Kentucky Sports Radio (KSR) – January 9, 2026, Hour 1

Episode Overview

In this episode, Matt Jones and the KSR crew broadcast live from the newly expanded Cornbread Hemp facility in Louisville, Kentucky. The discussion blends Kentucky basketball and football analysis with listener interaction, behind-the-scenes media stories, and musings on fan morale in the face of recent sports disappointments. The tone is candid and humorous, as the hosts talk shop, joke about each other’s backgrounds, and debate the state of Kentucky athletics.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Live at Cornbread Hemp & Show Environment

• Location & Sponsor Love: The show is broadcast from Cornbread Hemp’s new retail and manufacturing space. The hosts praise the space, noting live gummy production visible from the booth.
  • “You can actually see it happening right here with the sheets... this is kind of a really cool thing to look at.” — Matt Jones (03:28)
• Emphasis on long-term sponsors (especially TJ Smith Law Office and Cornbread Hemp) and crowd turnout despite a tough midweek basketball loss.

2. Kentucky Basketball Struggles & Fan Morale

• Current Record & Negative Vibe: The crew discusses the team's recent loss, low morale, and comparisons to previous tough eras.
  • Matt references Oscar Combs’ tweet calling this “the worst time in history to be a UK fan,” but disagrees with that level of pessimism (09:13).
    • “We had the death penalty, basically... our games were not on TV for an entire year... that was a worse time. But the mere fact that [Combs] brings it up suggests it’s at least a conversation.” — Matt Jones (09:13)
• Basketball vs. Football Optimism: Matt is notably more optimistic about football, citing a highly ranked transfer portal class and a refreshed coaching staff.
• Basketball Details:
  • The team lacks a top 75 player according to advanced analytics.
  • “Kentucky did not have one guy in the top 75 players in the country. Not one. And that feels correct...” — Matt Jones (11:40)
  • The hosts admit it’s hard to find hope for a basketball turnaround, with Shannon stating, “I kind of feel like... my spirit is broken.” (12:18)
• Coach Pope’s Grade: CBS handed head basketball coach Mark Pope a mid-season grade of D-. The crew largely agrees with the severity.
  • “With the roster... to be 9 and 6 at the midway point is borderline failure.” — Ryan Lemond (14:16)

3. Morale, Fan Disillusionment, and Taking Criticism

• Comparing NIL Criticism: They discuss how scrutiny is justified for paid college athletes in comparison to highly visible pros like Elly De La Cruz.
  • “Maybe I’m just getting older, but I’m finding myself becoming more like, hey, dude, you’re being paid. You’re a pro now.” — Matt Jones (16:32)
• Leadership & Team Chemistry Issues: Mo Diabate is repeatedly mentioned for his attitude and team bickering, with the consensus that the coach shares blame for poor chemistry.
• “Part of being the head coach is being the leader and making this thing work behind the scenes... I blame Mark Pope. I think it all goes back to him.” — Ryan Lemond (16:18)

4. Fan Expectations & The Sweet 16 Debate

• Listeners and hosts debate whether last year’s Sweet 16 was actually an achievement or an underperformance.
  • “We hadn’t been to the Sweet 16 since 2019 until last year...” — Matt Jones (23:04)
  • “What’s more concerning to me is that Year 2 looks like it’s on pace to be worse than Year 1.” — Matt Jones (23:35)
• Discussion on “paralysis by analysis” in building this season’s roster: Too many big guys, not enough coherent philosophy.

5. UK Football Optimism & Coaching Carousel

• “Our football future... is taking a turn in the right direction.” — Shannon Dawson (13:10)
• Praise for former UK offensive coordinators (Shannon Dawson, Liam Coen) now thriving elsewhere, sparking debate about whether Mark Stoops “handcuffs” his OCs (25:47).
• Return of key native players (Willie Rodriguez, Ty Bryant) is highlighted as crucial for 2026 football (40:24).

6. Listener Calls: Basketball Roster & Uniforms

• Roster Building: Discussion of which players deserve contract extensions and whether building through the transfer portal is sustainable (31:14).
• Denim Uniforms Anniversary: Listener wonders if now is the time for a celebratory uniform when the team is struggling.
  • “If we go in with a big losing streak, is this the time to bring out the denims?” — Matt Jones (32:18)
  • Consensus is you can’t cancel now; it’s a landmark anniversary.

