KSR Postgame UK MBB vs Florida 01/04/25

00:00:00
Speaker 1: Welcome everyone. It is the local Toy Dealers KSR postgame show. That's about as good a game as you will see in college basketball. One hundred and six to one hundred, both teams in triple digits as the Cats get early morning home victory against Florida. It's only like two forty five and we're done for the day except for this postgame show. I'll open up the phone lines here in just a few minutes after we finished this first segment. Awesome college basketball game, I mean really as it's it's one of those that's one of those high, high level games where both teams played excellent and luckily Kentucky was the team to win, and just an awesome environment Rupperena, I mean, the as loud as it's been consistently for a game in a long time, and a fan base really eager to get a big time victory in the arena and got it Kentucky's third top ten win of the year, which is in and of itself a pretty astounding, astounding sort of stat and they'll probably get three more chances at it as the years goes on, as Tennessee, Alabama, and Auburn will all come in at some point this year. First of all, let's just go over kind of big picture the game. I thought, after the first ten minutes of the game, that is the best offense that I think I've seen Kentucky play in a long long time. In thirty minutes of action. They scored eighty two points in the last thirty minutes. That's or actually, excuse me, that's not even right. They scored eighty eight points in the last thirty minutes faction. I mean, there are very few games where Kentucky scores eighty eight points. They did that in thirty minutes. Just an absolute clinic on offense with six different guys in double figures, I think, And we'll go over him in a minute. I think the six main players all had massive stretches in the game that if you didn't have any of them, if one of them was not there, Kentucky would have lost. And that is just a credit to how this team is a is greater than the sum of its parts. Defensively, I don't think Kentucky played particularly wonderful, but I also don't think it was all on Kentucky. I think Florida was offensively themselves pretty amazing. Those two guards. Walter Clayton Junior and then Martin were both terrific, and we really didn't have an answer for him. And then you throw in the fact that offensive great rebounding. You know, we just got destroyed. They ended up with seventeen missshots where they either got the rebound or got the ball out of bounds, so seventeens second chances, which led to thirty one points. And to beat them with that stat that that's not gonna happen very often. So I think Kentucky got out toughed a little bit on the defensive end, but made up for it with excellent offense and creating turnovers. I think Kentucky made up for a lot of their problems rebounding by their turnovers. Florida ended up with nine turnovers, but I think Kentucky converted eight of those nine into buckets. That's that's how you make it up. And then free throws. Florida got so many calls. I mean, I'm not you know, I'm not a referee complainer. I don't think it was like unfair, but the referee just decided if you threw yourself into the defender, you were getting the call. And Florida just did that more often than Kentucky, and so they got a lot of free throws. But what I loved about the game is how each of these dudes were individually excellent, excellent. We'll start with Kobe Bray. Obviously, seven threes. You know we've waited, you know you knew this game was there. He's still he's been an amazing shooter all year, but to make seven, all of them huge, including a couple where the game had gotten down to three or four points. He hits a three, extends the lead, never gives him a chance to tie the game or take the lead. And man, every time he shoots it feels like it's in. He doesn't force it. He took one heat check three and I thought it was in. It kind of went in and out. But it just an amazing shooting performance by Kobe Brea Lamont Butler had Let's see, he finished with nineteen points. But I thought just his defense, even though his man scored a lot. He got a couple of steals, he got fast breaks out, he made free throws down the stretch. He's kind of sneakily not been a great free throw shooter this year. He ended up hitting six of seven towards the end of the game when they mattered. He was massive. You know, Jackson Robinson fourteen points. You may have forgotten he was out there, but there were two different stretches where he had five point flurries when they needed baskets. Once in the first half when they were down eleven, and then once in the second half. He got these little flurries which kept them at one point in the game and the other point ahead. Then you had Andrew Carr. You know, Andrew obviously hit the three that pretty much stealed the game. I thought he played pretty poorly a lot of the game. He got switched a lot on those guards. He couldn't guard him. I thought he was getting out muscled down low. But he also then hit the two most important shots. He got the back to the basket layup, he got the three in the corner. That dude, end of games. He has been money this year at the end of games. He has been absolutely excellent. Did it again today? Oh way, Kentucky went on three runs. I'd never heard the phrase, billy, have you ever heard the phrase kill runs? Have you ever heard?

00:06:00
Speaker 2: No?

00:06:00
Speaker 3: Never heard that, never heard the.

00:06:01
Speaker 1: Phrase kill runs? But I guess that's in the analytics stat heead world. That's a phrase. Basically, it means you go on a ten to nothing run. Kentucky went on three different kill runs in the game, a ten oh, ten to oh, and a sixteen old run. Here's a little stat for you, Billy, from Evan Mikayawa. In college basketball in the last twenty years, if a team goes on three kill runs in a game and doesn't give up one themselves, they're two hundred and ninety nine to zero.

00:06:34
Speaker 3: Wow, never lost, never lost like LeVar ball.

00:06:38
Speaker 1: And we did that today. We're now we were number two hundred and ninety nine. Three different kill runs and all three of those started with an otega Oway play. He ended up, it looks like, with sixteen points, and I believe fourteen of those sixteen were at the start of the kill runs. To use the phrase that I guess they used in the analytic community. He really was the spark plug that kind of would get them going on runs that really were the difference in the game. And then finally, Amari Williams, a guy who I thought started the game terribly giving up rebounds, defensive mistakes. Thought he was great in the second half good passing, got a couple of big buckets, including one where he did something you know, Billy, I don't like when he dribbles down the lane, but he did that on a play finished I think got an n one on it. He was really excellent in that second half, and I thought, still wish he gets it get his arms up when he's rebounding. But besides that, really really good game. Throw in that thought. Brandon Garrison had good moments. Annsley Almanor was plus twenty and ten minutes at action. Not really sure how that happened, but that's a pretty amazing number. And then Travis Perry. Travis Perry got some good minutes and hit a big three. That three he hit was down to a three point. Perry hits that three kind of stopped a little bit of a run, so I thought that was a big shot as well. So really this is a game where I think everyone on the team can be said to have contributed to the victory. I also want to give a shout out to the Big Blue Nation. Dan Shulman, who is the play by play announcer that you've everyone listening knows his voice. He did the game today. He's been doing games for twenty five years, does a lot of the games with Billis, he tweeted after the game. Now, this is the guy who does Major League baseball, he does the NFL, and he's done college basketball. He said in thirty years of games that it was one of the five best combinations of environment and game that he's ever been in. That's pretty strong words from a guy who goes all over the country gets the best game every day, and he says that about Rupperina and it was. He's correct. That was Rupperina at its best. It was eleven am game, guys, eleven am. I mean KSR would only be halfway through on a regular day. It's eleven am. And Rupperena was like it would be for a nine o'clock tip in prime time. That is a credit to that crowd. The rough crowd gets a lot of criticism, some of it deserved, some of it probably hyperbole. But when it's at its best, you get nights like tonight and tonight it was at its or today it was at its absolute best. Big shout out to the atmosphere, big shout out to the fans that were there. You know, I was at the bar. We started our pregame show at eight thirty. It got full right at nine, and you just had a sense it was gonna be a good crowd. And I'm told the place was packed ten minutes before the game. That's how you know it's gonna be a great environment. And finally, you know, it feels kind of opera pos to talk about this now because we just finished winning this game against Florida. On my TV screen right now, Tennessee is playing Arkansas. Arkansas's down looks like eighteen with eight minutes to go, and you know, starting probably now going forward, this is all gonna be about this year, with the exception of February first, obviously when Arkansas comes to town. But there were a lot of people last year that kind of thought, man, if we make a change, we'll set our program back, We'll never be able to be Kentucky. Kentucky basketball will move in a reverse manner. I hope that today, if the Duke win didn't dispel that, if the Gonzaga win didn't dispel that, I hope today dispels that. I think this fan base is totally unified behind Mark Pope, But I also think it's worth remembering something that older fans have said for years. Kentucky basketball is not about any coach. It wasn't about Rup, it wasn't about Hall, it wasn't about Sutton, it wasn't about Patino, it wasn't about Tubby, it wasn't about Gillespie, it wasn't about cal And it's not about Pope. It's about the history. It's not even about the players. It's about the fans, and it's about the state. And that is bigger than any player, than any coach, any radio announcer, any anything. Kentucky basketball is its own major thing. And today is an example of what I mean. Today is Kentucky basketball at its best. Arena filled with people who are watching a well coached team that can go into a timeout, come out and run a play that gets an open three that can win the game. A team where the sum of the totality the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. None of these players individually are great. I don't know that any of them will play in the NBA. But as a unit, they are significantly better than their individual pieces. And they are fun to watch, and you know they care about the name on the front all of them are making money, all of them are getting paid, and yet this is as exciting as the teams in the so called good old days because they love being here and they make this fan base feel special. And that's what Kentucky basketball is. So as I watch us win a game one hundred and six to one hundred, a well played game, up and down the floor at the pace that Kentucky likes, with excitement and fun, and with one of us coaching on the sidelines and getting the victory, and I compare it to a sixty to forty two game I'm watching that I've watched a lot over the last few years. I think Kentucky basketball did exactly what it should have done and is in the place that we all wanted it to be. Eight five, nine two eight twenty two eighty seven. We will open up the phones, take your calls. I know you guys are excited about it. Usually these like Saturday afternoon postgame shows are the ones. You know, people might want to go outside before the snowstorms, so usually it's a time to get in. But this is a big win, so it may be kind of crowded, but hopefully you can get in. We'll take your calls and be right back. It is the Local Toy Dealers KSR Post Game Show. Welcome back. It is the Local Toy Dealers KSR Post Game Show. Eight nine two eight oh twenty two eighty seven. The text machine is seven seven to two seven seven four five two five four. Let's read a couple questions coming in. One person writes Matt. There are a couple of moments I thought the arena would explode. I think it did explode something, didn't it, Billy? I mean I thought there were some loud, loud.

