Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt OFFICIAL Box-Score

Coach Cal Pre-Vanderbilt Press Conference QUOTES

Head Coach John Calipari:

On what each of the three seniors mean to him …

“It’s a hard day because, you know, you remember them coming in. I remember watching them play in high school and Mychal (Mulder) in junior college. You know, you see their growth not only on the basketball court, (but) as people. You see the opportunities they’re now getting. You think about all of the players they had to go against and you shake your head and say, ‘How’d they survive?’ And they’re all three going to graduate. I mean, there’s a lot of stuff that’s there. And to see their families tomorrow and last game in Rupp (Arena), emotions will run high.”

On the difference it makes by having three seniors in the rotation …

“Yeah, and we need them to play well, and that’s what they’re doing right now. It takes it off of those freshmen that are sometimes in and out. This stuff is hard here. I mean, sometimes you go down based on your focus and your work, and then it takes you time to come back from that. If you have a senior who gets it and can step in and take the load off for a while until you figure things out, it’s always good.”

On the one thing you remember most about each one of the seniors …

“Just a lot. I can’t tell you just one thing. I mean, Mychal hadn’t been here as long as Derek (Willis) and Dominique (Hawkins), but the experience of what they’ve been through here, they probably walk away from here – other than a Darius Miller, but Darius didn’t play four years for me – you know, they walk away from this thing being able to take stuff with them. Especially Dom Hawkins and Derek.  They’re fan favorites because they’re from Kentucky, but even Mychal. I mean, they’re all three playing their best of their careers right now. I’m trying to build on that for them and hopefully finish that way.”

On Derek Willis saying that he changed his life by pushing him to do things that he didn’t want to do …

“And the whole staff. I don’t want to take more credit than I’m due, but I would say the bar, it’s high here. There’s an expectation that we don’t throw kids under the bus. Kids do stupid things. My own children do stupid things and they’re not getting thrown under the bus. We don’t do it here. Try to get them to grow from every experience, and you look at these players, those three seniors, and they’ve all grown. I mean, you know, there are times where we believe in them at some point in their careers more than they believe in themselves. And we believe they can do more than they believe they can do, and when you can get them to bounce through that, they have that kind of response that he had, which is, ‘I never thought I would do this and it changed me,’ and all that. You know, it’s just holding the bar.”

On what he saw from Dominique Hawkins at the state tournament in 2013 and his progress since then … 

“Well, you saw a guy that wasn’t afraid of the moment. You walk in that building and those events – I mean, that’s a big deal now. And if you grew up in this state and you’re in Rupp Arena and you’re playing at the end of the season and you’re making plays and you’re not afraid, it means you can play here. This isn’t for everybody, you know, and you saw that in him. And Derek, it was a potential of, oh my gosh. This young man here, the length, the ability to shoot the ball, the skill set, you know, we just gotta pull this all together. And look, every kid is on a different timetable here. We haven’t had every player leave after one year. And my--the only thing that has been tough for me is to convince kids that if you are not going to leave after a year, it’s OK. Like, it’s OK. ‘Well, I thought I was going to leave in a year.’ What? Who told you that? Where? What delusional person put that in your ear? So, that’s the hardest thing. These three came in knowing what they wanted to do, and I think all three of them will play professionally if they choose to do that. They are going to have opportunities.  You know, one of the GMs from Australia came in and was looking at Derek and Dom and Isaac (Humphries) and Mychal. And opportunities from there. You know, you get into this thing professionally and then other things break. I mean, you get opportunities you never thought you would have, but the good news for all three of them is they are going to have college degrees too to go along with it. I just, again, for those three to finish this thing and have a good run at the end where they walk away fulfilled on every front is what you would want. But I’m happy for all three of them really.”

On Hawkins’ defense in the 2014 Final Four run … 

“I remember the Michigan game before that where we stuck him in to guard the shooter [Nik Stauskas] and he went in and locked him down. The way he’s been playing now is just fight, battling. And, you know, he’ll forget stuff. [Mumbles like Hawkins is confused.] And then he’ll go, ‘Oh!’ But what are you going to say with a guy that’s diving all over the floor, taking charges, sticking his nose in, coming up with balls that he shouldn’t come up with, making layups and runners, and not afraid to play. He’s built his own self confidence and he has built that through practice. And he’s another one-- think of the guys he’s played against every day. I mean, there’s – whew.” 

