It's time for coffee and company, fueled by Thornton's on Sports Talk seven nine day. Now here's Nick coffee.
All right, let's get it started. Hour number two here on a Monday afternoon coffee and company fuel about Thornton's here on Sports Talk seven ninety. Hopefully you had yourselves a good weekend. I know I did. Busy weekend went by really really fast. But that you know that that's usually a good thing. That means I was staying active, staying busy.
Uh.
And Saturday, we went to the the annual Black and Yellow Ball. It's part of the Molly Johnson Foundation, one of their one of their annual events they have to help raise money for families of special needs children. And uh, first of all, it's it's an awesome event in the organization is uh, you know, it's the first time I've really gotten to I mean, I've been to different events that are in place to help raise money for great
causes and all that stuff's great. And I mean, like you know, sometimes even if people are out there doing things because they want to be able to show, hey, look at me, I'm doing all this and I'll for you know, to help like either way because I choose to believe that there are people who maybe wouldn't be out here donating money for certain things and helping great causes if they didn't have the ability to have somebody film them doing it or post on social media about it.
But at the end of the day, it doesn't matter. If they're still doing it and donating money and giving up their time and helping for great causes, that's a great thing. But this is the one that really had you know, I'm very close to the foundation here, and it worked out where I think it was probably about six to seven years ago, maybe a little bit longer
than that, maybe eight was. I ended up going to the event for the first time just because I have some friends who are close with the family that started the organization, Jojo and Robin, who lost their daughter Molly many years ago when she was young, and since then they've just they've they've created a foundation that has really grown over the years, and they raised so much money to help families who have special needs children when there's
things that come up that insurance isn't going to cover, or you know, maybe maybe you we could get you a wheelchair ramp that could help make life a little easy for you getting in and out of the house with your child and things like that. And you know, at the time, I mean I remember really just kind of hearing their story, hearing Jojo talk about Molly and
the event itself. I mean, they each and every year they kind of highlight all that they do, which which is great, and it really, you know, it hit me and I at the time, I had a daughter. My daughter was a baby, very young. If anything, she might have been too, but I don't even think she was
that old. And I had no clue at the time where I that I was going to be the father of a special needs child and that my daughter would have, you know, have her diagnosis intellectually disabled and severely autistic.
So to kind of have the realization that that was going to be our life and and and you know that that's that's what it is, you know, not not easy, but to kind of have already had kind of that experience being around people who who also had a special needs child and unfortunately they lost their daughter, but to see all the great things they've done and and just to kind of, I guess, more than anything, be around the special needs community, those that have special needs brothers,
sisters or children, you know it. I think a lot of things in life are about timing. In fact, it's everything. It's kind of how I view the world, good bad, you know, you chalk it up to timing wasn't right or man timing couldn't have worked out better. That's just kind of how I've It's kind of how I viewed things, and I feel like meeting them when I did, and things kind of playing out for me the way they did like that. I don't think that's by coincidence. I
don't think that's random. So we had the event on set Saturday and a great turnout, a lot of money raised, and was was a was a really really good time. In fact, such a good time that I was telling Austin before the show started today, like kind I kind of feel like I'm riding a two day hangover. I mean, I'm not hungover as we speak, and usually once once the show gets going, uh and the energies there, I'm
good and I'm good now. And it would be an exaggeration to say that I was hungover for two days. But you know, the brain fog didn't really fade today. Yesterday was a day of kind of just you know, recovering, watching football, kind of laying low. And this morning I got up and I had to had to get the kids out of the house, had to take my daughter Maya to speech therapy and take Moose to daycare, and you know, I was up and at it, but man,
I hit a wall around lunchtime. Like man, I think I'm still kind of recovering from from a from a long but awesome night of party and having a good time and right all for all for a good cause. And we got to dress up. I don't really dress up often because dude, you look sharp, thank you. And the Mercedes too. Yep, we uh we. It's a really easy event to to find clothes that work, at least I believe it is because it's it's called the Black
and Yellow Bil. Therefore everybody there wears black and yellow and most people just have like a black suit or you know, but I have a yellow shirt that that complimented my shoes really well. So this year was easy. I just wore my suit but it had a yellow had a yellow shirt to wear with it, and I went with the the black and yellow Nike dunks, which
which compliment which worked perfect. You know, wearing tennis shoes with a with the suit kind of felt weird, but you know, off, yeah, other people were doing it too, and I kind of feel like, you know, there are it's I don't know when when it switched, and I would be the last person to talk style with anybody, but that is kind of now a thing, you know, because I thought to myself, hey, that'll look ridiculous wearing
tennis shoes with it. But like if you I guess it really depends on sort of the event, Like if I would say, like wedding, funeral, like you're probably rarely going to see anybody throwing on tennis shoes with the suit. But if you watch like TV now like style in that way, like people who are on set for ESPN or five, like more often than not they're wearing athletic
shoes with their suit. And that became, you know, first of all, way more comfortable than wearing dress shoes because those are the most uncomfortable things ever.
