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 Tuesday afternoon coffee and company fueled by Thornton's on Sports Talk seven ninety. Appreciate you hanging out with us. Don't forget you can take us with you wherever you go. Listen live on the iHeartRadio app. Listen live at seven ninety Louisville dot com and we'll get to the text line coming up here before too long. Some good stuff coming in. But I didn't get distracted. But I've spent more time than I intended to reading this blog. I suppose blog post at
barstool sports dot com. I don't know why I care, but the SEC teams that did not get in South Carolina, Alabama, Ole Miss. I don't think there's anybody else that like claimed they belonged that didn't get in. But if I'm missing anybody, you can correct me. But they keep talking about, well, the SEC team should never schedule a tough non conference schedule again because the committee shows it doesn't matter. And
Nick Saban really started running with that on Saturday. I'm sorry Sunday, the selection Sunday, And if you listen to the first hour, we had Zach Barnett on a FootballScoop dot com and he mentioned that he kind of had to walk away from the I guess just the nonsense that was being said by some of the people discussing the college football playoff selections. And I think for the
most part it was pretty healthy debate. But like some claiming that the SEC schedule the SEC teams in their non conference schedule was so tough and it wasn't factored in, so why should why should the SEC teams continue to schedule anybody that's worth the damn in the non conference And I just think it's it's so stupid to say that, like that is not why Alabama didn't get in. Alabama
lost to Oklahoma. That has nothing to do with your non conference schedule, Like you didn't schedule Oklahoma and go out there to try. I mean, first of all, Oaklham isn't good. But I just don't understand the SC like the SEC, not everybody, of course, and you can't put everybody under the same umbrella. But I feel like some SEC fans live in their own world, in their own bubble.
It's like this elitist mindset. And Lane Kiffin was the worst as far as just saying things that really hadn't like that had nothing to do with why he wasn't going to get into the playoff. He lost to Kentucky at home. That alone is why you did not get in for the most part. Now, it's probably some other things too, like maybe if you maybe you still don't safely get in if in fact you don't slip up
and lose. But that is that is say data point when you only have twelve to work with, That quite literally is going to eliminate you from consideration when there's only twelve spots in the field and other teams you know, don't have that data point.
Right.
Yes, you did beat Georgia and that was cool, but that alone doesn't remove the fact that you have a really bad loss on your resume.
I just don't.
And the SEC only like if you think your league is so tough and so and you should just be given like your record should be totally different, it should be viewed totally differently than others that play a night conference game. And at that point, nobody would claim that you're losing to bad teams, right because you know the SEC is just so great. I just don't look, I
don't know what I mean. I think the more time that passes, as I discussed in the first hour, the more it seems quite clear there's nobody that didn't get in that can't look in the mirror and just blame themselves. They doesn't look like they're sound like they're doing that, but I mean, and I think where they really tell on themselves without knowing it is when they talk about talent and they talk about what NFL scouts who go to the practices say about the loaded SEC compared to
every other conference. Well, okay, I mean cool, but that doesn't have anything to do with the criteria to be one of the twelve teams that makes the college football playoff.
I mean, how many times can you think of in college basketball where a team didn't make the tournament but you know they not only like should have been better, but like they've got talent to where there's just no excuse for them to have had the type of season that they had, but yet you know they didn't get it done, Like they didn't even make the bubble because they just were very underwhelming, Like the games and the
results has to matter more than anything. And why that hasn't registered with some people, I just I really don't know.
I don't know.
All right, again, it's Coffee and Company and we are feel about Thornton's here on Sports Talk seven to ninety. So this Louisville UTEP game tomorrow, it's I mean, I wouldn't call it a trap game. Louisville is in need of a win in a major way. They've lost three
in a row. Now they've been to good teams, but still, you know this is this is actually low key one of those games, like you better not mess around and lose because you know UTEP is I would say, I guess there's somewhat on the Winthrop radar, but you know, they're not Morehead, they're not Bellerman, and really, right now, Louisville is a five and four basketball team that outside of three games, I mean, they've played legitimate competition teams
that are from the power level. I mean, you had Morehead, Bellerman and Winthrop. Outside of that, it's been Tennessee, Indiana, West Virginia, Oklahoma, Ole Miss and Duke.
So UTEP.
