Boomo Bugg Show 031226
93.9 The Score WYTK - March 12, 2026
https://www.939thescore.com/boomo-bugg-show-031226/

This transcript was generated automatically from the broadcast audio. Names and some words may be misspelt; the audio is the official record.

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Now, get ready to roll Shoals, Decatur, Athens and all of Northwest Alabama and Southern Tennessee.
It's time for the Valley's exclusive FM Sports Voice.
The Boomo Bugg Show.
Your exclusive inside track to the Tigers, Tennessee and the rest of the SEC.
Now, your host, Harold Bugg on 93.9 The Score.
Good afternoon and welcome in to the Boomo Bugg Show.
I'm Harold Bugg alongside Brett Beaird.
Thank you so much for giving us a street ride around the Tennessee Valley.
Brett Beaird, welcome in.
Where is the SEC getting ready to take the NCAA to divorce court?
Good afternoon. Welcome in and how are you?
Happy Thursday to you and the listeners.
Auburn beats Mississippi State 79-61 yesterday and prepares to meet Tennessee later today about 2 p.m.
One and only Ryan Fowler will give us the latest tie talk as Nate Oates prepares to meet the winner of the Georgia Ole Miss game Friday at 6.
And offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb indicates that Jackson Lloyd will be the starting left tackle.
But right now, BB is here to talk some March Madness.
Why not start with a five-star right off the top?
He is the national voice with East Sporting News.
Bill Bender, welcome in.
How are you?
Hey, I'm doing well.
Watching the end of this Miami-UMAS game here.
It's going to have a fantastic finish, it sounds like.
The Red Hawks are in danger of going down here.
Oh, my goodness.
Will that make Bruce Pearl happy, Bill?
What's it going to take to make Bruce happy these days?
Well, you know, obviously this would be a stunning loss.
Miami of Ohio would deserve to get into the NCAA tournament, but I mean, they're on the brink of losing to a 16-15 UMass team.
So, yeah, and that's going to throw another wrinkle into the Sovereign debate.
There's no doubt.
They're down three with 18.4 seconds left.
Wow.
Is that not what made March Madness?
Does that not put the madness in March?
Just what you're talking about there.
Last night, Texas got more money than you and Brent combined and me.
And yet, they lose to Ole Miss, which is one of the, basically the cellar dwellers.
That just goes to show in real time what made March Madness madness.
Yeah, I mean, obviously, yeah, it's that time of year where you have teams lose.
You don't expect that's gone on in the smaller conferences, no doubt, with Liberty and some other teams.
You know, it's contagious.
So, when you have an upset like that, it can happen.
But this one would have ramifications, obviously, because Miami just closed out a 31-0 season.
And now, there's a chance for them to go 31-1.
It reminds me of St. Joe's a little bit.
Remember, St. Joe's went undefeated with Nelson and then lost their first tournament game.
It's a little bit different, though.
Speaking of Auburn and bubble teams, a lot of them lost yesterday.
I would say, Indiana basketball is not Indiana football.
SMU, Cal, Cincinnati, Wake Forest lost.
Auburn's playing Tennessee, as we mentioned, in about two hours or so.
Again, the prognosticators, bractologists keep saying Auburn really needs to beat Tennessee to get in.
I tell you, one team that is playing very well in the SEC tournament, BB, is Oklahoma.
They look really good.
Darian Reed, the former Alabama player, may have been the best player on the court.
But still, a lot going on this week, and particularly with the bubble and whether Auburn and Oklahoma and other teams can get in.
Yeah, and there's a line in the SEC, not just Auburn.
If they win today, it's going to force this conversation a little bit because their metrics, their net ranking, their 10-palm ranking check out.
And then I think Missouri, you mentioned Oklahoma.
Aaron, we'll talk about Texas.
There's a little bit of a, you almost need to do a first four exclusive of SEC teams at this point.
And I think that's something to keep in mind.
They won't do that, obviously.
But these games are huge today for Auburn, obviously.
And you mentioned Oklahoma.
They're coming on late.
Bill Benner's always on there at the Sporting News.
Bill, let's talk about your neighbors up there in Big Ten country.
Michigan, at one time, they were the rock star.
But it's a long season.
Just ask anybody anywhere, including Connecticut.
Your thoughts about folks in the Big Ten, how many are going to get in from there?
And your thoughts about Michigan here in March compared to, say, January and February?
Oh, I mean, they're still one of the best teams in the country.
I think they're a lock for a one seed, no matter what happens this weekend.
They lost LJ Kaysen.
That hurt.
But, you know, they showed last week the big wins against Michigan State and Iowa.
And if they get into the Big Ten tournament, they're, I think, the two best teams in the country right now are Duke and Michigan.
And so we'll see if that pans out in March.
But I don't, you know, Duke, they've probably got a few more concerns with some of the injuries they had last week.
You're at number one seeds now.
And your latest 6.0 branchitologist seeds, Duke, Michigan, Arizona, and the Florida Gators.
I know you moved Florida up, I believe, last week.
And, of course, everybody's shooting for the Gators.
Everyone here thinks that Florida will be, who's Florida going to meet on Sunday.
But you have raised the mighty Gators.
Alex Condon is playing really well.
Honk, Thomas Halk, and friends.
They're shooting the three now.
Florida looks awfully good.
So they've got a tough front line.
You know, that's the big one with me.
I mean, between Condon and Howe, they're playing really good ball.
You know, I mentioned Alabama on the show here last week.
They're playing really good ball.
So, I mean, if those two end up hooking up in the tournament at some point, it'd be an exciting game.
But I think the Gators, their metrics look good for a one seed because they have double-digit victories in the quad one.
That always certainly helps.
And they're just playing well at the right time.
It's really impressive what they do on the offensive side.
I think what adds up with them is they just rebound so well.
And when you're that tough up front, you know, you want to have either – you want to have a good frontcourt and good guards.
But, man, their frontcourt stands out.
Sets up everything else, fast breaks, blocks, et cetera.
So that's a good deal overall.
And you're going to go far into the tournament.
Let's talk about a team that's always been there.
But this year, just to illustrate the point of how different things can be, did we ever think we live long enough to see Kentucky lead off the SEC tournament?
Translated, you've had a mediocre year if you're the first game.
They were yesterday.
They won.
They had a first game today.
And at last report, the Cats lead the Tigers from Mizzou, Missouri, 26-20.
Your thoughts about Kentucky.
Can they catch fire and live up to their tradition here in the postseason?
Well, Kentucky, Harold, they're just a weird team.
You know, as I projected them over the last couple weeks, I move them up a line, down a line.
Up a line, down a line.
Because one week they'll sleep, and then the next week they'll lose two.
You know, they have a Florida for a while.
But they are kind of that definition of chaos team.
Because you know they have the talent under Mark Pope.
They've been very inconsistent.
They are going to be that team that's going to drive you mad in your bracket.
Because they could go to the Elite Eight just as easily as they could lose a post-round game.
By the way, update is, I believe there is no longer an undefeated team in college basketball.
Am I correct?
Now there is none left.
Yeah, we're going and won.
He lost.
He lost.
Yeah.
So I'm going to be busy as soon as I get off this phone call.
But, you know, I just, I'm trying to, we can talk live on the air here.
Like, I just, I'm wondering what this is going to mean because it was unexpected.
They were not supposed to lose by Alexa Martin, the coach of UMass.
So a big win for him, former South Carolina coach.
So to me, I still think they'll get in.
But this really ratchets up that debate with Auburn and some of those SEC teams because it is a bad loss.
Yeah.
So did you, I don't know if you heard that or not, but that's the unraveling of toilet paper at Toomer's Corner with that news.
In all fairness, as objectively as you can be, and as very little time to process is, what would you do if you had the final vote?
Auburn goes now, assuming they win today, of course.
The deeper they get into the tournament, then obviously the chances are reduced.
But they would have at least two wins if they win today, coupled with this loss.
You have the deciding vote, Bill.
Did they get the green light or they say, you know what?
No, it's not going to happen.
We're still going to go with the one lost boys from your neck of the woods, Miami of Ohio.
Well, come on, man.
Whatever I do, they're going to say I have bias.
That's right.
That's the purpose of the question, Bill.
Yeah, if you're actually an Ohio University alone, if the rival school should get in the tournament.
So if I say Auburn, you'll say, oh, you're just doing that because you went to OU and you're mad about Friday night.
And if I say Miami, you guys down there, they'll say, you're just a Mack homer.
What's wrong with you just an Ohio guy?
Honest answer, I'm actually going to write about that as soon as we get off here.
And I think my answer is probably going to be Miami.
And people are going to maybe like it.
I just think you've got to reward the 31.
Oh, I agree.
You only play in the league you're playing.
The only issue with Auburn, Auburn has all the metrics, though.
Yeah.
Like we can say they have the strength.
If they go out and win today, that is really going to amp up this conversation because the committee's in a –
I'm not the committee chairman, and I just kind of laugh it off.
It'll be a very serious decision for them, I think.
Let me ask you about Michigan State, about two things.
You have raised Michigan State, elevated them to your number two seed.
Izzo is amazing this time of the year.
25 and 6, 15 and 5, and I'll put both of these together.
