1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:00,360 Speaker 1: Tweak. 2 00:00:00,600 --> 00:00:04,080 Speaker 2: The Ravens fly into Cincinnati for a battle with our Bengals. 3 00:00:04,120 --> 00:00:07,240 Speaker 2: Will sach Taylor's Orange and Black bust Baltimore in the 4 00:00:07,240 --> 00:00:09,720 Speaker 2: beak and whip up a win. Find out when you 5 00:00:09,720 --> 00:00:12,600 Speaker 2: get the call live from Dan Hord and Dave Lamp. 6 00:00:12,920 --> 00:00:16,040 Speaker 2: The game kicks off at one pm, with coverage starting 7 00:00:16,079 --> 00:00:19,520 Speaker 2: at nine am Sunday. Stream for free on the new 8 00:00:19,560 --> 00:00:24,079 Speaker 2: and improved iHeart Radio app or ESPN fifteen thirty, the 9 00:00:24,200 --> 00:00:30,640 Speaker 2: official home of the Cincinnati Bengals. 10 00:00:30,960 --> 00:00:34,320 Speaker 3: Well, we have to take the rare step of moving 11 00:00:34,360 --> 00:00:39,280 Speaker 3: a guest from last hour to this out. Unfortunately for us, 12 00:00:39,360 --> 00:00:42,400 Speaker 3: Chad Bredel is very accommodating. I'm awager this is ESPN 13 00:00:42,440 --> 00:00:45,920 Speaker 3: fifteen thirty. Hopefully you're having a wonderful Thursday. Chad joins 14 00:00:45,920 --> 00:00:49,680 Speaker 3: this on Thursdays to talk you see football and basketball. 15 00:00:49,800 --> 00:00:53,520 Speaker 3: The Bearcats basketball team men's basketball team is coming off 16 00:00:53,520 --> 00:00:57,240 Speaker 3: the skyline Chile Crosstown shootout loss, getting set ahead to 17 00:00:57,280 --> 00:01:00,080 Speaker 3: Atlanta for a game against Georgia on Saturday. Meet and 18 00:01:00,120 --> 00:01:04,120 Speaker 3: while Scott Saderfield's team uh preparing for the Bowl, the 19 00:01:04,319 --> 00:01:08,080 Speaker 3: Liberty Bowl against Navy on January the second. Get coverage 20 00:01:08,080 --> 00:01:10,200 Speaker 3: of all that and more at Bearcat journal dot com. 21 00:01:10,319 --> 00:01:15,800 Speaker 1: Hi, Chad, i'm o. How's it going. Well? 22 00:01:15,840 --> 00:01:18,360 Speaker 3: From the perspective of what you talk about? Not good? 23 00:01:18,720 --> 00:01:19,280 Speaker 3: Can you hear me? 24 00:01:20,720 --> 00:01:22,280 Speaker 1: Yeah? I got you. I got you. It's a little 25 00:01:22,640 --> 00:01:25,080 Speaker 1: a little delayed there for a second. Now things aren't 26 00:01:25,080 --> 00:01:27,959 Speaker 1: great right now? Well, what's the what's the one one 27 00:01:28,440 --> 00:01:32,319 Speaker 1: gift I use all the time? Not great, Bob. That's 28 00:01:32,480 --> 00:01:35,880 Speaker 1: that's the status of things right now. It is. 29 00:01:36,280 --> 00:01:42,000 Speaker 3: It is so from a pure basketball perspective, like I 30 00:01:42,480 --> 00:01:45,039 Speaker 3: know that the moment the shootout ended, folks advance the 31 00:01:45,040 --> 00:01:47,520 Speaker 3: conversation to what's going to happen with Wes and and 32 00:01:47,840 --> 00:01:51,840 Speaker 3: I understand that I do. That makes total sense. But 33 00:01:52,360 --> 00:01:55,520 Speaker 3: from a basketball perspective, they they do have a high 34 00:01:55,560 --> 00:01:58,720 Speaker 3: major game on Saturday, another one a week from Sunday, 35 00:01:58,840 --> 00:02:01,880 Speaker 3: and then the entire Big twelve season. How does this 36 00:02:01,920 --> 00:02:04,760 Speaker 3: get fixed? What can a coach do with the personnel? 