Happy new here everybody did Gabriel with you on this special edition of The Big Blue Insider. To open up the year twenty twenty five, I thought we looked back on a momentous year in the history of UK sports. Looking back at twenty twenty four, so much happened. New coaches for both men's and women's basketball teams. The football program had some problems, baseball program did not making its
first trip to the College World Series, and more. I don't have time to look back individually on every sport in terms of broadcast highlights. But before we get started with that kind of audio trip down memory lane, looking back on some of the big things that happened in UK sports this year. Of course, UK volleyball went his eighth consecutive SEC championship and wins its way again to the Elite eight. Was one victory shy of making it to the Final four war but Craig Skinner's team another
successful year. Softball one to the NCA Tournament once again, got a walk off win over Michigan, but in the next round loss to Oklahoma State and then eliminated by those Michigan Wolverines. But another strong year for Rachel Lawson's team as Aaron kaufl named All American again and she becomes the first three time All American in UK softball history.
UK men's tennis, ranked fifth in the country by the end of the year, made it all the way to the NCA quarterfinals, won the Super Regional after winning the SEC tournament for the second consecutive year, Cedric Kaufman named Coach of the Year for men's tennis. UK track and field well represented at the Olympics, a total of twenty four current or former Wildcats appearing in the Summer Game.
Huge summer for UK track and field and gymnastics went this way to the regional championships, one less than half of a point shy of making the national finals, but lost in the Fayetteville Regional to LSU and Arkansas. So lots of success on the UK campus and men's basketball
seemed to be rolling. I'm going to take you back to February when Kentucky took on an Alabama team that a lot of people thought could make the Final four, could maybe win a championship, and in true UK fashion, Wildcats weren't able to stop the Crimson Tide, but they outscored Alabama in one of the most interesting games of the entire season. Here are some of the highlights called by Tom Leach and Jack Gibbons.
He drives baseline pass to the right corner to Wagner, comes into the lane, lost the ball picked up by Onenzo and put in and the Cats league o'clock at twelve comes across court to Reeves. Reeves puts it behind his back, open for an eighteen footer bounces in Kentucky's with a chance to take a lead right side. Reeves step back three yes in transition already for Alabama. Pass
to a Vsych at the high post. He hands it to Shepard, gives it left side edwards his three good for do his right, tracked by Sears, gives it back to a Vsitch at the top. Shepherd comes to get a Shepherd into the lane, lobs it.
Up and put in by a Vsage. The pass couldn't.
Quite be caught and dunk, so he caught it in front of the basket and lean to his right, shot it back.
Over his right shoulder.
Here shoots forty four percent behind that three point line. Nineteen fourteen Bama left quarter at Reeves turns down the three floats a out to Dillingham.
He'll let it fly. Yes, well, good ball. Moving back Kentucky.
Shepherd snatches the rebound, throws at the mid court to Dillingham. Dillingham angles into the lane, spins to Reeves right quarter three.
Yes, all right, that's where you have to play. Rebound that basketball.
Get it up floor before Alabama's defense gets set up.
Shepherd, looking for Reeves coming up off a screen, kiss him on the left side, hands it back to Shephard left wing three for the league.
Yes, sir, he's gotta do that.
It's great at finding those big men when they get in deep. Passed down to onenso he turns and puts it in with his left hand. I just like the way the early offense for no good rebound grab by on Enso he lost it, but he's able to save it out to Shepherd, gives it to Dellingham, splits two defenders, gets to the rim and flips.
It up and it passes.
It flipped up on to the top part of the backboard, but bounced a couple of times and drop back through.
Now Alabama looks like the Morns. Back to a Manda man.
Wagner gets into the lingos to that left handed backs it in, got.
To the lane. There you go, get you one at the hold.
That'll help your confidence.
Just dribble the ball out, passes off to his right to wall. There's four seconds to shoot it on a cross court past the arrow. The arrow will drive lays it up and Joe it should be gold tending.
Yes, and is there a foul as well?
Yes, there's a fowl and the golden set.
Up with the lab Dapringle tried to tap it in, didn't go rebound Kentucky and Enzo grabs it. Shepherd drives it into front court to two hand cross court pasta Wagner, turns the corner and drops it off to the arrow.
Put fit in through contact Proppringle.
What a finish, better than them, So good game thus far. Fort ss.
He was back in there playing with two fouls for Alabama. Shepherd got bumped out front no call, cross court pass to Shepherd to Reeves in the middle, left side to Edwards. Slides left ds himself open, shoots and hits. He was just inside the ark. Jumper's no good rebound wrestled away from waters by Edward. That's rebound. Here's Dillingham.
Love Doc, and that's what I've been waiting on.
From Edwards, big fellow, that was pretty slamming it in one motion of the law from Dillingham on the right wings just said as they come on the attack, leaning by thirteen. Wagner in the mid court circle passes left a visage. He dribbles to his right hands at the Reeves. Reeves top of the circle, lets it fly, yes and sixteen.
In the first half.
N Griffin can't get a shot, gets it to Estrata comes into the lane, dishes it underneath.
It's blocked by a v such that comes out of a doll.
Goes it back out to Edwards. Tend to shoot back to Reeves in the right corner, comes into the lane, back to Edwards long three right side.
God's been. That's been.
I can't tell you how big.
That is, but no look past Sears comes into the lane jump stop loses the ball and Edward's has it. Edwards driving at Neilson goes to his left, banks.
It up and in oh, I left it. I love how he's playing. Tom been waiting a long time for.
That to shoot.
Shepherd goes to his left double team hesitates goes down the left side of the lane, jump pass over to the arrow, fires it out to Edwards three left side.
Buddy, Yeah, you know we've been waiting Tom and he's so aggressive.
Right now, say straight for justin.
Edwards dribbles over to his right double team floats at the Bridge'll pitch to the.
Left corner at the arrow for an open three. Got it?
Yeah, I told you he's been shooting it much to Wagner.
Tend to shoot two hand past the Reeves coming up on the right side, gets in the lane, float.
Good, executing that half court offense.
Wagner gets it in right under the basket. It's put up an in by Edwards and it's sixty four fifty one. Kentucky Reeves, coming across the circle to his right, goes down the lane, flips up a shot good off the glass.
Well, I'll exchange basket.
Twops it back to Onienzo. He dribbles left, hands at the Reeves. Reeves hooks it to the left corner at the arrow. A three, got it? Yeah, see it's a two again. He gives it to Walters. Back to Sears. Dot o'clock at eight seconds.
Sears has a.
Knocked away by Shepherd, picked up by Edwards, pass.
Ahead to shepherd for the time seventeen point ly on the reeds.
Shepherd run out dunk that goes through the lane past, pass down low stolen by Edwards. Edwards throws it ahead to Reeve Reeves cross court to Shepherd out to Edward's three right side.
Yes, a three, that counts it up out on Walters man, what about this.
Time out three rims off go good drop Dillingham rips off the rebound, leads the break ahead to Edwards. Edwards goes through the lane, flips it up, and he went to his right and clipped it back over his left shoulder on the right side of the basket.
Pears. Shepherd playing in with that left hand, forces him to go right.
Sears has it deflected by Shepherd, picked up by Reeves, a steal for Kentucky. Pass ahead to Shepherd, runs it down in the left corner, throws it back to Edwards, over to Reeves, Reeves down the lane, flips it up.
He goes in and he got found.
Wow, what a day with a.
Pool and white.
