2026-03-19- KSR - Hour 1

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Speaker 1: From YouTube and social media. Comedy Off Broadway in Lexington welcomes Josh Wolf March nineteen through the twenty first, then from Late Night TV and The Bob and Tom Show. Catch Nick Griffin March twenty six through the twenty eight and don't miss New York comedy superstar and podcaster Mark Norman April second through the fourth. Pour tickets to all comedy Off Broadway shows Calle five nine, two seven one joke or visit Comedy Off Broadway dot com.

00:00:27
Speaker 2: Comed Off Bway.

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Speaker 3: This is Kentucky Sports Radio presented by Stockton Mortgage.

00:00:35
Speaker 2: Now here's Matt Jones.

00:00:37
Speaker 4: Welcome everyone. This is Kentucky Sports Radio, Thursday, March the nineteenth. We are ready to go here in Saint Louis. It is the best four days of sports of the year. Is the NCAA Tournament for real kicks off or tips off tonight you can give shall the Clarks puppet up full nine eight five to nine two A twenty two eighty seven auto glass text machine is seven seven to two seven seven four five two five four in this distion sponsored by the t J Smith Off as you call Tj'll make them pay. We are in our house in Saint Louis, just down the street from the Missouri Botanical Guard. Yes, yes, just we walked past those yesterday. Supposedly the beau most beautiful botanical gardens in the Midwest, it is, that's what they said.

00:01:22
Speaker 5: Well, we are across the arch. We I didn't see west.

00:01:25
Speaker 4: I didn't see any gardens though, like we went we went by there. I saw no gardens, but we were here. Kentucky is playing tomorrow, obviously, and until then we it's media day for this subregional as Mario will be leaving here in just a little bit because UK begins their press conference. I believe that right as the show ends, and then practice right after that. Uh and and Mario is gonna go get all the scoop to put out there.

00:01:54
Speaker 5: These open practices as used to be fun to go to because all the local Kentucky fans wherever Kentucky was playing would come to the open practice. And there's using a lot of kids at Skip school and it's kind of fun atmosphere to be there. I haven't been won in forever.

00:02:06
Speaker 4: See, it's it's less fun. When we first started, it was fun, and now the coaches it depends, well, I haven't seen Pope do one, so maybe Callathyan started just treating it like as a joke, and so he didn't really do anything. I don't know if Pope treats it for real or not, so because I don't know that I went last year, so he did.

00:02:27
Speaker 5: An hour of fun drills.

00:02:29
Speaker 4: Yeah, so we'll see maybe he does. But but but we're going to that. Santa Clara is up first. They start here pretty soon, and then and then Kentucky and then of course the games start everywhere else today. But we arrived in Saint Louis. Uh, you know, Drew is on is on baby Watch and so he was not has not been able to come. So it's me, Drew and Mario, just the three of us, you know. Uh, the Bachelor's rolling rolling to Saint Louis.

00:02:56
Speaker 5: Went to a cool area last night called it went to the hill.

00:02:58
Speaker 4: That everybody said to go to, which is nice. Didn't seem to be on a hill, no that I could tell. Really, I don't know why they call it, why they caught the hill, because I was expecting a huge hill and it didn't really seem like it was on I shared your.

00:03:11
Speaker 5: Fun fact about the hill with Shannon this morning on the pre show.

00:03:13
Speaker 4: Yeah, with Yogi Barrier and Joe Garrett Giola grew up across the street from.

00:03:17
Speaker 5: Each and then Jack Buck with just a couple of blocks down the street. I think you said that.

00:03:21
Speaker 4: Was a you think there's like baseball in the water there. And we ate it a place called Mama's on the Hill, which was one of the many places we've gotten recommended. We have a great set of UH food options here and we liked it. We thought it was we thought it was good.

00:03:36
Speaker 5: Mama's was fire, as Mario was saying, well, it.

00:03:39
Speaker 4: Was perfect for you because it was, like Shannon all stuff Ryan knows, so like their their specialty was like spaghetti with a meatball. You know. I mean like if you were saying, Okay, what's the highest version of what Ryan likes to eat, Mamas would have it. Oh you like fanacchini alfredo? I theok place for you.

00:04:02
Speaker 5: I do need to admit something to everybody. Matt found my driver's license.

00:04:05
Speaker 4: Okay, Kenny did he talk about this on the pre show. It was such a Ryan Lemon moment. All Right, We're sitting at the bar eating and Ryan Lemon starts panicking and you've seen this like he does. He wants to act like everything's normal, but he's like a little dog that's running around in circles at some points, and that's exactly right. He stands up and he's patting his pockets, he's patting the top of his little head, and he's like, he's just moving around. And so finally I go, what is wrong? Because you could tell something was wrong with him? And he goes, I lost my driver's license. And I said, okay, when was the last time you had it? And he was like three minutes ago.

00:04:50
Speaker 2: Okay, we couldn't have gone far.

00:04:51
Speaker 4: And so we know it couldn't have gone far. He said, I pulled it out because in Missouri to use DraftKings you have to scan your ID. Right, He's like, I pull it out to skam my ID. And I go, what did you do? Did you just throw it in the ocean after that? Like you did? You were just standing right here and he's like, and he's he's throwing he is, he's hyperventilating. We're at the bar. He's throwing plates, he's pouring liquor out of bottles, trying to see where it is.

