KSR Postgame UK MBB at South Carolina 2/24/26

Summary

KSR Postgame: UK Men’s Basketball at South Carolina – February 25, 2026

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode of the KSR Postgame Show (hosted by Drew Franklin with producer/co-host Billy Rutledge, filling in for Matt Jones) recaps Kentucky's 72-63 road victory over South Carolina. After a nerve-wracking three-game losing streak, the Wildcats bounce back with a much-needed SEC win. The hosts analyze the shaky performance, break down key player contributions, discuss ongoing concerns (especially bench performance and recruiting), and field spirited calls from Kentucky fans – all with KSR’s signature mix of humor, candor, and fan passion.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Game Recap and Analysis

• First-Half Struggles: South Carolina jumped out hot, hitting four early threes against a flat Kentucky defense. Kentucky trailed for much of the first half until a 10-0 run (fueled by Denzel Aberdeen’s back-to-back threes) swung momentum. From there, UK led but never managed a true blowout.
  • “South Carolina started out kind of hot, hit four three pointers early... Kentucky went 1 of 7 from 3 early on” — Drew Franklin (03:00)
• Second-Half Guts: South Carolina tied it quickly after halftime, but big plays from Modi Abate and continued tough shots by Aberdeen kept the Wildcats ahead, ultimately pulling away late.
  • “They had a big five-oh run, kind of sparked and got 'em going... He (Diabate) had the highest plus-minus on the team.” — Billy Rutledge (20:31)

2. Player Performances

• Denzel Aberdeen – Star of the Game: 19 points, timely threes, excellent floor leadership (5 assists, 0 turnovers).
  • “Not only did he hit those two threes, he had four in the game but they all seemed timely, had a lot of big buckets.” — Drew Franklin (03:58)
  • “Whoever called him Denzel Airball-deen... should be ashamed. He’s been outstanding since SEC play.” — Drew Franklin (09:57)
• Modi Abate – Energy Off The Bench: 12 points (10 in the second half), relentless attacking in a physical game.
  • “His energy and relentlessness in the second half is the reason why Kentucky won that game.” — Billy Rutledge (04:42)
• Malachi Moreno – The Unsung Hero: 8 points, 11 rebounds, 2 blocks. Dominated the rebounding margin with “chef’s kiss” pick & roll plays.
  • “The front court, as much as this backcourt has been the team's identity lately, the front court did it tonight.” — Drew Franklin (07:03)
  • “Where would this team be without Malachi Moreno? He doesn’t get enough credit.” — Caller Steve (57:16)
• Otega Oweh – Quiet Night: 8 points (3/13 shooting). Streak of 30 games with double-digit scoring snapped.
  • “Scout was on him... at some point he was allowed to cool off a little bit and didn’t hurt 'em.” — Drew Franklin (09:05)
• Bench Issues & Development: Consistent struggles from the rest of the bench (Noah, Jasper Johnson, Garrison), with 1-for-11 shooting combined and several open misses.
  • “You cannot ask for better looks than those two Trent (Noah) got and bricked both... hasn't made a field goal since January.” — Drew Franklin (18:46)

3. Tournament Picture & Fan Anxiety

• On the Bubble, Off the Bubble: UK’s win kills bubble talk, for now.
  • “This game puts an end to that. Honestly, you could lose the next three, those are all quad one opponents. I don't think it'll hurt your seed line too much.” — Drew Franklin (05:38)
• Concerns About Ceiling: Multiple hosts and callers express that while this win was needed, the team’s “ceiling might be lower than we think.”
  • “Probably signs of maybe this team’s ceiling being a little bit lower than we think.” — Billy Rutledge (04:42)

4. Fan Culture & Emotional Landscape

• Lack of Hype: Despite a much-needed win, some fans and hosts lament the lack of “Kentucky Basketball” buzz this year. Attendance and bar excitement are down.
  • “The hype just isn’t there. What does it look like to bring back some of that good Kentucky hype...?” — Caller Justin (23:14)
  • “It’s full-time being a Kentucky fan... this time of year, we’re absolutely thinking about Selection Sunday... But now we’re not in that spot.” — Drew Franklin (47:46)
• Kentucky Loyalty & Identity: The community delves into why Kentucky fans stick with the Cats regardless of where life takes them.
  • “You're born here, it is Kentucky basketball. You are going to like it.” — Drew Franklin (28:45)
  • “What connects the Commonwealth? When there’s no pro sports, people rally around that.” — Billy Rutledge (29:05)
• Fan Frustrations vs. Positivity: Following two negative-leaning calls, a “call of the night” from Luke injects renewed optimism:
  • “What the hell is wrong with people being angry at 11 o’clock on a Tuesday night about winning a basketball game?” — Caller Luke (51:24)

5. Coaching, Strategy, and Recruiting

• Mark Pope’s Coaching Style: Noteworthy in-game huddle technique: coaches huddle together before addressing players—intended to foster player leadership.
  • “He does it intentionally to give the players time to work out what they envision the problems are...” — Caller Billy (55:00)
• Technical Fouls & Fines: Brief aside on Mark Pope’s recent $25k fine for bench decorum; hosts joke about his odds of getting tossed.
  • “Surprised it was only 25k... I knew he’d be writing one.” — Billy Rutledge (31:54)
• Recruiting Concerns: Zero high school commitments for '26; frustration over missing out on elite transfers and high schoolers.
  • “The high school recruiting class looking like it'll be zero. That's inexcusable. Can't happen.” — Drew Franklin (16:58)
  • “We need some strong recruiters on the outside... Maybe we need to look at our assistant coaches...” — Caller Matt (53:13)
  • “They need a GM. It’s obvious; the best teams in the country have them.” — Drew Franklin (54:41)

6. Lighter Moments & Memorable Quotes

• Peter Burns Shoutouts: SEC Network personality referenced KSR and Matt Jones multiple times during broadcast.
  • “What was the exact line — 'hotter than Matt Jones watching the State of the Union tonight.'” — Billy Rutledge (12:51)
• KSR in Unexpected Places: Listener reports hearing the show “played out loud from an airport bathroom stall in Atlanta.”
  • “So whoever is there in Atlanta airport listening to KSR without headphones in... shout out to you.” — Drew Franklin (15:06)
• Running Joke: Multiple callers and hosts proclaim their dislike for South Carolina football coach Shane Beamer.
  • “I just called to say that I hate Shane Beamer and his stupid freaking sunglasses. Go Cats.” — Caller Angus (44:42)

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• “This was just a big exhale, get out of the gutter and get a win in the SEC.” — Drew Franklin (05:38)
• “Honestly, that was just a sigh of relief that they won that game...” — Billy Rutledge (04:42)
• “You cannot ask for better looks than those two [Trent Noah] got and bricked both... hasn't made a field goal since January.” — Drew Franklin (18:46)
• “The thing that's still making Kentucky right now is Big Blue Nation.” — Drew Franklin (29:58)
• “A win is a win. If you're going to beat North Carolina and you're going to beat Kansas, you gotta keep piling them up.” — Caller Steve (57:16)
• “What the hell is wrong with people being angry at 11 o'clock on a Tuesday night about winning a basketball game? ...Listen, that's all I gotta say.” — Caller Luke (51:24)

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Important Timestamps

• Game Recap/Open: 03:00–07:03 (First-half struggles, key runs, bench production)
• Aberdeen & Bench Play: 09:57–11:29, 18:44–20:51
• Tournament/Bubble Talk: 05:38, 10:59
• Recruiting Concerns: 16:48–17:28, 53:13–54:41
• Fan Calls – Energy & Identity: 21:04–30:56, 51:30 (Luke’s call)
• Coaching Style Discussion: 41:35, 55:00
• Malachi Moreno Appreciation: 57:16–58:33
• Shane Beamer Jokes: 44:42, 45:00

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Episode Highlights

Most Memorable Moments

• Aberdeen Silences Critics: “Whoever called him Denzel Airball-deen... they should be ashamed. He’s been outstanding since SEC play.” (09:57)
• Call of the Night: Luke’s energetic rant defending positivity after a win (51:24)
• KSR Takes Over Atlanta Airport Bathroom: (15:06)
• Peter Burns KSR Shoutouts: (12:51)
• Shane Beamer Disdain: A running bit among callers and hosts (44:42)

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Overall Tone & Takeaways

The mood is one of relief and realism: the fanbase is hungry for more, but there’s an honest acknowledgment that this season’s team lacks the fear factor and flair of past Kentucky squads. The KSR crew mixes critique (especially regarding recruiting and bench issues) with the irrepressible optimism and camaraderie that define Big Blue Nation. In true KSR spirit, they celebrate the loyal fanbase as Kentucky basketball’s rock—even in seasons that test their faith.

Summary in a Sentence:
Kentucky's win over South Carolina provided a necessary sigh of relief for fans, as the KSR team mixes cautious optimism with pointed critiques, celebrates the fan community, and looks ahead—warts and all—to the rest of the season.

