It's time for Coffee and Company, fueled by Thornton's on Sports Talk seven nine day. Now here's nit coffee.
All right, let's get it started four o'clock here on a Wednesday afternoon game day edition of Coffee and Company. We are feel about Thornton's here on Sports Talk seven ninety Louisville and UTEP Tonight at seven o'clock. Kentucky will play Colgate. I believe also at seven o'clock, and both teams should be able to pull out victories. But obviously Louisville, as you likely know, with the injuries they have, it's
kind of changed what these kind of games are. I mean, I still i'd be a liar if I told you that I was worried that they would lose tonight. But this is the first time we're going to see them play these kind of opponents with a with such a thin rotation. But fourteen and a half points is the current spread for Louisville and so far on the year. Somebody asked me this earlier, and I didn't know the answer,
and I'm looking it up as we speak. I'm meant to do it during the break there, but somebody asked me what the current record, like how Louisville has done this year when it comes to covering spreads, and just a guess, I don't think it's very good because you got to keep in mind the games that they've lost to,
you know. I mean, in fact, they were favored against Tennessee, which sounds crazy to say right now, but that was the second game of the season for both teams, and you really just had no clue, you know, what to expect at all. But I would imagine that it's not it's not that great when it comes to, you know, their record against the spread. But you know, we shall see. I pulling it up here on sports Lon, which by the way, I do have a subscription to sports Line,
so it is a paid service. It's like three ninety nine a month. But it does give good information as far as you know, trends and wagering that kind of stuff. So Louisville right now, they are four and five against the against the spread this year. They have not covered since the Oklahoma game. They were four point dogs against Indiana and of course won that thing outright in a major way. But yeah, they have yet to cover in their in their losses this year. But Yeah, fourteen and
a half is the current spread tonight. This UTEP team. By the way, for those that care, you've got they are let's see, they are four and two against the spread this year.
So uh.
And currently when it comes to the amount of money that when it comes to those that are betting on this thing. As far as the spread, the public, uh, seventy two percent of the of the wagers that have come in are betting on UTEP to cover this fourteen and a half point spread. The money, however, is fifty five percent on Louisville forty five percent on UTEP. What that means is the amount of you know, the wages themselves.
There's a lot more people picking UTEP to cover as underdogs, but as far as the amount of money in total, slightly more of that money is on Louisville to cover the spread tonight, so we shall see. Excuse me, also, the oh good, like a swallowed a bug, I'm good. Regroup here real quick. I don't know if that sounded as bad as I thought it did. Sounded like I just choked on something, But anyhow, we will. We'll move along here. If you want to join us on the show,
you can we're gonna get the phone lines. Just one second, five way two about seven to one seventy nine hundred as the number if you want to gives a call again. It is Coffee and Company. I'm Nick Coffee mister radio. Rick Ryder alongside today as we take you up until six o'clock. Just some news that I wanted to share as we get the four o'clock hours started for those of you that have not been keeping up with the news wire having been listening, Tyler Shuck did confirm that
he's not gonna play in the bowl game. So that's jo Cory Brooks and Tyler Shuck both deciding to go ahead, and you know, call it a career here at Louisville. And I don't blame them, and I'm not surprised by any means. And as far as who ends up being the quarterback in this bowl game, you've already lost Brady Allen, he's in the portal. Shuck, of course, has decided not to play. So I mean, I think that means you could see, you could see Tyler, you'll see your you know,
I would imagine you're gonna see here's Clarkson. We're gonna get our our first chance to see him as a starter and see what he can do. You do also have Harrison Bailey, but I believe he's like a fifth or six year senior. And look, if that's what gives you the best chance to win, and that's what Jeff wants to do, then you know it's his call. But and maybe that would be a good a good deed, right, you know, to give this guy a chance to go out there and start a game. It's his last time
I'll ever play quarterback in college. But you know, even if he's really good, what do you get from that? It's his last game? Like, I feel like it would be much more beneficial for you to let Clarkson play. And I think that's what fans want to see. Not that he's going to do what fans want, but like I I would love to see what I have no clue what to expect, but I would love to see Pierce Clarkson start this Bowl game against Washington just to see,
you know, how he looks. It won't have any impact on what they're doing as far as the portal, but you know, if he looks good, then maybe you feel like you might have somewhat of a competition when you bring in your transfer quarterback. All right again, five or two five seven seventy nine hundred is the number. Let's go to the phone lines and welcome in Tyrone, Tyrone, what's happening?
