KSR Postgame UK MBB vs Florida 3/07/26

00:00:00
Speaker 1: Welcome everyone. It is the local Toy Dealers KSR postgame show. Kentucky loses on Senior Night at home eighty four seventy seven to the Florida Gators. Finished the season nineteen and twelve, and now, depending on what happens in the Oklahoma Texas game tonight, will either be the nine or ten seed in the SEC Tournament. Playing on Wednesday for what I believe is the first time in the history of Kentucky basketball. I don't think we've ever played on Wednesday before. Of course, more teams play on Wednesday now because the conference has expanded, But nevertheless, if I'm nine two eight h twenty two eighty seven, Kentucky really never had a shot in this game. And part of what is disappointing is they have now played eighty minutes of basketball against Florida this year and they have not led for one second of those eighty minutes. Florida is better, and as my friend Aaron Fleeiner said in a tweet, Florida is what Kentucky used to be at various points in our history, and certainly in the last thirty five years, Kentucky just you know, fell down eleven nothing fought back, made it, made it eleven nine, and then at one point twenty to nineteen, but then gave up another thirteen er run and ended up with being down thirty three nineteen, and then really never was over. As a matter of fact, the closest they got was at the end of the game, when really it was just about whether or not they would cover the spread. I was there for the beginning. I love Senior Day. I'm a sucker for everybody's families being there, and I'm a sucker from my old Kentucky home. And it was a great Kentucky pregame atmosphere. I will say once again, you know, we have had some really really exciting I've gone to three of the home games before just to speerings the atmosphere in Tennessee, Vandy, in Kentucky and they all have irkuen Me Kontenessee, vand in Florida, and they've all been amazing. I mean, the fans showed up. Fans showed up forty five minutes before the game. I mean the place was full, it was electric in there, and then just completely deflated at the beginning. I told Billy, I, you know, it's hard enough for me to watching the games in the arena. I just don't, especially especially at RUPED because we're not allowed to sit close, so we're way up. And I ended up leaving right after that eleven zero run. It was like, I'll just watch it at home, and it was it was bad. You know, you can give Kentucky credit for fighting back, but I'm sort of tired about I'm tired of being down huge in the first half. It's been a problem under marks Pope for two years. To their credit, they fought back and won some of these games, but they have gotten down double digits in the first half. I had kept the stat for a while and then I stopped. I mean literally, it's I think it's like fifteen times in two years. It's a crazy amount and it's ridiculous for Kentucky to do that. And it's ridiculous. They ended up not getting blown out on the score, but if you watch the game, you know we were blown out. And it's ridiculous to get blown out at home. Kentucky should not get blown out at home by anyone. You know, occasionally you might get blown out on a road, but you should never ever ever get blown out at home. And while we only lost by seven. That's not how the game played. The team way too often takes essentially breaks. A perfect example to me was the play I believe it Mohammad Diabaatee hit a three that I want to say, cut it to eleven to nine. I think that was fourteen nine four. Well, no, he cut it to eleven to nine, and then they got the rebound and Kentucky was celebrating, and they got the rebound and pushed it down and shot a three within seconds and it was fourteen to nine. Am I right about that? Is that the sequence? It's I think so, I think I'm right about that. I think it was eleven nine, and rather than getting back Florida, who's Florida is so well coached, gets the ball out of the net, comes down and hits a three within three seconds, and it's fourteen to nine. And the excitement you got from a Diabat three, which is rare, and the crowd it's just gone, immediately gone. And the key sequence in the game. Obviously the start is bad, but they didn't come back from that. The key sequence in the game is that twenty to nineteen to thirty three to nineteen and they get Florida went on a thirteen to oh run in two minutes and twenty seconds. Two minutes and twenty seconds. That is a Kentucky team not paying patiently, not getting back. Florida killed them in transition, just killed them. And a couple times, maybe three times. It was literally just because we didn't run back on defense. It wasn't turnovers, we only had nine turnovers for the game. It was just not getting back. It's first time all year we've lost when we had fewer than eleven turnovers. Just did not get back on defense. And then Florida's really good. Don't get me wrong, Florida's really good. But you did it to yourself to get that gap. So for me, this is where we are. Tink you finishes nineteen and twelve in the regular season. I judge. We've talked a lot about this on KSR. I judge a team on three things. The non conference. I want you to be play good teams, win games that matter, and be competitive, but ultimately it doesn't really matter as long as you play good. I want to be due. I want to beat Louisville, you know, Kansas, North Carolina, et cetera. But it doesn't really matter. But if you look at the non conference, we went two and four against good teams, beat Saint John's, beat Indiana, and Indiana's not that great, but beat Saint John's who won the Big East, but got blown out by Michigan State, blown out by Gonzaga, lost it home to North Carolina, and didn't really get blown out by Louisville. But it was a game very similar to this one where we really weren't in it and then made a little bit of run at the end. So two and four, then you get to conference play, and in conference play it's the second straight year we finished ten and eight. Last year we were the eight seed, or excuse me, the seventh seed, and now this year the ten seed. Mark Pope at Kentucky has been twenty and sixteen in the SEC. That's that's not what you do at Kentucky. You don't go twenty and sixteen. You don't. So the SEC to me is not only a disappointment, I would say the regular season this year is at best like a C minus D plus. I'm not gonna say it's an F, but it's it's barely passing. And the only reason I even give it a passing grade is you did lose your point guard at the beginning, and you did lose like your six man. I've said to you, I don't put anything on Jay and Quain's I never expected him to play. You sign a guy with a torn acl you have to understand there's a possibility he won't play. But Jay, so not having Jalen Low and Cam Williams matters, But that still doesn't excuse the record. We got more talent than teams that are gonna finish ahead of us in the SEC. We have enough talent to beat George at home. We have enough talent to beat Missouri at home. Right, So I just I don't accept that it's it's a factor, but it's still a bad regular season C minus D plus. Now the next thing is, yes, is he tournament and it matters more to me than it has to our coaches over the year. I was glad to hear Mark Pope say we're going down there to win. You know, I'm glad we have a coach that cares about it. I care about it. But we haven't been good in this tournament and we haven't been to the weekend since twenty nineteen, and we are going to have to win three games to get to the weekend. This time, we'll see what happens. If Texas beats Oklahoma tonight, you might avoid Florida. You're kind of looking at a path. I think, I don't know where it fits out, but it looks like maybe LSU or South Carolina or Ole Miss in game one, I don't know who that would be. Then probably, you know, I don't know where the tiebreakers get, it'll be Tennessee, Vandy, Georgia somebody like that in round two, and then Alabama in round three. Not exactly an easy path just to get to the weekend. That's just to get to the weekend and now, and then you get the NCAA tournament. I would say unless Kentucky wins multiple games in the SEC tournament, you're probably looking at a seven. Maybe if you win two games in the SEC and maybe you get to a six, but that means you're gonna have a hard first round game in the NCAA. You're gonna play somebody good. So there is a chance to change the narrative on the season, but there are no more room. There's no more room for mistakes. Tucky finishes the year disappointing nineteen and twelve is not acceptable. And I'll give you a stat that's sobering. In two seasons, Mark Pope's regular season record is now only two games better than Billy Gillespie's was two games. So sec is better than it was then, but still two games. That's frustrating, and it should be frustrating to all fans. And now we see over the but things can change in March. The twenty fourteen team is an example, but then a lot of times March just backs up what you saw all season. We'll see what happens this year. A f I'm nine two eight oh twenty two eighty seven. Want to hear what you think about this? You know, what was your take on the game? If you were there? I thought Otago way by the way went out playing the ways played all year, gave it is all. Aberdeen started slow, played well in the second half, but we've learned when they shut down Colin Chandler, this offense drags. Happened tonight, and this happened a lot of the year. We'll take your calls A nine two eighth twenty two eighty seven A very disappointing loss and a disappointing regular season for Kentucky. We'll be right back. This is the Local Toy Dealers KSR postcam show. Welcome Back. It is the Local Toy Dealers KSR postgame Show. A five, nine, two, eight oh twenty two eighty seven. Some good questions on the text machine. One person rights Matt. I hadn't realized we were only two games better than Billy Gillespie. Billy Gillespie didn't come back. Do you think Mark Pope should come back? Well? Should is a complicated conversation. I don't think he Shouldn't I think he I think you just you do it for a variety of reasons, including the fact that you know. There are a lot of reasons. One is the contract. One is the Innisle situation across. One is our athletic department budget. One is you know he went here and we want it to work. But I do think next year is the year. I mean, I do think next year is the year. And he has no players, so it's it's understandable to be pessimistic. I think Billy would have been here a third year if not for the off the courts. But Billy would have been in the same situation where it would have been Okay, we'll see what happens in year three. I would actually go so far as to say, if Billy didn't have his meltdown at the end of that season where you may remember he said I'm not ambassador for the school and he had all kinds he said crazy stuff, I think he probably would have been back for a third year then. So, yes, he will be back for third year. I support him being back for third year, but the third year will decide it, at least for me going forward. One person rights, Matt, Let's say all those guys were healthy, what would our record be. All those guys were healthy, could be better. I'm not counting, like I said, I'm not counting a quaintance, because when you recruit that guy you can't like when you recruit a guy that has that injury, you're taking a chance, and you know it. If you had lowe Ann Williams, maybe you win one or two more games. I don't think you look, I lost four before that, right we got blown out to Louisville with Loewen Williams. Maybe you win one or two. Maybe you don't lose to George at home. Maybe you don't lose to Missouri at home, but you weren't beating Florida probably either way. It was just not a it was not a well constructed roster. So maybe maybe you go twenty one and and ten, which is better but not what we want. All right, who's up first, Brennan? Go ahead, Brennan.