The shepherd's good to go gives it up to a visits at the top. Is he dribbles left, hands at the reeves, Reeves floats to his left, cut off, throws it down, load to a visa, to a dump Yeah, nine and ten, respectively. Shepherd middle of the floor, trades passes with Dillingham. Rob's got it back left of the circle, slides right, shoots a three.
Got it right.
They just state Tom Tom under control, must be three no good rebound. Kentucky of Vsitch comes up with it. Cats on the run, Dillingham weaving his way through traffic, over to Edwards, back to Dillingham, open left wing money.
Yeah, you know everything's going Take advantage of it, baby, keep it going, don't back down.
Time out Alabama ninety two sixty one. The visach top of the circle, holding the ball above his head, spins, drives into the lane, now rolls to his.
Right and banks it in.
He went down the left side of the lane and spun his way to the other side.
Of the basket.
Shepherd out deep on the left, starts down the sideline. Seven seconds to shoot it. Shepherd throws it across court for a three. Bite the arrow that's gone. He got behind the line of that time we go under nine minutes to play Tucky looking for the century mark. Shepherd out deep of the left, lobed down to a Visuch, juggles it, comes up with it, pumps, goes up.
Mister Chamber hung the put back one O one sixty five Kentucky. I love that high screen and row with sile with eleven.
Yeah, that forces Alabama defense to have to switch up how they want to defend that?
Shoot three from the top.
Why not?
Why not shoot that one? Also? Babys headed the other way? Off the pick?
Shepherd finds him on the right wing. Reeves gives it to Edwards into the lane ten footer.
Good, what a day? Why not twenty six?
Justin Edwards point Game of the season one O six seventy three. Shepherd down the lane, puts it up, won't go? Bradshaw comes in. Graham's the rebounding back to your dead hush full playing from Brandon.
How happy I am I to see.
That Visitch top of the circle. Dribbles to his right, thought, Wagner is going back door now if Visitch off the roll hits the dunk, is he handed it to Wagner and a Visitch roll to the basket.
Kentucky beating the tie at its own game.
To his left, can't get around his man, so he throws it right side to Dillingham. Nine seconds to shoot at Dillingham at the top over to Shepherd left wing.
Three ball hit it that house.
Kentucky destroyed Alabama one seventeen to ninety five behind Justin Edwards's best performance as a Wildcat twenty eight points, ten of ten from the field, including four or four from the outside. It was one of the first of five straight wins for the Wildcats to close out the regular season, including a victory over the Tennessee Volunteers in Knoxville, the same Tennessee team that had beaten Kentucky handily in Lexington.
But little did we know that win over Tennessee would be the last victory of the season for the Wildcats, who lost to Texas A and M in the first round of the SEC Tournament, and then, of course, as you know, upset by Oakland in the NCAA Tournament first round as a two seed, losing to a fifteen. That's when the coaching drama began, and we'll talk about that on the other side of the break here on this special edition New Year's Day of the Big Boon Siders
six thirty WLAP happy hear you, everybody. Welcome back to the Big Bloon Sider. As we look back on the calendar year twenty twenty four for UK Sports, and before the break we talked about the fact that the Wildcat men's basketball program had really left Kentucky fans in an uproar. They were so upset with what was going on with
John Caliperi's team. Meanwhile, on the same side of campus, women's basketball, Kyra Elsey had been fired and Mitch Barnhardt set about hiring a brand new coach, and he landed on Kenny Brooks, who had been very successful at Virginia Tech, and he was introduced on March twenty eighth.
In the last two seasons, combined Brooksmith two to o against Tennessee and three on against Louisville. It is an incredible honor and to introduce our ninth women's basketball coach at the University of Kentucky, Kenny Brooks, what ever you do.
That's an honor to be the head women's basketball coach here at Kentucky. And you know it sounds surreal, but when you think about Kentucky, you think about basketball. I wasn't looking. We had a wonderful thing going. What we did at Virginia Tech, you know, was very very special, and what we did we created a buzz for women's
basketball that is much needed and much deserved. I know Big Blue Nation is very passionate about their Wildcats, and I need each and every one of you and your efforts, your support in many many ways to make this happen here at Kentucky.
Kenny Brooks got off to a good start, so it looks like so far, so good. Or Mitch Barnhart, who suddenly found himself needing to address his men's basketball coaching situation. And not long after an appearance on TV by Barnhart and cali Peri John Calipery, they talked about how they're going to move forward another season, but it just looked like a couple that didn't want to be together. And shortly thereafter, John Caliperi told the Big Blue Nation he
was stepping down. He didn't mention Arkansas by name, but the rumors were already out there that he had come to an agreement with the Razorbacks.
We've come to realize that this program probably needs to hear another voice that the university as a whole has to have another voice giving guidance about this program that they hear and the fans to hear another voice.
And with that, he and his wife Ellen were off to Fayetteville, where they had to learn to call the Hogs.
And I'll be honest, when I thought about coming here and building this program and making something special, it got me excited.
So the rumors began to fly. Who was going to be in the next coach. Billy Donovan wouldn't talk to the Wildcats, of course, until after the season was over. Danny Hurley, newly crowned champion again at yukon no interest. Scott Drew flew his family up. I mean, he and Mitch Barnard were boys, but Drew's family didn't want to leave Waco, Texas and Baylor. So what next? Well, next thing, you know, we heard the name Mark Pope, and reaction
ranged from surprise to shock to negativity. But then the Big Blue Nation began to settle in with the decision and showed up twenty thousand strong from Mark Pope's coronation.
And while I'm making introductions, I might as well go ahead and introduce the head guy, the new head basketball coach at the University of Kentucky, Mark.
Pope, I'm about to break tradition, Amen, I'm about to break tradition.
At every one of these press conferences, the coach comes up and he stands there with the ad and they take a picture with a jersey that they just made that ends up in a closet somewhere.
We're not doing that here.
Then he showed off his number forty one jersey that he wore when he helped the Cats win a national title.
This jersey is in a hollowed place in my home because it's a jersey that I got to wear with my teammates and all of Kentucky Nation in a national championship.
Game in the Meadowlands in New York.
And that's not just a jersey it's gonna go in the closet. It's a jersey that has blood, sweat and tears and love and is all of us together. I'm gonna keep this as short as I can. I talk a lot, but there's one other way where I want to blow up this press conference.
And I'm gonna get crushed for doing this.
Every coach in America, at every other job in America stands up to that press conference and they try and moderate expectations.
We don't do that here at Kentucky.
When MS called me and talked to me about being the head coach here at Kentucky, I understand the assignment.
We are here to win banners.
That's what little here, and as we go through this journey, we're here to win banners in Nashville because you guys turn out in Nashville like nobody else in that matters, and we are here. Our job here, our assignment is to go win banners in the final four, win national
champions That's our job. With those high expectations, and Evieby is going to come criticism, But I don't want you guys to worry because I'm in a group chat with every single one of my ninety six championship team teammates and they will destroy me every time something goes wrong.
I want to do a couple of thank yous please.
I'd like to thank very much President Capalaludo for his leadership. I'm grateful for Mitch Barnhardt as I've watched the last twenty two years with how he's run this program and how he is as a man.
We are so grateful to have him here.
He is incredible.
I'm grateful to Mark Hill and Ray Oliver for all the work they've done in this process for the last seventy two hours.
I'm grateful to these players.
