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Jenny Garth
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Matt Jones
Foreign.
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Ryan Lemond
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Drew Franklin
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Ryan Lemond
Welcome to hour two of Kentucky Sports Radio presented by Stockton Mortgage. Now here's Matt Jones.
Matt Jones
We're back. It is Kentucky Sports Radio, 859-280-2287. Text machine is 772-7745. I by the way, we Nate Ait now says it's going to be a few weeks before he decides. So we'll see Kentucky, Louisville and Duke. I don't know. I would love for them to get him. I also think, though, we're going to need some older guys next year because I still think, you know, Rick Patino's quote, which was very interesting, which is, I'm not doing freshmen anymore. I'm only doing older guys. It's an interesting thought. I think what you're going to see is if you can go get Cooper Flag, you go get him. If you can go get Knipple, you go get him. But a lot of other freshmen, you need an older guy instead. I mean, they better be really good in this new era that we're in.
Billy Rutledge
Yeah, Nate would fall in that category. But I get the philosophy. I mean, Rick listed his players that are leaving and said, I cannot go to high school and replace these guys. It's not possible. So I have to go to the portal at that point. It's just different conversations than what we're traditionally recruiting.
Matt Jones
That's true. All right. One person writes, matt, as you get older, you're not going to want to change diapers and do all the things that young dads do. True, but that would have been true at 27 as well. So it's like I'd have more time now. You know what I mean? We can, we could get help. Like there's people out there who, I feel like they'll change a diaper. Like Ryan, for instance. Uncle Ryan can Come change diapers. That feels like something you'd be really good at. What? Plus, what else are you gonna do? You got your million dollars give you.
Shannon The Dude
Like, come change your diaper.
Billy Rutledge
Richest man in Lexington over here, rich.
Matt Jones
Could have $1 million. Like, you might as well come.
Shannon The Dude
But you want to, you know, be able to enjoy when they get older, you know, you don't want to be in your 70s.
Matt Jones
Well, I can't reverse time. What do you want me to do now, Ryan? Like, I mean, like, I'm. I'm already the age I am. We know.
Shannon The Dude
We're just making a discussion. You have to get all huffy. I think you're getting a little guilty press guilty about it.
Matt Jones
All right, let's talk about a couple things that I do think are interesting. First, did you read, Shannon, the story about the Chilean gangs and the Foot and the athletes?
Ryan Lemond
I must have missed this.
Matt Jones
So they caught the Chilean Chilean gang that was robbing all of the athletes houses. They caught them. Now here. This is a crazy story, so follow me here. These people, there were seven of them. They had robbed Joe Burrow, Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelsey, Luka Doncic, a couple hockey players in Dallas, a couple Memphis grizzlies, a Tennessee Titan.
Shannon The Dude
Good grief.
Matt Jones
Here's what's amazing. They were based in Cincinnati and Jeffersonville, Indiana. No way. That's where they were based. Cincinnati and Jefferson. Billy ne. So that's why all these places were kind of within a day's drive. What they would do is they would look at the schedules to see when guys were going to be away from their house. They had, like, crazy amount of. Of technology. They had, like, burner phones that they would ditch after each one. I think they said the. The FBI believes they did, like, 12 to 15 robberies. They intentionally would try to alternate. High profile, low profile, high profile, low profile. They were this Chilean group, and the. And the FBI was. Was like. Like, couldn't figure out who did it. And do you want to know how they got caught? How they got caught? Because they started bragging and they started taking selfies in, like, I'm wearing Joe Burrow's jersey. Look, here's Travis Kelsey's thing. And they started sending the pictures and the. And. And one of the pictures that they sent to somebody got forwarded to somebody else, who then sent it to the FBI. And that's how they ended up cracking the gang. They followed them for a little while, and they caught him. But they would buy Shannon and ditch their cars in Cincinnati and Jeffersonville, Indiana.
Ryan Lemond
Wow.
Matt Jones
They think that half the people, half of them lived in Cincinnati, and the others may have lived in Jeffersonville, which is right across the river from Louisville, like this Chilean super robbery gang. And they only targeted athletes because they just wanted to. They thought it was more fun, apparently, to go after the athletes in a couple people's houses, they think. They said they took, like, million dollars worth of stuff. Crazy, isn't it?
Ryan Lemond
Yeah, it is. They got too cocky, first of all. And what is it about, like, when somebody has a secret like, that they. They can't keep it to themselves. And that's what ends up taking them down.
Matt Jones
If they just had not taken the selfie, but they took the bragging selfies, and it was the selfie, and then they sent it to somebody who ratted them out. But, Drew, it's crazy to think, like, okay, Cincinnati. That's not crazy that that happened because they got Burrow. But Jeffersonville, Indiana, I mean, did they hang out at that Hooters, like, over there? Like, what were they doing?
Billy Rutledge
You know, maybe hanging out? The Hooters? I saw the body cam footage where they got pulled over in Ohio. And as they.
Matt Jones
That's a great story.
Billy Rutledge
When they're going through their stuff, they have, like, LSU T shirts. It's the most obvious. You did it ever. It's like a number nine pennant on a necklace.
Matt Jones
That's a great story. So they're driving from Cincinnati, I think, to Dayton, and they get pulled over. The cops follow him for, like, 30 miles. They get pulled over, and they ask the guy, all right, hey, man, where are you going? And he goes, orlando. And they said, well, you're kind of going the wrong way. And then the guy in the back seat goes, no, no, New York City. And he was like, so is it Orlando or New York? And they both at the same time. One goes, orlando.
Billy Rutledge
Trooper definitely says, florida's this direction.
Matt Jones
You're kind of going the wrong way.
Shannon The Dude
So it is crazy, though, that they targeted the athletes knowing that they were going to be on the road. Obviously, the schedules are posted, okay? Joe Burrow is going to be on the road. We're going to hit his house this day. It's crazy.
Matt Jones
Pretty amazing story. So you got to. You got to read about. ESPN has a long report of how they caught him, but it all came ultimately back to taking selfies, bragging about the gear that they were wearing.
