Season 2, Episode 15 feat. Oliver Baltz and Paws Up Podcast

[00:00:07] Thanks for tuning in to another episode of the Blue Raider Podcast hosted by Jake Bolden and presented by the Canseco Group General Contracting and Mighty Dog Roofing. Don't miss another Tuesday episode by subscribing to the podcast on all streaming platforms or catch our visual presentation uploaded every week on YouTube. Don't miss our next ticket giveaways by subscribing and following on all Blue Raider Podcast social media accounts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok at Blue Raider Pod.

[00:00:40] Welcome back to the Blue Raider Podcast. I'm your host, Jake Bolden. Today's episode, we are going to be recapping this last weekend at the Myrtle Beach Invitational where the men's basketball team had a rather impressive performance, albeit a second place finish there at Coastal Carolina University.

[00:00:57] So joining us today is going to be Oliver Baltz, the basketball analyst from GoMiddle.com to break down everything that happened this last weekend, as well as a look ahead to the non-conference schedule coming up in December.

[00:01:09] Unfortunately, as I promised last week, our player interview of this week would be Jalen Counter, but those that watched basketball this last week know that Jalen suffered an injury in Friday night's basketball game against South Florida.

[00:01:20] So he unfortunately will not be able to make the episode this week. However, I will promise and I will deliver. So Jalen Counter will be on next week's episode. So stay tuned for that.

[00:01:29] But don't miss on all the basketball talk I have today with Oliver Baltz. Of course, we'll go behind enemy lines with one of our Conference USA Roundtable and College Huddle members, Jake Gibson, of the Pause Up podcast to preview this Saturday's regular season finale with the FIU Panthers.

[00:01:43] And of course, the Raider Wrap Up portion at the end of the episode. But as always, I'd like to take just a second to do an ad read for today's sponsor.

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[00:03:11] Again, thanks to the Canseco Group and Mighty Dog Roofing Nashville East.

[00:03:15] Now, it is time to get into our first guest of today.

[00:03:19] And that is, as I mentioned at the very beginning, our GoMiddle.com basketball analyst, Oliver Balz.

[00:03:25] Oliver, how's it going?

[00:03:27] Jake, it's going great.

[00:03:29] Greatest time of the year for me, at least.

[00:03:32] College basketball all day, every day.

[00:03:34] These holiday tournaments have been great.

[00:03:37] Obviously, great showing for the Blue Raiders, but really just everywhere.

[00:03:40] And I'm basking in it.

[00:03:45] This is always my favorite time of the year.

[00:03:47] Obviously, football is winding down.

[00:03:48] I wish the Blue Raiders, we had a lot more to talk about with them, but unfortunately we don't.

[00:03:52] But there's so much football on this Saturday.

[00:03:55] You've got the Maui Invitational that started Monday night.

[00:03:58] So much good basketball.

[00:04:00] Anything?

[00:04:00] I know we just watched the Raiders this last week, and before we really deep dive into any of that,

[00:04:04] is there kind of any tournaments that you have your attention on this week?

[00:04:09] Yeah, I mean, Maui is huge.

[00:04:11] I mean, you have somehow Iowa State and Auburn as a first-round matchup.

[00:04:18] Who knows why that is?

[00:04:20] But, I mean, two of the best teams in the world.

[00:04:23] We have – we just saw Connecticut got beat by Memphis earlier.

[00:04:28] That's huge.

[00:04:29] That's huge.

[00:04:29] I mean, it's just – it's the nature of the beast.

[00:04:31] I mean, you know, UConn is obviously – they go without saying how great they've built their program

[00:04:37] the last couple years.

[00:04:39] And it's – you never know.

[00:04:42] I mean, there's been a little less hype on them, obviously.

[00:04:45] But I guess entering each of their last two national championship seasons,

[00:04:49] there wasn't a lot of, okay, they're going to be a monster.

[00:04:53] They're going to run away with the tournament, as they actually ended up doing.

[00:04:57] Kind of had that same wondering this year.

[00:05:00] And I'd say they're showing against Memphis today.

[00:05:03] At least pumps a little breaks in any sort of the – that's speculation.

[00:05:08] But, yeah, it's still just November basketball.

[00:05:11] Everybody's got a lot better – a lot more time to get better until March.

[00:05:17] But still, I feel like what's great about college basketball right now

[00:05:20] is there's a lot more competitive games that's happened in the last year,

[00:05:25] last couple years, that – in this kind of time period of November and December

[00:05:30] that hasn't been as often as years past.

[00:05:34] So it's been a great – great first four weeks of the season.

[00:05:37] I couldn't be happier with it.

[00:05:39] Yeah, there's so much parity at this time of year.

[00:05:42] And as you kind of touched on it there,

[00:05:44] we experienced this with MTSU's situation this last weekend

[00:05:48] at the Myrtle Beach Invitational.

[00:05:49] You know, you've got a lot of teams that are on that same plane

[00:05:53] in regards to competitive level.

[00:05:55] And if we want to steer this conversation over to the Blue Raiders a little bit here,

[00:06:00] when you talk about the field that they played in,

[00:06:02] I know going into the schedule,

[00:06:04] maybe this wasn't a tournament that stood out at you at first.

[00:06:08] But when you look at the level of competition that the Raiders,

[00:06:10] not only the MTSU faced, but what the field had together.

[00:06:13] I mean, Princeton, who in my eyes was going to be the second-place team

[00:06:16] in that tournament, finished in seventh place.

[00:06:19] I mean, and we came out in second place.

[00:06:21] And so that just speaks to the volume of talent there.

[00:06:24] And even the lowest-ranked team in the tournament, Portland,

[00:06:26] who did end up finishing in eighth place,

[00:06:28] you know, they just took Oregon – was it Oregon?

[00:06:31] They took them, you know, wire-to-wire just last week

[00:06:33] prior to going to the Myrtle Beach Invitational.

[00:06:35] So the talent was there all across the board in that Myrtle Beach Invitational.

[00:06:40] So I'm excited really to dive in to what we saw this last week.

[00:06:44] Going into the Ohio matchup, it wasn't really a matchup I was super ecstatic about.

[00:06:48] I know you kind of were in that boat as we were chatting it up at GoMiddle.com

[00:06:53] on the forums there, which if you're not already –

[00:06:55] if you're listening to this, you're not already over there,

[00:06:56] go over there, check us out.

[00:06:58] We've got tons of scouting information on every game as it comes to us.

[00:07:01] But that Ohio matchup was intriguing because, one, they're the MAAC favorites.

[00:07:05] They've been underperforming.

[00:07:06] And I think you and I were operating that at some point,

[00:07:09] this team has got to get their season on track.

[00:07:11] And what a better time than at the Myrtle Beach Invitational against MTSU,

[00:07:15] who just came off of their beatdown against Murray State.

[00:07:17] And, you know, we had our ebbs and flows in that game.

[00:07:20] But, you know, hats off to them fighting their tails off.

[00:07:23] Kamari lands with a huge three at the end of regulation to push that into overtime.

[00:07:27] And, you know, I thought getting to overtime in itself was a win

[00:07:31] just because of the amount of foul trouble that Ohio was in.

[00:07:34] But, gosh, what a gutsy performance that was.

[00:07:37] Because there were so many opportunities in that game where,

[00:07:39] as I've said in previous wins already, they could have folded.

[00:07:42] And they didn't.

[00:07:43] And hats off to that team, the maturity that that team has

[00:07:47] to get it done when it matters.

[00:07:49] And, again, advance.

[00:07:50] And I'm sure we'll have our opportunity to break down each one of these games.

[00:07:53] But getting that Ohio win in and of itself, I thought, was a win for the tournament.

[00:07:57] Obviously, their showing against South Florida was impressive.

[00:08:00] And I'm actually pretty ecstatic with how the Bradley game turned out

[00:08:04] for the same reason that the Murray State game went bad

[00:08:07] and the fact that they didn't keel over.

[00:08:09] They faced a really hot shooting Bradley team, as we thought they would.

[00:08:12] But they were in it.

[00:08:13] You know, they had an opportunity to at least cut it down

[00:08:15] into single possessions there with two minutes left

[00:08:17] and just had an unfortunate swing of events.

[00:08:20] But collectively, for the tournament, I was ecstatic with the outcome.

[00:08:23] Two and one.

[00:08:24] And they weren't the two wins that I thought they'd get.

[00:08:27] But beating Ohio and South Florida, I think when all things are said and done,

[00:08:30] are going to look pretty good on a resume.

[00:08:31] Not that this league is too big yet, but I think getting two wins

[00:08:35] is kind of a big deal.

[00:08:38] Yeah.

[00:08:39] I mean, how you win and how you lose matters.

[00:08:41] I know when you look at it in retrospect, I mean, so much of this sport

[00:08:45] is based on, you know, resumes and who beat when and, you know, one loss.

[00:08:50] Nobody's going to be thinking about winning by one point

[00:08:52] when it's two months later, yada, yada.

[00:08:55] But I mean, at least in the moment, you know, winning,

[00:08:59] the way you win, the way you lose matters.

[00:09:01] And the way they just steamrolled South Florida to start the first half,

[00:09:06] the way they kind of, it's more kind of indicative to your confidence

[00:09:14] towards the team than just a seven-point overall margin of victory

[00:09:18] that they had against South Florida.

[00:09:19] And it goes the same way with Bradley.

[00:09:21] You know, they lost by 11 points to Bradley.

[00:09:23] But if you have the context of who Bradley is, how well they've been playing,

[00:09:28] the fact that all their players have played for Bradley

[00:09:31] for a significant amount of time.

[00:09:32] And it was a lot closer to a game than the margin really suggested.

[00:09:37] I mean, the Blue Raiders really hung tough.

[00:09:39] And not to skip ahead, but it all starts with Ohio too.

[00:09:43] And it almost reminded me a little bit of a Florida Atlantic's run

[00:09:47] in the Final Four.

[00:09:49] It might be a little silly to compare a Final Four magical Cinderella run

[00:09:54] to a runner-up in an MTE.

[00:09:57] But, you know, middle is down for most of the Ohio game.

[00:10:01] I don't think they had a lead in the final 60 minutes of regulation whatsoever.

[00:10:06] They hit that game-tying shot with four seconds left.

[00:10:11] And, you know, they grind away to a victory.

[00:10:13] And it reminded me of Florida Atlantic in the regards of Florida Atlantic

[00:10:16] only beat Memphis by one in that round of 64.

[00:10:22] I mean, that is a one-point game.

[00:10:25] It could be completely changed by just the luck of aware of,

[00:10:31] of where a ball bounces.

[00:10:33] You know, it's kind of what makes this sport great.

[00:10:36] I don't want to – luck is probably the wrong word.

[00:10:38] But there is a solid level of chance and fate that kind of goes into every game.

[00:10:45] And even if it has nothing to do with your process,

[00:10:49] it has everything to do with the result.

[00:10:50] And results are contagious.

[00:10:53] And you just wonder, does Middle Tennessee blow the doors off of South Florida

[00:10:59] in the first half if they don't get that –

[00:11:01] obviously, they don't play South Florida if they don't beat Ohio.

[00:11:04] But if they don't – if they end up losing to Ohio in overtime or in regulation,

[00:11:10] how does that affect them in the next game?

[00:11:12] Do they have as promising performances in the following two games?

[00:11:16] So it's just cool how these sort of –

[00:11:23] Middle had a really, really good tournament, I thought.

[00:11:27] Props to them.

[00:11:28] But it's just interesting.

[00:11:29] I think that's the beauty of the game is how their talent paired with a little bit of chance

[00:11:34] and how that kind of sequences into, you know, what becomes, if you will.

[00:11:41] Yeah.

[00:11:43] We talk about, too, the – we'll go into the South Florida game a little bit, too.

[00:11:46] One thing that I think we spoke about on the boards as well and in private was,

[00:11:51] one, how does this team play with the lead?

[00:11:53] That was kind of the first time this season we've seen them jump out to –

[00:11:57] I mean, they dropped 50 points on the American Athletic Conference

[00:12:00] regular season champions last year.

[00:12:01] And albeit it's not the same team and their coach unfortunately passed away

[00:12:05] two weeks prior to the season beginning.

[00:12:06] So we knew we might get a different look of South Florida.

[00:12:08] But that was still a well-put-together team, as we saw.

[00:12:11] They ended up going on and getting third place in the tournament.

[00:12:14] So all things considered, that was an impressive start.

[00:12:18] But how did they look when they were winning by 20?

[00:12:21] First time we've seen them this year.

[00:12:22] And things got scary.

[00:12:23] And it got scary quick.

[00:12:25] I mean, they rolled off, I think, in an eight-minute span.

[00:12:27] They had 11 free throws made, which is – that's how you cut into a 20-point lead.