00:14:27
Speaker 3: Cheers on me, like a good crouch.

00:14:28
Speaker 1: Yeah, you know, I got a little nervous during the game, Billy. I uh, you know, I did the thing sometimes when we're at home and it's a close game, almost listening to the crowd be silent makes me nervous. Does that sound weird a little? But yeah?

00:14:46
Speaker 3: Continue, Well, yeah.

00:14:48
Speaker 1: I didn't ask you. I guess he did. But so I'll mute the game during those periods. Okay, so I did that. But you know, games like today, I have to be honest with you, Billy. I feel like I played at the end. Are you just spent spent? I'm spent at the end, I feel like I played you know when uh, there were a couple of threes that when they went in I felt like I'd hit them. You know, the bray of three, the Butler three coming out of the time out, and then the car three. It felt like I hit all of them.

00:15:26
Speaker 4: I do.

00:15:26
Speaker 3: I do appreciate the practice and.

00:15:29
Speaker 1: You're welcome, but I do at the end sometimes feel like emotionally I'm spent, uh from the game. One person writes, Matt, what did you think about the fact that Ron DeSantis was on the front row. Well, you know, anytime there's a notable person at a game, I think that's that's cool. I I don't care so much about like, you know, he's uh, he's a Republican politician. I mean I'd feel the same way if it was a Democrat politician. I'm glad to have him at the game. I don't know if I like having the Florida fan though Billy in the seats next to the Kentucky bitch, you know what I mean. It's not about him being that. It's just about like, I don't want him putting his his Gator voodoo on it.

00:16:15
Speaker 5: I doubt he was making noise and and and getting into the ear that he you do that.

00:16:19
Speaker 1: Thing though, that that Chris Christy did the governor, he puts his name on his jacket. Did you see that. I did not see it, Santis Governor on the front of his jacket.

00:16:30
Speaker 5: Is that a lame move?

00:16:32
Speaker 1: Well, yeah, I think, But then again, someone bought you. Remember when I talked about Chris Christy doing it, somebody bought me a jacket that just said Matt Jones radio host.

00:16:43
Speaker 3: Have you wore that at all?

00:16:45
Speaker 6: No?

00:16:45
Speaker 1: I mean I think I wore it once as a joke. But it's just an odd thing to have your name on the front of your jacket. Do you think, Yeah, maybe would you get a jacket and said Billy radio host? Yeah, I would. It's all that.

00:17:00
Speaker 5: Oh yeah, I mean.

00:17:04
Speaker 1: Yeah, but that's kind of making fun of you. I don't know. So, No, I didn't have any problem with him being at the game. I think anyone that's in an official role should come to the Kentucky Games. I'm totally good with that at least. Don't know if I'd put him right next to our bitch. But other than that, I thought it was fine. All right. Who's up first?

00:17:22
Speaker 3: Andrew?

00:17:23
Speaker 1: Andrew go ahead, Andrew.

00:17:27
Speaker 4: What's up?

00:17:27
Speaker 6: Matt?

00:17:29
Speaker 7: So, I'm from Knoxville and I literally just walked out of Thompson Bowl and Well Food.

00:17:35
Speaker 8: City Arena whatever, and I was close to cal Perry today.

00:17:43
Speaker 6: And he just looks defeated.

00:17:45
Speaker 9: And after watching Kentucky win, you know, I listened to.

00:17:48
Speaker 7: Tom Leech towards the end and watching the madness that was going on in Noxville today. I'm twenty six, so all I've known Calipari and I admittedly was sad to see him go, and I didn't know how Pope was gonna turn out. But today it finally turned around for me that this is the future.

00:18:10
Speaker 9: Cal Perry is chocked.

00:18:13
Speaker 1: He when you say it's today, that was the day. And just be honest, were you one of the people last year who was like we need to bring you back. I mean, were you in that and then and now you've changed your mind or did you change your mind before that? When did that happen?

00:18:35
Speaker 10: Well?

00:18:35
Speaker 9: Truly, if I'm being dead honest, I didn't know because like all my life, I've heard my dad talk about Rick Detino, Tabby, all these national championships and all of scenes cal So it's like he was the standard to me.

00:18:49
Speaker 1: So it's like, what's now.

00:18:50
Speaker 6: What's next?

00:18:51
Speaker 1: Yeah?

00:18:52
Speaker 9: I do so today was just just I mean, what a day.

00:18:55
Speaker 6: And also I mean Tennessee fans are the worst.

00:18:58
Speaker 11: Sad to see him win, but I can't wait to see him.

00:19:03
Speaker 6: They are good.

00:19:04
Speaker 1: But I appreciate the call. I appreciate the call. Yeah, you know that fresh energy is great. Col's jacket is hideous.

00:19:13
Speaker 3: Billy, like, I gotta go look this up.

00:19:16
Speaker 1: If it's it's it's awful. It looks like a picnic table. The red. I don't know if you coached Arkansas, would you feel the desire that you have to wear red? He feels like he has to. Can't you just wear a dark suit? Though? Like, why can't you just wear a dark Do you have to actually wear red to every game? I mean, Kentucky coaches don't wear blue to every game?

00:19:39
Speaker 3: No, that's true.

00:19:40
Speaker 1: Why do you have to wear red? The certainly don't have to wear what he's got on today.

00:19:44
Speaker 5: Well, he's trying to ingrain himself with the fan base, right, they got the slobborn hog out there.

00:19:49
Speaker 3: He's wearing red.

00:19:50
Speaker 1: They're losing by twenty. Who's up next?

00:19:52
Speaker 3: Josh's next?

00:19:53
Speaker 1: Josh go ahead, Josh, first time, long time? Who are what's up that mo?

