WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.480 --> 00:00:02.759 Welcome to the Big Blue Insider. Dick Gabriel with you. 2 00:00:02.879 --> 00:00:05.559 Back with you after a couple three days for the holiday. 3 00:00:05.559 --> 00:00:08.199 I hope you enjoyed the best of shows. But tonight 4 00:00:08.240 --> 00:00:09.800 we'll get you up to date. We have got our 5 00:00:09.839 --> 00:00:12.119 West End Bureau chief Gary Moore coming in for kind 6 00:00:12.119 --> 00:00:15.679 of a yearly wrap up, and we're gonna talk to 7 00:00:15.759 --> 00:00:19.399 Richard Skinner as well from local twelve TV up in Cincinnati. 8 00:00:19.440 --> 00:00:22.960 We'll talk Bengals, and we'll talk Wildcats with Skinny as well. 9 00:00:23.199 --> 00:00:25.960 Plus we'll talk with the voice of the Wildcats, Tom Leech, 10 00:00:26.039 --> 00:00:29.640 as the Cats head into a weekend without basketball, but 11 00:00:29.760 --> 00:00:32.840 up men's basketball. The women play tomorrow against Western Kentucky, 12 00:00:33.079 --> 00:00:35.600 a game you'll hear right here on six thirty WLAP 13 00:00:36.079 --> 00:00:39.920 but Darren Hedrick, But the men don't play until next Tuesday, 14 00:00:40.000 --> 00:00:43.399 an odd time, two o'clock game against Brown. So we'll 15 00:00:43.439 --> 00:00:46.119 get Tom's thoughts on what happened up in New York 16 00:00:46.159 --> 00:00:48.759 and what he expects to see from here on. We're 17 00:00:48.759 --> 00:00:50.719 going to talk about the New York trip coming up 18 00:00:50.960 --> 00:00:53.000 in our next segment. We'll hear from Mark Pope and 19 00:00:53.079 --> 00:00:55.799 some of the Wildcats as well. But you've had a 20 00:00:55.799 --> 00:00:58.479 little while to think about that. That game is festered 21 00:00:58.520 --> 00:01:01.439 with you, and I don't blame it just wasn't much 22 00:01:01.520 --> 00:01:04.000 to watch. Was it wasn't fun to watch. It was 23 00:01:04.040 --> 00:01:06.959 great if you're an Ohio State fan, but the Wildcats 24 00:01:07.120 --> 00:01:10.879 just never really got untracked and they were not not 25 00:01:11.400 --> 00:01:15.439 happy at all. Mark Pope was as despondent as I've 26 00:01:15.480 --> 00:01:18.280 seen him since he was a player. So anyhow, we'll 27 00:01:18.319 --> 00:01:20.400 talk about that coming up, but I wanted to start, 28 00:01:21.000 --> 00:01:24.680 and this story popped up yesterday. But you talk about 29 00:01:24.719 --> 00:01:28.840 a sign of the times, Jim Larranaga stepping down at 30 00:01:28.879 --> 00:01:35.840 Miami right now, I mean immediately effective now retiring, And 31 00:01:35.959 --> 00:01:39.120 this was one year and a little longer removed, I guess, 32 00:01:39.159 --> 00:01:41.799 a year and a half from his team making the 33 00:01:41.840 --> 00:01:47.120 Final four. Miami makes the Final four, and ironically enough, 34 00:01:47.159 --> 00:01:50.239 this is tied directly to the portal in Nil. Well, 35 00:01:50.319 --> 00:01:56.760 Miami gets to the Final Four by taking advantage of 36 00:01:56.799 --> 00:01:59.640 the portal and nil. And I'm not calling him a 37 00:01:59.680 --> 00:02:03.879 hippoc or anything, but it's just a sign of where 38 00:02:03.879 --> 00:02:06.719 we are now at college athletics. And I hate to 39 00:02:06.799 --> 00:02:11.400 keep banging on this drum because it certainly doesn't make well. 40 00:02:11.400 --> 00:02:13.680 I'm not the only one who said this, but I 41 00:02:13.680 --> 00:02:16.680 did say it on these very airwaves when all of 42 00:02:16.719 --> 00:02:20.800 this stuff started coming down, when the rules were passed 43 00:02:21.000 --> 00:02:26.199 basically as theories, as even as suggestions, and then as 44 00:02:26.240 --> 00:02:31.800 they became a fact and were formulated, I said, this 45 00:02:31.879 --> 00:02:35.879 is the end of college athletics as we know it now. 46 00:02:35.919 --> 00:02:38.599 What I was referring to is not just all the 47 00:02:38.759 --> 00:02:43.080 movement by players, and I certainly didn't foresee a huge 48 00:02:43.240 --> 00:02:46.759 dollar figures that are being thrown around. What I foresaw 49 00:02:47.080 --> 00:02:51.120 was the bigger picture, and that is and it's probably 50 00:02:51.120 --> 00:02:53.360 going to begin next year at least, the