Transcript

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deliver very specific outcomes. Welcome in to the local Toyota dealers KSR postgame show. I am Drew Franklin filling in for Matt Jones who if you heard KSR this morning does not have a voice. He he tried to get through two hours, actually made it through two hours of our morning show but had to hang it up before the pregame show and post game show. But that's all right. I'm happy to fill in. And as always Billy our sports is here producing this show. Billy who who lives in this studio like a troll. He's just here at all times. I think he sleeps under this table. You've been Billy, it's good to see you tonight. After Kentucky gets a win, snaps out of the little bit of a losing skid winning 7263 in Columbia. Kentucky went in as a about a six and a half point favorite expectations to beat South Carolina, one of the worst teams in the conference. They had just come off a seven game losing streak before stealing a win against Mississippi State last Saturday. You know if we really really really wanted to be picky, we wish Kentucky could have gone down there and blown him out. Just been a fun night from start to finish, but that was not the case. South Carolina started out kind of hot, hit four three pointers early. It looked kind of like the Georgia and Florida game where you have a team not known for shooting threes well, giving them a little too much cushion, making them pay. They had 4 of 8 as Kentucky struggled from the field. Kentucky went 1 of 7 from 3 early on. South Carolina led 12, 5, led around 15 13, led for about half of the first half and then Kentucky went on a big 10o run highlighted by Denzel Aberdeen hitting back to back three pointers forcing South Carolina to call a timeout. It was mostly cats from there. They'd get up seven, South Carolina would crawl back a little bit of a back and forth but never truly felt threatened and they pulled away in the end. Pulled away in the end to win big. Aberdeen with 19 points. He's your star of the game. Not only did he hit those two threes, he had four in the game but they all seemed timely, had a lot of big buckets. Otega OA actually a quiet game. A 30 game streak of double digit scoring came to an end tonight. Otega with eight points on 3 of 13 shooting. Aberdeen was helped out in scoring by Modi Abate off the bench with 12. Big second half on him. We'll be bragging on Modi with Aberdeen. Colin Chandler got up to 10 with a late three that was important. And my guy Yellow Vic who I predicted as the MVP with 11. Kind of a mixed bag from yellow Vich some highs and lows but Billy our sports that was my long winded quick, you know just what do they call it like the view from however many feet. That was my quick analysis. How do you feel about just getting out of that three game losing funk and getting a win? I don't care if it was against a team that's not very good.

[Billy Rutledge]

Well, it's good to see you. Thanks for coming in studio and visiting my troll house here.

[Drew Franklin]

I I meant that in a polite loving way.

[Billy Rutledge]

I'm excited for an evening with Drew Franklin even though some might get that on Thursday night as well in Madisonville.

[Drew Franklin]

More on that later.

[Billy Rutledge]

But yeah, man, I they had to win. It was must win. They snapped the three game losing streak. I'm going to try to be positive on this post game show, Drew, because there was a chance this would have been an all time postgame show if they would have lost that game to a bad South Carolina team. But like I said, I'm going to try to be positive. This team finds a way to win. With Ortega away having a rough night, Denzel Aberdeen once again stepping up and being the player that the nil dollars are paying for with that guy. And then Modi, you mentioned him. I mean his energy and relentlessness in the second half I think is the reason why Kentucky won that game. I also let out a loud bang when Colin Chandler hit that three. If you know anything about me, he did it again. You know I'm going to be yelling out a bang even if we're next to the president of espn. But it was just kind of a sigh of relief, honestly that they won that game and probably signs of maybe this team's ceiling being a little bit lower than we think.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah, that was a game like I said, if we wanted to get picky, we could have asked for, you know, go out and kill them, but really just get out of there with a win. We just came off Kentucky's first three game losing skid in five years. The bubble talk was getting very real. It never felt real until today. And if you had lost this game, you were on the bubble and people that had that, we're not making the tournament conversation, that conversation was there to be had with three games left. But I think this game puts an end to that. Honestly, you could lose the next three. Those are all quad one opponents. I don't think it'll hurt your seed line too much. If anything, you can win the next three or two of them, whatever, and maybe help out. But today was just a big exhale, get out of the gutter and get a win in the sec.

[Billy Rutledge]

I mean it felt real though, Drew. I mean it was a half empty arena. South Carolina, who's 331st in three point percentage, hits four threes in four minutes and you're going, what is going on? Like here we are again, not able to chase somebody off the three point line, but they stick with it. I mean, somehow win this game. You mentioned the guy yellow. I think at times he passed up some open shots but did what he needed to do to contribute to the team.

[Drew Franklin]

You know, he didn't pass up on three pointers as someone who was rooting for him? My man took a lot of threes tonight. One of six. He was open. He was open.

[Billy Rutledge]

He was open. He could have shot maybe double that amount tonight. He was so open but he only hit one of them. I mean what seven of 25 from three. So they were chucking it up a lot tonight.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah. Yellow bitch. Well really the big storyline is he and Diabate is more so yellow bitch early Diabate in the second half but you needed to get something out of that four spot. We kept talking about how, you know, you've wasted career games with o way lately and that backcourt has been so good and you need help with them. The combination of yellow Vic and Diabate tonight, what they did step it up. Beside Marino who was huge rebounding. He had eight and 11. That was a big difference maker. The front court, as much as this backcourt has been the team's identity lately, the front court did it tonight. What they end up winning the rebounding battle. Good Lord. 18 offensive rebounds. South Carolina not known as a good rebounding team, wasn't really a threat that they could win that. But 48 to 28 is something. As I said, Moreno with 11 leading the way. Garrison. I'm confused at how I want to react to Brandon Garrison. He had some moments, there were some flashy passes, he had a couple assists, there was a missed dunk. There were a couple times where I think he got caught in the quicksand. But overall a slight improvement from my frustrations at the end of the Auburn game. I'm still, I still don't know how to react to the Brandon Garrison experience. But in the first half he was a wild ride but he did provide some off the bench a little bit effort. He was a good rebounder tonight. He had seven. It's a backup Marino so I'm not going to, I'm not going to put down Garrison even there were some moments. It was just. It's another, another wild ride with him.

[Billy Rutledge]

He had an offensive rebound and a put back that was pretty big and Modiabate did around the same time. He only played 13 minutes BG. So I mean that's, that's about right with the amount of time he should be playing, don't you think?

[Drew Franklin]

Just right. And you know he's not the only one with a missed dunk. Diabate tried to cram on someone's face and got blocked and then it hit him and went out of bounds. That was a tough look when other thing everything was going for him.

[Billy Rutledge]

Sure.

[Drew Franklin]

Oh way needs two Points to get to double digits. Has the breakaway and just clanks it on the front of the rim on a, on a one handed dunk there. So that's it. Over three by my count on the dunk. So not just, not just Garrison there, that couldn't finish tonight at the rim.

[Billy Rutledge]

Oh, it was really struggling tonight. What do you. Do you think it was just the emphasis was on him double teams every time he got the ball. Was he pressing tonight? Why do you think he struggled so much?

[Drew Franklin]

Scout was on him. I mean he had to come down a little bit. I mean 3 of 13 for 18 or for 8 points is, is a bad night overall. But we just. What was it like 10 straight 20 point games. some point he was allowed to, to cool off a little bit and you know, it didn't hurt him. Still got the win and he had five assists which is big. He stepped up another or five. Stills stepped up another way.

[Billy Rutledge]

And that goes back to my first point is that this was big for this team to win without away scoring 20 in the game. Now Chandler hit the first three of the game and then it didn't feel like he hit another shot until the very end. He did end up with 10, I think. So he chipped in as well. But I mean I think Denzel Aberdeen deserves the praise of Big Blue Nation. Not only this game but these last few games. Even the one where he was sick and still played well in that last game versus Auburn, he is, he is definitely changed into a very different player than he was in the first half of the season.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah, five assists, no turnovers. That's his sixth game with three or more threes. Whoever called him Denzel Airball Dean at the earlier in the season, they, they should be ashamed of themselves because yes, he had a few airballs early on and he wasn't knocking down shots. But since SEC play, I mean always been outstanding, but Aberdeen's been right next to him, putting this team on his back and another big game tonight for him. Why are you laughing?

[Billy Rutledge]

Is that what you.

[Drew Franklin]

I didn't say I called him that. People called him that earlier on. You remember he did airball a lot early on the season. That's not me making this up. I'm saying it as a compliment. He's really got it going, especially from three, which has been a big part of the team turning around a little bit.

[Billy Rutledge]

Yeah. And think, I mean he's adjusting to life without Jalen Lowe as well. Right. I mean that was maybe part of the transition that maybe took a little bit longer than people thought with him. So it's good to see him play well and, and man, you needed that like just for the good vibes going into Saturday and, and before the SEC tournament. Now you feel that you're squarely in the NCAA tournament like you said, Drew, and you can just start to build some momentum that you have left for this season. I guess.

[Drew Franklin]

Still got to get off that Wednesday's conversation in this, that's still ex Missouri, Tennessee, they're playing right now. This kind of, this game. It's kind of how you feel about the Cats. If you don't think Kentucky is going to have much of a run and make a red at Friday, then you probably want Tennessee to win this and just help you knock Missouri down. If you're a big dreamer, maybe you want Tennessee to take a loss because you have that tiebreaker, but I would rather just go ahead and knock Missouri on down a little bit because they have the tiebreaker over Kentucky right now. 35, 34 Missouri.