00:20:00
Speaker 8: Me and my son went to the game. We went to the pre show with you guys, and what was it like inside?

00:20:05
Speaker 1: What was it like inside?

00:20:08
Speaker 8: It was so loud. Everybody was on their feet, everybody was cheering, they were booing the Florida fans and it was just a great atmosphere overall.

00:20:18
Speaker 1: That's awesome. I mean for an eleven o'clock start, I was kind of worried, but the fans brought it for sure.

00:20:26
Speaker 8: Yes, sir, they did. We had so much fun and one to say thank you for all you guys do. And we had a blast at the pregame show.

00:20:33
Speaker 1: Well, thank you for coming by the bar. You guys have a safe trip home.

00:20:36
Speaker 12: Okay, yes, sir, thank you, Thank.

00:20:38
Speaker 1: You appreciate it. By the way, we were gonna have otega oh way at the bar tomorrow for signing. Because of the weather, we're gonna postpone that we'll probably do it sometime middle of next week, so uh, keep that in mind. We're gonna have because I know some of you all want to get all the players. We're gonna try to have them all. The main guys at the bar sometime during the season, but because of the weather tomorrow we will it was gonna be tomorrow, We're gonna postpone it away, you know, for sometime in the next ten days or so. Who's up next, Jordan, Jordan, go ahead, Jordan.

00:21:16
Speaker 13: Hey, Matt, first time, long time?

00:21:18
Speaker 1: Who are.

00:21:20
Speaker 14: Hey?

00:21:20
Speaker 13: So took my two boys, my wife. First time we've been as a as a whole family to a game.

00:21:27
Speaker 10: Before the game, we were able to go down on the floor, have.

00:21:30
Speaker 13: Some good friends, have really great seats. The scorekeeper actually let my eight year old Hudson hold the game ball and was able to kind of bless the game ball a little bit. We've been shooting the ball a little poorly, so I think I think Hudson, well, you gotta.

00:21:45
Speaker 1: Get Hudson in the next time. He did a good job blessing the game ball. We shot forty eight from three. Now you got to get him to put a curse on the other team shooting the ball because they still made a lot.

00:21:58
Speaker 13: Well, we did one thing, work on the other next time. But you know, anytime, we need to come back and do that again. The balls in the UK's court, if you want to put that out there.

00:22:08
Speaker 1: You know what, I'll pass on the message. They need to have you there in order to have a shoot.

00:22:12
Speaker 13: Well, it was an awesome atmosphere. My kids had such a great time. We stayed after the game. Kobe Brea stayed and he was still signing. We got a ball sign and Pope signed.

00:22:22
Speaker 15: It was just it's just it's just awesome.

00:22:24
Speaker 10: So appreciate everything.

00:22:25
Speaker 13: It is awesome these players and whatnot.

00:22:29
Speaker 1: Glad you enjoyed the game. Appreciate the call. Walter Clayton junior Billy. I'll be glad when he's gone.

00:22:34
Speaker 3: Good grief and he's good.

00:22:36
Speaker 1: That shot he hit, we were up eleven and it looked like we had basically they were done, and he hit a contested three and I think it was either Butler or Brea was right in his face and he still made it and they kind of stayed in the game from that play. That dude is unbelieving. And then the other guy, Martin the Florida Atlantic Transfer, he was amazing too.

00:23:00
Speaker 5: Yeah, Martin had twenty six. Clayton, I do want to commend Butler, even though he scored thirty three. He was tired at the end of the game.

00:23:06
Speaker 1: Missed this and he missed an open three, like I think what I think. It was a seven point game, like two and a half minutes to go, and Clayton had a wide open three and he left it short. And I agree with you, Billy, I thought he was tired. Uh, normally that would be that would be in and I thought he was tired, and I thought you could see this sort of uh, you know what they were able to do to him defensively. And I do want to give a shout out to our guy Travis Perry. I mean he allowed Butler to get rest. Butler played thirty one minutes. I think Perry had like eight or nine, but that allowed him. You know, we didn't have a drop off. I think we even were plus points in the minutes Perry was in. So there's been a drop off at that position since Kerr got hurt, and tonight there really wasn't. Who's next. Florida Man, Florida man, how are you?

00:23:55
Speaker 14: Hey?

00:23:56
Speaker 1: Matt?

00:23:56
Speaker 11: I'm originally from Henry County, but I live down here in Florida now. I just wanted to tell you that the game has been all the talk down here for the last week or two ever since they played a bowl game. I live in Tampa, and that's where they played their bowl game for football, and ever since then, all the talk has been this Kentucky game, and that's all they've cared about. So I just wanted to let everyone know that this was their Super Bowl, and just like every other Kentucky game, we brought the heat and go Cats, Go Cats.

00:24:28
Speaker 1: Well they're good now, I mean, I'm glad we're not playing down there. You know, we've played them twice a year for as long as I can remember. I mean, we've probably played them twice a year. I don't know for seventy five years in a row. I mean, we played them when it was the East and West, we played them twice a year. And then when we went to the rotating schedule. If you remember, it used to be you had three permanent opponents that you played twice year, and for ours was it was Tennessee, Vandy, and Florida. And this year it's Tennessee, Vandy and Alabama because now Texas and Oklahoma in the com So this is the first year we haven't played Florida twice. Billy, it's gotta be in seventy five years.

00:25:17
Speaker 3: That seems like a long time.

00:25:18
Speaker 1: I mean, I don't know when we wouldn't have played them twice because the SEC used to play every team twice and then it went to the East and the West, and we were in the East with them, and then we went to the schedule. It's been the last ten years or so, and we played them twice. So this is probably the first time we've played not played them twice, and who knows how long we went. But I'm glad we're not playing them again because I think if we played in Gamesville, we might lose. Yeah, lose, right, I mean, they're good, so so might see him in the SEC tournament. We'll see who's next, Ryan, Ryan, go ahead, Ryan, Matt.

00:25:53
Speaker 16: Great day, great game. But I got a bone to pick with somebody, all Right, that guy that called in last week and that stupid mess about y'all talking about cal.

00:26:03
Speaker 12: Here's the deal.

00:26:03
Speaker 16: Y'all's job is to talk about the overall storyline of the program. Yes, and he's a part of the storyline of the program. And secondly, your personality is part of the show. That's like going to Applebee's and complaining that it's not Buffalo Wildwing. Go where you like it and don't ask the place that you don't like, to change to what you like.

00:26:25
Speaker 1: Have a nice day, appreciate the call. I genuinely agree with you. I mean, every in future years, the Cal conversation will get less and less. That's just gonna be the nature of it. Pope will It'll be about Pope. You know. I remember the first year that Cal was here. We compared Cal to Gillespie all the time, and Cal won that comparison very easily. That's gonna happen. But I mean, look at today, we play Florida at home. It's one hundred and six to one hundre. And then right after the game is over, Tennessee Arkans Saw comes on and it's seventy six fifty two. Arkansas is gonna lose by twenty four, and scored fifty two points, Like Billy, how are you not gonna note that?

00:27:14
Speaker 3: No, you are?

00:27:15
Speaker 1: You're going to now. That doesn't mean we're gonna beat Tennessee and Knoxville. I bet we don't, but I bet we score more than fifty two fifty two fifty two. Who's next?

00:27:26
Speaker 3: Tristan, Tristan, what's up?

00:27:28
Speaker 1: Tristan?

00:27:30
Speaker 15: Good afternoon, gentlemen, Good afternoon. So I despise Florida the most, so games like this are basically spiritual healing. I was there. It was an incredible environment. The fans chanted at the rest, specifically three different times.

00:27:46
Speaker 1: That was the loudest ref you suck chant I've ever heard at the end, Like when they called that foul right at the end. I can't remember the last time I've heard one louder than that.

00:27:57
Speaker 14: Yep.

