FINAL Depressing Box-Score From UK vs. Louisville

Some Notes From Kentucky's Disappointing Loss To Louisville

Men’s Basketball Postgame Notes

Kentucky at Louisville, KFC Yum! Center, Louisville, Ky.

Dec. 21, 2016
Attendance: 22,783

Final Score: No. 10/11 Louisville 73, No. 6/5 Kentucky 70

                                                          

Team Records and Series Notes

• Kentucky is 10-2. Louisville is 11-1
  • This was the 50th meeting between the schools
  • Kentucky leads the all-time series 34-16
  • Kentucky is 12-9 at Louisville
  • Louisville snapped Kentucky’s four-game winning streak in the series
  • UK fell to 8-2 vs. Louisville in the John Calipari era
    • Both losses came at Louisville
• This was Kentucky’s first true road game of the year. The Wildcats are 4-1 away from Rupp Arena
• Kentucky will begin the Southeastern Conference portion of the schedule on Dec. 29 at Ole Miss. Tipoff is slated for 8 p.m. ET on ESPN2

In the First Half

• Kentucky started the lineup of Isaiah Briscoe, De’Aaron Fox, Malik Monk, Wenyen Gabriel and Bam Adebayo for the sixth time this season. That lineup dropped to 4-2
• Kentucky won the tip and but both neither team scored on their first two possessions
• Fox made a 3-pointer at the 14:52 mark, extending Kentucky’s streak of 3-pointers to 987 consecutive games, the longest streak in the nation
• U of L went on a 10-0 run to take a 24-20 lead. Derek Willis made a baseline jumper at the 8:32 mark to end the run and bring UK within two
• Louisville extended the lead to 15-2 to take a 29-22 lead at the 6:39 mark
• From there Kentucky went on a 9-0 run over the next 1:55 to take a two-point lead
• Kentucky led 40-39 at halftime
• Kentucky’s largest first-half lead was by six at the 13:06 mark. Louisville’s largest lead was by seven at the 6:39 mark
• The score was tied five times and the lead changed four times

In the Second Half

• Louisville started the second half on an 8-3 run over the first 4:24
• With Kentucky ahead 57-53, Louisville went on an 8-0 run to take a 61-57 lead and force Calipari to take timeout at the 5:33 mark
• Kentucky cut the deficit to one, 71-70 on a Malik Monk 3-pointer at the 00:12 mark, but got no closer

Team Notes

• Calipari has a 672-189 (.780) on-court record, including a 227-49 (.822) mark at UK
• The lead changed hands nine times and there were 10 ties. The nine lead changes were the most in a game this season for UK
• Kentucky’s 70 points were one more than the Wildcats’ season low of 69 against Michigan State on Nov. 15. Kentucky scored 80 or more in every other game this year
• Kentucky tied their season-low 23 field goals made – also against Michigan State
• Kentucky attempted a season-low 58 field goals
• Kentucky’s 10 assists tied its season low

Player Notes  

• Freshman De’Aaron Fox scored a team-high 21 points
  • He scored more than 20 points for the fourth time this season
  • He tied Isaiah Briscoe for the team-high with three assists and has led the team in assists in 10 of 12 outings
• Freshman Bam Adebayo scored 11 points and added a game-high nine rebounds
  • He has scored in double figures in nine consecutive games and 10 of his last 11
  • He’s led the team in rebounding in a team-high seven games
• Freshman Malik Monk scored 16 points
  • He has reached double figures in all 12 games this season
  • He’s the first player to score 10 or more in 12 consecutive games since Jamal Murray scored 10 or more in 34 consecutive games.
  • Knocked down a 3-pointer late and has made at least one 3-pointer in every game this season
    1. His one made 3 tied his season low
• Sophomore Isaiah Briscoe logged eight points and added five rebounds and three assists
  1. He failed to reach double-digits scoring for the first time this year
• Freshman Wenyen Gabriel grabbed seven rebounds
  1. He’s snatched at least four rebounds in 10 straight

More Weekly Honors For Malik Monk

 When you have one of the most prolific scoring outputs by a freshman in recent college basketball history, you rake in awards. Malik Monk hauled in two additional honors on Tuesday for his efforts in the win over No. 7/6 North Carolina when he exploded for 47 points in a 103-100 victory. Monk became the first winner of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association’s Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week for the 2016-17 season, and the organization’s Wayman Tisdale Freshman of the Week. 

