Episode summary
This episode featured Bill Bender from the Sporting News discussing college football playoff expansion and its implications, followed by a mix of SEC softball updates, Alabama's roster developments, and insights into the team's basketball program. The show also touched on coaching strategies and the impact of the transfer portal.
Highlights
- Bill Bender critiques the proposed 24-team college football playoff expansion, arguing it dilutes the importance of regular-season matchups.
- Bender compares the potential impact of expanding college basketball playoffs to 76 teams with the 24-team football format.
- The show updates on the SEC softball tournament, noting Auburn trailing Florida 8-6 in the quarterfinals.
- Bray Hubbard praises Keelan Russell's arm talent and athleticism, comparing his passes to pitchers throwing through a coffee can.
- The discussion highlights concerns about Alabama's offensive line and run game, emphasizing the need for improvement.
- Nate Oates and Michael discuss Alabama's potential overseas trip this summer, comparing it to Auburn's recent trip to Greece.
- Michael suggests spotlighting Nate Oates' 32 technical foul games as a summer content idea due to his winning record and tendency to challenge officials.
Full show transcript (text version of the audio, for readers who are deaf or hard of hearing)
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[0:00] Now, get ready to roll Shoals, Decatur, Athens, and all of Northwest Alabama and Southern Tennessee. It's time for the Valley's exclusive FM Sports Voice. The Boomo Bugg Show. Your exclusive inside track to the Tigers, Tennessee and the rest of the SEC. Now, your host, Harold Bugg on 93.9, The Sports. Good afternoon and welcome here to the Boomo Bugg Show. I'm Harold Bugg alongside Brett Beaird. Thank you so much for giving us free ride around the Tennessee Valley. Brett Beaird, welcome in to where Alabama football KOs are updating state with OK State and another busy day for the Tide and Tigers at the SEC softball tournament.
Good afternoon, welcome in and how are you? Happy Thursday to you and the listeners. Our first Gas Tower Bugg is going to be happy to hear that Bama, Ohio State is still on. Yeah. For 20-27-28, as you mentioned, the Cowboys from Oklahoma State are out. The Buckeyes are in. Also, big games today in the quarterfinals. Alexander at Central Florence. Dessler at Westbrook Christian. Lindsey Lane at Morris Hill this afternoon. All games begin at 4.30. Yeah. And speaking of our next guest, he is here right now to talk about that Ohio State series and give us the answers and solutions to the problems of college football.
Yeah, it's true. Good things come to those who wait. And it's rare that you can huddle with a man who's got every answer in the book. Bill Bender, the national voice of the Sporting News. Bill, welcome in. Would you disagree with that? How are you? I don't know if I have all the answers, Harold, but it's always good to be on with you. And we try to put a couple out there today. On this end, Alabama says, get out of here, Oklahoma State. We've got too many games.
It's 20-26, in this case, 20-28 with the time they get around to it. So we've got to drop somebody. So instead of Georgia State, they drop Oklahoma State, but they keep your neighbors. What's the reaction on that end of the schedule? Alabama-Ohio State on. And they survived the storm, but with some speculation that maybe they would drop each other, given where we are now with a nine-game conference schedule. Bill, your reaction to the news? Good for college football, that we get to still see those games.
You know, Bill Church, you and I were talking today, my editor, and if you look at week one this year, it's not great. It's college football, so it's great, but it's not. The best matchup on the schedule is either LSU or Clemson, and Clemson probably won't be ranked, or Louisville Ole Miss. I think that's the best bet for a matchup where both teams be ranked. So I'm always a fan. I love when teams step out and play these games. I'm not sure when the last time Alabama and Ohio State have had a home-and-home.
It has to be forever ago, because I can't remember it. Talk to us about this Ohio State team. They lost four in the first of 11 picks the last NFL draft. That's good news. The bad news is you better have somebody equal to or better than in the pipeline. We know that in times past, Ohio State's been able to answer the bills. The NIL era, they've done a great job. Realistically, your thoughts about this upcoming Ohio State team that Bama now will be facing in the near future?