I'm grateful for the players from ninety six and through the generations at Kentucky. You have actually made this place what it is. I'm grateful to every single one of you. That's a big reason why I'm back here, and more than anything else, what separates from everybody else.
We have great coaches, players.
And administrators, but what makes us different than everybody else is you all.
I'm so grateful for you.
My daughter, Laylah, will you stand up, please just wave. This is one hundred percent of true story. When Mitch offered us a job, he gave us a couple hours to.
Consult to his family.
We didn't need it.
He knew I would walk all the way here to take this job. But as we gathered the girls from all their various places, Leyla Pope walks in the door, and I kid you not. Her first words were, because she knows the deal, tell me who's in the house tonight, UK. She did exactly that, exactly that.
That might have been my favorite part of the PEP Rally flash press conference because that particular SoundBite there, that clip took me back to the ninety six documentary that I put together with Cameron Mills and Jason Eperson, and it was sort of the theme because of what Walter McCarty did as they were standing out in the hallway before they took the floor one night, and we used
that in the documentary. And at the very end it ended on a party boat when the guys were having their reunion down in Miami where we did all the interviews, and that's how it ended. They were standing under a banner and they called themselves the greatest team ever, which I think they were at least in the minor era, not dating back to UCLA like what Patino said. But one last time for the camera they did the Who's
in the House tonight? But it all went back to the original and that's what Mark Pope's daughter was referencing when she busted out the chant that helped convince Pope that they wanted to come to lexiingon the original Walter McCarty chant, and this is what it sounded like on the boat in Miami.
House to Die UK News in the House to Die uk Ay.
As you recall, Pope arrived with a lot of former players on a bus that came in to the Randa. Mark stepped off holding the championship trophy as he did in nineteen ninety six. At the celebration. We had a chance to talk to some of those former players after the news conference pep Rally was over. We hear some of those conversations when we come back here on this special edition of The Big Boo Insider, as we look
back at twenty twenty four. Here on six point thirty WLAP welcome back to this special edition of The Big Blue Insider. Dick Gabriel with as we look back on the calendar year twenty twenty four in UK sports and no story There were a lot of them, but none topped the basketball coaches story when John Caliperry left and Mark Pope was hired, and of course Pope coming back to coach where he played part of the team that won the nineteen ninety six national championship and in that
nineteen ninety six documentary that we did. The doc we did on that team. As I mentioned earlier, we were on a party boat with the team when they got together for a reunion in Miami, and there was a point where they were all huddled around Rick Pattino. It's kind of just just a very relaxed cocktail party setting.
But eventually all the small talk ended and Patino became the focal point as players made comments, talked to him, asked him questions, made observations, and at one point Patino said what they'd all been thinking for many, many years, that that ninety six team, as I said earlier, was and in my opinion as well, was the best team and it's often overlooked, the best team in modern history of college basketball. And as Patino said, you can't go
back to the UCL era. That was different, that was special. But since that point, since John Wooden's retirement, I believe and I agree with that the ninety six team was the best team in modern college basketball history. And he said as much to his players down in Miami.
When people say, I mean why we were, why we were the greatest team of all time in modern era. I can't go back to the Wooden days, right because if I was coaching today, I would The last team I'd want to face on the face of the earth is nineteen ninety six.
There's no I.
Could not devise anything to beat off basketball team.
Nothing.
There was a lot of negativity around the announcement that it would be Mark Pope. It leaked out and then, as I said earlier, there were a lot of national types who thought it was a terrible idea. They were UK fans who at first thought it was a terrible idea, but it grew on them, and Rick Pattino gave his wholehearted endorsement to Mark Pope. And as I said, and you know this, by the time introduction Introduction day rolled around, it was an absolute joyful PEP rally beyond being a
press conference, and it included so many former players. We had a chance to talk to a lot of them, including first of all, Rex Chapman.
Mark Mark Pope and Jeff Shepherd both are two of the more exceptional human beings to come through here. And when I mean that, I mean morally, socially, emotionally. They even when they were in school and they were young people while the rest of us were young, they had a very mature mindset. They knew that the basketball would stop dribbling someday when most of the rest of us didn't. They were sort of the compass moral compass for those
teams they were on in the nineties. The soul of those teams, their teammates will tell you the same thing Mark Pope learned. As you saw today, You can't be around Rick Patino for more than an hour and not take away something that he is said. He's just so motivational, and Rick really formed these guys. They love and revere him and Mark Pope. Mark Mark Pope plays Rick Bettino style basketball. He gets after you, gets up and down and shoots a lot of threes. He's gonna get talent
in here. He's gonna have talent he's never had before. He didn't have that. He didn't have Utah Valley State or BYU. He's going to have that here. Pressure's on. He said it himself. But man, am I excited about it?
You gotta be so happy for him. But how much at you also like he deserves us?
Well, I've said this before. No two guys that played at Kentucky deserve what's what they're getting anymore right now than Reed Jeff Shepherd, Stacy Shephard, and Mark Pope. Those guys and Stacy blood sweat and tears for this program for years. Uh, tough times for for Mark, tough times for Jeff. Both of them playing behind really good NBA players. They could have transferred at any time. Both of them stuck it out. They made it through and that sort
of stick toitiveness and work ethic. Well, you see, he's now the coach here and Jeff and Stacey have one of the best players on the planet.
X did you want Mark from day one?
If you'd have told me Mark was in the mix from day one, I'd have been like, yes, let's go. Well, I mean you saw this, Dick. I've had a really good time. I need to say this. I've had a really good time since news broke about Mark's hiring, because there's a few people in here that just shiit on the whole thing, and over the last few days I've had a great time saying, well, you know what, I kind of like that higher I yeah, looked around here today they like the hire.
Two our to argue was that Jeff Shepherd was there, and even then I think Jeff news that read would be leaving, but he wholeheartedly, of course, endorsed the new head coach.
There's gonna be a lot of a lot of words that are spoken between now and the first game, and that's great. It's what makes Kentucky basketball so fun. We love to talk about it and everything. But Mark knows, as he said so good in the very beginning. He understands the assignment and he has.
Work to do.
He knows he has work to do, but it's what he lives for.
He lives for hard work.
He enjoys it, and it's neat to see his family all in and the fans all in. So fun day in Kentucky.
Another one of his former teammates who was there that day, Derek Anderson, like so many people, marveled at the crowd that showed up, but on the other hand, he wasn't all that surprised by the number everywhere everywhere.
We went on a road and we played it with crowd Alaska, Marilyn like, that's where we went, but we went and we won, And I think that was the partner was what he wanted to implement. It's like, when you have the fan base so up, that's what you want to give them a reward for coming. And I think that's what he sees now. Like any recruit seeson,
they were like it wasn't. It's not about coaches or NBA or players or any former It's about the university and for the fans to show up like that, that's proof that this is a university who cares about winning, and that's what you need Pope for. He understands his assignment.
It's about winning.
Derek as a former teammate of Marks, what makes him built for this and your opinion?
I mean, obviously he was a Kentucky guy, but other than that, what makes him built for this position.
He's built for this position because he's won at this level. When you win at a certain level, you want to take that area and go win with it. So I'm just I think he understands that. And again, his assignment is to do what win and he understands that.
He's pretty active on social media, absolutely, and he's probably been checking it out over the last five or six days, especially when Mark's name popped up, not all of it positive. What was your response, What was your feeling when you read that about your former teammates?