[00:12:32] You get to the free throw line and you knock them down.

[00:12:34] And that's what South Florida did.

[00:12:35] The thing that was very promising to me is, one, they never relinquished the lead.

[00:12:39] Albeit there was moments at times where we thought that it was going to get out of hand.

[00:12:43] And maybe it was a little bit of PTSD from years past.

[00:12:46] But they kept at it.

[00:12:48] They chipped away when they could.

[00:12:50] They made the right plays.

[00:12:52] The turnovers weren't necessarily out of hand.

[00:12:54] And they did get out of hand.

[00:12:56] And, again, maybe it was all perception.

[00:12:58] I know that a lot of us on the boards were concerned about Weston

[00:13:02] and how he handled some of the pressure that South Florida had.

[00:13:05] But with Jalen Counter going out earlier in that game on Friday,

[00:13:08] you were left without a point guard.

[00:13:09] And, again, maybe last year was the blessing in disguise for JP's game

[00:13:12] because McDevitt rolled him over for 10 of the last 12 minutes to play point guard.

[00:13:17] And I thought, for the most part, he did a relatively good job.

[00:13:20] I mean, as good as you would expect a shooting guard to do as he did last year.

[00:13:24] But he didn't turn over the ball too much.

[00:13:26] I think he had maybe two turnovers in that last 12-minute span.

[00:13:29] But for him, the thing that I think really took us out of our game late

[00:13:32] was the fact that the offense had to run through JP.

[00:13:35] And when the ball doesn't run through JP

[00:13:38] and the fact that he doesn't bring it up the half-court line,

[00:13:40] but if we find ways to get him the ball without the ball,

[00:13:43] and he's able to, I'll say improvise, but that's not really the game plan.

[00:13:47] The game plan is to free him up at the free throw line

[00:13:50] and get downhill, get to the basket.

[00:13:51] And then he does this amazing suspension

[00:13:54] where it seems like he's floating in thin air, can shoot it over anyone.

[00:13:56] And he did that a lot.

[00:13:58] I mean, he scored 50 points in the first two games

[00:14:00] and was held to eight against Bradley,

[00:14:02] which, again, is probably a little bit of the difference maker

[00:14:04] where Bradley was really shutting down that dribble handoff

[00:14:07] that we were doing to get JP the ball.

[00:14:09] But, again, talk about the versatility of this team

[00:14:13] with Weston having to sit the bench for those 10 minutes

[00:14:16] with Jalen out, which, thankfully,

[00:14:17] I don't think I'm breaking any news here,

[00:14:20] but it sounds like Jalen is going to be day-to-day.

[00:14:22] I think everything is fine.

[00:14:24] I don't want to say that everything's perfect

[00:14:26] and it'll never happen again, but he's fine.

[00:14:28] He's rested up.

[00:14:30] He's expected to be back this next week,

[00:14:32] whether that's UAB on Sunday or the game after,

[00:14:35] on Wednesday against Rhodes.

[00:14:36] I don't know, but things are okay.

[00:14:39] And, obviously, next week's episode,

[00:14:41] we'll have a little bit more insight from the man himself.

[00:14:43] But, all things considered,

[00:14:45] I just like how the different situations

[00:14:47] we got put into this weekend in general.

[00:14:50] Like I said, with the Ohio game,

[00:14:51] you're behind the whole game.

[00:14:52] You battled back.

[00:14:53] You got to win in overtime.

[00:14:55] Then Friday against South Florida,

[00:14:57] you're up by 20.

[00:14:58] You had to fight off a storming team

[00:15:01] that you thought for sure was going to come back

[00:15:02] and you never gave it up.

[00:15:03] And then, on Sunday, gosh, Bradley just couldn't miss.

[00:15:07] And the scout that I had wrote,

[00:15:08] I said, it's not going to matter how well we shoot the ball

[00:15:12] because Bradley's just that good.

[00:15:13] And we saw how good Bradley is.

[00:15:15] They just couldn't miss.

[00:15:16] And there was a lot of uncontested threes

[00:15:18] that really start to bite us.

[00:15:19] Duke Dean, there's a reason he's the Missouri Valley

[00:15:22] preseason player of the year.

[00:15:23] He's just a special talent.

[00:15:26] And he showed it.

[00:15:28] That's absolutely right.

[00:15:29] And so, all things considered,

[00:15:31] I was still pleased.

[00:15:32] And if you go down,

[00:15:34] if you break down the film of the ending to that Bradley game,

[00:15:36] I always think to myself,

[00:15:38] what could have happened differently?

[00:15:40] You're down by five with about two and a half minutes to go.

[00:15:43] You go down and we get,

[00:15:46] I believe it's,

[00:15:47] we get an unforced shot by either Esom

[00:15:50] that takes an unwise shot,

[00:15:53] tries to force the issue.

[00:15:55] Duke Dean runs it down in transition and hits a three.

[00:15:57] And then just like that,

[00:15:57] what could have been a three-point game

[00:15:58] is now an eight-point game.

[00:16:00] And then that the game was pretty much out of reach

[00:16:02] at the two-minute mark.

[00:16:03] So, it really does come down to

[00:16:05] maybe making a few smarter plays on the offensive end.

[00:16:09] But I'll steer this conversation

[00:16:11] to what I collectively learned this last week

[00:16:13] or what maybe my concerns are

[00:16:14] since I've been so positive thus far.

[00:16:16] This is the fourth straight game.

[00:16:18] The Raiders have allowed 80 points.

[00:16:21] Going back to last season,

[00:16:23] when the offense couldn't score,

[00:16:24] our bread and butter was playing defense.

[00:16:27] We were one of the better defensive teams

[00:16:28] in the conference.

[00:16:29] We thought, you know,

[00:16:30] maybe with the win games,

[00:16:31] we'd have to get into these rock fights

[00:16:33] and be in the low 50s and 60s.

[00:16:35] But this offense is very capable of scoring.

[00:16:37] But I am concerned,

[00:16:39] albeit we've played really good teams

[00:16:40] the last four games,

[00:16:41] but 80 points per contest in the last four

[00:16:44] is a little bit concerning.

[00:16:45] And do you feel the same?

[00:16:48] Or do you think the offense is good enough

[00:16:50] that when we play this better competition,

[00:16:52] it shouldn't come to be an issue?

[00:16:54] You know, where's your head at with that, Oliver?

[00:16:57] No, that's a good question.

[00:16:59] It's fair.

[00:16:59] I mean, I guess bias-wise,

[00:17:03] I'd rather be a good offensive team

[00:17:04] than a good defensive team.

[00:17:06] And I have no actual, like,

[00:17:08] basketball philosophical reason behind that

[00:17:11] other than I'm just selfish as a fan

[00:17:14] and I want to watch a more aesthetically pleasing ball.

[00:17:18] Yeah, I mean, I think that's kind of what...

[00:17:24] I don't know if Nick made the conscious decision

[00:17:26] is like, I'm going to focus less on defense,

[00:17:31] get better on offense.

[00:17:33] I don't know if it was that general,

[00:17:34] but definitely the way he built this roster,

[00:17:38] I think he could have probably expected

[00:17:40] those results to happen.

[00:17:41] I mean, I was looking at some numbers.

[00:17:44] They have an offensive rating of 98 or more

[00:17:48] this season in every single game.

[00:17:51] Last year, they had 18 of their,

[00:17:54] what, it was 33 games.

[00:17:56] So 18, over half of their games

[00:17:58] was below that 98 offensive rating.

[00:18:03] They've had five games with 79 or more.

[00:18:05] They only had four games all of last year

[00:18:08] with that total.

[00:18:09] So, yeah, I mean, I think you take the good with the bad.

[00:18:12] I think that, you know, I mean,

[00:18:17] yeah, the defense is a concern.

[00:18:19] I think that you just kind of take the results as is, though.

[00:18:23] I mean, they've beaten, they beat three,

[00:18:25] I'm sorry, they beat two impressive teams.

[00:18:27] They hung with a very impressive team in the last game.

[00:18:31] Yeah, I do think the defense needs some work.

[00:18:33] I think it'll kind of come down to

[00:18:37] McDevin and his lineups, and we can get to that in a minute.

[00:18:39] But I think you kind of graciously are happy with where the offense is.

[00:18:45] Considering where the offense has been maybe the last couple years,

[00:18:48] or even if you look back through entire,

[00:18:50] the entirety of Nick's tenure, I think in 21-22,

[00:18:53] we had a pretty good offensive team.

[00:18:55] But outside of that,

[00:18:57] it's never really been anything to write home about.

[00:18:59] And sometimes it's even been abominably bad.

[00:19:02] So, yeah, I think at the very least,

[00:19:06] we should be very optimistic about where the offense is this early.

[00:19:10] I mean, it's a brand new team, a lot of new pieces.

[00:19:15] Even some of the older players like,

[00:19:18] or I guess the incumbents, the players that are returning,

[00:19:22] the returning players would be the best way to put it,

[00:19:24] that came from last year's squad like Loof and Alston.

[00:19:28] I mean, they're playing in brand new roles.

[00:19:31] So it's a work in progress,

[00:19:34] but the fact that they're this good offensively already,

[00:19:37] I definitely think you should take that as a good sign.

[00:19:42] With each of these games, I mean, like you said,

[00:19:45] I think the main thing outside of actual basketball reasons,

[00:19:50] like shooting or scoring or defense or whatever,

[00:19:53] the fact that this team was resilient as they were throughout the entire

[00:19:59] three-game stretch, it's pretty impressive.

[00:20:02] And yeah, they did get rattled at the end of the Bradley game.

[00:20:06] I think it was just kind of finally that time for them to get rattled.

[00:20:10] And, you know, you put it well, they just took some bad shots.

[00:20:12] And the entire second half,

[00:20:14] they had pretty questionable soft selection.

[00:20:16] But, you know, at the end of the day,

[00:20:18] they were down 13 to 15 and they brought it back to five, you know?

[00:20:21] I mean, it's,

[00:20:22] it's really impressive against as good of a team as Bradley is.

[00:20:26] Like you said, it's,

[00:20:27] they were resilient in different fashions in every single game with,

[00:20:32] you know, being down the entire Ohio, the Ohio game,

[00:20:36] but not giving up and just understanding how much time they had left to,

[00:20:40] to make a run.

[00:20:41] And, you know,

[00:20:42] the exact opposite in the South Florida game,

[00:20:45] just being up and knowing that a run is going to come,

[00:20:47] but just making sure you have a counter punch and not letting them get all the

[00:20:50] way back.

[00:20:51] And then, you know,

[00:20:52] just hanging tough with Bradley is,

[00:20:53] you know,

[00:20:54] it's a good team that they might see all year.

[00:20:57] Again, it's,

[00:20:58] yeah,

[00:20:58] this team isn't perfect.

[00:21:00] There's definitely things that they need to get better at.

[00:21:02] I think that's more than expected based on how they are put together,

[00:21:07] how many new players there are on the,

[00:21:09] on the roster.

[00:21:10] And I definitely think you,

[00:21:13] you hang your hat on the good things that you've seen so far.

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[00:21:31] collaborate with athletes and NIL partnerships.

[00:21:35] Well,

[00:21:36] one thing about this last weekend,

[00:21:38] just talk a little bit about the depth of this team.

[00:21:41] I think we learned a lot about it.

[00:21:43] I know he saw a little,

[00:21:45] little dreary about his game with Murray state and how he defended.

[00:21:48] We kind of thought we might see some more glimpses of that.

[00:21:50] I thought he did.

[00:21:51] He did,

[00:21:51] he did fairly well,

[00:21:52] but obviously where he was on the offensive end,

[00:21:54] where he is on the rebounding glass,

[00:21:55] kind of makes up for maybe the lack of defense that he does have.

[00:21:59] But,

[00:21:59] but to,

[00:21:59] to talk about the depth,

[00:22:01] I thought Chris Loof was exceptional in the game against Bradley,

[00:22:06] especially at moments when we needed them double digit score.

[00:22:08] I'm had some big blocks.

[00:22:09] Sometimes he's still getting beat.

[00:22:11] He's still getting beat to the spot on,

[00:22:13] on the defensive side of things,

[00:22:14] but for the most part,

[00:22:15] he's quick to recover.

[00:22:16] I thought the rotation,

[00:22:17] a lot of situations were good to help him out.

[00:22:19] But he doesn't look as lost on the offensive end.

[00:22:21] And I'm,

[00:22:21] that's very promising to me.

[00:22:23] And then another guy too,

[00:22:24] that I really,

[00:22:24] really liked is Tori Alston.

[00:22:26] He's only getting so few minutes on a nightly basis.

