2025-12-10- KSR - Hour 1

Summary

Kentucky Sports Radio (KSR) — Hour 1

Date: December 10, 2025
Host: Matt Jones with Drew, Freddie (and Ryan, later)
Location: KS Bar and Grill, Lexington

Episode Overview

This episode of Kentucky Sports Radio centers on reaction to the Kentucky basketball team’s win over NC Central, ongoing struggles and locker room drama, the future of player Brandon Garrison, and significant concerns about Kentucky's new NIL collective partnership with JMI. The hosts also discuss issues with the athletic department’s leadership, game-day experience, and an upcoming major news story. The show emphasizes the need for Kentucky athletics to modernize, as well as energetic debate over UK’s current standing.

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1. Kentucky’s Win Over NC Central & Immediate Takeaways

(Starts ~03:17)

• Game Recap:
  Kentucky defeats NC Central 103–67 in a game that started shaky but turned into a blowout after a 16–0 run.

  • Matt Jones: “Started out kind of…it was about two more errors from a second set of 'boos' coming up in the arena.” (05:04)
  • Focus on improved shooting and energy, especially after the early struggles.
  • Dollar wing night at KS Bar mentioned as a sideline—“Wings Day” every Wednesday.

• Key Players & Performances:

  • Freddie: Praises Jasper Johnson (22 points) and Trent Noah (“complete player…effort, energy, everything we've wanted out of the whole bunch”). (06:04–06:23)
  • Noah credited for providing a spark in the starting lineup.
  • Jasper Johnson’s breakout game seen as positive, but caveats about the level of competition.

Notable Moment:

• Drew: “Noah in the starting lineup did kind of give them a little boost of fresh air, a little energy jolt and then he knocked down the three to start the game.” (05:49)

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2. The Brandon Garrison Situation

(Begins ~07:33)

• Garrison’s Performance:
  • Single out Brandon Garrison for low energy, mistakes, and lack of hustle.
  • Mark Pope, Kentucky’s head coach, calls a timeout and yells at Garrison, later benching him for the rest of the game.
  • Noted that Pope still looked “just as angry” after the game, suggesting deeper issues.
  • Jonah Quaintance’s emergence discussed; may signal the end of significant minutes for Garrison.

Notable Quotes:

• Matt Jones: “Mark Pope calls timeout, lays into him as mad as we've maybe seen him…doesn't play him for the rest of the game.” (07:33–07:59)

• Drew: “I think the other guys…I took it as message received because they went out and played their best basketball tonight.” (12:23)

• Freddie: “The two turnovers and just looking like he's not even engaged, that's gone on long enough. And clearly Pope had had enough.” (09:25)

• Locker Room Impact:

  • Speculate Garrison is now “the least favorite player” with Kentucky fans.
  • Discussion whether he could be kicked off the team, ultimately decide he’ll just lose minutes, not dismissed.

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3. Team Chemistry & Pope’s Demeanor

(Start ~12:56)

• Pope’s Current Mindset:
  • Previously relentlessly positive, Pope now described as having “middle-aged, sad dad energy,” looking tired and frustrated.
• Locker Room Chemistry:
  • Postgame, players gather with OA (Ortega) for a player interview, but Garrison noticeably absent.
  • OA claims “There’s nothing wrong off the court. Our problems are on the court. We are extremely close.” (14:34)
  • Skepticism over whether this is genuine, but agree that positive appearances are better than the alternative.

Quotes:

• Matt Jones: “Do you believe him when he says there's no—…he said it definitively. He was smiling. Do you believe it?” (15:18)
• Drew: “I looked at who wasn't standing around OA…and who was it? Brandon Garrison was not in that little group huddle right there…” (14:54)

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4. Outlook: Can Kentucky "Turn it Around"?

(16:01–16:47)

• OA’s postgame vow: “This is going to end up being a year we remember for the rest of our lives because we turn it around.”
  • Matt Jones compares to Aaron Harrison’s famous 2014 quote, unsure if this team has similar potential.
  • Stresses need to win next game versus Indiana as critical turning point: “You cannot let Indiana come in here and punk you and win at Rupp Arena.” (16:41)

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5. The Looming NIL Collective News & JMI Concerns

(23:12–29:16, expanded at 30:18)

• Matt Jones previews a major news story coming out—regarding Kentucky’s transfer of NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) collective control to JMI, under a 25-year contract.
  • “We are the only school in the country that has this arrangement. Mitch got up and said, oh, Learfield does this. They don’t.” (24:03–25:00)
• JMI (a San Diego-based media company) now sole controller of Kentucky’s collective; speculation the model is flawed, with “no schools followed” since implementation.
• Major Concerns:
  • UK locked into a long-term deal before pending congressional legislation is settled, which may not pass as hoped.
  • Outsourcing NIL management to non-local, for-profit company (JMI) that might not prioritize winning as much as maximizing profits.
  • Other universities still use outside, flexible collectives allowing for more aggressive recruitment.

Memorable Quote:

• Matt Jones: “Mitch is a hall monitor and the teacher is out of school. Mitch is walking down the hallway going, ‘Follow the rules!’ and the teachers are on spring break.” (29:03–29:16)
• Freddie: “No other [school] is like pushing away outside collectives or deals. There's no rules or the rules he thinks that are in place right now do not exist.” (28:10)

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6. Critique of Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart

(33:00–36:09)

• Caller Frank: “If somebody in Corporate America gave out two lifetime extensions to two coaches with no safety precautions whatsoever…and then handed a 25 year deal to a media company who's mediocre…they would be fired on the spot. These people live in a different world.” (33:00)
• Matt and the crew agree—time for new leadership and for Barnhart to “transition to a different era.”
• Cites ongoing lack of transparency, frustration at Barnhart’s lost temper when questioned.

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7. Kentucky Athletics: Lack of Innovation & Modernization

(36:01–40:03)

• The show critiques Kentucky’s lack of innovation in game day experience, marketing, and general athletic department operations.
  • Nothing cutting-edge, lagging behind in experience and engagement (“Most Kentucky games are like a really fun church picnic.” — Matt Jones, 38:04)
  • Even traditions like “Doomus Walker” and the “Y” are seen as outdated.
• Some credit given to women’s sports and social media teams, but otherwise the consensus is that UK lags behind in almost every area.

Quote:

• Freddie: “Are we in the top eight of the conference? …Anything game day experience, put us at the bottom.” (36:19)

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8. Radio Booth & WKU Game Prep Antics

(46:04–49:10)

• Matt Jones preparing for play-by-play duties for a game in the Superdome; details struggles learning the ropes, relying heavily on “Billy” for stats.
• Cites advice from Tom Hart: “The Superdome where this game is is ‘the hardest place to see in college football.' ... Bring your own binoculars.” (48:35)

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9. Listener Calls & Final Collective Concerns

(50:02–52:12)

• Listener Adam (ex-Learfield employee): “JMI is a third party entity…they are looking out for JMI, not the University of Kentucky. That's why this was doomed to fail from the beginning.” (50:23)
• Matt Jones concerned about JMI’s profit-first motivation versus UK’s need to win.
• Drew and Freddie: Predict athletes and coaches will leave if Kentucky can’t offer competitive NIL deals/flexibility.

