UK ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC RELATIONS
MEN’S BASKETBALL
SEC MEN’S BASKETBALL TELECONFERENCE
MARCH 4, 2019
Head Coach John Calipari
On this week’s games against Ole Miss and Florida …
“We have some tough games. I mean, Mississippi on the road is a hard game to play. Florida coming in here. Both desperate teams trying to get that double bye. It’s going to be two wars.”
On the defense not generating turnovers …
“Well, when we are aggressive and we get after it we’ll turn you over. When we’re letting teams throw it wherever they want and not truly putting pressure on the ball for whatever reason, we’re not the same team. We’ve just got to get the guys to understand for us to be successful here’s what we’ve got to look like. It’s not guaranteeing that you win, but it puts you in the best position to play your best version as a team. This team is connected to each other and the minute that they start worrying more about their own performance we don’t trust each other, which means you’re not aggressive. Which means you don’t take chances. Which means you’re not pushing up. So, we’ve just got to get back to where we were. But it’s a bunch of young guys still learning.”
On the kind of challenge Ole Miss’ guards present …
“They’re really good. They’re really good and playing well. They shoot the 3. They drive the ball. They create fouls. They create opportunities for bigs. They’re really good.”
On a team losing back-to-back games on the last possession and how that team typically responds …
“I think that as a coach, they’re saying ‘Look, this is we’re easily 2-0.’ I’ll use the thing here. ‘How would you feel if we’d won both? Then act that way.’ Then the people here went crazy. ‘Cal doesn’t care about winning anymore. He’s only about moral victories,’ and they went absolutely crazy. I’m worried about my team and their mentality. I’d imagine that Kermit (Davis) is doing the same. Listen, they’re an NCAA Tournament team. They’re a team that’s played well, been aggressive and played well all season. I’d imagine – are there still tickets for sale down there? I would say there’s not. It’s going to be a war and they know it and their team will be ready. Look, we don’t face anybody that’s not ready to play. Some games we play better than others, but the other teams that we play we understand what we’re getting. I fully expect those guys to really get after it. It should be a high-flying kind of game.”