[00:22:29] And I believe the stat was brought up today by the blue Raiders stat handle on Twitter slash X today was that he is one of the top rebounders per 40 minutes in the entire country.

[00:22:41] And this is a guy that doesn't get very many minutes.

[00:22:43] So if he were to play 40 minutes on a night,

[00:22:44] I think his average was like almost 12 rebounds a night.

[00:22:48] And I know that you had a very,

[00:22:50] a very smart man wrote that he is very comparable to that of,

[00:22:54] of,

[00:22:54] of T Leonard.

[00:22:56] And,

[00:22:56] and we saw some glimpses of that.

[00:22:58] I mean,

[00:22:58] he was a high riser there in that Ohio game.

[00:23:00] But I really,

[00:23:01] I really liked Tori Alston's game.

[00:23:02] He's a guy that I think is going to take more and more strides as the season goes on.

[00:23:06] And I know Nick had kind of teased that off the record at the beginning of the season,

[00:23:10] but we're kind of seeing that come to fruition.

[00:23:13] Justin Buford,

[00:23:14] a guy that,

[00:23:14] you know,

[00:23:15] we,

[00:23:15] you and I had agreed upon that he's,

[00:23:17] he's got to shoot the three ball better.

[00:23:18] Um,

[00:23:19] and this weekend he did that.

[00:23:20] Now,

[00:23:21] again,

[00:23:21] how much is that just a one small sample size?

[00:23:23] Cause he,

[00:23:24] he also started the year shooting it bad,

[00:23:25] but he's shooting it more to average now.

[00:23:27] So again,

[00:23:28] maybe we can find some consistency there,

[00:23:30] but up and down the roster,

[00:23:32] I think a lot of guys are playing at or above expectations.

[00:23:36] Um,

[00:23:37] and maybe,

[00:23:37] and I,

[00:23:38] maybe,

[00:23:38] you know,

[00:23:38] I say Esam,

[00:23:39] I wouldn't say he's playing above expectation,

[00:23:41] but he is who we thought he was,

[00:23:42] which is a very good player,

[00:23:43] very good rebounder.

[00:23:44] He's obviously a lot,

[00:23:46] he's a lot better around the rim than I even gave him credit for.

[00:23:48] I think he's a lot more crafty,

[00:23:49] um,

[00:23:50] than I thought.

[00:23:51] So,

[00:23:51] um,

[00:23:52] but anyways,

[00:23:52] I could go on,

[00:23:53] on and on about all these guys,

[00:23:54] but I,

[00:23:55] I was impressed,

[00:23:56] um,

[00:23:57] with that handful of guys,

[00:23:58] but I'm interested to hear your takeaway.

[00:24:00] Cause again,

[00:24:00] as someone who's maybe not as,

[00:24:02] as an emotional take as I am,

[00:24:04] um,

[00:24:04] you know,

[00:24:04] who are some guys that objectively you think looked really good this last

[00:24:07] weekend?

[00:24:08] Oh,

[00:24:08] trust me.

[00:24:09] I was,

[00:24:09] I was screaming plenty when,

[00:24:10] uh,

[00:24:11] Kamari hit that,

[00:24:11] uh,

[00:24:12] that game time three.

[00:24:13] Great.

[00:24:15] no.

[00:24:15] So I,

[00:24:15] I think you put it well.

[00:24:16] I think it really just comes down to their depth.

[00:24:18] I mean,

[00:24:19] this might be the,

[00:24:22] it's Nick's big splash here.

[00:24:24] Here's obviously the,

[00:24:25] uh,

[00:24:26] the 21,

[00:24:26] 22 team.

[00:24:28] Um,

[00:24:29] I think the depth might be even better than that year.

[00:24:33] I mean,

[00:24:34] you have,

[00:24:35] uh,

[00:24:36] Alston off the bench.

[00:24:37] You have Chris Loof off the bench.

[00:24:39] Um,

[00:24:39] you know,

[00:24:40] you have counter be coming back.

[00:24:42] You have Oglesby who,

[00:24:44] you know,

[00:24:44] he's a,

[00:24:45] a TBD as far as we,

[00:24:46] we're not sure how good he is,

[00:24:48] uh,

[00:24:49] at this level.

[00:24:50] It's,

[00:24:50] I mean,

[00:24:50] in the portal,

[00:24:51] you just never really know,

[00:24:52] but you know,

[00:24:54] he's a,

[00:24:54] based on his numbers,

[00:24:55] where he's been,

[00:24:56] how long he's been doing it.

[00:24:57] Uh,

[00:24:57] I think there should be a plenty of optimism.

[00:24:59] He also,

[00:24:59] I mean,

[00:25:00] he's best shooter on the team where he's expected to be.

[00:25:03] So that fits perfectly with what they need.

[00:25:06] Um,

[00:25:06] yeah,

[00:25:07] I mean,

[00:25:07] the,

[00:25:08] the,

[00:25:08] the depth is really what sticks out,

[00:25:09] man.

[00:25:10] I mean,

[00:25:10] you,

[00:25:11] if you think about what they did in,

[00:25:14] in this tournament,

[00:25:15] there was kind of a different hero every game.

[00:25:18] Um,

[00:25:18] I want to say it was Mustafa who had the 19 in Ohio.

[00:25:24] Justin Porter was kind of a steady force in both Ohio and South

[00:25:27] Florida,

[00:25:27] as we mentioned,

[00:25:28] but Mustafa was the big hero against Ohio.

[00:25:31] Luke had a incredible game against,

[00:25:33] uh,

[00:25:35] Bradley and it was,

[00:25:36] um,

[00:25:40] Oh yeah.

[00:25:40] And then,

[00:25:41] and then they had Kamari lands,

[00:25:43] uh,

[00:25:44] Kamari had a great weekend.

[00:25:45] He really kind of showed what he could do for the first time.

[00:25:48] I think at the college level,

[00:25:49] after not having years that he thought he could at Louisville and Arizona

[00:25:54] state,

[00:25:54] state,

[00:25:55] but he had a splash,

[00:25:56] obviously had the splash moment against Ohio,

[00:25:58] but following up with a 70 point,

[00:26:01] 17 point game against,

[00:26:03] uh,

[00:26:04] South Florida and next game.

[00:26:06] Um,

[00:26:06] they just got,

[00:26:07] it's,

[00:26:08] it's a huge,

[00:26:09] huge part of,

[00:26:10] of this level of basketball.

[00:26:12] There's a,

[00:26:14] you just,

[00:26:14] sometimes you just kind of need a different hero every game.

[00:26:17] And middle has that.

[00:26:18] They only had counter for,

[00:26:19] they had counter for less than a game and a half.

[00:26:22] Um,

[00:26:23] he,

[00:26:23] he's definitely capable of being a hero at some point.

[00:26:26] I think Oglesby,

[00:26:28] the expectation should,

[00:26:30] he can have some hero games to Buford.

[00:26:32] I mean,

[00:26:33] like you said,

[00:26:33] the,

[00:26:34] uh,

[00:26:34] the shooting was not great at starting.

[00:26:37] It looked pretty good this past weekend.

[00:26:39] And I think more than anything,

[00:26:41] he's,

[00:26:41] he's cutting well.

[00:26:42] He's,

[00:26:42] he looks better attacking the basket than he ever has in his time

[00:26:46] here.

[00:26:46] So even if the shooting comes and goes,

[00:26:49] I think you can rely on him offensively a little bit more than you

[00:26:53] have in years past.

[00:26:54] So they got dudes,

[00:26:55] um,

[00:26:56] kind of comparing it back to the 20,

[00:26:58] 21,

[00:26:59] 22 team.

[00:27:00] I'm not sure they have the same type of star power.

[00:27:04] Uh,

[00:27:05] is there a player as good as Josh Jefferson on this team?

[00:27:08] I mean,

[00:27:08] Porter would probably be the closest one.

[00:27:10] I definitely think he can be,

[00:27:12] but we'll see.

[00:27:14] Um,

[00:27:16] you know,

[00:27:16] then you have Sims and,

[00:27:17] and dishman.

[00:27:19] I don't know.

[00:27:20] I think that.

[00:27:22] I think what's going to really come down to this season is how Nick manages

[00:27:26] this lineup.

[00:27:27] I mean,

[00:27:27] only despite there being eight or nine guys who are,

[00:27:31] are really talented and can be the quote unquote hero of the night.

[00:27:35] Uh,

[00:27:36] it's going to come down for Nick to Nick,

[00:27:38] like pushing the right buttons,

[00:27:40] um,

[00:27:40] finding the right lineups,

[00:27:42] who,

[00:27:42] who plays best with who?

[00:27:43] I mean,

[00:27:44] and we saw it with Loof and obviously you push the right,

[00:27:47] the right buttons that night,

[00:27:48] but it's,

[00:27:50] it's just,

[00:27:51] you got to keep doing it every single night.

[00:27:53] It's,

[00:27:54] it's kind of a blessing and a curse because you can't play.

[00:27:56] I mean,

[00:27:57] Mustafa and Loof might be two of your top five players,

[00:28:00] but you can never play them at the same time.

[00:28:02] So you need to kind of understand.

[00:28:05] When's the best time to play Mustafa?

[00:28:06] When's the best time to play Loof?

[00:28:08] Who pairs best with,

[00:28:21] uh,

[00:28:21] in that conclusion,

[00:28:22] what's going to be the best game for the,

[00:28:25] to really utilize also in Oglesby,

[00:28:27] what's going to be the best game to utilize Buford and,

[00:28:30] uh,

[00:28:31] Kamari land.

[00:28:32] So it's having depth is something you definitely want.

[00:28:35] It's,

[00:28:35] it's definitely not a bad thing,

[00:28:38] but,

[00:28:38] uh,

[00:28:39] I do think the lineup and how to kind of allocate the minutes is less

[00:28:45] clear than it was in 2021,

[00:28:47] 2022.

[00:28:48] Maybe that changes along the way.

[00:28:49] They've only played seven games.

[00:28:51] So it's,

[00:28:51] it's very possible that there's more breakthroughs along the horizon.

[00:28:55] But,

[00:28:56] uh,

[00:28:56] as of right now,

[00:28:57] I'm really interested to see how Nick kind of finds the balance between

[00:29:00] these players and,

[00:29:01] and how he can squeeze the most out of each individual player and make the,

[00:29:06] some of the parts greater than the whole,

[00:29:07] as they like to say.

[00:29:09] Yeah.

[00:29:10] The,

[00:29:10] with,

[00:29:11] with,

[00:29:11] especially with the wrench of Oglesby,

[00:29:12] I mean,

[00:29:13] once you throw him into the mix,

[00:29:14] you know,

[00:29:15] what,

[00:29:15] what does that game plan necessarily look like?

[00:29:16] Like one thing I've been kind of critical on is the lack of three

[00:29:19] point attempts thus far in the year,

[00:29:22] in the season,

[00:29:22] uh,

[00:29:23] significantly lower than years past for Nick McDevitt.

[00:29:25] I know,

[00:29:26] according to Ken Palm,

[00:29:27] they're nearly at 33%,

[00:29:29] um,

[00:29:30] per actual field goal attempt,

[00:29:31] where most seasons for him are closer to that 40% mark.

[00:29:34] Not that that necessarily makes or breaks teams because of the amount of three

[00:29:38] pointers that they take,

[00:29:38] but it definitely helps with spacing the floor.

[00:29:40] I know you've said this too,

[00:29:42] is,

[00:29:42] you know,

[00:29:43] that becomes a struggle,

[00:29:44] um,

[00:29:44] especially when you're trying to get Justin down in the lane,

[00:29:47] one-on-one,

[00:29:48] or you're trying to get Esom,

[00:29:49] a one-on-one look at the basket on the low block.

[00:29:52] Um,

[00:29:52] if you're not hitting threes,

[00:29:53] it allows that zone or that man coverage to over help on the inside.

[00:29:57] It makes things a little stuffy down there.

[00:29:59] So you've got to be able to at least open it up with the mid range game.

[00:30:01] Obviously if you're hitting the three,

[00:30:03] it opens it up significantly more like we saw in the South Florida game,

[00:30:07] which is where they went off from deep.

[00:30:08] So then they didn't have that same,

[00:30:10] that same,

[00:30:11] um,

[00:30:11] hit rate against Bradley.

[00:30:12] I mean,

[00:30:13] talk about Kamari lands.

[00:30:14] He was two for 10.

[00:30:15] Um,

[00:30:15] I think they were willing to kind of let him shoot the ball there later in the

[00:30:18] game.

[00:30:18] And Kamari for the most part had some contested shots.

[00:30:20] He was having to shoot at three or four feet past the line.

[00:30:23] Cause they were,

[00:30:24] they were guarding him all the way out there to,

[00:30:25] to the perimeter.