Quote:

• Matt Jones: “In a world where the number one quarterback in America flips from Georgia to Van Dyke, I don't know if, ‘Eh, we're good’ works.” (51:27)

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Memorable/Notable Quotes

• “Mark Pope calls timeout, lays into him as mad as we've maybe seen him…and then doesn’t play him for the rest of the game.” — Matt Jones (07:33–07:59)
• “Mitch is a hall monitor and the teacher is out of school. Mitch is walking down the hallway going, ‘Follow the rules!’ and the teachers are on spring break.” — Matt Jones (29:03–29:16)
• “These people live in a different world. It is insane to me that this guy still has a job…His actions of the last five years have taken him from excellent to great to okay and solid.” — Caller Frank (33:00)
• “Most Kentucky games are like a really fun church picnic.” — Matt Jones (38:04)

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10. Looking Ahead

• Darius Miller interview scheduled for Hour 2 (not covered in this segment).
• Story on JMI and the NIL collective to be published later in the day.
• Ongoing push for answers and transparency from Kentucky’s athletic department leadership.

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 03:17 — Show proper begins; Kentucky vs. NC Central reaction
• 07:33 — The Brandon Garrison benching, Pope’s anger
• 12:56 — Team chemistry and Mark Pope’s demeanor
• 16:01 — Can Kentucky “turn it around”?
• 23:12 — Intro to NIL/JMI story, details begin
• 29:03 — Mitch Barnhart “hall monitor” critique
• 33:00 — Caller Frank rails on AD; leadership change discussed
• 36:01 — Athletic department’s lack of innovation
• 46:04 — Play-by-play prep stories (lighter)
• 50:02 — Adam, former Learfield employee, calls in with JMI warning

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Summary

In this lively, candid hour, the KSR crew dissected Kentucky basketball’s big win but focused largely on the underlying drama: the Garrison situation, Pope’s public frustration, locker room chemistry, and (most critically) on off-the-court issues threatening the university’s athletic future. The impending JMI story and critique of the athletic department’s long-term direction dominate the conversation, as do calls for modernization and renewed leadership. For Kentucky fans, this hour offers deep insight into both the present and precarious future of UK athletics.

Transcript

[Matt Jones]

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[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

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[Matt Jones]

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[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

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[Matt Jones]

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[Drew]

Liberty. Liberty.

[Rob Gronkowski]

This is Rob Gronkowski from Dudes on Dudes with Gronk and jewels. For the second season in a row, I partnered with T Mobile's Friday night 5G lights, powering up hometown football across America. This year, T mobile invested over $4 million in prizes to help schools take their Friday nights to the next level. Now it's time to crown our $1 million grand prize winner. A huge congrats to Derrick's High School in Derrick's, Arkansas, home of the outlaws and your 2020 5T mobile Friday night 5G lights champion. They scored a home field upgrade, Gronk Fitness weight room, a 2026 tailgate party and an all expense paid trip to the SEC championship game. To every school that competed, posted and rallied your communities. Thank you and a big thanks to T Mobile for making it all possible and helping communities shine under the Friday night lights. This season may be over, but the story isn't. Stay tuned for season three in 2026.

[Matt Jones]

Okay, only 10 more presents to wrap. You're almost at the finish line, but first.

There the last one.

Enjoy a Coca Cola for a pause.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

That refreshes.

[Matt Jones]

From hit podcasts to late night TV comedy on Broadway in Lexington welcomes Joe List December 4th through the 6th. Then from her podcast disgraceful catch, Grace O', Malley.

[Drew]

December 11th through the 13th and December.

[Matt Jones]

18Th through the 20th from the FX comedy series English Teacher. Don't miss Sean Patton. For tickets to all comedy off Broadway shows, call 859271, joke or visit comedyoffbroadway.com.

[Drew]

This is Kentucky Sports Radio presented by Stockton Mortgage. Now here's Matt Jones.

[Matt Jones]

Welcome everyone. It is Kentucky Sports Radio the 10th. I'm Matt Jones here at the KS Bar and Grill, back with Drew and Ryan in Lexington and you can give us a shout on The Clark's Puppet Shop phone line 859-280-2287. A Vision Auto Glass text machine is 772-774-5254. In this edition sponsored by the TJ Smith Law Office. If you call TJL make them pay. It is wings day. $wings. I was thinking yesterday, I haven't had them in, in a a two or three weeks. So I think I'm gonna get some nice tonight and eat them for dinner. But Wednesday dollar wings all day and night. So come on out. You can come see us here at the show and if you want, Darius Miller will be here at 11 o'. Clock. Yes, you can come meet Darius Miller who's going to be on the show for. He's been on it before but it's been a little while, I guess. Unless you had him during tbt. Did you have him during that time?

[Drew]

No, we had him at a remote show during the summer. It seems like he came by Hamburg.

[Matt Jones]

Hamburg, that's right. It's been. But it's been a while since I've seen him. So I'm looking forward, I got, I'm interested to hear his take on our, our basketball team and a lot of the stuff that's going on. This is going to be a big show today. I'm going to go ahead and tell you we're going to talk about the game. I want to talk about some of what the players and Pope said after the game and then I want to talk a little bit about.

Through the grapevine. Ryan, I'm hearing there's a story coming out today that's going to be kind of important.

[Drew]

Scooby Scoop here today?

[Matt Jones]

Well, I don't but there are people that do and I kind of know it. It's coming. So I'm going to, we're going to hint on it.

[Drew]

Okay.

[Matt Jones]

So that's probably do all that in the first hour and then Darius will be here in the second hour. Let's start with the game. Kentucky beats NC Central 103, 67.

Started out kind of I was talking to hubby this morning and he said I think we were about two more errors from a second set of booths coming up in the arena. But a 160 run game gets kind of put away. I think going. I think the takeaway from the game is probably that at least one person just got benched. Brandon Garrison, I think that's probably the takeaway shot the ball a little bit better. Overall. Let's leave the Garrison thing aside. What's your biggest takeaway from the game.

[Drew]

Yeah, I think that's what I wanted to see. I wanted to see him shoot the ball better. We're seeing him play with a little more energy, a little more effort, which they did.

[Matt Jones]

They did. Not at the beginning but, but after that, after that timeout, I think Trent.

[Drew]

Noah in the starting lineup did kind of give him a little boost of fresh air, a little energy jolt and then he knocked down the three to start the game. I think that kind of got him rolling a little bit. So the main thing, I was just happy they shot the ball better. That was my main objective to see can you knock down a couple threes and they were able to do that.

