Peters, Valpo to Test Cats in Midst of Ongoing Growth

Considering the fact he has helped 39 players reach the NBA and even coached in the league himself, John Calipari knows what it takes to reach the next level.

He also knows Valparaiso’s Alec Peters has it.

“He knows how to score baskets,” Coach Cal said of the senior forward. “He steps back, he fades away and scores so even if you guard him and do a good job he can still score.”

No. 6/7 Kentucky (7-1) will be doing its best to contend with Peters on Wednesday. He enters the 8 p.m. matchup in Rupp Arena averaging 25.4 points (second nationally) and 9.1 rebounds. He’s also getting to the free-throw line nearly 10 times a game and hitting them at a 94.4-percent clip.

“There’s more pro scouts coming to this game than even the last game,” Calipari said, referencing a game against a UCLA team that featured five potential draft picks.

Peters has led Valparaiso to a 7-1 start to the 2016-17 season, last pouring in 27 points to help the Crusaders to a win over then-No. 21/25 Rhode Island. Valpo’s only loss came on the road at the hands of preseason top-five pick Oregon. 

“This is gonna be an extremely hard game for us to win,” Calipari said. “They have three seniors, two juniors. You know what they did a year ago and they came back to be together. Well coached, terrific zone. I saw ’em play one game all zone. I don’t think they’re gonna play us all zone, but I saw one game they played every bounce was a zone defense.”

Calipari is unlikely to use any zone himself, but he might try everything else to try to slow Peters. 

“Go to church and light candles and stuff, because he’s one of those guys, literally, if you double-team and he fades away he can still make it,” Calipari said. “Try to keep him from catching it. Try to go at him on offense, but they do a good job. I tell you – you ready for this number? In four years, he’s never fouled out of a game.”

Peters plays the four, which happens to be the same position from which UCLA’s TJ Leaf torched the Cats for 17 points and 13 rebounds to hand UK its first loss. To this point, Calipari has gone with Derek Willis and Wenyen Gabriel at the position and both have room for defensive improvement.

“We’ve been allowing too many straight-line drives – just too many lapses in general at that position that we’ve been having a problem with right now and we’re working toward,” Gabriel said. “I’m certain I’m going to fix that before the season is over.”

Gabriel and Willis will have their hands full on Wednesday, but they won’t be the only Cats facing a challenge. Valpo is among the most experienced teams in America, featuring three seniors and two juniors in the starting lineup. All five played significant roles on a Crusader team that won 30 games last season.

“This is good for us,” Calipari said. “This is good. It’s, you know, it’s hard for all of us. We get so accustomed to just, we can beat everybody. And then you’ve got teams come in and it’s a back to back, oh my gosh.”

To hear Calipari tell it, UK could well lose for the second time in a row on Wednesday night. Coach Cal isn’t changing his tune when it comes to his goals, though. With this team, it’s all about the long term.

“I’m more worried about my team,” Calipari said. “I know how good they (Valpo) are. This isn’t one that you walk in and say, OK, let’s just get in there and play this game.

“I’m gonna try hard to get a better rotation. I told them, you guys don’t do a good job of subbing yourself so we’re gonna have a rotation and you just gotta live with it. It may cost you a game or two along the way, but it gets you to where guys are more ready. I’d like to play the big lineup a little bit this game. There’s some things we’ll try to do. We’re still learning about our team.”