Speaker 1: It's time for Coffee and Company, fueled by Thornton's on
Speaker 1: Sports Talk seven ninety Holy crap, I.
Speaker 2: Don't know who the hell we think we are.
Speaker 1: Get off our show, idiot. The kids are crying or
Speaker 1: trail off. The countries are screwing it up.
Speaker 3: Gold Play Inner Murals, Brother, Goldplay Inner Murals.
Speaker 2: They're supposed to be mature adults, but they're really not.
Speaker 2: Who's the kid here? Who's the kid here? Are you
Speaker 2: kidding me?
Speaker 4: Now?
Speaker 1: Here's Nick Coffee?
Speaker 4: Good afternoon, and welcome into a Friday edition of Coffee
Speaker 4: and Company. I almost said that it was a game
Speaker 4: day edition of Coffee and Company. It's not. We're close.
Speaker 4: We're a day away from the game. Louisville and Kentucky
Speaker 4: the first time Pat Kelsey and Mark Pope are going
Speaker 4: to be coaching in this rivalry. And I talked a
Speaker 4: lot yesterday about how it just didn't feel like we
Speaker 4: were we were there, meaning that close to the game,
Speaker 4: And now you're a day closer, and I do feel
Speaker 4: a little bit different. The anxiousness is starting to kind
Speaker 4: of set in. And I wouldn't call it nerves, because,
Speaker 4: to be honest, Louisville isn't a position where they aren't
Speaker 4: expected to win, and they know that. Fans know that
Speaker 4: now these guys are gonna come out there with the
Speaker 4: mindset that they're going to win. At least I hope
Speaker 4: that they will, meaning the Louisville players, because I just
Speaker 4: can't see a scenario where Pat Kelsey has in any
Speaker 4: way let these guys feel sorry for themselves or feel
Speaker 4: like victims because of the circumstances with the injuries. So
Speaker 4: it's not really nerves, it's just, you know, I know
Speaker 4: what this game does to me. I know I'm not alone.
Speaker 4: I have grown as a as a human being over
Speaker 4: the years, and I you know, I don't act like
Speaker 4: a lunatic like I used to. But I guess more
Speaker 4: than anything, it's growth that I can now control myself.
Speaker 4: Like I could watch this game. I mean I don't
Speaker 4: want to, and I'm not going to, but I could
Speaker 4: watch this game in public and you know, not lose
Speaker 4: composure to where I will, you know, make a complete
Speaker 4: fool of myself. And I don't mean like I would
Speaker 4: be mean to somebody or insult somebody or like fight,
Speaker 4: but you know, just run around, scream and just appear
Speaker 4: like a madman, like if. And by the way, that's
Speaker 4: why I like to watch the game in private because
Speaker 4: I can. I can still do that and you know,
Speaker 4: not be judged. But you know, this game just gives
Speaker 4: me a feeling that no other sporting event can provide.
Speaker 4: I mean, the closest thing to it is when they
Speaker 4: play in football, but in basketball, you know, it's just
Speaker 4: it's just different. So you know, ready or not, it's
Speaker 4: happening in roughly twenty four hours and we're certainly going
Speaker 4: to talk about that a lot today. Again, it is
Speaker 4: coffee and company, and we are fueled by Thornton's here
Speaker 4: on Sports Talk seven ninety. Appreciate you hanging out with us,
Speaker 4: and again we also appreciate our friends over there at Thornton's.
Speaker 4: Make sure you sign up to become a member of
Speaker 4: the Refreshing Awards program if you haven't already, because you'll
Speaker 4: save money at the gas pump, and that means you're
Speaker 4: gonna probably be stopping there each time you need gas,
Speaker 4: because if you're in Kentucky, and it's likely a Thornton's
Speaker 4: close to you because they're all over the place, and
Speaker 4: if you are stopping there for gas, because each time
Speaker 4: you do, you save money one that makes a lot
Speaker 4: of sense, no pun intending, because you save, you know,
Speaker 4: sometimes twenty five cents off per gallon. But you're also
Speaker 4: gonna probably be going into Thornton's because you think, Okay,
Speaker 4: maybe I'll go in and get me a cup of coffee,
Speaker 4: maybe I'll go in and get me an energy drink,
Speaker 4: maybe I need a snack, a bite to eat. They've
Speaker 4: got all that, and any trip to Thornton's, in my opinion,
Speaker 4: in my experiences, has been an enhancement when it comes
Speaker 4: to just how the day is going. So again, we
Speaker 4: appreciate our friends over there at Thornton's and you support
Speaker 4: those who support us. We hope you do, and if so,
Speaker 4: thank you. In fact, Thornton's, you know, they flexed a
Speaker 4: little bit with their new food items that they've got
Speaker 4: on the menu that like, you know, they just at
Speaker 4: the same time started offering delicious pizza, they started offering
Speaker 4: the taktos. They've got wings now as well that new
Speaker 4: breakfast sandwich that is a sausage and cheese with a
Speaker 4: waffle as the bun. I mean, they just dropped that
Speaker 4: like it was nothing, and they're all delicious items and
Speaker 4: you know, a little new. I know there's there's a
Speaker 4: tempted competition. I mean they're they're not They're not legitimately
Speaker 4: competing with Thornton's, because how could you. But I see
Speaker 4: the Thorntons that's closest to me, just maybe a block up.
Speaker 4: There's another gas, another imitator appearing to you know, set
Speaker 4: up shop and try to compete. Keyword they're being tried
Speaker 4: because they won't they won't succeed in doing so. But
Speaker 4: the name of it is called wah Wah. And I
Speaker 4: you know, I've heard of it. Like I know people
Speaker 4: listening are thinking, oh, yeah, I know what that is.
Speaker 4: I've seen those all. But like, come on, name it
Speaker 4: whatever you want. You're not competing with Thornton's. Let's be
Speaker 4: real with ourselves here. But wah Wah. You expect me
Speaker 4: to like feel any threat for Thornton's because of a
Speaker 4: company named wah Wah. I mean it's it's really funny
Speaker 4: if you if you think about it. But anyways, again,
Speaker 4: Coffee and Company proudly feel about Thornton's. Nick Coffee with
Speaker 4: you taking you up until six o'clock, and I guess
Speaker 4: we will just dive right in. I mean there are
Speaker 4: some other things I want to make sure we get
Speaker 4: to today. We'll try to let you hear some sound
Speaker 4: from both Pat Kelsey and Pope Is. They both talked
Speaker 4: about the game and there's some transfer portal item stuff
Speaker 4: that like is on the radar for me to discuss.
