KSR Postgame UK MBB vs Kentucky Wesleyan 10/23/24

00:00:00
Speaker 1: Welcome everyone to the first local Toyter Dealers KSR postgame show. I am Matt Jones here after an absolutely perfect Kentucky debut under Mark Stoops beating Kentucky Wesleyan one hundred and twenty three to fifty two in one of the more fun games to watch, certainly an exhibition fun game in a long long time. You can give a shout, I'd love to hear from you. What'd you think? Now? For a lot of you, that was the first time you got to see him play. Eight five nine two to eight zho twenty two eighty seven. We open it up eight five nine to two eight oh twenty two eighty seven. All right, so here this is my take on on all this. I'm shocked how good they look. I know, it's what Kentucky Wesleyan, I get it. I don't really want to hear that because I'm going to compare this game to how these games normally go. I was going back and looking, and I was looking at the UK basketball teams over the years that have been really good, and you know, you can't tell what you know. You can't tell the how good a team is going to be based on the exhibitions. But I will say that sometimes the exhibition games do give you a sense of what kind of team you have if you go back and look at some of what happened in the past. So let's just take first of all, this Kentucky Wesleyan team. This Kentucky Wesleyan team beat Louisville last year. They beat Louisville. Now I know Louisville only won six games, but they beat Louisville last year, beat them by three. We played them four years ago and we beat them by twenty. So this team has everybody back but one player. And this is not a This is not a group that has been like they're not awful. This is a team that's decent. And you beat them by seventy one points. That is pretty amazing, it really is. That's pretty amazing.

00:02:10
Speaker 2: So you go back and look in twenty fifteen, you remember when we played Morehouse and we beat them by one hundred. You may remember in twenty ten.

00:02:19
Speaker 1: We played a couple exhibition games where we beat them by a ton. The national championship team beat Transylvania by like sixty five. But seventy one point wins don't happen a lot and it was a seventy one point win with everyone playing, with a lot of people playing, with a lot of people getting big bennettes, and a lot of people playing well. I am very happy about this. And if you don't want to believe me, go to two years ago. Do you remember who we played in an exhibition game? Two years ago? Billy? Do you remember that?

00:02:54
Speaker 3: I was running the broadcast, but I can't remember who was it?

00:02:57
Speaker 1: It was like something like Midwest Missouri State. No, I'm serious, it was something like that. I don't know what it was, but it was like Midwestern Missouri State. And if you go back and look at that game, I'm gonna pull it up. I think this was the twenty twenty two to twenty three seasons. So this is the Oscar shebwe senior year senior year team, Missouri Western State. Would you like to know what the final score of that game was? Leaz fifty six to forty. Yeah, Missouri Western State fifty six to forty Tucky Wesley and went twenty four and eight last year, and you beat them by seventy one. But beyond that, I just want to talk about how they played. How much fun was that to watch constant movement, constant passing. They pass, I mean they don't dribble, They pass and pass and pass. They keep going until they have an open shot. Guys give up open shots for more shots. They run up and down the floor NonStop. There're gonna be some games this year where they're not hitting like they did tonight, but they just wear teams out. It was funny. I heard Jack Givens say on the post game that what was it? Our stamina wasn't what it needed to be. Well, if that's now, what's it gonna be later? Because if you could score one hundred and twenty three and your stamina is not very good, what's gonna happen when it actually is good.

00:04:30
Speaker 2: I was so impressed with a lot of the players, But I want you to think about the stat of we had thirty one assists and five turnovers. As Mark Pope said in his post game, how many games you think have been played on that court where one player had more assist mont Butler had six. Excuse mean one player had more steals Lamont Butler had six. Then the whole team had turnovers.

00:04:54
Speaker 1: That's probably never happened. I'd be shocked if it hass five turnovers. I've turnovers when you pass the ball like they do, and so presumably you would lose the ball a lot. I really I was not surprised that Jackson Robinson looked like the best player on the court. I don't think we got the best of Andrew Carr. I think we will. But what about otega Oway comes out playing great, Ansley Almanor hits a bunch of threes, Trent Noah Harlan County comes out and hits four threes. Every single player that played, basically eleven guys got significant minutes.

00:05:32
Speaker 2: All of them had something really positive happened. Lamont Butler is gonna be a great defender.

