and they're going to be

a lot of fun to watch all right smell test to end the show 17 and 13 for the tournament it was at

17 and nine and then lost four straight games Saturday with Purdue and then three bets on Sunday I

had Duke laying the points I had Tennessee plus the points not close on that one and then had the

under in the Duke game as well so I don't like either side it doesn't fit the you know the

the smell test criteria the action is a little bit leaned in Connecticut's favor a little bit in

Arizona's favor not enough to make either Michigan or Illinois a pick but both totals are being

played over the total in a pretty significant way so give me under 140 in the Illinois Yukon

game and under 157 and a half in the Michigan Arizona game the two wonders are the plays

all right that's it for the show thanks to Ben for coming on thanks to all of you who called thanks

to Max and Brian have a good weekend Chris Russell's next