37 00:02:04,800 --> 00:02:08,160 Speaker 3: They have to somehow get the season back on track. 38 00:02:10,240 --> 00:02:14,680 Speaker 1: Number one, They've got to figure out the execution issue 39 00:02:14,720 --> 00:02:20,200 Speaker 1: on offense. It's just bad, like the they're turning it 40 00:02:20,200 --> 00:02:22,440 Speaker 1: over too much, they're not shooting the three ball. Well, 41 00:02:22,480 --> 00:02:25,720 Speaker 1: they're bad at the free throw line, like there's not 42 00:02:25,880 --> 00:02:30,480 Speaker 1: any metric that you can look at that gives you 43 00:02:30,600 --> 00:02:33,000 Speaker 1: confidence in the way that they're playing offense right now. 44 00:02:33,240 --> 00:02:37,960 Speaker 1: And if they can get that fixed, the defense is 45 00:02:38,040 --> 00:02:44,200 Speaker 1: good enough. Contrary to the frustration with Tarzan treating them 46 00:02:44,240 --> 00:02:52,040 Speaker 1: like Jane for thirty points, like there is hope if 47 00:02:52,639 --> 00:02:56,440 Speaker 1: they can figure things out offensively. It's just not been 48 00:02:56,480 --> 00:03:00,280 Speaker 1: a strength of west Miller's in his coaching tenure. So 49 00:03:00,639 --> 00:03:02,200 Speaker 1: I don't have a lot of faith in it. But 50 00:03:03,400 --> 00:03:06,640 Speaker 1: you know, you've got an opportunity right now. Georgia and 51 00:03:06,639 --> 00:03:09,160 Speaker 1: Clemson are twenty four and twenty five and Ken toom 52 00:03:10,600 --> 00:03:14,200 Speaker 1: so the opportunity is there to get this thing back 53 00:03:14,280 --> 00:03:17,440 Speaker 1: on track. If you go into conference play and you've 54 00:03:17,480 --> 00:03:21,160 Speaker 1: got to win over Dayton, who's solid, and you've got 55 00:03:21,160 --> 00:03:25,480 Speaker 1: wins over Clemson and Georgia, you've at least got something 56 00:03:25,520 --> 00:03:29,880 Speaker 1: to work with. If they go ozh and two, it's 57 00:03:29,919 --> 00:03:31,280 Speaker 1: gonna be a long twenty twenty six. 58 00:03:31,360 --> 00:03:36,920 Speaker 3: Now what is the offense supposed to look like. 59 00:03:40,360 --> 00:03:44,480 Speaker 1: With this group? I'm not sure, Like that's the hard part. Yeah, 60 00:03:44,520 --> 00:03:46,880 Speaker 1: you know, with the group that they had last year, 61 00:03:48,760 --> 00:03:51,160 Speaker 1: most of those guys have been there two three years. 62 00:03:51,200 --> 00:03:56,440 Speaker 1: Like you understood the basics of like what they were 63 00:03:56,480 --> 00:04:02,600 Speaker 1: trying to do. Now it feel like pass around the perimeter, Uh, 64 00:04:04,160 --> 00:04:08,840 Speaker 1: try to get downhill, usually unsuccessfully, and then shoot a 65 00:04:08,920 --> 00:04:12,840 Speaker 1: late shot clock three. And that's just not that's not 66 00:04:13,040 --> 00:04:16,080 Speaker 1: good offense. That's you know, there was there was a 67 00:04:16,120 --> 00:04:20,159 Speaker 1: little bit in the Tarleton State game where the ball 68 00:04:20,240 --> 00:04:25,159 Speaker 1: kind of popped and it looked like, you know, how 69 00:04:25,200 --> 00:04:29,359 Speaker 1: you want offense to look, And there was a little 70 00:04:29,360 --> 00:04:31,320 Speaker 1: bit in that second half of the Xavier game where 71 00:04:31,320 --> 00:04:36,159 Speaker 1: it did. But it's not happening over forty minutes. It's 72 00:04:36,160 --> 00:04:40,640 Speaker 1: happening in five and ten minute stretches, and against teams 73 00:04:40,680 --> 00:04:43,240 