[Freddie]

Yeah, the two Kentucky boys of the story for me, Jasper having that big game, getting 22 points, maybe that can be a little bit of a breakthrough from him. And then Trent Noah, even though he was hitting his threes, he was doing everything else too. I mean he was a complete player. Effort, energy, everything we've wanted out of the whole bunch here lately. I thought Trent just had an outstanding game even though he only had 10, 11 points.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, I thought Noah played really, really well and I think that's a good step. And then the Jasper Johnson, it's like you finally get to see some of the stuff come to fruition in terms of his talent. Now granted, I mean I, I'm taking. We've beaten all these teams like this, right? I mean we've, we, we've. This has said nothing about what was going to happen the other game. So I'm not going to get too excited about it. But with that said, at one point it was what, 29, 21 and we give up a turnover and you go oh no, is it going to be something like that? And then you get the run and you're able to kind of enjoy the game. You even got a Zach, Zach Tao.

[Drew]

Show called it on the pregame show. He called the Walker Horn 3 and last night he called the Zach Tow.

[Matt Jones]

3 and gave the pre game speech.

[Freddie]

He did. I can't figure out the rest of the team but I got the walk on, the walk on Whisperer.

[Matt Jones]

I think Zach tow gave the pregame speech about what it means to wear the jersey. I guess that's kind of cool, right?

[Drew]

Pope said he got a little teary eyed even he's talking to the guys in his pregame speech. So it was good. Was good to see Jasper kind of a breakout game. Good to see OA kind of get back to the OA type things, driving the basket and Hitting the three and playing good defense.

[Matt Jones]

I thought away was positive throughout the game. That was good to see. So let's talk about the two takers then. First of all, Brandon Garrison has another highlight play that kind of is like the O way highlight play from the game last week. He turns it over, jogs up the court, does not get back on defense, and Mark Pope calls timeout, lays into him as mad as we've maybe seen him.

[Drew]

Yep.

[Matt Jones]

Just lays into him and then doesn't play him for the rest of the game. He's interviewed at halftime. He looks very angry. After the game is over, he's still very angry. This has been kind of a consistent theme. Didn't put him in again and didn't look like that had satisfied him, which makes me think there might have been a reaction from Garrison to him that he didn't like, because normally you'd go, I wanted to teach him a lesson. Then you'd move on. But that anger still seemed palpable on his face after the game. Drew, do you think are. You know, Rob Doster had suggested that they should kick Brandon Garrison off the team, which I thought was like, whoa, whoa, whoa, everybody slow down. I don't know that that's going to happen, but that suggests to me that those guys have even heard things that we don't know. What do you make of Brandon Garrison right now?

[Freddie]

Well, that's. I mean, we didn't want him to play bad. We'd rather him play well. But that's what fans have wanted for a while from Pope is to send a message. And guys that just aren't getting it done needed to go sit down and the bench be a tool. And when he got stripped by their six two guard goes the other way for an easy bucket.

[Matt Jones]

It doesn't run. Doesn't.

[Freddie]

Right.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah.

[Freddie]

I mean, the effort is 90% of it, I think.

[Matt Jones]

I mean, he could have gotten back with his length and that guard being little. I. There's a world in which he could have gotten back and blocked that shot. That. That I think is part of what's frustrating.

[Freddie]

And there's been several times where he just hasn't tried to block a shot at the rim, just in other parts of the game. So the two turnovers and just looking like he's not even engaged, that's gone on long enough. And clearly Pope had had enough.

[Matt Jones]

It was. I mean, he was very, very angry. Clearly.

[Drew]

I think they preached since the Gonzaga game, look, that was unacceptable. You are going to play with effort. You are going to play with Energy. You are going to play hard. You are going to play with hard or you're not going to play. And I think Pope sent a message to everybody when he pulled Brandon out and that's when things kind of turned around. They started playing better after that.

[Matt Jones]

Are we seeing the end of the. The Brandon Garrison?

[Drew]

I think it's coincided with the beginning of the Jaden Quaint's. Eric going to start here very soon and maybe the diminish of the Brandon Garrison era.

[Matt Jones]

But I mean, now what Rob Doster said, Rob may not be connected to Pope, but Goodman is. I mean, they said that last week. It didn't get a lot of attention. But I, as I watched that last night and I, I wasn't surprised Pope did it, but I was surprised that after the game he looked just as angry about it, which is almost like nobody had tried to make amends. I mean, is that. Am I crazy?

[Freddie]

I think Ron's right. I think that the timeline of quaintance, I think Pope gave him as many opportunities as he could, knowing he needs them right now. But when Quaint checks in, somebody's going.

[Matt Jones]

To sit and well, we think is going to play maybe Saturday. So he becomes even less important Saturday.

[Freddie]

So Pop might have just said, I've given you chance after chance and this might have been your last chance and that's how you're going to show up or not show.

[Drew]

Even last night, you know, he played yellow at the 5 for a little bit, I think. I think it's in another match. Look, we can, we can move on without you, pal, if you're not going to do what we ask you to do, pally.

[Matt Jones]

Well, I don't say pal, but. But pow. Well, I mean, fans have been, I mean, Brandon Garrison's been, I think, fans least favorite player this year. No doubt it is in terms of the return of him. It's been so disappointing.

[Drew]

It has been.

[Matt Jones]

And you know, I guess the only thing he's done is occasionally he's made threes when no one else can make one, but that's really it. I do wonder if, you know, I mean, Cal's old quote, you can have one knucklehead on the team, you can't have two. I'm not calling him a knucklehead, but there may be a sense of them saying, look, we can't have you spoiling the broth. Right? Yeah.

[Freddie]

We're trying to reset and get on the right track and if anybody's in our way or holding us back might not be a part of that train moving forward.

[Matt Jones]

And that's one reason when you got 12 guys, maybe you can do that.

[Freddie]

You know, And I don't know to the extreme of kicking him off the team, like some shows have said, but he can certainly go sit at the end of the bench and check in with Walker and Zach if.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, I mean, I. Kicking off the team. Well, I can't remember when the last time Tuggies kicked a guy off the team. I mean, I don't think that happens very much. But not playing or making him the 11th man is certain. I mean, that might have happened anyway.

[Drew]

Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

To be honest with you.

[Drew]

So, you know, Pope calls the timeout just to chew on Brandon Garrison. Spends the whole time out chewing on Brandon Garrison. Breaks a clipboard chewing on Brandon Garrison. So I think the other guys. I took it as message received because they went out and played their best basketball tonight.

[Matt Jones]

Right after that, without Brandon Garrison.

[Drew]

Without Brandon Garrison.

[Freddie]

I like the cameras made a point. Even after the commercial break, they did a replay of Pope yelling at him. It's because fans have wanted Pope to yell at someone so much, they even zoomed in and, like, made sure everyone got to see it when he was given.

[Matt Jones]

What do you make, by the way of.