No disrespect to them, they're they're not in the same class as the four teams that you've lost to, and of course the Indiana and the West Virginia wins that you have. But you know, I would say they're substantially better than Morehead and Bellerman and maybe they are on the Winthrop is technically a little bit behind them. But UTEP right now is one fifty one in the Kimpong
and they have really no wins to speak of. I mean, I could kind of nerd out for you if you'd like, when it comes to like Division one, mid major, low major basketball. But you know, they actually did beat a UC Santa Barber team that's pretty decent like for that level. Same thing with UNCG, so you know they've beaten good teams at that level. But they have some bad losses. They lost to San Jose State, who's in the two
hundreds of the kim Palm. They've lost to Utah Valley, who is right around two hundred.
So ken Pom.
Projects this Louisville UTEP game will be a seventy eight to sixty five victory for Louisville, So you should win. And I'm trying to see if we've got a spread for this one yet we may. In fact, usually by now we do. I'll look it up real quick here. But either the bulletin board material that I referenced earlier at the end of the three o'clock hour, a little bit of an I don't I doubt that. I mean, this is not necessary. I wouldn't call this, you know,
trash talking. But if you were looking for some kind of an edge. And I don't really get the sense of Pat Kelsey's like that. I don't think he's out there looking to see what players or coaches say.
About his team.
I mean maybe he does, and look, whatever works right, you got to find an edge. You gotta stay motivated. But one of the players, one of the big one with the front court players for UTEP, Derek Hamilton, he says, they feel really good, very confident. I feel like we're gonna pull it off. We're going to continue to work hard and not forget who we are. I don't really know what that means as far as you know, not
good who we are. But this is their first really big test of the season, meaning UTEP like they've not played and heck, they have a couple of losses to teams that I mentioned that aren't very good, but like they've not played a team in the top one forty or one thirty of the kin Palm and they're about to play Louisville, who you know, Let's be real, Louisville is vulnerable right now, and teams in recent years have shown that you can come to the Young Center and
beat a proud program like Louisville when they're down. But I think the level of down is I mean right now, I think they're down just because they because they're they've got so many injuries. And that's that's where I just keep going back to this roller coaster thing for Louisville because they did just you know, compete and really outplay Duke for thirty minutes. It doesn't mean anything on your resume.
You still lost the game by eleven points. But I'm telling you, man, I took some positives from that and it makes it to where, you know, I know, you got to come ready to play. Your margin for air is very very thin, because you know, you.
Just you're not.
I mean, you have very little room for air when you are as thin as this team is. And I think if you have games where you turn the ball over more than your opponent, you don't, you know, you shoot it really poorly from three like you did against Ole Miss, then you know you could probably lose to anybody. Maybe not anybody, but like you know, I disclaimer, I'm aware that like Louisville needs to come and play well and they can't take anybody lightly, and I don't think
that they will. But it'd be nice to continue to work on sort of life without prior life without Coran Johnson in this game tomorrow where you know you're gonna get a little bit of a break. And I hate to say that, because trust me, I know Louisville could mess around and lose. I don't think they will, but you've got you know, you've had three straight losses. The last time you played a team of this of this caliber was before you took off to go to the Bahamas.
So I don't want to look at it as like a break where you get you get a chance to play somebody that you know isn't as serious of a threat, but that's kind of what it is. But more than anything, it's another chance to go out there. And I don't want to say create your new identity because I think you're still going to see this team, for the most part look and play similar or to the way Pat
Kelsey's always wanted this team to play. But there's there's some variation going on and some adjustments that have had to be made just because they're not this I mean, he he doesn't even have the bodies to play the way that he wanted to play this year because because of these injuries. So we'll talk a little more hoops with C. L. Brown coming up here before too long, but I will say one thing I am hoping that we see tomorrow is just more minutes for Kahani Ruce.
I mean, I I don't know if if you know, it's just truly because he's a freshman and everybody else is is I mean, everybody else that's playing minutes. They're veterans, they played a lot of college basketball. But I feel like anytime Kahanni Rous does get some extended run and he is a little more aggressive, Like I'm thinking, Okay, surely by now the staff has seen that this guy needs all the minutes he can get because one, he's I mean, he's got some ability that guys on this
team have. I think he's also got some energy about him that you know, maybe could minimize the absence of prior a little bit. And you know, his stat line against Duke was really really solid, So you know, the stat line doesn't show every everything. Maybe he was you know, out of position defensively at times, or I mean, I don't know.
