Speaker 1: Hell, everybody to the facilities of the iHeart Media megaplexis
Speaker 1: is Dick Abrie. It's the statewide edition of The Big
Speaker 1: Bloon Insider. If here comments from Mark Pope, Hey, get
Speaker 1: your gas money now right, maybe a ticket also heard
Speaker 1: comments from the Wildcatch after their draw, and of course
Speaker 1: comments from Nick Minzio. Next up, well here from Aaron
Speaker 1: Gershaan and Billy Rutligion on the statewide BBI Border to border.
Speaker 1: It is the Big Blue Insider. It's tournament week and
Speaker 1: a little bit later on Billion Aaron and I are
Speaker 1: going to go through our tournaments, our tournament brackets, and
Speaker 1: see how many upsets we're picking after him in mind's
Speaker 1: a little chalky. As the years have gone on, I
Speaker 1: have become a little chalkier. But also I have one bracket.
Speaker 1: I might fill out another one just for fun. But
Speaker 1: I tried to quote Mike Golick, who was on Mike
Speaker 1: and Mike for many years on ESPN Radio. He used
Speaker 1: to call it and whenever he would say it, they'd
Speaker 1: put the echo effect on it. The sheet of integrity,
Speaker 1: one sheet because because the other mic would make out
Speaker 1: three or four whatever, And they're.
Speaker 2: No wrong with that.
Speaker 1: But I also just for fun, every once in a while,
Speaker 1: every year or so, I make out a bracket sheet
Speaker 1: with just chalk, just to see.
Speaker 3: How it goes.
Speaker 1: Yeah, and you know what, you know, in terms of contest,
Speaker 1: it's it's no better. I mean, because there are upsets.
Speaker 1: But they keep saying, well, you know, the chalk holds
Speaker 1: more and more. Not not really, yeah.
Speaker 3: I mean, you know, you go look at last year
Speaker 3: the hot the hot upsets for McNeice and whoever they played,
Speaker 3: and McNeice got steamrolled. And I think I don't know
Speaker 3: if it was last year the year before, but Oral
Speaker 3: Roberts was a really really good team and they got
Speaker 3: crushed and then ended up being Kentucky losing Oakland, which
Speaker 3: not many people pick. Some did, some did, but I
Speaker 3: didn't in my bracket. But I did. If you asked
Speaker 3: Daryl Byrd and Mark Mathis on the drive to Pittsburgh
Speaker 3: what I'd said, I told him We're going home Friday
Speaker 3: Boys winning. I just had a gut feeling all week.
Speaker 3: I should have put it. I should have been man
Speaker 3: enough to put it in my bracket, but I wasn't.
Speaker 1: That's the true test, isn't it exactly? Let's backtrack a
Speaker 1: little bit. Uh and Billy was here. We we've talked
Speaker 1: about Quesch. You covered the game, and I was up
Speaker 1: listening and watching the call. The Jack Gibbings and Tom,
Speaker 1: but especially Jack went away hits that shot. Oh my gosh,
Speaker 1: I thought Jack was going to come out of his seat.
Speaker 2: I mean, it was.
Speaker 3: Probably a faint after how they choked it.
Speaker 2: Oh my gosh, Oh my god.
Speaker 3: I was.
Speaker 1: I mean, I don't know what y'all's reaction was, but
Speaker 1: after a while I just started laughing, like they're gonna lose.
Speaker 3: Well, I was pretty ticked off, not with the result,
Speaker 3: not a fan, but the fact I either will start
Speaker 3: rewriting my gamer. It was already three in the morning
Speaker 3: or whatever it was, so that was lovely. But no,
Speaker 3: I just I couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe that
Speaker 3: they couldn't break a simple press. Oklahoma was trying to
Speaker 3: foul and they're still trying to dribble instead of just
Speaker 3: hold the ball, Like this is amateur stuff that they
Speaker 3: were screwing up and good decent handlers, like I know
Speaker 3: it would take always not a point guard, but look
Speaker 3: at what he was able to do in the last play.
Speaker 3: He can handle the basketball, and he has two pivotal turnovers,
Speaker 3: and I mean, that twelve point leader evaporated in the
Speaker 3: blink of an eye. And I'll tell you what though,
Speaker 3: when they called that time out, I was like, they're
Speaker 3: just gonna o Teka's gonna win this game. I literally
Speaker 3: thought that. I'm like, they're just gonna let Otaga win
Speaker 3: this game. And it's against his former team, like they're
Speaker 3: probably I mean, think of that. You have to think
Speaker 3: of it too, Oklahoma did all that work. They probably
Speaker 3: think Kentucky's dead, right, They probably think we got him.
Speaker 1: You think they were thinking that, remembering knowing what Oway
Speaker 1: was purple?
Speaker 3: I do, I really think they got them. I think
Speaker 3: they're like, there's no way they're overcoming this twelve point lead.
Speaker 3: Here's what I because they I'll tell you what, the
Speaker 3: high in their huddle, like they were as if they
Speaker 3: won the game around absolutely. So that's what kind of
Speaker 3: what took me to that.
Speaker 1: Here's what surprised me the most. Two well two things.
Speaker 1: Obviously letting him turn that corner, okay, but prior to that,
Speaker 1: how do you let him get the ball? I know,
Speaker 1: you know what I mean. I mean, I assumed they
Speaker 1: would play denial, nothing give guard, not guard the passer
Speaker 1: a la patino. But no, I thought they might put
Speaker 1: two people and try to suffocate. Oh way, And you're right.
Speaker 1: Not only does he get a free catch, he gets
Speaker 1: a free catch in stride. I don't remember who threw
Speaker 1: him the ball, and then he flied. And that's another thing.
Speaker 1: He outran two defenders. And it's always amazing to me, Billy,
Speaker 1: how somebody with the ball, dribbling the ball, ball handling,
Speaker 1: making sure you don't step out of bounds and all
Speaker 1: that can outrun a defender. And yet he out ran
Speaker 1: two guys. Now they weren't the fastest guys on the team.
Speaker 1: And then it's I guess it was Jimmy Diyke's doing
Speaker 1: the game or whoever said they'll let him turn the
Speaker 1: corner and he'd and he still put in a really
Speaker 1: difficult shot.
Speaker 4: And that was the plan, right Mike Mark Pope said
Speaker 4: afterwards they wanted to get him down hill and then
Speaker 4: give him an option to pass to the corner or
Speaker 4: take it to the rack, and he did exactly that.
Speaker 4: You'd think if there was any team that would recognize that,
Speaker 4: it was Oklahoma after they had just happened to them.
Speaker 4: But you know that's a that's a type of story
Speaker 4: movie production crews kind of throw to the side and
Speaker 4: say that's not realistic enough. I mean, come on against
Speaker 4: your old team twice and then to win in the
Speaker 4: SEC Tournament.
Speaker 3: I'll be honest. My jaw was on the ground.
Speaker 4: After they blew the ten twelve point lead and Oklahoma
Speaker 4: went up by one, and I think everybody in Bridgetone
Speaker 4: Arena had the same reaction, just pure shock. And honestly,
Speaker 4: the conversation would have been a little toxic going into
Speaker 4: the NCAA tournament if that's the case.
