KENTUCKY (14-3, 3-0 SEC)
at South Carolina (10-5, 0-2 SEC)
Tuesday, January 16 – 9:00 p.m. ET
The Colonial Center (18,000) ? Columbia, S.C.
TV: ESPN
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Riding the nation?s fifth-longest win streak, Kentucky travels to South Carolina plays its first intradivision game as they take on South Carolina. The Wildcats have won their last 10 games, the 52nd time in school history UK has had a win streak of 10 games or longer.
Ironically, the last time USC downed UK in Columbia, in 2005, it snapped the Wildcats? 16-game SEC regular-season winning streak.
This UK team has already dispatched of SEC foes Ole Miss (68-58), Auburn (84-57) and Mississippi State (64-60), marking the 37th time that Kentucky has opened the conference schedule 3-0.
This is the 45th meeting between Kentucky and South Carolina, with Kentucky holding a 37-7 advantage in the all-time series. The Wildcats are 14-4 all-time against South Carolina in Columbia.
UK has won eight of its last 10 contests against South Carolina, however the Gamecocks claimed the last meeting, a 65-61 decision in the 2006 SEC Tournament semifinals.
PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES – JAN. 15
Head Coach Tubby Smith
Opening statement ?
?Good afternoon. I think after reflecting back on the last game, for the most part we broke down the film and pointed out some areas where we had problems, offensively, not boxing out, I thought our shot selection could improve, I didn?t think we pushed the ball up the court like we wanted to. Again when shots go in you look a whole lot better and when you shoot 36, 37 percent it is not a good looking game. That is one of the issues we had with Mississippi State, they are a very talented team. I was very impressed with their talent level and their execution after reviewing the tape and during the game. This will be another challenge for us going on the road to South Carolina; it always is no matter where you play. They have struggled the last couple of games but they are very capable of beating us so we are going to have to play better then we did the other night. I think the keys will be containing, I think Tre? Kelley is a guy who can really play. He is a veteran player who really understands the game, he understands how to take care of the ball and get his teammates involved. Brandon Wallace creates some match-up problems for some other power forwards. Guarding people off the dribble is something that we have to get better at because South Carolina is a team that will take you off the dribble. Offensively we have to take care of the basketball, which we did against Mississippi State, which I think is the reason why we pulled the game out with late free throws down the stretch. Those are the ingredients that will win close games for you, if you are playing solid defense and making your free throws.?
On in a knee injury has slowed senior USC guard Tre? Kelley ?
?I think that has caused some limitations. But I think he is a fiery player, he wants to get his teammates involved, his three-point shooting has fallen and whenever you have an injury that can impact your technique on your shots. He is distributing the ball; he still averages about 16 points per game and is shooting for a very good percentage as a guard. What makes him so effective is his quickness and on a knee injury that can slow him down a little bit and that is probably why he hasn?t been himself.?
On the differences between last season?s UK backcourt and the current backcourt ?
?We are bigger, that is the big key. I think we have a chance to challenge shots better. The guys are a year older in understanding help-side defense, ball line, trapping, trapping when you rotate. I think that is the major improvement from last year. When you have a guy like Derrick Jasper who is 6-foot-5, 6-foot-6 challenging passing lanes, contesting shots that makes a lot of difference versus last year when we were much smaller. That is what makes a team like Mississippi State so effective – they have some long guys who can contest shots, the guys off the bench.?
On recruiting bigger versus smaller guards ?
?We are going to recruit the best guards, not matter how they come. We have had some good guards in the past. It is not the matter of size; it is how much they want to improve. I thought with [departed guards] Rajon [Rondo] and Patrick [Sparks], Brandon [Stockton], Preston [LeMaster], Ravi [Moss], we didn?t have that overwhelming size on the perimeter but those guys played hard and certainly won a lot of games for us. I don?t know if it makes a difference in recruiting we just try to recruit the best guards, regardless of size.?
On freshman Derrick Jasper?s rebounding ability ?
?He has a gift for a nose for the ball and he has those basketball instincts, having played inside in high school he doesn?t mind going down there and getting bumped. At 200-plus pounds he is a pretty solid guy. When he goes in there he is not getting pushed around like a lighter or shorter player would be. Again he has great hands and he is just hard to get your body on, he has quick feet for a guy his size and that makes him a tough guy to box out. When you are at the point guard it gives you that ability to slash and get to the basket because your man is usually back to stop the break and you have that freedom to wander.?
Kentucky Players
#13 Bobby Perry, F
On South Carolina guard Tre? Kelley calling out his team to play better?
?We started watching film on South Carolina yesterday and we know that they can be a dangerous team. They?ve got good leadership. Tre? Kelly is a good leader and he is the type of player that can bring out the best in his teammates. We will have to play our best in order to beat them.?
On losing to South Carolina last season in the SEC Tournament semifinals?
?It was a tough loss. We had been playing better and had gotten a big win over Alabama [in the quarterfinals] and then we lost to South Carolina to go to the championship game. They are a good team; they have won two NIT titles. We just have to stick with the theme of the last few months of taking one game at a time and not look ahead or behind.?
On UK learning from each game it plays?
?This is a very smart team. When we make mistakes, we know what we did wrong and we want to look at it to correct it right away. It is going to take a team effort and we have to come together to pick people up when someone gets down.?
On Coach Tubby Smith asking his team to ?rediscover? itself?
?We just have to look at one another individually and as a team and realize our goals. This time of year, any win is huge. We just have to keep coming together as a team.?
#3 Ramel Bradley, G
On the play of freshman point guard Derrick Jasper?
?When you play at the point guard position as a freshman, you are going to make mistakes. Sometimes you feel comfortable and sometimes you don?t. Derrick is one of those players who is able to realize his mistakes and play through them and that?s what makes him better.?
On whether the team expects to be ranked in this week?s poll?
?I have no clue and I don?t care. We aren?t worried about the rankings at all.?
On how playing on the road will help the team?s focus ?
?Playing on the road anywhere in the SEC is not easy. I think we are going to realize really quickly when we get down there that it is going to be a battle.?
On whether the team is improved defensively this year?
?I think so ? we are much more active. Everybody collectively is making stops and it is more of a team effort this year.?
#32 Joe Crawford
On not being ranked in the polls?
?We still have a lot of teams left to face like Tennessee and Florida, and we don?t want that [the rankings] to be our main goal. We want to focus on our goal of winning the SEC Championship.?
On the difference in the team?s defense this year compared to last year ?
?We are just more mature. I think we are more worried about being in the right position rather than getting a steal.?
On facing South Carolina after the Gamecocks are coming off a 34-point loss to Florida?
?We know that they are going to want to come out and win the game. They will have a lot more firepower against us.?