On if Hawkins would be at Kentucky if he had not seen him in the KHSAA Sweet 16 … 

“I believe so. The only thing is I hate to take guys sight unseen. Every time I’ve done that in my career I’ve been wrong. So I am like gun shy about that. Even here I did it once and it was a mistake. So, you know, by seeing him it cemented for me. And I had heard all kind of good stuff, you know, and all the guys telling me. Athen when you meet him, you’re just like wow. Just a humble, smart, great teammate, polite. You know, great, great human being.”

On Dominique Hawkins and Derek Willis sticking out all four years …

“I think, again, you have guys that come in and understand what this is, and those two understood it. So did Mychal.. This is not easy; it’s not for everybody. Is this what you want before you come in? And if it is, then you’ll stick it out. If you’re delusional, sometimes you’d say, ‘I thought I’d be.’ What? I mean, there’s no magic wand here. Not every kid is going to be within six months all this and this. Sometimes it takes guys longer, and you try to talk. We’ve got a couple guys on this team – ‘It’s going to take you a littler longer. Are you willing to work? Or you think by I’ll run and it’ll happen for me somewhere else.’ OK, if that’s what you believe. But I think, again, when you’re talking those two, they were also from Kentucky. I mean, this was probably their dream. I don’t know if anyone asked that question, but I would imagine that was their dream, to play for us here.”

On if there is any pressure to see Hawkins and Willis succeed because they’re from Kentucky …

“You care about every kid in the program and you want them all to be the best version of themselves. And what I can tell you about those two is right now – and I said this this morning in a meeting with them – they’ve never played better in their careers as they’re playing right now, and I can say the same for Mychal. And that’s what you want as a coach. You want them to be ready for opportunities when they have to wait. You want them to learn about leadership, servant leadership. You want them to share, to give up something so someone else can have something. They embody that. I feel pressure for each of these kids, not just two or not just seniors. I mean, every one of them.”

On if the seniors will start tomorrow …

“Yeah, I always start the seniors.”

On how dangerous Vanderbilt is …

“Very dangerous. I’ve watched tape. I watched it Saturday after the game and I watched it yesterday and I watched it today. They’re playing their best basketball. They’re making shots. They’re cutting hard. They played us all zone last time, and now they’re not playing zone at all. They struggled defensively and they’re not now. I tell ya, they’re playing and they’re playing together and they’ve figured it out. It’s like every team we play. It’s just all of a sudden they’re playing well and then they play us.”

On Vanderbilt feeling like they have something to play for, not house money …

“I would say it’s not, but they may play it that way, and if they do, you’ll know. You’ll say, ‘Oh, these dudes are playing like it’s house money.’ Even though there’s something at stake. I think, again, they’re a NCAA Tournament team. They’ve gotta probably win a couple games, but I would say they’re an NCAA Tournament team. They will have the No. 1 schedule in the country at the end of the regular season. No. 1.”

On his tweet about waking up in the middle of the night because of anxiety …

“The last couple of days I’ve just, my mind’s been racing and I kind jumped up, and I told the staff that. Eric (Lindsey) and my wife (Ellen) said, ‘What, do you have anxiety?’ I just laugh. I said, ‘No I don’t have anxiety. I give anxiety.’ And then Kenny Payne was laughing. He said, ‘I woke up in the middle of the night yelling at Bam.’ [Laughter.] And I said, ‘All of us are losing our minds right now.’ As you go through this, this consumes you. I know, you know, people know I do other things. I have to because I’ll wake up at 3 in the morning if I’m not. My mind’s got to be consumed with some other stuff, not just basketball, because even when I’m sleeping that stuff happens. Why didn’t he rebound? What? Where am I? So, we just put it out because we laughed.”

On if De’Aaron Fox will play tomorrow night …

“I have no idea. I haven’t seen him. This morning he was in the meeting but I didn’t ask him.”

Bam Adebayo Named SEC Freshman of The Week

After averaging 20 points and 15 rebounds a game in a 2-0 week for the Kentucky Wildcats, Bam Adebayo was named the Southeastern Conference’s Freshman of the Week for the first time this season. Adebayo was simply sensational in UK’s two victories, which included a little bit of history for Kentucky’s big man.