Speaker 4: We never really know what direction we're going to go
Speaker 4: in during this three hour show, but on a day
Speaker 4: like today, I mean, I'd be a liar if I
Speaker 4: told you that. I you know, would be shocked if
Speaker 4: we get to the end of the show and we
Speaker 4: didn't spend ninety nine point nine percent of that time
Speaker 4: discussing this matchup between Louisville and Kentucky. That's kind of
Speaker 4: what you do when you get this close to the game.
Speaker 4: It's a big deal around here. I know it's not
Speaker 4: the case, but I kind of feel like in my world,
Speaker 4: my lifestyle, those that I'm close with, whether it be
Speaker 4: friends or family associates, these are people that I just know,
Speaker 4: like everything kind of stops when this game's going on
Speaker 4: tomorrow at five point fifteen, And I know that there
Speaker 4: are people who don't get absorbed in it, they don't
Speaker 4: really care, they won't watch because you know they have
Speaker 4: interests in lives that don't at all involve college basketball
Speaker 4: or this rivalry itself. And you know, I hope those
Speaker 4: people live happy lives, but man, I can't relate. I
Speaker 4: cannot relate because this is something that really shouldn't have
Speaker 4: such an impact on my morale, my energy, but it does.
Speaker 4: And we all know that's what makes sports special because
Speaker 4: the emotional connection, the emotional investment that you make into
Speaker 4: these teams, and you know, sometimes it feels like it's
Speaker 4: the best thing in the world, better than sex. Maybe,
Speaker 4: I guess depends on you know, the kind of you know,
Speaker 4: you know what I mean. But like when your team
Speaker 4: that you love so much ends up getting a big win,
Speaker 4: having a comeback performance, winning a championship, you know, the
Speaker 4: highs man, that gives you such a feeling that like
Speaker 4: it's you know it For some it probably feels like
Speaker 4: one of the best things you've ever felt in your life.
Speaker 4: Sounds like an exaggeration, probably is, but like you know
Speaker 4: what I'm talking about, And when they disappoint and they
Speaker 4: lose and they struggle and the results are not good results,
Speaker 4: it leaves you with a pain that you know, you
Speaker 4: can't really understand why you feel that way, and I'll
Speaker 4: explain on my end, like I'm a grown up that
Speaker 4: has you know, a life, a wife, two children, Like
Speaker 4: at the end of the day, Louisville being good or
Speaker 4: bad in basketball and beating their rival in basketball or football.
Speaker 4: You know, at the end of the day, it really
Speaker 4: doesn't impact my livelihood at all. Obviously when it comes
Speaker 4: to what I do for a living, it would be
Speaker 4: beneficial for Louisville basketball in football to be excelling to
Speaker 4: where there's a lot of interest in it. And therefore,
Speaker 4: whenever I use this platform to hopefully entertain you and
Speaker 4: of course discuss that, then there'd be more people invested
Speaker 4: in listening because you know, things are going well. So
Speaker 4: it really doesn't It doesn't have anything to do with
Speaker 4: my livelihood, the health of my children, like things that
Speaker 4: really matter. But yet, whenever this thing ends tomorrow, I
Speaker 4: kind of feel like if Louisville's on the losing side
Speaker 4: of it, like I'm going to be sad in a
Speaker 4: way that I'm going to feel like, what is wrong
Speaker 4: with you?
Speaker 1: Nick?
Speaker 4: Why does this game does? Why does this get you
Speaker 4: so high or so low when you really have no
Speaker 4: involvement in it at all? No, you know, I have
Speaker 4: no control over what happens, and you know it doesn't
Speaker 4: do anything for me. It doesn't affect me individually or
Speaker 4: my family at all. Like it's you know, it's a
Speaker 4: feeling that I've I've had in recent years because again,
Speaker 4: the highs are really awesome, the lows really suck. But
Speaker 4: yet I guess I just reflect now that I'm a
Speaker 4: little bit more older, and I'm like, man, I shouldn't.
Speaker 4: I shouldn't be this high from from something that I
Speaker 4: had nothing to do with it, Like you should be happy,
Speaker 4: but like the feeling is insane. And then the feeling
Speaker 4: that you get when you lose that sadness, that feeling
Speaker 4: is insanely low, and it's like why do you care?
Speaker 4: Like why are you so bummed? So I know I'm
Speaker 4: not alone. I know everything I laid out, there are
Speaker 4: many of you listening that can absolutely relate to that.
Speaker 4: And sometimes I question, like what are we doing here?
Speaker 4: Like why I shouldn't have this? This shouldn't this doesn't
Speaker 4: make since I've got there's something wrong with me. But
Speaker 4: I also deep down know that I wouldn't trade it
Speaker 4: for anything in the world because it makes me feel alive.
Speaker 4: And you know, maybe one day it'll kill me. Maybe
Speaker 4: one day, losing to Kentucky in basketball as often as
Speaker 4: Louisville has in my lifetime, maybe one day that'll just
Speaker 4: take me out. I hope not, and in fact, I
Speaker 4: know that it won't. Maybe it'll be something else. But yeah,
Speaker 4: we're here, the game is happening in twenty four hours roughly,
Speaker 4: and Louisville underdogs. That's not a big surprise. I expected
Speaker 4: them to be dogs. And to be honest with you,
Speaker 4: I think I said eight and a half yesterday as
Speaker 4: far as what I guess the point spread would be,
Speaker 4: and I was, you know, I was. I was off
Speaker 4: by a couple of points. But I you know, trust me,
Speaker 4: I'm wrong all the time. I'm not trying to like
Speaker 4: give you an excuse as to why I was wrong,
Speaker 4: because again I'm wrong often. But I later said, you know,
Speaker 4: I don't really know. I still guessed eight and a half.
Speaker 4: But I thought it was going to be tough. I
Speaker 4: just didn't know what the what the books thought of Louisville.
Speaker 4: Louisville is a tough team to figure out when it
Speaker 4: comes to setting the point spread. But I don't think
Speaker 4: that it's a big shock to see Kentucky ten and
Speaker 4: a half point favorites in this game tomorrow. And you know,
Speaker 4: on the Louisville side, as of now, as I try to,
Speaker 4: you know, check the pulse of the fan base the
Speaker 4: best way I can talking to fans that I know, personally,
Speaker 4: reading what's out there on Twitter, that kind of stuff,
Speaker 4: checking the text line, that's the best way I can,
Speaker 4: you know, check the pulse of the fan base. And yes,
Speaker 4: I know that that's not an entire representation of the
Speaker 4: entire fan base, but you know, it's all we got.
Speaker 4: And these are people who are very passionate and emotional
Speaker 4: about it, because I don't mean like emotional to where
Speaker 4: they cry, you know what I mean. They're the diehard fans.