Speaker 1: like Georgia and Clemson, five and ten minute stretches aren't 74 00:04:43,240 --> 00:04:46,400 Speaker 1: going to get the job done. So you're not seeing 75 00:04:46,400 --> 00:04:50,800 Speaker 1: the defense move side to side. You're not seeing really 76 00:04:50,880 --> 00:04:54,440 Speaker 1: any like scramble where you can tell like the defense 77 00:04:54,560 --> 00:04:57,599 Speaker 1: is a pass behind, which is where you want things 78 00:04:57,640 --> 00:05:02,039 Speaker 1: to be. It just doesn't feel fluid. I know, you know, 79 00:05:02,080 --> 00:05:04,919 Speaker 1: you've got a whole new team. But that's that's my 80 00:05:05,000 --> 00:05:07,320 Speaker 1: biggest problem though, is yeah, you've got a whole new team, 81 00:05:07,320 --> 00:05:11,080 Speaker 1: but if you look around the country, these groups that 82 00:05:11,120 --> 00:05:16,760 Speaker 1: are new have had kind of a steady upward trend. 83 00:05:18,240 --> 00:05:20,080 Speaker 1: And I don't feel like we've had a steady upward 84 00:05:20,120 --> 00:05:23,440 Speaker 1: trend with this offense. I feel like it's actually like 85 00:05:23,839 --> 00:05:25,960 Speaker 1: you could make the argument though, the best this team 86 00:05:26,000 --> 00:05:30,080 Speaker 1: has looked was in Exhibition number one. Yeah, and it's 87 00:05:30,120 --> 00:05:33,120 Speaker 1: been kind of flat to a decline ever since. Then. 88 00:05:34,080 --> 00:05:37,440 Speaker 3: Well, and and folks aren't going to like this. Richard 89 00:05:37,520 --> 00:05:41,240 Speaker 3: Patino doesn't have an overly talented team. I've watched them 90 00:05:41,240 --> 00:05:45,760 Speaker 3: get better. I mean, I can tell you what it's 91 00:05:45,800 --> 00:05:46,720 Speaker 3: supposed to look like. 92 00:05:46,800 --> 00:05:46,960 Speaker 1: Now. 93 00:05:47,000 --> 00:05:48,440 Speaker 3: You know, they have some guys who might not be 94 00:05:48,480 --> 00:05:51,080 Speaker 3: great at finishing at the rim, maybe some guys who 95 00:05:51,120 --> 00:05:52,960 Speaker 3: has struggled to get their shots off. Like but but 96 00:05:53,080 --> 00:05:55,839 Speaker 3: I that's a new group. That's a new group that 97 00:05:55,920 --> 00:05:59,040 Speaker 3: is coalescing. And not every group coalesces at the same right, 98 00:05:59,080 --> 00:06:01,799 Speaker 3: But like that, to me, that's what was so striking 99 00:06:01,880 --> 00:06:05,200 Speaker 3: about Friday Night is over here there is a team 100 00:06:05,240 --> 00:06:09,320 Speaker 3: that has severe talent limitations, but I'm seeing it come together. 101 00:06:09,800 --> 00:06:13,479 Speaker 3: I'm seeing I'm seeing collective improvement and a bunch of 102 00:06:13,480 --> 00:06:16,560 Speaker 3: individuals that are coming together. And that over here, I 103 00:06:16,640 --> 00:06:19,440 Speaker 3: watch a team where I ask, what is the suppose? 104 00:06:19,640 --> 00:06:22,240 Speaker 3: What it's good? What is it supposed to look like 105 00:06:23,000 --> 00:06:25,440 Speaker 3: you in this day and age. I just I don't 106 00:06:25,480 --> 00:06:28,760 Speaker 3: think you can. You can play the card all that often. Well, 107 00:06:29,080 --> 00:06:31,160 Speaker 3: the group is all new that just in this day 108 00:06:31,160 --> 00:06:33,040 Speaker 3: and age, that's not gonna work. And it's really not 109 00:06:33,080 --> 00:06:35,599 Speaker 3: gonna work when you're getting beaten by your arch rival 110 