KSR - KSR Postgame UK MBB vs Jackson State 11/22/24

Episode Date: November 23, 2024

Billy recaps the Cats' 108-58 win vs Jackson State.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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give us call 859-280-2287. I've given my co-host the night off. A little load management day for Matthew Harper-Jones. I am Billy Rutledge. You can follow me on Twitter at Billy R Sports. And if you're a listener regularly of the local Toyota Dealer's KSR Post Game Show, you know all about what we're about to do, so let's get into it. Now, let's preface this for a second by saying this is probably the worst team that Kentucky will play all year.

You know, no disrespect to Jackson State, but a little disrespect to Jackson State. I mean, if you're looking at just the numbers, they were 320 out of 364 in the Kempom. When it comes to defensive field goal percentage, they were 362 out of 364. So how do you evaluate this game when you're taking on one of the worst teams in Division 1? Well, you know what? You hope that the team can stay focused versus an inferior opponent. you hope that they can battle through some adversity and build on this for the next game.

And I think they did exactly that. How fun was that to watch the offense score again over 100 points, 108 in this one? Listen to this stat for a second. 408 points have been scored in the four home games that Kentucky has played so far. 48 points, are you kidding me? I knew modern basketball was coming to Lexington

when Mark Pope signed on. But did I expect 100 points per game to start the year? I did not. Especially didn't expect that win over Duke in the Champions Classic. But this team defies expectations. And it was a big win tonight to take the cats to 5 and 0. 859-280-2287. You'll have to bear with me for a little bit because I am hosting and producing the show.

We did bring a part-timer in to answer some of the calls. So Gavin is in the other room. He will be taking your call and putting you on hold. 859-2-80-228-7. I just opened up the phone lines. Give us a call. Tell me what you thought about the game. Not only was it 408 points and four home games.

How about 29 assists on 41 made baskets? These guys like to share the ball. They shot 58% from the floor, 44% from three, and a season high, 17 threes for the cats. Jackson Robinson got it started. He got a little bit colder as the game went on, but you saw who picked it up there. Kobe Brea, man, is that guy a bucket?

Tyler Hero reincarnated. Kobe Brea may shatter all of the records when it comes to shooting percentage at Kentucky. But he got hot late, and that allowed the cats to cruise to their big victory against Jackson State. It was the fourth installment of the Unity Series. And you know what?

I thought we got a pretty good preview of game from myself and Ryan Lemon on KSR this morning. I don't know if you heard it, but Matt wanted to test our knowledge, kind of like how Mark Pope does with his players. He'll give you a number, and you've got to give him a scouting report. And credit to Ryan, he not only gave us some intangibles, he was giving us the names of these guys. But we've got to figure out the name of number 14 on Jackson State.

I mean, this guy throwing his shoe at Brandon Garrison may have been the highlight of the game for me. I mean, what are we talking about throwing shoes in a Division 1 basketball game? I think I may have seen that once before in my life. And that was that like, you know, me at eight years old playing at the YMCA, the Walter Fuller after school camp, a little frustrated that I can't get the ball. I'm throwing my shoe at them. But not in a Division 1 basketball game. That was great.

There was also a point where they had to fix a wire at the bottom of the backboard. It looked like Andrew Carr and Brandon. Garrison were stepping up on the step ladder to fix whatever that was. There was a couple of weird moments in this game, but for the most part, it was a route. The cats putting up another big performance offensively and defensively. I thought they did a good job on the defensive side of the ball. Jackson State only scoring 59 points, holding Jackson State to only 33% shooting from the field.

But you know what? We got number 14 back later in the game after he threw his shoe because he missed the two free throws to give everybody at Rupp Arena free Chick-fil-A sandwiches. I mean, come on. What more could you want from that? But the cats get a big win, 859-2802-287. If you'd like to call in and give your take, you know there's a big game versus Texas coming up tomorrow.

That game at 3.30, 1230 pre-game start for KSR. Do the cats have a shot in that one? We can talk about it tonight. We can talk about anything you'd like. Remember the magic number, though. You know, Matt in the past has said the rule of 71 is the thing that we need to look for. I think we need to change that to holding the other team below 39% shooting percentage. And just like I said, Jackson State, 33%.

They did exactly that. I mean, it was a great performance. I think you had five guys and double figures in this game. Kobe Brayette leading all with 22. Otega Owe. I mean, this guy, we've said he's the surprise of the season. but he was everywhere. That guy really making the most of his situation coming over from Oklahoma.

Lamont Butler, you know, we've been talking about the threes. We haven't even started talking about the dunks in the second half when the threes weren't hitting. Those guys just became five slamma-jamma. And Lamont Butler may have had the dunk of the year so far. You know what, I take that back. Brandon Garrison had the dunk of the year so far. He gave that guy a poster earlier in the year. But Lamont Butler soaring high with one hand,

definitely could have been second. Jackson Robinson continues to bounce back from that one point game versus Duke 14 points. Five of 13 shooting. I thought he forced his shot a little bit, but you know what? He got the job done.

Andrew Carr is a guy that was silent in the box score once again, but once again he let his impact be known as the guy had five assists, six rebounds, six points. That's a guy that doesn't have to be flashy, but he's got the experience to deliver when it matters most. And these guys once again put up a great performance. 108 to 59, the final score.

The Cats get a victory against Jackson State. Probably the easiest team that they'll play this year, but we can still break it down. We can still talk about it tonight. You know, when the parents are away, the kids will play. It feels like a little bit like that tonight. So you know what? We'll welcome all caller.

So one more time, 859-280-2287. The Cats advance to 5-0, and will next take on Western Kentucky. Hmm. That may be a little bit of a tougher game, especially as myself a hilltopper alumni. But we'll talk about the cats tonight. We'll take a break.

