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 start at five o'clock on a Wednesday afternoon, cold, very cold.
Actually, what's snowing on my way in? But I have no clue.
I've learned to stop giving you any kind of half assed weather update on this show, because once I walk in this building, I don't see I mean, actually, I never really thought about it this way. Once I walk in here, I don't see any light until the next morning when I wake up because there's no windows. When I get out of here at like six o'clock, it's dark. So I guess I should start saying goodbye to daylight whenever I get here, even if it's like one o'clock.
But anyways, it's cold outside and we had some snow going on. I'm not sure what's going on now, but I've talked up this snowstorm quite a bit this week, just because I give the guys who projected it, the guys and gals, the local mediorologists, and I guess anybody in meteorology that was predicting us getting a lot of snow they were right, and I'm fine with it. I don't you know, it's not really inconvenience me in a major way, and I happen to enjoy when we get
some snow. If it's going to be cold, might as well get snow. That's the way I see it. So you know, I'm not been against it. Wouldn't mind getting
a little bit more. But this could just be fear mongering. However, there are some folks that claim this region we'll have the worst winter we've had in like decades, which that probably won't be fun for a lot of people because at some point, you know, you get a little stir crazy if you're snowed in and kids start missing school, and that's usually an inconvenience for parents and that kind of stuff. So we are getting more snow later this week.
I guess on Friday we could get another good snowstorm. And I think it's supposed to, I mean, because all we need is some warm weather to melt this and then we're back. You know, it's kind of back to how winter typically is around here, because to be honest with you, we've had really really cold winters here and there without any snow. This has just been one where we've actually, at least as of the last few days, we've had a lot of snow that we typically don't get.
So I think Sunday.
We'll get temperatures above freezing and then it's all gonna melt. And who knows, Maybe they're wrong and this isn't some crazy bad winter when it comes to winter weather. Maybe it's just the one off storm we just have, but we shall see. But I love this time of year because college basketball seems to really get roll and everybody's playing conference games. Last night it was a big night in college basketball, Louisville of course, coming out on the
winning end once again. We'll get back into that. As you could imagine. We've discussed that quite a bit.
Today.
Kentucky takes a loss on the road, and I think it's just a reminder this team, when they're good and it's at their pace, they can beat anybody. But they also are vulnerable if it's the opposite, meaning it's not at their pace. College basketballs and is really getting getting geared up, and then of course you've got college football playoffs about.
To uh to come to an end.
We'll find a champion in college football, which again this I keep forgetting it because this is the first year of this format, this schedule, to where I kind of feel like football season's over at the college level, But the NFL playoffs start this weekend, and I'm real, real excited when it comes to that. Now, Lamar Jackson and the Ravens they're taking on the Steelers, and as of right now, the Ravens are favored by nine and a half.
I'm really surprised by that number. I think they're better than the Steelers, and if I had to bet the spread here, I would take them to cover because I trust I mean, I know that they're a lot that they're better than Pittsburgh. And Pittsburgh is entering the postseason with like no momentum. Aren't they coming off like five straight losses?
Yeah?
Four or five straight losses for the Steelers.
Are now fed up with Mike Tomlin and the way that he's carrying things. They might have people want him fired for a reason. I know that there have been some ruts that people beloved.
Guy out there.
He's just they don't have a coaching problem, they just might have a quarterback problem.
Yeah, chill out, And I mean Tomlin's one of those guys that I think has for many years been able not every year, but in many years he's been there, he's been able to kind of hide that they've always done more with less. I mean, they've gotten the most you could ever get out of certain players and you don't realize it at the time, and then they move on elsewhere and they're out of the league. And I'm not even just talking about Antonio Brown and Levey on
Bell that's a different situation. But like they've had receivers that you're like, oh, wow, this guy. Mean, Deantay Johnson's out of the NFL, is he not? Like he's been cut by like three teams this year. Mike Wallace, yea who's out of Juju Smith Schuster who's out of the league, that was there for a while, that was from Notre Dame Claypool. So they've historically gotten way more out of players than anybody else can.
And they always go to the cheap route.
