Calipari Asking Cats to Rise to Challenge at West Virginia
John Calipari knows there will be times Kentucky gets fouled and it’s not called.
Heading to a raucous environment to face a physical West Virginia team that will apply pressure at every opportunity, that’s inevitable.
So, Coach Cal is basically preparing his team as if fouls weren’t even a thing at all.
“What we’re trying to do is let them know that it’s going to be a physical game and I don’t want to hear anything about fouls,” Calipari said. ” ‘I’m getting fouled.’ Like, to come over and see something on the court that I did not see. ‘You did not see him grab my arm?’ ‘I don’t care.’ “
Any such thoughts, in Calipari’s mind, are distractions from the task at hand as UK (15-5, 5-3 Southeastern Conference) heads to Morgantown, West Virginia, to face the No. 7/7 Mountaineers (16-4, 5-3 Big 12) at 7 p.m. on Saturday as part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge.
“You’re going to have to be physical in this game,” Calipari said. “You’re going to have to meet people before they meet you. You’re going to have to be strong with the ball. It’s all the things you have to do in a game like this.”
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| Kentucky at West Virginia | ||
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Sat., Jan. 27 – 7 p.m. ET |
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TV: ESPN |
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| UK | 2017-18 Team Stats | WVU |
| 15-5 | Record | 16-4 |
| 5-3 | Conference Record | 5-3 |
| 77.1 | PPG | 81.1 |
| 69.6 | Opp PPG | 65.8 |
| .479 | FG% | .425 |
| .403 | Opp FG% | .402 |
| 38.8 | RPG | 39.8 |
| .344 | 3PT FG% | .331 |
| .279 | Opp 3PT FG% | .343 |
| .683 | FT% | .754 |
| 14.1 | APG | 15.6 |
| 6.2 | SPG | 9.3 |
| 5.4 | BPG | 5.2 |
To that end, Calipari has encouraged the Wildcats to do those same things in practice. He’s done that by breaking out the football pads and even throwing a team of “eight or 10” managers on the floor, according to Quade Green, against his team to mimic the swarming nature of a West Virginia defense that ranks fourth in the country in turnovers forced per game (19.1) and steals per game (9.3). They don’t call the Mountaineers “Press Virginia” for nothing.
The defense is keyed on the perimeter by senior Jevon Carter, who is second in the nation at 3.4 steals per game to go with his team-leading averages of 16.9 points and 6.5 assists. The 6-foot-8, 260-pound Sagaba Konate is the interior anchor for Bob Huggins’ squad, ranking sixth nationally with 3.3 blocks game.
“He is a presence around the goal both offensively and defensively, and he does what we’re trying to get our bigs to do,” John Calipari said. “As the shot releases, he’s figuring out where to be. He’s figuring out who to meet, and then he goes after balls with two hands. But, again, we’re playing a veteran team that all of the stuff that we’re trying to teach they’re pretty good at.”
In order words, West Virginia lives what Kentucky is trying to learn.
“Practice is getting intense because we’re getting ready for a war,” Hamidou Diallo said. “West Virginia is going to be a tough game and these guys are very aggressive. They’re very physical and we gotta be ready for that. We gotta be ready to not get foul calls. We gotta be ready to play through adversity, so we’re just trying to make it happen in practice now and being able to fight through adversity while you’re tired and just try to get better at it in practice so when the game comes we’re ready for that type of atmosphere.”
The atmosphere figures to be similar in nature to UK’s road trips in the SEC, but of another magnitude entirely. Not only do the Mountaineers enjoy one of the most notorious home-court advantages in the country, but West Virginia will also be breaking out all the stops with the Wildcats coming to town for the first time since 1970. The crowd will be striped by section in blue and gold and carrying 14,000 LED batons.
“They have great fans down there and it’s a great basketball town,” Diallo said. “It’s going to be really loud and really active and a lot of hatred towards us once we walk in the arena. So we just gotta stay together and really try to dig in and listen and be able to relay calls and be able to speak to each other on the court.”
There’s no doubt the moment will seem big to this team of freshmen and a couple sophomores, when the Mountaineers are sending defensive pressure in waves and the crowd roars in approval. The Cats will have to cope with that.
“Just being calm and collected, really,” Green said. “Don’t let the pressure get to you. They’re going to be loud, they’re going to play defense, but that’s basketball though. It’s another basketball game to us.”
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Another basketball game, but a big opportunity. If the Cats come out on top, it would mark their second first-quadrant win according to the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Committee that selects the field for the tournament, and the first first-quadrant win away from Rupp Arena. If the Cats don’t come out on top, then it’s right back to SEC play, where more such opportunities await.
