1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:08,720
 Now, get ready to roll, Shoals, Decatur, Athens and all of Northwest Alabama and Southern Tennessee.

2
00:00:09,380 --> 00:00:12,700
 It's time for the Valley's exclusive FM Sports Voice.

3
00:00:16,180 --> 00:00:18,180
 The Boomo Bugg Show.

4
00:00:18,600 --> 00:00:23,780
 Your exclusive inside track to the Tigers, Tennessee and the rest of the SEC.

5
00:00:24,220 --> 00:00:29,980
 Now, your host, Harold Bugg on 93.9 The Score.

6
00:00:30,900 --> 00:00:34,000
 Good afternoon and welcome in to the Boomo Bugg Show.

7
00:00:34,080 --> 00:00:35,740
 I'm Harold Bugg alongside Brett Beaird.

8
00:00:35,860 --> 00:00:38,840
 Thank you so much for giving us a free ride around the 10s to gather.

9
00:00:38,960 --> 00:00:45,620
 Brett Beaird, welcome in where the Big Ten wins again while Alabama loses another big one.

10
00:00:45,700 --> 00:00:47,820
 Good afternoon, welcome in and how are you?

11
00:00:47,820 --> 00:00:50,620
 Happy Tuesday to you and the listeners.

12
00:00:51,020 --> 00:00:58,540
 Michigan beats UConn 69-63 to win its second national championship in basketball.

13
00:00:59,220 --> 00:01:04,040
 James Sorrell, or at least his agent, announced that he is going to enter the transfer portal.

14
00:01:04,180 --> 00:01:06,680
 But Alabama is trying to do something about that.

15
00:01:07,200 --> 00:01:13,960
 Las Vegas insider Brooks Marshall will recap the national championship win and talk about some coaching changes.

16
00:01:14,520 --> 00:01:18,140
 But Roger is here right now to preview a day Saturday.

17
00:01:18,140 --> 00:01:27,080
 A hot Alabama baseball team and a number one softball team residing in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

18
00:01:27,520 --> 00:01:31,680
 And a number one man behind the mic on the Crimson Tide Network, Roger Hoover.

19
00:01:31,800 --> 00:01:32,740
 Roger, welcome in.

20
00:01:32,820 --> 00:01:33,540
 How are you?

21
00:01:34,240 --> 00:01:35,320
 Boomo Bugg.

22
00:01:35,320 --> 00:01:36,220
 I'm doing really well.

23
00:01:36,280 --> 00:01:39,100
 It's a gorgeous day for some baseball later on.

24
00:01:39,320 --> 00:01:40,700
 Alabama is going to take on Stanford.

25
00:01:40,840 --> 00:01:42,620
 Can't wait to be back at the Joe this afternoon.

26
00:01:42,720 --> 00:01:43,640
 Just glad to be at home.

27
00:01:43,840 --> 00:01:46,680
 Yeah, I spent too much time in Oklahoma from Wednesday to Sunday.

28
00:01:46,920 --> 00:01:49,860
 So I'm glad to be back in the Yellowhammer state where I should be.

29
00:01:50,400 --> 00:01:54,140
 Yeah, I'm proud your agent let us talk to you today, Roger, before you hit the portal.

30
00:01:54,720 --> 00:01:56,800
 You know, talk to us about this.

31
00:01:56,880 --> 00:02:03,740
 I mean, when people see this news, whether it's Alabama or any other fan base, they see a guy they love.

32
00:02:03,800 --> 00:02:04,880
 It's like, oh, my gosh.

33
00:02:05,320 --> 00:02:07,900
 The other side of the coin is that's just where we are.

34
00:02:08,100 --> 00:02:10,220
 I mean, go ahead and adjust.

35
00:02:10,320 --> 00:02:14,080
 This is what's going to happen no matter what team you root for across the board.

36
00:02:14,340 --> 00:02:19,180
 The question is, Roger, where do you see this and the reality of facing NATO?

37
00:02:19,320 --> 00:02:19,960
 It's what a week.

38
00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:22,080
 An engagement, a $6 million contract.

39
00:02:22,380 --> 00:02:25,000
 Now, the comings and goings of the portal.

40
00:02:25,120 --> 00:02:32,880
 Before we get into the other stuff, let's talk about it because, let's face it, if you're a big guy like Sherelle, you've got a big price tag on you.

41
00:02:33,060 --> 00:02:36,640
 It's going to be interesting to see how Alabama handles this going forward.

42
00:02:37,720 --> 00:02:38,780
 Yeah, it really will be.

43
00:02:38,900 --> 00:02:44,400
 And I still contend, you know, college sports are still very much the same in the way we love them in season.

44
00:02:44,640 --> 00:02:47,240
 You know, we get up for the games, the pageantry.

45
00:02:47,540 --> 00:02:51,660
 You can't beat college sports when it comes to everything we've come to love over the years.

46
00:02:51,660 --> 00:02:52,800
 Now, what has changed?

47
00:02:53,000 --> 00:02:53,620
 The off-seasons.

48
00:02:53,740 --> 00:02:59,380
 The off-seasons and the news you're going to see is just always going to be different at this point unless something dramatically changes.

49
00:02:59,560 --> 00:03:06,380
 And I don't know if that's through the congressional work that they're trying to do on Capitol Hill, President Trump's executive order.

50
00:03:06,520 --> 00:03:13,440
 I'm not sure what can fix kind of everybody's angst around some of the off-seasons and the transactions we're seeing in college sports.

51
00:03:13,640 --> 00:03:14,760
 And this is just part of it.

52
00:03:14,760 --> 00:03:24,160
 And I think Perry Shirell, you know, his agent has an obligation to make sure that he goes and looks for what's the best opportunity for him, whether that's at Alabama or somewhere else.

53
00:03:24,240 --> 00:03:29,840
 And the good news is we've seen several cases like this where the player has gone back to their school before.

54
00:03:30,100 --> 00:03:39,400
 So, you know, it doesn't necessarily mean that he's going to leave Alabama or anything like that, but he just kind of has an obligation to kind of look and see what the best options were.

55
00:03:39,660 --> 00:03:46,180
 And because it is now a free market in college athletics, you're not tied to your school for three or four years necessarily anymore.

56
00:03:46,440 --> 00:04:00,480
 And that's what I think President Trump's trying to change, is trying to get back to an older model where you would have an option to transfer one time or there'd be a hardship waiver, things like that, a little bit closer to what we had about five or six years ago.

57
00:04:00,660 --> 00:04:02,580
 But, you know, it's definitely frustrating.

58
00:04:02,720 --> 00:04:03,740
 I get that for the fans.

59
00:04:03,880 --> 00:04:09,200
 But, again, I would also caution, don't say too many mean things online because he may end up coming back.

60
00:04:09,300 --> 00:04:11,740
 So you never know how these negotiations are going to go.

61
00:04:12,800 --> 00:04:14,160
 You're exactly right.

62
00:04:14,160 --> 00:04:17,080
 Let me ask you about his coach, as Harold alluded to.

63
00:04:17,220 --> 00:04:21,200
 What a week he goes to the Final Four, announces he's engaged.

64
00:04:21,400 --> 00:04:31,780
 Oh, by the way, that athletic director, Greg Berndt, comes out and says he's going to be one of the top five compensated men's basketball coaches.

65
00:04:32,520 --> 00:04:38,580
 And we were joking about Steve Austin on the $6 million man years ago on TV.

66
00:04:39,260 --> 00:04:42,580
 Maybe a little bit more than that, but richly deserved.

67
00:04:42,580 --> 00:04:46,860
 Your thoughts on a contract extension for Nate Oates?

68
00:04:47,500 --> 00:04:49,260
 Good for all parties, honestly.

69
00:04:49,600 --> 00:04:52,300
 Because, again, I don't think Nate was ever truly serious.

70
00:04:52,560 --> 00:04:54,220
 And I may even mention it on your show last week.

71
00:04:54,280 --> 00:04:57,640
 He was probably a little too honest when he met with the media saying, no, I don't want to go anywhere.

72
00:04:57,820 --> 00:04:59,800
 You know, that's not what any agent wants to hear.

73
00:04:59,900 --> 00:05:03,120
 They want you to kind of flirt with everybody and get the best deal.

74
00:05:03,400 --> 00:05:06,060
 But, no, I mean, Nate's very, very committed to this program.

75
00:05:06,240 --> 00:05:13,020
 And he has shown that you have all the resources to compete at the top of college basketball at an SEC school like Alabama.

76
00:05:13,280 --> 00:05:16,280
 So, yeah, he's got a consistent winner here in Tuscaloosa.

77
00:05:16,820 --> 00:05:23,580
 The practice facility is something that he completely had a hands-on design with, knowing what would be best for his student-athletes.

78
00:05:23,800 --> 00:05:27,300
 And, you know, Coleman Coliseum, I still think there are going to be some improvements made there.

79
00:05:27,460 --> 00:05:29,940
 There still could be a new arena down the road for the fans.

80
00:05:30,060 --> 00:05:38,000
 But for what the student-athletes go through on a daily basis, this practice facility is everything in terms of recruiting and trying to make sure he gets the best talent to campus.

81
00:05:38,000 --> 00:05:39,420
 And I think he's like me.

82
00:05:39,580 --> 00:05:43,180
 He likes the atmosphere that we have at Coleman Coliseum for a big game when it's rocking.

83
00:05:43,420 --> 00:05:45,900
 It's second to none, in my opinion, in the conference.

84
00:05:46,200 --> 00:05:50,040
 So, I think it shows, again, the power of the Alabama brand, power of the SEC.

85
00:05:50,480 --> 00:05:55,520
 I mean, even Will Wade showing that going from an ACC school like NC State back to LSU.

86
00:05:55,960 --> 00:06:03,760
 This is a conference to be in right now because of all the money that is generated from television and not just in basketball, but football, any other sport.

87
00:06:03,760 --> 00:06:07,980
 If you're not in the SEC or maybe the Big Ten, we should give them some kudos like you did off the top.

88
00:06:08,000 --> 00:06:12,420
 Talking about another national championship in men's basketball for the Big Ten.

89
00:06:12,720 --> 00:06:18,140
 But these are the schools that are the separators right now in college athletics, and I don't see that really changing anytime soon.

90
00:06:18,480 --> 00:06:24,940
 So, Nate Oates knows he has a great opportunity at one of the premier schools in the SEC, and sometimes you don't upset happy.

91
00:06:25,040 --> 00:06:26,880
 And I think he's very happy right now at Alabama.

92
00:06:27,740 --> 00:06:31,560
 Roger Hoover, he's always happy on the Crimson Tide Sports Network.

93
00:06:31,860 --> 00:06:33,860
 Roger, let's talk football.

94
00:06:34,040 --> 00:06:35,680
 Two questions about Saturday.

95
00:06:35,680 --> 00:06:40,320
 Have you got your football face on, and do you have plenty of sunscreen in your little packet?

96
00:06:40,560 --> 00:06:45,800
 86 degrees and a 95% chance it will not rain.

97
00:06:45,980 --> 00:06:48,120
 Put another way, 5% chance it will.

98
00:06:48,920 --> 00:06:53,300
 86, it's going to feel like a September this Saturday in April in Tuscaloosa.

99
00:06:53,500 --> 00:06:56,600
 What are you hearing about Alabama's A-Day game?

100
00:06:57,280 --> 00:07:03,600
 Well, I think they're going to call me tomato-faced by the time everything's done, being on the sidelines for that game coming up on Saturday.

101
00:07:03,940 --> 00:07:04,880
 A lot of excitement.

102
00:07:05,180 --> 00:07:07,640
 We had a head coach last night in Tuscaloosa.

103
00:07:07,760 --> 00:07:13,060
 Tyler Watson and I were joined by Kalen DeBoer talking about what he's liked about this group, the competition,

104
00:07:13,460 --> 00:07:16,200
 some of the new looks that Alabama has on both sides.

105
00:07:16,200 --> 00:07:23,200
 The offensive line has really been retooled, and there's just a lot of excitement for so many players coming back.

106
00:07:23,320 --> 00:07:30,600
 Not necessarily even your veteran leaders like a Bray Hubbard or Keyon Saab, but maybe some players that got some playing time last year.

107
00:07:30,720 --> 00:07:34,320
 You know, Alabama, each and every ball game, we would play players as true freshmen.

108
00:07:34,520 --> 00:07:36,640
 We're saying, wait a second, I didn't think he was even in the mix.

109
00:07:36,640 --> 00:07:42,080
 And, you know, here he is getting valuable reps against Florida State and Georgia and later in the year against Oklahoma.

110
00:07:42,600 --> 00:07:45,340
 All of that has really paid off for this group.

111
00:07:45,640 --> 00:07:51,000
 The depth on this team is outstanding going into the Golden Flake A-Day game coming up on Saturday,

112
00:07:51,240 --> 00:07:54,600
 and I think you're going to see some steps forward taken by a lot of different players.

113
00:07:55,040 --> 00:08:01,800
 Obviously, all the focus is going to be on the quarterback competition, but I stress, don't read into too much that's going to happen there.

114
00:08:02,020 --> 00:08:09,260
 Just if you, Austin Mack has an interception, if Keelan Russell fumbles a football, doesn't mean they're out of the competition, anything like that.

115
00:08:09,360 --> 00:08:14,060
 So we're going to see this competition, I think, go pretty deep into fall camp coming up in August,

116
00:08:14,220 --> 00:08:17,880
 and possibly even into game week, getting ready for the Pirates of East Carolina.

117
00:08:18,220 --> 00:08:21,160
 So that would be my other thing I would caution Crimson Tide fans.

118
00:08:21,300 --> 00:08:22,560
 It's not the end of the world.

119
00:08:22,700 --> 00:08:28,160
 It's not a crowning moment for either one of these quarterbacks in this competition coming up on Saturday.

120
00:08:28,400 --> 00:08:29,780
 It's just another practice.

121
00:08:29,780 --> 00:08:33,360
 It's just another step on what's ultimately the journey towards the season opener.

122
00:08:34,360 --> 00:08:37,580
 Bronger, I'm really looking forward to the line of scrimmage.

123
00:08:37,680 --> 00:08:40,680
 I mentioned that a couple of times this spring.

124
00:08:40,860 --> 00:08:49,220
 Terrence Green, Desmond Yu, Devin Tompkins, the transfer from USC, heard a lot of good things about them.

125
00:08:49,360 --> 00:08:51,980
 We'll see what the offensive line is going to do.

126
00:08:52,080 --> 00:08:54,160
 I know they mixed and matched that.

127
00:08:54,840 --> 00:09:00,540
 Some of the others, they really seem to have had a hit or hit a home run with a lot of these transfers.

128
00:09:00,880 --> 00:09:10,360
 Let me remind fans, this game will not be on TV, but radio will be front and center with you and Tyler Watts and Chris Stewart

129
00:09:10,360 --> 00:09:15,440
 and Corey Raymer doing interviews on the field, on the sidelines.

130
00:09:15,540 --> 00:09:16,980
 It's going to be a two-hour broadcast.

131
00:09:17,800 --> 00:09:19,860
 A lot of people look forward to that, my friend.

132
00:09:20,640 --> 00:09:22,420
 Yeah, we hit the air at 1230.

133
00:09:22,580 --> 00:09:26,420
 I'll get us started because Chris is going to be making his way back from Denny Chimes.

134
00:09:26,580 --> 00:09:30,820
 You always have the captain's ceremony, getting the handprints and the cleat marks in the cement.

135
00:09:30,820 --> 00:09:35,800
 So I'll be sitting with my favorite captain, Tyler Watts, up in the booth to get us going on radio.

136
00:09:36,020 --> 00:09:38,220
 And then, yeah, Chris and Tyler will call the game.

137
00:09:38,320 --> 00:09:39,440
 I'll be on the sidelines some.

138
00:09:39,560 --> 00:09:41,600
 So we look forward to bringing you some interviews.

139
00:09:41,920 --> 00:09:44,600
 It's always a really fun broadcast, always more interactive.

140
00:09:44,780 --> 00:09:47,800
 You know, we don't get too technical with some of the play-by-play and things like that.

141
00:09:47,860 --> 00:09:51,620
 We try to have broader conversations of what this football team looks like.

142
00:09:51,740 --> 00:09:55,960
 Hopefully we'll have some good interviews coming up as well with the coordinators like we did last year.

143
00:09:56,020 --> 00:10:00,720
 Courtney Morgan, the GM, was tremendous when he joined us for about 15 minutes last year.

144
00:10:00,820 --> 00:10:02,580
 So I'm hoping for something similar.

145
00:10:02,840 --> 00:10:08,480
 Yeah, we'll hit the radio at 1230 and then have the game broadcast from 1 to 3 o'clock on Saturday afternoon.

146
00:10:11,060 --> 00:10:12,580
 Listen, let's talk.

147
00:10:12,800 --> 00:10:21,600
 Number one, a softball team that is at least number one in one poll after beating the Texas Longhorns in a series.

148
00:10:22,280 --> 00:10:26,720
 And, Roger, what about this baseball team winning eight of nine games?

149
00:10:27,580 --> 00:10:31,180
 I know you spent too much time in Norman, Oklahoma.

150
00:10:31,480 --> 00:10:38,000
 They've got a game with Samford and the Arkansas Ranger Banks coming in for the eight-day weekend.

151
00:10:38,200 --> 00:10:40,780
 But talk about two hot teams right now.

152
00:10:41,680 --> 00:10:42,760
 Very hot teams.

153
00:10:42,960 --> 00:10:44,660
 Teams that are playing with a lot of confidence.

154
00:10:44,960 --> 00:10:49,820
 The softball team, I don't get to watch them very often since their games are usually the same time as our baseball games.

155
00:10:49,820 --> 00:10:58,960
 But from what I've heard and what Patrick Murphy has talked about this group, I think the strength of any softball team is in the circle.

156
00:10:59,140 --> 00:11:04,200
 Pitching in Alabama has got some of the best, starting with Jocelyn Briskey and a great freshman in Vic Mokin.

157
00:11:04,380 --> 00:11:07,640
 I think all Alabama fans have really enjoyed getting to know her.

158
00:11:07,640 --> 00:11:10,620
 We had a podcast with her a couple of weeks ago on Crimson Drive.

159
00:11:10,700 --> 00:11:11,580
 Love getting to know her.

160
00:11:12,080 --> 00:11:15,940
 And it's exciting to see what this group is starting to do on the baseball diamond.

161
00:11:16,380 --> 00:11:18,720
 You know, the Oklahoma series had some good moments.

162
00:11:18,940 --> 00:11:20,740
 It was feast or famine for the offense.

163
00:11:21,020 --> 00:11:25,660
 You know, we built up a 10-1 lead on Thursday night and didn't score a run the rest of the game.

164
00:11:25,760 --> 00:11:27,300
 10-1 lead after the second inning.

165
00:11:27,400 --> 00:11:29,800
 We had eight runs, three home runs in the second inning.

166
00:11:30,060 --> 00:11:33,540
 Didn't score again, but the pitching was good enough to hold on to a 10-7 lead.

167
00:11:33,540 --> 00:11:38,660
 We kind of lost a ho-hum 4-2 game on Good Friday and then came back the next day.

168
00:11:38,760 --> 00:11:42,280
 And again, three runs in the top of the first, and that was it offensively.

169
00:11:42,420 --> 00:11:47,880
 But it was enough because the pitching staff, with Miles Upchurch and some great performances out of the bullpen,

170
00:11:48,020 --> 00:11:52,920
 Aston Crowler, Hagan Banks, Matthew Heiberger, you know, they slammed the door shut on the Oklahoma offense.

171
00:11:53,400 --> 00:12:01,800
 So it was an exciting weekend, a tough weekend to get those two wins as you're able to pick up a road series win for the first time in SEC play.

172
00:12:01,800 --> 00:12:04,760
 And now you take on an Arkansas team that's kind of a hit or miss.

173
00:12:04,880 --> 00:12:06,860
 Every other weekend they seem to be playing well.

174
00:12:06,980 --> 00:12:09,720
 I believe lost the series last time out to the Auburn Tigers.

175
00:12:09,940 --> 00:12:12,040
 So they're kind of reeling a little bit at the moment.

176
00:12:12,160 --> 00:12:14,060
 This might be a good time to catch Arkansas.

177
00:12:14,420 --> 00:12:20,320
 And we're just so excited to get back to Sewell Thomas Stadium where this baseball team has won six straight SEC games,

178
00:12:20,400 --> 00:12:22,580
 those back-to-back sweeps against Florida and Auburn.

179
00:12:22,900 --> 00:12:24,080
 Can't wait to keep it rolling in.

180
00:12:24,120 --> 00:12:27,960
 Hope a lot of fans that are on campus coming up on Saturday for A-Day.

181
00:12:27,960 --> 00:12:31,760
 The baseball game is going to be at 4 o'clock, an hour after everything is going to be done.

182
00:12:31,800 --> 00:12:33,380
 And it's Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

183
00:12:33,660 --> 00:12:37,560
 So walking back to your car, stop by the Joe, enjoy a few innings of baseball,

184
00:12:37,740 --> 00:12:42,120
 stay for the ballgame, and support the Crimson Tide because now they're a top-ten baseball team.

185
00:12:42,400 --> 00:12:46,740
 After everyone was writing this group off after the series sweep at Kentucky

186
00:12:46,740 --> 00:12:50,460
 and a loss to lowly South Alabama, well, things can change in a hurry.

187
00:12:50,640 --> 00:12:51,820
 It helps to have a no-hitter.

188
00:12:52,200 --> 00:12:54,780
 And that's really sparked this group over the last few weeks.

189
00:12:56,260 --> 00:12:56,700
 Absolutely.

190
00:12:57,440 --> 00:12:59,800
 Alabama number eight is, as you mentioned.

191
00:13:00,420 --> 00:13:03,120
 Listen, who was on Crimson Drive this week?

192
00:13:03,180 --> 00:13:05,560
 I know that's on Tuesday and Thursday.

193
00:13:06,560 --> 00:13:14,360
 Samford tonight, Arkansas this week, along with Alabama A-Day, which, by the way, 93-9 score is going to be carrying.

194
00:13:14,760 --> 00:13:18,820
 Where can we get online and get all the good stuff and tell us about your week?

195
00:13:19,580 --> 00:13:22,060
 Yeah, Crimson Drive driven by NASCAR this afternoon.

196
00:13:22,260 --> 00:13:23,460
 I look forward to the program.

197
00:13:23,620 --> 00:13:27,920
 We have Matthew Heiberger from the baseball team, Anna Roman from the softball team.

198
00:13:28,480 --> 00:13:32,500
 They join us as well as we take a look back to Pauline Love, who joined us last night,

199
00:13:32,580 --> 00:13:34,380
 the new women's basketball head coach at Alabama.

200
00:13:34,560 --> 00:13:37,800
 We had our first conversation with her on the network on Hey Coach.

201
00:13:37,840 --> 00:13:38,900
 She'll be replaying that.

202
00:13:38,900 --> 00:13:44,660
 And then really can't wait for people to see our interview with Justin LeBron coming up on Thursday's show at 2 o'clock.

203
00:13:44,840 --> 00:13:50,780
 The shortstop for the Crimson Tide doesn't do many interviews, but he lets his bat do the talking most of the time.

204
00:13:50,920 --> 00:13:55,420
 So the fact that we were able to get him in the studio for a long conversation is really cool,

205
00:13:55,480 --> 00:13:58,140
 because that's a guy, again, that is having a great year for Alabama.

206
00:13:58,480 --> 00:14:02,440
 He's going to be likely a top-five pick coming up in the summer's MLB draft.

207
00:14:02,680 --> 00:14:05,200
 And our producer, Tom Stipe, last night kept joking,

208
00:14:05,200 --> 00:14:07,220
 I hope you're an Atlanta Brave by the end of the year.

209
00:14:07,580 --> 00:14:09,440
 Justin said that would treat him just fine.

210
00:14:09,760 --> 00:14:12,080
 So, no, really cool conversation with him.

211
00:14:12,160 --> 00:14:16,560
 And then all the work getting ready for A-Day and baseball coming up this weekend.

212
00:14:16,680 --> 00:14:18,140
 It should be a really good time.

213
00:14:18,320 --> 00:14:19,740
 It's just a special time of the year.

214
00:14:19,860 --> 00:14:24,560
 And I've got the sunscreen ready to go to be good on the sidelines and also the allergy meds.

215
00:14:24,560 --> 00:14:26,880
 Usually every A-Day I'm coughing and sneezing a lot.

216
00:14:27,120 --> 00:14:31,100
 So we'll be loaded down with Zyrtec and Sloanase will be ready to go.

217
00:14:31,500 --> 00:14:33,120
 I think some of us can relate.

