WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.800 --> 00:00:03.160 Welcome to the Big Blue Insider. Dick Gabriel with you 2 00:00:03.240 --> 00:00:06.320 on a Wednesday edition of our program. It is tournament 3 00:00:06.360 --> 00:00:10.199 week for both the UK men and the women, and 4 00:00:10.439 --> 00:00:13.400 everybody who roots for either one of these teams in 5 00:00:13.480 --> 00:00:16.160 Kentucky Blue and White has been waiting for this week 6 00:00:16.879 --> 00:00:21.480 to see just when, where, and how their favorite teams 7 00:00:21.519 --> 00:00:24.160 would play. You know by now. The men play Troy 8 00:00:24.679 --> 00:00:29.120 on Friday in Milwaukee at seven o'clock. That's the first 9 00:00:29.480 --> 00:00:34.799 primetime game on Friday for CBS, and it's going to 10 00:00:34.840 --> 00:00:37.479 be interesting. This is a dangerous Troy team. We'll talk 11 00:00:37.520 --> 00:00:40.039 about that tonight here on the Big Blue and Sider 12 00:00:40.119 --> 00:00:43.840 with the Boyce Tom Leech. We'll also hear from Unforgettable 13 00:00:43.840 --> 00:00:47.560 Guard to Shawn Woods. It is Wednesday, and our Western 14 00:00:47.600 --> 00:00:50.759 Bureau chief Gary Moore joined us as well. The UK 15 00:00:50.920 --> 00:00:54.280 women open up with Liberty also on Friday. That's a 16 00:00:54.399 --> 00:01:00.399 noon game in Historic Memorial Coliseum. Now Auburn is playing 17 00:01:00.399 --> 00:01:04.599 in the NCA Tournament as well in the Lexington this weekend, 18 00:01:04.680 --> 00:01:09.599 and by coincidence, and I do believe in the conspiracies 19 00:01:10.000 --> 00:01:14.159 of the Selections Committee and matching up teams for TV ratings, 20 00:01:14.359 --> 00:01:18.519 I think this is strictly a coincidence, but Auburn baseball 21 00:01:19.200 --> 00:01:23.159 will be in town this weekend. So what that means is, 22 00:01:23.239 --> 00:01:26.760 of course on off days or a day, you're going 23 00:01:26.840 --> 00:01:29.439 to see a lot of Auburn fans. I'm sure at 24 00:01:29.519 --> 00:01:32.760 Kentucky Proud Park. Hey, we're in town for basketball. Let's 25 00:01:32.760 --> 00:01:38.319 go across the county, across city and taking the baseball game. 26 00:01:38.760 --> 00:01:41.519 For all we know, Auburn fans might outdraw Kentucky fans. 27 00:01:41.560 --> 00:01:44.000 I doubt If the weather's good, I think you'll see 28 00:01:44.000 --> 00:01:46.120 a good crowd. We saw a decent crowd last night. 29 00:01:46.400 --> 00:01:49.799 They did not see a decent effort by the baseball Wildcats. 30 00:01:49.799 --> 00:01:53.359 They lost to Murray State five to four. And Murray's 31 00:01:53.400 --> 00:01:56.239 a good team. Murray now has won thirteen games. They're 32 00:01:56.280 --> 00:01:59.920 well coached, They've got talent, and they showed it last night. 33 00:02:00.200 --> 00:02:03.200 They jumped on Kentucky early, jumped out three to nothing. 34 00:02:03.280 --> 00:02:06.120 Kentucky got a run back, Murray got the run back 35 00:02:06.159 --> 00:02:09.719 almost immediately, so it's four to one going into the seventh. 36 00:02:10.560 --> 00:02:14.479 Kentucky got a basis clearing triple basis loaded triple from 37 00:02:14.719 --> 00:02:18.560 Sean Montoya, tied the game and then fell behind five 38 00:02:18.599 --> 00:02:22.800 tofore and for the second time in the game had 39 00:02:22.800 --> 00:02:26.400 a runner picked off second. The first time Devin Brooks 40 00:02:26.520 --> 00:02:30.039 was on second was early in the game and there 41 00:02:30.120 --> 00:02:31.919 was a wild pitch or what he thought was a 42 00:02:31.960 --> 00:02:35.240 wild pitch, and he broke for third, but the Murray 43 00:02:35.280 --> 00:02:39.560 State catcher, who was preseason All MVC Missouri Valley Conference, 44 00:02:39.879 --> 00:02:43.960 made a great pickup, like a scoop, like a shortstop, 45 00:02:45.000 --> 00:02:48.319 and now Brooks is caught in no man's land. And 46 00:02:48.360 --> 00:02:50.280 if you kept running, you might have made it the third. 