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- [00:01]
America 250 Announcer
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- [00:31]
Shannon
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Rob Dauster
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Rob Dauster
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Jeff Goodman
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- [01:01]
Caller
All?
- [01:01]
Jeff Goodman
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- [02:20]
Jeff Goodman
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Rob Dauster
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Jeff Goodman
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Rob Dauster
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Jeff Goodman
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- [03:19]
Shannon
this is Kentucky Sports Radio presented by Stockton Mortgage and the Kentucky Office of Highway Safety Safe Summer Driving Tour. Now here's Matt Jones.
- [03:33]
Rob Dauster
It's not Matt Jones, it's Rob Dar and Jeff Goodman. It is the field of 68 takeover of KSR. We got another hour here with you guys on this beautiful Monday morning. I don't know what the weather is down there in Kentucky, but up here in South Jersey it is 80 degrees, it is sunny, there is no humidity, the breeze is blowing, there's not a cloud in the sky and it could not the nicer outside. So nothing better than jumping on the radio with you guys to talk about him. Goodman, you were able to catch up with someone that knows new Kentucky athletic director Jay Bat earlier today and you just texted me little behind the scenes on how the show works. Goodman just texted me and said let's talk jb. That's it. That's all he wanted to say. So Goodman, let's talk jb.
- [04:18]
Jeff Goodman
Yeah. So Kentucky made it official. They have hired Jason Jbat, who was at Michigan State as the athletic director for the last year or so, but he was at Alabama for a while. So I made a couple calls this morning to Alabama head coach NATO, to former Alabama assistant Brian Hodson, who's now the Providence head coach, who was basically J. Batt's next door neighbor in Tuscaloosa. And I'll give you a little basically what they both said was this guy's an incredible fundraiser. That's the biggest strength of J. Bat. Unbelievable fundraiser. That's what he was at Alabama before he was elevated to deputy ad. And here's the quote from Brian Hodson. J. Batt is as good of a person as you'll come across. He's an elite leader, one of the best fundraisers in all of college athletics and as a forward thinker and he gets stuff done type of guy. He has a tremendous family that will embrace everything about Lexington and Kentucky Wildcat athletics. That was from Brian Hodson, the now provenance head coach Oates. Honestly, he reiterated some of those same things. Said an elite fundraiser, really, really good with people. His back. He's 44 years old and that's probably rob the most important thing right now when it comes to well one A or one B in being an athletic director right now at the high major level is being able to raise money. I think it's raising money and, and also, and this probably goes hand in hand. You know, being proactive, understanding the landscape now and being forward thinking and kind of being ahead of the game and not behind. And it sounds like jbad. That's one of the biggest strengths for, for him as well as a people person. He does well with obviously the boosters dealing with the money people there raising money. And again I think it's figuring out what's next and trying to be ahead of the game.
- [06:31]
Rob Dauster
Yeah, My, my biggest concern is that his nickname is Jay, but he just goes with the letter J instead of like J A Y. Is that something should they be concerned
- [06:42]
Jeff Goodman
about that you're worried, you're really worried about the, the letter J instead of J A Y. That's what you're worried about here.
- [06:50]
Rob Dauster
It, it, it threw me off when I was trying to figure out who this guy was. It was like J.
- [06:54]
Jeff Goodman
This is probably, honestly this is probably when Matt Jones asked me to host again to guest host. I will pick another co host.
- [07:05]
Rob Dauster
I'm gonna go ahead and say that me and Matt are on the same page when it comes to being confused about the letter in his name. That seems like the kind of thing that Matt Jones would pick up on and figure out. So no, I, I think you are 100 correct about the fundraising part of it. Right. Because the, the being able to find ways, creative ways to fund rosters that are only going to get more like. I don't, I don't see the cost of an elite player in college basketball or college football going down anytime soon and being able to consistently generate revenue to fund those rosters and fund those players. That's. The teams that do that well are going to be the teams that win consistently when it comes to college athletics right now. There are going to be programs where there is a big booster or there is a, a slush fund that will be used for a short period of time. But at some point. Right. Even the richest people in the world are going to say why AM I spending $20 million a year, $15 million a year to just fund a basketball? Like, where's the roi? Where's the return on investment? So being able to find ways to generate those funds that don't just rely on people giving money and putting money into a pot, I think is going to be the key for a lot of these. It's not just Kentucky, it's everywhere. Right. That's how you find a way to. To be able to consistently fund these programs.
