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All right, five o'clock hour underway, as we are going to get as much in as we can before we hand it off to Nick Curran and the Louisville Bats as they're set for action this evening, which again you'll hear it right here on Sports Talk seven ninety. Coffee and Company, that's us, and we are fueled by Thornton's save money at the pump every day, save twenty five cents once per week as a member of the Refreshing
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It is your loss for sure. All right.
A bit of busy, busy show so far today, A lot to kind of reset here before we at least attempt to finish strong. With the amount of time that we have, we should be out of here a little bit around five thirty.
But I started the show just.
Acknowledge the real momentum that Louisville football seems to have right now. And I don't mean that they're looked at as some dark horse to win a national championship. But obviously, I think after two years and as you get close to heading into year three, you're getting a good return on that investment and bringing Jeff Brom home and you clearly are in a better place now than you were
prior to Jeff getting here. Kentucky, on the other hand, they've taken a real big step in the opposite direction, where they're coming off of a four and eight season, the most disappointing season Mark Stoops has had at Kentucky, I believe, just based off the fact that there were real expectations, right like you can't go I mean, I guess when they went two and ten or three and nine, whatever it was in his first few years, I mean,
that was kind of the expectation because of what he inherited. Well, he set a standard that was not elite, but clearly better than what they were used to. Getting to Bowl games was obviously something that just became a very normal and regular thing. And you know, moving forward, I don't know if that's the case. They were four and eight last year. They had good players. All those players either left to go to the or transferred out. And we'll see if he's got a better squad on the field
next year. But I would not be shocked at all if they are four and eight, three and nine once again. And you're seeing it with the decline and season ticket sales. That's where fans really some of them are probably you know, thinking to themselves, Yah, they ain't get my money with this train wreck that Stoops has right now and no real positive signed to point to as far as it's going to be okay and they're going to get back
to where they want to be. But some are just like probably not even like they're just checked out because the product has been bad and they don't believe that it's going to be much better this year. According to the Hair Leader, through May twelfth, Kentucky sold more than twenty one thousand season ticket packages, but it's twenty five thousand viewer tickets sold than what they're used to. I mean, the forty thousand is I guess the maximum. And they've
sold out season tickets last two years. Now they're down substantially, And again that's not a real surprise because I mean, let's consider the big drop they had last year, and I think fans are real real with themselves more often than maybe we realize because I don't think you know, many Kentucky fans would would tell you that they certainly believe that they're going to be better than they were
a year ago. Like maybe they are better, but like the schedule is really tough, and I mean, I think if you're telling yourself that you have better personnel and you're going to be in a better place because you know, they made some massive roster update, I mean, maybe you'll end up being right, but I don't really know what evidence that you would have that could support that. So real opposite sides here, and the win total is another
indicator of that. Louisville wind total set it eight and a half, which I mean a lot of that does have to do with the schedule. Kentucky's win total set it four and a half. A lot of that does have to also do with their schedule because it's really challenging. Obviously, the ACC schedule is not going to be as challenging as an SEC schedule. We all know that, but like you can't use that at this point, like, yeah, we're basically the same.
It's just you know, we play in the SEC. No you're not.
I mean that was pretty evident. Last year, and I do think that Kentucky would have a different win total and they would probably have a different record this upcoming season if they played in the ACC rather than the SEC. But if that's like, if that's the last thing you can cling to as far as not acknowledging, you know, kind of the mess that Stoops has created. I mean,
God bless you. And look, he may end up making a big step forward because you know, crazier things have happened, I suppose, but it just seems like A and M pulling the plug at the last minute and not offering him the job. I mean, I think last year is almost as if he showed up for another season but really had not, hadn't planned on being there, and maybe really wasn't really quite there, if you know what I'm saying.
But again, he'll have the opportunity to prove everybody wrong, and I think he's probably earned that.
I mean, last year is the one real like outlier.
