KSR Postgame UK MBB at South Carolina 2/24/26

00:00:00
Speaker 1: Welcome into the local Toyota Dealers KSR postgame show. I am Drew Franklin, filling in for Matt Jones, who, if you heard KSR this morning, does not have a voice. He tried to get through two hours, actually made it through two hours of our morning show, but had to hang it up before the pregame show and postgame show. But that's all right. I'm happy to fill in. And as always, Billy R Sports is here producing this show. Billy who lives in this studio.

00:00:25
Speaker 2: Like a troll.

00:00:26
Speaker 1: He's just here at all times. I think he sleeps under this table. You've been here all day, Billy. It's good to see you tonight. After Kentucky gets a win, snaps out of the little bit of a losing skid, winning seventy two sixty three in Columbia. Kentucky went in as a about a six and a half point favorite, expectations to beat South Carolina, one of the worst teams in the conference. They had just come off a seven game losing streak before stealing a win against Mississippi State last Saturday. You know, if we really really really wanted to be picky, we wish Kentucky could have gone down there and blown him out. Just been a fun night from start to finish. But that was not the case. South Carolina started out kind of hot, hit four three pointers early. It looks kind of like the Georgia and Florida game, where you have a team not known for shooting three as well, giving them a little too much cushion making them pay. They had four of eight as Kentucky struggled from the field. Kentucky went one of seven from three early on. South Carolina led twelve to five, led around fifteen thirteen, led for about half of the first half, and then Kentucky went on a big ten oh run, highlighted by Denzel Aberdeen hitting back to back three pointers, forcing South Carolina to call a tom out. It was mostly cats from there. They'd get up seven. South Carolina would crawl back, a little bit of a back and forth, but never truly felt threatened, and they pulled away in the end, pulled away in the end to win. Big Aberdeen with nineteen points, he's your star of the game. Not only did he hit those two threes, he had four in the game, but they all seem tomly had a lot of big buckets. Otega Oway actually a quiet game. A thirty game streak of double digit scoring came to an end tonight Otaga with eight points on three of thirteen shooting. Aberdeen was helped out and scoring by Modia Batte off the bench with twelve big second half on him. We'll be bragging on mod with Aberdeen. Colin Chandler got up to ten with a late three that was important, and my guy Yellovich, who I predicted as the MVP with eleven. Kind of a mixed bag from Yellovich, some highs and lows, but Billy r Sports. That was my long winded quick you know, just what do they call it? Like the view from however many feet? That was my quick birth analysis. How do you feel about just getting out of that three game losing funk and getting a win. I don't care if it was against a team that's not very good.

00:02:34
Speaker 2: Well, it's good to see you. Thanks for coming in studio and visiting my troll house here.

00:02:38
Speaker 1: I met that in a polite, loving way.

00:02:40
Speaker 2: I'm excited for an evening with Drew Franklin, even though some might get that on Thursday night as well in Madisonville. More on that later, But yeah, man, they had to win. It was must win. They snapped the three game losing streak. I'm gonna try to be positive on this postgame show, Drew, because there was a chance this would have been an all time postgame show if they would have lost that game to a bad South Carolina team. But like I said, I'm gonna try to be positive. This team finds a way to win. With otega Oway having a rough night, Denzel Aberdeen once again stepping up and being the player that the nil dollars are paying for. With that guy, and then Mode you mentioned him, I mean his energy and relentlessness in the second half I think is the reason why Kentucky won that game. I also let out a loud bang when Colin Chandler hit that three. If you know anything about me, he did it again. You know I'm gonna be yelling out a bang even if we're next to the president of ESPN. But it was just kind of a sigh of relief, honestly that they won that game and probably signs of maybe this team's ceiling being a little bit lower than we think.

00:03:43
Speaker 1: Yeah, that was a game. Like I said, if we wanted to get picky, we could have asked for you know, go out and killed them, but really just get out of there with a win. We just came off Kentucky's first three game losing skid in five years. The bubble talk was getting very real. It never felt real until today. And if you had lost this game, you were on the bubble and people that had that were not making the tournament conversation. That conversation was there to be had with three games left, but I think this game puts an end to that. Honestly, you could lose the next three, those are all Quad one opponents. I don't think it'll hurt your seed line too much. If anything, you can win the next three or two of them whatever and maybe help out. But today was just a big ex hell. Did get out of the gutter and get a win in the SECI.

00:04:24
Speaker 2: I mean it felt real though, Drew. I mean it was a half empty arena. South Carolina, Who's three hundred and thirty first and three point percentage hits four threes and four minutes and you're going, what is going on? Like here we are again not able to chase somebody off the three point line, but they stick with it. I mean, somehow win this game. You mentioned the guy Yelovich. I think at times he passed up some open shots, but did what he needed to do to contribute to the team.

00:04:49
Speaker 1: You know, he didn't pass up on three pointers. As someone who was rooting for him, My man took a lot of threes tonight, one of six. Well, he was open, and he was open.

00:04:57
Speaker 2: He was open. He could have shot maybe double that amount tonight. He was so open, but he only hit one of them. I mean, what's seven of twenty five from three? So they were chucking it up a lot tonight.

00:05:08
Speaker 1: Yeah, Yellovich, Well, really the big storyline is he and Diabate is more so Yellovich early Diabata in the second half, but you needed to get something out of that four spot. We kept talking about how you know, you've wasted career games with oh Way lately and that backcourt has been so good and you need help with them. The combination of Yellovich and Diabate tonight, what they did stepping up beside Marino, who was huge rebounding he had eight and eleven. That was a big difference maker the front court. As much as this backcourt has been the team's identity lately, the front court did it tonight when they end up winning the rebounding battle eight good lord yea eighteen offensive rebounds. South Carolina, not known as a good rebounding team, wasn't really a threat that they could win that, but forty eight to twenty eight is something. As I said, moreno with eleven leading the way Garrison, I'm confused at how I want to react to Brandon Garrison. He had some moments, There was some flashy passes, he had a couple of assists, there was miss dunk. There are a couple of times where I think he got caught in the quicksand, but overall a slight improvement from my frustrations at the end of the Auburn game. I'm still I still don know how to react to the Brandon Garrison experience. But in the first half he was a wild ride. But he did provide some off the bench, a little bit effort. He was a good rebounder. Tonight he had seven. It's a backup Marinos, so I'm not gonna I'm not gonna put down Garrison, even though were some moments, it was just another another wild ride with him.

00:06:25
Speaker 2: He had an offensive rebound and a put back that was pretty big. And Modia Batte did around the same time. He only played thirteen minutes beg So I mean that's that's about right with the amount of time he should be playing, don't you think?

00:06:37
Speaker 3: Just right?

00:06:37
Speaker 1: And you know he's not the only one with a miss dunk. Diabate tried to cram on someone's face and got blocked and then it hit him and went out of bounds. That was a tough look when everything was going for him. Sure, oh, Way needs two points to get to double digits, has the breakaway and just clanks it on the front of the rim on a on a one handed dunk there, So that's it. Oh for three by my account on the dunk, so not just not garrison there that couldn't finish to night at the rim.

00:07:02
Speaker 2: Oh, it was really struggling tonight. What do you do you think it was just the emphasis was on him double teams every time he got the ball or was he pressing tonight? Why do you think he struggled so much?

00:07:10
Speaker 1: Scout was on him. I mean he had to come down a little bit. I mean three of thirteen for eighteen or for eight points is a bad night overall. But we just what was it like ten straight twenty point games. At some point he was allowed to cool off a little bit, and you know it didn't hurt him. Still got the win, and he had five assists, which is big. He stepped up another or five stills stepped up another race.

00:07:31
Speaker 2: And that goes back to my first point is that this was big for this team to win without a way scoring twenty in the game. Now, Chandler hit the first three of the game and then it didn't feel like he hit another shot until the very end. He did end up with ten, I think, so he chipped in as well. But I mean, I think Denzel Aberdeen deserves the praise of Big Blue Nation, not only this game, but these last few games, even the one where he was sick and still played well in that last game versus Auburn, he is he has definitely changed into a very different player than he was in the first half of the season.