47 00:02:50.280 --> 00:02:53.199 But instincts takeover. When you see the ball in the 48 00:02:53.199 --> 00:02:56.400 dirt or bounced as it does in the artificial turf, 49 00:02:56.879 --> 00:02:59.199 you know ninety nine percent of the time kids are 50 00:02:59.199 --> 00:03:01.360 going to take off run, which he did. He's a 51 00:03:01.360 --> 00:03:05.520 good base runner. But the kid made a great stop 52 00:03:05.560 --> 00:03:07.719 and then fired to strike. The second picked him off. Well, 53 00:03:07.719 --> 00:03:10.360 that was early in the game. This one late in 54 00:03:10.400 --> 00:03:13.960 the game. There was a kind of a wild play 55 00:03:14.639 --> 00:03:17.439 and James McCoy was actually pitching. He made it. He 56 00:03:17.479 --> 00:03:22.520 got on base, he drew a walk and the hitter 57 00:03:22.840 --> 00:03:26.479 laid one down. McCoy makes the turn at second and 58 00:03:26.560 --> 00:03:31.199 nobody's covering third, so he starts to break for third, 59 00:03:32.240 --> 00:03:35.520 but the pitcher went over and covered and they were 60 00:03:35.560 --> 00:03:37.879 able to get him in a rundown and pick him off. 61 00:03:37.960 --> 00:03:41.400 So instead of having a man on second with one out, 62 00:03:41.439 --> 00:03:43.639 there was nobody on base but two outs and that 63 00:03:43.759 --> 00:03:46.599 was that. So anyhow, But the worst of it was 64 00:03:46.719 --> 00:03:51.919 nine strikeouts by the Wildcats, seven looking seven called third strikes. 65 00:03:52.280 --> 00:03:55.199 So not a great effort by the baseball Wildcats last night, 66 00:03:55.439 --> 00:03:57.919 but they have a chance to bounce back this weekend. 67 00:03:58.000 --> 00:04:00.879 You'll hear it on our sister station ninety eight point 68 00:04:00.919 --> 00:04:05.120 five FM, the UK Women again playing at noon. Georgia 69 00:04:05.159 --> 00:04:08.719 Amore is a second team All American, and as good 70 00:04:08.719 --> 00:04:10.560 as she is, this is the first time she has 71 00:04:10.639 --> 00:04:14.319 been recognized as an All American. She was a really 72 00:04:14.360 --> 00:04:17.800 good player of course at Virginia Tech, helped the Hokies 73 00:04:17.839 --> 00:04:20.959 and Kenny Brooks get to the Final four. But the 74 00:04:21.120 --> 00:04:23.800 job she's done at Kentucky with Kenny Brooks and her 75 00:04:23.839 --> 00:04:28.879 teammates Clara Strack and others in the league, in the 76 00:04:28.959 --> 00:04:33.720 SEC in a terrific platform, Georgia Aymore now is an 77 00:04:33.759 --> 00:04:36.879 All American. And I'm sure you've heard by now that 78 00:04:37.560 --> 00:04:40.839 some of the basketball Wildcats have been honored. Nobody made 79 00:04:41.399 --> 00:04:45.639 the AP All America team. But the coaches All Star 80 00:04:45.759 --> 00:04:50.199 teams are starting to come out. The NABC teams Otega 81 00:04:50.279 --> 00:04:54.759 Oway and Marii Williams and Lamont Butler making the All 82 00:04:54.839 --> 00:05:00.160 District teams, so you know their their efforts are being 83 00:05:00.199 --> 00:05:03.680 rewarded as well they should be. There are many, well, 84 00:05:03.759 --> 00:05:09.720 I think a dozen districts, and Amari Williams, who kind 85 00:05:09.720 --> 00:05:13.399 of caught fire midway through the season, began to realize 86 00:05:13.399 --> 00:05:15.439 what he could do and as Mark Pope said, what 87 00:05:15.519 --> 00:05:19.240 he could get away with physically what a year eleven points, 88 00:05:19.240 --> 00:05:21.959 eight and a half rebounds and for the big man 89 00:05:22.399 --> 00:05:26.839 three assists per game. Rebounds and assists are both career 90 00:05:26.959 --> 00:05:30.439 high marks, and he also hits fifty eight percent of 91 00:05:30.480 --> 00:05:34.199 his field goal tries, leads the team of forty blocks 92 00:05:34.279 --> 00:05:38.519 ten multi block games. I believe with Lamont Butler in 93 00:05:38.639 --> 00:05:45.480 the lineup that Maary Williams will represent the biggest problem 94 00:05:45.600 --> 00:05:50.720 for Troy coming up on Friday. Lamont Butler has got 95 00:05:50.720 --> 00:05:53.279 to be in the lineup and Troy's got a really 96 00:05:53.360 --> 00:05:59.800 terrific playmaker. So but assuming that Lamont Butler does his 97 00:06:00.120 --> 00:06:04.639 job and does it properly, I really think that Amari 98 00:06:05.279 --> 00:06:07.240 could have a huge game, and I do think he'll 99 00:06:07.279 --> 00:06:11.879 be the headache for Troy. And when you start breaking 100 00:06:11.879 --> 00:06:14.959 down Kentucky, you start with this guy. I've got to 101 00:06:15.040 --> 00:06:19.360 think obviously, Kentucky the coaching staff has been breaking down Troy. 102 00:06:19.480 --> 00:06:23.399 Mark Pope, though, appeared on the Field of sixty eight podcast. 