seeds will 51 00:02:53.400 --> 00:02:58.159 be sewn. When the schools begin to pay the players 52 00:02:58.199 --> 00:03:01.960 and the revenue sharing and all that, Athletics directors will 53 00:03:02.000 --> 00:03:07.120 have very little choice, few options when it comes to 54 00:03:07.280 --> 00:03:09.120 figuring out how to pay for all this and what 55 00:03:09.159 --> 00:03:11.400 they're going to have to do. And this will begin 56 00:03:11.520 --> 00:03:14.759 at the lowest levels of Division one. They'll have to 57 00:03:14.800 --> 00:03:18.080 drop sports. They'll have to drop some of the so 58 00:03:18.159 --> 00:03:21.759 called minor sports. The Olympic starts sports, it'll start with 59 00:03:21.919 --> 00:03:24.879 men's sports because the title nine. You've got to keep 60 00:03:24.879 --> 00:03:29.639 the scholarship levels, even man and women. And if you've 61 00:03:29.680 --> 00:03:34.719 got football, those eighty five scholaries count against They try 62 00:03:34.759 --> 00:03:37.520 to get that, you know, some sort of waiver about 63 00:03:37.520 --> 00:03:41.840 football from day one, and I was voted down. So 64 00:03:41.960 --> 00:03:44.639 if you got a football program, you got to make 65 00:03:44.680 --> 00:03:48.000 sure in addition to other men's programs, you have the 66 00:03:48.000 --> 00:03:53.400 com mesual number of scholarship opportunities for women. You may 67 00:03:53.479 --> 00:03:58.719 see some schools drop football eventually because if you look 68 00:03:58.759 --> 00:04:01.840 at all the dollar figures that are thrown around from 69 00:04:01.840 --> 00:04:06.319 these huge contracts with the TV networks, with the conferences, 70 00:04:06.360 --> 00:04:10.960 the rights fees, all that, they're enormous numbers, but people 71 00:04:11.000 --> 00:04:14.560 think that those are immediately applied directly to the bottom 72 00:04:14.599 --> 00:04:18.519 line for the major sports and their major schools, and 73 00:04:18.560 --> 00:04:22.920 they're not. They pay for everything. When you see the 74 00:04:23.040 --> 00:04:27.680 dollar figure for the NCAA Division one basketball tournament, it's massive, 75 00:04:28.160 --> 00:04:33.439 it's a billion plus, But that chunk of change pays 76 00:04:33.519 --> 00:04:38.800 for all the other tournaments in every other sport men's 77 00:04:38.879 --> 00:04:43.879 and women's in NCAA Divisions one, two, and three men 78 00:04:43.920 --> 00:04:48.279 and women, all sports, not just basketball. So people who 79 00:04:48.279 --> 00:04:50.480 would see this number go, well, just take that up 80 00:04:50.519 --> 00:04:52.560 and divide it up and give it to the players. No, 81 00:04:53.759 --> 00:04:57.720 it's earmark for other things and That's what's going to 82 00:04:57.800 --> 00:05:03.079 start to happen. You're going to see schools chopping sports 83 00:05:03.839 --> 00:05:05.639 and the first time of school. Remember what happened when 84 00:05:05.720 --> 00:05:10.560 UAB chopped football. This was well before the NIL and 85 00:05:10.600 --> 00:05:14.839 the portal, and there was such an uproar and outcry, 86 00:05:15.160 --> 00:05:16.839 and a couple of years later they brought it back. 87 00:05:16.879 --> 00:05:20.319 Boosters got together and brought back football. Could you afford 88 00:05:20.360 --> 00:05:23.399 to do that now and play at a competitive level 89 00:05:23.399 --> 00:05:27.839 with the NIL? No, not at the higher levels of 90 00:05:27.959 --> 00:05:31.160 D one. You'll always have football at the big schools. 91 00:05:31.160 --> 00:05:34.680 You'll always have football in the SEC. Anybody who thinks 92 00:05:34.720 --> 00:05:39.120 Kentucky should lead the SEC is nuts, simply because of 93 00:05:39.199 --> 00:05:46.480 financial safety blanket in the Southeastern Conference. But Jim Larranaga 94 00:05:46.639 --> 00:05:51.600 joins the growing ranks of college coaches, and his was 95 00:05:51.639 --> 00:05:56.160 particularly pertinent because he ducked out here, not even the 96 00:05:56.199 --> 00:05:58.519 middle of the season. They haven't even started a conference 97 00:05:58.560 --> 00:06:01.199 play yet. And this is what he said when he 98 00:06:01.240 --> 00:06:02.160 made his announcement. 99 00:06:02.800 --> 00:06:07.040 I'm exhausted. I've tried every which way to keep this going. 