2025-12-22- KSR - Hour 1

Mat, Ryan and Drew talk about Kentucky's big win over St. John's and the news from the weekend

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Comedy Up Broadway and Lexington invite you to celebrate New
Year's Eve with Lexington's own Lee Kemberll for two shows
only on December thirty first, then from Netflix as a joke,
catch Ray Low January second and third, and January eighth
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tickets to all Comedy Up Broadway shows called eight five, nine,

(00:22):
two seven to one joke, or visit Comedy Up Broadway
dot com Comedy Off.

Speaker 2 (00:29):
Welcome everyone. It is Kentucky Sports Radio Monday. It is
December the twenty second. I'm Matt Jones here on a
foggy New Orleans, Louisiana morning. I'm looking out and from
my window across the street to the Superdome. Or tomorrow
I will be excited about the biggest football game in

(00:51):
the history of mankind, the New Orleans Bowl. But until
we get to that point, we are getting ready. After
a great week end of basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats
beating Saint John, you can give Shallen Clock's Pumping Shop
online eight five nine two eighth twenty two eighty seven.
The Avision Auto Glass text machine is seven seven two
seven seven four five two five four in this diition

(01:13):
sponsored by the TJ.

Speaker 3 (01:14):
Smith Office. You called TJ. He'll make them pay.

Speaker 2 (01:17):
Ryan and I spent all afternoon and evening traveling down
here to New Orleans. It's the first time I think
I've been in New Orleans since Kentucky cut down the
nets in twenty twelve. I was trying to think, has
Kentucky played down here since then? Drew, I can't remember
a time.

Speaker 3 (01:35):
Do you.

Speaker 4 (01:35):
Yeah?

Speaker 5 (01:36):
They played right up against Christmas in the CBS Sports Classic.
I think they lost. Wasn't a well attended game. It
was only the twenty third or something before Christmas win.

Speaker 2 (01:44):
I didn't come to that game because I have not
been here in a long time, and it's nice to
be back.

Speaker 3 (01:50):
We we came twice that year.

Speaker 2 (01:52):
Ryan, they played in the SEC Tournament here and then
a few weeks later played in the Final four, and
we came to both, drove to both. I've been on
that road for a long time. Nice to be back.

Speaker 3 (02:03):
Do you like New Orleans as a city?

Speaker 4 (02:05):
I do?

Speaker 6 (02:05):
Yeah.

Speaker 7 (02:06):
You know, they used to have the SEC Tournament, used
to rotate in it like every third or fourth year.

Speaker 4 (02:10):
Used to be at the super Dome.

Speaker 7 (02:11):
There in New Orleans, so we would go down and
it's been a week down there and hang out of
Bourbon Street and do all the New Orleans stuff.

Speaker 2 (02:17):
Yeah, it was always a good fan place for Kentucky fans.
Haven't seen a ton of Hilltopper fans yet. Hattiesburg people
will probably drive down like day off because that's not
very far from here, but nevertheless, excited to be here.
The big news this morning, I mean, we'll talk about
a lot of other stuff, but the big news is
of course Saturday and the Kentucky basketball win against Saint John's.

(02:41):
I talked a lot about it on the postgame show.
I mean, if Kentucky does something successfully this season, if
they are able to make any kind of run, we'll
look back at the moment. All of that changed the
second half when Jalen Lowe decided to come back in
after his injury in the first half and Jaden Quaintan's

(03:02):
arrived to UK fans for a second half where Kentucky
ended up winning by nineteen points in the second half
against Saint John's and really took a season that had
been depressing at best and completely flipped it around all
of a sudden, made it exciting, the possibilities endless, the

(03:25):
ceiling raising and watching Low and Quaintance on the court
at the same time.

Speaker 3 (03:31):
You got a sense, now, Ryan, of.

Speaker 2 (03:33):
What they were hoping to do when they constructed this team,
and it was electric.

Speaker 3 (03:37):
It was not only the best moment of the season.

Speaker 2 (03:40):
I mean it's one of the better recent moments, along
with like the Duke win last year, etc. I'm just going, oh,
wait a minute, now, this could end up being a
fun season.

Speaker 4 (03:50):
Yeah, for the first time.

Speaker 7 (03:50):
You're right, we got to see what the full roster,
what a full roster looks like, what that twenty two
million dollars roster looks like. And I'm telling you, man,
when Jalen Low came in early and got hurt and
walked to the locker room, I thought he's done. I mean,
not just done for the day.

Speaker 3 (04:04):
Oh he is done.

Speaker 2 (04:06):
I assumed, Ryan, I mean I just assumed he was done.

Speaker 4 (04:09):
And then the kid comes back.

Speaker 7 (04:10):
Just tells me everything I need to know about that kid,
so tough, kind of struggled early, but then he turned
it on and he needed to. And they are just
they're just a different team. When he's on the floor, Man,
they just everything is better. Offensively and even defensively when
he's on the floor.

Speaker 3 (04:24):
Yeah, I mean.

Speaker 2 (04:27):
You, no one in this team Drew can can kind
of create their own shot consistently besides him. But then
you throw in the quaintan's piece where you get this
physical presence. We've seen a lot of those guys over
the years, these guys that just physically are just a
different player. He is that, and you know, Kentucky has

(04:47):
not had that. Oscar was like that, but he was
below the rimp. We It's been a long time since
we've had a dude like that, and just seeing him
on the court, it's like, oh my goodness, Wow.

Speaker 3 (04:59):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (04:59):
I have high expectations for him long term, but in
his first game I didn't expect much out of out
of him. I mean, he hadn't played a full game
of basketball since February, so for him to come in
and play the way he did when he get like
fifteen minutes, and there were moments, especially when he was
getting those put back dunks, I'm like, do we have
Shaq on this team? I mean, the way he was
throwing those down, that's been an issue for a few years,

(05:20):
especially last year. Guys wouldn't dunk it guys wouldn't challenge shots.
I mean on the offensive end, he was putting everything
back and had I think five offensive rebounds.