00:08:02
Speaker 1: Yeah, five assists, no turnovers. That's his six game with three or more threes. Whoever called him denzil Airbaldeine at the earlier in the season, they they should be ashamed of themselves, because yes, he had a few airballs early on, and he was not knocking down shots. But since SEC play, I mean, always been outstanding, but Aberdeen's been right next to him, putting this team on his back. And another big game tonight from him. Why are you laughing? Is that what you I didn't say I called him that, People called him that earlier on Okay, you remember he did air ball a lot earlier on the season. That's not me making this up. I'm saying it as a compliment. He's really got it going, especially from three, which has been a big part of the team turned around a little bit les years ago.

00:08:38
Speaker 2: Yeah, and think I mean he's adjusting to life without Jalen Lowe as well, right, I mean that was maybe part of the transition that maybe took a little bit longer than people thought with him. So it's good to see him play well. And man, you needed that, like just for the good vibes going into Saturday and before the SEC tournament. Now you feel that you're squarely in the NCAA tournament, like you said, Drew, and you can just start to build some momentum that you have left for this season.

00:09:04
Speaker 1: I guess still got to get off that Wednesday's conversation in this that's still like Wednesday Missouri Tennessee. They're playing right now. This is kind of this game is kind of how you feel about the Cats. If you don't think Kentucky's gonna have much of a run and make a run at Friday, then you probably want Tennessee to win this and just help you knock Missouri down. If you're a big dreamer, maybe you want Tennessee to take a loss because you have that tie breaker. But I would rather just go ahead and knock Missouri on down a little bit because they have the tie breaker over Kentucky. Right now, thirty five thirty four release.

00:09:34
Speaker 2: Oklahoma was beating Auburn by nine or so at halftime, so an interesting result there.

00:09:40
Speaker 1: And I noticed when I walked in, you have the State at Union. I did watching it on mute. Do you learn a lot on mute?

00:09:45
Speaker 2: You're just like I wanted to tell you how funny it was watching the State of the Union on mute, because like just the constantly standing up and clapping and sit it down, standing up and sitting down, and then the people behind Trump, how like lovingly gazing that they are towards Trump during it. I thought he was objectively funny. With the sound off Drew, I don't know.

00:10:04
Speaker 1: Well, I'm glad you switched it to basketball for me. I had to.

00:10:07
Speaker 2: Yeah, I figured you wouldn't want to.

00:10:08
Speaker 1: I mean, I can give updates from the State of the Union that I don't know what's being stated right now, But if you wanted to turn it on, I could provide visuals give my thoughts on that.

00:10:16
Speaker 2: Half the room rising up and clapping, the other half just scowling like it's it's just bizarre to watch it with the sound off. But we have shifted to Tennessee, Missouri, and maybe Peter Burns will give us another KSR reference.

00:10:29
Speaker 1: Before Okay, yeah, good point. I have that in my notes, but let's go and bring it up now. Peter Burns does does Matt owen money or does he owe Matt money? And he's trying to make up with shout out. There was three Matt Jones shout outs tonight.

00:10:40
Speaker 2: Three I knew the one which was started before the game.

00:10:45
Speaker 1: Okay, it said something about I guess this includes you. It said Matt Jones and the guys at Kentucky Sports Radio will be tweeting about this. That was pregame, then midgame. What was the exact line.

00:10:58
Speaker 2: Hotter than Matt Jones watching The State of the Union later tonight.

00:11:02
Speaker 1: Was that what it was, Peter, unbelievable lion there. I can't believe you threw that one out there.

00:11:06
Speaker 2: Well done.

00:11:07
Speaker 1: And then I didn't hear this one because I was on my way here to talk to you. But Mario textually the group that there was a third. Peter Burns mentioned after the game that I did not hear, but the count is up to three.

00:11:18
Speaker 4: Wow.

00:11:18
Speaker 2: Well, I mean I thought it was just Tom Hart doing this.

00:11:20
Speaker 1: Now, Peter, that's got the whole SEC network. Ron Slay, Alyssa Lang. I'll be doing shout outs. We want your shout outs here on the local Toyota Dealers KS our post game show A five nine Toto two two eight seven. We'll be talking about the Cats getting out of that funk and winning a game against South Carolina seventy two sixty three. Only three games left, Billy, the season's flying by, but this show's not gonna fly by. We got a lot of Tom left here with the night. Here in the night, three segments to go. We want your calls. Talk about the win, talk about the State of the Union, maybe within reason, talk about pope getting fined. Whatever you want to talk about, We're here for you. We'll be ver back. Welcome back to the local Toyota Dealers KSR postgame show after Kentucky handled its business in Columbia beating South Carolina seventy two to sixty three. True Franklin here filling in for Matt Jones, who has lost his voice. Going to take the evening off rest of for tomorrow. Drink some water. I've got Billy Rutledge here with me. Billy's keeping tabs on the Tennessee Missoo game State of the Union, and he's taken your calls.

00:12:19
Speaker 2: And I like that hat you got on the Super Bowl hat.

00:12:21
Speaker 1: I've been wearing this one a lot. What a trip.

00:12:23
Speaker 5: Man.

00:12:23
Speaker 1: Still can't believe that happened.

00:12:24
Speaker 2: No, it's like a fever dream, isn't it.

00:12:26
Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm still in that dream. You want to go back, Let's go back making that annual thing. Yes, I'd love to. We want to hear it from you. Eight five nine tweto two to eighty seven. Got a full phone bank, But first a quick shout out. I got a text. My friend is in the Atlanta airport. If anyone knows I knew a lot of people stuck in Mexico at a resort in Porto Verira. Is that he's saying I was supposed to be there. I know right now. They made it to the Atlanta airport. So shout out to my friends, shout out of the country. Got my guy Jeoffrey married, even though there's not a vendor. I think they had to take photo with phones and make their own drinks and all that, but they got him married. But the point is is at the Atlanta airport and he texted me that he's in the bathroom and someone in the stall. My voice was coming from the stall. Your voice, yes outside Gate D thirty five. So whoever is there in Atlanta Airport listening to KSR without headphones in while in the bathroom, shout out to you. I appreciate it. Helpe all the people that went in there got to hear a little bit of Kasser.

00:13:25
Speaker 2: Well, you know, when my headphones go dead and I still have to use the stall, it doesn't mean I'm gonna stop my episode, Drew, So just play it with the speaker.

00:13:33
Speaker 1: Gate D thirty five. That's you, or if there's multiple people at the airport, could be you. Two. I'm glad they're home too. That's also very important. That was a scary situation.

00:13:40
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, absolutely, but shout out to everybody involved. Did you say Jeoffrey Joffreed?

00:13:44
Speaker 1: Yes, he got.

00:13:45
Speaker 2: Married unfortunate name with the Game of Throne stuff at all.

00:13:48
Speaker 1: Yeah, it probably didn't help, No, but uh yeah, eventful, eventful weekend for them. I'm glad they're home. Let's get some calls.

00:13:54
Speaker 2: Let's start with Randall, Randall.

00:13:55
Speaker 1: What's up?

00:13:58
Speaker 6: How bad Drew? I got the announcers comment there, but uh uh, you know, Matt Jones hotter than Matt Jones watching the State of Union. I thought that was hilarious. But uh uh yeah, Mark Pope man, I really would I give him a pass on, you know, like recruiting these guys out of high school, because I mean, if he's gonna go get a high school player and he's going after that number one guy, you know, spend the money on him, but go to the portal. I think that's the smart decision on his part, because you know, it's to have a senior source team, you know, a team and like build around our guys like Jasper Morano and Chandler, guys like that. Put the money on those guys. I think we could really have some success next year and probably will probably make a run this year.

00:14:51
Speaker 1: I got faith that they do all right, Love that optimism. Appreciate the call. Uh. They have been going after the number one player in the number two for six and sevens and.

