KENTUCKY POST-GAME NOTES
Kentucky is now 18-7 overall, 11-2 in the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division
LSU is now 11-13 overall, 1-12 in the SEC West
The victory marked UKs eighth consecutive win overall, 10th consecutive home win, and 21st consecutive SEC home win
The win gives Kentucky a two-game lead over Florida and Mississippi for the regular-season SEC championship; UK needs one win to clinch a tie for the championship and two wins to win the title outright
Key run: ahead 58-50 midway through the second half, UK goes on a 12-0 run for a 70-50 lead and leads comfortably the rest of the way
UK shoots 55 percent from the field and the Wildcats are 10-0 this season when shooting 50 percent or better from the field
UK limits LSU to 37.1 percent from the field; UK is 12-2 this season when holding opponents to less than 40 percent from the field
Sophomore guard Keith Bogans leads the Wildcats with 23 points, all coming in the second half; it is Bogans ninth 20-point game of the season
Freshman guard Cliff Hawkins had a career-high seven assists and, for the fourth time this season, played a career-high 18 minutes
Junior forward Tayshaun Prince continued his hot shooting, making 7-of-11 from the field; over the last six games, Prince has shot 60 percent from the field (51 of 85)
Prince had 16 points, his ninth consecutive game scoring at least 15 points
Prince now has 1,050 points in his career; tonight he advanced from 44th place to 43rd on the UK career scoring list, moving past Jim Line (1,041 points)
UK Player Quotes
Tayshaun Prince, Forward
On LSU…
“This was a good win. LSU is a lot better than their record. They have great guards and they are an extremely good shooting team. They execute their offense too, which makes it hard to play tough defense. They are capable of playing really good basketball.”
On the play of Keith Bogans…
“Keith came out in the second half and played big for us. The team picks up its intensity when Keith is playing well. Tonight he helped out the team tremendously.”
On the Cats first half…
“We werent doing everything we were supposed to do in the first half. Coach Smith really got on us at halftime. He was never really worried about our offense, but he doesnt tolerate lazy defense. He made his point, and we responded in the second half.”
Jason Parker, Center
On getting early points…
“When we get the ball inside early it helps the whole team. By working the ball inside to me, we open up the floor. When the defense collapses on me, I can kick it out to guys like Tayshaun who can knock down their shots.”
On getting early fouls…
“Getting early fouls hurts my game. When I foul early I either have to sit or play soft defense and both hurt the team.”
On the Cats first half…
“We didnt play the way we are capable of playing in the first half. We got a nice little lecture at halftime and we came out ready to play in the second half. We played like we should have all along.”
Keith Bogans, Guard
“Coach Smith wasnt happy with my first half play. He came in at halftime and scolded me. I had no choice but to respond.”
“In the second half it just seemed like when I shot the ball it went in. I have been taking my time and letting the offense come to me. The first half I wasnt playing the type of basketball I am capable of playing.”
J. P. Blevins, Guard
“We think we are exactly where we need to be at this point. It is late in the season and this is when you want to peak. If we win at Arkansas we will clinch at least a tie in the SEC. We have to finish the season strong and we like our position now.”
“Pulling out close games shows a mature team. The sign of a good team is that you can win games and we have done that in the past several games. Good teams win and we have rallied as a team. We have a lot of confidence right now.”
Saul Smith, Guard
On Coach Smiths teams always playing well at the end of the season…
“That is just a testament to his coaching ability. He works hard getting his teams ready. He puts a team together and works hard down the stretch so the team plays its best basketball at the end of the season. The schedule here is great. If you play cupcake teams at the beginning of the season you dont see what you need to work on. The tough early schedule really helped him as a coach and helped us see what we needed to work on.”
“Even when we were 3-5 we were always positive. We only needed to make another play here or there and we would have had those losses as wins. We learned things from those losses. We were competing for 37-38 minutes and now we have to finish the last two minutes.”
LSU Coach John Brady
Opening Statement:
“I thought our team played well for 28 minutes, but in the end UK was too deep and too strong. We came into this game with the plan of guarding certain people and we didnt expect Bogans and Saul Smith to shoot that well from the outside. They had guys step up and score that hadnt been scoring well lately. Their first trip down the floor, Fitch hit a big three that I feel set the tone of the game. I thought we played well defensively, but we just couldnt stop them enough. We competed until the 12-minute mark, but then we wore down. That is a compliment to Kentucky and Coach Smith. They have highly recruited players who have all learned to play within a system. We did what was necessary for us to stay close, but we werent good enough for long enough.”
On what his game play was…
“We wanted to control the tempo early from an offensive standpoint because we knew we couldnt control Kentucky from a defensive standpoint. We just wore down in the second half. Kentucky is a talented team, and with a player like Tayshaun Prince, who in my opinion is the MVP of the league, they are very tough to beat, and we were not good enough to sustain the tempo against them.”
On what his team can take away from this game…
“I was pleased that we outrebounded Kentucky 38-31, but the difference in the game was that we couldnt guard them. When they shoot 13-26 from the three-point line and Bogans goes 5-for-7, we just cant absorb that. I thought Jason Parker dominated us inside early in the game. They just collectively wore us down.”
On comparing Kentucky with Florida…
“Up until tonight, I thought Florida was a better team from the perimeter standpoint. I think they are very similar teams. I think Jason Parker is the most improved post player in the conference and I think he is very comparable to Floridas Udonis Haslem. Parker destroyed us early and when UK hits shots like they did tonight, they are going to be tough to beat. Kentucky is just a physically better defensive team than I anticipated. I would like to be there when Kentucky and Florida play.”
LSU Player Quotes
Brian Beshara #2
On the game…
“UK did what they needed to do. They made their shots, especially their three pointers. They are a solid team and they did not surprise us.”
On his performance…
“I had a couple of shots, but I also missed a couple. I obviously wasn’t good enough though.”
On this year’s Kentucky team…
“They will do well as long as they come out and play with intensity. They should represent the SEC well when it comes tournament time.”
Collis Temple #41
On the game…
“We played a good first 27 minutes until we let it get away from us the last 15 minutes. We were able to hold off Keith (Bogans) in the first half, but he was on fire in the second and that was the difference.”
On the closeness of the first half…
“We had a good first half and we have done that before. We need to put 40 minutes together and we have only done that once and we won. A team can not play only 30 or 35 minutes in the SEC and expect to get it done.”
On this year’s Kentucky team…
“They are a good team, both deep and big. They bring size off the bench and are well coached under Tubby Smith.”
Ronald Dupree #12
On the game…
“We did a good job and kept control of the tempo in the first half. Kentucky got in their groove in the second half, especially Bogans. It’s tough playing at Rupp Arena. In order for a team to beat Kentucky here they have to slow up the tempo.”
On the close first half…
“We have been in that position before. We play a good first half and hope to play an even better second one, but that didn’t happen tonight.”
On this year’s Kentucky team…
“They are a good team with experience and leadership. Kentucky should go a long way especially in the post season. They have great players on a great team.”