[00:30:26] So,

[00:30:27] um,

[00:30:27] I think that's,

[00:30:28] that's an interesting aspect to look at is how,

[00:30:30] how this team will adapt.

[00:30:31] With a more of a shooting presence.

[00:30:33] That is Oglesby,

[00:30:34] um,

[00:30:35] counter obviously has his,

[00:30:36] I don't,

[00:30:36] he's not going to be the three point threat,

[00:30:38] um,

[00:30:39] that cam would be,

[00:30:40] but cam obviously has great vision at times.

[00:30:43] Um,

[00:30:43] and then also at times he can get a little overwhelmed with the pressure.

[00:30:47] Um,

[00:30:47] so I think one too,

[00:30:49] is that McDevitt's not married to the lineup.

[00:30:51] I thought that was something that I,

[00:30:52] I did appreciate a little bit in the South Florida game.

[00:30:54] He had two quick turnovers.

[00:30:55] And when they were running there,

[00:30:57] when the bulls are running their full court press and he brought them out for 10

[00:31:00] minutes,

[00:31:01] whether that was for an attitude or,

[00:31:02] or for the fact that he had two turnovers,

[00:31:04] because I thought 10 minutes was really excessive,

[00:31:06] but he kept them out as long as we still had the lead.

[00:31:09] He didn't seem to really push that envelope at all.

[00:31:11] So I think again,

[00:31:12] Nick knows the weapons that he has on his bench.

[00:31:14] He's willing to utilize them as he goes.

[00:31:16] And,

[00:31:16] and another guy to Jacob Johnson,

[00:31:17] someone that hasn't necessarily played a lot of minutes early going,

[00:31:20] but in that South Florida game,

[00:31:21] he got a lot of minutes.

[00:31:23] I mean,

[00:31:23] even in Ohio game,

[00:31:24] he got a lot of minutes.

[00:31:25] So again,

[00:31:25] he's willing to,

[00:31:26] to,

[00:31:27] to,

[00:31:27] to take what the game gives him,

[00:31:28] if you will.

[00:31:29] And I think there's,

[00:31:30] that's a part of that should,

[00:31:30] should be commended.

[00:31:31] I'm obviously a guy that knows he needs to win basketball games this season,

[00:31:34] but that's all promising signs.

[00:31:36] But,

[00:31:37] but as we close up our conversation here,

[00:31:39] that this upcoming non-conference schedule going into the season,

[00:31:42] you and I thought eight wins is kind of the bottom line.

[00:31:47] Anything less than that is going to,

[00:31:48] is going to be kind of hard to justify.

[00:31:49] Um,

[00:31:50] well you got the,

[00:31:51] you got two wins at the Myrtle beach invitational as expected,

[00:31:54] but I would say they weren't even the wins you thought you would be

[00:31:56] getting.

[00:31:57] You know,

[00:31:57] I thought we'd lose to Ohio.

[00:31:58] You'd pick up a win against,

[00:31:59] um,

[00:32:00] Portland and then maybe Texas state in the fifth place game,

[00:32:03] but you got second place.

[00:32:05] Um,

[00:32:05] but this non-conference schedule just doesn't quit.

[00:32:07] I'll be it.

[00:32:08] People look at these names and they're not big,

[00:32:09] sexy names,

[00:32:10] Tennessee,

[00:32:11] but you've got UAB on the road this Sunday.

[00:32:14] You got Belmont that week,

[00:32:16] that Saturday after you got Cal Baptist coming to the building,

[00:32:19] who's still a top one 80 net ranked team.

[00:32:21] So they're not nobody.

[00:32:23] Um,

[00:32:23] and then you got Lipscomb at home as well.

[00:32:25] So fortunately you've got,

[00:32:26] I don't,

[00:32:26] Rhodes,

[00:32:27] if you want to count that game in there,

[00:32:28] but fortunately two of your,

[00:32:30] two of your final five division one non-conference games are at home.

[00:32:34] But if you can steal one against UAB,

[00:32:36] if you can steal one against Belmont,

[00:32:38] you know,

[00:32:38] that eight win mark becomes pretty easy for you at that point.

[00:32:42] Um,

[00:32:42] so where,

[00:32:43] where's your head at in regards to reaching that?

[00:32:45] I mean,

[00:32:45] at this point,

[00:32:46] if you can pick up,

[00:32:47] if you can pick up three of these next,

[00:32:49] uh,

[00:32:50] if you can pick up three of these next four,

[00:32:52] I mean,

[00:32:52] two of the next four,

[00:32:53] I still think is great.

[00:32:54] Um,

[00:32:54] cause that means you're getting one of these on the road.

[00:32:56] So,

[00:32:57] or sorry,

[00:32:57] I'm skipping Lipscomb.

[00:32:58] If you can get three of the next five,

[00:33:00] that'd be Lipscomb,

[00:33:01] Cal Baptist,

[00:33:02] and maybe you can steal one from UAB and Belmont on the road.

[00:33:04] Eight wins becomes very easy for you.

[00:33:06] So,

[00:33:07] um,

[00:33:08] you know,

[00:33:08] what are your thoughts there,

[00:33:09] Oliver?

[00:33:10] Is it still feasible?

[00:33:11] Is it still,

[00:33:11] is eight still the expectation?

[00:33:13] Should we be looking for nine wins after the Tennessee game?

[00:33:15] What are we thinking?

[00:33:16] Yeah.

[00:33:17] So I think it's still in line.

[00:33:19] Um,

[00:33:19] maybe not for the same reasons.

[00:33:20] So,

[00:33:21] I mean,

[00:33:22] I'll admit when I first saw the schedule,

[00:33:25] I was a little underwhelmed and I,

[00:33:28] I,

[00:33:28] a few months went on and I,

[00:33:30] I think more intel came out on these teams.

[00:33:32] And now that we've even seen film on these guys,

[00:33:35] I,

[00:33:35] I,

[00:33:35] I'm in pretty impressed with,

[00:33:37] uh,

[00:33:38] with the non-conference schedule.

[00:33:39] I think the blue Raiders stats fellow on Twitter that you mentioned,

[00:33:43] uh,

[00:33:45] with whatever he's running it,

[00:33:47] he listed us with the second best,

[00:33:48] uh,

[00:33:49] strength of schedule among,

[00:33:50] um,

[00:33:52] the conference USA teams.

[00:33:53] And if it's,

[00:33:55] I will say the UAB one is the main,

[00:34:00] uh,

[00:34:01] it's the main switch.

[00:34:02] I think everybody else is a little better than I expected.

[00:34:05] Um,

[00:34:05] especially in the,

[00:34:07] uh,

[00:34:09] the,

[00:34:09] the,

[00:34:09] the Myrtle beach invitational,

[00:34:11] uh,

[00:34:11] it was a better field than I expected,

[00:34:13] especially the fact that they ended up making it to the championship and

[00:34:17] playing the MVC,

[00:34:18] MVC favorite,

[00:34:19] but,

[00:34:20] uh,

[00:34:20] UAB,

[00:34:21] I mean,

[00:34:21] they've,

[00:34:22] despite being the AAC favorite,

[00:34:23] they've,

[00:34:23] they've had quite a stumble to begin the year.

[00:34:26] They're three and four and they've lost to some decent teams,

[00:34:29] but,

[00:34:29] you know,

[00:34:30] AAC is kind of the outside looking in of the high major realm and go,

[00:34:35] it's starting three and four as the mate,

[00:34:37] as the,

[00:34:38] uh,

[00:34:38] the conference favorite is,

[00:34:40] is failing expectations,

[00:34:41] no matter how you slice it.

[00:34:43] Um,

[00:34:44] so originally when I kind of made a eight win,

[00:34:48] I don't want to say necessity,

[00:34:51] but an eight win desire of a non-conference slate,

[00:34:54] I had kind of penciled in UAB as a,

[00:34:58] uh,

[00:34:58] scheduled loss and,

[00:34:59] you know,

[00:35:00] it is a road game,

[00:35:01] so it'll be harder.

[00:35:02] And God knows there'll be wanting to get right after starting the season

[00:35:07] in poor form,

[00:35:09] but I don't think it's a game that middle can't win anymore.

[00:35:13] If that's,

[00:35:14] if I'm making that clear,

[00:35:16] Lipscomb and Belmont and,

[00:35:18] uh,

[00:35:18] Cal Baptist,

[00:35:19] I think you definitely want to go two and one against those three.

[00:35:22] I,

[00:35:23] I realized Belmont and Lipscomb are both pretty good teams.

[00:35:27] I'm Lipscomb's up at,

[00:35:28] up at the top of the eight sun.

[00:35:30] Uh,

[00:35:31] but I,

[00:35:32] it's,

[00:35:33] as,

[00:35:34] as I kind of mentioned,

[00:35:35] conference USA is not going to be easy.

[00:35:37] Um,

[00:35:37] it's,

[00:35:38] you mentioned the shooting and what,

[00:35:40] making sure there's space for,

[00:35:41] for Justin Porter and Cam Wesson counter to get to the rim with their

[00:35:44] dribble drive.

[00:35:45] Like defense is going to be a lot rockier in,

[00:35:48] in conference USA with just all these athletes.

[00:35:51] And that's just not really how Belmont and Lipscomb play.

[00:35:54] So,

[00:35:55] yeah,

[00:35:55] you,

[00:35:56] you would hope to see them go two and one against those two and Cal

[00:35:59] Baptist.

[00:36:00] And,

[00:36:00] you know,

[00:36:01] again,

[00:36:01] how you win matters and how you lose matters.

[00:36:05] I mean,

[00:36:05] if they only get seven wins,

[00:36:07] but a few of those wins are by like 20 and three of their losses are by

[00:36:11] one.

[00:36:11] That makes a big difference.

[00:36:13] Uh,

[00:36:14] if a player goes down with a turned ankle and you lose that,

[00:36:17] it all matters.

[00:36:20] you know,

[00:36:20] maybe it doesn't matter at the end of the year when you're saying you're

[00:36:23] 19 and 14 or you're 26 and 11,

[00:36:26] you know,

[00:36:26] you're not really remembering context then,

[00:36:28] but at least in the short term context matters if you want to build

[00:36:33] momentum,

[00:36:33] build confidence.

[00:36:34] And,

[00:36:35] uh,

[00:36:35] you know,

[00:36:35] I think that's a big part of why middle Tennessee,

[00:36:39] the roster,

[00:36:39] the players,

[00:36:40] the coaches should feel good about themselves.

[00:36:42] And the fans should be encouraged that they got a good team here in

[00:36:44] Murfreesboro this year.

[00:36:47] Absolutely.

[00:36:48] Yeah,

[00:36:48] that,

[00:36:48] that they do.

[00:36:49] Um,

[00:36:49] the UAB matchup this Sunday,

[00:36:51] intriguing one,

[00:36:52] as you already mentioned,

[00:36:53] they're on the road in Birmingham.

[00:36:54] Um,

[00:36:55] they're looking to get their season right.

[00:36:56] And there'd be no better time to do that with your old conference USA

[00:36:59] rival in your own gym.

[00:37:01] Um,

[00:37:01] one thing about UAB to preview that game a little bit,

[00:37:04] um,

[00:37:04] and they're kind of in the same boat as Ohio,

[00:37:06] not really having the season that they wanted to,

[00:37:07] they were conference favorites.

[00:37:08] They don't have an impressive win on the resume.

[00:37:11] Um,

[00:37:12] when you look quickly,

[00:37:13] Southern miss,

[00:37:15] uh,

[00:37:15] uh,

[00:37:15] Southeastern Louisiana and then Louisiana,

[00:37:17] or as we would call Lafayette,

[00:37:18] all of them are ranked above two 50,

[00:37:21] two 57 on Kim Palm.

[00:37:22] So really they're all quad four wins.

[00:37:25] They had a rough go at the paradise jam right now,

[00:37:28] which to throw it,

[00:37:29] to segue back to conference USA Liberty right now,

[00:37:32] as we're recording this,

[00:37:33] they're in the championship game against a will Wade McNeese team,

[00:37:37] um,

[00:37:37] holding a slightly late in that game.

[00:37:39] So,

[00:37:39] um,

[00:37:40] they Liberty has looked apart.

[00:37:42] They were a team that,

[00:37:43] you know,

[00:37:43] how do they mix together with some of their new,

[00:37:45] new additions?

[00:37:46] And they've been just fine.

[00:37:47] They've had no issues at all.

[00:37:48] Um,

[00:37:49] putting that team together that they look just as poised,

[00:37:52] if not the best team in conference USA,

[00:37:53] Louisiana tech,

[00:37:55] they're as strong as ever.

[00:37:56] I've been super impressed with what I've seen from them,

[00:37:58] but it doesn't stop.

