2025-02-06- KSR - Hour 1

Summary

KSR Podcast Summary: February 6, 2025 – Hour 1

Hosted by Ryan Lemon, Drew Franklin, and Shannon "the Dude"

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Introduction and Opening Remarks

The February 6th episode of KSR, hosted by Ryan Lemon, Drew Franklin, and Shannon "the Dude," kicks off with a light-hearted acknowledgment of their absent co-host, Matt Jones, who is undergoing a colonoscopy.

Ryan Lemon (02:15): "Matt's not feeling the greatest. I think I want to tap out. Totally get it. Totally understand."

The hosts joke about Matt's absence, setting a casual and engaging tone for the morning show.

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Team Performance and Upcoming Games

Kentucky Basketball’s Recent Struggles

The primary focus shifts to the Kentucky Wildcats basketball team's recent setbacks. Kentucky has suffered four losses in their last five games, including consecutive defeats to Ole Miss. The hosts express concern over the team's performance but remain hopeful about the upcoming game against South Carolina.

Ryan Lemon (03:50): "Kentucky needs a win. They need a feel-good win. And they've got the worst team in the conference coming in on Saturday. Can they pull it off?"

Shannon elaborates on South Carolina's struggles, highlighting their ongoing losing streak within the SEC and recent close games that could have swung differently with stronger defensive play from Kentucky.

Shannon the Dude (04:03): "South Carolina's 12 in a row against Kentucky... they've lost by like 32-13, 5-35. Even played Auburn within a possession. They've been very close and just about all their games just haven't been on the right side."

SEC Standings and Tournament Implications

The discussion extends to the SEC standings, emphasizing how a single game's outcome can significantly impact Kentucky's position. Currently positioned 10th in the SEC, Kentucky faces the challenge of climbing to a higher seed in the tournament.

Drew Franklin (06:50): "One game could be the difference between being in the top four and the bottom four of the SEC."

Shannon shares insights into the revised tournament bracket, suggesting Kentucky as the 8th seed with a favorable matchup path.

Shannon the Dude (09:38): "Kentucky right now would be the 8 seed playing on Thursday. They would get the winner of South Carolina and Mississippi State."

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Coaching Dynamics and Team Morale

Mark Pope’s Locker Room Incident

A significant portion of the episode delves into Coach Mark Pope's alleged outburst in the locker room following Kentucky's loss to Ole Miss. The hosts speculate on the nature and impact of the incident, debating whether such actions align with Pope's coaching style.

Ryan Lemon (12:55): "He might have gone a little Coach P maybe pulling Patino into it. It's got to be for a purpose. It can't just be an emotional release."

Drew Franklin (14:36): "I just don't think Mark Pope is the type of coach that's going to scream in a guy's face in public, in front of everybody. So I'm sure the players are getting that. I just don't think they're getting it during the game."

Shannon emphasizes the potential benefits of Pope's controlled outburst, hoping it serves as a catalyst for improved team performance in subsequent games.

Shannon the Dude (16:14): "I just want him to lose by a million, but I've rooted for him from afar as much as one can being a Kentucky fan."

Impact on Team Performance

Following the incident, Kentucky showed notable improvement in the second half of the game, sparking discussions on whether Pope's methods are effective in motivating the team.

Ryan Lemon (19:15): "If he got to break a whiteboard or a chair or whatever happened in that locker room to fire his team up, they did play better in the second half."

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Hot Takes and Listener Engagement

Predictions for the Season

The hosts and callers engage in a segment of "hot takes," offering bold predictions about the Kentucky basketball season.

Shannon the Dude (24:56): "Kentucky's going to meet up with Arkansas in the SEC tournament and we're going to win."

Drew Franklin (25:35): "I said going into the SEC, Kentucky was going to finish 11 and 7. They're 4 and 5 right now. I think they still will. I think they're going to get white hot, to use Mark Pope's phrase."

Ryan Lemon shares his own prediction, focusing on a standout player’s future prospects.

Ryan Lemon (26:26): "Jackson Robinson is going to finish so strong. He's going to play his way to being an NBA draft pick."

Listener Calls and Contributions

Listeners contribute diverse perspectives, further enriching the discussion. One caller, Ted, underscores the importance of coaching rigor for elite athletes, aligning with the hosts' views on the necessity of accountability.

Caller Ted (28:09): "Good athletes... they want to be coached hard. They want to be held accountable because they know if they're going to win and win championships, they need to be held accountable and be coached."

Another caller, Rob, compares Coach Pope to the popular fictional coach Ted Lasso, debating the balance between kindness and firmness in coaching.

Caller Rob (39:30): "I kind of wish he would have done it a little bit more during the first half during Ole Miss. But anyway, that's just my take on it."

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Women’s Basketball Highlight

Towards the end of the episode, the hosts briefly shift focus to celebrate the success of Kentucky’s women’s basketball team, recognizing their standout player and recent achievements.

Ryan Lemon (32:37): "Earlier this week, Georgia was named Naismith Player of the Week. She's a point guard of the year finalist, SEC player of the week."

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Closing Remarks and Upcoming Events

The episode wraps up with a preview of upcoming events and a reminder of the next show’s location.

Ryan Lemon (35:13): "Tomorrow we're at Kentucky Branded out by the mall. We'll be right back. This is Kentucky Sports Radio."

The hosts maintain an upbeat and community-focused atmosphere, reinforcing their connection with listeners.

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Notable Quotes

• Ryan Lemon (02:15): "Matt's not feeling the greatest. I think I want to tap out. Totally get it. Totally understand."

• Shannon the Dude (04:03): "South Carolina's 12 in a row against Kentucky... they've lost by like 32-13, 5-35."

• Drew Franklin (06:50): "One game could be the difference between being in the top four and the bottom four of the SEC."

• Shannon the Dude (16:14): "He might have snapped on him a little bit. That'd be good for him."

• Ryan Lemon (19:15): "If he got to break a whiteboard or a chair... they did play better in the second half."

• Caller Ted (28:09): "Good athletes... they want to be coached hard."

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Conclusion

This episode of KSR provides an in-depth look at the Kentucky Wildcats' basketball season, exploring team dynamics, coaching strategies, and the potential impact of recent events on future performance. The hosts and listeners engage in thoughtful discussions, balancing critique with optimism, while maintaining an entertaining and interactive format for their audience.

