Calipari says EJ Montgomery’s doubtful to play in Kentucky-Evansville game
Five takeaways from Kentucky interviews previewing Tuesday night’s game against Evansville:
▪ UK Coach John Calipari said it is doubtful that EJ Montgomery will play against Evansville. UK wants to be sure Montgomery is fully recovered from an ankle injury before returning to the lineup.
▪ When asked about ex-Cat Walter McCarty coaching Evansville, Calipari said he wants former players to return and feel the love. “I think he’ll feel that,” Calipari said.
▪ Calipari credited the presence of veteran players, particularly sophomore point guard Ashton Hagans, for Kentucky getting off to a good start on defense.
▪ Freshman Kahlil Whitney played relatively little defense on the high school level, Calipari said. So far he’s playing well enough defensively that a lack of offense won’t affect his playing time, Calipari said.
▪ Reaction to UK being voted No. 1 in the new AP Top 25 poll ranged from Whitney saying it was “kind of expected” to Immanuel Quickley saying he needed more time to form a reaction.
