Boomo Bugg Show 022026

[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 Score. Good afternoon and welcome in 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. It's time to find out the latest rocking at the regionals and baseball fans, two words, play ball.

Good afternoon, welcome in and how are you? Happy Friday to you and the listeners. Tough losses, Harold, to our area teams. The Florence girls played very well. I thought this would be a close game, but they lose one to Hillcrest Tuscaloosa this morning. You may have heard that game on 93.9. The Score is 69-62. Last night, Muscle Shoals had a 45-38 lead over Lee entering the fourth quarter, but ended up losing 62-57. We'll review next week's schedule at Wallace. That 93.9 The Score will broadcast a little bit later in the show.

But for now, Jimmy is here to recount the game of the ages between Alabama and Arkansas and also look at the road ahead for Alabama Crimson Tide basketball. And probably getting a new scoreboard. I think they blew out all the circuits at the one that was there when the Hawks came a call in. Jimmy Stein is co-host of Locked On Bama. You guessed it, part of the Locked On Network. Jimmy, welcome in. Happy Friday to you. How are you? Oh, doing great. Finally rested up after a late Wednesday night.

Where is that one in the annals of great record-season basketball games for Alabama? And we live in an era where the latest is always the greatest. We don't have all the numbers in front of us, but it's got to be right there amongst them. Would you agree, Jimmy? Yeah, I think especially it depends on how you look at it. If you look at it in terms of what is the most entertaining, fun basketball win and Alabama basketball history in Coleman, that would have to rank at or near the top because the overall number of points scored is stunning.

You had the two unbelievable individual performances by Darius A. Cuff from Arkansas and LeBaron Filon from Alabama. You did have two good basketball teams who were playing for a lot here. I mean, these weren't just two bad teams playing an entertaining game. These are two high-level teams, NBA players all over the floor. How about this? Getting ahead of myself here, but how about two Hall of Fame coaches? Yeah, I'm getting ahead of myself there, but I'll set it. Two Hall of Fame coaches. You add up all that, and it's probably the most fun, entertaining win in the history of Alabama basketball.

I just use that, I put it that way because there's been other games where Alabama has won in exciting fashion and accomplished more, you know, in terms of like SEC regular season championship, beating the number one team in the nation, that sort of thing. Alabama's done those things in the past, and I don't want to diminish any of that. And the other thing, too, Jimmy, you mentioned it there, entertaining, yes, but the fact that Alabama came against a top-ranked team, in the top 20, that is, not once but twice, been being 14 points down.

And on top of that, they are playing for that coveted number three seed. It's a big difference if you make that tourney as a number three seed as opposed to number five, and you've got to face that dreaded number 12. That's right. A five, not only is that a tough spot because you play that crazy five-twelve game, you also get a four seed early, and then you're in the bracket with a one. The five seed seems like it has a difficult matchup every time out. So a three is big, and Alabama can still do those things, I think in part, because I don't know that Alabama's going to beat anybody else in the regular season that has more weight than beating Arkansas.

I mean, maybe Tennessee, certainly in the conversation, but Auburn, Georgia, and Mississippi State are just, you know, bubble teams or just not in the same air as Arkansas and Tennessee. So, so huge for Alabama to actually pull off the win. And it's easier for Alabama fans and Alabama supporters to love what happened Wednesday night because they're on the winning end. It could have so easily gone the other way. I would remind people that while you give up that amount of points, obviously you struggle defensively, and obviously they had no answer whatsoever for A-Cup.

[5:08] However, when you come back down 14 twice, you've made some big defensive stops. You can't come back down from 14 without making some big defensive stops. So they did at times do enough, and obviously all that matters is the game's over and Alabama's up by two. Yeah, Alabama held Arkansas, Jimmy, to four points during an eight-minute stretch or seven-minute stretch in the second half. Finelon gets a lot of the headlines, and it's certainly merited. But, Jimmy, Aiden Shirell may be one of the most improved players in the SEC.

26 points and 13 rebounds, and to Marty Allen with another double-double. He is just a double-double machine. I guarantee you Alabama doesn't win that game without the contributions from those two. Oh, no question that's true. And I'm not making this comparison because they're different players, but watching Aiden Shirell grow up in front of our eyes, it reminds me a little bit of an old-timer in Alabama named Rory Rogers. Absolutely. You might remember Rory Rogers. Rory was a decent freshman and a slightly better sophomore and a slightly better junior.

And then in his final year at Alabama was just this triple-double monster. I mean, where he was blocking 10 shots a night and scoring. It took him four years, but then he was scoring. He'd always been a presence as a defender. And then Rory Rogers, you know, different era of basketball. Then he wakes up, and he's a first-round pick, you know, an NBA draft. I think Shirell's development, you know, reminds me of the story of Rory Rogers. I mean, in terms of these huge guys that step off the bus and their defensive presence, minute number one, just from Shire's side alone and some athletic ability.

But we're watching him develop into a real basketball player, and I think should his development continue into an NBA basketball player. I mean, I think that's what, you know, the greatest contribution that Charles Bediaco can make to Alabama this year wasn't those three wins that he helped Alabama secure. It's that Shirell gets to practice against him now and in practice even to this day as Bediaco continues to work with the team. And the advice, because, you know, without being privy to the conversation, you can bet Bediaco has told him, boy, you're a lot like me as a sophomore.

I went pro too early and paid for it. You need to stick around. And, boy, that advice would really benefit Aiden Shirell. He's on the right track. Just don't jump off the track too soon. That's a good point, Jimmy. Jimmy's down and locked on Bama. Jimmy, I saw a report. You mentioned Bediaco, and you can confirm or whatever what I saw, if it's how true and accurate it is. But a lot of wins blowing early on that maybe the NCAA selection committee might penalize Alabama for the tenure of Bediaco.

And what I read this morning, at least my interpretation, I'll leave it there. That's not necessarily totally conclusive. Is that not bad? That was the end. This is now. Let's move on. Yeah, I'm going to be surprised if Alabama's seeding is affected in any way. I'm going to be surprised. But I am not ruling it out. I'm not telling you there is no way that's going to happen. Not in 2026. There is a way it's going to happen. And that's because many people, rightly or wrongly, were inflamed by what Nate Oates and Alabama was trying to accomplish.

There are some really harsh opinions. I've read opinions from AP writers who have votes in AP Top 25 polls who say, I'm not voting for Alabama anymore. They played an ineligible player, which is, A, not true. I mean, Bediaco was not ineligible until the final hearing. He was pending. That's the key word, pending, at that point. Yeah, he was eligible, pending a final decision. Eligible, pending a final decision. But because I've seen and read so many opinions, I think we'd be crazy as Alabama fans not to expect that there's some anti-Alabama sentiment in the room over the Bediaco thing.

So I'm not going to sit here and say there's no way that's going to happen or by rule it can't happen. I'm not expecting it to happen. I'll be surprised if it happens. But, yeah, it could. Jimmy, Bama's got five games remaining. The big one you alluded to, Tennessee and Knoxville. And I'm sure Nate Oates wants that game. He has a beat in Tennessee and Rick Barnes in five games. If Alabama goes 4-1 and they win one game in Nashville in the SEC tournament, is this a three-seed?

[10:08] I mean, I want to say yes. And I'll say yes because, yes, that's a resume of a three-seed. And when you look at Alabama's metrics are better than their rankings. I think people don't need to look at the AP poll or coaches poll and try to figure out where Alabama's being seeded based on that. You need to look at the net. And you need to look at what Joe Lenardi is saying and, you know, all the guys that are credible bracket projection guys. It would be the resume of a three-seed.

But it's never just about what you've done. It's what you've done compared to everyone else. So it's hard to say without knowing what the resumes are for everyone else that, you know, feels they're worthy of a three-seed or better. So, but it would be resume worthy. Jimmy, you and Luke Robinson do a tremendous job every day with podcasts. And I know you've got more coming out pre-game, post-game for Alabama. And next time we turn around, spring football practice is going to get here before we know it.

Jimmy, where can we get the best podcast on the planet about Alabama sports? Yeah, Brett got me excited just by mentioning spring football practice, which starts just two weeks from Monday. Just two weeks. Wow. Got it. And it's going to be one of the most fun spring practices ever because there's so many vacant jobs. So much competition for all of those vacant jobs. And so we'll have spring football practice covered really well, locked on Bama. You can find us on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.

We have minimum six new shows a week. We might ramp it up during spring football practice. But right now we're talking a lot about recruiting, the 2027 class. And, of course, we have a basketball segment just about every day as well. Two weeks to spring football. In the meantime, Jimmy, enjoy some spring-like weather. Have a safe weekend. Thanks so much for your time today. Hey, appreciate it, guys. Thank you, Jimmy. There you have it. The one, the only, Jimmy Stein. He is locked on Bama. Blayton Lovell is locked on the entire SEC.