00:15:02
Speaker 2: How many do they have?

00:15:02
Speaker 5: Many?

00:15:03
Speaker 2: Have they gotten?

00:15:03
Speaker 1: Zero? Not good? There's no we can't fix that up. That is what it is. Maybe Stokes will surprise us. Probably not gonna happen. The high school recruiting class looking like it will be zero, that's an excusable can't happen. But the portal, though we don't know what'll be in there. We know some guys likely in there, some guys playing well at other schools, some names we hope will go in. But whoever it is, if there is one of these marquee players, don't don't get out bid, don't don't get too emotional. You have to go get the best of the best.

00:15:32
Speaker 2: If they're out there to get it's okay. If a player's motivation is money and not the name on the front of the shirt. I know how much we want for that to happen, Drew, but I don't know if that's realistic in the transfer portal era and unfortunately the guys you've captain Mark Pope's system this year Colin Chandler, Jasper Johnson, what's the other one I'm thinking of? Trent Noah. Two of the three are unplayable right now? Well not Jasper. Garrison's back in the Garrison is the two of the three.

00:16:00
Speaker 1: Let's talk about one Jasper?

00:16:01
Speaker 2: Want to talk about Jasper and Trent?

00:16:03
Speaker 1: I intentionally didn't bring it up in the first segment because it's not a fun topic. That was That was some of Jasper's worst work. I think there he went over three from three, Trent went over from three for three, but Jasper had the turnover and then the next trip down the floor almost another turnover where we got Trapp lost the ball. Luckily Diabatee recovers. I think they even scored. I mean, he looked unplayable out there.

00:16:24
Speaker 2: So what do we do?

00:16:25
Speaker 1: I mean, what part of it is they're supposed to be further down the bench true than they are now. I mean, you've got guys that probably shouldn't be playing when you're healthy. But if Kentucky can't, everybody wants them to make this run. We just had a collar saying they're optimistic. The bench has to be better than what we got tonight. Outside of Diabaatee Garrison, Noah and Jasper Johnson were one for eleven from the field.

00:16:49
Speaker 2: Yeah, and Trent, I mean he hit the side of the backboard.

00:16:52
Speaker 1: Oh, that corner three was ugly. And then he got two more looks in the first half that were wide open. You cannot ask for better looks than those two he got and break both of those. I mean he hasn't made a field goal since January.

00:17:04
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's probably getting mental at this point, right, you're pressing. You're only in the minutes for a few times, and you know if you miss, you're gonna be subbed out. I mean, how many minutes do you get in this game? Six minutes?

00:17:16
Speaker 1: Yeah, he didn't come back in the second half. I'm not mistaken once with eight, No, I didn't. This is the last game he went and rebounded. He did it again tonight. Helped out there. But he's on this team and he gets his minutes to hit the open threes. And once again, zero for three from both of those guests. Well, that's tough, but we can lift off the bench. Diabot to you, we never really got fully into how good he was. In the second half. He was attacking, he had the breakaway where he gets the steal, finishes the and one goes in to end, made a nice cut to get a two, getting blocked on the dunk. Not the best look. But other than that, he just went to war and was bullying in there when it was clear that Kentucky had an advantage in the front court. He have ten of his twelve points in the second half, all of his rebounds. Where I mentioned Yellovich did a little bit in the first half. In the second they just leaned on Diabate in the muscle.

00:18:03
Speaker 2: You're exactly right, and it's the perfect time to give our Johnny Rocker personal injury attorney moneymaker of the game. Drew Indured gets small town compassion with big city results. When you call the Rocker at two seven zho three two one four four two nine, And while Denzel Aberdeen led the team in scoring it, I think it's no doubt Mo Diabate tonight. I mean also think back earlier in this year, Moe was screaming at the guys while still on the court. You know, like maybe somebody that could derail this team fully. And you know, Mark Pope has kept his head in it, and he was just somebody that I thought played really well in that second half. Drew gave Kentucky a shot to win that game.

00:18:37
Speaker 6: Yeah.

00:18:37
Speaker 1: Well when Kentucky, I mean right away, they give up the seven point half time lead. Seven oh runs South Carolina immediately ty.

00:18:43
Speaker 2: Game forty seconds.

00:18:44
Speaker 1: And let's be honest, a lot of us though, I'll here we go again. But Diabate had the big five zero run kind of sparked and got him going.

00:18:52
Speaker 5: Uh.

00:18:53
Speaker 1: He had the highest plus modus on the team. I believe it was a sixteen Yeah in twenty minutes. Yeah, Kentucky's five and oh this year when he gets to twelve points a huge game for him. He and Aberdeen really really carried the team. Where otego. Wade cooled off a little bit, which which he earned a night off. We'll give him that one.

00:19:08
Speaker 2: Who's up next on the phone, Hannah is up neck.

00:19:10
Speaker 7: Hello, Hannah, Hey guys, first time, long time.

00:19:15
Speaker 1: Who there you go?

00:19:17
Speaker 5: Thank you?

00:19:17
Speaker 8: Hey.

00:19:19
Speaker 7: I was at the game tonight. I just wanted to say that I thought the crowd was about forty five to fifty percent Kentucky fans.

00:19:28
Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm glad you called in. I want to hear about this. It sounded mostly Kentucky. We had lots of go Big Blues, and anytime they showed the crowd empty Carolina seats and then it looked like there was just an entire UK wall of people in one section. Looked like a good turnout.

00:19:43
Speaker 7: Yeah, I was in that wall, but yeah, it was for sure mostly Kentucky fans. The guy I went with is a South Carolina fan, so I'm very glad that we won.

00:19:55
Speaker 1: Well. Were they very hospitable? I have always said they can be some of the worst a conference and it doesn't get talked about it. Ryan. Yeah, Ryan's been punched there. I've seen things there. Did Did you have a good time in addition to the win? Were they nice to you?

00:20:09
Speaker 9: Yeah?

00:20:10
Speaker 7: So it's interesting. I've been to a South Carolina football game and they were the nastiest people I've been around as far as fans, but the basketball fans they seem to be a lot, a lot nicer. I had some good talks with some older folks around us, and I think they were also out numbered, so they really couldn't say.

00:20:29
Speaker 1: Anything well, we appreciate you being there again us the wind. Do you get to go to many games?

00:20:36
Speaker 5: Uh?

00:20:36
Speaker 7: Yeah, when I'm home, I do. I go to the Clinton game and the South Carolina game because I'm in Myrtle Beach. But yeah, they were awesome. I met a lot of the players. I met Pope again, Yeah it was it was. I met Mitch. He was nice, but yeah, it was a great experience.

00:20:53
Speaker 1: Well it sounds like a great time. Thanks for calling in. Tell us about it. We appreciate it. Cool that you got to meet Mark Pope. Cool that you live the beat. Yeah, it's pretty awesome. Got to me, Mitch, jealous, I haven't done that. Yeah that sounds fun. If you had a big night, big.

00:21:06
Speaker 2: Night, you haven't met Mitch?

00:21:07
Speaker 1: Huh No, one day. Who's up next?

00:21:10
Speaker 2: Let's go to Justin?

00:21:12
Speaker 1: Hello, Justin?

00:21:13
Speaker 2: What do you got for us?

00:21:14
Speaker 10: Hey?

00:21:14
Speaker 11: How's it going?

00:21:15
Speaker 1: If we are excellent? Kentucky just got to win. Couldn't be better. That's right, that's right.

00:21:21
Speaker 11: I was at the bar tonight, drove down. I live up in Frankfurt and drove down to watch the game with some friends over at the bar this evening. And one thing that I noticed not only you know, with the arena there at South Carolina looking half empty. You know, it's a Tuesday night Kentucky places at seven o'clock, that's a good time to play, and I anticipated, you know, the bar being packed and people being excited and you know, ready to see. UK kind of snapped this streak that they've been in. And the one thing that I'm realizing with this season is like the hype just isn't there. You know, watching the game tonight, there were times when it would have been easy to tune out a little bit or you know, not really focus in on what's happening. So I'm just curious from you guys, like what can we do to really get some hype back up in this program. I mean, I think these next few games are a chance to do that, but I'm just curious from y'all, like, what does it look like to bring back some of that good Kentucky hype of we've got basketball games to play and there's tournaments coming up and we should be excited, but it just kind of feels blash going into both the SEC and the NCAA.