And again Tomlin has fit that Steeler DNA to where they just they do it their way and they've got the formula to make that work more often than not. But they've also been blessed with some really good players when it comes to them being able to maximize it and win Super Bowls. And I just don't really know, Like on offense, like who I mean, I think they got a lot more out of Rustle than I thought
they would have. But you know, he kind of at this point in his career, he's just still really inconsistent. When he's on, he can make some plays, but like, do you trust him to make a run in the postseason? Probably not, So they got no momentum right now, And in a way that kind of makes me be a little more fearful of him, because like that's Tomlin's a guy that can get his guys ready to play, especially when nobody's expecting them to win. Like he's They've always
come up big when they were doubted. In fact, I don't know what the record is now, but at one point, his record as far as winning games straight up that he's favored in it'll blow your mind. It Actually, the number itself probably wouldn't surprise you.
But that's because you know what.
A lot of teams in the end, a lot of coaches in the NFL, when they're underdogs, they rarely went out right. You know, often than not, they may cover the spread, but winning outrights a little bit different. So the Steelers worry me a little bit in that regard. But it is in Baltimore. But then again, Baltimore is
like known to not have some great atmosphere. That is really you know, of all the teams in the postseason, I shouldn't say all of them, but like, if this game we're in Pittsburgh and the roles were reversed and Pittsburgh was the favorite in a better spot, there'd be a whole lot Well, you're not gonna go into Pittsburgh win like, not in the playoffs.
Not with that.
I mean, there's people are fearful the Ravens.
I don't think much of it is to do with the fact that they've got some crazy atmosphere. So I'm starting to get in my own head here when it comes to Lamar, because today he won another award. And this is not me just saying this about Lamar. I've said this many times when it comes to these type of awards.
Lamar probably isn't.
Gonna win the MVP, even though I think he should, and a lot of people seem to think he should. But I get why Josh Allen will get it. And it's it's you know, it's just how.
Oh it is.
I still don't.
Yeah, well, I'm with thank you, because I you know, his team's better by a few wins or whatnot. But in every other way, Lamar has I mean, when Lamar put it this way, Lamar has done better this year than any year, including two where he won MVP. So he's upped what has already been rewarded as an NFL season with Josh Allen. Like in most instances, I feel like people would say, well, hey man, what a hell of a season from Josh Allen. But you know, like
Lamar is just crazy good. And I think maybe there are people like you and I probably see it that way.
They just see that he has no Josh Allen, that he has no weapons around him. I mean, I know they lost to Fon Diggs last year, and that's fine, and James Cook as a serviceable running back. It's not like he's anything special. But it's not like Josh Allen's numbers are throwing you completely out of this world when up against Lamar Jackson, who everyone the biggest culprit against him as well. They got Derrick Henry this year and that's fine. Is a fly Hours is an okay receiver.
Sharp Bateman is just finally now came into his own. He's been in the league for about like eight nine years.
Yeah, Babman finally broke through little.
Bit, Isaiah likely and that Mark Andrews who's been who hasn't been doing anything other than like the last four or five weeks. So, I mean, the the case for at least for me, and I guess obviously for you, is he should be the MVP. Is his touchdown interception ratio is just ridiculous. The yards that he's had. It would be in the first player to over four thousand yards and and and and have what eight hundred yards
rushing something like that. It's it's just absolutely ridiculous. He topped what he did last year.
Yeah, and and I think again the only claim that could be made because again nobody will say this, but and it sounds crazy, but I'm telling you as dumb as it sounds. One of the factors that that that if he doesn't win well that it'll be is people just don't want to give it to somebody for the third time and give it to him in back to back years. You want something new and something different. In again, people may not even realize that's why they vote for Alan over him, because if you're I mean.
It's just it.