Billy Rutledge
I maybe would have left the very obvious stuff alone, like the Burrow player of the year trophy.
Matt Jones
Yeah, they took that.
Billy Rutledge
Might get me caught.
Matt Jones
I would have.
Billy Rutledge
I would have tried to stay in a neutral area with whatever I was taking.
Matt Jones
They took a picture of Travis Kelsey and Taylor Swift together. They took a picture of it, like off somebody's nightstand stand.
Shannon The Dude
What are you going to do with it?
Matt Jones
Presumably it was Travis Kelsey's nightstand. If it was Lucas nightstand, that would.
Shannon The Dude
Be kind of different.
Matt Jones
But. But anyway, so pretty amazing.
Billy Rutledge
Good story.
Matt Jones
Who's up next?
Ryan Lemond
Paxton.
Matt Jones
Paxton. Go ahead, Paxton.
Jenny Garth
First time, long time.
Matt Jones
Who are 859-280-2287. Couple open lines. Go ahead. So I was the kid who got the free tickets. Yes.
Billy Rutledge
Nice.
Jenny Garth
And I went to the game last night and it was getting hyped in there.
Matt Jones
It was getting hype. You had on those overalls. I hope you made a lot of noise. And I just want to ask who's.
Jenny Garth
Better in the paint, Andrew Carr or Amari Williams?
Matt Jones
You know, that's a good question. I appreciate the call. I think. I think back to the basket. I. Even though Amari made a number of shots yesterday, I like a car a little better. I think when you can get. When you can get Amari with some momentum. I still don't love him dribbling from the top of the key, but if you can get him and he takes a quick step or something, he's so explosive. But they both. I mean, look, what were they? I think in that little stretch where they got the ball six straight times, they were like five of six and got a couple and ones Drew. You can't help but love that.
Billy Rutledge
Yeah, I'd say Carr's a little more skilled, but Amari has learned that he's the biggest dude on the court. Vanderbilt, the McLaughlin, I believe his name. He's kind of a guy. That is how he plays. He bullies guys around. Amari was not budging against him last night. So if you're just looking for some bruising, I'd take Amari.
Matt Jones
I also love that he went right on one of his layups. One of my issues with him is he goes left, only goes left, only goes left. He went right. It shocked everybody. And he got an and one. And Damien Fishback was like, he went right, he went off his left shoulder. It was awesome.
Shannon The Dude
I think that just to me, the second time I've seen that all year long, him go to the right because usually, you know, he gets down that left block and if he can get you on his right hip or his right shoulder, he's going to put it in. He's so strong.
Matt Jones
All right, let me talk just second about some big football news that I Don't. I think has gotten underplayed. That came out yesterday about SEC scheduling. So the SEC is apparently very close to reaching a scheduling agreement. Now this is. I'm going to give you this most simplistic view of something that's very complicated. They're talking about expanding the playoff from 12 to 16. If they do that, there will be four SEC teams and four Big Ten teams guaranteed a spot every year. Two ACC and two Big 12 teams and then four at large. If that happens, the SEC has agreed with the Big Ten to do two things. One, move their conference to nine games. So there'd be nine SEC games and your four top spots in the playoff would be conference games only. Which means your non conference games wouldn't even count. The reason they want to do that is it would give them an incentive to schedule good teams because you won't get punished if you lose. Your conference games will be the only ones that count. As part of that deal, the SEC and Big Ten would agree that their teams would play each other once a year every season. Before the season starts, we would be assigned a game against a Big Ten team. It would rotate every year. So now 10 of your 12 games would be their SEC games or a Big Ten game if that happens, might be saying bye bye to Louisville. I think there's a decent chance that, that, that that schedule went in the SEC is even considering that for their four automatic bursts, teams first in first and second place would play for the championship. Both of them would go to the playoff. Then the team that's in third would play the team that's in sixth and the team that's in fourth would play the team that's in fifth and those winners would go. What that means is if you were in the top six of the sec you would have a chance to make the playoff and have at least one game to play in. Now, Ryan, there's parts of this I really like. There's parts of it I don't. I don't mind the expanding of the playoff. Four SEC spots is good. I like playing a different Big Ten team every year. I don't like losing Louisville, although because only the conference games count. There's an argument that you should just play Louisville because it's not going to hurt you if you, if you lose. But the best part of this to me is if they do it to where teams three play six, four plays five, Kentucky in that world could make a playoff. It is not crazy for Kentucky to come in the top six in the regular season in the SEC Mark Stoops. If you go back and look, we've done it twice. So, like, there would be years that conceivably we could actually come in the top six.
Shannon The Dude
As a college football fan, I'm with you. I love it. I love everything about it. As a Kentucky football fan, I'm a little like, you know, it's tough. We're trying to get BO eligible in Miami, Ohio and Ohio University. Those are usually wins we get because.
Matt Jones
We'Ve been struggling eligible matter anymore. Like, really, Like, I mean, it matters, but does it really matter? Like, I don't know.
Billy Rutledge
I'd rather have this with an opportunity to be in the playoff than worry about if I'm in the Tax Slayer bowl or whatever it is. I'm. I'm looking through anything through blue lenses and a chance for Kentucky to play a meaningful football game and potentially have some upsets and get into far into the postseason. I think just the thought that that could happen is worth it for me.
Matt Jones
I love the idea that on a given, I mean, think about the teams we could end up starting to play. We could play USC or UCLA or.
Billy Rutledge
A lot of road trips for this.
Matt Jones
Ohio State, Michigan, you know, now we probably end up playing, like, Minnesota and Purdue a lot, but we could conceivably play these teams. And then you've got a. You got a fighting shot to get into. I'm with you, Drew. We have a shot to get into a game the first week of December that really matters. And I don't know that there's any other way for that to happen except.
Shannon The Dude
Maybe this expanding to nine conference games is. You know, we're having trouble winning a game right now in the conference, period. We are.
Matt Jones
But don't you want. Wouldn't you like to see us play? What good does it do to. For us to play Akron? Don't you want to see us play more good games?