Speaker 3: But they hope can't win a tournament exactly.
Speaker 4: And then you know, if cal in Arkansas would have
Speaker 4: gotten farther than Kentucky had been a whole other thing too, right,
Speaker 4: But you know, it was just extremely satisfying to win
Speaker 4: that first game in the SEC tournament. It was it
Speaker 4: felt like a monkey off the back a little bit.
Speaker 3: Now. Did the beat down versus Alabama help? No, it
Speaker 3: did not. But I'd like to think that game never happened. Yeah,
Speaker 3: you gotta just I'm with you. Man, Like Lamont didn't
Speaker 3: play like going into that game. He almost felt I
Speaker 3: wrote about it too, like, yeah, you don't want to
Speaker 3: have your worst SEC tournament lost in program history and
Speaker 3: suffer your first three games sweep since twenty fourteen to anyone, Like,
Speaker 3: none of that's anything you want, and you don't want
Speaker 3: to get embarrassed when you have half more than half
Speaker 3: the building. It was probably seventy thirty for that game.
Speaker 3: There were a lot of Alabama fans there, But I.
Speaker 1: Thought I thought I saw a little bit of quit
Speaker 1: at one point.
Speaker 3: Yeahpe call that time. None of that's okay.
Speaker 1: Hope called time out because he show it too.
Speaker 3: So none of that's okay. But like the fact you
Speaker 3: got that, like Billy said, that monkey off your back,
Speaker 3: you were able to deliver for those fans who were
Speaker 3: unbelievable on what Thursday night.
Speaker 2: I also think that it overcame against Alabama.
Speaker 1: I don't mean interrupted, but sure against Alabama and you
Speaker 1: were there. I think you never want to be without
Speaker 1: Lamont Butler, but especially against a team that plays.
Speaker 2: The way Alabama.
Speaker 3: It was not worth the risk.
Speaker 1: You got the head no no, no, no, no by far.
Speaker 1: But you gotta have somebody who can pressure the ball
Speaker 1: at the beginning of their play and keep Alabama from
Speaker 1: being so comfortable on offense because.
Speaker 2: That's the way they play off And look, I.
Speaker 3: Don't want to give silver linings, but the Kentucky played
Speaker 3: well in the first half. They did. They hit They
Speaker 3: hit more threes in Alabama. The biggest problem with the
Speaker 3: first half was Alabama was able to get to forty
Speaker 3: seven with only two threes. That was the issue. And
Speaker 3: then the second half the three started falling and Kentucky's
Speaker 3: playing on tired legs, Alabama's got five days of rest.
Speaker 3: It kind of it kind of took over. But I
Speaker 3: didn't think I mean, I thought the quit in the
Speaker 3: second half was the biggest concern. But in the first half,
Speaker 3: I mean, it was fourteen to fourteen. After that seven
Speaker 3: minute opening segment, Kentucky goes down nine, they come back
Speaker 3: with a seven zero run, like they were hanging around.
Speaker 3: It was only a seven point game at halftime when
Speaker 3: they wave the goaltend off. So it wasn't like they
Speaker 3: were awful in that first half.
Speaker 2: So do you just throw it out like a bad
Speaker 2: horse race, Billy?
Speaker 3: You do?
Speaker 4: And if you want to talk about something awful, we
Speaker 4: should talk about officiating. I mean, twice player Kentucky players
Speaker 4: blood over the week or weekend, and both times they
Speaker 4: weren't called. It was Colin Chandler had to get stitches
Speaker 4: by his eyebrow all out, Tyler Eulss.
Speaker 3: It looked like back in the day.
Speaker 4: And then uh otega Oway who if you saw the
Speaker 4: on his lip post game, you would have thought he
Speaker 4: got mugged. But the guy didn't get a foul called.
Speaker 1: I thought the thing was incidental contract for lack of
Speaker 1: a better term, I mean I've seen that. I've been
Speaker 1: hitting the face like that playing pick up. I mean,
Speaker 1: you know it happens. I thought the always thing, Come on,
Speaker 1: there was that's a foul.
Speaker 3: Yeah. The Alabama the Alabama game was terribly officiated for
Speaker 3: both sides. I mean there was an offensive foul at
Speaker 3: in Alabama right in front of us. It was like,
Speaker 3: uh what it was? It was a terrible and Ainsley
Speaker 3: almon Or they called a tie up and Ansley Almanor
Speaker 3: never touched the basketball and it gave Kentucky a free possession.
Speaker 3: Like it was, it was going both was.
Speaker 2: It wasn't the.
Speaker 1: Oklahoma game where somebody clamped down on cars arm.
Speaker 3: How about how about and they took the ball away
Speaker 3: from how about this? I am not excusing what happened
Speaker 3: at the end of that Oklahoma game, Like that was
Speaker 3: a disaster and they really got to get that worked
Speaker 3: out because Troy presses the heck out of teams. They
Speaker 3: pressed as much as almost anyone in the country. But
Speaker 3: Andrew Carr was fouled. I went back and watched it
Speaker 3: three times. On that last turnover, I'm thinking of, Yeah,
Speaker 3: maybe at the very end of the game in the Yeah,
Speaker 3: he got mugged, Like, how is that not and especially
Speaker 3: because it is fouling and I think we've seen this,
Speaker 3: they've changed the at the end of the game.
Speaker 2: Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1: You know how I am about official I am loath
Speaker 1: to criticize me too, you know, uh, just doing it
Speaker 1: a little bit. My brother's done it a lot. But
Speaker 1: it's like I can't defend umpires when people want the
Speaker 1: robot balls and strikes because they've blown it. They've had
Speaker 1: They've had more than a hundred years to do it right,
Speaker 1: and finally people are fed up and they have the
Speaker 1: technology to do it right.
Speaker 2: Now.
Speaker 1: Technology is not going to fix what we're talking about.
Speaker 1: But I have to go to the uh Clemson Louisville game.
Speaker 1: Did you see the end of the odd How's that
Speaker 1: not NFL?
Speaker 2: Oh it is?
Speaker 3: And yet Michigan, Michigan.
Speaker 2: You were working. Did you have a chance to see
Speaker 2: the end of that?
Speaker 3: Was that the buzzer beater for Louisville or no? The
Speaker 3: next game? Yeah, okay, I didn't see it.
Speaker 1: Clemson's down to and it was interesting. I tipped my
Speaker 1: cap to the producer of the telecast. They had a
Speaker 1: video package ready. I don't remember the guy's name. You
Speaker 1: you've covered the game, you know his name.
Speaker 3: I forgot who shot the ball?
Speaker 1: Whoever it is, it's there. It's their key guy in
Speaker 1: the situation. May Yeah, I think it was Chase Hunter.
Speaker 1: They had a video package ready of buzzer beaters that
Speaker 1: this guy has hit through his career. You know, everybody
Speaker 1: knows he's going there, going to him, and he did
Speaker 1: it here? Did it there?
Speaker 2: Did? I mean at least four? And again.
