2026-03-16- KSR - Hour 1

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

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Speaker 2: This is Kentucky Sports Radio presented by Stockton Mortgage.

00:00:34
Speaker 3: Now here's Matt Jones.

00:00:37
Speaker 4: Welcome everyone. It is Kentucky Sports Radio. Monday, March the sixteenth, probably one of my favorite days of the year, the day after the bracket comes out, where you spend the day sitting there, going through it and picking who's gonna win. You give Sean mcclock's pumping shop phone line eight five to nine two eight oh twenty two eighty seven. Hey Vision Auto Glass text machine which I plan on using a lot today is seven to seven to see four five two five four. In this edition sponsored by the T J. Smith Office, you called TJL make them pay, Ryan and drew her back in Lexington. Shennon is in Louisville, and I'm in Bristol, Connecticut. I me at ESPN this morning on a terrible, cold, windy, rainy day in Connecticut. Came up here last night to do the ESPN Radio Bracket Show with Myron and Tom Crean. Then when it was over, you know, Ryan just spent some time as Bros do hanging with Tom Crean and now ready to go this morning.

00:01:35
Speaker 5: I'm anxious to hear you some of your stories from the Bracket Show, and that's a big deal for you. Did you get the brackets early? Did you see him at the as they came out?

00:01:41
Speaker 4: You don't get them this year. We haven't gotten them at all early. I see him on the TV. Our direct feed from CBS is a little bit faster than you all see, so probably I see him a minute early, just so that we can say them on the radio. But it is. It's a very hectic hour because I'm having to look at them, write them down and try to keep a radio show going. So like both right, it's hard to talk. Drew say one thing while your hand is writing another thing. I don't know if anybody's ever tried that. That's not very easy to do, and then you know, try to set up Tom and Myron for analysis. But really exciting, and I'm glad that the bracket announcement now comes quick. They used to try to spread it over the entire hour, so it was all done within the first thirty minutes. It was so fast.

00:02:32
Speaker 6: I sat down at like six oh one, had a little plate of food in front of me, and they just started naming teams. I was like, well, we got to lock in and get focused. So I'm glad they got that knocked out out of the way. But you know, even though we're still not the most excited is Kentucky fans selection Sunday is still just awesome. Wherever your team lands, it's fun to follow along.

00:02:49
Speaker 4: Well, I want to talk about that for a minute, because I have gotten this since just sort of watching online of the most kind of muted excitement for the NCAA tournament in a while, And on one level, I get it. But I'm gonna make the case, Shennon why we should be excited about this. Yeah, yeah, okay, I'm gonna make the case. And if people don't want to be excited, that's fine. But you know, this is in about three weeks, two weeks maybe for Kentucky, maybe one week. We're not gonna have major sports, Basketball, major sports for Kentucky outside of baseball until next September. So I'm excited going into it. I thought there were basically three teams Kentucky could draw in the first round. They could either draw Saint Mary, Santa Clara, or Central Florida. Those were the three teams if you looked at all the bracketologies. Now, these guys have gotten so good that you kind of have a sense of where things are gonna go. And once Saint Mary's ended up being a lower seed, you basically had it was either gonna be Santa Clara or Central Florida. I prefer Santa Clair as a first round match. Central Florida is very athletic, They're in the Big twelve. They're used to playing very athletic teams. I thought that that they would be a team that could easily give us problems there. For me, they were drew like a Georgia in the sense of if we didn't play well, they would just beat us. Because it's not like they're gonna We're gonna overwhelm them with athleticism or anything. And they've seen and played drew all year teams better than us.

00:04:27
Speaker 6: Yeah, Central Florida also had the uh the Jordan Burks connection I was trying to dodge. Just you know, if you're gonna play a team like that, I'd rather not have an extra incentive for someone on the other side or another storyline that we don't want in that game. So I that was another angle of go ahead, you end up getting a ten seed.

00:04:44
Speaker 4: Yeah, you guys probably have like a half second delay, so you got the You end up getting like a ten seed that you're gonna have to play, and you can be upset that you're playing a team that good, but that's ultimately on you, Ryan for not having a good enough season. Once you have a season where you're a seven, you're gonna get a ten. And Santa Clara I have watched them play only one time, but I went back last night and looked at their record and the reality is here's who they've played. This is who they've beaten. That is good. They've beaten Xavier, Nevada, Minnesota, and Saint Mary's twice. They've lost to Loyo of Chicago, they lost to New Mexico by thirty, who didn't make the tournament. They lost to Arizona State, who came in last place in the Big Twelve. They lost to Utah, who came in next to last place in the Big Twelve. They lost to Saint Louis Gonzaga three times, and Saint Mary's and then basically everybody else they played was not good. So they have not beaten a team as good as we are all year. And again, if you're a seven seed, Ryan, I feel like playing a ten seed that hasn't beaten a team as good as you the entire season is a about as good as you can ask for, I think.