Speaker 3 (05:28):
And defensively he made Zubie look.

Speaker 4 (05:31):
Like a fool.

Speaker 3 (05:32):
He was defense at him. Yeah, Zubi had no chance.

Speaker 2 (05:37):
And then the way you're exactly right, the way he
defended with no help, there was no reason to help.
I mean he he Zubi twice had moves that if
it was anyone else on the court, he not only
tries to score, he likely does no chance with quaintance.
I want to go back to low though for a second,
because Jalen Low I've thought since they built this team

(05:58):
that he had to be good to me. I've said
going back from the beginning of the season, he had.

Speaker 3 (06:04):
To be a while, he had to be the guy Without.

Speaker 2 (06:06):
Him, I didn't think we'd be as bad as we were,
but I knew we wouldn't be good. It is so nice, though, Ryan,
to see it manifest itself right he.

Speaker 3 (06:17):
Did in that second half.

Speaker 2 (06:20):
He did everything, okay, I mean think about it, Drives
to the basket, finishing with layups, floaters, he made a
three great passes, He beat his man off the dribble,
and that is.

Speaker 3 (06:33):
A good defensive team.

Speaker 2 (06:34):
Saint John's can't score, but that's a top fifteen defense
in the country, and he absolutely shredded them. And if
you go back and look at the possessions where he's in,
we get a good shot on every possession. Even when
we miss, we get a good shot. It is unbelievable.
And then contrast that with when he's out and we

(06:56):
get no good shots. It feels like every time we score,
we're almost fortunate. It is unbelievable to see how much
easier this game is or and how much better this
team is when he's on the floor.

Speaker 7 (07:09):
I gotta be honest, I never thought he was gonna
be an NBA guard. Second half show me he's an
NBA guard just the way like you could.

Speaker 3 (07:17):
He could be. You could be. I don't know if
he is, but he could be.

Speaker 4 (07:20):
Yep.

Speaker 7 (07:21):
And just the things you were talking about that he's
doing that allowed Otaga to do what he does best.
You know, it just improves everybody. It enabled Cam Williams
to get some open looks and he knocked him down.
He just makes everything better when he's on the floor.

Speaker 2 (07:32):
All of these guys Drew get to be in their
actual role. Otaga is the most obvious. I mean, Otaga
gets to be the secondary score, which is what I
think he can be, like the best secondary score in
the country. I still don't believe he's a star. You
and I fought about that a long time ago, but
I just don't believe it because I just don't think
he has the makeup for it. But now he doesn't

(07:53):
have to be He can be a secondary score. Cam
Williams is shooting open threes instead of contested threes. Oh
Diabat is able to be the secondary rebound rather than
the primary rebounder.

Speaker 3 (08:05):
It just makes through. It just makes everything fit into
place a lot more.

Speaker 5 (08:09):
Yeah, I know you mentioned Cam Williams. I want more
and more Cam Williams a quaintance and Low. Everyone's talking
about them, as they should, but he was just as
important in that second half. He had two threes in
that fourteen oh run. He's been playing good defense. I
don't know how you fit him in in this puzzle
because you've got to got a lot of got a
lot of guys that need minutes right now. But I
want more and more Cam Williams because he seems to

(08:31):
have turned a corner and it is getting better with
each game.

Speaker 3 (08:33):
Yeah, I don't know.

Speaker 2 (08:35):
I mean, I know what you mean by need minutes,
but I actually don't care at this point if they
get minutes. I mean, I think he needs minutes because
he's good.

Speaker 5 (08:44):
I'm just saying I don't know where to put him
because you got oay than the four, you got Diabaate,
and I don't minutes from They.

Speaker 3 (08:51):
Played Cam a lot at the three.

Speaker 2 (08:53):
Yeah, I mean, you know they they played, and normally
I'd be against that, but I think Quaintance is and
d are such forces. Now, if you play a team
that makes a lot of threes, not only shoots them,
but makes them, you might not be able to get
away with that.

Speaker 3 (09:10):
I'm trying to think.

Speaker 2 (09:11):
You know, Alabama's not been shooting consistently well, but if
you played them and they did, maybe you couldn't do that.
But you know the lineup that that that made the run,
Ryan was low Away, Williams.

Speaker 3 (09:27):
Diabate, Quaintans Yep, that was it, which on.

Speaker 2 (09:30):
Paper doesn't look like the greatest lineup in the world
to score, but it worked, and it worked pretty consistently
during that half. And I'm sure there'll be teams that
game plan around that, and that will make that hard
for Kentucky to do. But in that game it worked perfectly.

Speaker 7 (09:48):
What did you think about the lineup when he took
Diabatee out and went with two bigs, went with JQ
and Brandon or JQ Marino?

Speaker 4 (09:53):
What do you think about that?

Speaker 3 (09:54):
Okay?

Speaker 2 (09:54):
I was okay, I mean I considered diabate though a
big too. I mean, I regardless of what I consider him,
playing like that it you know, I mean, I think
it'll work. I hate two bigs in general, but I
think if you've got two guys that can hand, they
all can handle the ball. Okay, So I do think
that makes a difference. They can handle the ball. I

(10:16):
don't know, Drew, if any of them can shoot, we'll see.
But at least worked in that game, and I think
it will work Drew in some SEC games. Whether it
works in all, we'll see.

Speaker 3 (10:28):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (10:28):
I know Pope's an offensive guy, but with what we
saw Saturday holding Saint John's, I think they's thirty three
percent from the field, and the way Kentucky rebounded, it's
just gonna be a defensive, rebounding, tough team that we
didn't really expect out of a Pope team, but the
way Diabonte and Quaintans, especially we're playing on Saturday, we
need more of that because that's their strength right now.

