KSR - 2025-10-10- KSR - Hour 1

Episode Date: October 10, 2025

KSR is live from Wild Eggs. Coach Mark Pope calls the showSee 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 IHeart 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 headlines. 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 And for more, follow Timbo Slica Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. What's up, guys? This is Clever 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, Hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time out.

Quarterback on office blue 42. A rep, my mama wants you to wave at her. What? Where's he at? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clifford Show on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, it's Edwin Castro, also known as Castro 1021. And I'm Conky, his best friend and business manager. And we've got a new show called The 1021 Podcast.

I'm taking you behind the scenes on how I became one of Twitch's most popular streamers. We also love sports, and with the World Cup right around the corner, we'll be breaking down the biggest storylines ahead of the big tournament here in the USA. Listen to the 1021 podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. From the Bob and Tom show and Tosh Point O, Comedy Off Broadway in Lexington, welcomes Greg Hahn, October 2nd through the 4th. And from Chelsea Lately and Comedy Central catch John Caparillo, October 10th, Then it's a clean comedy show featuring the hilarious Greg Warren, October 16th through the 18th.

For tickets to all comedy off-Broadway shows, call 859-271 joke or visit Comedyoff-Broadway.com. This is Kentucky Sports Radio presented by Stockton Mortgage. Now, here's Matt Jones. Welcome, everyone. It is Kentucky Sports Radio Friday, October 10th. This is the Friday before the last Saturday until April, the 3rd. There are no UK sporting events or no UK basketball or football games. We are here at Wild Eggs in Hamburg, and you can give a shout on the Clark's Puppet Shop phone line 859-2-80-2287.

A Vision Auto Glass Text Machine is 772-7-745254 in this edition sponsored by the T.J. Smith Law Office, you call T.J. He'll make them pay. We are here at Wild Eggs today. Mark Pope will join us by phone at 1030. He's going to give us, I'm told we've got one segment, and I have to be out at 1045. So I'm going to apologize in advance if I cut him off at all because they are making me get him off at 1045 and Shannon. But looking forward to have Mark Popes would get ready for Big Blue Madison. He's a busy man. So, you know, just to be able to get 12 or 13 minutes. There's recruits here. And I was like, and they're like, we'll give you 15 minutes, but we have stuff.

And I understand I don't want to be, unlike Billy, I don't want to be the one that ruins a recruit commitment as he did wearing khaki pants the other day. Why didn't Mark Pope just bring the recruits out here to Wild Egg? They have breakfast, brunch and lunch with a bar and be able to settle their recruitment. I'm sure they thought about it. We are here at Wild Eggs, and it is, of course, a great place for breakfast. You are one of the endorsers. Give me the top. They always bring food out for us to sample.

I'm looking forward. Give me the top two or three things you eat here. Potato Head Casserol, without a doubt, the best. Yellow Submarines. Those are the potato, well, obviously, but they're like the hash browns with the cheese and all that on it. And if you get like a sandwich or something, you can ask for the tauts on the side. It's kind of a secret on the menu. It's not a secret.

You say that every time. And I think it's actually on the menu. On the menu now. It's actually listed under size. Yeah, it's a size. You can add tots for 99 cents. Well, they are very, very good. You know, Brandon would just tell me the pumpkin pancakes.

This is like the last weekend for it. So that's been a real popular item. They have strawberry pancakes? Yeah. What else do you eat? Oh, me? Yes. You're literally wearing the wild eggs shirt.

The biscuits and gravy, and you can get sausage gravy on one biscuit and chorizo gravy on the other biscuit. That's fantastic. Well, your son works here. as well. He's not only, he's actually inside doing work. You got to see him because he doesn't come home a lot while he's at school, right? First time, I've seen him in a couple months, so I just got to catch up a little bit.

Hey, how you doing? Don't forget Dad. You know, why don't you come see Dad once in a while? Why don't you get Dad a call? Text Dad and see how Dad's doing. You were saying you're still very, you still very, like, lonely, right? I hate it. I mean, I just absolutely hate to walk in that house, and nobody's there.

You could always come to Wild Egg if you want to see him. But that's true. So you were saying, like, you don't, you, you, you, you were saying, you don't, you, you, go somewhere every night. Like you're not, you don't want to be at home at all. Poor yoga girl. I've been on at her house like every night,

having dinner watching TV because I don't want to be by myself in my house. Are you worried you're going to like suffocate her with your attention? Well, that's just tough. That's part of me and my girlfriend. That's how you can find out if she really likes you or not. Just show up at her house every night with a sad puppy dog face. I mean, again,

you've been married many more times than me. But I don't know that like she's just going to like it is a good way. is a good tool for relationships. Well, I'm trying to entice her, like, I'm bringing dinner. You said she was the one, though, that cooks. She cooks sometimes, but like I'll go to Panera last night to get dinner. Oh, that's a big time spin. Yeah.

