2026-02-13- KSR - Hour 1

Summary

Kentucky Sports Radio (KSR) – Hour 1, February 13, 2026

Location: Don Franklin Auto, Radcliffe, Kentucky
Hosts: Matt Jones, Ryan Lemond, Drew Franklin, Shannon Dawson
Theme: Pre-game excitement for UK vs. Florida basketball, team chemistry, community spirit, and candid Kentucky sports talk.

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Main Theme & Purpose

This episode of Kentucky Sports Radio aired live from a packed Don Franklin Auto in Radcliffe, Kentucky, marking the show’s first ever broadcast from Hardin County. With the University of Kentucky men’s basketball team set to play at Florida as significant underdogs, the hosts discussed the heightened local energy, analyzed the Wildcats’ prospects, and delved into fan and team morale. Other topics included individual player development, memorable community interactions, NCAA transfer disputes, and broader cultural issues in college sports.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Radcliffe Crowd & Community Energy

• The KSR crew noted the large and energized crowd, likening the atmosphere to a pep rally or even an SEC Tournament environment.
• [00:43] Matt Jones: "If you would take out… the Rupp regulars and bring in Hardin county and Radcliffe, we might… have that home court advantage we like to talk about."
• The group praised Radcliffe’s sports culture, referencing local high school legends such as Andre Woodson, Jordan Lovett, and Todd Perry.
  [04:36] Ryan Lemond: "We just had our starting safety for the last three years, Jordan Lovett. ...But the guy that probably has the most fame is a former Chicago Bear, Todd Perry."

2. Previewing Kentucky vs. Florida

Double-Digit Underdogs & Stakes

• Kentucky is an 11.5-point underdog, a rare position for the program.
• The significance: Florida is on a hot streak, regularly blitzing opponents early.
• [07:01] Matt Jones: "If they start slow here, you're looking at a Vandy situation. Like it can get away from you."
• Florida’s front line is called "as good a front line as you'll see in college basketball in 2026," with multiple bigs and an Oscar Tshiebwe-esque rebounder.

Keys to the Game

• Avoid falling behind early; Kentucky must "get out in front early, keep the crowd out of it."
  [09:30] Ryan Lemond: "That is the model for tomorrow. ... Florida's going to make a run at some point. They will make a run. You just got to hold it off."
• Kentucky's advantage is in the backcourt; Aberdeen and Chandler need a huge night (combined 55-60 points for a win). [17:11] Matt Jones: "How many points do Oway, Aberdeen and Chandler need to combine for tomorrow for us to win? 60."

3. Team Chemistry, Fan Outlook, & Identity

Growing Team Likeability

• Discussed how the team has become more "likable" as personalities have gelled and on-court effort has improved.
• [11:04] Matt Jones: "I also think this team has started... to become likable. ...Now you start to see smiles."
• Traits that were once frustrating (e.g., Garrison’s antics) have become endearing in the face of recent wins.

Us-Against-the-World Mentality

• The team is embracing a "chip on their shoulder" attitude, triggered by early fan and media skepticism. [20:55] Matt Jones: "They're taking this view... it's us against the world."
• Hosts agreed it fits this group and has helped form a tighter, more resilient squad.

Naming the Team – Forbidden!

• Caller suggested "Heart and Hustle" as a nickname, but Matt Jones ruled: "no more naming of teams."
  [40:43] Matt Jones: "Problem is, I'm letting these sneak through, which leads to more. No more naming of teams. But God bless Ernestine."

4. Player Spotlights & Injuries

Denzel Aberdeen

• Concerns raised about him "doing too much" against his former team, Florida. [16:23] Matt Jones: "Early in the year I was worried about Aberdeen trying to do too much every game and he's been a lot, lot better about that."
• Emphasis on backcourt needing a big scoring performance to counter Florida’s frontcourt.

The Bigs & Jaden Quaintance’s Absence

• Kentucky’s four big men will see significant minutes due to the size they’re facing.
• Jaden Quaintance’s long injury absence (knee swelling) sparked skepticism about his recovery and future impact. [35:39] Drew Franklin: "I think Ryan will play before Jade(n) Quaint[ance] for Kentucky."
• Matt questioned whether the $2 million investment was a gamble that “didn’t work.” [37:48] Matt Jones: "This was a gamble, Ryan, that I think we're gonna end up having to say, didn't work."

Team Performance Versus Statistical Rankings

• Discussion of analytics underestimating Kentucky compared to poll rankings:
  [08:34] Matt Jones: "The numbers hate us. ...The numbers love [Florida] because they blitz people."

5. Culture & Controversy: Ole Miss Court Case

Coach Joe Judge’s "Football Over Family" Comments

• Ole Miss coach Joe Judge’s court testimony about advising players’ partners to take over all childcare duties during the season sparked sharp criticism from the KSR crew:
  • [28:01] Joe Judge (clip): "...If you have this baby in the middle of season...you need to let him sleep. He needs to be in another room, detached... during the season, he’s gotta have different priority."
• The hosts were aghast:
  • [29:15] Ryan Lemond: "It's gonna go over like a lead balloon. ...I would never let my kid play for that guy."
  • [31:32] Shannon Dawson: "You’re not practicing or looking at game film 24 hours a day. You got plenty of time to spend with your kids."

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On the Radcliffe Crowd:

• "[Radcliffe] is bringing it today. So it’s very exciting to be here." — Drew Franklin, [02:00]

On Team Chemistry:

• "Now you start to see smiles. You start to see guys who seem to get along, and then people's personality traits, which can make you mad, become quirky and funny." — Matt Jones, [11:04]

On Us-Against-the-World:

• "They're taking this view... it's us against the world. ...I like the fact that maybe Pope and these guys have a little chip on their shoulder right now." — Ryan Lemond, [21:20]

On Bigs vs. Florida:

• "This is as good a front line as you’ll see in college basketball in 2026… They’ve got like all of them." — Matt Jones, [12:42]
• "I would pour all the gasoline in the Brandon Garrison tank..." — Drew Franklin, [12:30]

On the Ole Miss Testimony:

• "I can't believe he said this…" — Matt Jones, [29:49]
• "I would never let my kid play for that guy." — Ryan Lemond, [29:34]
• "There’s not one mother, sister, baby mama going to take his side on this. Nobody’s going to think it’s a good idea that he wants you to pick football over family." — Ryan Lemond, [29:15]
• "I would think there'd be a lot of baby mamas taking their baby dad into the transfer portal after hearing this." — Shannon Dawson, [31:45]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:34 — Show opens live in Radcliffe, Kentucky; huge crowd energy
• 04:36 — North Hardin athletic legacy discussed
• 05:26 — Kentucky as double-digit underdog: History and implications
• 07:01 — Warning: Can't fall behind early vs. Florida
• 12:42 — Florida’s front court dissected; Kentucky’s bigs previewed
• 16:23 — Aberdeen's role, concern on "trying to do too much"
• 17:11 — Guards’ scoring requirement for a win vs. Florida discussed
• 20:55 — "Us against the world" team mentality unpacked
• 28:01 — Audio of Ole Miss coach Joe Judge’s controversial court testimony
• 29:15–31:45 — KSR crew reacts to Judge’s remarks about football priorities
• 35:39 — Jaden Quaintance injury, NIL value, and potential season write-off
• 40:43 — Fan calls, team naming debate (“Heart and Hustle” suggestion)
• 41:15 — Closing thoughts on team chemistry and player relationships

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Summary & Takeaways

This hour encapsulated much of what makes KSR a staple for Kentucky Wildcats fans: community engagement, frank and humorous takes on sports, and genuine exploration of fan sentiment. The anticipation for the Kentucky–Florida matchup was made more palpable by the lively crowd and honest assessment of team strengths and vulnerabilities. The group also did not shy away from tough conversations about player welfare, coaching culture, and the consequences of big money NIL investments.

For fans and listeners, this episode both fired up optimism for the Gators game and provided a nuanced view of the challenges and growth facing the current Kentucky roster and its coaches.

Transcript

[Announcer]

Comedy off Broadway in Lexington welcomes the hilarious New York comedian Phil Hanley February 5th through the 7th. Then it's the return of AGT finalist and impressionist Greg Morton 2.12.14. And don't miss legendary comedian and podcaster Greg Fitzsimmons February 19th through the 21st. For tickets to all Comedy Off Broadway shows, call 859.271. Joke or visit comedyoffbroadway.com Comedy Off Broadway.

[Matt Jones]

Welcome, everyone. It is Kentucky sports radio.

[Ryan Lemond]

Wow.

[Matt Jones]

Great crowd here at Don Franklin auto in Radcliffe, Kentucky. In Hardin county. An awesome crowd this morning as we are on the precipice of Kentucky at Florida in Gainesville. You can give a shout on the Clark's pump and shop, phone line 859-280-2287. A Vision Auto Glass text machine is 772-774-5254. And this is sponsored by the TJ Smith Law Office. You call TJ, he'll make them pay. Ryan Lemon, Drew Franklin, Shannon the dude and Matt Jones. And we have never done a show in Radcliffe, Kentucky in Hardin County. This is north Hardin territory. And Ryan, what a great crowd here this morning. Pull up. You know, you never know what to expect when you go to a new place. Very rare now that we do shows in sort of towns. We've never been do it here. And what an awesome crap.

[Ryan Lemond]

Yeah, we've been down the road to Elizabethtown several times, but it's been a minute. We've even been to Elizabethtown. So our first time here at Radcliffe. And look at this crowd, man, they're arrived early, loud, ready to go.

[Matt Jones]

You got military base.

[Drew Franklin]

What, what do you say game today when I walked in, it's like a pep rally. Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

I think if you. I think if you would take out no offense to them, but for one game, move out the Rupp regulars and bring in Hardin county and Radcliffe. Interrupt aren we might drew have that home court advantage we like to talk about.

[Drew Franklin]

I mean we get great shows on our Friday remotes. But I was about halfway through the pre show on my way here and I could hear him in the background like Radcliffe is bringing it today. So it's very exciting to be here.

[Shannon Dawson]

We're not even serving alcohol or anything. They're just naturally that enthusiastic.

[Matt Jones]

Definitely hollering. I've seen a lot of paraphernalia. Somebody showed me a picture so from 19 in the. From 1966 of Adolph Rupp that had been sent been drawn and he signed.

[Ryan Lemond]

Yeah. Charcoal drawing that was signed by Adolph Rupp. That's pretty valuable.

[Matt Jones]

That's exactly right. And I saw a postcard from 1910 from my hometown of Middlesborough, Kentucky, and almost everybody in here wearing blue. So it's very exciting. We are, day before Valentine's day, got the 98 title. Day before Valentine's Day, UK, Florida, tomorrow. Ryan Lemon has been furiously doing cameos for people for Valentine's Day. Did I hear the orders went up? I was hoping they'd go down. No, up.

[Ryan Lemond]

My checkbook thanks you for mentioning that in the show yesterday, because I did about 10 of them last night. I got another one this morning since we pulled up here, so that's a good way to.

[Matt Jones]

That's a good way to reward.

[Ryan Lemond]

Ryan Lemon pays for the Valentine's dinner tomorrow night.

[Matt Jones]

Your significant other.

[Shannon Dawson]

Yeah, because that's what women really want. Is Ryan speaking in his creepy voice, taking his shirt off in cameos?

[Matt Jones]

Apparently some do. I would have thought the answer was none, but apparently there's at least 10.

[Drew Franklin]

Men who think their women want that. I heard Billy ordered one through cameo. Why don't you just do it yours? Why did you give cameo that money? Billy? Just Billy the video directly working out.

[Shannon Dawson]

You gotta see the one that he did.

[Ryan Lemond]

I like that.

[Drew Franklin]

He's your customer.

[Shannon Dawson]

Ryan rips his shirt off. He rips his shirt off in this cameo. Like, what is he doing?

[Ryan Lemond]

That one's special just for Marissa.

[Matt Jones]

I was afraid.

[Ryan Lemond]

Yeah, I was afraid to do it for the public or there they'd be knocking my door down. All the women could leave their man and come to my house.

[Matt Jones]

So over the top, you trust Marissa? Can has trust Marissa?

[Ryan Lemond]

Yes. Yeah. So she's engaged to Billy, so.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah. Why would you leave that?

[Ryan Lemond]

Why would you leave that? That masculine man.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, for this.

[Ryan Lemond]

Wow.

[Matt Jones]

All right. All right, dude.

[Drew Franklin]

That was my first.

[Matt Jones]

We are here at Don Franklin if you need options. Don Franklin has 29 stores, 6,000 vehicles across the Bluegrass. And they're all over the Bluegrass. They are here. They go to towns throughout the state. And great selection here. And like I said, a great crowd. North Harden is the high school here. Tell me, Ryan Lemon, about all that. This place has produced a ton of athletes. Andre Woodson comes to my mind first. One of the great Kentucky quarterbacks came from here. But you, you're the high school guy. Who else?

[Ryan Lemond]

We just had our starting safety for the last three years, Jordan Lovett. He's from North Hardin High School. But the guy that probably has the most fame is a former Chicago Bear, Todd Perry played in the NFL after UK for, like, 10 years.