Well, I mean, the offensive firepower will be there. So by the time they play Ohio State, or Alabama, Jeremiah Smith probably won't be there. And Julian Sayon may not be there, but they have Tavion St. Clair behind him. He's like Keelan Russell. There's a lot of excitement around him. So they'll still have Chris Henry Jr. The defense will be the question this year. You mentioned all the guys they lost to the NFL draft. Some of these guys are going to have to step up and replace them.
They've been able to do it for two years, which is hard. Can you fill that many guys a third straight year? That will be the challenge for Matt Patricia. I can answer your question. I don't believe Alabama and Ohio State have ever played home-and-home. It's always been in the postseason. I'll go back and check that. No, it was a kickoff. I remember that. Yeah, it was a kickoff classic, but they've never played home-and-home. The American Coaches Association came out this week with three recommendations. They want to go to 24 playoff teams.
They want to stop the conference championships. And they want to end the season the second week of January. You figured this out last year, and I know we joked with you about this, but you want week zero to be week one. You want to play more games at home in the tournament. But recap that article you had last fall. Yeah, and I stick by that. I think most of the AFC recommendations I'm in line with, the six days between games, pushing the calendar up, getting things done earlier, fixing the calendar in general, you know, conference championships, I still think we should get rid of them, and I understand the complications there.
[5:19] But I'm not down with this 2014 playoff, even though Brett and Harold, the more they sell us this, the more they're trying to sell it, right? It's like the guys that come here, they're coming to your door, and they just say, are you sure you don't want 24? Are you sure? And then another week later, they do it again, and eventually you buy it. And I think that's where this is headed. Not a fan of it. I'd rather do 16 or even stay at 12, and I hashed out all the reasons for that today in our Sporting News column.
I hope your listeners read it. You want to tell us where we can find that, Bill, while we're on that topic? It's at sportingnews.com. It should be on my X page as well. So, and the comparison I made, guys, and I don't expect you to know how we do things with Ohio high school football, but they have expanded the playoff field here like three times in my lifetime. And that's the point, you know, my senior year of high school, I think 96 schools in the state went to the playoff.
Now they're over 400. So, I think, yeah, and we actually contracted it. We contracted it because there were too many teams in. So, I think some lessons are to be learned there. Let me ask you this. Well, it's a fun topic, and there's no, I guess, right or wrong answer. It's strictly opinion. Which is worse, 24 in football or 76 in basketball for college? You know, I haven't read. I saw Joe Rexroad had that headline, a good friend of mine at The Athletic, and I'm not sure if he wrote that.
I haven't clicked on it yet, but if he did, I know it'll be solid. I think 24 is worse. I do. I think it's too many. You know, in that environment, you guys, a couple things. One, Georgia Tech and Iowa would be playoff teams. And Iowa lost four games last year. Another one is, what is the point of Alabama, Oklahoma in the regular season? Oklahoma wins the game. Alabama wins the rematch. And that, it was important in a 12-team format. In a 24-team format, guys, that'll just feel like an NFL game.
That you're like, oh, yeah, big deal. They're both going to play each other in the playoffs anyway. Absolutely. Mike DeCoursey, who is retiring, I believe, later this year, had a good article about he detests going to 76. And we talked about this with you, I believe, last week or two weeks ago. If this meant a one-bid league got another bid in North Alabama or a team like that could get in, but if it means the Big Ten gets 12 instead of 11 teams, I'm not forward. No, and it promotes, like, I get it from the SEC and the Big Ten angle.
You know, you play the tougher schedules and you might have a situation like Auburn last year. But I kept telling you guys before the tournament, Auburn's got to win some games. They've got to win some games at some point. They just didn't do that. So Mike did a very good job of looking at the bubble. And I think it's going to make, actually, our job easier because it'll be easier to predict the tournament field because you're just letting more teams in that probably shouldn't be in.
But you know what's going to happen next March or whenever they do this. We'll argue about 77, 78, 79, and 80. That's what's coming next. Let me, more on that topic, if you're going to do that, for one thing, if you're the 23rd, 24th team, that's great. If you're a coach, that's job security. But at the same token, if you're up there and you've busted your butt and you've played a tough schedule and you're number one, two, or three, you're in, it's just like somebody in med school. You make 100, I make 70, and we're both doctors.