00:05:20
Speaker 5: I emptied my wallet, like twice, and that part of the story.

00:05:23
Speaker 4: It's so Shannon, I just had a feeling, you know, I just had a feeling about Ryme. I go, it's in your wallet, and he's like, I've emptied it four times, can't be in my wallet. And I said, will you hand me your wallet? He gives me his wallet. First thing I opened, there are seven health insurance cars.

00:05:44
Speaker 2: Well, yeah, that's important at that age.

00:05:46
Speaker 4: How many health insurances do you have?

00:05:49
Speaker 5: One for Josiah, one for Gavin? Like I got yoga girls car. Why do you have theirs? Like they're adults. Why do you have Gavin's he's twenty six years old. Well, casey ever gets in an accident, I need to, you know, give some information for him. He can't speak.

00:06:03
Speaker 4: So do you think they're gonna ask for his health insurance card to you? Yeah?

00:06:06
Speaker 5: They might, you know, is that what people do?

00:06:08
Speaker 4: Do? People give their parents their health insurance cards at twenty cents?

00:06:11
Speaker 2: My parents had money.

00:06:12
Speaker 4: I don't think my parents had money regardless. So I pull out this stack of health insurance cards up to the ceiling, right, Okay, not in there. Then I open his credit cards up, not in there, and then I see there's a pocket in the back of the wallet. And before I even reach in there, shin, I know it's in there, you know, reach in first thing comes out of his diety. This man had torn the restaurant up. He was about to ask to go back in the kitchen because he thought he left it on his plate. Yes, first of all, who puts their driver's license on a plate? Ryan, right, I'll find it benched. Classic Ryan Lemon thing that he loses his driver's license at his seat at dinner and it's in his wallet and he can't find it in his own wallet. But I did.

00:06:55
Speaker 2: But he obviously put it in a pocket that normally.

00:06:58
Speaker 5: He put the wrong slot.

00:07:00
Speaker 4: It'd be the first thing that you should think of, Like if I look in my credit cards and gone, I'm like, I bet I put it behind my driver's license accidentally. Nope, Ryan didn't think about it. He got it, thankfully, he got it into DraftKings so he could place his bets.

00:07:13
Speaker 5: And thank you found it because I was in a full body sweat by that time by the time you found it.

00:07:18
Speaker 2: How many white Russians were you into?

00:07:20
Speaker 4: Well that we we could talk about. I'm not going to embarrass him. What's in his wallet, but we could talk about I don't know to used uh like Kleanexes.

00:07:33
Speaker 2: Wallet like a hanky.

00:07:35
Speaker 4: I apologize to the children and all the people out there.

00:07:40
Speaker 5: Gotty Town credit card.

00:07:42
Speaker 4: Did you see the condom from nineteen sixty.

00:07:44
Speaker 2: Oh my gosh, that was.

00:07:49
Speaker 4: So I mean, it was just it was just it was so it's a great question. So so but anyway, thankfully we got it.

00:07:58
Speaker 5: Thankfully you found it because I was paying and we're all panic found.

00:08:02
Speaker 4: It and we're ready to go. So last night, for me, the tournament got kicked off. Yes with that. Miami of all, no doubt it.

00:08:11
Speaker 6: Did you know?

00:08:11
Speaker 4: We listen, we're gonna talk about Kentucky today and that's ultimately. But I cannot think of the last time I've enjoyed cheering a game like I did. Miami of all the same we all did, all three of us, Miami of Ohio. You know. I flipped on him about four three or four weeks ago. First I was like, they shouldn't be it because they come in last place in the SEC. I'm out of that. Now they changed my mind that they should be in, and now I'm going further. Why we need more of these teams. Right, if they're going to expand the tournament, which they are going to do it, I don't want Auburns in the tournament right right? Who wants that? Nobody wants that. That was fun. Random dudes who all? They fell down every play, you know, they fell down every play. It was a joyous sporting It's what that game was why we love the NCAA term SMU should have won. If SMU was smart, they'd have scored every play every time they went inside. Miami of Ohio had no chance, but they got away from it and they they'd start shooting dumb shots. And then these dudes who all. I'm sure if I knew the Miami of Ohio players, I probably wouldn't like any of them. They all look like they're like at a frat party. But they were fun to watch. And it wasn't just making threes, back door cuts, oh yeah, bounce passes, whoopedie woos they did. They did a pass on a break where he bounced the ball up in the air and the other dude was not athletic enough to get it, so he just touched it, tapped it and it went in. It was like the and one tour, but for like frat guys, and I thought it was so much fun.

00:09:50
Speaker 5: That game last night is exactly why you put Miami Ohio in the tournament, you know.

00:09:55
Speaker 4: And would Simeu and Auburn have been anything like that? No, no, no, that was much more fun.

00:10:01
Speaker 5: And the three of us, you and me and Mario, we were cheering and going crazy with every three.