00:22:33
Speaker 1: You're right, I appreciate the call. Hope you had a good time at the bar. I don't know how you fix it. I mean this season, if you went three and oho these next three games heading into Nashville, maybe when a couple there that gets people excited that you turned a corner. But otherwise they're just gonna have to kill it. This offseason, as we just mentioned with another caller, they struck out completely on the high school class or at least it's the bottom of the ninth to two outs, and it's looking like they're about to strike out and get shut out in that one transfer portal. We'll see what's there if it's anything like football, there was kind of a dip and what went into the portal this year is everything's kind of leveling out. We don't know what'll be there for basketball, but whatever's in there, you got guys you want to retain. But also you have to go after the biggest fish. You missed those last year, the Axles, Wilkerson, Indiana, Dem Marie Yuka, even like Pierre at SMU, you didn't get any of those guys, and they're lighting up to the scoreboard at their new schools. Those are the kind of guys you have to go find, not a bunch of six men that you hope will hit another level.

00:23:27
Speaker 2: There's a lot of special freshmen in college basketball this year, and Park Pope has to prove that he can get somebody out of the state of Kentucky. When it comes to recruiting and building up that hype that the caller's looking for. You want to bring the hype back, you start winning games. I mean, that's exactly how you do it. You want to get that bar packed. Let's go on an elite eight run. Let's see the excitement. Then people will buy all the way back in. And remember, this is what you're remembered for, is how you finish in the postseason. This could all be a moot point if they go on a run. So I mean, there is still excitement left to be had, But there was definitely a time in the game where I did not think any of that would be coming.

00:24:02
Speaker 1: And we've already show him this year. We'll believe. Think about I was in Nashville for the Gonzaga game where they were getting boot gym. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I couldn't believe what I was watching. I couldn't believe life in that moment. Then a month and a half later, they win eight of nine and the SEC play Florida close. I think you get a lot of hype back, and then you have the Georgia Auburn games. It's like the team wants to believe when they had that run, get the Arkansas win. I think a lot of people thought, oop, I'm a tiptoe back onto his boat and pretend I didn't tweet some of that stuff. But then we're kind of a right back.

00:24:34
Speaker 5: Yeah.

00:24:34
Speaker 2: Online, It's like the fire Mark Pope crowds quiet this week and then it flips the next week. I mean it's fans are fickle, but this year has just been extreme, hasn't it. You go and beat Arkansas on the road like that, two wins against Tennessee. You know, you beat Saint John's. They haven't lost a game since, so, I mean, like that's gonna be a good win on your resume. But ultimately it's just one of those years up and down.

00:24:59
Speaker 1: Tennessee down five to Missouri right now?

00:25:01
Speaker 2: So are we rooting for Missouri here or Tennessee.

00:25:04
Speaker 1: I was kind of rooting for Tennessee to to, you know, just push Missouri down a little bit more. But you're never You're never going to see me mad about the balls losing. Not one time I've I've been mad when the ball's lost. Yeah, so kind of indifferent. I would say, let's say one more of than Yeah, so it's a one more call. Okay, let's get one more call Jack, Hello Jack, what's going on?

00:25:23
Speaker 12: Hey, Drew, me and my brother are currently driving back from the game. We both go to the University of Georgia and drove up to the drove up to South Carolina to watch the game, and you know, we were kind of wondering. We're like, I feel like all these Kentucky kids who go to different schools and they go to different places in the world, they all stay Kentucky fans. One person we took a picture for her. She said she went to South Carolina and her husband went to South Carolina. It is from South Carolina, but she's still a Kentucky fan. So despite all these other schools and all these other places that people go, why is it that all of us from Kentucky just staate Kentucky fans like that?

00:25:58
Speaker 6: What is it about UK?

00:26:00
Speaker 13: It is so special to us?

00:26:01
Speaker 10: You know, I can kind of tell you, but I'm just curious.

00:26:04
Speaker 12: What your thoughts are.

00:26:06
Speaker 1: Thank you appreciate the call.

00:26:07
Speaker 14: One.

00:26:07
Speaker 1: We're just better people, We're better human beings. We're loyal, We're not turning on our team. You know, we start at birth liking Kentucky, and we will die like in Kentucky and all the in between. We'll just we're along for the ride. And I don't know, I think like most people in this state are from wherever you're from Kentucky, like your your parents liked it, your grandparents liked it. It's passed down to you. It's not a choice. Like my grandparents, their living room had like framed sports illustrated. It's in a few case stuff like you grow up. I mean, there were a few photos of me and the other grandkids, but there was also like there's Mike Phillips and there's a picture of Antoine Walker.

00:26:43
Speaker 14: You know.

00:26:44
Speaker 2: It's it's like Kyle Macy prayer at the dinner table most nights.

00:26:48
Speaker 1: Absolutely, he was at the dinner table one time. You know, I'm not saying that didn't happen everywhere else, but at Kentucky there's just not other distractions. It's like it is Kentucky basketball. You were born here, it is you were gonna like it, and you were expected to pass it on to That's right. Wherever you move in life, whoever you marry, whatever school you go to, you might get a job that flies out to San Francisco. Whatever. You're sticking with the Cats. It's born in you, It's in your blood.

00:27:10
Speaker 2: That's what connects the Commonwealth.

00:27:12
Speaker 5: Man.

00:27:12
Speaker 2: When there's no pro sports team, people rally around things like that. And I'm originally from Florida and have made Kentucky my home when I was thirteen years old and have been here ever since. And every time I leave, I want to come back to Kentucky. There is a yearning to be back in the Commonwealth. And you hit the nail on the head. The people are nicer here, just much nicer.

00:27:30
Speaker 1: No, we're the best humans. Come on, We're not perfect. We get especially online after a loss. You know, like two percent of us probably with the best, best people. Overall, we're great and we are carrying Kentucky basketball. Can I make that point please? I've been thinking about this lately. What are the good things about Kentucky basketball right now? It's not recruiting, it's not the it's not the record in several years. Uh, huh, We're not really in the national conversation lately. Probably not gonna win a title. It's been a long time since I won the title. Long times. We've been a found of four, been a long time since we've even done anything. The sc turn hurting me right now. Hold on though, you know what's there every damn year, the fans. We got this team on our backs carrying them right now. Think about that. Everything is down a little bit across UK basketball. But yes, we might be slightly crazy and a lot of people hate us because the way we act. But the thing that's still making Kentucky right now, it's Big Blue Nation.

00:28:24
Speaker 2: Well you think about how bad they've played in Nashville this year, and then you see the crowd that still shows up at the SEC turn Exactly, it's gonna be a big Blue takeover still even if they play on Wednesday at one.

00:28:37
Speaker 1: Respectfully to this team, did they deserve to have a road crowd like they did tonight yelling go big Blue through the TV? Probably not, But those are Kentucky fans. That's what we do. We're the best and right now we're the best thing the program's got going, and the rest will get better. But in the meantime, the fans are still gonna be here doing with it.

00:28:54
Speaker 2: Amen, how about that preach.

00:28:56
Speaker 1: Second break, Shout the fans, Shout out the gut airport in the bathroom. We'll be here back, Welcome back in to the local Toyota Dealers KSR postgame show Drew Franklin and Billy Rolich after Kentucky's seventy two to sixty three win at South Carolina Kats. What eighteen and ten, nine and six in the conference, that's right, feel pretty firm and then NCAA tournament now you can stop those conversations. Still need to get another win to get out of that Wednesday talk. Maybe he can do that with Vandy coming to town on Saturday. But for right now, we're still celebrating the nine point win. We're celebrating Denzel Aberdeen, celebrating Modia Baughte Colin Chandler with another dagger, decaf dagger. We call him another big.