What would happen if you're going to do this, if you are one of the top two or three teams, you don't even play until the semifinals. You get to buy all the way through until the semis. Yeah, but I don't necessarily like that either because I think we've had this debate the last two years about, okay, is that too much rest? Indiana, and you guys know from the Rose Bowl last year, Indiana got going, but it took a minute. Their first couple series weren't good. So I think you've got to shake off that rust.
I would rather, if I was the commissioner of all this, let's say we can go to 16. We're going to start earlier, do all those things that we talked about. We're going to play the first two rounds on campus, but everybody has to win four playoff games. We'll reward you with a 116 game like they do in basketball, but you've got to go out and win four games. Now, as far as the, quote, new proposals, will the five years to play five, and listen, I wish you were the commissioner, will the five years to play five be the first proposal of 15 that may be adopted?
I think so, and, you know, by the way, I don't think any NCAA is going to run the commissioner's office out of Pickerington, Ohio. It's just a hunch. You never know. It's 2026. Great things are happening, man. Yeah, yeah. So I have a hard enough time to get my kids to turn the web off. We understand. But the five-year deal, I'm in favor of. Mike, and I've gone back and forth on this, he thinks that you still should get, like, a six-year waiver if you get injured.
[10:43] I'm more like, unless it's a devastating injury that causes you to miss multiple seasons, I don't think I would give, I would say I would build that into your five years. And you can accomplish what you need to accomplish by the time you're around 23, at most 24 years old, and it will improve the quality of college football. Bill Bender, the Sporting News. Bill, we know Ohio State's going to be there. How long they go, that's the question. To me, one of the more interesting storylines, what can Indiana do for an encore, and what will Penn State do without James Franklin in the Big Ten Conference this season?
Well, I think Indiana's still going to be very good. And, you know, I think 10 years from now, we're going to look back at last year and be like, that wasn't really a Cinderella story. That was about Kurt Zegnetti. That's Mark Cuban's what that was. Yeah, that too, right? That was a lot of money, and it was Kurt Zegnetti, and they just, they had a really good team. You know, they were favored by 20 or more points in nine games last year. So I think they'll be fine.
Penn State will be very interesting. I've always liked Matt Campbell. I've tracked his career closely. Definitely did more with less. So we're going to see what he can do with a program and a lot of Iowa State transfers. Their schedule is very friendly, so don't be surprised if they have success right away. Absolutely. By the way, that Ohio State-Alabama kickoff classic, my beloved brother, reminded me. It was 1986, Alabama won 16-10. Listen, you've got so much stuff on the site this week, the lacrosse. I mean, listen, you dabble in lacrosse now.
What else have you got on the agenda, and where can we get on line to get all of it? Yeah, Jacksonville, a Florida program, won a game. You'll have to ask your brother about that. They won a tournament game last night. Also, ask your brother. You can text me. I think Rutledge was the Alabama quarterback in that game. I could be wrong, but against Ohio State in the regular season game. I think I might be wrong about that, but let me know, and you can find us at Sporting News.
I've got a ton of content up. This was a lot of fun talking to you guys today. 1986, what grade were you in in 1986, Bill? I think I was seven years old. I don't know if I should admit that on the radio. That's all right. Bill, this may surprise you, but Brett and I were at least twice that age in 1986. That's okay. Age is just a number. There you go. I guarantee you, brother. Thanks so much for your time today, and good luck with the lacrosse. At some point, you'll be talking Johns Hopkins, I'm sure, but good luck, and thank you so much for your time today.
Anytime, guys. Thank you, buddy. Double B, Bill Bender, the Sporting News. We need to check on that questionnaire from Mr. Bill. No, I can answer it. No, go ahead. Yeah, Gary Rutledge was 77 in his brother, Jeff. I mean, Gary was 73, 72, 73, and Jeff was late 70s, 77, 78. Speaking of teams in the South, why don't we go to Michael Southern next? Stay with us. Hi, this is Ike Fowler with Alabama Health Guidance. Whether you are looking for a Medicare health plan or you are under 65 and exploring individual health care options, Alabama Health Guidance can help you find the plan that fits your needs.
