Speaker 1: Happy new here everybody did Gabriel with you on this
Speaker 1: special edition of The Big Blue Insider. To open up
Speaker 1: the year twenty twenty five, I thought we looked back
Speaker 1: on a momentous year in the history of UK sports.
Speaker 1: Looking back at twenty twenty four, so much happened. New
Speaker 1: coaches for both men's and women's basketball teams. The football
Speaker 1: program had some problems, baseball program did not making its
Speaker 1: first trip to the College World Series, and more. I
Speaker 1: don't have time to look back individually on every sport
Speaker 1: in terms of broadcast highlights. But before we get started
Speaker 1: with that kind of audio trip down memory lane, looking
Speaker 1: back on some of the big things that happened in
Speaker 1: UK sports this year. Of course, UK volleyball went his
Speaker 1: eighth consecutive SEC championship and wins its way again to
Speaker 1: the Elite eight. Was one victory shy of making it
Speaker 1: to the Final four war but Craig Skinner's team another
Speaker 1: successful year. Softball one to the NCA Tournament once again,
Speaker 1: got a walk off win over Michigan, but in the
Speaker 1: next round loss to Oklahoma State and then eliminated by
Speaker 1: those Michigan Wolverines. But another strong year for Rachel Lawson's
Speaker 1: team as Aaron kaufl named All American again and she
Speaker 1: becomes the first three time All American in UK softball history.
Speaker 1: UK men's tennis, ranked fifth in the country by the
Speaker 1: end of the year, made it all the way to
Speaker 1: the NCA quarterfinals, won the Super Regional after winning the
Speaker 1: SEC tournament for the second consecutive year, Cedric Kaufman named
Speaker 1: Coach of the Year for men's tennis. UK track and
Speaker 1: field well represented at the Olympics, a total of twenty
Speaker 1: four current or former Wildcats appearing in the Summer Game.
Speaker 1: Huge summer for UK track and field and gymnastics went
Speaker 1: this way to the regional championships, one less than half
Speaker 1: of a point shy of making the national finals, but
Speaker 1: lost in the Fayetteville Regional to LSU and Arkansas. So
Speaker 1: lots of success on the UK campus and men's basketball
Speaker 1: seemed to be rolling. I'm going to take you back
Speaker 1: to February when Kentucky took on an Alabama team that
Speaker 1: a lot of people thought could make the Final four,
Speaker 1: could maybe win a championship, and in true UK fashion,
Speaker 1: Wildcats weren't able to stop the Crimson Tide, but they
Speaker 1: outscored Alabama in one of the most interesting games of
Speaker 1: the entire season. Here are some of the highlights called
Speaker 1: by Tom Leach and Jack Gibbons.
Speaker 2: He drives baseline pass to the right corner to Wagner,
Speaker 2: comes into the lane, lost the ball picked up by
Speaker 2: Onenzo and put in and the Cats league o'clock at
Speaker 2: twelve comes across court to Reeves. Reeves puts it behind
Speaker 2: his back, open for an eighteen footer bounces in Kentucky's
Speaker 2: with a chance to take a lead right side. Reeves
Speaker 2: step back three yes in transition already for Alabama. Pass
Speaker 2: to a Vsych at the high post. He hands it
Speaker 2: to Shepard, gives it left side edwards his three good
Speaker 2: for do his right, tracked by Sears, gives it back
Speaker 2: to a Vsitch at the top. Shepherd comes to get
Speaker 2: a Shepherd into the lane, lobs it.
Speaker 3: Up and put in by a Vsage. The pass couldn't.
Speaker 2: Quite be caught and dunk, so he caught it in
Speaker 2: front of the basket and lean to his right, shot
Speaker 2: it back.
Speaker 3: Over his right shoulder.
Speaker 2: Here shoots forty four percent behind that three point line.
Speaker 2: Nineteen fourteen Bama left quarter at Reeves turns down the
Speaker 2: three floats a out to Dillingham.
Speaker 3: He'll let it fly. Yes, well, good ball. Moving back Kentucky.
Speaker 2: Shepherd snatches the rebound, throws at the mid court to Dillingham.
Speaker 2: Dillingham angles into the lane, spins to Reeves right quarter three.
Speaker 3: Yes, all right, that's where you have to play. Rebound
Speaker 3: that basketball.
Speaker 4: Get it up floor before Alabama's defense gets set up.
Speaker 2: Shepherd, looking for Reeves coming up off a screen, kiss
Speaker 2: him on the left side, hands it back to Shephard
Speaker 2: left wing three for the league.
Speaker 3: Yes, sir, he's gotta do that.
Speaker 2: It's great at finding those big men when they get
Speaker 2: in deep. Passed down to onenso he turns and puts
Speaker 2: it in with his left hand. I just like the
Speaker 2: way the early offense for no good rebound grab by
Speaker 2: on Enso he lost it, but he's able to save
Speaker 2: it out to Shepherd, gives it to Dellingham, splits two defenders,
Speaker 2: gets to the rim and flips.
Speaker 3: It up and it passes.
Speaker 2: It flipped up on to the top part of the backboard,
Speaker 2: but bounced a couple of times and drop back through.
Speaker 3: Now Alabama looks like the Morns. Back to a Manda man.
Speaker 2: Wagner gets into the lingos to that left handed backs
Speaker 2: it in, got.
Speaker 3: To the lane. There you go, get you one at
Speaker 3: the hold.
Speaker 4: That'll help your confidence.
Speaker 2: Just dribble the ball out, passes off to his right
Speaker 2: to wall. There's four seconds to shoot it on a
Speaker 2: cross court past the arrow. The arrow will drive lays
Speaker 2: it up and Joe it should be gold tending.
Speaker 3: Yes, and is there a foul as well?
Speaker 4: Yes, there's a fowl and the golden set.
Speaker 2: Up with the lab Dapringle tried to tap it in,
Speaker 2: didn't go rebound Kentucky and Enzo grabs it. Shepherd drives
Speaker 2: it into front court to two hand cross court pasta Wagner,
Speaker 2: turns the corner and drops it off to the arrow.
Speaker 3: Put fit in through contact Proppringle.
Speaker 4: What a finish, better than them, So good game thus far.
Speaker 4: Fort ss.
Speaker 2: He was back in there playing with two fouls for Alabama.
Speaker 2: Shepherd got bumped out front no call, cross court pass
Speaker 2: to Shepherd to Reeves in the middle, left side to Edwards.
Speaker 2: Slides left ds himself open, shoots and hits. He was
Speaker 2: just inside the ark. Jumper's no good rebound wrestled away
Speaker 2: from waters by Edward. That's rebound. Here's Dillingham.
Speaker 4: Love Doc, and that's what I've been waiting on.
Speaker 2: From Edwards, big fellow, that was pretty slamming it in
Speaker 2: one motion of the law from Dillingham on the right
Speaker 2: wings just said as they come on the attack, leaning
Speaker 2: by thirteen. Wagner in the mid court circle passes left
Speaker 2: a visage. He dribbles to his right hands at the Reeves.
Speaker 2: Reeves top of the circle, lets it fly, yes and sixteen.
Speaker 3: In the first half.
Speaker 2: N Griffin can't get a shot, gets it to Estrata
Speaker 2: comes into the lane, dishes it underneath.
Speaker 3: It's blocked by a v such that comes out of
Speaker 3: a doll.
Speaker 2: Goes it back out to Edwards. Tend to shoot back
Speaker 2: to Reeves in the right corner, comes into the lane,
Speaker 2: back to Edwards long three right side.
Speaker 3: God's been. That's been.
Speaker 4: I can't tell you how big.
Speaker 2: That is, but no look past Sears comes into the
Speaker 2: lane jump stop loses the ball and Edward's has it.
Speaker 2: Edwards driving at Neilson goes to his left, banks.
Speaker 4: It up and in oh, I left it. I love
Speaker 4: how he's playing. Tom been waiting a long time for.
Speaker 3: That to shoot.
Speaker 2: Shepherd goes to his left double team hesitates goes down
Speaker 2: the left side of the lane, jump pass over to
Speaker 2: the arrow, fires it out to Edwards three left side.
Speaker 4: Buddy, Yeah, you know we've been waiting Tom and he's
Speaker 4: so aggressive.
Speaker 3: Right now, say straight for justin.
Speaker 2: Edwards dribbles over to his right double team floats at
Speaker 2: the Bridge'll pitch to the.
Speaker 3: Left corner at the arrow for an open three. Got it?
Speaker 4: Yeah, I told you he's been shooting it much to Wagner.
Speaker 2: Tend to shoot two hand past the Reeves coming up
Speaker 2: on the right side, gets in the lane, float.
Speaker 4: Good, executing that half court offense.
Speaker 2: Wagner gets it in right under the basket. It's put
Speaker 2: up an in by Edwards and it's sixty four fifty one.
Speaker 2: Kentucky Reeves, coming across the circle to his right, goes
Speaker 2: down the lane, flips up a shot good off the glass.
Speaker 4: Well, I'll exchange basket.
Speaker 2: Twops it back to Onienzo. He dribbles left, hands at
Speaker 2: the Reeves. Reeves hooks it to the left corner at
Speaker 2: the arrow. A three, got it? Yeah, see it's a
Speaker 2: two again. He gives it to Walters. Back to Sears.
Speaker 2: Dot o'clock at eight seconds.
Speaker 3: Sears has a.
Speaker 2: Knocked away by Shepherd, picked up by Edwards, pass.
Speaker 3: Ahead to shepherd for the time seventeen point ly on
Speaker 3: the reeds.
Speaker 2: Shepherd run out dunk that goes through the lane past,
Speaker 2: pass down low stolen by Edwards. Edwards throws it ahead
Speaker 2: to Reeve Reeves cross court to Shepherd out to Edward's
Speaker 2: three right side.
Speaker 3: Yes, a three, that counts it up out on Walters man,
Speaker 3: what about this.
Speaker 2: Time out three rims off go good drop Dillingham rips
Speaker 2: off the rebound, leads the break ahead to Edwards. Edwards
Speaker 2: goes through the lane, flips it up, and he went
Speaker 2: to his right and clipped it back over his left
Speaker 2: shoulder on the right side of the basket.
Speaker 3: Pears. Shepherd playing in with that left hand, forces him
Speaker 3: to go right.
Speaker 2: Sears has it deflected by Shepherd, picked up by Reeves,
Speaker 2: a steal for Kentucky. Pass ahead to Shepherd, runs it
Speaker 2: down in the left corner, throws it back to Edwards,
Speaker 2: over to Reeves, Reeves down the lane, flips it up.
Speaker 3: He goes in and he got found.
Speaker 5: Wow, what a day with a.
Speaker 3: Pool and white.