This is hater tarroone, not tyrone, hater tarone. How you doing, sir?
I'm doing okay about yourself.
I'm doing good. I sit here and listen to you every day driving home to work, and I'm representing Big Blue Nation, and it sounds like you need some anxiety medicine. Bruh. Let's get to the sports and just talking. Man up. If you've got seven players, you got seven players, and that's what it is. If your football team ain't no good, your football team ain't no good. We deal with it every day, and yet I sit here and listen to you come up with all these red room scenarios about
what y'all should do. If you can't do it, you can't do it, you know, get a passifier or look. Do you feel me?
Uh? Not quite, I don't. I'm not really sure where we're going.
With this, but you know, oh, it's nothing but hate from BBN. I just called it the wish because the fan base just on my nerve with all the winding, your point fingers.
All they're talking about.
What have you been winding about? To go back? For two months, I've been waiting to get on the radio to talk to you about the winding, because every day I tune in, I like you. You know, I listened to you. But you just to get to wad it about why the teams can't do this and the scenarios and all that. It is what it is. The score zero and the zero when that bottle goes up or when the clock starts is football, and you deal with it.
Anybody that plays sports notes there is no scenario. Either you play and you play to win or you lose. That's it. Ain't no, ain't no prying, trying trying. It's a crab, baby, you feel me, so you know. That's that's all I got to say on it.
Okay, thank you, thank you for the call. I mean, I don't think I've actually come to tears on the show. Maybe it has happened, and I just you know, blocked it out of my memory because it makes me makes me sad again. But that that call has been has been up there here and there for a while and uh, you know, appreciate your listening, Tyrone, but I just I can't.
I don't, I don't, I don't have I think I think he's somebody that used to call the the the afternoon Underdogs many years ago, and there was like a back and forth, and you know, he I'm fine with him being you know, a hater and wanting to call in and talked bad about U of L. Because that's that's kind of how it works. It's a rivalry. I
get it, but I can't quite grasp what he means about. Like, are you talking about me being critical and upset when Louisville loses games that I feel like they could have won? Like I mean, if that's what you classify as whining, I mean, what would you rather me do? I mean, just tell you this, read the box score. I mean, I don't think that would be First of all, that wouldn't be fun. I mean, it's not fun reacting to
bad losses. But it's kind of what happens. So you know, thanks for calling, thanks for listening to appreciate it, and uh, you know, I hope you I hope you continue to listen. I feel like I feel like I was supposed to play along with something there, But I don't really know.
I couldn't. I couldn't connect.
I couldn't couldn't quite grasp what what what what?
He?
You know what he wanted to do there? I feel like he wanted me to go to the dance floor with him, but like we weren't. We weren't on, we weren't in rhythm. But thank you for listening, Tyrone, I appreciate it all.
Right.
Back to the text line five two six five three zero seven ninety. That is the number if you want a text in on the Ellen and Federal Credit Union text line. This text says, Nick, is it just me or does it feel like you're really gonna need momentum after the first year of Pat Kelsey for him to continue to be able to bring in players in the portal and even bring in high school recruits. I do think momentum is a big factor, but you can make up for that with money and with you know, a good.
Recruiter, a good sales pitch.
So if Louisville ends up being a you know, middle of a pack ACC team in a year with the league is not very good and they're not on the bubble, and it just kind of is you know, a year that a lot of us realize is not very good and it's not fun. But we also know that they dealt with injuries and that was a big factor in it. I mean, will know that, but will you know, will recruits and guys in the portal where they will they know or will they care to even consider that that's
why Louisville maybe wasn't very good. I mean, momentum is a factor.
But like.