00:13:32
Speaker 2: Hey, Matt, what's going on?

00:13:34
Speaker 1: Man? What's up?

00:13:36
Speaker 3: Hey?

00:13:36
Speaker 1: Just so, I'm.

00:13:38
Speaker 2: Having trouble watching these games. I need you to kind of pick me up here. They feel so cumbersome when we're sitting here watching them, and they are cumbersome.

00:13:47
Speaker 1: It's hard not to feel cumbersome when you get down so much. I mean, you know, just think about the last two games. We've been down so much, so early in these games that it is cumbersome. And even remember, even in games we've won, we've been down. I mean, we've just I don't know what the minutes I'd like to see. Maybe somebody will do this. How many minutes have we led in the sec versus how many have we been behind? I think it's probably the case we've been behind significantly more than we've been ahead, and I think that's probably why it feels so cumbersome.

00:14:23
Speaker 2: Sure, and one more thing just hypothetical. I'm on board with Pope if he can get it going, I'm fully behind him. But what would you say right now Todd Golden or Bruce Pearl after year three of Pope?

00:14:37
Speaker 1: Yeah, you know, I appreciate the call. I mean that both those guys, Both those guys have issues. I mean, I think the fan base with Todd Golden has a lot of issues, including is clearly a jerk. It is funny how the two best coaches in college basketball right now are tremendous jerks. Todd Golden. I mean, Todd Golden was screaming at everybody at the game. I had a friend sitting behind it that said, he yelled at the clock people, he yelled at fans in the front row, like he's just a jerk. Now he's an amazing coach, like shockingly amazing to me, how well prepared his teams are. And he could win a second title this year, So you know, we'll see. I would have always said, Mitch Barnhart will never hire Todd goldennut, but Mitch Barnhart will not be the ad whenever a new coach comes up. Who's next? Skyler, Skyler, Go ahead, Skyler.

