Kentucky Wildcats vs Louisville Cardinals Pre-Game Quotes

Before the Kentucky Wildcats take on the Louisville Cardinals today at 2pm on ESPN2, check out these quotes from John Calipari, Willie Cauley-Stein, Andrew Harrison, and Marcus Lee during the media opportunity from yesterday. If they don’t get you pumped up, then I don’t know what will.

University of Kentucky Wildcats

Pre-Louisville Game

Media Opportunity

Dec. 26, 2014

Head Coach John Calipari

On what the team worked on since returning from a break after the UCLA game …

“The physicality of the play, you have to be prepared for. To play through bumps and all those kinds of things. To rebound in traffic with bodies on you, nudging you, to be strong with the ball, get open even if there are bodies on you, you’ve got to get open anyway. All those things. It’s like any team we play. Teams are going to come after us. They’re going to be physical. Teams don’t surrender. They’re going to do what they have to do. It’s no different. This is an outstanding team. For me it’s one of those games you know you’d better be prepared walking in. Rick (Pitino) is going to have his team ready no question and you’ve got to have your team ready.”

On preparing players for their first trip to the KFC Yum! Center …

“I’m more worried about my team. And I keep saying this is a great game for us. It’s the next game for us, but it’s a great game because of how they play, how they’re coached, that they’ve got terrific talent. Don’t ever take that away from those kids. They are talented. And so we’re walking into that kind of environment, we need it. We need somebody to punch us in the face. Now let’s see if we can still have fun. We enjoy this. If we’re a world-class team you enjoy this even when they’re coming after you, you enjoy it. And so it’s going to be a tough game for us. We know that. Like I said for me, I hope I just made this the next game for my team. They’ll probably tell you otherwise, but I just try to focus on the next game and do the same kind of preparation even though I know you’ve got to be on your toes as a coach as well as a team.”

On Louisville being similar to Texas in physicality …

“It’s very similar only Texas doesn’t do it in the full-court. They’re not going to pick you up. You’re not going to have body to body in the back court. You will in this game.”

On E.J. Floreal and Dominique Hawkins helping to simulate opponents’ physicality in practice …

“They do – two good strong athletes who get up on you and body you. But it’s not just that. Look, they will offensive rebound with any team in the country. They’ll shoot balls that just go. Defensively it’s obvious, they’re as good as anybody in the country. They’re as good as we are defensively. And we’re walking into their court. We haven’t played a road game. We’re up against it. Chips are going on the other side. How you do? Let’s see what we are. Let’s see what we’re about. I keep telling them I’m anxious just to see how you respond.”

On having experience in the starting lineup compared with last season …

“Not really, we’re still growing as a team. The good news is if one group is not (playing well), then you try another group. It’s a little different than just hanging on like, ‘Oh my gosh what are we going to do?’ It’s like okay if you don’t have it you guys go.”

On if there was a specific moment in any of his games against Louisville that sticks out …

“Not really. Look, it’s the next game for us. We’re not even in the same league. Now, if we win, then it will be a huge game. We try to make this the next game on the schedule. I’m not making this bigger than it is because it’s not our season. We took a Christmas break, got our minds off basketball, came back, and started working. We didn’t have two weeks to work on what we’re doing and this, ‘Let’s go. Let’s play the game. Let’s see where we are.’ It’s winning or learning at this stage. There’s no winning and losing. Winning and learning. I know our fans will be happy to hear me say that, but that’s how I think. They should probably start, at this point in going on in my sixth year, to know that I think different.”

On facing the possible comments of going undefeated if they beat Louisville …

“When you have two groups, it’s just different. When you’re trying to play against yourselves, you don’t worry about anybody else. We know how good teams are. We’re not the only good basketball team out there and sometimes you forget. We’re not the only team with good players. There are a bunch of other teams, including Louisville, who have terrific players. Let’s focus on us. That’s how I’ve always coached. I don’t know if you (the media) asked (our players) how much time we have watched video of Louisville to this point. I showed a little bit of (it to) Dakari (Johnson) today – this morning. I’m worried about us. We know how good they are and we know they’re going to come after us. It should be a terrific ball game.”

