Speaker 1: Hell, everybody any through the facilities of the iHeart Medium
Speaker 1: Megaplex for the last time this year. This is the
Speaker 1: state wide Big Blue Insider. You heard the comments from
Speaker 1: Mark Pope, and now's your chance to listen in on
Speaker 1: Billy Rutgleds, Aaron Gershan and yours truly be a part
Speaker 1: of the state wide BBI Border to Border. It is
Speaker 1: the Big Blue Insider. Dick Gabriel, Billy Rutleds, Aaron Gershwan
Speaker 1: kind of thought we might do at least one more
Speaker 1: of these, but the Wildcats fell short, as we know,
Speaker 1: against Tennessee. And I'm not going to say I told
Speaker 1: you Sov and Aaron, that's the Tennessee. I thought we
Speaker 1: would see. That really concerned me. That was this guy Ziggler.
Speaker 1: I thought we would see, which, as you know, really
Speaker 1: concerned me. And as you pointed out, he played so
Speaker 1: poorly against Kentucky. Here's the first two games. But I
Speaker 1: just kept thinking, that's not really him. I've seen him
Speaker 1: play so much. I thought that's not a character for him.
Speaker 1: Maybe he's trying to I don't know what it was. Yeah,
Speaker 1: but he played his butt off against Kentucky.
Speaker 2: He did play his butt off and you know, I
Speaker 2: will say this is not to discredit him, but Lamont
Speaker 2: Butler picking up two fouls really let him get go
Speaker 2: exactly where because not only well, they kept Lamon in
Speaker 2: there because they knew they had to, but they didn't
Speaker 2: put him on Ziegler because they didn't want to foul.
Speaker 2: So not the same at all. So that was a
Speaker 2: big but No, the guy played like a guy who
Speaker 2: knew it was his last ride and for the coach
Speaker 2: he's been with for four seasons and wanted to give
Speaker 2: it his all, and he played a great game. And
Speaker 2: Tennessee just dominated Kentucky on the offensive glass. That was
Speaker 2: the big issue. I mean, I thought Kentucky defensively, like
Speaker 2: the first possession, they were pretty darn good, and then
Speaker 2: second chance points just killed them. And then Tennessee did
Speaker 2: a great job running them off the three point line,
Speaker 2: which is something they did not do well in those
Speaker 2: two regular season matchups. So all the credits to Tennessee.
Speaker 2: Unfortunate for Kentucky that had to come against them, because
Speaker 2: I think it probably wouldn't have hurt as bad if
Speaker 2: it came against Houston Purdue. As long as it was
Speaker 2: in the Sweet sixteen. Illinois just a non rival, but
Speaker 2: obviously to me, you know, stinks but pretty darn good
Speaker 2: first season.
Speaker 1: Can't really complain, how surprised were you? Going? Well?
Speaker 3: I picked Kentucky to win even after I had heard
Speaker 3: the cliche it's hard to beat a.
Speaker 2: Team three times.
Speaker 1: Maybe statistically, as it turns out, isn't true. Yes, yeah so,
Speaker 1: but there is that twenty five percent. That's right, one
Speaker 1: of Aaron's points about, you know, chasing him off the
Speaker 1: three point line. Kentucky was extremely efficient in the two
Speaker 1: wins versus Tennessee. I mean they were.
Speaker 3: They shot fifty percent from three in both of those games,
Speaker 3: twelve threes a piece each game, and for them to
Speaker 3: only go six to fifteen, it's just Kobe Bray hit
Speaker 3: the first shot of the game for Kentucky.
Speaker 4: That was it for him. I mean, he goes one
Speaker 4: for seven.
Speaker 3: The rest of the way their defensive game plan.
Speaker 2: Was was great.
Speaker 3: You've got to get a lot of credit to Rick
Speaker 3: Barnes and that team that was tired of losing to Kentucky.
Speaker 3: There's no doubt, but that loss definitely does not wipe
Speaker 3: away how gratifying this season was in a lot of ways.
Speaker 3: But interestingly enough, we will look back at this season
Speaker 3: and probably remember two losses at Arkansas Cal coming back
Speaker 3: up and then the first ever tourney game versus Tennessee.
Speaker 3: But overall, you know, interesting details from Pope today on
Speaker 3: the show about the guys meeting in a hotel room
Speaker 3: six am till six am, tugging at my heart strings
Speaker 3: a little bit.
Speaker 1: Yeah, and we already knew they didn't want to take
Speaker 1: off the jerseys and thought Kobe Bray was funny.
Speaker 2: You're a hard time. You're gonna have a hard time
Speaker 2: getting it from me. And all I could think.
Speaker 1: About is Mark Pope showed up at his news conference
Speaker 1: when he's introduced what is jersey? You know? So so
Speaker 1: they always get something somewhere. But it's interesting, you say, well,
Speaker 1: you know what are fans going to think back on? Yeah,
Speaker 1: when you think about specific games, you'll think about this one.
Speaker 2: Yep.
Speaker 1: If you really start to pick it apart, you'll think
Speaker 1: about Duke. And when you think about this Tennessee loss,
Speaker 1: you'll think about two wins over Tennessee which were fun.
Speaker 1: Gonzaga there were just a lot, there was a lot
Speaker 1: to like, and then again there were losses that never
Speaker 1: should have happened. T Yeah, but it was the Old
Speaker 1: Miss loss that interestingly enough, not unlike the ninety eight
Speaker 1: team which lost to Old Miss in Lexington. And after
Speaker 1: that game they had a players only meeting and from
Speaker 1: that point I never lost. They never they bought into Tubby.
Speaker 1: And this isn't what happened with Kentucky, but what happened
Speaker 1: this year, of course, was how they went after it.
Speaker 1: The next day on defense, they started really working on defense,
Speaker 1: and talking to Sean was in my show Local each week,
Speaker 1: and he was really really concerned about the defense. And
Speaker 1: then because he'd gone to practice and he was wondering, like,
Speaker 1: when are they going to really get into defense? Because
Speaker 1: I think part of it, too is his offense. Pope's
Speaker 1: offense is so sophisticated that it took him quite a
Speaker 1: while to nail that day, and they did. I loved
Speaker 1: hearing what some of the national guys were saying about
Speaker 1: the offense Kentucky ran. But once they started working on defense,
Speaker 1: they looked like a different team, you know.
Speaker 2: No question.
Speaker 1: Now, with Creasa in the portal, that kind of surprised me.
Speaker 2: No surprise, you, No, that's one thing.
Speaker 1: I'm thinking, You're going to see what he can get.
Speaker 1: He could come back.
Speaker 2: He could, but I do I think at the end
Speaker 2: of the day, look Kentucky swimming in the deep end
Speaker 2: with the top point guards in the portal. They are
Speaker 2: trying to make a major splash there. Their number one
Speaker 2: target was done. You want to be a number one, right,
Speaker 2: and then you have a Kayden Lewis coming in. That's right,
Speaker 2: so he's kind of blocked and you don't want to
Speaker 2: I don't think kayd and Lewis is gonna have a
Speaker 2: huge role on next year's team though he is a
Speaker 2: top forty prospect and who knows he can come, have
Speaker 2: a great summer, add some weight and get right away.