Speaker 2: The shepherd's good to go gives it up to a
Speaker 2: visits at the top. Is he dribbles left, hands at
Speaker 2: the reeves, Reeves floats to his left, cut off, throws
Speaker 2: it down, load to a visa, to a dump Yeah,
Speaker 2: nine and ten, respectively. Shepherd middle of the floor, trades
Speaker 2: passes with Dillingham. Rob's got it back left of the circle,
Speaker 2: slides right, shoots a three.
Speaker 3: Got it right.
Speaker 2: They just state Tom Tom under control, must be three
Speaker 2: no good rebound. Kentucky of Vsitch comes up with it.
Speaker 2: Cats on the run, Dillingham weaving his way through traffic,
Speaker 2: over to Edwards, back to Dillingham, open left wing money.
Speaker 4: Yeah, you know everything's going Take advantage of it, baby,
Speaker 4: keep it going, don't back down.
Speaker 2: Time out Alabama ninety two sixty one. The visach top
Speaker 2: of the circle, holding the ball above his head, spins,
Speaker 2: drives into the lane, now rolls to his.
Speaker 3: Right and banks it in.
Speaker 2: He went down the left side of the lane and
Speaker 2: spun his way to the other side.
Speaker 3: Of the basket.
Speaker 2: Shepherd out deep on the left, starts down the sideline.
Speaker 2: Seven seconds to shoot it. Shepherd throws it across court
Speaker 2: for a three. Bite the arrow that's gone. He got
Speaker 2: behind the line of that time we go under nine
Speaker 2: minutes to play Tucky looking for the century mark. Shepherd
Speaker 2: out deep of the left, lobed down to a Visuch,
Speaker 2: juggles it, comes up with it, pumps, goes up.
Speaker 3: Mister Chamber hung the put back one O one sixty
Speaker 3: five Kentucky. I love that high screen and row with
Speaker 3: sile with eleven.
Speaker 4: Yeah, that forces Alabama defense to have to switch up
Speaker 4: how they want to defend that?
Speaker 3: Shoot three from the top.
Speaker 6: Why not?
Speaker 3: Why not shoot that one? Also? Babys headed the other way?
Speaker 3: Off the pick?
Speaker 2: Shepherd finds him on the right wing. Reeves gives it
Speaker 2: to Edwards into the lane ten footer.
Speaker 3: Good, what a day? Why not twenty six?
Speaker 2: Justin Edwards point Game of the season one O six
Speaker 2: seventy three. Shepherd down the lane, puts it up, won't go?
Speaker 2: Bradshaw comes in. Graham's the rebounding back to your dead
Speaker 2: hush full playing from Brandon.
Speaker 4: How happy I am I to see.
Speaker 2: That Visitch top of the circle. Dribbles to his right, thought,
Speaker 2: Wagner is going back door now if Visitch off the
Speaker 2: roll hits the dunk, is he handed it to Wagner
Speaker 2: and a Visitch roll to the basket.
Speaker 3: Kentucky beating the tie at its own game.
Speaker 2: To his left, can't get around his man, so he
Speaker 2: throws it right side to Dillingham. Nine seconds to shoot
Speaker 2: at Dillingham at the top over to Shepherd left wing.
Speaker 3: Three ball hit it that house.
Speaker 1: Kentucky destroyed Alabama one seventeen to ninety five behind Justin
Speaker 1: Edwards's best performance as a Wildcat twenty eight points, ten
Speaker 1: of ten from the field, including four or four from
Speaker 1: the outside. It was one of the first of five
Speaker 1: straight wins for the Wildcats to close out the regular season,
Speaker 1: including a victory over the Tennessee Volunteers in Knoxville, the
Speaker 1: same Tennessee team that had beaten Kentucky handily in Lexington.
Speaker 1: But little did we know that win over Tennessee would
Speaker 1: be the last victory of the season for the Wildcats,
Speaker 1: who lost to Texas A and M in the first
Speaker 1: round of the SEC Tournament, and then, of course, as
Speaker 1: you know, upset by Oakland in the NCAA Tournament first
Speaker 1: round as a two seed, losing to a fifteen. That's
Speaker 1: when the coaching drama began, and we'll talk about that
Speaker 1: on the other side of the break here on this
Speaker 1: special edition New Year's Day of the Big Boon Siders
Speaker 1: six thirty WLAP happy hear you, everybody. Welcome back to
Speaker 1: the Big Bloon Sider. As we look back on the
Speaker 1: calendar year twenty twenty four for UK Sports, and before
Speaker 1: the break we talked about the fact that the Wildcat
Speaker 1: men's basketball program had really left Kentucky fans in an uproar.
Speaker 1: They were so upset with what was going on with
Speaker 1: John Caliperi's team. Meanwhile, on the same side of campus,
Speaker 1: women's basketball, Kyra Elsey had been fired and Mitch Barnhardt
Speaker 1: set about hiring a brand new coach, and he landed
Speaker 1: on Kenny Brooks, who had been very successful at Virginia Tech,
Speaker 1: and he was introduced on March twenty eighth.
Speaker 7: In the last two seasons, combined Brooksmith two to o
Speaker 7: against Tennessee and three on against Louisville. It is an
Speaker 7: incredible honor and to introduce our ninth women's basketball coach
Speaker 7: at the University of Kentucky, Kenny Brooks, what ever you do.
Speaker 8: That's an honor to be the head women's basketball coach
Speaker 8: here at Kentucky. And you know it sounds surreal, but
Speaker 8: when you think about Kentucky, you think about basketball. I
Speaker 8: wasn't looking. We had a wonderful thing going. What we
Speaker 8: did at Virginia Tech, you know, was very very special,
Speaker 8: and what we did we created a buzz for women's
Speaker 8: basketball that is much needed and much deserved. I know
Speaker 8: Big Blue Nation is very passionate about their Wildcats, and
Speaker 8: I need each and every one of you and your efforts,
Speaker 8: your support in many many ways to make this happen
Speaker 8: here at Kentucky.
Speaker 1: Kenny Brooks got off to a good start, so it
Speaker 1: looks like so far, so good. Or Mitch Barnhart, who
Speaker 1: suddenly found himself needing to address his men's basketball coaching situation.
Speaker 1: And not long after an appearance on TV by Barnhart
Speaker 1: and cali Peri John Calipery, they talked about how they're
Speaker 1: going to move forward another season, but it just looked
Speaker 1: like a couple that didn't want to be together. And
Speaker 1: shortly thereafter, John Caliperi told the Big Blue Nation he
Speaker 1: was stepping down. He didn't mention Arkansas by name, but
Speaker 1: the rumors were already out there that he had come
Speaker 1: to an agreement with the Razorbacks.
Speaker 9: We've come to realize that this program probably needs to
Speaker 9: hear another voice that the university as a whole has
Speaker 9: to have another voice giving guidance about this program that
Speaker 9: they hear and the fans to hear another voice.
Speaker 1: And with that, he and his wife Ellen were off
Speaker 1: to Fayetteville, where they had to learn to call the Hogs.
Speaker 9: And I'll be honest, when I thought about coming here
Speaker 9: and building this program and making something special, it got
Speaker 9: me excited.
Speaker 1: So the rumors began to fly. Who was going to
Speaker 1: be in the next coach. Billy Donovan wouldn't talk to
Speaker 1: the Wildcats, of course, until after the season was over.
Speaker 1: Danny Hurley, newly crowned champion again at yukon no interest.
Speaker 1: Scott Drew flew his family up. I mean, he and
Speaker 1: Mitch Barnard were boys, but Drew's family didn't want to
Speaker 1: leave Waco, Texas and Baylor. So what next? Well, next thing,
Speaker 1: you know, we heard the name Mark Pope, and reaction
Speaker 1: ranged from surprise to shock to negativity. But then the
Speaker 1: Big Blue Nation began to settle in with the decision
Speaker 1: and showed up twenty thousand strong from Mark Pope's coronation.
Speaker 10: And while I'm making introductions, I might as well go
Speaker 10: ahead and introduce the head guy, the new head basketball
Speaker 10: coach at the University of Kentucky, Mark.
Speaker 11: Pope, I'm about to break tradition, Amen, I'm about to
Speaker 11: break tradition.
Speaker 12: At every one of these press conferences, the coach comes
Speaker 12: up and he stands there with the ad and they
Speaker 12: take a picture with a jersey that they just made
Speaker 12: that ends up in a closet somewhere.
Speaker 3: We're not doing that here.
Speaker 1: Then he showed off his number forty one jersey that
Speaker 1: he wore when he helped the Cats win a national title.
Speaker 12: This jersey is in a hollowed place in my home
Speaker 12: because it's a jersey that I got to wear with
Speaker 12: my teammates and all of Kentucky Nation in a national championship.
Speaker 3: Game in the Meadowlands in New York.
Speaker 12: And that's not just a jersey it's gonna go in
Speaker 12: the closet. It's a jersey that has blood, sweat and
Speaker 12: tears and love and is all of us together. I'm
Speaker 12: gonna keep this as short as I can. I talk
Speaker 12: a lot, but there's one other way where I want
Speaker 12: to blow up this press conference.
Speaker 3: And I'm gonna get crushed for doing this.
Speaker 12: Every coach in America, at every other job in America
Speaker 12: stands up to that press conference and they try and
Speaker 12: moderate expectations.
Speaker 13: We don't do that here at Kentucky.
Speaker 12: When MS called me and talked to me about being
Speaker 12: the head coach here at Kentucky, I understand the assignment.
Speaker 3: We are here to win banners.
Speaker 12: That's what little here, and as we go through this journey,
Speaker 12: we're here to win banners in Nashville because you guys
Speaker 12: turn out in Nashville like nobody else in that matters,
Speaker 12: and we are here. Our job here, our assignment is
Speaker 12: to go win banners in the final four, win national
Speaker 12: champions That's our job. With those high expectations, and Evieby
Speaker 12: is going to come criticism, But I don't want you
Speaker 12: guys to worry because I'm in a group chat with
Speaker 12: every single one of my ninety six championship team teammates
Speaker 12: and they will destroy me every time something goes wrong.
Speaker 13: I want to do a couple of thank yous please.
Speaker 12: I'd like to thank very much President Capalaludo for his leadership.
Speaker 12: I'm grateful for Mitch Barnhardt as I've watched the last
Speaker 12: twenty two years with how he's run this program and
Speaker 12: how he is as a man.
Speaker 13: We are so grateful to have him here.
Speaker 3: He is incredible.
Speaker 12: I'm grateful to Mark Hill and Ray Oliver for all
Speaker 12: the work they've done in this process for the last
Speaker 12: seventy two hours.
Speaker 3: I'm grateful to these players.
Speaker 12: I'm grateful for the players from ninety six and through
Speaker 12: the generations at Kentucky. You have actually made this place
Speaker 12: what it is. I'm grateful to every single one of you.
Speaker 12: That's a big reason why I'm back here, and more
Speaker 12: than anything else, what separates from everybody else.
Speaker 13: We have great coaches, players.
Speaker 12: And administrators, but what makes us different than everybody else
Speaker 12: is you all.
