Oh, oh, guess what day it is? Guess what day it is? Huh anybody, It's hump Day.
Day?
What a game?
O Tega?
Oh way, bonus shot in the air, got it?
What a game?
Seventy seven, seventy two Kentucky passed them in court.
Canipples long one is no good.
The old guys rule, you can't lay it up.
Tunny seventy seven, Duke seventy two.
How about that, Goose Gibbons.
Not a bad way to start a hump day. Welcome to the Big bloom and Sider. Dick Gabriel with you on a Wednesday, And this day actually began in the wee hours because by the time the UK Radio network got off the air, it was already Wednesday. But I was happy to stay up. I know some of you did, some of you couldn't, So we're gonna help you out. We're gonna play some of the highlights from the radio CA I know a lot of you were watching TV. I always urge you to use both years radio for
one TV for another. But boy, Tom and Jack had such a great time, and I always try to remind myself that Jack Gibbings finished his career with a win over the Duke Blue Devils, but last night it was an era marker from Mark Pope. No pun intended, but I'll take it, so will he. This is a game that Kentucky fans will remember for a long long time. Sold the Wildcats, but then they're gonna have to put in the back of their mind as they start to work on their next one, which comes up on Tuesday.
But let's go back to last night, to a game that saw the Wildcats struggle in the first half to stop Duke to score. But in the second half, Kentucky, using defense and rebounding and better offensive execution, kept chopping away at it and the Cats down seventy sixty nine. Look to Andrew Carr, who got a driving layup in the paint and won.
In your car at top of the circuit, who goes over to his left that comes back to his right, goes down deep pump, fake goes up hands cart.
All the veteran car school.
The Duke rookie is traditional three point play makes it seventy two to seventy. Duke ties it up at seventy two after kerk Crease have missed on a long shot. The Blue Devils go to Cooper Flag naturally, but otega Oway had other ideas.
Flag drives down the left side, spins back to his right hand. It's knocked the way it stolen by ah Way oh wait drive, So the bucket gets knocked down and found with ten seconds to play.
He simply stepped in and took the ball away, hit a couple of free throws, and then it was Duke's turn to try to come back and tie the game up. But Flag made another mistake in the corner with Amari Williams all over him.
They get it up to Flag at mid court. Flags takes it down the left side, almost falls down in the corners.
A brown.
Five seconds to play. Now they're gonna look at it Tom.
They did look at it Jack gibbings, but he was out of bound. So now it's Kentucky's ball. Lamont Butler fouled, goes to the line, hits one, makes it a three point game. Now he's got a chance to put it out at of reach. But if he misses, Duke can grab the ball, go down with you know, five seconds left, and break Kentucky's heart with a three pointer and tie the thing and send it into overtime, but once again o Way stepped up.
Shots all the way, got it ted center bod nothing but the bottom Eddy.
Make it four.
Bonus shot bounces off o Good, rebounded by al Way always got it, gribbles out beyond the arc and he gets found with point funds. Oh Way got the office.
And thrown oh boy, oh oh oh Way.
What the last few seconds he had for the Wildcats. What a game for Kentucky, and what a game for the Big Moe nation here in the Mark Pope era. And this is what Pope had to say to ESPN coming off the floor right after the game.
I'm really proud of our guys. You know, it's our first half was pretty shaky. We had a lot of things that felt a little weird tonight. But they're just fighting spirit just continue to come through. And I know that sounds so cliche, but in these games, when you have two great teams going against each other, it comes down to the connective tissue of the team, and it comes down to like all the little extra stuff, and our guys just kept bounding. I was most proud of
their resilience with their emotion. Their emotion was recredibly resilient, everybody on the roster contributed, and so Otega makes a huge play. In fact, we talked about it walking on floors, like it's time for you to make a big time defensive play, and he delivered like he normally does.
Well, it all starts with you, coach big time and you just beat number six Duke in your third ever game coach in Kentucky.
How do you feel right now?
Well, here's the thing is that.
I've learned in the last few years that this is actually not about me at all. If it's about me, it's too much and it's too big. It's about these boys. It's about BBN. It's about these guys coming and competing, these guys dreaming of being wearing a Kentucky jersey one day, never thinking they would, and actually being here now and doing it and being in this game.
That's what makes this special.
I just get to observe and watch and that's pretty great.
Yeah, he does a heck of a lot more than observe and watch. He did a great job preparing this team, scouting Duke, knowing Super Flag's tendencies. How that helped his players make those defensive plays down the stretch, and it wasn't just him. He'll be the first to tell you. It was his staff, his assistants who helped prepare. They're the ones who break down the video and then put it all together and help the Wildcats pull off this upset.
And it was Indeed, Duke was a favorite. And we know that Duke right now has the greatest freshman class in the country. But Kentucky has the most experienced team in the country, and two of the most experienced players will take away. And Andrew Carr talked to the media after the game and talked about, you know, what it was like to represent Kentucky in a game like this and what it took to come back against the Blue Devils. First, it'll take a oway and then Andrew.
Carr were in Kentucky in your chest. You just have to carry yourself a certain way, and you know that you're not just playing for yourself, You're playing for a whole nation. You're playing for your brothers. So that makes a dream to play for Kentucky. And the fact that I'm here, and in fact that A C's here, I know it just makes everyone to play harder. So I would say that just wearing a Kentucky Jersey definitely makes you want to go out there and play.
Yeah, And I would agree with Otega, And I'd also just talk about just the team that we have in general too, is just so talented, and something that we always talk about as a team is just you know, our run or whatever it is. You know, we're looking for that that Djenga block to fall. You know, We're
just gonna keep coming at you guys. We're gonna keep coming at you guys throughout the game over and over and over again until you know we go on that run or come come back and you know, are able to make impact on the game.
Practically everybody who played last night for the Wildcats had an impact on the game. One guy who just could not get started with Jackson Robinson zero for four git a free throw, did have a couple of block shots. Now when he was on the floor started played twenty six and a half minutes. Duke had to be aware of him. Duke had to shave defense toward him and expend energy guarding him. But not a lot happened for
Jackson Robinson. But you know what, it didn't matter. I mean you know that by now with Kentucky going ten deep last night. One freshman got in and it was Colin Chandler. He only played a couple of minutes, almost had two passes knocked away or or picked off. He just really seemed like he was nervous, kind of out of place. But I wondered if the veterans on this team would get off to a good start or maybe get blown away a little bit by the moment. Well,
the answer was the former. They got off to a good start, as you saw, hit a bunch of three pointers, couldn't get much done in the paint because of Duke's size and defense, but ultimately the Wildcats figured it out and outscored Duke forty to twenty six in the second half, even though Kentucky only hit forty three point eight percent in the second half, but the Wildcats held Duke to twenty nine point four percent, maybe more importantly, one of
eleven from beyond the arc, and Duke missed four out of nine free throws in the second half. So Duke did not execute in the second period and Kentucky did not perfect, not pretty, but way good enough to handle Duke. And this I believe will be and you know, this the kind of game we see all year, or maybe Kentucky doesn't shoot entirely well from the outside, or rather from the floor. Kentucky hitches forty percent, but hit forty
percent from three point range, which is great. Overall, not so much, but if you back it up with ten out of twenty five from beyond the arc, you're gonna win a lot of games. Out rebound, but only by four forty five forty one. Cats got to the line more often in the second half, and it's seventeen out of twenty four overall Duke overall twelve of seventeen turnovers. That was a weird stat Only one turn by the Dukes in the first half, and that had a lot
to do with why the Devils had the lead. Kentucky only had I think six second half Wildcats committed only four more, finished with ten. So that tells me that Kentucky, given the fact that the Cats got to the free throw line and forced turnovers from Duke, I thought, was in better shape. You know, Duke players started cramping, so of course so did Butler, but it was Kentucky executing down the stretch. And by the way, seventeen assists on
twenty five made baskets. I think that's a stat that you can look at all year long and it will tell you a lot. Coming up tonight at the bottom of the hour, we're gonna hear from Sean Woods, the Unforgettable Guard. He predicted this win, Yes he did, and we're gonna find out why. Our number two, Aaron Gershein of the cast Balls, he was in Atlanta's on his way back, covered the game. And we're also getting from our west end BA achieved Gary Moore because it's Wednesday,
and that's what we do. After the break, we'll hear from the Wildcats. They talked to Jack Gibbons early this morning. Well here from Andrew Carr and Brandon Garrison. He had a nice game. That's ahead six thirty wlap. Welcome back to the Big Bloom Cider. Coming up in just a few minutes, Sean Woods, the Unforgettable Guard, will join us and tell us why he predicted he did. I've got the text message to prove it. He predicted Kentucky would beat Duke and had every right to text me, and
he did after the game. What did I tell you? So we'll find out why he did that. In just a few minutes, we're gonna check in with Aaron Gershan as well. He was not with us on Monday night on the State Wide Show because he was already in Atlanta where he covered the game for the Cat's Pause. On his way back, we will check with him and get his thoughts on just a great ball game and
a great atmosphere down there in Atlanta. And this being Wednesday, we will chat with our West End bureau chief Gary Moore to look ahead to the weekend and find out what is on his mind and on the mind of Jack Gibvans after that game last night. You heard in our first segment where Jack just kept saying, what a game, What a game, And it really was entertaining. And I always remind myself that Jack's last game in the Kentucky uniform was against Duke in the National title game in
nineteen seventy eight. And I'm not a Duke hater. I know a lot of you are because of what happened in ninety two. But that was a team doing his job, a player doing his job, and a coach doing his job and Kentucky fall in one play short and as we mentioned last night, Wildcats got revenge, maybe not enough, but got a good measure revenge in nineteen ninety eight by keeping Duke from the final four, going itself and winning a national title. That's pretty good payback if you
asked me. But the Wildcats last night turned things around in a remarkable way. And one of the key performers you heard him in seventy number one was Andrew Carr, and he chatted with Jack Gibbings in our post game show.
