KSR PreshowShannon The Dude and Billy Rutledge talk NCAA Tournament, Kentucky vs. Troy, and take your calls.
Welcome everybody.
It is the KSR Pre Show, Wednesday, March nineteenth. I am Shannon the Dude being joined by Billy Relige and you can give us a call. We want to hear from you on the Clark's Pumping Shop phone line eight five nine two eight oh twenty two eighty seven. You could be our whiskey Thief call of the day. Send us a text at five two two six five six six five six.
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Find Italian donning in Lexington and Billy the madness has begun. What a crazy finish to that first game last night. We'll talk about that, and of course Kentucky gets things going on Friday night in Milwaukee and that is where we are heading today. I feel like I just unpacked my suitcase and now well I got to pack it and get ready to go because we're leaving this afternoon for Milwaukee.
Great to see you this morning, Shannon, as you start your road trip today with the guys headed to Milwaukee. But ultimately is it Chicago that you're going today or where? Now?
We're going all the way?
Oh, you're going all the way.
Yeah, Okay, it's only like, what six six and a half from Louisville, So I got seven from Lexington.
I mean you're a veteran at this point, right.
Yeah, I mean I mean you say I'm a veteran. I mean all I gotta do.
Is I just sit in the back seat and and ignore the Paul Finebaum show that's on, you know, the car radio as we're driving.
Down the road.
Yeah, you've got your little movie player in the back requesting bad Christmas movies to watch on the road, or whatever it may be. I guess the license plate game with Mario. So looking forward to. Some of the best KSR shows are when you guys are together on the road. So hope putting for a couple of those this week.
We will continue to take your suggestions of things we can do in Milwaukee in our downtime. But you know, really, Billy, for me, I would just rather find a good sports bar and sit there and watch all the games. Like to me, that's how it's most enjoyable to take in the first two games or first two days of games in the tournament. You know, going to the game itself, you don't get to see all the other games. People say, oh, you get to go to the game. How lucky. Well, I mean, yeah, that's cool and all, but you don't get to see the other games. To me, the most fun part of these two days, which I think are the most two special days in sports all year long, is being able to watch all the craziness. Be able to watch all four games at once, and if you're at the game, you only get that one game that you're seeing.
Well, you know, outside of the NCAA Tournament, this is the sports viewing experience in twenty twenty five, Right, Why would I go to the ballpark when I can stay at home and watch all the games on my comfy recliner with the beer that's free and not seventeen dollars. So, and I think you're hitting a nail when it comes to the viewer experience. But this is the NCAA tournament, and so rightly so you want to watch all the games, right. I've always thought of going to Vegas for the first this first weekend, at least at least once in my life, just to experience it all. But you know, if it's not your team, you're right, Shinnon, it feels like you're missing out on all the other action that's happening and it's already started. Man, kind of like you let off at the top of the show. I mean, come on, last night was great, was it not?
Well?
The first game was North Carolina. I think they kind of came out with a chip on their shoulder. You know, everybody's saying that they don't belong, and you know what, they still don't belong. I don't care if they won the game by one hundred points last night, they still don't belong. And I don't care if they make a run to the Sweet sixteen or Elite eight, doesn't matter. North Carolina still doesn't belong in the tournament. But they came out and won big last night. But of course the talk is all about Alabama State with that great finish over Saint Francis top ball game, just a few seconds left on the clock, and Alabama State does the I don't know if we call it the Latner pass, the long baseball football, the hell mary. Let's just call it that if it's basically a hell mary. They throw it, you know, all the players kind of go for the ball, it gets tipped, lands right into the hands of an Alabama State player, which is right underneath the basket, an easy layup, What a finish, and what a way to If this is any indication as to how exciting these games are going to be, We're in for a wild run.
Yeah, right in the bread basket, I think hell Mary's the right word. There was a defender on the inbounder, unlike maybe in past games, but.
He wasn't aggressive enough though, Like if I'm gonna be defending that, I felt like it was kind of a e I'm gonna stand here and throw my hands up, but you're not gonna You're not gonna make this pass anyway.
So well, I mean, this is what it's all about, right, I mean a school getting their very first NCAA tournament win, winning over a team that has twenty five hundred enrollment at their school total, Like it's that's march man. And don't let Seth Davis hear you too loudly though, because he'll say, well, why don't you want like four more of these playing games? Or how about six more of these playing games? No, I do not want to expand the tournament. I'm enjoying this first four. Don't make me have to think about more NCAA tournament games.
What if there were two more games yesterday and two more today, Like would that bother you?
Like two more?