Speaker 3: I'm so grateful for you.
Speaker 12: My daughter, Laylah, will you stand up, please just wave.
Speaker 12: This is one hundred percent of true story. When Mitch
Speaker 12: offered us a job, he gave us a couple hours to.
Speaker 3: Consult to his family.
Speaker 13: We didn't need it.
Speaker 12: He knew I would walk all the way here to
Speaker 12: take this job. But as we gathered the girls from
Speaker 12: all their various places, Leyla Pope walks in the door,
Speaker 12: and I kid you not. Her first words were, because
Speaker 12: she knows the deal, tell me who's in the house tonight, UK.
Speaker 12: She did exactly that, exactly that.
Speaker 1: That might have been my favorite part of the PEP
Speaker 1: Rally flash press conference because that particular SoundBite there, that
Speaker 1: clip took me back to the ninety six documentary that
Speaker 1: I put together with Cameron Mills and Jason Eperson, and
Speaker 1: it was sort of the theme because of what Walter
Speaker 1: McCarty did as they were standing out in the hallway
Speaker 1: before they took the floor one night, and we used
Speaker 1: that in the documentary. And at the very end it
Speaker 1: ended on a party boat when the guys were having
Speaker 1: their reunion down in Miami where we did all the interviews,
Speaker 1: and that's how it ended. They were standing under a
Speaker 1: banner and they called themselves the greatest team ever, which
Speaker 1: I think they were at least in the minor era,
Speaker 1: not dating back to UCLA like what Patino said. But
Speaker 1: one last time for the camera they did the Who's
Speaker 1: in the House tonight? But it all went back to
Speaker 1: the original and that's what Mark Pope's daughter was referencing
Speaker 1: when she busted out the chant that helped convince Pope
Speaker 1: that they wanted to come to lexiingon the original Walter
Speaker 1: McCarty chant, and this is what it sounded like on
Speaker 1: the boat in Miami.
Speaker 4: House to Die UK News in the House to Die
Speaker 4: uk Ay.
Speaker 1: As you recall, Pope arrived with a lot of former
Speaker 1: players on a bus that came in to the Randa.
Speaker 1: Mark stepped off holding the championship trophy as he did
Speaker 1: in nineteen ninety six. At the celebration. We had a
Speaker 1: chance to talk to some of those former players after
Speaker 1: the news conference pep Rally was over. We hear some
Speaker 1: of those conversations when we come back here on this
Speaker 1: special edition of The Big Boo Insider, as we look
Speaker 1: back at twenty twenty four. Here on six point thirty
Speaker 1: WLAP welcome back to this special edition of The Big
Speaker 1: Blue Insider. Dick Gabriel with as we look back on
Speaker 1: the calendar year twenty twenty four in UK sports and
Speaker 1: no story There were a lot of them, but none
Speaker 1: topped the basketball coaches story when John Caliperry left and
Speaker 1: Mark Pope was hired, and of course Pope coming back
Speaker 1: to coach where he played part of the team that
Speaker 1: won the nineteen ninety six national championship and in that
Speaker 1: nineteen ninety six documentary that we did. The doc we
Speaker 1: did on that team. As I mentioned earlier, we were
Speaker 1: on a party boat with the team when they got
Speaker 1: together for a reunion in Miami, and there was a
Speaker 1: point where they were all huddled around Rick Pattino. It's
Speaker 1: kind of just just a very relaxed cocktail party setting.
Speaker 1: But eventually all the small talk ended and Patino became
Speaker 1: the focal point as players made comments, talked to him,
Speaker 1: asked him questions, made observations, and at one point Patino
Speaker 1: said what they'd all been thinking for many, many years,
Speaker 1: that that ninety six team, as I said earlier, was
Speaker 1: and in my opinion as well, was the best team
Speaker 1: and it's often overlooked, the best team in modern history
Speaker 1: of college basketball. And as Patino said, you can't go
Speaker 1: back to the UCL era. That was different, that was special.
Speaker 1: But since that point, since John Wooden's retirement, I believe
Speaker 1: and I agree with that the ninety six team was
Speaker 1: the best team in modern college basketball history. And he
Speaker 1: said as much to his players down in Miami.
Speaker 14: When people say, I mean why we were, why we
Speaker 14: were the greatest team of all time in modern era.
Speaker 14: I can't go back to the Wooden days, right because
Speaker 14: if I was coaching today, I would The last team
Speaker 14: I'd want to face on the face of the earth
Speaker 14: is nineteen ninety six.
Speaker 3: There's no I.
Speaker 14: Could not devise anything to beat off basketball team.
Speaker 3: Nothing.
Speaker 1: There was a lot of negativity around the announcement that
Speaker 1: it would be Mark Pope. It leaked out and then,
Speaker 1: as I said earlier, there were a lot of national
Speaker 1: types who thought it was a terrible idea. They were
Speaker 1: UK fans who at first thought it was a terrible idea,
Speaker 1: but it grew on them, and Rick Pattino gave his
Speaker 1: wholehearted endorsement to Mark Pope. And as I said, and
Speaker 1: you know this, by the time introduction Introduction day rolled around,
Speaker 1: it was an absolute joyful PEP rally beyond being a
Speaker 1: press conference, and it included so many former players. We
Speaker 1: had a chance to talk to a lot of them,
Speaker 1: including first of all, Rex Chapman.
Speaker 15: Mark Mark Pope and Jeff Shepherd both are two of
Speaker 15: the more exceptional human beings to come through here. And
Speaker 15: when I mean that, I mean morally, socially, emotionally. They
Speaker 15: even when they were in school and they were young
Speaker 15: people while the rest of us were young, they had
Speaker 15: a very mature mindset. They knew that the basketball would
Speaker 15: stop dribbling someday when most of the rest of us didn't.
Speaker 15: They were sort of the compass moral compass for those
Speaker 15: teams they were on in the nineties. The soul of
Speaker 15: those teams, their teammates will tell you the same thing
Speaker 15: Mark Pope learned. As you saw today, You can't be
Speaker 15: around Rick Patino for more than an hour and not
Speaker 15: take away something that he is said. He's just so motivational,
Speaker 15: and Rick really formed these guys. They love and revere
Speaker 15: him and Mark Pope. Mark Mark Pope plays Rick Bettino
Speaker 15: style basketball. He gets after you, gets up and down
Speaker 15: and shoots a lot of threes. He's gonna get talent
Speaker 15: in here. He's gonna have talent he's never had before.
Speaker 15: He didn't have that. He didn't have Utah Valley State
Speaker 15: or BYU. He's going to have that here. Pressure's on.
Speaker 15: He said it himself. But man, am I excited about it?
Speaker 3: You gotta be so happy for him. But how much
Speaker 3: at you also like he deserves us?
Speaker 15: Well, I've said this before. No two guys that played
Speaker 15: at Kentucky deserve what's what they're getting anymore right now
Speaker 15: than Reed Jeff Shepherd, Stacy Shephard, and Mark Pope. Those
Speaker 15: guys and Stacy blood sweat and tears for this program
Speaker 15: for years. Uh, tough times for for Mark, tough times
Speaker 15: for Jeff. Both of them playing behind really good NBA players.
Speaker 15: They could have transferred at any time. Both of them
Speaker 15: stuck it out. They made it through and that sort
Speaker 15: of stick toitiveness and work ethic. Well, you see, he's
Speaker 15: now the coach here and Jeff and Stacey have one
Speaker 15: of the best players on the planet.
Speaker 1: X did you want Mark from day one?
Speaker 15: If you'd have told me Mark was in the mix
Speaker 15: from day one, I'd have been like, yes, let's go. Well,
Speaker 15: I mean you saw this, Dick. I've had a really
Speaker 15: good time. I need to say this. I've had a
Speaker 15: really good time since news broke about Mark's hiring, because
Speaker 15: there's a few people in here that just shiit on
Speaker 15: the whole thing, and over the last few days I've
Speaker 15: had a great time saying, well, you know what, I
Speaker 15: kind of like that higher I yeah, looked around here
Speaker 15: today they like the hire.
Speaker 1: Two our to argue was that Jeff Shepherd was there,
Speaker 1: and even then I think Jeff news that read would
Speaker 1: be leaving, but he wholeheartedly, of course, endorsed the new
Speaker 1: head coach.
Speaker 16: There's gonna be a lot of a lot of words
Speaker 16: that are spoken between now and the first game, and
Speaker 16: that's great. It's what makes Kentucky basketball so fun. We
Speaker 16: love to talk about it and everything. But Mark knows,
Speaker 16: as he said so good in the very beginning. He
Speaker 16: understands the assignment and he has.
Speaker 3: Work to do.
Speaker 16: He knows he has work to do, but it's what
Speaker 16: he lives for.
Speaker 3: He lives for hard work.
Speaker 16: He enjoys it, and it's neat to see his family
Speaker 16: all in and the fans all in. So fun day
Speaker 16: in Kentucky.
Speaker 1: Another one of his former teammates who was there that day,
Speaker 1: Derek Anderson, like so many people, marveled at the crowd
Speaker 1: that showed up, but on the other hand, he wasn't
Speaker 1: all that surprised by the number everywhere everywhere.
Speaker 17: We went on a road and we played it with
Speaker 17: crowd Alaska, Marilyn like, that's where we went, but we
Speaker 17: went and we won, And I think that was the
Speaker 17: partner was what he wanted to implement. It's like, when
Speaker 17: you have the fan base so up, that's what you
Speaker 17: want to give them a reward for coming. And I
Speaker 17: think that's what he sees now. Like any recruit seeson,
Speaker 17: they were like it wasn't. It's not about coaches or
Speaker 17: NBA or players or any former It's about the university
Speaker 17: and for the fans to show up like that, that's
Speaker 17: proof that this is a university who cares about winning,
Speaker 17: and that's what you need Pope for. He understands his assignment.
Speaker 3: It's about winning.
Speaker 16: Derek as a former teammate of Marks, what makes him
Speaker 16: built for this and your opinion?
Speaker 18: I mean, obviously he was a Kentucky guy, but other
Speaker 18: than that, what makes him built for this position.
Speaker 17: He's built for this position because he's won at this level.
Speaker 17: When you win at a certain level, you want to
Speaker 17: take that area and go win with it. So I'm
Speaker 17: just I think he understands that. And again, his assignment
Speaker 17: is to do what win and he understands that.
Speaker 1: He's pretty active on social media, absolutely, and he's probably
Speaker 1: been checking it out over the last five or six days,
Speaker 1: especially when Mark's name popped up, not all of it positive.
Speaker 1: What was your response, What was your feeling when you
Speaker 1: read that about your former teammates?
Speaker 17: Well, I told everybody, nobody started at the same place
Speaker 17: they they came in and nobody came in here and
Speaker 17: just was winning great. The TEAMO didn't win. Nobody had
Speaker 17: won a cows first championship was here, so why are
Speaker 17: we putting pressure on this guy? And everybody say, you
Speaker 17: know what, you're right, Let's wait, let's wait to see him.