Speaker 2 (10:47):
I saw a guy on TikTok say that we can
now put in there Ryan the best defensive team in
the country. And he basically said, if Lowe gets a
breather and you go Oway, aber Dean, Williams, Diabat Quaintance,
that that could be the best defensive team in the country.
He might be right about that. Now, I'm not sure
if that team can score, so I don't know how

(11:09):
often you could play those guys together, but he is
right about that, Like they had a couple possessions with
that lineup where Saint John's couldn't even fathom getting a
good shot.

Speaker 7 (11:19):
Well, you know, we talked earlier this season how we
thought they'd be an elite defensive team, and then we
got a little pushback because we're like, they didn't look
like it. But I think you're right. I think they
had the pieces there with that lineup you're just talking
about right now, they can lock people down, all.

Speaker 2 (11:32):
Right, So let's talk. Okay, So now we have seen
them be good. Granted Drew for one half. Okay, we
all have criticized everyone in the fan base has criticized
the makeup of this roster. It is only one half,
and I still have one major caveat that I think

(11:52):
we're missing. But do you now say maybe the construction
of this roster is better than people had given it
credit for.

Speaker 5 (12:03):
I'm still worried about not having a backup point guard,
and I'll say it's definitely better than we were saying.
It looked like a week couple weeks ago. But even
even though Low came back just the way he got hurt,
just sticking his arm out there, I still worry that
they're just walking a thin line right now with health.
But if he can somehow stay healthy, as you've talked
about how important he is, then I think they can

(12:24):
be special. And it worked out, but I'm just still
worried about not having a true backup option.

Speaker 3 (12:28):
There.

Speaker 2 (12:29):
Agree totally, And I also think, right we're still a
shooter short. Right, I still worry that we're gonna play
a team that makes a lot of threes and we
don't have guys that can match them. But with that said,
those two caveats, Low stays healthy, and maybe Chandler or

(12:51):
know what, somebody starts making threes, then I think.

Speaker 3 (12:54):
It's a really good construction of a roster. But I'm
going to be sitting there all year like I don't know, like.

Speaker 2 (13:01):
A like a mother with like a six year old,
going please don't get hurt, Please don't get hurt.

Speaker 3 (13:07):
Please don't get hurt. Like that's how I'm gonna be
with low all season long.

Speaker 7 (13:10):
And it's gonna happen again. You guys are right, he's
gonna get bumped again. It's gonna hurt again. The fact though,
that he wants to play enough to go go to
the locker room and come back out and just tells
me that the dude's gonna do everything he can to
stay on the court.

Speaker 4 (13:21):
Now, you mentioned shooting.

Speaker 3 (13:23):
Didn't everybody assume he was out for the year.

Speaker 4 (13:25):
I did, Oh yeah, I did. Set all he's done.
He's not gonna mean by.

Speaker 2 (13:28):
Somebody wrote me on the text machine because I had
just written a tweet that was like, well, Jalen needs
to be selfish and just not play, and then they
wrote me and they're like he's warming up, and I thought, no,
he's not.

Speaker 3 (13:38):
Like I was shocked.

Speaker 7 (13:40):
Yeah, kind of inspiring man, to come back. Do you
know we had a point guard not long ago that
had had a little injury and then set out the
rest of the season set up like the last six games.

Speaker 5 (13:49):
Part of the scare is he walks straight into the
locker room.

Speaker 3 (13:52):
Who are you talking about?

Speaker 4 (13:54):
Severe? At once? He didn't play like the last what
five games?

Speaker 3 (13:59):
Why did you make the little a little boom boo,
new boom boo and decided nothing to play? But you
don't know what was wrong with him?

Speaker 4 (14:05):
Well we kind of know.

Speaker 5 (14:08):
Oh he wasn't laying at all on the line for
that team that you're that's true, a fair point.

Speaker 4 (14:12):
And now Jalen Low is okay, wow here, I want
to say.

Speaker 3 (14:16):
One more thing.

Speaker 7 (14:17):
You're mentioned the shooting what there were four or sixteen,
and one of them was Mohamad about day three pointer.
I mean, you're they've got it. You're right, They've got
to find another shooter somewhere. Trent and Chandler have got there.

Speaker 3 (14:28):
First of all, Chandler's gonna have to shoot.

Speaker 2 (14:29):
He looks scared to shoot right now, and somebody's gonna
have to make shots. I do believe that you're not
going to keep winning shooting twenty five percent, But with
Jalen low it is a different situation. AFI I've nine
two eight oh twenty two eighty seven. The text machine
is seven seven two seven seven four five two five four.
We will take your calls, talk more about the game,
including the blow by handshake at the end.

Speaker 3 (14:51):
What was about? What was that about?

Speaker 2 (14:53):
We'll be right back, Welcome back in this Kentucky Sports Radio.
If I eight twenty two eighty seven, text machine seven
seven two seven seven four five two five four.

Speaker 3 (15:05):
One person rights.

Speaker 2 (15:06):
I bet Severe Wheeler didn't get up today and think
Ryan Lemon would take shots at him.

Speaker 4 (15:10):
On the radio.

Speaker 3 (15:14):
Pay well, why why? Why are you taking shots at
him though?

Speaker 2 (15:17):
I mean he just like, do you really think he
could have played the last games and just didn't?

Speaker 4 (15:22):
Part of me? Does yes?

Speaker 3 (15:24):
Part of you or you genuinely think it's true.

Speaker 4 (15:28):
I generally think it's true.

Speaker 2 (15:29):
Okay, One person rights. Jayalen Lowe is favoring his arm.
You can see it fingers crossed for his health in
the season. He clearly is drew. He clearly if you
watch him, he runs in a way to try to
protect that arm. I think a couple times you're gonna
see teams exploit this. He's very hesitant to go into
picks right shoulder first. So for him, you know, when

(15:52):
when a defender is driving, I guess to their left
and his right, he's hesitant to watch.