- [08:31]
Jeff Goodman
All right, so you. You wanted to get into the Mark Pope conversation. I think this is the way to do it in. In a way. I talked to a third person this morning, and his quote was, you know, this is a guy that's not afraid to make tough decisions. Well, J back comes in and he comes into year three of the Mark Pope era, which I think is going to be critical. I think we all feel like it's going to be critical to the future of Mark Pope at Kentucky as the head coach. You know, this is a guy who might have a tough decision to make at the end of this season, depending on how this team does this year. And, man, it's one that, you know, the AD at Kentucky, it's.
- [09:19]
Caller
It's.
- [09:19]
Jeff Goodman
It's kind of like, you know, the AD at Greg Byrne at Alabama with football, you know, it's similar in that respect. There's so much pressure on him, especially when things don't go perfectly and they're not, you know, playing for Final Fours. There's a lot of, you know, public scrutiny about Mark Pope. And again, I think. I think Mark Pope, when we. When we finish this season, I think we're going to see a season of, you know, top 10 ish to 20 for most of the year. I think we're going to see a season where they go to the sweet 16. And what does that do for a guy like J. Bad who. Who takes over, you know, six months, eight months earlier, as the athletic director and has to potentially make a big decision?
- [10:10]
Rob Dauster
I think the big question with that, and I don't by any stretch of the imagination think that. That Kentucky should be really considering moving off of Mark Pope yet. Right. I think you need to play this game. I think you need to back them. I think you need to support him. I think you need to play this season as if they're like, he is the. The. It's his first year. Right. You want that honeymoon phase back, because I think that that helps everybody involved. But if that decision ends up getting made, right, I think the Key is going to end up being who can you get? You don't want to have this be a situation where you move on and then you're stuck going down the list of trying to find somebody to replace them. Right. Like, I, I think about what happened with North Carolina, where they move on from Hubert Davis, and it's like, you got this list and it's like NATO and Tommy Lloyd and Dusty May and all of these different names. And everyone just kind of says, like, T.J. otzelberger, Billy Donovan. Like, you just go down the list and it's just like, thanks, but no thanks. Thanks, but no thanks. Thanks, but no thanks. And you just keep getting told no. And eventually you get to a point where you make a higher. And everyone's just kind of like, is this. Is this really the right move? So I, I think that's what you have to avoid if you are. If you ever move on from Mark Pope. And, and to me, correct me if I'm wrong, there is no clear option. There is no, like, hey, listen, when we make this move, this is the guy we're going to go get. And he's.
- [11:33]
Jeff Goodman
People are going to say Nate Oats now. Rob, Rob, let me stop you. People are going to say the name Nate Oats now if they make a move now, I'll say this. NATO just signed a new deal, an extension in which the buyout is really high. I don't think NATO moves anywhere after this coming season. I think two, three, four years down the road possibly. I don't think he moves anywhere this coming season. Even. Even if it's Kentucky to work for his former. I don't know. Boss is the right word with jbab, but that's going to be the name that is thrown around at the end of the year if things go awry. And again, I don't think things are going to go in the direction they went the first half of last season again this year. But if they do, that's the name we're going to hear over and over and over. And I don't think it's very realistic that NATO leaves Alabama after this season anywhere.
- [12:36]
Rob Dauster
Well, let me ask you this, then, when it comes to this, since we're on the. On the topic, right. Bluegrass mentioned this when he. When he called in earlier, which I love that we have a caller on KSR who just calls himself Bluegrass. That's one of my. That. That just makes my soul happy. Right. The last two seasons, the two seasons that Pope has been here, his starting point guard has been in and out with, with injuries. Right? Like Lamont Butler had the shoulder, Jalen Lowe had the shoulder. You're. You always say, right, what's our joke? The running button, the point guard button, right point guard play, point guard play, point guard play. If your point guard gets injured and it happens in back to back years and it's fluke injuries and it's freak injuries and it's shoulders and they're trying to play through it and they can't. How much that. That has to get factored into the conversation of. They finished seventh, they finished fifth. You know, you're 22 and 14 last year. I don't think you can just gloss over the fact that Mark Pope has lost his starting point guard both of the, the two years that he's been at Kentucky. Like that has to be something that we discussed. How much should that be factored in?
- [13:43]
Jeff Goodman
00,000. I mean two years ago, maybe a little bit because, you know, you had a couple, you had Kirk Reese as a backup. He got hurt also last year. I think it's worse than. I actually think it's worse that they didn't have a backup last year that was competent enough. When Jalen Lowe went out after what happened two years ago, you didn't learn from your mistakes.
- [14:09]
Caller
Wow.
- [14:12]
Rob Dauster
I don't, I don't know that. That seems harsh.
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Jeff Goodman
It's fair. Rob. You, you got to learn from your. He learned in year three. Now he got two high level point guards. Why didn't he do that last year?