Monk poured in 47 points on 18-of-28 shooting from the field and 8 of 12 from behind the arc. He added three free throws to his final total – the highest scoring output by a UK freshman in its storied history.

He drained the opening basket of the game and then finished the game with the go-ahead 3- pointer with just 22 seconds remaining.

From start to finish, Monk was virtually unstoppable. He did his damage in a variety of ways – from outside the arc, mid-range jumpers and crafty layups. North Carolina threw multiple defensive looks at UK’s freshman, but nothing seemed to slow him down. 

The Lepanto, Arkansas, native’s memorable performance was also one for the record books.

He tied Dan Issel for the sixth-most points ever by a Wildcat in a single game. It was the most by any Wildcat since Jodie Meeks recorded the single-game record of 54 points at Tennessee in 2009. It was the most points by a collegiate player in Calipari’s Hall of Fame career. 

The 47 points against the Tar Heels were the second-most ever yielded by a UNC team and the most since Rich Yuknus of Georgia Tech matched the total in 1970.

The 47 points were the most in a single game by a Southeastern Conference freshman since LSU’s Chris Jackson had 55 vs. Ole Miss in 1989. They were the second-most points by a freshman in Division I college basketball since at least the 1996-97 season. Keydren Clark of St. Peter’s scored 48 on Nov. 23, 2002.

Monk was an efficient 18 of 28 (.643) and was the first Wildcat to make 18 shots in a game since Melvin Turpin had 18 in 1984.

He scored 27 points before halftime. It tied for the most points in any half in the Calipari era. Jamal Murray also had 27 points in a half a season ago.

Monk has now scored in double figures in all 11 games this season and topped 20 or more points in seven games. He’s the first player to score 10 or more in 11 consecutive games since Murray scored 10 or more in 34 straight in 2015-16. 

He knocked down eight 3-pointers on the night and has hit at least one in all 11 games. Furthermore, with 38 3-pointers on the season, he’s ahead of Meeks (36) at this time through 11 games when Meeks went on to set the UK single-season made 3-point field-goals record in 2008-09. 

Monk’s currently averaging 21.9 points per game. No Calipari-coached played has ever averaged more than 21.2 points for an entire year (Dajuan Wagner at Memphis in 2001-02).

This is the first USBWA honor for the Wildcats since Karl-Anthony Towns was also named the Freshman of the Week on Feb. 15, 2015. He’s the first Cat to win the Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week nod since Julius Randle on Feb. 23, 2014.

Fox Named SEC Freshman of The Week

The Houston native, logged his team-best fourth double-double. It was the first double-double in the points/assist variety that North Carolina had yielded since Pitt’s Cameron Wright turned the trick on Feb. 14, 2015. 

His 10 assists and two steals were game highs, and no rebound was bigger than the one that set up Monk’s go-ahead 3-pointer.

With 10 assists against the Tar Heels, Fox has amassed 79 for the season. That’s ahead of single-season record-holder Tyler Ulis’ pace of 53 through the same number of games a season ago. Prior to Ulis’ record-breaking year, John Wall (2009-10) held the record and he had 70 assists through the first 11 outings. It should be noted that both Ulis and Wall missed a game during the first 11 contests.

Fox is averaging 15.9 points, and SEC-leading 7.2 assists and 5.3 rebounds per game.

Monk’s honor as Player of the Week is his first and the first for any Wildcat this season. He previously was named the league’s Freshman of the Week on Nov. 21. Fox has now earned his third SEC Freshman of the Week nod, the most of any SEC player this season.

All told, UK has a league-leading five SEC honors this season. This marks the first time a school has swept the awards this season and the first time since Tyler Ulis won Player of the Week and Jamal Murray Freshman of the Week on Feb. 15, 2015.