Take some of your phone calls on the other side. This is the local Toyota dealers, KSR postgame show. ...to go as Garrison picks up the loose ball. Ahead to Chandler. Chandler thought about the three. Here's the handoff to Noah. Take that. Noah's screened.

Shoot the three, young man. Yes! Shoot that. Finally. If you ever going to shoot one, shoot it now. Welcome back. This is the local Toyota dealers,

KSR post game show, that audio courtesy of the UK sports network. How did we get through the full first segment and not talk about Trent Noah getting his first points as a Kentucky Wildcat? You know, I kind of did want to see the Kentucky guys be subbed in a little bit sooner that they did. It looks like Travis Perry came in with about five,

550 left in the game. I think it was good for him to play with the starters a little bit, and he got to do that for a couple minutes. But Trent Noah comes in with 255 left, and he hits that three-pointer, and the cats win 108 to 59. 859-280-2-8-7 is the number. I'm Billy Rutland.

You can follow me on Twitter at Billy R Sports. I also have a text line. People are commenting on the text line. One person says, you sound good, but intense. I feel like you just smashed a couple of Red Bulls and are ready to kick some ass. Gavin better watch out. Well, one, Gavin, he should watch out.

He should always be watching out being in the studio with me. But I've kind of tried to shift away from the energy drinks. Matt says I'm always a little grumpy after I have a couple Red Bulls. So we've switched to the liquid IV. I don't know if you're with the liquid IV yet, but that's the only way I'm making it through some of these games in the game tomorrow. Remember, we'll have, we have the Kentucky, Texas game starting at 12.30 p.m. KSR pregame show tomorrow.

But we're breaking down a little basketball tonight. The cat's big win. And we're going to hand it off to you. 859-280-2287. Let's go to the phones. Let's see if they're working. Mike is up first. Good evening, Mike.

Can you hear me? Oh, Mike. Are you there? Oh, yes, I'm here. Okay, I got you, man. Your first caller. Okay, cool. Yeah, so is this your first time hosting the post-game show?

You know, I think I did an exhibition game a year or two ago, but not with the, the, bright lights on like we have tonight, Mike. Oh, well, congratulations, man. You've earned it. Thank you, man. What did you think of the game tonight? Well, I think this is the best offensive back court that we've had since probably

Rajon Rondo and whoever it was he played with or Hawkins and Fitch back in the day. If you can remember them. But also, like, I'm thankful for the world of sports gambling, because it makes a game like this interesting because I, you know, I hammered them to cover and they covered, man. So it's a good night. Drinks are on me. Well, Mike, we appreciate the call.

Thanks for being our first caller tonight. You're right. The cats covered the minus 34 spread that they had on draft kings. And you're right, Mike. I mean, how can you not be excited about what you've seen by this offense, specifically this back court, specifically guys like, Lamont Butler, who not only is so good defensively, but can score when he needs to.

Jackson Robinson, who has had his ups and downs, but Otega O'A and Kobe Brea are the two stars of the show. I'd be really curious to see how this team would adapt if something were to happen to one, if not two of those guys. But they just seem perfect in this Mark Pope's system, don't they? I mean, Kobe Brea, he missed a three early in the first half, and I had to kind of reset and make sure like this wasn't a dream. I mean, that guy has been money.

And then he ended tonight as the leading score with 22 points, 811 from the field, and 5 of 8 from 3. So it was a quite impressive performance by them. Like we said at the beginning, this is Jackson State. They do have a guy that's 611, 290 down there. By the time the game was ending, he wasn't even running to the other side of the court. I can't blame him the way Kentucky plays. They just go up and down and up and down. and it's such a fun, exciting style to watch.

Back to the phones, 859-2802-287. Charles is on the line. Good evening, Charles. Hey, Billy. How you doing? I'm hanging in there, man. What about you? Doing well, doing well.

So are you tired of these kind of tune-up games, these Cupcake games? Are you ready to get into conference play, or you think maybe we're going to have a hard road to go in the conference? It looks like, you know, we've got some real tough teams. You look, Tennessee's doing real well tonight, and we've got Auburn, Alabama, just a lot of tough teams. And, you know, I know we're not playing the toughest competition right now, but, man, I sure am happy,

and I'm just glad to enjoy watching the castaway there are now. What do you think is going to happen here in about a month or so? Well, Charles, appreciate you calling in and being a part of the Billy R Sports Postgame show. you know, maybe a little bit of me is getting tired of some of these easy games early on. But another part of me thinks that we're giving Mark Pope a little time to implement a system to get these guys all on the same page. And you already had the big matchup versus Duke.

So you have had a big game early on. But you know what? You do scratch your head a little bit when you're taking on a Lipsicum, a Jackson State, even a Western Kentucky. I love that they're welcoming in the tops to Rupp Arena. But don't you worry, Charles, there'll be plenty of tough games coming up after Western Kentucky and Georgia State. I believe they start that Clemson-Gonzaga stretch, which will, I think, really get this season started. And then I'm sure Louisville's around the corner right after that.

So the tough games are coming. You know, in the SEC, I think Alabama is a little worse than they thought they might be. Maybe Tennessee is a little better. I'm not worried about Arkansas, but man, am I ready for that game? Man, am I ready for Calipari to come into Rupp Arena? I'd like to see his face. Getting a look at this offense. Maybe you'll have to scream go a couple more times.

Let's keep it rolling. Danny is on the line. Good evening, Danny. What's up? Hey, how you doing? I'm good, man. I'm good. Thanks for calling in.

Yeah, so you said something about, well, this game is what it is. We did beat Duke. Not to look ahead, but we have a game at Clemson. is the true first road game. That's right. So how good is Clemson? I don't really know anything about them. Is that, you know, the crowd's going to be going crazy?

