KSR - 2025-12-04- KSR - Hour 2

Episode Date: December 4, 2025

More KSR LIVE from KSBar & Grille as new UK Football Head Coach Will Stein joins the show.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Now here's Matt Jones. Welcome back. It is our number two, Kentucky Sports Radio, 859-28027 here at the KS Bar and Grill. We are getting ready to have Will Stein on. He's actually on the phone with a recruit at this moment. And so I said, let's not, let's not end that conversation early. Yeah, you get to pass on that, right? And so as soon as he, they're going to, they're going to text us as soon as he is ready. We've got him. Okay, here we go. We've got him. Everybody, uh, join me in welcoming Will Stein, the new coach

of the University of Kentucky Fowls. I'll clap for that. Yeah. Yeah. Good for him, Matt. Thank you. Well, thank you very much for the time. And just tell me what, uh, what the last couple days have been like? Well, I'd be remissed. I just told a guy, a recruit, that's 30 minutes down the road. I can't say his name, but that I wouldn't give him a little shout out.

So you got to keep the next kid. Shout out to 30 minutes away. We'll look at the map and see where that is. But yeah, go ahead. Look at the map. It's one of the best in the country. But I, I'm, man, I'm just forward to have this opportunity. It's a dream come true.

And today's kind of like the first day. You know, like, yesterday was like true, like the wedding, the reception. You know, now, now we're paying bills today. You know, we've picked out our house, we've moved in, and we're ready to rock. You already have your house. My goodness. No, I was just as a metaphor. Oh, okay, got you.

I'm in the office. You know, like, I'm really working. I'm not just shaking hands and kissing babies today. We're trying to get some stuff done. I got you. I wasn't good at the metaphor there. All right. So I listened to you yesterday, and I think a lot of the announcements.

initial questions people had were probably answered then. So if it was good with you, well, I wanted to ask you some stuff. Fans kind of wanted to hear just about your coaching, your philosophy. Are you good with that? I'm good with whatever, brother.

All right, let's do it. So a lot of people, explain what your offensive style is. A lot of us have watched your YouTube videos, but also some of the games. If you were explaining to a Kentucky fan, how Will Stein coach's offense, what would it be?

I would say it's aggressive. It's multiple in terms of our formations, our personnel groupings, our tempos. It's built around the quarterback. When we're at our best, we have an elite quarterback, and that's what I'm excited about here at Kentucky with our quarterback tradition. I think about Jared Lorenzen, Tim Couch, Dusty Bonner, I mean, Andre Watson, Mike Hartline, that's been so many elite quarterbacks that have come through these walls. So it's really built around the quarterback, and each year it looks a little bit different.

The schematics are a lot of the same each year, but the way that we get to the plays that we like can be different within each year, within each game. But it's exciting, you know. I like making sure our donors and our fans are watching an exciting product on the field. I like going to ball vertically. I like different variations of the run game with our inside zone, outside zone, power and counter.

And it's getting our best players the ball as many times as we can. I've noticed in watching, you know, everybody's, talks about your three quarterbacks with Bo Nix, Dylan Gabriel, and D'Amore. But they're very different, and I feel like I've seen you sort of adjust your offenses based on who you have. Is that a fair characterization? Yeah, of course. You know, Bo is probably the most elite processor I've ever been around.

His ability to take a play and then change it at the line of scrimmage based on the look was elite, to use a word that I like. it was elite and he's mobile too you know the guy was big six two and a half six three you know two 15 can run can throw um you know dillan was um obviously a smaller guy a lefty as well but fearless you know and extremely accurate and his ability that to maneuver and find the inside the pocket was unlike anybody i've really ever coached and then dante more is i think a great combination of both. Extremely intelligent, high football IQ.

I'm probably the most accurate guy I've been around. I know Bo had those statistics, but Dante's accuracy, short, deep, intermediate, and his ability to throw on time and in the tight windows is why he'll be a first-arm draft deck. So they're all different in their own ways, but

the common thing about all those guys is they work. Like, they work their ass off, and they don't stride away from work. They're in the first in the building, the last to leave, and that's what makes them up think all special. So what are you seeing as your mindset for the quarterback next year? I'm sure you've met with Cutter.

Is he, are you expecting to go with him? Are you going to bring folks in? What are you thinking about the quarterback position? Yeah, I did meet with Cutter and met with him today, actually, and we had a great conversation. And what I urged him and I'm urging all of our guys is just compete, compete. No matter who's out there, no matter if you're the one, two, three,

whatever you think you are, we'll go throughout a whole spring ball without a depth chart. There's not going to be a depth chart. We'll have a blue squad and a white squad. Those will change weekly. And what is going to allow us to do, Matt, is to develop our roster, the old guys and the young guys. That way, I don't, you guys have all seen spring football or fall camp. Hey, the ones are out there.