The Wildcats will resume action with a 7 p.m. tip at Louisville on Wednesday in the KFC Yum! Center. The game will air live on ESPN.

Monk Named SEC Player of The Week

 Forty-seven points. That was more than enough for Malik Monk to earn Southeastern Conference Player of the Week honors, while De’Aaron Fox hauled in SEC Freshman of the Week accolades after posting his team-leading fourth double-double behind a career-best 24 points and 10 assists in the win over No. 7/6 North Carolina.

The dynamic duo provided the game-winning plays to seal a memorable 103-100 victory over No. 7/6 North Carolina in the CBS Sports Classic on Saturday, and both performances were award-worthy.

A game that has been billed as the best of the college basketball season thus far had plenty of star power, but perhaps none more than UK’s backcourt tandem, which combined for 71 points, 12 assists, four rebounds and three steals in Kentucky’s marquee win of the season thus far. 

Monk scored off an assist from Fox for the game’s first points, setting the stage for an offensive outburst from the backcourt duo. The Lepanto, Arkansas, native finished with a freshman program-record of 47 points on 18-of-28 shooting from the field and 8-of-12 shooting from behind the arc. He added three free throws to his final total.

Fittingly, the duo teamed up for the go-ahead basket with 22 ticks remaining. Fox snared a rebound and charged up court. When the defense collapsed, he fired a pass to the left wing where Monk was waiting. A pump-fake was followed by an almost automatic swish. Fox would seal the victory with a pair of free throws with just three seconds to go for the final 103-100 margin.

In between, the duo set records galore.

Monk’s line: 

·         Tied Dan Issel for the sixth-most points ever by a Wildcat in a single game

o   Issel did it Feb. 23, 1970 in a win at Alabama

·         Monk's 47 points were the most a Wildcat has scored in a game since Jodie Meeks recorded the single-game record of 54 points at Tennessee on Jan. 18, 2009

·         He’s the only player in the John Calipari era to score more than 40 points in a game

·         He became the eighth player in the Calipari era to eclipse 30 points

·         Monk’s 47 points tied the second most ever scored against North Carolina. It’s the most since Rich Yuknus (Georgia Tech) scored 47 on Feb. 14, 1970. The record is 48 by Dick Groat of Duke on Feb. 29, 1952

·         The 47 points were the most in a single game by an SEC freshman since Chris Jackson scored 55 points vs. Ole Miss on March 4, 1989

·         They were the most any Calipari player has ever scored in college

·         They are also the second-most points by a freshman in Division I college basketball since at least the 1996-97 season. Keydren Clark of St. Peter’s scored 48 on Nov. 23, 2002

·         The 47 points are the most against a Roy Williams-coached UNC team. The previous record was 46 by Tyrese Rice of Boston College on March 1, 2008

·         Monk made 18 field goals. The last Wildcat to make 18 shots in a game was Melvin Turpin on March 8, 1984

·         He scored 27 first-half points

·         He scored more than any Wildcat has scored in a half this season

·         His 27 points tied Jamal Murray for the most by a Wildcat in the Calipari era in any half

·         It was the most in the first half by a Wildcat in the Calipari era

·         Murray scored 27 in the second half against Ohio State last season – also in the CBS Sports Classic

Monk has now scored in double figures in all 11 games this season and topped 20 or more points in seven games. He’s the first player to score 10 or more in 11 consecutive games since Jamal Murray scored 10 or more in 34 straight a season ago. 

He knocked down eight 3-pointers on the night and has hit at least one in all 11 games. Furthermore, with 38 3-pointers on the season, he’s ahead of Jodie Meeks (36) at this time through 11 games when Meeks went on to set the UK single-season made 3-point field-goals record in 2008-09. 

Monk’s currently averaging 21.9 points per game. No Calipari-coached played has ever averaged more than 21.2 points for an entire year (Dajuan Wagner at Memphis in 2001-02).

