Kentucky sports and beyond.
Talking to the media today before practice today, UK freshman Anthony Davis stopped just short of claiming he didn’t even know Louisville played basketball. He, like teammate Doron Lamb, said he had not watched Louisville on television this year. When asked of his impressions of Rick Pitino, he claimed to not have watched him coach. He also said he had never watched a UK-U of L game.
The television ratings for Louisville basketball games is not too high, especially at Wildcat Lodge, apparently. Both Doron Lamb and Anthony Davis claimed they have not watched the Cards on television tonight. Here’s Lamb talking to the media before today’s practice.
In his regular weekend picks post, CBS and Sports Illustrated’s Seth Davis picks Kentucky to beat Louisville 80-69.
An excerpt:
This game is worth watching if only for the pre- and postgame coaches’ handshakes. It’s always fun when a couple of millionaires have to pretend that they like each other. Once the action begins, though, the game will be decided by two questions. The first is how well UK freshman point guard Marquis Teague will handle one of the best pressure defenses in the country.
Related links:
The entire 12:08 video of John Calipari’s press conference with media today at the Joe Craft Center.
A five-spot from Kentucky basketball media opp today.
- Yes, John Calipari was available to the media today. The word out of Louisville is that Rick Pitino’s last media availability was after the Cards’ loss to Georgetown on Wednesday. He took UK questions then. During Cal’s presser there were questions about the relationship between the two coaches. Cal said they do not send Christmas cards, but that the two are cordial. When asked if they were too much alike to get along, Calipari said, “We’ve both taken three teams to the Final Four. We both got fired in the NBA. We’re Italians with big noses.”
- There was a media altercation during the players’ interview portion of the media opp. Unlike the modus operandi of some other sites, I’m not going to comment on what I didn’t see, but Calipari heard about it and was laughing about it when he started his interview session. “Only in Kentucky,” said the coach.
- Both Anthony Davis and Doron Lamb claimed that they had not even seen Louisville play on television this season. Davis, Lamb and Darius Miller, who admitted he has watched the Cards on the tube, said the coaches had not yet shown them video on Saturday’s opponent. That’s consistent with the way Calipari prepares his team. He’s more about his own team than the opponent, where Pitino preaches preparation. Rick wants to know everything the other team is doing.
- Being strong with the basketball was an overriding theme, especially among the players. They know Louisville is going to use a full-court press. They’ve heard their coach talk about team’s grabbing and slapping at the basketball. And this Kentucky team has had trouble with turnovers this season. No one said it, but this has to be a big game for Marquis Teague. He was recruited very hard by Louisville, but signed with Kentucky. There’s no doubt the Cards will go hard at him with on-the-ball pressure.
- Cal talked up Louisville point guard Peyton Siva, saying he is one of the best guards in the country. He said he liked the way Siva gets into the lane and that he will be a key in the game.
In preparation of the Saturday showdown with Lousiville, Kentucky will hold a media opportunity this morning at 11:30. Players are first. Head coach John Calipari will start his sparring with the media at 11:45. Matthew Mitchell closes down the house at noon.
If all goes well, I’ll have notes, video, etc. after that.
You can also follow me on twitter.
Also, I’m subbing for the vacationing Larry Glover tonight from 6-8 on WVLK-590. We’ll have Jeff Drummond to talk UK and recruting, and Chip Cosby to talk Louisville and his new television gig. Your calls are not only welcome but encouraged.
Update: We will also have Mike Fields early in the show to talk about tonight’s Lexington Catholic-Trinity final of the Republic Bank Holiday Classic.
(H-L photo/Mark Cornelison)
Big Blue Links for Friday:
(AP photo)
SEC links for Friday:
Through 13 games, Kentucky freshman point guard Marquis Teague has 58 assists, compared to 41 turnovers. After a bad start in that department, the Indianapolis native had appeared to turn it around with a string of excellent games taking care of the basketball. But he has slipped back the other way of late.
John Calipari has taken notice, saying after the game: “He didn’t do a good job running the team. He was trying to score when the guys were wide open, and I told him that. . . . There was a lot of that today, you know, where we didn’t have if we walked out of a time out, we broke off a play and I called an immediate time out, ‘You’re out. You just left a time out. Why would you not do what I asked you to do?’ ‘Because I didn’t want to.’ ‘Good, now you’re out. Sit down.’ I mean, that stuff we have got to cure for us to be the kind of team that this team needs to be.”
Some decent pre-New Year’s college basketball fare on the tube tonight. Billy Donovan and Florida plays Rutgers at 7 p.m. on ESPN2. But the best game could be Vanderbilt at Marquette on ESPN2 at 9 p.m. The Commodores are trying to rebound from a stumbling start that has taken Kevin Stallings’ club completely out of the top 25. After missing the last two game with a re-aggravation of his previous knee injury, Festus Ezeli hopes to be back in the Vanderbilt lineup tonight.