00:10:06
Speaker 4: That's the most excited I've gotten in a game that didn't involve Kentucky. We watched the whole thing was from tip to I can't remember the last time I've sat and watched you know, I watched college games every night, but I watched the second half or a little bit. We watched the entire thing, and I was into it. And then they brought those swimmers down. Okay, shit it I usually you know, who wants dudes walking around in speedos? But that was hilario.

00:10:35
Speaker 5: It was hilarious.

00:10:36
Speaker 4: I don't think they were supposed to be there, because they weren't there anymore. I just did it that one time. I think they did it that one time. I think they probably snuck in there and then got in trouble, and then got in trouble and got sent back to their seats because they came running and they weren't there again, No, but they all came out. That one dude was painted all in red and he was like, ah, and I loved it. That is that to me is what the NCAA Tournament is about. Was that game last night. And you know SMU hadn't won a game in the tournament like thirty years, so it's not like they were a powerhouse. But nevertheless, I I just I enjoyed it.

00:11:08
Speaker 5: And the place was pack because mambablle house.

00:11:10
Speaker 7: Yeah.

00:11:10
Speaker 4: In fact, it was in Dayton yep, basically a home game. Yep. Uh it was. It was excellent.

00:11:15
Speaker 5: Tell you what, when head.

00:11:17
Speaker 3: I was gonna say, if I'm Tennessee, I'm a little nervous.

00:11:20
Speaker 4: Tennessee, You're a little nervous. It's hard for teams like that to do it twice in a row. I mean, you know, Florida Gulf Coast did it that year May its Sweet sixteen. But it is hard for teams to do that twice in a row. But you know, if you're Tennessee, who can struggle to score sometimes anyway you do gotta be careful.

00:11:36
Speaker 5: So what mamall end up shooting what like forty one three pointers last night or something.

00:11:41
Speaker 4: They should have shot seventy five. There was no reason for them to ever shoot anything that. We're not a back door cutter of three because when they tried something else it didn't work.

00:11:48
Speaker 5: But you they just want them to go to the free throw line. We're like, look at him, it looks like an accountant. Look at him, he looks like a nerd.

00:11:53
Speaker 4: You know, it was so much fun. I enjoyed it, and so here's the here's how I feel. Okay, because they won, I made the decision this. I'm gonna be magnanimous. I'm gonna let Bob and Jamestown go first today if w well, that's where he went.

00:12:09
Speaker 5: We should have called him last night. That's all.

00:12:11
Speaker 4: I'll let you call him. I'll if he wants to call in the show. If I'm nine to twenty two eighty seven, I'll do the Only when no one else calls, does Bob get to go first? And I'm gonna go ahead and let him go first today since his team won, I feel like that's the thing to do. Shannon, don't you agree?

00:12:29
Speaker 2: Yeah? I mean this would be unprecedented for the KSR Show.

00:12:32
Speaker 4: To have him on first, but I mean he deserves it. They won, They won the game, and I you know, the tournament. All the first four games were good, Yeah they were now last year. All the first four games were good, and then the first and second round was kind of blah. It got better after that started. The tournament started getting good in the second weekend. I do wonder. I mean, there's been a lot of chatter that maybe mid majors in the transfer portal era, it's harder for them to win these upset games. And you know, some of the best mid major teams lost in their conference tournament Belmont, UNC, Wilmington, So it may be the case that we don't get a lot of shockers today. But I do think that was a great kickoff to the tournament.

00:13:09
Speaker 5: Well, the fact that they were just bombing them up from everywhere and the crowd was a local crowd. We got to know these this team that went thirty one, and oh, Skaljack, Scaljack's our new favorite player.

00:13:19
Speaker 4: Can I tell you what I really thought though, I didn't Kentucky fans, whether this is fair or not, I didn't Kentucky fans thought what we saw from Miami of Ohio is what Pope's offense was gonna be.

00:13:31
Speaker 5: Talking about that last night, Yeah, I do.

00:13:33
Speaker 4: I think that's what I think our fan base thought that that's what it was gonna be. Now Pope has never played exactly that style, but I just think that our fan base watching that, I think they were like, oh, this is what we were gonna be like, but with better players. And it hasn't really been like.

00:13:52
Speaker 5: Remember they were gonna shoot thirty threes a game. That was the goal going into the season. We're gonna shoot thirty threes a game.

00:13:57
Speaker 4: Yeah, well that didn't really happen.

00:14:00
Speaker 5: Games will shoot thirty threes in three games.

00:14:02
Speaker 4: Well, it was a lot of fun. And now you gotta hope that we Kentucky produced fun on that level. And uh and you know, I think they should have let the Speedo guys do. Why not. It's March madness, you're in this supposed to be mad, supposed to be mad, supposed to be mad.

00:14:19
Speaker 5: Parent of those guys, those swimmers do it every home game. Yeah, and so they snuck it into the Dayton Arena lake.

00:14:25
Speaker 4: And then they were like, we like, get out. But it was, by the way, that was the only free throw they missed the whole night. Was it really smu? I think that was at that point. It was the first free throw they missed, and I'm not sure they missed another one the whole night. They actually says, you made a ton of free throws.

00:14:41
Speaker 5: So if they go play Tennessee, I think they're playing them in Philadelphia. Those guys have to go the swimmers.