He posted a 22-point, 15-rebound effort as he nearly single-handedly willed the Cats to a 72-62 win on the road at Missouri on Tuesday. It was a career day on the boards for the Little Washington, North Carolina, native, who also topped 20 points for the third time in his career. It was the first 20-15 game for any Wildcat since Julius Randle turned the trick on Nov. 8, 2013. Adebayo was steady throughout the game, including knocking down a career-high 10 free throws.

Adebayo then followed that performance with 18 points and another 15 rebounds in a win over No. 13/12 Florida on Saturday. The game gave UK a one-game edge with two to play in the league standings for the regular-season crown. He teamed up with fellow freshman Malik Monk to score 42 of UK’s 48 second-half points. With his team-leading fifth double-double, he became the first Wildcat to notch consecutive double-doubles since Tyler Ulis last March – and the first forward to do so since Alex Poythress in November of 2015. 

With back-to-back games of 15 rebounds, he made significant history for UK. He is the first Wildcat to haul in consecutive games of 15 or more rebounds since Jared Prickett on Feb. 6 and Feb. 9, 1994. He’s the first Wildcat since Sam Bowie on March 1 and March 3, 1984 to post 15 or more rebounds against consecutive SEC foes.

Adebayo’s presence on the glass has been incredible for the Cats as of late. He has pulled down at least seven rebounds in each of his last seven games and is averaging 12.5 boards over his last four. UK is averaging a plus-11.5 rebounding margin in its current six-game winning streak, with Adebayo being the central figure in that turnaround.

For the week, Adebayo paced UK in rebounding and blocked shots. He was second on the team in scoring (by four points). Adebayo connected on 65.0 percent of his shots, which was tops on the teams. He was also terrific at the charity stripe with a 77.8 percent clip.

Kentucky has won the SEC Freshman of the Week a league-leading seven times this season. Adebayo’s honor is the first of his career and the 10th weekly award of the season for the Wildcats, most in the conference.

Notes From Kentucky's 76-66 Win Over Florida

Final Score: #11/10 Kentucky 76, #13/12 Florida 66

Team Records and Series Notes:

• Kentucky has won six in a row and is 24-5 overall. UK is 14-2 in the Southeastern Conference and takes a one-game lead in the standings with two games to play. 
• Florida ended a nine-game winning streak and is 23-6 overall, 13-3 in league play.
• Kentucky leads the series 100-38, including 51-9 in Lexington.  
• Next for the Wildcats: UK plays host to Vanderbilt on Tuesday at 9 p.m. and will be televised by ESPN. It will be Senior Night as UK honors Dominique Hawkins, Mychal Mulder and Derek Willis. 

In the First Half:

• With De’Aaron Fox out with injury (left knee contusion), senior Mychal Mulder got his first collegiate start, joining Isaiah Briscoe, Malik Monk, Wenyen Gabriel and Bam Adebayo in the starting lineup.
• Florida zipped to an 8-0 lead, prompting a UK timeout at 18:09. 
• UK eventually got on the board with a pair of Adebayo foul shots with 16:23 on the clock but Florida stretched its lead to 12 points at 18-6.  
• From that mark, UF would score only 10 points the last 13 minutes of the half.
• UK responded with a 17-3 spurt, giving the Wildcats their only lead of the half at 23-21. At that point, however, UK did not make a field goal the last seven minutes of the half.
• Early in the 17-3 run, Derek Willis extended UK’s streak of 1,004 consecutive games with a 3-point shot.
• Florida came back with a 7-0 run to make it 28-23 Gators. The Wildcats hit five foul shots to send the game into intermission tied at 28 despite shooting just 28.6 percent in the first half.

In the Second Half:

• Florida came out hot, scoring 17 points in the first 4:17 of the half to make it 45-37.
• Monk carried the Cats by scoring 19 of UK’s first 23 points in the opening 8:30 of the half.
• UK returned to the lead, 53-52, on an Adebayo bucket with 10:45 to go.  
• Tied at 55, Adebayo got a pair of foul shots and a dunk, sparking a 15-5 run that gave the Wildcats the lead for good.
• Monk scored 30 of his game-high 33 points in the second half, going 8 of 13 from the floor with four 3-pointers.

