Kentucky Sports Radio (KSR) – Hour 2 – February 20, 2026

Host: Matt Jones
Co-hosts: Shannon, Drew, and others
Podcast: iHeartPodcasts and Sports Talk 790 (WKRD-AM)

Episode Overview

Hour two of KSR dives deep into the latest UK basketball and football news, debates high school sports policy, examines Kentucky’s place among college basketball bluebloods, and takes plenty of sharp, sometimes hilarious calls from listeners. The team also dissects the impact of the NCAA transfer portal, rumors about future UK basketball coaching candidates, and Kentucky high school football’s proposed private school multiplier. There's a dose of pop culture, from crime documentaries to music trivia, and discussions of ongoing sports stories like the Savannah Guthrie case and the 2026 Winter Olympics. The tone is conversational, witty, and fast-moving, typical of KSR's unique blend of analysis and banter.

Key Topics & Insights

1. UK Sports, Performance Bonuses & NIL

• Performance Bonuses in College Sports
  • Listener concern: Performance bonuses would encourage "me-ball," fostering selfish play (01:09).
  • Matt Jones: “I hadn't really thought about that... If you were like, you get a bonus if you score 10 points a game, there might be a moment where you're like, I got to get my 10 points.” (01:22)
  • Drew: Suggests other schools would simply offer straight cash up front, outbidding any bonus-based structure (01:43).

2. UK Basketball: Superstitions, Rivalries & Recruiting

• Superstition – Anthem Kneeling "Curse"

  • Caller wonders if Kentucky's anthem-kneeling "cursed" the team. Matt and crew refute this, with Matt stating, “If you remember, they won that game.” (02:09)
  • Drew: “Let's keep the curse energy on Annabelle.” (02:28)
  • Shannon jokes about apologizing to the haunted doll Annabelle (02:37).

• Recruiting and the Transfer Portal

  • Matt shares Naismith Award stats: Of top 30 college basketball players, 23 started at their school as freshmen, only 7 came through the portal; 11 are freshmen (22:58-23:32).

    “So this idea that everybody's good, that comes from the portal. Only seven of the top 30 players in the country did not start at their same school.” (23:18, Matt Jones)

  • Emphasizes that high school recruiting remains essential.

• UK vs. Louisville vs. Duke–UNC Rivalry

  • Caller question: Which rivalry is better: UK–Louisville or Duke–UNC?
  • Matt:

    “UNC Duke is probably a more passionate rivalry because they play each other twice a year... UK–Louisville has more hate.” (13:55-14:51)

  • Drew notes geographical proximity breeds familiarity—and some friendliness—between Duke and UNC, unlike the purer hate of UK–Louisville (14:51-15:20).

• Possible Future Coaches: Bruce Pearl

  • Speculation that if the current coaching regime doesn’t work, UK would “need a sure winner.” Pearl seen as politically opposed to Matt but an undoubted winner; hiring complicated by university administration (31:57-34:12).

3. Kentucky High School Football: The Private School Multiplier

• Discussion of KHSA’s private school multiplier proposal

  • Overview: Private schools would multiply their population by 1.35 for classification, pushing them into higher classes to address perceived recruiting advantages (09:11–12:15).
  • Matt:

    “Sounds like they're just going after the smaller private schools.” (10:28)

  • Multiple hosts: Argue private schools can draw students (and athletes) from broader geographic areas versus public schools.
  • Drew:

    “Makes sense that they have a built in advantage, trying to level it.” (11:55)

  • Discussion of similar rules in Ohio and Indiana, including “competitive balance” which weighs transfers and length of attendance (37:21–38:30).
  • Noted: “Four of the six state titles were won by private schools this past season.” (17:49, Matt Jones)

• Listener Calls Kansas, Ohio, and Indiana Models

  • Caller Christian details Ohio’s “competitive balance" system for all sports, based on transfers and years in school (37:21).

4. Crime, Conspiracies, and Pop Culture

• HBO ‘Glitter Ball’ Documentary & Attorney Romans

  • Discussion of Louisville murder case featured in new documentary, highlighting lawyer Romans’ Forrest Gump-like knack for being “in everything” from high-profile criminal cases to WWE lawsuits (03:03–04:57).
    • “Romans is like Forrest Gump, man. He shows up in everything.” (03:13, Matt Jones)
    • Stories include WWE injury lawsuits, high-stakes Kentucky homicides.