How do you think we do in that game? Well, I appreciate the call, Danny. Thanks for calling in. You know, Clemson went on a pretty good run in the NCAA tournament last year, but they've lost a lot of talent. They are not the same team that they were a year ago. I think a lot of people want to see a UNC. or a Duke when it comes to that

ACC SEC challenge, but they got Clemson since they made such a good run. And I'll just be completely honest with you, I haven't watched a lot of Clemson. I know that they're a little worse than they were last year. But really, the number one thing about that game is going to be how these guys react on the road. And in the past with Cal,

you know, it's been a learning process, right? I mean, these kids are 17, 18, 19 years old most of the time. They've never played on the road like that. This time you got fifth year senior. This time you've got guys that have done that. So maybe there will be less of an adjustment period for these experienced players to go on a road and play a team like Clemson.

You know what? I fully expect the way that I've seen this Kentucky offense play and not just win by three-pointers. They've done it in games before this without shooting the three. I think that they can overcome a lot of adversity. It's the Gonzaga game that I'm circling. Now, our boys are going to be driving up to Seattle for the game.

I will be not making that trip because I have to stay here in the studio. Somebody does, right? But that's the game that I would circle and worry about as possibly Kentucky's first loss. But you've got to get past Western first. Remember, they play Western on Tuesday. Chad is up next. What's up, Chad? Can you hear me?

Hey, turn your radio down and I'll talk to you. I got you. What's up, brother? How are you? Pretty good. I'm good. You watch the game tonight? Yes, I did. It was a wonderful game.

Kentucky just is spanking them. You're spanking them. That's right, Chad. I love to see it. I love it every day. Yep, yeah. What did you think about this Kobe Braia guy? He can really shoot it, huh? Man, I tell you, we got everybody on our tank who shoot them. We can bring our Kentucky kids. in and they're going to shoot it too.

That's right. Yeah, we didn't see him very much, but I mean, if there's foul trouble, Chad, right? If push comes to shove, it feels like those guys could come in and probably produce some good minutes, right? I tell you what, I guarantee they'll be on there ready to shoot. Mm-hmm. Oh, I agree. I agree. You got anything else first, Chad, before we let you go?

Well, I appreciate you talking to me. I've called a lot of times. I never got through, but I appreciate y'all talking to me. Absolutely, Chad. We appreciate the call. If you want a tip on how to get in to the KSR Postgame show, since I am the producer and call screener, you know, most big games, we won't open this calls

until right before Matt ends his monologue and goes to break. And you got to remember most of you are listening on stream, so that's a two-minute delay. So you want to time it right before the end of Matt's monologue when you start calling in and try to get on those phone lines. We do appreciate Gavin in the other room tonight. He's our part-timer. He's learning how to work the phones tonight.

And he's doing a good job as we've been able to answer everybody that's called so far. Let's take a couple more. And then we'll take our first break here in a second. 859-280-2287. David is on the line. What's up, David? Hey, man. Thanks for taking my call.

Of course. I read something on a, on X the other day that really got me thinking about this team. And I like everybody else. I'm super excited to kind of see how it's playing out this year. And really been excited to see Pope back and kind of get things going. But the person that tweeted it just said, you know, we have to keep in context. This is likely the worst team that Mark Pope will have for a while.

And like as excited as I am about watching a play, like he didn't get to recruit the way. the way he normally would. And we're seeing really get some good players find up to play in future years. But like it got me thinking. I mean, we're talking about a team that looked at it at the beginning, thinking, how are they going to look,

how are they going to be? And they're playing lights out. Like, they're blowing teams out. They beat Duke already. And we talk about the ceiling for this year, but even looking forward to the next few years. Like, it's really exciting to see the system. play out. And for those of us that have been looking forward to being excited about UK basketball

again, the breath of fresh air, like it hits the air. But I feel like the intensity behind it is knowing that as great as this year is already, like it's just the start. I feel like things are just going to keep building off. Yeah, I think there's a lot of truth in what you're saying, David, and I appreciate the call this evening. You know, Mark Pope just kind of threw these guys together last minute, didn't he? I mean, we've got transfers from Oklahoma, Wake Forest. I mean, we've got the sixth man from BYU, Dayton. We got a guy that was on a mission trip for a couple years, didn't even play basketball. I mean, these guys are just all kind of thrown together and look how talented they are. Look how much they've already bought in to Mark Pope's system.

And kind of like the last caller was just talking about, now give Mark some time to recruit. he's already won some recruiting battles already with Moreno and Jasper Johnson Now what more could Mark Pope do? How about when other people see this style of ball? You're telling me people aren't going to be wanting to transfer to Kentucky After seeing that they already do don't get me wrong But after seeing a team play like that

I feel like you're going to have your pickings For some of the best guys in the country You know that last caller had said a term I do want to touch on And it's one that's been overused a lot since Mark Pope has taken over. And that's breath of fresh air. And trust me, I've said it a lot too. But he's not wrong, right?

We may have said it a lot, but that doesn't make it not true. It is such a breath of fresh air just to see these guys do it a different way than what we've seen at Kentucky over the last few years. It really, really is striking the difference that we've seen.

And these guys seem to be really enjoying it. And that's the other thing. I mean, if you don't listen to the radio broadcast, you should for at least one game, just to hear the joy, and Jack Givens's voice when these guys start getting hot when they start hitting shots.

I mean, that joy is palpable and you see it spread throughout Rupp Arena and you saw another good crowd, even for a bad Jackson State team. Did you see how many people were waiting for Marks Post Press Conference afterwards? Very, very impressive. Let's take one more call and then we

will take another break here on the local Toyota dealers KSR Postgame show. Doing Good is on the line. How are you doing? I think I'm from 5 a.m. What do you want me to be? What do I want you to be? I want you to be doing good. So, hey, good.

