Kentucky vs Arkansas: Some pre-game press conference notes

As you know Kentucky has been way less than stellar on the road this season, here is what coach John Calipari and some players had to say about the Arkansas road game:

(You can check out the whole thing here: http://www.ukathletics.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/022211aaa.html )

Kentucky Head Coach John Calipari

On what Arkansas will be feeling before the game facing a Kentucky team that is 1-5 on the road in conference play …

“They probably think they can beat us and I don’t think it’s going to lighten them up. It’s like, this is a chance to get them (Kentucky), and let’s take advantage of it. The building will be packed – is it shirt night down there? I’m telling you I’m getting into the t-shirt business, this is crazy. I got a great call from Coach (Eddie) Sutton. He said, ‘I’m going to be at the game, I don’t need tickets. I’m all good; I’m going to be there. So I’ll see him prior to the game. It’s going to be a war. Every game we have from here on in is a war. We either have to bow the necks and play or you get beat.”

On how big of an X-factor Arkansas junior guard Rotnei Clarke can be …

“It’s hard. It’s a tough thing because he’s shooting deep 3s. He could do to us what (Vanderbilt guard John) Jenkins did to us. He’s a quick trigger, he gets to the foul line; he’s really good. But their other guards are good. Their other guards all try to get in the lane and create havoc. Their big people are throwing lobs at the rim. They’re running good stuff. They’re playing really hard. I just watched their Georgia game. They had a chance to win that game, they should have won it. I watched the Alabama game. They should have won that game, had their chances to win that. This is a team that is a dangerous team.”

On if junior guard Darius Miller could be his X-factor …

“I don’t know. I think Terrence (Jones) and Brandon (Knight) are very critical with how we have to play. And then those other guys, you need someone whether it’s Doron (Lamb), or Darius (Miller), or DeAndre (Liggins). Josh (Harrellson) has been pretty steady. He’s like right there. I think those three, you’re hoping for two of the three to play well.”

On what has enabled Kentucky to play better the last two games …

“Playing at home.”

Is it as simple as that, or is there more to it?

“Well you saw that we were shaky against Mississippi State at the end and we weren’t against South Carolina. Some people said to me, ‘Why don’t you sub with six minutes to go?’ They (South Carolina) were pressing. Did you watch the Mississippi State game against our first team? So, that’s why I didn’t. And then the second thing is I’m trying to build up the team of guys who are playing. We’re still not quite where we need to be. Good group guys, they’re trying. They were good in practice yesterday. I expect the same today and we’ll go from there.”

On if their road woes have been a hurdle that has added pressure to the players …

“You know what I’ll probably talk to them about, is that we’ve got two more road games. After that everything’s neutral and our fans are everywhere. So let’s use these to get better. Let’s look beyond just wins and losses. Let’s start playing better. I thought Vandy, we played good on the road, I really did. I thought we played well until the last three minutes had a few turnovers and defensive breakdowns. But short of that, I thought we played with some energy, I thought we played confident in a tough environment.”

#1, Darius Miller, G, Jr.

On how prepared they are for Arkansas …

“We feel like we are prepared. We are going to do a really good job of preparation today to get ready for them even more. We feel good and ready to go. We feel comfortable, so hopefully we can come out, play the whole 40 minutes, and stay focused.”

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