I mean if the basketball yeah, you know what I mean, Like, I don't want to see teams that don't deserve to be playing in postseason play, and I think North Carolina is right on that borderline. And then they come out and score ninety five. San Diego State hasn't allowed a team to score ninety five autumns since two thousand and six. They're at actually a pretty good defensive team. They ranked number one in the country when it comes to field goal percentage against them this year. So credit to North Carolina. They I think they took that little personally shit.
Yeah.
Yeah, they definitely had the emotional factor coming in trying to prove a point, and they did last night.
So but I don't know, I mean the special it's special when the tournament starts right and all these games are going on at the same time. So I'm definitely excited for that in the coming day.
Now.
We had a great hypothetical question yesterday by a listener, Billy. I don't know if you were listening to KSR, but the question was, if you had a bowl of one hundred grapes, and you won one hundred thousand dollars for each grape that you ate. But the catch is one of those grapes out of the one hundred is poisonous and would kill you.
How many grapes would you be willing to eat?
I think Matt's answer was like one, and then Ryan and I said, give me like ten of them.
Let's let's go, you know.
And then it came down to like the numbers game and trying to figure out, okay, well, what's the percentage for each.
One one lost? Shit?
Yeah? Yeah, like you know, don't make me break down and carry the one to do math this early in the morning or really any point in time.
I hate math.
One listener gave like thirty eight percent is the answer. I don't think that's correct. I like Drew's answer. If I eat ten grapes out of one hundred, that would be ten percent, would it not? So regardless of what the true answer is ten and a half percent. I want to ask you, billy, if you had one hundred grapes in front of you, one of them is poisonous, but you get one hundred thousand dollars for each grape that you eat.
How many are you eating?
Well? You know, listen, I look, ten is a nice round number that gets you to a million, right, and that's a that's a great sum to live off of for the rest of your life. But I'm not risking ten shit, and I can't get to that number.
What happened to get rich or die trying?
Well? I understand that that cliche, that sentiment, but not me, man. I mean, I can live off of rob and noodles and twenty dollars pay check, so I think, you know, my life is pretty valuable. So you know I'm definitely going more than one. I think you give me like five, give me a full half a million. I think that's fine. That's not too much of a risk. You start getting a double digits chain and you're playing with fire. You are playing with fire man.
Wait, come on, it's still a ninety percent chance you're going to live.
Well, I'm not. I'm not taking your word on any percentages.
After the conversation, Like, when you wake up and go through life every day, what do you think your percentages of surviving the day?
Just as true? I mean, there's there's inherent risk in just living so right, every time you go down the stairs every time you drive a car.
Yeah, I mean I would say, I don't know, like again getting into numbers, but you know, here's here's my theory.
Something's going to take you out of this world might.
As well be a great whether.
It be sickness or a car crew or a plane crash that probably isn't very likely to happen. But my point is the old age, something's gonna take you out of this world, why not just have death by grapes? I mean, what a way to go. You remember that show that came on It was like thousand Ways.
To Die or anything like that.
I used the most ridiculous I know, but I.
Used to love that show. It would come on late at night and it came on like Spike TV. It was called a Thousand Ways to Die and it just had like reenactments of the most bizarre ways that people have actually died in real life, and I found it highly entertaining. So I don't know that in the Thousand Ways to Die, the death by poisonous grapes was one of them. But just think, Billy, you could be on that show. You could be one thousand and one ways to die.
I'm glad you mentioned that I loved that show just because of how ridiculous it was. But they were all true, right, I mean it was based off of true deaths that actually happened, and it'd be like a tire exploded and the nail flew from the tire into the forehead of Little Lucy and it's like, my god, that is a good throwback. No, but here's the difference. I mean, you know, if you're walking down the stairs, you're driving a car. I mean, these things happen. That's a part of life. The grape question, You've got a choice, right, I mean, it's your decision, greed or death. So I'm just you know, I don't money isn't going to change my happiness that much, Shannon. But I think I'm talking to the wrong person when I say something like that.
Well, I think you can just tell who has the money and who doesn't on this show.
I'm not on this show, but I'm talking about on KSR.
Yeah. Oh like, yeah, I only have one compared to double digit Yah.
Yeah, Well we see who's got money and who doesn't.
Well, some you know, some of us has to door dash and we could use a couple extra grapes. To pay for something, so I understand that.
Well, if you believe the numbers.
While we're talking numbers, Kentucky statistically is the most likely three seed to lose in the first round of the tournament.
Did you see this?
Is that right?
Evan mia Cowa?
I think I tell you say this last name, but he's really good at crunching the numbers in college basketball and running this stats and like everything that could possibly happen, which would mean if you played the game five times, Kentucky loses this game. But you know, if you know, loses one out of five, I guess right. But luckily they're only playing at one, so I still feel good about this this game coming up on.
Friday against Troy. What do you think about that?