Oh, yeah. You get her Panera. Then I know she likes, yeah. Okay. So I haven't talked to you about this, but I purposely trying not to call Josiah and not, you know, let him do his own thing. That's smart, especially since his first semester, yeah. You can still act like he exists, though. Yeah, I mean, you have to act like he died.

I think that's important. You don't want to overwhelm him with attention. I like you. How often are you calling? Well, I did really well for a long time, but this past week I think I've called him every night. I have. That's a lot. I know.

I agree. I saw him today. Let's step back, maybe like every other night to start. But you understand, like this is his transition into, like, manhood. It's not your transition into life. Like, you need to give him some space. Let him, like, you're the dad. He's the son.

You don't want him to have to be the dad. and you're the son, like making sure you're okay. And apparently, I don't know how he's doing in the classroom, but in the ladies department, you're doing it very well. Very well. That's not, first of all, he's standing right over there. Well, now we see why you want him to go to college. This is why I cut you off.

859-2802287. The text machine is 772-745254. Big Blue Madness is tomorrow night. you know, I was told there'll be a surprise. I've actually kind of heard. I don't want to share it because I don't want to spoil it. But I've heard what it is, and here's my hint, Shannon. It's something I've been wanting to see, but from another sport, but they're bringing it to basketball.

Interesting. And I'll just leave it at that. So it's something I've wanted to see done, and I wanted to see it done on another sport. and oddly to me they're doing it in basketball, which would seem to me to be harder than it would have been to do it in football. So I'm excited to see what they do, and we'll see if it works.

I'm going to guess that it's hockey, and it's tradition in hockey that they throw octopuses onto the floor. So I think that's what we're going to do tomorrow night, at Big Lord Madness. I don't know. Now, there are a lot, I think there's going to be a bunch of recruits here.

It'll be interesting to see. I know there had been a hope that they were going to try to get some former players involved. We'll see. I mean, the NBA preseason's going on, so I don't know how many of those guys you can get here. But nevertheless, should be good. Are you, you know, I'd gotten to the point where, if I'm being honest, I had not watched the Big Blue Madnesses towards the end of the Cal era. Watched it last year because it was the first one, Pope. Obviously, we had the Rick Petino thing. Are you excited to watch this one this year? I am because it kind of, you know, Pope gets it.

You know, he was here part of the, you know, the mid-90s when Petino and Midnight Manus was a big deal. He gets it. So now I think it's going to get back to that level of where it's more of a production and excitement and going to be entertaining and not just boring running up and down the court, not even trying to play anything. I hope they show it. I mean, again, I can't believe I keep saying this, but I hope they actually show the action. I know, like, Tom Hart's done like the last seven or eight. He's not doing this one. They're producing it locally, the guy that you met whose name you didn't remember. Noah.

Noah. This will be his debut as the Kentucky. sort of secondary basketball announcer where he does those games that are on the computer. I think Georgia Amor is doing the women's one, which I think is kind of cool. I think she'll be good at that. But that's a lot of pressure. The girl just graduated college, and I think she's doing the women's one, right? You know, unfortunately, she got injured, so she's not able to play this year.

So it's a perfect time to bring her in, get her apart. Because she created a lot of excitement here. She was really good on this show when she was on at those couple times. So I think that's a really good opportunity for her. and I believe it's, I think it's Jack Givens and Noah, and then I think maybe Noah and Georgia Amor for the women. She's got a great personality to do it, so I think that she'll do great. Can I tell you, though, the thing that I'm looking forward to the most at madness

are the awkward dances, the guys that don't really want to be there. They don't think they do that anymore. They're not going to do that. I think that was a cow thing. I think now it's a different, I don't think they do that vibe anymore. But they're still introducing the players one by one. I'm sure they're going to introduce the players, but I think the... So with hope they just stand there.

Hi, everybody. No, I mean, what they did last. Last year, they did something else last year. Well, they ran down the stairs like they did during when Petino was here. They had a lot Butler coming out, and was it him that was rapping? He did rap. Yeah, that's right. He did rap last year, which gets me to it.

We do this a lot for the various Big Blue Madnesses, but we were going to talk biggest moments in the history of Big Blue Madness. Now, I want to do, we used to just do the Cal Air, but I'm going to lean on you, old man here. I want to go through all the history of Big Blue Madness for a second. And I want to say, what are the biggest? moments. All right. Objectively, number one has to be the wall dance, right? It has to be. I think that, would anybody dispute the John Wall dance is the number one one? No. But let me give you some, some possibilities for the others, and then we'll rank them. All right, I think Enis Cantor and the whole Undertaker entrance was a big one. Big one. Right? I think last year

with Rick Petino coming. It is a big one. we don't look back at his time fondly, the Billy Gillespie bus, the curtain, they actually did those pretty well those years, right? Good of a production. The Tubby Smith, Batman, and Robin one, right? Isn't that a big one? That was Patino, I think, wasn't it?