But yeah, you put the fun back in fundraiser.
I like being able to like Derby, and that event is when I really actually you know, dress up. Now if I go to a wedding, I don't wear a suit necessarily, but usually I got to wear something pretty formal for a wedding. But I don't go to that many weddings, So if it's just two times a year where I got to find something nice to wear, I actually think that's actually enjoy that. In fact, I ran into you where was it we were getting ready for
Derby Il. Yeah, that's right, randomly ran into austin it Coles as we're both kind of scrambling, and I think we were both looked day before. We were both looking for one specific random thing to like compliment our outfit that makes sense.
Tie it all together.
Yeah, so it it worked out, but yeah, good weekend.
I forgot.
I'm paying for it. It was random as hell because because it was it was the cold that's over by Oxmore Mall, which I never ever go there. In fact, I think it's the only time I've ever been there, and it's got an upstairs and sure enough, there you were, I've ran into you.
Coles has a great return policy too, Yes they do. I always have fun with that. Yeah, I mean you don't need to own the suit, ain't know, No, don't even necessarily need the receipt.
My people like Coal's they gotcha. They do.
So I don't buy club mean again, like I usually Birthday and Christmas mostly like mostly Christmas. Like my wife will know what I would like as far as like what to wear, like she's she's got me. I mean, I'm pretty easy to figure out right, like hoodies, jeans, like I don't have some big crazy wardrobe. But I oftentimes don't buy myself clothes like I will when I feel like I need something or if I see something online that I like, like I'll buy clothes, but I
guess I just never really pay attention to price. And it's not because you know, I got money falling up my rear in but I just you know, I don't buy clothes enough to really know what's considered expensive or what's not. And there's certain stores where like where I go in there, like if I'm going to Macy's, I kind of know I'm probably going to be looking at at a steeper price than maybe what I would see
at a place like Coal's or something. Right, but one place that I just could not but like I was, I never go there, but I randomly ended up there just because I needed to stop. It was it was near me. It was Meyer. I went to Meyer to get something totally random. Oh yeah, and I saw the men's clothes selection and I thought, you know, like I would never think to get close here, but man, like this, they got a pretty decent selection for dudes. But I
couldn't believe the price. I'm like, do you realize this is Meyer? Like what this?
That's true?
This hoodie is fifty nine to ninety nine?
Like that's true?
I mean, so walk in there thinking like this is a place so you can probably kind of get a discount. Yeah, and no, not I mean there.
I mean I feel like I could go to like an actual store, meaning like you know, a store at the outlet malls that that you know they only specifically sell their brand, and it's a pretty decent brand that you know is not going to be like super cheap. Like I feel like I could get stuff at a place like that cheaper than what I was seeing on the racket Mere. Again, maybe it's good quality, but I don't know. Maybe it's one of those things where everything seems to be a lot more expensive than it needs
to be. I mean that that seems to be where we are with the economy. But there's always things that randomly I'll purchase and I'll be like, wait a second, Like I had no clue rugs were expensive. Oh dude, pillows, yeah, trash can. My wife bought a new rug for our living room and it's really nice and I like it. It's it's a little bigger than the one that we had, it's a slightly different color. It complements the floor really really well, and you know, I liked it. And she
was like, well, wouldn't believe what it costs. And I was like what And she told me and I was like what wows Like, yeah, that's kind of and I'm like, wait a second, did you You probably bought some fancy food food, Like you probably bought a nice rug that we didn't really need. You could have gone cheaper, and
I didn't. You know, I didn't pick a fight with her, but I've then looked it up online of like the regular price for any standard rug, and I'm like, well, she wouldn't Kidding's right, rugs, rugs, and blinds, like what, like again for what I would have? No, I've never purchased them before. Probably won't, you know, because thankfully i've you know, usually where I live with my mother, she purchased that whenever. You know, when I got married, my
wife's buying all that kind of stuff. But it's just when you have when I have zero experienced buying certain things, I guess I really don't know what to expect. But man, there's certain random things. I'm like, why would that cost that much?