And that's the same thing with the heisman. I don't necessarily you know, it doesn't make it doesn't make sense. But it's really kind of always been that way. And another factor is with Lamar, like he's better this year than he's been in other years. But maybe you're gonna need to be a lot better because you've you know, you've set you've set yourself up here with a standard that's insanely high, and even if you do slightly go above, maybe people need to see more before they're ready to
just say, okay, no, this guy is the best. So anyways, if you're gonna make the case about Josh Allen, well it's team's better. Okay, Well, if you want to play that game, we can. Yeah, they have a couple more wins, but they also got beat bad by Baltimore, and Lamar had a way better game than Josh Allen did in that night. In fact, that was a bigger night where Josh Allen, if I remember correctly, played poorly than it was Lamar just went insane. Lamar, you know, got the
job done, played well like he typically does. But you know, like so I really don't. The only thing I could think of it to why somebody would give it to Josh Allen was just because they're they're tired. Let's give it to somebody different this year. But we shall see. But back to the whole award that he won today, he in the eyes of NFL players, Lamar Jackson was the best quarterback in the league. And here's how you know that. The NFL Players Association, they don't do MVPs.
They do all pro and again Players Association, the NFL, your peers. They those who are going to work with you or against you every day. Those who are in your profession, your peers, they vote, they think you are the best. And by the way, Lamar is a pretty likable guy, so it's not uncommon for him to get
gassed up. But you can just tell, like people some of the players in the NFL, like, who's ever taken a shot at Lamar Jackson in the NFL, like in the media or you know, And it's not to say that people who take shots like it's valid, but people know not to even like go like Lamar Jackson has earned the respective of NFL players in a major way.
And that's not even that's not a shot at Josh Allen.
But like that, if I was Lamar and I worried about the NFL MVP Award, which he should, he may say that he doesn't, and maybe he doesn't.
I don't know.
Lamar's a different guy. He's a very humble, competitive dude, and he's just different. And I mean that in a good way.
He's special.
But it's normal to want to have your your accolades, you know.
Makes sense.
But the one that's going to get talked about, the one that actually is the MVP award that is recognized by everybody, is the NFL MVP Award that is given out at the end of the season, meaning you know it'll be out before too.
They don't. They don't announce it. Do they announce her in the playoffs? I don't know either way.
Yeah, it's like right before the Super Bowl.
Okay, So anyways, what I was getting at is that's the one that like counts. When people say he got an MVP, they're referencing referencing that, But if you really think about it, what actually I think is more impressive and that should have more like internal value is the dudes who have to go against you saying that you are the best.
That is.
I mean, that's got to be one of the most gratifying feelings ever in sports, when you you know you have that respect among your peers, even if they hate you, they respect the hell out of you.
And they know that you're that good.
The same thing with Donovan Mitchell whenever he won the NBA Players Association Rookie of the Year by a landslide, whereas the media vote went to Ben Simmons, who was a red shirt rookie. You remember that controversy. That's a big deal of course back in the day. So Donovan he got the one that I think would actually give you more gratification, and Lamar has done that here. We'll
see what happens with the actual award. I just when I see Alan continuously being the betting favorite, I guess they've been wrong before on that, but I just think it's gonna be Josh Allen.
Don't you get that vibe Austin.
That it's going to be Josh Allen. Yeah, it's what I'm and once again that's I just I just don't see it yeah, and.
It's great, and I think the Bills are really good. They made win the super Bowl. But the NFL MVP Award is a regular season award, and I don't I mean, to me, it's quite clear who the best player in the lead is. You know, actually, are we biased? Like again, there are other people who don't care about Lamar that that that are saying that.
I mean, he's I mean, just go look at under every comment thread after a game that they're after, like a good game from Lamar versus a good game from like a Josh Allen, like a Buffalo fan. Seems like only Buffalo fans want him to win. I think the average NFL fan, I think they love Lamar Jackson. I don't think that they've I think they come around to just calling him the regular season merchant rather than playoffs. Of course, we're all still waiting to see how this
how this playoff run goes. But you can't deny everything that he's done. I mean he has. He has forty one touchdown passes to four interceptions and a sixty six percent completion rate. He's just absolutely insane. And the whole imagine Bill Pollian right now, imagine the people that wanted him to be a wide receiver a running back when he came in. Imagine taking Josh Rosen over this guy.
I mean, I would be sick. I mean, and he's out of the league. And the only thing that could make you feel better is knowing everybody else did it right, Like it wasn't as if you were that you had the number one pick and you drafted Ryan Leaf and not Peyton Manning, Right, you know, that's different that you are the sole franchise that that just you know, had the opportunity and passed on it. Everybody passed on it, So I guess you don't feel as bad knowing that others.