Speaker 17: And that's how we had to just wait. But what
Speaker 17: happened was people got to a point and a lot
Speaker 17: of it wasn't even our fans, so I take that
Speaker 17: with a greatness out but.
Speaker 3: Some of our fans.
Speaker 17: I had to remind him, like, hey, give him a
Speaker 17: chance because he's one of us. You know, you don't
Speaker 17: tear down one of us. You let him to grow
Speaker 17: and develop it. And if he doesn't do his job,
Speaker 17: then let that be known. But you always want to
Speaker 17: support one of us. And I think that was the
Speaker 17: point that I kept putting my message across him, and
Speaker 17: I think they're starting to turn the circle down and
Speaker 17: see it and give him a chance.
Speaker 5: That's all I care about.
Speaker 3: Just give our guy a.
Speaker 1: Chance and see how he does winning at Utah Valley
Speaker 1: and then bringing me on with some certain limitations there.
Speaker 1: There are very few limitations here. As you know, that's
Speaker 1: goldnat Matter big, It's come matter big.
Speaker 17: But he said he wants to get guys who knows that,
Speaker 17: And he said that as honest to this statement, I
Speaker 17: want to get some guys who know what they're doing.
Speaker 3: And he doesn't know everything.
Speaker 17: And that's a good coach who says I don't know everything,
Speaker 17: but I want to get better. And I think Mark
Speaker 17: is gonna do that.
Speaker 1: Bring somebody who knows the craziness of UK fans in
Speaker 1: sign and out, of course is Richie Farmer, who was
Speaker 1: one of the unforgettables. He was not on the championship team,
Speaker 1: but he was part of that Patino era that laid
Speaker 1: the groundwork for the later success. And there was no
Speaker 1: player more popular, not on the ninety sixteen, the ninety eighteen.
Speaker 1: None of these championship teams had a player as popular
Speaker 1: you know this, as Richie Farmer. And so it was
Speaker 1: only natural for Richie to endorse Mark Pope. And he
Speaker 1: knows Mark and knows what Pope is all about and
Speaker 1: knows what the fan base is all about.
Speaker 19: When I heard that he was the coach, I was
Speaker 19: kind of like a lot of other people. I was like,
Speaker 19: do what And then you know, I.
Speaker 3: Said, I'll started, Why did you think that? Well?
Speaker 19: I mean, I think it was more because that we
Speaker 19: hadn't heard his name mentioned. You know, there was there
Speaker 19: was the expectations of the Billy Donovans, the Scott Drews,
Speaker 19: the Danny Hurt, but nobody had even mentioned And so
Speaker 19: I was like, do what?
Speaker 3: And then I started to think about it.
Speaker 19: And I started to think about it because I know Mark,
Speaker 19: and I know how intelligent he is, and I know
Speaker 19: what a good coach he is, and I know I
Speaker 19: know where he come from, I know who coached him
Speaker 19: and who changed his life, and so I know the
Speaker 19: kind of makeup that he has, that he's a hard worker,
Speaker 19: that his teams, that he instills that same principles, those
Speaker 19: same principles in his teams, and it just started to
Speaker 19: make a lot of sense, and I thought, you know what.
Speaker 8: I'm in.
Speaker 3: I'm in, you know.
Speaker 19: So it took about twelve hours, but then I was like,
Speaker 19: that makes so much sense. And then I started to think, Man,
Speaker 19: this Barnhart guy, he's pretty good.
Speaker 1: A knock on Mark obviously is this postseason record hadn't
Speaker 1: been that great around here of late, but you feel
Speaker 1: like without the limitations that he finishes at his other
Speaker 1: true stops, he's got a much better shot in the
Speaker 1: postseason now, well.
Speaker 19: I think so, you know, I think that there's no
Speaker 19: secret that you know, recruiting it by and some of
Speaker 19: the things that they have to sign, you know, in
Speaker 19: order to play there, and the oaths and the bowels
Speaker 19: and things. I mean, it makes it a lot more
Speaker 19: difficult to get the kind of players that a lot
Speaker 19: of guys like to go after. But I think he
Speaker 19: was smart and talking about today that he's gonna, you know,
Speaker 19: make sure that he recruits kids that fit his style
Speaker 19: and fits into what he's trying to do here. And
Speaker 19: I think that makes a whole lot of sense.
Speaker 1: We'll leave the last word on the hiring with Mitch Barnhardt,
Speaker 1: and this was part of his introductory comments, and I
Speaker 1: have to admit called me a little off guard. Barnhardt
Speaker 1: really reaching down, and I thought he did a great job.
Speaker 10: There's an old song from the seventies is by Jefferson
Speaker 10: Starship I Date Myself. It's called finds Your Way Back.
Speaker 10: It's time for us to find our way back.
Speaker 1: By the way. You may have heard her read this somewhere.
Speaker 1: But the reason the news conference was in Rupperina was
Speaker 1: all the negative talk, the negative reaction from fans on
Speaker 1: social media, and the so called basketball experts that ticked
Speaker 1: off Mitch Barnard, that left him so aggravated that he
Speaker 1: reached out to Mark Pope and said, you know what,
Speaker 1: we're going to do this in Rupperena. I will guarantee
Speaker 1: you Neither one of them thought that the crowd would
Speaker 1: be anything like what we saw. As you know, they
Speaker 1: turned people away by the thousands who couldn't get in Rupperena.
Speaker 1: Set up for seven or eight thousand, they expected maybe
Speaker 1: one side of the arena and the lower bowl to
Speaker 1: be occupied. That place was jammed, including people who sat
Speaker 1: behind the partition behind the riser where Mark was introduced.
Speaker 1: They couldnt even see. They had to watch on the
Speaker 1: big screens, but they wanted to be there and be
Speaker 1: a part of history. We'll come back with more of
Speaker 1: this special edition of the Big Blue and Siders we
Speaker 1: look back on twenty twenty four. You're on six thirty WLAP.
Speaker 1: Welcome back to this special edition. I want to wrap
Speaker 1: up this first hour talking about Mark Pope taking you
Speaker 1: back to Cameron Mills being in the garage with me
Speaker 1: a few days later, and he talked about the group
Speaker 1: text where they were all getting together the former players
Speaker 1: talking about who might be the next coach, and Mark
Speaker 1: Pope wasn't really chiming in that week.
Speaker 5: We weren't hearing much from him.
Speaker 20: And then after it broke and everybody was like, poh, Pope, Pope,
Speaker 20: everybody's congratulating. He came with a text basically just you know,
Speaker 20: I don't say this enough, but I don't. I don't
Speaker 20: want this job without you guys.
Speaker 5: Don't don't. I don't get off of this job without
Speaker 5: you guys.
Speaker 20: And that wasn't a I don't want this job, you know,
Speaker 20: he just meant it was like, you know, you all
Speaker 20: are the reason I love Kentucky. And I think because
Speaker 20: we went, as he said, to battle with him, and
Speaker 20: I love the way he did that. And he included
Speaker 20: all ex players the other day it's like, look, look,
Speaker 20: you may be a next player and you and I
Speaker 20: may not have battled together. I think it was this quote,
Speaker 20: but that we were the same. We've gone through the same.
Speaker 20: Because it doesn't matter what coach you have, there's this
Speaker 20: big fratabacks players that have all been through the exact
Speaker 20: same pressure, and that's the pressure that it comes with
Speaker 20: playing at Kentucky no matter who the coach is so
Speaker 20: the group text that he sent that out and everybody
Speaker 20: was like so excited. But it was Oliver Simmons who
Speaker 20: put his name up in that group text early on,
Speaker 20: because it was going on it was basically who do
Speaker 20: you think?
Speaker 5: Who do you think? Who do you think?
Speaker 20: And the usual names were coming up, and then Oliver
Speaker 20: Simmons is the one that I remember popped up and said.
Speaker 5: What about Pope?
Speaker 20: And I even felt somewhat cringey about that, because I'm like,
Speaker 20: all right, you got all Needwards's an assistant coach on here,
Speaker 20: Steve Massieli's assistant coach. I mean, you got other coaches
Speaker 20: on here, and you know, but I think Pope makes
Speaker 20: the logical sense. And I was surprised and thrilled to
Speaker 20: see when Pope's name popped up from Oliver Simmons.
Speaker 5: Everybody was on board.
Speaker 20: Everybody in that group text was on board, like yes,
Speaker 20: because of everything you saw on Sunday. I mean, you know,
Speaker 20: that's a rhetorical question coming from you because you know him,
Speaker 20: and you know him, I would say, even a little
Speaker 20: bit better than most meeting. You know him, but you
Speaker 20: know who he is, how he is, and what was
Speaker 20: thrilling for me, and I'm assumed for my teammates from
Speaker 20: ninety six to ninety seven ninety eight, because we weren't
Speaker 20: on the team with him in ninety eight, but so
Speaker 20: many of us knew him, like we played with him
Speaker 20: from ninety six.
Speaker 5: But I think we all knew who he was.
Speaker 20: We knew the kind of person he was, the silliness,
Speaker 20: the exuberance, the excitement, the positivity, the enthusiasm, the I mean,
Speaker 20: you know, embrace adversity, attitude, His his his theory of
Speaker 20: the circle, which I think you and I've talked about
Speaker 20: before if you don't remember, but he'll bring that up
Speaker 20: at some point.
Speaker 5: I'm sure he's just brilliant.
Speaker 20: And then he he will. I said this last week.
Speaker 20: I think you and I even joked about it. I
Speaker 20: thought I came up with that off off the top
Speaker 20: of my head. It was brilliant. He is not the
Speaker 20: kind of person that you run through a brickwall for.
Speaker 20: He's the kind of person that has already run through
Speaker 20: the brickwall for you, and I think everybody got to
Speaker 20: see that.
Speaker 5: On Sunday, Hope's off to a great start.
Speaker 1: We'll talk about that in hour number two as well.
Speaker 1: As baseball and football. It's a special edition of The
Speaker 1: Big Blue Insider. You're on six thirty WLAP.
Speaker 21: Manager.
Speaker 1: Welcome back to the Big Bloon Sider, our number two
Speaker 1: of our program. We're looking back on the twenty twenty
Speaker 1: four calendar year on the UK campus. A lot of
Speaker 1: weird things and great things happen in the world of sports,
Speaker 1: including two basketball coaches, men's and women's. But after that
Speaker 1: kind of settled down, the Big Blue Nation turns its
Speaker 1: attention to the Kentucky baseball team, which was putting together
Speaker 1: what turned out to be the greatest season in UK
Speaker 1: baseball history. The Cats were contending for an SEC title,
Speaker 1: and they got it with a win over Vanderbilt on
Speaker 1: a Friday night. This is the audio from SEC TV
Speaker 1: plus Yours Truly and Doug Flynn calling a seventeen to
Speaker 1: seven route of the Commodores, who had jumped out to
Speaker 1: an early lead, but Kentucky came back quickly.
