Our Know! Your! Foe! interview series is back with a special NCAA Tournament "Second Round" edition. Rob Pedigo from Kentucky sports site Tailgate Review and I will be trading Q&As on the eve of the Wildcats' first meeting with Princeton since 1977.
To kick things off, Rob answers to my questions. I'll send him responses to his inquiries about the Princeton Tigers later this afternoon.
Is it fair to say Kentucky is playing their best basketball of the season heading into the NCAA Tournament?
Yes, as a team, Kentucky played as well as they have all year in the SEC Tournament. Freshman Terrence Jones did not play as well as he has during the season, but the team was as good as a whole as it has been all year.
Beyond the initial surprise of receiving a four seed when they expected better, has this displeasure stayed with the players and staff or do you sense they've moved on?
I don’t think we will know that until the game tips off Thursday in Tampa. Cal and the 'Cats were all obviously disappointed with their seeding after blowing out Florida (a #2 seed) in the SEC Championship game Sunday. In the two years Calipari has been in Lexington, we have learned that he is the master motivator and I am sure he will use the “snub” to have them ready to make a run in the NCAA Tournament.
With six players averaging 27+ minutes and nobody else in double digits, how much of an issue is depth for Kentucky?
This is a subject that has been debated all year long in the Bluegrass. Throughout the season, very few times did the depth ever become an issue. Last weekend, in the SEC Tourney, the Cats played three games in three days and looked like they could have played three more after the title game on Sunday. They have basically been six deep all year long, but a seventh, Eloy Vargas, gave Kentucky some quality minutes in the SEC tourney. Â He could be the key to giving Harrellson and Jones a rest.
Is Terrence Jones or Brandon Knight more critical to the Wildcats' success? (You have to pick one.)
Brandon Knight, no question. Knight is becoming this team’s leader on the floor. For months, he wanted to defer any type of leadership Cal might have wanted him to take, but he is starting to embrace it now. He can score from anywhere on the floor, he is buying in to the defense, and he is becoming more vocal on the court.
I was surprised by the Kentucky home (15-0) / away (4-7) / neutral (6-1) splits. Was there anything beyond the quality of their opponents that caused John Calipari's team to play poorly away from Rupp Arena?
It was very tough for Big Blue Nation to watch these 'Cats lose so often on the road in the SEC. In my opinion, it came down to one factor…youth. Games on the SEC road are tough, but Kentucky was more talented in all of their road losses - including Florida. It just took the freshmen and the inexperienced upperclassman time to learn how to win in a hostile environment. They ended the regular season with a road win in Knoxville against our biggest rival and the season might have turned around for this team at that point.
I've looked at the numbers. A few times. I don't see a weakness. Is there a weakness? If so, what do you feel it is?
Depth is the team’s only weakness, inexperience is the players' biggest weakness heading into the national tournament. The players, for the most part, will be playing in their first NCAA tournament game Thursday. They have handled the pressure of playing for Kentucky all year long. It will be interesting how they handle and even larger stage.
Finish this sentence: Kentucky wins if...
...they stay out of foul trouble. That is the only way depth becomes a factor.
Princeton surprises another top program as a 13 seed if...
... they get Kentucky into early foul trouble and they hit shots. Kentucky was beat several times this year on the road when they allowed their opponent to get open looks from the perimeter. Hit a few 3s, get Knight, Liggins or Miller in foul trouble early, and you have a shot.
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TailgateReview.com is a blog for Kentucky fans. We are just a bunch of friends who love Kentucky athletics and love talking about them. We don’t take ourselves as serious as some sites and are aware that we don’t know nearly as much as we think we do. We bleed blue 365 days a year. From Commonwealth Stadium in the fall to Rupp Areana in the winter, we are die-hard Cats fans.