Shannon The Dude
That's why I say, as a college football fan, I love it. I love everything about it. As a UK fan, I'm like, you.
Billy Rutledge
Got to dream bigger.
Matt Jones
I hate that we would lose the Louisville game, because I do think in this scenario, we would lose the Louisville game. But beyond that, I feel like it's a positive.
Billy Rutledge
I even just like having the Big Ten road trips you mentioned. Just something new for the football experience. Go to Madison, Wisconsin. I'm sure Indiana will be on that a lot. That won't be fun, but there's a lot of Big Ten destinations that'd be fun to go to for the first time.
Matt Jones
So it's just like this could all happen in the next few weeks. So there's a long report on Sports Illustrated about all the intricacies of it, but I actually think it seems like it could be unique and different and kind of cool for Kentucky. If you want to score big in the NBA this season, go to DraftKings, the official sports betting partner of the NBA. Monster Slams Dishing the Rock. It's all there at DraftKings. Bet 5 to get $150 in bonus bets instantly. Just use my code KSR Bet 5 get 150 in bonus bets only at DraftKings do the rock at DraftKings the crown is yours. Gambling problem. Call any hundred gamer 18 plus Kentucky only eligible supply new customers only bonus but supplier 168 hours after for additional terms responsible gaming resources, see DKNG Co audio. We'll take a break. Be right back. KSR who's scoring big in the NBA this season? Well, you are with all the ways to get in on the action at the Draft Kings Sportsbook, their official sports betting partner of the NBA. From Monster Slams to Dishing the Rock to cleaning the glass, get behind your favorite players and the prop bets you can make on DraftKings, the home of NBA player props. And here's something special for the first timers. New DraftKings customers bet $5 to get 150 in bonus bets instantly. Take it to the rack with the DraftKings sportsbook. Every point counts. Download the DraftKings sportsbook app and use the code KSR. That's KSR for new customers to get 150 in bonus bets. When you bet just $5 only at DraftKings the crown is yours. If you have a gaming problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER 18 + Kentucky only eligibility restrict supply new customers only bonus spec 168 hours after issuance for additional terms Responsible gaming resources see dkng co/audio.
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Jenny Garth
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Matt Jones
Welcome back. It is Kentucky Sports Radio. Hey to the callers. We just beat Vandy. I'd love to talk to you. Got open lines. 859-280-2287. That's a rarity this late in the show. So give us a shout. 859-280-2287. Shannon will tell me when we have someone. We do have some breaking news. Shannon, now you want to hit the button. Kentucky's longest term office holder in history, Mitch McConnell will not seek reelection and will retire at the end of 2026.
Shannon The Dude
That is really big news.
Matt Jones
I mean I think people suspected that was the case but it is now been announced officially, so. So there you go. We'll have an open senate race in, in 2026.
Billy Rutledge
You're going to run?
Matt Jones
No, I'm not going to run.
Shannon The Dude
Thank you.
Matt Jones
That's, that's not going to happen. But yeah. What do you think about that?
Billy Rutledge
I think everyone is in agreement. It's probably time. How old is he these days? He's on up there.
Shannon The Dude
He's in his 80s to be in the best health. Yeah, health issues. It seems like, you know, really creeping up on him.
Matt Jones
So yeah, I mean nobody should be in office that long. Like we, I want you think about our most important politicians of the last 15 years. They've all been over 80.
Shannon The Dude
Crazy.
Matt Jones
It's like, come on, you know, can we get a little younger? All of them, Biden, Trump, Pelosi, McConnell, they're all over 80. It's like, come on.
Billy Rutledge
I liked it's been a while but they had Zuckerberg on, on the stand for something and they're asking the most, the dumbest questions. Imagine about Facebook, like now how do people create these profiles? It's like, do you all live in the same world?
Matt Jones
We live in from a different world. So. So there you go. The. No, no more Mitch McConnell.
Shannon The Dude
Who will be the.
Matt Jones
I would say, I don't, I mean I don't know that if the Democrats wanted to have a chance, you have to run Bashir, but I can't imagine he would do that. There are already people who want me to, but I'm not going to do it. I don't know who else we have that could win. Probably nobody. The Republicans. It'll be like a three way primary between Daniel Cameron, Andy Barr here in Lexington. I think there's a good chance he tries to run and then there's some businessman who, I don't know his name but like some rich dude who like wants to buy it. So it'll be one. I think Daniel Cameron, Andy Barr will be a. That'd be a tough primary. I don't know who would win.
Billy Rutledge
Is that Amy McGrath's music?
Matt Jones
Amy McGrath needs to not run. I think Amy's already done enough. Is that a jet firing up? Did you say. Did you hear that? I thought I heard it. Is that a jet? I thought I heard a jet. Is she a mom and a fighter pilot?
Shannon The Dude
That's what I hear.
Matt Jones
859-280-2287 so we'll see. Did you see that? What Cutter Bowley was talking with? Was it Cutter Bowley? I think so. With Mark, With Mark Stoops. And he said that Mark Stoops best piece of. They asked him what is Mark Stoops best piece of advice he's given to you? And he said there are only three things in life that are assured death, taxes and UK parking.
Shannon The Dude
Yep.
Matt Jones
Did you like that quote?
Shannon The Dude
It's kind of funny coming from Mark Stoops who doesn't abide by local parking rules anywhere. Starbucks, uk he just parks wherever he wants to. So I thought it was kind of odd coming from him.
Billy Rutledge
He's not wrong Though anyone that went to UK or has lived in Lexington and tried to attend something anywhere new near UK's campus, the UK parking, they'll find you and they don't mess around.
Matt Jones
Part of the reason I couldn't run for Senate is how much I owe UK park. Because I have a lot of UK parking tickets and I don't plan on ever paying them because I don't go there.
Billy Rutledge
So like, can't hold your diploma.