Speaker 2: That's up to him and how he establishes himself. But
Speaker 2: I just think that it's kind of an awkward spot
Speaker 2: for Careesa where you know Kentucky wants to go get
Speaker 2: a legit PG one in front of you. You know
Speaker 2: their PG two is kind of waiting in the wings there,
Speaker 2: the guy they hope is the point guard of the future.
Speaker 2: Why don't you go and try to get a bigger
Speaker 2: opportunity elsewhere?
Speaker 1: What about go ahead by.
Speaker 3: I was just gonna say Kentucky signed a guy in
Speaker 3: the transfer portal before their sweet sixteen games.
Speaker 2: They sure did the day's share of the beast Man.
Speaker 3: Have weird times that we're in and that guy seems
Speaker 3: like he's pretty good.
Speaker 2: He's exactly what they need. They need to get more athletic.
Speaker 2: I think we'd all agree that's kind of what their
Speaker 2: Achilles Hill was in some of these games. They kind
Speaker 2: of got routed or they just that was the Achilles
Speaker 2: hill against Tennessee. Tennessee just had more athletes. He could
Speaker 2: shoot too, and he can exactly. He does a little
Speaker 2: he's six eight at the place the three, four and two,
Speaker 2: a little bit mostly the three, but he's six eight,
Speaker 2: is a great wingspan. He's like you said, Billy shooting
Speaker 2: forty one percent from three. I forget the volume, but
Speaker 2: it's high. It's well over one hundred and thirty shots.
Speaker 2: And then he averages over a block per game. So
Speaker 2: he could do a little bit of everything. And you know,
Speaker 2: obviously coming from two lane, there's gonna be a jump
Speaker 2: to the SEC. But the American is up there with
Speaker 2: one of the better mid major conferences. So I think
Speaker 2: that's a great start, and here's three years left.
Speaker 1: To see athleticism. It's exactly what I was going to
Speaker 1: bring up. And by the way, Billy is like some people,
Speaker 1: I don't know how many. I love to know how
Speaker 1: many people went chalk the whole way. We know Jay
Speaker 1: Billis did, But kudos to you among us three.
Speaker 2: You Aaron scot I was close. I had a two
Speaker 2: seed in Michigan State beating Auburn.
Speaker 1: That's exactly what I had. And I'm watching that game
Speaker 1: and midway early in the third quarter is the moment
Speaker 1: I think. I've told you guys, there are times watching games,
Speaker 1: I don't care what the games are when I say
Speaker 1: to myself, they can't win. Generally it's a team. And
Speaker 1: it started with me covering Kentucky football for so many years,
Speaker 1: you know, and being on the field and watching them
Speaker 1: and seeing how they've just been overmatched, out class or whatever.
Speaker 2: They can't win.
Speaker 1: But if it's a close game back and forth, it
Speaker 1: generally comes down to defense and football or basketball. But
Speaker 1: if I'm looking at a game and I'm watching this team,
Speaker 1: some team overpower Kentucky on the field, I'm thinking they
Speaker 1: can't stop them, they can't stop them. You know, Well,
Speaker 1: Michigan State. I had that that moment early in the
Speaker 1: second half because Michigan state. As good as they were,
Speaker 1: as well coached as they were, they just weren't as
Speaker 1: athletic as they They wouldn't. They couldn't jump as high,
Speaker 1: they couldn't run as fast, they couldn't move as quickly,
Speaker 1: and god knows, they couldn't shoot. And I don't know.
Speaker 1: If you you know more about this stuff, you keep
Speaker 1: a closer eye.
Speaker 2: Than They were. Never a good shooting team, never.
Speaker 1: But Aaron, they were the worst shooting team in a
Speaker 1: Big ten when it came to three point crazy. Had
Speaker 1: I known that, I never would have picked him. That
Speaker 1: was I don't know, Billy, if I'd gone Shock, was
Speaker 1: determined not to shock. But I don't know who else
Speaker 1: in that region.
Speaker 2: Pick for me. There's been the eight final fours and
Speaker 2: they went That was why I did it, But I
Speaker 2: I took the risk. I didn't want to.
Speaker 1: Maybe I would have said Iowa stayed. I don't know, yeah,
Speaker 1: without their point guard. I would have maybe with their
Speaker 1: point guard.
Speaker 2: But look, that was a tough one, but it was
Speaker 2: a It's been a very obviously of four ones. But
Speaker 2: I mean, what does it mean?
Speaker 1: Why is it so? Why was it so chalky?
Speaker 3: What do you because all the best players at the
Speaker 3: mid majors went to the bigger schools.
Speaker 2: That's a big part of it, I think, and this
Speaker 2: year there's I mean that, but even there's a gap
Speaker 2: between those four teams that we saw just clinched their
Speaker 2: bit of the final four and everybody else because honestly,
Speaker 2: outside of the you know, Florida had a bit of
Speaker 2: a scare against Texas Tech. Texas Tech choked that game away,
Speaker 2: but other than that, they were these these Elite eight
Speaker 2: games were not close and never really in question.
Speaker 1: The final four teams though this year, how much did
Speaker 1: they benefit from the portal if at all? I mean, Duke,
Speaker 1: I mean Auburn got brooined, but that was two years ago. Yeah,
Speaker 1: but they added Miles Kelly, who we all saw go
Speaker 1: ballistic in this building. Uh, he's helped them a ton.
Speaker 2: Uh. Duke added some big time role players, and obviously
Speaker 2: they're freshmen. The three freshmen are their stars. But yeah,
Speaker 2: Sion James and then I forget the other one they
Speaker 2: got that's a big piece of their puzzle. Houston's almost
Speaker 2: their whole starting five or transfers, they're not original Cougars.
Speaker 2: And then who's the other team Florida Florida, well, their
Speaker 2: whole Will Richards, I'm pretty sure transfer as well. Elijah
Speaker 2: Martin is in his first year at Florida from fau
Speaker 2: Micah hanlocked in from Marshall. I mean they ruben Chiny,
Speaker 2: you lose from Washington State. Outside of Hawke and Condon,
Speaker 2: they're all They're a transfer portal team.
Speaker 3: I will say Duke looked really good versus I don't
Speaker 3: know if that was a hangover game from Seiars scoring
Speaker 3: thirty plus and ten threes.
Speaker 2: But Alabama sitting the record for man.
Speaker 4: Oh b Yu Alabama was so much fun.
Speaker 3: But then only Luke for binded everybody that this is
Speaker 3: what I missed that.
Speaker 1: When I'm working with sweet sixte, I missed that.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean by you kept it close. And then
Speaker 2: Alabama I've never I mean it's never happened before. They
Speaker 2: have twenty five thirties. They yeah, it was twenty five
Speaker 2: for fifty one. Most of them would they shoot against
Speaker 2: against something terrible like nine for Duke nine for thirty
Speaker 2: years only at six points. Series was terrible after he
Speaker 2: went for what do you go for thirty four?
