KSR - 2025-04-08- KSR - Hour 2

Episode Date: April 8, 2025

Drew talks College Basketball and National Championship. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter.

Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where SportsSlice comes in. I'm Timbo, and every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story behind the headline. And we're going straight to the source, the athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear. Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more, follow Timbo Slica Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. If you're watching the latest season of the Real Housewives of Atlanta, you already know there's a lot to break down. Gorsha accusing Kelly of sleeping with a married man. They holding Kay Michelle back from fighting Drew. Pinky has financial issues. On the podcast, Reality with the King, I, Carlos King, recap the biggest moments from your favorite reality shows, including the Real House Wise franchise. the drama, the alliances, and the T, everybody's talking about. To hear this and more, listen to Reality with the King on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

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by going to Stockton.com and get started. I've even used Stockton Mortgage myself on my own home loan. for your home loan needs stockton.com and click get started stockton mortgage nmLS 8259 equal housing lender nmLS consumer access dot org here's not matt jones i am drew franklin filling in for matt jones on a very busy and exciting day for big blue nation and we're going to get right to the man of the hour he has been kind enough to call in on his busy morning here on ksr we have jaden quaintens on the phone line, Jaden, thank you for calling in, and how does it feel to be a cat for a second time? It feels good, do you know?

Just getting back to the fan base, getting back in that environment, it feels good. You still considered Kentucky after the coaching change this time last year. What is it that you love so much about Kentucky and the Big Blue Nation that you've now committed again under two different areas of UK? You seem to really like the place. Yeah, well, you know, again, the fan base for Kentucky, probably one of the best, probably is the best in college basketball period. And, you know, the coach showed a lot of interest.

You seemed like he genuinely thought I fit really well into their program. I feel like I fit well into their play style. You know, I just thought it was pretty good for me. Yeah, in talking to Mark Pope and that fit, the reports, are you really seemed like style of play? You just mentioned that. What is kind of Pope told you about how he'll use you and what it will look like when you bounce back from injury

and get back to action? Yeah, well, you know, when I'm able to get back. back on the court, you know, they kind of will be able to play through me a little bit more, will be able to work on the perimeter a little bit more, you know, get to show off my playmaking ability more than I was able to do this year, be able to play downhill, push the ball off the break, you know, just work on my versatility more. I think we actually interrupted your rehab this morning again. Thanks for calling us. So you got a lot of excited listeners happy to have you a part of Kentucky.

How are things going with the rehab? And is there any kind of timeline or target date where you're really aiming to get back and getting up and down the court? Yeah, you know, the rehab's been going really well. I've been ahead of schedule. You know, the scars healing up well, getting a lot of swollen down, getting my quiet strengthened really well. So rehab has been going good. We're aiming to get back around September. And yeah, rehab hasn't gone well.

Jayden, I appreciate you coming on with us. Amari Williams, obviously, is a different style of play. and, you know, kind of fits the mold of what you, you kind of are as a basketball player. How much did you watch what he did this season and kind of use that as a, you know, a potential measuring stick of what you could potentially do this upcoming season in Kentucky? I haven't been able to watch too much, but I feel like from what I was showing on the film, play somewhat similar. I feel like I'm going to be able to kind of take over that kind of role well and flourish in that kind of rule.

What did Mark Pope say? And what were those kind of early conversations with him like and saying, hey, here's what you're going to be and how you're going to be used here in our system? Well, again, you know, they'd be able to play through me at the top of the key to show off my offensive ability more. I get to show off my shooting a little bit better. You know, playing in the pick and roll, being able to get downhill. Just playing a more open and faster-paced offense. I felt not fit well under that. What is playing for, you know, Big Blue Nation with the most passionate fan base in college basketball on a platform like the University of Kentucky?

How do you think that's going to kind of elevate, you know, what you're trying to accomplish? And, you know, what a lot of people kind of envision your last season of college basketball? What is it about the Kentucky brand that intrigues you? Well, I mean, it's the biggest brand in college basketball. They got the best fans in college basketball, travel well. You can't go to Kentucky and not get noticed. So I plan on doing big things here, and I feel like this is the best day to do it on. Last February, I think it might have been the Georgia game in Rupp Arena.

You were there. They brought you out at half court to a huge reception, gave everybody a big wave. How did it feel? That was kind of your first moment in front of Kentucky fans in a unique situation last season. And how exciting is it to get back out there in front of those fans again in Rupp Arena? finally wearing the uniform next year. You know, it's a great privilege, you know, how much love did the fans show, how, again,

large an arena is how big of a turnout it is every time, you know, you pop out there. So it's a great experience for sure. We've talked about your connection to Mark Pope. I know this all moved so quickly, but have you had any conversations with some of the players already on Kentucky's roster, any connections in the past with those guys,

gotten to know any of them or heard from them, got any group tech started yet? Yeah, my God, Jasper Johnson, he was a big part of, you know, kind of helping me lean for Kentucky. He's been talking about how much he loves the environment and the situation in the sands and the coaching and just how he thought I'd be able to sit well into the system that they have going on here and the team that they're trying to build. So my God, Jasper has helped me a lot and kind of getting here. Hey, Jaden, you know, obviously understanding the assignment in Lexington is very important for Mark Pope

and just getting back to the Final Four winning a national championship. How important is that for you going into this season and knowing the other pieces that Pope has been able to assemble and the group that he's been able to assemble? Is it fair to say that a national championship is on the table next season in Lexington? Well, you know, winning is probably the most important thing to me, and I've been wanting to have a chance to compete. You know, I don't really like watching from the sidelines, watching everybody else. You know what I'm saying? In the tournament, we didn't make the tournament this year, and I look forward to having a real chance to win it. next year. I feel like that's going to be another really big part of going to Kentucky.