100 00:06:08.160 --> 00:06:09.720 And i know I'm going to be asked a lot 101 00:06:09.759 --> 00:06:13.360 of questions, but I want to answer them before I'm 102 00:06:13.399 --> 00:06:19.879 even asked. What shocked me beyond belief. Was after we 103 00:06:19.920 --> 00:06:24.279 made it to the Final four just eighteen months ago. 104 00:06:25.680 --> 00:06:28.319 The very first time I met with the players, eight 105 00:06:28.360 --> 00:06:31.240 of them decided they were going to put their name 106 00:06:31.279 --> 00:06:34.800 in the portal and leave. I said, benj, don't. 107 00:06:34.560 --> 00:06:34.920 You like it? 108 00:06:35.160 --> 00:06:35.680 No, I love it. 109 00:06:35.720 --> 00:06:36.360 I love Miami. 110 00:06:36.399 --> 00:06:44.879 It's great. But the opportunity to make money someplace else 111 00:06:46.079 --> 00:06:51.319 created a situation that you have to begin to ask 112 00:06:51.399 --> 00:06:55.560 yourself as a coach, what is this all about? 113 00:06:56.519 --> 00:06:59.120 In case you're wonder, Yeah, Miami is struggling this year, 114 00:07:00.399 --> 00:07:04.399 but that was not why he made his announcement in 115 00:07:04.439 --> 00:07:06.439 the middle of the year or shy at the middle 116 00:07:06.439 --> 00:07:09.920 of the year. And there will be others now he 117 00:07:09.959 --> 00:07:13.120 can afford to leave. Remember, this guy also took George 118 00:07:13.120 --> 00:07:17.000 Mason to the Final four, one of the greatest runs 119 00:07:17.040 --> 00:07:21.360 by a Cinderella team, and that was in twenty oh six. 120 00:07:21.480 --> 00:07:24.240 That's the year that Florida won. One of the years 121 00:07:24.639 --> 00:07:27.519 Florida won, the runner up is UCLA. The Gators beat 122 00:07:27.519 --> 00:07:33.600 the Bruins. George Mason and LSU both made the Final 123 00:07:33.600 --> 00:07:35.720 Four that year. And you know what, all right, Florida 124 00:07:35.759 --> 00:07:39.879 is not a big basketball school. UCLA has some fans, 125 00:07:40.000 --> 00:07:42.240 but it's a neighborhood school. They don't have Yeah, they 126 00:07:42.319 --> 00:07:44.600 got a lot of titles, but they don't have a 127 00:07:44.680 --> 00:07:49.120 huge sweeping fan base. LSU football school. Do they care 128 00:07:49.160 --> 00:07:54.439 about basketball? Some? George Mason tiny Those TV ratings for 129 00:07:54.480 --> 00:07:58.319 the Final Four that year worse than the history of 130 00:07:58.399 --> 00:08:02.120 the Final Four and at least in modern times when 131 00:08:02.160 --> 00:08:05.600 they started really tracking it. So that always tells you 132 00:08:05.720 --> 00:08:11.120 that people love Cinderella's the first couple of weekends after that. No, 133 00:08:11.519 --> 00:08:14.160 they want the big names. They want the Kentucky's and 134 00:08:14.199 --> 00:08:17.319 the Kansas and the North Carolina's in the Final four, 135 00:08:17.600 --> 00:08:19.040 and the ratings say as much. 136 00:08:20.160 --> 00:08:20.240 So. 137 00:08:20.279 --> 00:08:24.839 Anyhow, Learronagua has got a great legacy, but it's sad 138 00:08:24.839 --> 00:08:28.480 that he had to leave this way. And again, who's next? 139 00:08:28.519 --> 00:08:34.639 That's the question, Who's next? Speaking of the nil, Maxwell 140 00:08:34.720 --> 00:08:38.000 Harriston's decision had nothing to do with it him leaving 141 00:08:38.559 --> 00:08:41.440 for the National Football He had another year of eligibility, 142 00:08:42.360 --> 00:08:44.879 but I do believe he should go and he's played 143 00:08:44.879 --> 00:08:47.200 four years. Yeah, he was hurt much of this year, 144 00:08:47.720 --> 00:08:52.120 only played seven games. Still had nineteen tackles, forced, a 145 00:08:52.159 --> 00:08:56.559 couple of fumbles, had a pick, had a sack, he'll 146 00:08:56.600 --> 00:09:01.240 get a great look. And my Packers, of course drafted 147 00:09:01.279 --> 00:09:05.039 and signed Carrington Valentine and he is stuck. He took 148 00:09:05.120 --> 00:09:07.840 advantage in camp, some guys got hurt and he made 149 00:09:07.840 --> 00:09:11.200 the club. But Harrison's got a better resume. I don't 150 00:09:11.200 --> 00:09:13.480 know if he's a better player, but he's got a 151 00:09:13.480 --> 