This WANE marks the mid-way point of conference play. For fear we’d give the wheelbarrow of awards to Wildcats, Spencer and I brought on Matt from Addicted to Quack to make sure we curbed our homerism and showed some love the conference-wide. Which is actually really easy to do in a season like this with gross amounts of talent occupying the West. Draft Express projects four first rounders and a recent Bracketology projected seven Pac teams dancing (a number you can trust about as much as Frank Underwood – yeah it’s back! ). Also, in talking about how great the Pac’s talent levels are, we don’t once qualify it by noting that Jorge Gutierrez will not win POY. I’m maturing.
The Table:
0:00 – Dana Altman discusses the Super Bowl and STILL REFERS TO ARIZONA AS #1 IN THE COUNTRY (though it could’ve been record
2:33 – Matt uses adjectives to describe Oregon basketball.
3:18 – Could we have seen this coming from the Ducks? This 3-6 front half, that is.
4:30 – Front court vs. Back court. What’s the root of the defensive woes and Arsalan Kazemi is mentioned.
6:40 – Matt gets some one year overdue love!!
8:14 – On Ducks in the desert: Is two wins possible and Adam makes a demon chuckle. Matt thinks some additional ball pressure could help the Ducks, especially considering their depth.
9:33 – Jahii Carson tangent.
10:14 – ….and Spencer brings the conversation out of Tempe and back to Tucson.
12:52 – Adam plugs hoop-math and PacHoops and Addicted to Quack
14:15 – Gabe York’s role has increased, is he needed for defense or offense or…how much do you miss Brandon Ashley already?
15:41 – Aaron Gordon is 9-37 in his last three games.
16:05 – Adam stumbles through a question about Oregon’s rotation. Matt explains that Dana’s methodology is to let the cream rise to the top. It hasn’t and he’s still trying to find that rotation. There’s an SMH.
19:04 – March 5, 2011. The last time Arizona beat Oregon.
19:19 – Matt dives into what he thinks of Oregon’s chances to make a run into the tournament. Bubble talk.
21:27 – Transition into our MID-SEASON AWARDS TALK! We start with freshman of the year talk.
25:10 – We move in to Player of the Year talks and we discuss that award in a much more organized fashion.
30:50 – Matt asks for a guess. Adam gets it right! Jordan Adams leads the conference in steals. Boom. And then some Alford and UCLA love.
35:55 – How many teams dance and who and how they’re going to get there including an all too long of a conversation about Oregon State basketball. Yes, we discuss Oregon State for the majority of a segment about the NCAA tournament.
41:22 – Noting Bill Walton leads to a collective ripping on all towns and cities not associated with the Pac-12. Sorry we’re not sorry Big-12 country!
44:48 – Matt on Matt Knight. How is it?
46:26 – A big telling sigh from Matt that…”yeah, this WANE is probably over.”
47:18 – BUT WAIT! Matt and my bet of Aaron Gordon vs. Mike Moser