Hell, everybody any through the facilities of the iHeart Medium Megaplex for the last time this year. This is the state wide Big Blue Insider. You heard the comments from Mark Pope, and now's your chance to listen in on Billy Rutgleds, Aaron Gershan and yours truly be a part of the state wide BBI Border to Border. It is the Big Blue Insider. Dick Gabriel, Billy Rutleds, Aaron Gershwan kind of thought we might do at least one more of these, but the Wildcats fell short, as we know,
against Tennessee. And I'm not going to say I told you Sov and Aaron, that's the Tennessee. I thought we would see. That really concerned me. That was this guy Ziggler. I thought we would see, which, as you know, really concerned me. And as you pointed out, he played so poorly against Kentucky. Here's the first two games. But I just kept thinking, that's not really him. I've seen him play so much. I thought that's not a character for him.
Maybe he's trying to I don't know what it was. Yeah, but he played his butt off against Kentucky.
He did play his butt off and you know, I will say this is not to discredit him, but Lamont Butler picking up two fouls really let him get go exactly where because not only well, they kept Lamon in there because they knew they had to, but they didn't put him on Ziegler because they didn't want to foul. So not the same at all. So that was a big but No, the guy played like a guy who knew it was his last ride and for the coach he's been with for four seasons and wanted to give
it his all, and he played a great game. And Tennessee just dominated Kentucky on the offensive glass. That was the big issue. I mean, I thought Kentucky defensively, like the first possession, they were pretty darn good, and then second chance points just killed them. And then Tennessee did a great job running them off the three point line, which is something they did not do well in those two regular season matchups. So all the credits to Tennessee.
Unfortunate for Kentucky that had to come against them, because I think it probably wouldn't have hurt as bad if it came against Houston Purdue. As long as it was in the Sweet sixteen. Illinois just a non rival, but obviously to me, you know, stinks but pretty darn good first season.
Can't really complain, how surprised were you? Going? Well?
I picked Kentucky to win even after I had heard the cliche it's hard to beat a.
Team three times.
Maybe statistically, as it turns out, isn't true. Yes, yeah so, but there is that twenty five percent. That's right, one of Aaron's points about, you know, chasing him off the three point line. Kentucky was extremely efficient in the two wins versus Tennessee. I mean they were.
They shot fifty percent from three in both of those games, twelve threes a piece each game, and for them to only go six to fifteen, it's just Kobe Bray hit the first shot of the game for Kentucky.
That was it for him. I mean, he goes one for seven.
The rest of the way their defensive game plan.
Was was great.
You've got to get a lot of credit to Rick Barnes and that team that was tired of losing to Kentucky. There's no doubt, but that loss definitely does not wipe away how gratifying this season was in a lot of ways. But interestingly enough, we will look back at this season and probably remember two losses at Arkansas Cal coming back up and then the first ever tourney game versus Tennessee.
But overall, you know, interesting details from Pope today on the show about the guys meeting in a hotel room six am till six am, tugging at my heart strings a little bit.
Yeah, and we already knew they didn't want to take off the jerseys and thought Kobe Bray was funny.
You're a hard time. You're gonna have a hard time getting it from me. And all I could think.
About is Mark Pope showed up at his news conference when he's introduced what is jersey? You know? So so they always get something somewhere. But it's interesting, you say, well, you know what are fans going to think back on? Yeah, when you think about specific games, you'll think about this one.
Yep.
If you really start to pick it apart, you'll think about Duke. And when you think about this Tennessee loss, you'll think about two wins over Tennessee which were fun. Gonzaga there were just a lot, there was a lot to like, and then again there were losses that never should have happened. T Yeah, but it was the Old Miss loss that interestingly enough, not unlike the ninety eight team which lost to Old Miss in Lexington. And after that game they had a players only meeting and from
that point I never lost. They never they bought into Tubby. And this isn't what happened with Kentucky, but what happened this year, of course, was how they went after it. The next day on defense, they started really working on defense, and talking to Sean was in my show Local each week, and he was really really concerned about the defense. And then because he'd gone to practice and he was wondering, like, when are they going to really get into defense? Because
I think part of it, too is his offense. Pope's offense is so sophisticated that it took him quite a while to nail that day, and they did. I loved hearing what some of the national guys were saying about the offense Kentucky ran. But once they started working on defense, they looked like a different team, you know.
No question.
Now, with Creasa in the portal, that kind of surprised me.
No surprise, you, No, that's one thing.
I'm thinking, You're going to see what he can get. He could come back.
