Boomo Bugg Show 031826

[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. New Exclusive Inside Track to the Tide, 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 where the curtain comes up on Auburn football while it comes down for one Tiger basketball star. Good afternoon, welcome in and how are you?

Happy Wednesday to you and the listeners. As you alluded to, Auburn rallies in the second half to beat South Alabama 78-67 in the NIT. And Nathan Keene will tell us how the Tigers did it a little bit later. Five SEC teams, Vandy, Arkansas, Texas, Texas A&M and Georgia tip off tomorrow in the SEC tournament. Ten teams overall in the SEC are playing in the tournament. And good friend Mike Huguenin will tell us how many of those ten could advance to the Sweet 16. Matt checking in for the big O, Orlando.

He is the National College football slash basketball analyst down there. Mike, welcome in to basketball heaven, if you will. How are you? Yeah, doing well. And, you know, if every NCAA tournament game is as good as the two last night, which both literally came down to the last second, this is going to be an epically good tournament. Mike, obviously, this is playing night tonight. To me, one of the more intriguing matchups is the SMU in Miami of Ohio. How many had it, what's the proverbial saying, 5% these days, had this game on their bingo card as creating this much intrigue a few weeks ago.

But your thoughts about, we know they've got other matchups tonight involving Lehigh, but your thoughts about the SMU and the Bruce Pearl special, Miami of Ohio. Yeah, Miami of Ohio is a really efficient offensive team. They shoot the ball well, not overly big, not overly athletic, but they shoot the ball well. If you're an old-school basketball person, you like Miami of Ohio because of their offense. SMU has two really good guards. It's a problem. One of those guards, B.J. Edwards, missed games late with an injury.

There is a question as to whether he will even play at all tonight. SMU said, well, we expect him back. But, you know, I don't know. People know, coaches lie. Really? But SMU's lead guard is Boopi Miller, great nickname, a really high-level player. He and Edwards would be too much for Miami of Ohio. But if Edwards does not play, or if he's a little bit still banged up, Miami of Ohio can win. Again, I think that there's a certain segment of college basketball fans that want to see Miami go at least win once or twice.

I think there's also a segment that wants them to get blown out so they can say, see, I said they weren't in the tournament at all, and this is true. But I think, yeah, there's a lot of intrigue for a play-in game between two programs that, yeah, are, in some respects, lucky to be in the field. Yeah. The Hogs win the SEC tournament, beating Vandia on Sunday, and they are a very good team. Everybody knows about Darius Acuff Jr., but I thought Brazil was the MVP of the championship game.

Malik Thomas and Mitchell and other friends there. If Cale gets Arkansas to the Final Four, he will be the first head coach in NCAA history to reach the Final Four with four different schools. Mike, can you get him there? I don't think so. Acuff is a high-level player. Yeah. He's going to be the first, you know, I think he goes in the top five. He has a lot of freedom to do what he wants in Calipari's offense. You know, Arkansas put together a nice run. They beat Oklahoma.

They were, I think, sort of lucky to beat Ole Miss, and then they sort of dominated Vandy. I think Hawaii gives them a somewhat tough game in the first round. But, I mean, this, you know, Florida blew them out. Auburn blew them out. Georgia blew them by 14. The thing is, for the most part, though, they've lost a good team. And Acuff is a difference maker. I think, you know, Malik Thomas is another freshman who plays well. I think the key, though, is they need two of the big guys, Pringle, Brazil, and Ewan, to play well.

[5:18] Nick Pringle, sort of not always all together. Malik Ewan sometimes doesn't show up either. So, you know, Billy Richmond's good. DJ Wagner has his moments. But I think you know Acuff and Thomas are going to play well. They need two of their three big guys to play well. And let's see if that happens. In the huddle with Mike Huguenin checking in from Orlando. Mike, let's talk about the team that has a lot of name brand in our neck of the woods, Alabama. We saw what happened with Ole Miss.

And now comes, of all the people out there, and this is what you love about March Madness. Hofstra, only in the NCAA basketball tournament can you have these type matchups. We know what people are saying on paper, but do they know enough about Hofstra? Your thoughts about the matchup? And oh, by the way, Alabama will be without Mr. Holloway. Yeah, and Hofstra legitimately has two really good guards. Cruz Davis and Preston Edmead. Edmead's a freshman who will not be at Hofstra next year. He is going to be a rich kid in about two weeks.

Cruz Davis also is going to be moving on, too. But this is a really good backcourt. Cruz Davis is an excellent three-point shooter. Preston Edmead is a really good shooter. They have a seven-footer who weighs 280 pounds in the middle. Zero offensive game, but he's seven foot 280. He is a defensive presence. And you wonder about, they also got a guy named Biggie, Biggie Patterson. And you got to like guys named Biggie playing basketball. So you mentioned the Aiden Holloway situation. That is going to be an issue.

You're getting ready to play the NCAA tournament. Your second-leading scorer gets booted off the team. That is a distraction. It's going to be brought up every time. Oh, or a player speaks to the media. So they can say, well, it's not going to be a big deal. It is a big deal. And Hofstra has the guards to take advantage. Byline is going to be the best player on the court. The question is, with Holloway out, who steps up to help him? And again, the Hofstra guards are for real.

So it took on added intrigue when Holloway was booted. Mike, let me ask you about the 5-12 matchup in that Tampa pod. Akron, 28-5 versus the 5-seed Texas Tech. Texas Tech lost Tomp and JT Tomp and earlier in February. And Akron, Mike, scored a lot of points. Their top five scorers are seniors, which you see with so many of these mid-American teams. But they've only played three teams in the Ken Palm top 100 all year. And they lost all three. Mike, your thoughts about, I know Akron is a trendy upset pick.

Akron and Texas Tech. You know, if Tomp was there, Texas Tech would probably be a 3- or 4-seed. And his loss, he took away the team's best player. A second-team All-American, even though he was hurt. And you're right. I mean, Akron lost five years total. But they lost to Purdue, Yale, Monmouth, Ohio, all top 100 teams. And Troy beat them by 10 in Troy. But you mentioned the fact that these guys are extremely experienced. The top six players, all from the state of Ohio, which is rare. Two Ohio State transfers.

Another really good backcourt, De'Berry Johnson and Shama Scott. They are extremely athletic. They also are extremely small. They're one of the 20 smallest teams in the entire nation. And they don't get to the free throw line. They're totally perimeter oriented. So, you know, Texas Tech still has Christian Anderson, who's a stud, point guard. They are going to miss Toppen. But you figure Texas Tech has enough talent to still win this game. But they also come in having lost three in a row. And they really, you know, the last time we saw them on the court, Iowa State blew their doors.

BYU beat them. TCU beat them. They lost to Arizona State late in February, which is an embarrassingly bad loss. There is reason to think that Akron can pull the upset. And I mentioned the fact that Akron is small. Well, Texas Tech is exceedingly small now without Toppen. So, going to be a bunch of 6'5", 6'6", rangy dudes and a couple 6'1", guards running around the court. I think Akron has a legit chance to pull the upset. Texas Tech vastly better defensively. But Akron is not a mid-major in terms of athleticism.

[10:36] These dudes are extremely athletic. And if this game is played in the 80s, Akron is going to win. I don't think Texas Tech will let that happen, though. Man, with the encyclopedic mind, Mike Huguenin, you mentioned their name. They've been invoked. That is Troy, taking on Nebraska. And for longtime fans, these two have met before on the football field. Troy actually upset the Huskers back in the day when they were coming up the ranks in football. This is a popular pick as far as the Trojans could do it again, this time in basketball.

Mike, your thoughts on that? And who will be the biggest giant slayer this opening weekend? Yes, Scott Cross has done a great job at Troy. He's at Texas Arlington, and he never got to the NCAA tournament. And their AD got a little bit miffed and fired him. And you're like, Texas Arlington has fallen into the abyss. And meanwhile, Scott Cross has Troy playing really well. But it's relative. I mean, Nebraska has never won an NCAA tournament game. That has been a basketball wasteland. Fred Hoiberg has done a really nice job.

They play really good offense. They're extremely efficient. They're relatively athletic. Troy, for the upset, Dowd and Valdez have to combine for about 45 points, I think. And if that happens, yeah, Troy can win. But I don't think Nebraska lets that happen. You know, this is a gigantic disparity in terms of the 10-time ratings, about 100 spots. But Dowd and Valdez are fun players to watch, guys who Scott Cross signed and developed. These are juniors who haven't played anywhere else. So, I think Troy can keep this interesting for about 30 minutes.

