KENTUCKY WILDCATS (18-11, 12-4 SEC)
vs. [W3] Ole Miss (21-9, 7-9 SEC)/[E6] Georgia (13-16, 4-12 SEC)
Friday, March 14 ? 9:45 p.m.
Atlanta, Ga. – Georgia Dome (26,000)
TV: Raycom
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For the 15th time in the 17 years since the SEC expanded, Kentucky enters the SEC Tournament with a first round bye. The Wildcats earned the East?s number two seed by winning 11 of their last 13 games to finish with a 12-4 record in league play, including an 8-0 record at home.
UK wrapped up the regular season by posting a 75-70 Senior Day victory over Florida. Led by Perry Stevenson?s second double-double (18p,10r) in three games, the Wildcats ended a seven-game losing streak against the Gators. Seniors Joe Crawford and Ramel Bradley contributed 16 and 14 points, respectively, while Derrick Jasper added 14.
This year marks the 49th SEC Tournament, and UK has won more than half (25) the titles despite playing in just 46 previous events. The Wildcats have won 37 of their last 43 SEC Tournament games.
Kentucky?s first round opponent will be the winner of the Georgia-Ole Miss game. The Wildcats swept the regular season series with the Bulldogs, and defeated the Rebels in their lone match-up.
UK is a combined 21-0 against Georgia (8-0) and Ole Miss (13-0) in the SEC Tournament.
CAT SCRATCHES
Kentucky is the all-time NCAA leader in wins with 1,966. Billy Gillispie was named SEC Co-Coach of the Year by league coaches. Gillispie has been named his league?s conference coach of the year in five-straight seasons. Patrick Patterson was named SEC Co-Freshman of the Year. Ramel Bradley (1st Team), Joe Crawford (2nd Team) and Patrick Patterson (2nd Team) were all named All-SEC by league coaches. UK boasts three of the SEC?s top 11 scorers: Joe Crawford (6th, 17.1), Patrick Patterson (9th, 16.4) and Ramel Bradley (11th, 16.0). Those three account for 67 percent of UK?s total points. The Wildcats are 110-20 (.846) in the SEC Tournament and 19-9 in SEC Tournament games held in Atlanta, including winning six of their last eight conference tournament games in Atlanta. UK has a 19-5 all-time mark at the Georgia Dome. The Cats are 15-4 all-time in SEC Tournament games at the dome, winning the 1995, 1998, 1999 and 2004 SEC Tournaments. UK great Kyle Macy will represent Kentucky as its ?SEC Legend? at this week?s SEC Tourney. UK?s most wins in the SEC Tournament have come against LSU (14).
PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES MARCH 11
Head Coach Billy Gillispie
Opening Statement ?
?I?m really excited about going down to Atlanta. I have heard so many great things about the tournament. I know the teams are all good and they will all be primed and ready to go. Everyone will be making a final push to either hone their team specifically for post-season play or try to fight for a spot into the NCAA tournament. Conference tournaments are just so much fun they are so special because of the excitement generated by them. The fans are all so excited about twelve great teams coming together and everyone thinks they are going to win the tournament. I have heard so much about our fan participation in Atlanta and I can?t wait to experience it.?
On UK’s fans at the SEC Tournament ?
?I have heard that the Georgia Dome is a home away from home. However, that doesn?t guarantee that you will advance, but it sure does help you when you have fans like we have. They have been great all year long and I know that they will be excited. I know that they really have come to love the way that this team fights and never gives in. I think that any basketball fan or a fan of any sport, when they see fight, hard work, determination and teamwork and all those things that this team does on a daily basis, I think that they would come to love them no matter what the results are in regards to wins and losses.?
On the recent SEC awards ?
?I?m really proud for our guys and I think that we had three guys that deserved to be on the first-team selection, but you can?t put everyone on the first team and that is no disrespect to the other players that were chosen. I?m really happy that Ramel (Bradley) was selected for first team all-defensive team and I?m really happy for Joe (Crawford) as well that he is getting the recognition that he deserves, even though I think he is a first-team player and an NBA player in my opinion. Patrick (Patterson) could have also been a first-team selection as well. But to be on the second-team in a conference that has so many good players, that really means a lot and just shows how good of players that they are. I?m very happy for our guys, because they had to earn their way to the awards and nothing was given to them easily. They are very deserving recipients.?
On his SEC Co-Coach of the Year award ?
?That is an honor to the team because if those guys don?t make those shots and don?t have the courage, dedication and commitment that they have (it doesn?t matter). Our assistant coaches are also honored with the award. My name is on the award but it?s our team?s award. It is nice to be honored by your peers and it is a great honor, but it is a team award more so than anything else.?