Matt Jones
What are they gonna do? You know, what are you gonna do? Uk? But they, they are the quickest ticketing people on planet Earth. Like, if you're gonna go to the women's game tonight, be careful. I mean, you can park at Qdoba and they'll. And they will part. They will, they'll ticket you. You can park anywhere and they will ticket you. They are the. No one has more tickets than UK park.
Shannon The Dude
Are you, are you tipping your hand? Did you park at Qdoba and get a ticket?
Matt Jones
It was just a figure of speech.
Shannon The Dude
Oh, I thought maybe you did park at Qdoba and they got you stepping.
Matt Jones
On jokes as always. Who's up next?
Ryan Lemond
Chris.
Matt Jones
Chris, Go ahead, Chris. Hey, good morning, guys.
Shannon The Dude
Hey.
I
Since we just played, since we just played Vandy, I wanted to ask this question to Shannon.
Matt Jones
I've never been able to figure out.
I
Why he's a Vanderbilt fan because he.
Matt Jones
Didn'T, he didn't grow up there, didn't go to school there. So I think a lot of other.
I
People want to know this answer too.
Matt Jones
Yeah, he gives this description about once a year. So go ahead. I guess it's time for it again.
Ryan Lemond
Yeah, So, I mean, basically just as a kid, went to Nashville a lot with the family and on weekends, you know, when Vanderbilt was playing, I would go to the game. I ended up meeting their play by play guy. He would give us free tickets to go to the games. So that's in a nutshell, why I was a fan growing up as a kid.
Matt Jones
Yeah, he's been, he's been a Vandy guy since as long as we've known him. But luckily, you know, they kind of owned us.
Billy Rutledge
Drew a little bit big time.
Matt Jones
You know, football's beating us two years in a row. Basketball, Cal took some bad losses to him. They beat us the first time this year was. It was important to get them lost.
Billy Rutledge
Two out of three in football. Until last night it had been three out of five in basketball, including two years ago they won on senior Day. Two weeks later, one at the SEC tournament and then openly bragged about how Kentucky did not change its game plan at all. And they just did the exact same thing and beat them twice in a matter of weeks.
Matt Jones
I don't want to think about that. That's. But you're right. All that happened.
Billy Rutledge
I mean, the football losses, too, were really bad.
Matt Jones
I mean, I think if Mark Stoops doesn't have a good year, like, of all the games on the schedule, the game against Vandy might be the most important one this year. We can't lose to Vandy again. Like, they can't. They. They cannot keep losing to Vanderbilt if he wants to kind of keep.
Ryan Lemond
We need. We need to wear our beat Vandy buttons.
Matt Jones
Maybe.
Ryan Lemond
You know, that's what.
Matt Jones
That's right. Who's up next?
Ryan Lemond
Chi Woo.
Matt Jones
Chi Woo, how are you doing?
I
Well, thanks for taking my call. So hopeful. Everybody in Eastern Kentucky's, you know, trying to recover and keeping their heads up. We're praying for them, too, up here in Chicago. I was wondering about how is Mark Stoops, his knees and whatnot. I think he had surgery. But more importantly yesterday, we're talking about the Kentucky basketball team and how the toughest, you know, tournament is really the SEC tournament. And, you know, I'm wondering how do you, you know, if Kentucky is as healthy as it's going to be? So we don't have Kerr, Creesa and. But we do get. But. And Jack's, you know, back. What's the chances of. Of winning six straight. Four straight. Three straight in the NCAA tournament?
Matt Jones
I think six straight. Hard Chi. But I. If you get. If you get Jackson and Butler back and we get the right bracket, we can make a Final Four. I genuinely believe that if you get Jackson and Butler back.
I
So.
Matt Jones
Yes, I do. Why not? They're good enough that. Now, that doesn't mean they will. I wouldn't necessarily pick them as a favorite, but, you know, if I were to go look at the bracketology, you're telling me we can't beat Chattanooga, then Illinois, then what is it? St. John's to get to the Final Eight and play Florida and we can't win. Yeah, we can win that game, those games. I mean, I'm not saying we will, but we can, right?
I
Kentucky. Kentucky and Pope don't have that history. Chicago Bears season tickets went up 10%. What's up with that? Y'all take care.
Matt Jones
Appreciate the call. I. We can. Whether we would. Different question. But if we're healthy, we can beat anybody. We'll be right back.
Jenny Garth
T.J. smith, personal injury attorney. Call T.J. he'll make him Pay now.
Ryan Lemond
More of Kentucky Sports Radio presented by Stockton Mortgage. Here's Matt Jones.
Matt Jones
The replay of the game is on right now here at the bar. And you just saw a great sequence by Colin Chandler there. Back to back contested rebounds, drives down the court, kicks it into the corner for Andrew Carr for a three. I mean that was, that's a level of comfort we saw from him last night that we just really hadn't seen all year.
Billy Rutledge
Yeah. And he has maybe the most active hands on the team. I think he had two steals. You can go back to the Arkansas game and he didn't have offense yet. Still playing defense. Well on those rebounded last night. I'm as guilty as anyone of getting on Pope about playing those guys. But he had some long term vision and it's kind of looking like that's coming to fruition. If, if they make big plays in March, then that little lull they went through when we all thought they were playing too many minutes, that paid off.
Matt Jones
859-280-2287. This segment sponsored by Red State Barbecue. You can now get delivery from door dash with you're on the south side of Lexington. You can get Red State appetizer sandwich plates and sides. Red State, best barbecue in Lexington and it's not even close. Go to redstatebbq.com or you can get catering. Catering@redstatebbq.com they now that they have that doordash. I get that delivered all the time because not far from my house. Where are we tomorrow?
Shannon The Dude
We're at Poppies at the Palomar Fountains location. They've got like three locations in town out there by Palomar across the man of War from Palomar. It's called Palomar Fountains. It's a new Poppies restaurant.
Matt Jones
So we're out Harrodsburg.
Shannon The Dude
Yeah.
Matt Jones
Get to man of War. And it's across the street on the other side.
Billy Rutledge
Correct on your right. Coming from downtown.