We have a real shot to win the national championship. I know fans will love to hear that. And obviously, you know, you got rehab to get to and we don't want to keep you too long. But, you know, what for fans that are not familiar with you are just trying to get, you know, back used to you? Obviously, you're an old friend, but now a new friend for us as well. What can fans expect from Jaden Queens as a basketball player when you do make your way back to the floor? I'm going to play hard and give them all every night. You know, I'm going to have the impact on the offensive end of the ball.

And, you know, I play to win every night. Every time I step on the floor, I play to win to impact the game all over I can't. Love it. Jaden, we can't thank you enough for taking time out of your extremely busy morning to join us here on KSR. I know our listeners loved it and appreciate it because we're very excited to have you back in Big Blue Nation where you belong. And we look forward to everything ahead. But thanks again for joining us. and congratulations on making your commitment.

Appreciate you guys. All right, we'll talk to you in Lexington, looking forward to it. All right, guys. Yes, sir, go cats. There was, Jack. A, good get Jack, getting him on the phone. I can only imagine how hectic it has been around him this morning. You know, it was a big portal target?

It even sounded like, was that Bruce Pearl in the background? I thought I heard Bruce when Jayden was talking there. Bruce surely isn't trying to visit him right now, is he? No, it was great to have him. And, like I said, very exciting times. Kentucky. I remember that moment in Rupp Arena when he got the big pop. We thought we were going to have him last year. You know, life's funny. He's got a twist and turns, but he's coming back home. Projected top 10 pick in the 2026 draft brings some much needed rim protection. And it sounds like he's on a good

timeline with the rehab on the ACL. All I can focus on is national championship talk, man. Yeah. He had him talking about, you know, me and Jasper, we've been talking a lot. We have big dreams of hanging banners in Lexington. It's like, oh, all right, can we? Can we? I know the national championship just finished up last night, but I'm ready to roll those balls out and tip the season off. Made me hungry for it, watching it last night. Do you think, you know, do you think Caliperi? Well, how does he feel about this? I mean, that could have been one of his big pieces.

Did he think that he was going to follow him to Arkansas last year? It's complicated. I think everybody just kind of knew, you know, it might just be a hard reset for everybody. Some would follow. Some wouldn't. And obviously, some did follow and some didn't. But I do know that it was really important for Jaden and those close to him to, you know, kind of make his own decision. And that's why, you know, even after Cal left, there were initial conversations of, hey, I would love to be a part of this.

I know, you know, it's complicated. It's you guys have a coaching search to do. But I would love to have some type of role in this. And it just didn't work out. You know, it needed a little break to know what they were missing with one another. And they were able to refine each other again this offseason. and, you know, Jaden was able to grow under his own terms on his own timeline, and now we should be getting a more mature, you know, 18-year-old version of Jaden

instead of, you know, arriving on campus at 16 like he did last season of Arizona State. Love always finds a way. Works out. We got him where he needs to be. Stephen, I say this lovingly, respectfully. Sure. Sometimes you can be a little bit of a doomsdayer. You know, you consider the worst-case scenario at times.

Not always. Not always. But, you know, you can have worries and you can be cautious about the state of Kentucky basketball. How do you feel? Let's just assume they have a shooter we don't know yet. Still got to go out and get one of those. But unnamed shooter and the pieces they have now, where is Stephen Peake's excitement heading into next season? First of all, from 2009 when Cal got there to about 2017, I was very much optimistic. And you know, things started to happen in the last few years that since I got to KSR that, you know, made me a little bit more, maybe protecting myself a little bit

so I don't get too hurt. Maybe that's what it is. But I think with Jayden, you land to shooter, whether it's Yates or whoever else is in the portal. Dante Allen's in the portal. Dante, I mean, that could be, that's it. Run it back. Let's call everybody home. Yeah. Kentucky lineup.

I mean, I'm real excited about this team. And I think what we saw with what Mark Pope and this staff was able to do with what they had. I mean, those were good players they had last year. We have a lot of talk about, there's a lot of talk last year about, you know, this will be the least talented Mark Pope team. And there was some really good players on that team. But now you look at this roster, you had a show.

like I'm dreaming. I'm dreaming big. I mean, I'm seeing your eyes. Yeah, I mean, I'm thinking like a return to our favorite city could be happening. Oh, God. That's the only, no, we're not going to be negative, though, right? We're going to, we're staying positive. I actually have that city on my list of topics for later, and we still have to get your hot take on the basketball. It's really the only reason I called you in today was so you can just have your open mic about the Wilson basketball. We've been thrown off with the news and the updates. Obviously, we've focused today on the two recent editions, since they happen in the last 24 hours. but Jack, I didn't have you on the air yesterday. Kentucky also added Jalen Lowe over the weekend.