00:15:35
Speaker 4: Hey, Matt, how's it going. My thought the whole season has been Mark Pope isn't the guy, and I don't want to turn this into a show about that, but I think you know the difference you just mentioned Tom Golden and Bruce Pearl or whoever. There's like a dog to him. And you sit there and you watch Mark Pope on the sidelines, coaching or getting run off the court for the and he's there with his arms crossed, he's standing, there's nothing on his face. That's why we've seen these I would say, performative over dramatic, grasping for who he is kind of postgames. Did I see that he only spoke for four and a half minutes after the game today or is that just a YouTube thing that I saw.

00:16:18
Speaker 1: I don't know how long he spoke after the game. I mean, he normally does three segments on the post game. He only did two. He's not listen he is. He's a kind of a poor loser, at least in terms of the media part of it. I don't think he's a poor loser, and a lot like in like it seems like he's dying to the other coaches and all that. But I think when it comes to media part, he's been a point he's been really bad after games this year, like really bad all year. And I don't know why, because it doesn't seem to fit what I know of his personality. But I'll remind you when when he left BYU. I've taught told this a couple of times, and that was when we were trying to figure out about Mark Pope and I talked to a couple of people who knew him well at BYU and they said, look, great guy, awesome person, fan base will love him, blah blah blah. Loses very poorly, takes it personally, loses very poorly. And I think we've seen that to be true. But you're right, it doesn't show that during the game, which is interesting. But think about John shiret Duke. He doesn't either, and he has success.

00:17:27
Speaker 4: But I coach a six great girls basketball team, and if we're starting to get run and I can fill the momentum swing, you call a time up, you switch something up, you put you look the girls in the eye and you say, hey, let's lock it in right here, and you're not down twenty. These are like D one basketball players that we spent a lot of money on you can motivate them a little better. And I think it takes a dog, and I'm not sure it marks a dog.

00:17:50
Speaker 1: I mean appreciate the call. I mean that's I understand what you're saying. I think there's multiple ways to do it, right. I think there is the It seems like right now the coaches that are except for the most part, are these relatively younger guys who have this passion, who have embraced this whole Nile era and who are fiery. But it always it hasn't always been like that. And I also think, you know, I just to me, the best coaches in the country right now are Danny Hurley, Todd Golden john Shire, and Dusty Mayott Michigan. I don't know as much about the guy Arizona because I don't watch them as much because they're late at night. But those just seem like the guys who are it's just rolling and they're getting the players for next year. And and I, you know, I want to see Mark in that group. He should be in that group. They're his age bracket, they're at programs like he is. He should be in that group, but he hasn't been who's next, Curtis, Curtis, go ahead, Curtis.

00:18:54
Speaker 5: Hey, Matt was that the game today, been at most of every home game this year, and and I been all on board trying to support Pope for the last two years, been to tons of games, try to give him every benefit of the doubt. But I think today, in this week in general, has been the breaking point. I know what you said earlier that next year is gonna be the tipping point. And we all know for a lot of reasons he's gonna get year three, could lose the next two games, still gonna get year three. But I have to ask you this, what gives you any hope that this guy can do it? I mean, today and this week just broke me. The absolute number of things for first time things happening for the University of Kentucky basketball program, giving up twenty seven to three run, going down eleven nothing at home in Florida, just knowing you're gonna lose, his excuses about being everybody's tired, and then his players going on to say, I don't know if you saw it, but Yellovich's quote saying, no, that's not the problem. All these kids are used to playing thirty five minutes a game. You look across the country they're doing it. PPE just seems like he's clueless and lost and in over his head here. And this whole week has just been the absolute breaking point for me. And I don't know how anybody else could actually believe that this guy is the right man for Kentucky basketball. I would love to hear your thoughts, but I just can't see it. And I've tried to give him time, and I've tried to give him a chance. I just can't see it.

00:20:20
Speaker 1: Well. First of all, I think you articulate all that very well. I understand what you're saying. And I let me be clear, I'm not saying I believe he is Okay, I'm not. I'm not saying that. I mean I probably thought that, Okay, I certain Let me put it like this, I certainly thought that going into the year. This year has very much disappointed me in really every way possible. It's disappointed me in roster management, it's disappointed me in performance, it's disappointed me in off the court media, just things that the way you kind of run a program like this and early in the year, although this is I haven't heard as much of this recently early in the year. It kind of disappointed me in what I was hearing behind the scenes with the team that seems to have gotten better. But so no, I'm not confident. I would look at it and say in year one. In year one, I considered it a success. In year two, I consider it. Unless there's a big change, I would consider it a failure. So that then leads to me to year three breaks the tie. Does that make sense? That's probably where I am.

00:21:34
Speaker 5: Oh, it's not no, that's well puts, that's well put. I think we're both kind of on the same level. But I'm glad to hear you say that, because you know, I follow you on Twitter. I get emotional and stuff during games and whatnot. But I kind of feel like, and tell me if I'm wrong, or you can just kind of plead the fifth. But I feel like you have even said this, even with cal you gotta be careful about calling for somebody's job and your position, and.

00:21:56
Speaker 6: I get it.

00:21:56
Speaker 5: But I've kind of got the hint from you and even Drew and whatnot, and I see that you guys have.

00:22:02
Speaker 1: Drew's much more negative about it. I mean, Drew's much more negative about it than I am. If there's a scale, I would say Drew is maybe not where you are, but close. Ryan still believes and I'm kind of in the middle because I see a lot of troubling concerns, but I can't overlook that I actually think he did a really good job last year, so, you know, so I appreciate the call. That's a good conversation. I in terms of calling for somebody's job, I wouldn't. I'm not gonna. I wouldn't call for his job either way this year, but I will know.