Speaker 3 (15:59):
He kind of goes on.

Speaker 2 (16:00):
I'm sure teams are gonna exploit that with said Drew,
that's what he needs to do.

Speaker 3 (16:05):
I'd rather him give up layups than get hurt.

Speaker 5 (16:08):
Yeah, we saw how fragile he is when seven seconds
into the game when he heard it that wasn't even
really a hard contact. I mean, he was kind of
just trying to stop the ball and got bumped and
next thing you know, he's running through the tunnel. So
we know it's it's very close to going at any
moment there. And I know some people have already brought
this up. I would consider letting him chill tomorrow against Bellerman.
I know he needs a little run to keep getting

(16:28):
his way back, but I wouldn't push him at all
in a game that should be a blowout.

Speaker 3 (16:32):
Yeah, I wouldn't play.

Speaker 2 (16:34):
I mean, if I can't imagine there being a reason
to play, I hope and uh, you know, but he
did say I thought he had a good attitude about it.
He said something like, you know, I could get hurt
at any moment. I can't sit and think about it.
And Ryan, I do think that's true. He can't sit.

(16:55):
He can't. It's clear he's favoring it, but he also
can't sit in like try not to get hurt because
like there's only so much he.

Speaker 3 (17:02):
Can do about that.

Speaker 2 (17:03):
Both of the place where he's been hurt have looked
like nothing when they happened.

Speaker 7 (17:06):
And look, he's not that type of player that's gonna
take it easy. He's gonna go full out as much
as he can. But you guys, you know he sits
out at Bellerman. You got a long break when you
play Alabama, You've got to deal with ten days, you know,
letting get heal up a little bit.

Speaker 2 (17:18):
Yeah, I mean, I I want to see Quaintan's play
against Bellerman, but the other shots.

Speaker 4 (17:25):
Who played as well as he did for as long
as he did.

Speaker 5 (17:27):
Poor Bellerman getting the spot on the schedule where Quaintance
just decides to break out and become shack and then
they're the next team up feel bad for their time.

Speaker 3 (17:34):
Didn't you think about the blow by handshake?

Speaker 7 (17:39):
Uh that somebody there is a bad sore loser. I
took it that Patino's mad because he lost, and he
just doesn't want to make nice nice at this moment.
And they they went out for dinner the night before,
they made nice nice then not then not after the game?

Speaker 2 (17:50):
Thought it was weird. I mean, normally you would think
in that moment they would have some sort of embrace.
I mean, I know that they had spent time together.
I know it wasn't the first time seeing each other,
but I did think, Drew it was a little weird,
didn't you.

Speaker 3 (18:03):
I did too.

Speaker 5 (18:04):
You know, Patino's quick to make a video telling us
what to think and do and speaking about mock Pope
as captain, and it's he's always trying to insert himself
in Pope's time here at Kentucky. And then when it
comes time to have a moment after the game give
a little photo op, a hug and congratulations, he just
blows right by him, especially since he was.

Speaker 2 (18:20):
A little sarcastic during the game, right when he did
that interview and.

Speaker 3 (18:24):
Said, uh, we're all choir boys or whatever.

Speaker 5 (18:28):
Yeah, he's feeling himself in the first half when they
were winning by seven, but then when it.

Speaker 3 (18:32):
Flip feeling himself huh. Absolutely, all of a sudden, he
got he got quiet there. Yeah yeah, I mean they.

Speaker 4 (18:38):
Didn't want to give us the photo a photo op.

Speaker 2 (18:41):
I mean they can't score like we think we can't
score like they at least against our defense.

Speaker 3 (18:47):
They couldn't score like.

Speaker 2 (18:48):
I didn't even realize Drew Bryce Hopkins was out there
most of the game, did you.

Speaker 5 (18:52):
Yeah, I'm man, He's it's crazy how he hasn't taken
a step forward, really, and Patino called him out last
week about how he's not an alpha and he needs
a complete personality makeover. But he's still just kind of
out there going through the motions. But we saw his
freshman season here, there's so much more and he just
can't get it out of him.

Speaker 2 (19:10):
Yeah, he you know, he can't really one person Right's
mad at the team on the second half plays like
that all year. I think this is a Final four team.
What about you all? I mean I would still slow down.
I still think you don't have a backup point guard.
You're very susceptible to anything that keeps low out, whether

(19:31):
it's an injury or foul problems. And I still don't
think you have a really good shooter. But I do
think now. I guess what I would say right is
I do think now there's hope, and that is what
is exciting, because I don't know if I thought there
was hope until right now.

Speaker 4 (19:47):
Yeah, I agree, I think it's a little hope now.

Speaker 7 (19:50):
Still some things they got to clean up, Like you said,
shooting too many turnovers. Still, I think they had more
to turnovers and assists even in the game, So they
still got some things they got to clean up. Do
you become a Final four team?

Speaker 3 (19:59):
I think, Rick, we have some breaking news.

Speaker 4 (20:05):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (20:07):
Bill Belichick has hired Bobby Petrino as his offensive corter.

Speaker 7 (20:13):
Oh my goodness, the clown show just gets better.

Speaker 2 (20:16):
Oh, Bobby Petrino will be joining North Carolina as Bill
Belichick's offensive coordinator. You can't write that, or like you
couldn't make that up, ladies, watch out there on the town.

Speaker 4 (20:29):
Unbelievable.

Speaker 5 (20:30):
I know they'd never sign off on it, but we
need a documentary crew in there for like a hard
knocks kind of show following these two around Chapel Hill.

Speaker 4 (20:37):
Wow, and they get too easy for Carolina.