218
00:14:33,240 --> 00:14:37,560
 Roger, it sounds like you're busy, but please don't get too busy thinking on Justin's will.

219
00:14:37,580 --> 00:14:40,400
 Okay, he's going to be rich in about another year from now.

220
00:14:41,060 --> 00:14:42,820
 I mean, we're best friends at this point.

221
00:14:43,020 --> 00:14:43,700
 There you go.

222
00:14:43,820 --> 00:14:45,180
 He's got to include his buddy, Roger.

223
00:14:46,140 --> 00:14:46,960
 We're besties.

224
00:14:48,620 --> 00:14:51,280
 Roger, keep up the good work and thanks so much for your time today, buddy.

225
00:14:51,980 --> 00:14:52,760
 All right, thank you guys.

226
00:14:52,820 --> 00:14:53,160
 You're the best.

227
00:14:53,260 --> 00:14:53,820
 Thank you, buddy.

228
00:14:54,040 --> 00:14:56,340
 Roger Hoover, Crimson Tide Sports Network.

229
00:14:56,480 --> 00:14:57,120
 That's it on down.

230
00:14:57,220 --> 00:15:01,380
 I wonder if your brother lives in Florida and so does Mark McLeod.

231
00:15:01,460 --> 00:15:02,540
 We'll take you there next.

232
00:15:02,620 --> 00:15:03,120
 Stay with us.

233
00:15:08,120 --> 00:15:09,740
 Some stare at the horizon.

234
00:15:10,500 --> 00:15:11,700
 Others chase it.

235
00:15:12,360 --> 00:15:19,100
 Introducing Cheyenne, a Western fashion brand for women raised on wide open spaces, rushing wind, and a steady heartbeat.

236
00:15:19,820 --> 00:15:28,700
 Guided by a timeless country spirit, Cheyenne offers Western wear and fashion pieces with a curated collection of performance boots and clothing fit for your next adventure.

237
00:15:29,440 --> 00:15:34,160
 Cheyenne, exclusively available at Boot Barn stores nationwide and at Cheyenne.com.

238
00:15:34,580 --> 00:15:36,220
 Cheyenne, raised this way.

239
00:15:38,220 --> 00:15:42,680
 Spring is in the air and Aleve's long-lasting pain relief is here to keep you moving.

240
00:15:43,500 --> 00:15:45,600
 The days are longer and the flowers are blooming.

241
00:15:45,980 --> 00:15:52,400
 Whether it's gardening, yard work, or just spending more time outdoors, spring has a way of getting us moving despite any body pain.

242
00:15:53,060 --> 00:15:54,580
 That's where Aleve can keep you going.

243
00:15:55,140 --> 00:15:59,640
 With just one dose, Aleve gives you long-lasting body pain relief for up to 12 hours.

244
00:16:00,100 --> 00:16:02,940
 From sunup to sundown, Aleve's got your back.

245
00:16:03,560 --> 00:16:04,160
 Try Aleve.

246
00:16:04,580 --> 00:16:06,400
 Use as directed for minor aches and pains.

247
00:16:08,220 --> 00:16:10,900
 You've said it before.

248
00:16:11,440 --> 00:16:12,720
 This will only take a second.

249
00:16:13,340 --> 00:16:14,460
 Just a quick glance.

250
00:16:14,960 --> 00:16:15,880
 A fast reply.

251
00:16:16,440 --> 00:16:18,480
 But on the road, seconds don't wait for you.

252
00:16:19,020 --> 00:16:20,060
 They decide everything.

253
00:16:20,640 --> 00:16:23,320
 Who stops, who doesn't, who makes it home.

254
00:16:24,600 --> 00:16:27,700
 So next time your phone lights up, ask yourself,

255
00:16:28,240 --> 00:16:31,480
 is this distraction worth a ticket or even a life?

256
00:16:32,260 --> 00:16:34,240
 Put the phone away or pay.

257
00:16:34,840 --> 00:16:35,820
 Paid for by Nitzel.

258
00:16:37,500 --> 00:16:38,320
 Smalls here.

259
00:16:38,540 --> 00:16:39,540
 Life is full of choices.

260
00:16:39,700 --> 00:16:40,740
 Some big, some small.

261
00:16:40,940 --> 00:16:42,980
 And when you choose an H&R Block tax pro,

262
00:16:43,180 --> 00:16:46,880
 you're choosing the largest network of tax expertise to be in your corner.

263
00:16:47,100 --> 00:16:49,700
 For when your big ambitions need help with the small details.

264
00:16:49,960 --> 00:16:52,460
 For when your six figures come from six different places.

265
00:16:52,720 --> 00:16:55,280
 For when your gaming stream becomes your revenue stream.

266
00:16:55,280 --> 00:16:59,300
 For when your business is year one, needs 70 years of tax know-how.

267
00:16:59,560 --> 00:17:00,960
 At H&R Block, they've seen it all.

268
00:17:01,120 --> 00:17:04,700
 And they're here to help you make the most out of your money for life outside the box.

269
00:17:04,940 --> 00:17:06,860
 Get started at H&R Block dot com.

270
00:17:07,540 --> 00:17:08,740
 I'm Boomer Esiason.

271
00:17:08,980 --> 00:17:10,340
 My mom died from cancer.

272
00:17:10,620 --> 00:17:12,340
 She was only 37 years old.

273
00:17:12,600 --> 00:17:16,000
 She didn't have life insurance and that was devastating for my family.

274
00:17:16,280 --> 00:17:18,500
 That's why having life insurance is so important to me.

275
00:17:18,800 --> 00:17:20,780
 Ethos makes it fast and easy.

276
00:17:21,020 --> 00:17:24,740
 Get a quote in seconds, apply in minutes, and get same-day coverage.

277
00:17:24,740 --> 00:17:28,320
 You can get up to 3 million in coverage with no medical exam.

278
00:17:28,720 --> 00:17:31,840
 Get your free quote at ethos.com slash play.

279
00:17:32,160 --> 00:17:34,180
 That's ethos.com slash play.

280
00:17:34,520 --> 00:17:35,000
 Paid spokesperson.

281
00:17:35,300 --> 00:17:36,320
 Time span on application may vary.

282
00:17:36,440 --> 00:17:37,400
 Online health questions required.

283
00:17:37,840 --> 00:17:39,640
 This is the story of the one.

284
00:17:40,220 --> 00:17:41,880
 As a maintenance tech at a university,

285
00:17:42,200 --> 00:17:47,540
 he knows ordering from multiple suppliers takes time away from keeping their arena up and running.

286
00:17:47,900 --> 00:17:55,420
 That's why he counts on Grainger to get everything he needs from lighting and HVAC parts to plumbing supplies all in one place.

287
00:17:55,660 --> 00:18:00,020
 And with fast, dependable delivery, he's stocked and ready for the next tip-off.

288
00:18:00,360 --> 00:18:03,600
 Call 1-800-GRAINGER, click grainger.com, or just stop by.

289
00:18:03,840 --> 00:18:06,360
 Grainger, for the ones who get it done.

290
00:18:08,120 --> 00:18:12,160
 The Progressive Home Quote Explorer helps you easily find and buy the right coverage for you.

291
00:18:12,440 --> 00:18:13,920
 It's everything you've always wanted.

292
00:18:14,540 --> 00:18:19,100
 Well, I mean, you know, as far as a website that lets you shop, quote, and buy insurance in one place.

293
00:18:19,600 --> 00:18:22,180
 But hey, maybe that is everything you've always wanted.

294
00:18:22,460 --> 00:18:24,560
 You know, yeah, people have different types of dreams.

295
00:18:24,900 --> 00:18:28,940
 And if all you've ever been searching for is a website that helps you choose home insurance rates and coverage,

296
00:18:29,180 --> 00:18:32,640
 boy, do we have great news about Progressive's Home Quote Explorer.

297
00:18:33,260 --> 00:18:35,340
 Progressive Casualty Insurance Company, affiliates, and third-party insurers.

298
00:18:35,500 --> 00:18:36,980
 Comparison rates not available in all states or situations.

299
00:18:37,100 --> 00:18:38,000
 Prices vary based on how you buy.

300
00:18:38,880 --> 00:18:41,340
 Thy ticket, Lady Jennifer of Coolidge.

301
00:18:41,820 --> 00:18:43,520
 Well, many thanks, good sir.

302
00:18:44,200 --> 00:18:46,100
 Heareth my Discover card.

303
00:18:47,000 --> 00:18:49,240
 They accept Discover at Renaissance Fairs?

304
00:18:49,580 --> 00:18:50,580
 Yeah, they do here.

305
00:18:50,920 --> 00:18:53,320
 Discover is accepted at the places I love to shop.

306
00:18:53,740 --> 00:18:55,220
 Get it with the times.

307
00:18:55,740 --> 00:18:56,900
 With the times?

308
00:18:57,320 --> 00:18:58,600
 You're playing the lute.

309
00:19:00,000 --> 00:19:01,760
 Yeah, and it sounds pretty good, right?

310
00:19:02,200 --> 00:19:05,760
 Discover is accepted at 99% of places that take credit cards nationwide.

311
00:19:06,440 --> 00:19:08,620
 Based on the February 2025 Nielsen Report.

312
00:19:09,300 --> 00:19:10,620
 Shh, here it comes.

313
00:19:11,180 --> 00:19:11,580
 Surprise!

314
00:19:12,080 --> 00:19:14,540
 The people above your catering business are doing major construction.

315
00:19:14,940 --> 00:19:16,940
 And the drilling is only during business hours.

316
00:19:17,140 --> 00:19:17,640
 It's so loud.

317
00:19:17,640 --> 00:19:21,580
 Progressive knows small business owners usually don't like surprises because they cost you money.

318
00:19:21,580 --> 00:19:23,380
 But a good surprise that could save you money?

319
00:19:23,520 --> 00:19:26,460
 Getting personalized discounts on a commercial auto quote with Progressive.

320
00:19:26,560 --> 00:19:28,620
 Also, that isn't powdered sugar on the floor.

321
00:19:28,760 --> 00:19:30,300
 It's plaster from your ceiling.

322
00:19:30,840 --> 00:19:31,660
 Surprise yourself.

323
00:19:31,780 --> 00:19:34,780
 See if you can save in as little as eight minutes at ProgressiveCommercial.com.

324
00:19:34,920 --> 00:19:36,420
 Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates.

325
00:19:36,540 --> 00:19:38,200
 Discounts not available in all states or situations.

326
00:19:38,960 --> 00:19:41,200
 Hey, it's Rich Eisen for Pella Windows and Doors.

327
00:19:41,420 --> 00:19:44,660
 Sometimes teams take a timeout to regroup and call the right play.

328
00:19:44,900 --> 00:19:48,740
 When it comes to your home, Pella Windows and Doors always has the winning game plan.

329
00:19:49,000 --> 00:19:50,680
 They're not just window and door experts.

330
00:19:50,960 --> 00:19:53,520
 They're experts at taking care of you and your home.

331
00:19:53,800 --> 00:19:57,580
 At Pella, they find the products that meet your needs and their experts install them.

332
00:19:57,780 --> 00:20:00,300
 They do it every day, and that's why your neighbors trust them.

333
00:20:00,300 --> 00:20:03,760
 Discover why Pella is a trusted choice for homeowners everywhere.

334
00:20:04,120 --> 00:20:06,220
 Visit Pella.com slash Eisen today.

335
00:20:06,460 --> 00:20:08,120
 That's Pella.com slash Eisen.

336
00:20:08,960 --> 00:20:10,160
 The Score.

337
00:20:10,580 --> 00:20:15,360
 Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score.

338
00:20:15,800 --> 00:20:16,440
 Welcome back in.

339
00:20:16,480 --> 00:20:19,200
 It is always a pleasure for us to say hello to Mark McLeod.

340
00:20:19,260 --> 00:20:22,740
 He's host of The Blitz with Mark McLeod and The Gator Blitz.

341
00:20:22,840 --> 00:20:23,720
 Also, that's the podcast.

342
00:20:23,980 --> 00:20:24,640
 Mark, welcome in.

343
00:20:24,680 --> 00:20:25,180
 How are you?

344
00:20:25,820 --> 00:20:27,060
 Hey, doing well, Harold.

345
00:20:27,140 --> 00:20:28,460
 Always good to be on with you and Brett.

346
00:20:28,640 --> 00:20:29,660
 You too.

347
00:20:29,660 --> 00:20:31,700
 Man, does it not seem weird.

348
00:20:31,860 --> 00:20:36,400
 Just a short time ago, Mark, we're supposed to be sitting here on the day after the college

349
00:20:36,400 --> 00:20:39,280
 basketball season ended and talking about Florida repeating.

350
00:20:39,460 --> 00:20:44,100
 They went through the SEC like Brett does a whole pizza, large, by the way.

351
00:20:44,600 --> 00:20:49,600
 It has to be frustrating if you're a Florida fan not to be back adding more space to the

352
00:20:49,600 --> 00:20:50,200
 trophy case.

353
00:20:50,320 --> 00:20:52,200
 Your thoughts about the season, Mark?

354
00:20:53,080 --> 00:20:54,900
 Yeah, you're absolutely right.

355
00:20:55,080 --> 00:20:57,580
 Yeah, it was a real downer.

356
00:20:57,660 --> 00:21:03,060
 It's amazing to see the people on social media, Harold, after that Florida loss, who said, well,

357
00:21:03,100 --> 00:21:07,100
 there goes my national champion or there goes one of my final four teams.

358
00:21:07,580 --> 00:21:12,080
 It was really difficult to stomach in and around Gainesville.

359
00:21:12,240 --> 00:21:16,760
 And then, of course, you know, you've had Oliver Rio, the world's tallest teenager.

360
00:21:17,040 --> 00:21:18,520
 He hit the transfer portal.

361
00:21:18,800 --> 00:21:23,180
 You've had some other things happen, but you've got some guys who are coming back and you've

362
00:21:23,180 --> 00:21:29,060
 got, you know, you've got some really good news coming into Gainesville.

363
00:21:29,240 --> 00:21:32,740
 I mean, genuinely winning the National Defensive Player of the Year.

364
00:21:32,860 --> 00:21:36,380
 Again, good accolades coming to Todd Golden in the program.

365
00:21:36,520 --> 00:21:38,800
 So, it bodes well for the future, but you're right.

366
00:21:38,880 --> 00:21:44,620
 It was a difficult, difficult way to stomach being bounced out of the NCAA tournament.

367
00:21:46,000 --> 00:21:53,200
 Mark, I had them in the final four in my bracket, which was, believe me, was done about after

368
00:21:53,200 --> 00:21:54,600
 the first 20 minutes.

369
00:21:57,000 --> 00:21:57,940
 That long?

370
00:21:58,420 --> 00:22:06,320
 I never thought the guards were as good as last year, even though Boogie Flan and Lee started

371
00:22:06,320 --> 00:22:07,080
 getting better.

372
00:22:07,080 --> 00:22:15,800
 I thought their front rivaled Michigan and maybe UConn, and they played very well.

373
00:22:16,000 --> 00:22:21,760
 But my goodness, bud, the last two minutes of that Iowa game was cringeworthy.

374
00:22:22,640 --> 00:22:25,080
 That's what I think bothered Florida fans.

375
00:22:25,180 --> 00:22:31,040
 And again, you can't argue with the national championship, but yeah, no question mark.

376
00:22:31,100 --> 00:22:33,840
 As good as this team was, it ended in a disappointment.

377
00:22:34,680 --> 00:22:39,800
 Well, and you're spot on with your point, Brett, because remember, you know, the times that we

378
00:22:39,800 --> 00:22:46,620
 talked back, you know, in January about this basketball team in early February, that was

379
00:22:46,620 --> 00:22:48,880
 the one area they needed to really clean up.

380
00:22:49,120 --> 00:22:54,400
 These guards, there were a few games, I want to say, going back, you know, five weeks ago,

381
00:22:54,960 --> 00:22:59,260
 six weeks ago, where they finally, they had a few games where they actually took over.

382
00:22:59,440 --> 00:23:02,060
 But by and large, that didn't happen this year.

383
00:23:02,060 --> 00:23:07,440
 We can count on one hand the number of times the guards took over a game and really, really

384
00:23:07,440 --> 00:23:14,160
 impacted it for the win for the Gators, because it was the front court that was doing it game

385
00:23:14,160 --> 00:23:14,940
 in and game out.

386
00:23:16,440 --> 00:23:20,380
 Mark McLeod, I got to go with us, host of The Blitz with Mark McLeod.

387
00:23:20,480 --> 00:23:26,000
 Mark, let's go outside, history every day on the spring football field.

388
00:23:26,360 --> 00:23:31,000
 Your thoughts about the new generation of Gators, fresh in their second scrimmage, what do you

389
00:23:31,000 --> 00:23:32,000
 know so far?

390
00:23:33,460 --> 00:23:40,320
 Well, I tell you, the first thing I know, Harold, is the fact that now that we're in the

391
00:23:40,320 --> 00:23:44,720
 spring, okay, we've seen the S&D program in the winter, now that we're in the spring, we're

392
00:23:44,720 --> 00:23:52,260
 a few weeks in, Jon Sumrall is the first coach to check all of the boxes since Urban Meyer

393
00:23:52,260 --> 00:23:52,840
 and Gainesville.

394
00:23:52,900 --> 00:23:53,820
 Wow, really?

395
00:23:54,420 --> 00:23:58,940
 Yeah, it was not Will Muschamp, there were questions, there were questions with McElwain,

396
00:23:59,040 --> 00:24:02,480
 there were questions with Mullen, questions with Napier, look, there were questions going

397
00:24:02,480 --> 00:24:03,600
 back to Ron Zook, too.

398
00:24:04,120 --> 00:24:10,100
 But, this is the first guy that when you look at what he's doing, what strength and conditioning

399
00:24:10,100 --> 00:24:14,720
 program, the physicality that he's bringing back to Gainesville that was lacking under Napier,

400
00:24:15,380 --> 00:24:20,340
 that was lacking at times under Mullen, the coaching hires, all of the assistant coaching

401
00:24:20,340 --> 00:24:26,180
 hires, the recruiting, the transfer portal, the culture, you know, that Billy Napier did

402
00:24:26,180 --> 00:24:30,740
 a great job building culture, but Jon Sumrall is trying to keep that together and he's saying,

403
00:24:30,740 --> 00:24:38,520
 look, guys, the difference between Napier and Sumrall is that Napier was very hands-on,

404
00:24:38,620 --> 00:24:43,580
 wanted to talk to the kids, he kind of coddled them, whereas Sumrall said, look, you guys are

405
00:24:43,580 --> 00:24:49,960
 getting paid, you're pros, you guys are professionals, act like it, live like it, and I think those

406
00:24:49,960 --> 00:24:54,880
 are major differences, he's the first guy, and I love what I'm seeing out of Jon Sumrall.

407
00:24:55,420 --> 00:25:00,320
 You know, to parallel that, you go back to Kevin Simpson at Houston, it seems like that these two

408
00:25:00,320 --> 00:25:05,300
 are two peas in the pod because, yes, they want the five-star, yes, they want this and want that,

409
00:25:05,600 --> 00:25:11,060
 but they want team players because in this day and time, it's easy to go out, throw money at a rock

410
00:25:11,060 --> 00:25:14,980
 star and they come in and they act like a rock star. It sounds like John's not going to tolerate that.

411
00:25:15,080 --> 00:25:20,040
 He'd rather have a three-star that buys into the system and wants to come in and put in a nine-to-five

412
00:25:20,040 --> 00:25:22,500
 as opposed to a rock star that's a prima donna.

413
00:25:23,160 --> 00:25:28,400
 You're right. You're exactly right. And look, they've got some concerns in Gainesville.

414
00:25:28,480 --> 00:25:32,680
 They've acknowledged that. Phil Troutwine, the offensive line coach, who did a fabulous job at Penn

415
00:25:32,680 --> 00:25:37,380
 State, did good work at Boston College, he's acknowledged that too. He said, look, we've got

416
00:25:37,380 --> 00:25:41,760
 some guys, I like what we have at start, and I like some of the fight we have, but there's some

417
00:25:41,760 --> 00:25:47,440
 younger guys that we're hearing that are not completely bought in. Some of the reserves that they

418
00:25:47,440 --> 00:25:51,780
 would like to develop and get up there. But the good thing for Florida, you have Harrison Moore

419
00:25:51,780 --> 00:25:59,120
 from Georgia Tech, who of course worked with Buster Faulkner. You have Egan Boyer. You have T.J.

420
00:25:59,220 --> 00:26:08,660
 Shanahan, both worked at Penn State. And this is great, under Troutwine. And that's fabulous for

421
00:26:08,660 --> 00:26:13,960
 Florida because these guys have some experience and they can do that. Florida only has one returning

422
00:26:13,960 --> 00:26:18,160
 offensive lineman with experience, and that's Naja Harris, who's started the past two years.

423
00:26:18,300 --> 00:26:24,120
 So a lot of work to be done there. But the positives, the wide receiver room guys may very

424
00:26:24,120 --> 00:26:29,140
 well be elite for Florida. They love what they're seeing out there. All of the guys from the portal

425
00:26:29,140 --> 00:26:34,100
 that came in and helped Florida. Some of the guys who stayed. And then the two other areas that I'm

426
00:26:34,100 --> 00:26:41,480
 hearing, no surprise to you guys. Jaden Ball running back. Duke Clark at running back look really good for

427
00:26:41,480 --> 00:26:47,120
 Florida. Florida's running back room with the transfers they have in. That's going to very well be an elite

428
00:26:47,120 --> 00:26:52,520
 room too. But linebacker. With Miles Graham and company, they believe linebacker could be elite for

429
00:26:52,520 --> 00:26:59,440
 Florida too. So three areas where last year under Napier, you had maybe one area and that was the running

430
00:26:59,440 --> 00:26:59,840
 back room.

431
00:27:01,140 --> 00:27:07,840
 You mentioned Buster Faulkner. When he was at Georgia Tech, they had, they were 12th in the nation in total

432
00:27:07,840 --> 00:27:16,280
 offense, averaging 47, 460 yards a game. When did Florida run the due last year at 341?

433
00:27:17,080 --> 00:27:24,040
 They were 109th nationally in scoring, 22 points a game. I'm sorry, but that's not going to win a lot of games.

434
00:27:24,900 --> 00:27:34,120
 22nd in total offense. And they ran 64 plays a game, which was ranked 116th. And Buster Faulkner,

435
00:27:34,580 --> 00:27:39,900
 Mark, they want to run some tempo from what I've read. And you're right. They've got tremendous skill

436
00:27:39,900 --> 00:27:46,280
 players. Brown, Dallas Wilson, Singleton, who was at Auburn and Georgia Tech. But they want to speed up

437
00:27:46,280 --> 00:27:50,680
 this offense some. And I think once they do that, you can see the results on the field.

438
00:27:51,620 --> 00:27:57,940
 I think you will. And I think your point is, again, outstanding. You know, when you look at that wide

439
00:27:57,940 --> 00:28:04,660
 receiver room, I might add one thing. Tight end room may be a bit of a surprise for Florida, which it

440
00:28:04,660 --> 00:28:11,120
 has not the past two years, as you guys know. I'll go three years. But they have a couple transfers in

441
00:28:11,120 --> 00:28:17,660
 Evan Chica and coming in from New Haven, small little New Haven, and a couple other guys who have really

442
00:28:17,660 --> 00:28:23,600
 impressed during spring practice. And guys are out there, the players are out there saying, hey, we've got some

443
00:28:23,600 --> 00:28:29,220
 tight ends that can get downfield and catch the ball. This is going to be good. And one player did say, this is the

444
00:28:29,220 --> 00:28:34,740
 best tight end room we've had in a long time. But they're a little behind. They've got things to learn. But in terms of

445
00:28:34,740 --> 00:28:37,840
 getting open, getting separation, catching the ball,

446
00:28:39,000 --> 00:28:43,960
 they're learning the offense, but there's still some work to go there. They're very pleased at

447
00:28:43,960 --> 00:28:49,780
 what they see. Really, the Lakota degree, the kid from James Madison, that is the guy who's getting

448
00:28:49,780 --> 00:28:54,580
 the most talk among the tight ends. And you're talking about a 6'3", 255-pounder.

449
00:28:55,040 --> 00:29:00,700
 There's a redshirt junior out of Pennsylvania. Tough area of Scranton. Tough football from there. But

450
00:29:00,700 --> 00:29:07,140
 he was a stud. James Madison, and nobody knew how he escaped. But he's been awfully good for the

451
00:29:07,140 --> 00:29:11,540
 Gators. So to your point, Brett, I think you're right. You talk about the wide receiver room,

452
00:29:11,880 --> 00:29:17,080
 the up-tempo offense. Although Buster Faulkner, or excuse me, Summerall was asked about these. Yes,

453
00:29:17,120 --> 00:29:21,380
 we definitely want to be up-tempo. He goes, but I don't want to be a guy that's all the time up-tempo.