Well, the ones are going against the twos. Well, how do we actually know if a two can't play with the one? Like, let's blend them all together. Let's develop the roster. Let's keep the guys engaged and not worry about where I'm at. And when we can do that, we're all going to get better. the quarterbacks are going to get better. A guy like Cutter is going to continue to improve.

So I just urge him to compete in the trust this process and to know that I don't think there's a better guy that's going to be his head coach than me to coach the quarterbacks and to be around him every single day. But you do want him to be a part of the program? 100%. I want all these guys to be part of the program. I mean, if you turn on the tape,

I mean, there's some elite characteristics from a lot of guys on the squad. I think we just got to continue to push them and continue to create accountability within the team and toughness and be great in all three phases. You talked about how this was a dream job. Was there a time in the last year or two you thought that's a job that maybe could come open, that might be a job that I would want? I mean, the turnaround was very quick on this. So when did it start clicking for you this could be a possibility?

You know, I've always just tried to be where my feet are. And this is always a job that I circles as a place that I would love to coach and would crawl back to. I would take the Oregon Trail from Oregon all the way here and get on a horse and buggy, whatever they need me to do. And you just never know. You don't know. And, you know, again, I just try to do a great job at Oregon. And before that, try to do a great job at UTSA. And these opportunities can come your way.

And when they do, you just jump right on it. Let's talk about, I really liked your answer yesterday about NIL. You said basically this is the way it is. We've got to go forward and we're going to make it work. So do you think Kentucky has the institutional setup and the NIL capability to compete in the SEC? Yeah, of course. I wouldn't have came here if I didn't think that we could compete, you know? That was not the end-all be-all.

It is, I think, on a lot of coaches' radar, like, got to have. this, got to have this. We have it. We have it. And Mitch and Mark have set up a great plan, but that's why I'm hiring a general manager to help us through this and somebody who I trust fully. And that's been in our system out at Oregon and knows the landscape of college football. You just got to be adaptable. You know, you've got to be able to change with the times. It is what it is. Like I said yesterday, and I think we have all the infrastructure. We have people here. I mean, And there's a lot of people that want to help our program that are really excited about me being here, people that before that had known that want to be involved in the football game.

So I'm excited about, excited about the opportunity. And, you know, it's not about paying the most for players. It's not. I know that it might be the thought. But at Oregon, we were sometimes the third, the fourth highest bidder on players that we got that were recruited by our house state, Georgia, Texas, you name it. They came out there because they wanted to get developed. They wanted to play at the highest level. That is what we're going to do here.

So you don't have to be the highest bidder. They're still like old school recruiting this. There's still relationships. They're still showing people that we know how to make you a better football player, which in turn is going to make you play in the National Football League. And then you're going to make a lot of many there too. Is it fair to say that a program like Kentucky, which is not necessarily a traditional power, it might be in today's era a little easier or more possible to build because of these new rules,

a la Indiana, Vandy, et cetera? You took it the words right out of my mouth. I mean, we played IU this year, and, I mean, to be quite frank, they got after our ass, you know. They were pretty damn good. They're playing in the Big Ten championship as we in Ohio State. They're a college football playoff team. Vanderbilt, same way. So, of course.

I mean, there's more parity in college football now than there ever has been. And there's great players all over. I mean, our state has great players. It's our job to keep these guys home to build it through the state of Kentucky and in the surrounding areas. and Big Blue Nation, the UK emblem, it's a worldwide brand, the blue and the white. I mean, who wouldn't want to put these colors on? Who wouldn't want to play for me in this offense? Who would want to play for our future defensive coordinator who's in the works right now?

Like, it's going to be incredible, and I can't wait to get guys in this program and to do it the right way. I love that confidence, Will. Who wouldn't want to play for me right now? I love that confidence. What gives you that confidence to say, kind of who wouldn't want to play for me right now? Shoot, man, I've won at the highest level as a coordinator. I've won a lot of championships in my life. You know, you got to believe in yourself.

Yes, I agree with you. You know, you've got to believe in yourself. I've been bet against for a long time, but I've proved those people wrong and want to continue to do that here at Kentucky. You mentioned recruiting. Obviously, the state of Kentucky will be a central part of that. What other regions of the country do you think are kind of how you zone in, or do you not do that?

What's your philosophy in that regard? You know, I think it obviously starts in state. It starts locally and then you build your way out. But, you know, like I mentioned, there's kids all over the country that would die to come to Lexington and Kentucky, go to the school, be around this program, play for BBN. And you just got to tap into it. And you can't be afraid to get out of your comfort zone.