Speaker 4: And on the Louisville side, I feel like they are
Speaker 4: you know, they're they're not expecting to win. They also
Speaker 4: feel like that this Kentucky team is probably a little
Speaker 4: more beatable than some of the other great Kentucky teams
Speaker 4: that Louisville has lost to. I think they feel good
Speaker 4: that despite being shorthanded, they're going to come ready to play.
Speaker 4: And that's that's where something but I think Louisville fans
Speaker 4: are aware that they could win, but not expecting it
Speaker 4: and just hoping that it's competitive. And if they get
Speaker 4: to a late game situation, it's then, you know, let's
Speaker 4: ride it out and see what happens. I mean, I've
Speaker 4: yet to hear any Louisville fans say that they are
Speaker 4: stone cold confident that they win. But I haven't really heard,
Speaker 4: and I'm sure if I looked hard enough, I could
Speaker 4: find the pessimistic fans. They just say, we're going to
Speaker 4: get our ass kicked. You know, I don't even know
Speaker 4: why we play them anymore. Like those people exist, and
Speaker 4: you know they're entitled to their opinion as well. But
Speaker 4: on the Kentucky side, I think they are confident. I
Speaker 4: think they know their favorite. I think they know that
Speaker 4: they are expected to win, and again same thing. I'm
Speaker 4: sure if I looked hard enough, I would find Kentucky
Speaker 4: fans that are expecting to beat Louisville down at Ropperena
Speaker 4: tomorrow and just you know, make make it a blowout.
Speaker 4: But I think there's some quiet confidence in this Kentucky
Speaker 4: fan base, at least from what I can tell. And
Speaker 4: I don't know if it's because they've never seen Mark
Speaker 4: pope coach in the rivalry. I don't know if it's
Speaker 4: because they did have probably theirs their worst performance of
Speaker 4: the season against Colgate. They do have wins against Duke
Speaker 4: and Gonzaga which have great value. But you know, they're confident,
Speaker 4: but they're not real chesty, they're not real arrogant about it.
Speaker 4: And look, I know I'm probably angering somebody right now
Speaker 4: who's saying, Look, you don't know, I work nick with
Speaker 4: this guy. He's a big a hole, he's a he's
Speaker 4: a bb in bozo and he's been running his mouth.
Speaker 4: He's confidence. So again, I know that there are you
Speaker 4: know there are. There are all kinds of different ways
Speaker 4: fans on both sides are feeling about this game as
Speaker 4: we're just to day away. But I'm just kind of
Speaker 4: giving you what I'm gathering. And again, there I think
Speaker 4: there's a little bit of like an even an even
Speaker 4: keel energy, if that makes sense, on both sides, because
Speaker 4: Louisville doesn't want to just say, you know, hey, we
Speaker 4: aren't expected to win. We might get killed, but who cares.
Speaker 4: I think there's maybe not quiet confidence from Louisville, but
Speaker 4: I feel like, you know, if you can compete with
Speaker 4: Duke for thirty minutes like you did the other night.
Speaker 4: Maybe you go into Rupp and you can take advantage
Speaker 4: of them maybe having an off night when it comes
Speaker 4: to shooting. And on the Kentucky side, you know, I
Speaker 4: don't think that they are in any way like expecting
Speaker 4: to lose. But the Colgate game, probably with them trailing
Speaker 4: with about fifteen minutes left in that game, it probably,
Speaker 4: I guess, made them look more beatable than they ever
Speaker 4: thought they were. Colgate was two and eight. They're not
Speaker 4: very good Louisville despite being shorthanded. I mean, you would
Speaker 4: think that they're a lot better than that Colgate team
Speaker 4: that led against Kentucky in the second half. So we're
Speaker 4: getting closer and we'll continue to get you set for
Speaker 4: the game. I've got a lot of thoughts to share
Speaker 4: on the matchup itself. Had some good questions that came
Speaker 4: in this week that I wanted to wait until today,
Speaker 4: as far as just questions about the rivalry when it
Speaker 4: comes to memories that kind of stuff. And we'll let
Speaker 4: you hear a little bit of both Mark Pope and
Speaker 4: Pat Kelsey as they both had press conferences earlier today,
Speaker 4: and we'll get to this a little bit later on.
Speaker 4: I'm not really sure how much more can be added
Speaker 4: to this, and it's already kind of been discussed, But
Speaker 4: today I think just hearing both those guys talk was
Speaker 4: a reminder that as the rivalry is kind of renewed,
Speaker 4: here meeting two new coaches taking over programs at the
Speaker 4: same time that are very similar as far as how
Speaker 4: they like to play, and they both come off as
Speaker 4: very likable. But today hearing both of them, I mean,
Speaker 4: I don't to me, it's not like I'm uncomfortable with it,
Speaker 4: because I don't have to dislike the Kentucky coaches or
Speaker 4: players to know that when they play, I want them
Speaker 4: to lose. Like it's not personal, it's just how the
Speaker 4: rivalry works. And I know a lot of you guys
Speaker 4: know exactly what I'm referring to. But what I was
Speaker 4: going to.
Speaker 2: Say is.
Speaker 4: I think both have made it not only hard, but
Speaker 4: like really hard to just dislike. Like I think Mark
Speaker 4: Pope is a really, really likable guy, and I think
Speaker 4: I think the same about Pat Kelsey. But you know,
Speaker 4: maybe some would say it's because I'm a Louisville fan.
Speaker 4: Of course I would say that, But now, like I
Speaker 4: think we find ourselves saying that about the opposing coach,
Speaker 4: and it's not like you're torn, Hm, which one am
Speaker 4: I going to root for? Who do I like more?
Speaker 4: It's not that at all. It's more so, you know,
Speaker 4: it's more so just the fact that you want to
Speaker 4: be like cal was the perfect villain for this rivalry,
Speaker 4: and I don't think we'll ever get that kind of
Speaker 4: a villain around here anymore. And we'll never get the
Speaker 4: personal rivalry that Patino and Calip Harry had with one another.
Speaker 4: That was just a different It was just a secondary
Speaker 4: layer to the hatred that you have within the fan base,
Speaker 4: Like we'll never get there again. And that's okay. I've
Speaker 4: accepted that. But it's it's more fun and more natural
Speaker 4: if you find the rival coach to be pretty easy
Speaker 4: to dislike or pretty easy to like make fun of.