But imagine also not taking a run at him. Imagine him being an MVP, having one season where he was hurt and and you know, the team was underwhelming and he was a free agent and no not one call. Now again, tough to really know how that played out because how the message gets out right or wrong. And by the way, there was no messaging because Lamara's have an agent. The agents are in charge of all that. So I mean, I don't think that anybody, even those
that were truly all in. I mean, look, I always felt like anybody, anybody who claimed he wasn't a quarterback didn't watch him. They were just honestly, they're doing the stereotypical stuff and they were, and he was so good at running the ball, that's what That's what got way more attention. When to this day, if Lamar Jackson is gonna get a play, that's gonna get people jumping out of their chair. People's share like, you won't believe what
Lamar Jackson just did. Not out of ten times, it's gonna be him doing something with his legs, either going and you know, taking off and you know, taking one to the house, or using his legs to keep a play alive and then make a ridiculous throw. Like it's gonna be him utilizing what makes him different than any other quarterback that's ever played the game.
So when that happens in.
College, they just that's just all they think of. But I didn't, you know, clearly, Lamar wasn't wasn't a super accurate guy, and he's not perfect now, but he's gotten so much better in that area. So what what I was getting at is, I don't think anybody, even those that were the most optimistic about his time in the NFL.
I don't think anybody true thought he'd be this because this is just rarely do guys get better at something that is that is at times of a weakness in the NFL because you know you're going up against the best in the world. And Lamar he was good enough to still win and make plays. But what used to be not like a big weakness to where he was terrible at it, but clearly what made him dangerous was his legs. Well, now he's a guy that he don't even you know he can use him and they certainly are.
They come in handy at times. But he's also been one of the most accurate passers in the NFL this year by a landslide.
I mean.
Some of these metrics that you see, these stats like, I don't even know how they come up with this, and I choose to trust him. Maybe I'm a fool, but when you look at Lamar Jackson having a one point four turnover worthy play rate this year, that I mean, think about that, and I'm sure he's had a couple since this was last a stat that kept getting thrown out there or a clip I should say, they kept getting thrown out there for at least the first half
of the season. I think two of his three interceptions were quite literally good passes that his guys, his guys you know, screwed up, which happens sometimes, so like he's having and I guess that's why I'm always going to be rooting for Lamar and whatnot. But that's why I just think the NFL MVP is a ridiculous thing to even consider it going to anybody else. I clearly at this point it seems like we know who's gonna get it, and it's not gonna be him. But this year he's
playing the best football of his life. And that doesn't mean that you know, it's only because he has a better supporting cast now, and you know what that's doing is it's helping him. He's playing even better because they've got a better run game now that Derek Henry's there, he's got some weapons of receiver finally. But that shouldn't be held against him, right, I mean, in fact, I think it speaks to how impressive it was for him to get to MVPs before he had this kind of help.
So that's clearly my team when it comes to the playoffs. My team, of course, probably will not make the playoffs for a long time, so pulling for the and I'll always pull for the Ravens regardless, which somebody asked me this yesterday, Austin and I, I don't know if I've ever I've never been in this, I've never been in
this position. But like if if like the ray if the Colts and the Ravens played, I mean I would I would have to pull for the Ravens, sure, because you know, if the Colts are in the playoffs, I guess that means they're doing something right. But like they need like them winning would would they wouldn't. They wouldn't gain anything from that.
It would be an upset and then they would probably.
Get beat again, and it would be they get beat in the next round, and then they'd still have not a great draft pick, and it would just be the revolving cycle. It would be them continuing to be able to claim that they're content with being you know, extremely mid or slightly below mid. So anyways, I'm all in on the on the Ravens. I know Austin, he's got a team they're purple, but not the Ravens.
It's the Vikings. I can't wait for the NFL playoffs this weekend. We'll talk more about it super wild card weekends, super super stuff.
We'll talk more about it throughout uh I guess well tomorrow and maybe a little bit later on the five o'clock car. But we got to get back to the basketball stuff, because what a when, what a vibe currently there is with Louis of basketball good stuff. Kentucky they come up short, and I still think they've you know, they're a damn good team.
They've shown at this point they could beat anybody.