00:05:37
Speaker 1: He's gonna be a perimeter lockdown defender, which we did not have the last few years. We haven't had a perimeter lockdown defender since Ashton Hagens. And now you've got one. You've got a perimeter lock down guy. That's awesome to see. We've got good interior presents. We've obviously got shooting. The one thing that I still don't know if we have our guys who can beat you one on one in key possessions. We're gonna have to wait and see this game didn't give a lot of scenarios where that could happen. But overall, for me and I'll be interested to hear what you think this game is less about? Is this the final four team? Is this Elite eight game? You know, in years past, a lot of times we don't even do pregame shows for or postgame shows for the exhibition games. But usually in the first game or two, it's a conversation of, well, how good can we be? At least for me denied, that's really not the thought process. The thought process is this is fun, because reality is in the last three or four years, if we're honest, these games have been grinds. These games really haven't been that much fun to watch. It's been fun to be a Kentucky fan, but it hasn't really been a lot of fun to watch a lot of these games. Look at Missouri Western State fifty six forty in an exhibition game. This is fun. This is a lot of fun. We had sixty points at halftime, right we shot near We shot forty two threes and Pope said, sometimes I think we'll shoot more. And you know what, they're not bricking them, they're all pure. It's gonna be a lot of fun to watch this team, and the energy of the fan base was great. Crowd. You know, some people on line were complaining about the crowd. If you compare it to exhibition games, it actually was a good crowd. You'll really see the energy though the first real game, but just the happiness. How about the postgame show. Not only does Mark Pope come out and take questions, takes questions from the audience. I don't remember that ever happening. That's a cool thing. I hope they keep doing that all year. A lot of people have talked about all summer that it feels like with Mark Pope, you kind of have your program back. Well, I will to whatever extent that's true. Here's what I know is true. Good this team is whether they're a team that can contend for a Final four or a team that's a first weekend NCAA tournament team. Every game's gonna be fun to watch. You're not gonna get bored watching this group. And you can see what Pope's building, you can see how smart they play. And I'll also note I love seeing these players have gratitude for being here. I think every player that's been at Kentucky at least the vast majority of players in the cal Era. They loved their time here, but there was a sense that it was a mutually beneficial relationship in which they were giving us their talents. They got the platform to go to the NBA, and that worked most of the time, especially when we had really good players. This feels like more guys who said this is the top of what I've wanted to do. That's a cool feeling. It's cool to feel wanted, and it feels like these players all really want to be a part of this. So awesome start to the season, almost as as Goose said, a surprisingly good start. I thought we'd win. I thought we'd win comfortably, did not think we would win by seventy one points. Awesome beginning, and I look forward to hearing what you guys think a five, nine, two, eight to zero twenty two eighty seven. Real quick, I'm gonna pull up Billy about how the teams did again these games in our in our really good col teams. Okay, because I'm not saying this team's gonna be really good. We'll see, but I think it's interesting go back to the john Wall team, our exhibition games one hundred and seventeen to fifty two, seventy four to thirty six. That was a pretty good team. Let's go to twenty twelve, the national championship team. Look at their exhibition games. They had Transylvania ninety seven to fifty three, More House one hundred and twenty five to forty Pretty similar. So far, pretty similar, right. Twenty fourteen, twenty fifteen, they played in the exhibition games. Pikeville won sixteen sixty eight, Georgetown won twenty one fifty two, almost dead on there, very similar. And then in twenty seventeen Clarion one eight point fifty one as very one, thirty six sixty thirty. A common denominator is when these teams here have been really good. I think those are the four best cow teams. Guess what's happened in the exhibition games. We've run teams off the court. Now, let me, just in comparison, give you some teams that struggled. The team that missed the tournament Georgetown eighty to sixty three, Kentucky State eighty three to sixty one. How about the team that lost to Saint Peter's. Team that lost to Saint Peter's ninety five seventy two eighty seventy one to Miles College. We only won by nine in that game. And then last year in the exhibition games, we played Georgetown ninety two seventy and then we beat Kentucky State ninety nine to fifty thirty. I'm not saying that this means anything, but if you go look at history, are really good teams blew people out of the water. Our teams that struggled didn't do that. At least a good sign. Eight twenty two eighty seven. We will take a break. Be right back. It's a local toytert Dealers KSR post game show. Welcome back. It is the local Toyter Dealers KSR post game show. Just a little update about the Cats. The UK guys had been having their opening nights. Of course, Dillingham last night did not get in uh in the Minnesota Lakers game, which is a little bit of a surprise to me. Antonio Reeves is starting his team starts night. He made the team, but he has not played yet either. Reed Shepherd has played sixteen minutes for the Rockets. He came off the bench that the game is tied right now with four minutes ago and he's not in, but he played sixteen minutes, four points, two of five shooting. He did, however, have three steals. So that's your reed Shepherd opening night up. Take all right, Billy, Hey, if I'm nine two eight oh twenty two eighty seven, let's get started. Who's up first?

00:12:28
Speaker 3: How about Zayne?

00:12:29
Speaker 1: Zayne? How are you? Zaye?

00:12:32
Speaker 4: I'm good?

00:12:32
Speaker 5: How you doing?

00:12:33
Speaker 1: Matt doing good?

00:12:36
Speaker 4: Hey?

00:12:37
Speaker 6: So I'm a longtime listener, first time caller. Uh, I've been a fan, you know, Oh, thank you, sir. I've been a fan pretty much, you know, my entire life, you know, starting in the tubby years and you know, the Caliars were great. But you know, tonight, man, it just felt like something different. You know, this is I kind of expected this, but you know, I don't know, man, it just feels really good. You know, just feels like something good, you know, Bruin on the her for sure. I know this is gonna be the you know, the first year, and there's obviously gonna be some aches and pains, but overall, you know, I'm really happy, really excited, and I'm ready to run through a wall for this team. So that's all I got, my friend.

00:13:11
Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm with you. I think it is gonna be very interesting. You know, there's an excitement I appreciate to call. There's an excitement about any new anything. So obviously there's excitement about a new coach. But there should be a case study done on Mark Popen, like psychology of people, because the way that the fan base changed that opening weekend, but also the way I feel like he always says the right things, like he rarely messes up, and even when, at least in Ryan's view, he did mess up Billy when he blamed his wife for the car thing, he took it back tonight. Did you hear that? Yeah, it's my responsibility.

00:13:45
Speaker 3: Tom's like, very smart man.

00:13:47
Speaker 1: Very smart. He was listening to Ryan. I guess when Ryan said he shouldn't have shouldn't have said that. But even that's charming, like running out of gas downtown. He he feels like a part of the community, and I think that's something people really like. Who's next, Christian, Christian?

00:14:03
Speaker 7: Go ahead, Christian, Hey, Matt, thank you for taking my call. I just got a couple of comments. First of all, just kind of seeing like the postgame comments from KSR and other like Twitter accounts where you know, Jackson Robinson had is a great game. He's the highest score, but he might have sort of like this Antonio Reeves curse, where like he scores really good, he's an lead shooter, but no one really talked about him.

00:14:26
Speaker 1: I think there's a good chance about that. I think the fact that there's kids from Kentucky, the fact that they're like his points, kind of that You're right, that's a good example. He may be a little Antonio Reeves like that'll have these huge games and everybody doesn't mention him first.

00:14:42
Speaker 7: Yeah, and kind of on the same point, where like, you know, I'm invested into this game. I know we're up like like forty fifty sixty points in most of the second half, and I'm.

00:14:54
Speaker 8: Just glues to TV like everybody's.

00:14:57
Speaker 7: Contributing every like there were like eight guys in double digit and like the ball was moving, the defense was moving.

00:15:03
Speaker 4: It was just like so engaging to watch. I agree.