But I think, ultimately, Nebraska wins. But there's also so much more pressure on Nebraska. Everybody expects it to win. You've got to get your first NCAA tournament win. And that should help Troy as well. Because the longer this game stays close, the more pressure on Nebraska. Let me ask you, before we let you go, who are some of your first-round upset picks? I think Cal Baptist has a legit chance to beat Kansas. Cal Baptist making its NCAA, its first-ever NCAA appearance. A scrappy bunch of guys who play really good defense.

And Kansas, they're ultra-talented. They don't – they're not consistent. And if Darren Peterson, you know, isn't healthy or isn't feeling it, that team suffers. So, I think that's a very interesting one. I think VCU beats North Carolina. North Carolina without Caleb Wilson is a shell of its former self. I think Akron has a legit chance to win. And I mentioned him earlier. But I think the best one, the best chance is – I also think South Florida is going to beat Louisville. USF, they've got a Division II point guard transfer, famous folks, who's a really good player.

They like to get up and down the court. And Louisville, in its two seasons under Pat Kelsey, they beat a lot of bad teams. And they struggled against a good team. USF's a good team. I'm not buying the McNeese over Vanderbilt hype. I just don't think McNeese is that good. But I think that if you're looking for a for sure upset pick, I think VCU takes down North Carolina for sure. Yeah, Brian Hanson, Nate Oates' former assistant is a South Florida coach. In fact, turned down the Syracuse job.

Wow. Which was interesting. He grew up right outside of Syracuse. Yeah, exactly. Hodgson is in the mix for the Providence job. Yeah. Yeah, you're exactly right. Listen, thank you so much for coming on. We've got an abbreviated show Friday, and we could not finish this week without talking to you about the tournament. It is finally here, my friend. Listen, enjoy the tournament, buddy. Let's do this again Friday week, hopefully. All right. Appreciate it. Thanks, guys. Enjoy some M&M March Madness. The other here, Mike Hugenin checking in from Orlando.

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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. Welcome back in. Really appreciate free ride around the Tennessee Valley. And for us riding on down to the heart of Florida and saying hello to Double A, Andrea Adelson looking up with us from Orlando. And while we're on the Alphabet Soup train from ESPN. Andrea, welcome in. Are you ready for a little March Madness? No, it's already begun, fellas. Last night was a great little entree.

[21:14] So, yeah, it's going to be a great weekend. Literally just downstairs, we're on spring break this week, talking to a little AA about going someplace on Saturday to watch some games. So, yes, we're excited. Andrea, you bring up a good point. For all the men listening right now, they want to know how your husband struck gold. Because every man wants a wife who loves sports more than they do. How is he so lucky? Can you explain that, Andrea, for the gentlemen listening right now? Well, you know, he had great taste in me.

So, what can I say? You know, and, you know, the great thing for him is that both of our daughters also love sports. Really? And Middle AA, yes, who is an ice hockey player, she's already filled out her bracket. She informed me she has picked Michigan, of course, because that's where daddy is from. But, yeah, and she did a women's bracket, too. She is all into it, like all in, love sports. They watch hockey together every night. It's a very cool thing for him. Not just me, the whole family.

Hey, that's what you do. Let me ask you this. So, who are the daughters going to root for if Michigan plays Florida? And I'll let you explain why that might be of an intriguing matchup for you. Who are they going to root for in that scenario? Yeah. I'm always on the losing end of that one, fellas. And, you know, quite frankly, I blame football because I'm never at home on Saturdays to take them to Gator football watch parties. So, what do they do? They go to Michigan football watch parties.

And, oh, by the way, I think Michigan has won a national championship in football way more recently than Florida has. So, while it is basketball season, you know, football does inform a lot of the decisions that are made in this house, as it does in many homes in Florida. And, yeah, she already told me she picked Michigan to beat Florida. So, I mean, she literally just told me. That goes the allowance. You know, exactly. Exactly. It's a losing battle, fellas. What can I do? Double A, let me ask you about your Gators.

12-game winning streak snapped by a good Vandy team. On Saturday, 14 turnovers. That's as talented as this Florida team is. That's been a little bit of a bugaboo for them when they lose games. When you've got a front line that's 6'9 to 6'11, Boogie Flan and Lee are beginning to shoot the three a little bit better. A lot of people think this team is, they're certainly talented enough to defend the national championship, win another. But turnovers has been an issue. Your thoughts, Double A, how far can this Gator team go?

You know, it's a great question because, you know, Little AA was literally asking me, is this team as good as last year? And I said, no, I don't think so. I think last year's team was better than this year's team overall as a team. The question to me is just going to come down to matchup and who they end up playing somewhere down the road. I know Todd Golden said the loss in the SEC championship game wasn't really going to derail what he thought this team was capable of doing.

But I do think it probably served as a bit of a wake-up call that you can't play like that and hope to win a championship, whether it's in the SEC or whether it is for a national championship. And you look at some of the teams that they are with, particularly Houston, if they make it that far. Anytime you're playing a team that is as fast and athletic and runs the floor the way that Houston likes to do, you've got to be careful about turning the ball over because they will make you pay.

So I know that looking very far ahead down the bracket, fellas, you know, whoever, I'm assuming they will beat, whomever they get in their first round game. But then I think even like Iowa or Clemson could present some challenges in the next round. And then obviously, you know, Vanderbilt's in that bracket as well. So I do hope there were some learning lessons off of that performance. As you said, they are clearly talented enough. And they've got the players with size advantages where they need them. So I won't be surprised if they defend the national championship.

But they are not my pick right now to win the national championship. Double A, Andrea Adelson, ESPN. How about this, Andrea? I'm talking about spinning right down the middle and equal stuff. The men with 10 teams from the SEC making it. The women with 10 teams from the SEC making it. How about that for parity? Well, fantastic, guys. And I was at the SEC women's tournament. And I got to see just about every single one of those teams that made the field in person. They are talented. There's All-Americans all up and down the board among the elite teams.

[26:16] Freshmen All-Americans as well. When you look at the job that Aaliyah Chavez has done at Oklahoma, obviously with South Carolina, brings to the table. Texas. Guys, I picked Texas to win and pretty upset and dethrone UConn. I just think they are the most complete team playing against the toughest schedule that I have seen so far. I haven't seen much of UCLA. But I will say, having seen Texas in person and South Carolina in person, and the way Texas just completely took apart South Carolina in that SEC championship game.

It's a veteran team. I love the way they play defense. Rory Harmon, Madison Booker are playing in an extremely high level. And I think they can challenge and beat UConn. I really do. Because they've been through the gauntlet of playing a conference like the SEC, where, as you mentioned, there are 10 teams. UConn, as great as they are, they never get that challenge in the Big East. So, you know, they're going to be tested in this tournament. And so, yeah, Texas is my upset pick. I'm sure I'm in the minority there.

Let me ask you about two things. David Cutcliffe, the SEC office announced yesterday that he's kind of retiring. He's been working in the SEC office since 2022. Harold and I interviewed him a couple years ago. So much respect for him. Head coach at Ole Miss and Duke, Tennessee assistant for many years. Again, a man of integrity. So many people respect the job that he's doing. That's number one. Number two, you had a chance. I was looking at your Twitter feed. You had a chance to emcee one of Lou Holtz's final public appearances at the Orlando Touchdown Club.

And I know a lot of people noticed that he was, unfortunately, going downhill then. But they had the funeral for him at the Basilica at Notre Dame earlier this week. Double A, your thoughts on Cutcliffe and then your final public appearance with Lou Holtz. Well, you know, first I'm just going to say it's an absolute treat to be able to cover David Cutcliffe and to be in the presence of Lou Holtz in one of his final public speaking engagements. I'm just going to put that right.

Two legends who have done so much for the game, but also two men who knew how to treat people and treat people the right way. Thank you. And so when you start with Cutcliffe, he is the only coach to this day that every single time he picked up the phone or saw me in person, the first thing he said was, how are the girls? How's the family? And that, to me, speaks volumes about where the priorities are for him. Fantastic coach. Incredible job. Everywhere he has been, obviously, we know the connections, the Mannings.

Obviously, what he did at Duke, resurrecting that program and laying the groundwork for the ACC championship this year. But I'm glad you said a man of integrity because that's how he is. And anybody who's ever met him, come across him, had a conversation with him, has been the better for it. So I'm just appreciative that I had an opportunity to cover him and to get to know him and to have him in my life because he just, you know, he did so much for me and his career has just been second to none.