I just I feel like even if you.
Wanted to kind of ease Kahanie Russen to his you know, to his college career as a freshman, because you had a lot of veterans, well now you don't. And now I don't think, you know, take take away the fact that he's a freshman. You only have seven guys that you really can trust. And I feel like despite him being young, he's certainly got a lot of talent. And the more he plays, I feel like the more he will no longer look like a freshman. I mean, I'll
be honest with you. Against against Duke, I didn't feel like he was a freshman out there. He's playing with confidence. He had some you know, some some attitude to him, and I mean that in a good way. So you know, I don't want to act like, hey, they give this guy thirty plus minutes a game, then everything's gonna be okay.
And Louel won't miss case and prior at all. But to me, you know, I thought that if the Duke game was in any way like a test for him, which I doubt it was, that's just not really how Pat seems to go about things. But I feel like if they review the film there, they would realize, Okay,
not to say that the guy's completely ready. He's still going to make some freshman mistakes, but there's something there and I hope that we see you know, and look, I'm not saying you got to start him, but like if it's him and Terrence Edwards coming off the bench, I'd say those are two guys that you know. As long as they're still getting a lot of minutes despite coming off the bench, I'd say that's that's your best case scenario.
All right.
This question came in on the Ellen and Federal Credit Union tax line five h two six five three zero seven nineties the number if you would like to text in This text says Nick, I see programs around the country in both basketball and football that are hiring gms to manage the roster and manage nil Do you know if Louisville has any plans to add those positions to the staff. It's a good question and I don't have the answer for you, but that is becoming one of
the more important positions out there now. I will say it really comes down to what like does your head coach does he want to be more hands on or does he is he somebody that truly wants to completely be removed from all that stuff altogether? And there really is no right or wrong. I guess it just depends on you know, your your your style as a coach,
what you like, what you think you're good at. Like, for example, there are certain coaches that are phenomenal when it comes to you know, being a football coach recruiting players, uh, and you know x's and o's that kind of stuff, and that stuff still matters, trust me, that stuff has value, but it's now just one of the components.
To to to to to the job.
And there may be like for example, like I don't know, like Jeff Brohm, I think he's pretty hands on to where he probably isn't gonna want to have a GM now he's going to have resources to help him with like nil stuff and just I guess, you know, managing everything. But as far as like an actual GM that is out there looking because again, a GM in the professional level of sports, those are guys building the team. You're never gonna see that in college at least, I don't
think so. The GM role in the college game would be.
More so.
I guess just navigating how you get I mean basically getting to the table to have a conversation with somebody when it comes to nil, right, like, hey, uh, let's let's bring the GM in.
Let me introduce you to the GM.
Here so they can talk to you about that component of what we're offering. Right, We're gonna offer you a scholarship, and we're gonna offer you an opportunity to wear this uniform, and that that you know, we all know that that now isn't isn't good enough. You're gonna need to have
the nil component as well. So I have no clue if if if Louisville's looking to make a make a higher there, but U you know you're seeing it across the country as you mentioned, and I really don't even know what kind of like what kind of background most those people have they'd end up in that role, But
it's certainly important. I would say it's way more important in football than it is in basketball, But you're seeing it in both sports across the country where folks realize, hey, we need somebody who it's a full time job for them, and they're putting every ounce of energy they have into, you know, managing the NIL situation and.
Help them.
I mean, I don't know, do you help raise money? If you're if you work for the school, can you help raise money? It's I'm sure it's not as much of a gray area as it appears to be to me because I'm not as plugged in on it as maybe some others are. But like, I'm not even really sure what you can and can't do when it comes to nil. Like didn't didn't Florida State just a year ago get in trouble for telling a recruit or a transfer they should go talk to the collective about nil.
And somehow that was like against the rules. I mean, that made no sense. I thought, that's whatever nobody thought they were supposed to do in order to, you know, not get in trouble. But yeah, you're you're seeing it across the country and and and honestly, it became a bigger talking point nationally because Andrew Luck of course, just took the job with Stanford where he played, and obviously he's a very qualified individual.