I would love to win the state of Kentucky, which we'll do. And then obviously I think there's been a lot of good recruits from the state of Ohio. We're kind of centrally located. We're obviously in the south, but we're close to the Midwest. We're close to the East Coast. We can get here easily

kids from Florida and Georgia and Alabama. So the thing is, do they fit us? Do they fit us? You've got to start there. If they fit us schematically, character-wise, if their families believe in this, then you can go,

go damn Alaska and get the best player. It doesn't matter. We'll go wherever. takes to sign the best players that can make us the best program possible. We are like six hours away from everywhere. So you mentioned we're going to win the state and recruiting. Love it. The biggest competition for that's right down the road, and you used to wear that uniform.

So my question for you is, what's that going to be like, and are we going to be able to get you to throw an L's down at some point? Well, listen, the first uniform I ever put on was a Kentucky uniform. I was probably, I don't know, a day old, and my parents had me in that. So, listen, I got so much respect for Jeff Brom. He was, you know, my first quarterback coach at Louisville, and he's a Trinity guy. I've known Jeff more than half my life. So the Brom family, I mean, you know, Oscar Brom was my quarterback coach at Trinity.

So to say I don't love and respect, Jeff as a person, would be an understanding. I think he's a hell of a ball coach. But it is my job to recruit him. to beat him every single time we play. Nice. I'm looking forward to... Else down? Else down?

Yeah, do whatever we got to do. That a boy. All right, there I go. I like it. Yes. It is what it is, man. I'm going to headtuck in the University of Kentucky. And they are bitter in state rivals.

So the key is, man, like winning with class, losing with class, and being a great representation of the state of Kentucky in this whole university. I want to do a little balance here. So you're a very smart guy. Tell me looking as you walk in today. I thought what you said about Mark Stoops was really kind and correct yesterday at the press conference about what he's done. But you walk in here today. Tell me one or two things you think are really where you need it to be and have really like made it to where we can be very successful.

And what are one or two things that you think need to be improved that you're going to like try to make a priority to fix? I mean, I think it's evident that the facilities are in place, like, you know, walking into the craft center and seeing Kroger Field and just, you know, how, like, cool this place is, man. Like, we got unbelievable facilities, recruit, too. The people here are first class. The onboarding, you know, for me was, like, lights out. It's like I blinked and, you know, you're hired, you're here. And I think that shows great organization from top. you know, for Mitch, from our president, like everybody's aligned here. Everybody wants to win. Everybody is determined to win and do whatever that takes. And to me, that's what gives me great confidence that we are going to get it done is the alignment factor, like I mentioned from our president down.

So I love that. I love, like I mentioned, the facilities. I love a lot of players on this roster. So it's set up, man, and we just got to go to work. So the improvement is on me to get better of play on the field. And how do you do that? You hire the right coaches, which, like I mentioned, we're in the process of doing right now. You wouldn't give any hints on that, by the way?

I mean, you mentioned defensive coordinator. Are these guys – is this a name we might know? We'll see. It's still in the works. We're still kind of going through some poops and trying to see what's going on there. But hopefully within the next week or two we'll have everything sorted out. And you've got to start with the coordinators first. You know, that's what I'm going to start.

I'm not going to be faster. this process. I heard John Summerall say, you know, he's lost a lot of friends in this. I'm going to lose friends in this because there's a lot of really good coaches out there, a lot of them. But they're not getting the right fit for Kentucky, right fit for these players, and not necessarily guys that I might know

have worked with before. So that's number one priority for me. And that's really where you think about improvement. It's just we've got to play better. We got to play better. They hired me to win games, and that's what I'm ready to do. Hey, well, Drew Franklin here.

I know you can't mention the potential hire you're making, but what can a defense look like? You know, we know you want to score a lot of points, but do you have an aggressive defensive style or more of a bend-don't-break? What kind of qualities are you looking for on that side of the ball? I'm looking for a unit that plays 4 to 6 seconds, point-a-point B with relentless effort and ball excellence. Guys that can take the ball away that can defend the run, stop the pass.

I'm not a bend-don't-break guy. Like, I like, when teams pressure me, like, that's when I'm like, okay, all right, this guy's aggressive. I like it. But they're also smart, gap sounds. And, you know, like I mentioned, it's about the unit playing as one. That's the most important thing on defense. I'm playing at three, four schemes, four three schemes, cover two schemes, one high defense. It's the teams that play the best as a unit on defense is what really gives me the most fit

as an offensive guy. So, you know, but that coach has got to man a lot from those kids. They've got to fly around to the ball, and I'm excited to get that position hired, because that's a really important one for me, as you guys know. Your mom was on this show. How did that happen, man? So we sent somebody to, yeah, so we sent somebody to her cake store when they hired you so that we could just see the cakes,

and then she was there, and we just put her on the phone, and she was great. Your mom has become a star. I mean, I don't know if she's told you how many cakes she's sold, but I've heard it's a ton. What do you think about mom getting her own media presence? I mean, it's wild. It's kind of funny to me, to be honest.