Transcript

[Matt Jones]

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[Ryan Lemon]

Comedy Off Broadway in Lexington welcomes rising comedy star and social media Sensation Renee Vacca January 23rd through the 25th. Then catch urban comedy legend Arnaz J. January 30th through February 2nd. And welcome back Billy Gardell, the star of Mike and Molly and Bob Hart's Abishola Feb. 6 through the 8th. For tickets, call 859-271-joke or visit comedyoffbroadway.com comedyoff broadway. All right. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls. Welcome to this Thursday edition of Kentucky Sports radio. It is Thursday, February 6th. We are missing our big toe this morning. We'll get to that in just a minute. But as always, a Kentucky sports radio is sponsored by the T.J. smith Law Office called T.J. what happened? Shannon?

[Drew Franklin]

He'll make him pay.

[Ryan Lemon]

He'll make him pay.

[Drew Franklin]

You go out with tj Then you make him pay.

[Ryan Lemon]

He did pay for you.

[Drew Franklin]

He, he paid for dinner to a couple.

[Ryan Lemon]

You. You made him pay.

[Drew Franklin]

That's right.

[Shannon the Dude]

Yeah.

[Ryan Lemon]

There we go. That's that. We need to do Shannon the dude law office. He'll make you pay. We'll have our whiskey thief call today. Our Kentucky branded tweet of the day. And of course, the aviation glass text line is out of commission today. Unless you have my cell phone, you can text it. We'll go with some of that. But we're kind of. We've called an audible again today. Our big toe, Matthew Harper Jones, as he announced yesterday he's going to have a colonoscopy this afternoon. Thought he was going to try to, you know, make it a go this morning. Thought he could come in, do the show and then have his colonoscopy, which is this afternoon. We kind of raised a red flag, warned him a little bit. That may be a little tough. But he sent us all a text this morning. Group text, said, hey, man, I'm okay. I'm just not feeling the greatest. I think I want to tap out Totally get it. Totally understand. Don't you?

[Shannon the Dude]

Oh, yeah. You warned him. Tried to warn him he was going to try to walk, you know, several blocks downtown to be here. I actually would have liked to have seen that, where he would have stopped along the way. They pulled it over. McCarthy's over there.

[Ryan Lemon]

That's where I knew you couldn't do that. So I was offering to come pick him up this morning. I said, hey man, I'll just come pick you up. Because that walk from his house to here, after you just took one of those clean out pills. Yeah, it wasn't going to be nice, Shannon.

[Drew Franklin]

Well, as Drew said, somebody tried to warn him. You know, like you've done this before. You, you know, from experience. Not a good idea. Not going to work. But wait, Matt Jones didn't listen to somebody. You're telling me.

[Ryan Lemon]

Come on now.

[Drew Franklin]

Come on.

[Shannon the Dude]

He.

[Drew Franklin]

He always takes your advice, Ryan. Surprised he didn't listen.

[Ryan Lemon]

Well, he's kind of in a. He's just in a real stinky situation right now.

[Shannon the Dude]

Oh, here we go. We're gonna do this all day.

[Ryan Lemon]

Might as well, why not? You know, he would like to be here, but there's just a lot of movement in his world going on.

[Shannon the Dude]

Yeah, most of it's already behind him, hopefully.

[Ryan Lemon]

Ah, good, good. So if you want to call with your Matt Jones puns today for his colonoscopy. 859-280-2287. That's our phone number if you want to call and get a mortgage. Ryan, Drew and Shannon here, we'll get you through today. It's Kentucky. That Thursday in between games is always a slow day. Anyway, coming off the loss to Ole Miss, well, now they've lost two in a row. They've lost four of their last five, and they've got a home game against one of the worst teams in the SEC and probably the worst team in the sec, South Carolina, on Saturday. Drew, it's almost like the perfect medicine. Kentucky needs a win. They need a feel good win. And they've got the worst team in the conference coming in on Saturday. Can they pull it off?

[Shannon the Dude]

Can I, Can I crap on your medicine? An unintentional pun.

[Ryan Lemon]

It is a crappy situation to be in.

[Shannon the Dude]

South Carolina's 12 in a row against Kentucky and they won their last game in RUP arena, so. And those weren't good teams.

[Ryan Lemon]

Those were not.

[Shannon the Dude]

And I know that was a different era. There's a different coach, there's different players. But to have a two game losing streak, South Carolina is kind of Silly in itself, but that's, that's what we're staring at now. And they haven't won an SEC game yet. They're in dead last. But if you look at their results, they've lost by like 321-35-35. Even played Auburn within a possession. So they've been very close and just about all their games just haven't been on the right side. But you know, it'll be, it'll be a test if Kentucky plays defense anything like it, or doesn't play defense anything like it didn't Ole Miss could be another long day.

[Ryan Lemon]

Shannon.

[Drew Franklin]

Well, I mean you can't ever take a night off in the sec. So even though they haven't won any games, you can't just take for granted that they're going to win. You know, if they hadn't dropped four out of their last five, I don't think there would be any pressure going into this game. But I feel like there's a little bit of pressure, a little bit of lingering pressure going into this game. Even though it's a home game, you still feel good about it. This is one of those games you absolutely cannot drop. And I think it may be a little bit tougher than what some people think it's going to be.

[Ryan Lemon]

I wish. I think there's a little pressure on Kentucky. You can't lose this one. You can't. You have to win this one. And you mentioned those two losses. South Carolina beat Kentucky the last two years after maybe the first one. We talked about how that Ferris, his last coach Ferris is that his name is South Carolina Ph A s Paris?

[Shannon the Dude]

Yes. Like the city out coached Cal.

[Ryan Lemon]

Like we didn't even know who this guy was. First time to play against Kentucky and he literally out coached Kentucky that night. He's still there. I'm surprised they're struggling as much as they are.

[Shannon the Dude]

Yeah, his first. He's. Is he undefeated against Kentucky?

[Ryan Lemon]

He might be two years, three years. He might be.

[Shannon the Dude]

He's one of the last two. I mean they were in 19 and a half point underdog when they won in Rupp arena two years ago. Paris was like in coach of the year conversation his first season. Obviously not in that conversation this year without winning any games. But he's been all right there. I just don't think he has the horses this season. I have a little bit of a soft spot for him. He went to my wife's high school and I met him at the SEC or NCAA tournament recently. We were like name dropping local ice cream shops and stuff. In Finley. So part of me, I mean, I want him to lose by a million, but I've rooted for him from afar as much as one can being a Kentucky fan. But I hope Saturday Mark Pope beats him by a million because Kentucky needs to write this ship.

[Ryan Lemon]

I do think he's a good coach. I've always thought he's a good coach. And if you watch the SEC last night, John Caliperi got his second win in a row, went on the road to Texas. Shannon? Yeah, one at Texas last night.

[Drew Franklin]

You think maybe there's a little bit of confidence that the team got after winning at Kentucky over the weekend and you know, there's still a chance that he can turn this thing around. They're three and six, but you know, there's still a chance they could fight back and possibly finish at 500, which, if you get to 500, I think you're in the NCAA tournament.

