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Welcome everyone. It is Kentucky Sports Radio, Wednesday, March the twelfth, on the way to the SEC Tournament. It is SEC Tournament Week. The games start here in just three hours and we are here in Bowling Green, Kentucky, where you give us down the Clark's Pumping Shop phone line eight five nine two eight oh twenty two eighty seven. A Vision Auto Glass text machine is seven seven two seven four five two five four. In this sedition sponsored by
the TJ. Smith Office, You call TJ will make them pay. We are here in Bowling Green where the nice folks at the Green River Regional Educational Cooperative have allowed us to do the show here today. I got a full house. We got Ryan, we got Drew, we got Shannon, and our SEC Tournament trip is sponsored by Clayton and Krome. You've heard me talk about Clayton and Krum over the years with their leather goods, but this is a special sponsorship that I want to quickly note at the beginning.
Clayton and Crum has been They've been with us since they started the company. I think they met here in Bowling Green actually see are you and me? They were students at Western and their second employee was a guy named Parker, and this sponsorship is in honor of him. He's going through a battle with a rare form of cancer, thirty years old with a baby girl, and Clayton and Kroum wanted to honor him by sponsoring this trip and to tell him that he has loved and to keep fighting.
And that's what we're gonna do. And just like the cats are going to fight at the SEC Tournament, where we're saying to Parker, we're fighting for you. So go to Clayton and Krom cr um me dot com if you use a co KSR. They have some discounts. We'll talk about it more later, but in honor of Parker our SEC tournament trip, we're thinking about you and Ryan excited to be on the road.
First of all, the season flew by. I can't believe it's already March madness in time for the postseason by. I go back to there's so much optimism and excitement about this year compared to where we were this time last year.
It's a different look.
We were going through the brackets and I'm thinking last year I didn't think Kentucky would have.
Much of a chance.
But this year, there's so much excitement going into the tournament. This year, everybody's got that optimism.
I remember thinking they're gonna make it run. Last year, I think I even picked them to win it. But then I remember Nashville that night after the loss. It was just utter shock and I remember a lot of people saying, I'm not doing this again. I cannot come back.
That was the maddest in person crowd I ever remember in a UK basketball game. I don't think I've ever seen a crowd. And it was bad the next week
in Pittsburgh too, but it was worse here. Yes, I think the fact that like everybody was here and it was at night and everybody been drinking, and like when we lost to Texas and him, because that game was like never closed, like we were down most of the game, the crowd was just they were just done, and it was almost like that was a moment where you go, Okay, well this isn't gonna work. Take that to this year, where I think we're gonna have Shannon one of the
best crowds we've ever had in Nashville. It reminds me of in twenty ten on Cow's first year, how like everybody just seemed to want to be there for that tournament. We're not necessarily as good as we were that year, but I do think you're gonna have a similar crowd in nash year.
I'm looking for Nashville to just be craz Yeah. I think that the level of excitement is probably going to be at a level that it hasn't been since COVID, maybe since twenty nine.
This is gonna be the best tournament for the SEC. For Kentucky fans, now, we need to win games, but for fans that probably you've had since COVID.
You know, just just went one game first of all right, let's just go day to day. When that first game, if you do, it'd be the first win since twenty twenty two, which I can't even believe.
That's a freazing thing, pretty amazing.
So all right, let me give you. Let me give you some facts here that I thought of last night. So for this is, if not my favorite week of the year, it's one of my favorite weeks, and it goes back my entire life. The SEC tournament has been one of my favorite things to do. So I want to give you some numbers that I just realized my grandfather. I started going to the SEC tournament because my grandfather
and his best friends would go. The first SEC tournament they went to was nineteen eighty five, which is forty years ago this weekend. I think one of the last members of that group passed away in the last year and they went forty years ago as their anniversary. I went and counted up. This is my thirtieth WOW SEC tournament, so their fortieth, my thirtieth. We started KSR the website twenty years ago. This year we start to KSR the radio show fifteen years ago. This year the twenty fifteen team.
This will be the one basketball part my opinion, maybe the best team of my lifetime ten years ago. And then it was here today, five years ago that the SEC tournament and NCAA tournament were canceled. Five years ago to this day, So a lot of anniversaries for me personally this year fortieth that this became something in our family's lives. Thirtieth tournament for me, So Ran, I'm very excited about this.
You know, just you mentioned what happened here five years ago on this day just kind of blows my mind.
