It's time for coffee and company, fueled by Thornton's on Sports Talk seven nine day. Now here's Nick coffee.
That's right, five o'clock hour, here on a Monday, coffee and company, fueled by Thornton's Nick Coffee. Back after a nice, a nice week off. Nice to be back, felt like it was months since I've been here. And usually if I take off for a week, it usually feels like that, I guess. But maybe for some reason, maybe just because we had so much that took place like we had the Sweet sixteen? Was I guess when I last was
on the air for today. Of course I've been here with you for the last two hours, but that was the Friday where the second leg essentially of the Sweet sixteen games were to be played, and then we found in the lead. Eight was Saturday and Sunday, so a lot of basketball and here we are now in the National Championship game. A great game it should be at least tonight between Florida and Houston. Obviously we've talked a lot about that today.
But then Pat.
Kelsey landing three portal commitments. Last week, we had a tornado a touchdown in Jaytown that as of earlier today, the National Weather Service did confirm that it's the strongest tornado to hit Louisville or to hit Jefferson County since nineteen ninety six. Half the city is underwater. Where I'm from, where I live. Hope, thankfully we're okay right now, but I mean a lot of the area that I'm near is not. And Shepherdsville, which is technically my address, i'd
be a lot well, I don't know. I guess telling you that I live in Shepherdsville would be accurate because that's what my address is, but I don't really live in the area that is Shepherdsville. But the footage that you're seeing on the news that is going viral across the world is I mean at Salt River in Bullock County.
I mean there's flood zone there and you can get something nowhere near as severe as what we've got in the last week or so as far as rain, and there's still going to be an impact for that area.
And man, it's.
Bad now, So stay safe. I know, despite the rain stopping, it's gonna get worse because of the crest and gonna it's gonna continue to rise, and it's happening today. I mean I haven't checked since the show started, actually, but there were some folks near Zorn Avenue near River Road that were being rescued from somewhere they were staying.
So stay safe.
I mean, you're seeing footage pictures of downtown Louisville in a way that I don't really ever remember. Seeing like this has led to people talking about different floods that we've had. And we've had, I mean I remember, I mean, to be flooding around here doesn't seem like an insane, insanely rare thing. But what I've seen today near the Ohio River in downtown Louisville, maybe I just don't have a good memory, but I feel like it's as bad as I've ever seen it, and it may get worse.
So stay safe, everybody. I I hope, hope you're you know, there are people who in our listening audience. I mean, we have people that listen from you know, all over, but I mean, I just can't imagine. I mean, I've had my basement flood a couple of times, and it sucks. But I also know that despite that happening twice, I mean,
could have been a lot worse. For us, there's some people that lose everything and don't have resources to get evacuated, don't have resources to get things moved that you know, if you don't move it, it's gonna be ruined. So really really awful stuff. And we ran into some folks on our trip to we were at Navarre Beach and we ran into some folks that were from I don't know where they were from. They weren't from Kentucky. They
were from maybe maybe Pennsylvania. But we were just you know, having small talk referencing the weather that we that we had and you know how we had a tornado hit one of the nights back home, and flooding is an issue, and I guess it makes sense like we've had some some weather stuff that you don't even have to be keeping up with Kentucky to know that we've had some devastating type of weather issues, really tragedies, to be honest with you. I mean, we're talking from ice to snow
to other flooding to tornadoes. I mean, and I'm sure we're not that rare, right, I'm sure that happened. You know. It's one of those things like I can't tell you which states across the country in recent years have been it harder than others with certain things. Obviously, there's there's ones that stand out, like what happened in the Carolina's not that long ago, where you know that was a real massive devastation as far as just loss of life.
And obviously, I mean there's interstates that people have driven on for thirty forty years that got that you know, aren't there anymore. So I don't act like we're getting worse than anybody else. But when you do hear people that aren't from or familiar with your home state or your area, and the first thing they think of is that, you know, you guys got it again. Man, you've had some really bad luck. And I'm like, yeah, I guess
you're right. So stay safe, everybody. We were able to avoid any you know, real crazy weather on our trip. But we got a text that came in towards the end of the four o'clock and it's the Ellen in Federal Credit Union text line if you guys would like to text in five oh two four three eight ninety seventy three again five oh two four three eight ninety seventy three.
Oh, you've gotten so batter all I did on vacation.