Speaker 4: And I just don't think we're there yet with both sides,
Speaker 4: Like I could find some things to make fun of
Speaker 4: Mark Pope about, but like it, you know, it wouldn't
Speaker 4: be and it would just me, look, it would be
Speaker 4: me going out of my way to look like an
Speaker 4: a hole, because really he seems like a very likable
Speaker 4: guy that you know, seems like a good dude. Same
Speaker 4: thing with Pat Kelsey. They can make fun of his glasses,
Speaker 4: they can make fun of his some of his comments,
Speaker 4: but like, at the end of the day, these guys
Speaker 4: have a lot of charisma, and you know that to
Speaker 4: me seemed as evident today as it has since they
Speaker 4: both got hired. I also will add, though all it's
Speaker 4: gonna take is one loss for one side, Like will,
Speaker 4: we'll probably still know that Mark Pope is a pretty
Speaker 4: easy guy to like and think that he's a pretty
Speaker 4: good coach. But like if if they win tomorrow, even
Speaker 4: if he's like classy and not an a hole and
Speaker 4: doing l's down and all that kind of stuff, like
Speaker 4: the fact that he beat us will will make him
Speaker 4: at least a little bit more easy to dislike, just
Speaker 4: because you know, you don't want to lose to your
Speaker 4: rival and he's the guy in charge of the rival.
Speaker 4: All right, quick break, we'll come back on the other side.
Speaker 4: Keep this thing rolling along. It's Coffee and Company, and
Speaker 4: we are feel about Thornton's right here on Sports Talk
Speaker 4: seven ninety.
Speaker 1: You're listening to Coffee and Company with Nick Coffee on
Speaker 1: Sports Talk seven ninety.
Speaker 4: So again, no real surprise that you see Kentucky open
Speaker 4: up here as a double digit favorite. Ten and a
Speaker 4: half is where it stands currently and that that makes
Speaker 4: total sense. Let me double check here. I don't imagine
Speaker 4: it would have changed since I last looked at it,
Speaker 4: because I don't think either team has played a game
Speaker 4: since the last time I looked at it. But the
Speaker 4: current ken Pom projection for tomorrow is Louisville losing this
Speaker 4: game of course, eighty three to seventy two, so an
Speaker 4: eleven point loss. Sort of see ten and a half
Speaker 4: as the as the opening line. Not a big shock
Speaker 4: there now, I think when it comes to this Louisville
Speaker 4: team with the injuries that they've dealt with recently, and
Speaker 4: look Kentucky's Deale with injuries too, they're not at full strength,
Speaker 4: I would imagin they're gonna get me Lamont Butler back.
Speaker 4: I just have a hard time thinking that he wouldn't
Speaker 4: be he wouldn't be out there playing, but maybe he's
Speaker 4: not at one hundred percent even if he is playing.
Speaker 4: Not sure now kerk Crisa is out for a while
Speaker 4: and this isn't a knock to him, and I'm not
Speaker 4: trying to do the you know well that yeah, they're injured,
Speaker 4: but like not like us, like I mean, that's the truth.
Speaker 4: Not only are their injuries, well, if Lamont Butlers isn't
Speaker 4: able to go, then that is certainly a I mean,
Speaker 4: that's a guy that is very important to them and
Speaker 4: they're gonna miss. However, to know that they can go
Speaker 4: beat Gonzaga without him, you know, it's not it doesn't
Speaker 4: make him look bad, but like they could withstand that
Speaker 4: clearly they proved it. Louisville is just a team trying
Speaker 4: to figure it out and figure out what they can
Speaker 4: do with the seven players they're comfortable playing, and you know,
Speaker 4: just figure out what formula they can put together, what
Speaker 4: style makes the most sense as far as just you know,
Speaker 4: giving them the best chance to have a decent to
Speaker 4: good season. You know, they have played a really, really
Speaker 4: challenging schedule thus far, and yes they've lost to every
Speaker 4: team or any team that's beat them has been a
Speaker 4: really good team. But you know what, Kentucky's also a
Speaker 4: really good team. So you've struggled and gotten blown out
Speaker 4: by some good teams at home when you were shorthanded,
Speaker 4: and you know they were just you know, it was
Speaker 4: it was their night. However, when it comes to you know,
Speaker 4: this game Kentucky again, probably I mean, Kentucky beat Duke.
Speaker 4: They're probably better than Ole Miss and you're playing them
Speaker 4: at their place, you know. So it's just clearly there's
Speaker 4: gonna be some points of emphasis emphasis from Pat Kelsey.
Speaker 4: And I've thought about, Okay, what are like anytime I
Speaker 4: find myself thinking what can Louisville do to really take
Speaker 4: away Kentucky's, you know, biggest strengths. What could they do
Speaker 4: to me Kentucky a little more vulnerable to where you
Speaker 4: could find yourself pulling off an upset. But I just
Speaker 4: I to me, it's not even about that. I think
Speaker 4: Louisville's just got to make shots. And that sounds so silly,
Speaker 4: it sounds so simplistic, but it's just the truth. I
Speaker 4: don't believe we're gonna see Louisville tomorrow just start taking
Speaker 4: a lot less threes than what they've taken all year.
Speaker 4: I mean they're taking let's see, I mean I just
Speaker 4: had the numbers pulled up in the break there. Let
Speaker 4: me see if I can pull them back up, because
Speaker 4: I'm not without even like, without even looking at it.
Speaker 4: And by the way, the stats that I was looking
Speaker 4: at is not the actual one I'm gonna reference here,
Speaker 4: So I am guessing without knowing for sure, But there's
Speaker 4: I would be willing to bet that Louisville as a
Speaker 4: team is shooting more than thirty threes per game. I mean,
Speaker 4: I'd be highly shocked if if they're not, so to
Speaker 4: expect them to just make some adjustments and not rely
Speaker 4: on the three as much and try to feed it
Speaker 4: in the poet more or just do a bunch of
Speaker 4: P and R action pick and roll action with with
Speaker 4: Chucky Hepburn, Like, I just think that would be a
Speaker 4: big shock, And I am with everybody when it comes
Speaker 4: to like, geez, do you need to be taken thirty
Speaker 4: plus three's a game? You know, whenever you're clearly not
Speaker 4: not a good shooting team when it comes to the percentages, Yeah,
Speaker 4: you've got guys that shot it decently where they were previously,
Speaker 4: but you're asking them to play a much different style
Speaker 4: now for the most part. And also, you know, just
Speaker 4: because you can make them doesn't mean you should just
Speaker 4: keep firing them up. So like, I'm not in no
Speaker 4: way am I like Hey, fans who are upset about
Speaker 4: the amount of three point shots. This team is taking
Speaker 4: their off base because that's what they should be doing. Like,
Speaker 4: I'm with you. I just know two things. One, Pat's
Speaker 4: not going to completely change his style as a coach
Speaker 4: despite these injuries. I think you've already seen some slight adjustments.
Speaker 4: I mean, I think we saw more half court sets
Speaker 4: since they've been without Case and Pryor, so you know
Speaker 4: that is an adjustment. But look two things. One, he's
Speaker 4: not going to tell these guys to just all of
Speaker 4: a sudden be a little more selective with a three
Speaker 4: point shot because he wants them to be confident, and
Speaker 4: he believes that they're a much better shooting team than
Speaker 4: what they've done this far, and that in any moment
Speaker 4: the flip, the switch can flip and they could get hot.