You know, we. We have been. We got to be careful because. Because we. We've kind of rolled our eyes sometimes at the relentless positivity of Pope. He now, though, is very much showing, like, middle aged, sad dad energy. Like. Like, he's like, there are. There are, like, bags under his eyes and he looks tired and he doesn't smile and he looks upset. I mean, what do we think of that mindset? Because that's like, what we're getting in the. Like, this is not the same guy in talking.

[Drew]

I think we all agree he loves this program. He loves this university. He loves these guys. And he's probably had some sleepless nights in the past month after these losses. He probably. It is probably wearing on him a little bit.

[Matt Jones]

Are you finding it inspiring or hopeful?

[Drew]

I did last night.

[Matt Jones]

Okay.

[Drew]

The way he got. I did. Yeah, I did. I like, man, like we've always said, we want our coach to care when they lose.

[Matt Jones]

Certainly does.

[Drew]

We don't want him to go say, I'm gonna go home with my dogs and go watch the bush people on Alaska show.

[Freddie]

There's the Waltons. But he liked the Alaskans, too.

[Matt Jones]

He mentioned something about Alaska ones. What about O? So after the game, it felt like, to me, I don't want. I mean, I don't want to be like, you Know when you start to do the get close to the middle age thing, I'm gonna say close because I don't think I'm got ways to go. Mid-40s did not relate. Right. Still on the other half. Still puppy.

You. You can become cynical. So always does a player interview and the whole team comes over and like.

[Freddie]

Dances behind the Oklahoma City Thunder. Interviews.

[Matt Jones]

Yes. And then when the game was over, always said, of course there's nothing wrong off the court. Our problems are on the court. We are extremely close. You buy that?

[Drew]

Well, I took it as. I didn't look see who was standing around. Oa. I looked at who wasn't standing around.

[Matt Jones]

Away and who was it?

[Drew]

Brandon Garrison was not in that little group huddle right there when they were in, because that's the thing to do now. They interviewed the star of the game. The other players gather around and kind of joke with him a little bit.

[Matt Jones]

Garrison was not there.

[Drew]

He was not there. But Diabotte was there. Aberdeen was there. And everybody says, you know, those are the three. They're maybe having the issues. Aberdeen, scuttlebutt, you know, all the Internet rumors.

[Matt Jones]

See, why's he gotta say that? Nobody said that. But you're the own.

[Freddie]

You're.

[Matt Jones]

You're the one that said that. But what about. Do you believe him when he says there's no. I mean, because he said it definitively. He was smiling. Do you. Do you believe it?

[Freddie]

I am a little skeptical of what, you know, we can take away from last night, what this means. But even with a little bit of hesitation, I'm glad they're putting it out there and at least showing it, because when they're not showing it, I sit here and beg. We all act like they like each other. So now they're acting like they like each other. I can only be happy and hope that it's genuine.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, you can't. You can't say it looks like they hate each other. And then they try to act like they like each other and go, I don't like that either. Like, at some point you do have to give them.

[Freddie]

And I'm glad he said something about turning the season around. I think that's going to be very difficult. But okay, so let's talk.

[Drew]

I'm glad they believe it.

[Matt Jones]

He said, this is going to end up being a year we remember for the rest of our lives because we turn it around immediately. When he said that, I thought of Aaron Harrison line in 2014 where he said, it's going to be a great story or whatever. That was late in the year when he said that that was like only a couple games left.

That worked. He ended up being correct. You think this one can be correct?

[Drew]

I think there's still plenty of time to turn this around. The SEC is not like it was last year. There's a lot of wins out there. But I tell you what, you've got to win Saturday.

[Matt Jones]

We don't have a Julius Randall on.

[Drew]

This team to carry you to the final.

[Matt Jones]

Really have guys like the Twins on this team.

[Drew]

You got to win Saturday though. You cannot let Indiana come in here and punk you and win a Rupp Arena. You have to win that game.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah. Well, meanwhile last night doesn't change a whole lot, but it did go well. So I think that's, that's positive and you know, you get the whim a 592-802-2287 what you think of it tax machine 772-774-5254 specifically the Garrison benching and always comments after. We got a lot of other stuff to talk about including need to talk about some some off the court basketball stuff that I think is going to be what everybody's going to be talking about in the next 48 hours. We'll take a break and be right back. It's Kentucky Sports Radio.

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[Drew]

And.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

Doug, there's nowhere I wouldn't go to help someone customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual. Even if it means playing in a football game.

[Matt Jones]

Boom. 42. You're going down Doug.

[Rob Gronkowski]

Oh, yeah.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

Your price on car insurance when you customize and save is going down.

[Matt Jones]

Hey.

[iHeart Advertising Representative]

Limu, what are you doing on their team?

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

Only pay for what you [e-mail] Liberty.

[Drew]

Liberty. Liberty. Liberty.

[Rob Gronkowski]

This is Rob Gronkowski from Dudes on Dudes with Gronk and Jules. For the second season in a row, I partnered with T Mobile's Friday night 5G lights, powering up hometown football across America. This year, T mobile invested over $4 million in prizes to help schools take their Friday nights to the next level. The votes are in. And now it's time to crown our $1 million grand prize winner. Congratulations to Derrick's high school and Derrick's Arkansas, home of the outlaws and your 20 25T mobile. Friday night, 5G lights champion. The Outlaws and their community rallied to help them score a game changing home field upgrade, a Gronk fitness weight room makeover, an epic 2026 tailgate party and a VIP trip to the SEC championship game. To every school that competed, posted and rallied your communities, thank you and to T Mobile for making it all possible. This season may be over, but the story isn't. Stay tuned for season three in 2026. Congratulations again to Derek's high school Outlaws.

[iHeart Advertising Representative]

Run a business and not thinking about radio. Think again. Because more people are listening to the radio and iHeart today than they were 20 years ago. And only iHeart broadcast radio connects with more Americans than TV, digital, social, any other media, even twice as many teens than TikTok. And that reach means everything. Just think about the universal marketing formula. The number of consumers who hear your message times the response rate equals the results. Now let's get those results growing for your business. Radio's here now more than ever and iheart's leading the way. Think radio can help your business. Think iheart streaming, podcasting and radio where the reach is real. Let us show [e-mail] that's iheartadvertising.com or call 844-844. Iheart one more time. Just call 844-844-Iheart and get radio working for you.

[Matt Jones]

Welcome back, Techie Sports Radio. 859-280-2287. Come on out and see us here at lunch. We open at 11. It is.

Wings day. We couple things. We play Indiana Saturday. You may remember Ryan Lemon scooped Lamar Wilkerson would be coming to Kentucky. He did not come to Kentucky. Ryan's only real scoop failure over the years, but he went for 44 last night, had 10 threes, 10 of 15 from threes. Would be nice to have that guy, wouldn't it?

[Drew]

My goodness. Set the IU record last night because that game came on after the Kentucky game. So a lot of us turn over and watched it. Guy was just hitting everything.