Just say it over and over, Ellen in Federal Credit Union text line five oh two four three eight ninety seventy three.
Baby, it's just it's it's it's routine for me now.
But somebody made a comment about how they they're surprised that I just didn't spend the whole two first two hours complaining about the weather down there, because they were in Destin, which isn't far from where we were, and they were talking about the weather.
And look, oh, I'm glad you.
I'm glad you mentioned that you were kind of joking, because you know, you did have me a little bit insecure, because you're right, I do sometimes, you know, complain about things that really aren't worth complaining about. But if anything, I'm an open book. I'm honest with you. I share my thoughts and you know, things that I think are an issue that a lot of people would never think
is an issue. So, yeah, the weather didn't suck, but it wasn't great, Like I forgot that that time of the year in that region of the country, like you can get some beautiful weather and that's not a surprise because of where you are. But I kind of feel like the gloomy season for them is fall. So what we had was really no warm weather. Like there wasn't a day where I was outside hot, which is actually kind of good. And the resort we were at had a heated pool, which was clutch, and the ocean was
insanely cold. I didn't get in it, but a couple of my friends did, the kids did.
Yeah.
I love the ocean, but I just wasn't gonna get in it was that cold, right. But and then a lot of days we couldn't get in because it was a double red flag and you know that's that's a dangerous thing. So you know, when it comes to our weather, we got I would say we had two and a half to three days where you could go to bed at night saying, yeah, weather got the best of us today. We made the most of it, but like this is
like this is not ideal for a beach trip. And then we had two days where I feel like it was pretty good where the sun was out for a good chunk and you had good temperatures to where that breeze coming in from the from the ocean. I mean
it was almost perfect. Now, occasionally it would get overcast and a little there was just there was just a level of like wind and fog and like a haze in the sky, if that's even a thing that just you know, was not something I'm used to when I go to the Emerald Coast for a week, because we do it every year, but we do it in August in July, not in you know, April.
It's different.
There was real bad wind, which I wasn't used to, and you know, we met the most of it, had a good time. But then the last day we were there was Friday. Everybody got up and left Saturday. On Friday, we didn't I don't think we at any point had any like real sunshine. We had a mild overcast, so like it was bright, but like the sun wasn't beaming down. So you have the sun not hitting you and you feeling it, and you have cool temperatures to where you're
not hot, you're not sweating. So what that leads to is not realizing you can still get insanely sunburnt in an overcast. And there was a lot of us that realized we've been out there three to four hours with our kids even not thinking about sunscreen because you know, out of sight, out of mind, and then all of a sudden, oh, oh, like I remember you. Yeah, Like
I sneezed at like midday, and you know my face. Obviously, I don't think anybody would would like the look of their own face when they sneeze, but like, obviously it's because your face does a lot of movement, at least mine does. And like my forehead clenched up and I realized I'm burnt. Uh oh no it didn't, it didn't didn't get me too bad, but like we we came back with some good sun. But it really, it really was just by us making sure we were out there soaking up any ounce of sun that we did get
because it wasn't it wasn't around too often. But yeah, to the Texter that mentioned it, yeah, if you were, if you were in Destin, you weren't far at all from me.
And yeah, it wasn't a great week. Wasn't a great week.
But man, I'd never experienced something quite like the drive down there. I have always and I think we talked about it briefly before I left. Like I've always heard and known that destined Florida, that area even of our beach, Santa Rosa Beach, Fort Walton Louivillions. Not to say that we've claimed turf there, but like it's like that that's a known destination spot for a lot of people around here for good reason. It's it's it's you know, I
love it. It's it's our destination spot. We go to Deston every year for our family vacation, and I don't see that ever changing.
So I love it.
But I've always gone in the summer where you've got summer break, where you've got like I mean, we've seen people that are from the area. In fact, we've run into people there before, which is kind of weird. But spring break for just about everybody everywhere is the same week. And on our drive down on early Saturday morning, I could not believe from you know, from the Brooks exit on I sixty five all the way down to really it wasn't it wasn't Navarre.
I guess it was.
