Does Kentucky need win at Texas Tech for NCAA seeding? John Calipari weighs in.
Takeaways from Friday’s interviews previewing Kentucky’s game at Texas Tech on Saturday:
(Note: Coach John Calipari spoke before freshman Kahlil Whitney made his decision to leave UK public.)
▪ In this season marked by parity, Calipari downplayed how Saturday’s game might affect NCAA Tournament seeding. “I think seeding does not matter,” he said. “This is one of those years I’m not going to say much about seeding.”
▪ UK expects a hostile environment at Texas Tech. “It’s another environment for us to walk into,” Calipari said, “but it’s what we’re about. Immanuel Quickley voiced confidence in UK’s ability to handle Tech’s home-court advantage. Tech has won 54 straight games against non-conference opponents at home. “I think we’re really well prepared,” Quickley said.
▪ Johnny Juzang smiled when asked about Calipari applauding how the freshman has had the courage to take shots. “I’ve never been one to hesitate,” Juzang said.
▪ Quickley said he accepted being considered a defensive stopper. But he stopped short of taking bows. He said UK plays team defense.
▪ Calipari said he wants to change Nate Sestina’s mental approach. The UK coach said he had seen Sestina change from a player wanting to prove he belonged on Kentucky’s level to a player feeling a need to live up to his previous performances.
Saturday
No. 15 Kentucky at No. 18 Texas Tech
What: Big 12/SEC Challenge
When: 6 p.m. EST
TV: ESPN
Radio: WLAP-AM 630, WBUL-FM 98.1
Records: Kentucky 14-4 (5-1 SEC), Texas Tech 12-6 (3-3 Big 12)
Series: Kentucky leads 4-0
Last meeting: Kentucky won 83-68 on Dec. 17, 1994, at U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati.
This story was originally published January 24, 2020 at 1:53 PM.
