1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:12,860
 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.

2
00:00:15,660 --> 00:00:29,980
 The Boomo Bugg Show. New exclusive inside track to the Tigers, Tennessee and the rest of the SEC. Now your host, Harold Bugg on 93.9 The Score.

3
00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:54,480
 Good afternoon and welcome here to the Boomo Bugg Show. I'm Harold Bugg alongside Brett Beaird. Thank you so much for giving us free ride around the Tennessee Valley. Brett Beaird, welcome in. Where the question of the day is, who has the toughest and easiest schedule according to the so-called experts in the upcoming SEC football wars? Stay tuned. In the meantime, good afternoon again and how are you?

4
00:00:54,860 --> 00:01:09,360
 Happy Tuesday to you and the listeners. Five-star basketball prospect, Caleb Holt, who played two years at Buckhorn High School, chooses Arizona over Alabama about an hour ago.

5
00:01:09,900 --> 00:01:20,560
 Las Vegas insider Bruce Marshall will preview the SEC men's basketball tournament in Nashville and highlight special seasons for Troy and UAB.

6
00:01:21,560 --> 00:01:30,860
 Roger is here right now to recap a fun night in Coleman Coliseum Saturday night and preview women's basketball and baseball this week.

7
00:01:31,660 --> 00:01:43,520
 Roger is a wonder if he's packing the guitar picks, the fiddle and everything else, getting ready to make some string music in the music city of Nashville, home of the ACC basketball tournament.

8
00:01:44,080 --> 00:01:47,000
 When he's not busy there on the Alabama Crimson Tide Network.

9
00:01:47,120 --> 00:01:49,360
 Roger Hoover, welcome in. How are you?

10
00:01:50,220 --> 00:01:51,800
 Boomo Bugg. I'm doing really well.

11
00:01:51,880 --> 00:01:54,500
 Well, and I wish I was packing the guitar and heading to Nashville.

12
00:01:54,780 --> 00:01:58,840
 I am actually headed to the Bluegrass State this weekend for a little Alabama baseball.

13
00:01:59,080 --> 00:02:03,040
 So we'll be heading towards the land of bourbon and horses coming up over the weekend.

14
00:02:03,240 --> 00:02:05,580
 And hopefully I'll find a golf course along the way.

15
00:02:06,920 --> 00:02:09,960
 So you're going to have a tootsie-free weekend, right, Roger?

16
00:02:11,580 --> 00:02:15,560
 Well, I'm going to have a stopover for a victory lap on Sunday.

17
00:02:15,700 --> 00:02:17,260
 There you go. There you go.

18
00:02:17,380 --> 00:02:20,420
 Roger, obviously, you're a busy boy, as you just indicated there.

19
00:02:20,420 --> 00:02:22,120
 Let's start with the basketball.

20
00:02:23,020 --> 00:02:28,520
 Obviously, let's just kind of have some fun here and go back to post-Florida game.

21
00:02:28,880 --> 00:02:33,100
 Did anyone think at that time that we'd be having the conversation that we're having now?

22
00:02:33,180 --> 00:02:37,280
 The run that this team got on after the debacle against the Gators.

23
00:02:37,960 --> 00:02:44,380
 What a finish for this team in terms of building momentum, heading in, as they say, the money part of the season.

24
00:02:45,520 --> 00:02:49,120
 Yeah, they're really happy with the progress that's been made over the last few weeks.

25
00:02:49,120 --> 00:02:50,660
 And just learning how to defend better.

26
00:02:50,800 --> 00:02:58,340
 I think that Florida game just woke everybody up to, like, what does it take to play winning basketball at the most elite level of the SEC?

27
00:02:58,800 --> 00:02:59,920
 Florida exposed that.

28
00:03:00,140 --> 00:03:02,060
 And there's a real hunger from this team.

29
00:03:02,260 --> 00:03:04,500
 We talked about it with Latrell Reifel Jr.

30
00:03:04,680 --> 00:03:09,240
 We have an interview with him coming up in the next couple weeks on Crimson Drive, driven by NASCAR.

31
00:03:09,560 --> 00:03:13,580
 He just talked about, like, you know, that was the worst feeling of being embarrassed in that game.

32
00:03:13,580 --> 00:03:20,260
 But it fueled the hunger to practice harder and really get everything out of what's ahead of this Alabama team.

33
00:03:20,420 --> 00:03:22,980
 And as a result, I think they've played really connected.

34
00:03:23,360 --> 00:03:29,300
 I think especially with Charles Pediaco no longer being on the floor, everybody kind of knows it's on them.

35
00:03:29,480 --> 00:03:33,580
 So I think kind of as a result, everybody has found a way to elevate their game.

36
00:03:33,680 --> 00:03:37,200
 And even with the loss mixed in against Georgia, that's a very good Georgia team.

37
00:03:37,380 --> 00:03:44,820
 I think that was another wake-up of what it takes to make sure you win game in and game out when there is no margin for error in the NCAA tournament.

38
00:03:46,200 --> 00:03:54,240
 Roger, for the Alabama leaves and dies by the three crowd, Auburn did a good job of taking away the threes.

39
00:03:54,240 --> 00:04:04,960
 Alabama didn't particularly shoot the ones they took very well, but they went inside, rebounded 42-28 advantage over Auburn.

40
00:04:05,020 --> 00:04:08,120
 And I think they had 50-something points in the paint.

41
00:04:08,700 --> 00:04:11,660
 They took what the defense gave them, in other words.

42
00:04:12,020 --> 00:04:14,560
 But, yeah, Alabama can score in the paint.

43
00:04:15,520 --> 00:04:16,480
 Yeah, they really can.

44
00:04:16,640 --> 00:04:18,620
 And a variety of players can score in the paint.

45
00:04:18,760 --> 00:04:20,480
 You know, not all of that was from Aiden Sherell.

46
00:04:20,560 --> 00:04:21,860
 A lot of that was from Amari Allen.

47
00:04:21,980 --> 00:04:27,100
 A lot of it was Aiden Holloway, LeBaron Phylon Jr. driving to the basket, along with Latrell Reitzel Jr.

48
00:04:27,280 --> 00:04:30,880
 So it's a very diverse team in the way they can score and attack.

49
00:04:30,980 --> 00:04:33,600
 And I think the main thing is also going to be how do they defend.

50
00:04:33,600 --> 00:04:37,240
 And I think Nate's going to be talking about defense over these next few weeks.

51
00:04:37,340 --> 00:04:41,680
 Of course, we go through along this week at Nashville and then the NCAA tournament after that.

52
00:04:41,920 --> 00:04:47,740
 It's really going to be defense that makes the difference in whether or not Alabama has deep runs in either tournament coming up.

53
00:04:48,860 --> 00:04:50,580
 Roger Hoover in the huddle with us.

54
00:04:50,820 --> 00:04:58,900
 Roger, let's talk about something that has been as big an enemy for this team all season long, almost in the get-go, maybe even the preseason to now.

55
00:04:58,980 --> 00:05:00,660
 And we know what that is, the injury bug.

56
00:05:01,480 --> 00:05:02,380
 Two things on that.

57
00:05:02,460 --> 00:05:08,400
 Number one, it looks like, relative to what it could be, they are as healthy as they are, have been a long time.

58
00:05:08,460 --> 00:05:15,460
 I mean, not only that, they get the proverbial, much-coveted double-buy, which means they ain't got to worry about it until Friday.

59
00:05:15,620 --> 00:05:21,980
 Your thoughts just about where they are health-wise coming into this game and the benefits of having even, what, two extra bonus days?

60
00:05:22,060 --> 00:05:25,620
 Because let's go down the hypothetical route to borrow one of those big words.

61
00:05:26,180 --> 00:05:37,860
 If they face Texas eventually, that means that will be the third game in three days for the Longhorns, which will mean, on paper anyway, good opportunity for Alabama to get revenge from that earlier loss this season to Texas.

62
00:05:38,780 --> 00:05:39,440
 Yeah, absolutely.

63
00:05:39,440 --> 00:05:47,260
 And, of course, Nashville's been a really good home-court advantage for the Crimson Tide, winning a couple of SEC championships under NATO, having some good runs mixed in there.

64
00:05:47,520 --> 00:05:49,280
 Even in years, they didn't win the championship.

65
00:05:49,580 --> 00:05:52,760
 So, I think you're going to see a really rejuvenated team as they get ready.

66
00:05:52,760 --> 00:06:01,260
 You can't put a price tag on a home win against one of your huge rivals to close out the regular season, have that good momentum.

67
00:06:01,600 --> 00:06:09,580
 And then, I'm telling you, these seniors, guys like Houston Millett, Latrell Reitzel Jr., I mean, they are really enjoying every single practice from here on out,

68
00:06:09,620 --> 00:06:17,340
 knowing that their time is really limited in Alabama-Jersey, even if they go to the national championship game and play this season to a full extent.

69
00:06:17,840 --> 00:06:20,040
 But, you know, Latrell Reitzel mentioned that in our interview yesterday.

70
00:06:20,160 --> 00:06:23,720
 He goes, we have a potential nine games left playing for Alabama.

71
00:06:23,720 --> 00:06:25,520
 And he's like, for me, that's not enough.

72
00:06:25,740 --> 00:06:30,180
 Like, you know, I want to make sure I favor not only these opportunities to play games, but practices.

73
00:06:30,580 --> 00:06:32,500
 And it's just really refreshing to see.

74
00:06:32,620 --> 00:06:37,980
 I don't know if I've seen an Alabama team, maybe going back to that team that was number one with Brandon Miller,

75
00:06:38,220 --> 00:06:41,440
 really enjoying playing the game like this at this time.

76
00:06:41,540 --> 00:06:45,520
 Because if you remember, the team that went to the Final Four kind of stumbled into the postseason.

77
00:06:45,720 --> 00:06:49,940
 Last year wasn't the best finish either, going in to what turned out to be an Elite Eight run.

78
00:06:50,100 --> 00:06:55,540
 So, it's pretty refreshing to see this group enjoying each other's company and playing the kind of basketball they want

79
00:06:55,540 --> 00:06:57,520
 and knowing they are capable of a great run.

80
00:06:58,100 --> 00:07:02,800
 Talk to us a little bit more about that, Roger, because anyone who's ever played team sports

81
00:07:02,800 --> 00:07:06,980
 as opposed to individual sports like golf or track and field, some of those sports,

82
00:07:07,320 --> 00:07:09,480
 team sports is all about we, not me.

83
00:07:09,800 --> 00:07:15,540
 Talk to us just about the intangibles of people like Millett and others who are just,

84
00:07:15,660 --> 00:07:17,260
 basically, they don't look at stats.

85
00:07:17,620 --> 00:07:18,820
 They look at the final score.

86
00:07:20,140 --> 00:07:22,540
 Yeah, he's essentially another coach on the floor.

87
00:07:22,660 --> 00:07:24,480
 I think he's going to be a coach down the road.

88
00:07:24,600 --> 00:07:26,700
 That's certainly something he's really interested in.

89
00:07:26,880 --> 00:07:29,720
 And his dad has worked in collegiate athletics for a long time,

90
00:07:29,800 --> 00:07:33,060
 currently works as an associate AD at the University of South Carolina.

91
00:07:33,520 --> 00:07:34,960
 This guy is all about winning.

92
00:07:35,160 --> 00:07:40,560
 You know, Nate Oates said that he was upset Houston didn't get in the stat sheet on senior night

93
00:07:40,560 --> 00:07:42,460
 against Auburn, really wanted him to make a basket.

94
00:07:42,580 --> 00:07:45,440
 And he's like, no, coach, I did winning things to help our team.

95
00:07:45,440 --> 00:07:48,360
 He actually won the hard hat for doing a lot of the blue-collar things,

96
00:07:48,460 --> 00:07:50,360
 getting deflections, helping get some steals,

97
00:07:50,540 --> 00:07:53,640
 but things that don't really show up in the stat sheet as much as scoring.

98
00:07:53,840 --> 00:07:55,340
 But Houston's not wired like that.

99
00:07:55,480 --> 00:07:57,640
 You know, he's wired about helping out his teammates,

100
00:07:57,820 --> 00:08:00,720
 and he knows he's got LeBaron Phylon and Nate Holloway,

101
00:08:01,080 --> 00:08:02,520
 Reitzel, who are all going to score.

102
00:08:02,760 --> 00:08:06,600
 So I think this is as well-led team as I've really seen.

103
00:08:06,720 --> 00:08:08,760
 And that's saying a lot because, you know,

104
00:08:08,820 --> 00:08:11,060
 the two main leaders of this team, Latrell Reitzel,

105
00:08:11,760 --> 00:08:15,140
 as well as Houston, you know, both started their careers in other places.

106
00:08:15,140 --> 00:08:18,440
 And I think for all the criticism of the transfer portal age,

107
00:08:18,800 --> 00:08:20,840
 you're seeing those guys, along with Noah Williamson,

108
00:08:20,840 --> 00:08:24,840
 who absolutely love Alabama and have really poured everything they have

109
00:08:24,840 --> 00:08:26,280
 into this school and this program.

110
00:08:26,600 --> 00:08:30,340
 And I think fans should appreciate that, even when they see, okay,

111
00:08:30,420 --> 00:08:33,680
 maybe this guy didn't sign straight out of high school, you know,

112
00:08:33,800 --> 00:08:36,320
 and Aiden Holloway played for our biggest rival for a year.

113
00:08:36,440 --> 00:08:40,100
 And now he's come over and he's been an Alabama legend for two straight seasons.

114
00:08:40,380 --> 00:08:44,060
 So I think this is a group that has done a really good job being where their feet are

115
00:08:44,060 --> 00:08:45,840
 and pouring everything they have in this program.

116
00:08:46,640 --> 00:08:47,720
 I was delighted.

117
00:08:47,720 --> 00:08:53,520
 You had an extended stay in South Carolina with Alabama beating Mizzou,

118
00:08:53,860 --> 00:08:58,760
 Tennessee convincingly, but they ran into a buzzsaw with Texas.

119
00:08:58,760 --> 00:09:02,460
 In fact, Texas went on to win the SEC tournament.

120
00:09:02,600 --> 00:09:04,760
 Alabama had a rough second quarter.

121
00:09:05,460 --> 00:09:06,980
 Texas took it from there.

122
00:09:07,760 --> 00:09:09,740
 Roger, your thoughts on the tournament.

123
00:09:10,140 --> 00:09:13,060
 And we'll know Sunday, I believe it's 7 o'clock,

124
00:09:13,420 --> 00:09:18,340
 what's Alabama women's basketball status in the NCAA tournament?

125
00:09:19,340 --> 00:09:20,340
 Looking really good,

126
00:09:20,420 --> 00:09:24,040
 especially after Alabama had a winning week at the SEC tournament with those wins

127
00:09:24,040 --> 00:09:24,840
 against Missouri.

128
00:09:25,060 --> 00:09:28,400
 That fourth quarter was about as fun as I've had calling a game in years.

129
00:09:28,640 --> 00:09:32,280
 Seeing Ace Austin come off the bench and she'd been gone for a couple games

130
00:09:32,280 --> 00:09:35,920
 in the concussion protocol and she makes her first four three-pointers,

131
00:09:36,340 --> 00:09:37,740
 setting the place on fire.

132
00:09:38,060 --> 00:09:40,020
 That was a great performance by her.

133
00:09:40,200 --> 00:09:43,360
 And then they'd turn around the next day and you really manhandled Tennessee.

134
00:09:43,420 --> 00:09:47,420
 for nearly all 40 minutes of that game after you'd lost a pretty disappointing

135
00:09:47,420 --> 00:09:49,760
 fashion to them earlier in the season.

136
00:09:50,020 --> 00:09:51,120
 But it's remarkable.

137
00:09:51,340 --> 00:09:55,380
 You know, Tennessee with Pat Summitt had so many good teams in the 80s and 90s

138
00:09:55,380 --> 00:09:56,420
 into the 2000s.

139
00:09:56,660 --> 00:10:00,660
 Alabama had lost over 40 games in a row before Christy Curry got a win

140
00:10:00,660 --> 00:10:02,780
 against Tennessee in 2016.

141
00:10:03,280 --> 00:10:05,100
 And since then, she's added seven more.

142
00:10:05,260 --> 00:10:08,600
 So ten wins all time against the Lady Vols in Alabama history.

143
00:10:09,020 --> 00:10:10,640
 Christy Curry has eight of them.

144
00:10:11,020 --> 00:10:12,620
 It's just great to see.

145
00:10:12,620 --> 00:10:15,320
 have her success continue in this way.

146
00:10:15,600 --> 00:10:18,620
 And I think even though the Texas game didn't go as we wanted,

147
00:10:18,960 --> 00:10:20,580
 the same can be said for South Carolina.

148
00:10:20,780 --> 00:10:25,320
 A lot of people have said that's the South Carolina Invitational in the last few years.

149
00:10:25,440 --> 00:10:28,460
 It's close to their campus, only about an hour away from Columbia.

150
00:10:28,860 --> 00:10:31,020
 Well, Texas came in and dominated them as well.

151
00:10:31,220 --> 00:10:34,360
 So as tough as it was for Alabama to lose that ballgame,

152
00:10:34,740 --> 00:10:38,460
 you know you lost to the SEC champion as it turned out in the Texas Longhorns.

153
00:10:38,460 --> 00:10:43,260
 And it's just part of what's really a high level of basketball in the SEC.

154
00:10:43,800 --> 00:10:47,220
 So it's tremendous to see the progress that Alabama continues to make.

155
00:10:47,420 --> 00:10:51,020
 And the final question you asked was about what is it looking like for Alabama?

156
00:10:51,280 --> 00:10:55,000
 Currently projected as a number six seed for the NCAA tournament.

157
00:10:55,400 --> 00:11:01,020
 The latest bracketology had us in Ann Arbor, Michigan, which normally, if I'm going back off the last few years,

158
00:11:01,480 --> 00:11:06,620
 we will be anywhere but Ann Arbor, Michigan, because normally I try to kind of plan ahead and try to be like,

159
00:11:06,880 --> 00:11:11,360
 okay, where are we going to go, and always following that bracketology, and we end up somewhere completely different.

160
00:11:11,620 --> 00:11:13,340
 So I'm going ahead and predicting it.

161
00:11:13,380 --> 00:11:16,820
 We will be anywhere but Ann Arbor when we talk coming up next week.

162
00:11:17,500 --> 00:11:19,100
 Could be Pukiski, New York.

163
00:11:19,180 --> 00:11:20,680
 We'll check on that for you, Roger.

164
00:11:20,740 --> 00:11:24,800
 By the way, with all this basketball talk, is there anything going on in Tuscaloosa,

165
00:11:24,960 --> 00:11:27,900
 say football and softball or some of those other sports?

166
00:11:29,160 --> 00:11:32,800
 Yeah, that little sport called football, you know, they don't even have a game this year,

167
00:11:32,940 --> 00:11:39,560
 just the A-Day coming up on April 11th, which is great, but no, they are underway in the practice field.

168
00:11:39,880 --> 00:11:45,340
 Kalen DeBoer had a press conference earlier mentioning some of the injuries that are limiting Alabama.

169
00:11:45,340 --> 00:11:49,860
 You kind of always see that in spring practice, but he's excited about what this group can do,

170
00:11:49,860 --> 00:11:54,580
 and I think he knows that this is a really important spring practice to get this group better.

171
00:11:54,700 --> 00:11:58,700
 A lot of new faces both sides of the ball, some new coaches in the mix as well.

172
00:11:58,920 --> 00:12:01,440
 So it's exciting to have football practice going.

173
00:12:01,620 --> 00:12:02,780
 You mentioned the softball team.

174
00:12:02,860 --> 00:12:03,520
 They're undefeated.

175
00:12:03,700 --> 00:12:06,840
 They just rolled over Ole Miss over the weekend to start SEC play.

176
00:12:06,980 --> 00:12:11,180
 And then my guys, the baseball team, had a good swim over North Florida over the weekend,

177
00:12:11,520 --> 00:12:13,460
 and now we're a month into the season.

178
00:12:13,640 --> 00:12:15,600
 Four weeks are done of non-conference play.

179
00:12:15,600 --> 00:12:18,760
 We'll have a great midweek game coming up tonight against Troy.

180
00:12:18,900 --> 00:12:20,920
 Alabama and Troy is always a battle.

181
00:12:21,480 --> 00:12:24,480
 So I hope people can catch that either on the Crimson Tide Sports Network.

182
00:12:24,680 --> 00:12:28,260
 I'll be on the call on TV on SEC Network Plus for that later tonight.

183
00:12:28,340 --> 00:12:29,080
 It's 6 o'clock.

184
00:12:29,260 --> 00:12:33,240
 And then, like I mentioned at the top of the show, heading to Kentucky this weekend,

185
00:12:33,360 --> 00:12:36,480
 where temperatures are going to be in the 40s and the 30s.

186
00:12:36,780 --> 00:12:38,800
 Maybe I'll have the window open in the press box.

187
00:12:38,900 --> 00:12:39,520
 Maybe I won't.

188
00:12:39,660 --> 00:12:40,060
 We'll see.

189
00:12:40,160 --> 00:12:43,260
 I'm packing a toboggan in my winter golf clubs just in case.

190
00:12:43,260 --> 00:12:47,640
 It's going to be a little chilly up there, but it's going to be a good start to the baseball season

191
00:12:47,640 --> 00:12:51,360
 for two programs that are kind of picked around the same spot in the SEC,

192
00:12:51,740 --> 00:12:55,260
 anywhere from like 8 to 10 in the SEC going into the year.

193
00:12:55,440 --> 00:13:00,600
 So it's important to try and get these wins, especially knowing how tough Alabama's schedule is going to be.

194
00:13:00,740 --> 00:13:05,340
 And I think there's a lot of excitement for Coach Vaughn about what this Alabama team is trying to be.

195
00:13:06,180 --> 00:13:06,620
 Absolutely.

196
00:13:06,960 --> 00:13:09,980
 Listen, have a great call this afternoon with Troy.

197
00:13:10,320 --> 00:13:10,680
 Yeah.

198
00:13:10,780 --> 00:13:12,700
 Good luck going to Lexington.

199
00:13:14,000 --> 00:13:20,540
 By the way, I believe Bryce Fowler, a member of the Alabama baseball team, is on Crimson Drive.

200
00:13:21,180 --> 00:13:22,900
 Who else have you got this week?

201
00:13:23,360 --> 00:13:25,740
 And where can we get online and listen to everything?

202
00:13:26,640 --> 00:13:29,720
 Yeah, we've got Bryce Fowler today at 2 o'clock on Crimson Drive.

203
00:13:29,840 --> 00:13:32,600
 Just follow us on our social media platforms to hear that interview.

204
00:13:32,780 --> 00:13:36,280
 We'll have softball pitcher Vic Moten coming up on our Thursday show.

205
00:13:36,420 --> 00:13:40,880
 And then if Brian Passink will text me back, maybe we'll get him on the Thursday show as well.

206
00:13:40,880 --> 00:13:45,680
 Good luck to have a good interview with him, breaking down the SEC tournament.

207
00:13:46,540 --> 00:13:48,940
 And then just, yeah, follow the Crimson Tide Sports Network.

208
00:13:49,100 --> 00:13:50,480
 We're going to be very busy over the week.

209
00:13:50,680 --> 00:13:54,800
 Some coverage from the guys in Nashville as well for what's hopefully a winning week

210
00:13:54,800 --> 00:13:57,160
 and a championship weekend for the Crimson Tide in basketball.

211
00:13:57,960 --> 00:13:59,820
 Yeah, safe travels to Kentucky.

212
00:14:00,040 --> 00:14:03,060
 And with those cold temperatures, beware of that fire water up there.

213
00:14:03,080 --> 00:14:03,620
 Okay, Roger?

214
00:14:04,420 --> 00:14:05,200
 You got it.

215
00:14:05,260 --> 00:14:05,840
 I trust you.

216
00:14:05,940 --> 00:14:06,400
 Thank you, Harold.

217
00:14:06,560 --> 00:14:07,180
 Thank you, buddy.

218
00:14:07,980 --> 00:14:11,580
 Roger Hoover hooking up with us on the Crimson Tide Sports Network.