- [14:28]
Rob Dauster
Because it's hard to get two. Only one of them can play.
- [14:31]
Jeff Goodman
You got two this year. You play together, you play them together. John Wall and Bledo did it. I mean plenty of teams right now play two point guards. Plenty of teams around the country play two point guards. So that's not a valid excuse. That's not a valid excuse. Especially with Jaylen Low who came in with some question marks. Let's be honest. Like, he didn't come in where you're thinking, hey, this is definitely the dude. He's going to be. High, high level. He came in, as you said earlier, in this low efficiency, some question marks as, as a team guy, as a guy who could lead, make people better. There were a lot of, there were a lot of concerns with Jalen Lowe coming in. You had to bring in another point guard to me a year ago. Had to.
- [15:18]
Rob Dauster
Yeah. I, I think there's definitely places to criticize the roster building that Mark Pope pulled off last year. I don't know if it. The. I don't think I would start with only bringing in one point guard. 13 guys.
- [15:33]
Jeff Goodman
Rob, you had $22 million in 13 guys.
- [15:38]
Rob Dauster
How much. How much money was it good?
- [15:42]
Jeff Goodman
I don't know. 20 plus. I don't know. I'm not going to say 22. 22 has been reported and Aberdeen ended up being okay, but he's not a point. He's not. He's not really a guy who makes people better consistently. That, that wasn't what. What he was really brought into.
- [15:59]
Rob Dauster
I think. I think my biggest critique of the way that the roster was built last year was that they brought in a lot of really good players. They didn't go out and bring in a star. And, and I know that Ortega owe was there and I love Ortega. Oh, this is not meant as a shot as Ortega owe.
- [16:16]
Caller
But.
- [16:17]
Rob Dauster
But I think that he is best when he's like the 1B. I think it was difficult to ask him to be the, the guy that you run everything around. And I don't know if they necessarily have a star this year, but I do think that Malachi Moreno is the. Is going to be a guy that you could kind of build things around. I think his ability to pass out of the post, I think how big he is, I think the fact that he could be a little bit of a facilitator at the top of the key and, and kind of run offense through him and around him similar to what Pope did with, with Ali Khalifa when he was at byu. I, I think that that makes a little bit more sense. But that would be my criticism is, is you had all of that money. Is there an NBA guy on that roster from last year? Like, other than Jaden Quaintance who did not play? Like, is there an NBA guy on that roster?
- [17:05]
Jeff Goodman
No, no, I don't think so. I mean, maybe a guy will make a team and you know, have a chance, but not a, not a legitimate like rotation to me. NBA guy. Probably not. No, no. But.
- [17:18]
Rob Dauster
But we'll get there at some point.
- [17:20]
Jeff Goodman
But, but yes, your excuse, your excuse to me, you know, like, I don't think you can use that as I think it's more of an indictment on that staff a year ago and now learning from their mistakes and saying, hey, we're gonna go get two point guards of which if one goes down, we still got another high level one. And while I think we would both agree they don't fit perfectly together, Diallo and Wilkins, man, it gives you the ultimate insurance policy that most teams don't have.
- [17:50]
Caller
Yep.
- [17:51]
Rob Dauster
That is true. Listen, we got to get to a break. We're going to talk more about this Kentucky roster. We're going to talk more about Mark Pope. We're going to talk about Cat and Dearon Fox making it to the NBA Finals. We're going to take a couple more of your calls. 859-280-2287 Ask Goodman whatever you want. He will answer it here on KSR
- [18:09]
America 250 Announcer
this July 4th come celebrate at America's Block Party. Hosted by America 250, America's Block Party is a can't miss 4th of July concert happening at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Experience music, performances from major artists, patriotic tributes and the kickoff to giving 4th, helping to make July 4th the largest day of giving in American history. It's more than just fireworks. Learn more about this landmark celebration@america250.org
- [18:39]
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Jeff Goodman
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Jeff Goodman
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Jeff Goodman
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- [19:24]
Jeff Goodman
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- [19:37]
Jeff Goodman
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- [19:41]
Jeff Goodman
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- [19:53]
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- [19:55]
Rob Dauster
Well, welcome Back to the field of 68 takeover of KSR. My name is Rob Dawer. I have Jeff Goodman here with me. Shannon, you got a message for us?
- [20:04]
Shannon
Yes. If you're thinking about buying a house or maybe renovating the house you already own, Stockton Mortgage can help you out. Some buyers wait for the Perfect time to buy. But preparation is what really makes the difference. Stockton, they can get you to the closing table. That's what it's all about. And buying a home isn't just about finding the right place, it's about having the right plan behind it. Go to stockton.com they can help you out and get you ready to buy your new home. Or like I said, if you need to renovate your home, they can get your renovation loan as well. Stockton.com NMLS 8259 equal housing lender NMLS consumer access.org Back to you, Goodman.