But I feel like best case scenario for him would have been to really be out in front, letting fans know, hey, I understand the frustration. We did set a standard fell below that it's unacceptable. We're gonna get better. We're gonna get it done. We're going to work tirelessly to get this thing turned around. I mean that may not do a whole lot because it's just words, but you know, you might have been able to sell a few more season tickets, so we shall see. Football season will be
here before you know it. And that has me excited, all right. We also let you hear some Pat Kelsey sound. He is at the ACC Spring meetings and he was on with Luke Hancock and Mark Packer of the ACC Network. Did a little twelve thirteen minute interview. We played a little snippet of it earlier. We'll play another coming up
here before too long. And anytime we get a chance to hear Pat Kelsey talk about, you know, the program, I mean he's pretty good at that, right, pretty good at talking, and then we learned this past year he's also pretty good at winning too, So we'll let you guys, here's some more of that before we get out of here.
We also talked a little bit about.
The the college football Playoff, and we didn't really get into it. And that's kind of what I want to do right now because it's not a surprise probably to anybody to hear that there is as Ross Dellinger of Yahoo Sports reports that the future of the college football postseason is growing messy. The right up here that he has and he's done a great job of following all
this potential changes to the college football playoffs. He's somebody that I don't really know if I would say he's like a big established name, like you know, the Brett McMurphy's.
Or even like the hell's his name? I can't think of his name very he was just a Derby Herb Street Herbie.
Like he's like those are guys that you know that, like you know visibly and just the name, like a lot of people know who they are. I'm not sure how many people know who Ross Ellinger is. But he is really really good. I encourage you follow him.
He has.
He's come on the show a couple of times, but I kind of feel like he's gotten too big for us now. But he's done a great job of covering a lot of this. And he claims that the discord lingers over the proposed sixteen team playoff granting the Big Ten twice as many automatic bids as the Big twelve in the ACC and I'm happy to hear this, because if you're you know, I don't really even know what power or control anybody has because again, who's in charge.
You've got, you know, representatives from each league, right, the commissioners, Phillips from the ACC, Sankey from the SEC.
I don't. I can. I can visualize that.
I can.
I can see the guy's face from the Big Twelve of your mac Brett, Yourmack of the Big Twelve, And I don't even know who the commission of the Big Ten is, to be honest with you, but like they're all supposed to specifically be looking out for the best interest of their league and not worrying about anybody else because that's their job. There needs to be somebody over top of the entire thing that is looking out for everyone's best interest. And there's not a conflict of interest.
There's not you know, some favoritism going on. So I won't be surprised if we end up with exactly that a sixteen team playoff, that half of it is represented automatically by the Big Ten in the SEC and then the three at large spots. I mean, they'll probably go to an SEC school, at least one or two of them, right, Because that's just how it's gonna work out. And this
is not a conversation about is the SEC the best? Yes, but you can't like locking in a postseason format that quite literally is gift is Positioning teams based off of what a conference has done in the past is idiotic and insane, and I don't know why more people don't see.
It that way.
I hate to get so worked up, but before any games are played in any season, you're gonna go ahead and say that this league in that league, and this league gets specific amount of spots guaranteed, Like there.
Shouldn't be any guarantee. I don't think.
I mean, if there is a guarantee, it should be based off of the G five because they would get left out about it, and I do think they at least needs to be some representation from them. But even that sets the president though of like we're gonna go
ahead and automatically say that. But again, the G five is a whole level of football, Like it's not just one com mean the scenario, like the scenario where you would feel like there's not any team from the non Power four and Notre Dame, not a one from the outside group that wouldn't be worthy of one of the
sixteen spots. Like again, you may have a down year in all G five as the rich get richer continuously with the portal and nil, but there'll be one team that you feel like, Okay, yeah, they you know, let's give them a chance to at least see what they can do. I mean last year it was Boise State, right, so you know, maybe Boise maybe I don't know, maybe
a Memphis. Who else is kind of in that, you know, maybe app State just because And I only bring them up because they've typically been pretty good for for a G five program. So this is a little This is another little blurb from the ride up from Ross Dellinger, and he's talking about highlighting the contentious proposal for the playoff, which will start in twenty twenty six, with the Big ten in the SEC would each get four automatic qualifiers, the Big twelve and the ACC would only get two.
And then it.
Also says here in his article that political pressure is mounting, with the Pennsylvania Congressman publicly criticizing the SEC and the Big Ten for rigging the CFP, reflecting broader concerns about power imbalances in college football as the Big Ten and SEC leverage their dominance post.
Pac twelve collapse. So look, if you truly are.
The best two leagues, which I think you clearly are, why do you need the guarantee? Aren't you going to prove it? Like you're basically claiming that you are automatically guaranteed four because you've been great forever. Well, if you don't see that changing, why don't you continue to be great and just get those spots without automatic guarantees?