Matt Jones
So that's so tomorrow you can come watch the show at Poppies. I'm gonna give some tickets away and you can eat food while you're at the show. That doesn't happen a lot though. We'll ha. You know, you can eat Mexican food at Poppies tomorrow.
Billy Rutledge
Maybe the margarita on Friday.
Shannon The Dude
National Margarita Day Saturday. Might as well start early.
Billy Rutledge
I've been to Poppy's many times. Great spot. Looking forward to getting there.
Matt Jones
859280, 2287. There's a, there's a documentary by the way, that's on HBO Max, that I think Kentucky fans will want to see. It's called We Beat the Dream Team, and it's about the College players in 1992 that beat the Dream Team in the practice and featured heavily on the documentaries. Jamal Mashburn, because he was on the team that did it was like, Jamal Mashburn, Chris Weber, Jimmy Jackson, Bobby Hurley, and. But Mashburn is. They talk to him a lot. I watched the first half of it last night and.
Shannon The Dude
Is it good? Yeah, I love that. Yeah, that's a good. You know, this story kind of taken on a new life of its own over the years. Did this team really beat the Dream Team?
Matt Jones
Apparently beat them, like, crushed them in the first game, and then they came back the next day and they crushed. Got crushed. But the first day, they beat him by like 20. And if you watch it, Bobby Hurley, Mashburn and Weber were the guys that kind of took over the game.
Billy Rutledge
I'm excited to watch it because there's always, you know, rumors and legend that the. The Dream Team didn't want that tape getting out of that story getting out. And I'm glad we're finally going to see what it was like. Also, that Court of Gold is supposed to be really good. I saw about the Olympics just this past summer. I saw a clip of Kevin Durant crying. I didn't know Kevin Durant could cry, but he's talking about how much it meant to represent America.
Matt Jones
Yeah, I want to watch that, too. A lot of good, good stuff on. Who's up next?
Ryan Lemond
Brandon.
Matt Jones
Brandon. What's up, Brandon?
I
Hey, guys. Thanks for taking my call. I had the opportunity to take my father to KSBAR yesterday and see you guys. I had some wonderful wings. It's a great time, everybody. I was sitting around at the game was going crazy over Colin Chandler. We were all. We felt like he was a little kid, you know, and we were all so proud of him. And my question for you all is, did you happen to see Missouri's head coach, Dennis Gates, call a timeout with 1.5 seconds?
Matt Jones
Yeah. What do you think about that? Yeah. So I appreciate the call. No, go ahead. I appreciate the call. I was so. You know, the fines have gotten so big for storming the court like it is. When you storm the court, you get in trouble. So Missouri had already stormed the court once this year, so that was $250,000. This is going to be a half million dollar fine if they storm the court. So Missouri's up 12, 1 1/2 seconds left. Gates calls timeout, gets on the microphone and goes, please, please don't storm the court, please. It will cost us a half million dollars. Please did. If you were an. If you were an Alabama fan, would you understand that? Is that rubbing it in? Do you. It's like it's a half million dollars. What would you do?
Shannon The Dude
I always put myself in. If I'm a Missouri student and I'm just chomping at the bit, ready to storm the court, him saying that, I think I would probably try to get my. Rally the troops and do it anyway.
Matt Jones
Wait a minute. You do it anyway?
Shannon The Dude
Yeah. It's like. No, you.
Matt Jones
We didn't saying it would make you want to do it more.
Shannon The Dude
I think so. If I was a Missouri student.
Matt Jones
But it's a half million dollars they.
Shannon The Dude
Could not out of my pocket, but.
Matt Jones
They could spend to get a basketball player next year. So you all continue this run.
Shannon The Dude
Well, we just beat Alabama, one of the top teams in the country. I think I'm wanting to celebrate.
Matt Jones
Okay. My Cheerios. If he got. They ended up not storming the court.
Billy Rutledge
So.
Matt Jones
So do you think it was a good idea?
Billy Rutledge
I saw it live and I thought, whoa, this is weird. There still time on the clock. And I was thinking more of from like the Alabama side. Like if I'm Nate Oats and the other coach. I mean, yes, the game's over, but it is. There's. The game is still going on and you're getting on the microphone and talking to the students. It felt a little weird. But also understand why he did it.
Matt Jones
Shannon, would it discourage you or make you want to do it?
Ryan Lemond
I think I would rather have a really good recruit next year than put my feet on the floor.
Matt Jones
Yeah.
Ryan Lemond
Like, to me, I think that's a good trade off, not storming in the court and saving a half a million dollars.
Matt Jones
It does show you though, how much. How much These at these schools, especially next year, are all in a budget Crisis. They're getting $22 million added to their expenses out of nowhere, and they don't get the next big bump in pay from the conferences till the next year. So all of these schools, Kentucky included, are like very, very nervous about making budget next year. And so I think that half million dollars, that was probably the AD looking at Dennis Gates going, please tell everyone.
Ryan Lemond
Like it's 15 minutes partying on the floor with your buddies. It worth the exchange of maybe missing out on a top recruit for next year? I don't know. I don't think so.
Matt Jones
I don't. I don't think so either. And then did you see the Notre Dame coach the Notre Dame basketball coach absolutely was hilarious. He, you know, they lost to Louisville by, like, 25 points, and Louisville had many more fans there than Notre Dame.
Shannon The Dude
It was at Notre Dame.
Matt Jones
It was at Notre Dame. And the coach in the press conference goes, I can't believe that we don't have fans here. Louisville has more fans than us now. Part of that's my fault. I would argue it's all his fault, but still, we don't have fans. And then he said, when we start winning, don't come back. Then. Oh, I thought I was like, dude, are you cutting off your nose despite your face? What do you mean? Don't you want them to be here? Right.
Billy Rutledge
I think he would need to look around and recognize he's the problem and say, I need to do better to get people excited to be here. Not, why aren't you here?
Matt Jones
Don't come back. Is that what you want to say to your fan base when you're awful? Don't come back?
Shannon The Dude
No. You're doing everything you can to get them to come back.