And he's next on the Boomo Bugg Show. There are many advantages of doing business with an independent insurance agent. Page Borden Insurance in Tuscumbia and M.J. Carter & Company Insurance in Florence can show you. An independent insurance agent is not tied to just one company in order to get you the coverage you need at a competitive price. Go buy and see M.J. Carter & Company Insurance at 127 South Court Street or call 256-760-9999. Or in Tuscumbia, see Page Borden Insurance at 111 East 3rd Street or call 256-381-1334.

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[15:24] So it was the fourth quarter and we're down by five. Sweat pouring down my face. Suddenly it hit me. If only I could wrap part of the towel around my forehead. And that's how I became the first basketball player to wear a headband. Okay, not really a game-winning call, but it was a good call. You can make one too. Switch to progressive and you could save hundreds. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates not available in all states. From the University of Alabama, this is Crimson Tide Today.

It's a daily update on PAMA Sports and it's brought to you by the Good Feet Store. Start your journey today at goodfeet.com. Hello again, everybody. I'm Roger Hoover. On Thursday's edition of Crimson Drive, driven by NASCAR, we were joined by Alabama women's basketball senior, Carly Weathers. Can we continue to do those things? I don't think it's something where there should create a panic or anything like that because we're still competing and we're competing hard. It's just we're not making some plays down the stretch. And, you know, we were doing that early in the season.

And so if we can get back to where we were making big plays, I think that we're going to continue to be successful. But I definitely don't think it's something to get negative about because there is so much basketball left to play that if you begin to get negative, that leaks into the next game and the next and the next. And then you're looking at a worse situation. And so I think that our team has done a phenomenal job of just building one another up and just continuing to pour into each other.

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Stop in for a free, personalized fitting today. Roll to victory at goodfeet.com. That's goodfeet.com. Roll Tide. We've got you covered for a busy weekend of basketball here on the network. On Saturday, the men's basketball team travels to Baton Rouge to take on the LSU Tigers. Tip-off at 5, and our coverage on the network starts at 4 p.m. Then on Sunday, Alabama women's basketball faces the Florida Gators in Gainesville with tip-off at 11 a.m. Central, and our coverage on the network starting at 10.45 a.m. Crimson Tide Today is brought to you by the Good Feet Store.

Crimson Tide Today is a production of the Crimson Tide Sports Network from Learfield. The score. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9, the score. The score. Welcome back in. Talk about a man with an eagle eye when it comes to following ASCC basketball teams from the Alpha to the Omega. That's why I call him the boss at Southeastern 16. Blake Lovell, welcome in today. How are you? Doing well, guys. Good to talk to you, as always. Hey, man. Blake, did you see that game between Alabama and Arkansas?

And if you did, how would you describe it? Yeah, it was quite a game. I think that's the best game we've seen all season. I don't think there's much debate about that. And, I mean, sometimes when you get, I always think it's interesting, and, like, we'll see this this weekend when, like, Duke and Michigan and Houston and Arizona play. Anytime you get, like, two teams that I think are very high caliber, sometimes it's like, who's going to be able to win out in terms of, like, the style and how the game's going to go?

And is it going to be one where, like, they just can't both possibly keep playing at the same type of pace and the game slows down a little bit? Well, that didn't happen. It was about what you could have predicted when it comes to just these two playing such an up-tempo type game, and you just had a million possessions in this one. And, yeah, I mean, it's kind of a tale of two halves. Arkansas couldn't miss in the first half. Alabama's shooting 84% at one point deep into the second half.

And then, you know, eventually Arkansas, I think, just runs out of gas, runs out of players, runs out of gas, and, you know, that's just the way it works sometimes. So I don't think anybody's coming out of that game feeling worse off for either team, and if anything, I think both of them feel like, hey, we can do this. We're going to be just fine in the tournament. You know, I was surprised that Calipari did, in a way, the heck off hit the tip of the Stetson to him, because for him to stay in that game, with that pace, with only seven available players, that says a lot.

I kept waiting for Alabama to pound it inside and try to get this team in foul trouble early, but it also shows they are sold on keeping the pedal to the metal no matter what. Yeah, and I think that's just, again, how they're going to probably have an advantage over a lot of teams that they play, and there's just not a lot of, I mean, teams out there. Again, if you're Alabama and you're thinking, well, we gave up 115, but that's fine, but like, there's not a lot of, there's not a lot of teams like Arkansas out there.

I mean, these two teams are now, when you look at it, I mean, these are two of the top five offensive teams in the country, and so sometimes, like, great offense is just going to win out, and that's exactly what happened here. There's just so many skilled offensive players, and yeah, it just became something where both teams said, hey, we're going to keep leaning in on what we think our strengths are. Even if other things are available, we're just going to keep playing to our strengths, and you know, it winds up being that kind of game, so.

[20:30] One of the marquee games tomorrow is, of course, Kentucky coming to Auburn. Kentucky had a tough loss to Florida, but a lot of people are going to lose to Florida. Josh Hubbard goes nuts and scores 46 points with a record 10 three-pointers, 35 points in the first half. Auburn has a seven-point lead, I believe, with three and a half minutes to go when they come back. I say it comes back and wins the game. This is a must win for Auburn. Keyshawn Hall got out of the doghouse. Came in, scored 29-10 against Mississippi State.

Hedford scored 21, but this is a key game, I know, for both teams, but in particularly for Auburn, it's nearly a must win. Your thoughts on Kentucky at Auburn? Yeah, it feels like a must win. I know a lot of people just still have been asking the question, probably the question I've been asked more than any over the past week and a half is, how is Auburn still on the field? I think it's very simple. It's not complicated at all. Auburn's lost five games in a row.

They're 14-12. They're 5-8 in the SEC, but they played the toughest strength of schedule, and they did not have a bad loss that the committee's going to view as a bad loss until Wednesday. Like, of their 11 other losses, none of those are going to be viewed as bad losses. And yes, like that one is going to be looked at a little bit differently because Mississippi State is much lower in the rankings and analytics and all that stuff. But if you look at it from that perspective, a team that's played a tough schedule and, yes, has quite a few losses, well, that's the same formula that's gotten Alabama in in recent years, Vanderbilt in in recent years with 14 losses, 13, whatever it was.

Like, that's just how it works because you're not comparing your resume to your own self. You're comparing your resume to the teams that are around you, and Auburn's resume is still significantly better than some of the agency teams that they're being compared to and some of the teams and the bottom tier teams of the Big Ten and all that. So I say all that to say it's carried them to this point, but now they've reached the point where they have to start winning games. And this is one where I think if they lose this game tomorrow, I don't really see a scenario that looks that great for Auburn to make the tournament because what they're going to have after that are three games that aren't going to help them and will, in fact, hurt them a little bit, in Oklahoma, Ole Miss, and LSU, and then you've got to somehow find a way to go win in Alabama on March the 7th, which obviously they could do, but I wouldn't be betting on it.

So from that perspective, it is the biggest game of the season for Auburn, and you're playing a Kentucky team that's all of a sudden dipped back a little bit. So I just think they've got to come out. They've got to play well here. And I think their offense may be the key to doing that. But, man, this is about as pressure-packed as it gets for Steven Pearlstein here. Blade level, Southeastern 16. What about the Battle of the Volunteer States when the Volunteers in Tennessee roll into your backyard and take on Vanderbilt tomorrow?

Yeah, it should be a great game. I think certainly the one thing to watch is whether Duke Miles is going to play for Vanderbilt. It sounds like there's a decent chance that he could be back tomorrow. And if that's the case, then, I mean, that's significant. He was one of the top probably seven players in the SEC at the end of December. Like, he was playing that well, him and Tyler Tanner as a duo, or one of the best backcourt duos in the country. But he's, you know, been out for a bit with the knee thing.

And so now I think if he comes back, it makes this game a lot different. Because the thing is, Tennessee is terrible at taking care of the ball. They are the worst team at the SEC when it comes to turnovers right now. And Vanderbilt forces turnovers about as well as anybody. So that is a big area to look at, especially if Miles plays in this game. Even if he does, though, I think the one edge that Tennessee's going to is going to have is kind of the same one they've had against a lot of teams.

And that's their offensive rebounding. They're still the best team in the country in that category. Vanderbilt has had some issues on the glass. And so I think Tennessee probably has a good chance to win this game. Because I think guarding Nate Amon will be tough for Vanderbilt. Because remember, too, that's a team that gets in foul trouble. And Tennessee gets the free throw line quite a bit. So I'm curious. This feels like a toss-up. But, yeah, I wouldn't underestimate Tennessee going in and finding a way to win this game.

Let me ask you before we go to the Olympic break. To me, the most improved team in the league at least to date may be Texas. I was wondering when Sean Miller was going to get them turned around. Nine out of 12, they've won their last six. Yeah, Texas has been fantastic. I mean, they've done themselves more favors than anybody when it comes to their NCAA tournament hopes right now. And, you know, they've got a tough schedule at Georgia, Florida, A&M, Arkansas, Oklahoma. But Texas is in.