Right, I don't think it's that.
I don't think it's and again, it's not even realistic in any way to expect there not to be some major representation from the SEC and the Big Ten. But just to tell us that before a single team plays a game, it's absolutely tiptoeing a line, maybe crossing it as far as this being a popularity contest more than anything. When you start hearing about people throwing out viewership as part of the criteria for getting in, get the hell out of here with that, I mean, that is insanity
and I don't know why it's not. Again, we could end up probably getting the same amount of teams from each conference, could be the same representation from each conference. Even if they don't give autobids. So again that's not what this is about, but just going ahead and saying, regardless of what happens, like let's say the SEC falls apart, it won't, but let's just live in a world.
Where it did.
They get four automatic spots. I mean, maybe the Big ten starts eating their lunch, because, by the way, the Big ten has a lot of potential too to be a bigger I mean, because again, nobody would argue that you're not dominant when it comes to history, alumni, base value, when it comes to like, you know, the amount of people who watch your games, but that should never in any way be a factor in you getting a chance
to play in the college football postseason. I mean, it's it's crazy, and I'll move on because if not, I'm just gonna keep I'm gonna keep you apping about it, and I don't think you guys want to hear that anymore. But not a surprise, as Rosstellinger reports that there's already some growing, growing concerns that this is gonna get messy and they're not gonna be able to come to an agreement because again, you're foolish if you're making an agreement
that is not looking out for your own league. They I don't know what leverage anybody in the or in the ACC or the Big twelve has, But like if you're Jim Billips and you're like, yeah, oh, thanks for giving us two spots. Oh we're so we're so grateful, Like you're not doing your job. You don't have to agree to this now. Again, if you don't agree, what happens.
I don't know, but there should be somebody over top that just says, look, go earn it, and look, the SEC and the Big ten have always gotten the benefit of the doubt at times when they didn't deserve it.
So why do you need these four guaranteed spots? Again?
I promised this time I'll stop yapping, all right, real quick before we let you hear Pat Kelsey. When it comes to the playoffs, we talked just a moment ago about the great finish last night between the Thunder and the Nuggets, and that series has been phenomenal and I'm going to continue to watch it.
I hope we get seven. I really do.
But just a couple of things to add when it comes to last night's win from my Pacers, which ended the series and ended the season for Donovan.
Mitchell and the Calves. The Calves are now.
The first team in MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL history to start a season with a fifteen plus game unbeaten streak but then be eliminated from the playoffs prior to the championship round that year. I feel like that's from OPTA stats. I feel like that's picking on the Calves, Like that's a very to me cherry pig stat to let you know that they were really good but didn't get it
done in the postseason. Also, so this is just a bad look for the Pacers, I guess more than a bad look for the Calves, but I guess more than anything, it's probably a really good look for uh, for for my for my for my Pacers. But Cleveland against the against the NBA at home other than Indianapolis. So when Cleveland's at home playing anybody in the league outside of Indiana, thirty six and five Cleveland against the Pacers at home this year, oh and five. I mean Indy just had
their number really all year. And also this was uh Max Strus is a guy who, believe it or not, played it to Paul and has somehow worked that into an opportunity in the NBA, where he's played for a couple of different teams. I think he played for the Heat for a while and now he's with the Calves, and uh, this story, this was, this was this, this is I feel like I'm picking on this guy, but this is actually funny.
Eight group text message was sent out to every single Cavalier player from Max Strus. Shrews said simply, if you don't believe, then don't show up for work. Shrew said this morning that he doesn't think this group is done.
So that's a guy trying to rally his team, not sure he's in a position where he should be the guy sending out a group text and firing the team up. I would imagine that would probably be a role for Donovan Mitchell, not Max Streuce, but Max Drews. What did he do after sending out that fiery message if you don't believe, don't show up for work. Max showed up for work and didn't do any work. He went zero for nine, didn't score a point as the Cavs were eliminated.
That's that's a tough l to hold for Max s Drews, but it happens.
It happens. I real quick. We only have a few minutes left.
But here's a little more from the conversation Pat Kelsey had with Mark Packer and Luke Hancock earlier today at the ACC Spring meetings.
