KSR (Kentucky Sports Radio) – Hour 2

Date: February 24, 2026
Hosts: Matt Jones & KSR Crew
Theme: Kentucky Sports, College Basketball Culture, Listener Q&A, and Quirky Insights

Overview

This hour of KSR dives into the unique culture around Kentucky sports, focusing on basketball traditions, listener interactions, and humorous, often personal anecdotes about coaches and the broader college sports scene. The crew debates changing norms—like whether coaches should wear suits—explores quirky local trivia, takes calls on tourney matchups and officiating, and shares offbeat facts about Kentucky coaches. The episode concludes with predictions and trademark KSR banter.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Local Lore: The First Fazoli's Debate

• The crew kicks off with a discussion about where the first Fazoli’s restaurant was located in Lexington.
• Shannon contends it was on North Broadway, citing a tweet from Corey Price, while Matt pushes back, referencing conflicting stories.
• Resolution: Grazzi’s on North Broadway later became Fazoli’s; the "new" Fazoli’s opened on Richmond Road.
  • “See, this is why you can’t always listen to these people. Because they all told me it was on North Broadway, and it sounds like I was right.” — Matt, [46:01]

2. Cultural Correctness: “Sauna” vs. “Sauna”

• A message from Claudia (Matt’s mom’s and friends’ Finnish friend) leads to a correction of the pronunciation: It’s actually “sow-nuh,” not “saw-nuh”.
• Humor ensues as the crew considers using this as a sauna "icebreaker."
  • “You can tell everybody we’re not in a sauna. We’re in a sauna.” — Matt, [04:56]

3. Should Basketball Coaches Dress Up?

• Pat Riley's statue unveiling sparks debate: should coaches still wear suits?
  • Riley calls out current coaches for dressing down.
    • “All these coaches now don’t wear suits. We need to show professionalism and wear suits.” — Pat Riley, through Matt, [06:12]
• The crew is divided:
  • Drew: Misses the authoritative look of a suit but admits comfort matters.
  • Matt: Prefers at least “some level of professionalism”—coaches shouldn't dress like equipment managers or preachers in jeans at Club 11. It's about authority and respect.
  • Shannon: Highlights that branding (Nike/Adidas logos) and COVID-era habits likely contribute to the switch.
  • Notable moment: References to Bob Knight’s red sweater, Huggins' tracksuits, and Kim Mulkey’s statement fashion.

4. Pop Culture Tangent: RuPaul’s “Supermodel” & KSR Nostalgia

• Matt insists RuPaul’s “Supermodel” was a major 90s hit; the crew disputes knowing it until he has it played live.
  • Quote: “You act like it wasn’t a big song in the 90s… That’s what made RuPaul famous!” — Matt, [10:54]
• Listeners chime in to confirm the song’s fame, affirming Matt’s pop culture memory.
• Fun sidebars: Gerardo (of “Rico Suave”) is now a pastor in Ashland.

5. Listener Q&A: Officiating, Analytics, and UK Tourney Scenarios

• Analytics in Sports:
  • Oakland A's “Moneyball” strategy worked when few teams used it; now analytics are ubiquitous, market advantage lost.
    • “Now everybody uses analytics, so it doesn’t really work as well as it did then…” — Matt, [13:26]
• Officiating Complaints:
  • After a controversial Auburn game, listeners and the crew mull the best way for coaches to influence refs: anger, charm, or extremes?
  • Matt's theory: Only two personality types consistently get what they want—extremely nice or extremely difficult.
  • Drew: “If I’m a ref and I get the ones that are yelling at me nonstop, my brain is thinking, I’ll show you…” — [17:20]
• Bracketology:
  • Which two-seed would UK want to face as a 7-seed?
    • Preferred order: Illinois, Iowa State, Purdue, Houston (least).
    • “Of those, I would want to play Illinois first, then Iowa State, then Purdue and then Houston.” — Matt, [25:03]
  • UK’s likely seeding, potential matchups, and what one-seed would be least bad (UConn, in KSR’s view).