[Shannon the Dude]

You know, I got to take the blame for last night. That's all on me. Don't, don't you all get excited about Arkansas turning around. I bet on Texas. I am on a historically cold run. It is unbelievable. Unbelievable how bad I am. And I wasn't going to bet on Texas because I knew that would just be an automatic Arkansas win. Arkansas went up 8 or something early and then the line dropped to where Texas was plus money and I couldn't help myself. And then they just continue to pummel them. So more money down the drain for me. And I really think my jinx played a role in that.

[Ryan Lemon]

I'm with you. I've been on a very cold streak on DraftKings. I have a dollar and 16 cents in my account right now. That's it. I gotta, I gotta re redeposit for the super bowl this weekend.

[Shannon the Dude]

Last Saturday I bet on Florida at Tennessee before all the Tennessee injuries came out and I thought I had beaten Vegas. I was so excited that I got in before everything moved. No, Tennessee goes and blow. I unbelievably bad. But in all seriousness, with Arkansas, it looks like not that Boogie Flynn wasn't doing well, but it looks like that getting rid of that log jam in the back court there has opened them up. And Davis has been playing a lot better since he's been out.

[Ryan Lemon]

Well, I got a text. We'll say it's the aviation glass text machine. The guy said, look, this was typical Cal. He's got his favorites, he plays his favorites. Boogie Flame was one of his favorites. K Everything around him to keep him happy. He's now removed from the lineup and he has to play the guys that deserve to be playing in those spots. And look what's happening. They're playing a lot better. Is there any buy into that at all?

[Shannon the Dude]

I mean, Boogie was the best on the team when he was was playing. So I don't think it was like Cal playing favorites, but I think it could have been the case just with three guards that, you know, like to have the ball and like to create. They just had too many people. I mean, they're still very thin. But Davis has turned it on since. Since Boogie Flam went out because he had been pretty bad all year. He had 18 last night. D.J. had another big game. So yeah, I mean, Arkansas still on the bubble and still heading towards playing on Wednesday. But having won two in a row, both road games, heavy underdogs in both, you do wonder if it's another. They had their back against the wall and here goes Cal motivating him again.

[Ryan Lemon]

You look at the SEC standing Shannon, Arkansas just one game behind Kentucky in the SEC standings right now.

[Drew Franklin]

Isn't that scary?

[Ryan Lemon]

Yeah.

[Drew Franklin]

Goes to show you, I mean, one game could be the difference between being in the top four and the bottom four of the sec. Matt and I were just having that conversation a couple of days ago. You know, if you beat Tennessee or you beat Arkansas, excuse me, you could be in the top four. You would have been in that situation if they had, you know, lost a game against Tennessee. Then all of a sudden you're in the bottom four. So one game can have a big swing and where you end up in the standings and what day you play in the SEC tournament.

[Ryan Lemon]

So right now, Kentucky's 10th in the SEC standings, which puts them playing on Wednesday night.

[Shannon the Dude]

Well, we have. They're actually the 8 seed. We have a projected bracket on KS board now. Join KS board. Everyone should do that.

[Ryan Lemon]

Let's see it.

[Shannon the Dude]

Kentucky right now would be the 8 seed playing on Thursday. They would get the winner of South Carolina and Mississippi State. Those are the noon games, first game of the day. But then if you beat Mississippi State or South Carolina, you have Auburn on deck. So it's not the best draw. It's better than playing on Wednesday. But we'd still like to move up a little bit. Now that has Arkansas as the 14 seat.

[Ryan Lemon]

You know, it's something I think we got to keep an eye on now the way the season play is going to play out and who Kentucky still has yet to play you. Don't you want to stay away from that Wednesday night game and try to get at least one first round by. I think the double buys now probably is out of the question. But they can still, I hope still get at least a one game by.

[Shannon the Dude]

They'd have to get really hot to get the double by beat Tennessee, Alabama, the teams in front of them. I'm just wondering what this tournament's going to look like. Are we going to go on Tuesday? Like what are we doing shows? If they happen to play on Wednesday we have to. And if they get knocked out, what do we do on Friday for our big show at Tin Roof? This is just. The tournament's so different this year. I'm looking at the bracket and there's looks like four good games on Wednesday. I mean you got Arkansas, Georgia, lsu, Texas, Vandy, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Mississippi State. We're used to just seeing the four bottom feeders ready to go home on that day.

[Ryan Lemon]

Right.

[Shannon the Dude]

It's just going to be a whole different experience down there.

[Drew Franklin]

So wait, we got a Friday. Is it still the remote still on for Friday? Because that would be a problem if you don't.

[Shannon the Dude]

Well, I mean normally. Yeah, that's what I'm asking. What would we do if they play on Wednesday? Hope they. Hope they go through them.

[Ryan Lemon]

Wednesday. Alice Bluegown concert. Is it Thursday night?

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah, Thursday.

[Ryan Lemon]

Thursday, yeah.

[Drew Franklin]

Maybe we should.

[Ryan Lemon]

There is a lot to consider in.

[Shannon the Dude]

All this, just so you know. I mean you didn't think about being on Wednesday in the past really even on Thursday. And if you did, it'd be a game you'd win. But the as we know, the conference is so loaded this year in this new format. It's just. It's going to be completely different. Be like this moving forward too.

[Ryan Lemon]

That would be awful. We have a show on Tin Roof on Friday and they lose on Thursday.

[Drew Franklin]

And Arkansas fans show up.

[Ryan Lemon]

Oh, awful.

[Shannon the Dude]

Let's not speak that into existence. How about they. How about they run through all of it but right now it's good to see them in the noon Thursday game.

[Ryan Lemon]

So we got a lot to talk about. I also want to talk to you guys about some things that Mark Pope said last night on his coaches show. Found out a couple interesting things last night from the coaches show last from what he did in the locker room maybe at the Ole Miss game, maybe a little blood involved. So we'll talk about that and take your calls. Let's make it an ask anything Thursday. Mean Matt's not here.

[Shannon the Dude]

All right.

[Ryan Lemon]

Kind of a slow day. Ask anything Thursday.

[Shannon the Dude]

Did you hear the coaches show?

[Ryan Lemon]

Heard the part? No, I read the part that Jack Pilgrim and Tyler Thompson posted.

[Shannon the Dude]

They got to get that podcast up sooner. I don't know who does that, but, like, that should be there this morning. Tried to catch it. There's like, a video of Randall Cobb from Arkansas game. Really? I need to. I mean, I read the stories, but I wanted to hear it myself.

[Ryan Lemon]

See, that's. That was me. I just read what Jack and Tyler posted last night. This morning.