00:29:37
Speaker 2: Three, Yeah, Colin Chandler Man. And he played so poorly in the last game. He disappeared, you don't know, you know what happened. And he had hit some big shots in that eight of nine stretch that Kentucky had won and good to see him hit another one tonight.

00:29:50
Speaker 1: Before we get more phone calls here. I haven't heard your thoughts because it broke after our morning shows about Mark Pope having a ride of twenty five thousand dollars.

00:29:58
Speaker 2: Check surprise, it was only twenty five k. Honestly, I don't know what the standard is for that, but I feel like I would have made more of an example out of him for trying to dodge the way that you do it, right.

00:30:10
Speaker 1: Yeah, I did. I didn't think he's getting out of that one. I don't know the scale of you know where that fits in the line of fines, but I knew he'd be riding one. I saw after the game. They asked Denzel Aberteine if he's gonna help pay it. He was like, heck, no, no, it's all on It's all on Mark Poe. But he had a good laugh about it after the win in South Carolina.

00:30:26
Speaker 2: I mean, that'd be a stupid question ten years ago, right, but nowadays these guys got they can all chip in if Mark was really upset about somebody and lost it. But I don't know, man, I don't know. Do you think that he'll get thrown out of a game as head coach at Kentucky.

00:30:41
Speaker 1: No, not with that kind of language. Now he's he's he didn't say the full word. I don't think he's capable of getting.

00:30:48
Speaker 2: Thrown out of as a line stepper.

00:30:50
Speaker 1: Yeah, even even when he punched the whiteboard in that CBS thing, you know, like gently held the back of the whiteboard as he punched it at which is a good qual to have, not Hayting. That's a great guy. But I don't know if we're gonna get the thrown me out. I guess he threw a water bottle at BYU and get tossed. Got tossed one time. I saw that video.

00:31:07
Speaker 2: Okay, so I guess he does have it in him if there's a problem here. But he's gotten more technicals this year than I mean, I would have lost betting the under on that, So he's been personal.

00:31:16
Speaker 1: I have one more thing before the phone lines. Yeah, and it's late. I feel like I'm getting mean, and I don't want to be mean. I try to be nice to everyone. But Billy South Carolina is not good at basketball. And I don't say that to take away from Kentucky's win. I'm happy we won however it looked. But how did South Carolina win three games? They're terrible? Meet you Johnson. He's had big games against Kentucky in the past. He is what he is. Had some tough shots tonight, he got to the foul line. What was that strong dude had had a stretch where he turned it on. But he was zero for seven from three the kpiic Kapik. Yeah, they were just giving him open shots. I think he was one for six. For them to hit four threes to start the game and then finish eight of twenty nine shows you how cold they got. I'm glad, you know, not trying to take away from Kentucky's victory by calling out the opponent. Well you are a little bit, but yeah, okay, but it needs to be noted that was not a good team.

00:32:06
Speaker 2: No, I was gonna go to the same point. They hit four threes in the first four minutes and they end the first half shooting twenty five percent, like it was just a disaster offensively for them. After that, they can't get a rebound. I mean, you've got Yellovich out jumping these guys for rebounds, so I mean they've got a lot to work on. Obviously to work on.

00:32:26
Speaker 1: Where are they working on for us? Three games left?

00:32:28
Speaker 2: I mean that you could all that march baby, yeah, not going on a run. Do you think mister Paris is gone? I don't know.

00:32:35
Speaker 1: He's from my wife's hometown, Finley, Ohio. And while I was watching him, I was eating a bowl of ice cream from this famous shop in Finley, Ohio, and I felt sad for him looking down him ice cream, you know when it's probably over for him there. I mean they lost all the stat the rebounds, losing that by twenty Kentucky's fast break points twenty six to seven. Kentucky won like every stat It's amazing the game was as close as it was. In fact, as I'm just reading the box score here, I don't know how it was closed as it was, but I just needed to get it off my chest. Well that I do not think South Carolina is great at the sport of men's basketball.

00:33:05
Speaker 2: Maybe the empty gym should have eluded that for us. Before the game even started.

00:33:09
Speaker 1: Don Staley was there.

00:33:10
Speaker 2: Don Staley was there. Maybe they're just so invested in the women's team they don't have enough energy for the men.

00:33:15
Speaker 1: Shane Biemer was there.

00:33:17
Speaker 2: I hate that guy.

00:33:19
Speaker 1: All right, who's up next?

00:33:20
Speaker 2: Let's go to Nick?

00:33:21
Speaker 1: Hello, Nick, do you like Shane Beemer?

00:33:26
Speaker 5: Of course?

00:33:26
Speaker 7: Not?

00:33:26
Speaker 1: All right, me either. It makes three of us.

00:33:31
Speaker 4: Just a couple of comments. One would be about the box score of the minutes, and then about Cam Williams as well. But the box score, I mean, I like seeing the Oway, Aberdeen and Chandler each had around thirty five minutes. Thirty five plus minutes. I mean, you got to have that the rest of the way. And I think what I would change is, you know, Yellow mich has a little less than seventeen minutes. Do you about they have twenty minutes. I think you just got to give those guys more minutes and take away minutes from Garrison, have him about five or six Johnson, I just don't feel like you can play him unless you have a huge lead by at least fifteen points or so. He's just not given anything, Noah. I mean he got about five minutes, but he got your five rebounds. I mean, he's got to make the shots, but he's getting boards. I still think he can put him out there for a few minutes a game. I just think you got to give some of these big guys some more minutes. I mean, because we've got three games left and then postseason. And last thing I would say on it is if there's some way, you know, they got to get Cam Williams back somehow because they just need that extra shooter and that extra big guy on the four to just to stress the defense more.

00:34:44
Speaker 8: Thank you.

00:34:44
Speaker 1: I appreciate the call. I would love to get Cam Williams back in Pope keeps holding out Hope, saying if they can go on long enough run, then maybe they can get him to help Billy. I just don't know if he gets healthy, guy that's been out that long, what he can do. But it is clear how much he's missed. I mean, he's the plus minus leader on the team and just earned a starting role. I feel like he was finally turning a corner and then he goes out with that fluke injury. Just getting back on defense, So that's.

00:35:08
Speaker 2: Yeah, and then like conditioning wise, how in shape is he if when he does get healthy. You know, one thing the caller says he would like to see Brandon Garrison around five or six minutes a game. I just don't think we're going to see that. Hope is dedicated.

00:35:22
Speaker 1: He's committed. But like Yellovich, I know he thought he was Steph Curry here tonight for a little bit, taking a lot of threes. But that was a pretty good game for him. Eleven matches is high for the year. He had seventeen minutes to Garrison's thirteen. Maybe just slid a few more Yellovich's way. I'd even like to see him Diabat play together well when Marino needs a break.

00:35:42
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, I just what was the plan for this frontcourt going into the season? I mean, you took a guy that was in the same calendar year with a major knee injury. I guess your expectation was Brandon Garrison was going to be better from last year, but Yellovich was a late addition to the roster. What was the plan at the front court this year?

00:36:02
Speaker 1: And it just it feels like just a few weeks ago, We're like, what are we gonna do with all these big men? We have way too many big men. Can we trade a big man for a guard? And now it's like, Eh, need a little help in the front court with Marino. I just added to the list of the roller coasters things of this season. But I would like a little more jelly. Maybe not six three pointers in a game. A movie can be really key.

00:36:21
Speaker 2: We talk about the stretch forward, how important it is, and Mark Pope's offense, So maybe some more of that. But I'm telling you Tom was yelling at them to shoot the ball at times in this game. As many threes as he shot he could have had, maybe even.

00:36:32
Speaker 1: Oh Tom wanted more. Tom he was wide open. They were just letting him happen. I didn't do the Tom Jack sync up tonight.

