Stallings impressed with Kentucky offense

By: LARRY VAUGHT



Veteran Southeastern Conference coach Kevin Stallings of Vanderbilt knows what his team will be facing at No. 1 Kentucky Tuesday night.

“Their defense is perhaps as good as I have ever seen,” said Stallings Monday on the SEC coaches teleconference. “I think if you allow your mojo to be defined by one game, particularly against Kentucky, you are missing the boat a little it.

“They are different than just about every other team you play. Their defense is truly amazing. Hopefully it doesn’t happen where our confidence gets dinger more than it already has.”

While most of the buzz about Kentucky centers on defense, Stallings is just as impressed with the UK offense.

“They have shot makers and I just think they are a complete team. That is what makes them better than everyone else,” Stallings said. “They are complete. They are really good shooting, they are really good rebounding, they are really good defending. They are great at the rim both offensively and defensively.

“They take care of the ball. They share it. There is just nothing that they are not doing well. You can sit back and hope they miss shots, but numbers suggest they are not going to. They have got guys who made shots to win NCAA championships. It’s not like they are nervous about taking shots. Those two freshmen (Devin Booker and Tyler  Ulis) obviously have shot well. To me, shooting is a strength of Kentucky. It’s certainly not a weakness.”