I'd say to uh to have that position.
And we all know Wojes left the NBA reporting world to go do it for Saint Bonaventure, his alma mater. So if Louisville was going to go in that direction, I'm not really sure who would make the most sense. But it didn't have to be somebody that played here has a connection. I mean, that'd be it'd be preferable if if that is an option, but you know I wouldn't. I wouldn't be shocked if in five six years every program has one and Uh, it becomes somebody that you're
as familiar with as you are the head coach. I mean that sounds crazy, but I wouldn't be shocked if we end up there. All right, quick break, come back on the other side, we will bring in the one and only cl Brown of the Courier Journal talk a little bit of college hoops. You know, it doesn't feel like it, I know I talked about at the beginning of the show.
Does not feel like it.
But we are just five days away from this matchup between Louisville and Kentucky, and man, I wish circumstances were different because Louisville is really really hurting with injuries, still playing hard, but man, there thin in Kentucky. They've got a ton of momentum after that win agains Gonzagas. So we'll talk about that and a lot more with Cel Brown coming up next. Right here, it is Coffee and
Company Fieldbuth Thornton's on Sports Talk seven ninety. Welcome back Coffee and Company Field by Thornton's here on Sports Talk seven ninety. Appreciate you hanging out with us here on a Tuesday afternoon, and we certainly appreciate mister C. L. Brown of the Courier Journal, who joins us to talk about a lot of things. We'll start with Louisville basketball.
What did you make of Louisville's performance against Duke? Competitive In fact, led for a good chunk of the game, roughly thirty minutes, and then Duke kind of did what a lot of people probably thought Duke would do from start to finish. But you know, I know, eleven point losses for Louisville basketball is never something fans around here to be happy with and want to celebrate. But just me,
and I know not everybody agrees. I actually thought there was some positives from that performance, just knowing that they're trying to kind of maybe not reinvent themselves, but obviously what they wanted to be as far as a team, how they wanted to play. They're gonna have to change that a little bit with all these injuries. Just what were your thoughts on what you saw from Pat Kelsey's team against one of the best teams in the country.
Yeah, I thought the adjustments that Pat Kelsey made first and foremost were interesting. I think they were needed. They could have hit a few more threes in the second half, maybe it would have been that much more interesting down the stretch, but I think it just it was encouraging, as encouraging as an eleven point loss could be. That when we saw the other two Power four conference teams come to them Center Tennessee first and an Ole miss, they led all of thirty seconds. I think in those
two games combined. When they played Duke, there was a a I don't even know how to describe it, but there was They were different, you know, they made shots
for the first time. I feel like this season at home with the eight of eleven from three point range in the first half, and you know, he switched up the lineup a little bit, which I think brought Terrence Edwards off the bench instead of in the starting lineup, and I think it kind of jumped started parents because I felt like he's kind of the guy I've been looking at and he hadn't played at least consistently the way I thought he would when he got here, and
I think that that light was definitely something encouraging coming out of that game, and I want to see moving forward if he can kind of stay at that level, because he definitely was well. In my opinion, he definitely played an inspired game against Duke. And so the last thing I took from it was rebounding might not be as bad as I thought it was going to be. I thought it was really going to be when when
Case and Pryor went out. I thought rebounding was going to be a big problem for them, and maybe it's still can end up being, but right now they're holding their own and I think that that's all you can ask. They ended up losing the mcdownd battle, I think by one the Duke, and they were up in the first half, so and Duke's got as big a team as any that they're going to face the rest of the year. So there were I felt like a lot of positives that came out of that loss.
Yeah, I think the emphasis on the glass. You can tell, even in the ole Mis game, where it wasn't very competitive, you could just tell that there's guys that kind of know, hey, as far as what I'm asked to do out here, I need to step up and we all kind of collectively have to help on the backboard. And Yeah, I've been pleasantly surprised that since losing prior that hasn't been
one of their biggest issues. Now, making eight of eleven threes to start the game is all always a great recipe, and being able to do that consistently is a tough ask for really any team, even one that is shooting much better than Louisville has this year. But I kind of feel like the looks that they got the confidence
that they had to shoot them. Again saying that, you know, eight of eleven type three points three point shooting to start a game, I mean, that's not sustainable for anybody, But I kind of feel like the way they played to get off to a good start. It's not as if you had to really ride some kind of a magical run. That really isn't, you know, something you can recreate.