00:36:39
Speaker 2: Jack was good tonight. I mean he was frustrated from the get go, but then like seeing them fight and take the lead, and I mean there was just some audible oh man's after some buckets or some bad turnovers. I just love listening to those guys because they treat it like it's their children out there.

00:36:56
Speaker 1: No holding their emotions. Who's up next?

00:36:58
Speaker 7: Ed?

00:36:59
Speaker 3: Ed?

00:36:59
Speaker 1: Hello?

00:36:59
Speaker 2: Ed?

00:36:59
Speaker 1: What's up?

00:37:01
Speaker 5: Hey? Hey, guys. I'm so happy that we won one. And I got a question here. We're winning this program in the history, But how big of the lead do we still have over Tacond Place.

00:37:17
Speaker 2: I think we are second, aren't we.

00:37:19
Speaker 1: No, we had a four game lead over Kansas earlier in the week. I think a five game lead. Now I'm trying to do math on the think call it a five game leader.

00:37:31
Speaker 5: Well, I hope we don't hope. I hope we out asked Kansas and keep the lead. That would be sort of sad. I've been a Cat cat fan. I'm like seventy years old, been a Cat fan all my life.

00:37:43
Speaker 1: And me too, and that's something we're proud of. We can't be losing the all time record.

00:37:49
Speaker 5: Right, Yeah, that would be a sad thing. But go Cats and hope for to this.

00:37:57
Speaker 1: All right, thank you. I actually have the official numbers. Now it turns out I was right. Imagine that this big brain Kentucky leeds Kansas by five games, two thousand, four hundred and forty to two thousand, four hundred and thirty five. All right, that's from our guys. Steven Peak just tweeted that an hour ago. I stay on top of it.

00:38:15
Speaker 2: I remember we had to change it on the open for UK a couple of years ago.

00:38:19
Speaker 1: Yeah, we've slipped up. I think a couple of times, lost it to Kansas, briefly got it back and lost it to Carolina for a little bit, got it back. Let's just not give it up again. Yeah, it's just five game more. Who's next? Michael? Hi, Michael, thanks for calling in. What do you think of the game?

00:38:36
Speaker 14: Hey?

00:38:36
Speaker 5: What's up?

00:38:36
Speaker 7: Durry?

00:38:37
Speaker 11: Hey man, me, my dad and my sister.

00:38:39
Speaker 6: We're coming back from the ball game and it's my sister's first game.

00:38:44
Speaker 1: She wants to say something, all right, hello sister.

00:38:48
Speaker 9: Hey.

00:38:48
Speaker 13: Yeah, I just wanted to say I have been a fan for my whole life, thirty three years. I went to my first in person game. We're coming from Charlotte, and it was just I was so excited to see this players in person. It was just surreal. Even though it was a whole away game, it was just, you know, great to see the team and just being there in person.

00:39:09
Speaker 9: The game was great.

00:39:11
Speaker 7: You know.

00:39:11
Speaker 13: I was so excited to be there, you know. I the only thing I could say.

00:39:17
Speaker 7: I was a little disappointed in a way.

00:39:18
Speaker 13: A little bit, but Aberdeen and Duabata showed up for the team, and I was just great that everybody as a team showed up for everybody today.

00:39:27
Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm glad they got the win.

00:39:28
Speaker 5: For you.

00:39:29
Speaker 1: Since you showed up, uh, being your first game in person, did you have any like takeaways or observations of something that was new or different, or something that stood out to you watching in person.

00:39:40
Speaker 13: Well, one thing I will say I did notice that Hope and the rest of the coaches they kind of huddled a little bit at time out before they went and spoke to the team, which is really odd. That was the first time I noticed that. It was at every time out, Like, why are you huddling before you go talk to the team. You're taking away time to you know, drop a play. When South Carolina was talking to their team, the entire team, I'm sorry the entire time. That was the first time I noticed that. I thought that was a little strange. I don't know what their game plan was behind that, but that was what I observed during the game.

00:40:15
Speaker 1: Tells me you've been paying attention. They've been doing that this year. We've had other people calling and ask that as well. Appreciate the call, Billy, that's that's a big thing. There's been tome outs where I'm not sure Pope spoke to a player because they do their their coaches tom out or coaches huddle and the player huddle.

00:40:30
Speaker 2: Is a few feet away, and then sometimes you let the assistant go and talk to the guys and maybe it's not the head guy.

00:40:35
Speaker 1: So usually Mark I see Mark Fox do it a lot.

00:40:37
Speaker 2: Yeah, so we've seen it a couple different ways with how they handle it. It's also a good reminder that no matter how bad a game might be, it could be somebody's first game, Right, thirty three year fan and in their first game happens to be in an empty arena in Columbia, South Carolina. But still a special moment, right.

00:40:52
Speaker 1: I have to remind myself RUP a lot. You know, I'm pretty blessed covering the team for it feels like fifty years. It gets to go to a lot of games, and there's nights where it's like, oh, Eastern Michigan, so you know, stuff like that. But then you get in there and you see someone getting their first ice cream cone and all that. It brings the joy a little back a little bit because it is a very cool experience to watch Kentucky basket on person, whether that's in RUP or South Carolina or the SEC tournament.

00:41:17
Speaker 2: And then that person's put on the snack Words cam and then they're mortified after their first visit to RUP. But I mean, there is it is special to see your team for the first time like that.

00:41:26
Speaker 1: Yeah, I've started staring the camera down while I eat, just waiting for the red light to go on. You want it, You're like, yeah, I bring it. Watch me. I intentionally just dropped chili all over my shirt. But nothing yet. We're gonna take another break here.

00:41:37
Speaker 2: Don't reach that high.

00:41:39
Speaker 1: Yeah that's true. I'm up in the crow's nest. Another segment. You got anywhere to get?

00:41:43
Speaker 2: We got one more to go?

00:41:43
Speaker 3: Yeah?

00:41:44
Speaker 1: You anywhere to go? You want to do another one? Let's keep it going. Let's keep it going. We should take a break. I think that's how this works when we come back. Dream Billy taking your calls, celebrating Kentucky's seventy two to sixty three win over South Carolina. All right, one more segment here on the local Toyota Dealers KSR postgame show, Drew Franklin and Billy Relis our State of the Union correspondent. What if I missed so far?

00:42:04
Speaker 5: Billy?

00:42:06
Speaker 2: I mean I've been watching Tennessee Missouri.

00:42:08
Speaker 1: Yeah, how about that? Sixty seven sixty five Missouri. A minute left, Missouri has the ball, trying to put the balls away. We're gonna talk a little more about the Cats beating the game Cocks, because that's what we care about here in Kentucky. Here, we got a full phone bank.

00:42:21
Speaker 2: We six calls before we end this through, and then I get to go home and go to bed.

00:42:26
Speaker 5: Yeah.

00:42:26
Speaker 1: I'm pretty excited about bed too. It's been a long day. But you know, luckily I got one of the seven o'clock shows. I don't envy the guys at the nine o'clocks against the post tomorrow, no morning posts. I gotta be up early though. Six o'clock alarms already set. See you bright and early. Let's get these calls out of the way.

00:42:41
Speaker 2: Who's our first angus?

00:42:43
Speaker 1: Is that first angus? Thanks for calling in.

00:42:47
Speaker 5: I just called to say that I hate Shane Bieber and his stupid freaking sunglasses.

00:42:50
Speaker 1: Go Cats, All right, we appreciate the call. It's but my cowt. That's four of us. We're growing. The group is growing.

00:42:58
Speaker 2: Billy's Dockton mortgage plug here in the final segment.

00:43:00
Speaker 1: Before Shane's probably on his way home. I in those Kentucky guys out there talking about God, I don't like Shane. Who's up next?

00:43:07
Speaker 7: What do you.

00:43:11
Speaker 8: Hey, buddy?

00:43:12
Speaker 15: How you doing?

00:43:13
Speaker 10: Man?