Now, when Tiffany buys stuff, like if she goes out and buys a rug, or if she were to go buy like new curtains or something, is she self sustaining?
Does she do that herself? The oh?
Or is she the buyer and then she's you take care of it since you're the guy.
No, she she's very much do it herself. She'll I mean, in fact, uh, she sitting you here there. Sometimes she buys stuff that like I probably would have told her
we don't need to buy that. And sometimes I'm like, because I don't want to like go through the work of replacing what she's But but if she's got a good radar meeting, if she knows that like I'm gonna maybe bitch about having to, you know, pull up the couch and move everything in the round so we can replace the rugs, She'll just find a way to do it herself interesting because she you know, she knows me well uh and you know, I'm not a hard gut to figure out.
To be honest, I'll sometimes come home to like a new uh uh, like a dresser or like a shoe rack or something that's like still in the box, and it's like.
Guess what you get to do today?
Yeah?
That And gotta be honest, man, that would that wouldn't be fun.
There's like a million screws and there's like, uh, there's instructions and I'm like, for for a shoe rack, and but I'm just lazy. I'm not a hands on guy ever. It never been a hands on guy. Never been a fix it guy.
Never been.
I've always worked on the buddy system, Like yeah, I'll get a buddy to come over and we'll do that.
I think you and I are probably alike where if we did purchase something that wasn't like you know, hey this broke, so we need to replace it. If we just we knew eventually we were gonna like, for example, if we got a rug and this is what we did.
She got a new rug just because she wanted to like ours was a little bit older, but it wasn't something like that we needed to replace, right, But like if I would have purchased it, it would have just set there for like six months not being replaced, because you know, I got a parlay to build, honey, Like yeah, like come on, like where like you know where my priorities are.
I'm trying to look at the l I U spread and you want me to put something important in this house?
That's a no.
So you did mention parlays or I mentioned Parlay. You told me beforehand you had a good weekend gambling, right, Yeah.
I had had a fun weekend. Let me, I'm gonna find out exactly what it was. And I know, I know this is what everybody tunes into the show for. But it's uh because I was texting our other body, Billy, about this. So I was watching the uh oh, it was Washington State and Saint Mary's, Saint Mary's was Saint Mary's was favor or yeah, Saint Mary's was favored by six, but I took the Washington State spread. But what's even crazier is I'm watching that game unfold and Saint Mary's
is up like five with nineteen seconds ago. Then Washington State on the inbounds just throws it away with like nineteen seconds. So Saint Mary's gets a ball back, hits the free throws and then are up by seven and there's like six seconds left, So there's six seconds left on the clock, and they just let Washington State just kind of like blow by them for the layup for the last second cover And that's what ended up getting me at that point. And no, that's I ended up
winning off of that. So they after they hit those free throws, I'm like, oh great, they went they went up seven, and then h Washington Skate gets the ball back, Saint Mary's just kind of lets him go down there and cover the spread.
So something like that, all right, I think that kind of the opposite of a bad beat, and it's like a good beat, yeah, but somebody, like somebody had a bad beat and you benefited from it, right, So like if you if that if that meaningless bucket would have lost you your wagers, certainly, I think that would qualify for the bad beat. But the bad beat kind of
went your way. Yes, Now, when that happens, and it's happened to me before, like I've ended up having a bet come through a parlay or maybe just a straight bet to where I absolutely realized that there was luck involved and that that keeps me humble, meaning like I don't get more greedy. I don't find myself you know, thinking I'm I'm great at this. I think for me, you know, the bad losses and the law and the wins that come with luck, that's what's made it to
where it's just fun. It's not like I'm out here doing it trying to you know, have a new career and and you know, supplement my income or anything like that. But I've had in fact, I feel like more often than not, if and honestly, if you if you hit a four plus leg parlay, just what I build anymore, I feel like there's a good sen there's a good chance that if it wins, more often than not, you're going to realize you did, in fact have some luck go your way, right, Like, at the end of the day,
you got it right. So I'm not saying you only win those things based off luck, but you know, there's a reason you get there's a reason you get paid a lot of money when those things come through. Because it's very very difficult, very difficult.