So again, I'm making that many threes to start a game is just going to be tough to see moving forward, just for anybody as I mentioned, But like I'm trying to try to look at what they did to get that lead and kind of think, Okay, well, if they can build that lead against Duke and play that well, you got to think that they could be able to do those kind of things against other teams. I mean, losing by eleven points doesn't really prove much of anything.
You still fell I think in some of the numbers out there, as far as the net and the kin palm. But I think, you know, it's a tough thing to balance because you never want guys to feel like you did something special when you ended up losing a game by double digits. But man, these guys, especially when you consider how mature this roster is, like they probably in a way feel like, Okay, if we can do that against this Duke team, we can still go out there
and you know, put together a pretty good season. I mean, they know they're gonna be missing prior and obviously Corn Johnson hadn't played since the second game of the season. But I don't know, I feel like I'm kind of in the minority here because I feel like Sunday, in a weird way, was kind of a good sign that this season could end up being better than most expected after these tough injuries.
Oh yeah, for sure. I think it was a good time. And I'm gonna push back a little on a three point shooting because yes, they started off this year well was it twenty seven percent? I think going into that game against Duke from the three point line were shooting. Well, they've got good shooters though, you know that that have the career averages that are better than they've shown so far this year. So I kind of feel like we're seeing the low end, but it's going to start moving up.
Like I feel like this isn't you know, They're gonna come back to the median more. And the guys who were taking a shot, it wasn't like they were relying on one one to three point shooter. I think five different people made threes during the course of the game. I mean, I don't expect Sterrence there was to go three for four every night from three because he you know, he hadn't been that kind of a three point shooter, but you know, two for four he could do that.
And Ryan Smith was three for nine, and you know, he's he's probably the best shooter on the team. I don't think that's the stretch to say so.
Any game he could hit five and it wouldn't be a shocker exactly exactly.
So they they kind of faced it out, and I think I think that's what they're going to have to do to win. Like, I still expect them. They finished with eleven three, only hit three in the second half against Dude. But I still fully expect this team to just have a game where they make like fifteen of them, like they're going to explode at some point. So I
still think that that is coming. I don't expect it to be Saturday against Kentucky, but I do think they'll they'll get there to where they're shooting better consistently from three.
Yeah, I mean, going back to the old miss game, you probably you know, maybe maybe I'm wrong here, but it's hard to imagine they'll have a game where they shot at that poorly and at that point, you know, you could kind of tell they were maybe not pressing, but you know what they wanted to do was to run some offense, you know, do something to get good looks.
They were getting them, and they just couldn't buy one, and you could just you know, here they are doing really what they want to do and they can't make a shot. So maybe that was a factor in it.
But no, you're right when you saw them, like I didn't even think to myself during the beginning of the game, oh wow, man, they're on fire, because you're right, they were getting decent looks that you know, everybody out there that's taking those shots, that's kind of what they're out there to do, or at least you know that that's one big that's one big part of their role with
the team. So yeah, I think maybe more than anything, it was just how bad the shooting performance was against Ole Miss And you know, you're Pat Kelsey, I think you hope that ends up being an outlier and this team, you know that the numbers end up kind of kind of balancing out. So Utah on the schedule tomorrow, a decent team from Conference USA, and then of course you have Kentucky on Saturday. I guess I'll just skip to Kentucky because we won't chat with you again before that game.
They're off to a really good start, really impressive win against Gonzaga to come from behind on the road, some nice adjustments made by coach Pope there in the second half. I've been really impressed with this Kentucky team really from start to finish this year. What do you think would mean?
Obviously louil was.
Gonna have to make shots to beat any good team that's on their schedule. But you know, any any early thoughts on this matchup between these two teams is these coaches get their first taste of this rivalry when it comes to being head coaches here.
Yeah, I do think it's gonna be tough for Louisville to win that game well, to really make it competitive down the stretch of the game. I think Kentucky he might win that win pretty comfortably. I just think they grew up a lot last week having the loss at Clemson where they were just bullied to an extent. Playing
their first true road games. Clemson plays kind of a physical brand, and I think even for the veterans on that Kentucky team that they weren't used to going up against a style like that, and then to come back against Gonzaga. I mean, I'm showing my age. I was staying up to watch that game and I dozed off when they were losing by like fifteen yeah.