- [20:38]
Rob Dauster
I want to talk a little bit about cat and deer and fox. I don't know if you saw after the Knicks won the title, did you see the, the picture of them embracing in the, in the halls of, of San Antonio's arena afterwards? I think it's, it's really cool to see a program where you have guys from different eras that spent all of what, like eight months, nine months on campus having that kind of relationship and that kind of connection that goes beyond just both being a player in the NBA.
- [21:13]
Jeff Goodman
Yeah, I saw it. And I feel for de' Aaron Fox, one of my favorite kids. He's not a kid anymore. He's probably 28, 29 years old. But yeah, I remember meeting him on the AU circuit when he was young. And, you know, it's been a little documented with, you know, my rift between me and Caliperi over the years. So I didn't have the access to some of these players that I would have liked. But de' Aaron, I talked to plenty over that year and after it. And I just feel for him, man, because he wasn't healthy. He was not healthy. You could see he didn't have that burst. I mean, people forget he missed two games against OKC to start that series with the ankle injury. He was not near 100%. Now, again, that doesn't excuse the decision he made at the end of game four going for the layup. That was probably a little bit of a bonehead move, but again, you know, he was, he was not great. Game 5 down the stretch, couldn't make a shot. I just feel bad because I, I think people are crushing that kid right now. When he played, he gutted out. He went out there at far less than 100%.
- [22:30]
Rob Dauster
And you know what else it the, the spurs were up 12 by at least 12 in every game in that series. They were up with two minutes left in every game in that series. Right. They were up double digits in all five games of the NBA finals and lost 4. 1. They were up with two minutes left in all five games of the NBA Finals and lost 4. Lost 4 to 1. And the only game that they won, you know who hit the big shot? You know who hit the dagger? It was the Aaron Fox. I don't think that he was anywhere near perfect. Like, he, he's gonna have a lot of regrets out of their. After the way those finals played out. But he was not the only one. Like, he's not the reason that they blew a 29 point lead. They blew a 29 point lead because that team was not. They did not have the intestinal fortitude, shall we say, to be able to close out some of those big wins. And I'll tell you this, imagine if this was LeBron that, that had a Finals go this way. First take would be eating for years. Skip Bayless would be able to buy three more houses in the Hamptons off of this if this was LeBron. Yeah.
- [23:32]
Jeff Goodman
I mean, again, Victor, this whole team was ahead of schedule. And part of the reason these guards are so mature and look so good for most of the year and even for most of the playoffs, Castle and Harper, is because of the Aaron Fox. And I know the, the huge contract. The, the max contract checks in. It starts, I think this coming season. It's like four years at like 230, 240 million. I get. People are going to be like, ah, you got to trade them. I don't think you got to trade him. I just think he's got to get healthy. And then you take a little bit of the responsibility off him, right? And Harper takes a step forward and again he. Castle's not a point guard. You know this. You're a UConn Yahoo. Like, Castle is not a point guard. I don't know what he is. He's just a basketball player and he's a killer. And to me, Harper, I don't know if he's a point guard, but I think he's got to be your secondary ball handler at the end of the day. Or maybe eventually he does become your starting point guard if you feel like. But Fox is critical. Keep them. Don't try to move them. I don't understand people saying this. They were, again, they were like two plays away from winning the hole. And again, he probably made one of them. But. But I think you keep that core together and see what they can do as Victor takes a jump, as Castle takes a jump, as Harper takes a jump, and as Fox gets healthy.
- [25:03]
Rob Dauster
Yeah, you still have. I mean, Wembanyama still has another year before he gets his monster extension. You got two years of Castle, you got three years with Harper, right? Like you don't need to trade Fox yet. And if you try to trade him now, you're going to be getting pennies on the dollar for, for what he's actually worth. Can I say something about Jalen Brunson real quick too? I know this is KSR and I know that this is a Kentucky, a Kentucky show, but I, I, the fact that this dude, like, he should be the guy that everybody hates, right? He is the son of an NBA player. He is the son of an NBA coach. He is a guy that was a McDonald's All American. He went to Villanova, he played at a blue blood in one of the snobbies universities that you're going to find, right? He was the national player of the year when he was a junior. He goes to the NBA. He, he's a second round pick, right? But he plays for the Mavericks and once he gets good, he leaves the Mavericks and goes to play for the New York Knicks. He goes to one of the biggest brands in the sports. Like he should be the guy, he has all the check marks for what you should hate as a professional basketball player. And he is the exact opposite of that. I think the fact that he's, unless you are a Spurs fan, like, how do you hate that dude? How do you not love everything that he represents and everything that that that organization now has, has kind of platformed him to be? You know, he is this guy that's the second round pick that carried his team. He's, he's one of five players along with Jordan, Bird, Magic and Wilt Chamberlain to win a national title, to win Final Four, mlp, to win an NBA title and to win NBA Finals mvp. Like what he's done and what he's kind of created out of his career has been incredible. And he has all the hallmarks of a guy that we should hate for being like a Nepo baby.