But I think what he would like people to remember is the way he treated folks and made people feel. And from that perspective, he's a Hall of Famer in every single way. As for Lou Holtz, guys, what an opportunity. The Orlando Touchdown Club, as there are cities all across the South that have these touchdown clubs where you bring in your guest speaker, you talk football, you have some fun, share a few laughs, eat some dinner. They asked me to host this event with Lee Corso and Lou Holtz.

And I was so nervous, guys, right? Because, like, these two giants, and what am I doing here? Like, how would I get picked to stand up in front of these guys and ask them questions? And, oh, my gosh, I better, like, not mess this up because it's going to be my fault if they don't tell jokes and get people to laugh, right? But from the very beginning, they both put everyone just completely at ease, myself included, because they were themselves. And I think that's what, you know, we loved so much about those guys and Lou Holtz.

You knew what you were getting with Lou at all times, right? It was not fake. This was not a persona. This is who he was. And he lived and breathed Notre Dame. I mean, from the time he was a schoolboy, he knew Notre Dame was going to be somewhere in his life, going to Catholic school, right? So his ability to, again, make people feel like they're the only person in the room when he's talking to you, the ability to transform lives and to have this impact at universities and schools all across the country.

[31:25] I knew he was in hospice care, and the folks at the Orlando Touchdown Club were keeping me appraised. And all I kept hearing was, well, so-and-so flew in to see him, and so-and-so, and so, you know, on and on down the list, like how many people came to be able to see him in person one last time to tell him how much they loved him, how much he meant to them. And when we were done with the Q&A portion of the, you know, the appearance, we had a little, me and two other reporters got up on stage just to talk about the hot topics of the day in college sports.

And Lou was so excited, he just kept raising his hand in the audience to chime in and give his thoughts on where things were in college football. And I was like, God, Lou, why'd you get off the stage? We would have been glad to have him up here. We thought he was done and just wanted to take a break, but no. Lou participated in the full one hour and just, you know, he kept, you know, what does he think about players being paid? Raise your hand.

Who do you, what do you think of Lane Kiffin? Raise your hand. Like it was, I won't forget that. And it was an incredible experience. And I'm so glad I got that one final photo and moment. And he had a blast. And that makes me so happy that even though he knew he was struggling and he didn't have much longer, he took that opportunity to not only have some fun, but again, make other people around him have the time of their lives. And that's what it was all about for him as well.

Great story. Great stories. Well, listen, enjoy March Madness. Have fun with Eric and the girls. Yeah. Yeah. Michigan is in some other team we know well is in their bracket. We'll see how that eventually comes out. Where can we get a line, young lady, and get your stuff and the teams? No, appreciate that. Fellas, ESPN.com. You can go on our men's basketball page, our women's basketball page, our college football page. We've got great content there. ACC Network tonight at 5 Eastern, 4 Central. We've got our Inside Access show, interview with Virginia's Tony Elliott to figure out how they build off of their 11-1 season.

And next week, fellas, we're going to be in Miami. So that'll be a lot of fun, too. Got to do some spring football mixed in with some women's basketball tournament coverage. So busy times, but fun times as well. Eric wants to know, are you going to share the remote control within this March Madness? Well, the good thing is I believe Michigan's playing late at night, so it'll be later at night, so it'll be okay. But, yeah, I think we all know who wins that battle in this house.

Yeah, in the Eastern Times, though, that should be like 2.30 in the morning. Listen, enjoy. Thank you so much. Let's do it again at AA. All right, fellas. Thanks for having me again. Appreciate it. Thank you, dear. And you're going to get it with us from ESPN. From AA to DD, Drew DeArman on deck. Stay with us. Shoals drop everything. This is not a drill. Lost Pizza Company Shoals is running the full-court press. The full-court press Cuban sandwich, inspired by Coach Tony Pujol. This sandwich brings championship flavor, and it's only available at Lost Pizza Company Shoals.

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Auburn advances on to the second round of the NIT. They'll play Seattle University, who was the winner yesterday, over St. Thomas out of Minnesota. Troy Trojans play tomorrow in the NCAA tournament. They'll take on Nebraska and Oklahoma City. Trojans a number 13 seed in the field. Alabama will play on Friday in Tampa. Crimson Tide take on Hofstra. Winner plays either Texas Tech or Akron in round two. Alabama women's basketball team will play Saturday afternoon at the NCAA tournament in Louisville against Rhode Island. Troy is set to play tomorrow in the WBIT.

Troy women are at Kansas. 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. The tournament is here, and Total Wine & More is your slam dunk headquarters. Whether you're cheering courtside from your couch with crisp craft beers, smooth cabs, or refreshing seltzers, we've got the perfect lineup to keep your watch party winning. And just like your bracket, we've got a lineup full of contenders. Whether you're picking favorites or going for bold upsets, our friendly guides will help you find amazing drinks for every matchup.

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Get a quote at Progressive.com. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company affiliates and third-party insurers. The Score. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score. The Score. Welcome back in. Really appreciate free ride around the Tennessee Valley. And for Drew DeArman taking time out of his very busy schedule to join us when he's not busy there as host of Talking Ball on Huntsville's 97.7 FM The Zone. Double D, welcome in. How are you? I'm good, guys. How are you? Hey, man. We're doing all right, Drew. Needless to say, a very interesting three or four days or so for Nate Oates and his Alabama basketball team.

Nate is probably going to say, Drew, help me put things in perspective from last week about this time until coming up this Friday against Hofstra. Well, I mean, certainly he'll be without Aiden Holloway, at least for the first two rounds, probably for the tournament. You know, not very good judgment on Aiden's part, you know, especially after being stopped several days before. And I think that led to the raid of his home. But obviously not a good decision, you know, and one that he needed to be punished for, and he will be.

So he will not be in the lineup. There's a lot of clown media out there, you know, taking shots at Nate Oates and acting like he's a rogue, like Jerry Tarkanian or something like that, just a rule breaker and only cares about winning. But I think they're kind of trying to twist some things. A lot of them just want clicks and hits, you know, and most of them are people that are not within this state who wouldn't know Alabama basketball from volleyball, in my opinion. They take a lot of shots.

And, of course, some of them are from the state of Tennessee, and take from that what you will. But, I mean, I will say it's going to hurt Alabama, no question. I'm not going to say it won't. I mean, when you're without a guy that's your best three-point shooter, one of your two best creators off the dribble, along with LeBaron Bylon, and a guy that, you know, averaged 17 points a game, it's certainly going to hurt. You know, and I think the Hofstra matchup was an interesting one beforehand with the tempo differences between the two teams and Speedy Claxton's group, you know, got a lot of size and like to slow the ball down.

[42:15] And so now, you know, it's interesting, neither team takes the ball away a lot. But it's going to change Alabama's lineup, no question about it. The one thing you can say is due to injury, because Aiden has some wrist issues, he missed a few games. So, they've been without him before, and they know how to play without him. But still, I mean, it looked like the team was finally getting healthy at the right time. Yeah. And unfortunately, you have this happen. But I think we have to just reset, take it one game at a time.

And I think it's going to put the onus on Houston Millett. I would have him as a starter. He brings a lot to the table, especially, you know, the intangible things and the leadership qualities and the ability to make those, you know, plays that they value in blue-collar basketball. And he's capable of scoring double digits. Now, I think it's going to change some roles. I think Amari Allen is going to probably become that secondary ball handler to LeBaron Phylon and handling pressure and bringing the ball up and creating, certainly now.

And I think you'll see, you know, a guy like London Jimmison play a lot more for it. They're going to need more out of the Taylor Bowl Bowen. But some guys are just going to step up. They may even need four minutes out of Jahlil Bethea. Now, I think they can still win the first-round game. I absolutely do. But it really puts a huge question mark on the second round of 32 opponent, whether that be a Texas Tech team that's adjusted to life without, you know, J.T. Toppin or if Akron can pull one of those 12-5 upsets.

So it's going to be interesting, no doubt about it. D2, that's what I was going to say. Again, who steps up? Taylor Bowl Bowen, as we noticed in Nashville, had one of his better games in a while, and he seems to be getting healthy. Noah Williamson, bless his heart, did play well or better than what he has. If Jahlil Bethea can't play and can't control himself, a lot of times he comes in and jacks up a 30-footer and then goes to the bench. But if he's got tremendous athleticism, Amari Allen, who's been off more than he's been on in the last four games, I think will be a little bit better.