[Matt Jones]

If he comes in here and scores 30 next week, first of all, Ryan is going to get punched.

It's not Ryan's fault, but, but that will not be good because that's a guy. I think you put him on this team, it might be a completely different situation overall. If you just insert him into the lineup, you might see a completely different result.

[Freddie]

I completely agree. And Indiana had been on a little bit of a slide. Thought we were going to be limping into Saturday and then they scored like 115 points. And wasn't just the threes, he was like 16 of 21 from the field. Yeah, I mean, just little.

[Matt Jones]

I really didn't think we needed that. Well, I mean I, I did think we needed him. I, I thought we could get by even not having him, but that's clearly not the case. He would have been perfect for what we need at this point.

[Drew]

So I feel like he got it all out of his system last night.

[Matt Jones]

I hope you're right. We'll see. Usually that's not how it is. Okay, I'm gonna give the, the tease on this and then say I'm gonna let the people doing the story give the details. Okay. But there's a story that's going to come out maybe later today. If not it'll be tomorrow, but I think it'll be later today. But it will go into some detail about something we've talked about a lot on here, which is my concerns about the new collective arrangement with Kentucky in jmi. Just to give you a little background.

Kentucky as part of a new structure, basically gave over their nil collective everything to JMI and essentially signed what is a 25 year deal that basically allows JMI to run Kentucky collectives. It supposedly folds in the private ones and makes it into one school.

[Odoo Advertiser]

One.

[Matt Jones]

At the time I was very critical a they released it by press release here. Didn't have a press conference. Still haven't had a press conference. Nobody really knows how it works. I mean, I don't know anybody that knows how it works. Every time Mitch is asked about it, he yells at us and tells us we're children and we don't understand and we have enough money. That's, that's fine. But.

JMI is essentially now in charge of creating the deals for these players and They've taken a system that was run by essentially business people on the outside. There was a guy who kind of ran our basketball. 1. We've talked about him before. And then football had their own. A guy who was very close with Mark Stoops, and. And I actually think both of them did pretty good jobs in a different way. I don't. We can talk about the successes and failures, but I thought the basketball in particular was run really well. Well, now it all goes to jmi, and we are the only school in the country that has this arrangement. Mitch got up and said, oh, Learfield does this. They don't. He's. He's. He's wrong about that. They have collected JMI and Learfield do other things for other schools, but they're not the sole collective. They didn't sort of put all the private ones out of business. And I.

Was very skeptical about how this was going to work because of dealings I've had with JMI in terms of just the way they manage business. And I was worried about it. I said, though, the proof will be in the pudding, right? Maybe it'll work. Maybe we will be an industry leader and this will be great. And every other school will follow suit. I remember when it got announced in the press release, it says, Kentucky is about to be an innovator and the other schools will follow. Well, that's been about six months ago, and no schools followed yet. Now, that doesn't mean they won't. And also, I think underlying that deal was an assumption that Congress was going to pass legislation, which, as we've seen, is never a good assumption in today's world that Congress will do anything. So far, they have not passed legislation. And I am now officially concerned. I was in theoretically concerned before, but I'm officially concerned about how this is going to work. And there's going to be a story coming out later today where a couple people that have worked pretty hard on this have some information that should worry Kentucky fans about how things are going. Drew, you know what's coming out.

This was my fear. My fears have been manifested, I think. And.

We'Ve talked about how bad the deal was with Cal and how bad the deal was with Stoops. I'm worried that we've now set ourselves a third deal like this and one that we will not get bailed out of and could really be a problem. Are you. Are you concerned about it?

[Freddie]

I've been concerned since day one. I don't love what we've heard since day one. You know, Mitch really Needed this SCORE act to pass because it would put a lot of laws in place. Mitch wants to play by rules that don't exist right now. He just wants to be in the lines of the rules, and no one else is in those lines with him. He even emailed it, sent out a. Whatever blast wanting people to get behind the SCORE Act. And the day he was yelling at us like we were infants over here, they didn't vote on it and push it down the road. It might not look like.

[Matt Jones]

Let me explain to you why the SCORE act real quickly is unlikely to pass in the way Mitch wants it. It. Mitch wants the SCORE act to pass. And there will be an act eventually that's passed. But the way the House and Senate work is the Democrats in the Senate have to agree. You cannot just pass it along by party lines. It's not even clear all the Republicans agree because some of these people represent states that are not in the power five. Right. I've talked about how Washington State. There's a couple Washington State alums who are like, how you gonna leave out Washington State and Oregon State? So even if it could pass just with Republicans, it might not pass, but they still have to get Democrats. And the Democrats are not going to sign on to something that says players have to do whatever the NCAA says. So Mitch has been hoping for this thing that just wasn't going to happen, at least in the form he thinks it's going to happen. And we created a business deal under the assumption legislation is going to pass. That it's not clear. Will.

[Freddie]

Yeah, he wants it all to be in house. And if the rules written where it's in house, then sure, you were a little ahead of it. But it's not looking like that's the case. No other is like pushing away outside collectives or deals. There's no rules or the rules he thinks that are in place right now do not exist. When he said that at Will Stein's thing, like, we will not play outside the laws. Well, I think these laws are in your head right now because no other school is doing.

[Matt Jones]

And the guy that's the guy that you see on TV who's pushing the SCORE Act. You know, the guy that shows up during commercials and he's like, save sports pass the SCORE Act. It's a Texas Tech alum. Here's a little secret. He's trying to get that legislation passed, but he's not playing by the rules either. He's still operating a private collective at Texas Tech. That's why they're good at sports right now. Is he so the same guy trying to pass the legislation? Even he realized if this doesn't pass, I'm still doing this. And yet we're following rules.

[Freddie]

We're already locked in.

[Matt Jones]

Mitch is a hall monitor and the teacher is out of school. Mitch is walking down the hallway going, follow the rules. And the teachers are on spring break.

And we're, you're gonna see later today the results of that in the immediate term. We'll take a break. Be right back.

[iHeart Advertising Representative]

T.J. smith, personal injury attorney.

[Matt Jones]

Call T.J. he'll make him pay.

[Drew]

Now more of Kentucky Sports Radio presented by Stockton Mortgage.

[Matt Jones]

Here's Matt Jones. Welcome back. Techie Sports Radio 859-280-2287 Text Machine 7727. Those of you that are writing me, asking me details about what we just talked about, just be patient. It'll the article be out later today on the KSR radio Kentucky Sports Radio website. So I will leave it to them. They also know more about it. They've been researching this for, for a while. I will say that one more thing about it. I don't care what the deal is. 25 years is absurd when the laws are not, when the laws are not even in place yet. You don't even know they're going to pass. It's a new company and a completely new thing. 25 years, it's insanity to put on anything. Wouldn't you agree?