Speaker 3: There's been battle. Schmidt sends it high and deep. FA ball.
Speaker 1: That's a home.
Speaker 3: Run, all right.
Speaker 2: So these two leadolef hitters might be moving to the
Speaker 2: four spot hammer avertime and it's a tie all game.
Speaker 3: A million Petree I'll see your over the.
Speaker 22: Left and raise you one the right and give him
Speaker 22: seven bounds on the air forty eight onees man again,
Speaker 22: that ties for the team high right now, what we
Speaker 22: may be in for.
Speaker 3: A long night. Hey, I got nothing else to do.
Speaker 3: That's friend opposite field base. Yeah, that's gonna score one.
Speaker 23: Hold him up with it quickly for Vanderbilt in Kentucky,
Speaker 23: Texas three to two lead, still in the first inning
Speaker 23: up the middle base center. They're gonna send McCoy Grant
Speaker 23: Smith the third. It's an eight four game on the
Speaker 23: RBI single by Ryan Walshman. Wow, that's into the alley
Speaker 23: and that's down for a BaseT off the wall. Ben
Speaker 23: Geon sends the second room that the two run double
Speaker 23: Ryan Nicholson.
Speaker 3: And the Wildcats have reached double digits.
Speaker 23: It's stand four and I don't think too many people
Speaker 23: have left this bawyard tonight.
Speaker 3: You want to see a celebration daily.
Speaker 23: First pitch swinging past the diving vast time. That's another
Speaker 23: RBI for the Wildcats and a thirteen to four lead.
Speaker 23: Here in the bottom of the fifth inning, there's a
Speaker 23: nocure calling four.
Speaker 3: That's going to chase on him two more it's seventeen to.
Speaker 23: Seven as Nolan McCarthy gets his thirty second and thirty
Speaker 23: third run bat it in one't you, I'll do it,
Speaker 23: and the Wildcats lock up a share of the Southeastern
Speaker 23: Conference regular season championship for the first time since twenty
Speaker 23: oh six. Tomorrow they'll play for the outright titled they
Speaker 23: beat vander Built seventeen to seven, they win the series,
Speaker 23: and they build on that school record of twenty two
Speaker 23: conference victories.
Speaker 1: And once again, the Wildcats hosted the regional tournament, which
Speaker 1: they won by beating Indiana State, and they got a
Speaker 1: chance to host a super regional for the first time,
Speaker 1: Powerful Oregon State coming to town, and the Cats, in
Speaker 1: front of incredible crowds, took two from the Beavers and
Speaker 1: won their way to Omaha. Here's the way Darren Hedrick
Speaker 1: called it all.
Speaker 18: Seven hundred and seventy two miles separate Kentucky Brown Park
Speaker 18: here at Lexington from TD Ameritrade Ballpark in Omaha, Nebraska.
Speaker 3: But for many.
Speaker 18: Seasons for the University of Kentucky baseball program, it's felt
Speaker 18: like a lifetime away. But now suddenly here are these cats,
Speaker 18: the boys in Blue. Nine victorious sinnings away from scanning
Speaker 18: their ticket to the College World Series. Tonight is unquestionably
Speaker 18: the biggest game in the history of this Kentucky baseball program.
Speaker 18: The Wildcats are up one game to none and the
Speaker 18: best of three against the Pac twelve's Oregon State Beavers.
Speaker 3: Kentucky hands the ball to Mason Moore.
Speaker 18: Here's the O two and he struck him out swinging
Speaker 18: with a pass ball a little way. The three two
Speaker 18: got it with a slider that comes through the front
Speaker 18: door and parks in the living room. We go to
Speaker 18: the second Innigan.
Speaker 3: Swung on and ripped up the pedal.
Speaker 18: Let's pass the short stile that it's a two out
Speaker 18: seat over line. Nicholas Oven two out at the time
Speaker 18: of the second and here's Nolan McCarthy's the one one
Speaker 18: swung on in line over third.
Speaker 3: That's a fair ball that's.
Speaker 18: Gonna get all the way in the left field wall.
Speaker 3: And bounce off the corner.
Speaker 18: Nicholson makes it the third. They're gonna send him. Here
Speaker 18: comes the throat from left. It is offline, Nicholson process.
Speaker 18: It's an RBHI double for Nolan McCarty and Kentucky's up
Speaker 18: one and I think bottom of a third and one.
Speaker 3: Two's on the outside corner in good afternoon, good evening and.
Speaker 18: Night rounded the first. That's fair glove by Nicholson. He
Speaker 18: touches the back, comes to second, crip Smith plaiting with
Speaker 18: the tag, getting over three to six, gide up round
Speaker 18: ball double plays.
Speaker 5: We go to the port.
Speaker 3: And it's in the air to right.
Speaker 18: Hit well, back goes Casper at the warning track, gets
Speaker 18: off the wall. Daily voters around burst and he's going
Speaker 18: to slide into second with a one out double. It
Speaker 18: was a wild pitch to move Daily to third base.
Speaker 18: Here's the two to zhi squares and bunch it softly
Speaker 18: up the first baseline. Daily coming home, he's saying he's
Speaker 18: sitting there ahead of the tag. Daily scores Nicholson into second.
Speaker 18: That's a sacrifice, sarvy I for mccarth that use now
Speaker 18: at first. Bases loaded for the Beavers. They're one pitch
Speaker 18: away from getting a run. The pitch ball four and
Speaker 18: Kentucky not only has handed the base runners, they just
Speaker 18: handed them their first run of the night. Ay off
Speaker 18: pitch ball four and re tied it to unbelievable.
Speaker 2: Without a hit.
Speaker 5: The Beavers have tied this game too, too, so.
Speaker 18: Kentucky will turn to Cameron O'Brien, who's the one two
Speaker 18: got him basketball and there's a big second out for
Speaker 18: the Cats.
Speaker 3: Runners will move.
Speaker 18: The payoff pitch got him on the inside corner with
Speaker 18: a basketball strike. Three inning over. Zana will lead off
Speaker 18: the bottom of the fifth and the payoff pitch struck
Speaker 18: him out swinging with a change up. L he's throwing
Speaker 18: the ball right now, stay with him.
Speaker 3: Yeah, he's throwing the ball very well. Struck him out
Speaker 3: swinging with a change up.
Speaker 24: Another outstanding any by Cameron O'Brien.
Speaker 3: Five strikeouts with the right hander, and go to seventh.
Speaker 18: Here in Lexington tied it too, swung on and ripped
Speaker 18: Bier that's into the left flip corner and glances off
Speaker 18: the retaining wall, rolling back towards left field, McCarthy turning
Speaker 18: towards second.
Speaker 3: These sides in there, I laid off double two two
Speaker 3: game in the seventh the O two.
Speaker 18: And he struck him out, but the paul got away
Speaker 18: from whoever Butcarthy to third. There's nobody in covering the play.
Speaker 18: It's a good rice eight dies across slaves. Nobody covered
Speaker 18: home for Oregon State and McCarty scores for.
Speaker 3: Second as grim Smith drives and burs wins three to two.
Speaker 3: Kentucky Lee, what.
Speaker 2: A heads up play by McCarthy.
Speaker 3: Robert Hogan is the new pitcher. Brothers at the corners
Speaker 3: with one out. Here's the one two swing in a mess.
Speaker 18: He struck him out a slider the old wana McDowell
Speaker 18: swung on and wind up the middle.
Speaker 3: Brand Smith blunts it, beating over grand Smith up the
Speaker 3: middle spears. That's all out of nowhere. Aaron Ball had
Speaker 3: base hit written all over again.
Speaker 5: Grant Smid's just dropped it.
Speaker 18: Here we go, the last of the eighth been a
Speaker 18: one two swing in a mess. Two down two one
Speaker 18: mind shot turns into a bouncer to Grant's been in
Speaker 18: short he flips the first heading over.
Speaker 3: Robert Hogan is fired up, and so are the Big
Speaker 3: Glue Nation. It all comes down to this. Three ounds
Speaker 3: is all Kentucky needs and the.
Speaker 18: One two high chopped shallow right Nicholson foot race Hogan,
Speaker 18: he got it. Where there's one away, here's the old one.
Speaker 18: He swung on in mine, locked down by daily a third.
Speaker 3: The throw got him two away.
Speaker 18: The Wildcats are one out a way when all is
Speaker 18: going to rest on the arm of Johnny and humbles
Speaker 18: the tying run Santana at third, the winning run Bizanna
Speaker 18: at first for the Beavers hands together, dumbing in two
Speaker 18: to McDowell.
Speaker 3: Humbles pitch cap right, three ball, game over. The wait
Speaker 3: is finally over, throw out the big blue carpet, and Allah.
Speaker 18: The University of Kentucky wildcats 're headed to the top
Speaker 18: World Series.
Speaker 1: Players stayed on the field for the longest time, celebrating
Speaker 1: with the fans, and they got ready to go to Omaha,
Speaker 1: where they fell behind early in Game one to NC State,
Speaker 1: but came all the way back in dramatic fashion once again.
Speaker 1: Darren Heddrick and Keith Madison so.
Speaker 18: Two strikeouts looking for high phil and now here's Nick Lopez,
Speaker 18: the designated hitter, first offering to the switch hitter is
Speaker 18: lined up the metal base at Kentucky takes the lead.
Speaker 18: Patriet scores from third. Lopez wasted no time as he
Speaker 18: shoots a fastball right back up the box to make.
Speaker 3: It one nothing. Cats here of the first.
Speaker 18: One two high fly ball towards the left field corner.
Speaker 18: That one's sailing gone into the Kentucky bull pad.
Speaker 3: Nolan McCarthy in.
Speaker 18: This college World Series debut waves bye bye, and the
Speaker 18: Cats are up three to one. In the bottom of
Speaker 18: the fourth, Yes America. The Kentucky Wildcats can hit home runs.
Speaker 18: First pitch from Pooser and it's a bouncer back up
Speaker 18: the middle, charging at Petrie. He clubs low throws across
Speaker 18: his body to end the inning. Nicholson has two hits
Speaker 18: in the game. The one swung on in the air
Speaker 18: to left, breaking back goes Chase Nixon looking up, it's
Speaker 18: over the wall into the Kentucky pen. It is a
Speaker 18: Conner tight game.
Speaker 24: Or Ryan Nicholson has had a solid approach all through
Speaker 24: the game, not trying to do too much, just staying
Speaker 24: on the ball, and that time it paid off because
Speaker 24: he shot one out.
Speaker 3: Of here in left field.
Speaker 18: Second home run for the Wildcats at his home run
Speaker 18: number twenty two for Ryan Nicholson o one to Hefner
Speaker 18: swung on and lined back up the middle. The wind
Speaker 18: picks it up diving as print.