To me, this to happen this dap and this one and last one. Yesterday it was the it was the Illinois in Northwestern game, and Illinois was seven and a half point favorites, and they were up by like double digits almost the whole game, and then I think they
ended up going They ended up winning by nine. But right as soon as right Illinois is coming up with the ball, they're up nine, and they're just kind of letting the clock run out ten nine, eight, and the point guard just like lets the ball go and it's just like dribbling and remaining to lose its bounce at half court line while the point guards just going and
dapping up everybody. Meanwhile, the clock's still taking down ten seconds left, and I'm sitting there praying, please, no one picked that up and go the other way just because you want to play until the final horn.
But thank goodness, that's.
What we're going.
But it worked out perfectly.
But I'm sitting there watching the guy just pull up all right, just run these seconds off, and then he just drops the ball and just goes and starts dapping up everybody, Like thank goodness that there wasn't a try hard out there that wanted to go do that, and then that happened a couple of years ago with like Kansas, Kansas where they just ended up coming down and dunking, and dude thought he was all that.
And it was Kansas and Monmouth.
That's right, That's right.
And the only reason I remember it is because of what you said. How the guy. I don't I believe the player that he had no clue that like what he did was gonna either win people a lot of money or lose them a lot of money depending on what they did. But I mean that was early in the stages of gambling. Not only I mean that was right around the time it clearly wasn't legal here yet.
But I mean, gambling's been a thing for a long time now as far as like you know, society, but it being legalized in so many states is what really really has been in your face, which is why we talked about a couple of weeks ago, the announcers that want to do the cutesie thing about like they got to hide what they're talking about, Like that's so lame.
It's just I mean, oh, that basket help some people, although there's some people waiting to see you know what this you know, whenever there's a bucket that you know, this is like their their go to.
If there's a bucket scored at any point late in a game that has no impact on the game itself, but it does in fact put somebody over the over or spread. That's when they get cute and like, I don't know, it just seems it'd be different if it was still some this underworld thing that you really had to go off shore to do, or you know, you had to go to Vegas. But man, like it's it's pretty much legal almost everywhere. I mean not everywhere, but close to it.
No, I'm gonna need like Tony Romo at the next one to be like, nah, I don't know, Jim, Jam Jim, you'll go right here, hits the over gym, Jim Jim.
They were spread was six Jim.
I went from thinking he was such a breath of fresh air as a broadcaster to now I'm just annoyed by Romo.
Yeah. Oh, he's a couple of years of moved from the game.
When he first got got rom fatigue.
He knew Romo fatigue, well, he knew he's so far removed from playing, and he knew like a lot of people and all the game has just evolved in that he's just sort of lost it because he's so far removed. That's why Tom Brady's starting to get.
A little bit better.
And I didn't realize it at the time, but like it is annoying every play for you to predict it and tell us what's gonna happen, Like it might be impressive every now and then, and that's what really made it, Like this guy knows everything. And then now it's like, okay, just just call the action, man. We don't need you to flor Jim Aunt, Jim quick break. We'll talk some college hoops on the other side right here on Sports Talk seven.
Ninety Now back to coffee and company, fueled by Thornton's on Sports Talk seven nine.
Day, there's a wild stat that probably won't surprise you given what Patrick Mahomes has been able to do in his young NFL career.
