Next two games are validation tests

Here’s what UK has to say about St. John’s, the opponent in the game before The Game.

“This is a scary game,” head coach John Calipari said. “These guys ball.”

“They’re a dangerous team,” freshman point guard Marquis Teague said.

St. John’s is athletic and has talent. But they’re also young. While Calipari pointed out that they were up on Arizona with seven minutes to play, St. John’s also lost that lead. Then lost the next game. They beat St. Francis (N.Y.), then lost to Northeastern. Their stats — both regular and advanced — are wholly adequate.

So no, St. John’s shouldn’t pose a serious threat.

At least, not if UK is going to succeed at what these two games can be: validation of the No. 1 ranking.

“We have to come out and show people what we’re made of,” Teague said. “This is an opportunity to prove we’re one of the best teams.”

Right now, UK is pegged as the best team. UK players were watching when North Carolina fell under a barrage of University of Nevada-Las Vegas’ 3-pointers, all but assuring the Cats of a No. 1 ranking. We knew it. The players knew it.

“At the end we were like, this just means we have to work harder,” freshman forward Anthony Davis said.

UK doesn’t get to coast on this ranking. The Tar Heels are coming back around. One loss does not mean they aren’t the same team everybody picked, and picked again, to win the national championship.

And the team sitting right below the Cats in the rankings, Ohio State, is coming off a beatdown of No. 3 Duke. The Buckeyes had around 30 percent of the first-place votes in both recent polls; if UK doesn’t convince everyone they deserve to retain the rankings, the teams could switch places.

“You had a lot of people saying last night’s game decided who should be No. 1,” Calipari said.

So yes, UK has plenty to prove in the days left of this week.

“I want them to understand, this is not a burden, this is a badge of honor,” Calipari said. “Playing here, this is what you’re trying to attain. Now, it’s not when we want it. But we’re there, now let’s see how we perform.”

Freshman forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist has been in this spot before. His high school team was ranked No. 1 in the nation for most of his senior year. He’s well-versed in the take-it-one-game-at-a-time mantra, as he should be. It’s the only way to approach being at the top.

And if that’s not enough, Calipari will make sure his players don’t think too much of it.

“The last two days, I beat them up (in practice) pretty good,” Calipari said. “We went longer than we usually do this time of year. I’ve been tough on them, just raising the bar just to forget all the other stuff. Forget rankings.”

Still, it’s tough to just forget that you’re No. 1 in the nation and a showdown is looming with No. 5 North Carolina. Plus, the diaper dandies know the man who created that nickname is in town.

“That makes it a bigger thing, I guess, having Dick Vitale and all them at the game,” Teague said. “But for us, it’s just a normal game.”