[Freddie]

And just the fact that it's a media company that I personally don't even think is that good at media. We're handing them off a whole nother. Here's a whole nother job. You're a completely different company now and all of our athletic success rides on it.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, I mean I, I was skeptical from moment one. Again, I hope to be proven wrong. Maybe we still will be. But the early returns make me very worried. One person writes. Matt, I heard on the post game show that Ryan is going to watch the Godfather. Is he excited?

[Drew]

Matter of fact, I think I'm going to do it tonight. I have nothing going on tonight, so I was gonna try to watch it tonight.

[Matt Jones]

Will you approach it with an open mind that you're gonna enjoy? Because I think you will enjoy it.

[Drew]

Well, you've never, you've, to be honest, you have me watch a lot of stuff and you've never led me astray, said Ryan. You will like this.

[Matt Jones]

This one I know you'll like. Okay, I know, I mean, ask you to watch something. I'm like, yeah, I don't know if you like it may not. You're gonna like this. Like, it's. It's. It's the kind of manly old movie. Plus, like, some of the things that make people not like it. Because in the 70s, movies are paced a little slower. That's your era, so you're gonna be fine with it.

[Drew]

Okay. I think tonight's the night I'm gonna try to sit down and watch it. Two hours. That's a long time.

[Matt Jones]

Three hours. Oh, good.

[Freddie]

Said it's more like 250.

[Drew]

Maybe I'll break it up.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, probably two hours and 50 minutes.

[Freddie]

Plus the hour you're gonna spend trying to find it.

[Drew]

It's very true.

[Matt Jones]

I think it's on Paramount.

[Drew]

Yes.

[Matt Jones]

Okay. So do you have Paramount?

[Drew]

I don't, but Yoga Girl does.

[Matt Jones]

Okay. They're perfect.

[Freddie]

I love when a good plan comes together.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah. So it's. It's on Paramount.

[Drew]

I mean, you suggested Righteous Gemstones. They got to be about the same, right?

[Matt Jones]

A little different than Righteous Gemstones, but equally as entertaining. I'm telling you're gonna like all the characters you're gonna be. I bet you. I bet you. You come in, like, quote in line.

[Drew]

Okay.

[Matt Jones]

Okay. When?

[Drew]

They may happen tomorrow if I watch it tonight.

[Matt Jones]

And then Godfather 2 I think you'll like as well. It's a little more intellectual. Some people think Godfather 2 is the best movie of all time.

[Drew]

That's what I've always heard. It was better than the original. Like one of the few sequels that was.

[Matt Jones]

I think they're both. They're both two of the 25 best movies. I've seen both of them, which is very rare for a movie in a sequel.

[Drew]

Sequel.

[Matt Jones]

I think the third one's not terrible. It's just people compare it to the first two, which is a little bit harsh on.

[Drew]

I didn't know there was a third one.

[Freddie]

Yeah, we don't want to worry out one at a time.

[Matt Jones]

Just do the first. Okay, the third one.

[Drew]

Gotcha.

[Matt Jones]

Get the first one.

[Drew]

Gotcha.

[Matt Jones]

859-280-22. 87. Benton is in the house. Marshall county over there.

[Drew]

So I always think of Herald. When they said Benton, my first thoughts went to Harold, God rest his soul. What a great guy that man was.

[Matt Jones]

Yes, it was in the big bank. Big bank still there. Big bank. Big bank. Gotta get. We like the big bank. Who's up first?

[Drew]

Frank.

[Matt Jones]

Frank. Go ahead, Frank.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

I think it's difficult, you know, in. In most scenarios to, you know, say that anything is guaranteed. Matt, I can guarantee you this. If somebody in Corporate America gave out two lifetime extensions to two coaches with no safety precautions whatsoever to protect their entire to see. And then handed a 25 year deal to a media company who's mediocre in many different areas. They would be fired on the spot. These people live in a different world. It is insane to me that this guy still has a job. I'm. And I'm also tired of people saying he's the best athletic director in the history of the school. He's okay, he's good. But really the last. His actions of the last five years have taken him from excellent to great to okay and solid. And I'm sorry, but this guy needs to retire. Like this week, it's enough is enough. How many times is he going to keep putting us in a horrible spot as a university? This is a joke.

[Matt Jones]

Well, I appreciate the call. Alright, so that call had a lot of layers. Your first part where you say no one in corporate America could give this many bad contracts and be kept is completely valid. Mitch needs to. We need a transition to a different era. I said that after we lost Louisville and on the Stoops thing, I felt like it even more when he started yelling at the, at the thing about you, all about garbage. I mean, he looked like people aren't gonna like this, but that's, that's fine. I don't even care if they do or not. It reminds me differently about like when I wake up and see a 5,000 word Donald Trump Twitter rant about how he's the healthiest person in America and I'm like, dude, come on. I felt that way listening to him start yelling about garbage. I'm like, dude, come on. You are an athletic director. You can't keep your temper for three seconds when people ask you about the most important thing in college sports. I'm going to go ahead and tell you this afternoon. I'm going to put in a request to have him on the show next week. I'll let people know if he says yes or no. He needs to be asked all these questions and if he won't answer them, to me that says a lot. And I, I like him, but I'm kind of tired of it. And I think all those questions are valid. And the way he loses his temper about reasonable things says to me it's time for him to step aside. It's just, it'll be better for everybody. I thought about this last night when they were doing the O Way interview. Okay, we have a relatively positive night. The guys are standing behind him, you know, Whether you think that's real or not, it's a good thing to see. And what's playing in the background. Let's all go down to do Ms. Walker now. I love that song, but it is 2025 and we're out here doomus walkering it again. I love that song.

[Drew]

Every great song.

[Freddie]

I love it too.

[Matt Jones]

But come on, can we modernize a little bit? Right?

[Freddie]

Where are we on the cutting edge? Are we the best at anything or do we have anything that we're at the forefront of, like, oh, this is a great idea no one else is doing.

[Matt Jones]

That's a good question. What. What is even something small? What in 2025 is Kentucky athletics on the forefront of?

[Freddie]

Are we in the top eight of the conference?

[Matt Jones]

I mean, I'm trying to think because I. I'm sure there's some. I mean, like, okay, we probably have one of the better consistent across sports, women's sports programs.

[Drew]

That's fair.

[Matt Jones]

Volleyball, women's basketball, because volleyball, women's basketball, even women's softball has been in good gymnastics.

In turn, I, I can't think of anything that I would say, I mean.

[Freddie]

Like anything related to. Related like game day experience, but just put us at the bottom of the list.

[Matt Jones]

Not. Not even close. No, nothing related to game day, nothing related to marketing, nothing related to media.

No, we're not. We're not at forefront of anything. And I would say that we are behind on most things. Would you agree with that?

[Drew]

Yeah. I mean, I always thought one of the best things we do is to bring out a former athlete or basketball player to do the Y in a Kentucky.

[Matt Jones]

But you think we're the first. You think we're the only people that bring out former athletes. That's the way that the crowd. I mean that all we do every team 30 years. I mean, we've been spelling the why since the 70s.

