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Earlier this season, a crew from Reese's was in Rupp Arena to pay a visit to the eRUPPtion Zone, UK's student section. Take a look at the video below to take a look at what they found.
A couple more results in the Southeastern Conference on Wednesday night and we are two steps closer to knowing exactly how the SEC Tournament field will look next week in Nashville, Tenn., and more specifically, what Kentucky's path looks like.
Florida defeated Vanderbilt, 66-40, to clinch the league title and the No. 1 outright, while Tennessee pulled away late for an 82-75 win over Auburn. UK still remains in sole possession of second place, meaning the Wildcats would open postseason play in a Friday quarterfinal against either the No. 7 seed or No. 10 seed (LSU or Vanderbilt as of now) at 7:30 p.m. ET. The Cats still control their own fate, but must win at least one game to secure a bye to the quarterfinals.
Let's take a look at exactly what could happen in the next three days.
1. UK defeats both Georgia and Florida.
2. UK wins at Georgia and loses to Florida.
3. UK loses at Georgia but defeats Florida. In this case, the scenarios are the same as above, only Kentucky would then have a 1-1 record against top-seeded Florida, altering the following two scenarios.
4. UK loses to both Georgia and Florida.
Florida defeated Vanderbilt, 66-40, to clinch the league title and the No. 1 outright, while Tennessee pulled away late for an 82-75 win over Auburn. UK still remains in sole possession of second place, meaning the Wildcats would open postseason play in a Friday quarterfinal against either the No. 7 seed or No. 10 seed (LSU or Vanderbilt as of now) at 7:30 p.m. ET. The Cats still control their own fate, but must win at least one game to secure a bye to the quarterfinals.
Let's take a look at exactly what could happen in the next three days.
1. UK defeats both Georgia and Florida.
- UK clinches No. 2 seed outright regardless of all other results.
2. UK wins at Georgia and loses to Florida.
- If Missouri beats Tennessee, Ole Miss beats LSU and Alabama defeats Georgia, UK wins the four-way tiebreaker and receives the No. 2 seed based on its 2-1 record against Missouri, Ole Miss and Alabama. Missouri and Ole Miss are both 2-2 against tied teams in that case, Alabama 1-2.
- If Missouri and Ole Miss win, UK wins the three-way tiebreaker for the No. 2 seed with a 2-0 record against tied teams.
- If only Missouri and Alabama win, all three teams would have identical 1-1 records against tied teams. Missouri would receive the No. 2 seed based on its 1-1 record against No. 1 seed Florida. UK would be 0-2 against Florida and Alabama 0-1, so the tiebreaker would go back to head-to-head matchups for the No. 3 seed. Alabama defeated UK, so the Crimson Tide would be the No. 3 seed and UK No. 4.
- If only Ole Miss and
Alabama win, all three teams would have identical 1-1 records against
tied teams. All three teams are winless against Florida, so seeding
would be determined based on records against the No. 5 seed proceeding
through No. 14. In this case, Tennessee would be the No. 5 seed based on a 1-0 head-to-head record against Missouri. Ole Miss would therefore receive the No. 2 seed based on a 2-0 record
against the Volunteers, while Alabama and UK are both 1-1 against
Tennessee. Alabama would receive the No. 3 based on its 1-0 record
against UK. The Wildcats would be seeded fourth.
- If only Missouri wins, UK wins the two-way tiebreaker for the No. 2 seed with a 1-0 head-to-head record against Missouri.
- If only Ole Miss wins, UK wins the two-way tiebreaker for the No. 2 seed with a 1-0 head-to-head record against Ole Miss.
- If only Alabama wins, Alabama wins the two-way tiebreaker for the No. 2 seed with a 1-0 head-to-head record against UK. UK would receive the No. 3 seed.
- If Missouri, Ole Miss and Alabama all lose, UK finishes second outright and receives the No. 2 seed.
3. UK loses at Georgia but defeats Florida. In this case, the scenarios are the same as above, only Kentucky would then have a 1-1 record against top-seeded Florida, altering the following two scenarios.
- If only Missouri and Alabama win, all three teams would have identical 1-1 records against tied teams. Missouri and Kentucky would both have 1-1 records against No. 1 seed Florida, while Alabama is 0-1. Missouri would then win the tiebreaker for the No. 2 seed with a 1-0 record against No. 4 seed Alabama. UK would be the No. 3 seed.
- If only Ole Miss and Alabama win, all three teams would have identical 1-1 records against tied teams. UK would be the only team of the three with a win over Florida, so UK would win the tiebreaker for the No. 2 seed.
4. UK loses to both Georgia and Florida.
- Florida wins SEC title.
- If Missouri beats Tennessee, Ole Miss beats LSU and Alabama defeats Georgia, UK receives the No. 5 seed.
- If only Missouri and Ole Miss win, Alabama wins the two-team tiebreaker for the No. 4 seed based on a 1-0 record against UK. UK would receive the No. 5 seed.
- If only Missouri and Alabama win, UK wins the two-team tiebreaker for the No. 4 seed based on a 1-0 record against Ole Miss.
- If only Ole Miss and Alabama win, a three-team tiebreaker between UK, Tennessee and Missouri would be decided based on combined records against tied teams. UK and Tennessee would both be 2-1 and Missouri 0-2, so it would return to a head-to-head tiebreaker between UK and Tennessee. The two teams split the season series, so Tennessee would receive the No. 4 seed based on a 1-1 record against Florida. UK would be the No. 5 seed.
- If only Missouri wins, UK, Ole Miss and Alabama would be tied at No. 3. Each team in the tiebreaker has a 1-1 record against other teams in the tiebreaker and all three teams are winless against Florida, so seeding would be determined based on records against No. 2 seed Missouri. UK would win the tiebreaker for the No. 3 seed based on its 1-0 record against the Tigers.
- If only Ole Miss wins, Tennessee wins the four-team tiebreaker for the No. 3 seed based on a 3-2 record against UK, Missouri and Alabama. Alabama and UK would both be 2-2 against tied teams and Alabama would then win a head-to-head tiebreaker with UK for the No. 4 seed. UK would receive the No. 5 seed.
- If only Alabama wins, UK, Tennessee, Missouri and Ole Miss would be tied for the No. 3 seed. UK would win the tiebreaker based on a 3-1 record against tied teams.
- If Missouri, Ole Miss and Alabama all lose, there would be a five-way tie for the No. 2 seed. Ole Miss would win the tiebreaker with a 4-2 record against tied teams. UK would receive the No. 3 seed based on a 3-2 record against tied teams.