Because it was today, five years ago they canceled the tournament. Today, yesterday was the anniversary of all the you know, stuff happened in the night before, but the official we were sitting in a conference room five years ago today with the athletic directors meeting in the room next to us, deciding what they were gonna do. And then while we were on the air, if you remember, Ryan, they canceled the tournament.
Didn't Shanny go still a big bottle of handsands just.
Trying to protect you guys. I mean, I didn't know what was going on.
We were a lot more than that. We always talk about that. There was a lot more crazy stuff than that. I mean the athletic directors were meeting next door. Mitch Barnhart was outside trying to figure out how to get the UK softball team home from Florida. They were stuck in Florida with no flights and he didn't know exactly how to get him back. They were trying to decide what they were gonna do with all, with everything. You
remember the governor called in. That was when he kind of wanted to give a message to the state of Hey, this is serious. I mean, it was just a whole thing. And now five years later, Drew, I do think this is the most excited this fan base has been for an SEC tournament probably since then.
Yeah, unfortunately it has not been good since then. Shannon mentions the one win. We haven't even won a game in Nashville since before COVID. We beat a ten seed Alabama. That was our last win in Bridgestone Arena. So Kentucky's do and even though you're a six seed and really not expected to make much of a run. I agree that there Big Blue is gonna be everywhere on Broadway just to be a part of what might happen.
So I think it is gonna be a pretty a pretty great week. Now. Kentucky, of course plays tomorrow night at nine thirty. I still will use the Eastern times, even though we're gonna be in the Central time zone. But you know, tournament stars, Cal Perry's playing in the first game today here at one o'clock against South Carolina.
You know, I was on a podcast with like these guys in Boston, it's like gambling podcast a couple days ago, and they asked me the question, is it harder to win this year the SEC Tournament or the NCAA Tournament? And that may seem like a stupid question in a lot of years, but I don't know. I mean, I don't know if it's a stupid question. I was sitting here and looking at it, and I was thinking, Okay,
let's just say you're Kentucky, all right. Here are the four games you would have to win to win the SEC Tournament. Beat a Georgia team that's gonna be in the NCAA Tournament, beat Alabama, beat Florida, beat off. There's a decent chance that when you look at a team Sweet sixteen to national title game path, they won't play a harder group than that. There's a decent. You know, there's a decent argument that that is the case. And even if you were Alabama you get a double bye.
What if I told you to win the title with the double bye, you had to beat Kentucky, Florida, and Opera. That's a pretty hard run. Whoever wins this, I do think will have the equivalent of an elite eight to title run just to win the SEC tournament.
This may be the only year it ever happens, but it's definitely true. This year the SEC Tournament is harder. You mentioned Kentucky's path. Those are three teams that were potential number one seeds for most of the year in Auburn, Florida and Alabama that would run would never happen in the NCAA tournament.
Have to go through there to get to the championship.
And if you just look at the odds, Kentucky's eight to one to make the final four in nineteen to one to.
Win the SECS. So is that right?
I mean almost more than double you know the probability there.
It just shows you how razy with gallant they have in front of them.
There's a lot of debating on which would you rather do. I'm go back and forth on win go to the final four. But I mean a winning the SEC championship this year, whatever you think of how much it means in the big picture, that is a huge accomplishment.
I think it's I do think it's a big deal. I mean it's interesting the younger coaches in the league, or at least the coaches that are on I heard. I saw Mark Pope, Bruce Pearl, Nate Oates, and Todd Golden all say in the last two days winning this SEC tournament is a huge deal for us. There's another coach on the other side who took the opposite view, But I do think this will be you know, look, only one team's gonna win the national championship, So if
you're not gonna do that, you might. I mean, this is like this. Auburn won it last year's first time they ever won it, the first time they won since like the eighties. They were into it. I think that we should be too.
No matter what path you end up getting in the NCAA tournament, I think you've already and I made this point last week, I don't think that you're gonna be playing any tougher teams than what you've already played in the SEC, so I think at this point you're not afraid of anybody, regardless of what your situation is.
So we also have some other things on the line here. First of all, Shannon the dude has been credential for the first time ever at the SEC. You're gonna walk in now listen, if you'all gonna sit here, then you have to clap claps and get a free show and watch like it's a movie. I've been participate.
I've been denied for ten straight years. Give it up for my credential.
Yeah, seriously, I mean you're so like you're gonna walk in here this afternoon. Yeah, I mean, this is like gonna be your Your eye is gonna be big. They finally they've turned you down ten straight years and then decided that this year you were good.
I expect to be sitting right next to Jay Billis. I want a headset so I can chime in on the broadcast.