Certainly a team I first, especially you talk about Taylor two has the second half. We I think held them in the twenties defensively, you know, that was our biggest thing. Our offense flows and does the best when we're getting stops. You know we're gonna be able to get out in transition, and we really feel like ourselves when we're getting stopped. So I thought everybody really stepped up physicality wise in the second half, really didn't let them do exactly what
they wanted to do. And yeah, man, I'm now three and two against the dude, ye, so come on, that was the rubber match and a lot.
Of people can't say that they're that's what they are.
I can't let you.
Off the hook that easy about the second half and the physicality you guys played with because frankly, in the first half, I thought, particularly in the pain, they pushed you all around a little bit and kind of did what they want wanted. But Maya Williams sets the screen, knocks the dude down to the floor, and he doesn't get back up, get back in the game, and didn't get back in the game.
And that seems too.
It seemed to me that that kind of fueled you guys and got.
You going, yeah, no, definitely. You know, I'm already does a great job. You know, that's a legal screen and and that's what we do. We we play with the
legality of the game, and you're gonna feel us. So I think it was really cool to be able to rally around that moment just come together, you know, as we talk about all the time, coming closer together as a team and really digging into each other, lifting each other up and being able to fight, you know, turn our frustration a lot frustration going on that first half, so turn that into some fight in the second half and and really were able to connect.
Yeah.
One of the things I've picked up on and I really like about this team is how much patting on the back there he is and encouraging teammates. Man, just stay with and stay with it. I see you guys getting a huddle on. It's like you guys are just encouraging each other. Stay with it, stay with them. That's got to be a good feeling to be on that kind of team.
It's amazing.
You know.
We talk about our banter behaviors, and that's one of them. You know, it's you know, you score, you point at the assist, man, you get an assists, you're pointing at the guy. You're you're clapping on the bench for your teammates.
You're you know, you're you're bringing energy.
Coach Pope talks about the energy of the team is really important for us, and you know we we try and check in on our teammates energies all the time.
Man.
And if someone's you know, a little bit low, we got to bring them up. And know that when I'm gonna when I'm gonna be low, someone else is going to bring me up. So it's really cool to be a part of the team like that.
That's great.
One more thing before I let you go, I know, you need to get a shower. One of the real concerns about this team was well, two things. What kind of defensive team where you go out gonna be? When you offensively you could do a lot of stuff. But are you surprised that you've got you guys have come together defensively as quick as you have.
No. I was actually you know, being able to be in the you know, we're practicing against each other every day and in the summer, I was like, man, we we have a really good chance of being a great defensive team.
You know.
I think you know.
If you look at it, we might not always be you know, the best individual defenders. But that's a team game for a reason, you know. And and for us to be able to to play team defense for we're an elite team defensive team. And and you know we're able to show that in the second half. And and I think you know, that's gonna be uh their cornerstone.
Of our team.
You know, even though you talk about the offense and the whole time a lot of drawing to our offense, it's gonna be our defense that's gonna help us win.
That's Andrew Carr with Jack Gibbons last night on the UK Network in the early morning hours. I should say, and Jack also talked with Brandon Garrison. Jack had a lot of time to fill, so did Andrew as they waited for Tom to finally get a chance to talk to Mark Pope and send the interview back. But yeah, it was Brandon Garrison coming off the bench seventeen and a half minutes four to five from the field for
eight points, four rebounds, two block shots. He was huge, and he talked with Jack after the game about just what it took to come back and put this thing together.
Oh yeah, like you said, just a huge win everybody. I'm just scrolling on social media. Everybody down to us. You know, Coach Totters don't pay attention to it, but you know it's all over the media came miss it.
But I feel like.
My team started off slow, but then we just stuck with it. Coach said, just keep sticking with it, and the outcome was amazing.
Yeah, there was a time there when boy getting points was just a struggle for Kentucky. Duke goes up ten points and you're sitting there thinking, man, where's the Basket's gonna basket gonna come from? Kerb makes the three, Oh the way makes the three, and all of a sudden Kentucky's on a roll and you get back in the game. I want to talk to a little bit about this team on defense. A lot of people wondering what kind of defensive team that's gonna be. Man, you guys can defend this.
Or you know, Coach b I mean Coach ab R defensive coach just always telling us to get killed. You know, everybody just think we're offensive team, but they doubt us on the defensive end. You know, in practice we're getting after it and all that.
Yeah, talk to me about it. Kill. What is that for folks who.
Don't know exactly what a kill might be?
Or so a kill is just like when you get three stops in a row that equals one kill.
Oh man, yep, so you got a.
Number of those.
Man.
Duke struggled after their offense looked really good, they started struggle and you guys got it. You know, this is the kind of game. I think everyone who's here came to Kentucky for.
The Dukes, the.
The Alabama's, you know, the arkansass all of those kind of games. Is what you guys wanted talk to me a little bit about just being here and the bigness of Kentucky and what it means the big Blue Nation, sir.
Like you said, I couldn't imagine myself here. It's just amazing to be here. You know. It's a big, big thing on all our shoulders, all our teammates, and she's got to play for the laders across my chest.
It's nice to have veterans on the team, guys you can look up to who have been in every situation. And one thing I noticed a lot is everybody patting you on the back since stay with the big fella, stay with it. That has to be good too.
Like you said, I'm a I wouldn't say I'm a rookie, but now about you're young, young, yes, sir, But it's a whole bunch of vetters out there, like Amar getting after in practice, telling me all the little things. You know, if I'm out there playing so he telling me pick it up, start playing so soft, and I think that motivates me.
Yeah.
Now you have a week off before your next game. A lot of times you win a game like this, you want to get right back at it. Man, You want to go and see who the next opponent is.
But sometimes it's.
Good to enjoy a victory like this for a couple of days, come back to the work, come back to work, and regroup in the gym. Is that kind of the plan for you all over the next.
Week, Yes, sir, you know, we go go home, celebrate our little off day, and then once the practice, we forget about this new game. We're about our next opponent.