219
00:14:12,120 --> 00:14:13,420
 What's going on down to the plains?

220
00:14:13,520 --> 00:14:16,360
 Talking to Auburn with Logan Fowler next on the Bumult Buck Show.

221
00:14:16,440 --> 00:14:16,980
 Stay with us.

222
00:14:29,980 --> 00:14:31,200
 Hear that?

223
00:14:31,880 --> 00:14:35,520
 That's what having fewer hot flashes and night sweats can sound like.

224
00:14:38,520 --> 00:14:44,540
 Vioza is the number one prescribed hormone-free treatment FDA-approved for moderate to severe

225
00:14:44,540 --> 00:14:49,480
 vasomotor symptoms, also known as hot flashes and night sweats, due to menopause.

226
00:14:49,940 --> 00:14:53,220
 Vioza can cause serious side effects, including liver problems.

227
00:14:53,540 --> 00:14:56,440
 Your doctor will do blood tests before and during treatment.

228
00:14:56,980 --> 00:15:01,280
 Stop Vioza and call your doctor if you have symptoms of liver problems, such as feeling

229
00:15:01,280 --> 00:15:06,160
 more tired than usual, decreased appetite, nausea, vomiting, itching, yellowing of the

230
00:15:06,160 --> 00:15:09,140
 eyes or skin, pale stool, dark urine, or stomach pain.

231
00:15:09,460 --> 00:15:14,800
 Don't use Vioza if you have cirrhosis, severe kidney problems, kidney failure, or take SIP-182

232
00:15:14,800 --> 00:15:15,320
 inhibitors.

233
00:15:15,740 --> 00:15:17,760
 Ask your doctor about Vioza.

234
00:15:17,760 --> 00:15:23,380
 To learn more, call 1-866-239-1637 or go to Vioza.com.

235
00:15:23,600 --> 00:15:25,780
 That's V-E-O-Z-A-H dot com.

236
00:15:29,460 --> 00:15:32,600
 This is an important notice to all U.S. taxpayers.

237
00:15:32,940 --> 00:15:37,740
 The IRS is giving away billions of dollars in tax savings through a federal program called

238
00:15:37,740 --> 00:15:41,060
 the Fresh Start Initiative to aid delinquent taxpayers.

239
00:15:41,500 --> 00:15:45,980
 This initiative was established for anyone facing financial hardship and unable to pay their

240
00:15:45,980 --> 00:15:46,640
 back taxes.

241
00:15:47,140 --> 00:15:51,740
 Qualifying and enrolling in this program will stop all collections, settle your delinquent

242
00:15:51,740 --> 00:15:55,320
 tax problem, and even reduce what you owe by thousands of dollars.

243
00:15:55,600 --> 00:16:00,180
 Call the hotline at People's Tax Relief to see if you qualify and get this free information

244
00:16:00,180 --> 00:16:03,220
 by dialing 800-372-2017.

245
00:16:03,920 --> 00:16:09,320
 If you have unfiled tax returns or cannot afford to pay your personal or business back taxes,

246
00:16:09,600 --> 00:16:11,680
 you can now get the help you need.

247
00:16:11,680 --> 00:16:16,600
 One simple phone call can resolve your tax problem and save you thousands of dollars.

248
00:16:16,940 --> 00:16:23,000
 To see if you qualify and to get this important free information, call 800-372-2017.

249
00:16:23,580 --> 00:16:25,740
 800-372-2017.

250
00:16:26,340 --> 00:16:28,580
 800-372-2017.

251
00:16:29,440 --> 00:16:32,080
 This is the story of The One.

252
00:16:32,440 --> 00:16:37,180
 As a procurement manager for a hospital system, she keeps every facility in her network stocked

253
00:16:37,180 --> 00:16:37,500
 and ready.

254
00:16:37,960 --> 00:16:42,320
 That's why she counts on Grainger to be her single source for thousands of products, from

255
00:16:42,320 --> 00:16:44,880
 disinfectants to lighting, air filters, and more.

256
00:16:45,320 --> 00:16:50,360
 And with fast, dependable delivery, Grainger helps her keep every facility stocked, safe,

257
00:16:50,460 --> 00:16:51,220
 and running smoothly.

258
00:16:51,420 --> 00:16:55,040
 Call 1-800-GRAINGER, click grainger.com, or just stop by.

259
00:16:55,520 --> 00:16:55,880
 Grainger.

260
00:16:56,220 --> 00:16:58,100
 For the ones who get it done.

261
00:16:59,940 --> 00:17:04,380
 COVID-19 has cast a spotlight on the stark inequalities that drive poverty.

262
00:17:05,040 --> 00:17:09,440
 The poorest communities in the U.S. and around the world are suffering the most.

263
00:17:10,160 --> 00:17:14,660
 Oxfam believes we can put systems in place to protect health and livelihoods in the future

264
00:17:14,660 --> 00:17:17,740
 if we work together with dignity and compassion.

265
00:17:18,500 --> 00:17:24,380
 Learn how you can help offer safety to the most vulnerable and fight for a more resilient future

266
00:17:24,380 --> 00:17:26,520
 at OxfamAmerica.org.

267
00:17:27,320 --> 00:17:29,060
 Sponsored by Oxfam America.

268
00:17:29,820 --> 00:17:34,940
 The Florence Kiwanis Club is having their 74th annual Pancake Day, Friday, March 13th

269
00:17:34,940 --> 00:17:39,980
 from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday, March 14th from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Florence

270
00:17:39,980 --> 00:17:41,300
 Lauderdale Coliseum.

271
00:17:41,640 --> 00:17:47,820
 Tickets are $10 in advance, $12 at the door, $9 for bundles of 10 or more, or $6 for children

272
00:17:47,820 --> 00:17:48,520
 under 12.

273
00:17:49,200 --> 00:17:51,720
 Tickets are available at Florence locations of Bank Independent.

274
00:17:52,080 --> 00:17:55,500
 For more information, check out Kiwanis Club with Florence AL on Facebook.

275
00:17:56,640 --> 00:17:59,580
 As a firefighter, my job was about saving lives.

276
00:18:00,020 --> 00:18:02,640
 I never thought one day I would be fighting for mine.

277
00:18:03,020 --> 00:18:07,200
 MDA empowers people like me to live the best lives we can.

278
00:18:07,820 --> 00:18:10,700
 Learn more at mda.org today.

279
00:18:11,800 --> 00:18:12,840
 The Score.

280
00:18:13,220 --> 00:18:18,020
 Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score.

281
00:18:18,660 --> 00:18:19,380
 Welcome back, kids.

282
00:18:19,460 --> 00:18:21,860
 It's a pleasure to say hello to Logan Fowler.

283
00:18:21,940 --> 00:18:27,300
 He's got the Auburn Tigers covered there at 1819 News and at Telgate Auburn.

284
00:18:27,460 --> 00:18:29,460
 That's T-A-L-E, Gate Auburn.

285
00:18:29,600 --> 00:18:30,460
 Logan, welcome in.

286
00:18:30,560 --> 00:18:31,620
 Happy Tuesday to you.

287
00:18:31,660 --> 00:18:32,140
 How are you?

288
00:18:33,060 --> 00:18:33,900
 Doing well, guys.

289
00:18:33,920 --> 00:18:34,360
 How are y'all?

290
00:18:34,960 --> 00:18:35,960
 Man, we're doing all right.

291
00:18:36,020 --> 00:18:41,140
 Logan, it's safe to say that for Auburn basketball fans, it's a chance to see if you see a week

292
00:18:41,140 --> 00:18:44,400
 that is where the glass is either half full or half empty.

293
00:18:44,400 --> 00:18:48,040
 Your thoughts heading into Nashville after this season?

294
00:18:49,260 --> 00:18:49,440
 Yeah.

295
00:18:49,640 --> 00:18:55,580
 Yeah, I mean, it's certainly been at least a last half of the season to forgive for Auburn

296
00:18:55,580 --> 00:18:56,280
 and Auburn fans.

297
00:18:56,440 --> 00:19:00,020
 I think that obviously they have a chance to make some noise in Nashville.

298
00:19:00,300 --> 00:19:01,620
 I'm not going to count this team out.

299
00:19:01,700 --> 00:19:05,500
 I think they're plenty talented enough to go in and make a run.

300
00:19:06,460 --> 00:19:12,880
 I don't know if I necessarily see it coming, but you take on a Mississippi State team that

301
00:19:12,880 --> 00:19:18,920
 you lost to, obviously Josh Hubbard had 46 points, 35 in the first half.

302
00:19:19,020 --> 00:19:21,980
 You're going to look to bounce back from that regular season loss.

303
00:19:22,060 --> 00:19:29,120
 If you make it past Mississippi State, you get another team in Tennessee where this losing streak began, right?

304
00:19:29,200 --> 00:19:31,660
 So you get to avenge that loss from the regular season.

305
00:19:31,660 --> 00:19:35,120
 After that, I believe you get another team that you lost to in the regular season.

306
00:19:35,240 --> 00:19:37,080
 So they could come in with the chip on their shoulder.

307
00:19:38,260 --> 00:19:45,680
 And obviously, I think that you've probably got to win three to four games in Nashville to have a chance at a large bid in the NCAA tournament.

308
00:19:47,020 --> 00:19:49,000
 Logan, that's what I was going to ask you.

309
00:19:49,420 --> 00:20:03,700
 Figuring that Josh Hubbard's not going to score 46 again, even if he does 20 and Auburn wins the game, Nate Amiette is reportedly going to be playing for Tennessee again.

310
00:20:04,320 --> 00:20:18,340
 If Auburn meets Mississippi State and they play Tennessee down to the wire and lose, would that be enough to get an NCAA bid with the strength of schedule and the wins over St. John's, Florida, et cetera?

311
00:20:19,420 --> 00:20:21,080
 That's a good question.

312
00:20:21,340 --> 00:20:23,580
 I mean, me personally, I don't think so.

313
00:20:24,000 --> 00:20:25,640
 I think Auburn's got to go in there.

314
00:20:26,300 --> 00:20:33,220
 I think they've got to really, really work into Saturday and Sunday in Nashville next week or this weekend.

315
00:20:34,920 --> 00:20:38,560
 You know, I think that obviously you mentioned the strong resume.

316
00:20:38,740 --> 00:20:41,040
 That's what's kind of giving Auburn hope right now.

317
00:20:41,180 --> 00:20:44,500
 I mean, they've got the best win in the country on the road in Gainesville.

318
00:20:45,540 --> 00:20:48,100
 Obviously, you mentioned the wins against St. John's.

319
00:20:48,420 --> 00:20:51,340
 That NC State win kind of looked good.

320
00:20:51,760 --> 00:20:56,460
 Now it's dropped down to a quad two win and hurt Auburn's resume a little bit.

321
00:20:56,700 --> 00:20:58,180
 But I don't know.

322
00:20:58,240 --> 00:21:05,600
 I just don't think that the losses to Ole Miss at home, to Oklahoma, to Mississippi State, those are really, really bad losses.

323
00:21:06,520 --> 00:21:11,980
 And I think the only way that you're going to overcome that is with a three- to four-win week in Nashville.

324
00:21:11,980 --> 00:21:21,220
 Now, again, I can see Auburn going and making a statement, having a statement win there on Wednesday against Mississippi State.

325
00:21:21,400 --> 00:21:29,940
 But, you know, you match up, like you mentioned, against Natham and a Tennessee team that's very physical, plays really good brand of defense, has a lot of weapons and scores.

326
00:21:30,820 --> 00:21:38,720
 And this Auburn team right now, they've had, you know, chance after chance after chance to make a statement in the back half of the season.

327
00:21:38,860 --> 00:21:40,700
 They haven't just, they haven't shown up.

328
00:21:41,000 --> 00:21:42,500
 Will they show up this week in Nashville?

329
00:21:42,500 --> 00:21:43,000
 I don't know.

330
00:21:43,080 --> 00:21:47,600
 But I just don't like Tennessee's style of play versus this Auburn team right now.

331
00:21:48,520 --> 00:21:49,960
 Logan Fowler, Hogan, up with us.

332
00:21:49,980 --> 00:21:51,520
 Again, 1819 News.

333
00:21:51,700 --> 00:21:56,880
 Logan, the question to me is, it's pretty obvious that it would take a miracle.

334
00:21:57,060 --> 00:21:59,480
 And I appreciate your honesty, giving your position there.

335
00:21:59,940 --> 00:22:01,100
 You just got to take it like it is.

336
00:22:01,120 --> 00:22:03,960
 That's kind of our mantra here, and let the chips fall where they may.

337
00:22:04,120 --> 00:22:07,500
 The bigger question is, sit here and be realistic.

338
00:22:07,960 --> 00:22:09,520
 What's Auburn got to fix?

339
00:22:10,100 --> 00:22:12,180
 And Brent, you know, we're just talking at the top of the show.

340
00:22:12,280 --> 00:22:15,860
 One way you do that is get prize recruits, hopefully with the routes to Alabama.

341
00:22:16,040 --> 00:22:16,900
 Well, Holt just left.

342
00:22:17,020 --> 00:22:18,140
 Caleb Holt just left the state.

343
00:22:18,220 --> 00:22:19,260
 Neither Auburn nor Alabama.

344
00:22:19,720 --> 00:22:20,700
 He's going to Arizona.

345
00:22:20,700 --> 00:22:24,480
 Welcome to the modern age of NIL and attractive packages.

346
00:22:25,280 --> 00:22:29,740
 Back to the original point, let's just say that the miracle doesn't fall.

347
00:22:30,060 --> 00:22:33,000
 Where does Auburn start fixing this problem starting next season?

348
00:22:34,060 --> 00:22:34,260
 Yeah.

349
00:22:34,500 --> 00:22:39,200
 Yeah, you know, I think that Stephen Pearl is going to be on the sidelines next season.

350
00:22:39,420 --> 00:22:42,060
 Just a gut guess feeling, I guess, on that.

351
00:22:42,380 --> 00:22:46,540
 But I think that Stephen Pearl's got to go out and hit the trail really hard and get his

352
00:22:46,540 --> 00:22:51,860
 guys who play his brand of basketball in his locker room.

353
00:22:53,180 --> 00:22:56,260
 I think that he is a defensive-minded guy.

354
00:22:56,620 --> 00:23:01,660
 He was obviously the defensive coordinator at Auburn in seasons prior to taking over the

355
00:23:01,660 --> 00:23:02,560
 head coaching job.

356
00:23:02,820 --> 00:23:08,480
 And this roster right here that he's got is just not a defensive savvy group.

357
00:23:08,600 --> 00:23:09,560
 They don't play physical.

358
00:23:09,740 --> 00:23:10,800
 They don't play hard.

359
00:23:11,980 --> 00:23:13,820
 Well, like I said, they don't play hard.

360
00:23:14,000 --> 00:23:17,120
 But they're not a physical defensive-minded team like Stephen Pearl.

361
00:23:17,660 --> 00:23:21,960
 I think that's going to be his style at Auburn in the coming years when he has a chance to

362
00:23:21,960 --> 00:23:23,620
 build his own roster.

363
00:23:23,800 --> 00:23:27,240
 Now, he took place in recruiting this roster last year.

364
00:23:27,300 --> 00:23:30,920
 He knew exactly who him and his father were bringing in.

365
00:23:38,780 --> 00:23:48,140
 And so, I think that when he hits the trail this offseason, when he gets some of his guys in

366
00:23:48,140 --> 00:23:52,140
 that play his brand of basketball, I think it's going to help out in the long run.

367
00:23:54,220 --> 00:23:59,680
 Switching to spring football, which basketball is overshadowed now, Will, for the next couple

368
00:23:59,680 --> 00:24:00,020
 of weeks.

369
00:24:00,140 --> 00:24:03,000
 But Auburn gets started next week.

370
00:24:03,500 --> 00:24:04,860
 Logan, what's your questions?

371
00:24:05,020 --> 00:24:10,760
 Obviously, offensively, Brown coming in, I think a lot of people feel confident.

372
00:24:11,440 --> 00:24:15,540
 17 or 18 offensive linemen, they've got to go through that competition.

373
00:24:15,980 --> 00:24:21,360
 What are your top two or three questions for spring football for Alex Golich?

374
00:24:22,300 --> 00:24:26,760
 Yeah, number one is obviously, and I guess you can form this into a couple of questions,

375
00:24:26,880 --> 00:24:28,300
 is how are they going to look in the trenches?

376
00:24:29,180 --> 00:24:34,120
 And like you mentioned, especially on the offensive side of the ball, I feel pretty confident in

377
00:24:34,120 --> 00:24:34,660
 Byron Brown.

378
00:24:34,660 --> 00:24:41,060
 I think that it's just a wait-and-see game on if his game is going to translate to the SEC,

379
00:24:41,340 --> 00:24:44,460
 which I don't think is going to be a problem for him.

380
00:24:44,580 --> 00:24:49,180
 I think the way that Golich and Joel Gordon have talked about him and the leader and just

381
00:24:49,180 --> 00:24:55,640
 the impact he's had on the locker room and the program at USF, I just don't see his game

382
00:24:55,640 --> 00:24:58,600
 taking any hits in the SEC.

383
00:24:59,180 --> 00:25:03,600
 I think that the biggest question is who is going to step up and start on the offensive

384
00:25:03,600 --> 00:25:03,960
 line.

385
00:25:04,040 --> 00:25:05,340
 You're replacing five starters.

386
00:25:06,040 --> 00:25:09,600
 You had all of the trio of USF guys come over.

387
00:25:09,680 --> 00:25:11,180
 I think that's going to be big for Auburn.

388
00:25:12,060 --> 00:25:16,200
 But it's been a huge question mark, especially on the offensive side of the ball.

389
00:25:16,740 --> 00:25:23,120
 The last few seasons is the lackluster play up front in the trenches.

390
00:25:24,240 --> 00:25:28,160
 And then vice versa, who's going to step up in the middle on the defensive side of the ball?

391
00:25:28,300 --> 00:25:33,320
 You know, obviously in the middle of that defense, you've got Xavier Atkins in a pretty

392
00:25:33,320 --> 00:25:35,140
 experienced linebacker room returning.

393
00:25:35,760 --> 00:25:41,000
 But you got a big off-season pickup with Dallas Walker coming back and getting another year.

394
00:25:41,760 --> 00:25:45,300
 Jordan Crawford, Malik Autry are returning for their second year.

395
00:25:45,960 --> 00:25:48,020
 You had a couple of big pickups through the portal.

396
00:25:48,180 --> 00:25:49,320
 How do those guys mesh?

397
00:25:49,700 --> 00:25:55,460
 Deshaun Womack on the end, that could be a huge pickup for Auburn, a former five-star coming

398
00:25:55,460 --> 00:25:56,360
 over from Ole Miss.

399
00:25:56,540 --> 00:26:01,180
 So how does that defensive front mesh and how are they going to translate together?

400
00:26:01,340 --> 00:26:09,140
 And then I'm interested to see how this staff meshes together and some of the guys who haven't

401
00:26:09,140 --> 00:26:10,840
 been with Golesh at USF.

402
00:26:11,400 --> 00:26:17,360
 You know, obviously you've got Joel Gordon, Cody Burns, Hudanik, DeMarcus Van Dyke, some

403
00:26:17,360 --> 00:26:21,220
 of those guys who have been under Golesh, who know the way that he operates.

404
00:26:21,960 --> 00:26:26,360
 But you've got, other than those, you've got a ton of guys who have a lot of experience but

405
00:26:26,360 --> 00:26:33,460
 are going to be, you know, behind the eight ball, I guess you could say, in operating in

406
00:26:33,460 --> 00:26:35,900
 the system that these other guys have been operating in for years.

407
00:26:36,160 --> 00:26:42,240
 So I'm interested to see how Tim Banks, how Larry Porter and Hutzler and some of those guys,

408
00:26:42,720 --> 00:26:46,480
 what their skills are going to bring to the defensive side of the ball, especially a lot

409
00:26:46,480 --> 00:26:47,640
 of experience over there.

410
00:26:47,800 --> 00:26:51,380
 So I'm interested to see how this staff kind of meshes together.

411
00:26:52,460 --> 00:26:55,960
 That's a great point because you can, if you, if these guys, they've been speaking a

412
00:26:55,960 --> 00:26:59,360
 certain language together, but all of a sudden you step off the plane, there's another language.

413
00:26:59,480 --> 00:27:01,160
 How soon are you going to get through that hurdle?

414
00:27:01,340 --> 00:27:05,240
 The other question, Logan, by the way, Logan Fowler, again, 1819 News.

415
00:27:05,760 --> 00:27:08,660
 You mentioned Brown, obviously he is a rock and roll star.

416
00:27:08,660 --> 00:27:14,420
 The other part is what, correct me if I'm wrong, 13 guys coming from South Florida, in this

417
00:27:14,420 --> 00:27:19,500
 case to South Alabama, to Auburn, 11 on offense, correct me if I'm wrong.

418
00:27:19,560 --> 00:27:21,520
 There's 11 people who play offense in some ways.

419
00:27:21,580 --> 00:27:26,180
 Number wise, it's an entirely Southern, South Florida offense coming up with him.

420
00:27:26,360 --> 00:27:30,960
 Your thoughts on how are they going to mesh playing a South Florida schedule?

421
00:27:31,420 --> 00:27:36,920
 I know they beat Florida last year, but how will these guys handle a week to weeks SEC schedule?

422
00:27:37,760 --> 00:27:38,200
 Yeah.

423
00:27:38,320 --> 00:27:39,920
 I mean, you, yeah, you mentioned it.

424
00:27:40,280 --> 00:27:44,260
 Look, this was one of the best offenses in the country last year, led by.

425
00:27:44,420 --> 00:27:50,980
 Led by Byron Brown, they put up gaudy numbers and, you know, again, it was against lesser competition,

426
00:27:51,180 --> 00:27:55,180
 but skill is skill and I think it translates, it'll translate to the SEC.

427
00:27:55,380 --> 00:27:58,320
 I don't really have a problem thinking that it won't.

428
00:27:58,500 --> 00:28:05,120
 I do, I really like the fact that some of these new guys are going to be able to rely on 11

429
00:28:05,120 --> 00:28:07,000
 offensive guys coming over for USF.

430
00:28:07,000 --> 00:28:09,760
 That's going to make this transition so seamless.

431
00:28:10,100 --> 00:28:14,400
 It's going to make the spring, like, you know, you don't have a competition under center this spring.

432
00:28:14,480 --> 00:28:18,340
 You know who your guy is at the quarterback spot.

433
00:28:18,440 --> 00:28:20,020
 You know who your running back is going to be.

434
00:28:20,300 --> 00:28:23,140
 You have a pretty good feeling of who's going to step up out wide.

435
00:28:23,420 --> 00:28:29,200
 It's going to make a spring for a lot of teaching, I guess, for these new guys.

436
00:28:29,380 --> 00:28:36,100
 I think that that's going to be huge and I don't doubt that these guys can maybe not put up the same numbers

437
00:28:36,100 --> 00:28:41,900
 where they lead the country in total offense and are putting up, you know, numbers through the air

438
00:28:41,900 --> 00:28:43,940
 and on the ground like they were at South Florida.

439
00:28:43,940 --> 00:28:51,280
 But if you can have a, you know, a 3,000-yard passer and a 1,000-yard rusher at either quarterback or running back

440
00:28:51,280 --> 00:28:54,280
 and, you know, I think there's going to be a lot of options outside.

441
00:28:54,440 --> 00:28:57,320
 So I wouldn't necessarily say they're going to have a 1,000-yard receiver,

442
00:28:57,500 --> 00:29:00,600
 but get a couple of guys who are up there close to that mark.

443
00:29:00,600 --> 00:29:04,280
 I think you're going to see a lot of success for Auburn on the offensive side of the ball

444
00:29:04,280 --> 00:29:07,520
 and that's certainly what has been lacking over the past few years.

445
00:29:07,520 --> 00:29:11,520
 And as long as D.J. Durkin is leading the charge on the defensive side of the ball,

446
00:29:11,580 --> 00:29:16,880
 I really do think that Auburn is going to improve and make some moves in the SEC this year.

447
00:29:18,080 --> 00:29:27,080
 It's just a matter of, you know, what does the expectations for Auburn look like realistically in year one?

