Is this the new normal for Kentucky basketball? Because it certainly feels like the staff is sending a message: We are done being the nice guys.
Just a few days after Kentucky picked up four technical fouls in a street fight against Arkansas, the physicality spilled over again last night. Speaking after that war in Fayetteville, Mark Pope made headlines when he refused to apologize for the chipiness.
“It felt like, man, these guys are here to fight," Pope said Saturday. "So yes, we can clean up a little bit, but I wouldn't trade the heart of it for anything.”
Tonight against Oklahoma, the "heart of it" showed up again, and once again, the staff doubled down.
"I applaud it"
After Brandon Garrison’s dominant 20-point performance, the big man was assessed a technical foul in the final seconds after dunking the ball when Kentucky could run the clock out. He and Xzayvier Brown were trash-talking, and both got T'd up. Usually, that earns a player a lecture about sportsmanship.
But when assistant coach Jason Hart was asked what the staff says to rein a player in during that moment, or back off the physicality, he let everyone know he was fine with it.
"Nothing. Keep doing that. We need that," Hart said.
Hart, a former NBA point guard who wasn't afraid to mix it up himself, explained that Kentucky faces the opponent's "Super Bowl" effort every single night. Because of that, they can't afford to back down.
"A lot of times, us wearing 'Kentucky,' it’s always the other team’s biggest game," Hart explained. "So we need him to go back to being who he is, getting physical with players."
Hart admitted there is a fine line between physical and dirty, but he made it clear where the staff stands on Garrison’s edge.
"We feed off that, especially as coaches," Hart said. "We don't encourage him to do anything dirty, but we need his physical play, and we need him to be that. And I applaud it."
Kentucky must play with a physical edge
So if you are waiting for Kentucky to tame Brandon Garrison, or this team, don't hold your breath.
The staff doesn't just tolerate the edge. They are now ordering it.