00:43:13
Speaker 1: Couldn't be better.

00:43:16
Speaker 9: Hey, you know, I think Matt said it. You know, it was funny. I was listening to it the other day.

00:43:21
Speaker 15: Actually, Uh it was a podcast that y'all had, uh when Calipari left, and and Matt said it the best. He said, be aware because it's not going to be exciting anymore with you know, the number one recruit or the number five recruit. Uh, just the way they play ball with Mark Pope and and I'm trying to be excited about Kentucky basketball. You know, I've been a fan of most forty years. I've got the jerseys, I've got the makers, Mark.

00:43:53
Speaker 9: Bottles, And I just found myself tonight almost falling asleep during the game because there's no alley oops, there's no top recruits coming in, there's no number one draft picks, there's no this, there's no that. It's just so hard to get into this mindset of Kentucky basketball is awesome because because why, I mean, we pulled away at the end, sure, but there was like three minutes left. It was a two point game against the worst team in the SEC. Why is that exciting? It's so hard? Man helped me.

00:44:34
Speaker 1: Out, all right, TJ appreciate the call. There's not that wrong. Wasn't the most fun basketball games to watch? I mean South Carolina shot what a bad Tucky. Both teams under forty from the field, both teams under thirty from three. It was a rock fight. It was four dollars to get in. Yeah, is it really just four dollars? I mean this is one. I don't know if ESPN Classics still exists, the probably won't be turning on ESPN Classic tomorrow to catch this replay. I don't know if SEC network will had this to Kentucky Day when they do that this summer. So TJ, You're not alone in this not being a fun game. And overall, I know, Kentucky basketball, we're in a little bit of a law. It's not the not the gold standard that we're used to, you know, if you don't want to say gold standard and go back farther, not even the nineties, even though we try to wear a dinnum.

00:45:27
Speaker 2: Well, I mean you made this point. It's not even about just winning games that would bring the excitement back. But you've talked about like the expectation of like going into the NCAA tournament with like a UK you better watch out for Kentucky this year. They don't have that this year. They might be a team that makes an upset or could go on a run, they're not the you gotta watch out for Kentucky this year. And you made that point this week about how that's lost on you.

00:45:51
Speaker 1: Well, that's what makes me sad billy being a Kentucky basketball fan. It's full time. Like even on a day you know, you play Tuesday, Saturday, Thursday morning, you're thinking about Kentucky basketball and what's next. And this time of year, we're absolutely thinking about selection Sunday, we're thinking about the SEC Tournament. We're thinking in our heads we're gonna hang another banner. You're doing the bracket pools at your office, and everyone in the office puts Kentucky as the champion because we're all Kentucky fans. That's what we do. But now we're not in that spot. Like I don't know about you, I'm not thinking about March Madness on Thursday morning, so I don't want to think about March Best on third. Like we don't have that excitement that we have that is just constantly in our brains at all times when things are going.

00:46:28
Speaker 2: Well and part of the reason is you turn on the TV and you see a game like that seventy two to sixty three against South Carolina, and we just.

00:46:36
Speaker 1: Had some great games around college back. I mean it was basically a Final four on Saturday with one verse four, two verse three. I mean, this has been for all the complaints about the transfer portal, and I don't like it either. Where you got guys in the G League just showing up with their algebra book acting like they're you know, I'll go back to school. It's like, dude, you're forty, go get a job. I don't like any of that. But this year the games have been pretty awesome and the stars have been stars. I mean, there are some dudes all over the country and it's been a fun season. And when you ask anyone outside of Kentucky, let's talk about it, they're not saying the word Kentucky. It's a lot of other teams that are having all the fun.

00:47:15
Speaker 8: Yeah.

00:47:15
Speaker 1: I don't like this negativity, though. TJ got me down the path Kentucky one seventy two sixty three. Remember South Carolina is the bad team, not us. We want let's get to a happier call.

00:47:26
Speaker 2: We had so many drops, so we have three left. Brandon is up.

00:47:28
Speaker 1: Next, Sorry to the call they dropped. Hello Brandon, Brandon. All right, Billy. During the break I heard you talking. You said you were worried the phone lines were hanging up on I was, yeah, do we think that's still a concern.

00:47:43
Speaker 2: No, Brandon's still on the line. Oh okay, I think his like phone may be on mute or something, so I'll try to speak up. I'm just gonna have to open the phones back up drough. I mean, we can't end like that. So we got a couple more here. Luke is up next.

00:47:53
Speaker 1: Okay, Luke, save us the guys.

00:47:56
Speaker 3: I just wanted to say a couple of things. One TJ can kiss my ass being so negative. We won, Yes, most ugly. I drove eight hours here to see a game that should have come with a warning label. Yes, okay, that's part of it. Some games you're gonna get be ugly.

00:48:10
Speaker 10: But we won.

00:48:11
Speaker 3: Why does it matter? Why are we complaining? He other thing I'm gonna hit people with. I called the pre show earlier and talked about how Kentucky is. You know, basically, this team is like a really hot girlfriend that keeps cheating on you. I mean, that's what they are, and that the program itself is kind of like the oil industry that look, it's boomer bus. There's a lot of boomer Bus.

00:48:28
Speaker 10: Let me give you.

00:48:28
Speaker 3: Let me hit you with some facts. My dad was born.

00:48:30
Speaker 10: In nineteen fifty nine.

00:48:33
Speaker 3: The first thirty six years of his life, that until nineteen ninety five for all of you that stuck.

00:48:37
Speaker 5: It, that stuck at mouth.

00:48:38
Speaker 3: So the first thirty six years, you know what he saw Kentucky basketball do his first thirty six years, one national title in four whole final fours. Dude, my childhood that I had four and five years. Okay, I was blessed. Okay, we are very fortunate to be Kentucky basketball fans because more often than not, it's pretty darn good. And yes, we have been in a blue blood rutt and I do I'm not trying to say that, you know, it's not an issue, because it is an issue. But this program has been in position than we are in now, and in the nil era, you can turn it around very quickly. And I'm just really sick and tired of all the negativity and all that. Listen, I'm not saying I think You know, I have my problems with Pope and all that stuff, But in this moment, right now, I am not going to sit here and be angry about the fact that we won a game. What the hell is wrong with people to be angry at eleven o'clock on a Tuesday night about winning a basketball game? You know what.

00:49:33
Speaker 10: That's all I got to say.

00:49:34
Speaker 3: Guys, thank you for taking.

00:49:35
Speaker 1: Not call boom call the night Wow. Thanks for getting with Luke. Luke was his name. Yeah, thank you Luke. He got us back on track. I even drifted to negativity land there for a little bit. Billy had to run down the street and get me, give me back on track. Thank you. When do you do that? Energy? TJ got in my head a little bit talking about big picture things. It don't matter. Just beat South Carolina. Cover the spread, Billy covered J celebrity had nineteen points. Oh dear, Batay was awesome in the second half.

00:50:02
Speaker 2: You can only beat the team in front of you, Drew, That's all you can do.

00:50:05
Speaker 1: Held him to thirty six percent Kentucky's ten and zero. When they hold teams under forty percent? How do you win? How do you win? The rebounding battle? By twenty Kentucky did that. We're not complaining about that. What else do you like? Colin Chandler with another dagger, another decaf dagger? You like that? He's not done. He's got more of those. I bet he hits one in Nashville.

00:50:27
Speaker 2: How about Malachi mareno pick and roll out of an inbounds playoff?

00:50:31
Speaker 1: Chef's Kiss, Chefs Kiss almost did a Ryan lemonnois there? Sorry? Got a little carried away, big game from Malacai two shy of a double double. Love the eleven rebounds. Also, love that we won. I also got out that three game losing streak. Hadn't had one of those in five years. Let's not do that again for a long time.

00:50:50
Speaker 2: I also got some more people on the line, if you want to.

00:50:52
Speaker 1: I thought you were gonna tell me more things you're excited about. That looks like Missouri won? Did Missouri win? They look happy? I looked away, and of course it goes to the studio. It looked like they were celebrating. Who's up?

