Part of Matthew Mitchell probably wouldn’t mind waiting a while before taking on the challenge of facing a top-10 team.A bigger part of him can’t wait to welcome Baylor to Lexington.”It’s two of the top-rated teams in the country,” Mitchell said. “It’s going to be a great way for us to showcase Kentucky basketball. National television, a sold-out Rupp Arena. That’s just nothing but a positive opportunity for you there.”UK (1-0) will welcome the Lady Bears (1-0) in the second game of the season for both teams on Monday at 7 p.m. Not only is it UK Hoops’ annual Pack the House game in Rupp Arena, but ESPN2 will also be on hand to broadcast the game as part of the seventh annual College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon. And with still more than 24 hours to tip-off, more than 21,000 fans have already snapped up tickets.”If everybody that has a ticket shows up tomorrow night, it would be an outstanding atmosphere,” Mitchell said. “We appreciate the folks supporting us. It ought to be a great atmosphere for college basketball tomorrow night.”A great atmosphere and, in all likelihood, a great game.UK is ranked No. 11/10, while perennial power Baylor comes in at No. 8/9. The game will be the first in the country between top-15 women’s teams this season, meaning it will be an early measuring stick for both.”We have a big challenge ahead of us, very tough opponent,” Mitchell said. “We have tremendous respect for Baylor. What a great program. They have some really tough players. Well coached and we know it will be a very tough challenge for us tomorrow night, but we’re looking forward to taking the floor and seeing what we can do.”Baylor returns three starters from last year’s Elite Eight team that UK twice faced. Last December, the Cats came out on top 133-130 in a quadruple-overtime thriller that set an NCAA record for points in a game. Four months later, Baylor eliminated UK in the Sweet 16.UK won’t have to contend with departed All-American Odyssey Sims, but Baylor still has still has Nina Johnson, the reigning Big 12 Freshman of the Year. Davis had 22 points and 10 rebounds in the Lady Bears’ 101-60 season-opening win over Oral Roberts.”I think she is really the glue to that entire basketball team,” Mitchell said. “I just think she is a terrific player and it is going to be very important for us to do a good job against her. And try to do everything we can to make sure that she doesn’t have a monstrous night. She is an outstanding basketball player and she plays so tough.”Defending Davis might be important, but not as crucial as UK setting the game’s tempo. At this early juncture, the Cats are still very much a work in progress in the half-court. For that reason, they have to turn the pace in their favor.”We must make it a fast-paced game if we want any chance to win right now at this point in the season,” Mitchell said. “We have got to get it going up and down.”If UK succeeds in doing that, the big Rupp crowd figures to enjoy it. For those who haven’t yet bought tickets, there’s another reason to do just that.”Boy, we’d love to sprint to the finish and get this thing sold out tomorrow night,” Mitchell said. “It would be a great thing for us.”
See you back in @Rupp_Arena tomorrow, #BBN. Get tix to Pack the House for the @UKHoopCats: http://t.co/aPwDXNCrpW pic.twitter.com/6jsDZxd8hq
— Kentucky Athletics (@UKAthletics) November 16, 2014