454
00:29:21,740 --> 00:29:26,540
 He goes, I want to be able to mix and match it and put it in there and maybe surprise some people.

455
00:29:27,980 --> 00:29:34,220
 Two things. Number one, tell us about the spring game format. It's going to be Saturday, the orange and

456
00:29:34,220 --> 00:29:42,260
 blue game. By the way, it's Saturday, Mark, and still Thursday or Friday, which was absurd. And second,

457
00:29:42,440 --> 00:29:48,000
 where can we get online to get all your good stuff? Yeah, he's not concerned with losing, you know,

458
00:29:48,060 --> 00:29:53,480
 if FSU's playing on a Saturday or Miami's playing on a Saturday or Auburn, who, you know, he's not

459
00:29:53,480 --> 00:29:57,240
 concerned about that. He said, no, we're going to do it Saturday. It's going to be April 11th at noon

460
00:29:57,240 --> 00:30:03,240
 in the swamp. The format's going to be much like it was in the past. I think he enjoyed that. They used

461
00:30:03,240 --> 00:30:08,620
 to call it the lobster and beans bowl, where the winning team after the game sometime during that

462
00:30:08,620 --> 00:30:13,540
 week was served lobster by the losing players. And then the other guys got beans and they had to

463
00:30:13,540 --> 00:30:19,120
 dish your own beans up. So it's going to be that format and you can catch me on, on X at McLeod live.

464
00:30:20,420 --> 00:30:24,700
 Mark, I don't mean to tell you what to do, but please do not take the team bus to the losing team

465
00:30:24,700 --> 00:30:25,600
 with the beans. Okay.

466
00:30:28,260 --> 00:30:30,220
 Yeah, exactly. We'll stay away from that line.

467
00:30:30,220 --> 00:30:32,820
 I'm not trying to tell you what to do. I'm just saying. Okay.

468
00:30:35,920 --> 00:30:38,940
 Mike, it's always good to hook up with you. Thanks so much for your time today.

469
00:30:39,660 --> 00:30:41,100
 Thank you guys. Always good to be on.

470
00:30:41,100 --> 00:30:47,220
 Mark McLeod. He's busy there with the Gator Blitz coming out Vegas. What are they going to do now

471
00:30:47,220 --> 00:30:50,980
 that the final four is in the books? We'll find out with Bruce Marshall next. Stay with us.

472
00:30:55,780 --> 00:30:59,380
 T-Mobile has an exclusive bundle for customers 55 and up.

473
00:30:59,540 --> 00:31:00,480
 I'm Sarah Bull.

474
00:31:00,820 --> 00:31:01,620
 Yeah, I'm Frank Bull.

475
00:31:01,880 --> 00:31:06,780
 A reliable network is key for us. And with T-Mobile, it's been wonderful.

476
00:31:07,520 --> 00:31:10,780
 And going to the 55 plus plan saved us so much money.

477
00:31:11,100 --> 00:31:11,940
 A lot.

478
00:31:11,940 --> 00:31:14,100
 And that's important. Trying to keep costs down.

479
00:31:14,100 --> 00:31:17,220
 The home internet's been perfect. It's fast. It's quick.

480
00:31:17,220 --> 00:31:20,020
 The setup was so easy. It took less than 15 minutes.

481
00:31:20,020 --> 00:31:21,620
 It was like, ta-da!

482
00:31:23,620 --> 00:31:30,220
 If you want simplicity, coverage, reliability, you want the whole package, T-Mobile has it.

483
00:31:30,220 --> 00:31:35,280
 Right now, T-Mobile customers 55 and up can get two phone lines on America's best network.

484
00:31:35,500 --> 00:31:39,420
 Plus, America's fastest 5G home internet for just 30 bucks each.

485
00:31:40,880 --> 00:31:44,960
 $30 per month each line with auto pay plus taxes and fees. Minimum age 55. Pricing for home

486
00:31:44,960 --> 00:31:49,180
 internet rely on two lines of essentials choice 55. $35 connection charge per line required.

487
00:31:49,340 --> 00:31:51,980
 Best mobile network and fastest 5G home internet based on analysis by

488
00:31:51,980 --> 00:31:55,100
 Oakley of Speedtest Intelligence Data 2H 2025. All rights reserved.

489
00:31:55,540 --> 00:32:01,280
 I'm Boomer Esiason. My mom died from cancer. She was only 37 years old. She didn't have life

490
00:32:01,280 --> 00:32:05,880
 insurance and that was devastating for my family. That's why having life insurance is so important

491
00:32:05,880 --> 00:32:11,980
 to me. Ethos makes it fast and easy. Get a quote in seconds, apply in minutes, and get same day

492
00:32:11,980 --> 00:32:17,320
 coverage. You can get up to 3 million in coverage with no medical exam. Get your free quote at

493
00:32:17,320 --> 00:32:23,360
 ethos.com slash play. That's ethos.com slash play. Paid spokesperson. Time span on application

494
00:32:23,360 --> 00:32:27,700
 may vary. Online health questions required. If you're a contractor, you know how important data

495
00:32:27,700 --> 00:32:33,180
 is to your business. And the data is clear. Service Titan customers increase their revenue by an

496
00:32:33,180 --> 00:32:39,520
 average of 15% every single year. That doesn't happen by accident. From call booking to dispatch to

497
00:32:39,520 --> 00:32:44,700
 marketing, payroll, project tracking, and more. Service Titan takes every single play you run to the

498
00:32:44,700 --> 00:32:51,520
 next level. If you want to scale efficiently, there's only one answer. Visit servicetitan.com to learn

499
00:32:51,520 --> 00:32:54,300
 more. That's servicetitan.com.

500
00:32:55,860 --> 00:33:02,640
 You're sitting at a red light or stuck in traffic and your phone lights up. Maybe it's a text, a video

501
00:33:02,640 --> 00:33:09,280
 call, a new post, or a quick notification you think you can check in a second. It feels harmless,

502
00:33:09,860 --> 00:33:16,220
 but the truth is once your eyes leave the road, you're not really driving anymore and traffic doesn't

503
00:33:16,220 --> 00:33:23,500
 pause just because you do. That split second of distraction can throw off everything. Your reaction

504
00:33:23,500 --> 00:33:30,780
 time, your awareness, your ability to avoid someone else's mistake. You could damage your car, injure

505
00:33:30,780 --> 00:33:36,800
 yourself, or hurt someone you care about. Or you could get pulled over for a reminder that your phone

506
00:33:36,800 --> 00:33:45,260
 isn't worth the risk. So before you start driving, make it easy on yourself. Put your phone on silent. Toss

507
00:33:45,260 --> 00:33:53,300
 it in the glove box. Set it to do not disturb. Put the phone away or pay. Paid for by NHTSA.

508
00:33:56,960 --> 00:34:06,780
 Adam Schefter here. You know the feeling when an account is going to be a ticket or even a life.

509
00:34:06,780 --> 00:34:10,500
 You've said it before. This will only take a second. Just a quick glance. A fast reply. But on the road, seconds don't wait for you. They decide everything. Who stops. Who doesn't. Who makes it home.

510
00:34:11,920 --> 00:34:38,920
 Adam Schefter here. You know the feeling when a candidate just stands out. Not just the resume, but their energy. That makes a difference. If you're hiring, you want a candidate who's passionate. But you can't get that insight from a resume. Unless you post your job on ZipRecruiter.

511
00:34:38,920 --> 00:34:54,160
 Their matching technology finds qualified candidates fast. And ZipRecruiter has a new feature that shows you the most interested qualified candidates first. Try it for free at ZipRecruiter.com slash sports. That's ZipRecruiter.com slash sports.

512
00:34:54,880 --> 00:34:58,900
 Progressive presents the Sports Flash on 93.9. The score.

513
00:34:59,320 --> 00:35:10,140
 The Atlanta Braves fell in Anaheim yesterday as they lost to the Angels 6-2. Both teams had five hits in the ballgame. Chris Sale suffered the loss. He drops to 2-1 on the season.

514
00:35:10,640 --> 00:35:14,940
 The Braves are now 6-5. They'll play the Angels in Anaheim again tonight.

515
00:35:15,440 --> 00:35:21,220
 Ronaldo Lopez is set to start for Atlanta. He's 1-0 with a 1.64 ERA.

516
00:35:21,800 --> 00:35:26,680
 Isil Kikuchi will start for the Angels. He is 0-1 on the season.

517
00:35:27,260 --> 00:35:31,480
 Bundle auto and home, renters or condo, and save with Progressive.

518
00:35:31,480 --> 00:35:37,080
 I'm John Thayer with the Sports Flash presented by Progressive on 93.9 The Score.

519
00:35:42,440 --> 00:35:45,840
 Confidence is knowing you're ready to handle whatever comes your way.

520
00:35:46,300 --> 00:35:49,260
 That's what it feels like to take on your workday with Cintas.

521
00:35:49,480 --> 00:35:51,940
 They make sure your AEDs are up to date.

522
00:35:52,400 --> 00:35:54,840
 Your fire extinguishers are tested and inspected.

523
00:35:55,340 --> 00:35:57,060
 Your floor mats are cleaned and delivered.

524
00:35:57,680 --> 00:36:03,780
 And your workwear looks good, feels good, and is freshly laundered with the Cintas Apparel Plus program.

525
00:36:04,260 --> 00:36:05,920
 So are you ready to take on today?

526
00:36:06,520 --> 00:36:07,980
 Visit Cintas.com.

527
00:36:08,040 --> 00:36:09,080
 Oh, I'm ready!

528
00:36:09,080 --> 00:36:11,000
 And get ready for the workday.

529
00:36:12,000 --> 00:36:14,000
 Progressive presents a guided meditation.

530
00:36:14,560 --> 00:36:15,720
 Hear the birds sing.

531
00:36:16,400 --> 00:36:18,480
 A chipmunk nibbling on an acorn.

532
00:36:19,040 --> 00:36:22,120
 Smell the pine needles gently falling into your living room

533
00:36:22,120 --> 00:36:25,260
 as the breeze blows through the gaping hole in your roof.

534
00:36:26,080 --> 00:36:28,940
 Gaze up at that broken tree branch and relax

535
00:36:28,940 --> 00:36:31,440
 because you bundle your home and auto with Progressive

536
00:36:31,440 --> 00:36:34,640
 and have the peace of mind of 24-7 protection.

537
00:36:36,280 --> 00:36:37,640
 So relaxing.

538
00:36:38,580 --> 00:36:40,420
 Progressive Casualty Insurance Company, affiliates and other insurers.

539
00:36:40,520 --> 00:36:41,540
 Not available in all states or situations.

540
00:36:41,560 --> 00:36:43,260
 The score.

541
00:36:43,740 --> 00:36:48,460
 Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score.

542
00:36:49,000 --> 00:36:49,700
 Welcome back again.

543
00:36:49,760 --> 00:36:54,400
 Time to go to the epicenter of the last few days in the world of college basketball.

544
00:36:54,540 --> 00:36:55,780
 A place called Las Vegas.

545
00:36:55,920 --> 00:36:56,960
 Bruce Marshall's busy there.

546
00:36:57,040 --> 00:36:57,960
 Las Vegas Insider.

547
00:36:58,020 --> 00:37:00,300
 For the gold sheet slash wager talk.

548
00:37:00,540 --> 00:37:09,520
 Helmsports.net, winners and whiners, picks and parlays, CBS Sportsline, Bett Rivers, and Vegas Insider.

549
00:37:09,620 --> 00:37:11,940
 Bruce Marshall, welcome in on the day after.

550
00:37:12,000 --> 00:37:12,500
 How are you?

551
00:37:12,500 --> 00:37:14,320
 Yeah, pretty good.

552
00:37:14,460 --> 00:37:18,280
 I can't believe we wake up in the morning with no more college hoops.

553
00:37:18,280 --> 00:37:19,800
 I just checked the calendar.

554
00:37:20,360 --> 00:37:22,980
 And this season began on November 3.

555
00:37:23,780 --> 00:37:24,720
 Yeah, that's right.

556
00:37:24,720 --> 00:37:28,140
 So we win more than five months, if you can believe that.

557
00:37:28,260 --> 00:37:31,660
 You know, we do another five months, and we're in the college football season right now.

558
00:37:31,700 --> 00:37:34,180
 So it's almost a year-round calendar, it seems like.

559
00:37:34,620 --> 00:37:37,020
 You know, Bruce, I always wonder why my mail comes late.

560
00:37:37,080 --> 00:37:40,120
 And I found out yesterday I was walking, and there was my mailman.

561
00:37:40,280 --> 00:37:42,800
 He was playing basketball with the kids in the neighborhood.

562
00:37:42,960 --> 00:37:43,980
 They had a goal outside.

563
00:37:44,100 --> 00:37:47,000
 Instead of delivering mail, he was delivering the threes behind the arch.

564
00:37:47,120 --> 00:37:51,680
 So I had to ask him, was he going to be rooting for Michigan, or is he going to be rooting for Connecticut?

565
00:37:51,760 --> 00:37:56,440
 And he says, I'm rooting for Michigan because those folks in Las Vegas told me so.

566
00:37:56,800 --> 00:37:58,080
 I had to invoke your name.

567
00:37:58,340 --> 00:38:03,220
 So your thoughts, just how big is college basketball to your Vegas brethren?

568
00:38:04,200 --> 00:38:07,920
 Yeah, I mean, it was big, and last night pretty big.

569
00:38:07,920 --> 00:38:10,460
 It was interesting, you know, until last night.

570
00:38:10,580 --> 00:38:13,800
 I mean, Michigan had been, you mentioned the three-pointers and the mailman.

571
00:38:14,820 --> 00:38:17,260
 They'd been shooting threes really well on the dance.

572
00:38:17,360 --> 00:38:19,180
 And, you know, last night they only made a couple.

573
00:38:19,760 --> 00:38:23,480
 They only made three shots outside of a key last night.

574
00:38:23,480 --> 00:38:24,480
 Wow, that's right.

575
00:38:24,580 --> 00:38:26,560
 And it was, and they still won.

576
00:38:26,760 --> 00:38:30,080
 I mean, it was kind of a, it was not a real pretty game.

577
00:38:30,160 --> 00:38:32,180
 They just had no rhythm on their shooting.

578
00:38:33,360 --> 00:38:36,400
 And, you know, Connecticut did a little better, but not as much.

579
00:38:36,600 --> 00:38:41,260
 And I, you know, Michigan, they almost let that thing get away there in the last minute,

580
00:38:41,320 --> 00:38:42,080
 a little bit sloppy.

581
00:38:42,340 --> 00:38:46,140
 But, I mean, they, they were, you know, they were worth the win.

582
00:38:46,440 --> 00:38:48,180
 And I don't think anybody complained.

583
00:38:48,560 --> 00:38:52,120
 Even Dan Hurley, who would normally be bellyaching about things,

584
00:38:52,720 --> 00:38:57,340
 seemed to be rather gracious in defeat, which, unlike him.

585
00:38:57,340 --> 00:38:58,960
 But there you go.

586
00:38:59,320 --> 00:38:59,980
 I didn't surprise.

587
00:39:00,820 --> 00:39:03,800
 But, so I didn't mind seeing our Hurley lose.

588
00:39:03,800 --> 00:39:06,820
 But it was kind of odd last night, the way that game went.

589
00:39:07,760 --> 00:39:09,940
 And Michigan actually failed.

590
00:39:10,180 --> 00:39:12,480
 Like, the point spread, you know, closed like at 6.5.

591
00:39:12,580 --> 00:39:14,260
 So, it actually failed.

592
00:39:14,340 --> 00:39:15,660
 It looked like they were going to cover that spread.

593
00:39:15,820 --> 00:39:19,300
 And had Roddy Gale not thrown that ball up court there in the last few seconds,

594
00:39:19,380 --> 00:39:20,900
 he was going to get fouled and go to the line.

595
00:39:21,400 --> 00:39:25,000
 So that, you know, that was a proper play to get rid of the ball there.

596
00:39:25,100 --> 00:39:27,620
 Just let the clock sort of run out with the ball at the other end of the court.

597
00:39:27,820 --> 00:39:32,400
 But those who bet on Michigan minus 6.5, that one hurt a little bit.

598
00:39:33,160 --> 00:39:36,580
 Bruce, the question in our neck of the woods, will the Big Ten ever lose again?

599
00:39:36,740 --> 00:39:39,700
 Football, basketball, they're just losing all the trophies.

600
00:39:39,880 --> 00:39:43,040
 Bruce, you have some encouraging words to the SEC folks.

601
00:39:44,060 --> 00:39:46,760
 Well, yeah, I still think this is cyclical.

602
00:39:46,760 --> 00:39:50,720
 And I've talked to a lot of people about that the last week.

603
00:39:51,000 --> 00:39:55,160
 And I've got to remember, this is the first time in 26 years the Big Ten has won one of these things.

604
00:39:55,320 --> 00:39:55,600
 That's right.

605
00:39:55,760 --> 00:39:58,280
 Now, it's not going to be another 26 years.

606
00:39:58,960 --> 00:40:01,640
 But, you know, football, they've been winning lately.

607
00:40:03,240 --> 00:40:05,280
 And we've talked about this before.

608
00:40:05,400 --> 00:40:09,420
 Top to bottom football isn't as strong as the SEC, but at the top it certainly is.

609
00:40:10,220 --> 00:40:12,280
 And they just drive, you know, women's basketball.

610
00:40:12,420 --> 00:40:13,160
 One, I guess you've got to count.

611
00:40:13,240 --> 00:40:14,280
 UCLA is now Big Ten.

612
00:40:14,620 --> 00:40:16,320
 So they win that as well.

613
00:40:17,100 --> 00:40:27,780
 The deal, what they've got now, though, is that money-wise, most of these Big Ten schools and with their media deals and all are in awfully good shape right now.

614
00:40:28,360 --> 00:40:31,280
 Most of them have the nail operations up running well.

615
00:40:31,500 --> 00:40:35,460
 So they have solved that question pretty much top to bottom.

616
00:40:35,580 --> 00:40:38,860
 There might be a few exceptions in the league falling behind a little bit.

617
00:40:39,820 --> 00:40:41,940
 Rutgers is like well in the red from what I hear.

618
00:40:43,620 --> 00:40:45,500
 UCLA's working out of a deficit pretty hefty.

619
00:40:45,600 --> 00:40:47,040
 But there are some other schools like that, too.

620
00:40:47,140 --> 00:40:49,460
 But the resources are certainly there.

621
00:40:49,560 --> 00:40:50,920
 Now, that's not the whole thing.

622
00:40:51,000 --> 00:40:58,160
 I was talking to the guys in Baton Rouge the other week, and, you know, they brought up the same thing about, you know, the money.

623
00:40:58,260 --> 00:41:02,700
 And I said, if it's just the money, you know, LSU would have won in basketball this year.

624
00:41:02,880 --> 00:41:07,140
 They spent as much as anybody this year on their roster and all that didn't do anything.

625
00:41:07,640 --> 00:41:09,000
 You've got to have the right coach.

626
00:41:09,280 --> 00:41:12,160
 Now, we'll see if LSU made the right hire if they bring more weight in.

627
00:41:12,620 --> 00:41:13,960
 That's its own little story there.

628
00:41:13,960 --> 00:41:24,580
 But you need to link everything up, the program, the support, and the coaching especially needs to be in place.

629
00:41:24,840 --> 00:41:26,080
 Michigan's got that now.

630
00:41:26,480 --> 00:41:27,820
 They've got that with Dusty May.

631
00:41:28,040 --> 00:41:29,300
 He's sticking around.

632
00:41:30,000 --> 00:41:32,000
 And that's the last link.

633
00:41:32,100 --> 00:41:33,180
 Money's a big part of it.

634
00:41:33,300 --> 00:41:38,440
 But if you don't get the rest of it right, you turn into LSU basketball where it doesn't work.

635
00:41:38,780 --> 00:41:41,320
 So, you know, you still need that coach.

636
00:41:41,320 --> 00:41:44,500
 But if you marry those two together, that's a pretty potent combo.

637
00:41:44,660 --> 00:41:46,180
 And I think we've seen that in football, too.

638
00:41:47,260 --> 00:41:50,340
 You know, Cignetti was right higher at Indiana, that's for sure.

639
00:41:50,540 --> 00:41:52,640
 And look where they kind of came out of nowhere like that.

640
00:41:53,380 --> 00:41:54,480
 That's sort of the new thing.

641
00:41:54,560 --> 00:42:00,260
 One other note, Michigan's win is sort of a blow for a new era in college sports, too.

642
00:42:00,520 --> 00:42:06,620
 I mean, this is a team built from the portal and not an experience.

643
00:42:07,220 --> 00:42:09,300
 So that's another way to do it now.

644
00:42:09,300 --> 00:42:14,520
 For a while we saw that with the freshmen and some of those Duke teams and Calipari's team

645
00:42:14,520 --> 00:42:15,520
 at Kentucky and all that.

646
00:42:16,900 --> 00:42:18,680
 Maybe you just go on the frosh route.

647
00:42:19,220 --> 00:42:20,340
 There's another way to go now.

648
00:42:20,760 --> 00:42:24,240
 And Michigan proved you can do this portal route if you do it right and you've got the

649
00:42:24,240 --> 00:42:24,780
 money to do it.

650
00:42:25,120 --> 00:42:25,940
 That's another way to go.

651
00:42:26,000 --> 00:42:28,740
 And you can make yourself a brand new team in one year.

652
00:42:28,860 --> 00:42:29,260
 We'll see.

653
00:42:29,980 --> 00:42:35,700
 Well, just to reiterate your point, Elliot Cadeau from North and transfer from North Carolina

654
00:42:35,700 --> 00:42:38,640
 was the MVP of the Final Four.

655
00:42:38,760 --> 00:42:42,720
 So many people thought Lindenborg was going to be the MVP, and I did, too.

656
00:42:43,380 --> 00:42:45,920
 Boy, he played on guts the last couple of games.

657
00:42:46,100 --> 00:42:48,480
 You could tell he was really handicapped.

658
00:42:48,700 --> 00:42:56,580
 But Cadeau, Lindenborg, Johnson, who had a good game last night, and Maura, who came on, UCLA

659
00:42:56,580 --> 00:43:01,200
 and Illinois, all transfers with this, too.

660
00:43:01,440 --> 00:43:06,240
 And so many people think, well, you know, this is going to be 90 to 88.

661
00:43:06,920 --> 00:43:08,960
 And the officials really let them play.

662
00:43:09,340 --> 00:43:13,420
 That was just a rock fight for a lot of times.

663
00:43:13,560 --> 00:43:17,760
 And as you mentioned, Michigan only made two, three-pointers all night.

664
00:43:18,100 --> 00:43:23,640
 I'll tell you what, if your prop bet was Elliot Cadeau for MVP, you probably won some money

665
00:43:23,640 --> 00:43:24,280
 last night.

666
00:43:25,080 --> 00:43:25,860
 Well, yeah.

667
00:43:25,980 --> 00:43:29,520
 And I have to apologize to Cadeau because I was sort of down on him.

668
00:43:29,980 --> 00:43:33,420
 And he, you know, he left out.

669
00:43:33,500 --> 00:43:37,100
 But I was, like you, a little bit surprised it wasn't Lindenborg as the MOP.

670
00:43:37,100 --> 00:43:39,820
 But, you know, if it's Cadeau, that's fine.

671
00:43:39,900 --> 00:43:40,220
 You're right.

672
00:43:40,240 --> 00:43:41,640
 It did turn into sort of a rock fight.

673
00:43:41,720 --> 00:43:45,960
 And actually, a lot of the things that Dan Hurley needed to have happen last night sort

674
00:43:45,960 --> 00:43:46,320
 of happened.

675
00:43:46,500 --> 00:43:48,000
 I mean, they slowed the pace.

676
00:43:49,000 --> 00:43:52,680
 And they hit threes a little better than they did.

677
00:43:52,800 --> 00:43:54,420
 They weren't shooting that great themselves.

678
00:43:54,560 --> 00:43:58,620
 And Carabin, you know, I guess he did score 17, but he missed a lot of threes, too.

679
00:43:59,120 --> 00:44:02,960
 But they certainly won the three-point battle, which they hadn't been winning in comparison

680
00:44:02,960 --> 00:44:04,800
 to Michigan before last night.

681
00:44:04,800 --> 00:44:10,500
 But what they did, I think, though, in slowing the pace, they really didn't get into their

682
00:44:10,500 --> 00:44:15,000
 offense most possessions until they were inside of 10 seconds.