00:06:35,800 --> 00:06:37,640 Speaker 3: that has figured out a way to make it work, 111 00:06:37,640 --> 00:06:39,839 Speaker 3: at least to a degree, with a whole new team. 112 00:06:40,600 --> 00:06:45,400 Speaker 1: But here's the bigger concern though, coming into that game, 113 00:06:45,480 --> 00:06:47,839 Speaker 1: the way that they had figured out to make it work. 114 00:06:48,279 --> 00:06:52,400 Speaker 1: It's not how they won the shootout, right, yes, correct, 115 00:06:52,520 --> 00:06:54,920 Speaker 1: that kept them off the three point line. Like, you know, 116 00:06:54,960 --> 00:07:01,799 Speaker 1: they had gotten back into to being successful by making thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, 117 00:07:01,839 --> 00:07:06,200 Speaker 1: well twice they made sixteen threes and Sincnati took that away, 118 00:07:07,560 --> 00:07:10,040 Speaker 1: and they still had a counter, They still had an answer. 119 00:07:10,840 --> 00:07:13,760 Speaker 1: And you know, if you look at it, Cincinnati shot 120 00:07:13,840 --> 00:07:17,400 Speaker 1: way better from three than Xavier did, since that he 121 00:07:17,480 --> 00:07:21,200 Speaker 1: only turned it over nine times. Xavier shot terribly from 122 00:07:21,280 --> 00:07:24,840 Speaker 1: the free throw line, Like, but then you give them, 123 00:07:25,360 --> 00:07:28,240 Speaker 1: you allow them to shoot sixty seven percent from two, 124 00:07:28,960 --> 00:07:30,680 Speaker 1: and since that, he's supposed to have one of the 125 00:07:30,720 --> 00:07:34,000 Speaker 1: better two point defenses in the country and They took 126 00:07:34,040 --> 00:07:38,480 Speaker 1: it right at your strength and beat you and you 127 00:07:38,560 --> 00:07:43,200 Speaker 1: didn't have an answer, and that is wildly concerning. And 128 00:07:43,720 --> 00:07:46,240 Speaker 1: the other part mo and this has been a thing 129 00:07:46,360 --> 00:07:50,600 Speaker 1: for unfortunately, it's been a thing for five years. They 130 00:07:50,680 --> 00:07:57,280 Speaker 1: got the lead by one and then crumbled instead of 131 00:07:58,160 --> 00:08:00,160 Speaker 1: built our way back, built our way back, built our 132 00:08:00,240 --> 00:08:03,280 Speaker 1: way back. And even if it just becomes like a 133 00:08:03,360 --> 00:08:05,720 Speaker 1: heavyweight fight of two teams standing in the middle of 134 00:08:05,720 --> 00:08:08,680 Speaker 1: the ring swinging at each other, that's not what happened. 135 00:08:09,000 --> 00:08:11,240 Speaker 1: They immediately give up a wide open three to let 136 00:08:11,360 --> 00:08:14,240 Speaker 1: Xavier go back up two, and from there they're back 137 00:08:14,280 --> 00:08:19,200 Speaker 1: on their heels and you've got to be able to finish. 138 00:08:19,280 --> 00:08:22,960 Speaker 1: And you know, maybe they play right with Georgia or Clemson, 139 00:08:23,840 --> 00:08:26,000 Speaker 1: but from what I've seen, based on the Louisville game, 140 00:08:26,080 --> 00:08:29,560 Speaker 1: based on you know, they got back to one on 141 00:08:29,640 --> 00:08:31,720 Speaker 1: Eastern Michigan and gave up an eight zero run and 142 00:08:32,080 --> 00:08:35,440 Speaker 1: still they're down nine. And what I've seen against Xavier, 143 00:08:36,000 --> 00:08:37,920 Speaker 1: I don't have a lot of faith that this group 144 00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:40,720 Speaker 1: can grind out that final three minutes of a close 