00:22:39
Speaker 3: Like.

00:22:41
Speaker 1: It is different when I talk, like I can't just go online. But you know, any criticism that we at KSR but I specifically do, it resonates, and it's not like it's one of those things you can't take the genie out of the bottle. I don't have the you know, so I try to consider that. That's what makes me so frustrated when coaches or the ad you know, say, oh, there's a couple people doing this their knuckleheads. What makes me frustrated is I bite my tongue. I mean, ask Billy in our group text, I bite my tongue, and like they get mad at the smallest criticisms at the small just going hey, where's this money coming from? For nine hundred and fifty thousand dollars leads to it is goodbye press conference, calling people kN knuckleheads. That's what we've dealt with since covid our coaches, starting with Cal Stoops in the last year or so. He wasn't like that before, Mitch, Like everybody gets you. They are all so on about everything that I try to be responsible and like not say it until you can't not say it, and even then you see the result. So but I'm still gonna do the same thing. I'm gonna be responsible, and then when I say it, like I eventually did with Mark Stoops, and like I eventually did with John Caliperry, and like I did with Mitch, I mean it at that point. And I think when I've said it, like seventy percent of the fan base is agreed at that point. Now on this, I think it's a lot closer, and I think people are all over the place. Who's next? Ryan? Is next? Ryan? Go ahead, Hey.

00:24:39
Speaker 7: Matthew Albert Jones. I was just calling to see what kind of success do you need to see from coach Mark Pope in order to be excited for season three. We got recruiting. It's a giant issue. Talent is an issue where I've matched it every game we played.

00:24:53
Speaker 1: Can I be honest with you on that question. There will be almost nothing that can happen in the end tournament that will change my mind. And let me say why. I think the tournament there's a lot of randomness. So let's say we make a run to the Elite eight. Do I still think this roster was well put together? No? I don't. Do I still not have problems with his coaching. I do. So what would make me feel better going in the next year them going out and getting a good roster and not striking out with every recruit and striking out with all of their top portal attempts. That's what's happened last year. They lost their top three guys in the portal and they got probably their second choice on like three different guys, and they've got no recruits. So you want me to have excitement, Let's see what you do. You know, if we make the final four, I'll be excited. We make the Elite eight, I'll probably be excited, But there's probably not My view is probably not gonna change much based on what happens in the next few weeks.

00:26:01
Speaker 7: The big issue line to see is our guys getting out coached every game. It doesn't matter if we're not every game matter if we're in Rupperna. A lot of games, he's getting out coursed. He looks up matched, looks like he can't coach out of a paper bag. To me, at times, we are not Vanderbilt. We are not o miss to quote Marcustigue, we is Kentucky and right now it feels like we are Mississippi State.

00:26:26
Speaker 1: Appreciate the call. I don't disagree with you. A couple things here before we take a break. Morehead States playing for a tournament birth tonight. The OBC Championship is here relatively soon. Who do they play? Do you know who they play?

00:26:40
Speaker 8: I don't, let me just look it up right now.

00:26:42
Speaker 1: They play tonight for the first official bid, and there actually is one bid that's already been decided. Long Island plays mercy Hurst tomorrow in the Northeast Conference, and Mercyhurst is not eligible for the tournament this year because they're still transitioning from Division two, so Long Island automatically has the bid and do you know who coaches Long Island Billy?

00:27:06
Speaker 8: Know who?

00:27:07
Speaker 1: That would be Rod Strickland, former UK assistant coach who has built that team from his first year they won three games to this year they won I think twenty three and they're going to the NCAA tournament.

00:27:19
Speaker 8: Tennessee State is who moreheads since the state?

00:27:21
Speaker 1: Yeah? I think that. I think Tennessee State may be the one and Morehead the two or something. So good luck to morehead to night. We'll take a break and be right back. This is the Local Toy Dealers KSR postgame show. Welcome back. It is the Local Toy Dealers KSR postgame Show. Uh, one person rights, Matt. You really need to hear Yellovich postgame answers. They were very telling. What did they say? I haven't heard these do you know what this says?

00:27:46
Speaker 8: I haven't been able to hear it?

00:27:47
Speaker 1: And he said they said that he was they were not tired, by the way, I've never bought the tired. I wish Mark Pope. He said that at the game tonight. He was like, you know, we start making turnovers when we're tired. Ridiculous, ridiculous statements. It continues the I don't know what he thinks when he says stuff. I mean, may he may actually believe that, But I mean, we were down eleven nothing to start the game. Were we tired? The game was just starting and then we were we the thirteen oh run that changed the game was with it twenty to nineteen? Were we tired? We were still ten minutes into the game. If we aren't so tired all the time, I don't believe we're tired. By the way I watch it, I do not. I sometimes see the bigs get tired, but the guards never looked tired to me. Chandler looked a little tired one of those games, I can't remember which one. I have yet to see Oway and Aberdeen look tired. But the tired is ridiculous. But if they are tired, then that's on your conditioning. Yes, if they really are tired, then that's on you, because like these are crazy good athletes. Almost every player on this team is at least a good athlete, and some of them are great athletes. So don't give me the tired. It's just I'm tired of the tired, billy. I'll be honest with you.

00:29:11
Speaker 9: Yeah, tonight was demoralizing for me. I will say that eleven zero run to start the game. The game wasn't even on TV yet, I know, yeah, I couldn't even watch it, and by the time it.

00:29:21
Speaker 8: It was down double digits.