That's Brandon Garrison with Jack Gibbings. And when we come back, Sean Woods, the Unforgettable Guard, will tell us why he said they're going to do it back in a minute, six thirty wlap Welcome back to the Big Boon. So joining us now in our celebrity hotline is our unforgettable Guard, Sean Woods, his jersey hangs in the rafters. Rup visits with us every Wednesday. But he checked in with me yesterday prior to the Duke Kentucky game and texted me this,
I'm predicting a Kentucky upset. Coach, you were right, and this was not an emotional call either. This was you, as a coach and a guy who knows the game inside out, predicting a lot of things would happen.
Tell me why you did that. You're pretty bold.
Well, I got a chance to watch Duke their first two games, and I've been watching Kentucky of course, and then you know, I've been going to practice more often here lately, and I just saw Flaws and Duke from a maturity standpoint that.
That intrigued me.
You know, one thing about Kentucky, as you saw last night and everybody else got to see, was no matter how talented these teams are in the country, I think Kentucky's ahead of the curve as far as continuity and
playing with each other and knowing everybody's roles. You know, everybody all these other teams are still trying to figure it out with either newcomers or transfers, and they're trying to jail whereas Mark Pope's system and what they've been doing since the summer, they're so far ahead of everybody right now. And you know, everybody who played for Kentucky
last night contributed in some type of way. Yeah, there was not the only person who just couldn't get it going is jack and Robinson and Kentucky show last night that they could win at a high level without the person who everybody thinks is their best player.
Yeah, yeah, and didn't Jackson Robinson just his presence force Duke to adjust its defense a little bit and account for him, which left other people opportunities to do things.
Yeah, you know, but you know, the thing about it was that that I wasn't impressed with with him was he didn't compete like I wanted him to, you know what I mean, No, I really don't think, you know. And and you know last night they were better with him off the floor than on the floor. He just couldn't get a rhythm. I think, you know, his flaw is, you know, if you get up in him, he has trouble, you know, as long as he can can make open shots.
And I think it's you know, because of the frustrations and how the game went, he had a couple of times to hit daggers to either put Kentucky up or whatever wide up and jump shots that he has made thus far, and they weren't even close. So what I'm saying is this is a veteran team and a glue team already and we're just now getting started. I'm just amazed and really looking forward to how good this team could be. You know what I'm saying as days go on.
I mean, they're so far of what I thought, it's not even funny. And I'm watching all these other schools play with all this talent, you know, the Michigan State the Kansas game was like watching paint dry.
You know, it is terrible in.
The style of play. I thought even enhanced Duke, even though Duke did have the best player on the floor in Cooper Flag, but he was still seventeen years old. And like I told you the other day, what impresses me and why I think of Texan win this game because of their experience and it prevailed last night.
Well, let's talk about the game and halftime.
Kentucky's down nine had taken an early lead, but Duke was beating it up in the paint. Wildcats were staying in it via the three pointer. But Duke could only turn the ball over once. And you're a guy who loves great defense from point guard on down, That to me was the most surprising stat of all. And I wondered how Kentucky would be able to increase that pressure in the second half, but it did.
Well, I'm gonna say again, I just think that experience prevails because Kentucky stayed with what they did. You know what I mean, They didn't go outside of who they are, whereas Duke had to make miraculous plays every single time. And and what really impressed me about Kentucky, which has been a question thus far, is could they defend? Could
they rebound well in the second half. That's what got them back in the game, to their defense and their rebound because in the first half, you know, Duke just spread them out and they they isolated key guys, which Mark Polker is gonna have to work on that. With some guys really giving it giving it in, giving it up defensively, I was kind of disappointed in that. That's another story, but I just thought from a team standpoint, they really buckled down and and and showed their experience.
Because you gotta remember, now with this team, you you just got two transfers who were the defensive player of the years in.
Their counter.
So that's just say a lot. So it's not like you don't have the potential, but there's a couple of guys on your team that just didn't give it up like I wanted to, and you took them out and that's why you were able to overcome the deficit that you did that you had last night.
How surprise, were you that he went small, although that's a relative term because Andrew Carr six with ten. But the two guys McGuire used to call aircraft carriers. They were on a bench when Kentucky was doing good things exactly exactly.
And then also throw it in, throw this in too. Duke went down when the big fellow went down. You know, that took that took away their defensive presence. You know, that was that was what made the blow for them because he was the rim protector. He's, you know, the defensive guy. And then once he went out what's the transfers name from wake forward for us, car car really got going. Yeah, so you know, kudos to us. And
you know it's the bible of the fitter. So you can't feel sorry for people cramping, you know what I'm saying, that's part of the game. And then and it also goes with what experience. And I thought Mark Polk was Michaelangelo and the way he the way he subbed. But we know now that the two guys, the kid from Oklahoma State, the kid from Oklahoma and the kid from from San Diego State cannot be off the court at the same time.
But yeah, you made it. You made a great quest, You made a great point about miraculous plays, and I felt like it was Kentucky And Billis pointed this out. Kentucky had to work so hard for its buckets in the first half and Duke was getting everything in a rhythm and a flow, and in the second half it was the exact opposite, wasn't it.
Yes, it was.
You know, Duke did a good job of exploring Kentucky's deal about switching, so they made Kentucky struggle. I think that's gonna be a lot of other teams are gonna look at that tape and be like, Okay, forget chasing, We're just gonna switch everything and be there on the catch and make them settle for twos. Well, it kind of worked in Duke's favor until the big fellow went out, and then also Kentucky just stayed the course and other people stepped up. And that's the sign of a good
basketball team. You know you're not relying on one person. I mean, everybody participated in that win last night, that plate except for Jackson Robinson. And you know that he's not gonna have a lot of games like that.
Now. He'll make this game work for him. You mentioned a couple times already, Cooper Flag, and you mentioned him before we went on the air as we were getting as we were preparing. He is just as seventeen sean. He is so well beyond his years.
Yet he made.
A couple of clutch mistakes down the stretch. But man, can you imagine what this kid's gonna be like in March.
I mean it's like, I mean, he's unbelievable, you know, he he But you know we saw that when he when he went against the Olympic team and all those pros, and you know they were saying that he was probably the second best player on the floor. Yeah, at that time, you know, he showed how good he is.
But at the end of the.
Day, you can't teach experience.
You just can't. And that's what happened last night.
Experience overcame, every overcame, talent overcame everything else. Because this kid is the number one player in the country. He's gonna be the number one draft pick in the country. And he made two of the most bonehead plays last night that costed him the game.
Yeah, he had the ball taken away from him and then he turned the ball over in the corner, or when the point guard should have had the ball anyway.
Right, exactly exactly, Yeah, went.
In doubt, go to the point guard, right, Coach.
Went in doubt.
Give it to the man and let him orchustrate it.
It's not your job, spoken like a true point guard. Here is Sean Woods, the unforgettable guard, and we'll talk more. Basketball was shown on the other side of the break here on the Big Moon Sider six thirty wlap Welcome back. We're talking with unforgettable guard Sean Woods. He predicted Kentucky's win over Duke and I have the text message to prove it. Experience over immaturity. Sean predicted, that is exactly
what happened. Let me ask you this as a guy with a lot of experience as a coach and a player. There's gonna be another week before this team plays.
Is that a good thing?
Or would you rather if you were I know, if you're a player, you want to get right back at it. If you're a coach, are you good with having the weekend off or would you want your team back on the floor in two or three days?
Man, if I'm a coach, I get to teach more and go over all the stuff that we didn't do well after a win against Duke.
Yeah, you can't.
You can't. You know what I'm saying. You can't bottle that up. I mean, timing is as a vessence. Just think if we have lost, then he would have really been wanting to play the next game. But man, the savage on this kind of you know, relish in the accomplishment that I mean, even though it's just the third game of the year. But as we all know, there's
been a big question mark on this team. How would they respond against somebody who's really really good and they I just you know, I think they deserve to relish in the fruits of their labor from last night for a few days. But only not only that.