448
00:29:27,080 --> 00:29:30,080
 Is that, you know, six wins? Is that an improvement?

449
00:29:30,240 --> 00:29:31,740
 It is, technically speaking.

450
00:29:32,680 --> 00:29:37,520
 But I could see this Auburn team getting to the 7-8-9 win mark

451
00:29:37,520 --> 00:29:42,840
 and that would be, you know, a pretty substantial improvement for Alex Golesh in year one.

452
00:29:43,620 --> 00:29:47,920
 Yeah, that would make a lot of Auburn fans, Logan, very happy.

453
00:29:48,440 --> 00:29:50,400
 Great to have you on the show again.

454
00:29:50,520 --> 00:29:52,800
 Update about basketball and football.

455
00:29:53,020 --> 00:29:55,140
 Auburn baseball doing pretty well, too.

456
00:29:55,240 --> 00:29:58,020
 They're going to Columbia, Missouri this weekend.

457
00:29:58,220 --> 00:30:00,180
 They got UAB, I believe, tonight.

458
00:30:00,800 --> 00:30:03,600
 Where can we get online, Logan, and get all your good stuff?

459
00:30:04,420 --> 00:30:07,880
 Sure, you can catch me on X at Logan F. Fowler.

460
00:30:08,080 --> 00:30:14,420
 And you can give me a check out at Tailgate Auburn for my written work and 1819 News.

461
00:30:15,640 --> 00:30:16,560
 That's great, Logan.

462
00:30:16,700 --> 00:30:17,900
 Listen, thanks so much.

463
00:30:18,160 --> 00:30:19,500
 Interesting time of the year.

464
00:30:19,580 --> 00:30:21,200
 It may be March, but it's busy.

465
00:30:21,760 --> 00:30:23,580
 Safe travels to and from wherever you go.

466
00:30:23,640 --> 00:30:24,820
 And let's do it again soon, okay?

467
00:30:25,740 --> 00:30:26,160
 Thank you.

468
00:30:26,820 --> 00:30:27,460
 Thank you, bud.

469
00:30:27,460 --> 00:30:33,680
 Logan Fowler, 1819 News, and again, also at Tailgate, that's T-A-L-E-Gates, Auburn.

470
00:30:33,820 --> 00:30:37,740
 Coming up, time to open the gates of Vegas and say hello to Bruce Marshall on deck.

471
00:30:37,820 --> 00:30:38,340
 Stay with us.

472
00:30:44,280 --> 00:30:49,420
 Indeed presents, hires you can't afford to get wrong, like a warehouse operations manager.

473
00:30:49,920 --> 00:30:51,580
 Uh, where are the forklifts?

474
00:30:51,880 --> 00:30:52,380
 Sold them.

475
00:30:52,640 --> 00:30:53,200
 Too expensive.

476
00:30:53,620 --> 00:30:54,940
 We're using scooters now.

477
00:30:54,940 --> 00:30:58,280
 So you expect us to move a two-ton pallet on a scooter?

478
00:30:58,520 --> 00:30:59,700
 Just lean into it.

479
00:30:59,900 --> 00:31:01,200
 Put your back into it, people.

480
00:31:02,580 --> 00:31:04,420
 This is a job for sponsored jobs.

481
00:31:05,240 --> 00:31:07,400
 This is what happens when you don't sponsor your job on Indeed.

482
00:31:07,720 --> 00:31:10,360
 Next time, get matched with quality candidates with Indeed-sponsored jobs.

483
00:31:10,980 --> 00:31:13,680
 Visit indeed.com slash hire now and sponsor your job today.

484
00:31:15,540 --> 00:31:16,380
 Sound familiar?

485
00:31:17,200 --> 00:31:24,560
 At Mattress Firm, we understand there are many problems that can keep you up at night, like snoring, aches and pains, or sleeping hot.

486
00:31:25,140 --> 00:31:29,340
 Our sleep experts have the unrivaled know-how to match you with a mattress that can help.

487
00:31:29,700 --> 00:31:36,500
 And now at Mattress Firm, save up to $600, plus get a free adjustable base with select Sealy Posturepedic mattresses.

488
00:31:36,780 --> 00:31:39,320
 For the great sleep you deserve, visit Mattress Firm.

489
00:31:39,540 --> 00:31:41,100
 We make sleep easy.

490
00:31:41,520 --> 00:31:42,240
 Restrictions apply.

491
00:31:42,380 --> 00:31:43,600
 See store or website for details.

492
00:31:44,160 --> 00:31:45,280
 I'm Boomer Esiason.

493
00:31:45,520 --> 00:31:46,840
 My mom died from cancer.

494
00:31:47,120 --> 00:31:48,820
 She was only 37 years old.

495
00:31:49,080 --> 00:31:52,420
 She didn't have life insurance, and that was devastating for my family.

496
00:31:52,700 --> 00:31:54,860
 That's why having life insurance is so important to me.

497
00:31:55,160 --> 00:31:57,120
 Ethos makes it fast and easy.

498
00:31:57,120 --> 00:32:01,120
 Get a quote in seconds, apply in minutes, and get same-day coverage.

499
00:32:01,300 --> 00:32:04,500
 You can get up to $3 million in coverage with no medical exam.

500
00:32:04,900 --> 00:32:07,980
 Get your free quote at ethos.com slash play.

501
00:32:08,280 --> 00:32:10,260
 That's ethos.com slash play.

502
00:32:10,620 --> 00:32:11,080
 Paid spokesperson.

503
00:32:11,340 --> 00:32:12,380
 Time span on application may vary.

504
00:32:12,480 --> 00:32:13,440
 Online health questions required.

505
00:32:13,880 --> 00:32:16,140
 Hey, it's Rich Eisen for Pella Windows and Doors.

506
00:32:16,320 --> 00:32:19,600
 Sometimes teams take a timeout to regroup and call the right play.

507
00:32:19,600 --> 00:32:23,680
 When it comes to your home, Pella Windows and Doors always has the winning game plan.

508
00:32:23,940 --> 00:32:25,640
 They're not just window and door experts.

509
00:32:25,900 --> 00:32:28,480
 They're experts at taking care of you and your home.

510
00:32:28,740 --> 00:32:32,520
 At Pella, they find the products that meet your needs, and their experts install them.

511
00:32:32,740 --> 00:32:35,220
 They do it every day, and that's why your neighbors trust them.

512
00:32:35,480 --> 00:32:38,680
 Discover why Pella is a trusted choice for homeowners everywhere.

513
00:32:39,020 --> 00:32:41,120
 Visit Pella.com slash Eisen today.

514
00:32:41,380 --> 00:32:43,060
 That's Pella.com slash Eisen.

515
00:32:43,780 --> 00:32:44,980
 My name is Whitney Allen.

516
00:32:45,120 --> 00:32:45,720
 I am a widow.

517
00:32:45,920 --> 00:32:47,100
 My husband, Ryan, died.

518
00:32:47,100 --> 00:32:50,820
 We never thought in a million years we'd have to use life insurance.

519
00:32:50,940 --> 00:32:52,100
 The unexpected happened.

520
00:32:52,320 --> 00:32:54,540
 With Ethos, it is so fast and easy.

521
00:32:54,720 --> 00:32:55,920
 It's 100% online.

522
00:32:56,200 --> 00:32:59,900
 You can get a quote in seconds, apply in minutes, and get same-day coverage.

523
00:33:00,180 --> 00:33:05,100
 No medical exams, and you can get up to $3 million worth of coverage through Ethos.

524
00:33:05,240 --> 00:33:08,060
 Get your free quote at ethos.com slash game.

525
00:33:08,320 --> 00:33:11,180
 That's E-T-H-O-S dot com slash game.

526
00:33:11,300 --> 00:33:12,320
 Time spent on application may vary.

527
00:33:12,440 --> 00:33:13,460
 Online health questions required.

528
00:33:13,920 --> 00:33:15,120
 Ready to kick off the fun?

529
00:33:15,380 --> 00:33:17,640
 Chumba Casino is your go-to game plan.

530
00:33:17,820 --> 00:33:24,040
 During halftime or overtime, from spinning slots to instant scratch-style cards, it's like running the perfect play.

531
00:33:24,280 --> 00:33:25,160
 Haul from home.

532
00:33:25,300 --> 00:33:31,620
 New players score a free welcome bonus and daily logins with a shot at some serious prizes every time you play.

533
00:33:31,740 --> 00:33:34,940
 Get in the game and visit ChumbaCasino.com today.

534
00:33:35,080 --> 00:33:35,840
 Let's Chumba!

535
00:33:36,080 --> 00:33:37,520
 Sponsored by VGW Group.

536
00:33:37,600 --> 00:33:38,480
 No purchase necessary.

537
00:33:38,660 --> 00:33:40,280
 See terms at ChumbaCasino.com.

538
00:33:40,280 --> 00:33:43,200
 It must be over 21 and present in a state where it's legal to play.

539
00:33:44,080 --> 00:33:46,620
 March Madness means great match-ups.

540
00:33:46,760 --> 00:33:47,780
 Flann driving right.

541
00:33:48,100 --> 00:33:50,460
 Law for Brazil with a two-hand slam.

542
00:33:51,100 --> 00:33:52,920
 Johnnies can't contain the dribble drive.

543
00:33:53,060 --> 00:33:58,840
 It is punishing every time as these guards for the Razorbacks continually getting downhill with the Promise Land.

544
00:33:59,020 --> 00:34:06,560
 John Calipari's 10th seed Arkansas squad upset Rick Pitino's second seed at St. John's team in a memorable meeting of the two Hall of Fame coaches.

545
00:34:06,640 --> 00:34:11,820
 Hear Westwood One's coverage of this year's great NCAA tournament match-ups right here.

546
00:34:13,120 --> 00:34:15,640
 Oh, oh, oh, O'Reilly!

547
00:34:16,820 --> 00:34:22,500
 Replace your wiper blades and save $10 on a pair of Rain-X Latitude wiper blades at O'Reilly Auto Parts.

548
00:34:22,800 --> 00:34:26,720
 Beam blade technology improves windshield contact for maximum visibility.

549
00:34:27,180 --> 00:34:30,920
 Our professional parts people will even install your new wiper blades for free.

550
00:34:31,260 --> 00:34:36,060
 Stop by your O'Reilly Auto Parts store or shop online at O'ReillyAuto.com.

551
00:34:36,060 --> 00:34:41,680
 Oh, oh, oh, O'Reilly Auto Parts.

552
00:34:43,120 --> 00:34:47,200
 Progressive presents the Sports Flash on 93-9, The Score.

553
00:34:47,680 --> 00:34:56,080
 The Troy men's basketball team won the Sunbelt Championship yesterday as Troy defeated Georgia Southern in Pensacola, Florida, 77-61.

554
00:34:56,620 --> 00:34:59,600
 Trojans are on to the NCAA tournament.

555
00:35:00,160 --> 00:35:05,740
 Troy women's basketball team fell in the Sunbelt Championship to James Madison, 69-52.

556
00:35:05,960 --> 00:35:08,760
 Troy is now 25-7 on the season.

557
00:35:09,500 --> 00:35:10,440
 Baseball action today.

558
00:35:10,520 --> 00:35:12,420
 North Alabama will take out Jacksonville State.

559
00:35:12,500 --> 00:35:15,120
 The Lions are 7-9 on the season.

560
00:35:15,120 --> 00:35:17,020
 Alabama will host Troy.

561
00:35:17,120 --> 00:35:18,620
 The Troy Trojans are 6-9.

562
00:35:18,740 --> 00:35:20,940
 Alabama is 14-3.

563
00:35:21,240 --> 00:35:26,140
 In the SEC basketball tournament tomorrow, Auburn is set to take on Mississippi State.

564
00:35:26,300 --> 00:35:27,460
 Alabama's the two-seed.

565
00:35:27,540 --> 00:35:29,480
 They'll play Friday in the quarterfinals.

566
00:35:29,740 --> 00:35:33,960
 Bundle auto and home, renters, or condo and save with Progressive.

567
00:35:33,960 --> 00:35:39,520
 I'm John Thayer with the Sports Flash presented by Progressive on 93-9, The Score.

568
00:35:44,520 --> 00:35:48,980
 Working as a dedicated Fidelity advisor, I always ask, what's important to you?

569
00:35:49,660 --> 00:35:56,680
 I'll look at those priorities and goals alongside your full financial picture to build a comprehensive plan designed to help grow and protect your wealth.

570
00:35:57,160 --> 00:36:02,000
 With proactive portfolio insights and an eye on taxes, I'm here to help you make the most of your money.

571
00:36:02,440 --> 00:36:05,140
 I'm Laura Maxwell, and I'm a dedicated Fidelity advisor.

572
00:36:05,660 --> 00:36:07,740
 Learn more at fidelity.com slash wealth.

573
00:36:08,080 --> 00:36:09,260
 Investment minimums apply.

574
00:36:09,440 --> 00:36:13,200
 Fidelity Brokerage Services, LLC, member NYSE SIPC.

575
00:36:13,200 --> 00:36:17,880
 Straight Talk Wireless presents Pickup Truck Wisdom.

576
00:36:18,540 --> 00:36:20,760
 The smartest way to spend your money is not to.

577
00:36:21,180 --> 00:36:26,280
 Straight Talk offers free 5G phones for new and existing customers on Verizon's 5G network.

578
00:36:26,740 --> 00:36:31,220
 So the refund money I don't spend on that free phone is the refund money I get to keep for my family.

579
00:36:31,720 --> 00:36:32,120
 Smart.

580
00:36:33,300 --> 00:36:35,600
 Find us at straighttalk.com and Walmart.

581
00:36:36,160 --> 00:36:36,920
 Straight Talk Wireless.

582
00:36:37,400 --> 00:36:37,920
 Straightforward.

583
00:36:38,300 --> 00:36:38,620
 Always.

584
00:36:39,320 --> 00:36:40,080
 Taxes and fees apply.

585
00:36:40,080 --> 00:36:41,680
 Plan purchase required for free phone offers.

586
00:36:41,880 --> 00:36:43,000
 Copyright 2026 Verizon.

587
00:36:44,200 --> 00:36:45,380
 The Score.

588
00:36:45,880 --> 00:36:50,640
 Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score.

589
00:36:51,160 --> 00:36:51,460
 The Score.

590
00:36:51,460 --> 00:36:52,220
 Welcome back in.

591
00:36:52,260 --> 00:36:54,120
 Who said good things don't come to those who wait?

592
00:36:54,200 --> 00:36:58,080
 Bruce Marshall is busy all over the place these days.

593
00:36:58,200 --> 00:36:59,260
 Las Vegas Insiders.

594
00:36:59,480 --> 00:36:59,880
 The Gold.

595
00:37:00,020 --> 00:37:00,820
 Hang on.

596
00:37:00,920 --> 00:37:01,320
 Hang on.

597
00:37:01,380 --> 00:37:03,020
 The Gold Sheet slash Wager Talk.

598
00:37:03,080 --> 00:37:04,100
 We'll talk about that in a second.

599
00:37:04,480 --> 00:37:09,640
 Winners and Winers, Picks and Parleys, and his podcast, Bet Rivers and Vegas Insider.

600
00:37:09,740 --> 00:37:11,340
 Bruce Marshall, welcome in.

601
00:37:11,440 --> 00:37:19,200
 And on behalf of Brett Beaird, will you accept or high five on congratulations to returning to the Gold Sheet slash Wager Talk?

602
00:37:19,660 --> 00:37:21,160
 Yes, I do.

603
00:37:21,300 --> 00:37:31,280
 I feel like one of those, and thank you, I feel like one of those recycled NHL coaches like Rick Bonas coaching Winnipeg a third time.

604
00:37:31,380 --> 00:37:33,400
 This is actually my third stint there.

605
00:37:33,920 --> 00:37:36,340
 Well, Winners and Winers and Picks and Parleys are part of it.

606
00:37:36,580 --> 00:37:39,400
 That's under the Wager Talk umbrella, but so is the Gold Sheet now.

607
00:37:39,500 --> 00:37:45,100
 And these are the same fellows we sold the company to a few years back, and they asked me if I wanted to return.

608
00:37:45,840 --> 00:37:47,320
 And I'm back.

609
00:37:47,420 --> 00:37:52,800
 And I'm doing all the college hoops for them now, so I am back home, I guess you could say.

610
00:37:53,400 --> 00:37:53,800
 Congratulations.

611
00:37:54,280 --> 00:37:55,620
 I had an old friend back in the day.

612
00:37:55,680 --> 00:37:56,800
 He was asked that question.

613
00:37:56,940 --> 00:37:59,160
 He said, well, cross my palm.

614
00:37:59,240 --> 00:37:59,920
 There's your answer.

615
00:38:03,140 --> 00:38:05,840
 And they crossed his palm, and he said, let's go.

616
00:38:06,220 --> 00:38:13,580
 Now, Bruce, one thing that's just so busy is that because this is a busy time of the year for folks who love college basketball,

617
00:38:13,820 --> 00:38:15,940
 especially your neighbors there in Vegas.

618
00:38:16,960 --> 00:38:18,480
 Yeah, it really is.

619
00:38:18,660 --> 00:38:22,880
 And there's tournaments, you know, galore going on in Vegas this week.

620
00:38:22,880 --> 00:38:28,640
 And over at the Orleans, they'll get done with one tonight, and the WCC and the WAC will move in right after that.

621
00:38:28,680 --> 00:38:31,520
 So they'll be painting different things on the floor and all that.

622
00:38:32,100 --> 00:38:37,900
 And then the Mountain West starts down the street at UNLV and right down the street from where I live, the Big West in Henderson.

623
00:38:38,260 --> 00:38:46,160
 And then next year, of course, the Pac-12 will be back, and I'm almost 100% sure they'll be in with their tournament somewhere in Vegas, too.

624
00:38:46,220 --> 00:38:48,520
 One of these years, I expect to see the SEC in Vegas.

625
00:38:48,720 --> 00:38:50,520
 I mean, how much money do they got?

626
00:38:50,520 --> 00:38:53,280
 Show me the money, Bruce.

627
00:38:54,660 --> 00:38:55,600
 Show me the money.

628
00:38:55,860 --> 00:38:56,560
 Where do you start?

629
00:38:56,640 --> 00:38:58,180
 What is the most intriguing story?

630
00:38:58,220 --> 00:38:59,400
 Let's start first things first.

631
00:38:59,520 --> 00:39:01,820
 You've got the respective conference tournaments.

632
00:39:02,400 --> 00:39:10,140
 You know where we are, but in your opinion, what is the most intriguing storyline coming into conference tournament week?

633
00:39:11,000 --> 00:39:19,480
 Yeah, you know, right now, it's always at the bubble and at the edge because I think, although we make a pretty big deal about it every year,

634
00:39:19,480 --> 00:39:27,560
 we end up spending 90% of our time before the tournament talking about the final few teams that might actually make it in.

635
00:39:28,240 --> 00:39:31,980
 And those teams rarely seem to last very long in the tournament anyway.

636
00:39:31,980 --> 00:39:40,720
 So, I mean, if there's drama in tournament week, it's actually in a place like the SEC or the Big Ten,

637
00:39:41,020 --> 00:39:45,380
 and how deep are they actually going to go in those leagues?

638
00:39:46,160 --> 00:39:54,840
 The SEC, I think, is maybe a little more interesting this year because at the edge of the field, it has gotten a little crowded there.

639
00:39:55,760 --> 00:39:58,280
 Auburn has fallen back to the pack.

640
00:39:58,920 --> 00:40:00,460
 So has Texas some.

641
00:40:01,080 --> 00:40:03,700
 And they're coming up strong on the outside, Oklahoma.

642
00:40:03,900 --> 00:40:06,200
 All of a sudden, now they're in the mix.

643
00:40:06,200 --> 00:40:17,480
 And so I think, you know, what these conference tournaments sometimes do, though, is call that, you know, the edge of the bubble there.

644
00:40:18,340 --> 00:40:26,100
 And these tournaments often use or, you know, can be used as, you know, eliminators for some of these teams to get them out.

645
00:40:26,320 --> 00:40:29,520
 So there's a lot at stake for some of these teams.

646
00:40:29,640 --> 00:40:34,640
 I think maybe more of these SEC games mean something because you do have, you know, more teams, I think,

647
00:40:34,680 --> 00:40:38,680
 hanging around the edge of the bubble in the cut line in the SEC than other leagues.

648
00:40:38,740 --> 00:40:43,680
 It'll be interesting when they tip this thing off here in the National.

649
00:40:45,000 --> 00:40:51,020
 Let me ask you about two in-state teams that you tip me off about.

650
00:40:51,560 --> 00:40:55,200
 First one is Troy for the second consecutive year.

651
00:40:55,280 --> 00:40:56,840
 They're going to the NCAA tournament.

652
00:40:57,840 --> 00:41:01,900
 They beat Georgia Southern 77-61 last night.

653
00:41:01,900 --> 00:41:07,400
 Scott Crawlson may be the most underrated coach in the state of Alabama.

654
00:41:08,080 --> 00:41:11,960
 But what was so fascinating was they were playing Georgia Southern.

655
00:41:12,720 --> 00:41:14,600
 He coaches Georgia Southern.

656
00:41:15,120 --> 00:41:20,680
 Charlie Henry, Nate Oates, former defensive coordinator, coaches Georgia Southern.

657
00:41:21,420 --> 00:41:26,920
 And they could have won their sixth game in six days.

658
00:41:27,240 --> 00:41:29,620
 That is truly remarkable.

659
00:41:30,480 --> 00:41:32,280
 Cross is incredible himself.

660
00:41:32,520 --> 00:41:33,900
 I want you to talk about that.

661
00:41:34,760 --> 00:41:40,420
 And UAB and Andy Kennedy have got one of the most incredible oddities I've ever seen.

662
00:41:41,060 --> 00:41:46,640
 UAB is 0-9 at home against the spread in Gene Bartol Arena.

663
00:41:47,200 --> 00:41:50,800
 But an incredible 9-0 straight up on the road.

664
00:41:51,200 --> 00:41:52,440
 How do you explain that?

665
00:41:52,820 --> 00:41:53,340
 Go, Bruce!

666
00:41:54,880 --> 00:41:57,760
 Talk about an inside-out team.

667
00:41:57,980 --> 00:42:02,000
 And by the way, I think the Sun Belt has finally finished.

668
00:42:02,080 --> 00:42:08,000
 I think they started that tournament in Pensacola about Super Bowl week because it seemed to go on forever.

669
00:42:09,000 --> 00:42:13,580
 Yeah, I don't ever remember a team playing six straight days like Georgia Southern.

670
00:42:13,780 --> 00:42:14,840
 They finally ran out of gas.

671
00:42:15,800 --> 00:42:20,200
 Last night, listen, Scott Cross has won almost 350 games in his career.

672
00:42:20,920 --> 00:42:23,220
 And he had a pretty good run at UT Arlington.

673
00:42:23,780 --> 00:42:29,800
 And, you know, they moved him out mistakenly several years ago in Arlington because he had won there.

674
00:42:29,900 --> 00:42:31,620
 And they thought, okay, we need a new direction.

675
00:42:31,760 --> 00:42:38,300
 Well, it hasn't worked out too well for them since, like you said, Cross winning back into the dance with Troy.

676
00:42:38,300 --> 00:42:45,160
 We saw them early in the season out on the West Coast win a double overtime game at San Diego State

677
00:42:45,160 --> 00:42:51,460
 and a triple overtime game lost in the last second to USC when USC was actually good back in December.

678
00:42:52,080 --> 00:42:54,760
 So we got an idea back then that they were pretty good.

679
00:42:55,540 --> 00:42:58,120
 All the guys can shoot at Troy.

680
00:42:58,380 --> 00:42:59,400
 It's five out.

681
00:42:59,640 --> 00:43:01,980
 The Campbell brothers can really wing it.

682
00:43:02,720 --> 00:43:05,140
 Meldez, the forward, steps outside and shoot.

683
00:43:05,220 --> 00:43:06,240
 Everybody shoots threes.

684
00:43:07,200 --> 00:43:09,800
 They will not be an easy out for whoever they play.