Though?
Does that give you any concern knowing that Kentucky by the numbers is the most likely three seed to lose?
Not really, I mean statistically that there's got to be somebody that has that number as the highest of one of the three seeds. It just happens to be Kentucky. It does feel like there's a hump to get over, right, I don't you know. I heard Chris Fisher mention this like a feeling of dread that this fan base has a little bit for the first round game. Would you agree with that at all, Shannon? I mean, when you've lost two of the first three, I mean, is it like you're a little hesitant into going into this game, No more so than a decade ago where you're like, wh're Kentucky, we don't lose who was in the first round?
Is there?
I mean, I don't know if a sense of doom is there, but there is like a let's just get past this first one. And I think a lot a lot of people would be happy with what the season has become at that point.
If it were John Caliperry as the coach and we had one and dones again on this team, then maybe I would agree with you.
But I feel like we have wiped the slate clean.
You've got all new, completely different team, a new coach who goes by speaking of numbers, goes by the numbers, doesn't go by his gut, you know, and when it comes to making game time decisions. So I feel like that whatever you know, stank that we had on this team from the last couple of years has all been washed away. So at this point I'm not really concerned about what happened the last couple of years because none of those guys were here.
Okay, well, you know it's kind of how you look at it, right. So Lamont Butler coming back is huge for Kentucky. But let's say he's seventy percent lamant than he was as as a healthy player in Kentucky struggles and loses their first round game by ten points. You know, I feel like what we think of the season is completely different. Fair or not, but that's how That's how it happened the last couple of years with cal. You gotta remember Kentucky was still high seeds. Yeah, we're still high seeds. When they're losing to Saint.
Peter, you gotta win this game, you know. I know that they're limping in, they're dealing with injuries, but you got to win this game.
This one? You do?
I think, you know, you win Friday, and then let's say you lose in the second round.
I kind of.
Feel like, what are we gonna think about the season?
Eh?
It was okay, if you win and you go to the sweet sixteen, that's the success for me. Gravy, Yeah, I think at that point anything that happens. I kind of look at it the same way I looked at it in the SEC Tournament whence mart Pope got that first win against Oklahoma on Thursday night.
Whatever happened from there was house money.
Yeah.
I feel like if you if you get to the Sweet sixteen, anything that happens at that point is house money.
But the main thing is, let's.
Get past this first one, because I think if you win the first game, lose the second game, it's it's kind of a wash. You kind of look at it like, well, the season was fine, but it's disappointing we didn't go farther. Now, if you lose against Troy, that's a disappointment.
It just is.
Yeah, regardless even with wins versus Duke and Gonzaga.
I'm not I'm not gonna call the season a failure. I'm not going to use the word failure. I will say, you lose against Troy, it's disappointing. That's a disappointment, a disappointing end of the season.
And you say the regular season season was fine, I would argue it's one of the more memorable ones. You know, the seasons are remembered for what you do in the postseason. But I mean a first year head coach Mark Pope puts together roster in two weeks, He's able to beat Duke and Gonzaga, sweep Tennessee, beat Louisville with Lamont Butler's thirty three the game winner versus Oklahoma. So I mean, there were some great exciting moments. I'd love to remember the season fondly, Shannon, But for better or for worse, it did you know what you do in the tournament? I think dictates It's a lot of what you remember, right.
You don't want to be a highlight again on somebody's one shining moment of Jack Golki.
All right, let's talk about Jack Gokey for a second, because he's getting the celebrity treatment. You know, Jack Goldkie's filling out a bracket. Please. They won one game in the NCAA tournament. He's trolling, right, well, so yeah, the everybody's trolling. They're all just trying to get under Kentucky fan skins. I mean, at least Doug Edar won more than a couple games. I mean, get that guy the Buffalo wad Wings deal instead of Jack Goldkie. The guy is like, I mean, he's going to be crunching numbers at as an accountant here soon. He's just trying to take his extra lap in the spotlight chain, and I don't like well.
On the other end of that, did you see Bobby Witt Junior? Do you know who that is? The Kansas City Royals baseball player? I do?
What did he do?
Is he going to be BBN's favorite baseball player? Because in his bracket he picked Kentucky not only to go on a run, he picked them the win the tournament. Billy picked him to win the tournament in his bracket. Okay, what does your bracket look like? By the way, we'll get into that coming up after the break.
I want to see. I hate it. I hate bracky. Well, hang on to it. Shock all right, all right, we'll talk about where I have Kentucky landing.
Okay, eight five nine two eight oh twenty two eighty seven, Milwaukee, here we come.
I want to hear your suggestions. What's you a cheese Kurt? Where do we go? What do we do?