[Matt Jones]

I didn't know Todd Perry was from here. Yeah, he was on those good Bears team. Yes.

[Ryan Lemond]

Yeah. Offensive lineman for Bill Curry, then went and played in the NFL forever. So I'm sure there are other. But those are like probably the three main ones that come to my mind right now. Oh, it's a baseball player. Adcock. Yes. How about that one pulling out and out of my rear.

[Matt Jones]

See, it's great. It's crazy. Like you don't know, like you don't know the vice president, but you do know baseball players from North Hart.

[Ryan Lemond]

Yeah, he played in the big league, so I can't remember his first name. His last name was Adcock. Nathan Adcock. That's right.

[Matt Jones]

Good for you.

[Ryan Lemond]

There we go.

[Drew Franklin]

There's a new energy he has that's level we gotta get up to.

[Matt Jones]

I think he injected himself with some North Harden juice. I don't know what that is, but he's got it, got it going on and ready to go. And I hope Kentucky has this level of enthusiasm because they go to Florida tomorrow. Eleven and a half point underdog in Gainesville. We, we were talking about when Kentucky has been a double digit underdog in recent years. They were double digit underdog I think a couple years ago at Tennessee.

[Drew Franklin]

I was there.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah. And, and we won.

[Drew Franklin]

And we was 11 and a half too.

[Matt Jones]

And we had talked about at that game that the amount of times Kentucky's been a double digit underdog is very rare. A couple times in the, in the COVID year and then I think before that they had not been a double digit underdog since Billy. So this is a very rare thing. We're probably talking since Billy Gillespie five times. Maybe twice. Maybe once or twice in the COVID year at Tennessee and maybe four times. Maybe, maybe this. So this is a rare opportunity. I, I'm not confident we win, but I am confident that it's going to be a game. I think Kentucky's going to go out there and play for Denzel Aberdeen. Right. I think this is, he's returning to his place. He's going to get a bad reception. Right. Like, like they were mad at Florida and that's going to be, that's going to be interesting to see how he handles it.

[Ryan Lemond]

You know, he was projected to be maybe one of their starting guards. For him to leave a defending national championship team, it did. I think it hurt their feelings. But we all know Kentucky's gonna start slow. They're probably gonna be trailing at halftime.

[Matt Jones]

They can't do that here.

[Ryan Lemond]

They can't do that here.

[Matt Jones]

This Is I think if they start slow here, you're looking at a Vandy situation. Like it can get away from you. I, I, you know the way they've come back in these games, Drew, is that they made team shoot threes and they've missed. Florida's gonna get paint points in the paint so they're not gonna sit and settle for bad shots. You cannot fall behind here or you got a chance for it to get away from.

[Drew Franklin]

No, not at all. Florida, the last four games have been so hot, they're marching VICT and they have just been jumping on teams early. They went up like 100 on Georgia. The Alabama game that was on a Sunday a few weeks ago just absolutely killed them from the jump. So it especially that environment will be big. You can't fall behind in this one. It's been fun coming back in Knoxville and lsu, but I don't think you could expect that in Gainesville if you fall behind.

[Matt Jones]

A couple things very important there, Shannon. They are averaging in their last four games 26 point margin victory and in all of those games they've been up like 17 and a half. Like they've been just coming out and blitzing people. We have been getting blitzed early in games. You just, I think you get to halftime and if you're winning within a handful of points, I think that's a win Shannon. And then you can see what you can do in the second.

[Shannon Dawson]

Yeah, well I'll tell you one thing though, I'm doubting this team because the LSU game, I counted them out. The Tennessee game, I didn't think they were going to come back. Arkansas, they've time after time proving they could come back from deficits. You're right, it is going to be tough to do this if they get down at Florida. But I, I think you take that 11 and a half, bet it now because that is going to move as we get closer to the game. I guarantee you game time, it will not be eleven and a half tomorrow.

[Matt Jones]

I mean it'd be interesting to see because like. All right, so if you're to do the nerd basketball, like look at numbers, the numbers most years, including last year for Kentucky, our numbers were sometimes better than our record in the Cal years. Even last year with Pope, the numbers are, the numbers hate us. Like I guess our numbers are not good. We are, we're lower in the, in all the sort of statistical rankings than we are in the polls. And Florida, the numbers love because they blitz people. So it'll be interesting to see. You know, I Would say a lot of bettors would look at it and think Florida might even should be favored more.

[Ryan Lemond]

And you know, they've done it before. They did it at Arkansas. They got out on Arkansas early, kind of took the crowd out of a little bit.

[Matt Jones]

Isn't that the model for the game? Arkansas? That's the model for the game. Like we, Arkansas's crowd, with the exception of when Doug Schalls decided to get all hoity toity, with the exception of that, we kept that crowd out of the game.

[Ryan Lemond]

And even when Arkansas made their run with those technicals, Kentucky punched back. You know, he showed me a lot of fighting, a lot of heart to that point. So that is. That is the model for tomorrow. Get out in front early, keep the crowd out of it. Try to maintain that lead. Getting hold off because Florida's going to make a run at some point. They will make a run. You just got to hold it off.

[Matt Jones]

I feel like this fan base really. I. I don't know. I. I'm oddly drew. I think it started with the win at Tennessee, but then the Vandy thing kind of brought it back. Then we wanted Arkansas. But I feel like since that win against Tennessee at home, as I. I feel like the fan base has embraced this team in a way that they really hadn't since the champions Classic in the Louisville game. Do you agree with that? Yeah.

[Drew Franklin]

And I've been calling it like a cautious optimism. Like we're starting to get excited, we think we're good, but we're also in the back of our mind, like at any moment they could get drilled and have another bad game. So we're starting to get the excitement going, but we're aware that there could still be more duds just because of how Vandy specifically week and a half ago.

[Shannon Dawson]

Here's the thing, though. Two weeks ago, if you were to tell me that we're playing Florida for a game for first place in the sec, I would tell you you're crazy. So the fact that they're even at this point with the injuries and everything, I think it's been.

[Matt Jones]

Well, I mean, let's go back. We were.02 in the SEC playing Mississippi State at home. And if you remember, we fell down like 13 in that game and then we came back and then even LSU, we're down 17 and you get that shot. It's a completely different situation. I also think this team has started Ryan to become likable.

[Ryan Lemond]

Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

Like, I don't really think they were likable early in the year. They didn't seem to really enjoy each other. It didn't. There were always scowls on everybody's faces. They didn't look like. And now you start to see smiles. You start to see guys who seem to get along, and then people's personality traits, which can make you mad, become quirky and funny. Like, take Brandon Garrison when we're playing bad. Most of Brandon Garrison's traits make me mad. But then when we win and we play well and he runs out on the court and his arms start flailing, I go, oh, there's Brandon Garrison. You know, he's just doing Brandon Garrison things. I think that's kind of. It's. I think our fan base is, like, happiness about. The guys have changed.

