If you looked at the SEC standings and penciled in tonight's game against Oklahoma as an "easy win," the Kentucky locker room has a message for you: Stop it.
Coming off the emotional high of upsetting Arkansas, the potential for a letdown is real. But speaking to the media yesterday, Collin Chandler and Trent Noah made it clear that this team isn't taking the bait. They know that in this league, a team's record can be a liar.
Oklahoma has a false record
Oklahoma might be struggling in the win column, but Chandler warned that the tape tells a different story.
"Their record isn't a very great indication of how good of a team they are," Chandler said. "I don't know how many games have been like one-score games... so there's no underestimation. We got to come out ready to fight again like we did against Arkansas."
Trent Noah doubled down on that assessment, calling the Sooners "super dangerous" despite their SEC struggles.
"They've lost their SEC record... might not be the most appealing, but they've lost so many close games," Noah explained. "They're taking teams down the wire... They're hot, and they can fill it up. So, we got to be ready for them."
Kentucky basketball has a new confidence in the clutch
Earlier in the season, a close game against a desperate team might have spelled doom for Kentucky. But Chandler believes this group has turned a corner.
"I feel like there's a great confidence that we can win games," Chandler said. "We've been finding ways to win games... I think confidence comes with experience and comes with doing things... we didn't prove that we could find a lead and keep a lead early in the season."
Now? They have the proof. And that experience is vital for a game that Noah predicts could go "down the wire."
The Otega factor
Of course, you can't talk about Oklahoma without talking about Otega Oweh. Tonight marks Round 3 of Oweh vs. his former school, and Noah is expecting fireworks. When asked if he was excited to see the "menace" come out of his teammate, Noah didn't hesitate.
"Yeah, I am. If Round 3 is like Round 1 or 2, it should be exciting," Noah said. "He just hungers to win. He wants to win every single game... You're never out whenever you have 'O' on your team."
The message from the players is simple: The Arkansas win was fun, but it's over. "We can't lose the edge, lose the fight that we came in with against Arkansas," Chandler said.
If the Cats bring that same fight tonight, the "trap game" talk will disappear by halftime.