Matt Jones
I mean, it should be an embarrassment that Louisville has more fans than you there. Like, you should look in the mirror. Stop yelling at your fans. I mean, Notre Dame spring school, where people will come.
Billy Rutledge
Like, also Louisville, where they don't get fans at home, they had that many.
Matt Jones
I mean, don't come back is a crazy thing to say. Who's up next?
Ryan Lemond
Mike.
Matt Jones
Mike. Go ahead, Mike. Still, we don't have fans. And then he said, oh, all right. Turn me down. Turn me down. Yeah, go ahead. Hey, Matt, what's going on?
I
Just when I say Mark Pope can be my basketball coach for the rest of my life.
Matt Jones
Why do you say that?
I
I think he's Kentucky boy and he.
Matt Jones
Came in with nothing.
I
Absolutely nothing. But he has turned it into a top ten team.
Matt Jones
Yeah, well, he did. I mean, he literally had no players. I mean, I guess Travis Perry was committed, but he literally had no players. And he built a roster that. And I appreciate the call that went healthy, was as good as anybody. I mean, he really. Whatever happens the rest of the year, he's really done an amazing job.
Billy Rutledge
Yeah. To not have any time to build something. I mean, you're going to a new school and you haven't even called most of these guys. You're starting the recruitment with several of them, and then halfway through the year, most of the good ones are injured and you're still winning games like this. I think whatever happens in March, and hopefully they win several games. But even if they don't, I think he's done a great job in the first year. You don't really. You don't want to lower the ball bar for Kentucky basketball, but you also have to be a realist when it comes to the situation he was in and how they're down to their fourth point guard.
Matt Jones
Yeah. One person writes, is there any scenario you can think of where UK would storm the court? None. No, none that you should. I mean, I. No, there's not.
Billy Rutledge
There's not a team. Name the team. You can't.
Matt Jones
I mean, if we were awful for a decade straight and then you beat Duke, but it's still. Then I would say no. I thought it was embarrassing when Indiana stormed the court. I mean, we were there for. We were there for two of them.
Billy Rutledge
Right. Didn't they. On one of our road trips, we were part of one also.
Matt Jones
Maybe I don't remember, but. But no, I. There's no. There are certain schools that should never storm the court. Duke should never storm the court. Kentucky should never storm the court. North Carolina should never storm the court. Kansas should never storm the court. Those four. What? Yeah. UCLA probably. But it's been a long time since UCLA was ucla. But those four schools, I don't think there's ever an excuse, Ryan, for them to storm the court.
Shannon The Dude
There's not. There's not an argument you can make. People try to say, what if it was a last second shot and we just beat the number. Like, okay, Auburn coming in. We beat Auburn on a last second shot at rupping.
Matt Jones
It'd be awesome.
Shannon The Dude
But you still don't storm the court.
Matt Jones
Still on. Storm the court.
Shannon The Dude
Yeah.
Matt Jones
Now, if for some reason the national championship was played in Lexington and they let. Then that's a little different. That would be a little different if for some reason, you know, they decided to put the national championship at home. Arenas. Okay, I'd take it then, but that's it.
Shannon The Dude
I'm sorry. The closest thing I've seen when we were. Well, we were in Indianapolis and Aaron Harrison hit that last second shot. All of a sudden I look up and there's a bunch of people on the court, like parents and family all came on the court.
Matt Jones
Not a rough.
Shannon The Dude
That's not a rough.
Matt Jones
I could see storm in the court. In an NCAA tournament game. You can't do it at that arena with that logo right there.
Billy Rutledge
No, if you're storming the court, you're acknowledging I'm David and I just knocked down Goliath, but you can't go around sticking your chest out saying, we're the best ever. And then you're giving Duke or Auburn or whoever you're storming against that moment. You're acknowledging that they're the better program.
Matt Jones
Great way to put it. Yeah. You we are Goliath. We are not David. No matter what. We'll take a break. The closest we've ever been to David versus Goliath was 1992 against Duke. That's really it.
Shannon The Dude
Yeah.
Matt Jones
I don't know that we've ever really been a David except maybe in that game. We'll take a break. Be right back. KSI who's scoring big in the NBA this season? Well, you are with all the ways to get in on the action at the Draft King Sportsbook, their official sports betting partner of the NBA. From monster slams to dishing the rock to cleaning the glass, get behind your favorite players and the prop bets you can make on DraftKings, the home of NBA player props. And here's something special for the first timers. New DraftKings customers bet $5 to get 150 in bonus bets instantly. Take it to the rack with the Draft King Sportsbook. Every point counts. Download the Draft King Sportsbook app and use the code KSR. That's KSR for new customers to get $150 in bonus bets. When you bet just $5 only at DraftKings, the Crown is yours. If you have a gaming problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER18 plus Kentucky only eligibility restrictions apply. New customers only bonus specs buy 168 hours after issuance. For additional terms Responsible gaming resources, see dkng co/audio.
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Matt Jones
Welcome back. It is Kentucky Sports Radio. Time to make our draft Kings picks tonight. Let's just go quickly go to DraftKings promo code KSR. Kentucky, do we beat Missouri on the road? The women? Yes.
Shannon The Dude
They need to bet. They need a good bounce back win like the men got last night. So I'm gonna go.
Billy Rutledge
Yes.
Matt Jones
Well, they won their last game.
Shannon The Dude
The women, they lost to Texas, but.
Matt Jones
We'Ve played since then.
Billy Rutledge
Georgia destroyed Georgia.
Shannon The Dude
That's right.
Matt Jones
We beat Georgia. Yeah.
Billy Rutledge
They're a six and a half point favorite tonight.
Matt Jones
The women, yeah, I'm gonna take Kentucky.
Billy Rutledge
I'll take Kentucky. Gets really hard after this. Yeah.
Ryan Lemond
Let's go, cats.
Matt Jones
Canada and USA pick them at least on the money line. It's minus 110 to minus 110. It's a toss up. Canada and the USA. The one of the Canada players said if we win, we want Donald Trump to apologize at the White House podium. I don't think that's going to happen. If we win. I don't know. We'll take their syrup. What do you think, Kentucky? Are you Kentucky and Canada. The United States and Canada. Who you got tonight?