He could, but I do I think at the end of the day, look Kentucky swimming in the deep end with the top point guards in the portal. They are trying to make a major splash there. Their number one target was done. You want to be a number one, right,
and then you have a Kayden Lewis coming in. That's right, so he's kind of blocked and you don't want to I don't think kayd and Lewis is gonna have a huge role on next year's team though he is a top forty prospect and who knows he can come, have a great summer, add some weight and get right away. That's up to him and how he establishes himself. But I just think that it's kind of an awkward spot for Careesa where you know Kentucky wants to go get
a legit PG one in front of you. You know their PG two is kind of waiting in the wings there, the guy they hope is the point guard of the future. Why don't you go and try to get a bigger opportunity elsewhere?
What about go ahead by.
I was just gonna say Kentucky signed a guy in the transfer portal before their sweet sixteen games.
They sure did the day's share of the beast Man.
Have weird times that we're in and that guy seems like he's pretty good.
He's exactly what they need. They need to get more athletic. I think we'd all agree that's kind of what their Achilles Hill was in some of these games. They kind of got routed or they just that was the Achilles hill against Tennessee. Tennessee just had more athletes. He could shoot too, and he can exactly. He does a little he's six eight at the place the three, four and two, a little bit mostly the three, but he's six eight, is a great wingspan. He's like you said, Billy shooting
forty one percent from three. I forget the volume, but it's high. It's well over one hundred and thirty shots. And then he averages over a block per game. So he could do a little bit of everything. And you know, obviously coming from two lane, there's gonna be a jump to the SEC. But the American is up there with one of the better mid major conferences. So I think that's a great start, and here's three years left.
To see athleticism. It's exactly what I was going to bring up. And by the way, Billy is like some people, I don't know how many. I love to know how many people went chalk the whole way. We know Jay Billis did, But kudos to you among us three.
You Aaron scot I was close. I had a two seed in Michigan State beating Auburn.
That's exactly what I had. And I'm watching that game and midway early in the third quarter is the moment I think. I've told you guys, there are times watching games, I don't care what the games are when I say to myself, they can't win. Generally it's a team. And it started with me covering Kentucky football for so many years, you know, and being on the field and watching them and seeing how they've just been overmatched, out class or whatever.
They can't win.
But if it's a close game back and forth, it generally comes down to defense and football or basketball. But if I'm looking at a game and I'm watching this team, some team overpower Kentucky on the field, I'm thinking they can't stop them, they can't stop them. You know, Well, Michigan State. I had that that moment early in the second half because Michigan state. As good as they were, as well coached as they were, they just weren't as
athletic as they They wouldn't. They couldn't jump as high, they couldn't run as fast, they couldn't move as quickly, and god knows, they couldn't shoot. And I don't know. If you you know more about this stuff, you keep a closer eye.
Than They were. Never a good shooting team, never.
But Aaron, they were the worst shooting team in a Big ten when it came to three point crazy. Had I known that, I never would have picked him. That was I don't know, Billy, if I'd gone Shock, was determined not to shock. But I don't know who else in that region.
Pick for me. There's been the eight final fours and they went That was why I did it, But I I took the risk. I didn't want to.
Maybe I would have said Iowa stayed. I don't know, yeah, without their point guard. I would have maybe with their point guard.
But look, that was a tough one, but it was a It's been a very obviously of four ones. But I mean, what does it mean?
Why is it so? Why was it so chalky?
What do you because all the best players at the mid majors went to the bigger schools.
That's a big part of it, I think, and this year there's I mean that, but even there's a gap between those four teams that we saw just clinched their bit of the final four and everybody else because honestly, outside of the you know, Florida had a bit of a scare against Texas Tech. Texas Tech choked that game away, but other than that, they were these these Elite eight games were not close and never really in question.
The final four teams though this year, how much did they benefit from the portal if at all? I mean, Duke, I mean Auburn got brooined, but that was two years ago. Yeah, but they added Miles Kelly, who we all saw go ballistic in this building. Uh, he's helped them a ton.
Uh. Duke added some big time role players, and obviously they're freshmen. The three freshmen are their stars. But yeah, Sion James and then I forget the other one they got that's a big piece of their puzzle. Houston's almost their whole starting five or transfers, they're not original Cougars. And then who's the other team Florida Florida, well, their whole Will Richards, I'm pretty sure transfer as well. Elijah Martin is in his first year at Florida from fau
Micah hanlocked in from Marshall. I mean they ruben Chiny, you lose from Washington State. Outside of Hawke and Condon, they're all They're a transfer portal team.
I will say Duke looked really good versus I don't know if that was a hangover game from Seiars scoring thirty plus and ten threes.
But Alabama sitting the record for man.
Oh b Yu Alabama was so much fun.
But then only Luke for binded everybody that this is what I missed that.
When I'm working with sweet sixte, I missed that.
Yeah, I mean by you kept it close. And then Alabama I've never I mean it's never happened before. They have twenty five thirties. They yeah, it was twenty five for fifty one. Most of them would they shoot against against something terrible like nine for Duke nine for thirty years only at six points. Series was terrible after he went for what do you go for thirty four?
