KSR (Kentucky Sports Radio) – Hour 2

Date: December 9, 2025
Host: Matt Jones, with Drew and Shannon
Podcast: iHeartPodcasts and Sports Talk 790 (WKRD-AM)

Episode Overview

Hour 2 of Kentucky Sports Radio brings Matt Jones and the crew’s signature mix of UK athletics commentary, light-hearted banter, and honest engagement with callers. The episode centers on upcoming UK sporting events, ticket availability, the state of the Kentucky men’s basketball team, football coaching carousel musings, and listener/caller engagement. The hosts interweave sports analysis with personal stories, including candid discussions of family health challenges and the supportive KSR community.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Kentucky Basketball Ticket Availability & Opponent Breakdown

[03:07–05:03]

• Matt notes an unusual abundance of tickets for tonight’s UK vs. NC Central basketball game, attributing it to waning fan enthusiasm.
• The team analyzes NC Central's schedule, marveling at unfamiliar opponents like Bluefield State and Toccoa Falls:
  • “Where is Bluefield State?” – Matt & Shannon puzzle over obscure schools on NC Central’s schedule.
  • The hosts expect UK to win comfortably but acknowledge NC Central’s tough schedule.

2. UK Volleyball’s Strong Tournament Run

[05:07–07:42]

• UK volleyball has reached the Sweet 16 and faces a 12-seed Cal Poly team. Matt, having “done some research,” praises Cal Poly’s scrappy underdog spirit, noting their short stature but standout blocking ability:
  • “They are short, which is not something you see in a volleyball team a lot... but they are scrappy.” – Matt [05:11]
  • “The thing Cal Poly's the best at is blocking... they would get so many points just blocking it directly into the ground.” – Matt [07:07]
• Ticket sales for the match just opened, with Drew optimistic for a sellout despite the odd Thu 3:30 pm start time.

3. Football Coaching Carousel: Stoops, Virginia Tech, and Hypotheticals

[08:18–11:32]

• Virginia Tech fired Brent Pry as head coach, but he’s returning as their defensive coordinator—“like Will Stein hiring Mark Stoops as his defensive coordinator.”
  • “Could you go from sitting in the coach's chair to the next week moving down and being the defensive coordinator?” – Matt [09:04]
  • The crew largely agrees this would be awkward and ego-bruising.
• Speculation on Mark Stoops's future lands on the possibility of him joining Tennessee's staff. Confusion and amusement over whether UK’s contract allows double-dipping, i.e., Stoops collecting both his UK buyout and a salary from a new employer.
  • “He should [double dip], right?” – Matt [11:51]
  • “I'm getting a double dip.” – Shannon [11:54]

Memorable moment:

• The crew jokes about UK’s AD, Mitch Barnhart, not adding mitigation clauses to Stoops’s contract:
  • “Wouldn’t you love to play poker with Mitch Barnhart?” – Matt [12:13]

4. Listener Calls: Personal Stories, Team Frustration, & Community

[13:40–15:12, 44:34–45:39]

• Caller Don, a 65-year UK fan battling pancreatic cancer, offers heartfelt advice to Matt about the power of prayer and support.
  • Don: “I reached out to well over a hundred people... Matt, it made a huge difference in my recovery and my life.” [14:33–15:09]
• Matt responds with appreciation and opens up about his father’s health struggles, thanking the community for their kindness:
  • “Larry’s the best human being I’ve ever known. He’s the kindest person... and it’s beautiful how many people... have treated this and them as if they’re a part of your family.” – Matt [15:46–15:54]
• Later, caller The Truth offers an on-air prayer for Matt’s family, emphasizing the show's camaraderie and support network. [44:34–45:39]

5. Airport Improvement Brainstorm—Drew Duffy’s Four Ideas

[20:00–24:44]

• The hosts debate new billion-dollar airport initiatives:
  1. Family-only security lines: All approve, wanting to avoid slowdowns.
  2. Playgrounds in airports: Initially skeptical, they agree it keeps kids out of common areas.
     • “If it’ll keep them from running around where I’m sitting, then, Drew, I’m actually pro playground.” – Matt [21:57]
     • Drew lobbies for “adult activities”—why not a golf simulator?
  3. Nursing rooms: Generally supportive, continuing the theme of getting kids out of the main waiting area.
  4. Workout bars/gyms: Consensus negative—concerns about sweaty, unshowered passengers.
     • “I don’t want people being all stinky on the planes.” – Matt [23:43]

6. The Life of a Spotter & Matt’s Upcoming Play-by-Play Challenge

[32:21–37:36]

• Lighthearted debate with a caller (Tori) about how much skill it takes to be a football broadcast spotter. Drew and Matt maintain it's a specialized, learned job.
• Matt and crew practice pronouncing difficult player names from upcoming game rosters, with jokes about calling a player “Agent Zero” if all else fails.
  • “...That’s when you throw the spotter under the bus, you say, ‘You were supposed to give me the pronunciations.’” – Drew [36:10]
  • The crew jokes about how Matt can always blame the spotter if the broadcast goes sideways.