Well, I told everybody, nobody started at the same place they they came in and nobody came in here and just was winning great. The TEAMO didn't win. Nobody had won a cows first championship was here, so why are we putting pressure on this guy? And everybody say, you know what, you're right, Let's wait, let's wait to see him. And that's how we had to just wait. But what happened was people got to a point and a lot of it wasn't even our fans, so I take that with a greatness out but.
Some of our fans.
I had to remind him, like, hey, give him a chance because he's one of us. You know, you don't tear down one of us. You let him to grow and develop it. And if he doesn't do his job, then let that be known. But you always want to support one of us. And I think that was the point that I kept putting my message across him, and I think they're starting to turn the circle down and see it and give him a chance.
That's all I care about.
Just give our guy a.
Chance and see how he does winning at Utah Valley and then bringing me on with some certain limitations there. There are very few limitations here. As you know, that's goldnat Matter big, It's come matter big.
But he said he wants to get guys who knows that, And he said that as honest to this statement, I want to get some guys who know what they're doing.
And he doesn't know everything.
And that's a good coach who says I don't know everything, but I want to get better. And I think Mark is gonna do that.
Bring somebody who knows the craziness of UK fans in sign and out, of course is Richie Farmer, who was one of the unforgettables. He was not on the championship team, but he was part of that Patino era that laid the groundwork for the later success. And there was no player more popular, not on the ninety sixteen, the ninety eighteen. None of these championship teams had a player as popular you know this, as Richie Farmer. And so it was
only natural for Richie to endorse Mark Pope. And he knows Mark and knows what Pope is all about and knows what the fan base is all about.
When I heard that he was the coach, I was kind of like a lot of other people. I was like, do what And then you know, I.
Said, I'll started, Why did you think that? Well?
I mean, I think it was more because that we hadn't heard his name mentioned. You know, there was there was the expectations of the Billy Donovans, the Scott Drews, the Danny Hurt, but nobody had even mentioned And so I was like, do what?
And then I started to think about it.
And I started to think about it because I know Mark, and I know how intelligent he is, and I know what a good coach he is, and I know I know where he come from, I know who coached him and who changed his life, and so I know the kind of makeup that he has, that he's a hard worker, that his teams, that he instills that same principles, those same principles in his teams, and it just started to make a lot of sense, and I thought, you know what.
I'm in.
I'm in, you know.
So it took about twelve hours, but then I was like, that makes so much sense. And then I started to think, Man, this Barnhart guy, he's pretty good.
A knock on Mark obviously is this postseason record hadn't been that great around here of late, but you feel like without the limitations that he finishes at his other true stops, he's got a much better shot in the postseason now, well.
I think so, you know, I think that there's no secret that you know, recruiting it by and some of the things that they have to sign, you know, in order to play there, and the oaths and the bowels and things. I mean, it makes it a lot more difficult to get the kind of players that a lot of guys like to go after. But I think he was smart and talking about today that he's gonna, you know, make sure that he recruits kids that fit his style
and fits into what he's trying to do here. And I think that makes a whole lot of sense.
We'll leave the last word on the hiring with Mitch Barnhardt, and this was part of his introductory comments, and I have to admit called me a little off guard. Barnhardt really reaching down, and I thought he did a great job.
There's an old song from the seventies is by Jefferson Starship I Date Myself. It's called finds Your Way Back. It's time for us to find our way back.
By the way. You may have heard her read this somewhere. But the reason the news conference was in Rupperina was all the negative talk, the negative reaction from fans on social media, and the so called basketball experts that ticked off Mitch Barnard, that left him so aggravated that he reached out to Mark Pope and said, you know what, we're going to do this in Rupperena. I will guarantee you Neither one of them thought that the crowd would
be anything like what we saw. As you know, they turned people away by the thousands who couldn't get in Rupperena. Set up for seven or eight thousand, they expected maybe one side of the arena and the lower bowl to be occupied. That place was jammed, including people who sat behind the partition behind the riser where Mark was introduced. They couldnt even see. They had to watch on the big screens, but they wanted to be there and be
a part of history. We'll come back with more of this special edition of the Big Blue and Siders we look back on twenty twenty four. You're on six thirty WLAP.
Welcome back to this special edition. I want to wrap up this first hour talking about Mark Pope taking you back to Cameron Mills being in the garage with me a few days later, and he talked about the group text where they were all getting together the former players talking about who might be the next coach, and Mark Pope wasn't really chiming in that week.
We weren't hearing much from him.
And then after it broke and everybody was like, poh, Pope, Pope, everybody's congratulating. He came with a text basically just you know, I don't say this enough, but I don't. I don't want this job without you guys.
Don't don't. I don't get off of this job without you guys.
And that wasn't a I don't want this job, you know, he just meant it was like, you know, you all are the reason I love Kentucky. And I think because we went, as he said, to battle with him, and I love the way he did that. And he included all ex players the other day it's like, look, look, you may be a next player and you and I may not have battled together. I think it was this quote, but that we were the same. We've gone through the same.
Because it doesn't matter what coach you have, there's this big fratabacks players that have all been through the exact same pressure, and that's the pressure that it comes with playing at Kentucky no matter who the coach is so the group text that he sent that out and everybody was like so excited. But it was Oliver Simmons who put his name up in that group text early on, because it was going on it was basically who do you think?
Who do you think? Who do you think?
And the usual names were coming up, and then Oliver Simmons is the one that I remember popped up and said.
What about Pope?
And I even felt somewhat cringey about that, because I'm like, all right, you got all Needwards's an assistant coach on here, Steve Massieli's assistant coach. I mean, you got other coaches on here, and you know, but I think Pope makes the logical sense. And I was surprised and thrilled to see when Pope's name popped up from Oliver Simmons.
Everybody was on board.
Everybody in that group text was on board, like yes, because of everything you saw on Sunday. I mean, you know, that's a rhetorical question coming from you because you know him, and you know him, I would say, even a little
bit better than most meeting. You know him, but you know who he is, how he is, and what was thrilling for me, and I'm assumed for my teammates from ninety six to ninety seven ninety eight, because we weren't on the team with him in ninety eight, but so many of us knew him, like we played with him from ninety six.
But I think we all knew who he was.
We knew the kind of person he was, the silliness, the exuberance, the excitement, the positivity, the enthusiasm, the I mean, you know, embrace adversity, attitude, His his his theory of the circle, which I think you and I've talked about before if you don't remember, but he'll bring that up at some point.
I'm sure he's just brilliant.
And then he he will. I said this last week. I think you and I even joked about it. I thought I came up with that off off the top of my head. It was brilliant. He is not the kind of person that you run through a brickwall for. He's the kind of person that has already run through the brickwall for you, and I think everybody got to see that.
On Sunday, Hope's off to a great start.
We'll talk about that in hour number two as well. As baseball and football. It's a special edition of The Big Blue Insider. You're on six thirty WLAP.
Manager.
Welcome back to the Big Bloon Sider, our number two of our program. We're looking back on the twenty twenty four calendar year on the UK campus. A lot of weird things and great things happen in the world of sports, including two basketball coaches, men's and women's. But after that kind of settled down, the Big Blue Nation turns its attention to the Kentucky baseball team, which was putting together what turned out to be the greatest season in UK
baseball history. The Cats were contending for an SEC title, and they got it with a win over Vanderbilt on a Friday night. This is the audio from SEC TV plus Yours Truly and Doug Flynn calling a seventeen to seven route of the Commodores, who had jumped out to an early lead, but Kentucky came back quickly.