On being 6-1 against Rick Pitino while at UK …

“I don’t think he’s worried about it. All he wants to do is win this one. I think we’re all the same. I don’t go against a coach and say, ‘How many times has he beaten me?’ I’ve been beaten plenty of times and have had some shellackings in there where you have to walk off the court and really not watch the tape. I’ve done that many times in my career. I don’t think he’s worried about it and I’m certainly not worried about it.”

On if he’s had any rival coaches who have a great record against him that have frustrated him …

“No. I’ve been doing this 20-some years. Doing it what – 750 times, not including the NBA? I’ve coached 800 games. No.  I can’t remember. I can’t remember my player’s names. I call them by number, let alone a game ten years ago.”

On appreciating rivalries and tradition …

“Maybe look back at UMass and Temple. That thing was crazy. The teams I’ve coached, every game is someone’s Super Bowl. When we were at UMass, I told the story. I remember watching Maryland and somebody and their students said, ‘We want UMass.’ I turned the TV up. What? Maryland wants UMass? I called my staff and said, ‘Are you watching this?’ The same thing happened at Memphis. They’re chanting at the end of games, ‘We want Memphis.’ They’re waiting for us and the same goes for here. They’re all rivalry games to me. It’s another game. We try not to take any team lightly. Columbia. You’re down 11-0 like that. It could’ve been 15-0. You have to take each game as they come.”

On if there are any other areas he’s looking for improvement …

“Well, part of our execution offensively – hard cuts, getting him (the point guards) the ball early, sprinting the floor so we can get some easy baskets. Last game we did, but we had worked on it a week. Defensive rebounding is our biggest issue. Guard rebounding. I mean, those are major concerns because now a team can shoot 30 percent and still beat you. Just shoot it and go rebound. That’s a concern of mine. If our guards start rebounding—we should; we’re big. We just don’t. We don’t get in there and mix it up. And we’ve done stuff here the last 10 days to try to cure it, but it’s just going to be one of those things. We’re not a team that comes out and tries to rip your arms off. That’s just not how we play. So hopefully when the other team comes at us we’ll be ready to battle back because we’ve done things in practice to play that way.”

On who worries him the most on this Louisville team …

“All of them. (Wayne) Blackshear, (Terry) Rozier. All of them. Listen, all of them are able to get 30 points. (Montrezl) Harrell, come on. Their big guys, they’ll block shots, they’ve got great size. There’s not a guy out there that I don’t think like, ‘Well, he can’t play.’ They all can play. And they all can get 30. And they probably are all going to try to get 30. (It’s) Just how it is in this game. Somebody can say, ‘Well, Columbia shoots 21 percent from the 3-point line.’ Really? They made their first four 3s against us. How about that? Now they’re 100 percent. And that’s what happens to us. I don’t care how they played before, who they played. I mean, like I said, Buffalo had us down. Boston U. could have beaten us. I don’t know if they have won a game, but they had us beat with six minutes. They had a chance to win. So this stuff is—this game is a different kind of game. On their court. Hard game for us. But we’re excited to find out where we are right after Christmas. Where does our team stand at this point?”

On letting the team go away for Christmas …

“We always do. I always do it. I’m trying to think back, did I start it because of me or because I was really concerned about the players? Probably myself and my family, and then we just got into the habit of always doing it. We went to the Rainbow Classic late so our guys could spend three days before we left with their families, and the tournament out there was going nuts. We showed up the day before the game and played the next day. ‘You can’t.’ We did. We won the thing too, by the way.”

On what strategic value there is in not showing his players much film …

“We don’t do it with anybody. I want them concerned (about us) right now. I’ll give them what they need. When we show them the tape, we’ll say, ‘You know those drills we were doing? You know how we were doing this, this and this? That’s what you’re guarding now.’ Now they see it. I need them focused on us. If we’re at our best and we can’t win, then we move on. It’s fine. I mean, this thing is not—in March it’s a little different. It’s not fine. You better think of something else or try something else, but right now it’s like, OK, let’s be at our best and see what that does.”

*PLAYER QUOTES ON NEXT PAGE*