We've got Kansas and Kentucky squaring off both teams, starting out one and one.

Kentucky has never been under 500 to 3 games under Coach Cow, and then the legendary coaches meet up Duke and Michigan State.

That means Coach K against Tom ISO, and it is as good as it gets when we see those two together.

And it is my pleasure toe.

Welcome the Hall of Famer.

Time is a live with us here on get up and coach, it is great to see you.

And it is great to see you hopefully feeling well.

You announced in November that you had tested positive.

I know I speak for everyone when I say we hope that you were feeling good and that there are no issues.

Well, I appreciate it Green, and it's great to see you.

And, uh, I am feeling much, much better.

It was, uh it was a no joke.

Couple of weeks, it wasn't really bad.

But, you know, I hope everybody takes a little more seriously than I think our country has.

At the same time, I'm feeling good ready to go.

And what a great night for basketball.

It's, uh, this Champions Tournament has been really special for last 10 years, and you look at the ranked teams and I think it will be again this year.

Absolutely.

So look, you've been around a really long time.

How would you describe what this season is about?

Considering all of the circumstances, What is it about this year?

Well, as I told my players back in September, you know, it's gonna be about survival as we're learning in the NFL and you know, the N B.

A kind of helped us.

A Sfar is learning how to sacrifice, and I think that's what we all have to do this year.

It's not the norm.

It's gonna be different.

You guys have a different situation there.

We have a different situation.

If you want to play the game, you gotta adhere to the protocol.

And I think, uh, he who handles the protocol the best and like us, we're talking about playing Mawr guys because we're preparing for losing a guy or two down the road.

It's it's just the nature of the beast this year, and yet it can be done if everybody works together.

You know, when the season tipped off last week, I had Seth Greenberg here and he said to me this year, Greeny is all about experience and I would assume that is true for both coaches and players.

How does that work for you when your team Well, you're right, you know, and and everybody's in the same boat.

I mean, it's not like I have an advantage of a Duke or they have an advantage over us.

Everybody's got the same issues, the same problems.

If you have more experience players, doesn't help you a little bit.

Maybe, you know, But I don't think anybody has been through this.

I'm sure never been through it.

As a coach, you've never been through it in TV thistles, something new for us all.

So I think we handle it together.

I think personally, it's brought in our team a little closer because we have nowhere to go or nothing to do.

So everybody spend a little more time together, and, uh, and I think it could help your camaraderie in a funny sort of way, kind of like that way of looking at it and So your face Coach K tonight I can't count the number of times we have seen the two of you go head to head.

What does that rivalry mean to you?

Well, it's not as good a rivalry yet because of the number of times have gone head to head.

He's gotten the best of more of them and deservingly so.

But, you know, I think we got two good programs.

Uh, there's no question they're good again this year.

They're always gonna be good, Aziz, long as he's there just because of the nature of the beast.

You know, they've done an unbelievable job with their program, but I think we have to and we've got a good team this year.

I'm not sure any of us know greeny exactly where our teams are.

Not only do you have to evaluate your team, but you gotta wonder that the teams you play that somebody have covert, that they have a stoppage.

You know, there's gonna be the sample size is gonna have to take eight or 10 games for any of us to get a good clue where we are.

But as again, it's the same for everybody.

So we're ready to play the game.

It's gonna be a great night of basketball.

Coach.

It is great to see you.

It's great to see you doing well.

Good luck tonight.

As the season gets underway, I'll see you down the road.

Thanks a lot, Greenie.

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