I can't think of a Milton, Florida because Milton, Florida is like the when you're first getting into Florida from Alabama and you can kind of go different routes to either end up in like Panama City, Destin and Navar Like that's kind of where you do. You know, you take a route to get to where you're going, and
they're all relatively close to each other. But from i'd say for ninety five percent of the drive, the amount of cars from Kentucky and even Louisville, like Jefferson County plates, Louisville flags, Louisville you know, logos on the car UK like I always have. Not. Again, what I'm saying is I've always known that, like we kind of this area of this state. I guess it's kind of taken over that spot and kind of made it our own. But
I never seen anything like it. I mean, I feel like every five cars I would see going in the same direction with us on sixty five out of every five, three of them at least were from Kentucky. And then we get there, pulled into our resort and you've got a front row of parking and half the cars there are from Kentucky.
Like it was just wild to That's insane.
Yeah, And again I guess what I didn't realize until I got there is that usually when you see a few different people that you can tell are from where you're from, you know that makes sense. But whenever everybody
if you're gonna make the trip. You got one week, right, you got spring break, And that's why you know everybody in this and I'm sure if you were, if you office job, or really maybe any I guesse, It depends on It doesn't really depend on what job you have, but like you've probably got employees that fight for vacation that week is they want to go on spring break.
Like my wife, not.
To brags, she's in a position now where it doesn't really matter like what others in her department do with with vacation, But before she was in the position she's in now, there's a known thing, like there's people that have seniority and you're like fourth in line if you want to take that spring break week.
We can't let everybody off.
And until this person retires or you end up in a different position, like you're just going to have to accept that you're not getting that week off. So you know, a lot of people fight to be there. And it was it was a good week all in all, but you know, weather could have been better. But at least now I know expectations should be that And really here I was belly aching about it the week before I left and the I think the forecast that I saw is probably pretty standard that time of year to where
they get that kind of weather. So anyways, glad to be back again at his Coffee and Company, and we are feeled by Thornton's if you forgot about us, I mean, let me reintroduce ourselves. I'm Nick Coffee, hence the name Coffee and Company. The tribal chief Austin Montgomery, that's the other voice that you hear. And we are excited, at least I am. I won't speak for him. We got a national championship game tonight, But isn't it bittersweet?
Oh yeah, because we're gonna get a.
Great game, I think. But man, it's gonna be over and I'm gonna be sad. I'm gonna try to convince myself. Oh yeah, Nick, you can watch the NBA. Yeah you'll you'll enjoy the NBA.
Right.
Nope, won't do it. I'll try, but I'll just check out. Just not the same. It's about that time where you just got to start watching highlights until college basketball, at least until football season. Yep, no doubt about it. Start looking up those McKenny highlights.
And again, I think if you've listened to this show throughout today, We've talked a lot about the portal. Obviously, Pat Kelsey got a lot of work done when I was gone, adding three players. That's why they currently as we speak, have the number one class in the portal, and that may change. But you know, so far, so good.
I mean, college basketball for all the other for all the things I've said throughout the show today, As far as why I think it is better where it is now with portal in the NIL, I think another factor is that if you love college basketball, like a lot of us do, we now have a lot to chew on for. You know, many weeks after the season actually ends because of free agency, which of course is the transfer portal.
The way we used to do it was, you.
Know, we'll see who decides to come back and not go to the NBA, And you didn't have any flexibility, like if your team stunk last year and you're bringing everybody back and adding to freshmen, they might be a little bit better or they might stink again. And there was just this process of you know, everybody being stagnant. Now again the rich would get richer and stay great.
But now you can just you know, in any moment any I guess you know, maybe not any moment, but you could have a team that I mean Louisville was an example of that.
No, I mean, I wouldn't want. I don't want to act like they were elite this year.
But for what it's worth, what I'm telling you is a fact, not a lie. When the tournament started, the Ape Pole, they were topped in team that may have been misleading, whatever, but that's not something I'm making up. I'm not like, you know, doctoring stats to tell you that it's the truth. So to go from being awful for two straight years with no momentum to then being a top ten team when you played your tournament game,
I mean that's because of where we are. And there was a lot of excitement last year leading up to it, just because Pat Kelsey from The jump Man. He injected some life into this fan base and started building this roster with players you could get excited about. But none of us really knew what to expect it. And then we saw it. And now we're getting set for year two.
And I tell you what you now can mix in one, you've seen what this guy can do as a coach, and the way his guys play for him, and now you're seeing high level players entering this program from the freshman class with Michael Brown and Sunny Frew as well as these three transfers that he's added that you know, a lot of big schools wanted in Louisville got So I think the excitement the off season here for Louisville is going to be the only complaint I think is
going to be that, you know, why don't we got to wait so long to get this thing started for round two?