There is scuttlebutt that Bill South of Kansas is going to, quote,
retire at the end of the season because of health issues,
and he's had quite a few the last two or three years.
And Tom Izzo may be looking at retiring this year.
What have you heard about both?
So if I can't speculate on health, but to your point, Brent, that's been a thing, right?
Like that – this is – and you wish for his well-being.
He's a h*** of a – or a h*** of a football coach, basketball coach.
He's one of the best.
Yeah.
Same deal with his – his own 71 years old, and I think I made a remark from the couch one night this week
or this year where I was like down, crouched in the stance, and the intensity was there.
And I told my son, I was like, I'm not doing that when I'm 71.
I'm like, you know, like I'm probably going to enjoy all the money I've piled up
and, you know, maybe be an ambassador for the program, which speaks to the highest level of respect I have for Tom Izzo.
I love him as a coach.
I borrowed in the youth sports stuff, I borrowed a lot of his philosophy.
You know, like I let my players yell at me a little bit as long as they have a case, you know?
Like, I love that about him because I know he loves his players and his players love him.
And we'll see how they do in the tournament.
I hope he hangs around a little bit longer, though.
He's one of the best.
Alabama fans better hope he does because that's one job I think Mr. Oates would look at.
He's got strong roots there.
But let me ask you this.
The NCC reportedly is pushing for increased autonomy.
They call it potential in-house regulation.
I think it's in governance.
Basically, NCAA, you guys are trying to do this and do that.
We write a lot of checks.
Why do we want to surrender all that money and control to you when we basically are making a lot of money with your friends there in Big Ten country?
What's the likelihood of this happening with Greg Sankey?
Is he barking or biting?
You know, I heard you say that at the top.
I just think the SEC and the Big Ten wield so much power and they have a point because of the revenue that both of those conferences drive.
And let's be honest, interest.
I know those two conferences go back and forth a little bit.
We go back and forth a little bit.
But they drive the most funny, the most TV ratings, the most interest, all that stuff.
So, being stagnant probably isn't the one I think, and Greg Sankey is, in my opinion, the most influential commissioner we have.
So, I hope it's done right.
You know, and I hope whatever they present, I don't want to see everybody break up.
I like college football the way it is.
But I understand there's certain things with them that they have to do.
Absolutely.
Well, listen, we will let you get back to doing what you've got to do, including talking about that first loss of the season for Miami of Ohio.
And I agree with you.
When you're 31-1, you deserve to be in the tournament.
Enjoy the weekend.
The selection show won the best hours of the year.
I know you can have the absolute latest Sunday and first next week.
Where can we get online to get all your great stuff?
Well, your headline first from my editor, Miami of Ohio versus Auburn basketball records.
I was just going to make you two guys write that one.
Thank you.
But you can find that at Sporting News here in about an hour.
Thank you so much for having me on, and we can go over my perfect bracket next week.
There you go.
Yeah, and you're not in any trouble down here with your answer, Bill.
Just so you know, you're out of jail.
So, listen, good luck with the article, and have a good March Madness week.
Okay, Bill?
I will, guys.
You guys are the best.
Thanks so much for having me.
Bill Bender, National Voice with the Sporting News.
No unbeaten teams in the last 10 minutes.
That document has been signed, sealed, delivered, and Stevie Wonder didn't even say it.
Kevin Scarbestia, a lot to say with the hardwoods and March Madness.
He's on deck.
Stay with us here on the Boomo Bugg Show.
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Welcome back in.
Welcome back in.
He's got a wall full of awards there at the Birmingham NewsAL.com.
Also award-winning speaker, TV host.
And if you saw anything with the Alabama High School Athletic Association when it came to
the postseason, football, basketball, you name it.
You've seen him.
You've heard him.
And here's a chance to do it again.
Kevin Scarbinsky, welcome in.
How are you?
I'm good, guys.
How are you doing today?
You're good.
Man, we're doing all right.
Kevin, is it true that you've got one eye on Nashville and the other one on us?
I understand that Kentucky right now is catching a late case of cat scratch fever.
They lead Missouri.
What's the score on?
What's the latest on that one, Brett Beaird?
37 to 26.
Kentucky is winning the cat fight in day two of the SEC tournament.
Kevin, would you agree with that?
And are you shocked at all that Kentucky is living up with a name on their jersey?
Kind of, sort of.
I mean, this is a mid-Kentucky team, but they have won some big games.
So you don't know what you're going to get from one outing to the next.
And so far in this first half, they've looked really good.
And Missouri is the same way.
You know, Missouri is one of those SEC teams that should they lose today,
they can't feel real comfortable between now and Sunday on whether they're going to get in
or where they might go.
So there's a lot to play for in Nashville, maybe a little more so than usual.
Let me ask you this.
I don't know if you caught the latest news, but they're rolling Toomer's Corner right now.
Miami of Ohio lost.
Bruce Pearl, as I'm sure, is celebrating.
Kevin, your thoughts.
Auburn won yesterday.
They still got some business to do today.
Your thoughts about the White Ops there and your take on this Auburn team now and going forward under Stephen Pearl.
Well, I think you got caught up in Bruce Pearl's about face when it comes to Miami.
It's actually bad news for Auburn because now they're – I think Miami's getting in.
I really do.
So that means another team from the – whoever wins the tournament there is going to get in.
So that's a potential bid stealer.
You know, Akron has put together a very good season, but I don't know that they would have gotten in that large.
So the real question becomes, you know, who wins the MAAC and does Miami get in?
And most people seem to think the sentiment is whether they're in the first four or not,
they're going to be in the field.
So there's going to be a bid stealer out of the MAAC.
And while Auburn could have felt good because all these other bubble teams kept falling by the wayside yesterday,
now with this happening and you know what else is going to happen elsewhere,
it puts a little more pressure on the Tigers to beat Tennessee today.
Auburn looked better yesterday, played with more intensity, ended up beating Mississippi State 79-61.
State kind of fell apart in the last five minutes of that game.
They played a little better defense.
Tennessee is a different animal, pardon the pun.
Nate Amien, according to reports, will play.
Tennessee is very physical.
They're going to slow you down and try to beat you up.
Your thoughts, Auburn and Tennessee, this afternoon.
Well, I thought it was encouraging as you, especially in the second half,
Auburn played some of the best basketball we've seen from them in a while.
And they played at a different level of intensity.
They were more efficient on offense.
They did a nice job on defense.
They did a nice job denying Josh Hubbard the ball after he lit them up in Starkville a couple of weeks ago.
As you said, Tennessee is a very deep opponent, very physical.
They're going to get on the offensive glass.
You better bring intensity and you better go to the boards with wild abandon because Tennessee is going to do that.
They don't shoot it great, but they don't have it because they can go and get it when they miss it.
And the real question is going to be how healthy he meant, how effective can he be, how many minutes can he play.
And so it's imperative for Auburn to put a lot of pressure on him.
And he's a different player than Josh Hubbard, of course, much taller and leaner, but a dangerous scorer.
But try to deny him as much as possible and just be physical.
Because if you don't match Tennessee's physicality, you don't have much of a chance to beat the Vols.
That's the way they play.
That's the system that Rick Barnes believes in and has implemented.
And they play it as close to perfection as possible.
So this one seems like it'll be more of a dogfight, more of a mud wrestling match.
And that's not the preferred way to play.
But they better get comfortable with it today if they're going to win this game.
Check out Kevin Scarbinsky also with the podcast.
Skarbo knows.
Highly recommend it.
Your thoughts about the other team that's doing pretty well, too.
Kevin, you've covered a lot of basketball in this state over the years.
Are folks starting to take Nate Oates' resume for granted?
He's number two seed again, which means they get to kick back and watch everybody scramble
and potentially be taking on a team that's going to be playing three games in three days,
certainly two in two days.
Your thoughts about where Alabama is coming in?
I think that's a great observation, Harold.
That people are just, they've just come to expect under Nate Oates that Alabama is not going to have to sweat on Selection Sunday.
They have not, not one time.
Even the year that they had double-digit losses in 2022, not to maybe, you know, put the first year aside.
Every year since then, even that year they were a sixth seed.
Now they got knocked out in the first round by Notre Dame, and Javon Quinterly got hurt.
But they have not had to worry on Selection Sunday, and they have played on Friday.
Now, every year since 2023 in the SEC tournament, which means you're in the top four.
So I think I'm right about that.
There might have been one when they were five or so.
Am I right on that?
I've lost my train of thought there for a second.
No, they have, and this might be one of Nate Oates' best coaching jobs.
It hasn't been, too many people have talked too much about Charles Bediaco, and of course, some of that's on Alabama for allowing him to play the games that he did.
However, the number of injuries that they've had to withstand, the number of guys, key guys in the rotation that have missed games.
The first game they played Tennessee, they had two starters out.
So the job that Nate Oates has done this year is as good as any job he's done there, and they are very dangerous because we all know how important guards are in March.
They tend to control games, and nobody has a better collection of guards than Alabama does.
Let me ask you quickly about Nate Oates.
He had an interesting observation.
Alabama and Darbar lost out on what many consider, in our neck of the woods, a generational player this week, Caleb Holt.
He took the money from Arizona.
It's a business decision.
But obviously, Alabama was in.
The question is, how big is the check going to be?
