It's time for coffee and company, Fueled by Thornton's on Sports Talk seven.
Nine day, Holy crap, I don't know who the hell we think when we are get off our show.
Idiot.
The kids are playing a trail off. The countries are.
Screwing it up.
Goldplay Inner Murals, Brother, gold Play Inner Murals.
They're supposed to be mature adults, but they're really not.
Who's the kid here? Who's the kid here? Are you kidding me?
Now?
Here's nick coffee?
All right, let's get to it.
Let's get it started as day one of the college basketball offseason.
And I'm not sad.
I mean it's I'm bummed that it's over, but I think we got a great final four. I don't know how great last night's game was, but I'm willing to admit that it could have been much worse if it is considered to be a game that wasn't of high quality, and I still would have loved every minute of it. But we got a close finish. But man, what a weird way for that thing to close out. And we'll get to it. We'll talk about it, no doubt. Obviously, there's a lot of reaction from last night but man,
with free agency now existing in college basketball. As I was trying to get to sleep last night, I was checking to see the reaction from, of course, the National Championship game, and I'm on Twitter way more than I need to be, which I do have some thoughts on that later as far as just like I need to, I need to find a comfort zone, as far as how to utilize the platform, because it's really valuable for
what we do here. It's just, you know, the engagement of it is dead, Like I just can't even I can't even go there when it comes to just you know, going back and forth with trolls and anyways, that's a conversation for down the line. But before I went to sleep last night, there were at least five or six like notable outlets that already had their early rankings for
next season prepped for publish. And I mean, I'm I'm willing to admit I was really surprised to see just how how much everyone seems to think Louisville is going to be really, really, really good. And I do too, I mean, trust me, I'm I'm as excited as can be about next year Year two for Pat Kelsey knowing that we still don't know exactly what the roster's going to look like.
And that's that can mean.
Is there a team out there right now that knows exactly like what their team is going to be? I would I would say no, right, Like, how could you so to have rankings this early? Let's just be real, it's stupid. But I don't know what it is about rankings, lists, those kind of things. I think drafts have become really really popular when it comes to just content. If somebody sees we're going to do a draft of like movies
or restaurants, you know, it's it. Even though people realize it's it's not it's not the end all be all right, Like if Austin and I did a fast food restaurant draft. I mean, it's just our opinions, doesn't change anything, but people would have strong thoughts because you know, it's something people can relate to. So we'll talk about it. But I just I don't know. Maybe it's maybe it's me
getting older. I just I can't fake that. I've you know that I've got a strong reaction to these college basketball I mean, to be fair.
Like it it's.
Stupid or well, I guess I guess they're they're both really stupid. But like bracketology in in you know, June, like that's really stupid. But I think to give Joey Bracketts some credit here, he probably is not as his his brackets in the summer later in the summer although worthless. I mean, I guess his brackets all the time are worthless because he doesn't have anything to do with seating the NAA tournament at all in the grand scheme of things.
But putting out rankings for teams and there's not a single team in your preseason top twenty five or top forty five, whatever you did that is fully set in stone. I maybe I'm off there, Like maybe there are teams that know exactly who's coming back and they have this many freshmen coming in and they've already filled the three
spots they need in the portal. Like like, maybe I'm way off, And it's just me kind of getting caught up in what Louisville and Kentucky both did last year, because I mean, you had to build a roster from scratch to where it was a long process, much longer than most programs, because you know, you had to build really twelve thirteen pieces, and you know you.
Started with Louisville.
It was Terrence Edwards who was your first commitment, and I think the last one might have been Big Frank Frank anselom Ivy, who was you know, a late ad that you know didn't get a ton of attention. But anyways, Louisville believed to be very, very good next year according to those that have a platform to talk college basketball, a platform that of course is bigger than this one
that I have here. John Fanta has Louisville at number three ESPNS, Jeff Borzello has Louisville at number three, and there's others out there that are really high on the cards. And I don't want to say that as if like it's some big surprise, because again, Louisville finished the season is a top twenty five team and they've landed three
top fifteen proven players in the portal. I guess you could say maybe the Kinnesau State transfer Warley isn't as proven because he's only played one season of college ball and it was at Kinnesau State. But still, you know, he had a lot of suitors coming after him. And what I have noticed, and maybe this is something I
shouldn't pay much attention to. But everyone that is putting Louisville in the top five, top ten wherever they're including that Caseon Pryor and Javon Hadley are coming back, which I hope they do. As I talked about yesterday, I have no reason to think that like they're for sure not or they're strongly like none of us know, and I guess until they say something, we should assume that
they're going to be back. I just also am of the mindset that if they do decide to hit the portal and really just reset their value right like, check the market, see what's out there, see who'd be interested, see what kind of money they could get one, you can't blame them for doing that, and it just wouldn't.
