KSR (Kentucky Sports Radio) – Hour 2

Date: February 3, 2026
Host: Matt Jones
Co-hosts: Drew, Shannon, Ryan, Billy
Podcast: iHeartPodcasts and Sports Talk 790 (WKRD-AM)

Episode Overview

This hour of KSR brings the full team together for a lively "Ask Anything Tuesday" and a mix of insider Kentucky sports talk, team anecdotes, and the usual dose of banter among hosts. The crew discusses which member is the most mysterious, the openness of their on-air personas, UK basketball’s roster possibilities, funny McDonald's news, the return of denim uniforms, wild UK Bahamas trip stories, Super Bowl trip nerves, and more. Listeners call in with questions on team recruiting, sneaker trends, and even grade inflation at Harvard.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. “Ask Anything Tuesday”: Who’s the Most Mysterious KSR Host?

[03:47 – 09:11]

• Listener Question: Who do listeners know most/least about on the show?
• Matt: "The average listener knows the most about Ryan. He's just Ryan; he is exactly as he is on air." (04:43)
• Drew: Disagrees, saying Matt’s the most known, Ryan is still a mystery to him (04:40–05:25).
• Shannon: Feels everyone is generally open, but acknowledges Shannon himself is the most “closed” (06:02).
• On-Air vs. Off-Air Persona:
  • Matt: "There's a part of my personality you have to know me pretty well to see...I'm much quieter in person." (04:53)
  • Shannon: "That's one thing that makes us attractive on this radio show is that we're kind of open with our lives." (06:02)
• Fun Quote:
  • Ryan, on being himself: "He's just bebopping through life." (05:55)

2. McDonald’s Caviar Promotion – Would You Eat It?

[09:11 – 12:15]

• News: McDonald’s offering a TikTok-inspired “Chicken McNuggets and Caviar” pairing in select cities.
• Panel Verdict:
  • Drew: "Love caviar…but not with McDonald's nuggets. Caviar does not deserve to be anywhere near McDonald's." (10:07)
  • Ryan: "No, not for McDonald's."
  • Matt: "I don't understand the appeal of caviar. I don't think it tastes good." (10:24)
• Anecdotes:
  • Drew and Tomlin once emptied a fridge of caviar on a Canadian embassy trip (11:12).
  • Matt: "American tax dollars going into your and Tomlin's belly." (11:14)
  • Shannon: Would try the McDonald's version, "for the story." (11:26)

3. UK Basketball Roster & Portal Chatter

[12:15 – 15:11]

• Caller Joe asks about which players could come back next year.
  • Matt: "They’re going to have to get at least three guys out of the portal who can shoot…we don’t have enough guards as it is." (13:06)
  • Most likely to return: "Moreno, Chandler, Williams. Then Hawthorne," with others up in the air.
• On Player Returns:
  • "A lot of it’s going to depend on how the season ends." (13:07)

4. Bahamas: Secrets and Stories from the 2015 UK Trip

[15:11 – 18:47]

• Caller Adam revives legendary team stories, especially “What happened with Willie Cauley-Stein in the pool?”
• Drew:
  • "He bet he could swim the length of a very long pool and back without coming up for air...there was a lot of money on the line. And he did it." (15:37–16:03)
• Matt:
  • “That was one of the more amazing physical sites I've ever seen.” (16:17)
• Team Dynamics:
  • "Bahamas trip brought them all together…having fun, coaches leaving them alone."
  • Derek Willis, Tyler Ulis, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Willie Cauley-Stein’s shenanigans described.
• On Team Wildness:
  • "Willie was wild that entire week. I think he would acknowledge that if he was." (17:36)

5. Uniforms & Sneaker Talk: Denim Returns

[25:02 – 27:44; 29:40 – 30:55]

• Denim Uniforms getting a revival:

  • Matt: "I have to tell you, it didn’t look denim to me. It looked just white, didn’t it?" (25:05)
  • Fans (and hosts) are hoping for the classic blue denim, but expect white home uniforms.
  • Mark Pope rumored to be having a custom denim suit made for the anniversary.
    • "Can you imagine what that would look like? Seven-foot coach walks out in a denim suit." (29:40–29:51)
    • "You gotta win in a denim suit. Or you look like a clown." (30:01)

• Sneaker Sneakiness:

  • Drew teases possible shoe releases—maybe new Converses, maybe not (26:03–26:32).