Some Notes From Kentucky's 103-100 Win Over UNC

Men’s Basketball Postgame Notes

Kentucky vs. North Carolina, T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas

Dec. 17, 2016
Attendance: 19,298

Final Score: No. 6/7 Kentucky 103, No. 7/6 North Carolina 100

                                                         

Team Records and Series Notes:

·        Kentucky is 10-1. North Carolina is 10-2

·        UNC leads the all-time series 23-15

·        UK has won four of the last five in the series

·        Kentucky is 4-0 in neutral-site games this season. All of UK’s games away from Rupp Arena have been at neutral sites thus far

·        Kentucky will play the third of a four-game stretch away from home at Louisville on Wednesday. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. on ESPN

In the First Half:

·        Kentucky started the lineup of Isaiah Briscoe, De’Aaron Fox, Malik Monk, Wenyen Gabriel and Bam Adebayo for the fifth time this season. That lineup improved to 4-1

·        Kentucky won the tip and opened the scoring on a Monk jumper 11 seconds in

·        Monk made a 3-pointer at the 18:18 mark, extending Kentucky’s streak of 3-pointers to 986 consecutive games, the longest streak in the nation

·        North Carolina’s largest lead was three points, 8-5, at the 17:12 mark

·        Monk scored 27 first-half points

·        He scored more than any Wildcat has scored in a half this season

·        His 27 points tied Jamal Murray for the most by a Wildcat in the Calipari era in any half

·        It was the most in the first half by a Wildcat in the Calipari era

·        Murray scored 27 in the second half against Ohio State last season – also in the CBS Sports Classic

·        Kentucky scored more than 50 points in the first half for the fifth time in 11 games

·        Kentucky led by as many as 12 at the 7:39 mark of the first half

In the Second Half:

·        North Carolina tied the game for the first time in the second half at 95-95

·        The Tar Heels took their first lead of the second half at 98-95

·        Kentucky answered with a 3-pointer by Monk with 1:21 remaining

·        UNC went ahead by two with 47 seconds remaining before Monk’s eighth 3-pointer of the game pushed the Cats in front 101-100 with 22 seconds to go

·        Fox sealed the win with a pair of free throws with less than two seconds to go. UNC’s last second shot would not fall

Team Notes:

·        Kentucky scored 103 points, the most Kentucky has ever scored against UNC in a win. The previous most came in a 100-80 win on Dec. 9, 1963

·        The most UK ever scored against UNC came in a 121-110 loss on Dec. 27, 1989

·        Calipari has a 672-188 (.781) on-court record, including a 227-48 (.825) mark at UK

·        Kentucky shot 56 percent from the field, marking the seventh time in 11 games the Cats made more than half of their shots

·        UK had 19 assists on 40 made baskets. UK finished an assist shy of topping the 20-assist plateau for the sixth time this year

·        UK topped the 100-point plateau for the fourth time this season. It ties the most 100-point games in the Calipari era as the 2009-10 team also achieved the feat

·        The lead changed hands six times and there was an equal number of ties. The six lead changes were the most in a game this season for UK

·        Kentucky led for 32:41 in the game, while UNC led for just 3:43

Player Notes:

·        Freshman Malik Monk scored a Kentucky freshman record 47 points

·        Monk tied Dan Issel for the sixth-most points ever by a Wildcat in a single game

·        Issel did it Feb. 23, 1970 in a win at Alabama

·        Monk's 47 points were the most a Wildcat has scored in a game since Jodie Meeks recorded the single-game record of 54 points at Tennessee on Jan. 18, 2009

·        He’s the only player in the Calipari era to score more than 40 points in a game

·        He became the eighth player in the Calipari era to eclipse 30 points

·        He has reached double figures in all 11 games this season

·        He scored 20-plus points for the seventh time overall and has reached that threshold in six of the last seven

·        He’s the first player to score 10 or more in 11 consecutive games since Jamal Murray scored 10 or more in 34 consecutive games

·        Knocked down eight 3-pointers and has made at least one 3-pointer in all 11 games this season

·        He has hit four or more from long range in five games

·        Freshman De’Aaron Fox scored a career-high 24 points and had 10 assists

·        He notched his team-best fourth double-double

·        He has led the team in assists in nine of 11 outings

·        Freshman Bam Adebayo scored 13 points and added a team-high seven rebounds

·        He has scored in double figures in eight consecutive games and nine of his last 10

·        He’s led the team in rebounding in a team-high six games

·        Sophomore Isaiah Briscoe logged 10 points and added seven rebounds and four assists.