You're going to have to turn down whatever's going on in the background there doing good. Whatever. So I don't know what you want. Okay. Okay. We're going to give up on him. We'll reset. 899-2-8-7. Give us a call.

It's late on a Friday night. You're maybe already out on the town. You're en route to your destination tonight. night and you can join us. 859-2-80-2287. Tweet me at Billy R Sports. The Cats get a big win against Jackson State. We'll take some of your phone calls next here on the KSR pre-KSR post-game show.

All right, welcome back. It is the local Toyota dealer's KSR Post-Game Show, no Matt Jones tonight. I'm Billy Rutledge. You can follow me on Twitter at Billy R Sports or give us a call tonight at 859-280-287. I almost called it the pre-show. last segment. You can join me every weekday morning from 9 to 10 a.m. with Shan the dude on many of these same stations, including News Radio 630 WLAP. There was some news that broke during the Kentucky

Jackson State game about a former Kentucky player, Aaron Bradshaw. He was missing from Ohio State's game versus Campbell today. And Ohio State released a statement saying Aaron Bradshaw is not currently participating in team activities. The university is following its established process due to federal privacy laws. We cannot share further information at this time. Hmm. What does that mean? What has Aaron Bradshaw got himself into?

One, I hope he's okay. But two, rumors are swirling right now on many social media sites about what could be going on with Aaron Bradshaw. I'm not going to be one to speculate. I know many people have mentioned gambling, a gambling investigation that has not been reported to be clear. But Aaron Bradshaw, the former cat, may not be available to take on Kentucky when these two teams play later this season. 859-280-2287. Back to the phones we go. Jonathan is on the line. What's up, Jonathan? Can you hear me? Hey, Billy. Yeah, I can hear you. Thanks for taking my call. Got you, man. And also, congrats on your first post-game show. I've been.

going great so far. Well, thank you. Matt asked me if I was going to be nervous. I'm like, no, man. I mean, I was born for this. Come on, let's go, Matt. Let's go. Well, I mean, you've been co-hosting these shows for quite a bit now anyway.

That's right. I mean, second voice already. Yeah, yeah, exactly. But I was just going to say about the game, I think usually whenever you see spread kind of this high, usually people kind of check out, especially whenever you're talking about a November game. But not with this team.

I think this team is just super exciting to watch. And I think, you know, for me personally, I don't think I've cared about these kind of stinky games. And I know we kind of have a run coming up, but I haven't cared about these games in years and years under Cal. And it's just been really fun to really enjoy every game again and make time to want to watch these games, whether it's a Friday night, Tuesday night, whatever. So I've just really enjoyed watching the seasons so far.

And I can't wait even for these upcoming games, the kind of stinky years. teams coming up. No, it's been fun to watch Pope piece this team together. Before I let you go, Jonathan, I want to ask you, who's your favorite guy on this squad? You're somebody that watches all these games. Who's your number one guy right now? Oh, man. I think it's such a tough question to everything. It is, yeah. Everybody brings kind of a unique aspect to the team. I'll probably go with the fan favorite. I'll go with Kerr. Whenever he's able to hit a three or get a feel, It's like it's electric. It's electric.

So I love to watch him do his thing whenever he's in the zone. Yeah, I like the pick, Jonathan, and I appreciate the call. Thanks for the call this evening. You know, Kirk Creeza didn't have a point tonight. Zero points, 0-a-2 from the field, only played 12 minutes.

Dude had seven assists. Seven assists and didn't even put a point in the box score. These guys are not selfish. They're not worried about their stats. They're worried about winning the game. and you know I was going to say breath breath of fresh air

but I won't it's just refreshing it really is my favorite player I don't know I think it's become Kobe Bray over these last couple games just because it is money man

it is money I'm not going to tell him to go stand in his corner but also a guy like Andrew Carr who was so selfless who played so good in that Duke game but then in these next two games like he's barely scoring I mean that's a guy that understands it

and gets what Mark Pope needs from him Let's keep it rolling. Ed. Ed, what's up? Ed, can you hear me? Yeah, I can hear you. I got you, man. What's up?

Oh, hey, I'm on. Just keep it real short. Another one bites the dust. I couldn't be more happy. What a fun game to watch. All the threes line all over the place. Very exciting. Couldn't be happier.

Go caps. Absolutely. Great call, Ed. Thank you for listening. You know, I don't get to hear the television broadcast since I'm so locked in with the radio and the radio call and making sure we just don't go off the air. But I did see a stat that Andrew Capus and Cameron Mills flashed when they were doing the broadcast today is that Kentucky late in the second half had nine dunks and they had only had 12 or 13 the entire season so far. I don't know what got into these guys. Maybe the lane was just open because Jackson State was that bad.

but it felt like as soon as the second half went and the threes weren't falling it was Robinson had a slam Butler had his slam Oway was just everywhere with steals and slams three pointers and slam dunks what more could you want these guys are really clicking right now 859-2802287 we've got another mic on the line what's up Mike hey Billy well I've been to all three games all three home games and My wife and I's observation is this is a totally different team than we've seen the last few years. We were just stunned to how different this team is. Do you agree?

Oh, yeah. No, I completely agree when it comes to what they're talking about in the huddle, you know, their energy on the court, the way that they talk to the media in the postgame. I mean, it all just seems a little different, doesn't it? well yeah I had very low expectations of this team I mean we had no name brand players so to speak but I mean what we're playing teams are not very good right now David Lipson's not a bad thing I mean they played Western very tough yeah but but but the coat the sideline coaching looks so different there's no one screaming at the play

The players don't seem afraid when they make a mistake. They're not getting yanked out or anything. We're just really stunned at the difference. And again, I had very low expectations of this team. I was hoping we would win 18 to four games. And now where your expectations are. What are you thinking now? Like kind of the sky's the limit, right?