[Ryan Lemond]

You know, I'm guilty of it, too. I said on this show, I don't really like this team. And now I'm, you know, this. Their heart and their fight, their way, they come back. And Brandon Garrison is a great example because when things get going rough, when he gets up, a little chesty, little mouthy. I like that now.

[Matt Jones]

I still don't. I still don't want him to ever dribble, ever. Not one time. Please.

[Ryan Lemond]

What's the stat for every time he has it? Are we undefeated? When he gets a technical, 10 0. 10 0. When he gets a technical. Yeah, why not get one every game?

[Matt Jones]

Brandon, slow down. I don't really like him dribbling. I really like him passing, to be honest with you. I just want. I definitely don't want him to shoot three.

[Shannon Dawson]

Just get rebounds.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, just get it. Rebound. If you'll go rebound and fight, you can have one fist fight a game. That's. That's the way I look at it.

[Drew Franklin]

Looking at their front court tomorrow, I would pour all the gasoline in the Brandon Garrison tank. May put a little gunpowder in it and say, whatever you want to do, man. Have at it. We're not stopping you. Yes, we are unleashing you today on Florida. Do whatever you got to do.

[Matt Jones]

I don't know how much you guys have watched Florida, but, Drew, this is. This is as good a front line as you'll see in college basketball in 2026. I mean, you. They got three guys who can play, and they all do it differently. One of them is an outside shooter. One of them takes it to the basket and can score. And one of them is a big bulk that just rebounds and knocks people out of the way. You don't see in college basketball a team with three bigs as good as these three are.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah, one's a Lottery pick. I mean they go 6, 9, 6 11, 611 in their starting five and then Chinilu, the center. I wrote a post yesterday comparing him to Oscar. It's not like he's a good rebounder. So he's kind of like Oscar. Like their metrics are almost identical. The rebounding percentages per game, offensive, defensive, you know, Oscar had a big personality. We love him for other reasons, but simply from a rebounding standpoint, they have an Oscar and we're on the wrong end of it. We know how it was having him where you get a defensive stop and you're guaranteed the rebound or second chance on a bad shot. Florida is going to have that luxury tomorrow. We're gonna have to witness it from the other side.

[Matt Jones]

But it's like they have an Oscar but then they also have a BAM3.

[Drew Franklin]

That could be a lead.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, I mean they've got like all of them. So our bigs, our four bigs. Ryan have. First of all, they're all going to play.

[Ryan Lemond]

Yes, they will.

[Matt Jones]

They're all going to play. Moreno Yellow, Vich Garrison and dbate are all going to play and they have to play well. This is a game where it would be nice to have Jaden Quaint. We'll talk about him later. But he's not playing. Those four bigs have to show up because they're going to get. We're going to get in foul trouble. Like they're all going to play.

[Ryan Lemond]

And Florida's even got a fourth guy they bring off the bench. Who's a big guy? Hank locked in or something like that. H A N. There's a G in there. I'm not sure how to pronounce it.

[Matt Jones]

He just G in there somewhere.

[Ryan Lemond]

G in that name. He's a big guy that comes in and push people around. So the question is, have you seen enough physicality from Marino and yellow Vic and Brandon Garrison. I think the abate can match him. But those other three guys, can they bring it?

[Matt Jones]

We'll see. And our guards have to make threes. This is odd. This is a game where I actually think we have the advantage in the backcourt.

[Ryan Lemond]

Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

And we need to use it. Kentucky's biggest playbook is Don Franklin. 6,000 new and certified pre owned choices. It's all right here at Don Franklin. We are in Radcliffe, Kentucky. We will take a break and be right back. This is Kentucky sports radio.

[Announcer]

This month iheartradio is celebrating the stars of the 2026 Winter Games representing Vienna, Virginia. Ilya Malinin is redefining what is possible on the ice known as the quad God. The reigning world champion arrives in Milano Cortina as the only skater in history to land a quadruple axel in competition. He isn't just performing a routine, he's pushing the laws of physics. Malinin steps onto the Olympic ice, looking to turn his technical revolution into pure gold. For more Winter Games gold, search olympics on the iHeartRadio app.

[Matt Jones]

Welcome back. Welcome back. It is Kentucky Sports Radio live here in Radcliffe. Text Machine 772-7745-2544 One person says, Matt, that's as loud of a crowd over the radio as I've ever heard at the. At one of your shows. Well done, folks. Yes, I would say sounds like an.

[Shannon Dawson]

SEC tournament crowd almost.

[Matt Jones]

I was gonna say, I mean like if you leave aside when we. Hundreds of people like at the SEC tournament. Yeah, I mean this is one. When I think back over the years, Ryan, what do you think? Like I remember Paducah one time we had a crazy. Oh yes, because we were stabbing that basketball, the Ricottino one. But this one's got to be up there, don't you think?

[Ryan Lemond]

That's why I love it when we go to towns we've never been because people bring it and they're excited. I mean they're excited to stand up here and watch us make fools of ourselves. So what. What a great morning it is.

[Matt Jones]

One person writes. Matt, are you worried about Aberdeen trying to do too much against his old team?

[Announcer]

Yes.

[Matt Jones]

But I will say, Drew, I. Early in the year I was worried about Aberdeen trying to do too much every game and he's been a lot, lot better about that. So I'm gonna, I'm gonna hope he plays like he has in the last 10 games. He is the underrated star of the last 10 games. Always obviously scored the most points. Chandler's made the big shots in the big plays. But I think Aberdeen has been really, really good in the last eight or 10 games.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah, his splits from the conference to the non conference are night, day, different, shooting it well, not turning over, getting assists. You worry about him trying to do too much. But at the same time I think the only way you can win is if the backcourt has a great game. I just. True. I don't see you winning the front court battle even if Marino garrison those guys play well. I think the way Kentucky wins is Aberdeen. Chandler need to.

[Matt Jones]

How many points do away. Aberdeen and Chandler need to combine for tomorrow for us to win. 60.

[Drew Franklin]

60 is what I was going to say.

[Ryan Lemond]

Wow.

[Matt Jones]

I think it might be six. Yeah, I mean, maybe. Maybe 55. I mean, I think you got. I think we're going to have to score 80 to win and maybe more, but let's just say 80. And if you score 80, the guards, maybe not 60, but maybe like 56, 55. I think it's going to have to be something like that.