Now on the.
Kentucky side, we did talk about at the beginning of the show, and I didn't get to it really since then. Disclaimer, And I think it's an important thing to put out there because I don't like running with you know, because again, I'm all for taking shots at the rival, enjoying you know, I love seeing him get beat by Tennessee, you know, just because they're the rival. So I'm all for it if you want to, you know, make jokes about Mark
Pope Wiffin, knock yourself out. I don't blame you at all, I get it, but I also, you know, want to always be clear that, like, I'm not expecting Kentucky to be bad this season. So my disclaimers that it's just too early to know if he's going to have a better roster than he had in year one, if it's going to be worse, if it's going to be the same, Like you just don't know, and even when you have all your pieces in order, you still don't know.
You just don't know.
So him going after three guys and not being able to land those three guys, I think what it did for Kentucky fans it was just an experience they're not used to because in this world of not just the portal in Nil, but this world of everybody. Not everybody, but a lot of people constantly on their devices checking updates on Twitter message boards, Trilly Donovan's discord because they want to see who their team's adding, like, we have
access to this information NonStop right now. And Kentucky fans, of course one of the biggest fan bases you'll find in college basketball. They're just not used to seeing their program, especially when cow was there, going after players of a high caliber and losing them at this rate. Right, first it was jaq Cell Lindenborg the I'm sorry, I guess first it was Donovan Den they transferred from New Mexico, who everybody acted like it was a done deal. He's
going to Kentucky and it's over. Nobody even needs to waste any time contacting. Well, then he commits a UCLA, decides he wants to play for besides, he wants to play for McK crohnen instead of Mark Pope. And then it was jaq Cell Lindenborg the transfer from UAB the number one player in the portal, super skilled guy who I believe that's who Mark Pope met with that got a face to face. In the end, he decided to go through the NBA draft process, but he does come
back to college. He's going to go to Michigan instead. And then I don't I got to be honest with you that I'm not really sure who the other one was. But apparently there's been apparently there have been three that he wanted that have committed elsewhere, so they did land a commitment. What's we're talking about in just a second, But both things can be true, Like you're probably not panicking as if uh oh, are we going to fall off as a program.
But it's never.
Good to see your coach at a place like Kentucky where you're not used to missing out on players really ever, and if you do, it's typically two programs. You know that you would understand why they chose that school. Right, if you're picking Duke or Kansas or Carolina over Kentucky, you still don't like it, but like you get it. Well, now you got Michigan Ucla really good programs too, by the way, but like money matters, So it's just a
different element. And I could just tell from Afar as an outsider, like Kentucky fans are kind of I don't want to say they're going through like some insane level of like depression about where they stand. It's not that, but like they're just not used to this. They're just not And you know, doesn't mean Pope still can't put together a really good team. They are bringing back otega Oway, it seems like, I mean, I assume he's coming back, and.
Like that's a really good player to get back.
I guessed him up all year, Like I think he still was one of the most productive and consistent players in college basketball for a really good team that like people just didn't talk about a whole lot. So having him back is huge. It makes it to where you don't really have to go out there and get great players from the portal. I mean you want to, but
like he's a really good player himself. If he hit the portal this year, he'd be wanted by everybody, and you already have him, so you have to keep that in mind. But also they've got really good freshmen coming in moreno Jasper Johnson. I can't think of the other young man's name, another five star that they brought in or four star.
And you know, those guys.
Surely like they're highly regarded, Like if you're banking on them to be really good right out of the gate, it's been proven like that's not a good recipe because those guys are good, but not to the level of the guys that made major impacts at a high level
for high level programs this year. And yes, Trent, Noah Chandler, Travis Perry, those guys are coming back, it sounds like, and they can certainly help you, but like those are guys understandably so that like as a sophomore, you don't have you don't want to have to rely on those guys to be the thirty two to thirty three minutes per game your backcourt, especially when you know there's players out out there in the portal that would be better
options and you're going after them and you're not getting them. So the one player that they did land is Jalen Lowe, who was really good at pitt as far as you know production. In fact, he was a really highly regarded high school kid that committed to Jeff Cable. He's from Texas. Like I can tell you watching him in person, he's good.