Well, you know, here you are at eighteen and two, but that fan and you've played it for that crowd. Now, Louisville basketball, when it's rocking, when it's kind of its a game, they're not going to take a back seat to anybody in the country.
Pack You're right, I mean, it's one of the most powerful special story brands in all of collegiate basketball. You played for you'll go down as maybe the greatest of all time. And coach Patino, which you have, Danny Crumb or you kidding me. There's every once in while. It probably happens once a month, and I did it today. I'll send Josh Herd a text and I'll say, you know, just thank you, you know, just just having that sense of gratitude when I say I'm the head coach at
the University of Louisville. It's still kind of crazy. Sometimes they have the type of season we had, you feel like you're in in your keep a little bit. But you know, you listen really close late at night, you can already hear that ball starting to bounce in the Young Center.
So walk walked through the gym when it's empty, and you just kind of think about the ghost.
If you were one hundred percent Yeah.
Not to interrupt you, but I remember interviewing Bill self a long time ago. I was up with serious XM, and I said, you ever just walking you know, rock Chalk Jay Hawky just sit there and he goes pack. I hear the ghost, I see. You know, if you go to some of the great places, it doesn't have to be just hoop to be football, basketball, you pick. You could sit there in an empty stadium and you're like, you can hear the rules, you can remember the places.
And to me, Louisville basketball kind of falls into that category.
I do it all the time. I'm a I'm an early guy, especially during the season. Am I going to sleep crazy early?
I don't.
I don't require a lot of sleep.
But now I'll get up four four thirty in the morning, and I'll you know, especially during the season we're practicing at them, I'll go down to them Center and the security's always there. And I always ask him to turn the lights on when I walk in. Literally every single day, I'll walk in there and sit in one of the seats and just look around and go get the work.
So it's cool.
Yeah, So I mean does he does he know? He makes us fall in love with him all over again, Austin anytime he talks up the program like we needed it majorly in a major way, I should say, given the previous regime.
But like, you know, put it this way, it's just work.
I mean, it's probably a lot of people will be like, oh, that's just what he's supposed to say.
He's he's he's great with words.
He's you know, he's being the politician saying what a coach should say this and that, and maybe that's true. But I do know we as a fan base, because of how much we care about louis Basket.
Like it it.
It hits every time with us, right when he tells us what he says. I sometimes just text Josh Hurt and thank him because I'm the coach at Louisville. Like again, you got to win to keep this job.
We all know that.
But when you win and you say things like that, I mean That's why this guy is a fan favorite, to say the least. That's our guy, Austin. That's our coach right there, that's our that's our ball coach.
It's so refreshing and such a breath of fresh air that every time you see him that he's he does the things that he do. It might have I don't know how it came off other casuals to start the season, but like I mean, I knew I was sold after his press conference show when he was getting everybody hyped up for that Tennessee game. There is that video of him, Oh yeah, going all around campus and getting everybody hyped up. Like I mean, I don't think that there's a lot
of other coaches that's doing that. And he seems very happy to and very humble that he has a spotlight that he has and he knows the job, he knows the gravity of everything, and I find it refreshing that he kind of uh said something about, well, the situation that we came into, there was only only one way to go up, the only one way to go from here, and that was up. And that was something that we never got from the last ersho.
No, I mean, it was all you know, blaming everybody. I mean, like that's that's what's crazy, is that we had a coach who had no excuse to be as terrible as he was, and all he did throughout the entire time was take no accountability and blame others, point fingers, and you know, this guy had an opportunity to to really at times emphasize, you know, we need to not try to be so succes. I mean, who would say that, but actually I know who would. Kenny Payne would like,
so it is refreshing. You're right to have such a change of pace as far as what and what's great is that I don't think it's just lip service to make sure and do the opposite of what the guy did who got canned out of here pretty early. It's I think it's genuine, you know what I mean, And
like the things he says, and it's just words. You gotta win, but you can tell when watching and another sounds corny, but like I think he appreciates being the coach here and his players play with that that same energy, same attitude, and that's I mean, that's what you want. We used to just expect that and probably take it for granted.
Not anymore.
I think we'll appreciate it more than we ever have, just because you know, the roller coaster that it's been.
But we're out of time. We're gonna hand it off to Nick Curran as
The Little Bats are set for a Wednesday night game right here on Sports Talk seven ninety