When Walter McCarty was in Tony Duck were Batman and Robin. Is that right? I think that's right. Okay, fair enough. That one. What other ones stick out to you? Those are the ones that come to my mind, immediately.

Drake, I mean, it's hard to talk about Drake now. It's a different. It's a different. But all Drake playing and doing warm-ups and all that was big at the time. What else? Bill Kightly popped out of a cake one time in the middle of the floor. Why was it his birthday? Why did they do that?

I don't know. I don't know what that was all about, but I remember that was a big deal. What else? You know, for several years, I thought the highlight was the Matthew Mitchell dance when he came out and did a dance. You know? What was his first? one of those, Shannon was huge.

I mean, they were always good, but his first one kind of shocked everybody. People didn't know he could do that. It was so good, and then it kind of put pressure, I feel like, on Coach Mitchell to come out and try to top what he did the previous year, the next year. Every year we expected that. There's no doubt it did after a while. Can you think of any more? You know, it used to do them at midnight.

Yeah. Right? And that was a whole other thing. Did Petino ride a Harley out one year? Somebody wrote a Harley out one year. I think you're right. But I feel like there's one from Tubby we're missing. Is there one from Tubby?

Was Tubby not the one on the Harley? Yeah, Tubby was on the Harley. You know what? I thought that was right. Tubby was on the Harley. All right. So just with the ones we've said, Wall 1 is number two.

I think the contenders are either Matthew Mitchell dancing, Enis Cantor, or last year with Patino. Which one do you think would be number two? As much as I love Coach Mitchell dancing, and that was something we look forward to every year. I think just that moment of bringing Rick Petino back. We knew at some point it was going to happen, but it was the perfect scenario with the former player,

Mark Pope, now being the head coach, and bringing Rick Patino back, and Petino actually getting cheered. I almost like, I kind of got... Well, it kind of leaked out that he was going to be there. So there was like a buzz in the crowd, like this is going to happen. Like, you kind of knew,

and I think that actually oddly made it more exciting because people were just like, Wednesday coming out, coming out. So I kind of agree with you. I think Patino was too. Because he was carrying the trophy too. He walks out. He's carrying the 96 championship trophy. I would say number three

is probably, even though he didn't play a game, Innes Canter. I mean, I think when Innis Canter came in and you had that dong, and then there he was, and he had kind of been this mysterious figure that you didn't really know much about. So I actually would put that number three. What about you?

Yeah, I like that one. I'm sure Drew would probably, didn't Archie Goodwin do a dance one time, and that was Drew, one of Drew's favorite ones. Yeah, he really liked it because it was, I don't think it was very good. I think it's why Drew liked it. But you're like back in the Patino era, there was always like a gimmick or something, and you just got away from that the last year. Well, it all became after a while, Shannon, it became Calgary speeches.

Right. You know, he always would give the sort of address to the nation, and then he would get on and tell us how we needed to assume our team stunk. Like that was kind of what he was. It was like a sermon from Calipari. Then he would drop the mic and say, let's ball. He did do that. That was good the year he did that.

One year he just dropped the mic and did that. That was actually good. Yep. So I think number four for me would probably be all the years with Matthew Mitchell, and probably the first one being number four. I like that. I think that's good. And then I remember at the time, did someone maybe, did someone repel from the ceiling back in the old days?

The mascot and he got stuck halfway coming down halfway. kind of got panicked a little bit. He got stuck? Yeah. He was like halfway down and kind of got stuck there for a minute. Nobody knew it, but like he was, they said he was panicking inside his costume because he got stuck. Finally got it loose, made it down to the floor. Really?

That could have been disaster. Well, at least need to give him number five, whoever that is out there. We got stuck halfway on the floor. You and I were part of a video for a Matthew Mitchell dance one time. That's right. To the studio and shot a video and played it on the Jumbotron and then Matthew came out. Oh, that's right. Yeah.

You were exactly. So we were part of a big more man. We were part of a big moment. That was back before you got his band with your Katina Pals statement. 859-28027. It's Big Blue Madness tomorrow. UK Fan Fest. We're going to talk about that.

Potentially a massive weekend in UK recruiting with potentially the number one player in America deciding, although no one knows for sure. And Mark Pope will join us at 1030. We are here at Wild Eggs in Hamburg. This is Kentucky Sports Radio. Last night, a blown call changed the game. This morning,

internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where SportsSlice 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 athlete 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 Slic Life 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host and your favorite therapist, Kier Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field. and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking.

Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses.

Steve Burns, Dustin Ross. Because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different. intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Keer Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio

app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm CJ Toledano, and our podcast Point Game is about defying the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways. to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before.

And he knows. Without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup,

he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stopped by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nash would get that thing.

That man, hell get the flying. He running up the court, licking his fingers why he got the ball. Like, you go through a training camp with that, Isaiah. You figure it out real quick. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. There are times when the mind becomes a difficult place to live. This is David Eagleman with the inner car.

Cosmos podcast, and for Mental Health Awareness Month, we're dedicating a series to understanding the mind when it struggles. I'm joined by doctors, researchers, and those with lived experience. We'll talk with singer-songwriter Jewel about anxiety. I started living in my car, and then my car got stolen. I was shoplifting. I was having panic attacks. I was agoraphobic. And making it through hardship. To be present is a learned skill, and it's hard to be present. We'll talk with John Nelson about clinical depression and the brain implant that saved his life. What I learned is that procedure made me happy because I'm disease-free. And we'll talk with leading experts like Judd Brewer about anxiety,

and John Hirschfield about obsessive-compulsive disorder, and the science of how the brain can change. This is a month of deeply personal and honest conversations about what happens when the brain goes off course and what we can do about it. Listen to Inner Cosmos on the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome back. It is Kentucky Sports Radio here at Wild Eggs. We are in Palmy. Right now we are at Hamburg.

They have one in Palomar. They have one right there next to Tate's Creek. It's as local as local can be pumpkin pie pancakes, apple caramel mimosas. Oh, that sounds like something. Should try those. What Billy already has, unfortunately. You have the apple caramel mimosa? He's got eight mimosa.

Okay, well, there you go. And they're known for creations like Calamity Katie's Border Benedict. Wow, that's a lot of words. Calamity Katie. 859-280-2287. The text machine is full of memories, but there's a big argument about whether or not it was Patino or Tubby on the Harley. Half the people say it was Patino. Half the people say it was Tubby.

We found a picture of Patino on it. Yep. Tubby was on the Harley at Texas Tech, and he crashed. I don't remember that I don't remember it either I don't remember it either I don't know that I feel like this is our own version of the Mandela effect

That's right One person writes what about Bill Kightly and Tubby Getting out of the DeLorean in 2003 Yeah I forgot about that one But I remember that also It's coming out in the DeL Another person writes

What about Jason Parker tearing his ACL in the back Getting ready for introduction That's a true story I was there that day Talk about that That was a huge deal Jason Parker was going to be like

Our second best player. That was on that Tashon team, and then he tore his ACL in introductions. Yeah. They were doing like a little, you know, huddle before they went out, and I'd go jumping up and down, you know, hey, hey, hey, hey, boom, somebody blew his knee out. So when he got introduced, he's walking out with a limp, and you could tell he's upset. And he was, he was good. Yeah, he was good. He was good. You remember the, like, he played like three games the year before, and then he got hurt, and then he came back the next year and got hurt, so we really never got to see him play. It's a shame.

He's one of those dead guys that need to do over because I think he's definitely a guy that you look back and you go. If he had played, it might have been a different thing. I know we've got a lot of great depth on this roster, but I hope that nobody tears an ACL trying to stretch tonight. Everybody take it easy at Big Blue Manors. What person writes, my least favorite moment was Andre Riddick got on the mic and told the entire crowd he had named a new dunk. It was going to be called the Brooklyn Roughneck. The crowd went crazy, started clapping their hands, and all he did was run up and do a one-hand. handed dunk.

Quite the buildup. Wow. I didn't know that was true. That's a great story. I have to tell you. I kind of like that story. Hey, everybody,

I got a new dunk. Something you've never seen before. A one-handed dunk. The Brooklyn Roughneck. I thought of something that really. Every time someone gets a one-handed dunk this year, shit, and I'm calling it the Brooklyn.

There you go. We had a name for it. The day that they had the floor that lit up. Yeah, that was a big, that was great. That was one of the coolest things in the last 10 years, I think,

I feel like we have to note today the passing at 106 years old of Sister Jean. Loyola's Sister Gene passed away last night just before midnight, 106 years old. I mean, first of all, is she the most famous nun in America? How many nuns in the history of America have been more famous than Sister Jean? Nobody. She's the best. She's none better. There's none better. You were waiting on that, weren't you? Now, 106 years old, sort of captivated the country on that run with Loyola. Kept going to the games.