Speaker 4: Thirty four?
Speaker 1: Well taking a witch now and somebody brought it up
Speaker 1: on the on the Pope Show. Tennessee went all in
Speaker 1: to be Kentucky. It had nothing left.
Speaker 2: Their game against Houston were so similar to because you know,
Speaker 2: obviously Tennessee only scored fifteen in the first half. That
Speaker 2: was terrible. But they started to make a little bit
Speaker 2: of a run in the second half. They got it
Speaker 2: to like nine maybe sometimes, and then Houston would just
Speaker 2: hit a dagger every time. And that's what Houston. I mean.
Speaker 2: Kentucky only got it to twelve, but it did feel
Speaker 2: like every time it looked like someone like Tennis. Kentucky's
Speaker 2: offense was better in the second half. It wasn't great,
Speaker 2: but it was better. But every time it would either
Speaker 2: be a second chance bucket or a big three from
Speaker 2: the near Zegra hit on the corner too far behind.
Speaker 1: It was at one stretch. And mind you, I was
Speaker 1: again at the sweet sixteen the high school tournament, so
Speaker 1: I was kind of keeping an eye on the game.
Speaker 1: I tried to like sequester myself of that nin I
Speaker 1: need to know who won, because there was you know,
Speaker 1: people on press row that ended up on the computer.
Speaker 1: Oh they would have told you, yeah, you know, they
Speaker 1: probably would have. So anyhow, I went back and watched
Speaker 1: it the next day, and you're right, from the from
Speaker 1: found number two on Butler to the end of the
Speaker 1: first half, that's that's where Tennessee built its lead and
Speaker 1: distanced itself from Kentucky. And then in the second half
Speaker 1: just just had to fight him off, you know, play
Speaker 1: him even and they did. Yep, So you know it
Speaker 1: was so now you got two teams from the SEC.
Speaker 2: A lot of people thought they'll play each other.
Speaker 1: Yeah about that.
Speaker 2: And Todd Golden's first job I believe was on Bruce.
Speaker 2: I know he's for sure on Bruce. I think it
Speaker 2: was the first job a.
Speaker 1: Guy who survived. Yeah. Did you get I thought he
Speaker 1: was done.
Speaker 4: Did you get to watch any of Arkansas sixteen points?
Speaker 1: Oh?
Speaker 2: Yeah, I was watching that in the hotels. Yeah. I
Speaker 2: finished that thing in bed at the hotel.
Speaker 4: That was Did you see it coming?
Speaker 2: No? I honestly, like I, I didn't think they were
Speaker 2: gonna I didn't think Texas Tech was going to win
Speaker 2: that game until the last three that tied it and over.
Speaker 2: I really thought I thought our and so I would
Speaker 2: hang on. I really did.
Speaker 4: I don't know. I was seeing too many of the
Speaker 4: same things.
Speaker 1: Well, and somebody somebody complained about you know he went
Speaker 1: to that stallball. It was if it was I didn't
Speaker 1: see stallball, the kind that cost him at Kentucky when
Speaker 1: he put teams in a stall with eight.
Speaker 2: Minutes, said that because terrible what he didn't do that
Speaker 2: the sequence I thought screwed them the most. I forget
Speaker 2: what they were up. You might remember Billy it was
Speaker 2: either no, it was three possessions. But they get an
Speaker 2: offensive rebound. They kick it right to DJ who's wide
Speaker 2: open for three. But we all know he's not a
Speaker 2: great three shooter. And he goes and puts up a
Speaker 2: three and he barely hits the rim Texas Tech gets
Speaker 2: the ball, they come down hit the three. Ye that
Speaker 2: and that's that stall ball. That's rushing early in the
Speaker 2: shot clock when you could actually DJ hit stall J was.
Speaker 1: Better this year from three, and he had hit one earlier. Yeah,
Speaker 1: so now he's in love with it, not his not.
Speaker 1: That's where you actually want to play stallball. When you
Speaker 1: get a second possession there and you want the guy
Speaker 1: running your offense to have that field. Know that. Yeah,
Speaker 1: so run some clock, but try to score.
Speaker 2: Right and then look he he does. He's not going
Speaker 2: to foul, he's not gonna and he doubled down on
Speaker 2: it after the game. You do that, And he doubled
Speaker 2: down on the on the scramble play. Why why why? Here?
Speaker 1: Here's the other thing, uh, filing when there's when you're
Speaker 1: up three that has to come at a specific time.
Speaker 1: Somebody said you should have foiled with nine seconds. That's
Speaker 1: too much time. That's an eternity. But somebody else said
Speaker 1: he should have done it when he was at Memphis statingainst.
Speaker 1: Kansas and he tried, but they failed. They did a
Speaker 1: poor job, and you know, he they went back and
Speaker 1: showed the video and he shot the signal when he
Speaker 1: was with Memphis now to one of his players, it
Speaker 1: was like rubbing his chest and the player did it
Speaker 1: back to him. But they didn't execute it properly. They
Speaker 1: didn't do They did it poorly. You know, did you
Speaker 1: really work on that? You know that kind of thing.
Speaker 1: So there are ways to get that done. And then he,
Speaker 1: you know, at Kentucky, he doubled down on I don't
Speaker 1: do that, and then he did it again at Arkansas.
Speaker 1: I'm like, how's that working for you? You know? Yeah, it's
Speaker 1: simple math, isn't it.
Speaker 3: You'd think with the analytic age, some would just rather
Speaker 3: do it by their gut. I understand that happens to
Speaker 3: you once and you probably don't forget it.
Speaker 1: I'm not a big you know, call time out play
Speaker 1: always depends on a team. You know, if you get
Speaker 1: a veteran team and there seconds left and they've been schooled,
Speaker 1: they know what to do with the basketball and it
Speaker 1: tights it. Yeah, but there are other teams that aren't
Speaker 1: good on it. But when you call time out'd you
Speaker 1: give the other guys a chance to set up their defense.
Speaker 4: Well, DJ Whiter didn't pass the ball.
Speaker 2: That was bull time both times in the scramble play shot.
Speaker 2: That's why you drop a play if you have the
Speaker 2: time out.
Speaker 1: Yeah. No, that I don't get, by the way, and
Speaker 1: one of you missing is uh maybe off the ear.
Speaker 1: But how surprised are we about big.
Speaker 2: Z being People on Twitter are killing me for being surprised.
Speaker 2: I know that Jonah a Do, the transfer from Tennessee,
Speaker 2: got hot at the end of the year and kind
Speaker 2: of took his job, but he's he's very loyal to
Speaker 2: Cal and rightfully so. I mean Cal fought his butt
Speaker 2: off eligible and that's what right on camera.
Speaker 1: He fought for me, so I'm going to fight for him.
Speaker 1: That's why I'm at Arkansas. He fought for me. Yeah,
Speaker 1: so I guess I guess that only lasts.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, and who knows that could look we
Speaker 2: we know it now at Kentucky on the women's side
Speaker 2: of things, that could be a decision where Cal said, yeah,
Speaker 2: so so long Farewell.