Kenny Payne brought in especially, I mean, look he brought in in the portal and in the high school ranks. Really really, you know, I don't they You know, we got into arguments about this, me and listeners and we never will be on the same page, and it really doesn't matter. But I know how bad Louisville basketball was last year. And I'm not telling you any any of these guys that that came here to play for Kenny Paine, whether it be his first year, second year, are great,
because you know they aren't. But he brought in freshmen that a lot of big time schools wanted, and he brought in transfers that a lot of other schools wanted to with Trey White, with Sky Clark. You know, so if he can do it after a four win season by utilizing you know, money, then I have no problem. You know, I don't think one Louisvel is not going to be anywhere near as bad as they were under those two seasons. And I think there will be obvious excuses that people are going to be aware of that
that make it to where. You know, it's not like people say, yeah, I'm not going to go play for Pat Kelsey because I think he's a lousy coach because he was four games above five hundred at Louisville. I mean maybe some players do say that, but if you've got to you know, if if you're telling them the opportunity to play here and there's good and there's obvious playing time, and of course in I own money's there, then I don't think that'll keep you from getting players.
But I do think that momentum is in fact, you know, I think momentum is a bigger factor in football than it is basketball, because basketball, man, it's so you know, you can quickly change things in one year, and you can do that in football too. I mean, look at this Arizona State team. But overall, I mean in basketball, you can quite literally go build an entire I mean, look at Kentucky. Kentucky right now. They weren't terrible last year. They were a three seed and they put how many
guys in the NBA. But none of those guys are still there and none of the coaches are still there. Mark Pope went out and build a brand new team. And yeah, they you know, they didn't have momentum from their embarrassing loss in the in the first round of the tournament to Oakland. But Pope didn't have a whole lot of momentum, to be honest with you. Like the guys that he brought in fine players, but it wasn't as if, you know, they were the top players overall
in the portal or anything like that. So I think momentum matters more in football than it does in basketball. And the you know, momentum can be viewed in a variety of ways. It can be something, you know, it could be they just it could be that they have a bunch of Niel money, right. It could be that they're coming off a really good season. It could be that they are, you know, bringing in a really good class from the high school ranks, like for example, mckel
brown junior. He's somebody that right now, those who cover recruiting that you know, it's their job to not only cover recruiting and and you know interview these guys, track their visits, evaluate their talent, but they also are responsible for giving predictions and sometimes they're wrong, but more often than not, they're right, and they know where these guys
are going to go. And right now, Travis Brandam, who is the lead basketball recruiting analyst for twenty four to seven Sports, he has his crystal ball, and I do you know I mentioned crystal ball mocking it because you know it just because the crystal ball has been put in for a recruit doesn't mean that's exactly what's going to happen. However, this is somebody who wouldn't put it
out there unless he felt really good about it. He's not somebody that works for twenty four seven sports that has a crystal ball and he covers one team specifically. He covers college basketball recruiting nationally, and he has predicted mckel brown to Louisville for I think a little while now, and I mean I think that could be momentum. Right if mckel brown junior the number. I mean, he's a top ten player overall in the country. He's a six or four point guard. I mean, I don't know much
about him as far as you know. Is he the kind of guy that other players in that class would want to come play for. But if the first commit for Pat Kelsey in this twenty twenty five recruiting class ends up being a top ten player overall, one of the best guards in the country, that is momentum on the recruiting trail. Even if he's the only one that commits, and who knows, maybe he ends up committing and that leads to others saying, okay, if he's going to pull
the trigger on Louisville. I liked a lot about what they were selling Pat Kelsey and his staff, But now I'm going to go join mckel brown junior, and you know we're going to be We're gonna do this together. I mean, I don't follow it close enough to know that a commitment from him could lead to you getting others. But I just wanted to happen, meaning I just want this kid to commit. And look, you can always decommit.