685
00:43:10,080 --> 00:43:19,760
 Now, UAB, this one really confounds because I have never seen that sort of a bipolar pattern for my team in my life.

686
00:43:20,900 --> 00:43:27,900
 Now, the thing is, when UAB is good, I think they actually have a shot to win the tournament.

687
00:43:27,900 --> 00:43:29,220
 Now, and here's the kicker.

688
00:43:29,320 --> 00:43:33,460
 So they are playing the American tournament in Birmingham.

689
00:43:34,600 --> 00:43:36,960
 Now, how does UAB react to that?

690
00:43:37,000 --> 00:43:38,060
 You gave it that note.

691
00:43:38,200 --> 00:43:42,840
 I mean, they didn't cover a point spread at Queen Jean Bartow Arena this year, but this is not at Bartow Arena.

692
00:43:43,080 --> 00:43:45,780
 It is downtown at the BJCC at the Legacy Arena.

693
00:43:46,480 --> 00:43:51,780
 So how does this work if Bartow Arena is really haunted for UAB?

694
00:43:52,540 --> 00:43:54,200
 But maybe that's the only place that's haunted.

695
00:43:54,200 --> 00:44:02,240
 And like you said, they won every American game away from Bartow Arena this year, which is some kind of a record.

696
00:44:02,900 --> 00:44:05,600
 And I think that's kind of a wide-open tournament anyway.

697
00:44:06,100 --> 00:44:10,480
 So I would sort of side with the latter that, okay, they're out of Bartow Arena.

698
00:44:10,600 --> 00:44:13,980
 They play really well when they're not there, and this is not Bartow Arena.

699
00:44:14,220 --> 00:44:15,700
 Never mind, it's within the city limits.

700
00:44:16,480 --> 00:44:20,980
 So that's the most compounding trend I've seen all year for sure.

701
00:44:21,160 --> 00:44:21,280
 Really.

702
00:44:22,020 --> 00:44:23,960
 Home, sour home in that case.

703
00:44:24,240 --> 00:44:28,480
 Bruce, busy there with the gold sheets, last wager talk.

704
00:44:29,080 --> 00:44:32,040
 Bruce, let's go to the hypothetics of the Auburn Tigers.

705
00:44:33,460 --> 00:44:37,020
 Obviously, if they win the SEC tournament, we know the answer to that question.

706
00:44:37,680 --> 00:44:42,880
 How many, if any at all, will Auburn need to stamp their tickets to the NCAA tournament?

707
00:44:43,760 --> 00:44:52,560
 You know, I think they're going to need to make a pretty deep run here to have a chance.

708
00:44:53,680 --> 00:44:59,780
 And I can remember, you know, oh, a few years ago, I think Eric Musselman made a run

709
00:44:59,780 --> 00:45:05,180
 and right after he got to Arkansas before they had that, you know, that really long run

710
00:45:05,180 --> 00:45:07,860
 and got right, you know, to the end.

711
00:45:08,000 --> 00:45:10,140
 And then, I'm sorry, no, it was Texas A&M that year.

712
00:45:10,200 --> 00:45:11,700
 I think they got all the way to the end.

713
00:45:12,160 --> 00:45:16,200
 And even to the conference final, that wasn't enough to get them into the field.

714
00:45:16,200 --> 00:45:18,520
 So I wonder about Auburn.

715
00:45:18,700 --> 00:45:21,420
 Now, Joe and Artie seem to think Auburn still has a real shot.

716
00:45:21,940 --> 00:45:26,520
 They just have so many losses, and they're going to be going into Selection Sunday

717
00:45:26,520 --> 00:45:29,680
 unless they win in Nashville this week.

718
00:45:29,780 --> 00:45:31,120
 They're going to go in with 16 losses.

719
00:45:31,660 --> 00:45:33,120
 That is a lot.

720
00:45:33,680 --> 00:45:38,340
 So they're sort of, and they talk about bubble thieves elsewhere,

721
00:45:39,100 --> 00:45:42,960
 that the teams that are really susceptible to bubble thieves

722
00:45:42,960 --> 00:45:45,120
 knocking them out of the tournament are teams like Auburn.

723
00:45:45,980 --> 00:45:49,420
 So they need no upsets to happen in these other tournaments,

724
00:45:50,020 --> 00:45:52,260
 and they have got to make a very deep run this week.

725
00:45:52,400 --> 00:45:55,780
 I don't, I mean, they've lost 8 of 10 coming into the tournament.

726
00:45:56,580 --> 00:45:56,760
 Yeah.

727
00:45:56,860 --> 00:45:58,500
 I don't see how it's going to work for Auburn.

728
00:45:58,660 --> 00:45:59,240
 I really don't.

729
00:46:00,780 --> 00:46:02,580
 Who's hot coming into Nashville?

730
00:46:02,860 --> 00:46:04,380
 You alluded to this earlier.

731
00:46:04,980 --> 00:46:07,100
 Oklahoma reinvented themselves.

732
00:46:08,080 --> 00:46:12,400
 That may be the biggest surprise to me of the latter half of the season.

733
00:46:12,740 --> 00:46:15,460
 Ponder Moser has waved a magic wand.

734
00:46:16,220 --> 00:46:18,040
 Four straight, six of eight.

735
00:46:18,700 --> 00:46:22,760
 Georgia's won three in a row, including upsetting Alabama and Athens.

736
00:46:23,400 --> 00:46:26,380
 Maybe the best team they've had in 10 years.

737
00:46:27,080 --> 00:46:31,140
 Alabama's won nine of ten, including beating Auburn Saturday night.

738
00:46:31,240 --> 00:46:35,300
 And there's the Gators, who will probably be there Sunday afternoon,

739
00:46:35,300 --> 00:46:38,140
 having won 11 straight.

740
00:46:38,700 --> 00:46:45,640
 Who does Bruce Marshall see in a Sunday afternoon playing for the tournament championship?

741
00:46:46,360 --> 00:46:49,480
 I would be surprised if one of them is in Florida.

742
00:46:50,060 --> 00:46:53,620
 And I think Florida's, you know, they're going through this league like Godzilla now.

743
00:46:53,940 --> 00:47:00,080
 And, I mean, to pull away three lengths clear in this league on top of the table is really something.

744
00:47:00,600 --> 00:47:04,200
 And as long as they're healthy and Huff is back in there,

745
00:47:04,240 --> 00:47:07,600
 I think they will certainly be there and probably win on Sunday.

746
00:47:08,720 --> 00:47:09,980
 Now, who are they going to play?

747
00:47:10,300 --> 00:47:16,680
 I think there are nine spots, right, nine teams for sure, I think, from the SEC are going to the dance.

748
00:47:16,680 --> 00:47:21,900
 So Alabama, Arkansas, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, A&M, Georgia, Mizzou, and Kentucky,

749
00:47:22,000 --> 00:47:23,240
 I think they're all there plus Florida.

750
00:47:23,340 --> 00:47:23,980
 That's nine.

751
00:47:25,200 --> 00:47:28,740
 Will one of those eight be playing Florida in the final?

752
00:47:29,020 --> 00:47:29,620
 Could be.

753
00:47:30,540 --> 00:47:34,500
 At the cut line, then you've got Texas, Oklahoma, and Auburn.

754
00:47:35,120 --> 00:47:36,740
 Could one of those make a run?

755
00:47:37,100 --> 00:47:44,260
 In the case of Texas, if it did, I think that would solidify their bid into the safe side of the cut line.

756
00:47:44,740 --> 00:47:46,980
 Maybe Oklahoma and maybe Auburn, too.

757
00:47:47,100 --> 00:47:48,860
 But Oklahoma is really interesting.

758
00:47:49,020 --> 00:47:53,400
 They do open up with South Carolina tomorrow, a chance for another win that would give them 18.

759
00:47:54,320 --> 00:47:59,700
 Here's the longest-serving college basketball player I remember is Nigel Pack.

760
00:47:59,780 --> 00:48:04,000
 I don't know how long ago his career started, but it was a long time ago at Kansas State.

761
00:48:04,520 --> 00:48:05,360
 He's went to Miami.

762
00:48:05,500 --> 00:48:06,440
 They paid him a lot of money.

763
00:48:07,300 --> 00:48:09,660
 I can't believe he had another year of eligibility.

764
00:48:10,000 --> 00:48:14,880
 Here he is at Oklahoma, and he is actually starting to play his best ball in the last month.

765
00:48:15,820 --> 00:48:20,120
 And it's a pretty darn good backcourt with him and Xavier Brown who transferred in from St. Joe's.

766
00:48:20,540 --> 00:48:22,360
 I think this team is dangerous.

767
00:48:22,540 --> 00:48:23,700
 I would not be surprised.

768
00:48:23,840 --> 00:48:25,220
 I'm not sure how the bracket's set up.

769
00:48:25,380 --> 00:48:31,000
 But, I mean, if they end up playing Saturday and then maybe even Sunday if they don't have to hit Florida until then,

770
00:48:31,080 --> 00:48:33,120
 maybe Oklahoma's the team that's going to make a run here.

771
00:48:33,200 --> 00:48:35,220
 That's the team I'd watch up in Nashville.

772
00:48:36,220 --> 00:48:39,860
 Meanwhile, back at the ranch, for the folks who have Vegas on the radar,

773
00:48:40,100 --> 00:48:46,200
 Bruce, who is the Bruce Marshall under-the-radar game starting tonight or this week?

774
00:48:47,500 --> 00:48:50,400
 Watch this Santa Clara-Gonzaga game tonight.

775
00:48:50,520 --> 00:48:53,260
 That's the late one on ESPN tonight.

776
00:48:53,720 --> 00:48:59,960
 And Santa Clara, a lot of people think, has kind of sewn up a bit after beating St. Mary's last night.

777
00:48:59,960 --> 00:49:06,160
 I'm not 100% sure of that just because of selection Sunday dynamics.

778
00:49:06,440 --> 00:49:08,920
 Are they really going to put three West Coast Conference teams in there?

779
00:49:09,020 --> 00:49:11,920
 It's only been once, what, in the last 13 years they've done that.

780
00:49:12,940 --> 00:49:17,080
 But I think Santa Clara's actually got a shot at Gonzaga tonight,

781
00:49:17,460 --> 00:49:21,100
 which did not look all that impressive against Oregon State last night.

782
00:49:21,160 --> 00:49:22,440
 They've got their bid sealed up.

783
00:49:23,140 --> 00:49:26,820
 They have missed Braden Huff since the first Santa Clara game.

784
00:49:26,960 --> 00:49:29,200
 He's the other 6-10 big along with EK.

785
00:49:30,460 --> 00:49:35,200
 Although they have mostly mowed through the West Coast Conference and did beat Santa Clara twice.

786
00:49:35,420 --> 00:49:37,340
 Santa Clara led in the second half of both of those games.

787
00:49:37,940 --> 00:49:39,860
 Herb Sednick's got a really good team.

788
00:49:40,280 --> 00:49:45,380
 And they've had, well, I think in their last eight, nine games, seven different leading scorers.

789
00:49:46,080 --> 00:49:47,580
 Really good balance there.

790
00:49:47,980 --> 00:49:52,920
 And I wouldn't be surprised if Santa Clara just gets that automatic bid out of the WCC

791
00:49:52,920 --> 00:49:56,240
 and beats a Gonzaga later tonight.

792
00:49:56,480 --> 00:49:57,340
 So there's some others.

793
00:49:57,540 --> 00:50:03,820
 By the way, there's a few others going on in the ACC teams that sort of have to win to stay on the bubble.

794
00:50:04,020 --> 00:50:05,800
 SMU has won Andy Enfield.

795
00:50:06,440 --> 00:50:07,440
 I don't know if they're going to do it.

796
00:50:07,440 --> 00:50:10,960
 I think Syracuse might give them a big fight today.

797
00:50:11,020 --> 00:50:12,140
 They're playing in Charlotte later.

798
00:50:12,480 --> 00:50:13,900
 Sanford's another one making a move.

799
00:50:14,420 --> 00:50:15,320
 They're playing Pitt.

800
00:50:15,760 --> 00:50:17,540
 By the way, that's later today.

801
00:50:17,860 --> 00:50:22,520
 The ACC, some of these coaches like Autry's at Syracuse, Jeff Capel at Pitt,

802
00:50:23,020 --> 00:50:29,680
 they've got to be looking around wondering what's going on after the axe fell on a couple of their conference counterparts yesterday.

803
00:50:29,820 --> 00:50:33,060
 Earl Grant at BC, Damon Stoudemire at Georgia Tech.

804
00:50:33,300 --> 00:50:37,280
 The dog-eat-dog world out there in the ACC, they still want to win in that league.

805
00:50:37,360 --> 00:50:38,500
 So those guys better be careful.

806
00:50:39,860 --> 00:50:47,760
 Bama is 23-8, 13-5 in the conference, 15 on Ken Palm, 17 on the net.

807
00:50:48,360 --> 00:50:55,300
 If they win just one game in Nashville, is that enough for them to be a three seed?

808
00:50:56,380 --> 00:50:57,220
 Could be.

809
00:50:57,680 --> 00:51:01,080
 And I think they're not going to be any worse than on the four line.

810
00:51:01,680 --> 00:51:05,240
 And that gives them a protected seed.

811
00:51:05,240 --> 00:51:12,260
 And all that means is they'll probably get a more favorable geographic assignment in the sub-regionals.

812
00:51:12,800 --> 00:51:20,100
 And I think the way it shapes up this year, that would either be Greenville or down in Florida somewhere in the sub-regional.

813
00:51:21,340 --> 00:51:24,580
 But I think they're probably on the three-four line.

814
00:51:25,060 --> 00:51:32,120
 And if they win a couple games later this week in Nashville, that'll probably move them, solidify them on the three.

815
00:51:32,540 --> 00:51:35,000
 I don't see them dropping lower than the four line, though.

816
00:51:35,080 --> 00:51:36,920
 And that's not bad between a three or four.

817
00:51:36,920 --> 00:51:39,500
 You know, that's not too bad.

818
00:51:39,580 --> 00:51:42,560
 And they won't put them in the same region as Florida, I wouldn't think.

819
00:51:43,720 --> 00:51:51,360
 The only two teams I'd be really scared and not want to see for as long as possible are Florida and Duke right now.

820
00:51:51,360 --> 00:51:55,480
 I think they're the two best teams you can make the case for Arizona, Michigan maybe.

821
00:51:55,740 --> 00:51:59,000
 But I think those are your top, you know, the four number one seeds.

822
00:51:59,220 --> 00:52:05,740
 And I wouldn't want to see Florida for as long as possible if I'm in the brackets.

823
00:52:06,740 --> 00:52:16,540
 Well, the number one seed all the time is the Gold Sheet with Bruce Marshall, my friend, where, again, update us about the change.

824
00:52:16,760 --> 00:52:18,080
 We're delighted to hear it.

825
00:52:18,160 --> 00:52:20,380
 Where can we get all the great stuff online?

826
00:52:21,020 --> 00:52:26,600
 Yeah, well, now you can find the Gold Sheet now under the WagerTalk platform.

827
00:52:26,840 --> 00:52:30,680
 So you go to wagertalk.com, and the Gold Sheet is right up there.

828
00:52:30,900 --> 00:52:36,920
 And right on the first page, you can click it and check out all my stuff because it's all college hoops right now.

829
00:52:36,980 --> 00:52:39,760
 My friend James is doing NBA right now, and I'm doing colleges.

830
00:52:40,180 --> 00:52:49,180
 So it's up there at the WagerTalk platform, and go to goldsheet.com, also part of that platform, winnersandwiners.com, picksandparlays.com.

831
00:52:50,240 --> 00:52:52,380
 You're busier than a one-armed Bennett in Vegas.

832
00:52:52,500 --> 00:52:54,360
 Bruce, again, congratulations on the news.

833
00:52:54,480 --> 00:52:55,120
 Thank you so much.

834
00:52:55,160 --> 00:52:56,080
 Have a great week, okay?

835
00:52:56,860 --> 00:52:57,340
 Okay, boys.

836
00:52:57,400 --> 00:52:57,760
 Thank you.

837
00:52:58,080 --> 00:52:58,600
 Thank you, buddy.

838
00:52:58,760 --> 00:53:02,200
 Bruce Marshall, busy all over the place in Vegas.

839
00:53:02,320 --> 00:53:04,120
 Quickly, we talked about the strength of schedule.

840
00:53:04,300 --> 00:53:05,400
 Quickly, this is from Athlon.

841
00:53:05,480 --> 00:53:06,660
 Number one team, Texas.

842
00:53:07,480 --> 00:53:10,460
 Then Arkansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma.

843
00:53:11,420 --> 00:53:17,000
 Ole Miss is your top five, going all the way down to the other side of the spectrum.

844
00:53:17,000 --> 00:53:19,140
 The Auburn Tigers have got a quarter of these folks.

845
00:53:19,340 --> 00:53:21,160
 Ninth of his schedule in the country.

846
00:53:21,800 --> 00:53:22,640
 And how about this?

847
00:53:23,240 --> 00:53:29,480
 There's 16 teams in the SEC at number 14, the Alabama Crimson Tide, Brett Beaird.

848
00:53:30,620 --> 00:53:31,560
 It's interesting.

849
00:53:31,840 --> 00:53:34,640
 Yeah, I think the folks down to Tuscaloosa might disagree with that.

850
00:53:35,020 --> 00:53:37,240
 Coming up the next try, I'm going to be taking it all over the place.

851
00:53:37,320 --> 00:53:39,100
 Get Matt Michelle's observations on that.

852
00:53:39,180 --> 00:53:40,520
 Joe Cox across the SEC.

853
00:53:40,760 --> 00:53:43,580
 And Andrew Bones, speaking of Alabama, talking Tide.

854
00:53:43,580 --> 00:53:46,200
 Time to get things rolling in the second hour of the Bumont Buck Show.

855
00:53:46,300 --> 00:53:46,980
 Stay with us.

856
00:53:51,980 --> 00:53:53,200
 I'm Chris Stewart.

857
00:53:53,480 --> 00:53:55,420
 No one wins without a game plan.

858
00:53:55,960 --> 00:54:01,780
 Elliott Johnson Insurance can handle your insurance game plan because they don't work for just one company.

859
00:54:01,780 --> 00:54:07,680
 They shop the best insurance companies and find the best insurance to fit your needs.

860
00:54:08,100 --> 00:54:10,140
 You'll save money in the process, too.

861
00:54:10,580 --> 00:54:15,440
 And best of all, Elliott Johnson Insurance has three locations to serve you better.

862
00:54:15,940 --> 00:54:18,160
 Florence, Loretto, and Lawrenceburg.

863
00:54:18,660 --> 00:54:20,120
 Elliott Johnson Insurance.

864
00:54:20,500 --> 00:54:23,260
 Moving forward for our clients every day.

865
00:54:23,680 --> 00:54:24,600
 Why'd I go to the doctor?

866
00:54:25,000 --> 00:54:27,300
 Working on the farm, my heart kept skipping a beat.

867
00:54:27,660 --> 00:54:30,600
 I didn't think much of it, but my daughters made me get checked out.

868
00:54:30,920 --> 00:54:35,600
 Turns out I have atrial fibrillation, which increases the risk of stroke about five times.

869
00:54:36,200 --> 00:54:42,320
 Symptoms like irregular heartbeat, heart racing, chest pain, shortness of breath, fatigue, or lightheadedness can come and go.

870
00:54:42,320 --> 00:54:44,660
 But if it's AFib, the risk of stroke remains.

871
00:54:45,100 --> 00:54:47,000
 If you have symptoms, contact a doctor.

872
00:54:47,560 --> 00:54:48,640
 I'm so glad I did.

873
00:54:49,340 --> 00:54:51,160
 Visit NotimeToWait.com.

874
00:54:51,500 --> 00:54:53,400
 Sponsored by Bristol-Myers Squibb and Pfizer.

875
00:54:53,780 --> 00:54:56,280
 A KFC tale in the pursuit of flavor.

876
00:54:56,740 --> 00:55:01,820
 The greatest insult the colonel ever suffered was being served a wrap that was just a snack by a friend.

877
00:55:02,080 --> 00:55:07,580
 So he took two crispy tenders, lettuce, tomatoes, and pepper mayo, and wrapped them in a soft tortilla.

878
00:55:07,840 --> 00:55:09,740
 It wasn't a snack, it was a meal.

879
00:55:09,740 --> 00:55:12,960
 He called it a twister and never called that friend again.

880
00:55:13,340 --> 00:55:15,640
 The colonel lived, so we could chicken.

881
00:55:16,000 --> 00:55:16,560
 The Twister.

882
00:55:16,820 --> 00:55:19,120
 Now back at KFC, classic or with bacon.

883
00:55:19,340 --> 00:55:20,420
 Also try it spicy.

884
00:55:20,700 --> 00:55:22,000
 It's finger licking good.

885
00:55:22,220 --> 00:55:23,540
 Prices and participation may vary.

886
00:55:23,800 --> 00:55:24,880
 I'm Boomer Esiason.

887
00:55:24,880 --> 00:55:26,480
 My mom died from cancer.

888
00:55:26,760 --> 00:55:28,460
 She was only 37 years old.

889
00:55:28,740 --> 00:55:32,140
 She didn't have life insurance, and that was devastating for my family.

890
00:55:32,420 --> 00:55:34,640
 That's why having life insurance is so important to me.

891
00:55:34,900 --> 00:55:36,920
 Ethos makes it fast and easy.

892
00:55:37,160 --> 00:55:40,860
 Get a quote in seconds, apply in minutes, and get same-day coverage.

893
00:55:41,160 --> 00:55:44,400
 You can get up to $3 million in coverage with no medical exam.

894
00:55:44,400 --> 00:55:47,960
 Get your free quote at ethos.com slash play.

895
00:55:48,300 --> 00:55:50,300
 That's ethos.com slash play.

896
00:55:50,640 --> 00:55:51,140
 Paid spokesperson.

897
00:55:51,420 --> 00:55:52,460
 Time span on application may vary.

898
00:55:52,560 --> 00:55:53,540
 Online health questions required.

899
00:55:53,860 --> 00:55:55,020
 Hey, Team Wendy here.

900
00:55:55,120 --> 00:55:59,480
 If you're looking to consolidate your high-interest credit card debt with a personal loan, take a look at SoFi's stats.

901
00:55:59,660 --> 00:56:04,240
 A SoFi personal loan comes with low fixed rates, no fees required, and as soon as same-day funding.

902
00:56:04,400 --> 00:56:07,260
 That looks good on paper, but SoFi also passes the eye test.

903
00:56:07,380 --> 00:56:11,280
 Having helped its members pay off over $33 billion in debt to date, score.

904
00:56:11,280 --> 00:56:16,000
 View your rate for a SoFi personal loan at SoFi.com slash stats today.

905
00:56:16,160 --> 00:56:18,440
 Loans originated by SoFi Bank, N.A. member FDIC.

906
00:56:18,680 --> 00:56:21,020
 Terms and conditions apply at SoFi.com slash stats.

907
00:56:21,240 --> 00:56:23,680
 NMLS 696891.

908
00:56:24,160 --> 00:56:28,200
 A golf course quality lawn is easier and more affordable than you think with True Green.

909
00:56:28,360 --> 00:56:31,520
 They're the official lawn care treatment provider of the PGA Tour.

910
00:56:31,660 --> 00:56:34,660
 And right now, you can get 75% off your first service.

911
00:56:34,800 --> 00:56:36,380
 Plus, they have a price match guarantee.

912
00:56:36,680 --> 00:56:38,100
 You know you're getting the best value.

913
00:56:38,260 --> 00:56:43,900
 And if you're not satisfied, True Green will revisit your lawn between scheduled visits to make it right.

914
00:56:44,080 --> 00:56:44,440
 Don't wait.

915
00:56:44,620 --> 00:56:51,020
 Visit TrueGreen.com today to lock in 75% off and let the pros handle your lawn while you enjoy the results.

916
00:56:51,360 --> 00:56:51,920
 Limited time offer.

917
00:56:52,060 --> 00:56:52,620
 Restrictions apply.

918
00:56:52,720 --> 00:56:53,460
 See site for details.

919
00:56:55,500 --> 00:56:56,700
 1819 News.