Now, the cakes are phenomenal. There is no doubt about that. They are the best cakes you will ever have in your life. You know, sissy cakes. I'll give a shout out to them. Yeah. I don't Blakey as well. My mom, they've been doing it now for years

and just really kind of during COVID, starting to make it like a business and said, you know, why don't we do this? So I'm really proud of them and their success. And, you know, they're just kind of a small bakery now. So don't,

they need as many orders as they can. But they're about, Well, they ordered $2,000. They're going to be grinding. I don't know if you're going to see me playing games. You'll be baking cakes on them. Yeah,

they ordered like $2,000 worth of cakes in like 20 minutes. So I think she's going to be, I think she's going to be working. All right. So the other thing I got to ask you about, I mean, I've lived in Louisville for a long time. You're part of that whole Trinity Mafia.

Now there's just Trinity people everywhere. Everybody's like, everyone in the city claims to know you. Is it true? Well, if you've lived in Louisville long enough, you know everybody does know everybody. It's a place where you say, hey, where should you go to school? And they say, I want the Holy Spirit grade school.

I want the St. Agnet. They don't even say they're college. They either say they're grade school or they're high school. So it is very tight-knit. And I had some buddies up here yesterday that are, you know, Louisville fans that were not in red, so they were in blue. So I think the tight is turning. So I think the more that we can get in the city of Louisville,

the better for the Wildcats. Well, listen, I really appreciate you taking the time and being on. And last thing I'll ask you is this. You know, I think one of the things Oregon did so well. I think Oregon is a marketing-like genius of a program for years. fan experience is off the charts. Is your hope to bring some of that here? Because I'll just say on a personal level,

I think that's something that needs a little bit of work. Yeah, listen, I'd love to. Anything that Mitch and I and the president, everybody determines that needs improvement, like we'll look at it. We evaluate everything every single year. And if fan experience is something that they believe needs work, and I believe, well, then let's do whatever it takes.

It's whatever it takes to win. football games, whatever it takes to give Big Blue Nation the best experience on Saturdays. Listen, when I came to Commonwealth Stadium, I guess I got to call it Kroger Field, right, back as a kid, I mean, I had the most fun of my life, right? Like the tailgate scene, you know, I can't wait to do the Cat Wall. I can't wait to do all this stuff that is really, really cool to UK athletics, but, shoot, I mean, they shot fireworks off in the stadium yesterday. That looked great yesterday.

A lot of fireworks. Yeah, I hope they were getting a lot of that on Saturdays. But whatever it takes. Oregon has done a great job in that. I think Kentucky has as well. We'll just continue to push forward. All right. Hey, Will.

Thank you very much. Will Stein, new coach of Kentucky. I'll let you back to go get some more recruits. We appreciate it. Yes, sir. All right, thanks, Matt. Appreciate you guys. All right, Will Stein.

Looking forward to meeting him in person soon. Love it. When he was talking about the catwalk and going to Kroger Field, he can tell he means it. It's sincere. He loves it. He grew up loving the cats, and you can just hear it in his voice.

You like that defensive answer, I could tell in your face. I did fistball. No, Ben, but don't break. Well, I brought that with me to the show, not even knowing if I'd get to ask a question, and you nodded to me right after you mentioned the coordinators was perfect. I love his answer. We're going to have an aggressive defense out there flying over the field for some turnovers. That was my second favorite part.

He kind of committed to the Lestown. He did. It wasn't a full commitment, but it wasn't a he didn't shy away from it. He said, I'll do whatever I have to do. We do it in person. We might have to go. All right, man. Here we go.

All right, we will take a break. We went long, so we'll have to do a short segment coming back. Then take your calls. 859-280-2287's 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.

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Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo SlicLife 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear 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.

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growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free, our heart radio app, Search learn the hard way and listen now. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. 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

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to cultivating her space on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Welcome back, Tegi Sports Radio. Clayton and Kroom was founded on a simple idea. All-leather goods last a lifetime, bags, belts, wallets, and more, and the best part. It's right here in Kentucky, right in Louisville, on Shelby Street, Clayton and Kroom.com, C-R-U-M-E-com, as we get ready for Christmas. You can do it.

Clayton and Kroom. Once you look at it, you'll get something. It's in Shelby Street in Nulu or online, Clayton &Croom.com, quality leather goods built to last. We talked about the defense thing. I know that made Drew really excited. No bin, don't break, but be aggressive. Thought the answer on Cutter, kind of interesting,

sounded like, I don't know, sounded like he wants him here, but it also sounded like a guy who might be bringing somebody in to compete with it. That's just how I heard it. I'm not saying that's true, but that's how I heard it. Did you hear that? Yeah, I think you're being fair. He didn't really commit.