Yeah.
Then ill when I woke up though, it was in overtime, and I was just like they came back like tastic. Game was a rap at that point. So to me that that just showed a lot with Mark Pope first and foremost going zone, like you mentioned, the one three one kind of kind of took well, definitely took Gonzaga out of their rhythm and and got Kentucky back in game.
And so that's one of the things that you know, for all to talk about his offensive ingenuity and everything like that, you know, Martin Pope's has some defensive chops to the team has some defensive chops. So, uh, it was it was interesting to see. I'm kind of following that in the back of my mind with with Pope going forward, as as he gets in the conference play and gets into games where it's you know, he's going to have to show his coaching acumen to win games. I think he took a big step too.
When it comes to college basketball, Like the overall landscape right now, Tennessee's number one. They've yet to take a loss. They certainly will at some point, especially when you can when you consider how tough the SEC is going to be this year. Who do you feel like, are are the best teams in the country as far as what you've seen right now?
Yeah, I definitely still like Gonzaga, even though they're coming off that Kentucky lost. They're one of my favorites. I still feel like Tennessee is a team that is like it is, like playing better than everybody now. But I don't feel like they're stealing, Like I feel like they're already maxing out where you know their potential, Like, I don't think they're that much farther away from reaching their potential.
So I think, and maybe I'll just be flat out wrong, but I think by the end of the season they'll kind of come back down to earth a bit. I mean, still definitely a top ten, top fifteen team, but I just I'm not sure they're quite number one in the nation that you know they're good. I think Auburn is probably the team I look at as being that good as being a fan of four contender.
I kind of feel like, if I had to pick a team right now, I'd go with Auburn. I've just been that impressed with you. Even when they lost that Duke, I kind of feel like, yeah, probably still have them Brank number.
One, Yeah, yeah, exactly, and Duke it still has a lot of growing to do, but you and see all the pieces. The one thing, the one drawback with me that would probably keep me from san Duke is a national title contender, is I just feel like down the stretch is those games in March. Not having a real point guard and a facilitator is going to come back to bite them in the same way as it did
early on with those losses to Kentucky and Kansas. I mean, you just to me, that's what college is about college basketball. You got to have a good point guard and experienced point guard. And they when Jeremy Roach went to Baylor, that left. So do can't check that Bux anymore. But I do like Marquette. It's kind of a dark horse because I love Cam Jones. To my point about you know, having a great point guard, I think Shaka It does his best work when people aren't necessarily pointing at them
and saying this is a great team. And they weren't at the beginning of the year. Now they're they're playing their way into that. But that's also a team I'm looking at and kind of thinking they could do some big things later.
Yeah, I feel like this Marquette team is the exact kind of team that Shaka can thrive with. I mean, I watched him play I think it was Purdue earlier this year, and I feel like it was the best I've seen a Marquette team look under Shaka Smart and he's had some good ones. They have made deep runs in the tournament. But I'm with you, I think they're h I think they're pretty special. Let's get back to Kentucky.
Because I keep saying to myself, and maybe it's just you know, me being a Louisville fan, but I keep saying, you know, they're really good. They could beat anybody, but their ceiling is not that high. Maybe I'm just saying that because I'm just so used to knowing that They've got guys that I'll watch at Kentucky for a year, maybe two, and then fast forward five years, they're going
to be NBA All Stars. I don't know how many NBA guys are on this team for Mark Pope, obviously he's going to build a roster much differently the John Caliperry. But from what you've seen right now, I mean, is Kentucky a team that you think can can end up? You know? You know, obviously teams can get hot and make run and get all the way to the Final four. But what is the ceiling for this Kentucky team? Because I think after the win against Gonzaga, it's hard for
me not to say that, Yeah. I mean, if they can do that, and they can they can stay healthy, I don't see why they can't end up potentially being one of the teams, you know, maybe a Final four team, maybe a team that cuts down the net. I don't want that to happen, cel, but they look pretty good.