There's been battle. Schmidt sends it high and deep. FA ball.
That's a home.
Run, all right.
So these two leadolef hitters might be moving to the four spot hammer avertime and it's a tie all game.
A million Petree I'll see your over the.
Left and raise you one the right and give him seven bounds on the air forty eight onees man again, that ties for the team high right now, what we may be in for.
A long night. Hey, I got nothing else to do. That's friend opposite field base. Yeah, that's gonna score one.
Hold him up with it quickly for Vanderbilt in Kentucky, Texas three to two lead, still in the first inning up the middle base center. They're gonna send McCoy Grant Smith the third. It's an eight four game on the RBI single by Ryan Walshman. Wow, that's into the alley and that's down for a BaseT off the wall. Ben Geon sends the second room that the two run double Ryan Nicholson.
And the Wildcats have reached double digits.
It's stand four and I don't think too many people have left this bawyard tonight.
You want to see a celebration daily.
First pitch swinging past the diving vast time. That's another RBI for the Wildcats and a thirteen to four lead. Here in the bottom of the fifth inning, there's a nocure calling four.
That's going to chase on him two more it's seventeen to.
Seven as Nolan McCarthy gets his thirty second and thirty third run bat it in one't you, I'll do it, and the Wildcats lock up a share of the Southeastern Conference regular season championship for the first time since twenty oh six. Tomorrow they'll play for the outright titled they beat vander Built seventeen to seven, they win the series, and they build on that school record of twenty two conference victories.
And once again, the Wildcats hosted the regional tournament, which they won by beating Indiana State, and they got a chance to host a super regional for the first time, Powerful Oregon State coming to town, and the Cats, in front of incredible crowds, took two from the Beavers and won their way to Omaha. Here's the way Darren Hedrick called it all.
Seven hundred and seventy two miles separate Kentucky Brown Park here at Lexington from TD Ameritrade Ballpark in Omaha, Nebraska.
But for many.
Seasons for the University of Kentucky baseball program, it's felt like a lifetime away. But now suddenly here are these cats, the boys in Blue. Nine victorious sinnings away from scanning their ticket to the College World Series. Tonight is unquestionably the biggest game in the history of this Kentucky baseball program. The Wildcats are up one game to none and the best of three against the Pac twelve's Oregon State Beavers.
Kentucky hands the ball to Mason Moore.
Here's the O two and he struck him out swinging with a pass ball a little way. The three two got it with a slider that comes through the front door and parks in the living room. We go to the second Innigan.
Swung on and ripped up the pedal.
Let's pass the short stile that it's a two out seat over line. Nicholas Oven two out at the time of the second and here's Nolan McCarthy's the one one swung on in line over third.
That's a fair ball that's.
Gonna get all the way in the left field wall.
And bounce off the corner.
Nicholson makes it the third. They're gonna send him. Here comes the throat from left. It is offline, Nicholson process. It's an RBHI double for Nolan McCarty and Kentucky's up one and I think bottom of a third and one.
Two's on the outside corner in good afternoon, good evening and.
Night rounded the first. That's fair glove by Nicholson. He touches the back, comes to second, crip Smith plaiting with the tag, getting over three to six, gide up round ball double plays.
We go to the port.
And it's in the air to right.
Hit well, back goes Casper at the warning track, gets off the wall. Daily voters around burst and he's going to slide into second with a one out double. It was a wild pitch to move Daily to third base. Here's the two to zhi squares and bunch it softly up the first baseline. Daily coming home, he's saying he's sitting there ahead of the tag. Daily scores Nicholson into second. That's a sacrifice, sarvy I for mccarth that use now at first. Bases loaded for the Beavers. They're one pitch
away from getting a run. The pitch ball four and Kentucky not only has handed the base runners, they just handed them their first run of the night. Ay off pitch ball four and re tied it to unbelievable.
Without a hit.
The Beavers have tied this game too, too, so.
Kentucky will turn to Cameron O'Brien, who's the one two got him basketball and there's a big second out for the Cats.
Runners will move.
The payoff pitch got him on the inside corner with a basketball strike. Three inning over. Zana will lead off the bottom of the fifth and the payoff pitch struck him out swinging with a change up. L he's throwing the ball right now, stay with him.
Yeah, he's throwing the ball very well. Struck him out swinging with a change up.
Another outstanding any by Cameron O'Brien.
Five strikeouts with the right hander, and go to seventh.
Here in Lexington tied it too, swung on and ripped Bier that's into the left flip corner and glances off the retaining wall, rolling back towards left field, McCarthy turning towards second.
These sides in there, I laid off double two two game in the seventh the O two.
And he struck him out, but the paul got away from whoever Butcarthy to third. There's nobody in covering the play. It's a good rice eight dies across slaves. Nobody covered home for Oregon State and McCarty scores for.
Second as grim Smith drives and burs wins three to two. Kentucky Lee, what.
A heads up play by McCarthy.
Robert Hogan is the new pitcher. Brothers at the corners with one out. Here's the one two swing in a mess.
He struck him out a slider the old wana McDowell swung on and wind up the middle.
Brand Smith blunts it, beating over grand Smith up the middle spears. That's all out of nowhere. Aaron Ball had base hit written all over again.
Grant Smid's just dropped it.
Here we go, the last of the eighth been a one two swing in a mess. Two down two one mind shot turns into a bouncer to Grant's been in short he flips the first heading over.
Robert Hogan is fired up, and so are the Big Glue Nation. It all comes down to this. Three ounds is all Kentucky needs and the.
One two high chopped shallow right Nicholson foot race Hogan, he got it. Where there's one away, here's the old one. He swung on in mine, locked down by daily a third.
The throw got him two away.
The Wildcats are one out a way when all is going to rest on the arm of Johnny and humbles the tying run Santana at third, the winning run Bizanna at first for the Beavers hands together, dumbing in two to McDowell.
Humbles pitch cap right, three ball, game over. The wait is finally over, throw out the big blue carpet, and Allah.
The University of Kentucky wildcats 're headed to the top World Series.
Players stayed on the field for the longest time, celebrating with the fans, and they got ready to go to Omaha, where they fell behind early in Game one to NC State, but came all the way back in dramatic fashion once again. Darren Heddrick and Keith Madison so.
Two strikeouts looking for high phil and now here's Nick Lopez, the designated hitter, first offering to the switch hitter is lined up the metal base at Kentucky takes the lead. Patriet scores from third. Lopez wasted no time as he shoots a fastball right back up the box to make.
It one nothing. Cats here of the first.
One two high fly ball towards the left field corner. That one's sailing gone into the Kentucky bull pad.
Nolan McCarthy in.
This college World Series debut waves bye bye, and the Cats are up three to one. In the bottom of the fourth, Yes America. The Kentucky Wildcats can hit home runs. First pitch from Pooser and it's a bouncer back up the middle, charging at Petrie. He clubs low throws across his body to end the inning. Nicholson has two hits in the game. The one swung on in the air to left, breaking back goes Chase Nixon looking up, it's over the wall into the Kentucky pen. It is a Conner tight game.
Or Ryan Nicholson has had a solid approach all through the game, not trying to do too much, just staying on the ball, and that time it paid off because he shot one out.
Of here in left field.
Second home run for the Wildcats at his home run number twenty two for Ryan Nicholson o one to Hefner swung on and lined back up the middle. The wind picks it up diving as print.
Berger and he caught it and left center.