We're gonna go to the Haunit cigar bar. Now that I've heard about that, now I'm intrigued. I want to give it Drew with love that.
I want to go.
I want to go get a stogy and an old fashion and a ghost and hang out in Milwaukee. That sounds like a fun time to me. Eight five nine two, eight oh twenty two eighty seven. Take a break, be right back. It is the ksrppre shiow.
Since the Milwaukee Welcome Back.
It is the KSR pre show. Shit in the dude billy religis. We'll take your calls. Eight five nine two, eight oh twenty two eighty seven.
Uh.
Jerry Eves this morning told me that Milwaukee was like the worst NBA team or worst NBA town Billy. He said, there's just absolutely nothing to do in Milwaukee.
So we're getting like, you.
Know, some suggestions of like, you know, there's a place that is the best burger there and there's a really cool place to hang out down on Water Street. According to Myron Metcalf, Jerry says it's the worst town for NBA teams, and he says it's just this boring there.
So we're gonna try to find some fun in Milwaukee.
Well, you know, former NBA players would know, right. They go on these trips, go from town to town and a lot of times find the best party spots. But you guys just need like a brewery. Yeah, a couple of plays to hang out.
Just give me a t like four TVs, you know, maybe a brew We're good to go.
That's all I need. I don't need a whole lot. Draft Kings Sportsbook promo code KSR.
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And if you have, what is your final four? Give me? Give me your upsets and your final four?
Yes, I have, And I want to remind people listening that you can join us on our twenty twenty five college basketball Mayhem Bracket contest, presented by Salceerta's Fresh Mexican Grill. You can take your shot at picking the correct bracket and you could win a million dollars And you can register and pick your teams at WLAP dot com or seven ninety Louisville dot com. And Shannon, I have already told you I hate my bracket.
Why why'd you pick it? If you hate?
Well? Yeah, you know, I just kind of I go into a zone and I make the picks. You know, I'm not looking at what j billis is doing or Seth Davis or anything. I just make my picks and I and I hate him this year I do. I've got all one seeds in the final four. Shan Auburn, Dudeeds, Florida Houston all one seeds. I couldn't even talk myself into Michigan State beating Auburn despite Auburn playing so poorly of late. But I think it's two SEC teams in the final four, a couple of upstates. I've got, Shannon, I've got High Point beating Perdue in a thirteen to four matchup. Shannon, I'm sorry, I don't have your Vanderbilt Commodore's winning.
I don't either. I think St.
Mary's is a bad matchup. They've got some guys that can shoot. Vandy struggles like anywhere away from Memorial Gym in Nashville. They can't even win in Nashville at Bridgetone Arena. So it's not like they you know, they only play well in Nashville. No, they only play well inside Memorial Gym. Outside of that arena, I don't have a whole lot of com well.
I mean, even if they had a lead, they'd blow it in the final ten minutes. I mean, they forget how to dribble in a secon.
They've got a lot of issues.
Colorado State beats Memphis in the twelve to five despite Colorado State being the favorite here as the twelve. I've got Drake being beating Missouri as an eleven and then beating Texas Tech the three. I've got Drake all the.
Way, and I actually do have them in the sweet sixteen. I agree with that pick, but you didn't really go out on a limb when it comes to your final four.
No, and I you know what, I'm sorry. You know, maybe hot take Billy. Our sports should be better than that. But I think that these are the four best teams in the country. And while there are upsets and we see cinderellas, most of the time we see the best teams competing for the championships.
So, okay, that's your final four. Who's your championship game and who's your winner?
My championship game is Florida versus Duke. And in the year that Todd Golden was allegedly stalking University of Florida students, he will stalk the young freshman at Duke. Gators will beat the Blue the Duke Blue Devils in the final game.
Shannon, did she really just say that, what what's wrong with you?
There's a bunch of young kids over there.
Well, trauma Tracy Morgan speaking of what's wrong with people, was vomiting all over the floora the other day at a game. You're telling me during the break.
Yeah, no, he's okay. He actually went to the hospital and they said it was food poisoning, but if you saw the images, he was just yacking.
I did see that.
It was kind of like the the It was like the Exorcist of his projectile pea suit, vomit all over the floor, and I saw like a you know, as you scroll through social media, I saw it, but I just didn't like. I guess I'm just so desensitized by everything you see on social media.
Me seeing a.
Guy just vomiting, projectile vomiting all over a floor just didn't keep my interest long enough to find out who that person was.
And you were telling me that was Tracy Morgan.
It's Tracy Morgan. I mean he was court side. Man. You are right there, front and center, and you know it's one thing to spill your drink, right and everybody's got to stop. Yeah, they bring over some towels, but my man was going just chucking onto the floor. So glad he's okay, Shannon, I've been there. You get food poisoning, it's you know, you can't do much, but couldn't get him a bag or anything.