Be a big shock.
So that that's the one thing that has kept me from just assuming that those guys are back. But look, if they're back and your roster is is is set with those guys included, I'm not even really sure how many pieces you have left to add when it comes to scholarships, and that I think would be a team that's worthy of this preseason praise. Now for Kentucky, obviously a lot of praise for them as well, but you know, not quite as much as Louisvill's getting in again.
Like that.
We can rivalry about that if you guys wont but like, I just can't go there with you if like you know, we're dunking on each other about preseason rankings and portal rankings in early in early April. I mean, I don't have fatigue when it comes to the rivalry and you know, really getting deep into the weeds and just going back and forth battling anonymous you know, losers on the internet.
But I just I can't. I can't. I can't do it and fake that. I really haven't had the energy for it.
Speaking of that, Kentucky did add a player today that is a highly regarded player in the transfer portal, a player that both programs around here familiar with.
Jaden Quaintance of.
Arizona State, previously committed to Kentucky, decommitted when Kyle left, and he was shopped around. Arizona State became the biggest bidder and he ended up there and had a fine freshman season. I mean he wasn't I mean, he wasn't a freshman All American by any means. But you know, he played for a team that wasn't very good and
then he got hurt towards ACL in March. So when he plays, I don't know, but that's going to boost Kentucky's expectations just because he is still living off of his five star billing that he had out a high school. And there's no reason to say that he won't turn
into real good play here. But you know, I mean, he's someone that I would have assumed didn't have the same you know, ranking slash value after a year at Arizona State, because I won't lie and act like I watched a lot of Arizona State basketball because I didn't.
They weren't relevant, they weren't good.
But you know, he played the Big twelve, which of course is a good league, power five league.
And he was he was.
I but you know, maybe now that he's you know, there's a big jump that guys make from freshman a sophomore, So maybe that happens. But I've got some thoughts that I've already shared on Twitter that got uh Big the big Blue Bozos all riled up, which I mean, I don't want to do it, but I gotta do it.
I gotta cook. I didn't come here with the apron. You know, I didn't.
I didn't bring uh, I didn't bring my George Foreman grill, my air frar. But I got I gotta cook. I mean, I got, I got to and I'll certainly have to do it because you know, you can't say anything about the other side of this rivalry, regardless of what you say, if even if you were to compliment them like it just turns into.
Just just.
I can't think of the right way to describe it where I'd be allowed to say it on the airways airwaves without you know, getting in trouble. But anyways, we'll get to that later. A lot to get to throughout our next two hours and fifty one minutes, So stick with us. You could take us with you wherever you go. Listen live on the Aheart Radio up Listen Live. It's seven ninety Louisville dot com. And if you want to text in do it five O two four three eight
ninety seventy three. It's the LNN Federal Credit Union text line and you can give us a call. We'll open up the phone lines coming up here shortly five O two five seven one seventy nine hundred is the number, and I'll let you know when you can. You can give us a call. We are fueled by Thornton's Here Coffee and Company Nick Coffee. That's me Austin Montgomery, the travel chief alongside and I guess just last night's game.
I mean, first of all, congratulations to you, Austin. I mean you you won your bracket pool right.
Yes, yes, the fiance's family bracket. Nice. I had the championship Houston and Florida.
I did not think that that it was going to be Florida after watching the first really thirty.
Minutes of that game.
I mean, it's the biggest come from behind victory in a national championship game. It never felt like it was out of reach in Florida. To their credit, they are a team that is absolutely built to quickly erase deficits. I mean they did it against Texas Tech. And they did it then also in kind of more of a of a last you know, last run kind of thing, like they tied it up and we had a close game last night for the last you know, few minutes
and some change. But against Texas Tech, I mean they were kind of in desperation mode clawing back and they got it done. So clearly they've proven they can they can do what was what was needed last night to claw back in it. But I just, more than anything, I am, I am blown away by the last two possessions for Houston, like it just it seems so off and uncharacteristic for for for this team coached by Kelvin Sampson.
I mean, to not get a shot at the end there, I mean, that was just I'm still kind of in disbelief. And look, whenever Florida had a late lead, I didn't have a whole lot of confidence that, you know, not that I if Texas Tech would have made a three late and won it or went to overtime and found a way to win, that wouldn't have shocked me at all. I mean, they were in control of that game for
a lot longer than they weren't. But to see them just kind of unravel in those last two possessions, it was very shocking because it was very very uncharacteristic of Kelvin Sampson type teams. And you could tell at the end of that one. I mean, Kelvin Samson, I think he's pretty transparent like, I think what you see is what you get. I don't believe there's a whole lot of just you know, coach speak, and I think he was in disbelief more than anybody. And I give him credit.