On the ‘win or go-home mentality’ of the conference tournament ?
?It?s win or go home, so we don?t have any idea who we are going to play in the conference tournament and whoever we do play, we are going to try our best. It will be a team that has won a game in the tournament and has momentum 24 hours before we play them. So we are going to be playing a team that is a very determined and hungry team. We are very grateful that we were the second team in our division. We would have liked to be the number one team, but it didn?t work out that way. It is quite an achievement to be 12-4 in the conference, when you have gone through what we have gone through. To be in the second spot we are very happy about that, but that is not our ultimate goal every year. Though we are happy to be there and we?ll welcome any chance that we get to play on Friday.?
On the competitiveness of the SEC ?
?I think there are a lot of good teams in this league and there are a lot of varying styles. There are multiple good coaches and players. I think there are players with immense talent in this league and immense potential. There are a lot of players in this league that can score 35 points and win a game by themselves. I think that teams have proven over the course of the season that it?s going to be a wide-open, exciting conference tournament and that is why it is called March Madness.?
On the team’s mentality heading into the tournament ?
?We are going down to Atlanta to play the winner of the Georgia and Ole Miss game. We are going to try to advance. If someone is keeping score, we are going to try to win. We are going to try, every single time we get a chance to play.?
On the team’s mentality heading into the tournament ?
?We are going down to Atlanta to play the winner of the Georgia and Ole Miss game. We are going to try to advance. If someone is keeping score, we are going to try to win. We are going to try, every single time we get a chance to play.?
On the effect of the lack of depth on the team ?
?I?m not concerned at all. I think that when you practice as hard as we do, and we have, I think that if your mind is tough then your legs will be fine. If your mind is weak, then you are going to be spending a lot of time thinking about how your legs are going to be weary. This is a very tough minded team and it is one of the toughest that I have been around. They don?t let anything bother them and don?t let success change their mentality. They understand who they are, and understand who their best players are. They understand how we need to play to give us the best chance to win. No matter what might happen during the course of the season, as we have seen, and over the course of the game, there are so many things that happen and our team tries to play their best on the next play and that really shows a sign of maturity. So as far as three days in a row, I would love to have a chance to play three in a row. If we get to play one game we are going to try to play for two, and if we play two we are going to try to play for three.?
#3 Ramel Bradley, Senior
On how teams are playing defensively since Patrick Patterson’s injury ?
?I think they try to not allow me to get the ball back after a pass. But my teammates have done a great job of getting open, knocking down shots and getting to the glass.?
On making plays happen down the stretch in tight games ?
?I think a lot of that is coach, he gives us a lot of confidence to go out there and make plays. Once you feel like you have that blessing from your coach, you feel like you can do things out on the court and you gain more confidence.?
On having more freedom on the court as a senior ?
?I think anytime you work hard you earn more freedom. Coach is allowing us to play that way. We try to carry the game plan out. Coach has instilled that confidence in us to make plays happen.?
#21 Perry Stevenson, Sophomore
On playing in the SEC Tournament ?
?I have only been to one, but I enjoyed it.?
On repeating his performance against Florida in the SEC Tournament ?
?I definitely think I am capable of it, but we will see if it happens. I came in with the right attitude and frame of mind.?
On the team’s response after Patrick Patterson’s season-ending injury ?
?I feel really good about how we responded. We just looked at it as another person in our family (going) down to injury and we couldn?t do anything for him. But he is still there to cheer us on.?
On how he has changed from the player he was a year ago ?
?I am more mature. Maturity does a lot for a person both on and off the court.?
#32 Joe Crawford, Senior
On how playing ‘must-win’ games this season has prepared the team for the postseason ?
?Ramel (Bradley) and I were just talking about how every game we have played lately we needed to win. I think that?s an advantage for us because we are used to playing in close games and grinding it out, I think that will work in our favor.?
On playing three games in three days ?
?It means there won?t be any practices. Practice has prepared us for times like this, and I think we?re going to do well. Our practices are definitely harder than the games. I know we will be tired, but we will fight through it and we are prepared for it.?
On playing in front of large crowds of UK fans in Atlanta ?
?As a player playing there for the last time, I am looking forward to it. That is one of the reasons why I chose Kentucky was the large following and things like that. I think it works in our favor when we see our fans in the crowd and games get close. I think one of the best feelings is after winning a ball game and going back to the hotel and all of the fans are down there just chanting ?Cats? and cheering like that. That?s a once-in-a-lifetime experience.?