I mean, he's not young, but he's certainly not old. He's not thirty yet, and he's potentially about to get his fourth super Bowl. And I don't I think I've made it pretty clear. I'm tired of it, but hard not to respect that he's I mean, he's he's a legend already. He benefits from, you know, a great organization
behind him, great great head coach. Jones is probably the biggest unsung hero for the Chiefs in the last you know, four or five years, because I mean he's been dominant, and yet think about how distant he is when you talk about the Chiefs and how great they are, right, I mean, it's Mahomes, Kelsey, Taylor Swift, maybe then Andy Reid, and then you know, then they might bring up Chris Jones, who of course is great on defense. But this is the Mahome stat went down one to eight points in
the fourth quarter or ot of NFL playoff games. Patrick Mahomes again, fourth quarter or overtime when his team is down between one and eight points. This is his stat line forty to fifty six for five hundred and fifty two passing yards, five passing touchdowns, zero interceptions, one rushing touchdown, one hundred and thirty two point two passer rating, and the Chiefs have scored on thirteen or fourteen drives in those situations. Again, I mean, he plays, he's his best
football in situations like that. He's he's clutch and sometimes he hasn't even really needed to be because they've just been that good. But at times, whenever they're trailing or it's tied, I mean, even if it's just a close game, I mean, he'll he'll find a way to make a play. And I don't see that changing anytime soon. But be nice, I mean, the Eagles winning would not I mean, I think what's happened here is that the fact that the
Chiefs are even in the Super Bowl. Any't talk if their like dynasty slipping away because they potentially lose this game to the Eagles. I mean, that'll probably just be wishful thinking by a lot of people. And look, even if they would have lost to the uh, you know, to the to the to the Bills yesterday, or maybe lost their first I mean, I mean highly doubt that,
you know, it was very unprobable. But regardless, let's say they missed the playoffs this year, in all aspects, like it wouldn't have meant that they are never going to be good again. But I guess what I'm getting at is like, if you're somebody that is that is tied tired of this whole thing, I don't think it's stopping anytime soon. I really don't. So whatever way you got to find, whatever way you need to find, you know, to be able to better, to be able to better
deal with it. Everybody's different, right Like for me, I don't really know what I've done in the last twenty four hours. I suppose is kind of think, Okay, should I maybe like embrace them more and just accept that, Yeah, despite not liking the Chiefs and wanting them to lose, like they're going to probably be here for a while, so I should just you know, view them differently. But
I can't do it. Like last night, I mean, when the game was coming to an end, I just turned it off because I didn't want to see them celebrate, Like it's the last thing I wanted to see. And I'm such a hater, and I don't want to be a hater, but I am. But it does make me feel good to know that I am.
I'm not alone.
I also know that I'm not alone when it comes to just enjoying this Louisvel basketball season. And we did not get to enjoy this team play over the weekend. They had the week off and that wasn't fun. But I don't feel like the momentum at least, you know, the fans or feeling the energy from the fan base right now in regards to the program. Even despite no
game over the weekend, it's still really really high. I mean it's just nice to be out and about and just to you know, wanting to talk Louisville basketball with people again, like going out. You know, I'm not going door to door talking to strangers. Hey have you seen how good the Louisville basketball teams played?
But like you want to talk about our Lord and savior Patkelsey.
Yeah, I mean he is our savior. And look, it's not like I get stopped all the time. But for a couple of years, if somebody was going to talk lois of basketball and they were like, hey, listen to the show, or hey, you know, what do you think about this? And that, I mean it was it wasn't a fun conversation, you know, it was it was depressing. But now you know, it's much different, and I want to I want to watch him play every night. Like
I wish they had a game every day. I know that's not realistic and whatnot, but the week off I've been fiening for some Louisville hoops and we'll get to see him on tomorrow night actually when they take on wake Forest and we've got we got tomorrow to kind of get into that matchup and whatnot. But over the weekend, you're continue to see things that just remind you that this group is different. And I mean, I don't know any of these guys personally. In fact, I would say
ninety nine percent of our audience doesn't. I mean unless you have some type of relationship with them and you've gotten to know them or something like that. But they've just been a nice reminder that, look, winning is what fans care the most about, right, and you want to win at a high level. But what I said a couple of weeks ago, I think it even seems more like I feel more confident in this now, just with
the way these guys have kind of carried themselves. And you had Saturday or was it half your team showed up to see Pat Kelsey's son play in his game. Johnny Kelsey has had a little league and maybe it was a school game, but half the team showed up to support him. And then you see that they go to the Louisville hockey game at least a couple of
them did and like that. Maybe you know, the grand scheme of things, that's not some huge deal, but you know, these what I said a few weeks ago that I was going to bring up again, We'll never be able to I'll never be able to prove it. And maybe you know, maybe you disagree, and that's fine, But I do think that this group, everybody from top to bottom, and I'm talking Kelsey, his staff, his players, it just seems like everybody that's here and is a part of
the ride that you know wasn't here previously. Because it's all brand new, they have a real level of like appreciating what Louisville basketball is and can be. And I think that's one of the reasons as to why they put in so much work and why this thing is working so far. I mean, it's just the first year and I'm not even really thinking about long term or even really I mean, I'm not even thinking about the tournament just yet, because I, like many I'm just enjoying
the ride. It's been a lot of fun. But I think you could have the same record. This is what I was getting at. I think you could have the same record, be in the same position top twenty five, And if the players kind of didn't carry themselves the way that they do, and Pat Kelsey wasn't the coach, and you weren't doing this despite losing some key guys to injury, it wouldn't be as enjoyable. And at the end of the day, if the results of their results,
that's what it is. And maybe there are some of you that are listening here, like Nick, I don't give it damn about any of that stuff.