He said he met with Cutter this morning, which I think is good. But there's going to be schools come after Cutter, so I guess he's got to be ready in case he's got to make a move with somebody else. But, I mean, that's how I heard that. Yeah, I heard it too. It was kind of the same way yesterday, but he had not even met Cutter yet, so he was pretty kind of a political answer yesterday. I say this loving Cutter and hope he's the quarterback.

Will Stein should bring someone. It's his first head coaching job. I mean, this season is going to have a lot of eyeballs. on him. And if he has someone, we don't know his connections who he's recruited. If he has someone he knows he likes, let him play it out. That's nothing against Cutter. I'm just saying it's his first year on the job. If you're going to have to bake the cake, you should get to pick the ingredients. Yep. Especially with an orange juice cake from cissy cakes. Yeah, you can't make orange juice cake with apple juice. I don't know what I'm talking about. We will take a break.

I have to come right back. This is Kentucky Sports Radio. T.J. Smith, personal injury attorney. Call T. He'll make them pay. Now more of Kentucky Sports Radio presented by Stock in mortgage. Here's Matt Jones. Welcome back, Tadie Sports Radio, 859, 2807.8-8-2-8-2-827. Text machine is 772-7-4. Seems like most people

very excited about the interview. Who's the recruit, by the way, it's 30 minutes away. Is that the kid from Danville, probably? Seneca driver, Boyle County, just about 30 minutes down the road, I'd say that's probably a strong. Is he a junior? He's a junior. And they play tonight.

Tomorrow night. Tomorrow night. Yeah, they play tomorrow night. Yeah, so let's talk a little scheduling. Some folks here from Clinton County are going to the game. Kentucky Women's Volleyball plays tonight against Wofford here in Lexington. That game is on SEC Plus. We'll have it on here tonight if you would like to come, but also it's right down the road, 7 o'clock tonight. Tomorrow we are in Glasgow at Ashley Furniture.

That's correct. Is that right? We'd love to have you come see us right before on the way to Nashville. So we are at Ashley Furniture in Glasgow. tomorrow. Been a while since we've been in Glasgow. So come say hi, lots of friends down there. Then tomorrow night, we have going on at the exact same time.

Kentucky Gonzaga and UK volleyball. They found a way to have the game at the same time, which I don't know why we do that to them. So the UK volleyball game, I'm going to assume they beat Wofford. That will, knock on wood. That will be at the arena. Here at the bar, we'll have both of them. on so you can actually watch both games here we will have a watch party for both volleyball and basketball at the same time plus tomorrow and saturday are the high school football championships

if you're in town for that who'd you say is coming raceland's coming today raceland's coming tonight yeah raceland's coming tonight so they'll be here during the volleyball game but uh all if you're in town for the games we'd love to have you i think the owensboro station's doing a show here they are uh so all of you coming into town for the games we'd love love to have you come on here for pre or post game for the games. We'll preview those games tomorrow with your intelligence. I'm ready to go. It's going to be a busy night tomorrow night with all those games going on at the same time.

It'll be a fun place to be at. Yeah, a high school game tomorrow night, volleyball and Kentucky Gonzag. All will be going on at the same time, and we will have those here. All right, who's up first, Shannon? Let's go to Sean. Sean, go ahead, Sean. Hey, guys. What's going on?

Two things real quick. Just first with basketball, for me, it starts with Aberdeen. He's ill-equipped to be point-guard. He's a shoot-first guy that's getting one involved. Everyone looks confused because our point-guard is just calling his own number. And secondly, the Jay My Deal stinks to high heaven, and I think we need to get Pablo for you on the case. He can do it.

You have a great day. Thank you very much. Let's talk about quickly on basketball. Why are we not good? Because we're not good right now. I mean, part of it is we don't have our point guard. We don't have Jaylen Lowe. I think that's huge.

Obviously part of it is that Diabate does it, but more just, we're not good. Can we get good? Or did we just pick a lot of six men? Right now, I'm still worried about internal things, like, do these guys like each other? Like, we talked about it yesterday, but there's, like, moments where guys wide open on the wing. Doesn't even look at them. Not a lot of high-fiving each other. I hate going back to way before the Louisville game,

but something still, I think, is off with their just general chemistry. And then, of course, you get to the basketball, where it doesn't look like they have a shooter on the team for an offense that requires shooters. Pope wants 33's a game. To go one for 13 against North Carolina and Brandon Garrison, you're one. That math is the one.

Rebounding, I know you're talking about it, the games changed a little bit, and they had 20. Guys were just glued to the floor. They weren't moving. There was no effort. whatsoever. I don't know if it's Pope getting them ready before the game, but it's like sometimes guys just seem like they don't even want to be there at times in these, when the lights come on and it's a big physical opponent.