00:09:17.480 real shot at making the NFL. Vince Merrill needs go 152 00:09:17.600 --> 00:09:20.720 and find another Maxwell Harrison since he has decided to stay. 153 00:09:22.320 --> 00:09:26.759 Football Scoop made that announcement quote unquote air quotes. Now, 154 00:09:26.879 --> 00:09:31.960 football Scoop it's a fun website, but football Scoop publishes 155 00:09:32.440 --> 00:09:38.759 everything it hears. Everybody who contributes to Football Scoop they 156 00:09:38.840 --> 00:09:41.960 dump it all onto that website. So a lot of 157 00:09:41.960 --> 00:09:45.360 times it's not true, it's a little bit true. It 158 00:09:45.480 --> 00:09:47.879 might be true. Well, we knew that Merrill had gotten 159 00:09:47.879 --> 00:09:50.519 a call from Bill Belichick, or at least there had 160 00:09:50.559 --> 00:09:54.320 been I don't know who made the call first conversation 161 00:09:54.440 --> 00:09:59.679 with Bill Belichick. But Vince has decided he would stick around. 162 00:10:01.080 --> 00:10:05.399 That's according to Football Scoop sources with direct knowledge. They 163 00:10:05.440 --> 00:10:10.200 say I was told this, I think the day before Christmas, 164 00:10:10.919 --> 00:10:16.840 that Vince was staying. But why wouldn't Belichick make the call, 165 00:10:17.679 --> 00:10:20.399 and you look around at the job that recruiters have 166 00:10:20.480 --> 00:10:24.600 done around the country, and look where Kentucky is now 167 00:10:25.440 --> 00:10:28.440 compared to when Stoops and Merrow got here. And the 168 00:10:28.480 --> 00:10:32.200 biggest reason for their success not lately, I know better 169 00:10:32.279 --> 00:10:37.039 players and so much of that has to do with 170 00:10:37.519 --> 00:10:41.919 Vince Merrow. While we're in college football, Vanderbilt Georgia Tech 171 00:10:42.200 --> 00:10:46.799 finishing up their ball game today, the Birmingham Bull Kentucky 172 00:10:46.840 --> 00:10:51.159 played in that what Randall Cobbs last year. You know, 173 00:10:51.240 --> 00:10:53.519 it's it's a fun game for these teams, for their 174 00:10:53.519 --> 00:10:55.840 fans if they go. I gotta think Vandy will take 175 00:10:55.879 --> 00:10:58.240 some fans I don't know about. I guess Georgia Tech will, 176 00:10:59.200 --> 00:11:01.399 and I'll probably on it. We pre record, so I 177 00:11:01.480 --> 00:11:03.679 can't tell you what's going on in the game. But 178 00:11:04.279 --> 00:11:08.600 what's interesting is the impact Vandy and Georgia Tech had 179 00:11:08.679 --> 00:11:11.840 on college football this year. On the College Football Playoff, 180 00:11:12.600 --> 00:11:16.879 Bandy was the best story in college football because of 181 00:11:16.919 --> 00:11:19.360 the upset of Alabama. That was the biggest upset of 182 00:11:19.399 --> 00:11:23.440 the year. But remember how the season began. We watched 183 00:11:23.519 --> 00:11:27.960 Georgia Tech beat Florida State, I mean outclassed Florida State, 184 00:11:28.600 --> 00:11:32.639 in Ireland. Now, we didn't know at the time that 185 00:11:32.679 --> 00:11:37.960 Florida State would be an absolute dumpster fire. This is 186 00:11:38.000 --> 00:11:42.559 after that glorious year they had last year. Horrible this year. 187 00:11:43.519 --> 00:11:47.039 But Georgia Tech was the first team to take full advantage, 188 00:11:48.600 --> 00:11:50.840 so that kind of told us a little bit that 189 00:11:51.720 --> 00:11:54.840 this season might not be what we thought. And sure enough, 190 00:11:55.440 --> 00:11:59.519 Bandy with Diego Pavia starts winning games and the biggest 191 00:11:59.559 --> 00:12:03.320 win of all forty to thirty five in October fifth, 192 00:12:04.240 --> 00:12:09.960 knocking off Alabama, which had just beaten Georgia the week 193 00:12:10.000 --> 00:12:15.120 prior and did not get itself ready for the game. 194 00:12:15.720 --> 00:12:17.919 Bans rushed the field school had to pay a hundred 195 00:12:17.919 --> 00:12:22.320 thousand dollars fine, they were happy to do so. Pavia 196 00:12:22.440 --> 00:12:24.960 threw for two point fifty two and two touchdowns and 197 00:12:25.080 --> 00:12:29.080 ran for fifty six yards and moved the chains at 198 00:12:29.080 --> 00:12:33.440 the end of the game when Mandy absolutely positively needed 199 00:12:33.480 --> 00:12:37.000 first downs. That knocked Bama from the number one ranking 200 00:12:37.799 --> 00:12:42.320 to number seven and had never got any higher. And Bama, 201 00:12:42.559 --> 00:12:45.080 which also lost to a six and six Oklahoma team, 202 00:12:45.279 --> 00:12:47.639 as you know, doesn't make the playoff if it wins 203 00:12:47.679 --> 00:12:50.360 one or the other. I believe Bama's in the playoff. 