920
00:56:56,700 --> 00:57:05,480
 A captain within the U.S. Navy Reserves, Morgan Murphy, has now announced that he will be dropping out of the Republican Senate primary race here in Alabama.

921
00:57:05,880 --> 00:57:11,580
 Murphy says that Republicans do not need to waste time or money fighting each other in this crowded field.

922
00:57:11,920 --> 00:57:18,520
 Instead, Murphy says he's going to focus on flipping one of the two U.S. House seats here in Alabama that is currently being held by Democrats.

923
00:57:18,780 --> 00:57:22,280
 Murphy is also endorsing U.S. Congressman Barry Moore in the Senate primary.

924
00:57:22,680 --> 00:57:27,100
 Moore is up against Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall and former U.S. Navy SEAL Jared Hudson.

925
00:57:27,100 --> 00:57:29,800
 I'll be back with more Alabama stories after this.

926
00:57:29,800 --> 00:57:33,460
 Some of the greatest blessings is just having the people that care about you.

927
00:57:33,840 --> 00:57:37,420
 To have someone that's just going to love you and make you feel important.

928
00:57:37,760 --> 00:57:39,440
 They encourage you to be in church.

929
00:57:39,580 --> 00:57:40,580
 They encourage you to be in prayer.

930
00:57:40,700 --> 00:57:42,420
 They encourage you to be in your Bible.

931
00:57:42,940 --> 00:57:45,160
 Now it's a part of my day every day.

932
00:57:45,580 --> 00:57:52,600
 My house parents planted seeds in me that you can see where those seeds have sprouted in my life and helped change my life.

933
00:57:53,060 --> 00:57:56,840
 Big Oak Ranch, a Christian home for children needing a chance.

934
00:57:58,280 --> 00:58:08,240
 The National Weather Service out of Birmingham is going to deploy teams to Winston, Tuscaloosa, and Jefferson counties to survey storm damage caused by thunderstorms that came in on Monday night.

935
00:58:08,240 --> 00:58:13,540
 The NWS will be looking for signs of tornadoes touching down, as well as extreme wind damage.

936
00:58:13,760 --> 00:58:16,440
 No injuries or fatalities have been reported from those storms.

937
00:58:17,040 --> 00:58:22,220
 Alabama native Jesse Holmes is going to go for a repeat win in the Iditarod race in Alaska.

938
00:58:22,680 --> 00:58:28,140
 Holmes won the 1,000-mile sled dog race last year after starting with dog sled racing back in 2018.

939
00:58:28,800 --> 00:58:34,520
 The Iditarod has been conducted since 1973 with dog sleds racing from Anchorage to Nome.

940
00:58:34,660 --> 00:58:43,460
 The Underwood Elementary School in Lauderdale County is being closed for the next two days due to high levels of sickness and subsequent absences of student and staff.

941
00:58:43,880 --> 00:58:44,680
 I'm Andrea Tess.

942
00:58:45,040 --> 00:58:49,300
 For more news affecting Alabamians, go to 1819news.com.

943
00:58:49,480 --> 00:58:52,320
 And while you're there, subscribe to the daily newsletter.

944
00:58:55,140 --> 00:59:03,020
 Valley Broadcasting Corporation, WITK-FM, Rogersville, Athens, Decatur, the Shores, Sports Radio 93.9, the score.

945
00:59:04,020 --> 00:59:05,020
 Tide fans.

946
00:59:05,140 --> 00:59:06,100
 Here comes the Tide.

947
00:59:06,360 --> 00:59:07,240
 Let's roll.

948
00:59:07,480 --> 00:59:08,700
 At one for the win.

949
00:59:09,020 --> 00:59:12,060
 Ball game, ball game, ball game.

950
00:59:12,400 --> 00:59:13,080
 And the win.

951
00:59:13,740 --> 00:59:17,600
 Grab your hard hats and tune in for blue collar basketball.

952
00:59:18,200 --> 00:59:21,140
 With the Crimson Tide all season long.

953
00:59:21,360 --> 00:59:23,740
 On your home for Alabama basketball.

954
00:59:23,740 --> 00:59:28,600
 This Friday, Alabama is in Nashville for the quarterfinals of the SEC basketball tournament.

955
00:59:28,980 --> 00:59:32,240
 Airtime is 5 p.m. with a tip at 6 here on 93.9, the score.

956
00:59:32,540 --> 00:59:34,500
 Brought to you locally in part by...

957
00:59:34,500 --> 00:59:37,520
 Nationwide Insurance Agents Michael Noe and Bill Cochran.

958
00:59:38,160 --> 00:59:39,000
 Garner Pierce Auto.

959
00:59:39,720 --> 00:59:41,280
 The Alabama Music Hall of Fame.

960
00:59:41,820 --> 00:59:42,860
 Bob's Tire and Alignment.

961
00:59:43,400 --> 00:59:46,660
 Alpha Insurance Agents David Jordan, Mike Mitchell, and Matt Henry.

962
00:59:47,200 --> 00:59:47,920
 Fake Independent.

963
00:59:48,400 --> 00:59:50,180
 Champy's World Famous Fried Chicken.

964
00:59:50,420 --> 00:59:51,560
 Garnett Electric.

965
00:59:52,040 --> 00:59:53,680
 And Elliott Johnson Insurance.

966
00:59:54,160 --> 00:59:55,880
 Alabama in the SEC tournament.

967
00:59:56,260 --> 00:59:59,000
 This Friday afternoon at 5 on 93.9, the score.

968
01:00:01,000 --> 01:00:03,240
 93.9, the score weather.

969
01:00:03,840 --> 01:00:07,500
 Today, a 20% chance of showers, possibly a thunderstorm, and a high around 80.

970
01:00:08,160 --> 01:00:11,880
 Tonight, mostly cloudy with a 10% chance of showers overnight and a low near 65.

971
01:00:12,740 --> 01:00:16,320
 Tomorrow, mostly cloudy with a 50% chance of showers and a high around 80.

972
01:00:16,780 --> 01:00:19,700
 Tomorrow night, showers and thunderstorms likely with a low near 45.

973
01:00:20,420 --> 01:00:23,040
 And for Thursday, mostly sunny with a high around 60.

974
01:00:23,580 --> 01:00:26,240
 Your weather from 93.9, the score.

975
01:00:26,240 --> 01:00:44,600
 Now, get ready to roll, Shoals, Decatur, Athens, and all of Northwest Alabama and Southern Tennessee.

976
01:00:45,220 --> 01:00:48,620
 It's time for the Valley's exclusive FM sports voice.

977
01:00:51,620 --> 01:00:54,100
 The Boomo Bugg Show.

978
01:00:54,460 --> 01:00:59,680
 Your exclusive inside track to the Tide, Tigers, Tennessee, and the rest of the SEC.

979
01:01:00,500 --> 01:01:05,900
 Now, your host, Harold Bugg on 93.9, the score.

980
01:01:06,900 --> 01:01:07,560
 Welcome back again.

981
01:01:07,640 --> 01:01:10,460
 I'm Harold Bugg, alongside Brett Beaird.

982
01:01:10,540 --> 01:01:13,260
 Thank you so much for giving us a free ride around the Tennessee Valley.

983
01:01:13,360 --> 01:01:18,080
 With that, it's one better way to tip off this second hour than saying hello to A.B., Andrew Bone,

984
01:01:18,640 --> 01:01:23,800
 fine columnist and recruiting editor for Bama Online as part of the On3.com family.

985
01:01:23,920 --> 01:01:25,700
 And his book is called The Road to Bama.

986
01:01:25,800 --> 01:01:26,660
 Andrew, welcome in.

987
01:01:26,700 --> 01:01:27,680
 Happy Tuesday to you.

988
01:01:27,740 --> 01:01:28,320
 How are you?

989
01:01:29,260 --> 01:01:30,280
 Hey, doing good, guys.

990
01:01:30,300 --> 01:01:30,720
 How we doing?

991
01:01:31,160 --> 01:01:31,700
 Good, man.

992
01:01:31,740 --> 01:01:32,320
 We're doing all right.

993
01:01:32,380 --> 01:01:36,540
 Obviously, a lot to get to this hour with basketball getting ready to pack it up for the music city

994
01:01:36,540 --> 01:01:38,520
 and the tournament there and football kicking off.

995
01:01:39,060 --> 01:01:45,580
 But your thoughts about speaking of recruiting some news today, Caleb Holtz, obviously one of the best players on paper

996
01:01:45,580 --> 01:01:51,120
 to ever come out of high school with roots to Alabama, played over at Buckhorn before the modern era.

997
01:01:51,320 --> 01:01:56,100
 Everybody else kept up in the ante, and he's been all over the place as far as some of these all-star spots,

998
01:01:56,220 --> 01:02:02,580
 committing earlier today to the U of A, but not the U of A in Tuscaloosa, but the one out west.

999
01:02:02,580 --> 01:02:08,780
 Your thoughts about Caleb Holtz right now, anyway, taking his promising future to the desert of Arizona.

1000
01:02:10,060 --> 01:02:18,500
 Oh, yeah, you know, I think it was a tough loss for Alabama, more so probably because they've recruited him for such a long time.

1001
01:02:18,720 --> 01:02:24,360
 I mean, you kind of go back three or four years where he's had a relationship with the Alabama coaching staff,

1002
01:02:24,540 --> 01:02:26,600
 but, yeah, this is always going to be a tough pull.

1003
01:02:27,700 --> 01:02:33,240
 I think that, obviously, Arizona, you know, made a big push, and they were able to secure his commitment.

1004
01:02:33,680 --> 01:02:41,620
 I'm interested, yeah, yeah, it would have been interesting to see what Alabama's class may have been ranked in basketball,

1005
01:02:41,980 --> 01:02:49,300
 if they were able to pull off Holtz, I mean, potentially in that top two, but, you know, currently number five in the country.

1006
01:02:49,300 --> 01:02:56,280
 So, yeah, still a good class, especially, you know, after getting a commitment recently from Jackson Richardson,

1007
01:02:56,720 --> 01:03:00,380
 you know, who a lot of people thought was a, you know, was a surprise.

1008
01:03:00,780 --> 01:03:06,300
 So I think that, overall, they still have a good class, but, you know, you certainly hate to lose out on Holtz.

1009
01:03:07,640 --> 01:03:16,060
 You have a very good article about your, you've got 15 spring predictions, and, unfortunately, with our time limits,

1010
01:03:16,140 --> 01:03:23,940
 we won't be able to go through all 15, but we'll go over some of them, and I'll go and get the quarterbacks out of the way.

1011
01:03:23,940 --> 01:03:31,980
 I'd be shocked if Kalen DeBoer and Ryan Grubb named his starting quarterback at the end of the spring for multiple reasons,

1012
01:03:31,980 --> 01:03:35,840
 but this is one of the best quarterback rooms in the country.

1013
01:03:36,480 --> 01:03:40,800
 Austin Mack, who's very familiar, you're up to three years in this system.

1014
01:03:41,660 --> 01:03:46,620
 Rick, Elon Russell, a phenom, a lot of people think he's going to be a superstar.

1015
01:03:47,700 --> 01:03:53,900
 And I agree with you, Ken, freshman, Jet Famola, actually pushed both of these guys.

1016
01:03:54,620 --> 01:04:01,400
 No matter who wins it or when it's announced, Andrew, no question, incredibly talented quarterback room.

1017
01:04:02,760 --> 01:04:04,660
 Yeah, there's no question about it.

1018
01:04:04,820 --> 01:04:11,300
 You know, I think that, you know, even as, you know, coming out of practice today, you know,

1019
01:04:11,300 --> 01:04:18,860
 Coach DeBoer mentioned that those two guys, Russell and Mack, are light years ahead of where they were this time a year ago.

1020
01:04:19,040 --> 01:04:24,060
 You know, obviously that's certainly true, and then certainly how I feel, you know,

1021
01:04:24,060 --> 01:04:31,980
 you've got two guys in that room who I think they are very confident and comfortable with running the offense.

1022
01:04:32,380 --> 01:04:36,820
 You know, even if that was today, starting, you know, first game was today.

1023
01:04:36,920 --> 01:04:38,700
 I think they would be confident in either one.

1024
01:04:38,800 --> 01:04:44,960
 You want those two guys to grow and progress and have one of them win the starting job.

1025
01:04:44,960 --> 01:04:53,560
 Now, I would be shocked if we got into August and we knew who QB1 was.

1026
01:04:53,720 --> 01:04:55,920
 That would be probably the biggest surprise to me.

1027
01:04:56,000 --> 01:05:00,840
 I think this is going to go on, you know, maybe even until after the first game.

1028
01:05:00,940 --> 01:05:09,680
 I think both are probably going to get reps in that first one before the SEC schedule starts in week two at Kentucky.

1029
01:05:10,060 --> 01:05:13,720
 So, really intrigued to kind of see how things are going to play out.

1030
01:05:13,920 --> 01:05:19,320
 I think based on where they were this time a year ago, I mean, you look back at this time a year ago

1031
01:05:19,320 --> 01:05:24,720
 and everybody's kind of assuming, all right, this is going to be Ty's year, but nobody really knew.

1032
01:05:25,440 --> 01:05:32,280
 And then, you know, was either one of the second team guys going to be able to potentially push him

1033
01:05:32,280 --> 01:05:35,380
 or, you know, were either one of them even going to be ready?

1034
01:05:35,500 --> 01:05:38,200
 And I think this year you're in a little bit of a different situation,

1035
01:05:38,620 --> 01:05:45,220
 whereas you feel really confident that one of the two guys, you know, can win you a lot of football games.

1036
01:05:45,440 --> 01:05:47,680
 It's just a matter of who's it going to be.

1037
01:05:47,920 --> 01:05:52,000
 And, you know, you've got a couple of freshmen that are in, like Jet Tamala and Tayden Kawada.

1038
01:05:52,780 --> 01:05:55,660
 Jet was the higher-ranked kid, top one.

1039
01:05:55,740 --> 01:05:58,860
 You know, he ends up being a five-star recruit, according to rivals.

1040
01:05:59,140 --> 01:06:01,740
 And I certainly think he has a lot of talent.

1041
01:06:01,900 --> 01:06:06,340
 Now, is he going to come in and really be a challenger to win the starting job?

1042
01:06:06,340 --> 01:06:07,180
 Probably not.

1043
01:06:07,360 --> 01:06:14,400
 But I think that having a player of that caliber in the room with you, you know, competing, pushing the guys,

1044
01:06:14,860 --> 01:06:20,780
 you know, sort of like when Alabama was able to get, and I don't want to compare Jet to these guys,

1045
01:06:20,880 --> 01:06:27,200
 but when they were able to get guys like Bryce Young in, when they got, you know, Jalen Hurts in,

1046
01:06:27,200 --> 01:06:32,700
 when they got Tully in, each one of those freshmen made that room better.

1047
01:06:33,860 --> 01:06:37,880
 Obviously, Jalen ended up being the starter in his first year.

1048
01:06:37,980 --> 01:06:46,900
 But I think whenever you can get a very high-quality quarterback in as a true freshman that can come in and, you know,

1049
01:06:46,900 --> 01:06:47,760
 has a lot of hype.

1050
01:06:48,000 --> 01:06:53,980
 But Austin Mack and especially Keylon had a lot of hype as well.

1051
01:06:53,980 --> 01:07:00,060
 So it's going to be a fun competition to kind of see who ends up winning that, you know, right now two-way race.

1052
01:07:01,160 --> 01:07:03,900
 Andrew Vaughn, visit AlabamaOnline.com.

1053
01:07:04,060 --> 01:07:09,780
 Andrew, one thing that I think a lot of folks slash Ty Simpson, he didn't have a running game.

1054
01:07:09,820 --> 01:07:11,560
 It was all on his shoulders last year.

1055
01:07:12,060 --> 01:07:17,240
 You take the fact that anything north of that is going to be an improvement for the running game this season,

1056
01:07:17,340 --> 01:07:18,380
 whoever's going to be quarterback.

1057
01:07:18,940 --> 01:07:22,620
 And some news we shared earlier, Andrew, and that is the folks at Athlon.

1058
01:07:22,700 --> 01:07:23,500
 How smart are they?

1059
01:07:23,640 --> 01:07:24,020
 We'll know.

1060
01:07:24,280 --> 01:07:24,560
 We'll know.

1061
01:07:24,560 --> 01:07:25,880
 Starting in August, September.

1062
01:07:25,960 --> 01:07:30,400
 They got Alabama's strength of schedule ranked at 14th out of 16th.

1063
01:07:30,800 --> 01:07:34,080
 Obviously, you don't want to start against Florida State with that starting last year.

1064
01:07:34,260 --> 01:07:37,980
 When you look at the schedule this year and a more promising running game,

1065
01:07:37,980 --> 01:07:41,740
 do you agree with Athlon that Alabama right now, as far as strength of schedule,

1066
01:07:42,220 --> 01:07:45,700
 has a pretty favorable, at least in the early part of the year,

1067
01:07:45,760 --> 01:07:48,840
 to get some leverage compared to last year, a favorable schedule?

1068
01:07:50,480 --> 01:07:51,600
 Yeah, I think so.

1069
01:07:52,220 --> 01:07:59,520
 Yeah, I think that, you know, the biggest question heading into is obviously a lot of inexperience.

1070
01:07:59,520 --> 01:08:03,600
 It's a lot of guys that haven't played together before.

1071
01:08:03,880 --> 01:08:09,520
 I mean, obviously, you have the back end of the secondary that's going to be the strength of the team.

1072
01:08:09,660 --> 01:08:16,480
 But, you know, you want to have guys that are going to be able to get accustomed to playing with each other

1073
01:08:16,480 --> 01:08:18,480
 and not just on the practice field.

1074
01:08:19,480 --> 01:08:23,960
 You know, you've got a – I don't want to say it's an easy schedule,

1075
01:08:24,100 --> 01:08:26,020
 but you open up with East Carolina.

1076
01:08:26,180 --> 01:08:27,400
 You go to Kentucky.

1077
01:08:28,060 --> 01:08:30,120
 You play at home against Florida State.

1078
01:08:30,120 --> 01:08:31,700
 You play at home against South Carolina.

1079
01:08:31,880 --> 01:08:43,620
 So, you have three home games, you know, that month in September to kind of get you accustomed to playing with each other.

1080
01:08:44,280 --> 01:08:49,600
 And, you know, hopefully you have a starting lineup, especially on the offensive line,

1081
01:08:49,860 --> 01:08:55,080
 where you're not continuing to rotate guys in and try to figure out, you know, who your best players are.

1082
01:08:55,200 --> 01:08:59,760
 You know, hopefully they'll have an idea of who their best players are by then and be confident.

1083
01:08:59,760 --> 01:09:06,080
 So, yeah, I mean, I think the schedule certainly, you know, opens up pretty well for them in September,

1084
01:09:06,460 --> 01:09:08,780
 you know, especially with those home games.

1085
01:09:09,060 --> 01:09:15,280
 But, you know, obviously, you know, October is going to be a gauntlet when things open up.

1086
01:09:15,400 --> 01:09:19,520
 Because you go at Mississippi State, Georgia, at Tennessee, A&M.

1087
01:09:19,640 --> 01:09:23,760
 I mean, that's a schedule right there for October.

1088
01:09:23,920 --> 01:09:25,840
 So, it's going to be challenging.

1089
01:09:26,200 --> 01:09:29,660
 And we'll kind of see where Alabama is, you know, by then.

1090
01:09:31,000 --> 01:09:33,840
 Andrew, I can safely tell you right now,

1091
01:09:33,960 --> 01:09:39,140
 the team that's got the best secondary in the country resides in Tuscaloosa.

1092
01:09:40,320 --> 01:09:45,440
 Dajon Lee, Zane Mencee, the Mercer transfer, Camilla O'Neal,

1093
01:09:46,080 --> 01:09:48,520
 Zabian Brown, Mr. Pick 6.

1094
01:09:49,220 --> 01:09:58,100
 Ivan Taylor, Chuck McDonald, Jaira Edwards, who I hear 6'1", 6'2", 220, Jordan Edmonds.

1095
01:09:58,840 --> 01:10:01,800
 If these dudes stay healthy, oh, yeah,

1096
01:10:02,040 --> 01:10:05,340
 Dre Kirkpatrick Jr. coming out of the doghouse.

1097
01:10:05,960 --> 01:10:09,060
 If these dudes stay healthy, that's going to be quite a unit.

1098
01:10:10,420 --> 01:10:11,200
 No doubt.

1099
01:10:12,360 --> 01:10:13,560
 Yeah, I've said it before.

1100
01:10:13,700 --> 01:10:19,180
 I think no doubt about it, that it's going to be the best defensive back unit in college football.

1101
01:10:19,400 --> 01:10:24,240
 And you mentioned Jaira Edwards being 200 and I think he's 222 pounds right now.

1102
01:10:24,640 --> 01:10:31,520
 I'm really intrigued to kind of see, does he end up playing, you know, staying at safety as a big, big safety?

1103
01:10:31,520 --> 01:10:40,080
 Or does Alabama potentially consider him at least giving him some reps at linebacker just because of, you know,

1104
01:10:40,080 --> 01:10:47,340
 I think that's a positional group that, you know, it's pretty wide open right now as far as starters or rotational players,

1105
01:10:47,480 --> 01:10:49,280
 guys that have a lot of inexperience.

1106
01:10:49,520 --> 01:10:53,700
 So you wouldn't be surprised just because of how deep they are in the secondary.

1107
01:10:54,040 --> 01:10:56,880
 So I think that might be something to potentially watch.

1108
01:10:56,980 --> 01:11:02,140
 I'm not saying it will happen, but as far as the secondary overall, just a really good group.

1109
01:11:02,360 --> 01:11:07,340
 And I told a parent of one of the starters earlier today, I said, yeah,

1110
01:11:07,600 --> 01:11:15,440
 I think if probably 16 teams in the SEC because they're always going to show love to multiple schools.

1111
01:11:15,440 --> 01:11:17,240
 And there's talent, obviously, all over the league.

1112
01:11:17,380 --> 01:11:25,840
 And I could see every single player in that starting secondary being an all-SEC first- or second-team player.

1113
01:11:26,080 --> 01:11:27,500
 I mean, you're going to have two guys.

1114
01:11:28,240 --> 01:11:33,120
 I think there's a good chance there are two guys that are going to be first, maybe not first-team,

1115
01:11:33,180 --> 01:11:38,800
 but first- or second-team all-Americans to open up the season with Bray Hubbard and Zabian Brown.

1116
01:11:38,940 --> 01:11:42,920
 I mean, that's just how good those guys are in getting them back on campus.

1117
01:11:42,920 --> 01:11:48,300
 Obviously, you have Keon Saab, Dejean Lee coming off a freshman All-American season.

1118
01:11:48,660 --> 01:11:51,300
 There's just a lot of really good, talented players.

1119
01:11:51,520 --> 01:11:58,080
 And I think when you have guys in the rotation that can really contribute and help your team out,

1120
01:11:58,240 --> 01:12:05,300
 you don't just have to lean on the starters and be worried if one of those guys go down

1121
01:12:05,300 --> 01:12:09,860
 because you have guys behind them that are, I don't want to say just as good,

1122
01:12:09,860 --> 01:12:17,660
 but they're very talented, and I think that Alabama has done a tremendous job recruiting the secondary

1123
01:12:17,660 --> 01:12:24,060
 from the portal and from high school and really developing these guys pretty well.

1124
01:12:24,180 --> 01:12:29,320
 I remember when Nick Saban retired and then Traveris Robinson left and went to Georgia.

1125
01:12:29,640 --> 01:12:38,280
 A lot of fans were worried and nervous that Alabama was going to just not be as dominant in the secondary anymore

1126
01:12:38,280 --> 01:12:41,600
 because they weren't going to be able to recruit the same caliber of players.

1127
01:12:42,500 --> 01:12:45,680
 And in my opinion, they've done even better.

1128
01:12:46,780 --> 01:12:54,440
 Just overall, the last few years as far as signing these really talented high school football players,

1129
01:12:54,600 --> 01:12:59,260
 you can imagine that Nick Saban pays pretty close attention.