Speaker 3 (20:42):
North Carolina. You are North Carolina.

Speaker 2 (20:45):
You're one of the best public universities in America.

Speaker 3 (20:50):
Wow, Bobby Petrino.

Speaker 2 (20:54):
That's a shocker to me. I can't believe. I can't
believe you and see would hire that guy.

Speaker 3 (21:00):
Well, there you go.

Speaker 2 (21:01):
It just goes to show in sports people will do
anything if they think you can win.

Speaker 3 (21:06):
Who's up next? God, Scott up? Scott? Go ahead, Scott.

Speaker 8 (21:12):
Hey, good morning, guys.

Speaker 3 (21:13):
How are you all doing doing good?

Speaker 8 (21:16):
We took the trip down to the game, and I'm
gonna tell you it was just awesome. Really felt like
we needed that. The atmosphere was great.

Speaker 3 (21:26):
Talk to me about the atmosphere. Talk to me before
you do a question.

Speaker 2 (21:29):
Talk to me about the atmosphere, because that was one
of those moments that I really regretted not being there.

Speaker 3 (21:34):
What was it like in there.

Speaker 8 (21:37):
Well, it was an electric It started with just around town.
I mean it was blue everywhere. But you know, just
about forty five minutes to the game, I mean, the
line was just ridiculous to get into the place, but
everybody was just fired up, positive vibes. It was incredible.
You get in excitement. Of course, it was such a
such an amazing thing because you go from being high

(21:59):
to when low goes out. I mean just you could
feel the air just leave the stadium. It was crazy. Yeah,
and uh and then Quayton's comes in. So you're you're
you're you're excited, you know going, Yeah, you're excited.

Speaker 3 (22:13):
I just have we just have thirty seconds, So give
me a question if you would.

Speaker 8 (22:17):
Yeah, no problem, it's it's a comment when when second
half was starting, Low got out there to warm up.
Was amazing. But I don't know if anybody else saw this.
We were sitting behind the Kentucky bench while the team
was huddling. Right before the second half throw in, Low
wrote runs over to the stands and over behind the
Kentucky bench. He's talking to somebody for a minute while

(22:38):
the team's huddled up, and I mean he's talking almost
when the team is, you know, getting ready to get
to tend court. He rolls out to the He rolls
out to the court, taps Pope and says, I'm good
to go, gives him a thumbs up. So that that
was interesting.

Speaker 3 (22:53):
That was awesome.

Speaker 2 (22:54):
I mean, I don't think they decided right until the
last second to have him play.

Speaker 3 (22:57):
We'll take a break right back, KSR.

Speaker 2 (23:00):
Welcome back, Tucky Sports Radio eight five, nine, two eighth,
twenty two eighty seven uh text for Seene seven seven
two seven seven four five two five four one person
rights Matt. I think the blowby was because Kentucky scored
with eight seconds left and it made Patino Matt, maybe,
but he can get over that, Ryan, I don't. I
don't understand. First of all, they were pressing. Okay, if

(23:21):
they're pressing and you break the press, you score. Secondly,
just stop people. I was talking about this yesterday on
cover zero, Like, when when did we decide that you
just stopped playing a sport at the end of the game.

Speaker 3 (23:35):
I don't.

Speaker 2 (23:35):
I mean, why, why explain to me why it's bad
that he that he scores right there.

Speaker 7 (23:43):
I don't know why that trend started, because you're right,
it always used to be a chance to you know,
even the walk on to get a chance for them
to get a bucket in or something at the end
of the game.

Speaker 3 (23:51):
I don't.

Speaker 7 (23:51):
I don't know what happened, But like you said, they
were still competitive. James Leith made the final basket at
the end of the seventy eight Championship with a dunk
and the game was all But it was kind of
explanation point and it's.

Speaker 3 (24:02):
One of the most famous moment of that game in
some ways.

Speaker 2 (24:06):
I mean, I don't understand why we decided this was
somehow bad form.

Speaker 3 (24:11):
But even if you think it is bad form.

Speaker 2 (24:13):
Drew they were pressing, So if they're going to press,
then you cannot expect them not to score.

Speaker 5 (24:20):
Right, right, And I don't think Patino would have been
mad at that because he was pressing and he might
not have seen him. But Pope tried to stop Diabata
from scoring. He put up his hands. He was just
too late. I mean, I didn't think it was that
big of a deal it at all, but you saw
the Saint John's took offense and it's it's been happening
in the NBA a lot lately. They've had actual fights
because of the guy's got and done a layup with

(24:40):
you know, as time runs out, all.

Speaker 2 (24:42):
These tough players could do what mainly and then you
score and you're like, hey, you're not being fair, you're
not being sportsmanship, Like I don't. I don't get that
at all, and that it was not always like that.
It wasn't that that's been a change, and I don't guess.
I don't think I was at the meeting where they

(25:02):
decided that that was gonna be it.

Speaker 3 (25:05):
One person, rights Matt.

Speaker 2 (25:05):
That sounded like one of our best crowds in a
long time. I loved listening to how loud it was
with the traveling fans. I think, obviously the crowd was great.
Part of it, I'm convinced, Drew, is how they mike
these games, because on ESPN, I think they turned the
announcers up and the crowd down. And on CBS, I
think they turned the crowd up and the announcers down

(25:27):
because I could barely hear Bruce.

Speaker 3 (25:29):
Pearl and Bill Laftery.

Speaker 2 (25:31):
I could barely hear what they said, but the crowd
was loud. If I'm right about that, that it depends
on how loud you turn the crowd or not. Now,
Billy says, also the radio bro he thinks the people
in Atlanta screwed up the crowd because they couldn't even
turn it down on the radio. So maybe that was
just an en arena thing. But which do you prefer
it the way ESPN does it, the way CBS does it?

