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INDIANAPOLIS — Kentucky sophomore Willie Cauley-Stein, a Kansas native, knows the importance of Friday night’s game against Louisville in the Midwest Region semifinals. However, he’s just not sure out-of-state players have the same mentality about the game as fans.
Here’s what Cauley-Stein had to say Thursday about the rivalry and more as the teams get set to determine who will meet the Michigan-Tennessee winner on Sunday for a Final Four berth.
Question: How do you approach the Kentucky-Louisville rivalry?
Cauley-Stein: “To us as players, it’s not really ... unless you come from Kentucky you really don’t understand the rivalry. New guys coming in it is just really about the game. Honestly, it you are not from here, you really don’t understand the whole thing about Louisville and Kentucky. If you was to go into public and ask what’s the rivalry between Louisville and Kentucky, they would have stories for days on it. Honestly, it would be exciting to see how many different people would go crazy. To get a perspective from a Louisville fan and then a Kentucky fan is just hilarious. Basically, they say the same thing, just opposite sides of the spectrum.
“I think of it as a K-State (Kansas State)-KU (Kansas) rivalry. It is the same thing. The fans are the same, just different teams. It just doesn’t mean much if you are not from Kentucky and you don’t understand it. It’s that simple. I have been here two years and I still don’t understand the rivalry. It’s just fun to ask a Kentucky fan about the rivalry and then a UofL fan about the rivalry and they say the same type of trash talk about each other.
“It’s the same thing, just from a different side. It’s funny because it is so similar. They are more alike than what they think. That’s why it is funny. You all are really saying the same things on a different side of it. “
Question: What will the matchups be like inside for this game?
Cauley-Stein: “I don’t know. I really haven’t thought about it. I think today we will go over personnel. Right now I have not thought about it.”
Question: How much better is Louisville forward Montrezl Harrell than the first time you played Louisville?
Cauley-Stein: “Honestly, I don’t know. From the sound of it, I haven’t seen game film or watched him play, but it sounds like he is doing extremely well and a lot better than the first time we played them. Which is good ... good for him.”
Question: What do you remember from first game that you hope continues in this game?
Cauley-Stein: “I don’t even really remember the first game. The only thing I can take is that we fought for the whole 40 minutes of the game. That’s what we have to do tomorrow. Just play like we did against Wichita (State). I didn’t even realize how close we were to winning or losing until the buzzer went off.”
Question: How does Kentucky take advantage of its front-court depth?
Cauley-Stein: “I don’t know. I honestly don’t know how to answer. I have no clue.”
Question: How does UK guard against a letdown after knocking off Wichita State?
Cauley-Stein: “I said before that game that I didn’t feel like we were an underdog during that game or going into that game. That is the same here. I don’t feel like we are an underdog at all. We still have got to play the game like we have something to prove like we do every game no matter who we play. I mean, if you lose, you are going to get murdered in the media and if you win you are going to get murdered in the media. It’s a lose-lose for you, so you have to stay together and stay in the moment and take care of what you can control.”
Question: How much better do you think Kentucky is than when the teams met the first time on Dec. 28?
Cauley-Stein: “We are just a different team. Same with their team, too. It is kind of going to be a fresh game for both. You can’t go off the last game. You can only go off how they have been playing and how we have been playing. That’s the only thing you can go off of. Just wait until the ball gets thrown up and you can go off whatever.”
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