So it's funny and this is the same as Plugs. On my podcast this week, I interviewed Michael Decorti of The Sporting News and we talked about Kentucky ceiling and he feels like it's a potential Final four type team. I think I would probably stop short at Elite eight, and that's just say max everything out. I mean, they obviously have a little bit of everything that you need to make a deep run, but I'm still not sure.
I think. I also think in those tight games in March, you've got to have one guy who's who's the shot maker. Obviously Lamont Butler did that in the final four for San Diego State when he played and you know, made the shot against Fau to send them to the championship, But he's not a consistent like I don't I don't look at him as that guy, you know what I mean. Yeah, So I don't know when it comes down to it, who's who's their guy who's going to be the guy that takes a big shot and makes a big shot
when they need it. And they're such a team and they're so unselfish and everybody kind of spreads it around and looks. But so if it gets in a sight situation, are they looking at each other like I don't want to take it, you take it, you know? Or if someone gonna come forward like give me the ball, get out my way, I'm getting this basket. And that that's something that I would like to see happen for Kentucky. I would like to see who's going to be that person.
But I don't think they have that person. So I would say they will have a good run, could have a good run in the tournament, but I don't see this as a final four team at this point.
All right, one more for you. Cl will shift back to Louisville here, and I'm just going to ask you, I guess, to predict the future knowing what we know about the ACC in basketball. This year obviously not a strong year for the league, and that's kind of been where it's been. It's been headed for for a little while now. But when it comes to that, what's that, I said, it's so sad. Yeah, it is, no, I I trust me. I saw it coming. We talked about
it in Charlotte. I just kind of felt like, man, there's teams that could be pretty good this year, like Miami, and then you realize, man, they're terrible, Like they're really really bad. Like it's it's sad what has happened with the league now. On the other hand, Louisville could potentially benefit from that.
This year.
Pat Kelsey may be able to get some more wins than most would expect, just because the league is down and look, Louisville's so thin right now, they can play poorly and loose to anybody left on their schedule. I think most people know that. But if Louisville and up at the end of the season, you know, with twenty one wins and ten losses, I mean, do you think And again I'm asking you to predict the future. Nobody knows, But could that be a bubble type team? I guess not.
All twenty one win seasons look the same. It depends on who it comes against. But obviously there's gonna be some potential value with their wins against West Virginia and Indiana, maybe a chance to get a decent win here, and they're an ACC play. I'm just trying to to to project here, like what kind of record could could they be? Could should they be aiming for to at least be like a bubble team?
Yeah? I think that they're going to have to get a win against a North Carolina, Clinton, Pittsburgh one of those three because I think those will be the quality wins. And obviously they're only playing Duke just one time, so that's why I'm not including Duke. But those will be the quality win in the ACC the chances to get those wins after that, I think it's it's slim pickings.
And I think you could beat up on a lot of the rest of the ACC teams and it's really not going to do much for you because because that's how bad the league is, that's how how mediocre they've become. So and also root like heck that Indiana and West Virginia are in the season as quality teams and those are quad one wins on a neutral court for them, that that will be huge if you know, if they hold up there into the bargain in this so you know, so if they could still just win at Kentucky, that
would be great to kind of get that marquee. Uh well, right now it's iu as the marquie went on the resume, but you know, certainly Kentucky but jumps that. But yeah, I mean I do see this as a bubble team
right now. I think they will be playing in some of those games in February and everything, and we'll be living and dying on how they do game the game in terms of trying to position themselves against some other teams that are that are have similar resumes and are still trying to look for the chance to get in the NCAA. But the difference between Louisville and the team the middle of the pack team in the eight SEC or Big twelve is they're going to have more chances for quality wins at Louisville.
And what really is, what's crazy to see about the ACC right now is that it used to be a pretty It used to be a pretty regular thing that you would have a chance at least once a week to do something to improve your resume at least a little bit. Now there's not as many opportunities as you just mentioned. But you could lose to a couple of teams in league play that'll crush you. They'll make it to where like, you know, that's a really bad loss,
that'll that'll remove you from the bubble. It's just, you know, I didn't see it falling as fast as it did. And you're right the SEC. I mean, are people overreacting or are you? Are you of the belief that this this league is now the best league in college basketball? It's still early, but man, teams, who are you know, bottom of the barrel? In the SEC that I've watched, I still feel like, damn, they look pretty good.