·        He has scored in double digits in all nine games he has played

FINAL: Official Kentucky vs. North Carolina Box-Score

Calipari's PRE North Carolina Press Conference Quotes

Head Coach John Calipari

On the new lease agreement with the Lexington Center Corporation at Rupp Arena …

“Ecstatic. It had to be closure. It appears that I’ll end my (coaching career) in Rupp. A bunch of home games. I’m happy for Brent Rice and Royce Pulliam and the boys – for the city. And I’m happy for our people – Mitch (Barnhart), DeWayne (Peevy), Eric Monday and the guys that worked on it. The great thing, from what I’m being told, is that it’s a win-win. Season ticket holders aren’t going to have to pay more for tickets because they had to do upgrades. There’s not going to be more taxpayer money. Everybody gave something so that this thing works, and I think it’s great. Believe me when I tell you – ecstatic. Done. The arena the way it is right now is not even the same building. Wait until they do the dugouts, the upstairs stuff and the outside of the building. It’ll basically be a brand new building. 

On if he’ll be sad when he coaches his last game in Rupp in 2033 …

“Is that how long it is? I’m trying to get a contract until then, but I’m not sure it’ll go that far. We have stuff we have to do here. We had to get that out of the rearview mirror. Get it out. It’s done. Now let’s move onto how we continue to make this the world-class, gold standard of how you do what we do.”

On what concerns him with the matchup against North Carolina …

“Who? North Carolina? We have them next? [Sarcasm] They’re an unbelievable rebounding team. They’re fast. If you don’t run with them, then you’re giving up layups. They have skilled guys, both inside and outside. They can either play fast or slow and still beat you. They’ve been in close games, which tells you they’re not afraid. Tennessee had a chance to beat them and they come back and win the game. They’re not going to get rattled. They’re a veteran team. Roy (Williams) is a hall of famer. It’ll be a hard game for us. I keep telling myself, folks, that this is a process and I have to keep staying in the moment. We can’t go life or death from game to game when you’re starting four freshmen. You just can’t do it. I get into the same mode as our fans like, ‘Oh my gosh. We lost.’ You’re not getting eaten. It’s a process. We’ve had teams here lose nine and 10 games and get to the NCAA championship game – the NCAA final game. But, I didn’t remember the grind of that. I can just tell you that it’s tough because every game that we play is a big game for somebody. It needs to be a big game for us, and it’s hard because these kids aren’t machines. They’re not computers. It’s hard.”

On what makes North Carolina a good rebounding team …

“They’re big, physical and go to the glass. I don’t believe a team can be good at everything. You’re not. As a coach, you decide what your strengths are and let’s become really good at those things and hide the things that we don’t do well. Their strength is that they can really get out and fly. Their other strength is that they’re really good in the post. They’re big and they fight for position. They try to have two feet in the lane or they seal you over the top. The third thing is that when they shoot it – are you ready for this – half of their misses they rebound for the season. What would you do if you were them, all you Basketball Bennies out here? Are you worried about turning it over or shooting it? Basketball Bennies? You shoot it because half of those you’re going to get back when you miss. You’re either making them or you miss and half of those you get. That’s why they shoot it quickly is because they rebound it.” 

On how Sacha Killeya-Jones has improved over the months …

“He’s gotten better, but this is that time when you’ve just jumped up because you’ve never been through this kind of stuff. I think he needs the two- and three-a-days now to break through where he is. All of these guys, especially the young guys, this is the time right before and after Christmas where your high school season is over. You’re leaving Las Vegas now. You’ve played seven games in two days and now you’re leaving Vegas, going home and going to go watch some videos. Wait a minute. This season just keeps going. January, February and March – it’s not over. It’s just beginning. That’s new to all of these guys.”