Well, no. I haven't drank the Kool-Aid on the final four yet, or undefeated season or anything like that. It's worth, we were preseason ranked, what, seventh or eighth in the SEC. But, you know, I'd be happy if we win two games in the NCAA tournament. We haven't done that in what. Is that how beating down we are, Mike, is two games would suffice? I know it is Mark Pope's first year, but man, these last few years have been rough,

so it feels like two wins in the tourney would be enough, right? Yeah. I mean, my wife, she's a basketball player in a way. She played one year in college for Austin Pee. And her claim to fame is she actually played against Pat Summitt. She played at Austin. She was a walk-on at Austin P. And that's a good claim to fame, and it played against Pat Sondon in college.

But she tells me I don't know anything about basketball. She's probably right. She's laughing right now here next to me. But I'm really, this is a very big. very fun game. We just had so much fun that I went for an early dinner, went down to, went downtown, you know, and walked around a little bit, went to the game early. This is, this is fun atmosphere. Really fun.

I'm kind of buying in. Well, I completely agree with you, Mike, and we appreciate the call. The energy is back in BBN. And it's just strange that it has to happen when the football team goes down, the basketball team goes up. We can't really have success at the same time. It kind of works against the other guy when the other team's having success. Or maybe it's a distraction. Maybe it helps a little bit.

I do want to shout out. This was the final installment of the Unity series where Kentucky plays HBCUs across the country. And two people were honored tonight, Purvis Short, who had an illustrious career with Jackson State, but also Kenny Skywalker, the legend, the Kentucky Wildcat, Kenny Skywalker. And I told a story on the pre-show the other day. I'll reiterate it here quickly. When I first started in Lexington, I wasn't doing the radio stuff. So I got to go to a couple games. And one of them I sat on Media Row next to a guy.

I didn't know who he was, but he had dreadlocks. He had these cool looking glasses on. And he was super, super nice. Just talking to me about the game, what he thought of the other players. It took an entire half for me to lean over to Dick Gabriel and say, who is this guy I'm talking to next to me? Nevertheless, it was Kenny Skywalker. And man, he was honored tonight.

He joined Darren and Purvis after the game. That was a cool conversation on the postgame. So a big shout out to him. And everybody that has made a difference at the HBCUs over the years. Over the years, 859-280-2287. Todd is up next. What's up, Todd? Turn down your radio for me.

Okay. Yeah, Gavin didn't. He didn't hook me up to the live feed like you normally do when I'm on old. Oh, come on, Gavin. We got to get Gavin to work these phones correctly, but I do appreciate him helping me out. Yeah, sure. Got a couple of questions for you, Billy.

What's your opinion? How many conference games do you think we'll lose and how many overall losses this season, not counting the tournaments? That's a good question, Todd. While I look through the schedule, did you have a number in mind? I really didn't think I wanted to hear what you had to say.

Okay, all right. Well, I can start it off. So we've talked about the non-conference schedule a little bit with Clemson, Gonzaga, Louisville, Ohio State. The SEC schedule gets started Saturday, January 4th versus Florida, but then 11 a.m. tip off. That's an early one. But then you've got at Georgia, at Mississippi State versus Texas A&M versus Alabama at Vandy. We've talked about it tonight. a good SEC this year.

And you got to think this team's going to hit some adversity on the road when you've got to play at Tennessee, when you've got to play places like at Alabama in Tuscaloosa. And at Oklahoma, they're maybe not the best team, but that's still a challenge on the road. You've also ending the season at Missouri. You know, Todd, when I see these games when they're scoring 100 points at home, you know, it makes me really confident that these guys could have a good year, could have a what, seven loss year, six loss year? I think there'll be some trip-ups, Todd.

Don't get me wrong. But the cohesion that this team has already built so early on, I think they can win a lot of these games that maybe people are expecting them to win. Does that make sense, Todd? Yeah. I was thinking we might lose two to three conference games and two other games. and two other games. So I'm saying five losses for the year.

Okay. Yeah. I mean, that'd be a good number for first year of Mark Pope, wouldn't it? I mean, that'd be a great start to this. He's really doing a fantastic job, and these are veteran players, and they get along, and everybody can shoot it.

And you was asking that other guy, the favorite guy on the team. Yeah, do you have one? Oh, it's Mark Pope. Yeah, that's a good answer. Yeah, I mean, he's won us all over with his, you know, neuro-science comments or the, you know, just the, just the honesty in which he talks and not calling us basketball bennies. I think that's a big part of it, Todd. So I think you are not in the minority.

I think a lot of people would pick Pope. You can tell he's smart just by listening. and tell him talk. You know, he's got a smart basketball mind. Yeah, there's no doubt about that. We appreciate you calling in tonight, Todd. We've got to keep it moving. But you know what?

That's a guy that went through three years of medical school before he decided to drop out and take like an operations job. Can you imagine that conversation he had with his wife? Like three years into medical school at Columbia? And he's like, no, you know, I kind of got this basketball thing I got to do. It's in my heart. It's what I care about. And look at him now, impacting young men the way that he is.

A couple more, and then we've got to take another break. We're rolling, though. Hopefully Gavin's doing this right. Bluegrass is on the line. Bluegrass, can you hear me? I got you. Billy, Billy, Billy. What a good job you doing, my man.

Thank you, brother. I want to talk about, and isn't it? No, not a breath of fresh air. But, you know, it's just nice to watch. That's right, yeah. You're starting to see them get past the first and second read now, and you're starting to get them, they're getting the third and fourth read. You're starting to see them flip the screen, and, oh, Anzley Almanor has already got that down, paddy. He sets the pick, slips the screen, wide open.