00:06:02
Speaker 5: So, you know, the only thing I really knew about Santa Clara was their coach, by Herb Sundeck, who's a former patinal assistant here at Kentucky and he's a good coach, and the fact that Steve Nash played there forty thirty years ago, whatever it was. But from hearing the like Leaf report this morning talking about Santa Clara, it sounds like they do some things we've had trouble defending. They shoot a lot of threes, like to push up, up and down.

00:06:21
Speaker 4: Let's take that one that let's take that one about the shooting threes, okay, because I saw that everywhere. Yeah, they shoot a lot of threes. Okay, fine, but the question is not do they shoot them? The question is, Shannon, do they make them right? That's a bigger question. Okay. Do you want to know what Kentucky's three point percentage is this season? Does anybody know what's our three point percentage on the year? Anybody know? Probably low thirty.

00:06:44
Speaker 5: Yes, I want to say low thirties.

00:06:46
Speaker 4: Well, that's not a guess a number. Give me a game, Okay, I see out the thirty one Drew.

00:06:51
Speaker 6: I will say thirty four point two.

00:06:55
Speaker 4: We are Drew's good if we are thirty four point one, which no idea. Wow, wow, that's very very good. Gas. Would you like to know, Shannon, what's Santa Clair's three point percentages? Yeah? Yeah, thirty four point three. So we basically shoot the exact same percentage they do. So everybody says, oh, they're a great three point shooting team. Do you consider us a great three point shooting team? I really don't know. So we shoot the same percentage they do. I you know they The one thing they do have is they do have some athleticism that you don't always get with teams at that level. But my point is just to say, if you lose this game, then you lose it, and it's a it caps what would kind of be a failure of a season. But I also think it's not a bad draw at all. Then you get to the next round and you get Iowa State. All right, So again, let's look at the bracket. What were our options? Our options were Houston, Iowa State, Perdue, and Yukon. But here's the problem. The ten seeds are Texas, A and M in Missouri. We can't be in the bracket with the ten seeds, so that takes out Houston and Purdue, which means our only two options to get as a two seed were either Yukon or Iowa State. Those are our two options. We either get Yukon or Iowa State. I ain't am fine not playing Yukon. Yukon's gonna have a top ten pick. Iowa State is physical, Iowa State is tough. But I look at Iowa State their last ten games, for eleven games, they're five and six. They had some great wins in the non conference, but in conference play they were kind of inconsistent and up and down, and I have to say, are they better than us? Yes? But can we beat them? They actually kind of have the makeup of the teams that we've beaten, like Tennessee this year. So I would say Drew Kentucky at their best day has a chance to win that game. And when you are a seven seed, I think the best you can hope for is to draw a two that you would have a shot at. And I feel like, Drew, you have a shot at Iowa State. I'm I'm confident round one. I'm I'm terrified of Iowa State. I'm glad we avoided Houston. I wanted Purdue there.

00:09:17
Speaker 6: I think the Big twelve is much much much better than the Big ten. I would have Purdue, but we understand what I'm saying, looking at who well, but we couldn't get them because if you look at the bracketologs again the way the NCAA does it. Once they put Purdue in the West because of the ten seed being an SEC team, we were not allowed to play Purdue. And I'm talking about going into the Before they said anything, I was like, I do not want to play Houston or Iowa State in our second round and then of course, as it comes out, we lose that option. But they are a defensive nightmare for us. I think both of those are two very physical teams that we'll be in trouble with.

00:09:53
Speaker 4: I I'm good with it. I am. I think that in a perfect world, you have liked to play Purdue. Sure, but once they did their little bracketing principles, then Iowa State was who we get. And I'll also note this, I believe Shannon in what is it mojo of the teams, there are some years that you just there are certain teams I just don't believe in in March because every year I'm told they're going to win and they don't. And two of those are Iowa State in Virginia. Virginia did win the national championship ones, but they have lost in early rounds virtually every year. Our two and three seed are Iowa State in Virginia. And so again, it would have been awesome to get a better bracket, but Shannon, we didn't have a good year. So if we didn't have a good year, yeah, then this is what you get.

00:10:48
Speaker 3: You gotta play somebody.

00:10:49
Speaker 2: You know, all the two seeds are going to be good but if you told me before the bracket came out you got to beat Santa Clara and Iowa State, you're in the sweet sixteen, and then you maybe get Virginia or Tennessee to get to the Elite A.

00:11:00
Speaker 3: I'm taking that all day.

00:11:01
Speaker 4: I like that me too. I like it too, Ryan, I mean, I'm not everybody else has, of course, can disagree. But there are six teams I think can win the national championship. I'm gonna pick five. I'll probably eliminate Yukon, but I do think they're one of those teams, and we didn't get any of them until the Elite eight. And Tom Crean had me convinced last night that of the six teams that can win, Michigan's playing the worst. So I just look due. I think Kentucky's even going to get to the second weekend. Probably not, But I think if you wanted to have the special run to where you can forget some of the problems you had in the first half of the year, I think you got the bracket with the best chance to do that that you could. I totally agree with that.