We haven't really had a chance to talk about him. I guess the third, fourth transfer portal piece for Kentucky. How do you feel about him at point guard? He's different than Lamont Butler. Obviously, Lamont was a defensive anchor and a guy that you just kind of say, hey, go to work and guard the other team's best player. And, you know, it's a different style, but more talented than Lamont Butler. I know it's going to ruffle some feathers.

but you're buying on the upside knowing that, okay, he's young, he's growing, a couple more years left of eligibility, but this is a kid that produced at a high level for a very bad ACC team, but was an ACC, all-ACC member nonetheless, and you're kind of saying if you can get him to, you know, improve efficiency because the shots are going to be better, because he has more talent around him because, you know, he's not going to be getting double-teamed and, you know,

have the other team's top defensive assignment every single night. It's going to be more of a balance and let him kind of get his game off more comfortably than he had to do last season play for Jeff Capel. So you should be getting the best version of Jalen Lowe, who as an all-conference player as is is a really, really, really talented piece. We still have so much more to get to. Like yesterday, I'm not even halfway through the topics I've written down. Like I said, Stephen's got to talk about this basketball,

and these two travel everywhere together. I want to get some travel stories, and we still haven't even mentioned last night's championship game. So we'll take a break. First, before we take this break, I'm going to tell you about our friends of cornbread hemp. Spring is in the air, and if you're looking to shake off the gloom of winter, our friends at cornbread hemp are here to help you start fresh. Relax on warm spring weekends with their infused gummies. Relieve achy winter joints with their hemp balms and lotions and get the rest you deserve with their melatonin-free sleep gummies. Their USDA organic hemp products are made to help.

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Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise. breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real.

From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice. radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slicelife 12 in the TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. What's up, guys? This is Clivert Taylor the 4th.

And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker, this linebacker walks up to me. He goes, A, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time out.

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The story I've told myself about love or relationships can then shake my behavior, and that can lead me to sabotage the possibility of connection. This Mental Health Awareness Month, tune into the podcast, deeply well with Debbie Brown and explore the journey of healing, self-discovery, and returning to yourself. We explore higher consciousness, emotional well-being, and the practices that help you find clarity, peace, and self-mastery in a world that can feel overwhelming. The world is becoming lonelier. We're not becoming more social and connected. We're becoming more individualized, but we actually meet people in connection.

If you've been searching for a soft place to land while doing the work to become whole, this podcast is for you to hear more. Listen to deeply well with Debbie Brown from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Welcome back to Kentucky Sports Radio. What a morning we're having here, guys. Drew Franklin, Jack Pilgrim, Stephen Peek, Jaden Quaitons, Tiani Key, Phoenix, Phoenix. We're just having lots of fun. as Kentucky basketball's roster gets even better. A lot of the way too early rankings came out this morning, even before the acquaintance

commitment. I think ESPN had Kentucky at six on three. Our company, Stevens wearing the logo right now, had them at fourth. Some other top ten projections. All the naysayers, just calm down. We told you, relax. It's going to be all right, and things are looking like they're panning out well. Still got to add a shooter, but Kentucky's in a great spot on April 8th.

It's the day after the national championship game, and we have not even mentioned that yet. So I guess we should run through it. It seems very irrelevant at the moment as we're excited about other things. But Florida did win a basketball game last night, the championship. Their third looked like it was Houston's night for much of the game, especially in the first half. My goodness. Rests weren't calling foul as much, which played into Houston's favor. Alex Condon looks like he wanted to be on the couch next to me.

He wanted no part of that game early on. Walter Clayton couldn't score. I thought it was Houston's night. And then the things flipped late in the second half. Houston led by 12 at one point in the second half. Walter Clayton hit a three with about three minutes and 15 seconds left to go. Got a little momentum behind the gaiters, and that's when things turned. Down the stretch, Houston with four turnovers on their last four possessions,

including on the final possession. Calvin Samson, this is your moment. I thought you were getting over the hump. I thought you were getting the ring. And Houston doesn't even get a shot off. Incredible, guys. Did you at least enjoy the outcome? Were you anti-Florida, pro-Florida?

How did we feel about how it played out? I was anti-Florida. I'm anti-every SEC team. I don't look, I want to go back to where Kentucky dominates the SEC. I know we can have some pride in our conference, but why? Like, I want to be the best team. I don't want, Florida celebrating last night made me sick. Watching Todd Golden up there, you know, I mean, great.

Youngest coach to win it, good for him. I didn't like it. I didn't like seeing. He looked like he wanted to be a part of the team. You know what I mean? He did look like a player. He was the one that lifted the trophy. Is that a walk on or is that the coach?

The coach's son? Who is that? Yeah, but I was all for it. I was really just excited that Duke wasn't playing in it. And really, that was the only thing that concerned me. Yeah, let's be honest. We all won before the championship game when Duke got eliminated. I lean your direction.

I was more for Houston until I had in my bracket. I didn't love Florida getting another one. You know, it's just they had their little dynasty in 2006, 2007. I wanted that to be the end of Florida basketball success. Golden's got them back. That wasn't a lot of fun to watch. But Houston with a big collapse, I mean, Jack, with 45 seconds left, We think they're going two for one, and then they kind of hold the ball and end up turning over twice in the last 30 seconds.

It was crushing. Like, just seeing there's kind of side by side, you see the game happening, and you see just Kelvin Sampson on the bench and just watching it all unfold, and you could just see the doom in his eyes, like, I thought this was it. I thought we had it. So that sucks. You know, Kelvin's a great guy, all-time whiff for Indiana basketball. Could you imagine if that guy stuck there and was able to build the same dynasty with the resources that he had? as it would have at Indiana.