I want to make you need to get on cameraight now. Mario, first time he's ever applied, actually got credential. He got in one, so this will be his first time to so kind of a new era. Ryan of them credentialing the new guard.
I just want to see Shannon's credential because he apparently he submitted a headshot of him wearing his gold ov W jacket.
That's gonna be credentials so the SEC tournament for me that don't know. They denied his head shot because he's sending in an OVW picture.
No no, no, no no.
I sent in a picture of KSR with a headset on, and they said we need another headshot, so I sent them the OVW picture with the gold jackets.
So we'll see if that one maybe gets approved.
I kind of doubt it will. I think you're gonna you're probably gonna have to take one.
Not gonna look like the Facebook profile before you add your profile.
It's just like the outline of somebody's head.
It's gonna look like, uh but but who do you think got bumped? You know, if they approved me, is somebody had to get bumped?
Question? I know, I understand how you didn't get in because they everyone else on earth was. It seemed to allowed him.
I mean, they were letting people off the streets. You let me.
I got credential for the SEC tournament before even UK would credential me for the games like it was. It was easier.
So what they always told me was you don't go to enough home games. But then there are other people like I don't know you like what the.
Only game I went to was the Archita game this year, so exactly. Well, but so that'll be fun. Now tomorrow we will do our show at ten roof. It is nine o'clock Central. Shannon's pre show will be at eight o'clock Central. There will open I think they're opening the doors at seven. Is that right? Seven o'clock. They're gonna open it at seven, So we hope to see you all at ten roof. It should be the start of a long, fun day in Nashville where I think Blue will be, uh will be everywhere.
That's my favorite show of the year with KSR. This is my favorite week of the year with Kentucky basketball. I'm just hoping we make it a little longer into the weekend because it's it's been a real gut punch the last couple of years, getting so excited to only turn around and come straight back home.
Yeah, So so that that's gonna be our our thing for the week. I do want to before we go to break here because I want this to be a fun, exciting show. But I do think we need to note the passing of Louisville's Junior Bridgeman before we go to break.
For people who don't know, Junior Bridgeman's one of the more amazing stories really ever in sports, and he went to University of Louisville, one of their best players of all time, was really on their first really great team in the seventies, played in the NBA for ten years, eight years from Milwaukee Bucks. Back then, his average salary was two hundred and seventy five thousand dollars. He became literally a billionaire after playing basketball. He owned something like
five hundred windys we were reading today. He owned one hundred and twenty five chilis. He owned like he basically started a restaurant conglomerate. But more importantly, he was like the beacon of the city of Louisville. He helped the city. He was a big part of the Muhammad Ali Center coming in. In many ways, he was the soul of Louisville basketball as a program, as a player, as a member of the board, as a donor, but also as
an amazing success story. I saw Charles Barkley last night say, one time I looked at the who are the richest basketball players of all time? And it was Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Junior Bridgeman, And I didn't even know who Junior Bridgeman was. Well, that's a testament to his success, but it's also a testament he was a pillar of the Louisville community, like gave back for generations, and he
passed away yesterday. Louisville is our rival, but also as a human being and a member of this you know, a citizen of the state of Kentucky, Junior Bridgeman is what you would hope your child becomes. He's a really a great American success story who never forgot where he's from, who always gave back, and who everyone around him said was a very humble successful man. So I want to pass on my prayers to the Junior Bridgeman family, and
I hope all Kentucky fans will do the same. I mean, it's almost as if the he's almost the equivalent of if you know, Dan Issel and Joe Kraft were the same part, and that's kind of what it is for Louisville. So God bless him and his family, and I know you guys join me in saying we wish them nothing but the best.
Absolutely, I regret I never got to meet him, because all you hear is nothing but fantastic things about that man went from nothing to a billionaire, and it just what a great ambassador for the university and for the city.
And a lot of people I'm really close to. We're very good friends with him, Craig Greenberg, mayor Louisville. Larry Bench, who it's one of our owners of O BW. Parron is very close with him as well that you've heard on this show. So prayers out to Junior Bridgeman and everybody who's a Louisville basketball fan on his passing. We're going to take a break and come back here in
Bowling Green. This is Kentucky Sports Radio. Welcome back. It is Kentucky Sports Radio here on the road to the SEC Tournament in Bowling Green, Kentucky at the Green River Regional Educational Cooperative. Thanks to letting us be here in Bowling Green. We got up very early to get out
of here. We left Lexington just a little bit after seven in the morning, but now ready to go and then and getting to getting to Nashville today, I will say, Drew, I gotta get some excitement from uh, some of our some of some of our texters seven seven two seven seven four five two five four maybe a little depressing to start. Can I read you the first two textas text I read this is like one of the most excited he let me let me read you the first two texts I saw. One's from a guy named JR. Matt.
