UK Hoops to avoid ‘trap game’ against Morehead State
November 19, 2014
By Kevin Erpenbeck
The high emotions that result from a statement win can linger with a team long after the game concludes. Players can remain at that plateau of emotions in preparation for their next match, causing them to lose focus and fall into what’s known as a “trap game.”
No. 13 UK Hoops (2-0) will try to avoid falling into that trap when they take on Morehead State at Memorial Coliseum on Wednesday.
After a gritty 74-64 win over No. 8 Baylor, the Cats shift their focus to their instate opponent, the Eagles. Morehead is coming off two straight wins to begin its 2014-15 season and has the same record as the Cats.
It will be the third game UK has played in six days. Before the Cats’ first game of the season, head coach Matthew Mitchell said the opening stretch will show the team where it stands in its preparation for the 2014-15 year.
“You just don’t know exactly how effective your preparation has been,” Mitchell said. “The information we can gain will really help us as a team and we’ll have a better idea about what we need to hone in on in practices after this opening stretch.”
So far, the Cats have proven that they have a potent offense after scoring in the triple-digits in their season-opening win against Appalachian State, and their full-court pressure defense can cause fits for opponents after forcing Baylor to commit 24 turnovers. Mitchell said he’s proud of the way the team has played early on but that they still have “much to improve upon and learn from” going forward.
“We’re going to get much, much better than we are right now,” Mitchell said.
Wednesday’s matchup will be the fifth time Mitchell has faced his former team since leaving to coach UK in 2007. UK has never lost to Morehead in that span and has won by 17 points or more in each of its games. The Cats are 31-5 all-time against the Eagles.
Morehead is in its first season under head coach Greg Todd. The former Division III Transylvania University coach was hired to replace Tom Hodges after Hodges went 51-68 in four seasons at Morehead.