Thirty four?
Well taking a witch now and somebody brought it up on the on the Pope Show. Tennessee went all in to be Kentucky. It had nothing left.
Their game against Houston were so similar to because you know, obviously Tennessee only scored fifteen in the first half. That was terrible. But they started to make a little bit of a run in the second half. They got it to like nine maybe sometimes, and then Houston would just hit a dagger every time. And that's what Houston. I mean. Kentucky only got it to twelve, but it did feel like every time it looked like someone like Tennis. Kentucky's
offense was better in the second half. It wasn't great, but it was better. But every time it would either be a second chance bucket or a big three from the near Zegra hit on the corner too far behind.
It was at one stretch. And mind you, I was again at the sweet sixteen the high school tournament, so I was kind of keeping an eye on the game. I tried to like sequester myself of that nin I need to know who won, because there was you know, people on press row that ended up on the computer. Oh they would have told you, yeah, you know, they
probably would have. So anyhow, I went back and watched it the next day, and you're right, from the from found number two on Butler to the end of the first half, that's that's where Tennessee built its lead and distanced itself from Kentucky. And then in the second half just just had to fight him off, you know, play him even and they did. Yep, So you know it was so now you got two teams from the SEC.
A lot of people thought they'll play each other.
Yeah about that.
And Todd Golden's first job I believe was on Bruce. I know he's for sure on Bruce. I think it was the first job a.
Guy who survived. Yeah. Did you get I thought he was done.
Did you get to watch any of Arkansas sixteen points?
Oh?
Yeah, I was watching that in the hotels. Yeah. I finished that thing in bed at the hotel.
That was Did you see it coming?
No? I honestly, like I, I didn't think they were gonna I didn't think Texas Tech was going to win that game until the last three that tied it and over. I really thought I thought our and so I would hang on. I really did.
I don't know. I was seeing too many of the same things.
Well, and somebody somebody complained about you know he went to that stallball. It was if it was I didn't see stallball, the kind that cost him at Kentucky when he put teams in a stall with eight.
Minutes, said that because terrible what he didn't do that the sequence I thought screwed them the most. I forget what they were up. You might remember Billy it was either no, it was three possessions. But they get an offensive rebound. They kick it right to DJ who's wide open for three. But we all know he's not a great three shooter. And he goes and puts up a three and he barely hits the rim Texas Tech gets the ball, they come down hit the three. Ye that
and that's that stall ball. That's rushing early in the shot clock when you could actually DJ hit stall J was.
Better this year from three, and he had hit one earlier. Yeah, so now he's in love with it, not his not. That's where you actually want to play stallball. When you get a second possession there and you want the guy running your offense to have that field. Know that. Yeah, so run some clock, but try to score.
Right and then look he he does. He's not going to foul, he's not gonna and he doubled down on it after the game. You do that, And he doubled down on the on the scramble play. Why why why? Here?
Here's the other thing, uh, filing when there's when you're up three that has to come at a specific time. Somebody said you should have foiled with nine seconds. That's too much time. That's an eternity. But somebody else said he should have done it when he was at Memphis statingainst.
Kansas and he tried, but they failed. They did a poor job, and you know, he they went back and showed the video and he shot the signal when he was with Memphis now to one of his players, it was like rubbing his chest and the player did it back to him. But they didn't execute it properly. They didn't do They did it poorly. You know, did you really work on that? You know that kind of thing.
So there are ways to get that done. And then he, you know, at Kentucky, he doubled down on I don't do that, and then he did it again at Arkansas. I'm like, how's that working for you? You know? Yeah, it's simple math, isn't it.
You'd think with the analytic age, some would just rather do it by their gut. I understand that happens to you once and you probably don't forget it.
I'm not a big you know, call time out play always depends on a team. You know, if you get a veteran team and there seconds left and they've been schooled, they know what to do with the basketball and it tights it. Yeah, but there are other teams that aren't good on it. But when you call time out'd you give the other guys a chance to set up their defense.
Well, DJ Whiter didn't pass the ball.
That was bull time both times in the scramble play shot. That's why you drop a play if you have the time out.
Yeah. No, that I don't get, by the way, and one of you missing is uh maybe off the ear. But how surprised are we about big.
Z being People on Twitter are killing me for being surprised. I know that Jonah a Do, the transfer from Tennessee, got hot at the end of the year and kind of took his job, but he's he's very loyal to Cal and rightfully so. I mean Cal fought his butt off eligible and that's what right on camera.
He fought for me, so I'm going to fight for him. That's why I'm at Arkansas. He fought for me. Yeah, so I guess I guess that only lasts.
Yeah, I mean, and who knows that could look we we know it now at Kentucky on the women's side of things, that could be a decision where Cal said, yeah, so so long Farewell.