00:14:45
Speaker 4: If you're a Miami of Ohio person, you go wherever this is, You're never gonna have a chance.

00:14:50
Speaker 5: Let this again, Philly's not that far from Oxford, Mississippi?

00:14:53
Speaker 4: Is it? Oxford, Ohio?

00:14:54
Speaker 5: Oxford, Ohio?

00:14:55
Speaker 4: Yeah, Miami of Ohio. Interesting enough in Ohio, that's right, not in Mississippi. So it would be weird if they might name the school Shannon Miami, Ohio and put it in Mississippi.

00:15:04
Speaker 2: It's aredy weird that it's Miami, Oho Miami.

00:15:07
Speaker 4: I saw Miami was in Ohio before it was in Florida. So the people of Miami, Ohio, the townspeople, the townspeople feel like Miami in Florida stole their name, so it should be Miami in Florida. Well that's what they say. I don't know, but I'm just Uh, I'm just telling you. If I'm nine two eight oh twenty two eighty seven, text Machine is seven seven two seven seven four five two five four. We will take a break. We are here in Saint Louis on the NCAA Tournaments, Kentucky Sports Radio.

00:15:36
Speaker 5: Yeah, it is that time you came down the stairs today singing that song.

00:15:42
Speaker 4: I got in my head. This is a great skin on Saturday Night Live. It's the well. It's hard to describe why skit is funny, but I think I find myself on big days going blah blah blah blah blay. Basketball. Gimme, gimme, give me it's great.

00:15:56
Speaker 5: I wanna dug it.

00:15:58
Speaker 4: Yeah. If I'm nine, twenty two eighty seven, Uh, text Machine a little slow today. Again, that's what happens when you talk basketball. Seven seven to two seven seven four five two five four. One person rights Matt is, we're gonna shoot thirty three thirty threes, Pope's equivalent of Mark Stoops saying we're gonna use the tight ends more. Yes, we never used the tight ends more. They That was something Mark Stoops would say every single year. Never happened.

00:16:24
Speaker 5: You could go back to Tubby Smith we're gonna speed it up and play play up.

00:16:27
Speaker 4: Tubby never plays Tommy, never played up tempo, never did well. Tubby played more up tempo than people give him credit for. I mean that twenty three teen put up loads a point.

00:16:35
Speaker 5: Yeah, that team did for sure. But you're right, Mark Stoups. We're gonna use the tight ends. We're gonna spread it out more of this year when.

00:16:40
Speaker 4: Person rights, Matt, do you ever drop scoop anymore? You haven't mentioned vacs from Providence or quinn Ellis. Both have rumors to UK. Okay, so we need to talk about this when it comes to portal. First of all, the British kid quinn Ellis is on my list of things to talk about. But you folks have to be very careful that you don't just see an account that says college basketball on it and assume that what it says is Yes, that's becoming a huge problem, and maybe it's a problem for every fan base, but it's definitely a problem for our fan base. So I saw some random account that's called college Basketball Transfer Portal, which I'm not saying is not legitimate, but does anyone know where that account is from? Is it? Is it real. Is it a kid in his basement? Is it Bobby Krimins. I don't know who it is, Bobby. It could be anybody. But they put out yesterday that some kids transferm from Providence and they predicted he'd go to Kentucky. Okay, maybe he will. I have no idea, but what are like all of a sudden in that And it was literally a graphic on Twitter with an account that had third teen hundred followers that became UK websites saying Kentucky was the leader for this kid and they and they and then all of a sudden, pop will reach with Matt when you go talk about I mean a guy at Mama's on the Hill told me that the Miami of Ohio team was transferring. That doesn't make it a story. And that's becoming that's happening more more, and in this portal era where there's an infinite amount of players that could transfer. I mean you can again, maybe this kid ends up coming. I have no idea, but like I need to hear it from somebody that's actually covering recruiting. Now. The British kid is someone that now people are saying Kentucky that is recruiting that actually reporters are. He's twenty two years old. His name is Quinn Ellis. He's a point guard. He plays for an Italian basketball pro team. Okay, and there are people saying could be one of the best players that will end up transferring into college basketball next year. Duke is interested in him. Kentucky and Louisville, would you like to have a good day tea and Crumpet's British point guard next year?

00:19:16
Speaker 5: Absolutely, because I you know, we kind of hinted yesterday. I'm in the Canton. I don't think Low's gonna come back, so I think they need to go out and get a top quality, elite, elite, elite point guard. This guy could be the guy.

00:19:27
Speaker 4: There is a person who's a big donor to Kentucky who's sending it to I think everyone that has a text because I got this message, but so it seems like other people did too that they do not think Jalen Lowe's coming back for a variety of reasons. You know, that person might know, but I mean, I don't know for sure, but if so, and you have to get a point guard, getting a twenty two year old professional that's pretty good. I mean that's you feel good about it. He only averages eight points a game, but he's in the Italian League, which is a great league. Yeah, so you know, I mean if Duke. My view is if Duke wants even then we can win him too.