But you're right. Houston Millett, with his athleticism and just all-around hustle, I think will help. They certainly can compensate for this, D.D. And you're right. It's a real discrepancy. Alabama wants to go a mile a minute. And Hofstra is a dinosaur and slowing it down. Very methodical. Going to be very interesting. But they have certainly got the guys here who can compensate for the loss of Holloway. Well, you would think so. And, again, since he's been in and out of the lineup, they've already had to do this.

I mean, they've even been without LeBaron Phylon. They've been without a lot of kids. So, these kids and the coaching staff, they don't make excuses. And they're very resilient. And so, I would expect them to do that, you know, this time as well. And, again, the one thing is, if this had happened, you know, right – say this happens right before you leave, before you fly out. I mean, at least they've had a chance to process it and deal with it. Yeah. So, they know he's not going to be there.

They know what they have to do. It gives guys an opportunity to showcase themselves. Amari Allen is certainly a first-round possibility in the NBA draft. It gives him a chance to, as you said, Brett, kind of bounce back and reset. I didn't think he played very well in the first half against Ole Miss, but I thought he played better in the second half. They need more out of him. And what I did mention is a senior that had been playing really well and had been all – the SEC Player of the Week was an absolute no-jo against Ole Miss, and that can't happen starting Friday.

And that's what Trell writes on. Absolutely. As a senior, he's got to defend and he's got to make shots for Alabama to have a chance to make a run. You mentioned the I word earlier, and that is the intangibles. Your thoughts on what this does? Obviously, now I think two things on that, Drew. Number one, they know they've got to hunker down, circle the wagons, and play now as a team. But I think going even back before that to Ole Miss, I think it can make an argument that maybe they took Ole Miss too lightly.

We beat them by almost, what, 20 in the regular season, just a few days before, weeks before. They had one of the worst records in the SEC. And then once they saw that they were down, they started playing with their hair on fire, but it was too little too late. Your thoughts about that and now the fact that, as you mentioned, they've had a few days to adjust. In other words, I think maybe they have no reason to have their heads in the clouds coming into this matchup.

There's no way they'll have their heads in the clouds. First of all, they lost their last game to Ole Miss. And I think, you know, and you look at what the Rebels did, they nearly made the final of the SEC. You know, they lost in overtime to a really good Arkansas team. So, Chris Beard's a Final Four coach. He had those guys ready to go. And you also understand two years ago you went to the Final Four after getting eviscerated by Florida in the SEC tournament.

[47:38] And you went to the Elite Eight last year after, you know, beating Kentucky and then getting eviscerated, you know, by the Gators again. So, you know, they haven't won the SEC tournament in a few years. Haven't had a ton of success there. But, you know, again, I think one of those things is I think you understand that you have to reset yourself. And now one of your brothers is gone. So, and there's no guarantees in this. It's one and done. They did, a few years back, did lose, you know, an NCAA opener to Notre Dame.

And, of course, an injury to, you know, J.Q., Javon clearly had a lot to do with that. So, again, but you have to understand that you have to be ready to go. You've got to be ready to roll. And I think they will be. I mean, I think the program is still strong. I think Nate Oates knows how to win. I think those kind of coaches don't grow on trees. You've seen what he's done already, going to a multiple Sweet 16, two straight Elite A's, and a Final Four.

So, I think the infrastructure is fine. There's a lot of people taking shots at Alabama and their culture and what they do. But you can use that as fuel, too. I mean, you try to insulate kids from this, but they hear the criticism and everything. But just use this fuel and go out and play well and try to get to the second weekend and see where it goes. D2, in a few minutes, how many of the TNSEC teams advance to the Sweet 16? And we saw that the all-down, Keyshawn Murphy, said, I'm not playing in this South Alabama game.

Auburn did come back to win it. But your thoughts quickly on the, how many advance to the Sweet 16 and your thoughts on Auburn? Well, I mean, I think Florida and Vanderbilt have good chances to advance. I know some people think McNeese, including our good friend Blake Lovell, can knock them off. But I like Vanderbilt's chances. I think they're a good squad. That would be a really fascinating meeting with Florida and Vandy again in the Sweet 16 after what we saw happen in the regular season and tournament.

And then, you know, when you look at it, Texas A&M, I don't like their matchup with St. Mary. I really think Randy Bennett does a nice job. I don't expect. And then, even then, if you're able to get by that game, and I think I'm going to take St. Mary, I don't like Houston, their chances against Houston. I think Houston, I'm leaning toward picking them for the final four. I haven't finalized my bracket. But I really like Kelvin Sampson and Houston. So, I'm not expecting to the Sweet 16.

Georgia, I don't like their matchup with St. Louis. I don't think they'll advance. I think Alabama, I have them advancing to the Sweet 16 before the suspension over Texas Tech. I'm not as confident now, but I think I can still see a path where they can step up for two games and find a way to get to the weekend. And then, I think Tennessee, I like Tennessee's draw. I think they can get there. And then, Kentucky, they're going to have, it's going to be another blue, you know, situation for the big, more blues for the big blue nation.

I don't think they get by Iowa State. I don't see them in the Sweet 16. And then, Arkansas, I see them getting past Wisconsin. So, I think that's going to be a heck of a game. And then, I don't like Texas' chance, even though they did win for me last night. And I think Mizzou also got a really tough draw with Miami, who I like over the Tigers, even though it's in their backyard in St. Louis. Yeah, I think you're exactly right. D2, where can we get online and get your expanded show?

And I know you are eagerly anticipating Thursday getting everything started for real. Where can we get online and get all the good stuff? Yeah, you can certainly connect with me at 977 ESPN on X. And then, of course, if you missed any of our content, you can certainly go back and listen to that on our SoundCloud page, ESPN 97.7 The Zone, Talking Ball with Scott Tyson, myself, or 977ESPN.com. And we had a lively show today. We've created a mascot for 977 The Zone, and it's whizzing the wild turkey.

I've heard that. It's from Kentucky, right? Yeah. It's named after Pete Golding. Oh, man. Oh, man. It's not buttermilk, I guarantee you. Oh, man. Thanks for your time today. Stay safe out there and enjoy yourself some March Madness, okay? Thank you, guys. Thank you, man. Drew German, 97.7 FM The Zone. You mentioned Keyshawn Murphy. Very interesting news out of the plains. And some football talk. Nathan King got it all straight ahead. Stay with us. At Bob's Tire and Alignment, we've been keeping the shoals rolling for 49 years.

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You can get up to $3 million in coverage with no medical exam. Get your free quote at ethos.com slash play. That's ethos.com slash play. Paid spokesperson. Time span on application may vary. Online health questions required. 1819 News. The Alabama House has passed a bill that is modeled after the federal bill that was passed last year named the Lake and Riley Act. This state bill passed with a 75-to-1 vote on Tuesday. The bill's sponsor, Ernie Yarbrough, says his bill would allow for state-based law enforcement to work with federal law enforcement agencies within a memorandum of understanding.

This would especially apply when it comes to enforcing federal immigration laws and the deportation of illegal aliens. The bill is now headed over to the state Senate. I'll be back with more Alabama stories after this. Where I was living was not a great place to live anymore. I began to pray for a place to go, praying for all of these things that a nine-year-old would want. I wanted horses, big house with a bunch of people my age. I wanted parents. I wanted a mom and a dad.

Before I even prayed it, the Lord had already answered my prayer with the Big Oak Ranch. Who would that nine-year-old be if she never came to the Big Oak Ranch? I would be trying to fight for survival instead of fighting to break a cycle. Big Oak Ranch, a Christian home for children needing a chance. Federal charges have been issued against a Pritchard police officer in connection to a fatal shooting that occurred at a home in February where the officer lived. Officer Ryan Phillips is charged with owning stolen firearms, one of which was stolen from the scene of a car crash this past January where Phillips was a responding officer.

[58:06] The multiple firearms that were stolen all came to light after Phillips' home was searched by investigators following the fatal shooting that occurred between Phillips and his roommate. The city of Dothan is excited for the incoming corporate headquarters of Construction Partners Incorporated. The company announced that it will be investing $20 million for this new facility that will bring about 50 job opportunities to the area on top of the 50 employees that already work for the company. Construction of the new corporate headquarters should begin in the next few months. I'm Andrea Theis.

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. The Madness. Three for the lead. Bottom. Starts. Oh, Marcy. Now. Two seconds, one. Buzzer. Ballgame. And hallelujah. Let's get out of here. It's the NCAA Tournament. Join us Friday. The Crimson Tide. The Pride. Live from Tampa, Florida. Our coverage begins at 1 on your home for Alabama basketball. The Crimson Tide Sports Network from Learfield. Brought to you locally in part by The Law Firm of Johnson, Pesher, Medley & Burchill.

