Kentucky Preview: An Interview with the Enemy

In anticipation for Saturday’s SEC matchup with Kentucky, we did an interview with our friends over at the Kentucky Blog on the Fansided network, wildcatbluenation.com Our own Nat Scott posed our questions and answered there’s. Check out the conversation below:

Questions from All For Tennessee

AFT: How did Kentucky fans view the Bruce Pearl saga?  Were they glad to see him go?

WBN: Bruce Pearl was a good villain for us and we loved beating him.  So I won’t say that we were GLAD to see him go, but in the end think that it was inevitable that it happen.  Very few coaches can bring about the hatred of the BBN (Big Blue Nation) like Pearl did, but you never really want to see a rival go down due to the actions of a coach like that.  I’m sad that the Calipari/Pearl series only lasted four games. But how did I view the whole saga?  I think most Kentucky fans feel that Pearl made the whole situation a lot worse than it should have been and as a result, got what he deserved,.  Getting caught is one thing, but lying and making it worse was just stupid.  It’s hard to feel sympathy for Pearl because of the way he got started in basketball, but we do feel for UT fans dealing with all the drama.

AFT: Who are some of the major contributors and future stars of this year’s Kentucky team?  There does not appear to be any John Wall’s or household names this year, yet Kentucky is still ranked second.  

WBN: We don’t have a star with the aura and flash of John Wall, but this team is stacked.  Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is already one of the best players in college as a freshman.  He fills the stat sheet every night and has probably the greatest attitude you can ask for in a kid.  He’s had a tough life so it’s really easy to root for him.  He does not play like a freshman at all.  Anthony Davis could be the number one pick in the draft this year and going into Wednesday’s game was just 9 blocks from the school record.  Doron Lamb, Terrence Jones, and Darius Miller are back from last year.  And with Teague, we had 6 players averaging 10 points a game.  We’re better than Wall’s team as we have six players that can drop 20 in any given night.

The conversation continues below.

AFT: What are some of the weaknesses or areas where this Kentucky team could improve? (If any)

ABN: We have a bad habit of playing down to the level of the competition for 25 minutes or so and then using a 15 minute blitz to put the game away.  We were down at the half to Arkansas-Little Rock and got a scare from Old Dominion.  So some games are adventures.  We started out slow against South Carolina but then scored 58 points in 25 minutes.  This team needs to keep their foot on the gas for 40 minutes.

AFT:  Is there any way on Earth Tennessee can keep this game close? 

WBN: Sure.  You guys beat Florida by 11, so I would say use that same gameplan.  I have not watched Tennessee a lot, but I would say play a lot of zone and make us beat you from outside.  Doron Lamb has been inconsistent and Darius Miller is not shooting like he did last year.  I would make it a half court game and slow it down.  If you can keep it in the 60’s you have a chance.  And if you can get hot from beyond the arc.  We are kind of lax on perimeter defense because our interior defense is so good (9 blocks a game)

AFT: Did Joker Phillips get a statue after beating Tennessee?  Or was he just happy that the “hot seat” discussion shifted from him to Derek Dooley for the off-season?

WBN: No statue for Joker.  Maybe for Matt Roark though.  My site has stood up for Joker this year as I believe you have to give a college coach more than two years, so the win over UT put a nice warm and fuzzy ending to a 5-7 season..  Joker’s seat is warm, but I think he was happy that Dooley is still on the hot seat it seems.  Of course, there is pressure to make the streak two next year.

Questions from Wildcat Blue Nation

WBN: What are the odds of Jarnell Stokes playing in this game?  If not, when?

AFT: It is very unlikely Stokes will play in Tennessee’s game on Thursday night, but I would give it a 50-50 shot for Saturday.  Coach Martin continues to say that it is his job to ensure that Stokes is in shape and is put in a position to be successful on the court, so right now nobody really knows when that will actually take place.  Stokes just started practice on Monday and there is a lot to learn about the offense and his teammates before he will be ready to step out on the floor, especially against a high quality opponent like Kentucky.  If the game gets out of hand it is possible Stokes could get some minutes, but otherwise look for him the next week against Georgia.

WBN: What impact will Stokes have this season?  Will he start and who will he take minutes from?

AFT: Stokes is one of the more interesting cases in recent memory.  I cannot recall the last time a player went from high school to college in the middle of the season and was eligible to play right away.  In most cases it would be highly unlikely for someone like that to play right away; however, Stokes fills a need for Tennessee.  The Vols post play has been lacking for most of the season.  Maymon has been up and down,Hall has not progressed like everyone hoped, and Woolridge tries hard but was never meant to be a post.  Stokes could legitimately start for this team in the near future.

WBN: As we know, Tennessee has a new coach in Cuonzo Martin.  What can you tell us about Tennessee’s style of play as we are used to watching Bruce Pearl teams at UT?

AFT: Cuonzo Martin emphasizes defense and toughness in a way that Pearl never really did.  When Bruce first came to Tennessee he was about running up and down the court and using a press defense in order to create more offense.  Pearl wanted to put points on the board and hope the other team could not catch up.  He kind of got away from that the last few years, but that is a different story.  Martin’s team has actually run up and down the court a lot more than most people in Tennessee thought they would, but it is still a very different style of basketball than under Pearl.  Martin also emphasizes a strong man-to-man defense, he said he could not draw up a zone if he had to.  Martin preaches toughness, toughness, and more toughness.

WBN: Earlier this season, Tennessee lost to teams like Oakland and Austin Peay.  What would you say changed for them to allow them to beat Florida by 11?

AFT: Tennessee is finding it’s identity under Martin.  For most of the early part of the season Tennessee was still running down the court and trying to chuck up three pointers every other possession.  There were flashes of brilliance when they would play “Cuonzo Ball” and actually run their half court sets, but they could never put it together for a full game.  Against Florida they finally played the way Cuonzo wants them to; they played tough defense (holding Florida to 29% from the field in the second half) and took smart shots.  Tennessee has also notoriously played to the level of their opponents so far this year (see Duke, Memphis, and Pittsburgh).

WBN: I have to ask this. Would a Tennessee upset of Kentucky lessen the sting of us beating UT in football?  If not, what would?  

AFT: One word: no.  It’ll take a whole lot more than that for people down here to feel good about the state of most of our athletic programs at the moment.  It would take a sweep of Kentucky this year to lessen the blow (and we all know that isn’t going to happen).

-Check out the rest of their blog over at wildcatbluenation.com. You can also follow them on twitter @wildcatbluenatn 

-Be sure to follow AFT on Twitter and Facebook or contact us by e-mail at allfortennessee@gmail.com