Billy Rutledge
Come on. Definitely going with the Americans. And I'm gonna bet on one of these people to score a goal once I learn who's on which team. Who's Nathan McKinnon? Canadian or American?
Matt Jones
McKinnon? Yeah. I don't know. I'm not sure.
Billy Rutledge
Well, one of these guys I'm betting to score a goal.
Matt Jones
The Canes have two guys on Canada, which made me feel a little torn because I really like them. But they cut what they. They benched one of them for tonight. Didn't put him on the active roster. So Canada, I'm taking the United States. What about you?
Shannon The Dude
Well, it's, it's in Boston. Come on, man. It's in our own turf.
Matt Jones
I know. Lose, we got a win for Crispus. Attack us and all the famous people in the revolution. Although I guess we didn't fight Canada, but same thing. Shannon, who you got?
Ryan Lemond
We're going to boo their national anthem. We're going to punch them in the face like you would Billy, if you were upside down on a plane. And then we're going to beat them in hockey. So go USA.
Matt Jones
Go.
Billy Rutledge
You Austin Matthews plus 200. I'm betting it right now. I have no clue who that is, but he's American.
Matt Jones
Yeah. Austin Matthews, American.
Billy Rutledge
All right. He's scoring 2 to 1.
Matt Jones
Young guy that everybody perfect is going.
Billy Rutledge
To be so good right now.
Shannon The Dude
Good choice then.
Matt Jones
Yeah. So Auston Matthews, we'll take. We'll take him getting a go.
Shannon The Dude
And what starts at 8:00?
Matt Jones
Starts at 8:00. All right, who's up next?
Ryan Lemond
Robert.
Matt Jones
Robert. Go ahead, Robert.
I
Hey, Matt, do you think in the past we have talked about blue bloods such as Kentucky, Kansas, Carolina, UCLA? Do you think with nil money in this 22 million that's coming along that those days are over, that these blue bloods will not be in the top 10 parental.
Matt Jones
No, because here's why I would say that. All right, so let's go back to the days when you weren't allowed to play. If you take away cheating, what ended up happening? The peep the teams that had the best programs, the best secondary stuff, they ended up getting the players because basically the money was the same, which is everybody got zero. Now in the era of the $22 million, everybody's got the same money again. Now, they might distribute it different ways, but pretty much everybody's got the same money. So I think it's going to be the same thing. I think blue bloods will eventually take off again. Now, it might be different blue bloods, like, it might be the case that some of these teams are better at nil than others. But I still think we'll see the same general teams. Basketball is a little different, though. Appreciate the call. Because in basketball, Drew, you have a lot of different ways you could build a team. You could put a lot of money into one guy. You could spread it out. So I think you're going to see years in basketball where random teams get good.
Billy Rutledge
Yeah, the. The playing field has certainly been leveled, but I think other things will come into play, like a fan base like Kentucky will still have a huge advantage of having fan support and being on TV and having atmosphere. I don't know how much they'll keep investing in facilities because they'll run out of money. But little things like that can. Can separate it. If it's all coming down to just.
Matt Jones
$I think what's going to be interesting is take a school like St. John's or Yukon that doesn't have a big football program and in theory could take all that money and spend it all on basketball. Right. So those schools that don't have Gonzaga.
Shannon The Dude
Yeah.
Matt Jones
Those schools that don't have football programs might have an advantage in basketball because they can just. I mean, St. John's dude is apparently saying he's gonna spend like $8 million next year. So it definitely.
Shannon The Dude
They're gonna put that money in. Into their basketball programs. That's just gonna help them in facilities, recruiting, everything.
Matt Jones
And Kentucky, schools like Kentucky and Duke and Kansas and North Carolina, they're gonna have to make a choice, right? They're gonna have to make a choice. How important is basketball to you? Like, is it important enough to pull some of that money from football? I don't know. Everybody's got to make the choice in.
Shannon The Dude
The coming years, especially Kentucky playing in the sec. You're going to try to become as competitive as possible. You'll pull some money away from them.
Matt Jones
It's going to be fascinating. I think being an ad, I'm going to make you a prediction. The days of picking good old boys, as your AD is gone, they're going to be picking nerds, business people. They're going to be picking people like me. I'm not saying me, but people like me who are numbers people or who, like, you can't just go pick Bobby because he played there. You're going to have to pick people who know how to distribute funds between lots of different sports. They're going to have to pick business people. You're exactly right. That's who's going to be ads coming up.
Billy Rutledge
And it's sad, but we're already seeing it. The schools that just have one really rich person. Like you mentioned St. John's I forgot how that guy got his money, but he's a billionaire and he's openly saying, I'll give whatever I need. It shouldn't be this way, but that's going to be a huge advantage for schools too.
Matt Jones
But I think it's. It doesn't bother me because it's gonna. We're gonna get to see new teams, right? We're gonna get. I think college basketball has been awesome this year. I really do. I think it's been awesome partially. It's because we're better. But I just think it's been a fun sport to watch. A lot of different teams are good, a lot of random results. I think it makes it exciting this.
Shannon The Dude
Year for college basketball. I've probably paid attention to more non UK games than I ever than I have in a long time.
Matt Jones
Totally agree with that. Totally agree. One more real quick Shannon, while you're before Glenn's talks, the Volunteers of America Mid States part of Volunteers of America. They are the oldest nonprofit helping hand and they help your the communities with people with substance use recovery and many more. There's a new place in Louisville, a new central location in downtown the community Care campus. Learn more@voamid.org that's Volunteers of America midstates VOA mid.org for their new location in Kansas, Kansas to help many in our community or in Kansas in Louisville to get their services. Who's Glenn? Go ahead, Glenn.
I
Hey guys. Hey Matt, you was talking earlier about North Carolina just opening the doors and letting the students in. Do you think there's ever a situation where Kentucky would put the students on the floor?
Matt Jones
No.
I
For maybe one game a year?