00:11:44
Speaker 5: You know, I think this is a team that can't make a Final four run but it's a team that could definitely pull off some upsets and if you know, make us forget about some of those crazy losses and the fact that it in could be Saint Louis, Chicago, Indianapolis get the final four week. We got the locations we wanted, and we got a draw that you can't argue about. So the people would think NCAA's biased against Kentucky many many years, it ain't this year.

00:12:06
Speaker 4: All right, So here's what we're gonna do. We're gonna take a break. I'm told there's a delay, Shannon, Okay, so let's do. Let's take a break. Let's figure out who the delay is with. Yeah, it may be with me. Let's figure out who the delay is with. We'll try to fix it during the break and then come back talk more about the bracket and a ton of things, including the revenge in some ways of cal Perry. It is eight five, nine, two eighth twenty two eighty seven. It's KSR.

00:12:33
Speaker 5: That is experiencing some technical difficulties up in Bristol, Connecticut with the weather in a situation going on up there. So we'll talk about our brackets and who were picking, and we were just all talking during the break. Vandy's on a head to hand collision course with Florida again, Shannon, So he's talking to Matt right now. But that could be a it could be it just played him in the season tournament. Then you may meet him again a week later in the NCAA tournament.

00:12:54
Speaker 4: Right now in the mic, there you go.

00:12:56
Speaker 5: There he was there, he was We heard him.

00:12:58
Speaker 4: Hang on.

00:12:58
Speaker 6: Shann's talking to me on second talk about vand in Florida. All right, I'll talk about van Ney Florida. If you're Fandy, do you do you like seeing that? On one hand, it's like, well, I know I can beat him, but also you're being asked to beat him, you know, back to back times here in a week, because you.

00:13:10
Speaker 5: Only lost by floor in gains four in Gainesville, and they beat him the NCAA tournament.

00:13:15
Speaker 2: The Sea was actually in Nashville. They lost byfore Okay, but I say bring them on. I'd rather have them in Arizona as my one seed or even Michigan.

00:13:22
Speaker 4: Are you something to here? Yeah? Yeah, we got yeah, there we are there. He is, go for it. I don't what happened there, but we are back eight five nine two eight oh twenty two eighty seven. Text Machine seven seven two seven four five two five four. One person writes, Matt, I like our draw. I don't like grumpy Drew not thinking we can win. Drew is always the one that makes me feel like we can get a victory. Well, I think him on Thursday. I need him to thinking we can win these games. Well, hey, calm down.

00:13:53
Speaker 6: I think I feel good about the first round, but I think it's dreaming big to take down Iowa State not impossible, but they're a legit team with only a few losses. I don't think any of them are outside the top forty. They might have lost a home game, no more than one. Two losses to Arizona one at the buzzer. Saint Louis is equally close to them, and they're a fan base that travels well to I just don't love that draw. But I'm not sweating Santa Clara at all. There's a lot of fans writing us out in the first round. I actually like the Santa Clara part of the draw.

00:14:24
Speaker 4: Yeah, I don't understand I really. I think, honestly, Shannon, the fans that are worried about Santa Clara should all look in the mirror and just remind themselves it is Kentucky. If we lose to Santa Clara, then we lose to Santa Clara, then it's a horrible year. But the people scared of Santa Clara, everybody needs to calm down. I mean, you are scared of Santa Clara. Santa Clara's best win this year is Saint Mary's and they're basically the same team. When they've played anybody from a good conference, unless that team is the worst team in their conference, they've lost. And twice they've played the worst team in their conference conferences Channon, and excuse me, they've won, and twice they've lost when they lost to Minnesota or Arizona State. In Loyola, I mean, come on, Loyola. I think was like the Noine seed in the Missouri Valley. I do not understand New Mexico beat them by thirty. This idea we should be scared of Santa Clara, to me, is just a ridiculous. This is on some levels still Kentucky.

00:15:28
Speaker 2: As our football coach said, if you're scared, go to church. I think there's a little Kate of Jack Golgi, like the ghost of Jack Golgie is still.

00:15:35
Speaker 4: Hounting in this fan base.

00:15:36
Speaker 2: But you gotta play somebody to play somebody who did people want to play?

00:15:41
Speaker 4: You want to play a Central Florida team that's bigger and more athletic ryan than we are. I mean, is that who you want to play? I don't Central Florida's playing in the Big twelve all year, Santa Clara. Now, look, if we lose, then we lose. But I've listened over the years. As you remember a few years ago and everybody was scared we were playing Davidson, right, and then everybody was scared. Last year we were playing Troy, Like, come on, this is Kentucky, and if we lose. I'll be the first to say that it was it's terrible, but come on, it's Santa Clara, and I guarantee you most of the people worrying about it haven't even seen them play. I've seen them only play once. I'm not gonna say I'm an expert, but I can't look at their results and say a team that loses, you know, to New Mexico by thirty and loses to Arizona State that fired Bobby Hurley, on some level, you cannot be scared of Santa Clara.