00:27:58
Speaker 15: Well, you know, no, I forgot the second n I was gonna say was hope you'll have a great day.

00:28:04
Speaker 1: Well, thank you. Yeah, I mean, what do you think about the refs? I thought I thought they bailed them out a lot. That calls at the rim, Yeah there was.

00:28:14
Speaker 5: There's definitely a couple of phantom calls. One on Garrison that was egregious.

00:28:18
Speaker 1: Yeah, well that one, Yeah, that one on Garrison. They called it so late that I thought it was on the second shot.

00:28:25
Speaker 3: Yeah.

00:28:25
Speaker 5: No, I'm saying with you because again I.

00:28:28
Speaker 1: Had it on mute because you know, I was playing and I was nervous. I needed to folk tune out the crowd. I didn't hear the whistle because I had it on mute. So I went into the break thinking they called it on the rebound. I couldn't believe they called it on the initial shot because I went back and listened he blew the whistle after the second guy had shot it.

00:28:51
Speaker 5: Yeah, just one of the many calls that you could question today.

00:28:54
Speaker 1: I didn't under I felt like they bailed him out a lot with late light whistles. But honestly, on a couple of those billy it was probably a blessing because we put the dude with the the haircut that all the country singers have.

00:29:08
Speaker 5: Now, oh yeah, you know what I'm talking about, has.

00:29:12
Speaker 1: That haircut, and I think it works on him. But I think a lot of these goobers that try to copy it, I don't think it works on them. I think the guy in Florida, he just looks like, well, he needs to not have that haircut. But we put him on the line and he missed a bunch of free throws down the stretch, and so I actually I think some of those fouls might have helped us, honestly, because he would he missed so many free throws.

00:29:36
Speaker 3: Who's next?

00:29:38
Speaker 1: Ray? What's up? Ray?

00:29:42
Speaker 13: Hey?

00:29:42
Speaker 8: Matt?

00:29:42
Speaker 17: Was was that the best eleven AM game of all time?

00:29:45
Speaker 6: Or what?

00:29:46
Speaker 1: Yeah, listen, that's one of the better noon crowd. I mean, you know, we've had crowds louder than that, but it's it's almost always a night game. I can't remember a crowd that good. I mean, we've never had an eleven am game, but I don't remember crowds that good for a noon game. Ever.

00:30:08
Speaker 17: We complained about the early games, but the best game I've ever been to at RUPP was a noon game. And that was that North Carolina versus Kentucky game.

00:30:17
Speaker 1: That was a noon game, wasn't it. I forgot that was a noon game. Yeah, yeah, that was a noon game. And that was a great crowd too.

00:30:24
Speaker 17: You're right, Matt, I'm so proud of Amari Williams. He started off he was making bonehead mistakes and the way he finished fifteen points, eight rebounds, five assists. What a line for a sinner like him.

00:30:41
Speaker 1: Totally right, and I appreciate the call. Mary. Williams probably frustrates me more than anyone else on the team because the main reason, well too, I don't like what he dribbles, but secondly, he doesn't put his arms up, he doesn't rebound with his arms up in the air, and he doesn't always play defense with his arms in the air, and that first strains me, and I was very frustrated with him at the beginning. He gave up two easy baskets because he didn't rebound, and then he turned it over and I thought, well, he's gonna be bad this game. But then he went to the bench. Pope took Pope took him to the bench early. Once he came back in, he was great. The rest of the day really was take aside those last few minutes, that's the best I've seen to Mari Williams play maybe this year, outside of those first few minutes. Mississippi State, by the way, who we play next Saturday night at eight thirty on the road is up thirty on South Carolina right now? Wow, okay, fifty to twenty one. Mississippi State's good. By the way. Pope said this in the postgame, and he's right. Obviously, Florida was second in the country in half court defense, second in the country in half court defense, and we scored one hundred and six on him, most of which were in the half court. So that's pretty good. Well, stell one more, We'll take a break.

00:32:05
Speaker 3: Who's next, Charlie.

00:32:07
Speaker 1: Charlie go ahead, Charlie.

00:32:11
Speaker 18: Hey, I think that their crowd being so old like that eleven o'clock time slot's perfect to get their early bird.

00:32:16
Speaker 1: Brakfaice is pre nap.

00:32:18
Speaker 19: I think that's why the game went so well.

00:32:20
Speaker 1: You know, is that what it is? That's an interesting point because, like I wondered if we'd have people at the pregame show because it was so early, and you're right, they all came and ate breakf You're exactly right. Maybe this is prime time for the rough crowd.

00:32:34
Speaker 19: But my only worry is the rebounding. It's still still worry.

00:32:38
Speaker 1: Yeah, no, it's a worry. I appreciate the call. It is a worry. They we got I mean thirty one second chance points. You're not gonna win. I'm not gonna say you're never gonna win because we won, but you're not gonna win a lot giving up that many. I didn't think about that, Billy. This is prime time for the older fans. It really game.

00:32:56
Speaker 3: It really is the perfect call. I mean, go to the game, they got their.

00:33:00
Speaker 1: It's at this postgame show, Go to Shony's at four o'clock or this is get a what is it happy hour? You know, early bird special by six fifteen.

00:33:10
Speaker 3: Yeah, that's it. That's the formula.

00:33:13
Speaker 1: You know what, eleven am every week? Actually don't early for us because it's eleven am is not good for the restaurant, like it's we you later in the day. But that's okay because we won and it was fun. Hey if I'm nine two eight oh twenty two eighty seven, we're gonna take a break. Be right back. It's a Local Toy Dealers KSR post game show. Welcome back. It is a Local Toy Dealers KSR postgame show. Matt Norlander just tweeted out Kentucky scored one point four to seven points per possession today, Florida had one point three to nine. I don't know if you guys are like analytic folks, but those are insanely high numbers. I mean, one point four to seven is crazy high for any team, but especially against a top ten team. And then one point three to nine that Florida got will win you ninety nine percent of games. Nor Landers comment is and he's one of those. And I like, Matt's a friend of mine, but he's one of those kind of nerdy analytic guys. He said. Kentucky and Florida combined for two hundred and six points in the top ten matchup. Kentucky shot one point fourst for seven points, Florida one point three nine Absolute lava. There's a very good chance we don't see a more efficient offensive game between two high major teams for the rest of the season. It's pretty good, Billy.

00:34:38
Speaker 3: That's impressive Kentucky.

00:34:39
Speaker 1: I don't know how many times do you see two teams from a major conference play and they both score over one hundred points?

00:34:45
Speaker 3: Not in college basketball?

00:34:47
Speaker 1: I mean you see that. We'll think about the Duke Kentucky NCAA tournament game. It's like what one o four to one oh three or something that was an other time? How many how many games do you remember where both teams score over one hundred in college basketball without in regulation? That just doesn't happen. Maybe Corey Price, if he's listening, can tell me even the last time it's happened in the Kentucky game. I mean, probably happening once or twice during cal Era, but probably not much. You probably to go back to the Patino era when we were shooting a million threes to see it happen a lot. I can't off the top of my head. Think of one. Although I'm sure it's happening, it doesn't happen very much. Who's next, Robert, Robert, go ahead, Robert.

00:35:32
Speaker 20: Hey Matt uh the young man that blessed the ball today. I think we need to keep him on speed dial for these Adidas balls and Wilson balls and like that.

00:35:41
Speaker 1: Right taking when we play at Auburn or one of those games.

00:35:45
Speaker 14: Yeah, that is correct.

00:35:47
Speaker 20: And then number two, you're missing it at the bar. You do breakfast, then you get the early birds right after it, and then you can hear your bar crowded night. You can hit the trossector that day.

00:35:56
Speaker 1: Yeah, we don't get a late bar crowd because we're more of a family place. But uh, but I get it. We got the Bengals night. That'll help some. But we like four o'clock games. That's like perfect. But you know what, for the early birds, this is perfect.

