Former Gonzaga All-Americans Dan Dickau and Adam Morrison break down the 2023 Maui Invitational field.
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00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 - Gonzaga Nation back with episode six of Talkin' Zags.
00:10 Myself, Adam Morrison, gonna break down a little bit
00:14 of this season opener against Yale.
00:16 Gonzaga 86-71 win.
00:18 Mo, that wasn't your typical opener.
00:21 - Yeah, very good team, went to the NCAA tournament
00:23 last year, I think two out of the last four for sure.
00:27 I think they've won 20 games, six out of the last 10 years.
00:31 Very good program, I know when people hear Ivy League
00:35 they kind of laugh a little bit, but they looked the part
00:39 and our guys did a good job in the second half,
00:42 but that opening, probably first media timeout
00:44 was a little bit shaky.
00:45 - Yeah, they jumped down 10 early to Yale
00:49 and we were talking before we started recording this,
00:51 Yale was big, strong, physical, experienced, skilled,
00:56 and they took the fight to Gonzaga
00:58 in that first six minutes or so.
01:00 - Yeah, and with this team this year,
01:04 obviously we've talked about it in previous episodes,
01:06 there's so many different variety of lineups
01:09 that Phewy's gonna have, who's gonna score the ball,
01:11 so I think that was kind of what happened
01:14 in the first media timeout.
01:17 Everybody's kind of looking at each other
01:18 and Yale played with a lot of confidence.
01:20 After that second media timeout,
01:22 we started to play better defense,
01:25 but that Yale team, that kid that scored 21,
01:28 the Paulikidis or whatever, was a good player,
01:31 I thought Mahoney was a good guard as well.
01:34 The big kid, Wolf, got in foul trouble,
01:36 but he was a good matchup for Graham E.K.,
01:38 so they looked the part and they had big, strong wings
01:42 as well, two 6'4s in the backcourt.
01:44 So I wasn't surprised we got down early,
01:48 because we have to give context to this game,
01:52 we were supposed to play them last year,
01:54 and I think Phewy would have probably rather
01:56 play them with our crew last year than this year,
01:58 nothing against these guys, but a lot of new faces.
02:01 So this was not a typical, like you said,
02:04 opening game or opponent, very good team.
02:07 - Well then they went from Spokane down to L.A.,
02:10 and they beat LMU yesterday on Sunday by five,
02:14 former Zag Dom Harris had 21, so he looks to be
02:18 more comfortable down there than he did at Gonzaga,
02:20 but back to the Gonzaga game, and in particular
02:24 the backcourt, didn't shoot the ball great,
02:27 Nembhardt and Hickman, but I like the aggressiveness
02:30 on both of their parts, they were aggressive
02:32 in different ways, I think.
02:34 Hickman was searching his shot, and Nembhardt was doing,
02:37 I think what was missing at times last year,
02:39 is pushing the pace, flattening the defense out,
02:42 probing, seeing if anything is available,
02:45 if not, then getting into offense, what'd you see?
02:47 - Well, we go 10 assists, two turnovers in the backcourt,
02:51 so it's obviously five to one's fantastic.
02:53 They go seven and 18, seven and 17, so like you said,
02:56 the shooting wasn't great, but you can't always measure
02:59 how point guard makes shots, right?
03:03 It's about, like you said, disorganizing the defense,
03:05 flattening the defense, pushing the pace.
03:08 I think Nolan needs to keep searching for a shot,
03:10 he went one for eight from three, not great, obviously,
03:13 but with Ryan pushing the pace, he can get out on the wing,
03:16 and with Steele going down, we have to talk about that
03:19 a little bit, we need a three-point threat.
03:21 I know one for eight sounds funny,
03:22 but he's shot the ball better in the past,
03:25 and he has a good-looking stroke, so I think it was
03:29 a good debut for the backcourt
03:31 that has never played together.
03:34 And I just love how Ryan keeps, I mean, he started, what,
03:38 one for six with an air ball, and then finished seven
03:41 to 17, so he picked it up, but I just love how he always
03:45 constantly probes and tries to find other guys,
03:47 and then he has the ability to get to the rim.