103 00:06:24.040 --> 00:06:26.319 We had Rob Doster from the Field of sixty eight 104 00:06:26.720 --> 00:06:31.519 on our show and early in the year, and Pope 105 00:06:31.920 --> 00:06:35.439 jumped on with these guys right after the brackets were 106 00:06:35.439 --> 00:06:39.079 announced and talked about what he knows about Troy, which 107 00:06:39.120 --> 00:06:40.439 is not a whole heck of a lot, but just 108 00:06:40.480 --> 00:06:45.240 talked about prepping his team for the first NCAA tournament 109 00:06:45.720 --> 00:06:48.319 he'll enter as the head coach of the Wildcats. 110 00:06:48.600 --> 00:06:50.279 I don't know a ton yet. I know they're an 111 00:06:50.319 --> 00:06:53.360 elite level offensive rebounding team. I know they're number seven 112 00:06:53.360 --> 00:06:56.120 in the country and steals. I know that they played 113 00:06:56.120 --> 00:06:58.399 with a bowload of energy. I know Scott Cross, a 114 00:06:58.519 --> 00:07:01.680 big time coach that's been doing this for a long time, 115 00:07:01.759 --> 00:07:04.720 has had a ton of necessity. He's really smart and 116 00:07:05.240 --> 00:07:07.439 he's got a he he could really rally guys. 117 00:07:07.720 --> 00:07:07.839 Uh. 118 00:07:08.160 --> 00:07:10.319 I know that they were really, really competitive as some 119 00:07:10.439 --> 00:07:13.519 big games in the non conference, so I know that 120 00:07:13.560 --> 00:07:16.279 we're gonna have our hands full. It's the n LA tournament. 121 00:07:16.480 --> 00:07:19.360 Like if you if you want to have a right 122 00:07:19.439 --> 00:07:22.000 off game, just go to a different tournament. Don't come 123 00:07:22.040 --> 00:07:22.839 here like. 124 00:07:23.399 --> 00:07:24.399 This is this is where you. 125 00:07:24.399 --> 00:07:25.160 Come get this smoke. 126 00:07:25.199 --> 00:07:25.720 Man, Let's go. 127 00:07:27.519 --> 00:07:29.279 How's the health of you of your group? 128 00:07:30.800 --> 00:07:35.199 Yeah, well so, my my, my s I D told 129 00:07:35.240 --> 00:07:37.560 me today that we ranked three hundred and fifty fifth 130 00:07:37.639 --> 00:07:41.480 in the country and minutes continuity this season. I would 131 00:07:41.519 --> 00:07:43.639 like to fix that number in the postseason. 132 00:07:46.839 --> 00:07:50.040 I'd be great if you could do that. But but okay, 133 00:07:50.680 --> 00:07:53.360 Lamar Butler, can we can we start there? Let's start 134 00:07:53.360 --> 00:07:55.920 with Lamont and give us the update here. Obviously he 135 00:07:56.000 --> 00:07:59.560 said shoulder issue after shoulder issue, because he's about as 136 00:07:59.560 --> 00:08:03.040 tough as it gets and he doesn't want to sit out. You, 137 00:08:03.240 --> 00:08:05.560 my guess is Lamont's gonna tell you, like, I want 138 00:08:05.560 --> 00:08:06.800 to play that first game. 139 00:08:07.160 --> 00:08:08.720 How are you going to handle this situation? 140 00:08:10.040 --> 00:08:12.399 No, I mean that's the plan. The plan is for 141 00:08:12.480 --> 00:08:14.199 him to play, for sure. I don't think there's a 142 00:08:14.199 --> 00:08:18.480 lot of doubt in that. You know, in the SEC 143 00:08:18.560 --> 00:08:24.160 tournament he took a little hit and you know he 144 00:08:24.240 --> 00:08:26.839 probably wasn't going to be super functional to play. But 145 00:08:26.920 --> 00:08:28.720 if we had green lighted him, he would have run 146 00:08:28.759 --> 00:08:31.839 out there for sure. And you just kind of get 147 00:08:31.839 --> 00:08:35.639 in the space where it's tough decisions. You know, I'm 148 00:08:35.679 --> 00:08:37.799 not a load management guy at all, but we also 149 00:08:37.840 --> 00:08:39.240 have to have a little bit of sense about what 150 00:08:39.279 --> 00:08:42.720 we do. Uh, he's gonna be great. You know, he 151 00:08:43.159 --> 00:08:45.360 lives for March. You guys know, I don't know if 152 00:08:45.360 --> 00:08:48.799 he's if he's the most veteran March madness guy, but 153 00:08:48.840 --> 00:08:49.879 he's got to be pretty close. 