You can get.
Back into laugh and get better after a big win like that. So I think they're going to be that much better because of the you know, the mistakes that they made last night. They'll be able to overcome them in a few days. I think time is perfect. I think you can't get no better than this, you know. I think they're going to be that much better the next game.
Because of their maturity. It's not going to go to the head.
Is it No, and he's not gonna let him.
You know what I mean.
What he's what he's doing is I'm gonna tell you what he's doing is he's got a where he wants some guys, if you believe in me, this is what can happen.
You know what I mean.
There's nobody wavering right now. You mean, after a loss, you still question yourself after a win. Everything he's been preaching, not only to his team but to the commonwealth. It's big, you know what I'm saying. So let's relative in the Kentucky fans because it's been a long time. Let's let's enjoy the few days before we get back at it again and give every you know, radio show, whatever, a few days to really relative what just happened last night.
Every every website, every Twitter account. You mentioned something earlier about switching on defense, and it's.
Interesting to me.
Some coaches like it, some will take it when they can get it and leave it.
When they need to.
How are you about switching on defense or or fighting through screens things like that?
Did it depends on who you we're playing.
Is there one particular mode of thought that we need to remember when we're watching this team play defense.
Let me tell you something. I worked for a guy named Ronnie Arrow when I was at Texan and Corpus Christian. He was a big time junior college coach and big time coach period, one of the most underrated coaches in America. He switched everything. And if you go back and watch my teams, and my ball has been great defensively, I switched one through five.
Most of the time.
I may give up a pick and roll action to where the big my point guard is on the big, but how many times you're gonna score that way? I'm not giving up anything. You're not beating me with your offense. If you're gonna beat me, that means that you got better players than I got and I can't guard you one on one. But she alleviates all that, and I think for me personally, that's the only way, you know, And it worked for me against Rick Bert, who was a magician at this type of offense, who's at at
at Belmont, and my switching gave him problems. And that's the only thing that will give this team, especially if you have five at every position, where your your guard is strong enough and tough enough to fight and give you and give your guards time against your big So that's what gave Kentucky problems. I just think offensively, Duke made some mistakes down the stretch. They made they had
open shots that they didn't make. But when the big fellow went out that that turned the table for everything. And then Kentucky, just being Kentucky from an experience standpoint, just stayed the course, stayed the course, and at the end of the game, experience prevailed. And I think that's going to be a lot for this team this season.
You mentioned the cramping, and when you're missing shots down the stretch, oftentimes you're left he said, left you, or they're just getting a little shaky. He's think Kentucky's depth and conditioning paid off.
It sure did, and it showed last night.
It showed.
He played ten guys last night. If I'm not mistaken, you're right, he played ten guys. Okay, not one of them called cramps except.
For Butler a little briefly.
Yeah, you know, but that, you know, Butler getting in foul trouble kind of saved him from fatigue standpoint too. Yeah, you know, he gave him another, you know, apical time to rest because if he's not in foul trouble, he's got to play at least thirty thirty two minutes for us a game.
Yeah, he only ended up playing twenty four, But like you say, it was fresh down the stretch a few minutes up for Sean Woods, the unforgettable guard who predicted Kentucky's went over Duke night at halftime. But the day before and again I had the text message to prove it.
Uh.
And we're talking, of course, about the way Kentucky came back and came back from a halftime stat showing I thought was really weird. It only turned Duke over once, and Duke ended up with seven turnovers, six in the second half. But Kentucky protected the ball well, only ten turns for the entire game. That says a lot, doesn't it.
It does say a lot.
And you gotta remember now, I'm gonna say again, experienced down the stretch. Duke is a very talented team. I think they're one of the most talented teams in America. But experience prevailed the last six minutes five minutes of that game when it got real tight. That's when Duke turned the ball over because they were trying to do too much. Kentucky tightened up the rains a little bit. Those driving lanes we wasn't as open as they were.
And I'll tell you what too. From a defensive standpoint, some of those guys just looked themselves in the mirror and said, hey, you not taking me. And that's what happened too. Yeah, you know some of those guys, I just sat down and say, hey, I'm gonna guard. I'm gonna give you everything I got and make it tough. And just Cooper Flagg just started to overdribble because he just couldn't get B line drives anymore.
And look what happened.
I got a couple of minutes left and I got to ask you about this. I'm sure you heard about or saw the story about Auburn on its way to a game, had a couple of players engaged in a fistfight. They had to turn the plane around and drop off at least one, maybe two guys before they went and played.
And they won the game.
But as a head coach, I don't know how many times you all flew. I'm sure you rode more buses where you were, but.
I mean, is that all that unusual?
And how do you handle something like that as a head coach.
Well, first of all, I've had to miss this, but we weren't on a plane. You know, I don't know what happened, you know what I'm saying. You know, I can't.
You know, I'm not asking any to judge the situation, but as a head coach.
At yeah, it's it's very unfortunate, it is, you know. And I was talking to some of the assistants at Kentucky. They're just amazed at the person there that they've allowed, that they that they brought on to this program.
They don't have.
One bad seed like that. That's rare. I'm just being honest. You know, you look at this team you can go watch in practice. I never see one person. I've never seen one person have a bad day. I've never seen that before. I've never seen a person show bad attitude when a coach says something to him. But that's predicated to Mark because how how his positive approach has been affected.
You know.
But when you got those type of players, you can stay positive with me. You know, I was trying to get those that type of talent. But that was the reason why at my level, while I was getting that type of talent because some of those kids would have a baggage. So I had to do two things. I had to be father pope, I had to be the social and I had to be the coach. So you know,
it's a little different. But when you could just coach basketball with no bad avag drama, everybody's coming to work every day, that's that is so refreshing, and it's only the that's the main recipe for a championship team.
Coach, always a pleasure, congratulations, only proper prediction, and we'll talk more basketball next week.
People jump on that bandwagon because this team's only gonna get better. And I just think right now they're the most fluenced team in college basketball. I mean, some of these other teams are gonna get better, you know, as the year goes on, but right now, today they're the most complete basketball team from top to bottom offensemen, defensively, and it's only gonna get better.
Have a good one, coach, Thank you.
Up next to now number two Aaron Gershawn on his way back from Atlanta and Western Bureau chief Garnymore here on the Big One Sider sixty manager, Welcome back to the Big moll Insider are joining us now.
As we mentioned Aaron Gershawan.
Who is on his way back from Atlanta where he covered the Wildcats win over Duke. Aaron, tell me first about the atmosphere, because just watching that first game, which was no good, but it's just built into something, it looked like it sounded like pretty spectacular.
It was, and you know what last year when Kentucky played in Atlanta as a CBS Sports Classic, it was truly a fifty to fifty split and an incredible atmosphere for the Kentucky North Carolina game. This game, i'd put it, you know, no disrespect to Duke fans, but it was like eighty twenty eighty five to fifteen.
In favor of Kentucky.
It was a it felt it felt like rouugh aerna at times in that building, and that fan base showed out. I mean, they've been dying to win one of these Marquee Champions Classics games. It's been a long time since they've done it. And you know, the fans, you know, certainly did their part to try to dry Kentucky across the finish line and get them through some of the tough streaks.
And when they were on the roll. I mean, they brought it.
It was.
It was an awesome atmosphere in your right. I mean the volume in that arena turned up several lotches compared to the first game, which, yeah, it was.
It was a pretty boring game.
And I think, you know, proximity wise, obviously, Duke and Kentucky are a lot closer to Atlanta than than Canton in Michigan State are, so I'm sure that had to play a role in it as well, but definitely a whole different animal for the nightcap.
Well, there's a reason they call it cat Atlanta, whether it's the SEC tournament or a bowl game or a Kentucky basketball game. Did you see the fans milling about everywhere like you usually do?
Absolutely? Yeah.