What do you think he would do that with a guy, a guy with skills.
I'd not. I'm just out there, Yeah I wouldn't. I mean, now you look at Arkansas. I haven't done a deep dive, but I know, I just know off the top of my head, A dudes out of eligibility. I presume Adu is probably done with college. So you don't have a front court because I think I think they I don't. I know, they have a point guard coming in who's a five star, and they're other five stars either three or four, but they don't really have a front court right now.
Well, he had a much different role at the end of the year than he did at the beginning, because I mean, he was hitting the final shots if he were at least one or one or two.
He was a big part of their role. I mean when they got hot. I mean we saw him lighted up here at Rock, but he got hot for a while there. But uh, I know all the fans are like, oh, bring him back, bring him back. I don't think that's gonna happen.
No, bring them back.
Somebody somebody called Pope.
And bring them back. That was hilarious and Pope a good answers. I wish I could tell you everything, but I don't want to get to fire.
We'll step back, come back and talk more basketball, both Kentucky High School, the women's game, a lot of it here on the state wide edition of the BBI. From Pikeville to Paduca. It is the BBI. Dick Gabriel, Aaron Gershan and Billy rud Ledby are of course looking back on the Kentucky season, and the Wildcats were a pleasant surprise. And I think I don't know of anybody who believed they could get to the Final four this year. I mean, truthfully believe that once the season began and they beat
Duke and all that the expectations began to rise. But the floor was rising as well, sure, but I think everybody, for the most spart thought five hundred in the in the conference and maybe get to the second weekend. And that's what they did, better than five hundred and got to the second weekend. Question, But it was the way they did it along the line that style of play,
the brand of ball. But then they would they would beat somebody, beat Florida, beat Duke, all the quad one wins, and then lose games they were supposed to.
They didn't have a two and the SEC was really good. But they didn't have a two to zero week like same week Tuesday went Saturday game or Wednesday Saturday game until the last week of the regular season. They had some games where they won them splitting, right, they kept splitting like they'd win on Saturday, win the next Tuesday, but then they'd lose Saturday. Okay, so they never had in the same.
How many games in a row did they win?
I think two in SEC was their mouths. They never went to three. That's how good this SEC was.
That's true.
Kentucky was a little streaky, but I just go back to look, they beat Florida and they beat Duke. I'd still love to know if Jackson Robinson was able to never have the injury, and if Lamon Butler was back to one hundred percent what this could have been, because I mean, those are elite, and again, I don't I don't think they would have been the final four either way. I think their lack of athleticism was going to catch
up to them either way. But people forget, Like you look at Jackson Robinson's season numbers, they're like, all right, thirteen points per game is good, but in this league, it's not all conference or anything like that.
But he affects the way.
He affects the way they play. And in his last seven games before going down, yes, he was averaging eighteen points per game and shooting fifty two percent from three. I think they beat Tennessee, if that's what I'm saying.
And a Hill Butler, and although Butler's in foul troubles and I'll bet right, so.
I'm not and I'm not at all making an excuse for losing the Tennessee like, oh, they didn't have Jackson. But I just would love to know what the full ceiling of this team would have been, because they beat two of the teams that are still playing right now.
That's right.
Yeah, I kind of felt like Kobe Bray had to force a lot ter the Jackson Robinson injury. He just wasn't the same player that he wont to be. I don't think he was against Illinois. I think he improved, Actually, well he improved as a whole, but I think he was out of and you know.
They were sending doubles at him from not out of position, but the role that he is used to.
I mean, he's sixth man of the year and he was started the year like that as well, So he definitely had to evolve as the season went on.
His defense got better, it did, and he was getting to the rightack.
You remember early there were times they just couldn't play. He was so bad defensive.
They Well, if we're going to talk about growth, I got I mentioned Amarilute. You know there were times in the Tennessee game he didn't raise his hands for defense, and I think we all screamed. But that guy improved so much. Mark Pope said a number on the show tonight that he was the third most efficient player.
In the country.
Sounds right, and I did not expect that from.
Him, And wasn't Almanor in that scene?
Well, Almanor became I think Corey Price puted out that he's the first player in Kentucky history at a minimum fifty attempts, I want to say, to be a fifty from the field, forty or better from three, and then ninety percent or better from the free throw line. So he was a kind of a one trick pony player as but he played his role of exactly what he was supposed to do at a high level.
No, it was a fascinating year. It really was, and I don't think anyone's ever gonna forget it. I think, no matter what happens from here on, and a lot of it had to do with what happened prior to him getting here and where the program was. It was Yeah, oh my god. Yes, it wasn't in the same kind of shambles that it was when Patino took over, or even when Caliperi took over. You know, I mean, Billy Clyde at least got him to one NCAA tournament, and
you know, after that they won. I don't have any games, but no, they hadn't hit rock bottom and didn't have an empty roster.
