Kentucky faces some unique challenges at Auburn. Pressure is not among them.
Kentucky takes a 4-7 record into Saturday’s game at Auburn. Only three times previously has a UK team lost seven of its first 11 games: 1926-27 (2-9), 1923 (2-9) and 1910 (4-7).
Jacob Toppin pooh-poohed the notion that this historical stumble heaped pressure on Kentucky players.
“I don’t think there’s any pressure on us,” he said during a teleconference Friday. “We’re human beings. We make mistakes. Sometimes we have off nights. Sometimes we have great nights. We just have to deal with those.”
Toppin cited greater focus and preparation as necessary in the repair work going forward. He suggested another positive is a desire to make amends for Tuesday’s 85-65 loss to Alabama, which was the third-largest margin of defeat for Kentucky in Rupp Arena history.
“We want to do good,” he said, “and we just want to make up for the loss we had.”
When asked about the task of shielding players from pressure, UK Coach John Calipari said, “The social media has made it a lot different. You almost have to shut it down.”
Calipari said he advises players that reading glowing compliments means that bad reviews must be also read. He called both flattery and condemnation “poison” that can do harm.
With good reviews, “all of a sudden you become an arrogant player, and you get your head handed to you,” he said. “The other guy plays harder. He fights. He’s in a dogfight. You think you’re cute.”
It’s not easy for any college player to shun praise and criticism, said Calipari before adding, “When you’re at Kentucky, it’s 10 times that.”
On the plus side for the Kentucky team going on the road, the coronavirus pandemic has lessened home-court advantages. Going into this weekend, road teams have a 15-14 record in Southeastern Conference games. Less than a third of the way through the regular-season schedule finds only three teams unbeaten at home in SEC play: Alabama (2-0), South Carolina (1-0) and LSU (3-0).
On another Friday teleconference, Florida Coach Mike White said many fewer fans at games heightened the expectation of winning away from home. But . . .
“Still surprising,” he said. “Even in this crazy COVID climate, I think all of us anticipated road teams having a better chance to steal road wins. But I’m not sure any of us expected it to be to this extent.
“I think it speaks volumes (about) fan bases, decibel levels and home-court advantage in a normal climate.”
Calipari likened college games to the NBA “bubble” which had no home-court advantage. Fans or no fans, opponents are still excited by the chance to beat Kentucky, he added.
“We expect it to be physical, hand-to-hand combat, energy, focused game,” Calipari said of Saturday’s game. “Whether it was at home, on I-95, at Auburn, at Rupp, in Nashville.”
Auburn, 7-6 overall and 1-4 in the SEC, is led by freshman point guard Sharife Cooper. Because his academic eligibility had to be cleared, he did not play his first game until last weekend.
Though late to the party, he’s been anything but a wallflower looking to fit in. Cooper has averaged 27 points and has a 21-10 assist-to-turnover ratio in his first two games.
His 12 assists in a 95-77 victory at Georgia on Wednesday equaled the most by an SEC player this season.
In the final nine minutes of the game, Cooper scored or assisted on 20 of Auburn’s final 24 points.
Calipari noted Auburn’s increased scoring since Cooper became eligible. The Tigers averaged 74.4 points without him, and 92.5 in the two games with him.
Then Calipari paid Cooper perhaps the ultimate compliment. He compared him to former UK standout Tyler Ulis.
“Tyler had a little different kind of game to him,” the UK coach said. “But they have similarities.”
One attribute the two seem to share is a keen sense of anticipation. In the game at Georgia, Cooper wowed the television announcers by making a perfect lob pass with his off hand (his left hand).
“Like some of the great guards I’ve had, the ball hits his hands, and it may be out of his hand within a half-second (and) up the court,” Calipari said. “What would that do to people on your team? That means they’re flying because if they get a two-step lead, he will throw it.”
Alabama Coach Nate Oats was convinced after Cooper scored 26 points and got credit for nine assists against his team last weekend.
“He makes them a completely different team,” Oats said after Alabama’s 94-90 victory.
Saturday
Kentucky at Auburn
When: 2 p.m. EST
TV: ESPN
Radio: WLAP-AM 630, WBUL-FM 98.1
Records: Kentucky 4-7 (3-1 SEC), Auburn 6-6 (0-4)
Series: Kentucky leads 95-21.
Last meeting: Kentucky won 73-66 on Feb. 29, 2020, in Rupp Arena.