00:29:22
Speaker 1: I got to see it up close. It was like watching chill. I thought we were gonna lose by forty after watching the first few minutes because it looked like we were pathetic. But you know, he did fight fight back on one person, right, it's mad. It looks if you say Drew is the one that is most negative, it's looked like he's the only one that understands what Kentucky basketball is. No, I mean, I understand this has not been Kentucky basketball. It's not like it's this has been bad, but it's not been Kentucky basketball really for six years. I mean, if we're really honest with ourself, we've had one really one good season in six years in the regular season, and in that year we lost to Saint Peter's in the first round of tournament. So think about it. Kentucky basketball has not been Kentucky basketball since COVID. So the question is when's it gonna change? But we have to. But I also accept the realities of you know, there are people who want to just fire people all the time and think that's gonna help. I think what's got to help is a complete change of mentality at the university. That's what has to start the university. Well, I mean, that's a conversation. We'll save it for the offseason. But no, this isn't Kentucky basket. It has not been Kentucky basketball since they shut down that SEC tournament in Nashville. It really hasn't.

00:30:46
Speaker 8: Who's next, Mike.

00:30:48
Speaker 1: Mike, Go ahead, Mike, that's this Mike, you town what's going on?

00:30:56
Speaker 3: A couple of points the BILLI Lessbie comparison to Mark Pope, college basketball is in a different landscape now, well okay.

00:31:10
Speaker 1: But I don't disagree with that. But so what so what you've got to adjust? Right? I mean, yes, it is different. The SEC is better in ile exists. You are exactly right, it's different. But you know who's you know who I'm watching play right now, Duke. They're number one in the country. They're twenty eight and two. It's they're winning by twenty against North Carolina and they don't even have the coach that built the program so guess what they did?

00:31:42
Speaker 10: Yeah, Justine, Oh yeah.

00:31:44
Speaker 1: But that's just true. You know who else has been good the last six years? Kansas? You know who else has been good the last six years? Yukont You know who made a national championship in the last six years? A national championship game? North Carolina? They adjusted some of why can't we.

00:32:01
Speaker 4: All?

00:32:02
Speaker 1: Right?

00:32:02
Speaker 3: So another point is, but I answer.

00:32:05
Speaker 1: That question because I'm not trying to like go at you, but when I hear that conversation quite a bit, college basketball is different, Okay, but why have all the other powers adjusted and we have it? Why is Florida going for a back to back title with a completely different roster?

00:32:27
Speaker 3: Well, you definitely have to get out there and find some good talent, but we also have them do it.

00:32:37
Speaker 1: But what excuse? There's no excuse.

00:32:40
Speaker 10: That's right.

00:32:42
Speaker 1: If college back, I like, if I was looking at the top twenty five in college basketball and the top five teams were Minnesota, LSU, like just complete random teams, then I might agree with you. But they're the same teams that have been good for all time. It's just we're not there.

00:33:02
Speaker 3: Correct now. My last point and then they'll hang up. Hope is soft when that comes to the officials. You see john Shire, you see Hurley, well you even see uh Florida's coach to Knight.

00:33:20
Speaker 1: They whine all the time, Todd Golden, and.

00:33:24
Speaker 3: They get and they get and they yeah, Todd Golden and they get all the costs. And so why couldn't we get a review tonight, That's what I want to know.

00:33:34
Speaker 1: Well, we were out of timeouts and we had used AR so like that's why when you take your last time out, then the only way you can get a review is if the ref initiates himself and he has the ability to do it in the last two minutes. So I think it's fair to criticize it. I didn't that they didn't do it, but at the same time, yes, But at the same time, if you watch college basketball for the most part, on things like out of that, they almost never initiated unless a coach challenges it.

00:34:07
Speaker 3: Well, but you got just coached Yukon's coach and Florida's coach putting pressure on the referees well to look at it, and they get it, and they get it.

00:34:19
Speaker 1: Well, I appreciate call. I mean, that's uh, that's true. I don't I don't disagree with that. He's he he yells at refs. He just does it a different way. I don't know what the right strategy is with refs, but I will say this, Todd Golden does not shut up h during the game Who's Next?

00:34:35
Speaker 8: Neither did Cal. No, he didn't.

00:34:38
Speaker 1: Times we thought Cal. Sometimes we thought Cal hurt himself by doing that. You know, who knows what works? Who's next? Another Mike, Mike, go ahead, Mike.

00:34:48
Speaker 11: Hey, I'll tell you man, there's nobody's been a bigger Hope supporter of than Maid. But he's bats me because you know, there are always people talking about our talent, and uh, it's not the most talented, But I do believe it's talented at us to compete in the SDC. And I think his management of the roster is worse than the actual roster.

00:35:12
Speaker 1: I agree with that. I agree with the second point, and I actually agree with the first point. He may not have the talent to be as good as Florida, but we have just as much talent as probably everybody in the league except Florida, Arkansas and Alabama. And guess what, we beat have.

00:35:27
Speaker 11: More talent than Georgia.

00:35:29
Speaker 1: Oh, without question, more talent than Georgia, Missouri, Texas, all these teams we've lost to. We beat Texas, but A and M like we have more talent than all those teams.

00:35:38
Speaker 11: You're exactly right, and shout out to Oscar Collumns for colling for some of these upper guys to step beside. I thought that was bold take, but also the correct take.

00:35:49
Speaker 1: Appreciate the call. Who's next?

00:35:52
Speaker 8: Andrew is next?

00:35:53
Speaker 1: Andrew? Go ahead, Andrew?

00:35:57
Speaker 10: And I called you after the Uh, well, wellkn tuck a football game, and I kind of have the same question again, like, what's like a sales point? Uh, if you're the ad, obviously it won't be Mitch, but you know, a few seasons tickets the football, as I do in basketball. Both, what's like a sales point for me to renew again? Uh? They got it with football because they fired set whatever.