Team Notes:

• Kentucky held Florida to 66 points.
• UK is 15-0 this season when limiting the opponent to 72 or fewer points.
• Florida shot 36.6 percent from the field. UK is 14-0 this season when limiting the opponent to less than 43 percent.
• Kentucky shot 45.3 percent from the field. UK is 23-1 this season when shooting at least 42 percent.
• Kentucky won the rebounding for the sixth straight game – coinciding with the six-game win streak – 48-30.  
• UK has outrebounded opponents by 11.8 boards per game during the current six-game win streak.
• After being outrebounded by 25 in the loss at Florida, Kentucky was plus-18 Saturday, producing a 43-rebound swing over the two games.
• UK is 20-2 this season when outrebounding the opponent. 
• UK is now 209-4 (.981) under Calipari in games leading by at least 10 points. 
• Calipari has a 686-192 (.781) on-court record, including a 241-52 (.826) mark at UK.
• Kentucky has an all-time mark of 560-66 (.895) in Rupp Arena.  
• UK is 133-6 (.957) at Rupp Arena under John Calipari.

Player Notes:  

• Freshman Malik Monk tallied 33 points, including 30 of UK’s 48 points in the second half. 
• 30 points is the most in one half by a UK player under Coach Calipari. The previous best was 27 by Monk vs. in the first half North Carolina on Dec. 17 and by Jamal Murray in the second half vs. Ohio State on Dec. 19, 2015.
• Monk is the first freshman in UK history to have 30 points in four games in one season.
• This was Monk’s 16th 20-point game of the season.
• He continued his streak of double-figure scoring in every game this season. 
• He also led the Wildcats in assists with five.
• Freshman Bam Adebayo had 18 points and 15 rebounds, his second consecutive double-double and fourth of the season.
• He is the first Wildcat with consecutive double-doubles since Tyler Ulis last March.
• The 15 rebounds ties his career high set last Tuesday at Missouri.
• He is averaging 12.5 rebounds over the last four games.
• Sophomore Isaiah Briscoe had nine points and eight rebounds. Briscoe has pounded the backboards lately, averaging 7.6 caroms over the last 10 games.
• Senior Derek Willis had five points and nine rebounds, all on the defensive end.
• Freshman De’Aaron Fox missed the game because of a left knee contusion. After the game, Coach Calipari said that Fox would have been about “70 percent” had he played.
• Senior Mychal Mulder made his first collegiate start in place of the injured Fox.  He played 22 minutes, tying his career high, and contributed four points and an assist.
• Senior Dominique Hawkins played a career-high 37 minutes. He scored three points, gathered a career-high six rebounds and added four assists.
• Sophomore Isaac Humphries made his only shot of the game. UK is now 22-0 this season when Humphries scores.

Kentucky Player QUOTES After Big Win Over Florida

#25, Dominique Hawkins, Senior, G:

On how the game plan changed without De’Aaron Fox …

“Everybody knows once you get on the court you have to give it your all.”

On the difference between the first and second half …

“I felt like everybody picked it up a notch. Everybody was communicating on defense. Malik and Bam wanted the ball to score. They went all for it. So it gave us, made us relax, the guys that didn’t need to score as much.” 

On the difference between the game at Gainesville vs. Rupp …

“I feel like that we knew we needed to fight. I feel like we didn’t fight as much in Gainesville as in Lexington. So we definitely talked to each other in the huddles and said we need to get stops and communicate on defense and just continue to fight.” 

On the difference in rebounding … 

“Pretty much boxing out because they run at least three guys to the rim and if we would have just kept them boxed out we were able to get rebounds.” 

On the motivation early in the game when Kentucky was down …

“We were just saying don’t let this happen again because it looked like it was about to be a rerun of what they did to us at their place. We just said that we’ll be able to get stuff going. Just be patient and everything will fall together.” 

#3, Bam Adebayo, Freshman, F:

On another impressive double-double …

“My confidence just keeps building. My teammates believe in me and I believe in them. We keep winning, so you know, I’m having fun.”

On being in better shape …

“I think I lost like 10 pounds. I think that has a big factor to it. Just keeping my body right and I’ve starting eating healthier. And, I’m watching my diet.”

On making a comeback after the second half …

“Just having fight and just having that heart. You know, keep playing and keep fighting. We fought back into it, and we came out with a W.”