I can't get excited about the SEC Tournament. I can't see the Cats winning any game. Cal messed it up for me. Here's hoping I'm wrong? Shut up, JR? What do you mean Cow's gone on another team? Like? What do you mean? Can't? And then this one? This wee you want to talk about a Debbie downer, Shannon Matt. Let's play pray there's not a repeat of the tornado game during the tournament in two thousand and eight. I always worry about the weather.
What does that have to do with it? The weather's gonna be perfect down there.
How many times do you think the how many times do you think a tornado is gonna hit the SEC Tournament? It happened once in history, and how does.
That thought even come to your mind?
Do you really go outside of your house and go, well, it doesn't have a tornado today the day you we're at the n SCC. I mean, those are the two most DeBie Downer quotes I've ever heard. So I need the text machine to have some uplift seven seven four five two five four.
I don't want to back that texture. But Saturday's weather is supposed to be terrib Okay.
Why did you say? Why are you backing the text?
I'm not saying we're gonna recreate Georgia back, no, no, but what the weather is supposed to be horrible on Saturday for the day we all want to be on buss.
You want to note? Is it supposed to be I'm still excited you have to turn on me. I'm just noting the weather.
On Saturday is supposed to be war I'm not saying it's the Georgia Dome all over again.
Exactly right. Let's see if we win on Thursday before we start worrying about the weather on Saturday.
I can say I hope we're they're playing still playing on Saturday.
That'd be a good good achievement for me. In my book.
Maybe it was Drew that text.
It's gonna be a great week, all right, everybody be positive, it's gonna.
Be I'm excited, but I can note that the weather's bad, and everybody calm down.
I looked at the forecast man on Saturday, all right. Beyond yes, last night the tournament added u NC Wilmington Robert Morris. Yes, Bobby ended up making Bobby mo our first round game. That would be kind of interesting. Saint Francis of Pennsylvania, which you probably didn't even know was a school. And then Gonzaga won in what I thought was the worst basketball game I've ever seen in my life.
Final score fifty four to forty nine, and Gonzaga and Saint Mary's combined Ryan to go one for twenty nine from three point land. It's the worst shooting three point game in the history of any conference tournament in college basketball. I actually tried to watch them, and they're both NCAA Tournament teams that played in it.
I watched it, and I saw Gonzaga was ahead like my five. I thought that'd be gonna be a good win for them, and then I just could not watch it anymore.
It was awful.
It was. Honestly, we talk about how exciting and good these see games have been this year, think of the exact opposite. It was the worst basketball game I've ever seen. And those are two good teams in theory.
I had it on kind of a background noise as I was packing, but I would look up and even the announcers were kind of talking about what a horrible product it was for two teams. That and also this time you hear those teams usually put on an entertaining game in that conference. That was not much fun to watch last night.
You could take the five of us, we could go one for twenty nine. I am confident we could get one out of twenty nine.
One out of twenty nine. Who do you think Ryan is the most important player for Kentucky to succeed over the next few days.
Well, I think we've seen Otega kind of take over. He's got to be that guy. Without Jackson Robinson, you need somebody who can go depend on the it's gonna go get you sixteen, eighteen to twenty points a game. I think, so Otega is that guy. He's got to do that.
It's a boy, answer Drew, But I know it's probably one you agree with. A lot of Kentucky's success this year has been does Kobe Bray hit shot? And Kobe Bray hit shots, We're good. If he doesn't hit shots, we're usually not.
You'll have to have both of them. But I'm not going with either one of those for my answer. I mean, I'm going Lamont Butler.
There's a chick. It's in your first game.
You got Oklahoma with Fears in the back court, who carved up down there. Even though he still won that game, you could advance have Mark Sears again, I know we're gonna need defense there, so I think they're gonna make a run. Butler's defense on some of the best guards in the conference will be the difference maker.
I actually like that that call because with Fears and Seers back to back, you know, we did not have Butler when we played Seers last We did have him, but only like fourteen minutes when we played against Fears, So I actually think that's.
A pretty Walter Clayton after that, if you beat Alabama, it's a long run of great point guards.
In the one out.
Throwing up Mary Williams as well, who I think has been very impressive in the second half of the season. So if he's able to have a good game, I think Kentucky has a chance to roll it.