On confidence …

“I think most of these kids – and can you blame them – have their mindset down the road a little bit. When stuff doesn’t go right, you start having anxiety. I sent them a text yesterday: ‘Anxiety is not going to change tomorrow, but it can change your fight today – your battle today. Because you’re worrying about stuff, your anxiety is not changing. Whatever will happen will happen.’ So I’m trying to get them to stay in the moment and try to get better. You cannot worry (about) six months down the road, two months down the road. You can’t worry about our game next week, the following week, the league play, the league tournament – I wonder what’s going to happen? What if I don’t? If I don’t make these shots. [Mocking desperation] If I don’t. If I can’t. [Screams] Well, then you can’t play. The battle they have every day in their minds – and I tell them all of the time – it’s not fair what we do to these kids here at Kentucky. It’s not fair. You throw them to the wolves. Every game is the biggest game. Anything they do is on the ticker. They want to do a 30-30 movie on it, make it three, four hours. It isn’t fair. But, it isn’t fair what happens to these kids after their careers are over here, either. What’s happening for them and their families – it’s not fair. They’ve all bought into this. They thought they knew what they were buying into, but until you’re in the middle of it you really don’t know. ‘Yeah, I can do that. Ah, yeah. I can do that. I want that.’ ‘Now, you really want this?’ ‘Do I have to have it tomorrow? Can I take like two days off and then get it on Wednesday?’ ‘No. No. It’s every day.’”

On playing neutral site games and what it does to prepare a team …

“Obviously we’re going to end up with 10 road games. When I was at UMass we played 27 games away from home because I was nuts and I was 33 years old or 34 or whatever I was and didn’t care. Did you hear what I just said? Never in the history of the NCAA has any team played 27 games away from home. We did. I like all home games now as I get older, and we’re still going to play road games. But, the neutral game – one, like it’s the television of it, and two it’s postseason. And what I care about is postseason here. It’s not game to game. It’s postseason. That’s what we play for. That’s why, again, we’ve done pretty well postseason the last seven years. One year, Nerlens (Noel) gets hurt and it kind of changes direction, but that’s what we’re playing for. In postseason you don’t go on an opponent’s court in front of 19, 20 thousand people going nuts, drunk, screaming, yelling and that’s who wins, who loses. Obviously, you’ve gotta play some road games to get some home games. I’d like to play our league road games and that’s it, but can’t do it.” 

On Camp Cal being about building chemistry as much as it is about developing skills …

“Both. It’s trying to stretch them. Look, we’re going twice today. So, we’ll practice this morning and get on that plane and wash your face off, put your stuff back on, let’s go. So, we’re going to practice out there. So, we’re going twice today. I mean I have no restrictions right now. ‘Guys, hey after breakfast we’re going to watch video.’ ‘Ugh.’ ‘Yeah, and if you don’t stay awake or someone falls asleep we’re going out and conditioning for an hour.’ They’ve got toothpicks in their eyes. They’re like this [raises eyes] watching tape. ‘Then we’re going to come back and practice. Hey, I want to shoot free throws tonight.’ ‘Coach.’ ‘Well, what do you have to do?’ ‘We’re in the middle of a video game, and man, I’m up seven on this guy. I need another hour.’ ‘What? Stop. Get over here. We’re doing free-throw shooting and walking through.’ Dinners together. Movies together. I thought the Bahamas trip – the greatest thing we do on those kinds of trips is team building. I like this trip because we’re going out a little early, just team building. We gotta know we’re there for each other. We gotta trust each other. It’s just really focusing their attention on what’s at hand, and that’s what this time of the year does.”

On this team’s rebounding …

“We’ve been practicing putting six guys out there seeing if we can slide a sixth guy out there. [Sarcasm] I don’t know. Some of it’s fight. Some of it’s just put your best rebounders on the floor. If a guy can’t rebound – I just told you the stats. Now you’re me. If a guy can’t keep a guy off the glass, can he play this game? You can put him in and then he gives up two rebounds and you hug him, you love him. I put Brad (Calipari) in. ‘Brad, I love you. You know this. I’m gonna have to deal with your mom, but you ain’t playing. Sit down.’ It’s just how it is. They know. We’re trying to work with them, but you either have the confidence. Have defensive confidence. Have the confidence that you can keep somebody away from the ball and outwork him, or you don’t have that confidence. If you don’t, you have to build it. The only way you build it is in practice. If you can rebound against these guys, you can probably rebound against anybody.”

