Articles by Category
LOUISVILLE — They watched lower seeded teams pull upsets in the NCAA Tournament. They slept, ate and slept again. They were in the locker room before the game for so long because Cincinnati needed an overtime to beat Purdue that the players joked around, stretching and trying to keep each other loose.
But when No. 1 Kentucky finally got on the court here about 10:30 Thursday night, the Wildcats did what they were supposed to do — beat Hampton 79-56 in a game that was not close after UK turned a 13-11 edge into a 32-14 lead by making Hampton miss nine of 10 shots.
“It was a good win. I didn’t like how we started the game. I didn’t quite like how we finished the game. But it is 1:00 at night, and we had an overtime game where the guys were hanging out in the locker room for an hour and a half. So I’m going to chalk it up to that and move on,” Kentucky coach John Calipari said after opening NCAA play with an easy win.
Compared to last year’s grind were UK had five straight close games to reach the national title game, the returning players welcomed a one-sided win even if it was far from perfection, especially considering the three previous games at the Yum! Center Thursday were one-point decisions.
“I hate nail-biters,” Willie Cauley-Stein, who had seven points, 11 rebounds, two assists and two blocks, said. “I am glad we were up so much. Nail-biters are not good for my heart.”
Once UK started going inside to freshman Karl-Anthony Towns, Cauley-Stein’s heart was fine. Towns finished with 21 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks in 25 minutes. He was 8-for-12 from the field and 5-for-6 at the foul line and dominated the inside play.
“He was good. I think, again, he played 25 minutes today. But in that time, he has 21 points and 11 rebounds. Now, the one thing I did tell them in the huddles, you have to respect the fact that we’re throwing you the ball every time down, and if you get double-teamed, you must pass it because you’ve got to respect the guys that are passing you the ball,” Calipiari said. “So if we do — and Hampton didn’t trap, which is why he had all those baskets.
“Well, he had the same baskets and missed them. Dakari (Johnson) had the same baskets and missed them. Karl made all his. But if they do trap, which they started to on Karl later, you’ve got to throw the ball out. You’ve got to respect this team. Everyone can play, and they’re always giving you the ball, which he will. He’s a good kid.”
Guard Devin Booker called Towns a “special player” for UK.
“You see how we can go through him. Coach wants him to touch the ball on every trip and I totally agree with that because we know what Karl can do. Not only can he score but he can be a facilitator, too,” Booker said.
Towns again emphasized he was “just listening to my coaches and using my size” to play so well against a smaller team.
“But we’ve got to play better and we’ve got to start off better,” Towns said.
Certainly some of his teammates know they have to do better.
Cauley-Stein was 1-for-5 from the field and all the shots were within three feet of the basket.
“Karl played really well and took it around the rim and made shots,” Cauley-Stein said. “He was good. I wasn’t. I thought I came in aggressive, but I didn’t make shots. But I am not down on myself. That’s just the way it is. Sometimes you make and sometimes you miss.”
Aaron Harrison, the star of last year’s NCAA run by UK, was 0-for-5 from the field in the first half and didn’t take another shot.
“It was just hard to get going with the game starting so late. We were so excited all day to play and then had to wait all night,” Harrison said. “We just didn’t come out with enough energy. I wouldn’t say I am disappointed in how I played or how we played, but I expect more of myself. Everyone will see a different team Saturday (against Cincinnati). We will have a lot more intensity and show everybody what our season was about.”
Booker was just 1-for-6 from the field and in the last 10 games is now only 30-for-80, incuding 11 of 36 on 3-point shots.
“I struggled, but it's on to the next game. You know, you have games like that. The most important part is we got the win. As long as we're winning I'm fine, but if I'm frustrated, I'm frustrated with myself cause I'm not playing the way I've worked so hard to play,” Booker said.
Kentucky could afford that and beat Hampton. Starting with Cincinnati, that might not be the case. The Bearcats are good, not great. They are only 23-10, but they are 6-1 in their last seven games with the lone loss coming to Connecticut in the American Athletic Conference Tournament. They play an aggressive, physical defense they believe will cause problems for UK.
Kentucky missed seven of its first nine shots against Hampton and actually trailed early in the game, something few expected. Calipari knows that probably gave Cincinnati what he would call “beer muscles,” or inflated hope going into Saturday afternoon’s game.
“I know they play a lot of zone and I know they’re physical,” Calipari said. “If they saw certain parts of our game I know they’re going to come into Saturday thinking, ‘We can beat these guys.'”
KSR Twitter Feed