I think he did a good job of I guess channeling anger add this and disappointment to where he was still professional. But here are his comments after after last night.
Just what's going through your mind right now? Yeah, yeah, I'm just going through those last two possessions more than anything else. Yeah, it's incomprehensible in that situation. We couldn't get a shot, get a shot. We're down two, and obviously we didn't need a three, but you know, with the manual, we were struggling to score the entire second half. We got you know, good looks.
So there's more to that, but I mean, it's just it is insane that they didn't They didn't end up getting a shot. I mean, and before the turnover that ended the game, you had the play where they have the I don't remember who it was that was driving for them that just lost the ball. I mean, just just lost the ball. And I feel like Houston and They'll get Florida a lot of credit for good defense in both instances.
I mean, they.
Deserve credit, but I just never thought we'd see Houston and Kelvin Sampson.
Beat themselves like that.
And I know times when you say you beat yourself, it's an insinuation that you know the opponent didn't have anything to do with that, and I'm not saying that at all, But those were avoidable mistakes as well, right, Like, well, they were well defended, but those are avoidable mistakes that I.
Just did not expect to see Houston make.
And I feel bad for the young man who and I'm terror and this is just another sign of like Houston. I mean, here, I am the guy saying we should give it more credit than they get. Nobody's saying they're not good. But man, like, is anybody paying attention what Kelvin Samson's doing here at Houston? And yet I don't know any of the players' names. I mean I do, I know LJ. But I wouldn't know him if it wasn't for his time at Baylor and him being a
guy that last night. Had they won, he'd be the first player in college basketball history to ever win two championships with two different schools, but I think it was it was Sharp who elevated had to put the ball down. None of his teammates knew it. I mean, there's a lot of different ways to make mistakes that can really really impact your team's ability or inability to win a game, and I just think that one was, as you know, a walk, which I guess technically that's what it was, right,
which I had. Maybe they didn'tven call it because he didn't grab the ball. He couldn't grab the ball because it would have been travel because he left his feet left the ground.
So again, like you could.
Have a double dribble, you could kick it off your foot, you could have an offensive foul. I mean, at the end of the day, if the end result is a turnover there, that's a disastrous But I think as a player in that position, a veteran in a national championship game on a thirty five and five team to leave the ground.
And and and.
Then mid air realize he can't get a shot off and just drop the ball. That's that's a level of bone headed mistake that you just don't see for many people in that moment. So again, I don't want to mean it's it's it's not the only mistake they made just to play prior there was a you know, a similar another mistake that again was a turnover, same result.
But that's just like mentally not being ready in that moment and you can look, you can throw up a desperation three or get a drive and miss the shot, like for example, Cooper Flag he missed that shot against Houston. Didn't mean what ready, he just missed the shot. I mean he was a little bit short, he was well defended, and it's a shot he makes a lot and you
didn't make it. Then sometimes you miss shots, but to have that happen leave the ground and then just crap your pants mid air, I mean that was bad, really really bad, and you just you just don't see Kelvin Samson type teams make those mistakes, and I think that's why he was in such disbelief. But I think both sides were very uncharacteristic last night, because I mean, Florida to me, they've looked like a cool customer throughout the
entire season. Now, I mean they rolled through the SEC tournament, which was a very impressive thing to do this year, right, I mean they were dominant in that tournament, and they had a couple of tests in the tournament to get to the championship game that really showed that, hey, they were able to keep their cool and remain composed against Yukon, right they I mean they were up against it when they were going against Yukon because that game was played
the exact way Yukon wanted it to be played. And sure enough, Florida hung tough, made tough shots, found a way to win. Same thing, go back to the Texas Tech game. But then early on, I mean Walter Clayton Junior, who was phenomenal in the second half as far as just scoring and making plays and not letting the first half impact his second half, because the.
First half was was a disaster.
I know he here, I was gassing him up for being able to take so many tough shots and make them. I mean, he looked like last night. There were a few times in the first half it looked like he was playing two K and he accidentally hit the wrong button, just.
Just jacked up a shot, because what was that like.
It wasn't even it was no way like it was just like he just like hot potato.
So he looked a little nervous.
And then Alex Condon, who has been really good for them all year, and his numbers were good last night, I mean twelve point seven boards, five of nine. I mean, he didn't have a bad game at all, but.
