UK/LSU GAME PREVIEW

Feb. 5, 2010

Wildcats Hit Road to Baton Rouge

Riding a modest two-game winning streak, the fourth-ranked Wildcats travel to Baton Rouge to take on the LSU Tigers.

Kentucky enters the game off an 85-75 win over No. 25 Ole Miss on Tuesday in a game that saw DeMarcus Cousins record his fifth straight double-double, the longest such streak since Jim Andrews’ six game streak in the 1973 season. Cousins tallied 18 points and 13 rebounds to go along with four blocks for his 13th double-double of the season.

John Wall (17), Darnell Dodson (14) and Patrick Patterson (12) joined Cousins in double-figures while Eric Bledsoe dished out a career and game-high eight assists.

Gameday Information

Date & Time Sat., Feb. 6, 4:00 p.m
Coverage TV: SEC Network
Radio: BBSN
Live Stats
Online Audio
Live Video via ESPN360
Location Pete Maravich Assembly Center
Baton Rouge, La.

LSU Tigers at a Glance

Head Coach Trent Johnson
Overall Record 195-142
2009-10 Record 9-13, 0-8 SEC
Ranking nr
Series Record Kentucky leads 78-24
Last Meeting LSU defeated Kentucky 67-58 in the second round of last season's SEC Tournament

2009-10 Team Stats UK LSU

Scoring Offense 82.4 63.1
Scoring Defense 66.4 65.8
FG Percentage 49.1% 41.1%
3-point FG Percentage 39.0% 27.9%
FT Percentage 68.5% 68.7%
Rebound Margin +9.9 +2.7
Assists 16.1 11.5
Turnovers 15.3 12.7

2009-10 Stat Leaders

Scoring UK: John Wall (16.9)
LSU: Tasmin Mitchell (17.6)
Rebounding UK: DeMarcus Cousins (9.
LSU: Tasmin Mitchell (9.9)
Assists UK: John Wall (6.
LSU: Chris Bass (3.0)
3-point FG Percentage UK: Patrick Patterson (42.4%)
LSU: Zach Kinsley (40.0%)
Blocks UK: DeMarcus Cousins (1.9)
LSU: Storm Warren (1.4)
Steals UK: John Wall (2.0)
LSU: Tasmin Mitchell (1.3)

Pregame Quotes

Head Coach John Calipari

On LSU...

"You saw last night with Tennessee, it was a two-point game with a minute to go. It was like our South Carolina game. When you give a team like that a chance to win on their home court, they'll be nuts. Now, they didn't have the crowd against Tennessee that they'll have against us. They aren't going to have 5,000 in that building, so it will be a different environment and team that we'll play. Again, I understand they haven't won a game, but watch their tapes; they had chances to win three or four games, including last night.

"We are going to show a little bit of the tape from last night, just so they get a chance to see, because sometimes (the players) don't believe you. You want to show them what the score was and what happened down the stretch, where they could have easily won. You take one bad shot with a minute to go and you get beat, which is what happened."

On Tasmin Mitchell...

"He's tough for everybody. He is one of the best players in the league and he commands double teams, which leaves people open. He's got size if you are trying to put a 6-foot-5 guy on him, and he's got skills if you're trying to put a 6-foot-9 guy on him. It's a tough match for everybody, which is why he is scoring and rebounding like he is."

On the play of Patrick Patterson...

"The best players that I have coached don't blame anybody. They go in and try to work harder, do more, spend more time in the gym, play harder, and be simpler. (They say) `I'm not going to go nuts. I'm going to make simpler plays because I'm struggling.' That's what Patrick is doing. Another General Manager from the NBA grabbed me. He said, `We love him. We know his numbers aren't the same, but we didn't know he could do all the things he can do. He is still that lunch-pail guy, but all of the sudden he can go out, make a three, and he can guard a two, three, and four.' His stock is rising through the roof and we all know he isn't playing as well as he can play. If he chooses to come back and go another year, it means we are going to win a whole lot more games. The same with John (Wall) and DeMarcus (Cousins)."

On losing big leads...

"We don't value that ball the way we should, and that is because they are young and fighting it. They are still learning. Normally my teams about this week or next week start getting it. But, I have never in my life coached a team this young. We are now starting four first-year players. The first guy off the bench is a first-year player. Five out of our top six are first-year players. It may be until March and it may be until next December.

"Right now, there are times we aren't playing as hard as we can. Maybe you should be subbed. Maybe you aren't in the right frame of mind. There are plays we are making that are absolutely the hardest play we can make. The guy is right ahead, all we have to do is throw. Why are we doing that? Is it show time? Do you get it? We have to value the ball more. You know what we're asking you to do, why are you choosing not to do it? Obviously, if I'm mad at a guy and I get on him on the bench, I probably asked him 20 times to do something and he chooses not to do it. Then I go nuts."

On Darius Miller...

"I thought he played fine. It was nice, he hit that three which was a big shot. Again, that aggressiveness of getting to every ball, not watching. Go after the ball, mix it up, be in the mix of things, not standing there and looking. You show them, they see it and now they have to fight for positions, time and minutes. That is what they have to do."

#1, Darius Miller, So., G

On the game and if they expect anything other than LSU's best effort ...

"We are expecting their best game. That is how we look at it, like they are going to play their best against us. We feel that we are going to have a tough game every time that we step out onto the floor. We are going to have to be focused and ready to play with a lot of intensity."

On what beating Kentucky will mean to LSU ...

"It would probably turn around their season. I am pretty sure that they are trying to win the game just as much as anybody else. We are going to have to be prepared."

On Tasmin Mitchell ...

"He is really good. I think we had a lot of problems with him last year. He played really good against us. We are expecting him to come out and have a really good game. We have to come out and know what he is capable of doing and be ready to step up and play good defense."

#5, Ramon Harris, Sr., G/F

On the game against LSU ...

"It's going to be a good game. They had a tough loss to Tennessee and I anticipate the atmosphere being intense. I am sure a crowd is going to show up. That's one thing about Kentucky, there is always a crowd of blue wherever we go. I am surprised on how much they are struggling lately, but they do have a good team. There are guys on the team that can play ball. They have a high intensity at this level. They have had some tough losses."

On needing to play a full 40-minute game...

"I think we are doing a lot of things right. We are not making turnovers. We are forcing teams to turn it over and scoring off that. But when we start to get a lead we start making more turnovers and they start making their shots. It's a combination of us and them."

On your reaction to South Carolina's student body challenging UK ...

"They beat the number one team in the country so it doesn't surprise me. They still have to come here. I think we can use it to get pumped up for them. It will be a good game when we play them again. We can worry about that when that game comes."

#21, Perry Stevenson, Sr., F

On going back to Louisiana ...

"It feels good. I live so close to Baton Rouge and I will have a lot of people there. It feels good to go home with such a good team. I have a pretty good feeling going in there."

On how many family members he will have at the game and what they ask him about Kentucky ...

"I will have 15 family members there: my aunts, uncles, cousins, grandmothers and my mom. They just ask if I like it and that is all they care about. They just want to make sure that I am having fun."

On LSU and if they can beat UK ...

"They can beat us. They have good players and I am not for sure what is going on, (with them losing) but unfortunately they will be clicking on all cylinders when we go down there on Saturday. That is just how it goes."