Speaker 1: They let him get the ball and he goes in,
Speaker 1: and he turns the corner and goes in and he
Speaker 1: is nailed with a cross body blocked from two different players. Yeah,
Speaker 1: plenty of contact, I mean body and raking his arm.
Speaker 1: He ends up prone in midair and slams to the
Speaker 1: floor and the ball barely gets to the rim and
Speaker 1: they showed him. Yeah, I mean he's he's like, what.
Speaker 3: Yeah, Michigan go. I forget who Michigan State lost to
Speaker 3: in their Big ten tournament, but they had the very,
Speaker 3: very similar play half. The whistle's just different at the
Speaker 3: end of games, and it needs to be fixed. It's
Speaker 3: got to be the same rules. You don't want to
Speaker 3: be twenty minutes.
Speaker 1: Deciding well you are you are when you do that.
Speaker 3: Oh okay, U n C lane violation on that, I'm okay.
Speaker 2: That's the rule.
Speaker 3: But that's the thing. I'm okay with that. That's the rule.
Speaker 3: If you're as long as you call it when there's
Speaker 3: nineteen minutes left in the first half, I'm cool with it.
Speaker 3: If you're consistently calling it all game fine.
Speaker 1: Because if you don't call it the rules, what are
Speaker 1: you telling the other team, Well, he did it, but
Speaker 1: we're gonna.
Speaker 3: Let We're gonna let this.
Speaker 1: We'll let this one go because it's early or it's
Speaker 1: the end of the game.
Speaker 3: Yeah, there was a game. We can tuck. You said
Speaker 3: a couple of games this year where multiple lane violation
Speaker 3: has been called. But you know what, at least they're
Speaker 3: calling all of them, and lane violations happen every game.
Speaker 3: It's a matter of if they want to call them
Speaker 3: or not. As long as they call all of them
Speaker 3: or call none of them, I'm cool.
Speaker 1: Well for me, those are easy to call. They're easy
Speaker 1: to call. Yeah, well, you know it's not a judgment,
Speaker 1: then don't worry. North Carolina still got in the tournament
Speaker 1: with their one quad.
Speaker 3: One that u c l A. I was we were
Speaker 3: there for. We were at the un c is only
Speaker 3: quad one win. It was against u c l A
Speaker 3: and New York. Do you remember how they won that game.
Speaker 3: UCLA was up twelve with like six minutes left and
Speaker 3: then they missed every free throw handed it to them.
Speaker 3: So that was their one quad win that got They
Speaker 3: hit the shots, sure.
Speaker 2: Yeah, hit shots, but u c LA opened the door.
Speaker 3: They never should have had those possessions.
Speaker 1: And prior to that point, I remember watching this This
Speaker 1: is North Carolina exactly.
Speaker 3: They're not good. And you talk about West Virginia. They
Speaker 3: beat Gonzaga, they beat on a neutral court, They beat
Speaker 3: Arizona on a neutral court. Everyt They beat Iowa State,
Speaker 3: Number two, Iowa State without West Virginia's leading score. They
Speaker 3: beat number seven camsas at Allen Field House without West
Speaker 3: Virginia's leading score and they're out in North Carolina with
Speaker 3: their one lousy quad one? When is it? But I
Speaker 3: leave the room when you talk about my team, So
Speaker 3: I mean, how sure my.
Speaker 2: Fowls are still in the room.
Speaker 3: But I'm just I'm looking through the pehole now.
Speaker 1: Well, you know, through the years, I feel like that
Speaker 1: the committee's gotten better and better. Uh say, would you
Speaker 1: will about metrics or whatever? Took a huge step back
Speaker 1: where you talk about lack of credibility.
Speaker 3: Yeah, they I thought they did a nice job on
Speaker 3: the one twos and threes. I had no issues with
Speaker 3: any of the one twos or threes. It's the fives.
Speaker 3: Like Memphis should not be a five. They have a
Speaker 3: good resume, they have a better resume than people give
Speaker 3: them credit for it, but not a five resume. And
Speaker 3: then look Louisville, they don't have a great resume, but
Speaker 3: they just are better than the eight. I thought they
Speaker 3: should have been a seven.
Speaker 1: Well, like I said, they do have. They probably were,
Speaker 1: although why not make them a seven in election and instead.
Speaker 2: Of U c l A.
Speaker 3: Yeah, but just I don't know it's fair. I mean
Speaker 3: Auburn and Alburn and Tennessee were always going to get
Speaker 3: the chance to play here. But you could have put
Speaker 3: them in what the seven in that bracket? I forget this.
Speaker 3: They couldn't They could have put them as the seven
Speaker 3: in the Midwest.
Speaker 1: I think Louisville fans were thinking they'd be at least
Speaker 1: a six, if not a five.
Speaker 3: But I didn't think they'll get there.
Speaker 2: No, I don't know that their resume call for that.
Speaker 3: The best wins Clemson.
Speaker 4: Are you ready to join us on the dark side here,
Speaker 4: Dick with your tinfoil hat and we're reminded that these
Speaker 4: are TV made for TV matchups Selection Committee Auburn anecdote.
Speaker 1: Would you about the eighty two NC tournament. That's right,
Speaker 1: I've been wearing that hat for a long time. Don't
Speaker 1: you remember that story? I do?
Speaker 2: I do.
Speaker 4: And now it's just when we get Rick Patino versus
Speaker 4: John Caliperry in the round of thirty two, everybody's going
Speaker 4: to be tuned in.
Speaker 1: But here's here's the problem I have with that. As
Speaker 1: I adjust my tinfoil hat, if you want to look
Speaker 1: for a conspiracy, then it in.
Speaker 2: You know. I don't think they did themselves.
Speaker 1: Any favors with North Carolina.
Speaker 2: You know what I'm saying. Sure, absolutely.
Speaker 1: I don't think it improves their ratings or numbers or whatever,
Speaker 1: but I think it turns people against what they're watching.
Speaker 3: There's a governor in West Virginia that would agree with you.
Speaker 2: God, he's gonna sue. Who's he gonna sue?
Speaker 3: That's my favorite.
Speaker 1: I'm gonna sir, all right, we'll take a break, come
Speaker 1: back and talk more about the seatings, and in a
Speaker 1: few minutes we're gonna bust out the brackets and find
Speaker 1: out who's picking, what upsets when and how back with
Speaker 1: more on the state wide BBI.
Speaker 2: From Pikeville to Paduca. It is the big.
Speaker 1: Bull in sider did Gabriel Billy Rutledge Aaron Gershawn tournament week?
Speaker 1: And at the bottom of the hour, we're going to
Speaker 1: go go through our brackets. Let me ask you this
Speaker 1: Kentucky banged up as it is. Pat forty of Sports
Speaker 1: Till traded casting his doubts on social media, and he
Speaker 1: made it sound like he was not convinced of Kentucky
Speaker 1: simply because of all the injuries. And I think that's fair.
Speaker 1: But I do think that with Lamont Butler. I do
Speaker 1: think a three seed was not out of the picture.
Speaker 2: It was not out of the ordinary.
