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- [00:00]
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Matt Jones
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Matt Jones
This is my bill now.
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Ariel Elias
Live full service Comedy Off Broadway in Lexington welcomes Kentucky's own Ariel Elias January 9th through the 11th. Then from the Southern Fried Chicks comedy tour catch club favorite ETA May January 16th through the 18th and experience the outrageous comedy of Casey Rocket January 23rd through the 25th. For tickets to all shows call 859-271 joke or purchase seats online at comedyoff broadway.com comedy off broadway this is Kentucky Sports Radio presented by Stockton Mortgage. Now here's Matt Jones.
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Matt Jones
Welcome everyone Kentucky Sports Radio Monday, January 13th I am Matt Jones here at the KS Bar and Grill. It is a post victory show with you. You can give us a shout in the Clark's Pump and shop phone line 859-280-2287 a vision auto glass text machine 772-774-5254. This edition sponsored by the TJ Smith Law Office. You call TJ will make them pay. So here's the deal. Today at 11:00 Willie Collie Stein is going to come join us and he will be in here to sort of talk. I think we're just going to talk everything. He was here at this bar Saturday night watching the game. So we'll talk to him about what he thinks about the team. But also maybe Drew, the best storyteller. I mean probably he and DeMarcus you think are the best storytellers of the Cal era in terms of having players. Yeah.
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Drew
Not because they're good storytellers, just because they don't Care to say anything? Yeah, they'll. They'll let it fly. They're not. They're not going to hide anything. I mean, probably the most open.
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Matt Jones
Durant and Marcus Teague were pretty open, but I think Willie will even take it to another level.
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Drew
We had Willie this summer when you were gone, and I asked him, can we talk about the Bahamas? And he said yes. It was the day we had so many people. We only got a couple minutes with him, and we didn't get much out of him. So we know he's willing to. To go there if you want to.
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Ryan
He's one of those guys that, you know, we'll have him on for a segment. We could have a whole show with a guy like that. He'd feel the whole show.
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Matt Jones
Why are we just having him on for a second?
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Ryan
I'm just making a point. He could just do.
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Matt Jones
No, we're gonna have him on more than a segment if he will stay. I assume he will. So he's in town. He was here watching the. Looking forward to that. We also have new headsets. So if we. If you're listening and we sound differently, it's because they tell me, Ryan, these are state of the art headsets.
- [03:16]
Ryan
Yours. Your two earpieces are actually attached for.
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Matt Jones
The first time in a month and a half.
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Ryan
Mine looked like a couple mice had been eating on it for a couple years.
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Drew
Drew's.
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Ryan
Drew actually had the best of all of us, but we actually have a fourth set. Like, Willie's even gonna have a new headset when he comes and joins us.
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Matt Jones
What do you mean you have mice eating on it?
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Ryan
Mine was all chewed up. Like, the microphone cover was chewed. The headphone covers were all chewed up.
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Drew
I really liked leaving the show and being out in public, and people would be like, you have, like, black foam all over your ear. It's like, yeah, it's our crappy headsets. That would just leave a trail of radio.
- [03:46]
Matt Jones
Well, we have new ones. I was told they were here for two and a half weeks, and no one brought them here, so. But luckily we got them, and now we're ready to go. And what a great day. Like, Cats beat Mississippi State on Saturday night. Awesome win on the road. It's their fourth victory over a team that at the time was in the top 12 of the net. Gets Kentucky to 2 and 1 in the SEC. Part of, you know, maybe the separation of the SEC a little bit. Five teams went on the road, and they might be the five best teams in the conference. Auburn, Alabama, Tennessee, Florida, and US all went on the road and beat a good team on the road. So. And I think you could kind of see there haven't been a lot of road wins. That might be the sort of first step in. Okay, here are your best teams. But when it comes to Kentucky, tough game, Got a big lead, gave it up, fell behind, hit the shots to come back and win. I thought it was a great gutsy test for this group. Jackson Robinson broke out. My guy, Ansley Almanor, who Mario just trashed before the season started, but I took up for because I saw something from him. Hit three big threes and Ryan, we get the victory.
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Ryan
Man, what a great game. You know, both teams played a really high level man. And I think when most of us thought the game would maybe in the 70s, I think Jack Givens even said the 60s. 95, 90. I mean, it was just a fun game to watch. Shot the ball extremely well. But I think if you told me that Kobe Bray was only going to go one of five for threes, I'd have thought, oh, we're in trouble. Didn't realize that Jackson Robinson was just going to hit everything he threw up in the game.
- [05:24]
Matt Jones
Well, I mean, Jackson Robinson, you know, we needed that game from him. I mean, that's, you know, I feel like I was like a lone voice in the woods. Think about how many people have called this show and said, Matt, why do you keep saying Jackson Robinson has to be our best player? That's why.
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Ryan
Yep.
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Matt Jones
Because if we don't have that, it will be very hard to win. Because, you know, let's be honest, until the second half, I mean, Jackson Robinson was the only one making shots for most of the game.
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Drew
Now.
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Matt Jones
Butler hit some big ones, obviously Almanor, but Rob, we're not in that game in the first half without Jackson Robinson. We're down 12 again at halftime. He really was huge.
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Advertiser
Yeah.
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Drew
And my favorite part with that is it didn't take him long. Kentucky still had a slow ish start. I guess they went down 5. Oh, and like 11, 5. It wasn't the slow starts of Duke and Clemson where it didn't look like they belonged out there, but Robinson didn't waste any time finding his shot. We knew within minutes that he packed his stuff for Starkville and it's just good moving forward. We knew he had done it at byu. I even brought up on the pregame show how I watched that game in the fog a year ago and I'm like, I know he's done it. He did it at byu. Why can't he do it here. We finally got to see that big 40 minute performance from him. He was one shy away from eight. There's only eight people in history that have made eight in a game. So he. It was almost a truly historic performance from him. Three point shooting.