We are in a world now where you really don't you know, you don't really feel like anybody's truly coming to your school and until they show up and they arrive and they play in a game. But it's been building really for the last couple of weeks that Louisville was in great shape. He was here for the Duke visit. By all accounts, his visit went really well. That's when you started seeing those that cover recruiting predicting Louisville to
be where he ends up. But what I did not realize because I don't go looking for crystal ball stuff, but of course I see it pop up on Twitter and whatnot. And it's not a disrespect to those guys that cover recruiting. It's just not something that I'm you know, I just not something I'd spend a lot of time looking into. But there is a guess a different level,
Like you can go one through ten. You can put in a crystal ball and then put a number I guess with it, and like ten means that you're really confident, and I guess a one would mean that you're predicting it, but you're not confident, which if you're not confident, why would you predict it? However, his crystal ball prediction Travis Brandham of twenty four seven sports. It's bumped up from a six, which was a medium confidence level, to a seven,
which is now in that high range of confidence. So maybe we keep monitoring the level of the crystal ball and then maybe we get the commitment. I'm not sure, but it does kind of feel like any And I say this as somebody who's an outsider that's not covering recruiting like others or following it like others, but I kind of feel like, if everything that's out there is true as far as what's being reported, why hasn't the
kid committed to Louisville yet? I mean, I don't want to rush him, take your time, whatever it takes to get him here. I would say it's worth it. But he's the kind of commit that I would say can give you some some momentum in recruiting. But man, the portal in basketball, Like, if you've got what Louisville has, meaning a good nil situation, you play in an NBA arena.
We know that the fans you know, aren't showing up now the way they used to when things were really rolling, But you have to keep in mind the lower bowl being completely full or close to it in that place being really really rowdy. That's an environment, in an atmosphere that most don't have ever. Therefore, I'd say recruits can only see fifteen thousand of the young center filled, and if it's a good atmosphere, like they're probably not going to think while decent crowd, but why are there some
empty seats up top? Why aren't there more people in the nosebleeds? Like I just don't let you know. You could have a good atmosphere in a good environment without
having the lower bowl even full at all. So when it comes to the portal, I still think even if you end up having an underwhelming season and you don't make the tournament, and maybe you're not even a bubble team, I don't think that that would keep you from being able to still sell to a kid in the portal that Louisville would be a very very good place for them to be. In fact, speaking of nil, let's take a quick break. We'll come back on the other side and take a look at this report. This is from
Front Office Sports. They have the top twenty five. In fact, I think they have everybody, but the list I have is just the top twenty five. As far as the most money that has been raised by the different collectives across the country, I think now you don't have you don't have collectives competing against each other. I think it's all kind of one thing, like, for example, Louisville's official collective for an il as the five oh two circle.
So every school's got one like that. And you know, a lot of schools bring in a lot of money. Some schools don't bring in quite as much. But I'll tell you where Louisville, Kentucky, and Indiana came in these rankings, and we'll get to that and a lot more as we roll along. It's coffee and company, feel by Thornton's right here on Sports Talk seven ninety.
Now back to coffee and company, fueled by Thornton's on Sports Talk seven nine day.
I have a guess as to what's going on with Belichick and the North Carolina job, because again, things that just don't make a ton of sense usually end up not being true. And I'll stand corrected if he ends up being the head coach of North Carolina next year, because it sounds like that's what a lot of people assume is going to happen.
But I mean, who really wants like.
It sounds like, again, you probably heard a little bit of it there during our break if you stuck through the commercial break from our National Sports our Fox Sports Radio update that and this is I guess what is behind the paywall at inside Carolina dot com that the two have like agreed like, yeah, let's do this, but now we got to talk numbers. Now we got to talk terms. And they've not scheduled a board meeting yet because the board meeting is really just the rubber stamp
to say, Okay, yeah, we're doing this. But it sounds like the numbers that are being thrown out there, it's a lot of money, and Carolina, I guess, wants to do this, but they're not willing or able to pay what Belichick wants, which this would actually make make a little more sense to where Belichick wants it to appear that Carolina wants him, because you know, I guess that would make him more attractive to the NFL.
I don't know, but.
I just still even a bit it happens, I'll sit here and say it doesn't make sense. That's what I've said for the last couple of days. But the fact that it's been, you know, really for about twenty four hours now, everybody's just assumed that, yeah, it's happening, we're just kind of waiting. Well, usually you don't wait this long, and when you wait this long, it usually means things are falling apart.
So we shall see.
But I don't think it's crazy that some have said that this is starting to look like the Tennessee search of years ago when they are Chiano, the fans went insane and it didn't end up happening, And I don't know if that's what's gonna end up playing out here.