204 00:12:51.639 --> 00:12:56.039 So you can look at Vanderbilt as being a team 205 00:12:56.080 --> 00:13:00.919 that's responsible for Alabama not playing in the playoff. And 206 00:13:00.919 --> 00:13:04.639 by the way, remember Vandy almost beat Texas And remember 207 00:13:04.720 --> 00:13:09.279 Georgia Tech nearly beat Georgia, and if it had done that, 208 00:13:09.320 --> 00:13:13.919 it would have kept Georgia, I think from the playoff. Well, 209 00:13:14.279 --> 00:13:16.480 if it wouldn't have been a conference game, if Georgia 210 00:13:16.519 --> 00:13:20.000 won the conference, it would have gotten there. But man, 211 00:13:20.000 --> 00:13:22.279 whatdn't upset that might have been? They're up seventeen to 212 00:13:22.320 --> 00:13:24.679 nothing at the half and let it twenty seven to 213 00:13:24.759 --> 00:13:27.840 thirteen of five and a half to play. Bulldogs got 214 00:13:27.879 --> 00:13:31.759 it into overtime and won it. And yeah, if Georgia 215 00:13:31.799 --> 00:13:33.720 had gone on to win the conference, they were locked 216 00:13:33.720 --> 00:13:37.159 into that that buy, but they wouldn't have been seated 217 00:13:37.159 --> 00:13:40.600 as highly probably. So yeah, those are the teams that 218 00:13:40.679 --> 00:13:45.159 really made headlines this year in college football. Two of them. 219 00:13:45.679 --> 00:13:48.799 All Right, we'll come back and talk about Wildcat basketball. 220 00:13:48.799 --> 00:13:50.120 On the other side of the break, Here are the 221 00:13:50.120 --> 00:13:53.960 Big Moon Siders six thirty WLAP Welcome back to the 222 00:13:53.960 --> 00:13:56.039 Big Moon Sider. Coming up at the bottom of the hour, 223 00:13:56.120 --> 00:13:58.360 Tom Leets, the voice of the Wildcats and now renumber 224 00:13:58.360 --> 00:14:02.000 two Richard Skinner from Low twelve TV up in Cincinnati, 225 00:14:02.600 --> 00:14:05.440 and our Western Burea chief Gary Moore, of course preempted 226 00:14:05.480 --> 00:14:10.080 on Wednesday, Christmas Day, but we'll hear his comments and 227 00:14:10.120 --> 00:14:12.480 the two guys in a six pack coming up in 228 00:14:12.559 --> 00:14:15.039 our number two. But need to look back on the 229 00:14:15.080 --> 00:14:17.159 Wildcats trip to New York City and I went up. 230 00:14:17.159 --> 00:14:19.120 We had a very good time, although it was cold, 231 00:14:19.559 --> 00:14:22.879 it was windy, but Christmas in New York, Yeah, the 232 00:14:22.960 --> 00:14:25.879 decorations and all that, it's a lot of fun. A 233 00:14:25.879 --> 00:14:28.480 friend of mine said something about the chaos, and I said, 234 00:14:28.519 --> 00:14:31.279 I like the chaos because I can leave the chaos, 235 00:14:31.679 --> 00:14:34.519 but I do enjoy it. I've been up there several times, 236 00:14:35.000 --> 00:14:38.000 and I've been up there for Kentucky Ohio State, and 237 00:14:38.159 --> 00:14:41.720 once again the Wildcats lose. But this was in the 238 00:14:41.840 --> 00:14:44.480 Madison Square Garden. I was up there in twenty the 239 00:14:44.519 --> 00:14:48.639 twenty fifteen sixteen season, the Jamal Murray season, as I 240 00:14:48.720 --> 00:14:52.480 put it, where the Wildcats lost in Brooklyn to Ohio State, 241 00:14:52.559 --> 00:14:55.720 and Murray had a huge game, but Kentucky just never 242 00:14:55.799 --> 00:14:59.279 could start to click. And the same thing happened against 243 00:14:59.360 --> 00:15:02.720 Ohio State. Eight bluck guys did a great job of 244 00:15:02.759 --> 00:15:07.639 making Kentucky play their game. They ran the Wildcats off 245 00:15:07.679 --> 00:15:10.600 the three point line and defended well in the paint, 246 00:15:11.200 --> 00:15:13.559 and then at the other end of the floor, they 247 00:15:13.600 --> 00:15:18.399 made Kentucky play defense, probably longer per possession than the 248 00:15:18.440 --> 00:15:21.440 Wildcats