But man, they've also shown that for a team that is that good, at times, they can find themselves in very vulnerable spots, which I think says more than anything about the That says more about the SEC than anything. But that could also lead to Kentucky having like a record and leak play that would you know, get him in the tournament, but maybe at like a I don't know what kind of seed. So we'll get to all that in a lot more stick around right here on Sports Talk seven ninety.
Now back to coffee and company, fueled by Thornton's on Sports Talk seven to nine.
Day, real quick, before we get back into basketball, a lot of talk about Lamar Jackson, because you know, he's one of the best players on the planet. Also a guy that people around here care a lot about because he's a former Louis of a Cardinal. Another former little Cardinal had a phenomenal season in the NFL. I guess I think it's his second year. Ya ya Dabi?
That's right, I mean he was.
I mean, talk about a breakout year for him with the Buccaneers. He was named the Divisional the Conference Player of the Month. Just I think that was handed out earlier today for how well he did in the month of December. So really really impressive season for him.
This is crazy.
This is from the Buccaneers pr Yayaidiabi became the six players since twenty seventeen in the NFL to record twelve sacks or twelve plus sacks, twenty five plus quarterback hits, and twenty five plus tackles for loss across their first thirty four career games played. So that seems like a
very specific cherry pick stat. And the reason these things are worth bringing up is because, as random as it is, when you look at who else has done it one, not many, but the few that have kind of tells you you're off to a phenomenal start in your career. The only others who could make that same claim Micah Parsons, Nick Bosa, Max Crosby, Bradley Chubb, and Miles Garrett some great company. So that this guy is doing some statistically meaning yeah, yeah, that only those guys did in their
first thirty four career games. So phenomenal, phenomenal season for him. And look, anytime you've got representation in the NFL or the NBA for that matter, that's going to help you way more than it could ever hurt you. All Right, it's Coffee and Company. Fiel about Thornton's here on Sports
Talk seven ninety. Thanks for hanging out with us. We got about thirty minutes left, and as you could expect, we've talked a whole a whole lot of Louisville basketball today and we'll get back into that coming up here in just a moment. I actually want to let you guys hear a little bit of what Pat Kelsey had to say last night. But on the Kentucky side, if I was a Kentucky fan, I wouldn't be worried about you know, how good are you?
Like?
I think there's their season thus far playing out the way that it has. It's it's not about can you be good and beat like you know, you're no longer worried about or maybe you were never worried about.
You beat Duke and what the third game of the season.
So Kaintucky fans realize that they are like they're good enough when things are going their way and they're playing well and the game is played at their pace, and especially when they're on their home floor, like they're good enough to beat anybody.
And that's a good. That's a good. Not many teams are gonna be able to say that.
But you also have a specific style that quite clearly gives you problems. And there's many teams in the SEC that may not be great, but they're good and what they do well really could cause problems for you as far as the matchup, and that comes to games without as many possessions as Mark Pope wants, and games that
are very physical. So it's kind of a wild ride for them the rest of the way, right, Like a win at home against number nine Alabama next Saturday doesn't sound unrealistic, right because they just beat Florida at home, who then last night Florida beats Tennessee about thirty to give Tennessee their first loss.
But Mississippi State on the road, they're good, and look at how they play slow.
And they want to beat up, they want to make it a street fight, and that's not a good matchup for Kentucky. So you often hear this and it's such a such a general thing to say, but like it's
all about the matchup. Well, I think it really is with this team, because look, they could still beat teams that want to play ugly and slow it down and get physical, because Kentucky has shown that they certainly have a good team with good players that you know can beat anybody, but they're vulnerable when they are playing those kind of teams. And when you have such a loaded league, I mean, it could result in you having I mean, right now Kentucky is projected to finish within nine and
nine record in the SEC. I mean that that would probably just the pure number. I mean again, that would be five hundred. As you I'm sure you know and you can count, you know how numbers and math work, But like it'd be hard to look at that knowing the Kentucky program and their standards. There expectations and say that was a good year, but you also realize, hey, we're a good team and we play in a league that is having a year that nobody thought possible when
it comes to just how loaded the SEC is. So I think it really it comes down to two things. Them being able to get into the style and the pace they want, and of course guys knocking down shots. Or maybe they do get better in these kind of games against these kind of teams, but so far it's been pretty clear that they're not very good in these situations. Because I'll be honest with you, this is not to take credit away from Louisville, and I don't even want to say it because I don't want it to be
used against me. But like, I don't think Clemson's that good. If I'm being one thousand percent real with you, I think they're a good team. That will you know, they're clearly good for the ACC and they're not a bad team. They're more so a good team than a bad team. But like what I'm giving you an example of Kentucky could have easily won that game and they didn't play well at Clemson. So you know, you know, I just for Kentucky.