00:36:13
Speaker 20: And I'll give you a shot. I'm in Northern you can teach. I'll give you who day.

00:36:16
Speaker 1: Well, I hope they win tonight. Who go? I appreciate the called Bengals. I mean, if they win tonight, then they got to have a couple of things happened for him tomorrow, but it's plausible they need what they need Kansas City to beat Denver. Yes, City's playing there, Kansay's playing their reserves though, right, but still a lot of pride with that Chiefs organization. And then who does who does Miami play?

00:36:40
Speaker 5: I'm not sure I'm looking.

00:36:41
Speaker 1: At I can't remember. They play somebody. They could lose to Jets at the Jets. But like, okay, so it's gonna be Aaron Rodgers last game, right. He doesn't want to go out, you know, he doesn't want to start his Joe Rogan podcast with off the loss his VP. Yeah, this will be the only time in my life I've ever rooted friend Rogers. You know, I've rooted against him every game in Green Bay is a Bears fan. So tomorrow the Bengals win, let's go go erin. Who needs facts? What's next?

00:37:17
Speaker 3: Gary in Orlando?

00:37:18
Speaker 1: Gary in Orlando? What's up?

00:37:22
Speaker 2: Hey man? Great to talk to you. I'm doing great, buddy. They that first segment of years was as good as you've ever had. Buddy, that was an award winning first segment. Thank you very much, We thank you, and all I can all I can say is it's it's great to be a Cat fan in Florida today because maybe they'll shut up for a while.

00:37:45
Speaker 1: Yeah, you know what I mean. I always talk about when you live in the state and Kentucky beats the team in that state, it's extra special.

00:37:55
Speaker 2: Yes, it is. It's uh, it's what I was going to say was if I find the Gator out to night and down here where I live, I have to go to the zoo. Have a great night.

00:38:06
Speaker 4: Man.

00:38:07
Speaker 1: All right, I appreciate the appreciate the call. I want to talk trash to Florida. But they are good. I mean, that team's good. We could easily lost that game. We had to have a great performance. Now they had to have a great performance too. They had a couple of dudes, you know, going crazy, but they're good and they you know, they're bigs. Didn't play as well as they normally play. So although they did hit the glass a lot, but they're bigs. A couple of their bigs are more talented than what we even saw tonight, Bad haircut guy being one of them. Who's next, Fox, Fox, Go ahead, Fox.

00:38:39
Speaker 4: Hey man, I just wanted to recognize how important is on inbounds plays on half half court in full court to get the ball in and have run a good play with top being stressed to try to get a shot up. I mean that played a very important part in the game of crucial points.

00:39:00
Speaker 1: Well, let's talk about those two plays for a second, because I want to get to you to your point, Fox hang on, because I want you to be able to comment. All right, So two plays, but at the end of the game, three seconds left on the shot cluck both times. First time, Pope calls time out. Second time, it's an under four TV timeout. He comes out and Pope talked about this after the game. I love listening to him talk about basketball because he talks about it. He doesn't say, you do you see what I did? See what I did? He like tells you what he did, right. He said, first play, Florida plays a defense he named it. I don't even know. I can't remember what he said, but he said they switch everything. And he said, you can take advantage of that. But when there's only a handful of seconds on the shot clock, it's really hard. And he said, so it's really hard against the inbound We knew they were going to do that, he said, we ran the first time a play a little lob so Garrison could get a hook. You may remember Fox. He missed it, but it was a good shot. It was right there under the basket. And then the next time they run that play and we get the Butler. But in the corner, we got Butler in the three open. Both plays got really good shots. We made one, we missed one, but in both situations we didn't waste a possession and just throw it up. We got a really good shot. And it was because a coach recognized the defensive team is in tried to get something that he thought would play off of it. He said, Butler coming off the inbound is the best thing to do against a team that switches so much, because the inbounder won't have time to get there. And he didn't, and he got the three and he ended up being a huge.

00:40:33
Speaker 4: Shot, exactly. I mean, and I mean it's the little things like that it wins games. I mean, it's it's not you know, big run. I mean, big runs plays a part, but the little things like that, it just keeps the momentum going that wins you games.

00:40:50
Speaker 1: You're exactly right. I appreciate the call. I mean, those are you go back Tubby Smith was great at inbounds plays. Tom Izzo's great at it. We've watched Rick Barnes at Tennessee is great at it. We've watched these teams just kill us at it, and now we got a guy that's great at it. And in two major possessions. Again we missed one, but that was a great look Garrison guy, and then Butler wide open. Probably the biggest shot of the game was that three coming out of the time out. Who's next, Jared, Jared, go ahead, Jared.

00:41:26
Speaker 6: Hey, two quick things, Matt and I'll hang up and listen. First. I don't think anybody will confuse this team for a great defensive team at any point.

00:41:36
Speaker 10: But what they do that I love.

00:41:39
Speaker 6: They play at a pace that in the second half teams don't have their legs. Duke really didn't have it. Gonzaga, they affected them too, and even Florida that wants to play fast if they had guys missing free throws shortened, you know, some short shots in the second half. So I think that bodes really well come March. From your play on short.

00:42:00
Speaker 1: Rest, I think that's a really great point, like a really great point, and you're exactly right, and even though Ohio State was like that too. It's just we weren't close enough that it mattered, you know what I mean, You're exactly right about that. They It's something I need to remember watching these games, because sometimes I get frustrate at the beginning. One of the things I need to remember is, you're right. We've now seen in the Duke Gonzaga this game, even go to the Louisville game at the end, these guys on the other team, they kind of don't have their legs a little bit in those last three or four minutes. And I think you're right. It's because of the pace we play, and it's because Pope does a good job of, even though it frustrates, is sometimes stealing minutes with these other guys that allows his players to be fresh at the end.

00:42:49
Speaker 6: Absolutely, and just just second, real quick. It just makes me laugh a little bit. Arkansas thought for sure they got such an upgrade with Kyl. They've been a game from the Final four a couple times in the last five years.

00:43:03
Speaker 1: So yeah, I didn't know what. I never understood why they didn't like Muscleman. I mean Muscleman like he was good. He was good there. I know they had kind of a blow up last year, but still he was good there. But and I appreciate the call. I agree. I think the best summary of the situation on all that was what Drew said a couple of months ago when this topic came up. I didn't know if cal would do well at Arkansas or not. You know, they're they're eleven and three. They got crushed today. I don't think they're very good, but it wouldn't shot me if they're Okay. Boogie Flayn is really good. A dude's good, but Drew said, and I think Drew is right. I don't know if KL do well at Arkansas, but I know he wouldn't have done well here again, and I totally agree with that. So whatever he does there, it wasn't gonna happen here. This was This was over, and you see something much fresher and exciting. Right now. Let's do one more and we'll take our final break. Who's next, Emma, Emma? Go ahead, Emma.

00:44:17
Speaker 18: Hey, Matt, this is Emma's dad. She totally chickened out on me.

00:44:21
Speaker 1: That's all right. It happens breaking.

00:44:25
Speaker 4: Two things.

00:44:26
Speaker 18: We had the opportunity to go to the game to I and we said kind of in the top. But two things it was great to see. One is the spacing of the floor and the ability that our guys have to you know, to either backcut or to get open and different things. It's so much better than having two bigs in there to where it's clogs it up. It's just modern basketball.

00:44:45
Speaker 14: Uh you know.

00:44:46
Speaker 18: That's the first thing. And then the second thing. We had a couple of calls and didn't go our way, which happens in every game, but in the past, cow would go multiple possessions, yelling and screaming at the referees and totally forget to coach. And now Pope may say something, but he goes right back to coaching and our guys, our guys just don't lose anything when they continue to go, so he doesn't get affected by anything that goes on. He's a great model for how to keep your emotions in check, and you can see that on our gap.