- [26:48]
Jeff Goodman
Yeah. No, you can't hate him. I mean, I love Jalen Bronson, absolutely. Love, always have. I mean, I joke with him all the time now when I see him is like, you guys were like robots at Villanova. Like they, they didn't show any personality, any of those guys. And now you kind of see him and he's funny and he's loose and you know, but like to me, you know, he was here two year, two years ago they had training camp, the Knicks did in Charleston, South Carolina. And I was down here and he went over Chris Mack, who had been the head coach at Xavier when he was at Villanova. He, he was a guy. We'll, we'll tell the rest of the story after. But incredible kid. Went over and spoke to the, the Charleston team and just. Humble is humble.
- [27:33]
Bluff
Stop.
- [27:33]
Rob Dauster
This is why you're not allowed to be a host. We'll be back on KSR. The field of 68 takeover. TJ Smith, personal injury attorney.
- [27:40]
Jeff Goodman
Call TJ he'll make him pay.
- [27:42]
Shannon
Now, more of Kentucky sports radio presented by Stockton mortgage. Here's Matt Jones.
- [27:50]
Rob Dauster
Well, welcome back to the field of 68's takeover of KSI. I am not Matt Jones. I am Rob Dawster. I'm joined by. Not Drew Franklin, joined by Jeff Goodman. Shannon, you got a message for us?
- [28:00]
Shannon
Yes. Hey, bbn, Summer in Kentucky means staying active. But if pain is slowing you down, it's time to call the pros at court. Physical therapy, from sports injuries to everyday court helps you recover faster and get back to doing what you love at court. They'll create personalized care plans for you to keep you moving all season long. So don't sit this summer out. Visit court.com that's K-O-R-T.com to find a location near you and start your comeback today. Back to you guys.
- [28:25]
Rob Dauster
Good one. We went to break talking about the greatest comeback in NBA finals history, the 8152 comeback that the Knicks pulled off in Game 4 of the NBA Finals. I want to talk about the greatest comeback in the history of sports. And that wasn't the Knicks and the Spurs. That is Landon Donovan's hair. Did you see this, Chad? Did you see the picture that I just sent you?
- [28:45]
Jeff Goodman
This is insane. That. That can't be real. It can't be real.
- [28:49]
Rob Dauster
So there's, there's a little background here. Landon Donovan, who, who he played for the u. S. Men's national soccer team and he does work for fox Sports. He. In 2024, I guess he went to Turkey to get a hair transplant right before he was supposed to be on for the euros. And the picture, it's like shaved on the back of his head. I, I don't even know how to explain this, but he came back and this year when he's on TV like, he looks handsome. Man, look at that head of hair. That looks good. It's almost as nice as your head of hair. Good.
- [29:22]
Jeff Goodman
Yeah. I mean, I guess the moral of the story is I, I mean, eventually it worked out, I guess. Unless he had another hair Transplant, but don't go to Turkey. I'm told, you know, Turkey is good for nose jobs, but I don't know about hair transplants.
- [29:40]
Rob Dauster
Why do you.
- [29:40]
Jeff Goodman
Why do you know that a buddy of mine, his. His. His wife flew to Turkey to get a nose job?
- [29:48]
Rob Dauster
Well, Turkey is where you go to get hair transplants and you get new teeth and you get. No, I guess that's where you got to go if you're trying to perfect your look. That's where Goodman's going on his. On his vacation in August. So call in if you have a guest on what he is the. The procedure that Goodman is getting done when he goes to Turkey. Do we have any callers?
- [30:10]
Shannon
We do. And I gotta say, man, like, are we sure that first picture isn't fake? Like, is that his real life? Did he really go on television with that hair?
- [30:18]
Rob Dauster
Yes. Well, I remember watching it when it happened like that. Yes. 100. That is what his hair looked like.
- [30:26]
Shannon
You got one stripper.
- [30:27]
Jeff Goodman
Just shave it off.
- [30:29]
Shannon
What are you doing?
- [30:30]
Caller
Wow.
- [30:31]
Shannon
All right, let's go to Brian. Hey, Brian.