7. Technical Basketball Frustrations

• Sideline Tactics: In-depth critique of UK’s poor out-of-bounds plays late in games, citing lack of creativity and comparing with Missouri’s effective schemes.
  • “We ran a lot of out of bounds plays and we actually had some success with them. Now... what were we back to? A guy standing there with his arm up, posting up.” — Matt Jones (34:01)
  • “I can’t think of a player that I want making that play less than Brandon Garrison with less than a minute.” — Matt Jones (35:59)

8. SEC Football & Realignment Trends

• SEC’s title drought is discussed, with speculation that the transfer portal has evened the playing field and thinned out SEC dominance at the top.
• “Now I think the top of the Big Ten, the ACC... I just think it’s as good as we are now...” — Matt Jones (27:25)

9. Tangents: Citizenship “For Sale” Segment

• The crew humorously debates how much money it would take for Kentuckians to sell out U.S. citizenship and become Canadian, riffing off a real Greenland/U.S. proposal.
  • “How much money a year would it take for you to agree to vote to become Canadian?” — Matt Jones (42:38)
  • Ryan is a hard no at $50K/year, while Billy and Shannon say yes; most would jump at $100K/year. (“You gotta do better than that!” — Ryan Lemond, 44:32)

10. Are the ‘Blue Bloods’ Fading?

• Caller questions whether Kentucky remains a top-tier blue blood.
  • “If those are the five blue bloods, and I think that’s probably correct, then at this moment we’re number five. If we’re talking about not historically... then we’re number five and we would be the one that would be on the verge of being replaced.” — Matt Jones (49:57)

Notable Quotes & Moments With Timestamps

• “I’m not as old as you. Farrah Fawcett is not my generation.” — Matt Jones (05:47), ribbing Shannon about a media profile gone awry.
• “A leader is not effective if... people you’re leading don’t want to be around you.” — Matt Jones (22:18), on broken team chemistry.
• “Part of being the head coach is being the leader and making this thing work behind the scenes... I blame Mark Pope. I think it all goes back to him.” — Ryan Lemond (16:18), on coach responsibility for locker room issues.
• “We have too many big guys. We got five big guys. You can only play—I argue we maybe are better off only playing one big guy.” — Matt Jones (25:10)
• “If we miss the tournament, it’s going to be a massive embarrassment. We’re going to be the laughing stock of college basketball.” — Matt Jones (48:53)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment/Topic | |-----------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 02:26 | Show begins at Cornbread Hemp; sponsor and event banter | | 03:28 | Facility details; live gummy-making commentary | | 04:27 | Mississippi State basketball preview | | 05:01 | Shenanigans: Matt's family home gets roasted in a magazine profile | | 09:13 | Discussing Oscar Combs’ “worst time ever” UK fan tweet | | 11:40 | Lack of Top 75 players and prospects for basketball season | | 14:02 | CBS gives Mark Pope a D-; is it deserved? | | 16:32 | NIL impact: How should we criticize paid college players? | | 22:18 | Discussing leadership, locker room rifts, and Diabate’s role | | 23:04 | Sweet 16: Is it sufficient as a program milestone? | | 25:47 | Former UK OCs succeeding elsewhere; handcuffed by Stoops? | | 31:14 | Should Pope extend player contracts midseason? Is portal roster-building sustainable? | | 32:18 | Uniforms: Should Kentucky bring out the denims during a bad year? | | 34:01 | Out-of-bounds plays: Critique of UK’s late-game tactics | | 40:24 | Willie Rodriguez returns to UK football; why it matters | | 42:38 | “How much to sell your citizenship?”—the Canada vote hypothetical | | 48:53 | “If we miss the tournament, it’s a massive embarrassment...” — caller segment on blue blood status |

Conclusion

This episode of KSR is a quintessential blend of passionate sports talk, Kentucky cultural identity, and comic relief about everything from home décor to citizenship hypotheticals. The crew brings honesty—sometimes self-deprecating—about the state of UK basketball, optimism for football, and reserves plenty of time for lighter digressions and crowd interaction. If you missed the live show, this episode gives you an unvarnished look at Kentucky fandom in 2026, unfiltered and all the more entertaining for it.