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Matt Jones
He. It was funny. They called timeout after his seventh three. I thought Mississippi State, we talked about how I thought early in the game Pope went one too many without calling timeout. I thought Mississippi State did that too because they gave him a couple extra ones. After their seventh one, they called timeout and they clearly switched their defense to Robinson's not going to beat us. And then Kentucky was able to get stuff from other guys at that point. Then you got away going to the basket. Obviously you had Almanor, Carr got a few layups down low. We were able to adjust to their changing defense and I think that helped.
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Ryan
That's exactly why Almanor had those good looks because they were constantly trained so much on Jackson, Robinson and Almanor's credit. Man, those were three big threes he hit. They were all pretty crucial. He hit those.
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Matt Jones
Well, think about the biggest shots, okay? Actually, as great as Robinson played, I don't know that any of his shots were the biggest. I thought The Butler Corner 3 was huge. Big OA had a couple of layups where we had to have a basket. The momentum was going against us and he would get down and get a basket. Almanor, we're down two when Almanor hits his first three. And not only down two, they had scored like six or eight in a row. And we were. They were on a run. Crowds going crazy. Almondor hits the three. Car had a couple layups down low there that were really important. They as good as Robinson played. I thought other dudes hit major, major shots. And then on the last possession, Butler was in Hubbard's face. I mean, go watch those 20 seconds of defense because Hubbard was shooting. You could tell no matter what he was shooting in. Butler made sure Drew he didn't get off an easy shot.
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Drew
That championship chest saw it again. We, we knew before the year we'd see this out of Butler and it's great to finally actually watch it. When Pope said on the radio, I don't lose a minute sleep a night about guarding SEC guards. He already knew what Lamont Butler was and now we're finally seeing it because Hubbard's about as good as you're going to face in the sec. He's. He's up there at those scoring guards with Clayton, who will see at A and M tomorrow. Night, if he plays. And Lamont Butler did a great job defending him, especially when it mattered.
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Matt Jones
I loved everything about how we played. I love the environment. I mean, Mississippi State was roc and they went into that environment and won. You know, we talked about. I consider Gonzaga a road win, but it's a different. It was still like an NBA arena. This was loud college arena, people yelling at you kids, you know, screaming T shirts. They don't do cowbells, but they have the culture of cowbells. Like, you know, chaw everywhere. Like, I mean, it was. That's what you want to do is go win one there.
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Ryan
I think that's what's so impressive to me. They went into that environment after they just got beat on the road at Georgia and played at a high level. And, you know, you hinted to this about Jackson Robinson. If he hits his first shot, he hits his texture that seems like springboard him on.
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Matt Jones
He missed his first one. Missed his first one and then his second one rattled in. But I think it was huge. I think it was. That was. That was a huge thing for the game.
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Drew
And it was the confidence in the one he missed. He was quick to let it fly. It didn't go in, but we knew that the Georgia game didn't linger because you could worry that he would just come out, not even want to shoot. He was so bad at Georgia, but he got right to it.
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Ryan
His. His comments after the game where he said, man, after the Georgia game, I was really in my head, you know, I felt like, oh. But then, boom, look what he did. He came out and looked great.
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Matt Jones
Mari Williams had a double. Double. You know, Amari is my. This year player of. No, no, no. Okay, okay. All right. I'm okay with that. Like. Like, that's him for me. He. He, you know, but he. He drives me crazy with his. Won't put his hands up. But he does rebound. He rebounds well, sometimes.
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Ryan
Yeah.
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Matt Jones
And. But he gets big ones. Got a big one there at the end. Ended up missing the free throw, but that was kind of a game clinching rebound. Any hustles and he's. He. I will say this. He's a great passer. He's going to make a couple turnovers because he'll try to like, thread a needle, but when he threads a needle, it's pretty. And he is, for a big man, a very good passer.
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Drew
Even though I yell at him about once a game, he's still my favorite. It's just that his turnovers.
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Matt Jones
I get like three.
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Drew
Okay, maybe a few more.
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Matt Jones
Yeah.
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Drew
But it's just that when he does does turn it over, it's so bad. It's like, you know, we've mentioned trying to be a point guard. Garrison does it too. But when he connects on him. There's not many big men who can run an offense from the top of the key.
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Matt Jones
Like Garrison hit a three, he did.
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Ryan
Travis Perry hit a three. I mean shoot the ball well, everybody but Bray, he's the only one guy didn't shoot the very well. Didn't.
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Matt Jones
You think you'll ever get it right?
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Ryan
Probably not.
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Drew
They're about to play the 17th game tomorrow night.
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Matt Jones
Yeah, Braya made one though.
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Ryan
One out of five.
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Matt Jones
Yeah. So he made one.
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Drew
And your big shots were mentioning earlier, even though Perry's was early in the game, Mississippi State was on an early run and that one shut him up and pulled Kentucky at the 3.
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Matt Jones
I think that was when they had their biggest lead. It was 11 to 5, I believe. I think maybe did Amari.
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Drew
It was against the shot clock. Had to let it fly.