683
00:44:15,520 --> 00:44:17,580
 And they ended up forcing some shots.

684
00:44:17,640 --> 00:44:19,200
 And they kind of careened into the paint.

685
00:44:19,300 --> 00:44:21,420
 And they were sort of some wild shots they put up there.

686
00:44:21,740 --> 00:44:25,380
 And Michigan really is, boy, they closed down the interior pretty well.

687
00:44:25,580 --> 00:44:27,240
 So, it worked to a point.

688
00:44:27,860 --> 00:44:31,620
 But there weren't a lot of real quality looks that UConn got.

689
00:44:31,740 --> 00:44:33,860
 It was almost every shot was contested.

690
00:44:34,040 --> 00:44:37,220
 And like you said, they made it a rock fight, which they kind of wanted to do.

691
00:44:37,260 --> 00:44:38,780
 But Michigan's prepared to win that way, too.

692
00:44:38,820 --> 00:44:39,820
 And that's what happened last night.

693
00:44:40,860 --> 00:44:42,200
 Check out Bruce Marshall.

694
00:44:42,580 --> 00:44:44,740
 Lots of places, including Vegas Insider.

695
00:44:45,400 --> 00:44:49,400
 Bruce, no secret, North Carolina wanted to go to the NBA for their new coach.

696
00:44:49,460 --> 00:44:53,180
 And, by golly, they did, but not the one we thought.

697
00:44:53,280 --> 00:44:56,900
 Your thoughts about Michael Malone heading to Carolina.

698
00:44:57,880 --> 00:44:59,540
 Wow, that's an interesting hire.

699
00:45:00,100 --> 00:45:05,860
 And especially since, I don't recall hearing Malone's name come up in the rumor mill.

700
00:45:06,100 --> 00:45:06,860
 It didn't.

701
00:45:07,100 --> 00:45:07,700
 It never did.

702
00:45:08,620 --> 00:45:10,740
 Yeah, I mean, you heard Tommy Lloyd.

703
00:45:10,880 --> 00:45:12,640
 And then he re-upped at Arizona.

704
00:45:12,840 --> 00:45:13,860
 And then Dusty May pulled out.

705
00:45:13,920 --> 00:45:15,840
 And he kept hearing Donovan's name a lot.

706
00:45:17,220 --> 00:45:19,720
 By the way, the Bulls have just remade their front office.

707
00:45:19,800 --> 00:45:21,480
 So, I'm not sure he's going to stick around there either.

708
00:45:21,620 --> 00:45:24,280
 But I didn't hear Malone's name.

709
00:45:25,480 --> 00:45:29,380
 We thought they were going out of the box, North Carolina.

710
00:45:29,840 --> 00:45:37,160
 And like we said last week, I mean, every hire since, like, Dean, you know, Dean Smith either came from on staff

711
00:45:37,160 --> 00:45:39,380
 or was a real connection to the program.

712
00:45:39,500 --> 00:45:40,220
 This one doesn't.

713
00:45:41,000 --> 00:45:42,740
 Malone, of course, that NBA connection.

714
00:45:43,200 --> 00:45:46,560
 His dad had been an NBA assistant for many years.

715
00:45:46,640 --> 00:45:50,280
 His dad had also been a Providence head coach at one point, Brendan Malone.

716
00:45:50,360 --> 00:45:51,580
 So, it's in the family with him.

717
00:45:52,100 --> 00:45:53,700
 This is an out-of-the-box hire.

718
00:45:53,700 --> 00:45:56,960
 And we'll see how it works.

719
00:45:57,100 --> 00:45:59,700
 But I think North Carolina is at a point now.

720
00:45:59,800 --> 00:46:01,620
 I mean, they had to turn somewhere else.

721
00:46:02,040 --> 00:46:04,280
 Something tells me Malone was not their first choice.

722
00:46:04,980 --> 00:46:07,860
 They would have liked to have gone Lloyd or May or one of those guys.

723
00:46:07,980 --> 00:46:10,260
 But when those avenues closed, they looked the NBA route.

724
00:46:10,940 --> 00:46:11,580
 So, we'll see.

725
00:46:11,720 --> 00:46:13,700
 It is a little outside the box hire.

726
00:46:14,620 --> 00:46:15,680
 I was amazed.

727
00:46:15,840 --> 00:46:18,040
 The SEC did not lose a coach.

728
00:46:18,140 --> 00:46:21,180
 But as you mentioned, they did gain one in Will Wade.

729
00:46:21,180 --> 00:46:26,380
 Rick Stansberry and the former LSU coach are going to be two of his assistants.

730
00:46:26,700 --> 00:46:31,600
 That's going to be quite a coaching staff, to say the least.

731
00:46:32,140 --> 00:46:35,080
 Rick Barnes is coming back for his 12th year.

732
00:46:35,220 --> 00:46:42,020
 A lot of people thought Mark Byington may have been a quiet candidate for North Carolina.

733
00:46:42,320 --> 00:46:43,860
 I'll let you confirm that.

734
00:46:44,280 --> 00:46:59,820
 And then Nate Oates, as Harold Bugg mentioned earlier, had quite a week, got engaged in a contract extension to make him one of the top five compensated men's basketball coaches in the nation, Bruce Marshall.

735
00:47:00,820 --> 00:47:05,140
 Well, good deal, good deal for Nate Oates and his agent, too.

736
00:47:05,220 --> 00:47:08,080
 That was a pretty good deal for him.

737
00:47:09,800 --> 00:47:12,420
 So, here is the thing, though, for the SEC.

738
00:47:13,380 --> 00:47:15,860
 They spend enough money there, too.

739
00:47:17,040 --> 00:47:20,940
 And, too, I mean, last year we had 14 SEC teams make the tournament.

740
00:47:21,620 --> 00:47:22,760
 This stuff is cyclical.

741
00:47:23,160 --> 00:47:26,960
 You know, in a year or two, the SEC could be back on top if you've got the right coaches.

742
00:47:26,960 --> 00:47:29,680
 And I think, generally, they do in this league.

743
00:47:30,460 --> 00:47:35,240
 Byington's an interesting one you mentioned there because he was mentioned for North Carolina.

744
00:47:35,520 --> 00:47:38,720
 And, you know, Vanderbilt sort of scrambled to keep him in the fold.

745
00:47:38,800 --> 00:47:41,680
 And they're looking like they're going to be pretty good again next year.

746
00:47:42,940 --> 00:47:46,980
 But, again, it's kind of a coach's league.

747
00:47:47,440 --> 00:47:52,140
 And, you know, Georgia made the tournament this year.

748
00:47:52,700 --> 00:47:56,380
 But, one, into next season, who's a little bit of a hot seat?

749
00:47:56,460 --> 00:47:59,320
 I definitely think Lamont Paris is on the hot seat up in South Carolina.

750
00:48:00,000 --> 00:48:02,320
 That thing has fallen apart the last couple of years.

751
00:48:02,480 --> 00:48:05,860
 Mark Pope is going to be on the hot seat just because it's Kentucky.

752
00:48:06,420 --> 00:48:08,440
 And the expectations are so high there.

753
00:48:09,640 --> 00:48:13,720
 I don't know that Chris Jans can survive another year like he did at Mississippi State.

754
00:48:14,480 --> 00:48:19,260
 Although, you know, he could, you know, he was rumored for some of these openings.

755
00:48:19,500 --> 00:48:21,060
 You know, Kansas State had the opening.

756
00:48:21,200 --> 00:48:26,260
 They hired Alexander from Belmont, which, by the way, is a really good job from the major ranks.

757
00:48:26,520 --> 00:48:34,740
 But next year, we go into the season with a couple of these guys, especially Pope and Paris, right on the hot seat, I think, at the start of next year.

758
00:48:35,860 --> 00:48:40,640
 Yeah, and Chris Beard at Ole Miss proved he could coach at the end of the year.

759
00:48:40,720 --> 00:48:42,100
 I still think he's a good coach.

760
00:48:42,200 --> 00:48:43,160
 He's had some issues.

761
00:48:43,900 --> 00:48:44,340
 All right.

762
00:48:44,380 --> 00:48:54,240
 If you had to vote on this, there is this movement, once again, to expand the NCAA men's basketball tournament from 68 to 76.

763
00:48:54,780 --> 00:49:06,600
 And instead of the two days for playing games, two games each, now it would be 24 teams and 12 total games.

764
00:49:06,720 --> 00:49:11,000
 Is Bruce Marshall in favor of expanding the tournament?

765
00:49:13,080 --> 00:49:15,260
 The purest in me says no.

766
00:49:15,980 --> 00:49:21,260
 But I thought they were, I thought in 1984 they were good at 48.

767
00:49:21,500 --> 00:49:25,300
 So, I mean, this is how far, I mean, how far up behind the times I am.

768
00:49:25,680 --> 00:49:27,660
 I think it's going that direction.

769
00:49:28,000 --> 00:49:32,940
 So, I will have to just ride the tide and go along with it.

770
00:49:33,420 --> 00:49:44,480
 And it might not be bad, you know, if those other eight spots, if they make a little more room for, you know, for the mid-majors in there.

771
00:49:45,080 --> 00:49:52,580
 I just don't, no, I mean, if this is a thing to get, you know, where it's going to be more Big Ten and more SEC in there.

772
00:49:53,520 --> 00:50:00,320
 Listen, I have some of, you know, the ratings things, and we've talked about the net before, how they're skewed to help the big conferences out.

773
00:50:00,440 --> 00:50:03,240
 You don't really get penalized for losses with big conferences and all.

774
00:50:04,700 --> 00:50:08,680
 And a lot of people have talked about that, and I think that's true.

775
00:50:09,220 --> 00:50:11,780
 So, if they expand it, I'm okay with it.

776
00:50:11,780 --> 00:50:20,480
 As long as it's not, you know, we're not taking, you know, the 15th place Big Ten team, which is what I'm worried about.

777
00:50:21,280 --> 00:50:23,240
 But I think it's sort of inevitable.

778
00:50:23,780 --> 00:50:29,700
 Although, you know, they've stayed, they went to 64 in 85, I think.

779
00:50:30,000 --> 00:50:33,600
 And they have just a little bit, in the last 40 years, they've only pushed it up four.

780
00:50:34,720 --> 00:50:38,020
 So, maybe they're overdue for a little expansion.

781
00:50:38,160 --> 00:50:41,360
 The question is, will that expand before the football playoff expands?

782
00:50:41,820 --> 00:50:42,620
 Good question there.

783
00:50:43,420 --> 00:50:44,980
 That is a good question.

784
00:50:45,380 --> 00:50:47,580
 A lot of stuff going on this week.

785
00:50:47,740 --> 00:50:52,980
 At least, you mentioned tears now with college basketball over with for another season.

786
00:50:53,100 --> 00:50:59,360
 But you've got the Masters, Major League Baseball, the hockey playoffs around the corner.

787
00:50:59,360 --> 00:51:05,440
 There's still a lot of stuff going on, and nobody does a better job of it than the gold standard.

788
00:51:06,160 --> 00:51:11,480
 Bruce Marshall, what else have you got going on this week, and where can we get online to get all the great stuff?

789
00:51:12,060 --> 00:51:12,860
 Yeah, thanks, Brett.

790
00:51:12,920 --> 00:51:13,660
 Yeah, lots of stuff.

791
00:51:13,820 --> 00:51:16,740
 By the way, NBA 2, last regular season week.

792
00:51:17,440 --> 00:51:23,020
 And before all these teams that are tanking are done for the year, we've only got a few more days to go against some of these teams.

793
00:51:23,020 --> 00:51:25,440
 They're making us pay for them, Wizards and that.

794
00:51:25,500 --> 00:51:29,420
 By the way, you've got the Bulls and the Wizards playing twice back-to-back this week.

795
00:51:29,580 --> 00:51:32,900
 I wonder, look at the points these two have given up lately.

796
00:51:33,060 --> 00:51:37,480
 I mean, they talk about either of them has won a game in like two weeks, and they play back-to-back.

797
00:51:37,580 --> 00:51:38,580
 Anyway, only in the NBA.

798
00:51:38,900 --> 00:51:43,980
 But for my stuff, all of it is up there now at wagertalk.com, and that includes Gold Sheet.

799
00:51:44,340 --> 00:51:45,020
 You can go in there.

800
00:51:45,100 --> 00:51:48,460
 Also, you know, Winners and Winners and Picks and Parlays are part of that Wager Talk umbrella.

801
00:51:49,080 --> 00:51:53,260
 But for my stuff, wagertalk.com, and that's where you can get the goldsheet.com as well.

802
00:51:54,120 --> 00:51:55,200
 Got eyes on you, Bruce.

803
00:51:55,260 --> 00:51:58,400
 Listen, man, thanks so much for your time today and keep up the good work, okay?

804
00:51:58,980 --> 00:51:59,880
 Okay, thank you, boys.

805
00:51:59,940 --> 00:52:00,260
 Take care.

806
00:52:00,480 --> 00:52:01,000
 Thank you, buddy.

807
00:52:01,180 --> 00:52:03,180
 Bruce Marshall, Las Vegas Insider.

808
00:52:03,320 --> 00:52:05,240
 Vegas Insider, take your pick.

809
00:52:05,320 --> 00:52:09,340
 Coming up the next hour, going to be taking you all over the place down to Florida, talking Matt Merchiel.

810
00:52:10,000 --> 00:52:12,580
 The SEC, what is next?

811
00:52:12,580 --> 00:52:14,560
 Joe Cox on that and Randy Kennedy.

812
00:52:14,920 --> 00:52:19,420
 Everything from north to south and everything in between when it comes to Alabama.

813
00:52:19,580 --> 00:52:21,260
 And it's all straight ahead of the Boomo Bugg Show.

814
00:52:21,360 --> 00:52:22,120
 Stay with us.

815
00:52:29,160 --> 00:52:34,400
 Baseball season is back, and there's no better place to catch every inning than Sam's Sports Grill in Florence.

816
00:52:34,400 --> 00:52:40,920
 For 26 years, we've been bringing you quality food, consistent favorites, and service that feels like home.

817
00:52:41,140 --> 00:52:47,840
 From wings and ribs to ice cold beers and game day specials, we've got everything you need from first pitch to final out.

818
00:52:48,120 --> 00:52:52,120
 Grab your crew, find your seat, and don't miss a moment of the action.

819
00:52:52,760 --> 00:52:54,220
 Sam's Sports Grill in Florence.

820
00:52:54,640 --> 00:52:56,120
 Make our place your place.

821
00:52:59,520 --> 00:53:04,460
 Indeed presents Hires You Can't Afford to Get Wrong, like a staff accountant at the height of tax season.

822
00:53:06,300 --> 00:53:10,020
 Congrats. Looks like the company owes, huh, 50 bucks in taxes.

823
00:53:10,620 --> 00:53:11,720
 How about that?

824
00:53:12,120 --> 00:53:14,980
 Uh, that seems low. Why only 50?

825
00:53:15,340 --> 00:53:17,400
 Why do you care so much? It's not your money.

826
00:53:17,780 --> 00:53:19,320
 This is a job for sponsored jobs!

827
00:53:20,160 --> 00:53:22,340
 This is what happens when you don't sponsor your job on Indeed.

828
00:53:22,640 --> 00:53:25,260
 Next time, get matched with quality candidates with Indeed Sponsored Jobs.

829
00:53:25,780 --> 00:53:28,520
 Visit Indeed.com slash hire now and sponsor your job today.

830
00:53:28,520 --> 00:53:35,340
 The problem with radio is we can't show you our new box packed with a KFC snacker, five nuggets, fries, and a drink for just $7.

831
00:53:35,940 --> 00:53:40,820
 So you'll just have to trust us when we say the crispy golden fried breading will make your mouth water.

832
00:53:41,140 --> 00:53:45,880
 You'll have to trust us when we say this is a ridiculous amount of chicken for such a small price.

833
00:53:46,220 --> 00:53:50,600
 And you'll have to really trust us when we insist that, yes, it really is only $7.

834
00:53:51,740 --> 00:53:53,720
 $7 box feast from KFC.

835
00:53:54,220 --> 00:53:56,260
 Trust us, it's finger-lickin' good.

836
00:53:56,540 --> 00:53:58,560
 Prices and participation may vary. Tax tips and fees extra.

837
00:53:58,940 --> 00:54:00,620
 My name is Christine, and I'm a widow.

838
00:54:00,900 --> 00:54:05,040
 My husband, Ryan, was a healthy 34-year-old, and three months later, he was gone.

839
00:54:05,240 --> 00:54:06,780
 Thankfully, he had life insurance.

840
00:54:07,020 --> 00:54:08,140
 Ethos made it so easy.

841
00:54:08,320 --> 00:54:11,960
 You can get a quote in seconds, apply in minutes, and get same-day coverage.

842
00:54:12,160 --> 00:54:14,420
 100% online, no medical exam.

843
00:54:14,420 --> 00:54:19,960
 Life insurance didn't take away the loss, but it did give us the space to just grieve.

844
00:54:20,420 --> 00:54:23,340
 Get your free quote at ethos.com slash game.

845
00:54:23,720 --> 00:54:25,640
 ethos.com slash game.

846
00:54:25,900 --> 00:54:26,360
 Paid spokesperson.

847
00:54:26,560 --> 00:54:27,540
 Time spent on application may vary.

848
00:54:27,620 --> 00:54:28,580
 Online health questions required.

849
00:54:29,460 --> 00:54:30,180
 Rich Eisen here.

850
00:54:30,360 --> 00:54:33,720
 For small businesses, every hire counts, and so does your time.

851
00:54:34,120 --> 00:54:39,260
 Hiring can quickly become overwhelming, from sorting applications to figuring out who's truly qualified.

852
00:54:39,700 --> 00:54:41,840
 That's where LinkedIn Hiring Pro helps.

853
00:54:41,840 --> 00:54:46,860
 It streamlines the process so you can focus on connecting with the right candidates, not managing the noise.

854
00:54:47,240 --> 00:54:48,860
 Hire right the first time.

855
00:54:49,180 --> 00:54:54,160
 Post your job and get $100 off towards your job post at linkedin.com slash eisen.

856
00:54:54,420 --> 00:54:56,420
 That's linkedin.com slash eisen.

857
00:54:56,780 --> 00:54:58,240
 Terms and conditions apply.

858
00:54:58,740 --> 00:55:03,180
 A golf course quality lawn is easier and more affordable than you think with True Green.

859
00:55:03,340 --> 00:55:06,500
 They're the official lawn care treatment provider of the PGA Tour.

860
00:55:06,620 --> 00:55:09,640
 And right now, you can get 75% off your first service.

861
00:55:09,800 --> 00:55:11,380
 Plus, they have a price match guarantee.

862
00:55:11,660 --> 00:55:13,080
 You know you're getting the best value.

863
00:55:13,220 --> 00:55:18,860
 And if you're not satisfied, True Green will revisit your lawn between scheduled visits to make it right.

864
00:55:18,860 --> 00:55:19,420
 Don't wait.

865
00:55:19,420 --> 00:55:26,040
 Visit truegreen.com today to lock in 75% off and let the pros handle your lawn while you enjoy the results.

866
00:55:26,040 --> 00:55:26,900
 Limited time offer.

867
00:55:27,020 --> 00:55:27,600
 Restrictions apply.

868
00:55:27,700 --> 00:55:28,460
 See site for details.

869
00:55:29,860 --> 00:55:31,760
 18-19 News.

870
00:55:31,980 --> 00:55:40,540
 Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall is pushing back at out-of-state groups who are targeting him specifically in the Republican Senate primary race.

871
00:55:40,860 --> 00:55:46,380
 Marshall has been the subject of a million-dollar negative ad campaign that has aired in the state of Alabama.

872
00:55:46,740 --> 00:55:50,860
 Marshall says he's being targeted by out-of-state billionaires because he can't be bought or controlled.

873
00:55:50,860 --> 00:55:55,080
 And he says these groups are spreading false accusations about his character and his record.

874
00:55:55,460 --> 00:55:59,960
 Marshall stressed that those who are from other states, like California, New York, and Washington, D.C.,

875
00:55:59,960 --> 00:56:04,860
 do not care at all about the state of Alabama and are America-last type people.

876
00:56:05,180 --> 00:56:10,060
 Marshall says his campaign has been built with a grassroots effort and not with help from the D.C. swamp.

877
00:56:10,440 --> 00:56:13,140
 I'll be back with more Alabama stories after this.

878
00:56:13,320 --> 00:56:16,860
 Some of the greatest blessings is just having the people that care about you.

879
00:56:16,860 --> 00:56:20,920
 To have someone that's just going to love you and make you feel important.

880
00:56:21,300 --> 00:56:23,000
 They encourage you to be in church.

881
00:56:23,140 --> 00:56:24,160
 They encourage you to be in prayer.

882
00:56:24,280 --> 00:56:26,040
 They encourage you to be in your Bible.

883
00:56:26,580 --> 00:56:28,860
 Now it's a part of my day every day.

884
00:56:29,300 --> 00:56:36,460
 My house parents planted seeds in me that you can see where those seeds have sprouted in my life and helped change my life.

885
00:56:37,300 --> 00:56:40,800
 Big Oak Ranch, a Christian home for children needing a chance.

886
00:56:42,100 --> 00:56:47,500
 Police in Dothan were able to capture a shooting suspect on Monday who was considered to be armed and dangerous.

887
00:56:47,800 --> 00:56:56,000
 32-year-old Derek Bean of Ozark is charged with shooting into several vehicles at an apartment complex after a verbal argument emerged with another person.

888
00:56:56,260 --> 00:56:57,380
 No one was injured in the shooting.

889
00:56:57,900 --> 00:57:03,660
 Residents in the town of Geneva took part in a city council meeting on Monday to express their concern over a recent dog attack.

890
00:57:03,660 --> 00:57:10,760
 Sheila Pate was attacked by dogs roaming through the mobile home park where she lives, and residents living around that park say there are kids all around.

891
00:57:11,040 --> 00:57:17,780
 The city council told the residents that the dog owner could soon be criminally charged, and the mayor is looking to pass tougher ordinances on this issue.

892
00:57:18,340 --> 00:57:19,080
 I'm Andrea Tice.

893
00:57:19,540 --> 00:57:23,860
 For more news affecting Alabamians, go to 1819news.com.

894
00:57:24,040 --> 00:57:26,940
 And while you're there, subscribe to the daily newsletter.

895
00:57:30,940 --> 00:57:32,100
 You've said it before.

896
00:57:32,600 --> 00:57:33,920
 This will only take a second.

897
00:57:34,600 --> 00:57:35,660
 Just a quick glance.

898
00:57:36,160 --> 00:57:37,080
 A fast reply.

899
00:57:37,660 --> 00:57:39,680
 But on the road, seconds don't wait for you.

900
00:57:40,220 --> 00:57:41,260
 They decide everything.

901
00:57:41,840 --> 00:57:42,480
 Who stops.

902
00:57:42,820 --> 00:57:43,380
 Who doesn't.

903
00:57:43,660 --> 00:57:44,520
 Who makes it home.

904
00:57:45,920 --> 00:57:48,860
 So next time your phone lights up, ask yourself,

905
00:57:49,020 --> 00:57:52,680
 is this distraction worth a ticket or even a life?

906
00:57:53,360 --> 00:57:54,600
 Put the phone away.

907
00:57:54,940 --> 00:57:55,420
 Or pay.

908
00:57:55,920 --> 00:57:57,000
 Paid for by NHTSA.

909
00:57:58,940 --> 00:57:59,520
 Smalls here.

910
00:57:59,740 --> 00:58:00,740
 Life is full of choices.

911
00:58:00,900 --> 00:58:01,940
 Some big, some small.

912
00:58:02,160 --> 00:58:04,160
 And when you choose an H&R Block Tax Pro,

913
00:58:04,380 --> 00:58:08,080
 you're choosing the largest network of tax expertise to be in your corner.

914
00:58:08,300 --> 00:58:10,900
 For when your big ambitions need help with the small details.

915
00:58:11,160 --> 00:58:13,660
 For when your six figures come from six different places.

916
00:58:13,920 --> 00:58:16,480
 For when your gaming stream becomes your revenue stream.

917
00:58:16,740 --> 00:58:20,480
 For when your business is year one needs 70 years of tax know-how.

918
00:58:20,740 --> 00:58:22,160
 At H&R Block, they've seen it all.

919
00:58:22,260 --> 00:58:25,900
 And they're here to help you make the most out of your money for life outside the box.

920
00:58:25,900 --> 00:58:28,780
 Get started at H&RBlock.com.

921
00:58:29,660 --> 00:58:35,400
 Valley Broadcasting Corporation, WITK-FM, Rogersville, Athens, Decatur, The Shores.