1130
01:12:59,260 --> 01:13:06,740
 And I know he's met a lot of these guys, but he'll probably be impressed with all these six-foot-three defensive backs

1131
01:13:06,740 --> 01:13:08,640
 walking around campus.

1132
01:13:09,060 --> 01:13:12,580
 He's probably glad he's not out there anymore because they're all towering above him,

1133
01:13:12,780 --> 01:13:20,320
 but I think he'd be really impressed with and has been impressed with the way that the secondary performed since his departure.

1134
01:13:21,320 --> 01:13:26,160
 That's the thing that impresses me so much about the secondary is their length.

1135
01:13:26,300 --> 01:13:28,200
 These guys are so tall.

1136
01:13:28,940 --> 01:13:30,740
 It is just absolutely amazing.

1137
01:13:30,960 --> 01:13:33,800
 You also had the recruits visiting spring.

1138
01:13:34,660 --> 01:13:39,840
 They had some of the recruits come in and sit in on meetings and the first day of practice.

1139
01:13:39,840 --> 01:13:46,840
 That's something you didn't see really three or four years ago, and I know you've got a list of those guys.

1140
01:13:46,980 --> 01:13:48,020
 Again, great article.

1141
01:13:48,400 --> 01:13:58,200
 Your 15 questions about spring practice going in by columnist and recruiting editor Andrew Bone.

1142
01:13:58,740 --> 01:14:01,460
 A.B., where can we get online and get your stuff?

1143
01:14:01,560 --> 01:14:02,640
 Charlie Potters.

1144
01:14:03,300 --> 01:14:05,720
 Blake Ballard does a great job with basketball.

1145
01:14:05,980 --> 01:14:07,540
 Where can we get all the good stuff?

1146
01:14:08,340 --> 01:14:11,040
 Yeah, come check us out at bamonline.com.

1147
01:14:11,860 --> 01:14:16,540
 Obviously, you can get a lot of free stuff out there and stuff that's all over social media,

1148
01:14:16,700 --> 01:14:18,260
 but you come on our site.

1149
01:14:18,460 --> 01:14:24,740
 We'll give you plenty of insight, plenty of discussion, interviews, especially on the recruiting front,

1150
01:14:25,160 --> 01:14:26,100
 but we have it all.

1151
01:14:27,060 --> 01:14:27,960
 Basketball coverage.

1152
01:14:28,660 --> 01:14:33,220
 About to amp up even more with the SEC tournament, so we'll have it all,

1153
01:14:33,520 --> 01:14:38,280
 and come talk to us at BOL, and we're on the message board all day long.

1154
01:14:38,340 --> 01:14:45,860
 So it's not just reading the content and seeing what's going on, but it's having pretty much a live chat with me

1155
01:14:45,860 --> 01:14:51,340
 and my teammates at BOL all day, all night, every single day.

1156
01:14:52,420 --> 01:14:55,120
 No shortage of feedback and opinions.

1157
01:14:55,240 --> 01:14:57,760
 Andrew, thanks so much for your time today, and have a great week, okay?

1158
01:14:58,560 --> 01:14:59,260
 Appreciate it, guys.

1159
01:14:59,320 --> 01:14:59,840
 Have a good one.

1160
01:15:00,500 --> 01:15:01,040
 You too, bud.

1161
01:15:01,240 --> 01:15:07,160
 Andrew Bone, Bama Online, part of the On3.com family, and again, his book is called The Road to Bama.

1162
01:15:07,340 --> 01:15:12,960
 Coming up, it's tourney time in Nashville from A to Z in the SEC with Joe Cox.

1163
01:15:13,280 --> 01:15:14,240
 Next, stay with us.

1164
01:15:18,800 --> 01:15:21,480
 This is the story of The One.

1165
01:15:21,840 --> 01:15:26,900
 As a procurement manager for a hospital system, she keeps every facility in her network stocked and ready.

1166
01:15:27,360 --> 01:15:31,260
 That's why she counts on Grainger to be her single source for thousands of products,

1167
01:15:31,500 --> 01:15:34,280
 from disinfectants to lighting, air filters, and more.

1168
01:15:34,280 --> 01:15:40,640
 And with fast, dependable delivery, Grainger helps her keep every facility stocked, safe, and running smoothly.

1169
01:15:41,180 --> 01:15:44,420
 Call 1-800-GRAINGER, click grainger.com, or just stop by.

1170
01:15:44,900 --> 01:15:47,460
 Grainger, for the ones who get it done.

1171
01:15:49,300 --> 01:15:53,760
 COVID-19 has cast a spotlight on the stark inequalities that drive poverty.

1172
01:15:54,380 --> 01:15:58,820
 The poorest communities in the U.S. and around the world are suffering the most.

1173
01:15:59,340 --> 01:16:04,080
 Oxfam believes we can put systems in place to protect health and livelihoods in the future

1174
01:16:04,080 --> 01:16:07,180
 if we work together with dignity and compassion.

1175
01:16:08,320 --> 01:16:11,260
 Learn how you can help offer safety to the most vulnerable

1176
01:16:11,260 --> 01:16:15,900
 and fight for a more resilient future at oxfamamerica.org.

1177
01:16:16,760 --> 01:16:18,460
 Sponsored by Oxfam America.

1178
01:16:19,460 --> 01:16:20,480
 Rich Eisen here.

1179
01:16:20,640 --> 01:16:22,760
 For small businesses, every hire counts.

1180
01:16:23,100 --> 01:16:24,040
 And so does your time.

1181
01:16:24,400 --> 01:16:29,580
 Hiring can quickly become overwhelming from sorting applications to figuring out who's truly qualified.

1182
01:16:30,060 --> 01:16:32,160
 That's where LinkedIn Hiring Pro helps.

1183
01:16:32,440 --> 01:16:37,180
 It streamlines the process so you can focus on connecting with the right candidates, not managing the noise.

1184
01:16:37,540 --> 01:16:39,180
 Hire right the first time.

1185
01:16:39,520 --> 01:16:44,440
 Post your job and get $100 off towards your job post at linkedin.com slash Eisen.

1186
01:16:44,760 --> 01:16:46,720
 That's linkedin.com slash Eisen.

1187
01:16:47,080 --> 01:16:48,540
 Terms and conditions apply.

1188
01:16:49,540 --> 01:16:51,720
 My mom died from cancer.

1189
01:16:51,720 --> 01:16:53,700
 She was only 37 years old.

1190
01:16:53,940 --> 01:16:57,320
 She didn't have life insurance and that was devastating for my family.

1191
01:16:57,580 --> 01:16:59,780
 That's why having life insurance is so important to me.

1192
01:17:00,140 --> 01:17:02,000
 Ethos makes it fast and easy.

1193
01:17:02,240 --> 01:17:05,860
 Get a quote in seconds, apply in minutes, and get same-day coverage.

1194
01:17:06,160 --> 01:17:09,380
 You can get up to $3 million in coverage with no medical exam.

1195
01:17:09,780 --> 01:17:12,860
 Get your free quote at ethos.com slash play.

1196
01:17:13,160 --> 01:17:15,140
 That's ethos.com slash play.

1197
01:17:15,520 --> 01:17:15,960
 Paid spokesperson.

1198
01:17:16,220 --> 01:17:17,260
 Time span on application may vary.

1199
01:17:17,360 --> 01:17:18,320
 Online health questions required.

1200
01:17:19,600 --> 01:17:22,100
 Hey, Joy, oh, you are glowing.

1201
01:17:22,660 --> 01:17:27,260
 Oh, hey, more like MiraJoid that Miralax helped me go.

1202
01:17:27,600 --> 01:17:29,260
 I was so backed up.

1203
01:17:29,480 --> 01:17:32,040
 Tried mega coffees, prune juice, everything.

1204
01:17:32,360 --> 01:17:33,560
 Then Miralax.

1205
01:17:33,920 --> 01:17:37,320
 And hello, gentle relief without the harsh side effects.

1206
01:17:37,640 --> 01:17:38,960
 Ooh, how does it work?

1207
01:17:39,160 --> 01:17:42,900
 It works naturally with the water in your body for constipation relief.

1208
01:17:43,160 --> 01:17:46,000
 Find Miralax today at your local retailer.

1209
01:17:46,240 --> 01:17:47,960
 Use as directed for occasional constipation.

1210
01:17:49,320 --> 01:17:52,160
 Oh, could this vintage store be any cuter?

1211
01:17:52,320 --> 01:17:52,600
 Right?

1212
01:17:52,880 --> 01:17:53,640
 And the best part?

1213
01:17:53,860 --> 01:17:54,780
 They accept Discover.

1214
01:17:55,180 --> 01:17:55,900
 Accept Discover?

1215
01:17:56,320 --> 01:17:57,620
 In a little place like this?

1216
01:17:58,020 --> 01:17:59,080
 I don't think so, Jennifer.

1217
01:17:59,380 --> 01:18:00,180
 Oh, yeah, huh.

1218
01:18:00,500 --> 01:18:02,380
 Discover's accepted where I like to shop.

1219
01:18:02,540 --> 01:18:04,400
 Come on, baby, get with the times.

1220
01:18:05,120 --> 01:18:07,980
 Right, so we shouldn't get the parachute pants?

1221
01:18:08,380 --> 01:18:09,580
 These are making a comeback.

1222
01:18:10,840 --> 01:18:11,960
 I think.

1223
01:18:12,600 --> 01:18:16,060
 Discover is accepted at 99% of places that take credit cards nationwide.

1224
01:18:16,580 --> 01:18:19,040
 Based on the February 2025 Nielsen Report.

1225
01:18:19,620 --> 01:18:21,260
 Did you know that for 80 years,

1226
01:18:21,540 --> 01:18:25,880
 Paralyzed Veterans of America has been a lifeline for our nation's disabled veterans

1227
01:18:25,880 --> 01:18:27,860
 and all people with disabilities

1228
01:18:27,860 --> 01:18:30,240
 fighting for their rights and accessibility?

1229
01:18:30,900 --> 01:18:32,840
 Learn more at pva.org.

1230
01:18:36,900 --> 01:18:40,300
 From the University of Alabama, this is Crimson Tide Today.

1231
01:18:40,780 --> 01:18:44,400
 It's a daily update on Bama sports and it's brought to you by Vector Security Champions

1232
01:18:44,400 --> 01:18:47,300
 Lane, the best pregame fan fest in college football.

1233
01:18:47,620 --> 01:18:50,240
 For more information, visit championslane.com.

1234
01:18:50,480 --> 01:18:51,220
 Hello again, everybody.

1235
01:18:51,420 --> 01:18:52,200
 I'm Roger Hoover.

1236
01:18:52,540 --> 01:18:56,580
 Here are thoughts from baseball head coach Rob Vaughn after the Crimson Tide swept North

1237
01:18:56,580 --> 01:18:57,760
 Florida this weekend.

1238
01:18:58,460 --> 01:18:59,140
 Yeah, good weekend.

1239
01:18:59,360 --> 01:18:59,800
 Good weekend.

1240
01:18:59,940 --> 01:19:00,880
 Good one today.

1241
01:19:01,720 --> 01:19:02,980
 You know, kind of weird preparation.

1242
01:19:03,240 --> 01:19:04,080
 We hit inside.

1243
01:19:04,840 --> 01:19:09,340
 I kind of met with our team in the clubhouse before BP today because it felt like, for you

1244
01:19:09,340 --> 01:19:11,880
 that were here last year, like Presbyterian 2.0 a little bit.

1245
01:19:12,000 --> 01:19:16,980
 You know, you kind of have two pretty successful games and you have rain and you're not sure

1246
01:19:16,980 --> 01:19:18,020
 if you're going to start on time.

1247
01:19:18,120 --> 01:19:19,100
 You're hitting inside.

1248
01:19:19,460 --> 01:19:22,720
 It was just a recipe for, to be kind of sluggish today.

1249
01:19:23,040 --> 01:19:25,600
 And offensively, man, we were okay.

1250
01:19:25,660 --> 01:19:26,400
 We walked a lot early.

1251
01:19:26,480 --> 01:19:27,660
 We controlled the strike zone a lot early.

1252
01:19:28,440 --> 01:19:31,620
 But the quickest way to make sure you're not sluggish is when you throw the ball like he

1253
01:19:31,620 --> 01:19:32,120
 did on the mound.

1254
01:19:32,220 --> 01:19:36,700
 I mean, just kind of smothered him, just a 180 from last week.

1255
01:19:36,780 --> 01:19:40,560
 And I kind of bragged about his poise and all that stuff out here.

1256
01:19:40,580 --> 01:19:41,720
 But that's what makes him good, man.

1257
01:19:41,880 --> 01:19:43,920
 Like, the moment's not too big.

1258
01:19:44,000 --> 01:19:45,060
 It's not trying to do extra.

1259
01:19:45,600 --> 01:19:48,380
 Tide fans, are you ready for game day in Tuscaloosa?

1260
01:19:48,740 --> 01:19:53,220
 Don't miss the ultimate pregame experience this season at Vector Security Champions Lane,

1261
01:19:53,520 --> 01:19:55,500
 opening four hours before each home game.

1262
01:19:55,500 --> 01:19:58,540
 This FanFest has everything you need to get pumps for kickoff.

1263
01:19:58,860 --> 01:20:03,060
 Located next to the Walk of Champions, you'll enjoy live music, player autographs,

1264
01:20:03,260 --> 01:20:05,220
 the best food trucks from all over Alabama,

1265
01:20:05,560 --> 01:20:08,460
 and ice cold beer in our Legends Lounge Beer Garden,

1266
01:20:08,620 --> 01:20:10,120
 where there's never a cover charge.

1267
01:20:10,420 --> 01:20:13,580
 Check out ChampionsLane.com each week for the latest updates.

1268
01:20:13,800 --> 01:20:14,400
 Roll Tide!

1269
01:20:15,080 --> 01:20:18,880
 Crimson Tide Today is brought to you by Vector Security Champions Lane.

1270
01:20:19,300 --> 01:20:23,220
 Crimson Tide Today is a production of the Crimson Tide Sports Network from Weirfield.

1271
01:20:23,820 --> 01:20:25,060
 The score.

1272
01:20:25,420 --> 01:20:30,260
 Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score.

1273
01:20:30,740 --> 01:20:33,980
 Welcome back in, as we mentioned, heading out the last segment.

1274
01:20:34,140 --> 01:20:37,660
 If you want to know about the SEC tournament from A to Z,

1275
01:20:37,760 --> 01:20:41,460
 no better place to go than Joe Cox buying columnist Saturday down south.

1276
01:20:41,560 --> 01:20:43,260
 His book's called A Fine Team Man.

1277
01:20:43,360 --> 01:20:46,580
 Joe, welcome in on the eve of basketball heaven.

1278
01:20:46,660 --> 01:20:49,120
 For SEC basketball fans, would you agree?

1279
01:20:49,960 --> 01:20:50,840
 Oh, absolutely.

1280
01:20:50,840 --> 01:20:55,260
 It's a fun time, and, you know, you've got to love having this week,

1281
01:20:55,260 --> 01:21:00,020
 and then next week back-to-back, you know, it's just, it's awesome.

1282
01:21:00,180 --> 01:21:03,640
 It's what we wait the other 50 weeks of the year for, I guess.

1283
01:21:03,800 --> 01:21:04,520
 There you go.

1284
01:21:04,580 --> 01:21:06,400
 Something you don't see very rarely.

1285
01:21:06,800 --> 01:21:13,260
 A million-dollar check in the box, and Kentucky basketball tipping off the SEC basketball tournament,

1286
01:21:13,560 --> 01:21:14,960
 as they will tomorrow.

1287
01:21:15,460 --> 01:21:21,100
 Taking on LSU, Joe, do I even need to ask what happens if things go south for Kentucky

1288
01:21:21,100 --> 01:21:23,080
 in that game against LSU for fans?

1289
01:21:23,520 --> 01:21:27,340
 And more importantly, for restaurant and bar owners across the street,

1290
01:21:27,440 --> 01:21:30,800
 they bank, they get a lot of green off the Big Blue Nation, do they not?

1291
01:21:31,320 --> 01:21:35,380
 You know, I have been there enough times to say authoritatively,

1292
01:21:35,860 --> 01:21:41,700
 if Kentucky goes down early, the crowd is a lot thinner for the rest of the time.

1293
01:21:42,540 --> 01:21:46,440
 So, yeah, I'd say that if you've got a business in Nashville,

1294
01:21:46,580 --> 01:21:51,220
 you're probably a bigger Kentucky fan than most Lexingtonians this time of year.

1295
01:21:52,080 --> 01:21:56,660
 Talk to us about your expectations, because for the folks who are regular on the show,

1296
01:21:56,720 --> 01:21:58,300
 they know you call Kentucky home.

1297
01:21:58,440 --> 01:22:04,660
 What's realistic about this team that's basically been, forget the mascot being a Wildcat,

1298
01:22:04,660 --> 01:22:06,560
 they've been on a rollercoaster like a lot of teams.

1299
01:22:07,000 --> 01:22:09,220
 What is realistic for this team going forward?

1300
01:22:09,960 --> 01:22:14,820
 You know, I don't think it's implausible to beat LSU and then beat Missouri

1301
01:22:14,820 --> 01:22:17,120
 and get to another rematch with Florida.

1302
01:22:17,500 --> 01:22:22,640
 And the truth is, they've played Florida about as well as anybody here in recent weeks.

1303
01:22:22,780 --> 01:22:25,100
 I mean, they've lost to them by, I think, 7-9,

1304
01:22:25,680 --> 01:22:29,280
 and that's about as good as most teams are going to do this time of year.

1305
01:22:29,720 --> 01:22:33,760
 But, you know, it really is a situation where, short of, you know,

1306
01:22:33,760 --> 01:22:36,240
 making some kind of improbable run and beating Florida.

1307
01:22:36,240 --> 01:22:40,140
 There's not a lot for Kentucky to gain here, but there is plenty to lose.

1308
01:22:40,280 --> 01:22:44,040
 If you lose this game to LSU, I mean, it doesn't knock them out of the tournament.

1309
01:22:44,200 --> 01:22:45,740
 I think they're still safe on that.

1310
01:22:45,800 --> 01:22:49,560
 But I think it probably does throw them down into an 8-9 game

1311
01:22:49,560 --> 01:22:53,160
 and a second-round matchup potentially with one of those Goliaths,

1312
01:22:53,160 --> 01:22:54,660
 and you don't want that.

1313
01:22:55,120 --> 01:23:00,500
 And you don't want, you know, the narrative going into the offseason being another disappointment.

1314
01:23:00,500 --> 01:23:03,060
 It's going to be hard for it not to be that at this point.

1315
01:23:04,180 --> 01:23:10,780
 Joe, most people think Sunday afternoon the Florida Gators are going to play somebody.

1316
01:23:11,100 --> 01:23:16,100
 They've won 11 consecutive games, 25-6, 16-2.

1317
01:23:16,860 --> 01:23:18,080
 It's still hard to believe.

1318
01:23:18,200 --> 01:23:22,520
 I think the Auburn win was an aberration in Gainesville.

1319
01:23:22,800 --> 01:23:23,820
 But who's hot?

1320
01:23:24,460 --> 01:23:28,380
 The Oklahoma Sooners, four straight, six of eight.

1321
01:23:29,060 --> 01:23:33,580
 Georgia has won three in a row, 22-9, 10-8.

1322
01:23:34,200 --> 01:23:38,540
 Some team in Tuscaloosa has won 9 of 10.

1323
01:23:39,460 --> 01:23:44,100
 Who does Joe Cox think would be playing the Florida Gators Sunday afternoon?

1324
01:23:44,840 --> 01:23:49,660
 You know, if we get to that Alabama-Arkansas matchup, boy, that would be a lot of fun.

1325
01:23:49,780 --> 01:23:53,000
 I'd like to see that again on Saturday.

1326
01:23:53,220 --> 01:23:55,580
 And, of course, we've got a good chance to see that.

1327
01:23:55,580 --> 01:24:00,480
 Georgia, you mentioned, is one of the teams that would be invested in making that not happen.

1328
01:24:00,660 --> 01:24:02,900
 And let's not forget Texas A&M down there as well.

1329
01:24:03,020 --> 01:24:05,480
 Either of them could be dangerous on a given day.

1330
01:24:05,680 --> 01:24:10,320
 But, you know, I think there's a good chance it does come back down to Arkansas and Alabama.

1331
01:24:10,720 --> 01:24:15,260
 And that will be a great tune-up for either of those teams, for both of those teams, really,

1332
01:24:15,380 --> 01:24:16,660
 just however it comes out.

1333
01:24:16,920 --> 01:24:20,020
 But, you know, as far as who would win that,

1334
01:24:20,020 --> 01:24:27,520
 I would probably give a slight edge to Bama just because of how reliant Arkansas is on freshmen.

1335
01:24:27,700 --> 01:24:31,260
 And they're good freshmen, but they're still freshmen, and they haven't done this before.

1336
01:24:31,500 --> 01:24:33,820
 So I'm going to say slight edge to Bama.

1337
01:24:34,860 --> 01:24:36,520
 Joe Cox in huddle with us.

1338
01:24:36,740 --> 01:24:40,640
 Joe, obviously the other team from our neck of the woods, the Auburn Tigers.

1339
01:24:41,280 --> 01:24:46,160
 Is there a team anywhere with more impressive wins in some ways, but more embarrassing losses,

1340
01:24:46,160 --> 01:24:49,420
 which puts them squarely right there on that big B word, the bubble.

1341
01:24:50,500 --> 01:24:54,560
 Your thoughts, what's realistic about Auburn in this tournament, short of winning the title?

1342
01:24:54,960 --> 01:25:00,800
 I think they really need two wins to feel good about where they're at come selection Sunday.

1343
01:25:00,800 --> 01:25:05,800
 Not that they'll feel great, but I think they need to take care of business in Mississippi State,

1344
01:25:05,900 --> 01:25:09,740
 which shouldn't be too much of a challenge, although don't tell Josh Hubbard that.

1345
01:25:10,260 --> 01:25:11,560
 And then Tennessee.

1346
01:25:11,780 --> 01:25:13,040
 Tennessee would be the big one.

1347
01:25:13,540 --> 01:25:18,740
 And surely there could be a little drama with the chance to knock Bruce Pearl's son

1348
01:25:18,740 --> 01:25:21,220
 out of the tournament for the Tennessee Vols.

1349
01:25:21,220 --> 01:25:23,940
 I'm sure there's no strong feelings there.

1350
01:25:23,940 --> 01:25:26,800
 So that's one to keep an eye on for Thursday, certainly.

1351
01:25:27,580 --> 01:25:29,860
 Joe, let me ask you about Tennessee.

1352
01:25:30,180 --> 01:25:35,360
 They lost to Vandy in Knoxville for the first time since 2017.

1353
01:25:37,000 --> 01:25:40,840
 I know Amen is reportedly coming back.

1354
01:25:41,560 --> 01:25:45,220
 Jacoby Gillespie did not have a great game against Vandy.

1355
01:25:45,820 --> 01:25:47,400
 Amari Evans stepped up.

1356
01:25:47,500 --> 01:25:50,180
 He played really well, scored 24 points.

1357
01:25:51,040 --> 01:25:56,220
 Tennessee fans realize this time of the year, they kind of hold the breath because they keep

1358
01:25:56,220 --> 01:26:01,040
 wondering when the offensive issues are going to crop up again.

1359
01:26:01,320 --> 01:26:05,300
 Joe, your thoughts on Tennessee, Rick Barnes going into the tournament.

1360
01:26:05,680 --> 01:26:08,460
 So here's my wild thought on Tennessee.

1361
01:26:08,860 --> 01:26:14,200
 The last I saw, Joe Lenardi had Tennessee as the last number five seed.

1362
01:26:14,640 --> 01:26:18,480
 So maybe what you do is you tell, Amen, take another week.

1363
01:26:18,620 --> 01:26:19,640
 Don't worry about it.

1364
01:26:19,700 --> 01:26:20,900
 We'll go out here without you.

1365
01:26:21,280 --> 01:26:25,760
 If you were to lose to Auburn again, I think Auburn probably gets into the tournament, which

1366
01:26:25,760 --> 01:26:27,980
 is obviously not a bad thing for the SEC.