[Ryan Lemond]

You know, the thing about Aberdeen, he's not taking those crazy bad shots anymore and he's not turning the ball over like I had the other day. He had zero turnovers and he played like over 30 minutes. I mean, the guy's doing a great job at point guard.

[Matt Jones]

Maybe 60 if you throw in jazz.

[Drew Franklin]

I was gonna say if you take the whole backcourt. Yeah, call it 60.

[Shannon Dawson]

Always been solid for 21, 22, just about every game here.

[Matt Jones]

So it was interesting. I saw somebody had listed yesterday the single season scoring leader since 2000 in the SEC. So how many points a game in the SEC for the since 2000? There are two Kentucky players on the list, by the way, for most points in a single season. The SEC since 2000. Ryan, let's do a little trivia. Can you guess what two, two UK players are on that list? We had number one and number 15. Do you know who either of those were?

[Ryan Lemond]

Malik Monk.

[Matt Jones]

No.

[Ryan Lemond]

Jamal Murray?

[Matt Jones]

No.

[Drew Franklin]

Antonio Reeves.

[Matt Jones]

Antonio Reeves was 15.

[Ryan Lemond]

15.

[Matt Jones]

So again, he's going to be an underrated player in UK history. Get rid. Get ready for another 10 years of me saying that because he's 15. But who's. Who's the number one scorer in the SEC for a season since 2000? Jody Meeks is number one. Jody Meeks is number one dot Reason I bring this up is Otega away. If you just did SEC play, would be on that list.

[Ryan Lemond]

Would he really?

[Matt Jones]

He would. Now, if you consider the non conference, he will not be on. Yeah, but if you only considered Shannon conference play, he'd be on.

[Shannon Dawson]

I mean, he's been solid. Even when he was averaging 12 and 13 earlier in the year, I felt like we were a little tough on him. But now we see like that he can, you know, average 20 points a game. What he's been doing in the conference has been crazy.

[Matt Jones]

One person writes, matt, what if we had beaten North Carolina, Missouri? We'd only have five losses and be 19 and five. Yeah, true, but we've won some games too. I mean, we hit a Malachi Moreno shot. We came from way behind against Tennessee, I mean, twice. So like, I kind of think, Drew, we are where we're supposed to be. I mean, yes, we dropped a couple we should have, but we probably won a couple we shouldn't have. So I think we're about where we're supposed to.

[Drew Franklin]

If we play the what if game, I think we're a little more fortunate. I don't know if we can. What if. Gonzaga, Louisville, those early wins, but then lsu, Tennessee, so close to win. But as I've said a lot, it's not just luck. They're. They found a way to close games. Now you got to stay in it at the end to have that opportunity. But they've done it so many different ways with clutch threes rebounding the steel and slam and they're still in score at Tennessee to take the lead. They just keep doing it over and over. It's not like a little fluky. The. The Chandler to Moreno pass felt like.

[Matt Jones]

A little bit of luck there.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah. But I'm saying that that took some luck. The rest of the plays since then are them just making the winning play and stopping the other team.

[Matt Jones]

Did you see the Journey video yesterday? Do you know. What do you know? I'm talking about not the musical group.

[Ryan Lemond]

But the uk uk and they're on the road.

[Matt Jones]

The UK basketball, I haven't seen it yet. So they did one for the. For the Tennessee game and it's really good. I think they do a great job with those. I wish they would promote them more. It's. But it's like 11 minutes and it sort of. Sort of shows behind the scenes of those games, etc. But here's the thing I thought was interesting. It was clear in watching the coaches talk to the players. Players talk after the game and listen to them talk to each other. Ryan, they're taking this view. It's us against the world. That's kind of which teams do this all the time.

[Ryan Lemond]

Yes.

[Matt Jones]

But they're taking this view of everybody dismissed us, the writers, even some of our fans, all we got each other, us against the world. Do you like that as a strategy? I think a lot of teams have done it. I think this group is really doing it and I don't think they're wrong that people didn't believe them. I also think people had a reason to not believe in them. But do you like that as a strength?

[Ryan Lemond]

I do for this team, absolutely. Because we were all counting them out. You know, they're getting blown out by Gonzaga and they looked horrible. I think at that point of the season we're all like counting them out. So, yeah, it worked for Stoops. Mark Stoops kind Of had that attitude during his best season.

[Matt Jones]

Well, they had it the last couple years and it didn't work.

[Ryan Lemond]

No, but during his good years, he did, you know, he was always better. We had a chip on his shoulder. I like the fact that maybe Pope and these guys have a little chip on their shoulder right now.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah. A lot of teams, different identities. You know, you can have a smooth year, all that. This team just keeps taking lumps. I mean, whether it be injuries or just horrible performance, but they just keep getting up and it's clear that they've embraced that. Forgot the quote he was using. He kept saying something about had a lot of storms and it rained.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah. It was like, but I have an umbrella.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah, get in my umbrella.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah.

[Ryan Lemond]

Yeah.

[Drew Franklin]

It was something like that.

[Matt Jones]

They had a lot of.

[Drew Franklin]

A lot of rain.

[Matt Jones]

Michael McLean, who's one of the assistants, gives a really good speech, and he's like, storms are coming, but the sun is here. And I'm.

[Shannon Dawson]

Lord, how inspirational. Everything's beautiful.

[Matt Jones]

He did. It worked. He did it better than I did.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah.

[Shannon Dawson]

Well, I mean, I like the us against the world mentality. I don't think you want to, you know, direct that at your fans. Although our fans were booing them. If you go back to the Gonzaga game. So maybe there's a little bit of.

[Matt Jones]

I mean, we booed them I can.

[Drew Franklin]

Think of three times at home.

[Shannon Dawson]

What was Mississippi State at home? I think they got off to a bad start.

[Matt Jones]

They got booed it against Gonzaga. They get booed Mississippi State.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

And maybe even got booed Missouri.

[Shannon Dawson]

Whatever it takes to inspire them to play the way they're playing. I don't care what kind of mentality they have, I guess, you know.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah. I mean, look, these fans, everybody. We would love for them to come in here and give everybody a hug. But at the end of the game, the thing that's going to make everybody the most happy is if they win. Right. So that's what it takes for them to do it. Then. That's what. That's what you do.

[Ryan Lemond]

And we were so disappointed because not only they were losing, it's how they were losing. Now we're excited because they're not just winning, it's how they're winning. Fighting and coming back and showing a lot of heart. I think we love that part of our cats.

[Matt Jones]

Let's just say we get demolished tomorrow. What does that take for your seat? I mean, you.

[Ryan Lemond]

There's.

[Matt Jones]

We still can have a good year.