6. Football vs. Basketball: What Happens First?

• A caller asks if it’s more likely Kentucky will have a new basketball coach or make the College Football Playoff by 2028.
• Consensus: New basketball coach is more likely, unless playoff field greatly expands.
  • If the playoff hits 24 teams, UK could make it; at 12, no chance under current trends.

7. Ongoing Kentucky True Crime: The Nancy Guthrie Case

• New developments: Security footage shows a masked man at the home days before the abduction; possibly mistaken identity due to a neighbor's gemstone business.
• Matt recommends Hellhound on His Trail by Hampton Sides (about the MLK assassination and hunt for James Earl Ray), drawing parallels between criminal investigations and overestimating a suspect's intelligence.
  • “They were just assuming he wouldn’t do the stupid thing... and he continued to do the stupid thing.” — Matt, [33:02]

8. Listener Calls: NIL, “Name on the Front”, and Changing UK Recruiting

• Does "playing for the name on the front" still attract players?
  • Drew: Not really. It’s about money and minutes—nostalgia is for fans.
  • Generational gap: Recent UK greats like John Wall and Anthony Davis are “old heads” to recruits.

9. Odd Trivia: Kentucky Coaches’ Quirks

• REMARKABLE COACH FACTS:
  • John Calipari: Ate alone at Golden Corral weekly; favorite dessert—a plate of whipped cream.
    • “Every Thursday afternoon by himself…just a plate of whipped cream as dessert.” — Matt, [46:38]
  • Billy Gillispie: Known for solo karaoke under aliases at Shenanway Pub (singing "Amanda").
  • Mark Stoops: Famously parks up front at Kroger in Beaumont, sometimes at Starbucks—less eccentric but noted.
  • Rick Pitino: [Jokingly—playing off the infamous restaurant scandal] “Would have premarital sex with a woman in a restaurant booth… the equipment managers watching.” [49:57] (Crew laughs; Matt references the real-life scandal with exaggeration for humor.)
  • Listener reaction: Crew reacts, “That truly sounds unbelievable. There had to have been consequences for that.”

10. Game Night Predictions

• South Carolina player Miles Stewart is out; the line is UK by 7.
• Shannon: “I think it’s uncomfortably close for most of the game, till they finally…pull it out at the end.” [52:04]
• Matt: Predicts a comfortable double-digit win, referencing South Carolina’s blowout losses to top teams.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “You should look different than the equipment manager.” — Drew, [07:47]
• “You either have to be insanely nice or a jerk to get what you want.” — Matt, [16:41]
• “It’s not sauna. Sauna. So… Ryan, you should go around only saying 'sauna.'” — Matt, [04:15]
• “I have never been so aroused.” — Matt about Calipari’s whipped-cream plate at Golden Corral, [46:38]
• “Your dream home awaits at bluegrasshomescenter.com…you can choose the siding, the shutters, the kitchen colors…” — Matt (reads ad in the same laid-back style as the rest of the show), [40:30]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [03:20] – Hour Two Intro / Fazoli’s origin debate
• [04:15] – The “sauna” pronunciation debate
• [05:25] – Pat Riley/NBA dress code discussion
• [10:54] – RuPaul “Supermodel” music/pop culture sidebar
• [13:09] – Analytics & officiating discussions
• [25:03] – Tournament bracket scenarios
• [27:03] – 2028 football vs. basketball coaching debate
• [31:38] – True crime updates & MLK assassination book rec
• [39:14] – NIL & modern player recruiting
• [46:38] – Coaches’ weirdest habits
• [51:42] – South Carolina-UK game predictions

Conclusion

This hour is a quintessential KSR blend: sports debate, local color, nostalgia, trivia, and community call-ins, laced with humor and irreverence. The show jumps effortlessly from NCAA policy to pop culture and then back to uniquely Kentucky stories—always with a wink and a laugh for both the die-hard and the casual listener.