And Nate, he said, here's his quote, with the money that's going to be delivered through both RevShare and NIL Go, we're in as good a place as anybody in the country.
You look at Alabama's payroll, and did we ever think we'd be saying that in this modern era legally?
They're down near the bottom, Kentucky $22 million, Alabama $8 to $10 million.
So they're spending anywhere from two to three times what Alabama is.
Your thoughts about Nate Oates is something that may not be given enough consideration here, and that's his ability to evaluate talent and close deals on a value.
That's interesting that he spent so much time with Bass so much yesterday about Alabama's commitment and their financial commitment, and he was very positive in discussing it, as you said.
And I've heard him talk about a number of occasions that they are not out.
They're not going to be the highest bidder, for the most part, on any player.
But they're going to emphasize that they play an NBA style.
You want to get to the NBA, there's no better place to do it.
You're going to play a fun style.
You're going to win.
You're going to be in the NCAA tournament.
You're going to compete for championships.
So they're looking for guys that are more interested in developing as players and as people than they are guys that want to get to back now.
That's why Mo Diabona was playing in Kentucky this year, not in Alabama.
Alabama is a perfect example.
He went back to them two or three times last year and asked for more.
And the first couple of times, they bumped him up.
But the final time, I can't remember the exact number.
The final time, they said, look, you just go ahead.
We're not raising you anymore.
We've done all.
We're giving you everything we can, and that's all we can do.
So if you'd rather, you know, look, if the money is the most important thing to you, go ahead.
And who's had a better season this year, Kentucky or Alabama?
Pretty simple.
Who's 4-0 against Kentucky since tomorrow?
That's right.
That would be Nate.
Who's playing on Friday?
That's right.
Kentucky, hey, think about this, guys.
Kentucky, if they win today to get to tomorrow, Kentucky will have played three games in the SEC tournament before Alabama plays its first game.
That's right.
You had a very good article earlier this week.
Forget Bruce Pearl.
Can Stephen Pearl keep up with Nate Oates?
And you'd win a lot of bar bets if you ask a trivia question.
Since Nate Oates walked in the door at Alabama, he has earned the most overall wins, 168.
Most SEC regular season wins with 88.
Most SEC tournament wins, seven tied with Tennessee.
And here's one, here's the kicker to me.
The most NCAA tournament wins of any program in the SEC, 11, that's Nate Oates.
Wow.
Yeah, that's, I think that captures it right there.
And when I say things like that, fans jump up and say, but wait a minute, we won a national championship last year.
Alabama has yet to do that.
And yes, of course, that's the ultimate.
So you have to give Todd the edge in that department.
Todd Golden hasn't been in the league for seven years like Nate Oates has.
And so he hasn't done it for as long.
Pretty remarkable collection of achievements.
To be number one in the SEC at a time when the SEC has raised its game in basketball and is as good as it's been, Alabama's been the best over the last seven years.
And that says a lot about Nate Oates.
And that's why he can feel so comfortable, I think, in his approach and not worry about having the biggest NIL fund to throw money at top recruits like Caleb Holtz, who, look, who's a great player.
I mean, we saw him in high school win two state titles with Buckhorn.
But, you know, Arizona had another advantage there.
Tommy Lloyd, their head coach, coached Caleb on the Team USA under-19 team in the World Cup last year.
So he got to spend a lot of time with him last summer.
And look, Arizona's a great program.
I'm sure he can do fantastic there.
He's an incredible player.
But he also would have been in an incredible Alabama.
But we all know he didn't mind leaving the state to go play his last two years of high school in Georgia and Florida.
But anyway, back to your original point, though.
Nate Oates has done a fantastic job at Alabama.
And hopefully for their sake, he'll stick around a while.
He's going to get some offers to go elsewhere.
I've always said the NBA would be the most likely next step for him because that's the way he coaches.
He has so many friends in that league.
But he still seems determined that he wants to do the one thing Alabama has not done.
And that's win a national championship in basketball.
I think he gives them the best chance to do that.
Harold alluded to this at the beginning of the segment.
But we're biased about this.
But congratulations on another excellent job of quarterbacking.
Maybe that's not the right word.
The point guard.
Point guarding.
There we go.
The final four coverage on Alabama public TV.
The camera work.
I know it probably takes an army to do this.
But the games may not have been as competitive this year.
Some of them, quite frankly, got out of hand.
But great job by you and your guests throughout the tournament.
I think it gets better every year as far as the coverage.
Well, thank you for that.
And I am part of a great team.
Vince from WOTM, the AHSAA TV network.
You know, all the folks that he puts together.
As you know, it is an army behind the scenes.
Yes.
To bring all those great pictures.
The people that I work with, the producers in my ear, you know, helping me steer the ship.
And then my co-host, Bart Heitsch.
Nobody knows more about high school basketball in the States than Bart.
Of course, he was a great player at Winfield.
And then went on to Mississippi State and went to the Final Four as a freshman.
And so, Bart and I have known each other a long time.
I love working with him.
His passion for the game.
But so many people on and off the air.
And it's a privilege to be able to do that.
42 games.
I got to see 42 high school basketball games last week.
From Monday morning through Saturday evening.
And while they all weren't competitive, we did have some thrillers.
Earlier in the week, we were off to a great start with games that were going down the wire.
Especially in the 1A and 2A.
We did get some separation later in the week.
But saw a lot of great players.
A lot of passion.
And so many communities, guys.
Show up to support their teams.
I don't think there was anybody left in Coleman or Oxford on Saturday when they played the 6A boys' final.
Folks in Asheville were incredible.
I mean, we can just go on.
Gunnersville, their boys and girls both got to the Final Four.
We could go on and on.
It's just heartening to see how many people support high school athletics the way people do in the state.
And I'm just glad to be a small part of it.
Absolutely.
Listen, enjoy it.
This is your time of the year.
I know that very well.
As long as we've been talking with you.
Enjoy it.
Listen, where can we get online and get all the great stuff?
Yeah.
Follow me on X or Twitter if you prefer, at Kevin Scarbinsky.
You can keep up with my columns in the Birmingham News.
You can find links to those on AL.com.
And then go to YouTube.
My channel is Kevin Scarbinsky-Skarbonos.
Go ahead and subscribe.
It doesn't cost anything.
And you'll get a notice.
Then I read up a new one.
I've got one.
I'm going to try to do some more shorter ones throughout the postseason here in basketball
to keep up with it.
Because obviously, it's fast and furious.
And it's wall-to-wall ball every day here.
So we're going to be pumping out a few more of those.
And I hope people will check them out.
We checked on that comment about Coleman.
Nobody left.
Actually, the only people who were left in Coleman last week were the Monks at St. Bernard Monastery.
So we'll try to confirm that next time we talk.
Okay, Kevin?
I think you're probably spot on there.
Kevin Scarbinsky-Skarbonos.
Check them out amongst other places at Skarbos.
Coming up, can Tennessee spoil the party for the Auburn Tigers?
Ryan Callahan next.
Stay with us.
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The score.
Spring training baseball.
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USA advances to the quarterfinals of the World Baseball Classic.
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Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score.
The Score.
Welcome back in.
All eyes in the SEC.
Going to be on the states of Tennessee.
Where we take you next with Ryan Callahan.
Speaking of which, he covers the Tennessee Vols at what better place?
Go Vols 24-7.
Ryan, welcome in.
How are you?
Hey, guys.
Doing well.
How are you?
Hey, Ben.
We're assuming you don't have a tea time for this afternoon, do you?
You're probably going to be busy, right?
A little busy.
Tennessee getting ready to play at the SEC tournament opener against Auburn.
Yeah, I'm not in Nashville today, but we'll obviously be tracking that one.
And Ben McKee is over there for us covering that one in Nashville.
So, yeah, it should be a fun one and pretty interesting to see, you know,
kind of how this Tennessee team can respond after, you know,
a bit of a tough stretch run to the regular season.
What do you think?
You've got, obviously, time's going to tell.
Auburn's going to have to be playing like their hair's on fire.
They got news today that Miami of Ohio lost.
And we were talking with a guy who knows basketball in this state and by as well as anybody anywhere.
You may know Kevin Scarbinsky, and he brought up a very good point.
He said in some ways that's bad for Auburn because if Miami gets in, then that means the conference
champion also gets in and eats up two spots.
Auburn right now is fighting for one.
So, the point is, you know, Auburn's going to come in throwing everything they've got at Tennessee.
What do you see in this matchup this afternoon?
Yeah, as you said, I think Auburn's got to play with a lot of desperation.
You know, the big key for Tennessee and the big question has been, will Nate Ament be back for the Vols in this game?
He's been banged up down the stretch, dealing with what Rick Barnes has described as a high ankle sprain.
But, you know, it sounded like, you know, despite that, the severity that often can come with that injury,
that, you know, the road to recovery has not been that long.
And it sounded like all along that he was, you know, not going to be out in an extended period of time.
And it sounds like he's going to play today.
Now, the big question is on what level and how much and how effective will he be?
And will he re-aggravate it?
That's the type of injury you've got to worry about that all the time.
If he comes down funny on it just one time, it could throw off the rest of the game.
So I think Tennessee feels good knowing he's going to be out there.