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Financial aid is available to those who qualify, including VA benefits. The Score. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Welcome back in. Quickly, SEC softball tournament update. Let's go get them time for the Auburn Tigers. They trail Florida 8-6. The Gators batting in the bottom of the six. Translated another way. Gators trying to add to that two-run lead. Auburn with only three outs left right now to either tie or try to go ahead. Again, the SEC tournament up in Lexington. And, B.B., quickly, Alabama's got some business to take care of later on here on 93.9 The Score.
Yeah, listen, Arkansas is number one in RPI. Alabama, number two in RPI. And, by the way, Harold Bugg, Florida, Auburn right now 8-8. It is now tied up. So, there you have it. I tell you what, that Auburn team, they got beat 25-0 until in the regular season. And now they're in the quarterfinals. And, basically, a chance to stamp their ticket to the semis. And, if you're Alabama, hopefully a date with the Crimson Tide. Of course, they've got some business to take care of first with the other UA team.
Arkansas, again, that game later on here on 93.9 The Score. Don't have to wait that long to check in with Michael Southern. He's co-host of the Blue Collar Podcast, basketball contributor for Locked on Bama Tide Hoops History, the Tide Machine, and also he knows what it's like to put pen to paper at Tuscaloosa News and the Gas and Times. Michael, welcome in. How are you? Hey, I am doing well, guys. How are you doing on a Thursday? Man, we're doing okay. Before we get into some of this basketball stuff, what was your reaction?
I mean, how rare is to see a teammate come out, especially the high-profile team like Alabama, where there is a legitimate quarterback competition? And Bray Hubbard, he's already gone to the voting booth and pretty much cast his vote, I guess you could say, throwing all kinds of verbal bouquets for Keelan Russell's passes. As he puts it, they just whiz by you. We have a friend of a show who played Major League Baseball for almost 20 years, David Weathers. He said at that level, these pitchers can basically throw it through a coffee can.
And it sounds like that in some ways, according to Bray Hubbard, Keelan Russell has that touch with the football. Well, I mean, I don't think anyone's surprised by that. This is kind of what everyone was expecting with the development. You know, the staff identified him early. He developed into, you know, arguably the nation's best quarterback prospect coming out of high school when he finished. This is what you're expecting. This is what you're looking for. You've seen glimpses of the athletic talent. You've seen little, you know, bits of it here and there.
[21:01] And this is what you're wanting to see. And look, the players see it every day in practice. So players always know. You can't trick the players. Every one of them knows who has talent and who maybe doesn't have quite the talent. It doesn't mean that Keelan is going to automatically be the starting quarterback. But, you know, Bray's already endorsing the raw athleticism and the sheer, I guess, arm talent that's on display every day in practice that he's going against. I mean, he's trying to stop those and he's trying to bat down and intercept those passes.
And he knows how hard it is right now. And I've always said a lot of these guys, they're obviously good when they get there, but good relative to what? In high school, sometimes these kids are just bigger and faster. The test is when you get in and the competition is pretty much the same. If you can stand out apples to apples, that's when it's good. But to me, if you're the coaching staff, one of the benefits, obviously, of having the quarterback room they've got is on game day, you've got a lot of potential.
But how tough would it be during the workouts, during the week practices? Because these defenses, no matter who they throw out there, it's pretty much a four- or a five-star quarterback. Even if they're not starting, this has to sharpen the knife, if you will, on the practice field. Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. It's the old adage, iron sharpens iron. But I still give a lot of credit. The one thing you can say about this coaching staff, they have shown innate talent to recognize really good potential in players, especially at the quarterback position.
I mean, they're obviously turning into quarterback gurus. You're seeing it right now. They've done a good job keeping the cohesion. Look, obviously the players they're going after aren't afraid of competition, and they're signing up like Noah's are, two-by-two every year. And they're bringing in three and four stars, and by the time they come in, they're four and five stars. And they're staying, and they're wanting to compete. So that's a credit to the staff and the ability for what they're looking for. Look, there are certain things, you know, coaches have a style, they have a system, and there are certain traits they're always looking for because they know what fits their system.
It's pretty evident that, you know, Ryan Grubb and before him Nick Sheridan and, of course, Kalen DeBoer, they know what they're looking for when it comes to a player, when it comes to a quarterback. And by golly, they're going after them, and that's what they're getting. And they're doing a good job selling it. Hey, come here. We'll develop you. You'll have an opportunity. And we want the best of the best, and we see all these talents in you, and we think we can develop you to the best of your ability, and it's working.