He looked scared to death.
He looked like he I mean he looked and I've never seen someone look so visibly just shaken.
And it is the National Championship game.
And I loved the interview from Kelvin Samson where he was saying, look, it's a National championship game, you're not playing.
What did he say anything of what.
He made up a team in his halftime interview when talking to I remember who it was for CBS. But anyways, you know, like both teams were like a little bit nervous, but Florida seemed more nervous than I would have expected. And I really don't think that that Houston seemed jittery.
They just had a tough time making some shots fall and but Florida looked uncomfortable even so much in the beginning of the second half, right, they tried to get more physical and they just kept getting called for fouls.
So Florida was uncharacteristic as far as just you know, rolling through this whole season in the most difficult conference in the country and then just kind of not you know, just not really being in the moment like they were, just like the moment was kind of too big for him, it seemed, especially Walter Clayton, which I was surprised by.
Now again he played well in the second half in Florida, did everything you need to do late to win a game, and that kind of proved that, you know, they can withstand struggles and all that stuff.
But they two technical fouls.
That's just I mean, you rarely ever see technicals inter national champions of game, but this is one that this is this is another staff that will really I guess it'll really confirm just how uncharacteristic they were in a lot of ways last night until they turned it on and won the game. Florida had one technical all year as a team at two last night, and I think both came in the second half. So again, both teams were a little uncharacteristic. Maybe it's the moment. Again, you
are playing for a national championship. I mean that's a big deal. I mean, I think any tournament game there's a lot of pressure because it's winneror go home. These were teams that knew, hey, we're expected to win this thing now because look at where we are we've been. I mean, you get four number one seeds make the final four, so when you're there, it's not like you're surprised to be there, but there is that expectation that, hey, we're not just going to be satisfied to be here.
We need to win it.
So maybe that's why, you know, once you got to the final game, where it's, hey, this is it, maybe that's why they were Florida was a little jittery and not themselves. But man, I still can't believe that Houston didn't get a shot off at the end there. And you know, it's probably not the only time that a team has made mistakes late that you know, caution National championship. But the two mistakes that were made were just I mean,
what's the word. I mean, boneheaded is the word I used earlier, but I'm not even sure that really hits to just be dribbling through not necessarily traffic, but just trying to head down drive and make a play. It just lost the ball out of bounds and then you leave the ground to take a shot, crap your pants as doing such and eat the game's over.
I mean it was, it was. I shouldn't laugh, but I mean it was. It was crazy.
It was crazy, and you guys are crazy if you don't stick with us for the next two hours and forty minutes.
So a lot to get to.
I mean again, we're going to talk a lot about rosters coming together for college basketball teams. Obviously a lot of excitement and expectation for the programs around here. There's a real obvious We've talked a lot about Louisville, Kentucky, what they've done, A real obvious, obvious approach for defrees in Indiana. My man's got a type in the portal,
a real type. So we'll get to that. Mike Malone and the NBA was fired, which I don't know if anybody gives a dam about the NBA right now, but I think it's quite clear, like what this is telling us. If Mike Malone can get fired in Denver, I mean, that's that's the full on confirmation that NBA coaching is now a thankless job.
It just is.
I don't know how you fix it, either. So we'll get to that in a lot of other nonsense. We'll have some fun. It's coffee and Company fuel about Thorton's right here on Sports Talk seven ninety.
Now back to coffee and Company fueled by Thornton's on Sports Talk seven nine day.
That's right, Coffee and Company field by Thornton's rolling along here on a Tuesday afternoon. If you want to give us a call, you can five O two five seven seventy nine hundred. You can text in also on the Ellen and Federal Credit Union tex line five O two four to three eight ninety seventy three. Some football news to get to. Not really about anything, you know, specific when it comes to the program, it's about the spring game.
So uh.