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And if you're Friday sunny with a high around 80. 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. The Boomo Bugg show. 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 our tour of the Boomo Bugg show. I'm Harold Bugg alongside Brett Beaird.

Thank you so much for giving us a ride around the Tennessee Valley. Maybe obviously a busy time of the year. That includes Nathan King. He's scheduled to hook up with us shortly from 24-7 Sports there at Auburn. While we ever hook up with Nathan B.B., you can see why someone might have problems trying to figure things out with the schedule. My, oh, my. Can you put it, Miley, a busy week on the plains? Would you agree? Well, it's absolutely incredible. Harold Auburn beat Georgia Tech, a top-10 team in baseball.

They had nearly 7,000 fans there. Beat them 9-2 emphatically. And then you've got the start of the Alex Golich era in spring practice, their first practice of the year. Now, by the way, if you've got nothing else to do, you can come to the NIT game that started at 9 o'clock last night on ESPN2. South Alabama led 36-30. In fact, it looked like South Alabama was going to win in the route. I think they had an 11-point lead in the first half. But to Auburn's credit, they came back.

Overton started hitting everything he threw up. Made seven of eight triples, threes in the second half. And Caden Magwood, who had not played a game since the first week in January, comes back and plays and scores, I believe, 14 points. At one point in the second half, he scored 11 straight points to get Auburn back in that game. And then Auburn pulled away and won 78-67. Yeah, we know that you're busy, too, and you don't have time to follow this stuff like we do. But to me, one of the big stories, it's not only for Auburn.

I mean, let's face it. Auburn fans, once you get to play and the juices get going, you want to win. It is the NIT. Let's make sure we put everything in perspective. But to me, the big story is Keyshawn Murphy opting out BBI. I know these kids now have that option on the table. But your thoughts, and I don't know that anybody even saw this coming. I guess we're just guessing here. If they make the NCAA field, I'll be there. If it's the NIT, it's not worth my time.

[1:03:12] I'm opting out. Your thoughts, not only about Murphy's decision, but for college sports, whether it's, in this case, basketball or football, with these type decisions. Well, I think that's the crux of this, Harold, was since he's not in an NCAA game and he's thinking about, well, if I play and get hurt, how is that going to hurt my NBA future? I think that's a lot of it. In fact, Stephen Pearl talked about that after the game. And he said, and I quote, Murph has decided not to play in these games.

Paul's, I'm not sure why. But, you know, we love Murph, and again, Stephen Pearl said all the right things, but that's kind of where we are. And again, you can look at the crowd last night. The arena was half full, and I get it. And then the other thing, you start a dadgum game at 9 o'clock at night on a weeknight. People got to get up and go to work the next morning. But, again, it's just a sign of the times now. The other way of looking at it, and I understand, if you're going to take this thing and what's the old word, at least when I started in this crazy industry, the old word was objectivity, meaning pretty simple.

You tell both sides of the story. I get Murph's side. He don't get hurt. We get that. But if I am an NBA executive, I'm going to look at this and say, so let me get this straight. This is a team sport, right? Did the team count on you or not? Don't you think the other guys could get hurt, too? Help me to understand, going forward, when things don't go your way, what's going to prevent you from laying down going forward once you start picking up the NBA bucks?

Well, I think that is some of the baggage that some of these players are going to begin acquiring. Look, again, I know people look at the NIT as an exhibition game. And I get all the talk with that, but in football and a lot of the sports, a lot of these NBA or NFL general managers are kind of looking at, you know, if you're going to do this, if you're going to quit then. Again, I know you and I talk about this, and I know you and I have a lot of old school in this, but when you play, you play to compete, you play to win.

You're a team. That's just the way I was brought up with everything that we did. My dad instilled that in us, and I know you've followed that mantra your entire life. Again, there are a lot of reasons for it. I get not trying to get hurt, but, you know, when you play with these guys all year, and some of these guys have played for years with their teammates, and you opt out of the last game or so, again, they'll get over it and forget it in a couple of years.

But for a lot of people, it's a bad look. What do you think is going to happen now in the offseason? I can't imagine Auburn doing anything other than bringing Stephen Pearl back. And I will say this. I know he's had his critics this year, but, again, back to the old word, objective. His dad left him in an incredibly challenging position with the decision and, to me, the timing of it right before everything got rolling. But he had an option to not play in the NIT.

A lot of folks, that decision's in front of you. We've seen other schools over the years because of this and because Notre Dame has done it with certain bowl games over the years because we're Notre Dame. We're not going there. We're Notre Dame. I will give it to Stephen Pearl, and I like his answer. He says, I'm paid to coach basketball. We have an opportunity to play basketball. Let's play basketball. Well, and the other thing, Harold, he wants to win some games. Right. Again, they went through a tough stretch in February and early March, and he wants to at least have a little bit of a good taste in his mouth going into next season.

I think John Cohen, the Auburn Athletic Director, will keep him. Again, we all know he kind of had both hands tied behind his back because, once again, Bruce decided to retire three days before practice began, and he certainly made up the schedule, made the roster. It'll be a key year for Stephen. I know a lot of people are going to be looking for more improvement, but I'm telling you, if they can't talk some of these guys into coming back, he's going to be in the same boat next year, Harold.

He's going to have to reconstruct that roster, and it's going to take some time for these guys to come in, and don't you know he's going to spend a little time talking about defense in the preseason? Spend a little money, too. It's going to be an interesting year for son and dad. What's the next year going to be for Bruce? Because, you know, Bruce is like a big huggy bear. A lot of folks love him to pieces, but these last few days have been challenging for Stephen and Bruce.

It's going to be interesting to see what both of them have learned over the last few days and weeks. Yeah, Bruce was called on camera in Nashville. Probably the best way I can put this is we can't repeat the words on a family radio station. That was a bad look for Bruce. Look, I get it. He's a competitor. He loves his son. He's been coaching Auburn for years. And were there some bad calls in that game? Yes, they were, or at least questionable calls. And then some of his comments on the selection show on Sunday.

[1:08:32] But, yeah, Bruce may temper. And, again, it's kind of hard for him to do that. He may be asked to temper some of his comments for a while. Speaking of comments, Nathan Keene's got a few there. 24-7 sports, part of the Auburn Undercover family. Nathan, obviously a little bit tight on time, but welcome in. And we know, like we said, man, you've got to be so crazy down there with basketball. We've been talking about that. In the time left here, obviously one curtain is coming down on basketball.

The other one's coming up. Opening week for a brand-new era. Nathan, your thoughts so far. First of all, welcome in. I hope you're loading up on the calories. It's busy for you down there, is it not? Yeah, it is. It's crossover season continues. And apologies for being a little bit late, you guys. But, yeah, I mean, we went to one practice yesterday morning, things opening up for the spring for football. And, I mean, I think the biggest storyline is, you know, Auburn trying to follow other programs that have brought over a bunch of familiar faces when they hire a new coach.

You've seen it. You know, the prime example is Indiana. Everyone would love to be them, of course, coming over with a lot of guys from James Madison. But teams like Vanderbilt and other programs have done it. Fourteen USF transfers for this team. Most of them on offense. You have your starting quarterback. You have your starting center. You have a bunch of pass catchers. Of course, you have Gullish and you have the play caller, the offensive coordinator. Right now, it seems like, from talking to everybody there, that things are going smoother than maybe you normally would with a coaching fan, just because you have so many guys who have run this offense in particular.

And it's a pretty difficult, you know, complex offensive team. But they can head a schedule a little bit because they've got players, essentially, as extra coaches on the field to bring everybody else up to speed. And what did you notice yesterday? Really, your first time to see all of the coaches, and particularly the new coaches, in action. The energy, the instruction, the attention to detail. What did you notice? Yeah, I mean, we'll see more as kind of the practices go on about the differences between this staff and the previous staff, you know, whether they're good or bad.

I mean, you can tell this early on. But you mentioned attention to detail, and I mean, that's the biggest thing right now. Poor Alex Gullish. He brought it up yesterday, and I thought it was a good point by him. He said, look, you can't get this first impression back. And he made sure his coaching could do that. Like, you know, whatever they decide to do, whatever they decide to allow, however they set up this program, like, these first two practices are going to set the tone, not just for this offseason, but his entire tenure moving forward.

Like, you know, it's really difficult, he said, you know, to change the, you know, and the word culture gets thrown around a lot. Culture is kind of a cliche. But in this instance, like, changing what you do on a daily basis, changing what you're asking of your team, you've got to set that standard right now. And so Alex Gullish is obsessing over those details early on, making sure that his team is doing those things right. In terms of the things, you know, progressing on the field, it's, you know, that's going to come.