I mean, the free flow of this zone is so nice, right? Am I right? Oh, you're right. And you mentioned Anzley Almanor. That's a guy that comes over from Fairley Dickinson. They had some success in the NCAA tournament recently, if you remember. and he just, you know, I don't know how to put it, Bluegrass. He just knows his role.

You know what I mean? He's really comfortable in what this coaching staff expects from him. He hits some three-pointers in this game that were very smooth. And that's a guy that I trust when he comes into the game. And he's not even in the starting five. You know what I mean? So this team has a lot of depth. And when you can trust those six, seventh, eighth, ninth guys,

then, you know, I'm not going to say the dreaded word platoon, but we could get to a point where that many guys are playing. Am I wrong, Bluegrass? No, you're right. And hats off to Pope for, I think he was going to Siana. Like, I think Pope is one of the only Division I, you know, powers to even look at Anglia Aminores. So, like, hats off the man, like, can he do any wrong? And what about the recruiting classes coming in?

It's already a good one. You're sitting there for next year or the next year. I mean, you have to like what you see, right? I absolutely do. In Bluegrass, you have a good night, man. We appreciate you calling in to the Billy R Sports Local Toyo. to dealers, KSR post game show. I mean, it's just a lot of fun.

It is. You can hear it in Bluegrass's voice in a lot of the callers tonight. It's just a different vibe. And now you start to look ahead, right? You've played a lot of these bad teams. There's still a couple more left. I'm not putting Western in that category. But then you've got some really big games on the Road at Clemson,

the game versus Gonzaga, which you haven't won a game in that series. You have not won a game in that series. It's time to change that. So you're absolutely seeing a lot. but you're also seeing a roster that's constructed to fit the offense that Mark Pope plays. You know, it's not just a mass talent and have the guys dribble drive, right? It's not putting a square peg in a round hole. It's not promising freshman playing time.

And you may hate that comment, but let's be real. That's what's been happening over these past few years. Cow would have his guys and he'd hold on to him a little. too long. And then when somebody else would get in the game, they'd miss two shots. You'd get pulled right back out. Does anybody have fear of Mark Pope pulling them out if they missed two, three-pointers? No, come on. Give me a break. They shoot through those slumps. They empower each other. It's not tearing each other down or yelling, go. I know I'm taking a lot of shots here. It's 11 o'clock, okay? We've got to get up early for the Texas game tomorrow. So we're not running on Red Bull tonight, but you know what?

we are having a good time. 859-280-2287. You can tweet me at Billy R Sports. We've got one segment to go, so keep it where you got it. It is the local Toyota Dealer's KSR Postgame Show. All right, welcome back. It's our final segment here on a Friday night, the local Toyota dealers KSR Postgame Show.

Follow me on Twitter at Billy R Sports. People writing in. One person says, you've made it three segments and no kids have called in. That's right. we've made it through so far. I love kids. Come on, don't give me such a bad rap. Sometimes they just aren't the best post-game show callers.

But you know what? We've got six callers lined up on the line, and maybe one of them could fulfill that prophecy. So 859-280-2287. I'm looking at the call log right now, and there's a guy named Mario on the line. I only know one Mario. Is this my Mario or is this somebody else?

This is the Mario Oh, Mario, how we ring the bell For our guy, Mario What's up, dude? How are you? How's the game? It was amazing, man. I got a chance to catch a little bit of a snippet of your first post-game.

I don't know if this is your first one, but your first post-game show that you're hosting, man. I wanted to give you my flowers to be a good teammate and tell you how good of a job that you're doing. And you're really, you're killing it, my man. You're killing it. Well, thank you, brother. I mean, you are bringing so much value to KSR with the videos that you post every day.

I will say the one downside of Mario is that I've got to be ready to look good at all times. You know, radio's theater of the mind. I have a face for radio. And now Mario's taking pictures of me all the time. So Mario, I've had to step up my game a little bit. You know, I try my best to make you look very good, man. That's my job. That's what I want to do.

I want to make sure my guys look good in front of the camera. And that's what it's about, my man. But like I said, I don't want to take too much of your time. Just really wanted to chime in with you and let you know you're doing such a great job. Well, thank you, Mario. I appreciate you, buddy. And before I let you go, we've been asking some people this tonight. Give me your favorite player, man.

It's hard to pick one on this team. But I'm asking you to do it. Pick one. And tell me who stood out to you in these first five games. First five games, I've got to go with Double O. The Otega-Tron. He's been the most consistent guy. He's been the guy who's kind of silently.

He's like a silent assassin out there. He does little things for the team, and like I said, he's very productive out there. And it doesn't have too much of a – doesn't show too much pride out there on the floor. He just does little things. And like Ottegatron. He has a lot of swagger to his game. Andry Almanor stepped up, of course. I'm glad he's doing his thing.

He's making me look good. You know, I appreciate you giving Matt a hard time about Anzley. Just keep texting him every time he scores. I know he loves it. Kind of like how Ryan gets texted. by everybody, but you know what? I appreciate that bit. Mario, you're doing a good job. Thanks, man. Take it easy, okay?

All right. You get home safe. There you go, Mario. A celebrity appearance there from the KSR crew. Okay, I'm going to keep it rolling here. It's our final segment. We have a Shannon online. This can't be the dude. What's up, Shannon? No, this is Shannon, the mustache. Oh, the mustache. That's right. I've had mustache envy this week. We went to a fire department, and I did not hold up my end of the bargain, Shannon.