Willie Cauley-Stein is averaging 10.8 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.8 blocks and 1.2 steals in five games since Nerlens Noel's season-ending injury. (Chet White, UK Athletics)
For a team with a lot on its plate to begin with, that's a lot to think about. That's why the Wildcats aren't.
"We don't care about Florida on Saturday," junior guard Jon Hood said. "We don't care about the SEC Tournament right now. We don't care about the NCAA, any of that. All we care about is playing our best."
As UK (20-9, 11-5 SEC) prepares for its final road game of the season at Georgia (14-15, 8-8 SEC) on Thursday (7 p.m. ET on ESPN), the Cats have narrowed the innumerable implications of the game down to a much more manageable two.
"The only thing that's on the line tomorrow night is a win and a loss," Hood said. "That's the only thing that we're worried about."
As for the factors will cause the Cats to win or lose, John Calipari has those narrowed down too. It's not about how UK has practiced since a loss on Saturday (Coach Cal said his team has been "fine"). It's not even about execution or spacing or schemes.
"Go in the games, the game's going to get rough," Calipari said. "Battle back. If you're supposed to be handling the ball, handle the ball. Go get it. If you're supposed to rebound the ball, guess what? Go rebound. 'Well, that guy's working really hard.' Well then work harder than him. Go get balls. Beat them to balls. Beat them to 50/50 balls."
After watching his team at Arkansas, it wasn't all that hard for Coach Cal to diagnose those things.
"What I'm worried about is just us being the best version of ourselves; we weren't at Arkansas," Calipari said. "We weren't. They wanted it more. They played more physical. They came at us and we kind of backed away."
Against the Razorbacks' physical defense, UK committed a season-high 19 turnovers. In front of a hostile road crowd, the Cats were outrebounded 44-37 and gave up 20 offensive rebounds. The players saw the statistics, but they didn't fully understood what caused them until well after the fact.
"During the game you don't feel like you was playing like the way that everybody was saying we played," Willie Cauley-Stein said. "And then when you go back on film, you can definitely see that they was playing more intensity, they was playing tougher, they was punking us. You see that in film and you don't want that to ever happen again. You just kind of have to approach it like that."
Georgia, however, is a team has shown itself to be capable of delivering a "punking" in recent weeks.
A little more than five weeks ago, the Bulldogs were 7-11 overall and 1-4 in SEC. They quickly followed that with a five-game winning streak during which they knocked off Tennessee once and Texas A&M twice. Georgia is 2-4 since, but three of the four losses came by seven points or fewer. The only other defeat was by 10 points in overtime against Ole Miss. In the Bulldogs' last outing, they beat Tennessee again, 78-68, in a game the Volunteers needed to win.
"(Georgia head coach Mark Fox has) done a great job," Calipari said. "I called him earlier in the year, and I just thought the job he's doing with his team to get them to be in a position to win games, which is what he's done, phenomenal job. We got our work cut out for us."
That work starts with sophomore guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, the SEC's second-leading scorer (18.0 per game) and eighth-leading rebounder (6.9 per game). Caldwell-Pope has scored in double figures in every game this season and scored 25 in the win over Tennessee.
"I don't know (who will guard Caldwell-Pope)," Calipari said. "Don't know yet. He's good, though. He's a good player."
In spite of all that, what Calipari wants the Cats to understand is they need not do anything more than take Cauley-Stein's "enough is enough" approach to reach their goals. Even the pundits most critical of UK's resume agree the Cats control their future. Any bubble conversation will be rendered moot if Kentucky can string together wins over the season's final stretch.
"I think our team, whatever they want to be: Where do you want to go with this?" Calipari said. "How do you want to do this? Whatever you want it to be, it's gonna be. I think we've got a bunch of good guys that are still learning, and when stuff gets a little ragged they're not at their best, and that's where we got to learn."
Just two seasons ago, Hood was on a Kentucky team that put things together late. The 2010-11 Cats closed the regular season strong, won the SEC Tournament and eventually reached the Final Four. Hood can't remember exactly what came together to make that happen, but he's sees no reason why his current team couldn't do something similar.
"I believe that any team can do that if they come together," Hood said. "You see all these Cinderella teams in the tournament that are playing their best at the end of the year. Any team can do it. Why can't we? We just need to come together, play as a team and play tough and we'll be fine."
If the Cats can pull it off, they'll remember it forever.
"I still have the same vision," Calipari said. "I told them: I believe in the team and I'm going out with the idea that we're going to write a heckuva story. This is going to be a heckuva story before it's all said and done - if you want it to."
John Calipari
Willie Cauley-Stein and Jon Hood
Willie Cauley-Stein and Jon Hood
UK won the SEC Tournament the last time it was hosted in Nashville in 2010. (UK Athletics)
With just two games left in its regular season, Kentucky projects as the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament, which to be played in Nashville, Tenn. A loss by Alabama at Ole Miss on Tuesday night created a logjam from second to fifth in SEC standings as four teams all now have 11 wins. UK, though, is the only of those four teams with two games left, so the Wildcats are temporarily in second by themselves.
That, however, is very much subject to change.
A win on Thursday at Georgia and UK moves a game ahead of Missouri, Ole Miss and Alabama and clinches a double bye and will open SEC Tournament play on Friday. In the case of a loss, there will be a four-way tie heading into the final weekend. Here are the tie-breaking procedures if three or more teams finish with the same record.
Three-Team Tie (or more). When three or more teams are tied, the following procedure will be used in the following order until the tie is broken. If two teams remain tied after a tiebreaker provision, the two-team tiebreaker formula will be used.
A. Best winning percentage of games played among the tied teams (Example: Team A is 3-1, Team B is 2-2 and Team C is 1-3 - Team A would be seeded highest, Team B second-highest and Team C lowest of the three).
B. Best winning percentage of the tied teams versus the No. 1 seed (and proceeding through the No. 12 seed, if necessary).
C. If two teams remain, coin flip by the Commissioner.
D. If three or more teams remain, draw by the Commissioner.
For UK, this is good news. The Cats have a combined record of 2-1 against teams knotted at 11-6.
Based on this, let's take a look at seeding scenarios.
1. UK defeats both Georgia and Florida.
- If Florida wins vs. Vanderbilt on Wednesday, Florida wins SEC title and UK is the No. 2 seed in the SEC Tournament.