were used to playing, because Kentucky is a good 249 00:15:21.480 --> 00:15:27.000 defensive team, but didn't make enough good defensive plays in 250 00:15:27.039 --> 00:15:29.559 that game. And the Jake Deebler, the Ohio State coach, 251 00:15:30.159 --> 00:15:33.320 talked about the fact that Ohio State was able to 252 00:15:33.320 --> 00:15:34.039 control pace. 253 00:15:34.360 --> 00:15:38.000 Felt like we needed to make them guard longer in 254 00:15:38.080 --> 00:15:43.080 the half court in those moments. So again, that's a respect, 255 00:15:43.559 --> 00:15:46.039 you know, to what they've been able to do. But 256 00:15:46.840 --> 00:15:49.480 I thought we were able, you know, and Bruce Thrton 257 00:15:50.159 --> 00:15:52.080 led us in that we were able to get to 258 00:15:52.120 --> 00:15:54.919 the free throw line some of our own, and you know, 259 00:15:54.960 --> 00:15:56.960 we were able to come up with a couple timely 260 00:15:57.039 --> 00:15:58.159 offensive rebounds too. 261 00:15:59.399 --> 00:16:01.840 Jake Deebler, by the way, in his first year as 262 00:16:01.840 --> 00:16:05.360 the head coach at Ohio State, started actually as a 263 00:16:05.480 --> 00:16:10.080 video coordinator from fourteen to sixteen, then left and came 264 00:16:10.120 --> 00:16:12.240 back as an assistant a few years ago, and now 265 00:16:12.559 --> 00:16:15.159 he's the head man and he has a pretty good 266 00:16:15.200 --> 00:16:18.440 win to his credit as Ohio State held Kentucky to 267 00:16:18.519 --> 00:16:21.639 twenty nine point eight percent field goal shooting and really 268 00:16:21.639 --> 00:16:26.120 more sobering the numbers. Wildcats had eight field goals in 269 00:16:26.200 --> 00:16:31.039 the first half, nine in the second half. Wow, eight 270 00:16:31.080 --> 00:16:34.240 for twenty three in the first half, nine for thirty 271 00:16:34.279 --> 00:16:38.200 four in the second half in Ohio State meanwhile, shot 272 00:16:38.240 --> 00:16:42.080 fifty six point six percent for the entire game and 273 00:16:42.200 --> 00:16:46.240 the Cats three point three point percentage four for twenty two. 274 00:16:47.600 --> 00:16:51.320 But to me points in the paint Ohio State thirty six, 275 00:16:51.440 --> 00:16:55.600 Kentucky twenty four, and Aaron Gershaan chartered you may have 276 00:16:55.639 --> 00:16:59.600 heard or read this already Kentucky seven of twenty three 277 00:16:59.759 --> 00:17:04.880 from on layups. Kentucky missed so many shots near the 278 00:17:04.920 --> 00:17:10.480 basket it was nuts. It's crazy. Mark Pope talked about 279 00:17:10.519 --> 00:17:16.519 the fact that as things went poorly, the Wildcats basically 280 00:17:16.599 --> 00:17:21.400 reverted got away from Mark Pope style of basketball, and 281 00:17:21.400 --> 00:17:24.079 he's talked about this before. He talked about it going 282 00:17:24.119 --> 00:17:26.839 into the game, into the season, talked about it after 283 00:17:26.880 --> 00:17:30.839 one of the losses. I believe it was Clemson was 284 00:17:30.880 --> 00:17:33.319 the only other loss, but it might have been after 285 00:17:33.319 --> 00:17:34.880 one of those close games. I do believe it was 286 00:17:34.920 --> 00:17:38.880 at the Clemson game where he basically said, they quit 287 00:17:39.000 --> 00:17:41.720 doing what they're supposed to do, and they do. They 288 00:17:41.720 --> 00:17:45.440 were doing what they knew to do because their veterans, 289 00:17:45.920 --> 00:17:49.559 you know, they played so much basketball. They reverted and 290 00:17:50.160 --> 00:17:53.400 that can't happen. Pope said they had to trust in 291 00:17:53.440 --> 00:17:56.200 what they were doing as wildcats. 292 00:17:56.640 --> 00:17:58.480 You know, we had some defensive shot this night, and 293 00:17:58.480 --> 00:18:01.119 then we just fell to pieces offense of we and 294 00:18:01.200 --> 00:18:03.640 we just went to our default. And our default is 295 00:18:03.680 --> 00:18:07.359 not right yet. Our default is still bad habits and 296 00:18:07.359 --> 00:18:09.480 and and it's not bad habits coming from a bad 297 00:18:09.519 --> 00:18:11.880 place in guy's hearts. It's coming from a great place. 