So hopefully you have a better mustache. I know I wanted to call in that they have great mustache. They sure do. They really do. Hey, I wanted to talk about the shoe thing, man. Anzley had some awesome shoes on the SpongeBob ones. Those were cool. You know what?

I didn't see that. I wonder if those are shoes that Matt Jones has. You know, he is quite the shoe guy, but I did not see. He had the SpongeBob's on tonight. They were kind of matching the other guy's shoes. You know, Ryan talked about the yellow and pink shoes, too, on the other team. Yeah, I saw that. What do you think about the guy throwing a shoe at Brandon Garrison, though?

I mean, come on. There wasn't even a technical for that. I know. How do you get away with that? I don't know. Maybe you could just start throwing shoes in anybody you want if you're behind on the fast break. That's crazy. Anyways, man, Billy do a great job.

I appreciate you doing the post-game show. like it's really a fun listening. Well, absolutely, Shannon. I do appreciate you calling in. Thank you very much. You know, it's a lot of fun. You know, I've always wanted to do radio, but specifically I've always wanted to do post-game shows.

And believe it or not, I track it back to a moment I was driving back from a Bengals game. And Alan Cutler was doing the post-game show. He was going off, ranting about Cincinnati losing to my Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And I think at that moment I turned to my dad and said, this guy's just talking about the game and making money for a living? Why can't I do that? And now we fast forward 10, 15, almost 20 years later and look where we're at. Big Al is next on the line.

We've got four more. Big Al. What's up, man? What do you think of the game? Big Al. Hey, can you hear me? Yeah, I got you, buddy. What's up?

What about it? Hey, let me take something. You know what winning is? What's that? It's hard work. working and it feels good. It's been a long time as a Kentucky fan. I feel like I could say that.

We got a bunch of dogs on the team this year who are playing for the name on the front of the jersey, not the name on the back, a cohesive group who all we want to do is just win. And I really think we're going to hang number nine this year. What about you? Man, you're so right about the cohesive part about this team. And you can just see it, right, Big Al?

I mean, it's nothing like anybody said in the post game and you could take quotes that they've said, the way that they play for each other, it really is special. Now, raising number nine, I've got to see how this team plays on the road, right? I mean, they are neutral site games when it comes to the NCAA tournament, but I've got to see this team on a night where they don't hit a single three. You know what I mean? I think our defense is as good as our office.

Yeah, I mean, there's some truth to what you're saying. I mean, they're practicing defense, and we're in November. That's a little change from what we've heard in years past. But they locked down when they need to. We have a coach who calls a play after a timeout. It's a crazy concept, Big Al. It really is. You've got to kind of get used to it again, right?

I mean, I'm just so happy. I'm a Baptist, but I believe in the Pope. That's a perfect way to end it, Big Al. We appreciate the call, and we can hear the joy in your voice. There's no doubt that Big Al isn't the only one feeling that way. Just a couple more left. Ian is on the line. Ian, what's up, man?

You got me? Yes, sir. Hey, man. What did you think of the game? Hey, man. I'm really excited about this team. I'm actually outside right now with a campfire down here in St. Petersburg, Florida. Oh, my hometown.

The cool weather that we're having now. That's where I'm from. The clear water area. Of course. That's actually, that's where I work. But located out of Pinellas Park right now. So I'm enjoying the cool weather down here right now. know.

Shout out. In regards to the team. I appreciate that, Billy. I appreciate that. For the team, really, while I've been sitting out here, just kind of thinking about the team, I'm trying to think while we've had really good results, you know, what can continue to improve this team and maybe where we're kind of lacking a little bit or what we're trying to, you know, improve upon somewhat.

And the big thing is, is I can't help but think after sitting here watching a little bit of the Arkansas game. What big Z would have looked like in this team? Having a five that can step out and hit a three really consistently. Trying to kind of think about what like a kryptonite would be for this team. And a little bit thinking forward towards like the Auburn game, having their five with Broom who can step out and really knock down a three. I don't know if that's going to give us problems in the future.

But I'm just curious what you think. Maybe, you know, this team could improve upon. going forward into the future and then what could give us some troubles, you know, going ahead. Yeah, absolutely. And keep repping down in St. Pete. We appreciate the call this evening. You know, Matt talks a lot about like, got to have that guy that can take you off the dribble and get a basket when you really need it. And I agree to a degree.

I mean, these guys play so together in the offense and the scheme, I feel like it's so much more important than just one guy beating somebody off a dribble. But when push comes to shove and you're in the offense. those crunch time moments, maybe you do. Maybe we're just beaten down by Cal in the mindset of you've got to have somebody to do that. But I think probably one of the more concerning things for me is when Amari Williams tries to do a little too much.

You know what I mean? Like the guy's got eight rebounds in the game. He had four points, a relatively quiet night, but had zero turnovers. And I think that's the key, because we've seen him have some pretty high turnover games when he gets a little ambitious and he starts dribbling the ball up the court.

It's like Amari, you know what? We've got plenty of girls. You just kind of pass that along, but that's not him, right? It's just he wants to lead the offense. He wants to distribute. He'll get his assistant. And I'd like to see that guy get close to a triple double this year. I think it's possible.

I think it's possible. But maybe this was the game to do it. I mean, you're not going to have an easier opponent than Jackson State. But you know what? You know, some of the things that could give these team trouble, I don't think, I think they could work through it a lot. You know, if they have a night where they don't hit a lot of threes, we've seen them do it at a different level.

a night where they have a bunch of foul trouble. We've seen the depth that this team has. I think these guys individually are going to have their moments throughout the year. You know, like Ansley's going to hit a three-pointer in the corner to beat Auburn. Or, you know, Travis Perry is going to come in because Lamont and Kerr got in foul trouble and he's going to put up six assists when they really need it. And you know what? I think all of these guys are ready for those moments.