He said, you know, he's not really concerned with that. You know, the beginning of spring, installing a new playbook is always difficult. He said as long as things look pretty crisp, closer to the spring game, he'll be pleased with that. But, yeah, right now it's just about trying to get everybody on the same page. And, you know, he said, look, it comes down to what you're allowed to wear in the building, you know, when you're going in and out of practice. Like, it's those little details that have to set the tone for the rest of his tenure, because obviously these are the first players he's going to coach in his Auburn tenure.

Nathan King, 24-7 Sports, part of the Auburn Undercover family. Nathan, a friend of our show we've worked with over the years by the name of Cole Kubrick. You know Cole, former Auburn player now. A rising star at ESPN. He's buying Auburn. I mean, basically what I'm coming inside from the conclusions I've been able to draw so far. It's March. I think it's always good to temper and tamp the brakes in March. A long way to the season. We'll see once live bullets start flying. But, Nathan, what's the vibe with this culture now compared to 12 months ago?

Yeah, I mean, it's just, you know, things were sort of dead in the water for quite some time. Obviously, there was hope that Auburn would have a resurgent year three under Hugh Freeze. But where did that hope really come from? You were bringing back a lot of the same players. You had the same exact situation at quarterback. You know, really not much had changed. So, you're just kind of hoping. It was kind of the definition of insanity. You know, don't change anything. You hope for a result.

And so, I think that's just where this hope comes from. You know, look, you have a different guy in place who's younger, who's certainly driven. Right now, he's a guy that's definitely, like I said, the obsessive off-season type, kind of a grinder as a 41-year-old. And, look, I think the biggest thing about Alex Golesh that should have Auburn fans excited is, look, I don't know how many games they're going to win this year. But the adaptive part of him is, I think, the most encouraging thing.

Because we heard Hugh Freeze say several times, not several, a bunch of times, hey, this offense has worked for me before, and we're going to make it work here. And that just, you know, that round hole, square peg situation, just, that's not what you want in college football. And Alex, from his first introductory press conference, talked about being adaptable, talked about tailoring his offense to his quarterback every year. And even yesterday, he said, look, I know what I want the identity to be, but I can't go out there and play.

[1:13:48] So, this spring is going to be about seeing what kind of identity this team can have, and then after that, they'll go into the off-season and develop a blueprint for that. So, really, I think he's just trying to adapt on the fly, figure out what he's working with, and after that, they can go full steam ahead. Listen, you've had some very good articles as far as preseason. Listen, I know you had one on the defense, five questions. He replaces Tedrick Falk. He will emerge at cornerback, et cetera.

We'll be talking with you about those to come. I'll tell you one thing. I know you've had some busy days in your career, but yesterday with the first day of the Alex Goldich era, oh, by the way, there's a basketball game. And, oh, by the way, there's a baseball game with Georgia Tech, which Auburn won 9-2. I'm guessing you didn't have any problems sleeping last night, but where can we get online? And we'll have you more in depth, hopefully, next week or in the next couple weeks.

Where can we get online to get your stuff and the teams? Yeah, for sure. Again, sorry about missing you. No problem. Auburnundercover.com. Like you said, lots going on, but we've got a great team over here. I mean, recruiting on top of that. Your recruiting visits opened back up yesterday, and so Christian Clemente was on top of those. Jason Caldwell over at baseball doing the radio call for the game as well as covering the game. They get a huge win, and then a 9 p.m. tip-off in the NIT at Neville Arena, and the Tigers were able to win that one.

So we'll have it covered for you guys. Like you said, busy March, really, until spring practice is over. It's going to be very, very busy, but we're offering 50% off the subscription. We would love if you guys would come join us, if you're an Auburn fan, at Auburn Undercover. Whole new meeting to March Madness. Nathan, get some sanity down there, and thank you so much for your time today. Thank you, guys. Appreciate it. Thank you, bud. Nathan King, hooking up with us, 24-7 Sports, Auburn Undercover. Coming up, if you go to Henderson, Tennessee, the first family of coaches has roots to a place called the Shoals.

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Time span on application may vary. Online health questions required. The Score. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Welcome back in. It is an absolute pleasure for us to open the door and say hello to Abby Stutz, women's head basketball coach at Freed Hardeman College. Abby, welcome in. How are you? Doing great. Thank you for having me. According to the infamous Miles Stutz, no college program has better coaches when it comes to men's and women's than Freed Hardeman. Would you agree with Mr. Miles Stutz, Abby?

You know, I think he's a little biased, but I do like the coaches we have at Freed Hardeman. Before we talk about the women, how about, this is so ironic, last week we had a guy on named Drew Stutz. I got a feeling for the folks who are just brand new to the show, you know that men's basketball coach pretty well as well, do you not? Yeah, he's pretty good. We're pretty close. Brothers and sisters, that is so rare. But let's talk about your side of the ledger.

Drew had his time last week. Abby, let's talk about your side of the ledger. Second year of the Lady Lions and another good one. Where do you start in talking about this season there? Because little Bernie tells me you're not done yet. Yeah, it's really hard to know where to start. I guess first, just I'm grateful for the group that we have. We've had a great group of girls who, for me, has been a joy to be around. It makes my job really easy and really fun.

And we've just had a great year on the floor as well. We're playing a really tough conference, the Mid-South Conference. We've got seven teams in our conference, and five of us have made it to the Sweet 16. Wow. And so, yes, you're going against really good teams, nine in and nine out. And I think that that's really prepared us for this moment as we get ready for the national tournament. Abby, you have had a great year, 29-3, 9-3 in conference play. You beat number nine seed, Bethel, out of Indiana, 73-64.

Lily Key scored 21. Allie Weathers, believe me, we know the Weathers family. You have 19 points. And the Satterley girls played pretty well, too. Gina had 18. Rachel, tell us a little bit about the personality of your team. I mean, just those girls you listed off, and I would say it's a characteristic with the rest of our girls as well, is we just have a very unselfish group of girls. And I think that a strength of our team is we have girls who are very versatile and are willing to do whatever it takes for our team to be able to get the win.

And so I think that that's what makes us special is, you know, whether it's pulling rebounds, whether it's playing great defense, whether it's making the extra pass, whether it's scoring the ball. Our girls have bought into that, and it's who they are, where they're unselfish. They don't really care about, you know, the accolades or who gets the high point or whatever. We value so much more than that, and I think our group of girls are just a very together group, and they use that to our advantage where you can't just key on on just one player.

[1:24:13] You got to be able to guard all of us, and they do a great job on defense as well. Coach, Abby's took it up with us. As Freed Hartman found out what's in the water yet in the Shoals area, let's talk about your roots to our neck of the woods and what a treat it must be. I mean, everybody that has one of these kids named the last name Weathers on their team, they're pretty grateful. The Newark Yankees, the Alabama Crimson Tide, and now your Lions are there at Freed Hartman.

A lot of connections between the greater Shoals area and Henderson, Tennessee. Yes, there is. We're super grateful to have Allie. She's come in as a freshman and played a really big role for us, and everything that I kind of just talked about as far as she's just super unselfish, very high IQ player, but really, I told her mom last week, she's just a winner, and I think you see that with her family as well, and that's what I was complimenting to her mother. It comes from their family roots where she just knows how to win.

She's able to make the big play. She doesn't get rattled. She doesn't play like a freshman, and so we're just super blessed to be able to have her, and most important, she's a great teammate. I think she makes those around her better, and we're super blessed that she's not too far from my hometown. There was a lot of connecting dots there of her high school coach, actually was my high school coach for several years, and she actually played at Freed Hardeman, so there's a lot of dots there.

Abby, let me ask you about the growth of the women's game. I hear so much more about it. Pat Summitt gets so much credit. Gino and UConn gets a lot too, but the SEC, the growth of the SEC, certainly South Carolina, Texas, Ole Miss, just to name a few of the teams, but a lot of people are excited about the women's NCAA basketball tournament. We hear about the men's all the time, but you've seen a lot of this firsthand, watching TV. You know a lot of the SEC coaches and players.

Talk about the growth of the women's game in the last 10 to 20 years. Oh, it's been super exciting to see, just to see the promotion of women's basketball, and I think it's awesome to see at all levels. You know, I think in AI, there's a lot of really high-level players. There's a lot of really high-level teams and coaches, and I think you see that from Division I all the way to the different levels at the bottom too. And so it's just been really exciting to be a part of.