Yes, she did. She kept going to the games. 106, long time to live. Of course, for this show, we all remember because during the hype, and people forget how huge that was. I mean, she was everywhere. It wasn't just in sports. She was on the Today show. She was on, like, the Tonight show.

She was everywhere. During that whole thing then, Sister Jean created a Twitter account that got massive. I mean, it was mentioned on TMZ. It was mentioned on the Today Show. It was Sister Jean's Twitter account, and it turns out it was run by Shannon the dude. Who had created. Tell the story of how you created that. Well, we were in Atlanta.

For like the first round of the NCAA tournament. And we were doing the pregame show. Drew said, I can't wait for Loyola to lose so I can see Sister Jean's tears. You know, he was hating on Sister Jean. They had already won their first game in a big upset. Yeah, he was already tired over. He was already, and she had just gotten there. So then I had just created this fake Twitter account just after Kentucky lost to Kansas State.

I put the crying Jordan face on Drew's face as Sister Gene. And somehow, people thought that was real. Somehow, that just got retweeted and retweeted, and all of a sudden, this Twitter account was born. And the next thing I know, I've got like 10,000 followers in a day. And I'm going, well, maybe I should tweet something else. And it just kept getting more leverage. You get it that whole week.

Yeah. And I had people, you know, reputable news sources actually retweeting this, which gave it more credence as being a legitimate website. And you didn't tell anybody. No. To what? Like after the Final Four? I mean, you told us, I think, right before the Final Four,

but for like a week you kept it to yourself. That's right. I didn't say anything. my favorite part was watching the Today Show, Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Coppe, and they're quoting my tweet. As if it was Sister Jean? Yeah, and, you know, I said in the tweet, people have asked me what I've given up her lent.

My answer is simple, losing. And they read that on the Today Show, and Hoda Copi goes, that's Sister Gene, she is just so witty. And I'm sitting there about to spit up the coffee that I was sipping on because I was laughing so hard. But rest in peace, Sister Jean, what an amazing life. You know, she just released a book a couple of years ago at 104. That's pretty amazing.

I mean, first of all, 106 just living that long is amazing. But then also, I mean, what year was that? Was that 2018? Yeah. So you're talking about she was 99. Yeah. And going to the games and being that big of a presence. You can imagine, you know, living a relatively quiet life, I would think, as a nun.

Probably not out of the clubs. And then at 99, you become this almost household name across the, America. It's pretty crazy. But where does she rank like in the most famous fans during the college basketball tournament? I mean, for us, we had Ashley Judd for a number of years going to games and they would

show her all the time. Can you think of people during tournament runs that were more famous fans of a team? Didn't Julia Louise Dreyfus, her son played for Northwestern, I think? She did, but they only won like one or two games. I'm trying to think of a team. that went like a long way that had a person.

I mean, Ashley Judd, it could be the answer because she would be at all those games. Yeah. I don't know. Nobody else really comes to mind on the basketball side. I think, you know, like on the football side, Matthew McConaughey with Texas, obviously. But in basketball during the tournament, I don't think anybody really comes to mind. Yeah, I mean, most of the ones I can think of are people who played there, like Charles Barkley with Auburn when they've made runs. But Sister Jean and famous fans, Bill Murray, when his son is one of the.

coaches of the teams. He goes to the games. They will show them all. John Cugerman Camp used to go to all the IU games. Well, that was so long ago that nobody would remember. Have they been in the tournament in the last 30 years? I don't remember being in tournament. By the way, they're supposed to be good this year.

Are you, you're excited about those two teams playing again, are you? I am. You know, I'm the older generation where the Indiana-Kentucky game was the game every year, always sold out. Do you think fans are going to care? I mean, like, if that game this year against Indiana, Let's see what the equivalent is. Do you think fans will care more that it's Indiana than, let's say, if it was Houston? Like, if the schedule was Kentucky Houston, would that be any less exciting than Kentucky, Indiana?

Maybe it would be more exciting. Houston might be top five. Yeah, a lot of people think Houston is one of the top two teams that might win the title. So maybe the younger generation would probably want to see a Houston team, but then the older generation, like, man, those Indiana games, those were the best. We've got to go with that. Yeah, I mean, playing Houston would probably actually be the better game. But just for me, you know, growing up watching the rivalry throughout the 90s, I kind of like that it's back. Well, I'll continue to argue Indiana is a no-win game for us because we are expected to beat them.

And we've already seen go back to the Christian Watford game, what they do if they beat us, they make popcorn boxes of it. And I'm not sure that it really matters all that much to us. 859-280-2287. When we come back, Mark Pope will join us on the phone to get you ready for Big Blue Madness. This is Kentucky Sports Radio. T.J. Smith, personal injury attorney. Call T.J. He'll make them pay. Now, more of Kentucky Sports Radio presented by Stockton Mortgage.

