Kevin Kugler, Westwood One Broadcaster, at Final Four in Phoenix

Kevin Kugler, play-by-play voice for Westwood One, sits down with Dave Softy Mahler at the Final Four in Phoenix to talk about college basketball action and some Seahawks.

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
You're listening to our Final Four coverageand Dave Softy Muller live from Radio Row
at the Final Four, brought toyou by Twin Peaks and by Hunt Service
Suits on your home for the FinalFour and the National Championship. Sports Radio
ninety three point three kjr FM.Alright, boys and girls, welcome back
to Phoenix Radio Row with Westwood Onehanging out all day long right here on

(00:23):
ninety three to three KJRFM. Iam going to give yet another plug to
my favorite sponsor of the week withoutquestion. You haven't heard this yet,
by I'm fired up for this.Dude Wipes still using TP dump your role
because wet clean's better than dry.That's just good science. Try dudewipes for
the best clean pants down. KevinCoogler is with us. Where are the
free samples them? Do you getdude Wipes on the broadcast? I do

(00:46):
not. I'm feeling like I wasleft out. You know, there was
a time where we would get sponsorswag all of a sudden would show up
at our house. But uh,alas those days appear to have disappeared in
the world of radio. I don'tknow what they are. I don't know
what it's like in CEE, Butin my radio world, I don't see
that stuff much. Our text lineis sponsored by Tullimore Due and there's no

(01:06):
Tellermoredue in the studio. Unbelievable.And one of the other sponsors is Wendy's
here, and there's no Wendy's.So I'm on thousand percent with you.
I mean, it's just a buck, too, Dave single, just a
buck. I've heard it all tournamentlong. There you go. So first
of all, let me just saythis, man, congratulations on everything that
you've done in the last five orsix years. Because we first got to
know you way back in the dayas the voice of the Final Four when

(01:27):
you took over for another Kevin KevinHarlan, right, and now here you
are doing NFL, you're doing collegebasketball. What's next for you? Honestly?
I do know? Do I needmore? Well? Yeah, I
mean you're always looking to kind ofimprove your game, right, I just
want to I just want to getback, you know. And I'm speaking
to an audience that knows that I'vegot a long way to go, because

(01:47):
it seems like we do fifteen SeattleSeahawks games every single football season. With
our crew. So the goal isjust to be better than the last time
out. That's the that's the nextstep. I mean, I I love
what I'm doing. I get todo NFL on Fox. I get to
do the Final Four for west Woodone. I get to do NFL playoffs
for west Wood One. I getto do college basketball over the landscape.
I get to do all kinds ofcool stuff. What do I want?

(02:08):
Goals? No, lower your headand they don't have enough on the handicap
scale for my handicap. It's sooff the scale, Like why why don't
you take up another sport? Haveyou looked at pickleball? Perhaps something?
Maybe you could drive the cart.My wife has said the same thing to
me, by the way, butKevin Cougar's with us said, you mentioned
all the Seahawks games that you've beendoing over the years. How surprised were

(02:29):
you that Pete Carroll was essentially firedby the Seahawks. We were really surprised,
you know. We had again,it seems like every year we end
our season with the Seahawks trying toget themselves into a playoff berth. We
were successful in half of our attemptsto do that. They won the games,
but then they didn't get any helpthis past year. And talking to

(02:50):
Pete Carroll that week before the game, I would have had no inclination that
Pete Carroll was not going to comeback. I don't think Pete had any
inclination that he wasn't gonna come back. There was I was stunned, I
really was. I was stunned thatthey ushered Pete out the door. There
are few people in their seventies withmore energy than Pete Carroll, and I
was very surprised to see that.What do you know about Mike McDonald.

(03:14):
I like him a lot, Ireally do. I think it's an excellent
higher I'm anxious to see what hedoes. It brings a brand new perspective
to the to the entire process.I'm anxious to see what that looks like
on the field from a scheme standpoint. From a different standpoint, I still
think, I mean, the roster'sin good shape. I really, I
really believe it's in good shape.There's so much youth. They've done such
a good job filling those holes overthe last couple of years in the draft

(03:36):
that I think he's inheriting a reallynice situation. With a team that can
only improve from where they've been.I don't I don't think the down step
is coming for the Seahawks. Well, Kevin Kugler is with us the Voice
of the NFL and Fox the Voiceon the Final Four, with us on
the radio show, and man,the amount of change and that sport and
in college basketball is making my headspin. And there's this mass exodus of

(03:58):
coaches leaving college for pros, bothin the NBA and in the NFL.
And I wonder for a guy thatgrew up in Nebraska right and knows the
college landscape as well as anybody,where's this thing going. We saw the
story that came out with the Athletica couple of days ago about an eighty
team super league. What does thislook like in ten years from now.
I think we've got some real significantchange on the horizon. I don't know