• Savannah Guthrie Case

  • Ongoing missing person case, speculation about cartel involvement and use of her pacemaker for tracking (06:45–08:17).
  • Exasperation at the criminal’s sloppiness vs. police inability to resolve the case.
    • “We found bin Laden... and this is just a dude.” (07:28, Matt Jones)
    • Hosts mock wild conspiracy theories and public’s insatiable need to speculate (08:38).

5. UK Basketball Roster, Portal, and Talent

• Questions about Portal Targets

  • Several callers ask about portal prospects like Brett Decker Jr. from Liberty and his ability to guard SEC athletes (27:54–30:59).
  • Matt and Drew discuss how shooting prowess is not enough if a player can't defend at the SEC level—using Trent Noah and Antonio Reeves as examples.

• Callers on Calipari, Mark Pope, and Patino

  • Caller wonders if UK should have hired Rick Patino (39:55); Matt says administration would never have done so.
  • Debate whether Mark Pope is the right hire, but all agree: “Was it time for John Calipari to go? Yes. Was Mark Pope the right hire? We'll see.” (40:50–41:26)

6. Music Trivia & Cultural Tangents

• "Black Betty" Song and TikTok Reactions

  • Discussion of the band behind “Black Betty,” with Matt surprised “it’s a bunch of white hippies” and referencing TikTok reactions (21:13).

• Music Versions and Remixes

  • Argument over availability and popularity of certain song versions, conjecture about producers being cancelled, or remixes replacing classics (16:47–17:11).

7. Olympics & Lighthearted Predictions

• Hosts give quick picks for the USA vs. Slovakia in Winter Olympics hockey semifinals and chat about favorite contests and players (42:01–43:10).

Notable Quotes

• On NIL Performance Bonuses:
  “If you were like, you get a bonus if you score 10 points a game, there might be a moment where you're like, I got to get my 10 points.”
  — Matt Jones (01:22)

• On Private School Advantages:
  “Sounds like they're just going after the smaller private schools.”
  — Matt Jones (10:28)

• On the Portal vs. High School Recruiting:
  “So this idea that everybody's good, that comes from the portal. Only seven of the top 30... did not start at their same school.”
  — Matt Jones (23:18)

• On UK–Louisville Rivalry:
  “UK–Louisville has more hate... if you're talking about who hates each other more... it's UK–Louisville.”
  — Matt Jones (14:51–15:22)

• On Bruce Pearl as a Future Coach:
  “If you want to know how much I want to win basketball. Who's more... anti my politics than Bruce Pearl? I'd say we need to win. I'll just mute you on Twitter.”
  — Matt Jones (32:09)

• On Sloppy Crime and Conspiracies:
  “We found bin Laden in a house in Pakistan and went in there and got him... and this is just a dude.”
  — Matt Jones (07:28)

• On Calipari vs. Mark Pope:
  “Was it time for John Cal Perry to go? Yes. Was Mark Pope the right hire? We'll see.”
  — Matt Jones (41:26)

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Time | Topic | |------------|------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:09 | NIL Performance Bonuses: “Me Ball” and Recruiting Issues | | 02:11 | “Curse” after Anthem-Kneeling Debunked | | 03:03 | HBO's Glitter Ball Documentary & Romans’ Legal Career | | 06:45 | Savannah Guthrie Case, Conspiracies and Law Enforcement | | 09:11 | KHSA Private School Multiplier Discussion Begins | | 13:03 | Callers Debate Duke–UNC vs. UK–Louisville Rivalry | | 17:49 | “Four of the six state titles were won by private schools” | | 22:58 | Naismith Award Stats: Portal vs. Recruiting | | 27:12 | Portal Candidates, Focus on Defense and Fit | | 31:57 | Bruce Pearl Coaching Scenario | | 34:58 | Music Trivia: “Black Betty” on TikTok | | 37:21 | Callers: Other States’ Private School Policies | | 39:55 | UK Slipping From Blueblood Status: Caller’s Perspective | | 40:50 | Mark Pope vs. Calipari Revisited | | 42:01 | Winter Olympics: Hockey Predictions |

Final Thoughts

Hour 2 of KSR (Feb. 20, 2026) is a prime example of why the show thrives: energetic, opinionated, news-savvy, and unafraid to tackle complex issues with both humor and insight. The hosts guide listeners through UK’s current situations, give historical and policy context to high school sports controversies, handle calls with wit, and even manage some tangents into crime and music. The episode is essential listening for Kentucky sports fans or anyone curious about the unique intersection of southern sports culture and talk radio.