Speaker 1: What do you think he would do that with a guy,
Speaker 1: a guy with skills.
Speaker 2: I'd not. I'm just out there, Yeah I wouldn't. I mean,
Speaker 2: now you look at Arkansas. I haven't done a deep dive,
Speaker 2: but I know, I just know off the top of
Speaker 2: my head, A dudes out of eligibility. I presume Adu
Speaker 2: is probably done with college. So you don't have a
Speaker 2: front court because I think I think they I don't.
Speaker 2: I know, they have a point guard coming in who's
Speaker 2: a five star, and they're other five stars either three
Speaker 2: or four, but they don't really have a front court
Speaker 2: right now.
Speaker 3: Well, he had a much different role at the end
Speaker 3: of the year than he did at the beginning, because
Speaker 3: I mean, he was hitting the final shots if he
Speaker 3: were at least one or one or two.
Speaker 2: He was a big part of their role. I mean
Speaker 2: when they got hot. I mean we saw him lighted
Speaker 2: up here at Rock, but he got hot for a
Speaker 2: while there. But uh, I know all the fans are like, oh,
Speaker 2: bring him back, bring him back. I don't think that's
Speaker 2: gonna happen.
Speaker 4: No, bring them back.
Speaker 1: Somebody somebody called Pope.
Speaker 2: And bring them back. That was hilarious and Pope a
Speaker 2: good answers. I wish I could tell you everything, but
Speaker 2: I don't want to get to fire.
Speaker 1: We'll step back, come back and talk more basketball, both
Speaker 1: Kentucky High School, the women's game, a lot of it
Speaker 1: here on the state wide edition of the BBI. From
Speaker 1: Pikeville to Paduca. It is the BBI. Dick Gabriel, Aaron
Speaker 1: Gershan and Billy rud Ledby are of course looking back
Speaker 1: on the Kentucky season, and the Wildcats were a pleasant surprise.
Speaker 1: And I think I don't know of anybody who believed
Speaker 1: they could get to the Final four this year. I mean,
Speaker 1: truthfully believe that once the season began and they beat
Speaker 1: Duke and all that the expectations began to rise. But
Speaker 1: the floor was rising as well, sure, but I think everybody,
Speaker 1: for the most spart thought five hundred in the in
Speaker 1: the conference and maybe get to the second weekend. And
Speaker 1: that's what they did, better than five hundred and got
Speaker 1: to the second weekend. Question, But it was the way
Speaker 1: they did it along the line that style of play,
Speaker 1: the brand of ball. But then they would they would
Speaker 1: beat somebody, beat Florida, beat Duke, all the quad one wins,
Speaker 1: and then lose games they were supposed to.
Speaker 2: They didn't have a two and the SEC was really good.
Speaker 2: But they didn't have a two to zero week like
Speaker 2: same week Tuesday went Saturday game or Wednesday Saturday game
Speaker 2: until the last week of the regular season. They had
Speaker 2: some games where they won them splitting, right, they kept
Speaker 2: splitting like they'd win on Saturday, win the next Tuesday,
Speaker 2: but then they'd lose Saturday. Okay, so they never had
Speaker 2: in the same.
Speaker 1: How many games in a row did they win?
Speaker 2: I think two in SEC was their mouths. They never
Speaker 2: went to three. That's how good this SEC was.
Speaker 1: That's true.
Speaker 2: Kentucky was a little streaky, but I just go back
Speaker 2: to look, they beat Florida and they beat Duke. I'd
Speaker 2: still love to know if Jackson Robinson was able to
Speaker 2: never have the injury, and if Lamon Butler was back
Speaker 2: to one hundred percent what this could have been, because
Speaker 2: I mean, those are elite, and again, I don't I
Speaker 2: don't think they would have been the final four either way.
Speaker 2: I think their lack of athleticism was going to catch
Speaker 2: up to them either way. But people forget, Like you
Speaker 2: look at Jackson Robinson's season numbers, they're like, all right,
Speaker 2: thirteen points per game is good, but in this league,
Speaker 2: it's not all conference or anything like that.
Speaker 1: But he affects the way.
Speaker 2: He affects the way they play. And in his last
Speaker 2: seven games before going down, yes, he was averaging eighteen
Speaker 2: points per game and shooting fifty two percent from three.
Speaker 2: I think they beat Tennessee, if that's what I'm saying.
Speaker 1: And a Hill Butler, and although Butler's in foul troubles
Speaker 1: and I'll bet right, so.
Speaker 2: I'm not and I'm not at all making an excuse
Speaker 2: for losing the Tennessee like, oh, they didn't have Jackson.
Speaker 2: But I just would love to know what the full
Speaker 2: ceiling of this team would have been, because they beat
Speaker 2: two of the teams that are still playing right now.
Speaker 1: That's right.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I kind of felt like Kobe Bray had to
Speaker 3: force a lot ter the Jackson Robinson injury. He just
Speaker 3: wasn't the same player that he wont to be. I
Speaker 3: don't think he was against Illinois. I think he improved, Actually,
Speaker 3: well he improved as a whole, but I think he
Speaker 3: was out of and you know.
Speaker 2: They were sending doubles at him from not out of position,
Speaker 2: but the role that he is used to.
Speaker 3: I mean, he's sixth man of the year and he
Speaker 3: was started the year like that as well, So he
Speaker 3: definitely had to evolve as the season went on.
Speaker 2: His defense got better, it did, and he was getting
Speaker 2: to the rightack.
Speaker 1: You remember early there were times they just couldn't play.
Speaker 1: He was so bad defensive.
Speaker 3: They Well, if we're going to talk about growth, I
Speaker 3: got I mentioned Amarilute. You know there were times in
Speaker 3: the Tennessee game he didn't raise his hands for defense,
Speaker 3: and I think we all screamed. But that guy improved
Speaker 3: so much. Mark Pope said a number on the show
Speaker 3: tonight that he was the third most efficient player.
Speaker 1: In the country.
Speaker 4: Sounds right, and I did not expect that from.
Speaker 1: Him, And wasn't Almanor in that scene?
Speaker 2: Well, Almanor became I think Corey Price puted out that
Speaker 2: he's the first player in Kentucky history at a minimum
Speaker 2: fifty attempts, I want to say, to be a fifty
Speaker 2: from the field, forty or better from three, and then
Speaker 2: ninety percent or better from the free throw line. So
Speaker 2: he was a kind of a one trick pony player
Speaker 2: as but he played his role of exactly what he
Speaker 2: was supposed to do at a high level.
Speaker 1: No, it was a fascinating year. It really was, and
Speaker 1: I don't think anyone's ever gonna forget it. I think,
Speaker 1: no matter what happens from here on, and a lot
Speaker 1: of it had to do with what happened prior to
Speaker 1: him getting here and where the program was. It was Yeah,
Speaker 1: oh my god. Yes, it wasn't in the same kind
Speaker 1: of shambles that it was when Patino took over, or
Speaker 1: even when Caliperi took over. You know, I mean, Billy
Speaker 1: Clyde at least got him to one NCAA tournament, and
Speaker 1: you know, after that they won. I don't have any games,
Speaker 1: but no, they hadn't hit rock bottom and didn't have
Speaker 1: an empty roster.