Speaker 5 (25:52):
I think CBS is a much better product, But I
will say I didn't if there were moments where even
thought like, I can't tell you thing Bruce Pearl said, like,
I don't know if it was just him not adding
much or the fact that it was turned down, but
I was really excited to hear from Bruce Pearl, and
nothing really jumped out from me. And part of it
was it was kind of quiet with the announcers talking.

Speaker 2 (26:11):
I could not hear those guys at all, which I mean,
I guess it doesn't really matter, but but Ryan, I.

Speaker 3 (26:18):
Mean, especially Bruce Pearl, Bill Raftery.

Speaker 2 (26:20):
I can hear a little bit, but I feel like
I couldn't hear Bruce Pearl say anything a lot of
the game.

Speaker 3 (26:25):
I agree.

Speaker 4 (26:26):
You know, we're sitting at home watching it turning the
volume up.

Speaker 5 (26:28):
Now.

Speaker 7 (26:28):
I got a friend that went to both games, Gonzaga
and Nashville and the Saint Johnsan Atlanta. He said the
crowd was louder in Nashville, but on the TV it
sounded louder louder in Atlanta, didn't.

Speaker 2 (26:38):
It just shows how much they can manipulate it with
those like knobs of whether or not you turn it,
turn it up or not. Another person writes, Matt, what
do you think about Patino calling you guys out in
the media.

Speaker 4 (26:52):
We weren't part of that are.

Speaker 2 (26:56):
I haven't written anything in a long time, but but
I mean, you know, okay, So his point is, you
guys gave up on this too much, and there was
a little bit of that from some folks in the fans.

Speaker 3 (27:07):
Here's what I would say. The job, the job of.

Speaker 2 (27:11):
A media person is not to be the cheerleader. And
I think some people are naturally optimist. Some people are
naturally pessimist. But even if you were an optimist, I
don't know how anyone could have looked after that Gonzaga
game and said things are going well. Even leave aside
low ac quaintance. The issue drew after the Gonzaga game

(27:33):
was not just that the team wasn't well constructed, is
that they were not playing hard. That was my problem.
They were not playing hard. So I'm not surprised.

Speaker 3 (27:45):
They're a lot better with Low.

Speaker 2 (27:47):
I thought it would be like that all season, but
I was upset that they weren't playing hard, and so
I think the criticisms that the media had us included
were drew completely fair. Now, if you gave up and
said Pope can't recruit, Pope's not good, that's a different point.

Speaker 3 (28:02):
But I didn't make any of those points. But if you're.

Speaker 2 (28:05):
Making the comment of this has been disappointing, I think
that was totally fair, then.

Speaker 5 (28:10):
I do too the fire Pope crowd. They were a
little little early on that I thought, but overall, that
was not a fun month to start the season. And
sure those guys are out, but you still paid a
lot of money for Brandon Garrison and a lot of
the roster and to get embarrassed the way they did
in those games and just not even show up, that's
a different conversation than losing. If you go out and
lose by four and some of your best players are out,

(28:32):
all right, you can brush that one off and get
excited when you can get healthy. But they looked terrible
in those games, and that's why the criticism was fair.
They should have been much better than they were, even
if they weren't able to win.

Speaker 3 (28:43):
Totally agree. Who's up next? Rick? Ryan is up next? Ryan?
Go ahead? Ryan?

Speaker 9 (28:48):
How you doing? Matt's been a while since I called
you first ball. I want to miss briss all you guys,
and Merry Christmas and a happy New Year at parents
and prayers for your family, Matt, your dad. A couple
of times here I got a question for you. Go
for it, uh Quentin and uh Lowell. You know, they

(29:13):
pressed us and then we turned around and pressed on them.
But one thing on the press. When they were pressing
us our ball, our guys were not moving. They just
stood still. You've got to move.

Speaker 3 (29:24):
I understand that.

Speaker 9 (29:25):
You know a lot of them not agile, not agile,
But we were awful if we do when somebody's pressing.

Speaker 2 (29:32):
Yet if we had lost that game, Okay, hang on,
hang on, just take.

Speaker 3 (29:35):
A break, okay, okay, take a breaker. My name is
not Mike. I appreciate the call.

Speaker 9 (29:41):
You I mean, I mean Matt, I mean Matt.

Speaker 2 (29:43):
Yeah, okay, hang on, I don't remember what you said. Now,
all right, go ahead, do your second point. But the press,
the press, okay, So that drove me insane, right, it
drove me insane.

Speaker 3 (29:54):
We had three turnovers just the amounting the ball in
the press.

Speaker 2 (29:57):
We didn't get the ball, and well, but he's exactly right.
We didn't do anything. We just stood there with our
left arm up trying to lob the passes. I'm convinced,
and I like Mark a lot. He didn't run one
thing to get them ready for that press.

Speaker 3 (30:12):
Do you agree with that.

Speaker 7 (30:13):
Yeah, they were doing the Cali Perry place and the
biggest guy, just Dan with these arms.

Speaker 2 (30:18):
Perry would do that on an inbounds play on our
own side of the basket. And while I didn't like
that either, that's even different than a press. I mean,
you're sitting there trying to lob it drew to guards
who aren't that tall to begin with.

Speaker 5 (30:31):
I just I hated it so much against the Saint
John's team that can really make you pay doing that too.
And you're right, it was obvious they didn't have any
plan in place or practice for that much to just
try the old lobb it up inbounds.

Speaker 3 (30:43):
And they never adjusted either, by the way, well at
any point in the game, they just kept doing it,
all right, what's your second thing?

Speaker 9 (30:51):
The question is if we got a call in show while,
are we not taking callin calls on the big blue line.
I don't understand that there's been criticism, but if you're
a coach at Kentucky, you should take calls. I don't
understand that, and I want Charles to pay.

