From border to border across the Commonwealth of Kentucky. This is Big Blue Insider. Talk to Tick Gabriel. Call eight five nine two eight zero Cats that's eight five nine two eight zero to two eight seven. Or state wide that's one eight hundred six oh six game. That's one eight hundred six oh six four two sixty three. Or you can tweet the show. That's Big Blue Insider one. Now here's Tick Gabriel.
Hell, everybody to the facilities of the iHeart Medium Megaplexus is Dick Gabriel. This is the state wide edition of The Big Blue Insider coming up tonight. Well here from Aaron Gershawn, who was on hand in Knoxville to watch the Wildcats knock off those Tennessee volunteers and one of the go Big Blues brothers sitting in for Billy rut Libs. That would be our own bo Robinson. That's all ahead here on the state wide BBI.
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De from Pike Build to Maduka. It is a big LU insider. Dick Gabriel bo Robinson in tonight for Billy who worked a long day yesterday and was up early today filling in for mister Leech and Aaron Gershan. What times you get back from Knoxville. I got back about one o'clock this afternoon. Oh so you stayed over, stayed overnight. No, no, that's that's a smart thing to do, because you got to stick around and write. Yep.
I was at the Orient until about eleven and got a bite to eat after late because didn't eat much at five o'clock early tip, which I love.
But uh got back to here about one today. So you find out, well, Butler's not going to play, then carr is game time. He played what I'm in in ninety seconds, you admitted to me before went on the air. You were very surprised. I'm not shocked at Kentucky won.
Yeah, it was also it's very eerily similar to the game down there two years ago where Kentucky just lost to South Carolina was a quad four loss. At the time, I actually finished as a quad four loss at home. It felt like all hope was lost. I forget exactly if both I don't I want to say case either Cason Wallas, ors Vere Wheeler or both of them were out. It was one of the other and Adu Thierro, who at that time was a very skinny, undersized fresh over I guess too tall to be a point. I don't know,
just six ' nine skinny guys kind of a tweener. Yeah, was running point and very very discombobulated Tennessee, always stifling defensively, and Kentucky went down there and they won a absolute slug fest. It was like sixty three fifty five against the number five ring team in the country, and this game was eerily similar, except this is a better Kentucky team,
I think, than that one. And you know, Kentucky came out of the gates and kind of made a statement where they hit four to five threes early, they're up twelve to four. They let go the rope at the end of the first half, which was frustrating, but you know, they came out same way in the second half. I think they got the lead to eleven when Trent Noah hit that three from Marlin County. Yeah, and they opened the half on I forget the exact run, but I know they scored the first six or seven points.
Of the half.
Theay had the breakaway dunk to make it thirty four to thirty three. They never trailed again, so they kind of were outside the last two minutes of the first half in control of the whole way. They nearly let go the rope. A couple different times, which scares you, but overall gritty, gritty performance and a surprising but huge win for this team.
Mark Pope got a call tonight on the show about those last few minutes in the first half, and that has happened more than once this year. That was an eleven zero run. Yeah, you've covered every game you've been at most of them. Yes. Is there a contributing factor each time or is it just one of those things that's happening.
I think really it's the last three games. I think it comes down under fatigue, simply put. And it's not an excuse. They got to get better with that. But when you're down in this game's case, Lamont Butler and Andrew Carr and Kirk Curious, so you got to remember this guy they were counting on who's been out since beending in December. At Vandy, they didn't have Andrew car Lamont Butler was not himself, probably shouldn't have been playing in that game, and then obviously down Carisa. And then
the Alabama game, same thing. Butler and car both fighting through stuff, not looking themselves, and Carisa down. It just seemed like they ran out of gas and all at the end of each of those halves. Yeah, and you know last night was more the same. You saw Jackson Robinson was dealing with cramps. Otega Oway was banged up after that huge hit he took on the Tonk. I'm just glad he's okay. Mark Pope said he was okay on the radio show tonight. That was a it looks
so bad, it looks so it was violent. We were underneath that basket. The media see that was a I don't know how he got back up from that. I'd still be laying on the ground at Thompson Bowling. But uh yeah, I think it's been fatigue for sure. I think it was a twenty to four run for Vandy at the into the first half, and then a six
hour run to finish the game in that one. This game, honestly, I know Kentucky out scored Tennessee in the last five minutes of the game, but they didn't hit a field goal in the last five minutes.
They spent a lot of time at the line. I spent a lot of time at the And that leaves me to my next question. My next observation is for as pretty for lack of a better term, as Mark Pope's offense can be yeah, and efficient and assist of made field goals and all that free flowing whatever you want to call it. But in the last five and a half minutes, the ball would stick.