1367
01:26:28,660 --> 01:26:32,500
 It also gives you a nice long week to rest to get him back to 100%.

1368
01:26:32,500 --> 01:26:34,760
 And it probably bumps you to a six seed.

1369
01:26:34,900 --> 01:26:39,500
 And I think you are a thousand times more likely to succeed as a six in the tournament.

1370
01:26:39,720 --> 01:26:40,160
 I agree.

1371
01:26:41,240 --> 01:26:44,480
 So there's my moment of conspiracy theory.

1372
01:26:44,660 --> 01:26:50,080
 If Amen sits and Tennessee looks kind of disinterested and Auburn gets a big win, you heard it here

1373
01:26:50,080 --> 01:26:50,400
 first.

1374
01:26:50,480 --> 01:26:53,860
 Now, probably none of those things will happen, but they all could happen and they would all

1375
01:26:53,860 --> 01:26:54,520
 make sense.

1376
01:26:55,500 --> 01:26:59,740
 Getting that number five seed is like getting a big old box at Christmas and you open it

1377
01:26:59,740 --> 01:27:00,840
 up and it's full of copperheads.

1378
01:27:01,100 --> 01:27:02,800
 It's not always the best deal.

1379
01:27:04,020 --> 01:27:12,940
 Joe, your thoughts as far as the postseason awards, how good is Acuff out of Arkansas?

1380
01:27:13,300 --> 01:27:18,340
 If you, in your opinion, if he's a player of the year, how good is this kid given the stiff

1381
01:27:18,340 --> 01:27:19,820
 competition across the league?

1382
01:27:20,440 --> 01:27:22,500
 Yeah, I think he probably is.

1383
01:27:22,540 --> 01:27:23,740
 And I think he's earned it.

1384
01:27:23,740 --> 01:27:30,640
 What I can say for him is he fits into that legion of top Calipari freshman point guards

1385
01:27:30,640 --> 01:27:32,580
 with Derrick Rose, with John Wall.

1386
01:27:33,200 --> 01:27:34,880
 So those are some big names.

1387
01:27:35,180 --> 01:27:37,440
 He belongs in that list with those guys.

1388
01:27:37,980 --> 01:27:42,220
 He's going to be playing at the next level for a long, long time and probably very, very

1389
01:27:42,220 --> 01:27:42,680
 well.

1390
01:27:43,100 --> 01:27:46,980
 And there's always a part of me that's sorry, we're only going to see him in the SEC for

1391
01:27:46,980 --> 01:27:47,520
 one year.

1392
01:27:48,160 --> 01:27:50,380
 But it's been an amazing year.

1393
01:27:50,380 --> 01:27:55,720
 And that young man certainly has met every expectation I had for him and surpassed most

1394
01:27:55,720 --> 01:27:56,120
 of them.

1395
01:27:57,280 --> 01:28:00,960
 Joe, Texas, 18 and 13, 99.

1396
01:28:01,320 --> 01:28:05,420
 They did beat Alabama and Tuscaloosa what seems like two years ago.

1397
01:28:07,420 --> 01:28:16,680
 A lot of the prognosticators think that Texas needs a couple of wins in Nashville to stay off

1398
01:28:16,680 --> 01:28:17,240
 the bubble.

1399
01:28:18,240 --> 01:28:22,460
 And I still think Sean Miller is one of the best coaches in the league.

1400
01:28:23,240 --> 01:28:26,620
 Joe, what does Texas need to do in Nashville?

1401
01:28:27,320 --> 01:28:30,800
 Well, they definitely need to not lose to Ole Miss on Wednesday.

1402
01:28:31,040 --> 01:28:33,440
 That would be a serious problem.

1403
01:28:33,680 --> 01:28:36,300
 I think one win would probably be enough.

1404
01:28:36,480 --> 01:28:41,060
 But yeah, they're definitely breathing easier if they could take down Georgia on Thursday.

1405
01:28:41,260 --> 01:28:43,560
 I think they're undoubtedly safe then.

1406
01:28:44,300 --> 01:28:45,760
 Beat Ole Miss and lose to Georgia.

1407
01:28:46,020 --> 01:28:49,680
 And yeah, it could get a little more dicey on Sunday than you would like.

1408
01:28:50,260 --> 01:28:53,520
 But I think they're probably in pretty good shape.

1409
01:28:53,620 --> 01:28:55,960
 And I don't think they're going to lose to Ole Miss.

1410
01:28:56,380 --> 01:28:58,400
 Of course, you guys know how it's been for me this year.

1411
01:28:58,480 --> 01:28:59,060
 I said that.

1412
01:28:59,440 --> 01:29:04,020
 So, you know, hammer the Rebels in your betting appropriately because they're probably a lock

1413
01:29:04,020 --> 01:29:04,360
 now.

1414
01:29:06,140 --> 01:29:07,260
 Two things.

1415
01:29:07,840 --> 01:29:12,320
 How many teams from the SEC get in the tournament Sunday afternoon?

1416
01:29:13,080 --> 01:29:19,600
 And number two, where can we get your SEC baseball, Palmer rankings, and all the other good stuff?

1417
01:29:20,080 --> 01:29:21,360
 I'm going to answer backwards.

1418
01:29:21,500 --> 01:29:22,600
 It's Saturday down south.

1419
01:29:22,760 --> 01:29:23,480
 We got the hoops.

1420
01:29:23,560 --> 01:29:24,260
 We got the baseball.

1421
01:29:24,680 --> 01:29:26,300
 We got a little bit of everything.

1422
01:29:26,660 --> 01:29:30,100
 Now, the number of teams you forced me to pick right now.

1423
01:29:30,160 --> 01:29:31,640
 You tell me I've got to make the call.

1424
01:29:31,760 --> 01:29:32,720
 I'm going to say 10.

1425
01:29:32,820 --> 01:29:34,340
 I think Auburn's just short.

1426
01:29:34,640 --> 01:29:36,660
 But again, we laid out the path for them.

1427
01:29:36,760 --> 01:29:37,280
 It's there.

1428
01:29:37,380 --> 01:29:37,940
 It's doable.

1429
01:29:37,940 --> 01:29:40,340
 I think Texas is in, and they're the 10th one.

1430
01:29:40,920 --> 01:29:43,280
 And that's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

1431
01:29:44,820 --> 01:29:49,240
 Or as Greg Sanky would say, he wants 17 teams from the SEC to make it right, Joe.

1432
01:29:49,860 --> 01:29:50,260
 Right.

1433
01:29:50,500 --> 01:29:50,700
 Yeah.

1434
01:29:51,200 --> 01:29:51,720
 No doubt.

1435
01:29:52,760 --> 01:29:54,040
 Listen, man, have a great week.

1436
01:29:54,100 --> 01:29:55,580
 Thank you so much for your time today.

1437
01:29:56,100 --> 01:29:56,500
 All right.

1438
01:29:56,540 --> 01:29:57,220
 You guys take care.

1439
01:29:57,860 --> 01:29:58,300
 Thank you, bud.

1440
01:29:58,320 --> 01:30:01,280
 Joe Cox, Vine columnist, Saturday down south.

1441
01:30:01,380 --> 01:30:05,840
 Coming up to the heart of Florida to Orlando, we go with Matt Michelle on Dank.

1442
01:30:05,840 --> 01:30:06,420
 Stay with us.

1443
01:30:10,920 --> 01:30:18,820
 It's not March Madness.

1444
01:30:18,960 --> 01:30:22,160
 It's Mad Marchness at Sam's Sports Grill in Florence.

1445
01:30:22,520 --> 01:30:27,960
 Every game, every bracket buster, every unbelievable buzzer beater, all on wall-to-wall TVs.

1446
01:30:28,360 --> 01:30:34,540
 Fuel your picks with quality food, ice-cold drinks, and game day energy that hits harder than a full-court press.

1447
01:30:34,540 --> 01:30:40,680
 From crave-worthy favorites to unbeatable drink specials, Sam's is where Florence comes to watch, cheer, and win.

1448
01:30:40,880 --> 01:30:45,780
 So grab your crew, lock in your bracket, and experience Mad Marchness the Sam's way.

1449
01:30:45,980 --> 01:30:47,520
 Make our place your place.

1450
01:30:48,880 --> 01:30:53,000
 Have you ever seen those halftime scholarships where you have to nail a 40-yard field goal?

1451
01:30:53,700 --> 01:30:54,940
 Yeah, this isn't that.

1452
01:30:55,120 --> 01:30:59,160
 I didn't have to write a long essay or audition or make a half-court shot.

1453
01:30:59,160 --> 01:31:05,640
 I just had to open a bank-independent account, use my debit card, sign up for online banking, and have a positive balance.

1454
01:31:05,800 --> 01:31:06,340
 That's it.

1455
01:31:06,460 --> 01:31:08,320
 A 20% scholarship to UNA.

1456
01:31:08,520 --> 01:31:14,000
 When Bank Independent invests in students like me, they're investing in all of us and the future of our community.

1457
01:31:14,180 --> 01:31:14,880
 Bank Independent.

1458
01:31:15,100 --> 01:31:16,540
 We're invested in your future.

1459
01:31:16,740 --> 01:31:17,640
 Member FDIC.

1460
01:31:18,200 --> 01:31:18,700
 Woo-hoo!

1461
01:31:19,140 --> 01:31:19,740
 Hear that?

1462
01:31:20,280 --> 01:31:24,040
 That's what having fewer hot flashes and night sweats can sound like.

1463
01:31:24,040 --> 01:31:26,040
 Vioza.

1464
01:31:26,040 --> 01:31:38,000
 Vioza is the number one prescribed hormone-free treatment FDA-approved for moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms, also known as hot flashes and night sweats, due to menopause.

1465
01:31:38,440 --> 01:31:41,740
 Vioza can cause serious side effects, including liver problems.

1466
01:31:42,060 --> 01:31:45,040
 Your doctor will do blood tests before and during treatment.

1467
01:31:45,580 --> 01:31:57,660
 Stop Vioza and call your doctor if you have symptoms of liver problems, such as feeling more tired than usual, decreased appetite, nausea, vomiting, itching, yellowing of the eyes or skin, pale stool, dark urine, or stomach pain.

1468
01:31:57,920 --> 01:32:03,840
 Don't use Vioza if you have cirrhosis, severe kidney problems, kidney failure, or take CYP-182 inhibitors.

1469
01:32:04,280 --> 01:32:06,300
 Ask your doctor about Vioza.

1470
01:32:06,300 --> 01:32:11,920
 To learn more, call 1-866-239-1637 or go to Vioza.com.

1471
01:32:12,100 --> 01:32:14,300
 That's V-E-O-Z-A-H dot com.

1472
01:32:18,120 --> 01:32:21,520
 It's tournament time when the most talented teams survive in advance.

1473
01:32:21,720 --> 01:32:25,720
 And whether you're cutting down the nets or cutting through resumes, one thing's clear.

1474
01:32:25,800 --> 01:32:27,540
 The best teams are built with the best people.

1475
01:32:27,680 --> 01:32:29,900
 If you're hiring, you need ZipRecruiter.

1476
01:32:30,140 --> 01:32:33,460
 Their smart matching technology finds qualified candidates fast.

1477
01:32:33,680 --> 01:32:38,260
 You can add screening questions to get the right applicants and even filter to see who's recently active.

1478
01:32:38,600 --> 01:32:40,540
 Score the best for your team with ZipRecruiter.

1479
01:32:40,680 --> 01:32:43,440
 Try it for free at ZipRecruiter.com slash sports.

1480
01:32:43,640 --> 01:32:45,800
 That's ZipRecruiter.com slash sports.

1481
01:32:45,800 --> 01:32:47,540
 Meet your match on ZipRecruiter.

1482
01:32:47,980 --> 01:32:48,560
 Smalls here.

1483
01:32:48,780 --> 01:32:49,780
 Life is full of choices.

1484
01:32:49,940 --> 01:32:50,980
 Some big, some small.

1485
01:32:51,220 --> 01:32:57,120
 And when you choose an H&R Block Tax Pro, you're choosing the largest network of tax expertise to be in your corner.

1486
01:32:57,440 --> 01:32:59,940
 For when your big ambitions need help with the small details.

1487
01:33:00,220 --> 01:33:02,720
 For when your six figures come from six different places.

1488
01:33:03,100 --> 01:33:05,520
 For when your gaming stream becomes your revenue stream.

1489
01:33:05,820 --> 01:33:09,520
 For when your business's year one needs 70 years of tax know-how.

1490
01:33:09,780 --> 01:33:11,200
 At H&R Block, they've seen it all.

1491
01:33:11,320 --> 01:33:14,940
 And they're here to help you make the most out of your money for life outside the box.

1492
01:33:15,160 --> 01:33:17,140
 Get started at H&RBlock.com.

1493
01:33:18,140 --> 01:33:19,700
 Anxiety used to hold me back.

1494
01:33:20,080 --> 01:33:21,980
 Now I'm finding better ways to cope.

1495
01:33:22,540 --> 01:33:24,660
 Mental health care works when you make the call.

1496
01:33:25,560 --> 01:33:29,040
 See what it can do for you at MentalHealthCareWorks.org.

1497
01:33:29,280 --> 01:33:32,560
 A message from the American Psychiatric Association Foundation.

1498
01:33:33,160 --> 01:33:36,160
 Progressive presents the Sports Flash on 93-9.

1499
01:33:36,540 --> 01:33:37,160
 The score.

1500
01:33:37,500 --> 01:33:42,320
 In the SEC basketball tournament tomorrow, Auburn is set to take on Mississippi State.

1501
01:33:42,480 --> 01:33:43,580
 Alabama's the two-seed.

1502
01:33:43,700 --> 01:33:45,640
 They'll play Friday in the quarterfinals.

1503
01:33:46,120 --> 01:33:49,800
 The Troy men's basketball team won the Sunbelt Championship yesterday.

1504
01:33:49,940 --> 01:33:54,500
 As Troy defeated Georgia Southern in Pensacola, Florida 77-61.

1505
01:33:54,940 --> 01:33:58,020
 The Trojans are on to the NCAA tournament.

1506
01:33:58,560 --> 01:34:04,140
 Troy women's basketball team fell in the Sunbelt Championship to James Madison 69-52.

1507
01:34:04,380 --> 01:34:07,180
 Troy is now 25-7 on the season.

1508
01:34:07,900 --> 01:34:08,840
 Baseball action today.

1509
01:34:08,920 --> 01:34:10,820
 North Alabama will take out Jacksonville State.

1510
01:34:10,900 --> 01:34:13,560
 The Lions are 7-9 on the season.

1511
01:34:14,040 --> 01:34:15,420
 Alabama will host Troy.

1512
01:34:15,520 --> 01:34:17,040
 The Troy Trojans are 6-9.

1513
01:34:17,140 --> 01:34:19,340
 Alabama is 14-3.

1514
01:34:19,580 --> 01:34:23,880
 Bundle auto and home, renters or condo, and save with Progressive.

1515
01:34:23,880 --> 01:34:28,560
 I'm John Thayer with the Sports Flash, presented by Progressive on 93-9.

1516
01:34:28,800 --> 01:34:29,460
 The score.

1517
01:34:34,820 --> 01:34:36,160
 Pump up the volume.

1518
01:34:36,960 --> 01:34:38,520
 Business moves fast.

1519
01:34:39,020 --> 01:34:39,860
 Orders roll in.

1520
01:34:40,220 --> 01:34:41,200
 Deadlines close in.

1521
01:34:41,600 --> 01:34:45,320
 When you ship with USPS Ground Advantage, you can keep up with confidence.

1522
01:34:46,040 --> 01:34:48,860
 Every package stays in our secure network from dock to door.

1523
01:34:49,360 --> 01:34:53,140
 And with nationwide reach, dependable tracking, and upfront affordable pricing,

1524
01:34:53,140 --> 01:34:55,260
 you get built-in peace of mind.

1525
01:34:55,920 --> 01:34:56,940
 You run the business.

1526
01:34:57,260 --> 01:34:58,520
 We run the routes.

1527
01:34:59,100 --> 01:35:02,180
 Visit usps.com slash ground advantage to learn more.

1528
01:35:09,980 --> 01:35:12,680
 Introducing the new Chick-fil-A jalapeno ranch club sandwich.

1529
01:35:13,060 --> 01:35:19,020
 With that juicy Chick-fil-A chicken on a buttermilk ranch bun, jalapeno ranch sauce, and pickled jalapenos,

1530
01:35:19,300 --> 01:35:21,260
 it's a little ranch with a lot of kick.

1531
01:35:25,760 --> 01:35:30,120
 The new Chick-fil-A jalapeno ranch club with original spicy or grilled filet.

1532
01:35:30,480 --> 01:35:32,000
 Available for a limited time only.

1533
01:35:32,260 --> 01:35:33,640
 Order ahead on the Chick-fil-A app.

1534
01:35:34,800 --> 01:35:35,760
 The score.

1535
01:35:36,300 --> 01:35:41,020
 Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score.

1536
01:35:41,520 --> 01:35:41,820
 The score.

1537
01:35:41,820 --> 01:35:42,300
 Welcome back, Ken.

1538
01:35:42,340 --> 01:35:42,860
 What do you say?

1539
01:35:42,920 --> 01:35:45,200
 We're going down to the heart of the Sunshine State.

1540
01:35:45,280 --> 01:35:46,380
 And say hello to Matt Merchelle.

1541
01:35:46,500 --> 01:35:48,000
 Checking in from Orlando.

1542
01:35:48,340 --> 01:35:50,540
 Because he's busy at the Orlando Center.

1543
01:35:50,660 --> 01:35:51,720
 Matt Merchelle, welcome in.

1544
01:35:51,760 --> 01:35:52,220
 How are you?

1545
01:35:53,180 --> 01:35:54,060
 I'm doing well.

1546
01:35:54,100 --> 01:35:54,960
 How are you guys doing today?

1547
01:35:55,220 --> 01:35:55,540
 Hey, buddy.

1548
01:35:56,280 --> 01:36:01,340
 Talking to a man who's talking to the big shot of college basketball's March Madness.

1549
01:36:01,560 --> 01:36:02,880
 Correct us if we're wrong, Matt.

1550
01:36:03,140 --> 01:36:05,320
 But you're not too far in the distance there.

1551
01:36:05,380 --> 01:36:10,340
 On a conference call with the brains of ESPN's bractologist, Joe Lenardi.

1552
01:36:10,900 --> 01:36:15,280
 What did he tell you, Matt, about any surprises with the upcoming dance?

1553
01:36:16,400 --> 01:36:17,200
 Not really.

1554
01:36:17,200 --> 01:36:22,240
 I think, you know, one of the things he stressed was that, you know, this is the time of year

1555
01:36:22,240 --> 01:36:24,220
 where, you know, expect the unexpected.

1556
01:36:24,600 --> 01:36:28,300
 You know, there can be some teams that are going to surprise some people and are going

1557
01:36:28,300 --> 01:36:33,940
 to maybe, you know, knock someone out of their, you know, their possible bid or their possible

1558
01:36:33,940 --> 01:36:36,920
 seeding or maybe, you know, burst a bubble here or there.

1559
01:36:37,100 --> 01:36:41,640
 You know, he said two years ago they had five, you know, bid stealers, as he called them,

1560
01:36:41,940 --> 01:36:47,740
 you know, and teams that came in and won in their, you know, mid-major tournaments and

1561
01:36:47,740 --> 01:36:51,140
 knocked some other teams out or even teams in the power four that knocked some teams out.

1562
01:36:51,300 --> 01:36:54,880
 So, you know, he said he's expected to see some of that a little bit this year.

1563
01:36:55,020 --> 01:37:00,380
 So, I think that's something that we're expecting over this next week as we kind of get down to

1564
01:37:00,380 --> 01:37:02,540
 the conference tournaments and everything that's going on.

1565
01:37:03,280 --> 01:37:08,480
 You know, Matt, the word as far as the conference tournaments over the last few years is teams.

1566
01:37:09,200 --> 01:37:10,400
 Basically, does it really matter?

1567
01:37:10,460 --> 01:37:14,940
 Because it looks like, whether this is true or not, the observation, I'll put it that way,

1568
01:37:14,940 --> 01:37:18,820
 is that the committees pretty much made up their minds before they announced it on Sunday.

1569
01:37:19,520 --> 01:37:20,320
 But do they?

1570
01:37:20,400 --> 01:37:24,340
 The other side of that coin is we talked with Bruce Marshall out in Vegas earlier today.

1571
01:37:24,420 --> 01:37:28,380
 He talked about, in the case of Alabama, either a three or a four seed.

1572
01:37:28,480 --> 01:37:29,500
 You say, well, what's the difference?

1573
01:37:29,660 --> 01:37:33,420
 Well, if you're a three seed, there's a good chance that they're going to give you a more favorable

1574
01:37:33,420 --> 01:37:38,340
 geographic location, making it easier for your fans to travel to and give you that, if you will,

1575
01:37:38,360 --> 01:37:39,560
 the six-man advantage.

1576
01:37:40,380 --> 01:37:43,860
 Your thoughts just about how some of these teams who know they're in it,

1577
01:37:43,860 --> 01:37:45,780
 we know the bubble teams are playing for their lives,

1578
01:37:46,340 --> 01:37:50,400
 but there's still some strategy with these teams who want to get a higher seed

1579
01:37:50,400 --> 01:37:53,360
 because they want to keep it as close to home cuts as possible.

1580
01:37:54,300 --> 01:37:55,260
 Oh, yeah, for sure.

1581
01:37:55,360 --> 01:37:56,760
 I mean, there's a lot on the line here.

1582
01:37:56,860 --> 01:38:01,240
 I mean, just because, let's say, you're a team that's in your conference tournament

1583
01:38:01,240 --> 01:38:03,040
 and you're expected to win, let's say, in the SEC.

1584
01:38:03,460 --> 01:38:06,160
 You're one of the three, four, five, six, whatever teams

1585
01:38:06,160 --> 01:38:08,400
 that are pretty much locked to get in the NCAA tournament.

1586
01:38:08,700 --> 01:38:11,080
 It doesn't mean you don't want to try to go as far as you can.

1587
01:38:11,220 --> 01:38:12,660
 You know, these games matter.

1588
01:38:12,800 --> 01:38:16,180
 You would like to get to a point where you don't have to travel nearly as far

1589
01:38:16,180 --> 01:38:18,340
 or your fan base doesn't have to travel nearly as far.

1590
01:38:18,720 --> 01:38:21,660
 I mean, there's nothing worse than you're an East Coast team

1591
01:38:21,660 --> 01:38:23,220
 and somehow you wind up in Portland.

1592
01:38:23,760 --> 01:38:24,380
 You know what I mean?

1593
01:38:24,380 --> 01:38:26,940
 And you have to go all across the country to play a game.

1594
01:38:27,040 --> 01:38:27,760
 It's tough on the team.

1595
01:38:27,860 --> 01:38:28,880
 It's tough on your fan base.

1596
01:38:29,360 --> 01:38:31,480
 You know, it can be really challenging.

1597
01:38:31,740 --> 01:38:34,420
 You know, so you'd like to have a good spot.

1598
01:38:34,540 --> 01:38:35,780
 Good example is Florida.

1599
01:38:36,200 --> 01:38:37,120
 You're in our state.

1600
01:38:37,520 --> 01:38:40,160
 You know, Florida is the number one seed going into the, you know,

1601
01:38:40,180 --> 01:38:43,100
 probably going to be a number one seed going into the tournament, you know,

1602
01:38:43,140 --> 01:38:44,640
 depending on what happens this week.

1603
01:38:45,040 --> 01:38:46,820
 But they would like to stay close to home.

1604
01:38:46,880 --> 01:38:47,660
 So they're in Tampa.

1605
01:38:47,960 --> 01:38:49,640
 You know, pretty much Tampa seems to be a lot.

1606
01:38:49,780 --> 01:38:51,780
 Because they'd like to be just down the road for themselves.

1607
01:38:52,360 --> 01:38:55,040
 It's very important for a lot of these teams to make their statement.

1608
01:38:55,200 --> 01:38:57,020
 It's not just about wins and losses.