On possibly playing a big lineup …

“We’re gonna try everything. I may play four guards. Mychal Mulder was like a four at (junior college). So I could put he, Isaiah Briscoe, two guards and a big guy. Maybe we’d be better that way. Maybe they have to change. I mean, we’ll try stuff, and that’s the greatest thing about not having to go game to game. ‘We gotta win.’ This isn’t like the football season where if you lose this one, that one you’ve got no chance for a national title. That’s not what it is, but we have different things we have to try. I do want to give everybody a chance to prove either they should be playing or not. Coaches don’t make those decisions. Players make those decisions.”

On associate head coach Kenny Payne …

“Oh, he’s great. You come to work and sometimes I come in here at night, and I’m in here at 10, 10:30 p.m. and I look out the window (from his office overlooking the practice gym) and he’s out there working out somebody who wanted some extra work. I mean, his life (is) these kids. That’s his value. He’s a great basketball mind. Obviously (as a player) you know all those things, but his life is these kids. Folks, you can’t fake that. In this profession I’m in, if you’re 9-5 you’ll have no relationship with these players. You get here at 8, 7 a.m. when no one’s here and then by 5 p.m. the door hits you on the butt, you run home and ‘I was here all day,’ no, doesn’t work. This thing is about the relationships you have with those players. I wanna have a relationship with them too, but mine’s gonna be different. And then the relationship you have with the recruiting, whether it be the coaches, whether it be the players, their families. And I’ll be honest with you, they feel it. If they think you’re just a coach in the profession, do you really want your son with that guy? Or do you really want your son with someone that cares about kids and makes effort to be there and do more and is not afraid to coach them? He’s harder on our kids than I am. I don’t think there’s any question if you sat in a practice and watched, he’s harder on our guys than I am. And I love it, by the way. Because I can go over and say, ‘He’s really tough on you.’ ”

On North Carolina and Kentucky both being fast teams …

“I think both of us will be trying to slow down the other team as far as ‘get back.’ You’ll hear him (Roy Williams say), ‘Get back!’ And you’ll hear me, ‘Get back!’ We’ll both be yelling that probably 100 times a half. They’re fast. We’re fast. It probably will come down to, if you don’t get it quickly, who’s the better execution team? They’ve got juniors and seniors and older players and we’re playing freshmen. So, you tell me. So we’re gonna have to figure out how to be efficient. The game we lost it was one-on-one basketball. The synergy you need – alright, they stopped us; now we gotta play. Now we gotta create for each other. We weren’t ready for that. Hopefully we’re a little more ready this time.”

Info For The 2017 Sixth Annual John Calipari Basketball Experience

 The sixth annual John Calipari Basketball Fantasy Experience is set for Aug. 25-27, 2017 and is open for registration.

The John Calipari Basketball Fantasy Experience provides campers the opportunity to spend a weekend in the life of a Kentucky basketball player. Attendees have the option to play or coach and will receive expert instruction from Coach Cal, current UK Men’s basketball staff, former UK basketball greats and other celebrity guests.

“It’s really nice,” NFL Hall of Fame wide receiver Cris Carter said at last year’s event. “All different walks of life, different creeds, different parts of the country, but all of us have one common thing and that’s basketball, and we love basketball. That’s really, really refreshing to see older guys still enjoying to play, still competing, still trying to play the right way.”

The event includes a gear package for each participant, an all-access pass to UK training facilities and exclusive social events with Coach Cal. After taking a year off due to renovations, participants will once again play/coach and use the locker rooms inside historic Rupp Arena this year.

“This is kind of the heart and soul of college basketball,” Carter said. “It’s one of the five premier spots that they’ve ever played basketball at in the country. I think all that adds to the allure. And Coach Cal is so cool too. So down to earth. And the people he brings in, they know what they’re doing.”