But there's also some behind the scenes stuff going on to where, you know, those that work together in some former fashion that have say so in this decision as far as who they're going to hire to be the next football coach, it sounds like those people aren't really
on the same page. And I guess that also could explain why there's been such a delay here and it being done, because it's been over twenty four hours really since it appeared that he was going to be the guy and they just had to get it worked out, and they still have not been able to get it worked out. And I think the board of Trustees meeting, and we should know about this around here, right The Board of Trustees meeting being scheduled at Carolina, I think
will be the ultimate sign that this is done. But that Board of Trustees meeting has not been scheduled just yet. All right, it's coffee and Company, and we are feel about Thorton's here on Sports Talk seven ninety taking you up until six o'clock.
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So the NIL world is I think still a humongous gray area. I was on with Tony and Dave this morning on HAS and they were asked, give me if I had any idea as far as what kind of money is being put out there for Louisville players in the portal or for the guys that you know you're going to have to pay in order to keep around. For example, Isaac Brown and Duke Watson are two guys that I'm sure are not coming back to Louisville without them getting a pay raise. I mean, they probably already
got some inniyew money to come to Louis. They were both really highly regarded freshmen. Well now they've shown that they're really really good. As we discussed yesterday, Duke Watson as a true freshman, led the country in yards per carry and Isaac Brown was one of the highest graded overall true freshman performance in college football this year. According to Pro Football Focus, was the acc Rookie of the Year.
I mean, these guys have proven that they're pretty damn good, and with that, you're going to have to pay to keep them around, because that's just how it works now. But as far as the actual number, I have no clue. I've never really believed the number that you hear. I just assume that it's exaggerated. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe it's
exactly what you here. But I've always been of the belief that if you are a player in the portal, rather it be a football player, basketball player, if you if it's out there that you know the range is two to three million, that makes you look good, That makes you look like somebody's willing to invest that money
to get you. By definition, that is what you're worth, and that's that's pretty impressive to be able to say, right, and if you're a school that has that money and you are, you know, rumored to be throwing that kind of change around to get a player, you know what that does makes you look good? Oh, let's talk to them, they got money. I want to because so I just, you know, maybe I'm just cynical, but I just have never believed that some of the numbers you hear are legit.
But when I see the amount of money that's being raised with these collectives, it does make me realize, Okay, maybe these numbers are legit or maybe at least close to what you hear by those who cover recruiting. So right now we've got this is according to Front Office Sports, they have a breakdown here of the Power five schools that have brought in the most money through their collective funding for nil and at the top of the list is Texas and it's really not close.
Texas has brought in two.
Million more than any other school for twenty two million, two hundred and seventy two thousand, four and seventy four dollars. That was the twenty twenty four year end. I guess, you know, the overall year that's the amount of money that came in through their collective. Now again you got to keep in mind that's not just I mean, the collective is really just the bank account, if we're being honest.
There's other NIO deals that are attached to players specifically that have nothing to do with with a collective, like if you are. I mean, I don't want to give any examples because I don't know if it's public information or people want it out there. But there are people who give a lot of money to the five ZHO two circle for U of L, but they also give a lot of money to you know, in different ways. To get these guys paid through at IL, then always
have to go through the collective. The collective can take big amounts of money, but the collectives are more for fundraising through I guess a variety of different ranges of money that people can donate. But like the collective, you can go to the five with two circles, sign up to be a member and donate like twenty bucks a month, a hundred bucks a month, whatever it is. I know,
they've got different options there. So as far as the collectives as a whole, Texas came in at number one Ohio State came in at number two it just over twenty million. Right behind Ohio State was LSHU, also just above twenty million, and then at number four was Georgia. They're at eighteen point three million, Texas A and M at seventeen point two million.
So that is your top five.