Speaker 4: I mean, they made eight of their first eleven threes
Speaker 4: against Duke. That's a pretty good recipe, right, So he's
Speaker 4: not gonna make a change to where you no longer
Speaker 4: find yourself in the game thinking like what the hell
Speaker 4: are we doing? Why are we taking so many threes
Speaker 4: when we don't shoot it very well? But also like
Speaker 4: the scenario this is, you know, this is my opinion
Speaker 4: not to act like it's any more valuable than anybody else's.
Speaker 4: But like the scenario where Louisville ends up being a
Speaker 4: pretty good team this year that maybe finds themselves fighting
Speaker 4: for a playoff spot in an NCAA tournament spot in March,
Speaker 4: Like the scenario where that happens is that they do
Speaker 4: make three point shots, Like, there's no scenario with a
Speaker 4: three point shot is not gonna be relied upon with
Speaker 4: this team. That was the case when they were healthy.
Speaker 4: And even though you know they're missing one of their
Speaker 4: better three point shooters and Korn Johnson, like, and they
Speaker 4: really can't play the same pace that they want, at
Speaker 4: least they shouldn't like three. We're just gonna need this
Speaker 4: team to start making shots. I mean that again, it
Speaker 4: sounds so simple as if like you know, Okay, it's
Speaker 4: that easy, just make shots. But I just know there's
Speaker 4: no scenario they've become a team that doesn't rely on
Speaker 4: it heavily. And also with the pieces you have, Yes,
Speaker 4: I think you can do some more half court stuff
Speaker 4: than what I see. I think Chucky Hepburn is a
Speaker 4: really good pick and role player. I think you can
Speaker 4: really do some things with with Terrence Edwards Junior, I mean,
Speaker 4: he's a little bit of a slow developing guy offensively,
Speaker 4: but he's crafty enough and good enough to get to
Speaker 4: the line and he could score two. So like, yeah,
Speaker 4: it's not like you're only gonna have success if you
Speaker 4: shoot thirty three's a game and make forty five percent
Speaker 4: of them. But you know there are some other things
Speaker 4: that you can do. But make no mistake about it,
Speaker 4: there's no scenario where this team is not like the best.
Speaker 4: The way in which you would take what you have
Speaker 4: to work with and have even a moderate level of success,
Speaker 4: It's going to include guys knocking down three point shots.
Speaker 4: So you know, Kentucky's gonna want to play fast. And
Speaker 4: again that's this is And I talked a lot about
Speaker 4: this yesterday and I don't want to regurgitate too much,
Speaker 4: but this matchup, like in a perfect world where Louisville
Speaker 4: is not shorthanded with injuries. Uh, and maybe they've got
Speaker 4: a little bit more momentum than they have right now
Speaker 4: because Louisville. Louisville could have been fully healthy with Corn Johnson,
Speaker 4: Trey Oure and Noah Water. I'm sorry and Case and
Speaker 4: Pryor for the entire season and may still have the
Speaker 4: same record. I'm being honest with you. I mean, like,
Speaker 4: maybe you end up holding on and you beat Oklahoma
Speaker 4: in that championship game of the Battle for Atlantis, Like
Speaker 4: maybe if you're at full strength there, because that was
Speaker 4: that was a really close game till the very end
Speaker 4: and you just came up short. So maybe having prior healthy,
Speaker 4: you would have won. But all the other teams you've
Speaker 4: lost to Tennessee, Ole, Miss Duke, I mean, those are
Speaker 4: teams that would probably beat you even if you're at
Speaker 4: full strength. So you know, I'm not acting like Louisville
Speaker 4: is the team they are with this record currently in
Speaker 4: this resume because of injuries, but just knowing that you're
Speaker 4: so limited moving forward, I mean, you've had proof that
Speaker 4: it's going to be tough to beat these really good
Speaker 4: teams like Kentucky when you're shorthanded, and you know you just,
Speaker 4: let's be honest, you don't have I mean, your ceiling
Speaker 4: is lower without those guys. But what I was talking
Speaker 4: about this matchup first game between Pat Kelcey and Mark Pope,
Speaker 4: and they're being so much excitement for it because of
Speaker 4: the obvious reasons, two new coaches, all new players, not
Speaker 4: a single guy in this game tomorrow on either side
Speaker 4: will have ever experienced this rivalry before. So you know,
Speaker 4: that makes it, you know, an intriguing matchup this year
Speaker 4: because again it's all brand new. You know, Kentucky clearly
Speaker 4: still owns the rivalry when it comes to wins and losses,
Speaker 4: and we all know that. But I mean, it's a
Speaker 4: clean slate as far as kind of starting fresh. I
Speaker 4: don't mean clean slate like we got to throw out
Speaker 4: the records, Like Louisville doesn't have the disadvantage here comes
Speaker 4: to wins and losses, but it was a clean slate
Speaker 4: and a fresh start, and they both want to play
Speaker 4: the same way. Kentucky is still in a position to
Speaker 4: where they can do that, whereas you know, Louisville they
Speaker 4: can try. But like, it's just it's really not a
Speaker 4: good recipe when if you want to play a game
Speaker 4: where you get way more possessions than your opponent wants
Speaker 4: to have, and you're playing guys the amount of miniature
Speaker 4: having to play them now because of the injuries, it's just,
Speaker 4: you know, it's not ideal to do that. And I
Speaker 4: just wish that you know, again, this is not a hey,
Speaker 4: if Louisvill's healthy, they they'd win for sure. But I
Speaker 4: know that if both teams were at full strength, you
Speaker 4: would see a game that I think would be super
Speaker 4: exciting as far as just pace, and you may end
Speaker 4: up getting that tomorrow. It's just I feel like Kentucky
Speaker 4: clearly is way better built to do that right now,
Speaker 4: not only because of what they've proven, but they just
Speaker 4: they've got They've got the edge and talent, I would say,
Speaker 4: and they clearly have more bodies that they can they
Speaker 4: can rely on. So I know that may have sounded
Speaker 4: like I'm going ahead and giving you the excuse with
Speaker 4: Louisville lost because they were shortthanded. No, Louisville is not
Speaker 4: as good of a team without Case and Pryor Korn
Speaker 4: Johnson and Cater Treory. We all know that. But who knows,
Speaker 4: maybe Louisville even in full strength, would still have a
Speaker 4: really tough time against Kentucky. You just don't know, You
Speaker 4: don't know, But I would say, there's just and again
Speaker 4: this can be And again that's why I just felt
Speaker 4: I've felt like I don't have a lot to bring
Speaker 4: to the table as far as like discussing from from
Speaker 4: a strategy from a strategic standpoint, like what you really
Speaker 4: need to do if you're Louisville again, you got to
Speaker 4: make shots. You got to be able to play really
Speaker 4: good defense and get some stops. And this team has
Speaker 4: played some really good offenses, and I think their defensive
Speaker 4: energy has been has been really good throughout the year.