On his boost in confidence …

“When you lead the whole way, some people start getting relaxed, but just fighting back, and we get up, it keeps building our confidence, it keeps pushing the lead.”

On a win like today …

“It builds our confidence; it builds Coach Cal’s confidence. We are going to the tournament, you know, looking forward.”

On missing Fox …

“We were missing a player, but it helps us build our confidence. When he gets back, he needs to have his confidence built, and we are going to the next game with a lot of confidence.”

#5, Malik Monk, G:

On if he felt “hotter” today or during the UNC/ first Georgia game…

“I think I was hotter North Carolina than I was today. I had a great first half but I think I was pretty hot today though.”   

On having 30 in the first half…

“I didn’t know that until after the game. I was just playing, but it was crazy. ”

On what was different in the second half…

“I was way more patient in the second half than I was in the first half. I was, like I said, getting to the lane.”

On if he has ever had a game where Coach Calipari was as mad at him in the first half as he was happy with him at the end of the game…

“It ain’t no telling with him. He’s all over the place.”

On what Coach Calipari thought of his defense early in the game…

“No, he didn’t say anything. I think I was contesting all of his shots; he was just making tough shots.”

On playing without Fox tonight…

“I think we did that Georgia game, too -- we didn’t play with Fox. So it was the same thing, kind of. ”

John Calipari Quotes After Big Win Over Florida

John Calipari:

Q. How much do you think Malik develops muscles to where he gets it going to where --
JOHN CALIPARI: What happened to Malik, we were on him to drive, to get fouled. Don't drive to release and throw some crazy thing, just try to get fouled. That's why I grabbed him. We have been doing it all year and harder to play that way and Florida's an obviously a highly ranked team. They're tough physically, they had won nine in a row, they were confident. You're not going to beat them shooting threes or fadeaways, you got to attack. If you attack, you're going to get beat up a little bit, you're going to get grabbed a little bit, you're going to get hip checked some. I was really -- we didn't want to try to beat them shooting threes and I said it before the game. I said, if you think you're going to beat these guys by shooting threes, you will not. You got to get to the glass, you got to get to the foul line, it's how you got to play.

Q. A lot of your big men late in the season kind of turned the corner, has Bam done that do you think?
JOHN CALIPARI: I hope so. I hope so. Had a smile on his face, we did some things different to go at him where we're saying, look, we're either going to go at Malik or we're going to go at Bam, and then we're going to play off that. We're not going to try to make this fancy, let's just do it. I like how we played when you're one man down. I thought Isaiah Briscoe, nine points and eight rebounds playing the point. I thought Dom was outstanding again. We just got to get a team full of guys really locked into what we're doing. At the end, okay, okay, there's just two plays, Malik went baseline and tried to -- why would you do that? There was a man in the corner. The shot was taken on the perimeter. We don't have to score another basket to win, and Isaiah went flying in there and gave them a breakout. Why did you do that? Now, those are the things that were costing us up 18, those kind of plays and we got to get away from them. But the biggest thing this team did is they fought in the second half. Think about it, we shot 28 percent at halftime. 28 percent. We must have missed nine layups. And we're in a tie game. That means you're fighting, that means you're giving yourself a chance to win.

Q. Did we see today maybe kind of again but more than ever why even when it's really bad for Malik maybe early you got to ride him and give him a chance to do what he did.
JOHN CALIPARI: Yeah, but I'm still learning about him. I'm still learning. I'm still learning about Bam. I keep coming back to the same thing. This is different here. I have a brand new team every year. So when you're trying to put that team together, sometimes it takes you the entire season to figure out how should we be playing. It takes the other teams half a season to figure out how to guard us and then they lock into, here's what we're taking away, these four or five things, and we're going to make them play to these things. And then we got to regroup and say, okay, now what do we do? And that's, a lot of times, by the end of the year. I mean, to be honest, next year will be the same way. Beginning of the year, oh, high flying, shooting dunks, oh my gosh. And then you get to the middle of the year and, wow, they're not getting as many easy baskets. Ooh, they're having to work, they're having to be patient, they're having to set screens. Yeah, you got to play basketball now. But I like the fact that we fought and I said, and for De'Aaron Fox, hey, man, when you come back, you better be to the level of these guys fighting. That's where you need to be.