Speaker 3: They should have been a three I mean, if we
Speaker 3: want resumes to matter, like they should. Yeah, exactly who
Speaker 3: else has beaten Duke in Florida?
Speaker 1: Well, what was interesting about it is Kentucky has a
Speaker 1: pile of quad one wins and then the puzzling losses.
Speaker 3: They do have the puzzling losses, but like their quad
Speaker 3: one wins aren't just like, Okay, they went and got
Speaker 3: a road win. Oh no, they beat Duke, they beat Florida.
Speaker 3: Who are the two of the odds on favorites to
Speaker 3: win this whole thing Tennessee Tennessee twice A and m
Speaker 3: who's a top twenty ken Pom team. I mean, by
Speaker 3: the way they beat Tennessee without Lamont Butler on the
Speaker 3: road and then they beat him at home without Jackson,
Speaker 3: Probamson and know Lamont, but they watched Lamont go down
Speaker 3: and look like he was done for the year, and
Speaker 3: Trent know What and Travis Perry carried them to victory.
Speaker 3: That come on, now, Like I love Pat forty, but
Speaker 3: I couldn't disagree and be more annoyed with that.
Speaker 4: You also beat a team that you might meet in
Speaker 4: the Sweet sixteen twice already in Tennessee.
Speaker 3: I love Indy right up in Indy.
Speaker 2: Why do you love that matchup?
Speaker 4: Well, while Tennessee is good defensively beat them, there are
Speaker 4: times where they can't hit a shot.
Speaker 1: True, And Kentucky about the old hard to beat somebody
Speaker 1: three times?
Speaker 4: Well, I said that several times, and then Alabama Obama
Speaker 4: proves that cliches mean nothing to NATO.
Speaker 3: Auburn just did its old miss too.
Speaker 4: So I'd love to see Tennessee a third time and
Speaker 4: then continue to keep Tennessee out of the final four.
Speaker 1: Tennessee scares me a third time, it really does.
Speaker 3: Who's who scares you that's going to score the ball?
Speaker 4: Like Lanierigler, he's historically bad, But you're gonna Kentucky.
Speaker 3: But what if Lamont Butler's healthy.
Speaker 2: That's a fair point.
Speaker 3: They haven't played and Ziegler even without Lamont Butler healthy,
Speaker 3: Kentucky he'd be. He went one for eleven against Kentucky
Speaker 3: and Knox, with Travis Perry carding him after. I'm you know,
Speaker 3: you just never know what I get it. You know,
Speaker 3: I really like Island. I like Laniar, but.
Speaker 1: He loses his mind, that's right. And yeah, he struggled
Speaker 1: against Colin Chandler. Yeah in Knoxville.
Speaker 2: I know.
Speaker 3: It's just Milichick is the one who's not a good
Speaker 3: matchup for them, and he killed them twice Kentucky, like
Speaker 3: Mark Publish, all year long, they've struggled with stretched Force
Speaker 3: for whatever reason. Yes, so that's the guy that scares me,
Speaker 3: like a Grant Nelson.
Speaker 1: But to Milsice, to me, is the most puzzling element
Speaker 1: of Tennessee's attack because I know he's not Dalton Connect,
Speaker 1: but they brought him into play a similar role. They
Speaker 1: just never knew that Connect would be as good. Maybe
Speaker 1: they thought he would, but I feel like sometimes they
Speaker 1: forget about Milica's you know what I mean. Well, remember
Speaker 1: the game here. They put them on the bench at
Speaker 1: the end of the game and Kentucky held them down
Speaker 1: defense like Kentucky just said, okay, like no one else,
Speaker 1: and Billy said, they have hard time scoring and to
Speaker 1: put that that guy is here to score and was
Speaker 1: there to score.
Speaker 3: Kentucky went twelve for twenty four from three in both
Speaker 3: the games. So they have as a great defense, right,
Speaker 3: So they have the schematic edge that Rick Barnes has
Speaker 3: seen twice and still couldn't figure out.
Speaker 2: Can they do that in the uncate tournament?
Speaker 3: Yes? I think I think that.
Speaker 2: Do you think so?
Speaker 3: If they can get that far, that's my concern is
Speaker 3: can they get that well, that's.
Speaker 2: Our assumption we can do that.
Speaker 4: Can I take a detour here for a second, because
Speaker 4: the University of Kentucky announced five people were to be
Speaker 4: inducted into the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame, and Dick
Speaker 4: Gabriel was one.
Speaker 3: Of best five. We should have opened with that.
Speaker 4: And Dick, I just want to say thank you from
Speaker 4: the bottom of my heart for everything you've done for
Speaker 4: my career. But this is a well deserved honor. This
Speaker 4: is a long time coming. And for what three or
Speaker 4: four decades that you've been covering Kentucky, you've done a
Speaker 4: great job.
Speaker 2: Thank you very much.
Speaker 3: Echoed that completely.
Speaker 1: Thank you so much, very very humbled and very surprised.
Speaker 3: And we better have a big party.
Speaker 4: I mean, if you're going into a Hall of Fame,
Speaker 4: I mean we need apps, we need maybe.
Speaker 1: An after party.
Speaker 4: We have this big, beautiful off maybe some Chinese food
Speaker 4: for me and Aaron sometime you come in for a
Speaker 4: statewide show.
Speaker 3: I mean, this is true great honor.
Speaker 1: Every now and then I stop at China King and uh,
Speaker 1: I'm China Star, and uh bring in Chinese food that
Speaker 1: I take home.
Speaker 2: So I will do that some night. I will do that.
Speaker 3: Some night.
Speaker 1: I will treat you all to a buffet. I'll get
Speaker 1: everything on one side of the menu.
Speaker 3: There you go.
Speaker 1: But I am humbled and very appreciative, So thank you
Speaker 1: very much. Yeah, I mean, uh, you know, we've been
Speaker 1: doing this show for a while.
Speaker 4: Yeah, what do you think about in your career? Is
Speaker 4: it you know, covering the cats? Is it being on
Speaker 4: TV you is it the radio? In the garage shows
Speaker 4: we did for three years? It felt like what comes
Speaker 4: to mind?
Speaker 1: That's the thing is I've been so fortunate, right place,
Speaker 1: right time, you know. And I mean I started my
Speaker 1: career at the station. It was the flagship station. Next
Speaker 1: thing you know, I'm doing the scoreboard show. That's how
Speaker 1: I started on the network. And then when they rejiggered
Speaker 1: the network some years later, I'm a kyt a partner,
Speaker 1: and I remember Mike Boskam want to be a sidelines reporter?
Speaker 3: Yeah?
Speaker 1: Sure, you know, okay, okay, you know now I'm traveling
Speaker 1: with the team and that kind of thing. It's spent
Speaker 1: a lot of years doing the basketball pregame show. Then
Speaker 1: the SEC network rolls around, and I've been doing baseball
Speaker 1: games for KYT on TV, and you know, UK said
Speaker 1: want to do baseball?
Speaker 2: Yeah sure?