“This is only a big game if we win,” Calipari said. “Then it’s a huge game. But short of that it’s the next game and it’s not even in our league. It’s going to be a hard game. But it’s not a must game. And I would say that Bob Huggins is saying the same thing. It’s going to be a hard game, but it’s not in our league. If they win it, it’s a big game for them. If we win it, it’s a big game for us.”
Washington, Knox Lead Cats Past Bulldogs
Kentucky didn’t need to be pretty or dominating, just effective enough at the right times to break out of its recent slump.
Kevin Knox got things started with his jumper, PJ Washington created opportunities at the foul line and other Wildcats chipped in as needed to get it done. Washington had a career-high 22 points, Knox scored 19 with four 3-pointers and Kentucky pulled away late for a 78-65 victory over Mississippi State Tuesday night to end a two-game losing streak.
A day after the Wildcats fell out of the Associated Press Top 25 for the first time since March 2014 , freshman forwards Washington and Knox helped end their skid from the foul line and perimeter respectively. Washington made 10 of 14 free throws along with 6-of-10 shooting to top his previous best against Monmouth by two points. Knox overcame an initial missed layup to hit all four from behind the arc to finish 5-of-6 shooting from the floor and from the line.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 16 points, including eight in the second half, and six assists to help Kentucky (15-5, 5-3 Southeastern Conference) eventually seize a back-and-forth game between schools coming off losses. The Wildcats shot 43.1 percent but made 23 of 30 free throws.
UK trailed Mississippi State 52-49 midway through the second half but went on a 13-2 run to seize a 62-54 lead. Ahead 68-63, the Wildcats added a 6-0 run for a 74-63 lead. All totaled, Kentucky closed the game on a 29-13 run over the final 12:30 of game time.
Quinndary Weatherspoon had 19 points and Nick Weatherspoon 10 for the Bulldogs (14-6, 2-5).
NOTABLES:
• UK still hasn’t lost three games in a row under John Calipari. The Wildcats are now 42-9 under Calipari in bounce-back games after a loss, including 4-1 this season
• Kentucky held an opponent to less than 40 percent from the field for the fourth straight game. Mississippi State also shot just 17.2 percent from 3-point range, the fourth straight game UK has limited an opponent to 25 percent or less from long range
• UK outrebounded Mississippi State 41-31 to improve to 14-1 this season when winning the battle of the boards
• The Wildcats only committed 11 turnovers and are 8-0 this season with 12 or fewer miscues
• Wenyen Gabriel contributed seven points and six rebounds, his fourth straight game with six or more boards
• Washington also contributed six rebounds, three steals, two assists and two blocks
Wildcats Draw Tough Opponent for Big 12/SEC Challenge Once Again
The Kentucky-West Virginia matchup will headline the annual Big 12/SEC Challenge.
It will mark the Wildcats’ third all-time trip to Morgantown, West Virginia, to play the Mountaineers and the first since defeating WVU 106-100 on Dec. 7, 1970. UK is 1-1 in games at West Virginia, but the Wildcats own the all-time head-to-head edge 15-5, including a 9-1 record over the last 10 games.
The last three meetings between the two schools have all taken place in the NCAA Tournament. The last game was in 2015, when UK rolled past the Mountaineers 78-39 and into the Elite Eight in Cleveland.
The 2018 slate of Big 12/SEC Challenge games will mark the fifth season of the annual event between the Southeastern Conference and the Big 12 and the third straight season where all 10 games of the challenge will be played on the same day. A bye in the league schedule for participating teams was created to accommodate for the format.
Ten of the SEC’s 14 teams will participate in the 2018 challenge against all 10 of the Big 12’s institutions, with each conference hosting five games apiece. Each of the 10 SEC teams that will participate in the 2018 games will play in the 2019 event as well. The four SEC teams not participating will play each other in conference games the same day.
UK is 1-3 in the challenge but has beaten West Virginia in its last two matchups, including a 78-39 win in the 2015 NCAA Tournament.
West Virginia, ranked No. 7 in this week’s polls, was ranked as high as No. 2 a couple of weeks ago but have lost three of its last four. Led by Jevon Carter (17.6 points per game), the Mountaineers ranked top 10 nationally in scoring margin, offensive rebounds per game, steals per game and turnovers forced.
Back on ESPN College GameDay
With the Florida-Kentucky game as its backdrop, ESPN College GameDay began its season in Rupp Arena for last week’s game and will continue with the Wildcats this week for its matchup with West Virginia in Morgantown, West Virginia.
It will be UK’s 16th ESPN College GameDay appearance overall, behind only North Carolina (17). Kentucky has made at least one appearance in eight straight seasons. This will mark the third consecutive year that Kentucky will appear on College GameDay twice in a single season.
Following a loss to Florida, Kentucky is now 5-10 in College GameDay appearances.
