Kentucky hoops talk with Louisville fingerprints.
Just The Cats follows Kentucky basketball through the daily nerves of Big Blue Nation. Michael Bennett and regular on-air voices turn recruiting rumors, transfer talk, callers, and Louisville detours into a loose morning debate.
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Just The Cats is a daily Kentucky sports room with the door open. The show is built around UK basketball, but it sounds like Louisville life is always happening just outside the studio. Michael Bennett steers the conversation, often with Justin Kalen beside him and Matthew Childress dropping in on recent episodes. The rhythm is loose. A morning can begin with tax day dread, equipment problems, dry-mouth sleep stories, Derby weather, or Masters music before the show finds its way to Kentucky’s roster. Once it gets there, the opinions are direct. Recruiting targets, transfer rules, shooting needs, AAU defense, media rumors, and tournament expectations all get worked over in plain language. The show is not trying to sound detached. It lives inside Big Blue Nation’s mood swings. A caller can argue that Tyron Stokes would change Kentucky’s ceiling, a texter can challenge college sports insiders, and Bennett can turn both into a larger argument about what fans should believe. That call-and-text texture matters. Listeners are not background noise; they supply jokes, complaints, corrections, and the occasional sermon about Kentucky basketball tradition. The local detours give the show its shape. Thunder over Louisville, Keeneland, Derby buildup, golf, casino talk, and Louisville weather sit naturally beside Mark Pope, Mo Williams, Purdue, Duke, Kansas, and UK baseball. The result is a sports show with strong opinions but very little polish-for-polish’s-sake. It feels familiar, caffeinated, and occasionally exasperated. The appeal is in the daily accumulation: the same voices, the same fan pressure, the same arguments returning with new names attached. For Kentucky fans who want their basketball talk mixed with local banter and live listener energy, Just The Cats feels close to the source.
Made for: For Big Blue Nation regulars who follow recruiting, transfers, roster fit, and every mood swing around Kentucky basketball. It also fits Louisville-area sports fans who like local detours with their UK talk.
What sets it apart: The show’s edge is its room-tone: caller-driven, locally specific, and comfortable letting small everyday tangents become part of the sports argument. It feels less like national analysis and more like Kentucky basketball anxiety happening live.
Hey UK Sports fans - Get a jump on your day with Just The Cats. Join every Wildcat’s best friend, Michael Bennett, along with Justin Kaelin as they bring you guests, content and topics that mean the most to BBN!
Based on 5 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Just The Cats gives Kentucky sports fans a lively mix of detailed debate, listener reaction, and candid predictions.
Just The Cats turns Kentucky sports into an ongoing studio argument, with Michael Bennett working through college basketball questions alongside Justin Kaelin or Matthew Childress and bringing listener calls and texts into the discussion.
Kentucky hoops arguments meet horse auctions and mistaken country singers, if your fandom likes detours.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
Loose Friday sports talk that eventually lands on a useful Kentucky baseball preview.
Just The Cats spends its Friday hour the way local sports radio should: loose, talkative, and a little unruly, but still headed somewhere. Michael Bennett and Matthew Childress have easy chemistry, and the conversation slides from sleep, dry mouth, and basement living into Reba…
Masters week, warm weather, and a plainspoken discussion of AAU, defense, and why offense looks better on highlight clips.
The episode opens around Masters week, with Michael Bennett and Matthew settling into golf, warm weather, and the feeling that spring is finally here.
A loose Kentucky basketball conversation built on listener texts and the debate over Yaxel and Mark Pope.
Just The Cats settles into a familiar Kentucky basketball argument, with Michael Bennett and the callers circling Yaxel and Mark Pope in a way that feels lived-in rather than polished. Listener texts add useful pressure, and the back-and-forth gives the hour its best spark.
A loose morning hang built around horses, listener chatter, and Kentucky tournament talk.
The episode opens in Ocala with breeder sales, then wanders into rain-soaked travel gripes and daylight-saving complaints before settling back into listener texts and the usual local-radio back and forth.
A loose Kentucky basketball hangout that mixes teasing, tangents, and Florida concern into an easy Friday listen.
Matt Childress gets the teasing started, but the piece keeps circling back to Kentucky hoops and the uneasy pull of Florida. Michael Bennett and Justin swap barbs, drift off into a country music detour, then land on a warm memory of Randy Travis and Alan Jackson.
Cavaliers playoff detail, every day.
Fast takes, sharp turns, loud sports arguments.
This episode is a casual sports talk show focused on Kentucky sports, particularly University of Kentucky athletics and the Kentucky Derby, with host Michael Bennett encouraging listener interaction through calls, texts, and social media.