It did, Yeah, it did, and uh, it's hard to explain why. I mean, obviously you want to kind of grind things out late when you're up, and you want to try to get as much time off that clock. But yeah, the ball sticked, and there were some turnovers too, And honestly, Tennessee got off so many shots because I want to go count, I know they had eighteen offensive rebounds. How many were in the last three minutes of the game there like seven? It was ridiculous.
The three point that came after what four offensive four four by Lanier to make it a one point game with four offensive rebounds really four opportunities.
So look they got they got away with one a little bit toward the end there, But at the same time they did they controlled this game really from start to finish. I'd love to see how long they were in the lead for this one. It probably thirty six thirty five minutes. So you can't be overly critical, especially when they're short handed. A win is a win is a win, especially going down to Knoxville against a really the number one defense in the country per Ken Palm.
Even after tonight or even after last night and doing it shorthanded, you can't complain too much. There's still some things that worry you, for sure, But what are they six and one against top fifteen teams.
That's ridiculous. No one, no one has a resume like that right now. Well, as I mentioned, Billy's off tonight, Bo Robinson is in and bois if you don't know, one of the Go Big Blues Brothers, and I'll come back to the Tennessee game. But obviously one of the hottest topics looking ahead, and Mark Pope addressed it tonight on his show is Arkansas coming in with a certain head coach. And the debate has been going on really since since Caliperi left is how will you treat him?
How should he be treated by the fans, by the crowd coming into upp arena? How will the Go Big Blues Brothers approach this?
Well, I can't speak for the other half of the Go Big Blues Brothers TBA, so if you want to know, get to the game Saturday. As for me, I probably will not cheer, but I'm not going to boom. Yeah, I just keep my hands in my pockets. And when the Kentucky lineup goes Patrick Whitmer does this thing, then I'll be cheering.
I gotta save my energy for the game. There you go, But I'm not going to boot Calip. You gotta wait all day for it too. Nine o'clock tip.
And I go back to this, And yes, I can be frustrated about how the last four years ended with Caliperry, but he was always nice to me when I ran his Collins shed It first year when I met him Mountain in public and him and I had a twenty minute discussion at dunkin Donuts one morning, real about our dogs.
Dying of all things. Oh my goodness.
And this was I think two years ago. And it was almost like he kind of came down to my level and we had donuts or came up to you maybe or maybe I came up to it.
I don't know.
We were on the many level. Where were that level? What that's good to hear? And it was kind of surround. I'm like, this is John cal Perry. We're not talking basketball, We're talking about dogs.
Dying and how did that come up? At a donuts shot.
I walked into dunkin Donuts on Broadway one morning and he was sitting there, and I remember on his calling show he was talking about his dog dying. He was just so upset about this, and I just randomly said, hey, coach, I've been there. I'm thinking about you. It's not easy, not easy at all. And they looked at me.
He goes, how'd you do it? How to do what?
And I don't want to turn the show into my braving process of my dog? Did you take him to the vet? And then all of the sun this just opened up this conversation. Yeah, for twenty minutes because he It's interesting.
I mean I had interviewed him one on ones Aaron, you have too, but never had the opportunity to speak to him away. I mean I tried a couple of times, you know, on the perimeter of a work setting. He wasn't having it just just a you know, a little chit chat. Nope, wouldn't have just completely ignored me. All right, that's fine, that's fine. Uh but yeah, that's that's that's a little bit of a different situation. It was.
And when he said, how'd you do it and not tell him? I said, look, yeah, I buried him and probably took a shot of bourbon and I played all the way up. He smacked me on the knee. He goes, you will Rascal you wow? Yeah, Well, you know it's funny a different side.
I never had the opportunity to speak to Ellen Caliperry. Uh, just never did until I think it was the last time. Aaron. We were at the house on selection Sunday and I'm in the back of the room and there they had, at the time, I think, three dogs and they were kind of locked up in a sun room because the house was full of people, and I kind of leaned over and she was standing there and I said, what's
the breed on that dog right there? And whatever? And we start talking dogs, you know, So there you go. So they were a dog family.
To bring this full circle, yeah, he was on a Tuesday morning and they were getting ready to play Arkansas that night at nine o'clock and I just looked at him. I said, coach, give him hell tonight, and he said thank you, and that was it.
Wow. Cool, that was a coincidence playing Arkansas that night. You got along with him, didn't.
You that was all right, nothing crazy, He didn't. I don't think I covered him for five seasons. I don't think he ever learned my name. My best interaction was, you know, I asked him after the Georgia loss two years ago when they lost down there, because that was a game they were completely lethargic, and I asked about
the energy the bank can remember to it? And then the next game, Yeah, the next game in Starkville, it was a one eighty and someone asked him about the one eighty and energy level and he said some while looking me dead in the eye. Some guy in the media told me last game, so it was.