The UFL football Twitter account just posted that they will be moving up the kickoff for the spring game this Friday by an hour, so it's gonna start at six o'clock. And it says here on the tweet that they're trying to maximize daylight and kick off an hour early on Fridays, so hopefully there's a good crowd out there. Spring games, you know, still very very important. But my thoughts on spring games changed when Scott satdayoulb was here because I
think spring games. I mean, I have no issue with them. I don't think you should not have them. I just to me it was a tease because I used to try to tell myself, we're gonna learn about this team in the offseason. We're gonna in the spring, we're gonna really we're gonna get a gay, We're gonna you know, but you just don't know. Like it's impossible to really know or get anything out of spring football because you're
playing against yourselves. And the way Louisville used to do it with Bobby specifically, I mean he would have his first string offense go against his second string defense and vice versa to where you just had, like, you know, eighty to nothing scores. I mean, I'm exaggerating, but it was just impossible to really learn something about your team as a fan. Now it's clearly very important for your program, for your players and your team and all that kind
of stuff. But now when I say Sadderfield, like Saderfield made me realize that if you just don't have one, which he didn't want to have one, they had to force him to have one, it's just a big miss, a missed opportunity to market your program and get people excited, and who knows what kind. I mean, you got to win,
you got to have some good momentum. But you know, even if you don't, you could potentially, you know, use the spring to get people excited in some way to buy tickets and get it, you know, and it's it's important in that aspect. But with the portal now, I mean there's a lot of programs that have just flied out,
canceled their spring game, or done something totally different. Last year at old Miss Lane Kiffett, if you remember, I mean, he had his team do like tugle war at midfield and they had some kind of like eating contests where they brought Joey Chestnut out and he later said that he did all of that because he did not want to have any depth chart out there where anybody on their rosters saw where they were, and he didn't want to have any any footage because there you're now required,
at least in the SEC, I believe the ACC as well, to have your spring game on the network because they need content. So Louisville in a spring game a couple of years ago, if you remember Tyler Harrell, who a name I can't believe I just remember that off the top of my head. It came to me because I was thinking, I know, way, I'm gonna remember this guy's name. But he was the speedster who was a really really really fast receiver and at times, you know, he would
just get touchdowns because nobody could catch him. Now, he wasn't a great receiver as far as you know, route running, and didn't have the best hands and whatnot, but he showed the Jets and went off in a spring game, and sure enough Alabama saw it and they Tamford somehow, and he ended up at Bama and never played, transferred i think to Miami and never played. So he probably
would have been better off at Louisville. But two things, players don't or coaches don't want a guy that transferred in to see that he's second string in the spring and in bail. And it's silly you have to worry about that, but you do because they can and it happens pretty often. I mean, there's a lot of guys in the last couple of years that transferred midyear and state spring and then left in the summer and in
it of elsewhere. So anyways, that's a factor. But also when it comes to keeping guys, you know, you don't want them to look to leave because they may be second string in the spring. But you also don't want programs that you know have more money and resources than you to see somebody they like in your spring game, because it is not difficult at all to let that player know that they're wanted by a said school without
actually having a coach do it from a program. So anyway, spring game is at six o'clock on Friday, and they're going to have I mean, I'm looking here at the press release and it doesn't really give you a whole lot as far as what you can expect as far as like competition. But I will say that you can tailgate if you want. I mean, parking lots are going to open at one o'clock, So college football ban tailgating is such a big part of that overall experience. So
that alone is reason to have a spring game. So enjoy the tailgating if you're going all right again, Coffee and Company. Feel about Thorton's here on Sports Talk seven ninety It is wild to kind of see how everything came together for Todd Golden in the last I mean, I don't really remember exactly when it became news, but
it was a big deal. But there was a four month investigation in allegations of sexual harassment and sexual exploitation stalking as well, involving multiple women at Florida, and I believe there were students or maybe just finished going to school, they're just graduated. And it was investigated and they found I guess, no evidence that supported any of the claims at all, and he set back silent, which I'm sure was hard to do. The school set back silent and
just let that process play out. And I got to tell you that should be an example as far as don't. I mean, I kind of feel we have gotten to a point where people aren't so quick to.
Just all right, bad pr got it, got it you.
We got to cancel this guy, We gotta we got to completely distance ourselves and and and you know, eliminate this person's existence from from our program, our school, whatever it may be. And sometimes you need to do that, and sometimes it takes time to figure out, Yeah, we should do that, but you should always let things, you know, play out. I think other programs and I'm not even singling anybody out like I don't. I can't tell you
which school would have would have quickly reacted. I'm not saying you've got a bunch of woke schools that wouldn't have let you know, the process play out, and they would have just canceled Golden and you know, kicked him out of town. But maybe not other schools this year or when this happened, but maybe three or four years ago,
whenever we were so sick. I mean, I don't even want to use the word sensitive because you know, that makes it sound like you know people, Because if this stuff is true and it and you're bothered by it, you're not You're not sensitive.
I mean that's a big issue. But I had this happened.
Twenty nineteen to twenty twenty one in that in that window a time, I kind of feel like Flora would have just felt the need.
Look, we have we can't. This is now out there. The student newspaper ran with the story, and it's it's national news. To cover our own ass. We gotta can this guy.