I stayed about thirty minutes north ployment north of the city and saw a couple up there in the Perimeter Center area driving into the game that Daryl burn and I had to take every back road into Atlanta. You know, traffic could be down there, so going through some of the back roads in them going into restaurants and stuff. So, you know, really cool to see that the fan base takeover and they made an impact.
No doubt, no doubt, And we always joke about how the city fathers in Nashville loved to see Kentucky fans on the way Atlanta. Quite a bit bigger, but still the boost of the economy. Events like that.
Yeah, they hopefully they opened the bars a little later, because that was a I mean, the game did the until about eleven thirty.
But man, that was as fired.
Up as I've seen the fan base and quite some time. And you know what they've been through. I get it they've been the last couple of years, you know. I know they lost to the Saint Peters into the open, but a lot of schools would signed up to be a two in a free seat, but at a place like Kentucky, the expectations are so much higher. This event, in particular, means a lot to all four of the fan bases evolved, even if you didn't really see in the first game. But Kentucky hadn't won one of those
games in five years. In twenty nineteen, the Tyrees max the game against Michigan State, and they hadn't beat Tooke I think since twenty fifteen. Only three times they've beat him since he was given So you know, they needed that, the fan base needed that in a huge signature win there from mar Pope early on.
Here boy, that tyrees MAXI team I firmly believe would have been a Final four team. But uh yeah, let us talk about this one. What were your thoughts as the first half unfolded, Kentucky surviving on threes, gradually giving ground and unable to turn Duke over at times.
Yeah, I thought they were just and I still thinking out to an extent even after the game with a win. They were outmanned and out guns from a talent perspective, There's no question about it.
And you know there's use involved that.
I'm sure we'll get into back conversation in a few minutes here, but yeah, it was concerning. I thought Duke defensively played outstanding in the first half, and they made Kentucky one dimensional, didn't give him anything in the paint. The big I can't pronounce this last name, but there's seven two freshman center really dominated Amar Williams and Andrew
Carr in the first half. There was even a moment there where Carr looked like he had a wide open layu or dunk and he kind of did a little pump fake to try to make sure there was no one behind him and ended up getting blocked and fall went out of bound. So like that kid was in the back of their head all night in the first half, and you know, Duke really made Kentucky live and die by the three, which at first it looked like it was gonna be a mistake because Kentucky.
Came out red hot went five for Fox. But you know basketball at the end of the day that it's.
Not always going to work out, and I think they went out for six the rest of the first half after they started five to seven. So it was a little concerning to see that they were so one dimensional and they didn't really have any answers for Cooper Flag and some of those other college scorers Tyres Froster as a junior.
So at hatime, you know, doubt not.
I did not, probably like most of the fan base, I didn't think very good thing because I didn't think Kentucky much of a chance. But to their credits, especially late in that second half, they were able to kind of break out of being one dimensional and scoring the faint.
I thought Kentucky would play better in the second half, but I also reminded myself. You know, Duke's going to play better in the second half as well, But Kentucky took Duke out of some of the things that it was doing. It was Duke was getting easy looks inside those were not plentiful in the second half, and Duke did not hit from the outside. Kentucky got some clutch shots. But also when the big kid went out with cramps, was yeah.
Yeah, that changed cam. Like I was saying earlier that they had that kid in the back of their mind every time they went to the rim, and rightfully so. I mean seven to two with a god knows what his wingspan was. I mean there was one ball that Lamont Butler. I know he's smaller, but it was a pretty high uh little jumper or whatever. It was like he got it up in the air pretty good and that kid just wanted to uh swatted it into the stands shown off as vertical. So uh yeah, I think
that definitely helped. And you know, they got they definitely were fortunate that dude mid some wide open threes.
There there's no doubt about it. But you take it.
And that's what I was so impressed with though, is yeah, of course, I mean it helped that that kid was out and you know it didn't look quite himself when.
He came back in.
But Andrew, I thought Andrew carn would take a Ohway just suck over in the last six minutes because those are their two best players that getting to the rim and getting a bucket if you need it, and both of those guys that's what they did, especially Car, I mean he had two in one, one that tied the game, one that put him ahead right after Cooper Flagg had a three point play of his own. And you know in the first half. A big issue too, is they couldn't get free throws. I think they were like three
for seven at one point. I think they finished a half like nine to fifteen.
Just not good enough.
And both and your Car and you know, take a oh Way had the line late in the game, they were hitting their free throws and you know, getting the free buckets that they needed to put this thing away. So yeah, I thought those two guys really took over.
And I can't get over to play oh take a oh I made on that steal because to go for the steel, that as a risky play, you can foul, you can get just blown by, especially when you're going up a guy against a guy like Cooper Flag, who is going to be the number one taken next year's draft.
That ball holds and so many bad things could happen, but you know, being a junior, being experienced, fearless and made a hell of a play, got to the rim, which he still good out through the foul and you know, Duke never recovered from that.
Well.
Mark Pope after the game talked about how they scouted Duke, obviously studied Duke and realized that that Coop for Flag likes to spin this way or that way at certain times. And you you've got to think that that was a scouting report coming to life on that play. And maybe when Marii Williams forced him into a turnover.
No question, no question, I mean, And at the end of the day, the kid is seventeen years old, right, gifted and talented as he is. H Yeah, so you're going to see some of that ball movement or some of that going sideways like that. That's freshman basketball and that's stuff we've seen at Kentucky a lot the last couple of years. Like it was just it was refreshing to see Kentucky.
On the other side of that.
But absolutely they definitely knew the scouting report and there was you know, oh take it away, and Mark Post didn't talk I think in the time out right before when Duo called time out, like they had a conversation.
And you know, I'm not I don't think Mark Holst.
Had worked for word go take the ball away, but clearly they they saw something and made an adjustment right there and then and oh I just heads up play and again risky plays because so much to your wrong, it's open to still get blown by. Like A said the fou like, it was risky, but absolutely fearless.
What were your thoughts as you saw Jackson Robinson trying to find his way in that game and really struggled.
Yeah, he had a rough game, and that was you know, he's I was definitely just knowing what I've seen from Kentucky the last couple of years, and you got to put it in perspective. Now that's different, but usually when Kentucky has had one of their elite scorers struggle really badly, they lost. I mean an Antonio Reeves in the Kansas State Game of the tournament couldn't hit anything. They lost
the game. Because he couldn't do anything. You know, Reid and Round, especially Reid struggled in those two tournament games last year, the NCAA and SEC tournament. They couldn't win, they couldn't survive. Jackson Robinson's supposed to be the best player on this team.
I think.
I don't think the separations there as much as we've seen in years past with you know, the top players of Kentucky's roster. But he is supposed to be the catalyst for this group. He's supposed to be the guy that they can rely on to get a bucket. And he didn't score from the field at all, And he had a chance the free throw line and go for
ships make the free and he only made one. Like nothing was working for him offensively, and super super impressive that Kentucky was able to still muster enough offense without him. And I actually thought, you know, there was a clip his body language did not look good in the first staff. But I did think he made some big plays on the defensive end, or at least maybe they don't show him chats that sheet as steals are blocked, but he's just getting some stops helping lock up his man. I
think made some plays that made a difference. But yeah, it was super impressive. When Jackson couldn't hit a shot, it was like, uh oh, like in a game like this that.
Now is so close. That could be the separator.
But again it goes back to I think gamesw car will take it away just sitting in the paint making things happen.
Aaron Gershawan is my guess. He covered Kentucky Duke for the catch pause. He's on his way back from Atlanta. We'll have more questions for Aaron. Talk a little football as well. On the other side of the break here on a Big Blue Sider six thirty alall come back. We're talking with Aaron Gershano the catch pause on his way back from Atlanta, where they covered Kentucky and Duke, and a few more basketball questions Aaron, before I shifted over to football real quickly, but you mentioned oh way
he was, I thought a great example. Really the entire team was in the second half of just using the grittiness to get back in the game. They outscored Duke forty to twenty six, but did it with defense and rebounding.
And you brought up last year's team.