It was funny.
I remember that look. And you know what, I'll give him more credit. If we're going to keep giving him credit. He's doing a pregame press conference to what he Yes, he's speaking with Arkansas.
The first this year. It's the first first and several years he hasn't he didn't know. I think he did one last year, the Champions Classic game. He did the Champions Class that's true, that's true. And of course he had to do pre tournament, yeah, you know, but regular season never nothing. So in a way, I keep saying, especially when Kenny was still here, we were better off. Yes, we got better sound bites. Yes from really from all the assistant coaches. Yeah, and now we don't talk to this.
They weren't trying to drive the drive the narrative.
It's a complete difference now we I've never I couldn't even tell you what Cody Fieger, Alvin Brooks, Jason Hard I'm sure they're great guys. I couldn't tell you what they sound like. Yeah, they were to say something over the phone and like they're a caller on this show.
I'd have no clue with that. I spoke to all of them just just to say hello prior to pro day. And Cody Figuers a Packers guy, naturally we chatted. Yeah, but otherwise, but I mean, yeah, I've had plenty of talking to. Hope was so accessible, you know. Before we get to the break, speaking of Hope, your counterpart where they Go Big Blues Brothers. Yes, he was part of an award winning photo correct which we saw posted this week.
So John Coffee, the other half of the Go Big Blues Brothers entertainment act. Then we bring to Reperena for Home Dame.
He's Jake.
Yes, he is Jake, and he's got the physique for it too. The press conference last April, which was introduced correct, I remember that spring day. I'm here in the iHeart Megaplex. I'm running baseball. We are running late to get down to Repperena a couple of blocks away. He is so mad at me that I am running late doing baseball, your job, doing my job. Correct. We get down there. There's a line that held the press conference up for
about thirty minutes. There were so many people trying to get into Reperena.
We may have line.
Jump just a little bit to get the appropriate seats. We're right in front of Coach Pope. He does press conference, He makes the rounds on the reparena floor. Brother Jake reaches out his hand. Mark Pope reaches up his hand from the floor. They get this great, great picture normally from the student paper Kentucky Colonel. Her name's Abby Cutter, and over the weekend she won first place for best Sports Photography in a student publication from the Kentucky Press
Association Award. So Abby was in the right place at the right time. Out of everything that I've heard since April, you were late I got the best picture out of that, and I've always told him if I wasn't late, you would have never had that picture. Yeah, and he still wants to argument with me about it, you know.
And then I've got a soft spot in my heart for the Colonel. You worked for the Colonel. I worked for the Colonel for you did not know? I thought you did. I did not. But how'd you dad working for you?
That's true when you were in school, you worked for me. That's right, speaking of the colonel, and you know this. I've done a deep dive on the Kentucky Colonel since the fall. The archives are available online finally, so if you want to go back and look what Dick Gabriel wrote as a student, it's a lot of fun to get in there. Oh, I've enjoyed it, and you learned so much about the campus and just how Lexington was back in the seventies, and it's a lot of fun to tell.
I posted something the other day and you might have seen this, Aaron, but I did. It was actually fifty years ago this spring that I literally fell into my career in radio because working for the Colonel, I would sit next to the campus radio station and I looked over one night and there was warn't to three people. Usually there was just the station manager, no equipment, no nothing. And I looked over to him and I said, aren't you doing the game tonight? As well? I lost my
announcer and I'm just watching the game. Wasn't even look at him. I said, you know, I've always kind of wanted to try that call me. So we set up an audition. I got the gig. Did three years of play by play for basketball and football home games while I was working for the Colonel. So when I got out of school, I'm looking at newspaper jobs and I fell into a radio job. It just happened to be open here in Lexingon, which got me onto the UK network a year later, and I've been there ever since.
So it just dumb luck. And it was fifty one years ago. Then I covered Aaron You'll appreciate this my very first war City basketball game because it was a year they went thirteen and thirteen under Joe Haul and I kept bugging the sport. I covered rugby soccer, and I volunteered to cover freshman basketball. You remember that when they had a freshman team. Yes, And it was the last year for freshmen, and I said, I'll cover the freshman team. He's like, all right, well, I'm fine, whatever,
you know. And there were like ten games or so, but I kept bugging him to do a varsity. He had me to a feature story on one of the players and the team was terrible. We're thirteen and thirteen. So he flips me the press pass. We had two, one for at shoot photographer, one for a writer. This says, all right, go ahead and cover tomorrow night's game. It turned out to be the worst loss in Memorial Coliseum history for Kentucky. That was the game I covered CM Newton.