Like that, they got a good player. But to me, that commitment screamed desperation from Pope a little bit, because there's nothing about his game that fits with what mark Pope's once out of guard at all. To be honest with you, I mean, he's not a shooter at all. He's a high volume shot taker, meaning his percentage. I mean, I don't have to look it up and double check, but I wouldn't mean to me, he's a guy that if he's gonna get you twenty four, he's gonna take
a lot of shots to get it. And I guess that's not that uncommon with with players. But you know, he shot twenty Let's see, he shot twenty six percent from three this past year. Thirty seven percent overall. To be honest, that's terrible, Like that's really bad. But he's talented, right, He also averaged five and a half assists. He can make plays, so he's athletic. He's a talented player, and they may figure out a way for it to work.
But there's nothing about his game, his style that says, oh yeah, it's a perfect fit between him and Mark Poe. And it'd be hard for me to believe that this guy would have been a take in a real you know, priority had you not missed out elsewhere, which again that makes sense read if you get done, if you don't need sche Aleen low quite as much. But Louisville fans, of course understandably. So we're having fun with his stat line against Louisville because obviously they lost both those games.
And you know, against Louisville when they played on March first, Why do I remember that game?
Was that when Chucky went on for thirty seven? I think it was because the first one was there in Pittsburgh.
Yep, And I was there for that one, and here I remember a fan yelling and screaming about him, like past the ball, he's a good but yeah, against Louisville the last time they played. He was six of eighteen overall, one of eight from three, and had sixteen points. So again, like he's the kind of guy that looks sixteen a knight's a good night. Oh for most Well, he took eighteen shots to get sixteen points. Like that's insanely inefficient,
which again, I mean, he's a bad player. It just isn't at all what Mark Pope would want out of a guard that I've ever seen. Yes, that was the game Chucky roasted him for thirty seven points and made six straight threes, and you know, Louisville one, and then the first game. I feel like he might have had a better game against Louisville then, but I could be I could be wrong. I was, I was, I was, I mean, I was. I was more so focused on Louisville. That was a close game that they were really lucky
to hold on and win. Rain is the one who kind of went off in that one. But yeah, in that game, Jalen Lowe five of fifteen, one of five from three, and he got you twenty four points, but thirteen of those came at the line.
So you know, that's just two games.
That I reference, But those are the two games Lois of fans would remember because they played, he played their team. But when you look at his numbers, I mean again, when you average sixteen points a game.
That's that's that's production.
But it's damn sure not efficient when you're shooting twenty you know what was it twenty? Yeah, he shot twenty six percent from three thirty seven percent overall. And again he's had some games where he didn't do that, but like he had twenty against n C State, he had to take sixteen shots to get it.
You know, he.
Had's see here get twenty two against Syracuse and a win, had to take twenty shots to get it.
Like that's that's just a high volume guy, right, So.
Maybe maybe Pope saves his game, But to me, that scream desperation, which again doesn't mean that Kentucky's in trouble. They're not going to be good, But I think it's kind of hard to ignore that. I think it's pretty evident. But quick break will come back talk a little more about Duke's collapse because we all enjoyed it as well
as tonight's National championship game. Keep it locked right here on Sports talk seven ninety Tonight, It'll be the last college basketball game you get to watch for a very very, very long time. And you know, I never want to speed up life, because you know, you only get one life to live, and I spend time often hoping life would slow down. But when we get to this point and it's all over, I just kind of want to hit fast forward. I mean not really. If I was
given the option, I wouldn't do it. But I'm gonna be sad when college basketball's over tonight and I no longer watch one shining moment with really any joy. It's just sadness, right because you know it should be a year round sport. I mean, I know that's not realistic, but and I'm being dramatic clearly, but it's gonna be all over tonight. But hey, this year, I think if anybody would just take a step back and realize, if
you consider what the product is of the NAA Tournament. Yeah, I was chalky as hell for one seeds, but the final four games were great, and I think we get a great game tonight, and Florida has been really the trendy favorite. I don't know what the odds were as far as you know, betting before the tournament started. But I know a lot of folks out there would watch this Florida team and think, Okay, yeah, they're gonna be
tough to be. I mean, they're just they're so balanced, they're good in every area, and they've got a great player who can make shots consistently when he is defended perfectly. That that may sound weird, but that's the best way I can describe Walter Clayton Junior. I mean, he he's he's taken shots that you would be fine with anybody else taking, and he's making them. And I know they're comeback against Texas Tech. Got a lot of attention and
I don't remember. I mean I watched it, and clearly Texas Tech made some mistakes, missed some front ends that really let let Florida live, right. But those shots that he made, I mean he made them like it was routine. And there's shots that like when he there was one offensive rebound that he's like, you're playing in the backyard, got to make it like take it back, you know, before you score, after you get a rebound, like he just went back, put it between his legs, pull up three,
buried it. I mean, he is special and he has appointment viewing. In my opinion, I think he's gonna be an NBA player and a good one. I don't know about a star or anything like that, but I mean he's he's really really good, and I think that's why, in my opinion, they've got the they've got the edge tonight because of him. But I don't think it'll be a blowout. I think it'll be close. My gut says Florida's gonna win it. But I'm not counting out Houston
because how could you after what happened against Duke? And that was a big part of the conversation earlier in the show, because if you want to make fun of Duke for collapsing and somehow losing that game and it still doesn't seem real, knock yourself out.