But they did zero players, first team in NCAA history to have zero returning minutes and make the Sweet sixteen. They accomplished a lot. Obviously, you hate to fall short and you hate to hate it to be Tennessee. But now let me throw.
This sat at you, and I should have done this earlier, so maybe you can mull this over during the break. Somebody emailed me after the game and said he didn't think Kentucky was ready to play against Tennessee, and you know he so he put everything that happened in the game at the coaches feet, which which you know I do too, obviously, but that's college sports for you. Coaches are demi gods, and when a kid misses a shot,
it's a coach's fault and all that stuff. But I think we agreed that Barnes did a great job and there were strategical moves that paid off. But we'll talk about that on the other side of the break, and we'll look ahead the next season. I got a great look at Malachai Moreno boys. I watched him all week and he was playing like a grown man. You're right here on the State wide BBI welcome back. It is to say whye big Blue Insider, Dick Gabriel, Billy Rutledge,
Aaron Gershwan. All right, So I brought up before the break that a listener of viewer a fan emailed me and said he believed that the loss to Tennessee was Mark Pope's fault for not having his team ready to play. Mark Pope would probably agree with that, most coaches would. In fact, any coach worths Assault is not going to say not, well, you know Rup did, but you know the boys didn't do what I told him to do.
But I do think obviously Tennessee played better. Now, was there something that Mark Pope could have told his team and didn't? Is there something Rick Barnes told his team that he didn't tell him the first two games. Do a better job running him off the three point line? I think more than anything, he just appealed. Did he even have to say anything, Rick Barnes, You know they kicked your butts twice. We used to be the top
ranked team in the country. You know, do you really think they're that much better than we are?
Right? And look, Tennessee like Kentucky old team and in their case more continuity, not total continuity, because they had some transfers to Millichick para like not complete continuity. But Ziegler, Ganey, Mayshack and Ganey have been or excuse me, Mayshack and Ziegler have been there for four years. Ganey's been there for two as a fourth year senior transfer. So like they just like you said, they weren't gonna they knew what went wrong the first two games. They're well coached,
they're smart kids. They've been there, done that. They were in the Elite eight just last season, like three Straights, second weekends, battle tested group. They weren't gonna let Kentucky kill them the same way they did the first two games. And I'll tell you what I mean. I'm not gonna proclaim myself as a basketball expert by the basketball benny or I might be a basketball Bennie, but not an expert.
But I was sitting court side, obviously covering this game, and I didn't think Kentucky it was a lack of effort issue at all. I never, for one thought they looked like they didn't know what they were doing out there. I just thought they got out execute. That's what I hear, Billy.
When somebody says didn't em ready to play, I hear lack of effort. And I didn't see that.
No, I didn't.
No, you know it definitely started to set in in the second half, but the games in hand at that point. You know, while I said Kentucky played extremely efficient in the first two games versus Tennessee, Tennessee was the opposite. They were I mean, what fourteen to forty one.
Or something, eleven for forty five from three in the first game, in three for eighteen in the second.
So I mean, you you think that that's going to revert back to the mean a little bit.
The sharps were on it.
They had Tennessee as a favorite despite Kentucky winning twice in the regular season. So you know, it's just that's that's why they play the game, right. I mean, it can happen any given Sunday or in this instance, when you play in a football stadium in basketball, the only sight to do that.
It was so damn right the lights home and yeah, I mean it was the first thing. Kentucky held their open They had fifteen minutes worth the open practice on the date before the game last Thursday, and that's all any of the players or Mark Pope or the stat like, are these the lights that we're going to be using? And they're like yeah, and Pope kind of rolled his eyes, you're kidding me. And the players were like holding their hands over their eyes like it was bright as heck
in there. I had a buddy of mine who was on the Tennessee beat say, the ball players and coaches were saying the same thing, no kidding, everyone was ticked off about the lights. But yeah, I would agree with you, Billy. That was my first second weekend and first time covering a basketball game in a football building, football stadium, whatever. Don't love it, well, see, I've.
I've covered games there. Well, I take that back. You know, back when Kentucky used to play Indiana up there, they played in.
The RCAD, different building, yes, the old Colts.
Yeah, so a different lighting configuration. It was great, It was great. It was really well done. And of course I've been in the Georgia Dome. I've not yet been in the new one because my last gig with the SEC Network Radio network as producer was in. As I walked out, I turned around like They're going to tear this thing down on Monday. So I've not been in the new ones. So I've been in a lot of football stadiums that have been retrofitted for basketball. Don't like it,
Although I liked what they did in Georgia. You know, they didn't try to set it in the middle so that seventy thousand people. You know, they set it back in the corner. When Kentucky played Michigan State up in Detroit at the Lions Field and they raised the elevated the floor, put it right in the middle so they could set a record. It was it was awful. It was just it was just the sight lines were terrible.