So at least from the quarterback standpoint, the staff, you know, lights out. We'll see how everything else develops, but at least from the quarterback standpoint, I have full faith in the staff when it comes to evaluating and finding talent. Let me ask you about what else develops. One is, listen, the three of us get asked two or three times a week, is the offensive line better? Can they run the ball more effectively? And when you look at what Kalen DeBoer's done, he hired Adrian Clem, brought in Richard Owens, who's the tight end coach, but he's got experience on the O-line.
They brought in 11 new players on the offensive line. E.J. Crowell is going to be very good, and he'll be fine, and he'll be ready by June. Treshawn Brown, they've got the running backs. I think the O-line is improved. The proof's in the pudding, Michael. In your opinion, how much better is this offensive line and run game? Yeah, that is going to be the million-dollar question. I wish I had enough skill to be able to look at the tape and tell you all these kids that they brought in are going to just flip the script.
I'll be honest with you, it's just going to be wait and see. I think the biggest thing is this. In the first two seasons in the SEC, I think Kalen DeBoer and a lot of the staff, they realize what it takes to win in the SEC, and you've got to have at least credible play at the line of scrimmage. You have to be able to do certain things when you want to do them, no matter what, and you can see the struggles that they have in some of the big games against some of the elite opponents.
They just didn't have what it took across the line of scrimmage in certain key moments, and that's a learning curve for these guys, and I think they understand that now. I think you can see it with the transfer portal and what they're recruiting. They're making an emphasis that they've got to get better across the line of scrimmage. It doesn't matter how good Keelan Russell is if he's running for his life. I mean, you've seen that in Super Bowls before with the greatest quarterback out there, Patrick Mahomes.
If the other team's got a good defensive line, he's not doing anything. So, same thing, Alabama's going to have to be able to run the ball. Are they going to be like Gene Stallings? No, they're never going to be like that. But they have to have a credible threat, and they have to be able to run the ball in short-yard situations when they need the first down, and they have not been able to do that. Michael, to your point, Alabama had, according to the NFL folks, the 13th best player in the entire college basketball world last year.
Think about it. He was the second-best quarterback, according to the NFL. That's where he went in the draft. So, even if you've got that kind of potential, NFL quality to make millions, to your point, if you don't have a line, you're just Swiss cheese. You've got all kinds of holes. But outside of the offensive line questions, in your opinion, outside of that, I think that's number one, probably two, and three. Now that camp is closed, what, in your opinion, would be Alabama's biggest concern as far as a position?
[26:11] As far as a position? Well, yeah, if you're going to take offensive line off the table and also quarterback, I would probably say I want to see who's going to be the third wide receiver. You know, we already know you've got Ryan Williams and Roger Brooks. You know, is it going to be Sidarian Morgan? Look, the staff's showing you also, they're playing their cards, too, with the skilled position players. There's a certain body type. There's a certain athleticism they're looking for. They prefer larger players, you know, out on the edges.
They want larger receivers. They want larger DBs. So, let's see who the third steady, consistent wide receiver is going to be. Again, I'm still more worried about that offensive line. Until they can prove that the offensive line has improved, it's just going to be a question mark of how consistent this offense is going to be. There will be games when the offense looks good because, you know, there are going to be opponents that Alabama is still going to be better against across the line of scrimmage.
But what's it going to be when they play Georgia? What's it going to be when they play Texas A&M? What's it going to be when they play Tennessee? That's the question. Michael, Nate Oates is kind of in a waiting period right now, waiting on number one, Amari Allen. The NBA Combine starts next week. We'll probably know a lot more about that in 10 days. Only God and the judge knows about Aiden Holloway as far as his legal issues. I was asked this week, can he motivate Brandon Garrison, the Kentucky transfer?
Larry Vaught was on our show a couple weeks ago, and he said, listen, this guy is an absolute monster when he's motivated. And that's one of the things that a lot of people think Nate Oates can do. Your thoughts on Alabama basketball in a holding period right now? Yeah, so, you know, I think in, I will say this. I don't think Alabama's done quite yet. And what I mean by that is, of course, you are in a holding period for Amari Allen. Well, like you said, the Combine starts next week.