7. The UK Basketball Team: Frustration, Booing, and Meme Culture

[25:19–29:37]

• Caller clarifies that a photo of fans booing was misrepresented; they were booing an official, not UK players.
• The hosts discuss the awkwardness of being turned into a meme/fan reaction image—generally amused, not sympathetic.
  • “I don’t feel bad for them. It’s kind of funny.” – Shannon [27:01]

8. Will Stein’s Early Coaching Grade at UK

[30:17–32:14]

• Hosts give Will Stein an “A-minus” for his first week—positive press conference, quick hires, held recruiting class together.
  • “I’ll give him an A minus. There’s only so much you can do right now... I have no reason to complain.” – Drew [30:51]
  • “His mom gets an A for the whole sissy cakes thing.” (Matt references the boost to Stein’s mom’s cake business.) [31:39]

9. Kentucky Basketball: Tournament Hopes and Mark Pope

[42:33–47:09]

• With a poor non-conference showing, the hosts fret about UK’s NCAA tournament prospects.
  • Drew: “I’ll say yes [to making the tournament] at this point, but I’ll admit it’s way more uncomfortable than it should be on December 9.” [42:36]
  • Matt outlines a mid-January three-game stretch (Missouri, Mississippi State, LSU) as key to UK’s at-large hopes.
• Caller Tim expresses concern over Mark Pope’s recruiting and team chemistry, prompting analysis of the coach’s vaunted “fit” philosophy:
  • “If next year, if we have another team where we're like, ‘Well, these guys don't fit again, either,’ you really have to get concerned because... he says no to guys because they're not the right fit.” – Drew [46:33]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On football coach contract double-dipping:
  “He should, right?... I’m getting a double dip.” – Matt & Shannon on Mark Stoops possibly collecting both UK buyout and new salary [11:51]
• On the prayer and KSR community support:
  “Larry’s the best human being I’ve ever known... it’s beautiful how many people... have treated this and them as if they’re a part of your family.” – Matt [15:46] “I reached out to well over a hundred people... it made a huge difference in my recovery and my life.” – Don, cancer-fighter (caller) [14:33] “There ain’t nothing like having them. I wish I had my mom and my dad like you” – The Truth (caller) [44:37]
• On meme culture and booing:
  “Do you feel sorry for the people that become memes—the fans...?” – Matt [26:49]
  “No, I don’t feel bad for them. It’s kind of funny.” – Shannon [27:01]
• On Airport Improvements: “If it’ll keep them from running around where I’m sitting, then... I’m actually pro playground.” – Matt [21:57]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [03:07] – Start of sports hour, UK vs. NC Central, ticket talk
• [05:07-07:42] – UK Volleyball analysis
• [08:18-11:32] – Coaching carousel/contract hypotheticals
• [13:40-15:12, 44:34-45:39] – Heartfelt listener calls (illness, family, prayer)
• [20:00-24:44] – Airport improvement brainstorm
• [32:21-37:36] – Spotter job debate, play-by-play anxieties
• [42:33-44:33] – UK tournament hopes & critical January stretch
• [46:16-47:09] – Mark Pope, recruiting, and team chemistry concerns

Tone and Style

The conversation flows with the usual good-natured ribbing and candid, unscripted sports talk for which KSR is known. Matt and the team balance sarcasm and humor with sincere moments, especially in discussing family, illness, and the KSR community. The dynamic feels collegiate and communal—equal parts sports bar chatter and supportive home base.

For Listeners Who Missed the Episode

This hour of KSR offers a blend of UK sports news, honest anxieties about basketball postseason hopes, entertaining airport rants, and heartfelt exchanges with longtime fans. You’ll hear stories of community support, sharp-witted banter, and the kind of realness that has made KSR a Kentucky institution.

If you're invested in Kentucky athletics and the broader Bluegrass sporting scene, it’s a must-listen—equal parts sports update, therapy session, and casual hangout.