922
00:58:35,640 --> 00:58:37,820
 Sports Radio 93.9, The Score.

923
00:58:38,580 --> 00:58:43,780
 This is Braves Country, where history lives and legends rise.

924
00:58:44,120 --> 00:58:46,780
 And now, the next chapter begins.

925
00:58:46,920 --> 00:58:49,780
 Because the Atlanta Braves are back.

926
00:58:49,880 --> 00:58:51,120
 Swung on and belted.

927
00:58:51,440 --> 00:58:52,440
 Deep right field.

928
00:58:52,880 --> 00:58:53,300
 Gone!

929
00:58:53,300 --> 00:58:57,820
 Tonight, stay up for some West Coast baseball from the City of Angels.

930
00:58:57,960 --> 00:59:01,820
 As Ronald Acuna and the Braves take on the Los Angeles Angels.

931
00:59:02,100 --> 00:59:05,780
 Braves Radio is on the air at 820 Eastern, 720 Central.

932
00:59:05,980 --> 00:59:08,140
 On the Braves Radio Network.

933
00:59:08,560 --> 00:59:10,680
 Brought to you locally by...

934
00:59:10,680 --> 00:59:13,260
 The law firm of Johnson, Pesher, Medley, and Birchal.

935
00:59:13,900 --> 00:59:15,140
 J.C. Hammonson.

936
00:59:15,760 --> 00:59:16,900
 First Metro Bank.

937
00:59:17,520 --> 00:59:20,600
 Nationwide insurance agents Michael Doe and Bill Cochran.

938
00:59:21,240 --> 00:59:22,360
 Mefford Jewelers.

939
00:59:23,060 --> 00:59:24,180
 Certified Alarm.

940
00:59:24,820 --> 00:59:25,740
 Lost Pizza.

941
00:59:26,440 --> 00:59:28,140
 And Alabama Health Guidance.

942
00:59:28,860 --> 00:59:30,080
 Atlanta Braves baseball.

943
00:59:30,280 --> 00:59:33,600
 Tonight versus the Los Angeles Angels on 93.9, The Score.

944
00:59:34,600 --> 00:59:36,860
 93.9, The Score weather.

945
00:59:37,420 --> 00:59:39,300
 Today sunny with a high around 70.

946
00:59:39,900 --> 00:59:41,920
 Tonight partly cloudy with a low near 45.

947
00:59:42,740 --> 00:59:45,680
 Tomorrow mostly sunny and breezy with a high around 75.

948
00:59:46,480 --> 00:59:48,940
 Tomorrow night mostly cloudy with a low near 50.

949
00:59:49,500 --> 00:59:52,360
 And for your Thursday mostly sunny with a high around 75.

950
00:59:52,980 --> 00:59:55,600
 Your weather from 93.9, The Score.

951
00:59:55,600 --> 01:00:08,980
 Now, get ready to roll Shoals, Decatur, Athens, and all of Northwest Alabama and Southern Tennessee.

952
01:00:09,580 --> 01:00:12,940
 It's time for the Valley's exclusive FM Sports Voice.

953
01:00:15,800 --> 01:00:18,440
 The Boomo Bugg Show.

954
01:00:18,840 --> 01:00:24,040
 Your exclusive inside track to the Tigers, Tennessee, and the rest of the SEC.

955
01:00:24,820 --> 01:00:30,220
 Now, your host, Harold Bugg on 93.9, The Score.

956
01:00:31,140 --> 01:00:31,840
 Welcome back in.

957
01:00:31,900 --> 01:00:33,020
 Our tour of the Boomo Bugg Show.

958
01:00:33,120 --> 01:00:34,820
 I'm Harold Bugg alongside Brett Beaird.

959
01:00:34,920 --> 01:00:37,740
 Thank you so much for giving us free ride around the Tennessee Valley.

960
01:00:37,980 --> 01:00:41,600
 And for Randy Kennedy to come up and get back.

961
01:00:42,060 --> 01:00:44,580
 And we'll explain that behind the microphone here in a second, Randy.

962
01:00:46,260 --> 01:00:47,460
 Sportswriteral.com.

963
01:00:47,540 --> 01:00:51,360
 Also, the winner of the Mill Allen Award from the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.

964
01:00:51,360 --> 01:00:55,020
 Name one of the 50 legends of sportswriters in Alabama.

965
01:00:55,580 --> 01:00:56,980
 And here's the hard part.

966
01:00:57,180 --> 01:00:58,260
 See if I got this right.

967
01:00:58,420 --> 01:01:03,380
 Former radio host of the Randy Kennedy Show afternoons on 995 Sports Talk and Mobile.

968
01:01:03,960 --> 01:01:05,760
 Randy, I'm hoping that's a typo.

969
01:01:05,920 --> 01:01:08,400
 Say it ain't so about the former radio host.

970
01:01:08,500 --> 01:01:10,940
 What do we got to do to talk you back into this crazy business?

971
01:01:11,060 --> 01:01:11,880
 Randy, how are you?

972
01:01:12,000 --> 01:01:13,600
 You know, I'm doing good.

973
01:01:13,820 --> 01:01:16,280
 Well, I'm on with you right now, so I haven't gotten out of radio altogether.

974
01:01:16,660 --> 01:01:17,240
 There you go.

975
01:01:17,660 --> 01:01:19,640
 But I'm not doing it every single day.

976
01:01:19,740 --> 01:01:20,840
 I have retired from that.

977
01:01:21,140 --> 01:01:25,320
 But it's going to give me more time to do writing and be at different events and that sort of thing.

978
01:01:25,420 --> 01:01:27,360
 So I'll be just as involved as ever.

979
01:01:27,460 --> 01:01:30,480
 Just not doing it every single day on the radio.

980
01:01:30,700 --> 01:01:31,360
 You guys should try it.

981
01:01:31,700 --> 01:01:32,900
 It's working out great so far.

982
01:01:33,740 --> 01:01:37,020
 Yeah, you know, people, I've often talked with people.

983
01:01:37,140 --> 01:01:40,260
 I remember back in TV, people say, what do you do between 6 and 10?

984
01:01:41,540 --> 01:01:41,940
 Work?

985
01:01:42,800 --> 01:01:44,980
 They think that's just like manna from heaven.

986
01:01:45,120 --> 01:01:46,100
 It falls out of the sky.

987
01:01:46,380 --> 01:01:48,560
 But do people realize, here's the deal.

988
01:01:48,720 --> 01:01:52,040
 Randy, do people realize how much effort it takes to put on a good show?

989
01:01:52,100 --> 01:01:54,000
 Anybody can put on a show.

990
01:01:54,120 --> 01:01:59,060
 But to put on a consistently good show, do people realize how much work goes into it?

991
01:01:59,400 --> 01:02:08,240
 You know, the thing that I've noticed already is that I'm watching games differently than I did when I had the daily show.

992
01:02:08,580 --> 01:02:14,920
 I don't think I realized how often I was taking notes, either writing down or on my computer or just mentally.

993
01:02:15,340 --> 01:02:20,060
 Like every time something happened, I was listening to a South Alabama baseball game on Saturday.

994
01:02:20,560 --> 01:02:23,520
 And a guy made a great catch and a put out at the plate, a double play.

995
01:02:23,920 --> 01:02:26,120
 And I was like, oh, I need to remember that guy's name.

996
01:02:26,180 --> 01:02:27,080
 And I was like, no, I don't.

997
01:02:27,420 --> 01:02:28,000
 It was a good play.

998
01:02:28,000 --> 01:02:28,700
 And I enjoyed listening.

999
01:02:29,260 --> 01:02:30,360
 That's all I need to know.

1000
01:02:31,140 --> 01:02:35,400
 I don't need to know three days from now what the guy's name was or, you know, what the score was.

1001
01:02:35,520 --> 01:02:37,260
 You know, just enjoy it.

1002
01:02:37,300 --> 01:02:40,320
 Don't necessarily be taking mental notes every second of your life.

1003
01:02:40,400 --> 01:02:42,200
 So that's the big difference so far.

1004
01:02:43,500 --> 01:02:49,880
 Randy, Dan Lanning from Oregon is taking notes about how much talent is in the state of Alabama.

1005
01:02:50,420 --> 01:02:57,380
 He's come in and stolen another top quality player, four-star cornerback.

1006
01:02:57,380 --> 01:03:00,580
 And I'll let you hit me with his first name, a King Hall.

1007
01:03:02,020 --> 01:03:03,620
 He's picked up again.

1008
01:03:03,620 --> 01:03:09,440
 And this is coming on the heels of Naeem Alford a couple of years ago.

1009
01:03:09,440 --> 01:03:21,320
 And Tank Jones, Hall's 5'11", 180, plays at Dothan and is considered to be certainly in the top two or three prospects in the state of Alabama.

1010
01:03:22,000 --> 01:03:33,940
 Randy, tell us a little bit more about Hall and also tell us, how is Dan Lanning coming down here from the far left northwest coast and getting star players?

1011
01:03:34,900 --> 01:03:35,600
 It's crazy.

1012
01:03:35,720 --> 01:03:45,180
 So Hall is 6'1", he's a cornerback, a very good player, arguably, according to some people, the number one player in the state, which, you know, we've talked about it before.

1013
01:03:45,400 --> 01:03:48,580
 This would be possibly three years in a row.

1014
01:03:48,660 --> 01:03:51,400
 I mean, there's, you know, differing opinions on who the best player in the state is.

1015
01:03:51,400 --> 01:03:55,940
 But Alford was the consensus number one two years ago, the cornerback from Birmingham.

1016
01:03:56,420 --> 01:04:03,340
 And then, you know, last year Tank Jones from Mobile, St. Paul, arguably the number one player in the state, signed with Oregon.

1017
01:04:03,780 --> 01:04:04,780
 And now this year they've got two.

1018
01:04:04,860 --> 01:04:08,500
 They've got the D-lineman from Thompson and now the cornerback from Dothan.

1019
01:04:08,800 --> 01:04:15,620
 They're not doing it with volume of recruits, but, boy, they're coming to Alabama and targeting the very top guys.

1020
01:04:16,860 --> 01:04:23,260
 It's called spending your money wisely, Randy, which begs the question, you know, every Alabama and Auburn fan is going to ask the obvious question.

1021
01:04:23,380 --> 01:04:24,420
 What the heck's going on?

1022
01:04:24,440 --> 01:04:27,140
 Well, the answer, I'm sure, has something to do with money.

1023
01:04:27,840 --> 01:04:33,220
 Your thoughts, two things on that, Randy, about the NIO climate, because there are no borders anymore.

1024
01:04:33,220 --> 01:04:35,360
 It's the universal colors green.

1025
01:04:36,200 --> 01:04:40,700
 And how, I mean, Alex Gulloch has come in with, he went and got him some alpha testosterone.

1026
01:04:40,900 --> 01:04:42,960
 He's coming in shooting from both sides now.

1027
01:04:43,440 --> 01:04:46,020
 Got a little Dixieland delight going on in April.

1028
01:04:46,220 --> 01:04:47,180
 He's talking trash.

1029
01:04:47,260 --> 01:04:48,040
 He said, bring them on.

1030
01:04:48,120 --> 01:04:49,920
 I'm tired of Auburn being disrespected.

1031
01:04:50,500 --> 01:04:56,300
 Your thoughts just about recruiting 2026 in the state of Alabama between the Tide and Tigers.

1032
01:04:57,040 --> 01:05:05,640
 Yeah, I think a lot of it that we just have to get used to now in this new age with the NIL is that different programs are going to target different guys.

1033
01:05:06,460 --> 01:05:19,160
 And so if there's a guy who is like a, you know, an 8 out of 10 kind of recruit, let's just say that we can all agree he's an 8 out of 10, but one program or the other decides we're going to pay him like a 10 out of 10, they're going to get him.

1034
01:05:19,880 --> 01:05:23,840
 And so you've got to decide, here are the people I'm going to prioritize.

1035
01:05:24,460 --> 01:05:30,500
 And on the other side of the state, they're just going to be like, well, we think he's worthy of an 8 out of 10, so y'all go ahead.

1036
01:05:30,580 --> 01:05:31,400
 We'll just look elsewhere.

1037
01:05:31,560 --> 01:05:33,740
 That is the world we live in now.

1038
01:05:33,880 --> 01:05:34,820
 That's just where we are.

1039
01:05:36,140 --> 01:05:38,400
 Randy, you've got the quarterbacks.

1040
01:05:38,660 --> 01:05:43,360
 You do a great job of the best of Bama, and you're doing it position by position.

1041
01:05:44,160 --> 01:05:53,620
 And you've got the quarterbacks coming out Thursday, and we'll talk about a few of them, but some of the offensive line are national recruits.

1042
01:05:53,780 --> 01:05:57,840
 Jatori Williams from Central Phoenix City, a former Alabama commitment.

1043
01:05:59,040 --> 01:06:01,280
 Sharante Bailey out of Aniston.

1044
01:06:02,160 --> 01:06:06,900
 Aniston was, of course, a Class 4A championship game last year.

1045
01:06:07,460 --> 01:06:09,620
 Two dudes from North Alabama.

1046
01:06:09,840 --> 01:06:12,960
 Stafford Willis from A-Rab getting interest.

1047
01:06:12,960 --> 01:06:15,940
 I know, according to you, from UCLA to South Carolina.

1048
01:06:16,580 --> 01:06:25,700
 And a guy I know well, Cord Pig from Mars Hill, he can play about four positions in his elite level.

1049
01:06:26,500 --> 01:06:28,660
 Nose guard, offensive lineman, et cetera.

1050
01:06:28,820 --> 01:06:33,920
 Randy, talk about some of the very talented offensive linemen in the state of Alabama.

1051
01:06:34,920 --> 01:06:40,200
 Yeah, you know, we were on this show last year talking about how we just didn't have offensive linemen.

1052
01:06:40,200 --> 01:06:44,800
 You know, it just wasn't a good class last year in terms of offensive linemen.

1053
01:06:44,900 --> 01:06:46,800
 Well, we've turned that around a good bit.

1054
01:06:46,840 --> 01:06:52,940
 You talk about the kid from A-Rab who also has a brother who's a really good tight end prospect coming up as well.

1055
01:06:53,420 --> 01:06:54,760
 But that's really cool to see.

1056
01:06:54,940 --> 01:07:00,700
 And the reason why we do this list on AL.com, I mean, we want to highlight these guys from all over.

1057
01:07:00,880 --> 01:07:03,920
 You know, we're not writing about A-Rab all the time, although, you know, we should be.

1058
01:07:04,540 --> 01:07:07,160
 Or Dothan High School is the kid we already talked about.

1059
01:07:07,240 --> 01:07:10,500
 It's just, you know, those places where we're not at every Friday night.

1060
01:07:10,640 --> 01:07:15,120
 But through the research and talking to people, you know, you can highlight some of those guys.

1061
01:07:15,180 --> 01:07:17,660
 And it's really cool to be able to do that.

1062
01:07:17,700 --> 01:07:22,840
 But it's going to be a better year for offensive linemen this year than it has been in the past.

1063
01:07:22,960 --> 01:07:25,360
 Like I said, last year, it goes in cycles.

1064
01:07:25,500 --> 01:07:30,500
 But last year, we just didn't have a whole lot of those guys who were great prospects.

1065
01:07:30,500 --> 01:07:35,620
 But as you mentioned, Cord Pig, which is a great name for Morris Hill this year.

1066
01:07:35,800 --> 01:07:42,220
 He's going to be one of the top guys and certainly going to be a candidate for the best in Bama top 50 when we do that this summer.

1067
01:07:43,000 --> 01:07:44,880
 In the huddle with Randy Kennedy.

1068
01:07:45,200 --> 01:07:46,840
 You know, some places are just top best.

1069
01:07:46,920 --> 01:07:50,400
 We know Birmingham because population-wise, that's a great metro area.

1070
01:07:51,120 --> 01:07:56,060
 But pound for pound, you get over in northeast Alabama, Aniston and Oxford.

1071
01:07:56,160 --> 01:07:57,560
 They don't like each other, they say.

1072
01:07:58,260 --> 01:08:05,500
 Your thoughts about two guys, Sharonte Bailey, speaking of offensive linemen, and fellow OL, Bryson Sanderson down the road at Oxford.

1073
01:08:05,560 --> 01:08:07,340
 That is a hotbed for high school talent.

1074
01:08:07,420 --> 01:08:08,300
 It always has been.

1075
01:08:08,960 --> 01:08:09,960
 Yep, no doubt about it.

1076
01:08:09,960 --> 01:08:13,020
 You know, I saw you guys at the state championship games up in Birmingham.

1077
01:08:13,020 --> 01:08:19,660
 And we saw Bailey, that Aniston team that's had such a great year, undefeated all the way to the state championship game.

1078
01:08:20,180 --> 01:08:23,240
 And then, of course, they ran into a great team there.

1079
01:08:23,960 --> 01:08:26,560
 But he's a really big kid.

1080
01:08:26,760 --> 01:08:30,840
 I mean, probably even played a little smaller in college than he is in high school.

1081
01:08:30,960 --> 01:08:33,020
 Because he's a very, very big kid.

1082
01:08:33,600 --> 01:08:39,440
 And then, like you said, Oxford's going through a great run of athletes right now as well, winning a state championship in basketball.

1083
01:08:39,440 --> 01:08:43,580
 And certainly, that's a fun Friday night.

1084
01:08:43,760 --> 01:08:47,760
 And Bryson Sanderson from Oxford is one of those guys, a leader at Oxford High School.

1085
01:08:49,040 --> 01:08:51,400
 Randy, let me ask you about wide receivers.

1086
01:08:52,680 --> 01:08:57,660
 You know, Thompson, you know, I'm surprised it took this long to mention Thompson.

1087
01:08:58,360 --> 01:08:59,120
 Andrew Kimbrough.

1088
01:08:59,120 --> 01:09:01,320
 Now, he, I believe, is a junior.

1089
01:09:01,560 --> 01:09:03,740
 Deshaun Hall from Prattville.

1090
01:09:04,300 --> 01:09:05,620
 Kid I've seen play.

1091
01:09:05,760 --> 01:09:07,820
 Mae Jemison, they played most of the shows.

1092
01:09:08,500 --> 01:09:12,140
 Last fall, Cortez Hudson is quite an athlete.

1093
01:09:12,300 --> 01:09:14,200
 He's also 6'3".

1094
01:09:14,200 --> 01:09:17,360
 It's one of the things I know that a lot of these schools are looking at.

1095
01:09:17,440 --> 01:09:24,660
 With tall, the length, Trevon Hall at Central Tuscaloosa, Oklahoma is involved in him.

1096
01:09:24,740 --> 01:09:28,820
 Randy, talk about some of the talented receivers in the state of Alabama.

1097
01:09:29,520 --> 01:09:31,340
 You know, first of all, we did mention Thompson.

1098
01:09:31,560 --> 01:09:36,780
 So, you know, on our list, when we're doing the countdown here on bestinbamonale.com,

1099
01:09:37,180 --> 01:09:39,080
 so when we did tight ends, they had a guy.

1100
01:09:39,240 --> 01:09:40,740
 When we do wide receivers, they got a guy.

1101
01:09:40,860 --> 01:09:42,200
 When we do quarterbacks, they got a guy.

1102
01:09:42,520 --> 01:09:43,320
 That's not a coincidence.

1103
01:09:43,540 --> 01:09:45,900
 I mean, all those guys make each other better, right?

1104
01:09:45,900 --> 01:09:49,080
 When you've got a great quarterback, you're going to be able to showcase a tight end

1105
01:09:49,080 --> 01:09:50,480
 or a wide receiver or whatever.

1106
01:09:50,660 --> 01:09:52,900
 But the main point I would make about these guys,

1107
01:09:53,340 --> 01:09:55,480
 probably headlined by Deshaun Hall at Prattville,

1108
01:09:55,620 --> 01:09:58,200
 is when you start looking at these great wide receivers,

1109
01:09:58,880 --> 01:10:01,440
 man, there are some great basketball players among these guys.

1110
01:10:01,460 --> 01:10:02,620
 Yep, they all get twitched.

1111
01:10:02,820 --> 01:10:05,260
 I mean, it's like if you just type in the name to Google,

1112
01:10:05,420 --> 01:10:08,440
 you're like every one of these wide receivers were highlighting, like,

1113
01:10:08,700 --> 01:10:10,220
 here's their duck package, you know?

1114
01:10:10,560 --> 01:10:12,000
 These guys are so good.

1115
01:10:12,000 --> 01:10:15,560
 And like I said with Deshaun Hall at Prattville, who's an uncommitted senior,

1116
01:10:15,900 --> 01:10:19,820
 you know, he may be a better basketball prospect than he is football,

1117
01:10:20,020 --> 01:10:23,640
 certainly in terms of being accomplished on the field or on the court,

1118
01:10:23,980 --> 01:10:26,300
 probably more so so far in basketball than football.

1119
01:10:26,440 --> 01:10:29,620
 So that's true for so many of these guys when we're talking wide receivers.

1120
01:10:30,100 --> 01:10:31,480
 It's called that quick twitch.

1121
01:10:31,580 --> 01:10:32,760
 Every coach looks for it.

1122
01:10:32,760 --> 01:10:33,740
 If they can do that in basketball,

1123
01:10:33,880 --> 01:10:36,020
 they know they've got potential out on the football field.

1124
01:10:36,160 --> 01:10:37,520
 And a little with Randy Kennedy.

1125
01:10:37,680 --> 01:10:39,140
 Again, here we go.

1126
01:10:39,140 --> 01:10:44,440
 The Alabama High School Athletic Association, your old friends, the A-H-S-A-A,

1127
01:10:44,560 --> 01:10:50,060
 making a, are you ready for this, another change for the first Super 7 football championship

1128
01:10:50,060 --> 01:10:51,420
 in your backyard in Mobile.

1129
01:10:51,840 --> 01:10:55,480
 I would imagine the folks are into restaurants and motels and hotels.

1130
01:10:55,480 --> 01:10:56,200
 They like it.

1131
01:10:56,380 --> 01:10:58,760
 Moving from a four-day pilot to a five-day pilot,

1132
01:10:58,860 --> 01:11:01,320
 that's just that much more money for the mayor and the Chamber of Commerce.

1133
01:11:02,100 --> 01:11:02,960
 That's a good thing.

1134
01:11:03,060 --> 01:11:06,260
 And I think, I hope you guys will be down here because we're going to put on the show.

1135
01:11:06,420 --> 01:11:11,460
 It's an unbelievable stadium to be able to have the Super 7 or whatever it's called.

1136
01:11:11,560 --> 01:11:12,380
 Is it the Super 7?

1137
01:11:12,440 --> 01:11:12,920
 I don't know.

1138
01:11:13,220 --> 01:11:15,160
 I don't know what it is anymore, but the state championship.

1139
01:11:15,500 --> 01:11:17,060
 Whatever we're calling it, the state championship,

1140
01:11:17,220 --> 01:11:20,220
 you guys are going to be blown away by the facilities

1141
01:11:20,220 --> 01:11:25,080
 and just everything that goes into putting that on at Hancock Whitney Stadium

1142
01:11:25,080 --> 01:11:25,900
 in South Alabama.

1143
01:11:26,500 --> 01:11:28,140
 But I think the extra day was needed.

1144
01:11:28,360 --> 01:11:30,120
 You know, we get to go to these private schools.

1145
01:11:30,380 --> 01:11:32,680
 And, you know, you also have to consider the flag football,

1146
01:11:32,940 --> 01:11:34,520
 which is becoming bigger and bigger.

1147
01:11:34,960 --> 01:11:38,860
 So, I mean, I don't have a problem with adding to the days.

1148
01:11:39,160 --> 01:11:42,280
 The only thing to keep in mind, though, is that now we're going to play state championships

1149
01:11:42,280 --> 01:11:47,200
 on Saturday, which leads into, like, SEC championship day

1150
01:11:47,200 --> 01:11:50,340
 or, you know, the conference championship game on Saturday, I believe.

1151
01:11:50,400 --> 01:11:53,080
 So that's the one drawback.

1152
01:11:53,420 --> 01:11:56,400
 But, you know, you've got to figure out a way to fit all those games in,

1153
01:11:56,400 --> 01:11:59,700
 no matter if you're playing in Birmingham or Mobile or, you know,

1154
01:11:59,740 --> 01:12:00,460
 anywhere else.

1155
01:12:01,180 --> 01:12:03,380
 You pretty much had to add an extra day there.

1156
01:12:04,320 --> 01:12:08,900
 Randy, we talked to our mutual friend, Ben Thomas, about this yesterday.

1157
01:12:09,100 --> 01:12:11,880
 The central board's meeting next week.