154 00:08:52.600 --> 00:08:54.840 Hey, coach, a big picture question here. 155 00:08:54.960 --> 00:08:57.279 First year at Kentucky, you have to bring in basically 156 00:08:57.320 --> 00:08:58.200 a whole new roster. 157 00:08:58.879 --> 00:09:00.960 This has got to be pretty right to be able 158 00:09:00.960 --> 00:09:02.120 to get Kentucky. 159 00:09:01.720 --> 00:09:04.039 To the tournament in your one as a three seed. 160 00:09:06.000 --> 00:09:08.080 Guys, if I don't get Kentucky to the tournament, I'm 161 00:09:08.080 --> 00:09:10.559 not gonna be the head coach PROTUCTI. 162 00:09:12.879 --> 00:09:14.159 I mean, what are we talking about here? 163 00:09:15.039 --> 00:09:18.879 This is Kentucky boys. But I will say this, it's 164 00:09:18.919 --> 00:09:19.759 really rewarding. 165 00:09:20.399 --> 00:09:20.559 You know. 166 00:09:20.679 --> 00:09:21.879 I wish I wish you guys. 167 00:09:22.559 --> 00:09:24.480 If you guys could be in our locker room every day, 168 00:09:24.879 --> 00:09:26.679 you would be so in love with our guys. 169 00:09:26.679 --> 00:09:28.879 Man, Like what these. 170 00:09:28.679 --> 00:09:32.799 Guys have done from top to bottom, and the commitment 171 00:09:32.840 --> 00:09:35.679 they've made to each other and their ability to kind 172 00:09:35.679 --> 00:09:40.960 of withstand all the tortuous terms of losing guys. Every 173 00:09:41.000 --> 00:09:43.399 fifteen minutes you lose another guy and have to rewrite 174 00:09:43.399 --> 00:09:46.200 the roster, and the way that they've responded to that 175 00:09:46.440 --> 00:09:49.679 in the sec this year. You just gotta love them. 176 00:09:49.720 --> 00:09:52.080 And so the most rewarding part, you know, I'm not 177 00:09:52.120 --> 00:09:54.320 a big, big picture guy. I don't have time to 178 00:09:54.320 --> 00:09:56.240 get lost in the thirty to thirty thousand four of you. 179 00:09:56.679 --> 00:09:57.519 The rewarding part. 180 00:09:57.440 --> 00:09:59.559 Of this is these guys made a decision to come 181 00:09:59.600 --> 00:10:03.399 here knowing that there was no guarantee for them individually 182 00:10:03.799 --> 00:10:06.080 and knowing that there was no guarantee for a first 183 00:10:06.120 --> 00:10:08.639 time first run at this is a program. And they 184 00:10:08.639 --> 00:10:10.399 came and said, we're gonna go do this. We're gonna 185 00:10:10.399 --> 00:10:12.440 go make some waves, we're gonna make the country pay attention. 186 00:10:12.480 --> 00:10:14.919 We're gonna put on this jersey with all the stress 187 00:10:15.440 --> 00:10:17.919 and pressure that's involved in that, and we're gonna go 188 00:10:18.080 --> 00:10:20.200 find a way. And they've done it, and now we 189 00:10:20.240 --> 00:10:22.200 go to the like, this is the truth moment, right, 190 00:10:22.200 --> 00:10:24.679 This is where you go try and put yourself in 191 00:10:24.759 --> 00:10:25.879 a record books. 192 00:10:26.759 --> 00:10:28.799 Well listen, man, we're happy for you. You know we're 193 00:10:28.799 --> 00:10:31.840 gonna be rooting for you and hopefully we get a 194 00:10:31.879 --> 00:10:32.799 little bit of healthier for you. 195 00:10:32.840 --> 00:10:33.080 Guys. 196 00:10:33.240 --> 00:10:35.919 You deserve some good health luck here. So congratulations man, 197 00:10:35.960 --> 00:10:37.879 But you haven't done anything yet. Three seed in the 198 00:10:37.879 --> 00:10:39.279 tournament is a three seed in the tournament. 