John Calipari on Arkansas, physical play and charging fouls
The weekly rankings/awards/SEC teleconference update:
- UK remained No. 2 in both polls but lost a first-place vote in each. UK received 4 of 61 first-place votes in the AP poll and 0 of 32 first-place votes in the coaches poll.
- Anthony Davis was named SEC Freshman of the Week after averaging 16 points, 7 rebounds, 4 blocks, 2.5 steals and 2 assists in wins at Auburn and at Tennessee. The award is Davis’ third of the season and Kentucky’s fifth.
- UK will encounter two differing styles this week. Head coach John Calipari said Arkansas will bring a “hectic, frenetic” pace to the game on Tuesday, while Alabama will play an “old-school, physical” half court style on Saturday. “This is all good stuff for my young team.”
- Arkansas, specifically, likes to push the pace. Its adjusted tempo of 72.4 is 14th in the nation. “Their style of play unleashes guys,” Calipari said. “They put it on the floor. If you can’t stay in front of them, they’re getting to the rim.”
- While most teams this year have tried to slow UK down to minimize their athletic advantage, Arkansas isn’t shying away from getting into a track meet. “We won’t go away from what we do,” Arkansas coach Mike Anderson said. “We’re going to attack. That’s how we’re going to play. They play the same way in terms of getting up and down the floor.”
- Calipari said his team getting called for a lot of charging fouls was a sign of aggressive play. “If that’s the turnovers we’re getting, where it’s aggressive and we’re attacking the rim, we can deal with that,” Calipari said. “The worst thing would be if we were out there jacking up threes.”
- Calipari did say, however, that Marquis Teague and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist have to adjust on drives, because “teams right now are saying, when they’re running to the rim, throw a body in there and hope it’s charge. Right now, 98 percent of them are charges. Either these guys have unbelievable feet to get in position or some should have been blocks.” I think the 98 percent statistic is 100 percent accurate.
- Calipari said, agains, that his team can’t continue succumbing to physical play. “We’ve got to learn to negate it,” Calipari said. “I just keep saying it over and over. It’s not acceptable to get beat like that if you want to be a special team.”
- UK has three of the SEC’s 15 leading rebounders. Arkansas has none. “That poses a big challenge for our basketball team,” Arkansas coach Mike Anderson said. “That’s an area we’re not as strong at because we don’t have that size.”
- Check back for more around 8 p.m. after UK’s media session with players and coaches.
Good luck Razorbacks!