Here's Matt Jones. Welcome back, Tucky Sports Radio here live at Wild Eggs in Hamburg. We are now joined on the phone by UK basketball coach Mark Pope. Mark, it is the day before Big Blue Madness, and we have a huge crowd out here in Hamburg, Kentucky fans in Blue, getting ready for tomorrow night. How excited does that make you? Man, listen, I have loved this time of year for the last 35 years ever since I got here to Kentucky.

You know, there's a little chill in the air. I love this time of year when you wake up and there's a tiny chill in the air. It's time, guys. This is going to be really, really special. I can't wait for Big Blue Manor. So I was at Pro Day, and it was my first time getting to see your, your group. And the thing that stuck out to me is just how athletic they are, how explosive they are. It just seems like a group you can do so much with. Am I right about that?

Yeah, I think this is a really, you know, one of the things that we want to do is we want to get more mobile. So, and that comes out in all the words you said and in other ways also. I think this team has a chance to kind of really utilize all the space on the court. I think we have guys that are really athletic that can cover ground both offensively and defensively that have some physicality to them. I think this is going to and just have, I'm telling you, I'll talk about this all year long, but man, the competitive spirit of this group with that, with their ability to get around the court is going to make this group special. I said during, I've said this all summer. I'm buying all the Jalen Lowe stock. Like anybody that wants to sell any from his time at Pitt, whatever, he took bad shots.

I'm buying all of it because I think this kid's going to be a star. Tell me I'm right about that. Yeah, I think he has the potential to grow into a great leader, actually. He is cat quick. He is as good as anybody I've ever coached and be able to get wherever he wants to on the court whenever he wants to get there. he's got the potential to be an elite level playmaker. He's really got a high IQ in how he kind of understands the game, and he tries to attack the game, and he's learning that fast.

I think, you know, for us to be what we want to be, he's going to have to be a star, and I think he's ready to do it. One of the things that struck me excited and seen him in a while was Trent Noah. He looked like he's gotten in – he's lost some weight. he looks leaner. Am I right about that? And what have you seen from him this offseason? Well, am I right about the fact that he's stronger than you?

No, that he's stronger than he was last year. I'm sure he was stronger than me last year, too. No, no, I think, I think, listen, Trent Noah is crushing it so far in camp. He's right near, you know, he's just under, you know, he's in the mid-60s in live, five-on-five shooting the three. He's making great decisions on the floor. He is, he is, he, you know, it's fun year two because guys just, you know, they walk in the gym already understanding what's trying to be accomplished, how to do it. And so they get to start to riff off of it. Like, they really get to start to play the game instead of just doing the game. And

he's certainly doing that. He's, he's been, he's been absolutely outstanding. so far in camp for sure. I had a fan asked me, and I think it's a good question. If you were to, everybody enjoyed that team last year, how much they gave to the group, what great kids they were, went to Sweet 16. But if you were to say to fans, what's the biggest difference in how they'll see you play,

what you'll do with this group versus what you did last year? How would you answer that? I think, I think this group has, you know, on the defensive, and I think we have the ability to make more adjustments, I think we have the ability to exert more pressure. You know, I think we have the ability to be more disruptive. You know, we kind of felt like we were going to be able to do that at the beginning of last year. Also, we just, you know, we just, with the changes in roster composition through the season,

that became more difficult. I think we have that in spades this year. I think we really, on the defensive end, I think we have, you know, we have a chance to exert to make teams uncomfortable. On the offensive end, I think our mobility really stands out to me. We were a good cutting team last year, but I think we're going to be great. We have so many more players that can attack off the bounce downhill. I think that the pace of our game has a chance to really take a step forward this year.

Let me ask you a bigger picture college basketball question. Everything's changed so much. And a lot of coaches who were legendary have decided to step away in the last few years. And I've kind of been of the opinion like you've got to embrace what's new. Even if it's not what people want it to be, it's what it is. So you've got to embrace it. I feel like you've done that. I feel like you kind of have an old school soul,

but you're really embracing the way college basketball is going to be. Would you agree with that characterization? I love coaching right now. I think it's probably the most challenging, fascinating, stimulating, you know, energizing time to ever coach the game of college basketball. It's, you know, our responsibilities as a staff have broadened. So every time you add a new slice of what you need to do as a coach, the job gets more interesting, right?

It's complicated and it's, and it can be, it can probably be a, exhausting at times, but it is, I think it's the greatest time to be a coach. It is just unbelievable. And the thing is this, Matt, I can't remember if we've talked about this. I've talked about this a couple times, but I'll be super transparent. There was a time this spring where we lost him there. I think he felt like he was going to tell a great story right there. Okay. Oh, there you are. Sorry, I lost you. Go ahead. You said there was. was a time this spring and then you disappeared. Go ahead. Oh, sorry about it.