We'll have a much clearer picture of what are the odds that Amari Allen decides to stay in the draft or come back after the feedback that he gets. Aiden Holloway situation, well, I know the staff is optimistic that he'll get through his legal issues and find his way back to the team. I think they are working on something right now in the background to get another ball handler and not through the transfer portal. And I'm hearing whispers, you know, they're looking at point guard, possible reclassification.
So we'll see if that comes to fruition. If that happens, and look, I have no reason to doubt that they're not trying to do this. It makes perfect sense. Regardless of whether Aiden comes back or not, you still need another ball handler. So ideally, this would be a good circumstance if they can get this one player that I'm hearing about to go ahead and reclassify. I'm sure he's got to do some summer school and he's got to come to agreements. But if this happens, that actually would be a big plus for this lineup.
I like what they did in the portal. I know Jeff Goodman from Field of 68 didn't like it and thought Alabama was a loser. But I totally disagree. And if you pair it with what's coming in with the freshman class, I think Alabama's got a very nice team. Now, is it Final Four, Elite Eight level talent? We just don't know yet. It's going to depend on how that messes together. But I think there is a good foundation and structure for this team to be very competitive once again in the SEC and on the national stage.
It better be. It's going to be interesting to see, now that they've got more big bodies, how Alabama's style will adapt to that or the style adapting to Alabama's system itself. One thing about it, to your point, they better be good because when it comes to putting a schedule together, what was the old song back in the day, Nate Oates will not back down. He loves a tough schedule, does he not? No. Look, the proof is in the pudding. Yeah. And the fans love it. And, you know, I have all the respect in the world because he wants his team to be battle-tested by the time they get to conference play.
He wants his team to experience all different kinds of styles of physicality, of play, of systems. Because guess what? That's what you're going to run into in the NCAA tournament. And look, guys, let's be honest. It works. It has worked for Alabama. It has been a great formula. You know, it's interesting with this new, you know, players-era festival now split up into two bracket-style formats. Alabama's in the 16-team field during Thanksgiving. And look, it might as well be, you might as well call it the Sweet 16 with the teams that are going to be in there.
It's going to be in there. Michigan, Gonzaga, St. John, Tennessee, Texas Tech, Baylor, Oregon. I mean, those teams right there, it's exactly like a Sweet 16. I mean, it might as well be the NCAA tournament, almost like the old days of the old preseason NIT when they used to load up that schedule in Madison Square Garden. Let me ask you this, Michael. One thing that Alabama's had has been, on paper, talented rosters under Nate Oates. The other thing they've had is they seem to have the injury bug bottom even before the ball is tipped off.
Will he do anything different? Or is he going to say, that's just, that's it. Ball to the walls. We're going to sit here and rock and roll. We're going to do everything we can to get tough. Because, let's face it, over the last few years, they've had key guys to miss at least part or a significant part of the season. Your thoughts just about trying to keep this team healthy for the regular season. I think in the style or the attitude that Nate Oates is, I don't think he plays in fear of injury.
[31:23] He just wants his guys to play hard and go at it. I don't think that's going to change. And you're going to have years where you have some injuries, and maybe you'll get that magic year when no one gets injured. You're right. You can go back almost year by year, and there's always at least one or two key players that you're like, man, I wish they would have been 100%. But that's just the way he plays. And if you'll notice, you know, they go pretty deep. They don't mind playing a lot of players.
And that's one of the reasons why, because he doesn't shy away from that. Now, when we say physicality, it's a different type of physicality. It's not like Tennessee physicality inside where they're trying to mug you to death. But, you know, it's a ball crashing, you know, hard charging, take charge, hit the floor type physicality. He wants the players hitting the deck. So I like the athleticism of the team that's coming in with these players. And, again, this is a good freshman class. And I think Cole Clover is also going to be a very underrated steal that they've got that's coming in.
There's going to be some good skill levels here on this team. I think you're going to see a team that's going to be more role-oriented, meaning maybe not quite the free-for-all that people are just all over there shooting. I think you'll have certain people that they're going to have a more defined role of what he expects out of them. You're going to have more shooters shoot, and you're going to have more bigs rebound. I think it's going to be a little more compartmentalized when it comes to later this year when they get the team into the summer.