- If Florida loses vs. Vanderbilt on Wednesday, UK and Florida share SEC title. SEC Tournament seeding would be determined based on records against the third-seeded team and proceeding through the No. 14 seed if necessary. Against current No. 3 seed Missouri, UK is 1-0 and Florida is 1-1. Against current No. 4 seed Ole Miss, UK is 1-0 and Florida is 1-0. Against current No. 5 seed Alabama, UK is 0-1 and Florida is 1-0.
2. UK wins at Georgia and loses to Florida.
- Florida wins SEC title.
- If Missouri beats Tennessee, Ole Miss beats LSU and Alabama defeats Georgia, UK wins the four-way tiebreaker and receives the No. 2 seed based on its 2-1 record against Missouri, Ole Miss and Alabama. Missouri and Ole Miss are both 2-2 against tied teams in that case, Alabama 1-2.
- If Missouri and Ole Miss win, UK wins the three-way tiebreaker for the No. 2 seed with a 2-0 record against tied teams.
- If only Missouri and Alabama win, all three teams would have identical 1-1 records against tied teams. Missouri would receive the No. 2 seed based on its 1-1 record against No. 1 seed Florida. UK would be 0-2 against Florida and Alabama 0-1, so the tiebreaker would go back to head-to-head matchups for the No. 3 seed. Alabama defeated UK, so the Crimson Tide would be the No. 3 seed and UK No. 4.
- If only Ole Miss and Alabama win, all three teams would have identical 1-1 records against tied teams. All three teams are winless against Florida, so seeding would be determined based on records against the No. 5 seed proceeding through No. 14. If Missouri is the No. 5 seed, UK would receive the No. 2 seed based on a 1-0 record against the Tigers. If Tennessee is the No. 5 seed, Ole Miss would receive the No. 2 seed based on a 2-0 record against the Volunteers, while Alabama and UK are both 1-1 against Tennessee. Alabama would receive the No. 3 based on its 1-0 record against UK. The Wildcats would be seeded fourth. (Editor's note: It was originally stated that UK would be the No. 3 seed in this scenario. That has been corrected.)
- If only Missouri wins, UK wins the two-way tiebreaker for the No. 2 seed with a 1-0 head-to-head record against Missouri.
- If only Ole Miss wins, UK wins the two-way tiebreaker for the No. 2 seed with a 1-0 head-to-head record against Ole Miss.
- If only Alabama wins, Alabama wins the two-way tie-breakers for the No. 2 seed with a 1-0 head-to-head record against UK. UK would receive the No. 3 seed.
- If Missouri, Ole Miss and Alabama all lose, UK finishes second outright and receives the No. 2 seed.
3. UK loses at Georgia but defeats Florida. In this case, the scenarios are the same as above, only Kentucky would then have a 1-1 record against top-seeded Florida, altering the following two scenarios.
- If only Missouri and Alabama win, all three teams would have identical 1-1 records against tied teams. Missouri and Kentucky would both have 1-1 records against No. 1 seed Florida, while Alabama is 0-1. Missouri would then win the tiebreaker for the No. 2 seed with a 1-0 record against No. 4 seed Alabama. UK would be the No. 3 seed.
- If only Ole Miss and Alabama win, all three teams would have identical 1-1 records against tied teams. UK would be the only team of the three with a win over Florida, so UK would win the tiebreaker for the No. 2 seed.
4. UK loses to both Georgia and Florida.
- Florida wins SEC title.
- If Missouri beats Tennessee, Ole Miss beats LSU and Alabama defeats Georgia, UK receives the No. 5 seed.
- If only Missouri and Ole Miss win, Alabama wins the two-team tiebreaker for the No. 4 seed based on a 1-0 record against UK. UK would receive the No. 5 seed.
- If only Missouri and Alabama win, UK wins the two-team tiebreaker for the No. 4 seed based on a 1-0 record against Ole Miss.
- If only Ole Miss and Alabama win and Tennessee wins at Auburn on Wednesday, a three-team tiebreaker between UK, Tennessee and Missouri would be decided based on combined records against tied teams. UK and Tennessee would both be 2-1 and Missouri 0-2, so it would return to a head-to-head tiebreaker between UK and Tennessee. The two teams split the season series, so Tennessee would receive the No. 4 seed based on a 1-1 record against Florida. UK would be the No. 5 seed.
- If only Ole Miss and Alabama win and Tennessee loses at Auburn on Wednesday, UK would win a head-to-head tiebreaker with Missouri for the No. 4 seed.
- If only Missouri wins, UK, Ole Miss and Alabama would be tied at No. 3. Each team in the tiebreaker has a 1-1 record against other teams in the tiebreaker and all three teams are winless against Florida, so seeding would be determined based on records against the No. 2 seed Missouri. UK would win the tiebreaker for the No. 3 seed based on its 1-0 record against the Tigers.
- If only Ole Miss wins and Tennessee defeats Auburn, Tennessee wins the four-team tiebreaker for the No. 3 seed based on a 3-2 record against UK, Missouri and Alabama. Alabama and UK would both be 2-2 against tied teams so Alabama would then win a head-to-head tiebreaker with UK for the No. 4 seed. UK would receive the No. 5 seed.
- If only Ole Miss wins and Tennessee loses to Auburn, UK, Missouri and Alabama would all be tied for third with 1-1 records against one another. Missouri would receive the No. 3 seed based on a 1-1 record against top-seeded Florida and Alabama would win a head-to-head tiebreaker with UK for the No. 4 seed. UK would be seeded fifth.
- If only Alabama wins and Tennessee defeats Auburn, UK, Tennessee, Missouri and Ole Miss would be tied for the No. 3 seed. UK would win the tiebreaker based on a 3-1 record against tied teams.
- If only Alabama wins and Tennessee loses to Auburn, UK, Missouri and Ole Miss would be tied for the No. 3 seed. UK would win the tiebreaker based on a 2-0 record against tied teams.
- If Missouri, Ole Miss and Alabama all lose and Tennessee defeats Auburn, there would be a five-way tie for the No. 2 seed. Ole Miss would win the tiebreaker with a 4-2 record against tied teams. UK would receive the No. 3 seed based on a 3-2 record against tied teams.
- If Missouri, Ole Miss and Alabama all lose and Tennessee loses to Auburn, there would be a four-way tie for the No. 2 seed. UK wins the four-way tiebreaker and receives the No. 2 seed based on its 2-1 record against Missouri, Ole Miss and Alabama.