[Shannon the Dude]

So not the fastest.

[Ryan Lemon]

All right, we'll take our break, come back. Kind of stinks around here without Matt, doesn't it?

[Shannon the Dude]

Here we go.

[Ryan Lemon]

This is.

[Shannon the Dude]

Are you going to do this for two hours?

[Ryan Lemon]

I might as well. This is Kentucky Sports Radio. Shannon. The dude is so good, folks on the podcast won't. Can't hear that, but Shannon. So good. Welcome back, Kentucky Sports Radio. Ryan, Drew and Shannon. Matt is taking the morning off for his colonoscopy this afternoon. Matt had to bow out gracefully.

[Shannon the Dude]

Oh, man, he's gonna end up being the butt of all these jokes, isn't he?

[Drew Franklin]

Yes, he is.

[Ryan Lemon]

So if you got your Matt pun, we'd like to take it today. 859-280-2287. Our Clark's Puppet job phone number. Ryan, Drew and Shane. Okay, let's talk about what Matt, Matt, Mark Pope said last night on his coaches show. I'm gonna read you a couple quotes and then we'll go talk about them. The one quote is there may or may not have been some furniture destroyed in the locker room after a recent game. Drew, somebody called in, said they saw blood on his hand coming out of halftime. Do we think maybe some furniture got destroyed at halftime in the Ole Miss game?

[Shannon the Dude]

According to Pope, it got completely destroyed. We don't know what pieces of furniture. We don't know what got moved around. We don't know what kind of bill they racked up in the Ole Miss visiting locker room, but even said something about maybe some. Some replacements that will be made in Ole Mrs. Locker room. So whatever happened behind closed doors, anyone that says Pope is too nice and he's Ted Lasso, that's been the case up until Ole Miss. But it sounds like we got a little dark Pope behind the scenes and he might have snapped on him a little bit. That'd be good for him. They needed it after the way they played in that game.

[Ryan Lemon]

What do you think about that, Shannon?

[Drew Franklin]

It sounds like Ole Miss is going to get a little bit of furniture upgrade, right? I think I would say, yeah. That chair was worth $5,000. Give me an upgrade. Like an insurance claim, you know, like I know, another caller was asking, like, about him being too soft, not stern enough. And I'm sure there's a lot of those moments that happen behind the scenes. I just don't think Mark Pope is the type of coach that's going to, you know, scream in a guy's face in public, in front of everybody. So I'm sure the players are getting that. I just don't think they're getting it during the game. Of course, that's what we see. And that leads to some of our fans thinking, well, he's just being too soft. I don't think that's the case at all.

[Shannon the Dude]

His way in explaining it was very Mark Pope, though. He said something like, sometimes we have to run extremely white hot. And, okay, that's his way of saying, I snapped.

[Ryan Lemon]

I think that, you know, he's come up with these phrases. Like, one time he's talking about his cerebral cortex, one day was his chest confidence.

[Shannon the Dude]

Championship chest.

[Ryan Lemon]

Championship chest. Last night it was burn, white hot. I think that's what he said that a couple times. Explain that.

[Shannon the Dude]

Well, I'm not. I'm assuming it just means he yelled and really lit into him, something I don't think he's had to do much in the past. He just kind of said, you know, sometimes it's got to get to that point to get your message across. And he burned white hot at Ole Miss, maybe burned a few things else. I don't know. What do you think? He broke in the locker room. You got chairs in there.

[Ryan Lemon]

Well, there's a whiteboard. There's a famous Guy Morris incident when he was a head coach of Kentucky. Went into halftime over there at Commonwealth Stadium, when it was Commonwealth. Punched a whiteboard, broke a bone in his hand. Like he coached the second half with a broken bone in his hand or his wrist or something. So it's. It happens.

[Drew Franklin]

It's not the one.

[Ryan Lemon]

It's not the. Well, yeah.

[Drew Franklin]

What the whiteboard do to you?

[Ryan Lemon]

I think a lot of it's like when parents. With your kids, you do have to pick and choose your battles. You can't just yell and scream and be burned white hot every time they do something wrong. That's all you would do all day. But if you pick the spot where they really need some adjustments and some guidance, that's maybe it may be a more of a learning tool for them. I think that's what Pope is trying.

[Shannon the Dude]

To allude to, and hopefully that carries over to South Carolina. And it wasn't wasted in a blowout. You know, you don't want to tear down a locker room and then just still leads to a loss and nothing happened. So hopefully that team takes it with them and responds on Saturday and may. Who knows, Maybe we need a little more dark. Pope, I like this.

[Drew Franklin]

You know, if someone's constantly screaming at you after a while, that wears you down, and I think it does. Pope was saying, you know, like. Like you guys were saying, though, you got to kind of pick and choose those moments. You don't want to be constantly screaming at your players. There's a time and a place for everything, and I think Pope realizes that.

[Shannon the Dude]

I got the quote he even said. He said he might have gone a little Coach P maybe pulling Patino into.

[Ryan Lemon]

Yeah, he did say that.

[Shannon the Dude]

It's got to be for a purpose. It can't just be an emotional release. That's not the productive thing. We try and make sure it's something that's always really, really personal and not just indulgent. Like an indulgent emotional outburst. It's not functional. That's such a nerdy way to say I broke something. But that's Pope.

[Ryan Lemon]

Well, bring in Coach P. You know, the stories about Coach Patino around here are famous. Like he went into the locker room. I think it was at Vanderbilt. I'm not sure about that. Took his shoe off and threw it at Sean Woods. Head bounced off the wall in the locker room.

[Shannon the Dude]

I've heard Sean tell that one fairly recently. I don't know if it's with us on pregame or whatever, but. Yeah, you've already got two of these. You got any more in there in that brain of old UK memories?

[Ryan Lemon]

Well, there was a. I know Coach P. Patino got on the team playing and walked the aisle of the. The team playing and just took turn chewing everybody. I just went down the aisle chewing them out before they could take off. This is like before they even left the airport that day.

[Shannon the Dude]

The Kentucky Louisville game, basketball in Indianapolis. The Harrison shot, you know, part of that big run. Tyler Thompson and I got to sit right behind the bench, which is pretty rare. We're usually up on the moon. But Robick broke a clipboard. I can't remember if it was over his knee or he just slammed it down. It landed right in front of us, and we each took half with us. They left it there, so. Got a little souvenir of a broken John Robick clipboard.

[Ryan Lemon]

You know, Shannon, I both played for a college baseball coach that was kind of that way. But yet it made me and a lot of our players mad. We Wanted to prove him wrong. I think maybe is that the. The thought process when you get do that?