I mean to me, as I said that out loud, that would have been ridiculous to do that without looking into it. But let's be real, we weren't we society was in a time where that was like just the common thing to do, right. So and look, they probably took some heat from certain types of individuals that just assume that so you allow this kind of stuff. Well, no, we're going to look into it and figure out what
went on. And since it was and this has been months, I feel like since it was you know, put out there, that they looked into it and everything's like that, there
was no evidence that supported any of those claims. There's nothing that can that can back up anything that was alleged, at least not that it was appropriate as far as like communication, that kind of stuf of I mean, I mean, I don't feel like there was anybody because sometimes you know, you'll see a institution an employer side with somebody who clearly did something bad, like for example, Louisville took a lot of heat whenever they didn't get rid of Rick
Putina after Karen Cipher, because that would mean we didn't know at the time, that would be one of a few Rick Putino scandals that we'd have to you know, deal with around here. But that was the one actually that there's really nobody else you can blame.
Now.
He did get extorted and that woman was a named Karen Cipher. I mean, she she was held accountable, she went to prison. So you know, he was a victim in that aspect of it extortion. But like you know, I don't know, I've always been kind of torn on that because that's a really embarrassing thing to play out. But it is his personal life, you know, like it's not I mean, that doesn't really impact his job.
Now.
With that said, he didn't have an everyday job like you and I to where he you know, if it's public that you're out there, you know, having sex on a table at an Italian restaurant since they closed the doors, I mean, not exactly a good look for the basketball
coach at the University of Louisville. But anyways, if you'd have told Todd Golden the day that it became public news that the student newspaper ran that story and he was going to be investigated by the university, if you'd have told him at that time, let it play out because you're gonna be cutting down nets in San Antonio, I mean maybe he would have believed you. But like talk about a full circle moment there. And by the way, this dude, I mean Florida's gonna be good for a
long time. He's a really good coach. I think he showed that in the last couple of years. Last year specifically, it felt like he really emerged as a guy people could tell this guy knows what he's doing, did a great job at San Francisco, and I love a guy that really just kind of gradually took steps up the ladder to where he is. I mean, just getting the Florida job was a big moment, I'm sure, But this dude ten years ago was a i think a director
of operations at Auburn. He didn't even have a coaching role, like a basketball coaching role. He was just a staffer, which, hey, those are that's part of the process, right usual. You don't just walk into certain jobs you got to you gotta start as being, you know, a grad assistant director of ops, maybe the video coordinator, maybe assistant strength coach, just to get you on staff to where you can
be around. But like, there's only a handful of basketball coaching positions, and ten years ago he didn't have one, and now he has had two San Francisco, Florida, and now within what his first few years, he's he's a national champion. So job well done from Todd Golden. All right, real quick, this is just something I found to be interesting.
And worth sharing.
The game last night did not have a single freshman play a second. So that's not to say like, hey, if you're expecting freshmen better, you know, better revoke their scholarships, because you know, there were teams this year, like, for example, had Duke, had Duke been able to not let it slip away or you know, collapse like they did against Houston, it would have been a team. I mean, had Duke won it, it would have been Okay, you can still win with elite talon if you get the right ones and
you got some good supporting. I mean, it would have been honestly, it would have been Kentucky's twenty It would have been Kentucky's twenty twenty twelve title. It would have been Duke's twenty fifteen title all over where. Yeah, the prize piece clearly freshmen, right, I mean, Cooper flag easy to forget this now, but Je lil okafor was a
problem as a freshman. Dude, the game literally just changed so much right around the time he became like a big prospect because you know that guy in nil world, he probably would have not trained. He'd have been Hunter Dickinson and he'd have gotten every penny he asked for. I think because he was so good, he just didn't translate to the NBA. But you could make money back then, so he was really good. And just like Anthony Davis, those were the stars of those teams. However, they had
really good supporting cast. Some were freshmen, but then some were veterans, grown men. I mean, wasn't Quinn cook On that is that his name for Duke, wasn't he? Yes? I think he was on that title team. That's a senior point guard. I believe in twenty fifteen, Emil Jefferson, remember that guy, just a journeyman big, I mean, this guy who gives you energy, experience, a grown ass man playing a supporting role with freshmen and with Kentucky obviously
Kig Gil Christen Davis. Those were the stars of that team. But let's not like Deron Lamb. Wasn't their leading scorer?
I mean.
I think there's I think Terrence Jones is one of the more talented players that's easily forgotten at Kentucky because he played alongside.
Of really he played on a really good team.