This episode of Just the Cats is a sports talk radio show where host Michael Bennett and producer Justin Kalen discuss various topics related to the Kentucky Wildcats and engage in casual banter about their working dynamic.
This episode of 'Just The Cats' begins with host Michael Bennett welcoming listeners, discussing tax day, and addressing technical microphone issues with the producer.
Host Michael Bennett welcomes listeners to his podcast, sharing his hyped-up mood and discussing local weather, a Nostradamus reference, and his morning routine.
This episode of Just The Cats features a casual sports discussion focusing on golf, particularly Justin Rose's performance in the Masters tournament and comparisons to Greg Norman's career.
Michael Bennett and Matthew Childress discuss Louisville's professional sports prospects on April 10, noting that Adam Silver's NBA expansion meetings consistently place Louisville in the top four cities and that a $450 million renovation of Freedom Hall raises speculation about a future franchise bid.
Michael Bennett and fill-in co-host Matthew open the April 9 show discussing Thunder over Louisville, the start of The Masters golf tournament, and Matthew's revelation that his girlfriend Paulina has accepted a speech pathology job in Winter Haven, Florida, setting up his departure from Louisville by January.
Michael Bennett and Justin Kaelin host a morning sports talk show for Kentucky Wildcats fans, discussing upcoming events and taking calls.
Hosts Michael Bennett and Justin Kaelin kick off a sports talk show for Kentucky Wildcats fans, discussing a haircut and inviting listener calls.
Hosts Michael Bennett and Justin Kaelin discuss University of Kentucky sports, including basketball and football, with listener interaction.
A daily sports talk show focused on University of Kentucky athletics, featuring hosts Michael Bennett and Justin Kaelin discussing topics and taking calls from fans.
Morning sports talk show discussing Kentucky Wildcats athletics with hosts and a guest.
A sports talk radio show discussing Kentucky Wildcats sports and other topics.
Tuesday, March 24 starts unsettled.
Michael Bennett and Justin Kaelin discuss the absence of co-host Matthew Childress due to a dog incident and preview upcoming guests.
Michael Bennett and Justin Kaelin host a sports talk show covering Kentucky Wildcats athletics, with banter and discussion of current sports topics.
Michael Bennett and Justin Kaelin host a sports talk show discussing University of Kentucky athletics, with banter and listener interaction.
A sports talk show focused on University of Kentucky athletics, featuring hosts Michael Bennett and Justin Kaelin discussing topics and taking calls from fans.
Ocala sets the pace.
Matt Childress is out, and Michael Bennett feels it right away.
A sports talk show for Kentucky Wildcats fans, featuring hosts Michael Bennett and Justin Kaelin discussing sports topics and taking listener calls.
Hosts Michael Bennett and Justin Kaelin kick off a morning sports talk show discussing UK athletics and bantering about tardiness.
Hosts Michael Bennett and Justin Kaelin kick off a sports talk show for Kentucky Wildcats fans, discussing personal anecdotes and inviting listener calls.
Hosts Michael Bennett and Justin Kaelin kick off a morning sports talk show discussing Kentucky Wildcats athletics, with lighthearted banter and appreciation for listeners.
Hosts discuss waking up late and the challenge of hosting an early morning sports show, with lighthearted banter.
A sports talk show discussing University of Kentucky athletics, including a rant about UCLA coach Mick Cronin ejecting a player.
A morning sports talk show covering University of Kentucky athletics with hosts Michael Bennett and Justin Kaelin.
The hosts discuss their stressful Friday the 13th experiences, including podcast technical issues and disruptions to their routine, while trying to maintain a positive attitude.
Hosts Matt Childress and Justin Kaelin discuss their morning routine, sleep issues, and watching basketball games, engaging with UK sports fans.
The hosts discuss the recent weather changes, melting snow, and share a historical anecdote about how Iceland and Greenland got their names from Viking times.
The hosts discuss Michael Bennett's absence on a cruise, share lighthearted jealousy over photos, and transition into analyzing exciting college basketball games from the previous night.
Hosts discuss the Patriots' downfall and share a personal story about a dangerous icy driveway.
This episode of Just the Cats is a casual morning show conversation where host Michael Bennett and guests Justin Kalen and Matthew Childress discuss Matthew's recent move closer to the studio and his energetic mood.
Michael Bennett hosts a daily sports talk show covering University of Kentucky athletics, with a humorous opening about a new voice on the intro.
This episode is a casual sports talk radio show where host Michael Bennett and guest Matthew Childress discuss their morning routines, weekend plans, and light banter about being in the studio early.