199 00:10:39.399 --> 00:10:39.879 Best luck. 200 00:10:39.960 --> 00:10:41.080 Go start prepping for Troy. 201 00:10:41.200 --> 00:10:42.559 You gotta figure this theme out. 202 00:10:42.600 --> 00:10:43.440 We gotta get a win here. 203 00:10:43.559 --> 00:10:43.840 Let's go. 204 00:10:43.919 --> 00:10:44.200 Boys. 205 00:10:44.279 --> 00:10:45.039 Appreciate y'all. 206 00:10:45.080 --> 00:10:48.240 Say that's Mark Pope appearing on the Field of sixty 207 00:10:48.240 --> 00:10:50.240 eight podcast. It is a good one. They do a 208 00:10:50.240 --> 00:10:54.039 great job. One of the members of that esteemed panel, 209 00:10:54.159 --> 00:10:57.360 Jeff Goodman, it was really funny when he came on 210 00:10:57.519 --> 00:11:00.960 with Pope saying, you know, Kentucky fan like me. Now, 211 00:11:01.879 --> 00:11:04.080 you know he came on the show two or three 212 00:11:04.159 --> 00:11:06.519 years ago. He was actually at UK Immediately. I give 213 00:11:06.600 --> 00:11:09.879 him credit because he and Cali Perry clashed and when 214 00:11:09.919 --> 00:11:11.799 he came on the show, he said, you know, John 215 00:11:11.840 --> 00:11:14.159 and I are good now, but he did try to 216 00:11:14.200 --> 00:11:17.360 have me fired and I went back and checked that out, 217 00:11:17.399 --> 00:11:19.720 and yeah, Cali PERI had problems with him. When when 218 00:11:19.759 --> 00:11:22.559 Cali Perry was at Memphis. I can't confirm or deny 219 00:11:22.639 --> 00:11:25.679 that he tried to have him fired, but they definitely clashed. 220 00:11:26.840 --> 00:11:29.759 And now he doesn't make any bones about the fact, 221 00:11:29.759 --> 00:11:33.480 Goodman that he still doesn't regard Cali Perry very highly. 222 00:11:33.600 --> 00:11:37.039 So anyhow, UK fans don't have to worry about that anymore. 223 00:11:37.360 --> 00:11:40.679 And now they can like Goodman all over again, because yeah, 224 00:11:40.720 --> 00:11:43.279 he gets along with Mark Pope. Hey, who doesn't. I'm 225 00:11:43.279 --> 00:11:45.679 sure somebody out there doesn't. I like to hear about it. 226 00:11:45.759 --> 00:11:48.080 I'd love to know why. All right, when we come back, 227 00:11:48.440 --> 00:11:51.639 West Virginia's governor, according to two of the highly placed 228 00:11:51.679 --> 00:11:56.360 talking heads, needs to shut up and sit down. Bottom 229 00:11:56.399 --> 00:11:58.480 of the hour. Tom Leach joined us later on Sean 230 00:11:58.519 --> 00:12:01.080 Woods and our West End bureauchie Gary Moore here on 231 00:12:01.120 --> 00:12:03.480 six thirty WLA. Welcome back to the Big Blue and 232 00:12:03.559 --> 00:12:05.480 sider coming up in a few minutes. Tom Leach's the 233 00:12:05.559 --> 00:12:09.120 voice of the Wildcats, and he is, of course prepping 234 00:12:09.159 --> 00:12:13.240 for Kentucky and Troy the tournament already underway last night. 235 00:12:13.639 --> 00:12:16.159 You may have tuned in for a little while to 236 00:12:16.279 --> 00:12:21.399 watch first Alabama State beat Saint Francis on a touchdown pass, 237 00:12:21.519 --> 00:12:25.559 basically a play similar to the Laytner play when a 238 00:12:25.720 --> 00:12:29.559 passer who was lightly guarded. I sat on Tom Leach's 239 00:12:29.600 --> 00:12:32.000 show this morning that they didn't guard the passer, and 240 00:12:32.039 --> 00:12:36.279 somebody corrected me, and they were right. But I saw 241 00:12:36.320 --> 00:12:38.759 the play more than once and I just remember thinking, 242 00:12:38.799 --> 00:12:41.960 it really wasn't much defensive pressure on the passer. He 243 00:12:42.000 --> 00:12:44.879 had plenty of room to make his throw. But anyhow, 244 00:12:44.919 --> 00:12:47.799 this kid who threw the ball for Alabama State was 245 00:12:47.840 --> 00:12:50.519 a quarterback in middle school. That doesn't mean that he 246 00:12:50.600 --> 00:12:53.200 was a great passer in middle school, but he's used 247 00:12:53.240 --> 00:12:55.799 to throwing a football like that. Threw a great pass 248 00:12:55.840 --> 00:12:58.960 to the high post, but it was heavily contested. You 249 00:12:58.960 --> 00:13:01.919 may have seen a highlight of already loose ball. Alabama 250 00:13:01.960 --> 00:13:04.399 State picks it up, throws it in at the buzzer, 251 00:13:04.799 --> 00:13:09.200 and beats Saint Francis. So then they follow that up 252 00:13:09.639 --> 00:13:12.919 with a horrible North Carolina San Diego State game where 253 00:13:13.240 --> 00:13:16.320 nothing went right for San Diego State. Everything went in 254 00:13:16.360 --> 00:13:19.519 for North Carolina. And what I took away from that 255 00:13:19.639 --> 00:13:23.639 I felt bad for the announcers because all they could 256 00:13:23.679 --> 00:13:27.679 do the entire game, for the most part, was talk 257 00:13:27.720 --> 00:13:30.039 about North