00:15:07
Speaker 1: I agree, like there was no I didn't feel like there was a downtime. Generally speaking, in the last few years, my view was like I didn't even really want to watch the first eight minutes of a game because I was like, it's gonna be fifteen to fourteen after eight minutes, Right, this was fun for a moment.

00:15:23
Speaker 7: One, you know, yeah, exactly, And like I said, even in the second half, there's some roles. It was like, yeah, we're like it's some loles, but like we're still up by like forty early in the second half, but like everyone's engaged, everyone's passing the ball and no one's selfish, and everyone's like taking shots, and it was awesome.

00:15:43
Speaker 1: To watch appreciate, appreciate called and look they spread the minutes out. I mean, you mentioned there were eight guys in double figures. There were ten guys who played double digit minutes. You know, I mean that's not gonna happen probably a lot of games. But ten guys played double digit minute, So, I mean, this is kind of an amazing thing. Just reading the points. Robinson nineteen, oh Way eighteen, Almanor fifteen. If you had told me he would score fifteen, I wouldn't have believe it. Braa thirteen, Noah twelve, Butler eleven, car ten, Williams twelve. The only ones who didn't get in double figures were Travis Perry and Colin Chandler. That's pretty unbelievable. Actually, when you think about it, you know, all those guys, ten dudes played a lot of minutes, and eight of them did. Tucky had twenty one threes. If this were a regular season game, that would have tied the school record. Billy, wow, the school record. That would have tied the school record for most threes in the game. They did twenty one. And guess what Patino's first year against North Carolina, they had twenty one. They would have tied that if this was a regular season game. Let me read you. I always like to hear what the opposing coach says, especially in the early games, because to just get perspective. Kentucky Wesleyan last year played Louisville, Saint Louis, and Western Kentucky, and they beat Louisville. They lost to Saint Louis by like four, and then they lost to Western by twenty five. Who knew, Billy, you all were that good last ye Kentucky Westlen coach, Here's what he said, Kentucky looked like a well oiled machine tonight. I apologized to Mark Pope for not giving the Cats more of a test. I thought we'd play a lot better than that. Kentucky's got good basketball players who bought into a system. They are very high IQ players, and they create opportunities for their teammates, which is going to make them very difficult. Thirty two assists in five turnovers shows a team that has no agenda except executing their offense. Those are that Those are high praise remarks from a Wesleyan coach who coaches against good teams every year. Who's next, mister D, Mister D? What's up, hey, Matt?

00:17:56
Speaker 9: I was interested to hear in your opening monologue a comment about the crowd maybe not being as hype. I wasn't in attendance. I was watching the game on the computer, and as I watched it.

00:18:09
Speaker 1: I didn't I didn't say as many people. I didn't say as many people as people might. I think people thought it'd be a full house.

00:18:15
Speaker 9: Oh okay, but no, I got you.

00:18:17
Speaker 1: It's hard to let me just say, it's hard to judge hype at RUP on TV because I don't like the way ESPN and SEC Network puts their microphones. I don't think you can always hear as loud as it actually is.

00:18:29
Speaker 9: But go ahead, right, Well, what I was going to say was what it lacked in hype. It seemed to make up for in happiness because what I noticed is that every time a crowd shot would be caught, like when the camera would pan, I just saw a lot of folks sitting back and just smiling, like they seemed to be a joy on their face of what they were watching. And I could even tell it in your voice, the giddiness of just what's to come this year with this basketball team, a welcome respite after this football season, to have just a joy in the basketball program. I had one question for you, Well, I mean.

00:19:01
Speaker 1: Let me speak that before you let me let me speak to that before you ask a questions. There is on a personal level. I'm gonna be honest with you. I used to dread these postgame shows because I just didn't feel like the last couple of years I used to dread them. I didn't feel like there was anything I could say if we won. It was like see Edith Matt. If we lost, if I was critical, see Matt, you're blah blah blah. There was for me personally, I'm speaking only for Matt Jones. This is the most joy I've had watching the Kentucky basketball team. I really loved Antonio Reeves, Reed Shepard, and Robb Downe him. I loved watching those guys. I didn't like what the year was like, but I love watching those guys. But now before that, you're probably talking for me about the Quickly team being the last team that I enjoyed watching as much as I've enjoyed watching this one so far.

00:19:50
Speaker 9: Yeah, and I think as Kentucky fans, we deserve it, and I think you personally deserve it as well. My question is in regards to the exhibition season. I know it's really early, a big test of course, in a few weeks. How I mean, what do you foresee I know we played a lot of guys tonight. What do you see the lineup being against Duke? Is it similar to what we thought? And I or you think it's gonna be.

00:20:11
Speaker 1: Like no, No, I think they go yeah. I appreciate the call. I think, again, this is very early, but I talked to somebody who has followed Pope's career at Utah Valley State and BYU, and I said, look, how many guys does he usually play? And he says he'll have ten guys who are kind of on any given day can play a lot. But most games, he'll have six to eight who play the vast majority of minutes. All right, so let's say that. If that's the case, I think the six are the starting five, and Breya, that's your top six. And I think those six are your your kind of core six. And then I think Kerr didn't play, which I think is important to remember, you know, between everyone else, Perry Kerr, Crisa Garrison, Almanor Chandler Chandler, I think guys will have to earn their minutes. I think those six dudes I mentioned they're playing, So just assume those six are playing every game significant minutes the other six guys. Because Noah played well enough, I think you got to put him in there. He didn't get as many minutes as the other guys, but he played. I think the other six guys are playing to be in those next two or three spots, and I think it could go on and off all year. I think there'll be some games where a couple of those guys don't play, and then I think there'll be a game where that same guy comes out and plays twenty minutes and scores double digits. So that's just my prediction. We'll see who's next.

00:21:52
Speaker 3: You know, I forgot about Kerkkrisa. The energy that guy's going to bring too, I mean, that's a whole other dimension of it.