[00:37:59] I mean,

[00:38:00] every,

[00:38:00] everyone outside of FIU,

[00:38:02] um,

[00:38:03] all in the top 200,

[00:38:04] I think all but three are in the top one 50.

[00:38:07] Um,

[00:38:07] this conference is good.

[00:38:09] I mean,

[00:38:09] this,

[00:38:09] this conference is,

[00:38:10] is going to be,

[00:38:12] it's going to stack up to be a very tough conference to win.

[00:38:14] I don't want to say you're going to have a too big league.

[00:38:16] I mean,

[00:38:16] as well as Liberty's playing and Liberty's got a few more,

[00:38:19] um,

[00:38:20] opportunities to really boost up a resume,

[00:38:23] um,

[00:38:23] with,

[00:38:24] um,

[00:38:24] well,

[00:38:24] they've got UT Arlington.

[00:38:25] That's at home.

[00:38:26] So not necessarily that,

[00:38:27] that'd be kind of their last real big potential win for them on their,

[00:38:30] on their lineup.

[00:38:32] Um,

[00:38:32] and then Louisiana tech who is currently undefeated,

[00:38:35] they've got Memphis on the road coming up.

[00:38:37] Um,

[00:38:37] they've got grand Canyon at home,

[00:38:39] so they could potentially put together a resume if they were to go through

[00:38:42] undefeated,

[00:38:42] um,

[00:38:43] and then have a good conference USA season.

[00:38:45] So you,

[00:38:45] you could potentially find a two bid league if Louisiana tech and Liberty finish

[00:38:49] out strong in their non-conference,

[00:38:51] unfortunately for us,

[00:38:52] you know,

[00:38:52] unless barring a,

[00:38:53] a win,

[00:38:53] um,

[00:38:54] we went out and you beat Tennessee,

[00:38:56] you know,

[00:38:56] maybe you,

[00:38:57] you get put in that conversation,

[00:38:58] but that,

[00:38:58] that's pretty far fetched in my opinion,

[00:39:00] but who's,

[00:39:01] who's to say it doesn't happen.

[00:39:02] You know,

[00:39:02] stranger things have happened,

[00:39:03] but,

[00:39:04] um,

[00:39:04] um,

[00:39:05] this is me making an argument for conference USA is a two bid league.

[00:39:08] Um,

[00:39:08] they've outperformed.

[00:39:09] Um,

[00:39:09] they really have from what I've seen so far,

[00:39:11] uh,

[00:39:12] the top half is doing,

[00:39:13] um,

[00:39:13] what they're supposed to be doing.

[00:39:14] They're winning these,

[00:39:15] these tournaments that they're playing in Louisiana tech one,

[00:39:17] their MTE.

[00:39:18] I'm forgetting what,

[00:39:19] what the name of that tournament was.

[00:39:20] And Liberty,

[00:39:21] um,

[00:39:21] it looks like they're about to go on and win the,

[00:39:23] the paradise jam there with the likes of McNeese state and Kansas state.

[00:39:27] um,

[00:39:28] but this,

[00:39:30] and then MTSU finished the second and a tournament they were supposed to finish in

[00:39:33] fifth.

[00:39:33] So a lot of promising signs.

[00:39:35] And Kennesaw state beating Rutgers.

[00:39:37] That's right.

[00:39:38] That's right.

[00:39:38] Yeah.

[00:39:38] The,

[00:39:39] the surprise team as well,

[00:39:40] Kennesaw state who's,

[00:39:41] I think they're out to a six and one start as well.

[00:39:43] Um,

[00:39:43] and again,

[00:39:44] the reason they're not really showing up on Kim,

[00:39:45] Kim palms radar is a small sample size.

[00:39:47] History kind of plays into that a little bit.

[00:39:49] So who who's to say that the conference USA doesn't find a way to get there.

[00:39:53] So,

[00:39:53] um,

[00:39:54] exciting times again,

[00:39:55] I think I've been in super impressed in the early going.

[00:39:59] Um,

[00:39:59] but I look forward to seeing what we can do with the rest of this way,

[00:40:02] Oliver,

[00:40:02] kind of the last bidding do here before we go.

[00:40:05] We hang up.

[00:40:06] Um,

[00:40:06] you know,

[00:40:07] what are you looking forward to,

[00:40:08] um,

[00:40:08] in these last couple of weeks?

[00:40:12] Yeah.

[00:40:13] I mean,

[00:40:13] conference USA,

[00:40:14] I,

[00:40:15] to be honest,

[00:40:16] I've been pessimistic the last couple of years just because they were so

[00:40:20] much of,

[00:40:21] uh,

[00:40:22] what made them good was milked to the,

[00:40:25] uh,

[00:40:25] the AAC,

[00:40:26] but you know,

[00:40:27] they,

[00:40:28] they bounce back.

[00:40:29] Well,

[00:40:29] I mean,

[00:40:29] Sam Houston States right there too.

[00:40:31] Um,

[00:40:32] it's,

[00:40:32] it's going to be a,

[00:40:34] it's going to be a tough,

[00:40:35] tough,

[00:40:35] tough season.

[00:40:37] Uh,

[00:40:38] it's,

[00:40:38] it'd be special to see one of these teams go on a kind of one bid or,

[00:40:42] and an at large bid run.

[00:40:45] Uh,

[00:40:46] it'd be cool.

[00:40:47] It'll be tough.

[00:40:48] I mean,

[00:40:48] every,

[00:40:49] it's still kind of the round robin schedule where you're playing everybody

[00:40:52] twice.

[00:40:53] You got to go to everybody's home gym.

[00:40:55] Um,

[00:40:55] that'll make it difficult.

[00:40:57] Uh,

[00:40:58] you know,

[00:40:58] Liberty,

[00:41:00] I,

[00:41:00] I,

[00:41:00] I,

[00:41:01] they definitely addressed what they needed in the,

[00:41:05] uh,

[00:41:06] in the transfer portal last year.

[00:41:08] And I do think they're revamped.

[00:41:10] I think there'll be even,

[00:41:11] even stronger force this year.

[00:41:12] I do still kind of wonder if they're one year away from kind of conquering the

[00:41:18] turf.

[00:41:18] Cause they,

[00:41:19] the conquering the curve of this next list,

[00:41:22] a true mid major Atlantic sun is kind of lower fringe mid major.

[00:41:28] Um,

[00:41:29] if you remember last year,

[00:41:30] they went on quite a non-conference run too.

[00:41:33] And then,

[00:41:33] uh,

[00:41:34] it just kind of all took a left turn when they entered conference USA play.

[00:41:38] So we'll see.

[00:41:39] I mean,

[00:41:40] well,

[00:41:41] there could be like four or five teams getting that,

[00:41:43] that automatic bid this year.

[00:41:44] And I wouldn't be surprised.

[00:41:45] So,

[00:41:46] uh,

[00:41:46] it's going to be fun looking forward to,

[00:41:48] uh,

[00:41:49] just another good couple of weeks of non-conference.

[00:41:52] And then,

[00:41:53] uh,

[00:41:54] the,

[00:41:54] the grind of league play is going to be,

[00:41:56] going to be very interesting this year for sure.

[00:42:00] Absolutely.

[00:42:00] Well,

[00:42:01] well,

[00:42:01] that is Oliver Balz,

[00:42:03] the basketball analyst for us over at go middle.com.

[00:42:06] Um,

[00:42:07] Oliver,

[00:42:08] I appreciate you taking the time to join us today.

[00:42:10] Talk hoops.

[00:42:11] Um,

[00:42:11] I plan to talk again before conference season starts.

[00:42:14] So we look forward to having you on then.

[00:42:17] Yeah,

[00:42:17] man,

[00:42:17] we're going to be,

[00:42:18] uh,

[00:42:19] celebrating this upset win in Thompson bowling arena against the volunteers.

[00:42:23] We're going to be going crazy up in here.

[00:42:25] So it'll be a lot.

[00:42:27] That's right.

[00:42:28] That's the plan,

[00:42:28] right?

[00:42:29] Yeah.

[00:42:30] But thanks for having me on Jake.

[00:42:31] You're the best in the game doing this.

[00:42:33] Uh,

[00:42:33] it's always awesome talking ball with you and,

[00:42:36] uh,

[00:42:36] looking forward to the next time for sure.

[00:42:41] The BRP is proudly partnered with rivals network affiliate,

[00:42:44] go middle.com.

[00:42:46] Subscribe for premium content for all the inside scoop on MTSU athletics,

[00:42:50] recruiting,

[00:42:50] or join our free forums to discuss today's episode and all things blue Raiders.

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[00:43:01] Check out the website at the college huddle.com to catch up on all college football content with daily articles and episodes provided by the largest college podcast community on the internet.

[00:43:13] As always,

[00:43:14] we like to go behind enemy lines.

[00:43:16] And in today's episode,

[00:43:17] it is our grand finale of the regular season for both programs as,

[00:43:21] as MTSU will go to Miami at pit bull stadium and take on the FIU golden Panthers this Saturday.

[00:43:25] And joining us is another fellow member of the conference USA round table.

[00:43:29] It is cohost of the pause up podcast.

[00:43:31] It is Jake Gibson.

[00:43:33] Jake,

[00:43:33] how's it going?

[00:43:34] Hi,

[00:43:35] Jake.

[00:43:35] It's,

[00:43:36] it's going great.

[00:43:37] Um,

[00:43:37] as you'd mentioned,

[00:43:38] it's the last week of,

[00:43:40] uh,

[00:43:40] the regular season for college football.

[00:43:42] And honestly,

[00:43:43] it feels a little bittersweet.

[00:43:44] You know,

[00:43:45] I love college football just as much as you and the,

[00:43:48] and,

[00:43:48] and,

[00:43:48] and the average,

[00:43:49] um,

[00:43:50] college football fan.

[00:43:51] It just,

[00:43:51] I think it,

[00:43:52] it takes too long to get here.

[00:43:54] And then when it does,

[00:43:55] it flies by like just the other day,

[00:43:58] we were getting hyped for week one at Indiana.

[00:44:00] And now,

[00:44:01] uh,

[00:44:01] yeah,

[00:44:02] a whole season has just about passed.

[00:44:05] That's right.

[00:44:06] And what a season it's been,

[00:44:07] not only for us here at Rutgers,

[00:44:08] bro,

[00:44:08] but likewise for you guys down in Miami,

[00:44:10] obviously the news of pit bull stadium is one that just took college football by storm.

[00:44:14] There are plenty of topics to cover there,

[00:44:16] but really the big one right now is with your head coach,

[00:44:18] Mike McIntyre.

[00:44:19] Yeah.

[00:44:20] two weeks ago,

[00:44:21] following that loss,

[00:44:22] he kind of had some comments about the program,

[00:44:24] the state of the program when he got there.

[00:44:26] Um,

[00:44:26] and he's kind of had a history lesson over the last couple of weeks.

[00:44:29] And then the loss this last Saturday against Kennesaw state.

[00:44:32] I'm curious to know what is the temperature like on,

[00:44:35] on coach max seat right now?

[00:44:37] It's it's,

[00:44:38] it's just like the weather here for most of the year.

[00:44:40] It's very hot and a little humid.

[00:44:42] Um,

[00:44:43] it is,

[00:44:43] uh,

[00:44:44] it's not great.

[00:44:45] The fact of the matter is that it's been back to back four and eight seasons

[00:44:49] for head coach,

[00:44:49] Mike McIntyre prior to this year.

[00:44:51] And we had the expectation that it's either bowl game or bust for the,

[00:44:56] for the season.

[00:44:57] Kevin and I had high hopes,

[00:44:58] um,

[00:44:59] prior to this year beginning that FIU had a lot of favorable matchups,

[00:45:02] both in the non-con and in CUSA taking on teams like,

[00:45:06] uh,

[00:45:07] UTEP and Kennesaw state.

[00:45:08] And,

[00:45:09] and the,

[00:45:09] the Panthers have just fallen flat.

[00:45:11] And usually we we've been able to fall back to,

[00:45:13] to injuries,

[00:45:14] which last year we were kind of plagued by them.

[00:45:16] And obviously in coach max first year,

[00:45:18] he had to take over the reins of a,

[00:45:20] of a program that was down in the dumps,

[00:45:23] you know,

[00:45:23] with an 0 and 5 and one and one 11 season under our previous head coach,

[00:45:27] butch Davis.

[00:45:28] But,

[00:45:29] um,

[00:45:30] those common,

[00:45:31] the comments made by head coach,

[00:45:33] Mike McIntyre in the Tuesday presser about the history of FIU football,

[00:45:38] drew Iyer.

[00:45:39] Um,

[00:45:40] his apology was seen by some to be not,

[00:45:42] not genuine.