I'm not going to give you the entire top twenty five, but in the top twenty five, Louisville came in right around twenty five range, bringing in nine point four million, Kentucky came in just ahead of them at eleven point two million, and then Indiana where are they at? Indiana was actually did better than both of Louisville and Kentucky. Indiana was just outside the top ten at thirteen point
seven million. Which Indiana has a huge fan base. They've always been believed to be big time spenders in NIL when it comes to basketball. So what I would love to know is when Kurt Signetti went out and put this team together. I'm sure NIL was a factor, but I think a lot of the money that you're seeing from Indiana was mostly for basketball. I mean, Jeff Goodman, who is probably as plugged in as anybody when it
comes to college basketball reporting. I mean, he has said many times since this roster has put together for Mike Woods, the Indiana may have the most or one of the most expensive rosters in college basketball, which I'd say so far, they're not getting a great return on that investment. But you know, there's still a lot of basketball to be played. But imagine what kind of money Indiana fans are going
to throw out there for Kurt Signetti now. So, Indiana has always been a program that has an insane amount of support when it comes to not only just fans that show up and attend games and care a lot, but they also support with their money. And that's why when it comes to Indiana basketball, I know, for so long people have said Indiana's they'll never be back.
They're living in the past.
And I get why people say that because Indiana, you know, they haven't actually done anything notable in college basketball in a long long time. I mean, the last time they made a Final four was in two thousand and one, whatever year it was, whenever they lost in the title game to with Mike Woodson or not Mike Wodson, but
Mike Davis as their coach. But they're also like at any moment able to flip it and get it turned around because of the like they're an example of a team that all it takes is like one really good run when it comes to bringing in players in the portal and a really good coach and Woodson, you know he's gonna have this year.
But I would say the those those that make decisions.
At Indiana know how much money was invested to help him build this team, and so far again they're underwhelming right now. They got blown out by Louisville, got blown out by Gonzaga, and really haven't looked great all year. So if he's underwhelming this year once again and they you know, barely make the tournament or maybe they get there and losing their round to thirty two, I wouldn't be shocked if they move on because they know that they've given him resource to store.
They should be better.
And I feel like they got the higher right after the first couple of years of Woodson, but obviously last year they took a step back in this year, I mean, a really terrible look for him against Louisville, specifically because I mean they got beat worse than the score indicated.
They should have lost that game by forty. I'll never forget the seven zero run in less than thirty seconds that Indiana put up at the end of that game to make it a thirty five point law take it from a thirty five point loss to a twenty.
Eight point loss.
But Woodson having no I mean like it looked like Kenny Payne, it looked like he didn't even know anything about what Louisville wanted to do as far as the person well, and Louisville was able. I mean, hopefully we see it again in some other games this year. Maybe difficult given the fact that there's such a limited amount of players that they have to utilize now because of injuries.
But if you want to reference a game where Pat Kelsey coached this Louisville team and you want like the best case scenario as far as what you can, you know, the best case scenario when they're able to really get in what they want to do and take advantage of a team that's not able and ready to play at that pace. Indiana got sped up, turn it over non stop, kept missing layups, and Louisville was knocking down threes, forcing turnovers,
scoring off those turnovers. Like that's best case scenario as far as why you want to play the system that Pat Kelsey wants to play. Now, there's also some signs of where it doesn't work out. But I mean Indiana, I think if they just came in with a better game plan, like they probably win that game. Hard to say that because they lost about thirty, but like Indiana has good players and they just got blitzed, and I think their coaching was the biggest factor in that, to
be honest with you. So other just some other numbers here as far as this breakdown of the schools that have brought in the most money from their Nile collectives, I'm just trying to look at some teams that may surprise you. Like there's nobody in the top ten that I'm looking at and thinking, wow, they brought in a lot more money than I would have ever expected.
Maybe you could say.
I mean Indiana honestly, just because you know, I wouldn't have expected them to be right around the top ten because I usually just think football. But maybe Signetty did get a big amount of money to come in for nil before he ever coached a game. Well now he's got him in the College Football Playoff with an eleven and one record, So imagine that number is going to be a lot bigger next year now that he's shown, Hey,
I'm a pretty good coach myself. Virginia being just behind Indiana is a little bit surprising because you know, Virginia didn't go out and get any big name in the portal when it comes to basketball and in football.
I don't believe they did.
And if they, if they did go out and use a lot of money to get players, it clearly didn't work out because Virginia was really bad once again in football this year. But yeah, they're the kind of schools that you would expect. Washington is just towards the end of the top twenty five here. South Carolina's right near Louisville, Iowa. Same level. So you know, it's the schools that you would expect as far as those that have been able to round up the most money for at iol collectives.
