Booker: Undefeated chatter won't bother Wildcats

By: LARRY VAUGHT

LOUISVILLE — Kentucky freshman guard Devin Booker knows that Saturday’s win over Louisville following earlier victories over Kansas, Texas, North Carolina and UCLA will only intensify the talk about UK possibly going undefeated this season.

“We can’t focus on that. Every time we go out on the court we try to win. I feel like that’s every team’s objective, so we’re just going to take it game by game,” said Booker. “We haven’t lost yet. Like I said, we’re taking it one game at time.

“We can't fall into all what we're hearing, all the outside stuff. We just need to focus on what's at hand, and that's win every time we go out on the floor."

Booker said the undefeated chatter will not bother the players.

"I don't think it gets in our head. Me personally it doesn't,” Booker said. “We just have to focus on our game and just play against ourselves instead of the opponent."

Booker said when No. 1 Kentucky starts Southeastern Conference play on Jan. 6 by hosting Mississippi he knows the Cats will have an even bigger target on their backs.

“We can't really worry about our opponents. I feel like if we play good, nobody can beat us. Or if we're at our best, no one can beat us. So it's really up to us. We just have to play our own game,” Booker said.

The freshman guard said the win over Louisville showed what the team could do even on the road.

“He (Coach John Calipari) told us it was gonna be hard. He told us about their defensive pressure. I mean, everyone watches Louisville, and they know how we play. So we just went out there and tried to take care of the ball, and that's what we did,” Booker, who did not have a turnover in 26 minutes, said.

Here’s more of what Booker had to say after Saturday’s win.

Question: What was playing in the game like?
Booker: "It was crazy. This is our first road game, and it happened to be Louisville. So it was really crazy, just to see more red than blue in a stadium. It was all different, and I guess we all adjusted to it. It was really big for us. First road game and top-five opponent, and they're a really good team. They brought the pressure and we brought the pressure, so it was a really good game for us."

Question: Did it surprise him that Calipari trusted four freshmen so much in the game?
Booker: “Not really a surprise. The preparation that he had for us before the game helped us out a lot. When we were playing against each other in practice, we all pressured each other, so it made us a lot better for this game."

Question: What about Tyler Ulis scoring 14 points to go with his floor leadership?
Booker: "He's just showing other people parts of his game. I know he can be a scorer. He can actually shoot really well. People don't know that. But it just shows that he's versatile. He can do a lot of everything. I know what Tyler can do. I always have known. We've been friends since the eighth grade. You guys have just seen a little. Every game, you're going to see a little bit more from him that you haven't seen before."

Question: What did it mean to win without much offensively from Andrew Harrison, Aaron Harrison and Willie Cauley-Stein?
Booker: "It just shows that our team is deep. We're all gonna have off games. I'll have an off game, Tyler will have an off game, and the twins will step up. I feel like people have their off days, and that's why we have a deep enough team that we can put other people in to play."

Question: Was the Louisville game the punch in the face that Calipari wanted for the Cats?
Booker: :He was like, 'They're gonna come out and punch us, and we have to fight back.' He said we want to be the aggressor, not them be the aggressor. I feel like we did that and it helped us out a lot."