1609
01:38:57,020 --> 01:39:01,220
 It's about trying to get themselves ready to maybe move up a little bit

1610
01:39:01,220 --> 01:39:05,020
 and maybe help their seeding so they've got a chance to play in a better spot,

1611
01:39:05,220 --> 01:39:06,500
 much like, as you mentioned, with Alabama.

1612
01:39:07,620 --> 01:39:09,900
 You follow Central Florida.

1613
01:39:10,360 --> 01:39:13,240
 They're in the Big 12 tournament in Kansas City.

1614
01:39:13,380 --> 01:39:17,580
 In fact, they play tomorrow against the winner of Cincinnati and Utah.

1615
01:39:17,580 --> 01:39:25,180
 You know this league well, Arizona, who basically they received a commitment

1616
01:39:25,180 --> 01:39:29,760
 from Caleb Holt, a top five player earlier today.

1617
01:39:30,320 --> 01:39:36,120
 I wanted to ask you, their reports, again, it's scuttlebutt right now,

1618
01:39:36,720 --> 01:39:40,300
 maybe two coaching vacancies in the Big 12 next year.

1619
01:39:40,840 --> 01:39:42,800
 Bobby Hurley has not had a good year.

1620
01:39:42,920 --> 01:39:44,520
 Dan's brother at UConn.

1621
01:39:44,600 --> 01:39:46,120
 He's at Arizona State.

1622
01:39:46,400 --> 01:39:50,420
 There are reports that he may not be, quote, welcome back.

1623
01:39:51,100 --> 01:39:54,700
 And the other one is more interesting to me, Bill Self.

1624
01:39:55,260 --> 01:39:59,220
 He's had health issues the last three years at Kansas,

1625
01:39:59,900 --> 01:40:05,300
 and there's a good bit of scuttlebutt that he may be retiring at the end of the year

1626
01:40:05,300 --> 01:40:06,960
 because of health issues.

1627
01:40:07,620 --> 01:40:11,040
 Will there be two vacancies in the Big 12 next year?

1628
01:40:11,860 --> 01:40:13,160
 I think there will be.

1629
01:40:13,240 --> 01:40:16,060
 Now, I'm not 100% sure on the Bill Self stuff.

1630
01:40:16,260 --> 01:40:18,480
 I think that's obviously something that's out there,

1631
01:40:18,560 --> 01:40:21,760
 and I think Bill is probably thinking very hard about what he wants to do.

1632
01:40:21,860 --> 01:40:22,700
 But I look around.

1633
01:40:22,780 --> 01:40:26,960
 There are some other teams in the Big 12 that might have some coaching vacancies.

1634
01:40:27,220 --> 01:40:29,460
 You look at Miller at Cincinnati.

1635
01:40:29,960 --> 01:40:34,040
 Cincinnati has not played up to the potential that a lot of people thought they would.

1636
01:40:34,120 --> 01:40:37,200
 They have a really high and have paid a lot of money on their roster.

1637
01:40:37,840 --> 01:40:40,520
 You know, there's been some scuttle that he might be a guy that could be out.

1638
01:40:40,920 --> 01:40:42,760
 You know, you look at UCF, the team I'm covering.

1639
01:40:42,960 --> 01:40:43,220
 You know what I mean?

1640
01:40:43,340 --> 01:40:47,560
 If UCF was figured to be an NCAA tournament team midway through the season,

1641
01:40:47,940 --> 01:40:50,560
 they've lost three games going into the Big 12 tournament,

1642
01:40:50,900 --> 01:40:52,140
 and they lose on Wednesday.

1643
01:40:52,320 --> 01:40:54,920
 I mean, there's a possibility they get knocked out of the tournament.

1644
01:40:55,320 --> 01:40:57,920
 There'll be a lot of pressure maybe to make a change at UCF.

1645
01:40:58,240 --> 01:41:01,520
 So there could be multiple teams, and it wouldn't shock me

1646
01:41:01,520 --> 01:41:04,720
 because I think a lot of schools, as we've found over the last three or four years,

1647
01:41:05,160 --> 01:41:06,460
 they want to win now.

1648
01:41:06,520 --> 01:41:09,260
 That's a win-now mentality, and you want to bring in a coach

1649
01:41:09,260 --> 01:41:12,400
 and hope maybe they can find a way to the light of fire spark somebody,

1650
01:41:12,520 --> 01:41:17,260
 especially if you have, you know, some of the type of budgets that these schools have now

1651
01:41:17,260 --> 01:41:18,620
 when it comes to building their rosters.

1652
01:41:18,800 --> 01:41:22,400
 You know, whoever, if Bill Self does leave, whoever takes its place

1653
01:41:22,400 --> 01:41:27,480
 is going to inherit a pretty good program that's invested a lot of money into its players.

1654
01:41:27,680 --> 01:41:30,820
 So I think this is a league that has a lot of attraction

1655
01:41:30,820 --> 01:41:35,200
 and would be something that a lot of coaches would be very interested in making their career

1656
01:41:35,200 --> 01:41:36,420
 if they could find a way over here.

1657
01:41:37,100 --> 01:41:39,800
 Matt, Michelle is checking in with the Orlando Sentinel.

1658
01:41:39,920 --> 01:41:44,580
 Matt, I think it's pretty much conventional wisdom, safe bet, that comes Sunday

1659
01:41:44,580 --> 01:41:47,260
 at the SEC Championship game.

1660
01:41:47,500 --> 01:41:50,620
 Your neighbor's just to your north there, and Gainesville will be there.

1661
01:41:50,700 --> 01:41:53,520
 The Florida Gators, correct us if we're wrong in your observation about that.

1662
01:41:53,600 --> 01:41:58,980
 The question is, who will the Gators be playing for all the marbles if the script holds?

1663
01:42:00,520 --> 01:42:01,660
 Well, that's a good question.

1664
01:42:01,860 --> 01:42:04,320
 You know, I think a lot of teams feel like they're going to be the thing.

1665
01:42:04,400 --> 01:42:09,720
 I think Alabama, the one team you mentioned earlier, has got a good chance of making a run.

1666
01:42:10,060 --> 01:42:11,720
 They would love to see themselves in there.

1667
01:42:12,200 --> 01:42:17,040
 I'm still looking to see, I mean, I'd love to see some sort of surprise team making in there.

1668
01:42:17,160 --> 01:42:19,560
 I'm not sure if that's going to happen this year, you know what I mean?

1669
01:42:19,960 --> 01:42:23,480
 Florida's played so well, and I don't know if it really matters.

1670
01:42:23,880 --> 01:42:29,360
 It's, they're one of those teams that has just jumped out and has played at the next level

1671
01:42:29,360 --> 01:42:31,620
 that you just were kind of surprised to see at.

1672
01:42:31,800 --> 01:42:35,700
 So, you know, I think it's going to be a challenge, whoever gets in that spot.

1673
01:42:35,900 --> 01:42:37,120
 I mean, I like Alabama.

1674
01:42:37,280 --> 01:42:38,440
 I like the way Alabama's played.

1675
01:42:38,820 --> 01:42:41,080
 I think they've got a chance to make a good run.

1676
01:42:41,500 --> 01:42:45,920
 You know, I think you're going to also see a team like Vanderbilt as a hot shooting team.

1677
01:42:46,280 --> 01:42:51,360
 If they get going well, especially long distance, they can find a way to shoot their way into it.

1678
01:42:51,820 --> 01:42:53,120
 And then, you know, you've got Arkansas.

1679
01:42:53,120 --> 01:42:55,940
 You know, I mean, I don't know John Gallipari's had his moments this season,

1680
01:42:56,280 --> 01:42:59,420
 but, you know, Arkansas has looked good at times.

1681
01:42:59,580 --> 01:43:03,800
 So, I think whoever's going to get in there, they're going to find themselves facing a really,

1682
01:43:03,960 --> 01:43:06,900
 a team in Florida that really wants to finish this thing off right.

1683
01:43:07,260 --> 01:43:10,800
 They're not just going in there with the idea of coasting through the SEC tournament

1684
01:43:10,800 --> 01:43:12,840
 just to prepare for the NCAA tournament.

1685
01:43:13,060 --> 01:43:15,220
 I think they want to get another SEC championship.

1686
01:43:16,160 --> 01:43:20,960
 How long did it take Florida fans to say, this Todd Golden guy is pretty good, Matt?

1687
01:43:22,480 --> 01:43:24,000
 Well, I think they know he's pretty good.

1688
01:43:24,220 --> 01:43:26,500
 In fact, if you go back to those Bill Stolfer rumors.

1689
01:43:27,060 --> 01:43:31,340
 Yeah, and going back to those Bill Stolfer rumors, there was a rumor that, you know,

1690
01:43:31,380 --> 01:43:32,840
 Todd Golden may be his replacement.

1691
01:43:33,180 --> 01:43:33,480
 You know what I mean?

1692
01:43:33,620 --> 01:43:34,120
 I remember that.

1693
01:43:34,540 --> 01:43:36,900
 That Kansas would come hard at Todd Golden.

1694
01:43:37,160 --> 01:43:40,520
 Now, I don't know if Todd Golden would take that, you know, would leave to take that job,

1695
01:43:40,720 --> 01:43:44,020
 especially if Florida, he leads Florida to another national title.

1696
01:43:44,180 --> 01:43:47,620
 I mean, I think, you know, he'd want to stick around, but you never know.

1697
01:43:47,680 --> 01:43:49,620
 You never know how much money can be thrown at a coach.

1698
01:43:49,680 --> 01:43:51,320
 You never know what kind of challenge can be presented.

1699
01:43:51,720 --> 01:43:53,600
 And so, it's going to be one of those deals.

1700
01:43:53,700 --> 01:43:56,760
 I think Florida fans would love to believe that he's not going to leave,

1701
01:43:56,800 --> 01:43:58,580
 and he's going to be at Florida for a while.

1702
01:43:59,060 --> 01:44:02,560
 But, you know, I just think when you're a young coach, opportunity is about.

1703
01:44:02,740 --> 01:44:05,880
 I mean, I think you look around and think, where am I going to have the next challenge?

1704
01:44:06,080 --> 01:44:09,180
 You know, if he wins another title this year, and you've got two,

1705
01:44:09,540 --> 01:44:12,440
 you may look around and think, okay, well, I'm, you know,

1706
01:44:12,480 --> 01:44:14,220
 maybe I want to try to do this somewhere else.

1707
01:44:14,320 --> 01:44:17,600
 Maybe I want to see if I can, you know, turn another program around.

1708
01:44:17,600 --> 01:44:19,980
 So, it just kind of depends on what's going on.

1709
01:44:21,100 --> 01:44:32,360
 The top four seeds in the Big 12 shock, Arizona 1, Houston 2, Kansas 3, Texas Tech 4.

1710
01:44:33,180 --> 01:44:38,520
 And I'm sure the reasoning is, well, who's going to be playing Arizona on Saturday afternoon?

1711
01:44:39,240 --> 01:44:43,960
 Who do you think would be playing Arizona, or who do you think will be in the finals?

1712
01:44:45,120 --> 01:44:48,180
 Well, I mean, I've been asked who I think is going to win the Big 12,

1713
01:44:48,280 --> 01:44:49,580
 and I think it's going to be Arizona.

1714
01:44:49,860 --> 01:44:54,660
 I think Tommy Lloyd's done an amazing job in Arizona to get them to where they're at.

1715
01:44:55,380 --> 01:44:57,760
 You know, Kansas has been up and down to me.

1716
01:44:58,220 --> 01:45:02,000
 I like Texas Tech for a while there because, again, you know,

1717
01:45:02,020 --> 01:45:04,000
 but they've lost one of their star players.

1718
01:45:04,620 --> 01:45:06,900
 So, it's been kind of a challenge for them, you know,

1719
01:45:06,980 --> 01:45:10,000
 and that's been kind of a challenge for them.

1720
01:45:10,460 --> 01:45:13,560
 But I think Texas Tech overall has one of the better teams.

1721
01:45:14,480 --> 01:45:18,440
 And I think that, you know, it's really going to come down to is, you know,

1722
01:45:18,440 --> 01:45:22,480
 who can find a way to kind of knock off the Wildcats.

1723
01:45:22,660 --> 01:45:24,620
 You know, again, we talked about Florida being kind of dominant.

1724
01:45:25,020 --> 01:45:26,360
 Arizona has done a really good job.

1725
01:45:26,420 --> 01:45:28,060
 I think they've done a job of adding size.

1726
01:45:28,460 --> 01:45:30,040
 They've got some good shooting as well.

1727
01:45:30,240 --> 01:45:34,080
 So, I like Texas Tech kind of going in there maybe to meet them as well.

1728
01:45:34,080 --> 01:45:35,340
 But we'll see what happens.

1729
01:45:35,420 --> 01:45:36,860
 Much like in football with the Big 12,

1730
01:45:37,220 --> 01:45:40,000
 there's a lot of good teams that can find their way into the middle.

1731
01:45:41,200 --> 01:45:44,500
 Matt, we can't think of a better person to ask this question than you.

1732
01:45:45,020 --> 01:45:47,260
 We are in North Alabama,

1733
01:45:47,260 --> 01:45:50,940
 and one of the hottest kids to ever come out of high school basketball

1734
01:45:50,940 --> 01:45:53,740
 played over at Buckhorn High School.

1735
01:45:55,000 --> 01:45:59,180
 And if you go to Buckhorn, you'll never find cactus in the backyard there.

1736
01:45:59,180 --> 01:46:02,660
 Your thoughts about a guy who starts out in North Madison County

1737
01:46:02,660 --> 01:46:07,280
 and he's on his way to Arizona, a heck of a recruiting job

1738
01:46:07,280 --> 01:46:10,420
 because I'm telling you, if this kid lives up to his billing,

1739
01:46:10,780 --> 01:46:12,760
 he's going to be something special for Arizona.

1740
01:46:12,760 --> 01:46:15,800
 But you never connect Buckhorn High School with Arizona.

1741
01:46:16,040 --> 01:46:20,120
 Your thoughts about the big news and the big pickup of Arizona with Caleb Holt today?

1742
01:46:21,400 --> 01:46:24,860
 Well, I think, you know, that just goes, as I mentioned with Tommy Lloyd,

1743
01:46:24,860 --> 01:46:30,100
 I think that just goes back to the ability to recruit and identify talent.

1744
01:46:30,340 --> 01:46:34,860
 You know, nowadays, people think, you know, it comes down to the transfer portal.

1745
01:46:35,040 --> 01:46:35,900
 You know, who are you going to grab?

1746
01:46:36,000 --> 01:46:36,520
 Who are you going to find?

1747
01:46:36,780 --> 01:46:39,900
 But sometimes, I still think high school recruiting is very important.

1748
01:46:40,000 --> 01:46:43,800
 I think if you can identify talent and bring them in

1749
01:46:43,800 --> 01:46:47,600
 and have them be able to step in and emerge and help out.

1750
01:46:47,680 --> 01:46:50,920
 And Arizona is a perfect place for that, you know,

1751
01:46:50,920 --> 01:46:52,800
 where you've got an opportunity, you've got ability.

1752
01:46:53,380 --> 01:46:54,980
 You know, it's a program that spends money,

1753
01:46:55,080 --> 01:46:56,840
 so there are going to add some pieces around there.

1754
01:46:57,160 --> 01:46:58,620
 But there are going to be players that are going to be back.

1755
01:46:58,680 --> 01:47:01,180
 I think a lot of that core team is going to be back next year.

1756
01:47:01,580 --> 01:47:04,700
 So, yeah, you take a player and you add them in there like that.

1757
01:47:05,020 --> 01:47:06,820
 And I think that's just only going to help develop.

1758
01:47:07,220 --> 01:47:09,540
 You know, it's only going to help and allow them to give opportunities.

1759
01:47:10,100 --> 01:47:13,020
 The challenge is, especially at the high school level,

1760
01:47:13,240 --> 01:47:16,580
 is, you know, just keeping those players satisfied.

1761
01:47:17,020 --> 01:47:18,740
 You know, a guy comes to play for one year,

1762
01:47:19,220 --> 01:47:21,240
 is he going to stick around for two or three more years?

1763
01:47:21,240 --> 01:47:23,380
 You know, I mean, well, it's not certain.

1764
01:47:23,540 --> 01:47:25,480
 So you have to kind of see what's going on there.

1765
01:47:25,620 --> 01:47:28,100
 So I think it was a good move.

1766
01:47:28,220 --> 01:47:29,980
 I think Arizona's got themselves a good player.

1767
01:47:30,080 --> 01:47:34,220
 And I think I'm interested to see how they kind of grow from that next year.

1768
01:47:35,320 --> 01:47:38,220
 Listen, everybody's got basketball on the brain now.

1769
01:47:38,300 --> 01:47:44,260
 But I saw one of your tweets to where you talked to Central Florida Coach Scott Frost,

1770
01:47:44,340 --> 01:47:48,000
 who's in his second tenure at Central Florida.

1771
01:47:48,120 --> 01:47:54,120
 And you said it is much different than it was 15 minutes ago, 15, 15 months ago.

1772
01:47:54,740 --> 01:47:55,640
 And I bet it is.

1773
01:47:55,700 --> 01:47:58,660
 I bet he's a lot more comfortable in his second year.

1774
01:47:59,660 --> 01:48:00,340
 Very much.

1775
01:48:00,420 --> 01:48:02,420
 I sat in his office, and he was so relaxed.

1776
01:48:02,840 --> 01:48:08,520
 I made a joke about it with him, you know, about the idea of having a little bit of, you know, relaxation.

1777
01:48:09,240 --> 01:48:15,260
 And when he first got back to UCF last year, you know, he, this is a guy who had been out of coaching for three years,

1778
01:48:15,740 --> 01:48:20,800
 had really never dealt with the, you know, the transfer portal, multiple transfer portal window,

1779
01:48:21,260 --> 01:48:24,580
 never really dealt with NIL to the extent that it's going on right now,

1780
01:48:24,580 --> 01:48:30,060
 had no, had never dealt with revenue share, and all of a sudden kind of got thrown into this mix

1781
01:48:30,060 --> 01:48:32,780
 and had a roster that essentially he had to rebuild.

1782
01:48:32,920 --> 01:48:34,680
 He had brought in 70 newcomers.

1783
01:48:34,840 --> 01:48:37,840
 So he was always felt like he had his head on the swivel.

1784
01:48:38,120 --> 01:48:42,240
 He was always running around, you know, busy, busy, busy, trying to, you know, take care of things.

1785
01:48:42,400 --> 01:48:45,960
 He tells a story that when he, after his introductory press conference,

1786
01:48:46,060 --> 01:48:50,580
 he walked back to his office, and there were two players ready there to meet him,

1787
01:48:50,860 --> 01:48:52,180
 and they both wanted more money.

1788
01:48:52,300 --> 01:48:54,500
 And he said, I didn't even know who these players were.

1789
01:48:54,840 --> 01:48:55,860
 I didn't even know their names.

1790
01:48:56,100 --> 01:48:58,240
 He's like, you know, I don't know who these guys are.

1791
01:48:58,340 --> 01:48:59,000
 They want money.

1792
01:48:59,080 --> 01:49:00,980
 And he's like, I don't know what to tell these guys.

1793
01:49:01,360 --> 01:49:06,300
 So, you know, and so it goes to show you that, you know, you get a year under your belt,

1794
01:49:06,640 --> 01:49:09,000
 you add some pieces, they added a new general manager.

1795
01:49:09,460 --> 01:49:13,000
 Now that's kind of being taken care of at a different level, so he doesn't have to do it himself.

1796
01:49:13,580 --> 01:49:15,320
 I think that just takes a lot of stress off him.

1797
01:49:15,320 --> 01:49:18,480
 And I think now that he's able to focus on building a team the right way

1798
01:49:18,480 --> 01:49:21,800
 and try to find a way to kind of find the success on the field

1799
01:49:21,800 --> 01:49:23,820
 rather than have to worry about all the off-the-field stuff.

1800
01:49:24,460 --> 01:49:27,940
 Welcome back to Big Time College Football, Scott.

1801
01:49:28,980 --> 01:49:30,880
 Listen, you're very busy.

1802
01:49:31,100 --> 01:49:36,140
 Thank you for taking the time out because I know you're covering UCF.

1803
01:49:36,420 --> 01:49:39,340
 How will you cover the Big 12 tournament this week?

1804
01:49:40,400 --> 01:49:41,520
 Well, I'm going to do it remotely.

1805
01:49:41,780 --> 01:49:46,200
 We could, you know, again, we're at the newspaper business is not flourishing, obviously.

1806
01:49:46,400 --> 01:49:47,100
 Yeah, I understand.

1807
01:49:47,100 --> 01:49:51,700
 You know, we couldn't go to the conference tournament, but I'm covering remotely with the hope

1808
01:49:51,700 --> 01:49:56,860
 that if they get into the NCAA tournament that I'll travel, you know, to the NCAA tournament games.

1809
01:49:57,180 --> 01:49:58,560
 But, you know, it's fun.

1810
01:49:58,760 --> 01:50:05,140
 I spent this week, I did a feature on the last time UCF had a team in the NCAA tournament was 2018-19.

1811
01:50:05,720 --> 01:50:09,020
 And so I talked to some of the players from that team.

1812
01:50:09,180 --> 01:50:15,420
 They faced number one Duke in the second-round game that was lost on a missed tip-in at the buzzer.

1813
01:50:15,600 --> 01:50:19,340
 And so, you know, I talked to a lot of those players about that each season and things like that.

1814
01:50:19,440 --> 01:50:22,420
 So you kind of have to think a little bit outside the box when it comes to coverage.

1815
01:50:24,200 --> 01:50:27,380
 If they want to get that coverage, where can you take us, my friend?

1816
01:50:28,660 --> 01:50:35,100
 They can go to OrlandoSentinel.com to find out all the latest, or they can follow me on social media at OSMattMichel.

1817
01:50:36,100 --> 01:50:36,700
 Sounds great.

1818
01:50:36,760 --> 01:50:37,900
 Listen, man, have a great week.

1819
01:50:37,980 --> 01:50:41,160
 It's here, tourney time, March Madness, about to light the fuse.

1820
01:50:41,500 --> 01:50:42,660
 Kick back and enjoy, Matt.

1821
01:50:43,540 --> 01:50:43,880
 All right.

1822
01:50:43,900 --> 01:50:44,460
 Thanks a lot, guys.

1823
01:50:44,520 --> 01:50:44,780
 Take care.

1824
01:50:45,040 --> 01:50:45,560
 Thank you, man.

1825
01:50:45,660 --> 01:50:47,760
 MattMichel, the Orlando Sentinel.

1826
01:50:47,880 --> 01:50:48,920
 Coming up, we don't have to wait.

1827
01:50:49,120 --> 01:50:53,880
 Tomorrow, obviously, the SEC tournament tonight, the Coastal Championship game and the West Coast Conference

1828
01:50:53,880 --> 01:50:58,520
 Championship game, it all starts pregame 545 tonight here on 93.9 The Score.

1829
01:50:58,660 --> 01:51:03,340
 And are you ready for some SEC action coming up tomorrow, BB, in Nashville?

1830
01:51:03,740 --> 01:51:05,080
 Well, Harold, it does.

1831
01:51:05,220 --> 01:51:13,840
 And it still amazes me to say the opening game is the Kentucky Wildcats gulf against LSU.

1832
01:51:14,300 --> 01:51:16,660
 Kentucky fans are not happy right now.

1833
01:51:16,660 --> 01:51:16,800
 Yeah.

1834
01:51:17,160 --> 01:51:21,760
 Whole new meaning to blue faces and blue moods in the big blue nation.

1835
01:51:21,880 --> 01:51:22,660
 That's going to be fun.

1836
01:51:22,740 --> 01:51:24,720
 Nashville going to give you the very latest.

1837
01:51:24,900 --> 01:51:28,620
 But in the meantime, on behalf of BB, Greg James Blair, the entire crew here.

1838
01:51:28,720 --> 01:51:30,620
 Harold Bugg, thank you so much for your time today.

1839
01:51:30,700 --> 01:51:33,920
 Let's do it again tomorrow at noon to two for the BIMO Bug Show back here on Sports Radio

1840
01:51:33,920 --> 01:51:35,260
 93.9 The Score.