I get it, Duke losing.
That means we all win, right, Like there are certain college programs, some college programs in one sport, it wouldn't be the same in the other sport. Like nobody nobody's happy whenever Alabama.
And basketball los. It's like you just don't really care.
Football though, like they're Goliath. They have been at least under saban to where when you see them fall and you see them, you know, get beat by Vandy in an upset, like we all love to see it. But you know, pro teams, college teams, different, you know, different sports, different levels. There are a handful of programs that if you're not a fan of them, you probably enjoy seeing them lose, or if anything, you just prefer them lose then win, if you had to say so. Duke is
clearly one of those. And it was very evident on Saturday night, or maybe I should say Sunday morning, when a lot of people woke up to see that Duke somehow lost.
That was me.
I did not stay up to see it live, and I went back and watched it obviously because I'm thinking how the hell that happened. And by the way, I never was more intrigued to find it as quickly as I could, because there's some games where you're like, wait a second, they won, Wow, must have missed something late, Like there was no thought in my mind Houston could win when I rolled over and went to bed, and I had to see how it happened and how it played out.
And yes, Duke is guilty of not closing it out right. They didn't. They didn't.
They didn't score a field goal in the last ten minutes other than one one field goal in the last ten minutes.
And Houston they do that to you.
And what Houston did by being who they are, they gave themselves a fighting chance because they're tough.
They never waivered. They stick with who they are.
They played tough defense, they got stops, and even when shots weren't falling, they were still aggressive. So for it to get I mean when the when the technical happened, you had to think, okay, well, if there was any shot of him coming back, it's over now. Well then Duke gets the ball after the technical, free throws comes down,
misses a shot. At this point, you're really in desperation mode, like you you could have taken a quick two and called a time out, but nah, I mean, like, let's be real, look at the clock, Look at how much you're down. So they hit a three, a quick three, and you know that gives you a little bit of a little glimmer of hope. Well then there's the there's
the turnover, and you get another quick three. Obviously that that doesn't fall, and uh, you had the dunk tip there, which was huge, and then from then you you know, from then on, you you foul Proctor? Was it? And Proctor misses the front end of the one in one or maybe did he miss both free throws or one and one, I don't know what it was, but either way, he miss free throw, and uh that led to Houston getting the ball, and uh, actually no, that was yeah,
it was the Houston. It was the miss free throw I think where they called the uh the foul on flag so obviously questionable call, no doubt, But refs miscalls. Best refs in the game are are gonna miss calls, just like the best players that ever played are gonna miss shots. So you know, it happens. If you're upset about it, I get it, But like I think it's a call that if he doesn't make it, nobody really
nobody really makes a big deal about it. But if he does make it, and you're honest with yourself, you can still question if it should have been made at that time. You have every right to do that. But I also think, like it's not it's not as nearly, it's not as egregious to other people if it wasn't in that situation, and I know some people say, well you got to swallow the whistle late, Well, what do
you want that? Or do you want consistency? Like what you want is the reps to do whatever gives your team the best chance to win, because that's just how fanatics are. So you've got the made free throws and then of course the Cooper flag. I mean they got they got him the ball, he got where he wanted and that's a shot that he makes a lot, and he just was defended well enough, left it short and Houston holds on to win. So do collapsing, Sure they did.