00:36:20
Speaker 1: Well, basketball, my sales point would be, we're gonna be good at basketball again, and we're gonna be really good. Now is it gonna be a pope? I don't know. Yeah, yeah we will. This school there's too much, but there's.

00:36:36
Speaker 10: Only next year.

00:36:38
Speaker 1: We will no, no, no, no, no? Oh, Well, I mean the reason you would renew is if you lose your season tickets next year, you're gonna be sitting up in the rafters. Unless you're already sitting in the rafters. And then maybe you don't. Then maybe you don't. I don't know, but I'm just saying, like the reason, it's the same reason I renewed for the Reds when I knew they were gonna be terrible, because I wanted to keep my seats for if they got good. That's the way. But but and again, before when you say would you renew next year, let's see what the rock. We didn't even know what the roster is like. We don't know one person that's gonna be on the team next year for sure.

00:37:10
Speaker 10: Yeah, but I'll we'll probably have to renew before that, before that's known.

00:37:15
Speaker 1: We're gonna know by. We're gonna know pretty quick. We're gonna know by it probably may first. Most of the roster.

00:37:21
Speaker 10: Should should we Okay, Okay, so maybe the roster will be fine. I guess. I just I just feel you can't really feel optimistic about it. I want through to succeed more than anyone. I just I just don't think how you can feel optimistic about like the direction of the program. Right, I'm just same as football, and it changed. It changed after I talked to you in that game. So I kind of think, what can basketball do to change the direction? And I don't want it to be a change like it was for football. I want there to be something else. Well, that's not gonna happen.

00:37:55
Speaker 1: So and I appreciate the call. That's not gonna happen. So you'll have to decide if you're uh positive enough without that. Who's next?

00:38:03
Speaker 9: Let's give our Johnny Rocker personal injury attorney moneymaker of the game. Next, Matt injured, get small town compassion with big city results when you call the Rocker at two seven zero three two one four four two nine, And tonight it goes to otega Oway twenty eight points. Was four of eight from deep, eight of eight from the free throw line in thirty eight minutes.

00:38:21
Speaker 8: He had only one turnover.

00:38:23
Speaker 9: And to add to the stat that you shared on the pregame show, Oway has now scored double digits in sixty three of the sixty seven games that he's played with at Kentucky. He is our moneymaker of the game tonight, All.

00:38:35
Speaker 1: Right sounds good? Eight five nine, twenty two eighty seven. Uh, by the way, well, let's do one more call real quick. Who's name?

00:38:42
Speaker 8: Okay, Chris?

00:38:43
Speaker 1: Is that Chris? Go ahead, Chris?

00:38:46
Speaker 3: Hey, Matt. I kind of like where the conversation's going because I got program concerns. Two years ago we made a reach higher, but I was one of twenty four thousand people at RUP to welcome Pope with open arms. We flash forward these two years. The record is what the record is. We have no recruits, we have no site of hiring a general manager to run this thing. We have Jmi, who just canned Baker, who I love. We have Mitch who's stepping aside. He kind of but he's in another role, but he's not going to be vad Okay, great, Like, where is my hope for this program coming from?

00:39:33
Speaker 1: Well, I mean, I can't determine your optimism or not, but everything you just questioned I have the same questions. Mark Story wrote in the Herald Leader just a week ago. These next two months are Mark Pope's career. I completely agree with that. I'll go further. These next six months are massive for the future of Kentucky basketball, not just Mark Pope. I would make an argument that if Kentucky doesn't get its act together in the next four to six months and do not make does not make the right decision, then that will become a three or four year process. It's hard to get out the ad higher is going to be crucial. There are many things happening behind the scenes that are not you know. Part of the issue is I can't just talk about them because me talking about them will change everything, will change things, not change things, but will make it completely different. But they're happening and quick. Well, I mean, I just can't, you know, I can't. But Mark Pope, you've got whether he's going to succeed. What kind of roster are we going to have? Are we going to hire a GM? Is it going to be the right hire? I would argue that when we get to the decisions that will be made from today until August thirty first of next year, I'll even say July first, because we'll have to have an ad that the decisions from March seventh to July first are going to determine the next five years of Kentucky basketball. And so I'm nervous about it. But I'm not giving up, but I am nervous about it.

00:41:18
Speaker 3: Are you hopeful there are folks in the room.

00:41:22
Speaker 1: I don't know. I don't know who's I'm gonna be honest with you, I don't know who's making decisions. Is not Eli Capluto. No offense to him, because I like you like Cappalluto. I think he's done a good job. I don't even know if he's making decisions. I doubt I kind of don't think he'll be the president next year. That's just my guess. That's that's not inside information, it's just a guess. I mean, so you know Eli Cappoluto spends a lot of his time in Alabama, I don't know. So I honestly don't know who's making the decisions. So when you ask me, are the people in the room, I don't even really know who's in the room. I mean, I was shocked today to see w Kyt say the board of trustees of the university did not know about the Mitch contract. What Eli did that on his own? But did Eli do it? Did somebody else tell him that? I don't know. The problem is, So to answer your question, I don't know who's making the decisions, so it's hard for me to know.

00:42:21
Speaker 3: Well, Matt thanks for being a boy, spiece. I appreciate you. I appreciate what you do. Uh, just we need some hope, man.

00:42:29
Speaker 1: I appreciate the call, and w I have hope because I'm an optimistic person. But you know, I'll be real with you on July first, I'll tell you how fastive I feeling. And that doesn't mean i'll be right. Like you know, my initial reaction to the poephire was negativity, and then I switched. Maybe my initial reaction was right. Maybe my switching will be right, have been right. Who knows, but we'll see. We'll tell you break come back. Final segment, Local Toy Dealers KSR Post Game Show. Welcome Back, Local Toy Dealers KSR Post game Show. You say, L s U and A and M's in triple overtime.