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Matt Jones
Perry got the rebound and then hit the 3. That cut it to like 11 to 8. So our biggest deficit was when he hit the 3. I just an allaround great team victory. You know there's. You've heard me say this a lot. There's nothing better than winning a game on the road. You just get to watch the teams come together. There's a picture after the game of them celebrating in the locker room. You know it's a big deal when Mitch is double fisting water ready to like. I mean he's doing a stone cold Shannon with the water like ready to hit it and drink it. It may not be beer, but he'll still time take the water. When he got home, he probably did it with milk. That's how excited he was about it.
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Ryan
I don't know. Go ahead. I want to bring one more big shot. The shot Butler hit right before halftime because Hubbard had kind of stuck it in his eye on that four point play and was talking smack to him. Butler came down the other day. That tells me he's. He's got a little that dog in him we've been talking about.
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Matt Jones
Yeah. And I don't know that he had a great game but still hit a couple big shots, play defense. I actually thought he didn't play well, but hit huge shots, drew when it mattered.
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Drew
Well, as someone who needed him to score 10 points, I can tell you he was 1 for 9 from the field for most of the game and then turned it on late. He was Doing other things, but the shot was not falling.
- [12:47]
Matt Jones
He was trying to take it to the rim, and it just wasn't happening. He got. He got stopped at the rim a number of times.
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Drew
And on your Barnhart double fisting point. You know, I don't know Barnhart. I'm not around him. But I've wondered, seeing these photos, is anyone having more fun than him?
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Matt Jones
No. I mean, seeing him again in the.
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Drew
Water shower, he's grinning from ear to ear like a little kid. I mean, I. This was his pick. Everybody was against it, and he has to be loving everything.
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Matt Jones
If you're Mitch Barnhart, you should sit there and feel like, I mean, he's not gonna do middle fingers, but he's gonna be pinkies up on some respect because, you know, he's had to deal with Cal. And even when Cal was at his best, his relationship with Mitch was terrible. Their relationship was never good from moment one. So you got to think of for 14 years, every day, he had to deal with someone he did not personally like. Right. Then you throw in the fate. I mean, the fans have never loved him. Right. I don't think anybody hates him, but I don't think, like, people don't go. You know what I mean? Like, there's not a bond there. Even though I think people respect how good he's done the job.
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Drew
I remember ditch Mitch when Brooks was here. I mean, there's been a complaint forever.
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Matt Jones
He's not a warm and fuzz. He's a very nice man, but he's also, like, not somebody that you know you're gonna have a beer with, right. Or he's just. That's just not who he is. Then, you know, he hires this guy and everyone. I mean, if we're honest, outside of, like, 5% of people, everybody was like, what? And then he turns it around, right? Everyone embraces it. And now Pope's Roland fans are loving it. The other guy is struggling, to say the least. If you're Mitch Barnhart, you do have to be walking around like, yeah, who wants some hope?
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Drew
Let him be a part of this, right? He was not a part of the water shower.
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Matt Jones
I mean, sometimes he would be there, but they didn't. Like a lot of the players, the Cal era were almost. They almost felt zero connection to Mitch. And Mitch is now, like, you know, given Kobe Braya tickling, even, like, it's just not. It's just a different thing.
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Ryan
You know, Mitch has to be feeling good, just not with. With Pope, but with Kenny Brooks with the women's team. Stuck his neck out for me.
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Matt Jones
Brooks. Yeah, I mean that. We'll, we'll talk more about them. They're 15 and 1. Yeah, whatever.
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Ryan
Stuck his neck out from engine and baseball and they went to the College World Series. I mean, Mitch is down to be McMahon walking out with a little swag.
- [15:14]
Matt Jones
Is on a heater. If he could just get stoops to get to a bowl, I think he could just like be fine. So good stuff. 859-280-2287. Text machine is 772-774-5254. We're going to take a break. We're here at KS Bar if you want to come meet Willie. He'll be here around 11. This is Kentucky Sports Radio. Welcome back. It is Kentucky Sports Radio here at the KS Bar & Grill. 859-280-2287. On the text machine, one person writes, Matt, do you think Pope and staff notice Amari keeps his hands down? Do you think there's an intent to it? Well, Pope has got this characteristic that I like, which is he takes up for his players when they ask questions. So I don't know how much of what he says is like how what he really believes or if he's like taken up for him. But he did say something like, well, you can move quicker with your hands down. I can't imagine, though, he always wants his hands down. But he did. I will say to Mark, he his hands were down the whole first half early second in the second half, towards the end, I did notice on a couple big plays, his hands got up and I cheered the moment his hands got up, one of which led to a block.
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Drew
I mentioned that on Friday's show. On Pope's calling show last week, I'd never heard someone make the case for not having your arms up. Pope said, guys can go around you. You're more agile when your hands are down. I was just thought, I've never really heard that explanation.
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Matt Jones
I'm not gonna throw the challenge flag, but I'm throwing the challenge flag on that. I don't believe coaches are like, yeah, you're seven feet tall. Keep your hands down at your waist. I don't think they believe I can.
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Drew
Remember running in little league basketball for not having my head.
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Ryan
Yes. It's one of the things you're taught for an early age. Get your hands, especially if you're in the post, a big guy, you got to get your hands up. I can see it maybe on the perimeter, if you got them out to your side a little bit, maybe Help your lateral quickness a little bit.
- [16:57]
Matt Jones
Yeah. But he even keeps them, like, at his knees, which. Which I don't. Which I don't get. One person writes, matt, do you think Mitch Barnhart will do a press conference and give one of Cal's. Do you see what I did there with the hi. No. And this is, like, I respect this, but this is part of why I think it's been hard for fans to connect with Mitch is he doesn't really do press conferences. He's never warm and fuzzy. Like, he never shows one ounce of, like, lovable personality. You know what I mean? It's all business, all the time. And I've heard, like, you watch him with his family. Like, I went to a UK tennis match last year and sat with him and his daughter and his daughter's kid just for a few minutes. And watching him with his family, you see a different person than you see, you know, Drew on the press conferences or something like that. But he just doesn't show the world that side.