00:45:20
Speaker 1: I think that's another great point. I mean, how many times have you seen a referee go back and switch a play like it doesn't happen, you know what I mean. So once you've made your point, you gotta move on. You can't let one bad call turn into another bad possession, And you're right, they are really really good about that. They could have easily gotten frustrated on some of those fouls down the stretch where it felt like Florida was kind of getting bailed out by last second calls and they did and they didn't do it.

00:45:49
Speaker 18: Yeah, and you know, and you saw Todd Golden today. There was a couple of times when we were down early and we made that first run at sixteen oh run. He should have called it. If I was sitting next to Florida fan, I said, man, they probably needed a time out right here, and he went too long because he was kind of fussing at a referee. And we go down and get a bucket and then Otega hits a three and that's five extra points while he's fussing at.

00:46:10
Speaker 1: The refe That's a good point. Yeah, he's a good coach. I appreciate the call. I know he's got other stuff going on and I don't know about all that, but I do he is a good coach. But you're right, he can he's got a little bit of a temper too, and and that can uh, that can cost you. It's crazy seeing Duke SMU as a conference gave. I was sitting here. I literally had just showed Duke SMU and I was like, why is Duke playing at SMU? And then I went, oh, yeah, they're in the same conference. Duke, by the way, could go let me give you Can I make a prediction? Yeah, I think Duke could go undefeated the a CEC. Oh stop, who's gonna meet him?

00:46:47
Speaker 5: I don't know, but I just I would hate to see that.

00:46:49
Speaker 1: But who's gonna be SMU is probably the fourth or fifth best team in the a CEC. Nobody's good. All those teams that you think of as being good, they stink this year. Virginia stinks, Florida State stinks, Miami stinks.

00:47:06
Speaker 3: North Carolina.

00:47:07
Speaker 1: I mean they could lose it North Carolina, but North Carolina is not good this year. Uh, Louisville. They've already beaten Louisville on the road, so they're not gonna lose any games at home. So who are they gonna lose to on the road. They're gonna have road victories if they win this game right now against SMU, They're gonna have road victories against Louisville and SMU, who are probably like the fourth and fifth best teams in the conference. So I mean North Carolina might be the second best team in the conference and they're not good. So I'm telling you you write this down, Billy. Okay, they're going undefeated in the ACC. What happens, they'll be well, I mean, then they don't. But I'm just saying to you. I put it like this, Will you give me one and a half losses and I'll at you whatever you want?

00:48:01
Speaker 3: No, I can't, I can't, Okay, So if.

00:48:03
Speaker 1: You think you can't do the bed at one and a half, it's not crazy to say they won't lose.

00:48:07
Speaker 3: That's that's valid reasoning.

00:48:09
Speaker 1: I'm just saying. And it's not because they're great. I think they're good, But no, the ACC is awful. Okay, let me look at their schedule. If they play at Clemson. At Clemson could be a.

00:48:21
Speaker 5: Game they They do play at Clemson, all right, So when is.

00:48:25
Speaker 3: That February eighth.

00:48:27
Speaker 1: If they win that game, they're going undefeated in the ACC. That's the only game that I think they could lose. I guess they could lose at Carolina, but I don't think Carolina's good this year. We'll take a break, be right back. Final segment. This is the Local Toy Dealers KSR postgame show. Welcome back. It is the Local Toy Dealers KSR postgame Show. So Big Blue History. Our friend John Scott, he gives me the numbers I was looking for. All right, how many times as Kentucky scored one hundred points and the other team has scored one hundred points as well? All right, this is the seventeenth time it's happened in UK history. Now, three of those were in overtime, so Billy were down to fourteen times. All right? Yeah, Now how about this stat Seven of those were in the three season period, the Isle years.

00:49:25
Speaker 3: When he was dominating. Yeah.

00:49:26
Speaker 1: I don't know. I'd love to go see the dan Issel games because it does it looks like we scored it will, but we also couldn't guard a fence post during those games. No, I'm serious, Like you go back and look at those dan Issel era games. I mean, we played Northwestern two years in a row and both teams scored one hundred and fifteenth.

00:49:44
Speaker 3: No three point line either, But.

00:49:46
Speaker 1: That must mean what what kind of defense were they playing in that game? None?

00:49:50
Speaker 3: None, none, there's no defense.

00:49:53
Speaker 1: I guess they had no infer for Isle and then we were like, you know what, we'll just get istle the ball. We don't need to guard you, So let's go to modern But I think modern basketball kind of changes with the three point line. So how many times has Kentucky and their opponent both scored one hundred? All right? Three times? Was in that first Patino season, like I guessed Billy when they just like shot all the time. Once was Duke, that was overtime. So since that Duke game, Since that Duke game in ninety two, this is only the fourth time that Kentucky and their opponent both scored one hundred. The other times one Va my, when we lost under Billy Clyde. That's not good. I didn't run. We scored one hundred in that game too. One is North Carolina the Fox Monk Bam year. That was such a great game in Vegas. You remember that, Yes, both teams scored one hundred and that and then the other is last year at home against Arkansas.

00:50:54
Speaker 3: Must have blocked that out of my memory.

00:50:55
Speaker 1: I must have blocked and that was one of the last That was one of the last regular season games of the year. Last year, I remember us scoring a lot against Arkansas. I did not remember that they scored one hundred. So four times since the Laightner game have we scored one hundred and they scored one hundred? Uh vam High where we lost, and then North Carolina and Rup Arkansas. Uh the Arkansas game also in Rup, and then actually North Carolina was in Vegas, Arkansas and Rup and then Florida tonight. So doesn't happen a lot? Uh eight five two eighty seven seven one person rights, Matt, you are clearly a closet Duke fan. I've known that for a long time. You hide it to these Kentucky fans so you can make money, But I've always known that. Well, thank you. I was definitely a closet Duke fan when I went to every game for three years and booed every single game.

00:51:46
Speaker 5: Now that degree on the wall has got a big old blue devil, blue devil blop.

00:51:50
Speaker 1: That's why you go to Blue Devil. Yeah no, I mean I'm looking at it right now here in little that's my law degree. And uh, I cannot I cannot stand their basketball team. It's it's dropped below Louisville and Tennessee. But when I was there. It was the worst because they were really good when I was there. That was Jay Williams and Boozer and Mattier and dun Levy and Douhon and like they were awesome, and I hated them. Who's next.

00:52:19
Speaker 5: Well, here's another thing. You can't stand, Bob and Jamestown.

00:52:23
Speaker 1: Jamestown. Don't listen to him, Bob, I like you Billy's.

00:52:26
Speaker 14: Line, how sweet it is. I mean, this was a marquee game all about former players came back. We had celebrities in the crowd.

00:52:38
Speaker 1: And what former players were they?

00:52:42
Speaker 14: Richie Farmer, I mean, how McCoy, the Dayton Reporter was there. I mean, like I say, absolutely how McCoy's a sports writer for the Dayton Daily News. It covers the Red for fifty years.

00:52:57
Speaker 1: McCoy, you're telling me, hang on your second, Hang on your second, Bob, you're telling me. All the celebrities were there, and the two you came up with were Richie Farmer and Hal McCoy of the Dayton Harold.

00:53:12
Speaker 14: Well, r Rhonda Santa's. I mean, I gotta say, but with how McCoy is number two, the stars aligned. I mean, Florida is a tough game. It was a tough the Mark Coop Pope air the wind is in his sales in twenty twenty five. I mean, Mitch Barnhart could be I mean pleased as punch that he made that kick and got that win. I mean it was outstanding.

00:53:45
Speaker 1: All right, Well, I appreciate it, Bob, thank you, appreciate the call. Wow, lots digest there. I never heard the phrase please this punch? Is that a phrase?

00:53:55
Speaker 18: Oh?