I'm super grateful to be one of many coaches that get to be around a group of girls and have an impact on their lives. And then they're also impacting other people's lives simply through the game of basketball. And so really keeping that into perspective of, yes, basketball is what we do, but ultimately it's not who we are. And I think that that's been a great thing to be a part of and an exciting time for women's basketball for sure. We know that you're happy where you are, but if you're a former player, current player, coach, you're never done until it's that championships in the house.

Talk to us about where you are, what's next for you, and what are the folks here in the shows that can see the hometown girl try to keep on rocking and rolling here in the postseason? Yeah, so we're currently in Sioux City, Iowa. We're getting ready for the Sweet 16 game. We just finished with practice this morning. And so we play at 1 o'clock tomorrow against Georgetown, who actually is a team from our conference. So we've played them twice already this year. And we're just looking forward to a great tournament.

I think we are the overall number one seed, but we've got a lot of good basketball teams here. And the things that we've kind of said ourselves is we are focusing on ourselves and what we can control and the hard work we've put in. And you can't really worry about, you know, the other teams or other things that are out of your control. You just got to keep being yourself and what got you here. Abby, thank you so much for taking a few minutes to join us.

So believe me, Harold and I hear from your fan club in North Alabama quite frequently, your brother and his team. It's incredible to have the men's and women's team as good as they are at Freed Hardman. Listen, much, much luck this week. And you're right. It's amazing to me to have that many teams from the same conference in the Sweet 16. Thank you for your time. God bless you. And listen, much luck this week in the tournament. Absolutely. Thank you so much for having me. Thank you so much.

And continued success. Coach Abby Stutz, Freed Hardman, women's head basketball coach. I want to go ahead and go. When I go to Jeopardy, I want to see the question ask, how many colleges have a brother and sister head coaching team in the entire country? I think we know the answer. A lot of questions this spring down in Tuscaloosa. Rodney Orr with hopefully some answers next on the Moonwheel Bug Show. Stay with us. Get in the zone, AutoZone. John always listens to his truck. So when his brakes start talking, he goes to AutoZone, where a helpful AutoZoner gets him the right parts.

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Symptoms like irregular heartbeat, heart racing, chest pain, shortness of breath, fatigue, or lightheadedness can come and go. But if it's AFib, the risk of stroke remains. If you have symptoms, contact a doctor. I'm so glad I did. Visit NotimeToWait.com. Sponsored by Bristol-Myers Squibb and Pfizer. Hey, folks, Jason Horowitz here with an NCAA tournament schedule preview. March Madness continues tonight with first four action from Dayton, including the first big dance appearance by the SMU Mustangs since 2017 as they face Miami of Ohio in the tournament for the first time in 19 years.

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South Alabama defeated Alabama in Mobile 6-3, 14 hits for South Alabama, 9 for the Tide. Alabama committed five errors in the loss. Alabama now 15-7. South Alabama is 14-7 on the season. Troy Trojans winners over Alabama State, 11-2. 10 hits for the Trojans. Troy is 9-11. Alabama State is 9-10. North Alabama was edged at home by Tennessee Tech, 10-9. 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. Business moves fast. Orders roll in, deadlines close in.

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The book is called Bigger Than Bama. Rodney Orr, welcome in. Are you a busy boy these days? Well, probably in some ways I am, Harold, but you know what? It's always fun when, you know, things are, this NCAA tournament is here. It's one of the great events and, you know, hopefully Alabama can have an extended stay. Rodney, obviously, it's not the kind of week that NATO is wanting to tip off. The court issues, these coaches, they make a lot of bucks, but they also earn a lot of bucks.

Trying to sit here and manage on and off the court issues. Rodney, obviously, we don't want to berate it. It's still in a court system. It's going to play out. But to me, that's the question. In the meantime, the speculation is, how does Alabama adjust to this reality? They're not going to have Holloway. So you can't sit here and cry any soup about that. The question is, where do they go from here, Rodney, to adjust? Yeah, I mean, I just think that, you know, obviously they've got some depth in their backcourt and they've got some versatility.

I mean, you've got Phylon, obviously, and Reitzel and, you know, so, and Millett, obviously, too. And then I think, you know, Amari Allen with his versatility to play outside, to play the perimeter, to handle the ball, that gives them a little more versatility. I think also there's, you know, Oates has talked about going bigger some, so maybe that means some more minutes for Noah Williamson. But I just think, you know, Phylon, Reitzel, they have to be ready to carry a heavier load. You know, they have to be ready to play more minutes.

And, you know, it's just kind of the way it is. You've only got nine guys on scholarship right now that are available to play. So, yeah, they're thin, but, you know, at the same time, fortunately, they do have some depth in the backcourt. And the other thing, too, Rodney, is, ironically, the fact they've had so many injuries and they have to go to so many different lineups, in some ways, I can see where that might be a pleasure because it's not the first time they've started the game without Holloway.

Exactly. I mean, you know, again, let's be clear. You lost your best three-point shooter in terms of shooting 44%. For the last 11 games, he's been your leading scorer, averaging 16.8 points per game, second leading scorer. So, you know, he's obviously a pivotal player, but at the same time, you're right. You know, Oates has used a lot of guys. I mean, he's had a rotation there that, you know, has built some minutes. And I think that, like you said, I think overall, because they've had to do that, they've had some injury issues throughout the year.

The guys have played more minutes maybe than what they would have. And I think that's certainly going to prove beneficial in this situation. You had a good article about the first week of spring football practice. Of course, they're on spring break this week. And the good and some concerns, we'll know a little bit more about the quarterback situation. I know that's the question everybody wants to talk about. They've got some incredibly talented kids. I've been saying this for a while, Rodney. I think they've got the best secondary in college football.

Then they bring in Jaira Edwards and Jordan Edmonds. It's incredible. And then the other transfer. And you mentioned some concerns. We found out last week that Jackson Lloyd and Michael Carroll, the assistant coaches, and particularly Ryan Grubb, liked them a lot. But a statement that caught my eye was, yeah, they're good, but they can't block Yonsei Pierre. He abused all of them last week. Rodney, some people look at that as a negative. I'll look at that as a positive. Well, and you're right. Certainly it is a positive, I think.

You know, obviously from the Yonsei Pierre perspective. And I'll say this, too. Now, he's working on some guys who are young, whether it's Jackson Lloyd or Michael Carroll or whoever. And, you know, I'll never forget, and I'm going to go back a little ways. I'll never forget Wesley Britt was a redshirt freshman. Trying to watch him block Kendall Moorhead was very painful. But he became a great player. These guys are developing. I mean, it's really early, obviously. But, you know, you see so much potential in this offensive line.

[1:39:57] You really do. I mean, you see Michael Carroll. You see Jackson Lloyd. Extraordinary, talented guys. Listen, people say, okay, why did Grubb come out and say there's no competition at left tackle? Well, I really don't know. But what does that do to a guy like Javon James who transfers from Mississippi State as a nine-game starter in the SEC at left tackle? And people wonder, well, why would you eliminate the competition there when you just recruited this guy out of the portal? Well, here's the thing that I think a lot of people don't know.

We reported this. Javon James has worked some at right tackle. So, there is a possibility. Now, don't forget, Grubb said this the other day. He said, Michael Carroll can play a lot of positions on the offensive line. He's got the versatility. The message there is, you know, they're going to look at Michael Carroll at some other spot. They're looking at him at guard because that's really what a lot of people think his natural position is. So, this could, I'm not saying it is, but it could possibly evolve into a situation where you have Jackson Lloyd at left tackle, Javon James at right tackle, Michael Carroll at right guard, Rayson Delgatti at center, and maybe Nick Brooks at left guard or William Sanders who's out this spring.

Or you could have Nick Brooks who's also working at right tackle. So, you kind of get my drift. You can see some real positive strengths there if they can piece this thing together. Rodney, you're busy there at tighterinsider.com. Again, the book's called Bigger Than Bama. What I find interesting is normally, you're right, even though these coaches may know the answer to some of these questions, they don't want to reveal it this early. It looks like this staff is like a salmon. They're swimming upstream. They're going against the grain.

And go ahead and make a decision. Does that portend maybe coming out with a quarterback decision a little early? And it looks like maybe it's possible that all five positions on the O-line could be named early. Your thoughts on that and the thing that you've got to balance out with these coaches now, if you come out too early, what does that send a message with the door open for the portal once it opens up again legally? Your thoughts just about how this staff seems to be making decisions more decisively early than maybe some of the times past?