03:50 So I thought it was a good debut for the backcourt,
03:52 especially with Steele going down, I know he wasn't
03:54 a primary ball handler, but from a shooting aspect,
03:57 I think Nolan, even though he's one for eight,
03:59 has to search for his three-point shooting ability.
04:02 - Yeah, and I like the fact that, I think a season ago,
04:05 had he missed, say, his first two,
04:07 he wouldn't have kept searching.
04:09 I think you can tell he's got the confidence of the staff,
04:13 and he's got the backing, hey, shoot the ball
04:15 when you're open, hunt your shots,
04:17 is what Coach Phee would always say.
04:18 You talked about needing to go over Steele's situation,
04:22 and you beat me to it, that's a tough blow, I think,
04:26 simply for the fact that he's got good size,
04:30 he's a heck of a shooter, he can stretch you
04:32 well past the three-point line, you gotta guard him,
04:34 and he's experienced, I mean, big sky player of the year.
04:38 You had the same injury when you were in the NBA, 20 ACL.
04:43 Can you share with us a little bit
04:44 about what that recovery's like?
04:46 I would imagine he's out for the year,
04:48 unless with medical advances, I mean,
04:50 Aaron Rodgers is talking about coming back in an ACL,
04:53 or Achilles in the NFL season.
04:56 Talk about that, and I would imagine he's done for the year,
05:00 and would be looking to come back next year, I would think.
05:03 - Yeah, I think now it's eight to 12 months,
05:07 with medical advances, and athletes recover better
05:12 than the average person that's just a Division I athlete.
05:16 But it would make sense for him to come back next year.
05:20 Now, if it was his senior year,
05:23 and he wasn't getting a medical, then maybe try to play.
05:27 But it is a tough injury.
05:28 The worst part is the two weeks until you have the surgery,
05:32 'cause then you, they tell you to let the swelling go down,
05:36 so you walk around, and you feel pretty normal.
05:39 You just can't cut, so you're like, oh, this is,
05:41 like you saw him at the game, he doesn't have crutches.
05:44 - He's just walking slow.
05:45 - You're just walking slow.
05:46 So after a while, you're like, I feel pretty good.
05:49 And then obviously, you can't cut or anything like that.
05:52 So that's the hardest part, and then,
05:54 obviously for this kid, let's just be honest,
05:57 this is a big step up for him.
05:58 He's from Washington State, he's from Ellensburg, correct?
06:01 - Yep.
06:02 - Cheney, close to Spokane, they always hear about Gonzaga,
06:07 so moving from that program to here,
06:09 probably a lot of expectations,
06:11 a lot of excitement from his family,
06:12 so I just hope that the staff, I know they will,
06:15 but people around him pick him up,
06:17 'cause that's the worst part about the injury,
06:18 is that two weeks after, you're just like,
06:21 I mean, you've had a major injury,
06:23 you don't know what's gonna happen,
06:25 you don't know what your career looks like,
06:27 you don't know how athletic you're gonna be,
06:28 and then you know that the rehab process is, it's hard.
06:33 It hurts, it's a lot of pain.
06:35 So yeah, I feel for the kid,
06:37 and just from a basketball standpoint,
06:39 it does affect our ability to space the floor.
06:42 Now I thought Dusty did great in that game,
06:45 he only had, what, eight points,
06:47 but he made a couple threes, super athletic,
06:50 so it's gonna give him an opportunity
06:52 to kinda shine as an athlete,
06:55 but it is a blow for Steele,
06:57 and just as a personal level for him
06:59 to be able to make the jump from Eastern to here,
07:02 and then bam, it's gone right away.
07:04 - 'Cause he's a good kid, he works really hard.
07:06 - Yeah, 100%.
07:07 - I've had a chance to talk to him on a number of occasions,
07:09 I talked to him right before the game,
07:10 and you could tell he was disappointed.
07:12 - Yeah, I had some family there,
07:14 and they were next to his parents,
07:17 and it just sucks, you know what I'm saying?
07:19 And he'll obviously return,
07:21 we'll put his arms around him as a community,
07:23 as a staff, as people around the program,
07:26 but that sucks, 'cause you've been waiting all summer,
07:29 Eastern to here, yes, Gonzaga, then it's gone, so too bad.