And they're an offensive team, too. Top ten in the country, guys. I don't know how they've done it, but there they are. Absolutely. Listen, where can we get online to get all the great stuff, my friend? Yeah, I appreciate it, guys. Southeastern 16 on YouTube. Find us there for all of our reaction stuff tomorrow. And, yeah, it should be a fun day of basketball. Yeah, have a fun weekend, Blake. There you have it, Blake. Love us, Southeastern 16. Quickly, baby, our hearts are heavy. Lost not only a pro in this business, but a personal friend.

[25:37] John Malone, a radio TV icon in the North Alabama area. Passing away yesterday at the much-too-young age of 62 years old. I worked with John at WBHB. He went on to become the GM at WSM in Nashville. Came back to Huntsville. Bought two stations after that in Fayetteville. But a class act, a pro, and more than that, a fine gentleman, BB. Yeah, God bless him. I worked with him, Harold, for years when I was a junior achievement. A great pro, but a better person. Rest in peace, John Malone.

Coming up, the very latest from Italy at the Olympics here on 93.9, The Score. Westwood One Sports presents this special update on the 2026 Winter Games. Canada is on to the gold medal game in men's hockey as Nathan McKinnon scored with 35 seconds left in regulation to beat Finland 3-2. Canada was down 2-0, and they rallied without Captain Sidney Crosby, who didn't play because of a lower body injury. The other semifinal, Team USA and Slovakia, set for 3-10 Eastern. All four Americans qualified for the men's free ski half-pipe final, which is about to start.

Nick Gepper and Alex Ferreira, who went silver and bronze respectively, four years ago, and then also Hunter Hess and Burke Irving. Norway won its 17th gold medal, a record for one Winter Olympics. That coming in the biathlon, 15K mass start. It breaks its own record of 16 gold set in Beijing. Norway has 37 medals total to lead the way. The U.S. is second with 27. With this Winter Games update, I'm Brad Heller, Westwood One Sports. It's game day. Are your moderate to severe Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis symptoms keeping you from the action?

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The score. South Alabama fell in overtime yesterday as they lost to Texas State 90-82 in the loss. Chaz Harris had 28 points, 8 assists, 3 steals. South Alabama's 19-9 on the year, 96 in the Sun Belt. The Jaguars will host Troy tomorrow. Trojans are 10-5 in the Sun Belt, 18-10 overall. North Alabama's on the road tomorrow. They'll play at Lipscomb. The Lions are 3-12 in the A-Sun. 25th-ranked Alabama's on the road tomorrow at LSU. Crimson Tide, 19-7 on the year, 9-4 in the SEC. LSU is 2-11 in conference play.

Auburn Tigers are back home tomorrow as they play host to Kentucky. The Wildcats are 8-5 in the SEC. Auburn is 5-8 in conference play. Bundle auto and home, renters or condo, and save with Progressive. I'm John Thayer with the Sports Flash presented by Progressive on 93.9, The Score. It's game day. Are your moderate to severe Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis symptoms keeping you from the action? Skyrizi, Risenkizumab RZA, could help you get back to the game. Skyrizi is proven to help people feel significant symptom relief, achieve remission, and visibly improve damage of the intestinal lining.

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Welcome back in. It is an absolute pleasure for us to welcome in. And it's safe to say, BB, welcome back. The man you hear on 93.9, The Score when Alabama plays some basketball. He's Brian Pasek on the Alabama Crimson Tide Network. Brian, welcome in. How are you? Doing great, guys. How are y'all? Good, man. Is it true that you're buying mouthwash now by the case after that game against Arkansas? Oh, man. I don't know about that. But I know that that was one of the best college basketball games that I've ever witnessed.

And I've been doing this a while, and I've seen a bunch of good ones, and they just don't get any better than that. What an incredible game, incredible performance. Two great teams, great atmosphere, and the good guys won. So, it was an awesome night in Coleman Coliseum. Brian, talk to us. We know, obviously, the things that are obvious. The win is always important, especially against the top 20 teams, especially at home. But as far as the other part, the psychology, between the ears, as we mentioned earlier, they came back from being 14 down, not once, but twice, against the top 20 or so team.

Talk to us about, as a former player, what that does going forward, because basically, in effect, it puts you in fireproof suit, does it not? No matter how hot it gets, you know you can still survive. Well, the way that Alabama plays, and Arkansas, for that matter, even though both teams don't do it exactly the same way, the pace is going to be one of the fastest in the country when those two teams meet up. And so, you know that down double digits, up double digits, there's going to be so many possessions in that game that you're going to have a chance to make a run.

And we talked about it throughout the broadcast, that when Alabama was down 10, 12, 14 points, that you don't have to be great defensively, but if you could, just be kind of decent for a few minutes, you're going to get back in the game. And listen, and no knock on Alabama's defense, Arkansas was spectacular. They made open shots, they made contested shots, and everything in between, they were incredible. But there was a stretch in the game, midway through the second half, can't remember exactly how much time was left, but I think it was about a two-minute scoring drought for Arkansas, and it went from 14 to bam out one.

[36:09] It was right around that 17-2 run. And you just felt like if you could just put a few stops together, you're going to be right back in this game and have a chance to win it. That turned out to be the case, and it ended up being an epic win for the Crimson Tide. We talked about this a little bit earlier in the show. I think Sherell, to me, is one of the most improved players in the league. 26 points, 13 rebounds. Phylon, it's not a pick-and-roll, but it's kind of a give-and-go.

Phylon caught him, he must have had five dunks. What also impressed me, he was 6 of 7 from the free-throw line, and he played two overtimes with four fouls without fouling out. We know he can hit the three, but he just dominated the middle, and Arkansas just could not really guard him. But talk about the progress, the improvement of Aiden Sherell. Yeah, he's one of the most improved players in the SEC, especially on the defensive end. I mean, he's become really a guy as a freshman that was solid defensively, but certainly wasn't a rim protector.

And he's led the league in blocked shots most of the year. I think he's now in second in blocked shots. So he's really improved on that end of the floor. Offensively, he came on so strong late last season, knocking down shots. He's got a high basketball IQ, got a great feel for the game, great hands, great feet, under control. He was incredible, career high, and so many different categories on Wednesday night, including minutes, which is a key. He's gotten in a lot better shape in his sophomore season and had the ability to go 39 minutes of intense basketball and play really well on both ends.

And listen, you mentioned his free throw shooting. I think he's top five, top seven in the SEC in free throw percentage. Wow, bigger. 6'11", 255-pound senior to be one of the best free throw shooters in the SEC is so important, especially in a game like that that goes into double overtime. Every point mattered, obviously, in that one. And HRL, 26, 13, what a performance by the Bama big man. Brian Passick, Crimson Tide, the network, obviously Sherell. We know about Phylon. We know about Holloway. But, Brian, it's safe to say that maybe AA, Mr. Allen, is maybe the X factor with his team this season.

It's always fun. The other side of the coin is a lot of these kids come out of high school and they're five stars and they can't miss and then they miss. And then the guy comes out with a lot of love and he actually exceeds the expectations from high school. Is it safe to say that Mr. Allen may fit that description? Yeah, no doubt about it. And in a long line of Alabama freshmen under Nate Oates to exceed expectations. And that's a big reason why he's been able to sign guys like Brandon Miller and Noah Clowney and some of these other high-profile freshmen, including Amari Allen, who's gone from, you know, a good, solid recruit to a potential one-and-done and first-round black pick.

There were, I think, 27, 28 NBA scouts at the game Wednesday night. And yes, they were there to see Darius Acuff and LeBaron Phylon, but they were also there to see Amari Allen because he shot up the draft boards at 6'8", has point guard skills, can play power forward if you need him to, can play one of the top five rebounders in the SEC and can handle the ball, does it all. One of those guys that just makes a difference on both ends of the floor. He, along with LeBaron Phylon and Aiden Sherrell, terrific in that game.

His stock just continues to rise. And I agree, he's such an important part of this Alabama team because he can score, and you need that, but you've got other guys that can put the ball in the basket. They need his defense and rebounding and playmaking skills, and they're getting all those in a big way. Nate Oates made the comment earlier this year, or last year, that Houston Millett, he enjoys coaching him. He's one of the most coachable players he's ever had. He only had two baskets, but they were two of the biggest baskets in the game, one in each overtime.

He has no problem diving on the floor for a loose ball. He's a magician at calling timeout with a loose ball as he's going out of bounds. I don't know how he does that. And quite frankly, I know a lot of fans would like to see him make some more shots, but you talk about a guy who is the, quote, emotional leader of a team and what he does with his enthusiasm and just straight out hustle. It's Houston Millett. Yeah, I was so happy for him.