The previous five John Calipari Basketball Fantasy Experiences have proven to be tremendously success, as UK Basketball Alumni and basketball enthusiasts have come to Lexington from across the United States. Combined with past UK alumni basketball and celebrity softball games, the event has generated more than $1.5 million for charity in each of the previous two years.

The John Calipari Basketball Fantasy Experience offers a chance to be a part of the inner workings of one of the premier programs in all of college basketball. Positions are limited and are secured on a first-come, first-served basis. The event sold out early in 2016, so participants are encouraged to register well in advance. For more information visitwww.johncalipariexperience.com.

Final OFFICIAL Kentucky vs. Hofstra Box-Score

Some Notes From Kentucky's Win Over Hofstra

Men’s Basketball Postgame Notes

Kentucky vs. Hofstra, Barclays Center, Brooklyn, N.Y.

December 11, 2016
Attendance: 7,514 

Final Score: No. 6/7 Kentucky 96, Hofstra 73

                                                         

Team Records and Series Notes

·        Kentucky is 9-1. Hofstra is 6-5.

·        This was the first meeting between the two teams.

·        Kentucky is 3-0 in neutral-site games this season. All of UK’s games away from Rupp Arena have been at neutral sites, thus far.

·        Kentucky is 3-1 all-time at Barclays Center.

·        Kentucky will play the second of a four-game stretch away from home against North Carolina on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.  The game will be televised on CBS at 5:45 p.m. ET.

In the First Half

·        Kentucky started the lineup of Isaiah Briscoe, De’Aaron Fox, Malik Monk, Derek Willis and Bam Adebayo for the fourth time this season and first game since the third game of the year.

·        The Wildcats opened the scoring on a Briscoe layup 15 seconds in. They never trailed.

·        Kentucky stretched the lead to double digits for the first time at the 10:18 mark, 24-14.

·        Willis made a 3-pointer at the 18:01 mark, extending Kentucky’s streak of 3-pointers to 985 consecutive games, the longest streak in the nation.

·        Hofstra closed the deficit to as few as three at the under-four timeout, 36-33, but Kentucky did not allow Hofstra to score from there until halftime.

·        UK closed the half on a 12-0 run.

In the Second Half

·        Kentucky scored the first six points of the second half.

·        By stretching the run to begin the second half, UK’s run ended at 18-0 over 5:20 spanning from the end of the first half to early in the second half. It was Kentucky’s second largest run of the year.

·        UK ultimately stretched that run to 26-3.

Team Notes

·        Calipari has a 671-188 (.781) on-court record, including a 226-48 (.825) mark at UK.

·        Kentucky shot 51.4 percent from the field, marking the sixth time in 10 games the Cats made more than half their shots.

·        UK had 20 assists on 37 made baskets. It was the fifth time this season that UK has topped the 20-assist plateau.

Player Notes  

·        Freshman Bam Adebayo finished with 14 points and seven rebounds.

·        He reached double-figure scoring for the seventh game in a row, and the eighth of the last nine.

·        Freshman Malik Monk had 20 points, and has reached double figures in all 10 games this season.

·        He scored 20+ points for the sixth time overall, and has reached that threshold in five of the last six.

·        He’s the first player to score 10 or more in 10 consecutive games since Jamal Murray scored 10 or more in 34 consecutive games.

·        Knocked down four 3-pointers and has made at least one 3-pointer in all 10 games this season.

·        He has hit four or more from long range in four games.

·        Senior Derek Willis tallied eight points, and a game-high eight rebounds.

·        It’s the first time this season Willis has led the team in rebounding.

·        The eight boards are a season high.

·        Sophomore Isaiah Briscoe had 19 points. 

·        He scored 15 in the first half, making his first six attempts.

·        His 15 first-half points were two shy of his first-half season-high, which he recorded against Canisius (Nov. 13)

·        He has reached double-figure scoring in all eight games he’s played in.

·        He finished with six assists, one shy of his career-high.

·        Freshman De’Aaron Fox scored 15 points, reaching double-figures for the ninth time this season, after scoring nine – his only game with fewer than 10 points against Valpo.

·        Senior Dominique Hawkins dished out three assists and now has 29 on the season.

·        He also made a 3-pointer and connected on both free-throw attempts