And that's just different than in years past. That's different if you're a team in the SEC and you have. have nine scholarship players and you're down to seven already because of injuries. The last caller brought up Big Z. Boy, did I love Big Z. But if he was here, would that not clog up what Mark Pope's got currently going on right now? I get it. He'd be perfect for the system and he'd be knocking threes down all night, right?

But does Andrew Carr play the same amount of minutes if you have him here? Does Andrew Carr even come here, if that's the case? Or Ansley Almanor who plays a lot of that four? you know, it's, you know, it's kind of like you're glad how things worked out. And we wish nothing but the best for these former players, at least I do. I'm rooting for ado. I'm rooting for Big Z. Even Aaron Bradshaw.

Even DJ Wagner. But you know what? Not when they end up playing Kentucky this year. Two more. Zane is on the line. What's up, Zane? You got me? Yeah.

I'm here, man. What's up, dude? Yeah. Hey, what's going on? just hanging out, what did you think of the game? Well, I have to say it's refreshing because usually those games in the last few years have been, like Arkansas is right now, but an eight-point game with 50 seconds left. So glad we're not in their shoes.

But, you know, the thing that I noticed about the game is you mentioned, or somebody mentioned earlier about the drive into the basket in Duncan, And it seemed like they were definitely trying to be more aggressive with their drive tonight. I don't know if it was maybe something they were just trying to implement, or if it was just the passing lanes were open like you had mentioned earlier. A really, really solid game. I mean, they're winning the games the way they should be winning. And I think that's what the fans have missed the most about the Kentucky teams the last five to six years.

Zane, tell me if I'm wrong. It was nice for the game not to be 27, 26 at halftime. You know what I mean? Like when a team came in that you needed to blow out, you blew out. I mean, that is just, you know, that is something that I think is proving that these guys are getting the system and they're getting better each and every game. Yeah, well said. I mean, that's what we're, that's all we want, right? We want to win the games.

We're supposed to win and be in the games. We maybe shouldn't win or the tough games on the road or the neutral games like Duke. I mean, that's, that's all we're just an opportunity to win. win when it comes down to the wire for those games that are tough and when the games you're supposed to win that's that's what we haven't been getting that's what we're getting this year and that's why everybody's on board when the games you're supposed to win zane let me ask you one more question before i let you go let you go do you ever drink milk i cannot confirm or deny sounds like you're milk drinker and that's okay you can admit it i'm a milk drinker i am this i have the scarlet

letter on ksr so just just admit it here and there's nobody listening It's just me and you. Right. You're right. Now, I'm a pretty faithful listener, and first time calling in, actually, but I didn't want to hell you doing a great job, not a milk drinker. I do have a cousin who's probably a little psycho. He used to drink milk with ice.

He used to freak us all out. What? Then you just get watered down milk, saying, I don't know about that one, but I, it sounds like you are a milk drinker. You just won't admit it, but I do appreciate you calling in, buddy. Thank you. All right, man. Take care.

I mean, I don't get it. I love milk. Pour me up a glass of whole milk right now. Come on, let's keep it. We got one call left. We appreciate everybody that's been listening to the local Toyota Dealer's KSR post game show. Let's see if we can end it off with a bang here. Travis is on the line.

Travis, what's up? Hey, what's going on, Billy? Oh, you know what? Hey, brother. Nothing. Go ahead. Hey, man, great game tonight. Like you said, you took the words out on my mouth just a couple minutes ago talking about.

all the players on our teams that just play their role and just like we'll step up when it's needed. You know, I know Matt's favorite player is Jackson Robinson, but I do double O, man. He is a beast, man. And he has been consistent the last five games that we've played. And that's my favorite player. There's no doubt. And that guy will go into the post game and say how much it means to play for Kentucky. You know what I mean?

To play like that and then to hear him say something like that, there's a reason why he's been named already twice in this segment. No, exactly, man. He's the dude, bro. But now, man, these guys, man, like every night somebody's going to show up, you know, whether he's on the bench or whether he's starting. Like, it's going to be somebody's game. And they're going to show up and it's going to, they're going to show up when it matters.

So that's all that matters to me. me, man, is the name on the chest and the score at the end of the game. And that's all that matters to me and us Kentucky fans. Well, that's a great way to end it, Travis. We appreciate you calling in. They show up when it matters. And, boy, as this team shown up over the first five games of the year, Kentucky beats Jackson State 108 to 59.

They have scored 408 points in the four home games that they've played this year. It is simply incredible. Kentucky shoots 58. tonight, 44% from three. They hit 17 threes, a season high, and a big victory against HBCU Jackson State. Let me set the table for you here a little bit. Tomorrow, the KSR pregame show starts at 12.30 p.m. Matt will be checking in with the guys who will be back at the bar to get ready for Kentucky

versus Texas. Will the bull eligibility streak end tomorrow with Kentucky's seventh loss against the number three team in the country, probably. But you know what? Kentucky's going to go to Austin, a place that it's the farthest west they've ever played in the program's history. And you know what? Texas isn't that great. I mean, their best wins, Vandy.

They played Arkansas to a 10-point game. So why not? Maybe Kentucky can show a little magic. But that's going to do it for us tonight. I appreciate you, everybody, listening, all the kind words that you have sent. You can follow me on Twitter at Billy R Sports. Normally the co-host of this show.

But you know what? Maybe we'll let Matt back on tomorrow night to recap Kentucky versus Texas. But tonight, the Cats win against Jackson State, 108 to 59. Thank you to Gavin for answering the calls in the studio. Big thank you to Carl down in Louisville doing this thing on News Radio 840 WHA. That's going to do it for us. Thank you to Matt for the opportunity to host this show. I'm Billy Rutledge.

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