[41:20] Listen, I don't know if I'm supposed to have favorite players, but between us, Houston Millett, he's my favorite player. And it's more than just what he does on the court. He's just a great guy, a great teammate. He's a winner. His teammates love him. And I was so happy for him because he deserves to make those threes. He does so many things for this team that may go unnoticed by the fans and the media, but they certainly don't go unnoticed by his teammates and the coaching staff.

He is all those things you mentioned. And a pretty good basketball player, by the way. He has the ability to knock down shots and to make those in those situations, those two threes in overtime, absolutely enormous. He can't overstate the importance of the magnitude of those shots. But he's just a guy that doesn't need to start, doesn't need shots, doesn't care if he scores or not. He just wants to win. And he makes winning plays. And, you know, when Arkansas goes on runs and we've seen the opponents go on runs over the course of the season, you hear the fans and on Twitter, why don't Danos call timeouts?

And I know that fans get frustrated with that. Well, he's saving him for Houston Millette to die on a loose ball and be coming out of bounds and save a possession because he seems to do that two or three times a game. But, you know, terrific player, terrific young man, and so glad he's in crimson and white and healthy, which he wasn't last year, and it's why he's back for this, his fifth year in an Alabama uniform. He's a huge part of the success of this team, no matter what the stat sheet says.

Ryan, we talked with Blake Love, you know, may know Blake, he follows ACC basketball all over the place, all 16 teams. He brought up a good point about Alabama that you don't hear a whole lot about, but I'm, as a guy who's been, has been a while, the X factors are always huge. And the point I'm trying to make is he brought up that Bediaco, yes, he is not playing, but he's still practicing and basically a big brother mentor to Sherell, amongst other things, making him tough in practice to get ready for other big guys down the road, but also advising not only Sherell, but others, you may not want to jump out of the college ranks just yet.

Take it from a guy who's been there and done that. Go ahead and let the grapes marinate a little bit and age, and then at the right time, pull the trigger, your thoughts just about the X factor that Bediaco is still playing perhaps on this team. Yeah, I think it's a great point. And I think it's an underrated aspect of what he brings to this team on the practice floor in the locker room. And I think it's so cool that he is still a part of this team.

You know, it's not something that I necessarily anticipated. I know that the players and coaches wanted him around, but I didn't know if Charles would stick around. And I love the fact that he's going to class, that he's part of the team, and he helps you in so many different ways. So I wish he was on the floor. But that's not the case from a playing depth standpoint. The timing is good that this team seems to be getting a little closer to full health with the guys that they anticipate having the rest of the way.

And also, I thought it was important for Alabama to win this game for a lot of reasons. One is, you know, you're still trying to compete for an SEC title. Now, you're going to need some help with that. Florida's still a game ahead, and you don't play them again. But you're also trying to get a top-four seed in the SEC tournament, which is huge to get the double bottom in Nashville. And then that game has gone and will go a long way in getting a top-four seed nationally, or, you know, one of the four in that top-16 nationally and top-four seed in the NCAA tournament.

And, you know, you did it without Charles Mediaco, which Alabama has won a bunch of big games without him. But for some reason, that's become a big narrative around college basketball is, you know, what can Alabama do without him? Well, you know, we've played 20 games without him. There's kind of a sample size, but it was good to get a huge win on that stage. You and the guys are flying to Baton Rouge either today or tomorrow. LSU gave Texas fits the other night. Max McKinnon came back from an injury and went nuts in the second half.

And Texas is one of the hottest teams in the league. They've won six in a row and nine out of 12. You can't have a humongous win and then go down to Baton Rouge. And, look, LSU's had injuries. We know that they have struggled this year. A lot of rumors about the coaching situation down there. But, once again, you've got to keep going. And this is a place that Alabama has shot the ball well. I remember years ago, Alabama made lowered, I think, 25 to 28 threes. But, once again, I know LSU is down.

[46:36] But they've got some guys back. And Alabama needs to be ready tomorrow. Yeah, they're down in terms of their record. But they're solid. And they're talented. And they have been right on the verge of being some of the better teams in this league. And they're a little healthier than they've been. And you look at their record. You see where they're ranked in the SEC. And I think it's one of the reasons why the SEC is still considered the deepest league in college basketball. It's because of teams like LSU that are down near the bottom of the league standing.

But right around top 50 in Ken Palm. And if you're top 50 Ken Palm, you're a pretty good basketball team with a chance to compete, especially at home. Alabama coming off of an incredible game, an emotional win on Wednesday night. You're going to go into a building that's probably going to be half full at best. Not going to be the atmosphere that they've been used to playing in. And if you're not ready to play and you don't play well, LSU is very capable of upsetting Alabama. So it's a huge game for so many reasons.

And this is one that the coaching staff will be doing a great job of. And hopefully the guys will be listening. And you've got to be ready to go because LSU is absolutely capable of beating some of the top teams in this league. Which, thankfully, Alabama is one of those top teams. Let me ask you before we let you go. You were part of the Whip Sanderson team in the early 90s in Nolan 40 Minutes of H*** Richardson. Those were some classic games. I remember two in particularly.

January the 8th, 92, 65-63 Bama. March 14th, 92 in the SEC tournament. 90-89 Bama. Those were some of the greatest games. And, again, of course, some of our audience is too young to know this. But those games between Whip and Nolan Richardson were incredible. Absolutely incredible. And that year was Arkansas' first year in the SEC. And all three of those games were so good that year. The game in Fayetteville at the old Barnhill, which is a tiny little building that was rocking. And, of course, the one you mentioned in Coleman Coliseum.

But the game that I compared Wednesday night to was that 92 SEC tournament semifinal in Birmingham. And, listen, for those that are a little younger and haven't seen it, it is on YouTube. You can pull it up, 92 SEC tournament, and you will witness one of the great games. Listen, when I think of some of the best games I've ever witnessed, that was one. And Wednesday night was another. But you had, on the Arkansas side, you had Todd Day, Lee Mayberry, Oliver Miller, all great NBA players. On the Alabama side, Robert Ory, Latrose Freewell, Hollywood Robinson.

It was back and forth. The intensity in that game, the crowd was into it the whole time on every play. There was a great crowd from Arkansas and, of course, Alabama and Birmingham. Just a spectacular game. And it's really the first time that I've even compared another game to it, which was Wednesday night in another epic Alabama-Arkansas game. Wonderful. Well, I appreciate you letting us reminisce with that. I remember that game very well. That was absolutely incredible. Safe travels to Red Stick, young man. I know Chris will be asking you the keys to the game, and you've just gone over some of those with us.

Have a safe trip. Let's do this again real soon. I always enjoy it. I appreciate you guys having me. There you have it, Brian. Passick on the Alabama Crimson Tide Network. And, B.B., I appreciate for all of us, the younger generation, reminding us of those games. We can call them back there on YouTube. Quickly, baseball this afternoon. U-N-A over at the new Mike D. Lane Stadium. And they take on St. Louis. Get this. It's a three-game series today at three, tomorrow at two, and you guessed it, Sunday at one.

Coming up the next hour, some sad news from Tennessee off the field. Ryan Callahan on that, Justin Ferguson talking to Auburn, and Mike Heugan talking about it all straight ahead of the Boomwell Bunk Show. Stay with us. Hank Williams, Tammy Wynette, Lionel Richie, The Swampers, Riley Green, Jamie Johnson, Ella Langley. What do all these great music icons have in common? Well, they're all from right here in Sweet Home, Alabama. At the Alabama Music Hall of Fame, they invite you to come take a journey to see all the great music legends and future music makers that make us all so very proud.

[51:48] The Alabama Music Hall of Fame, located on Highway 72 West in Tuscumbia. Sound familiar? At Mattress Firm, we understand there are many problems that can keep you up at night, like snoring, aches and pains, or sleeping hot. Our sleep experts have the unrivaled know-how to match you with a mattress that can help. And now at Mattress Firm, save up to $700, plus get a free adjustable base with select Sealy Posturepedic Mattresses. For the great sleep you deserve, visit Mattress Firm. We make sleep easy. Restrictions apply. See store or website for details.

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Both bills were sponsored by State Senator Shea Shelnut. The first one would provide extracurricular religious classes at schools that parents and students can opt to take. The classes would be sponsored by a church or faith-based organization and would not interfere with core instructional time at that school. The second bill would require public schools to teach sexual risk avoidance and abstinence within the sex education curriculum. The bill also prohibits this type of sex education being taught to students in fourth grade or below. The two bills are headed over to the Alabama House for consideration.

I'll be back with more Alabama stories after this. Are you enjoying 1819 News? If so, consider joining 1819 News as a member. As a non-profit news organization, we depend on the support of Alabamians like you. Memberships start out as little as $5 a month and you'll get access to exclusive content only offered to our members. You'll be supporting independent journalism done by people who cherish Alabama values. Become a member today by visiting 1819news.com and clicking Become a Member. That's 1819news.com and click Become a Member today. Alabama lawmakers are proposing another annual sales tax holiday for firearms and ammunition.