Speaker 2: But they did zero players, first team in NCAA history
Speaker 2: to have zero returning minutes and make the Sweet sixteen.
Speaker 2: They accomplished a lot. Obviously, you hate to fall short
Speaker 2: and you hate to hate it to be Tennessee. But
Speaker 2: now let me throw.
Speaker 1: This sat at you, and I should have done this earlier,
Speaker 1: so maybe you can mull this over during the break.
Speaker 1: Somebody emailed me after the game and said he didn't
Speaker 1: think Kentucky was ready to play against Tennessee, and you
Speaker 1: know he so he put everything that happened in the
Speaker 1: game at the coaches feet, which which you know I
Speaker 1: do too, obviously, but that's college sports for you. Coaches
Speaker 1: are demi gods, and when a kid misses a shot,
Speaker 1: it's a coach's fault and all that stuff. But I
Speaker 1: think we agreed that Barnes did a great job and
Speaker 1: there were strategical moves that paid off. But we'll talk
Speaker 1: about that on the other side of the break, and
Speaker 1: we'll look ahead the next season. I got a great
Speaker 1: look at Malachai Moreno boys. I watched him all week
Speaker 1: and he was playing like a grown man. You're right
Speaker 1: here on the State wide BBI welcome back. It is
Speaker 1: to say whye big Blue Insider, Dick Gabriel, Billy Rutledge,
Speaker 1: Aaron Gershwan. All right, So I brought up before the
Speaker 1: break that a listener of viewer a fan emailed me
Speaker 1: and said he believed that the loss to Tennessee was
Speaker 1: Mark Pope's fault for not having his team ready to play.
Speaker 1: Mark Pope would probably agree with that, most coaches would.
Speaker 1: In fact, any coach worths Assault is not going to
Speaker 1: say not, well, you know Rup did, but you know
Speaker 1: the boys didn't do what I told him to do.
Speaker 1: But I do think obviously Tennessee played better. Now, was
Speaker 1: there something that Mark Pope could have told his team
Speaker 1: and didn't? Is there something Rick Barnes told his team
Speaker 1: that he didn't tell him the first two games. Do
Speaker 1: a better job running him off the three point line?
Speaker 1: I think more than anything, he just appealed. Did he
Speaker 1: even have to say anything, Rick Barnes, You know they
Speaker 1: kicked your butts twice. We used to be the top
Speaker 1: ranked team in the country. You know, do you really
Speaker 1: think they're that much better than we are?
Speaker 2: Right? And look, Tennessee like Kentucky old team and in
Speaker 2: their case more continuity, not total continuity, because they had
Speaker 2: some transfers to Millichick para like not complete continuity. But Ziegler, Ganey,
Speaker 2: Mayshack and Ganey have been or excuse me, Mayshack and
Speaker 2: Ziegler have been there for four years. Ganey's been there
Speaker 2: for two as a fourth year senior transfer. So like
Speaker 2: they just like you said, they weren't gonna they knew
Speaker 2: what went wrong the first two games. They're well coached,
Speaker 2: they're smart kids. They've been there, done that. They were
Speaker 2: in the Elite eight just last season, like three Straights,
Speaker 2: second weekends, battle tested group. They weren't gonna let Kentucky
Speaker 2: kill them the same way they did the first two games.
Speaker 2: And I'll tell you what I mean. I'm not gonna
Speaker 2: proclaim myself as a basketball expert by the basketball benny
Speaker 2: or I might be a basketball Bennie, but not an expert.
Speaker 2: But I was sitting court side, obviously covering this game,
Speaker 2: and I didn't think Kentucky it was a lack of
Speaker 2: effort issue at all. I never, for one thought they
Speaker 2: looked like they didn't know what they were doing out there.
Speaker 2: I just thought they got out execute. That's what I hear, Billy.
Speaker 1: When somebody says didn't em ready to play, I hear
Speaker 1: lack of effort. And I didn't see that.
Speaker 2: No, I didn't.
Speaker 3: No, you know it definitely started to set in in
Speaker 3: the second half, but the games in hand at that point.
Speaker 3: You know, while I said Kentucky played extremely efficient in
Speaker 3: the first two games versus Tennessee, Tennessee was the opposite.
Speaker 3: They were I mean, what fourteen to forty one.
Speaker 2: Or something, eleven for forty five from three in the
Speaker 2: first game, in three for eighteen in the second.
Speaker 3: So I mean, you you think that that's going to
Speaker 3: revert back to the mean a little bit.
Speaker 4: The sharps were on it.
Speaker 3: They had Tennessee as a favorite despite Kentucky winning twice
Speaker 3: in the regular season. So you know, it's just that's
Speaker 3: that's why they play the game, right. I mean, it
Speaker 3: can happen any given Sunday or in this instance, when
Speaker 3: you play in a football stadium in basketball, the only
Speaker 3: sight to do that.
Speaker 2: It was so damn right the lights home and yeah,
Speaker 2: I mean it was the first thing. Kentucky held their
Speaker 2: open They had fifteen minutes worth the open practice on
Speaker 2: the date before the game last Thursday, and that's all
Speaker 2: any of the players or Mark Pope or the stat like,
Speaker 2: are these the lights that we're going to be using?
Speaker 2: And they're like yeah, and Pope kind of rolled his eyes,
Speaker 2: you're kidding me. And the players were like holding their
Speaker 2: hands over their eyes like it was bright as heck
Speaker 2: in there. I had a buddy of mine who was
Speaker 2: on the Tennessee beat say, the ball players and coaches
Speaker 2: were saying the same thing, no kidding, everyone was ticked
Speaker 2: off about the lights. But yeah, I would agree with you, Billy.
Speaker 2: That was my first second weekend and first time covering
Speaker 2: a basketball game in a football building, football stadium, whatever.
Speaker 2: Don't love it, well, see, I've.
Speaker 1: I've covered games there. Well, I take that back. You know,
Speaker 1: back when Kentucky used to play Indiana up there, they
Speaker 1: played in.
Speaker 2: The RCAD, different building, yes, the old Colts.
Speaker 1: Yeah, so a different lighting configuration. It was great, It
Speaker 1: was great. It was really well done. And of course
Speaker 1: I've been in the Georgia Dome. I've not yet been
Speaker 1: in the new one because my last gig with the
Speaker 1: SEC Network Radio network as producer was in. As I
Speaker 1: walked out, I turned around like They're going to tear
Speaker 1: this thing down on Monday. So I've not been in
Speaker 1: the new ones. So I've been in a lot of
Speaker 1: football stadiums that have been retrofitted for basketball. Don't like it,
Speaker 1: Although I liked what they did in Georgia. You know,
Speaker 1: they didn't try to set it in the middle so
Speaker 1: that seventy thousand people. You know, they set it back
Speaker 1: in the corner. When Kentucky played Michigan State up in
Speaker 1: Detroit at the Lions Field and they raised the elevated
Speaker 1: the floor, put it right in the middle so they
Speaker 1: could set a record. It was it was awful. It
Speaker 1: was just it was just the sight lines were terrible.