Speaker 4: But you know, you're now playing a team that is
Speaker 4: number one in the country when it comes to points
Speaker 4: per game in this Kentucky team. Real quick, I found
Speaker 4: Louisville right now is shooting thirty one point eight threes
Speaker 4: per game, the only school in the Power five level
Speaker 4: that is, and by the way, that ranks seventh nationally.
Speaker 4: But there's only one team shooting more threes than you
Speaker 4: per game from the Power four level, and that's Illinois,
Speaker 4: who shooting thirty three point eight. So again, knowing they're
Speaker 4: going to continue to shoot a lot of threes is
Speaker 4: not something that gives me confidence. But maybe it ends
Speaker 4: up being one of those days where a lot of
Speaker 4: them fall, and if three pointers are falling and they're
Speaker 4: good looks, you can you can blow a game wide open.
Speaker 4: I mean, that's just the reality of it. It's just
Speaker 4: I have a hard time expecting that to happen whenever
Speaker 4: you know that eight of eleven starts up they had
Speaker 4: against Duke wasn't crazy, right, It wasn't something that you
Speaker 4: just really can never see happening again, because they were
Speaker 4: good looks and it was guys taking them that you
Speaker 4: know can make shots. But they've played what nine ten
Speaker 4: games at this point, and more often than not, they've
Speaker 4: been a team that really really struggles when it comes to,
Speaker 4: you know, making those shots. I mean, they're shooting on
Speaker 4: the season. I mean, let's see, let me pull up
Speaker 4: the let me yeah, I would imagine that when it
Speaker 4: comes to three point shooting percentage, Louisville right now is
Speaker 4: and it's gonna be tough for me to figure out
Speaker 4: where they rank. But that's really not even that important.
Speaker 4: I just mean they're a team. They're shooting twenty seven
Speaker 4: percent from three, and that's just that's that's really a
Speaker 4: recipe for disaster if you're shooting twenty seven percent and
Speaker 4: you're shooting more than thirty a game. But call them
Speaker 4: stubborn if you want. I wouldn't use that word. I
Speaker 4: do think, as I discussed a moment ago, there's there's
Speaker 4: good reason to continue to let them shoot them at times.
Speaker 4: I mean, again, I don't think they should be shooting
Speaker 4: as many as they are. And there's some guys that
Speaker 4: I feel like, should you know, not have the green light,
Speaker 4: maybe a yellow light to be a little cautious before
Speaker 4: you just jack it up. But they're still gonna, you know,
Speaker 4: because I think Pat Kelsey knows that the best chance
Speaker 4: of this team being good is to the three point shooting.
Speaker 4: Can you know, improve to where you're making it a
Speaker 4: much better rate, and that's a big weapon that could
Speaker 4: help you win games. Now on the Kentucky side, they're
Speaker 4: they're also I mean, I would say, I mean, they're
Speaker 4: clearly a better three point shooting team, I would say
Speaker 4: when it comes to percentages than Louisville is. But I
Speaker 4: would I mean, I'm trying not to talk out of
Speaker 4: my rear end here because I have watched Kentucky and
Speaker 4: followed them close enough. I've seen a lot of their games.
Speaker 4: I wouldn't say they're a bad three point shooting team,
Speaker 4: but third percentage, i'd say is a little bit lower
Speaker 4: than what they thought it would be. With the guys
Speaker 4: they you know, they've they've got on the team. Obviously,
Speaker 4: Kobe Bray is a guy shooting fifty six percent from three,
Speaker 4: kid me, which is just insane. But Lamont Butler shooting
Speaker 4: at about thirty three percent, Jackson Robinson shooting under thirty
Speaker 4: percent from three, probably a guy they thought would shoot
Speaker 4: it a little bit better. But they've got Andrew Carr,
Speaker 4: who you know, has is I mean, they're this Kentucky team.
Speaker 4: This is you know, the biggest challenge when you face them,
Speaker 4: among you know, many challenges, is that you can't you
Speaker 4: know the same thing Kentucky fans at times reference that
Speaker 4: kind of worries them. Okay, do we have a guy
Speaker 4: who can just take over and go get a bucket?
Speaker 4: Like against Clemson, they didn't, you know, they didn't really
Speaker 4: have anybody they could just kind of say, Okay, I'm
Speaker 4: the best player on the floor. I play for Kentucky,
Speaker 4: I'm gonna go win us this game. And you know,
Speaker 4: I guess maybe Jackson Robinson kind of showed that when
Speaker 4: you beat Gonzaga. But I think what worries you about
Speaker 4: like having the elite guy and maybe you're not worried.
Speaker 4: Maybe you think that's Robinson, maybe you think it's Butler.
Speaker 4: I don't know, but that's not as big of an
Speaker 4: issue for you whenever you've got five guys that at
Speaker 4: any moment can be your best player and lead you
Speaker 4: in scoring. I mean, oh, Way is their leading scorer
Speaker 4: and it's not even close. He's averaging two and a
Speaker 4: half more points than anybody else like that. That would
Speaker 4: have never like to me if you told me he
Speaker 4: was their fifth leading scorer, I would believed you. I know,
Speaker 4: he plays, he scores, he produces, but like they're just
Speaker 4: so balanced. I mean, they're getting thirteen a night from
Speaker 4: Lamont Butler, Jackson Robinson just under thirteen. In fact, Brea
Speaker 4: just under thirteen as well. Andrew Carr is averaging eleven
Speaker 4: and six. We saw what he can do against Duke
Speaker 4: Amari Williams is giving you nine points a game. So
Speaker 4: I mean they're you know, they've got a core that
Speaker 4: they rely on that are all really consistent and maybe
Speaker 4: you know, the likelihood of like all those guys being
Speaker 4: well below their average is just kind of tough to envision.
Speaker 4: So when it comes to how you beat Kentucky, I
Speaker 4: think you try to take advantage of them to find
Speaker 4: but I don't really know if Louisville has the personnel
Speaker 4: to do that, like if you're Kentucky, and Kentucky's not
Speaker 4: a bad defensive team, but clearly it's not their strength.
Speaker 4: They've got some good rent protection for sure, with Williams
Speaker 4: and with Carr. But when it comes to how you
Speaker 4: know Louisville could potentially take advantage of that, I don't
Speaker 4: think it's jacking up threes. I would think it would
Speaker 4: be Okay, let's find some guys who you know aren't
Speaker 4: great on ball defenders, Like honestly, Lamont Beller's a really
Speaker 4: good defender, but the other guards they play, I'm not sure.