Darius Miller was a senior, right, So you know those teams didn't win just with the one and done model. They had to have good pieces alongside that were experienced. And if Duke would have won, it's all what it could have should have. Yes, it would have been Flag and Cannipple and Mayok. I think it's how you say his name. But you know, when it comes to other pieces that may do really good. I mean Proctor is at least a junior, might be a senior now that
I think about it. I mean the transfer that they brought in from Tulane, the senior guard Sion James. I mean, that's a guy who's played five years. I think it is of basketball. Caleb Foster, guy's been there seemingly for you know. Ever, so again, I don't bring up the whole freshman not playing since nineteen ninety nine.
I don't even have I said that.
If there's not it was the first time you didn't have a freshman play at all in a championship game since nineteen eighty nine. Austin wasn't born. I was a year old, so that's not I don't bring that up. To say again, better not rely on any freshmen. I just think it's that it was a wild two team set up here that got us there. Because Houston they'll they'll rely on true like Kelvin Samson will play a
true freshman if he's ready. But I think the way he coaches and what he does at his style, good luck being ready as an eighteen year freshmen, to be honest with you.
And then with Florida, you know, they are so like not toast.
I mean, I was gonna say not to nerd out in a basketball way, but like that's what they are.
Like. They don't give it.
They don't give a damn about rankings, high school kids portal like they they find guys that fit exactly what they want to do and they make it work. Like I don't know how many NBA guys are on Florida's team. I mean, I still think Walter Klayt Junior is gonna be a NBA player and maybe some of the other guys that they got some bigs that could develop into it because they play that style. But I don't know if they have NBA talent. It's more so a style thing.
So anyways, just thought i'd share that quick break, we'll come back wrap up a three o'clock hour, and then in the four o'clock hour we'll talk a little more about the latest portal edition for Kentucky, because I mean, I don't know what it is. Maybe it's just where we are with mostly Twitter, but I think Kentucky fans are still programmed because of the way cal Ran recruiting the high school ranks for so long, especially like when the Internet became what it is today, where everybody interacts
and yells at each other about stuff. They think that everybody's scared of them, and like, I just don't like, I don't like, I don't I don't think anybody is. And really, with the portal and you being able to flip it all in one year, you shouldn't be really scared of anybody, because in a year's time you can. I mean, Kansas was the preseason number one team in
the country for good reason. With talent they didn't even find they didn't win a game in the tournament, and they also didn't even finish in the top twenty five. All right, quick break, keep it locked right here on Sports Talk seven ninety.
Now back to Coffee and Company. Fueled by Thornton's on Sports Talk seven to nine day.
That's right, Coffee and Company rolling along here, finishing up the three o'clock hour, taking you up till six. So hang out with us, Nick Coffee. That's me Austin Montgomery, the travel chief alongside. And if you remember, there was a real concern when we thought we were losing TikTok for forever.
I mean I I was.
I'm willing to admit I did believe that that TikTok would be done, just because it got to that. It was actually kind of silly now that we look back on it, because I think some people were in disbelief that a platform that had becomes so popular and still is would just disappear, and that there was nothing anybody was going to do about it. And then as Trump was getting inaugurated, the owner of TikTok was going.
To be there.
It was just really it was just really weird. But I think a lot of folks were like, no, they're not going to get rid of it.
They can't.
And then they did only for like what a day, maybe not even eight hours. Yeah, it wasn't even that long. So all that did was was give you an extension to use TikTok until they figure something out. So, now that the tariff talk has become, you know, a big conversation nationally, Trump has apparently extended the deadline here for this.
So he's announced a seventy five day extension for bite Dance, the parent company of TikTok, to divest its US operations, postponing the potential ban of the app that is the
most utilized app, and it's not even close. I mean, I know there are still many that don't use it and don't you know, don't have the app, and that's you know, I get it, but I think like eventually you will, no matter how old you are, Like I mean, it's it's a way for businesses to sell things now, Like it's there is a lot of value on there. And I do believe that the concern about like security is real. I mean, I don't think that's made up.
I'm of the opinion though, like you know, this is probably stupid to say, but I mean I kind of think if they wanted to get any information on me, whoever they is, they could And I don't really have like it's not like I have a whole lot to you know, I don't want to get my identity stolen or have my you know, my bank accounts hacked, that kind of stuff. But like that stuff happens, that happened
before TikTok was the thing. So I know that sounds so like whatever, who cares, But I do believe there's a concern.
But I mean, it's it's no.
Longer because I kind of think this has faded a little bit because it became such Even if you didn't really know what it was or how popular it was and how how many different ways it can be utilized by different people in different worlds, you had to learn about it if you keep up with news because it was a it was a national topic for a while when it was the count and the countdown was on that it's about it's about to be over, like we're going to lose it. But there was a in Austin.