00:21:57
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think he's I think where you're gonna see is is uh yeah, energy and nights where the offense is struggling. I think you'll see he's probably going to be the weaklyn defensively, but he'll also be like one of those people that is in your face being a brat, which is which you need. Though sometimes Nathan Nathan lance Ware would do that as well. Yeah, sometimes you know.

00:22:24
Speaker 10: Nathan go ahead, hey, Matt, Yeah, to your point about Kurt Crisa, I also don't know if our fans know this exactly, but he graded out as ninety eighth percentile and catch and shoot three pointers last year.

00:22:36
Speaker 1: Oh wow, by his up and down.

00:22:40
Speaker 10: So just just catching shoots, he was ninety eight percentile. And then also just want to say that, you know, when the Pope hire was announced, I wasn't particularly happy. I wasn't on board with it. I thought it was kind of lazy. And then everything he's done since I've just completely turned me around on it. The scene was so fun. He's just come to your point, does all the right things, says all the right things, and that just fully on board the train. And I know a lot of people that are like that too.

00:23:02
Speaker 1: Yes, I totally get that. I mean, assuming we win, I don't know that you could do anything else better so far right. And the thing is, I don't see him, like just think about some of the evolution that frustrated us about the last one. Do you see Mark Pope ever doing a day where he's like, I'm skipping the postgame pref conference to go watch Alaskan fish Hunters or whatever it was that he would watch. I mean, no, I could never see him. Yeah, I could never see a game where he's like, yeah, we lost to Tennessee, but at least I get to go see my dog. Like I can't just can't imagine that. And I think that's what's really It's neat to have a guy who seems to care all the time as much as we do. I like that. Appreciate the call. Let's do two more. We'll take a break. Who's next? Russell Russell? How are you Russell.

00:23:59
Speaker 4: Good?

00:24:00
Speaker 1: How are you good?

00:24:03
Speaker 11: Okay, So I've been listening to the show since I lived in Cornelia, Cornelias, North Carolina to david in North Carolina?

00:24:13
Speaker 1: Where is that in North Carolina?

00:24:14
Speaker 11: Cornelius, Cornelius? Where is a train ride away from Davidson? When Seth Starry played there? When you first started your website?

00:24:27
Speaker 1: That was two thousand and five.

00:24:29
Speaker 11: Yes, okay, So I just got one personal question for you, because I've been through a lot of stuff. How did it feel when you've got that recognition in Reperena after taking a break, after possibly leaving and we all love you.

00:24:51
Speaker 1: You're talking about the at you're talking about the pope press conference? You mean, yes, sir, Yeah, I mean that's nice of you to ask for shit the call. That was a really really uh gratifying moment. Not gonna lie to you. Didn't expect it, didn't even think about it. I hadn't been to a press conference in five years. Probably that was neat, not gonna lie. I mean from a professional standpoint, it was one of my like most special things that's that's happened just in a professional life. So that was listen, that was like a revival for Kentucky fans. It just was, you know, I walked from my house to to rup. There were people the entire way and the energy was insane, and then in the gym it was just a different kind of thing. It was like the SEC Tournament used to be in like eight to thirteen before it got so expensive, Like it was that kind of fan base thing, and it was just it was just a really cool thing and it was nice to see the on the court play. Keep that more minim going and hopefully that continues. One more. Who's next, Grant Grant, go ahead, Grant.

00:26:08
Speaker 12: Hey Man, first time caller, longtime listener though who I was just going to share last year, I was at the Tennessee game at home and they beat us at RUP and the feeling after that game was like so bad and just from where we came from then to now, it's just absolutely insane.

00:26:29
Speaker 1: And yeah, no, you're right, You're right, I mean it was. There were a couple of moments last year, the Tennessee one that's a good one. I mean, I was in Pittsburgh when we lost to Oakland, and I remember I intentionally sort of thought about those last ten and fifteen minutes and as we as the game ended, and then you know, as we walked off the court, it is amazing to sort of see at least the excitement level that we are now. Now talk to me again. After we play Duke. It might people might feel differently, but for right now, it can't be much better. Yep.

00:27:03
Speaker 12: And actually I was in the pre sale to go down to the Champions Classic, so I will be down there.

00:27:08
Speaker 8: I'm super excited.

00:27:09
Speaker 1: Good for you. It's gonna be fun. I do. I think I they may beat us, but I think it's gonna be We're gonna be very competitive with them, and I think we'll get a real test. Okay, here's where we are, because I think that Duke team has got a potential to be great, but they're very young. They're gonna be kind of like Kentucky it was many of Cow's years, right, So it'll be yeah. No, I mean, they're gonna be a lot like we always were, which is all the talent in the world. But they're very young, and we're gonna kind of be like Michigan State is, you know, over the years in that tournament. And so we'll see what that ends up ends up being. I appreciate the call. If I'm nine two eight oho twenty two eighty seven, we're gonna take a break. We'll be right back, We'll take more of your calls. It's the Local Toy Dealers KSR postgame Show, Working back, it is the Low Toy Dealers KSR postgame Show. Here's what you could watch tonight right now on on television. Billy, which one of these are you watching? You're watching the end of Middle Tennessee State Jacksonville State football? Oh? Okay, you got the end of Bucks seventy six ers basketball. Huh. You've got the Kamala Harris presidential town hall analysis? No, gut failed? Or do you know what that is? No? I don't even know what that is. Yeah, I guess that's a Fox show. Or you could watch Family Guy, Which one of those? I can watch it?

00:28:33
Speaker 3: Well, it's been a while for me and Family guys. So I think I'm going MTSU Jacksonville State.

00:28:37
Speaker 1: Oh you're going MTSU Jacksonville State.

00:28:39
Speaker 3: Okay, zicko for a little late college football?