Press release from Turner Sports
Turner Sports will debut an all-new documentary based on the storied legacy of the University of Kentucky men's basketball program - Bluegrass Kingdom: The Gospel of Kentucky Basketball. Featuring interviews and first-hand reflections from some of the program's most notable personalities including former UK players Pat Riley, Jamal Mashburn, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, coaches Joe B. Hall and John Calipari, UK alumna and zealous fan Ashley Judd and many others, the documentary provides a chronology of the Wildcats' history from its origins through the 2012 NCAA championship team. Produced by Mandalay Sports Media and presented on truTV by Infiniti, the documentary is narrated by Grammy® Award-winning artist Drake and will air on Selection Sunday, March 17 at 8:00 p.m. ET in advance of Turner Sports' and CBS Sports' coverage of the 2013 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship, which airs exclusively on TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV.
Bluegrass Kingdom: The Gospel of Kentucky Basketball presented by Infiniti delves into the fabled past of the program's first coach and the inspired tradition he cultivated; the historical relevance and implications of the 1966 NCAA championship game against Texas Western College's all-African American starting five; the emergence of Joe B. Hall and his 1975 Wildcats team that upset the Indiana Hoosiers in the NCAA tournament that year; as well as other highs and lows of the program. The hour-long presentation on truTV also includes interviews with, and first-hand accounts from, a variety of players, coaches, opponents and others associated with the Kentucky Wildcats' program, such as former UK players Kenny "Sky" Walker and Derek Anderson, two-time All-American Cliff Hagan, and former Texas Western College player and member of the 1966 NCAA Championship team Willie Worsley.
Bluegrass Kingdom: The Gospel of Kentucky Basketball presented by Infiniti is the second feature in a series of documentaries focused on collegiate basketball programs from Turner Sports. The division's first feature - Duke 91 & 92: Back to Back - debuted last year in advance of the 2012 NCAA Tournament.
"We are excited to add premier original content to our Turner Sports networks and are proudly looking forward to March and our newest documentary: Bluegrass Kingdom: The Gospel of Kentucky Basketball on truTV," said Christina Miller, senior vice president of strategy/marketing/programming, Turner Sports. "The story of Kentucky basketball fits in line with our ambition to continue developing stories that will captivate our viewers."
Bluegrass Kingdom: The Gospel of Kentucky Basketball presented by Infiniti is produced and directed by Emmy® and Peabody Award-winning film and television writer/director Michael Tolajian, whose most recent credits include Once Brothers, the critically-acclaimed documentary from ESPN's "30 for 30" film series. Executive producers include Mike Tollin (The Bronx is Burning, Smallville, Arli$$) and Jon Weinbach (The Other Dream Team, Straight Outta LA) of Mandalay Sports Media.
"After doing research for this documentary, I quickly realized that the University of Kentucky is perhaps the most storied college basketball program in history," said Tolajian. "But it wasn't until we started filming in Kentucky, that I truly learned how important Wildcat Basketball is to the state -- it's like a religion. Our goal was to capture some of that passion in this film ... and I feel we succeeded."
truTV is one of the television homes of the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship and the exclusive broadcaster of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic. The documentary's debut will be preceded by the hour-long Infiniti Selection Sunday on truTV at 7:00p.m. ET.
Turner Sports will debut an all-new documentary based on the storied legacy of the University of Kentucky men's basketball program - Bluegrass Kingdom: The Gospel of Kentucky Basketball. Featuring interviews and first-hand reflections from some of the program's most notable personalities including former UK players Pat Riley, Jamal Mashburn, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, coaches Joe B. Hall and John Calipari, UK alumna and zealous fan Ashley Judd and many others, the documentary provides a chronology of the Wildcats' history from its origins through the 2012 NCAA championship team. Produced by Mandalay Sports Media and presented on truTV by Infiniti, the documentary is narrated by Grammy® Award-winning artist Drake and will air on Selection Sunday, March 17 at 8:00 p.m. ET in advance of Turner Sports' and CBS Sports' coverage of the 2013 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship, which airs exclusively on TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV.
Bluegrass Kingdom: The Gospel of Kentucky Basketball presented by Infiniti delves into the fabled past of the program's first coach and the inspired tradition he cultivated; the historical relevance and implications of the 1966 NCAA championship game against Texas Western College's all-African American starting five; the emergence of Joe B. Hall and his 1975 Wildcats team that upset the Indiana Hoosiers in the NCAA tournament that year; as well as other highs and lows of the program. The hour-long presentation on truTV also includes interviews with, and first-hand accounts from, a variety of players, coaches, opponents and others associated with the Kentucky Wildcats' program, such as former UK players Kenny "Sky" Walker and Derek Anderson, two-time All-American Cliff Hagan, and former Texas Western College player and member of the 1966 NCAA Championship team Willie Worsley.
Bluegrass Kingdom: The Gospel of Kentucky Basketball presented by Infiniti is the second feature in a series of documentaries focused on collegiate basketball programs from Turner Sports. The division's first feature - Duke 91 & 92: Back to Back - debuted last year in advance of the 2012 NCAA Tournament.
"We are excited to add premier original content to our Turner Sports networks and are proudly looking forward to March and our newest documentary: Bluegrass Kingdom: The Gospel of Kentucky Basketball on truTV," said Christina Miller, senior vice president of strategy/marketing/programming, Turner Sports. "The story of Kentucky basketball fits in line with our ambition to continue developing stories that will captivate our viewers."
Bluegrass Kingdom: The Gospel of Kentucky Basketball presented by Infiniti is produced and directed by Emmy® and Peabody Award-winning film and television writer/director Michael Tolajian, whose most recent credits include Once Brothers, the critically-acclaimed documentary from ESPN's "30 for 30" film series. Executive producers include Mike Tollin (The Bronx is Burning, Smallville, Arli$$) and Jon Weinbach (The Other Dream Team, Straight Outta LA) of Mandalay Sports Media.
"After doing research for this documentary, I quickly realized that the University of Kentucky is perhaps the most storied college basketball program in history," said Tolajian. "But it wasn't until we started filming in Kentucky, that I truly learned how important Wildcat Basketball is to the state -- it's like a religion. Our goal was to capture some of that passion in this film ... and I feel we succeeded."
truTV is one of the television homes of the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship and the exclusive broadcaster of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic. The documentary's debut will be preceded by the hour-long Infiniti Selection Sunday on truTV at 7:00p.m. ET.
If the discussion is on the question of "Who is Kentucky's most VALUABLE player?" there could be more than one candidate to debate. But if the topic is the "most IMPORTANT player" for this team, the answer seems to be clear cut - Ryan Harrow.