They just picked every starter except the dude who's played the best last two games, Andrew Carry. I mean, he's been probably our best player in these last two games.
And if if they end up playing Alabama, he's gonna be.
Key because he got rocked. Yes, he wasn't.
Roy and got rocked. He's got to show up and play good.
And that he got rocked first time, and then he was barely moving in the second one. So it'd be interesting to see how he does when he's at full speed. Because that you go watch that first game, we actually outplayed them. It's just Grant Nelson had a crazy game twenty four and eleven. If I'm not mistaken, that's exactly right. Who's up first, John, Joseph, Joseph, go ahead, Joseph.
I ain't made a ben sense football suits that I talked to you, but anyway, I just want to ask you.
How do you think we'll do a naught?
You think we win two three games there at How do you think we're doing.
The n C A turkey? All right? Thank you, Joseph, Well, I'll say the same thing that I said when the show started, which is I think Kentucky. Listen, they could lose this first game. They could make it to the finals. I mean, you play Oklahoma or Georgia. We lost to Georgia. We beat Oklahoma by one point. We play Alabama, I think we can win. We play Florida, We've already beaten them. Auburn be tougher, but who knows they could even lose.
I mean, but so like, I have no idea. This is the first SEC tournament ever that I would say you could win any of the four games. You can lose any of them.
I feel very confident winning Thursday. Keep in mind you because you play Georgia and Oklahoma on the road, and this game tomorrow is going to be basically a home game, though it's that's what I'm saying.
It will be a home game. The good thing is you look at the bracket. Let's just see what the bracket would be tomorrow night. Mississippi State, Missouri. Let's say Georgia or Oklahoma, Kentucky. Those teams don't bring fan bases, so that that arena tomorrow night is gonna be eighty to ninety percent Kentucky fans, if not more, because those teams don't bring fan bases. So it's gonna be wild in there.
And be a home field court, Adventage and.
Be a home field court. Evan, it's gonna be a home We'll take a break right back to Kentucky sports radio. People are riding in with their own reasons to be excited or having a hard time being excited about the tournament. Yeah, one person writes, Matt, I can't get excited about the SEC tournament. The Greek island of Santorini had an earthquake. I can't watch the game. I'm sorry about that wish for those people. But yes, Santorini's of like very luxurious island.
You know, it's like it's where all the people go on their honeymoons, you know, like they have the is that the one that has the blue the blue house, right, bluish blue and white. Yeah, it's like a very it's like an Instagram place.
You should go there, right, So what the next location for white Lotus?
Maybe something like that.
Yeah, it's probably a little too like it's probably a little too touristy, like they tried to go somewhere a little off the beaten path.
But yeah, does it cost more than Nashville, because Nashville is absolutely probably, although it's not that I'm out, I can't afford.
It to Yeah, probably a little bit if I'm nine two eight oh twenty two eighty seven. One person writes, Matt, you you said that game last night was awful, and it will. But Saint Francis beat Central Connecticut State forty six forty three in that Championship of the tournament. Those are two really bad games for championship week.
Otherwise, March has been pretty exciting. Those two were a couple of duds, but I've enjoyed watching some of the conference tournaments in the lead up to this. Before we get dialed in on the main one, another.
Person writes, Matt, let's all say a prayer. Excuse me. One person rights, let's say a prayer for Matt. He thinks seven o'clock is early. Most of us are already up. Then you think most people are already up at seven?
Probably so anybody's got a job.
Parents that have kids, getting people have kids.
Yeah, well no, not everybody that has a job gets up at seven.
No, those who work on like third shift, don't get up at seven. They're going to bed at seven. Everybody else goes.
I work at nine. Who might sleep till seven? I grant you, I sleep later, but I stay up later than people. Ryan, I don't go to bed till like one dude.
And still we've talked about this before.
You don't send an alarm clock, but somehow you wake up every day that the right time for you to GI go to the radio show.