00:28:42
Speaker 1: All right? Good, by the way. To the point the guys mentioned we were talking about the Champions Classic. You know the Kentucky is gonna be a little different in the Champions Classic. But I will say you, over the years again, you kind of do get a sense of what the Kentucky team is based on the Champions Class. So cow was like five and one in the Champions Classic in its first six years. I don't think they played it. Maybe his first two years, and that included some annihilating wins Anthony Davis against Kansas, the twenty fifteen team against Kansas, Fox and Monk. I think we're against maybe Michigan State. We were one in six in the last seven years. And do you remember the only team that won during those seven games, Billy, was it Maxi Maxie Quickly Nick Richards, which was probably the best of the teams those seven years, right, Yeah, that was the team where COVID we didn't get to have the tournament and probably if you're looking back at it since Fox Monk, that might have been the best team. It was either them or the hero Keldon Johnson team. So you know, the Champions Classic sometimes does kind of give you a good sense of what kind of team you have. You know, a couple of exceptions. I think that the twenty fourteen team ended up losing pretty bad. I think the Michikin State but then made the Championship game. But usually you get a sense of where you are, who's next, Justin, justin, go ahead, Justin.

00:30:10
Speaker 13: Hey make can you hear me?

00:30:12
Speaker 1: Yes? All right?

00:30:14
Speaker 13: First time fall by the way, who are I just wanted to say a couple of things. First of all, I'm gonna have to disagree with you on the Ashton Hagens. I'mna have to say Cason Wallace one of the most recent I.

00:30:27
Speaker 1: Don't know that he was lockdown though. He was the best defender on that team. But like Cason Wallace wasn't getting six steals, you know, Hey, that's something Hagens could do. And and uh and and I think Lamont came, but Caseon was the best defender on that team, and when he didn't play, that was a big difference.

00:30:45
Speaker 13: Okay, okay. And then second thing, I just wanted to mention the the fan interaction today. I was at the arena. It was really good compared to most games that I go to. I feel like everybody got involved, you know, with like the jumbo tron and all of that.

00:31:02
Speaker 1: Yeah, I I totally, uh totally agree. And I heard that it felt good in the arena. I'm glad to hear that. Let me just go ahead.

00:31:13
Speaker 13: I just wanted to say one more thing. Back in back in May, you gave me your red tickets for my birthday. I just wanted to say thank you, of course, Well.

00:31:23
Speaker 1: No problem. Did you did that? Was I guess when I was in Europe? Game did you go to?

00:31:30
Speaker 13: I cannot remember, but it was in me?

00:31:32
Speaker 1: Okay, okay, gotcha. Well I'm glad to do it. I hope you had a good time. Thank you very much. All right, so let me somebody just uh uh sent me the biggest margins of victory billy in a UK exhibition game ever ever? Okay, all right, ever, Now three of these I'm not going to count because they were against China, Japan, and Chile.

00:31:56
Speaker 3: They played countries.

00:31:57
Speaker 1: They played countries in uh, they played countries in nineteen seventy two, seventy eight, and eighty two. So let's just take American teams. First. We beat Asbury by ninety three. That was though Fox Monk. We beat Morehouse by eighty five. That was the Anthony Davis team. Tonight is our third biggest victory of all time. Wow, Georgetown sixty nine. That was the twenty fifteen thirty eight to one team Dillard we beat by sixty eight. That was the Brandon Knight Final fourteen, and then Clarion we beat by sixty five. That was the wal Cousins team. I'm just saying the other teams at exhibition games that we've beaten like this, those have ended up being pretty good teams. Who's next, Todd, Todd, Go ahead, Todd.

00:32:57
Speaker 4: Hello Map, I'm as giddy as a key in at Christmas, all right. No, I really enjoyed watching that game tonight and just to see watching Mark Pope on the sidelines and fish bumping his players when they would come off and not get mad. And it looked like the players were playing relaxed and not tens like if if they screwed up, the was coming out. Even though we you know, we made a few mistakes, but you know, there was none of that that cow used to do. You know that the players seemed tents and stuff like that.

00:33:43
Speaker 1: Yeah, there were a few times they would make a mistake and I would look over and you could tell he was correcting him, but he didn't pull him out right right right.

00:33:53
Speaker 4: And another thing, the three point shooting, it is just marvelous and like you said too, and Jack Gibbons said on the postgame show, but you know, you know, we're not probably not gonna shoot fifty. Oh no, we're not correct, but you know, it's it's it's nice having where if this guy came hit it, and maybe this other guy is struggling, you got three other people.

00:34:18
Speaker 1: That's a really good point. So like last year, we had three amazing shooters, but the rest of the guys couldn't do it right. And this team has probably eight guys that could come in and make a.

00:34:30
Speaker 4: Three exactly exactly. And it seems like the movement was so much better, so much better than Cal's teams, you know. And I appreciate call, Don't get me wrong. I appreciate him and everything, but I'm I'm really excited now. It's that ball is moving and things is looking good.

00:34:53
Speaker 1: Appreciate it. I agree. I think that's uh. I think that's totally fair. I really can't. It really is amazing. In these top ten, Billy, all those teams ended up being really good, and even the ones that if you even go through the top twenty, another Fox Monks team, the twenty twenty two team, which was the that was the team that lost to Saint Peter's that actually had a really good year until Saint Peter's. You know, those are some pretty good wins, and I got pretty good teams. All right, who's next, Lance, Lance?

00:35:26
Speaker 5: Go ahead, Lance, hey man, thanks for taking my call. Probably just added on to what everybody else is saying about how much fun watching this game was. It was just so refreshing to see, you know, it's moving the ball around, shooting threes at a nice clip. And I saw this, this tweet from Maggie Davis. She was doing her best Corey Price impersonation tonight. But yeah, Maggie that we hit seventeen to three pointers against stone Hill last year. Reid had seven of those threes and it was the first time Kentucky had made sixteen or more threes in the game since ninety six. And tonight we hit twenty one threes. Yeah, yeah, crazy. Tonight we hit twenty three or sorry, twenty one three pointers. Seven different players hit one, no individual player hit more than five. I know, we said it's an exhibition game, and Pope was saying tonight that it would be hard for us probably to get, you know, up forty threes a game put up. But I'm just thinking that, you know, if we're hitting ten to fifteen threes tonight, we're gonna be tough to beat.