That team was a joy to watch on offense usually, but man, when they fell behind, they were just hopeless when it came to catching up. This was a great not just a lesson, but a reiteration about why you have to have both ends of the court covered. You can't just outscore people, you know what I.
Mean, absolutely no question about it. In a way.
You know, that was what we thought we were. You know, Kentucky thought they were getting when they got the provocable. They didn't quite know exactly what he was going to be offensively, they like that, you know, he was a thirty seven percent free shooter, but you know they didn't see I mean, Mark Pope will.
Play me saw on safe. I don't think. Uh, it's hard to think.
You they thought he was going to be this good at getting to the rim and being so effective, uh you know, getting the ball off, like you said, getting rebounds and taking it to the full length of the court, or in the case of the game winning play, getting a steal and going the full length of the court. Just really impressive stuff. And I thought, you know, another play he made or maybe the second biggest play of the game, because it ended up being the clinchers.
You know, Lama.
Butler misses the second free throw, uh with the five seconds left, and Otegah gets fast super flag right and drabs that rebound and dribbles out the clock basically, and then he goes and makes those two free throws to make it impossible for.
Duke even having hill Mary. So yeah, you gotta have that.
You've got to have rim protection, you've got to have defense that can get stopped when to stop the bleeding, you know, the punt intentate. So uh, this team has that, and you know the biggest thing they have is just the experience. I mean, yea, again, we haven't been a team like we Kentucky's had. You know, they had Antonio
Reeves and Trey Mitchell last year. But outside of that pretty young team the year before that, they actually were older than they normally are with Oscar and Jacob Toppin and Antonio, but still you know, relying a lot on Case Samas and Chris Livingston five star freshmen. So this year just a complete one eighty you know, seven fifth year senior is another fourth year senior, a junior or sophomore.
And it showed, it totally showed between the fact that they went into halftime down nine, and they didn't blink. That team would have blinked last year. They wasn't at halftime. They made adjustments, I thought. I thought the most interesting thing that Mark Polpe said in the post game press conference was that this team before he and the stats even walk in the locker room, they already have their adjustments made like they don't. That will stood out to me, like you don't get that.
A freshman too, that's not going to do that.
They're going to need some more handholding, especially in the month of November. So, you know, really really impressive stuff there.
A couple of minutes self of Aaron Gersh out of the catch, buys, let me shift you over to football because the uk men don't play again until Tuesday, play basketball.
So you got Murray State coming in.
Let's face it, this should be a walk over, a get well game, and we should see players that we haven't seen much of, if at all, all season long. I'm curious. I know everybody is. Mark Stoops was noncommittal as well. He should be on Monday. I know you weren't there, but I'm sure you read the trash script. He would not talk about the quarterback spot with Vandergriff being injured. But I wouldn't be at all shocked, Aaron, if you saw Gavin Wimsett and then Cutter buwlly the rest of the day, would.
You Yeah, I have an inkling you might not see Rock Vandergriff at all. Yeah, right from what I what I'm thinking, maybe.
You might see Cutter Bully get the start.
I really think that is a possibility. I mean, obviously you got to go win the game. And I think Kentucky for their psyche, for the fans psyche as they try to playing to any hope these last three games, you've got to go and get some style points here. I mean Murray State. You mentioned it should be again, right game Murray State. Not only are they won at nine their rank as the one hundred twenty three FCS team, they're one.
Twenty second in defense. Oh man, they.
Really really struggle. They give up forty five points a game. So you really need to go out and score a bunch of points. It should be a fifty burger for the offense. It should be a feel good performance.
For the offense.
And so maybe you start Gavin just so you have some experience and then get Cutter in early. But man, there's just they gotta have something to feel good about. And I feel like if they can get Cutter Bully in their starting and put up a bunch of points, maybe that gives you some hope. I know it's Murray State, but like, hey, look at this quarterback we have out there making plays in the true freshman He's going to get a whole you know, off season to development.
Maybe who knows.
You know, going in it's gonna be very it's gonna be the most important month of December and ten you're coming up here.
But if Cutter plays really well, you know.
It's obviously it'd be an interesting thing to see what they do in the last two games of the season. But you know, going into next year, you know, Rock vandergriff is not happy or felt like he was in the seam fit. If he hits the portal or they tell Gavin Winston to move on, like do they think about building around him? Do they have to go get
another portal quarterback? So I think they need to get some questions answer these last three weeks in this game, like you said, where they're going to get a lot of young guys playing time. Hopefully you're going to get some of the questions answered and just which guys you can kind of build around, which guys we want to make sure you keep out of that portal and be important test for you going forward.
They so need Cutter Bowlie to be the QB of the future to stop this revolving door. You know, the lineage of Kentucky football coaches are quarterbacks rather, they're they're stuck with it right now because Drew Barrker went down and he was the future, and then they had to go to the Jucos and the and the and they got some really good players out of the portal Stephen Johnson Levis, I mean, Terry Wilson, Harry, but they've not been able to build from the ground up with a QB.
And he seems like a logical choice, doesn't he.
Yeah, the last quarterback who started a full season that was a high school signing for Kentucky with Patrick Holes.
Wow.
I mean that was said ten years ago.
Wow, So they.
Really like, like you said, Drew Barker was the most promising guy.
They've probably time.
It didn't work out, and you Knowland was a four star recruit and that one didn't work out either, So Uh, they really, like you said, end this cycle. I mean, sure, teams get quarterbacks out of the portal all the time and it works to an extent. You look at the guys who were taken in the first round of the draft last year. Uh, I think they might have all been guys hit the portal at least at least Caleb off the top and then brow Nick and Michael Pennick.
So you know, at least three of the pot. Yeah, Jayden Daniels, tou So, I think all of them except for Drake Man. So you know, it's part of the game now. So it's not the worst thing in the world, but it would be nice to get one to stick, especially guy who I think from a physicality standpoint, you know, just looking at him, six to five, you know, well over two hundred pounds, he's built the right way. Uh, he's got a cannon for an army, has all the tools.
He was a guy that you know, Tennessee wanted, USC wanted two schools that are you know, coached by quarterback urus, and you know, Kentucky was able to keep them home. Like they really need that one to work out, and again it could be a pivotal it's going to be such.
A big offseason.
But the going forward Brock vander Griff and Gavin Wentz that haven't shown enough to sell themselves foreshore as the starting quarterback in twenty five. So it's a massive opportunity for Bowlie and it would be I think a huge relief for the staff that they can see some positive sign.
Well, whatever happens there and Gershawn will cover it for the Cats Pause. He's on his way back from Atlanta where he covered UK Duke. Check out his work on the Cats Pause website. Just type incatspaus dot com. It'll take you to two four to seven Sports or follow him the pages of the Cats Pass.
Thank you sir, you've got it up.
Next. Weston Bureau Chief Gary Moore here on the Big Moon Sider six thirty WLAP Welcome back to the Big Moon Sider. It is Wednesday, which means we go down I sixty four to the west and visit with Weston Bureau Chief Gary Moore, longtime West Coast Bureau chief for US when he was at KLOS Radio in Los Angeles, when now LA means Louisville area and he joins us with a lot on his mind.
Two guys in six pack? How about does he take you wild Cats?
Last at it? How about it?
I think I speak for most of Big Blue Nation. That doesn't matter if it's November or March. Always a pleasure to beat the team that I think we can spell the name of the team d uk.
E last night, How beautiful was that?
Dick with a Big Blue Nation? Many many, many people love it. But as I mentioned last night, I still think Kentucky fans need to take more joy in the ninety eight comeback when it sent Kentucky to the Final four International title.
I'll drink to that down seventeen at eight to play.
Come on, we got two guys in a six pack, you and me and six topics. We got pro football stuff, talk about college hoops, college footballs being college football dick. As you know, I grew up proudly in Murray, Kentucky, yep, all American town on Main Street. In fact, I literally grew up on the campus of Murray State.
I did.
It was a half a block away.