When Harrow brings his "A" game, the Wildcats are hard to beat. Add in a strong performance from Archie Goodwin and the numbers are even stronger. When Harrow and Goodwin both score in double figures, UK is 10-3 this season. When they combine for at least 25 points, the record is 8-1 (and the one loss, at Louisville, represented a strong showing in defeat).
CBS' Greg Anthony saw that performance against the Cardinals from a courtside seat as a game analyst and he says it's a good rule of thumb in college basketball that good guards equal good teams.
"When you have that kind of guard play, it makes it tough for teams to disrupt what you want to do and you can control tempo and play your game," he said.
We certainly saw that play out last Saturday at Arkansas. Even though Harrow and Goodwin both scored in double figures (10 and 14 respectively), the Razorbacks' pressure defense kept the Cats from getting into their offense until deep in the shot clock on many possessions. In the three-game winning streak that preceded the loss at Arkansas, Harrow had 14 assists versus only three turnovers and he averaged 16 points per game.
Anthony was the point guard for those great UNLV teams of the early 1990s and he says good guards make big men better.
"Your bigs are only going to be as good as your guards allow them to do and that's just the reality. Your guards allow guys to do what they do best," he explained. "We played Georgetown when they had Dikembe Mutumbo and Alonzo Mourning but they were non-factors because we could take them (the Hoyas) out of everything they wanted to do. They could never get into their offense sets. We could disrupt their timing, their spacing and more importantly, when we had the ball, we could dictate and do what we wanted.
"You don't have to have pros at the guard position but you have to have guys that understand how we're going to win games," Anthony added. "Your guards have got to be an extension of the coach on the floor."
You can bet Georgia will do its best to pressure UK's guards Thursday night, but forcing turnovers has not been a strong suit for this year's UGA team. On the other hand, Saturday's opponent (Florida) is one of the best in the league. Only Alabama and league leader Arkansas force turnovers on a greater percentage of possessions than the Gators. And remember that Harrow was scoreless against Florida in Gainesville last month.
The bottom line is this: If Ryan Harrow has a good week, there's a good chance the "bubble" debate won't include Kentucky any longer.
When Harrow brings his "A" game, the Wildcats are hard to beat. Add in a strong performance from Archie Goodwin and the numbers are even stronger. When Harrow and Goodwin both score in double figures, UK is 10-3 this season. When they combine for at least 25 points, the record is 8-1 (and the one loss, at Louisville, represented a strong showing in defeat).
CBS' Greg Anthony saw that performance against the Cardinals from a courtside seat as a game analyst and he says it's a good rule of thumb in college basketball that good guards equal good teams.
"When you have that kind of guard play, it makes it tough for teams to disrupt what you want to do and you can control tempo and play your game," he said.
We certainly saw that play out last Saturday at Arkansas. Even though Harrow and Goodwin both scored in double figures (10 and 14 respectively), the Razorbacks' pressure defense kept the Cats from getting into their offense until deep in the shot clock on many possessions. In the three-game winning streak that preceded the loss at Arkansas, Harrow had 14 assists versus only three turnovers and he averaged 16 points per game.
Anthony was the point guard for those great UNLV teams of the early 1990s and he says good guards make big men better.
"Your bigs are only going to be as good as your guards allow them to do and that's just the reality. Your guards allow guys to do what they do best," he explained. "We played Georgetown when they had Dikembe Mutumbo and Alonzo Mourning but they were non-factors because we could take them (the Hoyas) out of everything they wanted to do. They could never get into their offense sets. We could disrupt their timing, their spacing and more importantly, when we had the ball, we could dictate and do what we wanted.
"You don't have to have pros at the guard position but you have to have guys that understand how we're going to win games," Anthony added. "Your guards have got to be an extension of the coach on the floor."
You can bet Georgia will do its best to pressure UK's guards Thursday night, but forcing turnovers has not been a strong suit for this year's UGA team. On the other hand, Saturday's opponent (Florida) is one of the best in the league. Only Alabama and league leader Arkansas force turnovers on a greater percentage of possessions than the Gators. And remember that Harrow was scoreless against Florida in Gainesville last month.
The bottom line is this: If Ryan Harrow has a good week, there's a good chance the "bubble" debate won't include Kentucky any longer.
Men's basketball
- Kentucky went 1-1 on the week with a win over Mississippi State before falling at Arkansas on Saturday.
- Freshman Willie Cauley-Stein continued his dynamic play by averaging 12.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.5 blocks and 1.5 steals per game this week.
- With the win over the Bulldogs, UK secured its 57th 20-win season in program history
- Kentucky was led in scoring by Arkansas native Archie Goodwin with 14 points in the loss to the Razorbacks.
Women's basketball
- After earning its school-record tying 13th SEC win with a commanding 78-65 victory over No. 8 Tennessee on Senior Day, Kentucky earned the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye in the SEC Tournament.
- The Wildcats have had another remarkable season under the direction of head coach Matthew Mitchell. Mitchell, who became UK's all-time winningest coach with the win over Tennessee, has led the Cats to a school-record fourth straight 25-win season with a 25-4 overall record, including a 13-3 mark in SEC play.
- A'dia Mathies had led the team in scoring (16.0), 3-point field goals made (60) and 3-point field goal percentage (.403), and has reached double figures in 27-of-29 games, including 20 in a row
Gymnastics
- The Kentucky gymnastics team shattered the school record with a 196.5 team score in a win at Ball State on Sunday.
- Kentucky has now posted team scores of more than 196 two weeks in a row for the first time in school history.
- Audrey Harrison won her fifth consecutive individual all-around title with a huge career-high score of 39.425.
- The Knoxville, Tenn., native now has a Southeastern Conference-leading seven AA titles this season.
Softball
- For the second consecutive weekend, the No. 17 Kentucky softball team went undefeated in a weekend tournament, posting a 5-0 record in the 2013 Under Armour Invitational with wins against Illinois, USF, Loyola Marymount, Central Michigan and Western Michigan.
- This is the first time in school history UK has gone undefeated in consecutive tournaments.
- Senior Kara Dill led UK offensively over the weekend with a .353 (6-for-17) average, including six runs scored and her first triple of the season.
- In the circle, Lauren Cumbess paced UK with a 2-0 record and 0.58 ERA in 12 innings pitched, including 11 strikeouts. True freshman Kelsey Nunley went 3-0 on the weekend with a 1.94 ERA, throwing 21.2 innings, allowing six earned runs with 18 strikeouts.
Baseball
- The eighth-ranked Kentucky baseball team completed its first home week with five wins, including a series sweep over Akron during the weekend. UK picked up midweek wins over Murray State and Eastern Kentucky.
