Having trouble getting registered or subscribing? Email us at info@kysportsreport.com or Private Message CitizenBBN and we'll get you set up!

  • Lyles proves tough match for Gators

    By LARRY VAUGHT

    LEXINGTON — Florida coach Billy Donovan knew how much better Kentucky would be with Trey Lyles after his team lost to the Wildcats earlier this year when Lyles was out with an illness.

    That’s why Saturday the Gators felt they needed to play “small” to try and neutralize Lyles, who had 14 points and six rebounds in No. 1 UK’s 67-50 win.

    “I just wanted to make him guard one of our guards, and have to run around at 6-foot-10 and do some of that. We felt like we could double-team in the post. Most of his points were really on jump shots. He had one low-post move there at the end of the game where he scored on a jump hook. But most of his stuff was all jump shots,” said Donovan.

    “A lot of that was us trying to provide some help in on the post on (Karl-Anthony) Towns and (Willie) Cauley-Stein. So he made a lot of tough 2-point shots. He’s really, really a good player. The game in Gainesville was very, very close. I thought, at least from a matchup standpoint against our team, him being out really, really helped us because they had to play with three traditional perimeter guards, which we probably matched up a little bit better with.”

    Kentucky coach John Calipari said two weeks ago after Lyles returned to action that he could be the “X factor” for UK.

    ‘You’re starting to see how good he is. Trey Lyles is as good as anybody in the country,” Calipari said Saturday.

    Lyles knew not to think too much about what Calipari said.

    “It’s just something saying I’ve gotta go out there and perform, gotta go out there and play as hard as I can, play to the best of my ability,” Lyles said.

    Here’s more of what Lyles had to say after UK ran its record to 31-0 going into the start of Southeastern Conference Tournament play Friday in Nashville against the Alabama-Florida winner.

    Question: What is the value of this accomplishment knowing the team still has things to do?
    Lyles: “We take pride it in, but our journey’s not done. We still have a lot of work to do. We only have two guaranteed games left in our season, so we have to go out there and make sure we play hard and go to work. We definitely appreciate it, but like I said earlier, we’re not done yet. We still have basketball left to play.”

    Question: What about Calipari saying the team has been so successful because it shared?
    Lyles: “It shows how great the guys on this team are, how much we care for one another and how much we want to win. We share the ball. A lot of teams, if they had these players, you wouldn’t be able to say if they shared the ball or not. But we have a lot of great guys on the team that share with one another and that’s what makes us great.”

    Question: When did he first get the feeling that this team could be something special?
    Lyles: “In the summer watching guys play open gym and conditioning and early on in practice and stuff. We all knew that we could do something historical.”

    Question: What is it like playing with so much size on one team?
    Lyles: “You’re able to lay back a little bit, sometimes, and the guards can rely on us to rebound and block shots and stuff like that.”

    Question: Did they feel pressure to get the undefeated record?
    Lyles: “We didn’t talk about. It’s just another tabloid that’s out there. We just gotta make sure that we go out there and if it’s our day to win then we’re gonna win, but any day a team could have a hot day and beat us. So we just gotta go out there and make sure we control what we can control.”

    Question: Why didn’t they feel the pressure?
    Lyles: “I think ‘cause everybody tries to have fun with everything that we do. We don’t talk about it as a team. We just talk about going out there and playing hard, playing for each other. We really don’t feed into the stuff. We know what’s going on, but like Coach says, it’s just clutter.”

    Question: How difficult is it to be 31-0?
    Lyles: “It’s been difficult. There’s been ups and downs with the teams. We’ve gone through stretches where we can’t score and the other team’s scoring, but we always stay together as a team and we have each other’s backs. So we’re just thankful for each other.”

    Question: What about the emotions at the end of the game?
    Lyles: “We’re just happy, joyful. Seniors got in and we were happy for them. We’re glad we came out and played together, played as a team and got the win.”

    Question: Can they appreciate what they just did or are they too focused on winning a national championship?
    Lyles: “Personally, I can’t talk for the other guys, but I’m looking at it ... I’m just thankful to be a part of it every day. For us to be 31-0 now is just a blessing. We just gotta continue on. The next games coming up, hopefully we can win those ones and keep it moving.”