That's why we can never, you know, Indiana can go away forever. But I was rooting for him personally while also kind of liking the novelty of like, hey, we hyped up the SEC as this all-time juggernaut, having them kind of put the ultimate final stamp on it, like, hey, all-time conference leads to a national champion and us being the first team to beat them? I kind of enjoyed him. Two of the four last champions, Kentucky's beat in the regular season. Yeah, so that kind of part of it I was appreciating.

But we were playing with house money. I mean, there was nothing that could have happened last night that would make me like, oh, you know, heart being heartbroken. The only thing that could have happened was Duke winning that game and then winning the national championship. I would have been really bummed out today. But very fortunately, we don't have that opportunity. Yeah, that's why I was for Houston. We needed to crown them. They sent Tennessee home before a final four, and they eliminated Duke with one of the all-time collapses in the semifinal.

That's why I just thought Houston deserved it. Some interesting facts that came out about it. you know, we're all looking at these rankings, and you need this, you need that. Florida did not have a top 100 recruit on its roster, and neither team had a five-star recruit. So pretty unique in the roster building there shows that retaining players and finding the right fit, the portal can really pay off. Yeah, I mean, that's, and you look at, you can bring Otega O'way back. I mean, that's huge.

And, you know, once this thing gets rolling, once you get Pope into his third or fourth year, because he's, I think, brought on a couple more sophomores. So you keep them. Yeah, roster continuity. What was Kentucky this past season? Last. Oh, they were last. Okay, so that's probably not good, right? Considering all the injuries. And that's one thing, too. The injury stuff has to start tilting into our favor. And it's got to happen. And, you know, you look at the last several years, there's been, like, key injuries. Let's, like, eventually that luck is going to swing our way, right?

We have the ultimate experiment. I mean, we have a guy with a torn ACL today. And if he happens to go ahead of schedule and play it, in the season opener, I think, and, you know, stays healthy throughout the course of the season. I think that's the perfect, like, you know, finally getting, you know, exercising those demons and getting back on track with the health. Stephen, you mentioned Otega O'A. He was in one shining moment for approximately 1.2 seconds. We got like four frames of Otega. You know, I like most people, stayed up waiting for one shining moment.

That's how we officially closed the book on the year. I really thought the Amari Coast to Coast dunk was going to make it. I even almost tweeted, get ready. We're getting the Amari dunk in one shining moment. Amari didn't get in there. but in the very beginning, I guess we got an O-Way flush. Was that other than, you know, being in the background of some Tennessee shots, I believe that was our only U.K.

Andrew Carr was on the receiving end of a Tennessee poster, which I did not love seeing that scene up. But at least it wasn't like past years where it's slow-motion Jack Golky and my good friend John Palumbo doing the Surrender Cobra with his hands on his head. So we're working our way back more into one shining moment. Stephen as a videographer, I got to ask, why does it take them so long? You know, most of that should have been edited. It is.

I feel like they make us wait. You know, I wanted to go watch righteous gemstones, but I got to watch 20 minutes of post game to get to the best part of the night. I don't think it's an editing deal. I think that they know that you're waiting for it, and they're getting in as many ads as they can. I mean, we have the official ladder of the NCAA. We've got to talk about Werner,

and then we got to get the AT&T halftime show presented by Burger King or whatever. We have to get all the ads in. But you can see. It's all edited. They added like three clips of the championship game. and then the celebration at the end. I'm sure it took them about a minute. One cool thing about the Florida celebration,

and you mentioned the latter. Olivier Rieu did cut down the nets again, Mr. 7'5'9, as we saw in Nashville, without using the ladder. I'm still just fascinated by that guy. He didn't play for Florida this year, but what a sight when he's up there. Everyone takes their climb, get their little piece,

they wave. No, he just walks up, takes the scissors and cuts it flat-footed. Is that an NIL violation? Because they have the deal with the ladder. Like, do you think that the ladder company looks at it goes, whoa, whoa, whoa, that's not what we signed up for. Get your big butt up on that ladder and lean down. I think Warner has a complaint there. I really think they do.

We're getting excited about the roster. Steve, before we started the show, you were like, get me back on one shining moment. Are you confident that, you know, we got away this year for 1.2 seconds, where we're gradually getting back. Next year, are we going to be featured? I mean, it looks like you do have to make an elite eight, at least, to get more than one highlight. Because I thought, too, the Amari Williams dunk against Troy had to be on there. How many times do you see a seven-footer go coast to coast and get an and one dunk? I mean, but yeah, you got to get to the destination.

You got to get to Indianapolis next year if you want to be, you know, you want to see a lot more of those highlights and not be on the other side of the Tennessee dunking on us. Overall, obviously I would have preferred if Kentucky were in the Final Four, but those three games, maybe one of my favorite Final Four is to just sit and watch as a neutral observer. Other than hating Duke, I didn't really have strong feelings about any team. the weekend really delivered, didn't it, Jack? Everybody loves the Cinderella until you have to see them play a legitimate national championship contender.