[Billy Rutledge]

Oklahoma was beating Auburn by nine or so at halftime. So an interesting result there.

[Drew Franklin]

And I noticed when I walked in, you had the State of the Union.

[Billy Rutledge]

I did.

[Drew Franklin]

Watching it on mute, you learn a lot on mute. You just like.

[Billy Rutledge]

I wanted to tell you how funny it was watching the State of the Union on mute because like just the, the constantly standing up and clapping and sitting down. Standing up and sitting down. And then the people behind Trump how like lovingly gazing that they are towards Trump during it. I thought he was objectively funny with the sound off. Drew. I don't know.

[Drew Franklin]

Well, I'm glad you switched it to basketball for me.

[Billy Rutledge]

I had to. Yeah, I figured you wouldn't want to.

[Drew Franklin]

I mean, I can give updates from the State of the Union. I don't, I don't know what's being stated right now, but if you wanted to turn it on, I could provide visuals, give my thoughts on that.

[Billy Rutledge]

Half the room rising up and clapping, the other half just scowling like it's, it's just bizarre to watch it with the sound off. But we have shifted to Tennessee, Missouri, and maybe Peter Burns will give us another KSR reference.

[Drew Franklin]

Okay, yeah, good point. I have that in my notes, but let's go and bring it up now. Peter Burns does. Does Matt Owen money or does he owe Matt money and he's trying to make up with Shout Out. There was three Matt Jones shout outs tonight.

[Billy Rutledge]

There was three.

[Drew Franklin]

Three.

[Billy Rutledge]

I knew the one which was three.

[Drew Franklin]

What started before the game.

[Billy Rutledge]

Okay.

[Drew Franklin]

It said something about. I guess this includes you. It Said Matt Jones and the guys at Kentucky Sports Radio will be tweeting about this. That was pregame, right before tip off. Nice. Then mid game.

[Billy Rutledge]

What was the exact line hotter than Matt Jones watching the State of the Union later tonight? Was that what it was, Peter?

[Drew Franklin]

Unbelievable on there. I can't believe he threw that one out there.

[Billy Rutledge]

Well done.

[Drew Franklin]

And then I didn't hear this one because I was on my way here to talk to you, but Mario texted the group that there was a third Peter Burns mentioned after the game that I did not hear, but the count is up to three. Wow.

[Billy Rutledge]

Well, I mean, I thought it was just Tom Hart doing this now, Peter,

[Drew Franklin]

that's got the whole SEC Network. Ron Slay, Alyssa Lang, all of me doing shout outs. We want your shout outs here on the Local Toyota Dealers KSR Postgame Show. 859-280-2287. We'll be talking about the Cats getting out that funk and winning a game against South Carolina. 72, 63. Only three games left, Billy. The season's flying by, but this show's not gonna fly by. We got a lot of time left here with the night here in the night. Three segments to go. We want your calls. Talk about the win. Talk about the State of the Union. Maybe within reason. Talk about Pope getting fined. Whatever you want to talk about, we're here for you. We'll be right back. Welcome back to the local Toyota dealers KSR post game show after Kentucky handled its business in Columbia, beating South Carolina 72 to 63. Drew Franklin here filling in for Matt Jones, who has lost his voice. Gonna take a little evening off. Rest up for tomorrow. Drink some water. I've got Billy Rutledge here with me. Billy's keeping tabs on the Tennessee Mizzou game, the State of the Union, and he's taking your calls.

[Billy Rutledge]

And I like that hat you got on. The super bowl hat.

[Drew Franklin]

I've been wearing this one a lot. What a trip, man. Still can't believe that happened. No.

[Billy Rutledge]

It's like a fever dream, isn't it?

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah. Still in that dream. You want to go back? Let's go back. Please. Make it an annual thing.

[Billy Rutledge]

Yes, I'd love to.

[Drew Franklin]

We want to hear from you. 859-280-2287. Got a full phone bank, but first, a quick shout out. I got a text. My friend is in the Atlanta airport, if anyone knows. I knew a lot of people stuck in Mexico at a resort in Puerto Vallara. Is that how you say it? I was supposed to be there.

[Billy Rutledge]

I Already know right now.

[Drew Franklin]

They made it to the Atlanta airport. So shout out to my friends. Got out of the country, got my guy Joffrey married, even though there was not a vendor. I think they had to take photos with phones and make their own drinks and all that, but they got him married. But the point is he's at the Atlanta airport, and he texted me that he's in the bathroom and someone in the stall. My voice was coming from the stall.

[Billy Rutledge]

Your voice?

[Drew Franklin]

Yes, outside gate D35. So whoever is there in Atlanta airport listening to KSR without headphones in while in the bathroom, shout out to you. I appreciate it. Hope all the people that went in there got to hear a little bit of ksr.

[Billy Rutledge]

Well, you know, when my headphones go dead and I still have to use the stall, doesn't mean I'm gonna stop my episode, Drew. So just play it with the speaker.

[Drew Franklin]

Gate D35. That's you. Or if there's multiple people at the airport, could be YouTube. Well, I'm glad they're home too. That's also very important. That was a scary situation.

[Billy Rutledge]

Oh, yeah, absolutely. But shout out to everybody involved. Did you say Joffrey?

[Drew Franklin]

Joffrey, yes. He got married.

[Billy Rutledge]

Unfortunate name with the Game of Thrones stuff and all.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah, it probably didn't help.

[Caller/Guest]

No.

[Drew Franklin]

But yeah, eventful. Eventful weekend for them. I'm glad they're home. Let's get some calls.

[Billy Rutledge]

Let's start with Randall.

[Drew Franklin]

Randall, what's up?

[Caller/Guest]

How about Drew? I caught the announcer's comment there about, you know, Matt Jones. Hotter than Matt Jones. Watching the State of the Union, I thought that was hilarious. But, yeah, Mark Pope, man, I really would. I give him a pass on, you know, like, recruiting these guys out of high school, because, I mean, if he's gonna go get a high school player, he needs to go for after that number one guy, you know, spend the money on him, but go to the Portal. I think that's the smart decision on his part because, you know, it's to have a senior source team. You know, a team and, like, build around our guys like Jasper Morano and Chandler. Guys like that. Put the money on those guys. I think we could really have some success next year and probably will probably make a run this year. I got faith that they do.

[Drew Franklin]

All right. Love that optimism. Appreciate the call. They have been going after the number one player and the number two, four, six, and seven.

[Billy Rutledge]

And how many do they have? How many have they gotten?

[Drew Franklin]

Zero. Not good. There's no. We can't fix that up. That is what it is. Maybe Stokes will surprise us. Probably not going to happen. The high school recruiting class looking like it'll be zero. That's inexcusable. Can't happen. But the portal, though, we don't know what will be in there. We know some guys likely in there, some guys playing well at other schools, some names we hope will go in. But whoever it is, if there is one of these marquee players, don't. Don't get outbid. Don't. Don't get too emotional. You have to go get the best of the best. If they're out there to get.

[Billy Rutledge]

It's okay if a player's motivation is money and not the name on the front of the shirt. I know how much we want for that to happen, Drew, but I don't know if that's realistic in the transfer portal era. And unfortunately, the guys you've kept in Mark Pope system this year, Colin Chandler, Jasper Johnson. What's the other one? I'm thinking of Trent. Noah. Two of the three are unplayable right now. Well, not Jasper.

[Drew Franklin]

Garrison's back.

[Billy Rutledge]

And Garrison is the two of the

[Drew Franklin]

three I'm talking about. Let's talk about Jasper.

[Billy Rutledge]

And you want to talk about Jasper and Trent.

[Drew Franklin]

I intentionally didn't bring it up the first segment because it's not a fun topic. That was. That was some of Jasper's worst work, I think there. He went over three from three. Trent went over from three for three, but Jasper had the turnover. And then the next trip down the floor. Almost another turnover. We got trapped, lost the ball. Luckily, Diabate recovers. I think they even scored. I mean, he looked unplayable out there.

[Billy Rutledge]

So what do we do?

[Drew Franklin]

I mean, part of it is they're supposed to be further down the bench.

[Billy Rutledge]

True.

[Drew Franklin]

Than they are now. I mean, you've got guys that probably shouldn't be playing when you're healthy, but Kentucky can't. Everybody wants them to make this run. We just had a caller saying they're optimistic. The bench has to be better than what we got tonight. Outside of diabate, Garrison, Noah and Jasper Johnson were 1 for 11 from the field.

[Billy Rutledge]

Yeah, and Trent, I mean, he hit the side of the backboard.

[Drew Franklin]

Oh, that corner three was ugly. And then he got two more looks in the first half that were wide open. You cannot ask for better looks than those two. He got and bricked both of those. I mean, he hasn't made a field goal since January.