- UK has been led individually by junior infielder J.T. Riddle, who has hit .447 (21-for-47) with three doubles, one triple, one homer and 11 RBI, stealing three bases and reaching base at a .527 clip.
- On the mound, UK had a 2.57 ERA in 98 innings, walking only 27 and striking out 87, with opponents hitting .255, stealing only 3-of-7 bases and UKL picking off four runners.
- During the five-game week, UK got a jaw-dropping hitting performance from Reed, who drove in 15 RBI with three homers and a double during the week, batting .526 (10-for-19).
Men's tennis
- Kentucky opened the 2013 SEC season by collecting two wins over No. 49 Arkansas (5-2) on Friday and No. 39 LSU (4-0) on Sunday afternoon to move to 14-2 (2-0 SEC) on the season.
- Senior No. 21 Anthony Rossi upped his record to 14-1 on the season, picking up wins number 95 and 96 in his career. Rossi has now won nine consecutive straight-set matches and has also won 18 of the last 19 sets he has played.
- UK won the doubles point in both matches this weekend, as the Wildcats are now 11 for 13 this season in doubles competition.
Women's tennis
- The Kentucky women's tennis team went 1-1 in the opening weekend of Southeastern Conference play. - After falling 4-3 at Arkansas on Friday, Kentucky traveled to Baton Rouge, La., and defeated the No. 63 Tigers 4-3.
- Freshman Kirsten Lewis had a comeback win to clinch Kentucky's win over LSU, taking the No. 5 singles point 1-6, 7-5, 6-4.
- Senior Jessica Stiles, sophomore Stephanie Fox and freshman Nadia Ravita all recorded singles wins in straight sets vs. LSU.
Track and field
- Five Kentucky track and field athletes, four women and a man, are in position to qualify for this weekend's NCAA Indoor Championships as they own top-16 times.
- The Women's Distance Medley Relay Team of Cally Macumber, Morganne Phillips, Allison Peare and Chelsea Oswald broke the school record with a time of 11:00.33 on Friday.
- That time ranks No. 6 in the nation.
- Keith Hayes broke the school 60-meter hurdles record with a time of 7.73 on Saturday.
- That time ranks No. 9 n the nation.
Swimming and diving
- The Kentucky swimming team sent several swimmers to the Bulldog Last Chance Meet this past weekend in Athens, Ga., attempting to earn qualifying times for the 2013 NCAA Championships.
- Sophomore Christina Bechtel improved her time in the 100-butterfly with a 52.62, second best in program history in that event. The time likely will earn her a ticket to the NCAA Championships in Indianapolis, Ind., March 21-23.
- Junior Lucas Gerotto also improved his time in the 100-backstroke while breaking his own program record in the event, finishing with a 47.19 to increase the likelihood that he is asked back for his second consecutive NCAA appearance.
Upcoming schedule
Monday, March 4
Men's golf at USF Invitational (Tampa, Fla.)
Tuesday, March 5
Baseball hosts Cincinnati - 4:00 p.m.
Men's golf at USF Invitational (Tampa, Fla.)
Wednesday, March 6
Baseball hosts Xavier - 4:00 p.m.
Softball hosts Marshall - 5:00 p.m.
Thursday, March 7
Men's basketball at Georgia - 7:00 p.m.
Friday, March 8
Men's tennis at Baylor - 3:30 p.m.
Baseball hosts Michigan State - 4:00 p.m.
Women's tennis hosts Missouri - 4:00 p.m.
Softball hosts Ole Miss - 5:00 p.m.
Women's basketball vs. Missouri/Vanderbilt - 6:00 p.m. (Duluth, Ga.)
Gymnastics hosts Bowling Green - 7:00 p.m.
Rifle at NCAA Championships (Columbus, Ohio)
Track and field at NCAA Championships (Fayetteville, Ark.)
Saturday, March 9
Men's basketball hosts Florida - Noon
Softball hosts Ole Miss - 1:00 p.m.
Baseball hosts Michigan State - 2:00 p.m.
Women's basketball at SEC Tournament Semifinals - 6:00 p.m. (Duluth, Ga.)
Rifle at NCAA Championships (Columbus, Ohio)
Track and field at NCAA Championships (Fayetteville, Ark.)
Sunday, March 10
Women's tennis hosts Texas A&M - Noon
Softball hosts Ole Miss - 1:00 p.m.
Baseball hosts Michigan State - 1:00 p.m.
Men's tennis at Texas A&M - 1:00 p.m.
Gymnastics at Ball State - 1:00 p.m.
Women's basketball at SEC Tournament Finals - 6:00 p.m. (Duluth, Ga.)
- Kentucky went 1-1 on the week with a win over Mississippi State before falling at Arkansas on Saturday.
- Freshman Willie Cauley-Stein continued his dynamic play by averaging 12.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.5 blocks and 1.5 steals per game this week.
- With the win over the Bulldogs, UK secured its 57th 20-win season in program history
- Kentucky was led in scoring by Arkansas native Archie Goodwin with 14 points in the loss to the Razorbacks.
Women's basketball
- After earning its school-record tying 13th SEC win with a commanding 78-65 victory over No. 8 Tennessee on Senior Day, Kentucky earned the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye in the SEC Tournament.
- The Wildcats have had another remarkable season under the direction of head coach Matthew Mitchell. Mitchell, who became UK's all-time winningest coach with the win over Tennessee, has led the Cats to a school-record fourth straight 25-win season with a 25-4 overall record, including a 13-3 mark in SEC play.
- A'dia Mathies had led the team in scoring (16.0), 3-point field goals made (60) and 3-point field goal percentage (.403), and has reached double figures in 27-of-29 games, including 20 in a row
Gymnastics
- The Kentucky gymnastics team shattered the school record with a 196.5 team score in a win at Ball State on Sunday.
- Kentucky has now posted team scores of more than 196 two weeks in a row for the first time in school history.
- Audrey Harrison won her fifth consecutive individual all-around title with a huge career-high score of 39.425.
- The Knoxville, Tenn., native now has a Southeastern Conference-leading seven AA titles this season.
Softball
- For the second consecutive weekend, the No. 17 Kentucky softball team went undefeated in a weekend tournament, posting a 5-0 record in the 2013 Under Armour Invitational with wins against Illinois, USF, Loyola Marymount, Central Michigan and Western Michigan.
- This is the first time in school history UK has gone undefeated in consecutive tournaments.