[Ryan Lemond]

Yeah.

[Drew Franklin]

Tomorrow's a throwaway for me. I think Florida's just really, really, really, really good.

[Matt Jones]

Tomorrow's a throwaway to me. When we play home, that might be different. Yeah, tomorrow is a throwaway. Hopefully we. We win though. We'll take a break. Be right back. This is Kentucky sports radio. Welcome back. It is Kentucky sports Radio. Rick is in studio. Rick's looking something up for me. How you doing, Rick? A lot of people miss you. You haven't been on here in a bit.

[Ryan Lemond]

Well, because of all the snow and stuff.

[Matt Jones]

Oh, did you not. Were you not able to get out of your house?

[Ryan Lemond]

Oh, yeah. Plenty of snow over there. It's gone now, though.

[Matt Jones]

Okay, that's good. By the way, my back hill in Lexington, it's. That ice is going to be there forever. I'm not going to be. I just. I'm now having to walk out the front part like it's a. It's a. The sun doesn't shine there. It will be there in August.

[Shannon Dawson]

So are you still spider manning over like from your neighbor's house?

[Matt Jones]

I gave up yesterday. Parked in a different place. I can't Spider man anymore. I will. I'm gonna fall and hurt myself if I'm not care. So I'm just hope. Hopefully it'll be better by next week. We'll see. Because the sun doesn't shine there either. So it's harder for it to melt.

[Ryan Lemond]

You know, I have to ask this. You've got stairs that go downstairs and you can go out your garage door.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, but then there's the ice. Like when I go out the garage, it's all ice.

[Ryan Lemond]

But is it not on the. On the.

[Matt Jones]

No, believe me, I could figure it out. There's. It's, it's. I mean, I, I'm not an idiot. It's all ice, the whole thing. The grass is ice too because the sun doesn't shine over there. It's all ice, everything. Why are you looking at me like that? I live there.

[Ryan Lemond]

I know. I just wouldn't be trying to go down the hill. I'd.

[Matt Jones]

What would you do?

[Ryan Lemond]

I'd take my chances on the driveway.

[Matt Jones]

Because the driveway is all ice.

[Shannon Dawson]

We need to hire somebody at this point to shovel it out for you.

[Matt Jones]

I'd say everything is ice.

[Ryan Lemond]

Well, mine is too, but I just walk really little bitty steps.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, you come try mine.

[Drew Franklin]

You have a flat yard.

[Ryan Lemond]

You have a flat.

[Matt Jones]

You're flat. Mine is.

[Ryan Lemond]

My driveway is sloped also.

[Drew Franklin]

No.

[Ryan Lemond]

Yes. Mario just pulled up on it.

[Matt Jones]

Drew, you've been to both places.

[Drew Franklin]

Compared to Matt's, I don't think yours.

[Ryan Lemond]

No, not compared to Matt's.

[Matt Jones]

Well, that's what. But we're talking about mine. You drive me nuts. Here's. I love you, but you drive me nuts. Here's the reality. Kentucky right now, if you can't find affordable child care or a place to live, then you can't get a job and you can't keep it. So thousands of child care spots are needed. And when parents can't find child care, they're forced to cut hours. Help us use the legislators in Frankfurt this session to help child care and housing go to opportunity starts here.com opportunity starts here.com from the Kentucky Chamber. All right. Ole Miss went to court yesterday in front of a good judge in Mississippi, and he got up and he had to decide whether or not the. The Ole Miss Rebels could play Trinidad Chambliss. And the NCAA came down there with their New York City lawyers. They had no chance. All right. I mean this. If you watched it, it was my cousin Vinnie again. For the second straight time, they made the argument Ole Miss. It was like the case came down to, was Trinidad Chambliss hurt? Because if he was hurt, he gets to play again. If he's not, he's not. So they have this long argument. Then the judge goes into the chambers, says, I'll be back with a decision.

[Ryan Lemond]

Okay.

[Matt Jones]

Comes back an hour later, and he says, I've written the decision. I'm going to read it. He read for an hour and 15 minutes. Now, let me just say, Shannon, you can't tell me he wrote that during that hour.

[Shannon Dawson]

No, absolutely not.

[Matt Jones]

He did it before the hearing even started.

[Drew Franklin]

Yep.

[Ryan Lemond]

Yes, he did.

[Matt Jones]

And if I'd appeal, I'd go. There's no way that he listened to that. He already had it written. Nevertheless, he read the decision. It took him an hour and 15 minutes. And he read everywhere. You talk about a guy enjoying his moment in the summer, so he finishes it. He rules that Trinidad Chambers can play. Honestly, I don't care. The way we do. We don't even play Ole Miss next year, right?

[Drew Franklin]

No, I don't think.

[Ryan Lemond]

No, we don't.

[Matt Jones]

So it doesn't matter.

[Ryan Lemond]

Matter.

[Matt Jones]

What I did think was interesting was as part of the case, Joe Judge, who is one of old, misses. Is he the defensive coordinator?

[Drew Franklin]

I believe so.

[Matt Jones]

I believe so. He gets up to testify, and I guess he's asked questions about being a coach and what he says to his players. And in the process, he starts to get involved in parenting issues. And I wanted to see what you all thought about this. Here was Joe Judge in court yesterday in this case in Mississippi.

[Joe Judge]

But we would have to educate. This is always a tough conversation to have. It's not even popular. We would have to educate significant others who may have been pregnant in the season. We're going to have a baby during the season and you have to educate them on. You have this baby in the middle of season, that father has to play good football, right? It's a day by day production business. He has to be ready to perform and go out there to play. And when I say that is, you need to let him sleep. He needs to be in another room, detached. You have to explain to the mother like, hey, listen, he ain't waking up from midnight feedings after the season. He's full metal jacket. He do whatever you want with and he can change every diaper. But in season, he's got to have different priority now.

[Matt Jones]

All right? So that he basically says that he meets with his players, wives or baby mamas during the season, tells them if you have a baby, the player will not feed him or change his diapers during the season because he's locked in as the father. Only current father in the room. Ryan, how do you think that's gonna go over with these mothers and wives that he says during the season?

[Ryan Lemond]

It's gonna go over like a lead balloon. I mean, the dude is telling these, these people to pick football over family. That's going to lose every single time. There's not one mother, sister, baby mama going to take his side on this. Nobody's going to think it's a good idea that he wants you to pick football over family. I would never let my kid play for that guy. Really?

[Matt Jones]

Never?

[Ryan Lemond]

No way. Family is more important than a football game. I know people don't, you know, they get mad at me sometimes when I say something like that. But.

[Matt Jones]

But who disagrees with.

[Ryan Lemond]

Nobody should disagree.