That was my playground almost every day. Went to all the Racer football games on Saturday's good old Cutchen Stadium. Sundays after church, my best friend Tommy Pasco, and I would walk around the wall of a Cutchen stadium. My mom worked at Murray State. Neighbors did very special place in my heart, which which is why it pains me to think of what the final score and stats will become Saturday when.
The Racers play the Cats.
You know, even on a good season for Murray, it would be one sided against an SEC team, much less one of the worst years ever in Racer's history. So here's hoping that both UK and Murray get through Saturday injury free, and for the Cats, maybe find some new faces on both sides of the ball who will pleasantly surprise us the following weekend in Austin. Maybe they're gonna try out a new quarterback situation. You know more about that than I would.
The question I have for you is can Murray stayed ever get back to those glory days, the godfree days, the Beamer days, when they were relevant, when they were winning or contending for OVC titles. I've been there once, went there with the EKU. It is a charming little town. But how does one recruit to Murray k Why, especially now in this day of nil on the portal and all that I do wonder.
I know they just got some money from a rich alum that was given to the foot ball program. Maybe that's going to turn the tide a little bit. Maybe there's a possibility for that, because that seems to be what's the you know, what's grease and a lot of these wheels at a lot of schools, it's the nil and all the other dough.
I sure hope.
So it's a great place to live, great places you've got kids, you know, young coaches starting out with kids, great place to raise them.
Do I remember that they had they used to have a horse, a racer.
Yeah, it still does. The field still, yeah, hasn't.
Got much of a workout this year. It's in great shape.
Maybe you could take off running when they get a first down.
Yeah, that's going to have to come to that second swig in the six packs. So while that game in Kroger Field's going on, Western and Louisville are gonna both be playing conference games against crummy teams on Saturday at high noon. My Hilltopper has got a homecoming matchup with three and six LA Tech Toppers, a thirteen and a half point favorite. That's on the CBS Sports net by the way at three point thirty number twenty two, number
twenty two. Louisville a twenty point favorite at two and seven. Stanford out in palow Alto, California, which is about twenty six miles from the Pacific Ocean, beautiful setting for this Atlantic Coast Conference game. We've talked about the ridiculousness of West Coast teams flying thousands of miles east and vice versa in this inaugural year of conference expansions for TV
money and for no other reasons. But you know what, last week Western traveled some twenty eight hundred miles round trip from Bowling Green to New Mexico State for football. They've also gone to El Paso, San Antonio, Miami, other places way too far from for fan bases to travel. But as we've talked about before, as long as TV money keeps coming, that's kind of a who cares about the fans deal?
Right? If they can crunch the numbers and make it work, that's fine. But you and I have talked about this before many many years ago. In the eighties, Western Kentucky left the Ohio Valley for the supposed TV riches of the Sunbelt Conference, which was created for television, just like the Big East, and I think preceded the Big East when it came to cutting a deal with a TV network ESPN and putting a league together to provide programming.
But what that meant, of.
Course, was Western Kentucky instead of busing, you know, budgetarily, making more sense to opposing teams. Now everybody's flying to Florida and South Alabama and places like that, and not just football, as you know, but all the other sports. Still a lot of bus rides.
They got a lot longer.
So I don't see how this works financially, but thankfully I'm not in charge of that.
Well, guess what is not working financially. The College Heights Herald newspaper reported that they just finally got some figures from the office there that they've been that the administration have been trying to hide. The athletic department went over budget by about two point seven million dollars.
That's all in the last year, I know. And by the way, if I told you five years ago Louisville at Stanford football, you would have said okay, and I would have said Louisville's favored by almost two touchdowns. You would have said, waw, and I also throw in and it's a conference game. You'd have hung up on me.
Crazy a third swig in a six pack. So Cards, Cats Toppers, Racers this weekend. Clearly, though, the biggest game between ranked teams is gonna be again in the SEC and again with Georgia at number seven Valls at the number three Dogs Dogs a nine a half point favorite at seven thirty Saturday night ABC.
But what else looks fun on Saturday?
Well, number one Oregon at Wisconsin might be How about Utah?
Those guys are pissed off.
They're gonna be playing a number twenty Colorado. Maybe number five Texas at Arkansas could be a surprise game. How about number twenty three Clemson a number eighteen pit Clemson is a ten point favorite. By the way, that one you've see the upsets in any of those five games.
Well that's a that's a good lineup. Maybe Utah, like you said, ye, but yeah, Clemson, I have to admit as surprises. After that opening game, Clemson has gone on to have a quality season. Wouldn't it be cool if Texas Arkansas became a thing again? I mean, what was late the late sixties? They were a huge well as long as they were in the Southwest Conference. Yeah, they were in a huge rivalry. But Arkansas beat Texas the
lock up. It's only National football championship. You might have thought Oregon Wisconsin would be a really contentious game, and it might be, but Oregon's proven out to be much better than I thought it was.
Remember that Remember that Texas Arkansas game where Nixon showed up?
Yes, it was like what sixty eight?
Maybe?
Yes?
Or yeah, later than that sixties page Sports Illustrated.
Yeah, fourth swig in the six pack.
He went some college hoops.
Two ranked teams going at it like they did last night, looked no further than Friday night, seven o'clock number two Alabama at West Lafayette number thirteen Perdue. Remember those two teams made it to the Final four last year, not against each other, but they were there. But good luck finding it. NBC's dumped it onto that stupid Peacock app on Friday night. Also Friday, number twenty one, Ohio State is at number twenty three, three Texas A and M.
That's on the SEC network at nine. Then let's move ahead to Sunday. My Hilltoppers are home for a three o'clock game with Lipscomb. That's same with Lipscomb team that UK will be playing on Tuesday, by the way, And the big Sunday showdown Patino versus Patino. Richard Patino brings his new Mexico Lobos to Madison Square Guard to take on Dad's number twenty two Saint John's Redstorm, said the elder Patino. Quote, I'll coach against my son. I don't even want to look at him.
Unquote.
Fun for the whole freaking family. High Noon Sunday FS one. You're gonna be watching that.
Yeah, I may look in on that.
But my Packers are back in action, so I need I need to watch them more than anything. But uh, yeah, that'll be fun. That'll be interesting to see Ohio State A and M. That could give us a indication of what's what.
And yeah, bam at Purdue.
You gotta think that if if the big guy were still with Perdue, we'd see that on A on and over the air network. But Peacock, I mean, I'm telling you there. We talked about this before when football games began to appear on streaming channels like they do. In a UK basketball game the other night was on a streaming channel. They are laying the groundwork, and that groundwork is lined with money. That's what. That's what's what but streaming, and we're gonna see a lot more of it.
I ain't buying peacock. Never is a long time never ever.
Never ever, even if the Super Bowl were on peaking never.
No, I'll go to somebody else's house.
I's gonna say, you'll find a bar.
Exactly uh fifth swig on the six pack onto the NFL here. Now you're not gonna believe this, dick. I'm glad you're sitting down. I was watching Sunday's Lions Texans game. I actually saw with my own two bloodshot eyes the officials called a pass interference penalty.
Unbelievable.
We thought those went the way of the tuck rules. Remember that, well, see if they have any more of those Tomorrow night. Great matchup from the NFC East Washington and Philly. IgGs are seven and two, DC seven and three, and the Commanders, what a lame name they got to change that, Philly three and a half point favorite. Then on to Sunday mentioned your packers at the woe Begone Bears, now under new offensive management, barely the Bears weren't offensive
enough before, so that should be fun. You guys will still win two massive marquee matchups though, Ravens three point favorites at Pittsburgh, Chiefs two and a half point underdogs at Buffalo. Then you got Sunday night at Cincinnati at the Chargers, and on Monday the Texans with more abuse for Dallas. Give me the Ravens, give me the Bills, Chargers obviously your Packers, and I'll take the Texans too.
Yeah.
I love these first of all, my Packers playing the Bears, who may not start the wonder kN Kayley Williams.
They may bench him and let him learn for a while.
All that heat that he generated early is really fizzled out and he got his OC fire. You're right about that.