Speaker 1: And I had done volleyball. I want to do yeah sure,
Speaker 1: you know, right place, right time. So that was so
Speaker 1: much of it. But I like to feel that because
Speaker 1: of my schooling at UK School of Journalism, and I
Speaker 1: was studying to be a print guy like Aaron, I
Speaker 1: was going to be a sports writer.
Speaker 2: But when I started coming out.
Speaker 1: Of school looking for a job, newspaper jobs were already
Speaker 1: drying up. And I had done radio in college for
Speaker 1: the campus station for fun, and I found I heard
Speaker 1: there was a job open downtown, full time radio sports job,
Speaker 1: which they just don't exist anymore. And I knew the
Speaker 1: right people and then walked through the door and they
Speaker 1: needed somebody today, and I'm like, I'll do it, okay,
Speaker 1: right place, right time. So that's what I think about.
Speaker 3: You let life take you into a different place.
Speaker 1: It was good luck and I was ready for I
Speaker 1: was prepared. I'd like to think so. But thank you
Speaker 1: very much for your time. All Right, we're gonna look
Speaker 1: at the brackets when we come back here on the
Speaker 1: state wide BBI. It is a say wide Big Blue
Speaker 1: insider Dick Gabrielle, Aaron Gershawn, Billy Rutledge, our UK network
Speaker 1: producer Aaron of course with a cat's pause, vested interest
Speaker 1: all in upsets. Now, last year you all didn't fill
Speaker 1: out your brackets still later on in the week, but
Speaker 1: I should fill one out at least take.
Speaker 2: A shot at one. Yeah, Aaron, why do you start?
Speaker 3: Where are we starting?
Speaker 2: Let's start with the East? Okay, do you have any upsets?
Speaker 3: Baylor over Mississippi State if you want to call that
Speaker 3: one nine over eight. I I've chalked the rest of
Speaker 3: the way, except because I'm very low on Arizona. I
Speaker 3: have Acron winning that game. Wow, I've really I watched
Speaker 3: that there. I think they're top thirty effishing offense something
Speaker 3: like that. They're very they have a lot of good
Speaker 3: guard play. Last year they took they were there in Pittsburgh,
Speaker 3: worked well while Kentucky was there and they really made
Speaker 3: Creighton sweat went out. I'm high on Akron. They went
Speaker 3: nineteen and one and the Mac's not a joke like.
Speaker 3: It's a pretty good conference. They went nineteen to one there.
Speaker 3: So I heard one of the over the weekend. I
Speaker 3: agree with you anymore, all chalk in the East.
Speaker 1: Other than that, okay, mister East in the East, I
Speaker 1: have all chalk.
Speaker 3: So that's that's a little boring. I understand, that's right.
Speaker 2: I have.
Speaker 1: I hate this because my boy is Neil Price, but
Speaker 1: I got Baylor beating Mississippi State. I've got Liberty upsetting Oregon.
Speaker 1: That's just just because I heard.
Speaker 3: Liberty is a fun style.
Speaker 1: Yeah they are, and I heard the heads over the
Speaker 1: weekend talking about it. I thought, I've got b Yu
Speaker 1: beating v c U, and then I've got b Yu
Speaker 1: beating Wiscon.
Speaker 3: I sure do as well?
Speaker 2: Is that right? M okay, we got more than one?
Speaker 2: You got oh?
Speaker 3: I thought we were talking. That's what I have as well. Yeah, okay,
Speaker 3: I thought that's the first round. No no, no, oh yeah no.
Speaker 3: I have you got b Yu Billy b Yu Bama. Okay.
Speaker 3: In the round of thirty two, I have Duke Oregon
Speaker 3: and then BYU Band's.
Speaker 1: Sweet Who's coming out of the East Aaron.
Speaker 3: Duke Blue Devils. I'm Duke playing Alabama and the elite
Speaker 3: Eate and Duke same and Billy.
Speaker 2: I have Duke as well over Bama. Same. But how
Speaker 2: shocked would we be if Bama lost. I wouldn't be
Speaker 2: that shot.
Speaker 3: Because they just got shell E. Yu is the one
Speaker 3: I could see b Yu getting them. Really rad a
Speaker 3: good team, okay, but that's the only one. I can't
Speaker 3: see them losing. The Saint Mary's Vanderbilt and obviously Robert
Speaker 3: I like St.
Speaker 2: Marys. I watched them play again zaty other night.
Speaker 3: I think Vani will give Saint Mary's a shot. I
Speaker 3: Saint Mary's got a little too much for that.
Speaker 2: Agree. Okay, let's go to the Midwest.
Speaker 3: Aaron, Oh, this will be popular BBN. I have all
Speaker 3: first round. The only upset I have is high Point
Speaker 3: over Purdue. Very high Point has a number twenty three
Speaker 3: in offensive efficiency and I lingered on that game and Purdue.
Speaker 2: I've watched Purdue.
Speaker 3: I'm not high on Purdue. Here's where BBN will hate me.
Speaker 3: I have Illinois beating Kentucky in the round to thirty two. Okay,
Speaker 3: Illinois is a really they play a very similar style
Speaker 3: to Alabama. They're very fast. I think seventeenth in tempo.
Speaker 3: They have three forwards who shoot over thirty three percent
Speaker 3: from three, including Big Z's brother Tom is love. They're
Speaker 3: good man. They scare me. That was when I saw
Speaker 3: they were the Kentucky six. That's like, hold, I'm wrong
Speaker 3: because I want to keep.
Speaker 4: You know, you do realize Kentucky will game plan for
Speaker 4: this NCAA tournament game. I do, they will guard three
Speaker 4: point shooters.
Speaker 3: But yeah, well and Orlando and Segua was on the
Speaker 3: other bench, and uh, Will Riley, Kentucky tried really hard
Speaker 3: to get there, But I don't know. Hope, Hey, hope
Speaker 3: I'm wrong. Uh. And then other than that, I have
Speaker 3: chalked the rest of the way in the Sweet sixteen,
Speaker 3: IL like Tennessee beating Illinois, Houston beating Clemson, and Houston
Speaker 3: coming out of the Midwest. I took High Point over Perdue.
Speaker 3: There we go.
Speaker 4: And I really wanted to take McNees over Clemson, but
Speaker 4: I did. Clemson's a bad matchup for mcnesse, So I
Speaker 4: picked Clemson. You know, Will Wade was a manager Clemson.
Speaker 3: Where is Will Wade going to be coaching next year?
Speaker 3: C When Bardwell's at Indiana?
Speaker 2: Wow?
Speaker 4: Well, time heels all I have Kentucky beating Illinois, and
Speaker 4: then I've got them beating Tennessee in.
Speaker 3: Indeed, that's what thirteen.
Speaker 4: I have them losing to Kelvin, Sampson and Houston in
Speaker 4: the Elite eight, and I have Hues, I guess in
Speaker 4: the final four of them.
Speaker 2: Okay, I've got McNeice.