They lose by 30 in the next round. You're like, well, that was a waste of everybody's time. So there's a reason why they're won seeds and they were the best teams all season long. That's why it was so hard when we were filling out the brackets to not pick them. It felt like you were trying to be cute when you didn't have the four number ones because they were just that much better than the rest of the field. So it was the best possible product we could have gotten. For our KSR listeners who are online and follow Ryan Lemon,

I don't know if he had gotten into the marks with Shannon the dude, but Ryan sends like one tweet a week. And last night he was just firing him off. I encourage everyone to go look at that. One of them just said I really got a pee. I mean, said Shannon told me to go out there in the ocean. I mean, it sounds like my guys were having a great time on vacation. I'm looking at about 10 Ryan Lemon tweets during the game,

and none of them are coherent. check that out, follow scoop. Looks like they're having a good time leaving me back here. Like I said, they might not have a job when they get back. We've added three people to their roster since they've been gone. We had a good guest, it's Yanni Key. We close the book on the championship season, and when we come back, I'm going to let Stephen Peek tell you all about the worst basketball in the history of basketball.

The Wilson Evo NXT. He hates it more than anything, and we're going to let him cook after this break. This is KSR. Welcome back to KSR. Matt Jones is not here because we've already had baseball. babies and dogs. That is our Whiskey Thief message board submission of the day. Not quite a call of the day, but we're going to KS. Board for that one from Fox, Monk, and Bam. Took that joke from him. He said with Matt out, babies are fair game. I'm not going to encourage you to call in with your babies, but it was a

nice addition to the Jaden Quentin's interview. Really cool to hear from him on such an exciting day, but I'm here with Jack Pilgrim and Stephen Peake. Without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, we've talked about it many times. These stupid basketballs that are overinflated and they're bright orange. no one hates them more than Stephen. And Stephen, I'm just going to give you the floor. Tell us, your hatred goes back several years. You've done the stats. You have spreadsheets, you have videos.

You'll randomly text me at 3 a.m. on a Tuesday when you find new information about this stupid Wilson basketball. Tell our listeners why they should hate it too. You should hate it because Kobe Brea hates it. Jack Pilgrim interviewed him in the locker room after. He actually shot three for six. So it wasn't like he was making excuses. And a win.

And a win over, was that the Troyes. Troy game or was that after Illinois? Troy. Troy, okay. So he asked Kobe Bray, if you haven't seen the interview, it's on our YouTube channel. And Kobe says, you have to change the way you shoot a little bit. And I almost threw the camera against the wall and ran out and found an NCAA representative. I was wondering why the camera got so shaky after that is shaking mad. I wanted our listeners to know, Stephen actually might do that at some point. He's not kidding. He came close to throw on that. Well, the thing is, first of all, why is it in college basketball?

You have different balls depending on where you play. That makes no sense to me. You don't do this in any other sport. You don't get to the World Series and they go, all right, we change the seams on the baseball. It doesn't happen. All right? So that's the first thing.

But then these basketballs, and I talk to a guy who played at Wofford, he has a shooting coach, Bobby Perez. He played with Fletcher McGee, I think of his name, who didn't shoot very well against Kentucky, but one of the better shooters. Anyway, he's done a lot of studies also, and he's like trying to teach guys how to shoot, but it's like these basketballs that they're using.

For one, it's not that they're different. They put extended range tech into this ball. Why we need a technology into a basketball? Do I have to use a USBC to like, does it do a firmware update that needs to have into the basketball? I mean, it's ridiculous. But what he's saying is that the balls are too inflated, and he is noticing that guys are having trouble. It's not just with shooting, but it's with the ball. I mean, Severe Wheeler had one bounce over his head.

I mean, like there was one, Dave Yom Mitz went back and watched the St. Peter's game. that he expects the ball to be back in his hand. Nope, it's not. It's bouncing over his hand. It's a turnover. This is something the NCAA really needs to fix. And I'm glad, like, Scott Van Pelt is now even talking about it. He said it's like a game you play at a carnival where, like, the ball's over-inflated, and they've rigged the game.

This is something I was kind of joking about a few years ago. Now I'm kind of, I'm a little bit more serious. I think having everyone else say that this is a problem has sort of, like, made me like, all right, I can actually, this is a real thing. Get my real takes off. You were a pioneer in this take. When I first met you, you know. The first thing is I brought it up in the interview.

Yeah, we interviewed Stephen for the videographer position, Tyler and I. And, you know, we're going over his resume. Oh, cool. You went to Murray. That's neat. Oh, you worked here. And he's like, hey, can I talk about this basketball? And ever since I've known you, it's been a talking point.

You're right. People are catching on. Some coaches have been outspoken about it. Matt Painter said that he was interviewed in 2023 and he said the ball is round. Anybody can shoot it. Then they lose to Farley Dickinson, who used the ball all year. Shout out Anzley. And then the next interview I see with Matt Painter, he's saying, yeah, we got to do something.