So there was a time this spring where I felt like, you know, this is more of a, it's more of a professional tenor now in college basketball. So many of the rules have led us to be in that space. And so there was a point where I was like, I'm going to start treating these guys like pros. I'm going to be more like an MBA coach. I spent a lot of time in the league and I have a very good vibe for that. and then the first time we met with our whole team,

and I got to see my guys, and how eager and how hungry, and how still young people that they are, it changed my whole view. And I feel like it's not only the best time to coach college basketball, but our players need us as mentors more than they've ever needed coaches before, because their lives are more complicated. Their lives have got better, but they've got way more complicated. And these are still incredible young people that are chasing their dreams,

that are trying to grow into the young, to the men that they want to be someday. And so, like I'm saying, for all those reasons, I think this is the best time ever to be a coach. I'm very excited about what you guys are doing tomorrow. When I heard, I only heard about it Monday, boy, when I heard you were doing this fan fest tomorrow from 12 to 430 at the convention center, free of charge for people to come meet, listen to you, meet you, meet the basketball players. Same for Kenny Brooks and his young women. I thought that's what I've been waiting to see Kentucky basketball do for quite some time. Talk to me about that process. And for people out there listening, what is the event going to be? It's going to be fun. It's going to be everything. There's some things I'm not allowed to say because they're going to be surprises,

which I think are going to be so awesome. Oh, I like that. I like surprises. It'll definitely be with, you know, the team will be there to meet people, sign autographs, do some presentations. I'll get to be on stage, I think, with Cameron Mills and do some Q&A and do a, we're going to do a straight, I think we're trying to do a straight X's-and-Os breakdown and sign some autographs.

There's going to be all kind of booze and food. We have everything from food to vendors to, I guess there's even some tattoo specialists that are coming to do some tattoos for people that lose their minds and want to go perfect. Wow, tattoos. I love it. All right. It's going to be, it's going to be epic. And the whole thinking behind it is,

is the only bad thing about Kentucky basketball is that Rupp only holds around 20,000 people. And so those tickets were gone in 29 minutes. It just doesn't seem fair. And so until we expand out Rupp to 100,000, we're going to take all the opportunities we can to see fans interact with BBN. Like, this is our family, man. So this should be a family day. It should be a family day where families get to come together.

It should be a family day in terms of us as a staff and our players, MBN being together. It's really important us. And so I'm telling you, I'm so excited about this. Kroger has jumped on as our key sponsor for this. They've been unbelievable partners, so they're going to have some specialists up there. Our marketing team here at University of Kentucky has done an unbelievable job preparing this. If you get a chance, man, come early, be there.

it, you know, I think it's 12 to 430. I think I'm jumping on stage right at the beginning. It's going to be a great event, and we just want to come, like, hug it out, man. Just give everybody some love and celebrate this real inaugural first day, ceremonial day of our season. I love, though, that's, it's first time. It starts at 12. Mark goes on right after it starts, then Kenny Brooks, then the women's players, then the men's players. I love that you guys are doing it for free.

I mean, I understand the money push in everything now, and I get it, and it's a big part of it, but still doing something for free for the average fan. That means a lot to me, Mark, so I appreciate you all doing that. Last question, because I know you got recruiting stuff. Should people expect some kind of surprise at Big Blue Madness that night? Yep. We are down to the wire working on a couple special things. We'll see if it can actually happen.

Wherever we end up, it's going to be, come on, it's big blue madness. There's nothing like it. It's going to be so fun. So I'm so excited to see everybody there and for us to share this experience together. Well, I heard what one of them is. I hope you pull that off. That would be awesome. Mark, thank you very much for taking the time.

I know you're very busy today, and we'll see you tomorrow. Hey, Matt, can I feel one more minute? Of course. Okay, so among the other things at the meet and greet tomorrow is going to be, there's going to be a booth for the National Merrill Donor Registry. So, Leanne and I are, this is really important to us. Kentucky is the number one state in terms of incidence and mortality from cancer. And this is like this is, this is a mission of.

of us and the Markey Cancer Institute and everybody else in this state, like we got to make some progress. So there's this incredible program where if you come and just get swabbed, it's just a five-second swab painless, not invasive of your cheek, you can get on a registry where at some point, if there is somebody that needs a stem cell or bone marrow donation, you'll be on the registry and you actually can go help. It really is only people from 18 to 35, so there's an age group that works.