- [30:35]
Caller
Hey, guys. Thanks for taking my call. Big fan of your guys's show. I got a question. Kind of everybody knows, you know, BBN is huge. And I'm just kind of curious when you guys post content about what you. Can you give me like a percentage of how much better BBN performs against other fan bases as far as whether it be negative or positive, you know, whatever you guys post about UK and then maybe just kind of, you know, give me your top five college fan bases when it comes to interactions, when you guys post content.
- [31:12]
Rob Dauster
Well, Kentucky is. Kentucky is number one, Kentucky's number two, Kentucky's number three, Kentucky's number four, Kentucky's number five. It's just the. The passion in that state when it comes to college basketball, when it comes to the Wildcats is like nothing other. And that, you know what drives me crazy about it too, Brian, is that everyone is. I always get these responses. You only post negative stuff about Kentucky to get interactions and to get eyeballs and to get people paying attention. And do you know how much better Kentucky content does? And I'm sure the KSR guys probably experienced this too. When things are going well in Kentucky, when fans are excited about it, when they want to hear about it, and saying positive stuff about the Wildcats and. And when they are playing well, does five times better than any of the negativity than any bad stuff in any. Then when they're struggling, then. Then when it feels like we're dunking on You. Because we have to say stuff that is not great about Kentucky basketball or about a loss, like the positivity. And that's not just Kentucky. That's every fan base. You know, think about it. When. When your team is losing, do you want to go out and listen to. To me and Jeff Goodman sit here and say, this is why Kentucky is losing? No, you don't want that. When your team wins, you want to hear about it. You want to get excited about it. You want to hear where they rank nationally. You want to hear what this big, massive win, what, this comeback against Tennessee, what does that mean? Can we make it to the Final Four? Do we have a chance to win the SEC regular season championship? That's when it gets good. That's when people pay attention. That's when you want to listen. So, yes, Kentucky is the biggest and the best fan base when it comes to college basketball content on the Internet. I. I don't. I don't think I'm really breaking news there, Jeff.
- [32:46]
Jeff Goodman
You are not. You are not. I. I felt the wrath of Big Blue Nation for years. It's different level. It's a different level. There are other fan bases to me that are, you know, a step down from that in terms of, like, I don't know, being like, little brotherish, right?
- [33:05]
Caller
Like.
- [33:06]
Jeff Goodman
Like Providence has some of that. They're crazy. Not great with them right now. Texas Tech is another one. You know, obviously a little brotherish to Texas. North Carolina State is like that with Duke and Carolina, but Kentucky, to me, is the best and the worst. You know, they are. You've got the best fans probably in all of sports in some way. And I grew up in Boston, so I dealt with the Red Sox, Yankees, that type of thing. I. I just. Yeah, I think, again, you've got some incredible fans, and then you got a small percentage that, you know, can ruin it for the rest of you.
- [33:50]
Rob Dauster
Here's. Here's my take on it. And, and if there's. I think I've said this before, but if there's Kentucky fans listening that disagree, please let me know. But my take on it has always been that Kentucky as a state tends to kind of get dunked on a little bit. And, and people have their fun making fun of the state, making fun of some of the people in the state. Right. Which. And. And when it comes to the basketball team and the basketball program, they take pride in being able to say, listen, you can make fun of whatever you want, like, get your shots off, but when it comes down to it, you got to lace up five people, you got to put them on a court and we're going to go out there and we're going to beat your team and we're going to beat your guys. And they protect it like it's their own. And I've always found that it's the, the identity that people from the state have when it comes to the basketball program. It's, it's, it means a lot more than just being a fan. I think it's probably the best way to, to phrase it. So I, hey, listen, I, I'll tell you this and I, I think a lot of people that have, that do content and create college basketball content will agree that at our hearts, deep down in our souls, every single one of us is a Kentucky fan because of the, the, the support that our shows get and our content gets when Kentucky is doing well. Shannon, we got anything else? We got any other callers?
- [35:07]
Shannon
Yeah, let's go to Crease. Say, Chris, you're on.
- [35:09]
Rob Dauster
Chris, what's up, man?
- [35:12]
Caller
Hey, how's it going, guys? Something that I know that you guys know that means a lot to BBN is the SEC tournament in Nashville every year. And I know that there's some good teams at the top of the sec like Texas and Tennessee and obviously Florida and a few others. But can you give us some hope that we are actually going to make it to the weekend this year and actually enjoy Nashville for longer than a day or two? I'll hang up and listen. Thank you.
- [35:37]
Rob Dauster
Nashville. Well, first and foremost, Nashville has got kind of gotten to the point with me as Vegas, where it's like if you're there for more than a day or two, you might be there for, for too long. You know, I think it, I, maybe it's just me and I have too much fun in that city, but I, I feel good about it. I feel good. I, I said this earlier on the show. I don't, outside of Florida, I don't think that there is a team in this league that I look at and I can definitively say they are going to be better than Kentucky. No doubt about it. No question in my mind.