1158
01:12:12,480 --> 01:12:14,080
 They're looking at a lot of things.

1159
01:12:14,320 --> 01:12:16,540
 Had to do the private playoffs.

1160
01:12:17,120 --> 01:12:21,140
 I know that the shot clock is in April.

1161
01:12:22,080 --> 01:12:26,020
 But there are a lot of big decisions still to be made.

1162
01:12:26,280 --> 01:12:28,260
 And, you know, we were joking with Ben yesterday.

1163
01:12:28,460 --> 01:12:31,720
 Is this the Super 10, the Super 8, or the Super 12 now?

1164
01:12:32,360 --> 01:12:33,800
 They'll figure that out.

1165
01:12:33,940 --> 01:12:37,160
 But it's going to be some interesting decisions, Randy.

1166
01:12:37,300 --> 01:12:41,560
 How they structure the private playoffs, the shot clock.

1167
01:12:41,920 --> 01:12:45,980
 Going to be some interesting changes that we'll know probably by the end of April.

1168
01:12:46,860 --> 01:12:50,900
 You know, the shot clock thing is so interesting because it's easy for you to sit here for us

1169
01:12:50,900 --> 01:12:56,600
 to sit on the radio or talk to your 7A or 6A coaches and say, of course we need a shot clock.

1170
01:12:57,120 --> 01:12:59,180
 It's just logical that we would have a shot clock.

1171
01:12:59,340 --> 01:13:03,540
 But then you look at it and say, well, you know, what about some of these little 1A schools?

1172
01:13:03,800 --> 01:13:05,500
 That's an expense they can't.

1173
01:13:05,500 --> 01:13:06,940
 Who's going to love the shot clock?

1174
01:13:07,220 --> 01:13:08,480
 Who's going to buy the shot clock?

1175
01:13:08,680 --> 01:13:10,360
 You know, all those sorts of things.

1176
01:13:10,440 --> 01:13:14,760
 So it's more complicated than it sounds on the surface where, I mean, we would all just say, of course,

1177
01:13:15,120 --> 01:13:17,100
 we need a shot clock in high school basketball, right?

1178
01:13:18,640 --> 01:13:19,040
 Absolutely.

1179
01:13:19,380 --> 01:13:21,680
 Randy, tell us what is coming Thursday.

1180
01:13:22,120 --> 01:13:24,920
 What else have you got coming up in April?

1181
01:13:25,300 --> 01:13:29,580
 And the Best of Bama is going to debut at some point this summer.

1182
01:13:29,860 --> 01:13:34,160
 Randy, tell us where we can get online and get Thursday and all the other good stuff.

1183
01:13:34,480 --> 01:13:35,640
 Yeah, it's good stuff, though.

1184
01:13:35,680 --> 01:13:40,040
 AL.com is where we're doing the best in Bama, which we run year-round.

1185
01:13:40,220 --> 01:13:43,120
 But we unveil the top 50 coming up in a couple of months.

1186
01:13:43,200 --> 01:13:48,640
 But before that, we're going position by position, kind of a white list from every position coming up.

1187
01:13:49,020 --> 01:13:50,840
 This Thursday, it is quarterbacks.

1188
01:13:50,900 --> 01:13:55,100
 And I've got to tell you, I am labeling it the year of the quarterback in Alabama coming up.

1189
01:13:56,320 --> 01:13:57,540
 I've been doing the research.

1190
01:13:57,740 --> 01:14:01,320
 I think this is the best quarterback class in the history of Alabama.

1191
01:14:01,620 --> 01:14:02,500
 I really think that.

1192
01:14:02,500 --> 01:14:05,580
 And I've done all the research going back a couple of decades.

1193
01:14:06,040 --> 01:14:08,400
 And, you know, we'll see how they turn out in college.

1194
01:14:08,520 --> 01:14:13,260
 But in terms of being recruits, I think this is the best class we've had in Alabama in at least 20 years.

1195
01:14:13,860 --> 01:14:14,660
 That's saying a lot.

1196
01:14:14,760 --> 01:14:16,320
 Listen, Randy's always good to hook up with you.

1197
01:14:16,340 --> 01:14:18,360
 We've got a lonely microphone here for you.

1198
01:14:19,100 --> 01:14:20,320
 Come back any time.

1199
01:14:20,380 --> 01:14:21,420
 We'll save it for you, okay?

1200
01:14:21,980 --> 01:14:22,900
 You got it, guys.

1201
01:14:23,660 --> 01:14:24,380
 Thank you, Randy.

1202
01:14:24,500 --> 01:14:25,800
 Randy, you can be hooking up with us.

1203
01:14:25,940 --> 01:14:29,980
 He's named one of the 50 legends of sports writers in the state of Alabama.

1204
01:14:30,160 --> 01:14:32,440
 What's the state of the SEC from top to bottom?

1205
01:14:32,560 --> 01:14:34,060
 Joe Cox on that and more.

1206
01:14:34,120 --> 01:14:34,480
 Let's right ahead.

1207
01:14:34,540 --> 01:14:34,980
 Stay with us.

1208
01:14:42,480 --> 01:14:46,340
 It's rumored they'd take bad cases just to see if they can lose.

1209
01:14:48,500 --> 01:14:50,100
 They don't practice law.

1210
01:14:50,720 --> 01:14:51,740
 They perfect it.

1211
01:14:53,400 --> 01:14:56,540
 They are the lawyers you can trust.

1212
01:14:57,820 --> 01:14:59,540
 We can't take every case.

1213
01:14:59,880 --> 01:15:02,940
 But when we do, we like to win big.

1214
01:15:03,400 --> 01:15:07,720
 If you've been hurt, call McCutcheon and Hamner at 333-5000.

1215
01:15:08,220 --> 01:15:10,100
 Offices in Huntsville, Florence, and Athens.

1216
01:15:10,860 --> 01:15:12,280
 Stay safe, my friends.

1217
01:15:12,760 --> 01:15:18,280
 Did you know about one in three people with plaque psoriasis may also develop psoriatic arthritis,

1218
01:15:18,640 --> 01:15:20,940
 which causes joint pain, stiffness, and swelling?

1219
01:15:21,880 --> 01:15:23,460
 Does this sound like you?

1220
01:15:25,460 --> 01:15:29,320
 Listen to what it sounds like to be a million miles away.

1221
01:15:34,200 --> 01:15:36,820
 Trimfaya, Gucelcomab, taken by injection,

1222
01:15:37,120 --> 01:15:41,040
 is a prescription medicine for adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis

1223
01:15:41,040 --> 01:15:44,640
 who may benefit from taking injections or pills or phototherapy

1224
01:15:44,640 --> 01:15:47,160
 and for adults with active psoriatic arthritis.

1225
01:15:47,880 --> 01:15:51,680
 Serious allergic reactions and increased risk of infections and liver problems may occur.

1226
01:15:51,680 --> 01:15:55,080
 Before treatment, your doctor should check you for infections and tuberculosis.

1227
01:15:55,440 --> 01:15:58,780
 Tell your doctor if you have an infection, flu-like symptoms, or if you need a vaccine.

1228
01:16:00,720 --> 01:16:03,400
 Imagine being a million miles away.

1229
01:16:04,120 --> 01:16:05,480
 Explore what's possible.

1230
01:16:05,820 --> 01:16:07,380
 Ask your doctor about Trimfaya.

1231
01:16:07,680 --> 01:16:12,120
 Visit Trimfaya.com or call 1-800-526-7736.

1232
01:16:14,680 --> 01:16:20,900
 You've said it before, this will only take a second, just a quick glance, a fast reply.

1233
01:16:21,460 --> 01:16:23,480
 But on the road, seconds don't wait for you.

1234
01:16:24,020 --> 01:16:25,080
 They decide everything.

1235
01:16:25,620 --> 01:16:28,320
 Who stops, who doesn't, who makes it home.

1236
01:16:29,660 --> 01:16:32,660
 So next time your phone lights up, ask yourself,

1237
01:16:32,840 --> 01:16:36,480
 is this distraction worth a ticket or even a life?

1238
01:16:37,140 --> 01:16:39,220
 Put the phone away or pay.

1239
01:16:39,700 --> 01:16:40,820
 Paid for by NetSign.

1240
01:16:42,480 --> 01:16:43,520
 Adam Schefter here.

1241
01:16:43,700 --> 01:16:45,860
 You know the feeling when a candidate just stands out?

1242
01:16:46,000 --> 01:16:47,920
 Not just their resume, but their energy.

1243
01:16:48,140 --> 01:16:49,000
 That makes a difference.

1244
01:16:49,240 --> 01:16:51,780
 If you're hiring, you want a candidate who's passionate.

1245
01:16:51,980 --> 01:16:56,740
 But you can't get that insight from a resume unless you post your job on ZipRecruiter.

1246
01:16:56,940 --> 01:16:59,700
 Their matching technology finds qualified candidates fast.

1247
01:16:59,900 --> 01:17:04,640
 And ZipRecruiter has a new feature that shows you the most interested qualified candidates first.

1248
01:17:04,640 --> 01:17:08,700
 Try it for free at ZipRecruiter.com slash sports.

1249
01:17:08,980 --> 01:17:11,940
 That's ZipRecruiter.com slash sports.

1250
01:17:12,620 --> 01:17:13,740
 I'm Boomer Esiason.

1251
01:17:13,980 --> 01:17:15,320
 My mom died from cancer.

1252
01:17:15,620 --> 01:17:17,320
 She was only 37 years old.

1253
01:17:17,600 --> 01:17:21,000
 She didn't have life insurance, and that was devastating for my family.

1254
01:17:21,280 --> 01:17:23,500
 That's why having life insurance is so important to me.

1255
01:17:23,800 --> 01:17:25,760
 Ethos makes it fast and easy.

1256
01:17:26,020 --> 01:17:29,720
 Get a quote in seconds, apply in minutes, and get same-day coverage.

1257
01:17:30,020 --> 01:17:33,260
 You can get up to $3 million in coverage with no medical exam.

1258
01:17:33,700 --> 01:17:36,820
 Get your free quote at ethos.com slash play.

1259
01:17:37,140 --> 01:17:39,140
 That's ethos.com slash play.

1260
01:17:39,500 --> 01:17:40,000
 Paid spokesperson.

1261
01:17:40,260 --> 01:17:41,320
 Time span on application may vary.

1262
01:17:41,420 --> 01:17:42,400
 Online health questions required.

1263
01:17:42,880 --> 01:17:44,640
 This is the story of the one.

1264
01:17:45,200 --> 01:17:46,920
 As a maintenance tech at a university,

1265
01:17:46,920 --> 01:17:50,460
 he knows ordering from multiple suppliers takes time away

1266
01:17:50,460 --> 01:17:52,560
 from keeping their arena up and running.

1267
01:17:52,900 --> 01:17:54,660
 That's why he counts on Grainger.

1268
01:17:54,900 --> 01:17:56,320
 To get everything he needs,

1269
01:17:56,440 --> 01:17:59,080
 from lighting and HVAC parts to plumbing supplies,

1270
01:17:59,320 --> 01:18:00,400
 all in one place.

1271
01:18:00,520 --> 01:18:02,280
 And with fast, dependable delivery,

1272
01:18:02,640 --> 01:18:05,020
 he's stocked and ready for the next tip-off.

1273
01:18:05,340 --> 01:18:07,620
 Call 1-800-GRAINGER, click grainger.com,

1274
01:18:07,740 --> 01:18:08,600
 or just stop by.

1275
01:18:08,840 --> 01:18:09,200
 Grainger.

1276
01:18:09,540 --> 01:18:11,360
 For the ones who get it done.

1277
01:18:17,700 --> 01:18:19,420
 From the University of Alabama,

1278
01:18:19,640 --> 01:18:21,080
 this is Crimson Tide Today.

1279
01:18:21,500 --> 01:18:23,000
 It's a daily update on Bama sports,

1280
01:18:23,100 --> 01:18:25,740
 and it's brought to you by Vector Security Champions Lane,

1281
01:18:25,980 --> 01:18:28,260
 the best pregame fan fest in college football.

1282
01:18:28,260 --> 01:18:31,180
 For more information, visit championslane.com.

1283
01:18:31,460 --> 01:18:32,140
 Hello again, everybody.

1284
01:18:32,340 --> 01:18:33,120
 I'm Roger Hoover.

1285
01:18:33,500 --> 01:18:35,800
 Here are thoughts from softball head coach Patrick Murphy

1286
01:18:35,800 --> 01:18:39,080
 after this past weekend's series win against number one Texas.

1287
01:18:39,400 --> 01:18:41,880
 First, it's just an honor and a privilege to be at Alabama

1288
01:18:41,880 --> 01:18:43,680
 with this group of people.

1289
01:18:43,920 --> 01:18:44,580
 They're incredible.

1290
01:18:45,200 --> 01:18:47,340
 And it took all 21 to win that series

1291
01:18:47,340 --> 01:18:48,880
 because Texas is one h*** of a good team,

1292
01:18:49,180 --> 01:18:50,260
 and everybody knows that.

1293
01:18:50,520 --> 01:18:52,540
 You know, they're the number one team in the country for a reason.

1294
01:18:53,040 --> 01:18:56,040
 But we needed all, however many people were here today,

1295
01:18:56,040 --> 01:19:00,960
 maybe 4,000 possibly, in our corner to win that series.

1296
01:19:01,220 --> 01:19:02,580
 They gave us life when we needed it.

1297
01:19:03,120 --> 01:19:04,800
 We had two really good pitching performances

1298
01:19:04,800 --> 01:19:07,040
 from Miss Moten and Briskey,

1299
01:19:07,520 --> 01:19:10,620
 which they both did what we absolutely needed them to do,

1300
01:19:10,780 --> 01:19:12,220
 one pitch four, one pitch three innings.

1301
01:19:12,700 --> 01:19:14,960
 And then we had some big, big hits from a lot of people.

1302
01:19:15,260 --> 01:19:16,640
 Well, I think it starts with senior leadership.

1303
01:19:17,060 --> 01:19:18,840
 And, you know, they set goals way back in September,

1304
01:19:19,440 --> 01:19:22,280
 and they stuck with their goals today.

1305
01:19:22,540 --> 01:19:23,680
 That was a cool part of it.

1306
01:19:23,980 --> 01:19:25,060
 I'll have more in a moment.

1307
01:19:26,040 --> 01:19:28,660
 Roll Tide fans, are you ready for game day in Tuscaloosa?

1308
01:19:29,000 --> 01:19:31,460
 Don't miss the ultimate pregame experience this season

1309
01:19:31,460 --> 01:19:33,360
 at Vector Security Champions Lane,

1310
01:19:33,660 --> 01:19:35,620
 opening four hours before each home game.

1311
01:19:35,860 --> 01:19:38,560
 This FanFest has everything you need to get pumped for kickoff.

1312
01:19:38,860 --> 01:19:40,320
 Located next to the Walk of Champions,

1313
01:19:40,640 --> 01:19:42,980
 you'll enjoy live music, player autographs,

1314
01:19:43,160 --> 01:19:45,060
 the best food trucks from all over Alabama,

1315
01:19:45,420 --> 01:19:48,240
 and ice-cold beer in our Legends Lounge beer garden,

1316
01:19:48,400 --> 01:19:49,820
 where there's never a cover charge.

1317
01:19:50,120 --> 01:19:53,240
 Check out championslane.com each week for the latest updates.

1318
01:19:53,440 --> 01:19:54,020
 Roll Tide.

1319
01:19:54,760 --> 01:19:56,880
 Join us this afternoon for Crimson Drive,

1320
01:19:56,880 --> 01:19:59,560
 driven by NASCAR, streaming live at 2 p.m. Central

1321
01:19:59,560 --> 01:20:04,560
 on all CTSN social media platforms at UA underscore CTSN.

1322
01:20:05,000 --> 01:20:08,620
 Crimson Tide Today is brought to you by Vector Security Champions Lane.

1323
01:20:09,040 --> 01:20:12,000
 Crimson Tide Today is a production of the Crimson Tide Sports Network

1324
01:20:12,000 --> 01:20:12,880
 from Learfield.

1325
01:20:14,180 --> 01:20:15,020
 The Score.

1326
01:20:15,720 --> 01:20:20,480
 Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score.

1327
01:20:20,980 --> 01:20:21,320
 The Score.

1328
01:20:21,320 --> 01:20:21,920
 Welcome back again.

1329
01:20:21,980 --> 01:20:24,440
 Time to say hello to Mr. Joe Cox,

1330
01:20:24,540 --> 01:20:26,460
 fine columnist for Saturday Down South.

1331
01:20:26,560 --> 01:20:28,640
 This book's called A Fine Team Man.

1332
01:20:28,800 --> 01:20:29,720
 Joe, welcome in.

1333
01:20:29,760 --> 01:20:30,520
 How are you?

1334
01:20:31,300 --> 01:20:32,240
 Doing okay.

1335
01:20:32,380 --> 01:20:35,980
 It's such a nice day that my son is celebrating his birthday

1336
01:20:35,980 --> 01:20:39,420
 by dragging me all over the state looking at baseball card shops.

1337
01:20:39,420 --> 01:20:42,820
 So, I'm out enjoying the day.

1338
01:20:43,380 --> 01:20:45,160
 Yeah, I thought of you this morning, Joe.

1339
01:20:45,300 --> 01:20:46,400
 I went to the dentist again.

1340
01:20:46,480 --> 01:20:48,020
 Every time I go to the dentist, I think of you.

1341
01:20:50,380 --> 01:20:52,540
 I don't know how to take that, but I guess I'll roll it.

1342
01:20:52,540 --> 01:20:53,940
 I bet you don't.

1343
01:20:54,640 --> 01:20:57,120
 I think we live in the dentist office, both of us.

1344
01:20:57,220 --> 01:21:00,260
 Joe, college basketball season's over the big question.

1345
01:21:00,420 --> 01:21:02,940
 Everybody says, what's the secret for the Big Ten?

1346
01:21:03,480 --> 01:21:04,380
 Are you kidding me?

1347
01:21:04,440 --> 01:21:07,520
 Just pay a lot of money for a lot of talent, and you win, right?

1348
01:21:07,560 --> 01:21:09,060
 It's not that complicated, is it, Joe?

1349
01:21:10,500 --> 01:21:12,260
 What's the old Billy Joel line?

1350
01:21:12,340 --> 01:21:13,980
 Don't you know about the new fashion, honey?

1351
01:21:14,040 --> 01:21:15,760
 All you need are looks and a whole lot of money.

1352
01:21:15,760 --> 01:21:16,860
 That's it, baby.

1353
01:21:17,740 --> 01:21:19,800
 That thing holds true in hoops.

1354
01:21:20,140 --> 01:21:26,020
 You know, the actual delivered, and a very solid finish to the season.

1355
01:21:26,440 --> 01:21:31,180
 But, yeah, I think any mystery is largely stripped away,

1356
01:21:31,320 --> 01:21:33,860
 and the big talking point, I think, right now,

1357
01:21:33,900 --> 01:21:36,760
 you've got to see with North Carolina struggling to get a coach.

1358
01:21:37,300 --> 01:21:39,640
 Being a blue blood doesn't mean what it used to mean.

1359
01:21:39,800 --> 01:21:44,000
 Being the green blood, I think, is probably where the action is at.

1360
01:21:45,140 --> 01:21:51,380
 Joe, the University of Tennessee is having an interesting time

1361
01:21:51,380 --> 01:21:54,760
 with both of their men's and women's basketball programs.

1362
01:21:55,440 --> 01:22:00,980
 The Lady Vols have lost nine players, five signees from the number two rated

1363
01:22:00,980 --> 01:22:06,520
 to a 2025 recruiting class, and two coaches.

1364
01:22:07,320 --> 01:22:13,380
 Rick Barnes has lost six to the portal in the last two or three days.

1365
01:22:14,200 --> 01:22:19,360
 Joe, including Cade Phillips, who was hurt the majority of the year.

1366
01:22:19,460 --> 01:22:22,540
 He's John David Phillips' son, the former Alabama quarterback.

1367
01:22:23,100 --> 01:22:27,660
 J.P. Estrella, Bishop Boswell, Jalen Carey.

1368
01:22:27,780 --> 01:22:30,620
 Now, they may have lost somebody since we got you on the phone.

1369
01:22:31,260 --> 01:22:36,740
 And I know that Rick Barnes and his staff is smart enough to go get some more players,

1370
01:22:37,060 --> 01:22:39,360
 but, Joe, that's where we are today.

1371
01:22:39,900 --> 01:22:45,040
 Tennessee women losing nine and Tennessee men losing six already.

1372
01:22:46,000 --> 01:22:49,260
 Yeah, and for a guy like Rick Barnes, the question becomes,

1373
01:22:49,400 --> 01:22:52,560
 how long do you want to subject yourself to having to build

1374
01:22:52,560 --> 01:22:56,200
 an entirely new roster every single year?

1375
01:22:56,200 --> 01:23:00,500
 I mean, he's a talented, able guy who's proven himself again and again,

1376
01:23:00,620 --> 01:23:04,020
 but if he could start approving himself, I certainly understand.

1377
01:23:04,600 --> 01:23:08,040
 And the women's side, gosh, I was actually talking about that yesterday.

1378
01:23:08,880 --> 01:23:14,440
 Just, you knew it was inevitable there would be a fall-off after Coach Summit,

1379
01:23:15,100 --> 01:23:17,680
 but I didn't see this kind of fall-off.

1380
01:23:18,120 --> 01:23:20,100
 And honestly, it made sense.

1381
01:23:20,260 --> 01:23:22,020
 It clicked something else into place for me.

1382
01:23:22,020 --> 01:23:25,360
 The whole Gino Auriemma, Dawn Staley, what's that about?

1383
01:23:25,740 --> 01:23:29,360
 I think a little bit of that is that Gino knows that when it's done,

1384
01:23:29,420 --> 01:23:33,300
 and it's close to done, the same thing's probably going to happen to UConn.

1385
01:23:33,400 --> 01:23:37,200
 How are you going to uphold that kind of level in this kind of culture

1386
01:23:37,200 --> 01:23:40,240
 where everybody, it's not what have you done for me lately,

1387
01:23:40,240 --> 01:23:42,260
 it's what have you done for me five minutes ago?

1388
01:23:43,000 --> 01:23:46,880
 So, yeah, Tennessee, it's a tough conundrum,

1389
01:23:47,020 --> 01:23:50,360
 but the only good news is they're far from the only ones who are having to deal with it.

1390
01:23:51,080 --> 01:23:53,680
 Joe Cox said it down south, the good news for Nate Oates.

1391
01:23:54,580 --> 01:23:58,200
 He got engaged, and then he got a big check to buy the big rock.

1392
01:23:58,200 --> 01:24:03,320
 He gets a $6 million deal, and then he gets news he's losing two of his big guns,

1393
01:24:03,420 --> 01:24:05,000
 Balboa and Sherell.

1394
01:24:05,200 --> 01:24:06,640
 They cometh and they goeth.

1395
01:24:06,720 --> 01:24:10,940
 Your thoughts about the Tuscaloosa situation, and if they are out,

1396
01:24:11,020 --> 01:24:14,680
 we're hearing rummings, maybe some folks across the SEC at Tennessee, Kentucky,

1397
01:24:14,760 --> 01:24:15,200
 and others.

1398
01:24:15,580 --> 01:24:20,160
 Deja vu again for one of the big wildcats in your neck of the woods might be looking there.

1399
01:24:20,240 --> 01:24:23,080
 That's the reports, however liable they are, only Joe Cox knows.

1400
01:24:23,440 --> 01:24:25,280
 But your thoughts about the Alabama situation?

1401
01:24:26,200 --> 01:24:29,220
 Yeah, I mean, you're going to have turnover even at a good program,

1402
01:24:29,360 --> 01:24:32,520
 even at a school where you have a good coach and a good system,

1403
01:24:32,940 --> 01:24:35,300
 and things are generally trending in the right direction.

1404
01:24:35,300 --> 01:24:39,980
 You're still going to have these things that pop up periodically.

1405
01:24:40,580 --> 01:24:43,320
 And, you know, don't even get me started in on, you know,

1406
01:24:43,360 --> 01:24:46,300
 Kentucky has Denzel Aberdeen, who enters the portal.

1407
01:24:46,520 --> 01:24:47,020
 Wait a minute.

1408
01:24:47,160 --> 01:24:52,640
 He was a senior, and he was a senior, but 50 years apparently just fall out of the sky,

1409
01:24:52,840 --> 01:24:54,680
 so he's going to catch one of those.

1410
01:24:55,340 --> 01:24:56,280
 I don't know.

1411
01:24:56,360 --> 01:24:57,260
 Nobody knows.