00:20:07
Speaker 5: We learned well, I learned my lesson last year in the transfer portal. Things can change overnight. And I think until we hear Jacob Polachik or Jack Pilgrim or one of these guys reported about somebody, then you can take it to the bank.

00:20:20
Speaker 4: You you also, I think I was talking about this on I think a caller called it is so much harder to evaluate in some ways the portal guys because they come from such different environments. So if you were to go look at the rankings last year for the portal, the top twenty players in the portal, I don't think it's anywhere close to who ended up being the top twenty players high school recruits. It tends to be pretty close, pretty close, But it seems like people still haven't gotten the science of the portal down yet. Yeah, so it's hard to know exactly who is gonna end up being. And then when you throw in a guy that's been playing in Italy. Yeah, I mean who.

00:21:04
Speaker 5: Knows, you know, you know, who would have known that Dalton connect from what northern Colorado was gonna be the player he was at Tennessee. And yet then there's a player like Yaxel. Okay, you think this guy's gonna do it well?

00:21:14
Speaker 4: The kid that's playing at Yukon Silas Dimmerie who we went after, Yeah, I think he was ranked what thirtieth in the portal and he's ended up being awes awesome. So you just you just never I you on some level have to trust the coaches that they get the fit, right. I mean there's a handful of guys you know will be really good like Yaxel was. Yeah, but you know, Donovan Dian was number one and he struggled most of the year, although he's gotten better in the last few games, but we'll see. My view is, if you can get a twenty two year old British players, we've only had, I mean British players, we only had one, right, I think, Mauric Kenyo.

00:21:54
Speaker 5: Will It's only what I can think of more.

00:21:56
Speaker 4: Kenyo Williams, I think, is the only British player that I can remember that we've had played because there's not a lot of Brits that play basketball. I mean, I can only think of a handful of British people period that it played basketball. John Amachi, yes Ul dang Duke. I don't think I can think of another one. British people just aren't basketball players. And but basketball is not a thing in Britain. Like if you like a lot of Europe it is. Most of Europe it is, But in Britain you can just people just don't play basketball.

00:22:34
Speaker 5: So we have people players from London Kentucky.

00:22:36
Speaker 4: Yeah, but so yeah, I'm excited, but as far as everyone else, I'm not gonna really get into a guy coming here from the portal until Kentucky meets with him. And even then we saw last year they met with fifteen guys they didn't get right.

00:22:54
Speaker 5: So changes quickly, just.

00:22:56
Speaker 4: A random account saying this kid, you're gonna have to give me or nah for me to believe it's gonna happen. We'll take your calls if I'm nine to eight. Twenty two eighty sevens Koshi TJ. Smith, personal injury attorney called TJ. He'll make them pay.

00:23:10
Speaker 3: No more of Kentucky Sports Radio presented by Stockton Mortgage.

00:23:13
Speaker 4: Here's Matt Jones, that collective groan you heard from all over the state. Where were people losing their minds that I forgot about a Mariy Williams. Well they should Yeah, that that was last year. That's that's a that's a.

00:23:27
Speaker 5: Huge It was a lot of things have happened in twelve.

00:23:30
Speaker 4: Yeah, but I mean I should have because I think twelve months ago when we got him, I was like, we've never had a British play Like I think I had that exact conversation one year ago. That was my friend. That's right there. That was that was close. It'd be like, we've never had a player named Lamont and you're like, maybe twelve months ago he did. Yeah, so Amar obviously would be. So Mark Pope's had success. Maybe we have a British pipeline coming.

00:23:55
Speaker 5: Well, is there an update to on dink Pate? Another point guard? They were talking.

00:23:58
Speaker 4: I don't have anything about but uh, this will all really speed up whenever we lose. Yeah, I mean officially you can't have conversations with people in the portal till April first, but they are clearly conversations of course that are occurring. But for Kentucky. You won't start to hear leaked information until we lose. And then once we lose, I think you're gonna start hearing it quite a bit. First thing will be what our.

00:24:20
Speaker 5: Players do right, and then because they'll have to enter the portal.

00:24:24
Speaker 4: Yesuick, well April first, but like you'll start to hear. I think before what what what they're gonna what they're gonna do if I'm nine two eight twenty two eighty seven, before we go the phones, I do want to talk just second about we listened Shannon. We were driving here and then I remember that Eli Capaludo was doing an interview. Oh yeah, on A on A on another network and another show. And you know, I'm a big believer in try to be a big believer and don't punch down. I don't always adhere to that, but I try, Okay, punch up, not down. So I don't want to punch down. I deleted a tweet I said because I don't want to punch down the show. I don't know the two people that host the show, so you know, it's fine. I can't punch though a little bit. So Eli Cappoluto was on If any of you ever thought that, like Mitch Barnhardt, was too saucy and interesting. Go listen to an Eli cappolluto. Okay, nice man. But we turned it on halfway through and I had to turn it offtion and I was gonna run off the road fall asleep. Oh my goodness, nice man.

00:25:40
Speaker 2: I didn't hear it.

00:25:41
Speaker 4: But I see they're doing a filibuster in the Senate. Just put Elie up there. You don't have to have any money. And then the thing I found most interesting is the hosts were not allowed to do the interview. The guy who owned the station took over and did the interview. Yeah, that was the guy. You remember that Seventeen years ago I went to every station and said I'll work for free, and he told me I would never be in broadcasting because I didn't have any talent. Do you remember that? Yeah?