[00:45:43] And then when,

[00:45:44] uh,

[00:45:44] when a former player,

[00:45:46] Reggie Peterson came out and talked about a lot of stuff that went on,

[00:45:49] um,

[00:45:50] behind the scenes with coach Mike McIntyre.

[00:45:52] And from,

[00:45:53] and from the,

[00:45:54] this is verbatim from him.

[00:45:56] The,

[00:45:56] um,

[00:45:57] the,

[00:45:58] manipulation,

[00:45:59] the,

[00:45:59] uh,

[00:45:59] lying about NIL and playing time,

[00:46:02] throwing a chair at a player during a halftime game during halftime against FAU back in

[00:46:07] 2022,

[00:46:08] questioning religion and a couple of other things.

[00:46:10] It's only added fuel to the fire to the point now where,

[00:46:15] I mean,

[00:46:15] the damage has been done.

[00:46:16] The,

[00:46:17] uh,

[00:46:17] the,

[00:46:17] when FIU football posted the final score,

[00:46:20] uh,

[00:46:21] uh,

[00:46:21] graphic following their loss to Kennesaw,

[00:46:23] the majority of the comments were talking about that.

[00:46:26] Mike McIntyre needs to go.

[00:46:27] And even now they posted about,

[00:46:29] uh,

[00:46:29] Johnnie Smith's performance for the dolphins on Sunday.

[00:46:32] He is that he is an FIU Panther,

[00:46:33] their Miami's tight end.

[00:46:35] And it's still,

[00:46:36] it's still redirects to that talking about how Mike McIntyre is not the right guy for,

[00:46:41] um,

[00:46:42] this program.

[00:46:43] And unfortunately with,

[00:46:44] with the way this season has gone and hasn't really helped his case.

[00:46:48] And obviously the fans are subject to whatever they want to believe.

[00:46:51] Um,

[00:46:52] we'll see what happens if,

[00:46:54] if they,

[00:46:55] if they lose to middle Tennessee at home on senior day,

[00:46:58] I will say,

[00:46:58] I,

[00:46:59] I will find it very difficult for,

[00:47:01] um,

[00:47:02] them to not pull the plug on coach Mac after all is said and done.

[00:47:07] Well,

[00:47:08] that sounds like that's quite a bit of motivation,

[00:47:10] at least from coach Mac's perspective.

[00:47:12] Um,

[00:47:12] and that leads me into my next question about this Saturday's matchup.

[00:47:15] Neither one of us,

[00:47:15] you know,

[00:47:16] going into the preseason,

[00:47:17] I had the expectation that you and the FIU and MTSU would both be at five wins.

[00:47:22] And we'd be looking for both of us to get to bowl eligibility.

[00:47:26] Coach Mac,

[00:47:26] as you already said on his make or break season.

[00:47:28] And then for us,

[00:47:29] I thought,

[00:47:29] you know,

[00:47:29] it'd be coach Mason's first season,

[00:47:31] first opportunity for a bowl eligibility,

[00:47:32] but the season hasn't panned out that way for either one of us.

[00:47:35] So let me turn it to you now.

[00:47:37] And we've kind of had to answer this question the last couple of weeks,

[00:47:39] but you guys more so recently than us,

[00:47:41] what do you look forward to?

[00:47:42] What,

[00:47:42] what is something to anticipate for this last,

[00:47:44] uh,

[00:47:45] home matchup?

[00:47:46] Definitely some of the wildest playbooks on both offense and defense,

[00:47:50] like some interesting play calling that we haven't seen for the majority of this season.

[00:47:56] We,

[00:47:56] we kind of got a little taste of that against Jacksonville state.

[00:47:59] That one flea flicker that was successful was just out of this league as far as an FIU offensive,

[00:48:04] uh,

[00:48:05] uh,

[00:48:05] scheme.

[00:48:05] But I'm also interested to see how many freshmen get the nod at certain positions on both offense and defense to see what they could bring to this FIU program next,

[00:48:15] next season.

[00:48:15] And we've already seen that to an extent with their running back to Vontae lions,

[00:48:20] who is a freshman who,

[00:48:21] um,

[00:48:22] got meaningful snaps for the first time against,

[00:48:25] uh,

[00:48:25] Jacksonville state.

[00:48:26] And he's impressed so far.

[00:48:28] Um,

[00:48:28] he's come the closest to any running back FIU has the season to get to a hundred yards in a single game,

[00:48:35] which has not happened yet.

[00:48:37] This season last week against Kennesaw lions ended up with 99,

[00:48:42] which was a very unfortunate,

[00:48:44] but yeah,

[00:48:45] I'm interested to see how much,

[00:48:46] um,

[00:48:46] freshmen they throw around there just to see what they have alongside some of the veteran players that this FIU squad has.

[00:48:52] And I know,

[00:48:52] obviously,

[00:48:53] uh,

[00:48:54] I,

[00:48:54] I do believe the players will,

[00:48:56] you know,

[00:48:56] we'll,

[00:48:57] we'll play for coach Mac and,

[00:48:58] um,

[00:48:59] they'll want to obviously add to their highlight reel against a,

[00:49:02] um,

[00:49:03] a middle Tennessee team who,

[00:49:05] uh,

[00:49:05] we'll be doing pretty much the same thing.

[00:49:07] So it should lead to a,

[00:49:09] a great matchup here.

[00:49:10] Um,

[00:49:10] down at pit bull stadium.

[00:49:12] Well,

[00:49:13] let's dig in a little bit to,

[00:49:14] to the FIU golden Panthers.

[00:49:16] One name that has stood out to me,

[00:49:17] um,

[00:49:18] especially in the middle of last season,

[00:49:19] but going into this preseason,

[00:49:20] someone that could potentially be a surprise candidate,

[00:49:22] at least for conference USA player of the year,

[00:49:24] maybe a dark horse,

[00:49:25] if you will,

[00:49:26] is key on Jenkins,

[00:49:26] um,

[00:49:27] had a fantastic freshman campaign and really the sophomore campaign,

[00:49:31] you know,

[00:49:32] albeit the yards are going to be relatively the same after this Saturday is going to end up probably somewhere in that 2300, 2400 ballpark,

[00:49:37] but the touchdowns have gone up.

[00:49:39] The interceptions have gone down.

[00:49:41] The completion percentage has gone up.

[00:49:42] He's been,

[00:49:42] uh,

[00:49:43] fighting a little bit of an injury bug there in the middle of the year,

[00:49:45] but gosh,

[00:49:46] how impressive is,

[00:49:48] is Jenkins?

[00:49:49] He,

[00:49:50] he's electric.

[00:49:51] He has become one of the faces of the FIU football brand.

[00:49:55] And for good reason,

[00:49:56] he's a local hometown kid went to Miami central.

[00:49:59] He was a star there and he's,

[00:50:00] and he's,

[00:50:01] and he's,

[00:50:02] uh,

[00:50:02] leaning towards becoming a star here at the three Oh five.

[00:50:06] As you had mentioned,

[00:50:06] he's become a lot more accurate with his passes this year,

[00:50:09] avoiding the silly plays of winning the costly turnovers.

[00:50:11] Unfortunately,

[00:50:12] he did throw that interception against Kennesaw,

[00:50:15] uh,

[00:50:16] uh,

[00:50:16] last Saturday to seal the game.

[00:50:18] But aside from that,

[00:50:19] he's been,

[00:50:20] um,

[00:50:21] when the offense has relied on him to make big plays,

[00:50:24] especially to some of his favorite receivers and Eric rivers and,

[00:50:28] um,

[00:50:28] Dean Patterson,

[00:50:29] he's been able to do that.

[00:50:30] And,

[00:50:30] uh,

[00:50:31] a part of that is because of,

[00:50:33] of the talent that Jenkins has.

[00:50:34] And again,

[00:50:35] he's only a sophomore.

[00:50:36] So hopefully he stays in Miami stays as a Panther.

[00:50:40] Obviously you never know with the transfer portal,

[00:50:41] but assuming he stays here and can develop his talent as a junior,

[00:50:46] and maybe even a senior,

[00:50:47] then I think he,

[00:50:48] he's already making case to be one of the best quarterbacks.

[00:50:51] FIU's very young program has had.

[00:50:54] I mean,

[00:50:55] you,

[00:50:55] you have players like,

[00:50:56] uh,

[00:50:56] Alex Magoo who,

[00:50:58] who had great success with the Birmingham stallions,

[00:51:01] but,

[00:51:02] uh,

[00:51:02] no,

[00:51:02] I'm very excited to see,

[00:51:04] um,

[00:51:04] what Jenkins,

[00:51:05] uh,

[00:51:05] how his game could develop.

[00:51:06] Unfortunately,

[00:51:07] a big part of this has to come because,

[00:51:09] uh,

[00:51:10] sometimes Jenkins needs to go out and make the big plays.

[00:51:13] Cause the running game,

[00:51:14] I think so far this season,

[00:51:16] that's almost over the running game.

[00:51:18] This season has been a very underwhelming considering the talent that I

[00:51:22] think the,

[00:51:23] uh,

[00:51:23] position has with players like Keijon Owens,

[00:51:25] Lexington,

[00:51:25] Joseph and Shamari Lawrence.

[00:51:26] You bring in Devante lions.

[00:51:28] Now,

[00:51:28] I mean,

[00:51:28] you have,

[00:51:29] you have,

[00:51:29] I would say for very solid running backs,

[00:51:32] but like I had mentioned,

[00:51:33] they still have yet to have a hundred yard single game running back this

[00:51:37] season,

[00:51:37] which has been very disappointing,

[00:51:39] um,

[00:51:40] the way that's gone.

[00:51:40] But,

[00:51:41] uh,

[00:51:42] yeah,

[00:51:42] I think Jenkins,

[00:51:43] I think he's gotta be up there.

[00:51:45] Maybe top three,

[00:51:45] maybe even two in quarterbacks in CUSA and on,

[00:51:49] and from a transfer portal perspective,

[00:51:51] he's going to have a lot of eyes on him all around the G five and maybe

[00:51:54] even P four level.

[00:51:55] But obviously as a fan of FIU and as a fan of Jenkins,

[00:51:59] we've had him on our,

[00:52:00] on our show as well.

[00:52:02] We hope he stays and we hope he just continues to impress and improve his

[00:52:05] stats as the,

[00:52:06] uh,

[00:52:06] the seasons go by here at FIU.

[00:52:09] Yeah.

[00:52:09] I couldn't agree more.

[00:52:10] I think Jenkins is definitely a top three conference USA and you could even

[00:52:13] make the,

[00:52:14] the argument that he'd be top two.

[00:52:15] I think there along with Tyler Huff,

[00:52:17] but it all depends on,

[00:52:18] on what kind of date is,

[00:52:19] but a big part of his success is,

[00:52:21] is those two wide receivers that you alluded to.

[00:52:23] You got Eric Gaines who leads conference USA,

[00:52:25] the,

[00:52:26] the lone 1000 yard receiver this year,

[00:52:28] Dean Patterson,

[00:52:29] who I think we thought might be the,

[00:52:31] the wide receiver one,

[00:52:32] but Eric Gaines is kind of blown up on the scene this year.

[00:52:34] Talk about those two weapons that he's got.

[00:52:36] Eric rivers,

[00:52:37] man,

[00:52:38] just what the C just the season he's had has been nothing short of

[00:52:41] spectacular.

[00:52:41] He already has the most single season receiving touchdowns in FIU

[00:52:46] history with 11 and counting.

[00:52:48] We'll see what he does on Saturday,

[00:52:49] but,

[00:52:50] uh,

[00:52:50] that duo of Eric rivers and Dean Patterson has been a very difficult,

[00:52:54] um,

[00:52:55] wide receiver duo that defenses have had to go up against this season.

[00:52:58] And,

[00:52:59] uh,

[00:52:59] when you have an accurate pass like Jenkins,

[00:53:01] especially throwing down the field,

[00:53:02] um,

[00:53:03] Eric rivers is,

[00:53:04] it has been such a beast as far as catching the long,

[00:53:06] long ball.

[00:53:07] It seems like every game,

[00:53:09] they're almost guaranteed to have one drop,

[00:53:11] one drop on the default between Jenkins and Eric rivers.

[00:53:14] But the next is almost always a guarantee that he's going to catch it.

[00:53:18] And,

[00:53:18] um,

[00:53:19] he just has,

[00:53:19] he's,

[00:53:19] he's fast.

[00:53:20] He has great hands.

[00:53:21] And even when they start to double team rivers,

[00:53:23] you have Dean Patterson,

[00:53:24] who's been,

[00:53:25] who's one of the more experienced players,

[00:53:27] um,

[00:53:28] in that receiving room,

[00:53:29] not to mention a great,

[00:53:30] uh,

[00:53:30] return man as well.