Just go win.
I don't care what they're doing off the field or off the court. I don't care that they seem likable or anything like that. I just want them to win. And that's the way you see it.
Cool.
But like I think things have lined up here in the timing has made it to where not only is Louisville looking like a surefire tournament team right now, they're back into the top twenty five, they're now up to number twenty one. I mean, all that's great, but I think the other things has has done a bigger has done a better job, and I guess the healing process. And that sounds dramatic because at the end of the day, Louisville having a couple really I guess a few really
bad basketball seasons. I mean, that's not good for anybody, But you know, it's not like it's the end of the world. It's not. I mean, I never felt like Louisville basketball would never get back, But I also don't know if I could have realistically told you that a year ago said they would be in the position they are now. And I don't necessarily just mean this record and being in the top twenty five. It wouldn't have
it wouldn't have floored me. But I think what's really been an eye opener is just to see how enjoyable every aspect of this has been for fans. And I shouldn't be surprised, I guess, because I mean, I'm well aware of how much Louisville basketball means to people, and
the awful, awful years that you had recently. That's a reminder of it, But that's a reminder of it, like in a sad way, like right, I didn't know how much joy I'd be losing by having a team that was in a situation like this, But there's certain things you don't really know and learn until you know you go through these experiences. And we had an experience that was awful for a few years, and now, you know, we'll see how things finish. I have no reason to
think they won't keep winning. I'm not sure if they're going to go undefeated the rest of the way in the regular season, but just to know that that's like a realistic thing because of their schedule and of course how well they've played up to this point and the kind of run that they're on right now, I mean,
that's just exciting. It really is. And even though I was, you know, feeding for some Louisville hoops and not wanting them to have a full week off, to know how much I missed it and to know that I wasn't alone, It's just, man, it's a fun ride. And I've been so repetitive when it comes to talking about this team in this season because we really have been doing kind of the same show when it comes to Louisville basketball for weeks now, right They keep going out there and
playing at a really high level. And I mean, I wasn't worried about SMU, but I kept thinking to myself, like should I be worried? You know, maybe this SMU team is in fact a lot better than people realize, Well, then Louisville goes out there and they were up thirty for a good chunk of that game, won it by
twenty five. And by the way, SMU then went on the road and beat NC State, which NC State's not having a great year, but I mean SMU will probably still end up finishing in the top five of the ACC, which again probably says more about the ACC than anything else. But that's another example of how timing is is kind
of you know, it's on our side, I suppose. And what I mean by that is in previous years, I think I would have, like, you know, if Louisville was in this position and it wasn't year one of Pat Kelce, they weren't coming off of a four win season and an eight win season, but yet they were still right here looking like the second best team in the ACC, looking like a Serfire tournament team, and they're in the
top twenty one. Because they're up to twenty one down the Ape pole, I feel like I would have been a little triggered and bothered by the ACC being as bad as it is. I would have been triggered by talking heads, meaning, you know, asking if Louisville is actually any good at all because the ACC is so down. I mean, I feel like I probably, I mean, there's nothing I would have been able to do about it.
It's not like I wouldn't have enjoyed it, but like, I just so don't care about any of that right now, just because again, I'm enjoying the ride that they've been on. Really, I mean, since Pat Kelsey got here, there's been some real enthusiasm that he's injected into the program. That's been great,
it's been what we've needed. But this run they've been on since January, I mean, this has been I mean, if they win tomorrow, that'll that'll put them Let me pull up the schedule here, because they've got tomorrow night wake for US, which they're currently projected to win by ten according to kin Pom here, and their next game is Saturday, which is February first. So I mean, let's say they win, and let's say they win by the projected score here from the ken Pom formula, they win
seventy four to sixty four. I mean, you're going to cap off a month that was I mean, absolutely phenomenal basketball. Your closest game would have been the win at Pittsburgh. But other than that, I mean you're talking. You beat Carolina about thirteen, beat Virginia by twenty, beat Clemson by ten. Again I mentioned pitt that was a four point win for you on the road. You beat Syracuse by twenty four, you beat Virginia by fourteen, you beat SMU by twenty five.