00:16:38
Speaker 5: All right, and Kentucky will probably favored in the game. I don't know if they have the odds come out.

00:16:41
Speaker 4: They opened in two and a half, but now it's all the way up to five and a half on some because wow, because people know the name Kentucky. But it is we are favored.

00:16:51
Speaker 5: I think, Shannon Dryt, I think we're just a little gun shy of how the season is gone and the Jack Gulkie game. But yeah, you're Kentucky. You're expected to win a game like this. You should win a game like this. You're due, are better than their dudes, Go ahead and just win the game.

00:17:02
Speaker 4: I'm glad to hear your your confident about that one drew. When did our fan base become so scared? I'll add that, when did we get so scared that we're like, oh no, Santa Clara.

00:17:14
Speaker 6: I guess we have our guard up from Saint Peter's in Oakland, knowing it's possible, where we lived our entire lives, not thinking it could be possible. But I'll add, sure they take a lot of three as they play fast, But I would rather see that than some team that's gonna muck it up and try to play in the fifties and get Kentucky in the half court. I think the way they play and the way they run and getting out in transition can benefit Kentucky.

00:17:34
Speaker 4: I agree, we're more athletic than they are. They have a big that's you know, he played well the game I watched. We have a big that's. They have a big that's all right, but he's only averaging eight points a game. That they don't. They don't have the kind of dude that does worry that goes for thirty in a game. They kind of spread their points out a lot. I'm not gonna claim to be an expert, but I am sort of like you know, folks, come on, they play in the six, they play in the West Coast Conference, and they when they've played Gonzaga, a team that granted beat us, they've gotten beat every single time by double digits. So on some level, this this just this woe is me about every If we lose this game, then we deserve to be upset, and Mark Pope and the and the team will hear it. But until then, you know, if you want to get scared of Iowa State, that's fine. I just would challenge you. Everybody give me their best Iowa State tournament memory. Hopefully not this year, no, but just give it to me. What's your best Iowa State tournament memory?

00:18:39
Speaker 5: I have zero memories of them in the tournament.

00:18:42
Speaker 4: I don't remember. I honestly cannot think of one. We played them? Was it when Royce White was there? Drewyeh and gott Afraid to Fly twenty? He talked a lot of trash. He talked a lot of trash. I mean we played him in Louisville. Was that twenty fifteen or twenty twelve?

00:18:59
Speaker 6: High that was Anthony Davis because he wanted all the Anthony Davis smoke and he got some.

00:19:04
Speaker 4: Yeah, we play We played them in the second round and listen, they're good and and what what I'm most worried about the game is what Drew said about the fans, because we will be outfanned there probably I think they will probably have more people than us because they are close and because Ryan, I do kind of wonder if our fan base is going to travel to these games.

00:19:26
Speaker 5: Yeah, we talked about it last night. Lexington to Saint Louis is like six hours, so it's probably like five from Louisville. I mean, we'll get We'll have a lot of fans there, and Kentucky's had great success in Saint Louis won the nine to seventy eight title there. Jack scored forty one, Tayshawn scored forty one in Saint Louis. So maybe at Saint Louis magic will carry.

00:19:41
Speaker 6: Over at eighteen two an eight seed, you know, one spot behind this with there and uh that's where the run started.

00:19:48
Speaker 4: Uh huh. Yeah. So I would say I'm kind of with Shannon. If you say to me, Okay, if you had said to me even a week ago, Matt, to get to the sweet sixteen, to get to the lead eight, you have to beat Santa Clara Iowa State in Virginia, Shannon and I would have signed up for it. I would have signed up for it. I would have been like, okay, yeah.

00:20:11
Speaker 2: And if you get lucky, maybe you see Tennessee again. You've already beaten them twice.

00:20:15
Speaker 4: Well we did that last year too. I prefer to avoid that. I don't want to play Tennessee at third time. I'd rather see Hugo in Virginia.

00:20:27
Speaker 5: Ugo was a manchild the other night by golly, what do you have liked.

00:20:32
Speaker 4: Records? He did play well against Duke, all right, So so that's our path. Yesterday, for the first time that I can ever remember, Kentucky did not have their little watch party where you where the media watches the bracket with the team. But even more so than that, Mark Pope has yet to speak about the bracket. He hasn't said anything about Kentucky's draw, He hasn't said anything about how Kentucky, anything about Kentucky in the tournament. And we are told at least I think Drew you told me that he's not going to speak until Thursday, uh in Saint Louis. Is that correct? I don't know about that.