[00:53:32] Uh,

[00:53:32] that that's just a,

[00:53:33] uh,

[00:53:34] a very,

[00:53:34] a very talented wide receiver who I'd argue is one of the,

[00:53:37] has been one of the best in G five for what he's been able to do,

[00:53:40] um,

[00:53:40] as a Panther.

[00:53:42] Uh,

[00:53:43] another topic that I think is weird.

[00:53:46] If that's the right word to use for lack of a better word about the FIU team in general is the defense because they've had their peaks.

[00:53:53] They've had their values.

[00:53:54] When you look back at the schedule,

[00:53:55] your,

[00:53:56] your week one game against Indiana,

[00:53:57] where you held them to 31,

[00:53:58] I say held them to 31,

[00:54:00] because that's one of the best scoring offenses in the country,

[00:54:02] minus what we saw this last week against Ohio state.

[00:54:04] So 31 was incredible to come out the gates,

[00:54:06] but then you've got your central Michigan game.

[00:54:08] You've got your Monmouth game,

[00:54:09] but then you've got your low scoring games with,

[00:54:11] with Sam Houston.

[00:54:12] That was rather impressive.

[00:54:13] And even holding Jacksonville state to 34,

[00:54:15] in my opinion,

[00:54:16] is still a pat on the back.

[00:54:17] And so the peaks in the valleys,

[00:54:20] I really want to talk about the peaks that FIU has.

[00:54:22] What,

[00:54:22] what is,

[00:54:23] what is that defense doing well when they are having those good games?

[00:54:26] Oh,

[00:54:26] I forgot to mention,

[00:54:28] by the way,

[00:54:28] FIU has been kind of a wide receiver university as of like producing talent,

[00:54:32] like Chris Mitchell,

[00:54:33] who obviously is now of Notre Dame,

[00:54:34] Tyrese chambers,

[00:54:35] who I believe went to Maryland in the big 10 and,

[00:54:37] and obviously are probably our most famous alum from FIU football.

[00:54:41] Being T Y Hilton,

[00:54:42] NFL pro bowler,

[00:54:44] had a great career in Indianapolis,

[00:54:45] but FIU's defense,

[00:54:48] when they're playing their best,

[00:54:49] they can cause havoc in the secondary.

[00:54:51] They can create a lot of turnovers as they did against central Michigan,

[00:54:54] when they had five in a single game.

[00:54:56] And they can just limit offenses as passing offenses,

[00:55:02] as well as any G five team cam can,

[00:55:05] such as when they limited New Mexico state to,

[00:55:07] I believe 30 passing yards total in that game here at pit bull stadium.

[00:55:12] So their secondary when their best can be some,

[00:55:15] can be one of the deadliest in all of G five,

[00:55:18] let alone C USA.

[00:55:19] And then you have a player like Travion Barnes in the,

[00:55:23] in the linebacker room,

[00:55:24] who I believe still has a shot at the most assisted tackles in a single season

[00:55:30] with FIU football that he has a chance to break in this game.

[00:55:33] He has built in.

[00:55:34] See,

[00:55:34] I don't know the exact number,

[00:55:35] but it is manageable for a player like him.

[00:55:37] And then,

[00:55:38] and then you just have some dogs up in the,

[00:55:40] up in the front,

[00:55:41] such as players like Jeremy Passmore and Giovanni Davis,

[00:55:44] who have had some solid seasons.

[00:55:47] Overall,

[00:55:47] the best that FIU's defense can look can limit some of the best playmakers in

[00:55:53] conference USA,

[00:55:54] like Caden Salter for Liberty.

[00:55:56] And then Jacksonville state's just basically Jacksonville state's entire

[00:56:00] offense.

[00:56:02] The way they were able to sort of contain them in the first half in that game

[00:56:05] against the Gamecocks a couple of weeks ago,

[00:56:07] kind of got out of hand in the second half there,

[00:56:09] but yeah,

[00:56:11] the,

[00:56:11] the defense can be reliable and it leads to complimentary football,

[00:56:14] which leads to a FIU's offense.

[00:56:17] You having great field position and Jenkins and the entire group,

[00:56:21] they're putting up a really good numbers in games such as central Michigan,

[00:56:25] even the Monmouth game,

[00:56:26] which they ultimately didn't end up winning.

[00:56:28] The offense did look good.

[00:56:29] And the New Mexico state game.

[00:56:32] Well,

[00:56:32] the biggest storyline for this Saturday's matchup,

[00:56:35] aside from the fact we talk about coach Mack and all those storylines,

[00:56:38] but the real storyline,

[00:56:39] I think that at least I'm keeping eyes on is the fact that you,

[00:56:42] as you already made a testament to FIU is the best passing defense in conference

[00:56:48] USA.

[00:56:49] MTSU is narrowly behind Western Kentucky as the second best passing offense.

[00:56:53] So it's going to be a battle of MTSU's offense versus FIU's defense.

[00:56:58] Yeah.

[00:56:58] If you could give yourself the keys to the game for the golden Panthers this

[00:57:02] Saturday,

[00:57:03] what did they need to do to win?

[00:57:05] Um,

[00:57:05] I would say just play their style of football to the best they can.

[00:57:09] I would say a big one is to avoid silly penalties.

[00:57:12] Um,

[00:57:13] I say that because in that game against Kennesaw,

[00:57:15] which FIU lost,

[00:57:16] there was this spectacular catch by Eric rivers in the back of the end zone that

[00:57:20] was taken off because of a holding penalty.

[00:57:23] And that was just,

[00:57:23] that was tragic.

[00:57:24] They had so far field goal.

[00:57:25] I believe it was the first drive of the game for,

[00:57:27] um,

[00:57:28] FIU,

[00:57:29] a similar situation occurred in the Jacksonville state game as well.

[00:57:33] Um,

[00:57:33] just avoid silly penalties.

[00:57:35] And for Kiwan Jenkins specifically,

[00:57:37] keep up,

[00:57:37] keep avoiding the,

[00:57:39] staying off the interception stat line,

[00:57:41] which he's done pretty well.

[00:57:42] And I just,

[00:57:43] I really want to see,

[00:57:44] um,

[00:57:45] an FIU running back,

[00:57:46] uh,

[00:57:47] just,

[00:57:47] just have one hell of,

[00:57:48] just have one hell of a day,

[00:57:50] get over that 100 yard threshold and just,

[00:57:53] uh,

[00:57:54] see,

[00:57:54] see more of a balanced offense between both passing and rushing instead of

[00:57:57] how it's been the last,

[00:57:58] pretty much the majority of the season where it's been a pass first run

[00:58:02] second kind of system.

[00:58:04] And then defensively.

[00:58:05] Yeah.

[00:58:05] If you can,

[00:58:06] if you can get to a middle Tennessee is very good offense.

[00:58:09] They have a great passing game there.

[00:58:10] So it's going to be like,

[00:58:12] very tough,

[00:58:13] uh,

[00:58:13] tough challenge.

[00:58:14] Maybe one of the toughest challenges that this,

[00:58:17] um,

[00:58:17] secondary will see this entire season.

[00:58:20] But if they're up to it,

[00:58:21] then it's going to be one heck of a battle.

[00:58:23] And obviously it's going to be senior day for FIU.

[00:58:26] So they're going to be playing with their hearts out and they might be

[00:58:29] playing for,

[00:58:30] uh,

[00:58:30] coach Mac as well.

[00:58:31] Cause obviously his future there,

[00:58:32] just like many of the players here graduating or with a transfer portal

[00:58:36] is not certain.

[00:58:37] So,

[00:58:37] um,

[00:58:38] they'll want to play for the fans who's,

[00:58:39] who will still show up to pit bull stadium and support the Panthers.

[00:58:42] It's obviously has not been the season.

[00:58:44] Any of us have wanted Kevin and I,

[00:58:46] we,

[00:58:47] we predicted that at before the season began a seven and five record good

[00:58:51] enough for a bowl game.

[00:58:52] Johnny went wild.

[00:58:52] He went tenant too.

[00:58:53] And I'm like,

[00:59:09] all right,

[00:59:10] and eight instead of the Mike's first three and nine record.

[00:59:14] Well,

[00:59:14] I'm certain the playbooks will be wide open this Saturday at pit bull stadium.

[00:59:18] Again,

[00:59:18] that kickoff is at 2 PM Eastern,

[00:59:20] 1 PM central time for those here in Murfreesboro,

[00:59:23] uh,

[00:59:23] viewable on ESPN plus that is Jake Gibson.

[00:59:26] He is the co-host of the pause up podcast.

[00:59:28] Jake,

[00:59:29] one last thing before we finish up the call here,

[00:59:31] because I love what you guys do.

[00:59:33] You and Kevin,

[00:59:33] uh,

[00:59:34] both do a lot of stuff over there.

[00:59:35] Pause up podcast,

[00:59:36] lemon city live.

[00:59:37] You guys cover everything.

[00:59:38] So for any of our crossover listeners that are about getting into the

[00:59:41] conference USA stuff,

[00:59:42] maybe outside of the round table,

[00:59:43] but getting more into the FIU stuff,

[00:59:44] where can they find,

[00:59:45] uh,

[00:59:46] your,

[00:59:46] your stuff?

[00:59:47] Yeah.

[00:59:47] So me personally,

[00:59:48] my,

[00:59:49] um,

[00:59:49] my,

[00:59:50] uh,

[00:59:50] handle for both,

[00:59:51] uh,

[00:59:52] X Twitter,

[00:59:53] Instagram,

[00:59:53] et cetera,

[00:59:54] is at Jake,

[00:59:55] the MC aside from covering FIU and within the pause up podcast.

[00:59:59] I also cover the Miami dolphins,

[01:00:01] the Stanley cup champion,

[01:00:02] Florida Panthers,

[01:00:03] as well as a NASCAR at Homestead,

[01:00:05] Miami speedway.

[01:00:06] And then you can follow,

[01:00:07] the pause up podcast on pretty much every platform at pause up podcast.

[01:00:11] We,

[01:00:11] we have a lot of fun with the work we do.

[01:00:13] We we've surpassed over 70 episodes since starting,

[01:00:16] um,

[01:00:17] just about two years ago.

[01:00:18] And,

[01:00:18] uh,

[01:00:18] we've had a lot of amazing guests on our show,

[01:00:21] current and former players from,

[01:00:23] and coaches from FIU athletics,

[01:00:25] not to mention some famous alumni,

[01:00:27] even the president of FIU himself,

[01:00:29] Dr.

[01:00:29] Kenneth Jessel,

[01:00:30] not that long ago.

[01:00:31] It's been a lot of fun and we keep continuing to grow the show,

[01:00:34] especially being part of the,

[01:00:35] uh,

[01:00:36] CUSA podcast round table and even the college huddle,

[01:00:38] which both of us are also in.

[01:00:40] So,

[01:00:41] yeah,

[01:00:41] just be sure to follow us on any platform you desire at pause up podcast.

[01:00:47] They do great stuff over there for blue Raider listeners that are all about getting all the conference USA media,

[01:00:52] a great production.

[01:00:53] And they do as well.

[01:00:54] So,

[01:00:55] uh,

[01:00:55] Jake,

[01:00:55] I appreciate you taking the time.

[01:00:57] Um,

[01:00:57] and best of luck to you guys this Saturday.

[01:00:59] Thank you,

[01:01:00] Jake.

[01:01:00] I gotta say that,

[01:01:01] that Jake to Jake connection.

[01:01:02] It's pretty fire.

[01:01:03] Uh,

[01:01:03] pause up.

[01:01:04] Dale.

[01:01:06] Thanks for sticking around to the Raider wrap up portion of the episode where we will review the last week in Blue Raider athletics,

[01:01:11] as well as a look ahead to this week's schedule for all things,

[01:01:14] middle Tennessee.

[01:01:14] We will kick things off with where last week started.

[01:01:17] And that is the lady Raiders at home against the Tennessee tech golden Eagles.

[01:01:21] They won that contest by a score of 69 to 52 with the player of the week or the game.

[01:01:27] Rather would go to Jalen Gregory who had 20 points in that game.

[01:01:30] 10 of which came from a perfect 10 of 10 free throw shooting night at the line.

[01:01:34] She also had five rebounds and four assists and very excited to see her get her shooting legs underneath her.

[01:01:42] As we move into this much anticipated week with the three contests all in Florida beginning today at 11 a.m.

[01:01:48] that is viewable on ESPN plus the lady Raiders are on the road at Florida A&M university home of the lady Rattlers.

[01:01:55] They will be facing this SWAC opponent.

[01:01:56] Once again,

[01:01:57] should be a relatively easy one,

[01:02:00] but you obviously you take this game as an opportunity to fine tune some things before you go into this much anticipated Thanksgiving weekend matchup.