You know, I mean, so like coaches have talked. Mark Fuse talked about it. Alabama players were asked about it. And it is something that you look at the shooting percentages, the last few final fours and national championship games. And throughout the tournament, the shooting percentages dip wildly. What about last night? I know Houston's not a lights out team, but those two teams were combined over 13 to start

the game Florida I think finishes 25% Houston 24% we blame in the ball I mean there was good defense but those were some bad bricks last night yeah and there was actually a researcher from Syracuse Rodney Paul did did do several studies and what he found was and it's kind of hard to quantify it because how do you say but okay that shot went in what did have gone in if they used a different ball so he said it's a greater than one point advantage for who if you're using this ball has been used all year but I'll tell you the other thing that is insane with all the technology we have, the NCAA is using a bounce test to determine if the ball is bouncy enough. Are you kidding me? What year is this? Like it's wreckly, it's not a big deal. Like there isn't

millions of dollars on the line here, that there's not, especially with all the gambling and everything. So like it feels like you can get something that shows you what the PSI is. And that's the other thing that Bobby Perez brought up to me. The PSI is seven to nine PSI. Well, that's a pretty wide actually. So if you go to the top end of that, it gets pretty bouncy. And like I told you, like, when Chinulu spiked that ball, I thought it might go through the Alamodon. So, like, that is something. That was a good Isaac Huffrey's moment last night, the T. Can you believe that? He got to, I mean, and they still won the game? Like, that could have been massive. I did, like, as soon as I saw, you immediately texted, I'm surprised that ball didn't hit the top of the Alamadone. It was a good joke.

That was our joke of the day. Yeah. But this is something that I'm glad, you know, you have, like I said, Scott Van Pelt, you've had several coaches finally speak out about it. And, you know, a coach doesn't really want to say, and a player doesn't want to say, we mean the ball is the problem. So they're all kind of timid to talk about it, especially during the season. But, you know, raising awareness, that's what we're doing here. And we're going to hopefully see a universal basketball and college basketball. It's absolutely ridiculous that depending on where you play, it depends on, like, the sponsorship you have. So all the Nike schools are using the Nike ball.

If you're an Adidas school, I guess it's open in your contract because Louisville is your, using the Wilson Evo, and then you have Kansas using the Wilson Evo. And that is an advantage going into the tournament. It didn't help Louisville very much this year. I don't know if you remember they were beating the first round. Yeah, right here down the street, right? Yeah, yeah. A home crowd, if I'm not mistaken.

Yeah, a lot of a seed and favorite, right? Yeah, but they should have been a three seed, right? I mean, they just got, yeah. So, you know, but the ball is, it is an issue. It does affect the game. Of course it does. When you are shooting thousands of shots all season, and you're calibrating, you know, you're using muscle memory in these tense moments

and the most important games of your life, and they're like, here's a new equipment to play with. That's insane to me. All this stuff we're trying to do to benefit players. This is an easy fix. It's so easy, and we get nothing. I know money's involved, but just make a universal ball, man. What other league does this?

You mentioned how the coaches and players, they're afraid to be too outspoken about it, kind of would come off as an excuse. You are the official leader of this. Like, what's next? You're going to maybe like a 5K or talk about raising awareness. Do you go out and stand outside arenas with a sign? Are you going to go to Indianapolis? You're not going there. But are you going to petition the NCAA? I mean, how do we keep this movement going? Yeah, I mean, I just think I'm going to, I definitely, I think getting more players to talk about it will eventually lead to some change. I definitely think that once people are realized because also the product is bad. I mean, I watched that Kentucky

Florida game that was played in Rupp Arena. 106 to 100. Both teams just shooting lights out. I have a hot take about that game. That's one of the greatest games ever played in Rupp Arena. I mean, it just was it was a fun game. What did Pope say in the postgame press conference? If you didn't enjoy that, then find a new profession or something like that. This is what he told the media. Then you watched last night's game And granted, Houston's a great defensive team. But how many of those balls were just like, big guys are having problems with it,

getting the ball to, it does, it goes, it bounces everywhere but in the basket. And so I think to have a better product, it would behoove the NCAA to, you know, universal basketballs. Let's, if we're doing the arc system, we're doing all this stuff to, like, perfect our shots. And then you're, then you just give them a basketball that travels further. That doesn't make any sense, especially when they're advertising extended range tech. Like, oh, yeah, you can shoot it further. And you can.

And I know this might sound like I'm bragging. But I'm like the fifth or sixth best shooter in my Sunday night, Churchill. Oh, listen. KSR followers know you can ball. You and Jack, actually I had that on my list of topics. Let's kind of just transition to that. You all go to all these games and you always leave the arena on a make. KSR, most people don't know.

We're usually the last ones to leave the building. We're, you know, working hard. It's always a late night. And you all stay in these away arenas. I don't even know where you find a basketball, but you put a video out there. Jack, you all get a shot up everywhere. where you go. I've participated in Nashville,

hit a half court shot, not bragging, but bragging. But talk about why you all do that, how fun it is, and how hard it is to find a ball sometimes. Because our job is very unsurious. We understand that we're blessed to be in this position, to be working at KSR, to be covering the team as diehard Kentucky fans, and

we like basketball. So when we're at these cool venues, we're like, hey, it'd be really cool to make a shot at one of these. So it just kind of became a thing. And yes, Stephen will attest to this. We will look under bleachers, we will go up in the rafters, we will look everywhere for a We'll sneak a ball in. We have where was that? Actually I don't want to do we don't want to Yeah, we don't keep this going statute of limitations but we we have stuck a ball in one of the locations and we did use that ball for for a shot so yeah, it's it's our favorite tradition and hopefully we can do that in Indianapolis at the final four next year because they kicked us off the floor this past this past cycle so Not not big fans of the NCAA in the March Madness

Gosh, man, they are the strict. I've never seen anything so strict. It's like, I mean, seriously, it's like Fort Knox. Like, you get down there on the court, and they're like, you know, the nuclear codes are at midcourt. Like, it's crazy how strict they are. I mean, I got screamed out pretty fiercely to get off. You and Mario get yelled at for even getting a drink of water at these things. I guess because you're both doing video.