- Senior Kara Dill led UK offensively over the weekend with a .353 (6-for-17) average, including six runs scored and her first triple of the season.
- In the circle, Lauren Cumbess paced UK with a 2-0 record and 0.58 ERA in 12 innings pitched, including 11 strikeouts. True freshman Kelsey Nunley went 3-0 on the weekend with a 1.94 ERA, throwing 21.2 innings, allowing six earned runs with 18 strikeouts.
Baseball
- The eighth-ranked Kentucky baseball team completed its first home week with five wins, including a series sweep over Akron during the weekend. UK picked up midweek wins over Murray State and Eastern Kentucky.
- UK has been led individually by junior infielder J.T. Riddle, who has hit .447 (21-for-47) with three doubles, one triple, one homer and 11 RBI, stealing three bases and reaching base at a .527 clip.
- On the mound, UK had a 2.57 ERA in 98 innings, walking only 27 and striking out 87, with opponents hitting .255, stealing only 3-of-7 bases and UKL picking off four runners.
- During the five-game week, UK got a jaw-dropping hitting performance from Reed, who drove in 15 RBI with three homers and a double during the week, batting .526 (10-for-19).
Men's tennis
- Kentucky opened the 2013 SEC season by collecting two wins over No. 49 Arkansas (5-2) on Friday and No. 39 LSU (4-0) on Sunday afternoon to move to 14-2 (2-0 SEC) on the season.
- Senior No. 21 Anthony Rossi upped his record to 14-1 on the season, picking up wins number 95 and 96 in his career. Rossi has now won nine consecutive straight-set matches and has also won 18 of the last 19 sets he has played.
- UK won the doubles point in both matches this weekend, as the Wildcats are now 11 for 13 this season in doubles competition.
Women's tennis
- The Kentucky women's tennis team went 1-1 in the opening weekend of Southeastern Conference play. - After falling 4-3 at Arkansas on Friday, Kentucky traveled to Baton Rouge, La., and defeated the No. 63 Tigers 4-3.
- Freshman Kirsten Lewis had a comeback win to clinch Kentucky's win over LSU, taking the No. 5 singles point 1-6, 7-5, 6-4.
- Senior Jessica Stiles, sophomore Stephanie Fox and freshman Nadia Ravita all recorded singles wins in straight sets vs. LSU.
Track and field
- Five Kentucky track and field athletes, four women and a man, are in position to qualify for this weekend's NCAA Indoor Championships as they own top-16 times.
- The Women's Distance Medley Relay Team of Cally Macumber, Morganne Phillips, Allison Peare and Chelsea Oswald broke the school record with a time of 11:00.33 on Friday.
- That time ranks No. 6 in the nation.
- Keith Hayes broke the school 60-meter hurdles record with a time of 7.73 on Saturday.
- That time ranks No. 9 n the nation.
Swimming and diving
- The Kentucky swimming team sent several swimmers to the Bulldog Last Chance Meet this past weekend in Athens, Ga., attempting to earn qualifying times for the 2013 NCAA Championships.
- Sophomore Christina Bechtel improved her time in the 100-butterfly with a 52.62, second best in program history in that event. The time likely will earn her a ticket to the NCAA Championships in Indianapolis, Ind., March 21-23.
- Junior Lucas Gerotto also improved his time in the 100-backstroke while breaking his own program record in the event, finishing with a 47.19 to increase the likelihood that he is asked back for his second consecutive NCAA appearance.
Upcoming schedule
Monday, March 4
Men's golf at USF Invitational (Tampa, Fla.)
Tuesday, March 5
Baseball hosts Cincinnati - 4:00 p.m.
Men's golf at USF Invitational (Tampa, Fla.)
Wednesday, March 6
Baseball hosts Xavier - 4:00 p.m.
Softball hosts Marshall - 5:00 p.m.
Thursday, March 7
Men's basketball at Georgia - 7:00 p.m.
Friday, March 8
Men's tennis at Baylor - 3:30 p.m.
Baseball hosts Michigan State - 4:00 p.m.
Women's tennis hosts Missouri - 4:00 p.m.
Softball hosts Ole Miss - 5:00 p.m.
Women's basketball vs. Missouri/Vanderbilt - 6:00 p.m. (Duluth, Ga.)
Gymnastics hosts Bowling Green - 7:00 p.m.
Rifle at NCAA Championships (Columbus, Ohio)
Track and field at NCAA Championships (Fayetteville, Ark.)
Saturday, March 9
Men's basketball hosts Florida - Noon
Softball hosts Ole Miss - 1:00 p.m.
Baseball hosts Michigan State - 2:00 p.m.
Women's basketball at SEC Tournament Semifinals - 6:00 p.m. (Duluth, Ga.)
Rifle at NCAA Championships (Columbus, Ohio)
Track and field at NCAA Championships (Fayetteville, Ark.)
Sunday, March 10
Women's tennis hosts Texas A&M - Noon
Softball hosts Ole Miss - 1:00 p.m.
Baseball hosts Michigan State - 1:00 p.m.
Men's tennis at Texas A&M - 1:00 p.m.
Gymnastics at Ball State - 1:00 p.m.
Women's basketball at SEC Tournament Finals - 6:00 p.m. (Duluth, Ga.)
John Calipari underwent a minor dental procedure over the weekend so assistant coach John Robic stepped in for him on Monday's Southeastern Conference Coaches Teleconference. Read what he and Georgia head coach Mark Fox had to say about Thursday's Kentucky-Georgia game, among other topics.
Robic
On the upcoming week ...
"We're coming up this week facing a Georgia team that's playing very, very well right now. (The Bulldogs are) doing a great job defensively holding teams to low percentages and low point totals for game. Really, really playing well together and really feeding of a good player in (Kentavious) Caldwell-Pope. I've been very impressed with how he's playing. He's definitely playing like an all-league player."
On what jumps out to him about Pope ...
"He is a big guard with great size. He's able to score in a variety of ways. I would label him as he has a pro's jump shot because he gets great lift when shooting the ball. It looks like it's going in every time he shoots it. He's able to post up smaller guards in their system with the way that they play. He's scoring 30 percent of their points, so he's a key figure in them. He has elevated his game from his freshman year to his sophomore year. You can tell he's really worked hard at it. They're playing the same way; it just seems like he's playing with a very high confidence level right now."
On where UK's confidence level is right now ...
"We're disappointed and the players are disappointed with how we played at Arkansas. I think every player in the country is disappointed when they don't perform well in a losing situation. We were off yesterday and we are going to get back at it today, this afternoon. We've got to right the ship because there is a lot to play for right now, and they know that. They'll be focused on that."