Speaker 2 (31:08):
I think there's two reasons I appreciate the call. One
reason is that they didn't they didn't get a lot
of calls. I mean, that's one of the reasons it
was like Bob and Jamestown every week. But then another
reason is when things go bad, they don't want to
take calls.

Speaker 3 (31:25):
So I agree with you. If it's just gonna be
a leech Pope.

Speaker 2 (31:30):
Monologue every week, then you probably shouldn't call it the
Call It Show because I because they don't really take calls.

Speaker 3 (31:36):
So but I mean, that's the way it goes. Who's next,
edt ed, go ahead?

Speaker 7 (31:42):
Ed?

Speaker 3 (31:47):
Ed? All right, no, ed, Who's next? Okay? Up? Next
is Austin, Austin, go ahead, Austin.

Speaker 10 (31:56):
Hey, guyst's say Mary Christmas, Happy New Year, dog, y'all
and your family.

Speaker 3 (32:00):
Merry Christmas.

Speaker 10 (32:03):
MENI and a couple of buddies took off Saday night
heading down there. Long story short, my car decided to
catch on fire on the side of seventy five.

Speaker 3 (32:11):
I heard about you.

Speaker 2 (32:12):
I heard about you, So your car caught on fire
on the side of I seventy five. I heard people
drove by saw your UK gear and your car on fire.

Speaker 3 (32:20):
But did I hear you? Still manage to get to
the game.

Speaker 10 (32:25):
Yes, we made it to Atlanta about eleven o'clock.

Speaker 8 (32:28):
Saturday morning.

Speaker 3 (32:29):
All right, so what happened to your car?

Speaker 10 (32:33):
H Well, we were driving along every single sign and
lost all power, pulled over, popped the hood and it
was already on fire. I'm really not sure what happened.

Speaker 3 (32:44):
Well, I'm sorry about that.

Speaker 6 (32:47):
Is it is?

Speaker 2 (32:47):
It?

Speaker 3 (32:47):
Is it gone?

Speaker 10 (32:50):
Oh yeah, it's completely gone.

Speaker 3 (32:53):
Well all right, well I'm sorry. But at least you
got to go to the game. So that was good.

Speaker 10 (32:59):
Yeah, we may there once. You know, it is what
it is. It is a good weekend on and off.

Speaker 2 (33:04):
I say, well, if you can say it was a
good weekend when your car caught on fire, I think
you got a pretty good, pretty positive outlook on life.

Speaker 10 (33:13):
Its first time I'd ever experienced Katlan in person. And
let me tell you that crowd showed out.

Speaker 2 (33:19):
Yeah, it really did. That appreciates the call that was
That's the part I loved. You got to see that
kind of Atlanta crowd. Kentucky probably should play a game
in Atlanta and Nashville every year, maybe both, because of
the way the crowd they get. If you're looking for
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(33:40):
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We're gonna take a break and be right back. This
se is Kentucky Sports Radio. Welcome back, Tukey Sports Radio.

(34:06):
If I'm nine two twenty two eighty seven. By the way,
Ksbar is opened today. We usually closed on Monday, but
we are open today since it's right before Christmas and
it's a wednsday, a regular a rare wings Monday, and
then tomorrow Ksbar will open at ten for the KSR
show leading into the game. So KSR tomorrow will go

(34:27):
from ten to eleven thirty, then the pregame show starts.
The game is at one, but we open an hour
early tomorrow Ryan.

Speaker 3 (34:34):
For the game.

Speaker 7 (34:35):
Yeah, it was kind of a rare Monday occurrence room
there today, so but you know, I know we're gonna
get to it. But man, it was pack last night.
We had a great crowd last night at Ksbar.

Speaker 2 (34:44):
We are but again tomorrow ten am. It opens for
the game. It will open early as part of the
watch party tomorrow. By the way, the oh and we're
serving breakfast. I didn't know that until our actually, so
we're serving We are serving breakfast tomorrow at ten am
as well. Let's talk about the volleyball game. We lost

(35:06):
three sets to zero. Felt like we just when we
lost the first set, which we should have won. We
were up six points at one point, kind of lost
all momentum and then you know, the Texas A and
M run continues. It's a bummer to get to all
the way the championship drew and lose. I saw they
kicked you out early and then we just never were

(35:27):
able to come back.

Speaker 5 (35:29):
Yeah, I don't think my gens had anything to do
with that, when they just got absolutely dominated. I didn't
watch all thirty three or whatever their matches this season,
but I have to assume that has to be one
of their worst performances. They just couldn't get anything going
after they lost that first set. I mean, you have
set point there and can take a lead, and the
blow it like that. They were just never in it

(35:50):
from there, and it didn't help. It didn't help that
it sounded like A and M had ninety nine percent
of the crowd getting them going to They had all
the energy, all the momentum, and they ran away with it.

Speaker 2 (36:01):
Well, I think the Nebraska for some reason volleyball of
the other teams hate us, like the other fan bases,
because Nebraska had over half.

Speaker 4 (36:10):
The fans there.

Speaker 2 (36:14):
They all cheered for Texas A and M, which I
don't understand why Nebraska would care either way. I guess
it was because they had beaten Nebraska, but I don't
really understand why they would care.

Speaker 3 (36:24):
But it does seem like the other fans.

Speaker 2 (36:27):
Really don't like us, and I don't know why that is,
but it did sound like the crowd was very pro
Ryan A and M yesterday.

Speaker 3 (36:35):
Yeah.

Speaker 7 (36:35):
I don't know if it's because we're the new kid
on the block and the SEC's kind of not been
the dominant in volleyball, so we're trying to take over
two SEC teams in the championship. Nebraska anti Kentucky for
whatever reason. But yeah, more than half the crowd was
Nebraska people rooting against Kentucky apparently.

Speaker 3 (36:51):
So we had a good crew. Was it fun at
the bar? I saw it was packed.