00:26:12
Speaker 5: I forgot that part of the story.

00:26:14
Speaker 4: Yes, he met with me and he said, look, you seem like a good guy, but you don't really have a voice for radio, and I just don't think you'll ever really be in broadcasting. He looked at me and said that during lunch, and I remember thinking, all right, we'll see that.

00:26:31
Speaker 5: They dropped the Ball. They have Alan Cutler on their staff. Yeah, Alan Cutler should have done that interview.

00:26:37
Speaker 4: Well, if you wait it, I want you to think about it. If you're hosting a show and Shannon like, let's that's that would be like the CEO of iHeart taking over KSR an interview.

00:26:46
Speaker 5: And someone like Mitch come on that day.

00:26:49
Speaker 4: Yes, I'm gonna have Mitch on and they go, all right, Matt, you're out, We're bringing in the CEO of iHeart, right, are you kidding?

00:26:55
Speaker 2: Men?

00:26:56
Speaker 4: So he interviewed him. So the guy by the way who said I had no talent snoozefest of an interview, So it sounded very scripted.

00:27:04
Speaker 2: Yeah, I was gonna say, probably have pre.

00:27:07
Speaker 4: Really came out of it. Really, no news came out of it, except there was maybe a half piece of news, which was he did say that they would look national for the ad, but then he said, but that doesn't mean we won't hire somebody internal. So like, that's why I say a half piece of news. He acknowledged that they he said he was going on his listening tour. He didn't say what that meant, but that he was almost done with the listening tours. So a lot of listening has already occurred, but otherwise it was thirty forty minutes and there was no news. I'm just gonna tell you though, if I hosted a show and my boss told me to get out of way and let me do the interview, stop it, well.

00:27:50
Speaker 5: We were all kind of anxious to hear because this was the first time Kapludhu had spoke since Mitch decided to leave.

00:27:56
Speaker 4: First words, there was really like nothing nothing.

00:27:58
Speaker 5: That's why I think it was like the agreed upon kind of a scripted interview.

00:28:02
Speaker 4: What's the point of that. What's the point of saying nothing like that? Didn't get that, It didn't help the situation. Did not even ask or address the contract.

00:28:13
Speaker 5: See, that's that's why you need to be like Cutler and you to ask those questions.

00:28:16
Speaker 2: I didn't even say that we addressed the media. That's that.

00:28:19
Speaker 4: They didn't even address it. So I'm so the UK did send me a statement. Okay, all right, So I do want this is about I asked about the contract and I want to pull up here their statement because he they sent me a statement, and of course now I can't find it. Okay, it's way too long for me to read out. The first paragraphs about how successful Mitche is. The second paragraph is about how much he brings to university. Then this is what is said about the contract. His compensation is in line with what comparable institutions have paid for similar transitions, and the role itself is more robust, more accountable, and more critical to the Universe's mission. Importantly, this does not distract from the athletic department's capacity in any way. Says nothing. No, I mean it says nothing.

00:29:09
Speaker 5: Yeah.

00:29:10
Speaker 4: I asked why did he get two million more dollars? And that was the answer.

00:29:15
Speaker 5: They're trying to say other schools gives it.

00:29:17
Speaker 4: Basically just says other schools do doesn't say which schools do it.

00:29:20
Speaker 5: I've never heard that other schools just give.

00:29:23
Speaker 4: Two million dollars out of the kindness of their heart. Somebody decides to move to a so you know, you can make of that what you want. But I do not understand the pr strategy of a university that says, oh, all these people are upset, We're gonna answer the questions by putting someone on and having them talk when no one's listening and saying nothing. Yeah, that doesn't do anything, But that's what they decide to do. Who's up next?

00:29:48
Speaker 2: We asked for Bob and Jamestown in Still we got Rob.

00:29:51
Speaker 4: But by the way, Bob and Jamestown does not call today. I texted him this is the one day that I'm up. And then Shannon he it's classic Bob, or he would have called and talked about the rest he's defining. I guess I kind of respect that. All right, go ahead, Rob, Rob, go ahead.

00:30:08
Speaker 6: Hey guys, So it looks like Pope missed on another recruit and they're reporting that it fell apart at the ni L table. Are we seriously looking I know they talked about the video game coordinator at some G League team or not video game video coordinator? I mean we are we seriously pursuing a GM here.

00:30:29
Speaker 4: Well, we don't know what, but yeah, we don't know what. We don't know. Really, we know they're hiring at least two people in some sort of role, but we're not sure what responsibilities they're being given. So it's hard to be quite frank with you, it's hard to know if whether they are or not. He was not. He was asked, Eli was asked about that, and he goes, you'll have to ask Mitch, so he completely punted on that too. So so the short answer is they're hiring somebody to help with this stuff. But whether or not they're actually they have yet to make clear.

00:31:04
Speaker 6: As long as they can close the deal at the table, because that seems to be it's like we're number two to everybody, and it's always reported that it's about nil, And yeah, take that off of JMI because will Stein don't.