HB 360 has already been passed out of a House committee and will be debated by the full Alabama House. The bill proposes that the state sales tax holiday occur in August with municipalities and counties having the option to participate in waiving their taxes as well. This weekend is a state sales tax holiday for severe weather supplies. From Friday to Sunday night, emergency items that are used in cases of severe weather will be exempted from the state sales tax so families can stock up with things on their emergency preparedness list.

For more news affecting Alabamians, go to 1819news.com and while you're there, subscribe to the daily newsletter. Valley Broadcasting Corporation, WITK FM, Rogersville, Athens, Decatur, The Shores, Sports Radio 93.9, The Score. I love the exercise classes at the Senior Center and I love eating healthy, but it can be expensive. Benefitscheckup.org connected me to programs that help me pay for groceries. Visit Benefitscheckup.org today. Supported by the U.S. Administration for Community Living. Westwood One Sports presents this special update on the 2026 Winter Games. More drama in men's hockey.

Canada got a power play goal from Nathan McKinnon with 35 seconds left in regulation to stun Finland 3-2. That was after three overtime games in the quarterfinals. Canada rallied from 2-0 down and didn't have Captain Sidney Crosby, who will play the winner of the U.S. and Slovakia for gold. That second semifinal will start at 3-10 Eastern. Men's free ski half-pipe final. American Alex Ferreira is third after the first of three runs. He's looking for his third consecutive medal in this event, but first gold. American speed skater Brittany Bowes' last-ever Olympic race is a fourth-place finish in the 1,500 meters.

[57:07] Her third fourth-place finish at these games, but the 38-year-old did get engaged earlier this week to women's hockey captain Hillary Knight. With this Winter Games update, Brad Heller, Westwood One Sports. We just want to have enough money for retirement. And travel to visit our grandchildren. I understand. That's why at Fisher Investments, we start by getting to know each other. So I can learn about your family, lifestyle, goals and needs, allowing us to tailor your portfolio. What about commission-based products? We don't sell those. We're a fiduciary, obligated to act in your best interest.

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That's ethos.com slash game. Paid spokesperson. Time spent on application may vary. Online health questions required. Tide fans. Here comes the Tide. Let's roll. At one. For the win. Ball game. Ball game. Ball game. And the wins. Grab your hard hats and tune in for blue-collar basketball. With the Crimson Tide all season long, on your home for Alabama basketball. This Saturday, Alabama goes on the road to take on the LSU Tigers. Airtime is 4 p.m. with a tip at 5, here on 93.9 The Score. Brought to you locally in part by Nationwide Insurance Agents Michael Noe and Bill Cochran.

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Your weather from 93.9 The Score. 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 Tide. Tigers, Tennessee, and the rest of the SEC. Now, your host, Harold Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Welcome back in. I want you to the Boomo Bugg Show. I'm Harold Bugg alongside Brett Beaird. Thank you so much for giving us three rides around the Tennessee Valley. Can't wait to get to Mike.

Tuganen on deck, BB. But first, an update from the regionals, if you will. Well, you may have heard the game this morning, but the Florence girls, I thought this was going to be a close game with Hillcrest, Tuscaloosa. And it was Florence got close several times in the fourth quarter, but Hillcrest would make a play and eventually pulled away to beat Florence girls 69 to 62. And I mentioned this earlier. Most of the Shoals had a lead over Lee Huntsville entering the fourth quarter, but the Trojans also lost last night 62 to 57.

Both teams having very good seasons. Yeah, hats off to both teams. It's Mike Huganen now joining us in the huddle, National College football slash basketball analyst. Mike, welcome. It's a great time of the year for high school teams once you get the postseason, whether it's here or in your backyard of Florida. Would you agree? Yeah, I'm a big, I still like high school sports. My daughter's out of high school. I still occasionally go to high school football games. But yeah, high school basketball, I had a nephew who played.

He was a starting point guard at a school in Orlando. And it was, it was, he said it was a lot, you know, like, you know, he's also a big NBA fan. And he said the intensity definitely increases in the high school playoffs. Because, you know, if you make a mistake in game seven of the year, okay, big deal. If you make a mistake in a regional final or something, yeah, it could cause you, the season might be over. So, he enjoyed it. But yeah, it's fun to watch, especially when there are good players on view.

[1:02:39] Speaking of basketball, Mike, are you ready for what I guess a lot of us may actively call a mini Final Four weekend? Arizona to Houston, Michigan to Duke. It's hard to get better than that for a Final Four, is it not? Yeah, this is, this is a big time weekend. And we're getting closer to the end of the season, obviously. UConn Villanova's huge. And the Big East, Tennessee Vandy in the SEC. Iowa State's playing at BYU, which I think will help BYU. Alabama's playing LSU. That shouldn't be, LSU's bad.

But the Kentucky-Auburn game, to me, is vital for Auburn. At some point, Auburn needs to win some games. So, I know they have a, I guess, the toughest schedule in the country by Ken Palm, that analytic site. But there are two games under .500 in the league. I think they need to, they need another marking win under their belt. Does anybody have, has had a tougher job than Stephen Pearl? Number one, you're trying to fill the shoes of a legendary coach who just also happens to be your dad.

The expectations do not change, even though your position may change. Your thoughts, obviously, he has learned a lot this year. It's not as easy as it seems, because especially in the modern era, trying to sit here and massage all these kids' egos, an 18-, 19-year-old, let's face it, millionaire. It's been an on-the-job training supreme for Stephen Pearl, is it not? You know, and I think there are people out there who are, he did not really deserve the job, because he was his dad's main assistant, and he only got the job because of nepotism.

And I think there is a little bit of truth to that. But this is, this is a, you know, Keyshawn Hall missed a game two games ago. He's, I think, the key player. Pettiford's played relatively well all season, though. He cannot hit a three-pointer. It's, you know, this team is not as good as last year's. I think people expected them to have a better record than 14-12 at this point. But again, they have played the toughest schedule in the nation by some of the analytics. They played pretty good basketball until this latest stretch.

And losing five games in a row in February is not ideal, and that's why I think each of the next three games are, each of the next four, I think all five are winnable. But I would argue that they need to win at home if they want to get to the NCAA tournament. Mike, as you can guess, this state's still buzzing from one of the greatest games in the history of basketball, Wednesday night when Alabama held on to win 117 to 115. It reminded me of some of the Wilt Sanderson, Nolan Richardson games in the early 90s, and particularly the 90-89 game in 92 in Birmingham at the SEC tournament.

Derry Sankoff, I mean, what can you say about 49 points? Phylon, Peyton Shirell has improved dramatically. Mike, Mike, your thoughts on a game for the ages in Tuscaloosa? A heck of a lot of fun if you didn't care who won. Acuff played all 50 minutes. 49 points in a losing effort. Phylon, yeah, was tremendous. Aiden Shirell got it going in the second half. Both teams shot exceptionally well. I think a lot of that was pitiful defense. But at the same time, you had guys making shots, making their free throws, the fifth, there was some crisp passing.

It was a heck of a game, a heck of a lot of fun to watch that game. And Alabama, you know, they trailed 13 points basically midway to the second half and found a way to claw back into it. Extremely impressive win. Again, and not much bench points. Alabama had 13 bench points. Arkansas had eight. And these teams both scored almost 120. So the starting five for both teams, Yeoman efforts. But, yeah, Phylon and Acuff especially were just tremendous. It's hard to believe, is it not, Mike? Basically, two weeks left in the regular season for ACC basketball.

How does it finish? It looks like Tennessee, I'm sorry, Tennessee, Florida right now is the dog to catch. And talking about Alabama, will they hang on and get a double bye in a tournament, the SEC tournament? Your thoughts about the finish of these next two weeks across the league? Talking for positions still at the top. I mean, three teams tied at nine and four for second place. And you've got, I think it's five teams tied at eight and five. So there is a lot that can still happen in the final two weeks.

[1:07:40] It's going to be extremely entertaining. And I think that, you know, the double bye can be a positive. It can be a negative. If you're playing really good basketball and no injuries, I think a double bye actually can hurt a little bit. If you've got guys hurt, having a double bye makes a big difference. And in those situations also, if you have a double bye, you're hoping for chaos the first couple days. You want the better teams out before they have to play you. You know, I would think if I was a Florida, Tennessee, Arkansas, Alabama, man, I hope LSU goes on a run, or I hope South Carolina goes on a run, because those would be much easier to be.

No question. Who are your, Bill Bender of the Sporting News, good friend of ours, and he does a, I think he's on 3.0 as far as projecting the NCAA field. He's got Michigan, Duke, Arizona, and I know the Wildcats have lost two games. That's late, Houston, and then I know UConn got upset by Creighton, Iowa State, Purdue. They've lost a couple of games. Illinois, Alexandra. Who are Mike Huguenin's number one seeds? That game tomorrow is obviously gigantic. It'll be extremely entertaining, but Michigan right now seems to be on a different level than everybody else.