All right, quick break, we'll come back on the other side. Wrap up the four o'clock hour. We'll also get back to the phone calls here on the other side. So if here on hold stick with us. We'll get to you when we come back. It is Coffee and Company taking you up till six o'clock right here on Sports Talk seven ninety.
Now back to coffee and Company fueled by Sortins. On Sports Talk seven nine.
Day, I mentioned at the beginning of the week that it really just it hasn't felt like Christmas time yet, and it's closer than people realize. Also, I mentioned that the shorter Christmas season this year. Thanksgiving was way late, so I think there's like five or seven days between five or seven less days between Thanksgiving and Christmas than
what we usually get. So you know, if you're somebody that doesn't turn the page and celebrate and enjoy Christmas time until Thanksgivings over, it is a much shorter time for you. But I just saw this video pop up here on TikTok, and it is a It's just a thirty second montage of just clips from the malls, like shopping malls in the nineties during Christmas time when they were crowded and there's a bunch of Christmas stuff set up.
You got the toy stores, you got the line that's a mile long for kids to get their picture taken with Santa. I know, as I'm describing this, it actually probably sounds like hell on Earth for some people. But man, it's nostalgic for me when I think of Christmas as a kid. For me, what I'm seeing in this clip
is what I think of. And now, I mean, I'm sure people still do go to malls and they shop in store for Christmas, but like I mean, the last few years, if I found myself, which I usually do, I procrastinate and I end up at the mall a few days before Christmas. I mean there's people there, but like nothing like what you used to see, because one, people don't procrastinate as bad as I do, I'm sure, but also you do a lot of your stuff online. I mean, there are things inside malls now here in
the area. I can't think of any examples off the top of my head, but like malls are now like the big spaces of them are not for little retail stores anymore. Therefore, like you know, like a Dave and Busters or something like that. But yes, the malls. And then when I think of Christmas as a kid, I think of what I'm looking at right here, just what it used to look like in different malls in the nineties,
back when I was a kid. In Christmas, you know, Christmas is awesome now, especially now that I got kids that really get into it. But man, Christmas, when you're a kid, does it get better than that?
Rick?
It doesn't get better than that, does it?
Brother?
I love You're absolutely right, Nick.
Best time of the year. All right, let's go to the phone lines before we get to the top of the hour. Here, we'll bring him in he is. Let's go to Dave David. You're on Sports Talk seven ninety.
How are we doing, brother, I'm excellent as always.
Ken, sir, how are you Nick?
From you?
Well?
Thank you?
You know.
I it's it just it is so heartbreaking to know where this to, where our Louisville Cardinal basketball team started, and kind of where we are and what the road ahead looks like. I tell you, man, I'm sixty one, and it just, uh, when when you really feel like there's something, there's something there and and the injury bug, it's like this team is snake bit and you know, I'm not one, and I hate to say.
I'm the same.
I'm the guy that turns Gonzaga Kentucky on in the second half, thinking, man, this is it's gonna this is just a wonderful thing. We're gonna watch them lose on the West coast, and it just seems.
Like everything I.
Don't and I'll tell you Nick, it's hard to focus on them, but watching them play a little bit, it's like, man, every time you think that they're gonna go south, they find whitening in a bottle somehow. But why I'm calling today is just I'm gonna make a plea to our bigs, to Watermen and to Scott. You guys need to play bigger if you can, you know, going to Scott going two for two on two dunks or two layups or Watermen,
you know, stop shooting the threes. It's every time I look at a box score, whether it's in collegiate basketball or the NBA, half the shots any more come from three. I know that they the threes add of a lot quicker than two's, but you know what, why can't And I'm not gonna say that it's a strength, but you know, these guys they play college basketball for a reason. Post these guys up, you.
Know, get.
Try to make easier shots when when three just bite you, and that you know what, why can't we shoot fifteen footers? Why can't we shoot ten footers and uh, you know everybody attacked the basket on misshots. Just you know, thirty five percent shooting from the field isn't going to beat anybody. And I love the team. I love the direction that Pats taking him in, but uh, it's just a damn shame that that that the injury bug bites us when we're when we're when you can, you know, see light
at the end of the tunnel. Love the show. Merry Christmas to you and yours and go cards as always.