(04:20):
how you can't have significant change onthe horizon. There's so many power conferences
that are asserting the control that they'vereally they've had, but they've never had
to this extent, and so they'reable to flex their formidable muscle. And
I'm speaking of course of the BigTen and the SEC who are going to
be the power brokers behind every changethat comes in college athletics, and it'll

(04:41):
all start with football, because italways does. But you're looking at a
I'm concerned about the effect that thefootball changes are going to have on this
event, the NCAA Tournament and theFinal Four, because I think it's the
best thing going in collegiate states.Potentially, what could happen well, I
put anything from an expansion to dilutethe field even more to the notion of

(05:02):
we're going to change it so thatit limits the ability for the smaller schools
to compete in this I think thecharm and the excitement of this event comes
from the Hofstras, the Saint Peter's, the teams in the first two rounds
that have the chance to compete onan even field or an even court as
it would be with the big boys, and they are able to make some

(05:23):
noise and make a story. Idon't know that we love those stories once
they get to the Final four.Ratings have shown we don't, but I
know we love them in the firstweek or two of the tournament. And
if you dilute the field so muchthat those teams aren't able to make an
impact. It hurts this event,and I worry for this event because this
is my favorite three weeks of thecalendar year. I totally agree with you.

(05:44):
I thought FAU and the Aztecs wasa bit too much a year ago,
and so did America. But havingthe eleven seed here in NC State,
it's great to have one Cinderella.The question is, how does somebody
wreck the party and not give usthe uk On Purdue matchup we all want
to see Monday. That's the concern, right, I mean, it's sort
of It's been the matchup we've expectedto see all season long. I mean,

(06:09):
if you've watched college basketball, Iknow a lot of people tune into
college basketball mid February, but Ipromise you Yukon and Perdue have been the
two teams that everybody's talked about ona collision course all season long, from
the beginning of the year when Perduewon the Maui and Yukon got started rolling.
This is what we hoped would happen. Now they're in the position to
do so. Look, Alabama canbeat anybody if they hit shots, and

(06:29):
they are a team that's gonna runup and down the floor. They're not
gonna make the mistake of driving rightat the Yukon defense like Illinois did,
who also had a potent offense.Alabama will have a different game plan.
If Alabama hits threes, they're gonnabe right in that game. For NC
State again, the question anytime youplay Perdue is how do you neutralize Zach
Eatie. I don't know how youdo that. No one has figured out
how to do that. In almosttwo years, he's back to back National

(06:53):
Player of the Year. I'm surehe will be and I can't wait to
see what they do to try toslow him down. It's gonna be tough.
Yeah, what do you love doing? Are you a college baasketball guy
at heart? Are you a footballguy at heart? Well, as you
said, Softie, I grew upin Nebraska and you don't. And the
era I grew up in kids,This is something I know you won't believe,
but Nebraska one point was actually relevantin college football. And when I

(07:14):
was in school there, they weresixty and three over a five year span.
They were the Alabama of the nineties. And I'm not kidding you look
it up use the Google machine.It was a remarkable time. So it's
hard not to be football first whenthat's what you've been bred in. But
I've done so much more basketball thatI've done a ton of football. But

(07:34):
I've done I mean, I didminor league basketball, I've done college basketball,
I've done Olympic basketball. I meanI love hoops. Yeah, you
ever talk to Harlem by the wayI do? He does a weekly hit
with us during the football season,and you know what he gets, Dude
wipes he does. That's how hegets paid, Sam dwipes. He is
so proud of you, man,Is it really? He every time I
bring up your name, and maybehe says this about everybody that maybe he

(07:57):
does. He's a sweetheart of terrific. He's a terrific beams with pride.
Well here's the name, Kevin Kugler. Maybe he just knows that I actually
was named Dave Kugler. But Iwas such a Harlan fan I changed my
name to Kevin in honor of him. I think to do the final four
for Westwood, you have toppy tobe Kevi Evan. Yep, you ready,
Kevin Burkhart, Your time is coming. Say who's next? You're the
man? Enjoy the weekend. We'lltalk soon. But appreciate you, Softy.

(08:18):
You bet. Kevin Kugler with uson the radio show from the Final
four in Phoenix. A lot moreto come with Westwood One. Big thanks
to our friends at Marriott Take yourGame Day richels on the road with Marriott
Bonvoy. Over thirty hotel brands forevery kind of fan. Discover more at
Marriott bonvoy dot com, slash nceddouble A, A lot more to get
to it A busy Friday from theFinal Four right here on ninety three three KJRFM