00:21:10
Speaker 6: I think he should have his radio show, I hope, but I don't know if that's official. I don't know when he speaks for the media though, Yeah, what oh you mean just taking questions? Yeah, yeah, I don't know about There's been no comment, so he has as far as I know, am my wrong? Has he said anything about the bracket? Not that I've seen, And I think it's very lame. They didn't do that event last night that spans multiple coaches. It doesn't matter what seed they were how they finished In Nashville. Coach Cal had a sen some rough spots and he opened his living room and said, come interview me, and coaches before him did that too. I think it's lame that they didn't do anything that's part of the experience.

00:21:44
Speaker 4: In selection. Sunday, I talked to a reporter that said joe By Hall started that tradition of having like it used to be open to the fans, and then they didn't stop doing it with the fans, and then it was it was the media. But this is the first time this porter could remember them not doing it since joe By Hall. Now, I I think when when media gets outraged, sometimes the fans don't care. But I also think Ryan, for me, it's more symbolic than it is like an outrage thing, which is it's almost like they're trying to shut the world off. You know, last night we had five coaches on my show. Other coaches went on other shows. I think I saw virtually every big coach on some show. Mark Pope is in hiding, and I just I don't understand.

00:22:40
Speaker 3: Football team did the same thing that didn't turn out too well.

00:22:45
Speaker 4: It's a bad I'm not mad about it. But I don't understand why this athletic department just hides We'll be right back. TJ. Smith, personal injury attorney called TJ. He'll make them.

00:22:58
Speaker 2: Pay now more Kentucky Sports Radio presented by Stockton Mortgage.

00:23:02
Speaker 4: Here's Matt Jones, Welcome back. It is Kentucky Sports Radio. If I've nine two eight twenty two eighty seven, text message, text machine seven seven two seven seven four five two five four, A lot of good comments, I will say today, coming in on different sides of issues, I like fake David Beckham on Twitter. I don't think people think they're going to lose to Santa Clara more than they're just worried we'll simply lose in the first round. Considering what happened with the results with the former coach, the perception we're losing the divorce after Cal Perry won yesterday gives more evidence for that. I get it. But if you're worried about the if you're worried about the game against Santa Clara because of what Cal did in Oakland and Saint Peter's, then you can't also go. But also Cal's winning the divorce, like Cal lost those games. Now Cal won the SEC tournament. We'll talk about that in a little bit. But I do think on some level, Ryan, you judge Mark Pope on Mark Pope, and Mark Pope's been in the NCAA Tournament with this once and he handled Troy relatively easily and then we won in the second round. Now we'll he'll be judged by what happens this year, But I don't You can't blame Saint Peter's in Oakland on Pope and say I'm worried we're gonna lose to Santa Clara because we lost to Oakland and Saint Peter's that had nothing to do with Mark Pope. Totally agree.

00:24:22
Speaker 5: And you know last year that was Mark Pope's first ever win in the NCAA Tournament as a coach, and he got us to the sweet sixteen, and I think most fans were kind of satisfied with that. He drugged that team to the sweet sixteen. If he's able to pull that off this year with this team, I think you have to pat him on the back and say, well, job well done.

00:24:38
Speaker 4: Now, if he loses to Santa Clair Drew, that's a different conversation. There's no way if they lose to Santa Clara drew it's going to be a failure of a year completely. But I mean, I guess if people want to spend the next four days worried about Santa Clair, I just don't get it. I guess is what I would say.

00:24:55
Speaker 6: Yeah, I mean, we've been prepared to be the seventh seed for a long time, so the that you could lose round one has been in my head for a month and a half. Now that it's Santa Clara, I mean, they're a good team.

00:25:06
Speaker 4: We know the coach.

00:25:07
Speaker 6: They've got a player that might be like a yaxle that goes to a big school next year. He's the freshman forward that's been awesome, Alan Graves. I mean, they have some powers. But it's Kentucky and Santa Clara. If they lose this game, my goodness, that's a big Pope problem.

00:25:21
Speaker 4: Honestly.

00:25:22
Speaker 6: I mean, the year's already suckeding off. That'll just be like all right, finally it's over. Yeah, there's a bigger problem. One person rights Matt. The only people that seem to care about them not having their event or the media people. I know, I don't care.

00:25:34
Speaker 4: I get that that individual event's not a big deal. I would say this though, if that person that told me last night that that's a tradition that goes back to Joe B. Hall is true, and I don't know that because I don't remember if like Eddie Sutton did it, or Rick Patino or Tubby Smith. Ryan, do you remember you worked during some of those years.

00:25:52
Speaker 5: I've been here now for thirty years, and every coach every year has done a postgame like a post bracket news conference to talk to the media initial thoughts, maybe see the reaction to the players. That's another like a video opportunity that I think fans enjoy.

00:26:06
Speaker 4: But none of that last night.

00:26:07
Speaker 6: Separate of you all, someone that's covered the team since early nineties told me he can't remember a year they didn't do it.