[Billy Rutledge]

Yeah, it's probably getting mental at this point. Right? You're pressing, you're Only in the minutes for a few times. And you know if you miss, you're going to be subbed out. I mean, how many minutes did he get in this game? Six minutes.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah, he didn't come back in the second half. I'm not mistaken.

[Billy Rutledge]

Once again with eight.

[Drew Franklin]

Noah did this the last game. He went and rebounded. He did it again tonight, helped out there. But he's on this team and he gets his minutes to hit the open threes. And once again over three from both of those guys. Well, that's tough, but we can lift up the bench. Diabate, we never really got fully into how good he was in the second half. He was attacking. He had the breakaway where he gets the steel, finishes the and one goes into end. Made a nice cut to get a 2 getting blocked on the dunk. Not the best look, but other than that, he just went to war and was bullying in there. When it was clear that Kentucky had an advantage in the front court. What do you have? 10 of his 12 points in the second half. All of his rebounds, where I mentioned yellow. Vich did a little bit for you in the first half and the second, they just leaned on Diabate in the muscle.

[Billy Rutledge]

You're exactly right. And it's the perfect time to give our Johnny Rocker personal injury attorney, moneymaker of the game. Drew injured. Get small town compassion with big city results when you call The Rocker at 270-321-4429. And while Denzel Aberdeen led the team in scoring it, I think it's no doubt modi abate tonight. I mean, also think back earlier in this year, Mo was screaming at the guys while still on the court, you know, like maybe somebody that could derail this team fully. And you know, Mark Pope has kept his head in it and he was just somebody that I thought played really well in that second half. Drew gave Kentucky a shot to win that game.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah, well, when Kentucky, I mean, right away, they give up the seven point halftime lead. Seven. Oh, run South Carolina immediately tie game like 40 seconds. And let's be honest, a lot of us thought, oh, here we go again. But Diabate had the big five zero run kind of sparked and got him going. He had the highest plus minus on the team. I believe it was a 16.

[Billy Rutledge]

Yep. In 20 minutes.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah, Kentucky's 50 this year when he gets to 12 points. So huge game for him. He and Aberdeen really, really carried the team. Where Otega we had cooled off a little bit, which, which he earned a night off. We'll give him that one uh, who's up next on the phone?

[Billy Rutledge]

Hannah is up next.

[Drew Franklin]

Hello, Hannah.

[Announcer]

Hey, guys. First time, long time.

[Billy Rutledge]

There you go.

[Drew Franklin]

Thank you.

[Announcer]

Hey, I was at the game tonight. I just wanted to say that I thought the crowd was about 45 to 50% Kentucky fans.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah. I'm glad you called in. I want to hear about this. It sounded mostly Kentucky. We had lots of go big blues, and anytime they showed the crowd, empty Carolina seats, and then it looked like there was just an entire UK Wall of people in one section, looked like a good turnout.

[Announcer]

Yeah, I was in that wall, but, yeah, it was for sure. Mostly Kentucky fans. The guy I went with is a South Carolina fan, so I'm very glad that we won.

[Drew Franklin]

Well, were they very hospitable? I have always said they can be some of the worst in the conference, and it doesn't get talked about enough.

[Billy Rutledge]

Ryan got punched.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah, Ryan's been punched there. I've seen things there. Did you have a good time to the win? Were they nice to you?

[Announcer]

Yeah. So it's interesting. I've been to a South Carolina football game, and they were the nastiest people I've been around as far as fans, but the. The basketball fans, they seem to be a lot. A lot nicer. I had some good talks with some older folks around us, and I think they were also outnumbered, so they really couldn't say anything.

[Drew Franklin]

Well, we appreciate you being there, getting us the wind. Do you get to go to many games?

[Announcer]

Yeah, when I'm home, I do. I go to the Clemson game and the South Carolina game because I'm in Myrtle beach, but, yeah, they were awesome. I met a lot of the players. I met Pope again. Yeah, it was. It was. I met Mitch. He was nice, but, yeah, it was a great experience.

[Drew Franklin]

Well, it sounds like a great time. Thanks for calling in and tell us about it. We appreciate it. Cool that you got to meet Mark Pope. Cool to live at the beach. Pretty awesome. Got to meet Mitch.

[Billy Rutledge]

Jealous.

[Drew Franklin]

I haven't done that yet. That sounds fun. She had a big night. Big night.

[Billy Rutledge]

You haven't met Mitch, huh?

[Drew Franklin]

No. One day. Who's up next?

[Billy Rutledge]

Let's go to Justin.

[Drew Franklin]

Hello, Justin. What do you got for us? Hey, y'.

[Caller/Guest]

All. How's it going?

[Drew Franklin]

We are excellent. Kentucky just got a win. Couldn't be better.

[Caller/Guest]

That's right. That's right. I was at the bar tonight. Drove down. I live up in Frankfurt. Drove down to watch the game with some friends over at the bar this evening. And one thing that I noticed, not only, you know, with the arena there at South Carolina looking half empty. You know, it's a Tuesday night. Kentucky plays at 7:00'. Clock. That's a good time to play. And I anticipated, you know, the bar being packed and people being excited and, you know, ready to see UK kind of snap this streak that they've been in. And the one thing that I'm realizing with this season is, like, the hype just isn't there. You know, watching this game tonight, there were times when it would have been easy to tune out a little bit or, you know, not really focus in on what's happening. So I'm just curious from you guys, like, what can we do to really get some hype back up in this program? I mean, I think these next few games are a chance to do that. But I'm just curious from y', all, like, what does it look like to bring back some of that good Kentucky hype of we've got basketball games to play and there's tournaments coming up and we should be excited, but it just kind of feels blessed going into both the SEC and the ncaa.

[Drew Franklin]

You're right. I appreciate the call. Hope you had a good time at the bar. I don't know how you fix it. I mean, this season, if you went three and O these next three games heading into Nashville, maybe win a couple there, that gets people excited that you turned a corner, but otherwise they're just going to have to kill it. This off season, as we just mentioned with another caller, they struck out completely on the high school class, or at least it's the bottom of the ninth of two outs, and it's looking like they're about to strike out and get shut out in that one transfer portal. We'll see what's there. If it's anything like football, there was kind of a dip in. What went into the portal this year is everything's kind of leveling out. We don't know what will be there for basketball, but whatever's in there, you got guys you want to retain, but also you have to. You have to go after the biggest fish. You missed those last year, the Yaxels, Wilkerson, Indiana, Denmarie, Yukon, even, like, Pierre at smu. You didn't get any of those guys. And they're lighting up so the scoreboard at their new schools. Those are the kind of guys you have to go find. Not a bunch of six men that you hope will hit another level.

[Billy Rutledge]

There's a lot of special freshmen in college basketball this year, and Park Pope has to prove that he can get somebody out of the state of Kentucky. When it comes to recruiting and building up that hype that the caller's looking for, you want to bring the hype back. You start winning games, I mean, that's. That's exactly how you do it. You want to get that bar packed. Let's go on an elite 8 run. Let's see the excitement. Then people will buy all the way back in. And remember, this is what you're remembered for, is how you finish in the postseason. This could all be a moot point if they go on a run. So, I mean, there is still excitement left to be had, but there was definitely a time in this game where I did not think any of that would be coming.

[Drew Franklin]

And we've already shown this year, we'll believe. Think about. I was in Nashville for the Gonzaga game where they were getting booed out of gym. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I couldn't believe what I was watching. I couldn't believe life in that moment. Then, month and a half later, they went 8 of 9 in the SEC play Florida close. I think you get a lot of hype back. And then you have the Georgia, Auburn games. It's like the team wants to believe. When they had that run, get the Arkansas win, I think a lot of people thought, oh, I'm a tip, tap, tiptoe back onto this boat and pretend I didn't tweet some of that stuff. But then we're kind of all right back.

[Billy Rutledge]

Yeah. Online. It's like the fire Mark Pope crowds quiet this week, and then it flips the next week. I mean, it's. Fans are fickle, but this year has just been extreme, hasn't it? You go and beat Arkansas on the road like that.

[Drew Franklin]

2. Winning two wins against Tennessee.

[Billy Rutledge]

You know, you beat St. John. They haven't lost a game since. So, I mean, like, that's going to be a good win on your resume. But ultimately, it's just one of those years.

[Drew Franklin]

Up and down Tennessee down five to Missouri right now.

[Billy Rutledge]

So are we rooting for Missouri here or Tennessee?

[Drew Franklin]

I was kind of rooting for Tennessee to. To, you know, just push Missouri down a little bit more. But you never. You're never going to see me mad about the Vols losing. Not one time have I been mad when the Vols lost. Yeah. So kind of indifferent, I would say.

[Billy Rutledge]

Let's take one more than we take a break.

[Drew Franklin]

So it's one more call. Okay, let's get one more call.

[Billy Rutledge]

Jack.

[Drew Franklin]

Hello? Jack, what's going on?