Yeah. I think they would be the overall number one seed. I can see Duke being a number one seed. I think the other number one seed is sort of up for grabs. I don't think UConn's going to get it because the Big East is not that strong. So you're looking at Arizona, Illinois, Houston, Iowa State. I think they're going to be, out of that group, they'll be the other number one seed. I think the question is, does Florida get a number two if they win the SEC regular season and make a nice run in the SEC tournament?

I don't think any other SEC team has a chance to be a two. I think there could be a three and maybe even two fours from the SEC. But, yeah, the number one seed thing can be overrated a little bit. But last year, the entire Final Four was number one seed. Mike, you're going to National College Football slash Basketball. Analyst, you live, of course, in Orlando. Your reaction to the boys and girls' business in Tallahassee, the Florida Senate, passes the Teddy Bridgewater Act. Was that allowing K-12 coaches to use up to $15,000 of personal funds to, quote, assist players?

Mike, your take. Florida, for all its high school football success, does not pay its coaches a lot of money. They get a stipend of less than $5,000. So, you know, I know Bridgewater got in trouble for that and left coaching. Well, Teddy Bridgewater is a multi-millionaire. I don't think there's a – well, actually, there's a couple of former NFL players who are high school football coaches. But for the most part, you know, the idea that you're going to help your kids with money, I think, is a pipe dream.

You know, maybe booster clubs can raise money. But I'm not sure if that is allowed either. But, yeah, you know, in Georgia, in Texas, not a big deal because you've got coaches making six-year-old contracts. I know most high – I actually know a salary of a high school football coach in my area is about $61,000 because he's a veteran teacher. Wow. That's including the stipend. Wow. So, Florida high school – well, Florida teachers don't get paid a lot, and Florida high school football and basketball coaches are not raking it in like they're brethren nationwide.

Goodness gracious. Listen, enjoy the weekend. Some great games. Yeah. Going down the stretch for college basketball. The weather has warmed up a little bit, thank God. Have a great weekend. Let's do this again next Friday. Mike, you're going to hook it up with us. National College football slash basketball analyst down in Orlando. Coming up, a mixed bag of emotions from Tennessee with Ryan Callahan on deck. Stay with us. Hey, Falcon fans. This is Keith at Cypress Creek Indoor Range. At Cypress Creek Indoor Range, we prepare you to provide your own safety.

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Hey, boo. Man, we are so melancholy today, Ryan. We talked earlier. We lost a colleague of ours, John Malone, long-time pro and one-time program director at WSM in Nashville. Of course, the legendary station and the only two stations in Tennessee down at Fayetteville. He passed yesterday. And then, Ryan, I took a double take this morning. I looked up and I saw the news about someone who you are, I'm sure, near and dear to or was. And that is Wes Rucker's shocking news for the Tennessee sports media.

Yeah, it's been a tough day. Just stunned, obviously, when I heard the news yesterday and just heartbroken for his wife, his four-year-old son. He's got a daughter on the way. Just a devastating loss. And, yeah, he'd had some health problems years ago and overcame those. And it was just such a – I mean, it's been awesome to see such an outpouring of support and so many people sharing their memories of him. It's been a tough day. But, yeah, the amazing support and the way people respond has been amazing.

[1:18:37] They've got a – the GoFundMe, they started this morning. And last time I checked, it was already up over $200,000. Wow. For his family. So, Tennessee fans really rallied around it. And, yeah, it's just an awful, awful loss. And still doesn't seem real. But, yeah, he and I started Go Vols 24-7 basically together. Or we're hired to start it back in late 2010. And I probably wouldn't have gotten the job if it weren't for him, to be honest. And, yeah, so we – it was just me and him for the first six years.

And then we finally started adding some people to the site and got to be a bigger staff. But, yeah, spent almost 15 years working with him there on the site. And it's not going to seem real for a while. I'm sure that he's gone. But just an unimaginable loss at only 43 years old. Wow. Wes, quickly, we understand it was a horrific crash there on I-41 just west of Knoxville. Yeah, kind of on the west side of Knoxville, just getting out of town. I think he was on his way to pick up his son.

So the only saving grace there is at least his son was not involved. But, yeah, just – yeah. I mean, I had just done a show earlier. He's been working with the NBC affiliate in Knoxville, WBIR, the last several months. And has an afternoon show that goes from 3 to 4 and I think was on his way from there or shortly after being there on his way to pick up his son. So, yeah, horrible crash and just obviously one of those unfortunate reminders that we get in life that it's so fleeting and can be taken away at any moment.

And, yeah, just hard to believe. Yeah, our prayers are certainly with his family. I saw an avalanche on social media about that last night. But on a little bit of a brighter note, Tennessee routes Oklahoma 89 to 66. Nate, Amy, it keeps doing his thing. Twenty-nine points to Kobe Gillespie, 16. Dwayne Brown from River, Alabama, shipped in 13. Big game with Vandy tomorrow. Your thoughts of where Tennessee is right now? Yeah, playing pretty well. They've won eight of their past ten games and seem to have, you know, as we've kind of talked about here the past few weeks, they seem to have really, you know, kind of found the sweet spot of how they need to play.

And they were sort of searching for that the first half of the season. They've really found it here lately. You know, they're still a different kind of team where they don't have, you know, just a consistently amazing outside presence. But they find ways to get offense, and Nate Amitt has kind of become the straw that stirs the drink. And their post presence is definitely, you know, for such a game that's become so guard-oriented in recent years. You know, they're a bit of a change-up for most teams that they're not used to seeing with all their post players that they can throw at you.

And, you know, even without J.P. Estrella the other night against Oklahoma, still playing pretty well inside and dominating the boards in most games. So, yeah, we'll see how they fare against Vanderbilt. That's a big game for them. They've got a chance to improve their seed here maybe down the stretch. They've kind of gotten some five- and six-seed projections lately. They could easily climb into the four or potentially even three range if they play well down the stretch with some bigger games still to come. Alabama next weekend comes to Knoxville.

So, still some big games out there that could help their resume quite a bit. But they've been playing well, and there's reason to think they could maybe climb up a little bit higher in the rankings. Your thoughts about the matchup with Vandy and Rick Barnes, 250 wins at Tennessee. Ryan, the Tennessee fans appreciate this, man. I think they do, but, you know, you're reminded every mark that it's probably not enough because, you know, he's a guy that's taken a beating after some of their, especially their earlier exits in the NCAA tournament.

And, obviously, it's a product of his own success that fans have almost been let down that they can't get past B-8. But, yeah, I've talked to some other people in this market about it. I think the people who can see it objectively, I think, believe he's the best coach Tennessee's ever had at this point with what he's accomplished. And, obviously, Ray Mears was well thought of years ago. Bruce Pearl did a pretty amazing job to bring the program back from the dead, essentially, in the 2000s.

But, you know, he was there for six years. And even at the end of his time there, they weren't quite at the same level as where he was his first couple years. So, yeah, they just – he's been remarkably consistent. And, yeah, like you said, 250 wins to do that at two different schools, that's a remarkable accomplishment. And he's done it in a much shorter time than I would have expected based on his first couple years. It started off slow, but once he got it going, man, it's been consistent.

And they're a team that every year you think of as a possible Sweet 16 team. I don't know how many times we've talked with you in the last five years that Tennessee, either in the second round or the Sweet 16, they have that game to where they have an offensive lull. And Tennessee can't score and they get behind and they come back and they just can't win and get to the lead eight or the final four. But I think that's what Tennessee fans remember more than anything else.

[1:23:55] But you're exactly right. He has been very consistent in the regular season. I know they've had some losses in the SEC tournament, but they always remember that one loss where they have an offensive lull in the NCAA tournament. Well, and they've had some tough matchups. Let's not forget they lost to a Purdue team a couple years ago that obviously had a remarkable big man to everyone have to deal with. Yeah, and Houston last year, a team that nearly wins the national championship. So they've run into some really good teams that have been difficult matchups for everybody, basically, and lost some tough ones to those teams.

They didn't play their best game against Houston last year. But yeah, as you said, offense has often been their problem. They've had a little bit more firepower the last couple years with guys like Dalton Kinect and Chaz Lanier. This team's built a little differently. We'll see. You know, he's had some different ways of doing it. Rick Barnes has at Tennessee. This team is a little interesting because they don't rely on the three-point shot nearly as much, but they can do that on some days. They've got to take a little better care of the basketball.

That's been an issue for them this year, too many turnovers in too many games. But if they can keep things under control in that way, they're a pretty fascinating team, and they've always played good defense under him. So that gives you a chance even on days where you don't have things completely firing on all cylinders offensively. Brian, quickly in 30 seconds, will we hear in the next 30 years the ruling from the judge on Joey Aguilar? I think it'll be pretty soon. He said a week ago during the hearing that it would be very soon or in very short order.