Speaker 3: Berger and he caught it and left center.
Speaker 18: You can see the wind lift that set making line
Speaker 18: drive and it held it up there for Krittenberger to
Speaker 18: make a tremendous catch diving to his bare hand right
Speaker 18: into left center. Because you don't see that very often.
Speaker 18: Here's a swinging of drive today. Bleft Beck goes Nixon
Speaker 18: looking up.
Speaker 3: Daily, win it, Daily, wins it.
Speaker 13: Daily wins it.
Speaker 18: Kentucky defeats in CEA State five to four on a
Speaker 18: walk off home run by Mitchell Daily.
Speaker 24: What a blast by Mitchell Daily And want to clutch.
Speaker 18: Home run right there, Darren, make sure he touches home plate, guys.
Speaker 3: Kentucky wins it.
Speaker 18: They take Game one of the College World Series in
Speaker 18: a walk off Mitchell Daily with the walk off home
Speaker 18: run to the Kentucky bullpen down the left field line.
Speaker 18: Final score in Omaha, Kentucky five in c State four.
Speaker 24: What an exciting finish for the Kentucky Walcats at this
Speaker 24: extra inning game.
Speaker 3: Unbelievable.
Speaker 1: Daily transfer from Texas gets it done, But so did
Speaker 1: Ryan Nicholson. He got off to a little bit of
Speaker 1: a slow start and then became one of the best
Speaker 1: sluggers in all of college baseball. Wildcats didn't get any
Speaker 1: further as they were eliminated, but now something to build
Speaker 1: on with basically a brand new team. Lots of transfers
Speaker 1: this year, and that begins sooner than later. A couple
Speaker 1: months later, Fall sports rolled around. We'll talk about that
Speaker 1: on the other side of the break here on six
Speaker 1: thirty WLAP Welcome back to the Big Blooms Siders Special Edition.
Speaker 3: As we look back.
Speaker 1: On the calendar year twenty twenty four, fall sports began with,
Speaker 1: among other things, volleyball, and those Wildcats got off to
Speaker 1: a rough start. They were playing a brutally tough schedule,
Speaker 1: had some injuries to deal with, so I mentioned earlier,
Speaker 1: though they straightened things out in time to win another
Speaker 1: SEC championship and win their way to the Elite eight.
Speaker 1: Football got off to a so so start, opening with
Speaker 1: a win over Southern misst and that surprising loss to
Speaker 1: South Carolina. But the highlight of September, and it turned
Speaker 1: out to be the entire season, was the huge upset
Speaker 1: win down at Old Miss, which was ranked in the
Speaker 1: top ten at the time, but Kentucky pulled it off.
Speaker 1: Here's how Tom Leech and Jeff Bicoro called it.
Speaker 2: In Oxford, Vander Griff fires into the middle, broke it up,
Speaker 2: Flack under down pass interfere They were trying to get
Speaker 2: key in the middle of the end zone, right under
Speaker 2: the goal posts, and they're going to call holding first
Speaker 2: down automatic first down either way. Seven penalties forty eight
Speaker 2: yards today whistled against Ole Miss one for ten for Kentucky.
Speaker 2: Vanda Griff play faith retreating, throwing it to the back
Speaker 2: of the enzone, touchtouchdownser Tucky tasteam Key tracking the back
Speaker 2: line of the end zone and Vandergriff just floated it
Speaker 2: out there to him. At Keith reached down and snatched
Speaker 2: it with two hands. The Wildcats are in front. Twenty
Speaker 2: seconds to play in the half. Trips to the left,
Speaker 2: one wide out right, dark pressure coming again. Oxen done
Speaker 2: got him. The big fella got a little ticked off.
Speaker 2: He just said, you won't call it. I'll just go
Speaker 2: get it, and he did. Boy, loss of six back
Speaker 2: to the twenty old miss out of timeouts.
Speaker 3: That's it.
Speaker 2: Kentucky is going to take the lead into the locker
Speaker 2: room in halftime on the home field of the number
Speaker 2: sixteen in the country, a Wildcats ten. The Old miss
Speaker 2: Rebels seven and inspired first thirty minutes for Kentucky. Gabriel's
Speaker 2: gonna catch up with coach Mark Stuts.
Speaker 3: Coach, I gotta think you love the pace of this game.
Speaker 1: You've really controlled it.
Speaker 25: We have controlled the pace of the game, and both
Speaker 25: sides defense has to get stopped. We've been disruptive, we've
Speaker 25: covered well. As we talked about all week, the pace
Speaker 25: of play early got us and then we settled right
Speaker 25: in and offensively it really kept us in the game,
Speaker 25: controlling it. Obviously we knew we had to score there,
Speaker 25: but you know, so it's really important to.
Speaker 15: Get in the end zone.
Speaker 25: We got to continue to play aggressive. I went forward
Speaker 25: a couple of those fourth downs and uh, you know,
Speaker 25: it's worked out.
Speaker 5: So you know, so far, so good.
Speaker 3: A big, big half here.
Speaker 1: Kind of a physical game, you like, isn't.
Speaker 3: It it is?
Speaker 25: I think that's the one thing that we have to
Speaker 25: keep up. Our guys are playing really physical. Offensively, we're
Speaker 25: getting some dirty, tough runs. Three four yard runs, you know,
Speaker 25: two three four yard runs are are good because we
Speaker 25: gotta we gotta keep them off balance. And then and
Speaker 25: as you can see, our game is then you got
Speaker 25: to play action pass, drop back pass. We struggle, but
Speaker 25: if we could run it and be physical, then the
Speaker 25: play action sets up well.
Speaker 2: Well, coach, thank you, and the Wildcats take a ten
Speaker 2: to seven lead into the locker room here in Oxford.
Speaker 2: Vandergriff receivers each way, fakes left, throws rights, complete the
Speaker 2: key thirty five forty breaks through a tackle up the
Speaker 2: far side line, out of bounds up at the Kentucky
Speaker 2: forty six yard line, twenty one yard game. They give
Speaker 2: it to Wilcot's running left, got an alley across the
Speaker 2: fifty forty five, runs over a tackler, knocks an old
Speaker 2: mist defender back, goes inside the forty to the rebels
Speaker 2: thirty seven yard line. Dotttery finally made the tackle on
Speaker 2: in the game of seventeen, so it'll be a forty
Speaker 2: eight yard field goal attempt for Rainer. I'll pull this
Speaker 2: back to the left a little bit. He's hit already
Speaker 2: from twenty seven today, plenty of leg It's good.
Speaker 3: Thirteen in a row.
Speaker 2: Kentucky retakes the lead with six thirty one to play
Speaker 2: in the third Kentucky thirteen ole miss ten on the
Speaker 2: UK Sports Network. Fourth and seven, two receivers each way
Speaker 2: for Dart coming down to the end of the third quarter,
Speaker 2: blitz coming.
Speaker 3: Dart throws it into the middle.
Speaker 2: And his pot for the first down, and it's a
Speaker 2: lot more Harris running through the middle of the defense
Speaker 2: cuts you go in.
Speaker 3: For the touchdown.
Speaker 2: Kentucky brought everybody on all Outlitz. Ole Miss picks it up.
Speaker 2: Harris on a deep slant, makes the catch, and I
Speaker 2: don't know that anybody ever touched him. Forty seven yard
Speaker 2: touchdown pass on fourth and seven.
Speaker 26: Well, when you give it up like that, you've got
Speaker 26: to get on your guy.
Speaker 3: And he was wide open, streaking.
Speaker 26: Right through the middle of the field of post pattern
Speaker 26: if you will skinny pose at once they picked up
Speaker 26: the blitz, Dark was able to pat it and then
Speaker 26: fire it right to him. And and that kid when
Speaker 26: he gets in the open field, you can forget about it.
Speaker 2: Ten seconds to play in the third quarter, and Ole
Speaker 2: Miss goes back in front. Here in Oxford seventeen to
Speaker 2: thirteen on a forty eight yard touchdown pass on fourth
Speaker 2: and seven, So fourth and eights from its own nineteen
Speaker 2: Mark Stoups pushing the chips to the center of the table.
Speaker 2: The four h four to play, trailing seventeen thirteen. They
Speaker 2: don't make it on missus and minimum starts in field
Speaker 2: goal rings. Vandergriff drops blitz coming. He's throwing it up
Speaker 2: the far sideline and it's.
Speaker 3: Cold brown at the thirty four. He stayed in the South.
Speaker 2: Comes back across the near side of the thirty and
Speaker 2: the twenty down.
Speaker 3: Of the seventeen yard line of Old Miss.
Speaker 21: Who wanna throw?
Speaker 2: Vandergriff dropped it in and right into the hands of
Speaker 2: Brown streaking down the left side.
Speaker 3: There's the chunk play you were looking for. And Ivy
Speaker 3: is down.
Speaker 26: Back at the fifteen yard line. He started to run
Speaker 26: up the field that he just fell down. It's gonna
Speaker 26: give the team a blow, but Kentucky has it inside
Speaker 26: the red zone. Now, wow, he tiptoed the sidelines tom
Speaker 26: stadium bounds and got himself an extra ten or twelve.
Speaker 2: Yards sixty two yards on the completion to Barry and Brown.
Speaker 2: As the Cats are back in the red zone, first
Speaker 2: and ten, Kentucky inside the left hash mark of the
Speaker 2: Old Miss seventeen yard line. They give it to Sumo
Speaker 2: Carnbay bouncing that left. He's got room fifteen ten carry's
Speaker 2: a tackler for a first down to the six yard line.
Speaker 2: Wimsp Now the quarterbacks, who will Carnbay to his left?
Speaker 3: Wimsit on.
Speaker 2: A keeper running left at the five, drops his shoulder,
Speaker 2: gips to the two fubble the football did it go
Speaker 2: into the end zone touchdown Kentucky.
Speaker 3: On the recovery in the end zone.
Speaker 2: Trying to see who got it, Caddis Josh Caddis recovered
Speaker 2: the ball. It popped out of wimset at the two
Speaker 2: and went right to Cadis in the end zone. Kentucky
Speaker 2: twenty ole Miss seventeen. With two twenty five to play
Speaker 2: in the game. Here in Oxford, Mississippi, dart sets deep.
Speaker 2: Stunted up brut Ole miss picks it up. He scrambles
Speaker 2: off to the right, throws it deep into the middle
Speaker 2: of the field. Life and good yep time kay praised
Speaker 2: Carn Kristen's story.
Speaker 3: Kristen's story got lost. What are you doing?
Speaker 2: Make's the catch at the Kentucky thirty four yard line.
Speaker 3: You got Kayden Davis, a senior.
Speaker 2: The ball's gonna be spotted just shy of the thirty
Speaker 2: nine yard line of Kentucky.
Speaker 5: Just get big, boys.
