Kentucky coach John Calipari just met with the media before today’s practice. Subject: Saturday’s game with North Carolina. Mood: Kentucky better be ready because North Carolina is going to bring it. Five points:
- 1. Calipari talks like he doesn’t think his fuzz-faced team understands the magnitude of the talent level it will face on Saturday. He said he told his team he wanted them to practice like a 4-3 team. Have they done that? Calipari said they’ve tried, but he insisted that he doesn’t think his guys are ready for what’s going to happen against the Heels.
- 2. We also got John Wall before practice. Wall will be facing his home-state school on Saturday, the school that did not offer him scholarship, for various reasons. Wall admitted he will probably be a little more juiced come gametime. But he said it had more to do with the opponent being a team he followed growing up, rather than what happened in recruiting. DeMarcus Cousins wasn’t buying it. The fellow freshman again said he thought there might be some bad blood there. He said he expects Wall to take it “to another level” on Saturday.
- 3. Calipari correctly pointed out that while the Heels have a heralded freshmen class, it’s the veterans that start and get the most minutes. Ed Davis. Deon Thompson. Sure, UNC lost four starters. But the players starting now played roles last year, as well. Plus, said Calipari, his team sat down together and watched North Carolina knock off Michigan State on Tuesday night. That, said the Kentucky coach, changed some attitudes.
- 4. Cal was asked about the Wall-North Carolina recruitment, but sidestepped by acting as if the question was about Wall coming to Kentucky. He said that others wanted Wall to go to Duke, but that the guard did what he wanted to do, which was play in this offense for this coach. Same for Eric Bledsoe. Cal said that some in Alabama even went public with comments that Bledsoe should not come to Kentucky. But Bledsoe did anyway.
- 5. Calipari kept saying, “This is going to be a hard game for us to win.” Poor-mouthing? I don’t think so. North Carolina does have some veteran players in starting roles. The Heels have length inside. They aren’t going to be intimidated at Rupp. (Cal pointed that out himself.) And in playing Syracuse and Michigan State already, North Carolina has faced a bit better competition thus far.