[Caller/Guest]

Hey, Drew. Me and My brother are currently driving back from the game. We both go to the University of Georgia and drove up to the. Drove up to South Carolina to watch the game. And, you know, we were kind of wondering. We're like, I feel like all these Kentucky kids who go to different schools and they go to different places in the world, they all stay Kentucky fans. One person we took a picture for, she said she went to South Carolina and her husband went to South Carolina, is from South Carolina, but she's still a Kentucky fan. So despite all these other schools and all these other places that people go, why is it that all of us from Kentucky just stay Kentucky fans like that? What is it about UK that is so special to us? You know, I can kind of tell you, but I'm just curious what your thoughts are.

[Drew Franklin]

Thank you. Appreciate the call. One, we're just better people. We're better human beings. We're loyal. We're not turning on our team. You know, we start at birth, like in Kentucky, and we will die, like in Kentucky, and all the in between, we'll just. We're along for the ride. And I don't know, I think like most people in this state or from wherever you're from, if you grew up in Kentucky, like, your parents liked it, your grandparents liked it, it's passed down to you. It's not a choice. Like my grandparents, their living room had like framed Sports Illustrated in it, View K, stuff you grow up with. I mean, there were a few photos of me and the other grandkids, but there was also like, there's Mike Phillips and there's a picture of Antoine Walker.

[Billy Rutledge]

You know, it's like Kyle Macy was said in prayer at the dinner table most nights.

[Drew Franklin]

Absolutely. He was at the dinner table one time.

[Billy Rutledge]

You know, I'm not saying that doesn't

[Drew Franklin]

happen everywhere else, but at Kentucky, there's just not other distractions. It's like, it is Kentucky basketball. You were born here, it is, you were going to like it, and you are expected to pass it on to.

[Billy Rutledge]

That's right.

[Drew Franklin]

Wherever you move in life, whoever you marry, whatever school you go to, you might get a job that flies you out to San Francisco, whatever, you're sticking with the cats. It's born in you, it's in your blood.

[Billy Rutledge]

That's what connects the Commonwealth man. When there's no pro sports team, people rally around things like that. And I'm originally from Florida and have made Kentucky my home when I was 13 years old and have been here ever since. And every time I leave, I want to Come back to Kentucky. There is a yearning to be back in the Commonwealth. And you hit the nail on the head. The people are nicer here. Just much nicer.

[Drew Franklin]

Oh, we're the best humans.

[Billy Rutledge]

Come on.

[Drew Franklin]

We're not perfect, especially online after a loss. You know, like 2% of us probably aren't the best, best people. Overall, we're great. And we are carrying Kentucky basketball. Can I make that point? I've been thinking about this lately. What are the good things about Kentucky basketball right now? It's not recruiting. It's not. It's not. It's not the record in several years. We're not really in the national conversation lately. Probably not going to win a title. Been a long time since we've won a title. Been a long time since we've been to Final Four. Been a long time since we've even done anything in the SEC team.

[Billy Rutledge]

You're hurting me right now.

[Drew Franklin]

Hold on, though. You know what's there every damn year? The fans. We got this team on our backs, carrying them right now. Think about that. Everything is down a little bit across UK basketball, but yes, we might be slightly crazy and a lot of people hate us because the way we act. But the thing that's still making Kentucky right now is Big Blue Nation.

[Billy Rutledge]

Well, you think about how bad they've played in Nashville this year and then you see the crowd that still shows up at the SEC tournament. It's going to be a Big Blue takeover. Still, even if they play on Wednesday

[Drew Franklin]

at 1pm Respectfully, to this team, did they deserve to have a road crowd like they did tonight yelling Go Big Blue through the tv? Probably not. But those are Kentucky fans. That's what we do. We're the best. And right now we're the best thing the program's got going. And the rest will get better. But in the meantime, the fans are still going to be here doing what they do.

[Billy Rutledge]

Amen.

[Drew Franklin]

How about that?

[Billy Rutledge]

Preach.

[Drew Franklin]

Let's take a break. Shout out the fans. Shout out the gal.

[Billy Rutledge]

Shout out the fans.

[Drew Franklin]

Atlanta Airport in the bathroom. We'll be right back. Welcome back in to the local Toyota Dealers, KSR post game show. Drew Franklin and Billy Rutledge after Kentucky's 7263 win at South Carolina Cats. What, 18 and 10, 9 and 6 in the conference?

[Billy Rutledge]

That's right.

[Drew Franklin]

Feel pretty firm in the NCAA Tournament. Now you can stop those conversations. Still need to get another win to get out of that Wednesday talk. Maybe you can do that with Vandy coming to town on Saturday. But for right now, we're still celebrating the nine point win. We're celebrating Denzel Aberdeen. Celebrating modi abate. Colin Chandler with another dagger. Decaf dagger, we call them. Another big three. Yeah.

[Billy Rutledge]

Colin Chandler, man. And he played so poorly in the last game. He disappeared. You don't know, you know what happened. And he had hit some big shots in that 8 of 9 stretch that Kentucky had won. And good to see him hit another one tonight.

[Drew Franklin]

Before we get more phone calls here, I haven't heard your thoughts because it broke after our morning shows about Mark Pope having to write a $25,000 check.

[Billy Rutledge]

Surprised it was only 25k. Honestly, I don't know what the standard is for that, but I feel like I would have made more of an example out of him for trying to dodge the way that you do it.

[Drew Franklin]

Right. Yeah, I did. I didn't think he's getting out of that one. I don't know the scale of, you know, where that fits in the line of fines. But I, I knew he'd be riding one. I saw after the game they asked Denzel Abertine if he's gonna help pay it. He was like, heck no. It's all on Mark Pope. But he had a good laugh about it after the win in South Carolina.

[Billy Rutledge]

I mean, that'd be a stupid question 10 years ago. Right. But nowadays these guys got. They can all chip in if Mark was really upset about somebody and lost it. But I don't know, man. I don't know. Do you think that he'll get thrown out of a game as head coach at Kentucky?

[Drew Franklin]

No, not with that kind of language.

[Billy Rutledge]

No.

[Drew Franklin]

He's. He's. He didn't say the full word. I don't think he's capable of getting

[Billy Rutledge]

thrown out as a line stepper.

[Drew Franklin]

Even, Even when he punched the whiteboard in that CBS thing. You like gently held the back of the whiteboard as he punched it, which is a good quality to have. Not Hayden. That's a great guy. But I don't know if we're going to get the throw me out. I guess he threw a water bottle at BYU and get tossed one. Got tossed one time. I saw that video.

[Billy Rutledge]

Okay.

[Drew Franklin]

So I guess he does have it in him if there's a prop nearby.

[Billy Rutledge]

He's got more technicals this year than. I mean, I would have lost betting the under on that.

[Drew Franklin]

So maybe personal. I have one more thing before the phone lines.

[Billy Rutledge]

Yeah.

[Drew Franklin]

And it's late. I feel like I'm getting mean and I don't want to be mean. I try to be nice to everyone but Billy. South Carolina is not good at basketball. And I don't say that to take away from Kentucky's win. I'm happy we won, however looked. But how did South Carolina win three games? They are. They're terrible. Michi Johnson, he's had big games against Kentucky in the past. He is what he is. Had some tough shots tonight. He got to the foul line. What was that? That strong dude had a. Had a stretch where he turned it on, but he was over seven from three. The Cape Capic. Yeah, they were just giving him open shots. I think he was 1 for 6. For them to hit four threes to start the game and then finish 8 of 29 shows you how cold they got. I'm glad, you know, not trying to take away from Kentucky's victory by calling out the opponent.

[Billy Rutledge]

Well, you are a little bit, but I am.

[Drew Franklin]

Okay. But it needs to be noted that that was not a good team.

[Billy Rutledge]

No, I was going to go to the same point. They hit four threes in the first four minutes, and they end the first half shooting 25%. Like, it was just a disaster offensively for them. After that, they can't get a rebound. I mean, you've got Yellow Vic out jumping these guys for rebounds. So, I mean, they've got a lot to work on, obviously.

[Drew Franklin]

To work on. What were they working on it for? There's three games left. I mean, you could.

[Billy Rutledge]

It's all about March, baby. Going on a run. Do you think Mr. Paris is gone?

[Drew Franklin]

I don't know. He's from my wife's hometown, Finley, Ohio. And while I was watching him, I was eating a bowl of ice cream from this famous shop in Finley, Ohio. And I felt sad for him, looking down on my ice cream, knowing it's probably over for him there. I mean, they lost all the stat, the rebounds. Losing that by 20, Kentucky's fast break points, 26 to 7. Kentucky won. Like every stat. It's amazing the game was as close as it was. In fact, as I'm just reading the box score here, I don't know how it was close as it was, but I just needed to get it off my chest that I do not think South Carolina is great at the sport of men's basketball.

[Billy Rutledge]

Maybe the empty gym should have eluded that for us before the game even started.

[Drew Franklin]

Don Staley was there.

[Billy Rutledge]

Don Staley was there. Maybe they're just so invested in the women's team, they don't have enough energy for the men.

[Drew Franklin]

Shane Beamer was there.

[Billy Rutledge]

I hate that guy.

[Drew Franklin]

All Right, who's up next?

[Billy Rutledge]

Let's go to Nick.