07:33 - Yeah, well, it provides an opportunity for Stromer,
07:36 who I think's gonna be a tremendous player,
07:38 but now, you would imagine Stromer's probably gonna be
07:41 locked in as the starter at the three the rest of the year.
07:43 - Yeah.
07:44 - I would imagine.
07:45 But now you gotta find who's that next guard off the bench.
07:48 Kranjevic, I like.
07:50 June, I don't know if he's quite ready
07:52 after seeing him in practice a little bit.
07:55 Gets in in two minutes and a half, gets two shots.
07:59 I don't know if that's necessarily gonna bode well
08:02 in the first film session, but what's your expectation
08:06 for those extra minutes in the backcourt now?
08:08 - So I think Luka would be my pick to maybe play,
08:13 if you wanna play small, quote-unquote.
08:15 He has decent size, what is he, 6'3", 6'4"?
08:18 - Yeah, he's a good 6'4", I think.
08:19 - Yeah, so it's not like you're playing super small.
08:21 I think sometimes we get caught up in the length aspect
08:25 in today's game, it's four out, five out, wave actions,
08:28 you know what I'm saying?
08:29 So I think if you have skill and speed,
08:31 you can overcome some of those deficiencies,
08:33 and if you guys are tough, get on the glass.
08:35 So I would prefer Luka to play back up to Dusty,
08:39 but they could just go, all right,
08:40 Ryan's gonna play 40 minutes what he did.
08:43 Nolan, would Nolan play?
08:45 - About the same.
08:46 - 39? - Yeah.
08:47 - And Dusty played 28, so they're probably just gonna say,
08:51 those three guys are gonna get majority of the minutes
08:52 and we have to just, you know what I'm saying?
08:55 And then maybe plug Anton at the three every once in a while.
08:59 - Which he did for a few minutes.
09:00 - Yeah, which he did, which makes sense.
09:04 - So yeah, I like Luka off the bench.
09:06 I don't think June's ready for it, to be honest.
09:08 That's not a knock on him,
09:09 doesn't mean he's not a good player,
09:11 but you come in the first, the first shot was fine,
09:14 the second one wasn't very wise.
09:16 And we were next, obviously in the radio broadcast,
09:18 we have Coach Pugh five feet from us,
09:21 so I can hear what he said,
09:22 and he was mumbling under his breath, not kind of things.
09:27 And then when he came to the bench,
09:28 he said, "That's not your shot."
09:29 And June, understand, but it was like,
09:32 you knew the hook was coming right there.
09:34 So yeah, it's interesting,
09:36 but Dusty's gonna have a great opportunity
09:39 to showcase his skills.
09:40 I thought he was fine.
09:41 Like I said, only eight points,
09:42 I don't mean that as a knock.
09:44 He was great on the glass, he's great defensively.
09:47 His shot and his game offensive will grow.
09:50 He's a big time scorer in high school.
09:51 So I was excited for him to have that opportunity
09:55 to play those major minutes.
09:56 - Yeah, well, we'll shift to the front court real quick
09:59 before we wrap this episode up,
10:01 but I don't know if you can say enough,
10:03 positive things about Brayden Huff right now.
10:05 I mean, you look at it,
10:07 like talk about an efficient 19 points.
10:09 There's only been two freshmen
10:12 who've scored more in their debut.
10:14 Austin Day had 20, Jalen Suggs had 24.
10:17 Both those guys were NBA guys.
10:19 Now I'm not ready to go out there and say,
10:21 "Brayden Huff's an NBA guy,"
10:22 but that was an efficient debut.
10:24 - Yeah, seven to 10, only played 20 minutes,
10:27 two or three from downtown.
10:29 He makes his first three point attempt, which was great.
10:31 Makes all his free throws, has nine rebounds as well.
10:34 He looks more athletic than I was giving him credit for
10:39 at the start of the year.
10:40 Obviously, let's see how he does against better opponents,
10:43 even though Yale was good.
10:44 I just like his game, his skill set.
10:48 He's very soft touch around the rim,
10:50 obviously the pick a pop aspect.
10:52 We'll see how he can do against rim,
10:54 as a rim protector on the defensive side.
10:57 But I thought he was great, man.
10:58 He's fantastic.