[01:02:07] Um,

[01:02:07] they are in Fort Myers,

[01:02:08] Florida as a part of these two power four games.

[01:02:11] The one on Thursday on Thanksgiving at 3 30 p.m.

[01:02:13] local time will be against Purdue.

[01:02:16] And then they will have the off day on Friday.

[01:02:18] And then on Saturday,

[01:02:19] they will be facing the top 10 Iowa state,

[01:02:22] which as I'm recording this don't know where they fall in the new AP poll after being upset last week to Northern Iowa.

[01:02:27] But Iowa state has looked very beatable this last week and they will be facing off against the lady Cyclones this Saturday,

[01:02:32] the 30th.

[01:02:33] And that is at 12 30 p.m.

[01:02:35] local time as well.

[01:02:36] Both of those games are viewable on the women's sports network.

[01:02:39] I'm not entirely positive on how those are viewable,

[01:02:42] if that is a subscription based service or not,

[01:02:44] but I will definitely be digging into it.

[01:02:45] And as always follow us on our social media accounts to make sure that you don't miss where those games are viewable at,

[01:02:50] but big week for the lady Raiders,

[01:02:52] obviously an opportunity to get some P4 wins as well as get a big one against Iowa state on a neutral floor this weekend.

[01:02:58] So all the eyes will be turned to Florida on the lady Raiders this week.

[01:03:02] So again,

[01:03:03] they get things started off today at 11 a.m.

[01:03:05] on ESPN plus against the Florida A&M lady Raiders.

[01:03:09] Men's tennis had their national championship this last weekend for us.

[01:03:14] It was just the doubles of,

[01:03:15] of Kareem Al-Amin and Andre Horak.

[01:03:18] That doubles pairing got a rather unlucky draw where they face the number two overall seed from Baylor.

[01:03:24] They took them all the way to the wire though.

[01:03:26] It took them to the third and final set where they dropped that tiebreaker 10 to eight.

[01:03:30] So it was a really good battle for Al-Amin and Horak,

[01:03:32] which is very promising sign given that the,

[01:03:35] the,

[01:03:36] the spring schedule was just released this last week.

[01:03:38] And I'll go ahead and tease that first matchup there where they do host top 10 opponent number seven in the country,

[01:03:43] Tennessee.

[01:03:44] That's right there.

[01:03:45] The Vols are coming to Murfreesboro to kick off the season.

[01:03:47] That'll actually be at the Adams indoor tennis complex.

[01:03:50] It's not until January 16.

[01:03:51] So you got more than enough time to prepare for that,

[01:03:53] but,

[01:03:54] um,

[01:03:54] I want to congratulate,

[01:03:55] um,

[01:03:57] um,

[01:03:58] or crack and I'll,

[01:03:59] I'll,

[01:03:59] I'll end it up for their,

[01:04:00] um,

[01:04:00] fall as well as are,

[01:04:01] they're being able to compete at the national championships.

[01:04:04] It doesn't go unnoticed,

[01:04:04] but we look forward to what this team can do.

[01:04:06] As they look to repeat as conference USA champions,

[01:04:08] once again,

[01:04:09] in a very,

[01:04:09] very tough schedule.

[01:04:10] So as always,

[01:04:12] we'll have coach Bourne Dame on at some time prior to the season to touch base with him,

[01:04:16] see what all things are going on with tennis,

[01:04:17] but big congratulations again to all I'm in an Orak.

[01:04:20] And we look forward to their season starting,

[01:04:22] um,

[01:04:22] in mid January against the volunteers at the Adams tennis complex,

[01:04:26] men's basketball.

[01:04:27] We spent a lot of time talking about men's basketball.

[01:04:28] Also, briefly, their 2-1 trip there to the Myrtle Beach Invitational

[01:04:34] with their wins over Ohio and South Florida.

[01:04:38] And then, of course, they lost the championship game on Sunday

[01:04:40] to Bradley by a score of 69-80.

[01:04:42] They will be back in action this week,

[01:04:44] but it'll be a long wait until Sunday

[01:04:46] where they play at Birmingham against the Blazers,

[01:04:49] our old Conference USA opponents,

[01:04:51] a team that was picked to win the American Athletic Conference

[01:04:53] at the beginning of the year ahead of Memphis, surprisingly enough.

[01:04:58] They haven't looked the part thus far, but that doesn't mean anything

[01:05:00] as this time of year, anything can really happen,

[01:05:03] especially on the road for the Raiders too.

[01:05:05] Again, coming off of a neutral site, I would say relatively good weekend.

[01:05:09] You hope that you can keep that momentum going as you go to UAB,

[01:05:12] a team that has looked up and down to say the least early in the going.

[01:05:15] So you want to get that win, revenge that loss you had last year

[01:05:18] in the early season, very tight game that one was as well.

[01:05:20] But again, that is this Sunday, the 1st,

[01:05:23] and that is at 3 p.m., viewable on ESPN+.

[01:05:27] Lady Raiders volleyball had their season come to an end

[01:05:30] on Friday of this last week,

[01:05:31] where they lost the first round of the Conference USA tournament

[01:05:34] to Kennesaw State.

[01:05:35] Again, another very close battle with the Lady Owls.

[01:05:38] It took them all the way to the fifth set

[01:05:39] and unfortunately fell there by a set score of 2-3.

[01:05:43] So that concludes the Lady Raiders season,

[01:05:46] barring any sort of postseason invitation.

[01:05:48] I wouldn't imagine that it happens,

[01:05:50] but I'd never rule those kind of things out

[01:05:52] because I'm not too privy to what the postseason looks like

[01:05:55] for a lot of those volleyball tournaments at the end of the year.

[01:05:58] But you finish 9-9 in conference.

[01:06:01] They're very young altogether as a core,

[01:06:03] so a lot to be excited about for their future.

[01:06:05] I did want to give a one final player of the week honor

[01:06:07] to Audrey Rhoda, who tied her career high once again

[01:06:12] with 26 kills against Kennesaw State in that Friday matchup.

[01:06:15] So a big season for her.

[01:06:16] She earned all-conference USA team as well.

[01:06:18] Again, they bring back some of these core players.

[01:06:21] Again, albeit that they do return,

[01:06:24] it looks bright for where volleyball is headed in the future.

[01:06:30] Football lost their senior day game on Saturday

[01:06:32] to New Mexico State by a score of 21-36.

[01:06:35] I give my player of the week to Ja'Kale Middlebrooks,

[01:06:37] who had 80 yards on 10 carries,

[01:06:39] and he also had 5 receptions on 429 yards.

[01:06:43] Over 109 yards of total offense for the freshman.

[01:06:47] A really impressive game for him altogether

[01:06:48] and really for the rushing attack in general.

[01:06:50] You go into the game facing a New Mexico State team

[01:06:52] who is known for running the football,

[01:06:54] and we outgained them on the ground,

[01:06:55] 170-145.

[01:07:01] We even beat them in the passing category.

[01:07:03] When you look at these stats,

[01:07:04] those of you that are viewing this on YouTube,

[01:07:05] you'll see that we'll win a lot of these categories

[01:07:07] of statistics when you compare them head-to-head,

[01:07:10] but the big glaring one that we didn't win

[01:07:11] was a turnover battle, 2-0.

[01:07:13] You spotted New Mexico State with a touchdown

[01:07:15] right out the gate with a pick-6.

[01:07:17] It's really hard to bounce back from that,

[01:07:19] especially when you didn't score the ensuing drive.

[01:07:21] They go down and it makes it 10-0 right off the bat.

[01:07:24] So very unfortunate loss.

[01:07:26] I don't want to harp on it too much

[01:07:28] because really there's not necessarily too much

[01:07:31] to play for this last week with FIU

[01:07:33] because they too are also out of bowl eligibility

[01:07:35] as we just spoke with Jake Ibsen

[01:07:36] of the Pause Up podcast.

[01:07:37] But getting some of these new guys,

[01:07:39] a lot more reps like we saw with Jaqueline

[01:07:41] to work this last week is very promising signs.

[01:07:43] You hope a lot of these young core guys

[01:07:45] are getting these necessary snaps

[01:07:46] to continue improving,

[01:07:49] taking the time to actually appreciate

[01:07:51] these extra practices that they have

[01:07:53] at the end of the year,

[01:07:54] knowing that they have playing time coming up.

[01:07:56] But all eyes for that final game

[01:07:59] coming up this Saturday, the 30th,

[01:08:01] that is in Miami.

[01:08:01] That kicks off at 1 p.m.

[01:08:03] and will be viewable on ESPN+.

[01:08:05] And I'll go ahead and tease it in a couple weeks.

[01:08:07] It'll be National Signing Day for football

[01:08:09] that is on December 3rd,

[01:08:11] which we will have an episode released that day.

[01:08:13] However, we will not be talking National Football Signing Day

[01:08:16] due to the recording time of it.

[01:08:17] But that next week on the 10th,

[01:08:19] we will be doing a roundtable

[01:08:20] with a lot of the Go Middle football analysts

[01:08:23] to talk about the signing class

[01:08:25] that's coming up on December 3rd.

[01:08:26] So keep your eyes peeled for that episode

[01:08:27] if you want to get all the insight

[01:08:28] onto the upcoming signing class

[01:08:30] because this is a very big deal

[01:08:31] for Derek Mason in his second year.

[01:08:33] And of course, our guys at Go Middle

[01:08:34] will do a fantastic job of keeping tabs

[01:08:37] on that signing class.

[01:08:39] So if you want to be in the know

[01:08:40] about this upcoming recruiting class for football,

[01:08:43] I encourage you to stay tuned on social media

[01:08:48] for that December 10th episode with those guys

[01:08:50] where we will talk everything

[01:08:51] you could possibly want to know

[01:08:52] about this 2025 signing class.

[01:08:56] Lastly, Alan Kip-Lagat competed

[01:08:58] at the Cross Country National Championships

[01:09:02] this last week.

[01:09:03] He finished 19th out of 255 competitors

[01:09:06] at the National Championship.

[01:09:08] A lot to be said for the young man

[01:09:09] in his trip there.

[01:09:11] So again, hats off to him.

[01:09:13] And then as far as the cross country

[01:09:14] slash track and field season goes,

[01:09:16] they will not have anything on the docket

[01:09:18] until their indoor season starts up soon.

[01:09:20] So of course, keep tuned for whenever

[01:09:22] that schedule does finally release.

[01:09:24] And that will do it for the Raider wrap up

[01:09:26] portion of the episode

[01:09:27] where we go over this last week

[01:09:29] in Blue Raider Athletics.

[01:09:30] I appreciate everyone tuning in.

[01:09:31] And as I teased at the very beginning of the episode,

[01:09:34] unfortunately, Jalen Counter was not able to join this episode

[01:09:39] today due to unforeseen circumstances

[01:09:41] for the game this last week.

[01:09:44] I probably had an injured leg,

[01:09:45] but thankfully everything's all right.

[01:09:46] He'll be able to join us for next week's episode.

[01:09:49] So a lot of insight from him,

[01:09:50] not only on the injury front,

[01:09:52] but as well as his transfer time here.

[01:09:54] Very excited to have Jalen join us in as well.

[01:09:56] As a lot of your Raiders favorite,

[01:09:59] we'll have Chip Walters joining the show

[01:10:00] to talk all things basketball

[01:10:01] as the Lady Raiders return from Fort Myers.

[01:10:04] Of course, a little bit of basketball update

[01:10:05] from the UAB game.

[01:10:06] And of course, we'll put a nice little bow

[01:10:08] on the football season with Mr. Walters as well.

[01:10:11] But again, if you're watching this on YouTube,

[01:10:14] I highly encourage you to hit that subscribe button.

[01:10:16] I would appreciate it a ton.

[01:10:18] Give the video a like,

[01:10:19] share this on all of your socials,

[01:10:20] tag your friends, let them know.

[01:10:22] The Blue Raider podcast is rolling strong.

[01:10:24] We're closing in on our one year anniversary.

[01:10:25] And I appreciate everyone that has tuned in thus far

[01:10:28] for all things Blue Raider athletics.

[01:10:30] But of course, plenty of more content

[01:10:33] coming for you in the future

[01:10:34] with basketball really ramping up.

[01:10:36] And of course, as we move into spring season.

[01:10:38] So I'm excited again.

[01:10:39] I appreciate everyone tuning into today's episode.

[01:10:41] Follow us on our social media accounts

[01:10:43] on Twitter slash X, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook,

[01:10:46] and of course on YouTube

[01:10:48] at Blue Raider Pod.

[01:10:49] And don't miss us for that big one next week

[01:10:51] with Jalen Counter and Chip Walters.

[01:10:53] And until next time, Go Blue!