Attention shifts to Louisville game

Sitting in postgame interviews after beating Lamar, Terrence Jones was asked for his analysis of UK’s upcoming opponent, Louisville.

“Well, they’re undefeated,” Jones began, before a reporter cut him off.

“They’re not undefeated,” the reporter said.

Standing on the fringe of the media circle around Jones, Doron Lamb quickly glanced up.

“Wait, they lost?!” Lamb said.

They had lost, to Georgetown, in a game that ran concurrent with UK’s win over Lamar.

“Well now I really don’t know anything,” Jones said.

He will quickly learn, as the attention shifted toward Saturday’s rivalry game against No. 4 Louisville immediately after the win against that other red-clad team of Cardinals.

Lamar head coach Pat Knight, son of Bobby Knight, has played both Louisville and UK this season, so he was in a unique situation to break down Saturday’s game.

“I think Kentucky is more athletic at all positions,” Knight said. “They don’t have a weakness.”

UK head coach John Calipari wasn’t ready to go that far. If anyone was holding back from looking at the game, it was Calipari, who was still frustrated by the 40 minutes of basketball his team had just finished.

“I’m not in a great frame of mind to talk about Saturday,” Calipari said.

He eventually acquiesced to break down Louisville. He said Peyton Siva is “outstanding,” and “the big man has really gotten better,” and “the young freshman is good.”

Most of his focus, though, was still on his own team.

“If we are playing like we are now,” Calipari said, “we’re not winning that game Saturday.”

That remains to be seen, but it will be a historic game. Even though Louisville lost for the first time, it will still be ranked No. 4. Combined with UK’s No. 3 rank, it’s the highest combined rankings between the two teams in series history.

Darius Miller, who has been through three games in his career, said he’s trying to downplay the significance of the game to the freshmen, even as he realizes how much attention it garners.

“I don’t try to really put too much into it,” Miller said. “Of course, everybody else around here is, so I’m sure they’ll know what’s going on.”

Jones, after regaining his senses from being told the result of Louisville game, was asked if the Cardinals’ loss (and proving Chane Behanan’s guarantee wrong) takes away any luster from the game.

“It being Kentucky versus Louisville, the game is what it’s going to be,” Jones said. “No matter if they were undefeated or not.”

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