1412
01:24:57,440 --> 01:25:03,580
 The wonderful and frustrating thing about it is about five minutes before the games are played,

1413
01:25:03,660 --> 01:25:07,660
 the coaches are starting to get a feel for what they're going to deal with on that day.

1414
01:25:07,900 --> 01:25:11,880
 And as fans, that could be invigorating or that could be massively challenging

1415
01:25:11,880 --> 01:25:12,880
 or a little bit of both.

1416
01:25:13,760 --> 01:25:20,480
 You do the power rankings for SEC baseball, and you've got a lot of rankings to do.

1417
01:25:20,740 --> 01:25:28,340
 I know this week, Baseball America included nine SEC teams in an updated top 25.

1418
01:25:29,100 --> 01:25:31,600
 Georgia's hit 90 home runs.

1419
01:25:31,720 --> 01:25:33,380
 We talked about that last week.

1420
01:25:34,080 --> 01:25:36,160
 Alabama's pretty hot, Joe Cox.

1421
01:25:36,160 --> 01:25:45,820
 They've won eight out of nine games, beating Florida, Auburn, and Oklahoma over the weekend.

1422
01:25:46,020 --> 01:25:48,520
 Auburn came back and played well against Arkansas.

1423
01:25:48,520 --> 01:25:50,940
 He comes into Tuscaloosa this week.

1424
01:25:51,560 --> 01:25:56,500
 Joe, what tickles your fancy as far as SEC baseball this week?

1425
01:25:57,020 --> 01:26:03,380
 Well, you picked a good place to start because, frankly, I owe Alabama and their fans a big fat apology

1426
01:26:03,380 --> 01:26:07,120
 because they opened that SEC slate getting swept at Kentucky.

1427
01:26:07,480 --> 01:26:10,480
 I thought, geez, Alabama's not looking very good this year.

1428
01:26:10,600 --> 01:26:12,680
 Yeah, so now they just win eight out of nine.

1429
01:26:12,860 --> 01:26:16,260
 They're coming on against, you know, top competition.

1430
01:26:16,800 --> 01:26:20,760
 The pitching for Alabama has really surprised me in a positive way.

1431
01:26:20,880 --> 01:26:26,860
 They've done a nice job of getting the arms out there to combat some of the toughest lineups in the league,

1432
01:26:26,860 --> 01:26:29,200
 and I really like where they're at right now.

1433
01:26:29,320 --> 01:26:31,060
 Now, they are two games behind Georgia,

1434
01:26:31,260 --> 01:26:36,020
 and Georgia's doing that thing they do where they mash the ball all over the place,

1435
01:26:36,020 --> 01:26:37,940
 and that's a lot of fun to watch.

1436
01:26:38,060 --> 01:26:40,720
 But, man, I really like where Alabama stands,

1437
01:26:40,780 --> 01:26:42,900
 and that's something that a month ago, you know,

1438
01:26:42,980 --> 01:26:45,640
 I would not have believed I'd be saying that, but here we are.

1439
01:26:46,300 --> 01:26:49,020
 You know, Joe, the thing is, you look across the league,

1440
01:26:49,020 --> 01:26:50,940
 and is there such a thing as an off weekend?

1441
01:26:51,320 --> 01:26:51,580
 No.

1442
01:26:51,640 --> 01:26:54,240
 You mentioned Alabama's rally since that sweep by Kentucky,

1443
01:26:54,240 --> 01:26:58,320
 and two of the perennial powerhouses in the SEC, Florida and Vanderbilt.

1444
01:26:58,440 --> 01:26:59,680
 What happened recently?

1445
01:27:00,380 --> 01:27:03,660
 Ole Miss rallies for five of the ninth to down the Gators,

1446
01:27:04,160 --> 01:27:07,820
 and Texas A&M sweeps the twin bill against Vanderbilt.

1447
01:27:07,940 --> 01:27:10,440
 There are no weaknesses, it seems, anyway, right now.

1448
01:27:10,480 --> 01:27:13,460
 Maybe there's one weak link in the chain out there, but there ain't many.

1449
01:27:14,320 --> 01:27:17,220
 No, there really isn't, and Kentucky found that out.

1450
01:27:17,220 --> 01:27:22,260
 They got beat by Missouri, and that was one of the two that would stand out

1451
01:27:22,260 --> 01:27:27,100
 as a team that maybe you could write them off at your own peril,

1452
01:27:27,380 --> 01:27:30,960
 because, yeah, it really, it's always a competitive league,

1453
01:27:31,040 --> 01:27:33,840
 but I don't know that it's ever been as competitive as it is this year,

1454
01:27:33,920 --> 01:27:34,500
 top to bottom.

1455
01:27:36,200 --> 01:27:41,140
 Joe, Tennessee, we all knew when they had the coaching change,

1456
01:27:41,640 --> 01:27:45,600
 they were going to struggle at least for a while, and they have.

1457
01:27:45,600 --> 01:27:51,600
 They lost a series to LSU, who'd been doing a little bit of struggling themselves.

1458
01:27:53,140 --> 01:28:01,200
 The LSU catcher, Cade, a real body or bide, had a grand slam.

1459
01:28:01,400 --> 01:28:03,720
 Tennessee was leading that game comfortably,

1460
01:28:04,460 --> 01:28:08,300
 and he comes and has a just absolutely wild day.

1461
01:28:09,160 --> 01:28:12,820
 Joe, LSU began to play a little bit better, and your thoughts,

1462
01:28:13,220 --> 01:28:16,300
 I think a lot of people knew Tennessee was not going to be as good

1463
01:28:16,300 --> 01:28:21,120
 as the last couple of years, but there's no question they struggle some so far.

1464
01:28:21,900 --> 01:28:25,040
 Yeah, I mean, if you're looking for a disappointment in the league,

1465
01:28:25,560 --> 01:28:28,480
 Tennessee at four and eight, two spots from the bottom,

1466
01:28:28,640 --> 01:28:30,680
 it's got to be one that jumps out at you.

1467
01:28:31,540 --> 01:28:34,300
 Yeah, what a heartbreaking way to lose in LSU.

1468
01:28:34,940 --> 01:28:37,880
 Yeah, maybe that was what they were waiting on to get it going,

1469
01:28:38,040 --> 01:28:40,060
 because they've had their own struggles.

1470
01:28:40,200 --> 01:28:42,040
 They're another one of those teams, honestly,

1471
01:28:42,160 --> 01:28:45,060
 kind of had circled that series coming into the weekend thinking,

1472
01:28:45,240 --> 01:28:47,320
 somebody's about to hit bottom right here,

1473
01:28:47,500 --> 01:28:49,300
 and I'm afraid it might have been Tennessee.

1474
01:28:50,880 --> 01:28:52,980
 Joe, I always get amused at LSU.

1475
01:28:54,380 --> 01:28:59,100
 In mid-April, they take a nap, and then they seem to wake up in mid-April.

1476
01:28:59,220 --> 01:29:03,780
 They do it, so help me, every year, and we'll see where that goes.

1477
01:29:04,400 --> 01:29:08,460
 Tell us about the next power rankings for SEC baseball.

1478
01:29:09,340 --> 01:29:11,680
 I know you enjoy Major League Baseball.

1479
01:29:11,780 --> 01:29:13,160
 You've written books about it.

1480
01:29:13,560 --> 01:29:15,940
 Where can we get all the good stuff from Joe Cox?

1481
01:29:16,600 --> 01:29:18,540
 Check us out Saturday down south.

1482
01:29:18,760 --> 01:29:22,380
 Yeah, it's either Thursday or Friday, depending on how the week falls

1483
01:29:22,380 --> 01:29:24,060
 and how the schedule is shaping up,

1484
01:29:24,100 --> 01:29:26,420
 but it'll be there ahead of the weekend,

1485
01:29:26,560 --> 01:29:28,960
 a chance to see where the SEC stacks up

1486
01:29:28,960 --> 01:29:32,080
 before they play Twister with it and shuffle it all around.

1487
01:29:33,660 --> 01:29:34,280
 Well put.

1488
01:29:34,340 --> 01:29:34,960
 I like that, Joe.

1489
01:29:35,020 --> 01:29:36,260
 Listen, man, thanks for your time, Dave,

1490
01:29:36,320 --> 01:29:37,940
 and have a great rest of the week, okay?

1491
01:29:38,580 --> 01:29:39,020
 All right.

1492
01:29:39,060 --> 01:29:39,740
 You guys take care.

1493
01:29:40,220 --> 01:29:40,780
 Thank you, Joe.

1494
01:29:41,020 --> 01:29:43,780
 J.C., Joe Cox, Saturday down south.

1495
01:29:43,880 --> 01:29:46,100
 Coming up, Matt Merchelle is on deck.

1496
01:29:46,160 --> 01:29:46,780
 Stay with us.

1497
01:29:48,760 --> 01:29:54,280
 Some stare at the horizon.

1498
01:29:55,020 --> 01:29:56,240
 Others chase it.

1499
01:29:56,840 --> 01:29:58,040
 Introducing Cheyenne,

1500
01:29:58,420 --> 01:30:01,600
 a Western fashion brand for women raised on wide open spaces,

1501
01:30:01,900 --> 01:30:03,700
 rushing wind, and a steady heartbeat.

1502
01:30:04,340 --> 01:30:06,120
 Guided by a timeless country spirit,

1503
01:30:06,380 --> 01:30:08,840
 Cheyenne offers Western wear and fashion pieces

1504
01:30:08,840 --> 01:30:11,420
 with a curated collection of performance boots

1505
01:30:11,420 --> 01:30:13,240
 and clothing fit for your next adventure.

1506
01:30:13,960 --> 01:30:17,260
 Cheyenne, exclusively available at Boot Barn stores nationwide

1507
01:30:17,260 --> 01:30:18,660
 and at Cheyenne.com.

1508
01:30:19,180 --> 01:30:20,740
 Cheyenne, raised this way.

1509
01:30:22,860 --> 01:30:24,020
 Spring is in the air,

1510
01:30:24,340 --> 01:30:27,200
 and Aleve's long-lasting pain relief is here to keep you moving.

1511
01:30:27,740 --> 01:30:30,120
 The days are longer, and the flowers are blooming.

1512
01:30:30,460 --> 01:30:33,520
 Whether it's gardening, yard work, or just spending more time outdoors,

1513
01:30:34,080 --> 01:30:36,920
 spring has a way of getting us moving despite any body pain.

1514
01:30:37,420 --> 01:30:39,100
 That's where Aleve can keep you going.

1515
01:30:39,640 --> 01:30:40,640
 With just one dose,

1516
01:30:40,640 --> 01:30:44,200
 Aleve gives you long-lasting body pain relief for up to 12 hours.

1517
01:30:44,640 --> 01:30:47,480
 From sunup to sundown, Aleve's got your back.

1518
01:30:48,100 --> 01:30:48,700
 Try Aleve.

1519
01:30:49,100 --> 01:30:50,920
 Use as directed for minor aches and pains.

1520
01:30:52,220 --> 01:30:54,440
 We all hear the radio ads about the IRS.

1521
01:30:54,840 --> 01:30:56,740
 They tell you to be afraid, to be scared,

1522
01:30:56,980 --> 01:30:58,400
 and they try to frighten you into calling.

1523
01:30:58,700 --> 01:30:59,640
 I'm not here to do that.

1524
01:30:59,900 --> 01:31:01,720
 Tax relief advocates is different.

1525
01:31:02,020 --> 01:31:04,780
 TRA is here to tell you that if you owe money to the IRS,

1526
01:31:05,000 --> 01:31:07,680
 whether it's $5,000, $50,000, or $500,000,

1527
01:31:07,960 --> 01:31:08,860
 we have a solution.

1528
01:31:09,200 --> 01:31:10,800
 It doesn't matter if you're sitting in your car,

1529
01:31:10,920 --> 01:31:12,100
 at work, or with your kids,

1530
01:31:12,180 --> 01:31:13,100
 no matter where you are.

1531
01:31:13,320 --> 01:31:13,960
 Call now.

1532
01:31:14,220 --> 01:31:16,980
 800-575-6759.

1533
01:31:17,220 --> 01:31:18,140
 Don't lose hope.

1534
01:31:18,380 --> 01:31:21,500
 TRA can eliminate or reduce what you owe to the IRS.

1535
01:31:21,940 --> 01:31:23,340
 There is zero risk to you.

1536
01:31:23,580 --> 01:31:24,940
 If we can't reduce your tax debt,

1537
01:31:25,060 --> 01:31:26,140
 then you pay nothing.

1538
01:31:26,420 --> 01:31:27,700
 Our passion is taxes

1539
01:31:27,700 --> 01:31:30,360
 and helping individuals fix their IRS problems.

1540
01:31:30,640 --> 01:31:32,620
 We have a five-star rating on Google and Yelp

1541
01:31:32,620 --> 01:31:34,600
 and an A-plus with the Better Business Bureau.

1542
01:31:34,600 --> 01:31:37,300
 You don't need to be afraid of the IRS any longer.

1543
01:31:37,620 --> 01:31:39,060
 End your tax nightmare today

1544
01:31:39,060 --> 01:31:41,840
 by visiting us online at tra.com

1545
01:31:41,840 --> 01:31:45,220
 or call 800-575-6759.

1546
01:31:45,340 --> 01:31:48,140
 That's 800-575-6759.

1547
01:31:48,440 --> 01:31:49,680
 Tax Relief Advocates.

1548
01:31:49,880 --> 01:31:51,560
 Real solutions for real people.

1549
01:31:53,360 --> 01:31:55,840
 You're sitting at a red light or stuck in traffic

1550
01:31:55,840 --> 01:31:57,320
 and your phone lights up.

1551
01:31:57,840 --> 01:32:01,320
 Maybe it's a text, a video call, a new post,

1552
01:32:01,320 --> 01:32:04,580
 or a quick notification you think you can check in a second.

1553
01:32:05,280 --> 01:32:06,440
 It feels harmless.

1554
01:32:07,060 --> 01:32:09,860
 But the truth is, once your eyes leave the road,

1555
01:32:10,100 --> 01:32:11,720
 you're not really driving anymore.

1556
01:32:12,340 --> 01:32:14,860
 And traffic doesn't pause just because you do.

1557
01:32:15,720 --> 01:32:19,260
 That split second of distraction can throw off everything.

1558
01:32:20,060 --> 01:32:21,100
 Your reaction time.

1559
01:32:21,480 --> 01:32:22,320
 Your awareness.

1560
01:32:22,840 --> 01:32:25,500
 Your ability to avoid someone else's mistake.

1561
01:32:26,180 --> 01:32:27,380
 You could damage your car,

1562
01:32:27,660 --> 01:32:28,440
 injure yourself,

1563
01:32:28,600 --> 01:32:30,300
 or hurt someone you care about.

1564
01:32:30,680 --> 01:32:33,120
 Or you could get pulled over for a reminder

1565
01:32:33,120 --> 01:32:35,780
 that your phone isn't worth the risk.

1566
01:32:36,160 --> 01:32:37,840
 So before you start driving,

1567
01:32:38,160 --> 01:32:39,420
 make it easy on yourself.

1568
01:32:40,020 --> 01:32:41,640
 Put your phone on silent.

1569
01:32:42,200 --> 01:32:43,380
 Toss it in the glove box.

1570
01:32:44,080 --> 01:32:45,720
 Set it to do not disturb.

1571
01:32:46,460 --> 01:32:48,460
 Put the phone away or pay.

1572
01:32:49,300 --> 01:32:50,440
 Paid for by NHTSA.

1573
01:32:52,340 --> 01:32:55,320
 Progressive presents the Sports Flash on 93.9.

1574
01:32:55,640 --> 01:32:56,320
 The score.

1575
01:32:56,680 --> 01:32:57,540
 Baseball action today.

1576
01:32:57,680 --> 01:32:59,540
 Eighth-ranked Alabama set to host Samford.

1577
01:32:59,680 --> 01:33:00,980
 Samford 14 and 16.

1578
01:33:01,120 --> 01:33:02,680
 Alabama 25 and 8.

1579
01:33:02,800 --> 01:33:05,040
 Fifteenth-ranked Auburn will host Jacksonville State.

1580
01:33:05,140 --> 01:33:06,920
 The Auburn Tigers are 22 and 9.

1581
01:33:07,320 --> 01:33:10,880
 Jacksonville State is 27 and 6.

1582
01:33:11,320 --> 01:33:13,500
 North Alabama is back at home to host Tennessee.

1583
01:33:13,500 --> 01:33:18,400
 Martin North Alabama is 14 and 17 entering the matchup.

1584
01:33:18,640 --> 01:33:22,300
 Michigan Wolverines won the Men's Basketball National Championship last night.

1585
01:33:22,380 --> 01:33:24,440
 They beat UConn 69-63.

1586
01:33:24,920 --> 01:33:29,400
 First men's basketball title for the Wolverines in 37 years.

1587
01:33:29,820 --> 01:33:32,020
 Atlanta Braves are on the road tonight in Anaheim.

1588
01:33:32,080 --> 01:33:32,840
 They'll play the Angels.

1589
01:33:32,980 --> 01:33:34,200
 The Braves are 6-5.

1590
01:33:34,620 --> 01:33:37,300
 Reynaldo Lopez will get the start for Atlanta.

1591
01:33:37,660 --> 01:33:40,060
 Bundle auto and home, renters or condo,

1592
01:33:40,220 --> 01:33:41,900
 and save with Progressive.

1593
01:33:41,900 --> 01:33:43,760
 I'm John Thayer with the Sports Flash,

1594
01:33:43,880 --> 01:33:47,460
 presented by Progressive on 93.9 The Score.

1595
01:33:48,640 --> 01:33:58,900
 I checked Allstate first and saved hundreds on my car insurance.

1596
01:33:59,220 --> 01:34:00,040
 Really smart.

1597
01:34:00,300 --> 01:34:04,540
 Well, unfortunately, I didn't check if I took the gas hose out of my car's tank.

1598
01:34:04,880 --> 01:34:06,080
 Ooh, not smart.

1599
01:34:07,660 --> 01:34:10,820
 And I drove off, well, still attached to pump number three.

1600
01:34:11,960 --> 01:34:13,640
 Yeah, checking first is smart.

1601
01:34:13,640 --> 01:34:16,140
 So check Allstate first for a quote that could save you hundreds.

1602
01:34:18,640 --> 01:34:19,580
 Potential savings vary.

1603
01:34:19,700 --> 01:34:20,920
 So to deterrence, conditions and availability,

1604
01:34:21,120 --> 01:34:23,260
 Allstate North American Insurance Company and affiliates in Northbrook, Illinois.

1605
01:34:23,640 --> 01:34:25,960
 You know that Chick-fil-A sells more than chicken, right?

1606
01:34:26,860 --> 01:34:28,280
 Hello, my name is Jalisa.

1607
01:34:28,520 --> 01:34:31,620
 And a little thing I love about the Chick-fil-A Sausage Egg and Cheese Biscuit

1608
01:34:31,620 --> 01:34:34,720
 is how it's all of my favorite breakfast items in one good bite.

1609
01:34:34,900 --> 01:34:38,480
 That fluffy egg, that melty cheese with that perfectly grilled sausage.

1610
01:34:38,880 --> 01:34:42,060
 It just gives you that warmth, that comfort food that you love.

1611
01:34:42,060 --> 01:34:45,240
 It is the best possible option for a classic breakfast.

1612
01:34:45,560 --> 01:34:46,580
 Mm-mm, mm-mm, mm-mm.

1613
01:34:46,880 --> 01:34:47,660
 Comfort is calling.

1614
01:34:47,940 --> 01:34:51,480
 Order a Chick-fil-A Sausage Egg and Cheese Biscuit with Simply Arms Juice on the Chick-fil-A app today.

1615
01:34:51,660 --> 01:34:53,000
 Real guests paid for their testimonial.

1616
01:34:54,100 --> 01:34:55,080
 The Score.

1617
01:34:55,520 --> 01:35:00,280
 Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score.

1618
01:35:00,800 --> 01:35:01,080
 The Score.

1619
01:35:01,080 --> 01:35:01,720
 Welcome back in.

1620
01:35:01,780 --> 01:35:03,680
 Time to say hello to Mr. Eminem.

1621
01:35:03,680 --> 01:35:06,240
 I'm Matt Mischel, College Insider with the Orlando Sentinel,

1622
01:35:06,340 --> 01:35:09,040
 and the hosts of Gridiron 365 Podcast.

1623
01:35:09,380 --> 01:35:10,160
 Matt, welcome in.

1624
01:35:10,220 --> 01:35:11,000
 How are you?

1625
01:35:11,060 --> 01:35:12,600
 I'm doing well.

1626
01:35:12,640 --> 01:35:13,380
 How are you doing today?

1627
01:35:13,560 --> 01:35:13,860
 Hey, man.

1628
01:35:14,020 --> 01:35:18,260
 Man, the question is, how is Matt Mischel and your fellow neighbors in the Eastern Time Zone?

1629
01:35:18,320 --> 01:35:19,840
 We're spoiled here in the Central.

1630
01:35:19,960 --> 01:35:23,960
 When they play these championship games, and particularly the final part of the Final Four,

1631
01:35:24,000 --> 01:35:28,460
 how do you guys live in the Eastern Time Zone when you tip games off at 10 o'clock at night?

1632
01:35:29,640 --> 01:35:31,000
 Yeah, it's difficult.

1633
01:35:31,000 --> 01:35:33,680
 I got to tell you, it was tough to stay up.

1634
01:35:33,820 --> 01:35:38,720
 Good thing I had a chance to take a little bit of a nap, you know, because you need to.

1635
01:35:39,500 --> 01:35:42,340
 And that's always bothered me, you know what I mean?

1636
01:35:42,340 --> 01:35:50,200
 The fact that the championship game on a Monday night doesn't tip off to almost 9, 30, 10 o'clock at night.

1637
01:35:50,440 --> 01:35:55,460
 I've never understood why they couldn't tip that game off at 7 o'clock Eastern Time.

1638
01:35:55,660 --> 01:36:02,920
 I mean, it gives chances for people to maybe get a chance to get their game in and get a good night's sleep before going to work the next day.

1639
01:36:03,520 --> 01:36:06,360
 Matt, as someone who's been in television a while, I can give you the answer to that.

1640
01:36:06,400 --> 01:36:06,960
 It's called money.

1641
01:36:07,060 --> 01:36:09,140
 They make a ton of money in all those pregame shows.

1642
01:36:10,680 --> 01:36:15,360
 They sell a kajillion commercials before they get to the game because they know they've got a captive audience.

1643
01:36:15,360 --> 01:36:21,060
 But, Matt, your thoughts about the game, I don't think anybody was surprised at all.

1644
01:36:21,240 --> 01:36:23,020
 I mean, they thought Michigan would win.

1645
01:36:23,460 --> 01:36:27,000
 They thought Connecticut would be an underdog, but they'd be a dogfight.

1646
01:36:27,740 --> 01:36:31,260
 And pretty much, I mean, what surprises, if any, were there for you?

1647
01:36:31,360 --> 01:36:33,820
 And it pretty much played out, I think, the way a lot of folks thought.

1648
01:36:34,400 --> 01:36:39,100
 Connecticut would give a fight, but in the end, the cream seems to always rise to the top in most cases.

1649
01:36:40,080 --> 01:36:42,460
 Yeah, you know, I don't know if anything really surprised me.

1650
01:36:42,560 --> 01:36:47,140
 I think, you know, you look at Michigan's run, you know, throughout the season and through the tournament.

1651
01:36:47,560 --> 01:36:49,040
 That's probably the biggest surprise.

1652
01:36:49,200 --> 01:36:50,060
 I mean, they dominated.

1653
01:36:50,260 --> 01:36:56,980
 I mean, this wasn't a tournament that where, you know, they struggled, you know, here or there or had a challenge here or there.

1654
01:36:57,620 --> 01:37:01,900
 Outside of the title game, I mean, they just ran through the tournament.

1655
01:37:01,900 --> 01:37:11,220
 And I think that's the impressive fact that you could see what Dusty May was able to do as a coach is that, you know, you could keep guys focused on what the task is at hand.

1656
01:37:11,580 --> 01:37:18,640
 You know, you go out there and you build off it and you find a way to come out and get the win.

1657
01:37:18,720 --> 01:37:25,360
 And it says a lot to me more about the status of the Big Ten than perhaps it does about anything else.

1658
01:37:25,360 --> 01:37:32,520
 Because, you know, the Big Ten wins the men's and women's basketball championship and it looked impressive doing it.

1659
01:37:32,660 --> 01:37:41,880
 And so you have to start wondering, you know, are we in for an awakening where the Big Ten is going to be in command of basketball for the next few years?