[Matt Jones]

Anybody would say football is more important than your fan.

[Shannon Dawson]

No, no, you got to be a dad first.

[Matt Jones]

I can't believe he said this.

[Ryan Lemond]

I can't believe this.

[Matt Jones]

I can't believe he said it. First of all, how wildly inappropriate Drew is. It's if he's meeting with people's mothers. Like, like if he goes and meets, especially let's say they're not married, is he just going to these random, presumably college age women and saying, hey, by the way, the father is not doing anything with the child, not, you know, feeding the baby, et cetera. I couldn't believe he said that under oath in court.

[Drew Franklin]

That's why it's not Even the. The mother part of it, for me, it's. He's literally telling these dads to ignore their infant babies for the first, you know, important stages of their lives. Like, listen, let them handle it. You just don't get. You make sure you're asleep. Any father child time. We can't be having that right now.

[Ryan Lemond]

Yeah, exactly.

[Matt Jones]

The coach in Seattle who was like, I give my baby. I give my kid 20 minutes every day.

[Shannon Dawson]

20 minutes.

[Matt Jones]

Wow.

[Shannon Dawson]

How gracious of you, dad.

[Drew Franklin]

Thursday, I got a half hour.

[Matt Jones]

The head coach, the Seattle Seahawks. I. This didn't get enough attention. He was like, every Thursday, I block off 30 minutes to be with my child. I hate Shannon. When these coaches. This is what drives me crazy. We've got a room. How many people in here are dads? Okay. I hate when coaches act like football somehow is different than these folks. Yeah, these people have to work.

[Shannon Dawson]

Exactly right.

[Matt Jones]

They still see their kids. Are you telling me a college football player's job is more important than people who are out working that, like, somehow they can't see that, like, the average father has to do this? Why does a football player not have to do it? They act like. They literally act like they're in the military in World War II. It's football. You. It. You don't get a special set of circumstances.

[Shannon Dawson]

You're not practicing or looking at game film 24 hours a day. You got plenty of time to spend with your kids. And I would think there'd be a lot of baby mamas taking their baby dad into the transfer portal after hearing this.

[Matt Jones]

Oh, wow. Look at. Look at Shannon.

[Ryan Lemond]

Good line, Shannon.

[Matt Jones]

I just. If it's true that he goes and meets with the wives, that is so inappropriate. And I. But, you know, it's funny. They took this case, and it ended up. Now people talking about this other thing. He's a former NFL coach, too. Coach with the Giants. Who's up first?

[Ryan Lemond]

Rick got Bird. Up first, Bird.

[Matt Jones]

Go ahead, Bird. What's going on, guys?

[Caller]

So, as we all know, Hope has had some injury problems the last two years. Do you think he's considered playing on a grass field to prevent injuries moving forward?

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, I mean, that was. I know, in your head, you thought that would be a really good joke, but this is bad. Yeah. I mean, it's okay. Like, they can't ask Ryan. They can't all be winners.

[Shannon Dawson]

Most of them don't, as a matter of fact.

[Matt Jones]

But that's okay. But I appreciate the call. There is the. The injury thing is going to continue to plague Pope in terms of. I. I still think, though, when you consider the energy injuries they've had, Ryan, it's mostly freak occurrences.

[Ryan Lemond]

So it's happened two years in a row. What if it does happen one more time next year, they get decimated by injuries again. That just. It's kind of crazy it's happening the way it's happened right now. But what if it happens again?

[Matt Jones]

I guess it still matters to me, Drew, what the injury is. I mean, those separated shoulders for Low and Butler. What's he supposed to do about that? I mean, what's he supposed to do? Acquaintance was injured when he got here, right? I mean, maybe the Cam. William. I mean, May. I don't know. But, like, in general, these seem like freak occurrences.

[Drew Franklin]

I mean, you know, maybe you could prevent what Cam Williams did. I don't know. I didn't pay attention in basic science, but he was just, like, backpedaling and, like, stepped wrong and broke his foot or whatever. They. They do seem to all be freak injuries. And with trainers, it's more about. I would think, getting them more in shape and getting them ready to go in a hurry, but these have been operating pretty significant injuries.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah. By the way. Well, let's hold on to quaint, because it's getting pretty close to. He's not gonna play. Like, he's not holding on to us. Well, I mean, if he. If he doesn't play tomorrow, which he's not going to. Well, we'll talk about it. Let's take a break. We'll be right back. We are hitting Radcliffe at Don Franklin Auto. This is ksl. Welcome back. It is Kentucky Sports Radio here at Don Franklin. Go the distance with powertrain protection on certified Prio makes and mod for 10 years or unlimited miles here at Don Franklin. Don Franklin. Radcliffe. Like we said, you can hear the crowd, how great they are. They also got everybody. What is that? Little Caesar's Pizza.

[Ryan Lemond]

Pizza.

[Matt Jones]

Pizza, Pizza. Here.

[Shannon Dawson]

He's wound up today.

[Caller]

Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

Is this. Is this. Cause you're going to a fancy restaurant tomorrow night for Valentine's Day. Yeah.

[Ryan Lemond]

Valentine's Day is for lovers.

[Matt Jones]

I got, what, an hour and 15. Yeah. Yep.

[Drew Franklin]

To deal with this.

[Matt Jones]

I don't know. I don't know if I'm gonna be able to do it. I really don't. I mean, there's so many. Like, there's so many times I want to stop him, but I can't. All right, Drew. Jaden Quaintance. I said, like, three weeks ago that if he didn't play in the Florida game, I was going to presume he wasn't going to play the rest of the year because he had a week off. It would be this. I mean, we're playing on abc. I think we've only played on ABC like twice in, in 17 years. So it's like a, this is going to be a highly watched game. And I just. And they're. And he's playing against bigs who are NBA bigs. Right. So if you're acquaintance and you're trying to rise in the draft, this, this is a big game. He is not going to play. The conversation yesterday was that we're still dealing with, quote, a little swelling. I'm kind of bully not believing that. I don't know how long you can have a little swelling. It's been like a month. So I'm just going to assume. Well, let me ask you, is there any reason for me not just to assume he's not going to play?

[Drew Franklin]

I think Ryan will play before Jade Quaint for Kentucky.

[Matt Jones]

Okay.

[Drew Franklin]

That tells you how I feel about it. And I was a big believer for most of the year, but when he sat down for the swelling and then it was a game and then another game and then another game and they shut him down, that's all I need to see.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah.

[Drew Franklin]

I mean, he's not even practicing right now. Even if you were to bring a guy back that barely played four games off an ACL injury, I don't even.

[Matt Jones]

Know how many played for was it.