Speaker 1: I took McNeese Clemson against my better judgment, But again
Speaker 1: I was influenced by all the talking. Is I didn't
Speaker 1: have the nerve. I had my pen on high Point,
Speaker 1: you know which plays in the Tubby and Donna smith
Speaker 1: Field Outer Arena, but I don't know why. I couldn't
Speaker 1: pull the trigger, and I lingered over Kentucky Illinois. But
Speaker 1: I picked Kentucky to win that game. I thought, if
Speaker 1: Pope wins one game, he'll win too. I'd love to
Speaker 1: make any sense. I've never gotten to cover a second weekend.
Speaker 1: I'd really enjoyed this never wow.
Speaker 2: But otherwise I'm chalky.
Speaker 1: The whole way, including sorry, Billy, I've got Tennessee over
Speaker 1: Kentucky just because of that third time. I don't know why.
Speaker 1: And but part of it too is I am not
Speaker 1: really superstitious when it comes to sports. For the most part,
Speaker 1: I am a little bit, but I rarely pick Kentucky
Speaker 1: to go as far as I honestly think it'll go,
Speaker 1: just because I think I'm going to jink them, But
Speaker 1: I do a few Houston coming at it. I just
Speaker 1: think they're really good. Are they really hard? All right, Aaron,
Speaker 1: let's go to South South.
Speaker 3: First round? Yeah? All over Texas A and M no kidding. Second, yeah,
Speaker 3: I think they got really good guard players. A and
Speaker 3: M's not playing their best basketball. They can't shoot enough
Speaker 3: for me. I like San Diego State to beat UNC
Speaker 3: and then beat Ole Miss. But if it's un C,
Speaker 3: I like Ole Miss, so we have to go back there.
Speaker 3: But in this hypothetical one, I'll say San Diego State
Speaker 3: and then I actually I alway states point guards out
Speaker 3: for this tournament. I forgot, So I have San Diego
Speaker 3: State advancing. Again, I like whoever it is san Diego
Speaker 3: State are Ole Miss? In that scenario, I like to
Speaker 3: beat Iowa State. Then I have chalked the rest of
Speaker 3: the way of Auburn beating Louisville, Michigan getting through Yale
Speaker 3: then in the suites. Yeah, yeah, that would get us
Speaker 3: to the sweets. I'm sorry, I lost my Oh okay,
Speaker 3: Michigan State and Auburn and the Elite eight, and I
Speaker 3: like Michigan State to knock off Auburn is tom is
Speaker 3: on in March. They're there, they know how to win
Speaker 3: that team I like. I like Michigan State winning.
Speaker 4: I do have Lotvelle beating Creighton in the first game
Speaker 4: of the tournament, even though that would be great of
Speaker 4: them to lose as well. After all that, everybody keeps
Speaker 4: keeps counting out the three piece suit and Buzz Williams.
Speaker 4: I've got the A and M beating Yale and then
Speaker 4: beating Michigan as well, so I've got them in the
Speaker 4: sweet sixteen, eventually living to Auburn.
Speaker 3: I'll say this, you wouldn't see San Diego. I have Michigan,
Speaker 3: but you see San Diego's number two in the country.
Speaker 3: I think I saw enforcing turnovers. Michigan's the worst power
Speaker 3: forward team in committing turnovers, and they rank in the
Speaker 3: three fifties in the country. I'm not either, but they
Speaker 3: just won the Big Ten tournament. Dusty May got them playing.
Speaker 1: Game.
Speaker 3: Yeah it was stinky, but they they also they won
Speaker 3: that tournament. But as a five seed, I think it
Speaker 3: was the stinkiness that.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I get that, and one final shot in the dark.
Speaker 4: I have New Mexico over Marquette.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I'm back and forth on that one.
Speaker 2: I did too. I did too. So you've got young
Speaker 2: Richard Pettina I do.
Speaker 3: Uh. The way that they played in this tournament last
Speaker 3: year is what scared me off.
Speaker 1: I've got uh, you see San Diego, which is not
Speaker 1: the University of San Diego. It's not the Terrrero's it's
Speaker 1: U see San Diego. I've got them upsetting Michigan.
Speaker 3: Fifth year d one, by the way, is that right? Yep?
Speaker 1: Okay, I do have A and M winning after that,
Speaker 1: So I've got an M and Auburn uh playing each other.
Speaker 1: I've got on Miss winning because the last couple of
Speaker 1: times I watched Miss I was I was impressed with them.
Speaker 2: I'll be honest with you. You are absolutely correct.
Speaker 1: And they announced it last night on CBS that the
Speaker 1: I s U point guard is out. But I have
Speaker 1: to stick with it because I picked Iowa State. You
Speaker 1: know what, were they they were number two in the country.
Speaker 3: They were they were wrong. And then West Virginia, who's
Speaker 3: not in the tournament, beat them. Yeah.
Speaker 2: Uh, but that was when they were healthy.
Speaker 1: So I've got chalk after that until I'm like Billy,
Speaker 1: I've got Michigan State beating Auburn.
Speaker 2: I do.
Speaker 3: No, I have Auburn Michigan State.
Speaker 1: Who's got Michigan State? Oh okay, sorry, So we have
Speaker 1: the same final four so far. Okay, all right, all right, Aaron,
Speaker 1: take us.
Speaker 3: To the West West. I am let's see. Okay, here
Speaker 3: we go. I had to scroll back on this. I
Speaker 3: am all chalk at the top. I have Drake beating Miszoo.
Speaker 3: I'm not I've seen Mizoo in person now three times.
Speaker 3: Not impressed. That's my only upset in the first round,
Speaker 3: I think, so sorry, I'd love the cal Patino matchup.
Speaker 3: I'm going Kansas. I was back and forth on it,
Speaker 3: but I just think Hunter Dickinson's a matchup problem there
Speaker 3: for Arkansas. Uh. And then I have a lot of
Speaker 3: chalk in the round of thirty two. I have all
Speaker 3: of it. I have all chalk heading to the Sweet
Speaker 3: sixteen and then the leit eight that would set up
Speaker 3: Florida and Saint John's. I would picked the Gators to
Speaker 3: make the Final four last year as a seven. I'm
Speaker 3: sure as hell picking them to get to the Final
Speaker 3: four as a one when they're dobbin it, I'm taking
Speaker 3: the Gators and playing really well.
Speaker 4: Yeah, against my better judgment, I have picked Yukon over
Speaker 4: Oklahoma despite them being the better seed.
Speaker 1: But they got the best coach in the business, Billy.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I'm the best in the bank. Don't turn your
Speaker 3: back on me.
Speaker 4: I also have Colorado State beating Memphis at the twelve
Speaker 4: five game. If February was the month of Kendrick Lamar
Speaker 4: performing at the Super Bowl, March will be the month
Speaker 4: of Drake. I have Drake Missouri and then also beating
Speaker 4: Texas Tech. They will make the Sweet sixteen before they
Speaker 4: lose to Saint John's, who ends up beating Kansas in
Speaker 4: the second round, not Arkansas, and then I have Florida
Speaker 4: beating Saint John's to get to the Final four.
Speaker 1: Interesting, well, I have Colorado State likewise beating Memphis. I
Speaker 1: have Drake likewise beating Missouri. I'm like you, Aaron, I mean,
Speaker 1: they have their moments.