One of those really good Alabama teams came in and destroyed Kentucky and I had to write it up. But good experience that is. Yeah.
So for young kids that are getting in radio, because there's over eighty years of radio experience in this risk right now, take every gig you can and get in front of somebody.
Who's going to pay attention. That's about who you get in front of. Well, and I got it. I don't know how many people listened to me and my partner doing UK games because of course very few games are on TV. Everybody listened to k would So one day I said, down, all right, who's listening? The station manager, the station engineer, the guy running the game back at the station, the r Bau Robinson back then maybe my mom and the guy sitting next to me, my color man.
So what is that? Five people listening? But that's okay, you know you did it. I did it, had a great time, got some tapes for it, and wound up sitting with Bow and Aaron tonight we'll take it right, come back and talk more about the Wildcats heading into Arkansas and looking back at that Tennessee win. Here on the state Wide BBI from Pipe Hill, Tippaduka is the
statewide edition of the BBI. Did Gabriel Baul Robinson, Aaron gershawan back from Knoxville earlier today and you pointed out something again before went on the air about one of the characteristics of this team, and it's it's understandable, I think for multiple reasons about Kobe Brat. Yeah, yeah, said did you write about it?
Yeah, I'm gonna pull up the stats exactly what I was referring to. But it's pretty simple. When he plays well, they usually win. When he doesn't, they lose.
And I play, well, you mean score, I score the ball.
I mean here it is. These are the numbers I was looking at. Okay, So when Kobe Bray hits at least three threes in the game, Kentucky's eight to zero. When he hits at least two, they're eleven and four. In games he scored at least ten points, they're ten to one. It's pretty simple math. And so score ten from Kobe Bray, you have a good.
Chance to win.
The only loss in there is Alabama, which was obviously probably your the one loss. You probably are like, all right, that is what it is. So when he's on, it does wonders for this team, and you could see why. And I thought last night, all three, especially the last one Bray hit, those were tough threes, like they were not open. And I was really happy to see him just pull the trigger because he's good enough to hit contested looks, and he was able to get in the
lane for the next two. He got to the free throw line of bunks seven. That's the most free throsdays to put up. He had a block that should have been a block, and they called the foul on But that's okay. So but you know, moving into the starting lineup for just the second time this season, and he had been in a slump seven for twenty six from three since the Georgia game. And he I mean, he didn't carry them because it was a team effort, but he was a massive reason why they won that game.
Well, it's I was gonna say, he's the worst kept secret in America. He's not even a secret anymore. Everybody knew that. In fact, Jimmy Dike's last night on the broadcast talked about the fact that he was one of the two most highly coveted players in the portal. The other one was a kid who went to Tennessee, Yeah, Chessil near Yeah, and they tried to get a near of Kentucky do but I sure did. But of course he knew if Bray goes, he doesn't need to go
to Kentucky. But uh, obviously everybody is going to shade their defense toward him, no question. And you got to know that's happening at Dayton over the last two three years. But they're defenders in that league now as good as the defenders in the SEC. So now he's got bigger, faster, stronger, guys guarding him. And I bring that up because I'm impressed with how he has developed his offensive game. Scoring off the bounce, yes, scoring inside the arc, getting to
the rim. Am I imagining that. Are you seeing it too?
I'm seeing it too. I think his all around game is improving. And I actually thought last night, you know, it wasn't perfect, but it was one of his better games on the defensive end, an area where his game obviously isn't.
His strong suit.
And you know that's the one thing with these older guys, right, you're kind of they are what they are. There's some room for growth, of course, but there's not the ceiling. They're kind of almost there for what they're going to be at college in college. But I think you have seen braand make some jumps on the defensive end. That's huge. They need it. And talk about jumps on the defensive end, I know it. He scored zero points in the box score, but I thought Colin Chandler gave him a man really
impressive minutes last night. I mean there was some There was one play, forget who he was matched up with under the basket, and he forced a miss and he that was I was really impressive. He's not ready as an offensive player yet you see it with the erratic turnovers. You see it with the shaky passes, the shots not there. But if he could play like that while they're short handed, he's gonna get some run just to mix things up defensively.
And it's kind of something this team is missed is having just there or not missed, I would say, because they haven't had it, but something that maybe in hindsight would have been good to add to this rosters. Just the guy off the bench that is a gritty defender. And if Colin Chandler, which it would probably be one of the last guys have projected to be. But if he could be that for you, that that changes an outlook on things a little bit.
You're athlete, really good athlete. And he had a couple of deflections.