What's the reasoning? Is it just money?
Because I mean they played right next to us, just just an NBA arena that would have had the same amount of capacity.
Is that a record they wanted to set? The rich they did seventy something thousand seats or whatever. And it wasn't because me, he was I knew I was gonna have a bad look at the game regardless. But we local TV. We were up in the press box. We're up near the roof of the building. I watched the game on a TV monitor because I could barely see that.
Yeah, some people need binoculars just to even make out what's going on down here.
Well there I was on the court, but the media overfall, luckily was in the three wells they have seven hundred level in that stadium. It's huge, and that's where the press boxes seven hundred levels. So but yeah, look, and by the way, Kentucky should just they have no choice if they get to the Final four next year, but they should just opt out of ever going to Indie again. That place is just it's cursed, man. I mean. Now they're fifteen and thirteen all time. Yeah, most season, most
of them a regular season. They've lost five in a row and they've all been pretty painful. And I mean, I guess the good news is the Champions Classic next year in New York. But they haven't been playing while there either Wall, yeah, John Wall did and Tyres Maxtt did too, But we'll see about the CBS Classic hasn't been revealed. So unless they're in the Final Four next year, they won't go back to Indy till December twenty seventh
or twenty twenty six when they play Indiana there. Because remember the Indiana Series is back, yeah, starting this season at rough Yeah how about that?
But why are they playing the Indiana game in Indy?
Well, John cal Perry hates Bloomington and he's the one that booked the series. Well, so this is it's a four game series. Here's we'll see. Maybe Mark Pope will be great and change it so we can have two and lex and two in Bloomington. But as of now this year in Louisville. Right, No, I've got it right here, Nozaga, that's this coming year, day before I get married, so I won't be there. But Mark, you Rubb Arena who decided that the wedding. Yeah, if you're going to Michigan, Jay, well,
I'm taking a big risk. Well I wouldn't call it Perry. No, No, I'm going to tell you the risk, and I'm putting zero faith in Mark stoops here. I'm get married on the day the SEC championship game. So they better not make it this year.
It's happening. He's a sports guy.
Wow, he's a sports guy.
So we had to come.
Okay, So I wanted to be your wedding on Derby.
So I wanted to get married. Listen, I wanted to get married in August, and that was our original plan. But Maddie's brother is in is going to serve our country. He's doing basic training and he won't be home. Nobody'll notice. They rejected his request. When he put it in. So we're not going to get married without him. Yeah.
Some friend of mine many many years ago scheduled her wedding for the day Kentucky played in nineteen ninety six Alabama football. Oh, and she said you're coming. I said, I said, no, I can't. I got it. And she goes, you don't have to go to every game. I said, my contract says yes, I do exactly. Kentucky ended up beating Alabama then tearing down the gold post.
So well, I'm banking on them not making the SECX Championship game. Wow, we're gonna I'm sorry, Mark, students, and I have no faith hope. If you're listening, it's the day of the SEC Football Championship, the Kenzag game. It's okay, I can miss one.
Batch knows you man.
So he's gonna miss Kentucky versus Bama in their first in their SEC champ football history. And then you're gonna miss Kentucky win in Nashville against Gonzaga.
Yeah.
I've been unlucky with this Kenzaga series. They've only gotten to go to one of them because two of them have been in Washington State.
But interesting, they so that means they have scheduled a Gonzaga game for the same day.
The night before they're playing Friday night on December fifth.
Oh, okay, okay, But the.
Indiana Series is a rop arena this year December twentieth, as this is alternative, uh, December twenty seventh of next year, twenty twenty six at Lucas Oil Stadium. Then come back to Lexington at Roup in twenty twenty seven, and then they finally go to Assembly Hall in twenty twenty eight.
Wow, maybe Mike.
Why did Mike Woodson sign that deal? I don't know, but he did.
Branching off a little bit. How about Mark Pope holding a picture with the media.
And yeah, that was something else a couple of weeks.
Have you ever seen that, Dick?
No? Never, Yeah, we were watching their open practice in Milwaukee and Ded was like on the media and any Lexington media, Mark Pope wants you to come out and take a picture with the team, where like a picture of the team, Like what do you mean And he's like no, they want you to jump in and we're all like looking at each other, like what old John cal Perry would want us under the arena. But so
it was cool. It was a nice gesture, you know, I was not expecting it and still kind of like what but very very nice of them.
I don't know if you did this on purpose. Maybe it's something he's done in the past, and it is two other head coaching Yes, possible. It reminds me I'm flashing on and I'm not saying that this is exactly what happened. But when Guy Morris took over as the head coach for how Mummy, by the time Hal left, Guy was not a hol Mummy fan. I can tell you that. I mean, he respected him as football couch.