They start doing workouts, and they have their usual outing there, I think, down in Greene County where they have, like, that military boot camp. Michael, the NCAA is a lot more lenient now, letting teams go overseas. It used to be every four years. Now I believe they can go any year. Auburn, in fact, is going to Greece. Have you heard anything about a trip for Alabama overseas this summer, number one? And number two, tell us about Tide Hoops history and where we can get online and get all your great stuff.
Oh, I appreciate the plug, as always. But, yeah, it's on X, it's at Bama history. And it's funny you mention that because I was trying to think of what we wanted to do for the summer. You know, the last couple of summers we always put together a little fun package of things. I think I've got an idea. Let me roll something out to you and see what you guys think about this. Sometime this summer, you know, Nate Oates has had 32 games that he's got a technical foul in.
I was thinking about spotlighting every game for 32 days straight, starting with, you know, his first technical foul, give the highlights. This is when it all started. Here's the record. I was thinking about playing with that this year because that gives us a month of content right there. I think people would get a kick out of it. But that's one of the things we're kicking around from that. As far as the foreign tour, you know, the Brandon Miller team, it really paid off for that team. If you remember, they did that back before the 22-23 season.
As far as that, whether Alabama does that again anytime soon, I don't know. Let's just be honest. You know, you've got to also look at it from a cost perspective. I mean, is Alabama, do they think they'll gain as much out of it by the investment it's going to cost to go over there? So, I mean, I hate to be, you know, nickel and diamond, but I think that's really going to come into play whether or not they do that. Well, the NIL, I mean, obviously that's a big consideration.
And by the way, I like that idea. But here's what I would think, Michael, on that. It would be interesting if you added the next page. After the technical foul, how many games did Alabama win? How many did they lose? And if the wins outweigh the losses, will we see more technical fouls than Nate Oates? Well, you know, he does have a winning record in games he's got a technical foul. There you go. I think we've got him charted. He's like 22-9 in games that he's got a – or 23-9 in games he's got a technical foul.
So, it's pretty funny. He actually does pretty well, and he's only had one game that he's ever got ejected. That was Mississippi State when he got the two technical fouls. So, I was thinking that that might be one of the choices. There's one other thing I was thinking about, too. But right now, I'm kind of leaning toward a daily spotlight of all the technical foul games. And the other thing, too, he loves the review. You might want to throw that in. He must be the king of – not only that, early in the game reviews.
So, he rolls the dice. Michael, quickly, where can we jump on and get the latest with you online? Well, Mike, I mentioned just the at-band of history on X. You know, probably in about a month or two, we'll probably start firing up some stuff on the Tide machine as we get ready for football. I guess we're less than 100 days from fall camp coming up, so we'll do stuff at Tide machine. So, always fun stuff. And then, of course, you know, whenever basketball topics come on, you know, Luke and Jimmy always invite me on for some fun discussions for basketball.
So, you'll see me on occasion on Lock on Bama. So, it's always a fun time. I always enjoy doing this stuff. And I really appreciate you guys always having me on. Thank you. Thank you. And you, too. Got an eye on Judge Judy in that Aiden Holloway situation as well. There you have it. Michael Southern hooking up with us amongst other places. The Blue Collar Podcast. We don't say this very often at this point in the show, but the final word coming up on the Boom O' Buck Show.
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They trail Florida 10-8. They got one out in the top of the seventh. And BB, quickly, Alabama is on deck here on 93.9. The Score from Kentucky. Yeah. Alabama and Arkansas coming up. Harold and just quickly, Central Florence. Dantzler, Morris Hill, Lindsey Lane this afternoon. We'll have recaps on all those games tomorrow. And it looks like the weather is going to be great for it all. We appreciate your time. On behalf of BB, Greg, James Blair, the entire crew here. Peril Buck, thank you so much for your time today.
Let's do it again tomorrow at noon to two for the Boomo Bugg show. Back here on Sports Radio, 93.9 The Score. We'll see you next time tomorrow at noon to two for the Boomo Bugg show.