00:36:36
Speaker 1: Oh, there's no doubt. I mean, I appreciate the call. If you look at least in the last five years, most season, I would say, I mean, I don't have these stats, but I would say, except for last year, where we did make a lot of threes, I think a lot those teams the last few years, we probably the other team probably hit more threes than us seventy five percent of the games. They ain't gonna be too many games this year where teams make more threes than US. I mean, maybe Alabama does it. You know, there may be a couple. Ain't gonna be many. I think we're probably gonna eighty percent of games this year make more threes than the other team does. Who's next, Cat Daddy, Cat Daddy? What's up?

00:37:18
Speaker 14: Hey? Thank you for taking a call. I just want to share with you the highlight of my night tonight. Okay, when Coach Chow first came, I always knew after the first TV timeout that we were going to throw the ball to the left wing John Wall, and he was going to come off a double statir screen and we would from and led so would throw him the law for the duck that it amazed me that nobody else noticed that. Tonight, after the first TV time out, we came down, we threw the ball to the left wing. We we did a wing flare, scream, threw it across, got a three point shot. I just it feels really good to know that we're going to coach after timeouts. We're going to coach after situational basketball, so that we can get those six or seven possessions a game that make a difference.

00:38:19
Speaker 1: No, that's a great point I used to I use so early in Col's tenure. I heard him say, look, I don't spend a lot of time on on like in mounds plays because and it's basically his his justification was, look, it's five or six a game, much more important to talk about bigger picture stuff. And you know, I don't think that's incorrect necessarily when you have John Wall, when you have Anthony Davis, when you have seven eight pros. Where I think that becomes a weakness is when you don't right and when you need to game plan success and you can't just take a guy and be athletically. I think you're right.

00:39:02
Speaker 2: I don't know how good this team is, sir, but I think Mark is going.

00:39:05
Speaker 1: To get the best out of whatever they are for the reasons you're talking about.

00:39:12
Speaker 14: Well, we didn't have a trip tonight that we looked disorganized. We didn't have a trip that we came down and didn't know what we were going to do. And that is a refreshing. And I loved Cal for seven years and I don't know what happened at that point, but after COVID, he was a different coach. And I'm so happy to see that we can be intellectual and how we play the game and still play.

00:39:39
Speaker 1: Hard, appreciate, appreciate the call. I remember one of my producers at ESPN saying to me about I won't say who Billy, We'll just keep this with us, okay.

00:39:53
Speaker 15: Uh.

00:39:53
Speaker 1: One of my producers ESPN, we were talking about their their radio. It was somebody who was on radio while I was on and they said, you know, early on in their career, they were so hungry that like every show, they did a level prep and a level effort, right, but the person was so talented that after over time they would do C level prep and could still get a B level effort because they were so talented, right, But that he believed as as a producer. He'd rather have a B level talent that does a level prep, right, that it would actually produce a better show than a star who's kind of coast. That makes sense. I think that makes sense. I think with Mark Pope right now, we might have B level talent, but we're gonna get a level prep and then one of these days he's gonna have a level talent too. And I don't even know that this is B level talent. It might be B plus or A mins. But things like that caller just said coming out of a time out and saying, let's not waste this play. That's how you get B level talent to an A level performance. And I think that's that's awesome. Do one more than we'll take.

00:41:13
Speaker 3: So the last few Cali years it was a level talent, but.

00:41:16
Speaker 1: Well, I don't know if it was a level talent. But I wonder if maybe we're getting sea level prep and you were having Last year, we had a level talent, but I think some of those other years we didn't, right. I think last year we had a level talent. That's why it's so frustrating. But I don't know if the COVID year and the Oscar years. I don't know if that was a level talent. So I think we're getting sea level TEP prep and B level talent.

00:41:38
Speaker 3: Yeah, not a lot of prep for the other teams those last couple of years.

00:41:41
Speaker 1: And you can do that when you have John Wall, Anthon, Davis, hear and Fox, you know, et cetera. You can't do it when you have Severe and and and those guys. Who's next, Brian, Brian.

00:41:55
Speaker 15: Go ahead, Brian, Oh, hey man, just wanted to say first time time. Appreciate that, and I'm incredibly privileged to be calling into the Billy Rutledge Mat Matt.

00:42:09
Speaker 1: Johnes such good tonight. Don't don't, don't start. I don't.

00:42:13
Speaker 15: I wanted to say that. I wanted to say sorry. I wanted to say that. You know, it was really refreshing getting to see this, uh, this team just right off the bat. I'm down at the game with my dad there up and you know, I turned to him, I say, wow, we drew first blood. That's pretty cool because last year it was tough. I mean, it seemed like we wouldn't get the first points. It's like you said, you know, we'd start out being down fifteen eight or something like that, and then I mean, it was cool that we got the tip. It seemed like that was tough last year. And then you know, right there offensive rebound. I mean it was just one right after the other, right.

00:42:53
Speaker 4: After the other.

00:42:54
Speaker 1: So I guess that's no.

00:42:58
Speaker 15: I mean, I guess I fall in line with the other call. I know, you know it's starts to sound a little bit like an echo, but man, I'm just I'm excited for this year, and you know, can't wait to spend every game down air RUPs. So appreciate the thanks.

00:43:13
Speaker 1: Ra appreciate you, Thank you very much. I'm excited too. I think you're gonna see, especially as the year goes on, appreciate the call. You're going to see that need to be in attendance continue to grow. I mean again, I often judge hype and excitement by what's the easiest for me to judge, which is the bar before the games. Probably the best. The most people we've had there for a preseason game before the game, maybe since the first year or two we were open. So a lot of good vibes. We'll take a break, come back. Final segment. This is the Local Toy Dealers KSR postgame show runn back final segments, Local Toy Dealers KSR post game show eightf I'm nine to two eight oh twenty two eighty seven. I'll be a ks bartimar with the guys. And then Friday, what is it for.

00:44:00
Speaker 3: Six Solutions at Lexington Green.