Carolina. They every now and then they'd say 258 00:13:30.080 --> 00:13:33.679 something about San Diego. So this isn't what we ordinarily 259 00:13:33.720 --> 00:13:35.960 see from them, and you know, you could tell they 260 00:13:35.960 --> 00:13:39.679 felt bad about it. But everybody who talks about announcers 261 00:13:39.759 --> 00:13:42.240 rooting for this team or that, no, we root for 262 00:13:42.320 --> 00:13:44.639 a good game. I just worked the Girls Sweet sixteen 263 00:13:44.679 --> 00:13:47.519 on radio. Some of the games were really good. Some 264 00:13:47.759 --> 00:13:51.320 were just not They just were not competitive. A Sacred 265 00:13:51.320 --> 00:13:54.879 Heart beat Johnson County Central by you know, a zillion 266 00:13:54.960 --> 00:13:58.039 points and going into that game, you know it's going 267 00:13:58.120 --> 00:14:00.919 to be a tough one. Johnson said, Central just wasn't 268 00:14:01.000 --> 00:14:03.559 that good, and Sacred Art was four time now five 269 00:14:03.639 --> 00:14:07.879 time defending champion. It's really hard. I'm not bad mouthing 270 00:14:07.919 --> 00:14:10.399 or poor mouthing, but I will tell you it's hard 271 00:14:10.720 --> 00:14:13.559 to broadcast games like that and make them sound interesting, 272 00:14:13.879 --> 00:14:17.399 even for the teams that are winning. But generally in 273 00:14:17.440 --> 00:14:20.759 a situation like that, such as I was working some 274 00:14:20.799 --> 00:14:24.320 of the games, Greg Statomeyer, the voice of EKU, working others. 275 00:14:24.559 --> 00:14:27.600 If people are listening to you, the odds are they 276 00:14:27.600 --> 00:14:29.960 are not fans of the teams that are playing because 277 00:14:30.000 --> 00:14:34.039 they're listening to the hometown radio. Right. Same thing last 278 00:14:34.120 --> 00:14:38.399 night with CBS and overwhelming majority of the people watching 279 00:14:39.080 --> 00:14:42.720 were not North Carolina fans or San Diego State fans, 280 00:14:42.799 --> 00:14:45.559 just because of the sheer normality of the audience. So 281 00:14:45.600 --> 00:14:47.559 these guys are trying to hang earrings on a pig, 282 00:14:48.080 --> 00:14:50.799 and they just spent the night and it almost sounded 283 00:14:50.919 --> 00:14:53.240 like they were trying to make a case for North 284 00:14:53.240 --> 00:14:56.120 Carolina being in the tournament. I know that wasn't what 285 00:14:56.320 --> 00:15:00.639 was going on because very few people side of that 286 00:15:00.799 --> 00:15:06.600 room of the selections committee believe that North Carolina belongs 287 00:15:06.600 --> 00:15:10.480 in that tournament. And I do not believe that what 288 00:15:10.600 --> 00:15:15.879 happened last night justifies the selection. But meanwhile, West Virginia, 289 00:15:15.919 --> 00:15:18.840 what should have been in, you know, is getting support 290 00:15:18.879 --> 00:15:21.799 from the governor of West Virginia who's talking about suing 291 00:15:22.159 --> 00:15:25.759 and getting the attorney general to investigate. The state Attorney General, 292 00:15:26.440 --> 00:15:30.000 Stephen A. Smith, said he needs to sit his bleep 293 00:15:30.159 --> 00:15:33.200 down and back away from it, and Jay BILLI said 294 00:15:33.200 --> 00:15:36.440 the same thing. And I agree politicians for the most part, 295 00:15:36.559 --> 00:15:40.440 sometimes yes, but ninety percent of the time they need 296 00:15:40.440 --> 00:15:43.399 to stay out of sports. They have bigger and more 297 00:15:43.399 --> 00:15:45.919 important things to do. And I get it. This is 298 00:15:45.960 --> 00:15:49.039 an emotional situation. I grew up a West Virginia fan 299 00:15:49.080 --> 00:15:52.679 because my dad went to school there. My grandparents settled 300 00:15:52.720 --> 00:15:55.519 from Italy in Fairmount, West Virginia. I used to wear 301 00:15:55.559 --> 00:15:59.960 a West Virginia T shirt under my baseball uniform. But no, 302 00:16:00.000 --> 00:16:02.159 you know, just just stay out of it. You know, 303 00:16:03.279 --> 00:16:05.240 I don't know what's going to happen. You can make 304 00:16:05.679 --> 00:16:10.720 the best argument now for taking the bracketology away from 305 00:16:11.519 --> 00:16:15.440 people who were involved directly in the sport, as in 306 00:16:15.480 --> 00:16:19.559 committee members who either play with or against the teams involved, 307 00:16:20.519 --> 00:16:25.720 and go to an independent source like bracketologists. But that 308 00:16:25.759 --> 00:16:28.720 ain't gonna happen. You know, they have vested interest, yes, 309 00:16:28.799 --> 00:16:32.519 but North Carolina had a financial stake in it. And 310 00:16:32.600 --> 00:16:36.320 I do believe that the chairman of the committee ad 311 00:16:36.519 --> 00:16:39.039 for North Carolina, got up and left the room when 312 00:16:39.080 --> 00:16:42.320 they talked about North Carolina. But so what the people 313 00:16:42.320 --> 00:16:45.759 who sit next to him and work with him closely 314 00:16:45.960 --> 00:16:49.600 all year long on that committee, sometimes for multiple years, 315 00:16:50.240 --> 00:16:53.639 they're still in the room. You cannot make an argument 316 00:16:54.519 --> 00:16:59.840 for North Carolina. You just can't. And they lost so much. 317 00:17:00.159 --> 00:17:03.440 Some say all of their credibility by putting the tar 318 00:17:03.480 --> 00:17:05.599 heels in the tournament. And I'm not a tar heel hater. 319 00:17:06.400 --> 00:17:08.480 But they just don't belong. And yeah, they beat San 320 00:17:08.519 --> 00:17:12.680 Diego State, but that happens. I commend you to the 321 00:17:12.720 --> 00:17:15.720 second half of the Kentucky Georgetown game in nineteen eighty four. 322 00:17:16.000 --> 00:17:19.599 Who saw that coming. Kentucky have double digits in the 323 00:17:19.599 --> 00:17:21.960 first half of nine at the half, it goes three 324 00:17:22.000 --> 00:17:24.799 for thirty three in the second half. I mean, things 325 00:17:24.880 --> 00:17:29.039 happen in games, but the governor of West Virginia just 326 00:17:29.079 --> 00:17:32.039 needs to stay out of it. Speaking of stay out 327 00:17:32.039 --> 00:17:34.640 of it, Dan Shaughnessy is a Hall of Fame baseball writer. 328 00:17:35.720 --> 00:17:39.720 He wrote a skating column in The Boston Globe about 329 00:17:39.720 --> 00:17:44.519 why he is sitting out the tournament, and it's essentially 330 00:17:44.559 --> 00:17:48.039 because of Nil and the portal. He thinks it's ridiculous 331 00:17:48.079 --> 00:17:51.440 all the player movement, which is prompted by the money 332 00:17:51.440 --> 00:17:54.240 they're making. I don't know this for a fact, but 333 00:17:54.279 --> 00:17:57.759 I'll guarantee you Shaughnessy was probably one of the guys 334 00:17:57.759 --> 00:18:00.880 banging the drum for more player freedom and the fact 335 00:18:00.920 --> 00:18:03.640 that coaches could move around and players couldn't. It is 336 00:18:03.759 --> 00:18:08.000 ridiculous right now because coaches at least are bound by contracts, 337 00:18:08.200 --> 00:18:10.400 and yeah, they break contracts all the time, but there 338 00:18:10.400 --> 00:18:14.039 are buyouts involved? Is that what's coming next for players? 339 00:18:14.880 --> 00:18:20.039 Contracts and buyouts and college sports? It probably needs to 340 00:18:21.039 --> 00:18:24.000 but now you're talking about collective bargaining or things like that. 341 00:18:24.839 --> 00:18:27.559 It's got to change. You can't have guys who are 342 00:18:27.559 --> 00:18:30.920 in school for five, six, seven years at five or 343 00:18:30.920 --> 00:18:34.440 six different schools. It's gonna kill the sport. And not 344 00:18:34.559 --> 00:18:37.920 just basketball, but it seems to be more prevalent in basketball, 345 00:18:37.960 --> 00:18:42.200 but football and baseball and even now women's basketball. Yeah, 346 00:18:42.480 --> 00:18:46.279 but Shaughnessy says, I'm out and there may be more 347 00:18:46.279 --> 00:18:48.319 on the way. Tom Leach is on the way next 348 00:18:48.359 --> 00:18:52.799 six thirty WLAP Welcome back to the Big Blue Cider. 349 00:18:52.920 --> 00:18:54.960 Joining us now is the man who is the radio 350 00:18:55.079 --> 00:18:57.680 voice of the Wildcats. Plus you hear him every morning 351 00:18:58.039 --> 00:19:03.160 on this very radio station to Leach, who is is this? Which? 