Uh, there's a story that Drew I knew Ryan would like, which I thought I had to bring up. This is one of those maybe we ought to mute as microphone, but nevertheless is especially there are new Major League Baseball hats. So have you seen these hats? Yeah, so they have that. You know you were part of the reason one team
sold out. Uh, they they're new hats. And they take the normal team logo, but then they take the main letter for a team for each team and just stick them in the middle, so like it'll say like Cincinnati spelled out, but then with a C right in the middle and it covers up a few of the letters, right. So they do that for every team. So for instance, Philadelphia, it says like Phillies, but then has a pe right
in the middle, et cetera. Well, they made a little bit of a mistake at least when uh when talking about two teams, the Tech Texas Rangers and the Anaheigh Angels. First of all, Anaheim it says a N and then the G is covered up by an A and it says E L S. You can do the spelling there, but thankfully there is an E or else it would be significantly worse. But then Texas spells out T e X A S, but the T covers up the X,
and you probably think, well, that's okay, who cares. But you might not be bilingual because if you're Spanish, if you speak Spanish, T E T A S has a meaning and I'll let you all google it. I won't say what it is, but just google what T E T A S is in Spanish. And because of that Hispanic people, they sold out within moments. You can't even get one. Major League Baseball has actually now apologized and said we didn't mean to put that on a hat
that will become a very expensive hat. Did they not have one person that spoke Spanish drew on the staff, or maybe did tatus. I think I can say that it's what was on the hat. Josiah speaks Spanish, clearly, maybe a mistake. You know.
Normally I say that someone should be in the room just as an outsider to raise their hand. He'd be like, what are we doing? We have to think about the reaction to this. But this one, I think it was intentional. I think they saw it and realized, oh, this is gonna sell out.
But you know, there's a lot of people now who criticize the idea of diversity in the workplace. This is why you need it. It's for things like this. So somebody could go maybe.
Not if you're the angels, you could have slid the a over maybe one way or another. I don't know if you saw the Oakland a's, but there's spells as a's and then the atic the other s, the analytics. So they didn't do themselves any favor either. Yeah, I'm with you, like, somebody should look at that and go, you should.
Maybe we don't put that on these.
When I first saw these, I just saw the graphics on Twitter. I didn't I thought they were like photoshopped, like this would be funny. Then I saw it's an actual MLB dot Com get it at the MLB store.
I couldn't believe it. And they could have put like like instead of Texas Rangers. That would have worked, Yeah.
Because they did Angels and they did a lot of the you know, the.
Mass Texas is right there. So now I know what I'm getting Ryan for Christmas, and you and and you would be very happy.
The whole point is to what sell product. They knew what they were doing. The Texas and the Rangers is the perfect example. They've made it that way try on purpose. I think somebody figured it out, like, oh, we're going to sell a lot of these, let's push it.
They sold them out within like five minutes. You absolutely they were. They were gone. Who's up first, Jake and Florida?
Jake?
How are you? Jake?
Good morning, gentlemen.
How's it gone? Doing good?
So shout out to my hops, Jeff.
I'm finding Cincinnati and then we're just in Nashville on Friday. Hopefully the Cats can make it. My buddy had a surgery, so he's on some crazy drugs right now, and he thinks he's a fortune teller and his prediction is that Kobe Bray is gonna have a Carson Edwards experience in this tournament. Wanted to know y'all thoughts on that.
Uh, I hope he plays well. I mean Kobe Brayan. Look, he's he hit a bunch of shots against Missouri. It's kind of been drew in these last few games. He'll get like one half where he gets hot, you know. Against Florida's really the only time this year he's had two abs and he finished with seven. But he had three threes against Missouri in the first half. Kind of kept him going when they otherwise weren't playing great.
Uh.
If you told me I could get three to four threes from Brey a game, I'd probably take it if you gave it to me right now, because when we's had zero or one, that's when we've lost. So I'd like to see Braya. If he gets three or four game, I'll take it.
Yeah, throwing out Missouri because he played well there if you looked at his splits. But before that game he was horrible on the road and great at home. I'm wondering going to Nashville, is it Rupperina specifically or having home fans with him, because he could treat Nashville like a home game and shoot well. But whether he shoots well or not, he's also stepped up defensively, rebounding, He's been driving a little more than he was before. He's
become a more well rounded players. The season's gone on.
When this crowd is good in Nashville, which it hasn't necessarily been. It actually wasn't bad last year. We just never were in the game. But when it's been good, like the ten years prior to COVID, this is a
better home court advans than rough. I've always believed that at the SEC Tournament when it's good because it's a loud crowd, it's people who have decided I'm going to take the time to come down there and Ryan, Like, I think about the twenty ten game against Tennessee the Wall year, that's one of the loudest crowds I've ever been to associated with the UK game, the Mississippi State game that year where Cousins gets the put back, I
mean that was wild. I think about the anname that one year, the Tyler Eulss year where it was in that comeback. We came back in the second half, and I don't know that I've ever been in an arena as loud as that. When it is loud at the SEC Tournament, it's the best of the Kentucky crowd.
You're right, The SEC Tournament crowded is just different. These are people that often take their vacation, you know, save up them all year for this one week. And they're starving, starving to have some success and success here since they haven't had a win in this town since twenty nineteen.