Q. You mentioned the last game, the difference in rebounding, it was almost a 40 rebound swing between last game and this game?
JOHN CALIPARI: Their big kid got hurt and he's out. So that played a part of it. But were you at the game down in Florida?

Q. No, I was not.
JOHN CALIPARI: Okay, well we got beat to every 50/50 ball, we got shoved and pushed and we accepted every block out and they just man handled us. That's what they did. And we just, one of the things is you talk about you can't be that team. And my thing in this game and the games coming up, it's not -- look, I want to win every game I coach. It is about getting us right for this late season run. And you all know, the second half we showed, wow, if they play that way, they're going to be fine. Now can we play, can that be us? Or are we not locked into each other. Or are we not this team. If we're this team, I like what I'm seeing.

Q. So six straight wins since the reboot, are we right?
JOHN CALIPARI: No, we still are tweaking a little bit. There's some tweaking going on right now.

Q. To win a game like this without De'Aaron, what did you learn anything new about your team?
JOHN CALIPARI: I'm saying this, because if he had played he would have been 70 percent. So what I'm saying is, I knew that. I really wanted us to play the game without him. For us and for him. And now it's like, okay, but we made runs in the middle of the game with Isaiah on the bench. He wasn't in. That's good for this team to know, you could have foul trouble, you could have an injury, something could happen. You can still win if you're playing the right way. If you're creating good shots for each other. If you're defending and rebounding like crazy, flying to get easy baskets, if it's not there, I will be patient. If it takes me the whole shot clock to get a shot, I will. We're getting closer. But when you're playing all freshmen and sophomores, it's -- thank goodness for Dom and Derek and thank goodness for Mychal. Mychal's playing better.

Q. When it's rocking, Rupp is a big advantage for the team and today felt like one of the bigger atmospheres for the event. Did the crowd really bring it to this team today, did that help carry them a lot more than the past teams?
JOHN CALIPARI: No, it's every team. I can remember games that were so electric that I was just happy that I had a chance to coach in the game. This was one of those kind of games and I thought our fans were great. You know what's great about these fans? When we had that bad start, they don't boo. They're like come on, you can do this. That's a Kentucky fan. That's a classy fan. If you notice, when they introduced Florida, they didn't boo Florida. They didn't boo. They didn't boo the other coach. Now if they did that to me and didn't boo, I would probably retire. I want them to do that to me. But these fans are about our team and our players. And that's why I love walking in. It was jammed in there. Jammed. That has to be -- when I looked to the upper deck and people are sitting like this (Indicating) I know we got a lot of people in the house tonight.

Q. How do you hope it benefits De'Aaron to not be part of it and you guys win?
JOHN CALIPARI: Well just, he watches and you better step on the gas. We defended. We defended. You know what we guarded pretty good? Pick and roll. We guarded, because we fought over every pick and roll and then we switched a couple times and we went back to fighting over. No one died in any screen. I mean, okay now, this is what it is when we're doing it the right way.

Q. There was a point in the game when Humphries had a wide open shot --
JOHN CALIPARI: Who?

Q. Humphries. And he didn't take it. And he gave it up and they gave it back to him and he took a shot and drilled it. What was your reaction to it and what was his?
JOHN CALIPARI: Well, my reaction to the shot at Missouri that he missed, he's making in a five minute drill, 70 to 75 shots in five minutes. He misses five to six shots. Those kind of shots that you saw him take. And then gets in the game and misses and it drives me absolutely crazy. So, I expect him, because I watch him every day, to make that shot. And to take that shot. He's built his own confidence. Again, he's doing way better, but Bam's, you got to keep him on the court. He's a dominating presence.

Q. In your 50 years of coaching how many times have you had a kid get 30 points in a half?
JOHN CALIPARI: Oh, he got 30 in a half? No wonder when I got on him about a couple bad shots he looked at me like I was crazy. I didn't know he had 30 in a half. So, good for him.

Q. Have you had a kid do that before?
JOHN CALIPARI: Jerry will look it up. He'll tell you.

Q. (No microphone.)
JOHN CALIPARI: He had 50 in a half.

Q. They beat you by 10 at their place, y'all beat them by 10 up here.
JOHN CALIPARI: They beat us by 20 down there.

Q. What would round three looked like in the SEC tournament?
JOHN CALIPARI: A war. Believe me, we got Vandy coming up and we got to go to Texas A&M. They got two tough games. I don't think either one of us are looking to, oh, we want to get them again. Honestly, I hope we don't have to face them again. Because they're that good. They got guys that can go crazy and make shots and they're athletic and long, they can block shots. They had two blocks today, but we only had two. That's unusual for them and us.