And they feel good about their chances of matching up well with Auburn based on the way they played in the regular season.
So, you know, but again, you're going to be facing an Auburn team that you know has everything to play for
and a lot of reason to want to play a lot better than they did the last time they faced the Vols.
So I think this is a fascinating matchup and obviously a dangerous one for Tennessee.
And that's your typical 12th seed in the SEC tournament.
You know, this league's gotten so much better.
Not often we see a 12th seed as quality of an opponent as Auburn is.
And that's obviously a team capable of beating Tennessee, especially if they don't play that well.
Amari Evans came in to really help Tennessee.
As you mentioned, they lost to Vanny, but Evans scored 24 points trying to make up for it.
J.P. Estrella started scoring late.
Steven Pearl, the head coach at Auburn, keeps saying that they're going to check our manhood.
And everybody knows Tennessee's very physical and particularly in the paint.
Jacoby Gillespie's had a good year.
Akpara was one of the all-SEC selections.
But we've talked with you for years about Tennessee in the postseason with their offensive lulls.
And I know that's something that they work on all the time.
Your thoughts on can Tennessee keep it up offensively and will they check Auburn's manhood in the paint?
Yes, I mean, this is a Tennessee team.
They're known for that, as you said.
They're going to play with some physicality.
Rick Barnes kind of demands that defensively.
And they've got the bodies to throw at you in the paint.
That's the thing about them that makes them a difficult matchup in addition to, you know,
kind of their go-to guys in Jacoby Gillespie and Nate Amon.
They've got those bodies in the paint to throw at you and a pretty good rotation in there.
And they can play a more guard-oriented lineup if they need to as well.
But what they do best is kind of that bigger lineup.
And they're tough to match up with when those guys are playing well.
But those are big wild cards, though.
And Jacoby Gillespie, for that matter, has been a big wild card this year.
So they're a tough team to figure out sometimes.
I think they kind of found their sweet spot the second half of the season as Amon settled in
and got up to speed in the second half of his freshman year.
You know, they sort of found their groove.
But they've got to have the good version of Jacoby Gillespie.
He's been a little too turnover-prone at times, been a little too erratic with his shooting at times
for a first-team all-SEC player.
You've got to have the version of him that's capable of carrying a team
if you're going to make any kind of run in the SEC tournament.
So I think they're a tough matchup.
Again, their size and size present some problems.
If J.P. Estrella is that third score that they need to step forward,
especially they're a very tough team when he's on.
But, yeah, they're a tricky team to face because they are going to be physical.
And, you know, they've got some size.
And they've been able to out-rebound a number of teams this year.
So you've got to try to beat them on the glass.
That's what's been one of the keys for their success this year.
When they're rebounding well, they are a tough team to beat.
And they've done that a lot this season.
Absolutely.
Let me ask you, when you get to this time of the year,
people start talking about coaches,
and particularly if they've been at a school for a long time.
There's chatter about Bill Self retiring at Kansas
because of some health issues he's experienced the last couple of years.
Tom Izzo comes up every year, and I think that's the other Big Ten teams.
But I've heard a little bit more about Rick Barnes.
You know this program very well.
You know him.
Do you still expect Rick to coach for another two or three, four years?
And I don't know if you've heard this or not.
You probably have.
What's the future of Rick Barnes at Tennessee?
Yeah, you know, he's at the point in his career where you kind of have to treat it
like it's a year-to-year thing to a degree, but at the same time,
there's not been a lot of speculation recently that he's on the way out the door.
And I think the thing that makes it even tougher to read is, you know,
while there's been a lot of frustration from guys that have left the field
and guys that have gotten out of college coaching
because of the frustrations over NIL and the transfer portal,
he's one of the old-school coaches who's kind of adapted pretty well to this system
and seems to have almost been rejuvenated by it in some ways,
despite some of the other coaches' frustration.
He seems to, you know, I think there's a little bit about the transfer portal
recruiting world that's easier to accept than it is with high school recruits
where you might pour three years into recruiting a player
only to lose them at the finish line sometimes.
Transfer portal recruiting, it's over in a couple weeks,
and you move on to the next one if you don't get one.
So I think it's been a little bit easier for him to manage later in his career,
and he's adapted well enough to get by and in some cases thrive
where Tennessee's gotten guys like Dalton Connect
that have really hit the transfer portal.
So I think Rick Barnes is not looking to retire.
Certainly nothing that we've heard on this end suggests he's considering anything this offseason.
So if I had to guess right now, I think he probably does have at least two, three,
four years left at Tennessee.
But again, it's kind of a year-to-year thing at his age,
and he's the kind of guy that he's got enough other things going on in his life
that it wouldn't surprise you if one day he just decided to call it quits.
So right now, no signs of that, and he seems to be doing pretty well overall.
He can go down to the pilot truck stop again, top off his tank,
and probably a pretty good deal there if he's running low on fuel.
But speaking of Tennessee head coaches, your thoughts,
will Josh Heupel have his way,
and let's see a 2014 playoff field in college football?
Boy, I personally hope not.
I agree.
Absolutely.
I mean, there have been such seismic changes in college football over the past five, six years,
and for that to be something that's even on the table at this point is just wild to me.
But I just think it would water down the regular season so much.
But to me, coaches are the worst people to ask this question to,
but it is interesting to me that we've heard Kirby Smart and Josh Heupel in particular come out
and say that they're in favor of 2014 playoffs.
You bet.
Coaches are always in favor of the idea of expanding the NCAA tournament field too, right?
It's job security for them.
Job security.
They know that's going to be the new bar.
If you have a 16-team playoff, that is going to be the bar.
Everyone's going to be expecting you to make the playoff every year.
And Kirby Smart, you know, he's not a team that's been on the borderline there,
but they could be in the future.
And the bottom line is I think they believe a bigger playoff field is going to lead to the SEC
just packing the field with six or seven teams in a 2014 playoff.
So Kirby Smart's thinking it's good for business that way.
So, yeah, I don't know what to make of that.
I don't know if that means that there's some inevitability to the talk of a 2014 playoff,
which mostly the SEC is opposed,
or if that's just coaches kind of looking out for their own self-interest.
But either way, it's interesting.
I don't know that he's eventually going to get his way,
but something's going to have to give here eventually,
and maybe that is the direction it ends up going.
I just know coaches are sometimes not the most reliable sources on that
because they're usually looking out for themselves
and their own long-term job security.
There's a rumor Tennessee is going to begin spring football practice here soon.
Your staff did a very good article talking Tennessee position battles to watch during spring practice.
And, again, basketball's front and center.
We know that this time of the year.
But what are your one or two questions about Tennessee football entering spring?
Well, there's a lot of them.
The problem is that they've got a lot more to answer than just a couple.
That's one of the things that probably worries Josh Heupel going into this season.
You have to start with the obvious one for most people, which is the quarterback position,
because you don't get Joey Aguilar back.
He was not successful in his legal attempt to get another year of eligibility.
So you've got to figure out what you have in redshirt freshman George McIntyre,
a former highly ranked prospect in state that Tennessee coveted and landed in the 2025 class
and didn't play a lot last year.
And then Faison Brandon, the five-star freshman from North Carolina
that a lot of people are excited about his long-term potential,
but can he be ready to win a starting job in an open competition as a true freshman?
You've got to transfer there, and Ryan Staub out of Colorado as well.
But I don't think anyone really expects him to win the job,
just sort of a veteran insurance policy.
So you've got to start there.
And then defensively, you know, a new defensive coordinator in Jim Knowles,
Tennessee was not very good defensively last year at all.
Can they take a noticeable step forward this year, at least with Jim Knowles?
And his defenses have been known for not being fully up to speed in year one.
Can they make maybe a faster progression than we've seen with his previous stops
and get Tennessee's defense back into being competitive, at least in the top 50,
top 30 kind of range after they ranked toward the bottom of among the worst defenses in the SEC
and close to 100th or so in the country in total defense.
They were pretty bad for most of the year.
They've got to fix that.
So I think you've got to start there.
Those are the two big glaring questions,
and there's a lot of smaller ones in each of those categories on both sides of the ball
that Tennessee's still got to address as well.
Yeah, a lot of teams in the SEC beginning spring practice, and particularly next week.
I always enjoy the conversation.
I know you're going to have the absolute latest coverage on Tennessee and Nashville.
The baseball team begins SEC play this weekend.
I know you're still covering prospects in recruiting.
Where can we get online to get the absolute latest?
Yeah, GoVols247.com.
As you said, recruiting, getting ready to heat back up with spring practice visits
starting next week, Tennessee on the practice field Monday.
So we'll have all that covered for you.
And, of course, Election Sunday, just a few days away.
So the fun is the madness, I guess, is about to begin and should be a fun one.
And we'll have it all covered for you at GoVols247.com.
Two words, Red Bull.
Load up, okay, Ryan?
Sounds good.
Ryan Callahan, GoVols247.
B.B., what's the latest with their friends up in Nashville at the tourney?
43-31, the Kentucky Wildcats over Missouri.
17-45 remaining in the second half.
Coming up in the second half of the show, we'll talk about the king of the road of the SEC basketball tournament,
the Florida Gators with John Ferrari and more.
Straight ahead, stay with us.