So there's reason to think it'll be pretty soon. Well, we'll see. I thought there would be one this week, frankly. A little surprised there hasn't been one yet, but it should be any day now in theory. And, yeah, there's still some optimism, but after that hearing last week, a little less certainty about how it's going to go. Brian, listen, man, again, our thoughts and prayers with you and, of course, with Wes's family. I know it's a tough time for you right now, but hang in there, and thanks so much for your time today.

Absolutely. Appreciate it, guys. Thank you, bud. Brian Callahan, Go Vols 24-7. Quickly, baby, for the folks who missed it, a tough morning for Florence Girls, Muscle Shoals, boys. Yeah, they lost 69-62 to Hillcrest, Tuscaloosa, and more. And Muscle Shoals lost to Lee last night, 62-57. Speaking of, the end is near. The Olympics are looking at the finish line, but not without some veins and fireworks. The very latest from Italy, straight ahead here on 93.9, the score. Westwood 1 Sports presents this special update on the 2026 Winter Games, sponsored by Grainger.

Grainger for the ones who get it done. Men's hockey semifinals, Nathan McKinnon scored with 35 seconds left in regulation on the power play. And Canada beat Finland 3-2 after being down 2-0. Captain Sidney Crosby didn't play because of a lower body injury. No word yet on his status for Sunday's gold medal game against either the U.S. or Slovakia. Face-off for that one in about 45 minutes. The U.S. is in the semis for the first time since 2014 in Sochi and hasn't medaled since 2010. One more run to go in the men's free ski half-pipe final.

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Progressive presents the Sports Flash on 93.9. The score. In college baseball action today, the Alabama Crimson Tide back home to host Rhode Island. Crimson Tide is 4-1 on the season. North Alabama will host St. Louis. The Lions are 3-2 to start the year. South Alabama will play in South Carolina today against College of Charleston. South Alabama is 3-1 on the season. Troy Trojans back home tonight. They'll host Campbell. Troy is 1-3 on the year. Ninth-ranked Auburn is in Arlington, Texas. They'll take on unbeaten Kansas State tonight.

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Justin, welcome in. How are you? I'm all right, here we go. You guys, you've been wearing a lot of hats as always, but especially, I guess, right now. I mean, for the weekend wardrobe or the upcoming wardrobe, do you have on a basketball? Do you have on a baseball? Are you getting ready to break out your football hat? You wear a lot of hats, do you not, Justin? Try to, at least. Yeah, basketball, obviously, taking center stage this weekend. Outlet game tomorrow night against Kentucky. Auburn, you know, in the midst of a pretty big losing streak right now.

[1:34:19] They've got to start winning to feel like they've got a good shot at making the NCAA tournament. So, it's going to be a big one here tomorrow night here in Neville Arena. The thing is, you bring up a good point, Justin, because this is, to say the least, what's the big word? Enigmatic, this team this season. Who's played a tougher schedule than Auburn? Yet, they're trying to avoid a streak that could jeopardize and put a pin in the bubble for the NCAA tournament. Is there any way of finding the right words as far as the importance of this game coming up tomorrow against a pretty good brand when it comes to college basketball?

Oh, yeah. It's absolutely massive because Auburn lost. It's kind of room for error by losing to the state on Wednesday night the way they did, especially. Just a really frustrating game for Auburn because, you know, they let a guy score 35 in the first half and hit a ton of threes and still find a way to lead that game by seven late and then, obviously, let it go away and kind of blew that lead and then lost down the stretch. So, that was the first time Auburn really lost to a team that's, like, not really in the NCAA tournament picture this season.

And that kind of had been a big strength of their resume. It's like, yes, they beat Florida on the road, they beat Arkansas the first time, they beat St. John's, they beat some good teams this season. But it was like, okay, Auburn has had a really, really tough schedule, and they played hard, and they haven't really gotten crushed, you know, in SEC play, and they've taken care of business against teams they should be taking care of business against. Well, that goes out the window on Wednesday night.

So, now, moving forward, you've got to win because you don't want to be a team that continues to scuffle down the stretch of the season. So, tomorrow, against Kentucky, you know, of the quad one games Auburn has left this season, of the three that they have left in the regular season, this one is the only home one. So, you don't want to go out there and get it against this Kentucky team that's coming into this game, having lost back-to-back on their own. Quickly, before we move on, you mentioned the performance by Hubbard.

I mean, that's amazing. That kid's phenomenal. The reason I bring it up, Justin, have you ever seen a bigger collection of guards in the SEC than you've got? You've got Hubbard there. Acuff at Arkansas is off the charts. Phylon's pretty good at Alabama, and that's just the beginning of it. Have you ever seen a bigger collection, and how would you like to be in charge of picking the top first-team All-ACC guards this season? Yeah, it's going to be extremely difficult. You know, I usually vote on the SEC awards at the end of the season, and I'm like, I was having a conversation the other day with somebody about just the first-team list, and I'm like, okay, well, I have, like, seven guards I can put on that list.

Y'all got Tyler Tanner at Vanderbilt. You know, might have been having the best season of any of them right now. And so, you know, pretty much every team has a really, really good guard or two. I mean, Auburn has been struggling, but it's been Todd Pettiford's best stretch of maybe his career to this point in the last few games. So, it's like, yeah, I mean, this is a really guard-heavy league. You know, I think Florida might be the only team where you can feel like their front line is better than their backcourt.

And it's a rare spot to be in. And Auburn's got, you know, tomorrow night against Kentucky. They get, you know, we mentioned all those guys. Otega Owe, the wing, comes in tomorrow night for Kentucky. He's got more 20-point games than anybody in the SEC this season. Wow. We mentioned all those guys, and no one has consistently scored as much as Otega Owe has. So, it's going to be a really tough matchup again for Auburn. One of the differences in your website than others is you travel all over the country.

I know you've been to Arizona. You've been to Purdue, just to mention, too. And you've seen a lot of great players this year. And, again, I go back to Auburn's strength of schedule, which is number one or number two in the nation, which is why I keep saying if Auburn can win some games here down the stretch, that I think they're going to be in, whether it's an 8-9 or 10-speed. But, Hubbard is listed at 6 feet. I think he's probably closer to 5'9". Wow. Several people told me he made about four shots in that first half that are nearly inhumanly possible.

Yeah. And he went off on Alabama and start the last year for 30-something. How would you describe his first-half performance in throwing up shots with guys all over him and they'd go in? Yeah, I know. It's remarkable. I mean, it's one of the best shooting performances I've ever seen because it didn't matter what was happening. It was just going to go in. I think from Auburn's perspective, they get really frustrated in this game because they let him get caught. And, like, you don't give up. You know, he hit nine threes in the first half.

This is insane. Stephen Pearl told us today, he said, if you go back and watch, you know, if you go back and watch the film, more than half of those threes are because we did not do something correctly on defense and we gave him the room to hit those shots. Now, some of them, I can remember four of them in particular, where it's like it didn't matter if you had the whole team on it. That ball was going up and that was going in. So, I think for Auburn, it's just really, really frustrating for them to see a guy get caught like that because he was the top of the top of the court.

[1:39:29] And by not executing what they were supposed to do, they let him get caught. So, once a guy like that gets confidence, once a guy who is such, he's got the greenest light of anybody in the country, when he gets going, the rim looks like a hula hoop to him. It doesn't matter what you throw at him defensively. So, for Auburn, it's just, you know, that was what was really, really frustrating because, yes, he hit some shots that he might have been the only player in the country who could hit those shots on that night.

But they felt like the majority of them was, okay, we let him get caught. And Auburn's had that happen to him this season. The only way to stop a guy like that is try to get him in foul trouble and get him out of the game as early as possible. Justin Ferguson, Auburn Observer. Justin, talk to us what Stephen Pearl's learned this season. Let's face it, he got in on that job late. He has to fill the big shoes of his papa. And he's had discipline issues on and off.

It's been, I'm sure, he's obviously a different coach now than game one. And talk to us about the first year of Stephen Pearl. Yeah, I mean, it's been a difficult one. It's been a challenging one. There's no doubt about it. You know, it felt like Auburn has not caught a lot of breaks this season. You know, you've got two players you expected to be in your rotation who have been out pretty much all year with injuries. You've got two freshmen that were kind of put behind the eight ball early on and haven't been able to break into the rotation because of it.

You've had, you know, had to, you know, put your foot down a little bit tighter on, you know, discipline issues this season with a brand new roster. I do think they've done a good job of showing resilience. This is a team that continues to fight back and, you know, come back. And it doesn't matter if they've been beaten before or what the losing streak is or what it does on the scoreboard. They're going to keep swinging. So I think that's a testament to what he's, you know, he's done.

But I think Auburn's lack of depth this season has really put a strain on what Auburn wants to do. Stephen Pearl's a defensive guy, right? Like, that was his job at Auburn. It's hard to play defense the way Auburn wants to play defense if you only play in seven downs. And I think you're seeing that here in the stretch where Auburn has struggled to get stops and has really struggled defensively in this losing streak. What you have there is a situation where I think, yes, Auburn needs to play better with that guy.