Speaker 4 (36:54):
It was awesome.

Speaker 7 (36:55):
It was a great environment. Every table was full. We
had a line of waiting line to get in all
that excitement. We jump out by six, everybody's happy and
then just watch it just slowly fall apart.

Speaker 5 (37:05):
I got there early knowing I wouldn't be staying, and
I was shocked by how many people were already in
their seats well before it even began.

Speaker 3 (37:12):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (37:13):
Well, I hate that we lost, and uh, but shout
out to Craig Skinner and that team.

Speaker 3 (37:17):
They made it really exciting this year getting to the
championship game. And you know, I think he's gonna.

Speaker 2 (37:22):
Have multiple more years of having a chance to have
a top program here. I think his entire team are
there's only one senior, right, am? I correct?

Speaker 6 (37:32):
It was?

Speaker 3 (37:32):
It wasn't Hudson the only senior.

Speaker 5 (37:34):
It's a big one to lose, but they still are
built to make another run next year.

Speaker 3 (37:38):
She's the one lost.

Speaker 5 (37:39):
As long as they retain everybody.

Speaker 3 (37:40):
Yeah, so that's uh. They I think they got a
big time future ahead. Who's next?

Speaker 4 (37:46):
Got Joe up next?

Speaker 3 (37:47):
Joe, go ahead, Joe.

Speaker 6 (37:50):
Oh man, I'm going to tackle what you just talked
about why Nebraska fans weren't pull Farest. Do you ever
think maybe they think they maybe made her own ois
and picking blost bomb Kelly the Lottsville coast over coach Skinner. Uh,
that might be.

Speaker 3 (38:06):
I don't know, but they don't like us, which is weird.

Speaker 6 (38:11):
That's all right, they'll get over. Here's my big comment. Uh,
Coach will Side, he really hasn't formulated or or I
haven't heard a special team coordinator. And I think that Matt,
I'm serious about this, that might be his most important
of whoever he designates to be his special team coordinator,
because I've always said this about Kentucky. If you have

(38:32):
good special teams, you've got a chance. And if he
can get the right coast that is special teams, then
I think we got an outside chance win six games.
And the last question is did you make the Body
and Clydes over the weekend?

Speaker 3 (38:45):
Mate?

Speaker 2 (38:45):
I did not make Bonning and Clydes. Unfortunately I got
tied up. And we'll talk about this a little bit more.
In the second hour. I got into my head about
this play by play, and it led me to.

Speaker 3 (38:54):
Stay at home and work all weekend.

Speaker 2 (38:56):
But so I didn't end up doing that, but I
you know, I have not heard about the special teams
coordinator will Stein wins. So he's gonna at least be
staying there through the first of the year and we'll
see what We'll see what happens. But will Stein will
remain there and he's gonna continue to have to go
doing double duty at least right up until the opening
of the portal. So that'll be interesting to see how

(39:17):
that works. Who's next.

Speaker 3 (39:20):
Up next is Corey Corey?

Speaker 11 (39:22):
Go ahead, Corey, Good morning everybody. So I was at
the game of set second row down there, and you
guys have shown some interest in the environment. Something cool
that wasn't on the broadcast was during the lineups. Whenever
they were calling Saint John's, Rick Patino and Bryce Hopkins
both got applause from Kentucky fans. Now it wasn't like

(39:45):
a roaring It wasn't like a roaring applause like for
our guys, but more like you know, when you sink
a seven foot putt. It was kind of like that,
but still there was no booze. So I thought that
was really cool. And another thing that was really first off,
I've gone to a lot of games that ru up
some of the bigger games like Kansas and Zaga and
all that. This may be the best environment I've been

(40:06):
in as far as the crowd the cheers. Of course,
it was probably eighty percent Kentucky fans there, so that
was that was cool. But the guys they seemed different.
They were having fun on the sidelines. Every time they
come down in front of us. They were smiling. Of
course they were up by then, but they were just
having a good time.

Speaker 3 (40:25):
No, it was definitely a.

Speaker 2 (40:26):
Different definitely a different mindset for the players. You could
tell they looked a lot happier. And I appreciate the call,
and it is without question Ryan drew that the Kentucky
fan base on the road, but specifically in Atlanta and Nashville,
it is just a different fan base. And it can

(40:47):
be because, like we talked about, they party leading up
to it. It's people who don't normally go. But I
would suggest that for big time home games, if you
promised me we get to control the tickets, I almost would.
They're playing in Atlanta and Nashville because the crowd is
so much better down though there.

Speaker 7 (41:04):
Yeah, a lot of those fans they don't get to
go to Rupprino and like the caller, this is their
one game a year, get a travel, make a big
deal of it, make a big weekend of it, and
that's why it's so exciting.

Speaker 2 (41:13):
But it also just I think it just attracts a
different kind of person, Drew. You know, I mean, I
I I'm nothing against RUP, but I think people who
have season tickets get complacent about it. They don't do
that for these trips. They're basing their entire reasoning around going.

Speaker 5 (41:30):
And you just said it it's a trip. I mean
having just spent a lot of money to go to
Gonzaga when I purchased that last April. I mean, you're
looking forward to that for months and months and months,
and when it finally gets there, it's all just bent
up and you're ready to let it out for the game,
unlike when you get a routine of going to home
games at RUP.

Speaker 3 (41:46):
Yeah, I wish we could find a way to get
some of that energy and rough.

Speaker 2 (41:50):
I think it's hard, but I am for I would
be four playing a game in Atlanta and Nashville almost
every year because I think that is the best of
Kentucky crowds and in some ways. These regular season games
are now even better than the SEC tournament because the
SEC tournament's gotten priced out for a lot of Kentucky fans.

Speaker 3 (42:08):
We'll take a break, come back. I remember two. This
is KSR