She just didn't like the way he ran his program for a number in a number of ways because I remember at one point, you know, and how was kind of a contrarian, just like Billy.
But Billy I just think differently.
But how how would would He was one of those guys and I respected this who believed that you didn't need to be in your office twenty hours a day. And there's all kinds of empirical evidence about coaches killing themselves, especially in football, by you know, sleeping in the office or you know, just not having a life outside of football. And How's thing was you know when we're done, go home and on Sunday nights win or lose. They worked, of course, you know, breaking it was the autopsy like
Pope talked about. Everybody does, though they just Pope calls with the autopsy. But they had a buffet dinner. Everybody had a pot luck, I should say, at the Wildcat din and he brought their families like we we would a couple of times over there to shoot. The coach is showing his kids running around, like what's going on? Oh, we do this every Sunday. So how thought differently? But I remember Geimo pulling me aside one day said, man,
these guys weren't bankers hours. They go home at five o'clock or something like that, with this wonderment in his voice, like you just don't do that, you know. And guy was absolutely old school, you know, fifteen years in the NFL and it. But my point is he made gestures and moves where it looked like he was trying to be the anti hel which included when I interviewed him at halftime. Is I always do every coach in my career.
Yep.
I actually quit doing it with Bill Curry, whom I really lacking respective, but Bill wouldn't say anything. Bill was always like, yeah, we just you know, we know we didn't play. Well, we'll get it fixed, okay. But like Stoops is great, Stoops gives you pointed direct answers. How would y'all get away from me? Or you know, he wouldn't say anything to him or whatever. Guy, the very first time I did it, he puts his arm around my shoulders and walks me off the feet.
So he just wanted to be the anti hell that got that that impression.
So I don't know if if if Mark's trying to I know, and I'm not being cynical, I think this is a classic Mark Pope move from what I know about him.
Well, just go on your go onto your theory here. If you remember his press conference obviously in front.
Of We're gonna come to practice. Wait, remember he said I did say that. That wasn't where I was going. That's funny.
Well, I was just saying he went on and rattled so off all these things that drove Kentucky fans nuts about cal We're gonna go win in the SEC tournament. We're gonna go back to Malli and play these non conference tournaments we're gonna do this, We're gonna do that, like ore in state, recruiting, all these things that drive the fan base bonkers about Cal. He's like, we are going to change that. And so I.
Didn't actually say that, but he just say he that was just it was between a lot. I was like, yeah, I mean, you know what I you know, we all know what you're hinting. Somebody told me this, yo. Yeah, but we all looked and you were there. We're all thinking the same thing. Boy, somebody prepped him really well, no card, you know you know what I was.
Oh, I was going to say, there's no way that's all him, all him right now, knowing what I know about him now covering him for a season, there was no way that was given to him. He had that all in his head.
But it may also be and be wonder from afar now. And and I don't mean just geographically, I mean professionally. He's busy coaching in Utah Valley State. He's busy coaching and recruiting for BYU.
Sure, but did he know it.
We're friends telling him nothing, Perry guy, you know, so it must have been in the back of his head. I'm sure I'm sure it was.
Yeah, I don't think he's lying when he said he's always been a diehard fan.
Oh sure, yeah.
Just go look at that corny video he made way back when when he was coaching at By.
Yeah so well listen. And again, thanks to the lack of archiving prowess at KYT, I did what I could right after the ninety six championship. I don't remember who
set it up or how or why. Maybe it was host Communications or IMG whoever had it, I don't know, But I found myself in our studio, in the TV studio and we had a little you know, set there and Mark Pope sitting there by himself and I'm sitting there off camera, and I fired questions at him for about an hour and we just rolled tape and I cut that all up and turned it into a special with Mark Polpe reliving the season and Buddy when they hired him. I tore that attic apart looking for nobody
saved them. Nobody saved him. That'd have been a great watch, you know. But on Pro Day on the telecast, one of the questions I asked him, I said, I'm not sure old you are, but you're fifty one, fifty two, whatever, I said, you were here for three years. People forget that aid a red shirty, of course, but that year was as important as any. Sure, So he's he was here for three of his fifty one or two years. So what is that six percent of his life?
Low percent, basically low percent, and.
Yet it had such an incredible, profound effect on him. I mean it stamped him forever, which I thought was fascinating. Yeah, and now he's talking to recruits that way. And that's what I asked him by I said, how do you plan to instill that in in your players? You know? And it's it's really going to happen organically. But I I mean, Billy, you based based on what these kids said this year, they don't want to turn their jerseys in. I think it was legit.
It was no Yeah, I think it translated.
And that's why I think it's genuine out of him and not just somebody giving him a note card or telling him the points to say, because he's got the blue and white in him and he knew.