They could get better in that area.
But when you think about sort of like their makeup and sort of their team as a whole, I just think that's it's hard for guys to recreate themselves when they're twenty two to twenty three years old, Right, you can get better. Maybe maybe Pope put some in fact when they went zone against Gonzaga and made some late adjustments in that game when it was slowed down and it was possession for possession rather than just a lot of possessions. That was impressive and that was a good
That was a good sign from Pope. But they've been in that spot a couple of times now where they've really just had to guard in the half court and they've had to produce in the half court when it's not up tempo. And again they've they've shown that they can play better than they play, you know, last night against Georgia, but again it just comes down to them
being a very vulnerable team in those games. And this you can do with this, You can do whatever you want with this stat but I just thought it was interesting wanted to share with you. Mark Pope in his last four seasons, including this season, he is eleven and twenty one straight up in true road games and thirteen and nineteen against the spread. Again, do with that what you want, but keep in mind that's Pope in true road games when he was at BYU and in at
Kentucky and at BYU. I mean they play in the Big Twelve. That's a tough league. How long were they in the Big Twelve? Was it only one year? Because if that's the case, then some of those road true road losses at BYU WOU would have been when they were in whatever conference that Gonzaga was in, because BYU wasn't in the Mountain West?
Were they Anyways? It doesn't matter.
So Pope being a coach that doesn't have a good record in true road games, I don't think it means really much of anything because I don't think what he mean. Again, I think Pope's a really good coach. I would imagine that he lost true road games. Probably a lot of those true road games were games that, like his team wasn't expected to win or supposed to win, because you know, his teams at BYU were fine, but not to this
Kentucky team. Because again, now he's a coach just like Pat Kelsey, where the ceiling becomes a lot higher for them because one, they've got what you need to be a good coach at this level, but now they've just got resources and a vehicle essentially to navigate through this sport that they've never had before. But yeah, I was surprised to see that eleven and twenty one straight up in true road games in the last four years for Mark Pope.
Right.
So back before we get to this Pat Kelsey sound, we talked earlier about Mick Cronin and just how you know, he's kind of the worst, just a really unlikable, got good coach, but I don't think he's as great as he thinks he is, and it would not have been
a good fit here with where we were in real time. Now, maybe we would have had to go through a lot of pain before he got us back to where we wanted to be if he was hired, But like, we didn't have time to wait, and Josh Hurd I think knew that end McK cronin was just not realistic in any way because of the stupid contract that UCLA gave him.
So I'll let you guys.
Hear this sound for our five o'clock crew that that doesn't understand the context. This is Rick cronin last night after he lost by twenty points to Michigan.
This is mc cronin last night.
But we don't play. We're soft, and so don't tell me you want to win, Like, just don't tell me you want to win. So just don't tell me you want to win. It's crazy, you know.
And it's every day.
I'm tired of it. It's every day I have the most energy of all of anybody at practice. Every day I'm upset with everybody in that locker room, my assistant coaches and my players. I mean, I don't need to do anything else. I almost got five hundred wins. I'm only fifty three. I mean it's a joke.
It's a joke.
But yet I come in and I have more passion and energy and pride than everybody in.
That's the problem.
So what the truth of it has been, it's really hard to coach people that are delusional. The hungry dog gets the bone. We got guys that think they're way better than they are. They're nice kids, they're completely delusional about who they are.