00:44:02
Speaker 1: Lexington Green forty six Solutions. I'll be given tickets away to the game on Tuesday night where we play Minnesota State Montenegro.

00:44:13
Speaker 3: Right, yes, Myron Medcalfs Alumn night.

00:44:16
Speaker 1: I think I don't think it's Montenegro. That's a country. What's the name of the Minnesota State mon Casito, Monacato, man Cato, man Cato. That is where my ESPN co host Myron Metcalf went to college. Played college football at Minnesota State Monketo. Oh yeah, he was. Uh, he'll tell you about it if you spend much time with him. He loves to talk about his glory days. But how random is that that there were playing Myron Medcalf's college. Very random? Apparently they're pretty good though apparently they're like in their division or whatever it is. They're a pretty good team. All right, who's up next?

00:44:54
Speaker 3: David, who I believe was on the Kentucky Wesleyan broadcast tonight.

00:44:57
Speaker 1: Oh hi, David, how are you.

00:45:00
Speaker 16: What's up? Matt? Hope everything's going good.

00:45:02
Speaker 4: Man.

00:45:02
Speaker 16: Just wanted to call in kind of give you guys a little perspective from the visiting team's point of view. And you know, to be quite honest, Man, I think you know a lot of Kentucky Wesleyan people really felt like, you know, it'd be competitive maybe for the first half Kentucky, you pull away the second half when you know, twenty to thirty points something like that. And to see you know what happened tonight. This you said it earlier, Matt. This is a Kentucky Wesleyan team that brought back pretty much everybody but Busy one guy, their main guy. And this is a very season team in the n CCAA tournament at the Division two level. Team in Kentucky beat them by seventy one points. Now, from the Wesleyan standpoint, people are gonna be looking at Myron Metcalf School next week because they're not to believe they're the defending the D two champions. So Kentucky Westleyan fans is gonna be wondering how they stock up. But for you, Matt, you know we're we're pretty much kind of the same age, right, you know, we were all gung ho during the Patino era. I feel like what we saw tonight from Kentucky was a modified version of that philosophy. Down the floor there they're they're moving the ball, the back screens and all the cutting that they're doing, the communications. But you just didn't see that full court press.

00:46:13
Speaker 1: Yeah, because people don't do that anymore. Yeah, they don't do that anymore really, And then because it's because you know, now people have figured out how to beat that, and and and guys are in better shape. There's a lot of reasons they don't. But you're exactly right. I mean, I think from if you were to take the way that Patino played, and you Patino plays a different style now, but if you were to take the way he played and make it modern, modernize it, you would get exactly what Pope is doing here.

00:46:40
Speaker 16: Yeah, I completely agree with that. And you know, to watch Kentucky, you know, to see it up close and personal. I got to be kind of in the Wesleyan huddle and doing reports during the game, got to be right there on the floor to see what Kentucky their communication the way the way that the ball never sticks right. We've been seeing like especially the past five to six years, pretty much his twenty seventeen, we have been seeing unorganized basketball, lackluster efforts, just you know, just a simple like running a play, Matt, running a play. We haven't been able to run a freaking play since John Roebuck left. And to see Kentucky out there executing stuff that that was higher level concepts tonight, I don't even know. I can't even put words on that. Man, it was so refreshing to see it. Matt, I feel like, you know, we not that I it's not that I was always against Caliperi, but I almost feel like we sold our soul a little bit when we got them right.

00:47:33
Speaker 7: But we were winning, so.

00:47:34
Speaker 16: It was cool.

00:47:35
Speaker 1: Yeah. But I do think and I appreciate call thanks for your perspective. And it asn't coording to remember like that you know that that the Wellesleyan team is a tournament team in their division. Yeah, I do think that the organization. Look this, this team does not have a lot of NBA picks, may have no NBA picks, so they have to play a different way. At one point, Billy I looked up and you had Chandler Perry, Noah Carr, and I think O Way on the floor, and you know what I said, I went, that looks like a team that would beat us in the first round of the tournaments. You're not wrong, and in some ways it did. But it was good to watch them play. Well, let's do four more. We'll call it.

00:48:25
Speaker 3: I do want to bring up one thing. I'm Aari Williams passing ability.

00:48:28
Speaker 1: Very good, very good. You know it's interesting. Okay, I'm glad you brought that up. When they got an offensive rebound, he and Garrison were the main ones. I don't know if Pope teaches this, but I did hear one time a guy on an NBA podcast talk about this. In the NBA, at least the sort of hot better shooting teams are taught. They're big men are taught. When you get an offensive rebound, unless you have an open layup, you're better to kick out to an open three point shooter than shoot a contested two. Okay, okay, So, like the natural inclination of a big is you get a rebound, you immediately try to put it back up. But if that SHOT's contested, that's not a gimme by any means, And their point was analytically, yes, if you have an open layup, take it, but you'd be better off kicking to a three than shooting a contested shot from five feet. They especially a Mauri Williams, but Garrison did two catch and if they don't have a shot, they're kicking it to a three. And I like that a lot. I think that's a really smart We got like three threes off offensive rebounds. I think you're gonna see that a lot this year. Who's next? Houston, Houston, Go ahead, Houston?

00:49:41
Speaker 8: Hey, Matt, first time caller, a longtime listener, who are hey? Lit Hey? I love John Tyler Farry, but I just felt like there was so much apathy in the fan base, and after he was listening in the Mark Tobe obviously during the summer, and especially after the press conference that you allude to earlier, you know, answering questions, you know, listening to Mark Pope talk in a brapit fat and fresh air. It's it's it's like you need an entire jar of cornbread hem gummies. You know, it's just so so much better than what it was.

00:50:12
Speaker 1: I agree, I agree, it's uh there. Well cornbread him brings you down to notch, which is good. This got this got me amped up.

00:50:22
Speaker 8: A little bit, absolutely, And I got one comment on the on the on the game Joseph players.

00:50:29
Speaker 17: Okay, So like just watching the game tonight and it just seems like we got multiple guys, some of them, you know, they might be able to have multiple lives. So this team has the ultimate Kentucky vibe. Go catch baby, all right, appreciate it. Guy he liked puns, didn't he?