10:59 I think it's gonna be difficult for Coach Few
11:02 to not keep him on the floor.
11:05 And that kind of messes up those,
11:07 there's three other bigs that deserve to play,
11:09 and we've talked about that in previous episodes.
11:11 So, good problems to have as always at Gonzaga.
11:14 Too much talent.
11:16 - Talent's crazy these days.
11:18 - But I thought he was fantastic.
11:20 I mean, it's not just the points,
11:22 just how he flows into the offense,
11:24 how he gets some of his baskets.
11:26 I love a pick and pop big.
11:27 It just spaces the floor,
11:29 allows you to do so many different things
11:30 in screen and roll actions.
11:31 You can't tag on the weak side, all those things.
11:34 So, I'm really impressed with him.
11:36 I was impressed with him in craziness.
11:38 I was impressed with him in the LC State game too.
11:40 So, it was fantastic.
11:42 - Yeah, no, I think the options that Coach Few has
11:45 in the front court are something
11:47 that we haven't seen in a long time.
11:49 - Yeah, the only issue I have with it,
11:52 he's played three in the last probably five, six, seven years
11:55 with like the European rotation,
11:57 which I think is the best way to sub.
11:59 Having four, I think is a little more difficult
12:02 to keep guys happy.
12:03 It's a good thing, but Ben Gregg has earned a spot.
12:07 Obviously, Anton's earned all that.
12:09 And then, Graham Ekay's your biggest transfer,
12:12 Mountain West Player of the Year.
12:13 And so, now you have four.
12:15 So, I mean, it's a good thing,
12:17 but also I like when you have the three bigs
12:19 and then everybody plays 18 to 25 minutes.
12:22 It keeps people out of foul trouble.
12:24 Then when parents call, you say,
12:25 "Hey, look, he's only playing it."
12:27 You know what I mean?
12:28 - That is oddly enough,
12:29 that does happen even at the college level.
12:30 - It happens more than people think,
12:33 but it gives you ammo for that.
12:35 You just go, "Well, look, we're all playing our AU coach
12:37 "that you're trying to get the other kid down the pipe."
12:40 That is a real thing.
12:42 So, I thought Graham looked okay, got in foul trouble.
12:47 He's a great back to the basket,
12:50 but he doesn't have the pick and pop aspect.
12:52 So, that'd be interesting.
12:54 - 'Cause Yale sat on every one of his catch and dribble.
12:58 They sat there, so he was forced to kick out.
13:01 So, I'll be curious to see how other teams defend that
13:04 if they do the same thing,
13:05 'cause they kind of neutralize them.
13:06 Wasn't a terrible debut, but 11 points, 20 minutes.
13:11 But Braden, if you run a pick and roll,
13:12 they know he's not just gonna dive.
13:14 Now you have to shade over.
13:16 I mean, you understand the game.
13:17 They have to rotate over.
13:18 - It's the biggest thing is keeping a defense off balance.
13:20 - 100%.
13:22 - Well, there you have it.
13:23 A tremendous breakdown recap by Adam Morrison
13:27 on the opener against Yale.
13:29 Again, that team was a lot better
13:30 than people were expecting, I think.
13:32 So, we will be back shortly
13:35 to preview the Maui Invitational.
13:38 I won't be there.
13:39 Adam gets to go to Hawaii in the middle of November.
13:42 Gonzaga Nation talking zags.
13:44 This time, Adam and I are previewing the Maui Invitational.
13:48 I'll be stuck in cold Spokane while Adam will be,
13:51 unfortunately, not in Maui this year.
13:53 It's in Honolulu,
13:54 but I don't think that he's gonna matter or care too much.
13:57 So, Mo, break it down, the trip to Hawaii.
14:00 How excited are you for the fun and then the games?
14:04 - Really excited.
14:05 It's gonna be another great event.
14:06 I think this is Gonzaga, what, fifth time being at it?
14:09 - Yeah, I think so. - Right, fifth time.
14:10 It's a historical field.
14:13 They say that every year, but it's pretty good.
14:16 Ourselves, Purdue, Kansas, Marquette, UCLA,
14:20 Syracuse, Tennessee, and then you obviously have Chaminade.