I mean, how do you not get up for North Carolina at home? I mean, the one consistent thing in college basketball is home court advantage matters more in college basketball than any other sport in the world. Home court advantage is it. Minnesota beats Indiana by 10 last night because it's on their home court. Arkansas runs Louisville off the floor because sits on their home court, and yet we could not defend home court. And in the last five or six minutes, I did not watch the game, but I did watch the last five or six minutes. They didn't look like they had the juice.

We didn't. How's that possible? I don't get it because, like, you heard Drew say the crowd was on fire. The crowd did their part. This guy was great. But you guys hit on it, man. Lack of a solid, strong, true point guard. Jalen Lowe's the answer.

I mean, you get him back, I think. But do you think Jalen Lo? Listen, I said before the season, I thought he was the most important player by far. I think that's ended up being correct. But let's just assume he comes back and let's assume he's really good. Is it going to be enough? I think that's a huge step in the right direction just to get the offense flowing more efficiently. But then the second thing is, where's our shooters?

Man, these guys are supposed to be shooting the lights out all summer long. They are non-existent right now. I mean, it's brutal. One of 13? And it's Brandon Garrison. They were getting open looks. Yeah, they were getting open looks. I heard a criticism from the folks at Field of 68, and it seems right to me.

Mark Sto – or excuse me, Mark Stoom – Mark Pope last year realized we did not have enough athletes, we did not have enough defense. Did he go too far just in the other direction? Is it the case Mark Pope wants to play Mark Pope basketball, but he found a way to recruit no one that can shoot because he was so worried about trying to make it better defensively? Yeah, I think it's a combination of that People keep saying overcorrected He overcorrected what he needed to do about physicality

But also we know who he targeted And he targeted some shooters And when he missed on them He ended up going to get a defender We talked about the Wilkerson that we joke about Ryan with He's lighting it up for Indiana Making like four threes a game shooting 40% Well when they didn't get him

We end up with Aberdeen who's fine That's not a shooter That's like a completely different player So it's like when he got to his fallback plan on a lot of these guys, they didn't have the shooting that I think he went out to get. Same with Diabate wasn't the first pick. This might not be true in a year or two years. But I think it's true now.

I don't think we're going to be that good if our best score is Colin Chandler. I just don't think we're, I mean, right now he's our, is he our best score? And he only had two threes. I mean, I just don't think we can, I think Colin Chandler needs to be your third best score. but if he's your best score I just we're not going to be very good I mean we have a chance to go oh and six

in these non-conference games against good teams you know Mark Pope has a 500 record against power four teams right now he's actually under 500 14 and 15 now that's bad that's bad and I and I got to say I don't understand

Mark's reaction to the like I don't I don't know something you know this may end up being one of the great blue ass conspiracies of what of all time what happened in the Louisville what happened in that locker room what happened I don't know there's definitely some issues things going on and I think that a third thing to look at these two second year guys Garrison Otega Trent Noah have not stepped up that's huge to me I mean most disappointing player on the team is probably Garrison but he's right there

is with him Motega and those are two guys that came back I mean those are the two dudes you know you you think those but Mark Pope said people get a lot better with me in their second year. Chandler has, but the rest of them haven't, you know? A lot of fans thought he took a risk and bringing Garrison back in the first place, but you needed him to take a jump forward.

He's gone a little bit backwards. O-Way, at least played with some energy. He might have turned a corner even though it was in a loss, but it was one game. But the O-A that was at UNC, they need more of that because he didn't play like that at Louisville or Michigan State. Kentucky families are struggling to access what should be basic essentials,

housing and child care, not luxuries, not extras essentials. And the Kentucky Chamber is focused on improving access. Go to Opportunity Startshere.com and learn more about what the Kentucky Chamber is doing to help with housing and child care. The state is only better when people have access to houses and their children can be taken care of for work. Go to Opportunity Startshere.com. Who's up next, Shannon? Tyler.

Tyler. Tyler, go ahead, Tyler. Hey, Matt, Ron, Shannon Drew. Matt, I'm glad your dad's doing all right. I feel like a trader a little bit because I was looking forward to basketball during football season. Now I'm looking forward to football season during basketball season. I know what you mean. Like all of a sudden, I mean, everybody during football is like, well, Mark Pope, here we go.

Let's get started. And now people are like, well, I can't wait for will in the football season. Like, things have flipped in that regard. And the last thing is you guys were talking about the Cup man earlier. And I feel like, you remember that scene during the office whenever Dwight is trying to buy Andy's car? And he's like, sell me the car. Sell it. Say it right now.

I want to three, sell it. I feel like that's how Alan Cutler got all his jobs anywhere he's gone. He's like, hire me. One, two, three. Say I'm hired. I'm hired. Listen, Al, I appreciate the call. Alan was a legend in this town TV-wise.