And then you throw in the game being at nine thirty and people having a chance to party all day. I just think it could be really rowdy in there.
As long as they can make it into the arena, as well as they can stumble to their seat, it is going to be the best atmosphere that it can be down there.
Now. No, there's one or two people that gave and I they may have to help me get into the arena from our group, considering how late it's gonna make yourself. That's right, you know who I'm talking about. He's driving down here right now. Nine two eight oh twenty two eighty seven. Court Physical Therapy. If you're in pain, call court KRT dot com. Seventy locations around the state. There's a couple here in the Bowling Green area. Bunch in Louisville,
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dot com claytonan crum e dot com. Use a promo code KSR twenty five percent off your purchase. Twenty five dollars off your purchase if you buy one hundred dollars or more. We all have gifts, we have bags, we have belts, all kinds of stuff from Clayton and Crom, great leather goods. Go check them out and thank them for their support. Here, one person writes in the text machine, Matt, ninety five percent of a mayor cans are up before
seven am. You're the one that's ridiculous. I don't believe that. All right, how many people in this room are up before seven am? Raise their hand? All right, so about half of this room, So fifty percent. I'll accept fifty percent, not accepting ninety five percent.
I'ven't worked by seven am. What are you talking about? You're not even waking up to listen.
I have a lot of respect for people who do it, like people who work to night shift. People work factory jobs. They have to get there five six am, Like, I have a ton of respect. You guys are working harder than I ever could. With that said, I ain't getting up at seven am, like I've already thought about this. If ESPN offered me the National Morning Show, can't do it?
Oh come on, yeah, you will know I'm not.
Do you know what, Timmy, You've I've done that show. You have to get up at like four thirty every morning. I'm not adjusting my life at this point in my life. I'm not getting up at four thirty more. If it had been ten years ago, yeah maybe, But if they would liked me enough to give me the morning show, I'd say give me the afternoon show. I'm not getting up before thirty in the morning.
I respect these people that get up at four thirty and go work out for an hour or two before they even go to work.
Who does that?
But I think they're a little crazy.
But who are those people?
I used to do that?
I've done them before too.
Yeah. I used to get up in like five first thing you do is get up in exercise. Yep.
I used to go that title boxing three times a week, six am class.
That sounds awful.
One thing I noticed this morning. I I'm usually up by seven, but not out of my house. On my way to Marios to meet him at six thirty, I saw a bunch of school buses with kids. I didn't know kids run buses that early. Maybe I'm just out of touch, but that's way too early for going to school.
That's part of why some people want to get rid of or whatever. I can't remember which is whitch daylight saving times or the other, but like it leads to kids going to school in the dark. Intact, it was pitch black outside. I didn't know it started that. The amount of text messages that I got yesterday about Pulaski Southwest. So okay, look, let me just say to that you've people that have any connection to Pulaski Southwestern. This ain't me talk, all right. I don't know you all. You've
probably been to our show at mister Daddy's. I'm sure you're wonderful people. But the amount of people from all over the state who have said unequivocally that the meanest and craziest fans of Pulaski Southwestern is unbelievable to me. I probably had fifty text message. Unless there's a concerted campaign to go after Blast, unless Elon has decided to go after Pulaski Southwestern, there has to be something to it.
I mean, the amount of messages I got, and then when I put that video on Twitter last night, and then that got a whole new round of people talking about Southwestern. What is happening at Southwestern? That's not that far from here?
What's going on?
Yeah, the video didn't help their argument much, did it last? But I've never heard that. But boy, we've got enough messages to kind of support it that that's a kind of a general consensus.
We need to go by there and see if these people are really that mean.
I don't believe it. I think that we're on some sort of smear campaign.
There's a soccer team in England that's like Division two or three. Like they're not in the top division. They're called Millwall, Okay, and they are basically known. Their whole reason they're known is that their fans are Huligans. Like that's the whole thing. Like if you say Millwall, everybody's like, yeah, they're fans. Is Drew Pulaski Southwestern the mill Wall of Kentucky.
Based on reactions to that video, like I heard from a bunch of people too, had some people from that area like, please don't call it Pulaski Southwestern.
We don't even want Pulaski associated that just South Southwestern, so that you don't even make Pulaski County.
Yeah, I hate to crown someone as maybe one of the worst fan base in the state, but I've never been there.
But there's a lot of Matt said, a lot.
Of messages out about how bad it is, and that's just that's.
How it goes.
I don't know, man, Again, I think we need to go to a game. I think we need to go. We need to go.