00:43:06
Speaker 9: Eighty seven eighty five triple overtime, three minutes left.

00:43:10
Speaker 1: Yeah, I don't know, I don't know what the what? What? What that game impacts? Who we who we would play? First? All right, I'm sitting here looking at the SEC standings. LSU is three and fourteen. LSU looks like they well if so, if they win, then they would get into a tie with South Carolina and Old Miss. So I think we can say with confidence that we are either going to play South Carolina, Old Miss, or LSU in the first row. Do you have a preference as to which of those you would play?

00:43:44
Speaker 9: Not Old Miss because I know Travis Perry scoring twenty in that game.

00:43:48
Speaker 1: So yeah, I think is the best of those teams. Yeah, I think South Carolina's awful, but so, I mean, we should beat all of them those teams, but LSU is probably the best of that group.

00:44:03
Speaker 8: So one at South Carolina already, and then it.

00:44:05
Speaker 1: Looks like we're gonna be either the nine or the ten. So that will be us or it would look to me like if we are the nine, we would play Missouri in the next round. And if we were the ten, I think we would play Georgia in the next round. I would so, so it looks like we're gonna get a chance to avenge one of those home losses. We'll see, though I can't. The tie breakers are so weird, So would you Arkansas or Alabama? Will had who won when Arkansas played Alabama this year? That's who the two would be.

00:44:50
Speaker 8: I don't know. I'm guessing Alabama, but let me check.

00:44:53
Speaker 1: Let's see Alabama beat Arkansas, so that means Alabama will be the two seed, assuming they beat Auburn tonight, which would make Alabama our team. We would play on Friday. So it looks like we will play either South Carolina, Mississippi or LSU. Then in the next round either Missouri or Georgia. And in the next round either Florida or Alabama. That's lost the path. Yeah yeah, but that's what happens when you go to tonight. Who's up next? Stub stub, go ahead, stub.

00:45:26
Speaker 12: Hey, Mat, So, Colin Chandler is way too easy to take out.

00:45:32
Speaker 11: Of a game.

00:45:33
Speaker 1: He is unfortunate.

00:45:35
Speaker 12: Yeah, yeah, it's it's unfortunate.

00:45:37
Speaker 1: And well that's two straight games and that is worrisome for the postseason. He's been essentially taken out of both of those games.

00:45:47
Speaker 11: Yeah, he's just.

00:45:50
Speaker 12: Bus is hard. He's just he's just soft. But what frustrates me, Matt is these teams, Like you asked the average Florida fan, they would trade in a heartbeat if you said, hey, if we would trade your three basketball national championships so even make.

00:46:11
Speaker 3: The football playoffs, they would trade.

00:46:13
Speaker 12: It without even battan I same thing with I.

00:46:16
Speaker 1: Agree with you. I totally agree with you. I totally agree with that's so frustrating, and you're right. I thought that today. I was looking at the Florida fans there and they had so few fans there, and I was sitting there thinking, Man, they don't even care, and they're good, and we would give anything to be good and we're not.

00:46:35
Speaker 12: And the same thing with Alabama fans, with whatever success they've had in Alabama football.

00:46:42
Speaker 1: I don't know. No, that is without question. I completely agree with you. You, I completely agree with you. I appreciate the call that is. That is that I thought about that tonight. It's frustrated. Who's next, Jeremy, Jeremy, go ahead, Jeremy.

00:47:04
Speaker 13: Hey, what's up?

00:47:04
Speaker 1: Matt?

00:47:05
Speaker 7: Uh?

00:47:05
Speaker 1: What's going on?

00:47:06
Speaker 13: So two things? Not much man, rough night. I think I think I'm gonna hit on a couple of things that some other collegs have already hit on, and they've been good calls. But I think what we're talking about is uncertainty. There's a ton of uncertainty surrounding the state of the basketball program with with a new ad coming in, you know, Pope to some level on on the ropes game to game, I think It's fair to say there have been times that this program has faced uncertainty, but I don't think they've ever faced it in the types of times that we're in where you've got nil you're you're paying players, but we don't. We don't have a recruit man. We don't have like a top twenty twenty five kid out of high school coming in next year, and that is that's uncharted territory.

00:47:54
Speaker 1: Well, part of the uncertainty for me is the fact that the entire system is changing. And if you look throughout history, when the systems change. Okay, so when college sports has undergone massive institutional change, the teams that figure it out the best are not only good immediately, they tend to become the teams that are good for the next ten to fifteen years, right, So, and they do write the rules. And so think about when the one and done era started. We took advantage of it first, and we kind of owned the sport for a few years and for a decade. You know, this next iteration of college basketball, it feels like ukont and Florida and Duke and Houston have kind of figured it out and they're kind of being good every year. No matter who they have, and I worry we're getting left behind. Now there's another change coming, which is whatever college sports looks like after Congress passes whatever legislation pass and so that is the next thing. But I do I'm with you. Part of the uncertainty is it feels like it's a crucial time to be good and we're not good.

00:49:13
Speaker 13: That's right, and and the only other thing was and this just literally gets back. It gets back to you know, fundamental coaching. You know, and even even Jimmy Dykes pointed out today, you know, there was a couple of different instances where you know, Golden Costs plays right, like they they set up three dudes on the right side of the court. It's a smoke screen. That dude set a simple pick, handed the ball to Houck and he nailed a three. I mean, that's it's fundamental basketball, right, It's it's coaching. And I think there's a level like I think Mark Pope maybe too smart. I think he gets locked he gets locked in that you can do battle in his own head man. Yeah, he's gonna be too smart.