You can see the wind lift that set making line drive and it held it up there for Krittenberger to make a tremendous catch diving to his bare hand right into left center. Because you don't see that very often. Here's a swinging of drive today. Bleft Beck goes Nixon looking up.
Daily, win it, Daily, wins it.
Daily wins it.
Kentucky defeats in CEA State five to four on a walk off home run by Mitchell Daily.
What a blast by Mitchell Daily And want to clutch.
Home run right there, Darren, make sure he touches home plate, guys.
Kentucky wins it.
They take Game one of the College World Series in a walk off Mitchell Daily with the walk off home run to the Kentucky bullpen down the left field line. Final score in Omaha, Kentucky five in c State four.
What an exciting finish for the Kentucky Walcats at this extra inning game.
Unbelievable.
Daily transfer from Texas gets it done, But so did Ryan Nicholson. He got off to a little bit of a slow start and then became one of the best sluggers in all of college baseball. Wildcats didn't get any further as they were eliminated, but now something to build on with basically a brand new team. Lots of transfers this year, and that begins sooner than later. A couple
months later, Fall sports rolled around. We'll talk about that on the other side of the break here on six thirty WLAP Welcome back to the Big Blooms Siders Special Edition.
As we look back.
On the calendar year twenty twenty four, fall sports began with, among other things, volleyball, and those Wildcats got off to a rough start. They were playing a brutally tough schedule, had some injuries to deal with, so I mentioned earlier, though they straightened things out in time to win another SEC championship and win their way to the Elite eight. Football got off to a so so start, opening with a win over Southern misst and that surprising loss to
South Carolina. But the highlight of September, and it turned out to be the entire season, was the huge upset win down at Old Miss, which was ranked in the top ten at the time, but Kentucky pulled it off. Here's how Tom Leech and Jeff Bicoro called it.
In Oxford, Vander Griff fires into the middle, broke it up, Flack under down pass interfere They were trying to get key in the middle of the end zone, right under the goal posts, and they're going to call holding first down automatic first down either way. Seven penalties forty eight yards today whistled against Ole Miss one for ten for Kentucky.
Vanda Griff play faith retreating, throwing it to the back of the enzone, touchtouchdownser Tucky tasteam Key tracking the back line of the end zone and Vandergriff just floated it out there to him. At Keith reached down and snatched it with two hands. The Wildcats are in front. Twenty seconds to play in the half. Trips to the left, one wide out right, dark pressure coming again. Oxen done got him. The big fella got a little ticked off. He just said, you won't call it. I'll just go
get it, and he did. Boy, loss of six back to the twenty old miss out of timeouts.
That's it.
Kentucky is going to take the lead into the locker room in halftime on the home field of the number sixteen in the country, a Wildcats ten. The Old miss Rebels seven and inspired first thirty minutes for Kentucky. Gabriel's gonna catch up with coach Mark Stuts.
Coach, I gotta think you love the pace of this game.
You've really controlled it.
We have controlled the pace of the game, and both sides defense has to get stopped. We've been disruptive, we've covered well. As we talked about all week, the pace of play early got us and then we settled right in and offensively it really kept us in the game, controlling it. Obviously we knew we had to score there, but you know, so it's really important to.
Get in the end zone.
We got to continue to play aggressive. I went forward a couple of those fourth downs and uh, you know, it's worked out.
So you know, so far, so good.
A big, big half here.
Kind of a physical game, you like, isn't.
It it is?
I think that's the one thing that we have to keep up. Our guys are playing really physical. Offensively, we're getting some dirty, tough runs. Three four yard runs, you know, two three four yard runs are are good because we gotta we gotta keep them off balance. And then and as you can see, our game is then you got to play action pass, drop back pass. We struggle, but if we could run it and be physical, then the play action sets up well.
Well, coach, thank you, and the Wildcats take a ten to seven lead into the locker room here in Oxford. Vandergriff receivers each way, fakes left, throws rights, complete the key thirty five forty breaks through a tackle up the far side line, out of bounds up at the Kentucky forty six yard line, twenty one yard game. They give it to Wilcot's running left, got an alley across the fifty forty five, runs over a tackler, knocks an old mist defender back, goes inside the forty to the rebels
thirty seven yard line. Dotttery finally made the tackle on in the game of seventeen, so it'll be a forty eight yard field goal attempt for Rainer. I'll pull this back to the left a little bit. He's hit already from twenty seven today, plenty of leg It's good.
Thirteen in a row.
Kentucky retakes the lead with six thirty one to play in the third Kentucky thirteen ole miss ten on the UK Sports Network. Fourth and seven, two receivers each way for Dart coming down to the end of the third quarter, blitz coming.
Dart throws it into the middle.
And his pot for the first down, and it's a lot more Harris running through the middle of the defense cuts you go in.
For the touchdown.
Kentucky brought everybody on all Outlitz. Ole Miss picks it up. Harris on a deep slant, makes the catch, and I don't know that anybody ever touched him. Forty seven yard touchdown pass on fourth and seven.
Well, when you give it up like that, you've got to get on your guy.
And he was wide open, streaking.
Right through the middle of the field of post pattern if you will skinny pose at once they picked up the blitz, Dark was able to pat it and then fire it right to him. And and that kid when he gets in the open field, you can forget about it.
Ten seconds to play in the third quarter, and Ole Miss goes back in front. Here in Oxford seventeen to thirteen on a forty eight yard touchdown pass on fourth and seven, So fourth and eights from its own nineteen Mark Stoups pushing the chips to the center of the table. The four h four to play, trailing seventeen thirteen. They don't make it on missus and minimum starts in field goal rings. Vandergriff drops blitz coming. He's throwing it up the far sideline and it's.
Cold brown at the thirty four. He stayed in the South.
Comes back across the near side of the thirty and the twenty down.
Of the seventeen yard line of Old Miss.
Who wanna throw?
Vandergriff dropped it in and right into the hands of Brown streaking down the left side.
There's the chunk play you were looking for. And Ivy is down.
Back at the fifteen yard line. He started to run up the field that he just fell down. It's gonna give the team a blow, but Kentucky has it inside the red zone. Now, wow, he tiptoed the sidelines tom stadium bounds and got himself an extra ten or twelve.
Yards sixty two yards on the completion to Barry and Brown. As the Cats are back in the red zone, first and ten, Kentucky inside the left hash mark of the Old Miss seventeen yard line. They give it to Sumo Carnbay bouncing that left. He's got room fifteen ten carry's a tackler for a first down to the six yard line. Wimsp Now the quarterbacks, who will Carnbay to his left?
Wimsit on.
A keeper running left at the five, drops his shoulder, gips to the two fubble the football did it go into the end zone touchdown Kentucky.
On the recovery in the end zone.
Trying to see who got it, Caddis Josh Caddis recovered the ball. It popped out of wimset at the two and went right to Cadis in the end zone. Kentucky twenty ole Miss seventeen. With two twenty five to play in the game. Here in Oxford, Mississippi, dart sets deep. Stunted up brut Ole miss picks it up. He scrambles off to the right, throws it deep into the middle of the field. Life and good yep time kay praised Carn Kristen's story.
Kristen's story got lost. What are you doing?
Make's the catch at the Kentucky thirty four yard line.
You got Kayden Davis, a senior.
The ball's gonna be spotted just shy of the thirty nine yard line of Kentucky.
Just get big, boys.
We'll call this a forty nine yard field goal attempt off the right Hashmark Davis is a right footed kicker, so he has to pull this back to the left a little bit to try and tie the game with fifty three seconds left.