00:53:55
Speaker 5: But but is that a phrase people use?

00:53:59
Speaker 3: I've never heard it before that, But I am on.

00:54:01
Speaker 1: What about your boy?

00:54:02
Speaker 3: How McCoy the stars aligned today?

00:54:06
Speaker 1: How McCoy of the Dayton Harold? Do you think how McCoy his family would consider him a star?

00:54:17
Speaker 3: And he sounds like he's a no.

00:54:18
Speaker 1: I mean like, I'm sure he was a great sports writer. But who has how McCoy is a celebrity.

00:54:27
Speaker 3: I guess Reds fans And while I.

00:54:28
Speaker 1: Love Richie Farmer, he's in every game. Mhm, how McCoy, Right, I gotta look this guy.

00:54:37
Speaker 3: Up and have him on the show Monday, dude.

00:54:39
Speaker 1: I mean, if if he's the biggest he Ron DeSantis was behind hol McCoy in Bob's mind. All Right, who's next? I'm looking up. How McCoy Chris hal McCoy an American sports writer for the Dayton Daily News. He covers the Reds, uh and he was honored by the Baseball Writers Association for the J. G. Taylor Spink Award for Baseball Writing. Now, this is kind of neat. This is kind of neat. He continued to cover the Reds in two thousand and three even though he became legally blind. Now that's very cool. Oh, so thank you for telling me that, Bob. I would never have known that. Who's up next, Chris hol McCoy, Chris, go ahead.

00:55:26
Speaker 19: I'm I'm not sure I can follow that news up. I don't know.

00:55:30
Speaker 1: That's pretty impressive, though he kept covering the team. That is kind of awesome.

00:55:33
Speaker 19: But go ahead, absolutely, christ and Jackson. Like Gary said earlier, it's always good when we beat Florida. For US fans down here in Gator Country, we probably won't hear a peep out of them, but if they would have won, we would be hearing color about it for weeks.

00:55:50
Speaker 1: That's kind of how Florida fans are. I always feel like Florida might be the best basketball program whose fans don't deserve it because they don't care and they have have like one I mean they have the you know before Connecticut won the last team to win back to back titles, and they don't even follow it.

00:56:08
Speaker 19: Thee one of two friends that I heard from, he brings that up every time we've we've got the back to back, We've got the back to back.

00:56:15
Speaker 1: Yeah.

00:56:15
Speaker 19: But and today when I heard from him, he said he didn't even watch the game.

00:56:19
Speaker 1: See that's what I'm saying. They're undefeated, They're undefeated, and they don't even watch the game. That's what drives me crazy. Right.

00:56:26
Speaker 19: Yeah, we had we had a pretty good crowd at our local game watch probably not what Gary had in Orlando, but we had about fifteen where we were. But with the game so early, when Florida got out to their hot start, I did look around the restaurant and I was glad that there were no Florida fans there yet for lunch.

00:56:43
Speaker 1: Well, I will say when they got off the start, I was I was worried. I mean I was worried we were gonna get run off a little bit because you know, after the Ohio State game. But this group came back and the fact we went from eleven down to ten up at halftime is pretty impressive.

00:57:00
Speaker 19: Yeah, I was hoping you would have been at the game, so the Crafts could have introduced to the Governor DeSantis.

00:57:06
Speaker 1: I would have said, hello, I mean, I appreciate, I appreciate the call. I've met.

00:57:10
Speaker 4: Uh.

00:57:11
Speaker 1: You know, I've met almost every Republican candidate over the years for president, a lot of them through the Crafts. The only one I haven't met is the one that will be president here in a couple of weeks. So, but I don't think I have not met DeSantis. But maybe that'll happen one day. You know, he could have had DeSantis Bashir just debate at half court, Billy, because there's people who say they'll both run in twenty twenty eight.

00:57:36
Speaker 5: Oh, you think Basher is ready to do this thing?

00:57:39
Speaker 1: I bet he runs. I mean, I don't think he'll I don't think he'll get it the Democratic but but I bet he runs. That's my that's my early prediction. That and Duke goes up there, write that down. Marty, Marty go ahead, and Marty.

00:57:53
Speaker 21: Hey, Matt h hold in many times during the cal Era being so frustrated, and so I have a comment and a question comment is the day you had Mitch Barnhardt on when Mark Pope was announced made me a believer right then and there. We got on the Pope train, bought season tickets. We're actually heading home from the game now to Lagrange Section two twenty one. The whole up arena was the whole arena was amazing, but seeing a full arena was even just so sweet.

00:58:27
Speaker 1: So what was it about? What was it about that interview? What was it Mitch said that kind of got you on board?

00:58:34
Speaker 21: And it's interesting too because I've not always been a Mitch fan. He just showed his passion and just you know, admitting, hey, we need to move forward and that Mark is the right person, and totally convinced me.

00:58:48
Speaker 10: And I wasn't the only one.

00:58:49
Speaker 21: I have some coworkers that I don't think they're on quite on the Pope train yet, but even that day they said, yeah, Mitch convinced them that at least give them a shot. But we actual put in for when we went to the press conference, if you can call it that that day, yeah, and you know, watched them pull down the curtains because the place was filling up, and we put in for tickets and just you know, we get a call ten minutes before my first grandchild was born saying, hey, you have tickets. I'm like, okay, this is in the and you know it's in the in the cards here, so we have to do it. And you know it's uh, it's it's a breath of fresh air for sure. And you just can't help but just love Mark Pope and just what he stands for and and things. But you know, so I had to it was I just have to say that if Barnhardt just you know, he kind of went down the list of things that Mark checked off and and just a passion to be there because at first, you know, we're thinking, okay, is it's a Baylor coach? Oh gosh, so glad it wasn't her.

00:59:52
Speaker 1: But no, but you know what's great about him, And I think this gets to and I appreciate the call. That's good stuff. I think part of what you're getting to with that is from moment one, from that phone call where Mitch Bardheart that Friday morning talked through the press conference on that Sunday, we all fell for Mark Pope the person, right. We saw that he wanted it like we do. We saw that he was one of us. We all fell for him as a person, which is a really good first step. But since then, I think we're falling for him and have as a coach like he coaches now the way we want and we're seeing the results. I mean, we've beaten Duke on a neutral court, Gonzaga, basically on the on a home court, Louisville, and now undefeated Florida. Like I know, we have a couple losses in there, but it's a pretty good run. Not many seasons you get a glide. Just I mean, if the season ended today, there's a lot of seasons you get a line of wins like that, and we got a lot a lot more Top ten games to come. Who's next, Bentley? Bentley, We'll do four more. Go ahead, Bentley, this is one up.

01:01:15
Speaker 22: I'm on the I mean, hey, mad, I'm on the road home from the game, and.

01:01:21
Speaker 1: Are you driving? Okay, Yeah, don't don't, don't drive. You're a little young, but go ahead.

01:01:28
Speaker 19: Yeah.

01:01:29
Speaker 22: I just want to say, in the first half, Kobe Brea I was shooting the lots out of it, and then in the second half he sat on the bench until nine minutes less. I feel like he should start getting a little bit more playing time than he does.

01:01:45
Speaker 1: Well, I mean, you might be right. I think they probably set him on the bench for defensive purposes because he's not a great garter. But you know, as soon as he got in there, he hit three threes in about five minutes, so he made the most of his minutes.

01:02:01
Speaker 18: Yep.

01:02:02
Speaker 1: So well, Bentley, be careful. Hold are you Bitley? Twelve? Is that right? Thirteen? Eleven? All right? Well, five more years you'll be on the road. I appreciate, appreciate the call. Who's up next? Three more? U?

01:02:16
Speaker 3: Ray is next? Who I believe is with Hal McCoy.

01:02:19
Speaker 1: No way, yes, Ray, no way. You're not with Hal McCoy, are you? Yes?