- [36:08]
Jeff Goodman
Yeah, that's fair. But I'll say this, A lot of those teams down the bottom got better. Okay, so for instance, South Carolina was atrocious last year. They had money, they've got a just out Lamont Paris. And he said last year I don't know if we had like an SEC level, like a dude, like a guy that could really start in the sec because now I think we have five. Five, because they have real money this year. LSU goes from, you know, the bottom feeder in the league last year. Now, we don't know if Will Wade's gonna have any eligible guys, but if he does, they're going to be a hell of a lot better than they were last year. I don't think Ole Miss is going to be 4 and 14 in the league this year under Chris Beard. You know, Auburn should be better with Stephen Pearl being able to build his own roster with his own guys, you know, to hide Pettiford as a junior. And as you said, Texas much better than they were last year. Tennessee, completely different, loaded offensively. Vandy brings back Tyler Tanner, the best point guard probably in the entire country. Oklahoma brings back enough. Missouri is a wild card that has a ton of talent. A kid named Jason Crow as a freshman who again, is electric. He'll be up and down, but Missouri's got way more talent than they had a year ago. So I haven't even gotten to Florida, obviously, and Arkansas and Texas A and M is going to be pretty good. Georgia, I just saw Mike White, they bring back four starters from last year's team. So that's the one thing I'll say is you say that, Rob, you're confident, and I'll, I'll push back on that and say, hey, after Florida and maybe Texas and Tennessee, there's a lot of depth in this league again.
- [38:07]
Rob Dauster
Well, yeah, of course, it's the sec. The, the, the talent is always going to last year where the money is. But, but also I'm, look, I'm, I'm gonna, I'm gonna push back on this. Okay. You mentioned South Carolina, right? Their roster right now. Corey Mincy, love him, great kid. He averaged 14 a game in the A10. You're telling me he's going to come in and be a dude in the SEC moving up a level. Shane Blake in the average 14 a game at Drexel. You're telling me he's going to step in and be a dude at the SEC level as a senior. Cam Heidi was, was a bench player at Texas. Alexis Bowskis, maybe, but he played 20 minutes a game of Wisconsin. So that, that's my thing. Like that. You can get that lip service all you want. And I'm not saying that, that, that South Carolina is not going to be better, but I'm, I'm not sitting here looking at that roster feeling like I'm, I'm more intimidated to play them than anybody else in the sec. Right. Yes. Tennessee is going to be loaded. Yes, Texas is going to be loaded, but I don't think that they are definitively looking at their roster a step above what you see on the Kentucky roster. Right. But I think there's also, to your point, a lot of teams that fit into that equation in that tier. I would probably put Arkansas in there. I would probably put, scrolling through the Missouri is going to be close. Vanderbilt. Yes. So Alabama, I don't even think we mentioned Alabama yet. So there are a lot of teams that are kind of in that same tier, but I think Kentucky, my point was Kentucky is in that tier. They are in that mix. I think they're going to be, they're going to be talented enough to be able to push for anywhere from, you know, second to seventh and maybe second place in the SEC this year is going to be 12 and 6 in the league. It might just be that. Jeff, like I, I don't, I'm not gonna sit here and argue.
- [39:52]
Jeff Goodman
You've already given, you've handed Florida the SEC title. You probably handed them the national title already. I have not. I have not. I love their front court. I love Tommy Howe, Condon, Jim Chinulou. They're all back. That's great. Your boy Boogie still has a long way to go. We don't know if Aberdeen's gonna be eligible yet, so don't hang the banner yet in, in Gainesville for, for 20, 26, 27.
- [40:19]
Rob Dauster
Robert, I'm, I'm not going to hang the banner yet, but I, I think when it comes to projecting who the best team in college basketball is going to be, I, I'm going to back the team that has three seniors on their front court, two of which would have been first round picks, one of which would have been a lottery pick and another guy that would have been a top 40 pick in the NBA draft that are all coming back after being the best team in college basketball for probably an eight week stretch from early January to early March last season. So it, if you, if you're going to tell me that you don't think Florida can win, then we can find a way to, to make a wager on whether or not that will happen. Listen, we got about 10 minutes left here on the show. It's the field of 68 takeover of Kentucky Sports Radio. When we get back, we're going to clear out this call log. Shane. And we got a couple people that are still waiting to, to talk to Jeff Goodman, the one and only Jeff
- [41:12]
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Shannon
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Rob Dauster
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Jeff Goodman
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Shannon
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Rob Dauster
Welcome back. It is the field of 68 takeover. Okay, so we got about five minutes left here. Shannon, you got a message for us?