You have a different potential, but they will not let you anywhere. You go to all these games and you're working hard and you watch them in the back on a TV without sound because they won't even let you stick your head. head around the corner to look at the arena. Where I saw the O-Way game winner against the in the SEC tournament was like by myself, behind a, like one of the darkest parts of the world was where that area is for the SEC tournament. But yeah, finding a basketball, we shot with flat basketballs. Yeah, we usually, the balls that we find that are just kind of by themselves,

typically pretty flat, part of the reason why we, you know, get some friendly roles. Yeah. Some of our shots. But, hey, hey, we'll ignore that part. Stephen's got that pure jumper. I mean, Kentucky can't get a shooter in the portal. I don't know your eligibility situation. I said fifth or six best player in a Sunday night men's league,

so they probably need to look elsewhere. I said shooter. I didn't say best player. I will say we played three on three the other day. Stephen, me and a shout-out Big Blue Drew, and we cooked. I mean, absolutely. Felt good. Absolutely cooked.

So just if you're looking for pick-up, pick-up guys. I know some folks. We're running out of time here. I still wanted to get a few travel tips from you all. And, you know, some of your favorite places around the SEC, maybe even across the country. I know Indianapolis isn't high on that list. Before we go, I guess I better pay some more bills here.

Let me see what I got next. How about a little bluegrass roofing and consulting? That sounds good. They sponsored your rant there. If you need to take a water, get a water, get some fresh air, walking off. I know that was really big to let you out. But on a serious note, these recent storms have caused some damage to your roof, especially around Kentucky.

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Use code KSR when you call to schedule your free inspection for 5% off, up to $500 on repair of your roof or gutters. Visit bluegrassroofing and consulting.com or call 1-800 Roof Pro. We'll be back for one more segment on an exciting KSR. Last night, a blown call changed the game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in.

I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial, calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered.

SportsSlice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to SportsSlice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slices Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. What's up guys? This is Clivert Taylor the 4th. And on my podcast, The Cliverts show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker walks up to me, he goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her.

What? Time out. Quarterback on office blue 42. Hey, rec, my mama want you to wave at her. What? Hey, Ms. Parker. Listen to the Cliverts show on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. The story I've told myself about love or relationships can then shake

my behavior, and that can lead me to sabotage the possibility of connection. This Mental Health Awareness Month, tune into the podcast deeply well with Debbie Brown and explore the journey of healing, self-discovery, and returning to yourself. We explore higher consciousness, emotional well-being, and the practices that help you find clarity, peace, and self-mastery in a world that can feel overwhelming. The world is becoming lonelier. We're not becoming more. social and connected. We're becoming more individualized, but we actually meet people in connection.

If you've been searching for a soft place to land while doing the work to become whole, this podcast is for you to hear more. Listen to deeply well with Debbie Brown from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, I'm Jared Adano. You might know me as that loud guy who yells out, help on the internet. Somebody, please! But there's so much more to me than me. I'm an actor, I'm a comedian, and recently I've become quite the helper myself.

And on my new podcast, Hope from a Hypocrite, I'll be changing lives, helping people in need with my sage advice and thoughtful solutions. Sike, I'm a comedian. I'm not qualified to give good advice. Join me and my comedian friends as we riff rant and recommend some of

the most legally dubious advice known to man. If I'm calling you, even if you're on your phone, let it ring twice. One ring is too scary. Cream a chicken suit. Hey, cream a chicken suit. This is Help from a Hypocrat, the worst advice from the dumbest people you know. Listen to Help from Hypocrat as part of the Mike Cultura Podcast Network available on the IHartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome back to KSR, one final segment.

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perfect for game days. That's Shady Rays. We're already running out of time here, but I wanted to hear about some of your travel stories. We're just going to play a little game. I'm going to name a city or a place. We don't have time for a lengthy story. But if you got anything, whether you hate the place, have a memory, fired away.

I'm going to start with my favorite place in the world because I've been there with Stephen. Jack, you've been there with Stephen. Round one, New York City. Well, first, the trip with Jack, we actually moved to a different hotel because I wasn't supposed to go. But then we decided our will send me to Ohio State big game. CBS Sports Classic. We get there. This past season?

Past season. We get there. There's one king-sized bed. I've done that with Matt. So the first night, I just, we left because it was the pineapple suite initially. We were like, you know, the vibe, I just don't know if it's, you know. Pineapple, which direction was it turned? Correct.

Right. That's exactly why we knew we had to, we didn't want to, you know, give off the wrong vibe. Do we need to send you guys to HR? You know, this is a business trip. So I slept on the floor the first night. And then Jack, Jack had to have, like, he just schedules flights at the most, like, I feel like inconvenient time. He's like, is there a 3.15 a.m. flight I can get on. We're balling on a budget, baby.

Whatever. Because I don't think he slept, and then he just, like, did you even go to sleep? I took a 40-minute nap. There you go. I'm not like, Buddy the Elf. I got a nice 40 minutes. That happened to me with Matt, New York, and I just left and said, I'll see you tomorrow, and I stayed out all night, even found a place that was, like, underground after hours to hang out with bar-tenders.

The Irish bartenders just got off work showed back up at 7 a.m. I was like, all right. You stay the night and Jack Dempsey's a couple times. They gave me the key. I got to be the only person there. But the other part was those. I think you were talking about the Zimble. Christmas. That was different.