So for context, for those that weren't with us in the four o'clock hour. You know, first of all, just a reminder of the Mick cron And he seems like a real joy and he seems like a real nice, likable guy, you know, and look doesn't mean he's a terrible guy. I don't know him personally, and he's a good coach. But like I just I never I never had any energy for entertaining Cronin as a candidate because it just wasn't realistic for a variety of reasons, but
most importantly the money he is. Nobody would pay to buy him out of his contract, and if you were going to, he wouldn't be the guy to do it because he's not that good, So he just wouldn't have been It wouldn't have been a great fit. And likability matters unless you're really, really, really good at all times.
You never fade because they can. Fans will ride with you with a big upset or a down year or two if you're unlikable and a jerk, but you you have proven to be one of the best out there and they know there's nobody they would be that they could get to be better. You can be unlikable in that role and it won't matter as much. But you know who's not in that position, nearly everybody. There's not many coming, but cal look at him. That ended really poorly. To be honest with you, he was on top of
the world. He was doing the same stuff, but he was winning at a high level and it was adorable in the eyes of his fans until it wasn't and they realized, we can do better than this bum, And now it's happening right before their eyes. So, you know,
likability does matter. If they like you and they respect you, they feel like you're you're you know, they don't know you personally, but they feel like you're They feel like you're a good enough guy and easy to root for, and you give it your all and you appreciate the job and appreciate the fans, and you're humble.
That can help you a lot. But Cronin has none of that.
So the reason I wanted to bring it up is because somebody text in and said, Nick, let me pull it up here.
Says Nick, call me old school.
I actually prefer and love coaches that coach the way Mick Cronin does. But these guys are gonna have to realize you are not going to be able to succeed at a high level with that same approach in this new world totally right. I mean, I don't want to write Mick Cronin off like he'll never win again, but
that like everything you heard about last night. And I think even if we weren't in the nil world and the portal world where college players have so much more power than they've ever had, even if we were still in the old school ways, the old amateurism model, you could still play that sound of Mick cronin in one think he sounds like an insufferable, angry little man, but also claim that you know, how about you don't throw everybody under the bus and act like you mean, it's
just an arrogant look. He doesn't even like so again, even take away the money in the Portland all that kind of stuff, like coaches who do that, who always just throw their players under the bus. That's usually never a good look. And the ones who can, you know, get away with that. Rick Patino he did it a lot when he was here, you know why, because he was and he wanted a really high level, and he also did it to motivate his players, and it worked.
But it was a different world and he was Rick Patino, McK cronan is not. So I don't want to give him a pass as if like, well, yeah, he can do that, but now it won't work because I feel like even before nil and the portal, I would imagine Mick Cronan probably wasn't a fun guy to play for. Therefore, guys who did play for him kind of felt like they really didn't have any better option, you know, or
they didn't want to sit out when you transfer. But yes, to your point, no doubt about it, You're absolutely right Mick Cronan.
He could be the.
Best coach ever, but players have way more freedom, they have way more power than they've ever had. And if you can play for a coach that is just as successful or more successful and can can win and get you to the NBA without you know, I mean, would you choose to play for Mick Cronan when you can play for ten other guys that are as good or better and you know they're not him.
I mean, so.
I don't want to write him off because again, UCLA is probably gonna always be able to get talent. He's done well enough to where he does get some good players to come and play for him. But what's happening now is that Cronin needs to find guys and this is gonna be hard to find guys that are good enough and the absolute best fits for you when it comes to their hunger, their toughness. Like mit, Cronin needs dogs, but she got to find the dog that's willing to
come there. That is, you know, the dimin in the rough. But he'll make up for what he likes and talent with effort and intensity that kind of stuff.
Because at UCLA, like he could.
Win there, but like will he be at well he doing that with that formula? Would it ever be good enough to where UCLA wants to be? That's that's that's what seems you know, unlikely. So McK cronin, I don't think he was ever a realistic candidate, but he certainly got mentioned quite a bit. And uh, I'm happy he didn't get hired. I'm happy we hired this guy. Was Pat Kelsey last night after the Big Wine Man.
That's the power of cardination, Jesel piece, because I, uh, you know, like this time of year, I'm around the clockwork and so my girls at home, I didn't want them to have to go out there and and and shovel the driveway. So I tried to make some calls and look on Facebook, look on the you know, and made some call. Nobody would answer my call, and texted some guys that I found on the So I just put the tweet out and it was like bam, I had like four ploals ready to like, Hel's up. Hell's up.