00:31:18
Speaker 4: Seem to have it rub But remember, I want to say this, I'm not I'm not blaming JMI, but will Stein and football are different. The way you build a football program through through NIL is different than basketball. In football, you're taking money and you're distributing it amongst seventy guys, and you really are only negotiating with one or two stars. In basketball, all the people are stars. All the people are asking for specialized deals. So in football, will Stein basically had maybe two big deals to negotiate a couple of the offensive linemen and the quarterback from Notre Dame. And from what we've seen, JMI and that that has been really successful in that world. But basketball is a different world. Basketball you've got agents who are asking who can The players are much more are stars, they have their own brand deals. It's a different thing. So I'm with you. Will Stein has shown that the JMI setup for football seems to work. What the question is is basketball it's not. It doesn't seem like it's working. But now is that JMI Is that Mark Pope? We don't know yet. I think we'll know a lot more at the end of this portal cycle.

00:32:34
Speaker 6: Could it be just relationships with agents?

00:32:36
Speaker 4: It could be, It could be very well could be. If you remember the original story, it was a two part story. Everyone focuses on the first part, which was the JMI part, but the second part was that Mark Pope was not coming off great to these agents, right, and that Mark Pope was kind of not connecting to people. So, Sir, I think it's a fair question which one of those is most important. I think as of this moment, I don't know the answer to that.

00:33:05
Speaker 6: Okay, thanks guys.

00:33:06
Speaker 4: Appreciate the call. Do you agree with that?

00:33:07
Speaker 5: Yeah, that's why it's crucial, we've said many times, and he gets somebody that can handle talking to agents and handle the money. The budget side of NIL World.

00:33:15
Speaker 4: And football at Kentucky is different. Yes, it's different, and it seems like we're doing that pretty well. But in basketball, you got like nine guys, all of whom have nine agendas, and that's a different It is rategy, it is. It's just different.

00:33:34
Speaker 5: They have AA coaches and agents and everybody else, kind of to put it another way.

00:33:39
Speaker 4: In football, we're not recruiting the top five guys. That's a problem for Alabama Ohio State. But in basketball we all we do and so that's a different it's a different process and time. It's time to score big this month at Don Franklin. She's from over six thousand new and certified pre owned vehicles. Go the distance with powertrain protection on certified pre makes some models for up to ten years. Get slam dunk deals all month long at Don Franklinado. It's March. It's car time. Don Franklin score big online or at the twenty eight dealerships. There's a new one at Don Franklin. It's Don Franklinado, driven by family. We'll take a break and beery backs KSR welcome back. Yeah, we still have no news, but that's okay.

00:34:23
Speaker 5: We'll get there to check with some of our reporter friends. And Lex Denna and said, did he say anything at all. Everybody totally blanket agree. No, no news came out.

00:34:33
Speaker 4: Well that's the way it goes. A nine eighty seven. Are we gonna win tomorrow?

00:34:39
Speaker 5: Yes, yeah, we're gonna you know, let ourselves get scared about Santa Clara, but just because we're gun shy from Oakland and Saint Peter's. But yes, we will win tomorrow.

00:34:47
Speaker 4: Objectively, we're better. Yes. Uh. People say, well, they shoot well, that's true. They rebound pretty well, that's true. They're like one of the worst defensive teams in the tournament. They don't guard anybody. We don't want to. We don't want to do what SMU did and try to get to shootout right. But you know, we should be able to score on them relatively easily. Are bigs like this is your chance to showcase, like you should be able. They have two the big guys, but one of them is not very good. Uh. Now, the the forward that that can step out and shoot threes, you got to stay on him.

00:35:26
Speaker 5: He's their best player.

00:35:27
Speaker 4: But our guards should be better, So we should win. That doesn't mean we will, but we should.

00:35:33
Speaker 5: I think Hermsink is a great coach. Herb Herb Herb Syndick is a great coach, but our dudes are better than their dudes. You're supposed to go out and wind.

00:35:40
Speaker 4: Supposed to go win, So go win.

00:35:42
Speaker 3: They've lost the three teams not in the tournament. They've only beaten two teams in the tournament, McNees and stat St.

00:35:48
Speaker 2: Mary's of the team.

00:35:49
Speaker 4: McNees and Saint Mary's. So you know, we we have only lost one game to a team not in the tournament, and it was a team that was the next team in, right, and we've beaten really good team.

00:36:05
Speaker 5: Yep.

00:36:06
Speaker 4: So go win the game and then give yourself a chance against Iowa State. So I'm accepting no negative energy from now until tomorrow.

00:36:15
Speaker 5: At twelve fifteen, I was kind of impressed with the way they came out opened up playing the SEC tournament. You know, they played pretty well in their first game and the second even their second game played pretty well. Yeah, So I think there, You know, there is something about turning it up for tournament time, and this guy seem to do that.

00:36:28
Speaker 4: We'll learn a lot. We're gonna learn a lot about sort of how this whole thing went by, kind of how you play tomorrow now. Games at twelve fifteen, it's early for them, it's even earlier. So for them it's at nine to fifteen.