298 00:18:11.920 --> 00:18:13.880 It's coming from a desperation to help their team. But 299 00:18:14.440 --> 00:18:17.480 we don't do that by ourselves. And we do it discipline, 300 00:18:17.480 --> 00:18:18.880 and we do it the way we do it, and 301 00:18:18.920 --> 00:18:21.279 we do it by making place for each other. And 302 00:18:21.279 --> 00:18:24.839 and that's still not our default. And that's just that's 303 00:18:24.920 --> 00:18:30.920 just a trust building process. And and sometimes when things 304 00:18:30.920 --> 00:18:33.000 go wrong, it can build your trust because you see this, 305 00:18:33.480 --> 00:18:35.079 you get to see, hey, this doesn't work when we 306 00:18:35.119 --> 00:18:37.759 try and do this this way. And so but these 307 00:18:37.799 --> 00:18:40.279 guys will respond beautifully because they're incredibly young men and 308 00:18:40.480 --> 00:18:42.359 they'll come back and they'll work like crazy and they 309 00:18:42.359 --> 00:18:45.079 know who they represent and how much it means, and 310 00:18:46.039 --> 00:18:51.640 it's incredibly painful to lose this game, but they'll respond great. 311 00:18:52.720 --> 00:18:55.759 That kind of reminded me of a football coach talking about, 312 00:18:56.000 --> 00:18:59.680 especially on defense, particularly on defense, how guys try to 313 00:18:59.680 --> 00:19:04.319 do too much. Stay in your gap, mind your gap, 314 00:19:04.440 --> 00:19:08.359 play your gap. I remember Mike Archer telling me about 315 00:19:08.559 --> 00:19:11.880 one of the early Kentucky defenses he coached. He said, 316 00:19:11.960 --> 00:19:16.480 our best player is the worst example of this. You know, 317 00:19:16.680 --> 00:19:19.839 he knows his job, but he's so good he thinks 318 00:19:19.839 --> 00:19:22.480 he can do other people's jobs as well, so he'll 319 00:19:22.519 --> 00:19:24.240 stop doing what he's supposed to do and go try 320 00:19:24.240 --> 00:19:28.400 to help somebody else as well. And then there's a disaster. Well, 321 00:19:29.160 --> 00:19:32.359 you know, it's not being selfish, as Pope said, it's 322 00:19:32.480 --> 00:19:36.200 trying to help, trying to do the right thing, and 323 00:19:36.240 --> 00:19:40.000 it just wasn't working. And Andrew Carr at a rough 324 00:19:40.039 --> 00:19:45.119 time in and around the paint three for nine, only 325 00:19:45.119 --> 00:19:47.599 got off nine shots, did get to the free throw 326 00:19:47.640 --> 00:19:51.200 line nine times, missed all four of his three pointers. 327 00:19:52.640 --> 00:19:55.960 But he talked as well about yeah, they got a 328 00:19:55.960 --> 00:19:59.599 couple buckets early, but then after that, Ohio State challenged 329 00:19:59.720 --> 00:20:01.440 every at the rim. 330 00:20:01.759 --> 00:20:04.079 Yeah, you know, definitely, I think we kind of knew 331 00:20:04.200 --> 00:20:08.079 going into the game that they helped a lot, especially 332 00:20:08.240 --> 00:20:11.279 you know, if once we got into the paint, felt 333 00:20:11.279 --> 00:20:14.119 like we probably could have done a better job of, 334 00:20:14.920 --> 00:20:17.559 you know, when things aren't going our way to playoff 335 00:20:17.559 --> 00:20:20.839 two feet, go back to being you know, the fundamentals 336 00:20:20.839 --> 00:20:23.839 of the game and stopping at the rim, and we'd 337 00:20:23.839 --> 00:20:27.039 be able to get whatever we wanted. So definitely something 338 00:20:27.039 --> 00:20:28.279 to learn and improve on. 339 00:20:29.599 --> 00:20:32.559 What struck me was how Kentucky did get some good 340 00:20:32.599 --> 00:20:36.160 shots like those shots inside and they weren't hitting. And 341 00:20:36.200 --> 00:20:40.440 I asked Otaga away if the frustration began to build 342 00:20:41.119 --> 00:20:42.799 as the game went on, I. 343 00:20:42.720 --> 00:20:45.720 Mean, that's that's kind of basketball. Sometimes the ball won't 344 00:20:45.759 --> 00:20:48.359 go into the rim, but we just had to find 345 00:20:48.359 --> 00:20:52.519 other ways and we didn't today, but we will next time. 346 00:20:52.960 --> 00:20:55.319 We just have to find ways to just have hot 347 00:20:55.480 --> 00:20:57.640 energy at all times, even when the ball's not going in. 348 00:20:59.039 --> 00:21:00.920 On a defensive end, I feel like we could have 349 00:21:00.960 --> 00:21:04.319 sparked some energy there, maybe get some easy baskets by 350 00:21:04.400 --> 00:21:06.799 cleaning turnovers, but fortunately. 