14:24 It's a lot of blue blood programs.
14:26 So, we're really looking forward to it.
14:28 I think it's gonna be a great challenge for us.
14:30 Playing Purdue, played them last year in the PK85,
14:34 not so good for us.
14:37 They've returned most of their players and scoring.
14:40 Obviously, Zach, you're the player of the year.
14:43 Difficult matchup, but it's gonna be fun, fun times.
14:46 No matter if we win or lose,
14:47 we get a quality opponent the second game.
14:50 Syracuse or Tennessee, obviously.
14:52 So, that's the plus side of it.
14:54 You obviously wanna get three high-quality games
14:56 that matter for your Ken Palm and tournament resume.
14:59 So, I think all the boxes will check,
15:02 but it's gonna be tough against Purdue's really good.
15:05 - Yeah, Purdue's really good,
15:06 and it's completely different than last year.
15:08 The PK85, you called the game,
15:10 and I wanna get your take on Purdue's team last year
15:13 and what you expect to see this year.
15:14 But last year, Purdue was unranked.
15:16 They came into the PK85, beat Gonzaga.
15:18 I think they beat Duke, if I remember correctly,
15:21 and they beat somebody else.
15:22 And they went from out of the rankings
15:24 all the way up to number five, I think, last year.
15:27 This year, it looks like they should be ranked number two
15:30 when Gonzaga faces them.
15:31 So, the tables have flipped a little bit.
15:34 You mentioned, Zach,
15:35 either backcourt or freshman last year.
15:38 They were great in that game.
15:40 They were not great in the NCAA tournament,
15:42 but now they're sophomores.
15:44 They're gonna be a pretty darn good team again, obviously.
15:46 - Yeah, I mean, last year's game,
15:48 Eaddy had 23 or 25, and he was extremely efficient,
15:52 which he always is,
15:52 but I don't think he controlled the game
15:56 to where we lose by 15 because of him,
16:00 is what I'm trying to get to.
16:01 The backcourt was fantastic last year.
16:03 There were kind of two unknowns.
16:05 Nolan Hickman didn't play great against them.
16:06 Julian Strother was not very good against them as well.
16:09 So, I think the pace and the way they controlled the action
16:12 really hurt us last season.
16:15 Then, obviously, Eaddy's such a matchup problem.
16:18 How do you double team him?
16:20 Do you high side, low side?
16:21 He's really good going both ways.
16:23 That's what people don't understand.
16:25 He's obviously a massive human being,
16:27 but he's highly skilled, and it's great footwork.
16:30 It's soft touch.
16:31 It's finding angles.
16:32 They do a good job of angling him every single time.
16:35 Old school basketball, but hitting your guy on the post
16:38 and going up and scoring the ball.
16:39 So, I think the key for us,
16:42 obviously, have a good plan against him.
16:45 And then, controlling the pace with our guards.
16:49 Obviously, we have new guards this year
16:51 with Ryan Nemhard, Dusty Stromer.
16:53 So, we're gonna give them something different to counter.
16:56 But I think when you play Eaddy,
16:58 and hopefully I'm not eating my words later on,
17:01 but when you play him the second time,
17:03 you have a better chance to defend him than the first time.
17:05 It's kind of like, there's a stat I saw,
17:08 and I think it's a good reference.
17:09 Lamar Jackson was 16 and one against the NFC, right?
17:13 And he's from the NFC.
17:14 You see him once, it's hard to stop.
17:15 Then, you see him the second time,
17:16 you might have a better chance.
17:18 I think that's kind of like Zach Eaddy.
17:19 - Yeah, that's a good point.
17:20 - You're not prepared for it until the second time,
17:23 and you can kind of understand the size,
17:25 how you can get him and pick a roll action,
17:27 maybe get him off the floor and foul trouble.
17:29 So, hopefully it's a better matchup,
17:30 but it's still gonna be a tough one for the Dex.
17:32 - Well, I think if you look back last year,
17:34 this game was a good one, 'cause Ben Gregg,
17:38 I think this was the time, the game,
17:40 that he finally really kind of blossomed
17:42 into a rotational player.
17:44 Drew, as good as he was, he had limitations defensively.
