Calipari warns Cats ahead of opener

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By Kyle Arensdorf

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UK Basketball plays its highly-anticipated season opener tonight at 8 p.m. against Grand Canyon University, making it just more than three months since the Cats played their first game at the Big Blue Bahamas Tour.

UK has only gotten better since, blowing out opponents in its two exhibition games, which caused UK head coach John Calipari to wonder if his team is playing its best basketball too soon.

“I’ve seen teams play unbelievable in November and December and everybody thinks they’re going to do this and this, and they peter out,” Calipari said. “Normally when I see a team like that I say they’re too good, too early.”

Despite the lopsided margins of victory in the two exhibition games against Pikeville and Georgetown and the efficient platoon system, Calipari ensured that this will be yet another season-long process.

“Right now they’ve all bought in, they’ve all taken pride in this,” he said. “But going forward is going to be the challenge.”

The Grand Canyon Antelopes, who begin their second season in Division 1 tonight, are coming off  a 15-15 record a season ago.

Despite their 0-6 record in non-conference games away from home, the Antelopes shot 35 percent from behind the 3-point line a season ago, something that UK has had trouble defending in its exhibition matchups.

In the Cats’ Nov. 2 game against Pikeville, junior K.K. Simmons put on a clinic from beyond the arch, converting on six of nine 3-point attempts.

Grand Canyon will feature two players who shot over 40 percent from three a season ago, senior forward Daniel Alexander and senior guard Jerome Garrison.

With all of the talk of platoons, playing time and anticipation, junior forward Alex Poythress put everything in perspective.

“We’re just excited that it’s finally here,” he said. “We’re excited to play people (other) than ourselves. We’re just ready to get out there and have some fun.”

Having fun is one thing, but Calipari is hoping there is more in store for this Cats team early in the season.

“We need adversity so bad,” he said. “We need to get hit in the mouth as soon as we can, we need to be down 10 and let’s figure out who we are.”

And it only took until the third game last season for the Cats to get hit in the mouth.