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Shannon
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- [43:54]
Rob Dauster
Shannon, we got some callers still waiting.
- [43:56]
Shannon
We do, yeah. Let's go to Mike. Hey, Mike, you're on.
- [44:00]
Caller
Hey, what's up, fellas?
- [44:01]
Rob Dauster
What's going on, Mike?
- [44:03]
Jeff Goodman
What's up, Mike?
- [44:04]
Caller
Hey, you know, I've sit there and listen to some of these guys talk about as far as Kentucky's fan base and, and other things and go tell me another school that you can say that five out of your seven head coaches have won national titles. It doesn't exist. Our legacy goes back so long. All the great players, coaches that have come through this state, the people that have embraced it, that will never go away. The negativity that's written about Kentucky fans or basketball comes from a place where. From fan bases in, in schools that we have basically owned over the years. I mean, we're 40 and 18 against ULL since the 82 game. You know, I'm 58 years old. My dad's first Kentucky game was in 78 against Duke at the Checker Dome in St. Louis. You know, I cried when I saw us get beat in 97 in Indianapolis against Arizona and I cheered like crazy in New Orleans in 2012 when we won it. But our fan base is something special. Ask any place that we go to Atlanta, Nashville, for any of these SEC tournaments, how much they love Kentucky to be there for the weekend. And I don't know if you guys remember, you guys remember when we used to have the Southeastern Conference tournaments at the, at the home schools, at some of the home schools. Back in the late 80s, and I wish they would go to that sometime, go back to having it at these schools at the SEC champion. It is such a fun environment, man. When you go back to these campuses and you see all these games at these places for that tournament, I mean, I understand it's probably not possible, but hey, I was going to ask you guys one thing and then I'll get off here. If you had had a choice before the Stokes decision and Milan and you'd had a chance and you as Mark Pope and you said, I want one of those, which one would you have taken?
- [46:06]
Jeff Goodman
That is a brutal, brutal question.
- [46:10]
Rob Dauster
Not for me, Mike. Appreciate the call. For me, it's Milan 10 times out of 10. And it's not because I necessarily think that Milan is going to be a better basketball player than Tyron Stokes, but I think that he is good enough and fits into what you are looking for, both stylistically as a player and from his personality. I just don't think that the Tyron Stokes, Mark Pope marriage would have worked. And I think that it was best for all parties, including Kansas, that he ended up as a Jayhawk.
- [46:45]
Jeff Goodman
It's like the. The Cam Boozer, Darren Peterson argument in a way, right? Like Cam Boozer. You know what you're gonna get? High character. He's great. He's gonna come to play every day, every play where Peterson is a higher upside, like Stokes. But, man, there are some. Some red flags. There are some questions with what happened last year at Kansas. I don't know which I'd rather. Obviously, I've been critical of Stokes, and I think he's got to grow up. But again, he is clearly, to me, the most talented player in this class. He's also a freshman, where Milan's got three years of college experience. The big thing with Milan we've talked about, and I do think he's going to be super important for Mark Cope and. And whether they're successful this year. Elite shooter. You just got to find a way to. To kind of hide them a little bit on the defensive end.
- [47:39]
Rob Dauster
Yeah, for sure. I mean, look, Stokes is probably going to end up being a better NBA player. I think that he is the guy with the higher upside. He is more athletic, he is more skilled. I'm not arguing any of that. But I think this year, this season, for the next. What would it be, nine, 10 months? I think that Milan Momic is a better fit for Kentucky basketball and that Kentucky basketball will be better for it than they would have been had they gotten Tyron Stokes. So, Goodman, we got about a minute left here. You got anything you want to say to these Kentucky fans before we. We head on out?
- [48:15]
Jeff Goodman
Just that, that it's. It's nice that I'm able to forge a relationship with Big Blue Nation again. It had been a long time and to come on here, and I appreciate Matt asking me. I think a year ago, you did it without me. And it's been fun. It's been fun to be able to go into whether it's Nashville for a game against Gonzaga or for the SEC tournament or to go to Lexington and not have to worry about profanities thrown my way. I think people hopefully respect the fact that I'm going to be real one way or the other. And it's been great, though. It's been fun. Appreciate it.
- [48:51]
Rob Dauster
Yep. And this was great. It was a lot of fun jumping on again tomorrow. The gentleman from part of my take will be taking over KSR. This has been fun.
- [48:59]
America 250 Announcer
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- [49:31]
Rob Dauster
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Jeff Goodman
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Jeff Goodman
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