Speaker 4: I mean, you could, you could take advantage of Kobe
Speaker 4: Brea being a really really subpar defender, but like, I
Speaker 4: don't know if Louisvill's got the guys to do that, right,
Speaker 4: Like is that a Terrence Edwards thing or a Javon
Speaker 4: Hadley thing? Like could they try to expose him as
Speaker 4: a poor defender, which I mean, I'm not talking crap
Speaker 4: about the guy. He shooting fifty six percent from three,
Speaker 4: but he's not a very good defender. Andrew Carr also
Speaker 4: not a great defender. Like I think if you're healthy,
Speaker 4: Case and Pryor could potentially really expose that. I don't
Speaker 4: know if you've got a guy now that can do that.
Speaker 4: Noah Waterman, probably not. Now, maybe this is a can
Speaker 4: I Roos game to where despite him being a freshman
Speaker 4: in car being a fifth or six year senior, like
Speaker 4: clearly the athleticism is in favor of Russ. I think
Speaker 4: he's more explosive. I think he's I think he's I
Speaker 4: think he's tougher, and I don't mean to call him weak,
Speaker 4: but like I think, you know, Can I plays with
Speaker 4: some good energy about him to where like maybe you
Speaker 4: could exploit that, but I just don't think that's what
Speaker 4: Kelsey's going to be dialing up. I think Kelsey is
Speaker 4: probably just going to have these guys play the same
Speaker 4: way they've played all year, and I just don't think
Speaker 4: that's going to be a good recipe for this game
Speaker 4: or this season. But you know, maybe I'll be wrong
Speaker 4: again if they just instead of shooting it, you know,
Speaker 4: as badly as they are now twenty something percent whenever.
Speaker 4: I mean, by the way, they've had some games where
Speaker 4: they shot it close to like fifteen percent while they
Speaker 4: shoot thirty three is a game which is just disastrous.
Speaker 4: But like if you could go from being that poor
Speaker 4: of a shooting team to where you're making I don't know,
Speaker 4: six or seven more a game. That sounds like a lot,
Speaker 4: and it is, but if you're shooting that many, it's
Speaker 4: really not that many. If you make five or six
Speaker 4: more threes, a game like that could change a lot.
Speaker 4: It's just hard to know that they're going to rely
Speaker 4: on it so much, and yet more often than not,
Speaker 4: including the most recent game we watched against against UTEP,
Speaker 4: they were firing it up like crazy and not many
Speaker 4: of them went in, so not ideal. All right, We'll
Speaker 4: let you guys hear a little bit from Pat Kelsey
Speaker 4: and from Mark Pope on the other side, and I'll
Speaker 4: kind of give you my thoughts on sort of you know,
Speaker 4: and I'm thirty six. I think a lot of people
Speaker 4: know my age at least roughly, so, like, I've got
Speaker 4: some memories good and bad from this rivalry that i
Speaker 4: want to that I want to kind of rehash with
Speaker 4: you guys. But I'm sure there'll be some games that
Speaker 4: you guys remember that, Like I don't, cause I'm a
Speaker 4: lot younger than you, or maybe I don't know, maybe
Speaker 4: not a lot younger than you, but or maybe you're
Speaker 4: listening and like, you don't remember whenever Kentucky had a
Speaker 4: huge lead and it was Francisco Garcia and Taekwandine and
Speaker 4: Larry O'Bannon that like helped Louisville make a miraculous come
Speaker 4: back and win it. Like I was young. I think
Speaker 4: I was like fifteen or something, but like maybe if
Speaker 4: you're a lot younger than me, then you don't remember that.
Speaker 4: So again, I'm sure everybody's memories are different, good or bad,
Speaker 4: but I'll share mine with you on the other side,
Speaker 4: so stick with us. It's Coffee and Company. Feel about
Speaker 4: Thorton's on Sports Talk seven ninety.
Speaker 1: You're listening to Coffee and Company with Nick Coffee on
Speaker 1: Sports Talk seven ninety.
Speaker 4: That's right, This is Coffee and Company Fieldbouth. Thornton's here
Speaker 4: on Sports Talk seven ninety. As we continue to get
Speaker 4: you said for tomorrow's big game Louisville and Kentucky, and
Speaker 4: what I'm gonna do here with the time we've got left,
Speaker 4: I want to play two different clips from both Pat
Speaker 4: Kelsey and Mark Pope talking about each other, the rivalry,
Speaker 4: that kind of stuff. I don't want to play their
Speaker 4: entire press conference because you know that would be we
Speaker 4: don't have time for that. But here's Pat Kelsey on
Speaker 4: But here's Pat Kelsey's answer when asked about Kentucky and
Speaker 4: this rivalry. And then you'll hear the same thing from
Speaker 4: Mark Pope coming up right afterwards.
Speaker 2: I mean, gosh, I really believe it.
Speaker 5: You know, I said it to Bob, And I'm just
Speaker 5: gonna tell you guys how I feel. I think if
Speaker 5: this season ended today, to me, you know, Mark Pope
Speaker 5: would probably be National Coach of the Year. What he
Speaker 5: took over, what he had to build, the way the
Speaker 5: team has come together, the way they're playing, you know,
Speaker 5: it's good. I mean I I played when I was
Speaker 5: at Winthrop. We played against Kentucky in nineteen and I
Speaker 5: thought that was a really really good team that we
Speaker 5: played against. I think you go two years back before that,
Speaker 5: in seventeen, that was a really really good Kentucky team.
Speaker 5: In my opinion, this is the best one in the
Speaker 5: last ten years. I mean, those those ones were decorated
Speaker 5: with great, great players, lottery picks and all that. But
Speaker 5: like you know, not only is this team, as you know,
Speaker 5: probably as dangerous and as talented as potent, but they're
Speaker 5: older as well. Right, they got an old veteran roster,
Speaker 5: so a ton of respect for their personnel, for Marc
Speaker 5: as a coach, and we're doing everything we can to
Speaker 5: figure out, both on the offensive and defensive end, what
Speaker 5: our best plan.
Speaker 2: Of attack is.
Speaker 5: They make it difficult because of their talent and their scheme.
Speaker 5: And you know, yesterday's preparation was great, with a great
Speaker 5: day today, looking forward to the challenge and the opportunity tomorrow.
Speaker 2: Five point thirty Is that what time it is? Five
Speaker 2: point fifteen?