That actually wasn't even the clip I wanted to play, but I wanted to let you hear it anyway since I started it. That was him when he put on Twitter that he needed some he needed some help getting his driveway. In fact, what he said word for word here he tweeted out yesterday or two days ago. I'm sorry on Monday, anybody with a snowplow on the five o two open for business question mark And clearly people just found out live and they showed up and they
helped him. We got to get to a break in just a second, but I do want to let you hear this clip, so we'll run to break here after this.
One, Austin.
But this is Pat Kelsey talking about Javon Hadley having thirty two points. I mean, what a night for him. Absolutely just unstoppable. Just seemed like he got every rebound, couldn't be stopped, got to the line a lot, made some threes. It was the night of his life and it was awesome.
You know, a lot of guys will have higher scoring numbers and stuff like that, but the job he does behind the scenes, under the radar a little bit is huge. He is a major, major, major piece of why we're really good. And then tonight, you know, it was his night. And what was fun is like the guys on the floor were like, go to him, Chuck, He's giving them the ball, like end of the game, go ahead, clear out, get out of the way, you know. So it was
great to see. And as you know, you know, Chucky's had big, big night scoring, Fats had big, big night scoring, Rains had big, big night scoring, a big night scoring. We can hurt you in a lot of ways, but there are a lot of contributions from other guys. I thought Canai roots three was huge. At a point in the game when we were reeling a little bit, he stepped up and knocked that down. I thought Kader gave us great, great energy off the bench. James Scott, you
know he's inspector Gadget. He's just go go arms. I don't know if anybody in today's dan Aganos who inspector Gadget is, but he's just, you know, just play so hard. Had a double double tonight, big Steeal at the end of the game. You know, I could go all the way down and name a bunch of different guys, but it's what makes our team really good.
We call it the power of the good stuff. Yeah.
I mean, I don't know if you can expect thirty two consistently from anybody on this team, but he is right. I mean, Louisville, they're starting to beat some good teams and things that you just assumed would have to happen for them to beat these good teams, they're not necessary because other guys are stepping up, giving you more than you probably thought you could get. They've been so good defensively,
they've been animals on the backboard. It's just been it's been a really easy team to get behind and root for.
Been a fun ride so far.
All right, quick break, We'll come back and wrap this thing up 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.
A couple of things to close out on the conversation we were having earlier about the Notre Dame not being in a playoff. James Franklin said at the press conference today as they're getting set to play Notre Dame, that he doesn't believe that Notre Dame, he doesn't believe the teams that don't play in the conference should be allowed, I guess, in the playoff, basically saying that everybody should
have to be in a conference. And I was trying to think of what argument could he have been making that that would make it to where like it's unfair, And he did bring up something that somebody reminded me of that I get it, but it's not Notre Dame's fault, right, And I guess maybe he wasn't blaming Notre Dame. Maybe he's blaming those that are in.
Charge of the college football playoff.
But his claim was that you should have to play in a conference championship game or not, which, yeah, that doesn't that does That puts them in a spot where they don't have to take another risk, right, they don't have that opportunity to get an added loss and that, but Notre Dame knows that going in right, So Notre Dame also doesn't have the ability to add a conference championship to their resume, which at times may hurt them.
I mean probably not.
And you know, everybody knows that there's no scenario where they could be a conference champion because you know they're not at a conference.
But I still feel like Notre Dame is actually just that they would.
They're the only program they could do it, and more than anything, it doesn't advantage them. I just think it actually disadvantages them at times, but you just don't notice it because from a five financial standpoint, they're doing just fine with their deal with NBC. They're still on national TV. Like the things that being in a conference gives you that every team relies on most every team relies on.
Notre Dame doesn't need that. So yeah, they don't play in a conference, and that doesn't mean they'll never have a conference championship game. But that actually hurts them in the grand scheme. They're just able to get around it because they win enough. And again it all comes down to one thing. They schedule tough enough, and until that is in the case, they're going to be able to get in, and I don't see an issue with it.
All Right, we're out of time. Were back at it tomorrow, and joy your Wednesday.
Take care,