And again, I know, as I say this, there's many of you thinking, well, yeah, what do you expect? The ACC sucks? Well, I don't care. Again, I'm not saying you're wrong. The league is down in a major way, and I guess that's a nice way of saying that
the league kind of sucks this year. But I'd be a liar if I said I cared at all, because it's not just like and I think you can and I could be wrong here, but you've seen teams that you know aren't great or aren't playing well, and they're able to beat a team you know that is just worse than them. But Louisville's playing really good basketball regardless of the competition. And I'm sure if they were playing an SEC schedule during January, not an ACC schedule, would
they be undefeated. Surely not. But both things can be true, Louisll's playing really good basketball, and also you know they're taking advantage of a league that's that's not what it usually is. Which we'll get to this on the other side, because wait, Forest, I mean, I guess I'm resetting this from last week, but I'm telling you, man, like they played Duke competitively. They lost that game by seven points.
It was real close late and I don't know how good Wake is, but if they just didn't schedule the way they did, they would safely be in the tournament right now. And I happen to think that they almost are in. I mean, I think they're in a position where I shouldn't say they have no chance of making it. But look, it's the end of January. Here, they're at seventy three in the kin Palm, and I think right
around there in the net. I mean, I'm just mad at them because I think tomorrow a win for Louisville actually would be a pretty impressive win because of how well Wake is played, But the numbers aren't going to tell you that, and it's just it all could have been avoided. I mean, I'm looking at it from the Louisville perspective, like, hey, you should you should have better numbers. Want we want more credit when we beat you, if,
of course we do beat you. But like if I'm a wake Forest fan, whoever puts your schedule together, like they should be held accountable because it's a big factor in why you're probably not going to go to the tournament. I quick break will come back and wrap up the four o'clock hour. On the other side, it's coffee and company. Felbout Thornon right here on Sports Talk seven ninety.
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I've neglected the text line today and I'll I'll apologize. Five two six five three zero seven ninety is the Ellen n Federal Credit Union text line. If you guys want to text in, we don't have much time left here, but if you want to give us a call, we'll we'll certainly get to your calls on the five o'clock hour five o two, five to seven to one seventy
nine hundred. But this text came in earlier and says Nick, am I the only one watching Kentucky and realizing we should have beat them, and if we'd have played him now it might be a different game, might be. I mean, Kentucky losing to Vandy over the weekend isn't like some huge surprise because I mean they were on the road. Vandy, I mean, is Vandy rank now, I wouldn't be shocked if they are. It is their second top ten team that they beat, right yeah, up to number twenty four.
And look, we talked about it last week, Vandy. If that's one of the worst teams in the SEC, that speaks to how good the SEC is. But I'm not sure they're one of the worst teams honestly looking at I mean, i'd say South Carolina and Arkansas and LSU and you probably have to throw Georgia and Oklahoma in there. Honestly,
which Oklahoma be being you know, I guess. I mean, Oklahoma's still fifteen and four, but they're two and four in league play, and I mean it doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things, but that's a team that Louisville lost to. Therefore, if they do well and stay in the top fifty, it'll be a quad one. But yeah, Vandy, I mean, I mean, Vandy right now is four and three in the league, alongside Tennessee, Texas A and m
Mississippi State, and yeah, that's it. So with Vandy beating Kentucky and Tennessee, I mean, I think it's clear they're not one of the worst teams in that league, and they're actually pretty good. In Kentucky bad, I mean, they weren't they did. It was weird how Kentucky ended up kind of getting really not not blown out, but I mean it was getting away from him at the end of the half. I mean, I don't remember what it was half as far as the score, but they were
down I think it was nearly fifteen. Well, Kentucky clawed all the way back, took the lead, got up like seven or eight, and then it kind of just, you know, it slipped away from him. So Kentucky I think they did well. They didn't have Andrew Carr and that that's that's an issue. I mean, he obviously is somebody that is valuable to them, and without him, they're just not as good. I mean, they got to play guys who you know, probably they wouldn't play as many minutes if
if if Andrew Carr was healthy. So it doesn't sound like he's gonna be back this week. Maybe even longer. Pope was kind of vague, but it sounds like they're gonna kind of let him heel up, and maybe he's been playing hurt for weeks now and now they're gonna let him rest and clearly try to make it to where he's as healthy as can be. When you get to later in the season, whenever, you know it matters more. But to answer your question, yeah, I mean I think
Louisville played Kentucky on a neutral floor right now. Yeah, I mean I think they could win. I don't know if they would, but I mean, look, they could have beat him in rough they did, and Kentucky deserves credit for winning, and you know they were better that night and wouldn't be shocked if they played again and Kentucky won, just because again, Kentucky's a good team. And I wish I could take more joy in their losses in SEC play.