00:50:45
Speaker 1: Really? That's it that he wrote that one down. It's okay, listen, sometimes you gotta write it down. Today my Georgetown College class, you know, they had to do their first moot court, like their first like mock court. You know, some I had to be reminded like they they all wrote it down. They felt more comfortable doing it. So some people you gotta write stuff down. I was proud of my Georgetown class today. That's a hard assignment for people who've never done it before, and they did a really good job. So shout out to those young men and women in my class. Who's next.

00:51:16
Speaker 3: Yeah, we ought to do a mock KSR trial and see how that would go.

00:51:19
Speaker 1: I know who would win and it wouldn't be Uh, well, who's Joshua, josh go ahead, Joshua.

00:51:27
Speaker 18: Hey, thanks for taking my call. We all know clearly Ryan will win that mock. I just thought I got I gotta wake up at five thirty in the morning. But I'm just on cloud nine watching that game. Uh. You know I called you back in April and when Mark Pope gotten out to the coach, I'd said he wasn't the sexy choice, he was the correct choice. Yeah, man, oh man, I'm just I'm just so happy. I mean, just on cloud nine. And when he des trusted this roster together, you know, he got seven guys with one year of eligibility left. Was like, okay, we go to a seven eight being in rotation. But I mean they got eleven guys out there that looked amazing and Kirk Kiglas hasn't even wasn't even there, So they got twelve guys and I truly believe that PO can utilize all twelve. And yeah, I'm just so happy, Matt, And thanks for taking my call. And I know the last two postgame shows, you had the drunk dressful plan two years ago and the Oakland team walking through the lobby.

00:52:28
Speaker 1: So it's just a no, that's true. That was those were I appreciate called that is a good point. The last two, uh, the last two basketball postgame shows were the Oakland Show and the show where we lost in the SEC tournament? Did we lose the Vandy last year? Is that who he lost to in the A and M A and M A and M And that A and M game was depressing. Yeah, So those were my last two post game shows. So this one is much more jovial, two more Who's next, Lucas Next, Luke, go ahead, Luke Luke. Yes.

00:53:06
Speaker 19: So I am a transplant from Texas who graduated from Texas Tech. I just wanted to declare this team has got all the marks of a Sweet sixteen team based on the twenty twenty one, twenty twenty two Texas Tech team. May Sweet sixteam with all mid major transplants, superstars for mid majors, and they unfortunately ran to duke in coach ks No.

00:53:37
Speaker 1: I think if you're just looking at I think, if you're just looking at talent, just sheer talent, I think that's a good I think that's right. And here's what can happen with a team like that a team with kind of Sweet sixteen talent, they can be upset in the second round because let's say you're a four seed, you play a five seed who knows, but you also can get an upset and be like San Diego State in the championship game. Right, So teams like that, I think if you were to ask me, what does the talent on this team have, I think I would agree with you sweet sixteen talent. But the good thing about being a Sweet sixteen level talent team is when you're a four seed, Yeah, you got to be careful in that first game, although we were a two and three seed and needed to be careful too of the last three years. But you also can play a one seed and you feel like you can beat them. I think that's how this team, if I were to guess that's what they're gonna be, appreciate the call. Like you know, there are there's not a lot of times that a four seed wins the national championship, but there are a lot of four seeds or three seeds that make the final four, and I think this team can do that. Also, four seeds can get beat in the first round. But you know that's one of the things about having a very veteran team, I don't. I feel like I feel pretty good about us against teams that are less talented than us. One more, Who's next, Jared, Jared, go ahead, Jared.

00:55:11
Speaker 20: Hey Madden, Billy, thanks for taking my call. I know it's just one exhibition game. But over the last few years, Matt, you've always said that you know, there's one or two guys that when they shoot a three, you just believe it's always going in. Yeah, And I feel like that's the whole team this year.

00:55:29
Speaker 1: Yeah.

00:55:29
Speaker 20: I mean it's like every person you feel that way.

00:55:33
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean I felt like last year, if Antonio Reeves a Reed Shepherd shot, I was like, it's going in, and you know, it didn't always go in. But that's what I felt like. When Dylan m was hot, I felt that way with everyone else. I was holding my breath right like. I didn't mean they would make it, but I didn't feel confident when they would shoot it. So let's take this team. When uh always shoots it, I feel confident when Robinson shoots it, I feel confident. When Bray shoots that, I feel confident. When Perry shoots that, I feel confident Noah Almanor's shot isn't pretty, but it went in a bunch tonight, right. Andrew Carr didn't even shoot many. The only guy on the team I think when he shoots I'm not gonna feel confident is Garrison from three. But I do agree with you. Everybody else, why don't you feel like it might go in? So appreciate you call Garrison. Garrison took two in like three possessions. That was the first one where I was like, all right. I was like, Bill, that's good. You know, that's plenty. But uh but everybody else, you know, you gotta you gotta love.

00:56:40
Speaker 3: It seems jump shots.

00:56:42
Speaker 1: I'm sorry interrupt. He's not gonna shoot threes. I don't think I will say if Mari shoots the three, although he made his jumper tonight too, you know, so uh yeah, I don't know that I'll feel confident if but Maari or Garrison does pretty much everybody else on the team. We haven't seen Kirk yet, so yeah, this is gonna be. You know, I think the best overall shooting three team we've had since the cal Era top the bottom was probably the MAXI quickly all those guys because they were like five or six guys who could did threes. Last year's team is the best three point shooting team we've had in terms of the top dudes. But this might be the best since a Patino team having so many different guys who could make a three. I mean you, I don't know, man, maybe you have to go back to, you know, the ninety sixteen to find that so very exciting stuff. Thank you all very much for staying up and listening to us, and tomorrow we'll be back in the morning. Cats play next Tuesday against the Division two national champion Minnesota State Man Keto. Thanks to Billy for staying up. We will see you later. This has been the local Toyter Dealers ksr S Game show