Absolutely. But also, you're deep into a season and you just don't have the depth that you're used to having. So, you know, you've still got to finish this season. You can still play better. You can still try to make your way into the NCAA tournament. Those would all be big. But I think moving forward, for Stephen Pearl, we start talking about year two for Auburn. I wouldn't be surprised when they look at the roster this year, bring back who they want to get. But I would think, you know, Auburn's going to try to get a more experienced and deeper roster out of the portal this upcoming season because, you know, that's the only way I think they can play defense the way they want to play.

First things first, obviously, right now, people look at this situation tomorrow and it's doom and gloom for Auburn. The other way of looking at it, by the way, Kentucky fans say the Wildcats have had some bumping roads to this season. Yeah. Your thoughts as far as, it's all about matchups. Sometimes you can be the heavy favorite on paper and then you get into it and boom, you get yourself embarrassed. On the other side of the coin, sometimes fans can, other teams can take you lightly because you're riding this losing streak.

Your thoughts realistically about the matchup of the Cats. I think both of these teams are pretty desperate at this point. Kentucky's lost back-to-back games. You know, they want to keep slipping down the stretch. And I think Auburn, obviously, is in a really tough spot with what has gone on these last few weeks playing at home. These teams are pretty balanced on paper. I think Auburn, not as good on defense as Kentucky is, but better on offense this season. I think if you look at stuff like Kim Hom and T-Rank and, you know, Nett and stuff like that, it's a pretty balanced matchup.

That's why Auburn's a, you know, very slight home favorite, basically a home-court advantage favorite in this one tomorrow. So, you know, here's the thing. My thing about Kentucky is, you know, pretty sure they are fully capable of coming in here and beating Auburn. I think they're always great. Colin Chandler's, like, not missing any threes right now, which bodes pretty tough for Auburn's defense because they've really struggled against the three-point line. Denzel Aberdeen's played well on the road this season as well. You know, all that to say, this Kentucky team, I look at them, and I don't see something they're absolutely fantastic at.

Like, I don't know what they have, like, are they elite in anything? Probably not. So, this isn't like the normal Kentucky team we see coming in here. I still think they're a good basketball team. I think they're kind of averaged by Kentucky standards. So, for Auburn, it's just, you have an opportunity here, right? This isn't, you know, this isn't the, you know, a team with five first-round NBA graphics. But it is a brand. It is a brand school. And it is a team that Auburn has done well at and get home here these last few seasons.

They've done a good job of getting up for these games, and they've got to do that on Saturday night. It is a big game for sure. And Kentucky, you know what Kentucky's capable of. They beat Tennessee twice this season. They've got some really good wins on their resume. Auburn's got some really good wins on their resume, too. They've got to get back to playing that way. And I think the matchup at home, no time like the present. They've got to come out and play pretty desperately from the beginning.

[1:44:40] Yeah, unfortunately, for the next two and a half weeks, all we're going to hear is, well, is Auburn on the bubble? Are they in or they're out? And I keep saying their strength of schedule, with that matrix, the basketball selection committee actually put some emphasis on strength of schedule, unlike someone else. They've got the number one or number two strength of schedule. They've beaten a St. John's team that had run off 12 or 13 consecutive wins. North Carolina State, 8-3. Or they may have lost a game. But Arkansas, Florida, one-point loss to Houston.

If they can pick up some wins down the stretch, I still say the strength of schedule and the quad one wins are going to get them in. Yeah, no, I mean, it's definitely possible, I think. I think you could have like an 8-10 SEC record with the strength of schedule Auburn has and still feel pretty good about your shot again in the tournament. Maybe you could help yourself out a little bit in Nashville at the SEC. So, yeah, it's a situation where you just got to go in there and take advantage, right?

You have no more margin for error, but you're not done. You're not toast. You're not looking at it and saying, oh, Auburn's got to sweep the rest of the season to get in. No, the strength of schedule is big. And I think, you know, Auburn's lost 12 games this year. And there's not a team with double-digit losses in the country that has a resume like Auburn. I can basically sum it up like this. Would we, you know, five straight losses, yeah, it's tough. Like, Auburn fans would be mad about that and frustrated about that, and rightfully so with any of them.

But what if this team was only at nine losses? And instead of going and playing Arizona and Michigan and Purdue, they played three paycheck games like some of these other teams the SEC has had. Well, it wouldn't have helped them any. It would be a better record, but their resume would look exactly the same, maybe not a little worse. So, I think for Auburn, it's just you've got to stay the course, and you've got to start with, because you don't want to be, every loss gets closer and closer to the bottom.

So, if they want to stay on the right side of the bubble, they need to win tomorrow night and then keep going from there. Take one game at a time, because that's all you can do. I know football and basketball is yours especially, but Auburn baseball is in Arlington, Texas this weekend at Globe Life Field. I believe they've got Kansas State tonight, number nine Florida State tomorrow, and then Louisville either tomorrow or Sunday. Quite an opportunity for Auburn to find out a little bit more about how good they are.

And, once again, if they win a couple of these games, it would really help them down the road. And they need to hit the ball. That has kind of been their problem so far this year. They got beat pretty badly in a midweek game to Cincinnati earlier this week. You know, they swept Youngstown to open the season last weekend, but two of those games, their first few, they could barely hit the ball at all. Had to win kind of late in those games. Game three, they kind of exploded and hit the ball really well.

But, through four games, I think somebody was telling me today that if you take out that game three against Youngstown State, Auburn's batting less than 200 as a team in every other game. So, this is a good opportunity to kind of reset, refocus, get some bats going, get your offense kind of heated up a little bit. Auburn's pitching staff and defense has been great this start of the season. But, you know, you're going to play some more quality competition, get some better at bats together, and kind of push on from there.

Because it's kind of funny, we thought that this Auburn team, their strength was going to be their offense. So far this season, it's been their pitching, which you can look at it one of two ways. The offense has got to bring it back up, but at least you may be a little bit ahead of schedule with that pitching and the defense. Yeah, I think they've given up four runs this season, again, in just that series, 2-1, 2-1, 17-2, which is not too bad. Again, you've got the e-mails on Wednesday morning, the mailbag on Friday, the podcast.

I know you've got a lot of pre-game, post-game for the Cats. Where can we get online to get all of it? Yeah, AuburnObserver.com, check it out there. This morning we did a podcast, you know, talking about the Auburn-Mississippi State game, looking ahead to the Kentucky games. You can check that out tomorrow, I'll have a full preview of Auburn-Mississippi up on the Observer. So if you subscribe, you get everything sent to you, and you're e-mailing about a lot of basketball right now. But we're getting closer and closer to the start of football.

Spring football will be coming up. We'll have a little bit more of that as time goes on. And, yeah, we will be carrying on. You know, it's kind of funny, I get back from Mississippi State yesterday and get back up here to the arena today and then have the game tomorrow night, and then I'm leaving for Oklahoma on Monday because they play on Tuesday night in Norman. So I'm constantly on the move, but, you know, that's what happens this time of year. So AuburnObserver.com, you can get all the stuff that we send out from here on the road.

Another 10-pound of sugar and a 5-pound sack. Stay safe out there, Justin. Have a good weekend, all right? Yeah, y'all too. Appreciate it. Thank you. Justin Ferguson, the Auburn Observer. BB, you're talking about Jampak. Coming up this afternoon, 3 o'clock, baseball, UNA in St. Louis over at Mike D. Lane Field. Coming up tomorrow here on 93.9, the score at 11.55 pregame. You heard it right. The Braves and Raves. And then, of course, tomorrow afternoon we're at 4 o'clock, Alabama basketball against LSU. Then on Sunday, Alabama women's basketball with Florida 10.45 in the morning.

[1:50:09] Followed by Alabama baseball at 1 o'clock against Rhode Island. Brett Beaird, are you ready to rip the knobs off the sucker? Yeah, well, I was going to say, if you want to listen to a lot of entertaining games, just turn the Q&A to 93.9 to score. Monday, as far as the regional action, these are two night games. Wilson Girls versus Good Hope. Wilson beat West Morgan. Good Hope beat Destler Girls. That game is at 7.30. And following that, the Destler Boys versus West Morgan. That may tip off at 9.15 or 9.30.

Ryan Pounder said, we tried to get the game earlier, and they did not want us to play then. And we'll talk about this on Monday. But yeah, two games. And then Lauderdale County Girls against the Mars Hill Boys on Tuesday at 4. The girls at 4, and then the boys in Morris Hill, Lauderdale County at 5.45. We'll go over that on Monday. In the meantime, have a safe weekend. We want to see you back here on Monday. It's going to take care of business now. On behalf of BB, Greg, James Blair, the entire crew here.

Carol Buck, thank you just so much for your time today. Let's do it again. Noon to 2 Monday for the Boom on Buck Show. Back here on Sports Radio, 93.9 to score. We'll be right back. We'll be right back.