I mean, we're making these people sound like they're the Philadelphia Eagles.
Fans of high school.
Basketball booed Santa Claus. They flipped him off and called him a dah Yeah, I think that's what they did.
Yeah, I saw a screenshot last night. I think it was a reply to your video of the ref's face when she was acting like that. I didn't see that in the original video. But the ref is just appalled by what's going on in the crowd.
They escorted.
They escorted the woman out.
They also escorted.
A coach out. The police had to escort a coach out. That doesn't happen a lot.
And if thought we stepped, somebody told us that was his mother in law at the coach.
The coaches think they're the most exciting fan base in Kentucky got the meanest.
I'm not the one saying that. I'm just saying if you were to take a poll in the state, if you go buy the text machine, that would be.
What Middlesborough would never Madisonville would know.
Politest fans in Middlesborough. They'll take you down to Shades and the Cracker Barrel. It will be wonderful. Chain Rock.
Oh, who doesn't love a good chain rock?
Who's up next, Corey? Corey? How are you Corey? Hey?
What's going on, guys, I'm actually uh, I'm delivering all right, well selling country Boy and Bowling Green today. So on your way out to see the country Boy truck in.
Me a wave.
But we will need you, guys.
I needed you guys to settle a debate with a buddy of mine that we're having. And the winner of the debate, Uh well, the loser of the debate has to buy big Blue Madness tickets for this up the next year.
For the way, Blue Madness tickets are free. So that's not much, but it's but either way.
Go ahead those third party tickets rather but anyway. Uh So, his side of the argument is we've seen peak Pope. It's not gonna get any better because we have so much experience, so on and so forth, or as my side of the argument says, we have five of these guys coming back, we have probably gonna get some transfers, and then we have the recruiting class that are the dogs that we were missing this year.
Well, he's insane, Your friend is insane, and you're gonna win. I mean, you're gonna win the tickets. The idea appreciate the call that we've seen peak Pope this year and it'll only be worse is ludicrous. I mean, first of all, I think there's a decent chance that this is the worst talent in the broad perspective that Pope will have. Now. I don't think it's gonna be a worst team necessarily because I think he's gotten a lot out of these guys.
But if he was able to get all these players drew having not coached here at all in four weeks, imagine what he can do Otherwise. I expect us to do even better in the portal this year than we did last year freshman. He still needs to go get an elite recruit not from Kentucky. We need to wait and see if he can do that. I don't know why he can't, but we need to see it. But I think we'll do just as well on the portal this year, if not better than last year. So I
think it's ludicrous to say that. I mean, you're trying to tell me you think the best team Mark Pope will have here is a ten lost team. I just don't believe that. No.
I think his friend's been drinking some of that country boy he's passed around bowling Green right now, How can you say he's peaked, yet he had a full year here to do anything. This time of year ago, Pope was building his next class for BYU and getting ready for tournament's ready for the Big twelve tournament, with no idea he'd be coaching Kentucky. Then he threw this together
on the fly. If you want to say it after next season, maybe when he's had a full year and you know, fair circumstances to have a season, then maybe you can have that opinion. But I think it's crazy to say that this early in Pope's time at Kentucky.
He put this team together in two weeks. He's dealt with injuries throughout the season, and in the best conference that we've ever seen in our lifetime.
I think he's done a hell of the job.
The injury's part of it is huge, best SEC ever, and he had injuries the whole time. I mean, Alabama has a chance to be a one seed. They have five conference losses. We have eight, like we have three more than a team that could be a one seed in the turn.
You would think that it was probably harder this year because nobody had nothing to base it on. Now he can go out in the transfer portal next year. Look what we did. I think it'll be an easier sell from here on out.
I had a national college Basketball rider I talk about Pope with me about a week ago, and he said, I still need to be proved. It needs to be proven to me that he can go get a top ten recruit not from Kentucky. Fair enough, he said, But I think Pope has arguably the best story to sell in the portal of anybody. He took a bunch of dudes, almost none of which were even ranked at the top of the transfer class, and he took them to the top.
That's another thing we don't think about. A lot of these guys were ranked like thirty fifth in the portal fortieth, like, we didn't even really get a top ten portal guy, and yet we're still going to be a three seed in the NCAA Tournament. I think it's ridiculous to say that's the best he can do.
He wouldn't got Oklahoma's sixth man and made him one of the best players in the conference. Imagine him going out and get another team's best.
Player, exactly right. I think that's a great point. We will take a break come back our number two here in bowling green. This is KSR