If somebody vomits on you, Like, what's the protocol there? I mean, I've been at a concert like where a guy would like knock over my beer, and I think if you knock over somebody's beer, the protocol is go buy the person to beer.
That doesn't always happen. Now, what if you get thrown up on a game? What do you do?
Then?
Wow, this is a weird gray area because if I get puked on a much madder than if I get a beer.
Spilt on me eighteen dollars beer versus puroser.
But yet I also feel like it would be unintentional more so than a spilt beer, even though the built the spilt beer on you is unintentional, I'm sure most of the time, but nobody wants to vomit on somebody else, right, Oh.
I don't think you want to know.
The intentions aren't there for me to get really mad?
But was this also the game that Vince McMahon was at. Did you see this, Vince, Vince?
I'm not sure if it was the same game, but they showed him on TV, which was a little a little surprised.
I think about Vince mac man's hairstyle, it was like it it was white in the front and then like dyed brown, like the rest of his hair was dyed brown, but only the front part.
He looked like a Cruella or something like that.
He was going for a little different. I want to ask you about your bracket though, Shannon, I have the cats. I want to know where your cat the cats are in your bracket because I have them in the Elite eight. Shannon, I've got them beating Tennessee in Indy Optimistic, I know, I don't want to be a Jinx.
I've got Kentucky in the Elite I've got them going to the Sweet sixteen. I've just got them losing to Tennessee. We talked about this. I think that if again, we've said it so many times. Hard to beat a team three times. I know Bama just did it to Kentucky, but Kentucky is not healthy. If Kentucky were healthy, I would say one hundred percent. They are in the Elite eight.
It's a shoe in. But with what we've got, the situation.
With the injuries, but the dirty Tennessee might not make it that far. We'll take a break. We'll be right back. Ksrpre Show, Welcome back, ksrpre Show eight five nine two, eight, twenty two eighty seven. We just heard an ad for Sketchers.
Did you see? Uh? This reminded me.
Mark Pope and Kenny Brooks have their own shoe Have you seen those? Those are sharp?
Man?
I want one of each I have I want.
I want Mark Pope on the left foot and Kenny Brooks on the right, Even though they don't match, it doesn't matter, right.
Are you a shoe guy, Shannon, No.
I'm not. I mean I used to.
I used to wear sketchers. Tell you all, Skechers shamed me.
Now I just wear like, I don't know, nikes or whatever.
Wait, sketchers shamed you or you got shamed.
For wearing skeers.
You know both?
Are I get more possible? I got shame for wearing skin.
It wasn't that free throw shooting video that I did many years ago?
Do you even remember that?
I don't remember that. Yeah, Internet came after you for wearing Sketchers. Yeah were they slip ons? No?
Okay, actual shoes.
But anyway, I bring this up to talk about Mark Pope and Kenny Brook's shoes that was just released.
I think they're really really cool looking. Have you seen them yet?
Oh?
Yeah, yeah, I'm looking at them right now.
You think we can get a pair of them. What are they going for like one hundred and fifty something like that.
Oh, probably not. I mean that's probably more reserved for you know, people that uh win a raffle with Commonwealth causes or things like that, or the you know, the players always have the coolest shoes on and a salute to the guy that puts those different or makes those shoes for the players.
Yeah, Shannon, I think true Blue Customs, right, it's True Blue Customs.
I believe they do a really great job.
They do they do, and I believe he's made some KSR shoes in the past as well, So those those are those would be cool.
Speaking of the Kenny Brooks and the UK women's team, they're gonna be playing Friday at noon, and you might think that, you know, Liberty is a good draw for Kentucky, but Kenny Brooks, you know, he's been pretty successful against him. He's notine and two overall, but he says they've always been a thorn in his side. We'll see if Kenny can make it ten and two all the time against Liberty on Friday. But I think this Kentucky women's team, you know we're talking about, can the men's team make a deep run. I'm expecting this women's team to make a good run here in March.
Yeah.
Really excited to put the cherry on top of this interesting first season for Kenny Brooks. You know, Georgia Amore gets two more games, hopefully at the historic Memorial Coliseum, and I know I'm excited as much as we are for the men's team to go on a run. I think it's very that's well that the women can.
Let's go to the phones A five nine twenty two eighty seven.
Brown is on, Hey brim.
Hey, how are you doing?
Good man?
What's up?