Take care David. Good to hear from you, my man.
I will say, man, I agree with a lot of what he had to say when it comes to the you know, this team kind of being snake bit and you know there were there was no excuse for Louisville to have gone through what they went through the last few years. We all know that, and yet we heard excuses and we were we were viewed as unreasonable because we, you know, had the mindset that we shouldn't be four and twenty eight in one year and then win eight
games the next year. And now you've got a coach that does things the right way, carries himself the right way, and he legitimately has excuses, reasoning as to why this team has kind of fallen short at times against good teams, and he's not going to make excuses about it, but he's actually dealing with something that is really going to limit what he can do in his first year here.
And it just sucks, man, it really does. You know, not that you ever want anybody to get hurt or go through anything, but like for Pat to have to deal with it in his first year when there's real excuses, real reasoning, like it's just it's it's unfortunate.
There's no way around it.
And when it comes to the Kentucky side, Yeah, I mean I will, I will say this, you know, I'm I'm I've always been transparent. I want them to lose every game. And I don't tune in and watch every second of everything they do, but you know, if I can, if it's on, and you know, you know, certain games I will watch. Like I wanted to watch the Kenzaga game. I got to see a lot of that in the second half. You know, they were coming back and they were winning, and it wasn't it wasn't for me. It
was like I lost sleepover or anything like that. But I don't like that. I find them hard, Like there's always gonna be go team whoever's playing against Kentucky and anything. But with Cal there and with some of the players they've had previously, it was never personal because I don't know them on an individual level, but like it was really easy to root against them. Now I'm always gonna
root against them. It's not like I'm having trouble. But I don't find them to be unlikable, especially Pope, And that's just kind of something I'm gonna have to get used to. But I'm with you now when it comes to the bigs, you know, I hear you. I mean Waterman. One of the reasons why he's playing college basketball at this level is because he is a good shooter. But to your point, David, I mean, right now, he's shooting
not a great percentage from three. And I just feel like, if you're six eleven, two hundred and thirty pounds, you know, get to the free throw line early, get a bucket on the block or a mid range shot and that'll open up. That'll one get you more comfortable when the three, the three point shot is there. Like there just seems to be a desperation for Noahman to find the you know, to find the three point line, you know, get there and fire one.
Up, and sometimes he makes it. He's a good shooter, but to me.
He's the guy that just hasn't really looked comfortable with some of the three point shots that he's taken. Now, some of them have been good looks and just hasn't made him And that's just basketball, that's part of it. But you know, with Noah, I think there has been a real emphasis for him to help out on the backboard, but he just hasn't been able to get it going on these last couple of games. I mean, he's been in foul trouble. I don't think the matchups were great
against ole Miss and Duke. But I feel like he'll have some games this year where you feel like he's made a couple of threes that really kind of changed the game. In fact, I wouldn't be shocked up Tonight's his kind of game, to be honest with you. And then with James Scott, I just you know, I think you can tell that he has been told you need to be you know, you need to bring it even more so than you ever have because we need your presence in the front court. We need you to help
on the backboard. But with James Scott, we had to call her earlier this week that I thought made a really good point. He is such a non factor offensively, and you know, you don't have a lot of options, and if he's only taking two shots and their dunks, then fine. But like you, you are very easy to defend when one of the guys out there, the opposing team is not worried about in the slightest because they know the only way he's scoring is if he's catching a lob or he's right around the rim at an
opportune time. So you know, you can't go make these guys different players right now in the moment. But I do think with Noah, I just wish there'd be more of an emphasis to get to the free throw line. You know, get a bucket in the paint, because you're six eleven, two thirty before you you know, you can't just pass up good looks because that's what you're out
there to do, is take good shots. But I feel like he would have a much better ability to knock down threes if his game is working elsewhere before he starts chucking them up there, and I shouldn't say chucking them up because it's not. I mean, he's taken in
the last two games. He's taking a total of seven threes, but he's only made one of them, and I don't think some of them have been great looks right, quick break, will come back here and get the five o'clock hours started finished strong, One more hour to go here on Sports Talk seven ninety.
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