NO. 20/18 KENTUCKY (17-5, 6-2 SEC)
vs. South Carolina (12-9, 2-6 SEC)
Wednesday, February 7 – 8:00 p.m. ET
Rupp Arena (23,000) ? Lexington, Ky.
TV:
| |
Kentucky, riding the momentum of a two-game winning streak, hosts South Carolina looking to sweep the season series against the Gamecocks for the 12th time since 1992.
Earlier this season, the Wildcats won a lopsided 87-49 affair in Columbia, shooting 63 percent from the field, including 50 percent from behind the three-point line.
Joe Crawford, who ranks second in scoring (18.8) in league games, posted 23 points on 9-of-12 shooting in the earlier game in Columbia.
UK is fresh off a come-from-behind win at Arkansas on Saturday. The Wildcats trailed the Razorbacks by 14 points in the second half, but battled back to claim an 82-74 victory in Fayetteville.
Kentucky enters the game with a 6-2 conference record, two games behind conference leader Florida, and the league?s top defensive unit. The Wildcats lead the SEC in overall field goal percentage defense (.383), scoring defense in league play (63.1) and field goal percentage defense (.392) in league games.
PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES – FEB. 6
Head Coach Tubby Smith
Opening statement ?
?Good afternoon. Over the last couple of days, after we have had some time to evaluate the tape and realize some things that we need to get better at ? rebounding the ball, we got beat on the boards once again and that is a big concern for us, especially against a team like South Carolina. We did a lot of things well down there and South Carolina is a much improved team and we just need to focus on keeping our guys focused on what they need to do to get better. We had a good practice yesterday, so I was pleased with their energy and their focus. Usually you play the way you practice and if you have good energy and focus then you play well. We have played well at times, the key for us is just being consistent in our effort both on the offensive and defensive ends.?
On some key players stepping up ?
?We had some lapses in the Arkansas game defensively but we had some quality play out of guys like Ramel [Bradley], Jodie [Meeks] and Sheray [Thomas]. That is the thing that I am liking about this group, we are starting to develop some depth and some toughness in them, overcoming adversity when Randolph [Morris] is not playing real well, or if he is not scoring, we have some other people that can pick up the slack and get the job done. This week is important for us as we go into the second half of conference play. February is an important month, an important time of the year for us to stay healthy and stay together. I like how our team is playing, they seem to be enjoying themselves and it always helps when they can get a win, everybody responds a little better.?
On South Carolina ?
?We know that South Carolina is a team that played very well at Alabama, they could have won the game. We have to be concerned about guys like Brandon Wallace, he is having an excellent year all around. His shot blocking, his rebounding, I think he is second in the league in rebounding. Tre? Kelley is always a tough match-up, containing him and making him take tough shots. When we played them last time he was a little gimpy and not really himself but this time we will see the real Tre? Kelley, probably tomorrow night. Blake Shelton is a guy who has really picked it up and is really playing well. You can see that they are starting to come together and at the right time so it is going to be real important for us to come ready to play.?
On remaining focused on South Carolina ?
?It is important. We have been able to focus, our problem has been duration, how long can we stay focused. I don?t think we are going to have a problem getting ready for South Carolina even though we played well down there and we have Florida looming on Saturday. I think we are mature enough to know. We have trained and practiced so that those types of things are not going to affect them. We go through the scouting report and show them things that South Carolina did well against us and some things that we did well against them. We really try to focus on today, what we didn?t do Saturday and what we have to do to improve.?
On USC guard Tre? Kelley ?
?He will be able to bang, because he is a physical point guard as well. He can jump up and shoot the three. That is what makes him such a tough match-up because he can shoot. Plus he makes everyone better, he can control the game on the offense and the defense end. For a guy like Derrick that can be tough because he is a guy who is 6-foot-6 and trying to guard a six-foot tall, heady, smart guard. That is where we really have to watch closely. He was kind of nursing that knee last time we were down there. He is really just a talented player and he is one of my favorite players ever since he came into the league because he plays with such energy, he plays with such passion and he plays with a real toughness.?
On improving defensively ?
?We have played well defensively and up until Saturday we really played well and that is what I am talking about in the consistency. I thought we had a setback on Saturday, it was a come-from behind win, a big win on the road and after breaking down the film I didn?t think we played that well. Comparing us to other teams we still have a long way to go and as we go into February it will be a real test for us and the second half of the season everyone has had a chance to make adjustments and adjust to what we are doing. We will see if we can execute and make the adjustments that we need to make to get better.?
Kentucky Players
Sheray Thomas, #23, Forward
On forgetting about what happened against South Carolina?
?We can?t judge anything on the last game, tomorrow is going to be a new game so we have to focus and be ready to play.?
On veteran leadership coming out for future games?
?I just want to try to keep doing the same things and remain consistent, try to rebound and hustle, pass the ball and try to score a little bit.?
On moving up in the polls this week?
?We can?t focus on that, once we start focusing on that it would be easy to lose focus and have a meltdown.?
Joe Crawford, #32, Guard
On Ramel?s long shot during the Arkansas game?
?Coach didn?t say much about it, that is the type of player Ramel is. You can?t take that away from a player like Ramel. I think all of us were on the edge of our seats when he put that shot up but when it went in it was just a relief.?
On focusing against South Carolina?
?Last year we went down there and played a real good game and beat them by 20 or something like that; then they turned around and beat us in the tournament. That provides some focus for us to know how hard it is to beat a team like that two times.?
On getting the team to hit on all cylinders?
?I think the Arkansas game showed that we are a good team and that we can win when everyone is not hitting on all cylinders. It comes with time and the right game and when it happens once it will begin to happen more frequently.?
Ramel Bradley, #3, Guard
On being ready to play for the South Carolina game?
?We understand that these guys have gotten a lot better and we also want to defend our home court so we want to focus and make sure we take care of business. (Tre) Kelley is a good player and they have a lot of role players stepping up now. We can?t take these guys for granted.?
On playing with more emotion earlier in the games?
?I need to make sure I play with intensity from the beginning and I am trying to work on that. I think some of the other guys feed off the emotion that I have sometimes. Coach wanted me to step up and be a leader and I am trying to do that?
On keeping focus throughout the season?
“I think anytime, take the Georgia game for example–we started off great and we had a big lead on those guys and then we relaxed and you just can?t do that. We need to keep improving as a team and there is nothing holding us back from that. We had that focus against South Carolina last time by staying aggressive and we won.?
