KSR Podcast – Hour 2 (2025-10-16) – Kentucky Sports Radio with Matt Jones & Crew

Episode Overview This episode of Kentucky Sports Radio (KSR) features Matt Jones and his co-hosts engaging in lively discussion about UK basketball non-conference predictions, likability rankings among the crew, Kentucky football expectations, listener call-ins, and special guest Jonathan ‘Big Hair’ Kitchen sharing horse racing picks and giving away UK-Texas tickets. The tone, as usual, is irreverent, humorous, and interactive with both the live bar audience and callers.

Main Themes & Topics

1. Likability Rankings—KSR Style

• Matt leads a humorous conversation about the crew’s likability both among regular listeners and the general public (03:36).
  • Mario: Universally beloved by listeners.
  • Drew: “There’s almost nobody that dislikes Drew.” (03:57)
  • Ryan: Ranked higher by men, less so by women (“Some women…are like Ryan’s gotta stop sometimes.” – Matt Jones, 04:09)
  • Billy: Rising in likeability, moving out of last place.
  • Shannon: Polarizing, with both a loyal following and detractors.
  • “Billy, you went from last to still last, but not as far in last.” – Shannon (05:06)
  • Discussion about how likability shifts depending on context (in-person remotes vs. on-air persona).

2. UK Basketball: Non-Conference Schedule Predictions

• Matt hosts a rapid-fire round: Each host predicts win/loss margins for each upcoming non-conference game (05:21–11:08).
  • Notable predictions and style:
    • Big optimism for UK against non-major teams (blowout margins).
    • Split opinions for tougher matchups (e.g., Louisville, Michigan State, Gonzaga, St. John’s).
    • "I think the hardest game we have in the non-conference is at Louisville." – Matt Jones (12:16)
  • Fun banter about opponents, e.g., "We're going to beat Tennessee Tech by 110 because it's like a week after the football loss." – Drew (07:46)
  • Matt’s side story about speaking at North Carolina Central and a memorable Q&A (09:19).

3. Football Expectations & Coaching Debate

• Caller Ryan poses: Is 5 or 7 wins acceptable? Is paying $40M for just a couple of extra wins justifiable? (15:03)
  • Matt: “Seven is acceptable... Five is acceptable to me if...there was a positive future. But I don’t feel any of those things.” (15:30)
  • Drew: Skeptical any fan is optimistic at this point (15:52)
  • Billy: Notes the importance of AD Mitch Barnhart’s expectations (16:13)
• Later, hot seat for Coach Stoops:
  • “Does he [AD Barnhart] have the guts to fire Mark Stoops?...It will take guts because it’s a huge amount of money.” – Matt Jones (21:17)
  • Consensus: At 4–8, most ADs would make the call, but they doubt Barnhart will.

4. Listener Call-ins & Classic KSR Stories

• Caller David references old Matt Jones story: Matt being nearly arrested in Poseyville, Indiana for a roadside bathroom emergency (“Don’t just use Poseyville as your toilet warning.” – Matt Jones, 13:44).
• Bob from Jamestown: Calls to praise Billy’s personable style and future in broadcasting, subtly jabbing Matt (23:52).
• Banter about inside jokes, like “what’s really on Bob in Jamestown’s porch” (24:20).

5. Jonathan “Big Hair” Kitchen: Special Guest Segment (Horse Racing & UK–Texas Tickets)

• Tickets Give-away: Kitchen (a Texas fan) donates lower-level UK–Texas game tickets to be given away at the next live show (26:46).
• Keeneland Locks:
  • “Lock of the week is Saturday in race six, the Perryville. Number five, Captain Cook.” – Big Hair (28:34)
  • Bonus pick, Race 9: No. 11 Quiet Side as a long shot.
  • Matt jokes Big Hair’s best betting is at Saratoga and Keeneland “because that’s where he always gets his rich-people information.” (30:30)
• Texas–UK Football Talk: Kitchen skeptical about UK offense, bullish on Texas’ defense (27:08).

6. UK Player “30-point Club” Debate

• Question: Which Kentucky player could drop 30 in a game?
  • Consensus: Jaylen Lowe as the most likely, Away is consistent, but not likely for 30. (31:12)
  • Discussion about Lowe's undervalued passing and potential breakout moments.