I mean, I did enjoy it Saturday. I'm not gonna lie because you know, I like when the rival loses. But I also don't think that they're a bad team by any means, Like, I don't think they're falling apart. I just think they're gonna be one of those teams in the SEC that ends up with a pretty you know, mid record and league play. But yet the resume their numbers, right, the net ranking is probably gonna be pretty strong to
where they're gonna get a good seed. I mean, I heard Matt bring it up on KSR today asking if he felt like he has any worry that Kentucky's gonna make the tournament, and I thought, that's insane, Like, I don't know how they could miss the tournament, but I guess if the losses just start to really pile up, maybe that's a conversation. But I'm telling you they're gonna lose games and not fall at all in the net. Now, the net is not the end all be all, but
of course is what the NC double. It's what the committee uses to I mean, they use that number more than any other number. They also, you would think, use their eyeballs, and they're aware not every quad one win is the same value that kind of stuff, so it matters.
But I mean, they're fourteen, and I guess if you are worried that they're not gonna make the tournament, if you're a Kentucky fan, it would just be that you realize you've now lost to at least one team, maybe two teams in your league that you know aren't going to be like, be honest, the Oklahoma I'm sorry, not Oklahoma,
but Georgia. That loss doesn't look very good now. I mean it's probably, But again with that said, as long as Georgia stays in the top, you know, well, I guess a quad one loss is on the at somebody who was a quater one loss is when you play somebody at their place and they're in the top seventy five.
I mean, Georgia could keep losing and not fall that far, because again, you're playing some of the best teams in the country night in a night out, So any conversation about them not making the tournament, I have a hard time seeing that happen. But I don't know. Again, you still have to play Tennessee, who you traveled to Knoxville to play them tomorrow. They're clearly one of the best teams in the country. You did beat Florida, but you're
gonna have to play them again at their place. You will play at Alabama, who got you at home just a couple of weeks ago. But look, they still have South Carolina, Arkansas LSU, Oklahoma Texas. I mean, those are games that Kentucky should win, regardless if they're at home or on the road. However, doesn't mean they're going to
right like they should have beat Bandy. If they play Vandy ten times, they probably win seven or eight, maybe even more, I don't know, maybe they get nine and the only loss that they would take is the one that they just suffered. So I just I think Kentucky's been a really easy team to figure out. When they end up getting the game played at their style, the way they want to play fast, then they can find themselves in a situation where they can beat anybody. I mean,
they were right there and just couldn't outlast Alabama. They beat Florida, They have wins against a Gonzaga and Duke, which again, those are really valuable. So they're clearly as dangerous as maybe anybody when things are going well for them and they're making shots and they're playing at their pace.
But they're also vulnerable in a way that you wouldn't like a team that can be as good as they are, you wouldn't expect him to be as vulnerable as they are at times where a game is not played really fast, it's slow. The team knows, hey, we're just going to be really physical and kind of rough them up. Like that makes it to where they can mess around and not lose to anybody necessarily. But you know, they can lose to Georgia, who at this point doesn't look like,
you know, a very good team. You know, their Ohio State loss doesn't really look like that good of a loss right now, Clemson. Clemson's taking advantage of the ACC being what it is, just like Louisville is, so that loss doesn't look terrible it was at their place. But you know, I don't know. I just I wish I could lie to you if you're a Louisville fan and like you know, you were taking great enjoyment in Kentucky struggling.
I mean, I'm with you on that, like I'd like to see them lose, but I can't sit In fact, I guess what's really hard for me to say is the more I watch them play games like they do, like they played against Andy on Saturday and they lost, the more I realize from a personnel standpoint, I don't think this team should be nearly as good as they are, as far as their resume in the record. I think they're having a really good season because of Mark Pope.
He's got some good pieces to work with. I'm not acting like he's out here coaching a bunch of walk Ons, but you know, I think Mark Pope's doing a good job with what he has. But if they don't have Andrew Carr like for the foreseeable future, that could change things clearly. All right, quick break, We got the five o'clock hour coming up. Stick around right here on Sports Talk seven ninety