Speaker 3: I'm just not impression now, I'm not.
Speaker 1: I think Texas Tech is playing really well, that they're dangerous,
Speaker 1: so I think they beat Drake. But I've got Colorado
Speaker 1: State beating Maryland. Wow, how about that?
Speaker 3: All right?
Speaker 1: But then losing to Florida, so it's chalky at the
Speaker 1: end Florida.
Speaker 2: Saint John's and who do it?
Speaker 3: I almost did, I've got Florida.
Speaker 1: And I was about to say, as much as I've
Speaker 1: enjoyed watching I don't know if you guys have or not,
Speaker 1: but I've watched that Red Storm Rising series so good.
Speaker 1: It's fascinating and part of it. And I tell my
Speaker 1: wife this, Aaron, and you can relate because you were there,
Speaker 1: but we stayed when when I went up to cover
Speaker 1: that game.
Speaker 2: Yes, three blocks from the garden. I love going to
Speaker 2: New York.
Speaker 1: I love being able to walk places, to take the
Speaker 1: subway or whatever. You grew up in that area. But
Speaker 1: I love going to games in Madison Square Garden. I've
Speaker 1: done it many times and it's just really cool to
Speaker 1: see the exterior shots.
Speaker 2: I mean, it just gets me.
Speaker 1: Plus, Mike Ropoli is the nil guy, right, the billionaire.
Speaker 1: He's sold two different companies for gazillions of dollars. I
Speaker 1: actually interviewed him two years ago at Churchill Downs when
Speaker 1: he had the Derby favorite. So uh, I don't know,
Speaker 1: it just it just feels like something that's coming together.
Speaker 1: But I just think Florida as well as Saint John's
Speaker 1: plays machine as much as Patino Hammer's home defense. I
Speaker 1: I just think Florida's got too much. I think their
Speaker 1: bigs are too good, and honestly, they may have the
Speaker 1: best guard in.
Speaker 3: The I was gonna say two things on that. Walter Clayton,
Speaker 3: so you're talking about he played for Patino at IONA,
Speaker 3: I'll say that storyline up two. If I had the vote,
Speaker 3: Walter Clayton should have been the SEC played the year,
Speaker 3: not Channiper. That's how good I think Walter clay I'm.
Speaker 2: Good with that.
Speaker 4: Walter Kelly, he played at IONA. Yes, that's a cool storyline. Yeah,
Speaker 4: there were three.
Speaker 1: Or four IONA players who went off to bigger and
Speaker 1: better things and untold riches.
Speaker 4: And Ricky p just won what his fifth conference championship,
Speaker 4: isn't it Well it's five different teams, different team six
Speaker 4: and six total?
Speaker 3: Yeah?
Speaker 1: Yeah, all right, So now my final four is Duke Houston, Florida,
Speaker 1: Michigan State.
Speaker 2: Is that same as you?
Speaker 3: Yeah, we have the same exact I have Auburn instead
Speaker 3: of Michigan State.
Speaker 1: So almost all you're all shock Billy in the final four.
Speaker 3: Hey, you're one gross. I didn't realize that until just now.
Speaker 1: Well, and I can't remember the last time that happened.
Speaker 1: I know it's happened at least once. But something happens.
Speaker 1: I don't know why. Maybe it's because Auburn looks mortal.
Speaker 1: Auburn lost three of its last four. I don't think
Speaker 1: that's why it's gonna lose. But I just think that
Speaker 1: Florida is better than Auburn, and I think Michigan State
Speaker 1: has what it takes to beat.
Speaker 3: I don't bet against that are going to.
Speaker 1: Fall, Who's going to be in foul trouble, that kind
Speaker 1: of stuff.
Speaker 3: It just don't. I go with the coach and I
Speaker 3: nothing against Bruce pro It's terrific. But tom Izzo is special.
Speaker 4: Yeah, but don't defense wins championships, guys, Michigan State.
Speaker 3: I mean, no, Florida, Florida plays. The thing is Florida's
Speaker 3: got like Houston, three seven footers who are leading on
Speaker 3: both ends of the court.
Speaker 2: And you know who else plays really good defenses? Houston?
Speaker 3: Yeah? Oh yeah, Well let's see where do we have
Speaker 3: when I have Houston do it in the final four.
Speaker 3: Here we pick our final four games. Did we say
Speaker 3: those yet?
Speaker 1: We have?
Speaker 2: No, we haven't.
Speaker 3: Yeah, okay, so what.
Speaker 2: Do you got?
Speaker 3: Florida beating Michigan State, Houston beating Duke and the Gators
Speaker 3: not just winning. I think they beat Houston by twenty.
Speaker 2: In the wow wow? How I mean?
Speaker 3: I was just like watching Florida this I will obviously
Speaker 3: we saw him here at Rop and we saw what
Speaker 3: they did offensively. Defensively, Kobe Bryan just wouldn't let them
Speaker 3: win that game.
Speaker 1: Plus they missed twelve out of thirty four free throws.
Speaker 3: Watching them against was it zoo that I could see
Speaker 3: him against? I mean, just watching what Walter Clayton does
Speaker 3: in every possession. My jaw was dropping. And then went
Speaker 3: back and watching Alabama and then they made Tennessee's defense
Speaker 3: look silly twice this year. I am just ten elite players.
Speaker 3: It's crazy.
Speaker 1: The weirdest two game series Florida Tennessee. Yeah, two turns
Speaker 1: beating the crap out of each other.
Speaker 3: Yeah, and then it was it was close game until
Speaker 3: like the six minute mark in the second Florida. I'm
Speaker 3: telling you like Florida, the way they're able to roll
Speaker 3: out conson and Howe in the front court. And now
Speaker 3: they added the seven footer who got hurt last year
Speaker 3: back to great coach, and you have Clayton and they
Speaker 3: didn't even need Elijah Martin. It was just like, Okay, yeah,
Speaker 3: we'll take him out of the portal, the guy who's
Speaker 3: been in the Final four. Ben They're done that. Just
Speaker 3: elite team.
Speaker 1: I love this Florida team, all right, Chuckmeister.
Speaker 4: Well it makes you think what if what this Kentucky
Speaker 4: team could have done if they were at full strength?
Speaker 3: I mean Florida. I couldn't agree more.
Speaker 4: I have Florida beating Auburn, and I have Duke beating Houston.
Speaker 4: And in the year that Todd Golden was allegedly stalking
Speaker 4: students at the University of Florida, he will stock the
Speaker 4: freshman at Duke Young Canipple Young flag.
Speaker 3: He will have his team ready and it'll be the Florida.
Speaker 2: Gators to row.
Speaker 1: Oh my god, that's awesome, which he was cleared of
Speaker 1: all we're all over.
Speaker 3: And he's gonna take down the best coach of the
Speaker 3: country in the second round.
Speaker 1: Well, I've got Houston beating Duke, and I again had
Speaker 1: my pen lingering on Houston and Kelvin Samson. But I've
Speaker 1: got Florida, Michigan State and Florida winning it.