[Drew Franklin]

I feel like for us it made us play more timid. Like we were so afraid to make a mistake. We were tight and you know, it depends. Like some players react differently. You know, some players, if you get in their face and you yell them, they, they play better. Other players, I feel like, go into their shell. And I think that's part of being a coach. You have to manage those unique personalities for each person. You know, what may make you, Ryan, play better, may make me.

[Ryan Lemon]

I totally agree with that. Yeah. Yeah. My, my dad always used to say he would yell at me instead of yelling at the other guard because the other guard was kind of emotional. So he'd yell at me. So to kind of get. Scare the other guard.

[Shannon the Dude]

Right.

[Drew Franklin]

So some players just completely shut down and don't respond to that, you know, being screamed at at all.

[Ryan Lemon]

Well, here's the other half of Pope's quote. Pope says Heaney staff are trying not to be emotionally belligerent. This game begs you to lash out at your players, but that has limited short term, short term returns. So I think, you know, there is, I guess he's trying to say there's a time to get mad, to motivate, but it's not going to help you long term. It's just to get them out of their funk or get a. Snap them into something at the moment. Right.

[Shannon the Dude]

Is that how I believe in just screaming all the time? He didn't say Hurley, but I'll use Hurley as an example. A guy that just seems to always be on fire. That's not Mark Pope. But it is good to know that he has it in him when necessary. Because I think a lot of the fans after Tuesday night were wondering if that's in him because the team play a little soft and trickle down effect from your coaching staff. It's good to know he has that white hot fire when he needs it. Now let's, let's see what that turns into.

[Ryan Lemon]

Yeah, because just me hearing this story that he got upset at halftime justified the way they played in the first half. If he's got to break a whiteboard or a chair or whatever happened in that locker room to fire his team up. They did play better in the second half.

[Drew Franklin]

No doubt. Would they score 53, 53 points in the second half?

[Shannon the Dude]

Ole Miss got money too. They'll be fine. They can get some new furniture. I just wish it had been in a win. So those Journey videos they put out that's true. We might actually get video evidence of it, even though it sounds like maybe a bit of a crime of destruction of property there. But it would be cool to see what actually happened. But that'll probably stay in house forever.

[Ryan Lemon]

So I guess now that it's out there, do you think it'll happen again or does that. With his personality, I almost have a hard time believing that's going to be a regular occurrence.

[Shannon the Dude]

Yeah. If it happens again, I worry what kind of situation we're in.

[Ryan Lemon]

Yeah.

[Shannon the Dude]

Hopefully it doesn't need to do it again. Let's, let's go beat South Carolina on Saturday by 20 and move on to the next game and. But if he needs to tap into it, it's there.

[Ryan Lemon]

Shannon, what do you think?

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah, I mean, again, like, for fans seeing Mark Pope and not seeing him outraged, I feel like it's easy for us on the outside looking in to go, well, he's, he's not showing a lot of passion, a lot of emotion over there on the sideline, but as long as he's getting the message across behind scenes, I'm totally fine with it. And like we said, obviously it worked because they came out in the second half. They look like a completely different team than they did in the first.

[Ryan Lemon]

So maybe, maybe there are some guys that can or will respond to that kind of coaching. But with things that we got a couple guys that are so quiet in their own. Just their personality, you know, Jackson, Robinson, Kobe, Braya. These guys are kind of quiet guys.

[Shannon the Dude]

You know Mari Amari.

[Ryan Lemon]

Yeah.

[Shannon the Dude]

I don't know if they're still doing it, but they've, they've been rotating who gives the pregame speech. Kirk Crease was assigning them there for a while and it's been a month or so. But Pope, when it was Amari's turn, his pregame speech was like two sentences. Yeah, that's just, that's just his personality.

[Ryan Lemon]

Well, you mentioned Lamar Butler. Pope said last night he's. Well, he was the heart and soul of our team. You take that away, you can kind of see why you may have some struggles when it comes to passion, emotion, getting ready for a big game.

[Shannon the Dude]

Yeah, I'm going all the way back to the summer when we were doing the first interviews. Everyone talked about Lamont being the on court leader, very vocal, kind of hyping him up a bit. I think they're missing that just as much as his actual play and defense out there because, you know, I don't know if he would have made a difference Tuesday that That was a whooping. I don't know if he could have changed the outcome much, but he might have gotten guys a little more dialed in defensively and given them a chance.

[Ryan Lemon]

I felt like he would have helped probably a lot more at the Arkansas game. Yes, Garden, DJ and gardening the perimeter out there for sure. But the Ole Miss game, they were just hitting everything. They were. You know, we talked about how well they shot. They. They had some wide open looks. They also hit shots with guys right in their face.

[Shannon the Dude]

Yeah, I mean Pope has been big thing as he wants the guys who can't shoot to shoot. They're allowing it. But this is two straight games with the guys who can't shoot or lights out. So I don't know if that strategy can keep going on. Maybe it's the case these guys are seeing Kentucky and we all know everybody plays their best when that Kentucky logos across from him. But I'm a little done with just letting the non shooters shoot willingly because they're knocking them down lately.

[Ryan Lemon]

Well, I don't want to poo poo on what Funk Pope did in the locker room, but I think it may be it worked. All right, we'll take our break. We'll come back. Don't forget, we're at Kentucky Brandon on Friday.

[Drew Franklin]

Tomorrow.

[Ryan Lemon]

Tomorrow. Gosh, tomorrow is Friday. Come out and see us out there. Always a good show. And I've got. I'm going to ask you guys a question. I want you to make a hot take on the Kentucky basketball season this year. And the dude predicted a triple double. Can you guys predict something else that's going to happen? We'll get your hot takes. We come back here. Kentucky Sports Radio. We've talked about this song before. I can't believe that this is like the early 70s. I can't believe they played that on the radio. I think a lot of stations refused to play it. Think about that in the early 70s and this song comes out.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah.

[Ryan Lemon]

About being on the pill. That's little. That's pushing the envelope quite a bit.

[Drew Franklin]

I was planning for Matt Jones and his pill that he's on today. A little bit different pill.

[Ryan Lemon]

Speaking of Matt Jones.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah.

[Ryan Lemon]

Texture calls in on the aviation glass text machine. I'm surprised Matt missed today as anal as he is.

[Shannon the Dude]

That's true. If he keeps missing, he'll have to slide over to number two.

