catmandoo
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Member # 1284
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posted 03-20-2014 08:04 PM
K-State just might be sorry what they wished for. I just hope our players don't look past them or we could be in for a long night, I know our coachs won't but sometimes players don't get the message.
Kentucky won't be facing a team intimidated by the Wildcats' talent, size or the name on the front of their jersey on Friday.
In fact, Kansas State is itching for a shot at UK.
"My face just lit up," forward Shane Southwell said after the Selection Show on Sunday.
Southwell and his teammates know the names and faces of UK's players. Having watched Kentucky for much of the season on television, they even had an idea of how their second-round opponents would play before watching film.
"I was ecstatic because I love playing against great teams and great players," Southwell said. "When you are a high school player, you think about certain programs. You thing about Kentucky, Duke and Kansas, honestly, and it would be a great opportunity to beat a team of that nature."
That confidence doesn't come out of nowhere. Though the ninth-seeded Wildcats (20-12) have lost three in a row heading into a matchup with eight seed Kentucky (24-10) at approximately 9:40 p.m. ET on Friday, they come from a league viewed by many as the best in the nation.
Seven of the Big 12's 10 teams reached the NCAA Tournament, all of them seeded ninth or better. Kansas State has wins over five of them, including Kansas. The Wildcats also handed Iowa State -- one of the hottest teams in the country -- a loss on March 1.
"Our league, I hope, has prepared us for this, a talented team," Kansas State head coach Bruce Weber said of UK. "They've got athletes. I think they get to the boards. They've got some inside presence."
UK's inside presence comes in the form of 7-footers Dakari Johnson and Willie Cauley-Stein, as well as Julius Randle and Alex Poythress. Randle and Poythress -- standing 6-foot-9 and 6-8, respectively -- are taller than any Kansas State player who averages more than 15 minutes per game.
Though Kansas State's two starting post players -- Southwell and Thomas Gipson -- are just 6-7, UK head coach John Calipari knows they'll present a challenge with their strength. Gipson especially, at 265 pounds, will be a handful.
"I watched some tape and I'll tell you what: They're veteran, physical; great defensively; motion offense -- different kinds of motion; and then try to beat you on the dribble and they're physical," John Calipari said.
Link
[ 03-20-2014, 08:04 PM: Message edited by: catmandoo ]
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http://www.ukfightsong.com/
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