00:26:12
Speaker 4: Okay, So I mean, it's not the worst thing in the world to me, but I would say to you, Mark Pope respects tradition as well as any coach we've had here. It's kind of weird that he would end a tradition that goes back to Joe By Hall. It's kind of weird. It's not the worst thing in the world, but I think we just added to these things that Pope's done this year that are kind of weird. It's just kind of weird to not have that. It's a big My bigger issue is with the overall UK lack of transparency. I don't know if we'll get to it today because it's tournament day, or if we'll do it tomorrow. But the whole why hasn't UK said anything about the fact that we have a new the ads leaving, hasn't defended the contract, hasn't talked about the search process. There continues to be this pattern of just not talking. And I would say if you don't, if you're cool with that, that's fine, But then when things flame out, you cannot then say why didn't the media report on it. You don't kind of get to have it both ways. If you don't want to know anything about the team, fine, that's okay, But you can't want to know something and then also defend when there's no transparency. At least in my view, I think that's those two things don't work for each other. One person writes Matt, what's the worst case scenario for Kentucky in this bracket? I think the worst case scenario is you lose to Santa Clair, But the second worst case scenario for me, Shannon is getting to sweet sixteen and losing Tennessee again. No, yeah, that would stink to do that two straight years.

00:27:49
Speaker 3: Well, yes it would.

00:27:51
Speaker 2: But again, if we get to the sweet sixteen, I think that that's kind of what we were talking about a couple of weeks ago. What do you think the selling is for this team if we get to the sweet sixteen. I don't think you get to call it a failure. If you lose to Santa Clara, we call the season a failure. So as much as I would hate to lose to Tennessee, I would rather get to the Sweet sixteen than lose this first game.

00:28:09
Speaker 4: Which would you rather Ryan drew Sweet sixteen loss to Tennessee, which is worse? I mean, obviously I think you'd rather do that, But do you, I mean, do you agree with me? As sweet sixteen loss to Tennessee would be brutal.

00:28:21
Speaker 5: That would stink, There's no doubt about it. The fact that it's Tennessee, a team you beat twice this year. But just the fact that we would get to the second weekend and get to the Sweet sixteen, I would it would be less painful for me anyway.

00:28:34
Speaker 6: Yeah, at least having that extra game another trip for Big Blue Nation. I think Aloway State's a really good team. Mark Pope could use that as Hey, look, we didn't go as far as one a Tennessee Goddess, but we beat a very good team in the second round. So I mean it'd stink losing to the balls again, but I would take that.

00:28:51
Speaker 4: Let's talk about Arkansas for a second. I think you have to because our fan base talked about it a ton. They win the SEC Tournament calipe, you know, which he has a right to do. Kind of stuck his chest out quite a bit, made a comment about, uh, he talked about it. He was talking about Porter Moser at Alabama. But I also think that, uh, this applied to probably his former employer. He said, coaches win games, administrations win championships. And then he said, I will always be about the name on the back of the jersey. That's how I've done it. Some people don't like it, that's fine, he said. And then Shannon, I didn't understand this. You can be peed off or peed.

00:29:33
Speaker 3: On, Yeah, yeah, which I don't.

00:29:38
Speaker 4: I thought that was a really weird frame. We don't have to go into detail about that. One. But it's like col maybe a different phrase in that scenario, but you know, look, I my Cal won, he should he gets the credit. If you were doing the who won the divorce, you clearly I would say he's ahead. I don't think he's his head by as much as everybody thinks. We had a begger better regular season last year. Both teams went the same place in the tournament. They've had a better regular season this year. We'll see what happens in the tournament. And they beat us last year and we beat them this year. I will say, though, I will continue to make the argument Drew that I don't care what Caliperi does. Even if he wins a national championship. I will hate it. It will bother me. I won't like it. I'm not cheering for. But he would not have done it here. That divorce was good for him. I think it was good for us. Now if we ended up making the wrong decision, that's a different conversation after. But he wasn't gonna do that here, and I don't know that he's gonna do it there. But I know, Drew, it wasn't gonna happen here.

00:30:48
Speaker 6: If I had more time I'd go find the clip, but I said over and over and when he left, don't get jealous. If he goes and does something there, he probably will. He needs the reset, We need the reset. Whatever he does at Arkansas. You can't just say that would have happened here, because that wouldn't have been the case.

00:31:03
Speaker 4: Now.

00:31:03
Speaker 6: I won't say I was bothered by it, but I couldn't help but grin and just kind of roll my eyes that, you know, one of especially me. The biggest complaint was nothing in the SEC tournament lately. Absolutely nothing in the SEC tournament lately, and it took him two years to go win the tournament he didn't care about. So as the confetti was following, I did think, now you care about it well.