A little bit of a low staff.
They get it.
Down kicks on the way. No that holy.
Forty eight seconds to play an old mess comes up empty?
Yes, how about that? The sideline's empty and Mark stoops in.
Is Kentucky wild Cats have shot the college football world wait to go, Bubba go in the Magnolia State For Kentucky.
That seemed to put the Cats back on track, but it just didn't work for the Wildcats, who won only four games, and one of them was against Murray State, just a really weak one double eight team. But what we saw that day might have been the future cutter Bowleie with a couple of touchdown passes to Anthony Brown Stevens.
So it's an empty backfield for cutter Bowley. Bowley holding the ball.
Fires man wide open at the five slips a tackle, touchdown Kentucky Anthony Brown Stevens on fourth and one from the twenty two yard line.
So maybe that's your starter next year, or maybe, as Zach Calzada, spring football is on the way, we'll come back and pick up with Kentucky basketball. Mark Pope's team posting some impressive wins, as did Kenny Brooks Ball Club back in a minute at six thirty wlap Welcome back, to this special edition of The Big Blooming Sider as we look back on the calendar year twenty twenty four in UK sports, as football limp to the finish line and UK fans more and more began to look forward
to basketball with a two new head coaches. Kenny Brooks's team, which plays tomorrow against Mississippi State at seven o'clock at the Coliseum, winning eleven of its first twelve, they only lost to North Carolina. The wins including conquest of Illinois,
Arizona State, and Louisville Cardinals. Brooks had put together basically a brand new roster, just as Mark Pope did, and that was one of the first questions put to Pope at his UK basketball media day for very first news conference as a Kentucky coach officially on media day, somebody asked him about the roster and how it's going to come together and how he hoped it would come together.
I'm really excited about our guys talent level. I'm really excited about their experience. I'm really excited about their commitment and desire to be here at the University of Kentucky and represent what this place is. I'm excited about their hearts and their insides. I'm excited about how they're growing together as a team. I'm full of optimism and excitement about this team. I think that we as a collective group,
are gonna love watching these guys compete. And we're not gonna see perfection, uh, but we're gonna see perfect effort, and we're gonna see close to perfect commitment and from that, magical things happen. And so I'm really excited about that. In terms of in terms of in state local talent, that's that's an it's it's it's always been a really
important part of the mix. And and the depth of talent in the state of Kentucky will always like every state, it it will have some fluctuations, but uh, there's great talent in this state right now, a tremendous talent. And and with that the gift of understanding, uh intimately from the time before you were even born, understanding what Kentucky means and what it is. And so that'll be important and greed of how we build this program moving forward.
We got a chance to talk to the players prior to Media Day here and there, but one of the guys I talked to on media day was Travis Perry and last spoken to him after the Sweet sixteen championship, but we had a chance to chat on media day now that he was wearing a UK uniform. Perhaps this is the first time in a while you haven't played for your dad. What's that adjustment been, Like.
It's been a little bit of adjustment, but you know, it's I played for him for so long. It was kind of like he was on the court. He wasn't really like my dad like he was. He was as hard on me as he needed to be, probably probably even a little bit too hard at times. But you know, that's that's a great experience for any kid to get to have. And now you know, coach Pope is is honestly like he's such a such a great person, like he's like a dad to all of us. So that's
something that's really important for us. But it's been great. You know, Coach Bobb has a great system, has a great way of doing things, very supportive and and still's probably just as much confidence in me as my dad did whenever I was playing.
So that's that's awesome.
He said, you and the three freshmen, but your heads were spinning a little bit at the very beginning. I got to think, it's been a while since your head was spinning when it came to basketball.
What was that like, Yeah, No, that's that's definitely definitely something that I think for any freshman is probably gonna happen, especially playing in the system like we play like. It's it's similar to how I've played a lot, but there's just so many more things to think about in college basketball. So yeah, it was definitely a little bit of spinning there.
But like I said, we've got great coaching staff, great guys, great leaders, really upper upper level leaders that that kind of helped settle us down and get us going in the right path.
You said you were having trouble getting your shot off at first.
That's new too, a little bit.
A little bit, I think we're I think we've got a good now. We've done a lot of work and got a lot quicker and kind of kind of figured it out there.
Travis hasn't played all that much because he's basically the number three point guard, but he has gotten minutes what with Butler being injured and running into foul trouble. Jackson Robinson is a backup point guard, but Perry has been counted on by Mark Pope and staff to pick up some of that slack, and Pope has been nothing but positive about the minutes that he's gotten from Travis Perry,
who hasn't quite gotten his stroke down yet. Of course, he's the all time leader in high school scoring in the history of the state of Kentucky, but he has bagged a couple of shots. But every time he comes in you can feel the UK fans really looking for him to start knocking him down. But that's not his job. His job is to run the team and get everybody where they need to be, and he's only a freshman. So far, so good for the Wildcats. In fact, they got off to that great start with a couple of
exhibition games, hitting three pointers. Their first two regular season games, they topped one hundred point mark against Wright State and buck Nell. Then came the matchup with Duke down in Atlanta. The Wildcats didn't get exactly off to the best of starts, but they were able to thrill the Big Blue Nation and impress the entire country where they come from behind victory over the boot Devils called by Tom Leach and Jack Gibbon.
Kentucky back in front twelve to eleven.
Car dribbles out front, gets it back to Cresa Cresa open three left side.
Got it?
Yeah, it just goes back to that first shot by Andrew Carr that ribles over to his right, floats it pass to the corner. Three pointer. God, all the arm. That's the town of ball. Kentucky wants to play Amari. Williams goes down to the left block, leans into malolatch a couple of pump fakes, gets knocked down.
Flips on the head, count it foul. My watch.
Comes into the paint, jump hook, bounces around, won't go tapped in oh way?
Got it? Yeah, Kobe Bray is in there. He can certainly do that.
Brea down to the right side, back's south left wing three good.
Yeah, he better take advantage of these minutes while he can't.
No good.
Out of the right corner rebound, Williams throws it out to Butler around the oh way left.
Three ball, Got it? Yeah, that's what you need. Williams almost lost it, gathers it back in. Heavots with a.
Jump cut off the glass off that left block.
Just the way Kentucky needed to come out.
Wait, oh wait, hits a Car on the pick and roll, makes the catch, comes into the lane jump hook good nice is it to the corner where Ray off the screen. He makes the catch, shoots a three left wing, got it and we got a duke player injured, missed another one and the rebound of Butler. Butler brings it up the right side, gets into the lane, goes for the bucket, flips it out of count found on dukes.
There you go.
Sar got a piece of it, and Williams clears the rebound for Kentucky Butler on the ruds. Butler drives it inte throws it over to Pray up for a wide.
Open layup, but time out right now be good.
He almost threw it away as he actually threw it to Brown who's tried to save it in but he saved it to a Kentucky player. Butler down the lane, flips up a shot. Won't go follow it in Garrison nice just energy, baby energy right now, can't get a shot, throws after car. Here's Garrison from the top hits a three. It's actually always the double zero who dribbled out of the basket. Here comes the Cats down four six point fifty to play passed the gas and turns and scores.
Breon came down the right side and he fired a diagonal dart to Garrison right under the basket. Garrison with eight and it's a two point game.
Five and a half minutes to play. Prease a top of the key threes or big time shot, big time.