So I agree with the sentiment earlier you were talking about that the slate is clean for Kentucky this year, new coach, new team. I believe that the trepidation towards the tournament comes from the expectation. Actually, as Kentucky fans, we must have faith and believe that we can go far in this tournament. And I think that we can. If you look at the theme of the season this year, it's been sec SEC. Well, look at the teams that we've got in our region, it's it's Georgia. I don't think we're going to see Georgia in Tennessee, well we beat them twice, so if you look at the history, I don't think Tennessee's got it in them to, you know, make a deep run. So we got to be confident, keep the faith in, Go be Blue.
Thanks for the call. Brown.
You know, let's let's talk about expectations, Billy, because you know, when Mark Pope was hired as the new head coach here at Kentucky, I think that our expectations were, let's just get it out of the first weekend, let's get to the Sweet sixteen.
Was that fair with a healthy team?
Yes?
Yeah, now that you know we have Lamont Butler questionably healthy, Jackson Robinson's out, Andrew Carr's health has been shaky with that bad back.
Kerk Creas is out for the year.
Does your expectations change given that fact or is it still we got to get to the sweet sixteen.
No, it's still the second weekend, and especially after the draw that Kentucky's gotten. I mean it's setting up to where the Cats should be able to make that second weekend despite some of the injuries that they do have. Now I say that because I've seen this Kentucky team team win shorthanded, and that's been what it has made some of these wins incredible this year, right Tennessee, Right, Yeah, exactly right. So to that point, I think that the scheme is there that these players still can play without some without some or with some guys being out of the starting lineup. So to that point, no, my expectation has not changed. And seeing the bracket, I mean, come on, Shannon Illinois, tell me Orlando Antigua at Illinois is going to be the one that holds us from achieving that goal. No, it should not, but you know, Jackson is.
Here's the thing, like Kentucky has been in good situations for the bracket in the last several years, even when they had a bracket that maybe didn't look great going in, They've had years where the bracket just opened up for them continually, you know, and it still didn't work out.
It all depends.
Like I say, you know, Kentucky gets to the sweet sixteen, they're gonna be playing Tennessee.
We don't know that.
Maybe Tennessee gets upset early and then you play a team that you're completely not expecting to play, and who knows.
Maybe you go out to that team. I don't know. You know, that's that's why the NCAA tournament is so great.
So many upsets and so many unexpected things that happened. You know, we were kind of counting on Tennessee being there the Sweet sixteenth. Kentucky gets there, who's to say they're even going to make it that far?
Yeah? Maybe it's Wafford that Kentucky meets in the week six sweet sixteen. Who knows? That's the beauty of the tournament. I want to ask you, Shannon, though, fourteen SEC teams made the field. It's the most ever. The previous record was eleven. Are you taking the SEC or the field when it comes to this tournament.
To win the whole thing?
Yeah, give me the SEC SEC. Yeah, because I've got Auburn, and if Auburn doesn't win it, I would pick Florida. Duke would probably be my third pick, just because I mean, I don't even know, Like, have we heard anything about Cooper Flag and that turned angle?
Like how I think he's expecting.
Me to play. I think there is a sentiment that he will play in the tournament. But think of this, I mean, if BAM is able to beat Duke and either Kentucky or Tennessee come out of the Midwest. It's very possible you could have an all SEC Final four in Auburn, Florida, Kentucky slash Tennessee or in Bama, and that would just be that'd be That'd just be a great way to end the season, would it not? I mean, with the historic se four teams in the final four would be crazy. But uh, there's always one upset, right, There's always the NC State. Was it DJ Burns last year? Who? Uh who everybody fell in love with? So hopefully we'll have some more lovable characters here soon.
Texas and Oklahoma those six and twelve in the SEC, I thought you'd have to get to seven to make it into the tournament?
Is that their final conference record? Six and twelve?
Six and twelve?
Two six and twelve teams get into the SEC tournament or the I'm sorry, the NCAA Tournament.
Wow? Well, I you know, I think Oklahoma had a pretty good non conference record that allowed them to be able to play so poorly in the SEC. But you say, or I say so poorly In a lot of times there's just a couple point games against some of the best teams in the country.
Well, let's talk about one of those teams they're playing tonight in the playing game, Texas Xavier.
They're the late game.
Texas is actually a two and a half point underdog. Which team you're going with if I tell you you get Xavier and they're a two and a half point favorite or Texas?
Yeah, I'm sorry, I'm already going against the SEC here. I'm going against the Longhorns in Xavier. I just I think that's the team that I don't know much much about this matchup chain, and I'm not going to try to byes it for you. I think that is who will go through in this.
But let's say Xavier wins, though, do you think any chance maybe they knock off Illinois and Kentucky ends up playing Xavier in the second round.
I mean, certainly it's possible. Yeah, it certainly it's possible. But I think they're destined to play Illinois in Orlando. What's the other game tonight? Is there more Mounts?
Oh, the one that everybody's gonna be talking about.
