LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- All around town — on talk radio, on social media — the Louisville men's basketball topic of choice has shifted from the games being played and the job done by Kenny Payne and his staff to who fans want to replace Payne at the end of the season.

At various times in the past week, trending names have included Eric Musselman, Jerome Tang, Chris Beard and Mick Cronin.

With 10 games left in the regular season, the latest episode of "Overtime" with Rick Bozich and Eric Crawford streaming on WDRB+ takes up the subject of whether there's anything Payne can do to change that public narrative and stir the speculation away from a potential successor.

(Crawford spoiler alert, there's not much he can do.)

Other topics from the rundown of the latest episode:

  • TROUBLE IN CAT-LAND? Florida walked away with a 94-91 overtime victory in Rupp Arena on Wednesday night. Kentucky was missing DJ Wagner and Justin Edwards, but still led by 10 late in the first half, and by 4 with less than 40 seconds to play. What's happening in Lexington and can John Calipari get it straightened out?
  • DEPLETED CARDS LOSE SIXTH STRAIGHT: Louisville lost at Clemson on Wednesday and (ground hog day reference) fell down big, then came back, this time with the wrinkle that they finished the game with only six available scholarship players because of injuries. The Cardinals finish the first half of their ACC schedule 1-9, one game ahead of their pace after 10 games last season. The Cards won their 11th league game last season, then finished 2-18. How many will they win this season?
  • JEFF WALZ BUYS A POOL: Jeff Walz always keeps things interesting. He put a slide in the practice facility. He buys drinks for the crowd. He always speaks his mind, and, most recently, after former assistant Sam Purcell's Mississippi State team knocked off LSU, he heard Purcell say he'd promised his daughters a pool if he won the game, and he ordered a plastic pool and had it delivered to the house. With four straight games against ranked teams, how will Walz do?
  • BOB BAFFERT HORSES WON'T RUN IN DERBY: Not a surprise, because owners said earlier this year that they would not move Bob Baffert-trained horses to other trainers, even if it meant they would miss the Derby. Baffert had one potential favorite — unbeaten Nysos, who runs this weekend in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita — and a couple of other decent contenders, led by Pilot Commander. Does the loss of those horses mean anything much for Kentucky Derby 150?
  • INJURED HOOSIERS BEAT IOWA: In Bloomington, Indiana knocked off Iowa to stop a three-game losing skid, but the game saw injuries to Malik Reneau and Xavier Johnson. The Hoosiers have a home game against Penn State coming up in which they should be favored, but then, get this, KenPom does not have them favored to win a game the REST OF THE SEASON. Are things that bleak for Mike Woodson's team?
  • SUPER BOWL -- 49ers STILL FAVORED: Kansas City has the winning Super Bowl experience, one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history in Patrick Mahomes and one of the great postseason receivers in NFL history in tight end Travis Kelce. Yet Las Vegas made the San Francisco 49ers and Brock Purdy a 3.5-point favorite, and they're still favored by 1.5. Explain.
  • WHAT WE MISSED: Rough night for Rick Pitino at Xavier. NCAA takes aim at Tennessee NIL operation. Picks for Saturday's basketball matchups.
  • PARTING SHOTS: Rick on the strength of SEC basketball. Eric on Calipari.

You can watch this full episode of "Overtime" and every other on the WDRB+ app. If you don't have the app, it's free and easy to download to your Fire TV, Roku or Apple TV devices. You can also download a mobile WDRB+ app on your Android and Apple smartphones. Click here for more information on how to get the apps.

Related Stories:

Copyright 2024 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.