Playing on the road in the SEC can be ‘really crazy,’ UK’s Quickley says
No matter what happens in Kentucky’s first “true” road game Tuesday night at Georgia, its players can solace in knowing it would have been worse at Tennessee.
That’s how sophomore Immanuel Quickley reacted when asked about UK playing on the opponent’s home court. He rated UT’s Thompson-Boling Arena as the toughest road environment UK faced in the Southeastern Conference last season.
“Pretty tough,” he said on Monday. “That was probably the loudest arena I’ve been in.”
Quickley did not need any prompting to recall Kentucky’s game at Georgia last season.
“Georgia was really crazy, especially for Ashton (Hagans),” he said. “Even in warmups, they were yelling and screaming at Ashton. All about his commitment. … I’m sure it’ll be a lot of fun for him in this game, too.”
Hagans, who grew up in Cartersville, Ga., originally committed to Georgia. The uncertainty over then-Coach Mark Fox’s job security led to a decommitment.
When asked how well he thought Hagans handled the hostility in Athens last season, Quickley quipped, “He handled it with 30.”
Actually, Hagans scored 23 points. But, he handled it well as UK won 69-49.
Tuesday night’s game has long been a sellout.
“We’re going to need every one of those people to have a chance in this game,” Georgia Coach Tom Crean said.
Stats savant Ken Pomeroy expects a challenging time for Kentucky in “true” road games this season. His calculations gave UK a less than 50 percent chance of winning five of the 10 such games: 35 percent at Auburn, 44 percent at LSU and Florida, 46 percent at Arkansas and 41 percent at Texas Tech. Pomeroy favored UK at Georgia (59 percent), at South Carolina (73 percent), at Tennessee (54 percent), at Vanderbilt (79 percent) and at Texas A&M (81 percent).
“Most teams’ student sections are, like, right on the floor,” Quickley said. “So, they’re screaming and yelling and saying stuff. You’ve got to try to be composed. For freshmen, that can be tough. I’ve seen it before, so I probably won’t be too rattled or too nervous.”
Sestina as Willis
Assistant coach Joel Justus likened Nate Sestina to former UK forward Derek Willis. Even if neither player was making three-point shots, he posed enough of a threat to draw defensive attention from opponents, Justus said.
“Anytime you have somebody on the floor that’s skilled, that can shoot, that can pass, that can read the game like Nate an and does, it opens up different things for the other guys,” Justus said.
Willis did this for such teammates as Jamal Murray, Tyler Ulis, De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk. Now, Sestina, who missed his two three-point attempts since the 5-for-8 starburst against Ohio State, contributes in a similar way.
“Sometimes the best thing that he can do is never have the ball because it opens up the floor for the other guys,” Justus said.
Guarded praise
Crean lavished praise on UK’s guards.
“I was talking to a coach who recently played them,” the Georgia coach said. “And he said, film doesn’t do justice for how explosive and how big (Tyrese) Maxey is. That just puts another thing in your head.”
Crean added that Quickley plays at a high level and Hagans was one of the best lead guards in the country.
Of Maxey, Crean said, “He’s got a burst that is enormous.”
Seeking statement?
In its last game, Georgia won 65-62 at No. 9 Memphis. That snapped Memphis’ 10-game winning streak and marked Georgia’s first road win against a top-10 team since 2004 (77-70 over No. 10 Kentucky on Jan. 8, 2011).
Against Kentucky, Georgia wants to “build on what it does for you, confidence-wise,” Crean said. “Build on what it does for you, spirit-wise.”
Crean dismissed the suggestion that Georgia could validate a status as a quality program with back-to-back victories over ranked opponents.
“Then we start getting to where it’s bigger than what it is,” Crean said. “It’s the next game for us. It’s not proving anything to America.”
Go all 40?
With Hagans’ status clouded by an ankle sprain and Johnny Juzang having been sick with a virus, UK’s rotation could be short two players.
“That could be, like a 37-, 38-minute type game for me and Tyrese (Maxey),” Quickley said of playing at Georgia. “We’re in shape. But, you kind of want to get that five-, six-, seven-minute rest if you can.
“If we have to go all 40, I’m pretty sure we can go all 40.”
Etc.
Karl Ravech, Jay Bilas and sideline reporter Marty Smith will call the game for ESPN. … Crean spoke of excitement generated by ESPN’s presence. “I think that’s a big deal,” he said.