Speaker 2: We'll call this a forty nine yard field goal attempt
Speaker 2: off the right Hashmark Davis is a right footed kicker,
Speaker 2: so he has to pull this back to the left
Speaker 2: a little bit to try and tie the game with
Speaker 2: fifty three seconds left.
Speaker 3: A little bit of a low staff.
Speaker 15: They get it.
Speaker 3: Down kicks on the way. No that holy.
Speaker 2: Forty eight seconds to play an old mess comes up empty?
Speaker 3: Yes, how about that? The sideline's empty and Mark stoops in.
Speaker 2: Is Kentucky wild Cats have shot the college football world
Speaker 2: wait to go, Bubba go in the Magnolia State For Kentucky.
Speaker 1: That seemed to put the Cats back on track, but
Speaker 1: it just didn't work for the Wildcats, who won only
Speaker 1: four games, and one of them was against Murray State,
Speaker 1: just a really weak one double eight team. But what
Speaker 1: we saw that day might have been the future cutter
Speaker 1: Bowleie with a couple of touchdown passes to Anthony Brown Stevens.
Speaker 5: So it's an empty backfield for cutter Bowley. Bowley holding
Speaker 5: the ball.
Speaker 2: Fires man wide open at the five slips a tackle,
Speaker 2: touchdown Kentucky Anthony Brown Stevens on fourth and one from
Speaker 2: the twenty two yard line.
Speaker 1: So maybe that's your starter next year, or maybe, as
Speaker 1: Zach Calzada, spring football is on the way, we'll come
Speaker 1: back and pick up with Kentucky basketball. Mark Pope's team
Speaker 1: posting some impressive wins, as did Kenny Brooks Ball Club
Speaker 1: back in a minute at six thirty wlap Welcome back,
Speaker 1: to this special edition of The Big Blooming Sider as
Speaker 1: we look back on the calendar year twenty twenty four
Speaker 1: in UK sports, as football limp to the finish line
Speaker 1: and UK fans more and more began to look forward
Speaker 1: to basketball with a two new head coaches. Kenny Brooks's team,
Speaker 1: which plays tomorrow against Mississippi State at seven o'clock at
Speaker 1: the Coliseum, winning eleven of its first twelve, they only
Speaker 1: lost to North Carolina. The wins including conquest of Illinois,
Speaker 1: Arizona State, and Louisville Cardinals. Brooks had put together basically
Speaker 1: a brand new roster, just as Mark Pope did, and
Speaker 1: that was one of the first questions put to Pope
Speaker 1: at his UK basketball media day for very first news
Speaker 1: conference as a Kentucky coach officially on media day, somebody
Speaker 1: asked him about the roster and how it's going to
Speaker 1: come together and how he hoped it would come together.
Speaker 27: I'm really excited about our guys talent level. I'm really
Speaker 27: excited about their experience. I'm really excited about their commitment
Speaker 27: and desire to be here at the University of Kentucky
Speaker 27: and represent what this place is. I'm excited about their
Speaker 27: hearts and their insides. I'm excited about how they're growing
Speaker 27: together as a team. I'm full of optimism and excitement
Speaker 27: about this team. I think that we as a collective group,
Speaker 27: are gonna love watching these guys compete. And we're not
Speaker 27: gonna see perfection, uh, but we're gonna see perfect effort,
Speaker 27: and we're gonna see close to perfect commitment and from that,
Speaker 27: magical things happen. And so I'm really excited about that.
Speaker 27: In terms of in terms of in state local talent,
Speaker 27: that's that's an it's it's it's always been a really
Speaker 27: important part of the mix. And and the depth of
Speaker 27: talent in the state of Kentucky will always like every state,
Speaker 27: it it will have some fluctuations, but uh, there's great
Speaker 27: talent in this state right now, a tremendous talent. And
Speaker 27: and with that the gift of understanding, uh intimately from
Speaker 27: the time before you were even born, understanding what Kentucky
Speaker 27: means and what it is. And so that'll be important
Speaker 27: and greed of how we build this program moving forward.
Speaker 1: We got a chance to talk to the players prior
Speaker 1: to Media Day here and there, but one of the
Speaker 1: guys I talked to on media day was Travis Perry
Speaker 1: and last spoken to him after the Sweet sixteen championship,
Speaker 1: but we had a chance to chat on media day
Speaker 1: now that he was wearing a UK uniform. Perhaps this
Speaker 1: is the first time in a while you haven't played
Speaker 1: for your dad. What's that adjustment been, Like.
Speaker 28: It's been a little bit of adjustment, but you know,
Speaker 28: it's I played for him for so long. It was
Speaker 28: kind of like he was on the court. He wasn't
Speaker 28: really like my dad like he was. He was as
Speaker 28: hard on me as he needed to be, probably probably
Speaker 28: even a little bit too hard at times. But you know,
Speaker 28: that's that's a great experience for any kid to get
Speaker 28: to have. And now you know, coach Pope is is
Speaker 28: honestly like he's such a such a great person, like
Speaker 28: he's like a dad to all of us. So that's
Speaker 28: something that's really important for us. But it's been great.
Speaker 28: You know, Coach Bobb has a great system, has a
Speaker 28: great way of doing things, very supportive and and still's
Speaker 28: probably just as much confidence in me as my dad
Speaker 28: did whenever I was playing.
Speaker 5: So that's that's awesome.
Speaker 1: He said, you and the three freshmen, but your heads
Speaker 1: were spinning a little bit at the very beginning. I
Speaker 1: got to think, it's been a while since your head
Speaker 1: was spinning when it came to basketball.
Speaker 28: What was that like, Yeah, No, that's that's definitely definitely
Speaker 28: something that I think for any freshman is probably gonna happen,
Speaker 28: especially playing in the system like we play like. It's
Speaker 28: it's similar to how I've played a lot, but there's
Speaker 28: just so many more things to think about in college basketball.
Speaker 28: So yeah, it was definitely a little bit of spinning there.
Speaker 28: But like I said, we've got great coaching staff, great guys,
Speaker 28: great leaders, really upper upper level leaders that that kind
Speaker 28: of helped settle us down and get us going in
Speaker 28: the right path.
Speaker 1: You said you were having trouble getting your shot off
Speaker 1: at first.
Speaker 3: That's new too, a little bit.
Speaker 28: A little bit, I think we're I think we've got
Speaker 28: a good now. We've done a lot of work and
Speaker 28: got a lot quicker and kind of kind of figured
Speaker 28: it out there.
Speaker 1: Travis hasn't played all that much because he's basically the
Speaker 1: number three point guard, but he has gotten minutes what
Speaker 1: with Butler being injured and running into foul trouble. Jackson
Speaker 1: Robinson is a backup point guard, but Perry has been
Speaker 1: counted on by Mark Pope and staff to pick up
Speaker 1: some of that slack, and Pope has been nothing but
Speaker 1: positive about the minutes that he's gotten from Travis Perry,
Speaker 1: who hasn't quite gotten his stroke down yet. Of course,
Speaker 1: he's the all time leader in high school scoring in
Speaker 1: the history of the state of Kentucky, but he has
Speaker 1: bagged a couple of shots. But every time he comes
Speaker 1: in you can feel the UK fans really looking for
Speaker 1: him to start knocking him down. But that's not his job.
Speaker 1: His job is to run the team and get everybody
Speaker 1: where they need to be, and he's only a freshman.
Speaker 1: So far, so good for the Wildcats. In fact, they
Speaker 1: got off to that great start with a couple of
Speaker 1: exhibition games, hitting three pointers. Their first two regular season games,
Speaker 1: they topped one hundred point mark against Wright State and
Speaker 1: buck Nell. Then came the matchup with Duke down in Atlanta.
Speaker 1: The Wildcats didn't get exactly off to the best of starts,
Speaker 1: but they were able to thrill the Big Blue Nation
Speaker 1: and impress the entire country where they come from behind
Speaker 1: victory over the boot Devils called by Tom Leach and
Speaker 1: Jack Gibbon.
Speaker 3: Kentucky back in front twelve to eleven.
Speaker 2: Car dribbles out front, gets it back to Cresa Cresa
Speaker 2: open three left side.
Speaker 3: Got it?
Speaker 2: Yeah, it just goes back to that first shot by
Speaker 2: Andrew Carr that ribles over to his right, floats it
Speaker 2: pass to the corner. Three pointer. God, all the arm.
Speaker 2: That's the town of ball. Kentucky wants to play Amari.
Speaker 2: Williams goes down to the left block, leans into malolatch
Speaker 2: a couple of pump fakes, gets knocked down.
Speaker 3: Flips on the head, count it foul. My watch.
Speaker 2: Comes into the paint, jump hook, bounces around, won't go
Speaker 2: tapped in oh way?
Speaker 3: Got it? Yeah, Kobe Bray is in there. He can
Speaker 3: certainly do that.
Speaker 2: Brea down to the right side, back's south left wing
Speaker 2: three good.
Speaker 4: Yeah, he better take advantage of these minutes while he can't.
Speaker 3: No good.
Speaker 2: Out of the right corner rebound, Williams throws it out
Speaker 2: to Butler around the oh way left.
Speaker 3: Three ball, Got it? Yeah, that's what you need. Williams
Speaker 3: almost lost it, gathers it back in. Heavots with a.
Speaker 2: Jump cut off the glass off that left block.
Speaker 4: Just the way Kentucky needed to come out.
Speaker 2: Wait, oh wait, hits a Car on the pick and roll,
Speaker 2: makes the catch, comes into the lane jump hook good
Speaker 2: nice is it to the corner where Ray off the screen.
Speaker 2: He makes the catch, shoots a three left wing, got
Speaker 2: it and we got a duke player injured, missed another
Speaker 2: one and the rebound of Butler. Butler brings it up
Speaker 2: the right side, gets into the lane, goes for the bucket,
Speaker 2: flips it out of count found on dukes.
Speaker 3: There you go.
Speaker 2: Sar got a piece of it, and Williams clears the
Speaker 2: rebound for Kentucky Butler on the ruds. Butler drives it
Speaker 2: inte throws it over to Pray up for a wide.
Speaker 3: Open layup, but time out right now be good.
Speaker 2: He almost threw it away as he actually threw it
Speaker 2: to Brown who's tried to save it in but he
Speaker 2: saved it to a Kentucky player. Butler down the lane,
Speaker 2: flips up a shot. Won't go follow it in Garrison
Speaker 2: nice just energy, baby energy right now, can't get a shot,
Speaker 2: throws after car. Here's Garrison from the top hits a three.
Speaker 2: It's actually always the double zero who dribbled out of
Speaker 2: the basket. Here comes the Cats down four six point
Speaker 2: fifty to play passed the gas and turns and scores.
Speaker 2: Breon came down the right side and he fired a
Speaker 2: diagonal dart to Garrison right under the basket. Garrison with
Speaker 2: eight and it's a two point game.
Speaker 3: Five and a half minutes to play. Prease a top
Speaker 3: of the key threes or big time shot, big time.