On how the NCAA selection committee should evaluate UK without Nerlens Noel ...
"I don't know how to answer that. We've been without Nerlens for five games now. We took some lumps there without him and then played well with him. I think there's still a lot of teams out there that are still being evaluated. You look back at the Arkansas game and there's only one team that's gone in there and won this year, and that was Syracuse. There have been a lot of good teams that have not won on the road. We have won four league games on the road. I think it will come down to the remaining games on our schedule. I know the committee takes a lot of things into factor when they make decisions."
On how hard it is going to be for the committee to sift through the SEC teams given how close some of their resumes are ...
"I guess you would probably have to ask a committee member that on exactly what they're looking for. There's a lot of teams out there that have more losses than we do at this point in time. I think finishing is always a big factor. We're going on the road for a game and then have a home game against Florida on Saturday with a quick turnaround, so there are still opportunities out there for our team."
On what he has road/home differences he has seen in his team without Nerlens Noel ...
"Obviously our fans have been really behind us for the Missouri game and even for the Mississippi State game. I think every team feels more comfortable playing at home. That's why, going through this whole process of the season even with Nerlens, that winning on the road's hard and when we came away from those wins I think a lot of times you take them for granted. I don't think there's a huge, huge difference. I think Arkansas played a really good game and attacked us very, very well and fed off their crowd. So I think it's a natural that most teams play better at home than on the road."
On using the NCAA Tournament as motivation ...
"You know what? We've never really even talked about it as far as that. We were concentrating on our league games. It's never once been mentioned that we have to do this or do that to have a chance to get there. Everything was in front of us. There's still a lot of things in front of us and that starts with the Georgia game on Thursday."
Georgia head coach Mark Fox
On this week's games ...
"It's a challenging week for our team obviously to play two very good basketball teams in Kentucky, who is obviously having a postseason kind of year, and Alabama who is doing the same over there in Tuscaloosa. A big challenge for our team this week and a quick turnaround with the Thursday-Saturday games, so we're going to work with the idea that it's a big week."
On what makes him say Kentucky is having a "postseason kind of year" ...
"First of all they're the defending national champions. I think John's done a terrific job in rebuilding a team after all that they lost and obviously they've had a terrible injury in the middle of the season. But Kentucky still has a very good basketball team, a team that's won 20 games, a team that's in second place in the league. There is a lot of pluses there that still exist and that's why I say that."
On Willie Cauley-Stein ...
"Willie is somebody who--He grew up in western Kansas, not far from where I did and we've got family friends that have known each other for a long time. I think he's more comfortable now late in the year than maybe he was early. He's long and powerful and getting more and more aggressive and that kid has a very bright future."
Robic
On the upcoming week ...
"We're coming up this week facing a Georgia team that's playing very, very well right now. (The Bulldogs are) doing a great job defensively holding teams to low percentages and low point totals for game. Really, really playing well together and really feeding of a good player in (Kentavious) Caldwell-Pope. I've been very impressed with how he's playing. He's definitely playing like an all-league player."
On what jumps out to him about Pope ...
"He is a big guard with great size. He's able to score in a variety of ways. I would label him as he has a pro's jump shot because he gets great lift when shooting the ball. It looks like it's going in every time he shoots it. He's able to post up smaller guards in their system with the way that they play. He's scoring 30 percent of their points, so he's a key figure in them. He has elevated his game from his freshman year to his sophomore year. You can tell he's really worked hard at it. They're playing the same way; it just seems like he's playing with a very high confidence level right now."
On where UK's confidence level is right now ...
"We're disappointed and the players are disappointed with how we played at Arkansas. I think every player in the country is disappointed when they don't perform well in a losing situation. We were off yesterday and we are going to get back at it today, this afternoon. We've got to right the ship because there is a lot to play for right now, and they know that. They'll be focused on that."
On how the NCAA selection committee should evaluate UK without Nerlens Noel ...
"I don't know how to answer that. We've been without Nerlens for five games now. We took some lumps there without him and then played well with him. I think there's still a lot of teams out there that are still being evaluated. You look back at the Arkansas game and there's only one team that's gone in there and won this year, and that was Syracuse. There have been a lot of good teams that have not won on the road. We have won four league games on the road. I think it will come down to the remaining games on our schedule. I know the committee takes a lot of things into factor when they make decisions."
On how hard it is going to be for the committee to sift through the SEC teams given how close some of their resumes are ...
"I guess you would probably have to ask a committee member that on exactly what they're looking for. There's a lot of teams out there that have more losses than we do at this point in time. I think finishing is always a big factor. We're going on the road for a game and then have a home game against Florida on Saturday with a quick turnaround, so there are still opportunities out there for our team."
On what he has road/home differences he has seen in his team without Nerlens Noel ...
"Obviously our fans have been really behind us for the Missouri game and even for the Mississippi State game. I think every team feels more comfortable playing at home. That's why, going through this whole process of the season even with Nerlens, that winning on the road's hard and when we came away from those wins I think a lot of times you take them for granted. I don't think there's a huge, huge difference. I think Arkansas played a really good game and attacked us very, very well and fed off their crowd. So I think it's a natural that most teams play better at home than on the road."
On using the NCAA Tournament as motivation ...
"You know what? We've never really even talked about it as far as that. We were concentrating on our league games. It's never once been mentioned that we have to do this or do that to have a chance to get there. Everything was in front of us. There's still a lot of things in front of us and that starts with the Georgia game on Thursday."
Georgia head coach Mark Fox
On this week's games ...
"It's a challenging week for our team obviously to play two very good basketball teams in Kentucky, who is obviously having a postseason kind of year, and Alabama who is doing the same over there in Tuscaloosa. A big challenge for our team this week and a quick turnaround with the Thursday-Saturday games, so we're going to work with the idea that it's a big week."
On what makes him say Kentucky is having a "postseason kind of year" ...
"First of all they're the defending national champions. I think John's done a terrific job in rebuilding a team after all that they lost and obviously they've had a terrible injury in the middle of the season. But Kentucky still has a very good basketball team, a team that's won 20 games, a team that's in second place in the league. There is a lot of pluses there that still exist and that's why I say that."
On Willie Cauley-Stein ...
"Willie is somebody who--He grew up in western Kansas, not far from where I did and we've got family friends that have known each other for a long time. I think he's more comfortable now late in the year than maybe he was early. He's long and powerful and getting more and more aggressive and that kid has a very bright future."