Speaker 3: So we all have Florida winning. They're just doomed.
Speaker 2: They're doomed.
Speaker 3: But it's just they they're just unbelievable.
Speaker 1: It's amazing and it's a good year for the SEC.
Speaker 1: I sat down at the which SEC team might.
Speaker 2: Let everybody down right off the back, and uh, why
Speaker 2: do you think a m You don't think there.
Speaker 1: They can't shoot.
Speaker 3: They're they're the lowest three point percentage team in power for.
Speaker 2: But what if they don't shoot a bunch of threes?
Speaker 3: They do, that's the thing. They take a lot of threes.
Speaker 3: They missed a lot of threes. Yeah, the buzz respects
Speaker 3: the game, the three piece suit. I'm going Vandy. I
Speaker 3: don't think they've even against Yeah, I think they get
Speaker 3: I think they could keep it close.
Speaker 4: I think it's it's because they failed to play basketball
Speaker 4: in the final ten.
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's everything that did. They beat Kentucky, Butler was barely.
Speaker 3: Held, Georgia and Ohio State this year. George is another one.
Speaker 3: I think that's the one.
Speaker 2: I think they're a puzzling team.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think they got a terrible draw with Gonzaga
Speaker 3: as an eight seed. I think that draw, oh they did.
Speaker 3: I'm just saying like they deserve to be a nine.
Speaker 3: But for I think Gonzaga is better than an eight,
Speaker 3: is what I'm trying to say. You think, I mean
Speaker 3: they're playing the I mean they I know their conference
Speaker 3: is stinky, but they beat the heck out of Saint
Speaker 3: Mary's in that championship game from the same conference, from
Speaker 3: the same conference.
Speaker 1: But what's most impressive is you know how many consecutive
Speaker 1: years now for Gonzaga.
Speaker 3: And you know they've been in the sweet sixteen or
Speaker 3: longer ten in a round. Yeah, And next after.
Speaker 2: Them is the ISOs of Michigan State.
Speaker 3: Did you say sweet sixteen? Ten years in a row? Yes, yeah,
Speaker 3: ten or deeper? Who do they? But they would play Houston,
Speaker 3: right if if as long as they play Houston, Yeah,
Speaker 3: they're they're going to beat the hell out.
Speaker 2: Of Georgia though maybe so.
Speaker 3: Yeah.
Speaker 1: Well, when we come back, we will stake a peek
Speaker 1: at the women's bracket and talk a little bit about
Speaker 1: Kenny Brooks in his first trip to the nca Tournament
Speaker 1: with the Wildcats, who have had a terrific season back
Speaker 1: in a minute on the state wide BBI final segment
Speaker 1: of our state wide program. We have enjoyed looking at
Speaker 1: the chalk, and now we're going to take a look
Speaker 1: at the bracket for We're not going to go through
Speaker 1: the entire bracket. But uh what no, but what a
Speaker 1: year for Kenny I mean to come here is similar
Speaker 1: to what Pope did not didn't have to build the
Speaker 1: entire roster. And he also, like Pope pet Colin Chandler him.
Speaker 1: But Colin Chandler is going to be really good. Georgia
Speaker 1: Aymore is really good, and Clara Strack no question. So
Speaker 1: who comes with him the Transfer of the year and
Speaker 1: a defensive player of the year. Pretty good, not bad,
Speaker 1: that's said. How far can those two plus.
Speaker 2: All the others?
Speaker 1: They're thin, they're not terribly strong and physical, but if
Speaker 1: they're hitting shots, yeah, and they get out of Lexington,
Speaker 1: I think they can get out of Lexington.
Speaker 3: I don't know all that much about the teams are
Speaker 3: gonna play. I do know that I think I saw
Speaker 3: something where Kenny Brooks and was a heck of a
Speaker 3: lot about Liberty because they were in the same conference
Speaker 3: with music JMU maybe and then they're obviously in the
Speaker 3: state of Virginia. They might have played Tech here and there.
Speaker 3: I do know, just from being from Connecticut that Fairfield
Speaker 3: has a coach that's been a top candidate for every
Speaker 3: big job, including she was in the running to be
Speaker 3: the next head coach here at Kentucky. And they are
Speaker 3: the twelve coming to Lexington, So that one scares me
Speaker 3: a little. If they have to play Fairfield, I know
Speaker 3: nothing about Camper the state. Yeah, so I would say
Speaker 3: they're ceiling is probably the sweet sixteen because it's very
Speaker 3: hard to beat ones in the women's side, and they
Speaker 3: would run into USC who has Juju Watkins is one
Speaker 3: of the best players I've seen in women's basketball and
Speaker 3: quite some time. So I'd say their ceiling is the
Speaker 3: sweet sixteen. But hey, if in year one, if they
Speaker 3: can get there, I don't know if they're in where
Speaker 3: that game would be Birmingham or if it's I don't
Speaker 3: know where it is, But if they get to the
Speaker 3: sweet sixteen his first year, I'd be pretty no good.
Speaker 3: They looked very timid in their first postseason game under
Speaker 3: Kenny Brooks in the SEC Tournament. You know, I'm not
Speaker 3: sure if it was you know, the stage or if
Speaker 3: it was Oklahoma's physicality, but it was just it was
Speaker 3: not great, and so you know, I think that'd be
Speaker 3: a great success if they were to make the Sweet
Speaker 3: sixteen and play US. See, I think the bar is
Speaker 3: pretty low right now, and at least when it comes
Speaker 3: to expectations for the women's team in postseason play.
Speaker 2: I agree, and I think you hit it.
Speaker 1: I think it was Oklahoma's physicality because the big kid
Speaker 1: for Oklahoma Beers. I think she was just too much
Speaker 1: for all lot of teams to handle.
Speaker 4: But this is a historically tall and shot block in Kentucky.
Speaker 1: True, you know, but there's tall and there's big, and
Speaker 1: if you could be both, that's fantastic. But I do
Speaker 1: think if shots are falling, this team can beat anybody,
Speaker 1: because what do we always say about the NC tournament guards? Right,
Speaker 1: you got Georgia and they've got the best point but
Speaker 1: they do you know on this side of of the
Speaker 1: Mississippi River.
Speaker 3: That's problem. Maybe the best guard in America the one
Speaker 3: one seeds point guard.
Speaker 1: Yeah, but you're right about the one that's still as
Speaker 1: great as a women's game is becoming and as popular
Speaker 1: that the chasm between the top part, it's not there yet,
Speaker 1: but it's getting there.
Speaker 3: Man, it's getting better and is gonna have a lot
Speaker 3: to say about it. Let's yeah, that'd be great Kentucky.
Speaker 3: I mean, regardless what a year he said to start
Speaker 3: his tenure, I'd be it'd be really.
Speaker 1: Fun to see them play sc just for the star
Speaker 1: power juju and.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think I think they'll get there. Let's say,
Speaker 3: let's go for it.
Speaker 1: Back in the mid eighties, Southern won a national title
Speaker 1: in the Lexingon So thanks to Billy, Thanks Aaron, thanks
Speaker 1: to all of you that said good night from Lexington.