Kentucky Sports Radio (KSR) – Hour 1, January 16, 2026
Hosts: Matt Jones, Drew Franklin, Shannon Dawson, Ryan Lemond
Location: Live from Wild Eggs on Tates Creek, Lexington
Theme: Previewing the Kentucky vs. Tennessee basketball game, Kentucky football transfer portal moves, offbeat trivia, updates on college sports, and a wild story in college basketball gambling.
Main Theme
This episode captures the classic KSR blend of lively Kentucky sports talk, community banter, and an engaging mix of trivia and local flavor. Broadcasting live from Wild Eggs in Lexington, the crew dives into UK basketball’s prospects at Tennessee, discusses renovations at Kroger Field, reviews Kentucky football portal action, and reacts to an outrageous college basketball gambling scandal—all while riffing and joking in their signature style.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Live from Wild Eggs: Setting the Scene
- The team kicks off from the newly opened Wild Eggs, touting its breakfast specialties and noting Ryan’s son works there.
- Lively banter with the crowd, with Matt joking about patrons who came for eggs, not for KSR.
- [01:52] Matt Jones: “I like being in places where people did not come to see us. They just wanted eggs.”
- Local trivia about the area: former sports radio hosts whose careers “ended” at a nearby bar; country music names who played at Grapevine.
2. UK Basketball at Tennessee: Hopeful But Cautious
- Tomorrow’s Noon Game Preview: Kentucky has won 5 out of the last 6 visits to Knoxville, often as underdogs.
- The panel reminisces about surprising wins, unexpected breakout performances (Antonio Reeves, Reed Sheppard, CJ Fredrick).
- Shannon’s Prediction: “I believe Kentucky is going to be at it... they were an 11-point underdog, a 13-point underdog... and won both outright.” [12:21]
- Focus on the importance of avoiding slow starts: every recent win featured an unexpected hero.
- Potential breakout player:
- Shannon: “It’s a Yellovich game. He played 20 [minutes], did well in his first starting role. I think he takes another step forward in Knoxville.” [14:24]
- Discussion on Tennessee’s key players, especially big man Carney and rising freshman Nate Amethyst.
- General consensus: confidence in a competitive showing, but reluctance to predict an outright win.
- Ryan Lemond: “You can’t get down on the road... [you've] got to continue that.”
3. Offbeat Trivia Fun (with Timestamps)
Segment 1: Notable Kentucky Players with Matching Initials
- Matt quizzes Shannon and Drew: “Since 1990, give me the top eight scorers for UK whose first and last names start with the same letter.” [04:52]
- Answers: Malik Monk, Brandon Boston, Patrick Patterson, Rajon Rondo, and more.
- Playful banter ensues; Google is jokingly referenced as a crutch.
- Drew Franklin: “I googled that one, too.” [06:23]
Segment 2: TV Shows by State
- Matt prompts which TV show set in each state had the most viewers. [08:08]
- Examples:
- Pennsylvania: The Office
- New York: Friends (Seinfeld second)
- California: Big Bang Theory
- Florida: Golden Girls
- Kentucky: Justified
- Ohio: Glee
- Illinois: Roseanne
- Crowd and co-hosts join in, leading to laughs and local pride.
- Examples:
4. Football: Kroger Field Renovations & Portal Watch
- Stadium Upgrades:
- Focused mostly on new luxury suites, with some enhancements for upper-deck (“worst”) seats—adding seatbacks, plus social/standing areas.
- Matt Jones: “Most of the renovations… felt like we’re gonna do some renovations to make money and… throw some of you all in the worst seats a little bit.”
- Ryan Lemond: “You want people to come to the game… the crowd has been diminishing… you want to make it a better experience.” [20:57]
- Will Stein Era & Transfer Portal
- Wide receiver still the main concern; LSU's Nick Anderson on campus and likely to commit.
- Praise for Stein's recruiting multitasking while finishing up at Oregon.
- Matt Jones: “Nobody in the portal, nobody in the country did better on the offensive line than we did.” [24:03]
- Optimism for the new staff and roster, but acknowledgment of upcoming "toughest-ever schedule."