[Drew Franklin]

I mean, some of those weren't even very minutes. But yeah, this game's played. I just don't even know what he would add.

[Matt Jones]

We'll always have the St. John's game, I guess. Yeah. Well, how you go. Let's just say he doesn't play Shannon for the rest of the year. How do we look at. I mean, we. Reports say we paid $2 million now, you know, I don't know if that's true or not. Probably is, though, or at least in the ballpark, because that would have been probably what his market value would have been. How do we look at that? Him coming here, rehabbing his acl and let's say it's. It's three games of play.

[Shannon Dawson]

Fans are going to feel like they get ripped off. I mean, it's not my money, but $2 million to come in here and play four games and sit on the bench and have knee swelling the entire year, I just think it's unacceptable. But I don't know what you do moving forward with players like that. Do you just not take A chance on a guy who's injured, or what do you do if you're Mark Pope?

[Matt Jones]

So I think Mark Pope's view, and I understood this at the time, was like, he was like gravy. He thought he had this, like, perfect meal of a roster. He thought he had really two of everything. And then quaintance was the, Was like, okay, this is a bonus because remember, think about, we have four big. So I think he, he thought we'd have two of everything. So I don't think this costs you the team, but it is $2 million, for instance, that you could have used to get Lamar Wilkerson, a guy who could have shot three. So I, I, you know, I don't want to disparage the kid. He seems like a really smart and good kid. Like, I. What I've taught you, he's the one that plays chess.

[Ryan Lemond]

That.

[Matt Jones]

But I don't know, go join the.

[Shannon Dawson]

Chess team is all I could tell you. Maybe you play there.

[Matt Jones]

This was a gamble, Ryan, that I think we're going to end up having to say, didn't work. Right.

[Ryan Lemond]

I, I don't think they would have played him in December if he wasn't ready, if the doctors didn't clear him. So I, I can see, you know, they wait until the doctors clear him. But, you know, you've seen it, man. Some guys get over ACL injuries in seven, eight, nine months. Some guys, it takes over a year. That was a devastating knee injury, had not just tore the acl. He broke some bones in there, but.

[Matt Jones]

He did come back and play.

[Ryan Lemond]

So did he maybe tweak it and re. Injure it? Is that what's causing this issue right now?

[Matt Jones]

I mean, we'll never know. Like, I mean, we don't. It's. It's hard to know these guys.

[Drew Franklin]

I think there's more to it than.

[Matt Jones]

I think there is, too.

[Drew Franklin]

I mean, he genuinely, if this, everybody does that. If it was your kid, he genuinely is locked into a lottery spot right now. And if he were to come back and sit behind Brandon Garrison and Moreno, he could lose that. I mean, he, we don't love that as fans, but when you're in his shoes, he has to realize what he could lose and probably not gain by coming. I don't know that he can climb any higher than he is. If he comes back, all he can do is fall.

[Matt Jones]

Well, I mean, the reality is we're going to have one lottery pick in the, in the Pope era, and he played three games.

[Drew Franklin]

Yep.

[Matt Jones]

But, I mean, I'll be One positive spin. He. He helped us beat St. John.

[Ryan Lemond]

He did.

[Matt Jones]

And on Selection Sunday, that's going to be a win that actually is pretty positive for us.

[Drew Franklin]

They got to find a way because this happened with Brown a little bit at Louisville. I don't know what's going on at Peterson. It's not just that it needs to be in a contract. The people that paid that 2 million are not going to do that year after year. If things like this become a little more reoccurring, there's got to be a way to.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, there's not.

[Drew Franklin]

But if that were 2 million and you said, I would love to pay 2 million for Jaden Quaint, that's awesome. And then this happened, and next year they're like, all right, we need 2 million for this guy.

[Matt Jones]

You're going to be like, well, Peterson, Brown, though, will be playing in March. Jayden Quaint's will not. Who's next? Adam is up next. Adam, go ahead, Adam. Adam. All right. No, Adam. Who's next? Rick Gary is next. Gary, go ahead. Gary.

[Caller]

Good. Gary in Orlando. Guys, good morning.

[Matt Jones]

Good morning.

[Caller]

The state of Kentucky. The state of Kentucky. And the Wildcats lost a great fan this week. She's right there in Vine Grove, 101 years old. Ernestine Amos and her son is one of the key members of keeping our group together in Orlando. And when I was going through all my health issues back in October, she called me in the hospital. And God bless Ernestine, and may she rest in peace. Second thing I'd like to say is everybody wants to name this team. Years back, Orlando had a team called Heart and Hustle. Maybe they want to consider that one. Thank you, guys.

[Matt Jones]

Appreciate it. Remember, no more naming of teams.

[Shannon Dawson]

Like Heart and Hustle.

[Matt Jones]

Problem is, I'm letting these sneak through, which leads to more. No more naming of teams. But God bless Ernestine, Heart and Hustle. I can't name this team that, Ryan, because we've had. Had moments during the season when we haven't had it, but in these key. In these key games in the second half, they have played with a lot of heart and Hustle. And I. I think they have been in the last nine games better than the talent looks like it should be. To be honest with you. Like, I still don't know how we're good in some ways.

[Ryan Lemond]

I think that's why we're falling in love with him a little bit. Just that fight, you know, we didn't see it early on the season. Now we're seeing that fight in that heart coming from behind these big deficits, you do can't help yourself but to, like, kind of fall in love with these guys.

[Matt Jones]

Who do you think is the person drew that kind of most that they follow? Like, who's the. Who's the person whose effort always has to be there? Like, he can't be away because he takes. He takes some things off sometimes. Who is. Is it Aberdeen, maybe?

[Drew Franklin]

Aberdeen. It's one of those two, because the other guys, they're just rotating too much. And I don't think Marino would be my third option. It's got to be Aberdeen or Oway. I. I will say away, though, here lately, he hasn't felt like, you know, early on we were questioned his attitude. It was very obvious there were times where he wasn't locked in. I can't even think of an instance here lately, since they've been on this run, that he's done that.

[Matt Jones]

I will say this. Aberdeen did an interview yesterday where he talked about how Jalen Lowe and he are, like, best friends on the team. I do think early in the year that the Low and Aberdeen kind of as a group and away were just not on the same page. Sometimes it felt like they wouldn't. They didn't pass the ball to each other. I feel like that's gone away.

[Ryan Lemond]

I do, too.

[Matt Jones]

I feel like whatever that was, I think that's gone because I do think you watch Aberdeen and Oway, there's a closeness with the two of them that was not there at the beginning of the year. I don't know how that changed, but I do think it's changed. We'll take a break and come back hour number two here in Radcliffe, Kentucky Sports Radio.