Well, I think quarterback specifically, I don't see an early decision there. Then that would really shock me. Yeah. Based on the feedback we've gotten, both of those guys have looked elite throwing the ball. I mean, these are elite passers. Yeah. I talked to a really good source this weekend who was at all four practices. And he said, listen, these two guys, and this is a guy that we know, the source. He said, they're off the charts. He said, these guys have extreme talent. I said, well, okay, now can the offensive line protect them?

He said, well, that's the question. You know, it's too early to tell. And I think the running backs, based on what I was told, really have to pick it up in pass protection. So there's a lot that goes into it. But to the question of a quarterback being announced early, I'd be shocked by that. In fact, the statement I was given was that this is going to be a real tough decision for this coaching staff. Now, the one thing I would say that Austin Mack has the advantage in, obviously he's going into his fourth year in this system.

And I think based on some things I've heard, Harold and Brett, it shows a little bit from just the management standpoint of this offense. You know, getting the protections right and all of those things. I just think Austin Mack might be ahead in those areas based on what I've been told. But now, look, that said, I'm not ruling out that Keelan Russell is eventually the guy. I think both these guys, the conversations that I've had, they're really elite passers. I always enjoy when you do your on-the-hoof report for particularly the first media viewing period during the summer.

But during the spring, Daniel Hill, I'd heard he's playing around 250 at one point last year down to a chiseled, as you put it, 236. And Crowell, 5'11", 221. And these tight ends must be some specimens. And we talked about Josh Ford, 6'6", nearly 270. Caleb Edwards, 6'6", 270. Marshall Pritchard, 250. Suter, at 250. And then you've got some pretty good-sized young men on the offensive line. Lloyd, 6'7", 320. And Brooks, 6'7", 339, down about 15, 20 pounds. They're some big, good-looking young men on that team, according to Rodney Orr. Well, I'll tell you, you know, I hear a lot of complaints, you know, and I say that, you know how it goes, about David Ballou and the strength program's not what it used to be, and that's why Alabama's not physical.

[1:45:13] But I'm going to tell you, on the hoof, and look, their defensive line doesn't look anything like the Saban defensive lines, you know, and maybe they're not quite as big overall, massive. The game has changed a little bit. But I'll say this, on the hoof, this is a, it's a really good-looking team. I don't know what else David Ballou could do. You know, physically, they look good. I can tell you, Daniel Hill's made a real transformation. Yeah. And his feet look quicker, much quicker. And you mentioned the tight ends, and you're right.

You look at Josh Ford, you look at Caleb Edwards, you look at Marshall Pritchett, you look at Matt Suter, you look at all those guys. I mean, they've done a really good job in developing them physically. So, I mean, I see it there. You know, and I look in the secondary, you mentioned it possibly being the best secondary in the country, and they're really talented. Let me say this, this is another thing that was, you know, from my source that I spoke to over the weekend, there's been a lot of rave about Jaira Edwards, the freshman safety from Baltimore.

Yeah. And I know that, you know, he's turned heads really early. You know, my source just said, listen, Jordan Edmonds, the true freshman from Marietta, Georgia, at cornerback, is one of the more talented secondary players he's seen come through here in the last several years. And that says something. In fact, he kind of compared him to Patrick Sertain. And he said, this guy is extraordinarily talented. So, listen, I think when you're talking about recruiting talent, they probably recruit secondary talent as well as anyone in the country.

Brian, you do a great job also at TigerInsider.com following recruiting. Your thoughts about where things are, and I guess starting with a D word, decommit. How many times has a chicken decommitted from Alabama? Well, you know, I know, obviously, Jabarius Garrar from down at Viger decommitted. The good news on that, Harold and Brett, is the number of edge players on the defensive side of the ball that Alabama's recruiting right now. I mean, they're in on a lot of guys. I know a lot of guys about Antoine Jackson from Memphis.

He's a lot bigger than Garrar, by the way. He's 6'6", about 240 to 30. He's a guy that's got a great frame. But they're recruiting several of those guys. They've got some five-star guys coming in. K.J. Green's coming in from Georgia. You know, they've got a list of players at that position. But with that said, I mean, I just think they're doing a great job in terms of kind of lining up the visits. And it looks to me like they're in position to have another, you know, fantastic recruiting class.

I want to make sure we're clear. His affectionate name is Chicken. We're not calling him Chicken. That's his nickname. So, just to make sure that we're clear on that. Your thoughts also, I continue to be impressed. This quarterback room potentially is as stout as anybody in the country, especially in this era. Yet, they're still being able to somehow bring in guys who are considered to be number one in the position. Well, that has to be a story in itself, Rodney. Yeah. You said quarterback, right? Yeah, right.

Yeah. Yeah. So, exactly. Elijah Haven out of Baton Rouge is a guy that I know they're extremely high on. Obviously, they already have a commitment from Trent Seaborn who, you know, schools are still Miami's coming, has come after him. Morgan has made a pitch. So, they're recruiting high-profile quarterbacks, and, you know, it looks like they're going to get, you know, the ones that they really target. And, you know, again, we talked about Elon Russell and Austin Mack, but they've got two young guys here that I got a glimpse of.

Peyton Kawa, who, by the way, you talk about him, if he can't play quarterback, he might be an H-back. I mean, this guy's about 6'5", 235 or more. I mean, he is a good-looking specimen at quarterback. And then, also, Jet Tamala, as well, from Nebraska, he's another big kid. You know, he's a 6'5", 215-pound kid. So, they've got four guys here right now that are obviously really talented. Let me ask you about one more in the secondary that a lot of people overlook. And they say, well, you know, he's a Mercer cornerback.

Carmelo O'Neal is 6'4", 209. The length of this secondary amazes me that so many of them are 6'2", to even 6'5". And, Ronnie, you seem to be pretty impressed with O'Neal. Right. I've heard good things about Carmelo O'Neal. They feel really good about him. He could play corner. He could play safety. I think most of his work right now has been at corner. They've been very high on him. We mentioned him in one of our notes packages. He's another one. Like you said, I saw him out on the field.

I got to eyeball him in that media viewing period that we had. And it was only like 10 or 12 minutes. So, you're trying to see as much as you possibly can in a limited amount of time. And he's the real deal. Man, he's big. You think Dejean Lee's big? This guy's big. I mean, he really is. And, look, I mentioned Jordan Edmonds, a true freshman. Harold and Britt, he's 6'3", plus himself. I mean, he's a really big kid. So, you're right about the length. The athleticism and the length is really impressive.

[1:50:37] Now, the front seven, some of the transfer portal guys, you know, you have to hope that Terrence Green, Kigdrick Bingley-Jones, Devin Tompkins come along. To go with Yonsei Pierre up front, that would be a really good. But inside backer, right now, I mean, there's still kind of some question marks there. Not that the guys aren't good or capable, but you just lost a lot of experience. Yeah, I agree. I think they're a little undersized, but making up maybe with athleticism, we'll see how that goes. Well, Tender Insider TV, you're going to be covering the Alabama Crimson Tide in Tampa, Alabama baseball hosting Florida this weekend, and then, of course, spring practice resumes next week.

All of that cornucopia of information, along with that 24-7 message board, Ronnie, where can we get online and get all of this great stuff for a very nominal price? Right, it's TenderInsider.com. It's only $48 a year. You can get instant access with your credit card, if you prefer. There is an address there to send a check, and that gives you all our premium information, but also our all-sports forum. That's our community there, Alabama fans. I mean, it's nonstop. It's nonstop. Right now, it's all about basketball, you know, of course, with spring break.

So, but like we say, Harold and Brett, it never really ends on TenderInsider.com. 24-7 unless it's a leap year, and then it's 366 days a year. Rodney, kick back, enjoy, and thank you so much for your time today. Okay, guys. Appreciate it. Take care. Thank you, bud. Rodney Orr, TenderInsider.com. And, again, the book is called Bigger Than Bama. If you're ready for some early basketball, if you will, official March Madness, which I guess, for the most part, gets rolling tomorrow. Coming up tonight in the so-called play-in games, Prairie View and Lehigh.

That's got the 540 tip. And then the intriguing matchup on the late day, BB, Miami, Ohio, and SMU number 11 versus number 11 there. There's going to be a lot of people watching that game here. A lot of people haven't seen Miami of Ohio, and, of course, they went undefeated for a long, long time. But, as you mentioned, it really gets cranked up tomorrow. Load up on the Red Bull. That's going to take care of business for now 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 2 for the Boom on Buck Show back here on Sports Radio 93.9 The Score.