[Drew Franklin]

Hello, Nick. Do you like Shane Beamer?

[Caller/Guest]

Of course not.

[Drew Franklin]

All right, me either. Nice. That makes three of us.

[Caller/Guest]

Just a couple comments. One would be about the box score, the minutes, and then about Cam Williams as well. But the box score, I mean, I like. I like seeing the away. Aberdeen and Chandler each had around 35 minutes, 35 plus minutes. I mean, you get. You got to have that the rest of the way. And I think what I would change is, you know, yellow Mitch has a little less than 17 minutes. Diabate has 20 minutes. I think you just got to give those guys more minutes and take away minutes from Garrison having about five or six. Johnson, I just don't feel like you can play him unless you have a huge lead by at least 15 points or so. He's just not given anything. Noah, I mean, he got about five minutes, but he got you five rebounds. I mean, he's got to make the shots, but he's getting bored. So I still think you can put him out there for a few minutes a game. I just think you got to give some of these big guys some more minutes. I mean, because we got three games left and then postseason and last thing I would say on it is if there's some way, you know, they got to get Cam Williams back somehow because they just need that extra shooter and that extra big guy on the floor to just stress the defense more.

[Drew Franklin]

Thank you. I appreciate the call. I would love to get Cam Williams back. And Pope keeps holding out hope, saying if they can go on long enough run, then maybe they can get him to help. Billy, I just don't own if he gets healthy. Gal that's been out that long, what he can do. But it is clear how much he's missed. I mean, he was the plus minus leader on the team and just earned a starting role. Feel like he was finally turning a corner and then he goes out with that fluke injury just getting back on defense. So that's. Yeah.

[Billy Rutledge]

And then like conditioning wise, how in shape is he if when he does get healthy, you know, one thing, the caller says he would like to see Brandon Garrison around five or six minutes a game. I just don't think we're going to see that. Pope is dedicated to.

[Drew Franklin]

Oh, he's committed, but like Yellowchuck, I know it. He thought he was Steph Curry here tonight for a little bit. Taking a lot of threes, but that was a pretty good game for him. 11 matches is high for the year. He had 17 minutes to Garrison's 13. Maybe just slide a few more yellow bitches away. I'd even like to see him diabate. Play together when Marino needs a break.

[Billy Rutledge]

Yeah, yeah, I just. What was the plan for this front court going into the season? I mean, you took a guy that was in the same calendar year with a major knee injury. I guess your expectation was Brandon Garrison was going to be better from last year, but Yelovich was a late addition to the roster. Like what was the plan at the front court this year?

[Drew Franklin]

And it just, it feels like just a few weeks ago we're like, what are we going to do with all these big men? We have way too many big men. Can we trade a big man for a guard? And now it's like I need a little help in the front court with Marino. Just added to the list of the roller coaster things of this season. But I would like a little more jelly. Maybe not six three pointers in a game.

[Billy Rutledge]

I mean he can be really key. We talk about the stretch forward, how important it is in Mark Pope's offense. So maybe some more of that. But I'm telling you, Tom was yelling at him to shoot the ball at times in this game. As many threes as he shot, he could have had, maybe even.

[Drew Franklin]

Oh, Tom wanted more. He was wide open. They. They were just letting him have it. I didn't do the Tom Jack sync up tonight. Should have.

[Billy Rutledge]

Jack was good tonight. I mean he was frustrated from the get go. But then like seeing them fight and take the lead and I mean there was just some audible oh mans after, after some buckets or some bad turnovers. I, I just love listening to those guys because they, they, they treat it like it's their children out there.

[Drew Franklin]

No holding their emotions. Who's up next? Ed. Ed. Hello, Ed. What's up?

[Caller/Guest]

Hey. Hey guys. I'm so happy that we won one. And I got a question here for the winning this program in history, but how big of a lead do we still have over second place?

[Billy Rutledge]

I think we are second, aren't we?

[Drew Franklin]

No. We had a four game lead over Kansas earlier in the week. I think a five game lead. Now I'm trying to do math on the fly. Think call it a five game lead.

[Caller/Guest]

Well, I hope we don't. I hope we outlast Kansas and keep the lead. That would be sort of been a cat fan. I'm like 70 years old. I've been a cat fan all my life. And

[Drew Franklin]

me too. And that's something we're proud of. We can't Be losing the all time record, right?

[Caller/Guest]

Yeah, that would be a sad thing. But go Cats and hope for to this.

[Drew Franklin]

All right, thank you, Ed. I actually have the official numbers now.

[Billy Rutledge]

What is it?

[Drew Franklin]

Turns out I was right. Imagine that this big brain. Kentucky leads Kansas by five games, 2,440 to 2,435.

[Billy Rutledge]

All right, let's go.

[Drew Franklin]

That's from our guy. Stephen Peak just tweeted that an hour ago. Staying on top of it.

[Billy Rutledge]

I remember we had to change it on the open for UK a couple years ago.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah, we've slipped up, I think a couple times. Lost it to Kansas briefly. Got it back and lost it to Carolina for a little bit. Got it back. Let's just not give it up again.

[Billy Rutledge]

Yeah, let's just.

[Drew Franklin]

Five game more. Who's next? Michael. Hi, Michael. Thanks for calling in. What do you think of the game?

[Caller/Guest]

Hey, what's up, Drew? Hey, man. Me, my dad and my sister, we're coming back from the ball game and it's my sister's first game. She wants to say a little something.

[Drew Franklin]

All right. Hello, sister.

[Caller/Guest]

Hey.

[Announcer]

Yeah, I just wanted to say I have been a fan for my whole life, 33 years. I went to my first in person game, we're coming from Charlotte, and it was just. I was so ecstatic to see the players in person. It was just surreal. Even though it was a away game, it was just, you know, great to see the team and just being there in person. The game was great. You know, I was so excited to be there. You know, I. The only thing I could say, I was a little disappointed in away a little bit, but Aberdeen and Dua Bate showed up for the team and I was just great that everybody as a team showed up for everybody today.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah, I'm glad they got the win for you. Since you showed up. Being your first game in person, did you have any, like, takeaways or observations of something that was new or different or something that stood out to you watching in person?

[Announcer]

Well, one thing I will say, I did notice that Pope and the rest of the coaches, they kind of huddled a little bit at timeout before they went and spoke to the team, which is really odd. That was the first time I noticed that. It was at every timeout, like, why are you huddling before you go talk to the team? You're taking away time to, you know, drop a play. When South Carolina was talking to their team, the entire team. I'm sorry, the entire time, that was the first time I noticed that. I thought that was A little strange. I don't know what their game plan was behind that, but that was what I observed during the game.

[Drew Franklin]

Tells me you've been paying attention. They've been doing that this year. We've had other people call in and ask that as well. Appreciate the call, Billy. That's a, that's a big thing. There's been timeouts where I'm not sure Pope spoke to a player because they do their, their coaches timeout or coaches huddle and the player huddles a few feet away.

[Billy Rutledge]

And then sometimes you let the assistant go and talk to the guys and maybe it's not the head guy.

[Drew Franklin]

So it's usually Mark. I see Mark Fox do it a lot.

[Billy Rutledge]

Yeah, so we've seen it a couple different ways with how they handle it. It's also a good reminder that no matter how bad a game might be, it could be somebody's first game. Right. 33 year fan and in their first game happens to be in an empty arena in Columbia, South Carolina.

[Drew Franklin]

But still, I have to remind myself erupt a lot. You know, I'm pretty blessed covering the team for feels like 50 years. I get to go to a lot of games and there's nights where it's like, oh, eastern Michigan, seven o', clock, you know, stuff like that. But then you get in there and you see someone getting their first ice cream cone and all that, it brings the joy a little back a little bit because it is a very cool experience to watch Kentucky basketball in person, whether that's in Rupp or South Carolina or the SEC tournament.

[Billy Rutledge]

And then that person's put on the snack words cam and then they're mortified after their first visit to rup. But I mean, there is, it is special to see your team for the first time like that.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah, I've started staring the camera down while I eat, just waiting for the red light to go on.

[Billy Rutledge]

You want it?

[Drew Franklin]

You're like, yeah, I'm bring it. Watch me. I intentionally just dropped chili all over my shirt, but nothing yet. We're taking another break here.

[Billy Rutledge]

Don't reach that high.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah, it's true. Up in the crow's nest, another segment. What do you got anywhere to be?

[Billy Rutledge]

We got one more to go.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah, you got anywhere to go? You want to do another one? Let's keep it going. Let's keep it going. We should take a break. I think that's how this works. And we come back Dream Billy taking calls celebrating Kentucky's 72 win over South Carolina. All right, one more segment here on the local Toyota dealers, KSR postgame show. Drew Franklin and Billy Rutledge, our State of the Union correspondent. What have I missed so far, Billy?

[Billy Rutledge]

I mean, I've been watching Tennessee, Missouri.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah, how about that? 67, 65, Missouri. A minute left. Missouri has the ball, trying to put the Vols away. We're going to talk a little more about the Cats beating the Gamecocks, because that's what we care about here in Kentucky. Here we got a full phone bank. We do.