352 00:19:03.319 --> 00:19:05.799 Which tournament is? Is for you? Twenty twenty five? 353 00:19:06.640 --> 00:19:09.000 Yeah, I should see the first one was two thousand 354 00:19:09.039 --> 00:19:13.200 and two season. Yeah, so this is twenty twenty three 355 00:19:13.519 --> 00:19:19.559 minus twenty twenty minus twenty twenty one minus twenty thirteen, yeah, 356 00:19:20.000 --> 00:19:22.759 minus two thousand and nine. 357 00:19:24.279 --> 00:19:27.640 The sad years. But this season has been anything but 358 00:19:29.680 --> 00:19:32.839 this season has been a season of joy. And yet Tom, 359 00:19:33.279 --> 00:19:36.799 there have been so many ups and downs for a 360 00:19:36.799 --> 00:19:39.680 a fan base that has overjoyed with the coach and 361 00:19:39.880 --> 00:19:44.000 so looking forward to the tournament. It is amazing that 362 00:19:44.160 --> 00:19:47.920 the roller coaster ride that this season has been, hasn't it. 363 00:19:49.200 --> 00:19:53.799 Yeah, you just wonder what could have been with their 364 00:19:54.519 --> 00:19:58.799 full lineup intact, because you know they're sitting there at 365 00:19:59.240 --> 00:20:04.920 fourteen and three when they played down at Georgia. After 366 00:20:04.960 --> 00:20:08.960 they lost the game down at Georgia, excuse me, after 367 00:20:08.960 --> 00:20:11.480 they beat Texas A and M. They lost, so they 368 00:20:11.480 --> 00:20:13.240 had you know, they lost the road game to Cleinson. 369 00:20:13.279 --> 00:20:16.480 It's no great shakes there. But they played awful against 370 00:20:16.519 --> 00:20:18.720 Ohio State and didn't play a whole lot of at Erganst. Georgia. 371 00:20:18.759 --> 00:20:22.160 But you know that's twice in seventeen games they had 372 00:20:22.160 --> 00:20:26.400 off nights. And you know Jackson Robinson that you know, 373 00:20:26.440 --> 00:20:28.440 really started to heat up after Mississippi State. I mean, 374 00:20:28.440 --> 00:20:30.319 he was averaged four to three is a game when 375 00:20:30.319 --> 00:20:33.839 he got hurt in early February. You know, he's probably 376 00:20:33.880 --> 00:20:36.720 an All SEC guy if he finishes up at that pace. 377 00:20:38.559 --> 00:20:41.440 And you know then Butler in and out of the lineup. 378 00:20:42.039 --> 00:20:45.400 Car now I think is finally I'm sure he's not 379 00:20:45.440 --> 00:20:49.680 one hundred percent, but he's playing at the level that 380 00:20:49.720 --> 00:20:52.319 I think we all expected and saw early in the season, 381 00:20:52.319 --> 00:20:55.319 maybe even a little better with how well he's scoring. 382 00:20:55.440 --> 00:20:59.079 So you know, if it just if they had, you know, 383 00:20:59.160 --> 00:21:03.440 a full strength Butler and a full strength Robinson, much 384 00:21:03.519 --> 00:21:06.720 less Cresa, I mean, he put together a really nice 385 00:21:07.240 --> 00:21:11.119 group of guys that really fit together well. Yes, and 386 00:21:11.400 --> 00:21:15.160 it's you know, it's if this analogy works. Remember the 387 00:21:15.240 --> 00:21:18.759 game Jinga. Yeah, he keeps pulling pieces out and there 388 00:21:18.759 --> 00:21:20.400 have been times where they pulled one out and the 389 00:21:20.440 --> 00:21:22.640 hel something fell down, and then they built it back 390 00:21:22.720 --> 00:21:25.440 up and then you know, you pull a piece out, Okay, 391 00:21:25.559 --> 00:21:29.480 still stand up. So it's been a little bit like that. 392 00:21:29.480 --> 00:21:33.960 That's a great analogy. And if Andrew Carr, I mean 393 00:21:34.039 --> 00:21:37.240 he's going for loose balls, he's rebounding, blocking out and 394 00:21:37.279 --> 00:21:41.039 this after coming back from a back injury, and everybody 395 00:21:41.240 --> 00:21:45.559 somewhere knows somebody or has had problems with a bad back. 396 00:21:46.119 --> 00:21:48.440 And if you're a collegiate athlete playing I mean, I 397 00:21:48.480 --> 00:21:51.240 remember when Kenny Walker hurt his back as a rookie 398 00:21:51.279 --> 00:21:53.279 with the Knicks. I don't know if he ever really 399 00:21:53.279 --> 00:21:57.119 got over That probably took him quite a while, but 400 00:21:57.240 --> 00:22:00.720 Carr is active again, and he's the guy I remember 401 00:22:00.759 --> 00:22:02.839