Kansas City.
I don't know how it keeps winning, but I do think that comes with Although weather will not be a factor. I don't care what the weather is. The Chiefs can play in crummy weather. Dallas can't lose enough, as you know me, Washington, to me is one of the great stories, maybe the great story in the NFL this year. One quarterback has given everybody hope. But they've built around him really well, and I wouldn't be shocked if Washington wins
that game. Bengals, I think are out of it, but they got to keep winning, you know, to give them shows a shot, obviously, But to me, this Baltimore Pittsburgh game is so intriguing. The quarterbacks, the coaches, the style of play, old school, old NFL teams or NFL cities it became AFL cities, you know. I just love stuff like that. But I will also say, as we move on, I am a total outlier on the name Commanders. I know you've hated it since they first brought it up.
I don't kind of like it. I like it. I wish it would have been tails, but I just I don't know what it is about the commander's name that people don't like. I just think it sounds like a good name, and that's to me, that's all you need. But I'm not a fan of the franchise, So what do I know.
Sixth Twig in the sixth Pack, Dick Gabriel, we have ourselves another hit and run case to report. Academic hit and run, you know about these where an administrator comes in makes changes that affects students in alumni for decades, then splits for another campus retires with a bloated golden parachute.
YEP.
Case in point Carol Fult, president of the University of Southern California, or as they hate to be called, Southern col so we'll call them that this entire segment. Folt announced last week she's resigning next summer. She just got there five years ago, helped him out of some scandals and navigated COVID, but she also butted into the PAC
twelve negotiations with ESPN and blew that up. Then she tag teams with the UCLA's chancellor, who by the way, is not there either, to blow up the conference by soak Southern cal and UCLA and the Big Ten for Football TV money and only for football TV money, to.
Hell with the other sports.
Foult also hired athletic director Mike Bond from Cincinnati, who resigned eighteen months ago because of the heat of an LA Times investigative piece. But before he did, of course, he hired Lincoln Riley for ten million a year to take Southern col Football into not only more mediocrity again, but now with a year's probation and a fifty thousand
dollars fine. We found out this week Carol Folt, a name of infamy for parents who can't fly five thousand miles round trip from LA to Rutgers to see their kids play volleyball or any ball.
Getting a team in a program through scandals through COVID. You cannot dismiss that. But as you said, to be a part of a group that blows up and turned his nose up in a TV deal that ultimately led to the death of the conference, she's got to wear that, and you wonder does she even care? Nope, I would not be at all surprised if the answer to that was no.
I guarantee it's not no.
And that's the same deal that the Big twelve is enjoying right now. Correct as a much stronger position. That's correct in terms of some of what happened to the Pac twelve. Bobby yp he is Gary Moore. We're gonna come back on a couple of hot reids for our West.
End bureau chief in just a minute here on the Big Blue and Siders six thirty WLA.
Welcome back.
We're chatting with our West End bureau chief, Gary Moore.
He is, of course.
Finished telling us about his two guys in a six pack, but we're not letting him get away a couple of hot reeds coming at him. First of all. Kentucky Duke last night. What a game, fun for the BBN, fun for the whole family. But easy to see Gary Cooper flag best player on the floor. We'll see him for one year. But can you imagine what that kid's going to look like in March. He can't even vote yet. He's not even eighteen, Like it's a few days before what Christmas?
Right, eighteen something like that.
Like he's twenty eight.
Yeah, I could still post.
Him up, except down the stretch where he made a couple turnovers.
I could still post it up. Give me the ball. That was a great butte and you know he was absolutely great. But I gotta give props to market the team. You know, UK's bench outscored Dukes twenty five, what was it, twenty five to six. I think that's the And you know that that speaks a lot to the guys that are like, you know, yeah, whatever my role is, let me, I'll come out there with the second team or whatever it is. That's a great, great sign they were resilient.
That was just guts. You know, that was just a really gutsy win. They would get down, they got back up, they get down back up. That bodes well, I think for a lot of future games. It's early, but we'll see.
We are both old school. I am older school than you are. But it's interesting when you see a talent like Cooper Flag and you think back to win. I think when I was just getting to college, varsity varsities could allow freshmen to play. So there are some old schools, old old schoolers you think you got to go back to freshman in eligibility. I do not agree with that for a number of reasons, but if you imagine not
getting the opportunity to watch this kid play. But there are other people, and I'm one of them, would think, if you want to try to go from high school to the pros in basketball like they do in baseball, golf, tennis, all these other sports, you should be allowed to we would miss out on Cooper Flag as well at that rule or in place. So you know, people hate one and done, but at least we get to see a guy like this, And.
You think back to those UCLA teams with the freshman teams that had you know, blue al Cender on them all like that when they were freshmen, and the freshmen in those days were beating the varsity teams the crap out of them, And then you think, well, if they had another extra year, what could that? They were already a powerhouse as it was. But you're right, it's great to see him, at least for one year now.
Dani's on Mike Pratt their freshman team. Yeahand of the varsity Cooper Kittens at Kentucky, Mike Flint and Kevin Greevy and those guys could handle the varsity as well. Our second hot read involves the Auburn Flying High higers. Over the weekend, they were heading for Houston and before Gary, they had not even cleared Alabama airspace. A senior and a freshman got into a fistfight, which involved, according to the police report, torn clothes and blood. It was dismissed
as horseplay. They're trying to but those kids they turned that planet. Don't make me turn this plane around, mister, because I will. They went back landed, kicked the kids off the flight, and then went and beat forth Frank Houston without them.
But talk about guts, but I mean, these are teammates that haven't yet learned how to get along.
I would think you'd.
Go back to the history of some teams that have fought against each other, like you know the Oakland A's.
Oh yeah, those.
Guys hated each other. The Yankees also did that kind of stuff. College basketball team, you didn't really hear that much about that sort of thing. They got another gay to night with. I guess Kent State they're playing down there in Auburn. We'll see if those guys even get up, are going to be playing off the bench or whatever. But that's interesting that you pointed that out a senior
and a freshman. Yeah, probably a little bit of big brother little brother kind of stuff that maybe the little brother took a little too seriously.
Reminded me of a flight that occurred while Tubby Smith was the coach, and there was a scuffle on the flight and as I understand that, one of the Kentucky players, a veteran, was not a good flyer, and he had managed to fall asleep, which he wanted to do so he could get through the flight, and one of the younger guys took one of those shrink wrapped sandwiches and threw it down the aisle hit him in the head and woke him up, and fisticuffs ensued, but there was
no torn clothing or blood and they never turned the plane around. But things happen.
Then.
Phillips and Roby have a little pushing and shoving with some of the younger guys when they were doing some scrimmages and stuff.
I gotta think they did, but that was on the court, not in an airplane.
Yeah.
Well, truth.
Well, with our aeronautical report completed, we will say thank you to Gary and we will also say you can find him at.
At nine to five to five Gary on ex Twitter whatever you want to call it, that whatever you call it these days, same place you're.
At, Big Boo Insider one. Have a good weekend, you too, sir, And of course a reminder that Kentucky Murray State game. You can hear it right here is a one thirty kickoff. But be advised, Gary and I were just talking about streaming this game. This is the one game on the Kentucky schedule that will be on SEC Plus and ESPN Plus. So if you're opposed to streaming, don't like it, don't know how to do it, don't want to do it. Radio is the way to go. We'll have it for
you obviously right here on six thirty WLAP. But again, just get used to it because there's going to be more and more of that coming up UK Murray State. The only way to see it if you're not there is on SEC plus or again ESPN Plus, and we're always there for you. You got you got your radio right there, so you know, even if you got it on TV, figure out a way to sync it up and we're right there for you. And a reminder. UK women's basketball comes up Saturday, Wildcats hosting Louisville, the first
big test for Kenny Brooks and his team. Thanks to Gary Deshaun to Aaron, That's it the Night from the Garage and Lexington.
I'm dead, Sacht they look at my sex.
They good there.
Oh yeah, Na