They couldn't handle the press very well. But I just really wish there was more, there was more set about Houston. Just I mean, like that if I don't really care, I mean, I'm sure it's a silly hypothetical because we'll never know, But I do believe that Kelvin Sampson is the kind of guy with his with with the kind of coach I should say with like, if somebody could grind out a win in that fashion in that situation, it's Kelvin Samson's team. So with that said, like I'm
certainly not going to doubt them tonight. They're really good defensively, but they're also good on offense as well. It's not like they're just out there to win a game scored in the forties. They can score as well. So tonight, you know, we should get a really really competitive game.
And I think that's great for college basketball. I really do.
I know it would be better if, you know, for me, Louisville was there. For Kentucky fans, I'm sure they'd want to see their team there. But I know I've said this many times, why not say it once more? When it comes to the lifeless Louisville basketball era that was the Kenny Payne experience. I did learn to love college basketball without, you know, without without having a team that you know was a part of it.
I mean, we didn't just like miss the tournament.
We were awful, like we we were not even like it didn't feel like when I would watch Louisville play that I was watching college basketball like you know, in a power league.
It was just it was it was that bad, all right.
So real quick, Yukon's women they won the national championship yesterday. Gino Arima, I mean, I think you could argue, maybe it's a hot take.
He is.
I mean he to me, he has been more innovative to his sport and as successful, if not more successful in an era in eras that were harder to do it than John Wooden at UCLA. I mean that, I mean, I think Geno Arima is one of the best coaches of all time of any sport at any level. And I'm I'm sure I'm presenting that as if I'm giving you
like the hottest take in the world. But I mean, I think for Geno to still you know, again, they never fell off, but obviously there's some new powers in women's basketball, and over the years, I mean plenty of them. Yukon never went away. But here they are winning a national championship in this new world. And Yukon, man, I don't I can't put my finger on what it is because to me, they still do not come up when I just think of power college basketball program schools that
dominate the sport of college basketball. Yukon is on a planet by themselves. And I feel like you've got to say it out loud for people to even like, oh, yeah, I guess you're right.
Like I'm thirty six years old.
Yukon has won more national championships in my life to than any program, and Yukon's women how many they won in my lifetime double maybe of what the men have won. I'm just throwing out numbers here, but like there's no question about with you know, modern era, whatever you want to call it, for the last forty years, there's no program that has been better in women's basketball than Yukon.
And if we're talking about what really matters, right, like what we really value as far as where you're hierarchy is in the sport, it's championships titles, Right, Yukon men have more than anybody, so that the same two schools, sorry, the same school dominates everybody else. And that's just like I do again, I'm saying it like, well, I think there's there's a tone here, Like is anybody listening to
what I'm saying? And I'm sure you're well aware of it if you think about it, But like, I just think that would get more attention, right, Like all this talk about basketball, it's always about the Carolinas, the Dukes, the Kentucky's, the KANSASA And look for good reason, those programs are great, They've got great tradition, they've big ass fan bases like not a knock on them, but there's not a close second as far as like who dominates
basketball respectively in both men's and women's. But if you combine them, I mean, Yukon, they're on a planet on their own. So and I like Geno or Email a lot, really really do always have, and you know he probably won't be doing this forever. So he's one of those guys that I just now try to consider. I consider myself grateful to be able to say I watched Kim turn that program into what it's turned into. And one more thing I'll have before we get to our last break.
Don Staley. She's a great coach. Clearly, I don't have anything against her. I don't really have any feeling on her in one way or the other other than that I know she's a really good coach, and she recruits well, and she's built South Carolina's program up to be insanely impressive. But man, she needs to read the room because she's very much about growing the game women's basketball until it's not about her.
That's very obvious.
And again I hate even getting into the weeds here on this whole thing, because there's jealousy clearly from Paige
Bucker's being the star this year of the sport. Obviously, Caitlyn Clark was on a different level than anything we'll ever see again, and you know, it's just petty, childish stuff to be there and be a part of it and just not realize and be so insecure that like, yeah, like you're great and that's the story, but like the storylines are are not always going to be about you, And like her complaints during the Final four about we gotta be mindful of what's on TikTok and Sports Center
at all times, Well, like, I'm sorry that you are great, but you just haven't had like a player that has captivated the world.
Like others have.