00:36:41
Speaker 5: So they're meeting with the media like any minute for the first time since the Brackets came out UK. Yeah, what do you think.

00:36:47
Speaker 4: About Pope said that he wanted the reason he didn't do the Bracket show was he wanted to have a special moment with the team. I think people had guessed it was because of that documentary. Apparently the documentary crew was there, so that it was just he said, you know, because the documentary crew had followed them around all year, they had never been alone. That was basically what he said, and here was our chance to be alone. What do you think of that?

00:37:15
Speaker 5: I think it smells like duck poop. I don't know why he wanted to isolate everybody.

00:37:19
Speaker 4: It's because but I mean, is that you that's plausible? I mean you could make an argument that why do we why did we have this documentary crew? You know, the last time we had a documentary crew following us around all year we met we made the n I T. That was when ESPN followed us.

00:37:33
Speaker 5: The season stunk.

00:37:34
Speaker 4: Yeah, so I mean you could argue maybe we just aren't like the whole doing the documentary crew is not the thing for us to do. But nevertheless, let's just take it face value. What he said is true, which is the crew's been around all year, so they're never alone. For whatever reason, the crew was not gonna be there, so they had a chance to be alone.

00:37:51
Speaker 5: If this was a good idea, something that was you know, people, that was a good idea. Did other teams do it? Did other teams kind of be isolated? Could we want a special moment by ourselves.

00:37:59
Speaker 4: No, I'm not as upset about this as other people are, I think though, But there are issues that I think sometimes the media complains about, yes, that are legitimate, that are not like legitimate issues, And then there are issues that sometimes the media complains about that the media just complains because it's.

00:38:17
Speaker 5: Not it affects us, It affects the US.

00:38:21
Speaker 4: I kind of lean towards this one being the second one. So the fact that he didn't make any comment at all before the game, right, I think that's a mistake that to me is a number one complaint, which is the fans want to hear what you have to say, yep, say something. The fact that he didn't do the bracket watch is kind of to me more of a number two. Now. It has been a long tradition, and you could argue, why do you in the tradition, But I'm more I think number one is a legitimate clamplaint. Number two is just kind of But then I never went to that, so I don't really you know, I was always at the SEC tournament, so I never made it. This is it?

00:38:59
Speaker 5: Can you make it? Are you mean about the players wanted to feel that part of getting an NCAA turn.

00:39:04
Speaker 4: I bet the players don't care. I bet the players don't care. I mean, I don't think the players care whether there's people taking pictures of them or not. They might even like it more if there's not, you know so, But either way, his decision to not practice in Nashville, all that part of it just depends on how you play. If you win, nobody's gonna care about any of this, right right, No, nobody will care about anything if you win. And that's why winning is the great cure for all this stuff. Just go win. Who's next, Joseph, Joseph, Go ahead, Joseph, And man, I think, Clara, but make it than what it should be.

00:39:45
Speaker 8: Pace of State points then that State. I think we'll do what we usually do, be down by halftime, and then I think I will Awa State pulls away in the second half.

00:39:58
Speaker 4: Well, way to be excited, Joseph, appreciate the basketball. Joseph Man, nothing is gonna change his volume and tone.

00:40:09
Speaker 2: Shannon, Right, yeah, first day of the tournament.

00:40:11
Speaker 4: I mean, I'm gonna get married tonight. I think it's gonna go well, we.

00:40:17
Speaker 5: Have cake, but tomorrow we're gonna get into a fight.

00:40:21
Speaker 4: I love that about Joseph not he doesn't get rattled. No, he's right where he's gonna be. Who's next, Tim, Tim? Go ahead? Tim?

00:40:31
Speaker 7: Hey, Matt, Hi, Ryan, Matt. I want to comment on you kidding Ryan? About Miami and Miami of Ohio. They have a ton of foreign athletes, and I know a college swimmer was recruited by him, and then the recruitment they had palm trees all over the letters. Apparently a lot of these kids show up and they're surprised that it's a middle Oh really.

00:40:54
Speaker 4: That's interesting. So they just they don't say we're in Florida, but they just let let people assume that that's where they are.

00:41:01
Speaker 7: They have palm trees all over their stuff. I like that the show off for the tournament able to call in live. Just you guys bring me so much enjoyment in life. I love listening to you, and I love Pope, and I hope that after the end of this tournament we can say the guy was a genius for the things he's done. And I actually liked the idea that he restricted the distractions with the media.

00:41:23
Speaker 4: Yeah, I appreciate you call. Thank you and thank you for listening, and thank you for calling in on the thing. I like that. You know, Max Steffie told me that when he was in Australia and they and the guys the punters would get their college scholarship, He's like, we don't have any idea where these schools are. He's like, imagine you're an American high school student and you get an offer from an Australian school and it's not in Sydney or Melbourne. You're not gonna know anything.

00:41:47
Speaker 5: About it nothing.

00:41:48
Speaker 4: He's like, in Australia, we know New York, LA, Miami, Vegas. So he's like deciding between Alabama and you know UNLV. You're like, I want to go to UNLV in Vegas, he said, so a lot of times we get here and we don't even know where we are. That's kind of people. We don't think like that. We'll be right back our two ks rh