[Ryan Lemon]

I like this. 859-280-2287. That's our Clark's Pump and Shop phone number. Before we go to the phones, we'll get to You, I promise you. But I ask you guys to come up with a hot take on the basketball season for the rest of the year. Because the reason I thought of this, the guy that called in the pregame show Tuesday night, Drew, called the Amari Williams triple double. That's a heck of a. That's a heck of a pool to call that out there. So we're going to. We're all going to make ours right now. In case we hit something, you know, we. That guy now will remember forever. Mason, I think was his name. He'll be remembered forever for his hot take, saying Amari Williams is going to get a triple double in the game. We all need to go on record right now. Mario, we might get you to do one, too.

[Shannon the Dude]

They got your hot take, Mario.

[Ryan Lemon]

Hot take of UK basketball this year. So if it happens, we can go back and Shannon can play it, like, have a Drew. Remember when you said that on that day, Matt was out?

[Shannon the Dude]

Yeah.

[Ryan Lemon]

Yeah. So you got one.

[Shannon the Dude]

Yeah. We're going to be Duburn.

[Ryan Lemon]

That was going to be mine. That was literally going to be mine.

[Shannon the Dude]

Let's just speak it into existence. I have some logic behind it. We wasted our best effort in the Arkansas game. Rupp arena was so good. The whole town was excited. Pope Nosy dropped the ball in that one. We run it back for number one, Auburn. I'll throw in that. Game days in town. Or wait, we're at Auburn, aren't we?

[Ryan Lemon]

No, it's here.

[Shannon the Dude]

Oh, yeah, that's right. Game day is coming here. Sorry, I was getting confused. Yeah, game day will be in town. We redo our fastball at Rupp arena and win that game as a seven and a half point underdog.

[Ryan Lemon]

All right, Shannon.

[Drew Franklin]

Okay, I made my take, I guess, back in November, but I'll double down on it. I said going into the SEC, Kentucky was going to finish 11 and 7. They're 4 and 5 right now. It doesn't look like they're going to be able to do that, but I think they still will. I think they're going to get white hot, to use Mark Pope's phrase. And I think there's still a world where they can get hot and finish 11 and 7 and finish in the top five of the SEC standings.

[Ryan Lemon]

All right. Since Drew stole mine, just stick with it.

[Shannon the Dude]

Just double down.

[Ryan Lemon]

I like that one. That's what I was going to pick.

[Shannon the Dude]

What was your reasoning? Did you have anything behind it? Mine is just the crowd in a second chance at a big, you know, Saturday game.

[Ryan Lemon]

Mine was going to be Yours was a lot better than mine. My reasoning was Pope teams, even at byu, when the games they're not necessarily supposed to, it seemed like they lose some games they should win. I think that's a game everybody's going to pick Auburn to win and there's going to be a rough and like you said, it'll be a crazy environment. Kentucky will win it.

[Shannon the Dude]

And even though they just destroyed Oklahoma, they have. They've had two close games recently. They're going to slip up somewhere. They will just hopefully it's in Lexington.

[Ryan Lemon]

They'll have an off shooting night. Those guys can like all five of them can shoot. They'll have a night where somebody or their most. Their team's off. So I'm going to, I'm going to go with this one because this is one I kind of flirted with. Jackson Robinson is about to go off. He's. He's figured it out and he will be an NBA draft pick. Everybody keeps saying he's not. We have no NBA guys. Jackson Robinson is going to finish so strong. He's going to play his way to being an NBA draft pick. That's what I'm going with.

[Shannon the Dude]

He's turned it on lately. Since that dud at Georgia, he's been so good at that 27 at Mississippi State, he's had four threes in just about every game. In SEC play, I think Vandy had three, but he's lighting it up. His problem is on the other end, we're losing him. He's one of the guys that just aren't defending well. Early in the season he was good at getting deflections, getting his hand in places. The last two games he's been guilty of being one of the defenders that is just getting blown by play after play. You coming over here, Mario?

[Ryan Lemon]

All right, so Shannon, remember the day we did this? These hot takes of one of them hit. We can play it back and say, oh, remember, look how smart we were. All right, Super Mario, what's yours?

[Shannon the Dude]

My hot take is going to be that Kentucky's going to meet up with Arkansas and SEC tournament and we're going to win.

[Ryan Lemon]

That's a good one.

[Shannon the Dude]

That's. That's my hot take. Leaving it on that.

[Ryan Lemon]

That's a good one. Yeah, it's very strong possibility. They could definitely meet. And you know what? And then in the NCAA tournament, they're going to play St. John's in the second round.

[Shannon the Dude]

Oh, my goodness. You're just trying to set up all.

[Ryan Lemon]

The count on that one.

[Shannon the Dude]

All the awkward things here's.

[Ryan Lemon]

From the aviation glass text machine. I'm just glad Matt is getting this colonoscopy so now he can put it all behind him. I think it's fair. Fair to say or to say. All right, 859-280-2287. Who's our first caller? Shannon?

[Drew Franklin]

Ted.

[Ryan Lemon]

Ted. Go ahead, Ted.

[E]

Hey, good morning. First of all, Jackson's definitely an NBA prospect. I agree with that. You know what, guys? I want to make this clear. Good athletes, like elite athletes, you know, Kentucky, any of these guys at this level, they want to be coached hard. And then what I mean is they want to be held accountable because they know if they're going to win and win championships, they need to be held accountable and be coached. Now, I'm not saying Pope doesn't coach them hard. I'm not watching practice. I'm not in the locker room. But the talk that these guys want to be treated with kick gloves, completely flawed. When you're at this level, even and especially at the pro level, these guys want to know that if they're held accountable and they're coached hard, they're going to win. They're not there to, like, take second place and third place. We just went through this with our head coach for the Bears, Eberfluss. He was fired midseason. Heck of a nice guy. Actually a pretty good coach. He didn't hold anybody accountable. He was way too soft on these guys. And as the players kept speaking and speaking about him throughout the season, the same things kept coming out. He's too easy on people. He's not holding guys accountable. And they knew they weren't going to get to the next level. Now, I'm not saying Pope's not doing any of this, and I'm glad to hear that. Maybe something went happen in the locker room, but I just want everyone to know, and you guys know this, elite athletes want to be coached hard. They don't want to be treated softly because they're that good. They can take it. They're not taking it personally. And I think these guys on Kentucky are much better than what we've been seeing the last two games. Personally, a little concerned, like, what is going on behind the scenes because I've seen them win some tough games, and maybe they figured that out now. But, hey, players on this team, let's say they can put it together as we get closer to the tournament, that's really all that matters.

[Ryan Lemon]

Perfect. Good call, Ted. Thank you. Appreciate the phone call. I mean, I think he said a lot of things. I Agree with right there. And maybe Pope getting into him a little bit will pay off for some of these guys.

