Head Coach Tubby Smith
Pre-Mississippi State Press Conference
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“We’re trying to get organized to play a good Mississippi State team tomorrow. In this phase of the season, our goal is to stay healthyand keep the excitement level high. Our freshmen are starting to mature and have gained valuable experience. We dont necessarilyhave to guard against a letdown, because Mississippi State beat a good Alabama squad this week, but all of the external things thatare going on with the players. They have other things to deal with, like tests, things at home, girlfriends, like anyone else. A lot ofthose other things can get them off course.”
On the play of Keith Bogans…
“Keith didn’t have one of his better games against Florida. Though I thought he worked extremely hard at other things besides scoring.It’s just a matter of growing up. I told him that when his shooting is off, he can’t let that disappointment show. I think some tough callsgot him out of sync. Teams are going to be physical with him. It’s not him against anyone, but Kentucky against whoever we’re playing.Sometimes he wants to do it all.”
“The key to the Mississippi State game is to control the backboard. They have great inside presence with Robert Jackson, andAntonio Jackson is one of the better guards in the conference. (Guy) Gardner gives them a lot of energy and hustle.”
On what has made Tayshaun Prince’s game better recently…
“It’s really helped to put Tayshaun at the four-spot. It was tough for him to be on the perimeter a lot like he was earlier in the season.He wasn’t able to get to the basket because the smaller guy could beat him off the dribble. Now that he’s positioned closer to thebasket, it’s made more scoring opportunities for him.”
On the play of Cliff Hawkins…
“This is the time of year when you want to eliminate mistakes. Cliff shouldn’t feel like he has to please the crowd. He plays forKentucky basketball, the team, not just Cliff Hawkins or the fans in the stands. He feels like he has to do more to stay in the game. Myadvice to him is to do the smaller things, like make the extra pass and go for loose balls.”
On Saul Smith nearing the top-10 list for career assists…
“Last year, Saul was in the top five in the SEC for assists and is up there this year too. In our family, we’ve never been hung up onstats. I read about it in stuff that comes across my desk. What I’m more concerned about is deflections. He leads the team by nearly50, which is unbelievable.”
On how making the extra pass has lowered Saul Smith’s point production…
“Saul has definitely had to sacrifice. He likes to score and has that mentality. He’s adjusted that and made the extra passes in college.Saul is a player that we probably should have redshirted, because as one of the youngest seniors in the country, his body is stillmaturing.”
On whether Kentucky’s two-game lead in the SEC is surprising…
“We’re pleased to be where we are right now. It’s much better to look around and be up two games instead of down two games. I’mnot surprised though. We’ve been lucky to have some tough games at home. We’re trying to build confidence from our success, andwe want to continue to play at the level of late. That starts tomorrow. We’re taking things one game at a time. My motto is to not lookback and not look forward, just concentrate on what’s in front of you.”
On whether potential tournament seeding becomes a factor at this point in the season…
“It’s important now that we’re playing better. It can be used as a motivational tool. We have to be concerned about the seeding, but wecan’t dwell on it with such a young team. These young people think we have so much time, the urgency of now is critical.”
On the status of Marquis Estill…
“Marquis is running and doing well now. He has to psychologically prepare for games because the soreness in his knees will alwaysbe there. It’s not really debilitating, it’s just a matter of him telling himself that he’ll be playing with the pain for the rest of his life if hecontinues to play basketball.”
UK Player Quotes
J.P. Blevins, Guard
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On UKs two-game lead in the SEC…
“We are all very cautious about the lead we have. We know how easily it can slip away. There are a lot of tough games left on ourschedule and we have one tomorrow against Mississippi State. They are a very good team. We know that we have worked hard andgotten ourselves in a good spot, but we know what could happen if we dont stay focused.”
On the teams confidence level…
“We have gotten a few big road wins and that was huge for us because we needed to prove to ourselves that we could win away fromhome. We have rallied around the win at Georgia and the impressive victory at South Carolina.”
On the teams maturity level…
“I think that this team has matured a lot since the beginning of the season. We are learning to utilize our strengths and we are morecomfortable in tight situations.”
Gerald Fitch, Guard
On his recent play…
“Sometimes I think I am just in the right place at the right time. I just want to play hard. My confidence is high right now. I dont feel like Idid in high school, but I will feel that way here eventually.”
On the teams play…
“This team feels good right now. In a program like this, when you are winning there is nothing like it.”
Tayshaun Prince, Forward
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On his play and the play of the team…
“I think I have been playing well, but more importantly the team is playing well. This is a good team and it just needed a leader to helpthings go in the right direction. We are gaining confidence and I am gaining confidence as an individual. My shot is falling and we aregetting wins.”
On the Mississippi Sate game…
“I think we can keep it going. We have a tough game tomorrow, but I think we can pull out a win. Hopefully, with a win we can breakinto the top 25 and increase our lead in the SEC.”
Keith Bogans, Guard
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On the Mississippi State game…
“Mississippi State is a great rebounding team. We are going to have to box them out. It is the key to the game. We have to keep abody on them.”
On play of Tayshaun Prince…
“Tayshaun is playing great right now. He has been a huge lift to this team. At the beginning of the year, his shot wasnt falling like hewanted it to, but he is getting the job done now.”
On leading the SEC…
“I knew that we could be in this position. I never had a doubt in my mind because I knew what kind of team we were all along. We areplaying well and we are going to keep this thing going. We cant let ourselves down.”