351 00:21:06.480 --> 00:21:06.799 We did it. 352 00:21:06.960 --> 00:21:09.200 But it's okay. We'll learn and get better. 353 00:21:10.359 --> 00:21:14.160 Statistically, Ohway had a good game, twenty one points, only 354 00:21:14.200 --> 00:21:17.519 one turnover in thirty and a half minutes. But here's 355 00:21:17.559 --> 00:21:21.640 another reason to take the plus minus figure with a 356 00:21:21.720 --> 00:21:24.920 huge chunk of salt. If you're a plus minus person, 357 00:21:24.960 --> 00:21:29.279 that's fine. But otega Oway, who led Kentucky in scoring 358 00:21:29.319 --> 00:21:33.720 and drew nine fouls. He was thirteen for thirteen at 359 00:21:33.759 --> 00:21:36.839 the free throw line at a couple of rebounds. It 360 00:21:36.920 --> 00:21:38.839 was only four for thirteen from the floor. But again, 361 00:21:38.839 --> 00:21:43.240 nobody shot well for the Wildcats. His plus minus was 362 00:21:43.319 --> 00:21:48.240 the worst of the night for anybody, minus twenty six. 363 00:21:49.599 --> 00:21:52.799 So again take it with a huge grain of salt, 364 00:21:52.960 --> 00:21:54.920 because he was one of the few Wildcats who was 365 00:21:54.960 --> 00:21:59.799 able to get and make shots. Although he was four 366 00:21:59.799 --> 00:22:02.839 for thirteen, he still got to the line and helped 367 00:22:02.960 --> 00:22:07.559 keep Kentucky close. But the Cats just could not make 368 00:22:07.680 --> 00:22:10.119 up the ground even when they got to what six 369 00:22:10.680 --> 00:22:13.799 And the crowd, by the way, crowd was good. You 370 00:22:13.799 --> 00:22:16.359 know what, we had a great crowd in North Carolina. 371 00:22:16.720 --> 00:22:18.480 I walked in early in the first half of the 372 00:22:18.480 --> 00:22:22.319 first game. Carolina UCLA place was full. I told my 373 00:22:22.359 --> 00:22:24.440 wife where I left the hotel room. Yeah, you know, 374 00:22:24.480 --> 00:22:30.079 they'll have some fans there. The building was almost full already, 375 00:22:30.240 --> 00:22:34.799 and most of it literally North Carolina fans. You knew 376 00:22:34.920 --> 00:22:37.960 UCLA wouldn't have many, and you knew Ohio State wouldn't 377 00:22:37.960 --> 00:22:40.880 have many because they're involved with football. You figured it 378 00:22:40.880 --> 00:22:43.160 would look like an nca tournament game for the Wildcats. 379 00:22:43.200 --> 00:22:46.200 It did not. So learn from this one, put it 380 00:22:46.240 --> 00:22:49.720 behind you, and go back to work. On Tuesday, Tom 381 00:22:49.799 --> 00:22:52.240 Leech to the Wildcats. He is the voice of the Wildcats. 382 00:22:52.559 --> 00:22:55.720 Is next heer on six thirty WLAP. Welcome back to 383 00:22:55.720 --> 00:22:57.480 the Big Blue and Sider, Joined now by the voice 384 00:22:57.519 --> 00:22:59.200 of the Wildcats, Tom Leech. You hear him on this 385 00:22:59.279 --> 00:23:02.079 very radio station each and every morning, and of course 386 00:23:02.079 --> 00:23:04.359 he'll be behind the mic the next time the Cats 387 00:23:04.599 --> 00:23:07.079 tip it off. But Tom, let us go back to 388 00:23:07.599 --> 00:23:11.799 Madison Square Garden, which is one of the great basketball venues. 389 00:23:11.839 --> 00:23:13.799 I know you were kind of up in the boonies 390 00:23:13.839 --> 00:23:17.519 a little bit, but what a thrill still to work 391 00:23:17.519 --> 00:23:18.640 in that venue, isn't it? 392 00:23:19.599 --> 00:23:20.160 Yeah? It is. 393 00:23:20.759 --> 00:23:26.039 I was a Knicks fan. My first favorite sports team, 394 00:23:26.079 --> 00:23:29.880 probably even before the Wildcats as a kid, was the Bears, 395 00:23:30.079 --> 00:23:32.799 and then and then you know, got into the Wildcats 396 00:23:32.960 --> 00:23:36.000 just through you know, family, and then The next one 397 00:23:36.119 --> 00:23:38.799 was I Think the Knicks. I loved the Knicks and 398 00:23:39.319 --> 00:23:41.880 won the title in seventy and then again in seventy 399 00:23:41.920 --> 00:23:45.559 three with Walt Frazier, and the second title team had 400 00:23:45.599 --> 00:23:49.720 Earl the Pearlman Road, Willis Reed, David Busher and Brill Bradley, 401 00:23:49.759 --> 00:23:51.920