- [17:52]
Drew
Oh, that's somebody that stands next to Mitch in a football or basketball game. You'll know the fire in Barnhart, but on the point of just being public and talking, I'm sitting here trying to think. I remember the awkward Cal interview, and then he came on the show. But he just doesn't do much. Like press conferences or anything like that.
- [18:09]
Matt Jones
Yeah, I can't even remember.
- [18:10]
Drew
I'd be. If I were him, I'd have one every week right now just to flex on my. On my two basketball teams.
- [18:15]
Matt Jones
Let me tell you a little something. If you go to the games, okay? So Mitch stands. He stands over there where I used to when I did the radio sideline. I stood in that little walkway where the players come out. That was where they had me stand. I Was there the 14, 15, and 16 seasons. Pretty good seasons, right? He stands there, too. He would usually stand behind me and he would check to make sure the microphone was off a lot. Because, let me tell you, you know, he's a man of God. Unless we're down three and get a bad call, then sometimes a different set of things come out.
- [18:55]
Ryan
It's been fun to. You watch him and when he stands over there in the corner. Football games are the same way on the sideline. A lot of times he'll stand in the end zone and he'll. He'll let you know quickly what he's feeling.
- [19:04]
Matt Jones
859-280-2287. One more person on the text machine writes, matt, have you signed your contract? Yet my wife keeps asking me and I need to give her an answer. Today is the me they finally gave me. Finally gave me the written thing. Friday at 8:00, which is exactly when you want it. And so the meeting is today. So.
- [19:25]
Ryan
So do we have a show tomorrow?
- [19:26]
Matt Jones
I mean, as of this moment. But ask me at 5:00 today. I'm driving back to Louisville. Shannon be at the building there with you for the first time in a while.
- [19:34]
Ryan
So Shannon need to have a best of ready for tomorrow.
- [19:37]
Matt Jones
Have a best of just in case, you know, if we, if we do a show tomorrow, which I think we will, Georgia Amore will be here with us tomorrow as well. 10. She'll be, she can only be here one segment, so she'll be here at 10:30. She has a class at 11.
- [19:52]
Ryan
So talk about somebody who is just on fire right now. She's had like, what, five or six straight games of over 20. I mean, she is definitely playing at a super high level. One of the best, maybe one of the top point guards in the country.
- [20:03]
Matt Jones
We also should talk just a second before we go the phones about the thing that happened after the game with Pope in the guy in the crowd. First of all, if you haven't seen the video, I don't know how you couldn't have. It's been everywhere now. But Pope comes out after the game, talks to the people, the Kentucky fans. What has started happening is that Kentucky fans who go to a road game kind of go gather down next to the court after the game to celebrate when they win. A lot of times they'll kick you out for that. But at least, but at least it Gonzaga, they didn't. And now Mississippi State, they didn't. And then Pope comes out and says hi to everybody. He does it before he even goes to the media. So we're talking 10 or 15 minutes after the game. He usually does it. I guess he was down there. He saw a young man in a wheelchair that was up on top of the concourse who couldn't get down because Mississippi State's got an old stadium. You know, I don't know if they're ADA compliant or not, but he was up there on the concourse. I don't know who told him that. He walked up there to go meet the guy. And then in one of the, like, I mean, you've seen the video. One of the nicest things you'll ever see. Not only does he walk to him, sits next to him, which people who know, people who, who deal with, who are in wheelchairs. And who deal with that, say, one of the nicest things you can do is go sit rather than look down upon sit. It's like a little thing. Mark does it. And then what I love is Mark talks to him just about being a fan. He's like, when did you become a fan? Oh, wasn't that 2015 team where Willie's here? Right? Like, wasn't that a great team? How good was that? You know, just has a conversation with him. A guy in the crowd just films it. Mark doesn't know that's gonna happen. It's not an official UK video. It's just a guy in the crowd. One of the, you know, just a really cool thing. And it's the kind of thing he did. So, like, nonchalantly that. Right. It makes me think he does it all the time. It usually doesn't get shown on film. And it's. It was perfect to watch because it wasn't just. It seemed genuine. I mean, to. He made the media wait, the radio audience wait. He set with this guy, and I just. I thought it was awesome.
- [22:13]
Ryan
I agree with everything you just said, 100% genuine. Just his natural reaction was he wanted to go talk to this fan that was up there at the top and couldn't get down everybody else. And I'm glad you talked that about him pulling out the chair. Didn't just talk to the guy. Just say, hey, how you doing? Want a picture? Pulled the chair out and steps. I'm going to talk to him for a number of minutes. That just tells you what kind of person Mark Pope is.
- [22:32]
Matt Jones
It's obvious when you. When you think about it, but I had never really thought about it. There's a guy in my fellowship, you know, Aspen Institute thing that's. That's in a wheelchair. We were going to go see him in. In South Dakota, and I said, we. He and I were talking once and he said, you know, it's a little thing. He was like, I don't get mad when people don't, but when people sit next to you, it's just that you put each other on the same level. And, you know, that had never clicked to me in my life. Maybe it should have, but it just never had. It clearly clicked to Mark Pope because he did it naturally. And I thought it was really nice.