I think that some.
Of the fan base was yearning for some of those things, There's no doubt. But you know, it's also difficult and different to coach in this era of college basketball.
So even with the.
You know you are one of us, it is, you still need to adapt and have new ideas.
And his do.
Game like offense was something that I think we got to hyped ourselves up a little bit over the summer, and I think it delivered for a lot of for a lot of.
Pot until the injuries.
They played it. Oh yeah, that's Florida.
Oh absolutely, that's how they beat them.
Well, they also benefited from Florida missing free throws a third of their free throws.
They did score a hundred points, they did, but what you knows, a bunch of frerow missed the front ends stuff.
And they played at eleven am, which was good for our old guys.
You're looking right at me, Billy.
They can just go right to the Golden Corral right after.
Man. Before I moved to where I live now, where I have my garage and where I produced my local show, I lived over on the northeast side of town, happily so for nineteen years, and there's a Golden Corral within walking distance of my home. I think I went there twice that nineteen years.
Have been a rewards member, really and you're half my age. The chocolate fountain they got going on here, I mean, where are you going.
To find that a wedding?
And then right across the street was a huge buffet as well. But yeah, that's some of my favorite Chinese restaurants. I'm gonna put out of business by buffets. It's hard to compete. Oh, we get up on that tangent. All right. When we come back, we're going to talk about Malachi Marino and some of the other recruits. We're gonna talk about the future on the other side of the break here on the state wide BBI final segment of our final show. We thank you so much for being with us.
You can listen to The Big Blue Insider on the local show on Mondays and that will air till seven thirty and WLAP here and Lexion and then it's the Nick Minngione Show with Darren Hedrick. Uh. Wildcats have a big series coming up this weekend with Old Miss. They survived and they played well at time, didn't pitch well, but managed to take two out of three from an A and M team that's just befuddled all of college there.
They're coach leaving for Texas.
Really yeah, but they were still preseason number one.
Yeah. Just they'll never see the top twenty five again. All of SEC Baseball twitters that their coach is gonna be a one and done so tough situation.
It ain't working for him.
Are you surprised that we have a curfew rule in twenty twenty five?
No? No, not without sport. Yeah.
I don't like it.
Even the billions of dollars that sports makes and gambling affect him.
Can't get a commercial flight. A little later in the day.
I watched Kentucky down at LSU complete like an inning in nine minutes or something like that. Oh yeah, they needed excuse me, and they ended up the game ended.
Up a tie. I mean there was a coach A and M's coach told his guys to intentionally strike out so they can get that inning.
I would think so. Yeah, But just I covered the that's why your kids took a mountain covered the Sweet sixteen. I saw almost every game. Billy was there for a couple of games. Some of you listening may have seen some of it on TV. Great Crossing wins it after being beaten in the Final four last year, which amazed me. When you got a guy with the size and skills of Morino, but he's he was better this year and
that team has more than just him. They got Vince Dawson who's going to Warrid State and other kids who can play. But Billy went to see South Oldham play, and you've got some ties to south Oldham.
That's where I went to high school, so I had to go and support. I think it was the farthest and Oldham County team has been because I believe Oldham County also made the Final four a couple of years ago.
North Oldham was I think, Yeah, beat him in the district, or beat him in a district championship south old and beat them in the regional.
Well it's funny because I went to the first South game and it was packed. I mean they brought the buses over. Everybody was there. And then I went back Saturday morning and not much nobody there. It's like you don't get school off and nobody came. But congratulations to Great Crossing Malachaburn.
They wore those neon yellowish green shirts.
Oh the South studentman. Yeah, and we did that in twenty thirteen, did you really? Yeah, that's great I love that.
But at any rate, you're gonna like You're gonna like Moreno a great kid. And I will tell you this that my daughter who's been a teacher for a couple of years at at Bowling Green, she teaches special needs I'm looking At'm reading a great crossing. She teaches works with special needs children. And there are other students who are part of a program who volunteer to come help, and several of the basketball players do it, and Moreno is one of them. So she loves him. And because
of that she called me. When she called me, had just met Hubert Davis in the school recruiting Moreno, I just met Mike Woodson. You know that people like that. And then one day, hey, I just met Mark Pope said, there it is, you know. So anyway, fans, you're gonna like him. I think you're gonna like this Kentucky recruiting class as well. The question is who joins them. I have enjoyed being with Billy and Aaron, and I thank them very much for their time. They will be on
my show locally. Billy's got his local show every morning at nine am on most of these same stations. Follow Aaron in the pages of the Cat's Pause or online. You can't just type in catspaws dot com anymore. Key yes, they're still default too. Okay, good, all right, well I urge you to do that. Thanks so much for joining us. That's it. Good night from Lexington.