But you know what, hey, you know, like we were dogging the first game yesterday, but then it turned out to be the game of the night. With Saint Francis and UH Frans in Alabama State. So this game tonight, the first one is Mount Saint Mary's versus American, a couple of sixteen seeds. And if you're wondering who's the favorite Americans A two and a half point favorite, give me St.
Mary's.
Are you giving give me Mount Mary I'll go with you. I'm going Mount Saint Mary's as well. And you know these games are those those school super bowls, right, I mean, when you're a sixteen seed, you just got to kind of chalk it up and say, hey, it's probably not going to be our tournament. But if they're able to win that game in Dayton and kind of continue the process there, I'm sure there's no better feeling. And you saw that in the Alabama State locker room.
If you're the Alabama state coach last night, now you get the putt tournament went on your resume.
I think so. I think that's all right?
Yeah, I guess it does. Let's go to Jake. What's up? Jake?
Hey, Shannon showed out to the best call screener on on on Iheartberry are sports.
He's much better than I.
And you don't get call screen when you call the pre show I'm producing and hosting.
Go ahead, where do you where do you have the Where do you have the Lady Wildcats falling into in the tournament? Shannon?
Well, I haven't filled out my women's bracket yet, but I should get on that.
I've don't got a one seed. They got to get passed, right, I mean.
Well, I mean if they get all the way, if they get that far, yeah, and then their one seed is USC Southern cal correct.
So thanks for the college Jake. I'd have to pull up the bracket and see.
I don't know really how far I have them going, but I can see them making a deep run, like I said earlier, But you know, are they going to be? Are we talking final four for the women's team.
I don't know that. I'm willing to say that. Billy.
Well, here's the thing like that, there's not a lot of parody in the game of women's basketball. So these one seeds South Carolina, Texas USC, they are just sometimes head and shoulders above some of the other teams. And while Kentucky was able to successfully avoid Texas in South Carolinas, they did not avoid Southern cow So I think that's gonna be a very tough matchup for them to get pass. But you know who knows. I've talked about role players for this team. I mean, if tianni Key is just somebody that goes off in this tournament, if Clara strack it continues to block shots at the right that she has, and you know, I think they have a very high ceiling.
Eight five nine, twenty two eighty seven. We've got to talk about Indiana. They hired a new basketball coach. In case you didn't see or if anybody even cares, I think it's laughable how far Indiana has.
Fallen over the years.
Chris Beard.
No, and we'll talk about it coming up next. We'll take your phone calls. It is the KSR pre Show. Will be right back. Final segment of the KSR pre Show eight five, nine and two, oho twenty two eighty seven. Shannon the Dude and Billy Rutledge and Billy, there's a book that I think everybody should check out. It's by an author in Kentucky's from Henderson County, Stephen Hope, and the books called I Am Hope, and it's meant to share what it's like growing up with an addict and how it affects you and your life. And it's a book that I think is going to help out a lot of people who have grown up in situations like that in their home. Addiction has hit Kentucky harder than anywhere, but I think this book is something that can help people along if you're dealing with addiction or growing up in a home with people who are addicts. And that's what Stephen Hope wrote this book all about to help out people. He's, like I said, a guy from Henderson County, Kentucky. He shares what it's like growing up as a kid with math addicts in his home, the journey, the struggle of what it's like in that situation, and the resilience of trying to come out and make a positive situation out of growing up in a home like that. And you can find the book. It's on Apple Books. It's also on Amazon. It's called I Am Hope. It's available now, and there's even an audiobook that has exclusive bonus material as well that's by Stephen Hope. It's called I Am Hope, and I hope that if you're in that situation that you'll check it out. And I think the goal is just to try to help people know that they're not alone if you're going up in a home with addics.
So check it out. I am hope, Okay, think it would be a really cool book to check out.
So you're wedding a light on an important problem.
Yeah, and you'll hear me talking more about that in the upcoming shows this week. All right, so let's talk about Indiana basketball. Billy, if I were to ask him, and be honest with me, if I were to ask you yesterday before he was announced as the Indiana coach, if I said to you, Billy, who is the West Virginia basketball coach?
Would you know who it was?
Yesterday?
No?
Today?
Yeah?
Yeah, yeah, of course he's in the news now. But at my point is like, you know after.
You mean the West Virginia coach, right, Like, yeah.
What West Virginia's coach who just got introduced as the new Indiana coach?
Esh?
Yeah? Yeah.
If I said to you, Darien, is it Devrees? Is how you even say the guy's name? Have you even heard of that guy? Until yesterday?