But Leanne and I have been doing this for the last several years. We actually had a manager that worked for us before that actually had a cheek swab, got a call a year later, and then was able to go make a donation that ended up saving a girl's life, a young girl. And so this, like, together in the state of Kentucky, we kind of need each other to take every shot we can at getting out of first place in terms of incidents and mortality. And this is one of the ways we can do it. So everybody coming to fan fest tomorrow, if you have a chance and you're in the right age group to stop by this booth, Leanne and the girls are going to be there helping with that.

But it's just one of the many, many steps that. we can take as a state to help each other and to help with our health. So just thanks for letting me put in that pitch. It's really important to me. It's really important to Leanne. I think it's really important to Commonwealth to Kentucky. Of course, 12 to 430 tomorrow. If I was in the age group, I'd do it, but 18 to 35-year-olds, there's some of them here. Make sure you all go. Mark, good luck with the season. We will see you tomorrow night. Thanks, guys. All right, there you go. Mark Pope. We'll take a break. Be right back. This is KSR. Last night, a blown call changed a 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.

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also sponsors a KSbar. We appreciate that. Mark Pope. I hope he gets I know what they're trying to do. I'm not sure they're going to be able to do it, but I hope they do. And I like, I'm going to say again, I know I said this yesterday. I'm so glad they're doing this thing tomorrow afternoon.

I've been, and I'm not the only one. People saying, do something, Ryan, that does not require money to go. And they went and did it, and they did it on a busy day, and they did it with both teams. I think that's awesome. It's fantastic. The fan base deserves this, man. After what we've been through the last couple of years, we've got, we need this. That feels good feeling we got again.

You took a shot of cow. It was. We all got the point where we didn't want to go. I'm just saying, like, I don't know how many schools Shannon are doing free things anymore. I mean, like, people are just, it's all based on how do we generate revenue. We got to generate revenue. And to take the time on a big day to do something that will generate no revenue. And also, honestly, Big Blue Madness doesn't generate any revenue either.

I mean, you're basically giving Kentucky fans a free day. I just think that's cool that they will still do that. Fan Fest sounds like it's going to be awesome. You get to hear from Pope. You get to see them break down the X's nose. And you can get a neck tattoo while you're doing that. And let me say on the X&O, you're going to get a neck? That is a very liberal thing, though, getting tattoos.

It feels like something Louisville would do. I'll say this. If you get a tattoo tomorrow, a U.K.-based tattoo while you're at the thing. I want to see it. I need you to send me a picture so I can post it. My guess is Mark will, like, take a picture with you. I'm not promising that, but I'm going to guess. You know, he says he's going to do the X&O thing.

If you've never seen Mark like X and O a basketball situation, he speaks, you know, he's like a scientist talking about physics. I mean, he will, you'll sit there and go, whoa, I think that would actually, pardon me, I may walk over from my house just to see that tomorrow. It's a different language. These coaches speak these days with analytics and breaking things down. But he's particularly good at it. Yes, he is. I think his mind is just analytic. And he said one thing that I thought was really interesting.

he said with every new addition that they change in college basketball, I think you have to be creative and smart to adapt to it. And you know what? He's right. And I was sitting there thinking, I'm really glad Shannon we have a smart coach. Yes. No, I mean it.

Like every single new rule requires, okay, how do we navigate this? And I think having somebody really smart, you know, people say that about John Shire at Duke, that everything happens, the new rules that he looks at it, He meets with his staff and says, okay, how do we exploit this to our benefit? I think Mark Pope probably does the same. He's a very smart man, so meticulous in his game prep, his in-game plays that he draws up as well. You know, he said a lot of things. The one thing he didn't say, beautiful.

I didn't hear one beautiful that entire interview. I didn't hear one amazing, me. I know, right? Who is this guy? No amazing. That's the first time he's ever talked about Trent Noah and not called him beautiful, ever. I like how he thought I was saying that I was stronger than Trent. I think you did say that.

No, I did. Yeah, you did. You say. What did I say? You said, is it true that? Is it true that I'm stronger than that? No, I did not say. Why are you shaking your head?

I did not say, is it true that I'm stronger than Trent Noah? Yeah, yeah. You could be. We could put you to. That could be a great event for madness. He's strong. That Jones versus Trent Noah in a weightlifting contest. I'd pay money to see that.

Would you? Yes. Did I really say, am I stronger? It's okay, though. It was a live interview. People sometimes get their words confused, I hear. Mario take up for me. Stop going hunting for deer and take up for me for a second.

Mario smells really good today, too, by the way. It smells like wild eggs. Why do you have to say it like that? He does. He smells wonderful. You remember to sniffing him, Joe Biden? What are you doing? 5-9-2-80-22-87.

We're going to take a break. Be right back. It's Kentucky Sports Radio. Go. 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 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 SportsSlice comes in. I'm Timbo, and every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the biggest

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