00:31:23
Speaker 4: And that's also very much him like he and I get this because I have a little bit this sometimes in my life, although less so now as I get older. But there's a part of him that part of what he needs is to be motivated by people saying stuff or whatever. He didn't care about the SEC tournament, but now he goes to a new school and he cares. Had he cared here, Ryan, we might have had a different result had he not done the I get to go home to my dogs. Yesterday. He's very happy. I would just say to say, if he had done that here, we wouldn't have had this situation. But you know, good for him. They the bracket opened up for him a little bit. They had to beat Oklahoma and Old miss Now Vandy's good, but they avoided Florida, avoided Alvima. But they played the games they were supposed to play. They won. Darius A. Cuff's a star, Trayvon Brazil has taken a huge leap up and they've played very well. DJ Wagner hit three threes yesterday. But at the same time, I am confident and I don't care if they win the national championship. I'm confident Ryan. He wasn't gonna do that here. It had fallen apart here, it had run its course here at Kentucky.

00:32:32
Speaker 5: It was a mutual party in to the ways that we needed a break, he needed a break, So it was a perfect time to do this. But man, I'm telling when he said that about the name on the back of the jersey, not the front of the jersey, that was such a direct smack in the face at us, because it's in.

00:32:45
Speaker 4: Our opening before the every game.

00:32:47
Speaker 5: You know, when Pope repeats that when he gets introduced as coach, it's about the front of the jersey.

00:32:51
Speaker 4: That was a definite smack And that's fine. I can see why he would do that, and that's okay. By the way, a game, I think Bruiser Flint said something like, I don't think cow was treated right at Kentucky. That's fine. This fan base loved him more than any coach in my lifetime. They adored him. They adored him. This fan base did everything possible. What changed it was the fact that things didn't go well. But I think most Kentucky fans would still say Caliperry is a good person, and they appreciate the memories when he was here. But you know what, it had run its course, and it's like this shit. And I always used the analogy, but if a man and a woman get divorced after twenty five years and then the man goes out on the market and decides to get himself in shape and like get hair plugs and reignite his life, and he meets a woman and the wife understandably goes, well, why didn't you just do that here? Why didn't you just do that with me. He changed who he was and good for him. I'm glad for him, but that doesn't mean he he had taken it for granted here and that's the way it is.

00:34:09
Speaker 3: This is Col's glow up right now. All of a sudden, he.

00:34:11
Speaker 4: Is, this is Cal. This is Col's second wife.

00:34:15
Speaker 7: Yeah.

00:34:16
Speaker 4: And the thing about second wives is they make you happy for a little while, but when life punctures you in the face, you call the original wife and you say I'm sad.

00:34:27
Speaker 3: I don't think that works that way, but I.

00:34:30
Speaker 4: Think it happens with some people because they know you the best. Yeah, we're not even his original wife. Remember where his third wife?

00:34:39
Speaker 2: That's true, He's been on. He's on a lot of wives. But Cal, at his core is a contrarian. You know, like about the SEC tournament. He knew how much this fan base loves the SEC Tournament, what it means to them, and he would just write it off as well, no big deals.

00:34:52
Speaker 4: You are exactly right. This is the part of Col that relates to you, Shannon, exactly. He's contrarian. He likes to say, okay, all of you think this, then I think that he likes that, and you know, so that's the SEC Tournament I think was an example of that. Skin cancer isn't rare. It's the most common cancer in the US. One in five Americans face it, and you need to go get catch it and get it treated. And the Kentucky Skin Cancer Center can do that. Go to Kentucky Skin Cancercenter dot com. They got your back, your arms, your face, your neck, your ears. They'll look and find the spots you don't even know exist. Go to Kentucky Skin Cancercenter dot com to take care of any issues. It's two seven eight four to two, nineteen ninety nine, Kentucky Skin Cancer Center dot com. All right, I want to take your calls about the draw SEC Tournament, et cetera, and we'll do more. This is the day after the bracket on KSR, Welcome back Tucky Sports Radio. If I'm nine two eight twenty two eighty seven one person rights, Matt. I think it's hilarious when you give marital advice having never been married. It's my favorite part of the show. Well, that's what makes it good, Shannon, is I'm not class by actually having had it. Yeah.

00:36:02
Speaker 3: I was asking, right, he's been married a few times. I was asking if he's gone back to his original.

00:36:05
Speaker 4: Yeah, but clearly, but clearly, he doesn't know how to do it. You and I are not sullied having made it not work. You and I should do a marital advice.

00:36:15
Speaker 2: We should right on the two single guys here, we could tell you how to get married.

00:36:19
Speaker 4: I feel like we would know better exactly.

00:36:21
Speaker 3: Here's how you get married.

00:36:22
Speaker 4: You don't exactly because you know, people think if you if you've been debore, I mean, if somebody's been married probably fifty years and and everything's been perfect all the time. Yeah, that's a good opinion. But I think next to that two people that haven't. We're not sullied by mistake. It's true.

00:36:40
Speaker 3: Yeah, we can give you a different proce.

00:36:42
Speaker 4: How you look it's on. It's on how you look at.

00:36:44
Speaker 2: It, that's right, and how we look at it the best way to look at it.

00:36:48
Speaker 4: I think that's the best way to to look at it. That's exactly a question. Sure, did you hear Seth Davis?