And then of course, you know she wants to I'm sure there's there's hints that it's about race, but like you know, Angel, I mean Angel Reese was a phenomenal player at LSU, and she didn't get maybe the same attention that Clark did, but nobody ever will. Like, I don't know, I just she's a great coach, but I was just kind of turned off by like the way she handled everything in the Final four, including getting completely killed in the championship game. All right, aled, we gotta
we got to run. Actually, should we just double it up here? Do we even have time?
We ken? If you want?
Will let's be easier to that, because if I take a break now, then I wouldn't even be able to come back and say advice. So what we'll do is we'll use the last remaining amount of time we have here to go to the phone lines and we'll welcome in. Lets see if I'm how to work these phones. Let's go to Captain Kirk. What's happening, brother?
Hey, what's going on? Mister Nick?
How are we doing?
Pretty good?
Man?
Uh?
I just wanted to touch on what you was talking about a minute ago about Duke, about where we are all winners when Duke loses, with ye, I would I would. I would never advocate for Duke ever, But on an acc perspective, I was kind of hoping they would win because we were so down this year. I was hoping we would get that win so we could look good, you know. But but you know, it is what it is, and uh, they're they're beating now. So all right, Duke's done and I'm looking forward to next year. My man?
Who you who you're pulling for tonight, Houston or Florida.
Yeah, Houston for it was great, man. What was the deal with not letting a kilt on out there to celebrate with them?
I'm not sure. Yeah, I don't know.
It could be and this sounds petty because he's he's a chem to dream. But if you aren't credentialed, even if you've got like close seats, they'll I mean, they are insanely strict about credential you could be I mean, there could be Trump out there. They may try to stop him if he doesn't have the right credential showing, just because they're insanely strict about that. So that would be my guess. But you'd think people would know it's it's a chem olotuan.
Yeah. Yeah, Well, thank you so much, Jack. I hope you have a great day and go car go cards.
Thanks, Kirk, appreciate it. Yeah.
With Duke, I mean, I didn't find myself pulling for
Duke at any point. And I'll be honest with you, Like I when Duke loses and everybody you know enjoys that, I enjoy it too, But I really don't, like I'm not oftentimes rooting against them unless there's like a certain instance where I bet or maybe like I like a team that they're playing, or it could like I never understood the hatred of Duke because to me, like who we mad at, Like the reason that like Dukie players, you know, the Dukie brand or whatever, like you know,
all the dorky white guys that everybody finds so easy to like you know why that's a thing at Duke and it's not really anywhere else because you don't have like there's no stereotypical Duke fan.
Who are Duke fans.
It's like people who went there they end up moving to like the Northeast, like they're probably I mean they are clearly Duke fans in the area, but I've been to Raleigh, Like Duke, the only people that fit in their tiny ass arena are students, Like they don't.
It's just so different.
So like you just you know, Coach k crying all the time and having bitter beer face, and the Dukie you know, cocky white guys who slapped the floor in and cried of the refs like that became it. They had they created a world of its own because you know when you when you when.
You're stereotyping programs.
You're usually thinking of their fans, right because they come and go, and there's way more of them than there are players.
With Duke, you just have the you know.
So I've never really understood I've never interacted with Duke to where I feel like, man, I hate them, but I know everybody else does, and it just, you know, I guess I'm following the crowd. But when it comes to the ACC, I don't think Duke losing.
Mit, they weren't good.
They just I mean, Houston found a way to win. And I think Duke also fell victim to something that other teams would also fall victim to in same situation, and that is that nobody presses in college basketball anymore. So when you have limited time to work with your team in practice because there are limited hours, you're not spending a whole lot of time working on press breaks because you're often not.
Gonna see it.
So like they got hit with it and didn't really have a plan. Houston's great at it and it bit them in a big way. And if Duke would have won the title this year, I don't really know what that would have meant for the ACC.
Like it would have been, you'd better have it than not.
But like for that lead to get better respect and when it comes to hoops, they got to.
Get everybody else better to be you know, close to Duke, and.
I think you know, it's a chance they're better next year. How much better, I don't know, but I do know we're out of time. Thank you all for joining us, and uh, let's hope we get a good game tonight. You pulling for Houston or Florida to night Austin, Florida because I haven't winning in okayacket.
There you go.
It makes sense, but it makes sense, makes sense. There's no bigger win for the bracket than the championship. So help me get out everybody.
Yes, you have to