Alford: Kentucky is a confident group

By LARRY VAUGHT

LOUISVILLE — Steve Alford knows why so many are questioning whether UCLA belonged in the NCAA Tournament field.

“I think the problem is everybody saw us play Kentucky, and that was in December, where we scored seen points in the (first) half (of an 83-44 loss),” said Alford.

The Bruins play SMU here tonight in the NCAA Tournament South Region. Later Thursday night No. 1 Kentucky will play Hampton in the Midwest Region.

UCLA won 12 of its last 18 games to earn a No. 11 seed in the tourney, but Alford admits getting over the UK loss was not easy.

“I'm sure there was some hangover with the Kentucky game with the players. It has to. I remember being a competitor. When you get hit in the face, that hangs with you a little bit. So we had some residue from that for a little bit, but a credit to the players. They figured it out as the weeks went by,” Alford said.

He’s not surprised Kentucky is 34-0 going into NCAA play.

“I'm the wrong guy to ask. We scored seven in a half. I'm surprised anybody got within 30 of them,” Alford joked. “No, they're extremely talented. They have guys that ended up coming (back to UK rather than opting for the NBA). You thought they were going to end up losing two or three of those guys, and they all came back.

“You've got a team that's extremely talented. Cal (John Calipari) does a tremendous job. Have an awful lot of respect for how he manages the talent, the pool of talent year in and year out. Incredible fan base. You've got a lot of things working favorably for you, and they've gotten on a roll.”

Alford didn’t mince words about his tournament favorite.

“I think that's why they're the overwhelming favorite in this tournament. They've had their share of a lot of close games and close calls to where, on the road or even at home, I think with Ole Miss, where they've had to fight through some things and still find out a way to be able to come through,” Alford said.

“I think parity in college basketball today and the teams that you play, and Kentucky's schedule is up every year. They play a good schedule. They play a lot of games on neutral sites as well. So to come through that undefeated, that says something. I'm sure they're ready to go in this tournament. I know from experience I'd have them as the favorite to win it because I was very impressed with what they did to us.”

He also predicted in mid-December if UK got to the midway point of the year without a loss that he thought the pressure would decrease and UK could keep winning — and that’s what Kentucky did.

“I think there was so much attention put on early. I think the attention was even put on them when they took their summer trip. All the guys that were coming back to school and the incredible class they had coming in. Coach talks, Cal was talking about the platooning and all that. So there was a lot going on and a lot of attention to them,” Alford said.

“But I thought, if they could get by the nonconference season and get just midpoint of the conference season, then I think the pressure would turn a little bit. Yeah, there's still going to be the talk of it, but then after the players realize that, hey, we're 18, 20 games into this thing and we've played good competition and we're undefeated, take this thing one game at a time, keep getting better, and let's just see what happens.

“I think you see that in how they play. They're a very confident group. Obviously, you know how talented they are. To me, they're playing with a lot more confidence now than what they were in December. That's pretty scary if you ask me.”

One potential roadblock in the Final Four for UK could be Arizona, a team that beat UCLA twice by a combined 16 points late in the season.

“Whether it's Kentucky or who it is, I think Wisconsin is in their bracket. I've known (Wisconsin coach) Bo (Ryan) a long time, and I think that's Bo's best team. So that potentially could be a great matchup (with Arizona in the West Region),” Alford said.

“I do know, out of our league, there's no question Arizona was the best in our league this year. Very big, very physical, really guards you. They've got a very good point guard in (T.J.) McConnell, who runs the team, and they've got experience. A lot of those guys came back, and they've got a lot of experience on that team, and they got close last year. So I know they're going to be hungry as well. I have no idea about that matchup, but Arizona is definitely one of the better teams we've played this year.”