1660
01:37:42,000 --> 01:37:52,900
 I think that's something that I'm sure Greg Sanky with the SEC, I'm sure Brett Yormark at the Big 12 probably is looking into and seeing what needs to be done.

1661
01:37:52,900 --> 01:37:57,740
 Because it was an impressive feat for both Michigan and UCLA, what they're able to accomplish.

1662
01:37:58,540 --> 01:38:01,220
 Your thoughts about that, that is a question for the SEC.

1663
01:38:01,600 --> 01:38:03,000
 And to me, the formula is real simple.

1664
01:38:03,120 --> 01:38:06,720
 Come up with a lot of money and have a good eye to evaluate talent.

1665
01:38:06,720 --> 01:38:09,380
 When you put good money with good talent, that's the answer.

1666
01:38:09,860 --> 01:38:11,140
 Easier said than done.

1667
01:38:11,380 --> 01:38:15,120
 The Big Ten seems to have figured it out with its football, basketball, tiddlywinks.

1668
01:38:15,500 --> 01:38:16,920
 I guess pickleball is next.

1669
01:38:17,320 --> 01:38:18,760
 But we know the theory.

1670
01:38:18,900 --> 01:38:20,780
 How does the SEC put it to practice?

1671
01:38:21,780 --> 01:38:24,420
 Well, I mean, again, you can't argue money.

1672
01:38:24,620 --> 01:38:25,340
 I mean, I'm sorry.

1673
01:38:25,500 --> 01:38:29,740
 I mean, you could say, you know, no one's going to cry boo-hoo for the SEC for money.

1674
01:38:29,940 --> 01:38:32,840
 I mean, you know, they're just up there with the Big Ten as well.

1675
01:38:32,980 --> 01:38:36,940
 I mean, I think it comes to the fact that, you know, money's not all of it.

1676
01:38:37,020 --> 01:38:38,420
 I mean, you have to evaluate the talent.

1677
01:38:38,620 --> 01:38:42,840
 You have to find a way to get the right player to play, you know, on the right team.

1678
01:38:43,520 --> 01:38:53,940
 And sometimes that's the most difficult aspect of getting with the transfer portal is getting players that you feel like, you know, what will best fit what you're trying to do.

1679
01:38:54,060 --> 01:38:55,360
 The window is so short.

1680
01:38:55,360 --> 01:38:58,420
 I mean, you get about eight months, really, to have a team together.

1681
01:38:58,940 --> 01:39:07,340
 And even before that, you only get maybe a month or two to really get them together, you know, chemistry-wise and build some sort of cohesiveness to go out there and do that.

1682
01:39:07,560 --> 01:39:16,100
 So I think some of that coaching, I mean, I'm not going to take any away from Dusty May or for, you know, from the job that everyone else has done.

1683
01:39:16,200 --> 01:39:24,040
 So I think they're going to have to find a way, if you're in the SEC, you've got to, you know, keep focusing on trying to figure out what were the best players that fit.

1684
01:39:24,440 --> 01:39:27,160
 You know, maybe sometimes it's not the $4 million player.

1685
01:39:27,360 --> 01:39:34,900
 Maybe sometimes it's maybe finding a guy who's a little less but fits in better what you're trying to do.

1686
01:39:35,180 --> 01:39:36,920
 It's great to get those big-name players.

1687
01:39:37,060 --> 01:39:38,920
 And believe me, they draw a lot of attention to your team.

1688
01:39:39,220 --> 01:39:46,840
 But sometimes it's about finding the backup or the third-string guy or someone who can actually step up when it's needed.

1689
01:39:47,520 --> 01:39:54,620
 Quickly to your point, evaluation and money, Kentucky threw a lot of money at this roster and did nothing by Kentucky standards.

1690
01:39:54,800 --> 01:40:03,460
 Indiana, conversely, in football, not exactly a household name, but they put enough money with a guy who knows what he's doing and evaluating a team.

1691
01:40:03,460 --> 01:40:07,680
 To me, those two teams illustrate and reinforce your point there, Matt.

1692
01:40:08,700 --> 01:40:09,600
 Yeah, very much so.

1693
01:40:09,760 --> 01:40:10,940
 I mean, Kentucky's a great example.

1694
01:40:11,100 --> 01:40:13,580
 I mean, you can spend, spend, spend all you want.

1695
01:40:13,960 --> 01:40:16,080
 It doesn't necessarily mean you're going to win, you know.

1696
01:40:16,160 --> 01:40:20,940
 I mean, and I think that's where, you know, we've seen teams that have found a way to find that success.

1697
01:40:21,460 --> 01:40:23,680
 I think you look at what Kirk Sinetti did in Indiana.

1698
01:40:24,080 --> 01:40:28,820
 You know, he brought in some experienced, older players that he had in James Madison with him.

1699
01:40:29,140 --> 01:40:32,700
 And, you know, they were able to kind of mesh with some players that he brought into the portal.

1700
01:40:32,860 --> 01:40:42,300
 And all of a sudden, you've got a team that's got a lot of experience, knows what it's doing, understands what they could expect from their coaching staff, and finds a way to pull it all together and win.

1701
01:40:42,420 --> 01:40:46,320
 I mean, as much as talent is there, guys, a lot of this is chemistry.

1702
01:40:46,520 --> 01:40:49,260
 A lot of this is keeping these guys, these kids together.

1703
01:40:49,520 --> 01:40:52,560
 It's getting them on the floor and making sure they believe in what you're trying to do.

1704
01:40:52,780 --> 01:41:03,600
 I've covered a lot of teams where if the chemistry is not good, you could see it, you know, when the team goes on the field and, you know, they're lifeless and they can't get through when they're challenging.

1705
01:41:03,900 --> 01:41:07,940
 So, to me, that's the biggest thing is finding a coach who finds a way to do that.

1706
01:41:08,120 --> 01:41:12,520
 Dusty May understood what he needed to do because Dusty May has also coached at lower levels.

1707
01:41:12,700 --> 01:41:13,460
 He coached at FAU.

1708
01:41:13,620 --> 01:41:14,880
 They made a good run a few years ago.

1709
01:41:15,180 --> 01:41:15,880
 He coached down there.

1710
01:41:15,960 --> 01:41:17,860
 Kirk Sinetti coached at James Madison.

1711
01:41:17,980 --> 01:41:18,960
 He coached at lower levels.

1712
01:41:19,260 --> 01:41:20,700
 He got the most out of less.

1713
01:41:20,840 --> 01:41:22,760
 I think that's kind of a little bit of a secret.

1714
01:41:23,060 --> 01:41:27,800
 How can you get the most out of less when you've got the resources to have what you need to have?

1715
01:41:29,000 --> 01:41:29,800
 That's just it.

1716
01:41:29,900 --> 01:41:32,340
 You've got to be able to fit that coach's system.

1717
01:41:32,800 --> 01:41:34,680
 I'm going to be curious to see.

1718
01:41:35,080 --> 01:41:37,840
 And it's certainly easier said than done.

1719
01:41:38,660 --> 01:41:45,220
 Michigan's blueprint with Dusty May will get two 6'9 forwards and a 7'3 center.

1720
01:41:45,440 --> 01:41:47,700
 Well, that's kind of easier said than done.

1721
01:41:47,700 --> 01:41:54,360
 But, Matt, the common denominator here, once again, is transfer portal dudes.

1722
01:41:55,060 --> 01:41:58,220
 Elliot Cadeau was the MVP, which really surprised me.

1723
01:41:58,300 --> 01:42:01,820
 I thought Lindenborg would get it, but he was really hampered with some injuries.

1724
01:42:02,220 --> 01:42:08,560
 But Cadeau from North Carolina, Lindenborg from UAB, Johnson, who I thought played well.

1725
01:42:09,000 --> 01:42:12,340
 And then their 7'3 guy, Mara, from UCLA.

1726
01:42:12,640 --> 01:42:16,660
 And then they had a freshman, McKinney, who played well.

1727
01:42:16,860 --> 01:42:22,400
 But get some big guys in the post and bring in a lot of transfer portal.

1728
01:42:22,520 --> 01:42:23,660
 But you make a good point.

1729
01:42:24,000 --> 01:42:27,780
 They've got to be able to fit a coach's system to win the national championship.

1730
01:42:28,640 --> 01:42:29,760
 Yeah, very much so.

1731
01:42:29,840 --> 01:42:30,700
 And I think that's the thing.

1732
01:42:30,760 --> 01:42:35,900
 I think that's why Michigan zeroed in on Dusty May early on, you know, when I was looking at him for a coach.

1733
01:42:36,060 --> 01:42:44,740
 It's such an important thing to bring in a guy who, you know, understands, okay, I'm going to bring in, you know, 13, 15 players, whatever it is.

1734
01:42:45,140 --> 01:42:48,300
 And they're going to have to buy into what I'm preaching.

1735
01:42:48,860 --> 01:42:54,900
 And, you know, yeah, sure, you can tune me out because you're making $2 million to $4 million a year as a player.

1736
01:42:55,340 --> 01:42:59,640
 Or you can buy into what I'm trying to teach you and believe in the system.

1737
01:42:59,880 --> 01:43:00,980
 And then we can make a run.

1738
01:43:01,100 --> 01:43:12,180
 And then when that starts looking good and you start making those runs, all of a sudden the players put aside all the how much am I making this year and how much can I get, you know, and worrying about the transfer portal.

1739
01:43:12,340 --> 01:43:15,820
 And all of a sudden you buy into what you're doing and you run through and you have a great season.

1740
01:43:15,820 --> 01:43:19,240
 I think that's exactly what happened at Indiana.

1741
01:43:19,500 --> 01:43:20,760
 It's what happened at Michigan.

1742
01:43:21,460 --> 01:43:35,620
 And, you know, for SEC schools, I mean, again, it's not something I don't necessarily think you could go out and buy, you know, but I think it's something you just have to find a way to do a better job of evaluating the talent and making sure you find ways to get guys to believe in what they're trying to do.

1743
01:43:35,620 --> 01:43:42,320
 Because if you can't get that team chemistry together, it's just impossible to find ways to win.

1744
01:43:42,420 --> 01:43:46,760
 And you've seen good teams do it and you've seen bad teams do struggle for it and talking about Kentucky.

1745
01:43:47,800 --> 01:43:50,100
 Man, it's officially official.

1746
01:43:50,420 --> 01:43:54,000
 North Carolina is going to hire a former NBA coach.

1747
01:43:55,040 --> 01:43:56,480
 It's not Billy Donovan.

1748
01:43:56,700 --> 01:43:58,320
 It is Michael Malone.

1749
01:43:58,820 --> 01:44:01,860
 He was fired at Denver last year.

1750
01:44:02,560 --> 01:44:07,440
 Now, he has won a lot of games in the NBA, particularly with the Nuggets.

1751
01:44:08,020 --> 01:44:14,440
 But there are probably six coaches on the national level who got extensions because of this.

1752
01:44:14,580 --> 01:44:15,880
 Nate Oates was one.

1753
01:44:16,380 --> 01:44:17,880
 Tommy Lloyd, Dusty May.

1754
01:44:18,000 --> 01:44:22,680
 I think Mark Byington quietly was vetted by North Carolina.

1755
01:44:22,680 --> 01:44:30,300
 But are you surprised at the choice that – and again, it's not a slap at him.

1756
01:44:30,900 --> 01:44:35,220
 It's just like, you know, there are a lot of other prominent names, certainly in college.

1757
01:44:35,700 --> 01:44:38,260
 Are you surprised that they chose him?

1758
01:44:38,500 --> 01:44:40,600
 And how do you think North Carolina will do?

1759
01:44:41,600 --> 01:44:43,940
 You know, I'm not surprised, and I'll tell you why.

1760
01:44:44,000 --> 01:44:53,540
 And I think it's an interesting trend that we might see more of is why not bring in a guy whose experience goes from the NBA where you're dealing with salary caps

1761
01:44:53,540 --> 01:45:00,560
 and you're dealing with players who make a lot of money, dealing with rosters that basically get turned over almost on a regular basis.

1762
01:45:00,940 --> 01:45:06,580
 Why not bring in a guy and try to have them fit that mold, you know, into the college game?

1763
01:45:06,580 --> 01:45:15,500
 Because it's very similar, you know, I mean, I – you know, covering UCF here, talking to Johnny Dawkins, who is a former, you know, NBA player.

1764
01:45:15,900 --> 01:45:23,680
 Johnny told me several times that the reason – how the best way to handle the portal is you treat it like how the NBA – it's like an NBA team, you know,

1765
01:45:23,680 --> 01:45:25,600
 where you have all this thing you have to deal with.

1766
01:45:25,680 --> 01:45:28,500
 And I think that – so to me, I think it's an interesting move.

1767
01:45:28,660 --> 01:45:33,380
 You know, I mean, Michael Malone obviously is a guy who's going to be highly sought after in the NBA circle.

1768
01:45:33,580 --> 01:45:39,320
 I know his name had popped up here in Orlando for the Orlando Magic, possible of being an Orlando future Maryland Magic coach.

1769
01:45:39,780 --> 01:45:43,260
 So he's a guy that, you know, it was very highly sought after in the NBA.

1770
01:45:43,820 --> 01:45:45,080
 So why not make a move?

1771
01:45:45,260 --> 01:45:48,260
 Listen, North Carolina is not afraid to make a controversial move.

1772
01:45:48,660 --> 01:45:53,460
 We saw that obviously with Bill Belichick, you know, to their football coach.

1773
01:45:53,680 --> 01:45:58,660
 And I think that's the same sort of thinking made in the basketball line is why not bring in an NBA guy?

1774
01:45:59,060 --> 01:46:03,600
 See if he can have some success here, you know, and you're used to dealing with all these things.

1775
01:46:03,980 --> 01:46:06,480
 And maybe you can find a way to kind of pull that all together.

1776
01:46:06,660 --> 01:46:08,500
 I mean, it's an interesting vibe.

1777
01:46:08,580 --> 01:46:09,300
 And, I mean, you're right.

1778
01:46:09,940 --> 01:46:14,860
 That job opening basically had a lot of coaches get big-time salaries.

1779
01:46:15,380 --> 01:46:19,120
 You know, there were a lot of coaches who were not basically going to take that job,

1780
01:46:19,360 --> 01:46:22,040
 who got more money because their name was associated with that.

1781
01:46:22,040 --> 01:46:25,120
 So I'm sure it's an interesting hire.

1782
01:46:25,200 --> 01:46:28,140
 I think it's the one that I'm looking forward to seeing if it has success.

1783
01:46:29,180 --> 01:46:30,840
 Some happy agents out there.

1784
01:46:30,980 --> 01:46:36,380
 Matt, obviously, Matt Michelle of the Orlando's in a lot of spring football games this weekend.

1785
01:46:37,100 --> 01:46:41,960
 In your opinion, what's the most intriguing sports line coming yet?

1786
01:46:42,260 --> 01:46:44,300
 Tuscaloosa, Gainesville, Tallahassee.

1787
01:46:44,540 --> 01:46:49,620
 What holds your interest this weekend and after this spring camp closes across the country?

1788
01:46:50,620 --> 01:46:54,140
 Well, you know, for me, I think, you know, I'm always going to go Gainesville.

1789
01:46:54,300 --> 01:46:57,680
 I mean, I think, you know, I'm looking at what, you know, with John Summall coming in,

1790
01:46:58,160 --> 01:47:03,780
 you know, with everything going on with, you know, him coming in as head coach,

1791
01:47:04,320 --> 01:47:08,660
 them having to basically rebuild the roster, you know, D.J. Lagwee leaves, you know,

1792
01:47:08,700 --> 01:47:11,820
 they're still trying to find a starting quarterback.

1793
01:47:11,820 --> 01:47:15,220
 I'm sure it's a position they probably won't have, you know,

1794
01:47:15,320 --> 01:47:18,920
 they probably won't get solved at all this weekend.

1795
01:47:19,100 --> 01:47:22,020
 I mean, I'm sure it's going to come down to the fall camp, but, you know,

1796
01:47:22,080 --> 01:47:24,120
 I want to see how kind of they go out there and play.

1797
01:47:24,240 --> 01:47:29,060
 I mean, spring ball, to me, it's tough because coaches have kind of changed our philosophy.

1798
01:47:29,320 --> 01:47:33,120
 They don't really want to do a lot of things, you know, in spring ball.

1799
01:47:34,180 --> 01:47:39,120
 It's like you're just giving fans just kind of a brief taste of what's going on.

1800
01:47:39,560 --> 01:47:41,820
 But to me, that's an interesting one.

1801
01:47:41,820 --> 01:47:50,400
 I mean, I think, I think, obviously, I think, obviously, there are a lot of quarterback battles going on.

1802
01:47:50,460 --> 01:47:51,360
 We talked about Alabama.

1803
01:47:51,500 --> 01:47:52,180
 You mentioned Alabama.

1804
01:47:52,440 --> 01:47:53,700
 I'm sure that's another one as well.

1805
01:47:54,600 --> 01:47:58,740
 I think, to me, it's all about just kind of thinking how teams kind of finish.

1806
01:47:59,120 --> 01:48:00,000
 I don't know about you guys.

1807
01:48:00,160 --> 01:48:01,200
 It seems very quiet.

1808
01:48:01,340 --> 01:48:04,460
 This has been a very quiet spring in a lot of places.

1809
01:48:04,460 --> 01:48:10,020
 So I'm not sure if that's a good thing or if that just means that everyone's trying to keep their head down

1810
01:48:10,020 --> 01:48:12,720
 and avoid having sort of any sort of issues coming up.

1811
01:48:13,720 --> 01:48:18,520
 Wasn't it interesting, and I believe you tweeted this or reposted it,

1812
01:48:18,580 --> 01:48:28,080
 the NCAA Division I cabinet passed what they called an emergency blind transfer legislation last week.

1813
01:48:28,080 --> 01:48:35,720
 Now, what that means in English is the term blind transfer refers to an athlete who unenrolls from their current school

1814
01:48:35,720 --> 01:48:41,020
 and enrols at a new university outside of the transfer portal window.

1815
01:48:41,860 --> 01:48:45,640
 And Wisconsin cornerback Xavier Lewis did that.

1816
01:48:46,140 --> 01:48:52,180
 He withdrew from classes at Wisconsin and played at Miami last season,

1817
01:48:53,400 --> 01:48:59,600
 respectively circumventing the NCAA's transfer portal and basically the deterrent.

1818
01:49:00,240 --> 01:49:10,020
 And I would say this is one for any player doing that again is suspension of the respective sports head coach

1819
01:49:10,020 --> 01:49:17,560
 for half the season, half the season, and a fine of 20% of that sports budget.

1820
01:49:17,740 --> 01:49:18,040
 D***.

1821
01:49:18,040 --> 01:49:20,200
 Now, Matt, that would get my attention.

1822
01:49:21,160 --> 01:49:23,580
 Yeah, I think it's got a lot of coaches' attention.

1823
01:49:24,020 --> 01:49:29,280
 You know, it's funny, coaches have told me, you know, over the last couple weeks that, you know,

1824
01:49:29,300 --> 01:49:33,180
 not having a spring, you know, a spring portal window has been great, you know,

1825
01:49:33,180 --> 01:49:38,060
 because they don't feel like at every turn, you know, you're coaching a guy who's eventually going to end up leaving you

1826
01:49:38,060 --> 01:49:40,160
 and going to go to another team.

1827
01:49:40,560 --> 01:49:43,720
 And it's the first time they felt kind of a little bit at peace this spring.

1828
01:49:43,860 --> 01:49:49,420
 But, you know, I think the biggest concern now is making sure that you don't have guys doing like you just mentioned,

1829
01:49:49,420 --> 01:49:56,220
 jumping in the portal, finding a way to try to skirt this issue, and having schools try to find a way to maybe push a player into the portal

1830
01:49:56,220 --> 01:49:59,400
 and try to find a way to get them, you know, pick them up as well.

1831
01:49:59,520 --> 01:50:00,680
 So it's a challenge.

1832
01:50:01,020 --> 01:50:04,380
 And I think a lot of coaches are trying to walk that tightrope line.

1833
01:50:04,460 --> 01:50:08,940
 They don't want to do something that's going to come back to bite them because you get 20% in there.

1834
01:50:09,060 --> 01:50:12,560
 I mean, that's unbelievable.

1835
01:50:13,080 --> 01:50:13,980
 And I mean, I get it.

1836
01:50:14,080 --> 01:50:19,880
 You want to make sure your penalties are penalties, you know, things that will, you know, detour coaches.

1837
01:50:20,080 --> 01:50:23,700
 I think that will love it when detour a lot of coaches if they have to do that.

1838
01:50:23,880 --> 01:50:25,800
 So it's going to be interesting.

1839
01:50:25,960 --> 01:50:30,560
 It's not to say you can't still find somebody who's been in the portal the whole time, you know what I mean?

1840
01:50:30,560 --> 01:50:37,380
 But I think a lot of coaches right now are just trying to make sure that they're avoiding any sort of these issues when it comes to the portal

1841
01:50:37,380 --> 01:50:40,160
 and not trying to get themselves in any sort of trouble.

1842
01:50:41,280 --> 01:50:41,680
 Yeah.

1843
01:50:41,820 --> 01:50:42,760
 Heavens to Benson.

1844
01:50:43,620 --> 01:50:47,380
 You mentioned an athletic director breaking that to a coach.

1845
01:50:47,600 --> 01:50:48,000
 Yeah.

1846
01:50:48,140 --> 01:50:51,680
 Yeah, you just lost 20% of your football budget, buddy.

1847
01:50:52,120 --> 01:50:53,020
 Oh, man.

1848
01:50:53,880 --> 01:50:57,400
 Where can we get online to get all the great stuff as usual, bud?

1849
01:50:58,260 --> 01:51:01,180
 Yeah, you can go to orlandosentinel.com to check out the latest.

1850
01:51:01,360 --> 01:51:06,280
 You can follow me on social media, OS Matt Rochelle, to check out all the stuff that's going on.

1851
01:51:07,080 --> 01:51:09,880
 UCF here has got spring football still going on.

1852
01:51:10,160 --> 01:51:13,480
 And obviously, the transfer portal window for basketball has opened up today.

1853
01:51:13,480 --> 01:51:17,640
 So it's all about watching who's in and who's out in the portal.

1854
01:51:18,840 --> 01:51:20,520
 Matt, listen, Matt, thanks for your time today.

1855
01:51:20,580 --> 01:51:23,480
 And good luck with your college basketball withdrawal symptoms, okay?

1856
01:51:24,400 --> 01:51:25,240
 All right, guys.

1857
01:51:25,540 --> 01:51:26,440
 You take care, guys.

1858
01:51:26,460 --> 01:51:26,700
 Thank you, buddy.

1859
01:51:27,160 --> 01:51:27,620
 Double M.

1860
01:51:27,720 --> 01:51:30,000
 Matt Rochelle, the Orlandos, and VB.

1861
01:51:30,080 --> 01:51:33,160
 Are you going to get a nap and then listen to the Braves later on tonight or on 93?

1862
01:51:33,560 --> 01:51:36,800
 That's a good idea, and particularly when they're on the West Coast.

1863
01:51:36,920 --> 01:51:38,200
 The Braves need to pick it up.

1864
01:51:38,340 --> 01:51:41,360
 They lost, and I believe now, three consecutive games.

1865
01:51:41,360 --> 01:51:42,940
 They're just not hitting the ball.

1866
01:51:43,100 --> 01:51:47,420
 Chris Sale lost last night, and he wasn't too happy about it either.

1867
01:51:47,620 --> 01:51:50,160
 But maybe they can pick it back up again tonight.

1868
01:51:50,320 --> 01:51:52,940
 Leonardo Lopez on the mound tonight for the Braves.

1869
01:51:53,040 --> 01:51:56,580
 They'll start at the half game back of the first-place Mets, Marlins, and Fields.

1870
01:51:56,700 --> 01:51:57,020
 That's right.

1871
01:51:57,140 --> 01:51:58,660
 A three-way tie at the top.

1872
01:51:59,120 --> 01:52:03,680
 And the Braves, in spite of that, still only a half game back of those trios of teams.

1873
01:52:03,740 --> 01:52:04,900
 That's going to take care of business for now.

1874
01:52:04,980 --> 01:52:07,420
 On behalf of BB, Greg, James, Blair, the entire crew here.

1875
01:52:07,860 --> 01:52:09,740
 Harold LeBlanc, thank you so much for your time today.

1876
01:52:09,740 --> 01:52:12,120
 Let's do it again tomorrow, noon to two for the Boomo Bugg Show.

1877
01:52:12,260 --> 01:52:14,700
 Back here on Sports Radio 93.9, The Score.

1878
01:52:17,100 --> 01:52:19,160
 you