00:51:04
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, look at them.

00:51:05
Speaker 1: That's a celebration there. Definitely we're gonna call it here. You're hearing it now on the KSR postgame show. Missouri Tennessee somehow. Oh yeah, up for they're good. Missouri wins. Down, go the ball. It's not mad about it. Who's up next?

00:51:14
Speaker 2: Matt is up next?

00:51:15
Speaker 1: Hi, Matt?

00:51:16
Speaker 2: What's up?

00:51:18
Speaker 14: Hey?

00:51:18
Speaker 12: Guys?

00:51:19
Speaker 14: Great win. I don't don't care at this point. Any win right now is a great win. I thought it was. I thought it was a hard fought win. My concern is is recruiting for next year. I just wonder if, if, maybe what our issue is. We don't have a, say, a Vince Marrow help recruit the guys. Maybe we need to look at our assistant coaches and see, uh why we're not getting recruits. I mean, Mark, Mark can't be the only guy doing the recruiting, and we need, uh, some strong recruiters on the outside. We need, uh. I mean, we had guys with Caliperry that were good at going out and getting people. That's maybe what we're missing right now.

00:51:57
Speaker 3: Uh.

00:51:57
Speaker 1: Thank You're exactly right on that. I appreciate the call. They do need some help on the recruiting trail. That's no secret. I think everyone is an agreement. They need a general manager. Hopefully that's announced soon because portal season's right around the corner, and I don't care what people say. Portal season began a long time ago because that's how the sport works.

00:52:15
Speaker 2: And the football team. I mean, coach Stein came in with two GMS, so I mean the least Kentucky do is could it could get one, and hopefully it's a little better than Vince Marrow because I think he brought in Jasper Johnson in the last minute for Kentucky, so he.

00:52:30
Speaker 1: Did help with that. You know, people wondered about if it's Pope doesn't want a GM UK the three letter place. You're right, will Stein showed up with a GM and an assistant GM.

00:52:41
Speaker 2: I mean he was ready to go hit the ground running. Why why are we living in the stone age with the GM spot?

00:52:46
Speaker 1: They need one bad. It's obvious the best teams in the country have them. But I feel like we're being pulled by this magnetic force towards the negative town and we're not gonna do it. Billy Louke brought us back and I'm not doing it, but we need to do need a GM. Who's up next?

00:52:59
Speaker 2: We get two more? Billy is up next?

00:53:01
Speaker 1: Billy only positive thoughts to wrap up the show.

00:53:05
Speaker 8: Well, I think this is kind of positive. I just wanted to explain to the lady who went to her first ball game in person today about the coaches huddle. I had heard Mark talk about this several months ago about somebody had brought up the question, and he said he does it intentionally to give the players time to work out what they envisioned the problems for that are on the court, and that helps develop the leadership among themselves and communications. And then he has a coach or himself go over and talk to them and follow up make sure that they've covered all the bases, all right, the players to actually run that show if if they can recognize their own problems and work with out themselves first, that's that's his plan.

00:53:51
Speaker 1: Perfect. That's a great explanation. Billy, see Billy O the billy that's here with me right now, with you on me? Yeah you okay, not her Billy. Someone asked a question, We don't have the answer. This Billy comes through.

00:54:02
Speaker 2: I mean, that's been the best on the show right now, smartest fan base.

00:54:07
Speaker 8: That's because I graduated from the UK over fifty years ago, nineteen seventy three, so I've been around at UK graduate for a long time. I knew all the words one on the UK before I got out of high school in the sixties. So there you go.

00:54:20
Speaker 1: Well, maybe you should have a podcast sometimes tell some stories. You seem to know ball. Thank you for calling in.

00:54:27
Speaker 8: Thank you very much.

00:54:28
Speaker 1: I can't think of a better Billy that's been on these airwaves to.

00:54:31
Speaker 2: Well hold on now. I mean, I agree that was a great that was at by Billy, and if Brandon hadn't answered, we wouldn't have gotten Billy. So things happened for a reason.

00:54:40
Speaker 1: What do you think of the move of letting the players like a player's only meeting during the time out.

00:54:44
Speaker 2: I like that, work your problems out before the coach comes in and gives you the game plan for the next what's going to happen? I could see how that'd be bad at some times, but I think for the most part that's a that's a good concept.

00:54:56
Speaker 1: If I were in the I'd have a hard time staying on task. I'd be cutting up. I would need a coach over there in my huddle, and I can see what he's going for. Yeah, I get their empowerment. Didn't the last coach say that all the time?

00:55:08
Speaker 2: I think you did yeah, I've heard that.

00:55:09
Speaker 1: So we have one left.

00:55:10
Speaker 2: We got one call left.

00:55:11
Speaker 1: Who's what's their name, Steve, Steve, you got to bring it. It's been a great ending here. We had Luke fire us up, we had Billy drop knowledge, take us home. What's up?

00:55:21
Speaker 10: Well, First of all, a win is a win, and if you're gonna beat North Carolina and you're gonna beat Kansas, you got to keep piling them up so you know, take it when you can get it. And also, where would this team be without Malachi Marino. I don't think he gets enough credit. And if he wasn't there, we'd be, you know, fifty percent or less on wins.

00:55:47
Speaker 7: I think.

00:55:48
Speaker 10: So the guy is a stud. He's outperformed whatever we thought he might do, and he's just one hell of a player.

00:55:56
Speaker 1: You're exactly right. Thank you for calling in sharing that. It's a great way ended. Malachi has been awesome. The original plan early, Brandon Garrison was the starter. We know Malachai pretty quickly started showing that he could compete and eventually take those minutes becomes the starter. I feel like after every game we get like this. Malachi Reno is the first freshman since Blah blah blah. To have this many rebounds on the road, you know, we're getting all these first time things for him as a freshman, he's been awesome. I'm one of the people and I don't run from it. I watched him at Great Crossing and I knew he'd eventually be good, but I thought freshman year might not be quite ready. Just thought he need a little more muscle, need to get little more physical, and he still has to work on that. But I didn't see anything like we've seen from Reno and the callers right who knows where we'd be without him?

00:56:38
Speaker 2: Has blown our expectations out of the water. Not only that he had the game winner versus LSU, of course, and I mean, was it the first basket of the last game versus Auburn. He scores, he rolls his ankles on the court for five minutes, and he ends up getting up, running off the court and then coming back in the game. The guy's tough. And if he doesn't go to the NBA, I'm looking forward to a sophomore camp for a guy Malachai.

00:57:01
Speaker 1: And here lately he's I feel like he's been money at the free throw line, too, which you want this time of year, especially from your big guy. Four for fourth from tonight. I don't have past game stats in front of me, but I feel like if you looked up the last month, he's been pretty consistent at the line too. So yes, shout out to Malachi Mario. Great night tonight, almost got the double double, but got the eleven rebounds, two blocks. Just obvious when he's not out there, it's a big difference.

00:57:24
Speaker 2: Malachi Mareno is seventy for one hundred at the free throw line this year.

00:57:29
Speaker 1: That's seventy percent. That is, I'd say in the last month, it's even better. That's probably a lot to do on the fly, y'all. Just trust me. Billy will call him. Back me up other billy, the billy would like, But I like this Billy. It was fun. Thank you for let me hang with you later night, Like we should probably turn this off, go home. They have other shows they have to do. State of the Union's over Tennessee, Missouri's over Tacky. South Carolina's over Cats wins seventy two to sixty three. Staying out of that bubble conversation, We'll be all right. Got Vandy coming up on Saturday. Important games left let's win some of them. Now, let's win all of them. Billy, let's go three and oh, let's do it.

00:58:04
Speaker 2: But for now we're.

00:58:05
Speaker 1: Gonna celebrate this one cat's beat South Carolina for Drew, Billy and all our callers. Thank you all for listening.

00:58:10
Speaker 2: Go Cuttes.