00:49:53
Speaker 1: I've been around those Yeah, I appreciate it. I was around a lot of those people. When I was in law school, people who are really really smart, and they almost were so smart that when they got in front of a courtroom, they couldn't do it because they they couldn't make oral arguments because they were almost too bookish. I'm not saying Mark Pope is like that, but that does exist in some forms.

00:50:14
Speaker 8: Who's next, Kleidas.

00:50:16
Speaker 1: Kletus, go ahead, Kalidas, kleatus a no cleenas, Who's next? I have a feeling that was probably a fake caller, just a just a guess who's next?

00:50:29
Speaker 8: Jen May?

00:50:31
Speaker 1: Jen May? How are you hey there?

00:50:34
Speaker 14: I'm doing okay, really sad about the loss. I listened to the show yesterday and was really excited when I heard Jasper Johnson and Moreno talk about the game, and they were really pumped up about it. And I really thought that we were talking in I knew I thought it would.

00:50:47
Speaker 3: Be really close.

00:50:48
Speaker 14: I didn't think they stopped us like we did. But I give a shout out to O Way. He's been carrying us and he did a fantastic jobs night.

00:50:59
Speaker 1: Yeah, I agree with you. And Jack Gibbons apparently said in the postgame show that he didn't think Kentucky believed it could win. I hope that's I didn't hear him say that, but I hope that's.

00:51:11
Speaker 14: Not true, right, I know, right, I thought they would. I just I also thought that Jasper Gonson, like when he came out there was like a momentum change. He kind of was a little bit selfish there, and.

00:51:26
Speaker 1: Well, you know, it's plus minus was interestingly not that bad. I mean, Billy was telling me the plus minus. You said only one player had a positive plus minus, and I appreciate the call. Billy, Tell everybody who was the one player that had a positive plus minus.

00:51:40
Speaker 9: Brandon Garrison in fourteen minutes was plus five, only person in the plus for that stat.

00:51:46
Speaker 1: It's interesting, billion Sometimes you never know who's next.

00:51:50
Speaker 8: Bob and Jamestown.

00:51:52
Speaker 1: Bob, go ahead, Matt. We could have. I mean, the way that game played out, that clock business, we could win very good game. I'm not blaming the I'm not blaming the clock or the reft. We were completely outplayed. There were a couple of bad calls down the stretch. The clock thing was an issue, but you know what we if I kind of feel like this game the way I did, I'm trying to think, was it Auburn or one of those games where we had no business winning, and if we had won, it would have been lucky.

00:52:26
Speaker 11: I would have been a stunner.

00:52:27
Speaker 7: I mean.

00:52:30
Speaker 1: It was lucky. We got completely outplayed the entire game.

00:52:34
Speaker 11: Oh yeah, I agree.

00:52:36
Speaker 13: But look, I mean, look the last minute of the game.

00:52:39
Speaker 11: Well, how about those Miami RedHawks. Now I got my fingers.

00:52:43
Speaker 1: I appreciate the call. I'm not worried about your Miami RedHawks. It's a UK post games. I think that was the only reason he wanted to.

00:52:48
Speaker 8: You know, we're seeing them in the tournament.

00:52:50
Speaker 1: The thing is, I want to root for Miami, but then that's Bob, right, so you have to. So that makes it hard. Who's next?

00:52:57
Speaker 8: We're getting matched up with them? How many will take care?

00:53:00
Speaker 1: Let's do let's do uh, let's just do one more. Who's next?

00:53:03
Speaker 8: Okay, Dirk?

00:53:05
Speaker 1: Is that? Dirk? Go ahead?

00:53:06
Speaker 6: Dark Hey man, I got a couple thoughts, and I'll try to be brief before I hang up and listen. You know, to the point at the very beginning of the show about getting in these deficits and then coming back for a lot of games this year. You know, as my buddy Nick from Paris said, we're in a bit of a rinse and repeat cycle with this team, and unfortunately, the way the game's changed, I don't think you can draw any positive lessons from coming back the way you could ten years ago. You say you got a second year coach rebuild or you know, building back the program. But now you got to forget all the lessons year to year because you've got total rus.

00:53:42
Speaker 1: Every team is a new team. You're exactly right, And the coaches that will adapt are the coaches that can take a new group and go and I don't think there's any doubt about that.

00:53:54
Speaker 6: And the games themselves, I think are playing out more like and this is not bad. This can be fun to watch. They're playing out a lot more like NBA games, where you have wild lead changes, everybody's shooting twenty five to thirty three is a game. So it's not uncommon to just turn a game on and see a team up seventeen in the first half, and then you look back at the TV and it's a tie game, just like in the NBA. And so unfortunately, I mean, of course you'd like to see a team fight back when they're down twenty and they lose by seven instead of giving up and losing by forty. But I'm just not sure what kind of lessons you can draw so.

00:54:25
Speaker 1: Ill and I also, yeah, I agree with all that, And I also would say, you know, if you fall down twenty every game, yeah you come back and steal a couple, but what about the other six? You know? How about we How many games this year have we gotten up a lot at the end of the first half. Not many, but we've been down a whole lot. So Kentucky will either play at They will either play at one o'clock or actually noon or seven. It will all come down to the Oklahoma Texas game tonight, and they are in the first half, and I'm gonna give us a score before we get out of here.

00:55:06
Speaker 8: Twelve seven Oklahoma.

00:55:08
Speaker 1: Yeah, so really not much to say yet. Oklahoma wins, we play at noon. If Texas wins, we will play at seven. Thank you, folks very much for listening. We appreciate it. Tough end of the regular season. The Cats go down. We will see you on Monday morning. This has been the Local Toy Dealers KSR post game show