He did, and he had on the offensive end he did. I criticized the passing, but he had one beautiful pass to I believe almon Or for a quarner three. So that was impressive. A lot of guys chipped in last night, but to me, it's still it goes back to Kobe Brayle. I mean, when he when he's shooting the ball well, and he's scoring at least ten points. This team's winning games before we get to the break.
Bo, you are you the go big Blues brothers. You were very fun to Joe B. Yes, and he of you guys, And I kept I thought about you guys last night as a game was winding down. How much Joe Hall would have loved that win, because I know how much Jack Gibbons loved that win. Yeah.
Jack's always fun to listen to on the radio. But you yes, you could really hear the enthusiasm and just how excited he was. And I always love when he says and you can tell he's getting a little frustrated where he says, come on man, Yeah, I love to hear that. But you're right about Joe B. Because Joe By had a hard time in Knoxville during his career at the old Stokely Athletic Center and it was liveral games there, yes, and you know a little bit before my time.
And you know that that's where the dream game happened. Yes, insult to injury when we come back, and I bring this up every once in a while. UK basketball historians would like this or not like it. But a loss at Stokeley regular season loss to this day, and I can't get any of the guys on the team to admit it. I firmly believe a regular season loss to Tennessee cost Kentucky a national title. How's that for a tease? There go going into the break. But oh man, it
was one of the most frustrating losses I ever covered. Yes, I was there. Welcome back. It's the statewide edition of the Big Moon Sider Dick Gabrielle, Aaron Gershawan and Bo Robinson and for Billy Rutledives Well one year down there in Knoxville stoke Lee with that tartan surface. You remember those bow those rubber floors they used to have. Oh yeah, it's seventy six, seventy seven, a year prior to Joe
B's championship. It was a year after the nit which Kentucky had won and had virtually everybody back, including a freshman. But they had a freshman named Jay Scheidler, and that was when he was white lightning with a white hair. That Kentucky team destroyed people. Now the following year they beat almost everybody when thirty two and four won a national title, and they were one of the best national
championship teams overlooked. I think in the history of you college basketball, not as good as the ninety six team in my opinion, But I firmly believe the seventy seven team was just a little better. And that's not a knock on Kyle Macy, who's a friend, But it's more about because Larry Johnson was a point guard. It's more about how that team played. They were like a kid with a new toy. They realized early on, after about the third game. Have you got the season up on
the computer? I do, well. I know the first game was a very first game in rup. They beat Wisconsin by what eight or nine points something like that. Let's see here.
Yes, they defeated Wisconsin seventy two sixty four.
All right, and that was not the first event there. Well, Lawrence welk concert, don't remind me, was it fair?
Well?
Your sister loved that is I wasn't there.
Uh.
But then they began look at the scores, man, they began to just obliterate people.
Yeah, one O three I mean Texas Christian, But one O three I see one O two to seventy No shot time no.
Three pointer. They destroyed people.
One thirteen to seventy three against Vanderbilt.
Yeah, they had Mike Phillips and Rick Broby in the game at the same time, or they put in James Lee. So now they're either crushing people or blowing them out,
running them off. They just absolutely evstrated people. But at the same time, you had Bernie and Ernie down in Knoxville, right, So they go down to Knoxville and late in the season they had already beaten Tennessee up here, and they lose, and they missed free throws and some of their better free throw shooters missed free throws, and they lost to Tennessee. So they shared the SEC championship there, you'll see it top of the page there maybe they tells you, but
they were coach champs with Tennessee. But because of that, Tennessee got to go to Upp Arena to play in the NCA Tournament. Back then, there was no rule against playing on your home floor in the NCA Tournament. That didn't you know why that changed? That change when Kentucky won the regional in nineteen eighty four on its home floor, beating Illinois and Louisville in some really toughly contended games, and enough people complained because that was a Booie Turpin team, and oh.
It's not fair.
They get to play on their own floor. And after that they changed. That's why Young Squire all these games are on neutral floors now. But back then, if Kentucky wins the SEC, the Wildcats play in rupp Aerna and there was none of this pod stuff where they're going there. They're playing their way to the final four in Rupperina and you know who wins the region or wins the amid East That year, UNC Charlotte with Lee Rose playing through election. Tennessee lost in the first or second round.
Kentucky gets shipped East and they've got to play North Carolina in cole Field House on the campus at the University of Maryland. You know who lost in Colefield House? Two the runs. Wow, Kentucky gets down eleven thirteen points to Carolina and what happens? What do they do? Back then?