Yeah, now they are. I can give it to them. Fourth season, I think, you know, the teams merit that kind of those kind of accolades, even even the bottom teams. I think, for once they actually start at SEC play a team like Missouri, I think it's going to be towards the bottom half. Uh and they just beat camps, you know what I mean.
The Mississippi State did to Pittsburgh was not something I saw coming. I actually think Caple's got a pretty good team this year, but man, they got mop.
Oh I do for sure. Yeah, I think pitt is going to be a tournament team for sure. And uh yeah, I mean that's the thing I think a lot of a lot of teams when you look at their first road games this year, it doesn't matter if you have experienced guys from that transferred in. Uh well, I guess technically Pitt's first row game was at Ohio State. So
this this throws it off a little bit. But I think you see, they're they're kind of stumbling, Like I think a lot of teams in that first row game are still just kind of getting used to each other, getting used to playing. It's their first real time playing in a you know, hostile environment, so we're seeing kind
of the missteps that come with that. So that's that's another reason why I favor in Kentucky on Saturday against Louisville because you know, the Bahamas, the neutral court doesn't doesn't quite duplicate what a road game, a true road game brings. So I think this is gonna be kind of one of those uh you got you gotta learn who's who and what roles in those first road games, and I think Louisville's gonna have that experience Saturday.
All Right. I lied one more when it comes to North Carolina, I mean I still I mean, right now, they've got four losses, which is unusual for them to have at this point in the season. They're five and four, but every one of those losseses come against really really
good teams and one was in overtime. Is Carolina a team that you feel like, despite these early losses, can end up kind of rounding into form and being a team that you know could be in that top tier, not of the ac ME of like of the country.
Of course, Yeah, I expect them to be. I don't I don't know that they will be a Final four type contender unless they just got ridiculously hot from you know, became a great three point shooting team, uh, which I still kind of the same way I'm saying about Louisville starting off poorly, but just based on the numbers, they should come up our. J Davis hasn't been shooting well for Carolina right now, and I don't expect that to continue.
Like I feel like at some point he's gonna get back to what you know, has been his career kind of average. So, and they got a couple of marquee games coming up. They'll have Florida at the Jordans I forgot what they call it, Jordan Invitational in Charlotte, and they'll have u C l A and the CBS Classic. So you know, all of the ACC needs to root for each other when they played these kind of non conference games because.
Oh, those those would those would be huge wins for the ACC if Carolina can get those two. I mean, Florida's top ten in the Ken Palm. You see LA's top fifteen. So yeah, I mean, with Louisville being in so many different leagues as I've grown up here in my whole life, Seal, I've never really been. You know, It's just I've never felt like a true I had as a fan. I've never felt like we've had a true home as a conference. But they've been in the
ACC for a long time and that's not changing. And man, I'm hoping this league and can can can have a strong finish because it's been a rough start.
Yeah. Yeah, well take it from someone who grew up on ACC. And this is not why I love college basketball. It's it's a sad, sad time seeing the league beat. It's bad in basketball. So you know, we gotta especially looking at the SEC taking over.
Oh it used to be a basketball league that we would I mean, I mean maybe ten years ago you knew that you would have probably two maybe three teams that you felt like we're even going to make the tournament in the SEC. And then they started investing into basketball, started giving a damn and man, they're they're putting their money where their mouth is, hiring really good coaches. And yeah,
I didn't see this coming. You'd asked me ten years ago if we'd be in this position, I would have said hell no.
Yeah. And they, I mean, they surpassed the ACC in a lot of ways. I think they're better coaches right now in the SEC, and I think that's going to be something that ACC schools are going to have to look at, and you know, as they make changes moving forwards, those are going to be big, Like like it'll be important who Miami hires and who Florida State hires when when Larynega and Leonard Hamilton decided to retire, So.
No doubt about it. Same thing with Virginia too. If whatever whatever they end up doing, it's going to be really, really important.
So we'll see.
All I appreciate you is always making time for us. Keep up the great work and we'll talk to you soon, my friend.
All right, thanks Nick.
All right, we're gonna take a quick time out. We will come back on the other side. Keep this thing rolling along. Don't go anywhere. It's coffee and company. Feel by Thornton's right here on Sports Talk seven ninety