145 00:08:40,760 --> 00:08:42,760 Speaker 1: game to get a win, because they haven't given me 146 00:08:42,880 --> 00:08:44,559 Speaker 1: confidence in their ability to do that. 147 00:08:45,679 --> 00:08:48,480 Speaker 3: When you have been asked about this being a tournament 148 00:08:48,640 --> 00:08:51,320 Speaker 3: or bust year for Wes Miller, your response has been, 149 00:08:51,440 --> 00:08:55,120 Speaker 3: I need to see what it looks like. So, you know, 150 00:08:55,160 --> 00:08:56,679 Speaker 3: I go back to last year. They had one non 151 00:08:56,760 --> 00:08:59,160 Speaker 3: league loss before a conference play, didn't come close to 152 00:08:59,160 --> 00:09:01,360 Speaker 3: snow in the tournament, already have free one of them's 153 00:09:01,400 --> 00:09:03,480 Speaker 3: bad at home, they play two high majors in what 154 00:09:03,520 --> 00:09:07,000 Speaker 3: are effectively road games, and so you know, God knows. 155 00:09:07,200 --> 00:09:09,400 Speaker 3: I hope they go to Atlanta and win and change 156 00:09:09,400 --> 00:09:12,760 Speaker 3: the conversation. But I'm I'm thinking, okay, those are quite 157 00:09:12,800 --> 00:09:16,480 Speaker 3: possibly losses in Big twelve play. This does not right 158 00:09:16,520 --> 00:09:18,640 Speaker 3: now look like a team that's capable of winning nine 159 00:09:18,640 --> 00:09:21,760 Speaker 3: out of eighteen games. And so then I think, okay, 160 00:09:21,760 --> 00:09:25,120 Speaker 3: eleven losses, twelve losses, and I start to go, you know, 161 00:09:25,200 --> 00:09:27,120 Speaker 3: for for a team, what where a lot of us were, 162 00:09:27,160 --> 00:09:30,080 Speaker 3: like the only the only baseline, the only barometer is 163 00:09:30,160 --> 00:09:34,400 Speaker 3: make the NCAA tournament. We're talking about seventeen losses something 164 00:09:34,480 --> 00:09:39,240 Speaker 3: like that, like well, that that is the right right, 165 00:09:39,360 --> 00:09:42,760 Speaker 3: Like that's that's yeah, I mean that that there's the 166 00:09:42,920 --> 00:09:47,240 Speaker 3: what does it look like? That's sixteen seventeen, eighteen losses? 167 00:09:48,480 --> 00:09:50,280 Speaker 3: Then I think we know the outcome, right. 168 00:09:52,120 --> 00:09:56,840 Speaker 1: It looks really really bad, I mean from and it's 169 00:09:56,920 --> 00:10:00,240 Speaker 1: just so hard to fathom with how competitive they we're 170 00:10:00,280 --> 00:10:04,200 Speaker 1: against Louisville, to go from that to where we are now, 171 00:10:04,960 --> 00:10:10,679 Speaker 1: Like it's hard to get your brain around that. Things 172 00:10:10,720 --> 00:10:16,560 Speaker 1: have kind of just skidded to a complete halt in 173 00:10:16,600 --> 00:10:20,880 Speaker 1: the momentum of you know what, is a critical season 174 00:10:20,880 --> 00:10:24,520 Speaker 1: for Wes Miller and if he doesn't get this thing 175 00:10:24,600 --> 00:10:27,760 Speaker 1: turned around, like you've already in a lot of ways 176 00:10:27,800 --> 00:10:30,720 Speaker 1: lost the fan base. John Cunningham has given him a 177 00:10:30,760 --> 00:10:35,640 Speaker 1: lot of rope, right, like, Okay, we reset the clock 178 00:10:35,800 --> 00:10:38,839 Speaker 1: essentially going into the Big twelve, like we're going to 179 00:10:38,920 --> 00:10:42,080 Speaker 1: give you a chance to get this thing course corrected. 