[Billy Rutledge]

We've got six calls before we end this thing, Drew, and then I get to go home and go to bed.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah, I'm pretty excited about bed, too. It's been a long day. But, you know, luckily I got one of the seven o' clock shows. I don't envy the guys at the 9 o'. Clock.

[Billy Rutledge]

You got the Morning Post tomorrow?

[Drew Franklin]

No morning posts. I got to be up early, though. Six o', clock, alarms already set. See you bright and early. Let's get these calls out of the way. Who's up first?

[Billy Rutledge]

Angus is up first.

[Drew Franklin]

Angus, thanks for calling in.

[Caller/Guest]

I just called to say that I hate Shane Beamer and his stupid freaking sunglasses. Go Cats.

[Drew Franklin]

All right, we appreciate the call. That's by my cow. That's four of us. We're growing. The group is growing.

[Billy Rutledge]

Billy Stockton, mortgage Plug, here in the final segment.

[Drew Franklin]

Poor Shane's probably on his way home. Like, I'll tune in those Kentucky guys, see what they're talking about.

[Billy Rutledge]

God, I don't like Shane.

[Drew Franklin]

Who's up next? What do you think of Shane Beamer?

[Billy Rutledge]

Tj.

[Drew Franklin]

Hi, tj.

[Caller/Guest]

Hey, buddy. How you doing, man?

[Drew Franklin]

Couldn't be better.

[Caller/Guest]

Hey, you know, I think Matt said it. You know, it was funny. I was listening to it the other day, actually. It was a podcast that y' all had when Calipari left and. And Matt said it the best. He said, be aware because it's not going to be exciting anymore with, you know, the number one recruit or the number five recruitment. Just the way they play ball with Mark Pope, and. And I'm trying to be excited about Kentucky basketball. You know, I've been a fan almost 40 years. I've got the jerseys, I've got the Maker's Mark bottles, and I just found myself tonight almost falling asleep during the game because there's no alley oops. There's no top recruits coming in, there's no number one draft picks, there's no this, there's no that. It's just so hard to get into. This mindset of Kentucky basketball is awesome because because why? I mean, we pulled away at the end, sure, but there was like three minutes left. It was a two point game against the worst team in the sec. Why is that except exciting? It's so hard, man. Help me out.

[Drew Franklin]

All right, tj, Appreciate the call. He's not that wrong. Wasn't the most fun basketball game to watch. I mean, South Carolina shot, what, 37%?

[Billy Rutledge]

They are bad.

[Drew Franklin]

Kentucky, both teams under 40% from the field, both teams under 30% from three.

[Billy Rutledge]

Was a rock fight.

[Drew Franklin]

It was $4 to get in. Yeah, just $4. Again, I mean, this isn't one. I don't know if ESPN Classic still exists. Probably won't be turning on ESPN Classic tomorrow to catch this replay. I don't know if SEC network will add this to Kentucky day when they do that this summer. So, tj, you're not alone in this not being a fun game. And overall, I know Kentucky basketball. We're in a little bit of a lull. It's not the. Not the gold standard that we're used to. You know, if you don't want to say gold standard and go back farther. Not even the 90s, even though we try to wear denim.

[Billy Rutledge]

Well, I mean, you made this point. It's not even about just winning games that would bring the excitement back. But you've talked about, like, the expectation of, like, going into the NCAA Tournament with, like, a uk. You better watch out for Kentucky this year. They don't have that this year. They might be a team that makes an upset or could go on a run. They're not the. You gotta watch out for Kentucky this year. And you made that point this week about how that's lost on.

[Drew Franklin]

Well, that's what makes me sad, Billy, being a Kentucky basketball fan. It's full time. Like, even on a day, you know, you play Tuesday, Saturday, Thursday morning, you're thinking about Kentucky basketball and what's next. And this time of year, we're absolutely thinking about selection Sunday. We're thinking about the SEC tournament. We're thinking in our heads, we're gonna hang another banner. You're doing the bracket pools at your office. And everyone in the office puts Kentucky as the champion. Because we're all Kentucky fans. That's what we do. But now we're not in that spot. Like, I don't know about you. I'm not thinking about March Madness on Thursday morning. So I don't want to think about March Madness on Thursday. Like, we don't have that excitement that we have that is just constantly in our brains at all times when things are going well.

[Billy Rutledge]

And part of the reason is you turn on the TV and you see a game like that 72 to 63 against South Carolina.

[Drew Franklin]

And we just had some great games around college. I mean, it was basically a final four on Saturday with 1 verse 4, 2 verse 3. I mean, this has been for all the complaints about the transfer portal. And I don't like it either. Where you got guys in the G league just showing up with their algebra book acting like they're, you know, I'll go back to school. It's like, dude, you're 40. Go get a job. I don't like any of that. But this year, the games have been pretty awesome. And the stars have been stars. I mean, there are some dudes all over the country and it's been a fun season. And when you ask anyone outside of Kentucky to talk about it, they're not saying the word Kentucky. It's a lot of other teams that are having all the fun. Yeah, I don't like this negativity, though. TJ got me down a path. Kentucky 172, 63. Remember, South Carolina is the bad team, not us. We won. Let's get to a happier color.

[Billy Rutledge]

We had so many drops. We have three left. Brandon is up next.

[Drew Franklin]

Sorry to the caller that dropped. Hello, Brandon.

[Billy Rutledge]

Brandon.

[Drew Franklin]

All right, Billy, during the break, I heard you talking. You said you were worried the phone lines were hanging up on.

[Billy Rutledge]

I was, yeah.

[Drew Franklin]

Do we think that's still a concern?

[Billy Rutledge]

No, Brandon's still on the line.

[Drew Franklin]

Oh, okay.

[Billy Rutledge]

I think his, like, phone may be

[Drew Franklin]

on mute or something, so I'll try to speak up.

[Billy Rutledge]

I'm just gonna have to open the phones back up, Drew. I mean, we can't end like that. So we got a couple more here. Luke is up next.

[Drew Franklin]

Okay, Luke, save us.

[Caller/Guest]

Hey, guys, I just wanted to say a couple other things. One, TJ can kiss my ass. Being so negative. We won't. Yes. Ugly. I drove eight hours here to see a game that should have come with a warning label. Yes. Okay, that's part of it. Some games you're going to get me ugly. But we've won. Why does it matter? Why are we complaining? Here's another thing I'm going to hit people with. I called the pre show earlier and talked about how Kentucky is. You know, basically this team is like a really hot girlfriend that keeps cheating on you. I mean, that's what they are. And that the program itself is kind of like the oil industry that look, it's boom or bust. There is A lot of boomer bust. Let me give you.

[Drew Franklin]

Let me hit you with some.

[Caller/Guest]

Some facts. My dad was born in 1959, the first 36 years of his life. That's till 1995 for all of you that stuck that suck at math. So for the first 36 years, you know what he saw Kentucky basketball do his first 36 years, one national title and four whole final fours. Dude, my childhood, I had four and five years, okay? I was blessed. Okay? We. We are very fortunate to be Kentucky basketball fans because more often than not is pretty darn good. And yes, we have been in a blue blood rut. And I do. Look, I. I'm not trying to say that, you know, it's not an issue because it is an issue, but this program has been in positions than we are in now. And in the nil era, you can turn it around very quickly. And I'm just really sick and tired of all the. All the negativity and all of that. Listen, I'm not saying I think, you know, I have my problems with Pope and all that stuff, but in this moment right now, I am not going to sit here and be angry about the fact that we won against game. What the hell is wrong with people to be angry at 11 o' clock on a Tuesday night about winning a basketball game? You know what? That's all I got to say. Guys, thank you for taking that call.

[Drew Franklin]

Boom. Call the night. Wow. Thanks for getting with Luke. Luke was his name.

[Billy Rutledge]

Yeah.

[Drew Franklin]

Thank you, Luke. You got us back on track. I even drifted to negativity. Land there for a little bit. Billy had to run down the street and get me. Get me back on track. Thank you. We needed that energy. TJ Got in my head a little bit talking about big picture things that don't matter. Just beat South Carolina, covered the spread. Billy cover denzel. Aberdeen had 19 points mode about. He was awesome. In the second half, you can only

[Billy Rutledge]

beat the team in front of you, Drew.

[Drew Franklin]

That's right.

[Billy Rutledge]

You can do.

[Drew Franklin]

Held him to 36%. Kentucky's 10. And oh, when they hold teams under 40%, how do you win? How do you win the rebounding battle by 20? Kentucky did that. We're not complaining about that. What else you like? Colin Chandler with another dagger. Another decaf dagger. You like that? He's not done. He's got more of those. I bet he hits 1 in Nashville.

[Billy Rutledge]

How about Malachi Moreno? Pick and roll out of an inbounds play.

[Drew Franklin]

Chef's kiss. Chef's kiss. Almost did a Ryan Lemon noise there. Sorry. Got a little carried away. Big game for Malachi to shove. A double double. Love the 11 rebounds. Also love that we won. I also got out of that three game losing streak. Hadn't had one of those in five years. Let's not do that again for a long time.