Four corners right again? No shot clock Kentucky against the four corners, mind you, and there were twelve minutes to go cuts it to one, and there's a controversial block charge on Larry Johnson and it goes against Kentucky North Carolina shot thirty six free throws to ten or twelve for Kentucky, and Carolina goes to the final four along with UNLV, Marquette, UNC, Charlotte North Carolina. And that was
Al McGuire's year to win the national title. But I firmly believe Kentucky was better than all four of those and if it beats Tennessee as it should have in Knoxville, the Cats go to rupp Arena, blow everybody out and win the championship. I think it was in Atlanta that year, went in the next year, but still Stokely Athletics Center was a hall of horror.
I'll tell you about this last summer. I went down to Knoxville to do wrestling commentary, which you know, yes, of course, and had a blast. First time i'd actually been out on the road to do wrestling commentary. Great production down there, and Manerjeck.
It wasn't wrestling, it was wrestling, yes, And so my commentary partner we drove down to Knoxville and it had a great trip down there, and hadn't been to Knoxville in years. Had a good, great.
Time, So just kind of randomly there's a tag team match, and I said, they're working as great as the old Burt and Ernie show.
So I snuck in on you say Burt and Ernie. It's Ernie and Bernie.
Ernie and Barnie. Yes, I did say Ernie and Barney. Ok So I did say that, didn't Sesame Street? No, I did not go Sesame Street.
Okay.
So, which is the only piece of Tennessee member Billy I really do have? Is Bernard and Ernie on cover sports illustration?
Oh?
Yeah, I do have that in my collection? Or is Ernie Grunfield called him Bernard, you know because he was from New York. There you go.
Yeah, And so I snuck that reference in there, just you know, maybe I can get over with the Tennessee fans first time down here and everything. We're done. And he looked at me and he said, how in the hell did you pull off Bernard King in Ernie Grunfeld in a wrestling match? He goes, that's amazing. So last night after the game, I texted my friend and I said, biggest win in Knoxville since we went down there and did wrestling commentary.
Nice. You know, Bernie and boy where they were great. They were just great, and they came up here. And I do not recall if Kentucky won the game or not, but there was an infamous game where Grunfeld shot free throws for a teammate, a guy named Mark Chapman, got foul. They're post players and Aaron. I don't know if you've ever witnessed this, but at a crucial point in the game, this guy gets foult and was not a great free
throw shooter. Ernie Grunfeld stepped to the line and at the last minute Jobi's somebody on the bench alerted Joe, and Joe started trying to get the referees attention. They were looking at him like what, and he was trying to tell him and they were like whatever, and he shot the free throws and oh man, they you know, the following Monday morning, they called the league office and everybody wanted an investigation, and to this day, Grunfeld won't
admit it. And again I told you, I was working campus radio right I broadcast the game and we were talking about it, my partner and me at the radio station the following Monday, and the station manager who was listening said, you guy, you know you guys got it right. We said what so they say, he said, yeah, you guys mentioned it. So we went back and listened to the tape and I said, Adison Mark Chapman to the line, and I looked up and said, well, Ernie Ernie Grunfeld's shooting.
I thought Chapman got fouled, you know. And it was. It was quite the controversy. And to this day you mentioned to it to a vintage Kentucky fan, Ernie Grunfeld shooting free throws. And ironically enough, how many years later that must have been nineteen seventy six, maybe in nineteen ninety four, I think it was or ninety three, Travis Ford got caught doing the same thing. Now, he got caught during the game, didn't he.
I think he did. And if I remember correctly, he was pointing. He was like navigating, Yeah, on the floor, Hey, come up here, coming, you know so, but you're right, Yeah, Travis Ford did that. I lied about my Tennessee memor Bill.
Yeah.
I can't believe I'm admitting this on the air. I have an additional piece of Tennessee memorabilia, but it's a Kentucky program. They played Tennessee up here, I bought this at auction because of the autographs, eight alf Rup signature is on there, which is the first eight all up signature I have. Mike Pratt signature is on there. Ah happy Chandler. Wow, here's the other one. Ray Mears, no kid, is.
The Tennessee coach who had the entire staff decked out and Bruce Pearl brought him back when he was a coach at Tennessee Orange Blazers. God were they ugly. And you know what else he did. You might remember this. He had a guy on a unicycle juggling basketballs during pregame, juggling basketball trying to bring attention to basketball at Tennessee.
And for the longest time, I'm Tennessee would kind of challenge Kentucky and they played this slow down brand of basketball and they had a point guard named Jimmy England and all he would do is dribble. That's it, dribble out front. What are you telling me you've heard of Jimmy England? Now, I said, that's it.
He said, all I do was dribble, Yeah, right off r up.
One night had managers count the number of dribbles. I don't know to what end. I don't know why, but it just frustrated him so much. But now you know, the league's caught up, everybody's challenging and now and you go on the road. Now, that was a great crowd last night. Absolutely, And it was probably ninety five percent Tennessee. Oh yeah, because i've covered games, maybe you have to ire fifty to fifty down there. I went.