- [23:08]
Drew
If he had just gone up there, given him a fist bump and kept walking. I think that still might have been the nicest thing a coach ever did. To go out of the way to someone who couldn't make it down if he had just done a photo, we'd be talking about how nice that was. But to pull up a chair and have a conversation knowing you've got a plane on the tarmac, you probably can't wait to get home. Your players, staff, everybody wants to get home. You still have more obligations in that arena and you don't make that a brief interaction. You've made that dude's day, night, life, year. I mean, you gave that guy a moment he'll never forget.
- [23:38]
Matt Jones
18 year old kid, by the way, which I, which I didn't realize from Madison, Mississippi who had made the trip. So anyway, just a, just a really neat thing.
- [23:47]
Ryan
Your tweet got a lot of play too.
- [23:49]
Matt Jones
I mean, it's Kelsey. Yeah, three or four biggest tweets of all time and. But it wasn't me, it was the kid who took it.
- [23:57]
Drew
It's just Adam Towns.
- [23:58]
Matt Jones
Adam Towns. We'll take a break, take calls right after this. Ksr, is he TJ Smith, personal injury attorney? Call tj. He'll make him pay.
- [24:06]
Ariel Elias
Now more of Kentucky Sports Radio presented by Stockton Mortgage. Here's Matt Jones.
- [24:11]
Matt Jones
Welcome back. It is Kentucky Sports Radio. 859-280-2287. Text Machine 772-774-5254. Let's just quickly to two other things. Louisville, one at Pitt. They're good. And how's that make you feel?
- [24:27]
Ryan
I think we want Louisville to be fairly good since we beat them. You had to help us, you know, come to selection, seating time.
- [24:32]
Matt Jones
They might have a crazy good record in the ACC because they lost to Duke, but they've already beaten Carolina, Pitt and Clemson who might be the three best teams besides Duke. So the rest of the year they're playing bad teams. Now, they're not going to get a lot of quad one wins, but they might end up with a gaudy record at the end of the year. Drew?
- [24:51]
Drew
Yeah, I mean, I prefer they lose every game, but now that we already have that win, like Ron said, that's just great for the resume. I think Duke and Louisville both are going to run through that conference. It is not very good this year, which is going to make that Kentucky's resume even better. Make those two wins look great.
- [25:05]
Matt Jones
I think so.
- [25:06]
Drew
And same case with Gonzaga.
- [25:07]
Matt Jones
And then we do have to talk about Arkansas. Oh, and three in conference. Oh, here comes Willie.
- [25:13]
Drew
Yeah, don't let him hear us.
- [25:15]
Matt Jones
Yeah, Willie, don't, don't listen to this part. All right? So you just, just wait over there. Just don't listen to this part. Okay? You go to the go the restroom. Owen 3. A classic cow after the game press conference where he's like, I don't even know who we play. You know what's happening is this basketball. What are we doing? And you know, they do. They might win a game this week because they play at lsu. But Owen three.
- [25:43]
Ryan
Oh, and three. And it ain't going to get any easier for that group. You start out the season, oh, and three losing games at home. It's going to get a lot tougher.
- [25:50]
Matt Jones
They're not good. We've got to beat them.
- [25:52]
Ryan
And I thought going in the season they were going to be a good team.
- [25:55]
Matt Jones
I mean, they're not good. They missed so many. Did you see the meme? It was like, did you see the post about what happens if Arkansas players. Did you see the John F. Kennedy post?
- [26:08]
Ryan
I don't know if I saw.
- [26:09]
Drew
Like, I saw that one.
- [26:10]
Matt Jones
They had a picture of John F. Kennedy where he was like 100 years old and they showed a picture of it and said John F. Kennedy. If the Arkansas players were the shooters, I mean, like, come on now. Like, they're being terrible about the. Because they can't make a shot. They cannot make a shot.
- [26:27]
Drew
This isn't just our opinions. Like, they are in trouble with their resume. Like in the. They have one. Quad one and quad two win combined. They have one.
- [26:36]
Matt Jones
Well, they'll get a lot of chances.
- [26:38]
Drew
No, they just got a lot of confidence in their last few chances. The thing. I mean, the basketball is one thing. I don't think anyone's that surprised that a Cal team's not hitting threes. But this stuff he's doing after the games, Arkansas fans are getting tired of that real quick because he does not have the goodwill there that he had here. That when do we play? Did not land very well in Fayetteville. They were livid over that. We heard that 10 times. He had a title. We kind of rolled our eyes like, come on, Cal. Arkansas has no patience for the stats are wrong. When do we play that? That got tired already.
- [27:10]
Matt Jones
Get the wall Cousins year where all that stuff was cute. It's just like you don't know who we play.
- [27:17]
Drew
You know, these people, calendar year ago had tweets that were awful about Cal.
- [27:21]
Matt Jones
Yeah.
- [27:22]
Drew
So that stuff is wearing thin.
- [27:23]
Matt Jones
Who's up first? Shannon.
- [27:24]
Ariel Elias
Kyle.
- [27:25]
Matt Jones
Kyle. Go ahead, Kyle.
- [27:29]
F
Hey, Matt. Great game this weekend. So overall, our basketball team is ninth in the country in shot attempts per game and 12th and fast break points per game. And we've played 8D1 power school so far. Where we're 4, 0 against teams who are top 100 in shots per game, you know, wanting to shoot with us and one in three against teams 100 first or worse. So putting it plainly, I don't care who you are, but if you play slow, I just want our team to push the ball and shoot as much as possible every game. Driving up our possession totals this week was phenomenal. Doing that and starting with the Tennessee game later this month on the 28th, what's your thoughts on we play six consecutive games against teams outside of the top 100 and shot attempts per game who generally slow down.