17:48 Plus, you didn't want that matchup,
17:49 'cause you didn't want him to foul trouble.
17:51 This year, you got Graham Ekay,
17:53 you got the emergence of Brayden Huff,
17:55 you have Ben Gregg again,
17:57 and Anton Watson at the college level
17:59 is good enough, smart enough,
18:00 versatile enough on that end of the floor,
18:02 where you could play a possession or two
18:04 with him on him, I think.
18:05 - Yeah, I think our goal probably will be
18:10 to try to speed up the pace.
18:11 Obviously, everybody's gonna say that against Purdue,
18:14 just because there's limitations,
18:16 Zach Eady's limitations, footwork, or foot speed-wise.
18:19 But also, you wanna play out of what you do.
18:23 We're back to the basket team at times as well,
18:26 with Graham and obviously Brayden Huff.
18:28 We talked about his pick and pop game,
18:29 but he is an angle basket type of guy.
18:31 So, it'll be interesting to see how we counter
18:34 Zach Eady's ability inside.
18:37 Do we double team him?
18:38 Do we high side?
18:39 Do we say, "Hey, let's let him score 40,
18:40 "but we stop everybody else?"
18:42 - Well, they got those shooters, those guards.
18:44 - I know. - Lawyer and Smith,
18:45 they're pretty darn good.
18:46 - Sometimes you sit there and just let 'em
18:49 throw it into a guy, and you play one-on-one
18:50 and live with the results,
18:51 and you don't give people wide open threes.
18:53 And I don't think it's a bad strategy as well.
18:56 So, I'm just really curious to see how we attack it.
18:58 Like I said, I think it'll be different.
19:00 I think we have a better chance than we did last year,
19:03 because we're more prepared,
19:04 and we have the, "Hey, we got our butts kicked last year."
19:06 We have all that stuff going for us.
19:09 But again, Zach Eady's a fantastic player,
19:11 different matchup,
19:12 then you can't really simulate it, the size.
19:15 You just can't.
19:16 - No, you can't simulate the size.
19:17 I remember first time in high school,
19:19 you go up against a truly seven-footer.
19:22 And coaches will bring out the broomsticks and whatnot.
19:25 But it is different for a college guy.
19:27 You're used to going against six 10s, six 11s.
19:31 He's like seven, three, seven, four.
19:33 And there's a different size to preparing for that.
19:37 - Yeah, and like I said, he's really good at angles,
19:40 creating angles.
19:41 He's old school post player.
19:42 And then they obviously teach their guys,
19:44 if you front, they flash.
19:45 - Yeah, they do a good job of making adjustments.
19:48 - 100%.
19:48 So, I think you have to take away the key pass
19:52 that's gonna be thrown into him.
19:53 That's an NBA term.
19:54 Remember, take away the second key pass,
19:56 but people don't really understand.
19:58 Sometimes that's more important
20:00 than keeping it out of the post,
20:02 is if the top guy's gonna flash against a front,
20:06 deny that one.
20:07 Now they have to counter the second time.
20:10 But again, it's gonna be a fantastic matchup.
20:12 It's a great field.
20:13 The Maui tournament's awesome.
20:15 I'm glad that they're still doing it in Hawaii.
20:18 So, go Zags on that part.
20:22 You know what I mean?
20:23 Like back to Maui, we've won it, I think,
20:26 twice or three times.
20:27 - Well, you had that epic run where I think you guys lost.
20:30 - We lost in the championship game
20:32 on a jump hook against UConn.
20:35 - And then they beat Duke a couple years back.
20:37 - Beat Duke a couple years back.
20:39 Didn't Blake Steps' crew win it?
20:41 - They may have.
20:42 I mean, there's been so many successful tournaments
20:45 in the non-conference that it's hard to keep track of them.
20:47 - I know one year they didn't.
20:48 They lost the first game, I think, to Dayton,
20:51 and then they played Chaminade the second game.
20:53 And Huddie always referenced as that,
20:56 the Kyle Drain Guinness game.
20:57 He had like 35 against Chaminade.
20:59 - Haven't heard that name in a while.
21:00 Might have to get him on a Zoom
21:02 to join us one of these days.
21:04 - So I know they haven't won it every time,
21:06 but if you lose that first game,
21:07 it's not a happy atmosphere.