00:36:57
Speaker 5: Maybe throw you a little shade yesterday during the broadcast, everybody I.

00:37:00
Speaker 4: Heard that, people said it, but I didn't hear what he said. And I looked online and couldn't find it. What did he say?

00:37:05
Speaker 5: They were talking about Perdue being a two seed, and he said, yeah, for those people who think the conference championship game doesn't mean anything, this obviously proves that it does.

00:37:12
Speaker 4: Something like that. Well, then how do you explain Arkansas seth Arkansas was a five and they won the conference? So how do you explain that?

00:37:22
Speaker 5: I don't know.

00:37:22
Speaker 4: If he can't Portland, he doesn't. He doesn't have a way of saying that. Now, the committee chair came on ESPN radio and said that said, if Purdue hadn't won, blah blah blah, but then what about Arkansas? If the committee if it matters? Why is Arkansas five? No explanation? Yea, no, there are actually a four. Well, then maybe it doesn't matter.

00:37:51
Speaker 6: Alabama got Aansas, I said, Arkansas.

00:37:54
Speaker 4: Saint John's is a five. So Saint John's Arkansas, That's what it was. Sorry, Arkansas, afore Saint John's is a five. So I mean that's the one where you might say, and remember, sess argument was the last game matters? The committee chair said that Purdue one, so they were a two. They'd have been a three if they lost. If they say so, I believe that. But you know, what, that's not what they've done in the past. Go back to that Kentucky, Texas A and M year. Look at their resumes and try to tell me that conference game mattered. It didn't. But you know they can change it every year, and maybe they did. In this scenario. Who's up first? Will? Will go ahead? Will?

00:38:36
Speaker 2: Good morning?

00:38:37
Speaker 4: Good morning.

00:38:39
Speaker 8: What do you think is going to the sweet sixteen in the region that we have would be considered a win for Mark Pope for this season and it would further hit.

00:38:48
Speaker 4: At this point is don't think it'll matter one way or the other with recruiting, but in terms of the fan perception, it will be a win considering the season. Now, I mean, is it a win when you consider what people hoped it would be preseason? I guess that's in the eye of the beholder. But when you consider the season they've had for the reasons Drew talked about, if they beat IEWA State and they get to that sweet sixteen play a second weekend, I think considering the season, it would be a win. Okay, thank you appreciate the call. Whether it's an overall win, like I said, depends on kind of how you look at it, and I could understand both cases. To be honest with you, who's next, Richard, Richard, go ahead, Richard.

00:39:35
Speaker 7: Well, thanks the kids for playing a good tournament. They played hard, that's how you can ask go and won two games, played far within a reason. I got no complaints at all. I also want to congratulate Travis Perry. I thought him at all this play that over tournament. I watched him play too, and I'm happy for the kid in fact at that time, but I wish we had Brusis.

00:40:13
Speaker 4: Right. Appreciate Richard. He had a great tournament. He didn't have a great year, but he did have a really good tournament, and I was glad to see it. Drew, you know, you're a western Kentucky guy. I know you liked. He played really well for them throughout the tournament. The year didn't really work out great for him, but I'm glad he got to have that run there at the end.

00:40:30
Speaker 6: Yeah, big tournament. I saw his dad around town a few times. You know, Lin County's in the sweet sixteen. He's the coach. They were kind of in a predicament, maybe not expecting to go that far in the weekend, but it was cool watching their run and he was you know, we've always known him as a shooter, but he was in there getting rebounds, I mean, taking elbows from stampedo to the head, and he just played an all around game that we never got to see here a Kentucky.

00:40:49
Speaker 4: In his freshman season, he got the game winning rebound against Georgia. When I saw him lined up with the free throw line, I was like, why is Travis Perryan for rebounding? And then he got the rebounds, so uh uh, good for him. I'm glad he played well. I pull for that kid, and it's nice to see him do it. Who's next? Grass, Bluegrass? He got about a minute.

00:41:09
Speaker 8: What's going on, Fellas? To be real quick? Now, since I found out we got Santa Clara, I've been going back and watching, you know, everybody just tries to get some menfo on him. And I tell you what, Fellas, I like that we're going to be the most talented team finally for a change. Like that's to your point, Matt, I like being better. Like we match up at all the positions. They'll run a lot of flair screens and but they got that six y nine that Graves. Now he's a hard matchup.

00:41:37
Speaker 4: But he's the toughest matchup for us. They're power forward, that'll be the toughest matchup for US.

00:41:46
Speaker 8: I agree, and that makes mold, but at least we do have mold, so we do. One of our best defenders will be on him, so I do like that. And if we can just bring the physicality. Did you hear Oways say that we need to bring this lectality against slow DA, against every team.

00:42:05
Speaker 4: Totally agree with you. I appreciate the call. The power forward is gonna be huge. Diabate's gonna have to play well. I think that's a really good point out by Bluegrass. We'll come back. I remember two K sor Ry