Q. What did you say to Briscoe when you took the ball from him after the technical?
JOHN CALIPARI: I didn't want him to go back after -- I saw the push. I didn't see the first push. I saw the push and I thought he called the technical on the kid. And I did not want him -- you got to be a man in those situations and walk away. That's what a man does. A child immediately has to go push back. When you just won. Why would you push back? Now you just lost. So I grabbed him, and he has a way at times, you say something to him, I'm a man, I'm not going to -- what? No, you walk and we win the game and you laugh after the game. So that's what I grabbed the ball for. I didn't know there was a push and he was coming over to me telling me, look, I didn't try to push him. So then I said you did push him then. Yeah, but I didn't try. Okay. Try harder not to try. How about that one?

Some Notes From Kentucky's Win Over Missouri

Men’s Basketball Postgame Notes

Kentucky at Missouri, Mizzou Arena, Columbia, Mo.

Feb. 21, 2017
Attendance: 11,574

Final Score: No. 11/10 Kentucky 72, Missouri 62

                                                         

Team Records and Series Notes:

·         Kentucky won its fifth game in a row and is 23-5 overall, 13-2 in the Southeastern Conference. Missouri is 7-20, 2-13 in the SEC.

·         Kentucky leads the series 10-0

o    UK leads 3-0 in Columbia.

·         Next for Kentucky: the Wildcats return to Rupp Arena Saturday against Florida. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET on CBS.

o    Kentucky and Florida sit atop the SEC standings with identical 13-2 league records.

o    Florida won the two teams’ first meeting this season 88-66 in Gainesville on Feb. 4.

In the First Half:

·         Kentucky started the lineup of Isaiah Briscoe, De’Aaron Fox, Malik Monk, Wenyen Gabriel and Bam Adebayo for the 20th time this season. UK is 16-4 with this lineup.

·         Malik Monk’s 3-pointer with 18:51 on the clock extended UK’s streak of 1,003 consecutive games with a triple.

·         Missouri scored the first two baskets of the game, but never led by more than four.

·         Kentucky led by as many as five.

In the Second Half:

·         Kentucky scored the first three buckets of the second half to pull out to a 37-31 lead at the 17:28 mark.

·         Mizzou used a 6-0 run over 0:45 to tie the game at 52-52 at the 7:45 mark.

·         Adebayo finished a traditional three-point play on the ensuing UK possession.

o    UK led the rest of the game.

·         Kentucky opened its lead to double-digits for the first time at the 1:40 mark when Derek Willis finished a Fox alley-oop on the fast break.

o    UK used a 16-6 run to take that 68-58 lead.

·         From tied at 52-52 with 7:45 to play, Kentucky finished the game by outscoring Mizzou 20-10.

Team Notes:

·         Kentucky shot 46.2 percent from the field. UK is 23-1 this season when shooting at least 42 percent.

·         Kentucky won the rebounding battle for the fifth straight game, 44-31. UK is 19-3 this season when outrebounding the opponent.

o    Since losing the battle of the boards in the loss at Florida, UK has had an average rebounding margin better than +10 per game during the current five-game win streak.

·         Calipari has a 685-192 (.781) on-court record, including a 240-52 (.822) mark at UK.

·         Kentucky’s 17 turnovers tied its season-high. The other occurrences were the loss to Kansas, and the win against South Carolina.

·         UK’s two steals tied its season low (at Vanderbilt).

·         UK improved to 142-5 when holding an opponent to 63 points or less under Calipari.

Player Notes:

·         Freshman Bam Adebayo had 22 points and grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds.

·         He tallied the first 20-point, 10-rebound game of his career.

·         It was his fourth double-double of the year which ties him with Briscoe and Fox for the team lead.

·         He's pulled down seven or more rebounds in his last six games.

·         He tied his career highs with 10 made free throws on 13 attempts.

·         He scored more than 20 for the first time since going for 21 at Tennessee on Jan. 24.

·         He blocked three shots, one shy of his career high.