5. Fan Interactions & Classic KSR Banter
- Wild Trivia Segment (with Crowd)
- Banter about patrons using phones during the live show.
- Drew—“If you were here, you’d be reading a magazine. Let’s be real.” [36:58]
- Slow Starts for Basketball: Listener Call-ins
- Caller proposes wild pre-game fixes: “full speed, full contact” warmup games.
- Matt Jones: “It sounds like the worst idea I’ve ever heard.” [29:26]
- Reference to previous Tubby Smith attempts at boosting energy in pregame.
- Caller proposes wild pre-game fixes: “full speed, full contact” warmup games.
6. Scandal: College Basketball Gambling Bust
- College basketball gambling/fixing scandal involves “Rod Winkler,” infamous for confronting Aaron Harrison in 2014, now charged by the FBI.
- Matt Jones: “How is it, Shannon, that you can have two different things in your life with no connection... that are such big stories that you’re in the middle, neither of them good?” [39:09]
- Details on the brazen bets: $545K on Kent State-Buffalo first half, $275K on Southern Miss, etc.
- Matt: “When you make a $500,000 bet on Kent State-Buffalo first half, it raises some people going, what?” [40:38]
- Drew’s incredulity: “I would maybe ease into it a little bit, you know, maybe go like a couple of hundred at first.” [40:44]
- Several references to names from past scandals (Antonio Blakeney, Katina Powell).
7. UK Women’s Basketball
- Kentucky women’s team pulled off a tough win over Florida, improving to 17-2.
- Praise for Tony Morgan and the team’s resilience despite defensive struggles.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- “I like being in places where people did not come to see us. They just wanted eggs.” —Matt Jones [01:52]
- “Every time we’ve won down there a random person has come off the bench... and played well.” —Matt Jones [13:27]
- “It’s a Yellovich game. He played 20 [minutes]… I think he takes another step forward in Knoxville.” —Shannon Dawson [14:24]
- “If you were here, you would be reading a magazine. Let’s be real.” —Drew Franklin [36:58]
- On massive gambling bets: “How did they think they weren’t going to get caught?” —Matt Jones [39:55]
- On the scandal: “When you make a $500,000 bet on Kent State-Buffalo first half, it raises some people going, what?” —Matt Jones [40:38]
- “I would maybe ease into it a little bit, you know, maybe go like a couple of hundred at first. Let’s not make it too obvious.” —Drew Franklin [40:44]
- On the crowd using phones: “Come on now… you all have taken the time to come to a radio show and you’re sitting in the front row all looking down on your phone?” —Matt Jones [36:33]
- On slow starts: “DJ team did not [start well]... I think it’s interesting after all year we heard over and over… we need to play these guys… They’ve now reverted to playing six guys the whole game.” —Matt Jones [31:04]
Timestamps for Key Segments
- [01:00] — Wild Eggs & crowd banter
- [04:52] — UK basketball players with matching initials trivia
- [08:08] — TV shows by state trivia
- [12:11] — UK vs. Tennessee preview, superstition about Knoxville upsets
- [19:22] — Kroger Field renovations discussion
- [22:15] — Transfer portal/Will Stein recruiting watch
- [26:12] — Breaking news: WR Shane Carr likely to pick UK
- [29:00] — Listener call-in: “fixing” slow basketball starts
- [38:14] — The Rod Winkler gambling scandal story
- [40:38] — The outrageous college basketball gambling fixes
- [41:58] — Scandal returns: old names resurface
Engagement and Tone
Playful, fast-paced, and packed with trivia, local color, and classic KSR camaraderie. The hosts riff with each other and the audience, keeping up a uniquely Kentucky mix of skepticism, nostalgia, and optimism.
Useful for New Listeners
This summary gives a thorough, engaging sense of what happened during the show: what’s up with UK basketball heading to Tennessee, ongoing football portal action, fan community atmosphere, and a real-time reaction to national sports news—all interspersed with jokes, relatable asides, and great trivia. Even if you missed the show, you’re up to speed—eggs included.