[Drew]

But what do we do that's better than that?

[Matt Jones]

Nothing.

[Drew]

That's it.

[Matt Jones]

We don't do anything ice cream and.

[Freddie]

Listen to doom as Walker.

[Drew]

You know, we still do the. The confetti. When they announced the eruption zone. We've been doing that for 25 years. We've got, you know, the big flag in the eruption. We've been doing that for 25 years. There's nothing we've done new and innovative.

[Matt Jones]

I mean, most Kentucky games are. When you talk about the thing that they do, I'm not. Sometimes our fans bring it. But most Kentucky games are like a really fun church picnic.

I mean, it can be fun, but it's A church picnic. You're not, like.

It'S not the place. You're taking your friends and be like, here we go.

[Freddie]

And there's few surprises. I'm singing the songs in Rupp arena before they even hit play because my body just knows.

[Matt Jones]

All right.

[Freddie]

Money, money, time.

[Matt Jones]

I mean, backwards Cam. I've enjoyed the snack. Words came. I'll give them. That was a good addition.

[Freddie]

And I've said this before. Rough in the last four or five years has added more like video stuff. Football games have a long way to go on that. But things like the snackwards cam.

[Matt Jones]

One thing they're trying. One thing I think we're above average is basketball. Social media. I will give them that. I actually think they do a pretty good job with those journey videos and that stuff. I actually think they. That's one thing I would say we are above average, but I wouldn't say we're like, you know, on the cutting edge of anything. But I also worry, like, if you. Let's say Mitch leaves. I mean, you know, Eli Capilouto has been here for 60 years, too. Like, we've also have to have a commitment to trying something new just across the board.

[Drew]

I think they relied on the fact that if we're Kentucky basketball, we're the. We're the number one in everything we do. The crowd is going to survive and applaud no matter what we do.

[Matt Jones]

Well, I mean, you also have gone completely away from. From caring about what your fans want in terms of games. I mean, the. The BBN Classic is a joke, right? We're playing good teams, so I'm not gonna act like our schedule stinks. But the BB and Classic is a joke. While all the rest of these teams in the country are playing cool. Not we're. And we're never going to. And when asked about it, we're just like, well, we make more money doing this, you know?

[Freddie]

And I feel like I've heard Mark Pope cut an ad for some email newsletter that they just came up with. Like, that's the groundbreaking stuff. We now have an email that everyone.

[Matt Jones]

Needs to sign up for. We have an email. There's like 10 radio ads about sign.

[Freddie]

Up for an email. It's like, what are we doing? What year is this?

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, well, I'm gonna ask him to come on. I'm gonna put that request in this afternoon, and we'll see. We'll see what happens. He decides. Tension Bourbon lovers. You don't want to miss Commonwealth causes December bourbon raffle. The next ultimate bourbon collection drawing is on December 18th features an incredible $20,000 lineup. Campbellsville, right? Henderson. Sorry. I'm gonna get that right one day. They have the Pappy Van Winkle vertical. Do you like a little Pappy Van Winkle? I can see. Look at it. I can see that.

[Drew]

Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

The Buffalo Trace Old fashioned Copper vintage Blanter Blanton's eight bottle letter set. It's all there. Secure your [e-mail] that's commonwealthcoses.org and add a little extra cheer for December. Darius Miller just walked in. He'll be joining us at 11 o'. Clock. This is Kentucky Sports Radio.

[Odoo Advertiser]

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[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

And Doug, there's nowhere I wouldn't go to help someone customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual. Even if it means playing in a football.

[Matt Jones]

Boom. 42. You're going down, Doug.

[Rob Gronkowski]

Oh, yeah.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

Your price on car insurance when you customize and save is going down.

[Matt Jones]

Hey.

Limu.

[iHeart Advertising Representative]

What are you doing on their team?

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

Only pay for what you [e-mail] Liberty.

[Drew]

Liberty. Liberty. Liberty.

[Rob Gronkowski]

This is Rob Gronkowski from Dudes on Dudes with Gronk and Jules. For the second season in a row, I partnered with T Mobile's Friday night 5G lights powering up hometown football across America. This year, T mobile invested over $4 million in prizes to help schools take their Friday nights to the next level. The votes are in. And now it's time to crown our $1 million grand prize winner. Congratulations to Derrick's high school and Derrick's Arkansas, home of the Outlaws and your 2025 T mobile. Friday night, 5G lights champion. The Outlaws and their community rallied to help them score a game changing home field upgrade, a Gronk fitness weight room makeover, an epic 2026 tailgate party and a VIP trip to the SEC championship game. To every school that competed, posted and rallied your communities, thank you and to T Mobile for making it all possible. This season may be over, but the story isn't. Stay tuned for season three in 2026. Congratulations again to Derek's high school Outlaws.

[iHeart Advertising Representative]

Run a business and not thinking about podcasting? Think again. More Americans listen to podcasts than ad supported streaming music from Spotify and Pandora. And as the number one podcaster, iHeart's twice as large as the next two combined. So whatever your customers are into true crime, sports, comedy, culture, they'll hear your message. Plus, only iHeart can extend your message to audiences across broadcast radio. And all this reach means everything. Just think about the universal marketing formula. The number of consumers who hear your message times the response rate equals the results. Now let's get those results growing for you. Think podcasting can help your business? Think iHeart streaming radio and podcasting. Let us show you at iheartadvertising.com that's iheartadvertising.com or call 844-844, iHeart one more time, call 844-844, IHeart and get podcasting working for you.

[Odoo Advertiser]

Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

Down to Doomus Walker. I mean, listen, I get, I like this song, but this is just not. I mean, it makes it seem like we're in like the middle of the sticks. Hey, we just won. We go and bottle the ski. Like, come on then, here we go.

[Drew]

We're interviewing the star of the game. Ortega away.

[Odoo Advertiser]

Yeah.

[Drew]

And we're all focused on what we're hearing behind it.

[Matt Jones]

And everybody else, like at these other stadiums are just like blasting music and grinding and we're like, hey, I got me bottle ski.

[Freddie]

I do like Sloburger and the Kentucky. I love, I hate that they catch strays here.

[Matt Jones]

They don't deserve it because I like that music. It's not the moment for the moment. It's not the moment for it. I really like Hungry Eyes. Shannon listened to it twice last night. Yeah, it's a wonderful song. I don't think in that moment we should go hungry. We're not gonna run out to Eric.

[Drew]

Carmen onto the cord or onto the field.

[Matt Jones]

Look at you. And I can't. Like, I, I just don't think that's the time to do it, at least for me. 859-280-2287. But quickly, yesterday, I. I got my spotter. Oh, congratulations. I had. They asked me to talk to three of them. I didn't know what to say to any of them, so I just called the first. He seemed like a nice guy. And I was like, this one's fine.

[Freddie]

You didn't even bet the other two?