Speaker 4: What's the reasoning? Is it just money?
Speaker 3: Because I mean they played right next to us, just
Speaker 3: just an NBA arena that would have had the same
Speaker 3: amount of capacity.
Speaker 1: Is that a record they wanted to set? The rich
Speaker 1: they did seventy something thousand seats or whatever. And it
Speaker 1: wasn't because me, he was I knew I was gonna
Speaker 1: have a bad look at the game regardless. But we
Speaker 1: local TV. We were up in the press box. We're
Speaker 1: up near the roof of the building. I watched the
Speaker 1: game on a TV monitor because I could barely see that.
Speaker 3: Yeah, some people need binoculars just to even make out
Speaker 3: what's going on down here.
Speaker 2: Well there I was on the court, but the media overfall,
Speaker 2: luckily was in the three wells they have seven hundred
Speaker 2: level in that stadium. It's huge, and that's where the
Speaker 2: press boxes seven hundred levels. So but yeah, look, and
Speaker 2: by the way, Kentucky should just they have no choice
Speaker 2: if they get to the Final four next year, but
Speaker 2: they should just opt out of ever going to Indie again.
Speaker 2: That place is just it's cursed, man. I mean. Now
Speaker 2: they're fifteen and thirteen all time. Yeah, most season, most
Speaker 2: of them a regular season. They've lost five in a
Speaker 2: row and they've all been pretty painful. And I mean,
Speaker 2: I guess the good news is the Champions Classic next
Speaker 2: year in New York. But they haven't been playing while
Speaker 2: there either Wall, yeah, John Wall did and Tyres Maxtt
Speaker 2: did too, But we'll see about the CBS Classic hasn't
Speaker 2: been revealed. So unless they're in the Final Four next year,
Speaker 2: they won't go back to Indy till December twenty seventh
Speaker 2: or twenty twenty six when they play Indiana there. Because
Speaker 2: remember the Indiana Series is back, yeah, starting this season
Speaker 2: at rough Yeah how about that?
Speaker 1: But why are they playing the Indiana game in Indy?
Speaker 2: Well, John cal Perry hates Bloomington and he's the one
Speaker 2: that booked the series. Well, so this is it's a
Speaker 2: four game series. Here's we'll see. Maybe Mark Pope will
Speaker 2: be great and change it so we can have two
Speaker 2: and lex and two in Bloomington. But as of now
Speaker 2: this year in Louisville. Right, No, I've got it right here, Nozaga,
Speaker 2: that's this coming year, day before I get married, so
Speaker 2: I won't be there. But Mark, you Rubb Arena who
Speaker 2: decided that the wedding. Yeah, if you're going to Michigan, Jay, well,
Speaker 2: I'm taking a big risk. Well I wouldn't call it Perry. No, No,
Speaker 2: I'm going to tell you the risk, and I'm putting
Speaker 2: zero faith in Mark stoops here. I'm get married on
Speaker 2: the day the SEC championship game. So they better not
Speaker 2: make it this year.
Speaker 4: It's happening. He's a sports guy.
Speaker 1: Wow, he's a sports guy.
Speaker 2: So we had to come.
Speaker 1: Okay, So I wanted to be your wedding on Derby.
Speaker 2: So I wanted to get married. Listen, I wanted to
Speaker 2: get married in August, and that was our original plan.
Speaker 2: But Maddie's brother is in is going to serve our country.
Speaker 2: He's doing basic training and he won't be home. Nobody'll notice.
Speaker 2: They rejected his request. When he put it in. So
Speaker 2: we're not going to get married without him. Yeah.
Speaker 1: Some friend of mine many many years ago scheduled her
Speaker 1: wedding for the day Kentucky played in nineteen ninety six
Speaker 1: Alabama football. Oh, and she said you're coming. I said,
Speaker 1: I said, no, I can't. I got it. And she goes,
Speaker 1: you don't have to go to every game. I said,
Speaker 1: my contract says yes, I do exactly. Kentucky ended up
Speaker 1: beating Alabama then tearing down the gold post.
Speaker 2: So well, I'm banking on them not making the SECX
Speaker 2: Championship game. Wow, we're gonna I'm sorry, Mark, students, and
Speaker 2: I have no faith hope. If you're listening, it's the
Speaker 2: day of the SEC Football Championship, the Kenzag game. It's okay,
Speaker 2: I can miss one.
Speaker 1: Batch knows you man.
Speaker 3: So he's gonna miss Kentucky versus Bama in their first
Speaker 3: in their SEC champ football history. And then you're gonna
Speaker 3: miss Kentucky win in Nashville against Gonzaga.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 2: I've been unlucky with this Kenzaga series. They've only gotten
Speaker 2: to go to one of them because two of them
Speaker 2: have been in Washington State.
Speaker 1: But interesting, they so that means they have scheduled a
Speaker 1: Gonzaga game for the same day.
Speaker 2: The night before they're playing Friday night on December fifth.
Speaker 1: Oh, okay, okay, But the.
Speaker 2: Indiana Series is a rop arena this year December twentieth,
Speaker 2: as this is alternative, uh, December twenty seventh of next year,
Speaker 2: twenty twenty six at Lucas Oil Stadium. Then come back
Speaker 2: to Lexington at Roup in twenty twenty seven, and then
Speaker 2: they finally go to Assembly Hall in twenty twenty eight.
Speaker 1: Wow, maybe Mike.
Speaker 2: Why did Mike Woodson sign that deal? I don't know,
Speaker 2: but he did.
Speaker 3: Branching off a little bit. How about Mark Pope holding
Speaker 3: a picture with the media.
Speaker 2: And yeah, that was something else a couple of weeks.
Speaker 4: Have you ever seen that, Dick?
Speaker 2: No? Never, Yeah, we were watching their open practice in
Speaker 2: Milwaukee and Ded was like on the media and any
Speaker 2: Lexington media, Mark Pope wants you to come out and
Speaker 2: take a picture with the team, where like a picture
Speaker 2: of the team, Like what do you mean And he's
Speaker 2: like no, they want you to jump in and we're
Speaker 2: all like looking at each other, like what old John
Speaker 2: cal Perry would want us under the arena. But so
Speaker 2: it was cool. It was a nice gesture, you know,
Speaker 2: I was not expecting it and still kind of like
Speaker 2: what but very very nice of them.
Speaker 1: I don't know if you did this on purpose. Maybe
Speaker 1: it's something he's done in the past, and it is
Speaker 1: two other head coaching Yes, possible. It reminds me I'm
Speaker 1: flashing on and I'm not saying that this is exactly
Speaker 1: what happened. But when Guy Morris took over as the
Speaker 1: head coach for how Mummy, by the time Hal left,
Speaker 1: Guy was not a hol Mummy fan. I can tell
Speaker 1: you that. I mean, he respected him as football couch.