180 00:10:43,400 --> 00:10:47,680 Speaker 1: And last year like that was supposed to be the 181 00:10:47,760 --> 00:10:54,120 Speaker 1: year and they fell short. And it just doesn't feel 182 00:10:54,160 --> 00:10:58,240 Speaker 1: like there's any momentum moving forward in the program right now, 183 00:10:58,800 --> 00:11:00,839 Speaker 1: and that's not a good sign for year five of 184 00:11:00,920 --> 00:11:01,760 Speaker 1: the West Miller era. 185 00:11:02,800 --> 00:11:07,240 Speaker 3: They do they do, I got like ninety seconds here. 186 00:11:07,600 --> 00:11:13,120 Speaker 3: How many how many players who make the backbone of 187 00:11:13,120 --> 00:11:15,520 Speaker 3: Scott Sadderfield's team will be on the field when they 188 00:11:15,520 --> 00:11:16,800 Speaker 3: play Navy in the Liberty Bowl. 189 00:11:19,240 --> 00:11:25,320 Speaker 1: Probably not many. I don't think I would be. At 190 00:11:25,320 --> 00:11:28,760 Speaker 1: this point, we haven't heard anything from Brendan Sowersby that 191 00:11:28,920 --> 00:11:31,520 Speaker 1: leads me to believe like if he was coming back, 192 00:11:31,600 --> 00:11:35,000 Speaker 1: that would be front and center, or at least a 193 00:11:35,040 --> 00:11:38,200 Speaker 1: decision that's still being made, which tells me if a 194 00:11:38,200 --> 00:11:41,520 Speaker 1: decision is still being made, I wouldn't count on him 195 00:11:41,559 --> 00:11:46,600 Speaker 1: for January second. Per se Christian Harrison's already in the portal. 196 00:11:47,640 --> 00:11:51,480 Speaker 1: I would assume Dante Corleone announcing his intentions for the 197 00:11:51,559 --> 00:11:55,800 Speaker 1: draft is a subtle way of saying, I've been banged 198 00:11:55,880 --> 00:11:59,080 Speaker 1: up all year. I'm probably not gonna want to get 199 00:11:59,120 --> 00:12:05,679 Speaker 1: chopped blocked for you know, sixty plays on January second. 200 00:12:07,280 --> 00:12:10,080 Speaker 1: It doesn't feel great, and I think, you know, the 201 00:12:10,160 --> 00:12:14,640 Speaker 1: line has reflected that Cincinnati was a favorite. It has 202 00:12:14,720 --> 00:12:17,800 Speaker 1: swung all the way to Navy and feels like probably 203 00:12:17,840 --> 00:12:22,960 Speaker 1: will continue to do. So I'm gonna go to Memphis, 204 00:12:23,000 --> 00:12:26,600 Speaker 1: but really, I'm just I love Guss's Fried Chicken, so 205 00:12:26,640 --> 00:12:29,480 Speaker 1: I'm probably just going for that. And Rendezvus in the 206 00:12:29,480 --> 00:12:32,480 Speaker 1: press box. Rendevou in the press box, right, No, that 207 00:12:32,559 --> 00:12:34,240 Speaker 1: was that was the last time we were at the Liberty Bowl. 208 00:12:34,280 --> 00:12:35,240 Speaker 1: Rendezvous in the press box. 209 00:12:35,360 --> 00:12:36,800 Speaker 3: Yeah, rendevou in the press box. 210 00:12:36,920 --> 00:12:37,440 Speaker 1: Yeah, I will. 211 00:12:37,480 --> 00:12:41,360 Speaker 3: I will have gusses, I will have rendezvous and probably 212 00:12:41,840 --> 00:12:43,560 Speaker 3: a few libations. We'll see you there. 213 00:12:43,679 --> 00:12:46,240 Speaker 1: Thank you as all the same mouth, same, see you there. 214 00:12:47,840 --> 00:12:51,160 Speaker 3: Chad Brendel Bearcat journal dot Com on Twitter at Chad Brendel. 215 00:12:51,320 --> 00:12:53,319 Speaker 3: We had to move him because I don't know how 216 00:12:53,320 --> 00:12:55,480 Speaker 3: to read a clock. But we're right on time right now. 217 00:12:55,840 --> 00:12:57,559 Speaker 3: Robert Wintroub on the Bengals Next