[Shannon the Dude]

Yeah, I agree with the caller. I mean, you can only do the attaboy and we'll get him next time. And keep your head up so many times so you got to light an actual fire under them again. I surprised it hasn't happened before Ole Miss. Maybe it has. We didn't hear about it because there were some bad losses before that. At least it finally happened. And to his point about there's good players, still a good team. I feel like a lot of our fans completely forgot December. Like, I've seen people just like, it's just not working. And it's like, yes, it has been bad. And I'm as mad at Ole Miss as anyone. That was a horrible game. But, I mean, the wins. Did anyone have Mark Pope beating Duke, Gonzaga, Louisville, Florida? I'm not trying to crown him and say, this is a great season because of those games, but you can't just pile on the losses and not at least give them credit for what they did earlier. Now they need to get back to that. They're obviously trending the wrong direction. You got guys regressing. They shouldn't be in this spot after starting so well. But we do have to acknowledge that they have won those games. They're capable of it. They just need to find out how to do it again.

[Ryan Lemon]

And Shannon, just a week ago, they won at Tennessee. They were shorthanded. They didn't have Car Butler in the Tennessee game and go down there and beat a team that was number one in the country for several weeks. Right.

[Drew Franklin]

I mean, for Mark Pope to come in and build this team from the ground up with all transfers and, you know, some Kentucky guys, all new coaching staff, I feel like he has still exceeded expectations. If you said going in, you know what Drew just laid out there, you win all those games, I think most of the fan base would probably be happy, wouldn't you? I mean, you know, what were your expectations going into the season before we tipped off the first game?

[Ryan Lemon]

Well, I'm with you. I think I picked 11 and 7 in the SEC.

[Drew Franklin]

Well, I just mean, like, just overall, the entire season, like before we played the first regular season game, I mean.

[Ryan Lemon]

I remember thinking, I think. I think we said on this show, I want him just to get to the second weekend of the NCAA tournament and play on Saturday in the SEC tournament and get to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament. That's. I wanted to see this first year.

[Shannon the Dude]

I feel like Kentucky fans forgot what we were saying in April. I mean, people just wanted to win a game in Nashville and win a game in the ncaa. And now I'm seeing stuff like, this team can't go to the Final Four. He can't do it. It's like, well, did you expect that in May? I mean, we're Kentucky. We want to be there. But I'm not going to beat him up for not going to the Final Four this year. Now, if he goes on and doesn't win a game in the SEC or ncaa, that's a conversation we'll have. But right now, I'm not just throwing this aside. They could still go on a run and. And have a lot of fun moving forward. Heck, they could make the Final Four. Someone just predicted their hot take. They tweeted in, they said, kentucky men and women in the Final Four this year.

[Ryan Lemon]

I love that.

[Shannon the Dude]

That's an extremely hot take. But that was a submission here on Twitter.

[Ryan Lemon]

The women are what now? 20 and 2? 19 and 2? Something like that? I think that's crazy. We really don't talk about them as much as we should have because they are. They got the best player on campus, and right now they got the best team on campus and they deserve their flowers.

[Shannon the Dude]

Yeah. Earlier this week, Georgia was named Naismith Player of the Week. She's a point guard of the year finalist, SEC player of the week. I mean, as you said it, who's the best basketball player in Lexington right now?

[Ryan Lemon]

Georgia. Amore.

[Shannon the Dude]

Exactly. And they are so fun to watch. I hate that there's not a Thursday game tonight. They have a full week off. They don't play until Sunday or Monday. I'll be tuned in for that one. But I can't wait for them to get back to Memorial Coliseum and get over there and watch them in person. LSU and Tennessee around the corner, back to back.

[Ryan Lemon]

Not easy. The SEC women's schedules as hard as the SEC men's schedule every year. All right, let's take. Take one more call. Shannon, who we got?

[Drew Franklin]

Let's go to Rob.

[Ryan Lemon]

Rob. Go ahead, Rob.

[F]

Yeah, I just had a comment and then a question. A comment was, I was privileged enough to be in the locker room for Coach hall on the 83 team and the 84 team. And the psychology of the players is interesting. I'm not sure that. I'm not sure back then that it was realized you could tell Charlie Hurt, get on him. He couldn't do something, and he would run through a wall. If you got on Derek Horde, Derek would believe you. And he couldn't do it. Sam just was to himself. And Sam had to motivate himself. And what you said to him didn't matter. And Melvin was just, didn't, you know, Melvin sometimes didn't know who we were playing. And that is the truth.

[Ryan Lemon]

I don't mean that negatively.

[F]

Coach hall one time not really destroy anything but hit something and he was at the chalkboard and there was a coke there and he took his program and went across and knocked a coke across the room and it, it landed in one of the assistant coaches chest. And then my question was, and I was talking to some people earlier and I know this was brought up on the Leach report earlier. First of all, what Pope has done is amazing. Coming in after the portal was partially full or taken and come up with a team he has. My question is he can teach great offense but can he teach great defense or is it just the fact that we don't have Butler? I mean getting beat 106 to 100 by Alabama is just shouldn't happen. So that's my question. Thank you.

[Ryan Lemon]

Alright, Rob, appreciate that. We'll get to that after the break. We need to take a break. We'll get to that as well. Shannon, you got something you need to read here before we go to break?

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah. Ryan, you know Valentine's Day is coming up and you're probably still looking for gifts for your special someone. And our friends at Cornbread Hemp have gifts that will really improve your loved one's quality of life and chemistry that you can fill. Cornbread Hemp has natural hemp. Cornbread Hemp has makes natural bliss easy to achieve with just one bite. All other products are made with pure Kentucky grown hemp so you can feel great about where they come from. It's cornbreadhemp.com go there right now. Promo code KSR. Get 30% off your first order. There's promo code KSR. And you can get a free jar of 750 milligram gummies with a purchase of $75 or more. It's cornbread hemp.com. this is the good life.

[Ryan Lemon]

He is Shannon the dude. We're here with Drew Franklin, Ryan Lemon. We'll take our break Kentucky Sports Radio. We'll eventually stop making Matt the butt of all jokes. All right, welcome back Kentucky Sports Radio. Ryan Lemon, Drew Franklin, Shannon the Dew. We have breaking news. Shannon the barstool guys. Dan and Big Cat and pft have officially put Matt Jones on the hot seat. Oh yeah. So look out for that. Listen, Drew has a friend that is on fire right now. Can I just read. Can I read all of his. That he just sent during the commercial break? His puns?

[Shannon the Dude]

Well, he sent them to you, not me, so I don't know what it's on there.

[Ryan Lemon]

Oh, I thought you were. You were. You got him Also, no.

[Shannon the Dude]

You have green text. I don't. I'm not in any groups with you.

[Ryan Lemon]

Is today the only day that Matt is allowed to be a dookie? You do like that with Shannon.