Speaker 6: That Coach k used to talk about kind of a
Speaker 6: kinship with first Dane Smith then Roy Williams playing against
Speaker 6: North Carolina because they were the only people who knew
Speaker 6: exactly what they were going through when they played that
Speaker 6: rivalry game. You're about to kind of step in that circle,
Speaker 6: similar circle with Mark Pope. Have you reflected kind of
Speaker 6: at all on just what it means, what this step
Speaker 6: you're about to take. There's only a select circle of
Speaker 6: people who know what it's like, who sat in your
Speaker 6: position and know what it's like to coach this game.
Speaker 5: Yeah, I mean, gosh, you go back through the history
Speaker 5: of this rivalry.
Speaker 2: Our program, of their program, I mean, it is it is.
Speaker 5: It is full of legendary coaches, iconic coaches, and you know,
Speaker 5: I'm the new guy in town. I'm not gonna speak
Speaker 5: for Mark, but he's kind of the new guy in town.
Speaker 5: I'm just joe bagadonuts trying to figure this thing out.
Speaker 5: I sure hope it gets to the point, you know,
Speaker 5: twenty years down the road where Mark and I can
Speaker 5: be in that situation that some of those other great
Speaker 5: coaches are have been in in this rivalry. But in
Speaker 5: the meantime, you know, we're just keeping our nose down,
Speaker 5: or I am. I'm sure he is as well, keeping
Speaker 5: our nose down, blinders on, just doing everything we can
Speaker 5: to put our team in the best position to be successful.
Speaker 5: You know, both first year coaches here at these institutions.
Speaker 5: You know, I'm familiar with Mark just because you know,
Speaker 5: the coaching fraternity is small and familiar with his journey
Speaker 5: kind of came up through the mid major ranks similar
Speaker 5: to how to what I did. You know, he scored
Speaker 5: fifteen hundred points. I scored forty seven. You know, but
Speaker 5: I have a lot of respect for him. I think
Speaker 5: he's a really good coach. He's he seems like a
Speaker 5: great guy. I tried not to like him, because I
Speaker 5: don't think I was supposed to like the Kentucky coach.
Speaker 2: But he's a man of faith, you know, and a
Speaker 2: really good coach.
Speaker 5: And you know, when five point fifteen happens, I mean,
Speaker 5: we'll shake hands and we'll exchange pleasantries, and we see
Speaker 5: each other on the road, we'll talk because I think
Speaker 5: we have some commonalities. But at five fifteen, we're trying
Speaker 5: to rip each other's face off, and I'm trying.
Speaker 2: Sure he's trying to do it to me, and I'm
Speaker 2: trying to do it to him.
Speaker 5: And but you know, there's got to be honor among
Speaker 5: thieves in a in a.
Speaker 2: A respect for each other. And I have great respect
Speaker 2: for him.
Speaker 3: A terrific team. They've had some huge wins there. They
Speaker 3: can be super disruptive, they're really aggressive, They're they're you know,
Speaker 3: they're really aggressive. You know, Chucky is is playing an
Speaker 3: elite level. He's a veteran, veteran guy, and becauses so
Speaker 3: much chaos on the defensive end and and also causes
Speaker 3: a ton of chaos on the offensive end. And they
Speaker 3: got you know, it kind of feels like there are
Speaker 3: you know, six six across the front line guys that
Speaker 3: can shoot it and drive it and make decisions and
Speaker 3: play and have some real physicality of the game and
Speaker 3: and and then they've got some real length, you know.
Speaker 3: I mean you think about playing No. At six eleven,
Speaker 3: at the three and the four and the five and
Speaker 3: everything he can do and and and so they're a
Speaker 3: terrific team with a massive upside. They're really really dangerous.
Speaker 3: I think that's how they feel, is super dangerous. On
Speaker 3: any given night, when all the pieces uh come together,
Speaker 3: they can be a really really dangerous team. And I
Speaker 3: and I think, I think, uh uh Pat does an
Speaker 3: unbelievable job, like he's he's a he's a terrific coach.
Speaker 3: He is gonna crush it there. And and I like
Speaker 3: him as a person, and he's he's he's insanely uh
Speaker 3: intense and and uh competitive, but he's doing things the
Speaker 3: right way and for the right reasons and and he's
Speaker 3: gonna have great success there. So they're a good team
Speaker 3: and and they've already proven they can be really really dangerous. Well,
Speaker 3: I mean I always go back to the same story.
Speaker 3: So I knew it from a from Afar because everybody
Speaker 3: in the country knows Kentucky Louisville. Right, It's just it's
Speaker 3: I mean, I don't know, it's it's one of the
Speaker 3: iconic rivalries in sports. Right. And and then I just
Speaker 3: go back to Bill Kiteley. I mean, I've told this
Speaker 3: story so many times, but it's Coach P's story. But
Speaker 3: you know, uh, and it just is I heard the
Speaker 3: story before I ever got here. And then of everything
Speaker 3: I experienced in this rivalry, in these games and from
Speaker 3: our fans and and and personally, there's never been an
Speaker 3: experiencer story that's captured exactly what this is in my
Speaker 3: heart better than than Coach. Then then then then mister Kylee,
Speaker 3: you know, slumped down in the shower, uh, tears stream
Speaker 3: and I asked before the game, feeling the pressure? Right,
Speaker 3: And it's a great thing and we're really blessed to
Speaker 3: be a part of it, and it matters, it matters,
Speaker 3: and so we're excited about it.
Speaker 4: There you have if that was both Pat Kelsey and
Speaker 4: Mark Pope discussing this this rivalry of course, this matchup
Speaker 4: and their relationship with one another. And I do think,
Speaker 4: just like I said, when it comes to the fans,
Speaker 4: like right now, we find Mark Pope to be pretty
Speaker 4: hard to dislike, at least I do it. I know
Speaker 4: I'm not alone. Same thing Kentucky fans are saying about
Speaker 4: Pat Kelsey. But once you have the game tomorrow and
Speaker 4: your team is the loser, which maybe it's Louisvill maybe
Speaker 4: it's Kentucky, we'll see. They don't really have to do
Speaker 4: anything or appear to be unlikable. I just think losing
Speaker 4: to them will automatically because of what this rivalry does.
Speaker 4: It'll make it to where you can, you know, find
Speaker 4: them a little easier to dislike and it won't be
Speaker 4: as forced. But tomorrow afternoon it's happening. And again I
Speaker 4: don't think Louisville will win. I don't expect them to,
Speaker 4: but it's not like I'm thinking they got to go
Speaker 4: out there and pull off the biggest upset in the
Speaker 4: world to get it done. So maybe maybe we end
Speaker 4: up celebrating as Louisville fans tomorrow. We shall see, all right,
Speaker 4: this is Coffee and Company we are feel about. Thornton's
Speaker 4: right here on Sports Talk seven ninety