Shot Leam should have delivered the ball now he shovels it after car who fakes the three drives banks its fat on Duke Andrew Carr can tie the game.
Circle punks Adello, oh way lad God Kentucky leads assist car fucking away.
Cats in front sixty nine sixty.
Seven with two point thirty.
To play in your car top of the circle, dribbles over his left that comes back to his right, goes down deep pump fakes goes up her Yes all the veteran car school the duke Rookie got him in deep cars. Guardian gets up little space flag, drives down the left side, spins back to.
His right hand.
It's knock the way and stolen by away. Oh wait dry so the bucket gets knocked down and fouled. With ten seconds to play, the transfer from Oklahoma takes a big, deep red dribbles once head it rolls in the first.
Of the rim and crawled in proper. Bounce on that twelve for Oway.
Kentucky back in front seventy three, seventy two, got a.
Booth, Now make him use some time off the clock.
Flag takes it down the left side, almost falls down in the corners.
Down the house.
He's the boy turns all the room five seconds to play one in one for Butler, got it, did sitter but nothing but the bottom.
Can't he make it?
Four?
Bonus shot, bounce is off.
No good, prebounded by all Way always got it, dribbles out beyond the arc and he gets foul with point five.
One in one, got it?
What a game?
O Sega, oh Way, bonus shot in the air?
Got it?
What a game?
Seventy seven seventy two. Kentucky past them in court. Canipple's long one is no good.
The old guys rule can't lay up Kentucky seventy seven, Duke seventy two.
How about that ghost Gibbons And.
As much as that delighted the big Blue Nation, and even more impressive victory lay ahead on the other side of the country. That's on the other side of the break and a reminder. Conference play begins on Saturday at the unusual time in Rupperina eleven am. The Cats take on a surprisingly good Florida team, one of the many powerhouses it so it seems in the Southeastern Conference eleven am tip off time that means local coverage starts at eight thirty. Right here on six thirty WLAP. Welcome back
to this special edition of the Big Blooming Cider. As we look back on the calendar year twenty twenty four in UK sports, and we've been talking about the basketball programs, both men's and women's, and the men had won seven of the first eight games when they headed west for Seattle, but they didn't have Lamont Butler their point guard as they took on Gonzaga, and the Wildcats fell away behind, became roaring back, and pulled off a win that might
have been surprising to some, it certainly was to the fans out there in Spokane and Seattle because it was historic. The Wildcats snapped a long streak by coming from behind and beating Gonzaga. Tom Leech and Jack Gibbons had the call.
Creasu straight away angles right, they leave him open, He'll take the shot and headed Kentucky's on board car down the right side, hands it out to Robinson.
He'll shoot a three. It's good six five circle. Robinson feeds a wide open Williams for the junk off the pick and roll.
Garrison down the right side, puts it up and in off the pick and roll. Robinson backs his way down the lane, bumping with greg and he puts it in through the contact out out of the right wing car, dribbles once, hands it to oh Way driving baseline right, gets to the rim and puts it in strong finish rebound to Prisa, Prisa back to albad Or.
He'll try it on the one. Got it the way out beyond the arc forty Garrison, He'll take a three.
Hit it.
Robinson penetrates in or short rebounded by Garrison, get a foul put out deep on the right side, guarded by nim hard five point thirty five left in the first half. Pries it at the top of the key. You three good points ray open three on the right side, doesn't take it, drives into the paint, flips.
It up and in.
You can get the rebound to finish it off.
Robinson three right side good walks it over the left side, hands it the creases. Terresa comes into the lane with a right hand runner good down the right side of the lane, leans in, banks it up, missed it cap no good. It's tapped back over to Oh wait, he goes up and scores catch on the left block, comes into the lane, goes up's over a.
Giant and bounces in and a fowl.
There you go.
That's the way to welcome the physicality and the paint.
Comes into the circle, hands it to the trailer. Williams dribbles left. Is it to Robinson? Robinson goes down the lane, wrap around past ten lambs for the dump to car dribbles left, hands at the creases. Presa curls into the circle, gets it back to Car on the pick and roll.
Yeah, it hits the finger.
Roll wants to hand it to Robinson, gets it to him. Robinson down along the right baseline, fall away ten foot or yes.
Get deep on that right side holding the ball. Shoot that angles right.
Shoots a three, got back in for Gonzaga.
Brea down the left side of the lane with a runner.
It's no good, but it's rebounded head back up and in by Brandon Garrison.
Need to play.
Bar passes right to Brea house pass the car. Car goes right out of Eka and scores it. Put it right in his face. That's word O way, oh way, feeds car on the pick.
And roll dump. Got to run your stuff, just execute your awfully double let me gets it to Brea Brea open three from the top.
Rat it out, no good, oh wait, rebounds it goes up. No tap Garrison, no good, oh wait, taps in store.
Way to work, way to work, just hard work.
Robinson running the point for Kentucky, flows it over to Garrison. Garrison hits Robinson on a back door cut riversely a good pretty seat.
Robinson, with fifteen.
To shoot, takes it down the sidelines, pulls up.
For a three miss.
Dost go and hit off the rim and bouse Top gets.
It to Robinson.
Robinson curls into the circle, goes down the lane followy.
Ten foot good, I mean I knowe right of the lane.
About fifteen feet out over the car far in the middle of the paint, getting bumped with greg following.
Ten foot good. The game's tied. Robinson passed to the left corner.
Oh wait at tax and dunks and Kentucky scores first in the overtimes to.
His left, steps back along three. It's no good. Kentucky rebounds.
Robinson throws it up into front court of Williams.
He drops it in time out. Gonzaga or rebound.
In the basketballs and passes to Williams right design about fifteen feet out.
Takes the handoff, comes into the paint, turns jump put.
Gun oh Man by the time it's right, with great seven seconds to shoot. Graya goes right a three off the pick. He missed it. Rebound car pump fake goes up.
And scores for him to his left that tries to come back to his right, comes into.
The paint, getting bumped by Stromer. Goes down the lanes, sit out seven to shoot. Paul's knockaway. Robinson gets it back, goes down the lane with a runner, stroll down just the way you dry it up, just the way you draw.
It up to car.
And it rolls off.
No gun, It's tapped out. Stromer's got it. Stromer knocked away by car.
Who's ball Game's over? Kentucky wins brought the whim.
Gonzaga had what one hundred and seventy five games in a row where they led.
By ten or more at halftime. Not tonight the streak comes to it end. Not tonight, Tom.
What a wonderful, wonderful effort, second half effort by this basketball team, just unbelievable.
An incredible comeback, sixteen down at the half, seventeen down early in the second half, that Kentucky prevails in overtime ninety to eighty nine over Gonzaga here in Seattle.
Just an incredible win and made people forget about that lost at least for a while down to Clemson. Of course, Kentucky wrapped up the calendar year in New York City with a surprising loss to Ohio State. Not just the fact that the Wildcats lost to a team that Auburn absolutely obliterated, but it's the way the Wildcats lost. Ohio State forced Kentucky to play its game and took Kentucky
out of basically everything it tried to do. So it was a tough way to head for the Christmas holiday, But a lot of basketball ahead for Mark Pope's team, for Kenny Brooks team, and we'll be there for all of it. I hope you enjoyed this special edition of The Big Blue Insider as we look back on twenty twenty five. We'll be back with you tomorrow night, just before UK women's basketball.
For now, that's it.
Good night from the garage. Happy New Year, everybody, everything, everything, Nan
Sa