·         Freshman De’Aaron Fox had 13 points, and added five rebounds and four assists.

·         Freshman Malik Monk tallied 11 points, continuing his streak of double-figure scoring in every game this season.

Some Notes From Kentucky's Close Win Over Georgia

Men’s Basketball Postgame Notes

Kentucky at Georgia, Stegeman Coliseum, Athens, Ga.

Feb. 18, 2017
Attendance: 10,523

Final Score: No. 13/11 Kentucky 82, Georgia 77

                                                             

Team Records and Series Notes:

·         Kentucky won its fourth game in a row and is 22-5 overall, 12-2 in the Southeastern Conference. Georgia is 15-12, 6-8 in the SEC.

o    Kentucky swept the season series.

·         Kentucky leads the series 123-26.

o    UK leads 42-17 in Athens.

o    UK has won eight in a row in the series.

·         Next for Kentucky: the Wildcats continue their two-game road swing at Missouri on Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET. SEC Network will air the game.

In the First Half:

·         Kentucky started the lineup of Isaiah Briscoe, De’Aaron Fox, Malik Monk, Wenyen Gabriel and Bam Adebayo for the 19th time this season. UK is 15-4 with this lineup.

·         Malik Monk’s 3-pointer with 16:15 on the clock extended UK’s streak of 1,002 consecutive games with a triple.

·         Kentucky went on an 8-0 run over 2:15 to take a 13-8 lead at the 13:07 mark.

·         Kentucky led by as many as five in the first half, Georgia’s largest first-half lead was by four with 19:03.

·         Georgia guard J.J. Frazier hit a 3-pointer as time expired to cut Kentucky’s halftime lead to two, 33-31.

In the Second Half:

·         Neither team was able to pull away throughout the second half.

·         From 73-73 with 1:12 to play, Kentucky closed the game on a 9-4 run.

·         Kentucky made 17 free throws in a row during the final 6:17 of the game, including nine straight in the final minute, before Adebayo’s inconsequential miss with five seconds left.

Team Notes:

·         Kentucky shot a season-high 82.1 percent (23 of 28) at the line. 

o    UK made 17 of its last 18 free throws.

·         Kentucky shot 46.6 percent from the field. UK is 22-1 this season when shooting at least 42 percent.

·         Kentucky won the rebounding for the fourth straight game, 41-26. UK is 18-3 this season when outrebounding the opponent.

o    Since losing the battle of the boards in the loss at Florida, UK has had an average rebounding margin of +10 during the current four-game win streak.

o    Georgia’s 26 rebounds tied UT-Martin and LSU for the fewest by a UK opponent this season.

·         Calipari has a 684-192 (.781) on-court record, including a 239-52 (.821) mark at UK.

·         Georgia guard J.J. Frazier scored a game-high 36 points, the most an opposing player has scored against UK this year.UK has allowed four players to score more than 30 this year. The Wildcats had allowed an opposing player to score more than 30 in a game five times in the four years prior to this.

o    Frazier scored the most points against UK since Elston Turner scored 40 to lead Texas A&M to a 83-71 win in Rupp Arena Jan. 12, 2013.

·         Kentucky held Georgia to three made 3-pointers, trying the season-low by a UK opponent this year. UK has held its opponent to just three made 3s in three straight games.

Player Notes:  

·         Freshman De’Aaron Fox had 16 points, and added five rebounds and five assists.

·         He scored 14 of them in the final 4:36 of the game – eight of them on free throws.

·         His 10 free-throw attempts tied his career-high.

·         Freshman Malik Monk tallied 16 points, continuing his streak of double-figure scoring in every game this season.

·         His five first-half assists were his most in any half this season. He finished with five dimes.

·         After being held scoreless through the first 13:26 of the second half, he scored eight points in the final 6:44 of the game.

·         Senior Derek Willis grabbed a career-high-tying 12 rebounds.

·         He scored seven points on a perfect 3 of 3 shooting, including one made 3.

·         Freshman Bam Adebayo had 13 points and grabbed eight rebounds.

·         Senior Dominique Hawkins followed up his season-high 10-point performance last Tuesday with nine tonight.

·         Senior Mychal Mulder scored nine points – his most since scoring 12 vs. Auburn on Jan. 14.

·         All his made baskets were 3-pointers (three).