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Round 3: Kentucky “Hungry” and Tennessee Motivated

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6 years ago

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It’s SEC tournament time (aka The Kentucky Invitational) and Saturday will feature one of the most anticipated games in SEC tournament history as No.4 Kentucky and No. 8 Tennessee face off for a third time this season to settle the series.

Neither of the two previous match-ups have been particularly close as the Cats beat Tennessee by 17 at Rupp, and lost to the Vols by 19 in Knoxville. However, with a potential one seed in Louisville on the line, Saturdays game has much more at stake.

After a 73-55 thumping of Alabama, the Cats would not give away their hopes of plau= However, there were two Cats did have something to say, Reid Travis and Keldon Johnson.

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Reid was out with a sprained right knee when the Cats played down in Knoxville and could do nothing but watch as the Vols dominated. This time around Reid is healthy and will be motivated and “excited” to for one final matchup.

“Yeah, it’d be nice. I mean, we’re excited to play whoever tomorrow. It’s going to be a semifinal game for us and it’s one more step. If it’s against them, we’ll be excited to play them and get that matchup again. If not, we’re still excited for it.”

Keldon Johnson didn’t give as much away but promised the Cats will be “ready” and “hungry”.

“Regardless of who we get, Tennessee or Mississippi State, we hungry. We’re ready to go regardless if it’s Tennessee or Mississippi State. We’re just going to come out and do what we do. We’re going to be locked in and ready to go.”

When Tennessee finally pulled away and beat Mississippi State 83-76, it was set in stone that there would be a final rubber match between the Cats and Vols.

According to Grant Williams, there was no doubt that would happen, telling reporters, “I didn’t think it, I knew it. At least one more, we’re both great teams”.

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Despite playing for a potential one seed, the Vols seem to be playing for more, respect. Admiral Schofield believes that the Wildcats did not respect them despite entering the first matchup on Feb. 16 as the No. 1 team in the AP poll. When asked about the SEC semi-final matchup, Schofield had this to say.

“We just like to go out and compete. We like to be respected by being competitors. Sometimes we play certain teams and we can sense we’re not respected. I think all of us can say confidently that we didn’t feel that way. That’s why we came out and played the way we did in Knoxville because we didn’t feel that we were respected in Kentucky. And credit to them, why would you respect us? They played us hard. They pushed us around, threw us around. We didn’t fight back. Like I said, we’re on neutral ground. New site, new game. It’s 1-1. Both teams are competing for a championship, so everyone is going to go out and play hard.”

SEC Player of the Year agreed with Schofield, saying:

“They didn’t (have respect). I don’t know if they do, honestly. Just by how they acted the first game. You could tell that they were kinda confident and understand that these dudes maybe have all this hype but they’re not that good. That’s the mindset I think they had, they were even saying in on the court. Honestly, we’ve just gotta come out there and compete. Can’t get wrapped up in stuff like that because when you do it takes away from the game you love.”

I can’t respect anyone that wears that “throw up” orange and those hideous warm-ups. Both teams seem to be ready to go from the jump and one thing is for sure, today is going to be an absolute war.

With a win, Kentucky would go to their 9th SEC final in 10 years and the opportunity to win the SEC Tournament for a fifth straight time. Let’s have a fun night in Rupp Arena South!

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In honor of hating Tennessee, here ya go.

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Men's Basketball

Kentucky Basketball Players Say They Think About Winning National Championship “Every Second”

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3 days ago

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November 18, 2024

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Kentucky basketball players celebrate after their big over Duke.
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The expectations at Kentucky are the highest of any school in the country, and there is good reason why. The winningest college program ever. Eight national titles, under five different coaches. Seventeen Final Four appearances. You get it, a lot of success.

Fans want the players to have those same expectations. Despite not having the elite talent or preseason hype of great Kentucky teams past, this year’s team still has their eyes set on doing something “people will remember forever”, winning a national championship.

Asked on social media, if hanging banner #9 was all the players thought about “every second”, Ansley Almonor had a response.

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“We do.”

It takes a lot to win a national championship, including some luck, but this team is certainly going to be loved for their desire to live out their dream of playing at Kentucky and their unselfishness. Those two things can take them a long way this season .

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Kentucky AD Mitch Barnhart Seemingly Takes Shot at John Calipari, “Anybody Can Recruit”

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5 days ago

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November 16, 2024

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Mitch Barnhart sitting next to basketball coach John Calipari.
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John Calipari and Kentucky Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart had their differences over fifteen years, but success can hide a lot of things. Not that they hated each other, but they each had vastly different personalities. As that success weaned towards the end of Calipari’s tenure, those issues started to be noticed publically.

If you need evidence of that, despite their efforts to dispute it, there is the infamous press conference where Barnhart talked about “entitled” coaches, shortly after Calipari publicly called for a new practice facility. Then, there were multiple times when Calipari expressed that the administration was not on the same page and that he was facing “headwinds”.

That said, Calipari is now at Arkansas, but those differences and some disdain remain. During an interview on the Kentucky Football pregame show, Barnhart seemingly took a shot at Calipari when asked about Mark Pope’s recruiting philosophy and prioritizing fit.

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“I tell people all the time, ‘Anybody can recruit, not everybody can evaluate,’” Barnhart said. “You can recruit. You can be phenomenal at bringing people to your program. But if it does not fit you, it’s really not helpful.”

Of course, Calipari is one of the best, if not the best, recruiters in college basketball history. At times, he prioritized talent and athleticism over fit.

Quite the coincidence.

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ESPN’s Jay Williams Gives Message to Kentucky Fans, “You’re Not Going to Like It…”

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6 days ago

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November 15, 2024

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ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Williams gives a message to Kentucky fans after the Wildcats win over Duke. "You won't like it."
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Back in April, opposing fanbases like Duke, told Kentucky fans to “cope with Pope” following the hire of Mark Pope and the corresponding initial shock. On Tuesday, those same fanbases had to watch as Mark Pope outcoached Jon Scheyer and Duke in the final minutes of the Champion’s Classic to get his first marque win in just his third game at Kentucky.

Of course, shortly after the game, Duke fans began to rationalize the loss by highlighting their team’s youth. While true, it sounded like an echo chamber of what Kentucky fans said for years under John Calipari. One notable example was former Blue Devil Jay Williams.

At halftime, while Duke was leading 46-37, Williams called this year’s Duke team the most talented since the 2001 team that he was a part of at halftime. To his credit, he complimented Kentucky on the comeback victory, specifically on their offense and maturity, but then 36 hours later he posted a message to Kentucky fans on social media.

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“Let me put you on to something,” Williams started. “Whether you like it or not, networks are going to sell Cooper Flagg. He’s going to be the number one pick in the draft. You’re going to talk about whether he won the or whether he lost the game, regardless of the outcome.”

“You’re not going to like it. There should be more kudos to Mark Pope and Kentucky,” Williams continued. “Regardless of whether you won the game or not, they’re still going to sell Cooper Flagg because he is selling the sport. Sorry.”

William’s statement is true. That said, it comes off as ‘sour grapes’ about losing. Cooper Flagg is a great talent and will likely be the first pick in the NBA Draft, but most Kentucky fans would say they would much rather have the win than the marketing.

Futhermore, Kentucky and its ‘brand’ has raised the level of multiple players and coaches, and will continue to do so. A deeper impact than Cooper Flagg will have on Duke in just one season.

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