- [28:10]
Matt Jones
I think you make a great point when we impose the pace and I appreciate the call. We're great when the pace is what we want. We're great. We move when we get up and down the floor. We're better at fast breaks than other teams. We're better shooting than other teams. Teams seem to shoot their best three point percentage of the year against us. At least Mississippi State did in the second half. In the first half they missed a bunch. But the problem is when teams slow us down. But Mississippi State was a team I thought was going to try to slow us down and they weren't able to do it. We scored 95 on a team member. Florida was second in the country in half court defense. Mississippi State was fifth. So it's really just about do we get to the pace that we want to get to? Because when we do, Ryan, we're as good as anybody.
- [28:55]
Ryan
Two of the best defensive teams that we've played all year, Florida and Mississippi State, we scored 106 and 95 against them because we were able to dictate the pace, set the pace. Georgia, they set the pace, slowed it down. That's why we had trouble and I.
- [29:08]
Matt Jones
Don'T know why one was different than the other. We're gonna play Texas A and M, another team that's going to try to set the pace now they're more guard centric like they're going to. They're. They got guards that are good, but they're going to try to set the pace. Then we'll play Alabama, who I think will be fine playing our pace. So two interesting home games coming and to your point.
- [29:27]
Drew
I mean the only three times Kentucky hadn't scored 75 points of their three losses there in the 60s and all those games, I just, they're not, I don't think they're going to win any fights that are that low score. Mississippi State hadn't given up. They'd Only given up 80 once this season, and they hadn't given up that many going back to like, 2016. That's.
- [29:42]
Matt Jones
Yeah, you know, I heard. I was listening to the field of 68 and Terence Oglesby, who seems like he's kind of taking up the role as, like, Kentucky critic. He was like, this team's defense, if they have to play a game in the 60s, they're not going to win. And I was like, yeah, you're right. If we're in the 60s or 70s, we're not going to win. But if we get to the 80s, I like our chance. I mean, we get to the 80s, I don't know if you can outshoot us when we're in that amount because.
- [30:11]
Drew
We'Re in the 80s. Somebody's making them.
- [30:13]
Ryan
We talked about the rule of 81. I think with this team, instead of the rule of 71. Yeah, we can get to 81. We got a pretty good shot to win the game.
- [30:19]
Matt Jones
But it is. It will be. We're not going to win a game with these defense. No, but we can outshoot almost anybody. And remember, we still haven't had a game, I think, where everyone's hot. Right. You know, we still missed a lot of shots. Prayer was one for five. If we get a game where everybody's hot, we might score 240 points.
- [30:39]
Drew
That's what's so wild about the other night. Seven players. Seven different players hit a three. And Kobe Braya was cold. Like he had Garrison hit one. Almond, of course, had the big stuff.
- [30:48]
Matt Jones
That was definitely a. No, no, no. Yes. Three there by Garrison. Who's next?
- [30:52]
Drew
Next?
- [30:53]
Ariel Elias
Let's go to Slugger.
- [30:55]
Matt Jones
Slugger. How are you, Slugger?
- [30:57]
G
Oh, I'm well, boys, I was actually at the game down there, and I can tell you right now, that place was a hornet's nest getting in there. It was just one. One badmouther after the other. And they definitely didn't appreciate me wearing blue. But deep down, I feel like that was our best game all year.
- [31:16]
Matt Jones
Maybe. Yeah. I mean, maybe when you can say, I think I. I still think the Gonzaga win. Just when you consider how much we were down and all that. The. The best. But in terms of winning on the road, like you said, I mean, when you have a 14 point lead and you give it up, I think it's very rare to win that game. And then they did.
- [31:36]
G
Oh, absolutely. And when we were. When we went down 80, 78, I thought, man, this is. We're in a hole now. Get. Get ready, boys. And not only we come out of it. We came out of it strong. It was a great effort and a lot of fun there. And the people that were sitting around me were bad mouthing me the whole time. And needless to say, with about 10 seconds to go, they were running for the exit.
- [31:58]
Matt Jones
Yeah, well, that's the way it works. I appreciate the call. That was the moment I was the most worried. 8078 we get the ball and I think we turned it over. So we gave them the ball. They had it back up two and I was like, oh. And then we came down. I think that we made them take a bad shot. And then Ansley Almanor hits three the next possession. That was, I think a really key sequence right there.
- [32:23]
Drew
Mari turned it over when it was 80 to 78.
- [32:25]
Matt Jones
Yeah. On the cut Amari pass. You're exactly right.
- [32:28]
Ryan
I tell you a spot. What I thought. Oh, when they banked in the three pointer.
- [32:31]
Matt Jones
Well, when they bank in a three they never, usually never come down. That was, and that was a six point play.
- [32:38]
Ryan
Yeah.
- [32:38]
Matt Jones
Called a fake foul on Robinson. That's has another bad flop. If you watch it, Robinson's now being called for two horrendous flops on rebounds. The one at Georgia and then that one. That dude did not get fouled and ended up getting a six point play. Yeah.
- [32:53]
Drew
And I'll be honest, that bank three, I thought that was the curse because Ohio State banked one in and Clemson banked one in.
- [32:59]
Matt Jones
I just thought didn't Georgia banked one in.
- [33:01]
Drew
I meant to say Georgia. Yeah. Not Ohio State. Yeah, that's, that's been the, that's been one of those in each loss.
