Coach Tubby Smith
 Head Coach Tubby Smith |
“After evaluating the South Carolina game, I thought we shot the ball pretty well, which was obvious. We defended them especially well in the half court and contained Aaron Lucas, who has been their spark and the key to their offense. I thought Saul [Smith] and our perimeter guys did a good job containing him, early and throughout the game.”
“Our interior defense is getting better. That is something we are going to have to be conscious of with Florida. With Udonis Haslem, Brent Wright, and Matt Bonner, Florida has some solid, very good interior people that can score, or go outside for the three. We are going to have to work a lot on that today.”
“We didn’t work out yesterday, we just had a film session. We have been getting a few nicks and bruises here and there, especially with Marquis [Estill] and his knees. I thought a day off would help him because we will need him a lot down the stretch.”
“We got good play and good balance from every guy who stepped on the court versus South Carolina.”
“Bonner and Tayshaun [Prince] is a good matchup, but when you have to sub Marvin [Stone] or someone else for Tayshaun, that is when you create a problem. I don’t think Udonis Haslem is going to move that far from the basket, but if Marvin or Marquis ever find themselves on guarding Bonner, that is a mismatch.”
On Teddy Dupay…
“He is a hard nosed kid that brings a toughness to their team that they have been missing.”
“I think the key to Florida’s season has been Matt Bonner, and Brett Nelson has really stepped up his play.”
“Florida looks as good as it looked last year. They are pretty strong and look like they are more experienced this year, so they look better.”
On the probability of Marquis Estill and Jason Parker playing…
“They had treatment yesterday, so we will see how practice goes. I think they will be healthy and ready to go. Jason’s injury just started during the game-he probably just caught an elbow in the back. It is probably just because he played longer this game than in the past and it was fatigue.”
On players raising the bar in games…
“You compliment them and tell them that is what you expect all the time. My expectations for each player are that they are going to play to their maximum potential and give their best effort every time they go on to the court. Even when things are going well, I expect them to go better. They have goals we set together at the beginning of the semester and they are right on target for making them. When they are successful at attaining their goals, we are successful as a team.”
“It is critical that we get good play from our bench. We are getting quality play from all those guys on the bench. They are all quite capable of starting, so we look at our bench as equal to the starters.”
On players concerned with their playing time…
“They have to keep their own egos in check. I have never been concerned about a guy’s minutes. We coach to win, so I don’t care who is in the game. I know everyone would like to play 40 minutes of every game, but that is highly unlikely. I don’t see that happening in our program because we are going to get talented players year in and year out. Guys have to understand we are a team and we have to make sacrifices. They know that when they come in, they have earned that playing time and they need to produce. I have been very pleased with those guys who have played. But that is the key to why we are starting to win, because the guys understand their roles.”
On being unranked…
“I don’t spend a lot of time worrying about the polls. It will take care of itself. We have a very tough schedule and it is our fault that we had a couple games slip through the cracks. Now we are paying for it, and I hope this will be a motivator for our guys to continue to stay focused.”
“We want the players to appreciate and enjoy the journey and the practices. The games are gravy, that is the dessert. We have to help them understand how much harder we have to work. Now that we are on top of the SEC, people will play even harder against us and raise their level of intensity, so we will have to raise ours.”
On the level of intensity during the run against South Carolina…
“That was an excellent opportunity to let them know that even though you are up by 20 or 30, you still have to play the same way. You have to keep the same level of intensity and not have any letdowns. Hopefully that sends the message that we have to play that way and when you are on top, that is when you are most susceptible.”
On the importance of winning the Florida game…
“It is critical. Every game from here on out, it is paramount that we win. We have to focus and play to win every time. You have to win all your home games or you don’t have any chance at all to win SEC’s.”
“Florida is the number one three-point shooting team in the league, so it is going to be critical that we get out on Brett Nelson and Teddy Dupay. They have so many people that can shoot the three. It will be the biggest challenge yet as far as guarding the three. But they can beat you so many ways. If they go inside, they have Udonis Haslem who can eat you alive.”
Player Quotes
#42 Jason Parker
 Jason Parker |
On the condition of his back, after experiencing spasms in the South Carolina game…
“My back feels much better. It feels normal. It just tightened up during the game. I did not stretch it out enough before the game. During halftime in the locker room the athletic trainers gave me some stretches to use and my back felt a lot better in the second half.”
On Coach Smith continuing to coach hard late in the game…
“That was not surprising because Coach Smith is going to coach all the way to the last second of the game. That is how he is in practice too. He is always on us. That is good for us because it keeps us from letting up. It helps us maintain our focus.”
On Florida’s Udonis Haslem…
“I think he is a physical player down low in the post. He’s one of the best post players in the SEC. I will have my hands full with him tomorrow night.”
#11 Saul Smith
On the importance of winning at home after two wins on the road…
“It is very important. We are in charge of our own destiny. We have to win this ballgame because it is a big game against a great team that is playing extremely well. It will be a big challenge for us tomorrow night.”
On Florida Coach Billy Donovan…
“He is a true coach and one of the better coaches in America. They say he is young, but he has been around. He is a seasoned coach who really knows what he is doing. When you compete against him as a team, and you have our coaching staff, it is really fun because you know it’s going to be a great game.”
Tayshaun Prince, Forward
 Tayshaun Prince |
On the recent play of the Cats…
“Everything has been falling our way recently. We are playing aggressive defense. We are making the extra pass and getting better shots as a result. There have been several keys to the past few games, we are just hoping to keep it up.”
On assuming leadership…
“When I am playing well, I think that the team plays well also. Keith steps up when I’m not and I try and step up when Keith is down. The younger guys look to Keith, Saul and myself and we feel like it is our job to lead this team.”
On the Florida game…
“We are really going to have to step up our defensive intensity on Florida. They are a great offensive team and if we are going to stop them we will have to defend the perimeter. It all starts with defense.”
On the team shooting a high percentage…
“This has been the best shooting team that has been at Kentucky in a long time. We are shooting 48 percent and I think that is because we are playing great defense and being patient on the offensive end.”
Keith Bogans, Guard
 Keith Bogans |
On the Florida game…
“We are going to have to maintain our defensive intensity if we are going to win this game. We have to guard the perimeter and play tough post defense.”
On what has started working for the team…
“We are doing the things that coach has asked us to do. We are making the extra pass and playing great defense.”
On how to play Florida…
“We aren’t going to change a lot of things. We are going to play like we have played all year. They are a great three-point shooting team, if we can take that away and get transition baskets, we will win.”