[Drew Franklin]

It's all right.

[Ryan Lemon]

He's gonna be so mad if he sees these jokes. If he sees.

[Drew Franklin]

Oh, Lord.

[Ryan Lemon]

These procedures are not. These procedures are normal. Once you hit Farty, you were laughing.

[Drew Franklin]

At these during the break like it was the funniest thing you had ever read in your life. And then.

[Ryan Lemon]

That's the one.

[Drew Franklin]

I like read them, and they're not that good. The Farty was all right.

[Ryan Lemon]

Remember, that's the joke the guy told us we were in New Hampshire.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah.

[Ryan Lemon]

He said, why is there only 239 beans in this can of beans? Because if there was one more, it'd be too foddy.

[Drew Franklin]

The silence is deafening.

[Ryan Lemon]

859-280-2287. Let's go to the phone lines. Who we got? Shannon.

[Drew Franklin]

Jeff.

[Ryan Lemon]

Jeff, go ahead, Jeff. Jeff, are you there?

[Drew Franklin]

Jeff didn't like your joke?

[Ryan Lemon]

No, he must have hung up. All right, who's next?

[Drew Franklin]

Let's try Joe.

[Ryan Lemon]

Joe. Go ahead, Joe.

[Shannon the Dude]

Y'all gotta leave MJ alone.

[E]

He totally drained and needed the day off.

[Ryan Lemon]

Yeah, he totally drained.

[Shannon the Dude]

Have you all seen. I think. I think it was Drew that tweeted this out. Have you all seen that Daniel Wolf kid at Michigan? Oh, yes. He's my number one. Go get him, Pope. Portal, target. Gotta get him. Gotta get him. He's. He fits the system perfectly, and I think he'd be a great fit, but that's the problem for. For next year, I guess.

[Ryan Lemon]

All right, thank you. Appreciate the phone call. You know, next year, I think it's going to be an interesting mix. He's already got the freshman Jasper Johnson, Malachi Marino, and a Caden Lewis. He's going to have at least three guys probably come back. Brandon Garrison, Ortega and Kerr. And then he'll have another three or four portal guys. It's like it's going to be a mix of everything.

[Shannon the Dude]

I think next year I want Danny Wolf. I know Garrison's coming back probably to take Amari's spot, but Danny Wolf, seven foot tall, he shoots the three. Last night, I tweeted it. Or retweeted. It. He playing against Oregon. He just put this dude in a blender and stepped back and hit a three in his face. I mean, he's. He looks like a guy that was made to play for Mark Pope. He's having a great year for Michigan. If anyone's watched them, you know exactly who I'm talking about. And I know they already have Garrison Marino. I don't feel that comfortable with only those two going into next year. So when it's time to go portaling, it's time to go shopping. I hope he's on the list.

[Ryan Lemon]

I failed to mention the three freshmen. So we have three recruits, three freshmen, three returning players, and then three or four portal guys, probably.

[Shannon the Dude]

Yeah, they don't have to get some big portal guys. I mean, I like the pieces he already has, but I just don't think Pope's going to need a good year. I don't think you can trust the freshman coming in and just what you've already named. He's got to go out and land some big targets.

[Ryan Lemon]

Who's next, Shannon?

[Drew Franklin]

Scott.

[Ryan Lemon]

Scott. Go ahead, Scott.

[G]

Hey, guys, I just got a comment about Coach Pope and then I got a hot take for you. I'm actually the guy that called originally in the fall and compared Coach Pope to Ted Lasso. Do you have to disagree that Pope busing furniture makes him a little less like Ted Lasso? You there.

[Shannon the Dude]

Yeah, it does hurt your argument.

[G]

Sorry. Yeah, I mean, I think, you know, if anything, in my opinion, it kind of makes me more like Ted Lasso. And that, like, I mean, kind of reminds me of when a scene where Ted Lasso got mad and, you know, I think one of the players not coming out for practice and kind of lights a fire, but I think his calculated use of that emotion makes it so much more potent when it actually does come out. So that said, I kind of wish he would have done it a little bit more during the first half during Mrs. During Ole Miss. Excuse me. Rather than, you know, at halftime. But. But anyway, that. That's just my take on it.

[Ryan Lemon]

I appreciate it. Go ahead. Go ahead. Yeah, go ahead. Go ahead.

[G]

No, I was gonna say hot take. Yeah, hot take. Lamont returns for Alabama and totally dominates. And we beat Alabama on the road, so love to see it happen.

[Ryan Lemon]

All right. Appreciate it, Rob. You know, Billy had a little hot take about Lamont Butler on the pre show this morning, Shannon.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah, he said. I think he said next week he would expect Lamont Butler to be back. I have no idea what that's based off of.

[Ryan Lemon]

But he kind of said it like confidently, like he knew something.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah, but does he know something or is he just saying things?

[Shannon the Dude]

Billy's got some unbelievable confidence.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah, we'll see. I mean he might be right. I don't know. I don't know anything more than apparently he knows more than I do. If he knows that he's gonna be back next week.

[Ryan Lemon]

I think it was encouraging that he was. He did the pregame shoot around and stuff with the team at down in Oxford or Ole Miss where he was running up and down the field of the court trying to get his conditioning back in order. I think that's a huge positive step.

[Shannon the Dude]

Yeah, I mean Kentucky was down by 27, so it kind of skipped right over that. But Jimmy Dyke saying Lamont was not a full participant but was very active in shoot around running and doing his own drills, doing as much as he could. That's the first we've heard of that. So that's, that's a good step moving forward.

[Ryan Lemon]

I think Matt predicted the 22nd, February 22nd, it's Alabama. Alabama, yeah. Yeah. So I do think they'll have him back for March when he comes back for regular season. I'm not sure but they want him I think as healthy as possible when they go into March. Don't you think that's the plan? Yeah.

[Shannon the Dude]

And I'm to the point. I expect him back. Just with all the comments and you know, social media, him popping on that Brandon Garrison video. It's just a matter of when. But we haven't seen the last of him. That's why as bad as this is, it's like there's a little light that we can hopefully get back to. Everyone healthy outside occur he probably won't be back but at least have Carr and Butler back full in the rotation and see what can happen.

[Ryan Lemon]

Well, even with Kerr, he was out shooting around without a boot on. I mean, you know, he's still a long way away but at least he's mobile enough we can shoot around a little bit in the shoot around things. So we'll see. All right, we'll take our break, come back, our number two will take your phone calls and ask anything. Thursday, 859-280-2287. Ryan, Drew and Shannon, don't forget we're Friday. Tomorrow we're at Kentucky Branded out by the mall. We'll be right back. This is Kentucky Sports Radio.