- [33:08]
Matt Jones
Hey, if you're exercising more, being healthier and saving more money than some of your New Year's resolutions, maybe it's time to get in shape. Court Physical therapy has been Kentucky and his leader in physical therapy for more than 30 years. Whether you're a chronic resolution breaker or someone who's serious about making a lifestyle change, Court can help. That's kort.comcourt.com we'll take a break and be right back. Willie Collie Stein will join us at 11 this Kentucky Sports Radio. Welcome back. It is Kentucky Sports Radio, 859-280-2287. Willie just told me that he, he was here for the Gonzaga game too, which we didn't know because we were out in Seattle. So we're now two and oh, when he watches the game here, we're going to have to bring him in and make him watch the games in March.
- [33:51]
Ryan
His record a lot better than our record.
- [33:54]
Matt Jones
When I watch games here, we never win. So I think it's because I'm too nervous. Feel it.
- [33:59]
Drew
Congratulations to Willie. He's now hosting every game watch party here for the rest of the season. Looking forward to that.
- [34:04]
Matt Jones
That's very nice. 859280, 2287 one person writes Matt. Okay, so Kobe Bray and missed those shots collectively. Where does this team rank in three point shooting for UK teams? Oh, that's tough because when they're hot, not as good as any, but they can go cold. I mean, besides this team, what do you think is the best three point shooting team in Kentucky history? Just as a team we've had individuals. Last year's team individually was great, those three individuals. But then the other guys weren't great shooters. What do you think's been the best collective group early in the season?
- [34:44]
Drew
I remember a lot of notes of like first time since 1993 open with five straight games of ten threes. There was a lot of first time since the 92, 93 range. So I'd put those teams in it.
- [34:55]
Matt Jones
The 9293 was really good because the bigs could shoot threes too. So you had like the four kids from Kentucky. You had Ford, Mashburn, Dale Brown, even Jamel Martinez could shoot the three if he wanted. I think the team, the Fox, Monk, Briscoe wasn't a great shooter, but he was on those. But then Derek Willis and Dominique Hawkins coming off the bench, that team when they got hot could really make shots and bam, now makes them in the NBA. He didn't really shoot him when he was at Kentucky.
- [35:32]
Drew
Last year's team.
- [35:33]
Matt Jones
Last year's gotta be up there though, even though we lost. I mean you three of the six best three point shooters in UK history on the same team.
- [35:41]
Drew
I'm trying to think of ones in my brains going Antonio Reeves, Reed shepherd and Rob Dillingham.
- [35:45]
Matt Jones
Rob, Yeah, I mean all three of those guys on the same team. I mean Cal's had a ton of teams where there were so many good bigs and so many good getting to the basket guys. But as a group of just all three point shooters, I mean everyone on this team can make them except Amari. That's pretty good. If you have eight guys who can make a three.
- [36:03]
Drew
That is Brandon Garrison is three for four from three in the last four games.
- [36:06]
Matt Jones
That's crazy because I sure don't like it when he shoots it. But then it goes in and Trent.
- [36:10]
Ryan
Noah's like three or Four.
- [36:11]
Matt Jones
He has.
- [36:11]
Ryan
He doesn't miss either.
- [36:12]
Matt Jones
Trent Noah doesn't even. Is not. Didn't even get in yet.
- [36:16]
Ryan
Well, that's why I think we're going to name him the Johnny Rocker role player. Every game. Yeah, every game.
- [36:20]
Matt Jones
Travis Perry made one.
- [36:21]
Ryan
He did make one.
- [36:22]
Matt Jones
Could have picked him.
- [36:23]
Ryan
Do we put the 96 team in the conversation?
- [36:25]
Matt Jones
For sure. They should be up there that whole 96 through 98. Because in 96, everyone but Pope shot three. Yeah, no, I mean, I think I'm right. Eps, just think epps, Delk, Walker, McCarty, all those guys. Derek Anderson, Ron Mercer, they all shot three. Jeff shepherd, all those guys. Like, yeah, no, 96 through 98's got to be in that conversation.
- [36:49]
Ryan
But we, if you asked us to Pick who's number one, I think we've hit the top three. 92, 96. And last year, who's the best? Which one are you picking?
- [36:57]
Drew
Well, I'm going to add one more.
- [36:58]
Matt Jones
This one is in that group. I mean, those teams were better. 96. Well, 96, 96 and Willie's team are the two best teams of all time in my opinion. Last year's team was not great, but they could sure shoot. I think this one will be up there with them. And just if you're talking three point shooting.
- [37:20]
Drew
Oh, definitely. And brave. And though he's been cold for a week, when the season's over, he's going to be up there at the top with some of the names we've mentioned. One, that's not a team, but a backcourt. Ulis and Murray didn't miss a lot when they were open. We forget how good Ulis was with a three point shooter in addition to everything else he did. And then Murray, of course, is high.
- [37:38]
Matt Jones
Honestly, I mean, even with Willie sitting here. Think about who's on the 15 team. Booker, Ulis, the twins. Alex could shoot from three, Trey Lyles, and they didn't even let Carl Town shoot from three. And he won the NBA three point shooting contest. So I mean, that's also a pretty good group if you look at.
- [37:58]
Drew
And before that, Cal didn't need shooters because he had Duran Lamb. And when you have drawn Lamb, you don't need anybody else on the team that can shoot when you have a Duran Lamb.
- [38:06]
Matt Jones
Who's up next?
- [38:07]
Ariel Elias
Kentucky Surveyor.
- [38:08]
Matt Jones
Surveyor, how are you?
- [38:11]
Drew
Hey, good guys.
- [38:12]
H
How y'all doing?
- [38:13]
Matt Jones
Doing good.
- [38:15]
H
Hey, just a couple comments. So I called in last week and talked about the. The rebounding. Offensive rebounds have been given up and I thought we'd done a Great job against Mississippi State, if I'm not mistaken. We out rebounded them all together and on the offensive boards. And so I was curious. I don't know a ton about them as far as rebounding goes, but just because they're not a great rebounding team or did we shore that up?