I had not found out that he was at Drake for a little bit before going to West Virginia and being there one year before bolting for the Indiana job. Shannon, And you know, probably the right move, as Indiana and Baby is a little higher stature than West Virginia. But Indiana goes nineteen and thirteen and hires a coach that just went nineteen and thirteen. So I'm excited. Do you get for this? I'm not sure? You know, I thought Chris Beard was a shoeing for the job, but seems like he's going to keep building things over at Old Miss. But I don't know. I mean, maybe they'll make an NCAA tournament. Now I don't know. It's they're just irrelevant, right, So how can you get really excited or mad about anything?
We'll I have to wait and see what happens. I mean, this guy could turn out to be a good fit. But if I'm going look, man, you're Indiana. A lot of people would say that Indiana historically is a top ten program. Maybe not in recent years. We certainly not in recent years. But I mean, like, if you look at historical aspects of it, you know, some people can maybe put Indiana in their top ten. And I see that they hire a guy who, again I don't even know who he is okay, and you've got a potential a coach and Chris Beard. You tell me Chris Beard or Darien Dvrees. I'm taking Chris Beard all day now. Who knows that Chris Beard would take the job. We don't know that. But if you're Indiana, I mean, they just jumped right at the situation. So I guess he was the top guy on their short list, Billy, because otherwise, I don't know why you wouldn't take a little bit of time and see who else you could get.
If you're Indiana, you don't have to just jump at the first thing available.
Yeah, I guess I would argue, like, how much time do you really have, Like you want to get to the transfer portal, you want to start building your roster for next year. That's why South Carolina declined their invite to the NIT. I think is because they want to start building next year's roster. But I mean, you're not waiting that long. I mean theoretically Old Miss could lose by the end of the week and then you could hire Chris Beer, right, I mean, I don't know.
I mean I would give it, you know, let's give it a week or two and see what happens here. Like you said, I mean, what if Old Miss loses in the first round, and then why would you not have the conversation with Chris Beer.
I don't know.
If I were an Indiana fan, I would just be like, wait a minute, We've feel like we've gone progressively gotten worse with our head coach hirings, and you're just going to hire the first guy that's available.
It would have been funny if Indiana made the tournament this year, because you know, Woodson was already planning to step down, and then they kind of go on this winning streak and make a late surge. You know, imagine if he kind of goes on a run. I wonder if it'd be like a Kevin Keats situation at NC State where they were going to fire him until he made a run to the final four and then he've got you know, he coached this year and then they just let go of him after he signed a two year extensions. So you know, it's what have you done for me lately? And lately as a whole, Indiana hasn't done a lot. You'd have to go back to when Jerry Eaves was going back to Milwaukee. I as to remember a time when Indiana was.
Somebody tweeted me and said, hey, don't trust Jerry Eves take on Milwaukee. He was playing in the NBA thirty years ago. So you know what, Hey, fair point. I wanted to ask you this. Did you see like after the selection show on Sunday there was this commercial that ran that was it was kind of a weird commercial. It was paid for by the NC Double A and it said stop harassing athletes. That was like the message of the commercial. It says in the advertisement that the NC double A claims, and I don't doubt this claim that every day somebody is going on social media and harassing athletes because they lost a bet due to a player having a bad game. And I'm going like, this is crazy that we're at this point in society to where it's so bad that now the NCAA has to put out a commercial asking people to stop harassing the athletes because you're going online and direct tweeting or messaging a player for having a bad game and you lost your bet for it.
That to me is insane. Like if you're one of those people who lose a.
Bet and your first inclination is, I know, let me find this guy on Twitter and send him an awful message, Billy, what the hell is wrong with these people?
Like, I've had some bad beats. I've talked about it.
I had a nine leg parlay where a guy didn't hit a three point shot. Who would average like to a game? And I lost the bet. You know I didn't think to do. Oh, let me jump in his DMS and harass the guy because he didn't hit my bet for me?
Like, what is wrong with people?
Like, if you're one of these people doing that, you need to take a long look in the mirror. If you're if you're tweeting college athletes and harassing the bet.
Did It's crappy behavior. It's despicable, and you hate that the ugly side of people come out when things like that happen, when you don't win a bet and your team loses. I think more people feel empowered to do something like that now with college athletes because they make money on name, image and likeness. I don't even do it to pro players. You know, I wouldn't do it in general. I mean, you should just go on with your life.
I wasn't like hate tweeting Jordan Love for the packers not making the super Bowl and make me lose.
My bet anyway. It's just it's it's absurd.
I have seen some players share some DMS that they've gotten recently and they're ugly. They really are, so stop doing it anyway.
You can bet on DraftKings, just don't harass players. If you lose your bet on DraftKings promo code KSR bet five dollars, get.
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You got your bags packed ready to go.
I'm halfway packed. We'll finish it up after the show. KSRS next.
Thanks for listening.