I think you can attest to this for a while it was just oh, that's where people go and do stupid dances. Yeah, like that's I mean, I'm sure you can still you can still find that, but like there are different worlds within TikTok.
I mean for anything.
I mean, and and I'm sure the algorithm that that fits you is something that like, I mean, I appreciate it, right.
I don't have to go looking for stuff.
I just scroll endlessly and I end up seeing things that I'm interested in that I'm entertained by because it tracks that. Now, I'm sure they're tracking other things that I'm doing to know how to really hit me in the algorithm with what I want. And that's I guess part of the security concern. But I just I would challenge somebody now again, let me back up a second here, because I can also waste a lot of time on there. I do, in fact, waste a lot of time on TikTok,
So maybe I shouldn't throw this out there. But if you are somebody that like wants a challenge, I'm going to give you a challenge from the misses me challenging you, because I'm sure there are people right now that think, no way, no way, no way, not me.
I'm not a I don't dance. I don't like that stupid stuff.
If you download a TikTok and you just like spent fifteen minutes just kind of scrolling through, and then you took a day off and tried it again, you would eventually find yourself continuing to scroll because it'll it's going to be giving you things that you're interested in. That's what it does. And you may think, well, look, i'm
interested in gardening. There's a gardening world in there, if you're interest in cooking, if you're interested in like for me, I'm real big in like videography stuff, or you know, hell, TikTok is become I think a bigger player in the sports media game because you have a much better chance of somebody and you've got to be visual too as well, Like you can't just spit hot takes at one hundred
and forty characters on X and Twitter. I mean, if you're not putting content on that platform, you're just missing out on a platform that is used by more than anybody in the world. Like people spend more time on the app that is TikTok than they do YouTube or Facebook. So I think there's still people that just think it's nonsense. But I think if you ended up, you know, downloading it, you'd realize, Okay, yeah, I get why people like this app, And what I also think is, like, let's agree on this.
There's no platform that older folks. And when I say older, I mean people like older than me, like, and it's great, like I can keep up with relatives, like my mother is on Facebook, my father, my stepdad, Like it's you know my grandmother, uh was on Facebook before she passed away. Like Facebook is a super useful tool for people really of all ages, but it's not real big with the younger crowd. And that's probably for obvious reasons. They're going
to places like Instagram and TikTok. But Facebook has reels, right.
That's what TikTok is.
But TikTok is better and broader, meaning TikTok is better at delivering you what you want to see. And I know a lot of people you know, maybe not listening right now, but I bet there's a few of you that probably do spend time looking at Facebook reels and you realize ten minutes went by and you're just scrolling through looking at something funny or looking at a news report or something that's the same thing TikTok is, but
it's better. I mean, I'm not lying, right Austin, Like TikTok knows what you want to see, and again that's probably why.
It's a security thread. Because it's it's picking up everything about you.
Yeah, it's crazy. There's, like you just said, there's a talk for everything, wrestling, TikTok. Yeah, there's a oh like you like you like to dive into BODYCM talk, Oh yeah, just fitness talk, conspiracy. There's there's something for everyone. And I was never really a huge fan of that when it first starts. I was always that guy that was kind of sat back and was I'm not downloading that take yep, because I did, and what do you what do you know?
A lot of like I would say, there's been a lot of.
Different ones that have you know, been that have had a run and like Snapchat is still a thing, but like I can tell you that that's just not me, Like I just never could really like that's just not It just didn't do it for me. It's clearly popular with certain people, but like even Instagram, like I'm on Instagram not super often, but like I can tell though that I'm not the tar like you know, I'm not. That just doesn't do it for me quite like the
other ones do. And but that's okay because they clearly have billions of people on there and they're doing just fine. So you know, you may hate TikTok if you tried out, but I just think if you're somebody that just doesn't understand doesn't get it, if you download it and just at least you know, give it a chance, you may regret it later because you'll end up wasting way more time than you probably should. But you know, it's also entertaining and it's useful. I learned things like I've taught
myself how to do things with TikTok. So anyways, we got to run one hour in the books, two more to go. Stick with us. We'll get back into the portal conversation on the other side. Also, we've got some NBA news I do want to touch on, not because we're going to talk a lot of NBA, but Mike Malone getting fired by the Nuggets is the real obvious sign if we needed one, that the NBA coaching positions
are thankless jobs and you are super expendable. It doesn't matter how good of a coach you are, You're not bigger than the star players. Right hour number two on the way right here in Sports Talk seven ninety