- [38:36]
Matt Jones
I thought we, I thought we did a pretty good job keeping them off the glass. On the offensive rebounds. They, they. I appreciate the call. They were not as big a glass crashers as I thought they would be, but I think we actually, especially in the second, you know, towards the end of the game, I thought we did a pretty good job at that.
- [38:53]
Ryan
Yeah, really. You know, overall this season, that, that's definitely an area where they've not been great, but they didn't kill us on the offensive glass of Mississippi State. That Cam Matthews though, he was like, he was.
- [39:04]
Matt Jones
But here's Cam Matthews was a 19% three point shooter going into the game and he made three straight. Although they may say that about Almanore, but I mean he made three straight. By the way, Willie got disrespected at the halftime of that game. You didn't hear this because you were here, but Ron Slay and Damian Fishback were talking about the dudes in the SEC who had dunked on people the hardest because Jack. Oh yeah, dunked on. Should have been on.
- [39:29]
Drew
Oh, he wasn't there.
- [39:31]
Matt Jones
He named like three. Not. I don't think he named a UK guy he named like.
- [39:36]
Drew
He could have just named Willie 3.
- [39:37]
Matt Jones
Who did he say? Who you should have been. I mean you're dunk against Florida, but it's not just that one. Then the dude you made, the dude in Cincinnati, he should have retired from basketball in the NCAA tournament. I mean that dude, that's.
- [39:51]
Drew
I think he did remember he left the game and didn't come back. I think he did retire.
- [39:55]
Matt Jones
What you think he did every time. That was one of the most embarrassing.
- [40:01]
Drew
That he works at Amazon now.
- [40:03]
Matt Jones
Who's up next? Ed. Ed. What's up, Ed? But they didn't mention. I can't remember who they mentioned. They mentioned like three guys. Can't remember. It was Ed. Go ahead, Ed. Hey, man, what a great day to be a Wildcats fan. And I was wondering, Jackson Robinson's breakout performance, you think it continues? Yes, I do. I think. Okay. So after the game, appreciate the call. They asked about Jackson Robinson and Drew Alert alluded to this earlier. Pope said that he came to him at the last game and said I'm just thinking too much when I Missed the first one. It gets in my head, all the stuff we guessed about. He said. I'm not doing that anymore. I'm just going to shoot. And he's one for one in games since that. I think if you know how I've said I don't think any of these dudes are going to play in the NBA. Drew, if he plays like he did against Mississippi State, he might be able. He could be an NBA player if he plays like that.
- [40:56]
Drew
And Pope, who's had him a couple of several years now, said that was his best college game to date. He's had better. Actually really had any better statistical games. But just given the circumstances coming off maybe his worst game and all the criticism and doubt in his head to turn around and do it on short notice. Pope said that's the best he's seen from Robinson.
- [41:13]
Matt Jones
What do you make of the fact that Mississippi State hadn't beaten us in the regular season since like 08? Isn't that crazy?
- [41:20]
Ryan
That is crazy. Especially. That's a tough place to play at times. So to win all these years in a row, down even on their place, that's. That says something about your program.
- [41:27]
Matt Jones
It's weird to me because it's not like they've stunk the whole.
- [41:30]
Ryan
No, they haven't.
- [41:31]
Matt Jones
I mean, there was a period of time where we broke their hearts every year. I mean, we 2010, right. We. We beat them. The call me game. Yeah, the SEC tournament game. I think we had. I mean, we've also had crazy endings down there. Reed shot.
- [41:49]
Ryan
Yeah.
- [41:50]
Matt Jones
Dante Allen went off. Eric Daniels hit the layup at the buzzer. The call me game. Demarcus Cousins or, you know, putting it in at the buzzer to send it to overtime. The fact that they've not beaten us in the regular season since 08 is an amazing stat.
- [42:06]
Drew
Really is. Like Ryan said, they don't always have the best team in the conference, usually even more towards the bottom. But they've mostly been a very physical team. I can think of some big guys that have been elite, like Bernardo down there blocking shots, and they've still gone in and played great games.
- [42:18]
Matt Jones
Forgot about Bernardo. He's the SEC all time shot blocking.
- [42:23]
Drew
There's also been several overtime games, including the tip in. I think Dante Allen's was overtime. It's like Mississippi State just keeps getting a heartbreaking ending.
- [42:30]
Matt Jones
I think the loss in the SEC tournament that year with Dante Allen in the COVID year is the only time they've beaten us since 08 and it.
- [42:39]
Drew
Was about one point I think so.
- [42:41]
Matt Jones
859-280-2287. Let's do we have time for one quickly.
- [42:44]
Ariel Elias
Less than a minute.
- [42:45]
Matt Jones
So we'll Adam, go quick.
- [42:49]
H
Hey, Matt, first time caller. Great day to be a wild category with the last caller. Saw your tweet about the UK official pregame show. Got a kick out of that because as I was listening to the, to the pregame show, I just thought how bad that show has become and I'll hang up, listen to your comments.
- [43:06]
Matt Jones
Well, I don't want to say it's bad because I don't necessarily believe that. But I do want to talk about maybe we'll do it in the second hour. If not, we'll do it Tuesday day. Dave Baker and Cameron Mills need an intervention. The two of them, the two of them are going to kill each other at some point. It really is like insane, isn't it? Are you going to let me talk? They're going to fight at some point. We're going to take a break. When we come back, we're here at KS Bar. Willie Col Stein will join us right after this.