Speaker 1: She just didn't like the way he ran his program
Speaker 1: for a number in a number of ways because I
Speaker 1: remember at one point, you know, and how was kind
Speaker 1: of a contrarian, just like Billy.
Speaker 4: But Billy I just think differently.
Speaker 1: But how how would would He was one of those
Speaker 1: guys and I respected this who believed that you didn't
Speaker 1: need to be in your office twenty hours a day.
Speaker 1: And there's all kinds of empirical evidence about coaches killing themselves,
Speaker 1: especially in football, by you know, sleeping in the office
Speaker 1: or you know, just not having a life outside of football.
Speaker 1: And How's thing was you know when we're done, go
Speaker 1: home and on Sunday nights win or lose. They worked,
Speaker 1: of course, you know, breaking it was the autopsy like
Speaker 1: Pope talked about. Everybody does, though they just Pope calls
Speaker 1: with the autopsy. But they had a buffet dinner. Everybody
Speaker 1: had a pot luck, I should say, at the Wildcat
Speaker 1: din and he brought their families like we we would
Speaker 1: a couple of times over there to shoot. The coach
Speaker 1: is showing his kids running around, like what's going on? Oh,
Speaker 1: we do this every Sunday. So how thought differently? But
Speaker 1: I remember Geimo pulling me aside one day said, man,
Speaker 1: these guys weren't bankers hours. They go home at five
Speaker 1: o'clock or something like that, with this wonderment in his voice,
Speaker 1: like you just don't do that, you know. And guy
Speaker 1: was absolutely old school, you know, fifteen years in the
Speaker 1: NFL and it. But my point is he made gestures
Speaker 1: and moves where it looked like he was trying to
Speaker 1: be the anti hel which included when I interviewed him
Speaker 1: at halftime. Is I always do every coach in my career.
Speaker 2: Yep.
Speaker 1: I actually quit doing it with Bill Curry, whom I
Speaker 1: really lacking respective, but Bill wouldn't say anything. Bill was
Speaker 1: always like, yeah, we just you know, we know we
Speaker 1: didn't play. Well, we'll get it fixed, okay. But like
Speaker 1: Stoops is great, Stoops gives you pointed direct answers. How
Speaker 1: would y'all get away from me? Or you know, he
Speaker 1: wouldn't say anything to him or whatever. Guy, the very
Speaker 1: first time I did it, he puts his arm around
Speaker 1: my shoulders and walks me off the feet.
Speaker 2: So he just wanted to be the anti hell that
Speaker 2: got that that impression.
Speaker 1: So I don't know if if if Mark's trying to
Speaker 1: I know, and I'm not being cynical, I think this
Speaker 1: is a classic Mark Pope move from what I know
Speaker 1: about him.
Speaker 2: Well, just go on your go onto your theory here.
Speaker 2: If you remember his press conference obviously in front.
Speaker 1: Of We're gonna come to practice. Wait, remember he said
Speaker 1: I did say that. That wasn't where I was going.
Speaker 1: That's funny.
Speaker 2: Well, I was just saying he went on and rattled
Speaker 2: so off all these things that drove Kentucky fans nuts
Speaker 2: about cal We're gonna go win in the SEC tournament.
Speaker 2: We're gonna go back to Malli and play these non
Speaker 2: conference tournaments we're gonna do this, We're gonna do that,
Speaker 2: like ore in state, recruiting, all these things that drive
Speaker 2: the fan base bonkers about Cal. He's like, we are
Speaker 2: going to change that. And so I.
Speaker 1: Didn't actually say that, but he just say he that
Speaker 1: was just it was between a lot. I was like, yeah,
Speaker 1: I mean, you know what I you know, we all
Speaker 1: know what you're hinting. Somebody told me this, yo. Yeah,
Speaker 1: but we all looked and you were there. We're all
Speaker 1: thinking the same thing. Boy, somebody prepped him really well,
Speaker 1: no card, you know you know what I was.
Speaker 2: Oh, I was going to say, there's no way that's
Speaker 2: all him, all him right now, knowing what I know
Speaker 2: about him now covering him for a season, there was
Speaker 2: no way that was given to him. He had that
Speaker 2: all in his head.
Speaker 1: But it may also be and be wonder from afar now.
Speaker 1: And and I don't mean just geographically, I mean professionally.
Speaker 1: He's busy coaching in Utah Valley State. He's busy coaching
Speaker 1: and recruiting for BYU.
Speaker 2: Sure, but did he know it.
Speaker 1: We're friends telling him nothing, Perry guy, you know, so
Speaker 1: it must have been in the back of his head.
Speaker 1: I'm sure I'm sure it was.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I don't think he's lying when he said he's
Speaker 2: always been a diehard fan.
Speaker 1: Oh sure, yeah.
Speaker 2: Just go look at that corny video he made way
Speaker 2: back when when he was coaching at By.
Speaker 1: Yeah so well listen. And again, thanks to the lack
Speaker 1: of archiving prowess at KYT, I did what I could
Speaker 1: right after the ninety six championship. I don't remember who
Speaker 1: set it up or how or why. Maybe it was
Speaker 1: host Communications or IMG whoever had it, I don't know,
Speaker 1: But I found myself in our studio, in the TV
Speaker 1: studio and we had a little you know, set there
Speaker 1: and Mark Pope sitting there by himself and I'm sitting
Speaker 1: there off camera, and I fired questions at him for
Speaker 1: about an hour and we just rolled tape and I
Speaker 1: cut that all up and turned it into a special
Speaker 1: with Mark Polpe reliving the season and Buddy when they
Speaker 1: hired him. I tore that attic apart looking for nobody
Speaker 1: saved them. Nobody saved him. That'd have been a great watch,
Speaker 1: you know. But on Pro Day on the telecast, one
Speaker 1: of the questions I asked him, I said, I'm not
Speaker 1: sure old you are, but you're fifty one, fifty two, whatever,
Speaker 1: I said, you were here for three years. People forget
Speaker 1: that aid a red shirty, of course, but that year
Speaker 1: was as important as any. Sure, So he's he was
Speaker 1: here for three of his fifty one or two years.
Speaker 1: So what is that six percent of his life?
Speaker 2: Low percent, basically low percent, and.
Speaker 1: Yet it had such an incredible, profound effect on him.
Speaker 1: I mean it stamped him forever, which I thought was fascinating. Yeah,
Speaker 1: and now he's talking to recruits that way. And that's
Speaker 1: what I asked him by I said, how do you
Speaker 1: plan to instill that in in your players? You know?
Speaker 1: And it's it's really going to happen organically. But I
Speaker 1: I mean, Billy, you based based on what these kids
Speaker 1: said this year, they don't want to turn their jerseys in.
Speaker 1: I think it was legit.
Speaker 4: It was no Yeah, I think it translated.
Speaker 3: And that's why I think it's genuine out of him
Speaker 3: and not just somebody giving him a note card or
Speaker 3: telling him the points to say, because he's got the
Speaker 3: blue and white in him and he knew.