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Corridor is a highway that will be built running from Tuscaloosa to Mobile.
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Investigators in Mobile have found three bodies that are believed to be connected to the missing Chalk family.
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Valley Broadcasting Corporation, WITK-FM, Rogersville, Athens, Decatur, The Shores.
Sports Radio 93.9, The Score.
Boomo Bugg on 93.9, The Score.
You hear him every afternoon on your way home here on 93.9, The Score.
Feinbaum, welcome in.
How are you?
Harold, I am doing great.
Someone asked the other day, he said, is that really Paul Feinbaum on with you or is that AI?
I said, it has to be Paul because I know nothing about AI.
I thought that meant as it is.
So, Paul, can you confirm or deny that you are the real deal?
I am sad to report I died five years ago.
This is all AI.
He's like Elvis, right?
Your take on Arch Manningham, you already, like everybody else, bestowed him as the Heisman Trophy winner.
I did that last year.
I'm not going to do it again.
Why?
He was actually quite good in November, in December.
Here's what I'm going to do, though, guys.
I'm so sick of being humiliated and harassed by a Big Ten idiot.
I'm just going to pick the Big Ten to have all 12 spots in the college football football.
Remember the old show, Kung Fu?
You are wise, my son.
The Boomo Bugg Show, weekdays, noon to two, on 93.9 The Score.
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Now, get ready to roll, Shoals, Decatur, Athens, and all of northwest Alabama and southern Tennessee.
It's time for the Valley's exclusive FM sports voice.
The Boomo Bugg Show.
Your exclusive inside track to the tie.
Tigers, Tennessee, and the rest of the SEC.
Now, your host, Harold Bugg on 93.9 The Score.
Welcome back in, our tour of the Boomo Bugg Show.
I'm Harold Bugg, alongside Brett Beaird.
Thank you so much for giving a street ride around the Tennessee Valley.
B.B., they tell me there's a basketball tournament going on, even as we speak, in Nashville, Tennessee.
Can you share any wisdom for us at this hour?
There's a Kent fight, day two, first game of the SEC tournament.
Kentucky leading right now 43-31.
In fact, Harold Bugg, let me double-check that score.
Oh, I'm glad I did.
53-39, 14-08.
Kentucky now beginning to pull away a little bit from Missouri.
Living up to the name on their jersey.
John Frawi is the name when it comes to fun of the Florida Gators down the Sunshine State
at CBS Sports Radio, 1420 WAOC, and 1240 WFOY in St. Augustine, Florida,
or anywhere, anytime, online at 965sports.com.
John, welcome in.
How are you?
Doing great.
Great to be with you and Brett, Harold.
And it looks like Florida's going to have to play Kentucky a third time.
There's still 14 minutes to go, but Otega Owe is having a day right now with Missouri.
He was the one player Florida had difficulty with last Saturday, but they still won relatively comfortably.
It got a little dicey towards the end, but if they do have to play Kentucky again, guys,
you really never want to play the same opponent three times just because of the percentages.
But this Florida team looks like a team that's running on all cylinders right now,
and if there is one that could beat Kentucky three times in a season, it might be these Florida Gators.
But we'll see.
It looks like we might have to find out tomorrow.
John, I think it's safe to say if Florida sits here and has that question about Kentucky,
I think Kentucky has more questions against Florida.
You're the perfect person to ask.
Correct me if we're wrong, but Florida had a pretty good team last year.
How does this year's team compare with that one at this point in the tournament?
And let's face it, the problem with all the love and verbal bouquets this team's getting,
there's only one way to go, and that's down.
Because even if they live up to the expectations, well, they're just doing what's expected of them.
So from a psychological standpoint, there's a lot of pressure on this team to live up to that.
But your thoughts about this team realistically?
Well, you just hit the nail on the head why I think Todd Golden has done a much better job this year
than last year, Harold, because of the expectations to live up to.
Because there is only one way to go.
If you don't win at all, it was a disappointing year.
Having said that, I think this team is pretty close going into the SEC tournament
where the one a year ago was as far as hitting on all cylinders.
In fact, they're on a longer winning streak this year than they were a year ago.
They lost to Georgia late in February a year ago.
They didn't lose in the month of February this year.
Now, having said all that, my two biggest concerns for this team,
one cropped up late against Kentucky last week in rough turnovers.
They don't have Walter Clayton.
They don't handle the ball as clean on offensive possessions as they did a year ago.
I'm really nitpicking here.
But that's the one concern I have there, number one.
And then number two, free throw shooting.
At times, they're a little erratic.
And that's really the two biggest concerns now.
I think this team is playing better in the front court, though, than they were a year ago at this time.
Specifically, Ruben Chinulew, who has gone to another level, guys.
He wasn't anywhere near what he is right now for this team this year at this point in the season.
And I think even Alex Condon's gotten better.
Halk's gotten better.
So it's really close.
I think they were a little bit better a year ago with that dynamic backcourt of Clayton, Richard, and Martin.
But Lee and Flan have come on and have learned their roles.
And do I dare say this team could win the whole thing again?
You never know in a single elimination tournament.
But I think, all things being equal, they're going to have a great chance to get back to Indianapolis and see if they can repeat.
Let me ask you a little bit about yesterday to recap.
The two teams that impressed me yesterday was the night camp.
And a lot of people may have gave it up and went on to bad.
But Oklahoma is on a heater.
They beat South Carolina 86-74.
Nigel Pack, 24, former Alabama player.
Darian Reed at 20 and four rebounds.
I thought he was the best player on the court.
They've also got Muhammad Wagyu, who played at Alabama.
And Ole Miss, it was absolutely no fluke that Ole Miss beat Texas and put their NCAA tournament hopes
kind of on the standstill right now.
And I think Chris Beard enjoyed beating his former team.
But, John, Oklahoma and Ole Miss impressed me maybe the most yesterday.
I think you're right, Brett.
Porter Moser, earlier in the year, I'd heard rumblings he might be on the hot seat.
And they have come on.
And I think, I don't know how it's going to end as far as this tournament.
But I think what they've done on the back end of this season has probably saved his job.
I think he'll be there next year.
Nigel Pack, I think, played as well as anybody in this tournament to this point.
Now, I know Florida and Alabama haven't even got on the court yet, but I've really been impressed with him.
You mentioned Reed.
And then there's no doubt Chris Beard enjoyed that yesterday, Brett.
I mean, beating Texas, even though Texas seems to be firmly in the tournament.
I thought maybe there might be a little doubt.
But from Lenardi and some other national experts, they seem to think they're solidly in.
But those were impressive performances.
Now, Ole Miss would have to win the entire tournament to get in with the disappointing year they had.
Oklahoma, if they were to maybe go one or two more, I don't know if they have to win the whole tournament.
But they need to still win at least one or two more in my mind.
And I think that's where Auburn is right now, too.
I know right now they've got them in the tournament, Lenardi, but with an addendum and an asterisk on it that they've got to beat Tennessee later this afternoon or else.
I don't see Stephen Pearl and Auburn, despite a win over Florida, the last time Florida lost, being enough to get them in.
So I think they've definitely got to win this afternoon for any chance to get in.
If there's any coin toss going on, you know the committee would love to have that money from Texas and Oklahoma fans.
So I think they're going to win all the time breakers.
I'm sure it's just a coincidence that those fans of wherever they go and wind up in the tournament will be spending some big bucks.
But speaking of the tourney, Florida still, I mean, let's face it, there's obviously beer secure, but they're playing for a lot themselves.
If they want to lock down, leave no doubt of getting that number one seed and just going up the road to Tampa, that's huge for a team to basically play with a home team crowd in their backyard.
Your thoughts just about, in that standpoint, what the Gators are playing for.
Well, I think you touched on it, Harold.
They're playing for a one seed.
I think it's either a one or a two.
I think they are going to play, by the way, in their backyard in Tampa, regardless of what happens tomorrow or the weekend.
But basically, like Joe Lenardi said, it's playing for whether you have the white uniform or the dark colored uniform when you possibly play Connecticut.
Because from all accounts, Florida and Connecticut are going to be in the south region, and they're going to be one and two, whether it's Florida one and Connecticut two or vice versa.
But I think more than that, I think Todd Goldman just wants this team to continue the momentum they're on and go into the tournament with the trajectory going up.
And I think that's what this is more important than maybe even the seed.
And so, I look for them to have a great weekend.
I think they're going to win this tournament again.
They've only won this five times in the history of the school, the SEC tournament.
So, this is still pretty important.
And the same with the regular season title.
There's not many years they've won both the regular season title and the SEC tournament, last time being 12 years ago in 2014.
So, I think there's a lot to play for.
I look for them to play well.
The other thing I would worry about tomorrow, it's always that rust against a team that's in rhythm.
Because Kentucky will be playing their third game if it's them.
Now, on the back end of that, does Kentucky run out of gas in the second half tomorrow?
I'm assuming they're going to win.
No disrespect to Missouri, but we'll see.
But having said all that, I think Florida's in great shape this weekend and in the month of March.
You mentioned that Kentucky's won 31 SEC titles, Bama second with eight, and Florida third with five, I believe.
John, I've heard Florida and maybe even Alabama could possibly be in the south region at Tampa or Greensboro, South Carolina.