[Matt Jones]

No, the other. The other two didn't answer their phone the first time.

So I got the first guy. He's good. Now. I told him, I said, I have my own stats guy. His name's Billy. And he goes, well, all right. What's his. His. What's his strategy for stats? And I went, doesn't really have one. Never done it before.

So. And he goes, well, how about you and Myron? How many games have you all done? None.

[Drew]

And he's like, okay, thanks.

[Matt Jones]

He's like, all right, well, this will be fun. I was like, yeah, it's going to be a lot of fun. So I've got my. I've got my spotter. I've got Billy the stats guy. I lit. Tom Hart sent me. You know. You're talking about Tom Leach's card? Yes, Tom Hart sent me his card. He had. For West. He did Western Kentucky, lsu.

[Freddie]

Oh, nice.

[Matt Jones]

So I have Tom Hart's Western Kentucky card. Oh, my goodness. That's a lot of work.

[Drew]

Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

Now, apparently, this is why it's good to work for espn. They got a guy who'll do that for you. You just. I'm supposed to call and say what information I want, but the answer is, I don't know. So I'm gonna say, give me the Tom Hart feature. Whatever it is Tom Hart wants, give me that. But they will make it for you a huge. So that's kind of cool. I didn't know that. That's what you get with doing espn. And I also learned we're not the only show that's being asked. There's three other shows doing the same thing. So Freddie and Harry and the morning show and one of the others I think are doing. So, like, we're not gonna be the only ones, but we probably have the least experience. And I put Billy in. Billy better not let me down. Okay. Because there was some skepticism. They're like, would you like a stats person? I was like, no, I want Billy. So that's nice.

[Drew]

Billy's a Western Kentucky Hilltopper alumni. Gonna take him down for the game. He'll be all over the.

[Matt Jones]

But he's got to be like, billy has to be prepared. I'm putting a lot into Billy here because they kind of suggested I needed two people that knew what they were talking about. I said, I need one person and.

[Drew]

A Billy and a spotter.

[Freddie]

How long was the conversation with the spotter? Like, what do you even talk about?

[Matt Jones]

Had nothing to say.

[Freddie]

What's your vision?

[Matt Jones]

He goes. He goes, what do you look for in a spotter? And I was like, spot you.

[Freddie]

You check all the time.

[Matt Jones]

The kind of thing that you do. Somebody answers their phone when I call, apparently Tom Hart. So then I called Tom Hart and asked for advice. Tom said the Superdome where this game is is quote, the hardest place to see in college football.

[Drew]

Oh, my.

[Matt Jones]

He says, you're higher up there than you are anywhere else. Which we remember when Kentucky played the national championship there. It's way I wrote on our blog.

[Freddie]

Three by Duron Lamb and someone corrected me, said that was Kyle Wilger. And I'm like, I just see specs down there.

[Matt Jones]

I don't know what you want from me. I'm as high up there. He goes, so you need to bring your own binoculars. So I might have to go buy some binoculars because I don't think I have any binoculars. And he said, billy's gonna need his own binoculars too, by ob. So this is bring your own binoculars. But I'm getting excited. I'm tonight going to watch. Start watching my first Southern Mist. Okay.

[Drew]

All right. So you can bring us a little scouting report tomorrow.

[Matt Jones]

It's going to take some time, but I've got Wednesday night Southern Miss tape beginning.

[Freddie]

We'll give you a few days, but we might just have to rattle off some questions on the spot just to test you. You could be mid conversation about Kentucky, Indiana. We might ask you about the left tackle.

[Matt Jones]

I talked to Myron too, and I'm like, all right, Myron. They. We were laughing about pronunciations. He goes, I don't want us to get canceled. Let me do the pronunciation.

And I went, fair enough. That's a good point.

[Freddie]

One less thing off your plate.

[Drew]

So he's obviously done games as a sideline reporter. Has he done color before?

[Matt Jones]

He has not. He's done play by play a couple times, but that's not what they're. He's never done football. He's only done basketball. Okay, so this is. It's going completely, completely new. Who's next? Shannon? Let's go to Adam. Adam, go ahead, Adam.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

Hey, what's up, guys? I've hated this jmi deal from the very beginning.

[Freddie]

And here's why.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

Being a former Learfield IMG employee, I.

[Matt Jones]

Know what they're all about.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

You know, at the end of the day, everybody kept saying they're bringing it in house. It's not in house. JMI is a third party entity.

[Matt Jones]

That's true.

[Odoo Advertiser]

House.

[Matt Jones]

That's true.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

Am I is located in San Diego, California, not Lexington, Kentucky. And at the end of the day, they are looking out for jmi, not the University of Kentucky. That's why this was doomed to fail from the beginning.

[Matt Jones]

I think that's not an invalid point. I appreciate the call. So like if you're a college, yeah, you want to make money, but you also want to win games, right? It's obviously going to be better for JMI if we win games because they have a better chance of making money, but they still have a number one obligation to make money. And you know, I've gone to JMI over the years and said, you should work with us, like we can help you, I can make your post game show better. And they don't. They're just like, yeah, we're good. And I worry if the eh, we're good. If you do that in recruiting, I don't know if that works in 2026, Ryan. And we're good. So in a world where the number one quarterback in America flips from Georgia to Van Dyke, I don't know if, eh, we're good works.

[Drew]

So what happens when a coach goes to them and says, we need more money to get this kid and JMI says no.

[Matt Jones]

We talk about that tomorrow.

[Drew]

Okay.

[Matt Jones]

I'm just saying, okay, we'll talk about tomorrow.

[Freddie]

Not even if, what if the kid wants more money? What if he has an opportunity to go get money from another dealership or another.

[Matt Jones]

Well, what if a school says to you, just theoretically, a school says to you, I'll give you X. Kentucky says, I'll give you the same, but the other school says, I'm gonna let you go try to find your own money as well. And Kentucky says, you can't do that.

[Drew]

He's going to the other school.

[Matt Jones]

He's gonna go to the other school.

[Freddie]

And he should.

[Matt Jones]

And he should. And that theoretically would be the kind of thing you would worry about. Out Darius Miller when we return right after this KSR.

Okay, only 10 more presents to wrap. You're almost at the finish line. But first.

There, the last one.

Enjoy a Coca Cola for a pause that refreshes.

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[Matt Jones]

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Was after giving up the jacket in exchange for my life. 5 stars Amazon Customer 69 Shop the perfect gift this holiday on Amazon.

[Matt Jones]

You know what a girl's best friend is?

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

Not diamonds.

[Matt Jones]

Her lawyers from executive producer Ryan Murphy comes a fiery new legal drama.

[Freddie]

It's our own boutique, women representing women.

[Matt Jones]

You can't afford to miss. Make it rig showtime, ladies. Stand up straight and breeze into that room like a storm no one saw coming. Hulu Original Series All's Fair now streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney for bundle subscribers. Terms apply.

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