Jan. 31, 2000
Tubby Smith
“We know Tennessee will be our toughest yet. Tennessee is playing very welland got two good wins over South Carolina and Auburn. They handled Auburneasily, so we are going to have to play one of our better games.”
On UK’s fatigue:
“We are back home and that is a plus. Everybody is ready for the challenge.It is always a concern this time of year for any team, because kids havethe tendency to wear down. I am tired, so I know they must be tired. It ishard to take time off when you only have one day to prepare for the nextgame.”
On Tennessee’s being the toughest team UK has faced so far this season:
“Our next opponent is always the best team that we will play. Tennessee isgenerally the best team, looking at what they did to Auburn, the way theyare playing, their talent level and depth.”
On why Tennessee has been successful playing on the road this season:
“Their leadership in Tony Harris, you have a veteran point guard. They havesolid veteran players in C.J. Black and Isiah Victor, who have been throughthe wars here in the Southeastern Conference, so they understand what theyhave to do to win on the road.”
On Tennessee’s three-point shooting:
“They have been making shots regularly and have played four out of theirlast five games at home. They have been very consistent with their outsideshooting, and they have some real weapons. With Vincent Yarbrough improvinghis outside shooting, it has made them that much tougher to defend. Theyhave some bulk and size inside with Isiah Victor, C.J. Black, and CharlesHathaway, and they draw a lot of attention which opens up a lot of shots onthe perimeter.”
On the tempo he expects the game will be played at:
“I think Tennessee will be looking to run quite a bit and they probablyhave more depth than we do. Our best strategy would probably be to controlthe tempo by getting the shots we want. Changing and mixing defenses, thatis the way you control the tempo.”
On Saul Smith’s solid play at point guard in the last few games:
“He hasn’t done anything different from day one. We just started makingshots. We did not shoot over 40% the first six games of the year. Now, weare shooting much better. He is doing whatever he feels has to be done toget everybody involved in the offense. With Jamaal scoring so well inside,he is probably looking to get it inside more. We are at that point in theseason that Saul understands who is scoring at which particular time andwho to get the ball to. That has been his biggest improvement.”
#40 Jules Camara
On the comments made by Tennessee players regarding Jamaal Magloire:
“I told Jamaal that this is his time to prove them wrong. No one can stophim right now. I have no doubt that he can shut anyone in the country down.The comments weren’t nice. Jamaal builds our confidence and helps our team.He’s always there for us, and we plan to be there for him tomorrow night.”
On Tennessee’s confidence after winning the last two meetings:
“I’m sure they’re really confident. We don’t really see that as pressurethough. We know that despite the build-up of this particular game, we haveto play hard in any game.”
#42 Jamaal Magloire
“This is definitely going to be a tough game. It is a big rivalry. I amgoing to go in with the mentality that the University of Kentucky is goingto do the best it can to win the game. If we do that, we will win.”
“With every game, I am excited. I am enthusiastic that we get anotherchance to grow and learn. In this game I think all eyes will be on me withall the talking on Tennessee’s end. I just kind of laugh. We all know if weput the work in, we will get the dividends.”
On C.J. Black’s comments?
“I kind of step back and wonder why certain individuals make comments likethat, but he is a veteran. It is going to be a challenge for me and the team.”
#21 Tayshaun Prince
“They are a big team, but they like to run the court like we do. They havea great point guard and we expect a up-tempo, full-court game with them.”
“Jamaal (Magloire) has a big rivalry with C.J. Black, but Tennessee hassome other athletic big men. It will be a great game for Jamaal to showwhat he can do.”
“It will be a very emotional game for Jamaal, but he is smart and knows howmuch we need him. It should be tougher for C.J. (Black) to stay composedsince he has already been in a fight this year. We expect Jam to just playhis game though.”
“We really match up well with them just like they match up well with us,that’s why tomorrow’s game is going to be a good one. We have a real goodrivalry with them and we really expect to be successful tomorrow. Hopefullywe will be able to come out with a victory.”