Speaker 4: I think that some.
Speaker 3: Of the fan base was yearning for some of those things,
Speaker 3: There's no doubt. But you know, it's also difficult and
Speaker 3: different to coach in this era of college basketball.
Speaker 4: So even with the.
Speaker 3: You know you are one of us, it is, you
Speaker 3: still need to adapt and have new ideas.
Speaker 4: And his do.
Speaker 3: Game like offense was something that I think we got
Speaker 3: to hyped ourselves up a little bit over the summer,
Speaker 3: and I think it delivered for a lot of for
Speaker 3: a lot of.
Speaker 2: Pot until the injuries.
Speaker 1: They played it. Oh yeah, that's Florida.
Speaker 2: Oh absolutely, that's how they beat them.
Speaker 1: Well, they also benefited from Florida missing free throws a
Speaker 1: third of their free throws.
Speaker 2: They did score a hundred points, they did, but what
Speaker 2: you knows, a bunch of frerow missed the front ends stuff.
Speaker 4: And they played at eleven am, which was good for
Speaker 4: our old guys.
Speaker 1: You're looking right at me, Billy.
Speaker 4: They can just go right to the Golden Corral right after.
Speaker 1: Man. Before I moved to where I live now, where
Speaker 1: I have my garage and where I produced my local show,
Speaker 1: I lived over on the northeast side of town, happily
Speaker 1: so for nineteen years, and there's a Golden Corral within
Speaker 1: walking distance of my home. I think I went there
Speaker 1: twice that nineteen years.
Speaker 3: Have been a rewards member, really and you're half my age.
Speaker 3: The chocolate fountain they got going on here, I mean,
Speaker 3: where are you going.
Speaker 2: To find that a wedding?
Speaker 1: And then right across the street was a huge buffet
Speaker 1: as well. But yeah, that's some of my favorite Chinese restaurants.
Speaker 1: I'm gonna put out of business by buffets. It's hard
Speaker 1: to compete. Oh, we get up on that tangent. All right.
Speaker 1: When we come back, we're going to talk about Malachi
Speaker 1: Marino and some of the other recruits. We're gonna talk
Speaker 1: about the future on the other side of the break
Speaker 1: here on the state wide BBI final segment of our
Speaker 1: final show. We thank you so much for being with us.
Speaker 1: You can listen to The Big Blue Insider on the
Speaker 1: local show on Mondays and that will air till seven
Speaker 1: thirty and WLAP here and Lexion and then it's the
Speaker 1: Nick Minngione Show with Darren Hedrick. Uh. Wildcats have a
Speaker 1: big series coming up this weekend with Old Miss. They
Speaker 1: survived and they played well at time, didn't pitch well,
Speaker 1: but managed to take two out of three from an
Speaker 1: A and M team that's just befuddled all of college there.
Speaker 2: They're coach leaving for Texas.
Speaker 1: Really yeah, but they were still preseason number one.
Speaker 2: Yeah. Just they'll never see the top twenty five again.
Speaker 2: All of SEC Baseball twitters that their coach is gonna
Speaker 2: be a one and done so tough situation.
Speaker 1: It ain't working for him.
Speaker 3: Are you surprised that we have a curfew rule in
Speaker 3: twenty twenty five?
Speaker 1: No? No, not without sport. Yeah.
Speaker 2: I don't like it.
Speaker 3: Even the billions of dollars that sports makes and gambling
Speaker 3: affect him.
Speaker 4: Can't get a commercial flight. A little later in the day.
Speaker 1: I watched Kentucky down at LSU complete like an inning
Speaker 1: in nine minutes or something like that. Oh yeah, they
Speaker 1: needed excuse me, and they ended up the game ended.
Speaker 2: Up a tie. I mean there was a coach A
Speaker 2: and M's coach told his guys to intentionally strike out
Speaker 2: so they can get that inning.
Speaker 1: I would think so. Yeah, But just I covered the
Speaker 1: that's why your kids took a mountain covered the Sweet sixteen.
Speaker 1: I saw almost every game. Billy was there for a
Speaker 1: couple of games. Some of you listening may have seen
Speaker 1: some of it on TV. Great Crossing wins it after
Speaker 1: being beaten in the Final four last year, which amazed me.
Speaker 1: When you got a guy with the size and skills
Speaker 1: of Morino, but he's he was better this year and
Speaker 1: that team has more than just him. They got Vince
Speaker 1: Dawson who's going to Warrid State and other kids who
Speaker 1: can play. But Billy went to see South Oldham play,
Speaker 1: and you've got some ties to south Oldham.
Speaker 3: That's where I went to high school, so I had
Speaker 3: to go and support. I think it was the farthest
Speaker 3: and Oldham County team has been because I believe Oldham
Speaker 3: County also made the Final four a couple of years ago.
Speaker 1: North Oldham was I think, Yeah, beat him in the district,
Speaker 1: or beat him in a district championship south old and
Speaker 1: beat them in the regional.
Speaker 3: Well it's funny because I went to the first South
Speaker 3: game and it was packed. I mean they brought the
Speaker 3: buses over. Everybody was there. And then I went back
Speaker 3: Saturday morning and not much nobody there. It's like you
Speaker 3: don't get school off and nobody came. But congratulations to
Speaker 3: Great Crossing Malachaburn.
Speaker 1: They wore those neon yellowish green shirts.
Speaker 3: Oh the South studentman. Yeah, and we did that in
Speaker 3: twenty thirteen, did you really? Yeah, that's great I love that.
Speaker 1: But at any rate, you're gonna like You're gonna like
Speaker 1: Moreno a great kid. And I will tell you this
Speaker 1: that my daughter who's been a teacher for a couple
Speaker 1: of years at at Bowling Green, she teaches special needs
Speaker 1: I'm looking At'm reading a great crossing. She teaches works
Speaker 1: with special needs children. And there are other students who
Speaker 1: are part of a program who volunteer to come help,
Speaker 1: and several of the basketball players do it, and Moreno
Speaker 1: is one of them. So she loves him. And because
Speaker 1: of that she called me. When she called me, had
Speaker 1: just met Hubert Davis in the school recruiting Moreno, I
Speaker 1: just met Mike Woodson. You know that people like that.
Speaker 1: And then one day, hey, I just met Mark Pope said,
Speaker 1: there it is, you know. So anyway, fans, you're gonna
Speaker 1: like him. I think you're gonna like this Kentucky recruiting
Speaker 1: class as well. The question is who joins them. I
Speaker 1: have enjoyed being with Billy and Aaron, and I thank
Speaker 1: them very much for their time. They will be on
Speaker 1: my show locally. Billy's got his local show every morning
Speaker 1: at nine am on most of these same stations. Follow
Speaker 1: Aaron in the pages of the Cat's Pause or online.
Speaker 1: You can't just type in catspaws dot com anymore. Key yes,
Speaker 1: they're still default too. Okay, good, all right, well I
Speaker 1: urge you to do that. Thanks so much for joining us.
Speaker 1: That's it. Good night from Lexington.