What have you heard as far as the destination?
I've heard Florida and Tampa, and I've heard that pretty firmly.
And there has been some rumblings down here about Alabama being there, too.
And for those that don't know, when you play, they have these in pods, meaning they could both be in Tampa, Florida, and Alabama.
But they wouldn't necessarily be in the south region, just for those that are not familiar the way they do this until you move on to the round of 16 when the teams that go to that side are in the same region.
So I am keeping my fingers crossed.
I tend to head down to Tampa next weekend, guys, if that's the case, and I think it will be.
And I think it'd be great to have two SEC schools down here, Florida and Alabama.
And they could play each other on Sunday in this tournament.
We shall see.
I'd really like to see another Alabama-Arkansas semifinal on the other side of this SEC tournament.
That was a fantastic game the first time.
So a lot of good basketball.
This is clearly a great time of year.
I know it's not football season.
They're practicing, but this is a great time of year.
That's for sure.
Yeah, the way Alabama-Arkansas scores, it's called the Noah special, 40 days and 40 nights before that baby winds up.
Switching gears, John, let's talk a little bit about football.
It was the quote of the week from the top gator, Jon Sumrall.
I'm going to try to paraphrase it and clean it up a little bit here.
He said, my wife turned 40 this week.
It was her birthday.
The anniversary came up.
It was number 15.
We had planned to go to Italy to celebrate, but I've got too much to do here.
Was that the quote of the week from Jon Sumrall?
It was, and I like a man that has his priorities in the right place.
I know the ladies aren't going to be happy with me, guys, but Gator Nation out there loves that.
That's for sure.
And the other thing they've loved so far, Jon Sumrall is the antithesis of Billy Napier.
And what I mean by that is that quote was an example, Harold.
That's not something we'd ever get from Coach Napier.
And Jon Sumrall in the practices, the media hasn't been allowed to watch much, but he is so much more energetic.
He is spending time with every unit, especially the special teams, which Billy Napier, when we saw the practice, we never saw him with the special teams.
He was basically over on the side with the quarterbacks.
Jon Sumrall is getting in guys' faces.
He's calling them out.
He's making them accountable.
And he has stated, this team's got a long way to go, and it does.
I mean, this was a 4-8 team a year ago.
Facts are facts.
And so I like what I've seen so far.
I know you're familiar with him from North Alabama, and maybe we needed some of that Northern Alabama personality and attitude.
Be careful what you wish for, John.
North Central Florida.
Well, yeah, but we definitely needed something, guys, because the last four years has really been hurting for Florida football.
So I'm excited April 11th to see what the spring game looks like.
And he even said, there's going to be tackling in that spring game.
You don't normally hear a coach say that, but he wants to see these guys perform in front of the bright lights, per se.
I know it's just a spring game, but still, it's different when you are performing in front of people than when you are in practice.
So you don't want anybody to get hurt, obviously, but I just like the attitude Coach Summerall's come in with this spring so far.
John, I think Florida fans will continue to be impressed with him.
By the way, I'm sure you're glad it's on Saturday instead of Thursday or Friday night, which was quite frankly ridiculous.
But be that as it is, John, where can we get online and listen to your show today?
You can follow me online at 1240news.com or at 102.1 or 1240 in St. Augustine, WFOY.
And follow me on x slash Twitter at JF underscore sports now.
And as always, an honor and a pleasure, guys.
And let's hope maybe Florida meets up with Alabama on Sunday.
I think it'd be a great final.
Hot time in Nashville.
Listen, have a good March.
Just do it again as soon as possible.
Okay, John.
Thank you, guys.
Thank you, bud.
John Flora, again, 965sports.com, amongst other places.
So when it comes to high school talent in the upcoming classes, how do things stack up?
Randy Kennedy on that and more straight ahead of the Boomo Bugg Show.
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From the University of Alabama, this is Crimson Tide Today.
It's a daily update on Bama sports and it's brought to you by Crimson Drive, driven by NASCAR.
Streaming live at 2 p.m. Central on all CTSN social media platforms at UA underscore CTSN.
Hello again, everybody.
I'm Roger Hoover.
On today's edition of Crimson Drive, driven by NASCAR, we'll be joined by Alabama softball pitcher Vic Moten.
It's been good.
You know, it's been very exciting getting the chance to pitch a lot recently.
So I'm excited for that.
I'm thankful for Murph and all the opportunities.
Is it even more fun now that we're getting into SEC play?
You've had some great matchups in non-conference play, but it ticks up a notch when we get into the conference.
Oh, for sure.
It's a lot more competitive in the SEC because nobody wants to get swept or lose a game.
So it's very competitive and our team were extremely competitive.
So going to Ole Miss, I just knew we were going to sweep them.
Yeah, that's outstanding.
The right mindset to have for you.
Again, as you are making a difference as a freshman, first of all, tell us where you grew up and your start to your softball journey.
Yeah, I grew up in Daphne, Alabama.
I started playing when I was around like maybe seven.
I was always a pitcher.
I'll have more in a moment.
Hey, Bama fans, each Tuesday and Thursday at 2 p.m. Central, join us live for Crimson Drive, driven by NASCAR.
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The Score.
Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score.
The Score.
Welcome back in.
It is always a pleasure for all of us here in North Alabama to head on down to South Alabama.
Say hello to Randy Kennedy.
He's busy there at AL.com.
Behind the microphone is radio host of the Randy Kennedy Show Afternoons 4 to 6 on 995 Sports Talk in Mobile.
Winner of the Mel Allen Award for the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.
And named one of the 50 legends of sports writers in Alabama.
Randy, welcome in.
How are you?
I'm doing great.
How are you guys doing?
Doing good.
Yeah, we're trying to keep up with everything.
It's a busy time of the year for all of us.
You've got basketball.
You've got football as far as camps opening up.
Randy, are you able to keep up with everything?
You know, you guys are like me where you get to this time of year and the actual events are taking place while you're on the air live.
So, luckily, here at iHeart, they provided me a TV in my studio.
So, yes, I'm watching all the basketball games while also trying to do a radio show.
Randy, let's ask you a little bit about that because you know Scar, Kevin Scar-Benz.
He brought up an interesting point.
And it happened even as we were speaking that Miami of Ohio lost.
And, of course, we know by now the story with Bruce Pearl.
And he's a father, so you understand the back story there.
But now they've got a loss on him.
And as Kevin pointed out, a lot of folks said, boy, that's good news for Auburn.
He said, not necessarily so fast, my friend, because if the committee allows a one-loss Miami team to get in, that means the eventual conference champ there will also eat up another one of the coveted spots.
So, where does that put Auburn?
Your thoughts where Auburn is?
Of course, if they lose, I think it's a foregone conclusion.
We're going to start finding that out shortly now as they take on Tennessee this afternoon.
But your thoughts about Auburn?
Well, I think this is the case.
That with Auburn, they're at the point where if they beat Tennessee today, they're in.
You just look at the resume for Auburn, and it's easy to look at it and say, oh, they're not an NCAA tournament team.
But you can't look at it in a bubble.
You've got to look at it with, okay, compare them to everybody else.
And all these other teams that were also on the bubble have also been losing, like Auburn.
So, Auburn's wins, if you look at Auburn's losses, they're terrible.
But if you look at their wins, they're really, really good.
I mean, when they've beaten St. John's and Arkansas and Florida and, you know, on and on, they've got good wins.
And if they beat Tennessee today, they're in.
But, yeah, the Miami loss is terrible news for Auburn because that means now that the Mac's going to get two teams,
whereas they were only going to get one if Miami had won that league.
So, that's the first bad news of the week for Auburn, quite frankly.
You wear many hats, as Harold mentioned.
You've got the top offensive lineman dropping later this afternoon on AL.com.
We've talked with you about some of the running backs, et cetera.
And I want to get to that in a minute.
But you covered the Final Four.
I wrote articles about quite a few of the games.
And your best of Bama, we were nearly joking about this, but it is amazing to me.
And I mentioned some 8th and 9th graders who are in your top three as far as potential prospects.
But I wanted to ask you, Randy, it is incredible to me at how talented some of these young boys and men,
actually young men and young women, for example, for the girls.
Belle Hill is a sophomore in Mars Hill.
She surpassed 3,000 career points.
Kennedy Bowie at Guntersville, they've got basically three kids who are major contributors to their team.
She's an 8th grade guard, averaging 16 points, and has scored 1,000 points.
Chloe Ford of Missouri is a, I mean, of Hoover, is going to Missouri.
She's a signee there.
The Sawyer Kate Hogan of Plainview set a national record for threes.
And you've got a chance to watch these guys during the week, Randy.
It is amazing to me at how young they are now and how talented they will be.
It's crazy when you think about it.
And, yeah, I did.
I watched all 42 games over a six-day period.
That's a lot of basketball.
So it all sort of runs together.
But I think this, if we were to put together an all-star team for, like, the best five senior girls,
best five junior girls, best five sophomore girls,
I think the winner of the tournament would be the best five freshman girls.
That's how good the young girls are.
It is incredible, the young talent.
You just mentioned some of those.
And Kennedy Booey's an 8th grader.
You know, might be the best of all of them.
That freshman group of girls that have already got, like, SEC offers before they get a driver's license.