What do we think about what he was wearing at the press conference? I'm a hoodie guy, but what do we think? You guys know how I feel about Alan Keller. I love the man, but I even giggled when I saw the picture of him a little bit. That's my boy right there. But that's how he looks at all the games that are up. But he and Larry Vaught have just taken a, we're going to let our hair just have its day, right? Like, they've basically turned into Jeff Bridges and the Big Lobowski.

Like they become the dude. Like Alan Cutler just needed a white rushing in his hand at that press conference. They both have become the dude in the Big Lobosky, both Vaught and Cutler's. I like how when Cutler, again, so I'm only hearing it because I'm driving. I like when Cutler comes on there and he, and like, he does his own show. Yeah, he won't stop. He just makes it about him. He talked for like a minute and a half.

He's like, oh, you know, people have been saying, you know, people say I talk. But it's like, it's just so out. He was like, he was doing a talk show when he asked his question. I'm actually looking forward to that day. I might just wear a robe to a game one day. Just slippers. Yeah. A little cup of coffee.

That's me. When you get 70 years old, do you just not care? You wear a robe and you have. You've been like that since I've known you. I'm ready to go. The only difference is your hair doesn't grow out that much, but everything else. I'm going to work on it and look just like my twin brothers, Larry Vaught and Yalln-Color. Yeah.

I like Larry Vaught's question, too, he's like, Larry Vaught, Danville. Just the town. Representing all of Danville. I'm representing all of Danville. What up, Boyle County? He's ready to go. 859-280-2027. We'll take a break.

Be right back here at KSmart. 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 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 Sliced 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, Kear 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, Kear 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 C.J. 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 will 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 podcast. Agency, the ability to know that we're the experts in our own body. On the podcast, cultivating her space, Dr. Dom and Terry Lomax create a space where black women can show up fully and be heard. I wholeheartedly think, you know, you hit 30.

You shouldn't have to share room with anybody. Mm-hmm. From navigating friendships and healing to setting boundaries and prioritizing your mental health. These are real, honest conversations. We don't always get to have out loud. Totally unreasonable with different parts of life, right? Like, oh, have all three meals and make sure you're mindful during all of them? Absolutely not.

During one meal, I'm standing. I'm standing and handing my children food. Because healing, empowerment, and resilience aren't just ideas. Their practices. And this Mental Health Awareness Month, there's no better time to pour back into yourself. Listen to cultivating her space on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Welcome back, Techie Sports Radio. In the interest of fairness, UK has sent me this thing to say Mitch has talked to the media six times in five months and gives the dates.

Let me just in the interest of fairness, they're including the four dates that they do those Champions Blue LLC meetings. So he's talked Media Day for football and then yesterday. They're including those dates of the Champions Blue. I would respectfully disagree that that counts since no one goes. to those except one or two people and it's, you know, it's not a press conference. It's literally them walking outside of a meeting. But to be fair, I guess they're counting those. So it does not change my position, but I do think in the act of spirit of fairness, I will note that. Is media invited to these club blue NIA? I think they're invited. I don't know what the announcement.

I think they're during our show. So usually I obviously don't end up there. But that's the board meeting. where that group of people meet. And I think maybe a couple people go, but also, that's not, in my opinion, the same as a press conference where working press can ask questions. So this is when he's been asked 19 times. Yeah, I don't know. Gotcha. Just reading the information.

859-280-2287. Louisville beat, or, excuse me, Arkansas beat Louisville. Yeah. They were up 20 in the first. half. They were running. This is such a distinctly cow season. Like, they lose their first two games against good teams. They almost get beat by Samford and Winthrop. Winthrop, they should have lost. They were down five with 80 seconds left and won. So almost lose to bad teams, lose their first two games against good teams, and then all of a sudden play Louisville and absolutely wipe them off the court.

First of all, he owns Louisville. Yeah. One thing that, that's true is Cal Perry owns Louis. No doubt. But this is, you know, this is Cal. This is what he does. Last year, remember they were terrible, and then they go on a run at the end, make the tournament. I mean, that's Cal. My big takeaway, though, I think Cal might

hate Louisville more than me, which is saying something. He owns. Louisville. I mean, pumbles every time he plays Louisville. Louisville fans, I don't think, got mad about Cal winning. They got mad at Kenny Payne being on the sideline. Kenny Payne just sitting over there grinning,

while they're killing them. Kyle's got a Reed Shepard Rob Dillingham situation, too. He's got a freshman off the bench that's maybe his best player. By the way, I know we've talked about it. Reed Shepard's like really good. Yeah, he is. Like, he's leading the NBA in three-point percentage. I mean, it's been a week or two, but he outplayed stuff on prom time.