Matt Jones
Well, maybe could go ahead, sir. Hung up. Yeah, but what would have to happen? Here's what needs to happen for that happen. Our richest donors need to say one game we're going to give up our stuff and let it be a student.
Shannon The Dude
Huh?
Matt Jones
Will they do that? But that's what they have to do.
Shannon The Dude
It would have to be probably one of early November games.
Matt Jones
Yeah. Now I think a better way to do it would be to have a game in Memorial.
Shannon The Dude
Yes.
Matt Jones
Play one game in Memorial every year. Student only game. And let it be wild.
Shannon The Dude
Why not?
Matt Jones
That's what I would do. But I don't know if they'll ever be able to do that or not.
Billy Rutledge
Little sweaters. They like going to their game.
Matt Jones
Hey, thank you folks very much. We're at Poppies Tomorrow. Trivia tonight at 7. See you here at the bar. This has been Kentucky Sports Radio.
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The Unshakables podcast is kicking off season two with an episode you won't want to miss. Joint host Ben Walter, CEO of Chase for Business, as he welcomes a very special guest, Chairman and CEO of JP.
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Podcast Summary: KSR - Hour 2 (February 20, 2025)
Introduction
In the second hour of the "KSR" episode released on February 20, 2025, host Matt Jones and the KSR crew from iHeartPodcasts and Sports Talk 790 (WKRD-AM) engage listeners with a dynamic discussion centered around Kentucky sports, significant local news, and insightful commentary on broader athletic and political topics.
Recruitment Strategies in Kentucky Sports
Matt Jones opens the conversation by addressing the evolving recruitment philosophies within Kentucky's athletic programs. Highlighting a strategic shift, he references Rick Patino's approach:
“I'm not doing freshmen anymore. I'm only doing older guys. It's an interesting thought.”
[03:34]
This change signifies a move towards recruiting more experienced athletes, aiming to enhance team performance and competitiveness in the current sports landscape.
Chilean Gang Robberies Targeting Athletes
A gripping segment unfolds as Matt narrates a bizarre incident involving a Chilean gang targeting professional athletes:
“They started bragging and they started taking selfies in, like, I'm wearing Joe Burrow's jersey.”
[05:38]
Based in Cincinnati and Jeffersonville, Indiana, the gang meticulously planned their robberies, targeting high-profile athletes by studying their schedules. Their downfall came when their boastful selfies were inadvertently shared, leading the FBI to their doorstep. This story underscores the perils of digital arrogance and its unintended consequences.
SEC Scheduling and Playoff Expansion
A significant portion of the discussion delves into potential changes within the Southeastern Conference (SEC):
“They're talking about expanding the playoff from 12 to 16. If they do that, there will be four SEC teams and four Big Ten teams guaranteed a spot every year.”
[14:00]
Matt explains that the SEC, in collaboration with the Big Ten, is considering a nine-game conference schedule, where only conference games would impact playoff qualifications. This adjustment aims to incentivize scheduling stronger opponents without jeopardizing playoff chances, potentially increasing Kentucky's opportunities to secure a playoff berth.
Mitch McConnell's Retirement Announcement
In a noteworthy political update, Matt shares:
“Kentucky's longest term office holder in history, Mitch McConnell, will not seek reelection and will retire at the end of 2026.”
[21:06]
This revelation sparks a lively debate among the crew about the future political landscape in Kentucky. They discuss potential candidates for the open Senate seat and the broader implications of McConnell's retirement on local and national politics.
Kentucky Basketball Performance and Key Players
Transitioning to sports analysis, the crew scrutinizes Kentucky basketball's recent performances and key player contributions:
“I like Andrew Carr a little better. I think when you can get Amari with some momentum, he's so explosive.”
[11:07]
Andrew Carr and Amari Williams emerge as focal points, with discussions highlighting their strengths and impact on the team's dynamics. The conversation emphasizes the importance of their roles in driving the team's success and potential postseason aspirations.
Fan Behavior and "Storm the Court" Controversy
A passionate debate ensues around appropriate fan behavior during celebrations:
“Is there any scenario you can think of where UK would storm the court? None.”
[38:36]
The crew unanimously agrees that storming the court is unacceptable, stressing the importance of sportsmanship. They argue that such actions not only tarnish the team’s reputation but also undermine the achievements being celebrated.
Upcoming Events and Community Engagement
The crew promotes local events and community initiatives, fostering a sense of engagement among listeners. Highlights include trivia nights at Poppies and support for Volunteers of America Mid States, encouraging listeners to participate and contribute to local nonprofit efforts.
DraftKings Betting Analysis
Integrating sports analysis with a promotional segment, the crew discusses upcoming games and potential betting strategies using DraftKings:
“Do we beat Missouri on the road? The women? Yes.”
[43:51]
They encourage listeners to utilize the promo code “KSR” for bonus bets, seamlessly blending sports talk with sponsorship content.
Notable Quotes
Matt Jones on Recruitment Philosophy:
“I'm not doing freshmen anymore. I'm only doing older guys.”
[03:34]
Matt Jones on SEC Playoff Expansion:
“[...] If you can get Knipple, but a lot of other freshmen, you need an older guy instead.”
[03:34]
Matt Jones on Chilean Gang's Downfall:
“They started bragging and they started taking selfies [...] one of the pictures that they sent to somebody got forwarded to somebody else, who then sent it to the FBI.”
[05:38]
Matt Jones on Mitch McConnell's Retirement:
“We have an open senate race in 2026.”
[21:06]
Matt Jones on Storming the Court:
“Is there any scenario you can think of where UK would storm the court? None.”
[38:36]
Conclusion
As the episode wraps up, Matt reflects on the potential impacts of administrative changes within the SEC and the future prospects of Kentucky sports teams. The KSR crew leaves listeners with a comprehensive understanding of the current sports climate, administrative shifts, and the importance of maintaining sportsmanship and community engagement.
This detailed summary encapsulates the key discussions, insights, and notable moments from "KSR - Hour 2," providing a comprehensive overview for those who haven't tuned in.