Yeah, the first one I did was pretty close to him. It was Vandy was seventy thirty.
Yeah. Was it full? Yes, Okay, yeah, most.
I've never seen Vandy like that, you know, a testament to them being good this year. But also Big Blue Nation showed up. Probably I've seen Vandy full. I've seen Knoxville full thanks to Kentucky fans. Yeah different now, Yeah, no, Kentucky still was the reason Vandy was full, but it was. And also it was a Saturday game.
I think that too.
They played a lot of midweeknds there lately. But yeah, there's really trying to think. There haven't been many places in the SEC the last couple of years. You go to be like, eh, I think LSU in the first half last year was probably the lightest crowd I saw, and then by halftime when LSU fans saw they had a shot started filling in so hell in the court.
Hell ould was the big blue go, big blue chant.
Because the game.
Yesterday really good last Yeah, once Allway was at the line to finish it, it got loud in there. Tennessee fans were hitting the exits and Kentucky fans stuck around to chair them on.
It was good.
And even when they went up eleven, I think I think it was Nos three that put them up eleven.
You could you can in hear it. I've covered some games down there where the Kentucky crowd was so big and the score was so lopsided that with ten minutes ago, the entire building was almost blue. I mean, it was just amazing. But you know, like we said, Tennessee's good, but that's a good Tennessee team defensively, but going into that game, yeah, all we could hear was, you know,
they have a hard time scoring. But that wasn't that their own fall last night, Aaron, I mean, forty five to three, that's just stupid.
I think I saw stats somewhere where thirty three of them were uncontested. So it's not like Kentucky and part of it was Kentucky and Pope said it after the game. They were taking the shots we wanted them to take. So part of it was Kentucky knowing the scout and letting them have some. And then some of it was just kind of see failing to exeic.
Ziggler wasn't a good three point shooter going.
And then he put up eleven of them. Yeah, yeah, I hit a rough night.
I texted a buddy of mine. I said, if they needed three at the end and Ziggler takes it, it'll go in. Yeah.
Now, Lanier and MILITCHI were they only two hitting shots for them last year. So yeah, look Kentucky got and that. We were talking about it on the way in here. I wouldn't be surprised if it's a similar game play and going into Saturday's game because Arkansas is offensively challenged. I don't even think they've scored seventy in an SEC game yet, and their top three point shooter is big z Wow. He is shooting forty, so you got to give him a I'll check on that, but he is
their leader in three point average. I think their next guy is like thirty five percent.
I want to see in person, because I've seen him play on TV a couple of times, a doocey Arrow. Yeah, man, I've put on muscle. He's having a great so he's slowed down an sec play. Yeah.
Yeah.
It's a tough league. And you know, I was doing some research today. We're going down trivia here. But you know these are only going to be the eighth, ninth, and tenth former Wildcats to play against Kentucky really only. Yeah, so you have you have to go way back on a lot of them. I did a whole store on this last night. I started working on it last night. Save Aaron Bradshawn, Bryce Hopkins. You'll add Damien Collins.
At the Drase Hopkins by the way after the year and again, I know, poor kid. Then you have Mark Corey if you remember him. I wrote about Mark Corey a couple of weeks ago. Yep, how about that.
That's crazy. So Cornell Cornell, yep. Then you have to go way back.
Started for Billy Clyde. Couldn't start at Cornell.
Yeah, an yeah, and the numbers he put up for Billy Clyde Warren great. Oh, so then you have to go to the forties for the next few Mark, Malcolm McCullum played against Kentucky one game while Xavier. You have Bob Brainham, who was an All American at Kentucky in nineteen forty four. He was with Michigan State at the end, played one game against them, and.
He's a guy who was again All American here. Yes, but what happened was all Americans came back from the war, that's right, and so he wasn't going to play yep.
And then you have Duard Compton who was here from from forty four to forty six, and then he went on to be a captain at Louisville, elected into the Louisville Athletics Hall of Fame.
Marvin Stone wasn't the first.
There you go, and then you have to go way back because Marvin Stone played against Kentucky.
That's right.
Then you have to go way back to a guy that played here in nineteen thirteen and four teams, Tom Zephyross. He also went to Vanderbilt for four years, played football and basketball, played three games against Kentucky and won all three of them all at Vandy, and then he went on to be an assistant football coach and athletic director. Is a deep dive and shout out big Blue history dot Net makes it possible you can do there. Johnson got to give him a shout out for the for the help.