It's just weird watching like Kevin Durant go up and bump chest with Reed Shepard. My brain's still, that kid we watched in the 13th region tournament, like on my TV with Kevin Durant still hasn't If you only saw opening night Yeah You'd be like well he can't But give him credit man He has jumped

His first two games were both bad And then since then he's been great And unfortunately most people Only have watched the opening They only seen those first couple So a lot of people saw him against staff That was a high profile game Cowboy draft king

Go to draft kings.com promo code KSR Get your first bet bet $5 If you win you get $200 and bonus bets from draft kings Cowboys lines tonight. For cover zero listeners, you know, this is a loser leaves town matchup. I don't see a line, which makes Troy.

It's a full-goal favorite. Troy, it's a three-point favorite. Who you got? Cowboys, I don't like the Cowboys. As a matter of fact, I can't stand the Cowboys, but they've been hot. Why are you so anti-Calboys? So I grew up a Washington now commanders fan, and you just grew up hating the Cowboys. But you don't care now.

I don't care, but I still hate the Cowboys. So your love for the commanders has it continued, but you still hate the Cowboys? Absolutely, yes. That's interesting. So your hate was greater than your love? Absolutely, yes. All right, good to know. So you got the –

But I'm picking them tonight. All right, what do you got? I like the Cowboys getting points. Since Ed and Quinn and Williams and getting some guys healthy on defense, they finally started getting some stops. And that offense has been one of the best in the NFL with Pickens joining the fold. So I'll say they cover the three. Yeah, I'm going to say – I'm taking the lines.

and thank you to all of our Cover Zero listeners. We got the numbers for the year today. It's been great. Those of you that listen, send me comments and references. I really appreciate it. I think we've gotten our vibe down, and I hope you guys are enjoying it. Subscribe online, NFL Cover Zero. A lot of you sit me your little Spotify raps where like KSR was won and then Cover Zero or the pre-show.

That means a lot. I found to be in the top 0.5% of KSR listeners on Spotify. You know how many minutes you'd have to have listened for the year? Can't even guess. Take a guess. 26,000 minutes. That would put you in the top. In the top 5.05.

That's on podcast. If you listen live, you wouldn't be on there. Who's next, Shannon? Clint. Clint. Go ahead, Clint. Hey, fellas, thanks for taking my call. Matt, I really appreciate that last question that you asked Coach Stein about marketing.

We've all been kind of critical with how UK has handled the social media, promoting the team, the program. And Oregon is a brand. Now, their football program. And yes, they have Nike. They have Phil Knight. They've won a lot of football games. But I'm really intrigued to see if there is a change in how they promote the team moving forward under Coach Stein.

What do you feel like they need to do? Well, I mean, you mentioned, okay, so Oregon, obviously Nike is a big part of it in the money. I'm not going to act like that doesn't matter. But it's not just that. You know, their uniforms are always exciting. And Oregon has like a cool vibe. You go to those games. I watch some of college game day Saturday.

And it's just, it's 6 a.m. out there. And they got people everywhere. They created the tradition of, I think, is it shout or whatever they play where they do the thing? Like, Oregon just has the marketing thing down. And I think, Drew, any of that stuff he's able to bring here. or even just recognizing the importance of it will be good for us. Just changing it up. I don't care what you change it to.

Just work some other stuff in from time to time. One thing that I've complained about forever, we have an amazing lineup of like vintage and throwbacks, and I'll give Louisville credit. They bring theirs out all the time. Why don't we dig into our locker? That stuff is so in right now. Go into the closet and pull out some of the stuff from the past.

Oregon does that too. I mean, it is. It is really like that kind of stuff. Kentucky Skin Cancer Center is telling you they can get a skin. travel skin care set for Christmas. Go to Kentucky Skin Cancer Center.com. It includes products selected by Dr. Skaggs, including enzyme facial cleaner with papaya,

replenishing cream, hydrate, refresh, hierolic aces serum. Those words just mean your skin will look better. It's made mine glow. Go to Kentucky Skin Cancer Center.com. Ryan, busy day, but a fun day, thanks to Will. It's going to be a really busy, fun weekend, too, around here. So looking forward to it. I am too.

It should be a lot of fun. And everybody, we hope to see you tomorrow in Glasgow and all you folks who are here today. Great to see you. Clinton County, enjoy the volleyball game tonight. Those two girls look like they'll be playing for them at some point. Go for it. Go for it. Yeah.

That's your response. That's your response. Thank you, guys. 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 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 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. 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. 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 with 42. Hey, Wreck, my mama want you to wave at her. What?

Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clifford Show on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano. It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast point game, the playoffs. We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season. And I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments.

If we didn't talk ever again, I was part of it. You just understood. That's how personal it got. Wow. Then after that game seven, Marquis coming to you, he's like, you know I love you, dog. You know, it's all love.

This was just playoffs. This was just basketball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.