Stephen and I had fun in New York as the UCLA game. Game didn't work out that well, but we had fun otherwise, including I took him to Brooklyn to my friend Simba's apartment. He was having a Zimbabwe-themed Christmas dinner with Zimbabwe and food. What did I eat? A cow of something? Yeah, I was actually going to ask you. It was some kind of like beef jerky thing. Bill Tong. Maybe some tongue. They had a sommelier there. I think I'm pronouncing that word right. They knew a lot about wine. But when you go on a KSR road trip, You don't know what you're going to get. Did you think we would be celebrating Zimbabwe and Christmas?

Actually, it sounded pretty on brand. I thought this kind of stuff that you get into. It's exactly what I expected. You had a good time with our good friend Simba there. Let's keep moving on with the game. My least favorite place is started with my favorite. I'm going to go to my least favorite, Starkville, Mississippi. We went three days early because there was supposed to be an ice storm.

There was no ice, so we just stayed three extra days in Starkville. One of the times we were leaving our hotel room, we just hear this massive banging from the second story we're like, oh, something's going on. This woman, clearly the cleaning crew, was like frantically waving. We were like, she just found a dead body.

We are staying at a hotel where they just found a dead body in this hotel room. So we run back inside. We go to the front desk. Hey, I think there's somebody dead upstairs. Somebody should call 911. Then the sweet cleaning lady comes down and says, oh, I thought you were Austin.

I said, I'm not Austin. I don't think Stephen is Austin unless he goes by another name. I thought you recognize this from KSR, YouTube. Yes. But yes, we avoided death in Starkville, but that didn't make me want to be there any longer anyway. Trying to think of some other unique places. Stephen, you went across the pond to London. Yeah, that was interesting.

We lost that one, right? No, we beat Michigan. Oh, that's right, beat Michigan. Yeah. Cal was mean to Tyler Thompson. I'm still mad about that. Yeah, London. How was London?

Yeah, London was cool. I think what that did is it kind of just showed me how big, big Blue Nation is, because I was meeting Kentucky fans from Spain, from Italy. from, they had, I had a long conversation with this kid who's a big Kentucky fan never will go to Rupp Arena, but he lives in England. I thought that was so cool because I think like you live here in Kentucky, you just, it's like, it's like it's our team, but then you're, it's like, oh no, this is like international. Like this is like the world's team. And so that was like a kind of an eye-opening experience to how big, big blue nation is. And, you know, we have a guy,

Clint, who's, he's in Cyprus. I would still talk with him. Like, there, this, the London trip was kind of an eye-opening to, you know, the reach that Kentucky basketball has. Was it Marri Williams there? I didn't see. Do you, weed a bix? No, I didn't not any weedabics. But I will say, I just, the food there, you know, people talk about it. I don't, I didn't have a problem. I don't know why people hate on. No, it's good. They have all the different cuisines that we have here. We all have to get out of our little comfort zone, try new things. Back to the SEC. How about Tuscaloosa?

Oh, that's a Stephen story. You know the Tuscaloosa story? Can I hate on the place that I mean, I got one minute, so fired it off quick. Okay, well, all right, well, Buckeys, I love Buckees. I love them. I love what they're about. Unfortunately, I ate a, was egg and cheese sandwich, and that biscuit, biscuit, and that ruined my night in Tuscaloosa.

Oh, I remember you on the rapid reaction. We weren't feeling that well. No, no, and, I mean, you know, I think if Kentucky would have pulled that off, it would have helped a little bit, but that was a rough night. He was running to the bathroom in Coleman Coliseum and vomiting everywhere. It was rough. It was horrible. Most of these travel stories backfired.

It seems like a lot of negatives. I dig it some cinnamon twist and a drink from Taco Bell. And you were like a brand new person. I know. All right out of time. Jack, you want to come back tomorrow? I didn't get to half my topics. That's kind of what I do.

All right, we'll run it back with Jack. We're going to have Josh Hopkins join us. A few more other special guests. My guy, Billy Hobbs from True Blue Customs might pop on. But thank you for listening today to a wild show. We'll be back tomorrow at KS Bar and Grill with a lot more basketball talk. Thanks to Jack, Stephen, Phoenix, and Tiani Key, and Jaden Quaintz today. We had a great show. Talk to you tomorrow. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with

Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor. me with Robert Smygel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened.

That's where sports slice comes in. I'm Timbo, and every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story behind the headline. And we're going straight to the source, the athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear. Listen to SportsSlice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok.

If you're watching the latest season of the Real Housewives of Atlanta, you already know there's a lot to break down. Gorsha accusing Kelly of sleeping with a merry man. They holding Kay Michelle back from fighting Drew. Pinky has financial issues. On the podcast, Reality with the King, I, Carlos King, recap the biggest moments from your favorite reality shows, including the Real House Wise franchise,

the drama, the alliances, and the T, everybody's talking about. To hear this and more, listen to Reality with the King on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. American soccer is about to explode. The World Cup is coming. Raymore sending on the Army's story. I'm Tab Ramos.

I'm Tom Boeke. On our podcast, Inside American Soccer, you'll get the real storylines, the biggest decisions, and the truth about the U.S. national team. It wouldn't be a huge surprise if our team ends up in the quarterfinals or potentially a great run into the semifinals.

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