I mean, it's incredible.
And there are a bunch of young boys, too, who are good.
But among the girls, it's like, okay, this is who we're going to be seeing the next four years.
I mean, we've already got to set what the tournament's going to look like three or four years from now
because these young girls in Alabama, the future is very, very bright.
Check out Randy, amongst other places, AL.com.
Randy, to that end, how things have changed with NIL.
The reason I bring it up, there was a young man.
I think he won a state championship as an 8th grader at Buckhorn back in the day
by the name of Caleb Hope.
We know you're familiar with that name.
Everybody kind of had him penciled in to go to Alabama.
But he showed early on, look, they want me over in Georgia.
They write a check.
No, they want to spend more to go to Florida.
I go down there.
And now he's on his way to Arizona.
The reason I bring that up, I mean, people are going to criticize Caleb,
but he's making a business decision.
That's his business.
But how does that influence keeping this talent that we just talked about in the state going forward?
Because the talent's there, but it's a different era to keep that talent in here at the college level.
Yeah, you know, Alabama put a lot of effort into getting him.
Auburn did, too, but they weren't in it at the end.
Alabama put a lot of effort there.
And I did the research just from being in the state for all these years,
thinking about it and did a little research of,
I think Alabama missing out on Caleb Holt is the biggest,
most important Alabama basketball recruiting miss ever.
I think he's the best player who ever decided to go elsewhere that Alabama reasonably thought they could get.
I think before now the answer would have probably been Trendon Watford.
Remember him, the great player at Mountain Brook,
who went to LSU and now plays for the Philadelphia 76ers.
That was a huge in-state loss for Alabama.
There have been a couple of others that would be in the conversation,
but I think Caleb Holt is just, you guys know as well or better than I do.
That guy is so different.
He's going to the NBA.
He's a one and done.
And Alabama put all the effort they possibly could into him.
And he's going to Arizona instead.
Randy, I mentioned that you've done the top AL.com running backs.
One of the recent ones was tied in Lee Steele,
who is a tremendous basketball player, I believe, at Orange Beach.
Thompson's got one.
Boy, that's a shock.
In the Pleasant Valley, you are dropping later today the top offensive lineman on AL.com.
Randy, summarize it.
You mentioned a couple of guys on the list.
Yeah, you guys are probably familiar with Cord Pig, right, at Mars Hill?
Absolutely.
There you go.
He's a guy who's definitely on the list.
This is not the best in Bama yet.
This is the guys who are really strong contenders to be on that list.
These are the offensive linemen.
He's on the list for sure as a possibility.
The number one offensive lineman, the guy that was on the best in Bama all last year,
was J.T. Williams, the offensive lineman from Central Phoenix City.
One time Alabama committed.
Now he's not committed to anybody.
Also, Shantae Bailey is a kid from Anniston who made the state championship game.
Big kid.
He's also getting a lot of attention.
So that's three that are up toward the top in terms of offensive linemen
who could eventually make the list.
And they're on this watch list that publishes today.
Randy, how shot were you that Gunner Rivers has committed a North Carolina state?
Not really.
Not really because, hey, you know, dad's a legend up there.
And so that's number one.
Number two, you know, Gunner never really got into the whole recruiting thing.
He just never was interested in it.
In fact, his dad, Phillip Rivers, even said, you know, we need to take some visits.
He's like, yeah, but I'm just going to stay right here and throw with my guys.
Well, at some point you've got to choose a college.
And so I just think it kind of got to the point where, yeah, I'm comfortable there.
They like me there.
I've got a teammate who signed there last year.
I'll go to NC State.
So it's not shocking, but he's really, really good.
And by the end of next season, if nothing goes wrong,
he's going to be the leading passer in Alabama high school history.
And not only that, when you go to the stadium up there
and you pass the statue of your dad, that's not bad either, is it?
It's either bad or good.
I'm not sure which.
That's right.
I'm not sure.
But, you know, they were up there recently for a basketball game.
I was like, you know, Gunnar could just walk around Raleigh without being recognized.
But if he's with his dad, he sure can't.
You know, so the fame is coming early if he's hanging out with his dad up there.
Absolutely.
Ryan, do you tell us where can we get on line and get the top offensive lineman?
Now, when is the first best of Bama coming out this year?
And where can we get on line, listen to the show, and get all your stuff?
Yeah, you can – the best in Bama, we are counting it down.
We will actually reveal the 50 in July, so over the summer.
But until then, we're doing it position by position.
Offensive lineman today, wide receivers coming next and then quarterbacks.
So you can keep up with it there on AL.com, the best way to find it.
Also, if you want to hear me, I'm on every day on the free iHeartRadio app.
Just go get the app.
Tune in to the Randy Kennedy Show.
You got some ears on you, Randy.
Listen, man, enjoy your test of March Madness, and let's do it again as soon as possible, okay?
Let's do it.
I appreciate you guys.
Thank you, bud.
Randy Kennedy again, 995 Sports Talk in Mobile, if you want to check him out.
Coming up, Talking Tide with Ryan Fowler on deck.
Stay with us on the Room of Bug Show.
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Progressive presents the Sports Flash on 93-9, the score.
SEC Tournament yesterday, Auburn beat Mississippi State 79-61.
Auburn will play today against Tennessee.
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Spring training baseball, the Braves beat the Rays 5-3.
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The score.
Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93-9, the score.
Welcome back in.
He's warming up the songs to drive you home this afternoon down in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
Ryan Fowler, host of the game, down in Tidetown at 109 FM.
Ryan, welcome in.
How are you?
I'm doing good.
Doing good.
Hi, man.
You know, getting another practice in here in Tuscaloosa.
Man, we already got a starter in T-Town.
How about that?
I don't know if you guys have heard, but they have made me the starter in the afternoon drive.
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Really?
I'm the starting host of the game, and I won the job fair and square.
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So, here we go.
We'll see you in another few years.
You know, you've got a good agent there, so if you don't mind, share some of that NIL package with us.
That's right.
Congratulations on that.
But, you know, you joke about that, but it's how many times, I mean, how many days they've been into it now,
and were you surprised that for the folks who might have missed it, they've already named, from everything we're able to gather,
the starting left guard.
That's one of the most prized positions.
A lot of times, that's a mystery right down to the end, but it looks like that they've already said,
we're going to settle on Mr. Lloyd here.
Yeah, and you know, Jackson Lloyd was a guy that, you know, coming in was no doubt a highly sought-after guy, right?
A guy that they could be able to thought, okay, once he got it, and I was told prior to spring practice,
that once he got it, that he was going to be a dominant left tackle, okay?
Right.
When he was going to get it was the big question.
Right.
Was he going to be able to get it to the level?
And listen, you can't fool a team, right?
I mean, in the locker room, understands, you know, who is their guy.
Who is and who isn't.
Yeah, right.
I mean, you know, if you want to know who the starters is, ask the team.
I mean, they know.
So you can't, and people go, well, this may be playing mind games.
No, you can't play mind games because when you start playing mind games, the other guys pick up on that.
And you know what?
No, I mean, so obviously he's separated himself enough in the physical room.
I know that that was a priority for him in his first year as a freshman, the redshirt season, to get stronger,
to be able to get to a level that he could push some guys around.
Looks like he's been able to do that.
And so now you have to ask the question.
You brought in a couple of tackles.
What do you do with those guys?
Do you flip them to right?
And you experiment with a Michael Carroll inside?
I mean, to me, that's a buzz that I'm hearing more and more.
But that could be a stronger possibility that maybe you bought my – what it is is they're trying to get the best foul.
And we did this last year in the season.
The first seven or eight games, it was trying to figure out who was going to be the five.
Now, some of that was injuries.
But it just looks like they're going to experiment now, and then they're going to turn it up and kind of settle with a five.
Coming out – now, William Sanders is still going to be a part of that in the fall.
I still think you've got to – I still think you've got it in the back of your mind, but they've got to know a five coming out.
They've got to know a five and got to build some chemistry.
I just think that's important.
But I was shocked.
Did not have it on the bingo card.
First week of spring practice, naming the starting left tackle.
Did not have that one on the bingo card.
Let me – there's some big boys on the offensive line, but – and I know you had limited viewing.
But the defensive line, Terrence Green, 6'6", 3'30".
Devin Tompkins, the USC transfer, 6'5", 2'90".
Kendrick Bingley-Jones, Desmond Yu, as Rodney Orr calls him.
What about the defensive line, Brian?
I think defensive line is a complete opposite when you talk about offensive line.
You don't want ten guys out there rotating.
But on the defensive front, the more the merrier, right?
I mean, you want – I mean, you don't want to get out there with 12 guys
because that tells me that you ain't got a dominant guy.
But I think – I think when you look at the numbers,
it's been a long time since they had this many numbers.
And I remember asking someone in the building when Terrence Green signed
because they needed that – what I was told is when they think of Alabama,
they think of a dominant defensive line.
Somebody who can take over a game.
Or daddy.
Yeah.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I mean, that can battle in the trenches.
Well, they didn't have that.
They didn't have that.
And they didn't feel like they had it last year.
They didn't feel like they had it the first year.
They knew that that was a priority.
And I was told that they would be willing to go out and spend some cash in that department.