6. Super Bowl Trip: Billy’s Big Nerves & “Digital Business Cards”

[30:55 – 37:21; 44:21 – 45:44]

• Billy’s Pre-Trip Anxiety:

  • "I’m very nervous. Not just packing right now…" (31:13)
  • "Technical difficulties, my attire at Super Bowl Radio Row, what to say to Christian McCaffrey." (31:16, 33:02)

• Fashion Debate:

  • "A little, like, quarter zip action." – Billy’s wardrobe strategy (31:51)
  • Crew good-naturedly mocks Billy’s “NFL logo” hat (32:03) and quarter zips.

• Digital Business Card Gag:

  • Billy: "You scan it and all my info goes to your phone."
  • Matt: "Can you imagine some random dude coming up in a quarter zip saying, 'scan my digital business card'?" (35:35)

• Networking Aspirations:

  • Drew: "This is your exit from us." (33:29)
  • Team collectively advises: pro quarter zip, anti-digital business card (36:43).

7. Audience Calls: Harvard Grade Inflation, Ankle Injuries, High Tops, and More

[45:57 – 48:53; 48:53 – 50:49]

• Harvard Grade Inflation:

  • Caller Justin, Harvard sophomore, asks about rising percentage of “A” grades.
  • Matt: "53% [A grades] is still too high. The point is you are the best 15% or 20% in the class, not more." (46:27)
  • "After your first job, nobody cares what your grades were." (48:40)

• Basketball Ankle Injuries:

  • Chester: "When I grew up, I had weak ankles...but we wore high tops and you couldn't sprain your ankle in those." (38:40)
  • Matt/Shannon: Note modern players wear low tops even in the NBA (39:50–40:06).
  • Shannon shares he took his girlfriend to see Reed Sheppard play as a unique Valentine’s Day present (40:06–40:46).

• Training Staff/Medical Calls:

  • Matt: "There's a lot of people calling out our training staff. I have no idea what they're doing or not doing." (49:23)

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On On-Air Honesty:
  “I think it’s one thing that makes us attractive on this radio show — we’re kind of open with our lives, all of us.” – Shannon (06:02)
• On Ryan’s Simplicity:
  "He’s just bebopping through life." – Matt, about Ryan (05:55)
• On Caviar at McDonald’s:
  "Caviar does not deserve to be anywhere near McDonald's." – Drew (10:07)
• On the Bahamas Pool Bet:
  "He went so slow…it built suspense. We had no faith in him. When he popped up, people who had bet on him…it was a big scene." – Drew (15:57, 16:23)
• On Digital Business Cards:
  "Can you imagine some random dude coming up in their quarter zip saying, 'scan my digital business card'?" – Matt (35:35)
• On Grade Inflation:
  "The real world is not, everybody’s gonna do well." – Matt (47:22)
• On Valentine’s and Reed Sheppard:
  "Nothing says romance like Reed Sheppard." – Matt & Shannon (40:06, 40:49)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 03:47: “Ask Anything Tuesday” – Openness of hosts
• 09:11: McDonald’s caviar talk
• 12:15: Kentucky Basketball roster/construction insight
• 15:11: Bahamas 2015 Pool Story
• 25:02: Denim uniforms and merch breakdown
• 30:55: Billy’s pre-Super Bowl trip nerves/digital business card debate
• 38:40: High tops, ankle injuries, and Reed Sheppard
• 45:57: Harvard grade inflation
• 48:53: Call about medical/training staff

Conclusion

The episode is Kentucky Sports Radio in its full-tilt blend of sports, Kentucky pride, in-jokes, and listener interaction. Highlights include candid self-assessment from the crew, wild team stories, roster speculation, and commentary on sports culture (from sneakers to social media fads). There’s humor at Billy’s expense regarding networking, reassurance about team openness, and a few serious moments discussing crime news and basketball injuries. Whether you’re in for the UK takes or the family feel, this hour delivers classic KSR banter.