Bandy back in the day had a football season where it was undefeated and unscored on you could look at I believe it. We'll take a break back with more to Stay Wide BBI segment as we wrap up this edition of the s Whye BBI with Aaron ger shaan Oo, Robinson and I assume to go Big Blues Brothers will be there uh Saturday evening.
To Yes, we'll probably be down there Saturday afternoon because we can't wait for this game nine events.
Yeah, I mean you said you were going to be there, but are you always in character? Yes? What character?
And here's the thing about this, This kicks off my birthday week, so I'm celebrating all week long because I have a myriad of activities I'm going to be involved in.
And so I'm really your report next week.
Yes, so I'm really including a rest reporting.
And by the way, bo is one of these guys who isn't going to look as old as he is because his hairstyle is that of.
Mister Mark Pope. It is, and it has been going on since day one. Matter of fact, when we walked down the press conference, somebody turned around look at me and said, hey, it's Mark Pope and I'm like, what you're six days we're talking about you. And so it is happened non stop that I've been mistaken for Mark Pine.
No kidding. I had some little old lady, even with a beard.
Yes, three days later, some little old lady. I'm at a coffee shop and I'm on my phone, I'm drinking coffee. She comes up and she gets you get off that phone right now, and you start recruiting. And I'm like, this woman is serious, Pope?
Now? Oh yeah.
It happened at Josepheth during the holidays when I was Christmas shop.
Next time somebody does that, you should lean in to lay the points.
The wheeler story back in April, that's the best one because I was sitting next to Oscar and he didn't say a word, and all these people kept thinking I was Mark Pope.
Coach.
We've been waiting on coach and the poor waitress there she thought I was Mark Pope and she said, you did free pie.
I tried.
I've tried to get free meals everywhere, and she said, we've been waiting on you.
I'm like, well, I've been waiting to eat.
So I signed an autograph and I didn't tell her I wasn't, but she said, would you sign this one? Did so I signed the back the check of her little pad. I wrote on there, I am not the Pope, go big blue bo Robinson and the disappointment on her face.
I should have done that. Yeah, it's been fun and we're gonna give you the floor toward the end. Tell me, what do you expect to see Saturday night? Is are they I was gonna say they were going to be in a position, I think to blow out this Arkansas team which is struggling. But no Butler and no Andrew Carr.
Yeah, I would assume they're both going to be out. We'll see what happens there. But uh, look, Kentucky's still the better team I think even with that, and especially giving Boogie flanned unfortunately being out for the year for Arkansas. He was second in the SEC and assists behind ze Kay Ziegler. So, uh, I still like Kentucky in this game. I just think the emotion in that building that they
played great at home. They played really every game almost honestly, their worst game at home was probably like Western Kentucky even Alabama, Like they lost, but they played really well in that game, at least on the offensive end. So I think Kentucky's going to come out firing. I think this Tennessee game was a big confidence boo booster. I
just I can't see them losing. But I do know that if there's a game Arkansas is going to be ready to play and bring their best, it's probably gonna be Saturday night.
Because it ain't just Caliperry coming back.
Yeah, I mean, it's big Z, it's a do, it's it's DJ Wagner, it's the whole coaching staff who they've heard a lot, the assistance. We're probably more so than cal Honestly, I will say this, I'm a little surprised. Maybe it's because it's getting late, but or maybe it's because Arkansas has been bad. But the get in prices dropped significantly. It's two hundred down ticket backs. Wow, we were looking at like thousand. Yeah, it was a thousand, and they got to like the five to six hundred rings.
So maybe that's the product of Arkansas thinking or the tickets just being so outrageous.
If you sold your Arkansas ticket, you would have been able to pay for the rest of your season ticket.
Probably.
Yeah. Oh it was like the shock market back when it was you know, yeah, all right, how much booing there will be booming?
I think majority of how much for cal I think it'll be a majority for the play I do. I do, just given the facts. He's look, Arkansas is a historic rival, like it's not the nineties, but that's thirty years ago. The head coaches, it's we're bringing it back. I think he's going to get mostly booed in this game.
I really do. The players I know when the game begins. I think when he's introduced, introduced, you think the building will erupt in booze. Not I think it'll be sixty forty boots okay, no, during it, during it, and I'm good with that. During the game, I'm good with that. I think intros will be that that too. I think he'll be booed.
I don't know, maybe again eventually, even maybe if they play two games next year and they're back.
Maybe not.
I think the first time he comes back it's still fresh and again it's not like he went to it's not like he went to know Ohio State.
But he did what a lot of people, the people who are booming boom him gone right, student class.
That's also going to be the you know, the big part of the crowd here saw nothing but losing more.
That's true, very true. That's gonna do it. My thanks to Aaron, My thanks to bo, thanks to you for listening. That said, good night from Lexington.