Terrence Green, the minute he committed, I fired off a message and said,
can Terrence Green be that guy that you guys are meeting in that building, the guy that was explained to me.
And he said, absolutely.
And you now hear that from a leadership standpoint, from a standpoint of just watching and listening to the players,
that he's dropped some attention early on.
And – but I think it's more than just that.
I just think it's the total numbers.
I mean, if you think about good defensive linemen we've had here in Tuscaloosa, it's been about numbers.
It's been about numbers.
You need – you need some of those numbers to get, you know, seven or eight of those guys that can play.
And keep in mind, I think London Simmons showed you a little something, too.
So, I think there's a reason to be excited about the defensive front.
Now, linebackers is where, you know, I want to see more.
You know, Caleb Woodson is a guy that's taking a leadership role.
He's probably, I would guess, even though he's a first-year player, he'll probably be your green dot on your communication guy.
It's just a guess.
QB Reese could be that guy, I guess.
But, you know, there's a lot of optimism in Tuscaloosa.
I know some fans don't want to hear it.
But, you know, you see these Alabama projections that they're just going to slide off.
They're not seeing the same – I think some of that's wishful thinking.
When you see so many people putting Alabama, well, they're down there 16, 17.
I mean, guys, they finished in the top 10.
There's some people who act like they've had a losing season.
I mean, they really did.
I mean, they act like they're – Alabama just got, you know, played like Auburn last year or something.
I mean, it's – I mean, Alabama finished in the top 10.
They were the only team in the playoff era that went on the road and beat a team in a home stadium.
Doesn't happen.
Alabama's the only team.
And people act like Alabama can't tie their own shoes, which blows my mind.
Well, and the thing you're describing here about Alabama, I don't see how these people can make predictions this day and time because every school across the league and nations right now got a lot of question marks because of all the new faces in town.
You mentioned numbers.
Another fact on that is going to a nine-game comfort schedule, you better have numbers.
And speaking of that, Ryan, as far as the depth chart, I think it's pretty safe to say Mr. Hill probably will lead the horses there in the running back room with the depth chart coming out.
Your thoughts about the depth chart, where are you going to put Mr. Crowell at the beginning of the season?
And if he lives up to his potential, where are you going to put him, say, come mid-October for the rest of the season?
Yeah, I think Daniel Hill's lost some weight, too.
He just looks – he looks like a different player.
Yeah.
I think when you study that, I think when you look at – see, the problem, when you add competition to the room and you get this competition level,
to a level that – you know, it's not about going out here and buying a $6 million running back, and then you only have one running back.
Right.
At this age, these are not professionals.
The competition is what makes them better.
Okay.
What all have we talked about for the last 60 days?
Xavier Crowell, Xavier Crowell, Xavier Crowell, Xavier Crowell.
Yep, next, man.
Xavier Crowell.
I mean, nonstop.
Well, Daniel Hill says, guys, hey, man, don't forget about me.
Kevin Riley says, hey, if it's okay, I played a year in the SEC, broke my jaw.
I was starting to kind of peak here.
Don't forget about me.
If it's okay, guys, I'd like to have a run at this thing, too.
That's right.
And I think if you look at it, you're starting to see that, that competition.
Right.
I mean, I labeled this spring as the word that I wrote on top of my note sheet was competition.
They've added a lot of competition.
A lot of competition.
And, you know, here we are.
This is where we're at when you look at, you know, the amount of competition that they've had.
And I think Daniel Hill is a byproduct of that competition.
It's Xavier Crowell.
Nobody wants to lose their job to a true freshman.
Nobody.
Nobody.
Including Daniel Hill, Kevin Riley, the whole kit caboodle.
I mean, so when you begin to kind of analyze this and you begin to kind of study, it's the same thing we talked about with defensive front, is there's enough competition.
Last year, I felt like they had a lot of placeholders.
They signed some guys in the portal that was no more than just depth guys.
This year, they've added some fire.
I mean, think about Jackson Lloyd, okay?
Think about it.
Okay, if you look at Jackson Lloyd, he's a true freshman last year.
Obviously, he wasn't going to stop in front of Caden Frockett.
But bringing in a guy that can play left tackle and had already done it at Mississippi State for nine games, that fired up Jackson Lloyd.
He said, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
I'm not going to give my position up to this guy that has not been in the system.
And it motivates.
It's a different level of motivation that I think that you need at the college game.
And I wonder sometimes if these portal buyers that go out and spend, you know, four, five, six million dollars on a player,
for one, you're going to have to play that player because if you don't, your fan base looks like you just wasted that money.
If you spend four million on offensive tackle, you can't really have competition.
Guys, these guys are not professionals.
They're college kids.
They're college kids.
They're going to have good days and bad days.
These are not, you know, Kansas City Chiefs players here.
They're looking at the Kentucky basketball team.
Sure.
I mean, I mean, it's not all about the money that wins you the games.
And I just think that this year they took an approach to competition.
Will it pay off?
Guys, y'all's guess is just as good as mine.
But there is a different mindset here that I haven't seen.
And I'm not saying last year was bad.
It doesn't have to be.
I'm just saying that there's a different mindset here in Tuscaloosa.
Brian, if you ask your listeners this afternoon, which team in the SEC is second to Kentucky for winning the most men's basketball tournament titles in the SEC?
By the way, since Nate Oates walked in the SEC is third with five.
By the way, since Nate Oates walked in the door, he's got the most wins of any program in the SEC in the NCAA tournament.
Your thoughts as Alabama begins the tournament tomorrow night against either Georgia or Ole Miss.
Yeah, I just like it that it's, hey, go get that double bye.
Go get that double bye.
And they did.
And, you know, now everybody else has got to fight their way to Alabama.
That's what's going on.
I mean, that's the part that kind of gets you a little, you know, gets you juices.
Because you look at the standard that Nate Oates has been able to create.
And I apologize, this wind's blowing open and killing me too much on sound.
But, I mean, what he's been able to create from an environment standpoint, just the overall, it's just, guys, I mean, do we realize, do we give him enough credit?
Like, I mean, like, we just assume that winning is easy.
That ain't easy.
But do you ever notice it sometimes?
I mean, we're just like, oh, you know.
Human nature.
Yeah, it's like, hey, oh, it's easy, guys.
It's easy.
Nah, let Nick save him back in the day.
What Nate Oates has been able to do, that's a different sport.
And I'm not comparing him to Nick Saban.
So, people, if you hear what I'm about to say, don't think I went off the cuckoo list.
Guys, it is as impressive what he took over as a program.
Yep, yeah.
And has built a standard in Tuscaloosa.
Where they expect to compete for big-time NCAA tournament.
I mean, you know, I think they want another shot at Florida.
Now, I don't know if they could do anything with that shot.
But that's kind of the wish.
But it's just, it's remarkable.
You guys know I'm not the biggest basketball guy.
But I went Saturday night, Coleman, and the atmosphere was just unreal.
Electric.
And you're just sitting there, you're just sitting there watching what Nate Oates has been able to do.
From building this program where you could get any ticket you wanted, anywhere you want to sit.
And it was the second-highest ticket behind Duke and UNC for the weekend.
Yep.
I mean, that's the thing that really, I don't think a lot of people, but he has come in, taken a lot of film in town.
And once again, talking about NIL, they don't have unlimited budget in NIL.
But he does forward with less every single year.
That's to me incredible what Nate Oates has been able to build in Tuscaloosa.
Absolutely.
Yeah, tickets I saw were $300 to $500 for the Auburn game.
A lot of stuff going on this time of the year.
Ryan Fowler, who have you got on your award-winning program this afternoon?
And where can we get online to listen?
Well, we've got Big Mike Johnson, offensive lineman.
And we're going to spend a little time with him and some others.
Got a lot of talk around, you know, the spring practice.
Ryan Grubb giving us plenty to talk about.
We'll certainly do that.
But we're going to dive into some X's and O's with him because I really want to talk about the offensive line.
And we'll talk Alabama basketball, but kind of waiting on who Alabama is going to play.
We're going to do a score prediction.
We're not going to do that tomorrow.
But we'll start that coming up here.
In just a couple of minutes, guys, I always appreciate it.
I hope you guys have a great rest of your day and have a great weekend, guys.
Hey, you do the same.
Mike is a good one.
He is articulate and very knowledgeable.
That's going to be a good guest.
BB, I tell you what, this turned into a true catfight in Nashville between Kentucky and Missouri.
Listen, Missouri came back and got within one point.
Right.
Now, with four seconds remaining in the game, Kentucky 76, Missouri 71.
So, it looks like the Kentucky Wildcats are going to move on to tomorrow to play the Florida Gators.
The opening act today, straight ahead, more Tigers.
The Auburn Tigers taking on the Big Orange from Tennessee.
That's later on this afternoon.
Again, Alabama kicking back.
They won't play until tomorrow night.
Opponent to be determined.
What has been determined, you can catch whoever it is right here.
Where else?
So, 93.9, the score coming up tomorrow night.
It's going to take care of us for now on behalf of BB, Greg, James, Blair, the entire crew here.
Harold Buck, thank you so much for your time today.
Let's do it again tomorrow, noon to two for the Boom Up Buck Show.
Back here on Sports Radio, 93.9, the score.