21:10 So, come on.
21:12 - Well, and the beautiful thing about that tournament
21:15 is you're gonna play at least two great teams.
21:18 And nothing against Chaminade.
21:20 They're part of the tournament history and they're the host.
21:24 But you have a chance to play three teams
21:25 that are gonna help your net
21:27 and your Ken Palm throughout the year.
21:29 The second round matchup's either gonna be Tennessee,
21:31 who's right around 10,
21:33 or you're gonna play Syracuse,
21:35 who's got a new coach for the first time,
21:37 not named Jim Bayhunt.
21:39 That'll be an interesting one.
21:40 I haven't looked too far ahead.
21:41 I know Tennessee's style is physical defensively.
21:45 They got a great transfer in Dalton Neck.
21:47 Don't know much about Syracuse.
21:49 Do you have a preference to play either style?
21:52 - Yeah, I think Tennessee would be a good one.
21:57 Didn't they beat us in the pay-per-view game last year?
22:00 - Yeah, the non-counting exhibition.
22:02 - The non-counting one.
22:03 So that'd be a good,
22:04 just from a matchup or a film standpoint,
22:06 of having what they kinda did last year
22:08 in familiarity for our players.
22:11 But either way, win or lose,
22:14 you're gonna play a traditional powerhouse-type team.
22:17 And Syracuse normally leases an NIT team,
22:21 they've made the NCAA tournament,
22:22 they had a streak for a while.
22:24 So either way, you're gonna be in good shape to play
22:27 another, like a Ken Palm game,
22:31 I guess is the way,
22:31 RPI game is the old way to say it.
22:33 Then if you get to the consolation or whatever,
22:37 it's gonna be Kansas, Marquette, UCLA.
22:42 It's probably one of those three teams.
22:44 So you're gonna get another traditional.
22:46 So it is a fantastic field.
22:50 Hopefully our guys are ready to play.
22:51 It's really cool just to be there, obviously,
22:53 and hang out.
22:54 And even as a player,
22:56 they'll give you some beach time and stuff.
22:58 - Well, I'm sure you're gonna get on the beach
23:00 a little bit.
23:01 I'm gonna be here, actually, in studio.
23:02 Eric McClellan and I are gonna do a,
23:04 quote unquote, "Manning cast."
23:06 - Oh, nice.
23:07 - Where we're kinda talking about the game
23:08 and just different experiences as it's going.
23:10 So maybe for part of that,
23:12 we'll turn on you and Huddy to get your listen on it.
23:15 - Sweet, yeah.
23:16 - And we'll kinda critique it a little bit.
23:16 - It's delayed, though, so when you watch it,
23:19 there's always that five-second delay.
23:20 That's the FCC rule.
23:23 - Yeah, FCC, they need to--
23:24 - That's the Janet Jackson rule.
23:26 - Janet Jackson, Justin Timberlake do it.
23:27 - Yeah, that's where that comes from.
23:29 - So anything fun on the docket for you?
23:31 Because you can't just be in the gym calling the guys.
23:34 - Yeah, so last time I took my two daughters,
23:38 and they were, obviously, it was five years ago,
23:39 so they were young.
23:41 We did helicopter ride.
23:42 We did a lot of beach time.
23:44 I'm planning on doing the Pearl Harbor.
23:46 - Nice.
23:47 That's amazing.
23:48 I've done it once, by the way.
23:49 I haven't been, and I'm taking my two younger kids to that.
23:52 So it'll be fun.
23:54 A lot of beach time, though.
23:56 Man, that's the best part about going there.
23:58 It's like, if you don't wanna go, go, go.
24:00 You don't have to, and you still have a great time.
24:03 - Well, it's cold in Spokane, so enjoy the time.
24:05 Have fun.
24:06 - I'm gonna try to.
24:07 - That's for sure.
24:08 - I'm gonna try to.
24:09 - All right, there you have it.
24:10 A preview of the Maui Invitational.
24:11 Adam Morrison will come back probably tan,
24:15 and I'll be wearing a sweater next week.
24:16 So thanks for joining, Talkin' Zags.
24:19 (upbeat music)
24:22 (upbeat music)