[Billy Rutledge]

Needed it. I also got some more people on the line if you want to.

[Drew Franklin]

I thought you're going to tell me more things. You're excited about that. Looks like Missouri won. Did Missouri win? They look happy. I looked away and of course it goes to the studio. It looked like they were celebrating. Who's up?

[Billy Rutledge]

Oh yeah, look at them.

[Drew Franklin]

That's a celebration.

[Billy Rutledge]

They're definitely.

[Drew Franklin]

We're going to call it here. You're hearing it now in the KSR post game show. Missouri beat Tennessee somehow. Oh yeah. Up for. They're good. Missouri wins. Down go the Vols. Not mad about it. Who's up next?

[Billy Rutledge]

Matt is up next.

[Drew Franklin]

Matt, what's up?

[Caller/Guest]

Hey guys, great win. I don't, don't care at this point. Any win right now is a great win. I thought it was a hard fought win. My concern is is recruiting for next year. I just wonder if maybe what our issue is. We don't have a say a Vince Merrow to help recruit, recruit the guys. Maybe we need to look at our assistant coaches and see why we're not getting recruits. I mean Mark, Mark can't be the only guy doing the recruiting. We need some strong recruiters on the outside. We need. We had guys with Caliperi that were good at going out and getting people. That's maybe what we're missing right now.

[Drew Franklin]

Thank you. You're exactly right on that. I appreciate the call. They do need some help on the recruiting trail there. That's no secret. I think everyone is in agreement. They need a general manager. Hopefully that's announced soon because portal season's right around the corner and I don't care what people say, Portal season began a long time ago because that's how

[Billy Rutledge]

the sport works and the football team. I mean Coach Stein came in with two gms. So I mean the least Kentucky do is it could get one. And hopefully it's a little better than Vince Marrow because I think he brought in Jasper Johnson in the last minute for Kentucky.

[Drew Franklin]

So he did help with that. You know people wondered about if it's Pope doesn't want to GM UK the three letter place. You're right. Will Stein showed up with the GM and an assistant gm.

[Billy Rutledge]

I mean he was ready to go hit the ground running. Why is, why are we living in the stone age with the GM spot.

[Drew Franklin]

They need one bad. It's obvious the best teams in the country have them, but I feel. I feel like we're being pulled by this magnetic force towards Negative Town and we're not going to do it.

[Billy Rutledge]

Billy.

[Drew Franklin]

Luke brought us back and I'm not doing it. But we do need a gm. Who's up next?

[Billy Rutledge]

We got two more. Billy.

[Drew Franklin]

Billy. Only positive thoughts to wrap up the show.

[Announcer]

Well, I think this is kind of positive. I just wanted to explain to the lady who went to her first ball game in person today about the coaches huddle. I had heard Mark talk about this several months ago about somebody had brought up the question and he said he does it intentionally to give the players time to work out what they envisioned the problems were that are on the court and that helps develop the leadership among themselves and communications. And then he has a coach or himself go over and talk to him and follow up, make sure that they've covered all the bases.

[Billy Rutledge]

All right.

[Announcer]

Once the players, the players to actually run that show if, if they can recognize their own problems and work it out themselves first, that's. That's his plan.

[Drew Franklin]

Perfect. That's a great explanation. Billy. See Billy. Other Billy. The Billy that's here with me right now.

[Billy Rutledge]

Which one?

[Caller/Guest]

Me?

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah, you. Not. Not her. Billy. Someone asked a question. We don't have the answer. This Billy comes through.

[Billy Rutledge]

I mean, that's been the best Billy

[Drew Franklin]

on the show right now.

[Billy Rutledge]

Smartest fan base.

[Announcer]

That's because I graduated from the UK over 50 years ago in 1973. So I've been around a UK graduate for a long time. I knew all the words on all you have came before I got out of high school in the 60s. So there you go.

[Drew Franklin]

Well, maybe you should have a podcast sometime, tell some stories. You seem to know ball. Thank you for calling in.

[Caller/Guest]

All right.

[Announcer]

Thank you very much.

[Drew Franklin]

I can't think of a better Billy that's been on these airwaves.

[Billy Rutledge]

Well, hold on now. I mean, I agree. That was a great.

[Drew Franklin]

That was a great call by Billy.

[Billy Rutledge]

And if Brandon hadn't answered, we wouldn't have gotten Billy. So things happen for a reason.

[Drew Franklin]

What do you think of the move of letting the players. Like a players only meeting during a timeout?

[Billy Rutledge]

I like that. Work your problems out before the coach comes in and gives you the game plan for the next. What's going to happen. I could see how that'd be bad at sometimes, but I think for the most part. But that's a. That's A good concept.

[Drew Franklin]

If I were in the, I'd have a hard time staying on task. I'd be cutting up. I would need a coach over there in my huddle. I can see what he's going for.

[Billy Rutledge]

Yeah, I get player empowerment.

[Drew Franklin]

Didn't the last coach say that all the time? I think he did.

[Billy Rutledge]

Yeah, I've heard that.

[Drew Franklin]

So we have one left.

[Billy Rutledge]

We got one call left.

[Drew Franklin]

What's their name? Steve. Steve, you got to bring it. It's been a great ending here. We had Luke fire us up. We had Billy drop knowledge take us home. What's up?

[Caller/Guest]

Well, first of all, a win is a win. And if you're going to beat North Carolina and you're going to beat Kansas, you got to keep piling them up. So, you know, take it when you can get it. And also, where would this team be without Malachi Marino? I don't think he gets enough credit. And if he wasn't there, we'd be, you know, 50 or less on wins, I think so. The guy is a stud. He's outperformed whatever we thought he might do, and he's just one hell of a player.

[Drew Franklin]

You're exactly right. Thank you for calling in, sharing that. It's a great way to end it. Malachi has been awesome. The original plan early, Brandon Garrison was the starter. We know Malachi pretty quickly started showing that he could compete and eventually take those minutes, becomes the starter. I feel like after every game we get like this. Malachi Marino is the first, first freshman since blah, blah, blah to have this many rebounds on the road. You know, we're getting all these first time things for him as a freshman. He's been awesome. I'm one of the people and I don't run from it. I watched him at Great Crossing and I knew he'd eventually be good, but I thought freshman year might not be quite ready. Just thought he needed a little more muscle, need to get a little more physical. And he still has to work on that. But I didn't see anything like we've seen from Reno. And the caller's right. Who knows where we'd be without him.

[Billy Rutledge]

Has blown our expectations out of the water. Not only that, he had the game winner versus lsu, of course. And I mean, was it the first basket of the last game versus Auburn? He scores. He rolls his ankles on the court for five minutes and he ends up getting up running off the court and then coming back in the game. The guy's tough and if he doesn't go to the NBA, I'm Looking forward to a sophomore campaign for our guy Malachi.

[Drew Franklin]

And here lately he's. I feel like he's been money at the free throw line too. Which you want this time of year, especially from your big guy. Four for four from tonight. I don't have past game stats in front of me, but I feel like if you looked up the last month, he's been pretty consistent at the line too. So. Yes, shout out to Malachi Marino. Great night tonight. Almost got the double double, but got the 11 rebounds. Two blocks. Just obvious when he's not out there. It's a big difference.

[Billy Rutledge]

Malachi Moreno is 70 for 100 at the free throw line this year.

[Drew Franklin]

That's 70%.

[Billy Rutledge]

That is.

[Drew Franklin]

I'd say in the last month it's even better. That's probably a lot to do on the fly. Y' all just trust me. Billy will call and back me up. Other Billy, the Billy we like. But I like this Billy. It was fun. Thank you for letting me hang with you late at night. I feel like we should probably turn this off, go home. They have other shows they have to do. State of the Union's over Tennessee. Missouri's over Kentucky. South Carolina is over. Cats win 72 63. Staying out of that bubble conversation, we'll be all right. Got Vandy coming up on Saturday. Three important games left. Let's win some of them. Hell, let's win all of them. Billy. Let's go three and.

[Billy Rutledge]

Oh, let's do it.

[Drew Franklin]

But for now, we're going to celebrate this one. Cats beat South Carolina for Drew, Billy and all our callers. Thank you all for listening. Go Cats. Are you a fraud paying American? 1 in 4 tax paying Americans has

[Billy Rutledge]

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[Drew Franklin]

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[Billy Rutledge]

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[Drew Franklin]

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[Billy Rutledge]

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[Drew Franklin]

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[Announcer]

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[Drew Franklin]

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[Billy Rutledge]

We host the podcast Mind the Small

[Drew Franklin]

Business Success Stories produced by Ruby Studio

[Billy Rutledge]

in partnership with Intuit QuickBooks.

[Drew Franklin]

We're back for season four to talk to some incredible small business owners. The big thing about working at Tech is that it's ever evolving, ever changing. Everyone's a rookie, that's how fast the industry is changing. So what I'm really excited about is to be part of that change.

[Billy Rutledge]

So listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple

[Drew Franklin]

Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.