Speaker 2: Shot Leam should have delivered the ball now he shovels
Speaker 2: it after car who fakes the three drives banks its
Speaker 2: fat on Duke Andrew Carr can tie the game.
Speaker 3: Circle punks Adello, oh way lad God Kentucky leads assist
Speaker 3: car fucking away.
Speaker 2: Cats in front sixty nine sixty.
Speaker 3: Seven with two point thirty.
Speaker 2: To play in your car top of the circle, dribbles
Speaker 2: over his left that comes back to his right, goes
Speaker 2: down deep pump fakes goes up her Yes all the
Speaker 2: veteran car school the duke Rookie got him in deep cars.
Speaker 2: Guardian gets up little space flag, drives down the left side,
Speaker 2: spins back to.
Speaker 21: His right hand.
Speaker 2: It's knock the way and stolen by away. Oh wait
Speaker 2: dry so the bucket gets knocked down and fouled. With
Speaker 2: ten seconds to play, the transfer from Oklahoma takes a big,
Speaker 2: deep red dribbles once head it rolls in the first.
Speaker 3: Of the rim and crawled in proper. Bounce on that
Speaker 3: twelve for Oway.
Speaker 2: Kentucky back in front seventy three, seventy two, got a.
Speaker 3: Booth, Now make him use some time off the clock.
Speaker 2: Flag takes it down the left side, almost falls down
Speaker 2: in the corners.
Speaker 3: Down the house.
Speaker 29: He's the boy turns all the room five seconds to
Speaker 29: play one in one for Butler, got it, did sitter
Speaker 29: but nothing but the bottom.
Speaker 3: Can't he make it?
Speaker 18: Four?
Speaker 3: Bonus shot, bounce is off.
Speaker 2: No good, prebounded by all Way always got it, dribbles
Speaker 2: out beyond the arc and he gets foul with point five.
Speaker 3: One in one, got it?
Speaker 23: What a game?
Speaker 3: O Sega, oh Way, bonus shot in the air?
Speaker 7: Got it?
Speaker 1: What a game?
Speaker 3: Seventy seven seventy two. Kentucky past them in court. Canipple's
Speaker 3: long one is no good.
Speaker 6: The old guys rule can't lay up Kentucky seventy seven,
Speaker 6: Duke seventy two.
Speaker 3: How about that ghost Gibbons And.
Speaker 1: As much as that delighted the big Blue Nation, and
Speaker 1: even more impressive victory lay ahead on the other side
Speaker 1: of the country. That's on the other side of the
Speaker 1: break and a reminder. Conference play begins on Saturday at
Speaker 1: the unusual time in Rupperina eleven am. The Cats take
Speaker 1: on a surprisingly good Florida team, one of the many
Speaker 1: powerhouses it so it seems in the Southeastern Conference eleven
Speaker 1: am tip off time that means local coverage starts at
Speaker 1: eight thirty. Right here on six thirty WLAP. Welcome back
Speaker 1: to this special edition of the Big Blooming Cider. As
Speaker 1: we look back on the calendar year twenty twenty four
Speaker 1: in UK sports, and we've been talking about the basketball programs,
Speaker 1: both men's and women's, and the men had won seven
Speaker 1: of the first eight games when they headed west for Seattle,
Speaker 1: but they didn't have Lamont Butler their point guard as
Speaker 1: they took on Gonzaga, and the Wildcats fell away behind,
Speaker 1: became roaring back, and pulled off a win that might
Speaker 1: have been surprising to some, it certainly was to the
Speaker 1: fans out there in Spokane and Seattle because it was historic.
Speaker 1: The Wildcats snapped a long streak by coming from behind
Speaker 1: and beating Gonzaga. Tom Leech and Jack Gibbons had the call.
Speaker 2: Creasu straight away angles right, they leave him open, He'll
Speaker 2: take the shot and headed Kentucky's on board car down
Speaker 2: the right side, hands it out to Robinson.
Speaker 3: He'll shoot a three. It's good six five circle. Robinson
Speaker 3: feeds a wide open Williams for the junk off the
Speaker 3: pick and roll.
Speaker 2: Garrison down the right side, puts it up and in
Speaker 2: off the pick and roll. Robinson backs his way down
Speaker 2: the lane, bumping with greg and he puts it in
Speaker 2: through the contact out out of the right wing car,
Speaker 2: dribbles once, hands it to oh Way driving baseline right,
Speaker 2: gets to the rim and puts it in strong finish
Speaker 2: rebound to Prisa, Prisa back to albad Or.
Speaker 3: He'll try it on the one. Got it the way
Speaker 3: out beyond the arc forty Garrison, He'll take a three.
Speaker 22: Hit it.
Speaker 2: Robinson penetrates in or short rebounded by Garrison, get a
Speaker 2: foul put out deep on the right side, guarded by
Speaker 2: nim hard five point thirty five left in the first half.
Speaker 2: Pries it at the top of the key. You three
Speaker 2: good points ray open three on the right side, doesn't
Speaker 2: take it, drives into the paint, flips.
Speaker 18: It up and in.
Speaker 3: You can get the rebound to finish it off.
Speaker 2: Robinson three right side good walks it over the left side,
Speaker 2: hands it the creases. Terresa comes into the lane with
Speaker 2: a right hand runner good down the right side of
Speaker 2: the lane, leans in, banks it up, missed it cap
Speaker 2: no good. It's tapped back over to Oh wait, he
Speaker 2: goes up and scores catch on the left block, comes
Speaker 2: into the lane, goes up's over a.
Speaker 3: Giant and bounces in and a fowl.
Speaker 18: There you go.
Speaker 4: That's the way to welcome the physicality and the paint.
Speaker 2: Comes into the circle, hands it to the trailer. Williams
Speaker 2: dribbles left. Is it to Robinson? Robinson goes down the lane,
Speaker 2: wrap around past ten lambs for the dump to car
Speaker 2: dribbles left, hands at the creases. Presa curls into the circle,
Speaker 2: gets it back to Car on the pick and roll.
Speaker 3: Yeah, it hits the finger.
Speaker 2: Roll wants to hand it to Robinson, gets it to him.
Speaker 2: Robinson down along the right baseline, fall away ten foot
Speaker 2: or yes.
Speaker 3: Get deep on that right side holding the ball. Shoot
Speaker 3: that angles right.
Speaker 2: Shoots a three, got back in for Gonzaga.
Speaker 3: Brea down the left side of the lane with a runner.
Speaker 2: It's no good, but it's rebounded head back up and
Speaker 2: in by Brandon Garrison.
Speaker 3: Need to play.
Speaker 6: Bar passes right to Brea house pass the car. Car
Speaker 6: goes right out of Eka and scores it. Put it
Speaker 6: right in his face. That's word O way, oh way,
Speaker 6: feeds car on the pick.
Speaker 4: And roll dump. Got to run your stuff, just execute
Speaker 4: your awfully double let me gets it to Brea Brea
Speaker 4: open three from the top.
Speaker 2: Rat it out, no good, oh wait, rebounds it goes up.
Speaker 2: No tap Garrison, no good, oh wait, taps in store.
Speaker 3: Way to work, way to work, just hard work.
Speaker 2: Robinson running the point for Kentucky, flows it over to Garrison.
Speaker 2: Garrison hits Robinson on a back door cut riversely a
Speaker 2: good pretty seat.
Speaker 3: Robinson, with fifteen.
Speaker 2: To shoot, takes it down the sidelines, pulls up.
Speaker 3: For a three miss.
Speaker 2: Dost go and hit off the rim and bouse Top gets.
Speaker 3: It to Robinson.
Speaker 2: Robinson curls into the circle, goes down the lane followy.
Speaker 3: Ten foot good, I mean I knowe right of the lane.
Speaker 2: About fifteen feet out over the car far in the
Speaker 2: middle of the paint, getting bumped with greg following.
Speaker 3: Ten foot good. The game's tied. Robinson passed to the
Speaker 3: left corner.
Speaker 2: Oh wait at tax and dunks and Kentucky scores first
Speaker 2: in the overtimes to.
Speaker 3: His left, steps back along three. It's no good. Kentucky rebounds.
Speaker 2: Robinson throws it up into front court of Williams.
Speaker 3: He drops it in time out. Gonzaga or rebound.
Speaker 29: In the basketballs and passes to Williams right design about
Speaker 29: fifteen feet out.
Speaker 2: Takes the handoff, comes into the paint, turns jump put.
Speaker 3: Gun oh Man by the time it's right, with great
Speaker 3: seven seconds to shoot. Graya goes right a three off
Speaker 3: the pick. He missed it. Rebound car pump fake goes up.
Speaker 6: And scores for him to his left that tries to
Speaker 6: come back to his right, comes into.
Speaker 2: The paint, getting bumped by Stromer. Goes down the lanes,
Speaker 2: sit out seven to shoot. Paul's knockaway. Robinson gets it back,
Speaker 2: goes down the lane with a runner, stroll down just
Speaker 2: the way you dry it up, just the way you draw.
Speaker 5: It up to car.
Speaker 3: And it rolls off.
Speaker 2: No gun, It's tapped out. Stromer's got it. Stromer knocked
Speaker 2: away by car.
Speaker 3: Who's ball Game's over? Kentucky wins brought the whim.
Speaker 29: Gonzaga had what one hundred and seventy five games in
Speaker 29: a row where they led.
Speaker 3: By ten or more at halftime. Not tonight the streak
Speaker 3: comes to it end. Not tonight, Tom.
Speaker 4: What a wonderful, wonderful effort, second half effort by this
Speaker 4: basketball team, just unbelievable.
Speaker 2: An incredible comeback, sixteen down at the half, seventeen down
Speaker 2: early in the second half, that Kentucky prevails in overtime
Speaker 2: ninety to eighty nine over Gonzaga here in Seattle.
Speaker 1: Just an incredible win and made people forget about that
Speaker 1: lost at least for a while down to Clemson. Of course,
Speaker 1: Kentucky wrapped up the calendar year in New York City
Speaker 1: with a surprising loss to Ohio State. Not just the
Speaker 1: fact that the Wildcats lost to a team that Auburn
Speaker 1: absolutely obliterated, but it's the way the Wildcats lost. Ohio
Speaker 1: State forced Kentucky to play its game and took Kentucky
Speaker 1: out of basically everything it tried to do. So it
Speaker 1: was a tough way to head for the Christmas holiday,
Speaker 1: But a lot of basketball ahead for Mark Pope's team,
Speaker 1: for Kenny Brooks team, and we'll be there for all
Speaker 1: of it. I hope you enjoyed this special edition of
Speaker 1: The Big Blue Insider as we look back on twenty
Speaker 1: twenty five. We'll be back with you tomorrow night, just
Speaker 1: before UK women's basketball.
Speaker 3: For now, that's it.
Speaker 1: Good night from the garage. Happy New Year, everybody, everything, everything,
Speaker 1: Nan
Speaker 21: Sa