01:02:25
Speaker 6: Yeah, I'm in the car.

01:02:26
Speaker 14: We're listening to you.

01:02:28
Speaker 12: Hal McCoy's in the car with me.

01:02:30
Speaker 14: I'm gonna put him on with you now.

01:02:31
Speaker 2: Oh my goodness, you're kidding.

01:02:35
Speaker 1: I didn't man, Matthew, I'm impressed. Is this Hal.

01:02:37
Speaker 12: McCoy, Yes, matt this is how McCoy.

01:02:43
Speaker 1: First of all, what an honor. Let me ask you a question. If you were listening, what did you think when Bob and Jamestown picked you out as one of the celebrities at the game.

01:02:58
Speaker 12: Well, I was very honored somebody would pick me out of the crowd and say something like that.

01:03:05
Speaker 1: That isn't that is an honor. And I just read your story. That is so cool. So tell me about your year you're covering the rats. I mean you you did it for how many years?

01:03:18
Speaker 12: I have done it for more than fifty years?

01:03:22
Speaker 1: So you're still doing it. You're still doing.

01:03:25
Speaker 12: It, still doing it? Yes, yes, I certainly am.

01:03:28
Speaker 1: So when did you start? What year.

01:03:32
Speaker 12: Nineteen seventy three and you heard of the Big Red Machine?

01:03:36
Speaker 1: Of course?

01:03:37
Speaker 12: Yeah, Well I'm the one who named them. No, you know, if I had put a trademark, if I had put a trademark on it, I would have read, yes.

01:03:48
Speaker 1: You named the you named them the big Red Machine.

01:03:52
Speaker 12: I certainly did, and it picked up caught on a little bit. And like I said, if I'd have put a trademark on it, I'd be in to eat right now.

01:04:01
Speaker 1: Yes, you would. You know. You know pat Riley did that with three pete and he made a lot of money.

01:04:05
Speaker 12: How that could have been you, I know, I know. But here I am eighty four years old and still trudging around with a laptop.

01:04:14
Speaker 1: Okay, so you're still doing it. First of all, that's the coolest thing I've ever heard. I am a Red season ticket holder, so you got to tell me are we gonna be I've been for like six years, so I haven't really seen him win a lot. Are we gonna be good this year?

01:04:32
Speaker 12: I think they're gonna be decent, especially with Tito Francona as a manager, but he's not Americal worker. They still need some help, a lot of great young talent, young kitchen, great young pitching staff. But they still need a power hitting outfielder. And you know they've been saying they're gonna acquire one, but I think they already have one. They got Eli de la Cruz at short stuff and they need to move him to center field.

01:04:55
Speaker 1: So where does he rank for you? I know, obviously he's only played like a year and a half aff but like, in terms of talent, you've seen great ones. Can Ellie be like that?

01:05:06
Speaker 12: I think that Elie Dela Cruz is probably along the lines of Eric Davis, who's my all time favorite player and was a five tool player who could run, throw, hit for power, steal, basis everything that Elie Dela Cruz does, and if Eric hadn't gotten hurt so much, he'd be in the Hall of Fame right now.

01:05:27
Speaker 1: Well, I agree with that. Well, first of all, how Bob was right. You are a legend, and I want to I will. I want to come meet you when I come to a game sometime next year.

01:05:39
Speaker 12: Okay, Oh, we'll count on it.

01:05:43
Speaker 1: Hell, thank you very much, and tell Ray thank you very much for calling. Get Is he still on the phone. Yeah, yeah, give the phone, Hell, hang on and get hang on and get hang on and give my producer your contact. Okay, hold on, all right, I'll hang on and get the contact from one of them. See, first of all, Bob and Jamestown, you were right, And how cool was that?

01:06:12
Speaker 3: Very cool?

01:06:12
Speaker 1: That is awesome, very very cool, very cool. Who's next?

01:06:15
Speaker 3: Tosh is next?

01:06:17
Speaker 1: What's up Toash?

01:06:20
Speaker 10: Hey? Matt? Last time I called the postgame show was March of twenty twenty when we won in Gainesville, and gotta tell you hit.

01:06:31
Speaker 1: Two weeks later, So I hope that doesn't again.

01:06:35
Speaker 14: I'll tell you what.

01:06:36
Speaker 10: We were gonna win the SEC tournament, go to the final four.

01:06:39
Speaker 1: So that's right.

01:06:42
Speaker 10: Yeah, I know, man, I know, crazy, crazy, but I love beating the Gators. You know, to me personally, they kind of replaced Arkansas as the non Tennessee SEC rival for a lot of years. So super awesome to beat the Gators. But I have to tell you, Matt, the worst thing about these eleven am tips it's too early to get into the four roses. So hopefully this is just the one and done thing.

01:07:11
Speaker 1: But you got the rest of the night too. I mean, you're gonna have all evening here starting in two minutes.

01:07:16
Speaker 10: So oh that's true. That's true, my man.

01:07:21
Speaker 1: But appreciate thank you, Tosh. There you go. Let's do uh, let's do one more and we'll call it a night. Who's next, Claude, Claude, how are you, Claude?

01:07:32
Speaker 23: I'm doing great, man, Listen that that was a great win. I think it's gonna age well at Florida may have the best guards in the country and they're going to be a tough out in March. But you know, Pope has talked a lot about energy and bringing energy, and I say this from an optimistic point of view, like in our two losses they really did not bring it. But this team seems like they can kind of turn it on, turn off, I mean three top ten wins. I say that because it's going to be tough to bring that over the next sixteen to seventeen games.

01:08:03
Speaker 1: We're gonna have some clunkers. That's why I thought tonight, That's why I thought tonight was so important, because we're gonna have some clunkers. We may we'll probably lose one of those top ten games, one or two of them at home, and then winning one or two if we win one of our you know, we play Bama Tennessee on the road, and then we play what Old miss on the road, and maybe Texas a couple other ranked teams. If we can just win one or two of those, that'd be great. So we're gonna have some clunkers, which is why tonight is so big.

01:08:35
Speaker 23: Well, it's just great again to start of the game as Pope.

01:08:38
Speaker 12: Somehow he brings.

01:08:40
Speaker 23: The best out of these guys in these big games. Man, it makes incredibly optimistic. I'm excited for March. It's just a great day today, really.

01:08:47
Speaker 1: So much appreciate the call. Thank you very much. So awesome day, awesome day. Couple notes. First of all, if you all like having fun and excitement, tonight is our OVW, Royal Rumble Billy. You can get it on if you get on YouTube. It's like it's like I think ten bucks to watch at home or whatever, or if you have Fight TV. There's probably other places, but those are the ones I know. I'm gonna go out here in just a minute to Historic Davis Marina. So that's at seven o'clock. Shannon the Dude will be on that show as well. Bingles play obviously at eight what is it eight thirty or eight? Billy Henley Bingles played eight, So there's a Bingles watch party at the bar. There's always a group of Bengles fans. So if you're in Lexington, tomorrow's my ESPN show and then Monday, obviously there's gonna be a ton of snow and ice across the state tomorrow. Everybody please stay safe. It looks like, you know, if you heard Chris Bailey, he said the Richmond Danville area was the area to watch out. It's actually moved. It looks north to where we are Lexington, Louisville, Shelbyville, Frankfurt. That basically all around the line of I sixty four. So everybody stays and in northern Kentucky apparently a ton of snow coming, but snow and ice in this area kind of from just north of Lexington down to Richmond, Maria. So everybody please stay safe. And then Monday, chances are we'll all be at our house but doing the show because of that, but we will be here for you Monday morning. You guys, enjoy your weekend, enjoy your Saturday night. Thanks to Hal McCoy. That was very very cool, great in to an awesome day. We will see you later. Cats win one oh six to one hundred on an awesome victory. This has been the local Toy Dealers KSR postgame show