7. Fun with Fan Interactions & Social Media

• Billy’s likeability up to “59%” on Twitter: Family group chat possibly stacking the poll (18:33).
• Matt, Drew, Billy muse about not reading negative comments (“Those people don’t matter. They’re not your life.” – Drew, 18:52).
• Revisits the entertaining origins and enduring online criticism for both Billy and Shannon (43:08)
  • “You and Shannon have that in common. From moment one, you came in really hot…We now have six people on this show with six very distinctive personalities, and I really enjoy that.” – Matt Jones (43:37)

8. Other Notable Segments/Quotes

• Kentucky’s National Basketball “Star Power” Defended:
  • Matt and Drew push back against a claim Kentucky lacks stars:
    • “If Away and Low are not stars, then I don’t know how many stars there are in college basketball.” – Matt Jones (32:41)
    • “Always [Away] the SEC preseason player of the year. I don’t know what more you want him to do.” – Drew (33:02)
• Coaching Drama Elsewhere:
  • Matt flags Florida’s Todd Golden’s passive-aggressive shots at Denzel Aberdeen transferring to UK for “priorities beyond winning a championship,” calling it “weird,” “bitter,” and unnecessary (44:05).
  • Brief mention of Auburn’s exhibition loss under Stephen Pearl—a rough start to the new coaching era (45:16).

9. Kentucky Sports Gambling, Local Politics, & Wagering Jokes

• Amusing segment regarding the Illinois governor declaring $1.5M in gambling winnings, speculation about what sports/roulette/blackjack he played (36:17).
• “I want a winner. I don’t want a guy that’s out in the alley throwing dice, trying to get back to even.” – Drew Franklin (37:24)

10. NFL Game Call & Picks

• Steelers vs. Bengals (“Icy Hot Bowl—two QBs over 40: Joe Flacco and Aaron Rodgers”).
  • Consensus leans Steelers and the OVER (39:10).
  • “Flacco is not going to be wacko at home. This is old man Flacco with his five o'clock shadow and his multiple gray patches of beard … and he covers the four and a half.” – Matt Jones (39:53)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On the uniqueness of the show:
  “We now have six people on this show with six very distinctive personalities, and I really enjoy that.” – Matt Jones (43:37)
• On the home court advantage in non-conference:
  “If you think we’re gonna beat Louisville, then North Carolina, Gonzaga, and Indiana are essentially home games.” – Matt Jones (11:15)
• On coaching job pressure:
  “It will take guts [to fire Stoops], because it’s a huge amount of money. And it will make things difficult for UK Athletics.” – Matt Jones (21:17)
• Classic KSR self-awareness:
  “This is iHeart in a nutshell. Just for the record, we’re doing the podcast yesterday … and it just cuts off because the computer we’re on has no more storage space.” – Matt Jones (20:52)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 03:36 – Likability Rankings discussion and analysis of crew “Q scores”
• 05:21 – UK non-conference basketball schedule predictions; margins & reasoning
• 11:08 – Reflection on difficult games and the non-conference schedule’s context
• 15:03 – Caller: Football expectations, the real price of extra wins, and coaching standards
• 21:17 – Whether Mitch Barnhart has the “guts” to fire Coach Stoops (major UK football question)
• 26:46 – Jonathan “Big Hair” Kitchen segment: UK–Texas tickets, horse picks
• 31:12 – Who’s Kentucky’s best bet for a 30-point game?
• 36:10 – Sports gambling & the Illinois governor’s $1.5M “income”
• 39:10 – NFL Thursday night picks: Steelers vs. Bengals
• 44:05 – Todd Golden’s comments about Denzel Aberdeen and the weirdness of coaching shade

Final Notes

This episode is classic KSR: a friendly, bantering, UK-centric sports show with inside jokes, honest crew dynamic assessment, sharp basketball and football analysis, irreverent detours into local personalities, and appreciation for the quirks of live radio. Both longtime and new listeners are fully caught up on UK vibes—on and off the field.

If you only remember three things:

• The UK basketball non-conference schedule is both tough and favorable, with home advantage tilting even big matchups.
• The KSR crew has fun needling each other (and accepting needling from listeners), especially about likability and on-air personas.
• There’s genuine concern about Kentucky football’s coach—will the AD act if results don’t improve?

For tomorrow’s show location or to win UK-Texas tickets, tune in or attend the live remote!